Exposure to trauma impacts ability to squash bad memories (Boston)--People exposed to trauma are less able to suppress unwanted emotional memories due to neural and behavioral disruptions in their brain that may contribute to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by intense reliving of the trauma that is repetitive, intrusive and incapacitating. The intrusive nature of these hallmark symptoms suggests that the inability to suppress unwanted memories may be a strong contributor to the behavioral manifestation of PTSD. Previous work has shown that healthy individuals can actively suppress emotional memories while individuals with PTSD frequently experience unwanted memories of their traumatic experiences, even when making explicit efforts to avoid them. However, little is known regarding the behavioral and neural effects of memory suppression among individuals with PTSD. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers examined memory suppression in three groups: those with PTSD; those who experienced trauma without PTSD and controls with no trauma exposure or PTSD. They found trauma-exposed participants (regardless of PTSD status) were less likely to successfully suppress memory than non-trauma-exposed controls. "Neuroimaging data revealed that trauma-exposed individuals showed reduced activation in the right middle frontal gyrus, a critical region for memory suppression, during a memory suppression task and were less likely to successfully suppress memory compared to non-trauma exposed individuals. These results suggest that trauma exposure is associated with neural and behavioral disruptions in memory suppression and point to the possibility that difficulty in active suppression of memories may be just one of several likely factors contributing to the development of PTSD," explained lead author Danielle R. Sullivan, PhD, affiliated with the National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine. These findings appear in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. ### Funding for this study was provided by National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) training grant (T32MH019836-01) awarded to TK supporting DRS, the National Center for PTSD and NIH grant K23MH084013 awarded to JPH. This story has been published on: 2019-03-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. US-East Asia predoctoral program expands with $1.2 million grant USC Dornsife's Korean Studies Institute (KSI) announced today a new interdisciplinary predoctoral exchange that builds on the university's emerging position as a global leader in American international relations focused on East Asia. KSI will offer a year-long program to young scholars working to earn their Ph.D.s in fields such as international relations and history at colleges and universities across the country. The initiative expands USC Dornsife's already vibrant mentorship program, where a wide variety of graduate students from across the social sciences and humanities focus on US-East Asia relations. The expansion is made possible by a $1.2 million grant from the Charles Koch Foundation. "This grant will provide valuable support to our tremendous group of scholars working on issues related to the Pacific Rim, said Andrew Lakoff, Divisional Dean of Social Sciences for USC Dornsife. "We are confident that this initiative and the research undertaken at KSI will have a direct and important impact on US-East Asian relations and will enable the program to grow to meet the need for new answers that address emerging challenges." The initiative will be headed by KSI Director and social scientist David Kang, in collaboration with Jonathan Markowitz, an assistant professor in the USC Dornsife School of International Relations. Each annual cohort will have the opportunity to regularly interact about research and scholarship and will receive mentoring on professionalization and public engagement. The program will host conferences, workshops and other similar programmatic activities related to the mission of the center and scope of the grant. In addition, KSI will organize and host a set of academic talks designed to publicize the center's research. "The program is poised to become one of the leading sources of insight about the US-East Asia and US-Korean relations," said Kang, the Maria Crutcher Professor of International Relations, Business, and East Asian Languages and Cultures. "It's innovative and badly needed, so we are tremendously grateful to the Charles Koch Foundation for its support. As the security environment for the United States and East Asia continues to change, we need to develop and nurture scholars who have deep knowledge of the region and who care about policy issues." The Charles Koch Foundation supports research and educational programs in areas such as criminal justice and policing reform, free expression, foreign policy, economic opportunity and innovation. The Foundation supports more than 300 colleges and universities across the country, including UCLA, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and Notre Dame. "The national conversation on foreign policy benefits when additional scholars from diverse disciplines engage," said Charles Koch Foundation Executive Vice President Ryan Stowers. "We're excited to continue supporting USC's Korean Studies Institute as its researchers enhance understanding of the security environment with East Asia and expand opportunities for others to contribute." Kang, who has been at USC Dornsife since 2009, studies East Asian security with a particular emphasis on the Korean peninsula. For the decade prior, he taught at Dartmouth and the Tuck School of Business. He has written on the economic development of Korea and the Philippines, the international relations of historical East Asia, North Korea. His most recent book is American Grand Strategy and East Asian Security in the 21st Century. Earlier grants to Kang have included funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Korea Foundation and the Academy of Korean Studies. Jonathan Markowitz is a leading authority on resource competition and has researched extensively territorial disputes in the South China Seas and emerging competition over the Arctic Ocean. He is finishing a book entitled the Perils of Plenty: Arctic Resource Competition and the Return of the Great Game. ### Additional private support will be needed to sustain the predoctoral program in US-Asia relations. For more information, please contact Associate Director Gloria Koo at gloriako@usc.edu or (213) 740-0005. This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hu Bing, deputy chief of China's National Cultural Heritage Administration, speaks to reporters during a relics repatriation event held in the Eiteljorg Museum of Indianapolis, capital city of state of Indiana, the United States, on Feb. 28, 2019. China is willing to cooperate further with the United States in relics repatriation and protection, so as to promote a win-win and fair model for the international community at large, a senior Chinese official in charge of relic preservation said recently. Hu Bing, deputy chief of China's National Cultural Heritage Administration, made the remarks after attending a ceremony in Indianapolis, where the United States announced the repatriation of 361 pieces of Chinese relics and artifacts to China on Thursday. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) INDIANAPOLIS, the United States, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to cooperate further with the United States in relics repatriation and protection, so as to promote a win-win and fair model for the international community at large, a senior Chinese official in charge of relic preservation said recently. Hu Bing, deputy chief of China's National Cultural Heritage Administration, made the remarks after attending a ceremony in Indianapolis, capital city of the U.S. state of Indiana, where the United States announced the repatriation of 361 pieces of Chinese relics and artifacts to China on Thursday. The repatriation would bring back to China the largest batch of relics and artifacts from the United States since 2009, when the two nations signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in this respect. These returned relics and artifacts, including a green glazed ceramic architectural model, were found by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Indianapolis office in April 2014. Hu told Xinhua that Thursday's repatriation highlights cooperation between the two nations' governmental institutions, including China's National Cultural Heritage Administration and its embassy in the United States, as well as the U.S. FBI and the Department of State. China appreciates U.S. commitment and contribution to the protection of China's relics and artifacts, Hu said, noting that the latest repatriation, the third since 2009, represents the joint effort of the two nations and their support for each other, and will surely enhance the understanding and trust between the two peoples. It also helps set a good example for the global effort in this regard and presents a gift to the 40th anniversary of the China-U.S. diplomatic relations, the Chinese official added. Thanks to the first two rounds of repatriation in March 2011 and December 2015 since the 2009 MoU was signed, 36 pieces of relics and one ancient fossil have come back to their native country and been sent to major museums in China. Hu noted that these relics and artifacts are an inseparable part of China's historical and cultural heritage, and it is in line with international protocol to enhance effort to repatriate cultural relics to their country of origin. Hu also noted the robust momentum of bilateral cultural exchanges in the past 10 years, which were exemplified by the renewals of the MoU, joint archaeological activities, relic restoration, dozens' exhibitions of the Chinese cultural relics held in the United States, as well as the frequent cooperation between China's national relic-preservation institutions and U.S. prestigious counterparts like Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Harvard University. Speaking of future plans to promote China-U.S. cultural relic cooperation, Hu suggested that the two sides pursue win-win results by advancing dialogues and coordination in such areas as relic restoration, exhibition and technology as well as heritage management. Moreover, governments of the two nations shall enhance their partnership in terms of cultural heritage management around the globe, Hu said, adding that China is willing to work with the U.S. side to build a stable multi-dimensional cooperation network, support the international relic-protection initiative, engage in the establishment and enhance of international treaties, and commit to cultural relic preservation in conflict areas, and so on. Noting that China has signed bilateral agreements with the United States and other 20 nations regarding combating relic theft, excavation and smuggling, Hu said China's National Cultural Heritage Administration has in recent years secured the return of over 4,000 pieces of relics through diplomatic, judicial and consultation channels, among others. He added that China hopes to further its collaboration and exchanges with the U.S. side in fighting the looting, stealing and smuggling of cultural relics, to help secure an open and win-win cultural atmosphere in the world. 7 1 [ Editor: WPY ] John Boyd said he first met Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to talk about how the government shutdown was impacting black farmers.Nearly two weeks after their first meeting, Virginia would be consumed by a series of race-related scandals embroiling the governor, first lady, and attorney general.Northam faced national backlash and calls from some in his state to step down after a photo, which depicts two men, one in a Ku Klux Klan robe and another in blackface, on his yearbook page. Northam has denied he was in the picture, has not resigned and has since been on a racial reconciliation tour of sorts meeting with civil rights leaders and others.Those conservations included discussions with Boyd who, for three decades, has advocated for black farmers as the founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association.He says Northams lack of political experience has been a hindrance in his ability to bounce back following the yearbook controversy.I believe sometimes the governor may not have the right choice of words, due to the fact that hes clearly not a sharped-edged politician thats been poised at doing those type of off-the-cuff comments over the career, he said. How a trip to the local park turned into a nightmare for a foreign mom in Rome - scorned by tourists, tested to the limits by her baby daughter and let down by her loving dog. The ex-navy commander who lives upstairs told me he saw a rat in my stroller. My husband went to check and found rat poop in the convenient catch-all bottom, where I stuff bags of groceries so I can bring food home to my family. I felt like he ripped my heart out when he announced the Nuna would have to go. Considering its weight, no one would be carrying it up the stairs at night. My blood boiled with anger: the insensitivity and downright ignorance of that suggestion. Im here living in this place, another home not my own, where cobblestones are the one obstacle of my day that I can actually conquer. The balanced carriage, cushioned with a leather handle that I push with one hand, while I walk the dog with another, is one tool I literally couldnt live without. If the Nuna goes, I go too (is what crossed this irate mothers head). This grand palazzo where a pope once lived better deal once and for all with its embarrassing rat problem. Notice, not MY rat problem! Sampietrini A year later, and I still have my Nuna - with its shock absorbent, all-terrain tyres. Oh yes, Im grateful for our victory. Maybe the condominium finally got it together to call an exterminator, and the exterminator actually showed up. Or maybe, our small battle to clean up the trash that plagues this entire city was won. Either way, I plop my kid in that stroller, hook my dogs leash around my wrist and kick some sanpietrini ass every day, to take them to the park. Trees fall in the park. The city has closed it as a precaution against unpredictable winds. Yesterday, my daughter walked up and down along the locked entrance gate. Crying, at no one specifically. An old couple walked by with long faces. Shes crying because its closed, I told them in Italian. The woman answered with a resounding giustamente, validating both my daughter and me (because as a mom, a whining child can be unseemly). We moved away from the gate then, jumping off a low curb. I patiently tried to convince my daughter to move into the sun, and the bridge toward home. I pushed the empty stroller in front of me and the dog pulled on its leash. In the few seconds it took me to untangle the leash from my dogs foot, my daughter had laid face down on the ground with her head buried in her hands. I called to her. Then I paused, wondering how this would play out. Having never before been confronted with this behaviour, it was one of those new mom moments where you think what the shiznit? Do I pull out my phone and send a photo to her dad? Do I wait for the tantrum to end? Do I stuff her kicking and screaming into the beloved Nuna? While my mind is running, two women walk by. I hear one of them yell That is SO FUCKED. Oh my god. What kind of mother would let and with her head on the floor. SO FUCKED. DISGUSTING. I froze in shock. My voice disappeared. It took me a moment to move, registering that it was a British accent, she had spoken English, thinking I wouldnt understand a tourist. I picked up my daughter and noticed an Italian family watching. A mother explained to her children that my baby must have been crying for hours, and that is why she was now lying on the floor. The realisation that we had an audience kicked me into gear. My daughter gracefully sat down in the stroller and off we went over the bridge. The tears started welling up at the corner of my eyes as we waited at a stoplight to cross the Lungotevere. I blinked and they ran down my face. Im a failure, I said to myself, Ive failed as a mother. We crossed the road and the dog stopped. Thank you doggy for taking this shit in an inconspicuous place, rather than back there on the pedestrian bridge, I thought. They say dogs can feel emotions and well, yep. Just as I was pulling out a waste bag to pick up the droppings, a family appeared out of nowhere. I saw little sneakers narrowly miss the first poop, but before I could say anything, a foot landed in the second pile. The kid stopped, the mom stopped and looked down, looked at me holding the dog. I lost it. Huge choking sobs. Im sorry, I managed to babble, so sorry. The dad watched me as I struggled to pull a waste bag that had been ineptly inserted into its carrier by husband. Whishful_thinking_ I pulled and pulled, and cried and cried. In moment of clear-headed genius, I opened the carrier. The bags rolled out onto the ground away from me. My daughter started crying. The mother, who was now on her knees scraping her kids shoe against a potted palm tree, looked at her husband. Im sorry, I said again between blubbers. Somehow, I managed to scoop up the poop. I sat down on the curb, recalling the British womans words of judgment. The dog came over to lick my tears. With a deep breath I got up and pushed the Nuna home. It glided over potholes and maneuvered its way around seas of tour groups. I parked it in the courtyard and carried my daughter upstairs. My husband took her and I ran to the bathroom where I had a good cry. The audacity of that woman has no explanation. That type of meanness, the lack of intercultural understanding, makes me so grateful to be in a city where, despite its numerous faults, people take care of each other. Even though no one actually helped me, it was the Italians that I encountered who encouraged my abilities as a mother: making me feel less alone in this adopted country. On Monday, in the morning, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey departed Government House for official travel to the Gold Coast. Following, at Pimpama, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey visited Pimpama State School, and the Governor addressed students and guests. Following, at Surfers Paradise, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey visited Home of the Arts. In the afternoon, at the City of Gold Coast Council Chambers, Surfers Paradise, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey received a briefing from Council representatives. Following, at Southport, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey visited the Gold Coast Student Hub. In the evening, at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey hosted a reception in support of the Gold Coast community, and the Governor addressed guests. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The exhibition, which includes some 90 works by Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Rene Magritte, Joan Miro, Giorgio de Chirico, Andre Masson and others, traces one of the stranger arcs of art history. It begins with psychological dream worlds and paintings made in response to the Spanish Civil War, and ends in the United States with surrealism partly fading and partly morphing into abstract expressionism. Some of the key artists associated with the movement barely made it out of Europe, took refuge in the United States, and brought with them an understanding of art that would become fertile ground for the more subjectively expressive adventures of artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell. The Baltimore show does a good job of making that evolution feel natural, even inevitable. It underscores how the surrealist mandate, especially the need to find imagery as horrifying as current events, was unsustainable. The ballet needs someone who is all in, somebody who is at every single performance and every single donor event and social event, he added. And thats not where I am in my life. The Vietnamese table has always been interactive. Youre regularly expected to customize your meal, whether adding a wheezing squeeze of Sriracha to your noodle soup or selecting the herbs to wrap around your fried spring rolls. But Four Seasons like its Eden Center neighbor, Rice Paper basically puts you on the prep line with some plates, such as an appetizer of sliced rare beef. The name is deceiving because, by the time youre done composing the bite, the beef will be fully or partially cooked (your call) in a vinegar broth brought to a low boil with a butane burner placed on the table. You will be asked to roll the beef, along with your choice of herbs and sliced veggies, into a slip of rice paper softened in water. Your first tabletop summer roll will look like hell. Your second will be divine. (TNS) More than 35 states allow partnerships in which private entities can bid to help finance and build government-owned facilities.New Mexico is not yet one of those states. But it could be if a bill that the House of Representatives approved Friday by a vote of 64-0 makes it into law.House Bill 286, sponsored by five lawmakers from both political parties, would allow any government agency in the state to enter into a long-term agreement with a private entity to finance and build road and broadband infrastructure.In this case, Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup, one of the bills sponsors, told lawmakers the initiative could help with much-needed road, bridge and Internet service in counties and municipalities where capital funds are limited.This is a really important bill for our state, she said.Nobody chose to debate the bill.During earlier committee hearings, Lundstrom explained that the bill would set up the partnerships under the New Mexico Finance Authority. It would help bankroll them.The private groups wanting to bid for jobs in the state have to provide a cost-benefit analysis, a budget proposal and take part in public hearings to solicit feedback from community members affected by the projects.To qualify, a project must take at least five years to complete.Though the bill has no appropriation, its fiscal impact report says the Legislative Finance Committee recommends setting aside $40 million for a startup fund.Lundstrom told lawmakers the new private-public setup would not include the building of toll roads.The bill originally included a number of other possible projects, including schools and public facilities, before the sponsors narrowed it down to just roads and broadband two areas, Lundstrom said, where the state needs help.The bill goes next to the Senate for consideration. Using milder, natural cleaning agents on the cloths also can help. Commercial cleaners can contain harsh and toxic chemicals. Ive compiled a collection of my favorite homemade cleaning solutions into a handy pamphlet. Would you like to receive one? Its easy! Visit my newly updated website, Heloise.com, to order, or send a long, stamped (70 cents), self-addressed envelope, along with $5, to: Heloise/HCS, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Warm vinegar and baking soda combine to make a bubbly drain freshener. Give it a whirl! Cheh, whose committee oversees the Department of Public Works, said she would wait for more details of the investigation including whether indictments are filed against other District employees referenced in the Hajhassan case before deciding whether her committee needs to hold a hearing into the potential for wider problems at the agency. Evans (D-Ward 2) offered a brief public apology Tuesday but declined to answer questions. Id just like to say in retrospect I would have done a lot of things differently, he told reporters in the hallway outside the D.C. Council chambers. I certainly made some major mistakes, and I want to take this opportunity to apologize to my constituents and the residents of the District of Columbia and to my colleagues, so thats all I have to say. President Trump on Monday afternoon ostentatiously complimented D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D) who alleges in an ongoing lawsuit that Trump is violating anti-corruption clauses in the Constitution and just last week became the third law enforcement official to subpoena documents from the presidents inaugural committee. When we created homestead in 1978, we created it for every person . . . not just certain people, Todd said. This notion that Ive been hearing over the last couple of weeks that we cant help every single taxpayer, it really isnt fair. Its not being inclusive. Outside the courthouse after an hour-long closed hearing, Manning said her motion to quash the subpoena was denied but her team believes they still have grounds to litigate. She would not go into detail because U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton also blocked her bid to unseal the proceedings. But she said she was probably going to be at the courthouse multiple times in coming days. Glass said he then began looking at the countys database of employees and found pay inequities between men and women who hold county jobs at the same level. The lone man among 13 Program Manager I positions in the Department of Health and Human Services, for example, earns more than any of the 12 women in that position, even though several of the women have been with the department longer. As part of the agreement, the famously private Amazon which required strict confidentiality from local and state governments as it sought to land the companys second headquarters must acknowledge that much of the information it provides to the county and state is subject to the states Freedom of Information Act statute. That information includes square-footage reports, the number of employees hired in Arlington, incentives paid, and composite tax and revenue data. (TNS) - Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said this afternoon search and rescue efforts today in the Beauregard community have so far not revealed any more fatalities from Sundays tornadoes, with the death toll standing at 23, but Jones said dozens of people are still unaccounted for.The search teams have worked the areas of the most significant damage, Jones said. "I am pleased to report we have not recovered any further victims from the areas that we have initially searched. But I want to offer a caveat with that, that we have not completed our searches."Jones and other officials gave an update this afternoon at Beauregard High School, which sits in a rural area on a two-lane highway south of Opelika and Auburn, not far from where the most powerful of Sundays tornadoes plowed through, snapping trees and shredding homes. Gov. Kay Ivey spoke at the news conference and pledged state and federal support in the recovery effort.Jones said the fatalities are in an area framed by Alabama Highway 51 and Lee County highways 38 and 39.National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Darden said preliminary analysis indicates the main storm in Lee County was an EF-4 tornado packing winds estimated at 170 mph. Darden said the tornados track of was at least 24 miles long.Almost a mile wide, Darden said. A monster tornado as it moved across the area.A separate tornado that hit Macon County and moved into Lee County was likely an EF-1, Darden said. A storm that hit Eufaula and Barbour County was likely at least an EF-1, he said.Authorities are working with family and friends of the missing to determine how many are still unaccounted for.UAB Hospital in Birmingham confirmed to AL.com Monday that it received seven patients from the tornadoes. Their conditions were not publicly released.Agencies from around Alabama and parts of Georgia are assisting in the search and recovery effort.Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said the process of identifying victims was close to completion but that six victims could not be initially identified from physical characteristics.We believe we know who those individuals are, Harris said. "We have talked to the families."Harris said one of the 23 victims died at a hospital.Once we get into some more areas, Im not going to be surprised if we dont come up with some more deceased, Harris said. Hopefully we wont. But its been a long, long night.Harris said he planned to start meeting with families of victims at an undisclosed location this afternoon.Harris said there were at least three children among the victims, ages 6, 9 and 10.Ivey said she got a call from President Trump about 8:15 this morning. Ivey said she told the president the state would like to expedite the process of assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She said Trump promised to do that. Ivey said the president told her, You folks in Alabama are wonderful people and surely in your time of need, I will support you.Ivey said the state was in mourning but that Lee County would bounce back.To know Alabama is to know that we are a tight-knit community of people and today each of us mourns the loss of life of our fellow Alabamians, Ivey said. "Our hearts and prayers go out to these people who have lost their family members and friends and all those who are impacted by these storms."Amidst this tragedy, we have a job to do. We must build back Lee County to its feet. Today, all of Alabama is focused on Lee County. And yall as your governor, I want to you to know Ive got your back. We will do everything in our power to help the citizens of Lee County recover and recover and come back stronger.The tornado ravaged a small neighborhood in Smiths Station on Lee County 430, where Greg Molinari and many of his neighbors sorted through the damage on Monday morning. Molinari was upbeat even though his home was destroyed. He said he and his wife, Susan, survived the storm because they took his daughter-in-laws advice and put large cooking pots over their heads as makeshift helmets.The sirens were going off quite frequently and we said we better take this very seriously. That was about three oclock, Molinari said.And my wife and I received a text from my daughter in law. She said get in the bathroom and put pots on your head. Well, the bathroom wasnt a great idea because its an exterior wall. But we went in the hallway, which is a small, confined area here. And we did put big cooking pots over our head. Saved our lives. The ceiling crashed in on us.The tornado ripped the roof off Molinaris house.And we were trapped in there, Molinari said. We couldnt get out even though we were OK. Our neighbor across the street here, he came screaming over, Is anybody in there? Is anybody in there? We said, Yeah. We cant get out. He dug us out.Molinari said he and his wife then rode out the storm at the neighbors house.Him and his wife, his daughter and his dog and us, we all hunkered down in there," Molinari said.Molinari said another neighbor he didnt know helped in their rescue.Molinari said he had reason to be positive despite the disaster.We have a very strong faith," Molinari said. "Were Jehovahs Witnesses. Our God Jehovah takes care of us. We believe he helped to protect us. Hell also help us recover from all this.On the same street as Greg Molinari, Taylor Grantham was home with her husband and children on Sunday when the tornado arrived.There were definitely sirens, Grantham said. We had a warning but we didnt really take it seriously until my husband seen it, right before it hit us. And he slammed the door.He said, Its here, and he grabbed a mattress and covered us and we just were in the hallway and we stayed under the mattress until it was over.Grantham said they had holes in the roof and a wall on the back of the house caved in. Overall, she said her house sustained less damage than many in the neighborhood.We were just praying that our house wasnt going to get ripped open. And we came out and started checking on all our neighbors and saw that their houses were gone, Grantham said.She said her husband and several other men from the neighborhood helped lift a fallen roof off a woman.It took five men to lift the roof up to get her out, Grantham said. She was injured but she was OK. She was able to crawl out and walk on her own.On U.S. 280 in Smiths Station, David McBride stood by the wreckage of his business, the Wild Buck Saloon. Whats left of the bar is in the tornados clearly marked path and close to the crumpled remains of a cell phone tower that had to be cleared from the four-lane highway.McBride said he arrived at his bar Sunday afternoon to do a favor for a customer.I pulled up in here in my truck and I seen all the stuff swirling in the air, McBride said. So I took off around that pole and got in front of that store just about the time everything started blowing apart.McBride thought he was safely ahead of the storm.Somebody told there was one coming but it was 45 miles from here or 45 minutes, McBride said. So I was coming over here to get a friends wifes purse that she left the night before and meeting him over here. And then when I pulled up in here and seen all that, got in front of that store over there and watched everything blow to pieces.And I would have been in that building if it had been four more minutes, further that way, I would have been inside that building.Asked what he saw and heard, McBride said, I heard a train coming and I seen that tower fall and as I got to the edge of that store wall there I seen the roof blow off my bar and then a couple of seconds later the store just exploded.McBride said he wasnt aware of anyone being hurt in the immediate vicinity of where he was. He said he has owned the bar for about six years and said he did not know what his plans for it were.Smiths Station Mayor Fred Copeland said there were two injuries in the city but no fatalities.This storm was devastating, Copeland said. "The one thing I can say is whether you live in Texas, whether you live in Arkansas or wherever, if you hear a siren, take heed. Yesterday it come up so quick that we were not able to really realize what was going on.It is devastating to our city. We will rebuild. Beauregard will rebuild. But our hearts in Smith Station are with our neighbors in Beauregard.The Lee County Emergency Management Agency is accepting information from people with missing family members and friends. Last month, the shortest of the year, was the busiest February at the border since 2007, officials said, with authorities detaining 76,103 migrants, up from 58,207 in January. The percentage of migrants who arrived as part of a family group also reached a new peak, with 40,325 parents and children taken into custody, a 67 percent leap from the previous month. Troubled Tech Roads still clogged (TNS) For people who spend their days thinking about how to solve the traffic problems along the Front Range and Interstate 70 corridor, late 2017 brought an intriguing announcement that was one part futuristic technology, one part hype and another part encouraging economic development news.And it came in the form of Brogan BamBrogan, a tech leader with a cool name and an even cooler mustache.His thick, half-brown half-grey contour of hair twitched above his upper lip as he spoke from a TEDx stage in Sacramento in April 2016. His topic: the future of transportation. A future that was supposed to be as effortless as it would be traffic-less, and one that was supposed to be realized in Colorado.Fast forward to November 2017 when BamBrogans company, Arrivo, said they planned to build a test track along E-470 for a technology called hyperloop, which essentially is a track or tube that transports pods that levitate on magnets and can reach speeds over 200 mph. Theoretically.It was a development that turned heads: Was it a legitimate technology and could travelers actually be transported from, say, the airport to downtown Denver in a matter of minutes?If those questions are ever answered, it doesnt appear Arrivo will be the company to do it.In December, BamBrogans hyperloop company shut its doors, according to Amy Ford, communications director for Colorado Department of Transportation.And it wasnt just a high-tech dream that collapsed with Arrivo there were real-world economic implications.In November 2017, the company also announced plans to hire up to 200 employees and invest $10 million to $15 million in a research development center by 2020. In return, Commerce City, where the development center was to be built, offered business incentives with a $187,000 tax rebate value. The states Office of Economic Development also offered $760,000 in performance-based incentives if Arrivo hired 75 high-payed employees over three years . None of the incentive thresholds were met, the office said. It is unclear if Arrivo ever hired any new employees in the Denver area; no former Arrivo employees responded to interview requests.Arrivos announcement came months after their rival Virgin Hyperloop One selected Colorado as one of 10 potential locations to unleash their developing tech. The flurry of announcements sparked hopes that Denver would be the site of scenes of futuristic travel, but Arrivos collapse has deflated much of the hype.There is going to be excitement and good feelings when folks express interest in coming to your state, said former CDOT Executive Director Shailen Bhatt, who currently is the CEO of Intelligent Transportation Society of America. We were pretty eyes-wide-open that no one was breaking ground around a hyperloop corridor.BamBrogans Tedx Talk took place three years after the start of the hyperloop story. Elon Musk, tech entrepreneur, sleek-car manufacture and space rocket launcher, published a paper on an idea that was bouncing around his head: the Hyperloop Alpha. It was the latest and greatest from the famed entrepreneur.But, the technology is as improbable as potentially revolutionary, experts said.Hyperloop works by taking magnetically levitated pods and propels them through a resistance-less vacuum tube. The lack of resistance, in theory, allows for the pods to reach supersonic speeds.With anything like this, you have the initial concept put forward that gives the engineers a goal in the development, said Gavin Bailey, technology and development manager at the Transportation Research Lab, a London-based research firm. Inevitably in the development, they realize the current limitations.In Colorado, the brick wall is that you cant take it up mountains, he said. Other questions still abound about the basic technical feasibility.In a study conducted for a potential Virgin Hyperloop System linking Kansas City and St. Louis, the flat landscape was a positive. Colorado could replicate that on the Eastern Plains, but hopes for a single-digit minute ride to Vail are less likely.The price tag could also reach fantastical heights, Roseline Walker, a tech consultant for Transportation Research Lab said.Logistically and operationally it just seemed very far-fetched, she said.Walker and Bailey co-authored a paper for Transportation Research Lab titled, Hyperloop: Cutting Through the Hype, that detailed many of the technical challenges for hyperloop.There is always an excitement about tech, Colorado in particular there is an idea that we are open to new things and open to new tech, Bhatt, the former CDOT executive director, said. Then, there is a stark reality that there is a pretty significant price tag.Virgin Hyperloop One has raised nearly $200 million, according to CrunchBase. Investors include Richard Branson (who affixed the word Virgin to the companys title) and Ahmed Bin Sulayem, a prominent businessman from Dubai.Despite Arrivos failure to bring a solution to Colorados traffic, the problem still remains. Cars crawl along U.S. 36 as workers drive into Boulder, I-70 becomes a ski-rack-topped parking lot on weekends and Denverites commutes have only worsened.You cant expand Interstate 25, Bhatt said, adding that many other roads are at capacity.Despite the challenges, Bhatt and Ford are both optimistic about the future. For Bhatt, he says vehicle-to-vehicle communication could increase safety and reduce road deaths by having cars tell each other when they are breaking or slowing down. For Ford, she is optimistic about having a former tech entrepreneur as governor.But for the time being, hyperloop is not on Colorados horizon. Authorities suspect Beal, a partner in the salon, delivered the bomb to the business while Krajnyak was visiting family in Hungary. Krajnyak had returned from that trip and had just finished treating a mother and daughter, who were at the front desk when she picked up the box and opened it. The blast knocked the two customers off their feet. It can be difficult to get victims to testify because they are often too scared to self-identify, said Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who last week called human trafficking an evil in our midst. Aronberg said in an interview that no decision had been made about whether trafficking could be added to the charges in the Orchids of Asia case. Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr said his agency also is viewing the arrests at Orchids of Asia as part of a human trafficking case, adding that they are gathering evidence to give to Aronberg. Another minister quits Trudeau administration over scandal: Another member of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet has resigned over a scandal that has shaken the government in an election year. Treasury Board President Jane Philpott said it was "untenable" for her to continue because she could not defend the government. Former attorney general and justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould testified last week that Trudeau and senior members of the administration tried to pressure her to avoid prosecution of a major Canadian engineering company in a case involving allegations of corruption in Libya. Gerald Butts, Trudeau's closet adviser, resigned last month. He is set to testify before Parliament this week in Trudeau's defense. Jerry Driessen is the city of San Jose, Calif.s new assistant CIO, effective next week.Formerly the CIO of Hennepin County, Minn., Driessen will take the No. 2 CIO position alongside Rob Lloyd in San Jose and manage the citys business solutions and product-project divisions, according to an emailed statement from Lloyds office.Prior to being CIO of Minnesotas largest local government, Driessen was the director of business information for Hennepin County Public Safety, and the IT division manager in charge of strategic IT initiatives such as online services, community fiber and GIS. He was also a director of juvenile services in the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation, responsible for divisions providing residential treatment centers, a juvenile detention center and juvenile probation.San Joses last assistant CIO was Margaret Lamb, who retired in summer 2018.Lloyd toldthat several qualities distinguished Driessen as a candidate to co-lead San Joses innovation efforts: the depth of his leadership experience and teambuilding work; his familiarity with project management and deploying city services; and an eye for people, processes and tech that help governments sustain initiatives over time.Hes very much a strategic, long-term thinker in terms of technology, people and processes, Lloyd said. This really is a tag team, so Jerry and I will be working very closely with our exec team here and our CISO to set a high standard for technology operations and strategy in government.Driessen said he and Lloyd have known each other, if not exactly worked together in the past, as fellow members of MIX (Metropolitan Information eXchange) and from correspondence at e.Republic* events. He saw the move as an opportunity to bring his experience in customer service, collaboration and project management to a new government with smart city initiatives on its mind.Whats exciting about San Jose is their strong leadership and their commitment to the smart city vision, and where theyre going with data-driven decision-making, transparency and digital inclusion. All that stuff appeals to me, Driessen said. There definitely is an alignment between some of the integration work that Ive done in the past, and some of the automation and digital transformation stuff that Ive done for Hennepin County, and where (San Jose) is going.As CIO of Hennepin County, Driessen oversaw several programs to connect citizens with up-and-coming technology, including through interlocal agreements and workforce development programs.Government Technology. The accountant was Bijan Ghaisar, who exercised bad judgment, but committed no serious crime, when he drove off after his car was rear-ended in a fender bender on the George Washington Parkway in November 2017. In a sequence then caught on a police cruisers dash-cam video, he twice drove away after being pulled over by two Park Police officers who approached his vehicle with guns drawn. When he seemed to try to do so a third time, they fired nine shots into his car; he died a few days later. In October 2015, the Justice Department again shared information about a case involving corrosive doubts. For years, Republicans claimed that the Internal Revenue Service had illegally targeted tea party groups because of their political beliefs. In response to the allegations, the department did an extensive investigation, which ended with no charges being brought. But it didnt stop there. Because the case posed a significant challenge to public confidence in the institution, the Justice Department provided Congress with an eight-page, single-spaced public report that laid out the investigation, the evidence found and a legal assessment. The department not only explained why no charges were appropriate but also discussed, by name, the conduct of a key subject of the criminal investigation IRS supervisor Lois Lerner writing that she had used poor judgment but that ineffective management is not a crime. . . . What occurred is disquieting and may necessitate corrective action but does not warrant criminal prosecution. The emergence of China and reemergence of Russia as great power rivals of the United States generate the greatest disagreement. The wrongheaded National Security Strategy document of the Trump administration labels Russia and China revisionist powers that pose an inflated threat to U.S. security. Much of the foreign policy elite is ramping up to confront both in a new Cold War. Trump is characteristically incoherent, displaying a personal soft spot for Russian President Vladimir Putin while his administration withdraws from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, ramps up an arms race, sends lethal weapons to Ukraine, boots out Russian diplomats and imposes sanctions on Putins inner circle. On China, he has demanded that the Chinese abandon their core economic strategy while looking as though hes willing to settle for promises to buy more soybeans and other products from the United States. Across the industrialized world, people are losing interest in traditional religion. This process is most advanced in Europe; nearly 80 percent of Swedes described themselves as not a religious person or a convinced atheist in a WIN-Gallup International survey. However, the United States is catching up, or so most Americans suspect: Seventy-six percent told Gallup last year that religion is losing influence in this country. Twelve percent of Americans told Gallup they do not believe in God in 2017; only 1 percent dared admit that in 1944. And the proportion of those who never attend services 28 percent in 2018 has doubled in the past quarter-century. Last fall, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was supposed to vote on a resolution to create a special commission, including six lay members, to investigate bishops who cover up sexual abuse. At the last minute, Pope Francis barred the bishops from holding the vote. But its not clear the resolution would have passed. After all, the bishops did vote on a nonbinding resolution that declared, Be it resolved that the bishops of the USCCB encourage the Holy Father to release all the documentation that can be released consistent with canon and civil law regarding the misconduct of Archbishop [Theodore] McCarrick. As they debated the wording, the National Catholic Register reports, they could not even agree on the inclusion of the word soon. This might sound like a relatively small matter compared to things such as honesty, equality and justice. But dignity both acting in a dignified manner and treating others in a manner appropriate to their dignity is a core value of democracy. Americas founders were generally suspicious of absolute democracy, which can easily become tyranny exercised by 50 percent of the public plus one. In a strong democracy, those in the majority are restrained by respect for the dignity of those in the minority. If the majority uses its (temporary) power to demean, humiliate and dishonor those out of power, it plants seeds of future revenge and escalation. Disagreements become feuds, and the sense of being in a shared enterprise and having a shared fate is weakened. (TNS) The personal information of about 45,000 Rush Medical Center patients may have been compromised in a data breach, the health system revealed in a recent financial filing.The exposed data may include names, addresses, birthdays, Social Security numbers and health insurance information, according to the filing. The data did not include medical information. Rush said that to its knowledge, none of the information had been misused.The breach is just the latest in what has been a continuing pattern of data security problems at hospitals across the nation. At Rush, an employee of one of the hospital systems billing processing vendors improperly disclosed a file to an unauthorized party, likely in May 2018, according to a letter sent to affected patients.Rush said it discovered the breach Jan. 22. It detailed the breach in a financial filing dated Feb. 12, and it sent letters dated Feb. 25 to affected patients. It took several weeks to send letters to patients because Rush had to review the data and set up a call center to assist patients, among other things, said Deb Song, a spokeswoman for Rush.It is a matter that we do take very seriously, she said.After it discovered the breach, Rush launched an internal investigation and suspended its contract with the vendor. Rush said it also was reviewing its internal procedures and contracting processes.The health system is offering affected patients a free one-year membership to an identity protection service. It also recommends affected patients check their credit reports and financial accounts for suspicious activity, review their explanations of benefits documents from health insurers, and understand that they have the option of freezing their credit.Patients may call 833-231-3355 for more information. Rush has three hospitals: Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora.It is at least the second privacy-related incident reported by Rush this year. In February, Rush University Medical Center reported that letters notifying patients of the retirement of a nurse practitioner at the Epilepsy Center were addressed incorrectly. The envelopes were marked with the names of certain patients but sent to different patients addresses. That incident affected 908 patients, according to the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.Across the country, many health systems have been involved in data breaches. At least 57 incidents involving at least 500 patients have been submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights so far this year. That office is tasked with investigating such breaches and may levy fines against health systems, depending on a breachs severity, said Rachel Patrizzo, vice president of cyberliability underwriting with TDC Specialty Underwriters, a subsidiary of The Doctors Company, which sells medical malpractice insurance.Health systems must report breaches of protected health information involving 500 or more individuals to the Office for Civil Rights, which posts reports on a public website, nicknamed the Wall of Shame. Recently, UConn Health in Connecticut reported a breach affecting more than 326,000 individuals.Though many incidents stem from human error, others are the result of hackers or theft. Health systems can be an attractive target for hackers because they keep so much valuable personal data and because there are so many entry points into them, Patrizzo said.Certainly, the malicious attacks are on the rise and they get the most publicity and they scare us the most, but personal errors and human errors are just inevitable, she said.Some health care systems may not be investing as much in cybersecurity as other industries, said Sean Curran, senior director of cybersecurity at West Monroe Partners, a management consulting firm. Some cash-strapped health systems would rather use the money on patient care than data protection, he said.Rush is just the latest Illinois health system to deal with an incident related to patient privacy.In 2016, Advocate Health Care agreed to pay $5.55 million a record at the time to settle allegations it violated federal patient privacy law after three separate data breaches involving its physician-led medical group subsidiary, Advocate Medical Group.The breaches involved the electronic health data of 4 million people that were exposed after a handful of laptops were stolen and an unauthorized third party accessed the network of an Advocate business associate. Advocate did not admit any liability as part of that settlement, though it said at the time, we deeply regret any inconvenience this incident has caused our patients.In 2017, the personal information of as many as 8,862 individuals was compromised after a breach involving Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. Silver Cross discovered that year that some patient information may have leaked onto the Internet after a vendor that managed parts of its website upgraded its software.The report of the data breach comes as Rush also recently disclosed that it potentially received $10.8 million in overpayments from the federal government over a four-year period related to admissions to Rush University Medical Centers Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility. Rush self-reported that information to the federal government, Song said.Rush is working with the federal government to determine the exact amount Rush may owe, she said.In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General conducted a review of Rush and found that the system owed it $10.2 million because of overpayments which Rush denied. The government has already taken that money back, Song said, though she said Rush is still working with the government to get that number adjusted. Trump talked about an encounter with an old friend, New York developer Richard LeFrak: Richard came up [to Melania]; he said, Ive known your husband for 65 years. I said, Dont say that. I say, Say 25, 30. Dont say 65 years. But I said, Richard Richard, call me Donald, like you always do. Call me Don. Okay. Okay, Don. Okay. He gets his breath. Uh-huh. Two minutes later Mr. President . . . Thats called respect for the office, right? Maybe thats a good thing, right? Many many of my friends. And that wasnt in the script either. Likewise, Trump has, with his talk of a Muslim ban, proposed that Muslims are disloyal. During a weekend of wild accusations (Democrats dont mind executing babies; the Michael Cohen hearing sabotaged North Korea talks; and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is peddling bulls---), the president inevitably targeted the foreign-born. Right now, we have people in Congress that hate our country and you know that, he said at the Conservative Political Action Conference, in remarks widely believed to be referring to Omar (some in the crowd shouted her name). When I see some of the things being made, the statements being made, its very, very sad. Find out: How did they do in their country? . . . Not so good, not so good. The missive marks a dramatic about-face from just 11 weeks ago, when Trump shocked allies and his own aides by abruptly declaring that we have won against the Islamic State terrorist group and now its time for our troops to come back home. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders had previously announced that a small U.S. force would remain in the war-torn country after all, but the letter amounts to Trumps most definitive statement of his change of heart. But he also signaled that he is in no rush to make up his mind about 2020. He said he was here to attend to National Governors Association business, not lay the groundwork for a campaign. It currently makes no sense, with a president that has the kind of approval rating that he does in his own party, Hogan said in an interview. Having said that, Ive said things can change, and we dont know what it might look like a few months from now. In other cases, according to copies of the statements obtained by The Washington Post, Trump exaggerated his wealth by leaving things out. In 2011 and 2012, for instance, the Statements of Financial Condition omitted his hotel in Chicago, which was carrying a high debt load. The likely result: Trumps overall debt seemed smaller. (TNS) The Montgomery County Board of Elections is packing up old voting machines to make way for about $7.5 million in new equipment, but the office is still waiting to see just how many of the old machines it will need to eke through the May election.We have limited space and we also have an election to run, said Jan Kelly, the elections director. We still have to keep some of the equipment but were not sure how many precincts well have open.There are no county-wide races in May, so some precincts wont vote at all. So about 1,250 old machines will be idle. The board figures at least 900 machines will see one last election.And its still possible a primary will be required in Dayton which will push another 400 more into service a final time. If five candidates get on the ballot for a Dayton City Commission race, results of the run-off would determine which four advance to Novembers election.As of Wednesday, petitions of three city commission candidates had been certified: those of incumbents Matt Joseph and Chris Shaw, as well as, challenger Valerie Duncan. Another potential candidate, Shenise Turner-Sloss, filed her petition earlier this week but hadnt been certified as of Wednesday.Dayton candidates and those petitioning for local options within the citys borders have until Friday to file.Montgomery County Commissioners were ready this week to provide the last bit of authorization needed to replace the countys aging voting machines but final paperwork from the Ohio Secretary of States Office wasnt quite ready, Kelly said.County commissioners are now expected on March 12 to approve an agreement with Ohio to get nearly $4.8 million in state funding to replace machines. The money is the result of legislation passed last year giving counties $114 million to split in order to purchase new voting equipment ahead of the 2020 presidential election.The rest of the funding is coming from money the Board of Election set aside in previous years, said Steve Harsman, Montgomery County Board of Elections deputy director.A vast majority of Ohios voting machines purchased in 2005 and 2006 with federal funding are becoming obsolete. The 2,300 direct-recording electronic machines used in Montgomery County were built in 2003 using technology from the Blackberry days, Kelly has said.In January, the countys elections board recommended that county commissioners purchase a hybrid paper-based, optical-scan voting system made by Election Systems & Software. An order including 900 ballot marking devices and 400 precinct scanners has already been placed with the vendor, Kelly said.Each of Montgomery Countys 177 precincts will get at least four touchscreen voting machines and two optical digital scanners that voters directly feed ballots into. The ExpressTouch marking devices cost roughly $2,800 a piece and scanners approximately $4,600 each.The first wave of new equipment is expected to arrive in a couple weeks, Harsman said.Theres going to be a lot of opening, unpacking and acceptance testing, he said.Dispensing with the old machines is turning into a Herculean effort, Kelly said. Its just getting everything and shrink wrapping it. Were trying to recycle some of the aluminum and pay it back in. Unfortunately, theres not a market for these, so a lot of it is scrap metal Some of them will just go into the dumpster.The voter registration deadline for the May 7 election is April 8. The county has about 380,000 registered voters, according to the elections board. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) has decided not to run for president, declining to join a crowded race that includes a half-dozen of his Senate colleagues. Merkley announced his decision to supporters Tuesday morning. Instead of vying for the White House, he will seek a third term in the Senate in 2020. Ive got this limited number of years of life on this planet how can I have the biggest impact? Merkley said in an interview. Thats what Ive been weighing. And Ive reached the conclusion that the biggest impact I can have is here in the Senate. The 62-year-old senator would have started the presidential contest as a long shot. Outside of his home state, he is not very well-known. He would have faced the daunting task of introducing himself to a broad audience in a crowded field featuring other candidates who have spent weeks or months campaigning. Merkley, who is one of the Senates most liberal members, identified three mega crises he wants to help address: a crisis of our democracy, rooted in voting and campaign finance laws; an opportunity crisis for families to thrive; and climate chaos. The Oregonian was the only senator to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2016 Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton, the eventual nominee. But Sanders will not automatically have his support this time, Merkley said. I dont have any plans to endorse anybody for a good length of time, he said. Merkley said he hopes to encourage the Democratic presidential field to take on the three crises he identified. Merkley will be heavily favored to retain his Senate seat in 2020. His is one of 12 seats Democrats are defending, compared with 22 for Republicans. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has regarded the Oregon seat as solidly Democratic. The Oregon Democrat was first elected to the Senate in 2008 and reelected to a second term in 2014. Before joining Congress, he served in the Oregon legislature, climbing the ranks to become speaker of the state House in 2007. In the Senate, Merkley is a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, a sweeping climate resolution championed by the left and strongly opposed by conservatives. He is also a co-sponsor of a bill to establish a Medicare-for-all system of health coverage. Merkley has been an outspoken opponent of the Trump administrations hard-line immigration and border security policies. He traveled to the border with Mexico throughout 2018, visiting detention facilities and reporting on his findings. The senator was an early opponent of migrant family separations at the border in 2018, setting off a national debate when he tried to visit a holding facility and was turned away a trip he documented live on social media. Soon after, other lawmakers started traveling to the border. Later this month, he plans to visit the border area once again. Merkley was also active in opposing President Trumps first Supreme Court picks. In 2017, he staged a protest of now-Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, which attracted widespread attention. He took to the Senate floor for about 15 straight hours to speak out against Gorsuchs nomination, remaining in the chamber overnight to deliver his remarks. Merkley said the decision on the presidential race was the most difficult decision Ive addressed in my life. The rise of the anti-vaccine movement, facilitated in part by social media, has prompted an alarming resurgence of measles in states across the country. The deadly disease was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But public health officials are now scrambling to keep the highly contagious virus from once again spreading out of control, particularly among under-vaccinated populations in states such as Washington, Oregon and Idaho. These people are so desperate, he said. If you cant win, what do you do? You obstruct, you try and impeach, you try and harass, you try and distract. I mean, thats all these people know how to do. I mean, they cant win. Top party officials drew up plans specifically targeting anti-Semitism circulating a draft Monday that did not mention Omar (D-Minn.) directly but came in response to remarks she made last week suggesting that Israels supporters have an allegiance to a foreign country. But Tuesday those plans were thrown into doubt after the response split the Democratic caucus, with several lawmakers angry that the House was poised to vote on a measure indirectly condemning Omar while failing to denounce the vitriol that she has faced as a Muslim. The decision to end Indias preferential treatment comes after months of squabbling between the United States and India over trade. Trump has complained about Indias high tariffs on American goods and about the U.S. trade deficit with India, which stood at $27.3 billion in 2017, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The Tokyo District Court set the bail at 1 billion yen ($8.9 million), saying Ghosn had to submit to restrictions on his residence in Japan, could not travel abroad and had to adhere to other unspecified conditions to prevent him from tampering with evidence. The prosecutors office filed an appeal against his release, but it was turned down. (TNS) State-sponsored hackers may or may not compromise hardware in the U.S. technology supply chain, but one cybersecurity firm says compromised software is definitely a national security risk especially on mobile phones.Smartphone applications often share code, and most apps arent vetted before they go to market, so it can be very easy for hackers to use apps to steal a users personal, private, or even top secret information, according to Tim LeMaster, director of systems engineering at Lookout, a mobile security company.A major concern tends to be software coming into the supply chain, LeMaster told. That threat could come from people trying to compromise the source of the code.LeMaster said app developers often use open source code libraries to make new apps, which can create a huge risk to smartphone users, especially federal employees using smartphones.Very few applications are built from scratch by the developer, LeMaster said. Almost all apps share a code and pull from open source libraries and other sources, and a lot of times there is little validation of the code done to build that application. If I have an application that allows me to do document signing, I download it from the App Store, I really dont know much about it, and the employers in many cases doesnt know much about it either. When you plug in your phone at night, half a dozen apps update themselves and change, and you dont know how they changed, and you dont have visibility into that.Malicious or weak code can lurk in those open source code libraries. Some app developers may not be malicious, just careless. But that can make a world of difference to a federal employee using his or her smartphone to access sensitive information.Most of these apps are trying to monetize themselves through your data so they embed advertising ACKs (Acknowledgement Codes), LeMaster said, and sell that information to other advertisers. We often find apps that have the ACKs and theyre too promiscuous about how they collect information. Theres concern about how that data is protected.Lookout isnt the only one making these observations. Global cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike noted an uptick in mobile malware in its 2019 Global Threats Report , released Feb. 19, specifically from Iran.Crowdstrike also noticed hackers use mobile malware combined with mineware a virus used to mine cryptocurrency on the rise as early as 2018.In April 2018, Google announced that Chrome extensions containing mineware would be banned from the Chrome Web Store, according to the report. Two months later, Apple also updated its guidelines for iOS applications to prevent the inclusion of cryptocurrency mining code.Sometimes all it takes is a poorly coded app for a hacker to infiltrate a smartphone, which prompts national security concerns.Hardware concerns in the supply chain are completely valid, and the government has done a lot to address that, but I think software risk is of equal concern, LeMaster said. Agencies recognize that concern as well. It could just be poor coding practices in the software or malicious intent, vulnerabilities, weaknesses theres lots of ways the software supply chain can get compromised. It could just be the developer didnt have security in mind. We heard these drops might be for family planning, or that they were sent from America against Muslims, said an elderly man caring for his grandchildren. But now we are mentally prepared. We know the drops are good for our kids, and we dont want disease to spread. But if Bolton has not always prevailed on issues dear to his heart, it is not for want of trying. He has redefined the job of national security adviser from synthesizer and transmitter of views across the government to arbiter of what he believes the president needs to hear, according to interviews with over a dozen current and former administration officials who discussed his record on the condition of anonymity so they could speak frankly. Bolton declined to be interviewed for this article. The decision late Monday by U.S. District Judge William Orrick III in San Francisco was at least the 10th to tell the Justice Department that without an act of Congress, it cant withhold federal law enforcement assistance grants from sanctuary cities jurisdictions that decline to help the government track down and detain undocumented immigrants. Among the decisions are three from U.S. Courts of Appeal for the 3rd, 9th and 7th circuits. Ferrari will abandon its 'Mission Winnow' branding ahead of the trip to Australia for the 2019 season opener. Earlier, it had already emerged that the Maranello team has now dropped the controversial brand from its official name. It follows investigations in Australia and also Italy into whether the Philip Morris initiative was actually just clandestine cigarette advertising. The Australian grand prix, Philip Morris and Ferrari are yet to comment. But El Mundo Deportivo newspaper in Spain says Ferrari will be heading to Melbourne without the Mission Winnow branding on the cars or the team uniforms. Even La Gazzetta dello Sport, an Italian publication with sources close to Ferrari, admitted this course of action is "probable". (GMM) We in fact have told our allies in NATO that we will do this planning in collaboration with them. We have begun that. So, I dont know that we have a plan today, said Scaparrotti, supreme allied commander for Europe and head of the U.S. European Command. I know that we are working on what we think that plan might be. The measure allows legal claims only against property held by the listed Cuban entities and for now, at least, does not affect any foreign investment or the foreign part of joint ventures with those entities. In 30 days, the official said, the administration will assess the situation and decide, among other things, whether to expand it. The newspaper also noted that such militant groups have created large support bases that will not be easy to penetrate or eradicate. The relevant networks that have to be dismantled are formidable, it said. There ought to be no illusions that vast networks built up over decades . . . will simply acquiesce to the state dismantling them. But there is no rational alternative path left. During a reception in Hanoi on March 4 for MPP Secretary General Amarbayasgalan, Vuong said the visit affords the two parties leaders a chance to lay an important foundation to foster their traditional friendship and ties between the two countries in diverse areas. He suggested that the two parties continue working effectively together at regional and global forums for the sake of peace, stability, and development in the region and the world. Amarbayasgalan briefed his host on Mongolias political and socio-economic situation, as well as the MPPs activities, adding that exchanges between the two parties contribute to intensifying the traditional friendship between the two parties, countries, and people. Earlier the same day, Politburo member and head of the CPV Central Committees Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh also held talks with the MPP Secretary General. Both sides informed each other about the situation in each party and nation while discussing party building especially in personnel, inspection, and political and ideological education work as well as regional and global issues of shared concern. Member of the CPV Central Committee and head of its External Relations Commission Hoang Binh Quan also held a working session with the Mongolian delegation. The two sides discussed orientations and measures to step up bilateral friendship and cooperation. Later, they signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation between the two parties. During the stay, the delegation held working sessions with leaders of the Hanoi municipal and Quang Ninh provincial party committees, as well as visited several cultural establishments in Hanoi and the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay. Renault's 2019 engine could be up to 50 horse power better than its predecessor. That is the eye-opening claim of Cyril Abiteboul, the French works team's boss. Renault has been steadily building up its team in recent years, and this year wants to close the gap to Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. "We had to solve our disadvantage in the engine," Abiteboul told France's L'Equipe. "The numbers on the test bench are good and it correlates to the track, so we have a confirmation of the progress that was made," he said. "But the improvement in the engine also has to be in competition in Melbourne and probably also in Bahrain. I don't want to give specific numbers, but I would say that we have gained between 20 and 50 horse power," Abiteboul added. (GMM) Supermarket giant Coles has offloaded its hotel and pokies business in a complicated deal that allows it to skirt unique Queensland licensing laws and hold on to its lucrative bottle shops in the state. Coles has been trying to sell its Spirits Hotel business for about a year, with the retailer's previous owner, Wesfarmers, expressing disquiet about owning the 3000-or-so poker machines that sit inside the group's 87 hotels. Coles will enter a deal that will see it relinquish control of its pubs. Credit:Peter Braig On Tuesday, Coles said it had reached a deal with Australian Venue Co, owned by private equity firm KKR and pub titan Bruce Dixon, that will net it about $200 million. Seventy-six of Spirit's hotels are in Queensland, where licensing laws mean bottle shop owners must also own a pub nearby - a key sticking point as Coles owns 243 Liquorland, First Choice, and Vintage Cellars bottle shops in the state. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has backed a push from Industry Super to throw its corporate weight around, as the trillion dollar giant agitates for a greater say in the companies it invests in. The Coalition is grappling with the rise of union and employer backed funds in the $2.8 trillion sector and is fearful it will be left without a competitor to the financial heft of the firms first established by the trade union movement in the 1990s. Industry Super under chair and ex-Labor minister Greg Combet is becoming increasingly bullish after the banking royal commission effectively exonerated them of any wrongdoing and is now threatening the investments of companies which do not act on climate change. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen Credit:James Alcoc The president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Michele O'Neill, who also sits on the board of AustralianSuper, wrote to industry funds last week demanding they use their power as shareholders to stop 80 jobs of BHP seafarers going offshore. Apples from Fou de Patisserie, Le Bernardin, Restaurant Le Meurice, and Patisserie Fouet. Photo: Clockwise from top left: Anne Fashauer, Liz Clayman (2), Courtesy of Cedric Grolet At the midtown fine-dining temple Le Bernardin, a dessert called, simply, apple arrives at the table looking like a perfect McIntosh just plucked from an upstate orchard. Cut into it, though, and you find a wall of brown-butter mousse surrounding a core of armagnac sabayon and apple roasted with caramel; the outer shell is painted and given a cocoa butterapple cider glaze. It is showstopping, and it manages to feel both antiquated and forward-thinking at the same time, trompe loeil for the Instagram age. It is also just one take on this particular idea, but look around and youll find similar faux-apples from pastry chefs in England, France, Australia, China, and beyond. In fact there seem to be as many takes on this dessert as there are varieties of apples. Take the one at Patisserie Fouet, the underrated Japanese bakery near Union Square. Here, the apple is made green with the addition of a green-tea glaze. Its wobbly to touch and earthy to taste, with white chocolate mousse enveloping caramel and a jiggly basil-apple jelly inside. The dessert is an evolution of something that Fouets chef, Yoshie Shirakawa, first made at another restaurant. It first started out as a plated dessert, but after looking at our petit gateaux cake display case, she needed something bright and eye catching, says Erica Liang, an operating partner with Fouets parent company Cloud Nine Hospitality Group. Its the first time shes used a cake mold that resembles a real fruit. Ultimately, Liang says, Shirakawa wanted something appealing for customers, but also just as delicious to eat. She is not alone: Youll find a shiny red apple in Shanghai at Nians Bakery, while a chef at Sydneys the Star Casino has shown off his mint-y green version gently placed on a kataifi nest. In Paris, Fou de Patisserie serves a Jolly Rancher green tartelette pomme that looks like a Granny Smith sliced in half and placed atop a basket. Hungarian pastry chef Balazs Enzsol, who worked at Albert Adrias Hoja Santa, makes glossy and reflective apples that are glazed black, lipstick red, or caramel brown. And perhaps no pastry chef has become so closely associated with the dessert as Cedric Grolet, who has made his own trompe loeil fruit since he was named Restaurant Le Meurices pastry chef in 2012, and the chef that many others like Italys Alessio Padiglione or the chef of Sydneys Koi Dessert Bar credit as their original source of inspiration. Grolet (who says he started sculpting with chocolate as a teenager) is indeed something of a fake-fruit savant, turning out Mandarin oranges with skin thats as dimpled as the real thing; and, of course, all manner of apples. Some are freckled and yellow, others red and shiny, and yet more are green and tucked into a crust like an individual basket. All of Grolets apples look delightfully real, with an impossibly thin shell of white chocolate that, when cracked open, reveals ganache and a core not of seeds but of what else? diced, spiced apple. A cross-section of Le Bernardins apple. Photo: Liz Clayman No matter which chef turns out the dessert, there is something particularly appealing about the apples, because of the fruits perceived mundanity. Diners at Le Bernardin, for example, justifiably expect fireworks. You do not go there for apples. No disrespect, but apples are like the New England of fruit, theyre kind of reserved, and intrinsically sort of overly wholesome and boring. Which is why they are perfect for this particular trompe loeil treatment. Just watch a video of Grolet cut open one of his apples, while some of the filling gently spills out. Its soothing and exciting, like an ASMR video, in dessert form. Grolet himself has parlayed these desserts into more than a million Instagram followers (not bad for a non-Kardashian). While Grolet has gained huge popularity for his creations and been able to broadcast them worldwide on social media, mimetic pastry isnt actually new and this specific thread, as a trend, probably didnt start with him. Cedric Grolets is probably the most popular one, says Le Bernardin pastry chef Thomas Raquel, but he wasnt the first. Instead, Raquel attributes the apple (and much of his own inspiration) to Albert Adria. In the dark ages Before Instagram (B.I.), Adria was at El Bulli, making desserts inspired by the natural world: one that looked like toadstools on a forest floor, sorbet that looked like strawberries, and, yes, even an apple. And the version of the dessert that appears in Adrias seminal 2002 cookbook, Natura, is something like the proto-apple, more abstract than the desserts being offered now, but nevertheless rooted in the same idea. El Bulli was very good at taking old ideas and making them modern, says Alex Stupak, the former pastry chef who offers his own false avocado at Empellon. But if you want to talk about origin, Chinese and Japanese culture are really good at making things look like something from nature. Think about wagashi. Or even marzipan sculpting. The acclaimed pastry chef Jordi Roca started experimenting with blown sugar in 2002, and has created apples that look charmingly ornamental. The French pastry chef Jean-Charles Boucher, too, was making his blown apple before Grolet became Le Meurices pastry chef, and filled it with apple flambeed in calvados. But like Adrias apple, Rocas and Bouchers dont look as realistic as the ones being made today. What sets the new crop of trompe loeil apples apart is the way the chefs seems to strive for verisimilitude: these forms dont merely nod to apples, they are the Platonic ideal, the kind of thing Johnny Appleseed himself could only dream about. And Grolet would argue he, for one, is doing something new. All the fruits are my creation, I started with nothing, the way to do it, the techniques such as the brushing of the chocolate, the sculpture of desserts, Grolet writes over email. No one before me did this, it is really a personal creation. Of course, other pastry chefs have taken the basic premise and expanded it to other fruits: a faux-orange shows up on the dessert menu at Jean-Georges, and Eunji Lee, who worked with Grolet for four years at Restaurant Le Meurice, serves a trompe loeil banana at Jungsik. Whatever the fruit, in a restaurant world filled with too many panna cottas and formless mousses, these desserts grab your attention. You only eat pastry for pleasure, so presentation and manipulation become critical, Stupak says. Raquel concurs that he always tries to do something a little more rambunctious. That these particular objets happen to look like everyday ingredients only underscores the skill and precision required to transform them into something so deliciously sophisticated. Costi Hinn, the executive pastor of Mission Bible Church in Southern California, is set to release God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies on July 19 through Zondervan. Millions desperate for hope and solutions are enticed by the promise of the prosperity gospel - that God will do whatever they need with just a little faith and a financial gift. All the while, prosperity preachers exploit the poor and the needy to stockpile their riches. What can followers of the true gospel do to combat the deception? Through a remarkable and fascinating journey, Costi Hinn went from a next-generation prosperity preacher to the first to abandon the family faith and share the true gospel. Nephew of the world-famous televangelist, Benny Hinn, Costi had a front-row seat to the inner workings and theology of the prosperity gospel. But as Costi's faith deepened, so did his questions about prosperity teaching. As the deceptions in his past were exposed, Costi came face to face with the hypocrisy and devastation caused by his belief system, and the overwhelming truth about the real Jesus Christ. This captivating look into the daily lives of one of the world's leading prosperity dynasties offers a thoughtful perspective on the perils of greed, the power of the true gospel, and hope for the future of the global church. Through real-life stories, Costi challenges and equips readers to be living lights pointing the way to the true gospel and the saving grace of Christ. God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel will bolster your faith and encourage your own journey toward the Truth. In an interview with CNN last year, Costi stated the luxurious way of life that he had was "living the dream," with flights on a G4 or G5 private gulfstream airliners, layovers in Monte Carlo, and stays in fancy hotel suites that cost $25,000 per night. On his blog, reported by The Christian Post, he stated that the emphasis of the book is in encouraging Christians "to give more than we take." He went on to say that, "While publishing a book costs money and there is compensatory work involved on both the writing and marketing side, there is a collective conviction that our mandate to honor Christ through this book must transcend any pressure to "sell books." "I am eager to see this book used as a tool for God's glory - not for sordid gain. Here is a sobering thought: In a rat-race effort to sell books, it's easy to become the very dragon that we're attempting to slay. Costi continued, "Imagine the irony of me writing a book on the prosperity gospel only to make a ton of money off of royalties so I can live like a king. That's not only shameful considering my background; that's hardly what God's purposes are in blessing a project like this. "In an effort to operate with transparency and integrity, allow me to state the obvious: A book speaking against the prosperity gospel technically makes money "off of" the prosperity gospel. As such, it is the conviction of both my wife and me that 100% of the royalties I earn from this book be used for theological education and providing resources to pastors and people who have been exploited by the prosperity gospel." Tags : costi hinn costi hinn new book God Greed and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies benny hinn prosperity gospel Ridgefield Playhouse / Contributed photo Bernard Ilsley: The London Medium, who offers guidance for the future or peace from a recent loss, will be appearing at the Ridgefield Playhouse Tuesday, March 19. Ilsley, a third-generation psychic, makes contact with loved ones, ancient spirits and angels, the playhouse said. He also, by means of tapping into your subconscious mind, can reveal your past lives. A former Madison woman, who operated a Stratford healthcare staffing agency, pleaded guilty to a tax fraud scheme that resulted in a loss of $712,446 to the IRS. According to court documents, beginning as early as 2012, Theresa Foreman took money out of the company by depositing or cashing, and causing to be deposited or cashed, checks written to individuals who did not actually work for Equinox Home Care. Between May 2012 and December 2013, approximately $413,000 in payroll checks to these ghost employees were deposited into accounts controlled by Foremans brother. During the same period, approximately $465,000 was withdrawn from the accounts in cash, cash back from deposits, or checks payable to Foreman. Foreman also had employees cash company checks and return the funds to her, and she cashed or caused to be cashed mileage reimbursement checks made out to other individuals and used the funds for her own benefit. The investigation also revealed that between August 2014 and November 2015, Foreman made or caused to be made 101 cash deposits totaling $580,580 to a bank account in a family members name. John H. Durham, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, and Kristina OConnell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced Monday that Foreman, of St. Cloud, Florida, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of tax evasion. Foreman failed to report the amounts that she received through this scheme on her federal tax returns for 2012, 2013, and 2014. Foreman also owed tax for the 2010 and 2011 tax years and, on a statement submitted to the IRS, provided false information about her income and assets. In pleading guilty, Foreman agreed that her conduct for the 2010 through 2014 tax years has resulted in a loss of $712,445.71 to the Internal Revenue Service. When she is sentenced, Foreman faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a fine and an order of restitution. A sentencing date is not scheduled. Foreman is a released on a $10,000 bond pending sentencing. BRIDGEPORT State Sen. Marilyn Moore says she has what it takes to run Connecticuts largest city. But she is relying on cash from beyond Bridgeports borders to help her run against well-financed incumbent and fellow Democrat Joe Ganim. On top of her city-based fundraisers, Moore is seeking dollars at events in Hartford, Danbury, Westport and Greenwich. Ive got a lot of local ones (planned), but not big, not the $1,000 contributions, Moore said Tuesday. How many people do I know in Bridgeport who can afford to give me $1,000? The 70-year-old is also turning to some political star power fresh faces who have shaken up Connecticuts electoral landscape by challenging the status quo. On Thursday, Moores former legislative partner, recently retired state Sen. Ed Gomes, D-Bridgeport, and Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, the labor organizer from Newtown who last year unsuccessfully challenged Susan Bysiewicz for lieutenant governor, are scheduled to host a fundraiser in Hartford. Moore and other local minority political leaders backed Bermudez Zimmermans bid to diversify the top of the Democrats statewide ticket. Sen. Moore is not only a mentor to me, but to many young women of color trying to make a positive impact in our most vulnerable communities, said Zimmerman. Moore, if elected mayor, would be Bridgeports first minority chief executive and the second woman to hold that office. First-year state Sens. Julie Kushner of Danbury, Will Haskell of Westport and Alex Bergstein of Greenwich all confirmed they want to host fundraisers for Moores mayoral bid. Im excited about her vision for Bridgeport, Haskell said. I believe many in my community will be as well. Bergstein said, The future of Bridgeport is critical, and Marilyn is a person of integrity who is deeply committed to doing what is best for Connecticut. Another fan of Moore is freshman U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, of Connecticuts 5th District, who recently appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Moore hoped Hayes would host a campaign event. I think she is amazing and I love her, Hayes said. While all of this outside support might be good for Moores campaign coffers, it does open her up to criticism that she does not have a strong enough base of support in the city she wants to run. Outsiders and grass roots Ganim could not be reached for comment Tuesday. But John Ricci, Bridgeports public facilities director who helped elect Ganim in 2015 and is closely involved in his re-election campaign, said, Youre running in Bridgeport, youd like to get your support from Bridgeport. She may be able to raise money from outside of town, but how does that translate to support at the polls for her? Ricci said. Ricci acknowledged that out-of-towners have also cut campaign checks to Ganim. But Ricci maintained that the mayor still enjoys the same grassroots support in Bridgeport that helped him unseat Democratic Mayor Bill Finch in 2015s primary. Moore claimed that since launching her mayoral campaign in January she has raised $12,000. Her first finance report must be filed with the town clerk by April 10. Ganim banked a significant amount of money for his re-election in 2017, then took a lengthy break to focus on his gubernatorial run. The mayors campaign finance paperwork shows he raised $194,000 and has $173,800 on hand. His campaign had tentatively scheduled a fundraiser at Democratic Town Chairman Mario Testas North End restaurant for March 22, but that is not moving forward. Ganim and Testa had a brief falling out in February after the mayor fired Deputy Public Facilities Director Joe Tiago, who dates Testas niece. However, Ganim and Testa have since made up. Anthony Paoletto, Ganims campaign treasurer, said the campaign is planning a big kickoff for sometime in April, likely at a venue other than Testas. Were just trying to figure out where and when, because so many people have called to support him again and want to host, Paoletto said Tuesday. Moore has yet to announce whether she will try to face Ganim in a Democratic primary in September, or focus on getting on to the November general election ballot. If she chooses the former, Ricci said, another $100,000 is probably all Ganim would need. $275,000 is more than adequate for a primary, Ricci said. Two more state charter schools are being recommended for renewals shorter than the five-year maximum when they go before the state Board of Education on Wednesday. Great Oaks Charter School in Bridgeport and Stamford Academy Charter School both will get two-year renewals if the board follows staff recommendations. The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. at 450 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford. Stamford Academy, which opened in 2004, is coming off a one-year probation because of low student performance, chronic student absenteeism and high student suspensions. The school enrolls 159 high school students who enter the program undercredited and with below grade level achievement. Great Oaks opened five years ago and serves 400 students in Grades 6 through 9. Its student achievement in 2018 was below Bridgeports proficiency in both math and reading. Its student suspension rate of 26 percent is three times the state average of 6.8 percent and its turnover rate last year was about 25 percent. Charter Schools are state-funded schools that run independent of local control. There are two dozen in the state including six in Bridgeport and three in Stamford. In recent years, the state Department of Education has placed closer attention to the performance of students who attend the schools. One school, Path Academy in Windham, surrendered its charter last July before the state could force its closure. Last year, Stamford Academy was one of two charters put on probation. At Great Oaks, the student achievement rate in language arts has declined over the last two years. In math, its gone up the last two years but is consistently below the state and host district levels. Great Oaks Charter School must focus on providing increased explicit instruction in development of foundational skills in reading and math, the renewal report says. Other recommendations are that the school schedule be adjusted to give extra help to the neediest students and submit a plan to the state by April 5 to bring its staff into certification compliance. As of Feb. 1, only 14 of 34 teachers were certified for the positions they held 41 percent. Of the rest, eight have certification applications under review and 12 are said to be in the mail. State law requires at least 50 percent of educators hold a valid certificate. The state also wants a corrective action plan from the school on improving discipline without resorting to student suspensions and to improve chronic absenteeism. A student who is out more than 10 percent of the time for any reason is chronically absent. Great Oaks Principal John Scalice, on Monday, called the state report fair. We look forward to working with them in the years to come as we work to improve our school, Scalice said. Stamford Academy is returning to the board, after having been given a one-year probation last May. In his report, Robert E. Kelly, the states charter school program manager, tells the state board Stamford Academy did develop a 16-point corrective action plan to address student achievement, chronic absenteeism and student suspensions. The school has made a series of improvements and is beginning to see minimal signs of improvement, Kelly says in the report. Craig Baker, chief education officer for Domus, the charter management firm that runs Stamford Academy, called the report fair and allowed the school in a short amount of time to do several things differently to address state concerns. The school, he said, added a math and a reading interventionist to work with students one on one or in small groups. It put an SAT prep course into the schedule since the SAT now acts as the states standardized test in junior year. And it created a comprehensive attendance plan using an outside consultant. Based on concerted efforts and the type of students the school services, the state is recommending a two-year renewal with conditions. The academy would have to report bimonthly to the state on its progress in monitored areas, submit to quarterly site visits by the state, and submit an updated corrective action plan by April. lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck HARTFORD After the General Assembly did not pass sexual harassment reforms on the heels on the #MeToo movement in 2018, Democrats renewed a push to pass new protections for victims in private workplaces. The Labor and Public Employees Committee heard public testimony Tuesday on a bill that would increase employer liability for sexual harassment in the workplace. The bill would prevent employers from using the fact that they have a sexual harassment policy as a defense to a harassment complaint. The bill would also prevent an employer from changing a victims conditions of employment without the victims permission and would allow victims to be awarded damages. For up-to-date information on public policy issues, sign up for the CT Politics newsletter. The bill was supported by the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and lawmakers like Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Chesire, who shared her story of workplace sexual assault. It was opposed by the Connecticut Business Industry Association and some Republicans on the committee. The bill reprises some ideas from last years Times Up Act, like amping up the information employers must share with employees on sexual harassment. That act was touted by Democrats as largest overhaul in the modern history of Connecticuts sexual harassment and sexual assault laws. A watered-down version of the bill passed the Senate, but failed to clear the House. Last month, the Labor Committee heard testimony on another bill that revived a proposal from last year to place restrictions on the use of nondisclosure agreements in the workplace to prohibit the silencing of victims of sexual harassment. The bill is widely supported by Senate Democrats. For too long, women have blamed themselves or believed harassment is just something to be tolerated, testified Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven. It isnt and silencing all employees with the use of NDAs perpetuates the status quo. Some themes of the Times Up Act may appear in other bills on sexual harassment that lawmakers are still drafting. The Judiciary Committee is writing a bill backed by most Senate Democrats that will provide for enhanced prevention of and punishment for sexual assault and sexual harassment. These bills are renewing debate over the balance between being business-friendly and protecting victims. Linehan, who drafted the House bill that the Labor Committee heard testimony on Tuesday, argued that law has traditionally protected the employer, while discouraging victims from reporting their experiences. She described how she was sexually assaulted by a co-worker 20 years ago and then was placed on paid leave for four months, while her abuser remained on the job. She said victims should have to consent to any changes made to their employment conditions and employers should be held liable for the workplace environments they create. I know this because I lived it, Linehan said. Eric Gjede, vice president of government affairs for the CBIA, worried that increasing employer liability would actually decrease companies prevention efforts. Eliminating these affirmative defenses ignores decades of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and removes a powerful incentive for employers to be responsible and proactive in responding to incidents of harassment, he said. Rep. Richard Smith, R-New Fairfield, said he would support Linehans bill if lawmakers could find language that would not hold employers liable if it was proven there was no way they could have known about the harassment. emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson WESTON Christine Peyreigne, a 2015 Weston High School graduate, has made a name for herself in the community. At just 16 years old, Peyreigne had found a passion for birds of prey, and a desire to try offsetting some of the harm that comes to native wildlife that share space with humans. Thus, Christines Critters was born in March 2016. The nonprofit, operated out of Peyreignes home, specializes in rehabilitating raptors and birds of prey. She also shares her bird knowledge through events at libraries, schools, and public outings. We are well-booked for programs at various venues throughout the state, and each time we do a program, word of mouth helps us get more programs, Peyreigne said. Now as a college senior at Mercy College in New York, Peyreigne is nearly ready to graduate with a veterinary science degree and spread her wings to expand the organization she has been building these past few years. In addition to adding new educational programs to the mix, Peyreigne wants to purchase land for the business so she doesnt have to share it with her personal home. Peyreigne said she knew she wanted to spend her life teaching others about birds. Her passion for the creatures further developed when she became a falconer and started hunting with her red-tailed hawk, Theron. A challenge for Peyreigne, however, has been finding space to house all the birds, since the organization operates at her home. There are aviaries and flight cages built on the property to house the birds and for the rehabilitation program. We are open to the public by appointment only until I can build my raptor center hopefully in the next few years, Peyreigne said. More Information To donate from Christine's Critters' Amazon wish list, visit https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1XQYJ4ZIARHFH?&sort=default For other ways to help, visit their website at: www.christinescritters.org/get_involved See More Collapse Upkeep for this passion also comes at a cost. The money spent per bird can get expensive with food, veterinary care, and medical supplies, Peyreigne said. The cost of food averages at about $22,000 per year to feed all the birds that stay permanently and in rehabilitation. Christines Critters maintains a link to its Amazon wish list on its website, in case others with to purchase and donate supplies. We are so grateful for the support that many provide in donations, hiring us for educational programs, gifts from our Amazon Wish List, and more, Peyreigne said. We work hard with many other raptor rehabilitators in the state to try to network and get injured birds help in the quickest way possible. To obtain all her certifications and permits, it was a long and grueling process, Peyreigne said. At age 16, she became an apprentice falconer and began learning to hunt with Theron. As an apprentice, there were many tasks that included a written test, finding a sponsor, building a mews to house her bird, and then have everything inspected by the state. For nearly three years, Peyreigne served as an apprentice and tested with the state, ultimately becoming a General Class Falconer. At the age of 18, Peyreigne served as an apprentice to learn rehabilitation of injured birds of prey. Currently, she is licensed by the state of Connecticut and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rehabilitate migratory birds including all birds of prey up to and including eagles. Peyreigne then realized right away that many injured birds cannot be healed well enough to return to the wild. I applied and became a nonprofit 501(c)(3) in March of 2016, as that began Christines Critters, Peyreigne said. She then decided to expand her care to bald eagles. In order to be permitted to have a permanently injured bald eagle for educational purposes, you must be nonprofit, she said. After eight months and 500 hours of hands-on hours working with eagles, Peyreigne got fish and wildlifes approval. In October 2016, Peyreigne flew out to Illinois and returned with Aurora, a resident educational bald eagle. I worked hard to train her, and she made our program debut in March of 2018 at the Shepaug Dam Bald Eagle Viewing Area and is now a very popular bird at many of our programs, she said. Currently, Christines Critters has 19 permanent resident non-releasable birds of prey that serve as education ambassadors, two falcon birds, and over 200 birds per year are admitted to rehabilitation. Ambassadors are available to bring to schools, libraries, scouting events, parties, fairs and more. In the programs, people are taught about the dangers of lead poisoning, rodenticides in the food chain that raptors rely on, and window strikes since birds cannot see glass; and generally the features these birds possess to survive and hunt in the wild. In May, Peyreigne will present her critters to Weston Intermediate School third-graders, during which students can meet about birds and reptiles. WESTPORT The hills of Greens Farms School proved the most popular sledding site in town Monday. With the cancellation of school Sunday evening followed by the heavy heaping of some solid snow in town one would think kids wouldnt have been so eager to get back by an education facility. It's been 1 years since the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, but two men seen on camera assaulting a black man in a parking garage remain unidentified. Charlottesville police detective Declan Hickey is as saying the investigation into the Aug. 12, 2017, beating of Deandre Harris, has hit a dead end. Three people linked to white nationalist, pro-Confederacy or anti-government beliefs are serving time in jail or prison, and a fourth awaits sentencing. None of them knew each other before the attack. The two men at large have come to be known as "Red Beard" and "Sunglasses." Hickey says the best hopes for identifying the men are if they "pop back on the radar" at another rally or "piss off their wife or girlfriend." (Reuters) The sovereign wealth fund of Qatar is seeking a stake of at least 5 percent in Deutsche Bank, a German magazine reported on Friday. Der Spiegel, citing unidentified sources, said the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) could buy the stake on the open market or from Chinese conglomerate HNA, which has a 6.3 percent holding in Germanys biggest bank. To read this article: (HedgeCo.Net) A federal district court has entered a final consent judgment against a broker who was charged with defrauding customers by making unsuitable and unauthorized trades and churning customers accounts that enriched the broker at the customers expense. The SECs complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges that from July 2012 to August 2014, William C. Gennity recommended to four customers a pattern of high-cost, in-and-out trading without any reasonable basis to believe that his customers could make a profit. Gennitys recommendations resulted in losses for the customers and gains for Gennity. Gennity allegedly also lied to his customers about the potential for the accounts to profit. The complaint also alleges that Gennity engaged in unauthorized trading and churning. The final judgment permanently enjoins Gennity from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and orders Gennity to pay $302,483, consisting of $127,686 in disgorgement, $14,797 in prejudgment interest and a civil penalty of $160,000. Separately, the SEC instituted settled administrative proceedings against Gennity in which, without admitting or denying the findings, Gennity consented to a Commission order barring him from the securities industry and penny stock trading. Gennity was formerly associated with Alexander Capital L.P., a New York-based broker-dealer. In June 2018, the SEC filed settled charges against the broker-dealer and two of its managers, including Gennitys former supervisor. Since 2017, the SEC has filed five enforcement actions against brokers for excessive and unsuitable trading, and the SECs Office of Investor Education and Advocacy and Broker-Dealer Task Force has issued an Investor Alert about excessive trading in brokerage accounts. PM Phuc lauded the visit of the Lao top legislator, which contributes to fostering cooperation between the two countries parties, governments, and NAs. The Vietnamese leader expressed his delight at the positive results of partnership between Vietnam and Laos, especially in trade and border cooperation, as well as the outcomes of the recent Laos visit by Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, which created a strong driving force for further collaboration between the two parties and states. For her part, the Lao NA leader congratulated Vietnam for successfully hosting the second DPRK-USA summit, demonstrating Vietnams role and contributions in building peace and stability in the world. She said that over the years, the NAs of Vietnam and Laos have collaborated closely and fruitfully. During her visit, the two legislative bodies will promote the efficiency of their affiliation, she said, adding that the Lao delegation has learnt a lot from the experience of the Vietnamese side in many areas, including land management policy. In a working session with leaders of Hanoi, the delegation learnt about the citys implementation of the Vietnamese governments directions and NAs resolutions, she noted. The delegation also visited an economic model applicable to Laos in Hanoi. Lao NA leader Pany Yathotou thanked the Party, State, Government, and NA of Vietnam for helping Laos in the construction of a new building for the Lao NA. She stressed that the Vietnamese government and the PM have always offered timely and effective support to Lao people in many areas, especially in overcoming the consequences of the Attapeu hydropower dam collapse, which shows the special solidarity and borderless assistance that Vietnamese people have given to their Lao friends. PM Phuc said that although Vietnam still faces many difficulties, the country has always been willing to give whole-hearted support to the Lao people. He proposed that the NAs of Vietnam and Laos continue working together to reinforce the special ties by maintaining high-level visits and bilateral cooperation mechanisms; expanding and enhancing the efficiency of partnership in various areas such as security, defence, economy, trade, and investment; and strengthening communications and education on the tradition of the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity among youngsters. The two sides should continue supporting each other at international and regional forums, especially the UN and ASEAN, as well as sub-regional mechanisms; while increasing the sharing of information, experience, and expertise; and coordinating closely at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums, he suggested. PM Phuc expressed his hope that Vietnam and Laos will work closely together with one another and with other countries and organisations in sustainably managing and using the Mekong Rivers water resources, responsibly exploiting hydropower resources to ensure water security for the interest of all concerned sides and people. Vietnam is willing to cooperate with and assist Laos in realising its strategy of energy development, including hydropower energy, stated the PM. MOT on Monday reported that it has obtained a trove of evidence, including corporate e-mails and other documents, of suspicious financial transactions worth hundreds of billions of euros made between 2005 and 2017. Approximately 700 million euros of the funds were transferred to accounts with the financial group headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of euros have been transferred from partly suspicious sources to accounts in Nordea, according to MOT, the investigative journalism team at YLE. At least 200 million euros were transferred to accounts in Nordea Finland. YLE wrote that the leaked documents reveal irregularities about the origin of the funds and indicate that some of the transfers may have been attempts to conceal illicitly acquired funds. The team of investigative journalists also identified nearly 300 dormant companies that had used the services of Nordea. The data trove was analysed by MOT and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Most of the data relates to wire transfers made from two now-defunct Lithuanian banks, Ukio and Snora. There have surely been many points where alarm bells shouldve been going off, Pirjo Jukarinen, an expert in money laundering at the Police University College, told MOT. Nordeas shares consequently lost 3.5 per cent of their value on the Stockholm Stock Exchange on Monday. The Nordic financial group declined to comment on the allegations, saying it has yet to examine all of the documents cited in the reports. Nordea is aware of the media story and has been in contact with both YLE and the Danish daily Berlingske. Weve yet to see the programme or the article, said Afroditi Kjellberg, the head of media relations at Nordea Sweden. She added, however, that judging by the information currently available it appears that the reports contain no new revelations. Based on what weve seen, these are issues weve detected and commented on in our previous statements concerning the prevention of money laundering, said Kjellberg. Aleksi Teivainen HT Source: Uusi Suomi WINNIPEG - One of Canada's largest grain processors has been blocked from exporting canola to China, in a time of growing diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A woman and two young girls ride horses through a canola field near Cremona, Alta., Tuesday, July 16, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh WINNIPEG - One of Canada's largest grain processors has been blocked from exporting canola to China, in a time of growing diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Richardson International Ltd. confirmed Tuesday that its permit to export product to China has been revoked. China's action follows notices of non-compliance on some imports from Canada alleging they were contaminated with pests or bacteria, something the Canadian government refutes. "I am very concerned by what we've heard has happened to Richardson. We do not believe there's any scientific basis for this," said Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in Montreal. "We are working very, very hard with the Chinese government on this issue, I want to assure Richardson, and all the Canadian canola families who work with Richardson, that this is an utmost priority of our government." The loss of the shipping permit comes as Ottawa moves to proceed with the extradition hearing of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. executive Meng Wanzhou, who has arrested at the request of the U.S., which wants to extradite her for fraud. News of the blocked exports to China, the destination for about 40 per cent of Canada's canola exports, hurts the entire value chain of industries involved in the market, said the Canola Council of Canada. "We are aware of challenges our exporters have faced shipping to China these are concerning as they create instability and add costs," said spokeswoman Heidi Dancho by email. She said that while diplomatic frictions are concerning, there is no clear evidence they are related to the current challenges. Neil Townsend, senior market analyst at FarmLink, however, said he thinks there's a definite link to the Huawei case. "There's no doubt China's mad at us," he said. China's move hits a vital crop to Western Canada, and comes after canola prices have already been hit by China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports. The industry should be concerned because if China cuts back on buying it would hit prices further, said Townsend. "With China kind of saying because they're mad about the Huawei thing they're basically saying like oh we're not going to buy any more. So now there's going to be more canola left over at the end of the year, which is going to hurt prices for the remainder of this year, and into the next growing season and year." He said he suspects Richardson was targeted since it's the largest exporter that is fully Canadian owned. Several other majors in agricultural exports are subsidiaries of global conglomerates, though Parrish and Heimbecker and Paterson Grain, neither of which replied for a request for comment, are also Canadian owned. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The setback for the Chinese market comes after Canadian farmers already lost out on Saudi Arabia's recent grain buy, also because of political differences with Canada, pointed out Townsend. "Now we've got two potentially large markets for things that we grow quite successfully in Canada, essentially angry at us." The permit revocation, first reported by Reuters, comes as Beijing has warned of serious consequences if Meng is not released. A March 4 report from Chinese state media accused former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor both of whom were detained by Chinese authorities shortly after Meng's arrest of trying to steal state secrets from the People's Republic. Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau said in a statement that the government is closely monitoring the situation and any potential impact on Canada's agricultural trading relationship with China. She said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency conducted further investigations after China issued notices of non-compliance on canola seed imports, including nine since January, and said the agency confirmed they have not identified any pests or bacteria of concern. -With a file from Morgan Lowrie in Montreal BEIJING - China announced a robust annual economic growth target and a 7.5 per cent rise in military spending Tuesday as it convened an annual legislative session overshadowed by a tariff war with Washington. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Chinese police gather outside the Great Hall of the People, ahead of the opening session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. A year since removing any legal barrier to remaining China's leader for life, Xi Jinping appears firmly in charge, despite a slowing economy, an ongoing trade war with the U.S. and rumbles of discontent over his concentration of power. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) BEIJING - China announced a robust annual economic growth target and a 7.5 per cent rise in military spending Tuesday as it convened an annual legislative session overshadowed by a tariff war with Washington. Seeking to defuse U.S. and European complaints the Chinese system is rigged against foreign companies, Premier Li Keqiang promised in a speech to the National People's Congress that they will be "treated as equals" with their Chinese competitors. Li, the country's top economic official, set this year's growth target at 6 to 6.5 per cent, reflecting determination to shore up a cooling state-dominated economy and prevent politically dangerous job losses. Such a growth rate, if achieved, would be among the world's strongest. Yet it would be slightly below last year's 6.6 per cent growth in China and would mark a new three-decade low. A Chinese military band conductor rehearses before the opening session of the annual National People's Congress in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) The slowdown in China, the world's second-largest economy after the United States, is likely to hold back international growth. "China is still a very large locomotive pulling the global economy," said Sung Won Sohn, chief economist at SS Economics in Los Angeles. "As the Chinese economy slows, this will have an impact around the world. We are already seeing that impact." Still, Eswar Prasad, an economist at Cornell University, suggested that a more manageable pace of growth in China could benefit the global economy in the long run. "Slower but more balanced growth in China, especially if it was driven by domestic consumption demand and involved fewer financial system risks, could be a net positive for the world economy," Prasad said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers the work reports at the opening session of the China's National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) At the legislative session in Beijing, Li promised to "promote China-U.S. trade negotiations," but gave no details of talks aimed at ending the fight with President Donald Trump over Beijing's technology ambitions and complaints it steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Li, No. 2 in the ruling Communist Party behind President Xi Jinping, pledged higher spending on development of technologies including artificial intelligence, electric cars, biotechnology and new materials that China's leaders see as a path to prosperity and global influence. He also promised more money for education, social programs and public works construction. China's emergence as a competitor in smartphones, telecom equipment, solar power and other technologies has increased the range of products available to consumers and helped to drive down prices. But it rattles Washington and other governments that worry Chinese competition is a threat to their industries and employment. Li warned that the second-largest economy faces a "graver and more complicated environment" and risks that "are greater in number and size." Chinese Premier Li Keqiang wipes his sweat as he delivers the work reports at the opening session of the China's National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) The two-week gathering of the congress's 3,000-plus delegates in the cavernous Great Hall of the People is China's biggest event of the year. It does little lawmaking, but serves as a platform to highlight the government's plans for the year. Xi's government is expected to use this year's session to announce tax cuts and more support for entrepreneurs who generate much of China's new jobs and wealth. Legislators also are due to endorse a law that aims to ease tensions with Washington and Europe by discouraging officials from pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. Higher government spending will push the budget deficit from 2.6 per cent of total economic output to 2.8 per cent, Li said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang wipes his sweat as he delivers the work reports at the opening session of the China's National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) The plans reflect "emphatic pro-growth efforts" to "offset external headwinds," Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Bank said in a report. Proposed tax cuts of up to 2 trillion yuan ($300 billion) would put "significant spending power" in the hands of consumers and companies, helping to buoy sagging demand for autos, household appliances and other goods, Varathan said. Spending on the Communist Party's military wing, the People's Liberation Army, will rise to 1.2 trillion yuan ($178 billion), according to a separate report issued by the finance ministry. China's total military outlay, the second-largest behind the United States, is estimated by independent experts to exceed $220 billion a year when off-budget expenses are added in. The spending will pay to expand China's navy and acquire advanced aircraft and other weapons to help Beijing enforce its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reacts after delivering his work report at the opening session of the annual National People's Congress in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) The slower rise in military spending, down from double digit increases in previous years, reflects changing priorities, said Yue Gang, a military expert and retired Chinese army colonel. "It is more urgent for China to prepare for a trade war with the U.S., instead of a physical war," Yue said. Military reforms are nearly complete, and "China needs the money to be used for more urgent matters," he said. The tariff fight with Trump over Beijing's technology ambitions has rattled Chinese consumers and investors, prompting some to put off spending, which could add to downward pressure on economic growth. News reports say Washington and Beijing might be close to an agreement to end the battle. But the chief U.S. envoy, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, said earlier the two sides still had much work to do. Delegates read the work reports which is delivered by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the opening session of the annual National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. China's government announced a robust annual economic growth target and a 7.5 percent rise in military spending Tuesday at a legislative session overshadowed by a tariff war with Washington. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) No agreements have been announced on the core of the dispute: U.S. pressure on Beijing to roll back its plans for state-led creation of global competitors in robotics and other technology. Washington, Europe and other trading partners say those violate China's market-opening obligations. Some American officials worry they might erode U.S. industrial leadership. It's unclear if Trump would be mollified by the technology measure, part of a law on foreign investment that state media say the congress is due to endorse. It would bar officials from using "administrative measures" to pressure companies to hand over technology. Foreign business groups welcomed the proposal but said they need to see enforcement rules to know whether it will improve conditions. Li tried to reassure investors by promising foreign companies will be "treated as equals" with Chinese enterprises in a "fair and impartial market environment." Foreign business groups and governments complain Beijing routinely violates its commitments under the World Trade Organization to ensure such equality, or "national treatment." They say rules on investment, technology licensing and other facets of business discriminate against foreign companies or shield Chinese enterprises from competition. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Xi and other Chinese leaders have announced changes over the past year including tariff cuts on imported consumer goods and plans to allow full foreign ownership in auto manufacturing. But business groups say those have little impact on operating conditions. Beijing faces a WTO challenge filed in July by the European Union against technology licensing rules the 28-nation trade bloc said improperly hamper the ability of foreign companies to protect and profit from their technology. Li promised "competitive neutrality," or equal treatment of state-owned and private companies by regulators. But he gave no details of how far that might extend for foreign competitors. "Enterprises under all forms of ownership will be treated on an equal footing," the premier said. ___ AP writers Yanan Wang and Christopher Bodeen and researcher Yu Bing in Beijing and AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger in Washington contributed to this report. LANSING, Mich. - New Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who campaigned on a bold promise to "fix the damn roads" in the capital of the U.S. auto industry, will propose nearly tripling the state's per-gallon fuel tax, her office said Monday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - Ion this Feb. 12, 2019 file photo, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. Whitmer wants to spend billions more to fix the roads and boost a lagging education system. But as the Democrat prepares to deliver her first budget proposal to the Republican-led Legislature, she faces fiscal and political pressures that are complicating her task. She notes the general fund has not grown much. The budget is Whitmer's chance to detail how she plans to "fix the damn roads" and pay for priorities like letting high school graduates attend community college for free. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File) LANSING, Mich. - New Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who campaigned on a bold promise to "fix the damn roads" in the capital of the U.S. auto industry, will propose nearly tripling the state's per-gallon fuel tax, her office said Monday. The Democrat's budget proposal, which will be a tough sell in the Republican-led Legislature, would boost the 26-cent gasoline and diesel tax by 45 cents by October 2020. The tax hikes would coincide with relief "to help offset the cost to people's pocketbooks," which Whitmer will discuss further when she presents her spending plan Tuesday, said spokeswoman Tiffany Brown. Whitmer also will outline a proposed $500 million increase to state K-12 classroom spending, including a $180 boost in the minimum per-student grant and substantial funding hikes to teach low-income, vocational and special education students. She wants to boost the 26-cent gasoline and diesel taxes by 15 cents in October, an additional 15 cents in April 2020 and 15 more cents in October 2020. That would generate an additional $2 billion annually. She has said drivers already are paying a "road tax" because Michigan's pothole-ridden roadways are forcing them to pay hundreds of dollars a year on vehicle repairs. A top GOP lawmaker, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, did not rule out a tax hike to better fund roads and bridges but said his initial priority is lowering the high cost of car insurance in the state. "He'd first like the governor to work with him and his caucus to save families money by reforming car insurance," said spokeswoman Amber McCann. "Then he would entertain having a discussion about new revenue for roads." Higher fuel and vehicle registration fees took effect two years ago as part of Republican-enacted laws to gradually pump $1.2 billion more annually into transportation following a failed legislator-proposed ballot initiative but many agree it is not enough new spending. Four former legislative leaders from both parties have said fuel taxes should be increased by 47 cents over nine years. Business Leaders for Michigan, a group of the state's top executives, on Monday urged legislators to act. President and CEO Doug Rothwell stopped short of backing a specific proposal but said the roads "are an embarrassment," are getting worse and becoming more expensive to fix. "We are not an organization ... that likes to talk about raising taxes, and we don't take that lightly at all," he said. "But we're on record saying that we need to make a significant increase in investment in our infrastructure, and that we believe user fees which could be a gas tax is the best and fairest way to do it." The state Republican Party criticized Whitmer, however, saying her proposal would "break many Michiganders' budgets." Michigan drivers pay some of the country's highest taxes at the pump, but not all of the revenue goes to the transportation budget. The sales tax on fuel mostly goes to schools and local governments under the state constitution. Whitmer also will call for new "weighted" K-12 funding formula to factor in higher costs for certain students, according to details first reported by The Associated Press. The plan includes $235 million in additional base aid a 2.5 per cent bump along with $120 million more for special education, an extra $102 million for economically disadvantaged and other at-risk students, and $50 million more for career and technical education students. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Whitmer's administration is billing it as the largest increase in classroom spending in 18 years, if state payments for retirement costs are not counted. It was not immediately clear how she will propose paying for the plan, though she has previously called for stopping the practice of shifting K-12 funds to universities and community colleges. The minimum per-student allowance which most districts receive, including charters would increase from $7, 871 to $8,051, a $180 increase. Districts at the higher end would get $8,529, or $120 more than the current $8,409 allotment. Her plan was applauded by the Michigan Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, which called it a "huge step" toward addressing how education has become underfunded over decades . "It doesn't cost the same amount of money to educate every student, and this budget proposal reflects that reality," said president Paula Herbart. "Additional funding for at-risk, special education and career/technical education puts additional funds where they're needed most to help all students achieve." ___ Follow Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 PIERRE, S.D. - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Monday that she's proposing a new framework for oil pipeline construction before building starts on the Keystone XL pipeline, introducing legislation that would require companies behind such projects to chip in on protest-related expenses and create a way to go after the money of those who fund destructive demonstrations. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - This Feb. 13, 2017 aerial photo shows the Oceti Sakowin camp, where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access pipeline on federal land in Cannon Ball, N.D. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she's proposing legislation ahead of the Keystone XL oil pipeline's construction that would create a legal avenue to pursue out-of-state money that funds protests aimed at slowing construction. Noem's bills come after opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline staged large protests that resulted in 761 arrests in southern North Dakota over a six-month span beginning in late 2016. The state spent tens of millions of dollars policing the protests. (Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune via AP, File) PIERRE, S.D. - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Monday that she's proposing a new framework for oil pipeline construction before building starts on the Keystone XL pipeline, introducing legislation that would require companies behind such projects to chip in on protest-related expenses and create a way to go after the money of those who fund destructive demonstrations. Noem said she wants make sure there's enough funding so local governments don't bankrupt themselves during construction. She also wants officials to be able to aggressively pursue people who financially back violence and gain access to those funds as well. The push comes late in the state's 2019 legislative session, timing that critics panned. "To the best of our knowledge, this type of approach has not happened anywhere in the nation before, and this next-generation pipeline construction model was developed to directly address issues caused by out-of-state rioters funded by out-of-state interests that have attacked nearby projects," Noem said. "The current model for developing major energy infrastructure projects clearly needed to have an update." Noem's bills come after opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline staged large protests that resulted in 761 arrests in southern North Dakota over a six-month span beginning in late 2016. The state spent tens of millions of dollars policing the protests. Officials are working hard to make sure disruptive and violent protests don't happen in South Dakota with Keystone XL, Noem said. The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota said the legislation could infringe on free speech rights. "The right to join with fellow citizens in protest or peaceful assembly is critical to a functioning democracy and at the core of the First Amendment," Libby Skarin, the group's policy director, said in a statement. One bill would tap a pipeline developer, among other sources, to fund expenses in areas such as law enforcement that arise from pipeline protests. Approved claims from the state, cities or counties would be billed to the pipeline developer, which could contest the claims. If the state or local governments were reimbursed from another source for the claim, the money would be credited to the pipeline company. The other bill would create an avenue for the state to seek money from people who engage in "riot boosting." Under the bill, individuals or groups would be liable if they encouraged people in a riot to be violent. Money collected would be used to pay for riot damage claims or could be transferred into a pipeline expense fund. Officials have already changed state law in anticipation of Keystone XL protests. In 2017, they made it a Class 1 misdemeanour for someone to stand in the highway to stop traffic or to trespass in a posted emergency area. That was a scaled-back version of a bill championed by then-Gov. Dennis Daugaard amid concerns about large demonstrations similar to the Dakota Access protests. Noem's office said her bills arose from discussions with lawmakers, authorities, stakeholders and pipeline developer TransCanada. The 1,184-mile (1,900 kilometre) pipeline is intended to ship up to 830,000 barrels a day of Canadian crude through Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with lines to carry oil to Gulf Coast refineries. A federal judge in Montana in February largely kept in place an injunction that blocks TransCanada from performing preliminary work on the stalled pipeline. TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha said in an email that the company appreciates Noem's efforts to help advance the construction of Keystone XL and other pipelines in a way that ensures the safety of workers and state residents. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Any legislation that deters unlawful activities and encourages the advancement of critical infrastructure projects is a positive step in the right direction," Cunha said. Rebecca Terk, a lobbyist for conservation and family agriculture group Dakota Rural Action, said the legislation is an "incredible overreach" and the bills conflate protest with rioting. The developer of the Dakota Access pipeline last month sued the environmental group Greenpeace in North Dakota. Energy Transfer Partners accused the group and activists of conspiring to use illegal and violent means to disrupt construction, and of benefiting from the ensuing publicity to increase donations. Greenpeace has said the company is trying to silence peaceful advocacy. A judge tossed the ETP claim out of federal court, but the company is pursuing similar claims in state court. ___ Follow James Nord on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/Jvnord James Aitkenhead, the CEO of Perfect Pierogies out of Garson, had no problem being singled out by Sobeys Inc. as a shining example of potential success in the chains efforts to formalize its local suppliers network. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. James Aitkenhead, the CEO of Perfect Pierogies out of Garson, had no problem being singled out by Sobeys Inc. as a shining example of potential success in the chains efforts to formalize its local suppliers network. Over the past year, the old-fashioned perogy maker (the company uses the old Ukrainian-Polish spelling for perogy in its name) has more than doubled the number of Sobeys/Safeway/IGA/Thrifty Foods locations its perogies are in to 45. And it was over the course of this past year that Sobeys has built a whole new system to encourage and support more local products across its retail network. Company officials are currently on a cross-country tour Aitkenhead spoke at Sobeys 2019 Local Supplier Roadshow stop in Winnipeg. The company is holding 15 such events across the country, meeting with more than 1,500 suppliers. Its the second annual roadshow that is effectively a how-to seminar for local food producers to get their products in Sobeys stores. "This event really helped me last year," Aitkenhead said. "They asked me to speak and I was glad to. We have a shared passion." Perfect Pierogies now has 12 different products in the stores, the only national chain that carry the products. Sobeys, the second-largest food retailer in the country, has been in business for 111 years and it has always had local products in its stores. But since launching its "Look for Local" program a year ago, the company now has an organized way for local, independent suppliers to get their products into the stores. It also allows Sobeys to enhance the merchandising of the successful products, and a way for store managers and regional offices and the national business to support and develop local products into something even bigger. "Some stores are definitely more aggressive than others when it comes to local," said Gary Hughes, Sobeys local business development manager for Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. And while it continues to be up to store managers and franchisees to decide to carry local products or not Sobeys does not force any store to carry any particular local product both suppliers and the corporate entity now have a more systemic way of controlling products that may only be in a couple of stores. "It gives us the opportunity to put an item in one or two stores where we did not have a process like that before that was set up properly through the system," Hughes said. "Our customers have clearly made the decision for us. They want local products in our stores. They tell us theyd rather support a local supplier, than buy something from the U.S. or China." During the past year, the Look for Local program has placed 1,100 products from the Prairies into the companys stores, including 400 from Manitoba. Hughes said that some of those had already been carried in some of the stores, but now there is so much more exposure. BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Perfect Pierogies, which makes traditional, home-style perogies, has 12 different products available in Sobeys stores. Clearly, one of the elements of the program is better data capture all around. Company officials told about 150 Manitoba food product producers on Monday that the company will keep track of weekly sales of their products, and will share all sorts of sales data with the supplier. One of the messages that Hughes and his staff emphasized in the content-rich morning presentation was that the suppliers themselves have a lot to do with how well the products sell in the 50 stores the chain has in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. That means participation in promotions, community events and actual on-site demonstrations. "You have to have the passion and willingness to put the effort in," he said. Its one of the reasons Aitkenhead and Perfect Pierogies is like the poster child for the program Aitkenhead has the passion and, among other things, he loves doing in-store demonstrations, something that Sobeys officials encourage all local suppliers to participate in. "It is a great way to hear directly from the consumer," Aitkenhead said. The partnership between the little rural producer and the multibillion-dollar national chain has benefited both parties. Sobeys now accounts for more than 30 per cent of Perfect Pierogies sales, and the company is in the process of building a new plant that will double its size and allow them to quadruple production. "Were now starting to move into Saskatchewan and even further," Aitkenhead said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The local supplier program means the smaller food companies must show they have cleared all the regulatory requirements when it comes to safety. While that may be a burden to some, it prepares the companies to be able to distribute to other national retailers. The program has been a big hit in Manitoba, accounting for more than this provinces fair share of local products in Sobeys operations in the Prairies. One of the reasons for that is that Food and Beverage Manitoba, the food processing industry association, acts as a bit of a liaison with Sobeys, running intake sessions to make sure the companies have checked all the regulatory boxes to qualify as a supplier. Hughes said Manitoba has a leg up because of that. And as for Sobeys, its efforts to encourage more local suppliers was substantial enough to receive the local favourite retailer award in Food and Beverage Manitobas 2018 industry excellence awards. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca MONTREAL - The Quebec Court of Appeal has ruled that the Charter protection against cruel and unusual punishment can apply to companies as well as individuals. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. MONTREAL - The Quebec Court of Appeal has ruled that the Charter protection against cruel and unusual punishment can apply to companies as well as individuals. The question arose when a company convicted of acting as a construction contractor without the necessary license was fined $30,000, the minimum under the provincial Building Act. The numbered company sought to have the minimum fine in the law struck down. It invoked Section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which states, "Everyone has the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment." In a decision rendered Monday, the Court of Appeal sided with the company, with one of the three judges who heard the case dissenting. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The main argument against giving a legal entity the protection provided under Section 12 is that it falls within the framework of the preservation of "human dignity." In an online "Guide to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms," the federal government cites torture, abusive use of force and disproportionate prison sentences as examples of cruel and unusual punishment. But Court of Appeal Justice Dominique Belanger, writing for the majority, said she is not convinced Section 12 refers only to "human dignity." She noted that companies have successfully invoked other Charter protections in the past. "The fine can be cruel to the legal entity," she wrote. "A legal entity may suffer from a cruel fine that manifests itself by its harshness, its severity and a sort of hostility." She said she does not believe that Canadian society would find it acceptable for a company to be driven into bankruptcy by a disproportionate fine, "thereby jeopardizing the rights of its creditors or forcing layoffs." Writing in dissent, Justice Jacques Chamberland said Section 12 should not be "distorted so as to protect the economic rights of a legal entity." If that were the case, he said, "it is easy to foresee the negative impact it would inevitably have on all public policy laws aimed at regulating various sectors of economic activity and disciplining the participants." The court did not rule whether the specific fine in this company's case violated the Charter. That question has been referred to another judge to decide. The poll found that popular support for the opposition party crept up by 0.3 percentage points to 21.3 per cent between January and February. Both the National Coalition and the Centre Party, by contrast, saw their popularity decrease the former by 1.6 percentage points to 18.1 per cent and the latter by 0.3 percentage points to 14.1 per cent. THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY has widened its advantage over the National Coalition, shows the latest opinion poll commissioned by Alma Media. The most notable change in the poll was the drop in popular support for the National Coalition. Alma Media on Monday also reported that the only ruling party to register an up-tick in popular support between January and February was the Blue Reform, which saw its popularity rebound by 0.2 percentage points to 2.3 per cent. Only 34.5 per cent of the public would consequently cast their vote for one of the three ruling parties. The Finns Party was the biggest gainer in the poll with an increase of 1.3 percentage points in popular support to 11.2 per cent. Although the populist right-wing opposition party has seen its popularity grow already for five consecutive months, it remains the fifth most supported political party in Finland, behind the Green League (13.2%). The Finns Party appeals most likely for the same reason as it has since the election upset of 2011: its way of communicating is one thats very easy to understand and it makes clear, unambiguous statements, analysed Jenni Karimaki, a university lecturer at the University of Turku. On the other hand, the Finns Party is the only party that has a clearly distinct stance on climate change and immigration, she added. Support for the Left Alliance rebounded by 0.1 percentage points to 9.0 per cent after a several-month slide. The Swedish Peoples Party and the Christian Democrats are both polling at 4.1 per cent, after the former saw its popularity drop by 0.1 and the latter by 0.2 percentage points between January and February, according to Alma Media. Both Karimaki and Janne Pesonen, the party secretary of the National Coalition, said the National Coalitions decline is attributable to the debate on staffing requirements in elderly care that flared up in January. The turbulence was hard when it comes to elderly services. It left a mark on our popularity in February, said Pesonen. A total of 1,500 people were interviewed for the opinion poll between 18 February and 3 March by Tietoykkonen. Aleksi Teivainen HT Source: Uusi Suomi MONTREAL - SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is suing its former CEO in connection with a bribery scandal around the construction of a $1.3-billion Montreal hospital as the beleaguered engineering and construction giant continues its effort to distance itself from its former leadership. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Former SNC-Lavalin CEO Pierre Duhaime leaves a courtroom in Montreal on Friday, February 1, 2019. SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is suing its former CEO in connection with a bribery scandal around the construction of a $1.3-billion Montreal hospital. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson MONTREAL - SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is suing its former CEO in connection with a bribery scandal around the construction of a $1.3-billion Montreal hospital as the beleaguered engineering and construction giant continues its effort to distance itself from its former leadership. The Montreal-based company said in court documents that Pierre Duhaime hurt the company when he helped a public servant commit a breach of trust tied to $22.5 million in bribes that helped rig the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) project in favour of SNC-Lavalin. Duhaime, who led the Montreal-based company between 2009 and 2012, is serving 20 months of house arrest after pleading guilty to aiding the hospital's former senior manager, Yanai Elbaz, in the breach of trust. The lawsuit, filed in Quebec Superior Court on Friday, came one week after chief executive Neil Bruce spoke out about "innocent employees being used as a puck in a political hockey game." Bruce was referring to unrelated corruption charges linked to SNC-Lavalin's dealings in Libya that have landed the company in the eye of a political firestorm in Ottawa. Since 2015 he has hammered the message that the organization has turned over a new leaf and no longer resembles the firm associated with the Gadhafi regime between 2001 and 2011 and the nearly-decade-old hospital bribery scheme. Days after Bruce came on board as CEO in October 2015, the company announced an agreement with Ottawa that allows the government to monitor its actions for as long as charges against the company or former employees wend their way through the courts. None of SNC-Lavalin's dozen or so senior executives served on the leadership team in the period that continues to overshadow its renewal efforts. "We're six, seven years past the events of 2012. It's highly likely that this is going to go on for another number of years. And frankly, we've had enough of all of that," Bruce said on a conference call with investors Feb. 22. Only recently did the last vestiges of the old guard make their exit from the board of directors, however. Former chairman Lawrence Stevenson, who had served on the board since 1998, retired on Jan. 1, 2018. Patricia Hammick was on the board between January 2007 and May 2017, with tenures on the company's audit committee, according to a proxy circular published last spring. Bruce says his firm continues to suffer collateral damage following a report by the Globe and Mail that the Prime Minister's Office allegedly put pressure on former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to steer federal prosecutors toward a settlement with the company and avoid criminal a trial on the charges tied to Libya. "This overhang continues to be there and competitors in the U.S. are pretty ruthless and they use it against us,'' he said last month. The company has filed for a judicial review of the prosecution's refusal to negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement that would resolve corruption and fraud charges. The embattled firm could face a legal battle on yet another front, as Quebec prosecutors work with the RCMP on the possibility of new fraud charges against the company linked to a nearly two-decade-old contract to refurbish Montreal's Jacques Cartier Bridge, recent court documents show. SNC-Lavalin's recent lawsuit states that Duhaime, who stepped down as CEO in March 2012, acted "in bad faith" when he signed a retirement agreement without disclosing his "criminal wrongdoing" in relation to the hospital project. The agreement saw the company cover Duhaime's $1.17 million in legal costs during his trial and dole out more than $1 million as part of a larger retirement package, all money that SNC-Lavalin wants back. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Had SNC-Lavalin known of such criminal wrongdoing, it would have terminated the defendant Duhaime for cause and would never have entered into the March 25 agreement," the plaintiffs state. The company is demanding Duhaime and other defendants whose lawsuit he's been tacked on to repay the $22.5 million in bribes and $17.5 million in punitive damages and compensation for reputational harm. "The embezzlement and the faults committed by defendants ... resulted in plaintiffs being linked in the public eye with individuals who have been accused or convicted of criminal offences, thereby tarnishing the excellent reputation enjoyed by the plaintiffs in Quebec and throughout the world and causing plaintiffs to incur significant costs and expenses in order to restore their good names," SNC-Lavalin and three subsidiaries say in the lawsuit. Elbaz, a defendant in the lawsuit, pleaded guilty in December to accepting a bribe and was sentenced to 39 months in prison. Former SNC-Lavalin executive Riadh Ben Aissa, another defendant, pleaded guilty to a charge of using forged documents last July and was sentenced to 51 months in prison. Companies in this story: (TSX:SNC) When the feeding grounds of blue whales overlap with busy shipping lanes, business interests often supersede those of the endangered marine mammals. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. When the feeding grounds of blue whales overlap with busy shipping lanes, business interests often supersede those of the endangered marine mammals. But in Sri Lanka, an unusual alliance has been forged: local conservationists and international shipping companies have aligned in a bid to move the heavily trafficked lane about 28 kilometres (17 miles) away to help avoid collisions between whales and freighters. The only holdout is the government of Sri Lanka, which has so far declined to sign off on the proposal, jeopardizing the future there of the biggest animal ever known to have lived on the planet, scientists say. Map showing ship traffic frequency and blue whale sightings.; The hundreds of blue whales in Sri Lankan waters marine biologists estimate there are 600 to 1,500 feed on tiny shrimp in the shipping lane, and are also believed to mate and give birth nearby. Shipping executives say they would gladly relocate the traffic corridor, recognizing their ships would be safer in waters not already clogged with fishing vessels, whale-watching boats and the whales themselves, which can grow to more than 33 metres (100 feet), more than twice the length of a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur. Bryan Wood-Thomas, vice-president of the World Shipping Council, said the group wrote to the Sri Lankan prime minister in 2017, affirming that all major international shipping organizations believed Sri Lanka should work with the United Nations to move its traffic lane. "This is one of the few cases in the world where we can physically separate ships from where the whales are," Wood-Thomas said. "Yes, it adds a little distance, fuel and money to shipping costs, but the extra cost is really minor." He said it was no small feat to get the majority of the world's shipping companies to agree to move the shipping lane in Sri Lanka. "There are other places in the world where doing this would incur significant fuel costs or add a lot of time to the journey that businesses will not be happy to absorb," he said. For a shipping lane to be moved, the country whose waters are most affected must submit a formal proposal to the International Maritime Organization, the U.N. agency that regulates shipping. Despite numerous meetings between scientists, the shipping industry and U.N. officials during the past six years, Sri Lankan officials have demurred from supporting the shipping lane shift. Rear Adm. Rohana Perera of Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority said the government is concerned about the economic impact of the proposed shipping lane move on its ports, fearing passing ships might not be as inclined to stop in Sri Lanka. He said a decision would "hopefully" be made in March. The recent political turmoil in Sri Lanka has also complicated matters; a new government was only formed in late December after the president sacked the prime minister, prompting a constitutional crisis. Perera acknowledged Sri Lanka had other priorities at the moment, but said they also recognized the importance of protecting blue whales. "Conservation problems are usually so complex, but this one is very clear-cut," said Asha de Vos, executive director of Oceanswell, a Sri Lankan marine non-profit. "This is a situation where Sri Lanka could really shine by taking the initiative." In many parts of the world, there is no easy solution to the convergence of ships and cetaceans. For example, scientists have long been worried about the sperm whales that live in the Straits of Gibraltar, but have few solutions. "It's an incredibly busy area for shipping, but unfortunately, there's not much scope for moving the shipping lane because the straits are so narrow," said Russell Leaper, the scientific lead for blue whales at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a conservation group. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, the blue whale population has slowly begun to rebound since being granted protection from commercial whaling in 1946. Due to their size, the whales' only known predators are orcas and humans. Conservationists estimate there are between 5,000 and 15,000 blue whales globally and although their numbers are believed to be increasing, they are still classified as "endangered." Scientists warn that blue whales in Sri Lanka are particularly vulnerable because they are the only population that doesn't migrate, making them especially susceptible to local threats such as ship strikes, Leaper said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "It's a very unusual population because they're very isolated and they are in Sri Lanka all year around," he said. "Removing that one threat of ship strikes would make a very large contribution to saving them." Although statistics on how many whales are killed by ships are patchy, some studies estimate dozens of blue whales are fatally struck by ships in Sri Lankan waters every year. Scientists say they believe that for every blue whale identified in a ship accident, up to 50 others go undetected, largely because once whales are struck and killed, they sink to the bottom of the ocean. Michael Fishbach, executive director of the Great Whale Conservancy, said that protecting blue whales is crucial not just for the species, but for the planet. He explained that whales help stimulate the production of plankton, which in turn produces more oxygen to offset the impact of climate change. "For the health of the oceans, we really need more whales," Fishbach said. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. UNDER orders from the Pallister government, Manitoba Hydro has cancelled a program that would have paid $4.2 million to six rural municipalities inconvenienced by a new transmission line cutting across their boundaries. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. UNDER orders from the Pallister government, Manitoba Hydro has cancelled a program that would have paid $4.2 million to six rural municipalities inconvenienced by a new transmission line cutting across their boundaries. The southeast Manitoba municipalities learned the program would be cancelled earlier this year. No formal agreements had been signed. Hydro spokesman Scott Powell said the program was developed for municipalities impacted by the proposed Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project. The $453-million project, now in the final licensing phase, would expand Hydros capacity to sell power to the United States. Powell said he wanted to make clear the program was not designed to buy municipalities silence. "They were free to oppose. This had nothing to do with their support for the line," he said. The money would have been doled out based on the population of each municipality and the number of kilometres of transmission line passing through them. It was similar to a program offered to municipalities affected by the Bipole III transmission line. Hydro started talking to municipalities about the initiative in March 2017, he said. However, in late November, Hydro was instructed by the Progressive Conservative government to cancel the program. "We have to be in line with provincial government policy, and weve brought our policy regarding these agreements in line with the provinces," Powell said Monday. He said the programs cancellation does not affect payments to landowners who will be directly affected by the transmission towers and lines. The Free Press asked to speak with Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer about the move, but received an emailed statement from her instead. Mayer said no formal agreements were in place with the municipalities, so no deals were broken. "Our government has a mandate to spend taxpayers dollars wisely. Under the previous NDP government such benefit agreements were handed out without any verification of real impacts, and thats no longer acceptable," Mayer said. "Benefits will still be available to communities and landowners, but from now on Manitoba Hydro will need to verify and document real impacts." The rural municipalities that would have received the cash were: Stuartburn, Piney, Springfield, Tache, La Broquerie and Ste. Anne. The municipalities the Free Press contacted Monday were not surprised by the provinces policy directive given the governments well-known desire to reduce costs and had not been counting on the cash, although they said it would have been put to good use. Anne Burns, chief administrative officer with La Broquerie, said her municipality was told the money would be available for "a community project." She said it was told it was eligible for $900,000. Hydro informed the RM by letter Feb. 4 no money would be coming, she said. Christine Hutlet, CAO of the RM of Tache, said the money was never guaranteed. She said Hydro never told the municipality how much it would receive. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. She said, unlike individual landowners, the municipality would not be adversely affected by the transmission line, other than suffering a possible decrease in property assessment. "I wasnt shocked (by the governments decision). And I dont believe council was shocked either," Hutlet said. "Its a little disappointing, but with all of the cutbacks that were seeing, provincial and otherwise, it wasnt a surprise." A year ago, the Pallister government ordered Hydro not to proceed with a $67.5-million agreement with the Manitoba Metis Federation. Part of that deal called for the MMF not to oppose the Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project. Meanwhile, Powell said Manitoba Hydro still plans to have the transmission line in service by June 2020. He said the project will boost Hydros export capacity to 3,185 megawatts from about 2,300 megawatts. The new line will also double the amount of power it can import from the United States to 1,400 megawatts in an emergency. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca WINNIPEG - A Manitoba Liberal MLA says she is seriously considering a jump to federal politics in time for this fall's election a move that could put the provincial party's status in the legislature at risk. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. WINNIPEG - A Manitoba Liberal MLA says she is seriously considering a jump to federal politics in time for this fall's election a move that could put the provincial party's status in the legislature at risk. Judy Klassen confirmed Monday that she has been in contact with the federal party about possibly running for the nomination in Churchill-Keewatinook Aski, which has been held for the last 11 years by New Democrat Niki Ashton. The area includes Klassen's provincial seat. Judy Klassen speaks during a media availability in Winnipeg on Tuesday, July 11, 2017. A Manitoba Liberal legislature member is seriously considering a jump to federal politics in time for this fall's election -- a move that could put the provincial party's status in the legislature at risk. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Lambert "I haven't made a decision yet. I don't know when," she wrote in a text message from Berens River, Man. The idea of running federally is "mostly due to pressure from my constituents because (Manitoba Premier Brian) Pallister doesn't and refuses to help." Klassen, first elected in 2016, is one of four Liberals in the Manitoba legislature. It's the minimum number for official party status, which brings funding, research staff and a guaranteed presence in question period and on committees. Klassen's possible departure comes as no surprise to Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont. "She's been talking or considering this for a number of months but nothing is confirmed as yet," Lamont said. He said he isn't concerned that an exit by Klassen could cost the Liberals official party status. Lamont expects Pallister to call an election this spring long before a byelection would be needed to fill Klassen's provincial seat. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I expect we're going to have a full complement of MLAs no matter when the next election is, but also because I think it is likely to be called this spring." The next vote is scheduled for October 2020 but Pallister has not ruled out calling one earlier. Prior to Klassen's election, her seat had been held by the New Democrats. Two social media accounts Twitter and Instagram went up on the weekend that were labelled Judy Klassen MP. Lamont said as far as he knows, they are not connected to her. Klassen would only say that she had not seen them, because she was up north with sporadic internet access. Lamont said he hasn't given Klassen a deadline to make up her mind. "No. There's all sorts of other things to work out," he said. "She's done a great job of representing her people and we'll support her in whatever decision she makes." Eight years after a 46-year-old Winnipeg man was gunned down during a New Years Eve party in a North End home, a long-time gang member was sentenced to life in prison for murder although he told police he wasnt the shooter. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Eight years after a 46-year-old Winnipeg man was gunned down during a New Years Eve party in a North End home, a long-time gang member was sentenced to life in prison for murder although he told police he wasnt the shooter. Clayton Campeau, 39, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Dec. 31, 2011 shooting of Michael Sinclair, who was hit by gunshots fired through the back window of a home on Selkirk Avenue. Sinclair had been answering the back door when shots were fired, but no one saw the shooter, Crown prosecutor Brent Davidson told Court of Queens Bench Justice Sadie Bond Monday. Bond accepted a joint recommendation from Davidson and defence lawyer Jeremy Kostiuk to impose the minimum 10 years of parole ineligibility along with the automatic life sentence. The judge described it as a "lenient sentence for this type of offence, but one thats appropriate in this case." Campeaus own statement to police implicated him in the murder, although he told investigators he was the shooters driver. When he talked to police in May 2013, hed already been arrested and charged with Sinclairs murder. In 2012, police zeroed in on Campeau thanks to a tip from a jailhouse informant -- an unreliable witness who wouldnt have held up in court, Davidson acknowledged Monday. Charges against Campeau were upgraded to first-degree murder after he talked to police, but Davidson said the evidence supports a second-degree murder conviction. The alleged shooter Campeau named in his statement to police will not be prosecuted for murder, Davidson said. "Its not often that the Crown stands before the court prosecuting a party to an offence where the principal offender, based upon the evidence, will not be prosecuted," he told Justice Bond in court on Monday. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "The reason for that is because Mr. Campeau does have serious credibility concerns himself and independent corroboration based upon the investigation that was completed by the Winnipeg Police Service has been unable to confirm certain important details of this matter respecting Mr. Campeaus involvement. Was Mr. Campeau the principal offender or was he involved as he says he is?" Davidson said. "He was clearly involved as an individual who intended grievous bodily harm and was reckless whether death ensued." Over the years, the case faced several delays and different defence lawyers took on the file on Campeaus behalf. He offered to plead guilty in 2016, but that plea bargain fell apart, Davidson said. Legal motions challenging unreasonable delay in the case and attempting to have Campeaus video statement ruled inadmissible were rejected by the judge, which eventually led to Campeaus guilty plea in January. He told the judge he joined the Indian Posse gang when he was 11 or 12 and grew up as part of it. Hes no longer involved in a gang and may have to be kept in segregation in prison to avoid rival gangs as well as his former Indian Posse members, court heard. He said his focus now is on being a good father. "I understand the life sentence. I understand when I go for parole they might not give it to me, and I understand its going to be on me till the day I die, but my kids, Ill work hard for them till the day I die," Campeau said. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay The Pallister government is anticipating a lower provincial deficit than originally forecast for the current fiscal year, thanks largely to underspending in health care. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Pallister government is anticipating a lower provincial deficit than originally forecast for the current fiscal year, thanks largely to underspending in health care. The Progressive Conservatives said Monday they are on pace to spend $240 million less on health than budgeted. They say, however, that overall spending on health is expected to rise by $50 million over the previous year on a budget of $6.5 billion. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister's Tory government accounced it will underspend its health budget by nearly a quarter of a billion dollars this year. Manitoba expects to close out its fiscal year March 31 with a deficit of $470 million, $51 million less than budgeted and a $225 million improvement over the previous year. "We're making steady progress on deficit reduction, and we're remaining on track to balance the budget in our second term (of office)," Finance Minister Scott Fielding said. He will present the province's budget for the coming year on Thursday. The former NDP government struggled in years past to keep health spending within budget. The news that Tory government would underspend its health budget by nearly a quarter of a billion dollars -- or roughly 3.5 per cent -- surprised some observers. BEER SALES GOING TO POT Finance Minister Scott Fielding said Monday the province is expecting beer sales to slump in the wake of cannabis legalization. click to read more Finance Minister Scott Fielding said Monday the province is expecting beer sales to slump in the wake of cannabis legalization. When asked about whether cannabis revenues would be included in the provincial budget to be released Thursday and possibly shared with municipalities Fielding reiterated that the province doesn't expect to see significant profits for two years and expects to take another financial hit in the meantime. "When cannabis is introduced to a marketplace, what actually happens is beer sales goes down," the minister said. "So we anticipate that our beer sales are going to go down by upwards of six million dollars. So above and beyond the fact that expenditures (are) going to cost us more for the first two years, its not going to be profitable. Were also going to lose revenue from beer sales, if you look at the evidence that came out of Colorado over the first two years." Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew scoffed at Fielding's suggestion. "If this government can't make money selling weed, then I think their reputation as good managers of money is grossly over-stated," he said. Jessica Botelho-Urbanski Close Normally, the government releases its third-quarter financial report, which contains its last forecast for the current year, on the day it delivers its new budget. However, Fielding not only released the report early, but called a news conference with Health Minister Cameron Friesen to discuss it. According to the report, half of the health underspending comes as a result of aligning the accounting systems formerly used by health authorities with that used by the government. The government also spent less this fiscal year because some capital projects, such as the new Grace Hospital emergency room, were completed early. And it's managed to find savings by improving procurement policies and other efficiencies. Friesen said his department is also projecting that physician remuneration to come in $17.1 million under budget due to slightly lower demand for their services than anticipated. Doctor fees and salaries account for $1.4 billion annually. The health minister said the government is spending less than budgeted while carrying out improvements to the system. Emergency room wait times are trending downward, he said, although the most recent monthly figures show them climbing. The government is adding new ambulances, hiring more paramedics, lowering ambulance fees, performing more hip and knee replacements and drastically reducing waits for personal care home placement, Friesen said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "We are doing what we said to Manitobans we would do. This is what good budgetary management looks like," said Friesen. NDP Leader Wab Kinew accused the government of saving money while "making the health care system in Manitoba worse than it's ever been." "This is a quarter-billion dollar cut from health care, and we're seeing the impact in emergency rooms, the wait times there are getting worse. We're seeing that (elective) cardiac surgeries are getting cancelled. And we can only expect that the situation is going to get worse when they close emergency rooms this year." (Concordia's ER is slated to close in June and Seven Oaks's in September.) Total government spending for 2018-2019 is projected to be $17.164 billion -- $259 million below budget. All government departments, except for the Families Department, are projecting to be within or below budget, according to the Finance Department report. Spending in Families is anticipated to be $16 million over budget. Meanwhile, Manitoba is forecasting a reduction in budgeted revenues of $93 million. That's because the government cancelled plans to institute its own carbon tax during the fiscal year. That was expected to generate $143 million in income. Stronger-than-expected income tax revenue and an increase in net income from government business enterprises, such as Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, partially offset the loss in the carbon tax revenue. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Cultured meat is an interesting concept that could hit stores soon. But this new science needs to make a case for consumers, not just for the industry. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Cultured meat is an interesting concept that could hit stores soon. But this new science needs to make a case for consumers, not just for the industry. According to a recent survey by Dalhousie University, fewer than 19 per cent of Canadians would willingly ditch their favourite steak for a lab-grown version. But even if Canadians still need to be convinced, the technology is moving fast and products could hit stores in five to seven years. Just six years ago, we saw a televised tasting session in which a $330,000 piece of lab-grown meat was eaten. The burger was slaughter-free and made from genuine animal cells. The cost of the same amount of cultured meat could be down to $3 to $5 by 2021. Regulators in the U.S. are expected to approve cultured meat within the next two years. Canada, as usual, should follow suit six months to a year later. Most of the developments in this area have been driven by American scientists, but the research is moving closer to home. A group at the University of Toronto will attempt to develop an affordable way to grow lab-made meat after having secured a grant from a U.S.-based non-profit organization, the Good Food Institute. Largely funded by vegan and animal-rights groups, the institute has awarded the U of T team US$250,000 over two years. Its not a large amount, but its enough to make things interesting. Venture capital for agri-food is rare in Canada, so we shouldnt be surprised to see funds coming from abroad to support public research. The U of T team is not aware of other academic research on lab-grown meat in Canada. However, its quite possible that private research is being conducted. Environmentalists and animal-rights activists support these scientific ambitions. According to recent studies, a scalable cultivated meat processor would use significantly less land, water, energy and food input. As well, since it doesnt involve killing animals, certain lobby groups support these projects vigorously. However, a United Kingdom-based study recently suggested that lab-grown meat can only be produced through energy-intensive practices, making the product less climate-friendly. A question mark remains about the taste of cultured meat. The physical attributes are also unknown. How the product responds on a barbecue is also a big issue. The aroma and appearance of meat are big for home chefs. And how will professionals react to such a product? In addition, communicating risk is still one big aspect the food industry and regulators havent resolved. Lab-grown meat and the issues surrounding it wont be immune to poor communication. The agri-food industry doesnt have a great reputation when it comes to introducing new products to the food system. Decades after the introduction of genetic engineering, for example, the debate rages on and divides consumers. The technology is largely misunderstood by urbanites even though genetically engineered ingredients have been in our food since 1994. And trans fats were part of our food for decades without consumers knowing how harmful they were. Mandatory labelling of trans fats only happened in 2007 and they were just banned last year. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. At least regulators got it right with the recent mandatory labelling policy for irradiated food. If cultured meat is to be sold in Canada, consumers deserve to know the facts. Giving consumers a clear choice allows them to fully appreciate what technological advances can do in food. This opportunity was missed when it came to genetic engineering and editing. Most of us never had an opportunity to appreciate how science can serve society. Science is telling us that lab-grown meat is sustainable and could provide an affordable source of protein to the masses. On that basis, its worth pursuing, and consumers should know how it can benefit them. If they can rely on absolute transparency, more than 19 per cent of Canadians likely would consider cultured meat. If science wants buy-in, it needs to make a case for consumers and not just for industry. Sylvain Charlebois is scientific director of the Canadian Agri-food Foresight Institute, a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, and a senior fellow with the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies. Troy Media The first time I saved my husbands life, his face was the colour of saturated denim. I found him curled on the floor, limbs constricted, shoulders twitching. He snorted desperately as his lungs gasped for oxygen. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion The first time I saved my husbands life, his face was the colour of saturated denim. I found him curled on the floor, limbs constricted, shoulders twitching. He snorted desperately as his lungs gasped for oxygen. I yelled his name, shook his arm, slapped his face. The sputtering sound came less often, and he was so, so blue. "Has your husband ingested or administered any opioids?" the paramedic asked. I shook my head no. It felt like a random question. I knew what drug users looked like dishevelled on street corners, rummaging through cabinets for pills. My husband was vice-president of a tech company. He was no addict. I told them he was on Klonopin for anxiety and Adderall for ADD, but other than that we were an ibuprofen family. I barely knew what an opioid was, and my husband wouldnt even take Sudafed for a cold. Despite my answer, the paramedics gave him naloxone, which counteracts opioid overdose. It revived him in a way that seemed impossible. Propped up in the stretcher wearing his usual T-shirt and gym shorts, he looked like he was ready to binge-watch Battlestar Galactica, not like someone headed to the hospital for an overdose. Driving close behind the ambulance, I couldnt stop looking at his pink cheeks through the back windows. An instant fix. As if the blue had never happened. My husband later explained that he bought the opioid drug he had taken online from a laboratory in China that sells synthetics. Since 2013, these "designer" synthetic opioids have caused more overdoses than heroin, oxycodone or hydrocodone. In a recent study, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported synthetic-opioid deaths increased almost 47 per cent, to 28,400 deaths, in 2017, and increased border control or drug raids arent the solution. The drugs come through the mail to anyone who can do a Google search. I didnt know any of this the night I watched him in the back of the ambulance. I didnt know that opioid users are the most likely drug abusers to relapse. All I knew that night was how relieved I was when the colour returned to his skin and that I would do anything to help him, because I couldnt stop picturing the blue. He tried to explain. "You know when someone has chronic back pain? A massage isnt going to fix the problem, but it makes it feel so much better for a short time. You know its going to hurt again, but relief feels so good. Thats what using is when Im depressed. For a few minutes, everything is OK." He told me how he had found message boards devoted to sharing tips for the perfect high. The drug that had nearly killed him was butyrfentanyl, which he boiled with a spoon and poured into a syringe before injecting. It is an analogue of fentanyl, the drug that killed Prince and Tom Petty. Fentanyl is 80 to 100 times more potent than heroin. In 2018, the CDC named it the deadliest drug in America. In the days following his overdose, I started unpacking the odd behaviours that hadnt made sense in recent months. His falling asleep mid-dinner, spoon in hand; the two car accidents in a month; his sudden disdain for our dogs that he normally adored. How, living alongside this man who was my best friend, had I missed his addiction? Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. My husband was never dishevelled on a street corner. He had enough musical instruments for a one-man-band, ran 5Ks, made this amazing pie-stuffed cake every year for my birthday. He had a masters in engineering. He invented a device that alerted his blind Boston terrier when she was about to walk into objects. He was the smartest person Ive ever known and an addict. He promised me he would never relapse, but refused to go to in-patient rehab for fear his co-workers would learn his secret. The near-death experience had scared him too, he said, and hed get it under control. He started therapy and antidepressants. I started monitoring him constantly, and assumed that would be enough. I didnt understand then how his brain constantly begged for the drug. I didnt know how much help we needed. When my husband told me I would never find him sputtering and unconscious again, he meant it, and I believed him. Two weeks later, he picked up a package from China at the post office. A few hours after his appointment with an addiction specialist, he injected the butyrfentanyl. He wasnt blue when I found him. His skin had a tinge of yellow, except for the patch of burgundy on his forearm where he had pushed the needle. He was cold, and he was 36 years old. Lauren Mauldin is a creative non-fiction MFA candidate at UC Riverside and an editor for the Plaid Horse magazine. Los Angeles Times They stole state secrets. Thats the crime China now alleges against the two hostages, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who disappeared into Chinese prisons in December, as soon as Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. They stole state secrets. Thats the crime China now alleges against the two hostages, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who disappeared into Chinese prisons in December, as soon as Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver. On Friday, the federal justice department announced that it will lay before a Vancouver judge the U.S. governments accusations against Ms. Meng, who is chief financial officer of smartphone maker Huawei. The U.S. contends she committed fraud against a bank in the U.S. by concealing her firms dealings in Iran in violation of U.S. government sanctions. China responded Monday by announcing through the Xinhua News Agency that the two Michaels had stolen state secrets. THE CANADIAN PRESS Michael Kovrig (left) and Michael Spavor, the two Canadians detained in China, are shown in these 2018 images taken from video. Its hard to talk about China without disclosing state secrets. Its a state secret that China kidnaps Hong Kong bookstore owners who sell books critical of China. Its a state secret that China has imprisoned around a million Uyghurs in locked re-education centres in Xinjiang province. Its a state secret that China executes Falun Gong practitioners and harvests their organs for transplant. The millions of people who discuss these cruel practices around the world are all disclosing Chinese state secrets. China is holding Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and uttering dark threats against them in the hope of bullying Canada into releasing Ms. Meng. But Canada is holding Ms. Meng at the request of the United States and will not release her or deliver her to the U.S. authorities until the matter has been studied in open court, where Ms. Meng and her lawyers will take part in the debate. In the meantime, she is free on bail and living comfortably in her Vancouver house. Ms. Meng on Friday filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government and its agents. She says border services officers held, searched and questioned her at Vancouver airport under false pretences before she was arrested by the RCMP. Her detention was unlawful and arbitrary, the suit says, and officers intentionally failed to advise her of the true reasons for her detention, her right to counsel and her right to silence. These claims should be examined and fairly arbitrated. They might even form part of an argument for her release. Mr. Kovrig, Mr. Spavor and others languishing in Chinas prisons, meanwhile, can only dream of a day when Chinas detainees will have rights and the opportunity to defend them before an independent judge. DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou The U.S. government holds the key to resolve this dispute. The U.S. asked for Ms. Mengs extradition, which is the source of the grief visited upon Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor. The U.S. is in the midst of a vast trade dispute with China in which complaints against Huawei are one element. The Trump administration is showing great patience, watching with folded arms while two Canadians suffer the ordeal of imprisonment and punitive interrogation in China. Canadas demands for U.S. action to end the ordeal of the two Michaels have been met with friendly verbal gestures from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and from Larry Kudlow, director of the U.S. National Economic Council. These gestures made no difference. Canada needs energetic action by the U.S. to make release of the Canadian hostages a top priority in the U.S.-China trade negotiation. China has to understand that its adversary in this matter is in Washington, not in Ottawa. The Great Wall of China might be the world's most famous fortification system, but it's certainly not the only one. For example, an impressive series of walls once encircled Benin City, the capital of the Kingdom of Benin in what is now southern Nigeria. Ruled by the Oba of Benin, the Kingdom of Benin existed from the 11th century until the 19th century, when it was conquered by the British Empire. Over hundreds of years, Benin's inhabitants surrounded their capital and criss-crossed their kingdom with a series of walls that, according to some estimates, measured around 10,000 miles (16,000 km) in length. The Benin Walls required so much material that Guinness World Records described their construction as the largest earthworks project ever attempted before the mechanical age. Sadly, although the walls took an estimated 150 million manpower hours to build, there is little trace of them today. A powerful West African kingdom, lost to history: KBR, Inc. engages in the provision of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program life-cycle within the government services and hydrocarbons industries. It operates through the following segments: Government Solutions, Technology Solutions, Energy Solutions, Non-strategic Business, and Other. The Government Solutions segment provides full life-cycle support solutions to defense, space, aviation, and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies. The Technology Solutions segment combines KBR's proprietary technologies, equipment, and catalyst supply and associated knowledge-based services into a global business for refining, petrochemicals, inorganic, and specialty chemicals as well as gasification, syngas, ammonia, nitric acid, and fertilizers. The Energy Solutions segment provides full life-cycle support solutions across the upstream, midstream and downstream hydrocarbons markets. The Non-strategic Business segment represents the operations or activities which the company intends to exit upon completion of existing contracts. The Other segment includes corporate expenses and general and administrative expenses not all Read More The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. is an insurance and financial services company. The company provides life insurance, group and employee benefits, automobile and homeowners insurance and business insurance, as well as investment products, annuities, mutual funds, and college savings plans. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Lines, Personal Lines, Property & Casualty Other Operations, Group Benefits and Hartford Funds. The Commercial Lines segment provides workers compensation, property, automobile, liability and umbrella coverage under several different products, primarily throughout the U.S., within its standard commercial lines, which consists of The Hartford's small commercial and middle market lines of business. The Personal Lines segment includes automobile, homeowners and home-based business coverage to individuals across the U.S. The Property & Casualty Other Operations segment includes certain property and casualty operations, currently managed by the company, that have discontinued writing new business and substantially all of the company's asbestos and environmental exposures. The Group Benefits segment offers group life, accident and disabi Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. 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The following companies are subsidiares of Sonoco Products: AMGH, APEI UK Limited, APEI Unlimited IOM, Associated Packaging Technologies Inc., Beteiligungen Sonoco Deutschland Vermogensverwaltungsgesellschaft mbh, CP Acquisition LLC, Can Packaging, Can Packaging SAS, Cap Liners Limited, Capseals Limited, Capseals Liners Limited, Cascades Sonoco Inc. (fka Cascades Conversion Inc), Clear Lam Flexible Films (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Clear Lam Packaging Inc., Clear Pack Co., Clear Pack Company, Colombiana P.M. LLC, Conitex Sonoco (BVI) Ltd., Conitex Sonoco (Mexico) S. de R.L. de C.V., Conitex Sonoco Hellas S.A., Conitex Sonoco Holding B.V., Conitex Sonoco Inc., Conitex Sonoco India Pvt. Ltd., Conitex Sonoco N.V., Conitex Sonoco Shanghai Ltd., Conitex Sonoco Suzhou Co. Ltd., Conitex Sonoco Taiwan Ltd., Conitex Sonoco USA Inc., Convex Mold Inc., Corenso Holdings America Inc., Corenso North America, Corenso Richmond LLC, Corepak Limited, CorrFlex Graphics LLC, Demolli Industria Cartaria S.p.A., Engraph Inc., Engraph Puerto Rico Inc., Fair Lawn Packaging Services LLC, Friarsgate Studio Limited, Graffo Paranaense De Embalagens S.A., Graffo Paranaense de Embalagens S/A, Grove Mill Paper Company Limited, Gunther of America Inc., Hartsville Corrugating LLC, Hayes Manufacturing Group, Heathfield Reels Limited, Highland Packaging Solutions, Highland Packaging Solutions LLC, Industrial Machine Co. Inc., Inversiones Sonoco Limitada, Italtubetti SpA, Laminar Medica, Laminar Medica (CE) s.r.o., Laminar Medica Limited, Manufacturas Sonoco S.A. de C.V., Matrix Packaging Inc., Nathaniel Lloyd & Company Limited, OOO Sonoco Alcore (fka ZAO Sonoco Alcore), Ontario Inc., PT Conitex Sonoco, PT Papcor Asia Pacific, PT Papertech Indonesia, PT Sonoco Indonesia, Packaging Holdings Inc., Papcor (Dezhou) Packaging Material Co. Ltd., Papertech Dezhou Co. Ltd., Papertech SL, PenPack LLC, Peninsula Packaging Company, Peninsula Packaging LLC, Penpack S. de R.L. de C.V., Phoenix Packaging Corp., Plastique Holdings LTD, SAS Du Lagon, SCI Lagon Quest, SMB GmbH, SPC Capital Management Inc., SPC Liquidation LLC, SPC Management LLC, SPC Resources Inc., SR Holdings of the Carolinas LLC, Sebro Plastics Inc., Sonoco (Shanghai) Co., Sonoco (Taicang) Packaging Co., Sonoco (Weifang) Packaging Company Ltd., Sonoco Absorbent Technologies LLC, Sonoco Absorbent Technologies Limited, Sonoco Alcore - Demolli S.r.l., Sonoco Alcore AB, Sonoco Alcore GmbH, Sonoco Alcore N.V., Sonoco Alcore Nederland B.V., Sonoco Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Sonoco Asia Holding S.a.r.l., Sonoco Asia L.L.C., Sonoco Asia Management Company L.L.C., Sonoco Australia Pty Ltd, Sonoco Board Mills Limited, Sonoco Bonmati S.A.U., Sonoco Canada Corporation, Sonoco Capseals Liners Limited, Sonoco Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Sonoco Consumer Products Dordrecht B.V. (fka Dorpak B.V.), Sonoco Consumer Products Europe GmbH (fka Weidenhammer Packaging Group GmbH), Sonoco Consumer Products Hellas S.A. (fka Weidenhammer Hellas S.A.), Sonoco Consumer Products Limited, Sonoco Consumer Products Mechelen BVBA (fka Weidenhammer Belgium BVBA), Sonoco Consumer Products Montanay SAS (fka Neuvibox SAS), Sonoco Consumer Products Poland Sp. Z.O.O., Sonoco Consumer Products SAS, Sonoco Consumer Products South Africa (PTY) Ltd., Sonoco Consumer Products Zwenkau GmbH (fka fka Weidenhammer Plastice Packaging GmbH), Sonoco Cores and Paper Limited, Sonoco D & P LLC, Sonoco D and P York LLC, Sonoco Deutschland GmbH, Sonoco Deutschland Holdings GmbH, Sonoco Development Inc., Sonoco Display and Packaging LLC, Sonoco Elk Grove Inc., Sonoco Embalagens Ltda. (fka Sonoco Embalagens S.A.), Sonoco Europe Limited, Sonoco Flexible Packaging Canada Corporation, Sonoco Flexible Packaging Co. Inc., Sonoco Graphics India Private Limited, Sonoco Hickory Inc., Sonoco Holdings Inc., Sonoco Holdings UK Limited, Sonoco Hutchinson LLC, Sonoco IPD France SAS, Sonoco Iberia S.L.U., Sonoco International Holdings GmbH, Sonoco JV GmbH & Co. KG, Sonoco Kaiping Packaging Co. Ltd., Sonoco Limited, Sonoco Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Sonoco Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sonoco Milnrow, Sonoco Netherlands Holding II BV, Sonoco Netherlands Holding III BV, Sonoco New Zealand Limited, Sonoco Operadora S. de R.L. de C.V., Sonoco Packaging Limited, Sonoco Packaging Tapes Limited, Sonoco Paper Mill & IPD Hellas SA, Sonoco Paperboard Group LLC, Sonoco Partitions Inc., Sonoco Phoenix LLC, Sonoco Pina S.A.U., Sonoco Plastics B.V., Sonoco Plastics Canada ULC, Sonoco Plastics Germany GmbH, Sonoco Plastics Inc., Sonoco Poland Holdings B.V., Sonoco Polysack A/S Inc., Sonoco Polysack Limited, Sonoco Products Company UK, Sonoco Products Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Sonoco Protective Solutions Inc., Sonoco Recycling - International Trade Group LLC (fka Reparco USA Inc.), Sonoco Recycling LLC, Sonoco Reels Limited, Sonoco Retail Packaging S. de R.L. de C.V., Sonoco S.A. de C.V., Sonoco SAS, Sonoco Saudi Limited Company, Sonoco Services LLC, Sonoco Singapore Pte. Ltd., Sonoco TEQ Holdings Ltd, Sonoco TEQ LLC, Sonoco TEQ Ltd, Sonoco TEQ Sp. Z.o.o, Sonoco Taiwan Ltd, Sonoco Thailand Ltd, Sonoco UK Leasing Limited, Sonoco Venezolana C.A., Sonoco Venture International Holdings GmbH, Sonoco Ventures UK Limited, Sonoco Wisconsin Rapids Core Plant LLC, Sonoco Wisconsin Rapids Inc., Sonoco Wisconsin Rapids Paper Mill LLC, Sonoco Yatai Pinghu Packaging Co Ltd, Sonoco de Colombia Ltda, Sonoco do Brasil Participacoes Ltda, Sonoco do Brazil Ltda, Sonoco of Puerto Rico Inc., Sonoco-Alcore AS, Sonoco-Alcore Ou, Sonoco-Alcore Oy, Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l., Sonoco-Alcore Sp. Z.O.O., Sonoco-Engraph Puerto Rico Inc., TPT Board Mills Limited, TPT Limited, Tegrant Alloyd Brands Inc., Tegrant Corporation, Tegrant International Inc., Tegrant Property Holdings LLC, Tegrant de Mexico S.A. de C.V., ThermoSafe Brands Asia PTE LTD., ThermoSafe Brands Europe Ltd., Thermoform Engineered Quality LLC, Trident Graphics Canada Corporation, Trident Graphics NA LLC, U.S. Paper Mills Corp., Unit Reels & Drums Limited, Weidenhammer Chile Ltda., Weidenhammer Packaging Group, Weidenhammer UK Ltd., and Wisenberg U.S. Inc.. Telecom Italia S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Europe, South America, and the Mediterranean Basin. The company operates through Domestic, Brazil, and Other Operations segments. It offers fixed and mobile voice and Internet, and public telephony services, as well as products managed and developed for individuals and families; and voice, data, and Internet services and products, and information and communications technology solutions for small and medium-size enterprises, small offices/home offices, the public sector, large accounts, and enterprises in the fixed and mobile telecommunications markets. The company also manages and develops a portfolio of regulated and unregulated wholesale services for fixed and mobile telecommunications operators; provision of infrastructure for housing radio transmission equipment of mobile telephone networks; and development, engineering, building, and operation of network infrastructures, information technology (IT), real estate properties, and plant engineering. In addition, it engages in customer care, operating credit support, loyalty, and retention activities; and staff functions and other support activities. Further, the company offers office products and services for IT sector. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy. Read More Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 433,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 98,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,233 megawatts (MW), including 59 MW of solar capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,048,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 572,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 67,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 270,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 31,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 15,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 91,000 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 49,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada. Read More Greene King plc operates as a pub retailer and brewer in the United Kingdom. The company operates through three segments: Pub Company, Pub Partners, and Brewing & Brands. Its brands include Greene King Local Pubs, Hungry Horse, Flaming Grill, Farmhouse Inns, and Chef & Brewer. The company is also involved in brewing, marketing, and selling beer under the Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, and Belhaven Best brands. In addition, Greene King plc engages in the employment, financing, pension trustee, and property businesses. As of April 30, 2018, it operated 2,855 managed, tenanted, leased, and franchised pubs, restaurants, and hotels. Greene King plc was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St Edmunds, the United Kingdom. Read More Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE:MNK) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August, 4th. The company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters' consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.55. The company earned $700.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $630.19 million. Mallinckrodt had a negative net margin of 89.94% and a positive trailing twelve-month return on equity of 34.26%. Mallinckrodt's revenue for the quarter was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.53 earnings per share. View Mallinckrodt's earnings history. Premier African Minerals Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, evaluation, development, and investment of natural resource properties on the African continent. The company explores for tungsten, lithium, tantalum, fluorspar, xenotime, zinc, nickel, uranium, gold, specialty minerals, limestone, potash and limestone, and rare earth metals. It holds interests in various properties located in Zimbabwe, Togo, Benin, and Mozambique. The company was formerly known as G&B African Resources Limited and changed its name to Premier African Minerals Limited in April 2012. Premier African Minerals Limited was founded in 2007 and is based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of TE Connectivity: 999 Arques Corp., ABB ENTRELEC terminal block business, ACC Telecommunications, ADC Chile Limitada, ADC Communications (SEA) Pte. Ltd., ADC Communications (UK) Holding Ltd., ADC Communications (UK) Ltd., ADC Communications Hong Kong Limited, ADC Telecommunications Equipment (Shanghai) Co., AMP Amermex, AMP Products Pacific Limited, AMP Taiwan B.V., AMP Trading B.V., AMP de Venezuela, Acalon Holdings Limited, Advanced Fiber Products LLC, Advanced Fiber Products Limited, Advanced Tube Technologies, AdvancedCath, AdvancedCath Technologies, Alpha Technics, American Sensor Technologies, Betatherm (R&D) Limited, Brantner Holding Company, Brantner and Associates, Butterfly Management SAS, C.S. Tyco Decisive Inc., C.S. Tyco Dependable Inc., C.S. Tyco Durable Inc., C.S. Tyco Reliance Inc., C.S. Tyco Resolute Inc., C.S. Tyco Responder Inc., CII Guardian International Limited, Cablotec GmbH, Carrier Kheops Bac SAS, Catheter and Disposable Technology, Celis Eletrocomponentes Ltda., Cima de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Clarebury Pty. Ltd., Codenoll Technology Corporation, Communication Expert International Investments Limited, Compagnie Deutsch Distribution SAS, Compagnie Deutsch SAS, Comtec Systeme GmbH, Connecteurs Electriques Deutsch SAS, Corcom, Corcom West Indies Limited, Cotsworks LLC, Creganna, Creganna Captial Holding Ireland Unlimited Company, Creganna Finance (US) LLC, Creganna Finance Ireland Limited, Creganna Luxembourg SARL, Creganna Medical Devices, Creganna Medical Pte. Limited, Creganna Medical Technology Unlimited, Creganna Medical s.r.l., Creganna Regulatory, Creganna Solutions Limited, Creganna Solutions Unlimited Company, Creganna Tactx Singapore Limited, Creganna Unlimited Company, Cregstar Bidco Limited, Critchley Group Limited, Crompton Instruments (South-East Asia) Pte. Ltd., Deutsch, Deutsch Connectors Hong Kong Limited, Deutsch Connectors Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co., Deutsch Connectors Trading (Shanghai) Co., Deutsch Finance SAS, Deutsch GB Limited, Deutsch Group SAS, Deutsch India Power Connectors (Pvt) Ltd, Deutsch Israel Ltd., Deutsch SAS, Deutsch Servicios S. de R.L. De C.V., Deutsch Subco Limited, Deutsch UK, F.A.I. Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, First Sensor, Grangehurst Enterprises Pty. Ltd., Hirschmann Car Communication, Hong Kong Sensors Technologies Limited, Howard A. Schaevitz Technologies, Intercontec Connector System (Shanghai) Co., Intercontec Produkt GmbH, Intercontect Pfeiffer Industrie-Steckverbindungen GmbH, Jaquet North America, Jaquet Technology Group AG, Kemex Holding Company, Kenabell Holding Limited, LADD Distribution LLC, LADD Distribution Limited, LSA, MEAS Asia Limited, MEAS Europe SAS, MEAS France SAS, MEAS Ireland (Betatherm) Limited, MEAS Norway AS, MEAS Shenzhen Limited, MEAS Switzerland S.a r.l., MEAS US Holding, MP&E, Measurement Specialties, Measurement Specialties (Chengdu) Ltd., Measurement Specialties (China) Ltd., Measurement Specialties (China) Ltd. Production Branch, Measurement Specialties Foreign Holdings LLC, Measurement Technology (Chengdu) Ltd., Medical Engineering & Design, MicroGroup, Morlynn Ceramics Pty. Ltd., Nikkiso-Therm Co., PT KRONE Indonesia, PT. Tyco Electronics Indonesia, Pfeiffer GmbH & Co KG, Pfeiffer Verwaltungs GmbH, Polamco, Polamco Limited, Potter & Brumfield de Mexico, Precision Interconnect LLC, Precision Subsea AS, Precision Wire Components, Precision Wire Holding Company, Produxx, RAYCHEM-RPG Private Limited, Raychem (HK) Limited, Raychem (Shanghai) Trading Ltd, Raychem China Limited, Raychem Dominicana S.A., Raychem Industries BVBA, Raychem International LLC, Raychem International Manufacturing LLC, Raychem Juarez, Raychem Limited, Raychem Ltd., Raychem Pacific Corporation, Raychem Saudi Arabia Limited, Raychem Shanghai Cable Accessories Ltd, Raychem Technologies Limited, Rochester Wire and Cable LLC, SEACON Advanced Products LLC, Seacon (Europe) Limited, Seacon Global Production, Seacon Produtos e Servicos Opticos e Eletricos Ltda., Sensitive Object, Servo Interconnect Limited, Shanghai CII Electronics Co., Shenzhen Century Man Communication Equipment Co., Sibas Electronics (Xiamen) Co., TCN Holding (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., TE Connectivity (Barbados) SRL, TE Connectivity (Denmark) ApS, TE Connectivity (HKZ) Holding Limited, TE Connectivity (Kunshan) Company Limited, TE Connectivity (Netherlands) Holding S.a r.l. - Irish Branch, TE Connectivity (Schweiz) Management AG, TE Connectivity (Suzhou) Co., TE Connectivity Argentina S.R.L., TE Connectivity Australia Pty Ltd, TE Connectivity Colombia S.A.S., TE Connectivity Connectors (Suzhou) Co., TE Connectivity Distribution (Thailand) Limited, TE Connectivity EMEA Holding GmbH, TE Connectivity Germany GmbH, TE Connectivity HK Limited, TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l., TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l. Luxembourg (LU) Schaffhausen E-Finance branch, TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l. Luxembourg (LU) Schaffhausen branch, TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l. (Ireland Branch), TE Connectivity Holding International S.A., TE Connectivity Inc., TE Connectivity India Private Limited, TE Connectivity Investments Holding S.A., TE Connectivity Investments Holding S.A. Luxembourg (LU) Schaffhausen branch, TE Connectivity Ireland Limited, TE Connectivity LATAM Holding S.a r.l., TE Connectivity LATAM I S.a r.l., TE Connectivity LATAM II S.a r.l., TE Connectivity Limited, TE Connectivity MOG Europe S.a r.l., TE Connectivity MOG Holding S.a r.l., TE Connectivity MOG Inc., TE Connectivity MOG Sales GmbH, TE Connectivity Manufacturing (Thailand) Company Limited, TE Connectivity Manufacturing Sdn. 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(French Branch), Tyco Electronics Group S.A. (Ireland Branch), Tyco Electronics H.K. Limited, Tyco Electronics Hellas MEPE, Tyco Electronics Holding Corp., Tyco Electronics Holding France, Tyco Electronics Holding S.a r.l., Tyco Electronics Holdings (Bermuda) No. 7 Limited, Tyco Electronics Holdings (Bermuda) No. 7 Limited Taiwan Branch, Tyco Electronics Hong Kong Holdings No. 1 Limited, Tyco Electronics Hong Kong Holdings No. 2 Limited, Tyco Electronics Hong Kong Holdings No. 3 Limited, Tyco Electronics Hungary Termelo Kft, Tyco Electronics Idento, Tyco Electronics India (Gibraltar) Limited, Tyco Electronics Industrial Y Comercial Chile Limitada, Tyco Electronics Integrated Cable Systems LLC, Tyco Electronics Ireland Limited, Tyco Electronics Israel Ltd., Tyco Electronics Italia Holding S.r.l., Tyco Electronics Japan G.K., Tyco Electronics Lambda, Tyco Electronics Latin America Holding LLC, Tyco Electronics Manufacturing Singapore Pte Ltd, Tyco Electronics Mexico, Tyco Electronics Middle East FZE, Tyco Electronics Motors Ltd, Tyco Electronics NZ Limited, Tyco Electronics Netherlands (Germany Holding) S.a r.l., Tyco Electronics Netherlands (Gibraltar China) Cooperatief U.A., Tyco Electronics Netherlands (Gibraltar India) Cooperatief U.A., Tyco Electronics Netherlands (India) Cooperatief U.A., Tyco Electronics Netherlands Holding B.V., Tyco Electronics Norge AS, Tyco Electronics Philippines, Tyco Electronics Precision Engineering Ltd., Tyco Electronics Printed Circuit Group LP, Tyco Electronics RIMC Holding LLC, Tyco Electronics RUS OOO, Tyco Electronics Raychem GmbH, Tyco Electronics Raychem Korea Limited, Tyco Electronics SIMEL SAS, Tyco Electronics Saudi Arabia Limited, Tyco Electronics Services GmbH, Tyco Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd, Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications LLC, Tyco Electronics Svenska AB, Tyco Electronics Svenska Holdings AB, Tyco Electronics Technology (SIP) Co., Tyco Electronics Technology (SIP) Ltd., Tyco Electronics Tecnologias S. de R.L. de C.V., Tyco Electronics UK Holdings Ltd, Tyco Electronics UK Ltd., Tyco Electronics UK Ltd. (Kenya Branch), Tyco Electronics Ukraine Limited, Tyco Electronics Uruguay S.A., Tyco Electronics Verwaltungs GmbH, Tyco Electronics Wireless Systems B.V., Tyco Electronics de Venezuela, Tyco Elektronik AMP Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Tyco Global Networks Ltd., Tyco Iberia, Tyco International Services GmbH, Tyco Networks (Argentina) S.R.L., Tyco Networks (Italy) Srl, Tyco Networks (Netherlands) B.V., Tyco Networks Iberica, Tyco Submarine Systems, Tyco Submarine Systems C.A., Tyco Submarine Systems de Argentina S.A., Tyco Telecommunications Ltd., Wema Americas LLC, Wema Automotive System Private Limited, Wema Environmental Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Wema Environmental Technologies (Shenzhen) Co., Wema Environmental Technologies Ltd., Wema System AG, Wema System AS, Wema System Hong Kong Limited, Wema System Production and Distribution HK Limited, Xiamen Delixing Electric Equipment Businesss, and motec Montage GmbH. NEW HARTFORD N.Y. - New Hartford police say they are investigating a hit-and-run case at the Hannaford's parking lot in Washington Mills that happened back on February 15. Police are not releasing any details on the incident other than to say they are investigating it, and that it is and ongoing investigation. The alleged victim in the case, Nicholas Beecher of Chadwicks, told NewsChannel 2 on Monday that he was robbed and then dragged across the parking lot by two men in a vehicle that night. He says he then spent 12 days in the hospital recovering from numerous injuries. He says he suffered a severely injured foot, as well as major head injuries, including fractures and a hematoma. Beecher says he set up a meeting with whom he thought was a female to purchase a PlayStation video gaming system, including two PlayStation games, for a total of $140. He says he found the ad on the LetGo app which is an app designed for people to buy and sell things. He wanted to make the purchase in a public spot so they agreed on the parking lot at Hannaford's. Beecher says he arrived at the specified time of 7 p.m., and then was messaging the seller through the LetGo app. He says the seller finally showed up at 7:45 p.m. but there were two males that showed up in the what he describes as an older model Honda. Beecher says he then went over to the vehicle and looked at the PlayStation and noticed it was cracked. He said he told the two men in the car that would prefer if they could come to his home so that he could plug it in and make sure it works. Beecher says they wouldn't do that, so he decided to buy it anyway and hoped it would work, but he says once he pulled out the $140 from his pocket, that is when things suddenly turned violent, "So the guy looks and he sees the money in my hand, he grabs my hand, snatches the money right out of it. He grabs my belt where my wallet is in my front pocket where he seen me put money in. The second he grabbed me all I heard was the tires burn out and I was gone, I was out. I don't know what I hit at first but they dragged me across the parking lot. I got my foot ran over. I flipped upside down, somehow I have a bunch of fractures in my head, I have a hematoma on the right side, blood clots, broken collar bone." Beecher says he is hoping by getting his story out to people through NewsChannel 2 that it will help bring in some leads on the case. New Hartford Police Lt. Ronald Fontaine says he will not comment on whether there is any surveillance video of the incident from either the Hannaford Plaza or any of the businesses across the road on Kellogg Road. He says revealing that information, whether there is or isn't video, would jeopardize their investigation. Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol says it's important for people to remember some key tips when setting up a meeting to buy something from someone, "Make sure it's in a place open to the public, a lot of people around, daylight hours, and don't go alone. No matter what the circumstances are, you should always have someone with you. It's important to have a buddy system because again you're meeting up and exchanging money for something you're buying with a total stranger. All of us want to believe that everyone is good in this world but as we all know that's not the case with everyone." Beecher set up the meeting for 7 at night when it was dark, and he went alone, and he now says he is counting his blessings that he's still alive, "I'm feeling blessed, just being alive and stuff and I can think for myself, and I'm glad it didn't get worse than it is." New Hartford police are asking anyone with information on this case to give them a call at 315-724-7111. NEW YORK MILLS -- Sheriffs deputies made extra patrols at New York Mills Union Free School Monday, following a snapchat threat investigation over the weekend. The Oneida County sheriff and New York Mills School staff are investigating a threat made by a student to another student on snapchat. The sheriff says two 13-year-old students at New York Mills School had a disagreement, when one student sent the other a threat on snapchat. They received a snapchat from someone, and the snapchat was concerning to them, Sheriff Rob Maciol said. So, they in turn went to a trusted adult and told them and showed them their message. That person took it to the next level. They notified school administration. After conducting interviews with the parties involved, Maciol says the threat was found to be not credible. The message that the person received, at the end of our investigation, revealed that the person couldnt carry out potentially what they were saying, or showing, or doing, Maciol said Maciol says he sent a deputy to the school so that people can feel at ease. The school notified parents of the threat with a message posted on their website. It reads: The safety of all students and faculty members is a priority of this district and this matter is being taken seriously. Both the New York Mills school district and the Oneida County sheriffs office are continuing to investigate this incident. If you see something say something, Maciol said. If something doesnt appear to be okay to you, may appear threatening, may appear inappropriate, you need to report that. UTICA, N.Y. -- Congressman Anthony Brindisi is celebrating National Consumer Protection Week by throwing the weight of his office behind a new push to squash annoying and scam robocalls that are more elusive, because they originate overseas. Most people get the unsolicited, automated, calls, not just on landlines, but cell phones now. They look like local numbers, so most will answer. Efforts to crack down on those nuisance, spam and scam calls fell short, once they started originating overseas. But a new FCC rule in the works would strengthen those muscles. "They're updating the law through this rule because they really don't have the ability to go after these callers who are overseas right now, so this extends the FCC's authority to go after spammers that are overseas, said Brindisi. The congressman sent a letter to the FCC chairman, urging them to fast-track, not slow-walk, the new rules. And Brindisi has co-sponsored legislation that would provide better coordination among the various federal agencies charged with going after spam calls. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue President Mitch Daniels lobbied at the Indiana Statehouse to get state funding for three projects. The first is to get half the funding for a new veterinary hospital, a $108 million dollar project that President Daniels said they already have $35 million fundraised. The university is asking for $73 million from the state. "28 vet schools in the country and we have the distinction of the oldest with the oldest and most decrepit vet hospital," he said. Purdue's veterinary sciences program dates back to the 1870's. Thousands of vets and those in animal care have come from this program. President Daniels wants to see Purdue's veterinary science program categorized as a public health entity. Similar to the IU School of Medicine and Dentistry, this distinction would separate the school so it could receive its own money from the state. "Indiana should have come to this conclussion, or at least Purdue, some time ago," he said. "More than ever before, veterinary medicine is part of public health in this state. Diseases are spread through animals, as well as the need for animals to test new drugs on to see if they are healthy for humans." However, he has been told for sometime now that The Purdue Veterinary Teaching Hospital, which was built in 1959, is no longer up to regulations. "The accreditors have told us on the last couple visits if you don't fix it we can't leave you in this business," he said. "We now have regulations that you are out of compliance with, so I think we have put it off as long as we can." President Daniels said he does not want to take away this education option from future Purdue students. "I guess Hoosiers who want to become veterinarians could go somewhere else and bring the degree back but that would be a big mistake," he said. The vet hospital is not the only building he is fighting for on campus. He said they have squeezed every last drop of usage out of some of Purdue's oldest buildings, like the Brown Chemistry Lab. He asked for $60 million dollars for a new 145,000 square foot STEM teaching labs facility. So far, they have $64 million fundraised. "If we weren't inundated with record applications from tremendous students, maybe we wouldn't have these needs," he said. "But to realize our potential we do have to have new facilities." He is also asking for $2 million for the next three years to grow 15 programs at the Purdue Fort Wayne campus. Programs employers want to see, such as advanced manufacturing, IT data sciences, and financial services/risk management. President Daniels said that two years ago, they could have asked for this funding, but he wanted to wait to learn more about what was needed in the area. "I've been on the other side of this and I know that they have to think about the giving money to all the state institutions," he said. "But I hope they see that we waited until we knew what we needed and we did our part by fundraising for our other needs. You have to be good citizens about this." The state budget will next go to the Senate floor where it will be voted on. It already passed the House of Representatives. Yathotou, who is on a working visit to Vietnam, made the praise at a meeting with her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in Hanoi on March 5. She told the host that her working visit to Vietnam this time is a chance for both sides to review the implementation of the two legislatures memorandum of understanding on cooperation over the past two years. The visit is the follow-up of the meeting between the two Political Bureaus, and the 41st session of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee co-chaired by the two Prime Ministers at the beginning of 2019. Through high-level meetings and visits, collaboration between localities and joint conferences, Laos has received support and learnt from experience of Vietnams National Assembly and localities, thus helping improve the quality of its operations as well as inspection over the implementation of socio-economic development plans and law enforcement of the legislative body and Peoples Councils of Laos, she stated. The Lao top legislator thanked the Vietnamese Party, State and people for the gift of a new office building for the Lao National Assembly, adding that the project is being constructed on schedule. Congratulating Laos on its great achievements in all aspects, Ngan voiced her belief that under the sound leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the direction of the Government, and the supervision of the National Assembly, Lao people will reap more fruits and successfully fulfil targets set in the 10th National Party Congresss resolution and the 2016-2020 socio-economic development plan. Regarding the partnership between the two NAs, the Vietnamese top legislator agreed with her Lao counterparts proposal that the two sides continue maintaining visits by high-ranking leaders and professional agencies of both sides, while increasing the sharing of information as well as collaboration in dealing with arising problems. The two sides agreed that the two legislative bodies will strengthen the supervision over the implementation of signed agreements between the two governments, ministries, sectors and localities, including agreements inked during the recent visit to Laos by Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, while completing the legal corridor to facilitate the realization of bilateral deals. NA Chairwoman Ngan thanked the Lao NA for supporting Vietnam in hosting a number of regional and international forums and meetings in 2020, asking for Laoss coordination with Vietnam when the country take up the role of ASEAN Chair and AIPA President in 2020. She expressed her delight at the fruitful results of the joint supervision activities of the two NAs, suggesting that the two sides work closely in facilitating the partnership among border localities of Vietnam and Laos, ensuring border security and managing migrants in border areas. The Vietnamese NA Chairwoman underlined that the construction of the new office building for the Lao NA is an important project for both Parties, States and peoples, pledging that the Vietnamese NA will continue coordinating with the Lao side to ensure its quality and progress. At the working session, Ngan and Pany Yathotou discussed the joint supervision over the implementation of the agreement on the settlement of free migration and undocumented marriage in border areas of Vietnam and Laos in 2019. Lauding the results of a conference held by the Lao NA delegation and Hanoi authorities on March 5 to share experience in operations of local government, NA Chairwoman Ngan proposed that in the coming time, the two sides will continue exchanging experience in the operation of Peoples Councils. Ngan also suggested establishing a joint working group to monitor activities of border gates between the two countries to remove obstacles for trade between Vietnam and Laos. This is the fourth in a series of articles on the recent Berlin International Film Festival, the Berlinale, held from February 7 to 17, 2019. The first part was posted on February 15, the second on February 22 and the third on February 28. Interest in the famed left-wing German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is undergoing something of a revival. Recent signs of that renewed interest include the 2014 publication of the important biography of Brecht by Stephen Parker and the 2018 movie Mack the KnifeBrecht's Threepenny Film, directed by Joachim A. Lang. And now, this years Berlinale featured a new film biography of Brecht by one of Germanys leading directors, Heinrich Breloer (Die MannsEin Jahrhundertroman [The MannsNovel of a Century], 2001; Speer und Er [literally, Speer and He, released as Speer and Hitler: The Devil's Architect], 2005; and Buddenbrooks [based on the Thomas Mann novel, released as Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family], 2008). Breloer makes films on historical subjects in the manner of so-called documentary dramas. He combines documentary material with dramatic scenes and superimposed comments in a dynamic fashion. In so doing, Breloer has been able to win large television audiences for films dealing with key figures and epochs of German history. He has adopted the same approach for his new work about Brecht. Brecht As Breloer (born 1942) explains in the introduction to the book published to accompany his film, his fascination with Brecht began when he was a student. Already in the summer of 1963, just seven years after Brechts death, the young Breloer worked together with an individual who was to become one of Germanys most outstanding theatre directors, Claus Peymann, on a production of Brechts Antigone, an adaptation of German poet Friedrich Holderlins translation (1804) of Sophocles tragedy. Some years later, in the summer of 1977, with a copy of the material assembled about Brecht by Werner Frisch and K.W. Obermeier (published in 1975) in his rucksack, Breloer travelled to Brechts birthplace, the city of Augsburg in southern Germany, to track down and conduct interviews with those who had known Brecht personally, including the first love of his life. Then again in 2010, Breloer undertook what he describes as another journey toward Brecht and began a second round of interviews with those who had worked with Brecht after his return in 1949 to East Germany (GDR) following his flight from Hitlers Germany and 16 years in exile. These interviews with some of Brechts closest friends and collaborators determine the modus of the new film, with interview clips juxtaposed with key episodes in Brechts life. Breloers Brecht is divided into two parts. The first 90 minutes deal with the writers early life in Augsburg, his move to Berlin and his later success as a dramatist. In 1914, Brecht, aged just 16, was a strong supporter of Germanys aggression in World War I. He quickly turned against the imperialist war, however, as news of its horrors emerged, particularly in the form of the letters sent him from the front line by his childhood friend, Caspar Neher. Neher later became a famous stage designer, who worked on many of Brechts productions. In one early scene in the film, we witness the young Brecht (Tom Schilling) denouncing the war in a school classroom to the horror of his teacher, who immediately threatens the young traitor to the German national cause with retribution. Adele Neuhauser and Burghart Klauner in Brecht After the war, Brecht was present in Munich when nationalist Freikorps mercenaries brutally crushed the Bavarian Soviet Republic in April-May 1919. At the time, Brecht was closely following the activities of the Independent Social Party (USDP), which had broken from the main body of the Social Democratic Party in 1917. These two eventsGerman capitalisms role in the horrific war and the defeat of the uprisings in 1919 (including the murder of Rosa Luxemburg in January of that tumultuous year)were to play a decisive role in Brechts political and artistic development, along with the Russian Revolution of 1917. In Munich, Brecht turned to the then well-known writer Lion Feuchtwanger, who took him under his wing and helped him in his first stage successes. Breloer then follows Brechts move to Berlin where he begins to achieve considerable success as a playwright. The pinnacle of this success in the Weimar Republic comes with the triumphant response to the first production of his (along with Kurt Weill) The Threepenny Opera in 1928. During the late 1920s, Brecht began to study Marxist literature and came increasingly under the influence of the German Communist Party, along with dissident leftist intellectuals such as Karl Korsch. The Stalinisation of the Communist Party and the disorientation of figures like Korsch did not assist Brechts political development. In a number of interviews, Breloer refers to Brechts concern with concealing his private life and persona. Instead, the playwright wanted to be remembered only in terms of his work. He loved the masks of the classics, Breloer notes. In his new film, Breloer seeks to look behind those masks and throw light on Brechts personal life. He explores in some detail Brechts complex relations with a number of his closest female co-workers. In so doing he makes clear that Brecht, in his literary and dramatic work, was always intent on collaboration, in developing his ideas as the leading figure of a team. Breloers film largely skips over Brechts period in European exile with his wife Helene Weigel (Adele Neuhauser). In its second half, we see the much older writer, now played by Burghart Klaussner, in the US in October 1947, where he appears before the McCarthyite House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), the witch-hunting, anti-communist outfit set up by the House of Representatives. Bertolt Brecht testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee (1947) The day after the HUAC hearing on October 30, during which he declared he had never been a member of the Communist Party (which was true, strictly speaking), Brecht returned to Europe. He ultimately moved to Stalinist East Germany two years later, where he was able to recommence his literary and dramatic work. In 1953, he finally received his own theatre, the Berliner Ensemble. Brechts Faustian bargain with the Communist Party had profound consequences for his artistic development. In his book, Breloer notes that the Stalinist archives in Moscow described Brecht in the 1930s as a Trotskyite, based on the playwrights links to co-workers such as the actress Carola Neher, who, along with her husband Anatol Becker, was denounced as a Trotskyist. Becker was executed in 1937 and Carola died in the Stalinist gulag in 1942. In fact, although he admired Trotskys writings highly, Brecht rejected the latters analysis of the Stalinist bureaucracy as counter-revolutionary. While he continually came into conflict with the nationalist-philistine Stalinists in East Germany after the war, Brecht repeatedly sided with the GDR and Soviet bureaucracy at crucial junctures, most notably when he publicly supported the regime of Walter Ulbricht following the East German workers uprising in June 1953. Having provided the bureaucracy vital public backing, Brecht, at the same time, drafted notes criticising Stalin and his policies. These notes, however, always ended up safely in his drawer. The Ulbricht regime was well aware that Brechts work did not fit into its repressive, anti-Marxist straitjacket of socialist realism, but decided the playwright and his theatre companyalways under close observation from the state security servicecould function as an important safety valve to prevent social layers disenchanted with the system from challenging it head-on. Brecht, in turn, was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize in Moscow a year before his death. Breloers film depicts these events very well. Poster for Brecht Equally, Brecht also made artistic compromisessuch as shifting the action of his plays to past centuries and other continents and creating fables or allegoriesso as to avoid a direct confrontation with the bureaucracy. Important sequences toward the end of the film show Brecht in the process of rehearsing a number of his later works, including Mother Courage, The Caucasian Chalk Circle and The Life of Galileo. Breloers film implies that Galileo most closely resembles the trajectory of Brechts life and career: Galileo (1564-1642), the outstanding astronomer and physicist, who strikes a pact with the Papacy and renounces his scientific discoveries to avoid punishment by the Church, on the one hand, and Brecht, a remarkable poet and dramatist, who cut his own deal with the Stalinist bureaucracy to continue his work, on the other. Breloers film and accompanying book provide an opportunity for a younger generation to acquaint themselves with a key literary figure of the 20th century. The film is due to be shown on German television on March 22 (Arte) and March 27 (ARD). The revived interest in Brecht, who has been treated as a dead dog or worse by the academic and official intellectual world for decades, is another indication of a growing radicalisation. To be continued The Socialist Equality Party (US) will be holding a major meeting series in April featuring Christoph Vandreier, Deputy National Secretary of the Sozialistiche Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) and author of the newly released book Why are They Back? Historical Falsification, Political Conspiracy and the Return of Fascism in Germany, (Mehring Books, 2019) available for pre-order purchase. Christoph Vandreier addressing an anti-war meeting in Germany Vandreier is a widely respected leader of the fight against fascism in Europe, and his US speaking tour is a significant political event. The meeting series is titled, The threat of fascism and how to fight it. In Germany, the scene of the holocaust and Hitlers Nazi movement, a neo-Nazi party, the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD), is now the countrys main opposition party, with 91 seats in the federal legislature and high-level support within the state apparatus and academia. The meetings will address the role of the SGP in exposing the network of pro-fascist academics and state intelligence operatives who are paving the way for the far-right. The meeting series will also take up the historical lessons that must be learned in order to build a mass working class movement capable of preventing the disaster of Nazism from taking place on an even greater scale today. Vandreier told the World Socialist Web Site: I am very glad to have the opportunity to speak about the developments in Germany to an American audience because the threat of the far right is not limited to Germany, but is an international phenomenon that is connected to the global crisis of capitalism. Donald Trump is the sharpest expression of that in the US, the most powerful capitalist country in the world. Trump and his advisers are conducting a fascistic political strategy, combining vitriolic denunciations of socialism with unprecedented attacks on the democratic rights of immigrant workers and threats of war abroad. Across the worldin Brazil, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Israel and the Philippinesthe far right occupies positions of power it has not held since World War II. With social inequality reaching astronomical proportions, the ruling elites are resurrecting all the political filth responsible for the worst crimes of the 20th century. Why are they back? Historical Falsification, Political Conspiracy and the Return of Fascism in Germany by Christoph Vandreier In Germany, Vandreier said, In order to carry out an aggressive foreign policy, history has to be rewritten and the crimes of the Nazis have to be trivialized. He explained, In the SGPs fight against these ideological preparations it became very clear that the ruling elite as a whole and the majority of the academic establishment substantially shifted to the right, while the huge majority of workers and students are heavily opposed to this development. In response to the SGPs campaign and the partys anti-capitalist program, the German government placed the SGP under surveillance by the secret service. In a July 2018 annual national security report, the German Federal Agency for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz) labeled the SGP left-wing extremist. The report was a calculated political attack compiled in close collaboration with the neo-Nazi AfD. In January 2019, the SGP filed a lawsuit challenging this attack on basic democratic rights. Though the threat of the far-right is real, fascism does not have a mass base in Germany, the US or elsewhere. Tens of thousands of workers and young people have taken to the streets to protest the AfD, far surpassing far-right demonstrations in size and strength. In the US, Trump remains a deeply unpopular president. The fight against fascism must be based on mobilizing the great social power of the working class against the capitalist system. This requires a serious study of the lessons of historyabove all the 1930swhich Leon Trotsky meticulously explained in such monumental Marxist works as Fascism: What It Is and How To Fight It and The Struggle Against Fascism in Germany. The decisive issue now, Vandreier said, is to make this opposition a conscious political movement with an international and socialist perspective. That is why I appreciate so much the ability to speak at the meetings of the Socialist Equality Party in the US. The meeting details are as follows: Berkeley, California Monday, April 8, 7:15 p.m. UC Berkeley Moffitt Library Room 101 350 Moffitt Library, Berkeley CA 94720 Facebook Event Page San Diego, California Tuesday, April 9, 7:30 p.m. San Diego State University Student Union, Templo Mayor 6075 Aztec Cir. Dr., San Diego, CA 92182 Facebook Event Page Detroit, Michigan Thursday, April 11, 7:00 p.m. Wayne State University Student Center, Room 285 5221 Gullen Mall, Detroit, MI 48202 Facebook Event Page Ann Arbor, Michigan Monday, April 15, 7:00 p.m. University of Michigan Weiser Hall Room 182 450 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Facebook Event Page Cambridge, Massachusetts Wednesday, April 17, 7PM Massachusetts Institute of Technology Building 6, Room 120 (6-120) 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 Facebook Event Page New York, New York Thursday, April 18, 6:30 p.m. New York University Global Center Lecture Hall 95 238 Thompson St., New York, New York 10012 Facebook Event Page Organizing this meeting series entails substantial costs. The SEP is not funded by the banks and corporations or wealthy non-governmental organizations. If you believe this meeting series is important, donate whatever you can to pay for international travel, printing, promotion and other costs. Last month, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, both Democrats, introduced a non-binding resolution in both houses of Congress calling for a Green New Deal to transition American energy production to non-carbon-based sources within 10 years. It is currently co-sponsored by 89 out of 235 Democrats in the House of Representatives and 11 out 47 in the Senate. Alongside calls for the federal government to take action to halt and reverse climate change and other ongoing ecological threats, the document proposes a federal mobilization comparable to the New Deal of the 1930s, which created the greatest middle class the United States has ever seen. It sees the present situation as an historic opportunity to secure for all people in the country the following: clean air and water, healthy food, a sustainable environment, high-quality health care, affordable, safe and adequate housing, economic security, and a job with a family sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations and retirement security. The attempt to even raise such social and economic issues has provoked a backlash from politicians within both big business parties. Virtually the entire Republican Party has denounced it and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has scheduled a vote in the Senate to force Democrats to publicly align with or dissociate themselves from the bill. The leader of the Democrats in Congress, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, has derisively referred to the resolution as a green dream. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer has indicated the Democrats will vote present so as to evade the issue when it comes up for a vote. Many Democratic supporters and co-sponsors of the Green New Deal have since backtracked, calling the proposal merely aspirational. In the words of co-sponsor and Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Amy Klobuchar, it is at best something that we need to move toward. In other words, they have no intention of actually implementing it. To be clear, it is a fiction that this proposal, even if it were adopted unanimously by both houses of Congress, would have any real impact on US domestic or foreign policy. Its non-binding status means that no lawmaker will in any way be beholden to working toward the resolutions stated goals. The sweeping nature of the resolution, however, has generated understandable popular interest and support among workers and youth. The Green New Deal proposes to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, to create millions of good, high-wage jobs and ensure prosperity and economic security for all people, and to invest in the infrastructure and industry of the United States. Ocasio-Cortez has raised some of the chief concerns of the bottom 90 percent of the income ladder in America, who comprise the working class. They face a daily struggle to survive and provide for their families, while the richest 10 percent, and especially the top 1 percent, 0.1 percent and 0.01 percent, monopolize an ever greater share of income and wealth. It is all the more critical, therefore, to clarify the political character and historical context of the Green New Deal. Its basic, although unstated, premises are (1) that global warming can be halted and reversed on a national basis; (2) that the Democratic Party can be made to carry out such a program; and (3) that it can be achieved within the framework of the existing economic and political system. Nationalism and the climate crisis It is an established scientific fact that human-induced climate change has already cost billions of dollars and caused thousands of deaths, and is poised to inflict exponentially greater social misery if it is not immediately abated and reversed. Repeated studies have shown that it will require the coordination of the most advanced scientific and technical resources the world over in order to even begin to seriously reduce global warming. Such measures would require an international reorganization of the worlds energy industry. The Green New Deal resolution, however, neither calls for the cooperation of the nations of the world nor places any limits on the activities of the energy corporations. Quite the opposite, it insists on making the United States the international leader on climate action by calling for investments to spur economic development [and] deepen and diversify industry and business in local and regional economies. These investments would be allocated by means of community grants, public banks, and other public financing. In other words, more public funds will be handed over to the US energy monopolies and other corporate interests, the same institutions that are responsible for climate change in the first place. Any measures ostensibly aimed at reducing climate change will have to be acceptable to corporations and banks and their wealthy shareholders. Far from advancing an internationalist perspective, the Green New Deal resolution has a distinctly nationalist axis. It makes an unambiguous appeal to the national security agencies of the American state, first by citing as a model the Federal Government-led mobilizations during World War II, and, second, by arguing that climate change constitutes a direct threat to the national security of the United States by impacting the economic, environmental and social stability of countries and communities around the world and acting as a threat multiplier. The not-so-subtle suggestion here is that the adoption of the Green New Deal is an essential component of US imperialisms preparations for war against its rivals for world domination and necessary for the stability of US capitalism. It should not be forgotten that the Government-led mobilization during World War II included the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans and ended with the nuclear incineration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. National security, a euphemism for the continued rule of the capitalist class and the pursuit of its global profit interests, is incompatible with any serious mobilization of resources to meet the social needs of working people, including a healthful and life-sustaining environment. Numerous national security think tank studies have stressed the need to drastically reduce so-called entitlement spending, i.e., funding for Social Security and Medicare, as well as spending for other social programs in order to carry out the military expansion and modernization necessary to prepare for war against the major rivals of American imperialism, in the first instance Russia and China. The Democratic Party Then there is the question of the Democratic Party. The notion that this party can serve as the vehicle for a serious effort to reverse climate change, or any other progressive social reform, is belied by its history and the social interests that control it. Historically, the Democratic Party has served as the graveyard of progressive movements. From the populist movement at the turn of the 20th century, to the industrial union movement of the 1930s, to the civil rights movement and anti-war movement of the post-World War II period, mass movements for progressive social change have been contained, dissipated and betrayed by means of their subordination to this, the oldest capitalist party in the US. No significant social reforms have been enacted in the US in more than 50 years. The Democrats long ago abandoned any program of social reform or any policies oriented to the social interests of the working class. Over the past half-century the Democratic Party has moved steadily and with increasing velocity to the right, seeking and largely succeeding in dislodging the Republicans as the favored party of Wall Street and the military/intelligence apparatus. On the basis of racial, gender and sexual politicsdesigned to deny the central class division of modern societyit has oriented itself to the super-rich and the most privileged layers of the middle class. In the last presidential election, Hillary Clinton won a majority of votes in affluent middle-class suburbs and among the richest layers of the population. Democratic no less than Republican administrations have imposed austerity policies and prosecuted the decades-long social counterrevolution that continues today. Obama, whose election was hailed by the International Socialist Organizationone of the promoters of Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez todayas a transformational moment in American history, presided over the multi-trillion-dollar bailout of Wall Street, the imposition of wage cuts on auto workers and mass school closures, and the greatest redistribution of wealth from the bottom to the top in US history. Under Obama, labors share of the national income hit record lows, and he boasted of reducing non-defense, non-entitlement domestic spending to the lowest levels since the Eisenhower years in the 1950s. The talk of a new New Deal that attended his election proved to be a cruel deception. It is difficult to say which of the two major big business parties is more reactionary. The Democrats are basing their opposition to Trump on demands for a more aggressive policy toward Russia and an escalation of war in the Middle East, while supporting his raising of the Pentagon budget to near-record levels. In every struggle of the working class they work in lockstep with the Republicans to deny the workers demands, including the strikes by teachers for decent pay and the defense of public education, claiming there is no money for decent schools while they accelerate the privatization of the education system. At the same time they glorify the CIA, FBI and the military and lead the campaign to censor the internet and suppress oppositional views. Their primary domestic focus is the right-wing #MeToo sex witch hunt, based on the denial of due process and the presumption of innocence, and the promotion of racial politics to divide the working class. The references to the New Deal by Ocasio-Cortez and other promoters of the Green New Deal are grossly misleading. They rip this period of limited social reform out of its historical context and distort both its origins and its results. The New Deal was the response of a frightened ruling class to the threat of social revolution heightened by two factors: the global breakdown of capitalism in the Great Depression of the 1930s and the revolutionary impulse provided by the Russian Revolution and the existence of the Soviet Union. Roosevelts reforms were not granted from on high by a benevolent ruling elite. They were extracted from a ruthless capitalist class by a semi-insurrectionary movement of the working class, in the form of a mass industrial union movement that was largely led by socialist-minded workers. It came at a time when American capitalism was the rising and dominant industrial power in the world and the ruling class had massive economic reserves, even in the midst of the Depression. Even then, the reforms instituted never came close to overcoming economic inequality or securing the basic needs of the working class. The trade unions formed or consolidated out of the wave of sit-down strikes quickly made their peace with capitalism, signed on to the post-war Cold War and anti-socialist witch hunt and in the ensuing decades became junior partners with the corporations in imposing wage cuts, layoffs and the destruction of working conditions. This process was institutionalized through their alliance with the Democratic Party. For the past 40 years, American capitalism has been in precipitous decline. It long ago dismantled much of its industrial base in order to become the worlds leader in financial parasitism and criminality. Over this entire period, every social reform from the 1930s and 1960s has been under relentless attack as part of a social counterrevolution, presided over by both parties, against the working class, making the US the most unequal country of all the major economies. Donald Trump is the fascistic personification of the financial oligarchy and the noxious expression of the protracted decay of American democracy. Where do the Democrats get their money? In last years mid-term elections, the securities and investment industry gave 62 percent of its contributions to Democrats, continuing the trend from 2016, when Wall Street gave far more money to Hillary Clinton than to Donald Trump. The oil and gas industry, which has long given the bulk of its campaign bribes to Republicans, nevertheless handed out $6 million to Democratic candidates in 2018. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is worth an estimated $16 million and has high-end Wall Street connections via her husbands firm Financial Leasing Services. She led the successful 2015 campaign to end a forty-year ban on crude oil exports, opening up the world market to US companies. For his part, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, known as the senator from Wall Street, has received $310,020 from the oil and gas industry throughout his political career. Social inequality and capitalism The entire social structure of the United States, and therefore its political system, is anchored in the vast concentration of wealth at the very top. Speaking of a return to Gilded Age levels of inequality, the economist Gabriel Zucman recently wrote: What the data show is that wealth concentration in the United States has returned to the level of 1920. Forty percent of total household wealth belongs to the top 1 percent. About 20 percent belongs to the top 0.1 percent, which is about the same as the bottom 90 percents wealth share. This is part of an international process. Earlier this year the British charity Oxfam reported that in 2018, just 26 people controlled as much wealth as the 3.8 billion people who comprise the bottom half of the worlds population. No genuine social reform can be enacted today outside of a direct assault on social inequality and the entrenched wealth and power of the corporate-financial oligarchy. That includes the political parties it controls. The other basic obstacle to resolving the climate crisis and all of the other social ills that plague humankind is the division of the increasingly integrated world economy between rival nation-states, which are the political forms through which the competing national cliques of capitalists fight for control of the worlds resources, markets and sources of cheap labor. Climate change is a global problem and can be solved only through the systematic and intelligent mobilization of the resources and scientific and technological know-how of the entire planet. The Green New Deal is not a program to address the urgent social needs of working people in the US. It is a hollow slogan and grab-bag of demands meant to divert the growing struggle of the working class into the dead end of the Democratic Party. The solution to climate change, along with social inequality, poverty and the growing threat of dictatorship and war, is the revolutionary overthrow of the capitalist system, both in the US and internationally. The financial oligarchs must be expropriated and their corporations and banks turned into public utilities under the democratic control of the working population. The social force capable of carrying out such a transformation is the working class. It must be mobilized and armed with a revolutionary socialist program to take political power and establish a workers state, as part of the world socialist revolution. The Socialist Equality Party must be built to lead this struggle. Four committees of the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives issued subpoenas and document demands Monday directed at the Trump White House, the Trump Organization (Trumps family business) and the 2016 Trump campaign, in a coordinated effort to investigate a wide range of allegations against the US president. The broadest and most politically significant document request came from the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over any effort to impeach Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors, under the US Constitution. The committee sent document demands to 81 individuals and organizations associated with Trump. Those targeted included his two sons, Don Jr. and Eric, who co-manage the Trump Organization, as well as the organizations CFO Allen Weisselberg, and several other officials of the business. Weisselberg was named last week more than 30 times in the congressional testimony of former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, as the man responsible for implementing a series of questionable tax avoidance schemes, bank loan applications, and payoffs, at Trumps direction. Three other House committees, on Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Government Oversight, sent letters to the White House and the State Department, demanding access to government translators who worked on Trump-Putin meetings and telephone conversations, as well as the transcripts and tape recordings of those conversations. While Trump said that the White House would cooperate with the Judiciary Committee document requests, it is unlikely that the White House or State Department will comply with demands to produce translators and other records of talks between Trump and Putin. Such witnesses and materials have been treated as confidential by previous presidents. The Judiciary Committee request encompasses virtually every publicly reported allegation against Trump. It includes key witnesses who have testified before the Russia investigation headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his former top aide Rick Gates, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and other former campaign and White House aides, as well as current Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow. Significantly, the committee sent requests to WikiLeaks and its founder and former editor Julian Assange, in an effort to perpetuate the smear campaign that the group acted as a conduit for Russian government hackers who allegedly obtained internal emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and supplied them to the whistleblower website. The purpose of this smear campaign is twofold: to support the ongoing efforts by the US intelligence agencies to criminalize WikiLeaks and extradite Assange to the United States for trial on espionage and conspiracy charges, and to cover up the actual content of the material published by WikiLeaks, which discredited Clinton by documenting efforts by the DNC to rig the primary contest against her main rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, and making public the text of speeches Clinton gave to Wall Street audiences, promising to take care of their interests. The Judiciary Committee demanded documents from nearly every person named by Cohen in his public testimony before the House Government Oversight Committee last week, including the Trump Organization as an entity, as well as its top officers, Weisselberg and Trumps two oldest sons. The committee sent a document request to Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and adviser, but not to Ivanka Trump, the presidents older daughter and Kushners wife, although Cohen named her as one of those informed of his activities as a go-between in negotiations for the building of a Trump Tower in Moscow. Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York announced the document requests in an appearance on the ABC News Sunday morning interview program This Week. He underscored that the Democrats were looking into many areas of Trumps business activities that had nothing to do with Russia or the Mueller investigation. He indicated that his panel will investigate allegations of violations of campaign finance lawsthrough the payoffs to two women who had alleged sexual relationships with Trumpas well as violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which bars a president from receiving payments or things of value from foreign governments or persons, as well as the use of political office for personal gain. While Nadler avoided using the word impeachment in any of the letters or the press release announcing them, his committee has jurisdiction over impeachment and several House Democrats have already introduced resolutions of impeachment which have been referred to the committee for consideration. Nadler said on ABC that he believed Trump was guilty of obstruction of justice by firing FBI Director James Comey and making repeated public statements criticizing the Russia investigation. Obstruction of justice was one of the charges brought against President Richard Nixon in 1974, and against President Bill Clinton in 1998. House Republicans charged that the Democrats were ramping up the machinery of congressional investigations because they expected the Mueller report would not recommend charges against Trump, whether in relation to allegations of collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign or obstruction of justice after Trump took office. The legal procedure being followed begins with the letters demanding documents. Those who fail to comply within two weeks will then receive subpoenas, which can be issued on the authority of Nadler alone. In the event that witnesses refuse to testify or claim executive privilege, the Judiciary Committee could issue a contempt citation, but it would then be up to the executive brancheither the Justice Department or the US Attorney for the Southern District of New Yorkto compel testimony or document production using the threat of arrest. In the likely event that the executive branch refuses to take action, the House of Representatives could seek a court order, an action taken on at least one occasion under the Obama administration, when Attorney General Eric Holder was found in contempt by the House, then under Republican control. The House Intelligence Committee is reportedly investigating the Trump Organizations efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, as well as any discussions the president may have had with key witnesses like Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen on the subject of a possible presidential pardon. Michael Cohen testified behind closed doors for eight hours Thursday on those subjects, among others, and he is to return March 6 for a final day of secret testimony. House Judiciary Committee Democrats said that there would be additional document requests besides the 81 notices sent out Monday. This would also include demanding the Justice Department turn over the final report of Special Counsel Mueller, which Trump administration officials have suggested might be withheld, particularly if Mueller declines to recommend either indictment or impeachment of the president. The House Government Oversight Committee has requested White House documents on the issuing of security clearances, particularly as it relates to the long-delayed and only partial issuance of a clearance to Jared Kushner, who has served as Trumps principal aide for Mideast diplomacy. Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings gave the White House a Monday deadline to respond to document requests filed as long ago as January. Two other House committees have also taken steps to investigate Trump. The House Ways and Means Committee has begun the process for obtaining Trumps tax returns, which the billionaire president has long refused to make public, although the Committee has yet to file a formal request with the Department of the Treasury and IRS. The House Financial Services Committee, chaired by Representative Maxine Waters, a frequent target of racially abusive language by Trump, is seeking documents related to the applications by the Trump Organization for bank loans. According to Cohen, the Trump Organization regularly overvalued its assets in loan applications while grossly under-valuing them for tax purposes. The author also recommends: The Trump presidency: From the Manhattan underworld to the White House [1 March 2019] On Sunday, US Senator Bernie Sanders continued his initial series of campaign rallies at Chicagos Navy Pier, following Saturdays event in Brooklyn, as he again seeks the Democratic Partys presidential nomination. Sanders unsuccessfully sought the partys nomination in 2016, subsequently endorsing Hillary Clinton, the arch-candidate of Wall Street and big business. The Chicago Tribune estimated that over 12,000 attended. The rally attracted diverse social layers, including many young people who have been increasingly radicalized in recent years: large numbers of high school and college students, along with young workers. Significant numbers of professionals and other sections of both the lower- and upper-middle class attended as well. Reporters for the World Socialist Web Site spoke with attendees, encountering wide interest in a socialist perspective. Many of those we spoke with were attracted to Sanders criticisms of social inequality, the billionaire class and other social ills. A number were either skeptical of or openly hostile to capitalism and the Democratic Party, while expressing illusions in the possibility of reforming either. As the WSWS has noted, the promotion of such illusions is a central aim of Sanders campaign. Jesus Jesus is 22 and from the Chicago suburbs. He said he had gone to college for two years, studying to become a teacher, before having to quit and work full time at a factory in order to support his family. He said he had been following the wave of teachers strikes in the US over the past year. With all the effort they put into teaching students, youd think theyd get paid more. He said that he hadnt given socialism much thought until recently, which he described as Sanders proposals to use taxes for the people not for the corporations, which makes a lot of sense. I think socialism but with capitalism together is the perfect idea for this country. A complete full market and no regulations is really bad. I feel like the Democratic Party has to change, otherwise theyre going to lose a whole generation, again. The WSWS reporter explained, however, that genuine socialism and structuring society to meet the needs of the majority of the population are incompatible with the extreme levels of social inequality under capitalism and the monopolization of wealth and political power by the rich. Jesus agreed. The reporter also explained that the Democratic Party was the oldest capitalist party in modern history, a party of Wall Street and imperialism, and had long put forth various radical sounding figures as safety valves in order to trap and smother social opposition. Asked his thoughts on the previous administration of Democratic President Barack Obama, Jesus responded angrily, The first two years of his presidency, they had control of both houses [of Congress]. He could have done way more, but they didnt. And Obama deported way more people than Trump. And then he made the whole DACA thing at the end [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the tenuous legal status for young immigrants], which he knew would get vetoed by a Republican president. Its kind of infuriating, you know? He wasnt really hope and change. Jesus added that he was strongly opposed to the attacks on immigrants. These people dont do anything but give to this country, he said, and they always live in fear because they might get deported. I think its pretty disgusting. Alexis and Oliver Alexis is a 21-year-old student from Chicago who studies political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He spoke of his left-wing views and the need for young people to fight for a better world. Im pretty leftist, he said. This is as close to the collapse of capitalism Im going to get. Im doing everything in my power to make the world a better place. The younger generation needs to be mobilized against a system they deem unfair. I definitely want this president out of office. Alexis came to the rally with Oliver, who is 19, from Quincy, Illinois, and also studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The most important issue to me is the environment, Oliver said. A close second is healthcare, education and inequality. The system should never have allowed this level of inequality. Oliver added, Im not a fan of the Democratic Party, but it may be a better of the two options. Reporters explained to Oliver, however, that the politics of lesser evilism has resulted in disasters for the working class every election cycle and a further shift to the right, including under the previous Obama administration. Oliver nodded his head and said, Im interested in learning more. Alexis agreed and also spoke out on his differences with the Democratic Party, noting, I generally disagree with the Democratic Party. He added, Socialism appeals to me. A lot of left politics becomes coopted by the Democratic Party and because of the cooption we are never able to realize the ultimate goals that we seek. I think thats very dangerous because it prevents any progress. I think we need to radically depart from capitalism. Young people also came from the economically depressed city of Rockford, Illinois. The city had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country after the financial crisis of 2008. Thousands of good-paying industrial jobs have been destroyed in the Rockford area, only to be replaced with low-wage jobs, including at the Rockford United Parcel Service (UPS) air hub, where workers make as little as $13 an hour. Simon is an 18-year-old high school student from Rockford. He spoke of the economic devastation the city has faced. Ive grown up here my entire life, he said. It is the epitome of the Rust-Belt city. Its really depressing. Theres a drug issue there. Theres a lot that needs to be fixed. A lot of industrial jobs have left. At the Belvidere Assembly Plant they started laying off 1,400 workers. Recently Fiat Chrysler announced that it would eliminate an entire shift at its Belvidere plantnear Rockford and lay off nearly 1,400 workers, something which the United Auto Workers union is doing nothing to stop. Simon and Andrew Andrew, a 20-year-old worker and friend of Simons from Rockford, spoke of the impact of the layoffs. Rockford is a community that had its roots in industry. Theres a lot of small manufacturing and a lot of workers are struggling, he said. My cousin works at Belvidere Assembly, he added. The majority of people employed in the last six years are going to get laid off. Its a horrible situation. Theres families that get their entire income from the Belvidere Assembly Plant. Theres fathers and mothers that work there together. What are they going to do come May? Theyre going to get laid off and have no income. I guess they will get unemployment, but unemployment will only do so much. Simon spoke about his desire for free college education. When Bernie started to run and started talking about free college education for everyone, that is one thing that really struck me, he said. Student loan debt is horrible. Im a senior at Rockford East, and its really stressful and so complicated. Its such a terrible system. If education was free and universal, it would provide equal opportunity for all. Andrew noted that he could not afford college. He said, Im not actually in college right now. Financial issues for college is a big thing. If college was free, I would definitely take advantage of it and further my knowledge. Louis Louis is also 22 and is a college student studying communications in Chicago. Ive heard a lot about Sanders, but just wanted to come out and hear what he had to say. I thought he made a lot of good points in his first run. Louis listed a number of issues he was concerned about, including inequality financially, our presence in the political realm, violence in our neighborhood. Police brutality definitely needs to be addressed. But I think if we address those things head on they can change. He said that he did not consider himself a Democrat. I personally dont put myself in a political party. Louis said that he had not given much thought to socialism previously, and said he thought that there were ways to address social problems within each belief system, whether capitalism or socialism. However, when a reporter explained that there was an objective conflict within society, between a reactionary financial oligarchy and the working class which produces all of societys wealth, he agreed, adding, I agree with everything you just said. I strongly believe the working class is the whole heart of America, and the world. Jake is a 23-year-old, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Im a sales manager in Chicago. Universal healthcare is a big issue for me. Social issues have been quite relevant to me as well. I know Bernie doesnt go as far on a lot of issues, as far as socialism, that I want though. Healthcare matters to me because living should be a human right, he noted. We should care about other human rights. The rise of insulin costs is abhorrent. I have four people in my family that have diabetes. Luckily, they are all fortunate enough to be able to afford it. But Ive heard the horror stories. Nobody should die from a treatable disease. Its disgusting that a black market for insulin has to even exist. I am young enough and fortunate enough to get insurance from my father. I havent gotten any major health issues at this pointand I dont have to in the near future. But what if my dad lost this job? Danny and Jake Danny is a friend of Jake and a worker in Chicago as well. He contrasted the spending on war with spending on social programs in the United States. The Pentagon misplaced $7 billion and they dont know where it went, he said. And they cant afford healthcare? I think saving peoples lives affordably is more important than invading other countries and destroying lives. Both Jake and Danny also spoke about Sanders tacit support for the Trump administrations efforts to oust the Maduro government in Venezuela, which could create a violent civil war. We should not be involved in that, Jake said. Thats nonsense, Danny added. Jake also spoke about other issues that were important to him, including education and the recent strikes of teachers. The other big issues that matter to me are educationpublic vs. private. Ive been following the teacher strikes and I have friends who are teachers in California. My friends were in the Los Angeles teacher strike. Teachers need to be paid a lot more. Education solves a lot of root problems. Im also really concerned about income inequality. The authors also recommend: Sanders launches his campaign with a blast of demagogy [3 March 2019] The rally in Sydney, held by the Socialist Equality Party last Sunday to demand that the Australian government take action to defend WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, was attended by a diverse cross-section of workers, students, professionals and retirees. The audience encompassed individuals who have actively opposed the US-led vendetta against Assange for over a decade. It also included students and young people who were alerted to Assanges plight during the course of the campaign for the rally. Some of those who participated travelled a substantial distance to register their support for the WikiLeaks founder. Those in attendance gave expression to the widespread sentiment in the working class in favour of Assange and for the defence of democratic rights. This stands in stark contrast to the role of successive Australian governments in the persecution of the WikiLeaks founder, and the abandonment of Assange by the Greens, pseudo-left organisations, the unions and many self-styled civil liberties groups. Robin Robin, a 31-year-old railway worker, told WSWS reporters that he attended the rally because Julian Assange is an Australian hero. He needs to be recognized as a hero. All support should be given to him to bring him back here. The attacks on Assange are a continuation of the barbaric US policy of hegemony. They want to crush anyone who is critical of the regime and keep expanding their empire. Theyre particularly fearful of an informed public. They dont want people to know how routinely they carry out crimes against humanity. I saw today that there is growing support for the release of Julian. People want to bring him home so he can continue his work of bringing these corporate and government criminals to justice. I couldnt think of a better leader than Julian Assange. Reg Reg, a retiree, travelled 400 kilometres, to take part. I came all the way down for this rally, because Assange is a man who is trying to expose the inequities around the world and the criminal actions of our own government and its allies, he said. I dont understand why that theres been so little said, and so little done, about an uncharged Australian citizen being held in detention. We need to be doing something about it. The degree of silence from all political persuasions is extraordinary. You guys seem to be the only ones raising the issue of Assange. We know that the Vietnam war was wrong and that the Iraq war was wrong. We know that our involvement in that borders on the criminal. And certainly we know those people who have fought have been terrible affected. They have been made to fight in brutal wars, when Australia has not been threatened. That has got to do something to your psyche, and that is what PTSD is all about. Salima Salima, an administration worker, stated: Im here today to support Julian Assange. As Australian citizens we are obligated to fight for his release. He is a national hero and we should not stand by while he is in arbitrary detention. It is a disgrace. He must be released as soon as possible. If the Australian government were doing their job, they would not be hanging him out to dry. They do more to defend people caught smuggling drugs abroad than they have for a persecuted journalist who is a beacon for Australia. I knew about Julian when he started WikiLeaks in 2006, so I have been following him for quite a long time. What he has done is extremely important. With the release of the documents he was able to show the truth of what is happening in the world. We as a people need to know what our governments do because our government is meant to work for the people, not the other way around. The media is complicit in the attacks on Assange. That is why a lot of people havent heard of him. The media are co-conspirators of the governments and they function as corporations. Their only concern is to defend the wealthy and the powerful. They dont have peoples interests at heart. When a WSWS reporter noted Labors role in Assanges persecution, Salina responded: Julia Gillard was exposed by WikiLeaks as basically being an American asset. So was Bill Shorten the current leader of Labor. So we are in a really difficult position with an election approaching. The major parties are two heads of the same coin. We are sick of that. We have a controlled system here that needs to be smashed. David David attended the rally after reading about it online. He had watched the Facebook Livestream of the SEPs June 2018 rally. Ive come to this rally because the mainstream media arent doing anything, he said. The attacks on Assange are unfair. Hes done what a journalist should do. The media should do what he does, but they are corrupt. Theyve been bought by the elites and the corporations. There is no independence of the media, whether it is in the US, the UK or Australia. If governments are able to attack Assange like this, then it means were already a long way down the road to losing freedom of speech. Assange is trying to give that freedom back to people. Tom, a student at Macquarie University, said: Assange is a terribly important figure. It concerns me that he is hardly in the news. He seems to have disappeared from Australian politics. Where is our government, where is our media? I had a big sense of validation at the rally today. I realised I wasnt the only person who supported this figure, who is an Australian and who told alerted us to the fact that we are being spied on and provided us with other crucial information. It made me see that Im not the only person who thinks it is bizarre that this man is so persecuted and so neglected by our government. We have to keep coming out into the public and speaking in defence of Assange. There are obviously a lot of people here who feel that they have to take a stand because of what he has done and what he represents. Coming out and holding rallies and meetings is the only way something will be done. Tony Tony, who works in sales on Sydneys northern beaches, said he had recently begun reading the WSWS. As soon as I saw a rally for Assange, I thought, I just have to do this, he said. There have been many times Ive thought about going to a rally or a protest but I never have. But there comes a time when you just have to do something. Julian Assange has been persecuted by our government, which is sucking up to the US government. It is absolutely absurd and cruel. Its inhuman. And its not just the Liberals either. Sadly we cant depend on Labor for anything either. I cant vote for them. They really are all criminals. They punch down on individuals. The media are just so gutless and complicit. Theres very little media in this country anymore. Theyre just stenographers for the government. The US government is making such a mess all over the world. Now they are going after Venezuela, probably for their oil. These sort of regime-change operations are always based on lies. And their corporate media and our corporate media are all involved in spreading the lies. Tuesday, March 5, will be the last day of production at the General Motors Lordstown, Ohio, plant as the last Chevy Cruze sedan rolls out of the 6.2 million-square-foot complex, halfway between Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The closure of the iconic factory, the scene of many battles by militant autoworkers in the 1970s, is a corporate crime, aided and abetted by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The plant, which was opened in 1966 and once employed up to 13,000 workers, had been reduced from three shifts to one before its closure. Last Friday was the last day of work for hundreds of Magna Seating employees in nearby Warren, Ohio, who posed for pictures with the last seats made for the GM car. Thousands of other workers in supplier plants, trucking companies, local restaurants and other workplaces are also expected to lose their jobs. The closure is part of GMs move to close assembly plants in Detroit and Oshawa, Ontario, and two transmission plants in Warren, Michigan, and Baltimore, Maryland, as part of plans to eliminate 6,000 production and 8,000 white collar jobs in North America. This is part of a global restructuring that includes plant closings and layoffs in Brazil, Russia, China and other countries. Many Lordstown workers have already been forced to make the difficult decision of transferring to other GM plants hundreds or even thousands of miles away, leaving behind relatives, friends and communities where they had established deep roots. The shutdown is the most recent in a long line of attacks on jobs in the Mahoning Valley in northeastern Ohio, which includes Lordstown, Warren and Youngstown and was once known for steel production and related manufacturing. Since the Black Monday closure announcement of Youngstown Sheet and Tube on September 19, 1977, the valley has lost nearly one-fifth of its total population. Mill closings throughout the 1980s cost the region roughly 40,000 manufacturing jobs. This resulted in a spread of poverty, substandard housing, collapsing school systems, and an opioid crisis that will only worsen now. In early December, five children died in a house fire on Parkcliffe Avenue in Youngstown just a few miles from the Lordstown GM plant. Meanwhile, the death toll in Ohio from drug overdose has been staggering, with 4,854 deaths in 2017 alone. According to a recent study by the Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health, the combined loss of life expectancy in Ohio between 2010 and 2016 due to the opioid epidemic was more than 500,000 years. This includes approximately 30,000 lost years of life in the eastern counties of Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana around the former industrial centers of Youngstown and Warren. In Trumbull County, where the plant is located, the total reached a record 135 deaths for 2017. It is not just affecting workers at the plant or just the city of Youngstown," a veteran Lordstown worker told the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter. It is devastating a wide area; communities, families. People are being forced to leave behind relatives, wives, parents who are ill. The mood is very somber, he said. All these plants are closing despite the fact we gave up everything they wanted; competitive operating agreements; everything. The Lordstown plant was the scene of a three-week strike in 1972 over grueling speed-up for the production of the Chevy Vega compact car. The strike was a rebellion, particularly of young workers, against GM, which laid off 300 workers while increasing the line speed from 60 to 101 cars per hour, the fastest line speed in the world at the time. In the decades since then the UAW has done everything to stamp out any resistance by autoworkers to the destruction of jobs and ever greater levels of exploitation. The transformation of the UAW into a direct instrument of management was rooted in the inability of nationally based unions to respond in any progressive way to the globalization of production. In the name of increasing global competitiveness, the UAW has overseen the destruction of hundreds of thousands of jobs and imposed one round of concessions after another, including the introduction of multiple tiers and the spread of part time work. At the same time, the UAW has sought to divert opposition to its collusion with the auto bosses by blaming job and wage cuts on workers in China, Mexico and other countries, even though these workers are facing the same attacks. In exchange for policing the workforce, the automakers have funneled billions of dollars over the last four decades into the coffers of the UAW through a network of corporate-union training centers established in the early 1980s. This has included the recently revealed direct bribery of union officials to obtain favorable contract terms from Fiat Chrysler. Through its retiree healthcare trust, the UAW also holds 100 million shares of GM stock, currently valued at around $4 billion. According to its latest filing with the US Labor Department, the UAW has just over $1 billion in assets, even though the number of dues paying members has plummeted from 1.5 million in 1979 to 431,000 today. During the same period, the number of hourly autoworkers employed by Detroits Big Three automakers has fallen from 750,000 to barely 150,000. Last year, UAW vice president for General Motors Cindy Estrada signed multiple Memorandums of Understanding behind the backs of workers that enabled GM to bring in low paid workers from its subsidiary, GM Subsystems, at Lordstown and sub-contract workers at its Lake Orion Assembly plant north of Detroit. The express purpose was to replace higher paid senior workers with a lower paid, essentially casual, workforce. The wave of GM plant shutdowns takes place under conditions where the company is raking in bumper profits. In 2018, GM posted third quarter pre-tax earnings of $3.2 billion, with an 8.8 percent profit margin, a 25 percent increase over the same period in 2017. North American earnings rose from $2.1 billion to $2.8 billion. The plant shutdowns and other job cuts will transfer to GM shareholders another $6 billion in cost savings while destroying more than 14,000 jobs. Over the last four years, the company has spent more than $10 billion on stock buybacksalmost double its cost-savings from mass layoffsin order to boost the fortunes its richest shareholders. From the first announcement of the plant closures the Socialist Equality Party and the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter insisted that the fight to defend jobs required the development of the independent initiative of workers in opposition to capitalism and the right of corporate owners to close plants and devastate workers lives. We insisted that such a fight had to be developed independently of and in opposition to the pro-corporate UAW. The only organized opposition to the plant closings has been mounted by the WSWS and the Steering Committee of the Coalition of Rank-and-File Committees. On February 9, the committee and the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter held a demonstration at General Motors headquarters in downtown Detroit insisting on the defense of all jobs and a fight to win back all lost concessions. The demonstration called for the international unity of autoworkers, linking the fight against plant closures with the ongoing militant struggle of maquiladora workers in Mexico and the broader struggles of the working class. The demonstration received statements of solidarity and support from workers involved in struggles in India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Germany and Britain. In contrast, the response of the UAW to the closings has been a repetition of the failed and reactionary policies it has pursued over the last four decades. It has combined ferocious anti-Chinese and anti-Mexican chauvinism, including a boycott of vehicles assembled in Mexico, with pathetic protests to GM management, the Trump administration and Democratic politicians, and the organization of demoralizing candlelight vigils. After a delay of months, only last week did the UAW file a pro forma lawsuit over breach of contract terms for the plant closures. Significantly, the Detroit-Hamtramck facility was not named in the suit. The UAW has refused to organize a single mass protest, let alone industrial action, over the ongoing jobs massacre. Now UAW President Gary Jones has said that the union will make the plant closures an issue in the 2019 contract talks, a sure indication that the UAW is preparing to use the attack on jobs to press for further concessions. Workers must launch a counteroffensive in defense of jobs and decent living standards. This requires the building of a network of rank-and-file committees from every factory to launch a struggle independent of the UAW, including preparations for demonstrations, plant occupations and a national strike. Central to this is establishing the unity in struggle of autoworkers throughout North America, linking workers in the US, Canada and Mexico to fight for demands that workers need, not what the auto bosses and the UAW claim is affordable. This includes rehiring all laid off workers and victimized workers, abolishing all tiers, hiring temporary and contract workers as full time regular employees and a 40 percent wage increase to make up for decades of wage stagnation. The fight against plant closings and mass layoffs requires a frontal assault on the financial oligarchy, which has dictated the restructuring of the auto industry. The working class must mount a political struggle for socialism against the corporations and financial interests behind them. This includes transforming the auto monopolies and other transnational conglomerates into public enterprises, collectively owned and democratically controlled by the working class, in order to guarantee good paying and secure jobs, industrial democracy and workers control of production. We urge workers interested in this struggle to contact the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter. The March 3 rally in Sydney organised by the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) represented a significant step forward in the fight to secure the freedom of persecuted WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. Hundreds assembled in person at Martin Place Amphitheatre and were addressed by both SEP representatives and leading defenders of Assange, WikiLeaks and freedom of speech: journalist and filmmaker John Pilger, civil rights advocate Professor Stuart Rees and Consortium News editor-in-chief Joe Lauria. The campaign for the rally won the active endorsement of other significant independent journalists, prominent artists such as Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, and the most unwavering defenders of Assange and WikiLeaks in Australia and internationally, including Julians mother, Christine Assange. In the face of blanket censorship by the Australian political and media establishment, the rally was promoted through social media and independent news web sites. On March 3 itself, via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, thousands of people followed the rally from various parts of the world. Over the past 48 hours, reports and comments on the event have been viewed by tens of thousands of people. The speeches, or extracts from them, have been published by a range of sources and are circulating widely. Upcoming rallies on March 10 at the State Library in Melbourne and outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where Assange is being arbitrarily detained, are now being promoted with the same enthusiasm and determination. As SEP national secretary James Cogan concluded on March 3: Those of us here today and online represent the beginning of a mass campaign. We are sending a clear message to Julian Assange today and he will hear ityou are not alone, you have not been abandoned, you have not been forgotten. You will be freed. The demonstration won a powerful response on the basis of the unambiguous and principled political perspective upon which it was called. The rally was not based on appeals to the political establishment, but for independent action by the working class, to demand that the Australian government use its diplomatic and legal powers to secure Assanges immediate return to Australia, with guaranteed protection against extradition to the US. The SEP, the Australian section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), has insisted that the fight for the freedom of Julian Assange is inseparable from the broader struggle by the working class internationally against the capitalist profit systemthe source of the attacks on democratic rights, staggering levels of social inequality, neo-colonialism and the growing danger of world war. Democratic rightsincluding the rights of publishers like Assange and freedom of speechcan be defended only by the independent political mobilization of the working class in opposition to the pro-capitalist political parties and capitalist state. The working class has a vested interest in the existence of a genuine fourth estate, which provides truthful analysis, news and exposures of state propaganda, corruption and abuses. But as there can be no socialism without democracy, there can be no democracy without socialism. The American state apparatus and its agencies launched a vendetta in 2010 to frame up Assange with criminal charges, precisely because the US and other governments feared that WikiLeaks publication of whistleblower leaks would contribute to an eruption of mass discontent from below. Those fears were confirmed when cables published by WikiLeaks triggered an uprising by the working masses of Tunisia, which in turn played a role in the revolutionary upheavals in Egypt in February 2011 that brought down the US client regime of Hosni Mubarak. The defence of WikiLeaks by the WSWS and the ICFI since 2010 has been based on the clear understanding that the attempt to silence Assange and rail-road him into a prison cell, or worse, has above all been motivated by the determination of the ruling elite to try and keep the working class ignorant, disorientated, divided and suppressed. As James Cogan stated on March 3, Julian Assange is, in the most profound sense, a class war prisoner. Cogans speech drew attention to the two inter-connected processes that are transforming the situation, and which are crucial to winning Assange's freedom. Firstly, the working class is coming forward in a powerful resurgence of the international class struggle after decades in which it has been suppressed. Following major developments in 2018, the first months of 2019 have witnessed the ongoing yellow vest movement that has shaken the French government to its core, the eruption of strikes by teachers across the US, a rebellion by auto parts workers in Mexico, and ferment among workers in China, India and Brazil, to name only a few examples. On a rapidly expanding international front, workers are signalling that they are not prepared to accept any longer the conditions they face, and the future they and their children are being offered under capitalism. The working class is going to fight for a decent living standard, for democratic rights and for an end to the threat of climate change and world war. Secondly, the re-emergence of the working class, and the initial demonstrations of its power, has strengthened that section of the intelligentsia and professional middle class who have stood firm in their adherence to democratic principles and who have genuine concern for the fate of humanity. This layer was represented in the international campaign for the March 3 rally by a range of peopleincluding journalists, artists, lawyers, academics and educators, doctors, scientists and IT professionalswho participated in myriad different ways. The class struggle is not an abstraction. It is the objective driving force of social change. A broad political and industrial movement of workers internationally, guided by a socialist perspective, in opposition to militarism and social inequality, defending democratic rights and demanding freedom for all class war prisoners, is both possible and necessary. The impact it would have on the demand that the US, British and Australian governments cease persecuting Assange is palpable. The attraction of the progressive layers of the middle class to the working class is in stark contrast to those organisations that deny the class struggle, and, instead, promote the reactionary nostrums of identity politics, which seeks to divide workers according to gender, race, sexual preference, nationality and ethnic background. Within Australia and internationally, the pseudo-left organisations have refused to raise one word in defence of Assange. They represent a reactionary tendency, based in the upper echelons of the middle class, which is hostile to any challenge to the existing capitalist order, from which they derive privilege, position and wealth. The demonstrations are the initial stages of a renewed struggle to free Julian Assange, which will most likely be protracted and difficult. The more support that is expressed for Assange, the more slander and vilification will be directed against him and his defenders by the state apparatus and the establishment media. The way forward requires the expansion of the fight to raise the political consciousness of workers and young people. The working class must be made aware, through patient explanation of the issues at stake, that the defence of Assange and all independent media, is critical to their interests and their struggles, above all, to prevent the catastrophe of war. If WikiLeaks had not published the leaked Iraq and Afghanistan war logs and the trove of US diplomatic cables in 2010, or the Vault 7 leaks exposing CIA hacking and spying in 2017, they may never have seen the light of day. If anti-imperialist news outlets like the WSWS were not continually highlighting and warning of the dangers of war, the establishment media would have free rein to keep the population in the dark. The critical lesson from the struggle thus far to free Assange and against censorship and state repression, is the indispensable role of politically educated and organised Marxist and revolutionary leadership, which is what the ICFI represents. We urge all those who are drawing far-reaching conclusions about capitalism and the need for socialism to contact the SEP and ICFI. Treasury Board President Jane Philpott abruptly quit cabinet yesterday afternoon, declaring that she had lost confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government due to their handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair. In resigning, Philpottwho has been lauded by the corporate media as one of Trudeaus most effective ministersfollows close on the heels of former Justice Minister and Attorney-General Jody Wilson-Raybould and Gerald Butts, Trudeaus top adviser. Wilson-Raybould resigned February 12, five days after a newspaper report revealed that numerous government officials had pressured her to halt the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, a Montreal-based global engineering and construction firm, for paying out millions in bribes to win contracts in Libya. Philpotts unexpected resignation is a staggering blow to the government, which has been under sustained attack from much of the corporate media for violating the prohibition on political interference in criminal prosecutions. Sadly, wrote Philpott in her resignation letter, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised. She went on to implicitly call on other cabinet members to follow suit, noting that according to the constitutional convention of cabinet solidarity, ministers must defend all cabinet decisions. Given this convention and the current circumstances, it is untenable for me, Philpott declared, to continue to serve as a cabinet minister. Trudeau was already on the back foot prior to Philpotts resignation, with sections of the press echoing the Conservative Official Opposition in demanding that he resign following Wilson-Rayboulds damning testimony to the House of Commons Justice Committee last week. In her testimony, the former justice minister and attorney-general provided extensive information to back her charge that she had been subjected to consistent and sustained government pressure to overrule the Public Prosecution Service and offer SNC-Lavalin a deferred prosecution agreement. Under such an agreement, criminal charges would have been stayed in exchange for the company paying a fine and pledging to mend its ways. Wilson-Raybould also pointed to veiled threats from top officials in the Prime Ministers Office to support her charge that she was removed as attorney-general in January and demoted to the lowly Veterans Affairs Ministry, because she refused to heed their demand that she come to SNC-Lavalins rescue. She named 11 government officials, including Trudeau, Butts, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, and Michael Wernick, the clerk of the Privy Council or head of the civil service, as having been involved in the pressure campaign, which involved numerous meetings, e-mails and text messages. Especially damaging was Wilson-Rayboulds claims that the government was concerned about the impact its failure to intervene in support of SNC-Lavalin would have on Liberal fortunes in the federal election due this fall. Discussing a meeting with Trudeau and Wernick last September 17, she said that Trudeau reminded her he was an MP from Quebecthe Member from Papineau. Wilson-Raybould alleges that in a subsequent telephone conversation, Wernick informed her, I think [the prime minister] is gonna find a way to get it done one way or another. So, he is in that kinda mood and I wanted you to be aware of that. Underscoring the highly charged atmosphere within the government, Wilson-Raybould told the Justice Committee that Wernicks comments reminded her of the Saturday Night Massacre, a reference to US President Richard Nixons firing of the US attorney-general and his deputy, because they balked at his demand they sack the special prosecutor into the Watergate crisis. The World Socialist Web Site holds no political brief for Wilson-Raybould. She is a thoroughly conventional, right-wing bourgeois politician. Nevertheless, her testimony demonstrating how the Trudeau government functions at the beck and call of one of Canadas most powerful corporations, including in rewriting and trying to bend the law on its behalf (the legislation creating a deferred prosecutions option was hidden in the 2018 Liberal budget)is all the more damning because it comes from a political insider. Far from being an opponent of the Liberals right-wing, pro-corporate agenda, Wilson-Raybould has backed all of the Trudeau governments central anti-working class measures. These include Bill C-59, which enshrined the key measures in the previous Harper governments legislation greatly expanding the powers of the national-security apparatus; the Liberals hiking of military spending by over 70 percent by 2026; their multibillion-dollar tax handouts to big business; and their criminalization of last falls postal workers strike. At least up until yesterday, the Liberal government was giving every indication it is determined to find a way to shield SNC-Lavalin. Wilson-Rayboulds replacement as attorney-general has said he is reviewing the file and will make a fresh determination. Meanwhile, it has been reported the government is seeking a means to drop the prohibition on Ottawa awarding contracts to companies convicted of wrongdoing for 10 years. The SNC-Lavalin affair is particularly damaging for Trudeau and his government because it cuts across the image they have sought to project, with the aim of providing a progressive smokescreen for their pursuit of the ruling classs agenda of austerity at home and aggression and war abroad. A key part of this has been the promotion of identity politics, with Trudeau claiming to be pursuing a feminist foreign policy as his government integrates Canada still more fully into the US military-strategic offensivesagainst Russia, China, and now Venezuelaand touting a gender-balanced, unprecedentedly ethnically diverse cabinet. The daughter of a hereditary First Nations chief and the former elected chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, Wilson-Raybould was herself very much a poster child for the Liberals diversity claims. Now Trudeau and his top aides are being attacked from across the official political spectrum for bullying an indigenous woman. There is an enormous amount of hypocrisy in all this. Speeches Wilson-Raybould gave last fall suggest that she was unhappy with the Liberal government for not moving forward fast enough with native reconciliation. While popularly promoted as the answer to the poverty and squalor to which Canadian capitalism has condemned the vast majority of native people, native reconciliation is in fact directed at cultivating an indigenous elite that can contain and defuse mounting social opposition. However, this is not what is motivating the corporate media or at least the large sections of it that are presenting the bullying of Wilson-Raybouldsomething the ex-Attorney-General herself says was not illegalas a transgression virtually without precedent. They are cynically using the SNC-Lavalin affair to destabilize the Trudeau government, with the aim of pushing it further right and/or replacing it in the coming election with a government even more nakedly committed to reaction and militarism. This includes cheering on the Conservatives as they recklessly seek to stoke regional divisions, with their claims that the Liberals determination to shield SNC-Lavalin from prosecution is due to their favoring Quebecs interests at the expense of the oil sector in western Canada. While the crisis rocking the Liberal government has emerged in a somewhat unanticipated manner, it is at root a product of the intractable crisis confronting Canadas capitalist ruling elite under conditions of trade war, surging inter-imperialist and great power conflict, and the threat of a new global economic crisis. The Canadian bourgeoisie, as already demonstrated in its bringing to power right-wing populist governments in Ontario and Quebec, is determined that the assault on the working class be intensified, including through the promotion of anti-immigrant chauvinism and the criminalization of working-class opposition. In comments that underscore the ever-more desperate state of bourgeois rule in Canada, Privy Council Clerk Wernick began his testimony on the SNC-Lavalin affair at the Commons Justice Committee by saying, Im deeply concerned about my country right now and its politics and where its headed. I worry about the rising tide of incitements to violence, when people use terms like treason and traitor in open discourse. Those are the words that lead to assassination. Im worried that someone is going to be shot in this country this year during the political campaign. After denouncing the vomitarium of social media, in what amounted to a veiled call for state censorship, Wernick got to the heart of the matter, warning, Most of all, I worry about people losing faith in the institutions of governance in this country. I hope that moving forward Salisbury will once again be known for being a beautiful, welcoming English city and not for the events of 4 March 2018, said Prime Minister Theresa May on March 4, 2019. Monday marked one year since the still-unexplained events in Salisbury, England which sparked a major international crisis. On March 4, 2018, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found on a bench near a shopping centre in Salisbury town centre in an unconscious state. They were allegedly poisoned by a nerve agent, novichok. Sergei Skripal was a Russian agent, who spied for Britain in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was convicted by Russia for high treason in 2006. Four years later, he was sent to Britain in exchange for Russian spies jailed by London, after which he settled in Salisbury. May has good reason for wanting to draw a veil over the events of March 4. Just 10 days later, without providing any evidence, she declared that her government had concluded it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for an attempted murder on British soil. The Skripals poisoning was used to ratchet up tensions with Russia, leading to the expulsion of 150 Russian diplomatic staff from embassies around the world and the extensions of sanctions against Moscow. Discussion took place as to whether the UK should invoke article 5 of the NATO treaty to compel NATO countries to assist any member state attacked to take such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force. Even now there is no concrete evidence linking the regime of President Vladimir Putin with the Skripal poisoningor even proof that novichok was involved. What Russia had to gain by killing Skripal has never been answered. The Russian government was denied access to its citizens from the moment they were hospitalised, in breach of international law. On Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that its diplomats have been unable to receive answers to the simplest questions from Britain about the events. The absurdity is the absence of the chronology of events of that day or those days, what time and what happened, and who was where. Sergei and Yulia were supposedly attacked by the deadliest nerve agent ever invented, with the official narrative being that novichok was smeared on the front door handle of Sergeis house. Yet both made a miraculous recovery and were spirited out of hospital, in April and May, by intelligence and police officers. Apart from a fleeting glimpse of Yulia, who read a prepared statement in an unknown location last May 24, both Skripals have disappeared from view. On Saturday, the Daily Mirror reported obliquely, They remain under MI5 guard at great expense. Not only have the Skripals disappeared, but so too has Sergeis home. What was once a crime scene has over the last year been dismantled, including having its roof taken off, and decontaminated by, as reported by the Independent, almost 200 military personnel from the Royal Air Force and Army, alongside specialist contractors Then there is the role of the Porton Down biochemical warfare facility, located just a few miles from Salisbury. Porton Down has for decades specialized in producing nerve gases. Mays allegations that Russia was responsible were initially based on shifting analyses and blatantly contradictory statements, all of which came from Porton Down. Such was the level of public scepticism in these accounts that the Institute for Statecraft and its Integrity Initiativea secret propaganda network tied to the UK security servicesfelt it necessary to intervene and raise concerns that the government was far too weak, declaring, according to a leaked document dated March 11, 2018, [I]ts essential the government makes a much stronger response this time. Every new fact that emerges throws more doubt on the narrative of the Tory government. Last month it emerged that the first person to give first aid to the Skripals was the most senior nurse in the British Army, Alison McCourt, who happened to stumble across the pair while walking with her daughter. Likewise, the likelihood of McCourt being unaffected after giving CPR to the Skripalswith Yulia according to one witness, frothing at the mouth, is to say the least unlikely. On Monday, Kier Pritchard, chief constable of Wiltshire, claimed that he had never been informed that Sergei Skripal was even living in Salisburyan oversight that may be explained by the fact that he was actively working with MI6 via private contractors attached to the British security forcesbefore the events took place. Pritchard knows not to ask awkward questions, declaring, Why would I know? ... There was clearly a decision made not to inform the force and not to inform the chief constable and I respect that decision. While the Skripals survived, as did a police officer Nick Bailey, who was also hospitalised after being sent to Skripals home after the poisoning, there was one fatality associated with the case. On June 30 in nearby Amesbury, nearly four months after the Skripal poisonings, a 44-year-old woman, Dawn Sturgess, sprayed a substance said to be novichok onto her wrists, thinking it was a perfume. The perfume bottle was supposedly offloaded into a charity bin by the extraordinarily inefficient assassins and found by her partner Charlie Rowley. Dawn Sturgess died in hospital on July 8. Rowley has suffered ill-health ever since the incident. The British government has provided no substantial information as to the circumstances of Dawns death, even to the Sturgess family. In an interview with the Guardian last month, her father, Stan, said, I want justice from our own government. What are they hiding? I dont think they have given us all the facts. Over the weekend, Dawns 20-year-old son, Ewan Hope, told the Daily Mirror that he had written to Putin for any answers he could provide, but his family had not heard anything from the British government or their local MPnot a phone call, a letter, or anything. On her visit to Salisbury to mark the anniversary, May described the city as emerging from the shadow cast by the use of chemical weapons on the streets of our country. The clean-up operation, whatever this involved, officially ended last week and even the Skripals house was declared safe. No other contaminant has ever been reported. All glaring inconsistencies and omissions notwithstanding, the Skripal affair continues to be used to whip up anti-Russian hysteria in order to further demonise and isolate Moscow, as part of an overall agenda of preparing for a military conflict. Britains main purveyor of anti-Russian propaganda, the Guardian, wrote Monday that according to a source with knowledge who spoke to the Press Association, The intelligence agencies have been investigating unusual and increased activity at the Russian embassy in Kensington in the days leading up to and after the attack on the Skripals. The transparent purpose of this story, again with no evidence provided, is to reinforce the narrative that the Russian government tried to assassinate the Skripals, in order to combat the continued scepticism of the British public and justify further acts of aggression against Moscow. The author also recommends: The Skripal poisoning: What lies behind UK-US ultimatums against Russia? [14 March 2018] UK Integrity Initiative heavily involved in Skripal affair [7 January 2019] More than six tornadoes swept across the southeastern United States on Sunday, destroying thousands of structures and leaving 23 dead. Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle all suffered tornados, while the same storm system dumped hail on Louisiana and high winds reached from Mississippi to South Carolina. Lee County, in eastern Alabama, incurred all the reported deaths as of this writing, which includes several children, one of them a 6-year-old. The National Weather Service reported that one of the tornadoes that touched down in the countythere were at least twospanned a half-mile in width and unleashed winds 158 to 206 miles per hour. County Sheriff Jay Jones described the wreckage in a press conference Monday morning in dire terms: It looks almost as like [sic] someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. There are slabs where homes formerly stood Complete residences are gone Whole forested areas, trees are just snapped and lying on the ground. The giant knife scrape described by Jones lies in a rural stretch of Lee County along Highway 51, between the towns of Opelika to the north and Beauregard to the south, just a few miles east of Auburn University. The area hosts several mobile home parks, at least one of which appears to have been completely obliterated. Search crews composed of government officials and volunteers numbering between 100 and 200 looked for survivors Monday, assisted by infrared-sensing drones, which can identify human body heat. Jones said he expected the death toll23 at the time of the press conferenceto rise as the number of people still unaccounted for stood in the double digits. The East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika reported more than 60 patient intakes relating to the storm as of Sunday night. We had several families that have probably lost everybody in their whole family, Bill Harris, the Lee County coroner, told CNN on Monday. Local news helicopter footage of the storms aftermath showed widespread and severe damage. Where structures still exist in the area, many now lack electricity. Forecasts predict a snowstorm is headed for the area, posing another deadly threat to the most vulnerable residents. In neighboring Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Monday afternoon in three countiesHarris, Talbot and Grady. Between 2,000 and 3,000 homes in Georgia remain without power. Dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed. There have been 12 reported injuries in the state and no fatalities. While specific details about the storms destruction continue to emerge from a chaotic situation, the facts to date follow a familiar pattern. To start, definite risks of natural disaster exist and are known to the government. Warnings come about impending danger. Then, as catastrophe strikes, local and federal governments respond with woeful inadequacy. A news cycle or perhaps two concerns itself with images and video footage of devastation and suffering. Politicians offer prayers and little else. Then, something like socio-political amnesia sets in, and a society run by wealthy oligarchs leaves the disaster victims to fend for themselves. Within a few weeks, the cycle is begun anew with a different tragedy, out of the blue. No improvements are made to infrastructure, no mass emergency planning is undertaken. In the case of Sundays deadly tornadoes, the danger was well known, given the spate of tornadoes in 2011 which killed more than 230 people in Alabama alone, or the tornados in January 2017 that killed 18 in Mississippi and Georgia. While the National Weather Service and Lee County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) appear to have sounded the warnings for Sundays tornadoes in timeincluding a text-message alertthe most vulnerable residents had no place to go. In fact, Lee County EMAs website informs citizens that they are on their own as far as tornado shelters, A vehicle, trailer or mobile home does not provide good protection Plan to go quickly to a building with a strong foundation, if possible. A link about making a Family Emergency Plan leads to an error page. The video and images of the destruction in Lee County make clear that the scope of the emergency rescue effortinvolving 100-200 personsis paltry. Undoubtedly, at least some people who could cling to life beneath the rubble will die preventable deaths from exposure, dehydration and the like. Combining verbal clumsiness, cynicism and, of course, religion, president Trump tweeted late Sunday, To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all! This remark parallels his previous comments about the California wildfires and hurricanes Florence and Harvey. Trump and the entire social order he oversees bear responsibility for every single injury and death in this and other such natural disasters. While some property damage may be inevitable, every injury and loss of life is a social crime. In each case, those deprived of safe housing, transportation and other basic necessities face financial and even physical destruction. Every dollar in tax cuts for billionaires, for foreign wars, for nuclear weapons, is a dollar stolen from the working class, a dollar that could have saved a life. This author also recommends: Eighteen killed in Mississippi, Georgia as tornadoes descend on southeastern US [23 January 2017] To stem climate change, capitalism must be ended [22 November 2018] Last week, an Amtrak train carrying 183 passengers was stranded in the small town of Oakridge, Oregon, after trees which fell during heavy snowfall blocked the tracks. Train number 14, the Coast Starlight, was headed from Seattle to Los Angeles, and was about to begin the climb into the Cascade Mountains as the shutdown of the railroad, owned by Union Pacific, stalled its progress. As the delay climbed to a total of 36 hours, the stranded passengers became a national news story. The crew of the train was stranded as well and worked extreme hours without rest to assist passengers as communication remained spotty and supplies dwindled. Amtrak lead service attendant James Lake, who ran the cafe/lounge car on the train, became a crucial source of help for the passengers. He continued the work of providing food, but also organized musicians to play for children, let passengers use his phone who didnt have phone reception, and heard out their misery. As reported in the Oregonian, When supplies ran out, he fashioned makeshift diapers for passengers with youngsters, using terrycloth towels and hunting for safety pins over the intercom. The extreme delay of the Coast Starlight is not an isolated example, though it is the most extreme. Amtraks long-distance trains have faced common delays of five, 10, or even 15 hours. In other cases, they have been canceled outright prior to a winter storm. In Canada, the twice-weekly Canadian that runs between Vancouver and Toronto, serving remote areas and big cities alike, has been 10-36 hours late nearly every time it has run this winter. Winter has been severe in many places, bringing unusually fierce cold and heavy snowfall. Yet it is not the only explanation of the atrocious delays. Railways in Russia also cover extreme distances and weather conditions, but a delay that even measures in hours would be considered unusual. In the United States, winter weather often causes major flight delays and cancellations, and deadly chaos on interstates, and trains had been previously been the most reliable way to keep traveling during the winter. In the US and Canada, the private ownership of railways and the general drive to cut costs to boost profits or in the case of Amtrak, to reduce any kind of public subsidy leads to worse and worse service. Amtrak in the United States and Via in Canada largely operate over private freight railroads. Over decades, the freight railroads have rationalized their networks and operations to extract ever greater amounts of tonnage hauled out of fewer routes and fewer employees. Surplus routes and capacity have been cut, and railroad employment hovers around 235,000, down from 1 million workers in 1958. To cut that many employees, many operations have become remote, and far fewer employees work along the routes even as they carry more traffic. Every few dozen miles used to have station agents who marketed service and served traffic, all of which is now gone. Traffic was one controlled by operators located along routes, with intimate first-hand knowledge; now dispatchers work remotely from a far-removed headquarters, get hundreds of miles of operations dumped into their workload, and work an entire shift barely able to pause for a bathroom break. Freight trains used to be shorter and had crewmembers in a caboose on the end who could assist with work and diagnose problems. Now, they are two, three, even four times longer and that much heavier, and two people in the front are responsible for everything. If a freight train running ahead of a passenger train has a problem, it routinely can take hours to fix while clogging up a whole route. At present, US freight railroads are implementing the fraudulent Precision Scheduled Railroading, which relies on a program of cuts to boost the stock price. It has a notorious record of reducing maintenance personnel, from those who maintain locomotives and equipment, to those who keep the railroad tracks maintained, or those who work on the signaling systems. All told, far fewer workers have far more work pinned on them, and when something goes wronga guarantee in winter weatherthere are fewer workers to respond, and they are more and more spread out. Union Pacific, the railroad the Coast Starlight was stranded on, is currently implementing Precision Scheduled Railroading and has announced thousands of layoffs while cutting equipment and maintenance. In Oregon, questions could be asked about whether they proactively prepared for the forecasted snowfall and had enough maintenance employees in the area to handle the problems that arose. Aside from that, freight railroads sometimes prioritize their own traffic over passenger traffic. In Canada, that is the largest explanation of the preposterous 30-plus hour delays to the cross-country Canadian. It operates over Canadian National, which routinely makes the Via train sit for hours while freight traffic passes. Finally, Amtrak delays have sources linked to Amtrak itself. The railroad is (technically) a for-profit corporation with funds that partly come from the federal government, but are a pittance compared to the needs, and change on the whim of Congress every year. Most of Amtraks equipment is incredibly old, and prone to problems in colder winter weather. Every Amtrak CEO takes the mantle of cutting costs and finally achieving profits, none more notoriously than the current CEO, Richard Anderson, who was formerly CEO of Delta Air Lines. Under Andersons control, Amtrak has sought to effectively destroy its national network by eliminating long-distance trains and reverting to shorter corridors. In pursuit of that goal, Amtrak continues to put out rigged data to try to prove that long-distance trains are the major drain on Amtraks finances. In the case of the daily Southwest Chief between Chicago and Los Angeles, Amtrak held back its own matching funds when other sources tried to provide the majority of funding to improve maintenance in New Mexico and Kansas. Instead, Amtrak sought to disconnect the route and replace that portion with a charter bus. In other cases, Amtrak has cut amenities provided to passengers, station agents, discounts, and other features, seemingly on its own warpath to reduce ridership to justify cutbacks. Self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido returned to Venezuela after an 11-day absence Monday, escorted into the country by a phalanx of Western diplomats, including the ambassadors of the US, Germany, France, Canada, Brazil and several other countries. In advance of his return, Washington issued threats of retaliation against any attempt by Venezuelan authorities to apprehend Guaido, who violated an order of Venezuelas supreme court barring him from leaving the country after state prosecutors announced the initiation of a criminal investigation into the right-wing opposition operatives involvement in the US-orchestrated coup. US National Security Adviser John Bolton warned that any interference with Washingtons Venezuelan puppet would provoke a strong and significant response from the US. Similarly, US Vice President Mike Pence tweeted that any action taken against Guaido would not be tolerated & will be met with a swift response. After leaving the Simon Bolivar airport, Guaido was driven to a rally in eastern Caracas, the wealthy district of Venezuelas capital, where he told a crowd of supporters that the fact that he was not arrested upon arrival was proof that the Venezuelan security forces were not obeying the orders of President Nicolas Maduros government. The chain of command is broken, he said. He directed much of his speech to the military, demanding that it not stand idly by and ordered them to arrest armed supporters of the Maduro government organized in so-called colectivos based in the poorer neighborhoods of Caracas and other Venezuelan cities. Guaido left Venezuela on February 22 to lead the Trojan Horse humanitarian aid operation organized by Washington. Both he and his US backers had promoted an attempt the next day to forcibly crash through the Venezuelan border from Colombia with a handful of trucks carrying food and other supplies stockpiled by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as the event that would bring down the Maduro government, forcing the military to turn against it. Nothing of the kind took place. The aid convoys were easily blocked, while clashes between security forces and protesters led to several deaths, concentrated among an indigenous population on Venezuelas border with Brazil. The tidal wave of aid and millions of supporters that Guaido had promised failed to materialize. The entire operation was a filthy and cynical propaganda stunt staged by a US government that offered a pittance in terms of food supplies, even as it systematically strangles Venezuelas economy and impoverishes its population with sweeping sanctions barring the country from the US-dominated financial system and blocking its export of oil. In his speech in eastern Caracas Monday, Guaido promised that even more sanctions are to come, but did not provide any details as to their scope. During his 11 days outside of Venezuela, Guaido met in Colombia with Pence and the so-called Lima Group, consisting of several Latin American governments along with Canada. He traveled on for meetings with Brazils newly installed president, the fascistic former army captain Jair Bolsonaro, as well as the right-wing government of Mauricio Macri in Argentina, and in Paraguay that of Mario Abdo Benitez, a former military officer who has extolled the legacy of the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner, whom his father served as private secretary. He also went to Ecuador for a meeting with President Lenin Moreno, who is attempting to curry favor with Washington. Throughout this tour, Guaido was accompanied by his US handler, the State Departments assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Kimberly Breier, who is described on the departments website as a policy expert and intelligence professional with more than 20 years of experience. Guaido, a member of the right-wing Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party, which has received substantial financial aid from the National Endowment for Democracy and other US agencies, is a creature of US intelligence, groomed for a regime change operation and unknown to the Venezuelan population before he proclaimed himself interim president on January 23. The appeals made by Guaido to the Venezuelan military, offering a blanket amnesty to anyone who supports his coup and guarantees of their interests, while threatening prosecution of those who fail to do so, have thus far produced few results. The Colombian government and the Venezuelan right-wing opposition claim that some 700 members of the security forcesout of a force of 235,000have defected, while the Maduro government puts the number at 116. Guaido, both before and after the debacle of the humanitarian aid stunt of February 23, has appealed openly for a US military intervention to secure the overthrow of the Maduro government. He argued last month that the Venezuelan National Assembly, where he was installed as president in January, was authorized to approve the intervention of an international force to restore the constitutional order and protect the lives of our citizens. He also invoked the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine used to justify previous imperialist regime-change operations, such as those in the former Yugoslavia and Libya. The Lima Group has formally rejected military intervention in Venezuela, opting for diplomatic and financial pressure to topple the Maduro government. In a March 1 interview with Patricia Janiot, the anchor of the US Spanish-language television broadcaster Univision, Elliott Abrams, appointed in January as the Trump administrations special representative for Venezuela, denied that Washington is preparing to use military force, either to topple Maduro or to force through the humanitarian aid supplies it has stockpiled on Venezuelas borders. Abrams, it should be noted, is a convicted liar, who gave false testimony to the US Congress on the illegal conspiracy to arm and finance the CIA-organized contra terrorists who were unleashed upon Nicaragua in the 1980s. He served as the Reagan administrations point man in justifying and covering up the atrocities of US-backed dictatorships in El Salvador and Guatemala. In a Sunday interview with CNN, however, John Bolton gave a full-throated defense of US intervention in Venezuela, declaring, In this administration were not afraid to use the word Monroe Doctrine. He was referring to the nearly 200-year-old canon of US foreign policy that supposedly endowed Washington with the right to use force in preventing outside powers from establishing a foothold in the Western Hemisphere. Initially invoked as a US policy of opposing any attempt by European empires to re-colonize newly independent countries in Latin America, it was turned into a declaration of a US imperialist sphere of influence and became the rationale for some 50 direct US military interventions in the region along with the fomenting of CIA-backed coups that imposed fascist-military dictatorships over much of the region in the second half of the 20th century. If this doctrine is being resurrected today against Venezuela, it is because of the close economic and political ties established by Caracas with both Beijing and Moscow. The United States, as Bolton previously acknowledged, is determined to bring the country and its oil wealththe largest proven reserves in the worldback under the domination of US imperialism and the US-based energy conglomerates. An indication of Washingtons real intentions was provided by a column published in the Spanish daily El Pais by Hector Schamis, who is an instructor on Latin America at the US School of Foreign Service. He writes that while the diplomatic solution would be ideal in Venezuela, the problem is that, in politics, the ideal rarely takes place in reality. He goes on to state that without American troops [Yugoslavian president Slobodan] Milosevic would not have gone to the diplomatic negotiating table. Much less would he have died as a prisoner in The Hague in 2006. Guaido has called for anti-government protests on Saturday and announced that he is meeting with leaders of public employee unions today. The union leaderships are seeking to channel the widespread anger of workers over the austerity policies and repressive measures of Maduros bourgeois government behind the US imperialist regime-change operation. The success of this operation would impose a brutal dictatorship of US imperialism and Venezuelan capitalist interests over the masses of working people, leading to far more severe austerity measures and police-state repression. The desperate crisis created by capitalism in Venezuela and the threat of US military intervention can be countered only by means of the political mobilization of the Venezuelan working class, independently of Maduros capitalist government and its trade union stooges. The organization of workers assemblies to expropriate foreign and domestic capitalist interests and establish workers control over the countrys vast oil wealth must be combined with a struggle to unite the Venezuelan working class with workers throughout the hemisphere to put an end to capitalism. Cuban director Rudy Riveron, whose work is inspired by Polanski, Bergman and Hitchcock, and who grew up watching Soviet anti-hero films, will screen his movie Is That You? on Monday at the Miami International Film Festival, giving the audience an opportunity to watch the first psychological horror film made in Cuba. Riveron, who was born in Holguin in 1972, said in an interview with EFE at the Miami Beach hotel where he is staying that there are differences between psychological horror movies and thrillers. In psychological horror, the protagonist recreates an element that could be a product of his imagination, something that scares him from the outside and disturbs him, the director said. In a thriller, the protagonist attacks directly, to avenge something less subjective. Is That You? took six years to complete and was produced in the United Kingdom, telling the story of an estranged family with a suffocating dominant father who disappears and the actions of his 13-year-old daughter in her search for her father. Her hunt becomes a spiritual mix of Santeria with the laws of metaphysics in an oppressive environment, highlighted by the work of veteran cinematographer Raul Perez Ureta. Riveron said he was proud to have stayed away from the stereotypes of Cuban films and the culture that surrounds the country in general. I wanted the audience to focus on the psychological problems of the characters. The tempo helped me create a clausterphobic atmosphere and draw attention at the same time, Riveron, who is based in Britain, said. The Cuban director took a course on screenwriting and created his own production company in the UK. Living in England for 17 years, studying and researching (horror cinema) and taking a screenwriting workshop for five months in Canada, helped me a lot, Riveron said. The filmmaker said he was influenced by "(Roman) Polanski, Ingmar Bergman, Lars von Trier (and) Alfred Hitchcock, as well as by the movies and animated works of the former USSR, where all of the protagonists were antiheroes. I had the idea of the girl confronting the family and decided to put her in Cuba because I also discovered that it would be the first movie of its kind to be filmed there, Riveron said. The films star, Gabriela Ramos, sighed when asked about the experience. I made the film when I was 16 and now Im 19, the acting student, who was given a special permit to be in the cast, said. Ramos won the Seymour Cassel Award at the 2018 Oldenburg Film Festival in Germany, where she arrived just five minutes before the premiere of Is That You? The actress also worked on "Ultimos dias en La Habana (Last Days in Havana), directed by Fernando Perez, and won the Best Supporting Actress award at Spains Malaga Film Festival and Best Actress at the Latin American film festival in Biarritz, France. Riverons film will be screened on Monday during the 36th Miami International Film Festival after being shown in San Francisco last week. The film will be screened later this month at the Chicago Latino Film Festival. The director said the movie had not been shown in Cuba, adding that it would be difficult to screen on the island because of legal considerations in England. By Jorge Ignacio Perez AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - One of Georgia's medical schools wants to embark on a plan that could put dozens of new doctors in rural parts of the state. Medical College of Georgia wants a program that would help pay tuition for doctors who serve in rural areas, where there's a need for more physicians, The Augusta Chronicle reported . Under the proposal, the Augusta institution also would expand by 50 students and shorten its medical school to three years. The initiative is "the biggest thing we've done since 1828," Medical College of Georgia Dean David Hess said. That's the year the school was founded. Hess and Augusta University President Brooks Keel have approached state leaders about the plan. They've also pitched the idea of the state paying tuition for students who agree to spend at least six years in underserved areas of the state, the Augusta newspaper reported. A physician shortage is driving the proposal to add an additional 50 students, Hess said. The state ranks near the bottom in physicians per capita. Most of the areas which are considered underserved are outside metro Atlanta. "So we said if we're going to do this, why don't we do something novel and innovative?" Hess said. "If we're going to increase by 50, let's reduce the medical school (debt) because the other thing we have been working on is our student debt." The change from four years to three means one less year of medical school tuition, he said. The idea has taken hold in other parts of the country. New York University's School of Medicine began a three-year program in 2013. That institution and seven others with accelerated three-year programs formed the Consortium of Accelerated Medical Pathway Programs in 2015. The group now includes a dozen U.S. medical schools, including Mercer University's School of Medicine in Georgia. "I think many schools are undertaking serious, interesting curricular innovation approaches and, with that, being open to the possibility of a three-year program as one of the multiple innovations that different schools are trying," said Dr. Alison J. Whelan, chief medical education officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges. An accelerated program in Augusta could take advantage of the 500 to 600 new residency positions recently created and funded by the state that are scattered throughout Georgia. Many of them are associated with Medical College of Georgia and its regional affiliates such as Phoebe Putney Health System in Albany, Hess said. "We want to have an opportunity for students to go to medical school for free so when they graduate they don't have any debt at all if they will go practice in rural Georgia for six years," Keel said. Supporters hope the proposal could pass this legislative session or the following year, Keel said. Information from: The Augusta Chronicle , http://www.augustachronicle.com CUMMING, Ga. (AP) Sheriff's officials are completing their investigation into the death of a Georgia woman who was found unresponsive during a house party. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office tells news outlets a final report on the Nov. 4 death of 40-year-old Tamla Horsford may be released this week, pending review of recently received autopsy and toxicology reports. Deputies found Horsford dead in the backyard during the house party in Cumming. The Forsyth County News reports an autopsy found Horsford's death was accidental, caused by "blunt force injuries" and related to alcohol intoxication. Maj. Joe Perkins said that witness and county court worker Jose Barrera had inappropriately accessed reports in the case and was fired. Barrera denied wrongdoing and told the newspaper he had checked on Horsford after her body was found. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Florida Congressman is highlighting Panama City and Tallahassee as prime locations for Amazons HQ2. On Friday, Congressman Neal Dunn highlighted Panama City and Tallahassee, Florida as prime locations for Amazons HQ2. This week, Amazon announced it will not be moving forward with plans to locate half of its second headquarters (HQ2) in Long Island City, Queens. In a letter to Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, Dunn stated: I believe that you would find competitively priced real estate located in close proximity to major airports, railroad lines, interstates, or deep water ports like the Port of Panama City an excellent choice for HQ2. Furthermore, Verizon has recently announced a $25 million investment to make Panama City one of two 5G capable cities east of the Mississippi, and the only 5G mobile city in the country. I am sure you will agree the people that I represent are among the most hard working and resilient in the United States. To read the full letter, click here. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Project Spotlight: On Wings of Eagles The Fellowship | March 5, 2019 The Fellowships On Wings of Eagles program assists needy Jews in making aliyah (immigrating to Israel). They come from all over the world Russia, France, Ukraine, Argentina, and elsewhere to escape anti-Semitism and extreme poverty, and to realize the dream of living in their biblical homeland. When they arrive in Israel, On Wings of Eagles provides them with klitah (resettlement) assistance to help them become full, productive citizens. Arriving in Israel Full of Hope Anna was surprised at how quickly she learned to tolerate life under fire in Ukraine. In 2014, she and her husband, Anton, watched in horror as pro-Russian militants invaded Ukraine, trying to capture their city, Donetsk. But as time went on, so did their lives. The couple continued to raise their kids, and they even had another child, despite the fact that many of the reputable doctors had left the country when the hostilities started. While life as they knew it had changed dramatically, they had no choice but to try to keep moving forward. Surprisingly, you get used to war, understanding that nothing will ever change, said Anna. When the war first started, the family had to leave their home in Donetsk because the company Anton worked for relocated to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. At first, the company happily paid for the familys housing, knowing that they were IDPs (internally displaced persons). However, a year later, the company could no longer afford to pay for their rent, and the family was left wondering what to do next. They couldnt afford the citys high cost of living. Anton started looking for a new job, one that was located in a more affordable part of Ukraine. The family moved back to Donetsk and Anton found work in annexed Crimea, meaning hed be away from his family every few months for work, which became a huge burden and struggle. When Anna reflects back on this time in her life, she realizes that her attitude is probably what allowed her to keep going, even as shells exploded dangerously near their home. But after a while, the war took its toll on her. I realized that so many people, including me, were getting used to the idea that constant danger is a normal way of life. I started thinking about how dangerous the explosions could be. Often nobody warns you about the upcoming danger. And I thought about how this war could last for ages. At that point, I realized I couldnt stand living there anymore. Then Annas uncle made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) and she started wondering if her family should make aliyah, too. Since Anna and Anton both come from strong Jewish backgrounds, they started talking about moving to their spiritual homeland. Eventually, they contacted The Fellowship, and planned to make aliyah on a Fellowship Freedom Flight. We dont have that feeling that we will lose something. Life just begins and we will gain much more ahead, said Anna. After living life in such uncertain and dangerous circumstances, the family feels truly blessed to begin new lives of hope in the Holy Land. They feel especially grateful to The Fellowship and its donors for all the help that was provided. The Fellowship showed great understanding for our difficult position, said Anna. We did not have passports or visas and The Fellowship waited with us. With your help, we safely made it to Israel. Thank you! Help fill the next Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein Freedom Flight and bring a Jewish person or family from the four corners of the earth home to the land promised to them Israel. IDF Major Discovers Brother Was Victim The Fellowship | March 5, 2019 Embed from Getty Images Since military service in Israel is compulsory, the men and women who serve in the IDF are a band of brothers (and sisters). But Arutz Sheva tells us that when an IDF major heard of this weeks car-ramming attack on a group of soldiers, the attack hit even closer to home the soldier who was severely injured by the terrorists was his own brother: Moshe, who knew his brother was serving as a company commander in the area, began to verify the exact details of the ramming. Within a short time, he understood: His brother was the officer who was severely injured in the attack. Moshes brother, Yisrael Meir Elitzur, was transferred to Tel Hashomer Hospital together with the lightly injured Border Police officer. The Border Police officer was released from the hospital later Monday morning, while Elitzur was taken to the operating room. Elitzur, a resident of the Binyamin-region town of Kokhav Hashahar, is married and the father of a two-year-old girl and six-month-old boy. He has been serving in the IDF for the past eight years, and currently serves as a company commander in the Kfir Brigade. His brother, Moshe, is a major in the same brigades Nachshon Battalion. Both of them were doing operational activities early Monday morning, and a general announcement about the ramming attack was sent to all brigade officers just after the attack occurred. Moshe received the notification together with the other commanders, and at first did not realize it was his brother who had been injured. The Kfir Brigade is like family for me, Moshe said. I grew up in it, from the moment it was created until today. In addition to my fighter friends, I have merited to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with my brother. During the night, we both went out to perform operational activities in order to protect the residents of Judea and Samaria, each of us in the area he is responsible for. When you perform these operational activities you concentrate on them fully. When I heard that my brother had been injured, I continued to carry out my task. Only after I had transferred the responsibility to someone else in an organized fashion did I travel to the hospital. He is my brother my brother in blood and my brother in weapons, and we meet during exercises and activities, and share mutual values which are important to both of us, as well as a sense of mission and responsibility, all of which bring us closer together Darksiders 3 'Keepers of the Void' DLC Now Available Ferenc Gyurcsany, leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK), outlined his partys family policy plan aimed at encouraging Hungarian couples to have children. The first part of DKs proposal calls for the repeal of the labour code amendment passed last December. Gyurcsany argued that people who are forced to work ten hours a day six days a week would not be too keen to have children. Families with small children must be guaranteed, he said, that they will not be evicted from their homes. Further, caregiving should be officially recognised as employment and caregivers should be paid at least the minimum wage. Gyurcsany also called for raising family benefits by 50% with immediate effect and for vacant general practitioner and paediatric practices to be filled. Further, the wages of health-care workers should be raised by at least 50%, he said. The wage increases should continue over the next four years, with wages rising by at least 15% every year, Gyurcsany added. The former prime minister also called for creating the conditions for schools to provide modern education and language skills. Tuition fees should either be lowered or scrapped entirely and the number of students higher education institutions can admit should be increased, he added. He also said basic utilities should be made free for everyone up to a certain consumption level. Ruling Fidesz said in reaction that Gyurcsanys real programme involves supporting the settlement of migrants instead of families with children. Gyurcsany is attacking the governments family policy because he is a pro-migration politician, Fidesz said in a statement. He has refused to vote in support of increasing home-care fees, the introduction of home-care for children and all home creation support but when in power, he discontinued three-year child benefits and introduced austerity measures and raised taxes, it added. The co-ruling Christian Democrats (KDNP) said Gyurcsany was simply unable to accept that his family policy goes against common sense. After taking Hungarys economy to the brink of bankruptcy during his reign, he would now offer public utility services for free and instead of supporting a work-based society, he would restore a system making families dependent on benefits, KDNP said in a statement. MTI Photo: Bruzak Noemi David Holzer embarks on a pilgrimage to discover the differences between Szecesszio and Art Nouveau. On a wonderfully gloomy late January afternoon, I made my way through a Budapest neighborhood of large villas. Some looked abandoned, others were marked by the flag of a foreign power. All had seen better days. I walked into up Varosligeti fasor in a stiff wind that promised rain. My destination was the Gyorgy Rath Villa, once a family home but now a museum to Art Nouveau, in particular Hungarian Szecesszio, or Secessionist art. I found it opposite the Reformed Church, itself an intriguing building. Although Id been told that the Szecesszio was Hungarys take on art nouveau, I hadnt been able to establish what the difference was between the two in my own mind. I hoped that all would be made clear at the villa. I was not disappointed. Viewed from the path, beside a patch of grimy snow that refused to melt, the Rath Villa looked small. This was a good sign. I had not yet had lunch and my stomach was beginning to protest discreetly. It looked like I could be in and out of the Rath Villa in an hour at the most. I was confident Id leave enlightened but not exhausted. This turned out to be the case. Secessionism is a broadly Europe-wide art movement that began in France and spread across the continent in the late 19th and early 20th century. Somewhat paradoxically, it rejected tradition in favor of the modern, but also harked back to bygone ages. I would guess that the spark for Hungarian Szecesszio was the Viennese Secession, although I do feel somewhat disloyal in writing this. I would love to know if the influence ever went the other way, from Hungary to Austria and beyond. Rebel Figure A leading light of the Vienna Secession, which manifested its rebellion against the stuffiness of the mainstream art world in the form of Art Nouveau, was the great Gustav Klimt. Think of the infinitely reproduced The Kiss (1907/08). Art Nouveau can be crudely defined as a highly decorative style inspired by natural shapes. This gave it a free-flowing sensuality that was combined with a romantic sensibility derived, I think, from the British pre-Raphaelites. Hungarian Szecesszio added the influence of oriental design and the not insignificant contributions of this countrys folk art. The difference between what was produced in Hungary and the rest of Europe became clear as I sauntered around the Rath Villa. Work by British textile designer William Morris and his followers in the Arts and Crafts movement was displayed adjacent to American Tiffany Lamps, which first appeared at the end of the 19th century. Towards the end of my visit, I was sitting on a clear Perspex chair usually occupied by the security guard, who had a face like a friendly film noir conman. I was trying to imagine what the villa would have been like when the Rath family was in residence, when I became aware of an oddly familiar piece of music echoing through the house. An electric piano that sounded like rain falling tinkled over an insistent bassline and skittering drums. Right then I couldnt pin down what the music was, but it was a perfect fit with the mood inside the Rath Villa that afternoon, which was oddly, sweetly sad. What, I wondered, happened to the Rath family when World War One came and was followed by the tumult of the years before WWII. Where did they end up? Who of the family is left today? Just before I left, I came across a room not much bigger than a cupboard. This was where the music was coming from. It was part of the soundtrack to an educational movie in Hungarian. The music was a loop of the intro to Riders on the Storm by The Doors. Here, in the Rath Villa, it made more sense than it ever had the countless times Id heard it before. Munching on the Modern Stepping out of the Rath Villa, I was instantly hungry. I headed for Petofi Sandor utca, just down from Deak Ferenc ter. This street boasts, to my eye at least, a fine example of what is either Art Nouveau or Szecesszio architecture. Its also the home of the ultra-modern Kajahu restaurant. Kajahus gimmick, which it doesnt need, is that you order using a computer set into your table, like one of those old-fashioned Asteroids video games. Unless theres a virus in the machine, theres no chance of your order being wrong. This is an ingenious idea and Id assumed, because of this, that Kajahu was part of a big chain. It isnt. Yet. Its the brainchild of Hungarians, and its parent company, CyBERG, is traded on the Budapest Stock Exchange. According to a recent article on bbj.hu, Kajahu has cleared a franchise to open in the Parndorf Fashion Outlet in Austria, near the border with Hungary. CyBERG also signed a franchise agreement last year for 73 Kajahu restaurants to open in Austria, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia by 2030. Thinking back to my question as to whether art movements began in Hungary and emanated outwards, I found the idea that Kajahu is a pioneer somehow heartening. Its about time Hungary had its own international chain of restaurants. The food is simple and healthy, with a decent enough choice for vegetarians. Theres also a small deli at the back of the restaurant. It was afternoon when I was there but in the evenings theres often a DJ. Fortunately, the music tends towards the mellow and is, in any case, not at all obtrusive. If you fancy, you can also cook your own food at Kajahu and invite your friends along. No doubt this is not an idea thats unique to Kajahu, but Ive not seen it done anywhere else in Budapest. Sitting in the clean, well-lit space of Kajahu, fiddling with my mouse mat with one hand while I munched on a pretty good vegetarian burrito with the other, I allowed the admittedly pleasant sense of fin de siecle gloom that had settled on me since the Rath Villa to drift away on a cloud of shiny modern optimism. The Gyorgy Rath Villa is at Varosligeti fasor 12, with the nearest metro stop Kodaly Korond. Kajahu is at Petofi Sandor u. 11. Shown until 20 April. The exhibition showcases the concept of modern landscape by presenting four Portuguese contemporary photographers. Landscape, which is one of the eternal themes of visual art, is reinterpreted by these different photographic approaches. The work of Tiago Casanova: Pearl seeks to highlight the problem of Madeira Island, The Pearl of the Atlantic, which is affected by countless transformations on its landscape due to modern tourism. Stadia by Paulo Catrica questions the harmonious relationship between man and the surrounding environment. Joao Grama explores a traditional tool of individual fishing in the far south-western corner of Portugal. Ropes is used in the wild coastline and represents the physical, symbolic and anthropological nature of manual labour. The surreal essay by Tito Mouraz: The House of the Seven Women takes place in the region of Beira-Alta, a mysterious site that hides stories and secrets. The featured photographers show the complexity of the unspoilt Portuguese land, the magical field as well as the areas shaped by suburban infrastructure or travel industry by visual narratives of the new topography. The exhibition is held with the cooperation of Budapest Photo Festival and Camoes Institute in Budapest. Opening hours: Tuesday Saturday: 14.00-20.00 Venue: Budapest Projekt Gallery 1053 Budapest, Kossuth Lajos utca 14-16. Source & picture: budapestphotofestival.hu Stallone A popular porn star knows the future of the sex industry hinges on technology, so she invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to turn herself into a cyborg and keep up with the growing popularity in robot sex dolls. Porn star, Sybil Stallone, tells The Blast she has undergone numerous plastic surgeries to transform herself into a living sex doll, aptly named, Brunette Barbie. Stallone claims to have invested over $500,000 in plastic surgeries, including a nose job, cheek, chin and lip fillers, a butt lift, and an impressive breast enhancement to increase her cup size from D to G. After the upgrades, Stallone says, I am now literally built for sex, adding, Sex buyers are constantly looking for a more unique experience. Through my enhancements, I offer my lovers something that transcends human, better than anything you could get with a sex robot or most other women. Im the best of both worlds a living sex doll. Stallone is a legal sex worker at Sheris Ranch, a brothel located just outside of Las Vegas, and shes hoping her new look will cater to a large swath of horny tech nerds. Anthropomorphic robot sex dolls have been an increasingly popular subject as researchers and scientists continue to dedicate large amounts of time into improving the technology behind the dolls. There was even a recent fight in Houston after the city council voted to ban a proposed sex robot brothel from setting up shop in town. Stallone hopes the robot fetish will continue, and expects to make a ton of cash, especially when the Consumers Electronics Show comes to town. Sheris Ranch The post Brothel Worker Transforms Herself into Sex Doll to Cash in on Robot Craze appeared first on The Blast. As the first first woman-led superhero epic from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel touches down at the multiplex with a lot of sexist monkeys on its back. Rotten Tomatoes had to ban trolls from its website who were hellbent on review-bombing the movie before it even opened. Incels are incensed that Brie Larson, the Oscar winner who plays her, has been publicly campaigning for more inclusion in these epics as well as the critics who review them. Its war. And now that the movie is opening, expect the white-male-virgin contingent to go ballistic. A riot-grrrl power pulses through every frame, not to mention humor, heart and the thrill that comes from watching a genuine game-changer. Wonder Woman, the 2017 epic from DC Comics, may have thrown the first punch for comic-book-movie equality among the sexes. But Captain Marvel should have its detractors on the ropes. Set in the mid-1990s and feeling like it was made in a time before Iron Man and the other Avengers ever suited up for the big screen, this superhero film proudly waves a retro flag. Related stories Trailers of the Week: 'Dark Phoenix,' 'Fosse/Verdon,' D.J. Idris Elba 10 Best Movies to See in March: 'Captain Marvel,' 'Dumbo,' 'Us' Netflix Cancels Marvel's 'The Punisher,' 'Jessica Jones' Series Theres a lot of backstory to get to here, but co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who made their bones in the indieverse with character-based dramas like Half Nelson (2006) and Mississippi Grind (2015), cut right to the action. Carol Danvers, the Air Force pilot played by Larson, is already possessed of superpowers when we meet her in the middle of an interglactiic battle between two alien races: the Krees and the Skrulls. Her Kree mentor, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), has trained her to join his elite team known as Starforce to banish their green-skinned, shape-shifting enemies, led by a skrull named Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). Story continues In truth, Carol doesnt know who she is. Shes lost her memory, and it takes a trip back to Earth to get it back. Thats where she meets S.H.I.E.L.D boss Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, the ultimate fun badass), who still has two eyes. The actor and franchise regular Clark Gregg, back as Agent Coulson, have been digitally de-aged to their younger days. Its a little creepy, though there are payoffs, especially when Fury does scenes with Goose the cat. That may sound cutesy, but whether in real-life feline or CGI form, the pet steals every scene hes in. Theres never been a movie cat like Goose his names a Top Gun reference to go with a soundtrack of period songs a la No Doubts Im Just a Girl that almost make nostalgia cool again. Carol also enjoys a reunion with fellow pilot Maria Rambeau (a terrific Lashana Lynch), who has left the military to care for her young daughter (Akira Akbar). Its Marias connection with this conflicted cosmic protagonist that gives the film its soul. Female friendship is the factor that keeps Carol in touch with her humanity, especially as she gains in strength and faces her responsibilities as galactic guardian. And its in these scenes that the casting of Larson adds up. Always an intuitive actress witness her award-caliber acting in Room and Short Term 12 she brings layers of feeling to a role that a lesser actress might have let slide by on pyrotechnics. You see how she has lays the foundation for a character who defies male objectification and becomes akin to what Joni Mitchell called a woman of heart and mind. You could carp at about how the plot is too convoluted by half, the pacings too casual, its retro style too flat in the light of the usual MCU fireworks. But the time that Boden and Fleck use to underscore how lives get lived between the not-always-rousing action sequences may be what keeps Captain Marvel in our memories. The film is burdened with the effort of becoming the origin story for the entire MCU (youll see the superheroine again in Avengers: Endgame, opening April 26). And it forgets that the laser power Carol shoots out of her hands is less compelling than the insights emerging from her raised consciousness. Still, the films low-key charm and quirky humor grow on you and create a rooting interest in what happens next. Its doesnt take the Supreme Intelligence of the universe (who we always figured would resemble Annette Bening) to know its wise to play the long game. Captain Marvel is not just another wonder woman. She plans to build an army. Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Actors Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint (pictured in 2000) who played the three titular characters in the Harry Potter movies. Source: Getty Images Tourists are flocking to the University of Sydney, Australia in the belief the Harry Potter movies were filmed on campus. F.I.T. Travel, which provides support and travel advice for Chinese people to destinations including Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, has the campus listed among the citys best attractions. Read more: Why Harry Potter never won Oscars It compares the sandstone-style buildings and green lawns to a real life Hogwarts the fictional campus where wizards and witches study magic. Let us visit Australias magic academy while waiting for the owl, the listing reads. Chinese tourists are visiting the University of Sydney in the belief the Harry Potter movies were shot there. Source: Getty Images (file pic) It adds the University of Sydney is the real version of Hogwarts. However, it seems some tourists believe the Harry Potter movies were actually filmed in Sydney. A University of Sydney spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo that tourists have been arriving on campus looking for the Harry Potter film scenes. Read more: Fantastic Beasts 3 will be better Tourists visiting the University of Sydney have on occasion asked our staff whether the Harry Potter movies have been filmed on our campus, the spokesperson said. Although our Quadrangle is often compared to Hogwarts, none of the Harry Potter films have been filmed here, as our staff inform those who ask. Dr. James Fraser of the universitys Nicholson Museum told SBS theres been a 4,000 people increase in visitors to the campus in the last two years. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Source: Warner Brothers Pictures He told the news site one reason for that is people keep asking to see where Harry Potter was filmed. A Chinese tourist also told SBS he believed one of the Harry Potter scenes was filmed in the Quadrangle the universitys sandstone building made up of a number of towers with grass in the centre. A Chinese tourism website has made comparisons between Sydney Uni and Hogwarts. Source: Getty Images (file pic) In reality the Harry Potter films shot in a number of U.K. locations for Hogwarts. Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, Gloucester Cathedral, Christ Church College Oxford, Oxford Universitys Bodleian Library, and Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands all contributed to the overall look of the magic school on screen. Story continues Not Sydney University. Reporting by Yahoo 7 News Photo credit: Getty Images From Esquire From the Los Angeles Times comes our latest occasional reminder that the country would have been better off had it elected a marmoset to be president* in 2016. Back in 2017, when Hurricane Harvey tore through Texas all the way up to the petro-and-chemical mini-state of Houston, many people in the storm's path worried about what might be unleashed into the air and water if Harvey blew into the huge network of industrial plants to which Houston is home. Some of those concerned people, it seems, worked at NASA. Very few of them, it seems, worked in the upper echelons of the EPA. Fifteen hundred miles west in the high desert city of Palmdale, NASA scientists were preparing to fly a DC-8, equipped with the worlds most sophisticated air samplers over the hurricane zone to monitor pollution levels. The mission never got off the ground. Both the state of Texas and the EPA told the scientists to stay away. According to emails obtained by The Times via a public records request and interviews with dozens of scientists and officials familiar with the situation, EPA and state officials argued that NASAs data would cause confusion and might overlap with their own analysis - which was showing only a few, isolated spots of concern. One would think it impossible for officials to have their heads simultaneously in the sand and up their asses, but this is Scott Pruitt's EPA and Greg Abbott's Texas, so there we are. At this time, we dont think your data would be useful, Michael Honeycutt, Texas director of toxicology, wrote to NASA officials, adding that low-flying helicopters equipped with infra-red cameras, contracted by his agency, would be sufficient. EPA deferred to Honeycutt, a controversial toxicologist who has suggested air pollution may be beneficial to human health. Photo credit: Getty Images Translation From The Original Weaselspeak: we have the data we need to support our downplaying of this potential public-health disaster. G'wan outside and breathe deep the gathering gloom, y'all. Story continues NASA scientists say that, had the DC-8 been deployed, it would have provided the most comprehensive and detailed analysis of air quality in the region, allowing for a more thorough understanding of the situation. Its totally possible wed have found nothing at all to be concerned about, said Tom Ryerson, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher who had previously been part of the Deepwater Horizon mission. But at least wed have known that, he said, without a doubt. This is a very clear illustration of the politics of knowledge, said Scott Frickel, an environmental sociologist at Brown University, referring to the rejection of the NASA jet. The EPA Region 6 and Texas authorities dont want to know, so they are passing on something really important about urban-scale disasters. And, as always, the people living in the blast zone knew better. Despite EPA claims that pollutants were well below levels of health concern, residents and rescuers complained of the fumes. Clouds of benzene and other cancer-causing chemicals floated over the city, according to analyses by environmental groups and news reports. As those reports spread, researchers with NASAs Atmospheric Tomography Mission program thought they could help. As the team watched the disaster unfold, Paul Newman, chief scientist of NASAs Earth Science Division, suggested they divert their test run and fly over Houston. The timing was serendipitous. The DC-8 was fully equipped and ready to go. We agreed this would be a good opportunity to support the Hurricane Harvey recovery effort, Lawrence Friedl, NASAs director of Applied Sciences wrote in a Sept. 8, 2017 email to the agencys then-acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot and others. Indeed, NASAs press shop was touting its coordination with the hurricane emergency response. There's the customary retroactive buck-passing and ass-covering now; EPA says it was the state that declined NASA's help. The state says it was acting on information provided by the EPA, but the general consensus of the responsible agencies in Texas and Washington was that some information was enough. When and if the cancer cases start turning up in a few years, I'm sure that will be a great comfort to the citizens of Houston. Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page here. ('You Might Also Like',) Fire Devastates West Virginia Church But Crosses and Bibles Remain Untouched Bibles and Crosses Untouched in Devastating Church Fire A West Virginia church burned to the ground on Sunday, but in whats being described as a miracle the Bibles and crosses were left completely untouched. The fire broke out at Freedom Ministries Church in Grandview, the Coal City Fire Department said in a Facebook post. Picture this, a building so hot that at one point in time, firefighters had to back out. In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes, the fire department wrote. Not a single [Bible] was burned and not a single cross was harmed!! Not a single firefighter was hurt! Prayers for the pastor and the congregation today. The images that they shared from the devastation have quickly gone viral. Though odds were against us, God was not, the fire department wrote in the post. According to CNN, the cause of the fire is still unknown. Bibles at the church A cross at the church Countless people who saw the images called it a miracle. One person who responded to the Facebook post said that out of every structure I have responded to in the past 20 years, not one Bible has burned. They might have smoke damage or chared around the edges but you could still read every page, the man continued to write. A t the end of a record-hot summer in Sweden last August, then-15-year-old Greta Thunberg decided she would not be going back to school. Frustrated by the lack of attention paid to the existential threat of global warming not least by politicians campaigning for upcoming elections she set up outside the Swedish parliament with a water bottle, her rucksack filled with books and snacks and a homemade sign announcing her School Strike for Climate. I tried to bring people along to join me, she says shed been inspired by the Parkland, Florida, students who walked out of class to protest gun violence but no one was really interested, and so I had to do it by myself. Thunberg wasnt alone for long. By the end of the first week, her strike had drawn coverage from Swedens biggest newspapers. As reporters flocked and she handed out fliers bearing the message You grownups dont give a shit about my future, supporters dropped by to join the homespun protest on their lunch breaks. After three weeks of missed classes, Thunberg finally went back to school mostly. She still strikes every Friday. Related stories Journey to Antarctica: Mapping Thwaites Teddy Geiger's Pop Salvation Model Ashley Graham Is Moving the Needle for Size Acceptance Now shes become the unexpected founder of an international youth movement. Since the summer, tens of thousands of students in nearly 300 towns and cities from Australia to Uganda to the U.S. to Japan have joined her #FridaysForFuture protest. In Belgium, at the end of January, more than 30,000 students walked out of classes. A worldwide strike is planned for March 15th, with events planned in more than 50 countries. Before I started, I didnt expect anything, Thunberg says. I could have never imagined this reaction. Its crazy. Her stark truth-telling and cherubic face caught fire online after she spoke at the U.N. climate talks in Poland in December, where, Emperors New Clothes-style, she called out a room of statesmen and dignitaries three and four times her age, telling them, You are not mature enough to tell it like it is. Even that burden you leave to us children. Story continues Thunbergs movement comes amid an onslaught of increasingly dire warnings about the climate. Scientists recently announced that the worlds oceans are warming 40 percent faster than was previously thought. In October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that global temperatures could rise by the dreaded benchmark of 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels in just 12 years. We are living in a very interesting time, where something is going to happen, Thunberg says. Change is on the horizon, but to see that change we also have to change ourselves. At home, Thunberg persuaded her parents to swear off air travel and stop eating meat. They were frequent fliers and high consumers, she says. And then I showed them articles and films and I told them about the situation. You cant really stand up for something without walking the walk. Thats what I did. Thunberg has Aspergers syndrome, and has cited her neurodiversity for her dedication to the issue. I see the world kind of black-and-white, she says. Everyone says that there is no black-and-white issue, but I think this is. Either we go on as a civilization or we dont. Although she finds all the sudden personal attention a little strange, she says, As soon as they write about me they have to write about the climate, so thats good. In five years, I hope I dont work on the climate because that would mean that everything is OK, says Thunberg. But I probably will, and many other people will because of where we are at. We see the consequences of it today, and we will see it more clearly then. Read more from Rolling Stones Women Shaping the Future issue. Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Just last week, fans of Foxs beloved teen soap Beverly Hills, 90210 were thrilled by the announcement that a long-rumored revival was official in the works. That same day, actor and original star Luke Perry suffered a massive stroke, a medical emergency that led to his untimely death five days later. Even though the actor had not signed on to be a part of the series, there was still hope that hed participate, as the new take on the beloved series was still in the early stages of development. After all, the revival has a twist that seemed perfect for Perrys sensibilities: The actors are playing themselves. In the revival, original stars Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, and Tori Spelling will return not to reprise their roles on the primetime soap that made them famous but to play irreverent, heightened versions of their real-life selves. Per Foxs official description: Having gone their separate ways since the original series ended 19 years ago, Jason, Jennie, Ian, Gabrielle, Brian and Tori reunite when one of them suggests its time to get a Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot up and running. But getting it going may make for an even more delicious soap than the reboot itself. What will happen when first loves, old romances, friends and frenemies come back together, as this iconic cast whom the whole world watched grow up together attempts to continue from where they left off? Related stories Luke Perry, in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' Helped Redefine the Male Love Interest Luke Perry, 'Beverly Hills 90210' and 'Riverdale' Star, Dead at 52 Hallmark: No More Whitewashed Christmas, But It Could Make the Yuletide Gayer Read More:Luke Perry, Beverly Hills 90210 and Riverdale Star, Dead at 52 Even at the relatively young age of 52, Perry had racked up an impressive resume for himself, one that extended far beyond his breakout role in 90210. He was a working actor who plied his craft every year since he landed his first official acting credits on the soaps Loving and Another World in 1988. But even though his diehard fans can cite his roles in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 8 Seconds, Oz, John From Cincinnati, and more, he will always be remembered and loved for playing the impossibly cool, good-looking, and sideburns-sporting Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210. Story continues The actor once said about his role, Im going to be linked with him until I die, but thats actually just fine. I created Dylan McKay. Hes mine. And Perry not only embraced being known as the Beverly Hills, 90210 hunk, but also the heartthrob legacy that came with it. In honor of the actors fun-loving spirit, heres a salute to the many times Luke Perry spoofed himself or a version of himself. The Simpsons episode Krusty Gets Kancelled (1993) Perry pokes fun at his good looks on this episode by appearing shirtless as Sideshow Luke Perry, Krustys worthless half-brother, who attempts to save the clowns flagging career with a telethon. The clip concludes with Perry getting shot out of a cannon and flying through sandpaper and acid, which causes him to exclaim, My face, my valuable face! Vacanze di Natale 95 (1995) Thought of as one of Neri Parentis series of cinepanettoni, this Italian Christmas comedy features Perry playing his handsome self, the object of an Italian teenage girls affections. Watch the trailer: Johnny Bravo episode Luke Perrys Guide to Love (2000) Perry obviously didnt need help with the ladies, but here he plays himself, at one point dressed in a giant hot dog costume, to offer romantic advice to Johnny Bravo. Community episode Conventions of Space and Time (2013) Although Inspector Spacetime is the Community version of Doctor Who that is beloved by Abed and Troy, it is still British until Pierce got involved with a focus group on how to fix it and make it American. This leads to the surprise cameo of Perry playing the American version of Inspector Spacetime, and his ensign is none other than fellow 90210 star Jennie Garth, which is a clever poke at the sometimes-illogical stunt-casting so often used to tap into nostalgia. Love in Paradise (2016) This Hallmark movie may not seem like a reference to Perry initially, but the plot plays off of his reputation as a Hollywood actor who cant possibly live up to his on-screen persona. In the rom-com, he plays popular Western actor Avery Ford, who is supposed to rustle up business at a Montana dude ranch, though it soon becomes clear that he knows more about yoga and kombucha than he does chili and chopping wood. Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Chanel presented the final collection designed by its longtime creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, on Tuesday that left models in tears. The brands Fall/Winter 2019 show took place at the Grand Palais in Paris, featuring a transformative set decorated as a glamorous winter ski wonderland, and filled with touching tributes to the late designer, Lagerfeld, who died at the age of 85 on February 19. A note with a sketch that Lagerfeld drew of himself and Chanel founder, Coco Chanel, with the words, The beat goes on was placed on each attendees seat. And a minute of silence was observed before the show began, insiders report. Many of his muses that regularly model in his shows, including Cara Delevingne and Kaia Gerber walked the runway, wearing a winter-ready suit and a snowball dress, respectively, from his last collection. RELATED: Karl Lagerfelds Muses: See Every Model Whos Worn the Iconic Chanel Wedding Dress on the Runway And another famous face, Penelope Cruz, who usually sits on the sidelines, unexpectedly walked the show, wearing a snowball-like dress with feathery bubble skirt and tiered top, carrying a white rose. Many of his famous friends and fashion insiders who regularly line the front row were all present, including actresses Kristen Stewart, Janelle Monae, Marion Cotillard and Vogue editor Anna Wintour. His former muses, Claudia Schiffer (who memorably wore his finale wedding gowns throughout the 90s) and fellow supermodel Naomi Campbell were on-hand to take in his final collection together. During the finale, models walked the runway together noticeably moved and crying during their final walk to the song, Heroes by David Bowie. Attendees including Wintour and longtime Vogue editor Grace Coddington led the standing ovation from the audience. Story continues Lagerfeld was also the creative director for his own eponymous label as well as the Italian line, Fendi, where he worked for the last 54 years. Two weeks ago, Fendi also paid tribute to him during its show at Milan Fashion Week by playing a video of Lagerfeld sketching the outfit he wore on his very first day at work at the label in 1965. According to WWD, despite being absent from taking a bow at the end of his Chanel Haute Couture show in January, Lagerfeld was still working on all of his brands right up until his death. In fact, he gave instructions to his teams for the Fendi fall ready-to-wear collection. Lagerfeld was very clear in how he would like to be honored after his death. He wished to have his ashes mixed with his mothers and his late partner, Jacques de Baschers and did not want to have a funeral ceremony. His brand announced that they would respect his wishes, and the week he died, friends and fashion industry insiders paid their respects at his cremation in France. Editors Anna Wintour and Carine Roitfeld were on-hand as well has Monacos Princess Caroline. Lagerfeld took up the helm at Chanel in 1983 and remained as creative director until his death. He notably told The New Yorker that he only accepted the job at Chanel once enough people urged him not to. Everybody said, Dont touch it, its dead, it will never come back. But by then I thought it was a challenge. Hes credited for reviving the brand founded by Coco Chanel, which had lost its prominence in the years before Lagerfeld joined. As the designer told WWD, Nobody cared about [Chanel] anymore. She was the most demode thing in the world. Now, its quilted bags, tweed suits and interlocking CC logo are the most sought-after pieces in fashion. Sara Romweber, drummer with Lets Active, Snatches of Pink and the Dex Romweber Duo, has died of a brain tumor, her manager confirmed to Variety. She was 55. A powerful drummer with a vivacious personality who was well-known on North Carolinas thriving indie scene, Romweber first rose to mainstream recognition with the 80s-era trio Lets Active, which was led by early R.E.M. coproducer Mitch Easter. The power-pop group enjoyed success on college-radio charts and opened tours for R.E.M. and other acts; Romweber, then in her late teens, played on the groups 1983 debut EP, Afoot, and the 1984 album, Cypress. Id write songs and shed figure out what to do with it, and she could make sense of it. She was a little bit wild, which I liked, Easter told the Winston Salem Journal. Romweber went on to join and record with the Winston-Salem-area group Snatches of Pink and most recently with her younger brother Dexter in the rockabilly-leaning Dex Romweber Duo. The latter group released four albums between 2009 and 2014 and collaborated with Jack White on The Wind Did Move single in 2009, which was released on Whites Third Man Records. One of the duos albums was recorded live at Whites Third Man Studios. Story continues Her friend Mac MacCaughan, cofounder of the band Superchunk and Merge Records, wrote on Instagram: Sara Romweber was one of the kindest, most unique and inspiriting people Ive known. She was so important to me that I wrote a paper about her my freshman year in college. The Romweber home on Pine Street in Carrboro [North Carolina] was open to everyone and the heart of a musical community. [She was] a fantastically powerful and creative drummer watching her play was a joy, no matter what band. [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0RccRaaXgA&w=640&h=360] Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Teen Couple Went Missing in Feb., and Police Believe They Were Killed, Lit on Fire by 17-Year-Old Indiana Teen Couple Killed, 17-Year-Old Boy Arrested After the bodies of a teen couple whod been missing for a week were apparently discovered Saturday morning, a 17-year-old boy was charged with two counts of murder, PEOPLE confirms. A statement from the Porter County Sheriffs Office confirms Connor Kerner of Valparaiso is being held without bond after being charged as an adult with the presumed murders of Molley Lanham, 19, and Thomas Grill, 18. Authorities say the presumed victims, last seen together on February 25, were a couple. Kerner has been in custody since his arrest Saturday night. Police initially did not suspect foul play led to the couples disappearance, and police have not discussed a motive. According to the sheriffs office statement, an anonymous source led police to what they believe are the victims bodies. This subject informed our detectives they had information that the missing teens had been killed by Connor Kerner, their bodies were placed in the black Honda Civic they were driving, driven out to a field in rural Hebron, Indiana, and lit on fire, reads the statement, obtained by PEOPLE. During the course of the investigation, Connor Kerner was located by Porter County Patrol Officers and Porter County Multi-Enforcement Group and taken into custody without incident for questioning by detectives, the statement continues. Kerner refused to answer questions. Connor Kerner Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. The bodies were found inside the torched car, and while police have yet to confirm their identities, all evidence obtained at this point at the scene and through statements given points to the individuals being Thomas Grill and Molley Lanham. A cause of death has not been determined yet. Kerners home was searched Saturday before his arrest, and a search warrant was issued at a residence in rural Hebron, Indiana, where it is believed the murders took place, the statement reads. Story continues Investigators recovered what they believed to be substantial evidence during the execution of these search warrants. Further information and testing is pending on items located during the execution of these warrants. Kerner has not entered pleas to the murder charges against him, and efforts to reach his family were unsuccessful Monday. It was also unclear if he has an attorney of record. 4-year-old girl with spina bifida walks for first time as her friends cheer her on originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com A 4-year-old girl with spina bifida is walking directly into our hearts thanks to an adorable video of her taking her first steps with her classmates cheering by her side. The sweet moment of Kenydii Parker walking was captured on video by her aunt, who posted it to Facebook where it has over 4 million views and has been shared by almost 100,000 people. "We were surprised by the views, but we weren't surprised by the love," Kenydii's, father Kenneth Parker, of Durham, North Carolina, said. "We always knew she was a special child." Kenydii's parents, Kenneth and Terry Parker, told ABC News that when they learned their seventh child would have spina bifida, they were completely blindsided. Spina bifida is a condition in which the baby's spinal cord fails to develop properly, according to the CDC, which can cause physical and intellectual complications depending on the severity of the child's case. "It felt like our world crashed down because the way [doctors] described it made it seem like the end of the world," Kenneth Parker said. "We prayed about it and stood strong. We knew that whatever this child would go through, we would go through it with her." (MORE: 'If you cant stand up, stand out': These wheelchairs are works of art) Since then, Kenydii has had five major surgeries, two on her head and three on her legs, her dad said. Kenneth Parker said some of his hardest moments as a parent were when Kenydii told him that she wants to walk like the other kids. "Sometimes I have to leave the room and get myself together when she says things like that," Parker said. "I never want her to think she's a pity child." Story continues Despite all Kenydii has been through, Parker said she is always smiling. "Anybody that encounters Kenydii falls in love with her at first sight. She is always smiling, talking and laughing," Parker said. "To some she may not seem like a perfect child, but she is perfect to us." The Parkers enrolled Kenydii in a developmental needs pre-K class in November at W.G. Pearson Elementary School in Durham. Her two teachers, Katie McGonnell and Kim Tisdale, said Kenydii is "a blessing" to the class. "Kenydii is such a cheerful little girl -- always so happy," Tisdale told "GMA." "Her personality is so big. Much bigger than her wheelchair." Along with Kenydii's big personality comes determination. After using a wheelchair for months after a major surgery, Kenydii was on a mission to take her first steps on her own at school. "She began walking in the hallway so we brought her outside so her classmates could cheer her on," McGonnell said. "It was a really big day and so amazing to watch. It was her first day walking and you would've thought she'd been doing it her whole life." Kenydii's father said his daughter will continue to thrive not only because of her personality, but because of her amazing support system both at school and at home. "Anybody who encounters Kenydii wants to help her because she has a good heart," Parker said. "The day after she walked in front of her class she was asking to do the stairs," McGonnell said. "She has so much grit. She's such a special little girl." Go Kenydii, go! Best Buy employees perform 'surgery' on 3-year-olds beloved toy dinosaur originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com A little boy in Florida has a smile as big as a Tyrannosaurus rex thanks to a couple of caring Best Buy employees. Three-year-old Jordan was heartbroken when the head fell off his favorite dinosaur toy. His mother, Niah Negron, wrote in a Facebook post that Jordan carries the dinosaur everywhere and that it stays in his hand or is tucked in his shirt at all times. PHOTO: Jordan holds his broken dinosaur toy outside Best Buy. (Courtesy Niah Negron) (MORE: Foodie couples creative way to mark their baby's monthly milestones) "The dinosaur was his Christmas present this past year. He tells everyone that it's his baby," Negron told "GMA." "He spent the whole morning sitting there holding his dinosaur with a broken head with the saddest look on his face." Negron knew she had to cheer her son up, so she found an identical dinosaur online at Best Buy for same day pick up and decided to order. She knew Jordan would only want his "baby" and not a new dinosaur, so she came up with a plan. (MORE: How this boy contacted his dad for help will make your day) Negron drove Jordan and his broken dinosaur to the local Best Buy, and when they got there, she informed the employees at the online pick-up counter about the urgent situation. "We are here for a very delicate matter, Negron told the Best Buy employees. You see, we need a dinosaur doctor as the head has broken off of our baby dinosaur!" Negron didnt know how employees would react to the request, but she was overjoyed when the woman behind the counter, named "T," began playing right along with her story. "She called over her fellow associate Stephanie and explained our very unique and delicate situation," Negron wrote in her post. "Without missing a beat, they 'took the broken dinosaur into surgery.'" PHOTO: Employees T and Stephanie performing 'surgery' on Jordan's beloved dinosaur. (Courtesy Niah Negron) (MORE: Young sweethearts share their very 1st dance on Valentine's Day) Story continues Negron says Jordan stood behind the counter out of view as the Stephanie and "T" described the surgery they were performing on his little friend. "Just a few more stitches," the two told Jordan, while opening the dinosaur that was ordered online from the box. "The way they communicated with him was beyond words," Negron told "GMA." "I had this plan in my head and didn't know how they would react, but they completely got it." "They pulled off this elaborate hoax with bright smiles and quick action," Negron wrote in her Facebook post. "As they handed him his 'fixed' dinosaur he squealed with joy." PHOTO: Dinosaur doctor' Stephanie handing Jordan his new and improved dinosaur after 'surgery.' (Courtesy Niah Negron) As for any future dinosaur mishaps, Negron says she and her two favorite "dinosaur doctors" have a plan. "Stephanie noticed there was only one more in the store so she has it as emergency backup just for us," Negron told "GMA." "She couldn't bear the thought of Jordan having to go without it. When Best Buy corporate caught wind of the story they gave Stephanie and "T" their very own special badges with "Dinosaur Doctor" written on the bottom. "As far as Jordan's concerned, Best Buy is now the dinosaur doctor," Negron said. PHOTO: Best Buy employees T and Stephanie sporting their new 'Dino Doctor' Best Buy badges. (Courtesy Niah Negron) Negron said shes sincerely thankful to the two women who took the time to "fix" not only her sons baby, but also his broken heart. "I am forever grateful to these two women who went above and beyond to be the best dinosaur doctors ever," Negron wrote in her post. "From this very nervous mom, I say the most sincere thank you." Luke Perry's daughter says she's 'grateful for all the love' after her father's death originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com A day after her father's death, Sophie Perry broke her silence in an emotional Instagram post thanking everyone for the outpouring of "love" in the wake of the tragedy. Luke Perry died on Monday at the age of 52 following a "massive stroke" in Los Angeles, California. The world loved him as teen heartthrob Dylan McKay in "Beverly Hills, 90210," and then the generation after looked up to him as Archie's dad, Fred Andrews, in the hit show "Riverdale." (MORE: Colin Hanks shares touching story about Luke Perry after his death at 52) But to Sophie Perry, 18, he was always simply her dad. Sophie Perry was by her father's side when he died on Monday, according to his publicist. "A lot has happened in this past week for me," Sophie Perry wrote in an Instagram post. "Everything is happening so fast." "I made it back from Malawi just in time to be here with my family, And in the past 24 hours I have received an overwhelming amount of love and support," she added. "I cannot individually respond to the hundreds of beautiful and heartfelt messages, but I see them, and appreciate you all for sending positivity to my family and I." PHOTO: Luke Perry poses during the during the 26th edition of the five-day MIPCOM, Oct. 5, 2010, in Cannes, France. (Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images) (MORE: Shannen Doherty, other '90210' and 'Riverdale' stars react to death of Luke Perry: 'Devastated by the loss of my friend') She continued: "Im not really sure what to say or do in this situation, its something you arent ever given a lesson on how to handle, especially when its all happening in the public eye. So bare with me and know that I am grateful for all the love. Just, being grateful quietly." Reducing its New York ranks, Derek Lam has handed out pink slips to 10 staffers. The New York-based company had a team of 65 prior to the layoffs. A spokeswoman for the designer declined to identify which job titles or individuals are out of work. The labels creative director, knitwear designer and product development manager were said to have been dismissed. Related stories QVC Joins the Beauty Festival Fray Kourtney Kardashian Is Launching a Brand Called Poosh Beauty Brands Benefit From Consumption Upgrade in China The spokeswoman said Lams mainline collection continues to go forward, disputing claims to the contrary. The designers secondary label, Derek Lam 10 Crosby, will also go forward, she said. As for the companys scaling back of employees, that was just something that needed to be done at this time, the spokeswoman said. Lam did not respond to a request for comment Monday and his business partner, Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, deferred comment to the spokeswoman. The cost-cutting comes only a few weeks after Lam received strong reviews from WWD and Vogue for his fall 2019 collection. For the second consecutive season, Lam opted not to stage a runway show or presentation. For fall, the designer decided on one-on-one appointments with private mini-shows that WWD described as extremely civilized and a bit haute couture. But the set-up in his New York showroom spotlighted terrific, modern city clothes, according to WWDs Alessandra Turra. Double-breasted coats with internal padding, mannish flannel pants with a hyper-feminine draped blouse and a black cocktail frock with a sharp cut on the back were in the mix. The lineup showcased the best face of American fashion with its authenticity and practicality updated with creative twists. Turra wrote, Straightforward yet gracious, realistic yet exciting, the lineup showcased the best face of American fashion with its authenticity and practicality updated with creative twists. Story continues The designers secondary line drew inspiration from Ali MacGraws character in the 1970 film Love Story. The collections design director Shawn Reddy did not respond immediately to an e-mail Monday afternoon. Lams use of color was a highlight among the fall collections for Nicole Fischelis, consultant and former group vice president and fashion director at Macys. In December, the Derek Lam beauty license was acquired by the Premiere Group. At that time, the designers beauty business consisted of the Derek Lam 10 Crosby scent collection. Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, as of the end of last year industry sources estimated the business generated about $2 million in sales. Premieres plans include developing a higher-end fragrance that would be more in line with Lams premium fashion label that is slated for spring 2020, according to a WWD report that cited Brian Vander Meyden, executive vice president of global marketing at Premiere. While media companies like Conde Nast, Vice and Gannett have had a healthy number of layoffs in recent months, reductions have not been as rampant with designer companies. Opening Ceremony and Banana Republic are among the apparel brands that tightened up their respective staffs last year. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The moment is here: Southwest Airlines announced Monday it will begin flying its highly anticipated flights to the Hawaiian islands on March 17. Tickets are on sale today, and these introductory fares (the Wanna Get Away fares) have run as low as $49 per person one-way between California and the islands. Inter-island fares are as low as $29 each way. Also today, Southwest announced the routes it will operate between California and Hawaii along with a number of inter-island flights that will shuttle fliers within the Aloha State. Heres the schedule of service: Oakland to Honolulu begins once daily on March 17; Honolulu to Oakland begins once daily on March 18; the route will be flown twice daily in each direction as of March 24. (Note that Southwest currently does not have plans to fly to Hawaii from San Francisco International.) Oakland to Kahului begins once daily on April 7; Kahului to Oakland begins once daily on April 8; the route will be flown twice daily in each direction as of April 10. Interisland service four times daily in each direction between Honolulu and Kahului begins April 28. San Jose to Honolulu service begins May 5, once daily in each direction. Interisland service four times daily in each direction between Honolulu and Kona begins May 12. San Jose to Kahului service begins May 26, once daily in each direction. Sacramento and San Diego routes were not yet posted Monday morning. Southwest will also operate to Lihue, Kauai, but that service is coming soon. In Honolulu, Southwest has set up a pretty sizable operation with several gates at Honolulu International Airports Diamond Head Concourse. There will be no jetways so flights will board through air stairs through the front and the rear doors (like Southwest flights do in Burbank and other airports.) Fliers can expect similar setups at the other airports in Hawaii few of which have jetways. How Much Are Fares? Wanna Get Away roundtrip fares for spring flights are running anywhere from $99 to $199 for non-stop flights between Oakland and San Jose on the mainland and Honolulu and Maui on the islands. These seats appear to be selling very quickly as of Monday morning and the deals are only good if book on March 4 or 5. Note: These fares were available on Monday morning, but by about 9:20 am PST, nearly all $49 one-way fares sold out leaving most roundtrips in the $200-$300 range. Keep in mind that a cheap fare to Hawaii is anything less than $300 roundtrip, so these are still decent. Fares are higher for more popular summer flights; the cheapest seats in July are in the $380 roundtrip range- still a very good deal for peak season. But not $100. Currently, the biggest fare drops are on nonstops from California only. Connecting fares from other cities are quite high, but that could change. Todays announcement was long awaited by Southwest loyalists, fliers with a hefty stash of Rapid Rewards points, and competing airlines many of which fear the Southwest effect taking hold in Hawaii which has historically been a lucrative and high-yielding market for them. Story continues Dont miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our free TravelSkills email updates here. Fares between the U.S. west coast and Hawaii have plummeted ever since Southwest announced its intention of serving Hawaii last year. This month, we found round-trip mid-week fares in the neighborhood of just $327. More about that here. Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian, United and soon, Sun Country, operate non-stop flights between the San Francisco Bay Area and Hawaii well be watching their fares closely and updating this post with any matching so come back! FARE UPDATES: 11 am: American appears to be first responder to SWA with $275 roundtrip, basic economy fares between Calif. and Hawaii. Noon: Alaska Airlines is now offering $198-$278 roundtrip fares between the Bay Area and Hawaii. 3 PM: the lowest fares are now on Alaska Airlines at around $278 roundtrip. Nearly all of Southwests nonstops in March, April and May are sold out. Southwest fares are available at Southwest.com Rapid Rewards Redemption Rates & Companion Pass Rules As of Monday morning, we found some one-way flights as low as 1,950 Rapid Rewards points. High demand flights (those operating Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays) will set you back 5,848 Rapid Rewards points each way. Southwest said there will be no blackout dates for using Rapid Rewards points to book Hawaii flights. MORE: Calls for renaming John Wayne Airport after old interview surfaces Southwest fliers with its popular Companion Pass can use it to book two-for-one tickets on these Hawaii flights there are no restrictions preventing you from doing so. The airlines Companion Pass allows fliers to book a fare, and purchase a second one for a designated companion on the same flights for the cost of taxes and fees (which typically amount to $5.60 for mainland U.S. flights). Baggage and On-Board Service Changes The airlines generous baggage policy which allows passengers to check two bags for free will not change on its Hawaii flights. Neither will Southwests lenient flight change policy where the airline does not charge a change fee when passengers want to switch flights just the difference in the price of a fare. In addition to those tiny bags of pretzels in-flight, Southwest intends to increase the snack selection on Hawaii flights to include Wheat Thins, cheese spread and Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies, according to online reports. Longtime Southwest fliers will remember when the airline served up snack boxes with similar items on some of its longer flights a few years ago, and the carrier says it intends to hand out items with a bit more substance than the tiny pretzel packs. See: Southwests video about Hawaii service. Drinks too will take on a Hawaiian flair to give passengers a taste of the islands on the way over, according to those reports. Southwest will begin serving Minute Maid pineapple orange juice, Blue Chair Bay coconut spiced rum and Kona Longboard Island Lager. Getting Approval Southwest had originally planned to begin Hawaii flights in late-2018, but a series of delays pushed the start date back by months. In mid-December 2018, the airline received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to begin the final two phases of Extended Twin Engine Operating Performance Standards (ETOPS) certification: table-top demonstrations and proving flights. Then the more than month-long federal government shutdown happened, and FAA inspectors responsible for certifying the airline were furloughed, putting an unexpected stop to the ETOPS process. The shutdown delayed a series of validation flights with FAA inspectors by more than a month. The carrier operated its first ETOPS proving flight on February 5 between Oakland and Honolulu. We counted at least six validation flights between the U.S. and the islands, including a simulated mid-air decompression where the flight had to divert to Hilo on the Big Island. The final validation flight left Maui for Dallas-Love Field on February 19. The federal government certified Southwest for ETOPS flights on February 27, the airline announced. Please note that all fares mentioned in this post were available at time of publication, but change rapidly. Know the safest spots to visit and the precautions to take Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure Courtesy of Encuentro Guadalupe 1 of 10 Courtesy of Encuentro Guadalupe Encuentro Guadalupe, Valle de Guadalupe, Baja The desert version of over-the-water bungalows, Encuentro Guadalupes 20 freestanding stilted posh pods, each with a terrace and outdoor clay chimenea, seem to float with the same beckoning allureonly instead of ocean youre surrounded by the mountain vineyards of the Valle de Guadalupe wine region. Take in the rocky terrain and flowering shrubs by horseback or while sipping wine in the dramatic infinity pool cut into the hillside. http://www.grupoencuentro.com.mx/english/index.html Courtesy of Hotel San Cristobal 2 of 10 Courtesy of Hotel San Cristobal Hotel San Cristobal, Baja Located near the tiny town of Todos Santos on a beach known for its fishing and surf breaks, this isnt your ordinary desert hotel. Colorful tiled floors, brightly woven blankets, and flamingo pool floats contrast with the rugged Baja landscape, making this 32-room boutique hotel a photographic standout. Sip mezcal margaritas by the turquoise pool and dine on locally-caught fish at Benno, the hotels restaurant. http://sancristobalbaja.com Courtesy of Casa 8 at Bruma 3 of 10 Courtesy of Casa 8 at Bruma Casa 8 at Bruma, Ensenada, Baja You can thank local architect Alejandro DAcosta for this stunning display of rustic woodwork, metal, boulders, and earth walls in Mexicos lauded wine region. As well as the modern yet minimalist eight-room bed and breakfast, each with glass walls overlooking the winery, theres an elevated infinity pool and standout farm-to-table restaurant, Fauna. Oh, and all the eco-friendly wine you can sip. http://bruma.mx/ Courtesy of Hope Springs Resort 4 of 10 Courtesy of Hope Springs Resort Hope Springs Resort, Palm Springs Slightly removed from Palm Springs proper is Hope Springs Resort, a gorgeously restored 1950s motel in Desert Hot Springs, a stylish refuge where privacy and pampering are the M.O. The 10-room property boasts three spring-fed pools, two hot and one less hot, where soaking in the therapeutic mineral waters is mandatory. http://www.hopespringsresort.com Story continues Heidi Zumbrun, courtesy of Mojave Sands 5 of 10 Heidi Zumbrun, courtesy of Mojave Sands Mojave Sands, Joshua Tree Unplugging at this five-room roadside desert hideaway in Joshua Tree isnt difficult. Instead of TVs and WiFi, rooms feature private patios and outdoor showers, as well as manual typewriters and vintage record players. Hike nearby Joshua Tree, grill up some grub in the communal BBQ, and bask in the intimate minimalist oasis. http://www.mojavesandsatjoshuatree.com Courtesy of Mii Amo 6 of 10 Courtesy of Mii Amo Mii Amo, Sedona Set in the striking red rocks of Sedona on what many believe to be a sacred energy vortex, Mii Amo is the ultimate desert destination spa. Not only do treatment rooms outnumber guest casitas 20 to 16, the new age spa menu is a standout with psychic readings, chakra meditation, energy clearings, aura photography, and past life regression. https://www.miiamo.com Courtesy of The Downtown Clifton 7 of 10 Courtesy of The Downtown Clifton The Downtown Clifton, Tucson You know youve arrived at The Downtown Clifton when you spot the standout Dia de los Muertos outdoor mural, a nod to the kitschy Southwest vibe of the 10-room remodeled 1947 motel. From the made-in-Tucson wooden platform bed and local art slung on the walls, to the mini bar stocked with Mexican sodas and Tucson-made snacks, you know youre not in Kansas anymore. This world is decidedly more hip. http://downtowntucsonhotel.com Courtesy of El Rey Court 8 of 10 Courtesy of El Rey Court El Rey Court, Santa Fe What started as a 12-room Route 66 adobe-style 1936 motor court is now 86 rooms stretching over five acres. Each room is unique, but nostalgic types will love the revamped originals, complete with turquoise doors, covered patios, original artwork, and beamed ceilings. Dont miss La Reina, the propertys tequila and mezcal bar. http://www.elreycourt.com Courtesy of Amangiri 9 of 10 Courtesy of Amangiri Amangiri, Utah Amangiri is a true reflection of its remote desert setting. A posh escape on the Utah-Arizona border set between breathtaking buttes and magical mesas, the 600-acre hideaway blends almost seamlessly with its sweeping surroundings. There isnt a bad view in the house, especially from the pool which wraps around an enormous sandstone cliff. Desert perfection. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amangiri Courtesy of Boulders Spa & Resort 10 of 10 Courtesy of Boulders Spa & Resort Boulders Spa & Resort, Scottsdale Those rocks! Thats the first thing youll notice at the aptly named Boulders, a sprawling Sonoran Desert resort framed by Flintstone-sized ancient rock configurations. Accommodations, which range from casitas to 3000-plus square-foot luxury haciendas, blend into the landscape, giving it an even more deserty feel. Hike, rock climb, golf, or spa, just be sure to watch the sun set over the saguaros. http://www.theboulders.com Let me set the scene for you. There I am, wearing gray pajamas that are actually long johns, sitting up in bed, three cats pressed against my legs as I try to read a book. I feel heavy from the takeout empanadas I had earlier, fuzzy from having watched a movie that went on too long. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my husband watching me. "Soooooooo" he says, stretching out the word until I give up on reading and look over at him. "You want some of this?" He's half-kidding but, still, he flexes his biceps and does that thing I hate where he makes his pecs dance. I flare my nostrils. Raise my eyebrows. "Um" At which point I'm forced to determine what choice would be more exhausting: to have sex with him, or to spend 10 minutes convincing him that, no, really, I'm not in the mood. Many women go through this same mental gymnastics repeatedly through the course of a relationship. Its the moment when they decide should I take one for the team? Should I say "yes" to maintenance sex? If you haven't heard the phrase before, this put-upon act of intimacy is a willing acquiescence to sex that, at least for the less randy half of a couple, is undertaken for the good of the relationship. The concept seems benign enough, until you realize that it falls under the umbrella of sexual compliance, which is when a person willingly engages in sex they dont actually want. Sexually compliant behavior is troublingly common, particularly among women. In one study published in The Journal of Sex Research, for example, it was found that among 1,519 unmarried college students, 55 percent of women reported that they had consented to unwanted sexual intercourse. Other studies have yielded similar results. Since then, what researchers have struggled to determine is why? Natalie*, a 28-year-old writing instructor in Pittsburgh who's been married for a year and a half, says she regularly engaged in maintenance sex early on in their relationship. At the beginning, Natalie explains, her libido was quite high. "But then I had a flare-up," she says, referring to pain she experienced, presumably as a result of endometriosis. "But I felt like I had to keep up with that expectation I had set, which is gross." Story continues She was later diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction; her pelvic floor muscles contracted in anticipation of pain, which in a self-fulfilling prophecy led to actual pain during intercourse. "I had no good sexual experiences," says Natalie, "because I was forcing myself. I felt obligated to do this thing even though it was painful for me. But there's a sense that this is what you have to do to be a good wife," she says. But where does that sentiment that one has to close their eyes, hold their nose, and just get through it come from? In studying sexual compliance within the context of young adults committed relationships, researcher Sarah Vannier, Ph.D., found numerous reasons why one might engage in unwanted sex. Some do so out of fear that their partner will lose interest in them if they don't put out. Some just dont want to deal with the verbally coercive behavior theyve come to expect from partners met with a "no." Others report that they comply with their partner's sexual requests in order to fulfill what they see as the obligations of their relationship. Still others have maintenance sex in order to boost intimacy in their relationship. The list goes on. "It's an interesting idea because it's something people are agreeing to," says Vannier. "There's a willingness there, but there's not sexual desire." Vannier explains that, when we're in a committed relationship, we agree to do things that make our partner happy and keep our relationship strong. Sometimes, we order in a certain type of cuisine, even when we're not in the mood for it. Other times, we have sex, even when we're not in the mood for it. "Are they two sides of the same coin," asks Vannier, "or something more problematic?" While Natalies experiences with maintenance sex have been negative, Carley*, a 25-year-old customer service representative in Florida who has been with her present boyfriend for six months, has seen hers as a force for good; in fact she goes along with maintenance sex quite often to keep her partner happy. "I don't have a very high sex drive, and my partners usually do," she says. So even when she's not in the mood, if she's not completely against it, she'll give it a go. Carley explains that, in the past, shes engaged in sexually compliant behavior that ended up being detrimental to both her relationships and to her well-being. After surviving sexual assault, she found herself unable to talk about her discomfort around sex with new partners. I felt it was my job to have sex with [my partner] to keep him happy, she says. I set his expectations unrealistically compared to what I was mentally able to do. Since then, shes learned that in order to be sexually happy and healthy, its essential to have open communication about both partner's comfort levels, limitations, expectations, and more. At the same time, she prioritizes intimacy within her relationships, and knows that if she waits to be in the mood before agreeing to sex, she might never have it at all. I dated someone who only wanted me to have sex with him when I wanted to have sex badly, says Carley. It was well-intentioned, but, We went from having sex very often to very rarely. RELATED: Why Is Urinary Incontinence So Common All of a Sudden? And so, Carley does what she does in order to maintain a certain level of sexual intimacy. And when she's really not in the mood for penetrative sex? "I will offer things instead of sex," she says. "Blowjobs. We'll fondle each other. We'll make time for each other." She says this intentional approach to building intimacy sometimes even operates as a sort of foreplay. "I end up realizing I did want it," she says. Carleys experience speaks to misconceptions around how sexual desire actually works. While there are those who are able to experience spontaneous desire which is when you get turned on in anticipation of sexual pleasure many more women experience responsive desire, which occurs in response to pleasurable stimulation. For the latter group, "maintenance" sex can be a helpful step because, to some extent, they have to be intimate in order to begin enjoying intimacy. Of course, that can get complicated: How much should we have to push ourselves in order to get into it; and when should our partners just lay off already? While conversations around sexual violence and coercion have increased in recent years thanks in part to movements like #MeToo and #YesAllWomen, weve only just begun to peer into the gray areas that exist around consent. RELATED: Time's Up Takes on Rampant Sexual Abuse in Healthcare There was the seismic reaction to the publication of Kristen Roupenians Cat Person in The New Yorker in 2017. There was the uproar around one womans account of her sexually coercive experience with Aziz Ansari in 2018. More recently, on February 21, Minnesota made the decision to outlaw marital rape, which made us all do a double take because wait a second Minnesota hadnt yet outlawed marital rape? All of these incidents have forced us to interrogate our own sexual experiences, and how we define them. When does an encounter shift from benign to problematic? After all, something does not have to be illegal to be wrong. How do we determine what consent should look like within relationships, and where does maintenance sex fall within that discussion? Further, is maintenance sex good or bad? According to Vannier, it depends. "If sex is an important part of the relationship that you value," she says, "you'll feel better about it in the long run, she says of the decision to engage in maintenance sex. But if there's a history of your partner pressuring you, and that's why you're agreeing, it might hurt your relationship in the long run." In other words, it comes down to whether you're being pressured, or even forced, or if you're truly making a choice, and getting into it. RELATED: How to Deal When You and Your Partner Have Mismatched Libidos Natalie, for one, is much happier since she stopped forcing herself to engage in penetrative sex she didn't actually want. And she says the ubiquity of this kind of maintenance sex makes it harder for women like her to stop. "There's a feeling of, like, if so many people were experiencing this, wouldn't we be angrier about it? It either gets ignored or accepted. I think the comparison that people are afraid to make is that maintenance sex can be like sexual assault or a form of it. You don't want to come out and say it but, I don't know, I think the universal acceptance of it as this joke, this thing we roll our eyes at, makes it harder to equate. I wish it were easier to have this conversation." The more we talk about consent, though we continue to hear the same old jokes, not as many of us are laughing. *Names have been changed or identifying details withheld. An Italian specialist carmaker unveiled an all-electric car that it claims can reach 180 miles per hour (mph) in less time than an F-16 jet. Automobili Pininfarina debuted its Battista "hypercar" at the Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday. A hypercar is a term used by auto watchers to describe the very top fraction of so-called supercars. Its makers say the Battista can produce 1,900 brake horsepower (bhp), spread across four separate motors which power each wheel. This reportedly makes it the most powerful road car ever produced. By comparison, a BMW 5 Series 530, priced at around $50,000, has a tenth of the engine power at 190 bhp. In terms of acceleration, the Pininfarina Battista has been described as the fastest street-legal car, hitting 62 mph (100 kmh) in less than two seconds. Speaking at the Munich show, Automobili Pininfarina CEO Michael Perschke said for safety reasons a restricted engine version, with a top speed of 350 kmh (217 mph), would be released first. "This car is 0-300 (kmh) faster than an F-16 ... So the car will be released with a 350 kilometers (per hour) top speed and then beyond that there will a special track package." One hundred and fifty of the cars will be built and available to drive in 2020. Each have been priced at around $2.2 million. Perschke said the firm wanted to be completely sold out after the 2019 Pebble Beach car show in August this year. "We have around about 40 percent of global production already reserved and, in the U.S., it is closer to 70 percent," he said. Automobili Pininfarina, which is owned by Indian multinational conglomerate Mahindra Group and based in Germany, said the battery will grant around 280 miles on a single charge. WATCH: Uber unveiled its flying taxi prototype, which looks like a giant drone By Jennifer Hiller and John Benny NEW YORK (Reuters) - The two biggest U.S. oil companies tried to outdo each other on Tuesday, boasting about their prowess in shale to lure investors to their side. Chevron Corp and Exxon Mobil Corp released dueling Permian Basin projections that, if realized, would cement the rivals as the dominant players in the West Texas and New Mexico field, with one-third of Permian production potentially under their control within five years. Chevron expects shale production from the basin to reach 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) by the end of next year, 59 percent above current production, and 900,000 bpd by the end of 2023, it said at its annual meeting with equity analysts in New York. The stakes are such that Exxon on Tuesday forecast shale production of 1 million barrels per day in the Permian as early as 2024, grabbing the spotlight on the day Chevron was making a case in its oil growth. "Our investors don't need to wait several years for the story to come together," Chevron Chief Executive Mike Wirth said in an apparent dig at Exxon, which has been investing heavily in the Permian to reverse production declines. "Were delivering now." The Permian Basin pumps around 4 million barrels per day now and IHS Markit expects it to hit 5.4 mbd in 2023, more than the total production of any OPEC country other than Saudi Arabia. Wirth said at a press conference that he had been "busy" and had not seen Exxon's Permian goal, which was released while he was speaking to analysts. He said, however, that Chevron's production could exceed 900,000 barrels daily if the company decided to increase drilling rigs from the 20 currently in operation. "Its a decision we havent taken yet but we certainly have it under active consideration," Wirth said. "Its a good story that could get even better." Oil companies are trying to win back investors after years of underperforming other industrial sectors and the S&P 500. The weighting of energy shares in the S&P 500 index fell to 6 percent in 2018, from 8.4 percent four years earlier. Story continues Like Exxon, Chevron has begun to emphasize achieving faster payoffs from investments in shale rather than the megaprojects of the past. "The key driver of cash flow growth over the medium term remains the Permian, which continues to perform ahead of expectations," said Biraj Borkhataria of RBC Europe Limited. Chevron said it expects global production to rise 3 percent to 4 percent annually through 2023. Executives said the company would return more cash to investors this year through dividends and $4 billion in share buybacks aiming to achieve a 6 percent shareholder return. The company also raised its estimate of its reserves in the Permian, in Texas and New Mexico, to 16.2 billion barrels of recoverable resources from 9 billion. The San Ramon, California-based company expects to sell assets worth $5 billion to $10 billion https://bit.ly/2tOctMy between 2018 and 2020, including production assets in Denmark, Azerbaijan and Britain's North Sea. The company's annual capital expenditure is expected to be in the range of $19 billion to $22 billion between 2021 and 2023. Chevron expects to spend $3.6 billion in the Permian Basin and another $1.6 billion in other shale fields. Chevrons other shale holdings include the Marcellus in the Northeastern U.S., the Duvernay in Alberta, Canada and the Vaca Muerta in Argentina. Wirth also touched on Venezuela, where Chevron, the largest U.S. oil company still in operation there, is under pressure from U.S. sanctions. He said Chevron's employees are safe and its operations are "in good shape," and that it has taken "the long view" on the country. Wirth said he continues to talk with U.S. government officials. "Were trying to be sure that we understand the policy objectives of the government and the government understands the ramifications of policy actions they might take," Wirth said. (Reporting by John Benny in Bengaluru and Jennifer Hiller in New York; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Steve Orlofsky) By Dominique Patton and Rod Nickel BEIJING/KABUL (Reuters) - China has canceled Canadian agribusiness Richardson International Ltd's registration to ship canola to China, the company said on Tuesday, the latest sign of tensions between Ottawa and Beijing. It was not immediately clear why exports to China by Richardson, the world's top importer of canola, had been halted. Canada and China are locked in a dispute over trade and telecoms technology that has ensnared the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Ltd, the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, who faces U.S. criminal charges. Officials at China's General Administration of Customs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Richardson spokeswoman Hayley Johnson confirmed that China revoked the company's import permit for canola, after Reuters earlier reported a document listing approved shippers posted on the website of the Chinese customs administration on March 1 showed the cancellation. The document is a revised version of a notice first posted on Jan. 14. A note beside the entry for Richardson International in the latest document reads: "Canola export registration already canceled." A lasting block on Richardson's canola exports would be a headache for Canada's biggest grain handler and a potential blow for the country's economy as a whole. Oilseeds like canola, fruit and grain are Canada's biggest China export category, making up nearly 17 percent of all exports in 2017, the latest annual data available, according to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. ICE May canola futures fell $4.30, or about 1 percent, to $458.50 per ton. (GRAPHIC: Canada to China exports - https://tmsnrt.rs/2Urb9et) Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said she was "very concerned" by the blocked shipment. "We do not believe there is any scientific basis for this ... we are working very very hard with the Chinese government on this issue," she told reporters in Longueuil, Quebec, saying the matter was of the utmost priority for Ottawa. CANADIAN CANOLA, AUSTRALIAN COAL As the diplomatic dispute between China and Canada intensified, Beijing has detained two Canadians working in China, and on Monday accused one of them of stealing Chinese state secrets passed on to him by the other. There had already been reports last month that Canadian canola shipments to China had been slow to clear customs amid the dispute. China buys some C$2.5 billion ($1.88 billion) of Canadian canola per year, and a slower pace of sales would mean another hit for exporters, which include Viterra and Cargill Ltd. The restriction on imports of canola from a country with which links have worsened echoes moves by Chinese customs to slow clearing of Australian coal imports. Australia's ties with China have deteriorated since 2017, when Canberra accused China of meddling in its domestic affairs. ($1 = 1.3331 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Dominique Patton in Beijing and Rod Nickel in Kabul; Additional reporting by Hallie Gu in Beijing and David Ljunggren in Ottawa and Tom Polansek in Chicago; editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Grant McCool) House Democrats unveil a comprehensive elections and ethics reform package, Jan. 4, 2019. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP) WASHINGTON With an eye toward making the reinstatement of the 1965 Voting Rights Act an issue in the 2020 election, Democrats are pushing ambitious new legislation they hope will lay the groundwork for increased voter participation. House Democrats plan to pass House Resolution 1 this week, a mammoth proposal with three main planks: campaign finance, ethics and voting rights. But even if the measure succeeds, the Republican-controlled Senate is not expected to take it up for a vote. HR 1s voting rights components which aim to increase voter registration and access to the polls have so far received more attention than its other provisions, but the details of the bill have less to do with reinstating the VRA than a subsequent bill, HR 4, which was introduced last week. In its 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, and HR 4 aims to lay the foundation for a new VRA standard that will withstand legal challenges once it becomes law. Getting the Voting Rights Act updated and strengthened again is key, said Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., a key proponent of HR 4, which was introduced last week by Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala. HR 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, will give the Democrats a vehicle to conduct field hearings and hear expert testimony over the next several months to amass what Sarbanes called a strong, robust record for why the VRA needs to be reinstated after Shelby. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. (Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP) The Shelby decision removed the requirement for state or local governments with a history of racial discrimination to seek permission from the Justice Department before making all changes to state election law however innocuous until they have been pre-cleared by federal authorities in Washington, D.C. Chief Justice Roberts wrote in a 5-4 majority opinion that things have changed dramatically since the 1965 passage of the VRA, and that problems remain in these States and others, but there is no denying that, due to the Voting Rights Act, our Nation has made great strides. Nine states were covered by the VRA in 1965, and counties and townships in five other states came under the act in its subsequent renewals. Story continues The courts Shelby decision left open the possibility of renewal of what is known under the VRA as pre-clearance for state and local election changes, but said that Congress needed to approve new formulas to trigger the scrutiny of the federal government. Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions, Roberts wrote. Democrats argue that, in the wake of the courts decision, Republicans moved quickly to erect election laws that made it harder to vote. These changes were usually made in the name of preventing voter fraud, but often had a disproportionate impact on minority voters and the poor. Since the Shelby decision, a lot of jurisdictions across the country seem to have snapped back to an earlier time where theyre putting in place these measures that make it harder to vote, Sarbanes said. Stacey Abrams (Photo: Alyssa Pointer/AP) Carol Andersons 2018 book One Person, No Vote documented the impact of election law changes in the 2016 election and pushed the idea that the decline in African-American participation in the Rust Belt states that decided the election was due to Republicans culling the voter rolls and erecting obstacles to voting. The Democrats 2016 presidential nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, talked about these impacts this past weekend. I was the first person who ran for president without the protection of the Voting Rights Act, and I will tell you, it makes a really big difference, Clinton said Sunday in Selma, Ala., at a commemoration of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery civil rights march. In 2018, the Georgia gubernatorial contest between Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams crystallized concerns about voter suppression. Kemp, then Georgias secretary of state, oversaw the election he was running in, raising questions about a conflict of interest. Kemp had a long record of making openly partisan statements of alarm about increases in Democratic voter registration numbers, and had removed millions of voters under the pretense of keeping them up to date. Following her defeat, Abrams founded a group called Fair Fight Action and filed lawsuits that argue Kemp erected an obstacle course for voters. While Republicans have often raised concerns about voter fraud in recent years, there have been no widespread instances of fraud that impacted an election until Republicans in North Carolina were caught trying to steal a congressional election in the states ninth district. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP) Ironically, the North Carolina case is now being used by Republicans to argue that measures that Democrats decry as suppressing the vote are in fact needed to prevent cheating. For years and years, every Republican who dared to call for commonsense safeguards for Americans' ballots was demonized by Democrats and their allies, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor last week. We were hit with left-wing talking points insisting that voter fraud wasn't real. Now that an incident of very real voter fraud has become national news and the Republican candidate seems seems to have benefited, these long-standing Democratic talking points have been really quiet, McConnell said. Haven't heard much lately from the Democrats about how fraud never happens. Sarbanes said that McConnell is conflating fraud by political operatives to change an election with fraud by voters at the polls. The latter, voter fraud, is the justification Republicans often use for stricter laws and rules, and that was not what happened in North Carolina, Sarbanes said. The prospects for reinstating the VRAs pre-clearance requirement before the 2020 election look slim, given that Republicans control the Senate and the White House. But Sarbanes said that the heightened awareness of this issue could make this a potent election-year issue in 2020. If McConnell doesnt take up any of these important reforms, I think its fair to say to the public, Look, you gave the Democrats the gavel in the House in 2018, and weve shown you that were committed to make these changes. If youre not getting satisfaction on that on the Senate side, maybe you should give the gavel to a new set of leaders and a new party on the Senate side, Sarbanes said. Whether it results consequentially in a legislative achievement or the energy it produces gets converted into electoral momentum that becomes part of the 2020 election narrative remains to be seen. But either way, he said, it will create momentum. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: A new copyright directive is expected to be approved by the European Union this month. Photo: Shutterstock The European Union has approved new copyright rules that will give content rights-holders a greater share of revenue from platforms such as YouTube, Google and Facebook hosting their content. Representatives of the E.U.'s 28 national governments and lawmakers from the European Parliament reached an agreement on new rules late last month after two and a half years of negotiations and an intense lobbying campaign that pitted tech giants such as Google and Facebook against film and music companies and digital rights campaigners. The main change to E.U. copyright rules, if officially approved, would introduce a requirement for platforms such as YouTube to negotiate licences with film producers, record companies, collecting societies and other rights-holders to host content on their sites, while Google News would have to buy licences to host newspaper articles. Small excerpts, or snippets, will be permitted without licensing, however. And hyperlinks are not covered by the rules. The aim of the copyright directive is to redress what rights-holders call the value gap between what platforms earn by hosting others' content and what rights-holders themselves are paid. The E.U.s Council of Ministers and the European Parliament still have to formally sign off on the new copyright directive a move expected to occur later this month. Julia Reda, a German lawmaker from the digital freedom Pirate Party who is fiercely opposed to the deal, has organised a campaign to block approval of the agreement. But that opposition campaign is not expected to succeed. Helen Smith, executive chair of independent record companies association Impala, welcomed the agreement. Impala has been one of the longstanding porters of the legislation, she said. It's a huge step forward in how platforms deal with rights-holders. Record companies managed to insert into the final agreement the principle of appropriate and proportionate remuneration, meaning rights-holders should be paid an amount based on the revenue generated by their material when it is used, rather than a flat fee. Platforms will also be responsible for content illegally uploaded to their sites. Critics of the final compromise argued that it would harm freedom of expression on the internet, because vast amounts of content would be blocked by automated filters designed to weed out unlicensed content. "This deal is a threat to small publishers, authors and internet users alike and risks putting the internet as we know it solely in the hands of the tech and media giants, the oppositions Reda said. She said the algorithms of upload filters would not be able to tell the difference between copyright infringement and legal parody. Even the most sophisticated upload filters routinely block perfectly legal content. Requiring platforms to use upload filters would not just lead to more frequent blocking of legal uploads, it would also make life difficult for smaller platforms that cannot afford filtering software, she said. Impala's Smith said claims that internet memes would be banned are completely exaggerated and that the directive has been carefully drafted to provide for exemptions, such as parody or quotation. It's one of the most complicated pieces of legislation the E.U. has produced, she said. Mark Jansen, spokesperson for Google in northern Europe, said copyright reform needs to benefit everyone, including European creators and consumers, small publishers and platforms. Well be studying the final text of the E.U. copyright directive and it will take some time to determine next steps, he said. The details will matter, so we welcome the chance to continue conversations across Europe." Lyon (AFP) - A French court on Thursday will deliver its verdict in the case of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, accused of covering up sexual abuse of minors by one of his priests. The 68-year-old archbishop and five former aides went on trial in Lyon at a time when the Catholic Church has been hit by abuse scandals in countries as far afield as Australia, Brazil, Chile and the United States. The outcome of the trial, which began in January, has been long awaited in France where Barbarin is the highest-profile Catholic cleric to be caught up in a paedophile scandal. "I cannot see what I am guilty of," Barbarin told the court. "I never tried to hide, let alone cover up these horrible facts." The case broke three years ago and lawyers for nine adult plaintiffs - former boy scouts allegedly abused by priest Bernard Preynat - took legal action. Since the abuse relates to acts committed before 1991, prosecutors had declined to press charges because of the statue of limitations. The trial went ahead only because alleged victims went around the prosecutor's office and insisted, as they are entitled, to put their case before a court. Under French law, the court can still convict and even jail the suspect, regardless of the prosecutor's position. Barbarin and his co-defendants have denied covering up the scandal, with the archbishop saying he found out the full story about the priest only after the scandal went public. Preynat, who was charged with sexual abuse in 2016, is expected to be tried this year. He was first interviewed by church leaders in 1991, but Barbarin only suspended him and stopped him from working with children in September 2015. Plaintiffs point to an exchange in 2015 between Barbarin and the Vatican, which advised him to dismiss the offending priest "while avoiding the public scandal". Jean Boudot, lawyer for the victims, accused Barbarin of being a "liar" when he said he had only learned of the breadth of the damage in 2014. Story continues Barbarin said he confronted Preynat, about the abuse "rumours" in 2010 but let the matter drop after Preynat insisted he had changed. In 2014, after meeting with one of the priest's victims, Barbarin contacted the Vatican about the affair, but he only removed the priest from his post a few months later. Two other French religious figures have been convicted of failing to report child abuse in the past: the archbishop of Bayeux-Lisieux, Pierre Rican, in 2001, and the former bishop of Orleans, Andre Fort, last year. Pope Francis last month vowed to an "all-out battle" to tackle every single case of sexual abuse by priests, comparing paedophilia to "human sacrifice", but drew an angry response from victims. WASHINGTON (AP) Three conservative Supreme Court justices say barring synagogues, temples, churches and mosques from programs that award money for preservation work is discrimination. The statement from Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, came as the court declined Monday to take up a case from New Jersey that raised the issue of preservation grants to religious buildings. Kavanaugh wrote that he agreed with the court's decision not to hear the New Jersey case, but he said that at some point the justices "will need to decide whether governments that distribute historic preservation funds may deny funds to religious organizations simply because the organizations are religious." "Barring religious organizations because they are religious from a general historic preservation grants program is pure discrimination against religion," he wrote. Kavanaugh wrote that there were two main reasons to wait on taking the issue. He said the factual details of the Morris County program "are not entirely clear." And he said the justices should wait until more courts have had a chance to apply a 2017 Supreme Court decision involving the exclusion of a church from a state program. That decision said a Missouri church had the same right as other charitable groups to seek state money for a new playground surface and couldn't be denied money solely because it is a religious institution. The case the justices had been asked to hear comes from New Jersey's Morris County. In 2002, county voters authorized the creation of a historic preservation program funded by a county property tax. Religious institutions were among those eligible for grants. The Madison, Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation sued, and New Jersey's highest court ruled that the grant program violated the state's constitution. New Jersey's constitution says that no person should have to pay taxes "for building or repairing any church or churches, place or places of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry." Story continues The Supreme Court's decision not to take the case leaves that ruling in place. ___ Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko House Democrats will vote Wednesday on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism in response to comments made last week by Representative Ilhan Omar (D., N.Y.) that were deemed anti-Semitic by a number of prominent fellow Democrats. It remains unclear whether the resolution, which was first reported by the Washington Post, will condemn Omar by name or just anti-Semitism in general. Omar, who has been repeatedly chastised by lawmakers from both parties for criticizing U.S. policy toward Israel in an offensive manner, suggested her pro-Israel colleagues have an allegiance to a foreign country on Wednesday during a during a Progressive Townhall event in Washington, D.C. What Im fearful of because Rashida and I are Muslim that a lot of our Jewish colleagues, a lot of our constituents, a lot of our allies, go to thinking that everything we say about Israel to be anti-Semitic because we are Muslim, Omar said. So for me, I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country, she later added. The remarks drew the ire of two senior House Democrats from New York: Appropriations Committee chairwoman Nita Lowey and Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Elliot Engel. Lawmakers must be able to debate w/o prejudice or bigotry. I am saddened that Rep. Omar continues to mischaracterize support for Israel. I urge her to retract this statement and engage in further dialogue with the Jewish community on why these comments are so hurtful. Nita Lowey (@NitaLowey) March 2, 2019 Her comments were outrageous and deeply hurtful, and I ask that she retract them, apologize, and commit to making her case on policy issues without resorting to attacks that have no place in the Foreign Affairs Committee or the House of Representatives, Engel said in a statement on Friday. Story continues Omar, who has retained the support of fellow freshman progressive Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, immediately rebuffed the calls for her to retract her comments. Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that! https://t.co/gglAS4FVJW Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019 A coalition of twelve Jewish organizations sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday urging her to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee and Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt also urged Pelosi to take action against Omar in a separate letter. We urge you and your colleagues to send the unambiguous message that the United States Congress is no place for hate, he wrote. More from National Review A resolution condemning anti-Semitism is circulating among members of the House of Representatives in the wake of controversial comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. It is the second time in as many months that Omar, who is Muslim, has drawn criticism for comments that have been labeled anti-Semitic. The four-page draft resolution, which has been tentatively scheduled for a vote Wednesday, begins by rejecting anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States. The resolution is a response to Omars remark several weeks ago about the pro-Israel lobby American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) (asserting its influence is all about the Benjamins), for which she has apologized, and a more recent comment alluding to Americans who promote allegiance to a foreign country, meaning Israel. "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country, said Omar in a progressive town hall last week. "I want to ask, 'Why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA or fossil fuel industries or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobbying group that is influencing policy? At the state and federal level, there has been a push for legislation that would make support of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement illegal. Jonathan Greenblatt, the director of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling for denunciation of Omars comments. That is why that, in light of these additional anti-Semitic statements by Rep. Omar, we ask that you give the entire Congress an opportunity, through a House resolution, to voice its rejection of her latest slur and make clear that no matter what may divide the 435 members of the House of Representatives, they are united in condemning anti-Semitism, wrote Greenblatt. We urge you and your colleagues to send the unambiguous message that the United States Congress is no place for hate. Story continues Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., in 2018. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP) Although the draft resolution does not mention Omar by name, it does note that the myth of dual loyalty, including allegations that Jews should be suspected of being disloyal neighbors or citizens, has been used to marginalize and persecute the Jewish people for centuries for being a stateless minority. It cites, in brief passages, other examples of the dual loyalty myth: the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II; the notorious Dreyfus Affair in 19th century France; the slur that the first Catholic U.S. president, John F. Kennedy, would be beholden to the Vatican; and rhetoric linking American Muslims to terrorism after 9/11. In February, Omar apologized for comments where she stated that support for Israel among Washington, D.C., politicians was due to money from the pro-Israel lobby. Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes, said Omar, adding, I unequivocally apologize. Two days later, the House voted unanimously to condemn anti-Semitism in a nonbinding resolution attached to an unrelated bill. But after Omars latest comments, legislators from both sides of the aisle called on her for a retraction and another apology. Lawmakers must be able to debate w/o prejudice or bigotry, wrote Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. I am saddened that Rep. Omar continues to mischaracterize support for Israel. I urge her to retract this statement and engage in further dialogue with the Jewish community on why these comments are so hurtful. Omar responded to Loweys comments by citing the discrimination she faces. On Friday, the congresswomans picture appeared on a sign linking her to terrorism, posted at a meeting of Republicans in the West Virginia capital. Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! wrote Omar on Twitter. I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that! I have not mischaracterized our relationship with Israel, I have questioned it and that has been clear from my end. I am told everyday that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone. I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks. She added: My Americanness is questioned by the President and the @GOP on a daily basis, yet my colleagues remain silent. I know what it means to be American and no one will ever tell me otherwise. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., at a press conference calling on Congress to cut funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to defund border detention facilities, in Washington, D.C., Feb. 7, 2019. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) Some, including President Trump, have called for Omar to be stripped of her committee assignments as happened to Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, after his latest statement in a long history of racist rhetoric. Representative Ilhan Omar is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel, said Trump on Twitter Monday night. Jewish groups have just sent a petition to Speaker Pelosi asking her to remove Omar from Foreign Relations Committee. A dark day for Israel! Last month, Trump also said that Omar should resign. Defenders of Omar have pointed out that bigoted comments from other members of Congress have gone overlooked. One of the things that is hurtful about the extent to which reprimand is sought of Ilhan is that no one seeks this level of reprimand when members make statements about Latinx + other communities (during the shutdown, a GOP member yelled Go back to Puerto Rico! on the floor), wrote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Twitter. Its not my position to tell people how to feel, or that their hurt is invalid. But incidents like these do beg the question: where are the resolutions against homophobic statements? For anti-blackness? For xenophobia? For a member saying hell send Obama home to Kenya? Ocasio-Cortez was referring to comments Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., made during the 2012 campaign, spreading the conspiracy theory that the first African-American president was born outside the country. Videos of Meadows making those comments circulated last week after Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., accused him of perpetrating racism by bringing a black woman as a prop to the hearing at which former Trump attorney Michael Cohen described the presidents history of making derogatory comments about African-Americans. Tlaib is the other Muslim woman in the House. [Rep. Omars] strength inspires me and so many, wrote Tlaib on Twitter Sunday. She is being targeted just like many civil rights icons before us who spoke out about oppressive policies. As she uplifts my Sity and other Palestinians in the name of justice and peace, she shows us real courage. The New York Times reported Monday that Bill Fiske, an AIPAC member who runs a political action committee that supports pro-Israel candidates, had set his sights on campaigning against Omar, Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib. They are three people who, in my opinion, will not be around in several years, said Fiske. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Huawei is preparing to sue the United States government, according to The New York Times. The Chinese telecommunications company will reportedly allege that the U.S. is unfairly blocking federal agencies from using its equipment, following U.S. government statements that it views Huawei as a security threat. The U.S. fears the company is too close to the Chinese government, and that, once installed, its equipment could allow China to spy on Americans or disrupt essential services. The potential lawsuit could force the U.S. to make their arguments against Huawei explicitly and publicly. Last week at Barcelonas Mobile World Congress, Huawei executives demanded the U.S. show evidence that their technology is vulnerable to Chinese espionage, and a lawsuit could force the government to do just that. A legal filing would likely rely on a U.S. law that says bills passed by Congress cannot single out a person or a group for punishment without a trial. A 2018 defense spending bill specifically named Huawei and fellow Chinese telecoms firm ZTE, and forbade executive agencies from using telecommunications equipment manufactured by either company. Rumors of the lawsuit follow on the heels of the news that Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is suing Canada for breaching her civil rights when she was arrested in December at the instruction of U.S. officials. Meng was suspected of participating in the violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran and stealing technology from T-Mobile. The U.S. has requested her extradition, and Canada is in the process of setting a date for a hearing to begin. By Sijia Jiang (Reuters) - Chinese telecoms equipment company Huawei plans to announce a lawsuit against the United States government on Thursday on grounds related to a defense bill, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Huawei is preparing to announce that it is suing the U.S. government in a court in Texas by challenging an addition to the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed last year, according to the source. The new NDAA act, which Beijing had condemned as targeting China, controlled U.S. government contracts with Chinese companies including Huawei and strengthened the role of the panel that reviews foreign investment proposals. The New York Times first reported Huawei's planned legal move on Monday, citing two people familiar with the matter. Huawei declined to comment. It had invited Reuters and other international media to a press conference at its Shenzhen headquarters in China on Thursday. Such a move would be the latest in a series of responses from the Chinese company as Washington tries to persuade allies to ban Huawei from business alleging espionage risks. Huawei has repeatedly denied the claims. On Sunday, lawyers for Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou sued the Canadian government, its border agency and federal police, alleging their client was detained, searched and interrogated for three hours in violation of her constitutional rights. That comes after Canada on Friday approved a hearing on a U.S. extradition request for Meng on charges related to breaking Iran sanctions. The New York Times cited a source as saying Huawei's suit is likely to argue that the NDAA provision is a "bill of attainder," or a legislative act that singles out a person or group for punishment without trial, according to the newspaper report. Canada arrested Meng in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, which has brought sweeping charges against her and Huawei that portray the company as a threat to U.S. national security. The case has strained Canada's relations with China. (Reporting by Sijia Jiang in HONG KONG and Rishika Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta/Keith Weir) Amman (AFP) - Iran has released three Jordanians it arrested in December after they strayed into Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf, Jordan's foreign ministry said on Tuesday. "Iranian authorities released the three Jordanians and handed them over to the acting charge d'affairs at the kingdom's embassy in Tehran," it said. The three men were detained during a fishing trip from the United Arab Emirates late last year. Jordan said last month that its embassy in Tehran had been notified that they would be released after paying a fine for straying into Iranian territorial waters and "illegal fishing". The foreign ministry in Amman said the embassy would cover the cost of the fine and was working closely with Iranian authorities to organise the men's return home as soon as possible. In January Jordan's foreign ministry said the three men, accompanied by Emirati and Egyptian friends, had entered Iranian waters "by mistake" during a boat trip on December 27. Oxygen An Illinois man has been accused of gunning down his ex-girlfriend on Thanksgiving while she was on a date with another man. Robert Bobby J. Tarr, 48, is now facing three counts of first-degree murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend Leslie Reeveswho had taught self-defense courses in the community and was an outspoken advocate against domestic violence. Tarr is also facing one count of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shooting of Christopher J. Smith, 48, who had been on Jerusalem (AFP) - An Israeli spacecraft on its maiden mission to the moon has sent its first selfie back to Earth, mission chiefs said on Tuesday. The image showing part of the Beresheet spacecraft with Earth in the background was beamed to mission control in Yehud, Israel -- 37,600 kilometres (23,360 miles) away, the project's lead partners said in a statement. The partners, NGO SpaceIL and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, launched the unmanned Beresheet -- Hebrew for Genesis -- from Cape Canaveral in Florida on February 22. The 585-kilogram (1,290-pound) craft took off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the private US-based SpaceX company of entrepreneur Elon Musk. The trip is scheduled to last seven weeks, with the Beresheet due to touch down on April 11. So far, only Russia, the United States and China have made the 384,000-kilometre (239,000-mile) journey and landed on the moon. The Israeli mission comes amid renewed global interest in the moon, 50 years after American astronauts first walked on its surface. China's Chang'e-4 made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon on January 3, after a probe sent by Beijing made a lunar landing elsewhere in 2013. For Israel, the landing itself is the main mission, but the spacecraft also carries a scientific instrument to measure the lunar magnetic field, which will help understanding of the moon's formation. It also carries a "time capsule" loaded with digital files containing a Bible, children's drawings, Israeli songs, memories of a Holocaust survivor and the blue-and-white Israeli flag. After China earlier this year, and now Israel, India hopes to become the fifth lunar country in the spring with its Chandrayaan-2 mission. It aims to put a craft with a rover onto the moon's surface to collect data. Japan plans to send a small lunar lander, called SLIM, to study a volcanic area around 2020-2021. As for the Americans, who have not been back to the moon since 1972, a return is now the official policy of NASA, according to guidelines issued by President Donald Trump in 2017. NASA, which has installed equipment on Beresheet to upload its signals from the moon, says it is inviting private sector bids to build and launch the US probes. The US space agency plans to build a small space station, dubbed Gateway, in the moon's orbit by 2026, and envisages a manned mission to Mars in the following decade. PARIS (AP) The Latest on the French president's call for a stronger European Union (all times local): 7:45 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron has reiterated his call for a stronger Europe as he addressed members of European intelligence services who gathered in Paris to launch a new body where they can exchange views and experiences. Speaking Tuesday after his column went out to publications in the 28 EU nations, Macron said he believes Europe is "dying from those who, in a way, have renounced maintaining this desire of Europe." He added that the European countries "don't have any other choice than joining forces" if they "don't want to depend tomorrow on intelligence gleaned by the United States, China or Russia." The new body, Europe's Intelligene College, is launched on Macron's initiative and notably aims at better fighting terrorism and cybercrime on the continent through common discussions between European intelligence experts. It does not offer operational intelligence exchange. ___ 6:05 p.m. The Hungarian government is dismissing French President Emmanuel Macron's call for voters to reject nationalists in May's European Parliament elections. In response to a column by Macron published Tuesday across the continent, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government said the French leader was a "pro-immigration politician" attacking those, like Orban, who are opposed to immigration. The Hungarian government said "Macron ... believes immigration is good. We believe it is bad." Orban's office also accused Macron of censorship, claiming he called for the banning of "posters of the opponents of immigration." In recent weeks, the Hungarian government has been waging a media campaign against EU leaders and their supposedly pro-immigration position. Billboards and ads show European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros above the caption "You, too, have the right to know what Brussels is planning to do." Story continues ___ 4:50 p.m. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis says he is not impressed with French President Emmanuel Macron's push to persuade voters they should support parties that will strengthen the European Union. Babis said after newspapers across Europe published an opinion column by Macron on Tuesday: "I don't like it at all. "I don't think it goes in the right direction. I'm surprised by the call." In his column, the French leader offered ideas for safeguarding elections, managing migration, and making Europe a leader in combating climate change. Babis told The Associated Press he thinks the EU should focus on fundamental issues, such as defense and making the bloc's common trading market work better. He doesn't expect other Czechs to react positively to Macron's views, but "quite the contrary." ___ 3:45 p.m. France's European affairs minister says President Emmanuel Macron's column as a "realistic assessment about the state of Europe." Nathalie Loiseau told BFM TV that "we cannot be in the status quo, in conservatism, and we have never needed Europe as much as now. Many share this view." She said the Brexit made the U.K. a "distraught country" with a "confused political class." Macron's column, published in newspapers in the 28 EU member countries, calls for European renewal and alleges that that "lie" and "irresponsibility" led to Britain's scheduled departure from the EU at the end of the month. ___ 2:30 p.m. Germany's vice chancellor is welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron's call for reform of the European Union, saying that Europe needs to be strong to avoid being pushed around. Olaf Scholz, who is also Germany's finance minister, told the Funke newspaper group Tuesday that Macron "has sent a determined signal for cohesion in Europe." He said "it is important that we are sovereign and strong so that we are not pushed around in the world." Scholz added: "I see us right beside Paris when it comes to reforms for a Europe that is capable of acting and a stable euro." Germany and France are the traditional motors of European integration, but their cooperation has often been marred by disagreement. Scholz is a senior figure in the center-left Social Democratic Party, the junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's fractious governing coalition. ___ 1:40 p.m. The European Commission is welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron's appeal for a "European renaissance," though it says it has already been working for years on many of the ideas he raised. Chief spokesman for the EU's executive body, Margaritis Schinas, on Tuesday read a list of ideas the commission and its president, Jean-Claude Juncker, have been developing since their term started in 2014. They ranged from border guard and asylum agencies to security and food safety proposals or tackling climate change. Schinas said: "For a European renaissance, France and the Commission are fighting the same fight." He conceded that any moves requiring changes to the EU's founding treaties can only be decided "among our member states. These are the owners of the treaties." ___ This version corrects that Schinas is male, not female. ___ 12:20 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron's plea for a stronger European Union went out to publications "of record" in 28 nations, but didn't always get prime placement. In Hungary, whose President Viktor Orban has been a frequent target of Macron, it was published online only in the independent business weekly HVG. In The Guardian in Britain, it disappeared from the international home page by midday and was deep in an inside section in the paper edition. And in Poland, where the right-wing government is calling for greater autonomy from Brussels' decisions, Macron's column was published by the respected nationwide Rzeczpospolita daily. The headline was on the front page but the full text was published on page 12, as an opinion column, without any comments. ___ 10:40 a.m. The German government says it's important for pro-European forces to set out their ideas for the future of the European Union but isn't offering any immediate assessment of details of French President Emmanuel Macron's latest reform proposals. The government said in a brief emailed response Tuesday to a query on Macron's plea to voters to choose a stronger EU: "It is important for the pro-European forces to set out their concepts before the European election. The German government supports active discussion on the direction of the European Union." Alexander Gauland, the co-leader of the far-right opposition Alternative for Germany party, charged that Macron's "proposals for a 'renewal' of the EU would ultimately lead to yet more rules and bureaucracy and further limit the sovereignty of member states." He said that "that will worsen the crisis of the EU." Gauland said that "the bigger the problems become in France, the more Macron plays global statesman." ___ 9:45 a.m. French President Emmanuel Macron's plea in the publications of 28 nations for a stronger European Union has gained support from neighboring Belgium and Finland. In a tweet Tuesday, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila offered support for Macron's call for "security, sustainable growth and ambitious climate policy." Sipila added that people needed to see "the EU that is capable of making decisions and implementing them." Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said he particularly hoped for "a Europe that protects liberty and democracy," according to the agency Belga. But in France, where Macron's popularity has dipped since his election, there was skepticism. Nadine Morano of the opposition Republicans said that "in this column, the word France appears just once. This is Macronism France has to disappear into this European federalism." Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday declined to denounce socialist Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, calling the countrys current crisis a complex issue. At a press conference to mark the opening of her first congressional office in Queens, the freshman Democrat was asked about the Venezuelan crisis and her willingness to denounce the Maduro regime. Yeah, so I think that this is absolutely a complex issue, Ocasio-Cortez began. I think its important that we approach this very carefully. The congresswoman said she is absolutely concerned with the humanitarian crisis thats happening, adding that it is important that any solution that we have centers [on] the Venezuelan people and centers [on] the democracy of Venezuelan people first. I am very concerned about U.S. interventionism in Venezuela and I oppose it, she said, explaining that she particularly opposes the leadership of U.S. Special Envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams, who is known for pleading guilty to two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress during the Reagan administrations Iran-Contra scandal. President George H.W. Bush pardoned Abrams in 1992. I am generally opposed to U.S. interventionism as a principle, but particularly under this administration and under his leadership I think its a profound mistake, Ocasio-Cortez said. In an interview published last week, another freshman Democrat, Representative Ilhan Omar, responded absolutely not when she was asked whether she, like the U.S. and dozens of other countries, recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate head of state. The U.S. has levied heavy sanctions on Venezuela in an effort to cripple Maduros regime. The Trump administration has also pledged nearly $56 million in additional aid to partners in the region working to aid the Venezuelan people, many of whom are starving. Two weeks ago, troops loyal to Maduro shot tear gas and rubber bullets into convoys of opposition supporters attempting to bring food and medical aid to citizens. Story continues President Trump said last month that military intervention in Venezuela is still an option. More from National Review (Reuters) - Office Depot on Monday teamed up with Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd to launch a co-branded e-commerce website, seeking to tap into the opportunities of selling to small and medium businesses in the United States. While the Chinese e-commerce giant has inked deals with U.S. companies including Kroger Co to sell products in China through its online marketplace Tmall.com, the deal with Office Depot marks Alibaba.com's first business-to-business collaboration with a major U.S. company. The partnership would give Alibaba access to Office Depot's 10 million customers and 1,800 sales agents. Alibaba would also be able to take advantage of Office Depot's distribution network that offers next day delivery in the United States, the companies said in a joint statement. Office Depot's customers will also get access to Alibaba's global network of over 150,000 suppliers to find more product options or a reputed manufacturer to produce their goods. For instance, a cutlery maker with a special design can find a factory to make it, which can be sold to restaurants or retailers across the world using Alibaba.com platform, John Caplan, head of North America B2B at Alibaba Group, said in an interview with Reuters. The deal is aimed at shortening delivery time, besides giving small and medium U.S. businesses opportunities to sell beyond the United States through Alibaba.com. "This is a great catalyst for growth for small and medium businesses in the United States. We believe it is going to save them time, it is going to save them money," Office Depot Chief Executive Officer Gerry Smith told Reuters. The partnership comes as Office Depot struggles to boost sales amid severe competition from e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. It is now focusing on selling business services to their customers, rather than relying on its traditional business of selling office supplies. Office Depot's business-to-business sales have grown to become its largest revenue generator in 2018, while its retail sales have declined in the last two years. Shares of Office Depot were up about 1 percent, while shares of Alibaba were up 1.4 percent. (Reporting by Soundarya J in Bengaluru; Editing by James Emmanuel) By Laila Kearney (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 1 percent on Monday as the United States and China appeared closer to ending a trade war that has slowed global economic growth while OPEC ally Russia said it would ramp up its crude supply cuts. Gains were tempered by a drop in equity indexes, which weakened sentiment on oil markets. [.N] Brent crude futures settled at $65.67 a barrel, up 60 cents or 0.9 percent. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures ended 79 cents, or 1.4 percent, higher at $56.59 a barrel. Washington and Beijing were close to reaching a trade deal that would roll back U.S. tariffs on at least $200 billion worth of Chinese goods as China pledges to make structural economic changes and end retaliatory tariffs, a source briefed on negotiations said on Sunday. "The bottom line is the optimism surrounding the trade situation," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho. "Comments from oil minister Novak that he was going to get to his level by the end of March also bid the market," Yawger said. Russia, the biggest non-member ally of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, plans to speed up crude output cuts this month, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said. OPEC and its partners, known as OPEC+, will likely decide on a new output policy in June instead of during the group's April meeting in Vienna, OPEC sources told Reuters. OPEC+ is expected to extend supply cuts at its June meeting, but much depends on the extent of U.S. sanctions on OPEC members Iran and Venezuela, the sources said. Crude supply from OPEC hit a four-year low in February, a Reuters survey found, as top exporter Saudi Arabia reduced production more than it had agreed to, and as U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil took effect. "It still looks like OPEC and Saudi Arabia are showing their ability to restrict supply," said Thomas Saal, senior vice president of INTL Hencorp Futures in Miami. "I think as long as that narrative is still in the market, it's going to keep the market strong." Story continues The cuts have helped crude prices rally more than 20 percent so far this year despite surging U.S. production. U.S. crude oil stockpiles were seen rising last week, while refined products likely fell for a third consecutive week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday. Libyan state oil company (NOC) said production would resume at its 315,000 barrels per day El Sharara oilfield to regular output over the coming days. The opening of the field, which was closed in December when state guards and tribesmen seized it, will add to global crude supply. (Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar in London, Henning Gloystein in Singapore and Colin Packham in Sydney.; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Andrea Ricci) The Ministry of Industry and Trade has required corporations and units within the sector to coordinate with localities in organising campaigns to raise public awareness on energy saving and using energy in an efficient way. Organisations and individuals from all areas, including schools, businesses and residential households, are encouraged to take part in the campaign. The capital city of Hanoi will respond to the 2019 Earth Hour with a series of activities, which will begin on March 9 and culminate in an event from 20:00 to 21:30 on March 30 at the Cach Mang Thang Tam Square in the citys downtown Hoan Kiem district. Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It has been described as the largest world grassroots movement for the environment, with the involvement of around 7,000 cities in 172 countries and territories so far. In Vietnam, activities in response to the Earth Hour are coordinated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade with the support of the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). The EVN has been the main sponsor of the Earth Hour movement in the country for 10 consecutive years, since Vietnam joined the campaign in 2009. MANILA, Philippines (AP) Philippine authorities said Monday that they found more than 1,500 live turtles stuffed inside luggage at Manila's airport. The various types of turtles were found Sunday inside four pieces of left-behind luggage of a Filipino passenger arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong, Customs officials said in a statement. The 1,529 turtles were turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit, the statement said. Convictions for the illegal trading of wildlife are punishable by a prison sentence of up to two years and a fine of up to 200,000 pesos ($3,861). In 2018, Philippine authorities turned over to the DENR a total of 560 wildlife and endangered species, including 250 geckos and 254 corals smuggled through air parcels, baggage and shipments, according to the statement. By Karol Witenberg GDANSK (Reuters) - Poland is pressing ahead with plans to dig a waterway across a narrow strip of land that separates its main eastern coastline from the Baltic Sea despite concerns among activists and in the European Union that it could damage the environment. The Vistula Spit is a heavily wooded sandbank 55 km (34 miles) long but less than 2 km wide which encloses a coastal lagoon. Poland shares both the lagoon and the spit with the neighboring Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Currently, the only access to the lagoon from the Baltic Sea is a channel at the Russian end of the spit. Poland's ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), deeply distrustful of Russia, says a canal is needed for both security and economic reasons. Critics say it is a costly vanity project that could become another environment-related flashpoint between Warsaw and Brussels after increased logging in Poland's Bialowieza Forest led to a ruling by the EU's top court that it was illegal. Defending the project, which is estimated to cost 900 million zlotys ($237 million), Poland's minister for maritime affairs, Marek Grobarczyk, said: "The first and basic reason for the construction ... is a threat from the east." "This is the border of the EU, NATO, and above all of Poland, and it cannot really be controlled now because ships can only enter the Vistula Lagoon with Russia's approval," he said, adding that work would start in the second half of 2019. Russia has deployed advanced nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, while Warsaw is lobbying hard to have more NATO troops on its soil, especially since Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. "OUR HEARTS BLEED" However an EU official said on Friday Poland should refrain from building the canal before getting the green light from the European Commission. As with the Bialowieza Forest, parts of the Vistula Spit are protected under the EU Natura 2000 program. Environmentalists say it is difficult to predict the impact of the canal construction on various species living in the area, including cormorants and Baltic seals. "There is no species that will benefit from the project," said Michal Goc, a biologist from Gdansk University. Beaches on the Vistula Spit, which has a relatively modest tourist infrastructure, are mostly wild and empty compared to most of Poland's Baltic coast. But the handful of households on the Spit live mostly from tourism. Jolanta Kwiatkowska from the mayor's office in Krynica Morska, which will be cut off after the land is split and remain on what will become a Polish-Russian island, says that the town and its residents are worried that the canal will scare off tourists as it is unclear what will happen to the beaches. "The first thing is the destruction of nature which is already happening. Our hearts bleed when we see the forest being chopped," Kwiatkowska said in a video recording made available by a group of activists, "Vistula Spit Camp", referring to some preliminary logging conducted ahead of the large-scale work. PiS says the canal will turn Elblag, a small port with a high unemployment rate, into one of Poland's biggest harbors, along with Gdansk and Szczecin, as more vessels will moor there. "Elblag citizens support the project. What kind of port is it if it does not have access to the sea?," said Witold Wroblewski, mayor of Elblag. (Additional reporting Agnieszka Barteczko; Editing by Gareth Jones) By Makini Brice and Hyonhee Shin WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful the United States would send a delegation to North Korea in the coming weeks, after a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended with no deal. The leaders' second summit, held last week in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, failed to produce any agreement or immediate plan for follow-up negotiations. "I am hopeful, although I have no commitment yet, that we will be back at it, that I'll have a team in Pyongyang in the next couple weeks," Pompeo told the Iowa Farm Bureau. "I'm continuing to work to find those places where there's a shared interest," he said. The two sides gave different reasons for the abrupt end to the talks about denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. Trump said on Thursday that North Korea wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, while North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said they had only demanded a partial easing in exchange for dismantling its main nuclear site at Yongbyon. However, the two sides left room for further discussions, with Trump highlighting the economic benefits for North Korea if it gave up its nuclear weapons. North Korean state media, which in the past has used fiery rhetoric against Trump and blamed the United States for previous failed negotiations, reported on Tuesday that Kim returned home after a "successful" trip to Vietnam. It made no mention of the summit breakdown or any disagreement between the two leaders, in line with its positive coverage last week. Pompeo said during the Iowa visit that his team has been trying to convince Kim that the security of his country and government would not be compromised if it abandoned its nuclear weapons program. The United States and South Korea announced on Saturday an end to large-scale joint military exercises held every spring. North Korea has long derided the combined exercises, which often involve U.S. nuclear bombers, stealth jets and naval ships in what Pyongyang has called a "rehearsal for war." Smaller drills will continue, but ending large-scale exercises could help the nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, South Korean officials said. In another indication that the North might be trying to take steps to secure a compromise, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that a five-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, which produces weapons-grade plutonium used to build bombs, had not been operational since late last year. The news agency, citing lawmakers briefed by intelligence officials, said there had been no sign of reprocessing plutonium at the reactor. That contradicted U.S. nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker who said spent fuel generated by the reactor from 2016-18 appeared to have been reprocessed starting last May. BREAKDOWN The summit collapse could hurt South Korean President Moon Jae-in's bid to play the role of mediator, as requested by Trump, according to Moon's office. Moon had hoped that eased U.S. sanctions would help to restart projects between the Koreas, including a factory park and tourism zone. Some pro-engagement experts in South Korea have blamed the United States for failing to address the North's concerns. A former unification minister, Chung Se-hyun, who advises Moon on Korean relations, said he believed the summit fell apart after John Bolton, Trump's hawkish national security adviser, joined the discussions. "Bolton being present at the expanded second-day meeting was a sign of breakdown," Chung told a seminar in Seoul on Tuesday. "They had Bolton in raising the bar, and the North Koreans responded with stronger demands for sanctions relief, which leads them nowhere. It was a premeditated collapse." Other experts say the Moon administration can no longer play a bridging role by echoing North Korea's demands for sanctions relief. They also worry that the halt in major military drills could hurt joint readiness and the U.S.-South Korea alliance. "As a mediator, your job is to draw not just U.S. concessions, but also more proactive action from North Korea toward denuclearization," said Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. Moon, who has urged his officials to find a way to break the impasse, said in a speech to naval cadets on Tuesday that the pursuit of peace with the North would deliver denuclearization and a "peace-driven" economy. (Reporting by Makini Brice in WASHINGTON and Hyonhee Shin in SEOUL; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON and Joyce Lee in SEOUL; Editing by Sandra Maler, Clarence Fernandez and Darren Schuettler) Kigali (AFP) - Rwanda accused its much larger neighbour Uganda on Tuesday of supporting rebels opposed to the government in Kigali, a claim firmly rebutted by Kampala. Rwandan Foreign Minister Richard Sezibera told journalists that Kigali had information that rebels of the Rwanda National Congress (RNC) "communicate with Ugandan people and give them instructions on arresting Rwandans". "Our only concern is that the RNC is acting with and in support with people from Uganda," Sezibera said. The RNC opposition group is made up of former Rwandan rebels who, together with Paul Kagame, are credited with stopping the 1994 genocide. The RNC was started by Kayumba Nyamwasa, a former chief of staff of the Rwandan army and once-confidant to President Paul Kagame. But Nyamwasa fled to exile in South Africa after falling out with Kagame in 2010 and Rwanda issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of terrorism. "We dont see why the RNC should be part of any equation between Rwanda and Uganda. We dont see logic of it, but for some reasons they are still operating in Uganda. And that is the awareness we raise," Sezibera insisted. Last Thursday, Rwanda issued a travel advisory, warning its citizens against visiting Uganda as they may face illegal arrests, torture, and deportations. This came after Rwanda claimed 986 of its citizens were deported from Uganda, and almost 200 were being held incommunicado. Uganda rejected the claims. "It is false that Uganda hosts any elements fighting Rwanda," Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa said in a statement. "Uganda does not and cannot allow anyone to operate from its territory that threatens a neighbour as alleged." Kutesa also denied that Uganda "arrests, tortures and harasses Rwandans". People from Rwanda were welcome to visit Uganda, the minister underlined, and had nothing to fear as long as "they are law abiding". "As a country that has been a target of terrorist attacks... we remain vigilant," said Kutesa. "In this regard, the government of Uganda remains committed to protecting the security of its citizens and its borders and will act accordingly against local or foreign threats." Story continues He said it was "unfortunate" that the movement of goods and people across the common border has been affected by the row. The scuffle between Rwanda and Uganda threatens the six-member East African Community, a regional economic bloc. Both countries were involved in the so-called Great War of Africa which began in Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998 and drew in most of the region. Rwanda and Uganda are both led by former rebel leaders now ruling beyond their initial two-term limits after changing the respective constitutions. Yoweri Mueveni of Uganda has been in power since 1986 while Paul Kagame has ruled Rwanda since 2000 and is now serving a seven-year third term that will conclude in 2021. Khartoum (AFP) - Sudanese authorities have released a senior opposition leader who had been detained since December in connection with demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir's rule, his party said on Tuesday. Omar el-Digeir, the chief of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party, was arrested and jailed days following protests that erupted on December 19 after a government decision to triple the price of bread. The authorities launched a widespread crackdown to curb the protests as they mushroomed into nationwide demonstrations against Bashir, who swept to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989. "The chief of our party, Omar el-Digeir has been released after two months in detention," the Sudanese Congress Party said in a statement, without specifying when he was set free. "But 40 other party leaders are still in detention," it said. On Tuesday, Digeir vowed to push on with protests against Bashir's rule. "We assure our people that our party is fully committed to continue with the peaceful struggle until we achieve success," he wrote on Twitter. British ambassador to Khartoum, Irfan Siddiq, who met Digeir on Tuesday after his release said the opposition leader had been in detention for 67 days without charge. "All remaining political detainees should be released immediately," Siddiq wrote on Twitter. "No political consensus can be reached in Sudan without a conducive political environment." Over the past decade, the Sudanese Congress Party has emerged as an active opposition group which regularly stages demonstrations and rallies against the authorities. Most of its supporters are youths, mainly university students and graduates. -- Economic woes -- Deadly clashes between protesters and security forces have left 31 people dead, officials say, while Human Rights Watch says at least 51 have been killed including medics and children. On February 22, Bashir declared a year-long state of emergency to quell the protests after the crackdown failed to suppress the movement. Story continues He also dissolved the federal and provincial governments, and appointed 16 army officers and two security officers from the feared National Intelligence and Security Service as governors of the country's 18 provinces. Protesters accuse Bashir's administration of mismanaging the country's economy and have called on the 75-year-old president to step down. Although protests erupted after the bread price hike, anger had been mounting across Sudan for years amid an ongoing economic crisis led by soaring inflation and shortage of foreign currency. Bashir has remained defiant, banning unauthorised rallies and setting up special emergency courts to investigate violations during the state of emergency. Protests have dwindled since the state of emergency came into effect but on Thursday several demonstrations took place in the capital Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman. Hundreds of protesters were arrested and put on trial at emergency courts. Eight demonstrators were sentenced to jail -- in the first such rulings by emergency courts -- with four handed five-year prison terms each, the official SUNA news agency said. Three others were sentenced to three years in jail each and one received a six-month prison sentence, said SUNA, adding they had all violating the ban on protests. The protests that have rocked Sudan since December were led by the Sudanese Professionals' Association, a group of unions of teachers, doctors and engineers. But several opposition political groups have since joined the SPA to form an umbrella group called the Alliance for Freedom and Change. Ottawa (AFP) - Support for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberals has fallen for the first time behind the opposition Tories, according to a poll released Tuesday, after a second minister quit his cabinet in protest. What started as mere allegations of interference in the criminal prosecution of engineering giant SNC-Lavalin has exploded into a political crisis in just under a month. And polling that had consistently showed the next election would be the Liberals to lose now appears to favor the Conservatives forming the next government. A general election is expected in October, but if votes were cast now Trudeau would receive only 31 per cent of the decided popular vote, down three points from a few weeks earlier, according to the Ipsos Reid poll for television's Global News. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, meanwhile, would receive 40 percent. - 'Inappropriate' pressure - The poll of 1,000 Canadians was carried out between March 1 and March 4, on the heels of former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould's resignation from cabinet, followed by Trudeau's top advisor Gerry Butts and most recently Jane Philpott who quit as Treasury Board president on Monday. "This is the first time we've actually seen the Conservative Party... looking like they could potentially form the government," Ipsos Public Affairs chief executive Darrell Bricker told Global News. Last month, Wilson-Raybould testified before the Commons Justice Committee that Trudeau and his inner circle applied "inappropriate" pressure on her, including "veiled threats," to intervene in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin for allegedly bribing officials in Libya to secure government contracts. She said that from September to December 2018, officials "hounded" her to ask prosecutors to settle the case out of court. Wilson-Raybould refused, and the trial is set to proceed. But in her resignation letter, Philpott said she has "lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised." Story continues "The solemn principles at stake are the independence and integrity of our justice system," she said. Trudeau said he "completely disagrees" with his former attorney general's characterization of events, insisting that he and his team were rightly looking to safeguard up to 9,000 Canadian jobs at SNC-Lavalin, which would be banned from bidding on government contracts if convicted. He also insisted that he made clear to his former attorney general that the "decision around SNC-Lavalin was Wilson-Raybould's and hers alone to make." On Monday, Pope Francis announced a decision that promises to shed light on a controversial period of Vatican history: starting on March 2, 2020 years ahead of schedule the Vatican will let historians access sealed documents about Pope Pius XII, who led the Church during the Holocaust. Eight decades after Pius XII was elevated to Pontiff on March 2, 1939, his legacy has become the subject of great debate. He has been portrayed as having not done enough to publicly condemn the Nazi genocide of Jewish people in Italy and throughout Europe, and his critics hope historians studying the archive will be able to figure out exactly what his role was in the Churchs approach to that issue. On the other hand, those who say Pius XII privately helped save Jews in other ways hope the new batch of unsealed documents will contain more evidence of this kind, especially anything that could bolster his case for sainthood. The church is not afraid of history, Pope Francis said on Monday, while acknowledging that Pope Pius XIIs legacy includes moments of grave difficulties, tormented decisions of human and Christian prudence, that to some could appear as reticence. Before he became Pius XII, the Pope in question was Eugenio Pacelli, son of a Vatican lawyer. Before he became pope, he served as both the Vaticans ambassador to Germany and the Vaticans Secretary of State. During his tenure, he supported General Franco during the Spanish Civil War and the harmonious Vatican-Mussolini alliance led to the creation of the sovereign state of Vatican City in 1929. It was during Italian dictator Benito Mussolinis Fascist rule that Pacelli was declared Pope. From the beginning, the world had many questions about the nature of the working relationship between the Vatican and the Fascist regime. In general the most serious charges against the Church concern the skill with which the Vatican and its hierarchs have fished and swum in the Fascist sea surrounding them, TIME noted in an Aug. 16, 1943, cover story on the issue. Story continues And yet, feeling about the Pope was perceived as generally positive during the war. Though he never publicly condemned the Nazis for the murder of Europes Jew, Pius XII would often speak in general terms about protecting minorities and hating war. In 1942, a Vatican official said Pope Pius XII neither understands nor approves of the persecutions of French Jews, and the Church as an institution was often seen as contrary to the values of Fascism. No matter what critics might say, it is scarcely deniable that the Church Apostolic, through the encyclicals and other papal pronouncements, has been fighting against totalitarianism more knowingly, devoutly and authoritatively, and for a longer time, than any other organized power, TIME noted back in 1943. The Chief Rabbi of Rome, Israel Zolli, praised his efforts in 1944. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter That praise came in a complicated context. After all, the Pope wasnt the only one who had to make calculations about how to reach his goals in that war-torn era. Everyone wanted to claim the Pope was on their side, so political leaders werent going to publicly chastise the Pope or accuse him of cozying up to fascists or Nazis, says David I. Kertzer, who wrote about this period in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe. For example, in the U.S., the government wanted to win over any Catholics in America, especially any who might support Mussolini, to the Allied cause. But after the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, debate about his actions or inactions increased. Rolf Hochhuths 1963 play The Deputy accused the Pope of not openly condemning Hitlers anti-Semitism because he saw Nazi Germany as a barrier between Christians and communists. Heres how TIME summed up what was then known about the issue: Pius ignored Allied pressure to speak out against Nazi genocide. In the autumn of 1942, Myron C. Taylor, Franklin Roosevelts personal representative to the Vatican, gave the Holy See evidence of the anti-Jewish campaign, and the U.S. Minister to Switzerland warned the Vatican that failure to condemn these atrocities is undermining faith both in the church and in the Holy Father himself. Baron Ernst von Weizsaecker, who claimed that he tried to protect the Pope from Hitlers wrath while serving as German envoy to the Holy See, cabled his Foreign Ministry superiors: The Pope has not allowed himself to be forced into any demonstrative utterances against the deportation of the Jews. [German Jesuit Robert Leiber, Pius XIIs secretary,] admits that Pius found it difficult to speak out clearly against the murders, but adds, This was providential. Otherwise, I fear greater harm would have been the result. Catholics point out that after the Dutch bishops issued a joint pastoral letter attacking the deportation of Jews, the Nazis retaliated by arresting Catholic converts from Judaism. In 1942 Cracows Archbishop Adam Sapieha pleaded with the Vatican not to broadcast accounts of German atrocities since it would only make things harder for his people. The best evidence of Pius own judgment is his 1943 letter to Berlins Bishop Konrad von Preysing: We leave it to the pastoral leaders on the spot to weigh whether and to what degree the danger of retaliation and pressure in case of remonstration by bishops make it appear advisable to exercise restraint to prevent greater evil, despite the listed grievances. Here lies one of the reasons why we ourselves impose limitations on ourselves in our public utterances. Over the next decade, at least a half-dozen books came out on the subject. If anything, TIME reported, the books, specifically a volume on the Vaticans efforts to help Jews in eastern Europe, only heightened the debate rather than resolved it. In the 1999 book Hitlers Pope, British journalist John Cornwell argued that Pope Pius XIIs career as a diplomat helps explain why he didnt openly condemn the Nazi persecution of Jews. Crucially, he had helped orchestrate the concordat a word used to describe the Vaticans agreements with secular governments approved by his predecessor Pope Pius XI and Hitlers government. Cornwells research popularized a theory that this agreement gave Vatican near-total control over churches in the country in exchange for the disbandment of the predominantly Catholic, anti-Nazi German Center Party, leading Cornwell to argue that the agreement imposed a moral duty on Catholics to obey the Nazi rulers. However, that timeline is controversial because there is no direct evidence of such an exchange occurring, and it is not clear exactly what led to that series of events and those decisions. Kertzer sees things a bit differently. Despite the concordat, which was viewed as favorable to Hitler, Pius XII did not have a good working relationship with the Nazi dictator. There was really strong tension between the Vatican and the Nazi regime, he says. To Kertzer, one of the main factors to consider is how the pontiff would have seen the state of the world outside the Vatican. At the beginning of the war, when it seemed like the Axis would win, Kertzer argues, Pius was reluctant to condemn the Nazis despite that tension, not because he was pro-Nazi, by any means but because, in part, he was anxious not to endanger the position of Catholics in the Axis countries, that they would be discriminated against by the Nazi governments. (Catholics were a minority among German Christians.) Later in the war, when it became clear the Allies would win, his goal was the same and he strove not to be compromised by his earlier decisions. For example, in that later period, after Mussolini was overthrown by his fellow Italian Fascists and installed as the leader of a puppet regime by the Germans subsequently, the Pope refused to recognize that regime despite having kept up an alliance with Mussolini in the past. The general contours of this picture we already know, but the archives will flesh out that picture, says Kertzer. For much of the war, the Pope was hoping to play the role of unbiased mediator between the two sides, and thats part of the rationale for not taking a stand against the Nazis. He saw his main obligation as supreme pontiff as protecting the reputation of the church. If you look at it that way, that explains a lot of his actions. Its up to a current pope to decide when to open a past popes archives, so the time that has passed between a death and the opening of such archives has varied; right after Pius XIs archives were opened in 2006 the Vatican turned to the effort already underway to prepare Pius XIIs archive, per the German-born Pope Benedict XVIs orders. But over the last two decades especially, Jewish groups have pushed for a shorter timeline, while Holocaust survivors seeking clarity are still alive. It is long overdue for speculation to be replaced by rigorous scholarship, which is only possible once scholars have full access to all of these records, Sara J. Bloomfield, Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, said in a statement. So far, arguments about why the Pope would have been reluctant to speak out have been based primarily on studies of the 12 volumes from the archives that the Vatican has already released between 1965 and 1981 and the reports of discussion with people in the Popes inner circle. Historians hope that the new documents released next year will shed light on internal discussions that may have taken place at the Vatican. Pope Francis has said that Pope Pius XII has to be evaluated in the context of the time in which he was serving, when it was arguably better for him not to speak so that more Jews would not be killed. Kertzer says thats the main narrative for his defenders, but that the flip side is that a massive number of European Jews were already being killed, and by people who were theoretically Christian. The idea that the Pope, by not speaking out, saved Jewish lives, I find hard to credit seriously, he says. Some of Pope Pius XIIs defenders hope that there is evidence for specific behind-the-scenes efforts he may have taken to save the Jews, such as confirmation of claims that he quietly ordered convents to take in Jews. Historians also hope that the new documents will shed light on the fears throughout the 1950s of a Communist takeover of Italy during the Cold War. But matter what the records show, they will likely underline the paradox of the papacy as it relates to foreign relations a paradox that has long been apparent. As symbol Pius XII is a spiritual autocrat of incalculable power, TIME observed in 1943. But despite the massiveness of the symbol, the Pope is also supremely important as a man. Pope (when he speaks ex cathedra), he is infallible. But as a man, he is fallible like any other. And this fallibility determines his place among the good Popes or the bad Popes, and hence his influence upon history. By Krishna N. Das and Devjyot Ghoshal NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has slammed opposition parties for demanding evidence about last week's military strike inside Pakistan, and support for him is rising, pollsters say, despite the questions about how successful it was. It's very tricky to be seen questioning the armed forces in India, particularly when there is conflict with arch-enemy Pakistan. But that hasn't stopped opposition leaders from raising doubts about the government's official claims that a "very large number" of members of an Islamist militant group were killed in the strike by Indian warplanes early on Feb. 26. (GRAPHIC: An air strike and its aftermath - https://graphics.reuters.com/INDIA-KASHMIR/010090XM162/index.html) The government has rejected the demand for proof. "At a time when our army is engaged in crushing terrorism, inside the country and outside, there are some people within the country who are trying to break their morale, which is cheering our enemy," Modi said at an election rally on Sunday. "I want to know from (the opposition) Congress and its partners why they are making statements that are benefiting the enemies." With tensions at fever-pitch with nuclear rival Pakistan, and India's general election due by May, the stakes are high. Pakistan responded with an air strike of its own, but no one was killed in that operation. The situation is slightly calmer but remains fraught; the two armies continue to regularly trade artillery fire at places along the frontier. "If (the opposition) continues this campaign on ... national security, I'm afraid it is not going to stick and it's only going to help Modi," Yashwant Deshmukh, the founder of polling agency C-Voter, told Reuters. "Modi's is a presidential campaign, and this is going to help him." The agency has not published any poll after the military strike, but Deshmukh said Modi's approval rating has soared to levels not seen since mid-2017, according to C-Voter's estimates. Opinion polls conducted before the tensions with Pakistan broke out mostly predicted Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would struggle to win a majority because of a slowing economy, low rural incomes and the government's inability to provide more jobs. But pollsters and political analysts say Modi's support is now rising, mainly because right-wing parties like the BJP typically have an advantage over others on national security issues. "It doesn't matter what India did or what Pakistan is doing, at least from the electoral perspective," said Rahul Verma, a fellow at the New Delhi-based think-tank, Centre for Policy Research. "What matters is what kind of perception the media and the BJP and Modi can create. If they can create it like a crisis, 'we did something, we need a strong guy leading the country', they have an advantage. So the details don't matter." Indian air force planes carried out last week's strike in retaliation to a suicide attack in the disputed Kashmir region that was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group. At least 40 paramilitary troopers traveling in a convoy were killed, the worst such attack in three decades of insurgency in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region claimed by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan. "TERRORISTS OR TREES?" A top government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said last week that at least 300 suspected militants were killed in the retaliatory Indian air strike, while the president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Amit Shah, put the figure at more than 250. Pakistan has said the Indian bombs hit a largely empty hillside near the northeastern town of Balakot without hurting anyone. "300 terrorists dead, yes or no?" Navjot Singh Sidhu, a leader of the Congress party, asked in a tweet on Monday. "What was the purpose then? Were you uprooting terrorists or trees? Was it an election gimmick? Deceit possesses our land in guise of fighting a foreign enemy. Stop politicizing the army, it is as sacred as the state." But pollsters say opposition parties may be making a mistake by questioning Modi on national security when emotions are running high. They say that instead the opposition needs to get back to focusing on the BJP's poor record on creating jobs and tackling farm distress. Those issues helped Congress oust the BJP from power in three states late last year. "It is deeply regrettable and politically immoral on the part of the BJP to make political capital out of military endeavors during cross-border tensions with Pakistan," Congress spokesman Sanjay Jha said. "PM Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah are singularly responsible for lowering the political discourse in our country." Mehbooba Mufti, who governed the state of Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the BJP until they split last year, agreed that it was important for the opposition to not let Modi make the election all about the strikes. "Calling those who question the veracity of Balakot strikes anti-national is baffling," Mufti said on Twitter. "However, the opposition should not fall into this trap of changing the entire election discourse from pressing issues ... to these strikes." (Reporting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Martin Howell and Raju Gopalakrishnan) United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Yemen's government and its Saudi and Emirati backers are accusing Huthi rebels of refusing to abide by a deal agreed two weeks ago on redeploying forces away from Red Sea ports in the war-battered country, according to a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday. The rebels agreed to pull back their forces from the rebel-held ports of Saleef and Ras Issa during talks held on February 17 that marked the first concrete step towards de-escalation in the nearly four-year war. The Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates urged the Security Council to demand that the Huthis uphold their commitments, according to the letter sent Monday to the council and to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Last week's sudden and unexplained refusal by the Huthis to withdraw from the ports of Saleef and Ras Issa comes as no surprise after months of stalling tactics from their side," said the letter signed by the three UN ambassadors. Since a ceasefire was agreed in Sweden in December, the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's government and the Huthis have accused each other of violations, but the United Nations has refused to apportion blame. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said discussions were continuing with both sides to try to get them to deliver on their commitments and pull back their forces from the ports. "Obviously the devil is in the details," he said. "The parties have committed themselves to that and we are trying to make sure that translates into actual facts on the ground." The Security Council is due to discuss Yemen on March 19 amid concerns that the fragile truce agreement may be unraveling. The pullbacks from Saleef and Ras Issa were agreed as the first phase of redeployment to be followed by withdrawals from the main port of Hodeida and other areas in the city that could be used as humanitarian corridors. The United Nations is hoping that a de-escalation in Hodeida will allow desperately-needed food and medical aid to reach millions in need in Yemen. Hodeida is the entry point for the bulk of imported goods and relief aid to Yemen, which the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Coalition forces have documented 1,754 Huthi ceasefire violations since the ceasefire went into force on December 18, said the letter, adding that 125 pro-government troops had been killed during that time. Resources Those in need of snow removal assistance can request help from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by calling 509- 571-1290. Spanish speakers may call 509- 307-2968. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. In response to the recent uptick in anti-Semitism around the world, a coalition of mayors of cities around the world are pledging to combat hate, anti-Semitism and the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement targeting Israel. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The initiative is headed by Modiin Mayor Haim Bibas, Mayor of Bal Harbour (Florida) Gabriel Groisman and Mayor of Frankfurt Uwe Becker. The mayors behind the initiative (Photo: Jorge Novominsky) They intend to release a statement signed by the mayors of 40 cities to combat anti-Semitism. They will commit to a number of steps including conducting an annual gathering to discuss dealing with the issue, taking concrete steps to raise awareness in the educational system, examining the possibilities for applicable legislation and exploring ways in which to unite against the rise in extremism around the world. "We unequivocally condemn all forms of hatred, prejudice and contempt that have permeated our society, and we, municipal leaders from around the world, understand that we cannot avoid taking responsibility and taking part in global efforts to counter these phenomena," read a statement signed by the mayors last week. Anti-Semitic graffiti in Athens The formation of the coalition was announced during the Local Government Conference for Innovation MUNI-Expo 2019, a gathering for mayors from Israel and around the world. Among the prominent mayors participating are the mayors of Pittsburgh, USA; Montevideo, Uruguay; Belgrade, Serbia; Kiev, Ukraine; Taipei, Taiwan; Tirana, Albania; and Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Zero tolerance "What binds us together is not our religion or nationality, but the fact that we have zero tolerance for hatred and violence, and our duty to stop the violence directed at our residents and to work for the improvement of their lives no matter what religion they believe in or what their nationality is, said Bibas, chairman of the Union of Local Authorities and the mayor of Modiin Maccabim-Reut. "We see the meteoric rise of hate and anti-Semitism around the world, and as mayors we must take part in this important struggle. With the establishment of this coalition, we are making a strong statement against those who spread hate and it will serve as a vital tool for mayors around the world to share ideas and conclusions to combat these phenomena," said Gabriel Groisman, Mayor of Bal Harbour, Florida and one of the initiators of the coalition. "Our partnership as city leaders who stand together against anti-Semitism is a strong sign of solidarity towards Israel and a clear message against those who spread hatred against the Jews around the world, and I am happy to head this initiative together with Haim Bibas and Gabriel Groisman, and together as a coalition we will create a strong voice for Jews around the world," said Frankfurt Mayor Uwe Becker. I've seen a study showing how certain areas of the US are left behind in areas of economic development, there are whole areas that are not part of the acceleration in technology, and its happening in the whole of the US," said Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. "This is where the most extreme racist and anti-Semitic discourse on the social networks occurs. There, where the state neglects the residents economically, communities are created that are more inclined to hate on the social networks and hate crimes, and therefore the context of economic neglect cannot be separated from this hate crime context. The Democratic Party in the US launched a sweeping new probe of President Donald Trump on Monday, an aggressive investigation that threatens to shadow the president through the 2020 election season with inquiries into his White House, campaign and family businesses. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said that his committee has begun the probe into possible obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power and that the panel is sending document requests to 81 people linked to the president and his associates. US President Donald Trump during the summit with N. Korea in Vietnam (Photo: AP) The broad investigation could be setting the stage for an impeachment effort, although Democratic leaders have pledged to investigate all avenues and review special counsel Robert Muellers report before trying any drastic action. Nadler said the document requests, with responses to most due by March 18, are a way to begin building the public record. Over the last several years, President Trump has evaded accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical, and constitutional rules and norms, Nadler said. Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress and a core function of the House Judiciary Committee. Now that Democrats hold a majority in the House, the new probe is a sign that Trumps legal and political peril is nowhere near over, even as the special counsels Russia investigation winds down. The move all but guarantees that potentially damaging allegations will follow Trump for months to come as Democrats try to keep them in the public eye. It is also an indication of the Democrats current strategy to flood the administration with oversight requests, keeping Trump and his associates on trial publicly and also playing a long game when it comes to possible impeachment. While some more liberal members of the Democratic caucus would like to see Trump impeached now, Democratic leaders have been more cautious. Trump told reporters after Nadlers probe was announced that I cooperate all the time with everybody. He added: You know, the beautiful thing is no collusion. Its all a hoax. Mueller is investigating Russian intervention in the 2016 election and whether Trumps campaign conspired with Russia. But the House probes go far beyond collusion. The Democratic-majority House intelligence panel has announced a separate probe into Russian interference and also Trumps foreign financial interests. The House Oversight and Reform Committee has launched multiple investigations into all facets of the administration. Several other committees are probing related matters, and while many might overlap, the leaders say they are working together on the investigations. The list of 81 names and entities touches on all parts of Trumps life the White House, his businesses, his campaign and the committee that oversaw the transition from campaign to presidency. There are also people connected to Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, including participants in a meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer before the election. In a letter to the White House, the committee asks for information surrounding former FBI Director James Comeys termination, communications with Justice Department officials, the Trump Tower meeting and multiple other matters. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday the White House had received the letter and that the counsels office and relevant White House officials will review it and respond at the appropriate time. The list includes two of the presidents sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and many of his current and former close advisers, including Steve Bannon, longtime spokeswoman Hope Hicks, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and former White House Counsel Don McGahn. The letters to Hicks and Spicer ask them to turn over any work diaries, journals or a description of daily events related to your employment by Trump. The committee asked McGahn for any documents related to any discussion involving President Trump regarding the possibility of firing Mueller around June of 2017 or any conversation in which President Trump stated, in words or substance, that he wanted the Mueller investigation shut down, restrained or otherwise limited in or around December 2017. The committee seeks from Michael Cohen, Trumps former personal lawyer who called Trump a con man and a cheat in congressional testimony last week, any audio or video recordings of conversations with Trump or conversations about his presidential campaign. The list of document requests also includes the National Rifle Association, Trumps embattled charitable foundation, which he is shutting down after agreeing to a court-supervised process, and officials at the FBI and Justice Department. The committee expects some people to produce right away, and others may eventually face subpoenas, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The person declined to be named to discuss the committees internal process. Now in a majority in the House, Nadler said Sunday on ABCs This Week, the Democrats are simply doing our job to protect the rule of law after Republicans during the first two years of Trumps term were shielding the president from any proper accountability. Were far from making decisions about impeachment, he said. The top Republican on the committee, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, said Monday that Nadler was recklessly prejudging the president for obstruction and is now pursuing evidence to back up his conclusion. We dont even know what the Mueller report says, but Democrats are already hedging their bets, Collins said. Yaakov Baruch is the rabbi at Indonesia's only synagogue but he keeps his religious identity under wraps, like most of the tiny Jewish community living in the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter A group of men threatened Baruch with death and called him a "crazy Jew" as he walked in a mall with his pregnant wife several years ago, prompting him to limit when he wears his kippaha Jewish skullcap. Most members of the tiny Jewish community in Muslim-majority Indonesia keep their identity under wraps There is a similar ripple of concern among many of the estimated 200 Jews living in the Southeast Asian country of 260 million people, with most of them centred in a remote corner of the sprawling archipelago. Manado on Sulawesi island is one of the few places that Indonesia's remaining Jewsmostly descendants of traders from Europe and Iraq who were once thought to number around several thousand before World War IIfeel comfortable showing their faith. A 62-foot-tall menorah, possibly the world's largest, stands near the town of Tondanoaround 20 kilometres (13 miles) south of Manado -- where Baruch holds regular services at a modest, red-roofed synagogue. A 62-foot-tall (18.9m) menorah, possibly the world's largest, near the town of Tondano, North Sulawesi The Shaar Hasyamayim synagogue is Indonesia's lone house of worship for Jews after the only other one in the city of Surabaya was demolished in 2013. It had been the site of anti-Israel protests for years, and was sealed off by religious hardliners in 2009 and left to decay. Indonesia has long been praised for its moderate brand of Islam, but more conservative forms of the religion have taken center stage in recent years, driven by increasingly vocal hardline groups. Tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and the Palestinians, spill over here and deepen religious divides. Thousands of hardliners demonstrated in Jakarta when US President Donald Trump announced last year that the American embassy in Israel would be moved to the contested city of Jerusalem. "There is still a lot of anti-semitic sentiment in Indonesia," Baruch said. "Generally speaking, Indonesians don't differentiate between being Jewish and Israel. They think Jews and Israel are the enemy of their religion and state," he added. Rabbi Yaakov Baruch holding a menorah at a synagogue in Tondano, North Sulawesi, March 4, 2019 "There is no denying that tolerance is fading in our country." The size of the Jewish community makes it almost invisible so Jews have not been the target of Islamist militants like some of Indonesia's larger religious minorities. A wave of deadly suicide bombings at churches in Surabaya last year highlighted the threat to minority groups, while Shiites and Ahmadisregarded as heretics by some majority Sunni Muslimshave also been the target of violence. Still, Indonesia's Jews are on the radar of some groups. Monique Rijkers' efforts to bridge the divide with a TV program about Judaism drew the ire of the Indonesian Muslim Students Association, which she claims reported her to government and broadcast regulators. An Indonesian woman cleaning one of the Jewish tombs at a Christian cemetery in a Muslim majority neighborhood in Jakarta "They demanded that I be fired and that the program be cancelled," said Rijkers, founder of Hadassah of Indonesia, a non-profit organisation that offers cultural education programs Centered on Israel, Jews and the Holocaust. Indonesia's Jews face some practical challenges, too, such as finding kosher food in a country where it's not widely available. Another hurdle is that Indonesia has long allowed for only six different religious categories on all-important ID cardsIslam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism. The cards are crucial for accessing government services, and for doing things such as registering marriages and births, meaning most Jews lie and put "Christianity" on the documents. Even some Muslim Indonesians learn that taking an interest in anything Jewish can raise eyebrows. Sapri Sale, who started teaching a Hebrew class in Jakarta a year ago, has been studying the language since the 1990s and compiled what he says is the world's first Hebrew-Indonesian dictionary. But his interests got little positive feedback at home. "I was called Sapri the Jew," he said. Leading House Democrats will offer a resolution Wednesday condemning anti-Semitism in response to Rep. Ilhan Omars latest remarks on Israel, a senior Democratic aide said. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The declaration, written by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats, comes after Omars new remarks suggesting American supporters of Israel are pushing people to have allegiance to a foreign country. Its at least the third time the Minnesota Democrats words have put her colleagues in a more delicate spot than usual on the US-Israel relationship, and the second time in two months that shes drawn a stern backlash from party leaders. A draft of the resolution does not rebuke Omar, a Somali-American and one of two Muslim women in Congress. But it sets out the history of anti-Semitism and bigotry in America, including anti-Jewish tropes about divided loyalties. The document also rejects bigotry directed against Muslims after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Ilhan Omar (D-MN)) It says the House rejects anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States. The document is the written embodiment of the bind in which Omar has repeatedly put Democrats who have celebrated her election as part of the history-making class that helped flip control of the House in the November elections. The March edition of Rolling Stone magazine is covered by a photo of Pelosi and the next generation of House women, including Omar. Omar didnt start the internal Democratic chafing over Israel, and shes not unfamiliar with bigotry. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are looking into a report of a threatening graffiti message directed at her. She also was the target of an anti-Muslim poster that appeared last week at the West Virginia Capitol in Charleston, with her picture over an image of the World Trade Centers burning towers. Omar says shes questioning the US relationship with Israel and the influence game in Washington. Still, senior Democrats were unmistakably wary of dealing with Omars habit of inflaming a divide in the party over US-Israel relations. Some demanded a retraction and apology from Omar, with one House chairman saying she invoked a vile, anti-Semitic slur and another congressional veteran tweeting that Omar continues to mischaracterize support for Israel. I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee, Omar tweeted back. Last month, Omar ignited a bipartisan uproar in Washington and Minnesota when she suggested on Twitter that members of Congress are paid by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to support Israel. AIPAC is a nonprofit organization that works to influence US policy. Many Jewish leaders denounced her remarks as reviving old stereotypes about Jews, money and power. She soon apologized and said, Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes. Ilan Omar during her swearing-in, January 2019 (Photo: MCT) Many progressive Jews rushed to her defense, however, saying its not inherently anti-Semitic to criticize Israeli government policies or AIPAC. Omars spokesman, Jeremy Slevin, said she is not criticizing American Jews or their faith, only offering a fair critique of Israels powerful lobby. That episode came after Omar apologized for a 2012 tweet in which she said, Israel has hypnotized the world. Some have suggested that Omar be stripped of her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a move Pelosi and Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y. have so far resisted. But Engels statement on Friday mentioned his panel and conduct becoming a member of the House. Its unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views, including support for the US-Israel relationship, Engel said in a statement that also suggested she apologize. Unlike the previous two incidents, Omar did not apologize this time. I am told every day that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone, Omar tweeted Sunday. I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian President Bashar Assad's trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported on Tuesday. The news agency cited foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi as the source of the information in its report. President Hassan Rouhani rejected Zarif's resignation last Wednesday, bolstering a moderate ally who has long been targeted by hardliners in factional struggles over the 2015 nuclear deal with the West. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian President Bashar Assads trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation , the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on Tuesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The news agency cited foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi as the source of the information in its report. President Hassan Rouhani rejected Zarifs resignation last Wednesday, bolstering a moderate ally who has long been targeted by hardliners in factional struggles over the 2015 nuclear deal with the West. Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif (Photo: Reuters) The ministry of foreign affairs did not have information at any level (about the trip) and this lack of information was maintained until the end of the trip, Qassemi said, according to ISNA. One of the reasons for the resignation of Dr. Zarif was this type of lack of coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs. And as it has been announced before, the resignation of the honorable minister was not a private and individual issue and the goal and intent of that was a positive effort to return the ministry of foreign affairs and the diplomatic system of the country to its main place. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the branch of the elite Revolutionary Guards responsible for operations outside Irans borders, was present at a meeting last week between Assad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic. Soleimani said last week that Zarif was the main person in charge of foreign policy and he was supported by Khamenei. A faltering economy in the West Bank, incendiary airborne devices dispatched from the impoverished Gaza Strip, renewed and spiraling tensions on the Temple Mount and protests staged by Palestinian security prisoners jailed in Israel might cause a conflagration on all four fronts. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter While all four issues are extremely volatile for different reasons, violence erupting with just one of them could be enough to set the other three aflame. Gaza border riots (Photo: Reuters) The West Bank Palestinians in the West Bank could face fresh hardship after the Palestinian Authority rejected the transfer of roughly $130 million in monthly tax revenues gathered by Israel on its behalf. The PA, under Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is refusing the funds in protest at Israel deducting from the tax revenue the stipends that the PA gives to convicted terrorists and their families . After returning in full the money it had so far received from Israel, totalling some half a billion of shekels (approx. $138 million), the PA announced it would continue paying salaries to prisoners and the families of terrorists. PA senior officials said the deficit caused by Abbas's decision is only expected to deepen, adversely impacting the Palestinian defense establishment and its intelligence outreach in the West Bank, and even helping Hamas to establish military infrastructure across the territories. Israel's decisionwhile gearing up for the upcoming electionalongside Palestinian initiatives might cause further deterioration in such a fragile situation. Scene of the car-ramming attack (Photo: Reuters) Moreover, senior officials in the Israeli defense establishment said that the relative calm prevailing in the West Bank depends on economic development, which was seriously damaged by the deduction of terrorists' salaries from PA funds and Abbas's subsequent decision. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: Reuters) "The balance of stability is facing a serious challenge. One such example is Monday's car-ramming attack carried out by three Palestinians affiliated with the Hamas terror organization," said one of the senior officials. The attack near Ramallah left an Israel Defense Forces officer seriously wounded and a Border Policeman lightly hurt. The Gaza Strip Hamas has been increasing the rate at which it dispatches explosive devices tied to balloons from the coastal enclave into Israel, in addition to the resumed night time clashes on the Gaza border, with Palestinian hurling dozens of Molotov cocktails at the security fence. Cluster of incendiary balloons located in the south In response, the IDF has stepped up its activity in the Strip. Over the last five days, the army launched four attacks on Hamas observation posts, which might trigger another round of fighting along the Gaza border. East Jerusalem The Waqfthe Islamic trust tasked with maintaining the Muslim structures at the siteforcefully and illegally reopened a small compound in the eastern part of the Mount, on the inner side of the Golden Gate entrance. The compound, called Bab a-Rahema, has been closed in recent years because the banned Islamic Movement used it as meeting place. In the meantime, Muslims are praying at the compound every day, with Israel refraining from shutting it down. Palestinians rioting on Temple Mount (Photo: AFP) Nonetheless, the police have carried out extensive arrests and issued restraining orders instructing senior Waqf officials as well as Palestinian activists to stay away from the Temple Mount. In response, the Waqf announced a protest would take place on Friday outside of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. A similar move was taken a year and a half ago when the crisis over using metal detectors at the Temple Mount compound erupted into violence in East Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Monday issued an order to close the Bab a-Rahema compound. The order will come into effect next week. Security prisoners jailed in Israel The Public Security Ministry decision to install cell phone jammers in jails housing Palestinian security prisoners has led to a new wave of protests in those institutions. The ministry is apparently attempting to crack down on illicit phones smuggled into the prisons by visitors. Furthermore, prisoners are threatening to go on hunger strike, in addition to the riots caused by inmates who attempted to set their clothes and property on fire. A suspected jihadi insisted Tuesday that he's innocent of terrorism charges over the 2014 killing of four people at Belgium's Jewish museum, as the jury in his trial prepared to consider the verdict. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Weeks after telling the Brussels criminal court that he would reveal the truth "when the time is right," Mehdi Nemmouche on Tuesday said only that he was "trapped" into involvement in the slaying. A court sketch shows Mehdi Nemmouche, accused of the terrorist attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014 "If I could change things, I would change everything," the 33-year-old Frenchman, wearing a black shirt and top and flanked by police officers in ski masks, said in remarks lasting less than 20 seconds. Nemmouche is charged with four counts of "terrorist murder" over the killing of an Israeli couple and two staffers at the Brussels Jewish Museum. His alleged accomplice, Nacer Bendrer, 30, stands accused of supplying the revolver and assault rifle used in the shooting. Prosecutors claim that Nemmouche trained and fought with the Islamic State group in Syria. The museum shooting crystalized fears that European extremists would use combat experience from places like Syria or Iraq to sow terror back home. The 12-member jury is set to hand down its verdict on Thursday. In a secret ballot, the jury must decide by a majority vote whether Nemmouche is guilty. He would likely be sentenced on Friday, and could face up to 30 years in prison. Whatever the verdict, Nemmouche would remain in prison as he must face charges in France of taking hostages in Syria. For most of the trial, Nemmouche has exercised his right to silence, but on Tuesday he urged the jury not to take that silence as "disrespect." Belgium's Jewish museum In more than six hours of case summary last week, defense lawyer Sebastien Courtoy argued that Iranian or Lebanese security officials were behind the killings, and that one, or both, of the murdered Israelis could have been Mossad agents. Michele Hirsch, a lawyer for the Coordination Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium, described Courtoy's summary as "hallucinatory, delirious, completely incoherent." In his final remarks to the jury on Monday, Courtoy said: "It's impossible for you not to have some doubt. For me, it's just not possible." "It might feel more comfortable for you to condemn him," he said. "But if you think he's innocent, please, don't be afraid to say it." Addressing the jury, Nemmouche's co-accused, Bendrer said: "Today I'm scared, I didn't do anything. But I'm scared. I say to myself, maybe they didn't understand." Qassem Soleimani's role in a political crisis in Iran highlights the influence of the leader of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, who has acquired celebrity status at home after being largely invisible for years. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif last week was quickly rejected by President Hassan Rouhani, but a week on, tension over Zarif's absence from meetings with Syrian President Bashar Assad that Soleimani attended is still evident. Qassem Soleimani (Photo: MCT) Soleimani's Quds Force, tasked with carrying out operations beyond Iran's borders, shored up support for Assad when he looked close to defeat in the civil war raging since 2011 and also helped militiamen defeat Islamic State in Iraq. Its successes have made Soleimani instrumental to the steady spreading of Iranian influence in the Middle East, which Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia have struggled to keep in check. Khamenei made Soleimani head of the Quds Force in 1998, a position in which he kept a low profile for years while he strengthened Iran's ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad's government, and Shiite militia groups in Iraq. Qassem Soleimani in Aleppo, Syria In the past few years, he has acquired a more public persona, with fighters and commanders in Iraq and Syria posting images on social media of him on the battlefield, his beard and hair always impeccably trimmed. "Soleimani is an operational leader. He's not a man working in an office. He goes to the front to inspect the troops and see the fighting," said an Iraqi former senior official who asked not to be identified discussing security issues. An Iraqi militia released a music video in 2014 praising Soleimani's efforts in fighting Islamic State, and state media have run multiple accounts of his role in military victories. "His chain of command is only the Supreme Leader. He needs money, gets money. Needs munitions, gets munitions. Needs materiel, gets materiel," the Iraqi former official said. After Zarif tendered his resignation, Soleimani issued a rare statement. There had been a "bureaucratic" mistake rather than any intention to exclude Zarif, it said, describing the minister as the main person in charge of foreign policy and backed by Khamenei. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (Photo: Reuters) But on Tuesday, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported that the foreign ministry had not been informed throughout Assad's trip, citing ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi, saying Zarif's aim with his resignation was to restore Iran's diplomatic system to its rightful place. The row is an unusually public display of tension between the Guards, who play a key role in politics in the Islamic Republic, and moderate government officials who favor reconciliation with the West 40 years after Iran's 1979 revolution ousted the US-backed Shah. A regional official with knowledge of Iranian affairs said the foreign ministry and the Quds Force had conflicts of opinion over Syria. The release on Monday of a closed-door speech last year by Khamenei highlighted another ongoing splitover Iran's agreement with world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. The speech voiced doubt about the government's overtures to Europe to try to shore up the deal after US President Donald Trump pulled out. A major-general, Soleimani is also in charge of intelligence gathering and covert military operations carried out by the Quds Force and last summer he publicly challenged Trump. Soleimani (R) in Syria, in one of the anti-ISIS combat zones "I'm telling you Mr. Trump the gambler, I'm telling you, know that we are close to you in that place you don't think we are," said Soleimani, wagging an admonishing finger. "You will start the war but we will end it," he said, with a checkered keffiya draped across the shoulders of his olive uniform. Softly-spoken, Soleimani came from humble beginnings, born into an agricultural family in the town of Rabor in southeast Iran on March 11, 1957. At 13, he travelled to the town of Kerman and got a construction job to help his father pay back loans, according to a first person account from Soleimani posted by Defa Press, a site focused on the history of Iran's eight year war with Iraq. When the revolution to oust the Shah began in 1978, Soleimani was working for the municipal water department in Kerman and organised demonstrations against the monarch. He volunteered for the Revolutionary Guards and, after war with Iraq broke out in 1980, quickly rose through the ranks and went on to battle drug smugglers on the border with Afghanistan. "Soleimani is a great listener. He does not impose himself. But he always gets what he wants," said another Iraqi official, adding that he can be intimidating. At the height of the civil war between Sunni and Shiite militants in Iraq in 2007, the US military accused the Quds Force of supplying improvised explosive devices to Shiite militants which led to the death of many American soldiers. Soleimani played such a pivotal role in Iraq's security through various militia groups that General David Petraeus, the overall head of US forces in Iraq, sent messages to him through Iraqi officials, according to diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks. After a referendum on independence in the Kurdish north in 2017, Soleimani issued a warning to Kurdish leaders which led to a withdrawal of fighters from contested areas and allowed central government forces to reassert their control. Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani; Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Photo: AFP, MCT) He was arguably even more influential in Syria. His visit to Moscow in the summer of 2015 was the first step in planning for a Russian military intervention that reshaped the Syrian war and forged a new Iranian-Russian alliance in support of Assad. His activities have made him a repeated target of the US Treasury: Soleimani has been sanctioned by the United States for the Quds Force's support for Lebanon's Hezbollah and other armed groups, for his role in Syria's crackdown against protesters and his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. Soleimani's success in advancing Iran's agenda has also put him in the crosshairs of regional foes Saudi Arabia and Israel. Top Saudi intelligence officials looked into the possibility of assassinating Soleimani in 2017, according to a report in the New York Times late last year. A Saudi government spokesman declined to comment, the Times reported, but Israeli military officials have publicly discussed the possibility of targeting him. The era of party platforms seemed as though it had passed. The newly established political parties, therefore, should be commended for putting in an enormous amount of effort and writing hundreds of pages, explaining their positions on various issues. In the Likud party, however, it has been years since an official platform has been unveiled. And why do they even need it? There is Benjamin Netanyahu, and everyone simply adjusts their positions according to him. Netanyahu is the medium. Netanyahu is the message. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter On Monday, the Blue and White party platform was made public (before its official unveiling on Tuesday evening). The platform was prepared by a committee of representatives of the party's collective leadership. The platform leans neither left nor right, and consists of bits and pieces taken from everything and everywhere. I sat down to read this melting pot created by Ofer Shelah and Yoaz Hendel, who themselves have more things dividing them than uniting them. And they are not the only ones. What does Moshe Ya'alon, who wants another million settlers, have in common with Michael Biton, who wants to evacuate a million settlers? Or, between Yael German, a former Meretz MK, and Zvi Hauser, the initiator of the contentious Nation-State Law? You couldn't find a common denominator between any of them if you used a magnifying glass. Gabi Ashkenazi, Yair Lapid, Benny Gantz and Moshe Ya'alon (Photo: Effi Sharir) Here are some of my conclusions: On the issue of separation between religion and state, the agenda is particularly fascinating because it copies in its entirety the platform of co-founder Yair Lapid on the issuepublic transportation on Shabbat in secular cities and places where no offense would be caused to the religious sector. The same is true when it comes to the Surrogacy Law, which currently does not allow gay men in a relationship or single men who wish to become fathers the opportunity to pursue surrogacy parenthood in Israel. The platform also seeks to abolish the Supermarket Law (which enforces the closure of grocery stores on Shabbat), implement the IDF draft bill (seeking to draft the ultra-Orthodox into the military) as well as the law seeking to enforce the teaching of core curriculum subjectsHebrew, English, Science and Mathsin ultra-Orthodox educational institutions. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. Now this election campaign is becoming really interesting! Let's carefully monitor this "all-inclusive" party. Lapid said only a week ago that his party would not form a government coalition with the Arab parties, insisting on a coalition of Zionist parties. Then Gantz said over the weekend that "joining a Netanyahu government is not on the agenda." Now their platform takes a step further and eliminates all the ultra-Orthodox partiesperhaps even the religious onesfrom that list as well. Do they seriously believe that a bloc of Blue and White, Labor and Meretz will between them pull in 61 Knesset seats? Because its fairly obvious to anyone with half a brain that they would have no option but to form a coalition government after the elections. In the diplomatic sphere, its clear Gantzs party is aiming to sway wavering Likud voters, since if they actually want to win, its crucial for them to steal four or five seats from the right-wing. That is why were seeing the views of the Blue and White leftists slowly softening in favor of a more "pragmatic platform, because there is no chance of establishing a Palestinian state in the near future anyway," said the party sources. So which is it - peace with the Palestinians or a binational state? The addition of Avi Nissenkorna close friend of Moshe Kahlon and Histadrut labor federation chairmanto Gantz's party has raised quite a few eyebrows. The commentators assumed that Gantz wants the votes of the Histadrut members but this assumption swiftly evaporated after the lukewarm reception for Yair Lapid's speech at the Histadrut conference. Nonetheless, even though the labor federation protects only the largest and strongest unions in the economy, the platform suggests starting a dialogue with the Histadrut for the purpose of creating flexibility in the public sector." I am sure the people who wrote the platform had good intentions, but the party ought to have a realistic attitude about its prospects, otherwise they are just pulling the wool over the publics eyes. Heavy rains, accompanied by hail and thunderstorms, caused floods across Israel on Tuesday, stranding cars mid-stream in the north and damaging a shopping mall in the city of Modiin. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Southern Israel was hit the hardest with heavy thunderstorm causing the Revivim River in the Negev Desert to overflow. Ein Gedi Nature Reserve near the Dead Sea was closed for visitors due to floods and Route 40 was closed to traffic in both directions in light of the weather conditions. Floods in southern Israel X The entrance to the northern city of Tayibe flooded as well, prompting a rescue police operation after a vehicle was caught in floods. Car stuck in floods in Tayibe The Meteo-Tech meteorological company said hail and thunderstorms will weaken towards the late hours of the evening and will end overnight. Wednesday will see a mixture of sun and clouds with a slight increase in temperatures. Stormy weather in Raanana (Photo: Moshe Shehrur) The northwest winds in the Mediterranean Sea will reach speeds of up to 25 kph (16 mph) while the height of the waves could reach of up to 120cm (4 feet). Storm system in Israel According to meteorological services, a shallow ridge over the eastern Mediterranean is the cause of the unstable weather conditions in the region. On Thursday intermittent rain will hit the northern parts of the country and the weather will once again dip below the usual seasonal average. In their speeches during the launch of their party, Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid obeyed the rule put forward by Eugene McCarthy, the American senator who failed several times in his attempts to be elected president: "It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Indeed, none of those speeches will be remembered, but the picture taken will surely be engraved in our memory: four strong men, three generals and one journalist, challenge the prime minister because of the friction he has caused among the population. How will the four heal a deeply divided public? They believe that their ability stems from their very personality. But it will not suffice to heal a sociological crisis that Netanyahu did not create, although he is good at exploiting it. (Photo: Effy Sharir) In addition to the three army commanders, 30 of the leading candidates on their list include a number of others who have served in senior positions in the security forces: generals, two police dep. inspectors and the deputy head of the Mossad. If so, no less than half of the leading candidates of the Blue and White Party are "security experts," but do we need so many? Of course we dont. Military officers, as senior as they may be, are not necessarily security experts. They are experts in managing an organization that aims to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, but this ability is only one of the components that politicians are responsible for. The amazing three and their accompanying group of career security men and women have yet to prove that they possess the qualities required of national leaders. They have not even revealed their positions on critical issues and I would not be surprised if behind the facade there is merely a block of malleable clay. Latin american military leaders What does their political success say about Israeli society? The intuitive association is of Latin America. Since their liberation from European rulers, generals and admirals have controlled most of the countries of the continent, and even when they did not openly rule, they have strongly influenced the government. One of the reasons for this is the perception of the military as responsible for uniting a fragile nation. Ostensibly, the military is a neutral body from an ethnic and class perspective. The name of the party, Blue and White, is not coincidental: the national flag is the wedding canopy under which the leaders tie the knot with the nations citizens. True, Israeli democracy, flawed as it may be, is not like the regimes of South America, and its military is not like their militaries. The elections are not a sham, the army obeys the political echelon, and a military coup is highly unlikely. The similarity is that the military establishment is much too important a player in the political system. Generations of Finance Ministry officials will testify that the heads of the army have too much power in determining the size of the defense budget and the salaries of its members. It is reasonable to assume that a government, many of whose ministers were members of the defense establishment until recently, would tend to comply with the demands of their heirs in the command; although it is possible that their in-depth knowledge of the organization's affairs will allow the new politicians to better scrutinize and reject excessive demands. I am inclined to the first assumption. It is clear that the attractiveness of senior military personnel stems from the feeling that their long service in uniform proves their patriotism and that the fate of the country is more important to them than their own good. They lay in ambushes, languished in the mud, exposed their chests to the enemy's bullets, and rarely saw their families while most of the population was at home. Their associates and subordinates were drawn from across the national spectrum and they therefore represent the overall Israeliness. But people change quickly. Senior officers who move into the business world behave like businessmen, honest or crooks, and military personnel who move into the political world behave like politicians, with integrity or lack of integrity. The electorate is advised to be wary of the enchantment of the uniform. Shas Party Chairman Aryeh Deri responded to pronouncements by Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Lieberman seeking to wrest control of the Interior Ministry from Shas. Deri said: It bothers them that the ministry checks the DNA of immigrants from the former Soviet Union Hundreds of thousands of them are not Jewish according to Halacha. Deri added that Shas will seek the Absorption Ministry as well saying One must know Russian to get around over there. They should have Amharic and other languages as well. ISLAMABAD - Pakistan said on Tuesday it had begun a crackdown on Islamist militant groups, detaining 44 members of banned organizations including close relatives of the leader of a group blamed for a deadly bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir last month. The interior ministry said it was a move to "speed up action against all proscribed organizations". Officials said it was part of a long-planned drive against militant groups, not a response to Indian anger over what New Delhi calls Islamabad's failure to rein in militant groups operating on Pakistani soil. Pakistan is facing pressure from global powers to act against groups carrying out attacks in India, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which claimed responsibility for the Feb. 14 attack that killed at least 40 paramilitary police. Interior Ministry Aryeh Deri declared that the Shas Party will seek the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration after the elections. It is impossible to get around the halls of the ministry if you cant speak Russian, Deri said, speaking at a campaign event in Ashdod. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) who have come under the Law of Return are not Halachically Jewish, Deri added. It bothers them that the Interior Ministry checks the DNA of FSU immigrants and makes it difficult for them to immigrate to Israel. Deri speaking at Shas event (Photo: Roi Idan) Earlier, Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman said that his party will seek the Interior Ministry post. I will gladly relinquish the Defense portfolio for the Interior Ministry as it is very important, he said. Deri said that Israel has become an attractive destination for all sorts of immigrants and that the Interior Ministry is the vanguard against this phenomenon to ensure the Jewish character of the State of Israel Which is why Yisrael Beytenu does not want Shas in the ministry. Lieberman (Photo: Yair Sagi) Deris remarks drew criticism from other MKs. Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu) said that he apologizes in the name of those who died on behalf of the Jewish state although some politicians dont think they are good enough to get married in Israel or be buried in a Jewish cemetery. In response, Deri said: I never said there would be DNA tests for FSU immigrants; there are no such tests and there will not be. It was MK Lieberman who accused us of this. He further asserted that the ministry he heads will continue to keep out people falsely claiming to be Jewish. Deri further insisted that Shas will be back at the helm of the ministry to continue safeguarding the Jewish character of the state. He also said that Shas intends to fight all attempts to change the status of Shabbat, as the national day of rest, as far as workers, often tempted with double pay, are concerned. Deri also spoke to the many French immigrants who have chosen Ashdod as their new home saying that many have not been welcomed appropriately. He praised the values, institutions, community life and piety of the French Jews and said that they have not received all that they deserve. Oftentimes, they face challenges in the workforce as their French academic degrees are not always recognized. Deri promised to look after their interests. Lieberman pledged to put an end to the invasive and humiliating DNA tests for immigrants thought up by Haredi dealers. He accused the Haredi establishment of racism towards FSU immigrants and also promised to advance civil marriages as an alternative to the Rabbinate. There are still sectors and groups of Aussies can benefit from the property downturn, according to a report by Bloomberg. Small cities and property stylists were considered two of the winners in the current property slump, according to Bloomberg. This provides opportunities to rise above the weakening market. Investors may direct their funds to smaller cities. While Sydney and Melbourne are currently leading the decline in home prices, smaller towns are performing well. Hobart, for instance, was the only state capital whose prices rose last month and whose values were up 7.2% in the past year. The Tasmanian city is benefiting from mainlanders cashing out and moving to the island state for a more relaxed lifestyle, and investors chasing capital growth in a tight market. Plus, the median house price there is a more affordable $457, 186, Bloomberg said. Prices in regional cities, meanwhile, are down only 0.8% in the three months through February, compared to a 3.3% drop in the combined capitals. Investors may also opt to hire property stylists. Bloomberg found that there is a rising understanding among sellers that property styling helps sell homes at the best possible price, as well as reduce properties time on the market. A professionally styled property can cut nearly four weeks from marketing and add about 12.5% on average to the sale price, according to David McLean, general manager of Furnish&Finish. Setting two identical studio apartments in North Sydney in the same unit block as examples, McLean said that the styled one was sold for $100,000 more. In addition, Steve Remington, co-founder of residential styling firm Valiant Hire, said service inquiries were higher in the first month of this year than a usual January. "People who previously wouldn't have considered going down the styling path are looking at it a lot harder now. They know that in this market, they really need to present the property in the best possible light," he said. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. VILLANOVA, Pa.Villanova University has announced a partnership with The Posse Foundation, one of the most prestigious and comprehensive college access, success and youth leadership development programs in the United States. Through the Posse program, currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, Villanova will expand its recruitment efforts in New Orleans, supporting 10 high-achieving area students per year with full-tuition scholarships to attend the University. The first cohort of Posse students will enroll at Villanova in fall 2020. Villanova has found in The Posse Foundation a strategic partner whose values closely align with our own. We each believe in the transformative strength of community and the importance of developing leaders from all walks of life who can go on to positively impact the world, said the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, Villanova University President. The Posse program complements who we are as an Augustinian Catholic institution and is a tangible way in which we can bring our values to life. Posse has a long and proven track record of helping young people gain access to institutions of higher education. The Foundation draws from an extensive pool of talented student leaders from across the country who might otherwise be overlooked through the traditional admissions process. This partnership will provide Villanova greater access to students in New Orleans, an area from which the University does not extensively draw. Villanovas partnership with The Posse Foundation complements and will integrate with the Universitys existing leadership and access scholarship programs. Father Donohue continued, A posse is often described as a group of people who are there to support youmuch in the same way the Villanova community supports one another. We look forward to welcoming Posse Scholars from New Orleans to Villanova. We are always eager to welcome students with strong leadership qualities and a diversity of experience to our community and know that our Posse students will enrich the intellectual and social life of the University. We are thrilled to partner with Villanova and excited to work with Father Peter Donohue and his dedicated team, said Posse President and Founder Deborah Bial. New Orleans is home to so many amazing students. Those who become Villanova Posse Scholars will have the chance to contribute to an already vibrant campus community as well as benefit from the outstanding education it affords. Founded in 1989, The Posse Foundation seeks to expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds, including cultural, socio-economic, racial and religious diversity. Through the Foundations unique evaluation process, Posse staff identify a group of high-achieving urban studentsmost from non-traditional backgroundsfor each institution. Candidates then participate in individual interviews and a finalist workshop, with administrators from each partner college ultimately selecting the 10 individuals who go on to form the years Posse. During the programs 30 years, Posse Scholars have proven to be among the most engaged leaders on their respective campuses, actively promoting collaborative communications, positive change and growth. The campus leadership and academic success of Posse Scholars have propelled numerous alumni to influential roles in the workforce, with alumni serving as leaders in government, medicine, education, academia, NGOs and business. About The Posse Foundation: Posse was founded in 1989 by Deborah Bialinspired by a student who said, I never wouldve dropped out of college if Id had my posse with me. The simple idea of sending a group of students together to college so they could back each other up became the impetus for a program that today has identified, recruited and trained more than 9,200 students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential. Vanderbilt University was Posses first partner school, awarding scholarships to five students from New York City. Since then, the program has expanded to 10 major cities and grown to include STEM and post 9/11 U.S. Veterans initiatives. To date, Posse Scholars have won more than $1.4 billion in scholarships from 58 partner colleges and universities. Since opening its doors 30 years ago, Posse has received many significant acknowledgements. Notably, Bial was awarded a MacArthur Genius Fellowship in 2007, and in 2010 President Barack Obama honored Posse with a portion of his Nobel Peace Prize grant. To learn more about the Posse Foundation, click here . Security analyst and expert, Dr Kwesi Aning on Monday, March 4, 2019 revealed to the Emile Short Commission investigating the Ayawaso by-election violence that there are 24 violent groups across the country. Taking his turn at the Commission, Dr. Aning opined that violence is imminent especially approaching the 2020 general elections. He noted in some instances, violence is a profitable venture for some people. Dr. Kwesi Aning. Source: Graphiconline.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Police CID charges Ofosu-Ampofo over leaked tape Violence is beneficial, it transforms lives, it creates new identities and it gives access to power, Dr. Aning told the Commission. According to the director at the Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, violence is the most stable currency in Ghana. Dr. Aning who is also counter-terrorism expert told the Short Commission, party foot soldiers have learnt how to maximise their usefulness beyond being exploited and dumped by politicians. Foot soldiers perform particular types of services, intimidated people, disrupted rallies, and tore down campaign posters. But overtime started to organise, got more power. In recent years, they have obtained a better understanding of how to use the tools of violence. He added that some of these political militias use violence as a tool to access or take power forcefully. He also named 24 violent groups in Ghana that can threaten the countries security. READ ALSO: Ofosu Ampofo finally honours Police CIDs invitation with lawyers Below are the names; 1. Aluta Boys 2. Bukurosun 3. Hazi 4. Pentagon 5. Aljazeera 6. NATO Forces 7. Gbewa Youth 8. Azorka Boys 9. 66 Bench 10. Al-Kaida 11. Invincible Forces 12. Bamba Boys 13. Delta Force 14. Bolga Bull Dogs 15. Rasta Boys 16. Sese Group 17. Kandahar Boys 18. Eagle Forces 19. Lions 20. Hawks 21. Dragons 22. Burma camp 23. Ashanti vigilante group 24. Green Mambas Yenkasa: Ghanaians react to Akufo-Addos SONA 2019| #Yencomgh Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: Yen Mumbai: "Hamid", a film about an eight-year-old Kashmiri boy's search for his missing father, will now open in theatres on March 15. The makers of the movie last month postponed the film's release in the wake of Pulwama terror attack. It was earlier supposed to be released on March 1. Director Aijaz Khan said he hopes the film heals people in the time of ongoing crisis. "The nation was going through a state of grief and turmoil and we wanted to be one with the people of our country. 'Hamid' is above all a film about peace, love and most importantly about healing each other. We hope that 'Hamid' helps in spreading this very important message of love and redemption in these conflicted times," Khan said in a statement. Siddharth Anand Kumar VP Films and TV Saregama India and Producer at Yoodlee Films added now is the time that "perhaps the film will be better understood, and perhaps more relevant, with its narrative that calls for peace and closure." In the film, Hamid learns that the number 786 is God's number and he decides to try and reach out to Him. Using his father's old mobile phone, after various combinations, he finally manages to connect to Abhay, a hard-knuckled CRPF soldier, who he believes, is the God he is looking for. Hamid and Abhay torn apart by politics and bound by a sense of loss, unknowingly and unintentionally, find a way to complete each other's life, against the rampant violence in Kashmir. Talha Arshad Reshi features in the title role with Vikas Kumar as Abhay. It also stars Rasika Duggal and Sumit Kaul. New Delhi: The national capital and its adjoining areas on Tuesday woke up to heavy fog. At least five flights have been diverted so far due to low visibility. At Delhi, the minimum runway visibility required for take-off is 125 metres. On Monday, dense fog enveloped Delhi-NCR with at least six flights being diverted from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport. Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday offered prayers at Shree Annapurna Dham in Adalaj in the Gandhinagar district of Gujarat. PM Modi will lay the foundation stones of Shikshan Bhavan and Vidhyarthi Bhavan at the Annapurna Dham Trust in Adalaj. On the second day of his Gujarat visit, the PM is scheduled to visit Vastral in Ahmednagar to launch PM-SYM, a voluntary and contributory pension scheme for workers in unorganised sector with a monthly income of up to Rs 15,000. PM Modi will oversee the online transfer of benefits to some beneficiaries and then distribute PM-SYM Pension Cards. Prime Narendra Modi also touched the feet of former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel at an event in Adalaj, Gujarat. #WATCH Prime Narendra Modi touches feet of former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, at an event in Adalaj, Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/hlewIV8T7T ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 PM is also scheduled to launch SAUNI water schemes- a drinking water and irrigation project, including Und-1 to Ranjit Sagar Lift Irrigation Scheme and Machu-1 to Nyari Lift Irrigation Scheme in Saurashtra. He will also the foundation stone of Jodiya Desalination Plant and Und-3 to Venu-2 Lift Irrigation Scheme. Later in the day, PM Modi will also launch railway projects including conversion of rail tracks to broad gauge. He is also scheduled to flag off the Bandra-Jamnagar Humsafar Express in Jamnagar in the evening. PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat from Monday. On Monday, PM Modi launched the indigenously-developed National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) to enable people to pay multiple kinds of transport charges, including metro services and toll tax, across the country. Dubbed as One Nation One Card, the inter-operable transport card would allow the holders to pay for their bus travel, toll taxes, parking charges, retail shopping and even withdraw money. The Prime Minister also launched the NCMC while inaugurating the first phase of the Ahmedabad metro train service in Gujarat. After inaugurating the 6.5-km stretch of phase one of the Ahmedabad Metro, connecting Vastral to Apparel Park Area, Modi also took a ride on the metro. Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi and said that poverty is a state of mind for those oblivious to sleeping hungry at night. He added that for some people poverty is just an opportunity for clicking photographs. Addressing at an event in Gujarat's Vastral, the Prime Minister said, "Poverty state of mind for those oblivious to sleeping hungry. For some, poverty just an opportunity for clicking photos." At the event, PM Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana, a pension scheme for unorganised sector. "This scheme is aimed at uplift of the section of society which has been ignored and left at the mercy of God. They (Congress) gave slogans of garibi hatao (end poverty). Some projected themselves as messiah of workers. But during their tenure they did not launch such a scheme," he said. "They ruled the country for 55 years and collected votes in the name of poor," he said. "They thought that poverty is a mental state. See how is this neta who says that there is nothing like poverty but a mental state," PM Modi said, targeting the Congress president. "For them, poverty is just an opportunity to click pictures. Only those oblivious to sleeping hungry even for one night can think that it is a state of mind", PM Modi said, in an obvious reference to Gandhi's 2013 statement that poverty is a state of mind. "What they could not do in 55 years, this 'chaiwala' did in 55 months by bringing such a scheme," PM Modi said. Earlier in the day, he offered prayers at Shree Annapurna Dham in Adalaj in Gandhinagar and met former chief minister of Gujarat Keshubhai Patel. (With inputs from PTI) AgustaWestland case middleman Christian Michel has been moved to high-risk ward following recent Pulwama attack that claimed the lives of over 40 Indian soldiers, Tihar Jail authorities told Delhi's Patiala House Court on Tuesday. British national Michel, extradited from Dubai, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on December 22 last year in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal. The Delhi court had lashed out Tihar Jail Authorities over a plea filed by Michel raising questions about putting him in solitary confinement and alleging that he had been shifted to a high-security jail where dreaded criminals like Chhota Rajan and Shahbuddin are kept. "Why was there no threat to his security till now. He was kept with other prisoners for 70 days. This was always a high profile case. If that was the case he should have been kept in a high security ward since the beginning. Tell me why all of a sudden he was shifted to a ward where hardened criminals were kept," the presiding judge has asked. Deputy Superintendent of Tihar Jail told the court that Michel was shifted to cell number 2 (high security ward) keeping in mind his safety as it was a high profile case. However, he failed to justify the sudden shifting before the court. The court has then directed the Director General (DG) of Tihar to file a comprehensive reply on the reasons of Michel's sudden shifting to the high security cell and why he was kept with hard-core criminals. With PTI Inputs The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) website was allegedly hacked on Tuesday. Several users took to social media to report it and shared screenshots of the same. No hacker group has come forward to claim responsibility for the cyber attack. BJP IT cell spokesperson asked users to "be patient". Well be back soon! Sorry for the inconvenience but were performing some maintenance at the moment. well be back online shortly, said a message from the website administrator. Initially, the website reported Error 522 message. In the last few months, several Indian government websites were hacked by Pakistan-based hackers. The hacking of the BJP website comes during a tense standoff between India and Pakistan following the suicide attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy on February 14 in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama by a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist in which 40 soldiers were killed. India early on February 26 launched a retaliatory pre-emptive strike against deep inside Pakistan when Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage-2000 jets rained bombs on Jaish terror camps in Balakot. The next day Pakistani Air Force tried to target Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir which was thwarted by IAF fighters. In the ensuing dogfight one IAF MiG-21 Bison shot down a PAF F-16. But the MiG-21 Bison too was lost in the skirmish and the pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman ejected and was captured by the Pakistani Army. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was finally released by Pakistan on March 1 after over 60 hours in Pakistani captivity. The official website of BJP's Chhattisgarh unit was allegedly defaced by Pakistan hackers on February 21. The hackers claimed that they belong to Pakistan. A message posted on the website read, "We are Pakistan Cyber Attackers." The hackers threatened of a serial blast and attached photographs of Pakistan flag and their Army on the hacked website. He is majestic, he is Royal. He is magnificent. First spotted in 2010 during a tiger and prey base assessment in Sunderban Tiger Reserve, his magnificence left the foresters and tiger experts awestruck. Undoubtedly the most frequently seen Royal Bengal is also the most photographed. Though conservationists are not in favor of christening wild tigers, the camera savvy Royal male is fondly called 'Big Boss' by the tourists. Be it the islands of Netidhopani or Nawbanki ( the exact locations not be disclosed considering its safety), his royal movement, baritone roar has made him the uncrowned ruler of a huge territory in the Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary. His territory is located mostly in a tourism zone where he has been living for more than a decade. By now his familiarity with human presence allows him to sport a pose whenever he comes across a tourist or a forest boat. Big Boss appears to have outlived himself. Past his prime, he is still the monarch of his region or 'ilaka' as the locals call it. A recent photograph of the tiger is a ray of hope for tiger conservationists. For experts, it is quite encouraging to have this adult male survive and rule over the same area for such a long period. Joydip Kundu, a member of the State Wildlife Board photographed Big Boss several times between 2010 and 2019. Two photographs one taken in 2010 and one very recently have been compared by an Eco guide Nityananda Choukidar. Analysing the stripes in the animal's body, Choukidar confirms that it is the same tiger. This is proof that a single male tiger has been holding its territory for more than a decade indicating the success of tiger management in Sunderban Tiger Reserve. Joydip Kundu says its a very positive sign that the Royal Bengal is happily holding on to its territory for such a long period. "It's an Achievement of Sunderban Tiger Reserve," Kundu said. Suchandra Kundu, the Honorary Wildlife Warden of Kolkata also agrees that there is enough reason to feel encouraged as the big cat looks healthy even past his prime. (Photo taken in 2010) (Photo taken in 2019) Pradeep Vyas, former Chief Wildlife Warden who had also worked as Director, Sunderban Biosphere confirms that this particular tiger is being seen around since 2009. Since the area, it resides in is a tourism zone the tiger has grown used to being clicked by men. "Frequent use of camera and mobile phones by the tourists has helped us with more photographic evidence of this tiger and made it a case study for us", Vyas said. In spite of Sunderbans being a defused territory, where tigers find it difficult to mark their territory courtesy the abundance of water this big cat has been able to maintain its rule over the same patch of land for around a decade. Nilanjan Mullick, Field Director, Sunderban Tiger Reserve drew three positive conclusions about Big Boss while speaking to Zee Media. Firstly, the tiger is around 14-15 years old presently yet he is fit and fine. This means he has maximum chances of completing his lifespan. It also suggests that natural adversities have not been able to take away Sunderbans' tiger friendliness. The tiger also has sufficient prey base, which means it has enough animals to feed on. Secondly, the tiger has not been subject to poaching or to man-animal conflict though it resides in a tourist zone, an indication of good management. Also, very interestingly it did not have to leave its territory following a territorial fight with some younger male, which is a natural phenomenon. Saumyajit Nandy, who has his tourism business in the Sunderban has met Big Boss on a number of occasions. According to Nandy, however Big Boss has lost some of its territories to a younger male but still has control over the rest of it. Cyclone Aila has adversely affected the Sunderban tigers and their prey base. The future of the stripes in the mangroves was unsure. The recent tiger assessment using camera traps confirmed a 100 plus figure for tigers in the Sunderbans. The 'swag' of Big Boss is a major encouragement for tiger researchers. New Delhi: Buckling under international pressure, Pakistan's Interior Ministry on Tuesday banned Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its subsidiary Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FiF) under Anti Terrorism Act 1997. Hafiz Saeed's Jama'at-ud-Da'wah and its subsidiary Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation banned under Anti Terrorism Act 1997 by Pakistan's Interior Ministry. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/DepWq2ohrT ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 "Hafiz Saeed's Jama'at-ud-Da'wah and its subsidiary Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation banned under Anti Terrorism Act 1997 by Pakistan's Interior Ministry," ANI reported. JuD and FiF are controlled by Hafiz Saeed, who is the mastermind of 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Both these organisations are now placed in the list of 70 proscribed organisations released by Pakistan government on Tuesday. Both these organisations were placed in 'Under watch' list till 24 hours ago. The decision to ban JuD and FiF is seen as a big victory for India's diplomatic efforts and stand taken by Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre to destroy Pakistan-based terror groups. Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan arrested Mufti Rauf Asghar, brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar and Hammad Azhar, son of Masood Azhar. State Minister for Interior Affairs Shahryar Afridi confirmed the development and said 44 people affiliated with the banned organization have been arrested so far. The arrest of Rauf Asghar sends a clear message that Pakistan has buckled under India's pressure because Rauf is only next to Masood Azhar in Jaish's hierarchy. The decision to crackdown on JeM was taken after Pakistan had assured the international community that it will take action against JeM and other terror groups operating from Pakistani soil. The names of Rauf and Hammad Azhar were also mentioned in the dossier given by India to Pakistan about February 14's Pulwama attack. Addressing a press conference, Shehryar Khan Afridi said a probe will be conducted against all arrested for two weeks to ascertain that they are involved in terror activities or not. He added that Pakistan government will share the initiatives with all key stakeholders, ANI reported. "It is our own initiative, we have not done this under any pressure," Afridi noted. Sources added that Pakistan Interior Ministry has also suggested Prime Minister Imran Khan to arrest JeM chief Masood Azhar and it is expected that Azhar would be arrested within 24 hours. On Monday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said that Islamabad is examining the dossier sent by India in connection with Pulwama terror attack. In the dossier, India has asked Pakistan to take immediate and verifiable action against Masood Azhar and other terrorists operating from Pakistan's soil. In the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack on February 14 that resulted in the deaths of 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has been called out by US, France, UK, Australia, Japan, EU, Germany to take action against terrorism. NEW DELHI: With several opposition leaders questioning the success of the recent Indian Air Force (IAF) airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot, the ruling BJP on Tuesday termed it as a ''conspiracy'' which was lowering the morale of the armed forces. Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, ''BJP would like to know whether all this tweeting (by Congress leaders on Pulwama terror attack) a part of a conspiracy? Because whatever is being said here is being shown in Pakistan.'' Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad: BJP would like to know is all this tweeting (by Congress leaders on #PulwamaTerrorAttack) a part of conspiracy? Because whatever is being said here is being shown in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/A2BGUugR2E ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 Criticising the main opposition party, the senior BJP leader said, ''There is a growing competition between senior leaders of the Congress party as to who is more vocal in lowering the morale of the security forces.'' Prasad also came down heavily on senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh for calling the Pulwama terror attack on the CRPF convoy an ''accident.'' ''Has Digvijaya Singh reduced himself to such a low level that he will call the most heinous terrorist attack on CRPF jawans as an accident? This is their thinking,'' Prasad asked. Urging the BJP cadres across the nation, the Union Minister asked them to seek questions from the Congress leaders and expose them on questioning the valuor and actions of the armed forces. It may be recalled that Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh had termed the dastardly Pulwama terror attack an accident and said that doubt expressed in some foreign media reports over the February 26 IAF air strike is putting a question mark on the credibility of the Indian government. Singh, a former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, made the remarks while tweeting in Hindi. He said after the Pulwama durghatna (accident) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) strike, "sandeh (doubt) is being expressed in some foreign media reports following which vishwasniyata (credibility) of the government is under question. The former AICC general secretary has in the past also made controversial statements. In another tweet on Tuesday, Singh questioned the casualty claim in the IAF airstrike and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clean on the same. "Prime Minister, some ministers of your government say 300 terrorists killed, BJP president says 250 are killed, Yogi Adityanath says 400 people were killed and your minister SS Ahluwalia says that no one died. And you are silent about this issue. The country wants to know who is a liar in this," he said. After the infamous Batala House encounter, Digvijaya had questioned the veracity of Delhi Polices evidence and had also once used a suffix indicating respect for UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed. In August 2016, Singh had also addressed Jammu and Kashmir as India-occupied Kashmir. However, he later clarified that it is an integral part of India. Singh's conroversial tweet came at a time when many opposition leaders are raising questions on the Balakot strike by the Indian Air Force and are asking for proof and the exact casualty inflicted on terrorists. BSP chief Mayawati had on Tuesday tried to put BJP president Amit Shah in the dock over his claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the Indian airstrikes in Pakistan, asking him why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "silent" over it. "BJP chief Amit Shah is arduously making a claim that IAF strike had killed over 250 terrorists in Pakistan but why his guru PM Modi who is always keen to take credit for everything is silent over it? Terrorists killed is good news, but what is the secret behind deep silence of PM over it?," Mayawati said in a tweet. The IAF carried out the ''pre-emptive and non-military'' airstrike in less than two weeks after the Jaish terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. JeM had claimed the responsibility of the attack. While speaking at an event in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Modi had on Monday asserted that the terrorists will be hunted even if they hide deep underneath the Earth and asked his critics not to question the valour of the armed forces even if they are not willing to trust him. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Monday said the fighter planes had hit the target given to them but he cannot give the number of casualties suffered as it is for the government to do so. (With Agency Inputs) Delhi's Patiala House Court has deferred the recording of statement of AgustaWestland case accused Rajeev Saxena on March 6. He had recently approached the court to become an 'approver' in the case. Saxena was scheduled to record his statement before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal on March 5. On February 27, Saxena had moved an application in Patiala House Court to become an approver in the case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has told the court that it will respond to Saxena`s plea after taking note of his statement. After moving the application to become an approver in the case, Saxena told a Delhi court that he was not under any pressure. He further said that neither any assurance was given to him nor sought from him. In his application to the court, Saxena said he has cooperated in the investigation and disclosed the facts as known to him. He said he would make full disclosure of the case, if he was granted pardon. United Arab Emirates (UAE) security agencies picked up Saxena from his Dubai residence on January 30 in connection with alleged scam in the Rs 3,600 crore deal for the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland company. He was extradited to India the same night. He was granted bail on medical grounds on Monday. The ED did not oppose his bail application. He was allegedly operating a number of bank accounts in Switzerland in which huge amounts of money were deposited, according to a government dossier. Goldach, Mar 5 (IBNS): Air pollution will take an estimated seven million lives globally in the next year, while costing the worlds economy nearly 225 billion USD. The latest data compiled in the IQAir AirVisual 2018 World Air Quality Report and interactive Worlds Most Polluted Cities ranking, reveals the state of particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in 2018. The study found that in south-asia, out of 20 most polluted cities in the world, 18 are in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It highlights a widespread but unequal distribution of PM2.5 pollution and limited access to public information. Executive Director of Greenpeace South East Asia, Yeb Sano, commented on the report: Air pollution steals our livelihoods and our futures, but we can change that. In addition to human lives lost, theres an estimated global cost of 225 billion dollars in lost labor and trillions in medical costs. this has enormous impacts, on our health and on our wallets. We want this report to make people think about the air we breathe, because when we understand the impacts of air quality on our lives, we will act to protect whats most important. Frank Hammes, IQAir CEO, said: The 2018 World Air Quality Report is based on the review, compilation, and validation of data from tens of thousands of air quality monitoring stations around the world. Now everyone with a cellphone has free access to this data via the AirVisual platform. This has also created a demand for air quality monitoring in cities or regions where no public data is available. Communities and organizations from California to Kabul are supplementing governmental monitoring efforts with their own low-cost air quality monitoring networks, and are giving everyone access to more hyper-local information. Findings from the report include: In South Asia: out of 20 most polluted cities in the world, 18 are in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. This includes previously unseen data from Pakistans first public monitoring network of sensors. In Southeast Asia: Jakarta and Hanoi are Southeast Asias two most polluted cities. With Beijings air quality getting better, Jakarta risks overtaking Chinas famously polluted capital soon. In China: average concentrations in the cities in China fell by 12% from 2017 to 2018. Beijing ranks now as the 122nd most polluted city in the world in 2018. In the Western Balkans: 10 cities in the Western Balkans - Bosnia Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo - and four in Turkey have PM2.5 levels more than 3 times the WHO guidelines. 8 cities in the Balkans are among the world's most polluted 10%, out of all the cities with data. In U.S. and Canada: While average air quality is good in global comparison, historic wildfires had a dramatic impact on air quality in August and November, with 5 out of 10 most polluted cities in the world during August found in North America. Massive populations, including on continental Africa and South America, do not have adequate air quality measuring infrastructure. Climate change is making the effects of air pollution worse by changing atmospheric conditions and amplifying forest fires.7 In addition, the key driver of climate changeburning fossil fuelsis also the main driver of air pollution, globally.8 Therefore tackling climate change will also greatly improve our air quality. Local and national governments can help tackle the effects of air pollution by providing adequate monitoring and reporting infrastructure. What is clear is that the common culprit across the globe is the burning of fossil fuelscoal, oil, and gasworsened by the cutting down our forests. What we need to see is our leaders thinking seriously about our health and the climate by looking at a fair transition out of fossil fuels while telling us clearly the level of our air quality, so that steps can be taken to tackle this health and climate crisis, added Sano. KOLKATA: West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for raising doubts over the success of the airstrikes carried out by Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets at Balakot in Pakistan. Ghosh accused Mamata of talking like Pakistani leaders and said that she is causing more harm to the nation than Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, IANS reported. "When the entire nation wants the Pulwama terror strike avenged by our armed forces, our Chief Minister (Banerjee) is asking for evidence of the air strike and questioning why Pakistan was attacked. She is also singing the tune of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan," Ghosh said. "I think people like Imran Khan are not needed to harm India, Mamata Banerjee alone is enough. When a party like Trinamool Congress is operating here, what is the need of terrorist outfits like SIMI, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen or Al Qaeda to attack?" he added. Ghosh said that Banerjee and other Opposition leaders will be taught a lesson by Bengal and the rest of the country in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll for questioning the valour of the armed forces. "Pakistan PM Imran Khan is complaining that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi is not talking to him. Here, Banerjee and some opposition leaders are also saying the same thing. We are stunned to see that they are speaking Pakistan`s language. Pakistan gave us enough proof of the damage inflicted by the IAF, but here some politicians are asking for evidence from the Army. The new India will not tolerate this. The 2019 election will be a milestone in stopping anti-national politics within the country," Ghosh said. Ghosh referred to the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) report and said that after surveillance it was found that 300 mobile phones were found active in Balakot where the IAF fighter jets dropped bombs to destroy Jaish-e-Mohammad's terror camp and it shows that around 300 people were present in the training camp. (with IANS inputs) India has rejected Pakistan's claim that an Indian submarine was detected by Pakistan Navy on Tuesday while it was trying to enter its waters, stressing that the submarine video released by Pakistan is of November 18, 2016. Government sources added that Pakistan is hyping up the war psychosis in order to divert attention from the war on terror and the extremists harboured and trained by its army to attack India. "The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters. The Indian submarine was not targeted keeping in view Pakistan's policy of peace," a Pakistan Navy spokesperson was quoted as saying by ANI. "Keeping the (Pakistan) government`s initiative of peace in mind, the Indian submarine was not targetted by the Pakistan Navy," added the spokesperson. The last time the two Navies fought against each other was during the 1971 war. The allegation by Pakistan comes at a time when the tension between India and Pakistan are quite high following the Indian Air Force airstrike at Jaish-e-Mohammad's terror camp at Balakot in Pakistan on February 26. Earlier on Tuesday, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had said terrorists are being trained in Pakistan to carry out operations through the sea. Addressing a gathering of global experts at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue here, Lanba said the terrorists involved in the February 14's Pulwama attack were "aided by a State" that wants to create mayhem in India. "We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea," he told PTI. "We recently saw the horrific scale of the extremist attack in Jammu and Kashmir about three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a State that seeks to destabilise India," the Navy chief said. "We have seen how quickly terror groups evolve across the globe. A particular brand of terror can well become a global problem in near future," Lanba added. (with ANI and PTI inputs) New Delhi: A joint exercise between the Indian Army and Royal Army of Oman will be conducted in Oman from March 12-25. Exercise Al Nagah III, third in the series of bilateral joint exercise between India and Oman is scheduled to be held from March 12-25, 2019 at Jabel Al Akhdar Mountains in Oman. The exercise will see both the armies exchanging expertise and experience in tactics, weapon handling and firing, with an aim to enhance interoperability in counterterrorist operations in semi-urban mountainous terrain. India-Oman bilateral security ties have continued to develop since the beginning of India-Oman Joint Military Cooperation meetings in 2006. Exercise Al Nagah III follows the first two joint exercises that were held in Oman in January 2015 and India in March 2017 respectively. Similar exercises are also in vogue between the navies and air forces of both the nations thus underscoring the growing bilateral military and strategic partnership between the two important nations of Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The Indian Army contingent is going to be represented by 04 Officers, 09 Junior Commissioned Officers and 47 other ranks of 10th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles. Similar strength is also to be fielded by Jabel Regiment of Royal Army of Oman (RAO). Observer delegation comprising senior officers of both the armies will witness the validation exercise to be held on 25 March 2019. The exercise will go a long way in enchaining understanding of capabilities and strengthening camaraderie between both the Armies. NEW DELHI: India has said that its operation on the terror camps of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Balakot is over but the next step will be to mount diplomatic pressure on an increasingly isolated Islamabad. Sources told wion, "Our govt's position is very clear, we have to make strategy on our own. We have to fight terror on our own. But we have to build pressure on Pakistan to see that focus remains on Pakistan as a state which supports, sponsors and nurtures terrorism" Adding, "If there is subsequent terror attack all options are available for us". India also made it clear no negotiations were done for the release of wing commander Abhinandan who was captured by Pakistan after it launched strikes on Indian military installation last week. Sources said, "We made it very clear to all the ambassadors of the P5 countries, that this was non-negotiable matter, that we were not asking for consular access, and we expected him back immediately and we believe this was conveyed and Pakistani side very clearly understood" Adding, "pressure was built not only by P5 but by others, and this was instrumental (in the release) and it should not be attributed to Imran Khan's generous Pathan heart." On the death of Masood Azhar, chief of JeM, sources dismissed it saying we take such news with a pinch of salt. India hopes to list Masood Azhar as an international terrorist under the 1267 committee of the united nations security council which it believes will send a message that Pakistan is the epicentre of terror in the world. 13 March, 3 PM EST or 1.30 am IST, 14th is the deadline for any country to hold technical bar against declaring Azhar as an international terrorist. New Delhi: Maintaining a strong stand on cross-border terrorism, India asserted that "all options" are available in case there is another terror strike by a group supported by Pakistan, official sources said on Tuesday. The Indian government will keep up the pressure on Pakistan to take concrete steps in dismantling terror infrastructure based on its soil. Sources also said that India has shared with the United States of America (USA) the evidence of Pakistani Air Force (PAF) using F-16 jets during retaliatory air attack against Indian military targets on February 27, and was confident that the US is investigating the matter. Since the airstrikes on Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camps in Balakot on February 26, India is trying to build maximum pressure on Pakistan on the issue of terrorism, sources said. The Indian defence forces have been maintaining a high alert and constant vigil on any misadventure from Pakistan. Sources had said on Monday the Indian Air Force (IAF), too, has kept all its bases in the western sector on maximum alert after the strike in Balakot. Pakistan had attempted to retaliate by unsuccessfully targeting a number of military installations in Kashmir on February 27 but IAF jets intercepted and forced the PAF fighters to flee. One PAF F-16 was shot down by an IAF MiG-21 Bison which too went down in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman captured. Under India's pressure, Pakistan finally released Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on March 1 after keeping him in custody for more than 60 hours. The IAF airstrikes, which the government had termed a "non-military" and "pre-emptive" action, followed a suicide attack on a Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir, in which 40 personnel were killed. However, Pakistan is yet to take any concrete action against terror groups based on its soil. Several dreaded terrorists including Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba supremo Hafiz Muhammad Saeed are supported by the Pakistani army and its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). (With PTI inputs) NEW DELHI: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has mocked the recent Air India advisory asking its crew members to say 'Jai Hind' after every flight announcement. Taking to Twitter, the PDP chief said that the move wasn't surprising as the general election is right around the corner. "Little surprise that with general elections around the corner, the josh of patriotism hasn't even spared the skies," she said in a tweet. Former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti tweets,"Little surprise that with General Elections around the corner,the josh of patriotism hasn't even spared the skies." Y'day,Air India issued a circular to all cabin crew&cockpit crew directing them to say' Jai Hind' aftr any announcement onboard pic.twitter.com/sloobFmErD ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 Mufti's tweet mocking the national carrier came a day after Air India issued an advisory making it compulsory for its crew to say "Jai Hind" after every flight announcement "with much fervour". "With immediate effect, all (crew) are required to announce 'Jai Hind' at the end of every announcement after a slight pause and much fervour," the advisory issued by Amitabh Singh, Director Operations, Air India, said on Monday. The advisory has been marked to all crew members of the cash-strapped carrier. During his first stint as Air India's Chairman and Managing Director, Ashwani Lohani had issued a similar direction to pilots in May 2016. According to officials, the current advisory is a "reminder" to the staff, in line with the "mood of the nation". "The captain of a flight should often connect with passengers during the journey and, at the end of the first address, using the words 'Jai Hind' would make a tremendous impact," Lohani had said in a communication to his staff in May 2016. Besides, Lohani in his communication had also asked the staff to be "courteous and polite" to passengers and said wearing a smile would be a "good thing". Last month, the central government called back retired technocrat Lohani to head the carrier as chairman and managing director for a second time within two years. His first tenure as Air India chief was from August 2015 to August 2017. Lohani was appointed Railway Board chairman in August 2017 and retired in December 2018. NASHIK: There is a strong message from the wife of a martyred Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot for social media warriors and those calling for full-scale war from the comforts of their home. Vijeta, the wife of IAF Squadron Leader Ninad Mandavgane killed in a Mi 17 helicopter crash in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam on February 27 along with five other soldiers, has urged social media 'warriors' to not whip up sentiments over the current India-Pakistan tensions and if possible go to the border and fight for the country if they have courage. A video of Vijeta has gone viral in which she is appealing to war mongerers on social media. The brave IAF pilot's wife said, "Ninad was not only a soldier, but he was also a great man too. If people trying to seek revenge really want to do something for the country, then they should join the armed forces or send someone from their family to do so. By fighting on social media nothing will be achieved. If you have so much courage, then go and fight on the border. Sending messages on whatsapp and Facebook will achieve nothing." Appealing to the 'social media warriors', Vijeta asked those calling for revenge and trying to spew venom to do something constructive for the country and help the soldiers guarding India's borders. She also appealed for peace between the two nuclear-powered neighbours India and Pakistan. "The consequences of war are dangerous. We don't want war, not a single person should die, it all should stop," she said in the viral video. Talking about her husband, Vijeta said Ninad wasn't only a good officer but a great citizen as well. On the mood of the nation, Vijeta said a lot was happening on social media and on TV. She said people were raising slogans and adding to the tensions. "Armymen and soldiers on the border aren't reading your 'zindabad and murdabad' messages," Vijeta said. IAF pilot Ninad was cremated with full military honours at Nashik's Amardham Crematorium. He was given 21-gun salute amid chants of 'Shahid Ninad Amar Rahe' which filled the air. He is survived by his wife and two-year-old daughter Nia. The 33-year-old Ninad was commissioned in the IAF helicopter wing in December 2009. Launching a massive crackdown against banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Pakistan on Tuesday arrested Mufti Rauf Asghar, brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar and Hammad Azhar, son of Masood Azhar, into preventive custody. State Minister for Interior Affairs Shahryar Afridi confirmed the development and said 44 people affiliated with the banned organization have been arrested so far. The arrest of Rauf Asghar sends a clear message that Pakistan has buckled under India's pressure because Rauf is only next to Masood Azhar in Jaish's hierarchy. The decision to crackdown on JeM was taken after Pakistan had assured the international community that it will take action against JeM and other terror groups operating from Pakistani soil. The names of Rauf and Hamza Azhar were also mentioned in the dossier given by India to Pakistan about February 14's Pulwama attack. Meanwhile, the Pakistani interior ministry secretary added that the JeM men will be released if no evidence is brought up against them. He added that the action was not taken under any pressure from India or global community but was based on the decision taken by the National Action Plan committee. On Monday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said that Islamabad is examining the dossier sent by India in connection with Pulwama terror attack. In the dossier, India has asked Pakistan to take immediate and verifiable action against Masood Azhar and other terrorists operating from Pakistan's soil. When asked about Pakistan's stand to put Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar on UNSC list, Qureshi said that Islamabad needs to take a decision on this matter on March 12. "On March 12 we will have to take some decision. We have reached a stage where Pakistan will have to take a decision. We cant make a scene of pakistan..We will have to take international as well as domestic stakeholders in confidence before taking a call," Qureshi told Geo News. New Delhi: While the political word of war over the Indian Air Force air strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakote in Pakistan refuses to die anytime soon, the citizens of this country have shown extraordinary enthusiasm in helping out the families of the CRPF troopers who lost their lives in the February 14 attack in Pulwama. As per the latest report, at least Rs 80 crore has so far been deposited in bank accounts linked to 'Bharat Ke Veer', which has been created to help the families of the martyrs of the armed forces. After the Pulwama attack incident, a huge rise in donation for 'Bharat Ke Veer' accounts was witnessed. The number is huge as in the last two years, only Rs 20 crore was donated by the people for the families of martyrs. An official said, "The way the common people have come out and have helped the families of the martyrs is commendable. This way, the families, who lost their dear ones for the country, also get a feeling that they are not alone but the entire country is with them." Another officer said, "As soon as Rs 15 lakh is deposited in the account of the martyr's family, the account gets automatically removed from the list. This way, money is transferred to other accounts which haven't received the help." For the unversed, at least 40 CRPF troopers were killed in a suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14. Soon after the attack, people started expressing their anger at this act of cowardliness and demanded the government to take strict action against the culprits. In the meantime, the official Twitter handle of CRPF also witnessed an increase in its followers with the numbers going up from 2.75 lakh to 4.25 lakh. Washington/New Delhi: The United States said on Sunday it is seeking more information on potential misuse of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets by Pakistan to down an Indian warplane, in violation of the Pentagons the end-user agreement, as the standoff between the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors appeared to be easing through diplomatic channels. Under a deal with the United States, Pakistan is only entitled to use the US-built fighter jets for counter-terrorism operations, but India has accused Islamabad of violating the agreement and downing an Indian warplane during a dogfight over the Line of Control in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) last week. Pakistan, in turn, has denied deploying any F-16s against India. The Indian Air Force on Thursday displayed parts of an AMRAAM, beyond visual range air-to-air missile, as evidence to "conclusively" prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir (India) after India's pre-emptive air strike against Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist camps in Balakot inside Pakistan. Pakistan a day before the IAF claim categorically said that no F-16 fighter jets were used and denied that one of its planes had been downed by the Indian Air Force. "We are aware of these reports and are seeking more information," a US embassy spokesperson said. "We take all allegations of misuse of defence articles very seriously." "Due to non-disclosure agreements in Foreign Military Sales contracts, we cannot discuss the specifics of end user-agreements contained within," Lt Col Kone Faulkner, a US Defense Department spokesperson told Indian news agency PTI. It is however not clear what exactly these so-called "end-user agreements" restrict Pakistan from doing. "There is enough evidence to show that F-16s were used in this mission and Pakistan is trying to hide this fact," India's Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor told reporters. Pakistan has been receiving F-16s from the US since 1983, during the Soviet-Afghan war, specifically for counterterrorism efforts, including missions over the tribal regions near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, where the Taliban and Al-Qaeda were active. In 2008, Washington shifted $230 million in aid to Islamabad fo counter-terrorism programmes to update its aging fleet of F-16s a move that raised eyebrows in India. A Pakistan military spokesman told reporters on Wednesday that Pakistani jets locked on Indian targets to demonstrate Pakistans capacity to strike back at India, but then chose to fire in an empty field where there would be no casualties. Taha Siddiqui, a reputed Pakistan origin self-exiled international journalist, made claims on his Twitter account on Sunday that F-16 were used. My source inside Pakistan Air force says F-16s were used, Siddiqui tweeted. Image: Indian defence officials at a press conference shows evidence that Pakistan used F-16 aircraft against India. Indian Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy, in the meantime, has penned an article for the Hindustan Times, in which he hailed Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as the "first combat pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) to shoot down an F-16" using a Soviet-era MiG-21 Bison during a dogfight over Indian air space in Kashmir. He also speculated on reports that the F-16 pilot had been killed, and said that if those rumours are proved to be true, "that would be a great loss to the Pakistan Air Force". The allegations over Pakistans misuse of the F-16 became a bilateral issue between Islamabad and Washington over the weekend after the US said it was examining the claims. The US had sold Pakistan new F-16s in the past decade for use in counter-terrorist operations. However, there have been concerns for years that sophisticated equipment like the AMRAAM and conformal fuel tanks had little relevance for counter-terrorism operations and were more useful in a conflict against India. NEW DELHI: Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday stressed that terrorism today posed a grave threat to peace and stability across the world and urged the international community to unite in fighting the menace. ''The Indo-Pacific region has witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in this part of the world have been spared by this cause,'' Navy chief Amiral Sunil Lanba said. The Navy chief made these remarks while addressing the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue in the national capital. Speaking on the occasion, Admiral Lanba said, ''The global nature, which terrorism has acquired in recent times, has further enhanced the scope of this threat.'' The Navy chief stressed that India faces a far more serious version of this state-sponsored terrorism. ''We have all witnessed the horrific scale of extremists attack in J&K, just three weeks ago,'' Lanba said while referring to the suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in J&K's Pulwama on February 14. Without naming Pakistan directly, the Navy Chief blamed the hostile neighbour for its attempts to de-stabilise India with state-sponsored terrorism. ''This violence was perpetrated by extremists, aided by a state which seeks to destabilise India,'' he said. Naval Chief Sunil Lanba: This violence was perpetuated by extremists, aided by a state which seeks to destabilise India. https://t.co/dklUTQfL9I ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 Issuing a warning, Admiral Lanba said that there were intelligence warning that terrorists are being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi including through the medium of the sea. Admiral Lanba, however, said that Indian armed forces are prepared to tackle any situation and remain committed to uprooting terrorism in all its forms. ''India's armed forces are fully prepared and will continue to fight the menace of terrorism,'' Lanba said. Urging the world to unite in fighting the menace of terrorism, the Navy chief said, ''there is a need for countries to evolve a solution for this menace.'' The remarks from Navy Chief came days after a CRPF convoy was attacked by a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber, which resulted in the death of at least 40 troopers. In a befitting response to Pakistan, the Government gave a go-ahead to the Indian Air Force, which conducted airstrikes targeting a major terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot. This was followed by alleged violation of India's airspace by the Pakistani fighter jets, one of which was shot down by an IAF fighter plane in the brief areal dogfight. IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, whose MiG-21 fighter plane was hit by retaliatory firing from Pakistan, ejected and landed in the PoK. He was captured alive by the Pakistani forces and later handed over to India due to tremendous international pressure. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has denied India's accusation that Islamabad was involved in the February 14 attack in Pulwama. He, however, added that his government had decided to crackdown on terrorists claiming that the decision to act was taken at a meeting of the National Security Committee much before the suicide bombing in J&K. After the bombing and subsequent airstrikes by India, the United States, Britain and France proposed last week that the UN Security Council blacklist the head of JeM, Masood Azhar. In an interview with a-US based news channel, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said that Azhar was in Pakistan and "really unwell". A media report later indicated that Pakistan may not resist the UNSC move this time. China had earlier blocked the vote thrice in 2009, 2016 and 2017. NEW DELHI: The tribal and Dalit outfits across the country will observe a 'Bharat Bandh' on Tuesday to protest against a February 13 order by the Supreme Court that asked states to execute the eviction of all those families whose claims had been dismissed under the Forest Rights Act. The SC order is expected to affect at least 10 lakhs tribals and other forest dwellers. Tribal outfits have announced that they will organise a march in Delhi from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar, demanding the restoration of Forests Rights Act. According to media reports, many Dalit groups have also decided to join the tribal outfits in their strike, in order to protest against the apex court upholding the Allahabad High Court order regarding reservations of SC/STs in the appointment of faculty members in universities. Importantly, the top court had last week stayed the eviction order of the tribals and ordered the states to file affidavits describing the procedures under which the claims made by the Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FSDTs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) were rejected. The states have been asked to submit their affidavits by July 10. The tribal groups are reportedly upset with the Centre for 'failing' to defend the community's rights in the court. They have now demanded that the NDA government should bring forth an Ordinance to safeguard their rights, as per the Forest Rights Act. Tribals in states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and other states in Northeast will join Tuesday's peaceful bandh. New Delhi: Coming down heavily on Congress leader Digvijaya Singh for referring Pulwama attack an accident, MoS VK Singh on Tuesday asked the former if former prime minister 'Rajiv Gandhi's assassination was an accident or a terror incident'. "With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh Ji, was Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident or a terrorist incident?" VK Singh said in Ranchi. #WATCH Union minister VK Singh on Congress leader Digvijaya Singh terming #Pulwama terrorist attack an accident,says, "With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh Ji, was Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident or a terror incident?" pic.twitter.com/Sm1blc2Gjj ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 On being asked about the casualty figure in the airstrikes conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF), VK Singh said that around 250 terrorists were killed in the aerial operation, adding that this is an estimation. He further clarified that the air raid was conducted at a place away from residential areas to avoid civilian casualty. "The airstrike was only at one place, nowhere else. The target was selected carefully, away from residential areas to avoid civilian casualty," he said. Speaking on Digvijaya Singh terming Pulwama attack an 'accident', Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said, "What is wrong with the Congress? No democratic country where doubts are raised on armed forces." Earlier in the day, Digvijaya Singh sparked a row after he had referred the ghastly Pulwama terror attack as an accident. In a series of tweets, he questioned the Narendra Modi government whether the airstrikes, as reported by the foreign media, were false. Digvijaya Singh is one of the opposition leaders who has been constantly raising doubts on the airstrikes conducted by the Indian Air Force. IAF on February 27, bombed terror camps of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed near Balakot in Pakistan, escalating tensions between the two countries. The major pre-dawn aerial operation came 12 days after the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced that Matua matriarch Binapani Devi has passed away at the age of 100. The West Bengal Chief Minister said that she will be cremated on Wednesday with full state honours, including a gun salute. Binapani Devi popularly known as boro ma breathed her last at 8.52pm at the state-run SSKM Medical College and Hospital in South Kolkata. She breathed her last at 8.52pm. Doctors tried their best but could not retrieve her. Boro mas body will be taken out at 8am tomorrow. Her funeral will be held with full state honours and a gun salute will be given to her, said Banerjee. She added, It is a major loss for us and for the Matua community. Her daughter Mamata Bala Thakur was next to boro ma at all times. It is extremely painful for her. We sympathise with the followers of boro ma. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister had visited her at the SSKM after her health deteriorated in afternoon. I have known boro ma for the last two years. We have always stood by her. Some people are now trying to come close because of political reasons, added Banerjee. Binapani Devi was put on ventilation support on Tuesday morning after her condition got extremely critical. Devi was shifted to the SSKM hospital from a local hospital in Kalyani in Nadia district after she reported fever and breathlessness. Due to acute infection to her lungs, she was referred to SSKM hospital. According to doctors at the SSKM hospital, she was suffering from pneumonia and multi-organ failure. Her last rites will be held at Thakurnagar. The Matua community took the political centre stage after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Thakurnagar last month and met boro ma eyeing Matua votes in the run up to the Lok Sabha poll. Thakurnagar is a village inhabited by the Matua community who settled from Bangladesh, the erstwhile East Pakistan after a religious reformation movement led by late Harichand Thakur. Thakurnagar falls under the Bongaon constituency and is homw to more than 60% Matua voters. This vote bank had played an important role in helping Mamata Banerjee win the 2011 assembly polls and become the Chief Minister. Ministry of Defence on Tuesday said that it has taken steps to ensure implementation of the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2018 regarding grant of Permanent Commission to Women officers in the Armed Forces. In so far the Indian Air Force is concerned, all Branches, including Fighter Pilots are now open for women officers, read the Defence Ministry press release. "In Indian Navy all non sea going Branches/Cadre/Specialisation have been opened for induction of women officers through Short Service Commission. In addition to education, Law & Naval Constructor branch/cadre, women SSC officers have been made eligible for grant of Permanent Commission in the Naval Armament branch, at par with the male officers," added the Ministry's statement. According to Defence Ministry press release, the proposal for induction of three new training ships for the Indian Navy has already started and it will help in providing the infrastructure needed for training of both men and women officers. The induction of women in all branches of Indian Navy will start once the training ships are in place. "Women officers will be granted Permanent Commission in the Indian Army in all the ten branches where women are inducted for Short Service Commission. So, besides the existing two streams of Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps, now PC will be granted in Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordinance Corps and Intelligence also to women officers. SSC women officers will give their option for PC before completion of four years of Commissioned Service and they will exercise option for grant of PC and their choice of specialisation," said the Defence Ministry press release. The Defence Ministry also said that SSC Women officers will be considered for grant of PC based on suitability, merit etc and will be employed in various staff appointment. New Delhi: Weeks after the Pulwama attack, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday warned that there are reports about terrorists being trained to carry out operations through the sea. Addressing a gathering of global experts at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue here, Lanba said the Pulwama attack was perpetrated by extremists that were "aided by a State" that seeks to destabilise India. "We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea," he said. The 26/11 attack was carried out by 10 sea-borne terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who hijacked an Indian fishing trawler to reach Mumbai and unleash mayhem. The Navy chief said this part of the world had witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in the region had been spared. The global nature that terrorism has acquired in the recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat, Lanba said. India, however, faces a "far more serious" version of "state-sponsored" terrorism, he said. "We recently saw the horrific scale of the extremist attack in Jammu and Kashmir about three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a State that seeks to destabilise India," the Navy chief said without naming Pakistan. On February 14, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. "We have seen how quickly terror groups evolve across the globe. A particular brand of terror can well become a global problem in near future," Lanba warned. The Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace, he said, noting that "it is imperative that the global community works in concert to contain and eliminate terrorism in all its forms". Lanba also emphasised the importance of the Indo-Pacific Region. "There is a renewed focus of the world on the seas. This is principally due to the geoeconomic and geopolitical significance of the maritime domain." India is a maritime nation and, recently, there has been increasing attention to harness potential of the maritime domain for the country's growth and regional development, he said. This event seeks to "identify and conceptualise challenges and opportunities that lie in the waters, and evolve a strategy for mutual benefits of all stakeholders," Lanba said. "It is widely accepted that (the) Indo-Pacific Region has been growing in geopolitical significance in recent years due to economic, political and other reasons," he said. Lanba underlined the region's ancient and historical link with India and its significance for the country. New Delhi: The Pakistani troops on Tuesday violated Krishna Ghati Sector of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. This is the second ceasefire violation from Pakistan today. Earlier, the Pakistani troops fired mortar shells at Kalal area of Nowshera. The Pakistani troops have been repeatedly violating the ceasefire by resorting to firing and mortar shelling. The Indian Army has been retaliating with equal intensity. The ceasefire violation by Pakistan has witnessed a spurt after India's air strike at Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on February 26 in a preemptive action following the terrorist group's February 14 suicide bombing in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Amid heightened tensions, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat visited Jammu-based White Knight Corps on Saturday and reviewed the operational preparedness of the forces in the Corps Zone in view of the current situation along the LoC and the International Border. Gen Rawat visited various forward locations of Samba and Ratnuchak along the IB in Jammu region again on Sunday. He expressed complete confidence in Indian Army capabilities to thwart any nefarious design of enemies of the country and handle any situation. The Army chief also praised the high state of morale and preparedness of the troops. On Monday, the Pakistani forces had violated ceasefire at two places by targeting forward posts and villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, breaking a two-day lull in cross-border skirmishes. The firing and shelling by Pakistan in Akhnoor and Poonch sectors in Jammu region, however, caused no casualty. Notably, the year 2018 had witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations - 2,936 - by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border. (More details awaited) SRINAGAR: The security forces on Tuesday killed at least two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in an overnight encounter which broke out in Tral area of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. News agency ANI confirmed that two terrorists have been killed in the ongoing Tral encounter. Jammu & Kashmir: Two terrorists killed in the ongoing encounter between security forces and terrorists in Tral. (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/WiGLtiLWBg ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 One civilian also sustained bullet injuries, said media reports. The encounter lasted for nearly 13 hours. A massive search and combing operation was also launched by the security forces in the Mir locality of Tral after the encounter ended. Jammu & Kashmir: Encounter underway between security forces and terrorists in Tral. More details awaited. (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/e8lu8WCivb ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 Sharing more details of the Tral encounter, Neeraj Pandey, Commander Officer, 43 RR, later said, ''Two terrorists were neutralised today. Two AK-47s and other war-like stores were recovered from them. Both the terrorists were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).'' Neeraj Pandey, Commander Officer, 43 RR on Tral encounter: Two terrorists were neutralised today, two AK-47s and other war-like stores were recovered from them. Both the terrorists were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). pic.twitter.com/zaUDLfW87V ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 After a brief lull, gunshots were heard during the night, said the officials. "A brief exchange of fire took place between security forces and terrorists during the night," a police spokesman said. Three to four local Hizbul-Mujahideen terrorists were initially believed to be hiding in the area. After receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists in the Mir locality, a joint operation was launched by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF and the army. The security forces then cordoned off the entire area and launched an operation to flush out the terrorists hiding in the area. Authorities had suspended mobile Internet services in the town. Lucknow: The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) will on Tuesday officially join the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) alliance in Uttar Pradesh, ahead of the Lok Sabha election. The formal announcement of the seat-sharing formula will be made in a press conference held by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and RLD's Jayant Chaudhary. The media address is expected to take place at around 2 pm. RLD is likely to share three Lok Sabha seat - Bagpat, Muzaffarnagar and Mathura. On February 21, Akhilesh along with BSP supremo Mayawati had announced the allocation of seats to each partner with SP contesting on 37 seats and BSP on 38 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Two seats - Amethi and Rae Bareli were left for the Congress. Two seats were initially allocated to the RLD but then SP gave one more seat from its quota to Ajit Singh's party. The minister was quoted as saying by the media that he called Hindus as cow urine-drinking people. The entire video, in which he made the comments against the Hindus, went viral on social media. He made the comment at a time when relationship between India and Pakistan has touched a new low following the Pulwama attack, which had left over 40 Indian paramilitary personnel martyred, in Kashmir last month. PTI leaders criticise: Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari tweeted: "Absolutely condemn this. No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country. Our PM's msg is always of tolerance & respect & we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred." Absolutely condemn this. No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country. Our PM's msg is always of tolerance & respect & we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred. https://t.co/uOTeyEg4Pb Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) March 4, 2019 Both Mazari and Chohan are part of the ruling PTI. Demanding 'strict action', Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Political Affairs, Naeemul Haque, said: "The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan the Punjab Info Minister demand strict action. PTI govt will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the govt or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister." The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan the Punjab Info Minister demand strict action. PTI govt will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the govt or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister. Naeem ul Haque (@naeemul_haque) March 4, 2019 Finance Minister Asad Umar tweeted: "Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember the flag of Pakistan is not just green....its not complete without the white which represents the minorities. Quaide Azam's whole struggle was for a country free of discrimination." Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember the flag of Pakistan is not just green....its not complete without the white which represents the minorities. Quaide Azam's whole struggle was for a country free of discrimination Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) March 4, 2019 Intellectuals slam: Pakistani human rights activist Kapil Dev tweeted: "This is what we get in response to our love & patriotism for #Pakistan from @PTIPunjabPK Minister @Fayazchohanpti using derogatory words for #Hindus "cow's urine" peenay walo & "idol worshippers" without realizing that #4million Hindus live here. Even his party has Hindu MPs." This is what we get in response to our love & patriotism for #Pakistan from @PTIPunjabPK Minister @Fayazchohanpti using derogatory words for #Hindus "cow's urine" peenay walo & "idol worshippers" without realizing that #4million Hindus live here. Even his party has Hindu MPs. pic.twitter.com/h8rbpVcjLr Kapil Dev (@KDSindhi) March 4, 2019 Journalist Mehr Tarar said: "Fayyaz Chohan, after offering an unconditional apology to the Hindus of Pakistan, and Hindus elsewhere, must be asked to resign, that is if Chief Minister Usman Buzdar doesn't fire him first. "I expect and demand that as a Muslim Pakistani and a PTI supporter." Fayyaz Chohan, after offering an unconditional apology to the Hindus of Pakistan, and Hindus elsewhere, must be asked to resign, that is if Chief Minister Usman Buzdar doesn't fire him first. I expect and demand that as a Muslim Pakistani and a PTI supporter. Mehr Tarar (@MehrTarar) March 4, 2019 Image Credit: Youtube grab NEW DELHI: MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Tuesday reached a seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Lok Sabha poll with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) by giving two seats to the Left party. It is to be noted that the DMK is leading a rainbow coalition in Tamil Nadu and has already signed electoral pacts with the Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK), Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). Confirming the seat-sharing pact, Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary K Balakrishnan said, As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, our party will wholeheartedly participate in the alliance led by DMK. Our intention is to defeat the BJP-AIADMK combine in Tamil Nadu and there is no difference of opinion in that (among constituents). Talking to ANI, DMK President Stalin said that the Congress will fight the election on 10 seats and 10 seats have been given to other alliance partners. DMK will contest on the remaining 20 seats. He added that the identification of the seats for both DMK & alliance partners will begin on March 7. DMK President MK Stalin: We have allocated 10 seats to our alliance partner Congress & other 10 have been given to our other alliance partners. DMK will contest on the remaining 20 seats.On 7th March, we will begin the identification of the seats for both DMK & alliance partners. pic.twitter.com/bZTiHMBEWR ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 Tamil Nadu has a total of 39 Lok Sabha seats and neighbouring Puducherry has one seat. Asked about the CPI(M)'s stand on bypolls to 21 Assembly seats that have been lying vacant in the state, Balakrishnan said that his party will support the the DMK on these seats. It is to be noted that 18 seats are lying vacant in the state following the court upholding the disqualification of AIADMK MLAs and Tiruvarur and Tirupparankundram seats are vacant due to the death of sitting legislators, former DMK chief M Karunanidhi and AK Bose of AIADMK, respectively. Aurangabad: Police Tuesday detained a doctor from Aurangabad district of Maharashtra for allegedly providing financial assistance to the IS suspects who were arrested in January this year by the ATS. The doctor was taken into custody in the wee hours from Khuldabad, around 26 kms from here, a police officer said while refusing to disclose any additional information. More information will come out during interrogation of the doctor, he said. Ahead of Republic Day, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested nine people from Thane and Aurangabad and detained a juvenile for their alleged links with terror outfit ISIS. They were booked under Indian Penal Code's Section 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Bombay Police Act. The ATS had said that the accused were plotting mass attacks. MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has rejected a request from Indrani Mukerjea, the main accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, to undergo a lie-detector test. According to news agency ANI, replying to Indrani Mukerjea's plea, the CBI said that her consent was sought for lie detector test at initial stages of investigation, but she had then refused for the same. ''Her lie detector test will not be useful at this stage, as it would not be of much help in terms of evidence value, the central probe agency said in its reply. Sheena Bora Murder Case: CBI has replied that Indrani's consent was sought for lie detector test at initial stages of investigation & she had refused for the same. Her lie detector test will not be useful at this stage, as it would not be of much help in terms of evidence value. https://t.co/UB5mZyGWmV ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 Indrani Mukerjea had in February submitted a two-page handwritten application, pleading she be allowed to take a polygraph test in the name of justice. Responding to her plea, the CBI said, ''the lie-detector tests were not admissible in the court of law and with 35 witnesses having already been examined by the prosecution in the court, it was not required any more.'' Mukerjea had refused to take the lie detector test when she was arrested in connection with the case in 2015. In her plea, Mukerjea had claimed, she was emotionally more settled... and it is only right and proper in the name of justice that I undergo the polygraph test. Los Angeles: Actor-director Ben Affleck has opened up about his battle with alcoholism, saying dealing with the problem is a "part of my life". In an interview with US Today, the 46-year-old actor was asked about getting his life back on track after his recent trip to a rehabilitation centre. "It doesn't really bother me to talk about alcoholism and being an alcoholic. It's a part of my life. It's something that I deal with. It doesn't have to sort of subsume my whole identity and be everything, but it is something that you know you have to work at," Affleck said. "I feel like I had a problem and I really want to address it, and I take some pride in that... It's about yourself, your life, your family, and you know people, we encounter these kinds of hurdles and we have to deal with them," he added. Affleck, who has three children with former wife actor Jennifer Garner, said he hopes he is being a "good dad". "I certainly try very hard. I'm lucky they've got a great mom, and she helps out a great deal with making sure that we co-parent in as good a way as possible... Dads are so important to kids and it's our responsibility to be there for them, to be present, to be mindful, to be attentive, to be part of their lives, to be as in it as moms. "That's really the central preoccupation in my life, you know, the focus of my life is what I love doing. It's what makes me happy and the rest of the stuff kind of follows," he added. The actor was promoting his upcoming film "Triple Frontier", which releases on Netflix this month. The movie, directed by JC Chandor, also features Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal. New Delhi: Almost a day after the Indian Air Force Su-30 MKI shot down a Pakistani Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in the Nal sector on the International Border in Rajasthan, the state government on Tuesday put its border areas on high alert. Rajasthan shares a 1,048-km border, adjacent to Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces. Earlier, flight operations at Jaisalmer airport were temporarily suspended and the airport was closed to the public in view of the prevailing situation in the wake of the air strikes and ceasefire violations in the northern sector. On Monday, IAF Sukhoi-30MKI reportedly brought down a drone by using an air-to-air missile soon after it was detected by Indian radars, sources said. The debris of the missile reportedly fell inside Pakistan at Fort Abbas, near Bahawalpur, where proscribed terrorist Jaish-e-Mohammed's headquarters is located, sources said. However, it was later clarified that these were extra fuel tanks dropped by PAF fighters on patrol. Fort Abbas is located close to Rajasthan border. Meanwhile looking at the debris, panic buttons were pressed in Pakistan. Even speculation of the air strike 2 went viral on Pakistani twitter users. Sources confirmed that this was the second drone which attempted to violate the Indian air space. On February 27, another Pakistani drone had tried air space violation in Anupgarh. However, it didn't come close, and hovered on Indian borders reportedly with an aim to divert the attention of Indian forces. Barmer (Rajasthan): A marriage between Pakistani bride and Indian groom here was called off after tensions mounted between the two countries following Pulwama attack which claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel. Mahendra Singh, the groom residing in Khejad Ka Paar village in the border district of Barmer had booked tickets of Thar Express for Saturday and was supposed to tie the knot with Chagan Kanwar of Sinoi village in Amarkot district of Sindh province. According to Railways, the train was not allowed to leave due to the suspension of its operation by Pakistan authorities in the wake of soaring tensions between the two nations. The train used to run between Pakistan`s Lahore and India`s Attari on Monday and Thursday. Speaking to ANI, Mahendra Singh, said, "We faced a lot of issues in getting visas. I spoke to Gajendra Singh for getting the visas for Pakistan. It was only because of him that we were able to get visas for five people. We had made all preparations and distributed invitation cards to the relatives."The tension escalated following an Indian air strike on a Jasih-e-Mohammad camp in Pakistan and Pakistani jets violating the Indian air space and dropping some bombs in Rajouri sector after which one of their fighters was shot down. India also claimed it foiled an attempt by Pakistan Air Force on Wednesday morning to carry out strikes in Jammu and Kashmir by shooting down an F-16 fighter plane. CHENNAI: At least two people were killed and 21 others injured after three vehicles collided near Uchipuli in Tamil Nadus Ramanathapuram district, said reports on Tuesday. The incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday. Tamil Nadu: 2 people killed, 21 people injured after 3 vehicles collided near Uchipuli, in Ramanathapuram district, in the early morning hours today. pic.twitter.com/7YvLB68eGf ANI (@ANI) 5 March 2019 Top district officials have reached the accident site to take stock of the situation. The injured have been rushed to nearby hospital for treatment. It is not yet known as to what caused the accident. The identity of the deceased persons is being ascertained. More details are awaited. Meanwhile, in a bus accident in Umred in Maharashtra's Nagpur, at least five people were killed and 10 others injured after it collided with another vehicle. Passengers travelling through the route and the others who were injured in the accident were rushed to Umred Rural Hospital. The local police rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. The bus reportedly collapsed in the accident after the driver lost his control over his vehicle. Three of the injured victims were transferred to Nagpur after their health condition deteriorated. Lucknow: The Rashtriya Lok Dal has joined the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections and will contest on three seats in the general assembly election that is scheduled to take place in April-May this year. The announcement was made by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav who also declared that Congress was also very much a part of the 'Mahagathbandhan'. "Congress is with us, it is a part of our alliance. Why do you repeatedly ask if Congress will come with us or not? I have said before also that Congress is part of Mahagatbandhan, they will contest on 2 seats in our alliance," he said. The BSP and SP, who together announced an alliance last month, left two seats for the party - Amethi and Rae Bareli, held by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, prompting the grand old party to contest the elections on its own. Akhilesh also asserted that the alliance partners will jointly take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 seats. Speculations were there that the Priyanka Gandhi's entry in Congress had prompted a rethink in BSP-SP seat sharing; however, Mayawati's repeated attack on Congress in the last one month, poured cold water on all expectations. Allahabad: Kumbh Mela, the world's largest gathering of religious pilgrims, served as the meeting ground for pro-independence forces during the British rule, with intelligence agencies keeping a hawk's eye on such gatherings. An excerpt from a British-era communication by the Director, Central Intelligence (dated February 2, 1920) displayed at an archival exhibition at the Allahabad Museum here states that the Mela played a crucial role during the freedom struggle. It talks about a memorial adopted in a meeting held at Allahabad during the Kumbh Mela, 1918, stating, "The memorial supported the Congress League scheme of political reforms and made demands such as: "Panchayats to be immediately established in villages to decide civil suits up to Rs 500 and all non-cognizable criminal cases...Introduction of permanent settlement with full transferable and heritable rights...Enhancement of revenue and rent to be subject to enactment of the Imperial Council...Curtailment of zamindar's privilege and Revision of law of ejectment for non-payment of rent," the secret letter dated February 17, 1918 says. The exhibition shows many archival documents relating to the Kumbh Mela available in the custody of the National Archives of India. The excerpt also states, "The memorial was adopted by a meeting of 300 delegates and 2,000 visitors held at Allahabad in 1918 during the Kumbh Mela, which is much frequented by cultivators. This meeting also agreed on the foundation of UP Peasants Association which among other objects, proposed to check the growing antagonism between zamindars and tenants and to further mutual trust and cordiality between the rulers and the ruled." "...In support of this organisation, appeals for funds have been issued and collection of money made, those reported having been made in Calcutta. "In one such appeal by Madan Mohan Malviya in June 1919 and widely circulated, it was stated that the Association had 450 branches with 3,500 members in different villages and tehsils of the Punjab, United Provinces and Bihar and Orissa. Throughout 1919, meetings were reported from several districts of United Provinces. These reports may be quoted to illustrate the spirit of the organisers," the excerpt added. Another confidential letter on display from chief secretary of United Provinces S P O'Donnell to SR Hignell (secretary to the Government of India, Home Department), while reporting about the situation at Kumbh Mela says, "The attendance at the Kumbh Mela rose rapidly at the 11th?(February) Somwati Amawas approached. "On the Ekadhashi, a million persons are said to have been present, and the numbers were probably considerably higher on the Somwati Amawas," it says. The letter goes on to mention that "one case of cholera is reported and a few cases in which choleraic symptoms were present; but there has been fortunately no serious outbreak; and all the internal arrangements have worked smoothly". "The Magistrate took great trouble to keep politics out of the mela, and was apparently successful in his efforts," it added. The Kumbh draws tens of millions of pilgrims from across the globe over the course of approximately 55 days to bathe at the Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. About the 2019 congregation, Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand had said on Monday that over 22 crore people have so far taken the holy dip. Such is the rush of pilgrims that the entire Kumbh Mela area has been demarcated into nine zones and 20 sectors to be manned by 20,000 police personnel, 6,000 homeguard jawans, 80 companies of central force and 20 companies of PAC, according to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh. In a pleasant surprise for the fans, Felix 'PewDiePie' Kjellberg and his fiance Marzia Bisognin made a rare online appearance together, discussing their upcoming nuptials in a 10-minute long video. The video comes amid the Swedish gamer's raging battle with Indian record label T-Series for the battle supremacy on YouTube, which has been going on for eons now. Marzia, also known as CutiePieMarzia, is a former YouTube personality from Italy. She's also lent her voice in various animated web series. Her channel focused on beauty tips, daily hacks and DIY videos. After spending seven years on the platform, she abruptly discontinued producing videos citing mental health, much to the chagrin of her fans. She's currently designing her own clothing line. The couple, who got engaged in 2018, take up several fan questions from Twitter in the cute video but dish out very little details. Replying to a question on the wedding venue, Marzia says, We thought about Japan. I really like the idea of eloping and going to Japan. She later says everything was set and Felix adds, We didnt know what we were getting into. We have decided and its a secret Maybe in Argentina? Bisognin had announced on Instagram that Kjellberg proposed to her while on a trip to Yokohama, Japan. The couple's dog, Edgar and Maya, also made a cameo appearance in the adorable video. When asked which Youtubers are on the guest list, Marzia says it's a small list. But Felix adds: If youre a YouTuber, you're not invited, that means we hate you. The pair met in 2011 and started dating soon after. The couple shuffled between Italy and Sweden, before finally settling in the UK. Fans and trolls have a gala time discussing their wedding in the comments section. Plot twist: They're going to get married in India, in front of T-Series headquarters, said one comment. Your child will not know that his dad is a legend of the great youtube war, said another. The Trump Kim Summit in Hanoi Was Trump forced to Walk? By Peter Koenig March 04, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Yes, Mr. Trump had to walk. As he didnt get his way, he had the audacity to get up and walk out of a meeting with Kim Jong-un, the President of the DPRK, of North Korea. As arrogant as it behooves the king of a failing and crumbling empire. But did he walk by his own will? Or was he, the most powerful man in the world, coerced by his handlers, represented by former CIA boss, Mike Pompeo, to abandon the denuclearization negotiations, i.e. no concessions on killer sanctions, or as Kim Jong-un said, we would like to see the five sanctions (out of eleven) lifted, those that most harm our people and their economic well-being. Therefore, Pyongyang was ready to permanently shut down the Yongbyon nuclear complex, an important nuclear research center for DPRK. Kim Jong-un was also ready to invite international observers to witness the dismantling process, and he was ready to stop medium range missile testing all for giving his people, the North Koreans a breather a better life. He requested some of the most harming sanctions to be lifted. A reasonable request. And at the outset it looked like Trump was happy with this arrangement. He had already basically agreed to stopping the aggressive annual military maneuvers with South Korea on the borders of the DPRK. In any case, Trump was in no hurry. This was the second of a series of one-to-one summits with Kim. Trumps ego seems to enjoy this publicity. Why not make it last a bit longer? Give a little bit, but not too much, so the talks continue and he would still call the shots. But Trump didnt even give a little bit. He gave nothing, zilch, zero. So, something happened. Pompeo was constantly by Trumps side, except for the 45 minutes Trump and Kim had a truly one-to-one talk of which so far nothing has penetrated into the public, other than that it was cordial. The turn-around was sudden. Trump demanded full denuclearization before he would even talk about lifting sanctions. The give-nothing and demand-everything approach obviously didnt fly with Mr. Kim. Trump apparently didnt even want to talk about a long overdue peace agreement technically DPRK and the US have been at war for the last 70 years. Stalemate. Trump walked. No written statement. Nothing. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter We will meet again. I actually enjoy our meetings or something to that effect he told the press, as he walked. All the focus on Mr. Trump. The narcissist. The big master who can command world leaders around the globe to meet with him, the one-man show, the self-styled brilliant negotiator, is raising expectations but never delivers. And even, if there are mutually signed statements or legally binding agreements Trump breaks them. One of the latest flagrant breach of an international agreement, is the Iran Nuclear Deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in Vienna on 14 July 2015 between Iran, the P5+1, and the European Union. Instead of lifting sanctions as was the deal, Trump imposed more sanctions and threatened the other signatories with more sanctions, if they didnt follow Washingtons lead. Thats where we are in this world of deceit and more deception and lies. How could Mr. Kim trust any word President Trump utters in his wonderfully colorful language that he uses for the common people to understand what he means! But it seems all of this still does not explain everything thats going on, be it with North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Afghanistan and who knows whatever other victim is in the crosshairs of the United States for regime change, for exploitation, economic and humanitarian strangulation. Is Pompeo the answer? Did he boycott the Hanoi meeting? He is indeed the murderer-in-chief, as former CIA director, who doesnt shy away from suggesting that if Mr. Kim Jong-un shows up dead one day well dont ask me or the CIA. Pompeo has watched over a long list of political assassinations he insinuated a similar fate for Mr. Maduro. He is dishing out death threats left and right. And the world is not even stunned anymore, its common practice of the US of A murdering inconvenient people. The CIA is the chief instrument for these killing; they have hundred years of practice - with an insane intensification after WWII. Is Pompeo representing the Deep Government? Which in desperation needs to show muscle; must demonstrate to the world that US hegemony is still reigning the globe. Alas, its a mere propaganda scheme, upheld by a bought corrupt western media system. Its Goebbels lie-propaganda by a factor of hundred. Let me control the media and I will turn any Nation into a herd of Pigs (Joseph Goebbels, Hitlers Propaganda Minister). Western society may already be converted into a herd of pigs. Nothing could be farther from the truth, than what the western Anglo-Zion media propagates day-in-day out. It is beating the war drums. It becomes common values and is believed and found natural by masses of people. War is Peace as the current opinion goes, openly propagated by such illustrious newspapers as the WashPost. Death and destruction are very, very profitable, for a few weapon industry oligarchs. Thus, the steaming Washington swamp and add to it Hollywood is still a brilliant example for the world and therefore, still intimidatingly relevant. Ever-so-often, we, the public at large should be reminded of UN Resolution 1947: Propaganda for war is a war crime. This was echoed in the Resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations of November 3, 1947 that denounced war propaganda: The General Assembly condemns all forms of propaganda, in whatsoever country conducted, which is either designed or likely to provoke or encourage any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression. ------ Back to DPRK and Donald Trump: On February 27 and 28, the two leaders of North Korea and the United States met to talk de-nuclearizing of the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, and, of course, the lifting of the killer sanctions and I must repeat time and again totally illegal sanctions. All interference by one country in another sovereign nation, especially economic and military meddling, as the US is doing, is by all international standards, including the UN Charter, and by the rules of Human Rights ILLEGAL. The world should remember and light up, instead of falling asleep and nodding, when Washingtons arrogance hit another un-aligned un-submissive country with economic sanctions. - Wake up, vassals, it may happen to you while you are watching idiotic Hollywood soap. Yes, Mr. Trump you should walk, not just out of summit meetings with leaders of other countries but walk as far as to disappear for good in a distant cloud and take Pompeo, Bolton and Abrams along. The world would be a better place. Not good, but better it might wake up and think about sovereignty, about solidarity, about friendship and about friendly trading again. What if a New Order of Peace, Harmony and of a Multipolar orld would be born? Instead of the One World Order of aggression, exploitation and indiscriminate killing, currently driven by Washington and its crony vassal states. What, then, would Deep Government do? Those who wont relent until achieving full world hegemony, or as the PNAC (Plan for a New American Century) calls it Full Spectrum Dominance. Might it pull the ultimate trigger and eradicate civilization as we know it, humanity that we are supposed to be into the abyss of extermination? Would it invent a new clan of Trumpnicks to finish the job? Mr. Kim traveled in good fate by train from Pyongyang to Hanoi, to the second meeting with the Donald, hoping to get some sanctions relief as was agreed when they met the first time, last June in Singapore. North Korea destroyed nuclear testing tunnels and a missile test stand. The US counterpart obligation was to begin denuclearization of South Korea and start peace talks. It didnt happen. This time, Kim was ready to give up even more. According to Trump, they were willing to denuke a large portion of the areas that we wanted, but we couldnt give up all of the sanctions for that, so well continue to work and well see. But we had to walk away from that particular suggestion. We had to walk away from that. This propaganda stint should show the world who is still the master. Kim wanted a better life for the people of the DPRK, a life without sanctions, a life of wellbeing that may develop with the strength and will of North Koreas sovereign people. Trump just wanted his ego boosted again and again. He is a sick man. In that sense he is ideal for the Deep State, for those who pull the strings from their invisible darkness. Imagine, the western world is run by a psychopath. To accept such leadership (sic), the vassalic west must be psychotic too. Are we, western un-civilization for lack of a more accurate word committing unwittingly suicide? There is no sanity left. We seem to have gone way beyond the point of no return. Yes, Mr. Trump, it looks like you let your apparent noble thoughts for the summit be sabotaged by the bloody hands of Mike Pompeo, and maybe with a little help from John Bolton. Yes, you should be walking away; you should be walking away from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and also Iran, all of which you attempt to suffocate with sanctions and more sanctions. In Iran it doesnt work anymore. Iran has chosen the east is moving towards the east, adapting to and soon will be integrating into eastern monetary systems, as well as political and military alliances, like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Is it possible that in the larger scheme of things empires last straw strategy is intimidating the world that there will be no concessions, no lifting of sanctions, no abandoning of the path of destruction for those nations who refuse to bend to Washingtons master and its European and South American puppets? Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a water resources and environmental specialist. He worked for over 30 years with the World Bank and the World Health Organization around the world in the fields of environment and water. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for Global Research; ICH; RT; Sputnik; PressTV; The 21st Century; TeleSUR; The Vineyard of The Saker Blog, the New Eastern Outlook (NEO); and other internet sites. He is the author of Implosion An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution! - Essays from the Resistance. PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has made an impassioned defence of a new Europe in a newspaper column published in each of the 28 member states in which he laid out his ideas for a "European renaissance" ahead of EU elections in May. Calling the vote decisive and warning of a Europe in danger, his words are intended as a wake-up call for the bloc as he seeks to push fundamental reform of the European Union. Macron`s column coincides with rising tensions in the West, shaken by U.S. President Donald Trump`s "America First" policies and Britain`s departure from the EU. A more assertive China and Russia also pose major challenges. A number of proposals made in the column to appear on Tuesday in newspapers ranging from The Guardian in Britain to Die Welt in Germany and El Pais in Spain aim at protecting and defending Europe`s citizens while giving the bloc new impetus in the face of global competition. "In a few weeks, the European elections will be decisive for the future of our continent. Europe has never been as necessary since World War Two as it is now and yet never has Europe been in such danger," Macron wrote. "Nationalism offers nothing. It is a project of rejection." Proposals include creating a European agency to protect democracies which would provide experts to safeguard elections from manipulation and a ban on financing by foreign powers of European political parties. Macron also suggested reviewing the Schengen system and creating a common border police and European asylum office. The French leader is focused on championing a "Europe that protects" for the May 26 European election as he seeks to convince voters with plans aimed at reforming Europe`s trade, competition, digital and climate policies, including creating a European climate bank to finance the ecological transition. He also urged a ban on companies that threaten European strategic interests and called for a type of Europe first policy as America and China have done. As part of efforts to convince European citizens not to back nationalists, Macon also urged for European institutions and states to take part in a "Conference for Europe" by year-end. Its objective would be to propose changes to the bloc`s political project without taboos, including reviewing existing treaties. "In this Europe, the people will have truly taken back control of their destiny; in this Europe, Britain, I am sure, will find its place," Macron wrote. Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is back in Pyongyang after concluding his first official state visit to Vietnam and holding his second summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi, state media reported on Tuesday. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim`s armoured train arrived at the Pyongyang train station at 3 a.m. on Tuesday. He was received by senior officials and an honour guard of the North Korean Army, Efe news reported. The train concluded a 4,500 km journey that began on March 2 in the Vietnamese town of Dong Dang, near the border with China, just after the North Korean leader attended the last acts of his two-day official visit to Vietnam. KCNA made no mention in its reports about the summit held between Kim and Trump in Hanoi on February 27 and 28, although the North Korean media did mention the meeting on March 1, when they described it as "constructive" and "positive". The meeting ended early and without any agreement reached regarding the denuclearization of North Korea and the relief of sanctions imposed on Pyongyang, although both sides have made an effort to emphasise their willingness to maintain open dialogue and to hold another meeting at the highest level in the near future. During its journey back home, the train did not stop anywhere on Chinese territory, but passed through the cities of Benxi, Tianjin and Shanhaiguan, ending speculation about a possible meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Washington: A US judge has rejected a request that he should speed up consideration of a lawsuit filed on behalf of an American-born woman who joined the Islamic State (IS) terror group in 2014 and is now stranded in a refugee camp in Syria with her son. On Monday, Judge Reggie Walton of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, also suggested that he took a positive view of legal arguments that Hoda Muthana may be an American citizen, contrary to the government`s declaration that she wasn`t one, The New York Times reported. At age 19, Muthana travelled to Syria to join the IS. Five years later, Muthana has now said that she regrets what she did and wants to return to the US. In response, President Donald Trump`s administration said she was not a citizen and would not be allowed back. The State Department had cancelled her passport in 2016 under former President Barack Obama`s administration. Last month, Muthana`s father Ahmed Ali Muthana, a former diplomat from Yemen, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to prevent what he called an "unlawful attempt" by the US government to rescind his daughter`s citizenship. Following Monday`s ruling, Charlie Swift, a lawyer hired by Ahmed Ali Muthana, said that Hoda Muthana and her 18-month-old son were in danger because IS members now see her as a heretic. He said that Trump`s intention to withdraw troops from Syria means the window of opportunity for the American government to get her out may be closing. He emphasised that she would likely be prosecuted if she returns. Last month, Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama, said Hoda Muthana should return to the US and be prosecuted. Americans who joined the IS or were arrested as they tried to travel to Syria, have been routinely charged and convicted of providing material support to terrorism. Recently, websites such as newsvitality.info and tinnguoiviet.net in the Vietnamese and Chinese versions have given information that Taiwan (China) will temporarily stop receiving Vietnamese workers from March 1, 2019, due to a high rate of workers fleeing after the expiry of their labour contracts. Through verification, these websites were found to often give false information about Vietnamese workers in markets of Taiwan (China), Japan and the RoK. Thus, the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs officially recommends that workers and enterprises seek verification from the authorised agencies of Vietnam or Taiwan (China) when reading information from such unofficial websites. In particular, it is advisable not to arbitrarily share or duplicate unverified information on social networking sites in order to avoid creating negative effects and disturbing public opinion. More than 60,300 Vietnamese workers were sent to Taiwan (China) in 2018 including more than 19,000 female workers. Taiwan (China) was the second largest recipient of Vietnamese workers, after Japan, in the past year. Home Search ICH The Killing Times: the massacres of Aboriginal people Australia must confront By Lorena Allam and Nick Evershed A massacre map of Australias frontier wars interactive March 04, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - The truth of Australias history has long been hiding in plain sight. The stories of the killing times are the ones we have heard in secret, or told in hushed tones. They are not the stories that appear in our history books yet they refuse to go away. The colonial journalist and barrister Richard Windeyer called it the whispering in the bottom of our hearts. The anthropologist William Stanner described a national cult of forgetfulness. A 1927 royal commission lamented our conspiracy of silence. But calls are growing for a national truth-telling process. Such wishes are expressed in the Uluru statement from the heart . Reconciliation Australias 2019 barometer of attitudes to Indigenous peoples found that 80% of people consider truth telling important. Almost 70% of Australians accept that Aboriginal people were subject to mass killings, incarceration and forced removal from land, and their movement was restricted. The Killing Times is a Guardian Australia special report that aims to assemble information necessary to begin truth telling not just the grim tally of more than a century of frontier bloodshed, but its human cost as told by descendants on all sides. This is the history we have all inherited. Our interactive map details massacres in every state and territory but the research is ongoing. It does not count all the sites of conflict, or clashes over land and resources, in which lives were lost in the colonisation of Australia. The numbers we have drawn on are conservative estimates. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter There are more massacre sites to be added places where the true death toll may never be known and many more we are still working to verify, particularly in Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and New South Wales. In this first snapshot of the continent, we have found that there were at least 270 frontier massacres over 140 years, as part of a state-sanctioned and organised attempt to eradicate Aboriginal people. Starting in 1794, mass killings were first carried out by British soldiers, then by police and settlers often acting together and later by native police, working under the command of white officers, in militia-style forces supported by colonial governments. These tactics were employed, without formal repercussions, as late as 1926. Using data from the colonial massacre map at the University of Newcastles Centre for 21st Century Humanities, and adopting its stringent research methods, Guardian Australia has surveyed the rest of the country. We found that: Government forces were actively engaged in frontier massacres until at least the late 1920s. These attacks became more lethal for Aboriginal people over time, not less. The average number of deaths of Aboriginal people in each conflict increased, but from the early 1900s casualties among the settlers ended entirely with the exception of one death in 1928. The most common motive for a massacre was reprisal for the killing of settler civilians but at least 51 massacres were in reprisal for the killing or theft of livestock or property. Of the attacks on the map, only once were colonial perpetrators found guilty and punished in the aftermath of the Myall Creek killings in 1838. In NSW and Tasmania between 1794 and 1833, most of the 56 recorded attacks were carried out on foot by detachments of soldiers from British regiments, and an average of 15 people were killed in each one. The weapon most often used was the Brown Bess musket, which was issued to British forces in the Napoleonic wars. In NSW and Victoria between 1834 and 1859, horses and carbine rifles were used in at least 116 frontier massacres of Aboriginal people in mostly daytime attacks, with an average of 27 people killed in each attack. From the late 1840s, massacres were carried out as daylight attacks by native police, sometimes in joint operations with settlers. They most often used double-barrelled shotguns, rifles and carbines. Preliminary data from Queensland shows that between 1859 and 1915 an average of 34 people were killed in each attack. There are at least nine known cases of deliberate poisoning of flour given to Aboriginal people. There were also efforts to cover up the atrocities. In 1927 a royal commission into the Forrest River massacre in Western Australia concluded that a police party had killed at least 11 people then burned their bodies in makeshift ovens. In his report the commissioner, GT Wood, said a conspiracy of silence in the entire Kimberley district had thwarted attempts to find out what really happened. These massacres are challenging to read about. It can be even more challenging to discover a personal or family connection to them. Nevertheless, many Australians have come forward to share their stories, some for the first time. Sandy Hamilton is descended from a soldier in the 46th Regiment which, on orders of the NSW governor Lachlan Macquarie, killed at least 14 Aboriginal people at Appin in 1816. We need to take ownership of our history, Hamilton says. We deserve to know the truth of how we came to be who we are. Then we can also make real choices about who we want to be as a society, as Australians. Liza Dale-Hallett is a great-niece of George Murray, a police constable who led the killings at Coniston in 1920, in which at least 50 Aboriginal men, women and children died. Warlpiri, Anmatyerre and Kaytetye people say up to 170 were slaughtered. It happened all over Australia and this is a part of our history, Dale-Hallett says. Ive got a direct connection to it but that doesnt make it my history and not yours. Part of the reason they are continuing to cause harm is they havent been properly acknowledged. The simple act of listening is a really important first step in a more complex conversation that needs to be had about how did Australia settle itself. A descendant of Coniston survivors, Francis Jupurrurla Kelly, agrees. We want everyone to understand why so many of our innocent men, women and children were murdered in cold blood, he says. Many kartiya [whitefellas] were too greedy for our land and didnt see us as fully human. We can only come together as one mob, if everyone, starting with all our schoolchildren and our elected representatives, knows what has happened to our loved ones and why, so they are never forgotten. In replicating the University of Newcastles centres data collection methods we have only recorded attacks in which six or more people were killed. According to the centres Prof Lyndall Ryan, the massacre of six undefended Aboriginal people from a hearth group of 20 is known as a fractal massacre, so called because it leaves survivors vulnerable to further attack and far less able to hunt, care for children or carry out cultural obligations to country. Research and verification of the evidence takes time and care. It involves locating primary sources such as letters, journals, newspaper articles, books, photographs and oral histories. We have relied on the written record of the time but acknowledge that, for example, a settlers journal is not necessarily a reliable or definitive account of what took place. There can be a tendency to understate the severity of the attacks, the toll they took and the actions of those present. The written records dont always indicate intention. Sometimes they do, in chilling detail, as described in this letter from a Gippsland squatter, Henry Meyrick, to his family in England in 1846: The blacks are very quiet here now, poor wretches. No wild beast of the forest was ever hunted down with such unsparing perseverance as they are. Men, women and children are shot whenever they can be met with I have protested against it at every station I have been in Gippsland, in the strongest language, but these things are kept very secret as the penalty would certainly be hanging. We have categorised killings according to the alleged reasons for them as written in primary sources we have seen, but oral histories provide context. Aboriginal attacks on settlers often took place after previous unreported killings of smaller groups or individuals, or as the result of escalating tensions over land, water and resources. Settler reprisals were heavily disproportionate and grew worse over time. The language in these sources is coded. Dispersal is a common euphemism. Land clearing, expeditions and hunting parties were undertaken to teach the blacks a lesson. Learning about this history will come as a shock to some. But Australians trying to move past blame or guilt are coming forward now in greater numbers, and their voices are only growing louder. We have done a lot already to make sure nobody has an excuse to stay ignorant, Francis Jupurrurla Kelly says. Its now time for governments and others to do their bit to tell the truth and help us move forward together. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. In the UK Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org This article was originally published by " The Guardian " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. By Chris Hedges March 04, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - The most dangerous foreign policy decision of the Trump administrationand I know this is saying a lotis its decision to share sensitive nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia and authorize U.S. companies to build nuclear reactors in that country. I spent seven years in the Middle East. I covered the despotic, repressive kingdom as the Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times. And I, along with most Arabists in the United States, have little doubt that giving a nuclear capability to Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the ruthless and amoral Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would see it embark on a nuclear weapons program and eventually share weaponized technology with Saudi allies and proxies that include an array of radical jihadists and mortal enemies of America. A nuclearized Saudi Arabia is a grave existential threat to the Middle East and ultimately the United States. The drive to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia is led by the half-wit son-in-law of the president, Jared Kushner, who met Tuesday with Salman in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to discuss ways to improve the condition of the entire region through economic investment, according to the White House. Prominently involved in that economic program are corporations such as IP3 International, a consortium of U.S. companies led by several retired generals and admirals and others who stand to make millions from the deal. The Saudi government, which is soliciting bids for the nuclear reactors, reportedly spent more than $450,000 over a one-month period to lobby the Trump administration to approve its purchase of the equipment and services from U.S. sources. Westinghouse Electric Co. and other American companies are preparing to construct the facilities, which would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich and reprocess uranium. The secretive effort to give Saudi Arabia a nuclear capability is not only colossally stupid, but has been done without being reviewed by Congress, as required by law, and violates the Atomic Energy Act. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Salman, whose psychopathic traits remind me of Saddam Hussein, is widely believed to have ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. He has imprisoned dissidents, brutally ousted rivals, seized over $100 billion in extortion money from kidnapped and tortured members of the royal family and instilled a level of fear and terror inside the kingdom, always a repressive society, unrivaled in its modern history. Donald Trump and Kushner, by shamelessly defending Salman, even in the face of CIA declarations that the agency has high confidence the prince ordered the killing and dismemberment of the Washington Post journalist, are accessories to murder. Not surprisingly, the White House ignored a deadline this month that the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations set for making a report on Khashoggis assassination. Kushner, whom the Saudi leader reportedly claimed to have in his pocket, did not appear to have raised the Khashoggi murder in last weeks meeting, the first face-to-face encounter he has had with Salman since the assassination. Salman has not ruled out weaponizing any nuclear facilities. He stated in 2018: Without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible. He has also refused to accept any restrictions on enriching uranium and processing plutonium. Nuclear weapons can be made from uranium or plutonium. The uranium-235 isotope is used in nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs. However, it is less than 1 percent of the naturally occurring element and must be increasedthe process is called enrichmentto about 5 percent to work in nuclear reactors. To make nuclear bombs it must be enriched to about 90 percent. Enrichment is carried out by using high-speed centrifuges. This means that the machines that produce nuclear reactor fuel for civilian use can also be used to produce nuclear bombs. It is for this reason that nuclear material in civilian enrichment facilities in nations that do not have nuclear weapons, or have promised not to produce nuclear weapons, such as Iran, is closely monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). An enrichment plant used to fuel one nuclear reactor has the potential to produce 20 nuclear bombs a year by using some 300 centrifuges to enrich uranium-235 to the 90 percent level. A nuclear bomb requires about 55 pounds of highly enriched uranium. The more high-speed centrifuges a country has, the faster weapons-grade uranium can be produced. Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insist there is a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program, despite all intelligence reports, including Israeli intelligence reports, to the contrary. So, given their unique version of reality, the time to start a weapons program in Saudi Arabia is now. Israel has a nuclear arsenal with hundreds of weapons. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, has issued an interim staff report giving testimonies of multiple whistleblowers who warn about the impending transfer of nuclear technology. It lays out in chronological detail the secretive and blatantly illegal efforts by the Trump White House to facilitate Saudi Arabias purchase and construction of the nuclear reactors. The efforts by Saudis and Americans began before Trump took office. Saudi officials, including Khalid Al-Falih, the minister of energy, met with Kushner in New York before the inauguration. The Saudi delegation held out the promise of spending $50 billion on American defense contracts over four years. IP3 executives Gen. Keith Alexander, Gen. Jack Keane, Bud McFarlane and Rear Adm. Michael Hewitt, as well as the chief executives of six other companiesExelon, Toshiba America Energy Systems, Bechtel, Centrus Energy, GE Energy Infrastructure and Siemens USAsent a letter to Salman three weeks before the Trump inauguration that presented a plan to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia. They called it the Iron Bridge Program, the report states, and characterized it as a 21st Century Marshall Plan for the Middle East. Michael Flynn, then the incoming national security adviser and one of the former business partners in the venture, sent a text to Alex Copson of ACU Strategic Partners on Inauguration Day assuring him that the nuclear project was good to go and suggested that Copson contact his colleagues to let them know to put things in place, the report reads. On Jan. 27, 2017, a week after the inauguration, Derek Harvey, who from January to July 2017 was the senior director for Middle East and North African affairs at the National Security Council, met at the White House with a group of IP3 leaders whom he had invited. Immediately after the meeting, Mr. Harvey directed the NSC staff to add information about IP3s plan for 40 nuclear power plants to the briefing package for President Trumps [planned phone] call with King Salman [the princes father and the prime minister of Saudi Arabia], the report reads. Mr. Harvey also stated that General Flynn wanted President Trump to raise the plan for 40 nuclear power plants with King Salman and that this was the energy plan that had been developed and approved by General Flynn during the presidential transition. When the NSC staff informed Harvey that the transference of nuclear technology to a foreign country had to comply with the Atomic Energy Act, he dismissed the complaint, saying, in the words of the report, that the decision to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia had already been made during the presidential transition and that General Flynn wanted President Trump to raise the nuclear power plants with King Salman. On Jan. 28, 2017, the report reads, General Flynn and Deputy National Security Advisor K.T. McFarland received two documents in their official White House email accounts in a message entitled, Launching the Marshall Plan for the Middle East from Mr. McFarlane, a co-founder and Director of IP3 and a former national security advisor to President Reagan who pleaded guilty to participating in the Iran-Contra cover-up in 1988. The documents included a draft cover memorandum from Flynn to Trump and a draft memorandum for the President to sign directing agency heads to lend support to Thomas Barrackwho managed Trumps inaugural committee and raised funds for Trump and whose investment firm, Colony NorthStar, would profit from the nuclear dealfor the implementation of the IP3 plan. The second document was formatted as a Cabinet Memorandum from the President to the Secretaries of State, Defense, Treasury, and Energy; the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the report reads. It stated that President Trump had assigned Mr. Barrack as a special representative to oversee implementation of the Middle East Marshall Plan: I have assigned a special representative, Tom Barrack, to lead this important initiative and I am requesting him to engage each of you over the next 30 days to gain your input and support for our Middle East Marshal [sic] Plan. On March 14, 2017, Trump, along with Kushner, met with Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office. They discussed a new United States-Saudi program . . . in energy, industry, infrastructure, and technology worth potentially more than $200 billion in direct and indirect investments within the next four years. Frances Townsend, a director on IP3s board, a national security analyst for CBS and a homeland security adviser under President George W. Bush, contacted White House Homeland Security Advisor Thomas Bossert about the Middle East Marshall Plan on March 28, 2017, the report reads. Ms. Townsend subsequently sent NSC staff several documents: (1) an overview of the Middle East Marshall Plan that appeared to be produced by IP3; (2) a document entitled The Trump Middle East Marshall Plan (White Paper by Tom Barrack) dated March 10, 2017; (3) the letter that IP3 leaders Mr. McFarlane, General Keane, Rear Admiral Hewitt, and General Alexander addressed to Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on March 17, 2017; and (4) the January 1, 2017, letter to Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed by IP3 leaders General Alexander, General Keane, Bud McFarlane, and Rear Admiral Hewitt, as well as the chief executives of six companies: Exelon Corporation, Toshiba Energy, Bechtel Corporation, Centrus, GE Power, and Siemens USA. Barracks white paper read: The President will appoint a special representative for the Trump Middle East Marshall Plan with the diplomatic rank of ambassador or special advisor [to] the President. It also stated, the report reads, that the special envoy should coordinate and work hand-in-hand with government officials, including Kushner. The white paper stated that the President should implement the Middle East Marshall Plan through an executive order, the report reads. It described the Special Envoy as building long-line relationships with U.S. private sector leaders acting as their expediter in clearing the traditional regional and regulatory hurdles to their participation and trusted relationships with top leaders of GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq. The House committee staff report says most of the whistleblowers who spoke to the committee were able to document developments only during the early months of the administration. There have been few recent leaks from inside the White House on the nuclear deal. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Kushner and IP3 executives are currently overseeing the project. In January 2018, Brookfield Business Partners, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, announced its plans to acquire Westinghouse Electric for $4.6 billion, the report notes. Westinghouse Electric is the bankrupt nuclear services company that is part of IP3s proposed consortium to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia, and which stands to benefit from the Middle East Marshall Plan. In August 2018, Brookfield Asset Management purchased a partnership stake in 666 Fifth Avenue, a building owned by Jared Kushners family company. On February 27, 2018, Goldman Sachs announced that former Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell, who had helped manage Jared Kushners relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and plan President Trumps 2017 visit to Saudi Arabia, would be joining the Goldman Sachs sovereign wealth group, the report reads. Goldman Sachs wrote in an internal memorandum that Dina will focus on enhancing the firms relationships with sovereign clients around the world. Ms. Powell reportedly is especially close to Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund and the countrys ruling family. In March 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman undertook a last-minute visit to New York, where he housed his entourage at the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan for five days, a stay that reportedly was enough to boost the hotels revenue by 13 percent for the entire quarter, the report reads. On Feb. 12, 2019, Trump met in the White House with several private nuclear power developers. The meeting, the report states, was initiated by IP3 International. The meeting was reported to include discussions about U.S. efforts to secure agreements to share U.S. nuclear technology with Middle East nations, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the report reads. There is little time left to halt the transfer of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. Iran, a mortal enemy of Saudi Arabia, will have no choice but to begin a nuclear weapons program if the Saudis build nuclear reactors. The thought of nuclear weapons being in the hands of Salman, an updated version of Saddam Hussein, and ultimately in the hands of nonstate radical jihadists who are supported and funded by powerful elements within Saudi Arabia, is terrifying. Venezuela - Random Guyaido Returns Only To Again Be Ignored By Moon Of Alabama March 04, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Juan Guaido, the random guy who claims to be 'interim president' of Venezuela, just arrived (vid) back in Caracas. He was not arrested. It seems that President Maduro's strategy is to simply ignore Guaido and to wait until the guy campaign runs out of steam. Meanwhile U.S. media and the Trump administration are doing their best to further that. The New York Times reported of Random Guyaido's plans to return to Venezuela: Guaido Vows a Prompt Return to Venezuela, as Unity Starts to Fray The piece included this curious passage: These regional allies are among the 50 countries, including the United States, that have recognized him as president, not Mr. Maduro, who swore himself in in January for a second term after an election widely viewed as undemocratic. Is it unusual that someone swears "himself" into office. It is also not what the constitution of Venezuela proscribes : Article 231: The candidate elected shall take office as President of the Republic on January 10 of the first year of his constitutional term, by taking an oath before the National Assembly. If for any supervening reason, the person elected President of the Republic cannot be sworn in before the National Assembly, he shall take the oath of office before the Supreme Tribunal of Justice. So what really happened on January 10 in Venezuela? Helpfully the NYT provided a link in the passage above. It goes to this story in the January 10 edition of the Times. It says: Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter When President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela was sworn in for his second term on Thursday before the countrys Supreme Court, .. ... The presidents of Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador and Nicaragua did attend the ceremony, along with representatives from China, Mexico and Turkey. Maduro did not swear "himself in", he was "sworn in". He took the oath in front of the supreme court which is fully consistent with the constitution. (The National Assembly is held in contempt of a judgment by the supreme court and was therefore not eligible.) The Miami Herald has a short video of the scene. So while on January 10 the NYT correctly described that Maduro was "sworn in", it now claims that he "swore himself in". Why the Times is doing that is quite obvious. It was the U.S. puppet Juan Guaido who "swore himself in" as 'interim president' in a form that is inconsistent with what the constitution demands. As CNN reported at that time: National Assembly President Juan Guaido swore himself in as President of Venezuela today before a massive crowd of supporters in Caracas. Raise your right hand, today, January 23rd 2019, in my condition as President of the National Assembly, invoking the articles of the Constitution before Almighty God, Guaido said, as the mass of supporters raised their hands. I swear to formally assume the power of the National Executive Office as the President of Venezuela. To cover for the non-legal way Random Guyaido "swore himself in" the Times now alleges that President Maduro did similar. The difference in the wording seems minor, but it demonstrates the utter contempt for the constitution and laws that Guaido and his supporters have shown. Juan Guaido left Venezuela on February 22 in defiance of a court order to stay in the country. That is why he still might get arrested. But if he had not returned then his career as 'interim president' would have ended. The NYT report above and similar pieces in other media agree on that: If Guaido returns home only to be arrested, the oppositions campaign which has brought thousands of Venezuelans into the streets in recent weeks could be stopped in its tracks. But if he remains abroad, the effort could also falter. There is a third way in which the opposition's campaign might fail. It can simply be ignored. Just don't look (vid) and the monsters will fail. Guaido called for new rallies in his support: "I'm heading home," Guaido tweeted on Monday morning. In recent messages to his supporters, Guaido has appealed for huge demonstrations coinciding with his arrival as a way to pressure Maduro to resign. Workers set up a stage in a Caracas plaza where demonstrators plan to gather, and protests were planned elsewhere in the country. It is an inconvenient day for rallies in Caracas. It is carnival, a holiday in Venezuela, and many people are out of town. It is also unclear how much momentum the guy's supporters have left after his 'humanitarian aid' stunt failed and after his week abroad during which he appeared to be completely delusional : Q: Do you see any way to get rid of Maduro? Guaido: I see many ways of getting rid of Maduro. Hes completely isolated, so much so that his only recourse is to continue to repress and use force against the people of Venezuela. The use of force is by paramilitary groups, it isnt even the National Guard. Q: Is the army split? There were 200 defections from the military, but many officers have not defected. Guaido: Two hundred is only a small portion. The vast majority of the armed forces, 80 percent, support me and reject the regime. Its just the top people who continue to hold on. There is a lot of fear, because of the types of tactics that theyre using. Over the weekend John Bolton, Trump's National Security Advisor, again did his best to convince the people in Venezuela that the imperial U.S. is behind every step Guaido takes: John Bolton @AmbJohnBolton - 1:59 AM - 4 Mar 2019 Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaido has announced his planned return to Venezuela. Any threats or acts against his safe return will be met with a strong and significant response from the United States and the international community. Bolton may have hoped that Guaido would be arrested. If that was his plan it failed. But such tweets have an effect. They demonstrate that Guaido is a U.S. puppet and that does not increase that persons support. At least not in Latin America. In a Sunday interview on CNN Bolton also took care (video, transcript ) to lessen Venezuela's neighbors' support for the U.S. directed scheme: BOLTON: [..] I think since most of my tweets also come out in Spanish, because we want to reach the Latin American audience in particular, that a lot of people, especially on the political left, in the hemisphere and around the world, now understand that the failed experiment of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro needs to end. So, I would like to see as broad a coalition as we can put together to replace Maduro, to replace the whole corrupt regime. That's what we're trying to do. ... TAPPER: But do you not see that the United States' support for other brutal dictators around the world undermines the credibility of the argument you're making? BOLTON: No, I don't think it does. I think it's separate. And I think, look, in this administration, we're not afraid to use the phrase Monroe Doctrine. This is a country in our hemisphere. It's been the objective of American presidents going back to Ronald Reagan to have a completely democratic hemisphere. I mentioned back in -- at the end of last year that we're looking very much at the troika of tyranny, including Cuba, Nicaragua, as well as Maduro. Part of the problem in Venezuela is the heavy Cuban presence, 20,000 to 25,000 Cuban security officials, by reports that have been in the public. This is the sort of thing that we find unacceptable. And that's why we're pursuing these policies. There are some 20,000 Cuban doctors working in Venezuela. I find no report that any Cuban security officials have appeared there. By mentioning Reagan and the two hundred years old Monroe Doctrine , Bolton makes sure that neither the political left nor the right in the Americas will support any action the U.S. is going to take. The people there know what the U.S. has done to them throughout the centuries and they will oppose any future intervention. That Bolton openly threatens to continue that imperial behavior makes it more difficult for other countries to support it. It also makes it much more difficult for Guaido to gain larger support. Ken Silverstein, who is just back from Venezuela, finds that while even Chavismo supporters may not love Maduro, everyone really dislikes his fake competitor: Maduro does not appear to be widely liked, but he is certainly more popular than the widely reviled and mocked Juan Guaido, President Donald Trumps toy poodle. Maduro can sit this out. Guaido's claims to the presidency are clearly illegal. He has failed to gain support at every step of his way. The army stands strongly behind the government. No human waves appeared to carry the 'humanitarian aid' across the border. The opposition does not know what to do next. All neighboring countries spoke out against a military intervention. Russia and China will prevent negative steps at the UN. While the U.S. wages an economic siege against the country, others are willing to help. Sanctions alone hardly ever bring a government down. Maduro can simply let Guaido clown around in Caracas or wherever he wants to go. The guy seems unable to deliver results. The longer his campaign takes the less support will he have. In a few month the whole thing may well fizzle out. What will Bolton do when he finally recognizes that fact? This article was originally published by " Moon Of Alabama " - All Progressive Congress(APC) Presidential candidate in the February 23rd elections, Muhammadu Buhari, celebrated his victory at the Presidential poll today by hosting his campaign Council to a dinner at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, today. President Muhammadu Buhari defeated his closest opponents, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) by almost 4 million votes. Vanguard Benue State government has dismissed as unfounded, baseless and evil, allegations by All Progressives Congress, APC, that Governor Samuel Ortom set aside huge sum of money to compromise staff of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to win re-election. Thisday Gunmen yesterday killed 40 persons in two communities in Shinkafi and Anka Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Zamfara State. The Sun The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the alleged detention of his son-in-law, Babalele Abdullahi, and his lawyer. Guardian The Niger Government has released a total of N800 million for the payment of pensions and gratuities in the state. Daily Times The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) Imo state Monday declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Orlu, Orsu, Oru East federal constituency Hon. Jerry Alagbaso winner of the 23rd February 2019 National Assembly elections. Leadership As Edo State prepares for the March 9, State House of Assembly election, Chairman of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barr. Anselm Ojezua, on Monday received more defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Esan South East Local Government Area. Daily Trust The police in Abuja on Monday arraigned a mechanic, Monday Boniface, who allegedly stole a car gear box, two tyres and some other motor parts from another mechanic. The Nation President Muhammadu Buhari has said next Saturdays elections will complete the cycle of the All Progressives Congress (APC) take-over of the affairs of Delta State. Tribune The governorship candidate of the New Progressive Movement (NPM), Lt. Colonel Feyisayo Ladoye (rtd), has dropped his ambition to back the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr Seyi Makinde, urging smaller parties to line behind him to provide positive change in the state. A former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani Kayode has hailed former president Olusegun Obasanjo as the father of modern Nigeria. The ex president has received several accolades from Nigerians of different classes on the occasion of his 82nd birthday on March 5th. The likes of senate president Bukola Saraki, ex vice president, Atiku Abubakar, PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan were one of those to sent their congratulatory messages to the former military head of state. Fani Kayode spoke via twitter on Tuesday, saying that Nigerians love Obasanjo as he wished him well. His words: Happy birthday to President Olusegun Obasanjo. You remain the father of modern Nigeria and we love you very much. May God grant you many more years of peace, joy, good health, prosperity and service to our nation. God bless and be with you now and always Baba. National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole has asked its party supporters in Delta State to take any money offered them by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ahead of Saturdays election and still vote APC. The governorship and state House of Assembly elections will come up in most states in Nigeria on March 9, and the APC has said it will claim Delta and Akwa Ibom state from the PDP. Speaking on Monday during a town hall meeting with APC stakeholders at the PTI Conference Centre, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state, the former Edo state governor asked Deltans to massively vote for its governorship candidate, Great Ogboru and other APC candidates. The electorate can go ahead and collect money from the PDP if they decide to use the state resources to induce you. Take your money because it belongs to you and disappoint them by voting for APC during the election, he said. PDP can no longer win election in Delta State since the party is now outdated. PDP is now in a political menopause throughout Nigeria. You the Delta APC have substantially weakened the rigging machines of the PDP in Delta State. This time around, you will stop them on Saturday and ensure that the Okowa and PDP reign in Delta State is brought to an end. No one will provide unlawful security. Security operatives should ensure that votes are counted because President Buhari wants to have cleaner elections. Also speaking at the town hall meeting, Vice president Yemi Osinbajo who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, said they must win Delta for APC. Why should Delta be an opposition state? Why? There is no reason for it at all. For all the periods that Delta State has had high resources, what we need is a change from a progressive party. The time has come. This is the moment; let us seize that moment. I want to say there is ample reason for us as a people of this great state to ensure that we do not betray the trust of the millions of people of the state. Here, I speak to party members. Why the disunity and fighting among ourselves? That is what our opponents want the most. They want to see a divided party. A party where we are pointing accusing fingers at each other. If we are divided, there is no way we can possibly win. If we are divided that is the end of it. If we work together, we will definitely win and emerged victorious this Saturday. I believe that we can work together. What happened last Saturday is a great victory for us, but it is only the beginning because the completion of that victory is going to come by the grace of God on Saturday March 9, 2019, when we vote in our own governor, Great Ogboru, who will by the grace of God be a governor from that very day. It is their way in the past how the PDP used and abused security in the country. We have seen frequently how they manage as victors when they are actually losers. So, there is no reason at all why we should not pay special attention to security and we will do so. I will ensure that we do so. The Pho - Vietnamese Noodle Festival 2019 was held by the ACT Vietnamese Youth & Student Association (ACT-VYSA) in conjunction with the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia and attracted over 500 visitors. Various pho dishes with traditional flavours such as pho cuon (rice noodle rolls), chicken or beef noodle soup, mixed fried noodle, and other dishes were introduced to visitors. Anthony Perrot from Canberra University said it was the first time he has enjoyed traditional Hanoi chicken noodle soup, adding that it is very different from the chicken noodle soup that he often eats at Vietnamese restaurants in Australia. Meanwhile, two young people from Melbourne expressed their interest in rice noodle roll making arranged by Rolld Restaurant. Ha Ngoc Minh Quan, Chairman of the ACT-VYSA, said this is the eighth time the organisation has hosted the Vietnamese cultural culinary festival in Australia. Through the event, the ACT-VYSA wants to help foreigners to understand more about the subtle cultural value of Vietnamese cuisine in particular and Vietnams culture in general, Quan said. The festival also offers a good chance for Vietnamese students in Australia to enhance exchanges. Olusegun Obasanjo, a former military head of state and former president of the federal republic of Nigeria, clocked 82 today and Nigerians cant keep calm. Obasanjo has been hailed by both influential and ordinary Nigerians as one of the greatest contributor to Nigerias political development. And on the occasion of his birthday, the former military general was showered with enough accolades. Senate president Bukola Saraki, former vice president Atiku Abubakar and Kola Ologbondiyan, the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were among the earliest to celebrate him. Atiku A very happy 82nd birthday to you, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. No living Nigerian has given as much to Nigeria in peacetime and in war as you have. May almighty God grant you many more years in good health and continued service to Nigeria and the world at large. -AA Saraki Happy 82nd Birthday to His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. As you celebrate another year, Baba, I pray to Almighty God to continue to give you good health, great wisdom and grace to serve humanity. Kola Ologbondiyan Happy 82nd birthday to one of the greatest leader in our history as a country, HE Chief Olusegun A.O Obasanjo is an enigma, a nation builder and a statesman by all standard. May the Almighty God grant you longevity in good health sir. Ebora Owu is +1 The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has made it known that it would petition the United Nations over allegations that the Nigerian army, militarized the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said this on Monday, while speaking with journalists after the partys expanded caucus meeting in Abuja. According to the opposition party, there was a militarisation of South-South ahead of Saturdays governorship and state house of assemblies elections. We insist that our party and our candidate have resolved to seek legal redress on the stolen mandate. The partys caucus also commends Nigerians for refusing the harassment, intimidation and militarization of the electoral process and for participating in the elections, he said. Uche Secondus, the partys national chairman also confirmed the partys resolve to petition UN and added that the party has further resolved to contest the outcome of the presidential elections in court. The PDP chairman also demanded the released of its presidential candidates son-in-law, Babalele Abdullahi, and his lawyer, Uyiekpen Osagie. Secondus who alleged among many things that the just concluded presidential election was fraught with voters harassment and intimidation of ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC. Nothing will make us waver in the pursuit of justice. The decision to go to court has been finalised and the process has begun. We will file our petition today (Monday) or Tuesday. Our leaders are not talking and if you dont speak against evil, it will consume everybody. The National Peace Committee is not saying anything. If nothing is done, we (party) will nosedive and go deeper and deeper in this situation we have found ourselves, he said. TORONTO, ON // MARCH 5, 2019 Lou Santiago, the energetic co-host of Discovery Velocitys The Car Fix, is returning to the Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo in a familiar setting the Lincoln Electric display (Booth #6202 in Hall 2). At the show, hell be surrounded by an impressive assortment of welding and fabricating products which hell use to demonstrate his talents and share some secrets. Motorama takes place March 8, 9 & 10 at The International Centre, across from Torontos Pearson Airport. Im a second-generation Lincoln Electric guy, said Santiago. My dad was an iron worker and Lincoln was what he preferred to use. I use Lincoln Electric products on The Car Fix show and in the restoration classes I teach at my local community college. Lincoln Electric has been really, really good to me and I feel confident using and promoting their products. Among the many Lincoln Electric products that Santiago will have at his disposal at the Motorama show will be a pair of newly introduced Lincoln Electric Welders. Perfectly suited for light industrial shop fabrication and repair applications is the standard-setting Power MIG 260 welder. A wire-feed welder, the Power MIG 260 incorporates simplified usage technology into its compact package. Its assets include Lincolns Ready.Set.Weld Quick set up, Automatic Settings to provide optimal weld parameters and ArcFX Technology enabling the user to visualize their weld. Also cued up for its Canadian launch at the Motorama show is the Ranger 330MPX welder-generator. An engine-powered welder designed with the professional pipeline, contractor and service truck users in mind, this new product is 25% lighter than similar machines in its class and boasts new technology that will improve weld performance and productivity. Its also 60% quieter than other welders, making for a more comfortable and safer workplace. This modern machine leads the way for job site innovation with a digital user interface and clean AC generator power. The Lincoln Electric booth will be staffed, throughout the show, by the companys product experts. Aside from getting an opportunity to test out and demonstrate the latest Lincoln Electric offerings, Santiago, a former Navy SeaBee, is excited for several additional reasons to be returning to the Toronto Motorama show for the second year in a row. Lou loves engaging with his fans and fellow auto enthusiasts and checking out the incredible vehicles at the show. There are some truly great quality cars here; I love seeing what these builders come up with each year. And the show visitors are as knowledgeable as any Ive ever run into. They ask great questions, and theyre willing to listen to suggestions and advice. There are so many cars out there just waiting to be built and I dont have the time to build them all. Im not afraid to tell anyone all of my secrets and tricks, just to keep the car hobby thriving. When not engaging with Motorama show visitors in the Lincoln Electric booth (10 a.m. to noon on Saturday and Sunday, and 2 4 p.m. on all three days of the show), Santiago will participate in several on-stage discussions and awards presentations on the Rust-Oleum Stage. Scott Stanley, Canadian Marketing Manager for Lincoln Electric said this about Santiago. People love Lou. He brings an energy and an evident passion to everything he does, and were thrilled to have him join us at Motorama again this year. As an experienced welder, car builder and instructor, we could think of no one better suited to demonstrate our products than Lou Santiago. ABOUT LINCOLN ELECTRIC: Founded in 1895 and based in Cleveland, OH, Lincoln Electric moved into the Canadian marketplace in 1916 with its headquarters now located in Leaside (Toronto) ON. From sales offices in Mississauga and Calgary, Lincoln Electric services a diverse list of industries, ranging from automotive and transportation, to ship building, pipeline and offshore construction, to thermal, nuclear and wind power contracting. Lincoln Electric caters to the motorsports industry by offering welding equipment and fabrication solutions to members of the NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, drifting, off-road, Monster Truck, sprint car and Stadium Trucks fraternities. Lincoln Electric is also a world-renowned educator, having successfully trained over 100,000 graduates from its welding schools. An inventory of their full product line, available services, plus other company details can be found by visiting their website, www.lincolnelectric.com or by telephone (Toronto) at (416) 421-2600. ABOUT THE MOTORAMA CUSTOM CAR & MOTORSPORTS EXPO: The fifth annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo takes place March 8, 9 & 10, 2019 at The International Centre, across from Torontos Pearson International Airport. The show features more than 330,000 square feet of custom cars, hot rods, racing vehicles of all kinds, tuners, displays and exhibitors. Motorama is Canadas biggest late-winter celebration of automobiles and motorsports. For information about the show, including tickets, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and more, call (416) 962-7223, email info@MotoramaShow.com or visit www.MotoramaShow.com. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Vietnamese top leader pays State visit to Cambodia Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong and a high-level Vietnamese delegation paid a state-level visit to Cambodia at the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni. During his visit, the Vietnamese top leader held talks with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and attended a banquet at the Royal Palace. He also had separate meetings with President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum, President of the country's National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who is also President of the Cambodian People's Party. He laid flowers at the Norodom Sihanouk Monument while visiting Queen Mother Nordom Monineath Sihanouk. DPRK leader pays official friendship visit to Vietnam Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong (right) and DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un. Chairman of the WPK and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK Kim Jong Un, with a high-ranking DPRK delegation, paid an official visit to Vietnam on March 1-2. During his stay, he held talks with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong, as well as met with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. On the occasion, Chairman Kim Jong Un and the DPRKs high-ranking delegation paid tribute to late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and laid a wreath at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs. Second DPRK USA Summit held in Hanoi The second DPRK USA Summit was recently held in Vietnams capital city of Hanoi on February 27-28. President of the United States Donald Trump and Chairman of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un had a very good and constructive meeting over the two days, discussing concrete steps towards denuclearisation. Though no agreement was reached at the Summit in Vietnam and no joint statement was issued, the two sides look forward to meeting in the future. Party, State, Government leaders hold talks with US President General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong (right) and US President Donald Trump (Photo: Dang Khoa) Party General Secretary and President of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong had talks with US President Donald Trump on the occasion of the second DPRK USA Summit in Hanoi. The two leaders agreed to foster mutually beneficial partnerships in all fields, including economy, trade and investment. Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc also hosted his meeting with US leader, affirming that Vietnam always attaches importance to the comprehensive partnership with the US. Vietnam, US sign cooperation agreements worth US$21 billion Four cooperation agreements between Vietnam and the US worth a total of about US$21 billion were signed in Hanoi under the witness of Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong and US President Donald Trump. The agreements included a US$12.7 billion contract for 100 new 737 MAX planes and a US$5.3 billion agreement on long-term service maintenance of the LEAP-1B engine signed by Vietjet Air with Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) and the USs General Electric Group, respectively. Bamboo Airways, Vietnams newest carrier, also signed a near US$3 billion contract to buy 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner wide-body jets with the US group. The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and Sabre Corporation (SABR) inked a US$300 million deal, expanding their existing strategic cooperation in aviation information and technology. Activities mark Vietnamese Doctors Day A performance at the ceremony. (Photo: qdnd.vn) A wide variety of activities were held across the country to celebrate the 64th anniversary of Vietnamese Doctors Day (1955-2019). On the occasion, doctors and medical staff nationwide were honoured and received best wishes from Party and State leaders. notably, officials and staff members of Vietnams level-two field hospital in South Sudan held a ceremony at the base in Bentiu of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to mark the Day. Vietnam wins bronze at regional U22 football championship Vietnam finished third at the 2019 AFF U22 Youth Championship after overcoming hosts Cambodia by a narrow margin at 1-0. The late goal was scored by substitute Le Xuan Tu. U22 Indonesia claimed the championship title after beating Thailand 2-1 in the final match. President Wendy Wintersteen talks about her fortunes of "Right place, right time" moments in her professional life to a crowd in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union on Mar. 4. President Wintersteen also discussed her journey as a women in STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and the hardships she faced as a women in a STEM field. "You can't over estimate the importance of having good luck," Wintersteen said. Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue. Feedback policy If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com). Column Policy Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 2019 is the year of the 5G phone, at least from companies like Samsung and LG. But rumor has it that Apple wont be jumping on the bandwagon until 2020. That delay may give Apple plenty of time to work on the upcoming device, and, more importantly, let the network technology mature. However, it doesnt necessarily mean Apple will have the parts to launch the device. At least, thats the report out of Bloomberg on Tuesday based on a new analyst report from Cowen. According to the publication, Apple may still struggle to get the necessary components to build the product, even when 2020 rolls around. Apple is waiting for 2020, which is probably a good decision on its part. However, that delay might be a reality based on other companies, too. Specifically, Intel. That company recently unveiled its 5G modem, but it wont be ready for smartphones until 2020. That lines up with Apples rumored plans, but this report suggests Intel might not be able to fulfill all the orders Apple will need. Whats more, and probably worse, Apples reliance on Intel may lead to less-than-optimal 5G modems that dont support mmWave technology. Apples first option, Cowen wrote, is to launch 18 months after 5G competition with an inferior modem from Intel likely without mmWave capabilities, referring to the band of spectrum that can be used for 5Gs high-speed wireless communications. The analysts believe that Apple may have to reach out to Samsung to help supplement additional orders. However, those same analysts believe Samsung and Apple probably couldnt come to agreeable terms, so that might not be an option, either. Of course, we cant forget about Qualcomm here but Apple and Qualcomms legal battle just settled into a lengthy court battle, so that is definitely a toss-up at this point. If Apple is waiting for 2020, that isnt a bad thing. Namely because it means that the 5G rollout from wireless carriers can actually take place, and by the time the 5G iPhone arrives people will be able to access 5G on a broad basis. However, if Apples 5G capabilities are going to be similar to what were seeing in early 2019 basically: limited then that is not a good look for Apple at all. Apple is rumored to be working on its own modems for future devices, but its not likely that will help the company in 2020. [via Bloomberg The Slave Dwelling Project is coming to North Texas for the first time, bringing forward the stories of the enslaved African Americans at Millermore, now located at Dallas Heritage Village, and the story of life after Emancipation in Bear Creek in Irving. There will be two public events in conjunction with this visit: a public lecture on February 28 at the Irving Arts Center and a full day of programming at both Dallas Heritage Village and the Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center in Irving on March 2. Based in South Carolina, The Slave Dwelling Projects mission is to identify and assist property owners, government agencies and organizations to preserve extant slave dwellings. This is done primarily through public programming, including sleeping overnight in these buildings. This trip to Dallas, Texas will be the 2nd to the state for the Slave Dwelling Project. In 2011, the second year of the project, I spent nights in slave cabins in Egypt and Seward, Texas. Slave dwellings can be found in many states throughout the United States, but Texas is the farthest west the Slave Dwelling Project has found and slept in extant slave dwellings. says project founder Joseph McGill. In 1966, the Dallas County Heritage Society was founded to preserve Millermore, the largest remaining plantation home in Dallas County. In those first decades, the focus was on architectural history and decorative arts. The Slave Dwelling Project is part of ongoing work to reinterpret Millermore and include all of the people that lived and worked there, throughout the houses history. By working with Joe McGill, we are continuing the process of bringing forward the stories of Arch, Charlotte, Clayton, Betsy, John, Lucy and their children. It will also be a spark for a deeper conversation in our community about our shared, complicated past. Joe and his colleagues have enormous experience in leading these difficult conversations throughout the country, and we look forward to learning with them, says President and Executive Director Melissa Prycer. During Saturdays public event, a team of interpreters will address topics such as the daily life of an enslaved person and the critical need to preserve what is left of the structures associated with the enslavement of Africans and African-Americans. The Slave Dwelling Project is proud to assist the Dallas Heritage Village in its effort to incorporate the stories of the enslaved into their narrative, adds Joseph McGill Part of the City of Irvings museum system is the Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center. The Bear Creek community in west Irving is one of the oldest African-American communities in Dallas County. During the late 1850s, a mix of free blacks, whites and their slaves began settling along the upper reaches of Bear Creek. After emancipation, former slaves began moving into the area, which developed into a rural African-American enclave during the era of racial segregation. By the early 1900s, nine African-American families owned land in Bear Creek. Director of Museums for Irving, Jennifer Landry explains: Bear Creek is a hidden gem in Irvings and North Texas history and we are just beginning to expand our efforts to tell the history of perseverance and the struggles that members of the community faced. We are excited for the opportunity to partner with the Slave Dwelling Project and Dallas Heritage Village to bring increased awareness about the importance of preserving African-American history in North Texas. This partnership enables both organizations to tell a broader history of life in North Texas for African Americans. We are also partnering with the Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation project to help keep the conversation going in our community. Dallas TRHT fully supports Dallas Heritage Villages efforts to deepen our communities knowledge of the enslaved Africans at Millermore, and the narratives of emancipation and Black perseverance through Irvings Bear Creek Freedman town. The Slave Dwelling Project will bring more excitement to the Community Visioning work Dallas TRHT to currently embarking, uncovering, honoring and highlighting a rare Dallas-area narrative of Black people living, surviving, resisting and persisting through slavery, says Jerry Hawkins, Director of Dallas TRHT. Presented by Dallas Weekly, February 28, 2019 Tancrad Group Jobs 2019 in Romania Europe Latest Ajsa International Recruiters Construction Posts Romania 2021 Technical and experienced personnel for the posts of Road Construction Engineer, Exporter Operator, Auto Grader Operator, Road Worker, Carpenter, Painter, Welder, Road Engineer required for a leading and well known Tancrad Group in Romania Europe. How to Apply on Ajsa International Recruiters Job Advertisement Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online. Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If an employer asks to pay money for any purpose, do not pay at all and report us at contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs may not be applied online here. Human typing error is possible. Error & omissions excepted. Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham joined his Indonesian counterpart Enggartiasto Lukita to sign the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Both Australia and Indonesia rank in the world's top 20 economies but are not in each other's top 10 trading partners despite being close neighbors. "Bolstering economic ties between our nations will create new trade opportunities for Australian and Indonesian businesses, boost two-way investment and increase prosperity in both countries," Birmingham and Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement on March 4. "With a population of 270 million and high levels of economic growth, Indonesia is on track to become one of the world's largest economies. This makes the strengthening of our ties both strategically and economically important. "This is a great deal for Australia: it means that 99 percent of Australian goods (by value) will enter Indonesia duty-free or under significantly improved preferential arrangements by 2020." In addition, the FTA deal will also provide major benefits for Australian universities and healthcare providers, clearing the way for them to set up shop in Indonesia. On the other side of the equation, the agreement will eliminate all tariffs on Indonesian imports to Australia and the number of Australian work and holiday visas will rise from 1,000 to 5,000 within six years. The parliaments of both nations must ratify it before it is enacted, a process that could take months given that Indonesia will hold a general election in April and Australia will do so in May. Australian trade unions on March 4 escalated their campaign against IA-CEPA, expressing fears it would increase the number of foreign workers in Australia, a notion that Birmigham described as "blatant scaremongering." Asked if he would support the deal to ensure it is ratified as soon as possible, Bill Shorten, leader of the Opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) and a former union organizer, said his party is "positively disposed" to the deal. "We'll have to study the detail, as you always do - we want to make sure that Australian jobs are prioritized - but we're very positive from what we've seen so far," he told reporters in Melbourne. The landmark FTA has been welcomed by both the Business Council of Australia (BCA), Australia's largest group representing the interests of businesses, and the National Farmers' Federation (NFF). "This is an important agreement for a large developing country like Indonesia, and it demonstrates both Australia's and Indonesia's commitment to rules-based global trade at a time when the voices against freer and more liberal trade are increasingly loud," BCA chief executive Jennifer Westacott said. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews hailed the agreement, saying IA-CEPA would help to further strengthen Australia's economy, as well as ties between the two countries. "IA-CEPA will help drive more growth for Australian businesses by creating exciting new market opportunities in Indonesia," the minister said in a statement. "Importantly, Australia's merchandise exports to Indonesia were approximately AUD7 billion (about US$5 billion) in 2017, making Indonesia Australia's 9th largest export market in 2017." Ceru Restaurants A stop at Ceru restaurant is like visiting an old friend and no trip to London is complete without it. This isnt the boring friend who regales you with the same stale tales but the nomadic one who you live vicariously through thanks to his endless travels to exotic lands. Thankfully you neednt grab your passport to go on this colorful culinary journey that has its roots in Levantine culture. Levantine cuisine is essentially Middle Eastern cuisine from the countries of Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Egypt and Cyprus. The term, levante, is derived from the Italian word and literally means rising, as in the East where the sun rises. The restaurant is aptly named Ceru, short for cerulean, as a reflection of the sparkling Eastern Mediterranean that surrounds the majority of the Levantine countries. The concept for Ceru was born from the love of food, drink and sunshine and inspired by Founder Barry Hiltons countless, culinary experiences in the Levant. Ceru only uses the freshest of produce sourced from London markets while utilizing authentic cooking methods to create a mouth-watering menu with nearly 100 ingredients and more than 20 spices. Ceru SOHO The vibe at Ceru offers a mix of old world charm with a contemporary spin with its minimalist-chic decor of bright, Scandinavian style furnishings paired with brightly colored, woven upholstery and glazed ceramic tableware. There is somewhat of an open-kitchen design that allows the energy of the kitchen to flow into the restaurant while managing to keep aromas at bay thanks to efficient ventilation. What you will find is groups of cultured Millennials drinking copious amounts of wine and breaking bread together, young families celebrating a meal together and hip professionals escaping the office for a decadent but not budget-breaking lunch. Start with a fragrant and refreshing Cucumber Martini made from Beefeater gin, Martini Bianco, cucumber, elderflower, lemon and mint. In the mood for wine? The Levant has a rich history of winemaking with complex reds, whites and roses sourced from Lebanon, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey and Crete. Opt for a delicate and floral Viognier from Macedonia, a sweet Agiorgitiko rose from Greece or a fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Carignan blend from Lebanon. The impressive wine list alone is worth a visit to Ceru. Ceru Apple Salad When it comes to the main star, the actual food, expect unconvoluted dips and salads like hummus, baba ganoush, and tabbouleh as well as small plates of fadi (zucchini, yoghurt, lemon, tahini), pancar (beetroot, garlic, yoghurt, pistachio) and hammera (red pepper, pomegranates and walnuts). There is no shortage of small plates consisting of the Levants staples such as chickpeas, tahini, mint, lemon, olives, feta, aubergine, halloumi, mint, pomegranates and yoghurt. Order the Three In One consisting of a spoonful of each of your favorite dips and enjoy with freshly baked Greek pita bread. Next, move on to the Spiced Warm Cauliflower & Walnut salad with pomegranate, spring onion and mint or the Spice Roasted Beetroot & Fennel salad of mint, lohz and cardamom labneh. The food somehow manages to be both clean and complex at the same time. Kebab Keraz Though Ceru is both vegan and vegetarian-friendly, carnivores and pescatarians will be delighted as well. Dishes of freshly grilled whitebait and squid grace the menu as well as baked, battered, roasted or grilled versions of seabream and branzino. Naturally, prawns, octopus and mussels make a cameo as Ceru would have it no other way. Key dishes to try are the Salt Cod & Tumeric Potato Fritters and the delightful Fillet of Seabream with a warm lemon dressing, fried garlic, oregano and red chili. Lamb Shoulder Carnivores will rejoice to find whole, cubed, skewered, grilled and roasted chicken dishes on the menu. Most are dressed with spicy marinades such as the paprika and lemon-infused taouk and the dressing that gives the merguez chicken its kick. Opt for a grilled beef skewer with a tahini-based lemon and garlic tartar sauce or the crowd-pleasing slow-roasted Lamb Shoulder simmered in spices and accompanied by pomegranates, yogurt and pistachio sauce. Whatever your choice, you will be sure to leave Ceru with your belly full, your wallet intact and a huge smile on your face. Flavors of Baklava Checkout Ceru's South Kensington and Soho locations: CERU SOUTH KENSINGTON CERU SOHO BATON ROUGE, the United States, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Yuhuang's methanol project, the largest greenfield investment in methanol by a Chinese company in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana, is making significant progress in its construction, according to China's Yuhuang Chemical Inc. (YCI) on Friday. "Starting from the year 2019, we're in a critical stage called moving from the below ground, which is the foundation stage, into the above ground," said Charlie Yao, CEO of YCI in an interview with Xinhua. All the major equipment that has been delivered to the site will be erected in the first half of this year, he said. YCI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yuhuang Chemical Company in east China's Shandong Province, is constructing a 1.85-billion-U.S.-dollar methanol production facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana. This methanol project was announced in 2014. After selecting Louisiana for its site, Yuhuang Chemical began building the production complex in January 2017. The plant facility, to be wholly constructed in three phases, is expected to start commercial production in mid-2020, following the completion of the first-phase YCI Methanol One. According to Yao, the project is expected to achieve the major milestone of construction delivery this year. "Early next year, the contractor will start to turn the unit over to YCI ownership, ready for commission, and we will train operators ready to start the production by mid of next year," he added. YCI Methanol One will include 100 permanent direct jobs after creating more than 1,000 construction jobs, said the company. Koch Methanol, an affiliate of Koch Industries, agreed to buy into the new facility last year. As part of its investment, affiliates of Koch Methanol will receive the exclusive methanol offtake rights from the new facility, as well as construct, own and operate the methanol terminal assets for the outbound flow of methanol. Methanol is used in the manufacturing of many everyday products, including plywood, carpet, fuel and plastics. The plant will have a capacity of producing approximately 1.7 million metric tons of methanol per year. "We plan to have 70 percent of the product sold in the U.S. domestic market and about 30 percent export. And our large export country would be China," said Yao. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Author Kate Harris reacts after winning the $30,000 RBC Taylor Prize for her book "Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road," in Toronto, Monday, March 4, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Tom Sandler MANDATORY CREDIT Cpl. Michael Keller, centre left, of the BC Dragoons, stands at attention next to the Cenotaph in City Park during Sunday's annual Remembrance Day service. Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Canadian soldiers patrol an area in the Dand district of southern Afghanistan on Sunday, June 7, 2009. The federal government is hoping to have locked down a new location for a promised national memorial to the war in Afghanistan after the Canadian War Museum opposed a previous proposal, leaving the project in limbo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel Sacrificing accuracy to see the big picture WASHINGTON, D.C., March 5, 2019 -- During their first year of life, infants can recognize patterned sound sequences. As we grow, we develop the ability to pick out increasingly complex patterns within streams of words and musical notes. Traditionally, cognitive scientists have assumed that the brain uses a complicated algorithm to find links between disparate concepts, thereby yielding a higher-level understanding. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania -- Christopher Lynn, Ari Kahn and Danielle Bassett -- are building an entirely different model, indicating that our ability to detect patterns might stem, in part, from the brain's desire to represent things in the simplest way possible. The brain does more than just process incoming information, said Lynn, a physics graduate student. "It constantly tries to predict what's coming next. If, for instance, you're attending a lecture on a subject you know something about, you already have some grasp of the higher-order structure. That helps you connect ideas together and anticipate what you'll hear next." The new model offers striking insights on human cognition, suggesting that people can and indeed do make mistakes in detecting individual components of a pattern in order to catch a glimpse of the bigger picture. For example, Lynn explained, "if you look at a pointillist painting up close, you can correctly identify every dot. If you step back 20 feet, the details get fuzzy, but you'll gain a better sense of the overall structure." The brain may well adopt a similar strategy, he said. To test its theory, the team developed an experiment in which people view a computer screen depicting a row of five squares and then press one or two keys to match the display they see. The researchers timed the responses, concluding that people hit the correct keys more quickly when they anticipate what's coming next. As part of the experimental setup, each stimulus presented to a subject could be viewed as a node in a network, with one of four adjacent nodes representing the next stimulus. The networks come in two forms -- a "modular graph" consisting of three linked pentagons and a "lattice graph" consisting of five linked triangles. Subjects reacted more quickly when presented with the modular graph, suggesting they could better discern its underlying structure and, hence, better anticipate the image to follow. Ultimately, the experiment is designed to measure a quantity the authors call beta (), which varies from subject to subject, assuming lower values in people prone to making errors and higher values in those inclined toward accuracy. The Pennsylvania group plans to acquire brain images from fMRI scans later this year to see if the brains of people found to have different values of are, in fact, "wired differently." ### The 2019 APS March Meeting presentation "Structure from noise: Mental errors yield abstract representations of events," by Christopher Lynn, Ari E. Kahn and Danielle Bassett, will take place Tuesday, March 5, at 3:06 p.m. in room 261 of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. ABSTRACT: https:/ / meetings. aps. org/ Meeting/ MAR19/ Session/ H66. 4 MORE MEETING INFORMATION The American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting is a major international conference and the largest physics meeting of the year. In 2019, the APS March Meeting will convene March 4-8 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. USEFUL LINKS Register as Press: https:/ / goo. gl/ forms/ ur9dE24zCO1IVsLu2 Press Site: https:/ / www. aps. org/ meetings/ march/ press. cfm Meeting Abstracts: http://meetings. aps. org/ Meeting/ MAR19/ APS_epitome Main Meeting Page: https:/ / www. aps. org/ meetings/ march/ Hotel and Travel: https:/ / www. aps. org/ meetings/ march/ hotel-travel. cfm PRESS REGISTRATION APS will provide free registration to all staff journalists representing media organizations, professional freelance journalists on assignment, and student journalists who are attending the meeting for the express purpose of gathering and reporting news and information. Press registration grants full access to all scientific sessions, to the press room, and to the press conferences. We will also provide complimentary press registration to university press officers, PIOs and other professional media relations staff. For press related questions about the APS March Meeting, email media@aps.org. PRESS CONFERENCES A series of press conferences on newsworthy research will be webcast live from the conference on Monday, March 4 through Thursday, March 7. A schedule will be released the week before the conference. Members of the media should register in advance at https:/ / webcast. apswebcasting. com/ go/ aps-march-19 . ABOUT APS The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents over 55,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world. Society offices are located in College Park, Maryland (Headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, D.C. Read more: https:/ / www. aps. org/ This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. BEIRUT, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian said on Monday that China will continue to support the Lebanese army, the National News Agency reported. "China intends to approve donations for Lebanon's military institutions," Wang said. Wang's remarks came during his meeting with Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab to congratulate him on his new role in the new government. Bou Saab praised the strategic and historic ties between the two countries while hoping China to speed up the military donation that it intends to offer to the Lebanese army. China provided great military support to Lebanon in 2015 when the Lebanese army was fighting against the Islamic State and al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front fighters on its northeastern border. Lebanon also inked in 2016 a military grant agreement with China whereby China has prepared a military aid program for Lebanon that extends over years. This site is temporarily unavailable If you manage this site and have a question about why the site is not available, please contact iPage directly By Lee Han-na A YouTube video featuring actress Bae Doona discovering Mexico has over 1 million views as of Tuesday, six days after TRAME studio uploaded it. The two-and-a-half-minute video captured Bae wandering about the North American country from her arrival and exploring several tourist sites. According to TRAME studio, the video shows Bae's unscripted "100 percent real travel experience in a foreign land with no plan" and neither her manager nor her stylist accompanied the actress. In the video, Bae laughs at the camera after noticing the director. Throughout the video, Bae shows her barefaced natural beauty. The video says her journey is for self-reflection. She said a flight attendant from Air France recognized her and spoke highly of her acting in "Sense 8." Many global fans were excited about the video. Some Korean fans like Jiyeon Bae commented, "I can't wait, I might faint. Please make an hour-long video for us." Before the English subtitles were made available, many fans had seen the video and requested subtitles. Likewise, Latin American fan Emma Van Rose commented, "Subtitles in Spanish?" while others like Bere Swire thanked Bae for visiting Mexico and welcomed her. According to TRAME studio, episode 1 of "Doona's Travel" will be uploaded on March 6. It is also available on Facebook. Bae, also a photographer, debuted as a fashion model in 1998 and started her career as an actress the following year. She has shot about 42 movies and dramas. Bae debuted in Hollywood in 2012 with the movie "Cloud Atlas" directed by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer. Since then, she has become globally renowned. Bae Doona's potential as an actress shines even brighter now with the first original Korean Netflix series, "Kingdom," which awaits its next season. She surprised many fans with her passionate performance without wearing any makeup. Bae also has published three books on her travels around London, Tokyo and Seoul from 2006 to 2007. Lee Han-na is a Korea Times intern. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, makes a visit in Beijing on Monday to political advisers from the sectors of culture, art and social sciences who are attending the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference. [Photo/Xinhua] Advisers told to spur confidence, reflect the new era President Xi Jinping called on the countrys writers, artists and theorists to boost cultural confidence and create good works for the people on Monday. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark during discussions with political advisers from culture, art, and social sciences amid the top political advisory bodys annual session. During the discussion, eight members of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference National Committee spoke on such topics as preventing and addressing risks in the ideological area, making full use of museums and creating good works for the people. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, Xi extended sincere greetings to all the political advisers and to people in the culture, art and social science sectors. Xi pointed out that excellent writers, artists, and theorists are greatly needed in the new era, and there is great space for the development of arts and innovation in social sciences. Xi called on political advisers from culture, art, and social sciences groups to listen to the voice of the times, keep up with the times and put the people at the center of their work. Calling 2018 an extraordinary year for the country, Xi said the CPC Central Committee led people of all ethnicities to maintain proper economic growth, ensure stability of the society and help the people have a sense of gain in the past year. A country must have its own spirit, Xi said, adding that culture, art, and social sciences works are related to that spirit, which is of great significance in upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. Xi said socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and writers, artists and theorists should accept the mission of recording the new era and reflecting the historic changes of the times. The president highlighted a people-centered philosophy, saying that all of the countrys achievements are created by the people and all of the glories belong to the people. To overcome the difficulties and achieve the goals set by the Partys 19th National Congress, the Party must rely on the people and gather the strength of nearly 1.4 billion Chinese people, Xi said. Xi told the political advisers that only through getting down to the grassroots and hearing the peoples voices will they obtain good ideas to create art. Social sciences workers should do more field research, have a better understanding of peoples livelihoods and answer the peoples questions in their works, Xi said. Writers, artists, and theorists should reflect the progress made by the country and the peoples good life, Xi said, adding that they should convey the Chinese spirit, value and strength in their works. 01300] Financial Services Commission Chairman Choi Jong-gu, left, shakes hands with Financial Supervisory Service Governor Yoon Suk-heun ahead of their meeting in Seoul in May 2018. Yonhap By Park Hyong-ki The country's financial regulators are in talks with the judiciary on whether to grant the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) the authority to launch independent investigations into investors and company executives suspected of irregularities such as insider trading. "We are currently discussing the matter," said an official at the Financial Services Commission (FSC) that oversees the FSS said. Another FSC official said relevant agencies have begun talking about whether to give the FSS the investigative power since last year. But he added they do not have a specific timetable on when the regulator could actually start investigating suspects and conducting its own forensic audits under the guidance of prosecutors. This comes as the FSC, the policymaking body, has changed its position so that the FSS, the financial inspector and market monitor, can more swiftly uncover the truth behind any allegations. Currently, if the FSS spots possible irregularities in the capital market, including false corporate disclosures, insider trading or stock price manipulation, it needs to report it to the Securities and Futures Commission (SEC) at the FSC. The SEC reviews and examines the matter and any evidence submitted. If the SEC decides to pursue criminal charges against a suspect, the FSS needs to file a complaint with prosecutors, who will then get a court order for a search and seizure of the suspect's assets should they find the need to pursue their own investigation. The regulators are seeking to reduce this long process so the FSS can take rapid action, find the perpetrators and send them for trial. The new system will enable the FSS to launch investigations and request warrants to search and seize evidence including computer disks, hardware and mobile devices. Without reporting to the SEC, it can immediately file a complaint with prosecutors after securing this evidence. If lawmakers, the regulators and prosecutors reach an agreement, it would be the first time that a quasi-government agency is given investigative powers. KEB Hana Bank Senior Managing Director Kim Hwa-sik, left, poses with guests at a photo exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, at the lender's headquarters in central Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of KEB Hana Bank The front page of the Rodong Sinmun on March 5 / Yonhap North Korean state media outlets have been refraining from criticism of the United States despite the no-deal breakdown of last week's second summit between leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump. The restraint appears to reflect soul-searching by Pyongyang over whether and how to proceed with the nuclear negotiations with Washington after the embarrassing and unexpected collapse of the talks with Trump in Hanoi. On Tuesday, Uriminzokkiri, one of the North's propaganda websites, called for escalating the "peace atmosphere" on the Korean Peninsula, saying Pyongyang remains firm in its commitment to ending hostile military relations with the South. "Joint military exercises with foreign forces, which serve as a root cause of tensions in the Korean Peninsula situation, should no longer be allowed, and the introduction of war equipment, including strategic assets, should be completely halted," it said. Last week's talks had been widely expected to produce another denuclearization-for-concession deal after the one reached at the first Trump-Kim summit in Singapore last June. But the two days of talks were abruptly cut short and ended without an agreement. President Moon Jae-in speaks during the graducation ceremony of the Korean Naval Academy in Jinhae, Tuesday. Yonhap President Moon Jae-in reiterated his confidence in diplomatic efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula Tuesday despite the fruitless summit between North Korea and the United States last week. "Should we consistently pursue peace with firm determination, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and permanent peace will definitely come," the president said in the commission ceremony of the Korean Naval Academy in Jinhae, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended their second summit without an agreement in Hanoi last Thursday. Seoul had been highly hopeful that the summit would further advance the North's denuclearization process. Trump and Kim first met in Singapore in June. On Monday, Moon also insisted the U.S. and North Korea will eventually reach an agreement, while chairing a National Security Council meeting for the first time in nearly nine months to seek ways to help bridge the gap between the two technically warring countries. South Korea and the U.S. technically remain at war with North Korea as the 1950-53 Korean War ended only with an armistice. However, Seoul officials said the two Koreas made a de facto declaration of the war's end when they signed a military deal, which they said is tantamount to a "non-aggression" agreement, in September when Moon visited Pyongyang for his third and latest summit with Kim. Shortly after his meeting with Kim in Hanoi ended abruptly, Trump asked the South Korean president to act as a mediator and help narrow the difference between his country and North Korea. Moon has told his top government officials to seek ways to resume U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks at an early date. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the country will push for the so-called 1.5-track talks of officials and experts from the two Koreas and the United States, similar to those held in Sweden shortly before the second U.S.-North Korea summit. President Moon says his country is taking the fate of the Korean Peninsula into its own hands. "We have embarked on a road to decide the fate of the Korean Peninsula by ourselves based on the great strength of our military," he told the graduation ceremony, according to a script of his congratulatory remarks released by his office Cheong Wa Dae. Moon also reiterated his call for strong defense capabilities. "We need stronger defense capabilities to be able to not only defend peace but also to make peace," he said. "(The military) must be a military that will deter wars but win without fail when it must fight." (Yonhap) Gongpyeong Historic Sites Museum in the basement of a new highrise in downtown Seoul places history under glass. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar By Jon Dunbar The demolition of Euljiro's hardware shop alleys is getting a surprising amount of attention. Surprising because it's the same old story, and many of the characters are nobody new; all that's changed are the specifics. Originally the plan was to tear down all the low-rise industrial districts along both sides of the Seun Sangga megacomplex, but now that voices are being heard, the city government is making vague promises of preservation, even as excavators continue to bring down old buildings. Sadly, we can see how this is likely to play out in a previously redeveloped area, not far from Euljiro: Pimatgol, where redevelopment wiped away centuries of living history, except for a number of curious exhibits memorializing the 1910-45 Joseon era. Pimatgol was formed without much planning during mid-Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) when land previously for drainage became a back-alley shortcut for commoners. Originally, the alley stretched across the entirety of Seoul, from gate to gate. As passage through the main thoroughfare of Jongno was intolerably slow for the commoners, who had to prostrate themselves whenever aristocrats passed, they began relying on a network of alleys to slip through unseen. The name Pimatgol literally means "avoid-horse-alley." This passage persevered throughout the modern age, continuing to serve as a gathering spot for low-income people in the 20th century including workers, activists and university students. It housed many restaurants, tea shops, bars and other establishments. You can visit one remaining stretch of Pimatgol today, running from Jonggak Station exit 1 to the Kyobo Building. Only that's not the real Pimatgol. It now exists in four segments running through an open-air corridor through four highrise buildings. The establishments here are franchises and chains catering to a younger, wealthier clientele. Although some of the original restaurants survived, they have been moved mostly indoors and underground, away from this alley. Absolutely the only aspect of Pimatgol's continuity that was preserved was the physical open air where the alley ran, not the businesses, not the culture, not the atmosphere. Alarmingly, a conceptual image displayed on the roof of Seun Sangga shows the vision for Seun Zone 4 not the one being demolished now, but presumably the next one: it shows how the design of what appear to be luxury apartments will be built over a maze of historic ground-level passages, just like how the neo-Pimatgol came into being. The developers of each building carried out various preservation projects intended to preserve history. Walking through neo-Pimatgol, you can see countless monuments to the historic artifacts dug up on site during redevelopment. All of them serve to memorialize the Joseon era, and erase the 20th century. Many fight for floor space with 21st-century pedestrians visiting or passing the building. Nobody will be taken aback that the developers put little effort into heritage preservation. They add these architectural flourishes in exchange for better zoning: more retail space, more floors. Archaeologists conduct a survey of the site for the Centropolis building in central Seoul on June 15, 2015, prior to excavation. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar Artist needs help French-Canadian interdisciplinary artist Pierre Tremblay is visiting Seoul as part of his collective video art walk project. He will walk with a group through Seoul's downtown this Thursday, covering the Euljiro area that is threatened with demolition as well as Seun Sangga, a megastructure measuring 1 kilometer long and only 50 meters wide. Participants will record videos on their own devices, and then transfer the files to him. The final product will be a multidimensional video collage showing everyone's perspective in real time. The result will resemble a Cubist representation of the area. To participate, meet the group at Euljiro 4-ga Station exit 1 at noon Thursday. The event will take up to an hour. Dresden Wolves in Seoul The Mexican post-punk duo Dresden Wolves is in Seoul this Saturday for a concert at Club SHARP in Mangwon-dong, western Seoul. They'll play with local bands including Dead Buttons, Hellivision, DTSQ, Thee Mojo and Octopoulpe. The show costs 25,000 won. Visit fb.com/dresdenwolvesband for more information about the show or dresdenwolves.bandcamp.com to sample Dresden Wolves' music. Yun Chi-ho is pictured standing next to his father in the 1900s. / Robert Neff collection By Robert Neff On Jan. 21, 1919, a cold Tuesday morning, rumors spread quickly through the streets of Seoul that ex-Emperor Gojong had died at dawn. His death came as a complete surprise because he had been in relatively good health. Many did not believe it was true and there were conflicting reports. The Maeil Shinpo reported he was seriously ill but still alive. The crown prince, who was due to marry Princess Masako on Jan. 28, was summoned back to Korea. Yun Chi-ho, a Korean official and activist, provided a powerful eyewitness account not to the ex-emperor's death, but the uncertainty and chaos that followed in his diaries. On Jan. 22, the ex-emperor's death was formally announced and Yun reported that "Koreans especially those of older ages seem to be much affected." They gathered for days in front of Deoksu Palace, where Yun observed "thousands of mourners, old and young, men and women, [prostrated], themselves on the ground wailing in sincere grief." Often Yun's observations were contradictory and bitter even pro-Japanese, which would come to haunt him in his later years. He claimed the people were not crying so much for the loss of their former emperor but because his death was "the symbol of the final extinction of Korean autonomy. One tear for him and two tears for themselves." As the days passed, rumors and conspiracies were heard everywhere. Some claimed Gojong had committed suicide because he could not bear his son marrying a Japanese princess. The wedding was subsequently postponed due to his death. Others were much darker whispers of assassination by poison. Posters were placed here and there insinuating the Japanese had murdered Gojong. They were probably ripped down by the Japanese authorities just as soon as they went up. On Feb. 11, an official visited Yun and claimed the ex-emperor died about an hour after drinking from a cup of sweet rice wine. He was gripped with severe stomach pains which left him paralyzed. His fingers were clinched so tightly into a fist that an attending eunuch had to forcibly straighten them out. This would not be the last time Yun heard rumors Gojong was assassinated. Nearly a year later, he was informed the attendants preparing Gojong's corpse were shocked at its condition. His clothing had to be cut off because of his grotesquely swollen limbs, his teeth had fallen out of their sockets and there was a black mark extending from his throat to his stomach. These observations, as well as others, have lead some Korean scholars to speculate Gojong was poisoned. Koreans were not the only ones talking about poison. On Feb. 12, Yun traveled to Pyeongtaek by train he overheard a conversation between a Japanese couple seated next to him. "Among what she said I was amused or interested to hear that coral bead is used to detect poison in food, that even now a coral bead is employed to test every dish of food to be taken by the imperial Majesties" When Yun returned to Seoul in the third week of February, he heard students were planning to cause disturbances during Gojong's funeral with bombs. "The plotters know that they will gain no immediate benefit from the movement, but they believe it will help Korea by showing the International Assembly now in Paris that the Korean people are not contented with the Japanese regime." As the date for the funeral neared, things in Seoul became more hectic. On Feb. 27 he wrote: "The streets are thronged with men and women from the country to see the Funeral procession." The following day was the funeral's rehearsal and "all the windows facing the street were taken possession of by parties of women sightseers." Yun's Christian beliefs may have influenced him to write: "The rituals and dresses used in the Funeral Ceremonies are picturesque but childish." March 1 was a Saturday and the weather was beautiful as Yun made his way to his office in the YMCA building. In the afternoon, police searched the building for documents but found nothing. Shortly after they left, he and his assistant heard a great commotion. "Looking out through the windows we saw the street full of students and others running toward the Bell Square shouting Mansei. The boys waved caps and [handkerchiefs]. The pitiful sight of these simple youths running voluntarily into certain dangers in the name of patriotism brought tears to my eyes." The demonstrators were soon set upon by Japanese soldiers, mounted police, detectives and gendarmes the leaders were arrested and taken away. Yun would later add to his diary: "The Ex-Emperor of Korea, whose sudden death has proved to be a cue to the great disturbance, used to have one simple word to send any man to prison. That was the word, 'Pro-Japanese.' The Japanese in Korea has one convenient word to make anybody miserable. That word is: 'Anti-Japanese.'" The March First Independence Movement had begun. By Kang Seung-woo The Seoul Metropolitan Government, Tuesday, warned online content producers against filming homeless people without permission and posting video clips on social media platforms, citing violation of portrait rights. "If posted videos disclose their faces without consent, it may violate their portrait rights and the producers can be punished," a city official said. The move came after several independent producers recently filmed provocative content involving homeless people, including footage of them drinking and fighting, and posted them on online platforms such as YouTube and AfreecaTV in order to increase viewership. The city government added that such acts would not end only in a violation of portrait rights but may cause additional fallout. "Disclosure of their faces is not the only problem. More serious is increasing malicious comments online and pervasive negative perception of them in the community," the official said, adding that such unfavorable responses may discourage those people from getting back on their feet. The local government also launched a move to help the homeless who are plagued by indiscreet content creators. "We must keep in mind that anyone's portrait rights must be protected, so we ask online producers not to film homeless people without permission," the official added. Photo of Air Premia Boeing 787-9 Courtesy of Air Premia By Kim Hyun-bin The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has granted business licenses to three new low-cost carriers (LCCs Fly Gangwon, Air Premia and Aero K. Industry experts believe the move will inevitably escalate competition in the already saturated air travel market here. The government decided to issue the licenses by evaluating the companies' financial ability to operate a sustainable business, possible new routes, airport capacity, safety measures and consumer benefits. Of the five contenders, only Air Philip and Guardian Airlines didn't meet requirements for license issuance, according to the ministry. The main criteria included: minimum 15 billion won ($13.3 million) in capital, required number of pilots, flight attendants and maintenance personnel, and a fully functional service manual. The ministry says it also held an industry analysis to see if the new additions could have a negative impact on existing airlines and the market. The three new carriers must apply for an air operator certificate (AOC) within a year and commence flight service within two years. Those failing to meet the deadline will face license cancellation. Also, for the three years from launch of service, the airlines must operate via the airports stated on their license applications. In the applications, base airports were indicated by airline: Fly Gangwon is to be based at Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province, while Aero K is at Cheongju International Airport in North Chungcheong Province, and Air Premia is in Incheon International Airport. "We have made the strict rule that all the approved airlines need to fly out of their base airports to reinvigorate regional economies," Jin Hyun-hwan, director general for aviation policy at the ministry, said during a briefing at the Seoul Government Complex, Tuesday. The government will also regularly inspect the airlines' finances and see if they are in compliance with safety standards. The country already has two full-service carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines as well as six LCCs Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, T'way Air, Eastar Jet and Air Seoul which have a market share of over 55 percent, according to government data. The new bids are not welcomed by the currently operating airlines, who claim new entries will create excessive competition in an already saturated market. "It was unexpected that the government would approve licenses to three new LCCs, when some existing airlines are having difficulty staying afloat. All the LCCs should be worried about the competition which could force some of the airlines to close down in the future," an official from a local carrier said. Former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun speaks during a seminar at the National Assembly, Tuesday, on the second summit between North Korea and the U.S. and prospects for inter-Korean economic cooperation. Yonhap By Park Ji-won Former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun claimed Tuesday that the abrupt ending of the summit in Hanoi between U.S. President Donald trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was "intentional" and engineered by National Security Adviser John Bolton. Calling Bolton a "big hurdle" with regard to issues related to the Korean Peninsula, Jeong alleged the security adviser persuaded Trump to walk away from the talks with Kim. "Bolton, a North Korea hawk, reminds me of a white cavalry leader in an old Western movie who doesn't feel guilty about killing Native Americans," Jeong said while meeting with lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). "I believe the breakdown was intentionally brought about by the U.S. side, and Bolton was the villain in this." Jeong said Bolton caused problems in Hanoi by mentioning other nuclear facilities in the North apart from Yongbyon during negotiations with North Korean officials, and as a result discussing sanctions relief was impossible. "It seems to me that the North's proposals were the resumption of tour programs to Mount Geumgang and the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and connecting the railways and roads between the two Koreas. But these were not accepted by the U.S.," he said. Jeong also said the last-minute breakdown of the summit could be partly attributed to domestic politics in the U.S. testimony before Congress from Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen is painting an overwhelmingly negative picture of him. Jeong urged the Moon Jae-in government to resume talks with North Korea as quickly as possible before having talks with the U.S. to mediate the stalled dialogue. SEOUL, March 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Monday that her ministry will seek to hold three-way talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States to help rapidly resume the DPRK-U.S. dialogue. Kang made the remarks in her report to President Moon Jae-in during a National Security Council (NSC) meeting of the presidential Blue House, chaired by the president in about nine months, according to Moon's office. The top South Korean diplomat vowed to push for various ways to create a dialogue table between Pyongyang and Washington, including the 1.5-track talks. The 1.5-track dialogue, involving working-level officials and private experts, was held in Sweden in January, attended by Stephen Biegun, U.S. special representative for DPRK affairs, DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Lee Do-hoon, special South Korean representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. Kang said her ministry will help rapidly resume the DPRK-U.S. talks via cooperation with relevant countries such as China and Russia. The NSC meeting was convened to find ways to broker a compromise between Pyongyang and Washington after the second summit between top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a deal in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi last week. During the upcoming working-level talks between the DPRK and the United States, a major issue on the negotiating table will be the dismantlement of the DPRK's main nuclear complex plus alpha versus relief from sanctions against Pyongyang, Kang forecast. She said the two sides seemed to have actually come to an agreement on the establishment of liaison offices and the declaration of an official end to the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told President Moon that his ministry will seek to push for inter-Korean projects without violating international sanctions against the DPRK, saying he will prepare for consultation with the U.S. side on the resumption of Kaesong Industrial Complex and the Mount Kumgang tour. The jointly-run factory park in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong and the South Koreans' tour to the DPRK's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang have been suspended since 2016 and 2008 each. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said his ministry will seek to hold general-level military talks this month with the DPRK to implement the comprehensive military agreement, signed by defense chiefs of the two Koreas in September last year during the Pyongyang summit between the leaders of South Korea and the DPRK. By Lee Min-hyung North Korean leader Kim Jong-un North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returned home Tuesday after ending his failed summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and other diplomatic appointments in Vietnam's capital Hanoi. According to the North's Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim's private train arrived in Pyongyang at around 3 a.m. Tuesday. It took about 60 hours for Kim to arrive in the North's capital after he left Dong Dang train station in Vietnam, Saturday. Some critics predicted the young dictator would visit Beijing for another summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping en route to Pyongyang. But Kim did not make any stops on his way home. "A crowd of people were waiting for Kim's arrival to celebrate his successful summit with the U.S. and Vietnam," the KCNA said. Kim also responded by delivering a warm-hearted greeting to the people of the North upon his arrival in Pyongyang, the regime's state-run media reported. By Lee Min-hyung Oliver R. Avison Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, front row third from right, poses for a group photo with members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea at the National Assembly, Tuesday, before giving a lecture on the second summit between North Korea and the U.S. in Hanoi and prospects for inter-Korean relations. Yonhap By Park Ji-won The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) vowed continued support, Tuesday, for economic cooperation with North Korea even after the unexpected breakdown of the second summit between North Korea and the U.S. DPK Chairman Rep. Lee Hae-chan was briefed by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon at the National Assembly Tuesday over the summit between the North's Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi and discussed ways to deal with the aftermath of the summit. Suh Hoon, chief of the National Intelligence Service, also visited the Assembly to brief lawmakers on the summit outcomes. The moves came after Monday's National Security Council (NSC) meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in, where Moon and top officials also pledged to hold military talks with North Korea this month and consult the U.S. on restarting inter-Korean economic cooperation projects. The NSC meeting was the first to be held by Moon in nine months. "We will seek various ways to create a venue for the resumption of North Korea-U.S. dialogue," Kang said in the meeting on Monday. In the NSC meeting, the South Korean leader reportedly insisted the U.S. and North Korea will sign an agreement eventually. Meanwhile, Cho participated in a DPK seminar at the Assembly on the Hanoi summit and development of inter-Korean relations on Tuesday. "Even though the North and the U.S. didn't make an agreement, it is important that the two paved the way to enter an important stage in the future," he said. He also said the ministry asked the U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea to lift sanctions blocking inter-Korean projects such as connecting railways and roads, forestry cooperation and holding meetings for separated families, and it will push for various businesses with the North. Cho emphasized that to restore the facilities at Mount Geumgang, sanctions should be lifted. Cho added, "As Trump mentioned, there was a testimony by his former attorney Michael Cohen on the same day as the summit. And, the main reason behind the failure to sign an agreement was that the two countries failed to exchange opinions on the scope of denuclearization." U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sit down for a dinner during the second U.S.-North Korea summit at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam Feb. 27, 2019. AP-Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chul Domestic political problems facing U.S. President Donald Trump could negatively influence talks with North Korea as well as inter-Korean relations, analysts in Seoul said Tuesday They said the failed summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un underscored the high risk of "top down" diplomacy, noting that when this collapses, there is no higher authority to take over and offer a compromise. The stakes of the Hanoi meeting had been elevated, and much has been lost in its failure they said, with some adding that a growing "Trump risk" was weighing on the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. President Moon Jae-in was convinced that the second summit between Kim and Trump would bring "at least" an agreement on partial easing of economic sanctions alongside denuclearization steps. As such, Moon was ready to announce new inter-Korean initiatives. But, according to a Trump tweet, an almost clinched historic deal fell through, in part, because of the congressional testimony being given by Michael Cohen, his former personal lawyer and fixer. "For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the 'walk,'" Trump tweeted. "Never done when a president is overseas. Shame!" Trump could have agreed to a small deal, with the North closing a few nuclear sites in return for the lifting of some sanctions. However, analysts say the Cohen issue pushed Trump to get a "big deal." "Trump wanted to cover up controversies surrounding him by signing a deal with Kim Jong-un. But the plan was scrapped mostly because of the Cohen issue, I think. Trump's decision, no deal is better than a bad deal, is getting support from both Republicans and Democrats, which is just a bad scenario for South Korea," said Park Hui-rak, a professor at Kookmin University. US President Donald Trump speaks during an event in honor of the 2018 Division I FCS National Champions: The North Dakota State Bison in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Mar. 4, 2019. AFP-Yonhap Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae speaks during an emergency meeting with heads of 10 major cities and provinces held at government complex building in Sejong City, Tuesday. / Yonhap By Kim Jae-heun The government's countermeasures to fight the fine dust issue here are being questioned, as the nation's air quality has been getting worse over the last few days despite the measures being taken for five consecutive days. Although the government has restricted cars at parking lots of public organizations, banned old diesel vehicles from entering Seoul and reduced the operation time of state-run companies' factories generating high levels of emissions, people have been suffering from choking air and have had to avoid outdoor activities. The level of Seoul's ultrafine particles, those smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, was 147 micrograms per cubic meter on average Tuesday morning, almost double the standard for "very bad" which is above 75 micrograms. Afternoon dust levels were even higher. Since 2015 when the government began measuring ultrafine dust levels, the previous record in Seoul was 129 micrograms on Jan. 14 this year, followed by 117 micrograms on March 4. Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae held an emergency meeting with heads of 10 major cities and provinces for two consecutive days, discussing ways to combat the worsening environmental conditions. Another meeting with vice ministers of relevant ministries was also held in Seoul to discuss the issue. Despite the meetings and fine dust reduction measures, however, no clear signs of improvement have been seen. Cho urged the whole nation to participate in fighting fine dust, which the government plans to designate as a national disaster. "The bill to designate fine dust as a disaster has been proposed in the National Assembly. Once it is passed, we can have more strict regulations to control air pollution," Cho told reporters at the ministry office in Sejong. He also called for voluntary participation in anti-dust moves, such as citizens refraining from using cars and the private sector reducing operating times for factories. By Troy Stangarone All negotiations face setbacks. In most instances these breakdowns happen at the working level rather than between leaders as occurred in Hanoi. In negotiating problems as intractable as the dismantlement of North Korea's weapons programs, setbacks are likely, but need not preclude a successful outcome if the proper groundwork is laid in advance. Something that is more challenging in the current top-down process between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. Of course, as the experience of the six-party talks demonstrates, not all negotiations will necessarily lead to success either. However, the early indications are that some progress was made in narrowing differences. Both sides have also been relatively restrained in their comments after the summit. North Korea has suggested it will not resume testing and the U.S. and South Korea have maintained their suspension of major joint military exercises, indicating a desire on both sides not to close the door on future talks. The talks, perhaps unsurprisingly, stalled over sanctions, but each side may have approached the summit with unrealistic expectations. For months Pyongyang has insisted that dismantlement must be coupled with sanctions relief. In Hanoi, North Korea put forward a proposal that called for the United States to agree to the removal of the five most recent U.N. sanctions resolutions in exchange for the dismantlement of its nuclear production facilities at Yongbyon, though not all facilities at the location. While capping North Korea's ability to make new fissile materials at Yongbyon, the deal would have left North Korea with its existing weapons stockpile and production facilities at other locations still intact, while asking the United States to lift a significant majority of the economic sanctions on North Korea. This would have risked locking in place North Korea's status as a de facto nuclear weapons state and removing nearly all of the U.S. leverage in the negotiations going forward. This was never an offer the United States would be able to accept. Similarly, Trump maintained his conviction that he could convince Kim to go "big" and agree to a deal that would lift all of the sanctions in exchange for North Korea dismantling all of its weapons and production facilities, including those outside of Yongbyon. Essentially an offer North Korea has consistently declined over the years. If the offer in Hanoi was Kim's opening offer rather than the best that North Korea can do, there is the possibility of the two sides reaching a negotiated solution. The same is true if Trump's offer is the ultimate goal, but perhaps achievable through a series of agreements rather than one all-encompassing agreement. In essence, both sides may need to lower their expectations and work to find a solution that mixes elements of both. This would mean that Kim will need to accept that the dismantlement of Yongbyon on its own is not worth the removal of most economic sanctions on North Korea to the international community and that relief may be contingent on North Korea following through on its commitments, while the U.S. might need to work toward an interim agreement that could build confidence on both sides. To get there the top-down approach needs to be modified. The inability of Trump and Kim to reach an agreement on steps toward the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs demonstrates the possibilities and the challenges of the top-down approach. While the top-down approach gave the United States access to the ultimate decision-maker in North Korea, it can only work if complemented with a robust working-level process. Stephen Biegun, Trump's envoy for North Korea, struggled to gain access to his North Korean interlocutors until relatively shortly before the summit and the two sides were unable to conclude the type of detailed negations that are needed. If North Korea engages the U.S. in a robust working-level process, the two sides could work toward resolving most of the issues, even if a few decisions remain for Trump and Kim. In the lead up to Hanoi, the gaps remained too large for the leaders to bridge. After the breakdown, it will take time to know if this is just a temporary impasse or if the differences between the United States and North Korea are too large to bridge. In the short term the challenge will be developing a process that will allow the working-level officials to engage in the type of robust negotiations that would allow their leaders to successfully meet at a future summit. If the U.S. and North Korea are unable to do that, there is no reason to believe that a future summit would be more successful than the one in Hanoi. Troy Stangarone (ts@keia.org) is the senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Korea Economic Institute. Which Donald Trump captivated your attention Thursday the gambler who brashly tried but failed to reach a deal stripping North Korea of nuclear weapons, or the slippery scoundrel described as a con man and a criminal by his former lawyer? Both personas were on display as cable news operations spanning the globe covered Trump's scuttled summit meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un while chewing over Michael Cohen's congressional testimony. Part gambler, part scoundrel. Or maybe the mix you see is different, depending on your political outlook. Yet on any given day Trump appears capable of grasping for a nuclear disarmament deal or running himself into a ditch. No presidents escape controversy. Their political decisions divide Americans as much as unite them. With Trump, we see a more fundamental, lamentable divide between the policy work he pursues and his character failings. That is, we see an unbridgeable contradiction between the go-for-broke presidency and the personally flawed president. Two tracks were probably inevitable for Trump. He took office ill-prepared for the job and disinterested in taming his raging ego, which makes him vulnerable to repeating stupid mistakes. It doesn't mean he's incapable of achievements. It means he takes high-stakes risks, like this North Korea gambit. Trump won office as a blunt-talking iconoclast, which pleased his supporters. They were sick of politics as usual (and sick of being patronized by arrogant snobs who know what's best for everyone). Trump's the same helter-skelter bettor today. He trusts his gut. He knows what he wants to accomplish. But he doesn't know much about conventional governance or diplomacy. And, in a disservice to his goals and his constituents, he refuses to moderate his impetuous behavior. As a result, Trump's time in the White House has been bedeviled by scandal and needless screw-ups. Example: Trump's peculiar statement that he believes the North Korean dictator's claim that he didn't know about mistreatment of Otto Warmbier while the now-deceased American college student was imprisoned in his country. Cohen's appearance before a House committee was a different-flavored reminder of the president's poor judgment. You don't have to take Cohen's word for it. He's shady in his own right. But there's enough corroborating evidence to recognize Cohen's assertion that Trump took office as "the worst version of himself." Among many scurrilous stories Cohen told publicly, he testified that Trump orchestrated payoffs to an adult film actress to hide a Trump affair. Cohen also testified that Trump pursued a real estate deal in Moscow and lied to the public about that as he marched toward the presidency. "He lied about it because he never expected to win," Cohen said. "He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars on the Moscow real estate project." Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to a Senate subcommittee, bank fraud, tax fraud, and violating campaign finance laws. He will go to prison. The legal scrutiny of Trump continues. Special counsel Robert Mueller soon is expected to conclude the Russia investigation and determine, among other things, whether Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James Comey. Some of the noise surrounding Trump is inevitable. His brash temperament makes him divisive and surprising. The three preceding, more conventional presidents didn't aggressively try to stop Pyongyang from developing atomic bombs. Trump instead has risked success and failure by bringing the Hermit Kingdom into the world's limelight. How much of last week's walk-off was theatrics, none of us knows. Trump may wind up with nothing more than what his predecessors unfortunately permitted: a North Korea with nuclear weapons and improved missile capabilities. Or perhaps, by force of will, Trump eventually will achieve a breakthrough with Kim. Too frequently, though, Trump hurtles forward without considering the consequences. That leaves him open to attack by congressional Democrats, many of whom want to remove him from office. More urgently, it leaves him open to harsh judgments from Mueller. Walking away from Kim, rather than cutting a bad deal and claiming victory, demonstrated depending on your outlook Trump's confident instinct or failed roadshow. Stage right, Chinese trade negotiators now know that, if they don't make more concessions in tariff talks, America's unpredictable president would do the same to them. Yet as Cohen reiterated, Trump also can be the scoundrel. The greatest threat to this presidency is the president. The above commentary appeared in the Chicago Tribune. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. By Park Jin-ho The recent U.S.-North Korea Hanoi summit was a result of the prelude to future U.S.-North Korea talks based on conditions made concrete by U.S. President Donald Trump. Now, it seems that Trump moved to the right path to discuss North Korea's denuclearization. He drew a clear red line on how sanctions against North Korea would be lifted. At the same time, it was observed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had no intention of abandoning nuclear weapons without a preceding relief of sanctions. In addition, Trump gave his own first definition of denuclearization, removing all nuclear weapons, which was not discussed at all during the first U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore last June. Prior to the recent meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Hanoi, President Trump publicly emphasized the need for "no rush." He downplayed expectations for the summit results. In this regard, he might have been prepared for both worst and best scenarios of his top-down dialogue with Chairman Kim. It was found that Kim, however, was not well prepared to discuss and accept what Trump wanted. After all, a "top-down" approach between the two leaders was subject to Trump's transactional art of negotiation. Now, it remains to be seen, but Pyongyang may consider modifying its negotiation approach and strategy for future meetings with Washington. The failure of the Hanoi summit may imply that Trump would not be willing to work at least now with President Moon Jae-in with regards to sanctions relief for transforming the two Korea's relationship. In the aftermath of the summit, Trump had a phone call with Moon and asked for his mediation role in the North's denuclearization. It is a clear signal that Seoul is being requested to turn its focus to denuclearization from economic cooperation with Pyongyang. The Moon administration is now in strategic dilemma over how to develop a Plan B. The issue is that there has been no Plan B discussed at all up to now inside the Moon administration or among Seoul, Washington, and Pyongyang. After returning to Pyongyang empty-handed, Kim could wait and see for a while what his South Korean counterpart will suggest since both leaders were stunned by the Hanoi summit. Since North Korea already possesses nuclear weapons, it was anticipated that Kim would be unlikely to rush for a new deal with Trump in Hanoi. But, the summit turned out to be quite the opposite. Rather than considering the worst-case scenario of the summit, Moon and Kim expected the best-case scenario such as holding another summit sooner or later. From a domestic political viewpoint in Washington, the timing of the Hanoi summit was bad because of Michael Cohen's hearings at the U.S. Congress. Trump was confident that the unsuccessful results of the summit making no difference would endanger his political leadership in fending off Cohen's allegations of his illegal activities. Trump's leadership is much more vulnerable to domestic politics than international dynamics. This was overlooked by Seoul and Pyongyang. President Trump has made no commitment yet to a next round of "top-down" meetings with Chairman Kim. He said that Kim had a certain vision and it was "not exactly our vision" on denuclearization. The U.S. and North Korea have given different reasons for the failure of the Hanoi summit an ugly buck passing between each other. Now, President Moon is in a rush to meet with Trump and Kim separately, putting aside his own rapprochement policy toward North Korea. Kim will not wait long to hear from Moon. At the same time, Trump's strategic patience will not last long. The writer is chief of staff to Rep. Baek Seung-joo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. By Stephen Costello Statements emerging from a National Security Council (NSC) meeting at the presidential office Monday indicated that the South Korean government is thinking in detail about how to lead the parties back to a productive deal after the anticlimactic Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. This is timely and very promising news. After almost two years of extreme efforts and remarkable diplomatic and bureaucratic coordination, many lessons must have been learned and much capacity must have been created in the Moon Jae-in government. Although there is still plenty to do, it is simply inaccurate today to say that in terms of diplomatic power South Korea is a "shrimp among whales." Perhaps it is now more of a dolphin among sharks, but we should probably abandon this analogy before it's too late. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's quoted remarks are particularly relevant to today's strategic moment. An AP story characterizes her points this way: "Proposed new talks would help settle differences over how much sanctions relief Washington should provide North Korea in exchange for nuclear disarmament steps." This is precisely what Seoul, and only Seoul, can do now. It also gets at the mystery that may never be solved regarding the negotiating positions in Hanoi one week ago. Did the Americans ever propose to lift those four or five critical U.N. sanctions in return for denuclearization steps that were realistic and appropriate? News reports in the New York Times and other publications have not revealed the answer, and no reporter has asked President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton, or others. Given the ongoing chaos within the U.S. administration, and self-imposed limitations on journalists, we are unlikely to find out. This is where the Seoul administration's role is unique. Senior officials there know far more about the detailed positions of the U.S. and DPRK teams than we outsiders do. They are also a trusted, non-ideological and professional voice on these issues at a critical time. The Hanoi meeting can be judged as the demonstration of Seoul's maximum patience with the two other protagonists, and a demonstration that those two are still unable to reach the critical deal. We have no idea whether the new three-party talks will materialize, or whether Seoul would be successful in driving everyone toward a good initial deal. But this is exactly where the South Korean government should be right now. Its interest in North Korea's verified and significant actions toward denuclearization, and its interest in the lifting of crucial U.N. sanctions on North Korea, are absolute. There is clearly a deal to be made. Among the questions that might be explored are these: Could the North agree to a verified freeze on the production of all fissile material, in exchange for relief (perhaps with a snap-back option) of those important five U.N. sanctions? If the North added to this a formal, written agreement to freeze testing of all ICBM missiles or components, would that be acceptable to both? How about if four instead of five sanctions are lifted? Other items could be added by either side to enhance the deal, such as an end-of-war declaration, exchange of liaison offices, humanitarian and travel agreements, etc. But partial U.N. sanctions relief for verified freezes on fissile material and ICBMs would be the central exchange. The new initiative that has been hinted at could be a medium- and long-term project, because it seems to accept the one central fact of the North Korea questions: Significant and trustworthy sanctions relief is the only basis on which DPRK denuclearization and capability degradation can occur. If the determination, among the North's neighbors and international actors, to cap and roll back its nuclear and missile abilities can be satisfied, then partial-but-significant U.N. sanctions relief should be the exchange. All serious experts would likely agree to this. U.S. economic promises, multiple "waivers" at the U.N. 1718 Sanctions Committee, and other unilateral or bilateral items would be insufficient. It is just as questionable whether the U.S. or North Korea would accept these proposed deals. But they are what should have been on the table, beginning over a year ago. It is not clear that they were ever on the table in Hanoi. Now it is time to find out, and Seoul is the only one who can mediate. Stephen Costello (scost55@gmail.com) managed the Kim Dae Jung Peace Foundation Washington office in the 1990s. He directed the Korea program at the Atlantic Council there from 1999 to 2004. He now directs AsiaEast.Org, a policy initiative focused on security, development and politics in Northeast Asia. He writes from Washington and Seoul. Moon's picks for new ambassadors are inadequate President Moon Jae-in is expected to replace some ambassadors and ministers later this week according to Cheong Wa Dae. The reshuffle is drawing keen attention as he is expected to name new ambassadors to be sent to the surrounding major powers, including China, Japan and Russia. The President's picks for key envoys are triggering strong criticism as he has decided to recycle some of his close aides despite their insufficient qualifications. The most problematic is the decision to appoint Jang Ha-sung, former presidential chief of staff for policy, as ambassador to China. Jang will be succeeding former ambassador Noh Young-min, who was appointed presidential chief of staff at the beginning of the year after serving briefly as ambassador to China from October 2017 until January. When Noh became the ambassador to China, Moon was criticized for naming a close aide without any diplomatic background. The post has been vacant since January when Noh returned to Korea to serve as Moon's chief of staff. It is a relief that this crucial diplomatic post will be finally filled at a critical juncture in Korea's diplomacy due to the ongoing denuclearization talks with North Korea. But it is disappointing that Moon is repeating a pattern of naming close aides to posts without fully considering whether they are qualified for the job. It is questionable whether Jang will be able to do a better job than Noh as he does not have any professional or academic experience regarding China. Given the grave impact of China on Korea's trade and security, Moon should have appointed someone who has a deep knowledge of China and its people and culture. It is uncertain whether a career scholar and economist like Jang has what it takes to fulfill the huge tasks that lie ahead for the Korean ambassador to China. There are similar concerns for Nam Gwan-pyo, Moon's choice for ambassador to Japan. Nam previously served as a deputy director of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office and had a long career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but his diplomatic career had never involved Japan. Korea-Japan relations have noticeably deteriorated since Moon took office. Lately, bilateral ties have been strained over not just longstanding historical conflicts, but also over military tension following Japan's provocative actions in the last few months. Nam will hopefully do a better job in delivering Korea's position to Japan than the current Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Su-hoon, a former professor who has been serving in the post since October 2017. As Moon enters a critical phase in his presidency, he must abandon the habit of inadequate diplomatic appointments, which give the people the impression the President is not serious about carrying out competent diplomacy. WINDHOEK, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's new container terminal at the coastal town of Walvis Bay which was constructed by a Chinese company will be commissioned on August 1 this year, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Walvis Bay Corridor Group Clive Smith told reporters in the capital Windhoek on Monday. According to Smith, the container terminal that will position the country as a regional logistic hub and gateway is currently 91 percent completed with construction expected to be fully finalized at the end of June. "This is a very exciting time for the country...over the last five years, Namibia has made significant progress in logistic performance and I believe, this port will result in even better performance in the coming years," Smith said. China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. started construction work in 2014 while the African Development Bank provided the 300 million U.S. dollars funding. The container terminal being constructed on 40 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea is expected to increase the container handling capacity from the current 350,000 containers to 750,000 per annum. By Lee Seong-hyon The Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam inevitably creates the public impression that the "bottom to top process" doesn't work. The "top to bottom process" doesn't work either. Trump's "art of the deal" proved to be the "art of no deal." Now what? Let us turn to the Chinese, the descendants of Sun Tzu, a great strategist who penned "The Art of War" 2,500 years ago. There are three items of interests when it comes to the "China Angle" on the second Trump-Kim summit that just collapsed. First, the immediate reaction from China was a sigh of relief. This reveals a very complex emotional mismatch. Officially, China also expressed good wishes for the success of the summit. It is important to appreciate that China is sincere in its wishes. Beijing also wants to see the denuclearization of North Korea. Nuclear disarmament (wu he) of the Korean Peninsula is one of the top priorities in China's policy toward the two Koreas, along with peace (bu zhan) and stability (bu luan). In addition, Pyongyang's nuclear facilities, particularly the sites of its previous tests were near the Chinese border, endangering the safety of that country's Chinese population in its northeastern region (Dongbei). But the devil is in the details. From China's perspective, this important geopolitical ball game on what Beijing inherently sees as "China's own turf" in Asia has been mainly played by the United States, a faraway offshore power. In other words, China is absent from a big deal underway in its own region. This makes it feel marginalized from its due place. Beijing believes that the collapse of the Trump-Kim summit is a warning to the relevant stakeholders about the importance of China in its mediating role. After all, it is seen as the country that wields the largest influence over North Korea. China also played host to the multilateral consortium that tackled North Korea's nuclear issue for years, called the six-party talks since 2003. Even though it is in a "coma" state at the moment, China still regularly calls for the resumption of the talks as a proper way to deal with Pyongyang's nukes. Second, China believes that the chance for the success of the denuclearization talks will remain low, if not uncertain, if they are completely left to Trump and Kim, these two individuals alone without third-party "adult supervision." And that adult is China. There is a view that Trump wouldn't dare to walk away if the summit was held in Beijing, with Xi Jinping's mediation. In Asia, particularly, walking away from a pre-arranged meal is seen as rude. Trump wouldn't have done that to Xi, the logic goes. In addition, China sees that given the decades of deep-seated mistrust and the sheer complexity of the nuclear issue, the negotiations should have been seen as a long-haul game. After all, the U.S. and North Korea fought against each other during the 1950-53 Korean War. The war didn't end with a formal peace treaty. That means they are still technically in a state of war. Their on-and-off nuclear negotiations have a protracted 26 years of history. There is accumulated frustration and mistrust due to broken promises made by North Korea. North Koreans also have their share of a long list of American deal breakers. Third, in this vein, China hopes to be "invited" to the nuclear deal arena to play the role of a referee between Trump and Kim, who will follow ground rules mapped out by China. In 2017, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed a "dual track" mechanism to nail down the long-standing nuclear conundrum. One, a "dual suspension" (shuang zan ting) is for North Korea the suspension of its nuclear and missile tests, and for the U.S., the suspension of joint military drills with South Korea. Wang said on Feb. 27 that the double suspension was realized on the Korean peninsula following the first Trump-Kim summit held in Singapore last year. In other words, things have proceeded according to the Chinese formula. Two, looking ahead, China believes that the American formula of "denuclearization first, compensation second" will not work, given the aforementioned long-held mistrust by North Korea. Therefore, China will more vigorously advocate its own formula, the "dual track approach" (shuanggui bingxing) of the synchronization of denuclearization and a peace process. In the event that the U.S. is less enthusiastic about this solution, China is likely to reach out to Russia, and also to South Korea, to garner international support, conducive to its approach. Lee Seong-hyon (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), Ph.D., is director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute. South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has ranked first in a recent consumer satisfaction survey in Russia, a report showed Tuesday. According to the report by global consultancy KPMG, Samsung topped the list of 100 brands with the best consumer experience by earning 8.24 points out of the full 10. Samsung was trailed by U.S.-based Nike Inc. with 8.09, French cosmetics and beauty brand Yves Rocher with 8.08, Japanese electronics maker Sony with 8.05 and American credit card issuer Visa with 8.03 The survey of 5,000 Russian consumers evaluates six categories, including approach to customers. "Receiving the highest scores in five out of The Six Pillars from all brands makes Samsung retain the leading consumer experience brand in 2018, and the main factors contributing their high results is instore experience," the report said. "As one of the leaders in the Russian consumer electronics and digital markets, Samsung has established a trustworthy reputation over many years. Samsung retail's high integrity is inseparable from the Samsung brand image." It marks KPMG's first consumer satisfaction survey in Russia, though the consulting firm has conducted such surveys in major economies worldwide since 2010. Last year, Samsung was named the most loved brand in Russia for the eighth year in a row in a survey carried out by Russia's Online Market Intelligence. Samsung garnered 18.3 percent of support from 1,500 respondents living in the country's cities with over 1 million people, followed by Germany's fashion brand Adidas AG with 11.1 percent and Nike with 9.6 percent. (Yonhap) Epson Korea CEO Yasuo Shibusawa speaks during a press conference at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul By Baek Byung-yeul Epson's EB-L20000U projector / Courtesy of Epson Korea Epson Korea released two new laser projectors that can be used for business conferences and exhibitions to expand its share in the fast-growing high-resolution projector market here, the Korean unit of Japan's Seiko Epson announced Tuesday. The firm came up with the EB-L12000Q and EB-L20000U projectors, which the company described as compact in size and capable of producing superior-quality images compared to its competitors. Epson Korea said the country's high resolution projector market has seen rapid growth as it estimates the market for projectors with more than 10,000 lumen brightness has recorded an annual growth rate of 111 percent. Epson's new projector EB-L12000Q / Courtesy of Epson Korea BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called on writers, artists and theorists to strengthen cultural confidence, serve the people with fine works, and guide the public with high moral standards. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when joining a joint panel discussion attended by political advisors from the sectors of culture and art, and social sciences. They are here for the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Wang Yang, chairman of the 13th CPPCC National Committee and a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the discussion. Xi made a speech after hearing the opinions and suggestions of eight political advisors. "A country, or a nation, cannot be devoid of soul," Xi said, adding that the mission of workers in culture, literature, art and philosophy and social sciences is to nurture the root and soul of the nation. The CPC Central Committee has always attached great importance to the above-mentioned undertakings, he said. He noted that the quality of cultural, literary and art works have constantly improved, and the development of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics has accelerated with remarkable achievements made. Xi called for efforts to undertake the mission of recording, writing about and praising the new era. Stressing the people-centered principle, Xi said the people are the source of creation. Cultural, literary and artistic workers should participate in practices, carefully observe people's lives and express people's aspirations, Xi said. He also required philosophy and social sciences workers to conduct more field surveys and research to gain knowledge of people's living conditions. Xi stressed providing the people with quality products, saying that all valuable and meaningful literary and artistic works and academic research should reflect reality and be conducive to solving real problems and answering real questions. All practitioners in culture, literature, art, philosophy and social sciences shoulder the important tasks of enlightening thoughts, nurturing sentiments and warming hearts, Xi said, asking them to set an example for society with lofty aspirations, good morals and noble sentiments. As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xi called on the attendees to profoundly reflect the struggles and practice of the Party and the people over the past 70 years. A Beatles fan with a guilty conscience helped a 50-year-old issue of Life magazine get back to where it once belonged. NPR reported Tuesday that the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Ohio received an unusual piece of mail last week a copy of a magazine from 1968 featuring the Fab Four on the cover. The magazine didnt get lost on the long and winding road from the publisher to the library. It was stolen decades ago by a patron from a library in Parma, Ohio, whose conscience evidently wouldnt let him be. A note mailed with the magazine read, I stole this magazine from the Parma Ridge Road Library when I was a kid. Im sorry I took it. Ive enclosed a check for the late fee. The note, signed Brian, was accompanied by a money order for $100. Advertisement Brians full name remains a mystery, but he might live in or near Dayton, Ohio, where the magazine was mailed from. Robert Rua, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Public Library, praised the mystery man for returning the long-overdue item. Its a story about doing the right thing, he said. We would thank him for setting a good example if belated. The Associated Press reports that $100 is the maximum amount the library charges for late fees. If that werent the case, Brian would have been on the hook for $1,800, if the librarys 10-cents-a-day late fee were applied. The library isnt taking any chances when it comes to the returned magazine it plans to display the item in a case, making it inaccessible to would-be thieves. Rua noted that the magazine was in pretty good condition, considering the decades that have passed since it was pilfered. And while he discouraged library patrons from taking 50 years to return items, he conceded that there are limits to how missing items can be recovered. There really isnt a Mr. Bookman, no library cop, he said, referring to an episode of Seinfeld featuring Philip Baker Hall as a grizzled detective intent on punishing Jerry over a missing copy of Henry Millers Tropic of Cancer. Its perhaps inevitable that a federal regulator who has acquired a reputation for doing his job effectively will be a short-timer in the Trump administration. Thats the case with Scott Gottlieb, who on Tuesday announced that he will leave his post as head of the Food and Drug Administration next month. Gottlieb, 46, will have lasted less than two years as FDA commissioner. Beyond saying that he wished to spend more time with his family, which had stayed home in Westport, Conn., while he commuted to Washington, he gave no explanation for his sudden resignation. His announcement comes only two months after he debunked rumors of his impending departure. I want to be very clear Im not leaving, he wrote on Twitter on Jan. 3. As recently as Tuesday morning, Gottlieb appeared on CNBC to announce a crackdown on 15 national retailers for selling tobacco and e-cigarettes to minors, giving no clue about the announcement he was to make a few hours later. There were no indications that he was pressured to resign; in fact, his image as an effective regulator was one of the few examples of functioning government that Trump could point to. Its imperative that the next nominee be free of industry ties. Michael Carome, director of Public Citizens Health Research Group Advertisement Gottliebs appointment in March 2017 raised concerns among healthcare advocates because of his ties to the pharmaceutical industry, in which he has been a millionaire investor. He was entangled in an unprecedented web of ties to Big Pharma, says Michael Carome, director of the Health Research Group at Public Citizen, which opposed his confirmation. He was labeled a bona-fide pharma shill whose appointment was greeted with unalloyed joy by the drug industry. But even some healthcare advocates were relieved that Gottlieb got the job over such candidates as Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley billionaire with an extreme anti-regulatory bent. In office, Gottlieb won positive reviews for some of his regulatory initiatives on public health issues such as opioid abuse, the rise of vaping among underage users, and clinics hawking bogus stem cell cures for incurable diseases. He had pledged to streamline the FDA process for approving drugs, which brought him praise from some patient advocates. The FDAs more permissive approach on drug approvals was cited Tuesday by President Trump, who tweeted his appreciation for Gottliebs efforts to lower drug prices, get a record number of generic drugs approved and onto the market, and so many other things. But critics fault Gottlieb for pushing the FDA too far in favor of hasty approvals of drugs and medical devices and failing to support the agencys other public health initiatives with more than lip service. Were not sad to see him go, Public Citizens Carome told me. Under Gottlieb, for example, the FDA abandoned efforts last year to require more clinical trial evidence for the safety of baricitinib, a controversial drug for rheumatoid arthritis marketed by Eli Lilly & Co. as Olumiant. Although the FDA had rejected the drug in 2017 because of reports that it promoted life-threatening blood clots, the agency approved the drug in June. Critics say that Gottliebs initiatives against opioid abuse, which he termed the biggest public health crisis facing the FDA, were undermined by the agencys approval of a new opioid drug thought to be unusually vulnerable to diversion from healthcare clinics to the black market. The drug is Dsuvia, which is a dangerously potent but slow-acting painkiller that is being marketed as a small pill to place under the tongue. The FDA approved its marketing in November over the objection of Raeford Brown, chair of the agencys Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Committee. In a letter to Gottlieb, Brown called Dsuvia an extremely divertible drug, and added: I predict that we will encounter diversion, abuse, and death within the early months of its availability on the market. As for stem cell clinics, Gottliebs FDA launched a crackdown on some questionable clinics and even threatened to shut them down, but experts concerned about the hawking of unproven cures sold to desperate patients for thousands of dollars per supposed treatment have been waiting for more concerted action. The greatest concern among healthcare advocates may turn on what lies ahead for the FDA. Its imperative that the next nominee be free of industry ties, Carome says. But that isnt the Trump administrations typical approach to regulatory agencies. Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. Return to Michael Hiltziks blog. Corelle Brands, the maker of Pyrex and CorningWare kitchen products, agreed to merge with Instant Brands Inc., the company behind the popular Instant Pot cooker. Financial terms werent disclosed in a joint statement Monday. The combined business will have an enterprise value of more than $2 billion, according to a person familiar with the deal who asked not to be identified because the details are private. Corelle Chief Executive Ken Wilkes will become chief executive of the new company, while Robert Wang, Instant Brands founder and CEO, is to serve as chief innovation officer. The merger brings together two closely held companies whose brands are staples of home cooking. Ottawa-based Instant Brands Instant Pot combines the functions of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker and steamer, and some models have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Instant Pots and competing products flew off the shelves of J.C. Penney Co., Walmart Inc., Kohls Corp. and other retailers during the holiday season. They have attracted a die-hard following of home chefs in recent years for their ease dump in the ingredients, and voila. Rosemont, Ill.-based Corelles other brands include the Corelle line of tableware and Chicago Cutlery. Pyrex has its roots in 1915. The company formerly known as WKI Holding Co. was bought by Cornell Capital in 2017. Advertisement The transaction is expected to be completed in this years second quarter. Stifel Nicolaus & Co. served as financial advisor to Corelle Brands, while Davis Polk & Wardwell provided legal advice. For Instant Brands, CIBC was its financial advisor and Dentons Canada was its legal advisor. Diesel USA Inc., the premium denim and accessory brand whose five-pocket pants dominated pop culture in the 1990s and early 2000s, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware on Tuesday. The unit of Italys Diesel blamed plummeting sales, a botched turnaround, pricey leases and unwavering landlords plus several instances of cyber fraud and theft. The Chapter 11 petition filed with a three-year plan to correct a strategy that had it leasing expensive stores in premium locations estimates up to $100 million in assets and as much as $50 million in debt. Diesel USA doesnt plan to follow in the footsteps of some other retailers that have announced massive store closures. Instead, its court papers described a plan to restore the Diesel brand in the United States, including opening new stores and retrofitting some old ones to make them cheaper to operate. The U.S. division, which listed $7.4 million in unsecured obligations to trade creditors, has 380 employees and 28 retail stores in the United States, as well as relationships with department stores and specialty retailers. Advertisement Diesel USAs bankruptcy filing comes at a time when several chains that survived the first retail apocalypse are back in the spotlight. Shoe store Payless Inc., which filed for bankruptcy last month, is abandoning 2,500 stores. Mall staples Victorias Secret and Gap are among retailers planning to reduce their footprints. Diesel is best known for its high-end denim and was vital to the rise of premium jeans. Designer denim had a resurgence in the early 2000s as shoppers flocked to brands including Diesel, 7 For All Mankind and True Religion to shell out $200 or more on a pair of fashion-forward jeans. Profitable until 2008, Diesel USA was just recovering from the recession when certain decisions made by prior management started to catch up with it, according to court papers. Prior management began employing a real estate strategy that involved substantial investments in its retail stores, chief restructuring officer Mark Samson said in a court declaration filed Tuesday. In an effort to put stores in premium locations, it entered into leases such as one for its flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York at an inopportune time, just as its sales dropped precipitously, he said. Prior management spent $90 million in capital expenditures across the business between 2008 and 2015, primarily to brick-and-mortar stores. The company tried to renegotiate leases with landlords starting more than a year ago but has only managed to secure a single rent concession, Samson said. On top of that, the company said it was the victim in multiple incidents of theft and fraud, resulting in additional losses of $1.2 million over the last three years, including from internet spoofers who sent false invoices that the company paid. Its turnaround plan calls for it to collaborate with social media influencers, enhance its denim collection for female customers and relocate some stores to smaller cost-effective locations with reduced rent. The New York-based company lists the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency in Atlanta as its single biggest unsecured creditor. Diesel USA didnt immediately return a call for comment. Diesels bankruptcy counsel didnt immediately return a call for comment. The denim category has been battling a fashion shift in the United States toward more sporty looks such as leggings, which the industry has dubbed athleisure. Imports of elastic knit pants surpassed those of denim for the first time in 2017. But recently there have been some signs of hope that denim is coming back into vogue, and jeans rival Levi Strauss & Co. recently announced a plan to go public. Qualcomm Inc. is putting the value of its patent portfolio on the line in a San Diego courtroom to try to make Apple Inc. pay for using technology the chipmaker credits for the iPhones commercial success. Its the first time a U.S. jury will have a say in the two-year, sprawling global battle between the tech giants. Qualcomm alleges that Apple infringed on patents related to technology for graphics processing and battery power conservation. The San Diego chipmaker says the patented tech improves the efficiency and reduces the cost of smartphones. A major damages award by jurors would help Qualcomm undermine Apples claims that the chipmaker overcharges for its patent portfolio, and it may give Apple an incentive to negotiate a comprehensive settlement to their dispute. The trial started Monday in federal court in San Diego and is scheduled to take two weeks. Qualcomm could really use a win to bolster the view that its robust patent portfolio is entitled to protection, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Tamlin Bason. But he added that because Qualcomm is unlikely to get a court order banning sales of infringing iPhone models, it may not gain much leverage against Apple if it wins the trial. Advertisement Even if it loses, Apple can shrug off virtually any damage award, Bason said, but a verdict for the iPhone maker would weaken Qualcomms hand. We have a dispute, Qualcomm attorney David Nelson told the jury in his opening statement. We cant resolve it. According to court filings, Qualcomm seeks $1.41 per infringing iPhone sold in the United States since July 6, 2017, when it filed the lawsuit. Based on an estimated 91 million units Apple sold in the nation in its 2018 fiscal year, the damages could amount to as much as $223 million for iPhones sold through the end of this month. Qualcomm has lost billions of dollars in revenue after Apple, through its Asian manufacturers, stopped paying patent royalties in 2017. The chipmaker had been the exclusive supplier of cellular chip sets for the iPhone for five years, but a truce between the companies unraveled in 2016 and Apple switched to Intel Inc. for the chips. Qualcomm has accused Apple of instigating regulatory actions against it around the world and of lying to government officials. Their fallout has spawned dozens of court cases on three continents, with neither side scoring a decisive victory so far. In December, courts in China and Germany banned sales of some iPhone models after finding that Apple infringed Qualcomm patents, but neither injunction covers Apples most recent iPhone models. Those decisions havent forced Apple to settle its numerous disputes with Qualcomm even as the Cupertino, Calif., company is facing slowing demand for its iconic phones. The chipmaker is also trying to get the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban imports of iPhones with infringing Intel chips, but a commission judge last year recommended against the request even though he agreed that one of Qualcomms patents in the case was infringed. The two International Trade Commission cases insofar as they theoretically still present a risk of an import ban for Apple are among four cases that are most likely to produce a shift in the companies bargaining positions, Bason said. Another is a lawsuit Apple brought in January 2017 challenging Qualcomms licensing practices. That case is scheduled for trial next month, with billions of dollars in damages at stake. The fourth crucial case is the U.S. Federal Trade Commissions antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm in San Jose that went to a nonjury trial in January. Qualcomm is awaiting a judges ruling on the agencys allegations that the company illegally used its position as the biggest provider of chips used in smartphones to extract billions of dollars in licensing fees. Apple and its manufacturers are unlikely to settle with Qualcomm until they know how the FTC case will affect Qualcomms licensing practices, according to Bason. Qualcomms strategy in the patent trial that began Monday is to demonstrate that its technology has a much broader reach than Apple has argued. Apple claims that Qualcomm uses its patents for basic mobile telecommunications functionality to demand royalties that far exceed the contribution the technology makes to Apples increasingly sophisticated products. Qualcomm, which has 130,000 patents and patent applications, maintains that the whole industry benefits from its inventions beyond the standard-essential technology to connect to a telecom network. The company is using the patent litigation to try to prove that its other intellectual property contributes significantly to the iPhone. Qualcomms technologies enable the cellular ecosystem that allows smartphones to send and receive vast amounts of data and voice communications at rapid speeds, seamlessly and reliably, from anywhere within reach of a cellular network, the chipmaker said in a 2017 court filing. Qualcomms inventions are necessary for the entire cellular network to function, they are not limited to technologies in modem chip sets or even cellphones. Yeka Rosales, a TV personality for the Mexican multimedia network Televisa, faced backlash Monday after wearing brownface and an artificial nose to parody Roma star and indigenous Oaxacan actress Yalitza Aparicio. On Rosales social media, the TV personality posted videos and photos of herself wearing thick lips, brown skin and a long, black-colored wig while holding an Oscar statuette. The parody was meant to correlate with the networks season premiere of La Parodia, a comedy TV series. The week before, Aparicio attended the Academy Awards with her mother; she was nominated for lead actress for playing Cleo in Alfonso Cuarons Oscar-winning Roma. Televisa spokesman Alejandro Olmos told the Associated Press in an email that the network does not support racism and that some of the comments in the show would be edited for bad taste. Advertisement We do not believe that the production of La Parodia engages in this type of practice, he told AP. Shortly after the backlash, Televisa deleted a video tweet of Rosales imitating Aparicio. But not before social media users, some who werent surprised by the racist parody, weighed in. The Mexican elite disposition has always portrayed indigenous people as funny and ugly, William Nericcio, a professor at the Center for Latin American Studies at San Diego State University, told AP. Networks like Televisa profit from this. Rosales responded to the criticism by saying that she parodies people of all races. Lighten up, honey, huh? You got a smile for me? Even Captain Marvel, one of the strongest beings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is not immune to catcalling. A male motorcycle rider, played by Robert Kazinsky, utters those words to the superhero on the streets of Los Angeles midway through the new film, which opens Friday. Lead actress Brie Larson faced her own smile controversy when the first trailer for Captain Marvel dropped. Some fans, or sexist internet trolls, criticized Larson for not smiling more in her portrayal of the fighter pilot turned superhero Carol Danvers. Larson has since commented on it during her press tour for the film directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. To her, the reaction is part of why art that depicts the female experience is so important because on the one hand, for women and girls, it allows us to go, Oh, I have that experience too. And those that arent in our bodies can look at it and go, Wait, that happens to you? We gotta do better. Advertisement The smile more response was still on the minds of attendees at the Los Angeles premiere of Captain Marvel on Monday night at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Following a flyover by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the directors and other creatives spoke with The Times on the red carpet about the derogatory social media reaction and the scene that unintentionally called it out. No, that smile for me scene was not a part of any reshoots. It was already in the very early draft of the script, said Fleck. It was something Boden really fought for and was passionate about, executive producer Jonathan Schwartz said. Its an experience I think other people in the room, especially men, didnt know or didnt have. And then totally separately, a whole controversy sprung up about Bries countenance and how she wasnt smiling in the marketing materials, so it sort of dovetailed into something like, Oh yeah, this is something that women really do encounter and deal with. The directing duo, who also co-wrote the script, were side by side as they made their way down the press line. They told The Times that they included that particular scene after discussing it with other writers and Larson. Shot on the first day of filming, the moment was important for them to show this common, demeaning experience, Fleck said. Captain Marvel directors bring feminism, the 90s to the Marvel Cinematic Universe Its just one more person who she comes across who tries to tell her how she ought to be, Boden added. And her journey of self-realization is about rejecting all those people telling her how or who she ought to be and then embracing who she is. The movie also boasts a male and female editing team: Debbie Berman and Elliot Graham. Berman was happy to include the smile scene in the final edit because its part of the DNA of what women have to go through. Its important to address it, but also not get preachy. I think that was something that we wanted people to relate to every day but not sort of hit it on their head. Boden and Fleck co-wrote the screenplay with Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Depicting aspects of the female experience was personal for Robertson-Dworet, particularly the films message of female friendship. When we meet Captain Marvel in the 1990s-set movie, she rediscovers a friendship with her former U.S. Air Force colleague Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch). Instead of framing the narrative around a love story, We wanted to see more representation of strong female friendship, said Robertson-Dworet. Captain Marvel: A brief history of Carol Danvers Robert Kazinsky at the L.A. premiere of Captain Marvel. His character tells Carol Danvers to lighten up. (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images) As Air Force pilots, the characters work in a field thats very male-dominated, and yet theyre drawn to each other as friends because theres almost no other women, she explained, standing next to screenwriters Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve. Thats kind of how we felt in this male-dominated industry of action writing in Hollywood. Perlman chimed in, Theres an expectation that women will be competitive with each other, but our experience has been that it helps us lift each other. I feel like the movie is really infused with that spirit. Lynch was thankful to develop that friendship with Larson. As her costar waved and hugged young girls attending the premiere behind her, Lynch said it was really nice to go to work every day and not have to forge female friendship [with Larson]. Its literally just me and Brie talking on screen, having a good time and sharing emotional moments. She continued, Its important for us to represent women in all facets. We all go through things. We all have moments in life when we need a shoulder to cry on. We need someone to remind us that were strong, and thats what Maria does with Carol. Carol and Maria Forever pic.twitter.com/RSNjG605gv Brie Larson (@brielarson) March 5, 2019 Review: Captain Marvel and Brie Larson boost the MCU to even greater heights The film, which leads into the highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame this summer, also shows the opposite type of relationship between female peers. Theres a climactic scene in which Minn-Erva (Gemma Chan) and Danvers, who fought side by side as noble Kree warrior heroes, acknowledge that they do not like each other. That dynamic was also in the early drafts of the script, and the writing team wanted to show women in a variety of all types of relationships, said Perlman. While Robertson-Dworet is thankful for how she infused the female experience into Captain Marvel, she could not contain her excitement over adding another personal element into the movie. You can thank her for the feline fan favorite Goose. The writer based the movies orange tabby on her own cat, Bart, whom she almost brought to the premiere. But I thought I would forever be remembered as the writer who brought a cat to the premiere, she said with a laugh. I tried to get them to cast my cat, but they said that was insane. How to train like Captain Marvel, physically and mentally Nearly a decade ago, after the Michelin Guide retreated from Los Angeles following a brief and rocky tenure, the then-director of the storied restaurant ratings summed up the citys diners as such: The people in Los Angeles are not real foodies, Jean-Luc Naret said. They are not too interested in eating well. Michelin appears to be eating its words now, with the vaunted but divisive guide expected to announce Tuesday that it is making a comeback. By the summer, Michelin whose star ratings are considered among the most prestigious honors a restaurant can earn will release a California guide that will include L.A., ending years of speculation that it would return to the city after publishing just two guides here. Advertisement L.A.s always been a great dining town it just never got its due. Sang Yoon, chef of Lukshon It will be the first time Michelin and its team of anonymous inspectors evaluates restaurants across an entire state in the U.S. rather than a specific city, a nod to Californias prowess as a premier food destination, guide officials said. Michelin recognizes California as a booming culinary destination which is setting the dining trends for the future, International Director Gwendal Poullennec said. A statewide edition will enable Michelin to extend its reach to new areas, and in doing so engage with a broader audience of foodies who love the high-quality, laid-back dining scene. Its also a tacit acknowledgement that what makes California cooking great is not confined to the Bay Area, which has long been held up as the standard of exemplary dining on the West Coast; a San Francisco Michelin Guide has been published annually since 2007. The French Laundry, which has held three Michelin stars every year since the inaugural 2007 San Francisco edition, in Yountville, Calif. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) After years of being overlooked, many Los Angeles chefs say theyre pleased to see Michelin back a sign, they say, that the guide recognizes the evolution of the citys exciting dining scene as well as its longstanding, distinctive strengths. In short, its not that L.A. has caught up to Michelin standards, but that everyone else is finally paying attention to L.A. I just think Michelin is way late, said chef Josef Centeno, whose five restaurants include Orsa & Winston and Baco Mercat downtown. There were Michelin-worthy restaurants in the 80s and 90s. Like Nancy Silverton and Evan Kleiman and Wolfgang Puck there were so many important chefs that changed the way America started cooking and eating, but L.A. never got the proper recognition. Sang Yoon, chef of Lukshon in Culver City, said as vegetable-forward cuisine and imaginative regional cooking became more valued among diners worldwide, people began to perceive Los Angeles as a top-tier dining destination. Theres a palpable shift, he said. L.A.s always been a great dining town it just never got its due. The reality is whatever perspective you have on it, its a global guide thats respected and it puts L.A. on the map. Dave Beran, chef of Dialogue Whether Michelin should return to L.A. has been a hotly debated topic in the restaurant community. First published by the French tire company in 1900, the guide has become an indispensable resource for high-end diners; for restaurants, earning a coveted star (three stars is the highest) is typically accompanied by a surge in business and prestige. But it has also been criticized for prioritizing opulence over food, for giving more weight to pricey French restaurants while overlooking other cuisines and for helping fuel a checklisting mentality among star-collecting diners. Some people will tell you Michelin is a very dated, antiquated system, no one really understands it; some people will tell you its the Bible, said Dave Beran, who was chef de cuisine at Alinea when the Chicago restaurant received three Michelin stars in 2011 and opened the intimate, tasting-menu-only Dialogue in Santa Monica two years ago. But the reality is: Whatever perspective you have on it, its a global guide thats respected, he continued, and it puts L.A. on the map. Chef Dave Beran at Dialogue, an intimate tasting menu restaurant in Santa Monica. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) Michelin first released a Los Angeles guide in 2007, ceasing publication two years later because of financial challenges (its time in L.A. overlapped closely with the Great Recession, a period when Americans cut back heavily on dining out and other discretionary spending). It also contended with sluggish sales and mixed reception. The L.A. guide was most famously slammed by late Los Angeles Times critic Jonathan Gold, who was outspoken in his disdain for Michelins presence in his hometown. Writing for the L.A. Weekly in 2008, when he was that papers critic, Gold contended that the boneheadedness of the guide was ill-suited to a city with a dining scene so complex, unique and wide-ranging. Last years inaugural Michelin Guide to Los Angeles restaurants was appalling, ignorant of the way Angelenos eat, reading as if it was put together by a team too timid to venture further than a few minutes from their Beverly Hills hotel, he wrote. This years guide, although it is more or less identical, is just boring. Chowder with crab, geoduck and uni at Providence, which received two stars in the final Los Angeles Michelin Guide. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times) Gold went on to lament the absence of stars for any Korean, Middle Eastern, Central American, regional Mexican or regional Thai restaurants. (A handful of restaurants in those categories did receive Bib Gourmand recognition, Michelins separate award for good quality, good value cooking.) We historically have not been a city that fits with the Michelin aesthetic, and I agreed when Jonathan said were not a Michelin town, Yoon said. But I also dont think its a city that is the same as it was 10 years ago. 101 Restaurants We Love Indeed, much has changed. Half of the 20 restaurants that received stars in the final L.A. guide have closed. Those that remain include Providence, Spago and Urasawa, which each received two stars, and such one-star recipients as Osteria Mozza, Asanebo, Cut and Water Grill. Joining them is an impressive roster of newer and ambitious restaurants that have been credited with helping push L.A. to the forefront of national dining conversations. Vespertine, n/naka, Bavel, Trois Mec, Taco Maria, Dialogue, Orsa & Winston and Lukshon are all likely Michelin contenders. Hazelnut cream with hyssop at chef Jordan Kahns futuristic Vespertine in Culver City. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) It remains to be seen whether inspectors will award stars to a wider range of L.A. restaurants this time around and if, for the first time, any receive the much-heralded three-star ranking. In the U.S., San Francisco holds the most number of three-star restaurants with eight. Chef Daniel Patterson, whose restaurants include the two-Michelin-starred Coi in San Francisco and the new Alta Adams in Los Angeles, said that when the California guide is released in a few months, whether certain restaurants did or did not receive stars are the things you can endlessly debate. But what I dont think you can debate is that Los Angeles deserves to be considered at the same level as the Bay Area, he said. The quality of cooking, the quality of ingredients is extraordinary in both places. The official Michelin announcement will be made Tuesday morning in Sacramento during an event co-hosted by the states tourism board and attended by roughly 150 food journalists and such three-starred chefs as Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Corey Lee of Benu. The smaller cities that the California guide will include will be revealed there. What I dont think you can debate is that Los Angeles deserves to be considered at the same level as the Bay Area. Chef Daniel Patterson, whose restaurants include Coi in San Francisco and Alta Adams in L.A. Michelin publishes 32 guides annually in more than two dozen countries, including four in the U.S.: San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. The San Francisco edition will fold into the larger California guide as part of the expansion, a spokesman said. L.A. chefs said they look forward to the heightened awareness and attention Michelins return will bring, particularly among tourists who depend on the guide. Its going to be good for the city as a whole, Beran said. More people are going to want to come here to dine; its just going to make the restaurant scene better. As a town, we deserve all the accolades, Yoon said. That said, weve come this far without Michelin. andrea.chang@latimes.com Twitter: @byandreachang Instagram: @byandreachang The California rail authority delivered a sharp rebuttal Monday to the Trump administration, saying its threat to cancel and rescind $3.5 billion in grants for the state bullet train project is rash and unlawful. In two letters to the Federal Railroad Administration, state officials say they have not breached the terms and conditions of the grants and are making progress in building what would be a transformative passenger rail system. The federal agency issued notice two weeks ago that it intended to terminate a $929-million grant issued in 2010 for the high-speed rail system and was exploring options to seek recovery of a $2.5-billion grant in 2009 that the state already spent. The notice asserted that the state had violated the terms of the grants, was not making adequate progress and would fail to meet a 2022 deadline to complete 119 miles of construction in the Central Valley. The grants are critical to Gov. Gavin Newsoms plan to build a 171-mile partial bullet train segment from Bakersfield to Merced, a plan he unveiled after saying that a more ambitious Bay Area to Central Valley system would cost too much and take too long to complete. Even with the federal grants, the state will have a difficult time paying for the $16-billion to $18-billion partial system. Advertisement The action by the FRA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is unprecedented in federal grant history, according to grant experts. It is rare, they said, for the federal government to terminate a grant because a state or local agency has not met the precise terms of the agreement. And they could not recall any instance in which grants as large as those to the California bullet train were taken back. The High-Speed Rail Authority is right to say this was an unjustified action and to talk about the need for a collaborative relationship with our federal partners, said Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose), chairman of the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. We want to have cooperation on all sides to see this project come to fruition for all Californians. The rebuttal letters, written by rail authority Chief Executive Brian Kelly, assert that Newsoms plan does not change the purpose of the project and in fact increases the amount of work that will be done in the Central Valley by extending construction south to Bakersfield and north to Merced. Kelly disputed the FRAs assertion that the authority was not making progress, and said the project now has 24 active bridge and roadbed construction sites and employs 2,600 workers. Kelly also noted that federal officials made 450 payments under the initial $2.5-billion grant to the state after determining it had met the conditions and that the second grant had the same terms. He disputed the allegation that the state would fail to meet a 2022 grant deadline to complete construction from Madera to Wasco, saying the federal agency did not document that claim and that the grant did not make such a failure a breach much less a material one. Finally, Kelly rejected the FRA claim that it was failing to meet requirements to match the federal grant. He argued that the termination letter identified only one instance of not meeting a projected payment, which occurred in the last quarter of 2018 when the California High-Speed Rail Authority missed about $90 million in matching funds. Kelly said the payment was an estimate and missing it does not represent a breach. Rather, the state is ahead of schedule in meeting its match requirements, he added. Kelly wrote a nine-page letter to a federal grant administrator that disputed in detail the federal notice and a second letter to FRA administrator Ronald Batory. In the second letter, Kelly said, Any clawback of federal funds already expended on this project would be disastrous policy. It is hard to imagine how your agency or the taxpayers might benefit from partially constructed assets sitting stranded in the Central Valley of California. Kelly asked Batory to restore the functional relationship between our agencies, in which challenges they are facing are the consequence of many past decisions by both agencies. He went on to charge that the federal agency is not participating in the projects environmental review process, which has negatively affected the project schedule. It is unclear whether the Kelly letters can change the plans of the Trump administration. Whole project is a green disaster! President Trump tweeted last month, and said that he would seek to get back the $3.5 billion. That assertion prompted Newsom to claim the action was political payback. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao last month criticized Newsoms plan for a Central Valley segment, calling it a classic political bait and switch. And, in a statement provided to The Times on Friday, the FRA said it does not plan administrative hearings on the grant termination and has no appeals process. If the FRA does terminate the grant and take action to recoup the $2.5-billion grant, it would leave the state with some difficult choices. It could sue in federal court, a lengthy process that would force the state to find an interim source of money to keep construction going. Or it could hope that Democrats take over the White House and Congress in 2020 and reverse the Trump actions. ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @rvartabedian As a measles outbreak spread in Northern California last spring, public health workers called the family of a young boy who they feared had been exposed to the disease. The boys mother, however, said her 7-year-old already had his shots, so they need not worry. A month later, health investigators found out she had lied. The boy, who had since caught measles, spread it to his brother and uncle, said Dr. George Han, deputy health officer in Santa Clara County. Advertisement Normally, most people who we contact are happy to cooperate with our investigation because they understand were using that information to prevent other people from getting sick, Han said in an interview. The case, publicized in a report last week, is not unique. Health officials across California say parents sometimes refuse to cooperate with public health investigators and even mislead them as officials try to stem outbreaks of serious diseases. In some cases, parents may not comply because they simply dont understand why government workers are asking questions about their medical history. But often, the resistance appears to be another dangerous facet of the anti-vaccine movement. Thwarting public health efforts endangers others, experts say. As outbreaks swell, the illness spreads quickly among those who have not been vaccinated, including people who cannot get shots for medical reasons, such as children undergoing cancer treatment. One out of every four children who gets measles will be hospitalized and two out of every 1,000 will die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The reporting problem persists even after California enacted one of the strictest vaccination laws in the country. Amid a recent major measles outbreak in Washington, legislators in several states are considering adopting similar restrictions, hoping to curb future disease outbreaks. But this emerging challenge in California reveals that even after passing such a law, public health officials still face many hurdles in controlling vaccine-preventable diseases and fighting anti-science beliefs. *** When a 15-year-old brought measles to the Bay Area after a trip to Britain in March 2018, health workers did what they always do: Pick up the phone. During a measles outbreak, health workers enter a race against the clock. They try to find anyone who may have crossed paths with an infected person, so they can vaccinate or quarantine them. Its time-intensive work, but its also one of the only ways to stop an outbreak of such a highly contagious disease. If a person infected with measles walks into a room, the virus can stay there for two hours after the person leaves, ready to infect. So Santa Clara County health workers found out where the sick teenager had gone during the four days before and after the characteristic measles rash appeared. Then they contacted anyone who might have been at those locations. The 7-year-old boy went to the same tutoring center as the 15-year-old, so they called the younger boys mom. She said he did not have any measles symptoms and had already been vaccinated. But weeks later, they learned his 33-year-old uncle was sick. He pointed to his nephew as the source of the infection. It turned out the mom hadnt been truthful neither of her kids were vaccinated, and both had measles. The familys very disturbing behavior wastes county resources and puts vulnerable people at risk, said Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), a pediatrician who advocates for stricter vaccine laws. Though the Bay Area outbreak ultimately sickened only seven people, it still prompted a major public health investigation that spanned two states and 10 counties, with a dozen investigators working in Santa Clara County alone. Theyre actively undermining public health authorities, Pan said. The decisions theyre making are not to the benefit of the community around them, and not to their own benefit. Three percent of people who have had the measles vaccine will still catch measles if exposed to the virus, doctors say. One sick person in the Bay Area outbreak had been vaccinated. Californias vaccination law, enacted in 2016, requires that parents have a note signed by a doctor showing that their child has a medical reason not to be vaccinated. California is one of only three states with such a tough law. Yet some doctors have been accused of writing fraudulent medical exemptions, advertising that they can excuse children from vaccines if they have asthma or psoriasis. The number of kindergartners with medical exemptions jumped 441% after the law took effect. The two boys in Santa Clara County had medical exemptions, Han said, authorized by a doctor who lived several hundred miles away. That prompted calls from vaccine advocates to tighten laws even more. Predatory doctors should not be allowed to monetize parental unfounded fears, said Leah Russin, executive director of Vaccinate California, a group that supported Californias vaccination law, in a statement in response to Hans report. UC Riverside professor Richard Carpiano, a medical sociologist who studies vaccine hesitancy, said parents who dont cooperate with public health investigators may not be purposely trying to stymie public healths efforts. Parents who do not vaccinate typically say they do not want to inject their children with chemicals or fear that vaccines cause problems such as autism. Still, these families may feel shame around their choice not to vaccinate, especially if their children are linked to an outbreak, he said. Parents may want to protect their kids from that sort of exposure such as being identified as Patient Zero and are, out of fear of that, sort of closing ranks. However, it appears that some families are knowingly defying public health orders. The CDC recently warned against chicken pox parties, or gatherings where parents expose their children to the illness in the hopes they become sick and develop immunity. During a measles outbreak at Disneyland in 2015, California public health officials advised parents not to host measles parties. At that time, Alameda County health officials asked a family to keep their sons at home, one of whom was infected with measles, so the disease didnt spread further, said Dr. Erica Pan, Alameda Countys interim health officer. (She is not related to Sen. Pan.) Later, officials discovered that visitors had come over to the house, in what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to be around people who had measles, Pan said. Ultimately, two people in a different county caught measles due to the defiance of the quarantine orders, spreading the disease to a new region. Hershy Ten, a rabbi who runs the Jewish healthcare foundation Bikur Cholim in L.A.'s Beverly Grove neighborhood, said he doesnt believe that all parents are intentionally noncompliant. Ten helped encourage vaccination during a 2017 measles outbreak in L.A.s Orthodox Jewish community, in which 28 people fell ill. Then too, many schools and parents would not cooperate or share information with investigators for fear of being stigmatized, according to a report by L.A. County officials. One parent, for example, made a reference to Typhoid Mary, the L.A. report reads. Some parents refused to open the door of their residence to speak with public health personnel; comments were made indicating there was no sense of urgency associated with the outbreak. Ten said he believes families were not trying to hinder vaccination efforts, but were being cautious when government workers showed up to their door wanting to ask questions and offer vaccinations. He said he thinks people would be more cooperative now, as they have watched measles outbreaks rage in Israel as well as in the Orthodox Jewish community in New York. To be fair, I think the public then did not appreciate or fully grasp how important it was, or how a disease like this can spread so quickly, he said. soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com Twitter: @skarlamangla LONDON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Monday a 1.6 billion pound fund to boost prosperity of deprived towns after Brexit, a move criticized by the opposition Labour Party as a "bribe" to win votes for her Brexit deal. The Stronger Towns Fund will be targeted at places that have not shared fairly from growth like more prosperous parts of the country have, and to create new jobs, help train local people and boost economic activity. One billion pound will be allocated using a needs-based formula, with the bulk going to North and Midlands of England, and another 600 million pound will be available through a bidding process to communities in any part of the country. "For too long in our country prosperity has been unfairly spread. Our economy has worked well for some places but we want it to work for all communities," May said. "Communities across the country voted for Brexit as an expression of their desire to see change, that must be a change for the better, with more opportunity and greater control. These towns have a glorious heritage, huge potential and, with the right help, a bright future ahead of them," she said. Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said: "We have listened to people who are concerned by momentous changes to their communities and I am determined to provide the support they need to create a more prosperous future beyond Brexit." But Britain's main opposition Labour Party described the fund as a "desperate bribe" by May's government to win support from Members of Parliament for her Brexit proposals. The Labour Party's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said: "This towns fund smacks of desperation from a government reduced to bribing MPs to vote for their damaging flagship Brexit legislation." There is still no clear outcome for Brexit with Brexit day due on March 29. May promised last week that the members of parliament would be offered a vote on whether they support a no-deal Brexit if her deal is rejected in a meaningful vote in mid-March. If the parliament rejects the no-deal option, another vote will be held on whether to delay Brexit.(One pound=1.32 U.S. dollars) Federal authorities announced Tuesday they will conduct a civil rights review of the police shooting of an unarmed black man in Californias capital last March, a killing that triggered a year of racial upheaval in Sacramento and has become the focus of legislation to curb the use of deadly force. The announcement came hours after Californias top prosecutor declined to file charges against the two Sacramento police officers, Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet, who fired on Stephon Clark 20 times after mistaking his cellphone for a gun. Clark was struck at least seven times and died at the scene, later determined to be his grandmothers backyard. Pain, anger, frustration, disappointment, a wound has been reopened, said Jamilia Land, a friend of the Clark family, on their reaction to the news. Protesters have reacted with a mix of emotions since the local district attorney Saturday announced she would not file charges. Theyve launched a series of small but strategic demonstrations across Sacramento with the intent to cause disruption and discomfort, said Tanya Faison, a founder of the local chapter of Black Lives Matter. Advertisement The protests included a sit-in that closed a mall, a barbecue at police headquarters and the suspension of a City Council hearing Tuesday night after protesters chanted, Drop the charges. Fire the officers. Those chants were in reference to police arrests of 80 people, including two journalists, on Monday night after a demonstration in one of the citys most affluent neighborhoods. The Clark family on Tuesday gathered in the home where Stephon Clark was shot, but declined to comment. After the shooting, they retained attorney Benjamin Crump, who represented the family of Trayvon Martin in Florida, and they have filed a federal civil lawsuit seeking $20 million. Becerra said he sympathized with the Clark family, and prior to a news conference Tuesday, he met with SeQuette Clark, the mother of Stephon Clark. But after reviewing the facts of the case, he said, he determined that no charges were warranted because police believed Clark had a gun and reasonably feared for their lives. Mrs. Clark is trying to sort through all this. I hope we can give her peace, Becerra said. The attorney generals investigation, echoing that of the report released last week by the local district attorney, found that Clark had broken the windows of three vehicles parked on the street in front of his grandmothers home, then jumped a fence and smashed a neighbors sliding glass door using a cinder block. Clark did not attempt to steal anything or enter the home. A neighbor called 911 to report the vandalism, and a Sacramento County Sheriffs Department helicopter spotted Clark and directed Mercadal and Robinet to Clarks location. Mercadal and Robinet chased Clark down the side of his grandmothers house and around a blind corner. Becerra said the scene was fast-moving and Clark failed to obey commands. Both officers described seeing a flash of light in Clarks hand that one officer mistook for muzzle fire, and both said Clark had taken a shooting stance. I was scared, Mercadal said, according to the attorney generals report. I remember kneeling down on my left knee and returning fire because I believed we were being fired upon. Becerra said video evidence also showed Clark was moving toward officers when they fired, and Clark had closed to within 16 feet of them a key factor in his determination that officers acted reasonably. You could see it develop and it was all very rapid, Becerra said. These kind of tragedies, theyre tough. Becerra said Tuesday his office did not review the Sacramento district attorneys handling of the case, only the facts that were brought to light in the police investigation. He said his review came at the request of the Sacramento Police Department, which hoped that an independent assessment would allay community concerns about the impartiality of the investigation. We weighed a lot of the subjective evidence, Becerra said in coming to the same conclusion as the D.A. U.S. Atty. McGregor Scott and Sean Ragan, who heads the FBIs Sacramento office, said the federal probe would examine results of the state and local investigations, and will determine whether the slaying of Clark, 22, violated his federal civil rights. A U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on why the Clark case warranted further examination, saying only that the review was standard practice. Sacramento attorney Bill Portanova, a former federal and state prosecutor, said the review was not normal in any respect, but that the decision to intervene could be explained by the high profile of the case and the ongoing civil lawsuit. Given the highly political nature of the entire situation, it makes sense that all law enforcement agencies in the jurisdiction would be asked to weigh in, Portanova said. There are those cases where politics demands it. The promise of additional federal oversight did little to ease the distrust that Becerras announcement brought, even though it was expected. Protests began Saturday when Sacramento County Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schubert announced that Mercadal and Robinet had been found to have acted lawfully and would not face criminal prosecution. Though her decision came as little surprise, Schubert infuriated Clarks family and activists by releasing extensive texts from Clarks phone that detailed a fight between Clark and the mother of his two sons, Salena Manni. Those messages suggested Clark may have been involved in a domestic violence incident and may have been suicidal at the time of his death. Clarks brother, Stevante Clark, condemned the release of the private messages as character assassination and irrelevant to the homicide investigation. On Monday night, more than 80 people were arrested by what appeared to be twice that many SWAT officers at a demonstration in East Sacramento, one of the citys wealthiest neighborhoods and one where Ronald Reagan lived when he was governor and the film Lady Bird was shot. Police surrounded protesters after ordering them to disperse, trapping a group on a freeway overpass, where they were detained, said Les Simmons, a local pastor who was arrested. Simmons said the mass detentions and attorney generals findings could implode in our community. Though the arrests and the release of the text messages angered demonstrators, many remained focused on passing state legislation. In particular, the Clark family and others are supporting Assembly Bill 392, which would curtail when police can use deadly force and make it easier to prosecute officers who do. Stevante Clark, Black Lives Matter and other groups are all planning events on the anniversary of Clarks death, March 18, to support the bill. Justice has failed us so many other places, but justice has failed because of the law, Land said. So we have to change the law. More coverage of California poitics Follow @chabriaa on Twitter and sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter. Jackie Goldberg, who served two terms on the Los Angeles school board decades ago, was making a strong bid Tuesday to return to that role in a pivotal special election. With all precincts reporting at 11:20 p.m., Goldberg, 74, was the leading vote-getter with over 48% of all votes cast far ahead of nine other candidates on the ballot. Yet to be counted are later-arriving mail-in ballots and provisional ballots for which the voters eligibility must be verified. Still, it seems unlikely that Goldberg will win a majority of all votes cast, which means shell face a runoff with the second-place finisher. Goldberg said her strong showing symbolized a growing push to bring needed resources to schools. Advertisement This is ... part and parcel of a movement across the country that said its time we paid more attention to the children of our nation, Goldberg said. And that it is time that we invest in their education. The election was called to fill a seat left vacant last July, when Ref Rodriguez resigned after pleading guilty to breaking campaign finance laws. The significance of a potential Goldberg win is evident in a comparison with Rodriguez. He co-founded a charter-school organization. Goldberg is critical of charters, which are privately operated and compete with district-run schools for students. Jackie Goldberg Rodriguez was part of a 4-3 majority that voted to begin contract negotiations last year to hire businessman Austin Beutner as superintendent. Goldberg opposed Beutners hiring, saying the board should have chosen an educator. Over the last two years, the board has been split over key issues. Heather Repenning with supporters at an Election night party at Colombos in Eagle Rock. (John McCoy / For The Times) The second-place spot was nearly a dead heat between Graciela Ortiz (13.3%) and Heather Repenning (13.1.%). They were separated by 53 votes. Next was Cynthia Gonzalez, with just over 9% of the vote. District 5 includes neighborhoods north of downtown and cuts a narrow path east of downtown to the cities of southeast L.A. County. The ultimate winner will join a board that is grappling with how to work with and respond to the growing number of charter schools. Board members also have to address low achievement and declining enrollment as well as serious long-term financial challenges. Based on fundraising and endorsements, five candidates appeared to have the best shot, and this was reflected in the order of finish: Goldberg, a former school board member and teacher backed by the L.A. teachers union. Ortiz, a school counselor and member of the Huntington Park City Council. Repenning, a longtime senior aide to Mayor Eric Garcetti supported by him and by Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union which represents most non-teaching district employees. Gonzalez, a principal endorsed by the Los Angeles Times and by the administrators union, which also endorsed Goldberg. Allison Bajracharya, who left her post as a charter school executive to run for office. She had just under 6% of the vote. A victory for Goldberg could tilt the direction of the school board toward policies favored by United Teachers Los Angeles, which led a six-day strike in January. The teachers unions goals include capping the number of charter schools, most of which are nonunion. The union also is pushing for more regulation of charters. Headway was made on that second goal Tuesday in Sacramento when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law requiring charters to follow state rules on holding open meetings and providing public records. Allison Bajracharya shares a moment with her daughter Mary, 10, and son, Leo, 7, during an election night gathering in Silverlake. (John McCoy / For The Times) Critics accuse charters of undermining traditional campuses; supporters say charters provide healthy competition. L.A. has more charter schools than any other district in the nation. About one in five L.A. public school students are enrolled in charter schools. Among those vying for the seat, Goldberg is probably the most critical of charters. In the last school board election, candidates backed by charter-school supporters won their first-ever majority in L.A. Unified. Rodriguez was part of that majority. Rodriguez pleaded guilty in July to a felony count of conspiracy and admitted that he was part of a scheme to conceal that he was the true source of early donations to his campaign. He was sentenced to three years probation and 60 days of community service. Charter supporters have been the biggest spenders in recent board contests, but not in this primary. Local 99 spent the most nearly $1 million in support of Repenning. The teachers union was next, spending more than $640,000 to back Goldberg. The other candidates for the seat were Bell City Councilman Nestor Enrique Valencia, college instructors Ana Cubas and Salvador Chamba Sanchez, and former county Arts Commission member David Valdez. Rocio Rivas appeared on the ballot, but she announced this week that she was dropping out and endorsing Goldberg. Meet the candidates running for District 5 of the L.A. school board. howard.blume@latimes.com Twitter: @howardblume A woman who served as the assistant to a former dean at Loyola Marymount University filed a whistleblower lawsuit Monday alleging that he fired her when she refused to go along with his schemes to misspend university funds on pornography, extravagant meals and first-class airfare. Shane Martin, who served as dean of LMUs School of Education and Graduate Studies until becoming provost at Seattle University last June, denied the charges in the lawsuit. I categorically and unequivocally deny these false and outrageous allegations of wrongdoing against me, he said in a statement to The Times. I stand by my record of service and leadership at Loyola Marymount University. I intend to vigorously defend my honor and integrity. An LMU spokeswoman said the university does not comment on litigation or personnel matters. Advertisement Mary Navia, who served as Martins administrative specialist from June 2017 until she was fired in February 2018, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Martin and LMU, a top-ranked Catholic university overlooking Marina del Rey and Playa Del Rey. She claimed in the lawsuit that she had repeatedly but to no avail reported her concerns to other superiors. In an interview, Navia said she was abruptly fired for unsatisfactory job performance even though no one had ever complained about her work. Navias retaliatory termination occurred due to her refusal to violate Federal law and her refusal to go along with Martins ongoing scheme of misappropriating LMU funds for personal use, the lawsuit alleges. She also claims Martin and LMU violated her labor rights by failing to pay overtime wages and give her breaks for meals and rest, according to the lawsuit brought on her behalf by Valiant Law and West Coast Trial Lawyers. Navia told the Times that working at the Jesuit university was a dream job because of her strong Catholic faith. They had my trust before I even walked in there because its LMU, she said. The lawsuit alleges that: Martin and his former assistant instructed Navia to circumvent the universitys $60 daily meal budget by submitting false expense forms with phony names of guests. Navia said she refused to do so. The former assistant could not be reached for comment. Martin used university funds monthly to pay for porn videos. When Navia objected, the lawsuit alleges, she was told by an LMU administrator, Jordan Gadd, that pornography was a legitimate educational expense. Gadd, through an LMU spokeswoman, declined to comment. Martin participated in financial aid fraud by helping a student enroll in classes, which the student would later drop while keeping the aid. Martin regularly spent LMU funds for personal outings and instructed Navia to circumvent university policy on travel arrangements. Martin is a prominent specialist in intercultural education who served as an LMU faculty member, administrator and dean for nearly 25 years. He also held leadership positions with Green Dot Public Schools, Teach for America, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the Assn. of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. teresa.watanabe@latimes.com Twitter: @TeresaWatanabe Former First Lady Michelle Obama will visit UCLA in May to headline her annual national celebration of all high school seniors and transfer students who commit to pursuing higher education. Obama has said that her school counselors did not encourage her, as a black student from a working-class family in Chicago, to aim high for college. She went on to earn degrees from Princeton University and Harvard Law School fueling her desire to push higher education, especially to students like herself whose parents did not attend college. In 2014, she launched Reach Higher, a college access initiative which includes an annual College Signing Day. UCLA will be the first West Coast campus to host the May 1 festivities, which previously have been held in New York, San Antonio, Philadelphia and Detroit. How to score tickets for the big day, which will also feature big-name athletes and other celebrities? By invitation only. More than 9,000 California high school and community college students will be selected by their schools to attend the event at Pauley Pavilion. Others will be able to watch via livestream. Advertisement Thousands more students will participate in regional festivities at the University of Californias eight other undergraduate campuses. Eric Waldo, Reach Highers executive director, emphasized UCs commitment to opening the doors of college opportunity to all Californians and students across the country. About four in 10 UC undergraduates are the first in their families to attend college. About six in 10 California students pay no tuition because financial aid covers it for those with an annual family income of $80,000 or less. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said he hopes the events will send a clear message to students that a college education is attainable, regardless of family income or background. As a first-generation college graduate myself, I am proud that nearly a third of UCLA undergraduates also go on to become first-generation college graduates, he said in a statement. Public institutions like UCLA must always strive to make higher education accessible, through outreach efforts that encourage students to apply and resources that support their success while they are here. teresa.watanabe@latimes.com Twitter: @TeresaWatanabe A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered the Trump administration to resume processing the applications of more than 2,700 young Central Americans and family members who were left in limbo after the government abruptly ended a program designed to help them reunite with relatives in the United States. The Central American Minors program, created in late 2014 in response to a surge of tens of thousands of unaccompanied children fleeing violence in the region, was billed as a safe alternative to a dangerous journey north through Mexico. It allowed immigrants who were lawfully present in the U.S. to apply for refugee status or humanitarian parole on behalf of their children younger than 21, as well as for their spouses and grandchildren living in El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras. Those affected by the courts decision spent months or years going through a rigorous application process and already had been approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to relocate to the U.S. as long as they cleared medical and final security checks. Advocates filed a class-action lawsuit last July on behalf of six families over the termination of the program. Some already had paid for flights and were days away from reuniting when, lawyers say, the Trump administration secretly shut down the program in January 2017. Advertisement The administration officially ended the program that August. Spokesman Daniel Hetlage said the agency cant comment in detail on pending litigation. USCIS is studying the courts decision and will take appropriate steps in compliance with the law, he said. President Trump signed an executive order on immigration enforcement in January 2017, calling on the Department of Homeland Security to exercise parole only when someone demonstrates urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit. According to USCIS, DHS decided to rescind the Central American Minors program because it provided parole too broadly. One of the plaintiffs is a woman known as S.A., whose youngest daughter and grandson were set to arrive in February 2017 after she paid nearly $5,000 for their flights, DNA tests and other program requirements before the administration blocked their travel. S.A., 53, has maintained lawful status in the U.S. since 2001 under a program designed to help citizens of countries experiencing armed conflict or other conditions that prevent them from returning safely. After applying for the program, S.A.s daughter, identified in the lawsuit as J.A., temporarily fled her hometown three hours from San Salvador after receiving threats from gang members. Now the 24-year-old rarely leaves home and relies on money her mother sends her to survive. S.A., who works for a lice-removal company near San Francisco, said she is newly hopeful that she will be able to reunite with her daughter and 4-year-old grandson. That has been my desire since I left them to be together once again, she said. Other plaintiffs included a teenage girl who was forced to drop out of high school a few months short of her graduation because an MS-13 gang member was trying to forcibly date her and she feared she could be raped or killed; a teen boy beaten so badly after refusing to join MS-13 that he required surgery and now uses a cane to walk; and another teen boy whose uncle was shot and killed by MS-13 outside the boys home. Lawyers had asked the court to reinstate conditional approvals for the 2,714 applicants and resume processing those for applicants who were in earlier stages of the process when the program ended. The court denied the latter request. In December, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler found that the federal governments mass revocation of conditional approvals was unlawful. On Friday, Beeler ruled that the governments action was causing irreparable harm to the plaintiffs by preventing the children from escaping life-threatening danger. The court ordered USCIS to submit a plan by March 21 for continuing to process the applications. Linda Evarts, an attorney with the International Refugee Assistance Project who represents the plaintiffs, said her clients had trusted the governments process and done everything required of them. These are people who are living in really deadly circumstances, she said. All they want to do is come to safety in the United States with their parents. andrea.castillo@latimes.com | Twitter: @andreamcastillo A Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy who led a heist of more than a half ton of marijuana from a downtown warehouse pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday. Marc Antrim, 41, admitted to his role in the scheme during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips, who is scheduled to sentence the deputy on June 3. Antrim and several co-defendants briefly got away with over 1,200 pounds of marijuana and two large safes filled with more than $600,000 in cash during the fake drug raid. In January, Antrim signed a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to drug, weapons and other charges. In exchange, prosecutors said they would suggest the judge show some leniency for the South El Monte man when she decides on a punishment. During a second hearing Monday, co-defendant Eric Rodriguez pleaded guilty to, among other crimes, being a felon in possession of a firearm. Advertisement A third defendant, Kevin McBride, has agreed to plead guilty at a future hearing. Last month, FBI agents arrested three additional men accused of participating in the robbery: Matthew James Perez, 42, of Ontario, Daniel Aguilera, 31, of East Los Angeles, and Jay Colby Monte Jay Sanford, 41, of Pomona. In the early-morning hours on Oct. 29, Antrim took a department SUV from the Temple City sheriffs station where he worked as a patrol deputy. He was off duty at the time and picked up McBride and Perez, according to an affidavit filed in the case by an FBI agent. Dressed in sheriffs jackets and brandishing weapons, the men drove to a warehouse near downtown Los Angeles that housed a legal marijuana distribution business. At the security gate, Antrim showed a guard a bogus search warrant he had concocted and then locked the guard and two other employees in the back of the SUV, court records show. Aguilera arrived in a rental truck, according to the affidavit, and the men began carrying out marijuana that had been packaged for shipment. Sanford is accused of serving as a lookout. When officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, which patrols the warehouse location, arrived around 3:45 a.m., all the men fled except Antrim, who told the officers he was serving a search warrant at the warehouse. He put one of the LAPD officers on the phone with a man who he claimed was his supervisor. The LAPD officers soon left, according to court records. McBride, Rodriguez and a man who remains unnamed in court records returned and the men went back to robbing the warehouse. A few days later, an attorney for the marijuana business contacted the Sheriffs Department and handed over footage of the robbery captured by several security cameras, court documents show. A GPS device on the rented moving truck led authorities to McBrides house in Glendora, where they found two pounds of marijuana, a loaded Beretta handgun registered to Antrim, ammunition that is issued to law enforcement officers and a flashlight with Antrims name on it, court records show. They also recovered $150,000 to $200,000 in cash. A search of the house Antrim rents turned up a similar amount of cash and a cache of four firearms, which included a double-barrel shotgun and a submachine gun-style firearm, court records said. Antrim was relieved of duty without pay after his arrest. joel.rubin@latimes.com Follow @joelrubin on Twitter Los Angeles will pay nearly $2 million to settle a lawsuit from a woman who was sexually assaulted by a pair of LAPD officers, the fourth such assault case L.A. has settled in recent years. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to spend up to $1.975 million to settle the case, the latest legal fallout surrounding Officers Luis Valenzuela and James C. Nichols, who pleaded no contest last year to charges of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation. The two men preyed on women together, one acting as a lookout while the other carried out an assault in their unmarked police car, according to prosecutors. The victims were women ages 19 to 34 who were informants in drug cases or had been arrested on suspicion of drug-related crimes. The lawsuit said that in December 2009 the two officers raped the woman twice in a police vehicle, both times while they were on duty. In the criminal case, the victim had been identified as Jane Doe #3. Advertisement She was terrified of them. They worked her neighborhood. They knew her, the lawsuit stated. If she told anyone, they said they would put her in jail and spread word that Plaintiff was a snitch. The two officers encountered the woman after she was arrested for a drug offense in Hollywood. Valenzuela sexually assaulted her in their Jetta before she was booked at a Van Nuys detention center, according to the lawsuit. Nichols later picked the woman up from her court hearing in the same Jetta and also sexually assaulted her in the back seat, the suit stated. Valenzuela and Nichols were arrested by detectives from their own department three years ago. County prosecutors alleged they had targeted four women from 2008 to 2011 by forcing them to have sex and said there might be more victims. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file officers, called the actions of the two men disgusting. The lawsuit alleged that the LAPD failed to promptly investigate complaints about Nichols and Valenzuela after other victims first came forward in 2010 and 2011. Jane Doe #3, who had not reported the incidents, was not contacted by police investigators until more than five years after the assaults, according to the suit. The two men could have faced life in prison if tried and convicted. At the time of their no-contest pleas, a defense attorney for Nichols said the officer was looking forward to his day in court but accepted the plea so the case could close and he could have a chance to get out and have a life after this case. Each officer was handed a 25-year term in state prison. All four of the women filed civil suits against the city, which has settled their cases one by one. With the latest agreement, Los Angeles will pay out more than $3.7 million to end the legal battles over sexual assaults by Valenzuela and Nichols. This case is about abusing police power to take advantage of vulnerable victims, said attorney Dan Miller, who represented three of the women who sued the city. The conduct by the officers was beyond despicable. Council members also agreed Tuesday to spend up to $1.35 million to end a lawsuit involving allegations that LAPD officers illegally searched an L.A. home and pushed and choked people, including children. And the council voted to spend up to $2.25 million to settle a case alleging that police recruits were unlawfully terminated or forced to resign because of injuries they sustained as recruit officers, a settlement that Councilman Joe Buscaino voted to oppose. emily.alpert@latimes.com Twitter: @AlpertReyes Police took crime-fighting online this weekend, using an app to nab a trio of suspected thieves, alleging that the two men and a woman used a dating app to lure a man to a park in Pomona, where they stole his cellphone and car. Police said the incident happened about 1:30 a.m. Sunday when a man and Alaiza Gamez, 18, who had met on a dating app, agreed to meet at Washington Park. The pair were sitting in the mans tan Chevy Cruze when two men later identified by authorities as 19-year-old Javier Soto and 38-year-old Anthony Soto approached them. Police say the Sotos, who are related, pulled the man out of the car, pointed a stun gun at him and demanded he empty his pockets. Police say the two men and Gamez, who is Javier Sotos girlfriend, made off with the mans cellphone and car. Hours later, the man called authorities after he found a subwoofer from his car listed on an online marketplace called OfferUp. Officers set up a meeting with the sellers through the app and arrested them when they pulled up in another stolen car in a parking lot on South Garey Avenue, police said. Advertisement The trio were arrested on suspicion of carjacking, robbery, grand theft auto and criminal threats. The mans 2012 tan Chevy Cruze with the California license plate number 8BGB638 is still missing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pomona Police Department at (909) 620-2085. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @Hannahnfry Thousands of Santa Barbara County residents were ordered to evacuate Tuesday in preparation for a strong atmospheric river-fueled storm that officials worry could trigger debris flows in neighborhoods below hillsides scarred by wildfires. The atmospheric river is predicted to bring heavy rain along much of the Central Coast, including Santa Barbara County, which is expected to receive between 2 and 3 inches of precipitation in most areas. South-facing slopes that already are saturated from heavy rain in past storms this winter could see up to 5 inches of rain over the next two days. That could create significant flooding for the region, officials said, prompting orders to evacuate about 3,000 people living below hillsides ravaged by the Sherpa, Thomas and Whittier fires. The evacuations took effect at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. By nighttime, heavy rain pounded the Thomas fire burn zone, dumping 0.24 inches in just 9 minutes, the National Weather Service said. Highway 1 was closed in both directions at Oso Flaco Road near Guadalupe because of roadway flooding, according to the California Department of Transportation. Advertisement Thunderstorms produced a dramatic lightning show. In one five-minute stretch shortly after 8 p.m., forecasters recorded 1,489 pulses of lightning off the coast, 231 over Santa Barbara County and 40 in Los Angeles County, said Kathy Hoxsie, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard. Source: Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (Kyle Kim / Los Angeles Times Graphics) Deputies began walking door to door in the evacuation areas early Tuesday to alert residents to prepare to leave. Our hope is that without any significant debris flow, well be able to return people to their homes within 24 hours, Brown said during a news conference Monday night. We do not take these evacuation orders lightly, and while we do know this is very inconvenient, if you are in an evacuation area, please know there is a high risk to life and property. An evacuation center will be open at the Goleta Valley Community Center at 5679 Hollister Ave. EVACUATION ORDER issued for Thomas/Whittier/Sherpa fire burn areas. If you are in a Debris Flow Risk Area, you are ordered to evacuate by 4 p.m., Tues, 3/5. To view the evacuation map, go to https://t.co/miJxQ2J12e. Watch today's press conference at: https://t.co/RXEvtMqxEr pic.twitter.com/SDbWVo1z5p Santa Barbara County (@countyofsb) March 5, 2019 The strongest rainfall in the area is expected to last through 6 a.m. Wednesday. Theres also the potential for thunderstorms, which could dump even more rain on the area, forecasters said. The weather service issued a flash flood watch for all burn areas in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties beginning Tuesday evening and continuing into early Wednesday. However, the storm is expected to weaken slightly as it moves south into Los Angeles County, forecasters said. Between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain is expected to fall in Malibu, Woodland Hills, Santa Clarita and Pasadena through early Thursday, while the rest of Los Angeles will likely see about an inch or slightly more than an inch of precipitation, according to the weather service. Santa Barbara sheriffs and fire officials said this weeks atmospheric river will be similar in intensity to an early February storm that caused debris flows and flooding in the region. Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of water vapor that are pushed across the Pacific Ocean by gusty winds. When strong enough, they can account for a disproportionate amount of the annual precipitation between 30% and 40% on the West Coast, according to experts. However, they also carry with them the potential for flooding and debris flows. Highway 101 was closed for several hours between Sheffield Drive and San Ysidro Road in Montecito during the February storm because of mudflows caused by flooding around swollen Romero and San Ysidro creeks. The California Highway Patrol warned that it may need to close the highway during this storm and urged travelers and other motorists to avoid the area. Crews clear a fallen oak tree that crushed a pickup on 6700 Encino Avenue in Van Nuys. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) The evacuation order comes amid a period of recovery for the community following the deadly mudslides that swept through Montecito, destroying homes and killing at least 21 people in January 2018 following the Thomas fires treacherous tear through the Los Padres National Forest. Brown said basins constructed to catch debris have been essentially completely cleaned out in preparation for this storm. During the storm that triggered catastrophic mudslides in 2018, a Los Angeles Times investigation determined that the basins had not been completely emptied, which reduced their capacity to trap debris. Theyre a protective measure, but theyre not completely going to stop something from happening in the event we have a major debris flow, Brown said. Officials urged residents to comply with the evacuation order, warning that if they stay and a debris flow occurs, they could be trapped in their homes for several days. Persons who refuse to comply with an evacuation order will not be forcibly removed from their home, the county wrote on Twitter. However, they should not expect rescue or other lifesaving assistance after the onset of the emergency event. Storm clouds gather over Signal Hill. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @Hannahnfry The city of San Diego is facing a lawsuit filed by a disabled man who said he was injured when teenagers on an electric scooter lost control and caused a bicyclist to slam into his wheelchair on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach last July. The man, Richard Pearson, is also suing the scooter manufacturer, Bird, over the incident, during which he said he suffered a bruised torso, ribs, left knee and left arm. The lawsuit was filed in San Diego County Superior Court last week. Pearson uses an electric wheelchair. He said in the suit he was riding on the right side of the boardwalk near Pacific Beach Drive when two girls, ages 12 and 14, on a scooter suddenly crossed over the center line of the boardwalk and into Pearsons path. Advertisement The scooter caused a cyclist to veer away and then crash into Pearsons wheelchair. Thats when he got injured, the suit says. The lawsuit largely blames Bird for not establishing geofencing a technology that can limit the speed scooters can travel at in designated areas and not having a speedometer on the vehicle. The suit contends that the city is liable for creating a dangerous condition on public property. It blames the city for not having regulations in place that would require geofencing, speedometers and signs warning pedestrians that the boardwalk was also used by scooters, whose speed could not be monitored. Mayor Kevin Faulconer has since proposed a number of rules for scooters in San Diego including requiring geofencing in various areas in the city, among them the boardwalk where Pearson claims he was hurt. The San Diego city attorneys office said it was reviewing the complaint. An inquiry to Bird did not get a response. The proposed regulations by Faulconer would also require operators to indemnify the city from liability claims and carry insurance policies. The move to provide some regulation came after public health officials from San Diego to San Francisco started speaking out about injuries related specifically to motorized dockless scooters. Moran writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. greg.moran@sduniontribune.com China pledges support for rise of new transport industries New modes of transport like ride-hailing services and shared bicycles, which are rising in China, will receive more support and be better regulated, Minister of Transport Li Xiaopeng told a recent press conference. A couple uses shared bikes instead of cars on their wedding day in Huaian, east China's Jiangsu Province, October 27, 2018. (Photo: Peoples Daily Online) The number of daily average trips made by users of online ride-hailing services and shared bikes has reached 20 million and 10 million respectively, the Minister said. Ride-hailing services and shared bicycles, as innovative products, have made the publics trips easier. The authority is committed to a regulation-based and more standardized development, said Liu Xiaoming, Vice Minister of Transport, elaborating that a total of 247 Chinese cities have released guidelines regulating the development of online ride-hailing services. Over 110 business platforms, about 680,000 drivers and 450,000 vehicles nationwide have been granted with the permits or licenses to provide online ride-hailing services, Liu expounded on the work progress. Police with administrative and law enforcement bureau of Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang province, are putting shared bikes in order at a parking area, September 27, 2018. (Photo: Peoples Daily Online) Li vowed that the ministry will provide more support, better service and all-out help to encourage the emergence of new transport industries. Facing the possible challenges brought by the development process, an inclusive but prudent regulation will be put into place to optimize the development model, the minister added. We should ensure sound development, effective application, improved management and better services for the new industries, Li said, explaining that such new industries are of great significance to grow economy, create jobs and facilitate innovation. At the house party in Costa Mesa, the high school students were playing a drinking game with red Solo cups and pingpong balls. At some point in the night, the plastic cups ended up in the shape of a swastika. Its not clear how many people helped form the symbol, but a parent of a student who was at the party said that as cups were added and moved around, someone noted that it was starting to look like a swastika and completed the image. When it was done, a dozen or so teenagers crowded around the display and posed for photos, their arms raised in a Nazi salute. German rage cage, one partygoer captioned a photo, presumably referencing the popular drinking game rage cage, before posting it on Snapchat. Ultimate rage, another wrote. Advertisement The images quickly spread across social media early Sunday, drawing shock and outrage from peers, parents and politicians who strongly condemned the behavior. Costa Mesa police took a report and, with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and Newport Beach police, have interviewed about two dozen students. Students from Newport Harbor, Estancia and Costa Mesa high schools attended the party. Every one of them was laughing. They all had smiles on their faces, said Jocelyn Navarro, a junior at Newport Harbor High School who was not there. Their excuse is they were just drunk, but they obviously took the time to make the cups into a swastika. The parent, who did not want to be identified, said that on Sunday he invited a Holocaust scholar to his home to speak with nine students who had attended the party. Some students who had defended the conduct did not accept invitations to his home, but the students who did go expressed remorse and decided to write apology letters. The parent released the letters on Monday evening. I am ashamed none of us stepped up to take down this sign, and we should have stepped up right then and there to say its not right, his child wrote. At least one of the students has received a death threat, the parent added. These are children who made a big mistake, he said. But for many students in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, the anti-Semitic display reflects larger attitudes in the school system that have sown divisions at a time when anti-Semitic incidents at schools across the country have increased. Several Jewish students said the anti-Semitism displayed over the weekend was no unexpected spasm of hatred but the outgrowth something more entrenched literally etched into the desks and bathrooms of their school. I pee in stalls with swastikas written on them. I write on desks with swastikas carved in them, Maxwell Drakeford, a 17-year-old senior, said at a town hall meeting Monday night. Ive had kids throw change on the floor and say, Pick it up, Jew boy. Maxwells 82-year-old grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, attended the meeting and was given a standing ovation. He grew up hearing her story, how she endured Nazi persecution in her native Hungary, and when she tells it to me, Maxwell said, I can see it so vividly. Its sad, he continued, that 75 years later I have to witness the symbol of the people who persecuted her. Josdel Hernandez, a 16-year-old junior at Newport Harbor, said ignorance is no excuse for the anti-Semitic spectacle. The students in the photos are juniors like herself, she said, and just last month they studied the Holocaust in history class. They showed us graphic videos of the concentration camps, she said. Its not like our teachers need to show us anymore about the Holocaust. They knew what it means. Both Josdel and Jocelyn said students who condemned the Nazi displays faced a backlash from the partygoers on social media, who defended the behavior as a big joke and questioned why people not of Jewish heritage were upset. They said youre not even Jewish why are you getting all offended, Jocelyn, 16, said. We dont have to be Jewish to be offended. Were offended because its wrong. Some students wore blue on Monday in solidarity with the Jewish community. Matt Hernandez, who graduated from Newport Harbor in 2016, said he wasnt surprised at all that students from his alma mater would embrace Nazi imagery at a party. The surprise, he said, was that so many students condemned the displays so swiftly. Im sure this has happened in the past, he said. Its just this time, someone posted it on Snapchat. Hernandez said there were visible symptoms of what he perceived to be an intolerant social climate at Newport Harbor, but there were less explicit displays as well. Most Latino students ate lunch in a quad edged with gates, he said, and white students would joke, Thats where they belong, behind the wall. He added: It was uncomfortable to walk where white students sat. There was definitely a kind of segregation when I was there. Jocelyn said that type of culture still exists on campus. Everybodys close-minded, she said. White people stay together, Mexicans stay together. We naturally just do it because we know thats the way it is. Hernandez, who now attends Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, emphasized that this attitude was held by students, not by teachers or staff. Hernandez is transgender and said his teachers supported him and helped allay his fears of coming out. Hernandez has no answers for how students from his former school arrived at an embrace of Nazi imagery. But he recalled the distance his classmates tried to put between themselves and racist jokes they cracked. Theyd follow them, he said, with the disclaimer: But Im not a bad person its just a joke. At Costa Mesa High School on Monday morning, Principal Jacob Haley told the campus over the public address system that he was disappointed that some of his students attended the party. At Estancia High School, some teachers lectured on underage drinking. In Costa Mesa, the mother of two students who went to the party said she was very upset about their presence. She said her anger and sadness stems from the fact that she and her family are Jewish. Were still learning about what happened, said the woman, who declined to give her name. The kids go out with their friends all the time. Ive never seen my kids drink. Ive never seen them drunk. Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials are working to discover who attended the party and had a role in the incident to determine the course of action the district could take. But since the incident happened off campus on a weekend, its unclear what disciplinary actions the district can take under the law. The fallout from the Costa Mesa party comes as anti-Semitic incidents at schools and colleges are on the rise, nearly doubling in 2017 from 2016, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In 2017, K-12 schools surpassed public areas as the places with the most reports of anti-Semitic incidents. The organization logged 457 anti-Semitic incidents in non-Jewish schools that year, up from 235 in 2016 and 114 in 2015, the ADL said. Jewish institutions and schools also saw incidents double, jumping from 170 in 2016 to 342 in 2017. Peter Levi, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in Orange County, said he hasnt seen any evidence that the students who made Nazi salutes were Nazis or Nazi sympathizers, but said their actions normalize hate. They normalized swastikas. They normalized Nazi salutes, he said. And its not just them, its probably happening all over the place theyre the ones who took pictures on social media and got caught. Levi said he was deeply concerned by their actions and the increase among teens and youth as a whole. What starts as jokes then becomes social exclusion then becomes discrimination, he said. No hate crime murder started that day. That person started years ago peddling in jokes and stereotypes. Times staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report. Teens who attended an Orange County party this weekend that included Nazi symbolism purportedly had this to say: I want to express my deepest remorse and regret. I made a poor decision. We made a very big mistake. Advertisement I am so sorry. My actions were disgusting, appalling, irresponsible. The house party included cups shaped in the form of a swastika and a Nazi salute. A parent, who asked not to be identified, released handwritten letters of apology Monday about the same time a huge crowd gathered to denounce the anti-Semitism that had roiled the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa communities since images from the party went viral Sunday. I am ashamed none of us stepped up to take down this sign, and we should have stepped up right then and there to say its not right, his child wrote. In the letters, which were reviewed by The Times, some of the teens said they were not bigoted but admitted they had caused great pain to the community. In Costa Mesa, the mother of two students who went to the party said she was very upset about their presence. Her anger and sadness, she said, stem from the fact that she and her family are Jewish. An image from Twitter shows a swastika made from red plastic cups at a party said to involve high school students from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. (Twitter) What do we know about the party? At the house party in Costa Mesa, the high school students were playing a drinking game with red Solo cups and pingpong balls. At some point in the night, the plastic cups ended up in the shape of a swastika. Its not clear how many people helped form the symbol, but a parent of one student who was at the party said that, as more cups were added and moved around, someone noted that it was starting to look like a swastika and completed the image. When it was done, a dozen or so teenagers crowded around the display and posed for photos, their arms raised in a Nazi salute. German rage cage, one partygoer captioned a photo, presumably referencing the popular drinking game Rage Cage, before posting it on Snapchat. Ultimate rage, another wrote. A parent who did not want to be identified said that on Sunday he invited a Holocaust scholar to his home to speak with nine students who had attended the party. Some teens who had defended the behavior at the gathering did not accept invitations to his home, but the students who did go expressed remorse and decided to write apology letters. The parent released those letters Monday evening. School district officials were working to discover who attended the party, which has sparked outrage as anti-Semitic incidents at schools have increased. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) What has been the reaction? There has been widespread outrage over the conduct at the party. Many students said they were deeply upset by the events. Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials were working to discover who attended the party and had a role in the incident to determine a potential course of action. But because the party took place off-campus on a weekend, its unclear what disciplinary actions the district can take under the law. While these actions did not occur on any school campus or school function, we condemn all acts of anti-Semitism and hate in all their forms, Newport-Mesa Supt. Fred Navarro said in a statement. But Jocelyn Navarro, a junior at Newport Harbor in Newport Beach, said Monday she wasnt surprised when the photos surfaced online. At Newport Harbor, she said, students group themselves along racial lines: Latino students with other Latinos, whites with whites. It isnt really intentional, she said. White people stay together, Mexicans stay together. We naturally just do it because we know thats the way it is, she said. On Monday, Newport Harbor students poured out of school buildings wearing every shade of blue as an act of solidarity with the Jewish community. Im very glad that we are all making a statement that the vast majority of us believe that this is disgusting, senior Sam Quattrociocchi said during lunch. Some people at the party thought they were making an edgy joke, and they were completely wrong. Fellow senior Timothy Shannon said, Most people are trying to figure out ways to better ourselves out of it. A Ku Klux Klansman and counterprotester square off in Anaheim in 2016. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) MORE: Anti-Semitic incidents are surging across the U.S. Here are the numbers How does this fit in the larger picture? The fallout from the Costa Mesa party comes as anti-Semitic incidents at schools and colleges are on the rise, nearly doubling in 2017 from 2016, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In 2017, K-12 schools surpassed public areas as the places with the most reports of anti-Semitic incidents. The organization logged 457 anti-Semitic incidents in non-Jewish schools that year, up from 235 in 2016 and 114 in 2015, the ADL said. Jewish institutions and schools also saw incidents double, jumping from 170 in 2016 to 342 in 2017. Peter Levi, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in Orange County, said he hadnt seen evidence that the students who made Nazi salutes were Nazis or Nazi sympathizers but said their actions normalize hate. They normalized swastikas. They normalized Nazi salutes, he said. And its not just them, its probably happening all over the place theyre the ones who took pictures on social media and got caught. Levi said he was deeply concerned by their actions and the increase of such actions among teens and youth as a whole. Robert DeProspero, a Secret Service agent who protected five presidents and retooled security standards after a would-be assassin shot President Reagan in 1981, died Monday in his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 80. His death was confirmed by his daughter, Robin DeProspero-Philpot. During a 20-year Secret Service career, DeProspero became best known for the stern image of him captured in photographs from Reagans two terms in the White House. He was the 40th presidents constant shadow, never more than two or three steps away and often wearing a three-piece suit. Though just 5 feet 7, the onetime college wrestler had an intimidating presence. His body was thick with muscles from a strict weightlifting routine, and his protruding brow appeared permanently furrowed in concentration. Known as Mr. D to his agents and Agent No among some White House staff, DeProspero frustrated a long line of political aides and foreign emissaries by politely yet firmly rejecting plans that in his view left the president too exposed to attack. Advertisement During Reagans first months in office, DeProspero clashed with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Deaver over what the agent considered the White Houses lackadaisical approach to security. Deaver, who had helped create Reagans popular everyman image, had argued the presidents political success hinged on the removal of physical barriers between him and voters. That philosophy was forgotten after March 30, 1981, when a would-be assassin, John W. Hinckley Jr., fired six shots from his revolver as Reagan stepped outside the Washington Hilton after giving a speech. One bullet pierced Reagans lung. Others struck Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and Washington Police Officer Thomas Delahanty. White House Press Secretary James S. Brady, struck in the head, was left partially paralyzed. Hinckley, who said he hoped the assassination would impress actress Jodie Foster, spent 35 years in a government psychiatric hospital before being released in 2016. In the months after the attack, DeProspero took over Reagans security detail. He imposed a raft of new security requirements, some of which remain standard Secret Service protocol. He is credited with the agencys decision to begin using magnetometers to screen guests to all presidential visits away from White House. Presidential advisors had long resisted such electronic frisking, fearing it might alienate invited donors and constituents. DeProspero also enacted the policy, still in force today, of stationing an agent at the closest trauma hospital whenever the president travels. DeProspero also successfully pushed for the installation of bulletproof glass on many White House windows, over the objections of the mansions historical preservationists. Joseph Petro, a former Secret Service agent who trained under DeProspero and later rose to lead the Reagan detail, said his mentor was tough but beloved by the agents he led. He said he had a knack for spotting gaps in the rings of security that agents tried to form around the president, and then diplomatically demanding the holes be filled. His legacy will always be that he was an uncompromising agent, Petro said. He had principles, and he wouldnt compromise them for anybody not even the president. He set the standard for so many agents. DeProspero developed a close bond with Reagan, who he said never expressed any fear for himself after the shooting. In an interview, DeProspero recalled Reagans habit of cheerfully whistling as he worked at his Western White House ranch in Santa Barbara. Mr. President, youve got the weight of the world on your shoulders, DeProspero told him. You come out here and you just seem to be carefree. Youre my responsibility, and I cant sleep at night. Well, Bobby, Reagan said, winking. You gotta delegate. Leonnig writes for the Washington Post To turn up pressure on Cubas communist government, the Trump administration is reversing longstanding practice and allowing U.S. citizens to sue certain Cuban companies over property expropriated decades ago, officials said Monday. U.S. officials said they intend to hold government and military leaders in Cuba accountable for homes, businesses and land seized after the late Fidel Castro rose to power in a 1959 revolution. The administration, however, stopped short of including among the potential targets for legal action European, Canadian or other foreign-owned companies that have invested on the island. The decision to shield them from lawsuits may have been a gesture to allies who have joined the United States in a campaign to oust the autocratic leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. Punishing companies from other countries would erode the international support that Trumps advisors have been keen to develop and maintain in the Venezuela campaign. Advertisement Even without the foreign companies, Mondays reversal of practice could badly disrupt U.S. trade with Cuba and have other consequences. The decision effectively tightens an economic embargo that Washington slapped on Havana nearly 60 years ago. It addresses a long-dormant provision of the 1996 Libertad Act (also known as the Helms-Burton Act), a law that imposed numerous restrictions on Cuba and U.S. dealings with the island. The provision allowed American citizens to sue to regain expropriated property or to be compensated for it, but it was immediately waived out of fear of flooding U.S. courts with extremely complicated cases. Each administration since has renewed the waiver every six months, as required by law, until now. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, in a statement, announced that the waiver was being partially lifted to allow limited lawsuits. He set a 30-day period to examine the impact and determine additional actions. Despite more than half a century of Cold War-era tensions, restrictions on Cuba were relaxed under President Obama, who normalized diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana and allowed more travel to and from the island. But Trump, whose government calls Cuba part of a Troika of Terror, with Venezuela and Nicaragua, has slowly rolled back some of the changes. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled the island after Castro took over, many forced to leave behind vast holdings of farmland, villas and businesses. The majority settled in southern Florida and continue to represent a conservative anti-Castro political base within the Republican Party. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the son of Cuban exiles, welcomed the loosening of legal recourse and said Cuba should also be punished for its life-sustaining support of Maduros Venezuela. Justice is coming and it is just getting started, Rubio said in a statement after the administrations announcement. The companies that can be sued are on a list of entities controlled by the Cuban military, intelligence and security services. A senior State Department official, briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity, called the decision historic, and said: Its finally giving claimants a measure of recourse and the opportunity to bring suits against these entities. Future lawsuits could open the door to confiscation of Cuban products exported to the United States and elsewhere, including cigars and cement. Two of the biggest conglomerates that are likely to face legal actions are Cimex (Cuban Export-Import Corporation) and Gaesa (Armed Forces Business Enterprises Group), which is controlled by the military and represents hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of jobs. Gaesa is said to control more than 50% of the Cuban economy, touching nearly every sector. As complex as the legal process would be, thousands of people who fled Cuba may well take advantage of the opening. Exiles will no longer just be telling folk stories about what we once had in Cuba, but will be armed with a federal court judgment and award, said Robert Muse, a Washington attorney who tracks Cuban property cases. This could be very disruptive for future trade, he added. Trade between Cuba and the United States has expanded in recent years, enough that the change could be disruptive for producers in farm states, including Arkansas, which now export chicken and other food products to the island nation. Analysts who follow Cuba policy expect that the decision is a forerunner to a complete ending of the waivers, which would open the floodgates to suits targeting any business in Cuba. While the administration delayed a final decision for at least another month, potentially everyone can sue, said John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a New York research group. Its up to judges now which, I believe, is precisely the point. Kavulich said there are an estimated 200,000 potential plaintiffs but only 5,913 certified claims, valued at nearly $2 billion. For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter. The Nevada state Senates Democratic leader tearfully announced his resignation Tuesday after saying he took campaign funds for personal use. Due to mistakes I have made, I will be vacating my seat immediately, Kelvin Atkinson said Tuesday on the floor of the Senate. Regretfully, it has been discovered I have used campaign funds for personal use. Thus I will be taking responsibility for that. I will be pleading guilty for those actions when the time comes. Atkinson did not offer details about the charges, which he indicated resulted from a federal investigation. In this most difficult of circumstances, I have been treated respectfully by the prosecutors and investigators and I have no one to blame but myself, he said. Advertisement Court documents were not immediately available and it wasnt clear when his plea will take place. Atkinsons attorney, Richard Wright, did not immediately respond to messages. Neither the FBI in Las Vegas nor the U.S. attorney for Nevada commented about Atkinson, spokeswomen said. Top Republicans in the Legislature seized on Atkinsons announcement to call for a full corruption probe. Senator Atkinson has violated the integrity of our elections and broken the trust of the voters and his colleagues, Senate Minority Leader James Settelmeyer said in a statement. We hope this is an exception, but we must get all of the facts and determine how far this corruption goes. Assembly Minority Leader Jim Wheeler called Atkinsons admissions more than troubling. Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a statement he was extremely disappointed about the developments. This admitted violation of the law goes against the integrity every elected officer in the state of Nevada should uphold. By doing so, he betrayed the trust of the public, and therefore should be held accountable, Sisolak said. Atkinson was first elected to the Assembly in 2002 and to the state Senate in 2012. He was the first black, openly gay member of the Legislature when he came out in 2013 during a debate in the Senate on same-sex marriage. Atkinson was named majority leader last November. Cheryl Bruce, executive director of the Nevada Senate Democratic caucus, said in a statement that Assistant Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro will become the acting leader. Bruce said Democrats were saddened and disappointed to learn about the circumstances of Atkinsons resignation and said it was appropriate that he step down. The charges levied against him are serious, and allege conduct that we strongly condemn, Bruce said. Cannizzaro declined to comment Tuesday. The allegations and news of Atkinsons resignation were first reported by the Nevada Independent on Tuesday. Sacramento County Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schuberts decision not to file criminal charges against the two officers who shot 22-year-old Stephon Clark to death a year ago did not reflect a determination that the officers acted properly. It was not a clean bill of health for their training, their department or their profession. It was not a statement that all is as it should be in policing and in racial equity. It was merely a conclusion a proper one that the officers did not commit crimes. Murder charges against police officers are too often held up as the gold standard of justice in fatal police shootings of young unarmed African American men like Clark. That simplistic calculus allows us to pretend that racism and injustice are alien forces that police spread through neighborhoods while on patrol, and that ridding ourselves of those evils can be as simple as weeding bad cops out of our law enforcement agencies. And indeed, there are bad cops. But not every shooting that seems in retrospect to have been avoidable is committed by a bad cop. Clark found himself in harms way thanks to a host of circumstances that prey upon many black young men. Schuberts recitation at a news conference of Clarks personal circumstances including his numerous anguished calls to his girlfriend, his emails and texts, his search records showing he was studying suicide was gratuitous in that the police knew none of it at the time they encountered him. The details had no bearing on their decision to open fire. But they do help explain his behavior. He was distraught. He needed help of a kind police are ill-equipped to provide. Advertisement Not every shooting that seems in retrospect to have been avoidable is committed by a bad cop. The officers who followed Clark to his grandmothers backyard were responding to reports of vandalism in the neighborhood. They encountered a man who turned toward them, advanced and, Schubert said the evidence showed, assumed a shooting stance. They shot him, expecting that they would find a firearm in his possession. They found instead a cellphone. In response to the Clark shooting, California lawmakers last year proposed a bill that would change the standards that determine when police may lawfully resort to deadly force. Under the bill, they would have to first seek reasonable alternatives. They could fire only when the circumstances make it necessary. Its a worthy bill, and although it failed to pass last year, a version has been introduced in the current session and deserves support. But even many of the experts who promoted the bill as it made its way through the Legislature last year quietly acknowledged that had it been law at the time of the Clark shooting, it would not have changed the analysis. Police cannot be expected not to follow a suspect. And when they do follow and catch up and the suspect turns toward them with what in their experience and training appears to be a shooting stance, with an object in hand, they cannot be expected to know that it is a phone. They cannot be expected to wait for the suspect to fire before determining that it is a gun. The killing was justified, as that term is used in evaluation of police shootings. But is was also an injustice, in the sense that a man having an emotional meltdown ought to have an array of services and options at his disposal to help him cope without harming himself or others. His family anyones family ought to be able to call someone with the skill and expertise to defuse the situation without resorting to deadly weapons. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute When armed police do respond, they ought to have the training and experience to de-escalate the situation when they can. After Schubert announced her decision, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg correctly distinguished between the question of criminal charges against police and the larger question of whether the interaction between the police and Clark had gone as it should. Was the outcome wrong and unacceptable? he asked. The answer is yes. Of course it is immensely infuriating and frustrating and tragic when a person loses his life at the hands of police who misjudged the danger they faced. Changes to the use-of-force standard are appropriate, but more community services and support and police training are paramount to ensure that more people dont put themselves and others in harms way, and more police dont find themselves without an alternative to pulling the trigger. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Its finally on, for real, between Sheriff Alex Villanueva and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and thats both bad and good. Its bad because the battle that broke open last week over whether Deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan is entitled to his job, his pay, his gun and his badge is a needless and embarrassing dispute, brought on by a blundering and inexperienced sheriff with a knack for alarming even his own allies and colleagues. And its good because as unnecessary as the Mandoyan fight is, the questions it raises are fundamental: Is the independently elected sheriff a free agent with unfettered control over who wears the deputy uniform and enforces California law? Or does the board have the final say? Or if the board and the sheriff are part of an interlocking system of checks and balances, how exactly is it supposed to work? These are questions that are likely to draw attention not just in L.A. but around the state, where 57 other elected county sheriffs jealously guard the powers inherent in an odd, outdated position in which they serve with little oversight except on election day. A hearing is set for Tuesday. Mandoyan was fired in 2016 by then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell on allegations of domestic abuse against another deputy. The Civil Service Commission upheld the firing on May 23 last year. Advertisement As unnecessary as the Mandoyan fight is, the questions it raises are fundamental. But then Villanueva with key campaign assistance from Mandoyan and strong backing from the deputies union defeated McDonnell in the Nov. 6 election and reinstated the ousted deputy. The Board of Supervisors expressed its displeasure but otherwise took little action until mid-February, when they told the sheriff to dismiss Mandoyan. When Villanueva declined, the countys accountant informed him that he was off the payroll as of Feb. 22 and is instructed to immediately turn in any and all County property, including his weapon and badge. Villanueva countered that it was an ongoing dispute, leaving us with this conceivable yet manifestly intolerable prospect: a uniformed sheriffs deputy continuing to patrol with gun and badge who is nevertheless not a county employee. Last Tuesday, in an off-the-agenda meeting with the board (California public meeting laws notwithstanding), Villanueva and an aide engaged in what the sheriff later called an exchange of information with the board. On Wednesday, Villanueva without explanation began a news conference by reading several lines of department policy on workplace violence and sexual harassment an apparent attempt to correct the backward impression he had made several weeks earlier when he told the board that Mandoyans accuser had waited too long to report the assault against her. He also told reporters that the supervisors and an oversight commission had conflagrated two issues domestic violence and reinstatement after wrongful termination and that is perhaps one way to put it, although in fact it was Villanueva who conflated those issues when attempting to explain why he purportedly reinstated Mandoyan. He is correct, though, that the critical issue of domestic violence among law enforcement officers is distinct from the question of whether he has the authority, independent of the Board of Supervisors, to reinstate a fired deputy. Those questions, in turn, are distinct from an equally crucial matter that he has raised and the board so far has evaded: the practical impact of an Employee Relations Commission decision reverting the Sheriffs Department to discipline guidelines as they existed in 2012 under Sheriff Lee Baca. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute The panel threw out a set of tougher penalties for deputy misconduct that Baca put in place in 2013 in the wake of a jail violence scandal, and another set put in place by McDonnell in 2016, because the sheriffs had imposed them without conferring with the deputies union the same union that backed Villanueva in the recent election. Under Villanuevas interpretation of the ruling, Mandoyan may be only one of hundreds of terminated deputies who might be rehired, regardless of what they did to lose their badges in the first place. So although Mandoyans employment status is important, he is just a symbol of the sheriffs power to select his troops and the unions power to overcome the sheriffs discipline. For that reason, the Board of Supervisors should waste no more time before understanding the Employee Relations Commissions decision, challenging it in court if necessary and blocking the sheriffs bizarre truth and reconciliation process. Otherwise, the county really could find itself conflagrated. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made the sort of decision Tuesday that helps explain why hes still wealthy. Having assembled a campaign team and tested the waters, the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat determined that his chances of winning the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 were too slim to be worth committing any portion of his sizable fortune. So he said he would pour money instead into the effort to elect a Democrat to the White House next year, while also working on legislation related to climate change. Like just about everyone in the center and on the left, Bloomberg was confident that he could beat President Trump. And it certainly would have been entertaining to see two rich New Yorkers one articulate and quick-witted, the other, err, not square off on the presidential debate stage. But Democrats werent likely to rally behind a white male billionaire as their standard-bearer, especially not one who was something of a law-and-order mayor (not to the Rudy Giuliani extent, but still). Bloombergs polling evidently told him that as well. Advertisement Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute Still, Democrats can certainly use more center-leaning, business-steeped candidates like Bloomberg to help rebut the narrative that Trump is advancing about the party being taken over by socialists and extremists. As a successful entrepreneur who made his billions off the financial news organization that bears his name, Bloombergs experience gives him more credibility on financial, tax and regulatory issues than the many career public servants in the race possess. And although he supported some nanny-state initiatives (remember his attempt to ban Big Gulp-sized sugary drinks?), he looks like a National Review editor in comparison to his uber-liberal successor, Bill de Blasio. There are other center-leaning Democrats in the race, and its possible theyll have better ideas than Bloomberg. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is one. Another is former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.). Former Vice President Joe Biden would be a third, if he jumps in. Progressives are fond of saying that their wing of the party is where all the energy resides. But a Gallup poll in November found that 54% of the Democrats surveyed wanted their party to move toward the middle, compared to 41% who wanted it to move to the left. And all the talk by liberal Democrats about major governmental interventions into healthcare, energy and other arenas only feeds the socialist canard that Trump wants to run against next year. Even if he or she doesnt win the nomination, a prominent, credible centrist in the Democratic primaries could help keep the party tethered to a real-world view of how the economy works, the importance of incorporating market forces to help solve the major problems of the day, and the need to rein in the burgeoning federal debt. That perspective would be nice to have in the mix, now that some on the left and the right are arguing that federal deficits no longer matter and fiscal responsibility is just so 20th century. Such a voice may still emerge in the party, but it wont be Bloombergs. Its election day, or at least it is in my corner of Los Angeles, where there is a special school board election. As is my custom, I will walk over to my local elementary school later, maybe with the dog, and cast my ballot. I could have voted weeks ago with a mail ballot and avoided this disruption to my usual Tuesday routine. But I like the ceremony in day-of voting. It reminds me that its not just any ordinary Tuesday, but an occasion to participate in shaping history. Its a heady feeling, and profound experiences are best when shared with others. Thats why I trek to the polls for primaries, general elections and even single-race special elections like the one today. Afterward, its always bit of a letdown to resume my regular schedule. Shouldnt there be fireworks or a parade or something marking this day as kind of a big deal? Perhaps there would be if election day became a national holiday. That somewhat whimsical proposal is tucked inside the otherwise no-nonsense HR 1, For the People Act, a bill introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and cosponsored by 236 of his fellow Democrats that would enact many of the same voting reforms undertaken by California in recent years. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) denounced the bill and the national holiday idea as a power grab by Democrats, so its not likely to become reality anytime soon. Advertisement Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute But it has given other people ideas. Recently, Sandusky, Ohio, decided to replace Columbus Day, which is losing popularity anyhow, with an election day holiday for city workers. And a councilman in Duluth, Ga., has proposed that his city do the same. I think California cities and legislators should consider doing the same. Not that we need to make it easier to vote here and its going to get even easier in places like Los Angeles next year. But it could very well drive excitement about elections and shift the image of voting from something unpleasant but important that we should do, like going the dentist or getting a Pap smear, to something awesome we get to do before heading to the BBQ. Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, said an election day holiday would send a strong signal that elections matter. Its especially appealing right now, when people are demoralized by political rancor and Russian hackers are working to undermine our faith in the system. The holiday would be a visible, regular reminder that we Americans value elections. Plus, honestly, think about the motley collection of national holidays we celebrate now: quasi-secular religious events, vaguely patriotic remembrances and the birthdays of long-dead important guys. Are any of those things as significant to our daily lives as elections? I bet if you were able to ask the spirits of former presidents, theyd much prefer a holiday celebrating the living system they helped create and foster, rather than their collective birthdays being used as an excuse for a three-day weekend and great appliance sales. President Trump passed an ignominious milestone during his weekend speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference over the weekend. According to a tracker kept by the Washington Post, Trump made more than 100 false or misleading claims over a span of two hours, a performance that pushed him over 9,000 lies in the first 773 days of his presidency through Sunday. Which raises the question: When will Trump utter his 10,000th lie? Well, this year hes let loose with an average of 22 whoppers a day. Looking at the calendar and doing a little doodling math, Ill take April 15 in the office pool, which has a lovely synchronicity since thats the day the bill literally comes due for taxpayers. So what are Trumps best lies? Advertisement For nostalgia reasons I liked the lie about the crowd size at his inauguration, something he has repeated dozens of times. The day after the inauguration he said as many as 1.5 million people jammed the National Mall as far back as the Washington Monument to watch him take the oath. Not so much. That also introduced the country to Trump advisor Kellyanne Conways notion of alternative facts as she tried to back up press secretary Sean Spicers lies speaking for Trump about the crowd size. But there have been sooo many other beauties, like the $5.5-trillion tax cut (it was closer to $1.5 trillion), the biggest in the history of our country. No again. It was the eighth largest since 1918, and smaller than two tax cut bills signed by President Obama. Then there are the lies about trade, about immigration and crime, about Stormy Daniels, about national security issues, about, well, everything. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute So get your office pools ready. And then start planning for the 20,000th lie, and whether Trump will be able to squeeze it in before Inauguration Day 2021. Imagine the crowd size for that one. Four organizations in Africa appointed as Jack Ma's African entrepreneurs funding program partners HANGZHOU, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Alibaba founder Jack Ma's newly-launched African entrepreneurs funding program has partnered up with four African organizations, with their service covering 54 African countries, the Jack Ma Foundation said Monday. The fund, named Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI), has appointed Nailab from Kenya, NINE from Nigeria, RiseUp from Egypt and 22 On Sloane from South Africa as its regional partners. The four organizations will work together to promote the prize program in 54 African countries. The ANPI was launched on Feb. 18, aiming to provide 10 million U.S. dollars to outstanding African entrepreneurs in the coming decade. Ten African entrepreneurs will be awarded each year, with the total funding of one million dollars. The first contest will be open for enrollment to all Africans on March 27, and the final contest is expected to be held in Africa in November. Twice in the last two weeks, Justice Clarence Thomas has written alarming opinions that call into question fundamental constitutional protections. In one, he disputed the right to counsel for those accused of crimes; in the other he called for revisiting fundamental press freedoms established more than 50 years ago. Although these views are still in the minority on the court, Thomas opinions help legitimize what would be a radical undermining of essential rights. Few Supreme Court decisions are more central to our criminal justice system than the 1963 ruling in Gideon vs. Wainwright, which held that a person being tried in state court and facing a possible prison sentence has the right to state-appointed legal counsel. That guarantee was the logical culmination of a series of decisions beginning in the late 19th century that applied the provisions of the Bill of Rights to state and local governments, not just to the federal government. Advertisement Although these views are still in the minority on the court, Thomas opinions help legitimize what would be a radical undermining of essential rights. In 1932, in Powell vs. Alabama, the court held that criminal defendants being tried for capital crimes in state court have the right to an attorney. It then took three more decades, in Gideon, for the court to extend that right to all cases in which there is a possible prison sentence. In Gideon, the court declared that reason and reflection require us to recognize that in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person hauled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him. This seems to us to be an obvious truth. I never have heard anyone question the courts decision in Gideon, though many believe that not enough has been done to make its promise a reality. Now, however, in the case of Garza vs. Idaho, Thomas has said he thinks Gideon was wrong. In his dissenting opinion on Feb. 27, he wrote that the 6th Amendment as originally understood and ratified meant only that a defendant had a right to employ counsel, or to use volunteered services of counsel. Thomas said that the Supreme Court has expanded that concept to include a right to effective counsel a reading that little available evidence supports as an original matter. Under Thomas view, there is no constitutional right to counsel in criminal cases in state court, even in capital cases or when there could be a life sentence. It is a chilling view of criminal justice, yet two other justices, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito, agreed with that reasoning and joined all or part of his dissent. Thomas other disturbing reasoning came in an opinion concurring in the denial of Supreme Court review of a defamation case brought against Bill Cosby by one of his accusers. In his opinion, thankfully not joined by any other justice, he called into question what is generally regarded as the most important freedom of speech decision in American history: New York Times vs. Sullivan. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute Times vs. Sullivan involved a defamation suit brought by the Montgomery, Ala., police commissioner against the New York Times and four black clergymen for an advertisement criticizing the handling of demonstrations. A jury awarded the plaintiff $500,000 under Alabamas defamation law. The Supreme Court expressly held that the 1st Amendment applied and explained that what a State may not constitutionally bring about by means of a criminal statute is likewise beyond the reach of its civil law of libel. The fear of damage awards under a rule such as that invoked by the Alabama courts here may be markedly more inhibiting than the fear of prosecution under a criminal statute. The ruling made it difficult for those holding or running for public office to recover for defamation, on the principle that the fear of such judgments could inhibit a vigorous free press. The court spoke powerfully on the profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials. In his opinion, Thomas said that New York Times vs. Sullivan was wrongly decided, and that the decision had no basis in the Constitution as it was understood by the people who drafted and ratified it. He wrote that New York Times and the courts decisions extending it were policy-driven decisions masquerading as constitutional law. In Thomas view, there is no constitutional limit on civil suits based on speech, including defamation liability. At a time when we have a president who is attacking the press as an enemy of the people, it is deeply disturbing to have a Supreme Court justice urging overruling one of the most important decisions protecting the press. I worry that the reaction to Thomas opinion will be dismissed as just Thomas being Thomas. But that would be a mistake. A Supreme Court justice now has put on the intellectual table overruling two basic pillars of freedom. We all should be upset and scared. Erwin Chemerinsky is dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law. To the editor: Comparisons between President Trumps actions on North Korea and President Reagans success with the Soviet Union are premature. Reagan now benefits from the politics of nostalgia, and Trump does not. We seem to have forgotten that Reagans policies were highly contested in the 1980s. Liberals often blame him for the inequalities still present in America. If anything is uncontested about Reagan, it is his firm stand against the evil empire that led to the fall of the Soviet Union. Lets not forget that his biggest accomplishment was years in the making it wasnt until after his presidency that his efforts achieved their purpose. Although Trumps and North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns meeting in Vietnam failed to achieve denuclearization, it would be preposterous to close the door on future negotiations. Lets remember that not only do Trump and Reagan represent two different leaders, but Kim and Mikhail Gorbachev do as well therefore, the strategies that worked in the 1980s might not now. Advertisement Berta Graciano-Buchman, Beverly Hills .. To the editor: Trump is no Reagan, but op-ed article writer Marion Smith does not explain why. Trump has long been a social Darwinist, believing that the survival of the human race depends on the strong triumphing over the weak. Thats why he respects powerful dictators and tries to emulate them. Michael Haas, Los Angeles .. To the editor: Many accomplished diplomats think summits between national leaders are dangerous unless an agreement has first been negotiated at a lower level and put in writing before the heads of government meet to sign the document and take credit for the success. Those diplomats provide wise guidance that Trump should follow to avoid meetings doing more harm than good. A properly prepared summit should never appear to be a failure. Gary Colboth, Long Beach Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook When Cory Booker, as mayor of this city, recruited a Republican governor and philanthropists from Wall Street and Silicon Valley for a radical experiment in school choice that alarmed teachers and rattled the community, he framed the move as a civil rights pursuit worth risking his political future over. That risk now awaits him on the presidential campaign trail. For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that Shavar Jeffries of Democrats for Education Reform was a former Newark City councilman. Jeffries is the former president of the Newark School Advisory Board. Since his election to the Senate from New Jersey in 2013, Booker has tamped down his fervor for charter schools. But the zeal with which he pursued school privatization in his hometown threatens to inhibit his path to the White House. He is not the only Democrat in that politically awkward spot. Advertisement Just a few years ago, the appetite for school privatization ran strong in parts of the Democratic Party. It has waned since, but candidates seeking the Democratic nomination include some of the movements biggest backers. Do you know what a charter school is? Are you sure? They likely will encounter strong headwinds in primaries where voter sympathy for striking educators in Los Angeles, Oakland and West Virginia has positioned teachers unions to wield serious power. In several of the recent strikes, the explosive and often loosely regulated growth of charters was a central complaint. In 2016, teachers unions quickly got behind the candidacy of Hillary Clinton and faced a backlash from some activist members over her affinity with charters. That experience has union leaders putting candidates like Booker on notice that they will have to answer for their records. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said recently that she is not ruling out an endorsement of Booker or any other charter enthusiast before teachers have a chance to grill the candidates at a town hall. But she acknowledged their records would make them a tough sell. I have heard from some people that they view it as a complete impediment, she said in an interview on CSPAN. Teachers are suspicious not only of Booker. The Obama administrations aggressive pursuit of charter expansion through Race to the Top, the signature K-12 education policy of his administration, will have former Vice President Joe Biden facing tough questions from teachers, should he join the race. Former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a billionaire who donates generously to school choice efforts and a potential candidate, helped expand the number of charter schools in New York from 22 to 159 while in office. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts once advocated shifting public education to an all-voucher system. Loosening the ironclad relationship between location-location-location and school-school-school would eliminate the need for parents to pay an inflated price for a home and provide a shakeout that might address economic segregation, she wrote in 2003. Here in Newark, charters, and Bookers role in advancing them, remain deeply divisive. There was damage done here, said John Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union, interviewed in his ragged office on the periphery of the rapidly gentrifying downtown. Teachers across the country are fighting back against corporate vouchers and privatization. They know what those things can do to a district, and inevitably they end up pointing to what happened in Newark. The reformers had carte blanche here, and this is the result: segregation in the classroom and denial of education to a certain class of students. Teachers do not forget, he added. Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon in his office. (Evan Halper/LA Times) The latest look at the Trump administration and the rest of Washington Among the grievances that charter opponents will not forget is Bookers past alignment with Betsy DeVos, now President Trumps Education secretary and a figure reviled by union activists and their allies. Booker voted against her confirmation, but years earlier delivered a spirited keynote speech at a policy summit her organization held in which he defended school choice and private school vouchers. Education has divided Democrats for years. Unlike healthcare or tax cuts or climate change, issues on which party members generally share goals, even if they disagree about tactics, education advocates disagree fiercely not just about the best path for fixing ailing schools but, more than a decade into the charter movement, about how it has changed school districts -- and even if communities welcome it. The core policies that Cory Booker pushed in Newark are at the heart of what parents support, said Shavar Jeffries, a former president of the Newark School Advisory Board who now runs Democrats for Education Reform, a pro-charter group. This should absolutely be an asset for his campaign. But those policies werent an asset for Jeffries when he ran to succeed Booker as mayor. The race turned into a referendum on the education alliance Booker forged during his tenure in Newark with then-Gov. Chris Christie, whose administration had control of the citys schools at the time. Jeffries lost to Ras Baraka, a public school principal who had led the fight against the Booker plan. Jeffries argues voters were not dissatisfied with the proliferation of charters, but by the way outsiders, mostly white policy advocates affiliated with Christie and national philanthropies, imposed their agenda on an overwhelmingly black and Latino city. Too many white people were coming in to run Newarks schools and make decisions, said Jeffries, who is black. We needed a space for Newarkers to drive the change. Critics of the charter effort assess the situation more harshly. It was like a hostile takeover here, said Deborah Smith-Gregory, the local NAACP president. Charters have segregated students and divided communities, she says, pointing to studies showing the expansion of charters here left district schools absorbing a disproportionate number of children with serious special needs and limited English. It is not a good situation, she said. Roughly one in three Newark children now attend a charter school, some 18,900 students. Bookers allies argue the new schools have undeniably created new opportunities for low-income African American students, and parents of children whose kids have won placement in top-performing charters speak glowingly of the opportunity. There is not a city in America that has experienced a greater expansion of educational opportunity than Newark over the last decade, said Ryan Hill, CEO of KIPP New Jersey charter schools. He points to test score results showing African American kids in Newark are now four times as likely to enroll in a school where students outperform the state average than they were in 2006. It was not a pretty process. There were protests. There were people whose job it was to protect the status quo, he added. But the upshot is that everybody said this would come at the expense of the district schools, and they got better during this time period too, said Hill. Thats a hotly disputed assessment, even among some of Bookers dear friends. It was just a disaster, said Wilhelmina Holder, a parent activist and family friend and otherwise admirer of Booker. It did not work at all. It was such a caustic, dark time for Newark. The impact of charters here is difficult to assess in part because the charter proliferation coincided with other changes that had a role in lifting student achievement. An infusion of money flowed into the district as a result of long-running litigation pursued by the nonprofit Education Law Center. The state also launched a major expansion of pre-K programs in Newark. Bookers critics say his charter push which Booker used as a springboard to national celebrity undermined those other programs that more equitably raised student achievement. There was this significant effort to strengthen and reform schools, and Mayor Booker showed no interest, said David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center. He was missing in action. The frustration is echoed by Pedro Noguera, who ran an effort in Newark to boost public schools by bringing in social and medical service providers to address crucial nonacademic student needs. Nogueras Global Village program, which Baraka warmly embraced at the school he headed as principal, was abandoned soon after the Booker-Christie plan was put in motion. It became very clear Mayor Booker wasnt interested, said Noguera, now an education professor at UCLA. He was only interested in charter schools. There was this antipathy toward public schools. Like other states, New Jersey is starting to tap the brakes on charter growth. Gov. Phil Murphy called for a timeout on new charter school approvals during his 2017 campaign, and the state recently rejected a raft of applications for new charters. That slowdown resembles the situation in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom and Tony Thurmond, the newly elected state superintendent of public instruction, are strong allies of teachers unions, and legislative Democrats are moving swiftly to address the complaints raised by picketing educators. Lawmakers are promising to impose new restrictions and transparency measures and to slow the growth of the schools. As for Booker: On the day he launched his presidential bid last month, he vowed in Newark that he would run the boldest pro public school teacher campaign there is and touted the gains public schools made under his tenure as mayor. He noted the New Jersey Education Assn. had endorsed his Senate run. But he is asked about schools constantly on the campaign trail. I had to turn that city around, Booker said in Iowa last month. Our schools system had dramatically failing schools. Now we are the No. 1 city in America for beat the odds schools: high poverty, high performance. More stories from Evan Halper With more than a dozen Democrats now vying for president, Julian Castro is charting a path unlike any of the others, as his visit to California on Monday made clear. The former San Antonio mayor and Housing secretary under President Obama took questions from a Chicano studies class at UCLA. He did a television interview with Univision anchor Leon Krauze. In South L.A., he led a roundtable of black and Latino neighborhood activists. Castro holds the distinction of being the only Latino in the race at a time when many Democrats are appalled by President Trumps fight to block immigrants from entering the U.S. from Mexico. So Castro, whose grandmother immigrated from Mexico, has set his sights on scoring delegates in states with big Latino populations, among them California, Nevada and Texas. Advertisement But the first states to hold 2020 presidential contests Iowa and New Hampshire are overwhelmingly white. Candidates who fare poorly there are often eclipsed by front-runners and forced out of the race before voting starts in more diverse states. The next contest, in Nevada, requires a mighty campaign operation that Castro, so far, has shown no sign of assembling. Even if he consolidates Latino support in states that vote later, Castro could fall well short of what he needs. Its important from a historical perspective, but in the nuts and bolts of winning the nomination, a purely Latino candidacy is not going to make it, said Roberto Suro, director of USCs Tomas Rivera Policy Institute. To give him credit, I dont think hes basing his entire campaign only on the Latino vote. The challenge here is whether a Latino-oriented campaign can have broader appeal. Julian Castro campaigns recently at a cafe in Storm Lake, Iowa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Castro, 44, emerged on the national stage in 2012, when Obama picked him as keynote speaker for the Democratic National Convention. Hillary Clinton vetted Castro to be her running mate in 2016, but ultimately passed on him. Castro has long emphasized the emotional pull of his immigrant familys rise out of poverty in San Antonio. He and his identical twin brother, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro, each earned bachelors degrees at Stanford University and law degrees at Harvard University. Castro has vowed to campaign in all 50 states to show that everybody counts. His overarching goal, though, has been to build support among Latinos and younger voters. His first campaign stop was Puerto Rico, an alluring source of delegates. Last week, he spoke in Salt Lake City to MEChA, the Chicano student group, and met in North Las Vegas with Dreamer immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally when they were children. On a recent trip to Iowa, Castro stuck to rural Republican counties with pockets of Latino and Asian immigrants drawn largely by jobs in dairies and meatpacking plants. The small crowds that turned out just five people at Cronks Restaurant and Lounge in Denison were nearly all white. Do you find that people are hesitant to get involved and step forward? Castro asked Beth Ann Vogt, the Crawford County Democratic leader. Absolutely, she told him. Julian Castro visits a Democratic Party meeting recently in Exira, a farming town in a predominantly Republican region of western Iowa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Castro hopes to engage enough Latinos to expand the pool of voters in the Iowa caucuses. He describes himself as the antithesis of Donald Trump. I try to bring people together instead of tearing them apart, he told about 75 Democrats at a house party in Sioux City. Like most of his rivals, Castro calls for rejoining the Paris agreement to fight climate change, offering Medicare to all Americans, rooting out racial bias in the criminal justice system and raising taxes on the rich. He supports a surge in foreign aid to Mexico and Central America modeled on the Marshall Plan, the U.S. program to rebuild the economies of European allies after World War II. Carlos Valle, a student at Iowa State University in Ames, was one of the few Iowans who pledged during Castros recent trip to support him in the caucuses. I understand the struggle hes grown up with, the son of a single mom, Valle said after an eggs-and-sausage breakfast with Castro and a couple dozen Democrats in Carroll, Valles hometown. For now, Castro is stuck in a lower tier of candidates facing better-known and, most likely, better-funded rivals, such as Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. That higher echelon will soon expand if former Vice President Joe Biden and former Rep. Beto ORourke of Texas join the race. ORourke, who rocketed to fame when he nearly unseated Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, poses an especially big threat to Castro, because the two would compete for money and political support in their home state. If Castro survives Iowa and New Hampshire, Nevada will be the first contest in a state where Latino voters have clout. But its caucuses require a big network of organizers. The Culinary Workers Union, a political powerhouse that represents the Las Vegas Strips mainly Latino hospitality workers, is known for its pragmatism in politics. Its support is hard to get. Nevada is probably the only place where hes got to do well and can do well, given the Latino population there, said Joe Velasquez, a Castro supporter who was political director for a better-known Latino, Bill Richardson, when he ran for president in 2008. Richardson quit the race two days after he was trounced in the New Hampshire primary. Julian Castro in Exira, Iowa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Beyond Nevada, Californias primary will be one of the hardest. The states millions of Latinos strongly favor Democrats, but ethnic solidarity is less common in California than it used to be. Antonio Villaraigosa, the first Latino mayor of modern Los Angeles, finished third in last years gubernatorial primary. Being a Latino in California is no guarantee of anything, said Suro of USC. The Latino electorate in California is a fairly sophisticated electorate thats used to competitive elections, and they dont even turn out for someone whos a favorite son. Castros No. 1 obstacle here is Sen. Harris, who has won three statewide elections twice for attorney general and once for U.S. Senate. She has already won endorsements from the states top Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom. Harris is going to blow him out of the water, Suro said. Shes got this state locked up from top to bottom already. On Monday, though, Castro tried to make inroads with the students at UCLA. He has a really strong connection with young Mexican American students, said Matt Barreto, a pollster and political science professor who teaches the UCLA class. Kevin Calderon, 27, an American literature student from Oxnard, asked Castro whether he would hold Trump administration officials accountable for separating families of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Castro promised that he would. I consider what theyve done basically to be state-sponsored kidnapping, in many instances, he said. Inhumane in fact, it borders on criminal. It was just what Calderon wanted to hear. He has a vision of the country, Calderon said, that resonates with the students here on campus. Former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced Tuesday that he would not run for president, concluding his path to the Democratic nomination was narrow and he could accomplish more as a private citizen. The decision removes from the race one of the worlds richest men, a self-described centrist who had the potential to dominate early primary spending and complicate the campaigns of other moderate candidates. 2020 Democratic presidential candidates: Whos in and whos on the fence? I believe I would defeat Donald Trump in a general election, Bloomberg, 77, said in a statement posted online Tuesday afternoon. But I am cleareyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination in such a crowded field. Advertisement In place of a candidacy, Bloomberg has committed to funding a new independent political operation with the goal of preventing the reelection of President Trump, with intensive voter targeting and outreach in swing states over the next 18 months. The former mayor, who is worth more than $50 billion from his control of a financial services empire that shares his name, made the final decision Monday morning in New York after a months-long process of building a campaign infrastructure. He had lined up staff, done extensive polling and scoped out potential Manhattan office space for campaign headquarters. Throughout the process, the prospect of a candidacy by former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet announced his intentions, loomed large, as Bloombergs advisors concluded that he appealed to a similar set of primary voters. The sentiments of Democratic Party voters toward someone with Bloombergs business background also threatened his primary path. Some more liberal candidates, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have made the enormous wealth of billionaires like Bloomberg a central theme of their campaigns. Bloomberg would also have faced criticism for his record as a supporter of stop-and-frisk policing, his opposition to some Wall Street regulations promoted by President Obama and his history of settling workplace sexual harassment claims. Advisors said he ultimately decided not to run after concluding he could accomplish more through his political activism and philanthropic work over the next two years, and by focusing on such issues as gun violence, opioid addiction and climate change. Ive come to realize that Im less interested in talking than doing, he wrote. And I have concluded that, for now, the best way for me to help the country is by rolling up my sleeves and continuing to get work done. Californias presidential primary: Heres what you need to know Bloomberg has drafted, with former Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope, a preliminary policy proposal for what he considers a more achievable climate change plan than the Green New Deal, the proposal promoted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), which he believes cannot pass Congress. Bloomberg hopes Democrats ultimately adopt the plan with an eye toward enacting it into law after the 2020 elections. Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), who has been working with Ocasio-Cortez on climate change policy, said Bloomberg would play a central role in the coming effort to reduce carbon emissions. Now that we have a destination, Mike Bloomberg will help us find the path to get there, he said. Pope said that Bloomberg intended to be the person who writes the playbook. We want this to be the platform on which presidential candidates who want to take action on climate will agree, he said. Bloomberg plans to increase his investment in a philanthropic effort called Beyond Coal, which has worked to shutter coal-fired power plants in recent years, and to launch a new effort called Beyond Carbon, with the goal of largely eliminating the use of gas, oil and coal in the United States by 2050. Through grass-roots organizing and legal challenges, the Bloomberg-backed effort has helped close more than half of the coal-fired power plants in the country since 2010. He aims to force the closure of the remaining facilities by 2030. To build the anti-Trump operation, Bloombergs team has recruited a number of former advisors to Obamas 2012 reelection campaign. After spending $115 million to elect Democrats in the 2018 midterms, Bloomberg could spend more on the 2020 effort, advisors said. How Californias early primary illustrates the states political inferiority complex The effort will focus on coming up with a message strategy and communicating early with persuadable voters in expected swing states even before Democrats pick a nominee. Other Democratic-leaning groups, including Priorities USA, are planning ad campaigns over the coming year to target the same voters. Advisors from the Obama campaign include former White House strategist David Plouffe, grass-roots organizer Mitch Stewart and data scientist Dan Wagner. Someone needs to treat this with the intensity as if we are already running against Trump. That is not happening, Plouffe said. In a narrow decision, where three to six states are decided within a couple points, this sort of effort could be a big deal. In his contemplations about joining the presidential race, Bloomberg had promised a campaign based on his record as a fiscal steward of New York City for 12 years and his philanthropic activism on issues like gun control, global warming and public health. His aides planned to emphasize his own life story as a self-made businessman who rose from a modest upbringing in Massachusetts to rank as the ninth-wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes. Bloomberg has previously dismissed Trumps business accomplishments, saying he was just a real estate promoter. I never would have been elected three times in a row without trying to win over voters in the middle, and ultimately I believe that makes for better governing, Bloomberg said at a 2018 Democratic Party event in Pennsylvania. Now that sort of campaign pitch will be put back on the shelf, after similar aborted campaign efforts in the 2008 and 2016 cycles. But his aides say he has no intention of staying out of politics and may still get involved in the Democratic primary battle as a supporter. You should expect to hear a lot more from Mike Bloomberg, said Kevin Sheekey, Bloombergs longtime political advisor. Some people dont run, and you dont hear from them again. I think the reverse is true here. Shortly after Bloomberg made the decision Monday, his aides decided to go through with a previously scheduled meeting with outside vendors to decide on a campaign logo. The team had built a campaign website and planned a launch that would begin in his hometown of Medford, Mass. What we basically told him was we were going to build a car, and we were going to give him the keys, said Howard Wolfson, a Bloomberg political strategist who helped draft the plans. If he wanted to turn the car on, the car was going to work, and it was going to go fast and it was going to look good. Michael Scherer writes for the Washington Post. An 18-year-old from Ohio who famously inoculated himself, against his mothers wishes, in December says he attributes his mothers anti-vaccine ideology to a single source: Facebook. Ethan Lindenberger, a high school senior, testified Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, underscoring the importance of credible information. In contrast, he said, the false and deep-rooted beliefs his mother held that vaccines were dangerous were perpetuated by social media. Specifically, he said, she turned to anti-vaccine groups on social media for evidence that supported her point of view. In an interview with the Washington Post on Tuesday, Lindenberger said Facebook, or websites that were linked to through Facebook, is really the only source his mother ever relied on for her anti-vaccine information. Most important, Lindenberger said, was the impact Facebooks anti-vax communities had on his family. Advertisement I feel like if my mom didnt interact with that information, and she wasnt swayed by those arguments and stories, it couldve potentially changed everything, Lindenberger said. My entire family couldve been vaccinated. Lindenberger said he believed his older siblings, who predate Facebook, had been vaccinated. He said his younger siblings have not. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explicitly states that there is no link between vaccines and autism. The CDC also warns of incorrect information, easily spread and made available online. I didnt agree with anything he said. Jill Wheeler, Lindenbergers mother, told the Associated Press. Theyve made him the poster child for the pharmaceutical industry. Wheeler was not available for comment before this story was published. The Post has previously reported on the ways Facebook has served as a place of refuge for parents who reject facts on immunizations. The platform targeted advertisements and anti-vaccination materials aimed toward women in regions with high numbers of measles reports. This comes after pressure from lawmakers and professionals in the medical field about the spread of misinformation related to vaccines. Weve taken steps to reduce the distribution of health-related misinformation on Facebook, but we know we have more to do, Facebook said in a statement to the Washington Post last month. The platform said it was considering reducing the appearance of anti-vaccination material in search results and Groups you should join. Facebook came up several times in Lindenbergers congressional address Tuesday. Does your mother get most of her information online? Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., asked Lindenberger on Tuesday. Yes. . . . Mainly Facebook, Lindenberger replied. And where do you get most of your information? Isakson asked. Not Facebook, Lindenberger said, laughing. From CDC, World Health Organization, scientific journals and also cited information from those organizations . . . accredited sources. His mother had vocalized her anti-vaccination views over the course of his entire life, he testified, and he began to notice that the benefits of vaccinations outweighed the perceived risks. That became apparent when his mother would share videos and people would dispute her claims in the replies. It was really frustrating for me, Lindenberger told the Post. I knew if I were to continue arguing and push my stance, even if it was correct, I wouldnt get anywhere. In his testimony, he said he approached his mother repeatedly in an attempt to sway her views. In one instance, he cited the CDC. His mother replied, Thats what they want you to think. In arguments with his mother, Lindenberger says, she would repeatedly make claims and rely on information from Facebook that had no real attribution or backing. Some of the facts are conspiracy theories, including a claim that the CDC is funded by Big Pharma, which pays the federal agency to push vaccines. She didnt trust any sources, he told the Post. She thought vaccines were a conspiracy by the government to kill children. Lindberger says his mother is not unique, and many are swayed by information falsely presented on Facebook to be accurate. The baseless data is often supplemented by graphs and charts that make the claims appear to be factual. The renewed conversation on measles which was eliminated in the United States in 2000 comes amid a resurgence of the disease spurred by an increased number of people who travel outside the country and bring the disease back, according to the CDC. The spread of measles is exacerbated by what the CDC describes as U.S. communities with pockets of unvaccinated people. A recent Washington state measles outbreak, one of six ongoing outbreaks in the United States, has afflicted 71 people, the Department of Health reports. The epicenter of that outbreak lies in Clark County, an area near Portland that officials have dubbed an anti-vaccination hotspot because of the high rate of non-medical exemption from required vaccines. There have been 206 confirmed cases of measles reported in the U.S., spanning 11 states, the CDC reports. Brice-Saddler writes for the Washington Post. The notion that vaccines might cause autism was refuted nine years ago, when a British medical panel concluded in 2010 that Andrew Wakefield, the doctor with undisclosed financial interests in making such claims, had acted with callous disregard in conducting his research. But in 2019, professional epidemiologists are still devoting time and resources to discrediting Wakefields work, which set off a steep decline in vaccinations, including in the United States, where Wakefield moved in 2004. An increasing number of parents are exempting their children from immunization for religious, personal and medical reasons, in a trend that public health experts warn is threatening to reverse the progress that allowed officials to declare measles eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. In January and February of this year, however, 206 individual cases of measles were confirmed in 11 states more than the number of cases in all of 2017. The latest evidence unequivocally refuting any link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella a two-dose course that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is 97% effective came Monday in a paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Advertisement Opinion: Measles is deadly. Vaccines are not. We need our laws to reflect this reality Researchers at Copenhagens Statens Serum Institute examined data for Danish children born from 1999 through the end of 2010, more than half a million people altogether. The epidemiologists and statisticians then used population registries to link information on vaccination status to autism diagnoses, as well as to sibling history of autism and other risk factors. The findings show that the vaccine does not increase the risk of autism, lending new statistical certainty to what was already medical consensus. The researchers further concluded that vaccination is not likely to trigger the developmental disorder in susceptible populations and is not associated with a clustering of cases appearing after immunization. The appropriate interpretation is that theres no association whatsoever, Saad Omer, a professor of global health, epidemiology and pediatrics at Emory University, said in an interview with the Washington Post. In an editorial accompanying the study, however, Omer and a colleague asked whether vaccine research was best conducted as a response to the conspiracy du jour. Limited resources, they suggested, might be better spent on promising leads in autism research than on continuing to engage with vaccine skeptics. Editorial: The anti-vaxx movement is a worldwide pandemic Omer nevertheless hailed the Danish paper as the largest, or one of the largest, studies on the subject. Its only limitation, he said, was one basic to all observation studies, that you cant intentionally vaccinate people or prevent them from vaccinating to study the effects, which would be unethical. He offered that assessment on the eve of a Senate hearing on vaccines and the outbreak of preventable diseases, where he is scheduled to give expert testimony Tuesday alongside public health officials and other researchers, as well as a teenager, Ethan Lindenberger, who got vaccinated against the wishes of his parents. Though the study was not intended to coincide with the congressional inquiry, the results did come at a critical juncture. Measles cases are multiplying, causing experts to warn that a nationwide outbreak is possible. Six outbreaks are currently ongoing in the U.S., according to the CDC. Seventy-one people have been infected in Washington state, where an outbreak began this year in Clark County, an area across the Columbia River from Portland, Ore., that researchers call an anti-vaccination hotspot because of the high rate of nonmedical exemption from required vaccines. The virus has similarly been spreading globally. An unvaccinated French 5-year-old recently reintroduced the disease to Costa Rica, which had been free of measles for five years. An outbreak in an Orthodox Jewish community in New York began when an unvaccinated child returned home after acquiring the disease in Israel, where a major flare-up is occurring. The World Health Organization reported 72 deaths from measles in Europe last year. In 2015, a woman in Washington state died of pneumonia after contracting measles. It was the first U.S. death from the disease since 2003. California enacted a tough, new inoculation law in 2015 in response to a measles outbreak that originated at Disneyland. Health officials said the outbreak was fueled by high numbers of unvaccinated children Measles is a highly contagious virus, remaining viable for as long as two hours in the air of a room where an infected person has been. While the illness often begins with cold-like symptoms and a rash, infected people may fall victim to additional complications, including pneumonia and, in more severe cases, encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, and even seizures. It is precisely the success of the measles vaccine rendering these conditions rare, at least in the U.S. that has enabled a small but fervent opposition movement to take root, Omer said. It is in some sense a victim of its own success, the Emory professor said of the vaccine, which became available in the U.S. in 1963. Its hard to see the benefit if you dont see the disease. Suzinne Pak-Gorstein, a pediatrician in Seattle and a professor at the University of Washington, said public awareness had grown since Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat who recently launched a bid for the presidency, declared a state of emergency over the outbreak there in January. Still, she lamented that a crisis was necessary to jar residents into protecting themselves. People forget that they should be worried, and then, here we go again, she said. I do blame our nonvaccinated population, which has been scared by unfounded links to autism, which have been shown to be false. But almost a decade after the journal in which Wakefield published his findings, the Lancet, fully retracted his 1998 paper, following the conclusions of the medical panel, concerns about the safety of the two-dose course for measles have not disappeared. The public rebuke from the gatekeepers of his field did not silence him. To the contrary, it expanded Wakefields platform, as he turned the criticism into a catchphrase for his 2010 book, Callous Disregard: Autism and Vaccines The Truth Behind a Tragedy, which is a bible of the anti-vaccination movement. A paperback reprint came out in 2017, and was No. 12 in Amazons preventive medicine category as of early Tuesday. Critics were outraged when Wakefield appeared at one of President Trumps inaugural balls, shooting live video in which he mused about a huge shake-up at the CDC. Vaccine critics face backlash as measles cases surge The discredited link between the measles vaccine and autism continues to cause concern and challenge vaccine acceptance, the authors noted in their new paper, which is a follow-up to a similar study they conducted in 2002. Theirs are among numerous attempts to stamp out misinformation about the vaccine. That these efforts havent been successful suggests new methods are required, Omer said. The question to my mind is should we continue to do more studies on this topic or is the uncertainty that is needed for having a researchable question gone at this point, he said. This new study isnt going to change anyones mind. A more promising approach, he said, lay in developing communication strategies and behavioral science interventions that could be deployed by clinicians. Requiring patients to opt out of vaccines, rather than expecting them to elect to get immunized, would increase protection. So, too, would what he called presumptive communication, in which clinicians frame immunization as an expectation, rather than an option. So it would be, Time for little Johnny to get vaccinated, instead of, Should little Johnny get vaccinated? Omer said. That sort of framing has an effect. Isaac Stanley-Becker is a reporter for the Washington Post NASAs Mars InSight mission has hit a snag: Its heat probe appears to have struck an obstacle just below the surface of the red planet. The instrument, which was designed to hammer itself 16 feet underground, encountered some kind of resistance over the weekend and hasnt made progress since. For the record: An earlier version of this story said the heat probes digging ability was tested at JPL. Those tests occurred in Germany, where the instrument was developed. On Tuesday, scientists announced they would stop hammering and try to find a way around the problem. The team operating the probe is attempting to dig the deepest hole ever drilled on another planet with a tool that weighs less than seven pounds and uses less power than a cellphone. Its not exactly easy. Advertisement We knew from the beginning that this part of InSight was a risky part, said Tilman Spohn, the principal investigator in charge of the heat probe. The team members also knew they might be stymied at some point. But we were a bit surprised that it came so soon, said Spohn, a researcher with the German Aerospace Center in Berlin. NASAs InSight lander set its heat probe, called the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3), on the Martian surface on Feb. 12. (NASA) The Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, or HP3, was successfully deployed by the landers mechanical arm on Feb. 12. Its mission is to measure the heat escaping from Mars interior, which will give scientists clues about the planets composition and history. Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge first tried to fire up the probe nicknamed the mole last week. But the command failed to reach the Mars Odyssey orbiter, which was supposed to pass it on to InSight in a game of interplanetary telephone. After two days of delay, the burrowing got underway on Thursday. The mole punched out of its housing and into the Martian soil, making quick progress during the first five minutes. Then something changed. The mole continued hammering for four more hours, but it couldnt go much deeper. In addition, it is now pitched to one side, leaning about 15 degrees off vertical. Mission scientists estimate the probe has reached a depth of about a foot, meaning one end of the 16-inch mole is still sticking out of the ground. We are a bit worried, Spohn wrote in the mission logbook, but tend to be optimistic. Why is Mars so different from Earth? NASAs InSight mission will dig deep to find answers The most likely explanation for the holdup is that the probe has hit a buried boulder or a layer of gravel. Scientists picked InSights landing spot because it appeared to be soft and sandy. However, they were aware that something like this was a possibility. We cant truly see into the subsurface, Sue Smrekar of JPL, the deputy principal investigator for the heat probe and the overall mission, said in November before InSight landed. We can always hit a rogue rock. Tests conducted in Germany, where the instrument was developed, suggest the probe should be able to work its way around small rocks and through layers of pebbles. Based on its tilt, researchers surmised it may have already fought its way past one obstacle, only to immediately encounter another. Engineers tried a second bout of hammering on Saturday to see whether the probe could push through. Keep your fingers crossed! Spohn wrote in the logbook before the attempt. But from what researchers can tell, the effort yielded little success. We cannot really say that we did no progress on Saturday, but we can say that we did not make enough progress, Spohn said. A look at the components that make up InSights heat probe, called the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3). NASA (NASA) Now the researchers have decided to pause the project for two weeks to come up with a new plan and test it using models and spare instruments housed at JPL. Smrekar said team members are waiting to receive images and other data from the lander that will help them better assess the situation. The good news, Spohn said, is that we are still in a situation where we could do something about it. Since part of the mole is above ground, researchers are considering whether to use the robotic arm to press on the probe and absorb some of the shock from hitting the obstacle. They could also use the arm to try to right the instrument. Or they could also decide to keep hammering, since tests of the probe showed that it often takes time for the mole to work its way around obstacles. Im reasonably optimistic that we can figure out ways of handling it, and at least convince it to go a little deeper, Spohn said. The probe itself still seems to work fine, and researchers will take advantage of the break to collect the first round of data. The mole will measure how quickly a pulse of heat spreads through the Martian soil, giving scientists a better sense of the surface material. If worse came to worst, Spohn said, then we would at least be able to do that. Another instrument in the HP3 package has already started to track changes in the surface temperature during eclipses of the moon Phobos, which orbits Mars every eight hours. This week, it will cast a shadow over InSights landing site three times. The first eclipse occurred Tuesday, and Spohn said preliminary data registered a slight cooling. The speed and degree of change tell researchers about the nature of the Martian surface, he said. These readings will help scientists gauge the planets heat flow more accurately if and when the mole is finally deployed as planned. InSights team members still hope that will happen, but they know better than to take anything for granted. Planetary exploration is not as easy as pie! Spohn wrote Tuesday in the logbook. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in late February in a 1st Amendment case regarding a 40-foot cross erected in the 1920s as a memorial to 49 men from a Maryland County who lost their lives in World War I. In its 2014 lawsuit against the memorial, the American Humanist Assn. states the Peace Cross erected by the American Legion violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution prohibiting government establishment of religion. The group claims the governments use of public funds to maintain the Latin cross supports Christianity because of its symbolism. A friend-of-the-court brief supporting the American Legion calls the cross a secular war memorial that does not endorse religion, and a federal district court agreed, but a panel of judges reversed that decision on appeal. An L.A. Times editorial written in favor of removing the cross states, At a time when America is becoming more religiously diverse, the court should recognize that exalting a symbol of a single faith on public property violates the 1st Amendment. Q. Does the Peace Cross violate the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment? How would you argue your position before the Supreme Court? The Peace Cross does not violate the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment. Its a longstanding, now historic memorial to people who gave their lives for our country. Its a heartfelt tribute to people who actually accomplished something good for humanity instead of embroiling it in pointless and partisan legal arguments, as the memorials opponents are doing. Its interesting the L.A. Times editorial declares that America is becoming more religiously diverse. If that were actually true, wouldnt we see more tolerance of the cross? Wouldnt people be more accepting of it? Recent events indicate that America is becoming more partisan against the cross. In Galatians 5:11 Paul calls it the stumbling block of the cross, something that people trip up over. Indeed, the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). In court I would point out that the purpose of the memorial itself was to honor fallen soldiers, not to make people become Christians. I would underscore the fact that the cross has been an enduring memorial symbol of hope embraced by Christians and non-Christians alike. Additionally, numerous military graveyards including the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia are replete with cross tombstones as memorials for fallen soldiers. Should we desecrate their graves because of the partisan views of a minority that is attempting to foist its bias on the rest of the country? I wonder how many of the opponents actually have family members in those military cemeteries. I wonder how the descendants of those so honored feel about the idea of tearing down this monument that has such deep personal meaning just to satisfy the political ideology of a loud minority group? In their context the crosses mentioned above are symbols of respect and hope, not the governments establishment of Christianity. Pastor Jon Barta Burbank Another cross case could undermine our separation of church and state Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The complaint is that the Peace Cross is on public land and therefore goes against the 1st Amendment, which states Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. The cross, because it is a leading symbol of Christianity, should not be supported by public funds. I believe the complainants miss the point of the 1st Amendment. People are not being compelled to look at the monument or even go to its location. There is no compulsion. Further, the second part of the 1st Amendment dealing with Freedom of Religion states or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Perhaps a case could be made that if the specific service personnel who are being honored were not Christians then the cross is inappropriate as a symbol of honor for that persons service and sacrifice. Then we must add symbols important to them. If, in fact, there were avowed atheists among that group, we could have an area with no religious symbols for them, but instead, a drawing, sculpture, etc., representing all people. The one done by Norman Rockwell under the Four Freedoms title comes to mind. I might ask the Court, if they rule in favor of tearing down the monument, then must we tear down all the grave markers at Arlington National Cemetery because those graves are also serviced through public funds? Rabbi Mark H. Sobel, Temple Beth Emet of Burbank Im always going to favor keeping the Peace Cross in full view of every passerby possible. The cross doesnt simply represent a religion, it represents the literal crucifixion of the incarnate God by those who denied him in the first century. The same sort denies him now and they hate his followers. St. Paul wrote, the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God (1Co 1:18 NLT). That said, may I suggest some ways to keep it where its been for nearly a century? First, it represents a particular group of war dead. If it could be shown that those 49 men were unanimously Christian, then the cross would best represent them personally; it wouldnt be governmental endorsement, it would be historic acknowledgment. Another option would be to sell the footprint upon which the cross stands back to the American Legion for a dollar and let them return to caring for it on private land. It also seems that this monument should have been grandfathered into the transition from previous private ownership to public, since it was already there representing communal history. And why, when the state takes over a space, must it then destroy every religious vestige? One might imagine future Americas complete de-Christianization by such acts perpetrated via eminent domain! Look, if you want to argue that the cross is merely a secular symbol, thats fine I guess. The practical purpose of driving a marker into the ground and having a cross bar upon which to write the deceaseds identity has always been around, but then again, Western civilization is Christian civilization, and so the cross religious significance is hard to discount. One might also argue that the cross symbol is present in myriad world religions and doesnt necessarily point to any particularly, except that the cross is the primary message of Christianity (the whole point of upcoming Easter and its purported observance by three quarters of Americans). I dunno, I wouldnt personally want to deny the cross significance just to let a monument stand, but likewise Id hate to think that soon our One Nation Under God will no longer tolerate the truth or its visual reminders at all. Rev. Bryan A. Griem, MA, MDiv Tujunga Yes, I believe that a Christian cross, on public property and maintained with government funds, is a violation of the U.S. Constitutions Establishment Clause. The Supreme Courts 1971 decision in Lemon v. Kurtzman set forth a three-part test of religious establishment: 1.) that interaction of government and religion have a legitimate secular purpose; 2.) that it not endorse religion; and 3.) that it not create excessive entanglement between government and religion. The appeals court in the current case, American Legion v. American Humanist Assn., said the cross has a secular function in honoring war dead but fails the two other parts of the test. A reasonable observer would see that a giant Christian cross endorses religion as a primary effect, and that taxpayer money for maintenance constitutes excessive religious entanglement, the arguments I would repeat if arguing the case. But that and $5 will get me a cup of coffee. It appears the Supreme Court wont declare the cross unconstitutional, given their comments and questions during the Courts oral arguments on Feb. 27. To me their reasons range from irrelevant to ridiculous. Justices Kagan and Breyer seem OK with the cross on public land because it has been there a long time 93 years. Justice Alito worries that ruling against the cross will cause divisiveness, and Justice Gorsuch remarked, puzzlingly, that courts shouldnt weigh in on disputes over religious symbols. Justice Thomas and lawyers for the Trump administration lob in a fresh argument, without constitutional reference, that without coersion by government to believe a certain way, there is no violation of the Establishment Clause. This is a huge reach, and I join with the Baptist, Jewish, Islamic and other faith groups in opposing this weakening of church-state separation. Roberta Medford Atheist Montrose The Newport Harbor High School theater was packed Monday night with community members lining the walls and crowding for a place to sit on steps. In the wake of a weekend party in which smiling students were pictured giving Nazi salutes around a swastika made of red plastic cups during a drinking game, parents and students rose from the steps to give standing ovations to speakers who talked of change. This isnt an isolated incident, said Max Drakeford, a Newport Harbor senior who said anti-Semitic symbols often are invoked in comments and antics among students. I pee next to swastikas in the bathroom. I write essays on desks with swastikas etched in them. But this time, he said, it happened to be photographed and shared widely on social media, triggering community outrage. Administrators in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District held a public forum Monday to address what transpired at the off-campus party Saturday night in Costa Mesa attended by sophomores and juniors from area high schools. Students have said teenagers from Newport Harbor, Costa Mesa and Estancia high schools were present. Shock and disgust on campuses after Newport-Mesa students are pictured saluting a makeshift swastika, though some arent surprised More than anyone at the meeting, students aimed to focus the conversation not on the specifics of the incident and who was involved but on changing the social climate in which it occurred. I dont think condemnation of the kids that did it or harassment of the kids that did anything is justifiable, said Drakeford, who is Jewish and was accompanied Monday by his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor from Budapest, Hungary. What we need to focus on is educating people to the point that they arent ignorant enough to commit something like this, Drakeford said. The blame is on all of us. This environment allows [students] to feel comfortable doing that. Some who were at the party and others who defended it have said the Nazi symbolism was a joke and doesnt mean the students who participated support Nazism. With Nazi salutes around a makeshift swastika, Newport Beach students spark outrage But Newport Harbor sophomore and student government member Gina Leaman spoke of social and racial divisions on campus, including a tendency for Hispanic and white students to group among themselves. She said it foments a culture in which racial and anti-Semitic prejudices rarely are challenged. This is not OK, she said. We live in an extremely privileged community, and that privilege can lead to bigotry and hate, said Gina, who told of hearing jokes and other remarks jabbing at her Jewish faith as early as fourth grade. It is your responsibility to stand up for what is right. It is the communitys responsibility to change the perception of hate in this community. It has been like this for far too long. Hold your children and your peers accountable. This must come to an end. One parent released apology letters from some students Monday evening. I am ashamed none of us stepped up to take down this sign, and we should have stepped up right then and there to say its not right, the parents child wrote. Teens involved in swastika party apologize as outrage grows. My actions were disgusting Phil DAgostino, Newport-Mesa director of student and community services, said the district began investigating the party early Sunday and has had conversations with more than two dozen students and their families. Where we have concluded it is appropriate to apply consequences, we have done so, DAgostino said. A teacher who did not want her name used said three of her students who were identified as being at the party didnt attend her class Monday. She said she didnt know the details of why. This isnt a time for us to be shaming kids who do stupid things, said Jeanne Pepper Bernstein, the mother of Blaze Bernstein, 19, who was killed a little over a year ago in Lake Forest. Samuel Woodward of Newport Beach, a former arts school classmate of Bernsteins, is accused of murdering him because Bernstein was gay. Its time to educate, Pepper Bernstein said. Its a learning opportunity for these kids and this community. I dont think you realize when you live in such a beautiful, privileged place that there is a lot of ugliness in the world. Drakeford and Ben Kwong, a Newport Harbor senior who also is Jewish, wrote an open letter widely shared among students on social media in response to the events at the party. This is really just not who we are, said Kwong, adding that most students dont harbor any anti-Semitic values. There might have been like two kids with anti-Semitic views who participated in the Holocaust-themed drinking game, Kwong said. But he was troubled that of 20-plus people there, no one stepped up and said anything, he said. I think they were just ignorant, a little insensitive, Kwong said. They didnt know about the harm that the swastika carries. He implored parents in the theater to tell your kids how to handle that, be a role model for shutting that idea down. During school Monday, students organized to wear blue in a show of solidarity with the Jewish community. At Newport Harbor, students in all grade levels streamed out of school buildings at lunchtime in every shade of blue jeans, button-down shirts, T-shirts and school hoodies. It felt safe today, Kwong said, like anti-Semites receded back into the shadows. The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report. Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have rolled out package of measures to stabilize employment, which was prioritized as a main task in their recently-released govern-ment work reports. Entrepreneurship has created more jobs in recent years. In 2018, the fifth year China implement-ed its business system reform, the country perfected its business environment and backed up in-novation and entrepreneurship by launching a series of reforms to facilitate access of market enti-ties. Over the years, the country reformed the registration system of registered capital, cut red tape for companies by integrating separate business licenses, and streamlined the approval process by sep-arating business operation permits from business licenses. Thanks to the favorable policies, a total of 83.524 million business entities were set up from 2014 to 2018, which means there were 47,300 start-ups each day on average. In 2018 alone, an average of 58,900 business entities were registered every day, and the figure rose to 70,000 in December, laying a solid foundation for job creation. Supporting policies have been offered by local governments to encourage entrepreneurship. With a vision to build itself into an international talent highland, Beijing introduced a plan to support the growth of young entrepreneurs under 30 years old. Guided by the idea of driving employment with entrepreneurship, central Chinas Hubei province worked out a three-year action plan of encouraging migrant workers to return to their home vil-lages and start businesses. The province also promised to optimize public employment service, offer more training on em-ployment and entrepreneurship, and better supportive policies. Multiple places have worked out a new training model, based on which both enterprises and edu-cational institutions like technician colleges, vocational training institutions, and corporate train-ing centers can work together to improve employees professional skills. This system is aimed at cultivating apprentices with stronger practical ability through trainings of both knowledge and working skills under the guidance of two mentors respectively from the en-terprise and college in an off-the-job or on-the-job manner. Shanghai government has vowed to upgrade the talents professional skills by deepening the co-operation between vocational schools and businesses, and encouraging new training models in-cluding a work-based learning method. Jiangsu province in eastern China also pledged utmost efforts to support employment by continu-ing to press ahead with the action plan of skills improvement. Internet and other emerging industries offer more options for local governments. Heilongjiang province in northeastern China moved to leverage employment through encouraging entrepre-neurship and innovation, as well as developing new business forms based on Internet Plus model. Shanxi province located in northern China planned to update workers employability by innovat-ing the internet-based vocational training model. Last year, the country saw a stable job market with 13.61 million newly-created jobs in urban areas, rising by 100,000 from the previous year and hitting 123.7 percent of the annual target. Newly-added urban jobs surpassed 13 million for six consecutive years. The increasing contribution of entrepreneurship to the rising number also signifies Chinas poten-tial to create more jobs. The unemployment rate maintained at a low level last year, coming in at 4.9 percent in December which was 0.1 percentage point lower than the same period from a year earlier. The reaction to the use of anti-Semitic imagery by a group of local students has been swift and forceful. The photos posted on social media appear to show some partying teens, reportedly students at Newport-Mesa high schools, delivering a Nazi salute in front of a table set with red plastic cups arranged in the shape of a swastika. Newport-Mesa School District officials responded immediately by condemning acts of hate and promising to investigate the matter in cooperation with police, even though the photos were taken off campus. Meanwhile, others throughout the community expressed outrage and disgust, as they should. But lets be clear about one important point: Nothing about this ugly incident is in the least bit surprising. Orange County, it is well known, has a long history of bigotry and intolerance, from the presence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 20th century to the more recent emergence of neo-Nazi organizations like the Rise Above Movement and White Aryan Resistance. It would be a mistake to think that the hatred espoused by such groups remains somehow isolated from the rest of us, or that the influence of these forces is waning or has been rendered insignificant. Racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and other forms of intolerance might not always be expressed in such blatant ways, but they are always there, lurking not far under the surface in our communities. That such poisonous attitudes are only sometimes revealed doesnt mean that they arent present. They are, and to deny that reality allows the hate to proliferate. It has been suggested that at least some of the students in the images were only joking, and that their behavior might have been more a reflection of ignorance than malice. While its possible that at least some of the students might not have realized that their use of symbols of evil as party props was deeply offensive, that hardly makes their actions any less disturbing. Bigotry blooms from ignorance. Granted, most of the racial and religious bias in our community doesnt rise to the level of hate group ideology. It often simmers at a lower level, and is expressed in unkind words and thoughts, everyday slights and insults, and yes, so-called jokes that arent remotely funny. Ask any Jewish student if they are shocked by what these kids did. They would likely be upset, and with good reason. But surprised, no. After all, just last fall, an Irvine synagogue was defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti. Such despicable acts make an impression. Some Jewish friends told me that their children were regularly subjected to anti-Semitic slurs and jokes by other students at Newport-Mesa schools. So no, my friends werent surprised by this latest episode either. Its like when you turn over a rock to reveal the insects underneath, my friend told me. The vermin are always there; they just need to be exposed. So lets do that. Lets call bigotry out, expose it to the sunlight again and again, and let no part of it be sanctioned, sheltered or excused. Lets bathe it in the glow of enlightenment. After learning of the students photos, I thought about my late father. Dad appreciated a good laugh. When he was a young man he moved to Los Angeles and made a meager living writing jokes for Hollywood comics. He would not have been amused, indeed he would have been disgusted, by anyone mimicking a Nazi salute. When the United States entered World War II, Dad was called to serve. He was sent to Europe, where he was in a military intelligence unit attached to General George S. Pattons Third Army. He risked life and limb to deliver reports on enemy movements to the front lines. Toward the end of the war, Dad witnessed the liberation of some concentration camps. I remember well the haunted look in his eyes as he described the prisoners they found just barely alive walking skeletons draped in rags, dragging their bare, bloody feet through the snow. He wanted to rip the clothes off his back to cover them, and lavish them with all the rations he could muster. But the soldiers were warned not to do so, that a sudden intake of food could kill a starving person. So, despite his anguish, he held back. Dad knew then, with greater certainty than ever, exactly what hed been fighting for. And he swore to never forget the horrors he saw firsthand. Three years ago on a trip to Germany, I visited Dachau, just outside Munich, where a notorious Nazi concentration camp has been preserved for history. At the end of the tour I broke down and cried, as I imagine many people do. I thought of my dad then too, and his realization about what is worth fighting for. We cant change history, but we can fight intolerance here and now. We can, and must, fight it with everything weve got with fiercely intentional love, kindness, inclusivity and, perhaps most important, education. It is incumbent upon parents, neighbors, educators, community leaders all of us who denounce bigotry in all its forms to teach our kids the price we all pay when symbols of hate are allowed to become normalized. We must keep turning over the rocks of intolerance. Patrice Apodaca is a former Los Angeles Times staff writer, and is the coauthor of A Boy Named Courage: A Surgeons Memoir of Apartheid. She lives in Newport Beach. The California Highway Patrol is investigating what led a car to careen off a road Monday morning in the Angeles National Forest, sending one passenger to the hospital. A Los Angeles County Public Works employee witnessed the car go off a cliff around 5:04 a.m. on Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road near its intersection with Angeles Crest Highway. One of the cars five occupants was ejected from the vehicle, according to the L.A. County Fire Department. Although neither the CHP nor the fire department could confirm the identities of the passengers, KABC-TV reported they were all men in their 20s. The injured passenger was airlifted to Huntington Hospital, and his current condition was unavailable, according to the CHP. Its not clear if the other occupants suffered any injuries. andy.nguyen@latimes.com Twitter: @Andy_Truc In 1965, non-violent Civil Rights activists organized a series of voting-rights marches from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, the state capital. African-Americans citizens were disenfranchised across much of the southern United States. A march by about 600 protesters on Sunday, March 7, 1965, was violently broken up by state troopers. Seventeen marchers were hospitalized and another 50 injured. Televised and still images of the authorities beating marchers circulated world-wide. The day, which became known as "Bloody Sunday," is widely credited for galvanizing the nation's leaders and leading to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In the above Associated Press image, foreground right, John Lewis, then-chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and present-day congressman, is beaten by a state trooper. Front page of the March 8, 1965, Los Angeles Times with the story and photo of beatings in Selma, Ala. Several additional wire photos were published inside the paper. ProQuest After the March 7, 1965, beating of civil rights marchers, protests broke out across the United States. In Los Angeles, demonstrators gathered to demand federal intervention to protect the marchers in Alabama. Over the next few days, more than 100 protesters were arrested. The March 11, 1965, Los Angeles Times reported that U.S. marshals arrested 98 defiant civil rights demonstrators Wednesday after two human barricades vitally sealed off the Federal Building most of the afternoon. Three sympathizers threw themselves under buses carrying singing and chanting prisoners to jail. One was injured. Protests and sit-ins continued for a week. On March 13, 1965, more than 6,000 demonstrators marched from Pershing Square to Los Angeles City Hall and the Federal Building. An earlier version of this post was published on March 8, 2015. March 9, 1965: Sit-in protesters are removed from a hallway in the U.S. Attorney General's office in L.A.'s Federal Building. Bruce Cox / Los Angeles Times March 9, 1965: A deputy U.S. marshal, left, struggles with a civil rights demonstrator during a melee that erupted at the Federal Building when the protesters attemped to stage a sit-in there. Bruce Cox / Los Angeles Times March 9, 1965: U.S. marshals drag sit-down demonstrators during melee in the lobby of the Federal Building in Los Angeles. Jack Gaunt / Los Angeles Times March 10, 1965: Three U.S. Marshals one in the photo's upper left, one wearing a checkered shirt at lower left, and one in upper right struggle with demonstrators blocking entry to L.A.'s Federal Building. Ray Graham / Los Angeles Times March 10, 1965: A sit-in demonstrator is lifted by his arm and leg as he is removed from a Federal Building parking lot in Los Angeles. Arrests began after the demonstrators blocked the path of a U.S. mail truck. Art Rogers / Los Angeles Times March 10, 1965: Deputy U.S. marshal, right, speaks to group of demonstrators who are lying across a parking lot entrance to L.A.'s Federal Building. Ray Graham / Los Angeles Times March 10, 1965: U.S. deputy marshals forcibly remove a demonstrator from an entrance to the Federal Building parking lot in L.A. Larry Sharkey / Los Angeles Times March 10, 1965: As a bus loaded with arrested women prepares to leave the Federal Building in Los Angeles, male demonstrators try to block its departure. The man at left is dragged away from the bus. Marshals then removed the other man from under the bus. Steve Fontanini / Los Angeles Times March 13, 1965: Civil rights marchers leave Pershing Square in Los Angeles enroute to the Federal Building. Los Angeles Times Archive / UCLA See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here The warnings from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang were unusually stark: China faces difficulties of a kind rarely seen in many years. The economy is slowing and faces further downward pressure. And perhaps most sobering for the nearly 3,000 delegates to the National Peoples Congress who listened to his address on Tuesday: The people of China are unhappy with the governments performance in many ways. There is still public dissatisfaction in many areas such as education, healthcare, elderly care, housing, food and drug safety and income distribution, Li said, in a rare admission for a senior Chinese leader. The government is juggling a slowing economy with rising public demands for better services, a clean environment and an end to corruption and wrongdoing in government and food and drug companies. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a speech during the opening of the second session of the 13th National Peoples Congress on March 5 in Beijing. (Lintao Zhang / Getty Images) Advertisement China is also grappling with a trade war with the United States, a $34-trillion debt burden and enduring inequality between wealthy cities and the rural poor. It faces skepticism from both foreign and Chinese businesspeople about its economic direction and its commitment to open its market to global competition a key issue for Washington in the trade war. Li announced a lower growth target for China a range of 6% to 6.5% compared with 6.6% last year in a keynote speech at the opening session of Chinas largely ceremonial parliament, but ruled out an aggressive stimulus package in favor of tax cuts. The speech, akin to a state of the nation address, underscored Chinas contradictory objectives: slashing taxes but increasing spending on rural schools and hospitals, social support payments, transport infrastructure and the military. The government also aims to provide 11 million new jobs and lift more than 10 million people out of poverty and cut air pollution. In an unusually frank summary, Li admitted that Chinas business environment has fallen short of what business expects and admitted that Chinese innovation is weak. The speech also highlighted the anxiety at the heart of Chinese leadership over the potential for economic problems to fuel social unrest. Only alertness to danger will ensure safety, Li said. Instability and uncertainty are visibly increasing and externally generated risks are on the rise. Li promised to improve market access to foreign firms doing business in China and to protect their intellectual property, a core Washington demand in the talks designed to end the trade war, amid reports a trade deal is close. Huang Shouhong, director of research at the State Council and the leader of a group that wrote Lis report, said at a briefing that many people were unhappy about the governments past failures to implement policy. He noted that the word reform was mentioned 105 times in the report and the term opening up appeared dozens of times. He said that was designed to send the message that China was committed to becoming a market-based economy open to international business. Huang said the drafting committee had consulted with more than 332,000 Chinese via online surveys, including ordinary citizens and businesspeople. The key piece of legislation due before the National Peoples Congress which almost never rejects bills is Chinas new foreign investment law, which the government says would prevent foreign companies from being forced to surrender their intellectual property to Chinese partners. Li studiously avoided any reference to the governments Made in China 2025 policy its central ambition to emerge as a global leader in 10 key high-tech sectors which triggered alarm in Washington and contributed to trade tensions. The policy is key to Chinas plan to transform from a nation based on low wages and the mass production of cheap goods to a superpower that dominates in areas including robotics, rocket science, aeronautics, driverless cars and artificial intelligence. Instead of the words Made in China 2025, Lis speech contained a surprising admission: Our capacity for innovation is not strong and our weakness in terms of core technologies for key fields remains a salient problem. The change in direction could be a strategic retreat, concealing the countrys emerging strengths rather than proclaiming an ambition to challenge Americas global dominance in high-tech areas. Elsewhere in the government report, there were references to Chinas intention to pursue an innovation-driven development strategy and to improve the innovation ecosystem, but there was no 2025 deadline. The speech also made multiple references to moves to protect military veterans, after a series of angry veterans protests last year, and to crack down on crooked drug companies, after a scandal over bad vaccines sparked demonstrations by shocked parents last year. This years focus on risks and problems contrasted sharply with last years Congress, when the tone was upbeat and focused on President Xi Jinpings rise. Xis grip on power remains unchallenged since the Congress last year endorsed a move to ditch term limits on the presidency, opening the way for him to rule indefinitely. Lis speech Tuesday referred repeatedly to Xis role as the core of the ruling Communist Party, suggesting that the president is unlikely to leave power for the foreseeable future. Li called on delegates to follow the guidance of Xi Jinping thought, in a reference to a vote last year that enshrined Xis thinking into the partys constitution, elevating him to a status similar to that of Mao Tse-tung, who founded the Peoples Republic of China 70 years ago this October. In an annual show of political theater, delegates clapped in rhythm as Xi strode onto the stage in the Great Hall of the People. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the opening session of the National Peoples Congress on March 5 in Beijing. (Wang Zhao / AFP/Getty Images) Since he became Chinas leader in 2012, Xi has sharply centralized power, removed political rivals, cracked down on dissent, appointed allies to key military positions and ramped up internet censorship. Authorities have jailed human rights activists and lawyers, detained an estimated 1 million minority Muslim people in the western Xinjiang region, and launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign that saw 621,000 government officials punished last year. He also moved to increase the control of the Communist Party over society, increase mass surveillance of the population and usher in a system designed to punish or reward people based on their social credit, including blocking their access to high-speed transportation or higher-ranked schools. The National Peoples Congress is designed to showcase Chinese democracy, although the state lacks multi-party popular elections and independent institutions free of Communist Party control. In the days beforehand, activists and dissidents are routinely removed from Beijing by security officials, and security on the streets and in public transport hubs is intense. Lis words about risks echoed warnings from Xi in January about a rocky path ahead for China, and appeared partly directed at tamping down the publics expectations that Chinas years of extraordinary economic growth could last forever. Chinese policymakers have striven not to allow growth to fall below 6%, but in a rare admission, Huang said Chinas growth figure does not matter, and a lower growth was acceptable as long as targets on jobs and high incomes were met. Li called for frugality in government, warning repeatedly against waste, bureaucracy, hedonism, extravagance and formality for formalitys sake. He said Chinas resources must be directed to the neediest people such as the elderly, the rural poor and struggling small businesses. In coming decades China will face some tough structural problems, most notably the impact of the one-child policy that will leave a shrinking workforce burdened with the support of an aging population. With China facing severe environmental degradation of land and rivers, Li announced measures to boost green energy and improve environmental conservation. But efforts to clamp down on air pollution have had mixed results, with some factories forced to close their doors in recent months because of environmental demands, increasing pressure on the economy. Thousands of foreign-born women left their homes and lives to join Islamic State and marry its fighters. But now that the militant groups so-called caliphate is reduced to crumbled masonry and scorched rebar, many of them want to return home. Shamima Begum was a teenage schoolgirl in east London when she left home to join Islamic State; Hoda Muthana, an Alabama-born college student; Kimberly Gwen Polman, a 46-year-old single mom in Canada studying to be a childrens advocate. Now theyre held in a Kurdish-controlled prison in the hinterlands of eastern Syria, asking to be let back into their home countries. The women branded ISIS brides, using initials for the militant group, have become a focal point of fierce debate for governments worldwide: What are states responsibilities toward these women? A central question in that debate is what exactly did the women do in the caliphate? Were they cloistered housewives largely ignorant of the groups realities, or active participants in its genocidal acts? Advertisement Women who fled fighting in Baghouz, Syria, stand in line at a makeshift screening point in the desert last month. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images) Women initially did not join combat When Islamic State declared the establishment of its caliphate in 2014, it called upon all able-bodied Muslims to emigrate and engage in jihad, or struggle, to further its cause. Initially, for women, that didnt include combat, said Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at Kings College London. The role of the Muslim woman ideally was to be a wife and bear children, he said in a phone interview, and as a wife and a mother they were participating directly in jihad because theyre creating the next generation of fighters. While its militants were waging what Islamic State called offensive jihad blitz campaigns that saw the group put a third of Iraq and Syria each under its dominion -- women were to be bases of support for husbands, fathers and sons, one wife explained. Hayat Boumeddiene, the widow of Amedy Coulibaly, the Paris gunman who killed five people in two January 2015 attacks, offered advice for fighters wives during a interview in an Islamic State magazine. Be advisors to them. They should find comfort and peace with you, she said in an article in the February 2015 issue of Dabiq. Do not make things difficult for them. Facilitate all matters for them. As a wife and a mother they were participating directly in jihad because theyre creating the next generation of fighters. Charlie Winter, International Center for the Study of Radicalization Boumeddiene, who like her husband was born in France, is still at large and being sought by French authorities. Women did claim more operational roles in planning and combat outside Islamic State territories, said Devorah Margolin, a senior research analyst at the War Studies Department of Kings College London. But most women who traveled to the caliphate intent on reaching the battlefield were unable to do so. That changed to a degree as the group began to lose territory and many of its fighters were killed. It began to wage defensive jihad. By 2017 and 2018 they were proactively calling for women to engage in combat as well, said Winter. But there is little evidence women did so in large numbers. Winter said there had been rumors of women given explosives and weapons training, but Islamic State never confirmed these reports. There had been predictions women would increasingly take part in suicide bombings, since they generally have an easier time passing through checkpoints and whose faces could remain hidden under their garments. There was also precedence for their deployment: Abu Musab Zarqawi, the spiritual godfather of Islamic State, dispatched Sajida Rishawi with a suicide vest to the Hotel Radisson in the Jordanian capital of Amman in 2005. She failed to detonate her bomb but was caught by authorities after her husbands device killed 38 people. Some carried guns in the religious police force Islamic States religious police, known as the Hisbah, roamed its territory to ensure residents were complying with the caliphates harsh edicts. People found in violation faced imprisonment, whipping and amputation. An all-female police force known as the Khansaa Brigade was an integral part of the Hisbah. We saw women in the Hisbah. They were all armed, said Saad Ubaidi, who owns a beauty salon with his wife in Mosul, Iraq. Iraqi women had guns, but the foreigners carried ghadaraat, said Ubaidi, using the slang term for Uzi machine guns. Women played a vital part in the propaganda war Alabama-born Hoda Muthana joined Islamic State in 2014; she exhorted Americans to follow her lead. (Hassan Shibly) Women may not have fought on the battlefield, but they helped Islamic State spread its message. They were very much part of the propaganda machine of this state-building process, said Margolin, who is writing a report on womens role in violent Islamist groups for George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism. Women were some of Islamic States most active recruiters online, she said. Blogs and social media accounts ostensibly held by foreign-born female adherents advertised their lives as if they were in an Islamist utopia. They encouraged others to do hijrah, emigrate to the caliphate. Some would provide a guide on how to avoid being identified as someone traveling to Syria to join Islamic State. Others would suggest what to pack for life in the caliphate (makeup and Islamic clothing, according to one blogger), or offer quotidian details on how the group assigned housing to fighters and women. Others would cheer for the groups barbarism and gruesome tactics. Muthana, the Alabama-born student and daughter of a Yemeni diplomat who joined Islamic State in 2014, exhorted Americans to follow her lead. Soooo many Aussies and Brits here, she tweeted from her now-suspended account. But where are the Americans, wake up u cowards. She encouraged those who couldnt travel to Islamic State territory to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S. Veterans, Patriot, Memorial etc Day parades..go on drive bys + spill all of their blood or rent a big truck n drive all over them. Kill them, she tweeted. Baseh Hammo, a Yazidi woman who escaped enslavement by Islamic State and made it to a displaced persons camp in Iraq, shows some of the injuries she suffered. (Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press) Women took part in the enslavement of Yazidis In August 2014, the extremists surrounded Mt. Sinjar in northwestern Iraq. They began to hunt the Yazidis, an ancient religious minority long persecuted for their beliefs, which include elements of Christianity and Judaism. Islamic State viewed them as devil-worshipers. Thousands of Yazidi men were slaughtered; women and girls were kidnapped and driven away to be sold in markets or given as gifts. In their enslavement, the women and girls would be servants to the households wife and raped by the husband. One wife of an Islamic State member with a Yazidi enslaved in her household defended the practice in an issue of Dabiq. Her article was entitled Slave-girls or Prostitutes? The woman, who called herself Umm Sumayyah al Muhajirah, cited religious texts and the works of scholars to construct an argument for taking Yazidi women as concubines. And she dismissed reports of abuse, attributing them to devious and wicked slave girls who made up lies and wrote false stories. And whereas sex with a Yazidi slave is permissible, she adds, prostitutes in the West openly commit sin. Leave us alone with your burping, she wrote of people judging the slave practice. Pinning down what each person did will be difficult Renu Begum in 2015 holds a picture of her younger sister Shamima Begum during an interview in February 2015. The British girl ran away at 15 to join Islamic State and marry a fighter. (Laura Lean / AFP/Getty Images) Investigators looking for clues to the individual actions of each woman, away from social media, will have a difficult time gathering evidence admissible in a court of law. In the U.S., weve had 16 people who returned that we know of, 13 have been prosecuted in federal courts, so theres a system to do it, said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. But most of those were people who admitted their actions, he added. For those who dont, investigators using Islamic State documents, for example, have to have a rock-solid chain of evidence, which is difficult to establish in the chaotic environment of a war zone. Witnesses, often intelligence or security personnel, are often reluctant to testify in open court, and identifying women dressed in three-layer niqabs, the de rigueur face covering, will be unreliable. Even the social media presence these women maintained is being lost. Blogging sites like Tumblr or Wordpress, and messaging platforms such as Telegram, have aggressively shut down the accounts of Islamic State-affiliated users. In any case, said Margolin, the women probably werent lying when they said they had been mostly concerned with family matters, but that didnt absolve them of responsibility. Yes, they were wives and mothers, but what that means isnt like what we mean when we think of a housewife, said Margolin. As the bearers of the groups ideology for the next generation of fighters, she said, they were pursuing a higher objective. They represented, said Margolin, the future and permanence of Islamic State. Thousands of foreign-born women left their homes and lives to join Islamic State and marry its fighters. But now that the militant groups so-called caliphate is reduced to crumbled masonry and scorched rebar, many of them want to return home. Shamima Begum was a teenage schoolgirl in east London when she left home to join Islamic State; Hoda Muthana, an Alabama-born college student; Kimberly Gwen Polman, a 46-year-old single mom in Canada studying to be a childrens advocate. Now theyre held in a Kurdish-controlled prison in the hinterlands of eastern Syria, asking to be let back into their home countries. The women branded ISIS brides, using initials for the militant group, have become a focal point of fierce debate for governments worldwide: What are states responsibilities toward these women? A central question in that debate is, what exactly did the women do in the caliphate? Were they cloistered housewives largely ignorant of the groups realities, or active participants in its genocidal acts? Advertisement As a wife and a mother they were participating directly in jihad because theyre creating the next generation of fighters. Charlie Winter, International Center for the Study of Radicalization Women who fled fighting in Baghouz, Syria, stand in line at a makeshift screening point in the desert last month. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images) Women initially did not join combat When Islamic State declared the establishment of its caliphate in 2014, it called upon all able-bodied Muslims to emigrate and engage in jihad, or struggle, to further its cause. Initially, for women, that didnt include combat, said Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at Kings College London. The role of the Muslim woman ideally was to be a wife and bear children, he said in a phone interview, and as a wife and a mother they were participating directly in jihad because theyre creating the next generation of fighters. While its militants were waging what Islamic State called offensive jihad blitz campaigns that saw the group put a third of the territory of Iraq and Syria under its dominion women were to be bases of support for husbands, fathers and sons, one wife explained. Hayat Boumeddiene, the widow of Amedy Coulibaly, the Paris gunman who killed five people in two January 2015 attacks, offered advice for fighters wives during an interview in an Islamic State magazine. Be advisors to them. They should find comfort and peace with you, she said in an article in the February 2015 issue of Dabiq. Do not make things difficult for them. Facilitate all matters for them. Boumeddiene, who like her husband was born in France, is still at large and being sought by French authorities. Women did claim more operational roles in suicide attacks outside Islamic State territories, said Devorah Margolin, a senior research analyst at the War Studies Department of Kings College London. But most women who traveled to the caliphate intent on reaching the battlefield were unable to do so. That changed to a degree as the group began to lose territory and many of its fighters were killed. It began to wage defensive jihad. By 2017 and 2018 they were proactively calling for women to engage in combat as well, said Winter. But there is little evidence women did so in large numbers. Winter said there had been rumors of women given explosives and weapons training, but Islamic State never confirmed these reports. There had been predictions women would increasingly take part in suicide bombings, since they generally have an easier time passing through checkpoints and their faces can remain hidden under their garments. There was also precedence for their deployment: Abu Musab Zarqawi, the spiritual godfather of Islamic State, dispatched Sajida Rishawi with a suicide vest to the Hotel Radisson in the Jordanian capital of Amman in 2005. She failed to detonate her bomb but was caught by authorities after her husbands device killed 38 people. Some carried guns in the religious police force Islamic States religious police, known as the Hisbah, roamed its territory to ensure residents were complying with the caliphates harsh edicts. People found in violation faced imprisonment, whipping and amputation. An all-female police force known as the Khansaa Brigade was an integral part of the Hisbah. We saw women in the Hisbah. They were all armed, said Saad Ubaidi, who owns a beauty salon with his wife in Mosul, Iraq. Iraqi women had guns, but the foreigners carried ghadaraat, said Ubaidi, using the slang term for Uzi machine guns. Women fleeing fighting in Islamic States last holdout in Syria last month look out from the back of a truck. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images) Women played a vital part in the propaganda war Women may not have fought on the battlefield, but they helped Islamic State spread its message. They were very much part of the propaganda machine of this state-building process, said Margolin, who is writing a report on womens roles in violent Islamist groups for George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism. Women were some of Islamic States most active recruiters online, she said. Blogs and social media accounts ostensibly held by foreign-born female adherents advertised their lives as if they were in an Islamist utopia. They encouraged others to do hijrah, emigrate to the caliphate. Some would provide a guide on how to avoid being identified as someone traveling to Syria to join Islamic State. Others would suggest what to pack for life in the caliphate (makeup and Islamic clothing, according to one blogger), or offer quotidian details on how the group assigned housing to fighters and women. Others would cheer for the groups barbarism and gruesome tactics. Muthana, the Alabama-born student and daughter of a Yemeni diplomat who joined Islamic State in 2014, exhorted Americans to follow her lead. Soooo many Aussies and Brits here, she tweeted from her now-suspended account. But where are the Americans, wake up u cowards. She encouraged those who couldnt travel to Islamic State territory to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S. Veterans, Patriot, Memorial etc Day parades..go on drive bys + spill all of their blood or rent a big truck n drive all over them. Kill them, she tweeted. Baseh Hammo, a Yazidi woman who escaped enslavement by Islamic State and made it to a displaced persons camp in Iraq, shows some of the injuries she suffered. (Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press) Women took part in the enslavement of Yazidis In August 2014, the extremists surrounded Mt. Sinjar in northwestern Iraq. They began to hunt the Yazidis, an ancient religious minority long persecuted for their beliefs, which include elements of Christianity and Judaism. Islamic State viewed them as devil-worshipers. Thousands of Yazidi men were slaughtered; women and girls were kidnapped and driven away to be sold in markets or given as gifts. In their enslavement, the women and girls would be servants to the households wife and raped by the husband. One wife of an Islamic State member with a Yazidi enslaved in her household defended the practice in an issue of Dabiq. Her article was entitled Slave-girls or Prostitutes? The woman, who called herself Umm Sumayyah al Muhajirah, cited religious texts and the works of scholars to construct an argument for taking Yazidi women as concubines. And she dismissed reports of abuse, attributing them to devious and wicked slave girls who made up lies and wrote false stories. And whereas sex with a Yazidi slave is permissible, she adds, prostitutes in the West openly commit sin. Leave us alone with your burping, she wrote of people judging the slave practice. Pinning down what each person did will be difficult Renu Begum holds a picture of her younger sister Shamima Begum during an interview in February 2015. The British girl ran away at 15 to join Islamic State and marry a fighter. (Laura Lean / AFP/Getty Images) Investigators looking for clues to the individual actions of each woman, away from social media, will have a difficult time gathering evidence admissible in a court of law. In the U.S., weve had 16 people who returned that we know of 13 have been prosecuted in federal courts, so theres a system to do it, said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. But most of those were people who admitted their actions, he added. For those who dont, investigators using Islamic State documents, for example, have to have a rock-solid chain of evidence, which is difficult to establish in the chaotic environment of a war zone. Witnesses, often intelligence or security personnel, are often reluctant to testify in open court, and identifying women dressed in three-layer niqabs, the de rigueur face covering, will be unreliable. Even the social media presence these women maintained is being lost. Blogging sites like Tumblr or Wordpress, and messaging platforms such as Telegram, have aggressively shut down the accounts of Islamic State-affiliated users. In any case, said Margolin, the women probably werent lying when they said they had been mostly concerned with family matters, but that didnt absolve them of responsibility. Yes, they were wives and mothers, but what that means isnt like what we mean when we think of a housewife, said Margolin. As the bearers of the groups ideology for the next generation of fighters, she said, they were pursuing a higher objective. They represented, said Margolin, the future and permanence of Islamic State. The Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is to launch a survey this month on Mandarin ducks (Aix Galericulata) for the first time to find out how they adapt to urban life, according to the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau. Mandarin ducks (Photo/Chinanews.com) March 3 is World Wildlife Day. To mark the occasion, Beijing will launch a survey into the wildlife habitat in urban built-up areas and set up conservation areas to restrict human activities so that wild animals can live more freely. The integrated survey into precious species such as the Mandarin duck will involve analyzing their species, numbers, distribution, survival and threatening factors in this city. In an investigation carried out on January 27 with the support of volunteers, 547 Mandarin ducks were found in nine major habitats within Beijing's fifth ring road, Shi Yang, the person in charge of the investigation, told Beijing Youth Daily. The Mandarin duck is an auspicious icon in China, representing love between men and women. The survey will last three to five years, during which large amounts of data will be obtained to learn more about the numbers and distribution of the bird, which will serve as a foundation for research into the Mandarin Duck's reproduction and migration patterns, said Shi. The best way to protect wildlife is to protect their habitat, especially the large trees and bushes around rivers and lakes, Luo Juchun, a professor at Beijing Forestry University, told Beijing Youth Daily. "Birds prefer the wild, and cities have a certain influence on their daily activities. However, Beijing has created a living environment for them as a modern metropolis with its good afforestation," said Shi. Download Image: Web While most Lycoming College students and faculty members spent the long winter break celebrating holidays with family and friends, students enrolled in Colonizing the Pacific World, rang in the New Year exploring Australia and Shanghai through a collaborative effort between the Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences (CEAE) and the Colleges history department. As Lycoming Colleges first Winter Term travel course, Colonizing the Pacific World, allowed history students to consider how a convict past and British influence shaped the modern identity of Australia through firsthand experiences with Pacific culture. The history course was led by Laura Seddelmeyer, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at Lycoming College, who collaborated with Allison Holladay, associate director of global education with the Colleges CEAE, to bring the combined learning and travel experience to fruition. Students who travelled to Australia took the course during the fall alongside students who did not opt for the travel experience. Throughout the on-campus course, Australias complex history and culture became a prevalent aspect of the course, and the travel feature gave students the opportunity to focus more deeply on Australia. Aside from an extended layover in Shanghai, which allowed for ample sightseeing, the travel course consisted of visits to Australian memorials and landmarks that exemplified Australias unique culture. Some of these locations included the National Librarys Cook and the Pacific exhibition in Canberra, where students were able to see the journals, images, and objects that became part of the British decision to claim the continent; the Old and New Parliament House; and the National Capital Exhibition, where students learned about the governance of a federated Australia. Additionally, students were led by an Aboriginal Australian on the Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour, visiting the original locations of colonization in Sydney, and walking the same path as British colonists in 1788. Geared towards Australian school groups, international students, and local or overseas visitors to Sydney, the tour educates participants on Aboriginal people who lived in Sydney prior to British arrival and features architecture built by convict labor. "We chose sites that allow students to experience Australia and its uniqueness the wildlife, landmarks, and topography while also helping them understand how modern Australia is attempting to come to terms with its Anglo-centric past, Seddelmeyer explained. Students were also exposed to a variety of other Australian historical locations, as well as to leisurely experiences such as an opera at the Sydney Opera House, breakfast with koalas, Sea Life Sydney, and a farewell dinner on the Sydney Showboat. Students who participated include: Kiersten Arnett 19 (Bradford, Pa.) psychology major; criminal justice and criminology minor Tamara Collington 20 (Upper Marlboro, Md.) criminology major; philosophy and law minor Danielle Headley 18 (Brooklyn, N.Y.) theatre major Diamond Olcott 19 (Baltimore) psychology major; criminal justice and criminology minor Kianna Pizarro 18 (Philadelphia) business administration major Jorganna Showers 19 (Allenwood, Pa.) political science major This content is from: Copyright The US Supreme Court has ruled that copyright owners must obtain a registration before they may sue for copyright infringement, with lawyers saying it has clear practical implications for companies Looks matter when it comes to success in STEM, study shows Demand for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees is on the rise. However, there are many barriers to gaining one. One may be the appearance of the student seeking the degree, according to a new Rice University study. The extent to which students look racially stereotypical - that is, more or less like members of their racial group - influences how likely they are to persist in a STEM-related field. "The Face of STEM: Racial Phenotypic Stereotypicality Predicts STEM Persistence by - and Ability Attributions About - Students of Color" appears in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Researchers Mikki Hebl, the Martha and Henry Malcom Lovett Chair of Psychological Sciences and Professor of Management at Rice; Melissa Williams, Goizueta Foundation Term Associate Professor of Organization and Management at Emory University; and Julia George-Jones, Ph.D. candidate in Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, were not interested in looking at differences across races. Rather, they were interested in focusing on differences within races. Examining five years' worth of students who entered college intending to pursue a STEM degree, the researchers measured their persistence at remaining in a STEM discipline. They coded photos on the extent to which students exhibited physical features considered stereotypical for their races (white, black or Asian). Using logistic regression analysis, the researchers found that Asian students who looked more (versus less) racially stereotypical were significantly more likely to complete a bachelor's degree in STEM. However, black students who looked more racially stereotypical were less likely to complete a STEM degree. There were no meaningful differences reported for white students. "I think we live in a presumed meritocracy where people believe what you get on tests and how you do in the classroom is what matters," Hebl said. "Our research says that your looks do matter and can impact your likelihood to depart or remain in a STEM field. And that is pretty shocking." In an attempt to identify the source of such biases, the researchers invited academic advisers from 50 top U.S. universities to participate in a follow-up study. Advisers were shown two photos (one higher and one lower in stereotypicality but always of the same race and gender) and told to recommend which of the two should take a STEM-related class. The responses were consistent with the findings in the first part of the study. Advisers were considerably more likely to choose Asian male and female students who looked more stereotypically Asian to take the STEM class. Advisers were less likely to choose those who looked more stereotypically black among women. The researchers found one inconsistency with the earlier findings: The pattern that academic advisers showed for black women did not extend to black men. That is, the advisers were more likely to say that a black male with a more (versus less) stereotypical appearance would be more successful in STEM. Hebl thinks a possible cause that this finding emerges because of heightened sensitivities to black men in the current political culture and movements such as #BlackLivesMatter. She suggested very stereotypical black men may have led participants to double check their behavior. "We have some evidence that the extent to which people tried to suppress their motivation to be prejudiced predicted their responses to black men, but only to them," Hebl said. When the researchers controlled for the motivation to control prejudice, indeed they found that the pattern for black men resembled the pattern for black women - that is, the less-stereotypical face led to perceptions of greater STEM ability. Nevertheless, the researchers are encouraged by this finding. "We think it may demonstrate that some level of awareness about biases exist, and individuals are capable of altering their actions. Whether it is political correctness, a true change of heart or something in between, a change of behavior is possible," Hebl said. Hebl has been examining the construct of stereotypicality for nearly 10 years. Motivated by the findings of a 2006 Stanford study that showed black men were more likely to get the death penalty if they look more (versus less) racially stereotypical, Hebl began research to identify other outcomes potentially linked to stereotypicality. In 2010, she published research that showed one's level of stereotypicality is negatively correlated with the size of that person's social network. That is, she found that those who look more stereotypical of their race (unless they are white) are less likely to have as large a social network and be as central within it. The authors of the STEM study said they don't think society and researchers have done enough to understand how differences within races, versus between races, lead to different outcomes. "This study is important because it raises awareness about how decisions based on stereotypes can amount to very real negative outcomes for STEM students," the authors wrote. "We hope that by bringing attention to this topic, it will create ripples of awareness and behaviors that lead to more authentic, meritocratically based outcomes." ### For more information or to request a copy of the article, contact David Ruth, director of national media relations at Rice, at david@rice.edu or 713-348-6327. Read the abstract at https:/ / psycnet. apa. org/ record/ 2018-51203-001 . This news release can be found online at http://news. rice. edu/ . Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews. Related materials: Video link: https:/ / youtu. be/ L_kPfY0NMgk Video credit: Brandon Martin/Rice University Mikki Hebl photo: https:/ / cpb-us-e1. wpmucdn. com/ news-network. rice. edu/ dist/ c/ 2/ files/ 2018/ 03/ Hebl-solo-2gxpa0u. jpg Photo credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University Study link: https:/ / psycnet. apa. org/ fulltext/ 2018-51203-001. html Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The secretariat of the second session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC) recently made 22 rules to help guarantee proper conduct and efficiency during the annual session, China Youth Daily reported on March 4. All NPC deputies, non-voting delegates, bystanders, and on-site service staff shall not take mobile phones or photographic equipment to the plenary session, said the presider of the Guangdong delegation, while announcing the secretariats requirements for deputies at a plenary meeting of the Guangdong delegation prior to the annual session. Mobile phones are gathered in dozens of boxes placed in the hallway outside the meeting rooms, as use of mobile phones is strictly prohibited inside the auditoriums of the Great Hall of the People under any circumstance. Abstention from voting will be regarded as failing to perform ones legal duty, said presider of the Guangdong delegation, adding that except for cases including falling ill, participating in relevant activities of the central authorities, and taking part in disaster relief or emergency rescue, deputies are not allowed to request leave. The Guangdong delegation has also made clear requirements in other areas, including no flowers and plants in the conference halls, and the stipulation that deputies should finish their remarks in 10 minutes and make no general statements or statements irrelevant to the theme of the conference. Deputies are also required to leave more space and time for grass-roots deputies when talking to the media. All NPC deputies are required to eat the buffet on offer at the venue, and are strictly prohibited from eating out or going to dinner parties. Deputies at the session are not allowed to give or receive presents, souvenirs, or local and exclusive products. On-site service staff cannot provide unnecessary services for participants of the session, and no e-commerce or express delivery services are allowed at the venue. From March 4 to 14, various delegations to the second session of the 13th NPC are required to report the conduct of deputies to the secretariat of the session before 6 p.m. Fake Electronics Market Goods Are They Worth it? Testing Beats Headphones and Karaoke Mike Go to on holiday to China, Turkey, virtually any tourist destination, you'll soon find how common markets for knock of goods and clothes are. As was our experience on our last trip to Turkey, specifically to visit the giant open air market at Fethiye where virtually every good was on show at knock down prices, this even before we attempted to negotiate the price down. In this video we buy and test a Beats headphone for 15 (UK price 120), and a Karaoke Mike for 10 (50 UK price). Of course we tested to make sure they worked at the time of purchase which they did, but are they the same, similar and most importantly do they LAST! Do they still work several months later, find out as we answer the question do you actually save money by buying knock off goods or not. As for Fethiye Market, It's huge! Vibrant, bustling with variety, Turkish culture in action with plenty of bargains to be had if your upto the haggling challenge. It's an experience in its out right and FREE, apart from the shopping. You get to see a side of the world that you don't usually see, full of tourists from all over the world of all types and ages, a true melting pot. The market sells virtually everything under the sun, food, fruit, sweets, electronics, bags, all sorts of bags, trinkets, shoes, jewellery and clothes, tons of clothes, from the mainstay for tourists t-shirt's tons and tons of t-shirts to the local traditional garments. The Tuesday market opens at 9am and closes at sunset and is open all year round! If your thinking of going there this year then arrive early because the market really is huge, your going to need a good 6 hours and even then you won't see everything! By HGR http://www.howtoguidesandreviews.com http://www.marketoracle.co.uk Copyright 2005-2019 Marketoracle.co.uk (Market Oracle Ltd). All rights reserved. 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Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com Recalling that the Government of Uganda (GoU) represented by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Irene N Muloni and Uganda National Oil Company signed a Project Framework Agreement (PFA) on the 10th of April 2018 to develop a 60,000-bpd refinery in Kabaale, Hoima District. In the said PFA, the Parties agreed that AGRC comprised of YAATRA, Saipem S.p.A, LionWorks Group and Baker Hughes General Electric (BHGE) (www.BHGE.com) would develop and propose a final refinery configuration that would provide the best technical and economic results for Governments approval. AGRC, through SAIPEM SpA, presented a final refinery configuration to the Government of Uganda (GoU). A GoU team led by the Hon. Irene N Muloni, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development has for the last two days been meeting with the AGRC leadership in Milan to review the final refinery configuration presented by SAIPEM SpA. The Hon. Minister congratulated the AGRC consortium for reaching this milestone in the time scheduled under the PFA and encouraged them to meet all the remaining activities on schedule to ensure the refinery project is completed in the time agreed. She informed the AGRC that GoU is happy with the Final Refinery Configuration proposed. AGRC leadership led by Ms. Rajakumari Jandhyala, CEO of YAATRA thanked the Minister and the Government of Uganda team for taking time to meet the AGRC team in Milan, reviewing the proposed final refinery configuration and ensuring that this milestone is concluded in to enable the start of the FEED process. She, on behalf of AGRC, stated that the consortium is fully committed to ensuring completion of all commercially viable pre-FID activities as scheduled in the PFA on time in join collaboration with Government of Uganda. The AGRC will hereafter look to the formal launch of the FEED process which is expected to be concluded at the end of 2019 and thereafter take Final Investment Decision (FID) before construction would commence. Following a successful FID, the refinery is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 1 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. On World Wildlife Day, actor Eddie Peng (Peng Yuyan) joins WidAid to call for more people in China to play their part in protecting the oceans and endangered sea turtles. Ocean fisheries are being depleted at an alarming rate around the world, with an estimated one third of commercial fisheries suffering from over-fishing. Illegal fishing and trade of protected marine species including sharks, mantas, and sea turtles is seeing some of their populations plummet. Warming seas from climate change are causing mass die offs of coral reefs. And pollution from plastics in the oceans are dealing a further blow to wildlife who frequently consume the plastic and die from not being able to digest it. "The oceans are facing very serious challenges to staying healthy and productive. We all need to act fast to help reverse these alarming trends," notes Steve Blake of WildAid in China. "There are simple things we can all do such as reducing the amount of plastic we use and saying no to all illegal marine products, especially from sea turtles." As one of the most graceful and unique animals in the ocean, sea turtles are not only seeing huge declines in recent decades from habitat loss, bycatch, and pollution, but also from illegal trade in their eggs, meat, and shells. Of the 7 species of sea turtle, 5 are found in Chinese waters. In the 1980's there were an estimated 14,000 green sea turtles found in Chinese waters, but by 2008 that number was less than 2000. The only active nesting sites in China are now in the remote Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, illegal products made from sea turtle shells are easily found for sale throughout Asia and China. In the last five years, Chinese authorities have intercepted 38 smuggling cases involving sea turtle products. Most commonly seen items are made from "critically endangered" hawksbill turtles, with only an estimated 23,000 remaining globally. A 2017 survey by WildAid of 1500 residents in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beihai, and Sanya showed that 17% of respondents had previously purchased sea turtle products, most of which as souvenirs. To address this WildAid is partnering with actor Eddie Peng on a campaign with a message to encourage protection of sea turtles by saying no to their products. The campaign is being rolled out on Word Wildlife Day March 3, and will messages on social media, TV, and outdoor billboards in key markets across China. "Don't be fooled by the beauty of hawksbill products, because they all came from illegal and devastating trade," says Eddie Peng in the message, "This natural beauty belongs in the ocean." Nepali Ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal takes an exclusive interview with Xinhuanet in Beijing, capital of China, February 26, 2019. (Xinhuanet/Xu Xin) BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhuanet) -- "China's development is opportunity for us," Nepali ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal said in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhuanet. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. The miraculous advancement China has made over the 70 years is unprecedented and historic, he noted. Of this, the pace and magnitude of its infrastructure development is highly impressive, the ambassador added. As an example, he said, China's high-speed rail network now accounts for 60 percent of the global total and the technology is still advancing rapidly to increase the speed, improve comfort and enhance safety. China has also set an example in poverty elimination, he said, adding that the world wants to learn and benefit from this example. Given the large population of China, the ambassador is amazed by China's agricultural production capacity. The ambassador said China's rapid expansion of agricultural production has not only improved the living conditions of its people, but also contributed to global food security. Equally impressive is the development of science and technology in China. He noted that China is rapidly coming up in 5G development, big data, and space science and technology. On the Belt and Road Initiative, the ambassador stressed, it promotes connectivity, people-to-people exchange and win-win cooperation. "After joining the Belt and Road Initiative, we have significantly enhanced the level of cooperation, " he said. Nepal has been getting a lot of resources and expertise and human resources development opportunities, he added. The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in China this year. The ambassador said that Nepal wants to further expand cooperation with China in different areas to further enhance the level of cooperation. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. (Photo/www.my399.com) A smart electric vehicle using the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit system received an enthusiastic response from passengers on March 2 during a test run. The vehicle, developed by Chinas CRRC Zhuzhou Institute Co., Ltd., runs on rubber tires and uses "virtual track following control" technology instead of following conventional rail tracks. It has a turning radius of as low as 15 meters and can carry over 300 passengers. The three-carriage vehicle is 31.64 meters long and has a top speed of 70 kilometers per hour. To ensure passenger safety, it ran at 30 km per hour during the trial. Since the vehicle arrived in Harbin in January, it has passed 13 tests under harsh weather conditions and on icy roads. The trial operation began on Feb. 22, lasting for around 10 days. It started carrying passengers on the same date. He was born Rodrigo (or Ruy) Diaz de Vivar. Vivar being the town where he was born. It is near Burgos. He was born either in 1040 or 1043. Historians are not sure of the date. He died in Valencia in 1099. His name, El Cid was given to him by the Moors. In the mixture of the Spanish and Arabic language they used, they called him As-Sid (Lord or Chief). This was pronounced by the Spaniards as El Cid, but they themselves actually called him Campeador (Champion). Plot Muslim General Ben Yusuf (Herbert Lom) of the Almoravid dynasty has summoned all the Emirs of Al-Andalus to North Africa and chastises them for their complacency in dealing with the infidels and reveals his plan for Islamic world domination. Later, while en route to his future bride Dona Jimena (Sophia Loren), Don Rodrigo, (Charlton Heston) becomes involved in a battle against a Moorish army. Two of the Emirs, Al-Mutamin (Douglas Wilmer) of Zaragosa and Al-Kabir (Frank Thring) of Valencia are captured, but Rodrigo releases them on condition that they never again attack King Ferdinand of Castile (Ralph Truman). The Emirs proclaim him El Cid (the Castillian Spanish pronunciation of the Arabic for Lord: Al Sidi) and swear allegiance to him. For this act he is accused of treason against the King by Jimenas father, Count Gormaz (Andrew Cruickshank). Rodrigos proud father, Don Diego (Michael Hordern) challenges Gormaz, and when Gormaz refuses to take back the challenge or the accusation of treason, Rodrigo kills him in a duel. Jimena swears revenge upon her fathers murderer. Rodrigo then takes up the mantle of the Kings champion in single combat for control of the city of Calahorra, which he wins. Rodrigo is then sent upon a mission to collect tribute from Moorish vassals of the Castillian crown, but Jimena, in league with Count Ordonez (Raf Vallone), has plotted to have Rodrigo killed. El Cid and his men are ambushed but are saved by Al-Mutamin, to whom he had previously showed clemency. Returning home, his reward is the hand of Jimena in marriage. But the marriage is not consummated and she removes herself to a convent. King Ferdinand dies, and his eldest son, Prince Sancho (Gary Raymond), becomes king. The younger son, Prince Alfonso (John Fraser) also desires the throne; with his sister, Princess Urraca (Genevieve Page), Alfonso has Sancho assassinated. At his coronation, El Cid has Alfonso swear upon the Bible that he had no part in the death of his brother. He swears so, but has Rodrigo banished for his impudence. Jimenas love for El Cid is rekindled and she is banished with him. Rodrigo is later called into service of the king once again, to protect Castille from Yusufs North African army. He allies himself with the other Emirs who fear Ben Yusuf and at Valencia, Rodrigo relieves the city of the wicked Emir Al-Kadir, who had betrayed him. The Emir Al-Mutamin and the Valencians offer the crown to The Cid, but he refuses it and sends the crown to King Alfonso. Rodrigo then repels the invading army of Ben Yusuf, but is wounded in battle by an arrow before the final victory. If the arrow is removed, there is a chance that he will live, but he will not be able to lead his army. El Cid obtains a promise from Jimena to not remove it, knowing that this will kill him. He intends to ride out, even if dead. King Alfonso comes to his bedside, asks forgiveness and recognizes that he is the noblest knight in all his kingdom. The morning after El Cid dies, his body is secured upon his horse and sent out at the head of his army with King Alfonso and Emir Al-Mutamin on either side of his horse. When Yusufs army see him with his eyes still open, they believe that El Cids ghost has come back from the dead. Babieca, his horse, tramples on and kills Ben Yusuf, who is too terrified to fight. The invading North African army is completely defeated. The film ends with the Christians and Moors praying and praising the exploit of El Cid. Morning Posting. This is so typical of Goldman Sachs.They will say one thing publicly and then turn around and do the total opposite privately.Sadly, the power of the too big to fail banks just continues to grow. At this point, the big six U.S. banks (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo) now possess assetsequivalent to approximately 60 percent of Americas gross national product.Goldman Sachs was the second biggest donor to Barack Obamas campaign in 2008, so dont expect Obama to do anything about any of this.We have a financial system that is deeply, deeply corrupt and all of that corruption is a big reason why things are falling apart.Sadly, the 54 page report mentioned above is right we really are facing aglobal debt meltdown and we really are heading for an economic collapse.You arent going to hear the truth from the mainstream media or from our politicians because keeping people calm is much more of a priority to them than telling the truth is.The debt crisis in the United States is unsustainable and the debt crisis in Europe is unsustainable. Right now we are in the calm before the storm, and nobody knows exactly when the storm is going to strike.But let there be no doubt it is coming.The amazing prosperity that we have enjoyed for the last several decades has largely been a debt-fueled illusion. It was a great party while it lasted, but now it is coming to an end and the aftermath of the coming crash is going to be absolutely horrific.Keep watch and get prepared. We dont know exactly when the collapse is going to happen, but it is definitely on the way and now even Goldman Sachs is admitting that.Read the full story here. The second session of the 13th National People's Congress opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) On March 5, 2019, Premier Li Keqiang delivered the Government Work Report to the second session of the 13th National Peoples Congress in Beijing. Here are the highlights: 1. 2018 in review Chinas gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.6 percent, exceeding 90 trillion yuan. A further 13.61 million new urban jobs were added. The rural poor population was reduced by 13.86 million. The tax and fee burden on enterprises and individuals was reduced by around 1.3 trillion yuan. The overall tariff level was reduced from 9.8 to 7.5 percent. The prices of 17 cancer drugs were slashed and these drugs were included in the national medical insurance catalog. We must also be clear about the problems and challenges: Externally-generated risks are on the rise. Downward pressure on the Chinese economy continues to increase. The real economy faces many difficulties. There are still many risks and hidden dangers in the financial and other sectors. 2. Targets for 2019 - GDP growth of 6-6.5 percent - Over 11 million new urban jobs, a surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5 percent, and a registered urban unemployment rate within 4.5 percent - CPI increase of around 3 percent - A reduction of over 10 million in the rural poor population - A drop of around 3 percent in energy consumption per unit of GDP Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a government work report at the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) 3. Main tasks for 2019 Cut corporate burdens China plans to reduce the current value-added tax (VAT) rate of 16 percent for manufacturing and other industries to 13 percent, and reduce the tax burdens on and social insurance contributions of enterprises by nearly two trillion yuan this year. Employment This year, for the first time, China plans to elevate the employment-first policy to the status of a macro policy. Consumption To maintain steady automobile consumption, China will continue preferential policies on the purchase of new-energy vehicles. Investment 800 billion yuan will be invested in railway construction, 1.8 trillion yuan will be invested in road construction and waterway projects. Financial support mechanisms China plans to establish a science and technology innovation board that will pilot an IPO registration system. China plans to reform and improve the basic systems of the capital market to promote the healthy and steady development of multi-tiered capital markets. Beat poverty with precision alleviation China plans to intensify poverty alleviation in areas of extreme poverty like the three regions and three prefectures. The three regions refers to Tibet, four prefectures of southern Xinjiang--Hotan, Aksu, Kashi, and the Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture of Kizilsu, and the areas of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, and Qinghai provinces with large Tibetan populations; the three prefectures are Liangshan in Sichuan, Nujiang in Yunnan, and Linxia in Gansu. Pollution prevention and control China plans to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by 3 percent in 2019, and achieve a 2-percent drop in both chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen emissions. Education Central government spending on education will exceed one trillion yuan in 2019. Medical and health services China plans to lower and unify the deductible line for serious disease insurance, raise the reimbursement rate from 50 to 60 percent. Broadband, mobile internet rates This year, average rates for mobile internet services will be further cut by more than 20 percent. Cellphone subscribers nationwide will be able to keep their numbers while switching carriers. All-round opening-up China plans to shorten the negative list for foreign investment, expand the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and continue to promote China-US trade negotiations. Coordinated development China plans to elevate the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta to the status of national strategy and design and implement an overall development plan. [March 05, 2019] Hispanic Business Owners Optimistic, Despite Tight Labor Market Hispanic small business owners are confident about their 2019 business outlook, with strong majorities planning for increased revenue, growth and expansion - eclipsing their non-Hispanic counterparts by double-digits on all indicators. According to the third annual Bank of America Hispanic Small Business Owner Spotlight, 79 percent of Hispanic business owners plan to grow their business over the next five years, 24 percentage points higher than non-Hispanic entrepreneurs (55 percent). Additionally, when asked about their outlook for next 12 months: 87 percent plan to expand (vs. 67 percent of non-Hispanic entrepreneurs). 74 percent anticipate their revenue will increase (vs. 57 percent of non-Hispanic entrepreneurs). 51 percent plan to hire (vs. 26 percent of non-Hispanic entrepreneurs). "Consistent with years prior, Hispanic small business owners are embracing a significantly more confident outlook toward growth compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts," said Elizabeth Romero, Small Business Central Division executive, Bank of America. "This optimism, however, does not come without challenges. As Hispanic entrepreneurs look to augment growth plans by hiring, today's competitive job market has created an especially difficult environment to attract and retain talent." With business growing beyond expectations, Hispanics credit employees, family and community More Hispanic entrepreneurs say their business has grown beyond what they originally envisioned when compared to non-Hispanics (34 percent vs. 25 percent). They credit employees, family and community as their primary sources of support and motivation in that success. More Hispanic entrepreneurs also see their businesses as multi-generational assets, with more than one-third intending to pass their business onto their children, compared to less than one-quarter of non-Hispanics. Employees, community drive confidence: 91 percent say their employees give them confidence they can achieve their goals, while 86 percent are inspired to succeed by their community (compared to 86 percent and 69 percent, respectively, for non-Hispanics). 91 percent say their employees give them confidence they can achieve their goals, while 86 percent are inspired to succeed by their community (compared to 86 percent and 69 percent, respectively, for non-Hispanics). Power of personal networks: 86 percent say their supportive personal network helped drive their business success (compared to 76 percent of non-Hispanics). 86 percent say their supportive personal network helped drive their business success (compared to 76 percent of non-Hispanics). A multi-generational investment: 38 percent hope to pass their business on to their children (compared to 23 percent of non-Hispanics). 38 percent hope to pass their business on to their children (compared to 23 percent of non-Hispanics). Community impact opportunity: 22 percent said they became a business owner in order to make a difference in their community (compared to 17 percent of non-Hispaics). Challenging labor market increases competition for talent More than half of Hispanic entrepreneurs look to hire in 2019 - double the rate of non-Hispanic business owners. One potential obstacle, however, is finding qualified talent to fill these roles, with 58 percent of Hispanic entrepreneurs who sought to hire in 2018 reporting the ultra-competitive job market has impacted their ability to hire. As more than half of Hispanic business owners look to hire, they are also more likely than their non-Hispanic peers to report that retaining and hiring employees has become a significant challenge. In the last year, 45 percent of Hispanic entrepreneurs experienced turnover (vs. 24 percent of non-Hispanic entrepreneurs). Of Hispanic business owners who sought to hire in the last year, 45 percent say it takes three months or more to fill a position (vs. 40 percent of non-Hispanic entrepreneurs). 58 percent say the tight labor market had a direct impact (vs. 49 percent of non-Hispanic business owners). Shifting hiring strategies with social media and deal sweeteners Seventy percent of Hispanic entrepreneurs say they have refined their hiring and recruiting approach to better compete in this ultra-competitive job market (vs. 55 percent of non-Hispanic business owners), including: More actively using social media to find and recruit talent (32 percent vs. 23 percent of non-Hispanic business owners). Shifting to a more flexible culture (27 percent vs. 25 percent of non-Hispanic business owners). Offering higher salaries (26 percent vs. 17 percent of non-Hispanic business owners). For a complete, in-depth look at the insights of the nation's Hispanic small business owners, read the full 2019 Bank of America Hispanic Small Business Owner Spotlight (also available in Spanish). Bank of America Hispanic Business Owner Spotlight GfK Social and Strategic Research conducted the Bank of America Hispanic Business Owner Spotlight survey between August 30 and October 16, 2018 using a pre-recruited online sample of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic small business owners. GfK contacted a national sample of 1,067 small business owners in the United States with annual revenue between $100,000 and $4,999,999 and employing between two and 99 employees, as well as 303 interviews among Hispanic small business owners. The final results were weighted to national benchmark standards for size, revenue, and region, and, for the Hispanic augment, whether the respondents were primarily English-speaking or Spanish-speaking. Bank of America Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 66 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,300 retail financial centers, including approximately 1,800 lending centers, 2,200 Merrill Edge investment centers and 1,500 business centers; approximately 16,300 ATMs; and award-winning digital banking with more than 36 million active users, including over 26 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom. Click here to register for news email alerts. www.bankofamerica.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005353/en/ [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] The 1920s live large in America's nostalgic memory. Images of big bands, flappers, and swing dancing come to mind when one thinks about the decade. It was the time of Prohibition, and in the historic neighborhood of Jefferson Chalmers, the infamous Purple Gang ruled the streets. Affiliated with Al Capone, the gang of bootleggers smuggled whiskey from Canada to Detroit via the neighborhood's beautiful canals and waterways. The notoriety of the Purple Gang is only one of the many historic distinctions of the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood.It's the site of bloody tribal wars among Native Americans. It is where ballrooms thrived. The Jefferson Chalmers Historic Business District remains one of the oldest in Detroit where building facades in the Classical Revival style remain intact.For these reasons and more, Jefferson Chalmers remains a place where neighborhood tourism is thriving.One of our favorite tour hosts is Nick Sinacori who kicked off this On the Ground Jefferson Chalmers series . But there are several other fascinating tours where homegrown or visiting tourists can learn more about this unique Detroit gem.Jamon JordanEstablished in 2013, Black Scroll Tours is for those who want to have an interactive experience with the history of Detroit. The tour company focuses primarily on African American history that varies from a legacy landmark location on the Underground Railroad to the popular culture of Motown Records.In Jefferson Chalmers, Jordan takes visitors down the commercial corridor where African American businesses thrived as early as the 1940s. "Jefferson Chalmers was also a neighborhood with a rich history of jazz and big band music," Jordan says, "The Vanity and Monticello ballrooms made Jefferson Chalmers a destination for popular music."Jordan's tours explore Jefferson Chalmers throughout its evolution from ribbon farms that originated among the French and British to present day where community farms like Feedom Freedom are utilizing the location near the water for innovation.Stewart McMillanA former humanities professor and historian, Stewart McMillan has been leading tours in and around downtown Detroit, Hamtramck, and even Canada since 1968. McMillan also uses his longtime knowledge of the city to lead a popular Black History Tour, as well as tours that highlight historic economic sites.McMillan is also known for his cemetery tours which offer a fascinating view of history from the site of the final resting place of some of Detroit's most luminary residents. McMillian's tours of historic Elmwood and Mt. Elliott Cemeteries are aptly scheduled right around Halloween.Detroit Historical Canal TourTours are $50 and paddlers must be at least 14 years oldThis unique tour is a way to strap into a life jacket and hop in a kayak and see Detroit like you have never seen it before.Since 2008, the Riverside Kayak Tour company started working with the Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative to bring a brand new tour experience to Jefferson Chalmers. One of the most popular tours on their roster, the Detroit Historical Canal Tour, takes paddlers past the historic Fisher Mansion and along routes that were used by the infamous Purple Gang in a two-and-a-half hour tour from the Grayhaven Mooring Facility up a short distance through Fox Creek Canals which is nicknamed "The Venice of Detroit.""In 2017, we did maybe 10 to 12 tours in this area in a season. Last year, we did probably six to eight tours a week," says Riverside Kayak Tours owner Tiffany VanDeHey."Detroit is becoming more popular. Kayaking is becoming more popular. It was kind of a boom for us at one time. We get tourists from all over the world, but it's really cool to be able to share it with people who have also lived in Detroit their whole life and who never even knew that the canals were there."This article is part of our " On the Ground " series, where a journalist reports from a dedicated neighborhood for weekly coverage. Support for this series is provided by the Kresge Foundation Cashew prices are expected to recover this year on the global market and producers should promote cooperation to remain stable. Experts spoke at an international conference on the cashew industry held in Hue from March 1-3 to promote close and long-term relationships between cashew companies and create a basis for establishing trade between parties this year. R K Dhoodes, chairman of the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPC) said annual consumption of cashew nuts has increased sharply, meaning good news for the global cashew industry. He predicted demand will continue to rise so prices will also surge. The CEPC chairman said in the future there should be a common institution for controlling trade activities to ensure parties respect contracts. Prices must be fair to ensure all parties benefit in the value chain. During the conference, the Viet Nam Cashew Association (Vinacas) and the CEPC held talks about promoting cooperation in stabilising cashew prices this year. The cooperation between Vinacas and CEPC, representatives of the two largest cashew processing countries in the world India and Viet Nam, is necessary to gradually stabilise the market and ensure benefits in the global value chain this year and beyond. Also at the conference, participants asked African countries to control the quality of exported cashews this year. The conference forecasted that global raw cashew output this year is about 4 million tonnes (or 1 million tonnes of processed cashew), including over 2 million tonnes in Africa and the remainder from other countries including India, Viet Nam, Indonesia and Cambodia. The conference this year attracted 300 businesses from Viet Nam and other countries. The annual event was under the national trade promotion programme and showed achievements and innovations in food safety and hygiene technology of Viet Nams cashew industry. VN exports According to the Vinacas, this year, Viet Nam plans to ship 350,000 tonnes of cashew nuts for about US$4 billion, a lower volume but higher value than last year. By increasing sales of processed products instead of raw cashew, the ratio of processed cashew nuts of Viet Nam is expected to rise 30 per cent, double that of two years ago. Vinacas general secretary ang Hoang Giang said that along with improving the quality of processed cashew nut, in June 2019, the association will survey the West Asian market, bringing about more choices for exporters in terms of market and product. Vietnamese cashew is popular in demanding markets such as the US and the EU, paving the way for domestic exporters to expand markets. Along with seeking new markets, Viet Nam aims to maintain major ones such as the Netherlands, China, and especially the US, which consumes up to 40 per cent of the countrys cashew nuts, said Giang. He added that the current market trend is products with clear origin, as customers prefer products with strictly controlled quality. Vinacas Vice President Nguyen Minh Hoa said that to conquer new markets, Vietnamese firms should pay greater attention to studying requirements of the markets to supply suitable products. Hoa noted that with the use of Vietnamese technology over the years, African countries have started processing cashew and reducing their exports of raw cashew. They are expected to compete with Viet Nam in the next five years. With dependence on materials from other countries, it is crucial for the Vietnamese cashew sector to improve quality to enhance competitiveness, he said. Vinacas chairman Pham Van Cong said the association will ask for support from the Ministry of Industry and Trade in implementing the Cashew of Vietnam promotion programme as well as other programmes to assist in the building of Vietnamese cashew trademark and providing information and technical support for exporters. Vinacas will ask the Ministry of Finance to deploy measures to encourage foreign-invested forms to focus on processing, contributing to increasing the ratio of processed products. Although Vietnamese cashew is defined by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council as having higher quality than that of African countries and Cambodia, the price of cashew material is not very different than that of other countries. Therefore, the building of a Vietnamese cashew trademark should start by building a trademark for materials. Cong said Vinacas and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have built a set of national criteria for cashew material, which will be issued in 2019 and is expected to reduce problems in the quality of materials. VNS In December and January, many people prefer to cozy up to the comforts of home, while others relish the opportunity to compete in one of many local, winter-themed races that are back on track this year. Runners might have to navigate trails in the snow, ice and frigid conditions, but according to Ron Horn, the [] Get festive at Happy Holidays from Roxborough! Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam announces Board Resolution No.162/NQ-BIDV dated February 28, 2019 as follows: The Board of Directors of Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam approved the plan for holding the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders as follows: - Record date: expected on March 21, 2019 - Exercise ratio: 01 common share 01 voting right - Meeting date: April 26, 2019 - Meeting venue: 773 Hong Ha, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi The best boutiques in Switzerland The best boutiques in... Where is the best place to buy a watch in French-speaking Switzerland? Between the undisputed world leader and independent shops with a... Where is the best place to buy a watch... Daytons newest yogurt shopped opened its doors today in the Marketplace at Settlers Walk. The Springboro store is the first franchise and the first Dayton store for this Cincinnati based dessert retailer, which specializes in frozen yogurt that contains active cultures and healthy probiotics giving Yagoot its delicious signature tart tastethat is actually good for you. Local owner Jess Onyango worked for 13 years as an accountant at MotoMan and says she was too much of a people person to continue in that job and knew she wanted to own her own business. Shed visited one of the Cincinnati Yagoot locations 6 or 7 years ago with a friend and said she wanted to open one, but the corporation wasnt wanting to franchise it at that time. Fast forward a few years and an ownership change set up a desire to grow the company and they actually posted an advertisement looking for a franchisee in the Springboro area. A close relationship with Yagoot and Dorothy Lane Market helped them identify the area. Jesss friend, who shed mentioned her desire to operate a shop years ago saw the advertisement and reached out and got the ball rolling. Jess meet with Yagoot in June of last year, and liked the concept, as it was a simple concept with a limited menu. She signed the lease for the space and then waited while the architect drew up the plans. The wait was longer than expected and what had been an anticipated opening in Dec stretched to March. But as Jess says, the timing actually works well, as theyll now have just enough time to work out all the kinks before peak season arrives. The shop will offer 6 flavors/season with Original and Strawberry being mainstays. You then have the option to add toppings to customize your yogurt cup or smoothie. Jess has joined the Chamber of Commerce and is looking forward to getting active in the community. Shell be at the Hometown Expo That Spring Thing this Saturday at Springboro High School with a portable yogurt machine handing out samples. You can also buy Yagoot yogurt in pints, hire them to cater your next event and eventually they hope to make their product available in retirement communities or local hospitals. Their official ribbon cutting will come later in the month and look for special offers and raffle prizes to be a part of the festivities. 734B N. Main Street (just south of Dorothy Lane Market) Springboro, OH 45066 Hours: Sun- Thurs 11am 9pm Fri & Sat 11am 1opm MERIDEN The City Council voted Monday night to approve the sale of a vacant, city-owned parcel on Broad Street to the owners of Tacos Mi Nacho. Owners Luis Lemus and Claudia Sanchez-Lopez plan to build a larger location of their popular Latin American eatery on the lot at 562 Broad St., which is adjacent to their existing business in a small commercial plaza at 550 Broad St. I think its going to be great for the city, Lemus said at the meeting. Lemus said he has been looking to expand for some time because the business has outgrown its current storefront, where it has operated for about 12 years. Last year, Tacos Mi Nacho came to an agreement to purchase another city lot at 69 E. Main St. for $15,000, but environmental cleanup on the property thwarted the deal The City Council voted unanimously to sell the lot for $25,000. City Planner Renata Bertotti said the parcel at 562 Broad St., which the city acquired in 2005, was recently appraised at $47,000. The purchase price was reasonable given the recent appraisal, said Council Minority Leader Dan Brunet. Lemus has a purchase agreement with the owner of the adjacent home at 554 Broad St. He plans to raze the multi-family home to add to the .16-acre city-owned lot. With knocking down the house there, its going to open the place, and its going to look beautiful there, Lemus said. The sale was approved under the conditions that Lemus merge the parcels at 554 and 562 Broad St. and that he shows substantial progress on the new building in 18 months. The restaurant's expansion is a positive sign for the city, said Council Majority Leader David Lowell. "I certainly like to see business growth, and they have looked for the better part of a year and a half or two years at opportunities to expand," Lowell said last week. mzabierek@record-journal.com 203-317-2279 Twitter: @MatthewZabierek A Hartford woman faces charges after police said she threatened a Meriden woman last month and assaulted another woman in Wallingford last year. Shavontia Davis, 28 of 63 Vine St., Hartford, was charged Tuesday with second-degree threatening and second-degree harassment. In the Wallingford incident, Davis was charged with third-degree assault and breach of peace. On Feb. 14, a woman on Hanover Avenue in Meriden reported Davis sent her threatening messages through social media, according to a police report. In a separate Wallingford incident in June 2018, a woman reported Davis threw her to the ground and kicked her several times, according to her arrest warrant. She later denied being involved. Davis was arraigned in Meriden Superior Court on Tuesday and released on a promise to appear in court on April 8. lsellew@record-journal.com 203-317-2225 Twitter: @LaurenSellewRJ Note: Since your browser does not support Javascript, you must press the Continue button once to proceed. KV Navya By Express News Service CHENNAI: As the sun rose from Bay of Bengal over Chennais horizon on Friday, a sea of people walked on the shores of Marina beach. The breeze seemed unusually fresh and the beach, much cleaner than before. In February 2019, nearly 160 tonnes of garbage has been cleared from the Marina beach by the Chennai Corporation as against the usual clearance of 130-140 tonnes for a period of 28 days. At Besant Nagar beach, approximately 45 tonnes of garbage was cleared in February, against the usual 20 tonnes per month. The beach clean-up is a part of the tourism departments Bharat Darshan project funded by the central government. The project proposes to provide facilities like wider footpaths and modern toilets at the beaches. Eight tractor-driven beach cleaning machines three for Besant Nagar and five for Marina Beach were procured by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) at Rs 84 lakh each. The work began in the second week of January. This is the first time such equipment has been procured for clean-up in Besant Nagar and Marina beaches. Previously, there was only one small machine and 98 sweepers for cleaning. Now, we have a total of 125 sweepers and five machines for Marina beach alone. The machines have an average cover of eight acres per hour and can clean even small bits of garbage, said a senior official from GCC. The cleaning work is being undertaken in both the beaches between 6 am and 2 pm, daily. With a large footfall and hundreds of stalls located inside and near the beach, garbage is unavoidable. During festivals, it is worse. Machines like this reduce the time taken to clean the beach. Usually in the morning, we are greeted by conservancy workers hand-picking plastic bottles and soda cans which is not a very pleasant sight to start your day with. From February, we, morning walkers, were delighted to see a clean beach, by the time we reached here, said R Krishnamoorthy, a regular walker at Marina beach. Though the residents of Besant Nagar were initially against the beach development idea, a lot of regular visitors shared their delight with CE. AKK Raju, a resident of Besant Nagar for 50 years said, When I moved to Besant Nagar, the Velankanni Church was under construction. If we had opposed the developments here, you probably would not see benches, community gym, footpaths, etc, that you see at the beach today. Of everything that the Corporation had taken up, better garbage collection is the best move so far. Regular volunteers of beach clean-ups highlighted the need for initiatives from and responsibility of visitors for ocean conservation. Single-use, low quality plastic used in carry bags, multi-layered packaging, single-use cups and cutlery is hard to collect and segregate. Even if collected and segregated, they end up on our beaches and streets because there is no facility to recycle, said P Neelambari, a volunteer. Government project The beach clean-up is a part of the tourism departments Bharat Darshan project funded by the central government. The project proposes to provide facilities like wider footpaths and modern toilets at the beaches. By Express News Service CHENNAI: A Norwegian and a Belgian national on tourist visas, were detained by the airport authorities in two separate incidents after they tried to smuggle out drones, banned in India. Airport sources said that 45-year-old Morten Aakre, who flew from Coimbatore to Chennai and was on his way to Bangkok, was intercepted by the Customs officials who seized the Drone Mavic 2 Pro, which is banned in India. Aakre had entered India after he flew from Bangkok via Colombo to Coimbatore on February 26. Sources said that he was staying in a hotel in Tirupur. He was handed over to airport police officials. Similarly, forty-year-old Vemoe Ven-Kai was detained after a drone was found in his baggage. He was scheduled to depart by an Ethihad flight. It is learnt that apart from the State police, other agencies are also interrogating them. Further details are awaited. Banned drone According to airport sources, 45-year-old Morten Aakre had the Drone Mavic 2 Pro, which is banned in India.Similarly, forty-year-old Vemoe Ven-Kai was detained after a drone was found in his baggage Six people were killed and 31 others were injured in a road accident early on Tuesday in Kafr Al-Dawwar, Beheira governorate, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. The accident happened when two micro-buses collided on the agricultural road in Kafr Al-Dawwar due to bad weather conditions. The bodies of the victims and the injured were taken to hospitals. According to Egypt's Meteorological authority, a wave of unstable weather conditions is hitting the country for 48 hours starting Tuesday. The general traffic department at the Ministry of Interior has issued a warning to all drivers in Egypt to be careful on highways because of the unstable weather conditions. Search Keywords: Short link: By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A group of Youth Congress activists gathered outside the Pakistan High Commission on Friday to protest against the killing of several Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in a car bomb attack in Kashmir on Thursday. They were detained and whisked away in a police vehicle. Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, Madhur Verma said that about 15 to 20 people gathered outside the building and were detained for staging a protest in the high-security area. He added that a few people were also detained on Thursday night, immediately after the reports of the attack came out in the media. The DCP said, Thousands of people, who kept visiting India Gate throughout the day to pay tributes, were facilitated but outside the embassy area, we didnt allow these people to protest. The group of Youth Congress workers gathered at Teen Murthi Chauraha and marched towards High Commission before being stopped midway near the Chanakyapuri police station. The Indian Youth Congress stands in solidarity with the family of the martyrs and demands that the central government takes stringent action against forces spreading terrorism on Indian soil, IYC said in a statement. We stand united with our people and will support every legitimate action taken against terrorism, it added. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Key leaders, experts and stakeholders from the entrepreneurial and business fraternity are coming together on March 6 at The Westin in Hitec City as part of the talk Big Ideas Hyderabad 2019. The talk, a new media & thought leadership platform will focus on the theme , Building A New India Through Technology And Entrepreneurship. The event will engage with SMEs and startUps on a regular basis to find the challenges of entrepreneurs and focusses on creating platforms for small medium businesses to connect, engage and get new insights to scale their business. Big Ideas will feature some of the successful entrepreneurs and experts to share their ideas and knowledge to empower the entrepreneurs. The event will feature 15 Innovative Startups Of Hyderabad Report, 10 Emerging SMEs of Hyderabad Awards, 3 Emerging Women Entrepreneurs of Hyderabad Awards and 10 Emerging Startups of Hyderabad Awards. The speaker list includes Suresh Reddy, Chairman & CEO, Brightcom Group, Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Chairman & MD, Ctrls, Rajeev Banduni, CEO, Growth Enabler, Eric Robinson, Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner, Consulate General Of Canada, Sri Charan Lakkaraju, Founder, stuMagz, and others. Says Satheesh Kumar, founder of the talk, Growth is the single most goal from a one person company to big corporates.Any entrepreneur who is looking for ideas and insights to scale up their business should attend this event. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: The Taxpayers Association (TPA) has written a letter to Chief Election Officer (CEO) Gopala Krishna Dwivedi explaining the flaws in the voter list. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, TPA secretary MV Anjaneyulu appealed to the CEO to issue orders to prepare an error-free voter list through door-to-door verification by the election officials to dispel the fears existing in the minds of the people on the reported deletion of names of those belonging to the Opposition parties from the list. Adding fuel to the fear existing in the minds of the people, Cyberabad police had raided the office of IT GRIDS India Ltd in Hyderabad, which is working for the State government and the ruling TDP. There are reports that the firm was misusing the peoples secret data including Aadhaar numbers, reportedly provided by the ruling TDP. Whether IT GRIDS India Ltd Company has committed a crime or not will be decided by the judiciary. But the chances of impersonation for applying for the deletion of the votes cannot be ruled out, Anjaneyulu said. TPA president V Sambi Reddy said that media has reported that CEO of AP has ordered for filing cases against perpetrators. Mere filing of cases cannot repair the damage done and it can be repaired only by making door-to-door verification of the votes by election officials, he opined. Two months ago, the TPA brought the issue to the notice of RP Sisodia, then CEO, and urged him to order a door-to-door verification, but in vain, he remarked. By ANI WASHINGTON DC: A new study now highlights the negative influence that social media has on children's food intake. The new University of Liverpool research, published in Pediatrics, shows celebrity endorsement and television advertising of unhealthy foods increases children's intake of these foods. However, children are increasingly exposed to marketing through digital avenues, such as on social media, and the impact of marketing by YouTube video bloggers (vloggers) on these outcomes has, until now, not been known. According to the new report by Ofcom children in the UK now access social media more than ever before. Approximately 93 per cent of 8-11-year-olds go online, 77 per cent use YouTube and 18 per cent have a social media account. In older children (12-15-year-olds), 99 per cent go online, 89 per cent use YouTube and 69 per cent have a social media account. Both age groups watch YouTube vloggers. ALSO READ: Instagram accounts lose followers, users wonder where they went? PhD student Anna Coates, from the University's Appetite and Obesity research group, conducted a study to examine the effect of social media marketing of snack foods (healthy and unhealthy), via vloggers' Instagram pages, on children's snack intake. During the study 176 children, aged between 9 and 11 years, were randomly split into three equal groups and were shown artificially created, but realistic, Instagram pages of popular vloggers (each has millions of followers). One group was shown images of the vlogger with unhealthy snacks, the second group was shown images of the vlogger with healthy snacks and the third group was shown images of the vlogger with non-food products. The participants' subsequent intake of snacks (healthy and unhealthy options) were measured. Children in the group that viewed the unhealthy snack images consumed 32 per cent more kcals from unhealthy snacks specifically and 26 per cent more kcals in total (from healthy and unhealthy snacks) compared with children who saw the non-food images. There was no significant difference in total kcal intake, or healthy snack kcal intake, between children who saw the Instagram profile with healthy images and those who saw the non-food images. Speaking about the study Anna Coates, said, "These findings suggest that the marketing of unhealthy foods, via vloggers' Instagram pages, increases children's immediate energy intake. The results are supported by celebrity endorsement data, which show unhealthy food endorsements increase children's unhealthy food intake, but healthy food endorsements have little or no effect on healthy food intake. Coates further added, Young people trust vloggers more than celebrities so their endorsements may be even more impactful and exploitative. Tighter restrictions are needed around the digital marketing of unhealthy foods that children are exposed to, and vloggers should not be permitted to promote unhealthy foods to vulnerable young people on social media." By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Noted activist and lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who was slapped with a contempt notice by the Supreme Court for his tweets in the M Nageswara Rao appointment case, has received the backing of at least 10 prominent activists now. The activists, who include Aruna Roy, Arundhati Roy and Shailesh Gandhi, filed an application in the apex court to intervene in the contempt plea filed by Attorney General K K Venugopal against Bhushan for his tweets. They have said in their application that they are concerned about initiation of the contempt proceedings against Bhushan for exercising his freedom of speech. Bhushan had said on the microblogging site Twitter that the government appeared to have misled the top court and perhaps submitted fabricated minutes of meeting of the high-powered selection committee headed by the Prime Minister in the appointment of Rao as interim CBI director. Apart from this, a separate plea has been filed by five senior journalists, seeking intervention in the case. The court while issuing notice to Bhushan on February 6 on the contempt plea, said it would examine whether in sub judice matters, advocates and litigants briefing the media would amount to interference in the administration of justice. During an earlier hearing, the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had said that the court was not averse to media reporting of cases, but lawyers appearing in sub judice matters should refrain from making public statements. The court had issued notice to Bhushan and had asked him to respond to the contempt plea within three weeks. The others backing Bhushan include Wajahat Habibullah, Harsh Mander, Jayati Ghosh, Prabhat Patnaik, Indu Prakash Singh, Bezwada Wilson and Nikhil Dey. Freedom of speech Activists Aruna Roy, Arundhati Roy, Shailesh Gandhi, Harsh Mander, Indu Prakash Singh, Jayati Ghosh, Nikhil Dey, Wajahat Habibullah, Prabhat Patnaik and Bezwada Wilson said they are concerned at the contempt proceedings against Bhushan for exercising his freedom of speech. Govt misled top court Bhushan had tweeted that the government appeared to have misled the SC and perhaps submitted fabricated minutes of the meeting of the high-powered selection committee headed by the PM in the appointment of M Nageswara Rao as interim CBI director. By PTI NEW DELHI: Christian Michel, arrested in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal, alleged before a Delhi court on Tuesday that CBI had asked him in Dubai to implicate certain persons in the case, failing which he would face problems in jail. The threat to him was given before he was extradited to New Delhi, he said. Michel made the allegations through his lawyer before the court while opposing Tihar Jail authorities' move to shift him to a high-security cell in isolation. The Tihar jail authorities submitted that there was threat perception against Michel after the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed by Jaish-e-Muhammed outfit in a suicide attack. Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed the jail superintendent to shift Michel, who is currently lodged in jail number 2, to some other cell in the jail. Michel was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on December 22 after his extradition from Dubai. CBI's special public prosecutor, D P Singh, denied the allegations, saying the submissions were "farther from the truth". During the hearing, Michel's lawyer Aljo K Joseph said, "CBI officials met him in Dubai and he was told that if he does not name certain persons in the case and give desired confessions, he will face problem in the jail. That's what going on. In the name of security, he is being isolated and his freedom is further going to be curtailed." The CBI, however, denied the allegation. "These allegations are farther from the truth. Every day they are making new allegations. They only want to scandalise things. They have also made false and frivolous allegations like he had to go for open defecation which are false and giving a bad name to the country. They have made a joke of this court. The foreigners who are to come from outside the country, are taking these grounds that facilities in Indian jails are not good enough. Trying to scandalise the court by allegations of open defecation etc," the CBI counsel told the court. In his submissions, jail superintendent Joginder S Sehrawat told the court that the accused was in a high security cell and the facilities were the best. "He can be shifted to some other ward if he want, but those are already overcrowded. There was threat apprehension after Pulwama attack. Foreigners were given special care so that no harm is caused to them," he said, adding that the accused was 'high profile'. He also submitted that jail numbers 1, 3 and 4 were also high security jails and they were for undertrials while jail number 2 was for convicts. After recording the submissions, the court said, "Shift him in 1, 3 or 4 jail number. All the facilities provided to other jail prisoners be provided to him. If he is kept in high security, there should be some reasoning." "Jail authorities shall make necessary assessment regarding any threat to the accused and shall take decision accordingly to keep him in a suitable cell," the court said. The court had on February 28 lashed out at the jail authorities for failing to justify shifting of Michel to a high security cell in isolation, saying it will start an inquiry if it did not get a proper response. It said the accused had been lodged in jail for over 70 days and what had happened suddenly due to which he was shifted to the high security ward. Michel had moved the plea claiming that he has been kept in solitary confinement in the prison and was not allowed to interact with co-prisoners. The plea had sought direction to the authorities to treat Michel at par with other inmates and provide basic facilities during his judicial custody and to shift him from high security prison to a normal cell. It said when Michel asked for reasons for his "solitary confinement", the jail authorities told him it was the "decision from the top" and there was "serious threat" to his life. On January 5, he was sent to judicial custody in connection with a money-laundering case being probed by ED. Later, he was arrested by the CBI and is lodged in judicial custody in a CBI case related to the chopper deal scam. Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the scam by ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation. The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. By PTI CHENNAI: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday the Balakot airstrike, where the Indian Air Force targeted and destroyed a JeM camp in Pakistan last week, was "not a military action" as there was no damage to civilians. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had not given any casualty figure in the airstrike and he had only given a statement, which was the government's "position", Sitharaman told reporters here. Gokhale on Tuesday had said the non-military pre-emptive strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakot had killed "very large number" of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders. Sitharaman's remarks come amidst the opposition seeking details of the death toll in the airstrike. However, the IAF confirmed on Monday that the Centre would provide details on the casualty figures soon. The defence minister also declined to link the airstrike with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. On February 14, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based JeM rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. By PTI AGARTALA: The Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura, said Tuesday it would go it alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Mangal Debbarma, the spokesperson of the party, said the decision to field candidates in the two Lok Sabha seats in the state was taken on March 3, following the IPFT central committee meeting here. "When BJP national president Amit Shah visited Agartala on January 5, we submitted a memorandum to him, demanding that the IPFT be allowed to field a candidate in East Tripura constituency, reserved for Scheduled Tribe. He told us that he would get back to us on the matter, but never did," Debbarma, who is also the assistant general secretary of the party, told reporters. As Shah did not respond to the IPFT request, the party was compelled to take this decision, he said. A five-member committee has been formed with IPFT president NC Debbarma as the chairman to select candidates for the two seats and discuss the modalities of the election campaign, he added. BJP spokesperson Ashok Sinha, when asked about his reaction to the IPFT move, said every political party has the freedom to make a choice. "It is up to the IPFT to decide what it wants to do for the Lok Sabha polls. Every political party is free to take its own decision. However, when it comes to the BJP, such decisions are taken by the senior leaders in Delhi," Sinha added. By PTI AHMEDABAD: Congress lawmaker from Gujarat Bhagvan Barad has been disqualified as an MLA following his conviction in an illegal mining case, state Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi said on Tuesday. A court in Gir-Somnath district last Friday awarded Barad a jail term of two years and nine months in a 24-year-old case of illegal mining. The 60-year-old Congress leader won from Talala seat in Gir-Somnath in the 2017 Assembly polls. "Barad has been disqualified as MLA. The chief electoral officer and the election commissioner have been informed about it. He is no longer an MLA," Trivedi told reporters in Gandhinagar. The state legal department earlier sent a certified copy of the court order to the Gujarat Assembly so that action could be taken against him," he said. Barad was disqualified as per notifications of the Election Commission and the Supreme Court order pertaining to conviction of a lawmaker in a case, Trivedi said. The apex court last year said a lawmaker, whose conviction in a criminal case has not been stayed by an appellate court, would stand disqualified from the membership of the House. The court in Gir-Somnath pronounced Barad guilty under Indian Penal Code Section 379 (theft) and also imposed a fine of Rs 2,500 on him. He was accused of stealing limestone worth Rs 2.83 crore through illegal mining on a government land in Sutrapada. The material was then sold to a local chemical factory, as per the FIR lodged against him against him in 1995. Barad has challenged his conviction in the Gujarat High Court. By Express News Service MUMBAI: In a sensational statement against the people trolling him over social media, Vanchit Vikas Aghadi (VVA) leader Adv Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday appealed his party workers to thrash out the paid trolls trolling him and said, Im a dictator since Ive to fight out a dictatorial regime. Ambedkar, who is expected to contest from the Akola Lok Sabha constituency of Western Vidarbha, interacted with media at the government guest house in Akola, where he replied to variety of questions ranging from the recent cross border air strikes to the alliance with Congress. He raised the demand to release photographs related to cross border air strikes saying that questions are being raised about the authenticity of the forces. ALSO READ | No presence of terrorist group in Pakistan: Envoy Asad Majeed Khan The government was not clear as to what exactly they want to do. They just wanted to show off that they can strike. But, they had done so even earlier. They should release the photographs if they want to say that the strike was with a purpose, Ambedkar said. While stating that the doors for alliance with Congress are open, Adv Ambedkar also criticized the Congress. While on one hand the Congress is ahead in atrocities against the have-nots (Vanchit), the party is also not prepared to fight out the RSS, said the Dalit leader. While indicating that the chances of alliance with the Congress are meek, Adv Ambedkar also made it clear that the VVA has already published a list 22 candidates and hence, if any alliance is to happen, it should now happen on the rest of 26 seats. He also made it clear that the Congress has not responded to his letter and he has not received any invitation for talks with Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Ambedkar, who was a member of 13th Lok Sabha, also blamed the new generation of leader like PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi for decline in dialogue across party lines. They forget that there are opponents and not the enemies and hence opponents are being treated as enemies, he said. patty_c/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- The Food and Drug Administration has put more than a dozen U.S. stores on notice as part of the agencys effort to limit youth access to e-cigarettes. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Monday named Walgreens, 7-Eleven and Exxon, among more than a dozen stores, for repeatedly selling tobacco products to minors. The FDA classifies nicotine products including e-cigarettes and other electronic vapor devices as tobacco products. The FDA has issued warning letters and demanded the stores detail their efforts to correct violations later this month. Gottlieb has requested a meeting with Walgreens corporate management to discuss the pharmacy giants nearly 1,800 violations, as documented by the FDA. This cannot possibly come as a surprise to corporate leadership, which is why I want to sit down with them to discuss the important role they play, as a nationwide retailer, in curbing this epidemic, Gottlieb said in a statement. The new measures come after Gottlieb has reportedly taken steps towards enacting a plan to restrict flavored e-cigarettes and ban menthol cigarettes in stores across the country. The FDA first announced the plan in November, as ABC News reported at the time. Under the new restrictions, stores would have to sell flavored nicotine vape products in "age-restricted" areas. This means a retailer could not allow anyone under the age of 18 to see or enter the area where those products are sold. In response to questions from ABC News, Walgreens said its making their tobacco products less prominently displayed in stores and has taken action to promote tobacco alternatives. We have a zero tolerance policy prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors and any employee violating this policy is subject to immediate termination, Walgreen company spokesperson Jim Cohn said in a statement. We require age verification from anyone purchasing these products, regardless of age, in all of our stores nationwide. Commissioner Gottlieb has been a vocal critic of what he calls an "epidemic" of e-cigarette use by kids and teens. Ignoring the law and then paying associated fines and penalties should not simply be viewed as a cost of doing business, Gottlieb said. The stakes are too high for our young people and our countrys decades-long fight to reduce the morbidity and mortality that accompanies tobacco product use. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Egypt and the United Kingdom have kicked off the joint military exercise Ahmose on Tuesday with an inaugural ceremony at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base in Alexandria. In a press release, the UK Embassy in Cairo said the month-long exercise, which sees the participation of around 165 military personnel, will bring together British and Egyptian troops and contribute to the growing strategic military partnership between both countries. Egypt and the UK face the shared enemy of terrorism, which is threatening the stability of the region and the world. We know that in order to defeat this threat we must work together and share best practice in realistic scenarios. Ahmose marks the beginning of increased defence cooperation between our countries, to develop and ensure a safer, more secure region, British ambassador to Egypt Sir Geoffrey Adams said. UK Defence attache to Egypt Colonel Ed Sandry described the joint drill as a brilliant opportunity for the UK and Egypt to work together on building our defence resilience. We are learning from each other and building on the strategic security relationship with Egypt, a strong partner and ally in the region. This exercise is another success story in our joint military work, Sandry said. The joint exercise comes nearly a year after the Egyptian and British ministries of defense signed a memorandum of understanding to execute joint military exercises as part of efforts to bolster counterterrorism cooperation. The UK has also joined forces with Egypt, the United States and a number of other countries to the Bright Star military exercise, according to the embassy. Search Keywords: Short link: By ANI BARMER: A marriage between Pakistani bride and Indian groom here was called off after tensions mounted between the two countries following Pulwama attack which claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel. Mahendra Singh, the groom residing in Khejad Ka Paar village in the border district of Barmer had booked tickets of Thar Express for Saturday and was supposed to tie the knot with Chagan Kanwar of Sinoi village in Amarkot district of Sindh province. According to Railways, the train was not allowed to leave due to the suspension of its operation by Pakistan authorities in the wake of soaring tensions between the two nations. The train used to run between Pakistan's Lahore and India's Attari on Monday and Thursday. Speaking to ANI, Mahendra Singh, said, "We faced a lot of issues in getting visas. I spoke to Gajendra Singh for getting the visas for Pakistan. It was only because of him that we were able to get visas for five people. We had made all preparations and distributed invitation cards to the relatives." Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in volatile Tral area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. A police official said acting on specific information about presence of militants, a joint party of police, CRPF and army men launched a cordon and search operation in Reshipora village of Tral in Pulwama district last evening to flush out militants hiding there. He said security forces maintain tight cordon around the village in the night and zeroed-in on a residential house, where militants were hiding, in the early hours today. The militants fired on the troops, who retaliated and in the ensuing gunfight two local Hizb militants were killed. A civilian identified as Farooq Ahmad Malik sustained bullet injuries during the gunfight.The three-storey residential house was completely damaged during the gunfight. The deceased militants were identified as Adfar Fayaz Parray son of Fayaz Ahmad Parray of Gulshanpora Tral and Irfan Ahmad Rather son of Ghulam Hassan Rather of Shariefabad Tral. "Both militants were involved in conspiring and executing several militant attacks and were wanted by the law for their complicity in a series of militancy incidents," the police official said. According to police, Adfar, an arts graduate, had joined militant ranks on July 6, 2018 while Irfan, a 12th dropout, had joined Hizb on October 29, 2017. Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: Murtaza Ali Hamid was born without the gift of sight but what he did have is a heart of gold. Moved by the tragedy that struck the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pulwama last month, the 44-year-old resident of Mumbai has offered to donate Rs 110 crore of his hard-earned money to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund. The country has lost 40 of its brave soldiers in the Pulwama attack. I wanted to help the army and their families, so I decided to give this amount to the National Relief Fund, said Murtaza, who hails from Kota in Rajasthan. He claims to have invented a technology called Fuel Burn radiation Technology that helps trace and locate any vehicle or object without a GPS, camera or any other instrument. He claims that had his innovation been recognized by the government, a Pulwama like incident could have been averted. Today, I have the financial support but three years back I was offering technical support. If it had been adopted the attack could have been stopped, claims Murtaza. Elaborating on the technology, he added, Any type of interference with the fuel, like the one used in the blast, can be detected once it is connected to the fuse. The vehicles route couldve been known, and where it was taken from. The radiation would have given us that information. Murtaza says he is still awaiting a response from the government. The security agencies do not have this technology. I had made the presentation for this even before the Uri attack, he claims. National Security council had a meeting on September 18, 2016. It did not work out otherwise it would have been adopted, he adds. When asked if the technology is certified by any agency, he says that the patent has been applied for but he cannot divulge any details over security concerns. The government had referred me to CDEC. It was said that the details would be worked out but the file got stuck, he said. On February 14, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora in Pulwama.The attack resulted in the deaths of 40 CRPF personnel and the attacker. Who is Murtaza Ali? Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said some 300 mobile phones, which were found to be active by the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) at the site of the terror camp at Balakot ahead of the recent strike by the Indian Air Force (IAF), were not used by the plants and trees there. Ahead of the IAF strike, our NTRO had said some 300 mobile phones were active at the location of the terror camp. These were certainly not being used by the plants and trees there. Now, count how many died. You may say you dont believe in the NTRO, Singh said in Assams Dhubri taking a jibe at the opposition parties, particularly Congress, after inaugurating a project for technological surveillance of the 61 km long border which Dhubri shares with Bangladesh. ALSO READ | Balakot airstrike 'not military action' as no damage to civilians: Nirmala Sitharaman He was critical of some opposition parties which were seeking figures of the terrorists killed in the IAF strike in Balakot. The leaders of some political parties are asking as to how many terrorists were killed in the air strike. Today or tomorrow, the figures will be disclosed. The hearts of Pakistani leaders know how many of the terrorists were killed, Singh said, adding, IAF chief BS Dhanoa said the IAF had received inputs about the location of terrorists and it bombed right there. Was it necessary for the IAF personnel to go there and count how many were killed? We want to tell our Congress friends that they can go to Pakistan and get the figures from its people. He said every Indian should be proud of the soldiers fighting on the border. Categorically stating that the Narendra Modi government will not compromise on the issue of countrys security, he said the BJP was not worried about retaining power. Commenting on the project he inaugurated, Singh said, The 61-km long border has been sealed through technology. Upgradation of the surveillance system will be completed in the next two to three months. If someone has a problem, the government is ready to talk but if he takes up the gun to get it addressed, the government will not tolerate it, he warned. His obvious reference was to insurgent groups active in the Northeast. The project Singh inaugurated The project is BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique). India shares a 4,096 km long border with Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra enters Bangladesh via Dhubri and the place has vast char (sandbar) land and innumerable river channels. Given geographical barriers, erecting border fence is not possible at various places, which makes border-guarding an uphill task, especially during rainy season. To overcome it, the Centre had in 2017 decided to go for technological solution. In January last year, the BSFs IT wing undertook BOLD-QIT and completed it in record time. The BOLD-QIT is a project to install technical systems which enable the BSF to equip the border with sensors in unfenced riverine area. The entire span of the Brahmaputra has been now covered with data network generated by microwave communication, OFC cables, DMR communication, day and night surveillance cameras and intrusion detection system. These modern gadgets will provide feeds to BSF control rooms on the border and enable BSFs quick reaction teams to thwart any possible infiltration or crimes. By Online Desk DHAR (MADHYA PRADESH): India gave a befitting reply to the Pulwama attack by entering the den of terrorists in Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday. "A message has been sent to Pakistan, either improve or face the consequences. India gave a befitting reply to Pulwama attack by entering the den of terrorists." Modi said at a rally in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. Calling the opposition as 'poster boys' of Pakistan for seeking proof of Indian Air Force's action on Jaish-e- Mohammed's terror camp last week, Modi said the airstrike happened in the neighbouring country, but "some of those sitting in India were hit by it". ALSO READ | Situation has changed from return of beheaded bodies Abhinanadan's return in 24 hrs: Amit Shah "Though the air strike took place in Pakistan, it has pained some people sitting in India. People world over feel that we have done the right thing by replying to Pulwana terror attack," Modi said. Taking a swipe at attempts to cobble up a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) against the BJP, Modi said the opposition leaders are doing 'mahamilavat' (high adulteration) in Pakistan's favour. "These 'mahamilavati' persons have become poster boys of Pakistan by terming it as an ambassador of peace. They are misleading people of the country and trying to demoralise our armed forces by asking for proofs of the IAF air strike," Modi said. Without naming senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, he said a leader termed the Pulwama attack as an "accident" and dubbed slain al-Qaida terrorist Osama bin Laden as an "ambassador of peace". "A leader close to the Congress' naamdar (Rahul Gandhi) family has termed the Pulwama attack a mere accident. He also considers Osama Bin Laden a shantidoot (ambassador of peace). He is the same person who gave Pakistan a clean chit after the (26/11) Mumbai terror attack and tried to mislead the investigation (into it)," Modi said. Another senior leader close to the Congress' "namdaar" family shed tears after the Batla House encounter, he said. "The party whose leaders shed tears on the death of terrorists can't be expected to wipe out terrorism," the PM said, adding that earlier Congress government kept quiet after terror attacks. The crowd at the rally responded in the affirmative when Modi asked them if they took pride in the valour of the Indian armed forces. By PTI GORAKHPUR: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 131 crore in Maharajganj district and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made India "corruption-free". Adityanath also praised the soldiers and said: "Terrorists don't understand the language of love, so Indian soldiers did 'Shiv Tandav' with surgical strike". "Actually, a lot of terrorists were killed during surgical strike but Pakistan is hiding the facts," he claimed at an event on Monday. Criticising the previous government, Adityanath said: "The Modi government started several welfare schemes for poor and realised the dream of corruption-free India". READ| Lok Sabha elections 2019: Crime against women top priority for female voters, corruption for male He also instructed the officials to complete all development works of the state as soon as possible. The chief minister visited Deoria later, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 71 crore. He said India would be among the three big economies in the world if Modi becomes the prime minister for five more years. "During Congress regime, India stood at number 11 in respect to economy (in the world), but during the Modi government, it rose to the sixth position. After return to power, he will bring it to number 3 slot," he said. Describing Nepal as a friend country, Adityanath said: "We are working on roads construction at Indo-Nepal border". Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRI NAGAR: Security forces have faced a spike in the number of casualties post the February 14 suicide attack in the Valley. Five encounters have taken place since February 14 three in south Kashmir and two in north Kashmir and 12 security personnel were killed. In contrast, during the first 13 days of February, only one security man was killed in gunfights with militants. During the period, nine militants and two civilians were killed in militancy-related violence. The forces confronted Pakistani and local militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba in the encounters. A police official said, All the Pakistani militants killed in five encounters were well trained. He said security officials are assessing the situation and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) may be reviewed to minimise losses to security forces. It may force a rethink on the overall strategy and security officials may give a green signal to the use of NSG commandos during encounters with militants trapped in congested areas and concrete houses. Sources said the Pakistani militants of Jaish, who have infiltrated from across the LoC, were well trained in use and handling of weapons and hand-to-hand gunfights. Four days after the Pulwama attack, a major encounter in Pinglana claimed the lives of four soldiers and three Jaish militants. On February 24, Deputy Superintendent of J&K police Aman Thakur and another army man were killed in an encounter in Kulgam along with three JeM militants. In the last three-day-long encounter in Kupwara, three CRPF men were killed and eight securitymen were hurt. By IANS SRINAGAR: A protest shutdown called by traders affected normal life across the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday. The shutdown was called against the Centre's ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir and the subsequent arrests of nearly 200 of its cadres. The protesting traders said the shutdown was also for the protection of Articles 35 A and 370 that give special status to the state. The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a separatist conglomerate headed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, has supported the shutdown call. Shops, other businesses and public transport remained closed. Authorities made heavy deployments of police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Srinagar's old city areas and other law and order sensitive areas in the valley. On February 28, the Central government banned the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, declaring it an "unlawful association" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The order by the Union Home Ministry said that the organisation has "been indulging in activities which are prejudicial to internal security and public order and have the potential of disrupting the unity and integrity of the country". By Online Desk NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday created a flutter by calling the deadly Pulwama terror attack an accident and adding that doubts expressed in some foreign media reports about the February 26 IAF air strike have put the government's credibility at stake. Union Minister VK Singh slammed Digvijaya for his remarks. "Calling a terrorist attack an 'accident' should NOT be the political discourse in our country. @digvijaya_28 ji, would you call Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident? Don't weaken the nation & the morale of our armed forces with these senseless jibes," VK Singh tweeted. ALSO READ: Number of deaths among security forces surge after Pulwama attack Digvijaya had said that after the Pulwama durghatna (accident) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) strike, sandeh (doubt) is being expressed in some foreign media reports following which vishwasniyata (credibility) of the government is under question. Air Strike" digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) March 5, 2019 The former AICC general secretary has in the past also made controversial statements. After the Batala house encounter, he had questioned the veracity of Delhi Polices evidence and had also once used a suffix indicating respect for UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed. In August 2016, Singh had also addressed Jammu and Kashmir as India-occupied Kashmir. However, he later clarified that it is an integral part of India. In another tweet on Tuesday, Singh said there was a question mark over the number of casualties in the air strike and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi come clean on it. ALSO READ: Blind scientist from Kota offers to donate Rs 110 crore to Pulwama martyrs "Prime Minister, some ministers of your government say 300 terrorists killed, BJP president says 250 are killed, Yogi Adityanath says 400 people were killed and your minister SS Ahluwalia says that no one died. And you are silent about this issue. The country wants to know who is a liar in this," Singh said. Singh's statement came at a time when many opposition leaders are questioning the Balakot strike by the Indian Air Force and are asking for proof and the exact number of casualties inflicted on the terrorists. While speaking at an event in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Modi had on Monday asserted that the terrorists will be hunted even if they hide deep underneath the Earth and asked his critics not to question the valour of the armed forces even if they are not willing to trust him. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa on Monday said the fighter planes had hit the target given to them but he cannot give the number of casualties suffered as it is for the government to do so. ALSO READ : Encounter breaks out between militants, security forces at Tral in Pulwama India carried out the air strike less than two weeks after the Jaish terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. JeM had claimed responsibility for the attack. (With inputs from ANI) By IANS NEW DELHI: India did not lose any Su-30 fighter jet during a dogfight with Pakistani jets on February 27, the government said here on Tuesday and added Pakistan was making "false claims" to hide the loss of a F-16 aircraft. "All the Su-30 aircraft engaged in combat with Pakistani fighter jets landed back safely. Pakistan is making false claims of shooting down a Su-30. It appears to be a cover up for the loss of its own (F-16) aircraft," the Defence Ministry said in a statement. READ | IAF jet shoots down Pakistani drone near India-Pakistan border Giving details of the operation, the ministry said on February 27 morning, the Indian air defence system was on full alert and noticed "in time" a build-up of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft on their side of the Line of Control (LoC). "Additional aircraft were scrambled to tackle the adversary. In their attempt to attack our ground targets, PAF aircraft were engaged effectively. From the IAF side, Mirage-2000, Su-30 and MiG-21 Bison aircraft were involved in the engagement. "The PAF aircraft were forced to withdraw in a hurry, which is also evident from the large missed distances of the weapons dropped by them. During the combat, use of F-16 by PAF and multiple launches of AMRAAM were conclusively observed. Prompt and correct tactical action by Su-30 aircraft, in response to AMRAAM launch, defeated the missile," the statement said. Parts of the AMRAAM missile fell in an area, east of Rajouri in J&K, injuring a civilian on the ground, it added. The IAF said it shot down an F-16 aircraft of Pakistan in the combat, the debris of which fell in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan has denied that it used F-16 in the operation. The PAF made a shallow incursion into the Indian territory and dropped a few bombs on February 27, a day after the IAF bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp at Balakot in the Kyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan, some 80 km from the LoC. A human rights delegation comprised of two NGOs is set to participate in the upcoming 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, which was launched on 27 February and will run till 26 March. The delegation aims to clarify facts to the international community about the situation in Egypt. Members of the delegation include Said Abdel-Hafez, representing the Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue (Moltaka), and Aida Nour, from the Women and Development Association. "Egyptian NGOs participation in international meetings and events, including the annual UNHRC sessions, is vital to clarifying facts to public international opinion regarding the situation in Egypt, Abdel-Hafez said, explaining that public discussion about human rights violations and countering terrorism are among the top priorities for Egypt during all high level international meetings. The human rights issue has been politicised by a number of terrorist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood to justify their terrorist acts and violence against civilians in the Middle East, he added. Our delegation to the Human Rights Councils 40th session will meet with high level representatives of diplomatic missions and European human rights activists to expose terrorists groups lies." The head of the Women and Development Association also affirmed that starting Wednesday, the delegation will participate in several sideline events and meetings during the 40th UNHCR session. The first sideline event will discuss human rights and terrorism at the UN headquarters. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has stressed in his speeches addressing local and international public opinion that fighting terrorism serves to protect human rights. During the launch of the first World Youth Forum (WYF) in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2017, El-Sisi warned of the danger posed by terrorists who spread extreme ideologies that call for violence and destruction, which jeopardises international peace and security. Search Keywords: Short link: By ANI NEW DELHI National Security Adviser Ajit Doval spoke to his US counterpart John Bolton and discussed the latest situation in the context of India-Pakistan relations. This is the third exchange between the two security advisers after the Pulwama attack. In the aftermath of the dastardly terror attack, America had supported Indias right to self-defence. It was seen as strong support to India on the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan. In fact, the US had termed Indias air strike at the Balakot training camp of Pakistan as counter-terrorism actions. The US also worked relentlessly to ensure that tensions do not spiral out of control after Pakistan tried to carry air strikes in the Indian Territory which was thwarted by the Indian Air Force. US President Donald Trumps statement on the morning of 28th Feb that we are going to hear reasonably good news was taken as a sign that America and several other nations pressurised Pakistan to release the captured Indian Pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. India had also alleged that Pakistan used F-16s supplied by America in its retaliatory strike during which India's Mig-21 Bison had shot down a Pakistani F-16. While Pakistan denied that it had used F-16 against India, India presented parts of AMRAM missile recovered from east of Rajouri as a proof that Pakistan used F-16s. (ANI) Yogesh Pratap Singh and Nachiketa Mittal By The trinity of fairness, transparency and accountability form the bedrock of an effective and independent judicial system. Likewise, legal reasoning, justifiability and conforming to judicial ethics remain the hallmarks of judicial decisions, judicial appointments as well as judicial behaviour. Constitutionally speaking, this hexagon of judicial character shall remain entrenched in every decision concerning appointments of judges at all levels of judicial hierarchy. There cannot be different sets of principles applicable for appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and appointment of judges to the High Courts. This entails the appointment of the Chief Justice of India as well as the Chief Justices of High Courts. However, the record of judicial appointments in India is full of paradoxes and application of differential norms. This paradox is vividly reflected in the fact that the factors that created the ground for the Supreme Court to take away the power of appointing judges from the executive in the Second Judges Transfer Case (1993) are now being practised by the Supreme Court Collegium itself. After the landmark decision of Kesavananda Bharati vs. State of Kerala in 1973, three seniormost judges (Justices J M Shelat, A N Grover and K S Hegde) were superseded and the fourth in seniority, Justice A N Ray, was appointed as the CJI. The second casualty that astounded the legal circle occurred when Justice H R Khanna was passed over for Justice M H Beg, following the formers strong dissenting opinion questioning executive power. These were treated as dark events in the history of the SC. But surprisingly, we dont get astonished by the routine supersession of judges by the Collegium and it has become the new normal. Justice Ranjan Gogoi was elevated to the Supreme Court before Justices Madan B Lokur, Kurian Joseph, A K Sikri, S A Bobde, R K Agrawal, N V Ramana, D Y Chandrachud and a few others who were all senior to him. Justices Deepak Gupta and Navin Sinha, both appointed as SC judges on 2 February 2017, have approximately over 30 HC judges senior to them as of now. At the time of their appointment, they had around 40 HC judges senior to them. The recent appointments of Justices K M Joseph, Hemant Gupta,R Subhash Reddy, M R Shah, Ajay Rastogi and Sanjiv Khanna who stood at Sl. Nos. 42, 4, 5, 17, 25 and 33 respectively in the all-India combined seniority of HC judges once again established that whether it is the appointment of a Chief Justice of a HC or of judges to the SC, seniority has been given little weight and the choice has always been made in the name of quality and his worth on the Bench. However, the Collegium never assigned any credible parameters for deciding that a judge is more worthy of being elevated to the apex court than others, without even being a Chief Justice of any HC, superseding many of his senior brother and sister judges. This principle is purely based on convenience. If increasingly greater reliance is placed on the qualitative worthiness of a judge as opposed to a more objective criteria for seniority, one may argue why the same is not followed in the appointment of the CJI. In fact, even in the case of qualitative assessment of a judge, a criterion that is more objective and transparent could be developed. These may include the number of majority judgments authored by a judge, number of dissents, number of concurring opinions, number of cases disposed of, number of significant judgments, etc. Such criteria can be further sharpened by defining what would constitute a landmark judgment, and probably also taking into account the number of working days devoted by a judge in office and so on. This would bring a lot more credibility to the merit and qualitative worthiness argument of the Collegium. Else, the merit-based argument would remain a shallow drum being played often by the Collegium when they prefer to favour one judge over another disregarding the well-established principle of seniority. This sacred convention of seniority, conveniently confined to the appointment of the Chief Justice of India, results in a rapid succession of CJIs with short stints of one or two months. And so no CJI can hope to bring any substantial reform in the judiciary. The Supreme Court recently dismissed a review petition challenging the striking down of a Constitutional Amendment that sought to replace the Collegium system in the appointment of top judges on grounds of delay and lack of merit. But if the existing system continues, then the day is not far when the government once again will make an attempt to bring the National Judicial Appointments Commission which would be in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution. Perhaps this time it would get more support from the judicial fraternity itself because the Collegium would have left most senior judges across the country disgruntled. In fact tacit support may also come from within the sitting judges who may too aspire to become the CJI claiming their merit over and above the not-so-laudable principle of seniority, which is more of a tie-breaker than a reasoned rule for appointing a judge to the office of the Chief Justice of India. Yogesh Pratap Singh Registrar (I/C), National Law University Odisha Email: registrar@nluo.ac.in Nachiketa Mittal Assistant Professor, National Law University Odisha Email: mittal.nachiketa@gmail.com Karamatullah K Ghori By As the old maxim goes, the enemy of your enemy is your friend. But what would you say when your friend starts courting your enemy? How would you handle a gratuitous test coming your way, especially with your hands full, already, with hostility from your enemy? Pakistan was confronted with precisely that kind of a dilemma on its diplomatic front while dealing with a serious threat to its territorial integrity from arch-enemy India. Pakistan was posed an acute diplomatic embarrassmentone of its kind in the living memory of most Pakistanisby none other than the affluent brotherly state of UAE, where millions of Pakistanis are expatriate workers. More, Pakistan has only recently been the beneficiary of billions of dollars pledged by the Emiratis as a bailout for its hard-pressed economy badly in need of foreign assistance. A more broad-based economic cooperation is also in the works. However, this facts-on-ground couldnt obscure the diplomatic dilemma masked in the UAE government inviting the Indian external affairs minister as a guest of honour to the 46th Conference of foreign ministers of the OICOrganisation of Islamic Cooperationhosted by it. Pakistan felt slighted and hurt that brotherly UAE hadnt thought it necessary to consult it on the sensitivity of the issue. It also felt deeply betrayed because the diplomatic salvo came at a crunch time in Pakistans tense ties with India. The February 14 bloody incident at Pulwama, in Kashmirin which at least 40 Indian Forces were killeddegenerated into a shooting conflict from the previously war-of-words between India and Pakistan on February 26, when New Delhi claimed to have blasted, from the air, an alleged training camp of Jaish-e-Muhammad at Balakot, deep inside Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The following day, February 27, there was a dogfight between India and Pakistan. An Indian jet was hit and a Wing Commander was captured. There was plenty of gung-ho optics and commentary for Pakistanis to celebrate the capture of the pilot, but there was a lot of heart-burning at the same time, at brotherly UAEs refusal to rescind their invitation to Indian FM Sushma Swaraj, to grace the OIC conclave in Abu Dhabi. Pakistanis have a long memory on Indias persistent efforts, over the last half-a-century, to gatecrash into OIC and back-stabbing of Pakistan on this question by some Arab states with a soft heart for India. Theres a history of India seeking to embarrass Pakistan by consistently demanding some sort of status in OIC. OIC was founded, back in 1969, when Israel had made an abortive attempt to take control of Masjid-e-Aqsathe third holiest shrine to Muslimsin its occupied Jerusalem. India had then asked for full membership or observer status at OIC. The Indian demand emanated from its claim that it had a Muslim minority that outnumbered the populations of several of OICs 56-member-states combined. Even today, India has the second largest population of Muslims in its confines, after Indonesia. But Pakistan had blunted and parried the Indian attempt to get a foothold into the OIC camp by arguing that OIC was a grouping of only Muslim states, where political control was in the hands of Muslims. Its threat to boycott OIC at its genesis had shut the door on India. But what had worked in 1969 apparently didnt work in 2019. Pakistans failure to coax or cajole UAE to keep Sushma away from the Islamic FMs conference was an embarrassment hard to stomach. In the end, Pakistan decided to stay away from the Abu Dhabi conclavethe first time, ever, that Pakistan, a founding member, was conspicuous by its absence at an OIC FM conclave. What incensed the Pakistanis was the insensitivity of the rulers of UAE playing host to the FM of a country that Pakistan accused of being an aggressor against it and violating its territory by despatching its aircraft into Pakistani territory. To many in Pakistan, its a bizarre spectacle that on the one hand their government of the day occupied high moral ground by returning to India its captured pilot. But on the other, it cut a sorry figure in its diplomatic tightrope-walking to persuade a brotherly statewith whom it has a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional relationshipto review what it thought was an ill-timed and ill-advised initiative to play host to Pakistans enemy number-one. Pakistan, on PM Imran Khans watch, may have avertedat least for nowa war of limitless and unseen propensities with India by a whisker. But many an angry critic of Imran fault him for being unwittingly outmanoeuvred on the diplomatic front by, of all, a supposedly brotherly fellow Muslim state. He may have to learn, the hard way, that in inter-state relations, the only permanency is to self-interest. Karamatullah K Ghori Former Pakistani diplomat Email: K_K_ghori@hotmail.com Political sparring over the exactitude of the laser-guided Spice-2000 bomb aparta bit of sparring is unavoidable in election seasonIndia cannot take its eye off the main cause. That is, the proscription the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Toiba, and all the many-named, many-headed, many-times-morphed terror outfits operating out of Pakistani soil. The one thing the IAF could do, it has done. Which is to demonstrate a willingness to retaliate. Instead of counting dead terrorists, 30 or 300 plus, Indias diplomatic corps must up its game now. The fresh proposal moved in the UNSCthe fourth in a decadeto designate Jaish chief Maulana Masood Azhar as a global fountainhead of terror must fructify. China must not be allowed to dodge artfully on behalf of its client state and find one more excuse to scuttle it yet again. Last-minute machinations from Islamabad can never be ruled out. Look how it managed to hoodwink the global community by merely juggling its National Counter Terrorism Authority list to keep two terrorist outfits in the safer under watch listthat grey zone kept it from being blacklisted by the anti-terror finance body FATF. Islamabad is unlikely to give up on its assets, which help it blackmail and bleed its neighbours, India, Afghanistan and Iran (in that order). The moment international heat lessens, it returns to its ways, never dismantling the edifice that has brought its own economy to its knees. From being ahead of India in per capita income in the 1980s, its way behind now. Struggling with forex reserves of a mere $8,036 million (as on February 22), it can ill-afford either aggressive war games or international opprobrium. Debates over the veracity of reports on Masood Azhars health or survival are of little consequence unless the whole terror apparatus is dismantled, for Pakistans own good and everyone elses. Then maybe we can talk Nobel. By Express News Service TIRUPATI/VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has warned of serious consequences if raids are conducted on IT companies on the pretext of probe into data theft. Addressing public meetings in Madanapalle and Tirupati on Monday, Naidu said the party cadre data is a personal matter of TDP and any interference in it by others will not be tolerated. He demanded to know who were Telangana police to register cases pertaining to data belonging to Andhra Pradesh. It is AP governments data, so refer the case to us. But, who are you to do it? Will you do the same if the data belongs to the US? he questioned. Naidu expressed concern over the impact of the incident on the credibility of the State to protect IT companies in Hyderabad, while recalling his efforts to bring IT companies to Hyderabad showing it as a safe place for them. Just based on a complaint by some unknown person, how can they conduct raids? How is it justified? Who gave them the right to do so? he questioned furiously. He contended that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the TRS government do not have the right to do so. Pointing out that only after they filed a petition in the High Court, the kidnapped IT professionals were released and that too after threatening them, Naidu questioned if it was democracy or dictatorship in Telangana. Such transgressions did not happen during Congress regime. KCR imagines himself as a dictator. But, he should remember that such dictatorial ways will not work before me, he said, while reminding that AP and Telangana are two different states. Ridiculing the TRS governments claim of data protection, Naidu said it was he who has been promoting IT since 1984. It was because of the IT reforms introduced by the TDP government, cell phones are being widely used now. They say they will protect my governments data privacy. They do not have their own data, but I do and I know how to protect data privacy and maintain secrecy, he said. Calling upon people to stand by him as their elder brother, the TDP chief accused KCR of trying to dominate the state through backdoor methods after colluding with YSRC. If you allow Jaganmohan Reddy to come to power, you have to forget all, including water, he said. Continuing his criticism of Prashant Kishor and his Bihar politics, Naidu claimed that with the ill advice of that person, YSRC is trying to delete the names of 8 lakh voters from the electoral rolls. He said they will even try to remove his vote from the voter list while accusing them of misusing Form 7 to prove the living persons dead in the electoral rolls. What they think of themselves and this place - Bihar? No, it is Andhra Pradesh. I will cut off your tails and not allow you to wag the tail as you wish, he warned. He said the AP government is not only lodging complaint with police but also with the election commission in this regard and asked people of the state to be wary of YSRC, who are nothing but thieves and bootleggers. Accusing YSRC, TRS and BJP of colluding against TDP, he said such drama will not work and even if Prime Minister Modi, KCR and Jagan come together. If you want to confront TDP, do it openly and do not conspire. If KCR thinks that raids on IT companies in Hyderabad on the pretext of data breach will help the person he supports, he is very wrong as it will only be counterproductive, Naidu said. On the other hand, IT Minister and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh hailed the swift action of the High Court on the issue. Justice prevails! The High Court has reprimanded the Telangana police for unlawfully arresting the four employees when the complaint was filed against the company. It has questioned the police why they were taken in as witnesses without being served a prior notice which is part of the procedure, he tweeted. Lokesh said the court was shocked to see the police take signatures of the VRO on blank papers and gave them an earful for blatant disregard for the law of the land. By using police and embracing extrajudicial tactics, TDP data has been stolen and handed over to the YSRC. But can they steal the respect and admiration that people have for Chandrababu Naidu? Every voter is watching how all the anti-AP forces are ganging up against him, Lokesh tweeted. The TDP general secretary sought to know why Telangana police failed to transfer the case to their AP counterparts when they received the complaint of data theft in the state. I thought when KCR talked of return gift, he would campaign for Jaganmohan Reddy in the state, but never imagined that they will resort to data theft harming Hyderabad brand image, he tweeted. By Express News Service MALAPPURAM: A CPM worker suffered serious injuries at Anjudi, Tanur, here on Monday after he was hacked by an unidentified gang around 11.30 pm. The injured is Shamsu, a former DYFI block secretary. He sustained severe injuries on both of his legs in the attack. He was initially admitted to district hospital, Tirur, and was later shifted to Kozhikode Medical College hospital. Police said the gang came in an autorickshaw and fled the spot soon after the incident. The police have launched a search for the culprits. Toby Antony By Express News Service KOCHI: The Customs has decided to intensify checks on flights and ships heading towards the Maldives after a passenger was intercepted with hashish at the Cochin International Airport on Tuesday. Customs officers suspect drug cartels are using Sri Lanka and Maldives as transit to smuggle narcotic products from India. It would become a matter of concern if the route to Sri Lanka and the Maldives is used by drug cartels to smuggle out contraband, especially narcotic products. Apart from air connectivity, we have several smaller seaports in Kerala operating vessels to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. In the wake of the hashish seizure, all Customs formations in the state have been directed to enhance checking of aircrafts and ships departing to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said. Customs officers believe cartels prefer to smuggle drugs to Bahrain via Maldives, as authorities are more focused on monitoring the passengers who board a direct flight to West Asian countries. Passengers in flights from India to West Asian countries will be thoroughly monitored to prevent drug smuggling. Choosing the Maldives or Sri Lankan route, they expect to evade arrest in Bahrain as well, Sumit Kumar said. By Express News Service KOCHI: A Maldives national was held at the Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery with 3. 120 kg of hashish on Tuesday. It is estimated that the haul is worth around `10 crore in the international market. The arrested Mohammed Sobah, 32, of GA Vilingili, Maldives is suspected of being a part of a drug cartel operating in the West Asian countries. Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said the accused who was to depart on Indigo 1787 flight to Male was deplaned on the suspicion that drugs were concealed in the check-in baggage. While screening the checked-in bags, security unit suspected drugs were concealed in them. The customs officers were called in by the Cochin airport authorities which initially used its dog squad to sniff out the drugs inside the baggage. Later, during physical checking of the baggage, hashish covered using plastic was found concealed inside a false cavity made in the bag. The passport revealed that Mohammed Sobah arrived in Kochi three days ago. He planned to divert the hashish to Bahrain from the Maldives. Since a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) case was registered, the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) will be conducting the further probe. We have referred the matter to NCB to conduct an investigation. The source of the hashish has to be identified. Whether he has received it from Kerala or other state has to be checked. From the initial interrogation, we suspect that accused is part of a drug cartel which supplies banned narcotic products to Middle-east countries. Since NCB has expertise in drug-related cases, the agency will conduct the investigation and file report at the concerned court,he said. The seized hashish was handed over to Customs laboratories to examine it further. Shevlin Sebastian By Express News Service KOCHI: In September 2017, Malappuram native Nipin Gangadharan stood at the entrance of the Kutupalong-Balukhali camp, at Coxs Bazaar in Bangladesh, as a stream of Rohingya refugees arrived on the back of trucks. They were fleeing the violence meted out by Myanmar soldiers who allegedly burnt their houses, raped their women and shot dead protestors. Nipin noticed a 40-year-old man. He was standing immobile. This person looked completely lost, says Nipin, who is the Country Director of Action Against Hunger, a French non-profit humanitarian organisation. He had this look of horror in his eyes. There was no light on his face. And he was not comprehending what we were saying. Nipin immediately understood that more than food and shelter, the man needed psychological help. So he got a counsellor to talk to the man so that the refugee could articulate the trauma he went through and start healing in some way. This camp is spread over 4,000 acres but that is clearly not enough because there are 6.2 lakh people present. In total, there are nearly 10 lakh Rohingyas in Bangladesh now, says Nipin. Nipin GangadharanJean Sebastien Duijndam/Action Against Hunger A lot of the forest land has been denuded because wood had to be cut for cooking. There has been a lot of damage to the environment, says Nipin. So now, aid agencies are rushing to provide gas cylinders and solar equipment. YouTube videos reveal bamboo huts with thatched roofing. Sometimes, tarpaulins have been used. A child collected water in a plastic bottle from a ditch. The colour, not surprisingly, was yellowish. A woman, in a hijab, holding a small child was crying. Another woman, in a long gown, but with a tired-looking face, was sleeping on the mud floor of a hut in which the walls had not yet been put up. And when they do come up, there is a danger that it could come down again. Thats because Coxs Bazaar is a cyclone-prone area. There is heavy rainfall between June and September. So the chances of cyclones occurring every year or every other year are very high. As for the Rohingyas, it has been a time of distress and uncertainty. They are trying to get used to this new life in the camps, says Nipin. The transition has been hard to bear. These were people who were living in individual houses, had their own farms and could walk around their homesteads freely and without fear in the state of Rakhine in Myanmar. Now they are living in slum-like conditions, with few social services, and not enough policing. So that makes it very stressful, says Nipin. The people are not comfortable. Its not nice to be living in a camp-like situation. All of them want to go back to Rakhine. But they want their rights, and to be treated with respect and dignity. Meanwhile, when asked about the attitude of the people of Bangladesh, Nipin says, They feel overwhelmed. When the influx started, there was a deep empathy. The Bangladeshis provided food and water and opened up their homes. But as this influx continues, tensions are rising. One reason is because the Rohingyas are now competing for resources with the local people in an area which is traditionally not very well off. Since the refugees have not been given the right to work, and earn a living, they work in informal economies, doing manual work, which brings down the cost of labour and the locals lose out. But there is a silver lining. Because this has become a major humanitarian operation, there are a lot of employment opportunities. This benefits the local people, says Nipin. And because of construction activities, a lot of new businesses have come up. Nevertheless, the Bangladesh government does not want the Rohingyas to stay too long. They want them to go back from where they came from, says Nipin. That is the crux of the negotiations that are going on between Myanmar, Bangladesh, regional as well as global powers. But Nipin is pessimistic because when you look at the history of forced migration, people dont go back soon. The Rohingya crisis has lasted for three decades, he says. I believe it will take another two to three decades before the people can start going back. Which means that many refugees will probably die in the camps. And the future of the children seems to be bleak. As for whether any education is being provided, Nipin says, Education is a bit tough. There is a lack of space. People are crammed in a very small space. But there are many organisations, including UNICEF, which have set up learning spaces where children can come and learn.The children have spoken about their dreams of becoming doctors and engineers. But Nipin, with a sad shake of his head says, They are stateless. So they cannot go anywhere. At the most, they can become teachers in the camps. Meanwhile, the question now arises as to whether Myanmar has committed genocide. The Canadian Parliament called it a genocide and so did the Americans, says Nipin. Genocide is defined as the intent to eliminate a person or a group because of their identity. And this has been the case with the Rohingyas. They have been persecuted for decades. And in this recent instance, which triggered the influx into Bangladesh, they were deliberately targeted. There is a historical background to the hostility between the Rohingyas and the Myanmarese, says Nipin. The military junta exacerbated some of these social tensions and converted it into animosity and hatred for the Rohingyas. It is a tragedy because once upon a time, all the communities used to live peacefully together. By PTI CHENNAI: The DMK on Tuesday clinched a seat-sharing deal with the CPM and Vaiko-led MDMK. Two Lok Sabha seats were allotted to the Left party and one to the MDMK which will also get a Rajya Sabha seat. The pact was confirmed following talks between Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M K Stalin and Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary K Balakrishnan at the DMK headquarters here, a party release said. Balakrishnan told reporters that his party had informed the DMK about the wish-list of constituencies and further talks would be held on the matter. "As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, our party will wholeheartedly participate in the alliance led by DMK. Our intention is to defeat the BJP-AIADMK combine in Tamil Nadu and there is no difference of opinion in that (among constituents)," the Left leader said. On the participation of the CPM in rallies by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the state, Balakrishnan indicated they would attend them. The DMK, in its bid to lead a rainbow alliance, has already signed electoral arrangements with the Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK), Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). Of the total 40 seats (39 in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry), the DMK would contest 20 seats and the rest were shared with the allies. After concluding the seat-sharing pact with the allies, DMK President M Stalin said while the DMK would contest 20 seats, its principal ally the Congress would contest in 10 seats, including the lone seat in Puducherry. There are a total of 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state, besides one in neighbouring Puducherry. Asked about the party's stand on bypolls to 21 Assembly seats that have been lying vacant in the state, Balakrishnan said it had already been decided that the CPM would support the DMK. While 18 seats are lying vacant following the court upholding the disqualification of AIADMK MLAs for revolting against the chief minister in 2017, Tiruvarur and Tirupparankundram segments await bypolls due to the death of sitting legislators, former DMK chief M Karunanidhi and AK Bose of AIADMK, respectively. Hosur, represented by former AIADMK minister Balakrishna Reddy, was declared vacant recently after he resigned following a special court sentencing him to three years' rigorous imprisonment in a two-decade-old riot case. (With inputs from UNI) Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed bilateral cooperation and combating terrorism on Tuesday in Cairo with Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Issa Awad, according to a statement by Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Hafez. The two ministers discussed bilateral relations and Egypts support for Somalias efforts to rebuild state institutions and achieve security and stability, as well as a number of regional issues of common concern. Shoukry stressed Egypt's intention to continue efforts to support the Somali economy and help the countrys development, whether through Egypts presidency of the African Union or through bilateral cooperation. Shoukry expressed his happiness with the continued development of bilateral ties between the two countries, highlighting multiple areas of cooperation, including in combating terrorism. The FM also said that Egypt looks forward to signing memorandums of understanding proposed by the Somali side in political consultation, the establishment of a joint ministerial committee, and cooperation between the diplomatic institutions of the two countries. Shoukry also praised the ongoing efforts to organise the second forum for Egyptian-Somali businessmen in the coming period. The forum aims to enhance trade and investment relations between the two countries, as well as explore new areas of cooperation between the countries of East Africa and the Horn of Africa. The Somali foreign minister expressed his country's wish to see enhance cooperation with Egypt in various fields as well as coordination between the two sides during Egypts presidency of the African Union in 2019. Search Keywords: Short link: By Express News Service HYDERABAD: If data of the people of Andhra Pradesh was indeed stolen, the (AP) government is probably the first culprit, said TRS working president KT Rama Rao. Speaking to media persons at Telangana Bhavan on Monday, Rama Rao alleged that IT Grids, an agency appointed by the AP government, stole data of many citizens, violating their privacy in the process. If there is no truth in the data breach allegation, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu should come forward for an enquiry, said Rama Rao.Wicked Naidu either sold the data or gave it to IT Grids free of cost. IT Grids is in Hyderabad and the complainant Lokeswar lives in Hyderabad as well. Thus, Telangana police registered the case and is investigating the same. When an American loses his wallet in AP, would he lodge a complaint with US police?, Rama Rao asked. Rama Rao dared Naidu and his son Lokesh to prove that no data theft took place. If there is no theft, why are they scared of the complaint? If you have guts, face the enquiry, Rama Rao said. The former minister said that TS police were acting as per the rules based on a complaint they had received. But AP police went ahead and searched the house of Lokeshwar Reddy, the analyst who lodged the complaint. They have no business here in Telangana, he said. Refuting the allegations of AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu that the TRS government stole the data to help YSRCP in the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Rama Rao retorted: What will we do with data of people in AP? If there is no truth in the data beach, why did the AP CM meet their Advocate General? Why are searches on IT Grids construed as an attack on the AP IT Minister? If there is no data breach, TS police will give a clean chit to AP government. Why is Naidu blaming TRS?, Rama Rao wondered. He also refuted the allegations of TDP leaders that those who had valuable assets in Hyderabad were being targeted by the TRS government. For that matter, Naidu too has assets in Hyderabad. We never do such things, Rama Rao said. Rama Rao said using or accessing someones data without their consent was in violation of Sections 66 and 72 of the IT Act. He also termed to complainant Lokeshwar as a whistle blower and condemned searches on his houses by Andhra Pradesh police. By Online Desk LAHORE: Information minister of Pakistan's Punjab province Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, who had come under severe criticism from senior members of his party over his anti-Hindu remark, has been sacked. The chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province Usman Buzdar on Tuesday fired Chohan, a lawmaker of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, over his anti-Hindu remarks that invited intense criticism from senior party leaders and the minority community. Samaa news agency had quoted the minister during a press conference last month where he referred to the Hindus as "cow urine-drinking people" and said, We are Muslims and we have a flag, the flag of Maula Alis (AS) bravery, the flag of Hazrat Umars valor (AS). You dont have that flag, it isnt in your hands." Prime Minister Imran Khan took serious notice of Chohan's 'anti-Hindu' remarks and directed Punjab chief minister to remove him forthwith, party sources said. ALSO READ: Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party tweets in Hindi on worthiness of Nobel Peace Prize "PTI Punjab government has removed Fayyaz Chohan from the post of Punjab information minister following derogatory remarks about the Hindu community," official Twitter account of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf tweeted. It further said: "Bashing someone's faith should not be a part of any narrative. Tolerance is the first & foremost pillar on which #Pakistan was built." The chief minister had "forgiven" Chohan after he publicly apologised for his remarks, but the prime minister directed Buzdar to immediately remove him from the ministry, a senior government official said. Chohan had come under severe criticism from senior members of his party, ministers and social media users with #SackFayazChohan trending on Twitter for his controversial remarks while addressing a gathering on February 24 in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. Earlier in the day, Chohan apologised for his remarks following intense criticism. "I was addressing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian armed forces and their media not the Hindu community in Pakistan," he said. "I apologise if my remarks hurt the Hindu community in Pakistan," Chohan said. "My remarks were in no way directed at Pakistan's Hindu community. "The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government "will not tolerate this nonsense", party leader Naeemul Haque, who is special assistant to Prime Minister on Political Affairs, said Monday night in response to Chohan's remarks. Remember the flag of Pakistan is not just green. It's incomplete without the white which represents the minorities, Haque said. Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal also took to Twitter and said, "Pakistan proudly owns the white in the flag as much as the green, values contributions of the Hindu community and honours them as our own." (With inputs from PTI) By Online Desk On Friday, media reports had claimed that a Pakistani F-16 pilot had been lynched in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after being mistaken for an Indian, immediately after the skirmish between the IAF and the PAF along LoC. The news of the Pakistan F-16's pilot lynching was reported on Facebook by London-based lawyer Khalid Umar. Firstpost's Praveen Swami quoted Umar's post which talked of how Shahaz-ud-Din, after parachuting out of his aircraft, landed in the Laam valley that stretches westward from Naushehra to PoK. It was then that he was attacked by an angry mob who mistook him for an IAF pilot and went on to lynch him. Umar claimed that Shahaz was the son of a retired Air Marshal Wasimuddin, who had flown both the F-16 and the Mirage 2000. Swami quoted an Indian source as saying that even Pakistan Armed Forces spokesperson Ghafoor might have mistaken Shahaz as the second 'Indian pilot'. "There was probably miscommunication up the chain of command, a military source explained. However, now it emerges that the 'poignant' story might not stand scrutiny. An Asia Times report by Saikat Datta and Kunwar Khuldune Shahid says that while Air Marshal Wasimuddin did serve in the PAF, he did not have a son named Shahaz-ud-Din. The retired Pakistani fighter pilot has two sons, Aleem Uddin and Waqar Uddin. While Waqar is studying in Warwickshire in the UK, Aleem, who has studied at Royal Holloway, the University of London, is a telecom employee. Wasimuddin also said that none of his sons have ever flown an aircraft. I have not considered any legal action. I actually laughed them off. My sons have been abroad for years. Unfortunately, they have been needlessly dragged into all this, he said, while reacting to the Indian version of the whole incident. PAF officials too confirmed that the retired Air Marshal was asked to record a video as a rebuttal to Indian media claims, which he was not keen on. However, the latest report now puts a question mark on the story that the F-16 pilot was killed. Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail, a former F-16 pilot, who wrote a book called Great Air Battles of Pakistan Air Force, believes the Indian claim has no merit. It is relatively easy to provide incontrovertible evidence for such a kill by the IAF, Tufail said, claiming data that would support the claim should be in the hands of the Indian Air Force. By Online Desk Banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is still airing its anti-India messages despite the Imran Khan government's promises of action after the deadly suicide bomb attack at J&K's Pulwama. JeM weekly Al-Qalam is still accessible online, and contains over 250 articles written by Sa'adi, the alleged pen name of the terror outfit's chief Masood Azhar, reported NDTV. Azhar's last despatch under the above pen name appears in the February 27 edition, one day after the IAF's air strike. He reportedly referred to the strikes saying that "Indians should not assume that their threats are scaring us. Definitely not." Al-Qalam has mentioned Rawalpindi as its office address on its website. In the February 20 edition of the journal, Azhar described how the Pulwama attack was carried out by JeM's "Kashmiri Mujahideen". The weekly also published messages from Azhar's brother, JeM commander Abdul Rauf Asghar, on multiple occasions. In April 2018, he had praised students of the Balakot Madrassa Ta'aleem Al Quran, IAF's primary target in the February 26 airstrikes, for first lighting the "torch of jihad" in Kashmir. "The youth who rise from this madrassa (in Balakot) have broken the arrogance of the mountains of Kashmir and lit the torch of jihad there, and they will - God willing - continue to keep it alight," Asghar was quoted as saying. What does intelligence say about JeM? According to Indian intelligence, the banned terror outfit had resolved to continue its "Ghazwa-e-Hind" (holy war against India) irrespective of India-Pakistan bilateral ties. Jaish even made an official proclamation of this in a conference in Pakistan's Okara district on November 27, 2017, where more than 2,000 participants praised the outfit's activities, along with the role played by Masood Azhar. The conference was addressed by Abdul Rauf Asghar, Md Maqsood and Abdul Malik Tahir. As per officials, it was Asghar who said India-Pakistan friendship and their bilateral trade would not end the outfit's 'jihad'. There was another six-day meeting in February 2018, which saw the JeM's 'Shoba-e-Taaruf' (Department of Introduction) conducting 13 interaction sessions in which 700 people, including 65 'Ulemas' (religious scholars), participated. Around the same time, the outfit carried out an attack on the Indian Army's Sunjwan camp in J&K in which five Army officers were killed and many more were injured. Five terrorists took part, of which three were killed and two escaped. The intelligence report said that JeM described the attack on the Sunjwan Camp as a "revenge" operation by the 'Afzal Guru Shaheed Squad'. The report also mentioned a four-day visit by JeM's 'Shoba-e-Taaruf' delegation to Sialkot district in March 2018, comprising Mujahid Abbas, Rashid Mushtaq and Abid Mehmood, during which it organised 17 sessions attended by 1,500 people, including 50 'Ulemas'. JeM brought India and Pakistan to brink of war twice The terror outfit, which also carried out attacks on the Pathankot airbase, the Army brigade headquarters in Uri and the Srinagar's Badamibagh cantonment, brought the two countries to the brink of war twice, once on December 13, 2001 when they attacked the Indian Parliament, killing nine security personnel and officials, and 18 years later in Pulwama. The outfit also bombed the J&K Assembly on October 1, 2001 when 31 people died. As per a book by Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark, the Parliament was attacked to help Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden escape from Afghanistan's Tora Bora caves, leading to a situation where Indian forces were mobilised on its western border. This in turn led Pakistan to withdraw much of its forces from the border with Afghanistan, helping bin Laden to flee. Jaish then became the channel to bring terrorists and their families from Afghanistan to safe havens in Pakistan, run by them and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Pakistan's flip-flop on Azhar On March 1, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi confirmed that Masood Azhar is in Pakistan and is unwell. He (Masood Azhar) is in Pakistan. According to my information, he is very unwell. He's unwell to the extent that he cannot leave his house because he is really unwell. So, that's the information I have, Qureshi told CNN. The minister also assured of taking action against the JeM chief if India provides solid, inalienable evidence against the latter. There were also reports quoting Pakistani government officials saying that Azhar was suspected to be afflicted with renal failure and had been undergoing regular dialysis in an army hospital in Rawalpindi. Qureshi later remarked that Jaish had not claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. However, contrary to the Pakistan Foreign Minister's claims, the terror outfit in a video claimed responsibility for the deadly attack and identified the suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar as one of their own. Pakistan envoy to US Asad Majeed Khan also backed Qureshi's claims on Tuesday, saying there was no organised presence of any terrorist group in his country. He even accused India of acting as the "judge, jury and executioner" by attacking Pakistan after the terror attack. However, on Tuesday the country cracked down on Jaish and took Masood Azhars brother Mufti Abdul Rauf and 43 members of other banned terror outfits into preventive detention. The Imran government also said, It was decided to speed up action against all proscribed organisations, and in compliance, 44 under-observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Rauf and Hammad Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation. Minister of State for the Interior Sheryar Khan Afridi was quoted as saying that the names of Mufti Abdul Rauf and Hammad Azhar were mentioned in a Pulwama attack dossier shared by India last week. (With inputs from Agencies) By PTI LAHORE: Pakistan's deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif's medical condition is "life-threatening" and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo has suffered four angina attacks last week, his daughter Maryam Nawaz said on Tuesday. Sharif, 69, is serving seven-year imprisonment in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case at the Kot Lakhpat Jail since December 2018. Maryam criticised the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for mistreatment of the three-time elected premier, following her visit to the jail to meet her father, Dawn newspaper reported. "There is no treatment offered to him (Sharif) even when he is taken to and kept in the hospital for days. He says he doesn't want to be in the hospital as an excuse or escape or just for the sake of it," she tweeted. "MNS (Mian Nawaz Sharif) has been a three-time Prime Minister and the insensitivity and callousness regarding his health on part of the government is shocking. My family and I are extremely concerned given the grave risk to his health. His condition is life-threatening," she said. Maryam said during her meeting with Sharif, "he had an episode of angina and asked for his nitrate spray. Then he divulged that he has had similar attacks four times last week". "He reiterated that he will neither report nor complain," she said. "It's a medical fact that every episode of angina worsens the heart disease and can damage the heart irreversibly. Who will I blame or who will be responsible if anything happens to him God forbid? The callousness, I repeat, is shocking," she said. Maryam's comments came as the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea moved on Sharif's behalf for early hearing of his appeal against last month's Islamabad High Court order of turning down his bail petition on medical grounds, the report said. On February 15, Sharif was shifted to a hospital on the request of his personal physician to the government. It was the second time in February that he was shifted to a hospital from the prison. Sharif resigned as Pakistan prime minister in 2017 after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against the beleaguered leader and his children over the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif has denied any wrongdoing and says the charges are political motivated. By PTI WASHINGTON: Pakistan's ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan has said he is not aware of any request made by the US about the use of F-16 fighter jets by his country in the recent aerial confrontation with India. The Indian Air Force on Thursday displayed parts of an AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence to "conclusively" prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir after India's anti-terror operation in Balakot. Pakistan on Wednesday categorically said that no F-16 fighter jets were used and denied that one of its planes had been downed by the Indian Air Force. The US State Department has said that America is seeking more information from Pakistan on the potential misuse of American-made F-16 fighter jets by it against India in violation of the end-user agreement. "On F-16, I don't know, India has been alleging so many other things. We don't get into every single one of them. I am not aware of request from the US side about the F 16," Khan told a Washington audience at the US Institute of Peace, a Congress-funded think-tank, on Monday. Asked about the media reports saying that US is seeking more information on the alleged misuse of F-16 against India in a potential violation of the end-user agreement, he said: "I think the question is whether the Pakistan is prevented by (end-user-agreement)". "I have not seen those end user agreements. I am not a position to comment on that," the top Pakistani diplomat said. The US, which is the largest seller of high-tech defence equipment globally and has a strong end-user monitoring agreement, as a matter of practice takes all allegations of misuse of defence articles very seriously. AMRAAM missiles allow a fighter pilot to target an enemy aircraft that is beyond visual range, in day or night, and in all-weather conditions. They have an autonomous guidance capability, which allows the pilot to manoeuvre immediately after the missile's launch. Khan said that the US of late had played an important role in counselling restraint between the two countries. "In terms of chemistry, I don't know if there was any chemistry to begin with (between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan)," he replied when asked about the relationship between the two leaders. As leaders of two big countries, it is not the chemistry that should determine, but the need, he said. Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was handed over to India on Friday. By PTI ANKARA: Turkey's trade minister on Tuesday said US plans to end the preferential trade status granted to Turkey conflicted with the NATO allies' push to increase commercial exchanges. "This decision contradicts our mutual objective of reaching bilateral trade volume of USD 75 billion. The decision will also negatively affect US small and medium-sized enterprises and manufacturers," Ruhsar Pekcan said on Twitter. 3/4 Unfortunately, this decision conflicts with our mutual objective of reaching a bilateral trade volume of 75 billion $, that had been announced by both governments. The decision will also negatively affect US SMEs and manufacturers. Ruhsar Pekcan (@pekcan) 5 March 2019 "We still would like to pursue our target of increasing our bilateral trade with the US who we see as our strategic partner, without losing any momentum," she said. The United States Trade Representative's Office said Monday that Washington intended to end "India's and Turkey's designations as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program." The office made the decision at US President Donald Trump's direction, saying that it was because the countries no longer complied with eligibility criteria. Under the GSP programme, some products may enter the US duty-free if countries meet criteria which include offering the US "equitable" market access. Turkey was made a GSP beneficiary in 1975 and the office said Turkey had shown a "higher level of economic development" meaning that it could be "graduated" from the programme. Relations between the US and Turkey have been strained, especially following the 2016 failed coup and Washington's support for a Syrian Kurdish militia viewed by Ankara as a "terrorist offshoot" of Kurdish insurgents within its borders. Last summer ties worsened over the detention of an American pastor, during which Trump doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium, and sanctioned two senior Turkish officials. Pastor Andrew Brunson was later released and relations improved. Egypt's prosecutor-general ordered on Tuesday the detention of another five railway employees, totaling 11, as part of the investigations into last weeks deadly train accident at Cairo's Ramses Railway Station, which left 22 people dead. The prosecution had initially ordered six railway workers to be detained for 15 days pending investigation into the accident where a train crashed into the barriers at Cairos busiest station last Wednesday, igniting a huge fire. The prosecution released a statement on Tuesday saying that the recent detainees worked at the railway station as station master, head of railway operations, inspector of maneuvers and two operation supervisors. The investigations have revealed that no traces of explosive materials were found at the scene, while a train maneuvering operator detained for suspected involvement in the crash tested positive for the potent narcotic strox. Prior to the crash, the driver of the rogue locomotive that caused the accident had dismounted, without turning off its engine, to speak with the driver of a second train that had accidentally rammed the locomotive. When the two trains disengaged, the now-unmanned locomotive moved at maximum speed towards the station until it collided with a concrete barrier at the end of the line and burst into flames. Search Keywords: Short link: Reporter Noelle McGee is a Danville-based reporter at The News-Gazette. Her email is nmcgee@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@n_mcgee). Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Reporter/Columnist Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth). Reporter Lyndsay Jones is a reporter covering education at The News-Gazette. Her email is ljones@news-gazette, and you can follow her on Twitter (@__lyndsayjones). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 The foreign ministers of Egypt Algeria, and Tunisia highlighted on Tuesday the importance of unifying the Libyan military establishment to achieve stability in the war-torn country, adding that they reject all forms of foreign interference, which only further complicates the crisis. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Algeria's Abdelkader Messahel and Tunisia's Khemais Jhinaoui met in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Libya. A communique has also been issued by the three foreign ministers highlighting nine points of agreement on respecting the sovereignty, stability and security of neighbouring Libya. The communique highlighted that the three countries will continue their support of Libya and its people to help build the countrys institutions and contribute to its stability. The three ministers reiterated their rejections of any form of external interference in Libyan affairs. They also expressed their support for all political solutions that could be achieved through comprehensive dialogue until elections are held based on the 2015 Libyan political agreement. The Tunisian foreign minister said that the meeting in Cairo saw discussions on the latest political developments in Libya, including pushing for a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis in the country. He highlighted that the Libyan people are deteriorating economic conditions, and stressing the importance of seeking an internal Libyan solution without foreign interference. Jhinaoui affirmed the importance of supporting efforts by UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salama. Shoukry said that Libya's neighboring countries are exerting efforts to unify Libyan state institutions. The Egyptian FM stressed that unifying the Libyan military establishment will serve to provide security and stability and secure the election process in the country. Algerias foreign minister Abdelkader Messahel said that resolving the crisis has been difficult due to foreign interference, highlighting the importance of having a consolidated mechanism to solve the long-standing crisis to ensure the stability and security of neighbouring countries. The next meeting between the three ministers is set to be held in Tunisia, Messahel said. Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia periodically meet to discuss the situation in Libya. Libya slid into chaos after the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Search Keywords: Short link: The foundation, which administers the prizes, had blocked the Swedish Academy from awarding one last year and threatened to strip it of its role in future, after a scandal that led to the rape conviction of the husband of an academy member and allegations that prize winners' names had been leaked. "The Nobel Foundation's board of directors believe the steps that the Swedish Academy has taken and intends to take will create good opportunities for restoring trust in (it) as a prize-awarding institution," it said in a statement. "The Nobel Prize in Literature will once again be awarded, and this autumn Laureates for both 2018 and 2019 will be announced." The Swedish Academy, set up in 1786 to safeguard the Swedish language, picks the winner of the Nobel Prize only in the field of literature. Other Swedish academic institutions select winners of the awards in scientific fields, and a Norwegian committee names the recipient of the peace prize. Faced with the threat that it might lose the right to pick the winner of the world's most prestigious literary award, the Academy made several reforms last year including appointing new members and setting up a new prize committee. "There will be two Nobel prizes, as we had hoped," Academy head Anders Olsson told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter after attending a meeting with the foundation. "It is very good that we have achieved a result after this long time. Now we can work in peace and quiet for the prize." Poet Katarina Frostenson, whose photographer husband Jean-Claude Arnault was jailed last year after a rape conviction, left her position as an academy member in January after it initiated an inquiry. The inquiry found she had leaked the names of prize winners, which she denies. Lars Heikensten, head of the foundation, said the Academy had agreed that scandal-tainted members would not be on the committee that selects prize winners. Author and critic Horace Engdahl, an academy member who had hit out at colleagues who sought to oust Frostenson over the allegations at heart of the scandal, had decided to quit, the Academy said separately. "It has taken longer than it should have," Heikensten told reporters. "Now (the Academy) has done a lot and aims to do more, and I think this can be put behind us eventually." Government is working on establishing a Teaching Profession Council (TPC) under which teachers will apply for registration before being issued with a teaching practice certificate. The proposed changes are contained in the Teaching Profession Council Bill which is expected to provide for the regulation of the educators, their practice and professional conduct. Public hearings to solicit views on the Bill started yesterday. According to a schedule provided to teachers unions by Government, the hearings started yesterday in Hwange, Matabeleland North Province and will end on March 14 after the canvassing of input from all the 10 provinces. Representatives from teachers unions, officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and Public Service Commission (PSC) are conducting the hearings. Reads the Bill: A person shall apply to the Council for registration as a teacher in the prescribed manner and form upon payment of the prescribed fee. The Council may, within thirty days of receipt of an application under subsection (I) grant or reject the application. The Council shall, where it rejects an application under subsection (2), inform the applicant, in writing, and give the reasons for the rejection. A person aggrieved with a decision of the Council may, appeals within thirty days of service of the decision, appeal to the Minister. A person aggrieved with a decision of the Minister may, within thirty days of service of the decision, appeal to the High Court. The Council shall, where an applicant meets the requirements of this Act, issue the applicant with a certificate of registration if the applicant(a) possesses such knowledge, and training and experience as may be prescribed; (b) holds a qualification from a training institution recognised by the Council; (c) is resident in Zimbabwe, or has an established office or appointment in Zimbabwe in the teaching profession; (d) is of good character and good professional standing; and meets such other requirements as the Council may determine. On disqualification from registration, a person shall not qualify for registration as a teacher if he or she does not possess the prescribed qualifications; has, for any reason, ceased to practise as a teacher or been de-registered; has been convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty under this Act or any other written law; has been declared to be of unsound mind under the Mental Health Act; has been found, by the Disciplinary Committee, to be guilty of professional misconduct. Apex Council organising secretary Mr Charles Chinosengwa yesterday welcomed the proposed changes. The Bill is good for us teachers as it is safe to guard our profession, like nursing, he said. You cannot pick someone from the street to come and teach. It was long overdue. It is not coming to replace unions but its unions working towards that. We will be doing the same as nurses that you have to be registered to practice on yearly basis. As unions we have five members in the working group so in other words we have total ownership of this initiative. The function of the council shall be to register teachers, regulate their professional conduct, develop, maintain and improve appropriate standards of qualification in the teaching profession and promote continuing professional development amongst teachers. The functions of the Teaching Profession Council shall be to develop, promote and enforce internationally comparable teaching profession practice standards so as to improve the quality of education in Zimbabwe and promote an understanding of professional ethics amongst the teachers; create awareness of the importance of protecting the public against unsound teaching practices and ensure that the rules and guidelines for professional ethics are responsive to the expectations of the public; investigate allegations of professional misconduct and impose such sanctions as may be necessary, reads the Bill. The TPC shall also advise Government on matters relating to th e teaching profession and facilitate the acquisition of knowledge by teachers through the emphasis on the need for teacher continuous professional development. Herald 'Tremendous Victory' for Man Who Says He Invented Bitcoin (Newser) The Saudi consulate general's residence in Istanbul has long been a target of investigation into the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and rightly so, alleges a new documentary by Al Jazeera Arabic. It claims, by way of Turkish officials, that the journalist's body was likely burned in what Vice News calls a "specially made" outdoor tandoori oven at the consulate general's Istanbul home. The burning allegedly occurred over a three-day span, after which large amounts of meat were allegedly cooked in the oven as part of a cover-up. Among those Al Jazeera interviewed was a worker who said he built the oven based on the consul's specifications; among them, that it be able to handle temperatures in excess of 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, which syncs with the temperature needed to cremate a body. story continues below New York Magazine notes Turkeys state-run TV station reported something similar in February, alleging a police report described Khashoggi's remains as having been cremated. Khashoggi was on Monday a topic on Capitol Hill, which saw a closed-door briefing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his murder. The committee had used the Magnitsky Act to force the White House to establish who was responsible for Khashoggi's death. The act gave the administration 120 days to do so; it missed the Feb. 8 deadline, and the briefing it provided Monday left senators underwhelmed. Politico notes the briefing was given by members of the State and Treasury Departments; no one from the intelligence community was present, irking members. Lindsey Graham called the briefing "a complete waste of time." (Read more Jamal Khashoggi stories.) (Newser) A mad Ethiopian emperor will soon be reunited with two braids long ago cut from his head. London's National Army Museum has agreed to repatriate the locks of hair taken from the corpse of Theodore II shortly after he killed himself in 1868, rather than face 32,000 British soldiers. Theodore, also known as Tewodros II, had been keen for an alliance with Britain. But when Queen Victoria ignored his request to aid in a Christian crusade against Muslim invaders from Egypt, he made hostages of all European nationals living in his domain, per the Telegraph. Gen. Robert Napier of the Bombay Army responded. But by the time he arrived at Theodore's fortress in Magdala, the emperor had freed the hostages and shot himself with a dueling pistol Queen Victoria had gifted him. The Brits then carried away hundreds of cultural treasures. story continues below As a historian told Atlas Obscura, "the soldiers were able to pick the best of the best that Ethiopia had to offer." While the Ethiopian government still seeks many of those items held in libraries and museums across Britain, it especially welcomes the return of the braids, said to have been donated by relatives of the artist who painted Theodore on his deathbed, per the Australian Associated Press. The Ethiopian Embassy in London calls it an "exemplary gesture of goodwill" to be met with "jubilant euphoria" in Ethiopia, where the braids are to be interred in the emperor's tomb. Per the Telegraph, Theodore is "widely revered in his homeland, a view that was not shared by Ethiopians at the time." The emperor kept down a series of rebellions, killed 7,000 prisoners at one time, and cut off the hands and feet of 300 others before throwing them off a cliff. (George Washington's hair was just sold.) Thousands of people protested in the Algerian capital and other cities on Tuesday demanding that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika step down, and the army chief warned that he would not allow a breakdown in security. The ongoing unrest poses the biggest challenge yet to the ailing Bouteflika and a ruling elite still dominated by veterans of the 1954-1962 independence war against France. Tens of thousands of people have rallied in cities around Algeria in the largest protests since the 2011 Arab Spring, calling on Bouteflika, 82, not to stand in an election scheduled for April 18. He submitted papers on Sunday. On Tuesday, hundreds of students protested in Algiers and other cities including Constantine, Annaba and Blida. "Game over" read one poster. "System - go away", said another. Police maintained a watch on the protests, as in previous days, and blocked main roads to contain the marches. No clashes have taken place so far and the demonstrations have been largely peaceful. However, Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gaed Salah said on Tuesday the military would not allow a breakdown in security. "There are some parties who want Algeria to return to the era of extreme pain," Salah said during a visit to a military academy in Cherchell west of Algiers, Ennahar TV reported. In 1991, the military cancelled an election that an Islamist party was poised to win. A decade of violence followed in which 200,000 people were killed as the security forces crushed the ensuing insurgency. Algerians generally tolerated a political system that left little room for dissent as a price to pay for relative peace and stability. But young Algerians who are at the forefront of the protests want a new generation of leaders and have few attachments to the old guard elite made up of the ruling party, businessmen, the military and security services. Almost 70 percent of Algerians are aged below 30. They are agitating for jobs, better services and an end to rampant corruption in a country that is one of Africa's largest oil producers. Bouteflika, in power for 20 years, has not spoken in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. His opponents say he is no longer fit to lead, citing his health and a lack of economic reforms to tackle high unemployment, which exceeds 25 percent among people under 30. Search Keywords: Short link: (Newser) A missing 11-year-old girl was found dead in Alabama on Saturday, and on Monday, a 33-year-old Collinsville man was charged with murder in the case. Per DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden, the body of Amberly Barnett, who'd been strangled, was found in the woods behind the home of Christopher Wayne Madison, just over 12 hours after she'd vanished Friday night from an aunt's house, CNN reports. Jail records cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution note that Madison had been booked Saturday night on drug charges, with the murder charge tacked on Monday. Welden, who says the investigation into Amberly's death is ongoing, is keeping relatively mum on Madison, who's being held without bond. "The road to justice for this sweet, innocent little girl is too important to release anything to jeopardize this investigation," Welden says in a release. (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) Researchers say it is too early to declare that a cure for HIV has been foundbut with a second patient now free of the virus after a stem cell transplant, a cure appears to be in reach. Researchers say the man, identified only as the "London patient," appears to have been free of the virus for 18 months and has stopped taking HIV drugs, the BBC reports. Like "Berlin patient" Timothy Ray Brown, who has now been virus-free for more than a decade, the London patient received a bone marrow stem cell transplant to treat cancer. Experts say the latest case proves that the Brown case, which researchers have long been trying to replicate, was not a fluke, the New York Times reports. Another patient who received the same treatment has been off HIV drugs for four months, researchers say. story continues below The treatment is difficult and dangerous, meaning it is not an option for most HIV patients, but experts say the latest case is a big step toward the ultimate goal of a cure. "These new findings reaffirm our belief that there exists a proof of concept that HIV is curable," International AIDS Society president Anton Pozniak said in a statement, per the Washington Post. "The hope is that this will eventually lead to a safe, cost-effective and easy strategy to achieve these results." The London patient tells the Times it was "overwhelming" to learn he could be cured of cancer and HIV at the same time. "I feel a sense of responsibility to help the doctors understand how it happened so they can develop the science," he says. "I never thought that there would be a cure during my lifetime." (Read more HIV stories.) (Newser) Female cabin crew at Virgin Atlantic can now follow the same rule as their male counterparts: If they don't want to wear makeup, they don't have to. The airline says makeup is now optional, but female flight attendants are welcome to choose from the "existing palette of makeup set out in Virgin Atlantic's guidelines," CBS reports. Female Virgin attendants will also be issued with pants as part of their uniform instead of having to request them, the airline says. Some low-cost carriers like Ryanair have already relaxed requirements, but the decision of established long-haul carrier Virgin to drop mandatory makeup rules is being seen as a major shift in a conservative industry, the Guardian reports. story continues below Virgin Atlantic spokesman Mark Anderson says the airline has been "listening to the views" of its workers, the BBC reports. "Not only do the new guidelines offer an increased level of comfort, they also provide our team with more choice on how they want to express themselves at work." Virgin rival British Airways still requires female flight attendants to wear makeupuniform guidelines seen by the Guardian call for women to wear lipstick and "conceal obvious blemishes ... wherever possible"but the airline decided in 2016 to allow them to choose pants instead of skirts. (In 2016 American Airlines flight attendants called for a full recall of new uniforms they believed were linked to health issues.) (Newser) The family of late Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich just notched a victory in their attempt to disentangle him from a conspiracy theory on the right. Conservative writer Jerome Corsi has a retracted a column he wrote alleging that Rich was involved in the hack of DNC emails that ended up in the hands of WikiLeaks. The column appeared in Infowars, which also issued a retraction statement. "Dr. Corsi acknowledges that his allegations were not based upon any independent factual knowledge," it begins. "It was not Dr. Corsis intent to rely upon inaccurate information, or to cause any suffering to Mr. Richs family. To that end, Dr. Corsi retracts the article and apologizes to the Rich family." story continues below Rich was fatally shot in 2016 in what police say was a botched robbery. After his death, the conspiracy theory surfaced that he and his brother orchestrated the DNC email hack, and Rolling Stone reports that Corsi's column was meant to defend Roger Stone from allegations that he knew of the WikiLeaks dump in advance. The Rich family previously forced a retraction from the Washington Times on the same subject. (In fact, Corsi says he based his column on one that appeared in the newspaper.) The family's lawsuit against Fox News for reporting the allegation was dismissed, but an appeal is pending. As for the DNC hack, American intelligence officials say Russia is to blame, per the Washington Post. (Read more Jerome Corsi stories.) (Newser) A prominent Colorado political consultant and two entrepreneurs from California were among four Americans and a local pilot killed when their helicopter crashed at a national park in Kenya, authorities and family members said Monday. Colorado lawmakers paused for a moment of silence at the state Capitol in Denver to remember Kyle Forti, who died in the crash Sunday night at an island on Kenya's Lake Turkana. Family and friends remembered the 29-year-old Forti as an adventurer and loving husband and father, who made friends of all political stripes during several years of work as a Republican communications consultant. story continues below The crash occurred in Central Island National Park as two helicopters took off after a visit to the Lobolo tented camp, according to a police report seen by the AP. The Standard reports that the helicopter belonged to Deputy President William Ruto, whose official pilot, Captain Mario Magonga, died in the crash. The US Embassy confirmed the deaths of the four Americans and the names of three of them: Forti, Anders Asher Jesiah Burke, and Brandon Howe Stapper. Stapper, a businessman and investor based in California, founded several companies, including a graphics firm where his employees considered him a role model, a co-worker said. His close friend Burke had worked as a political consultant before becoming president of a brand incubator called Bland. (Read more Kenya stories.) (Newser) Volvo drivers will have to content themselves with a maximum speed of 112mph in the near future. Starting with 2021 models, the automaker says it is putting a cap on the top speed its new vehicles can reach as part of a safety push, reports the Verge. Of course, the Swedish automaker isn't exactly known for catering to speed demons, as NPR points out in a teasing warning: "No more will practical station wagons meet on empty streets at midnight, drivers revving their engines and eyeing the finish line with steely intent, Birkenstocks slamming down on gas pedals." story continues below But the move dovetails with an ambitious Volvo goal of seeing no deaths or serious injuries in Volvo vehicles by 2020. "We can have a discussion about whether we are acting as a 'big brother' and we are happy to debate that," CEO Hakan Samuelsson tells Bloomberg. "I think we will attract more buyers than well lose." In any case, the move may have more of an impact on Germany's famed Autobahn than on American highways. (Read more Volvo stories.) (Newser) Roseanne Barr is making headlines yet again over controversial statements, this time in regard to the MeToo movement, Sen. Kamala Harris, and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused the Supreme Court's Brett Kavanaugh of assault. The comments came during an interview with conservative radio host Candace Owens. The details: MeToo: "They're pretending that they didn't go to trade sexual favors for money," Barr said of women making accusations, per Variety. "I know a ho when I see one." She said someone made that point to her recently, that the women who ended up being accusers had gone to see the men to further their careers. "Well, 'cause they're hos," Barr said. "Like if you don't run out the room and go, 'Excuse me, you don't do that to me, excuse me' and leave, but you stayed around because you're like, 'Well, I thought maybe he was gonna give me a writing job,' well, you ain't nothing but a ho." story continues below Kamala Harris: Barr repeated a debunked rumor about the California presidential candidate, agreeing with Owens that Harris "slept her way" to success and referring to her as "Kama Sutra Harris." The Sacramento Bee finds it notable that Barr once again went after a prominent African-American woman given that her tweeted slur against Valerie Jarrett is what cost her the Roseanne reboot. Barr repeated a debunked rumor about the California presidential candidate, agreeing with Owens that Harris "slept her way" to success and referring to her as "Kama Sutra Harris." The Sacramento Bee finds it notable that Barr once again went after a prominent African-American woman given that her tweeted slur against Valerie Jarrett is what cost her the Roseanne reboot. Blasey Ford: Barr said Kavanaugh's accuser "should be in prison" and that only "white woman privilege" had prevented that from happening. (Read more Roseanne Barr stories.) (Newser) When Michal Prasek was attacked by a lion in 2012, he admitted it was his own fault. "Every morning I went to feed it, but this time I put on a coat that smelled of dogs," the amateur lion breeder said, per the UK Week. He added that the intervention of a lioness was all that saved him. There was no such reprieve in a horrifying deja vu on Tuesday. The Czech manwho kept a 9-year-old lion and 3-year-old lioness in homemade enclosures on his family's farm in Zdechovwas found mauled to death in the wooden pen of the lion. Prasek's father, who discovered the body around 7am, said the cage had been locked from the inside, per the BBC and Newsweek. story continues below Responding officers shot both lions, with a rep noting the killings were "absolutely necessary for them to get to the man." Prasek, 34, had previously been fined for illegal breeding as neighbors raised concerns about the lions. A cyclist even collided with the leashed lioness as Prasek walked the animal last year. But Prasek refused to let authorities onto his family's property, and as there was no evidence of animal cruelty and apparently no suitable facility for the big cats in the Czech Republic, the issue had been at a stalemate, per the BBC. The latest incident "will perhaps finally help to resolve this long-term problem," Zdechov's mayor is quoted as saying. (A Dutch jogger stumbled upon a lion cub last fall.) (Newser) They were coming home from a party in Veracruz, Mexico, when they had to stop at a police roadblock. Then two things sealed the fate of the four young men and teenage girl in the vehicle: First, police thought they belonged to a drug gang. (They didn't.) Second, the same officers were corrupt and being paid off by the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel, reports the BBC. Thinking the five were Jalisco rivals, the officers turned them over to the cartel, which murdered them and dumped their incinerated bodies in a mass grave. The killings happened in 2016, and Mexican authorities have just issued a rare apology in the case. I apologize for the collusion between police and organized crime that wasnt stopped in time, says the new governor of Veracruz, Cuitlahuac Garcia. story continues below So far, 21 people have been charged in the deaths of the four men, ages 24 to 27, and the 16-year-old girl. Eight of the accused are police officers, but no senior Veracruz security officials have been charged, notes Reuters. "More than anything, we want to reclaim the good name of our kids ... and demand justice for them and for thousands of others who experience the same thing," says the mother of one of the five. The BBC reports that more than 5,000 people have disappeared in Veracruz over the last 10 years. (Read more Mexico stories.) (Newser) Folks of ordinary income can't afford to own a Bugatti, but even some millionaires would not be able to own this Bugatti. The French automaker unveiled "La Voiture Noire" on Tuesday, and at $12.5 million, it has the distinction of being the most expensive new car in history, reports Fortune. The company made only one, and it has already sold to an unnamed buyer, though CNBC cites industry reports that identify him as Volkswagen Group chief Ferdinand Piech. (Volkswagen now owns Bugatti.) After taxes are factored in, CBS News reports that the final cost is actually closer to $18.9 million. story continues below Bugatti made the vehiclethe name translates to "The Black Car"to mark the company's 110th anniversary and unveiled it at the Geneva International Motor Show. So how fast can the "hypercar" go? That's unclear, but it's based on a different Bugatti model that reaches speeds up to 261mph. Jalopnik has more on the specs: "It has a hand-built carbon fiber body and the same bonkers quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine as the Chiron and Divo, rated at about 1,500 horsepower." No shots of the interior were provided. (In other car news, Volvo is capping speeds on its new vehicles.) U.S. President Donald Trump looked set to open a new front in his trade wars on Monday with a plan to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States. India played down the impact of the move, saying it was keeping retaliatory tariffs out of its talks with the United States, but the opposition could seize on the issue to embarrass Prime Minister Narendra Mod ahead of general elections this year. Trump, who has vowed to cut U.S. trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs, and U.S. trade officials said scrapping the concessions would take at least 60 days after notifications to Congress and the Indian government. "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Trump said in a letter to congressional leaders. India is the world's largest beneficiary of the GSP program, which dates from the 1970s, and ending its participation would be the strongest punitive action for the South Asian nation since Trump took office in 2017. Reuters last month reported the planned U.S. action, which comes as the United States and China appear close to a deal that would roll back U.S. tariffs on at least $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. The U.S. Trade Representative's Office said removing India from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program would not take effect for at least 60 days after the notifications, and would be done through a presidential proclamation. Farm, marine and handicraft products were among India's exports most likely to be hit by the move, Ajay Sahai, the director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, told Reuters. The preferential trade treatment brought India an annual "actual benefit" of just $190 million, Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said. "Discussions are on with the United States, and given cordial and strong ties, (we are) keeping retaliatory tariffs out of it," he added. Of the 3,700 products it covers, India made use of the concession for just 1,784, Wadhawan told reporters in the Indian capital. Countries not covered by the GSP face U.S. tariffs of 2 percent and upwards. "The benefit to industry is low, U.S. tariffs are already low," said another government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "GSP is more symbolic of the strategic relationship, not in value terms." Last week, India delayed until April 1 higher tariffs on some U.S. imports announced earlier, in response to the Trump administration's refusal to exempt it from new steel and aluminium tariffs. Political price While impact from the GSP withdrawal will be limited, it could hurt Modi's Hindu nationalist ruling party ahead of the election expected in the next couple of months. Modi has pointed to India's growing diplomatic heft and strategic ties with big powers such as the United States to underline his foreign policy successes. But his own relationship with Trump has been limited, with their meetings less frequent than those of Chinese President Xi Jinping with Trump, for example. Trump was cool to an Indian invitation to attend its annual Republic Day parade this year. India's opposition, fighting a bitter election battle with Modi, could seize on the U.S. setback to embarrass the prime minister, the official who declined to be named said. "It can become a political issue in an election year." Trade ties with the United States suffered after India unveiled new rules on e-commerce limiting the way internet retail giants Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc-backed Flipkart do business. That followed a drive by New Delhi to force global card payments companies such as Mastercard Inc and Visa Inc to move their data to India and higher tariffs on electronic products and smartphones. In 2017, the United States protested against India's decision to cap prices of medical devices, which upset American firms. "India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce," said the USTR, which estimates the United States ran a goods and services trade deficit of $27.3 billion with India in 2017. "Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion," it added. India's top GSP exports to the United States in 2017 included motor vehicle parts, ferro alloys, precious metal jewellery, building stone, insulated cables and wires, said business grouping the Confederation of Indian Industry, which had lobbied against the withdrawal. Few of the items are produced in the United States as they are low in the manufacturing value chain, it added. India's trade ministry said in a statement that the trade deficit with the United States was falling and in 2018 it is estimated to have narrowed by over $4 billion. It would fall further because of India's rising demand for energy and civilian aircraft, it said. Search Keywords: Short link: (Newser) A helicopter crash in Kenya killed four Americans, including an entrepreneur who recently had gone into business there offering travelers "ultimate experiences." The crash, which also killed the pilot, occurred on Central Island in Lake Turkana, NBC reports. Asher Burke, seven tourists and friends, and two pilots had gone to the island in two helicopters Sunday evening to sip cocktails while watching the sunset. As the weather, including winds, grew worse, the group decided to make the short flight back to prevent being caught on the island overnight. One helicopter landed safely; the Kenyan military found the wreckage of the other hours later. Burke's family said in a statement that he died "as he lived, in an extraordinary way, watching the sunset, surrounded by people he loved, in his favorite place in the world." story continues below Burke had gone to Kenya for the first time just six months ago. He later went back with the idea of offering helicopter safaris, buying a share in a camping lodge and enlisting a helicopter tour company. The 28-year-old San Diego native had already started a digital marketing agency, per CNN. His idea was to have small helicopters traveling without a set itinerary, said a friend whose brother also died in the crash. The tourists could land anywhere they wanted, the friend said, "to explore Africa in this incredible way." He described the trips: "You just fly and every 15 minutes or so you just get outon a volcano youll stop, on a riverbed youll stopand go and talk with a local tribe that probably have not had a lot of interaction with the modern world." Burke's family said he had found Kenya to be "the closest thing on Earth to heaven, a transcendent experience"one that he wanted to share. (Also killed in the crash: a young Colorado political consultant.) Tokyo Metropolitan Police have discovered a sleeping medication inside the residence of one of two medical professionals in custody for allegedly drugging and raping a woman last month, reports TBS News Upon being accused of quasi-coerced intercourse last week, Masataka Kaneko, a 28-year-old doctor at Showa University Hospital, and Hisaaki Obayashi, a 26-year-old intern at an affiliated hospital, both denied drugging the woman, aged in her 20s, prior to the alleged sexual assault. However, the same medication detected in her system after the incident was discovered in the residence of Kaneko in Shinagawa Ward during a search, police said. According to a previous report, the incident took place between 11:00 p.m. on January 18 and 5:30 a.m. the following morning. The suspects allegedly laced a drink consumed by the woman with the sleeping medication at a karaoke parlor in Shinagawa and took her to Kanekoas nearby residence where they sexually assaulted her while she was passed out. During questioning, Kaneko said the act was done awith [her] consent.a Meanwhile, Obayashi said he araped [the woman].a According to police, the suspects are believed to have obtained the drug through their positions as medical professionals. On January 19, the woman consulted with police. Pakistan has made it easier to seize and freeze the assets of people and groups facing U.N. sanctions, the foreign ministry said, part of intensified efforts to dismantle Islamist militant groups. Pakistan is under increasing pressure from global powers to act against militant groups carrying out attacks in India, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police in a suicide bombing last month in the disputed Kashmir region. The bomb attack led to the most serious conflict in years between the nuclear-armed neighbours with cross-border air strikes and a brief dogfight over the skies of Kashmir. Tension cooled when Pakistan returned a downed Indian pilot on Friday. Pakistan has long used some Islamist groups to pursue its aims in the region, but it has denied Indian accusations it actively supports militants fighting Indian forces in India's part of the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir. From time to time - usually as a result of outside pressure - Pakistan has cracked down on anti-India militants but most factions manage to survive and resume activities. Pakistan's foreign ministry late on Monday said a new order, updating existing laws that deal with those on U.N. sanctions lists, had been issued "to streamline the procedure for implementation of Security Council sanctions against designated individuals and entities". Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said the order was passed by the cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Many Pakistani groups and individuals are sanctioned by the United Nations, including the JeM, and Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group that carried out the 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed. Saeed, who holds public gatherings in Pakistan, has been at the heart of criticism that Pakistan does not enforce its anti-militancy laws. On Monday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan had developed a "full-fledged strategy" to deal with militants and the government was looking to close "loopholes" that allowed banned groups to operate. "With banned groups it will be made sure that they will be banned in practical terms also," he said. A senior counter-terrorism official told Reuters the government was looking to set up a coordination "cell" to oversee action against militants. "This cell will coordinate with finance ministry, counter-terrorism departments, state bank, and financial monitoring units to see what actions have been taken against the militant groups, their assets and their sources of income," he said. The ministry had no immediate comment. Over the weekend, both the United States and Britain urged Pakistan to deal with militant groups. Britain urged Khan to "address the causes of this conflict" with its neighbour. Pakistan and India have gone to war three times, twice over the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir, which they both rule in part. India controls most of the region, including the populous Kashmir Valley. Pakistan says Kashmir was unfairly made part of India when British India was partitioned at the end of colonial rule, and the people of Kashmir should be allowed to decide if they want to join Pakistan or remain part of India. India rules that out. Search Keywords: Short link: Japan's transport ministry has installed a body scanner at a subway station in Tokyo on a trial basis to check for dangerous objects. The four-day test began at Kasumigaseki station on the Tokyo Metro on Monday. The district is home to many government offices. The scanner is about 60 centimeters in height, and has been installed near a ticket gate. The device detects electromagnetic waves from a person's body and belongings and reveals images. The ministry will test whether the scanner is capable of detecting mock explosives and other items hidden beneath clothing of people cooperating with the tests. Although, the ministry adds that the scanner cannot discern the exact nature of potential explosives. A senior ministry official says they want to determine if the system can be introduced at rail transport points without interfering with the flow of riders. The test comes as three passengers were stabbed by a man on a Shinkansen bullet train last June. One died and two were wounded in the attack. eeaaaaaaaeaaYaaaceaaecaes aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaSaecaeaaaaaYaescaaYeaYeaaaaaYa No fewer than 15 serving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) councillors in Kwara, on Monday, defected to the All Progressives Congress (AP... No fewer than 15 serving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) councillors in Kwara, on Monday, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of Governorship and State Assembly Elections. The defectors, who were drawn from five out 16 local government areas of the state, said they defected to the APC in the interest of the masses. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that they were elected on the platform of PDP in November 2017. Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Hon Suleiman Taoheed representing Ajanaku Ward in Moro Local Government Area, explained that the current PDP administration in Kwara had failed. We are tired of lies and poor performance of the incumbent administration in the state and as a result, we cannot be left behind in building better and brighter Kwara. Everybody is complaining about the political hegemony in Kwara because the system has not brought positive changes to the people of the state, Taoheed said. He promised on behalf of the defectors to mobilise electorate in their respective wards and vote en masse for all APC candidates on Saturday. They also pledged their support for AbdulRahman Abdulrasaq, the APC governorship candidate, stating that he had good plans for the state considering his antecedents. They revealed that more serving councillors would join APC before Saturday. Receiving the defectors, Dr. Alimi Abdulrasaq, an APC stalwart and brother to the governorship flag bearer said that they would not regret their decision. Abdulrasaq noted that his brother, when elected would ensure that local governments have full autonomy, and draw government closer to the people at the grassroots. He urged them to mobilise electorate to vote Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq and all APC state assembly candidates in the elections The defected councillors are: Adam Tsado, (Edu), Ogundele Segun, (Isin), James Kayode, (Ilorin East), Aremu Jamiu, (Moro), Olorunrinu Suleiman, (Ilorin South) Mr. Wole Oke, a chieftain of All Progressives Congress in Kwara State, says Saturdays governorship election is very crucial to the eman... Mr. Wole Oke, a chieftain of All Progressives Congress in Kwara State, says Saturdays governorship election is very crucial to the emancipation of the state from clutches of oppression. Chief Oke, from Kwara North, said this on Tuesday in a statement in Ilorin. He urges the people to come out en masse to vote for the candidates of the APC on Saturday. The current euphoria of the presidential and national assembly election victory should not be allowed to blind or delude the people into believing that all is well. Nothing at this stage should be taken for granted lest our complacence becomes our Achilles heels, the back door through which our current victory could be rubbished by a wily and sly political game master. The people of Kwara State should be reminded that a bruised snake is more deadly, Oke said. He appealed to the people to come out in full force and more determined than they were on February 23 to vote massively for APC governorship candidate, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and all APC House of Assembly candidates. We can be partakers and active participants in the management of the patrimony and commonwealth of the state only if we vote massively for APC candidates in the elections. This remains the only means of breaking away from the practice and tradition of the last sixteen years in the governance of our state and the only avenue to the sustenance of the collective dignity and integrity of the people of Kwara State as human beings, Oke said. Oke added, With this outcome, a new chapter has been opened in the political history of the state of Kwara and a fresh beginning in the governance style of the state already in the offing. However, it is not yet Uhuru. We still have more rivers to cross. The governorship and the state assembly elections of March 9, 2019, are very significant and indeed, much more relevant to the cause of the peoples struggle for total liberation from the political bondage, Oke said. A chef, Joshua Usulor, has been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly killing a 34-year-old lawyer, Fe... A chef, Joshua Usulor, has been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly killing a 34-year-old lawyer, Feyitayo Obot, who came to Lagos for a business meeting and lodged at a hotel in Opebi, Ikeja area of the state. Usulor, in a bid to get money to clear his outstanding indebtedness to the hotel, allegedly sneaked into Obots room and in the process of robbing her, killed the lawyer. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, said an investigation into Obots murder led to the arrest of Usulor, who ran away from the hotel premises after perpetrating the crime. Oti said, On January 26, 2019, the Lagos State Police Command received a report that one Feyitayo Obot, 34, was gruesomely murdered in her hotel room at Opebi, Ikeja, by one Joshua Usulor, 21. Sequel to the report, the command sent its homicide detectives to the scene of the crime, where they collected important exhibits for forensic analysis. The body, which had multiple stab wounds in the abdominal region and its throat slit open with a sharp object, was recovered for an autopsy. Although the suspect absconded after committing the crime, the state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, charged the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, Yetunde Longe, to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the culprit was arrested and prosecuted. Painstaking investigation, however, led to the arrest of the suspect on Thursday, February 28, 2019, at his hideout in the Victoria Island area of the state. During interrogation, the suspect confessed to have committed the crime. He said he never met Ms Feyitayo Obot until the day he attacked her and that he was motivated to rob the deceased to enable him to offset his hotel bills, having spent two more days than the one day he paid for. Oti stated that Usulor made away with Obots phones and a cash sum of N26,000, adding that the victim died as a result of excessive loss of blood and disruption of the jugular vein. He said, To execute his plans undetected, Usulor claimed that he sneaked into the deceaseds room to steal her money and her phones, but she struggled with him and was overpowered. He then stabbed her with a sharp knife in the stomach and used the same knife to slit her throat. Satisfied that the woman was dead, he made away with her phones and cash sum of N26,000. Investigation revealed that the deceased was a lawyer, who came to Lagos for a business meeting and lodged at a hotel in Opebi, Ikeja. The autopsy result revealed that the following factors led to the death of the victim: excessive loss of blood, disruption of the left jugular vein and sharp force trauma. The PPRO stated that the suspect would be charged to court for murder, adding that the CP had directed that the case file be duplicated and forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal advice. The command also arrested one Amara Ezeodum, on Monday, March 4, 2019, for allegedly robbing one Oluwatosin Graig in the Lekki area of the state. Oti said police operatives, who came to the victims rescue, arrested Ezeodum following a hot chase. He said, One Amara Ezeodum was, on Monday, March 4, 2019, nabbed by eagle-eyed policemen on anti-crime patrol on No. 66 Olaitan Sebanjo Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. The cry of one Miss Oluwatosin Graig, who was robbed by the suspect, attracted the policemen led by CSP Isah Abdulmajid to the scene. The officers gave the felon a hot chase, arrested and recovered his gun from him. President Muhammadu Buhari has assured voters in Delta of adequate security in Saturdays governorship and House of Assembly elections. ... President Muhammadu Buhari has assured voters in Delta of adequate security in Saturdays governorship and House of Assembly elections. Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at a town hall meeting in Warri on Monday, said that the issue of security was fundamental to the electoral process. The president said that special attention would be focused on security to enable the electorate exercise their franchise and check any form of intimidation. What happened at the Presidential and National Assembly elections was a great victory, but the completion of the victory will come on Saturday when Great Ogboru will become the governor of Delta. Delta cannot be the same again. Delta was our focus of attention, we wanted to see what will happen. Delta has proved a very important point that it is ready for a change to the next level. Security is a fundamental issue and we will pay special attention to it, he said. The president also urged leaders and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to unite, saying when we work together, we will emerge victorious on Saturday. Also speaking, the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomohole, commended the people for voting massively for the APC in the recent poll. He urged the voters to be courageous and vote overwhelmingly for Ogboru in Saturday s gubernatorial election. You have substantially weakened the rigging machine of the PDP. No one will provide unlawful security. Security operatives should ensure that votes are counted because President Buhari wants to have a cleaner election, he said. Dr Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister for State for Petroleum Resources, described the occasion as a unifying day for us to come and work together. Ogboru, in his opening remarks, had urged the government to provide adequate security to avoid a repeat of the violence witnessed in the state during the Presidential and National Assembly elections. Security issues should be looked into seriously if there is adequate security, the electorate will turn out en masse to cast their votes, he said. Participants, who spoke at the interactive session, all stressed the need for adequate security during Saturdays elections. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers complained to the Trump administration on Monday that its response to rights abuses against China's Muslim minority was inadequate months after it said it was looking into imposing sanctions. "This issue is bigger than just China. It is about demonstrating to strongmen globally that the world will hold them accountable for their actions," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The group is led by Eliot Engel, Democratic chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and includes Republican ranking member Representative Ted Yoho. Pompeo wrote to the committee on Sept. 28 saying his department was looking into a request for sanctions on those responsible for abuses and for controls on exports of technology that facilitates mass detentions and surveillance of ethnic minorities in western China's Xinjiang region, the letter said. "It appears that the Administration has taken no meaningful action ... and we write today with a renewed sense of urgency on this serious matter," said the letter, also signed by Brad Sherman, Democratic chairman of the Asia and Pacific subcommittee, and Chris Smith, Republican ranking member of the human rights subcommittee. The U.S. ambassador for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, told reporters the issue was "being discussed thoroughly within the administration," but he had no new steps to announce. Brownback spoke at a Capitol Hill event to mark the formation of the Coalition to Advance Religious Freedom in China, a multi-faith group of over a dozen religious and rights organizations established to campaign against persecution. A spokeswoman for the State Department said it remained "deeply disturbed that since April 2017, the Chinese government has detained more than one million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Muslims in internment camps." "We will continue to call on China to end these counterproductive policies, free all those arbitrarily detained, and cease efforts to coerce members of its Muslim minority groups residing abroad to return to China to face an uncertain fate," she said. China denies the allegations. No benefit U.S. officials said last year the administration was considering sanctions against companies and officials linked to China's crackdown, including Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, a member of the Chinese leadership's powerful politburo. But no action has been forthcoming, with the administration engaged in sensitive negotiations to resolve a trade war between the countries. Pompeo said on Monday he thought they were "on the cusp" of a deal to end the trade war. In a November interview with Reuters, China's ambassador to Washington warned of retaliation if Washington were to impose sanctions on Chen. Speaking at a daily news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he hoped the lawmakers would "respect the facts" and "refrain from smears and actions that could damage the China-U.S. relationship". "This will bring no benefit to them," he said. The U.S. lawmakers said it was a particular concern that U.S. firms might be contributing to the Xinjiang persecution, given commercial ties to Chinese tech companies that had profited from a surge in security spending there. They called for written responses from Pompeo as to whether the U.S. government monitored the use of U.S. technology that could be used for surveillance or detention in Xinjiang and information on any U.S. firms providing such technology. The letter highlighted a Jan. 31 Reuters report saying that Hong Kong-listed Frontier Services Group, co-founded by former U.S. military services contractor Erik Prince, had signed a deal to build a training base in Xinjiang. Search Keywords: Short link: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Monday night, said the Deputy Director General (Admin) of Atiku Campaign Organization, Barr. Tanimu T... The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Monday night, said the Deputy Director General (Admin) of Atiku Campaign Organization, Barr. Tanimu Turaki SAN, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). PDP warned that Turaki should be release immediately and unconditionally. Its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement said Turakis arrest and detention is part of the grand plot by the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to use state apparatus of power to intimidate PDP leaders and scuttle PDPs determination to reclaim our February 23, 2019 Presidential election victory in court. It reads: Since the peoples candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP expressed our unwavering determination to reclaim our victory at the tribunal, being armed with overwhelming evidence, our leaders have been subjected to escalated harassments, constant threats, blackmails, cajoling and contrivances by the APC to drop our legal option. It is instructive to state that Tanimu Turaki was arrested and detained upon invitation by the EFCC to endorse a bail document for the Finance Director of Atiku Abubakars company, Babalele Abdullahi, who was arrested earlier by the commission over flimsy allegations. The PDP, however, states in clear terms that the APC and the Buhari Presidency are fighting a lost battle as no amount of harassment and threats will ever make the party to buckle in its determination to take back the mandate, in line with the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians. Mrs. Josphine Agwus story went viral after she returned N12m to the owner at the Muritala Mohammed Int Airport, Lagos in 2015. Jo... Mrs. Josphine Agwus story went viral after she returned N12m to the owner at the Muritala Mohammed Int Airport, Lagos in 2015. Josephine, an airport cleaner, found the huge sum in the toilet and instead of her to run away with the money, she decided to pass it over to the airport management. This turn of event made Josephine gain popularity in Nigeria. Back in 2014, Ms. Josephine Agwu found N12 million inside the airport toilet and returned it. She was praised and received cash gifts for the commendable act. Subsequently, she also found ?10 million, N8 million, and N7 million forgotten by travellers in the airport, and each time, she returned the suitcase containing the money over to the authorities. In a recent interview with Legit TV, Ms Agwu complained about the level of poverty in Nigeria. She also pointed out that in other countries, she would have been better rewarded for what she did, but that isnt the case in Nigeria. She said: As you see me, Im a person people know the whole world today. But see. Nobody in Nigeria do what I did. I return money four times in Nigeria. Im a cleaner, the year 2014 in Murtala Muhammed, return 12 million, return 10 million, return 8 million, return 7 million. But if na other countries, Ill be an ambassador to telling youths that honest is paying. But now see. They close it. Nobody to remember it. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has described ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo as one of the greatest Nigerians alive. While feli... Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has described ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo as one of the greatest Nigerians alive. While felicitating with the former president on his 82nd birthday, Atiku said no Nigerian alive has done as much as Obasanjo did for the country. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate said, who served as Obasanjos deputy for eight years, also wished him good health and continued service to the nation. Writing via his Twitter handle on Tuesday, he said: A very happy 82nd birthday to you, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. No living Nigerian has given as much to Nigeria in peacetime and in war as you have. May almighty God grant you many more years in good health and continued service to Nigeria and the world at large. A very happy 82nd birthday to you, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. No living Nigerian has given as much to Nigeria in peacetime and in war as you have. May almighty God grant you many more years in good health and continued service to Nigeria and the world at large. -AA pic.twitter.com/MrDdNAEKL1 5 March 2019 Atiku fell out with Obasanjo during his second term in office. His reported presidential ambition had pitched him against Obasanjo who was said to be nurturing a third term in office. A former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Cairo Ojougboh has asked the governorship candidate of the ... A former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Cairo Ojougboh has asked the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ifeanyi Okowa to withdraw from the race days before the election. According to him, it was better for Governor Okowa not to seek reelection to avoid the embarrassing defeat awaiting him in this Saturdays governorship election in the state. Ojougboh, who is a kinsman of Okowa, stated this on Monday while speaking with newsmen in Asaba during President Muhammadu Buharis thank you visit and a town hall meeting with traditional rulers in the state at the PTI Conference Centre, Effurun, Uvwie LGA of Delta State. He said, I can see a situation where Governor Okowa will withdraw because he knows that he is not going to win the election. I will advise him as my brother that there is no need to continue to contest so that we will not disgrace him. He (Okowa) should withdraw honourably because his defeat will be the talk of the town. Speaking on the crisis in the Delta APC ahead of the election, Ojougboh stated, Anybody with grievances should pocket it for now and lets deliver our governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru for the election, and make sure that will also win the required seats in the Delta State House of Assembly. The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has thanked Akwa Ibom people for voting President B... The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has thanked Akwa Ibom people for voting President Buhari and Prof. Osinbajo on February 23. NAN reports that he spoke during a town hall meeting held in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital. He alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) colluded with some of the electoral officers to work for the opposition even though the people voted for APC. We have not come here to lament that our mandate was stolen on February 23. We have come to thank you that you voted for President Buhari, and all members of the party. You did your job but some armed robbers in INEC stole your votes. You think that those who stole your votes will have peace? We have come to reaffirm our commitment with democracy. We have come to affirm that no robber will go unpunished, but when an electoral umpire is corrupt and collude with the opposition, we have the witnesses and we have lawyers to deal with that. On Saturday we are not going to wait for them to steal out votes. We call on Akwa Ibom people to protect their votes. We must maintain our sanity even in this hour of provocation. Those who committed democratic abortion would be brought to book, Oshiomhole said. The APC governorship candidate in the state, Mr Nsima Ekere, encouraged the people not to be deterred by the Feb. 23 elections, but to go out and vote during the March 9 elections, saying the party was sure of victory. He said that the people of the state were in need of change, as demonstrated by him during his campaign across the 31 local government areas of the state. He assured the president that after March 9 elections, Akwa Ibom would not be in the opposition but would be reunited with the centre. Thank you for what you are doing for APC. The people voted for you, that vote is a re-validation of what the people want. You put Nigerias economy back on track. We are here because we have faith in you and Mr President, the opposition and INEC have no choice than to give us back our mandate. Whosoever shall attempt to work against the collective will of Akwa Ibom people, we shall collectively resist. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday released the letter of protest its National Chairman, Uche Secondus, submitted to the In... The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday released the letter of protest its National Chairman, Uche Secondus, submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In the letter, PDP insisted that the presidential election was manipulated in favour of the ruling party. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner, having polled 15,191,847 votes as against PDPs Atiku Abubakars 11,262,978 votes with a victory margin of 3,928,869 votes On Tuesday, the PDP and Atiku filed a case against Buharis victory at the Presidential Election Tribunal in Abuja. The PDP letter to INEC below: PDP/DOM/INEC/19-004 The Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Zambezi Crescent Maitama District Abuja, FCT. Dear Sir, CASES OF INFRACTIONS AND DELIBERATE VIOLATIONS OF THE ELECTORAL LAW AND GUIDELINES We want to place on records and bring to your attention the very obvious and noticeable infractions and violations of the Electoral Law and the Regulations/Guidelines regulating the 2019 general elections which have very negative implications on the credibility, transparency and integrity of the entire electoral processes particularly the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections. This has become imperative as we approach the Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections billed for Saturday, March 9,2019. These infractions and deliberate violations include but not limited to the following: 1. The non-usage or selective enforcement of the Smart Card Reader (SCR) machines across the country. We observed with regrets that the usage of the SCR machines were enforced strategically in the South-South, South-East and the North-Central zones of the country which are essentially PDP strongholds. This is radically different from what transpired in the North-West, North-East and the South-West which were estimated as the APC strongholds. This is quite contrary to the provisions of Paragraph 10(a) & (b) of the Regulations and Guidelines governing the 2019 General Elections and all the assurances you, Prof. Yakub Mahmood, frequently gave up to the last hours before the elections. 2. The deliberate non-deployment of the Electronic Collation System (E-Collation) for the elections results from the units, through the ward centers to the Presidential Collation Center in Abuja as provided for in the 2019 Electoral Regulations and Guidelines made by you, and as contained in your several official Press Statements is very suspect. This is more so when you have never bothered to explain to Nigerians the justification for this sudden official somersault on such a critical component of the electoral process especially with all the tax payers money spent to install the facilities. 3. The unconstitutional deployment of the armed forces especially soldiers and police for the illegitimate purposes to harassing, intimidating, suppressing of leaders of the PDP and suppression of voters in PDP strongholds across the country which are very well known to you. The use of these same security agents by the government to harass and intimidate Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and certain INECs National Commissioners for the sake of forcing them to declare votes for the APCs candidates throughout the country have been officially or otherwise brought to your knowledge by the affected officers who even threatened to resign from their positions, yet you have decided to keep mute over it in a way portraying outright conspiracy and collusion of yourself and the commission with the APC government perpetrators. 4. We also want to bring to your knowledge that most of the collation centers in the country were cordoned off by officers and men of the armed forces who chased away accredited agents and or candidates of our party, the PDP, from such centers while the results of the elections from the units were being manipulated, mutilated and altered to suite the dictates and criminal desires of the APC led government. These results that were tampered with were accepted by you and your commission and announced as the results of the elections. 5. In places like Lagos, Rivers, Nassarawa, Abia, Benue, Plateau, Ondo, Osun States el al, results of duly conducted elections were illegally canceled especially in the PDP dominated areas to reduce the margin of victory in those states in Favour of APC candidates. Is it not surprising to you that Lagos state with over six million voters can only return less than one million votes? This was the case in virtually all PDP dominated states where voters suppression was deployed as a major strategy by you and the APC government in active collaboration of some of your unscrupulous RECs and staffers. 6. We are sure that till date the commission does not know the number of polling units where elections were cancelled and the total number of registered voters at such polling units. Yet you hurriedly announced the results of the elections especially the Presidential election only to come up with a Press Statement that supplementary elections will be conducted on March 9, 2019 along with the Gubernatorial and House of Assembly Elections. This to say the least is a major dent on the credibility and image of the commission. 7. Under your watch as Chairman of INEC for the first time in our nations history, the election materials of all categories; sensitive and non-sensitive, were contracted to be printed by a person who is not just a card-carrying member of a political party; the APC but also a Senatorial Candidate of the party in Niger State. Arising from this, these sensitive materials were seen in several wrong and unauthorized hands and places before and during the elections. Till this moment your commission has not raised any concerns or set up any enquiry to uncover the immediate or remote causes of such criminal and unconstitutional bastardization of the electoral process. We have taken time to chronicle the above fundamental deliberate violations and infractions of the Electoral Law, Regulations and Guidelines and all known canons of electoral best practices by your Commission in obvious complicity and collaboration with APC and security agencies to rig the elections and rob our party of victory. We want to remind you that as we inch towards Saturday, March 9, 2019 elections, you must do everything to right these grave anomalies to save yourself and the commission from this woeful embarrassment as you may go down in history as the worst Chairman of INEC in our history. Accept our regards. Prince Uche Secondus National Chairman Sen. Ibrahim Umaru Tsauri Over 1,500 officials and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe on Tuesday defected to APC saying, they regrette... Over 1,500 officials and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe on Tuesday defected to APC saying, they regretted voting Atiku Abubakar, PDP candidate in the presidential election. The officials and their supporters announced their defection at the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign rally in Fika, Fika Local Government Area of Yobe. Alhaji Ahmadu Usman, spokesman of the defectors said they regretted being in PDP and voting Atiku Abubakar in Feb. 23 election. Similarly, 17 state and local government officials and their supporters from Machina and Yusufari Local Government Areas also defected from PDP to APC. Alhaji Muazu Isa, PDP Vice-Chairman Zone C, led the defectors to pay allegiance to Alhaji MaiMala Buni, Yobe APC governorship candidate in Damaturu. The defectors include Alhaji Sani Riga, State Financial Secretary Alhaji Kaumi Kaderi and Damiji Kalgiri, the Chairmen of the party in Yusufari and Machina Local Government Areas. Others are Ali Kakandi and Hajiya Kori Modu; Vice- Chairman and Women leader and 11 other ward officials in Yusufari Local Government Area. The former PDP Zonal Vice-Chairman said, We want to apologise for the mistake of being in PDP and voting for PDP, we will not carry this mistake to the governorship election. There are no people left in PDP in the two local government areas, we will leave no stone unturned to ensure landslide victory of APC and Alhaji Maimala Buni in the Saturday election, he said. Buni assured the defectors of equal opportunity in APC, saying: From now henceforth, you are as old and equal with those earlier in the party. You should contribute to the unity of the party and its success in all elections. The governorship hopeful pledged to resolve the age-long water problem facing the people of Fika Local Government Area. We will construct road network linking Gujba to Ngalda and Fika-Maluri-Daura to exploit the rich agricultural deposits in these communities, he said. It was gathered that the state PDP Chairman Inuwa Nguru and scores of officials had earlier abandoned the opposition party for the ruling APC. Nuclear BlastThe Damned Things' comeback will also feature a headlining tour. The band -- which features Fall Out Boy's Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley and Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano -- will launch a full-length U.S. run May 1 at the iconic Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles. The trek will travel across the country before wrapping up back in California on May 25 in San Diego. For ticket info, visit TheDamnedThings.com. The Damned Things will be touring in support of their long-awaited new album, High Crimes, which is due out April 26. It's the sophomore follow-up to the group's 2010 debut, Ironiclast. You can also catch the band at this year's Welcome to Rockville and Epicenter festivals. Here are The Damned Things' U.S. tour dates: 5/1 -- Los Angeles, CA, Whisky A Go Go 5/4 -- Jacksonville, FL, Welcome to Rockville 5/6 -- Lancaster, PA, The Chameleon 5/7 -- Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn Bazaar 5/9 -- Pittsburgh, PA, The Rex 5/10 -- Nashville, TN, The Cowan 5/11 -- Rockingham, NC, Epicenter Fest 5/12 -- Lexington, KY, Manchester Music Hall 5/14 -- Grand Rapids, MI, Intersection 5/16 -- Flint, MI, Machine Shop 5/17 -- Chicago, IL, The Bottom Lounge 5/18 -- Springfield, MO, Outland Ballroom 5/19 -- Dallas, TX, Gas Monkey 5/21 -- Denver, CO, Oriental Theater 5/22 -- Colorado Springs, CO, Blach Sheep 5/24 -- Tempe, AZ, Tempe Marketplace 5/25 -- San Diego, CA, Brick By Brick Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. South Korean intelligence agencies have detected signs that North Korea is restoring part of the Dongchang-ri missile launch site it tore down, Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday. Specifically, Yonhap said the closed-off country, under pressure for years to discontinue its nuclear program, is putting back a roof and a door on the facility. South Koreas National Intelligence Service also said during a briefing for the National Assemblys intelligence committee that the U.S. information is the same as ours, according to Yonhap. A second summit on denuclearization between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week broke down over differences on how far North Korea was willing to limit its nuclear program and the degree of U.S. willingness to ease sanctions on the country. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful the United States would send a delegation to North Korea in the coming weeks. South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for officials to try to find a way to restart talks between the North and the United States. The breakdown of the summit was a blow for Moon, who had hoped eased U.S. sanctions would help lead to a restart of inter-Korean projects including a factory park, key to his vision for a pan-peninsula economic community. Search Keywords: Short link: Senegalese President Macky Sall was officially declared winner of the Feb. 24 election on Tuesday, after the constitutional council confirmed his re-election with 58 percent of votes. Provisional results announced by Senegal's official counting body last week showed Sall comfortably securing a second term without a run-off vote. The council confirmed that opposition candidate Idrissa Seck had placed second with 21 percent, while Ousmane Sonko came third with 16 percent. Sall had been tipped to win after a modernising first term that propelled the West African country's economic growth to more than six percent - one of the highest on the continent. Rights groups have criticized him for squeezing out rivals and the opposition rejected the results, but decided not to register an appeal. More than 66 percent of 6.7 million registered voters took part in the election. Senegal has long been viewed as the regions most stable democracy, with peaceful transitions of power since it gained independence from France in 1960. Search Keywords: Short link: The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) gave the green light to four banks to go forward with issuing Aman life insurance certificates in line with directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. In a statement on Tuesday, the CBE said the four banks are the National Bank of Egypt (NBE), Banque Misr, Banque Du Caire and Agriculture Bank of Egypt. The certificates are meant to secure insurance coverage for casual workers. About 671,000 clients filed applications for the certificate at a total value of EGP 870.3 million until the end of January 2019, the statement said, noting that efforts are underway to cater for these requests. Aman certificates were issued by Egyptian banks for the first time in March last year with the aim of providing a safety net for temporary and seasonal labourers. About 775,000 clients have already bought the certificates at EGP 744.4 million, according to the CBE statement. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypts Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said on Monday that it will be hosting in Cairo the first Egyptian international tech innovation forum in mid-April under the name Narrative Disruptors, a statement by the ministry read. Narrative Disruptors will bring a line-up of local and international speakers to discuss boosting performance across different government sectors. These include Elizabeth Linder, former international communications associate manager at Facebook and founder and executive director of Beautiful Destinations the largest travel community on social media with over 20 million followers in 180 countries. Among the key recommendations of Narrative PR Summit 2018, which we proudly held last October under the auspices of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, was organising a series of forums focused on major industries that can help build a strong national brand and best compose the image the country presents to the world, including in technology, energy and financial inclusion, said CEO and chairman of CC Plus Lamia Kamel. VictoryLinks partnership with CC Plus to co-organise Narrative Disruptors was prompted by the continuous success Narrative PR Summit has made over the past three years. We wanted to organise a communications-focused forum that would offer valuable insights, strategies, case studies and in-depth debate on how to empower the communications sector to enhance Egypts national brand and improve the countrys international standing, said Engy El-Sabban, CEO of Victorylink. Search Keywords: Short link: Adding to the presence of arts in Cairo Downtown, the newly launched office rental space Maktabi aims to attract people working in the creative industry Coworking spaces are popping up all over the city, but the space in 42 Abdelkhalek Tharwat Street promises to be one of a kind. The office rental space, called Maktabi, aims to attract a special kind of tenant: people working in the creative industry. The arts and culture crowd, graphic designers and photographers, media workers and culture managers, art entrepreneurs and tech start-ups are all invited to benefit from the specially crafted environment when they have to concentrate on office work. Another reason to visit Maktabi is to learn and share new skills relevant to the competitive creative field. We like to think of the creative sector as super loose and fluid, but its not like that. All the creatives need freedom, but at the same time they need structure. They need a desk to sit at," observes Yasmeen Fahim, project manager at Maktabi. Indeed, for an artist in todays world, office tasks like writing concepts and calculating budgets have become a part of life. This can be stressful enough if you are gifted with a gentle artistic nature, so you want to just sit down with your laptop and high speed internet and get in the right frame of mind while all the mundane issues are being taken care of. Maktabi Maktabi staff are dedicated to enabling you to get the job done: from paying the electricity bills to serving coffee, they handle it all. Even more, digital and offline marketing, logistics and coordination, PR, events management and production can be provided as add-on services. Getting yourself a regular office might turn out costly and bothersome, especially for short term projects; renting out one of the six affordable office spaces at Maktabi solves the problem. You stay as long as your project requires, at a minimum of one month. As Fahim underlines, we are not a coworking space per se, because it is not an open shared space. You have your own office that no one else will be using, you have the key, but at the same time workshops and training activities attract a flow of people, giving the place a more dynamic feel, a spirit of the same shared supportive idea. Usually with the closed offices it is a lot more corporate, and coworking spaces have a more flexible spirit. So Maktabi is exactly between the two." Coming under the umbrella of Orient Productions, Maktabi is a response to a demand that is felt in the community. We are already in touch with people in the creative networks, and we actually know what they need," assures Basma Hamed, PR manager for Orient Productions. Maktabi is connected to other parts of the company, complementing their activities and services. It isnt a place to get messy with paints and rehearsal sweat; all these activities take place at other locations. For Orient as a company that works with the performing arts the idea is not just about the rehearsals, it goes beyond that," Hamed adds. Maktabi "We have provided artists with space for rehearsals at Studio Emad Eddin, but what is the next step? It is to structure their work and to really focus on it. Maktabi had a soft launch and welcomed its first tenants back in September 2018, but is still in the beginning phase of the bigger plan. Rather than just a space for rent, Maktabi is meant to be a new element of the citys cultural infrastructure. The mission is to build a cooperative community of likeminded individuals who share an interest in developing the creative industry in Egypt. For this purpose, networking events are scheduled, as well as training activities where people naturally get to know each other. In February, the makeup expert Boshra Hajo gave a colourful workshop on principles and foundations of makeup for the stage and the screen. Through private sessions in public speaking, the Syrian actress Nanda Mohammad shares theatre techniques that can help to communicate creative ideas to the relevant people, like when giving presentations or talking to investors. Workshops on burning issues like fundraising and grant writing for artists, as well as regular photography classes are also in the pipeline. The place is not only tailored to office needs, it is an ongoing aesthetic project in itself, to which designers and artists of the community make their valued contributions. Maktabi Located on the fifth floor of the belle epoque-style El Shourbagy building, it has high ceilings, an antique fireplace and an overall feeling of grandeur which is set off beautifully by contemporary visual art and design. The premises serve as a temporary exhibition space: currently on display are works by photographers Karim El Hayawan and Nelly El Sharkawy. Paintings by Mona El Kateb decorate the walls of the project managers room. The six office spaces are all designed differently, but in the same minimalistic and edgy vibe. Maktabi is eager to showcase the work of the members of its creative community, so Fahim underlines that one of the offices has been designed by a young interior architect Shahd Osman, and another by the set designer Ahmed Ashmawy, and more changes are yet to come. One space that will be redesigned soon is the meeting room, the centre of networking and educational activities. It is not the first time Orient Productions had come up with an innovative idea. Back in 2005, the newly opened Studio Emad Eddin in Downtown was the first and only place for rehearsal spaces for rent in Egypt. It was a new initiative from us, we opened the field. Now there are many other spaces, they are all occupied and working, and this is good. We are doing Maktabi for the same reason but in a different direction," Fahim concluded. Maktabi For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: ANNECORDON/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- Congress was preparing to go on the record to affirm that it holds North Korea's Kim Jong Un responsible for the 2017 death of American college student Otto Warmbier, but the congressman who was planning to introduce a resolution on the subject is now dropping the bid at the Warmbier family's request. Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., announced Friday his plans to introduce a resolution sometime this week. But after hearing from the Warmbier family, the freshman congressman reconsidered and will not submit the measure for consideration. "The family ultimately decided they did not want the resolution to go forward, and we are respecting their wishes," Malinowski spokeswoman Amanda Osborne told ABC News. A representative for the Warmbier family did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon. Malinowski's intent to draft the resolution came after President Donald Trump met with Kim at a summit in Vietnam last week. During a press conference after the summit ended, Trump said he believed Kims denial of complicity in the death of Warmbier, who was imprisoned for about 17 months before he was released while in a vegetative state. Upon his return to the United States, Warmbier was taken off life support. "I really believe something very bad happened to [Warmbier], and I dont think that the top leadership knew about it," Trump said Feb. 28. "I did speak about it, and I dont believe that [Kim] wouldve allowed that to happen. [It] just wasnt to his advantage to allow that to happen. Those prisons are rough. Theyre rough places, and bad things happened. "He tells me that he didnt know about it, and I will take him at his word." Trump's comments generated a firestorm of disbelief and criticism from Democrats on Capitol Hill and from the Warmbier family. Trump tweeted a clarification on Friday that he was "misinterpreted" and "of course I hold North Korea responsible." Malinowski conducted at least two national interviews on his prospective resolution, telling MSNBCs Lawrence ODonnell on Saturday that Trump was "disgraceful" and that his comments are "part of a disgraceful pattern." "He seems to instinctively side with powerful men who are accused of moral transgressions," said Malinowski, who served as assistant secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor during the Obama administration. "The United States Congress has got to try to be an alternative voice for America in the world. Congress has got to step up and say whats right and whats wrong, whats true and whats false." Trump has taken the word of a foreign adversary on contentious matters of national security on multiple occasions. He stood by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Helsinki, Finland to accept the former KGB officers word over the U.S. intelligence communitys assessment when Putin denied interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Trump also publicly discounted an assessment that Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, was complicit in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, one of Trumps biggest allies on Capitol Hill, said Thursday that while he supports Trumps effort to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, "I do not have a misbelief of who this leader is." "I mean, I think Kim knew what happened, which was wrong," McCarthy told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" Sunday. "That's why when we passed sanctions, we named it after Otto Warmbier, that's why the president kept those sanctions in place." Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. 'Donald Trump' Plus 'Slow Bleed' Sounds Like Porn for Very Particular Political Kink By Dustin Rowles | Politics | March 5, 2019 | The Democrats have asked this week for documents from over 80 people associated Donald Trump and his finances, and while that might sound like theyre laying the groundwork for impeachment, it couldnt be further from the truth. The House Democrats are playing it smart. Their strategy is not to nail Trump on one crime, or endeavor to impeach him knowing that the votes wont materialize in the Senate. The Democrats know if Trump is impeached and he survives it, there could be a backlash against the Democrats, allowing Trump to win his re-election. Instead, they are taking a slow bleed approach, and I got lightheaded and my arm got tingly just typing that. Theyre going to spend the next two years investigating Trump, heading into the 2020 election. There wont be a week that goes by without another hearing, or some new bit of Trump corruption news surfacing, so when it comes time to cast a vote for President next year, the Democrats are gambling that the public will be so sick and exhausted with headlines about Trumps abuses of power, obstruction of justice, his financial fraud, his self-dealing, and his interactions with foreign leaders (including Putin), that voters will just throw their hands in the air and say, UNCLE. From Axios: Garrett M. Graff of WIRED told me the House strategy reflects the fact that whats most likely to move public opinion isnt any single crime or bombshell, but when a pattern of behavior is so clear it becomes un-defensible. In the meantime, what the hell is Trump going to get accomplished in the next two years? He wont be able to get anything through Congress, except the occasional bill to rebuke the President. Trump, apparently, doesnt even have an agenda for his last two years, other than to rail about The Wall. Theres very little to distract the American public from two years of bad Trump headlines, other than Trumps Twitter account, which is increasingly being tuned out. Although, +10 points to Slytherin for this tweet, which manages to reflect total ignorance of history and a rich hypocrisy. We the people will now be subjected to the biggest display of modern day McCarthyism.which is the widest fishing net expedition.every aspect of the presidents life.all in order to get power back so they can institute Socialism. @seanhannity Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 Someone should brief both Trump and Sean Hannity on exactly what McCarthyism was before they, uh, start calling out socialists. Ill say this for the tweet, though: It does wonders to reinforce Jane Mayers New Yorker piece yesterday about how Fox News and the White House are attached at the hip. The Mueller investigation is also still ongoing, of course, and you know who is a big fan of Mueller? Ty Cobb, Donald Trumps personal attorney until a few months ago. I think Bob Muellers an American hero even though he came from an, arguably, privileged background, he has a backbone of steel. He walked into a firefight in Vietnam to pull out one of his injured colleagues and was appropriately honored for that. Ive known him for 30 years as a prosecutor and a friend. And I think the world of Bob Mueller. He is a very deliberate guy. But hes also a class act. And a very justice-oriented person. Ty Cobb resigned as Trumps attorney over a difference of opinion regarding strategy. Elsewhere, Walid Fitaihi a prominent doctor who has dual American and Saudi citizenship is being tortured in Saudi Arabia, purportedly so that he will give up information on a relative. From WashPo: He has been tortured during his captivity. He was reportedly grabbed from his room at the Ritz, slapped, blindfolded, stripped to his underwear, bound to a chair, shocked with electricity and whipped so severely that he could not sleep on his back for days. The Times said his lawyer has written to the State Department that the doctor is in fear for his life, that he cannot take his situation any longer, and that he desires all possible help. The Saudi Arabians dont fear any repercussions whatsoever, because they already know that Trump (and Jared Kushner) allowed them to get away with murdering Jamal Khashoggi. The foreign policy lesson of the Trump Administration is that foreign leaders can get away with whatever they want, as long as they are doing something that might enrich Trump. Finally, in 2020 news, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley a good guy has opted against running, deciding instead to run for re-election in the Senate, where he can be of more use. There are a few others who would be wise to take his lead. Seeeeeeeeeriously, Timberlake, Can You Be More Self-Centered? | Colin Hanks And Fans Share Nice Stories About Luke Perry Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba. Header Image Source: TNT 'I Am the Night' Finale Recap: Chris Pine's Series Reaches In Too Deep and Pulls Out Crumbs By Dustin Rowles | TV | March 5, 2019 | The Patty Jenkins-produced TNT mini-series I Am the Night starring Chris Pine, which concluded its run this week, is an interesting experiment that doesnt quite come together. It endeavors to take two real-life events that were somewhat connected and weave them together using a fictional character (Pines Jay Singletary) to create one story. Aside from some fantastic set design, a terrifically manic performance from Pine, the break-out performance of India Eisley, and some solid directing (from Jenkins, as well as the phenomenal Carl Franklin), I Am the Night is ultimately failed by its writing, which tries to cram too much into one story, which mostly collapses in on itself. The real-life facts are these: George Hodel was a Los Angeles doctor credibly suspected of being The Black Dahlia killer, aka, the murderer of Elizabeth Short in 1947 and several others victims in that time period. Separately, in 1950, Hodel was acquitted of raping his daughter, Tamar, after discrediting her during the trial. (During the trial, Tamar also suggested that her father was the Black Dahlia killer). In 1950, after the trial, Hodel left the country and moved to the Philippines, where he remained until 1990. Meanwhile, two years after the trial, Hodels daughter, Tamar, age 16, had her own daughter, Fauna. She gave Fauna up to adoption to a black woman, Jimmie Lee (who struggled with alcoholism), claiming that Faunas father was black. Thats whats true about I Am the Night, and the shell from which creator and writer Sam Sheridan worked. Most of the rest of I Am the Night is fiction: Fauna didnt go searching for her mother in 1965 (she wouldnt find her mother until the 1970s); she did not encounter George Hodel in Los Angeles; Hodel did not stab and nearly kill Jimmie Lee; Fauna was not the incestuous daughter of George Hodel; and Jay Singletary never existed, although some of what Singletary accuses Hodel of performing illegal abortions, conspiring with the police is true. And because none of that actually happened, the Watts riots obviously couldnt have provided the backdrop to this story. Ultimately, thats part of why I Am the Night fails, because Sheridan could only take so many liberties. We know that George Hodel was never convicted for Elizabeth Shorts murder (despite ample evidence, and even though he returned to the United States in 1990 to live out the last decade of his life), and therefore, we know how I Am the Night will have to end: Hodel will not be killed or convicted. Ultimately, thats what makes I Am the Night feel like an interesting but ultimately fruitless thought experiment. What if Fauna Hodel decided to track down her mother in 1965? What if George Hodel briefly returned from the Philippines at that exact time? What if the real reason Tamar gave Fauna up for adoption was because she was the product of her fathers rape? And what if George Hodel decided to replicate the Black Dahlia murder on his granddaughter? And what if Fauna who believed herself to be mixed-race conducted her search against the backdrop of the rising racial tensions that led to the Watts riots, depicted in the finale basically as smoke in the background? And what if a reporter had his career ruined in 1949 by trying to suggest that Hodel was the Black Dahlia killer, but had a chance to redeem himself and prove it to be true in 1965 with the aid of Hodels daughter/granddaughter? Unfortunately, because we know so much of this is untrue, it sucks the air out of the series, and the tension slacks. Invariably, it even falls prey to a lot of thriller tropes on its way to a fairly unsatisfactory conclusion: Trapped in Hodels mansion, Fauna saves her own damn self from him just as Jay arrives to save her. Jay wants to kill George, but George has already escaped and returned to the Philippines. Jay who worked out a deal with an LAPD detective to falsely take the rap for another murder for which Hodel is suspected (the fictional Janice Brewster) in exchange for his release escapes in the chaos of the Watts riots and relocates to Hawaii, which is actually where Tamar relocated to in real life. Ultimately, it limps towards its conclusion. Honestly, its been hobbling since the pilot episode, which told a far more interesting story about a teenage girl, who believed herself to be mixed race, trying to fit in among her black friends during a time when being seen kissing her black boyfriend could get him killed. That episode rings true because it is true. I Am the Night falters, however, when it tries to inject a Black Dahlia thriller into a story about a teenage girl struggling with identity issues. The show reaches its hand too deep into the cookie jar, and ultimately only comes out with a handful of crumbs. 'Good Girls' Recap: Wait, What Is Going On? | 5 Shows After Dark: 'The Toe Bro' Premiere A&E, 'The Bachelor: Women Tell All' on ABC Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba. Header Image Source: TNT Log on if you are already subscribed or Subscribe... Brussels, Belgium (PANA) - Following the confirmation of the re-election of Nigeria's incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, the European Union has urged all political parties in the country to work for the unity of the nation, according to a statement issued by the Council of Member States Niamey, Niger (PANA) - Retired Nigerien journalist and prominent businessman, Ali Moussa Chaweye (62) passed away on Monday night at his home following an illness, his family said on Tuesday Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - Human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, has lashed out at the Zambian authorities for suspending independent broadcaster Prime TV for 30 days Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The Tunisian Forum on Economic and Social Rights has warned of "very difficult, painful and inhuman" conditions facing refugees at the Tunisian Red Crescent reception center in the Medina region, south of Tunisia, forcing many of them to leave the area, a report received here by PANA said China's Nine Dragons Paper Signs MOU to Build Paper Mill in Maharashtra, India March 5, 2019 - According to an article in The Economic Times (Mumbai), Chinese paper and packaging manufacturer Nine Dragons Paper Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on March 2 with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation to build a paper mill the Indian state of Maharashtra. Maharashtra is located in west-central India and is best known for its capital, Mumbai (formerly Bombay). The MOU was signed in the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state industries minister Subhash Desai. As per the MOU, Nine Dragons will invest Rs 4500 crore (approx. $636 million) over five years, a statement from the chief minister's office (CMO) said. The Economic Times article did not provide specific details about the scope of the project. SOURCE: The Economic Times Austin Mahone got famous as a YouTuber, but these days he wants to be a rockstar. When we meet in the restaurant of a downtown hotel during New York Fashion Week, he's wearing dark glasses and a leather jacket. "I think what the world needs right now is a little bit of rock," the 22-year-old muses, after taking the glasses off. "Something different from everything that's so hip-hop." Since going viral in 2010, Mahone has actually dabbled in several musical genres. His career trajectory was pioneered by Justin Bieber: baby faced teen films himself covering feel good hit songs, goes viral on the world's most popular video sharing service, snags a record deal and crosses over to Billboard. Jacket & Shirt: Gucci, Jeans: Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello "I was coming home from school everyday with my best friend, Alex," he recalls of that era. He makes it sound so simple, and maybe it was. "We were just not fans of school at all. We wanted to do something cool with our lives. So we started posting videos of us wrestling in his house, dumb stuff that no one really wants to watch. One day I tried a singing video, and that video got more views than the rest of them, so we kept doing those. Once they began getting big, I decided to make my own channel and focus on strictly singing. After maybe two years I got signed, then I moved to Miami and started everything." Life has been good ever since. Mahone has collaborated with Lil Wayne, toured with Taylor Swift, dated Camila Cabello, and released four EPs plus two singles. This year he'll finally make the leap to a studio album, although there's no rush. Mahone never fully cut ties with the Internet he is unusually engaged with social media, especially Twitter, where he frequently begins the day by saying good morning to fans and up until now he has preferred to drop tracks online on the fly or as part of casual mixtape projects. "Ever since I started my career I've loved doing everything on my own, from recording videos, to picking out songs, releasing them when I feel like it," he explains. "I just like putting out music in general. I don't like to keep that from my fans because I have such a big fan base and they love the music that I make." The fans are everything, actually, and Mahone seems puzzled when I suggest some musicians like to keep the obsessive teens at a distance. "I don't know why," he says. "They're the reason for everything that I've done so far. I just treat them like my friends, you know. My best friends. I talk to them on Twitter, I text with them." This is where Mahone departs from major label mainstay Bieber, whose song "Mistletoe" he actually covered during those early YouTube years, garnering millions of hits. He's comfortable with being adored, and his experience of fame has been contrastingly free of controversy or personal breakdown. He likes his life. He doesn't mind being in the public eye. When I ask if he has any complaints, the only downside he can come up with is "not getting a lot of sleep." Again: rockstar. Shirt: Alexander Wang, Jeans: Diesel, Jacket: Michael Kors, Scarf: Biba Shirt: Alexander Wang, Jeans: Diesel, Jacket: Michael Kors, Scarf: Biba The new music, Mahone says, is "different than everything else I'm going to be putting out." It has "a little bit of a disco type of feel." Lead single "Why Don't We," co-written by Charlie Puth, is a smooth 2000s throwback. Mahone claims to have recorded around 200 unreleased songs in the past couple of years, and says it'll be tough to narrow them down for the record. "But I'm going for a smooth, disco-meets-pop type of feel," he explains. "I have so many worlds that I love country, R&B, funk and I just want to mesh those all into one." Related | Halima Wants the Next Generation to Dream Big Music keeps Mahone busy. His songs are huge in Asia, and so he often finds himself in different time zones, performing sold out shows far away from home for months at a time. While we talk he orders he orders a mug of hot water from a passing server, removing a small green capsule from his pocket. It's tea, he explains, gifted by one of his many devoted Japanese fans. As we watch it slowly dissolve, Mahone talks me through his two main side projects, which are modeling and photography. The former has slowly taken up more time over the past couple of years, as Mahone's once-cherubic features have matured into some seriously camera-ready angles. He walked for Phillip Plein's fall show last night, revelling in the odd mix of stress and glamor that converges backstage before a big runway event "a good, crazy madness" is his apt description. T-Shirt: Alexander Wang, Jeans: Diesel, Jacket & Boots: Gucci Being behind the lens, though, is what makes him happiest right now. His fans are into it too: Mahone's photography-dedicated Instagram side account, @honoroll, has quickly amassed close to 17,000 followers. (Admittedly nothing compared to his namesake account's 10 million). Taking up grid real estate are pensive girls in cowboy hats or bikinis, LA skaters, and friends riding bikes in the dark. Mahone likes to shoot film, for vintage effect, after obtaining his first analogue camera in Japan: a Rollei 35 with a rare gold finish. He just went into a camera store and "picked the first one I saw." Now he uses any downtime he gets to take photos. But back to that long-awaited album. It's coming soon. "I just shot a video a few days ago, started at 7 PM and shot all the way to six in the morning, went straight from the set to the airport and came here to New York," he promises. "That's the rock star life right there." Jacket: Gucci, Shirt: Alexander Wang, Necklace: Biba US-Based Environmentalist Detained in Iran's Kurdistan Province 03/05/19 Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran Environmentalist Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani, a US permanent resident, was arrested on February 17, 2019, at his father's home in the city of Sanandaj, the capital of Iran's Kurdistan Province, a month after returning to the country from the United States, his sister informed the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). Environmentalist Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani "Our parents, uncle and some repairmen were inside the house when several agents came and carried out a search and took Afshin away," said Negin Sheikholeslami Vatani in a phone interview from Sweden on February 27. As of that date, Afshin had only made one short phone call to his mother. A civil engineer, Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani, 40, had traveled to Iran several times without any problems since he immigrated to the US in 2015 (he is currently a permanent resident). Prior to that, he had served one year in prison for his peaceful political activities. "Afshin used to be a political activist," his sister told CHRI. "His activities mostly included making comments on political and civil rights issues and participating in street protests in Sanandaj. But in the past two or three years, he has not engaged in any political activities... Other than his professional career, he has only been working with charities and focusing on environmental issues, cleaning up the environment and planting trees." Negin added: "...If they are going to hold him for whatever reason, we want to know the charges against him and why he was arrested. Then we want a fair judicial process and permission for our parents to see him. Meeting his mother and father will not threaten national security but will calm an old couple's fears." Afshin was first arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents in Sanandaj in 2003 and given a one-year prison sentence for the charge of "propaganda against the state," which was suspended for three years. Two years later he was arrested again and served the full sentence. His second arrest took place in 2011 when he participated in a rally in front of Sanandaj Central Prison to protest the death sentence against Kurdish political activist Habibollah Latifi. He was charged with "disturbing public order" and held in the Intelligence Ministry's detention center for three weeks before being released on bail. Since January 2018, dozens of environmentalists have been arrested in Iran in a widening crackdown by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC's) Intelligence Organization. Eight conservationists-Niloufar Bayani, Houman Jowkar, Taher Ghadirian, Morad Tahbaz, Sepideh Kashani, Amir Hossein Khaleghi, Sam Rajabi and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh-are currently being tried in the country's secretive revolutionary court system under national security charges in trials sorely lacking in international standards of due process. Some of them are facing the death penalty. Three major state agencies in Iran, including the country's highest security body, have stated that the detained conservationists are all innocent of the spying charges they're being held on. Their continued detainment has prompted an international outcry. The UN has called the charges against the conservationists "hard to fathom" and in February 2018 stated, "Nowhere in the world, including Iran, should conservation be equated to spying or regarded as a crime." VERNADOC documenting historical windmills (Asbads) in Iran 03/05/19 Source: TEHRANTIMEES_URL The International Camp of Vernacular Architecture Documentation (VERNADOC) have commenced documenting arrays of the centuries-old windmills, located in eastern parts of Iran. A number of Iranian experts along with their peers from Finland, Japan, Thailand and Cambodia are contributing to the two-week project that will be running to March 15. Iranian windmills (Asbads) Results will be presented to the UN cultural body to be assessed as a UNESCO World Heritage nominee, CHTN reported. Vertical-axis windmills, which are locally known as "Asbads", are scattered in the provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan, Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan. They bear testimony to the human being's adaption with the nature through turning environmental obstacles into opportunities. Currently, several windmills have been restored and brought back to life in the region. Their simple mechanism draw admiration of avid visitors and researchers each day. Such manner of documentation emphasizes the collecting of data and information on site by basic techniques to produce high quality measured drawings. Organizers expect that the results of field measure working will inspire building owners as well as people in the community to realize the values of their property as perceived by outsiders, so that they will co-operate in conserving those buildings. Triumph of Self-Empowerment over Darkened Despotic Tyranny 03/05/19 By Davood N. Rahni New York (March 2019) Legend has it that once upon a distant past juncture, ZaHawk a mythological, tyrannical, unjust, and cruel despot, ruled over Persia. Confiscating an ambivalent hiatus with his absolute power, he crowned himself on the Persian peacock throne as if he was immortal and anointed by an imaginary vengeful supreme. He reigned with iron fist, suffocating people with hegemony and heavy taxations over the vast Persian Empire to the fatal detriment of most inhabitants he mistreated as his serfs and slaves. ZaHawk's ever expansive territory stretched from the Indus and the Oxus Rivers of the Orient, to the Nile, Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers of the Occident. Nonetheless, ZaHawk was horrified of resenting wraths by the masses he had oppressed; consequently, he had chronic insomnia as he feared the disgruntled populace would at any moment turn up against him to effectuate his utter obliteration. In the meantime while bipolar comatose and self-sequestered, he was barely alive in a pitch black, damped and pungently musty cavern on Mt. Damavand a volcanically semi extinct roaring peak, so long as his lackeys fed the fresh flesh kill of a bright and beautiful young newly married couple each day to two the ugly serpent beasts rising out of ZaHawk's shoulders. ZaHawk knew darn well though that the two serpents could devour him in a lightning annihilation moment before a midnight if they were not in time fed with the two newly wed before one of these sunsets. In fact, it was a whispered knowledge amongst the masses, serfs and slaves, that while they took refuge with the righteous Spenta Mainyu the good spirit Faravahar emanating from Ahura Mazda who was the Lord of light and wisdom, and his sol invictus Mithra, that ZaHawk was directed by the impure fire and filth spitting dragon Ezhdeha drawn from Angra Mainyu aka Ahriman, who lived deep down the volcanic shaft in earth mantle. It was Ezhdeha that had grafted the two cannibalistic serpents into ZaHawk's calves so he could outpour misery, famine, disease, pain and suffering to people and mother earth. As injustice is not to remain in place forever however, Kaveh the Ironsmith, gravely irate for the well-beings of his compatriots, hung his toughened leather apron the Derafsh Kaviani, over a javelin and marshalled forward the disgruntled populace after the silhouette dawn of Yalda, on the rebirth of the sun. His bravest diehards followed him shoulders to shoulders as a Si-Morgh (metaphorically speaking 30 birds forming one unified body at a time) up the treacherous Mountain. There, Kaveh beheaded the three culprits on one body in the cave with his one mighty sword strike, thus eradicating injustice and reinstated equality and happiness in Persia on mother earth. Deja vu all over again, Kaveh had in reality reincarnated what his ancestors Cyrus and Mandana, Xerxes and Arianna, and Darius and Anahita of the Achaemenes, delivered when they had also eradicated injustice and inequality, and reinstated love, equality, inclusivity, harmony, tranquility, and peace on earth. And so, with Phoenix (Si-Morgh) once again rising out of historical ashes of oblivion, the much anticipated and ever brightened and warmer SUN reemerged out of the dark chilling clouds and proudly shone as the most enlightened beacon of hope and happiness on the hillside of Mt. Damavand. And for the four fundamental elements of life, and as the eternal fire became strong again, along with it the soil was purified with pristine water from the glaciers poured down into the valley and the prairie, and the fresh air thinned out all around. Ecstatically exhilarated by brief periods of joy, most had not realized that Ezhdeha, the multi-headed dragon and father of all miseries and the creator of now the obliterated ZaHawk, was still alive deep down the vertical volcanic shaft of Mt. Damavand. The nocturnal dragon would unexpectedly appear in his targeted communities to instigate catastrophe by kissing the two shoulders of a replacement for the past beast ZaHawk so two new serpents were mounted again. Houshang, to be newly crowned king of the Pishdadian dynasty had to follow the Ezhdeha back into the cave, whereby he threw the biggest Flintstone at, and killed the dragon. The Flintstone bounced from dead corpse and struck another rock. The resulting spark, which kindred spirited a sacred soothing fire seen and felt cheerfully by all down the valley, still burns eternally alive in Yazd today. Hooshang was slayed in the crossfire though, and replaced a bit later by King Jamshid Kiani and crowned at Nowruz the spring vernal equinox and the birth of Zarathustra. And so, the people from all walks of live lived happily thereafter when they enjoyed as if a loving Valentine every day., However, If an when the people became complacent again to see or help their liberty denied, the Ezhdeha reincarnated with added an head, reappeared again and again in the same or other vast regions of Persia and beyond through the end of time so to bring about chaos through his ever growing strong servants: his linchpins and lackeys, charlatans and shysters, and hoodlums and hooligans. And so, they all lived happily thereafter when they enjoyed and shared infinite love every day. In a while though, and after the people ever became complacent again to allow their liberty denied, the Ezhdeha reincarnated with added an head reappeared again and again in the same or other regions, from within or more painfully form without Persia, so to bring about chaos through his ever growing despots-to enable his charlatans and shysters, and by the evil actions of hoodlums and hooligans, linchpins and lackeys. Nowruz celebration was the most effective juncture year after year for the people to ward off all evil spirits including the ZaHawks and Ezhdehas, when communities sprinkled esfand va kondor, rue and frankincense over glazed holy fire yielding a strongly aromatic scent from which the beasts escaped from. No wonder Homa Chehrazad, the just Queen of the Kiani dynasty, emulated the utopia paradise on earth for 30 tranquil years in Persia/Iran millennia ago. And her descendent Shahdokht the daughter of Yazdgerd III of the Sassanid Dynasty and the legimtite queen to be ran away toward a curvaceous mountains in Yazd to take refuge. As she approached, the mountain opened up and then after she entered it closed. There since exists the drops of pure tears dripping down the deep water-well today called Chek-Chek and revered as sacred ground by Iranians. In fact Yazdgerd was slayed and his dynasty abolished by yet a foreign Zahawk from the southwestern deserts to occupy Persia. What is excruciatingly ironic is that irrespective of perceived ideological and strategic differences among the culprits of all times and places, their thirst for absolute power and greed to plunder natural and human resources to their own ends, only continues to grow. They exploit and pillage, all the while accumulating wealth and power. Surprisingly and tragically, their tactical methodology has essentially remained the same Ezhdeha since antiquity. And thence, the perpetual doctrine of "divide to conquer," though strengthened in the more recent postcolonial era, has, nonetheless, remained forever as Modus Operandi of the self-righteous and megalomaniac economic powerhouses and despotic political rulers, i.e., the two sides of the same coin, and ever since the first coin was invented as currency millennia ago. In so doing, and by creating a diversionary smoke screen per se, they inflict catastrophic devastation of biblical proportions through instigating wars and violence, usury and monetary manipulations, destructions, trans-migrations, and mass killings of the innocents, just to return later to act as the foster mother more compassionate than the real blood mother! Notwithstanding the excreting fact they had slayed masses in the first place, they offer reconciliations, "protections" and "reconstructions" at costs many folds far more exorbitant than the prior vicious cycles. Through their inhumane and vicious cycle of dismal slavery and serfs, the few self-anointed despotic rulers have only undergone metamorphosis to become far more devastating than ever while inflicting more misery against the populace, governed without their meager consent. If humans possess the capability of effectuating justice, why then resort to a fatalistic posthumous promise of a never ever seen utopia called paradise?! The only way the masses could propel forward is to sustain the glimpse of hope alive through acquiring education, knowledge, enlightenment, and self-empowerment. They must hang their aprons on their spears; unite as a Si-Morgh, thirty high flying birds as one. Only then, they could eventually beat the oppressors at the culprits' own games, thereby leveling the playing fields toward their earned happy life and sweet freedom and true peace! This is the pinnacle of Epluribus unum . Eternally yearning for sustaining the universal justice anchored on love, civility, compassion and mercy, and leading to tranquility, harmony, happiness, and peace on earth, we perpetually rise as a Si-Morgh (aka Ghoghnoos)! Persia (Iran) has for millennia, and continues to undergo, turbulent periods of trials and tribulations, and afflicted by evils from both within and without. Iran has been gripping with such terms of endearments and navigating through troughs of despair and summits of elations in her very long lifespan. After the Machiavellian chivalries by the reincarnated Kavehs, each time light has eventually shone on "Persia" and triumphed over darkness, truth over fallacy, justice over cruelty, equality over cronyism, and all in all ecstatic happiness over depressing melancholy. As narrated by Ferdowsi, the "Homer of Iran," this tale from his Shahanameh wends its wisdom and relevance through tens of thousands of years of Iran's history, bringing a hope of salvation from evils in altruistic acts of courage. Shahnameh the Book of Persian Kings - an epic poem composing 30,000 verses and written over the course of 30 years more than a thousand years ago, still remains alive in every Iranian's psyche heartily. The patron King Mahmoud who had promised the poet a golden coin for each verse broke his promise. The improvised Ferdowsi, having instead resided tranquilly in the luscious rich paraissi style (paradise the meaning of his name) of his own imagination, never saw the coins which arrived by the repented King after had died. Anchored on trilogy of good thoughts, good words and good deeds, everyone reaffirms their commitment to one or more of the following virtues, namely, volunteerism, altruism, philanthropy, benevolence and above all, to advancing dignified humanism as the pinnacles of life. The belief in the golden rule of "treating others as you would expect to be treated" anchored on the tripartite pedestal of good thoughts, good words and good deeds, conjures up in mind a poem by the acclaimed Persian 13th century Poet Sa'adi: All humans are members of one frame, Since all at first, from the same essence, came. When by hard fortune one limb is oppressed, The other members lose their desired rest. If thou feel'st not for others' misery, A human is no name for thee! "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the [sweat, tears, and blood] of patriots but especially the blood of tyrants." Thomas Jefferson, The Cofounder of the ever greatest Nation on earth the US of America Disclaimer: Whereas this prose has been inspired by the stories of Shahnameh, nonetheless, the author does not claim to have literally translated it from the original source. About the author: Davood N. Rahni, was raised in Shemiran (Evin) north of Tehran IRAN, and graduated in chemistry from the National University of IRAN. Following his Ph.D./post-doctoral stint in New Mexico & New Orleans, he has since served as professor of (bio-electro-analytical) chemistry at Pace University in New York. In prior years, he has also served ad adj. professor environmental law and dermatology as well. Davood a history buff, has written prolifically on history and archaeology, arts and sciences, poetry and prose, and culture of Iran and southwest Asia. As a Fulbright senior research scholar in Denmark and with visiting professorships at the Universities of Oxford, Florence and Rome, Rahni's extensie published scholarships on advances in biosensors, nano-engineering, environment and forensics, asymmetric synthesis, and neuro-psycho-pharmacology and biological psychiatry as typified by his book Bioimaging in Neuordegeneration, that are well cited by peers. Criminally minded Samuel Ofoso Ampofo was escorted by NDC party supporters to the criminal investigation department concerning an invitation that was extended to him over a leaked tape. In the leaked tape, he was heard detailing the evil plans of the NDC to disturb the security of this country so that, Ghanaians would feel insecured under Nana Akufo Addo's government. According to him,when alot of Ghanaians begin to feel the insecurity in the country, it would politically inure to the benefits of the NDC come 2020. We have already being told that, the NDC has a revolution history and so nobody can beat them when it comes to unleashing violence on citizens. The hatched and nurtured wicked strategies of the NDC to capture power in 2020 according to the leaked tape includes: (a) making life uncomfortable for some targetted individuals within the rank and file of the ruling party(b) relentless war on the electoral commission's chair(c) plot to harm(d) adopting politics of lies. The said meeting we are told was organised by the National communication team. Samuel Ofoso Ampofo only went there to boost their morale and to explain why the party pulled out of the AWW by- election though their candidate was still on the ballot. Out of excitement, "Gbeshie" entered him and he outrightly forgot that,he holds a revered position in the pentecost church as an elder. He made alot of comments our criminal offences Act,1960(Act 29) frowns upon. He has been charged with the following offences, threat of harm, conspiracy to commit harm, threat of rioting and Assault to public officials. Even before these criminal charges were proffered against him, the tape was played in the midst of his lawyers and he was personally asked to speak to it. Surprisingly, he chose to exercise his right to remain silent. The very tape party's communicators are telling us it is fake, doctored and concocted out of malice to impugned the reputation of their party chairman has been the subject of deliberations on our public discourse. Funny enough,after failing to speak to the content of the tape as his right to remain silent, he was heard telling his supporters that, the tape has been doctored. The very question that is begging for alot of answers is that, why did the party chairman refuse to speak to the content of the tape when it was played before? Again why didnt he object to the tape as doctored before the criminal investigation department? In a subtle attempt to defend the audio,NDC commnunicators ended up exposing themselves on the very "incompetence" that chased their government out of power and landed them in opposition in 2016. We have heard contradiction upon contradiction(s) and inconsistency upon inconsistency. The party's deputy communications director who spoke to adom fm was asked by the host to confirm whose voice was that. He said it was Ofoso Ampofo's voice and the party associates itself to the words in the audio. If that is the case,why did the NDC associate itself with the very thing they described as fake and doctored? Even before that, Sammy Gyemfi had already issued a statement to rubbish the audio as fake,concocted and doctored with mischief attributed to their chairman. Former president mahama is also on record to have justified certain portions of the audio.For him where Ofoso Ampofo said, he would endorse verbal attacks on Prof.Emmanuel Asante meant that, the peace council's chair would be criticized. According to "greedy mahama", verbal attack" is synonymous to criticism. With this audio which is loud and clear and proves a bad intention and the preparedness to execute same by criminally minded Ofoso Ampofo, I am convinced in my mind that, even a first year LLB student can prosecute Ofoso Ampofo in any court of competent jurisdiction. I will sincerely be disappointed in this government if, the audio doesnt go beyond mere invitation with no action which has always been the norm in this country. We voted for change and same should manifest in the way we do things in this country. The next move after these criminal charges should be prosecution for want of time to serve as a lesson for everybody. #Ghana cannot be a banana Republic where some people feel they are more stronger than the powers of the state# Dawda Eric(Equity) Citizen Vigilance for Justice 5th March,2019 [email protected] Source: Dawda Eric/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The anti- galamsey taskforce, Operation Vanguard, has in collaboration with the Kwabeng Police, arrested 47 nationals of Niger and Burkina mining illegally in the Atiwa West District of the Eastern Region. The suspects are between the ages of 16 and 35 and were nabbed at dawn, Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at Asamama. The Taskforce retrieved 48, complete set of gold detecting machines, eight new batteries, two headsets, 41, pickaxes, 69,000 CFA, and an amount of Ghc 6,155.00. The suspects have been transferred to the Regional Police headquarters to assist in an investigation. More soon Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Dr Steve Manteaw, the Co-Chair of the Ghana Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (GHEITI), at the weekend urged government to take advantage of the Initiative to enhance the countrys international image. He cited countries like Liberia and Nigeria, which had taken advantage of the Initiative to promote their national image with the tendency to attract more foreign direct investment. Dr Manteaw said this during a workshop for journalists on the 2016 Mining and Oil/Gas Reports, organised by the German Development Corporation (GIZ), in collaboration with the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists, to assist them to better understand the Report to accurately inform the larger populace. Being the Chairman of the Public Interest Accountability Committee, Dr Manteaw said it was important for government to appreciate the level of impact the GHEITI had had on the country. He said through the efforts of the Initiative, there had been wide-ranging reforms in the mining sector including increasing corporate income taxes from 25 to 35 per cent, which had led to more revenue for the country. We also discovered, through the GHEITI, that the companies were short-changing us. We used to have a royalty rate of three to six per cent but consistently, over the years, the companies were paying the minimum, he added. GHEITI recommended the need to move away from that range to the rate of five per cent, which was adhered to, resulting in more revenue to the state, he said. Dr Manteaw said GHEITI realised that some players had not adhered to the payment of the five per cent royalty, therefore, recommending to the Government for renegotiation of the stability agreement with those defaulting companies. He said the Government had shown some level of commitment by appointing Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, the Deputy Minister of Energy, as the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) Champion for Ghana but more needed to be done. Dr Manteaw said Ghana failed to achieve full compliance in the latest EITI ranking and urged Ghana to show serious concern for the Initiative. The Government would need to back the principle of transparency and accountability with legislations to compel the companies to release data for the reconciliation reports to enable the country to meet the international standards, he said. Dr Manteaw said countries like Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone had legislation backing the activities of EITI. The workshop saw representation from key stakeholder institutions such as the Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the Ghana Journalists Association, Ghana National Petroleum Authority, the Petroleum Commission, and the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The leadership of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Ghana on Monday called on authorities of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC-Ghana) to publish the cost of renovation of the Hall of Trade Unions in Accra. The leadership of ICU-Ghana expressed concern on the inability of management of Trades Union to consult ICU who are co-owners of the building but instead wrote to them to vacate their offices in the hall of Trade Unions for renovation work. Mr Solomon Kortey, ICU-Ghana General Secretary, stated at a press briefing in Accra that the ICU was prepared to share the cost of renovation equally if they were consulted as co-owners of the building. Trades Union Congress, Ghana shared the cost of the so-called renovation of the hall of Trades Unions to all the National Unions occupying the hall, without giving any to ICU-Ghana as part-owner of the hall, he added. Mr Kortey was of the view that the actions of the leadership of Trades Unions were an attempt to ostracise ICU-Ghana from the Trades Union fraternity at the hall of Trade Unions and also deprive them of their right of part-ownership of the building. Having discerned the ulterior motive of the TUC-Ghana, the ICU-Ghana has become more than ever determined, not to move an inch from the hall of Trades Unions to allow TUC-Ghana to execute its anti-worker plan against the largest segment of Ghanaian workers who are members of the union, he added. According to the ICU-Ghana General Secretary, many big office edifices in Accra and elsewhere had renovated its offices without the occupants necessarily vacating the building, rather the occupants continue to stay in and do their work while the renovation goes on. He said examples of such office buildings are the headquarters of the Ghana Water Company, Ghana, COCOBOD and currently the two buildings of the Ghana National Association of Teachers where renovation was on-going. Mr Kortey said the supposed renovation at their offices was not necessary because ICU-Ghana renovated its offices within the hall of the Trade Unions just about five years and the place was good. He called on its members to remain calm, stressing that the union would protect and sustain the building from any attack and instructed TUC-Ghana to instruct its contractors to give ICU members and social partners peaceful and unimpeded access to its offices while the renovation is on-going. He assured all and sundry of their commitment as a law-abiding national union to remain focused on its core mandate of articulating the aspirations of Ghanaian workers, but would not allow any irresponsible persons to deny what was legitimately theirs. The building was bequeathed to the National Unions and ICU by the late Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of the country in the early 1960s in appreciation of workers contribution towards the fight for independence. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) is calling for an intensive investigation into allegations of child slavery on the Volta Lake reported by the international broadcast firm, CNN. According to NUGS, "the documentary exposed the plight of children of school going age being exploited in a manner akin to slaves in their motherland." In a statement, they called on the government to cause the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the child slavery issue. NUGS, therefore, calls on the government and all other stakeholders to intervene in the situation on the Volta Lake and call for the arrest, prosecution and conviction of perpetrators of child trafficking into forced or voluntary labour, the statement added. CNN in the past week has been airing the documentary that estimated that about 20,000 child slaves are working as fishermen on Lake Volta. The government is, however, protesting the documentary. It says the documentary does not show the efforts of the government to address the challenge of child labour on the Volta Lake. The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said he reached out to CNN via phone and a letter to inform them that while the government acknowledges the practice, it has worked in the last decade to curb the issue leading to significant successes. In the documentary, the producers said the lake, which was only created in 1965 with the construction of a hydro-electric dam, is home to an estimated 20,000 child slaves. Children as young as five are sold to human traffickers and made to work as fishermen for up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. They are beaten. They are abused. They eat scraps off the table and sleep on the dirt. Some of these children drown when forced to dive under the water to untangle fishing nets. These forgotten children become yet another anonymous corpse resting at the bottom of the lake. When they die, no one is there to grieve for them, and no one is punished for enslaving and endangering them. The only loss is a financial one. The fisherman who bought the child had paid the price of a cow to turn him into a slave, CNN added in the documentary. Read Full Statement Below; NUGS CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGATIONS OF CHILD SLAVERY ON GHANAS VOLTA LAKE The attention of the National Union of Ghana Students has been brought to a documentary that was telecasted on the American international broadcaster, CNN with the heading CNN Exposes Child Slavery on Ghanas Lake Volta and a title, Troubled Waters. The documentary exposed the plight of children of school going age being exploited in a manner akin to slaves in their motherland. It is sad to know, as per the documentary, in Ghana, 20,000 children work as slaves in the fishing industry. This fact is degrading and does not fit the current state of education in the country. We call on the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection to investigate the situation generally and the numbers coming up. NUGS is committed in helping in this regard. Fishing is a dangerous work unfit for a child. Trafficking of children into forced labour is illegal in Ghana. The United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, is the main international legal framework to combat trafficking, with the objective of protecting and assisting victims of human trafficking with full respect for their human rights. Indeed, the laws of Ghana promise adequate protection for children from forced labour and trafficking. The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana 1992 (CRG) requires that Parliament enact laws that protect children against exposure to physical and moral hazards and work that adversely affects their development. The Ghanaian HTA prohibits human trafficking into, within, and through Ghana; secures the governments commitment to providing for the care and rehabilitation of trafficked persons; and prohibits the use of trafficked persons in labour situations the penalty for which, is imprisonment for a term of no less than five years. Under the statute, a person who provides another person for purposes of trafficking commits an offence even when the provider is a parent. NUGS, therefore, calls on the government and all other stakeholders to intervene in the situation on the Volta Lake and call for the arrest, prosecution and conviction of perpetrators of child trafficking into forced or voluntary labour. The Union is committed to safeguarding the interest of young children of school going age to receive a quality education in promoting education and development in Ghana. Signed Kobby Otchere Marfo Press & Information Secretary, NUGS Tinkaro Asare Osei President, NUGS Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video THE GHANA Armed Forces (GAF) has denied a malicious story by pro-NDC newspaper, the Informer which sought to tarnish the image of President Akufo-Addo. In the said story headlined: Akufo-Addo starves, maltreats soldiers, the Informer desperately tried to create disaffection among soldiers for the President who is the Commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The story published on Monday, March 4, 2019 had alleged that troops of the Ghana Armed Forces who have been deployed in Tamale for this years historic Independence Day Celebrations were being subjected to inhumane treatment. Specifically, the story mentioned that the troops have no beds to lay their heads on and are packed into tents like sardines, with no proper ventilation, a situation raising concern of possible health crisis. Again, the newspaper alleged that the food being served the troops of GAF was of poor quality and was being rationed to the displeasure of the soldiers. It also alleged that the soldiers are being denied their daily stipends, raising uneasy calm and despondency among the troops. But GAF in a statement signed by its Director of Public Relations, Colonel E. Aggrey-Quashie categorically denied the report. It noted that the Ghana Armed Forces wishes to state categorically that all the above allegations being made by the Informer newspaper are palpable falsehoods and do not represent the true state of affairs of our troops deployed in Tamale. According to the statement, first of all, anticipating the shortage of hotel rooms within Tamale and its environs due to the historic nature of the celebrations for this year, GAF made arrangements for large Rubb hall tents which are fully air-conditioned with mattresses, for use by the troops. The statement added that It must be noted that soldiers sleeping in tents is nothing new and done all over the world, Ghana being no exception. It observed that additionally, Field shower units have been installed and mobile toilets provided. Supply of drinking water, basic medical support and other administrative assistance are all in place. It added that secondly, we wish to place on record that government has made provision for the feeding of all our personnel deployed in Tamale and troops are being fed three times daily-breakfast, lunch and supper and there has not been any complaint about quality of food served as being alleged by the newspaper. According to the statement, the allegation that soldiers are being denied their legitimate daily stipends is also a complete lie. Soldiers deployed ceremonial duties such as taking part in independence anniversary celebrations or Guard of Honour are not paid any stipends. It added that it is part of our normal activities that we carry out in support of the State. However, government made provisions for each soldier to be given an amount of One hundred Ghana Cedis (GH100) to be used for toiletries. This has been duly disbursed to all ranks. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Inspector General of Police, David Asante Apeatu says it is the prerogative of the National Security Operative to inform them of their operations. However, as far as the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency bye-election security arrangements were concerned, he had no idea of the SWAT operations that led to violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election. The IGP made this known when he took his turn at the Emile Short Commission of Inquiry, Tuesday. I am not disputing the fact that my regional Commanders did not know about this . . . I also did not know about this (SWAT Ayawaso operation) . . .If the operation is not going to be beyond the Ghana Police Service, I think we should be informed . . . Yes we should have been informed, but I wasnt told," he added. He also admitted that there is a lot of room for improvement as far as coordination and collaboration within the security agencies is concerned and that going forward, more work will be done to ensure harmonization." Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante Apeatu has called on Ghanaians to ensure political parties which entertain vigilante groups do not come into power. The IGP is advising Ghanaians to vote against any party which fails to disband the vigilante groups stressing "vigilantism is a threat to our democracy". David Asante Apeatu made this solemn appeal when he appeared before the Emile Short Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 facing a probe into the Ayawaso West Wuogon violence. Making his submissions at the Commission, he feared the existence of vigilante groups could become the bane of the economy and so asked the citizenry to help make the work of the Ghana Police easier. "Political parties claim they do not sponsor, maybe individuals within the party do sponsor but it is my firm belief that if all of us, at least if we should get the critical mass of Ghanaians, to say that whoever has a vigilante group in his political party; we are not going to vote for you. You wont get that power." . . I am sure that it will make the work of the Police much more easier. So, all of us should take a decision because what were seeing now, if it metamorphose into another stage; it will be so difficult for us to reverse, he said. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) have began their nationwide indefinite strike to press home their demands for better working conditions and better salaries. According to them, their protest is the last resort to compel the Ministry of Health to among other things, review their salaries and working conditions. A meeting yesterday with the Ministry of Health was however not fruitful. It comes three months after mortuary workers in the country threatened to embark on a similar strike over poor working conditions and low salaries. Speaking in an interview on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, General Secretary of MOWAG, Richard Kofi Jordan, said his members would only return upon a considerable deal from the Ministry of Health and Labour Union. We talk of poor sanitation, maintenance of the various facilities which has been neglected by authorities, working more than 24 hours which is against the labour laws. Our rights have been violated, some of us work on holidays when we are supposed to rest. We are not being given holiday allowances, he said. He said the Ministrys failure to provide them with a counter proposal to their requests and a date for negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, pushed them to take the decision. Below Are Some Of Their Concerns 1. Many of the Mortuary Workers are denied perpetual their annual leave in violation of section 20 of Act 651. 2. Most Mortuary Workers work more than the required 8 hours including Saturdays and Sundays in violation of section 33 of Act 651. 3. Most have been employed as casual and temporary workers in violation of section 74 and 75 of Act 651, which does not guarantee job security especially in the environment in which they work. 4. In terms of remuneration, it is unfortunate to state that Mortuary workers are treated as most unrecognized in the sector and for that matter, least paid on the salary structure of Ministry of Health with no single allowance. 5. Many of the Mortuary facilities are understaffed, no maintenance which compromises on health and safety rules of the sector making the workers unnecessary to suffer in silence. 6. In terms of their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), some have to struggle to get them to use making the working conditions at some facilities undesirable. 7. There is no provision for universal medical checkups plan in violation of sections 118 of Act 651. 8. No overtime is paid which is in violation of section 35. 9. They are not paid for public holidays in violation of section 72 of Act 651. 10. They work on weekends on which are resting days by law which will amount to overtime but are not paid. They have asked members of the public to bear with them in these trying times. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video KIEV, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has instructed to organize a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to discuss the reform of the country's state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom, the presidential press service said on Monday. The meeting could take place as soon as March 6, said a statement on the presidential website. According to the statement, the planned reform of the Ukroboronprom is aimed at enhancing the conglomerate's transparency and expanding governmental, parliamentary and public control over the defense sector activities. Poroshenko instructed Oleksandr Turchynov, head of the NSDC, to hold necessary consultations with Ukraine's foreign partners over the issue. Ukroboronprom, established in 2010, includes some 130 enterprises from various sectors of Ukraine's defense industry. Since 2014, the conglomerate has supplied the Ukrainian armed forces with more than 25,000 units of new and modernized weapons and military equipment. Some local experts believe that the announced reform of the Ukroboronprom could be related to a recent corruption scandal in the conglomerate. Last month, local media outlet "Bihus.info" issued an investigation claiming that Ukroboronprom enterprises purchased components for producing goods at highly inflated prices. The press service of the conglomerate said that journalists did not indicate their sources and used the manipulative approach in their investigation. The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) now Power Distribution Services (PDS) has assured its workers that their jobs are safe. Reports are rife that some of the workers are apprehensive about the safety of their jobs since a new company has taken over operations of ECG. However in an interview with William Boateng, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the company on Peace FM's morning show Kokrokoo, he assured that the workers are not going to lose their jobs. He said they should not be afraid because all these have been sorted out . . . no worker will be fired unless they want to leave. The workers are all behind this; expecting the initiative to take off. According to him, some of us are happy the company is no longer in the hands of government; at least we know governments interference in our operations will reduce tremendously. ECG seems to be a political tool to the extent that people will say no electricity no vote and so government has been bold to hand the company over to a private entity. We are confident things will turn around for good. Background The Electricity Company of Ghana will be handing over operations of the company to Power Distribution Services (PDS). PDS is expected to turnaround the operations of ECG to make it profitable. The negotiated Transaction Agreements namely the Lease and Assignment Agreement, Bulk Supply Agreement, and Government Support Agreement to secure the proposed Private Sector Participation (PSP) in ECG were approved by Cabinet and ratified by Parliament. The Concessionaire, according to the agreement, is expected to inject an amount of $580m into the distribution system during the agreement periods first five years. The Bulk Supply Agreement between ECG and the Concessionaire deals with the Concessionaires back-to-back purchase of the capacity and energy made available to ECG under the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). The Concessionaire will do nominations and ECG will supply the power to be paid for by the Concessionaire. ECG will sell all capacity and energy made available under the Portfolio PPAs to the Concessionaire, in exchange for payment by the company of all capacity and energy charges on a back-to-back basis. Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video People in Kasoa Metro have commended President Akufo- Addo for initiating a process to resolve the issue of vigilantism in the country. They said the call by the President to establish a legislation to resolve the issue if the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress fail to do same was in the right direction. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, they said the effort should be supported by all. They said the initiative, which is in conformity with Ghana's traditional practices, must get the two parties to make a commitment by signing a resolution showing that they will abide by the outcome of the meeting. Madam Sophia Monney, a trader, welcomed the idea of banning the groups whose presence has caused fear and panic in some parts of the country. Madam Pearl Agyei-Baah, a businesswoman, said: The liquidation of the groups will send a signal to all that Ghana is committed to ensuring peace which would make investors have confidence in doing business with the country". Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Georgia teen has gone viral on social media after she was accepted to 31 colleges with almost a million dollars in scholarship offers. Kayla Willis, a senior at Westlake High School in Atlanta, got accepted into 31 colleges and was offered almost $1 million in scholarships after applying to over 40 schools without paying costly application fees. The excited lady took to Twitter to show off all the schools that accepted her and wrote: 'I kinda didnt want to post this, but someone said the whole world needs to know how great you are so here we go twitter!' Speaking with Fox 5, she said: My goal was to have options. I didnt want to limit myself. I also asked the question, how can I go to school for free? Im here to encourage. If you are proactive and persevere, you can achieve any goal, she told Fox 5. In an interview with NBC affiliate 11 Alive, she said, I really wanted people to see what they could do because a lot of people doubt theirselves. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has officially disbanded his campaign team for the 2019 Presidential primary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). At a ceremony held at the ASK-Bagbin campaign office in Labadi, Accra, the longstanding MP for Nadowli-Kaleo also advised his team members to throw their support behind former President John Mahama, who won the Presidential primary. The primary was a family affair that enriched the internal democracy of our party, the NDC. We have crossed that bridge, it is now time for all of us to fall in and place behind our flagbearer so that we can win 2020 and rescue our people, Mr. Bagbin said in a welcome address at his Labadi Campaign office. He also thanked his Campaign team members for their support and commitment. There are analysis in the public domain that Mr Bagbins inability to meet Branch members of the party across the country affected his vote basket, as most of the delegates were at the branch level. The Deputy Speaker of Parliament was unable to touch base at the Branch level because of the constraints of Parliamentary work and yet came in a strong third position behind former President John Mahama and Prof Joshua Alabi who had both toured extensively. Many pundits believed that his strong showing in spite of a small campaign outreach indicated that he had a chance to lead the NDC in 2024 after former President Mahama has stepped down as party leader either as former President or former Flagbearer. The Nadowli-Kaleo MP also thanked his support base, chiefs and religious leaders across the country. Mr Fritz Baffour, a former Minister of Information and MP for Ablekuma South said Mr. Bagbin is a great leader who has helped me and many other high-profile politicians in diverse ways. He did very well in this election and it is clear that he is a force to reckon with. Mr Stephen Ashitey Adjei, alias Moshake, said what Mr Bagbin has done for the party over the years is conspicuous that the NDC occupies the Centre Stage of his heart. He is not a cash cow, he is a polished gentleman with a unique brain power who wants the NDC to win power in 2020 and that is why he has disbanded his campaign team. He is liked by many because of his words of wisdom and I was blissfully happy to be a member of his campaign team. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Private Legal Practitioner, lawyer Gary Nimako who doubles as a lawyer for NPP General Secretary has advised the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo to render unqualified apology for his leaked tape if he cannot justify it in the law court. According to him, the Counsel for Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, lawyer Adawuda should not pursue the case in court if they still maintain that the leaked tape was doctored and that the original tape cannot be provided because it was not recorded. "If Ofosu-Ampofo is saying his voice was distorted then he should provide the original tape; but if he cannot provide the original tape, then he should render unqualified apology," he said. Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he reiterated that Ofosu-Ampofo should eat humble pie and apologize as in the law court wrong is wrong. "Admitting to wrong doing is not wrong so he should not allow people's interest supersedes his own because those who are persuading him cannot go to court and stand in the box with him. The counsel therefore should call on Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo to apologise," he stressed. National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has been charged by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service. He has formally been slapped with four charges over an explosive audio recording leaked last week. Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo is facing charges of "threat of harm, conspiracy to commit harm, rioting and assaulting a public officer". Earlier, supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) blocked the main road in front of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to demand the release of National Chairman of the party, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo. The NDC National Chairman on Monday, March 4, 2019 reported himself to the CID after failing to honor their invite days ago. The charges slapped on Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo are as a result of a leaked tape purportedly containing his voice inciting some NDC members to wage war against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa and also make "life uncomfortable" for the ruling New Patriotic Party. The meeting between the NDC National Chairman and the party members was held after the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election. Though the NDC has debunked claims that the leaked audio is that of Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo, hence alleging it has been doctored; the NDC National Chairman was invited by the CID for interrogation. He has been granted bail with two sureties, namely; the NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia and the party's Greater Accra Regional Chairman Joseph Ade Coker. However, Counsel for Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Victor Kwadwogah Adawudu has indicated that the legal team will appeal the charges and also added their client will return to the CID on Thursday, March 7, 2019. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Audio Attachment: Listen to Kwesi Pratt Jnr. Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has lambasted the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of Ghana Police for detaining the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, for hours. The NDC National Chairman was invited by the CID days ago but he failed to honor the invite and rather reported himself to the CID on Monday, February 4, 2019. Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo joined by executives and high-profile members of the NDC went to the Police Headquarters in Accra Monday morning but was granted bail in the evening. The CID has come under intense criticism from the party's rank and file for holding up their National Chairman in their custody for hours till evening before allowing him to go. NDC Communicator, Fred Agbenyo speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' on Tuesday, February 5, 2019, held strongly that the CID did not comport themselves well because to him, they unnecessarily delayed the executives and members of the party as well as their National Chairman. Addressing the issue on 'Kokrokoo', Kwesi Pratt also rebuked the CID wondering why they failed to let Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo leave the place earlier but rather held him for such long hours. He stated that both the New Patriotic Party and NDC have the tendency of doing that whenever they come into power but he expected the CID to have conducted themselves differently to set a good example. Although he wouldn't agree that Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo should have been given preferential treatment since no person is above the law, Mr. Pratt noted that such behaviour should be a thing of the past. Every citizen is entitled to the same treatment by the Police . . . if you invite someone and he reaches there at 8 Oclock but had to wait for 5 hours before you call him, what is that intended to achieve?" he questioned. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Treasurer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Kwabena Abankwah Yeboah has commended the Ghana Police Service for maintaining peace at the police headquarters yesterday (Monday). On Monday, 4th March, 2019 supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) flooded the Police Headquarters as the partys National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo honored the invitation of the Criminal Investigations Department of Ghana Police Service to answer questions relating to alleged unsavoury comments he made in a leaked audio recording during an NDC meeting. The contents of the leaked tape however enjoined the decision of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to obtain a court warrant for the arrest of the NDC Chairman. The NDC supporters including the bigwigs therefore decided that we are going there with our bare fingers to give moral support to our National Chairman", in their numbers; thus the supporters led by their leaders decided to chant songs in the premises of the Police Headquarters, but the police managed to control the crowd and their misbehavior. Commenting on the conduct of the Ghana Police Service on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, Mr. Abankwa said he was overwhelmed by the level of tolerance of Ghana Police in controlling the noisy NDC youth and for comporting themselves through out the process. He again applauded the Inspector General of Police, Mr. David Asante Apeatu for a good work done on Monday. According to him, he has now gained some special respect for Ghana Police, saying the level of discipline in the police has gone high. If it has been the old police we knew . . . they would have unleashed beatings and tear gas on them," he stressed. He therefore called on Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo to accept his mistake and apologize to the nation rather than politicizing it. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed dismay over a letter by the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo requesting mediators and facilitators of the dialogue between the two major political parties in the country. It could be recalled that the President in his State of the Nation Address at Parliament this year urged both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the largest opposition NDC to hold a meeting towards the disbandment of vigilante groups. President Nana Akufo-Addo noted with concern the dangers that vigilante groups pose to the lives of Ghanaians following their attacks by them since the inception of the government and so believes the two main political parties can help dissolve the groups. The groups are said to owe allegiance to either the NPP or NDC and at their behest have been terrorizing people in the country. "I want to make a sincere passionate appeal to the leaders of the two main political parties in our country NPP and NDC to come together as soon as possible, preferably next week, to agree on appropriate measures to bring an end to this worrying and unacceptable phenomenon of vigilantism in our body politic . . . the Security Services of the country will be on standby to assist this meeting. If voluntarily disbandment by the parties is not feasible, then I will initiate legislation in the matter," the President said. Following the passionate appeal by the President, the NDC National Chairman, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo wrote a letter to President Nana Akufo-Addo asking him to extend the call for disbandment not only to the NPP and NDC but to "all political parties, civil society organisations, representatives of the media, representatives of the military, police and other security agencies, as well as any other relevant stakeholders". "In addition, in view of the often recurrent mistrust and suspicion that characterize such interactions by political parties, and the pain and suffering that vigilantism may have created especially in the recent past, it is of the utmost importance that a mediator with national credibility be appointed to drive the entire process in that regard, my party, the NDC, propose that the National Peace Council be appointed as the mediator for such a meeting," the letter further stated. In a reply to Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo's letter, the President stated that he is "not aware of any vigilante groups that are associated with any of these bodies, as your letter suggests. Political party vigilante activity in the country has, unfortunately, been associated with the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party. I, thus, see little basis for your request. "Secondly, your request for mediators and facilitators of the dialogue. I am dismayed, and I believe that the Ghanaian people share my dismay, that the two parties who have dominated and continue to dominate the politics of the Fourth Republic, who between them have garnered at least 95% of the votes in each of the seven (7) general elections of the Fourth Republic, who have provided all seven (7) governments of the Fourth Republic, who are the only parties currently represented in the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic, cannot meet to dialogue on matters of our nation's governance and political culture, without the intervention of outsiders, including foreign entities, no matter how well-meaning", the President said in a letter dated Monday, March 4, 2019. President Akufo-Addo also called for the swift meeting to "take place as soon as possible, and all matters ventilated there, and the outcome of the meeting or meetings will be appropriately addressed". "It is important that we trust in our own capabilities to resolve our own problems. Government stands ready to provide a venue, if it is the wish of the parties . . . I am hopeful that we can all work together to achieve a positive result for our country, and spare it the unnecessary consequences and traumas of vigilantism," the President advised. Read Full Reply Below Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Worship bulldozer Evangelist Cecilia Marfo successfully launched two albums to mark her 18th album in a period of 21 years in the gospel music ministry. The two album, Osoro Adoma Rewoso Ayeyie and Nea Wo Be Fa Masem was gloriously launched on Sunday 24th February 2019 inside the Cecilia Marfo Worship Conference Center popularly known as Osorie Fie auditorium at Mataheko first bridge on the Afienya Akosombo road. Over two thousand people dressed in a blue and white outfit from all across the 14 Regions in Ghana filled the church auditorium to help celebrate Jesus for his miraculous works over decades. Various gospel ministers, high profiled pastors and dignitaries from different churches were also present to grace the august occasion. This according to the award winning gospel minister was so amazing because the attendance was mind blowing compared to the previous album launch which she describes as moving from glory to glory. Evangelist Cecilia Marfo released her first praise and worship album Mere Hwihwe Wo in 1998, followed by Manwonsaso in 2010, then Afunumba Oh Praise, Nadokyi, I Just Praise, Medawase, Medeogya Bediwanim among others. The two new album launched last Sunday, Osoro Adoma Rewoso Ayeyie and Nea Wo Be Fa Masem according to the 2011 Ghana music award winner said would transform numerous lives and set the captives free. Notwithstanding the transformation of diverted ministers of God into the right path. I will continue to raise the flag of Christ, preach the true gospel and most of all worship my maker who has called me into the ministry until the day he would call me to rest in his bosom she added. She expressed gratitude to the Almighty God who made all things possible since the beginning of the event preparation till the end, she also used the opportunity to thank all the special guest and pastors, media houses, including everyone that made it to the event. The event which was powered by I Am Records, a record label owned by Mr. Clement Kofi Yeboah Adupedie has already commenced with the promotion and distribution of the new album nationwide. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Remember, we blogged about the Thai Durian Trader story this morning? You can read it at Thai Durian Trader Offers RM 1.2 Million Plus Bonus For Future Son In Law. On his latest Facebook posting, he stated that there are 10,000 men offered to meet his daughter. This is probably the story of the week in Thailand. A Thai durian trader willing to offer 10 million Thai Baht, 10 vehicles, one big house and more for his future son in law. Out of sudden, the entire ASEAN countries are talking about this most eligible bachelorette in Thailand now. He posted a challenge to the 10,000 men through his Facebook posting: Lets all meet on April 1. Pack all your clothes and necessities, and be prepared to stay and work in my durian plantation for three months. If there is more than one of you left (after the three months), we will extend (the stint) for another three months until there is only one man left. This Thai durian trader is really smart. The media is publicising his business in a way and now there could be free labour too. We are unsure how many of the 10,000 men will dare to accept the challenge but he will get free labour working in his durian plantation. Lets see whether there will be any successful man at the end of the day. Like he said, the last man standing and will he able to collect the 10 million Thai Baht? We just have to have to wait and see. This feels like TV reality series right? Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S21 Ultra. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts It was my great pleasure to meet these dedicated members of The Planetary Society. Their energy, passion, and enthusiasm serve as an ongoing source of inspiration for me and my colleaguesand hopefully to you as well. For every member who was able to attend, there were hundreds more who couldn't take the time off from work, have the resources to travel, or defer commitments to their families. The space advocates in D.C. yesterday represented them and they represented you. They represented the proud legacy of this organization from Carl Sagan to Bill Nye. In short, space brought out the best in us. As it tends to do. The photos below are just a few highlights from our 2019 Day of Action. Evil Brussels funds Hungarian road construction project The unscruplulous European Commission would not net Hungary build roads all by itself, so it has decided to contribute a handsome sum of money for the construction of a section of the M8 expressway. And while its at it, it will also support the improvement of wastewater collection systems in the country. The Cohesion Fund is investing EUR 218.5 million in two projects in Hungary. EUR 203.5 million will finance the construction of a section of the M8 expressway in the country, which will contribute to better connecting Hungary and Graz, in Austria. EUR 15 million will help improve the wastewater collection systems in Budapest and the city of Budaors, the EU executive announced on Tuesday. These two Cohesion Policy projects clearly show the added value of the EU in Hungary. With major investments in road and water infrastructure, the EU is actively working to boost regional development and growth in the country, while improving the citizens' everyday lives Orban facing expulsion from EPP family , remarked fiendishly Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Creu.The M8 expressway project will better link the Hungarian Vas region with the Austrian state of Burgenland. It will contribute to completing the core Trans-European Transport Network. The road should be completed in 2021.Then, some 33,000 people will benefit from an improved wastewater system in Budapest and Budaors, with 1,410 homes newly connected to the network, the EC added.This project, in which the EU already invested EUR 61 million in the previous EU budget period, should be operational in June 2020.For the period 2014-2020, the EU is investing EUR 25 billion worth of European Structural and Investment Funds in the country, i.e. an average of EUR 2,532 per Hungarian over the seven-year period.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban crossed a "red line" when his government targeted Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European People's Party (EPP) said.Hungarys ruling Fidesz party is a member of the EPP along with Juncker, launched anti-migration campaign posters last month featuring the European Commission president and billionaire philanthropist George Soros. The campaign is accusing Brussels of pushing migration policies that threaten Hungarys security.The European Peoples Party is a big family, which can have its differences. But there is a limit and Viktor Orban overstepped the red line ," EPP President Joseph Daul said in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt published Tuesday.Daul also told AFP Monday that the EPP will discuss on March 20 whether to exclude or suspend Fidesz after he received requests to do so from 12 member parties representing nine countries.There are soon to be 13 parties that urge expelling Fidesz from the EPP, as MEP Sean Kelly, the leader of Irelands four Fine Gael MEPs, announced he would write to the party to propose the expulsion at the March 20 conference.PM Viktor Orban, the self-proclaimed champion of what he calls illiberal democracy", has pledged to put up new anti-migrant posters , despite hopes in his centre-right EU family that he might "apologise and put an end" to the campaign."In the next phase our party campaign will begin and then you will find someone else on the posters: Mr Timmermans. We will send Mr Juncker into retirement and Mr Timmermans will replace him on our posters," Orban told German newspaper Die Welt in an interview on Saturday (2 March). By Fu Xiaoqiang Tensions between India and Pakistan kept raging on Saturday as an exchange of fire between their troops killed at least six civilians and two Pakistani soldiers along the Line of Control (LOC) on their fiercely disputed Kashmir border, The Guardian reported. Relations have dived dramatically between the two rivals since a suicide attack by a Pakistan-based terrorist group killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary troopers. India accused Islamabad of harboring what New Delhi calls militant camps housing the group behind the attack, and carried out airstrikes inside Pakistani territory on February 26. Pakistan denied the existence of any such camps, and retaliated with its own aerial mission the following day, which led to both sides claiming to have shot down each other's fighter jets. It is because of extreme mutual distrust on security issues that the flare-up between the arch foes has escalated. Regardless of the complexity of the incident, both New Delhi and Islamabad believe the onus of escalation lies on the other side. India blamed Pakistan for the February 14 suicide bombing, and retaliated by launching air raids inside Pakistan in a bid to force Islamabad to change its security policy. India's dangerous move exacerbated the crisis. India's domestic politics has also influenced the hostility with Pakistan. Facing upcoming elections, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had to take these pressures into consideration. Strong measures against Pakistan are now regarded politically correct in India's political circles. Hence, New Delhi seems unlikely to step back and soften its policy against Islamabad. As a result, such low-intensity confrontation may last for a relatively long time. Even so, the crisis is still manageable given that both countries possess nuclear weapons, which would act as deterrents. In addition, intervention by the international community can lower the tensions. If India continues to impose pressure on Pakistan, the situation could turn critical, but this seems unlikely. New Delhi will eventually adjust its response after a more objective understanding of the consequences that escalation in the crisis may lead to. Bilateral hostility has not only threatened regional peace and security in South Asia, but also affected the international community. The Kashmir dispute is intertwined with complex ethnic and religious issues. If the crisis continues to worsen, the flow of international extremist forces and armed support for Kashmir militants may rise. In addition, the disputed Kashmir is contiguous to China. Though the region has been a long-lasting problem between India and Pakistan, the current crisis may influence China's policy on South Asia. Both neighboring powers are China's important partners. As a pivot of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, Pakistan has all-round friendly relations with China. In particular, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a key project playing an essential role in pioneering new approaches to exchange and cooperation between the two sides. As a newly emerging power, India has an important impact on the international order and globalization. China and India, two significant strategic partners, are involved in various international organizations including the G20, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS. New Delhi is an indispensable part of Beijing's great-power politics. Therefore, it is tough for China to take sides. In general, Beijing will adhere to the mediation policy. In the long run, if tensions continue to rise, China may face a greater impact; but despite that China is facing difficulties in mediating between the two neighbors, in the current scenario, the influence on China is limited. The author is a research fellow with China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. Allen Michael Sherrill, 27, of Detroit was charged with first-degree murder in the March 1 shooting death of Junika Hardy, 28, of Livonia. The shooting happened at about 8 p.m. in the 17600 block of Michigan Avenue in Dearborn. When officers arrived, Sherill was standing outside of a car, while Hardy was laying on the ground near the drivers door of the car, already dead. Police believe that Sherrill was a passenger in the car, and shot the woman as she was driving. Sherrill was arraigned in 19th District Court on Tuesday afternoon. Judge Sam Salamey ordered Sherrill to remain in jail without bond pending his next court date. His preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. March 22. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Zhang Yesui (C), spokesperson for the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), speaks during a press conference on the agenda of the session and the work of the NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2019. (Photo by Jin Liwang) By Li Jingxuan BEIJING, March 5 (ChinaMil) -- One of the hottest topics among foreign media during Chinas annual Two SessionsNational People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)is China's defense spending. Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for the second session of the 13th NPC, answered a question on China's defense spending raised by a reporter from the Bloomberg during a press conference held on the morning of March 4 before the Two Sessions. Zhang pointed out that China maintains a reasonable and appropriate growth rate in its defense expenditure to safeguard national security and adapt to military reform with Chinese characteristics. While national defense spending in some major developed countries accounts for more than 2 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the ratio for China in 2018 was only about 1.3 percent. Zhang also stated very frankly that whether a country is a military threat to others is not determined by its increase in defense spending, but by the diplomatic and national defense policies it adopts. China's limited defense spending, which is for safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, poses no threat to any other country. As everyone knows, China is one of the countries with the largest number of neighbors and the longest land border in the world. Due to historical reasons, China and some of its neighboring countries still have disputes over territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. In reality, "Taiwan independence," "East Turkistan independence", and "Tibetan independence", along with other separatist plots have not died down. For a long time, Chinas national security has been under heavy pressure. China's national defense expenditure exceeded RMB100 billion for the first time in 1999 and reached RMB1,106.951 billion last year. Against the backdrop of an ever-changing international situation and the steady increase of China's overall national strength, the moderate growth of China's national defense expenditure is reasonable and legal, and also goes with the trend and needs of the situation. It is very reasonable today because national defense and military reform is deepening and the building of a strong army is being implemented. At the same time, to assess a country's defense expenditure, the absolute value is only one aspect; it is more important to assess the relative proportion. On a global scale, defense spending in most countries in the world accounts for 2.4-2.5 percent of their GDP. Among them, the US and Russia are above 3 percent, while the NATO countries are explicitly required to keep military spending no less than 2 percent of their GDP. In terms of per capita national defense, the US ranks first at $2,210, then Russia at over $300, and China at $118. As for the defense expenses allocated to each soldier, the US is 6.7 times of China, and UK 4.5 times , Russia 3 times. Whether a country poses a threat to other countries has nothing to do with its "muscle", but instead with where the "fist" will strike. As Senior Colonel Wu Qian, Spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), said in a regular press conference in last October that China has been adopting a defensive defense policy and a military strategy which champions active defense. China is committed to the path of peaceful development and to provide more public security goods to the global community. The growth in China's military strength is absolutely a growth in peaceful strength of the world. During the 40 years of reform and opening up, the number of Chinese troops was reduced from 6.03 million in 1980 to 2 million in 2018, a decrease of 4.03 million. In particular, the number of posts has been reduced by 2 million since 1985. In stark contrast, since the first batch of military observers was dispatched to the UN peacekeeping operations in 1990, China had sent nearly 40,000 peacekeepers till 2018. This number made China rank first among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Since the end of 2008, the Chinese Navy has sent more than 30 batches of fleets to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia for escort missions. Half of the ships under Chinese Navy escort are foreign vessels. In addition, the Chinese military has also actively participated in international emergency humanitarian aid mission. China has sent medical teams to West Africa to fight Ebola, launched comprehensive search and rescue for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and evacuated trapped personnel in Yemen. All these actions have fully showcased Chinese militarys confidence and responsibility-assuming spirit, demonstrated that China is an important pillar of peace and stability in the region and the world as a whole. The Rancho Santa Fe Association and its project partners, the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, California Native Plant Society and Urban Corps of San Diego, have been awarded $53,500 in funding to continue their work to reduce wildfire risk by removing highly flammable invasive species along the San Dieguito River. The funds, awarded as part of the local allocation of Prop 68 funds to local conservation corps, will be used to contract crew labor from the Urban Corps for the continuation of the Rancho Santa Fe Invasive Plant Eradication and Stream Enhancement Project. The Association is thrilled to continue our restoration and fuel management efforts in the lower San Dieguito River Valley, which is a key fire corridor in the area, said Caitlin Kreutz, assistant park and recreation manager. Fire safety is my main focus of 2019 and beyond. The Rancho Santa Fe restoration and enhancement efforts have been ongoing since 2015 on 181 acres of the river valley. After removals of substantial stands of invasives, the areas have been replanted with locally-occurring native plants and trees. Last year the Association was awarded an $83,303 grant from the U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resources Conservation Service for a three-year project with its partners on the Arroyo Preserve. The work from this latest grant is slated to begin in fall 2019 on the Arroyo, along the streambed upriver from Artesian Road. Recently the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy was granted $18,664 from the California Fire Safe Councils Fire Prevention Grant Program to control invasive plants within Lusardi Creek County Preserve. The Lusardi Creek County Preserve is just off Zumaque and Artesian Road in Rancho Santa Fe and contains a heavy infestation of Arundo donax (giant cane) that has not yet been cut or treated. The Arundo, which looks almost like giant bamboo, soaks up water and resources from other plants and then in the warmer months it can become so dry that it acts as a wick in a fire eventremoving it can reduce the intensity of a fire and make it easier to control. The work is expected to begin in fall 2019. The Association has also been working on its own plan of action for fire safety through its Forest Health and Preservation Committee. A Covenant Forest Health Study found that over 224,000 of the estimated forest trees in Rancho Santa Fes forest are in fair or good condition, however, 42,000 trees are rated as poor or dead. The situation must be addressed by Covenant members as 95 percent of the forest is located on private property that is outside of the Association and the fire districts authority. The Association has encouraged its members to take an active role by removing dead and dying trees on their property and replacing them with resilient trees. RED SQUADRON The Black Series Amazon Exclusive Three Pack R2-D2 - A resourceful astromech droid, R2-D2 showed great bravery in rescuing his masters and their friends from many perils. A skilled starship mechanic and fighter pilot's assistant, he served Luke Skywalker during the Battle of Yavin alongside Red Squadron. R5-D8 - A red astromech droid used by Jek Tono Porkins - Red Six - during the Battle of Yavin, R5-D8 saw time on both Y-wing and X-wing starfighters during his service to the Alliance. R2-X2 - Astromech droids are a series of versatile utility robots generally used for the maintenance and repair of starships and related technology. R2-X2 was Theron Nett's droid and served in the Battle of Yavin. The Amazon exclusive Red Squadron action figure three pack was announced as part of Hasbro's International Toy Fair collectors event in New York City on February 17, 2018. The set that includes the post-battle of Yavin R2-D2, as well as the ill-fated R5-D8 and R2-X2 that didn't survive the Death Star trench run. This set began shipping the following August. Souderton, PA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/05/2019 --After 32 years working as the Vice President of Sales for Asher's Chocolate Co., Ed Lomas, a resident of Bethlehem, PA, has retired as of Friday, March 1, 2019. Ed Lomas joined Asher's Chocolate Co. in 1987 after having already served a number of years in the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania. During his time at Asher's, he was responsible for managing the Sales Representatives and maintaining the company's numerous brokerage lines. "Ed has been an invaluable asset to Asher's for 32 years, and his retirement is truly a loss for us. We will miss him, but we wish him the best of luck in his well-deserved retirement," stated Jeff Asher, President & CEO. A farewell company luncheon was held at 12:30pm on Friday, March 1, 2019 at the Asher's Chocolate Co. corporate offices. Tulsa, OK -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/05/2019 --Couples facing a divorce go through a hard time. Their minds are in turmoil, and they can hardly take the right decision. At the same time, many things need to be settled in a divorce case. Custody of children is one of the many essential things that need to get decided. Then there are property matters to be resolved as well. That is when one needs the help of an efficient divorce attorney in Broken Arrow and Tulsa Oklahoma for legal representation. In that regard, there is one company that can come to great help, and that is none other than the Mcmurray Keesling Group. Mcmurray Keesling Group is one of the best places to look for attorneys for a wide range of legal issues that includes employment and labor law, corporate law, contract law, government torts claim, criminal defense, as well as divorce law. Their attorneys are all experienced and know how to help one fight their legal battles, emerging out with a favorable outcome. In divorce cases where child custody is involved, they are aware of how much emotional the state of things are. Even if the parties are not hostile to one another, things are difficult to handle. The level of intensity is all time high when a great deal of hatred is involved. The most important thing about the attorneys working with the Mcmurray Keesling Group is that they are passionate and have great know-how about the job they are handling. Their track record for success is phenomenal, and they can help their clients get a favorable decision on their behalf. The attorneys can also help parents involved in International custody disputes. Get in touch with Mcmurray Keesling Group for an experienced business attorney in Broken Arrow and Tulsa Oklahoma to settle business-related legal issues. Call 918-998-9350 for more details. About Mcmurray Keesling Group Mcmurray Keesling Group is one of the best places to get attorneys for a wide range of lega lsolutions and services. They serve clients in Oklahoma, across the U.S. and Internationally. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Ranta Images/iStock(LONDON) -- Italians in the northern town of Ivrea, near Turin, celebrated the carnival season with a historic local tradition dubbed "The Battle of the Oranges" over the weekend. The town-wide fruit fracas pays homage to a local legend dating back to the 12th century and symbolizes a revolt against the noblemen of the area by the commoners. The modern-day tradition uses hundreds of tons of oranges that would otherwise be discarded that are shipped from Sicily to the north for the festival. While a team representing the evil lord's henchmen are clad in protective outfits for the townspeople to pelt with oranges, residents say the whole thing's in jest. "The teams are not against each other, they are all friends who throw oranges for fun but nobody cares if you win or if you lose," said resident Stefano Caldera to local reporters. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Liu Jieyi (L1), the Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief, meets with the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 5, 2019. /VCG Photo "Reunification of the motherland" is an inevitable trend, the Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief said on Tuesday, calling on people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to make joint efforts for the goal. Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks on the sidelines of China's annual legislative session in Beijing. "The difference in our systems is not an obstacle for reunification, nor it is an excuse for secession," Liu stressed. "Nobody can stop the inevitable trend of reunification of the motherland." He described the "One Country, Two Systems" principle as the best arrangement for national reunification. After peaceful reunification, Taiwan compatriots' way of life and social systems will be fully respected and their property, religious beliefs and lawful rights will be fully protected, he said, noting the premise is that the country's sovereignty, security and development interests must be guaranteed. Taiwan compatriots will enjoy a happier, more prosperous and more confident life after reunification, he added. Liu spoke with a group of reporters as part of the "Ministers' Corridor" event after the opening of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress on Tuesday morning. The "Ministers' Corridor" has become an important part of China's political season each year. The nearly 100-meter-long passageway at the Great Hall of the People provides a chance for ministers and heads of various state departments to communicate with Chinese and foreign media. In his speech on January 2, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a strong message calling for national reunification. "China must be and will be reunified," Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said to a gathering to commemorate the 40th anniversary of issuing Message to Compatriots in Taiwan. "Cross-Strait reunification is the trend of history. 'Taiwan independence' goes against the trend of history and will lead to a dead end." He stressed that the mainland is willing to "create broad space for peaceful reunification" but does not promise to renounce the use of force. US President Donald Trump has announced that he was ending India's $5.6 billion trade concessions under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme accusing New Delhi of not providing Washington "equitable and reasonable access" to its markets. Trump, who is on a mission to expand marker access abroad and end trade deficits, made the announcement on Monday in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence in his capacity as the Senate President. The US Trade Representative's Office (USTR) said that the preferences will end in 60 days after the notification to Congress and the Indian government. Meanwhile, Trump said that he will continue to monitor if India is "providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets" and meet the GSP eligibility criteria. India had opposed proposals to end the GSP saying that it would be "discriminatory, arbitrary" and hurt the country's development. India is the largest beneficiary of the GSP exporting goods worth $5.6 billion to the US under the programme. Congress establishes the conditions of eligibility for GSP, which include "providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access, protecting workers' rights and combating child labour". Trump wrote in his letter: "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India." The USTR said: "India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce", but did not mention the specifics in its statement. "Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion", it added. The total India-US trade was $126.2 billion in 2017, with a $27.3 billion deficit for the US, according to the USTR. India's total exports were worth $76.7 billion and the end to GSP affects only a small part of it limited to $5.6 billion. At a hearing held by the USTR last June on withdrawing India's GSP, the minister in charge of commerce at the Indian Embassy in Washington, Puneet Roy Kundal, said that withdrawing the GSP benefits "would be discriminatory, arbitrary, and detrimental to the development, finance and trade needs of India, which is a vast and diverse developing country with unique challenges". The primary aim of the GSP is to help developing countries, particularly in sectors where the benefits can reach the poor. Trump also said that he was ending the GSP for Turkey because of its economic success and rising living standards that would no longer make it eligible for the programme that is meant to help developing countries. The President has been on a warpath against what he said were high tariffs on US imports to India. While pushing for the Reciprocal Trade Act in January, he brought up India's duty on American whiskey, which he said was 150 per cent and on Harley Davidson motorcycles that he asserted he had gotten reduced from 100 to 50 per cent. The decision to end the GSP may not entirely be influenced by high tariffs imposed by India on US imports. The two countries have had differences over the restrictions placed on e-commerce by Amazon and on Walmart subsidiary Flipkart and on data housing by Visa and Mastercard. The decision comes as the US is reported to be making headway in trade negotiations with China aimed mainly at cutting American trade deficits with a deal expected soon. Ironically, a trade group warned that taking ending GSP for India could end up helping China. The American Apparel and Footwear Association said in a written testimony that if GSP benefits are withdrawn for India as well as Indonesia and Thailand, "companies will have no choice but to return to sourcing from China". It pointed out that Trump has threatened to impose 10 per cent punitive duties on US travel goods imports from China and ending the GSP for India "means that not only will sourcing return from China, but American consumers will pay far higher prices for their travel goods". The US dairy industry was a strong advocate of ending the GSP for India citing its difficulties in exporting to India. Shawna Morris, Vice President of the National Milk Producers Federation and the US Dairy Export Council, at the the June USTR hearing accused India of refusing to provide them equitable and reasonable access to its markets through "unscientific sanitary and phytosanitary requirements". These requirements by India were that the exports should not come from cows that have been given cannibalised feed that includes offal or other meat products. Kundal countered that it was not an issue fo of market access but of "certification given the religious, cultural and moral sensitivities" and India provide unimpeded market access to dairy products from all countries that met the criteria. Another opposition came from the medical sector based on price controls on medical devices imposed by India. Kundal said that these were necessitated by India's need to provide affordable health care to its citizens. Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a ban on the airing of Indian content on local television channels. The top court set aside an earlier ruling by the Lahore High Court (LHC) and reinstated a 2016 policy of the federal government banning the transmission of Indian content on local television channels, Geo News reported. A counsel of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) appeared in the apex court as a three-judge bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmad heard the case. "On October 19, 2016, PEMRA imposed a complete ban on airing Indian content on local television channels," the counsel for the regulatory authority said. However, in 2017, the LHC lifted the ban as the federal government had no objections regarding the same, according to the official. Later, PEMRA challenged the High Court's decision in the top court. The authority's counsel also claimed that "Indian content had zero viewership on local television channels". After hearing the PEMRA counsel's arguments, the apex court set aside the LHC order and reinstated the federal government's October 2016 policy as per which Indian content cannot be aired on local television channels Late last month, the LHC was moved to put a complete ban on trade, exhibition and selling of Indian films in Pakistan to reciprocate a ban on Pakistani artists working in Bollywood amid tensions between the two neighbours. "The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning," Robinson said in a statement. Those at Perry's bedside included his children, Jake and Sophie; fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer; former wife, Minnie Sharp, and mother Ann Bennett. Perry was surrounded by family and friends when he died, publicist Arnold Robinson said. The actor had been hospitalized since last Wednesday, after a 911 call summoned medical help to his home in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles. Luke Perry, who gained instant heartthrob status as wealthy rebel Dylan McKay on "Beverly Hills, 90210," died Monday after suffering a massive stroke, his publicist said. He was 52. Perry had played construction company owner Fred Andrews, father of main character Archie Andrews, for three seasons on "Riverdale," the CW series that gives a dark take on "Archie" comics. A fourth season has been slated. "90210" co-star Ian Ziering paid tribute to his co-star on Twitter, where fans and celebrities shared their memories of Perry and mourned him . "I will forever bask in the loving memories we've shared over the last thirty years," Ziering said. "May your journey forward be enriched by the magnificent souls who have passed before you, just like you have done here, for those you leave behind." Born and raised in rural Fredericktown, Ohio, Perry gained fame on "Beverly Hills, 90210," which ran from 1990 to 2000. In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he recounted being partly inspired to pursue acting by a photo of Paul Newman his mother kept on her mirror. He played out the memory of hearing his mother say, "He's the most beautiful man in the world, honey... he's a movie star." "I thought, 'OK, that's cool.' I watched him and, 'Yeah, man, who didn't want to be Paul Newman!'" But Perry expanded his interests far beyond acting, identifying history as a passion and family a priority. "When you are younger you can have only work, and I did for a long time," he told the AP in 2006. "But it doesn't command my attention that way anymore. A lot of the mysteries and the questions I had about it I've figured out, but life offers up mysteries every day." He had roles in a handful of films, including "The Fifth Element," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "8 Seconds" and "American Strays," appeared in HBO's prison drama "Oz" as a televangelist convicted of fraud, and voiced cartoons including "The Incredible Hulk" and "Mortal Kombat." The actor's next big screen role will be in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time In Hollywood," which is slated for release in July. He made his Broadway musical debut as Brad in the "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and starred on London's West End in another stage adaptation of a film, "When Harry Met Sally." In recent years he starred in the series "Ties That Bind" and "Body of Proof." The same day he was hospitalized, Fox TV announced that it would be running a six-episode return of "90210" featuring most of the original cast, but Perry was not among those announced. On the original series, Perry's character went from loner to part of a close-knit circle that included twins Brenda and Brandon Walsh (Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley), but also endured a string of romantic, family and other setbacks, including drug addiction. Perry left the series in 1995 to pursue other roles, returning in 1998 for the rest of the show's run as a guest star. In a 2011 interview with the AP, Perry said he and his male co-stars were a "really good strong core group" while the show aired and maintained close ties. The friendship and trust he shared with Priestley created a sort of "shorthand" when it came to filming, Perry said. The Supreme Court yesterday delivered its decision on charges against two Land Transport Authority (L.T.A.) Assistant Chief Executive Officers who were accused of altering certain vehicle years on an electronic system. In her decision, Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mata Keli Tuatagaloa dismissed all the charges in relation to forgery against the L.T.A. Legal Division Manager, Anoanoai Pepe Lafai. For the L.T.A. A.C.E.O. for Savaii Operation, Mataafa Sepelini, all four charges of forgery, four charges of using forged document, two charges of altering with intent to deceive and four charges of forgery of electronic data were dismissed. However, the following charges are proven beyond reasonable against the defendant, Mataafa Sepelini, said Justice Tuatagaloa. Two charges of altering with intent to deceive relating to T-454 (S1106/18) and T-1558 (S1102/18). All four charges of using altered document are proven without reasonable doubt against Mataafa Sepelini. Justice Tuatagaloa will sentence Sepelini on proven charges on Friday April 12, 2019. Lawyer Fepulea'i Patrick Fepulea'i and Bridget Faamatuainu Crichton represented Sepelini and Anoanoai. Prosecutor was Lucy Sio Ofoia. Outside Court, Anoanoai was relieved with the decision. Im overwhelmed at the moment, she said in tears. It was the verdict I expected but it was just the anxiety of it allThis has been very overwhelming and stressful times for me, these charges (against me) were very malicious. Anoanoai added that her parents who reside in New Zealand traveled to be with her yesterday and she was thankful for their presence. She acknowledged the support from her husband and siblings as well as the work of her lawyer Fepuleai. On the charges, Sepelini was charged with four counts of forgery, four counts of using forged documents, altering, concealing, destroying or reproducing documents with intent to deceive using altered or reproduced documents with intent to deceive, four counts of damaging or interfering with electronic data, and four counts of forgery of electronic data. The offending is alleged to have taken place on December 5, 2017 as well as February 19, 2018 and April 5, 2018. On the other hand, Anoanoai was charged with one count each for forgery, using a forged document, altering, concealing, destroying or reproducing documents with intent to deceive, using altered or reproduced documents with intent to deceive, damaging or interfering with electronic data and forgery of electronic data. The alleged offending took place on March 13, 2018. The charges against both defendants are in relation to changing the vehicle year for certain vehicles on the L.T.A. computer system called RTAS Road Transport Administration System. The policy that is at the crux of these charges is the Cabinet Directive of January 2018 where all commercial vehicles more than 15 years old can no longer be re-registered as commercial vehicles (including taxis and buses) but instead only as private vehicles. This means that every year there will always be commercial vehicles that will be outside or older, than the allowed 15 years old and therefore cannot be re-registered as public commercial vehicles. Prior to January 2018, the year of make for vehicles to qualify to be registered as public commercial vehicles was unlimited, meaning there was no 15-year-old limitation. The year is no assurance that a vehicle will automatically be re-registered, as the assessment of whether the vehicle is roadworthy is another important factor, to be taken into account. Anoanoai and Sepelini have different access privileges to the L.T.A. R.T.A.S. system. Sepelini is alleged to have full access to R.T.A.S. Savaii and certain I.T. user privileges on R.T.A.S. Upolu that allows him to amend or edit information pertaining to vehicle details. Anoanoai only has the privilege to change or transfer ownership of vehicles. The documentation needed to make such changes is consent from the previous owner, details and ID of new owner. The criminal matter into an ongoing dispute over Local Partners and Associates, a nonu company involving shareholders and a former Cabinet Minister, has been adjourned again for mention next week. Senior Member of Parliament, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt and his wife Heather Tupea Schmidt and business associates Apulu Lance Polu, Martin Schwalger and Tuitui Aiolupo are facing 233 criminal charges. Laauli and Apulu appeared in the Supreme Court. The other defendants were nowhere to be seen in Court. Precious Chang appeared on behalf of an overseas counsel that represents Laauli and Apulu. Jason Annandale, who was appearing on instructions from lawyer Tauiliili Harry Schuster, represented Schwalger. Prosecutor was Lucy Sio Ofoia. Ms. Ofoia told the Court that the matter was called yesterday to set a special fixture date to trial. However, Chief Justice, His Honour Patu Tiavaasue Falefatu Sapolu could not set a special fixture day as lawyer Schuster was not present. Annandale told the Court that Schuster was attending a funeral in Savaii and could not be in Court. The Chief Justice said he cannot set a fixture date, as Schuster might not be available on the date set for the hearing. He then adjourned the matter again to next Monday for mention. Laauli is facing one count of forgery; 40 charges of theft; 16 for obtaining by deception; 16 counts of causing loss by deception and 88 charges of theft by a person in a special relationship. Laaulis wife faces one count of theft, three charges of causing loss by deception and three charges of theft by relationship. For Apulu, he faces a total of 51 criminal charges, namely one count of using a forged document, one charge of forgery; one charge for theft; 16 charges of obtaining by deception; 16 counts of causing loss by deception and an additional 16 counts of theft by relationship. Tuitui faces seven charges of causing loss by deception and six criminal counts of theft by a person in a special relationship, while Martin Schwalger faces one count of forgery. All the defendants entered a not guilty plea to the charges in October last year, when the matter was called before Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke. The criminal charges arise from an ongoing dispute over the nonu company with the accused and another senior Member of Parliament and Associate Minister of the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Peseta Vaifou Tevaga. Paapaa Seiuli Mataitai from Magiagi, Vailoa and Sapapalii is happy to be back home, courtesy of a brief stopover in Samoa yesterday by cruise ship MSC Magnifica. He is one of about 20 Samoan sailors who work on the vessel, which berthed in Apia yesterday as part of a one-day stop before it heads to Tonga. I thank God for this because we didnt know the ship had Samoa in its pathway around the world, and this is the first time weve travelled around the world coming through Samoa, he said. And were all so happy because when we went to other countries, other crew members got to see their families, while we felt a bit sad for not seeing ours. But this is the first time and all we can say is thank God, he said in an interview with the Samoa Observer. According to Paapaa, the MSC Magnifica is a 17 storey vessel with a total of 4000 passengers. The Samoan sailor was spotted escorting his elderly father, wife and three young children in a tour of the ship, as it docked at the Matautu wharf yesterday morning. The vessel left Samoa at 5.00pm yesterday for Nukualofa, Tonga and then Suva and Lautoka in Fiji to complete its tours of the Pacific Islands, before leaving for New Zealand. The 14 Samoan seasonal workers who are affected by the H1N1 influenza outbreak in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand are well taken care of. Ministry of Commerce Industry and Labour CEO, Pulotu Lyndon Chu Ling confirmed this yesterday. Pulotu said RSE liaison officer, Lemalu Nele Leilua, has already visited the sick boys and shes monitoring their condition. Unless there are serious problems, when it gets beyond that we will communicate, he said. But at the moment there, its well taken care of so theres no alarm from that side. Theres nothing serious about it. As far as I know, this is the first time for an outbreak affecting our workers under the RSE. I am not aware of any previous outbreaks and obviously, they will be kept and treated until they are well before they can start work together. In an article published on Samoa Global News, Lemalu confirmed the 14 boys arrived into New Zealand two weeks ago, and they are employed by Thornhill Horticultural Contracting. Pulotu said before the liaison officers checks on those affected, the employers are first and foremost responsible for the health of the workers. If there are any outbreaks of diseases like that; the employers will have to evacuate the workers. If its confirmed, then they will have to make an arrangement, either transfer to another region until the problem is resolved or they have to come back. It depends also on the nature of the problem. At the moment those who are confirmed to have the influenza are treated in New Zealand. They dont just get sent back when they get sick. Pulotu said workers in New Zealand are insured, and unless they misbehave then they will have to return to Samoa. But all the cost relating to the medical expenses in New Zealand will be covered under the insurance policy. After going through the medical processes and if at the end they are cured, depending on the situation there, the workers and employers and whatever they agreed to, at the end then they might have to come if they feel they are not interested to work there. But we encourage our workers to go through that process, and to use the insurance policy that has been paid through them, and the employer to be treated properly, not just send anybody back, of course we will complain, we will raise it with authorities there. Pulotu said they respect the processes that are already in place and listed under the contracts. The role of the Government, through the Ministry is to facilitate that process to make sure that before they leave the country they have all the documentation that is required. This is why insurance is really important. And it is something that also needs to be encouraged here in Samoa. But thats very important. The crew of the cruise ship MSC Magnifica yesterday exchanged gifts with Samoa Government representatives as the vessel made its first ever visit to the country. The captain of the cruise ship, Masta Marco Massa, said his first impressions of Apia were great and he appreciated the presence of a Samoa Government delegation led by the Deputy Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, and comprised of Samoa Shipping Services C.E.O, Lautimuia Uelese Vaai, Miss Samoa, Sonia Piva, media representatives and family and relatives of 20 Samoans who are crew on the ship. Captain Massa was presented with two traditional tanoa, fue and tootoo by the Government representatives and he reciprocated with gifts as well while expressing his gratitude for the warm welcome. This gift represents hope because we feel hope in Apia, he said. The Government representatives were then taken on a tour of the cruise ship, who were impressed with the human ingenuity involved in its manufacturing, and then treated to lunch onboard. MSC Magnifica is a Musica-class cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises and was built by STX Europe in Saint-Nazaire and launched in January 2009. It entered service in March 2010 and initially operated in the western Mediterranean. It departed Apia at 5.00pm yesterday for Nukualofa, Tonga. The Ambassador of Japan to Samoa has expressed hope that a school his government is supporting will empower the next generation of Samoas leaders. Speaking after a $245,000 grant signing ceremony at the Embassy of Japan premises in Apia yesterday, Maugaoleatuolo Shinya Aoki said he hopes the new classrooms at the Palauli District Primary School funded by the grant will create a conducive environment for the education of Samoas next generation of leaders. Its my hope that upon the completion of the new school, we hope to foster young bright minds to eventually become leaders of this country. Congratulations and I wish your community the best for the next phase of this project, he said. The Government of Japan has agreed to support the school and build eight new classrooms with a grant of US$95,736 (WST$245,000). Speaking at the signing ceremony yesterday, Maugaoleatuolo said he is happy that funding for the school project was approved by his government. I have seen through your application, the past state of your current school building, I am happy that your project has been approved. We have the pleasure to sign over to the school committee this grant provided under the Japan Grant Assistance for Grassroots Humans Security Project that we implement the project and complete the construction of 8 new classroom complex, he said. The Japan Grant Assistance for Grassroots Humans Security Project provides funding for grassroots communities and was established in 1991. The grant assistance scheme has so far assisted over 179 projects in Samoa. Patron of the Palauli District Primary School committee, Tuifaasisina Misa Risati, thanked the Government of Japan on behalf of the district and said they had to build new classrooms to cater for the increasing number of students. On behalf of Palauli East Constituency we would like to express our great thanks to the government of Japan, I believe and understand this is not the first time that your country has assisted us or in partnership with Palauli East. But now with the increase in student roll and all that, we have managed to put through another application, and we are so grateful that Japan has come in to aid and assist us in building this, he said. Children from the villages of Vailoa, Faaala and Vaitoomuli are enrolled at the school. Currently, the school has 500 students and 20 teachers. Maugaoleatuolo said he looks forward to the completion of the project, so he may be able to travel to Savaii, where he was honored to receive the matai title Safotulafai. WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) A New Zealand man who joined the Islamic State group has been captured in Syria and told journalists he regrets not being able to afford a slave and expects to return home. Mark Taylor is among a half-dozen or so New Zealanders thought to have joined the militant group. He remains a citizen, but New Zealand officials say his detention abroad and apparent lack of travel documents are obstacles to his return and he may face legal consequences for his actions. Known by the Twitter handle "Kiwi Jihadi," Taylor notoriously forgot to turn off Twitter's geotagging function in 2014, alerting outsiders to the location of Islamic State fighters. Taylor told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from a Kurdish prison that after five years with the Islamic State, he fled in December and surrendered to Kurdish forces because life had become unbearable. He said there was no food or money and basic services had collapsed. Taylor said he wasn't a fighter and instead worked for the group as a guard on the border between the Islamic State and Syrian government forces. He said he was jailed three times by Islamic State, including once for 50 days over the geotagging incident. He said he witnessed beheadings and executions. "They had a lady they took out of a truck and shot her in the back of the head," Taylor told the ABC. "There was a big crowd gathering around. I asked, 'What's going on?' but no one answered." Taylor said he regretted not being able to afford a Yazidi slave. The Islamic State took thousands of Yazidi women and girls as sex slaves, viewing female members of the religious minority as heretics worthy of subjugation and rape. "To buy a slave, you're looking at least $4,000 American to buy an older woman, at least past 50 years old," he told ABC. "And to buy a decent one, at least (US) $10,000 or $20,000." Taylor said he got stuck being married to two Syrian women, and that neither relationship worked out. He told the ABC that he would be surprised if New Zealand did not take him back, although he expected he'd be spending a couple of years in jail back home. "I'm sorry for causing too much trouble and being a bit hot-headed and flamboyant in my approach . I don't know if I can go back to New Zealand, but at the end of the day it's really something I have to live with for the rest of my life." Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern said Monday that Taylor's actions in joining Islamic State and traveling to Syria created potential legal consequences for him if he does manage to return. She said New Zealand had plans in place for any Islamic State fighters that might return. "The safety of New Zealand and New Zealanders is our priority," she said. In 2015, Taylor posted a video calling on Islamic State supporters in New Zealand and Australia to commit terrorist acts at home, "even if it means you have to stab a few police officers or soldiers." The Department of Internal Affairs said Taylor does not appear to have a valid New Zealand passport or travel documents, and Ardern noted that obtaining the documents "in his current situation will be difficult to do." But, she added, Taylor remained a New Zealand citizen and had rights under international law. Before he left New Zealand, Taylor, who is in his mid-40s, told television network TV3 that he had been lonely his whole life, and that he'd been used and abused by people. Taylor, who also goes by the names Muhammad Daniel and Abu Abdul-Rahman, acknowledged listening to the sermons of the late U.S.-born al-Qaida preacher Anwar al-Awlaki. In 2015, New Zealand mosque elder Mustafa Farouk told The Associated Press that when Taylor arrived in Hamilton, they allowed him to park the old truck he lived in near the mosque and offered to find him accommodation and mental-health services. But he said Taylor wanted to remain independent and declined their offers. If Taylor had radical thoughts, Farouk said, he kept them to himself. "The only thing he ever talked about was wanting to get married," Farouk told the AP. "He didn't seem like he could pose any danger to anyone at all. More that he might need someone to look after him, really." WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump is suggesting that a congressional hearing Democrats arranged with his former personal attorney may have contributed to his failure to reach a summit deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump left his summit in Vietnam with the North Korean leader last week without reaching an agreement after Trump said he wasn't willing to give in to Kim's demand to lift U.S. sanctions at this time. He lashed out at Democrats in a tweet on Sunday, criticizing their decision to hold the hearing featuring his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, while he was overseas. "For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the 'walk,'" Trump tweeted. "Never done when a president is overseas. Shame!" While in Vietnam, Trump was unhappy that Democrats had scheduled the Cohen hearing to occur during the summit, believing it was an attempt to counter-program and distract, according to two Republicans close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. But after returning to Washington, and seeing the largely negative media reaction to the summit, including about his answer about the death of college student Otto Warmbier, Trump went a step further. He seized upon an idea being floated on the right, including by his eldest son Don Jr. on social media, that the Democrats' hearing was not just a distraction, but a deliberate attempt to undermine the negotiations in Hanoi, according to the Republicans. The president complained to one confidant that the hearing made him "look weak" to Kim Jong Un, as did a reporter's shouted question about the Cohen matter in front of the North Korean leader. Trump has said he ended the negotiations because Kim was demanding that all sanctions would be lifted, but observers note that the president has long been eager to find a scapegoat to blame for a perceived failure and has not been shy to question the patriotism of his political opponents. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about why the hearing would have contributed to Trump's decision not to accept Kim's terms or whether members of the North Korean negotiating team indicated they were aware of the Cohen news coverage in the U.S. As Trump wrapped up his trip to the summit last week, he complained that Democrats had scheduled the hearing at the same time as his negotiations. He described it as a "fake hearing" and said having it in the middle of this "very important summit" was "really a terrible thing." Trump said they could have held it a few days later and had more time to prepare. During the House Oversight Committee hearing, Cohen, who has turned on Trump and has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress earlier to protect Trump, was harshly critical of his former boss, calling him a racist, a con man and a cheat. In his Sunday talk show appearances, National Security Adviser John Bolton described the summit as a success despite the lack of an agreement providing for verifiable dismantling of the North's nuclear sites. Bolton, in three television interviews, tried to make the case that Trump advanced America's national security interests by rejecting a bad agreement while working to persuade Kim to take "the big deal that really could make a difference for North Korea." Bolton said Trump has "turned traditional diplomacy on its head, and after all in the case of North Korea, why not? Traditional diplomacy has failed in the last three administrations." An example of that non-traditional diplomacy was formally unveiled Sunday when South Korea and the U.S. announced they would not conduct massive springtime military drills and were replacing them with smaller exercises. They described it as an effort to support diplomacy aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. Trump on Monday complained about how that decision was covered in the media, tweeting: "The military drills, or war games as I call them, were never even discussed in my mtg w/ Kim Jong Un of NK_FAKE NEWS! I made that decision long ago because it costs the U.S. far too much money to have those "games", especially since we are not reimbursed for the tremendous cost!" The U.S. and North Korea have offered contradictory accounts of why last week's summit in Vietnam broke down, though both have pointed to western sanctions as a sticking point. CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) A defiant Juan Guaido returned home to Venezuela on Monday despite concerns the opposition leader might be detained and urged supporters at a rally to intensify their campaign to topple the government of President Nicolas Maduro. The 35-year-old leader of Venezuela's National Assembly showed off his passport before climbing onto scaffolding and pumping his fist during the demonstration in Caracas, delighting euphoric followers whose efforts to oust Maduro have fallen short in a nation gripped by a humanitarian crisis. There were few security forces nearby and no immediate comment from Maduro's government, which has tried to divert the public's attention to carnival festivities Monday and Tuesday. While thousands of Venezuelans heeded Guaido's call for protests coinciding with his return, many wonder whether he can maintain momentum against a government that, while under extreme pressure itself, has relentlessly cracked down on opponents in the past, jailing or driving into exile top opposition leaders. "We know the risks that we face. That's never stopped us," Guaido said after arriving at Venezuela's main airport and going through immigration checks. He was greeted by top diplomats from the United States, Germany, Spain and other countries who possibly hoped to head off any move to detain Guaido by bearing witness to his return. "We hope there won't be any escalation and that parliamentary immunity is respected," said Spanish Ambassador Jesus Silva Fernandez. The United States and some 50 other countries have recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, arguing that Maduro's re-election last year was invalid because popular opposition candidates were barred from running. At the rally, Guaido called for massive protests on Saturday and said he would meet Tuesday with public employee unions controlled by the government of Maduro, who retains the support of military generals despite the desertion of hundreds of lower-ranking military personnel. "The regime must understand, the dictatorship must understand... that we're stronger than ever. We'll continue protesting, we'll continue mobilizing," said Guaido, who had ignored an official ban on foreign travel to leave Venezuela last month. Guaido visited Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Ecuador over the past week all countries that support his claim to be Venezuela's interim president and call on Maduro to resign so that the country can prepare for free and fair elections. The United States, which has warned Maduro not to act against Guaido, congratulated the opposition leader on his return to Venezuela. "The international community must unite and push for the end of Maduro's brutal regime and the peaceful restoration of democracy in Venezuela," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. Colombian President Ivan Duque tweeted that Guaido's homecoming was part of the "irreversible path that Venezuela has taken toward democracy." U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for dialogue by all parties to end the political impasse. "We obviously remain very concerned about the situation in Venezuela," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "It's important from the secretary-general's viewpoint that all actors all political actors in Venezuela and abroad make all efforts to lower tensions." Maduro has said he is the target of a U.S.-backed coup plot after the Trump administration joined dozens of other countries in backing Guaido. The United States has also imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela, which has the world's largest oil reserves. Guaido's return is a moment of reckoning not only for the opposition leader, whose presence in Venezuela was essential for his movement to regain momentum, but also for Maduro, analysts said. The fact that Guaido was not detained, at least so far, reflects the pressure Maduro faces not to intervene, said Luis Vicente Leon, head of the Caracas-based polling firm Datanalisis. "But it seems to indicate the beginning of a negotiation, local and international, whose details are not yet clear," Leon said in a tweet. Venezuela's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, did not directly address a question about whether Guaido could face arrest during an interview with Russian state-owned TV channel RT. But she left open the possibility, saying Guaido had broken the law and is "a Venezuelan who conspires with foreign governments to overthrow a constitutional government." The Maduro government has in the past jailed and driven into exile some of Venezuela's most prominent opposition leaders, including Leopoldo Lopez, who lives under house arrest and another lawmaker holed up at the home of Chile's ambassador in the Venezuelan capital. For his part, Maduro has somewhat incongruously urged Venezuelans to enjoy the carnival season, even though most people don't have the resources to travel to beaches or other holiday spots. On Sunday, he tweeted that Venezuelans nationwide were enjoying carnival "in peace and happiness." Among the demonstrators who waited for Guaido at the Caracas rally was Wilfredo Moya, a 55-year-old former construction worker who said Venezuelans hoping for change should be patient. "It's a long process," he said. BEIJING (AP) A year since effectively making himself China's leader for life, Xi Jinping appears firmly in charge, despite a slowing economy, a trade war with the United States and rumbles of discontent over his concentration of power. As China's president and head of the ruling Communist Party, Xi wields more authority than any leader since Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s and looms large over the annual legislative session that starts Tuesday. Since assuming the party helm in 2012, Xi has eliminated rival factions, gutted civil society and brought the party under his firm control by way of a sprawling anti-corruption campaign and the opening of party committees in private businesses and foreign companies. Still, with the economy's go-go years firmly in the past and local governments mired in debt, the horizon remains littered with challenges. "Global sources of turmoil and risks have increased and the external environment is complicated and grim," Xi told officials in a speech last month. This year's legislative session is expected to be considerably less dramatic than last year's, when Xi's move to amend the constitution to remove term limits on the presidency opened the way for him to remain head of state for as long as he wants. The move reversed a trend toward greater restraint on the leadership, advertising Xi's willingness to upend what tenuous rules and structures the party had institutionalized in recent decades. Chief among them is the tradition that, by his second five-year term, the leader should begin pointing to a likely successor. Xi has made no moves in this area while arrogating to himself ever-greater authority over government, from the economy to foreign policy and the military. As party general secretary, Xi is head of its all-powerful seven-member Politburo Standing Committee. "To my mind, the most important question now is: Which norm is the next to fall?" Carl Minzner, a professor at Fordham Law School in New York City and author of a recent book on Chinese politics, said in an email. For now, though, more immediate concerns predominate. At a wide-ranging news conference Monday, congress spokesman Zhang Yesui reiterated Beijing's desire to find a mutually acceptable resolution to the tariff dispute with the U.S. and touted the advantages of a draft law that he said would mark a "fundamental change" in how China manages foreign investment. While the foreign investment law is the only item on the congress' agenda, Zhang said its standing committee would be taking on new legislation in the areas of drug regulation, veterans' affairs and protection of the Yangtze River, China's most important internal waterway. The standing committee meets every two months to deal with the bulk of the congress' legislative chores. As with last year, Zhang declined to disclose the planned increase in China's defense budget, the world's largest behind the U.S., but appeared to indicate it would continue the trend of single-digit percentage growth in place since 2016. "When it comes to whether a country poses a military threat to other countries, the key is that country's military and foreign policies, not how much its defense budget increases," Zhang said. "China's limited defense spending is for safeguarding the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the country. It is not a threat to other countries," he said. China's armed forces have undergone a thorough expansion and modernization program in recent years, raising concerns in Washington and among its neighbors, particularly those sharing overlapping territorial claims in the strategically vital South China Sea. China also claims ownership of East China Sea islands controlled by traditional rival Japan and threatens to attack self-governing Taiwan to take control of what it regards as a breakaway Chinese territory. Xi has cast himself as an ardent nationalist and foreign policy hawk, protecting himself from accusations of being too soft toward the West. Yet while he appears solidly in control, University of Oxford China specialist Patricia Thornton says discontent lies under the surface, citing criticism over the removal of term limits and Xi's heavy-handed management of foreign policy and trade, along with reports showing an erosion of confidence in the economic outlook. "There have been signs of discontent brewing among political and socioeconomics elites that could translate into some backpedaling on current central policies," Thornton said. Cheng Li of the Brookings Institution says Xi finds himself in a "delicate situation" and may make a show of including others in the decision-making process, as long as his leadership isn't challenged. "He will not change the way he is already above the Standing Committee," Li said. "But in some of the other things, Xi may give other leaders more chance." Independent commentator and veteran observer of Chinese politics Zhang Lifan questions whether Xi may have overplayed his hand, leaving him open to more direct criticism. "Xi's power peaked at the time of the constitutional revision last year, but the centralization of power may not be as complete as he thinks," Zhang said. "As more and more problems crop up, questions about his governing ability held in private will be placed on the table," he said. As with every year, this week's meetings have brought a sweeping security crackdown, with neighborhood committees mobilized to patrol for trouble and construction work suspended to avoid accidents. Known government critics were confined to their homes or taken on what are euphemistically called "holiday trips" by the security forces to ensure they couldn't be contacted. Such concerns may be heightened because this year marks several sensitive historical dates, including the 70th anniversary on Oct. 1 of the founding of the People's Republic and the 60th anniversary this month of an uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. June will see the 30th anniversary of the military's crushing of the 1989 pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, and the 10th anniversary of deadly anti-Chinese riots in Xinjiang that has led to the interment over the past two years of an estimated 1 million members of Muslim minority groups. There was commotion outside the District Court yesterday when Malele Atofu Paulo known also known as King Faipopo on social media and Talalelei Pauga appeared for mention. More than 20 supporters of the men tried to push their way into the Courtroom during the hearing of the matters. However, several police officers stood their ground and controlled the crowd, and said the Courtroom was full while asking the supporters to allow the accused inside first. There were several long chairs inside the Court that were empty. Unhappy at been told by the police to stay outside, Samoa Solidarity International Group (SSIG) supporters as well as family members of the accused continued to make noise outside the Courtroom. They accused the authorities of injustice, bias and abuse. Bystanders and the supporters of the pair pulled out their cell phones and took to social media to express their frustration. Inside Court, Paulo took the accused stand and was represented by lawyer Unasa Iuni Sapolu. District Court Judge, Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma presided the matter. Prosecutor and lawyer Iliganoa Atoa told the Court there are 13 charges against Paulo. The charges stem from video posts on social media by Paulo, where he allegedly made a false statement with intent to cause harm to the reputation of the Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa'ilele Malielegaoi. Unasa then sought the Courts indulgence to have her client remanded without plea, as she had just received the 13 charges yesterday morning. I need to go through it with my client to seek instructions, said Unasa. I would also like to add the information in copies received contains no reference number that is relevant and there are similarities in some charges. During the course of the proceedings, Paulo constantly turned to look at people inside the Court and waved at some of his relatives. Judge Roma then adjourned the matter to Tuesday March 12, 2019 for the prosecutor to finalise the charges and for Unasa to seek instructions from Paulo. Pauga, 41, who is accused of making a false declaration on a passenger arrival declaration card was next on the list. He is charged with false declaration on the arrival card on January 19, 2019 claiming that he has never been convicted of any crime punishable by law. Again, Unasa asked the Court if the matter could be adjourned to give her time to seek instructions from her client. She asked for Pauga to be remanded at liberty. Judge Roma granted the request and adjourned the matter to next week. After the Court proceeding, Unasa expressed frustration at the supporters of Paulo and Pauga not being allowed by the Police inside the Courtroom. There were chairs available (inside). I deliberately delayed it (mention for Paulo and Pauga) to be called last to allow for their families and supporters to be inside Court. But this was not the case and they were supporters and families from Savaii, Manono and Aleipata who were not allowed inside. The Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Papalii Niko Lee Hang, says follow-up is essential if outstanding debts such as water bills are to be paid. He said this in relation to the $2.6million outstanding water bills, which was highlighted in Parliamentary Committees Report for Samoa Water Authority for the financial years 2016-2017. Papalii, who is also responsible for the SWA, said the negligence falls on the follow up process of collecting outstanding water bills. Ministries and companies (bills) need to be followed up, he said during a recent interview. The negligence falls on the management that is responsible for collection of debt, and should remember that debts need to be followed up. If the authority is not attentive to these then that happens. The nature of some employers is they only do the work they are required to do, he added, but have no motivation to do anything more than that. That is the nature of other workers, they just do what they are supposed to do at work, but anything more in terms of collecting debts they have no drive to do it. According to the Minister, the water bill debts can still be recovered, after the Parliamentary Committee rejected the proposal by the SWA to write off the debts. While he acknowledged that some outstanding debts belong to individuals who have passed on, they can be recovered if water is disconnected and individuals pay to get it reinstated it and arrangements are made for part-payment. He said the whole thinking behind the authoritys request to write off the debt is to clear old accounts, as it can push up the amount of uncollected debts where some cannot be recovered. The Parliamentary Committee report stated that the reason why they rejected the write-off plan is due to it not only being a hefty amount, but also most businesses and individuals are still in the country. It is in the opinion of the Committee, that this be of priority so as to ensure that it will not affect the cash flow for the Authority later on. The Committee also asked that the Government direct the Authority to review its current policies in relation to the writing-off of old debts and consider putting in place extensions to time and revocation of the current mandate of 12 months. The Committee stated that the standard timeframe of 12 months is a loophole which can be exploited and result in the loss of revenue for the Revenue. The Supreme Court has delivered its decision for charges against two Land Transport Authority (L.T.A.) Assistant Chief Executive Officers who were accused of altering certain vehicle years on an electronic system. In her decision, Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mata Keli Tuatagaloa dismissed all the charges in relation to forgery against the L.T.A. Legal Division Manager, Anoanoai Pepe Lafai. For the L.T.A. A.C.E.O. for Savaii Operation, Mataafa Sepelini, all four charges of forgery, four charges of using forged document, two charges of altering with intent to deceive and four charges of forgery of electronic data were dismissed. Over the next couple of days, we are printing the decision in full starting today: DECISION OF TUATAGALOA [1] The defendant, Mataafa Sepelini, is charged with forgery (x4)1; using forged documents (x4)2; altering, concealing, destroying or reproducing documents with intent to deceive (x4) using altered or reproduced documents with intent to deceive (x4)4; damaging or interfering with electronic data (x4)5; and forgery of electronic data (4)6. The said offendings are alleged to have taken place on 5 December 2017, 19 February 2018 and 5 April 2018. [2] The defendant, Anoanoai Pepe Lafai, is charged with one count each for forgery; using a forged document; altering, concealing, destroying or reproducing documents with intent to deceive; using altered or reproduced documents with intent to deceive; damaging or interfering with electronic data and forgery of electronic data. The said offendings are alleged to have taken place on 13 March 2018. [3] The charges against both defendants are in relation to changing the vehicle year for certain vehicles on the Land Transport Authority computer system called RTAS Road Transport Administration System. Brief Background: [4] Both defendants were employees of the Land Transport Authority (LTA). The defendant, Mataafa Sepelini as Assistant CEO looking after LTA in Savaii, while the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe Lafai was Manager of the Legal Division. [5] LTA is responsible for the maintenance of all public roads, registration of commercial vehicles (taxis/buses) and private vehicles, and the issuance of drivers licenses. [6] The policy that is at the crux of these charges is the Cabinet Directive of January 2018 where all commercial vehicles more than 15 years old can no longer be re-registered as commercial vehicles (including taxis and buses) but instead, only as private vehicles. [7] This means that every year there will always be commercial vehicles that will be outside or older than the allowed 15 years old and therefore cannot be re-registered as public commercial vehicles. [8] Prior to January 2018, the year made for vehicles to qualify to be registered as public commercial vehicles was unlimited, meaning there was no 15 year old limitation. [9] The year is no assurance that a vehicle will automatically be re-registered as the assessment of whether the vehicle is roadworthy is another important factor to be taken into account. [10] The defendants have different access privileges to the LTA RTAS system. The defendant, Mataafa Sepelini is alleged to have full access to RTAS Savaii and certain IT user privileges on RTAS Upolu that allows him to amend or edit information pertaining to vehicle details. [11] The defendant, Anoanoai Pepe only has the privilege to change or transfer ownership of vehicles. The documentation needed to make such changes is consent from the previous owner, details and ID of new owner.7 [12] I will first give a brief of the processes8 that are involved or are relevant to the charges before discussing the evidence and the law in relation to the charges against each defendant. Road Transport Administration System (RTAS): [13] The LTAs computer system is called RTAS and, there is the RTAS system for Upolu and Savaii. All employees have access to the system via a username and password and with certain privileges. From these usernames, the RTAS system generates an ID number for that particular user.9 The privileges are as follows: 10 TO user: view only IT user: allows the entering and changing of vehicle details and information Cashier user: used by Finance division to enter and receipt transactions Administrative user: full access to all privileges [14] There is a certain privilege for the change or transfers of ownership assigned to the Manager of the Legal Division (Anoanoai Pepe).11 [15] The only employees who have full access to RTAS Savaii are the CEO of LTA, the IT Manager and the LTA Savaii Manager (Mataafa Sepelini). [16] In relation to the RTAS Upolu, the only employees with full access are the CEO and IT Manager. [17] Certain officers have IT privileges allowing them to amend and edit information pertaining to vehicle details RUM Manager and Principal, IT Principal and Senior and LTA Savaii Manager. The Process of Registration of Vehicles: [18] The Road Use Management Division (R.U.M) in both Upolu and Savaii physically check and assess each vehicle as to its roadworthiness. In respect of new vehicles, R.U.M record or load all the information pertaining to the vehicle on to the RTAS system the type of vehicle, model, colour, year of the vehicle as stated on the documentation, the VIN number, engine capacity and details of the owner the vehicle is to be registered to. When R.U.M approves or finds that a vehicle is roadworthy, the paperwork (PSV12) is then referred to the Finance Division for payment of registration and issuance of sticker.13 Public commercial vehicles are registered twice a year or their warrants of fitness are renewed twice a year in March and September.14 [19] Changes made to vehicle details already registered on the system are carried out by either RUM or IT officers as a matter of practice on a daily basis.15 These changes are made when there is an error in the year registered for a certain vehicle when first entered by RUM to changes in colour or most commonly a missing VIN number and/or year of the vehicle. [20] Requests made to IT regarding changing any detail (including the year) of a vehicle is very common. These changes are relayed by RUM personnel who peruse the documentation of the vehicles such as the Export Certificate and carry out the physical inspection of the vehicles. It is questionable why these requests need to be made because the RUM Manager and Principal Officer have privileges in their IT access to make the changes themselves. [21] As the changes requested are not in writing or documented, the IT officers put comment(s) in the Comment box in the window showing the vehicle details. The comments records any changes made, the person who requested, the date and time that the changes were made.16 The Law: [22] Part 18 of the Crimes Act 2013 deals specifically with crime involving electronic systems. Electronic system is defined to include a computer.17 However, the definition of document under section 159 would include computer system or program through the words any device used for recording or storing or processing information.18 A device referred to under the definition of a document is under the definition of device in Part 18 includes a computer. (a)[23] Forgery The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt the following elements: (i) The defendant made the false document; (ii) The defendant knew the document to be false; and (iii) The defendant intended that the document be used or acted upon as if it were genuine. [24] attach only to the making of something which satisfies both the requirement of a document (defined in section 159)20 and of a false document (defined in section 193).21 According to the learned authors of Adams on Criminal Law, liability for forgery will (b) Using a forged document [25] The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt the following elements: (i) The defendant knew that the document was false; forged at the relevant time of use; and (ii) The defendant used or dealt with or acted upon the false document as if it were genuine. [26] Section 194 is concerned with the making of the document while section 195 is about the use of the document. In regards to section 196, it is the defendants knowledge that the document is false or forged at the time of the relevant use. [27] False document is for purposes of sections 194 and 195. (c) Altering document with intent to deceive [28] The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the: (i) The defendant altered the document; and (ii) The defendant intended to obtain by deception any property, privilege, services, pecuniary advantage, benefit or valuable consideration. (d) Using altered documents with intent to deceive [29] The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that: (i) The defendant knew the document was altered; and (ii) The defendant used the document to obtain by deception any property, privilege, service, pecuniary advantage, benefit or valuable consideration. [30] Document is defined (and I refer only to the definitions relevant to this case) to mean: (a) Any paper or other material used for writing or printing...; or ...................................... (d)any material by means of which information is supplied, whether directly or by means of any equipment, to any device used for recording or storing or processing information; or (e) any material derived, whether directly or by means of any equipment, from information recorded or stored or processed by any device used for recording or storing or processing information. (e) Damaging or interfering with electronic data25 [31] The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that: (i) The defendant altered the electronic data; (ii) The altering of the electronic data was intentional or reckless; and (iii) Without authorization. (f) Forgery of electronic data26 [32] The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that: (i) The defendant altered the electronic data; (ii) The alteration was intentional and without authorization; (iii) The defendant altering of electronic data resulted in inauthentic data with the intent that it be considered or acted upon for legal purposes as if it were authentic. [33] I will first deal with the offences against the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe before the offences against the defendant, Mataafa Sepelini. Charges against Anoanoai Pepe: [34] The defendant was charged with seven (7) charges of: (i) theft as a servant; (ii) forgery; (iii) using forged document; (iv) altering with intent to deceive; (v) using altered document with intent to deceive; (vi) damaging or interfering with electronic data; and (vii) forgery of electronic data. [35] Apart from the theft as a servant charge that was dismissed, the offending relating to the remaining 6 charges all took place on 13 March 2018. (i) Theft as a servant [36] On the day of hearing, prosecution advised the Court and Counsel for the defendant that they will be making an application to have this charge further adjourned as their two key witnesses have travelled overseas. In other words, the prosecution sought to adjourn and separate the hearing of the charge of theft of servant to which Counsel for the defendant strongly objected. [37] The application for a further adjournment was denied by the Court. [38] Subsequent to denying the application to further adjourn the charge of theft as a servant, prosecution also made an application pursuant to section 173 of Criminal Procedure Act 2016 to have the issue in relation to this particular charge reserved as a question of law to the Court of Appeal. This was also denied. The written decision with reasons for both applications is separate from the substantive decision. [39] Counsel for the defendants at the conclusion of the prosecution evidence made the application for no case to answer on behalf of both defendants. [40] The theft as a servant charge was dismissed by the Court as a result of the no case to answer application and finds that there is a case to answer in relation to the rest of the charges against both defendants. (ii) Forgery [41] The defendant, Anoanoai Pepe is charged as follows:28 ...that at Vaitele on the 13th day of March 2018, the above named defendant of Vaitele, makes a false document namely, altering the year made of vehicle registration number T-337 from year 2003 to 2006, knowing it to be false with intent that it in any way be used or acted upon, as genuine. [42] The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable that the defendant made the false document; knew the document to be false; and intended that the document be used or acted upon as if it were genuine. [43] The defendant Anoanoai was the Legal Manager whose privilege or access on RTAS (LTA computer system) is limited to only changing ownership or transference of ownership on the system.29 [44] The charge relates to changing the year of the taxi vehicle T-337. The change was not made by the defendant but by Senior IT officer, Semo Siaosi.30 The evidence of Semo Siaosi is that Anoanoai Pepe on 13 March 2018 called him and instructed him to change the year of the vehicle from 2003 to 2006 on the RTAS system. Semo told his colleague, Juliana Ah Yek who was present of the phone call from the defendant. Juliana said that she overheard Semo talking on the phone mentioning the change of year of a vehicle but did not know who he was talking to. [45] Semo also said that he made comments in the Comment box on the system noting the change made, date and time, name of the person requesting the change and then added his name and that of Juliana Ah Yek. The IT Manager, Tausala Kolose said that Semo informed her the following day. [46] The prosecution tendered documents (EXH P7, P29 & P30) which shows that the vehicle T-337 was first registered on 14 May 2015 (EXH P7) with the year 2003. The same taxi vehicle was re-registered on the system on 15 September 2017 with the same year and then on 13 March 2018 the same taxi vehicle year was changed to 2006. [47] The defendant, Anoanoai Pepes evidence is that she never called Semo Siaosi and instructed him to change the year of taxi vehicle T-337. Her evidence is, she did not know of the existence of such vehicle on the date Semo Siaosi said she called him. Anoanoai said she only met the man who owns the said vehicle, Talanai Palesoo, on 21 March 2018 when he went to her home to ask for financial assistance to register his vehicles due for registration in March 2018. She said that Talanai knows her husband. [48] The defendant agreed to give Talanai some money to assist with the registration of his vehicles on the condition that one of his taxi vehicles to be registered to Anoanoai until Talanai pays back the full amount. Talanai agreed and he signed Consent to have taxi vehicle T-337 registered to Anoanoai until he fully repaid the money. The vehicle taxi T-337 was then registered under the defendant and her husbands name. [49] T-337 was inspected on 23 March 2018 and the sticker of Warrant of Fitness was issued on 26 March 2018. [50] Talanai Palesoo confirmed that he met Anoanoai for the first time on 21 March 2018 when he went to her house. Talanai confirmed the arrangement made with the defendant and that his vehicle has been returned and re-registered under his name. [51] The correct year of T-337 is 2003 not 2002 as noted on the Comment box by Semo Siaosi. As a year 2003 vehicle, it still falls within the Cabinet Directive and can still be re-registered as a taxi in 2018. Semo was asked why he did not correct the vehicle year of in the comments from 2002 to the correct year of 2003. He said that he told his boss, IT Manager, Tausala Kolose and she told him to leave it as it is. The evidence is, IT division has full access to the RTAS system can make changes to or on the system.31 The question, is, why was the year of the vehicle incorrectly noted in the Comment box by Semo Siaosi not corrected? [52] It just does not make sense why the vehicle year for T-337 would be changed to 2006 when it still falls within the 15 year Cabinet Directive and can still be registered as a taxi in 2018. Secondly, I fail to understand why the year of the vehicle that was incorrectly entered as 2002 in the Comment box was not corrected by IT, which has full access to the RTAS system. [53] I find the evidence of the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe and defence witness, Talanai Palesoo more credible and plausible than the evidence of Semo Siaosi and that of Juliana Ah Yek for the prosecution. The timeline as in the evidence of Anoanoai Pepe was more believable, that is, 21 March 2018 met Talanai Palesoo and on 23 March 2018 the vehicle was inspected and the sticker for Warrant of Fitness was issued on 26 March 2018.32 The vehicle T-337 when inspected on 23 March 2018 for re-registration by Road Use Management Division (RUM) was already registered to the defendant, Anoanoai and her husband33 pursuant to the agreement the defendant had with Talanai Palesoo. [54] The evidence of Semo Siaosi and that of Juliana Ah Yek in relation to the alleged phone call by Anoanoai Pepe is at best left wanting and at times incoherent. [55] A document is not forgery merely because it contains false statements. This is because forgery is not concerned with the contents but the nature of the documents which must tell a lie about itself.34 The words purports to be made by as in the definition of false document means that the document is about authorship and not content. [56] Forgery is about a person making the document purporting it to be made by someone else or with authorization of that other person. It is about authenticity as to the author. [57] The evidence is very clear, that it was not the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe who made the change or changed the year of the vehicle but Senior IT officer, Semo Siaosi. [58] In summary, the charge of forgery fails for the following reasons: (i) The defendant did not make the change; (ii) The alleged facts put forward by the prosecution do not fall within the definition of creating a false document35 in forgery; (iii) The Court accepts the evidence of the defendant Anoanoai Pepe and witness Talanai Palesoo. [59] On the other hand, the evidence by the defendant and that of witness Talanai had also raised a doubt to the evidence of Semo Siaosi and Juliana Ah Yek for the prosecution. Where there is doubt, the usual rule is that the benefit of the doubt should be with the defendant. [60] The prosecution did not prove the charge of forgery beyond reasonable doubt and the charge is dismissed. (iii) Using forged document36 [61] The defendant, Anoanoai Pepe is charged as follows: ...that at Vaitele on the 13th day of March 2018, the above named defendant of Vaitele, a document forged, namely Road Transport Administration System (RTAS) printer PSV vehicle inspection sheet T-337 uses the document to obtain any pecuniary advantage or benefit. [62] The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that: (i) The defendant knew the document was false that is, forged at the relevant time of use; and (ii) The defendant used or dealt with or acted upon the false document as if it were genuine. [63] The charge of forgery under section 194 requires the act of making the false document by the defendant herself. The intent required for the making of a false document in forgery is carried out into effect in the use.38 The act under section 195 is the act of using or dealing with the false document. [64] The prosecution case is that the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe being the person who instructed the change therefore knew that the information pertaining to T-337 on the RTAS system was false and she used or acted upon the false information as if it were genuine to have the vehicle registered as a commercial vehicle (taxi) to enable it to be referred to her staff debtors account. [65] LTA staff has staff benefits in the form of a Staff Debtor that allows a staff member to pay for registration of their vehicles where a payment plan is set up and deducted from their wages instead of paying the full amount in cash with the cashier. The conditions of this benefit are: (i) the staff can only refer two (vehicles) under their staff debtor entitlement; (ii) the vehicles must be registered under their names and (iii) the vehicles are not public commercial vehicles.39 Approval by the Finance Manager or Assistant Finance Manager is required for the use of this benefit. [66] The evidence accepted by the court is, the defendant did not instruct Semo to make the change. The change of year of the vehicle on the RTAS system was not made by the defendant, Anoanoai but by the Senior IT officer, Semo Siaosi. [67] The change of ownership from Talanai Palesoo to Anoanoai Pepe was agreed to by Talanai as in his evidence. The change of ownership on the RTAS system was made by Anoanoai herself because as Legal Manager she has access and authority to do so. Taxi vehicle T-337 was approved by the Assistant Manager of Finance40 to go on the defendants (staff) debtors account. [68] The innocent agent referred to by the prosecution in their submissions to apply to the circumstances of the case against the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe, does not apply. The innocent agent principle applies to offences committed by several people referred to as parties. In Anoanoai Pepes case no one is charged as a party. [69] The charge of forgery is dismissed because the defendant, Anoanoai did not make the change resulting in a false document41 or instruct Semo Siaosi to change the year of the vehicle. The charge of using a forged document cannot survive if there is no forgery. [70] The charge of using a forged document against the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe is dismissed. (iv) [71] [72] Altering document with intent to deceive42 The defendant, Anoanoai Pepe is charged as follows:43 ...that at Vaitele on the 13th day of March 2018, the above named defendant of Vaitele, with intent to obtain by deception any privilege, service, pecuniary advantage, benefit alters the Road Transport Administration System (RTAS) information in relation to vehicle T-337. The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that: (i) The defendant altered the document; and (ii) The defendant intended to obtain by deception any property, privilege, services, pecuniary advantage, benefit or valuable consideration. [73] if it is changed in some manner. Alteration is not defined and that its normal meaning carries that a document is altered [74] The defendant, Anoanoai is charged and alleged to have altered the information on RTAS system by changing the registered owner of T-337 on the RTAS from Talanai Palesoo to her name without the proper documentation to confirm/verify the change and she did so with the intention to obtain by deception any privilege, services, pecuniary advantage or benefit. [75] I accept the evidence of Anoanoai Pepe and Talanai of the arrangement they made as in [paragraphs 47-50 herein] as follows: Talanai agreed to have T-337 registered to Anoanoai Pepe until he has fully paid the money that he owed Anoanoai; Talanai signed a Consent to have T-337 registered to Anoanoai; and Taxi vehicle T-337 was re-registered to Talanai Palesoo when he fully paid the money he owed to Anoanoai. [76] The defendant, Anoanoai, as Legal Manager had authority and access to the RTAS system to make changes as to ownership. The intention was for the change in ownership to the defendant as some sort of security for the money she lent to Talanai the owner of T-337. [77] The vehicle although registered under Anoanoai Pepe and her husband, possession of the vehicle and all benefits pertaining to the taxi in both evidence of the defendant and Talanai remained with Talanai. There is no evidence of obtaining by deception. [78] The charge of altering with intent to deceive against the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe is dismissed. (v) Using altered document with intent to deceive44 [79] The defendant, Anoanoai Pepe is charged as follows:45 ...that at Vaitele on the 13th day of March 2018, the above named defendant of Vaitele, with intent to obtain by deception any privilege, service, pecuniary advantage or benefit knowing the Road Transport Administration System (RTAS) information in relation to vehicle T-337 to have been altered, uses or deals with that document. [80] The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that: (i) The defendant knew the document was altered; and (ii) The defendant used the document to obtain by deception any property, privilege, service, pecuniary advantage, benefit or valuable consideration. [81] The conduct element only requires that the defendant had used, dealt with or acted on the document or caused any person to use, deal with, or act upon it. The mental element though falls into three parts: (1) The defendant must know the relevant matters relating to the document in question had been altered to deceive. (2) The defendant must have intended by the employment of the document (or cause another to use or rely on it) to obtain by deception any property, privilege, service, pecuniary advantage, benefit or valuable consideration. (3) There must be an intention to acquire or retain the property etc by deception. [82] The defendant knew that the ownership of vehicle T-337 has been changed to her name because she made the change. The prosecution says that the change enabled Anoanoai to refer T-337 to her staff debtor account. This is the privilege, benefit or pecuniary advantage the prosecution refers to. [83] The change of ownership was made with consent by the owner of T-337, Talanai Palesoo to Anoanoai Pepe. The change made on RTAS was lawful because Anoanoai had consent to do so and as Manager Legal she has access and authority to effect those changes on RTAS. As such, there is no intention to obtain by deception any privilege or benefit or valuable consideration. [84] The prosecution has also failed to prove this charge beyond reasonable doubt. The charge of using altered document against the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe is dismissed. (vi) Damaging or interfering with electronic data47 [85] The defendant, Anoanoai Pepe is charged as follows:48 ...that at Vaitele on the 13th day of March 2018, the above named defendant of Vaitele, with intent and without authorization or being reckless as to whether or not he is authorized, alters electronic data namely, Road Transport Administration System (RTAS) information in relation to vehicle registration number T-337. [86] The elements of the offence the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt are: (i) The defendant altered the electronic data; (ii) The altering of the electronic data was intentional or reckless; and (iii) Without authorization. [87] The difference between this offence and altering of document with intent to deceive (s.196) is this offence requires that the altering is not only intentional (or reckless) but also without authorization. There is also no requirement that the intention of altering is to obtain by deception any benefit or pecuniary advantage. [88] The offence of damaging or interfering with electronic data is simply altering electronic data intentionally and without authorization. [89] Alteration is not defined under Part 18 but according to the Convention on Cybercrime49 alteration means the modification of existing data. [90] Electronic data is defined50 to mean: any representation of facts, concepts, information (either texts, sounds or images), or machine-readable code or instructions, in a form suitable for processing in an electronic system, including a program suitable to cause an electronic system to perform a function. [91] Like the charge of forgery, the act of altering must have been by the defendant and not by anyone else. The evidence as accepted is that the altering or making the change on RTAS relating to the year of T-337 was by Semo Siaosi. [92] The prosecution case is that the defendant, Anoanoai directed that the RTAS information be altered so that the year made for vehicle T-337 is 2006 not 2003 and she had no authority to do so. [93] In relation to the change of ownership for T-337 I reiterate the reasons given in paragraph [76] herein. The change made on RTAS was lawful because Anoanoai had consent of Talanai Palesoo to do so and as Legal Manager, she has access and authority to effect the change on RTAS. [94] The charge of damaging or interference with electronic data against the defendant, Anoanoai Pepe is also dismissed. TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW. Home will always be where the heart is for two Samoan sailors. Having traversed the oceans of the world for two consecutive years as crew members of the cruise ship MSC Magnifica thoughts of a brief stopover in Samoa, were long extinguished. But that changed for Paapaa Mataitai and Soloaiga Liua Savaiinaea on Monday. It happened when the 3,223-passenger capacity cruise ship berthed at Matautu-tai in Apia, with a Samoa Government delegation led by the Deputy Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa on hand to welcome them. Mr. Mataitai was overwhelmed by the occasion, and seeing his wife and two children approach the ship. There are no better words to explain how I feel right now, because Ive been on the ship for more than two years now, and having my kids around me again right now is just so wonderful, he told the Samoa Observer, in an interview. This moment is explained as when you lose someone for years and has now been reunited again. Samoan sailor, Principal T Soloaiga Liua Savaiinaea, spoke of the experiences theyve had to face during the cruise ships voyage compared to how it is now back in the country. Being on the cruise ship is a whole different world, where you get to approach different people with different cultures and languages. And back here at home (in Samoa), Im just obliged with only one language and culture to obey, he said. Another Samoan sailor, who didnt want to be identified, said each one of them has a nine-month contract with the MSC Magnifica, and returning to the country works out for those who just ended their contracts. Its a perfect opportunity for us who have finished the contracts and are on a break to come to Samoa because we wouldnt want to spend so many hours on the plane to come back to Samoa to visit our loved ones. Were so grateful towards the MSC Magnifica and the management for the wonderful opportunity, he said. The MSC Magnifica departed Apia for Tonga 5.00pm Monday and berths at Nukualofa this morning. It will then head to Suva and Lautoka in Fiji for the weekend, before leaving for New Zealand early next week. BRUSSELS (AP) Chinese tech company Huawei on Tuesday opened a cybersecurity lab in Brussels, the heart of the European Union, as it tries to win over government leaders and fight back U.S. allegations that its equipment poses a national security risk. Company executives inaugurated the Huawei Cyber Security Transparency Centre, which will allow the wireless companies that are its customers to review the source code running its network gear. The launch comes amid a standoff between the U.S. and China over Huawei Technologies, the world's biggest maker of telecom infrastructure for new high-speed 5G networks. The U.S. has been lobbying allied countries and companies to shun Huawei because of fears its equipment could facilitate digital espionage by China's communist leaders. The new lab in the Belgian capital gives Huawei a venue to reassure the EU's policymakers about its cybersecurity credentials. It opened a similar center in Bonn, Germany, in November and funds a government-run British testing site, the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre, that opened in 2010. Huawei said the Brussels center will be a platform where government agencies, technical experts, industry associations, and standards organizations can collaborate on cybersecurity. It will also be a place where Huawei's customers - wireless and internet companies - can test the company's networking equipment. That includes giving them access to Huawei's source code "our crown jewels," John Suffolk, Huawei's global cybersecurity and privacy officer told reporters. Suffolk said that while Huawei lets telecom companies use the Brussels center's facilities and access its software, it doesn't necessarily know what they're doing or searching for. "It's a little bit like a black box," Suffolk said. Europe is Huawei's biggest market outside China, and the company hopes to play a key role in building the continent's 5G networks, in competition with Scandinavian rivals Ericsson and Nokia. Fifth-generation mobile networks enable lightning fast download speeds and reduce signal lag, advances that will be used in smart factories, self-driving cars and remote surgery. Western officials are worried that China's cybersecurity law requires the company to cooperate with the country's intelligence service. However, executives repeated their position that Huawei has never been asked to hand over sensitive information and would refuse to do so if asked. Neither would it install secret backdoors in its software. "There's no evidence," said Vincent Pang, Huawei's president for Western Europe. Suffolk said there's "some level of confusion" surrounding the interpretation of various countries' cybersecurity laws. "This is not uncommon and I think we'll see this continue as time goes on," he said. Cyersecurity experts wondered whether the Brussels center was more a way for Huawei to press its public relations offensive against the U.S. campaign than for serious cyber protection. "Simple auditing of source code, made in a limited capacity, and only at a small closed facility might not suffice to seriously establish the actual security level, and definitely not at a scale. But it is a nice demonstration of openness nonetheless," said Lukasz Olejnik, a research associate at Oxford University's Center for Technology and Global Affairs. He said that creating dedicated and comprehensive cybersecurity standards and regulations would take a lot longer. He compared it with the new European data privacy regulations that took effect last year and were a "multi-year endeavor." The U.S. government's campaign against Huawei has also included criminal charges against its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who the U.S. wants to extradite from Canada to face charges she misled banks about the company's business with Iran. Despite the U.S. pressure, there are signs that European governments and mobile companies are resisting a blanket ban on Huawei equipment. GSMA, the mobile industry's trade group, has recommended a testing and certification program. In an annual review of Huawei's engineering practices published in July, Britain's cybersecurity agency noted "shortcomings" that "exposed new risks in the U.K. telecommunication networks." But none were deemed of medium or high priority. TORONTO (AP) A leading Cabinet minister in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government resigned Monday, becoming the second minister to step down over a scandal that has shaken the government in an election year. Treasury Board president Jane Philpott, considered a star minister, said in a resignation letter that it was "untenable" for her to continue in the Cabinet because she lost confidence and could not defend the government. Philpott's friend, former Attorney General and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, testified last week that Trudeau and senior members of his government inappropriately tried to pressure her to avoid prosecution of a major Canadian engineering company in a case involving allegations of corruption in Libya. Wilson-Raybould resigned from Cabinet last month after being demoted to veteran affairs minister the month before. The scandal has rocked Trudeau's government. Gerald Butts, his closet adviser and best friend, also resigned last month and is scheduled to testify Wednesday before a Parliament justice committee in Trudeau's defense. "I know Philpott has felt this way for some time. And while I am disappointed, I understand her decision to step down. I want to thank her for her service," Trudeau said at a campaign-style event. Trudeau said he takes the concerns very seriously and said the matter has generated an important discussion. "But at the same time, we need to keep in mind the bigger picture," Trudeau said. Trudeau has acknowledged raising the issue with Wilson-Raybould, but has said that was appropriate. "I have concluded that I must resign as a member of Cabinet," Philpott wrote. "Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised." Philpott, a physician, is a former minister of health and minister of indigenous services and was widely viewed as of one of Trudeau's most competent Cabinet ministers. "The evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former Attorney General to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin, and the evidence as to the content of those efforts have raised serious concerns for me," Philpott wrote. "I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities and constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one's principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them." Philpott said she would continue as a Parliament member for Trudeau's Liberal Party. Wilson-Raybould said the same last week but declined to say she had confidence in Trudeau. Trudeau said earlier Monday he was still deciding whether Wilson-Raybould could remain a member of his party in Parliament. Trudeau thanked Philpott for her service in a short statement that said he would have more to say later in Toronto. The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, said at a news conference that Philpott's resignation demonstrates "a government in total chaos" and called again for Trudeau to resign and for a police investigation of the affair. Wilson-Raybould testified last week she was pressured to instruct the director of public prosecutions to negotiate a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin. The agreement would have allowed the company to pay reparations but avoid a criminal trial on charges of corruption and bribery. But Wilson-Raybould said the pressure was not illegal and said she was not instructed to interfere. If convicted criminally, the Montreal-based company would be banned from receiving any federal government business for a decade. SNC-Lavalin is an economic force in Canada, with 9,000 employees in the country and about 50,000 worldwide. "This is a spectacular blow to the government" said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. "It has become rare that ministers resign on principle in Canada. And now we've had two in such a short time. It reveals deep division in the Cabinet about how to deal with Jody Wilson-Raybould." He said he thinks that most ministers and Liberal lawmakers want to kick her out of the party and that Philpott does not agree with them. Wiseman said the last time he can recall something like this was in 1963 when three Cabinet ministers resigned over then Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's opposition to the stationing of American nuclear weapons on Canadian soil. "This blow won't bring down the government, and Trudeau, like Diefenbaker, will survive and fight back," Wiseman said. Robert Bothwell, a professor at the University of Toronto, said the resignations speak to Trudeau's failure to connect with his own troops. "His failure to give a vigorous but reasoned response at the beginning of this pseudo-scandal allowed it to grow into Godzilla," Bothwell said. Bothwell said Trudeau is not like his father, the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who swept to office in 1968 on a wave of support dubbed "Trudeaumania" and governed for most of the next two decades. "Previous prime ministers benefited from experience and seniority, or respect, or fear, or just the feeling that they knew the way better than anybody else. Trudeau the father had all these attributes," Bothwell said. Alpine is finally getting its park. The county Board of Supervisors last week unanimously agreed to pay $1.6 million to purchase 98 acres of the 230-acre Wrights Field nature preserve. The property, which is bordered by South Grade Road and Tavern Road, will be transformed into a park for the mountain community. Supervisors will also be conserving a portion of the property as open space. I think its phenomenal and overdue, resident Mary Harris said. Advertisement Unlike other county areas, such as Lakeside, Descanso, Spring Valley, Flinn Springs and Pine Valley, Alpine lacks a major park. Alpine has just 1.83 acres of park land per 1,000 residents, far less than its goal of 10 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. The Alpine Union School District has some parkland on its campuses, but the parks are small in size and offer limited community access. Now you can celebrate, Supervisor Dianne Jacob said after the vote to Harris and Barbara Murray, who were part of a grassroots park effort begun two years ago. The county purchased the land from Texas-based Wrights Field Partnership LLC. The cost includes the appraised value of $1.37 million for the land and $200,000 in one-time land protection costs. Land protection includes the initial stewardship featuring fencing, signage, access control measures and vegetation management. Jacob said community members will have an opportunity to design the park and weigh in on amenities they would like to see. It will be a great process, she said. Although Yolaine Stout was not there, Harris thanked the longtime Alpine resident for her efforts to bring a park to the area. Stout has lived in Alpine for 32 years. In the mid 2000s, she and her late husband, David, were instrumental in the creation of Wrights Field. Im thrilled with this announcement its really long overdue, Stout said. Its about time Alpine got a county park. The locals have fought really hard, and for many years, for public open space and a public park. Im thrilled because a big portion of that community park will also be dedicated to open space. This is a victory for the community. The county estimates it will need $75,500 annually for maintenance of the park. The exact amount and group to take care of the park will be determined once it is designed, and will be included in future operational plans, the county said. George Barnett, an officer with Back County Land Trust, a nonprofit that cares for Wrights Field, said he has reached out to the county. I have offered to the county the idea of fencing and gates between the properties and conducting joint fire protection, environmental habitat management and restoration, environmental teaching and mutually beneficial passive park uses, Barnett said. Travis Lyon, chairman of the Alpine Community Planning Group, said he expects that there will be plenty of discussion over the next 1 years about the parks amenities. Those discussions will play out in Alpine Community Planning Group meetings and County Department of Parks and Rec public open house meetings, Lyon said. Barnett also said there has been talk in the community about naming some feature of the park after Jacob in recognition of her steadfast support to the town. Jacob is the longest-serving supervisor in San Diego County history. First elected in 1992, Jacob will be termed out after 2020 because of a ballot measure approved by voters in 2010 that limits supervisors to two four-year terms. karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com Will Michelins stars be shining on San Diego? Todays news that Michelin will release a guide covering all of California this summer raises the prospect that San Diego may be recognized in the worlds most prestigious culinary rating system. The Los Angeles Times reported that the California Michelin Guide will fold in its current rankings for the San Francisco area currently the only part of the state reviewed by the France-based organizations highly secretive anonymous inspectors. L.A. had previously been graded by Michelin but was dropped because, as the Times quoted its then-director as saying, the people in Los Angeles are not real foodies. They are not too interested in eating well. Advertisement A California-wide guide, coupled with The New York Times naming its first-ever Golden State-based food critic, is recognition of just how much the culinary conversation in this country has shifted from the primacy of East Coast French-technique-centric fine-dining establishments to the relevance of contemporary, ingredient-driven but no less ambitious West Coast eateries. Michelin recognizes California as a booming culinary destination which is setting the dining trends for the future, international director Gwendal Poullennec told the L.A. Times. A statewide edition will enable Michelin to extend its reach to new areas, and in doing so engage with a broader audience of foodies who love the high-quality, laid-back dining scene. The likelihood of San Diego being one of the new areas caused an optimistic stir in certain dining circles Tuesday. And while people were speculating privately, several prominent local chefs declined to be quoted for this story, with one saying it could be seen as unseemly. Eater San Diego editor Candice Woo said she didnt feel comfortable naming any potential Michelin star recipients. But the fact that San Diego will be evaluated on the same playing field as the worlds greatest restaurants and getting feedback from anonymous, food-focused reviews will be incredibly valuable to the continuing evolution and growth of our restaurant culture, Woo said. On any betting persons Michelin-star short list would have to be Addison, the uncompromisingly impeccable luxury restaurant at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar led by chef William Bradley. The Forbes 5-Star and AAA Five-Diamond-rated temple of high gastronomy has garnered national acclaim, in no small part because of Bradleys association with Americas most decorated chef, Thomas Keller. Kellers French Laundry in Napa Valleys Yountville and Per Se in New York both hold three Michelin stars, and his Bouchon, also in Yountville, has one. Bradley is a protege of Kellers. He was handpicked by Keller for the Worlds Next Super Chef Robb Report 2014 Culinary Masters Competition, and Keller said Bradley represents the future of the profession. Last year, Keller cooked at Addison, the first time the super chef appeared in a San Diego kitchen. But if the California Michelin Guide is indeed broadening its ratings sphere to include high-quality, laid-back restaurants, its conceivable that other San Diego dining destinations will earn the highly coveted recognition. Possible contenders could be Market Restaurant + Bar in Del Mar; Born & Raised in Little Italy; Georges California Modern in La Jolla; and El Jardin in Liberty Station. El Jardin chef Claudette Wilkins-Zepeda, known for her elevated regional Mexican fare, is currently a semifinalist for a James Beard Award, Best Chef: West, the only San Diegan on the list. Perhaps the wildest of all wild cards could be Jeune et Jolie, a brand-new jewel box of a restaurant in Carlsbad thats turning out Addison-quality food. Its executive chef, Andrew Bachelier, worked with Bradley at Addison for five years. michele.parente@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @sdeditgirl When: 6 p.m. PST. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830. Update: The surprising Coyotes have won six in a row and are only two points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Arizona goalie Darcy Kuemper is 15-3-3 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.24 goals-against average since Jan. 1. This is the fourth meeting between the teams, with the Coyotes having won twice in Anaheim and the Ducks once in Arizona. President Moon Jae-in will embark on a seven-day visit to three Southeast Asian countries on Sunday. Cheong Wa Dae said Monday he visits Brunei from March 10 to 12 for a summit with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah before moving on to Malaysia, where he will meet with King Abdullah as well as nonagenarian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Lastly he visits Cambodia from March 14 to 16, where he meets with King Norodom Sihamoni and perennial strongman Hun Sen. Cheong Wa Dae said Moon will discuss ways to boost partnerships with them. Californias wet winter has had a dramatic effect on the states reservoirs, and one lake has turned the excess rain into a unique waterfall. The Monticello Dams Morning Glory Spillway in Northern California or, as its commonly known, the Glory Hole has been active for the first time in two years following recent rains that overfilled Lake Berryessa. The lake is situated halfway between Santa Rosa and Sacramento, and travelers on Highway 128 in Solano County have been stopping to watch the giant funnel that is built into the lake siphon rushing water into a deep hole. Lake Berryessa normally holds about 1 million acre-feet of water, said Roland Sanford, a general manager for the Solano County Water Agency. But a series of winter storms, many fueled by atmospheric rivers, have dumped nearly 200,000 gallons of additional water into the lake, which is about 45 miles west of Sacramento. Advertisement Sanford estimates the lake is currently holding 1.6 million acre-feet of water. If it keeps raining through March, the spillway will be active for about three months, he said. A new storm was rolling its way across the state Tuesday and was expected to bring plenty of additional rain to the area. Usually the spillway, which is 72 feet in diameter, is inactive, protruding slightly above the water. But when the lake is full and it rains, travelers often slow or stop along the highway to watch the giant hole swallow water. A walkway leads to a fence around the dam, where the curious can watch water rapidly plunge into the hole until it flushes into Putah Creek 200 feet below. On Monday, the water was flowing at a rate of about 5,000 cubic feet per second, but Sanford said it could plunge as fast as 48,000 cubic feet per second down the pipe. It is a very unusual and striking spillway. Theres only one other one in California in Redding, he said. Spillways that drain water through an underwater pipe are generally called glory holes, said Chris Orrock, a spokesman with the California Department of Water Resources, although Sanford said he thought Lake Berryessas spillway name came from the morning glory flower. Fans have taken to social media, posting photos and videos of the unusual site, which one user called mesmerizing. Visitors sometimes take drone video to capture the water plunging down like an internal waterfall something the water company discourages because of safety concerns, Sanford said. With an atmospheric-river storm sweeping through the state this week, the rain streak is likely to continue. In Solano County, rain is expected from Tuesday night through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. That will boost it up again, Sanford said of Lake Berryessas water levels. The last time the spillway was active was in 2017, a record year for rainfall in California after years of drought conditions. Before that, it spilled in 2006, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com Twitter: @r_valejandra The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday is poised to end or extend a pivotal legal battle over homeless peoples property rights a case that has been framed as a bellwether for both downtown development and the future of skid row. The city has wrestled with the property rights issue for years, and in 2016 adopted an ordinance limiting homeless peoples belongings to what would fit in a 60-gallon bag. The law also requires the city to give 24-hour notice of cleanups and to store confiscated items where they can be reclaimed on skid row. But after a lawsuit was filed in 2016, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero in Los Angeles barred the city from seizing and destroying homeless peoples belongings on skid row unless officials could show the property is abandoned, threatens public health or safety, or consists of contraband or evidence of a crime. The city has lost or settled a skein of past litigation over the destruction of homeless peoples possessions. And after Otero issued the injunction against improper seizures, City Atty. Mike Feuer recommended coming to a compromise with the plaintiffs. Advertisement But in a sign of the issues volatility and political sensitivity, the citys Budget and Financial Committee waived a review, and the Homelessness and Poverty Committee split 2 to 2 on settling the case last month. The issue was then moved to the City Council without a recommendation, setting up Wednesdays deliberations over the lawsuit. Skid row is home to 4,200 homeless people, half of whom live in tents and ragged shantytowns along the sidewalks and alleys of the 50-block district. For months, developers and business representatives have lobbied the council in public and private to fight the judges injunction, which they say has hobbled police enforcement on skid row and fostered disorder and disease, including a typhus outbreak. They also contend the ruling sets up a two-tiered system, in which sprawling tent encampments can be cleared from most of downtown, but not on skid row. Business groups are particularly concerned that a settlement between plaintiffs and the city will stop or slow downtown redevelopment just as it is about to cross into skid row. Advocates contend the city violated homeless peoples constitutional rights by removing tents, blankets, clothing, medication and other possessions essential to their survival. The case, Mitchell vs. City of Los Angeles, was filed on behalf of three homeless residents and two skid row anti-poverty groups, alleging the city used street cleanups and arrests for minor quality of life offenses as pretexts to dismantle their camps and destroy their property. One of the plaintiffs, Carl Mitchell, said after his arrest for allegedly having a stolen shopping cart (he denies it), his backpack was confiscated with his medication and other important paperwork inside. Mitchell was released from jail in the middle of the night, and slept on the sidewalk as the temperature dipped to 40 degrees with only a blanket he found in another persons cart, the lawsuit said. During another arrest, a lieutenant with the Los Angeles Police Department refused Judy Colemans request to grab her walker and medication, and officers later thwarted her attempts to recover them, the suit said. The city disputed the plaintiffs facts and argued that officials had to balance the rights of homeless people against the quality of life of the rest of the community. Lawyers asked Otero for a clarification, allowing them to throw out sofas, oversized tents and pallets that critics said were evidence of hoarding by homeless people. The judge found that while the city had a heavy burden in keeping the squalid streets of skid row clean, homeless peoples needs outweighed those of the city. Although a preliminary injunction will place additional burdens on the city to keep Los Angeles safe, to put it bluntly, Otero said, plaintiffs may not survive without some of the essential property that has been confiscated. Downtown business owners, developers, real estate professionals and residents now argue that the homeless crisis has deteriorated so badly that another judge will reverse Oteros ruling. A lot of customers wont come in, said Jessica Millan, the owner of a downtown pizzeria who plans to present a petition against settling the Mitchell case to the City Council. They complain about the smell, and people who have bugs coming out of their hair. The people are disgusted and walk away. But civil rights lawyer Carol Sobel, a member of the plaintiffs legal team, said it will not be hard to show that the homeless crisis is of Los Angeles own making. The city for 20 years has failed to address this problem, she said. What they do when it comes to homeless people is strip them of their humanity. The council is slated to take the lawsuit up in closed session. A public announcement is expected if a decision is reached. gholland@latimes.com Twitter: @geholland In the weeks after Hurricane Harveys catastrophic sweep through the Houston area which resulted in chemical spills, fires, flooded storage tanks and damaged industrial plants rescue crews and residents complained of burning throats, nausea and dizziness. Fifteen hundred miles west in the high desert city of Palmdale, NASA scientists were preparing to fly a DC-8, equipped with the worlds most sophisticated air samplers over the hurricane zone to monitor pollution levels. The mission never got off the ground. Both the state of Texas and the EPA told the scientists to stay away. According to emails obtained by The Times via a public records request and interviews with dozens of scientists and officials familiar with the situation, EPA and state officials argued that NASAs data would cause confusion and might overlap with their own analysis which was showing only a few, isolated spots of concern. Advertisement At this time, we dont think your data would be useful, Michael Honeycutt, Texas director of toxicology, wrote to NASA officials, adding that low-flying helicopters equipped with infra-red cameras, contracted by his agency, would be sufficient. EPA deferred to Honeycutt, a controversial toxicologist who has suggested air pollution may be beneficial to human health. The response stunned NASA scientists, many of whom had flown similar missions in the past, including over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. An EPA spokesman said the decision to wave off the Hurricane Harvey mission was made by Texas state officials, whose own pollution monitoring efforts included mobile bus units and crews with hand-held devices on the ground. But NASA scientists say that, had the DC-8 been deployed, it would have provided the most comprehensive and detailed analysis of air quality in the region, allowing for a more thorough understanding of the situation. Its totally possible wed have found nothing at all to be concerned about, said Tom Ryerson, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher who had previously been part of the Deepwater Horizon mission. But at least wed have known that, he said, without a doubt. Some see the EPA decision as part of a pattern. Since taking office, the Trump administration has rejected and suppressed established science, partnered with fringe researchers and embraced industry-backed views including appointing a former coal lobbyist as its new EPA administrator. At the time of the hurricane, the agency was run by Scott Pruitt, who during his tenure targeted dozens of environmental regulations for rollback, including several focused on air pollution. This is a very clear illustration of the politics of knowledge, said Scott Frickel, an environmental sociologist at Brown University, referring to the rejection of the NASA jet. The EPA Region 6 and Texas authorities dont want to know, so they are passing on something really important about urban-scale disasters. Hurricane Harveys storm clouds in Houston on Aug. 29, 2017. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Clouds of benzene over Houston On Aug. 25, 2017, Harvey stalled over the Texas coast, unleashing record rainfall on Houston and Galveston. The area is one of the most heavily concentrated industrialized hubs in the nation, home to thousands of petroleum refineries and chemical manufacturing plants and more than a dozen Superfund sites. Over the next eight days, the storm dumped more than 60 inches of rain on some areas of the region, pummeling it with wind gusts in excess of 150 mph, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and EPA. On Aug. 28, Gov. Greg Abbott suspended state emission rules, including those governing air pollution, after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality argued they would impede disaster response. The rules remained suspended for the next seven months. When the storm finally moved north and east on Sept. 4, the level of environmental destruction and confusion on the ground was unprecedented. Smokestacks, pipelines and generators had been damaged or destroyed. Storage tanks filled with toxic chemicals were battered and leaking. Superfund sites were flooded, spilling hazardous waste into nearby rivers, streams and neighborhoods. Officials from the EPA and the state environmental agency, which had shut down their stationary air monitors to avoid storm damage, maintained the air quality was fine. In addition to using ground technology, they flew in a single-engine prop plane that took photos and used infrared technology to detect chemical plumes in the area. Despite EPA claims that pollutants were well below levels of health concern, residents and rescuers complained of the fumes. Clouds of benzene and other cancer-causing chemicals floated over the city, according to analyses by environmental groups and news reports. As those reports spread, researchers with NASAs Atmospheric Tomography Mission program thought they could help. Since 2016, the chemistry laboratory has flown more that 197,000 miles around the globe, sampling hundreds of unique airborne gases or particles. The team was about to embark on its fourth and final mission around the globe and had planned a six-hour test flight for Sept. 14 that would take them east to Lamont, Okla., where theyd carry out compass measurements, before heading back to Palmdale. Chris Jennison, a DC-8 mission manager, aboard the NASA-operated plane in Palmdale. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) The laboratory inside the DC-8, when running at full capacity, hosts roughly three dozen scientists and engineers and a crew of eight. Tubes, spigots and flasks on the aircrafts exterior guzzle in air samples as the jet bobs up and down between its lowest altitude of 500 feet and its ceiling at 40,000 feet. When fully equipped it bristles like a porcupine with probes, tubes and laser equipment sticking out of the hull and windows and dangling off the wings all of them plugged into instruments on board, said Chris Jennison, the DC-8 mission manager, during a recent tour of the plane. It is the most precise and comprehensive airborne air quality lab on the planet, according to scientists familiar with the equipment. Where the EPAs air pollution single-prop plane can gather some basic chemistry of about two dozen species of air-pollutant compounds, the NASA jet can analyze more than 450. As the team watched the disaster unfold, Paul Newman, chief scientist of NASAs Earth Science Division, suggested they divert their test run and fly over Houston. The timing was serendipitous. The DC-8 was fully equipped and ready to go. We agreed this would be a good opportunity to support the Hurricane Harvey recovery effort, Lawrence Friedl, NASAs director of Applied Sciences wrote in a Sept. 8, 2017 email to the agencys then-acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot and others. Indeed, NASAs press shop was touting its coordination with the hurricane emergency response. But over the next few days, it became clear neither the EPA nor the state of Texas saw this particular offer in that same light. The NASA-operated DC-8 in its Palmdale hangar between missions. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Emails detail how EPA officials fretted about overlaps On Sept. 9, David Gray, the EPAs deputy regional administrator in Texas and leader of the agencys emergency response, wrote to NASA and Texas officials that he was hesitant to have the jet collect additional information that overlaps our existing efforts until he learned more about the mission. He noted that media and nongovernmental organizations were releasing data that was conflicting with the state and EPAs. NASA scientists tried to reassure Gray and Honeycutt that they wouldnt do anything to hinder the data collection efforts. They said they wouldnt focus on particular facility emissions but instead assess whether large changes in air quality had occurred following the disaster. They also promised not to deliver their data to the media, although they underscored it would eventually be made public. In addition, they noted, similar interagency missions had succeeded in the past. In 2010, a NOAA plane with a similar payload aided the EPA in assessing air quality over the Deepwater Horizon spill. The data showed Gulf air was OK to breathe, assuaging the concerns of rescue operators and emergency responders. Jane Lubchenco, the former NOAA administrator who oversaw the Deepwater Horizon mission, said the cooperation and tone of discussion then was set at the highest level: The president made it clear he wanted teamwork throughout. There is no good reason why that cannot happen most of the time, she said. But the NASA scientists assurances didnt work. The key decision-maker was Honeycutt, known for his energy industry-friendly views on toxic chemicals and pollutants. Six weeks later, Trumps EPA would appoint Honeycutt chairman of the agencys Science Advisory Board, an independent panel of scientists charged with providing advice to the agencys administrator. On Sept. 11, Honeycutt wrote in an email to NASA and EPA officials that state data showed no sign for concern, and we dont think your data would be useful for source identification while industry continues to restart their operations. Gray agreed with Honeycutt: EPA concurs with your assessment and we will not plan to ask NASA to conduct this mission. The NASA team was stupefied. NASA does NOT need EPA approval, Newman wrote to the teams project coordinator, Barry Lefer. We certainly should notify and potentially coordinate, but we dont need approval. His superiors disagreed, and that evening Michael Freilich, the director of NASAs Earth Sciences division, called off the flight. Freilich retired on Feb. 28. The agency had received emails from both TCEQ and EPA stating unambiguously that they do not want NASA to use the DC-8 for any data acquisition, he wrote. I am personally sorry. In recent interviews, EPA and Texas officials maintained the NASA flight would not have provided useful information. NASA is equipped to gather atmospheric chemistry data, not ground-level data, which is why we declined their offer, Honeycutt wrote in an email. I did not tell NASA they could not fly their DC-8, he said. I dont have that kind of authority; Im just a state employee. John Konkus, an EPA spokesman, said the EPA didnt deny the offer, either. This is EPA facilitating the decision-maker, which in this case was the state, he said. EPA, he said, was satisfied with the air monitoring technology that EPA had and [that the state] requested we deploy. An investigation from the Associated Press and the Houston Chronicle showed there was widespread, unreported pollution and environmental damage in the region. The team identified more than 100 Harvey-related toxic releases, most of which were never publicized or vastly understated, including a cloud of hydrochloric acid that leaked from a damaged pipeline and a gasoline spill from an oil terminal that formed a vapor cloud. Even if the DC-8 flight had not detected that pollution, it is unsettling that NASA was prevented from even looking, Newman said. Science is about numbers, he said. And if youre unwilling to look, youre not doing science. susanne.rust@latimes.com louis.sahagun@latimes.com Jarring as the photos were, Jocelyn Navarro, a junior at Newport Harbor High School, said she wasnt surprised when they surfaced on Snapchat and Twitter Sunday morning. Not by the red cups arranged in a swastika. Not by the arms outstretched in Nazi salutes. Not even by the gleeful expressions worn by the high school students hoisting them. Every one of them was laughing, said Jocelyn, 16. They all had smiles on their faces. The images have sent shockwaves across Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, with politicians and school officials strongly condemning the behavior. Advertisement Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials are investigating the incident and are holding a town hall meeting tonight. But to some students, the photos underscore larger attitudes in the school system that have sown divisions. At Newport Harbor, she said, students group themselves along racial lines: Hispanic students with other Hispanics, whites with whites. It is less intentional than unconscious, she said: White people stay together, Mexicans stay together. We naturally just do it because we know thats the way it is. Josdel Hernandez, a junior at Newport Harbor, said shes seen incidents of more casual racism at school: A student doodling a swastika on a desk, for example, or cracking a joke about Nazism. Josdel, 16, said ignorance is no excuse for the anti-Semitism displayed at the weekend party. The students depicted in the photos are juniors like herself, she said, and just last month they studied the Holocaust in history class. They showed us graphic videos of the concentration camps, she said. Its not like our teachers need to show us anymore about the Holocaust. They knew what it means. Both Josdel and Jocelyn said students who condemned the Nazi displays faced a backlash from the partygoers on social media, who defended the displays as a big joke and questioned why people not of Jewish heritage were upset. They said youre not even Jewish why are you getting all offended, Jocelyn said. We dont have to be Jewish to be offended. Were offended because its wrong. Their excuse is they were just drunk, she added, but they obviously took the time to make the cups into a swastika. Matt Hernandez, a 2016 graduate of Newport Harbor, said he wasnt surprised at all that students from his alma mater would embrace Nazi imagery at a party. The surprise, he said, was that so many students condemned the displays so swiftly. Im sure this has happened in the past, he said. Its just this time, someone posted it on Snapchat. Hernandez said there were visible symptoms of what he perceived to be an intolerant social climate at Newport Harbor slurs and swastikas scrawled on bathroom stalls and in stairwells but there were less explicit displays as well. Most Hispanic students ate lunch in a quad edged with gates, he said, and white students would joke, Thats where they belong, behind the wall. It was uncomfortable to walk where white students sat, he added. There was definitely a kind of segregation when I was there. Hernandez, who now attends Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, emphasized that this attitude was held by students, not by teachers or staff. Hernandez is trans and said his teachers supported him and helped allay his fears of coming out. Hernandez has no answers for how students from his former school arrived at an embrace of Nazi imagery. But he recalled the distance his classmates tried to put between themselves and racist jokes they cracked. Theyd follow them, he said, with the disclaimer: But Im not a bad person its just a joke. On Monday, Newport Harbor students poured out of school buildings wearing every shade of blue as an act of solidarity with the Jewish community. Im very glad that we are all making a statement that the vast majority of us believe that this is disgusting, senior Sam Quattrociocchi said during lunch. Some people at the party thought they were making an edgy joke, and they were completely wrong. Fellow senior Timothy Shannon said most people are trying to figure out ways to better ourselves out of it. Quattrociocchi said the real problem is that a lot of real neo-Nazis and racists are coming away being emboldened by this. I think the most unfortunate thing is that people are suddenly feeling comfortable spewing racist garbage, he said. Some of the people in the images are believed to be students or recent graduates of Newport Harbor High School, one official said. The other high schools in the district are Costa Mesa, Estancia, Early College and Corona del Mar. The photos were apparently taken this weekend at a party not affiliated with the school system. I am heartsick and disgusted seeing kids in our community engage in anti-Semitism, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) tweeted. After days of searching, investigators think a Scotsman who reportedly vanished after diving into the waters off Carmel may have faked his own death to evade justice in his native country, where he stands accused of multiple rape charges, authorities said. A week ago, divers repeatedly scoped the picturesque Monastery Beach looking for Kim Gordon, a Scottish tourist, after his 17-year-old son told a harrowing story of his father vanishing into the waves of the Pacific Ocean the night of Feb. 25. The teen said his father went into the ocean about 7:15 p.m. at the beach, which is known for treacherously strong currents. Dubbed Mortuary Beach by some, the number of deaths at Monastery has been so high, special fences have been installed in recent years to keep people out. When teams from the U.S. Coast Guard and the state Parks Department using a drone and a helicopter didnt find a body in the deep waters after several days of searching, Monterey County Sheriffs Department investigators began to dig into the background of the Edinburgh-area man and found he was due to be tried on two dozen counts of rape. Advertisement His sons story began to fray within hours of his report, authorities said. Sheriffs Capt. John Thornburg said most people desperate to find their loved ones can provide detailed accounts, but not this boy. The story we were given by the son cant answer those questions, and thats where it all started to fall apart, Thornburg said. Authorities then began to suspect the mans disappearance was potentially a hoax in order to escape the charges against him in Scotland. With the prospect that Gordon is a fugitive from Scottish justice, the U.S. Marshals Service is now deploying investigators to work with the Monterey County Sheriffs Office to track him down. He may no longer be the only one facing charges if he is found alive. His son could face a false police report investigation. richard.winton@latimes.com Twitter: @lacrimes Slash, the nickname of one of a pair of great white pelicans who adopted Santee Lakes as their home, was wrapped in fishing line and had two lures stuck into the under side of his wing when park rangers captured him the other day. The fishing line was wrapped around his torso and wings, says ranger Ray Bach, who has worked at the lake in different capacities for more than five years. He was completely immobile except for his feet. Fellow ranger Richard Imbimbo helped cut the lines, remove the hooks and release the longtime visitor back into the lake. The park is a frequent layover haven for migrating pelicans, ducks and cormorants, but Bach estimates about eight to 10 pelicans seem to stay year-round. Santee Lakes park ranger Richard Imbimbo talks on a Facebook video about the hazard of leaving fishing line and gear by the water where birds and wildlife can become entangled. (Courtesy photo from video) Advertisement Slashs release was memorialized in a Santee Lakes Facebook post with Imbimbo cautioning: Remember to throw your fishing lines away and save (wildlife) like Slash. On the same day, the two rangers had rescued a cormorant. Fishing line was wrapped around its neck and it could hardly breathe, says Bach. A video of that successful rescue went up on Instagram. Both posts received positive online feedback. Sometimes lures snap off on rocks and logs in the lake but often tangles of loose line are simply left on shore where the birds walk. I probably get a call about an injured animal every other day, Bach says, though he adds that not all are fishing gear-related. After Slash was released, he quickly was joined by Mrs. Slash, and the pair resumed hanging out together. Thats what I call a happy ending, says Bach. Unfortunately, not all of them are. A statue titled The Padre, with the Junipero Serra Museum in the background, stands at San Diegos Presidio Park where Franciscan Father Junipero Serra founded the first mission in 1769, 250 years ago, in what is now California. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) Banner Birthday: It seemed like the 250th birthday of San Diego was going to pass by like a blip on a heart monitor screen until longtime San Diego businessman Ray Carpenter decided to stir things up. Were just a bunch of citizens getting together, Carpenter says of his ad hoc group, but he feels strongly that more should be done. We do have a pretty darn good city here. Old Town will be holding a Founders Day Festival and church observances will commemorate the first mission founded here by Father Junipero Serra in 1769, along with a handful of other events. Considering this not only was San Diegos birth but was the first permanent settlement in the future state of California, Carpenters group wants to rev it up a notch by adding more observances. They are suggesting re-branding of some annual events, such as the July Fourth fireworks on the bay as well as a re-enactment of the 1769 arrival of Spanish ships in the Portola expedition led by Gaspar de Portola, governor of Las Californias. Carpenter doesnt want the ghost of Balboa Parks underwhelming 2015 Centennial celebration to scare away celebrants of our citys landmark anniversary. Hes coordinating with the mayor and folks in City Hall. Expect more news to follow. Actor Val Kilmer will host a screening of his one-man play about Mark Twain, Cinema Twain, on March 14 at the newly opened San Diego Theatre Box in the Gaslamp Quarter. (Courtesy photo) Iceman cometh: Actor Val Kilmer will be in San Diego March 14 but not to fly jets at NAS North Island for next years sequel to Top Gun, in which the Iceman has been cast. Instead, hes hosting a film screening of his one-man performance, Cinema Twain, along with a post-show Q-and-A at the Gaslamp Quarters new Theatre Box. After writing and performing his play about Samuel Clemens, whose pen name was Mark Twain, it was adapted into a 90-minute film. diane.bell@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1518 Twitter: @dianebellSD Facebook: dianebell.news A National City man who laundered ransom payments for a violent Mexican kidnapping organization was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison. Luis Francisco Murillo Morfin, 33, was also ordered to pay $62,000 in restitution to the victims the amount extorted from nine victims in 2015 and funneled through his Wells Fargo bank account. The kidnappers posed as human smugglers, promising to get the victims into the United States for a fee, according to federal prosecutors. But once the victims were picked up in northern Mexico, they were driven in the trunks of cars to a Tijuana stash house where they were threatened, beaten and raped, according to testimony in Murillos trial. The kidnappers called the family members of the victims and threatened violence, death or even disembowelment if ransom was not paid, according to testimony. Advertisement One victim had a gun held to her stomach during such a phone call demanding $7,000 ransom from her boyfriend, according to the indictment. She was finally released in a remote part of Mexico after three days only after the kidnappers demanded and received an additional $10,000 ransom payment, the indictment states. The family members were ordered to send wire transfers to Mexico or make cash deposits into U.S. bank accounts. Murillo had one of these accounts, at a Wells Fargo in San Diego. He opened it in April 2015 but didnt use it until four months later, after nine victims were kidnapped. The deposits, $62,000 in all, came from bank branches throughout California, as well as Idaho and Mississippi. Murillo then withdrew the funds in San Ysidro over two days, leaving only the $10 minimum to keep the account open, authorities said. A victims family reported the extortion to authorities in Oaxaca, Mexico, in late August 2015, and investigators raided the stash house in Tijuanas upscale Lomas Hipodromo neighborhood, in the Camino Real subdivision. Nine victims were rescued. Mexican authorities arrested four others in the organization. Murillo, a lawful U.S. permanent resident, was arrested separately, in San Diego. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering during a two-day bench trial in October in Los Angeles federal court. The four others are also charged in the U.S. case. The status of the Mexican prosecution against them was not known, and they are believed to still be in Mexico. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis A San Diego judge on Tuesday found that a 16-year-old boy murdered his father and tried to murder his mother in a shooting at their Scripps Ranch home last year. The boy did not act in self-defense when he got his fathers Glock handgun from the master bedroom and, when his father walked in, pulled the trigger five times, Superior Court Judge Louis Hanoian said. He shot three times on a parallel course, the judge said. Thats not going to happen when somebody closes their eyes. The father, Thanh Pham, 46, was wounded in one finger, his arm, knee and chest. Hanoian noted that Chief Medical Examiner Glenn Wagner had testified that the coup de grace, or fatal shot, was fired last. Advertisement The judge also found it to be true that the teen fired one shot through a closed door, knowing his mother was in the room, in an attempted murder. Hanoian said the boy first aimed the gun at his mothers face directly and, when the pistol wouldnt fire, he returned to the master bedroom to reload. His mother took refuge in her older sons bedroom as the teen walked toward to the door, raised the gun chest-high and fired a round before fleeing. The teen also was found to have used a firearm in the crimes. The judge found that the boy did not attempt to murder his half-brother, who was with his mother in the bedroom. The teen fired only one round and could not have intended to kill them both, Hanoian said. The San Diego Union-Tribune is not identifying the teen because he was tried as a juvenile. The judge set April 5 for what would be called a sentencing hearing in adult court and a dispositional hearing in Juvenile Court. The court may retain jurisdiction over a teenage defendant until he or she turns 25. The boy, being 16 now, could spend nearly nine years in some type of custody. His attorney, Mary Ellen Attridge, asked the judge that her client be evaluated for placement in a psychiatric treatment facility. The boys mother, half-brother and other family, who had attended his trial, teared up as the judge gave his findings. The boy admitted in testimony that he shot his father, but he claimed self-defense based on a fear that his father was going to beat him, as had happened in the past. Deputy District Attorney Mary Loeb said in closing arguments Tuesday that the teen didnt like his fathers strict rules and discipline, including shutting off the Internet, interfering with the boys video games and making him do chores. She said the father wasnt abusive, but used corporal punishment on his son and stepson. Attridge said the father had a history of violence toward his wife and both sons. She called a forensic psychologist to the stand Tuesday as a final witness. Dr. Francesca Lehman testified that she diagnosed the boy as suffering from chronic trauma from years of physical abuse by his father, including being hit on his head. The doctor said the boy would try to conform to his fathers rules and expectations, but his father was never satisfied. The teen began thinking of suicide, calling child protective services or running away, Lehman said. The psychologist said that when she asked the boy about the shooting, he replied, I stood up to my dad, I guess. The boy testified last week that on the evening of April 29, he had a tense dinner out with his father, and they argued when they got home. When his father headed into the garage, the boy said, he thought it was to get some object to beat him with. He testified that he decided to run away and got his fathers Glock to protect himself on the streets. When his father stepped back into the master bedroom, the teen panicked and fired the gun. Then he walked to his half-brothers bedroom and fired a round into the closed door. The round missed the older youth and their mother, who had run from the living room after hearing her husband being shot. The teen said it was meant as a warning shot so his mother wouldnt try to stop him from leaving. Some of that activity was caught on a security camera in the living room. Video of the mother running and the teen firing into the door was shown in court. The prosecutor said the footage, barely audible at times, caught the boy saying hes gonna die anyway when his father walked by. The psychologist disputed that language, saying she heard the boys words as its going down anyway, in reference to the volume on the TV. Loeb, the prosecutor, said the teens escape into a canyon, where he hid for four hours before being found and arrested, was proof that he was aware of his crime. pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @pdrepard Ratings firm Moody's projects the Korean economy to grow around two percent this year and in 2020, far lower than last year's 2.7 percent growth. Trade tensions between China and the U.S. as well as a slowdown in the semiconductor industry were cited as the main factors for the forecast in a report released Monday. It also warned that Korea's minimum wage hike could worsen unemployment as it may deter businesses from hiring more people. Members of San Diegos Laotian community have launched a statewide movement to get their history added to California textbooks. Lao Advocacy Organization San Diego, or LaoSD, formed last fall after then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that added information about the Vietnamese American refugee experience, the Cambodian genocide and Hmong history to the states model curricula. The group believes that bill includes important history lessons but that it left out the experiences of many who fled Laos during the Vietnam War. The bill is a great start, but its incomplete, said Pida Kongphouthone, a Mira Mesa resident and chair of the groups organizing committee. It left out almost an entire country. As Hmong people make up a minority group in Laos, that communitys history includes some of the link between Laos and the U.S. Kongphouthone said hes happy Hmong history is making its way into California schools, but he wants to see the history from the rest of his fellow Laotians represented as well. Advertisement Laos is part of American history, which is why its important for it to be part of the K-12 curriculum, Kongphouthone said. We would like our fellow Americans to take a moment to explore Laotian culture, cuisine and heritage. As the U.S. fought the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, it found allies in the Royal Lao Army and Laotian civilians who fought alongside American troops during the ensuing conflict. After the new Communist government took over Laos, those who had fought against it were sent to reeducation camps. Many escaped and fled to Thailand, where they were placed in refugee camps. The U.S. resettled many from those camps over the course of about a decade, Kongphouthone said. There are close to 7,000 who claim Laotian ancestry in San Diego County, according to data from the 2017 census update. The U.S. also waged a Secret War in the region, through which Laos became the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. The Laotian American community avoided talking about its past for years, Kongphouthone said, because of the trauma many went through on their journeys to the U.S. Now, he and others are encouraging Laotians to have conversations about their past and to get more civically involved. LaoSD has been fundraising to lobby for a new bill, A.B. 1393, introduced in late February by San Diego Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, that would add Laotian American history to Californias model curricula. The group plans to meet with legislators in Sacramento in late March, and in April, members of LaoSD will be encouraging the community to get involved in their efforts as part of their celebration of Lao New Year. Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence Lauryn Schroeder of the San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this report. Follow me on Facebook for live updates about immigration news kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter Houston-area prosecutors are expanding a probe into past criminal cases to include more than 2,000 linked to two city police officers involved in a deadly January drug raid. The Harris County District Attorneys Office announced Monday that it will review more than 800 cases involving Officer Steven Bryant, who was relieved of duty after the raid on a home that left five officers injured and two residents dead. Thirty of the cases are pending before a court. These are in addition to more than 1,400 cases already under review and represent broadening fallout from the raid that has also prompted an internal police investigation and an FBI probe. We have a duty to the people of Harris County to pursue justice in every instance, no matter how many cases this involves, District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. We are going to thoroughly review each of these cases to ensure that the arrests and convictions were proper. Advertisement Prosecutors launched the initial review of cases involving Officer Gerald Goines after the Houston police chief accused the narcotics veteran of lying in an affidavit justifying the raid. At least two of the pending cases tied to Goines have been dismissed . Ogg said it is too soon to know how many cases will ultimately be included in the review. A spokesman for the district attorneys office declined to say what specifically led them start looking at Bryants cases. A Houston police spokesman, however, said the department had already begun its own review of the same cases. The DAs actions that were announced today were anticipated and are welcome, said Kese Smith. Smith declined to say whether the department is reviewing the cases of other officers involved in the raid. A lawyer for Bryant did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Juan Corona, who gained the nickname The Machete Murderer for hacking to death dozens of migrant farm laborers in California in the early 1970s, has died. He was 85. Corona died Monday at an undisclosed hospital, Vicky Waters of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reported. He had been serving a life sentence in state prison. A labor contractor who hired thousands of fruit and vegetable workers for Northern California farmers, Corona killed 25 of them, according to authorities who arrested him in 1971. The bodies were buried in shallow graves on farms and orchards along the Feather River north of Sacramento. Most had been brutally hacked to death and dismembered, possibly with a machete or meat cleaver. One was shot in the head. Advertisement It was a gruesome manner of killing. He hacked these people to death, Sutter County District Attorney Amanda Hopper told The Associated Press after attending the last of Coronas eight unsuccessful parole hearings in 2016. He was arrested after a peach farmer who had contracted with him for hired pickers became suspicious upon finding a hole that had been freshly dug, then filled in. Authorities found the body of a man whose head had been cleaved open and his torso riddled with stab wounds. Nine more bodies were recovered in another orchard five days later, along with receipts made out to Corona, who was immediately arrested. When authorities searched his truck and house they found a machete, axe, meat cleaver and post-hole digger among other items. They also recovered a ledger containing the names of dozens of laborers Corona had found jobs for, including eight of the victims. He was convicted of 25 counts of murder in 1973, the most until John Wayne Gacy of Chicago was convicted of 33 in 1980. An appeals court overturned Coronas conviction in 1978, ruling he had received incompetent representation from his attorney who called no rebuttal witnesses to the states 119 prosecution witnesses. He remained incarcerated while he went on trial again, this time with a new attorney who argued it was actually Coronas late brother who, driven by rage, committed the murders. Corona was again convicted on all 25 counts. The evidence presented at his trials was circumstantial and why Corona committed the killings has remained largely a mystery. He testified at his second trial, denying he killed anyone, but prosecutors said he admitted the crimes at a 2011 parole hearing, adding that they were justified because the victims were winos who had trespassed. At his final parole hearing in 2016 Corona said he couldnt recall killing anyone. Juan Corona was born in the Mexican state of Jalisco on Feb. 7, 1934, and followed his older brothers to the United States in 1950 to pick crops in California. According to an academic study by Virginias Radford University that was titled The Machete Murderer, Corona originally crossed the border illegally, but after returning to Mexico some years later he came back in 1956 with a green card and remained as a legal resident. Family members and others said he was traumatized by a deadly flood that struck Northern California in the mid-1950s. Soon after he reported seeing the ghosts of those killed. He was committed to an Auburn, California, mental hospital where he would undergo numerous shock treatments. By the mid-1960s he had become a successful labor contractor, but complained to friends and acquaintances that he often still felt unwell. Corona was divorced while in prison and information on survivors was not immediately available. Since the mid-1990s, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem has served as Americas de facto embassy to the Palestinians. That era came to a close on Monday, when the consulate an independent diplomatic mission in existence since 1844 was subsumed into the operations of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem as part of President Trumps 2017 recognition of the holy city as Israels capital. The Trump administration has said the freestanding consulate was no longer needed after the embassy moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. But numerous U.S. diplomats and Palestinian officials have decried the closure as a slap in the face to the Palestinian Authority. In terms of our Palestinian contacts, its like weve stopped existing for them, said one U.S. diplomat, who was not authorized to speak to journalists and asked not to be identified. Advertisement The diplomat struggled to find words to describe the situation of American envoys who arrived in Jerusalem with the aim of building ties to the Palestinian Authority, which officially cut ties to the United States after Trumps announcement of the embassys move. Palestinians said the move did not take into account Palestinian aspirations for East Jerusalem to serve as the capital of a future state of Palestine. Weve all been downgraded to zero, in a way, the U.S. official said. What are we supposed to be doing now, really? No one has any idea. The State Department announced the closure of the consulate in a statement that insisted the decision was intended only to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our diplomatic engagements and operations, and did not signal any change in policy. There will be complete continuity of U.S. diplomatic activity and consular services during and after the merger, spokesman Robert Palladino said. We will continue to conduct all of the diplomatic and consular functions previously performed by U.S. Embassy Jerusalem. We will also engage in a wide range of reporting, outreach, and programming in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as with Palestinians in Jerusalem. The U.S. is not abandoning the consulate building, across from Independence Park in West Jerusalem. It said it would become home to a new Palestinian affairs unit. But the new unit represents a significant downgrade in diplomatic terms. Karen Sasahara, a career Middle East expert who became consul general in August, learned two months later that her job was being eliminated, when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the missions end. Her departure, on Monday morning, was marked by a small, internal farewell ceremony which included a flag lowering and presentation, according to a U.S. official present at the event. Mike Hankey, Sasaharas deputy, will be head of the new Palestinian affairs unit. The consulate had been one of very few non-embassy diplomatic posts reporting directly to the State Department. For many of the diplomats serving there, the work support and training for Palestinian security services and major joint economic and social initiatives came with a deep vocation for peace-building. Among its responsibilities, the Jerusalem consulate has long submitted regular reports on Israeli construction and development of West Bank settlements directly to the State Department. The United States and the international community consider the settlements to be illegal. As of Monday, the reports will be overseen by U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Trumps former attorney and a longtime supporter of the settlements. According to National Public Radio, at least one dissent cable opposing the consulate closure was transmitted to the State Department. The dissent cable is a rarely used diplomatic instrument through which a diplomat can record opposition to a policy without going public. Nirit Shalev Khalifa, a historian and author of a scholarly catalog about the history of American consuls in Jerusalem, said the closure represents the end of an incredible period in the development of Jerusalem and its place in international life. The Agron Street location has been the face of the United States here since 1912, and it represented American goodwill. The consulate was known for hosting one of the liveliest parties on Jerusalems annual schedule, a July 4 gala held on the front lawn that brought together Muslims, Jews and Christians. The last such party was held in 2017. Jake Walles, who served as consul general from 2005 to 2009 and visited Jerusalem last week, said that for all its employees, Israeli Jew and Palestinian Muslim alike, the consulate represented the common endeavor of peace-building. The people working there understood their role as being part of the American effort to resolve the conflict, and I think that sense of mission is gone, Walles said, describing the low morale among consulate workers. Walles, who retired from the State Department in 2017, described Trumps move to subsume the consulate general into the embassy as a complete break with United States policy. The four administrations he worked under while serving in the Middle East, from President George H.W. Bush to President Obama, had different approaches, he said, but each in their own way was resolved to mediate the conflict. The Trump administration has gone about it in a way that makes no sense. Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, at the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in May. President Trump named Kushner to forge a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. (Menahem Kahana / AFP/Getty Images) A former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Ned Walker, has been an outspoken advocate of moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, but strongly objected to the consulate closing. To put it bluntly, it is a stupid move driven by an ambassador who represents a certain portion of the Israeli political scene the settlers, he said in an email to The Times. It is true that when I cover one eye I can still see, but not as well as with two. Why we want to half-blind ourselves by cutting off the Palestinians makes no sense to me. The new U.S. Embassy is located in another consular building in Jerusalem, but it is not yet fully functioning as the United States main diplomatic mission in Israel. Although the United States held an opening ceremony last May, the embassys 800 employees remain at the former office in Tel Aviv. Trump has repeatedly described his hope of bringing peace to the region as the ultimate deal, and has dispatched his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to forge a peace agreement. Late Monday the Twitter account of the Russian Embassy to Israel posted a video in which Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to host a summit in Moscow with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of Trump, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He said the meeting would be aimed at resuming direct dialogue without preconditions. Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian diplomat and the authoritys chief negotiator, described the consulates closure as the last nail in the coffin of the Trump administrations efforts toward peace. Hanan Ashrawi, another veteran Palestinian diplomat, said in a statement that the closure was a political assault on Palestinian rights and identity. Tarnopolsky is a special correspondent. Border Patrol agents seized 10 pounds of cocaine they found inside a compartment in a car battery on Friday at the Pine Valley checkpoint and detained the 62-year-old driver, authorities said. The incident occurred around 8 a.m. on Friday when a silver Honda Accord approached the immigration checkpoint on Interstate 8. After a drug-sniffing dog alerted to the vehicle, the driver and his 15-year-old passenger were directed to pull into secondary for further inspection, according to a statement from the agency. The driver told agents he was a U.S. citizen. When agents inspected the vehicle, they noticed anomalies with the battery and removed it to look closer. Inside a small compartment in the battery they found four vacuum-sealed packages. Advertisement The packages were tested and proved positive for the characteristics of cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than $130,000, the agency said. The drugs, vehicle and driver were all turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation. The mans teenage son was turned over to the custody of his aunt. . Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com An Escondido home that was being renovated was destroyed by flames early Sunday morning, authorities said. A 911 caller who notified the Escondido Fire Department around 3:45 a.m. reported a possible fire on Verde Via, east of South Citrus Avenue off Idaho Avenue, Battalion Chief Jeff Sargis said. But as fire crews responded to the area, they noticed a large glow and visible flames from a distance, Sargis said in a statement. More firefighters and firefighting vehicles were requested, and the first engine crew on scene reported a single-story home with a large amount of fire already burning through the roof, Sargis said. Advertisement It was a defensive fight, nobody went inside the home, Sargis said over the phone Monday. Firefighters had the flames knocked down in about an hour. No firefighters were injured while battling the blaze, Sargis said. The house was unoccupied as it was being renovated after being recently purchased by the homeowner. An investigation into what started the fire was conducted Sunday night, but Sargis said the home was so badly damaged, the cause will likely never be determined. The battalion chief did not have an estimate as to the cost of the damages, but said it appeared the home would likely be a complete loss. The Escondido Fire Department provided the homeowner with a gift card from the California Fire Foundation to cover some small initial costs related to the fire, Sargis said. Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com A driver who refused to stop for a San Diego police officer after a suspected traffic violation led officers on a freeway chase in San Diego County that lasted around 40 minutes Tuesday morning. The officer tried to pull over the black SUV on Akins Avenue near 68th Street in Encanto for a traffic violation around 9:05 a.m. but the driver took off, a police spokesman said. Video shown by Fox5 San Diego showed a string of police cars chasing the SUV. Officers at least three times tried to throw a spike strip in front of the vehicle as it drove north on Interstate 15. The pursuit ended on northbound I-15 near Via Rancho Parkway shortly before 9:45 a.m. Advertisement The driver, later identified as a 28-year-old man, appeared to be wearing short pants and was in bare feet. He was taken into custody and booked into jail on suspicion of felony evading police with disregard for safety. He was being held Tuesday evening in lieu of $50,000 bail, jail records showed. Staff writer Alex Riggins contributed to this report. Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com UPDATES: 4:40 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 9:50 a.m. Authorities have released the name of a 44-year-old man who died after police found him running in traffic in the City Heights area and trying to bite off his fingers. Dispatchers received a call around 6:40 p.m. last Tuesday from a person reporting that a man near the intersection of Winona and University avenues appeared to be under the influence of drugs and was running into traffic, San Diego police Lt. Anthony Dupree said. The man, later identified as Lawayne Horne, was found standing in the street with his hand in his mouth, trying to bite off his fingers, Dupree said, adding that someone who claimed to know Horne told officers he was under the influence of PCP. The officers attempted to verbally calm him down, but when two additional officers arrived, Horne threw himself on the ground and began banging his head on the ground while continuing to bite his fingers, he said. Advertisement Officers pulled Hornes hand out of his mouth and put his shoes under his head to keep him from continuing to bang his head on the ground, Dupree said. Because of Hornes erratic behavior, an officer accompanied him on the ambulance trip to the hospital, during which he went into medical distress and paramedics performed life-saving measures, Dupree said. Horne was placed on life support at the hospital and died on Saturday. At this point, it appears minimal force was used by officers to handcuff the male and prevent him from hurting himself, Dupree said, adding that homicide detectives were conducting an exhaustive investigation into the facts surrounding the incident. The four officers involved have been on the force for one, four, five and seven years, according to the Police Department. The city of San Diego is facing a lawsuit filed by a disabled man who said he was injured when teenagers on an electric scooter lost control and caused a bicyclist to slam into his wheelchair on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach last July. Plaintiff Richard Pearson is also suing the scooter manufacturer, Bird, over the incident during which, he said, he sustained bruising to his torso, ribs, left knee and left arm. The lawsuit was filed in San Diego Superior Court last week. Pearson uses an electric wheelchair. He said in the suit he was riding on the right side of the boardwalk near Pacific Beach Drive when two girls, ages 12 and 14, on a scooter suddenly crossed over the center line of the boardwalk and into Pearsons path. Advertisement The scooter caused a cyclist to veer away and then crash into Pearsons wheelchair. Thats when he got injured, the suit says. The lawsuit largely blames Bird for not establishing geofencing a technology that can limit the speed scooters travel at in designated areas and not having a speedometer on the vehicle. The suit contends the city is liable for creating a dangerous condition on public property. It blames the city for not having regulations in place that would require geofencing, speedometers and signs warning pedestrians that the boardwalk was also used by scooters, whose speed could not be monitored. Mayor Kevin Faulconer has since proposed a number of rules that would regulate the scooter industry including requiring geofencing in various areas in the city, including the boardwalk where Pearson was hurt. The San Diego City Attorneys Office said it was reviewing the complaint. An inquiry to Bird did not get a response. The proposed regulations by Faulconer would also require operators to indemnify the city from liability claims and carry insurance policies. The move to provide some regulation came after public health officials from San Diego to San Francisco started speaking out about injuries related specifically to motorized dockless scooters. Twitter: @gregmoran greg.moran@sduniontribune.com UPDATES: 5:41 p.m. This story was updated wiht a response from the San Diego City Attorneys Office. President Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed officials to look for "as many measures as possible to help U.S.-North Korea dialogue by developing inter-Korean relations within the framework of sanctions." Chairing a meeting of the National Security Council, Moon urged officials to "focus on speed" in cross-border projects that were agreed between the two Korean leaders at summits last year. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said, "We will come up with measures to resume tours to [North Korea's] Mt. Kumgang resort and reopen the Kaesong Industrial Complex by holding talks with the U.S." A man wanted on a warrant out of Arizona for assault with a deadly weapon was arrested by San Diego police after a two-hour standoff Tuesday afternoon. The 26-year-old suspect was taken into custody after he surrendered to officers near the home on A Street near 34th Street, San Diego police Lt. Kevin Wadhams told OnScene TV. Police said on Twitter just before 1:30 p.m. that the suspect had been detained and nearby streets were reopened to traffic. Officers responded to the house and set up a perimeter after receiving an anonymous phone call from someone who reported the wanted man was in the house. The caller also said he was possibly armed with a firearm. Advertisement When officers arrived they saw the man run into the house, he said. A nearby school was put on lockdown during the incident. Eight people were in the home and all except for two, including an elderly woman, eventually came out after police called for the suspect to surrender. The OnScene video showed several being put into handcuffs; Wadhams said they would all be released after they were questioned. . Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com Leading House Democrats will offer a resolution Wednesday condemning anti-Semitism in response to Rep. Ilhan Omars latest remarks on Israel, a senior Democratic aide said. The declaration, supported by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, comes after Omars new remarks suggesting American supporters of Israel are pushing people to have allegiance to a foreign country. Its at least the third time the Minnesota Democrats words have put her colleagues in a more delicate spot than usual on the U.S.-Israel relationship, and the second time in as many months that shes drawn a stern backlash from party leaders. Senior Democrats demanded a retraction and apology from Omar, with one House chairman saying she invoked a vile, anti-Semitic slur and another congressional veteran tweeting that Omar continues to mischaracterize support for Israel. I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee, Omar tweeted back. Advertisement Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that! https://t.co/gglAS4FVJW Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019 Meanwhile, senior Democrats went to work drafting a resolution responding to Omars remarks. It was still being written Monday, according to an aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss text that was not final. The resolution would be introduced on Wednesday, the aide said. It was not immediately clear whether the measure would condemn Omars remarks specifically or anti-Semitism generally. But Democrats were unmistakably weary of dealing with Omars habit of inflaming what had long been a divide in the party over the U.S. relationship with Israel. Last month, Omar ignited a bipartisan uproar in Washington and Minnesota when she suggested on Twitter that members of Congress are paid by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to support Israel. AIPAC is a nonprofit organization that works to influence U.S. policy. Many Jewish leaders denounced her remarks as reviving old stereotypes about Jews, money and power. She soon apologized and said, Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes. Many progressive Jews rushed to her defense, however, saying its not inherently anti-Semitic to criticize Israeli government policies or AIPAC. Omars spokesman, Jeremy Slevin, said she is not criticizing American Jews or their faith, only offering a fair critique of Israels powerful lobby. That episode came after Omar apologized for a 2012 tweet in which she said, Israel has hypnotized the world. Some have suggested that Omar be stripped of her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a move Pelosi and Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y. have so far resisted. But Engels statement on Friday mentioned his panel and conduct becoming a member of the House. Its unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views, including support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, Engel said in a statement that also suggested she apologize. Unlike the previous two incidents, Omar did not apologize this time. I am told every day that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone, Omar tweeted on Sunday. I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks. Hillary Clinton says she wont run for president in 2020, but vows shes not going anywhere. The former secretary of State, senator and first lady ruled out another campaign during an interview posted Monday by New York TV station News12. Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, said, Im going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe. Whats at stake in our country, the kind of things that are happening right now, are deeply troubling to me. Advertisement She said she had spoken with several of the candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, and told them, Dont take anything for granted, even though we have a long list of real problems and broken promises from the Trump administration. Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley wont join 2020 presidential field 2020 Democratic presidential candidates: Whos in and whos on the fence? Leading what is expected to be a national battle over the issue, California on Monday sued the Trump administration seeking to block a new regulation that restricts access to abortion and other family-planning services. The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Northern California against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the first volley of what is expected to be a barrage of litigation by states, family-planning groups and others challenging restrictions prohibiting clinics that receive federal family-planning money from offering abortions or referring women to abortion services. Oregons attorney general said her state and 20 others, including New York, plan to file a lawsuit on Tuesday. Washington officials said last week that they plan to sue. The filing seeks an injunction against the rules adopted for Title X of the Public Health Service Act, the federally funded program devoted to family planning. The Trump-Pence administration has doubled down on its attacks on womens health, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said. This illegal Title X rule denies patients access to critical healthcare services and prevents doctors from providing comprehensive and accurate information about medical care. Advertisement The rule affects some 4 million mostly low-income people nationwide, Becerra said. California has the nations largest Title X program, serving some 1 million patients annually more than 25% of all Title X patients nationwide. The lawsuit says the new rule will affect programs funded through Essential Access Health, including services provided by Planned Parenthood affiliates. Editorial: Undermining an effective birth control funding program to promote abstinence is the height of stupidity In seeking an injunction, the state argues that the federal agency has exceeded the scope of its statutory authority and acted in a manner that is arbitrary and a violation of the federal Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution. The rule undermines clinically established standards of care, interferes with the patient-provider relationship, and contradicts a core purpose of the Title X program, the lawsuit says. This rule will deprive Californians of access to needed reproductive care and cause harm to public health in California. The Title X program helped women in California avoid an estimated 822,000 unplanned pregnancies in 2015, which would have resulted in 387,000 unplanned births and 278,000 abortions, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit was criticized by David OSteen, executive director of the National Right to Life Committee, who said the rule is a reasonable attempt to enforce existing law. They are to be expected, he said of the lawsuits being filed by states. These are all pro-abortion Democratic administrations. The federal rule change is also supported by Wynette Sills, director of Californians for Life. Abortion is not family planning, Sills said in a statement. We do not plan our families by killing our children. This Title X update does not diminish Family Planning funding by a single dime, but will redirect taxpayer dollars to non-killing Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers. Becerra was joined at the Capitol on Monday in announcing the lawsuit by some 20 women lawmakers, including Senate leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Legislative Womens Caucus Chair Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino), as well as the governors wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. This gag rule is an attack on women everywhere, Siebel Newsom said. Atkins said the restriction will hinder operations by more than 350 clinics in California, and is immoral, while Becerra called the rule change part of a war on women, by the Trump administration. The Trump-Pence administrations sabotage of Title X services that millions of women across our nation rely on is not only irresponsible, it is dangerous to womens health, Becerra said. President Trump treats women and their care as if this were 1920, not 2019. The lawsuit is Californias 47th legal challenge to the Trump administration and its policies. Other litigation filed by Becerra has opposed federal policies on immigration, the environment, healthcare and the U.S. census. patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com Twitter: @mcgreevy99 Three boys claim in an ongoing lawsuit against the County of San Diego that they were sexually assaulted by a foster child, a teenager who the county had placed in their home then steadfastly refused to remove despite his threatening behavior and their mothers repeated pleas for help. The allegations are laid out in an amended civil complaint filed Thursday in a lawsuit unfolding in federal court. The three boys, identified in court records only as D.C., T.C. and J.C., first filed the lawsuit on Jan. 3, 2018 through their adoptive mother, Melanie. The suit alleged negligence, civil rights violations and other wrongdoing by the county and four of its social workers. The San Diego Union-Tribune is not publishing Melanies last name to protect the childrens privacy. It is not publishing the names of social workers because they and the county have not yet filed written responses to the amended complaint and because privacy laws strictly limit their ability to discuss details of child welfare cases. The county has denied all the allegations detailed in previous court filings of this lawsuit. Advertisement The law provides a long and involved process for determining the validity of allegations made in a lawsuit, said Michael Workman, a spokesman for the county, in a statement Monday. We are in the beginning of that process in a lawsuit involving confidential juvenile records. There are numerous facts and circumstances regarding this case that paint a very different picture than that portrayed in the current complaint that we cannot make public, Workman said. We cannot violate our obligations to protect confidential information attempting to litigate this lawsuit in the press. We must follow the legal processes. The three boys claim in their sworn complaint that when the county asked Melanie to take in two new foster children a teenage boy identified in the lawsuit as D.G. and his little sister, M.C. in March 2015, social workers hid from Melanie the mental illness and prior sexually violent behavior of D.G. For example, Melanie was not told that D.G. had been removed from his previous placement because he had been sexually molesting a child in that home, the lawsuit alleged. California law requires child welfare officials to disclose to prospective caregivers a foster childs known history, medical conditions, psychological conditions and dangerous behaviors, so caregivers make fully-informed decisions about whether to allow a potentially dangerous child into their home. The law also requires child welfare officials to ensure the safety of other children in the home, avoid creating dangerous situations, monitor their placements and report claims of sexual abuse to law enforcement. Between April 2015 and June 2016, Melanie made at least 10 reports to the county about D.G.s problematic behavior, according to the suit, including his smearing feces on walls, violent outbursts and property destruction. There also were two instances of stealing family members electronic devices and downloading child pornography, the suit says. Instead of removing D.G. from the home, social workers allegedly threatened Melanie in an effort to keep her from ejecting D.G. from her home, the lawsuit says. Social workers told Melanie that if she ejected D.G. from her home, the county would also remove his little sister, M.C., with whom Melanie had formed a close bond, according to the lawsuit. Things got worse for Melanie and the children, the lawsuit said. On July 18, 2016, Melanie reported to the county that she had caught D.G. masturbating in the living room. When she told him that behavior was not allowed, he threw a violent tantrum, stabbing his mattress with a pen and ripping it open. Twenty-two days later, about 4 a.m., D.G., allegedly went into the room where D.C., then 11, was sleeping. The lawsuit says he violently raped the boy as his adoptive brother, T.C., watched, frozen in terror. When Melanie awoke about an hour later, T.C. rushed to her, screaming and crying and told her what happened, the lawsuit said. D.C. refused to talk to her about the incident, but D.G. allegedly admitted what he did, recounting the rape without emotion, according to the lawsuit. Melanie immediately called D.G.s social worker and told her she wanted D.G. out of her home and was going to the police. But the social worker warned her that the pending adoption of D.G.s sister would be scuttled if Melanie called police, the lawsuit said. The social worker told Melanie to allow the county to take care of D.G., according to the suit. Melanie asked that the county arrange a higher level of care for D.G. and remove him as soon as possible because she felt unsafe, the lawsuit said. It also alleged that the county did not take that action and D.G.s behavioral problems persisted. Despite defendants having knowledge of D.G.s known dangerous behaviors including his propensity for sexual and physical violence, and Melanies persistent pleas that D.G. be removed from her home, and the reporting of at least one previous sexual assault in the house defendants failed and refused to take any action to ameliorate the danger and in fact exacerbated it by using threats and other coercive tactics to obtain Melanies consent to allow D.G. to remain reposed in her home, the lawsuit alleged. On October 20, 2016, less than three months after the alleged rape, D.G. pounced on T.C., then age 13, while the child was sleeping and sexually assaulted him by violently stroking T.C.s penis, according to the lawsuit. T.C. was terrified throughout the entire event and pretended to be asleep, in hopes that it would end, the lawsuit alleged. When D.G. bragged later that day about what he had done, Melanie called his social worker, who again told her not to take D.G. to police, and to let social services handle it, or it might affect the adoption of D.G.s sister, according to the lawsuit. D.G. continued to act out sexually and Melanie continued to report it to the county, where a social worker continued to threaten Melanies adoption efforts and at one point even suggested Melanie go ahead and adopt D.G., the lawsuit states. On Jan. 21, 2017, about 5 p.m., D.G. walked into the family room where J.C., then 7, was watching cartoons. He threw a blanket over him, pulled down J.C.s pants and began violently molesting him, the lawsuit alleges. The assault lasted several minutes as J.C. tried unsuccessfully to escape, according to the lawsuit. The next day J.C. tearfully told Melanie his genitals were sore and described what happened, according to the lawsuit. Melanie checked him, saw abrasions and injuries on and around his penis, and confronted D.G., the lawsuit said. D.G. admitted what he had done, the lawsuit alleged. Melanie immediately called the countys child abuse hotline and made a report, only to be told that she was required to let D.G. back into her home, and should call D.G.s social worker in the morning, according to the lawsuit. Melanie locked all of the children except for D.G. in her bedroom with her that night, the lawsuit said. In the morning, she took D.G. to a program for children with behavioral problems and told a therapist there about the situation, according to the lawsuit. Convinced the county would never take action, Melanie decided to involve the police, even though it could mean losing D.G.s little sister, the lawsuit said. She took J.C. to a police station and made a report, according to the lawsuit. Melanie learned that reports about D.G.s other alleged assaults had been made but police said those reports were so vague and nondescript that they did not prompt an investigation, the lawsuit said. Melanie looked at the reports and saw that most of the details she had provided to the county were missing, and there was no record of her report of the alleged assault of T.C., the lawsuit alleged. Later that day, Melanie told D.G.s social worker she would not be picking D.G. up from the program for children with behavioral problems, and that he would never be allowed back inside her home, regardless of the consequences, according to the lawsuit. The worker allegedly ended the conversation saying, D.G. is the victim in this entire situation, the lawsuit said. Melanie got a court order for D.G. to stay away from her children. It is the plaintiffs understanding that criminal charges were filed against D.G. for his alleged crimes against the children, according to the lawsuit, but the San Diego Union-Tribune could not verify the existence of criminal charges because juvenile court records are confidential. Several months later, D.G. allegedly appeared on a TV news segment through a partnership between the news organization and the county intended to solicit placement for foster children, according to the lawsuit. In the video, D.G. was described as a good kid who needs a home, but there was no mention of his medical needs, deviant behaviors, or alleged sexual assaults, the suit said. Shawn McMillan, the attorney representing the three plaintiffs, has experience handling lawsuits involving child welfare. He said the failures alleged in this lawsuit and others he has handled suggests that San Diego Countys child welfare system needs reforms. The system is totally broken, McMillan said Friday. It needs a top-to-bottom overhaul. The countys continued failure to address the concerns raised in this and other lawsuits desperately needs to be addressed. Kids and families are being hurt. San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher told the Union-Tribune on Thursday that he could not comment on the ongoing litigation and referred questions about the lawsuit to county lawyers. He agreed that significant and structural change is needed in the child welfare system. As a county, we must be internally honest about the need for change and externally transparent about how we plan to make it a reality, Fletcher said. I pledge to be actively engaged in an effort to ensure we are doing everything possible to protect children. Last year the county convened a working group after a news article about another lawsuit, this one involving alleged abuse of children by a foster parent, was published July 22 in the Union-Tribune. The working group was tasked with identifying areas of potential improvement for the foster care system. The group submitted findings and recommendations in December, including a finding that there is a lack of focus on child safety and minimization of further system-induced trauma in decision-making. It recommended that a team expand and evaluate safety efforts. Child welfare officials are expected to respond to the report in coming weeks. The county Board of Supervisors also may consider a recent proposal to create an advisory board to monitor and encourage collaboration between the child welfare system and other agencies. The proposed advisory board would include 21 voting members representing child welfare officials, the juvenile court, social workers, former foster youth and foster parents. morgan.cook@sduniontribune.com The California Supreme Courts unanimous ruling Monday upholding a 2012 state pension reform law that banned the air time practice of allowing public employees to buy years of service credit to inflate their pensions was a welcome development. But what a lost opportunity for the state high court. The narrow ruling failed to bring clarity to the most important pension issue of all: the so-called California Rule, which holds that government workers are entitled to all pension benefits in place on their hire date. It remains incomprehensible that the rule was established by a 1955 state Supreme Court ruling, which essentially held pensions can only be increased or kept at the same level. How was such a sweeping decision made without the explicit approval of the lawmakers elected to represent Californians? Thats not how democracy should work. There are other pension lawsuits working their way through the system that may offer the state Supreme Court a chance to decide whether the court agrees with a 2016 state appellate court ruling that government pensions are not immutable. But until this reasonable view becomes binding, local governments and school districts will continue to be hammered by pension costs, hollowing out services and reducing resources available for students. Some legal thinkers argue that the courts should not consider the real-world implications of their decisions just the letter of the law. But there is no law authorizing the California Rule. State justices need to grasp this central fact if and when they finally consider the rules legality. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion An arrest warrant has been issued for the stepson of the missing San Diego and Tijuana woman whose body was found buried in her own courtyard, according to a spokesman for the state Attorney Generals office in Tijuana. Tijuana police are looking for Aaron Juarez, 20, the victims stepson, in connection with her murder, authorities confirmed Monday. The family of Fernanda Gonzalez Serrano, 32, reported her missing to Tijuana authorities in early February. Her father and sisters went to search her property on Feb. 24, after receiving anonymous tips via phone that her body would be buried there. They found her body buried underneath a Volkswagen Beetle parked in the courtyard of the Tijuana home she shared with her husband. Gonzalezs husband, Baudelio Juarez, was treated at UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest for a gunshot wound days after her initial disappearance. Jorge Alvarez, the deputy Attorney General in Tijuana, said Juarez initially told a San Diego law enforcement agency he had been involved in some type of home invasion or robbery that took an ugly turn. Over the next few weeks, he repeatedly said he did not know where Gonzalez was or what happened to her, while investigators worked on her missing persons case, according to police and the victims family. Reached by phone last week, Juarez declined to comment. He did not respond to a follow-up request for comment on this latest development. Juarezs son, Aaron, is a United States citizen. He has a criminal record in San Diego, court records show. He could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for the District Attorneys office in San Diego County said Juarez was placed on three years formal probation for a felony gun charge. He and another gang member were both charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and resisting a peace officer, said DA spokesman Steve Walker. Walker said Juarez entered a guilty plea, but failed to appear at his initial sentencing date and was arrested on a bench warrant, appearing in court on Feb. 19, days before Gonzalez body was discovered. Juarez also a misdemeanor conviction for selling marijuana or transporting it for sale, court records show. He was sentenced on Feb. 19 to time served, a civil assessment and formal probation. Erika Gonzalez, the victims sister, said the family is concerned Tijuana police wont be able to find Aaron Juarez or that he has fled to the United States. Were just waiting to see right now and we dont know where he is or if hes in Tijuana or over here and were a little scared that they arent going to find him, said Gonzalez, who lives in Chula Vista. The family held a funeral for Fernanda Gonzalez on Saturday. They are offering a $2,000 reward for information about the whereabouts of Aaron Juarez. A spokesman for the state Attorney Generals office in Tijuana said the arrest warrant for Juarez was sealed, as of late Monday afternoon. Score: Padres 8, Indians 0 Batters box: Manny Machados first spring training hit for the Padres was a double to the gap in right-center. He scored his first run on a double by Franchy Cordero. Franmil Reyes doubled Manny hits. Manny scores. We could get used to this #PadresST pic.twitter.com/5vvrWA2wHu San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 4, 2019 twice and has three doubles in the past two days. Luis Urias also doubled and has six hits in his last 11 at-bats after starting the spring 0-for-7. Eric Hosmer got his first hit of the spring, a sharp infield single to first base. He is 1-for-8 after his three at-bats Monday. Advertisement Balls and strikes: Joey Lucchesi has allowed a run on two hits in his five innings this spring after throwing three scoreless innings Monday. Lucchesi did not walk anyone, gave up a single and struck out three. Matt Strahm followed with three scoreless innings. He survived a fifth inning (his second) in which he walked the first batter, hit the second batter, gave up a one-out single and had catcher Luis Torrens drop a foul pop-up. Eric Yardley pitched his fourth scoreless inning. Gerardo Reyes, who allowed three runs in his first inning on Feb. 25, pitched his second scoreless inning since. The right-hander throws in the high 90s and has five strikeouts this spring. Extra bases: Urias, the likely shortstop on opening day, went deep in the hole for a grounder and threw across the diamond for the final out of the second inning. He also took a backhand in the hole and made the throw for the second out of the fourth. Machado, who played five innings Monday after going three in his debut Saturday, has yet to get a ground ball at third base. On deck: Cal Quantrill, Bryan Mitchell, Aaron Loup, Craig Stammen and Robert Stock will pitch against the Mariners, 12:10 p.m. PT at Peoria Stadium. Logan Allen will start in a game against the White Sox, 12:05 p.m. in Glendale, Ariz. Luis Perdomo will also pitch in that game. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. The Jeju provincial government is bent on revoking a controversial license to build Korea's first for-profit hospital after Greenland International Hospital failed to open on time. Provincial officials plan to question hospital staff before canceling the license. Greenland International Hospital was granted its license on Dec. 5 with a proviso to open within 90 days, but since it did not, the license can be revoked. The hospital sent a letter to the provincial government on Feb. 26 seeking an extension of the deadline citing a change of plan. But Jeju officials say the hospital refused to allow inspectors on the property as they tried to discover the reason for the delay. Foreign investment draft levels the field From:ChinaDaily | 2019-03-05 07:45 A proposed new law on foreign investment would replace three existing ones and serve as the basic law for the field as the country continues to open up in the new era, an official of China's top legislature said. Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the annual session of the 13th National People's Congress, made the remark on Monday during a news conference. The draft clearly stipulates that foreign investors seeking to create a business in China will be treated the same as domestic investors, subject only to a negative list prohibiting investment in certain sectors. There will be uniform standards, and the case-by-case approval model will be abolished, Zhang said. The draft is to be submitted to the fourth plenary session of the National People's Congress for review on the morning of March 15. If adopted and implemented, it will replace three existing lawson Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, non-equity joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned enterpriseswhich were adopted mainly between 1979 and 1988 and revised later. "This is a fundamental change in China's foreign investment management system, and it will help create a more open, transparent and predictable environment for investors," Zhang said. "It also provides stronger legal guarantees as China continues to open up." The draft law also stakes out clear positions on the protection of foreign investors' rights regarding such things as expropriation and compensation, intellectual property protection and technology transfer, all of which are common concerns among foreign investors. Zhou Mi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said the new law would provide a comprehensive and solid legal basis for updated foreign investment management practices that will stay abreast of China's further reforms and opening-up. "Foreign investors' need for protection is changing, from concerns about the consistency of policies and the political environment to intellectual property protection and other factors that will influence their long-term development and the potential of their investments." Zheng Qunyi, chairman of Herbalife Nutrition China, said he feels encouraged by the proposed new law. "With the new law, I believe foreign investors will increase their investment in China with broader channels and higher efficiency, and their rights will be better protected." Cheng Yu contributed to this story. Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/28/2019 -- Truck campers are one of the most versatile forms of recreational vehicles and have been gaining increasing popularity in the recent years. Rising interest of recreational vehicles among younger demographic along with traditional purchasers is driving the demand for truck campers. Further, technological advances that improve the ease of handling and fuel efficiency coupled with inclusion of wide range of entertainment and comfort options will continue to remain the significant driving factors of the global truck campers market. Emergence of truck campers with high-tech accessories and home-like amenities will possibly open new avenues of growth of truck campers market. Get Free Exclusive Sample Copy of This Report @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=713 The truck campers market is expected to witness a steady growth in emerging economies of Asia Pacific in the near future, owing to economic growth, high disposable income, increasing spending capabilities of the consumers, and favorable demographic trends. North America will continue to remain the major revenue contributor of truck campers market due to concentration of key market players, adoption of RV lifestyle and rising number of campgrounds that offer on-site truck camper rental. Significant improvement in economic situation lined with changing lifestyle of the population across the globe is expected to be highly impactful on the growth of truck campers market. Millennials: The Demographic at the Forefront of Adoption The global recreational vehicle market has been witnessing positive growth since the past several years, owing to higher demand by millennials. For instance, the North American Camping Survey conducted in 2017 reveals that, millennials make up around 38 percent of campers. According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), in 2016, shipments of recreational vehicles were 430,691 units, which increased to a total of 504,599 units in 2017 represented a 17.2% growth. RVIA anticipates that this growth would be consistent in the coming years, thus driving the demand for recreational vehicles, such as truck campers. A truck camper supports an active and balanced lifestyle, as it enables the user to experience the outdoors. In addition, owning a truck camper is highly valued, as it saves travelling costs as compared to other forms of travelling. According to RVIA, recreational vehicle ownership has increased considerably since the past years. This is expected to present potential growth opportunities for recreational vehicles, consequently influencing the growth of the global truck campers market. Convenience and Functionality Key Influencers for Consumers With the growing demand for recreational vehicles, manufacturers have been focusing on developing novel motor homes. A truck camper is no exception, as manufacturers have developed extendable luxurious homes on wheels, recently. For instance, Pinnacle Vehicles has developed a new truck camper called Finetza, which is India's first extendable motor home. Finetza is equipped with elegant decor, and includes every other amenity that an individual uses regularly, including Wi-Fi connections, USB ports, and a small cafeteria. In addition, the stylish interiors comprising ceiling accents, trim accents, and railings offer a warm and pleasant experience. This is likely to create demand for luxurious truck campers in the coming years, thus pushing the growth of the global truck campers market. Penetration of Automotive Grade Linux Growing AGL (Automotive Grade Linux) is being implemented in infotainment systems, as automakers are focusing on the connected vehicles concept. The Automotive Grade Linux project is connecting automakers, suppliers, and technology companies to speed up the development and use of open software pile for connected vehicles. In addition to AGL, manufacturers of truck campers are developing high-end auto infotainment systems with a view to attract more customers (RVers). For instance, Garmin International has introduced the RV-BBT601, a portable auto infotainment system. It includes a 6" touchscreen display, wireless connectivity, and navigation system that is best in class. Such advanced infotainment systems are anticipated to significantly contribute to the growth of the global truck campers market in the years to follow. 'Solar' Trending in Recreational Vehicle Space Not only residential and commercial buildings, but the importance of solar technology has tapped the recreational vehicle space as well. Initially, truck campers needed an external source for battery charging. Depending upon the battery size and capacity, the frequency of charging varied. However, it caused inconvenience for the user to charge batteries after every single travel. With solar technology on board, this inconvenience is eliminated, as batteries are charged on a continuous basis, with solar panels situated on the roof of the truck camper. Moreover, along with the time saving benefit offered by solar technology, it is also maintenance-free, and syncs well with the 12 volt electrical system present in the truck camper. In addition, solar power is a clean energy source that does not emit fumes like generators. Moreover, with developments in the design specifications of solar panels, such as thin film or flexible solar panels with portability option, it becomes convenient to carry the panel owing to its light weight, as such, not impacting the efficiency of the truck camper. Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=713 The use of solar technology in combination with hybrid truck campers is expected to spur the demand for this recreational vehicle in the coming years. In hybrid truck campers, electricity as well as fuel (diesel or gas) are used for running the vehicle. When it comes to solar, it becomes even more economical, as the cost of fuel refilling reduces considerably. A truck camper can run on electricity with help of high capacity batteries that are continuously charged using solar panels. The only limitation associated with this technology is the cost of the solar panels, which might increase based on the vehicle capacity and battery size. Additionally, two sets of solar panels would be necessary one for charging big batteries for vehicle running and another set of panels for charging interior electrical systems. However, this being a onetime investment, post the ROI, the user can experience free travel. Also, manufactures have developed truck campers that completely rely on solar energy. For instance, Dethleffs Inc. has introduced an electric truck camper that runs on solar power alone, and does not need charging stations, making it a popular choice for users that prefer zero maintenance and economical travel. Key participants involved in the global truck campers market include Dethleffs, Fiat, Adria Mobil, Trillium Trailers, Pinnacle Vehicles, and Roadtrek Motorhomes/Erwin Hymer Group, among others. You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.factmr.com/checkout/713/S This analytical research study imparts an all-inclusive assessment on the market, while propounding historical intelligence, actionable insights, and industry-validated & statistically-upheld market forecast. Verified and suitable set of assumptions and methodology has been leveraged for developing this comprehensive study. Information and analysis on key market segments incorporated in the report has been delivered in weighted chapters. A thorough analysis has been offered by the report on Market Dynamics Market Size Market Segments Demand & Supply Trends Current Issues and Challenges Companies and Competitor Landscape Value Chain Technology Regional Segments Analyzed Include North America (U.S., Canada) Latin America (Mexico. Brazil) Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain) Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia) Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand) Japan Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa) Compilation of authentic and first-hand intelligence, insights offered in the report are based on quantitative and qualitative assessment by leading industry experts, and inputs from opinion leaders & industry participants around the value chain. Growth determinants, macroeconomic indicators, and parent market trends have been scrutinized and delivered, coupled with the market attractiveness for each market segment encompassed. Qualitative impact of growth influencers on the market segments across regions has also been mapped by the report. Highlights from the Report Elaborated scenario of the parent market Transformations in the market dynamics Detailed segmentation of the target market Historical, current and forecast market size based on value and volume Latest industry developments and trends Competition landscape Strategies adopted by the market players and product developments made Potential and niche segments, along with their regional analysis Unbiased analysis on performance of the market Up-to-date and must-have intelligence for the market players to enhance and sustain their competitiveness Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @ https://www.factmr.com/report/713/truck-campers-market About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us FactMR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: www.factmr.com/ Uniform laws needed for historic buildings From:Shanghai Daily | 2019-03-05 07:29 A national law for the protection of historic buildings is necessary to address the complicated issues of property rights and financing,Gao Yun, Party secretary of Shanghais Huangpu District and a deputy to the National Peoples Congress, said yesterday in Beijing. The current regulations are complexand sometimes contradictory, Gao said. A total of 1,058 Shanghai buildings have been identified as historic by the government. But 70 percent of them are inhabited or used for other purposes. The most cost-efficient way is to take back the buildings for preservation, Gao said. So the government has to negotiate with the residents, and in many cases it takes a long time to strike a deal, if it ever comes. An example is the stalled revamp plan for Likang Building, a historic structure built in 1911, which is located on Beijing Road E. near Sichuan Road M. There are five households living in the building who dont have ownership but have the right to use the property. The government offered them compensation of about 100,000 yuan (US$15,000) per square meter in 2015 for them to move out. But two households demanded two times this amount, which halted the deal,Gao said. At the other end of the scale, the government is under great pressure to properly finance protection projects. If the project is categorized as revamp of old neighborhoods, then the government has to finance it entirely from its budget, Gao said. With such a huge initial investment, the sustainability of the project is difficult. Sinan Mansions, for example, are run on an annual operational cost of 150 million yuan and rely on rentals to repay its 2.2 billion yuan bank loans, Gao said. The complicated property rights issues also weigh down efforts to restore historic buildings. Shu Yin Lou, a historic building in Huangpu District and the only complete large residential mansion from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in Shanghai, is gradually eroding. This is because the 20 legal inheritors of the property are in different parts of the world, and its impossible to have two-thirds of them agree on a new plan in accordance with Chinas property law,Gao said. It will cost 100 million yuan to renovate the mansion, and the government can only provide about 200,000 yuan each year for its basic maintenance, he said. Also, we need a set of national standards for construction relating to floor area ratio, and fire and earthquake-proof requirements among others, Gao said. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/04/2019 -- Commodity chemicals (bulk chemicals) are a group of chemicals that are made on a very large scale and act as intermediates to produce other chemicals, which, in turn are used to produce a extensive range of end-user products including construction materials, adhesives, plastics, apparel and tires. Commodity chemicals are the largest sub-segment of the chemical industry. Commodity chemicals are commonly traded under broad categories such as organics, inorganics, plastics resins, synthetic rubbers, fibers, films, explosives and petrochemicals. These broad categories include chemicals such as, acetic acid, acetone, acrylate esters, adipic acid, acrylonitrate, benzene, bisphenol, butadiene, butanediol, butyl acetate, hexane, melamine, polyvinyl chloride, propylene, methanol, methyl, glycol and glycerines. These chemical are very low in product differentiation, and hence making price the dominant economic factor in purchasing decisions for the end users. Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/2787 The commodity chemical industry is highly fragmented and served with large number of local or regional players. Asia Pacific is by far the largest market for commodity chemicals accounting almost half of the total market. It is followed by North America and Europe. The growth prospective is still high in Asia Pacific attributed to the growing economy and ongoing trend and support for manufacturing sector in the developing countries such as India, China, and Indonesia. Bulk availability of crude oil and natural gas from gulf countries such as Saudi Arabian, Iran, Iraq and Syria is helping the commodity chemical industries in Asia Pacific. Commodity chemicals serve a wide range of industries ranging from personal care products to aerospace industries. It has its application either directly or indirectly in almost all manufacturing industries. The economy growth and increasing Gross domestic product (GDP) of developed and developing countries around the world is boosting the overall market of commodity chemicals. However the stiff regulation of the governments around the world regarding the health and environment side effect of chemicals and fluctuating prices of crude oil and natural gas are posing significant challenge for the industry. Request For Report Table of Content (TOC)@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/2787 Some of the major players in commodity chemicals market include, BASF SE, Bayer AG, The Dow Chemical Company, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, PPG industries, Linde Group, Akzo Nobel, LyondellBasell Industries, Asahi Kasei, Sumitomo chemicals, Evonik Industries, INEOS Group Holding and Chem China. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- HTF MI released a new market study on Global Cyber Security of Security Services Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Cyber Security of Security Services Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are FireEye, Herjavec Group, Forcepoint, EY, Mimecast, FireEye, Lockheed Martin, Sophos, Symantec, Sera-Brynn, Clearwater Compliance, IBM Security, Cisco, Raytheon Cyber, BAE Systems, Digital Defense, Rapid7, Thycotic, DFLabs & CyberArk. Click to get Global Cyber Security of Security Services Market Research Sample PDF Copy Here @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1016164-global-cyber-security-of-security-services-market-1 Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report : 1) What all companies are currently profiled in the report? Following are list of players that are currently profiled in the the report "FireEye, Herjavec Group, Forcepoint, EY, Mimecast, FireEye, Lockheed Martin, Sophos, Symantec, Sera-Brynn, Clearwater Compliance, IBM Security, Cisco, Raytheon Cyber, BAE Systems, Digital Defense, Rapid7, Thycotic, DFLabs & CyberArk" ** List of companies mentioned may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger etc. 2) Can we add or profiled new company as per our need? Yes, we can add or profile new company as per client need in the report. Final confirmation to be provided by research team depending upon the difficulty of survey. ** Data availability will be confirmed by research in case of privately held company. Upto 3 players can be added at no added cost. 3) What all regional segmentation covered? Can specific country of interest be added? Currently, research report gives special attention and focus on following regions: United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia ** One country of specific interest can be included at no added cost. For inclusion of more regional segment quote may vary. 4) Can inclusion of additional Segmentation / Market breakdown is possible? Yes, inclusion of additional segmentation / Market breakdown is possible subject to data availability and difficulty of survey. However a detailed requirement needs to be shared with our research before giving final confirmation to client. ** Depending upon the requirement the deliverable time and quote will vary. Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1016164-global-cyber-security-of-security-services-market-1 To comprehend Global Cyber Security of Security Services market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Cyber Security of Security Services market is analyzed across major global regions. HTF MI also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas. - North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico. - South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. - Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa. - Europe: UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia. - Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia. 2-Page profiles for 10+ leading manufacturers and 10+ leading retailers is included, along with 3 years financial history to illustrate the recent performance of the market. Revised and updated discussion for 2018 of key macro and micro market influences impacting the sector are provided with a thought-provoking qualitative comment on future opportunities and threats. This report combines the best of both statistically relevant quantitative data from the industry, coupled with relevant and insightful qualitative comment and analysis. Global Cyber Security of Security Services Product Types In-Depth: , Consulting Services, Implementation Services, Operational Service & Education and Training Global Cyber Security of Security Services Major Applications/End users: Government, Education, Enterprise, Financial, Medical & Other Geographical Analysis: United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia In order to get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2013-2018) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future. Competitive Analysis: The key players are highly focusing innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. Company profile section of players such as FireEye, Herjavec Group, Forcepoint, EY, Mimecast, FireEye, Lockheed Martin, Sophos, Symantec, Sera-Brynn, Clearwater Compliance, IBM Security, Cisco, Raytheon Cyber, BAE Systems, Digital Defense, Rapid7, Thycotic, DFLabs & CyberArk includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc. Buy Full Copy Global Cyber Security of Security Services Report 2018 @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1016164 In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Global Cyber Security of Security Services are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year 2018 to 2025 Key Stakeholders/Global Reports: Cyber Security of Security Services Manufacturers Cyber Security of Security Services Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Cyber Security of Security Services Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream Vendors Browse for Full Report at @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1016164-global-cyber-security-of-security-services-market-1 Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report. Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/04/2019 -- The diagnostic shippers are used for the packaging of patient specimen & infectious substances which needs protection against shocks and leakages in transportation. Diagnostic patient specimen shipments are delimited under either the harmful materials regulations (United States) or dangerous goods regulations (worldwide). Diagnostic specimens are classified as harmful materials (risk groups 2, 3 and 4 under 2004 regulations; or Category B under 2005-2006 provisions) and consequently have need of packaging that meets Department of Transportation (DOT), Transportation of Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), International Air Transport Association (IATA), Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), and several international shipping regulations. The packaging of the diagnostic specimen must be in good quality and be robust enough to withstand leakage, shocks, humidity, pressure changes, vibration, and handling takes place while transportation. The primary function of diagnostic shipper is restrict the outflow of the contents, even if there is a leakage of the primary packaging during transit. The packaging should be robust enough to withstand rough handling, through inspection machines, conveyors, sorters and other similar machines. The demand for diagnostic shipper is anticipated to grow due to the capability of storing specimens for the long duration. The manufacturing of diagnostic shipper is dependent upon the load carrying capacity and type of sample which needs to be packaged. The diagnostic shipper market is highly consolidated and depends upon the supplier. Diagnostic shipper is an assembly of packaging products such as plastic bags, cartons, mailers, and absorbents. Generally, these products are manufactured by different manufacturers and assembled by the converters or suppliers. The manufacturing of diagnostic shipper conforming to regulations are attributed to be the major barrier for the new entrants in the market to emerge. Request for Table of Contents @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-8764 Changing regulations and standards are profoundly affecting the diagnostic shipper market : The diagnostic shippers are designed by considering the guidelines and rules assigned by government transportation and shipping authorities. The changes to the regulations of shipment for infectious substances and diagnostic specimens from developed countries is attributed to reform the diagnostic shipper market. The temperature controlled diagnostic shippers are expected to dominate the global market regarding growth rate. Key players operating in the diagnostic shipper market are focusing on research and development activities to provide new packaging formats. The triple packaging enabled diagnostic shippers are trending in the global diagnostic shipper market owing to the high durability. The triple packaging is combination of primary and secondary packaging which protects the content from leakage in transportation. United States is anticipated to dominate the global diagnostic shipper market : The diagnostic shippers demand is expected to boost in North America market owing to the growing research and development of the in-vitro diagnostics. The fluctuating regulations for packaging of diagnostics shippers in the United States and different European countries are playing key roles for the growth in diagnostic shipper market. The United States is expected to be the largest exporter of diagnostic shippers for Latin America and the Asia Pacific. China and India are anticipated to be the emerging markets for diagnostic shippers due to the rapidly expanding laboratories and diagnostic research centers. The market key players of diagnostic shipper has opportunity start their operations in Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe due to increased demand. Global Diagnostic Shipper Market: Segmentation : The global diagnostic shipper market is segmented on the basis of material, and end-users as follows: On the basis of material, the global diagnostic shipper market has been segmented into: Polypropylene (PP), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Others; On the basis of end-user, the global diagnostic shipper market has been segmented into: Laboratories, Scientific research centers, Hospitals, Pharmaceutical companies; Global Diagnostic Shipper Market: Key Players : Some of the key players operating in the global diagnostic shipper market are as follows: InfeKta Packaging International, Saf-T-Pak Inc., Polar Tech Industries, Inc., Sonoco Products Company, Com-Pac International, Pelican BioThermal LLC; The diagnostic shipper market report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The diagnostic shipper market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators and governing factors along with diagnostic shipper market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on diagnostic shipper market segments and geographies. Report Highlights: A detailed overview of parent market, Changing diagnostic shipper market dynamics in the industry, In-depth diagnostic shipper market segmentation, Historical, current, and projected market size regarding volume and value, Recent industry trends and developments, Competitive landscape, Strategies for key players and products offered, Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth, A neutral perspective on diagnostic shipper market performance, Must-have information for diagnostic shipper market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint; The global diagnostic shipper market has been divided into seven regions North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Middle East & Africa (MEA), Japan; Get more information on Diagnostic Shipper Market @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8764 Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- Dyslexia is neurologically based and often hereditary. It is associated with difficulties in reading, writing, spelling and organization. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging shows that the brains of people with dyslexia develop and function in a different way.3 Dyslexia makes fluent reading difficult, which affects not only academic success but also self-esteem and social-emotional development. The long-term effects of dyslexia on young adults include school failure, depression and increased risk of suicide, delinquency and reoffending. Indeed, surveys show that amongst the high percentage of illiterate people in prison, a disproportionate number have dyslexia.The systems. Dyslexia treatments Market: Drivers and Restraints Treatment for dyslexia is expected to propel owing the cost incurred by the public from the failure to master basic literacy skills in the primary school years. For instance in the UK, the cost incurred is between US$ 6,746 and US$ 58,015.60 per individual to the age of 37, and between US$ 6,746 over a lifetime. This brings to a total of US$ 267.14 Mn to US$ 3.37 Bn. Moreover, there are number of market players trying to leverage the dyslexia treatment market potential through undertaking clinical trial. There are also research undertaken to understand the different traits of the brain. Dyslexia treatments Market: Segmentation On the basis of drug type the dyslexia treatments market can be segment as: Cyclizine Meclizine Dimenhydrinate Methylphenidate On the basis of distribution channel the dyslexia treatments market can be segment as: Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies Online Pharmacies Get Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5281 Dyslexia treatments Market: Overview Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterised by slow and inaccurate word recognition. Developmental dyslexia causes difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition and spelling. No two dyslexic students present the same set of symptoms and hence there are many efforts undertaken by researchers to overcome these challenges. This challenge sometime makes it difficult for the educators to identify the most effective teaching solutions. Researchers hence, now group the commonly forms observed into different categories to make finding treatment easier. Dyslexia treatments Market: Region-wise Outlook In terms of geography, dyslexia treatments market has been divided into seven regions including North- America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia- Pacific excluding Japan, Japan Middle-East & Africa and Latin America. North America is expected to remain the dominating region while Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as a fastest growing region. Neuroscientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The researchers discovered that in people with dyslexia, the brain has a diminished ability to acclimate to a repeated input a trait known as neural adaptation. Europe is the second largest region with market players using the strategy of acquisition to mark its market position. These players are using technology development to distinguish themselves from the rest of the players. For instance, Nordic private equity house Verdane Capital acquired Norwegian software business Lingit, which provides literacy support for people with dyslexia. The software helps an individual with spelling, reading and vocabulary in text processing programs for computers and tablets. Dyslexia treatments Market: Key Market Participants Some of the dyslexia treatments market participants are The Himmel Group, DK Pharmachem, Pfizer Inc., RPG Life Sciences Ltd, Wallace Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Cian Healthcare Pvt Ltd, Rhodes Pharmaceuticals, L.P., Purdue Pharma, Apotex Corporation and Unither Pharmaceuticals. Need more information about Report Methodology ? @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-5281 New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- Various research techniques are applied to produce data on competitors' strategies; past, present and future sales and purchasing trends. Business owners planning on surveying the present customers and reaching the target audience will benefit from the demographic data from different regions, to infer dynamic market shifts. Perspectives on different disruptive forces that are believed to have a transformative influence on the future sales make the document valuable. Insights on where the Electric Tool Market should be heading during the forecast period, 2019 to 2026 and how major vendors are transforming the business today are also explored when drafting the report. To get Free Sample Report Copy click here @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/31546 The major manufacturers covered in this report: METABO, MAKITA, DEVON, Jin Ding, Jiangsu Dongcheng M&E Tools, INBOF, HITACHI, Black&Decker, DeWALT, BOSCH Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, covering - North America - Europe - China - Japan - Southeast Asia - India Most importantly, the research familiarizes product owners with whom the immediate competitors are and what buyers expect and what are the effective business strategies adopted by prominent leaders. To help both established companies and new entrants not only see the disruption but also see opportunities. In-depth exploration of how the industry behaves, including assessment of government bodies, financial organization and other regulatory bodies. To Purchase this Report click here @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/checkout-form/31546 In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Electric Tool are as follows: History Year: 2014-2019 Base Year: 2019 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year: 2019 to 2026 The market intelligence report blends in the best of both the primary and secondary research techniques to evaluate the project size of the Electric Tool industry across different countries. Besides, examining the share occupied by the market leaders the study assesses the sub segments dependent on the primary segments. Apart from this, the study applies qualitative and quantitative study methods to identify the major outcomes of technology upgrades, joint ventures, collaborations, product launches and mergers and acquisitions worldwide. Researchers have used self-explanatory tables, graphs and infographics to present data on customer preference, consumption volume, production capability, distribution channel and supply chain management. The study objectives of this report are: - To analyse and study the global Electric Tool capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2014-2019) and forecast (2019-2026); - Focuses on the key Electric Tool manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future. - Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyse the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis. - To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region. - To analyse the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks. - To analyse the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments. - To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyse their growth strategies. Key Points from TOC: Global Electric Tool Industry Market Research Report 1 Electric Tool Introduction and Market Overview 1.1 Objectives of the Study 1.2 Definition of Electric Tool 1.3 Electric Tool Market Scope and Market Size Estimation 1.3.1 Market Concentration Ratio and Market Maturity Analysis 1.3.2 Global Electric Tool Value ($) and Growth Rate from 2014-2026 1.4 Market Segmentation 1.4.1 Types of Electric Tool 1.4.2 Applications of Electric Tool 1.4.3 Research Regions 8 Competitive Landscape 8.1 Competitive Profile 8.2 METABO 8.2.1 Company Profiles 8.2.2 Electric Tool Product Introduction 8.2.3 METABO Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2014-2019 8.2.4 METABO Market Share of Electric Tool Segmented by Region in 2018 8.3 MAKITA 8.3.1 Company Profiles 8.3.2 Electric Tool Product Introduction 8.3.3 MAKITA Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2014-2019 8.3.4 MAKITA Market Share of Electric Tool Segmented by Region in 2018 Continue Read more @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/electric-tool-market About MarketExpertz Planning to invest in market intelligence products or offerings on the web? Then marketexpertz has just the thing for you - reports from over 500 prominent publishers and updates on our collection daily to empower companies and individuals catch-up with the vital insights on industries operating across different geography, trends, share, size and growth rate. There's more to what we offer to our customers. With marketexpertz you have the choice to tap into the specialized services without any additional charges. Contact Us: John Watson Head of Business Development Market Expertz | Web: www.marketexpertz.com Direct Line: +1-800-819-3052 E-mail: sales@marketexpertz.com News: www.marketexpertz.com/market-news Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/04/2019 -- Global EPS Shippers Market: Overview : Increase in global trade of various temperature-sensitive products has facilitated quantitative growth of companies to gradually invest in insulated packaging solutions over the last two decades. Insulated shippers / containers made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) is one of the unique packaging solutions for shipping various temperature-sensitive specimens without leading to any sort of spoilage / deterioration of the products during transportation. EPS shippers are used to carry cold or frozen clinical specimens, packaging of processed food products, for electrical consumer good, etc. and are customized as per client requirements. Global EPS Shippers Market: Dynamics : The global trade volume is poised to register a spike in growth, with rise in demand for shipping of temperature-sensitive payloads is expected to drive the global EPS shippers market. Lucrative growth opportunities in the pharmaceutical packaging industry especially in the emerging economies, owing to presence of numerous temperature sensitive medicinal applications are expected to create massive demand for EPS shippers over the forecast period. Regardless of the aforementioned affirmative outlook, there are certain factors such as growing demand for corrugated bulk packaging substitutes which are likely to hinder the growth in global EPS shippers market. Global EPS Shippers Market: Company Developments and Industry Level Trends : Key market participants all across the globe that operate in the protective packaging market have focus towards launch of novel products with superior shock absorption as well as insulating properties. Request for Table of Contents @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-8784 In September 2009, a leading manufacturer of expanded polystyrene, WineLoc (a subsidiary of ACH Foam Technologies), launched a cost-effective EPS (expanded polystyrene) wine shipping container that offers low-cost protection with superior thermal performance for wine shipments. Global EPS Shippers Market: Segmentation : The global EPS Shippers market can be segmented on the basis of size/capacity, applications, wall thickness, and the end use industry served; The global EPS Shippers market can be segmented on the basis of size/capacity into: Extra Small Insulated EPS Shippers, Small Insulated EPS Shippers, Medium Insulated EPS Shippers, Large Insulated EPS Shippers; The global EPS Shippers market can be segmented on the basis of applications into: Frozen Food Applications, Chilled Food Applications, Reference Laboratories, Pharmaceutical Companies, Hospitals and Clinical Testing Laboratories, Ambient Applications, Others; The global EPS Shippers market can be segmented on the basis of wall thickness into: Thin-wall EPS Shippers with Wall Thickness 3/4-1 1/8 inches, Standard-wall EPS Shippers with Wall Thickness 1-1/2 inches, Thick-wall EPS Shippers with Wall Thickness 1 3/4-2 1/4 inches; The global EPS Shippers market can be segmented on the basis of end use industry served into: Pharmaceutical Industry, Electricals & Electronics Industry, Food and Beverages Industry, Automotive Industry, Chemicals Industry, Other consumer goods; Global EPS Shippers Market: Regional Outlook : The global EPS shippers market is segmented into seven regions, namely, Latin America, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and Middle East and Africa (MEA). The market for EPS shippers in North America is expected to retain the leading position in terms of revenue generation as well as volume sold, over the coming decade which is attributed to the trading volume in the United States (U.S.) alone. However, in terms of market growth, APEJ region is projected to be the most lucrative market for the insulated EPS shippers during the forecast period. Emerging countries like China, India, Vietnam, etc. in the region are anticipated to display the highest growth opportunities owing to continuous rise in industrial trade especially among its adjourning economies. Moreover, in the coming years, the market for insulated EPS shippers in the Middle East & Africa region is also expected to face significant growth due to its rising trade with European region. Global EPS Shippers Market: Key Players : Some of the key players currently operating in the global EPS Shippers market are: ThermoSafe Brands, nc. (Sonoco Products Company), VWR Corporation (Avantor Performance Materials, LLC), ACH Foam Technologies Inc., Cold Chain Technologies Inc., Snyder Industries, Inc., Pelican Biothermal LLC, Tempack Packaging Solutions S.L., Saeplast Americas Inc, Cryopak Industries Inc., EcoCool GmbH, American Aerogel Corporation, TKT GmbH ; The report on EPS Shippers is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, as well as inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The EPS Shippers report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators, and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The EPS Shippers report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. Global EPS Shippers Market: Regional Analysis : North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, Middle East & Africa (MEA); Global EPS Shippers Market: Report Highlights : A detailed overview of parent market, Changing market dynamics in the packaging industry, In-depth market segmentation, Historical, current, and projected market size regarding volume and value, Recent industry trends and developments, Competitive landscape for EPS Shippers market. Strategies for key players for market and products offered by them. Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth in EPS Shippers market, A neutral perspective on market performance, Must-have information for EPS Shippers market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint. Get more information on EPS Shippers Market @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8784 Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- A floating dock, also known as dry-dock, is a part of a dock system. It has the ability to submerge to a sufficiently adequate depth, which enables cargo or a vessel to coast in and be anchored in position close to the entryway and push out the water. Another benefit of a floating dock is that proprietors do not need to tie up the dock systems at the harbourfront. Instead, they can put it on the floating dock. Floating docks are used for residential, commercial and industrial applications for ferry landings, fuelling cargos, helicopter landing pads and others. Furthermore, they are also used for the repair or maintenance of large cargo tankers, carriers or icebreakers. Floating Docks Market: Drivers and Challenges Dock systems, such as floating docks, are important as they benefit in making tasks, such as loading or unloading, repair and maintenance, easier for export and import business. The efficient transportation of goods has always been a topic of concern in the export and import business, which is increasing year-by-year, thereby fuelling the demand for these docks. The to or fro movement of cargo can cause the separation of the cargo from the doc, in which case, these docks help stabilise the cargo or the ship, thus offering the smooth transition of goods or passengers from the ship/cargo to the dock or the shore. In addition, these docs eliminate the necessity of hiring either expensive skilled labour or economical less-qualified manpower, which is likely to result in hampering the quality of port operations. Moreover, these docs offer cost-efficiency as they provide a solution that is safer, offers better performance and can also be considered a good return on investment. With state-of-the-art design features, floating docks are built to last and deliver maximum performance in minimum downtime, hence, the aforementioned factors are expected to significantly drive the market during the forecast period. The supply chain scenario for floating docks market can be perceived both strong as well as weak. In the recent years, the integration of the supply chain has emerged as a trend in the import-export business. Terminal operators, shipping companies and logistics providers are going global and gaining more bargaining power. In addition, globalisation and the developing world economy are estimated to fuel the growth of the global freight transport market in the years to come, which is, in turn, expected to drive the market. Get Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8657 Moreover, these docks are replacing old dock systems, which is, in turn, stipulated to drive the demand for the same during the forecast period. Floating Docks Market: Segmentation On the basis of type, the global market can be segmented into the following: Concrete Floating Docks Metal Floating Docks Wood Floating Docks Plastic Floating Docks On the basis of application, the global market can be segmented into the following: Residential Commercial Industrial Floating Docks Market: Regional Market Outlook European standard EN 1398 focuses on the quality of products during handling as well as the safety of employees. Hence, the usage of floating docks is estimated to gain significant traction over the forecast period in the region. The Middle East Africa is expected to witness a higher CAGR by value as compared to Japan over the forecast period. Furthermore, the growing e-commerce industry in North America and the role of freight forwarding for the transportation of goods via the sea is estimated to fuel the growth of the market in the coming years. Moreover, increasing private-public partnerships in Latin American, countries, such as Colombia and Ecuador, has resulted in the expansion of the coastal lines, which is contributing to an increase in the unit sales of these docks. Asian countries, such as India, China and Japan, are expected to witness above-average market growth owing to an increase in export and import businesses. Need more information about Report Methodology ? @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-8657 Floating Docks Market: Key Market Players Examples of some of the market participants in the global market identified across the value chain include: Bellingham Marine Industries EZ Dock, Inc. SF Marina Systems Marinetek WALCON MARINE AUSTRALASIA INGEMAR S.r.l. Flotation Systems Aluminum Boat Docks Technomarine Wahoo Docks Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- Fogging testers determine the quantity of evaporation formed by volatile components such as glass beakers, leather and plastics. Fogging testers are used for measuring the characteristics of fogging of automotive interiors. The fogging tester has become an essential equipment in the industry to minimize the emission of harmful ingredients and to ensure safe driving conditions. Along with this, fogging testers are used in HID lamps for clear vision. The fogging testers market has witnessed exponential growth due to an increase in the production of automobiles and other transport vehicles. There is an increase in the usage of interior designs and materials to improve the appearance of cars. The material used in the interiors of vehicles includes rubber, polyurethane, plastics, textiles, fabrics, leather and others. Due to a rise in the temperature of vehicles, the high temperature evaporates the materials that cause fogging on the windshield, which makes it dangerous to drive these vehicles. Technology Upgradations Boosting Growth of the Fogging Tester Market Predicted growth in safety concerns is likely to fuel the growth of the fogging testers market during the forecast period. Moreover, manufacturers are focusing on improving the efficiency of fogging testers. For example, Qualitest International Inc., one of the prominent manufacturers of fogging testers, has launched fogging testers with baths made of stainless steel, and the cooling water system is replaced with an electrical cooling system along with an accurate temperature sensor for more efficiency, which is ultimately boosting the fogging tester market across the globe. Moreover, fogging testers are compact instruments that provide precise and reliable results, which is driving the fogging tester market across the globe. Get Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8570 Inadequate Skilled Labour On the other hand, the cost associated with fogging testers is high. Moreover, a person with high technical knowledge is required for operating fogging testers. These are some of the primary factors hindering the growth of the fogging tester market. Fogging Tester Market: Segmentation The global fogging tester market is segmented on the basis of data type, equipment type, application and region. Segmentation Based on Data Type: Gloss Method Gravimetric Method Haze Method Segmentation Based on Equipment Type: Durometer Speed & Length Meter Moisture Meter Material Thickness Gauge Tension Meter Segmentation Based on Application: Plastics Testing Rubber Testing Automotive Testing Aerospace Testing Fogging Tester Market: Competitive Landscape Some of the prominent players in the Fogging Tester market are Qualitest International Inc., Elastocon AB, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Labthink International, SDL Atlas, Artec Testnology, Asian Test Equipments, Soraco srl, Barkey, SK Equipments and Jinan XingHua Instruments. Request to Browse Full Table of Content, figure and Tables @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-8570 Fogging Tester Market: Regional Overview On the basis of geography, the nations with significant economies in the field of safety, such as Germany, Japan, China and the U.S., hold the largest market share in the fogging tester market. Rapid growth in the automobile field for increasing efficiency and safety is fuelling the growth of the fogging tester market in these regions. Moreover, due to the increasing usage of automotive vehicles and aircraft, there is growth in the adoption of high-end techniques for fogging testers in the market. Similarly, rising concerns about quality control, safety aspects and improvements in the manufacturing industries in various countries, such as India, Australia and France, are also contributing to the growth of the fogging testers market. The Europe fogging testers market is expected to witness growth during the forecast period due to an increase in the production of automotive devices in the region. The fogging tester market in the Asia Pacific region is also expected to grow at a high CAGR owing to the numerous steps undertaken by governments for improving the superiority of products and the implementation of safety. Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- The Global Digital Business Support System Market from the viewpoint of all its existing trends that are prompting it is imperative to comprehend in order to attain the most effective solution for business strategies. These trends are of different types including geographical, socioeconomic, economic, consumer.Their overall effect on client or consumer preferences will have a major contribution in how this market will develop itself in the following years to come. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market. Market Dynamics and the way they influence the Global Digital Business Support System Market have been analyzed in detail throughout the report. Global Digital Business Support System Market is expected to rise from its initial estimated value of USD 2.74 billion in 2018 to an estimated value of USD 8.82 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 15.75% in the forecast period of 2019-2026. FREE Sample Report | Available At https://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-digital-business-support-system-market The statistical analysis of different leading key players has been provided to get better guidelines for the businesses. After profiling key companies, it focuses on some startups contributing towards the progress of the Financial Protection Market in the near future. Table of Contents: Global Digital Business Support System Market Market Segment Overview Global Market by Component Global Market by Deployment Model Global Market by Organization Size Global Market by End-Use / Application Global Market by Regions Global Market Forecast Key Manufacturers Price Overview List of Table: Table Global Digital Business Support System Market and Growth by Type Table Global Digital Business Support System Market and Growth by End-Use / Application Table Global Digital Business Support System Revenue (Million USD) by Vendors Table Headquarter, Factories & Sales Regions Comparison of Vendors Table Global Digital Business Support System Market (Million USD) Forecast by Regions Table Global Digital Business Support System Market Share Forecast by Regions Table Global Digital Business Support System Market (Million USD) Forecast by Type Table Global Digital Business Support System Market Share by Forecast Type Table Global Digital Business Support System Market (Million USD) Forecast by End-Use / Application List of Figure Figure Global Digital Business Support System Market Size (Million USD) Figure North America Market Growth Figure Europe Market Growth Figure Asia-Pacific Market Growth Figure South America Market Growth Figure Middle East & Africa Market Growth Figure Global Digital Business Support System Market (Million USD) and Growth Forecast Figure Global Digital Business Support System Market Volume (Volume) and Growth Forecast FREE Toc Is Available | Request At https://databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-digital-business-support-system-market Market Competitors/ Players: Global Digital Business Support System Market Ericsson, CSG, Netcracker Technology, Amdocs, Huawei Technologies, Capgemini, BearingPoint, Nokia, Oracle, ZTE Corporation, Infosys, IBM, Accenture, Comarch, Optiva Inc., Sigma Systems, Sterlite Technologies Limited, Openet, MATRIXX Software, Qvantel, Cerillion Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, ZTE USA, OpenNet Europe, Mahindra Comviva etc Market Drivers: - Introduction and deployment of customized solutions for business is expected to drive the market growth - Reduction in cost of business operations and reduction of usage of resources is also expected to drive the market growth Market Restraints: - Time-taking process and high cost for implementing the system is also expected to restrain the market growth - Rising complications in business process and with the integration of traditional and modern business support system is expected to restrain the market growth Market segmentation: Global Digital Business Support System Market - By Component - Solutions (Revenue & Billing Management, Customer Management, Order Management, Product Management Others) - Services (Consulting, Implementation, License & Maintenance, Training & Education, Managed Services) - By Deployment Model - Public Cloud - Private Cloud - Hybrid Cloud - By End-User Type - Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises - Large Enterprises By Geography - Asia Pacific (China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis} - North America (US, Canada, Mexico) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis} - Europe (Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Rest of Europe {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} - South America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} - Middle East and Africa (South Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Get Analyst Support at https://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-digital-business-support-system-market Global Digital Business Support System Market: Competitive Analysis Global digital business support system market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of digital business support system market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America. About Data Bridge Market Research Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process. Contact: Data Bridge Market Research Tel: +1-888-387-2818 Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- The globa organic acids market was valued at US$ 8.0 Bn in 2017. It is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2018 to 2026, according to a new report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled 'Organic Acids Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20182026.' Expansion of the food & beverage industry is expected to augment the demand for organic acid from 2018 to 2026. Increase in population, changing lifestyle, and GDP growth are estimated to boost the global organic acids market from 2018 to 2026. Significant Expansion in the Food & Beverage Industry to Drive Global Market Demand for organic acids is extremely dependent on the food & beverages sectors, which is a prominent end-use industry for organic acids. Moreover, an increase in population and GDP growth in region across the word are expected to boost demand for organic acids. Furthermore, expansion in the pharmaceuticals industry is anticipated to fuel demand for organic acids during the forecast period. Organic acids act as antioxidants, flavoring agents, and preservatives in the bakery, confectionery, dairy, beverage, and other food industries. Demand for organic acids from the food & beverage industry is projected to increase in the coming years. Acetic Acid Segment to Gain Market Share The global organic acid market has been segmented based on product type, application, and region. In terms of product type, the acetic acid segment held a major share of the global market in 2017. Acetic acid possesses antibacterial and antifungal properties, which are highly useful in food preservation. Thus, widespread consumption of acetic acid in the food & beverage industry is projected to augment the organic acid market during the forecast period. Furthermore, rise in demand for propionic acid from the pharmaceutical industry for the production of solvents and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is expected to fuel demand for organic acids. Moreover, citric acid is used as a flavoring agent in the beverage industry. Therefore, a rise in the production of beverages is expected to propel the organic acid market. Ask for Discount on Activated Carbon Market Research Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=2729 Food & Beverage a Highly Promising Application Segment In terms of application, the organic acid market has been segmented into bakery & confectionery, diary, beverages, poultry, meat, seafood, livestock feed, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, industrial, and others. The bakery & confectionery segment is projected to hold a major share of the global organic acid market during the forecast period. Organic acid is either naturally present in foods or is chemically synthesized and added, directly or indirectly, to food products. Some of it is formed during the fermentation of carbohydrates in foods. Organic acids are widely used as food additives and preservatives in order to avoid food deterioration and extend the shelf life of various food products. Thus, determining organic acid content in food products is important, since these compounds contribute to the flavor and aromatic properties. Besides this, organic acids can influence the preservation of foods and beverages. Market in Asia Pacific to Expand at a Rapid Pace The organic acids market in Asia Pacific is likely to expand at a significant pace during the forecast period. A rise in population in China and India, changing lifestyle, and expansion in the food & beverage sectors are major factors driving demand for organic acids in Asia Pacific. Moreover, a Rise in urbanization in developing economies such as India, China, Vietnam, and Indonesia is expected to provide lucrative opportunities to food manufacturers to increase the production of packed food products, leading to higher consumption of preservatives. Additionally, high investments in the pharmaceutical sector and increase in the number of food manufacturers in the region are projected to provide lucrative opportunities to the organic acids market during the forecast period. Get PDF Brochure for more Professional & Technical industry insights: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2729 Key Players to Continue to Lead Global Market The report provides profiles of leading players operating in the global metal roofing market such as Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Cargill Incorporated, BASF S.E., BioAmber Inc, Genomatica, Inc., Henan Jindan Lactic Acid Technology Co., Ltd., Fuso Chemical Co., Ltd., Koninklijke DSM N.V., Celanese Corporation, Corbion, DowDuPont Inc., Eastman Chemical Company, Elekeiroz SA, LUXI Group, GC Innovation America, NatureWorks LLC, Polynt SpA, and Tate & Lyle. Key players are involved in partnerships, joint ventures, and collaborations with food & beverage and livestock feed manufactures, respectively, to meet the rising demand of organic acids. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMR's global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations. Contact us: Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453 Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- Green and intelligent buildings are those structures that are energy efficient and environment friendly throughout their life cycle. They integrate various Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems and other building functions so as to effectively manage the available resources. This enhances the operational performance of the buildings by optimizing energy usages through automated controls and also guards against repair costs, productivity and revenue losses. For More Industry Insight, Download Brochure@ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=140 The majority of the materials that are used in green and intelligent buildings are renewable and non-toxic in nature. They include fiberglass, recycled metal, lumber and use renewable sources of energy such as wind power, hydro power, and solar power for onsite generation of green energies. Also, there are low energy consumption appliances that are used in such buildings that keep the costs of energy consumption low. Further, rain water harvesting methods are implemented to conserve and reduce water wastage. Thus, green and intelligent buildings reduce the overall environmental impact and due to their energy efficiency, low operational costs and low carbon emissions they are widely used for industrial, commercial and residential purposes. The institutional applications include government, educational, public recreation and religious buildings. The increasing impact of global warming on the environment and the rising awareness for preserving the ecological balance is the prime factor fuelling the growth of green and intelligent buildings market. Implementing the concept of green and intelligent buildings optimizes the energy consumption and reduces carbon dioxide emissions thereby improving the ecological balance. Also, government in developing nations such as India and China, looking to invest in renewable sources of energy in response to the rising rates of electricity consumption and growing energy (power) deficits, has added to the growth of this market. Another factor fuelling the growth of green and intelligent buildings market is the strategies implemented by the property developers to attract buyers and tenants while maximizing the green value. With the improving lifestyles, people are looking for luxurious and energy efficient systems that reduce the operating costs and enhance their well-being. Therefore, to cater to such increasing demand property developers invest in green and intelligent building, which in turn results in increased asset values and rental rates and reduces the risk of depreciation. This increases their returns on investments in such concepts thereby adding to the growth of this market. However, the high cost of materials used to construct these buildings leads to high prices of such residential facilities that are unaffordable in majority of the cases. This restrains the growth of green and intelligent buildings market. Also, the investments involved are long-term and the end-users can expect returns after a certain period of time. Further, lack of skilled personnel to train the end-users in operating the systems and poor awareness of technology add to the factors restraining the growth of green and intelligent buildings market. Get Customize Report@ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=140 The major players in the market are being recognized and awarded for offering aesthetic roofing solutions. For instance, Bauder Ltd. (United Kingdom), one of the prominent players in green and intelligent buildings market, on May 17, 2014 was awarded by National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) for offering sustainable roofing at Tintern Abbey Gift Shop and Fulham Jetty in United Kingdom. The environmental qualities, problem solving and degree of difficulties were taken into consideration by NFRC while awarding Bauder Ltd. Some of the other prominent players in the market include The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company (U.S.), Gilbane Inc. (U.S.), Hensel Phelps Construction Company (U.S.), Turner Construction Company (U.S.), Clark Group (United Kingdom.), Forbo Intrnational SA (Switzerland), Certain Teed Corporation (U.S.), Binderholz GmBH (Germany), and Alumasc Group PLC (United Kingdom) among others. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- The market report, Hread Plug Gauges market uses qualitative and quantitative research techniques to showcase competitive landscape for the forecast period, 2019 - 2026.Besides this, the report further blends in primary and secondary research techniques to assess, interpret, the segment as well as forecast the total revenue generated by the industry across various regions. Business owners/stakeholders can chalk-out expansion plan by leveraging statistics on market share, size, sale volume, growth rate and return over-invest discussed in the study. Most importantly, the study enables business owners to understand and make better business decisions by pinpointing the current demands and needs of the consumers. The collection of data with an aim to offer clarity on consumer behaviour in a particular region where the Hread Plug Gauges market players operate makes the report more valuable. Apart from this, the study evaluates the competitors in a specific country. Another critical aspect that is covered by this literature on Hread Plug Gauges market is the effective assessment of small marketing campaigns. To get Free Sample Report Copy click here @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/31538 The major manufacturers covered in this report: Vermont Gage, North American Tool, Regal Cutting Tools, Protool Engineering Enterprises Pte Ltd, Meyer Gage Company, Inc., WESTport Corporation, JBO, Thread Check Inc, Baker Gauges India Pvt. Ltd., OSG, Yorkshire Precision Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, covering - North America - Europe - China - Japan - Southeast Asia - India The research further holds ample information to enable stakeholders in their decision-making process, especially associated with problem identification, finding the best solutions as well as opportunities in the Hread Plug Gauges market for the forecast period, 2019 to 2026. The study further document marketing benchmarks that a business owner is expected to complete in order to sustain in the highly saturated market. Besides, the marketing efforts and constant improvements introduced to the marketing strategy by major vendors' forms an important part of the study. Most important types of Hread Plug Gauges products covered in this report are: - ISO Metric Thread Plug - UN Thread Plug - Taperlock Plug Gauge - Others Most widely used downstream fields of Hread Plug Gauges market covered in this report are: - For Deep Hole Meassuring - For Special Purposes - Others To Purchase this Report click here @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/checkout-form/31538 The report not only empowers companies and individuals to understand the key characteristics of the target market but also the communication preferences. The audience can get the estimated size according to the number of sales in a specific region. By offering access to insights about the profit margin the study aims at improving the communication between the companies and potential customers. Armed with all required information on the recent development in the competitive landscape such as a joint venture, collaboration, acquisition and merger and product launch the study enables business owners to build a strong profile of their best buyers. In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Hread Plug Gauges are as follows: History Year: 2014-2019 Base Year: 2019 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year: 2019 to 2026 The study objectives of this report are: - To analyse and study the global Hread Plug Gauges capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2014-2019) and forecast (2019-2026); - Focuses on the key Hread Plug Gauges manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future. - Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyse the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis. - To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region. - To analyse the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks. - To analyse the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments. - To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyse their growth strategies. Key Points from TOC: Global Hread Plug Gauges Industry Market Research Report 1 Hread Plug Gauges Introduction and Market Overview 1.1 Objectives of the Study 1.2 Definition of Hread Plug Gauges 1.3 Hread Plug Gauges Market Scope and Market Size Estimation 1.3.1 Market Concentration Ratio and Market Maturity Analysis 1.3.2 Global Hread Plug Gauges Value ($) and Growth Rate from 2014-2026 1.4 Market Segmentation 1.4.1 Types of Hread Plug Gauges 1.4.2 Applications of Hread Plug Gauges 1.4.3 Research Regions 2 Industry Chain Analysis 2.1 Upstream Raw Material Suppliers of Hread Plug Gauges Analysis 2.2 Major Players of Hread Plug Gauges 2.2.1 Major Players Manufacturing Base and Market Share of Hread Plug Gauges in 2018 2.2.2 Major Players Product Types in 2018 2.3 Hread Plug Gauges Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis 2.3.1 Production Process Analysis 2.3.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure of Hread Plug Gauges 2.3.3 Raw Material Cost of Hread Plug Gauges 2.3.4 Labor Cost of Hread Plug Gauges 2.4 Market Channel Analysis of Hread Plug Gauges 2.5 Major Downstream Buyers of Hread Plug Gauges Analysis Continue Read more @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/hread-plug-gauges-market About MarketExpertz Planning to invest in market intelligence products or offerings on the web? Then marketexpertz has just the thing for you - reports from over 500 prominent publishers and updates on our collection daily to empower companies and individuals catch-up with the vital insights on industries operating across different geography, trends, share, size and growth rate. There's more to what we offer to our customers. With marketexpertz you have the choice to tap into the specialized services without any additional charges. Contact Us: John Watson Head of Business Development Market Expertz | Web: www.marketexpertz.com Direct Line: +1-800-819-3052 E-mail: sales@marketexpertz.com News: www.marketexpertz.com/market-news Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- According to a new market research report "Injection Pen Market by Type (Disposable and Reusable Pens), Therapy (Diabetes (Insulin, Glucagon-Like Peptide-1), Growth Hormone Therapy, Osteoporosis, Fertility), End User (Homecare and Hospitals), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets. The key factors driving the growth of this market include rising prevalence of chronic diseases, favorable reimbursement scenario and government support, and the increasing number of regulatory approvals resulting in the increased adoption amongst patients. Disposable injection pens accounted for the largest share of the market in 2017 The Injection Pen Market is segmented on the basis of type into disposable and reusable injection pens. In 2017, the disposable injection pens segment accounted for the largest share of the global market due to the benefits disposable injection pens offer such as portability, ease of use, and low possibility of infection. By therapy, the diabetes segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2017 On the basis of therapy, the Injection Pen Market is segmented into diabetes, growth hormone therapy, osteoporosis, fertility, and other therapies. In 2017, the diabetes segment accounted for the largest share of the global market. The large share of this segment can be primarily attributed to large diabetic population across the globe, new drug therapies for the treatment of diabetes, and a favorable reimbursement scenario in developed countries. Browse 82 tables and 40 figures spread through 136 pages and in-depth TOC on "Injection Pen Market" https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/injection-pen-market-42342539.html The home care segment dominated the market on the basis of end users in 2017 The Injection Pen Market is segmented on the basis of end users into home care and hospital & clinics. In 2017, homecare segment accounted for the largest share of the global market. Majority of injection pens are used for self-administration of drugs, and are rarely recommended for hospital use to avoid the risk of infection due to use on multiple patients. Factors such as the growing prevalence of chronic diseases and technological advancements are driving the growth of this segment. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=42342539 North America held the largest share of the market in 2017 In 2017, North America accounted for the largest share of the Injection Pen Market, followed by Europe. Factors such as increasing geriatric population in Canada, increasing FDA approvals, and rising prevalence of chronic diseases in the US and Canada are contributing to the large share of this geographical segment. The key players in the global Injection Pen Market are Novo Nordisk (Denmark), Eli Lilly (US), Sanofi (France), Ypsomed (Switzerland), Merck (Germany), AstraZeneca (UK), F. Hoffman-la Roche (Switzerland), Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Owen Mumford (UK), Novartis (Switzerland), Pfizer (US), and Haselmeier (Switzerland). About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Salgarkar MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- Radiosurgery treatment uses focused beams of special ionized radiations directed at the patient. It is primarily used to treat tumors. High dose radiation is delivered to the tumor by directing the beam through the tumor at different orientations. Before the introduction of real-time tissue tracking, radiosurgery was only limited to brain treatments by using stereotactic frames. View Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/radiosurgery-robotic-systems-market.html However, the scope of radiosurgery treatment has drastically increased because of the introduction of real-time tissue tracking systems in the current commercially available non-invasive radiosurgery robotic systems. The radiosurgery robotic system is a type of robotic system designed to deliver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and high-precision radio surgical procedures. Radiosurgery robotic systems includes three major types namely CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system, gamma knife perfexion radiosurgery system, and truebeam Stx radiosurgery system. The CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system is a frameless radiosurgery device that consists of a robotic arm that holds a linear accelerator. Availability of X-ray imaging device and optional synchrony system in the device make the CyberKnife system distinct from its competitors. The TrueBeam STx robotic radiosurgery system is another frameless radiosurgery system that incorporates linear accelerator with micro-multileaf collimators to create beam shaping. The GammaKnife Perfexion stereotactic radiosurgery system streamlines the workflow and expands the treatable volume through its unique automated, multi-source collimator. Increasing incidences of brain cancer and spinal cancer, increasing preference for minimally invasive surgical procedures, and rising adoption of robotic technology are the major factors that drive the expansion of the radiosurgery robotic systems market. Also, the high efficacy of radiosurgery robots in treating tumors and efficient dose manipulation in comparison to other traditional surgical procedures is expected to boost the demand for radiosurgery robotic systems. Advances in technology is a major trend that is expected to increase the adoption of radiosurgery robotic systems. The integrated planning software in radiosurgery robotic systems allows the creation of highly complex plans such as donut-shaped dose distribution by configuring composite shots and also avoids overexposure to critical structures. However, the high cost of radiosurgery robotic systems is the major factor that hampers the expansion of the radiosurgery robotic systems market. Request a Brochure of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=43388 The radiosurgery robotic systems market can be segmented based on product, radiation source, end-user, and geography. In terms of product, the radiosurgery robotic systems market can be categorized into robotic systems, instruments and accessories, and system services. Based on radiation source, the radiosurgery robotic systems market can be classified into gamma-ray based systems, X-ray based systems, and proton-beam based systems. In terms of end-user, the radiosurgery robotic systems market can be segmented into specialty clinics, hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers. In terms of gepgraphy, the radiosurgery robotic systems market can be classified into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominated the global market for radiosurgery robotic systems products due to high awareness among end-users and early adoption of technologically advanced radiosurgery robotic systems. North America accounts for a significant market share of the global radiosurgery robotic systems market, followed by Europe. Developed countries such as Germany, the U.K., and France are major contributors to the radiosurgery robotic systems market in Europe. Factors such as increasing number of people diagnosed with brain tumor and spinal tumor, technological advancements, extensive R&D practices, and increasing awareness about the treatment and management of cancer are anticipated to boost the radiosurgery robotic systems market in Europe. Request TOC @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=43388 In Asia Pacific, increasing demand for radiosurgery robotic systems from countries such as China, India, and Japan is expected to boost the market. In addition, increasing penetration of minimally invasive procedures and awareness about cancer treatment are some of the key factors driving the radiosurgery robotic systems market in Asia Pacific. However, affordability and lack of availability of innovative radiosurgery robotic systems has become a restraining factor for the radiosurgery robotic systems market in developing and undeveloped regions such as Latin America and Middle East & Africa. The radiosurgery robotic systems market in these regions is expected to expand at a slow pace, with contributions from some developing countries such as South Africa and Brazil. Major players operating in the radiosurgery robotic systems market include Accuray Incorporated, BrainLAB AG, Elekta, Best Theratronics, Ltd., Huiheng Medical Inc., Varian Medical Systems Inc., and ViewRay, Inc. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement. Contact Us Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/04/2019 -- Military vehicles and aircraft simulation have now become critically important due to high safety and security reasons in every part of the world. Growing need to cut down the cost of pilot training, technological developments, and introduction of new generation aircrafts is escalating the growth in the global military vehicles and aircraft simulation. Additionally, increased environmental impacts, cost of fuel and real wear and tear on weapon system, is anticipated to be the major target market in near future. The simulation technology (imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time) allows both commercial and military trainees to learn faster and master to advance on and off road operations along with handling hazardous and dangerous situations without risk to machine and man. However, simulation of technology is used in many contexts such as safety engineering, education, training, testing, performance optimization, video games and others. It is also used in computer experiments to study simulation models. A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-703 The military vehicles and aircraft simulation continues to gain importance in the aerospace, defence and military industry. With reduced financial resources, governments are taking initiatives to cut down on training budgets. Owing to this, currently militaries are focusing on attaining cheaper and more effective solutions for their training requirements. Owing to this, flight simulations has evolved to become an essential part of civil aviation operations and military capability. It is a device that artificially creates the environment for flight (where it flies) for pilot training and other purposes. Flight simulator may vary from one model to another and is widely used in commercial and military applications. As a result, training in a fight simulator is more operative than training in aircraft, also it has made a major contribution towards the aviation industry. Military Vehicles and Aircraft Simulations Market: Drivers & Restraints To accommodate new generation aircrafts, mission rehearsal and simulation technologies are moving forward along with embed in a variety of military systems to carry out training in reality at reasonable cost. Commercialization of unmanned aerial vehicles is the emerging trend and will give new opportunities to this market. A fundamental growth driver to the market is growing awareness over the benefits of virtual pilot training. Additionally, demand for trained pilots and crew members, technological advancements, rising demand for air transportation which has further resulted in growing needs for safety and security concerns along with cost advantages are the drivers identified in the military vehicles and aircraft simulations market. Safety regulations and push from the government side is also helping in increasing the degree of awareness among the users. However, high implementation cost, lack of reliable communication and complexity in system are the major setback for military vehicles and aircraft simulations market. Military Vehicles and Aircraft SimulationsMarket: Segmentation On the basis of types global military vehicles and aircraft simulations can be broadly into: Virtual, Live, and Constructive and others. On the basis of application global military vehicle and aircraft simulation market is segmented into: Platform, System and Maintenance. On the basis of system, global military vehicles and aircraft simulations can be further segmented into: Flight simulation and Non-Flight Simulation. Military Vehicles and Aircraft SimulationsMarket: Region-wise Outlook The global military vehicles and aircraft simulation market is expected to register CAGR of 6.27 percent over the forecasted period 2015-2025. Depending on geographic regions, global military vehicles and aircraft simulation market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. In terms of regions, Europe accounts for the largest market share followed by North America. Asia Pacific market is projected to register a significant CAGR during the forecast period. Increasing demand for training of pilots and rising demand for air transportation along with technological updates is fuelling the growth of global military vehicles and aircraft simulations market in Asia Pacific. Eastern Europe and Latin America are also forecast to register a significant growth in the global military vehicles and aircraft simulations market, as growing awareness over the pilot training is expected to grow in these regions as well. To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-703 Military Vehicles and Aircraft SimulationMarket: Key Players Some of the players identified in the aircraft simulation are FLIGHTRiX (Command Sims Pvt. Ltd.), Presagis (formed through the acquisition of three industry leading companies includes Engenuity Technologies, MultiGen-Paradigm, and TERREX.), Rheinmetall Defence, Alsim, Atlantis System Corp., CAE Inc., Bae Systems PLC, FlightSafety International Inc., Moog Inc., Simteq B.V., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Thales Group, Rockwell Collins, PMDG, Israel Aerospace industries, ATC Flight Simulator, Mechtronix Inc., L-3 Communications Holdings Ltd., among many others. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- The global particle therapy market was valued at US$ 364.8 Mn in 2017 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.0% from 2018 to 2026 according to a new report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled "Particle Therapy Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20182026". The report suggests that increase in number of cancer patients for particle therapy treatment and rise in demand for heavy ion radiotherapy due to biological advantage are expected to drive the particle therapy market in the near future (2018 to 2026). North America and Europe are projected to dominate the global market, owing to an increase in the demand for efficient and effective management of particle therapy and high rate of adoption of particle therapy for treatment planning by oncologist. The market in Asia Pacific is projected to expand at an exponential growth rate during the forecast period. This is attributed to a large base of specialty clinics and hospitals, rise in the geriatric population with brain and spine tumor diseases requiring proton therapy services, and increase in the rate of adoption of new therapies, such as carbon and proton therapy for the treatment of cancer patients. The market for particle therapy in Latin America is likely to expand at a moderate growth rate during the forecast period. Request a PDF Sample - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=56133 Proton therapy features in particle therapy to fuel global market The global particle therapy market is projected to be potentially driven by the features and characteristics of proton therapy. Proton therapy is being offered by various particle therapy producing companies in order to streamline day-to-day work flow and increase the revenue of the practices. Proton therapy provides diverse features and benefits, ranging from patient pain heeling remedies to treatment procedures. These features help physicians and nurses to streamline the tumor treatment therapy activity required for patients in order to maintain their daily workflow efficiently and effectively. The key players offering the particle therapy are introducing value added features, such as set up labs with services such as cyclotrons, synchrotrons, effective modality features, along with imaging modules, thereby reducing the overall operating cost and thus, improving the overall effectiveness and efficiency of proton therapy practices. Companies are focusing on the development of combined proton and carbon therapy facilities in their system in order to effectively integrate the therapy or treatment procedure and patient education and awareness programs on particle therapy. These value added features save the operational time of physicians and help improve its pain management performance among cancer patients. Cyclotrons in projected to be highly lucrative segment for services Cyclotrons are non-reactor sources that are used to produce other radioisotopes or electrons or protons. High energy consumption and disintegration machinery produce half-life radioisotopes or protons that are utilized in the treatment of different types of cancer. Cyclotrons enable the user to practice low frequency clinical applications, thereby allowing the healing of extreme cases of tumor disintegration, which in turn is likely to propel the segment during the forecast period. The practice of nuclear medicine in Middle East & Asia has been expanding significantly in the last few years. For instance, most cyclotrons installed in India are between 12 and 18 MeV and only few of 30 MeV; comparatively most cyclotrons installed in Japan are between 12 and 18 MeV as well as 30 MeV. Request Report Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=56133 Brain and spinal cord tumors (BSCT) and pediatric cancer segments lead the particle therapy market The report offers the detailed segmentation of the applications of particle therapy in pediatric cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, brain and spinal cord tumors (BSCT), breast cancer, gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), head and neck cancers (HNC), and others. BSCT and pediatric cancer segments are likely to account for a leading share of the market during the forecast period. This is due to the rising incidence of cancer patient admission to clinics or hospitals, prevalence of different types of cancer among the global population, and the rise in demand for particle therapy by physicians and patients. Various reimbursement and Medicare benefits available for patients in treating diseases led BSCT and pediatric cancer segments to hold a key share of the global market. Hospitals segment dominates the market and the specialty clinics segment is estimated to expand significantly during the forecast period In terms of end-user, the hospitals segment accounted for a leading share of the global particle therapy market in 2017. It is estimated to gain market share and expand at a CAGR of more than 7% during the forecast period. Expansion of specialized pain management services, increase in number of cancer patient footfall in hospitals, and adoption of reimbursement program for the marketing of proton therapy practices led the hospitals segment to account for a prominent share of the global particle therapy market. Increase in number of multinational hospital chains and high digitization budgets are likely to drive the hospitals segment during the forecast period. High prevalence and incidence rates of lung cancer and other prominent cancer diseases in the global population and introduction of new radiotherapy techniques such as particle therapy treatment programs have led to a rise in the patient flow to specialty clinics. These factors are expected to fuel the specialty clinics segment between 2018 and 2026. Asia Pacific offers lucrative business development opportunity. North America and Europe accounted for a key share of global particle therapy market in 2017. They are likely to gain market share by the end of 2026. High rate of adoption of cyclotron platforms for proton therapy and cancer treatment procedures, high submission of healthcare budgets, and government initiatives to promote radiation therapy techniques to treat cancer caused these regions to hold a major share of the global particle therapy market. Asia Pacific is projected to be a highly attractive market for particle therapy, and is likely to exhibit a prominent attractiveness index. The market in the Asia Pacific is projected to expand at a high CAGR of more than 6% during the forecast period due to a large number of specialty clinics in developing countries such as India and China, well-established healthcare facilities, and high rate of adoption of carbon therapy for cancer treatment in countries such as Japan, Australia & New Zealand, Malaysia, and Singapore. The market in Latin America is projected to expand at a moderate growth rate during the forecast period. Key trend of research and development among leading players to increase geographic presence has been observed in last few years The report also provide profiles of leading players operating in the global particle therapy market. Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Hitachi, Ltd., IBA Worldwide, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd are a few leading players operating in the global particle therapy market that account for significant market share. Companies operating in the particle therapy market are focused on increasing their geographic presence by means of strategic acquisition and collaboration with leading players in respective domains and geography. New acquisitions of humediQ, a manufacturer of IDENTIFY, an automated patient identification, positioning, and motion management system for radiation therapy, played an instrumental role in helping Varian Medical Systems, Inc. strengthen its radiation leadership and ensuring future patients get the right treatment. Other prominent players operating in the global particle therapy include Advanced Oncotherapy PLC., Mevion Medical Systems, Inc., Provision Healthcare, LLC, Optivus Proton Therapy, Inc., Protom International, Inc., and Danfysik A/S. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- Mexico, Brazil and Argentina will grow to a large extent over the coming years in the global skilled nursing care services market as the aged population in these regions is increasing rapidly, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR). Skilled nursing care service centers cater to the needs of patients suffering from chronic conditions such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, as it is difficult to tend them at home. These centers also provide care on a temporary basis to injured or ill people who need constant attendance. At a skilled nursing care service center, personal hygiene, dressing, bathing, eating, and timely medications are taken care of by trained professionals. These service centers assist speech therapists and physical therapists, monitor interventional medications, take care of wounds and dressings, besides administering end-of-life care, laundry services, and educational and social activities. Read Report Overview: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/skilled-nursing-care-services-market.html The report furnishes an in-depth analysis of key market segments, growth drivers, opportunities, trends, and challenges. The business strategies and strengths and weaknesses of major companies are also analyzed. A substantial increase in the geriatric population across the globe has strengthened the demand for skilled nursing care services worldwide. The increasing number of patients suffering from Alzheimer's along with high incidence of dementia, a common form of Alzheimer's, is one of the key factors fuelling the growth of global skilled nursing care services market. On a global scale, around 47.5 million people suffer from dementia, and 7.7 million new cases are reported each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, ongoing research shows that an increase in conditions such as diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and other lifestyle factors has led to an increased incidence of Alzheimer's, thereby driving the market for skilled nursing care services. On the contrary, high costs of skilled nursing care services, along with low acceptance of these services have been restraining the market. Obtain the Brochure of the Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4738 On the basis of geography, Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and Rest of the World (RoW) are the key segments of the global skilled nursing care services market. North America holds the foremost position in the global skilled nursing care services market as an increased awareness about the significance of skilled nursing care services, infrastructural development, provision of reimbursement coverage, and a well-defined regulatory framework are driving the market's growth. On account of the rising prevalence of diseases, the U.S. is the leading country in the North America market. Europe ranks second in the regional segment because of high healthcare expenditure coupled with elevated sense of awareness about these services. It is expected that Asia Pacific will exhibit immense opportunities, with countries such as China, India, and Japan at the top. China and India has the largest geriatric population pool in the world. Furthermore, favorable factors such as beneficial government policies, an increase in disposable incomes of people, and improved healthcare facilities are stepping the growth up in these regions. The growth of medical tourism in Asia Pacific will also benefit the market for skilled nursing care services. The institution of joint family, on the other hand, along with social stigma regarding nursing homes, will be some of the major challenges faced by the global skilled nursing care services market. In the Rest of the World region, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico will witness phenomenal growth. The African countries, on the other hand, will display a sluggish rate of growth due to unfavorable economic conditions in the region. Request for the Discount on the Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=4738 Some of the key players operating in the global skilled nursing care services market are Lincare, Inc., Apria Healthcare Group Inc., Golden Living, Emeritus Corporation, Genesis Healthcare., Sunrise Senior Living Inc., Sun Healthcare Group Inc., Gentiva, Life Care Centers of America, Atria, Brookdale Senior Living, and Extendicare, Inc. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- Carotid stenting system is a non-surgical, percutaneous procedure, generally indicated for improving the lumen diameter of carotid arteries patients considered at high risk for strokes or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). As the procedure of carotid stenting systems is less invasive and better tolerated, they are considered to safe and effective alternative to surgical procedures for the treatment of carotid occlusive disease in patients who are at high surgical risk or inoperable. These factors are likely to augment the development of carotid stenting systems market. In the recent years, there has been increase in the number of patients with cardiovascular disease such as coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis, primarily due to aging, pollution, smoking, changing lifestyle habits, and others. This has led to surge in the demand for carotid stenting systems and complementing the expansion of its market across the globe. Prevention and treatment methods of carotid occlusive disease are also being in low- and medium-economies which is expected to fuel growth of carotid stenting systems market. These systems lower the risk that usually prevails in conventional surgical treatment. Further, adoption of technological advancement and new innovations to improve the treatment will possibly shape the future of carotid stenting systems market. Carotid artery stenting (CAS) is an endovascular procedure to treat narrowing of the carotid artery, which reduces the risk of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) or strokes. It involves the placement of a stent in the carotid artery to treat narrowing of the carotid artery and decreases the risk of stroke. A stent is a metal or plastic tube inserted into the lumen of the carotid artery to avoid its narrowing and thereby keeping the passageway open for blood flow. Carotid stenting is the preferred therapy for patients, who do not want to undergo carotid surgery. Request Free Sample Report@ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=1025 Carotid Stenting Systems Market: Drivers and Restraints The increasing graph of cardiac diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery diseases driven by growing risk factors such as high consumption of cholesterol rich foods, sedentary lifestyles, substance abuse, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure is the key driver for the growth of the global carotid stenting systems market. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common heart disease in the U.S. and is the leading cause of deaths, claiming over 370,000 lives annually. Technological advancement in stents such as drug eluting stents, use of biodegradable, and bio-absorbable materials for stent construction, improvements in stent design such as bifurcated stents and others are driving the growth of the global carotid stenting systems market owing to greater efficiency and efficacy. Improvements in implantation techniques and development of complementary technologies such as real-time diagnostic imaging such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and others have resulted in greater confidence and concurrent number of stenting procedures performed. Another advancement is the development of stent coatings to combat stent-based trauma, and restenosis. The restraining factors of the global carotid stenting systems market are high cost of the procedure, risk of infection and stent failure, thrombosis, restenosis or the re-narrowing of the arteries, and lack of of trained manpower and specialty hospitals. The global carotid stenting systems market also faces competition from balloon angioplasty, coronary angioplasty, and carotid endarterectomy. Carotid Stenting Systems Market: Segmentation The global carotid stenting systems market is segmented based on components, route of administration, animal models, clinical indications, study design, and region. Based on material of construction, the global carotid stenting systems market is divided into the following: Bare Metal Stents Stainless Steel Nickel titanium Cobalt Chromium Others Polymers Poly- lactide/glycolide acid Polycaprolactone Others Others Based on configuration, the global carotid stenting systems market is divided into the following: Open Cell Closed Cell Based on specialty, the global carotid stenting systems market is divided into the following: Bio Absorbable and Biodegradable Stent Drug Eluting Stent Radioactive stents Others Carotid Stenting Systems Market: Overview The global market for carotid stenting systems is consolidated with a few large players dominating the scene. The market trends include a definite shift in favor of developing regions of Asia Pacific, such as India and China. There is also a strong trend of collaboration between large hospitals and third party payers owing to growing adoption of healthcare insurance. Request/View TOC@ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=1025 Carotid Stenting Systems Market: Regional Outlook The global carotid stenting systems market is classified into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to account a large share in the global carotid stenting systems market owing to concentration of key market players, consolidation of healthcare, and large research and development expenditure. The Asia Pacific excluding Japan carotid stenting systems market is expected to grow at a significant CAGR owing to growing healthcare expenditure. China and India are expected to drive a lion's share of the market growth owing to growing healthcare infrastructure and expenditure. The expanding number of cases owing to growing risk factors is another driver of the market. Europe carotid stenting systems market is expected to be led by Germany, France and the U.K. The Middle East and Africa carotid stenting systems market is expected to be skewed in favor of the gulf economies of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar. The development of large medical complexes such as the King Fahd Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, coupled with the large public healthcare share of which is approximately 75 % of the total healthcare expenditure is expected to drive the market for carotid stenting systems in the MEA. Carotid Stenting Systems Market: Key Players Examples of some of the major players operating in the global carotid stenting systems market are Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific Corporation, Cardinal Health Company, Medtronic, Silk Road Medical, InspireMD, Balton Sp. z o. o., etc. Collaboration between players and strategic business partnerships are the strategies that can yield premium. The global carotid stenting systems report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. The carotid stenting systems report covers exhaustive analysis on: Market Segments Market Dynamics Market Size Supply & Demand Current Trends/Issues/Challenges Competition & Companies involved Technology Value Chain Regional analysis includes North America (U.S., Canada) Latin America (Mexico, Brazil) Western Europe (Germany, Italy, U.K, Spain, France, Nordic countries, BENELUX) Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland, Rest Of Eastern Europe) Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (China, India, Australia & New Zealand) Japan Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, Rest Of MEA) Report Highlights: Detailed overview of parent market Changing market dynamics in the industry In-depth market segmentation Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value Recent industry trends and developments Competitive landscape Strategies of key players and products offered Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth A neutral perspective on market performance Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint. Report Analysis@ https://www.factmr.com/report/1025/carotid-stenting-systems-market About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us Rohit Bhisey Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ Blog: https://factmrblog.com/ Read Industry News at - http://theguardiantribune.com Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- The need for spinal pumps, primarily arises from the increasing number of movement disorders, such as spinal & brain injuries, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. These kind of disorders demand for a long-term therapy which includes the utilization of spinal pump devices for the chronic pain management to the targeted disorder. Furthermore, the geriatric population is highly susceptible to the diseases mentioned above. View Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/spinal-pumps-market.html Spinal pumps transport pain medication directly to the intrathecal space around the spinal cord via an implanted pump. Technological advancements such as combination of programmable external devices with pumps that enable controlled release of small doses of medication is anticipated to generate demand for these pain relieving solutions during the forecast period. Additionally, spinal pumps are used to control chronic pain due to osteoporosis, and also useful in managing pain caused due to unsuccessful back surgery disease. Spinal pumps are also used to treat painful spasticity as seen in multiple sclerosis. Moreover, advancements in spinal pumps have significantly minimized the incidence of adverse events typically observed with oral and intravenous drug administration routes. Higher drug efficacy achieved with sustained release of smaller drug doses through spinal pumps is expected to present significant opportunities for companies during the forecast period. However, side effects such as spinal fluid leak, severe skin reactions, and headache are expected to hamper market growth. The global spinal pumps market can be segmented based on application and region. In terms of application, the global spinal pumps market can be categorized into spasticity management and pain management. Pain management can be sub-segmented into malignant pain and non-malignant pain. The non-malignant pain sub-segment is expected to dominate the pain management segment due to large population suffering from non-malignant pain globally. According to the American Academy of Pain Management, chronic pain prevalence is approximately 2/3 of the total 20% to 30% of the general population suffering from pain. Hence, spinal pumps in these applications can play a major role in the near future. Request a Brochure of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=39572 Geographically, the global spinal pumps market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to account for a leading market share, attributed to extensive research and development activities in the region. Presence of large number of health care organizations, encouraging government initiatives in implementing spinal pumps in pain management, and constantly refining reimbursement scenario is expected to drive the market in the region. Favorable reimbursement policies in this region and the regulatory framework focusing on patient safety in addition to maintaining high treatment efficacy standards are expected to propel the market. Europe is anticipated to be the second largest market for spinal pumps due to enhanced health care processes. Moreover, increase in geriatric population propels the market in the region. Improving health care infrastructure is the major factor that augments the market in Asia Pacific. These market growth can be attributed to the investments done by leading players to improve the present healthcare infrastructure, thus, enhancing the growth of the therapeutic equipment in the developing countries, such as China and India. Countries in Latin America such as Brazil and Mexico are potential markets for spinal pumps. Major players operating in the global spinal pumps market include Medtronic, FlowonixMedical, Inc., Tricumed Medizintechnik GmbH, DePuy Synthes, and Teleflex, Inc. These leading players have adopted strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, geographical expansion, and product launches to capture larger share of the market. Request TOC @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=39572 About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement. Contact Us Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Check concentrate feeder accuracy WITH the cost of dairy cow concentrates rising farmers have been urged to check the accuracy of their feeders to ensure they are not overfeeding, or indeed underfeeding, their livestock. Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/05/2019 -- A sunglasses pouch is used to protect sunglasses when they require to be stored in cases and for longer durability. This report focuses on Sunglasses Pouch volume and value at global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Sunglasses Pouch market size by analyzing historical data and future prospect. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, China and Japan. At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer covered in this report. Get PDF report template @ https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/981655/global-sunglasses-pouch-regional-outlook The following manufacturers are covered: Talfourd Jones Wuxi Xinya Micro Fibrous Changzhou Liangjie Microfiber Textile Wenzhou Conway Light Industry Celyfos Wenzhou Success Group Shinetai Glasses & Packaging Shenzhen Nuochengda Technology Danyang Kaiyang Textile Segment by Regions North America Europe China Japan Segment by Type Micro Fiber Plastic Fabrics Leather Segment by Application Sunglass Box Hinged Case Pouch Get Complete Report in your Inbox within 24 hours @ https://www.qyresearch.com/settlement/pre/da836d1f5d07df583e1f7079539a3fba,0,1,Global%20Sunglasses%20Pouch%20Regional%20Outlook%202019 About QYResearch QYResearch always pursuits high product quality with the belief that quality is the soul of business. Through years of effort and supports from huge number of customer supports, QYResearch consulting group has accumulated creative design methods on many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch has become the brand of quality assurance in consulting industry. . "" "" "". " ". 06.00 . : - . ... Berenbergs Hendrik Riehmer is now under investigation as police has searched his home, as well as the banks headquarters and the offices of a property company in Hamburg, reports cited a spokesperson for the Hamburg prosecutors office. The suspects are believed to have used insider information to gain profit in the sale of shares in a shipping company, the spokesperson said. Reports said that Berenberg has advised Tui, the tourism company, in 2017 when it sold its remaining shares in Hapag-Lloyd. The transaction is alleged to be an insider trading involving two more suspects who are acquaintances of Riehmer. One of the suspects is alleged to have made EUR3m ($3.4m) from a share sale, while another is alleged to have made EUR193,000. About EUR20m of their assets have been frozen. Press Release March 5, 2019 ANGARA TO OFWs: AVAIL OF OWWA BENEFITS FUNDED BY MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara said overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families should take advantage of the wide range of services and benefits under a law that institutionalized and strengthened the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Angara said that under Republic Act 10801 or the OWWA Act of 2016, the benefits and services, among them loan and credit assistance and health care, are funded by the $25 membership fee collected from land-based and sea-based OFWs every two years. "Huwag sanang mag-alinlangan ang ating mga kababayang OFW dahil ang mga benepisyong ito ay nanggaling mismo sa kanilang bulsa kaya marapat lamang na sila ay makinabang dito lalo na sa panahong kailangang nila ang tulong," said the lawmaker, who is running under the platform "Alagang Angara." Angara co-authored and sponsored the OWWA Act of 2016 in his capacity as then chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development. Under the law, OWWA is mandated to provide benefits and services to its members, which include gender-responsive reintegration programs, repatriation assistance, loan and credit assistance, on-site worker assistance, death and disability benefits, health care benefits, education and skills training, social services, and family welfare assistance. According to Angara, the benefits and services are just a small token of gratitude for the valuable contribution of OFWs to the overall national development effort. "We have to give back to our OFWs, whose remittances have kept the Philippine economy afloat for many years." RA 10801 declared OWWA as a national agency and an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment that receives government funding instead of relying solely from the contributions of its OFW members. Prior to the law, sea-based OFWs pay more fees than land-based workers as the frequency of their membership collection made dependent on the renewal of their contract. Filipino seafarers generally have shorter employment contracts that generally last for four months. The law also calls for greater representation of OFWs in the OWWA Board of Trustees by increasing the number of representatives from the OFW sector from the present three to five (two from land-based OFWs, two from sea-based OFWs and one from the women sector), while representatives from the government was reduced from to six from seven. "Sa ilalim ng bagong batas, mas naririnig na po ang boses ng ating OFWs. Dati po, mas maraming representante ang gobyerno. Kumbaga, 'yung interes ng gobyerno ang nakalalamang," Angara explained. He added: "Sa ilalim ng bagong batas, represented ang ating OFWs. And that's the essence of democracy. Kung sino 'yung mas dapat na nairerepresenta, 'yun dapat ang may boses sa isang organisasyon." Angara said that under the law, member OFWs are afforded social benefits, namely: death benefits of up to P200,000; burial benefit of P20,000; partial disability and dismemberment benefit between P2,500 and P50,000; and total disability benefit of P100,000. RA 10801 further boosts the government's capacity to assist migrant workers who lost their jobs by making the reintegration of OFWs one of the core programs of OWWA, which will be funded with not less than 10 percent of the total collection every year. The reintegration program includes granting of loans and other financial support, trainings on financial literacy, entrepreneurial development, techno-skills, business counseling, as well as job referrals for both local and overseas employment. The new law also seeks to ensure transparency in the utilization and management of the OWWA funds, as the OWWA is mandated to maintain an interactive website to collect OFW feedback, comments, suggestions and complaints on existing programs and services. After free college, Sen. Bam focuses on solving unemployment, jobs mismatch After pushing for the enactment of the Free College Law, Sen. Bam Aquino said he's focused on addressing unemployment and jobs mismatch through the Trabaho Sigurado Bill. "Pushing for the Trabaho Sigurado Bill or addressing the job mismatch is the necessary best reform after the free college law," Sen. Bam, principal sponsor of the free college law, said during the Rappler senatorial candidates' forum held at the Ateneo de Manila University on Monday. According to Sen. Bam, one out of five Filipinos are working in jobs that are not suitable to their courses. "Iyong unang batas na ipa-file natin kung makabalik sa Senado ay ang Trabaho Sigurado Bill para ilapit ang mga estudyante sa mga trabaho na nababagay sa mga kurso nila," pointed out Sen. Bam, who is seeking re-election under the Otso Diretso slate. "Kailangan ay nagma-match iyong mga kurso at subjects sa mga pangangailangan sa lugar na kinalalagyan ng paaralan, guro, at estudyante," he added. In the 17th Congress, Sen. Bam filed Senate Bill No. 1278 or Trabaho Centers in Schools Act, which seeks to establish job placement offices in public high schools and state universities and colleges (SUCs). The measure mandates the establishment of a Trabaho Center in every public high school and SUC with main services that include: 1) Industry Matching, 2) Career Counseling, and 3) Employment Facilitation. The legislation aims to address the skills mismatch and ensure employability of students upon graduation by using feedback from employers to better develop the school's curriculum and training programs. Press Release March 5, 2019 De Lima grateful over 4 US lawmakers' call for justice on her case Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has welcomed the call by the four members of the United States Congress to uphold human rights and press for justice in her case in line with her second year of unjust detention under the tyrannical rule of Mr. Duterte. De Lima, the first prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime, thanked US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel and three of his colleagues for raising concern over her situation and boldly speaking out against the Duterte administration's utter disregard for human rights in the country. "Raising the importance of upholding human rights - especially of the most vilified opposition Senator like me - in a country where the President himself is the first to put human rights defenders at risk, is a highly commendable and courageous act that not all dare to do," she said. "I thank the four honorable members of the US Congress for standing up to truth and using their voices to stop the silencing of dissent in the Philippines," she added. In a letter last Feb. 28, Engel along with Reps. Brad Sherman and Ted Yoho, Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation and Rep. Steve Cabot urged US State Secretary Mike Pompeo to press for justice for De Lima and Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa during his stay in the Philippines. "We urge you to raise US concerns about the Duterte government's assault on civil society, media freedom and human rights at every opportunity during your February 28-March 1 trip to Manila, and to specifically press for justice in the cases of Maria Ressa and Senator Leila de Lima," the US lawmakers wrote. They noted that De Lima "was arrested on allegations of drug charges after her Senate-led investigation of the death squads in Davao City when Duterte was mayor" while Ressa, who was arrested on Feb. 13 for libel charges against online news outfit Rappler, "is yet another example of the Duterte government's effort to crackdown on the freedom of press and speech." Without getting into any details, Pompeo revealed in a joint news conference that he discussed issues on human rights, press freedom, and rule of law during his meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. "I raised with my counterparts the importance of protecting the rights and liberties of all Filipinos including free speech, freedom of the press, and due process under the law," Pompeo said. Likewise, the four US lawmakers also pointed out in their letter that the United States must never be silent in the face of democratic regression, especially in the Philippines where they keep close ties with. "Indeed, the issue on human rights knows neither boundaries nor nationalities. It should be respected by all and therefore be fought for by all," De Lima said The unjust detention of De Lima since February 24, 2017 has caused growing concern by local and international organizations but the Philippine President refuses to address her case and instead persists in his verbal attacks against her. Press Release March 5, 2019 Hontiveros welcomes signing into law of automatic PhilHealth coverage for PWDs Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros today hailed the signing of a new law providing mandatory PhilHealth coverage for persons with disability (PWDs) in the whole country as "a great victory for the vulnerable." Hontiveros, the co-sponsor and co-author of the measure in the Senate, said that the new Republic Act No.11228 is an "important reform towards greater social protection and health assistance for PWDs, and allows us to better help them address their daily struggles and expenses." "We welcome this new law and hope that, through better access to quality healthcare, the country can better serve the 1.4 million Filipinos living with disability and help them become healthy citizens who contribute to nation-building," she said. She added that the new law complements the recently-approved Universal Health Care Act, "so that no one will be left behind in the country's drive towards a progressive, affordable and effective health care system for all." Under the new law, all PWDs in the country will be automatically included under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) of the PhilHealth. Exclusive packages for PWDS will be developed by PhilHealth "that will address their specific health and development needs. The premium contributions for PWDs under the new law will be shouldered by the national government unless they are employed, in which case the government and the employer will equally pay for such contributions. Government funds for the contributions will be sourced from collections under the Sin Tax Law. Hontiveros said that the services offered by the new law will go a long way in helping defray the daily expenses of PWDs in medical care, noting that a majority of PWDs in the country are living in poverty. "It is only just for the state to ensure that those faced with unique challenges in their lives, like PWDs, will have more in law and be provided with more protection," she said. Press Release March 5, 2019 POE TO DUQUE: ENSURE PROPER IMPLEMENTATION OF FIRST 1,000 DAYS Sen. Grace Poe today urged Health Sec. Francisco Duque III to ensure the proper implementation of the First 1,000 Days Law that provides health and nutrition interventions to women and newborn children. Poe, co-author and co-sponsor in the Senate of a measure scaling up the nutrition of mothers and their babies, said the Department of Health (DOH), as the lead implementing agency of the new law, should prioritize resources and efforts for the program. "Ang pruweba ng isang maayos na batas ay hindi ang pagpasa ng Kongreso o pagpirma ng Pangulo kundi ang maayos na pagpapatupad nito," said Poe. Poe said Republic Act 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act is of particular importance to women as the nation celebrates the National Women's Month this March. Under the newly approved law, the DOH, the National Nutrition Council, other government agencies and local government units shall ensure delivery of health and nutrition programs to pregnant women and infants in the first 1,000 days. They shall likewise develop intervention packages for infants, young children, adolescent females, and pregnant and lactating women. Women and infants shall also have access to micronutrient supplements, nutrition, oral health services, counselling and social welfare support, among others. "This brief period which covers the nine months in the womb to two years of a baby's life can determine the fate of Filipino children and thus, of our country. If this is properly implemented, we are one step closer to closing a major gap in our social policy or the lack of care for mothers and children in the first 1,000 days of life," said Poe. Poe said the DOH should also prioritize beneficiaries in hard to reach rural areas. "Just like the first 1,000 days, a law's fate is shaped during its infancy, whether or not it is fully and faithfully implemented upon its passage," Poe said. Press Release March 5, 2019 Villar lauds donation of land for residents to be displaced by Manila Bay clean up Sen. Cynthia Villar commended the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) for donating 5 hectares of land in Tondo, Manila, as relocation site of 2,400 families residing in Parola and Isla Puting Bato. Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, has been asking PPA "to do something about the burgeoning number of informal settlement on the coastal area at the port of Manila, which does not only affect the efficacy of the operation of the port, but actually hampers the efforts towards the clean up of Manila Bay." Last week, Villar joined Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, Department of Transportation Sec. Art Tugade, Cong. Manuel Lopez, Cong. Albee Benitez, and PPA General Manager Jay Santiago in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the PPA, National Housing Authority, the City Government of Manila, the International Container Terminal Services, and the Manila North Harbour Port Inc. for the donation of the piece of land. The agreement was a result of a meeting of the House Oversight Committee on Housing to address the delay in the release of titles to the beneficiaries of urban poor housing proclamations issued during the time of Macapagal-Arroyo as president. "It is within my committee's jurisdiction to see to it na maimplement ang continuing mandamus on Manila bay. Matagal na akong nakikiusap para ayusin na ang informal settlers para magkaroon na sila ng sariling tahanan at para malinis na natin ang Manila Bay," Villar said. Villar also commended the two former presidents--Macapagal-Arroyo and Estrada, for working together to help the residents of Parola and Isla Puting Bato. On December 18, 2008, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in G.R.No. 171947-48 ordering PPA and 12 other government agencies "to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay and restore and maintain its waters to SB level to make them fit for swimming, skin diving, and other forms of contact recreation." About 2,200 housing units will be built in 37 low-rise to mid-rise buildings in the donated piece of land. PPA will also give P1 billion as initial fund for the development of the housing units. Villar also committed to help provide livelihood projects for the residents after they have settled in their relocation site, similar to the projects she have been doing in Baseco Compound, Tondo. Need to determine propofol levels in living brains Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is a commonly used intravenous anaesthetic with a good safety profile. It is typically administered as a white suspension, sometimes referred to as milk of amnesia. However, although propofol levels in the blood can be determined, up to now there has been no method for ascertaining its levels in its site of action, the living brain. It is hoped that studies on the levels in the brain will help determine some of the unanswered questions surrounding the pharmacokinetics and action of propofol, which are still not completely understood. Scientists from the Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria, proposed using a cerebral microdialysis catheter to determine propofol levels in human or animal brains. Diffusion of small molecules through a semi-permeable membrane allows the sampling of brain tissue without harm, but gives very low volumes of solution for analysis. Direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (DI-SPME) was used to prepare the input for GC-MS/MS. Propofol levels measured by DI-SPME and GC-MS/MS A perfusate solution containing propofol was prepared and sampled with the microdialysis catheter, with some of the propofol moving through the semi-permeable membrane. 30 L of the output solution from the microdialysis was transferred to a small vial. The vial was sampled with an in-house DI-SPME apparatus, using a polydimethylsiloxane SPME fibre (100 m, Supelco 57300-U). The DI-SPME setup was constructed so that the fibre always dipped into the vial to the same extent. A 30 min extraction time was found to be optimum. GC used a 6890N instrument fitted with an HP-5ms column (both Agilent), with the carrier gas (helium) run at 1.5 mL/min. The analyte was transferred from the SPME fibre to the GC, with 1 min desorption at an inlet temperature of 260 C, which was found to be the optimum temperature. The oven temperature was held at 60 C for 1 min, raised to 225 C at 30 C/min, raised to 300 C at 75 C/min, and then kept at 300 C for 5 min. The method was based on earlier work by Hikiji et al. Mass spectrometry employed an Agilent 5973 instrument, run using electronic ionisation (EI) in selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The detection window was set between 4.0 and 6.1 min to increase the detector life. The peak for propofol appeared at around 5.3 min. Specific ions were found for propofol detection and the conditions were optimised to give a favourable signal-to-noise ratio. The concentrations of propofol were determined by reference to stock solutions, using different concentrations to determine linearity. The method gave good linearity and reproducibility, with a precision of 2.7% RSD for five successive runs and an inter-day precision of 6.4% RSD. The limit of detection (LOD) was 50 ng/L. The method was successfully demonstrated with some leftover cerebral microdialysis solution taken from a patient for another purpose, showing a clear propofol peak. The solution had a propofol concentration of 320 ng/L, the patient having received the drug intravenously at a rate of 83 g kg-1 min-1. New GC-MS/MS method allows study of propofol in the brain The new method enables accurate results to be obtained from small microdialysis samples, thus enabling the study of propofol levels in living brains. The authors carefully optimised the various stages in order to obtain a sufficiently sensitive method. However, in practice, due to ethical guidelines, experiments are likely to be restricted to human patients where brain microdialysis is required for some other reason or to animal subjects. Follow us on Twitter! Author(s) Ryan De Vooght-Johnson The woman who should be president. [Photo: Barbara Kinney.] Alisyn Camerota asked a panel of six Democrats, "How many of you would like to see Joe Biden get in? Show of hands." No one raised their hands. "His time is done," said one panelist. https://t.co/WlCE8xj0mJ pic.twitter.com/e55IFCYF8b New Day (@NewDay) March 5, 2019 Until then, she has been crisscrossing Georgia and making strategic national appearances on a combination thank-you and mobilization tour, offering her experience as Exhibit A of a cause Democrats are pressing with renewed fervor: voting rights. "The fight I see today is a fight for our democracy," she said at one of those stops, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus's annual Heritage Dinner. "It's not a partisan fight. It's a hard fight, the fight to defend the right to vote in Georgia. Voter suppression is real." Today's edition of Primarily Speaking is all about the folks who aren't running, except for the ones who might be!definitively said she will not be running in 2020, for anyone who still imagined that would be a possibility. Of course she said it in the most Hillary way possible : "I'm not running, but I'm going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe. I want to be sure that people understand I'm going to keep speaking out." RIGHT ON.Also not running: Oregon Senator, who will instead seek reelection to the Senate : "I've never been afraid of a tough battle. The question I've asked myself is, can I be more effective in making a difference on those being in the 2020 primary or by being in the Senate? ...It just comes down to that core sense that if we're going to make things happen, we've got to have a Senate that makes things happen." Correct!Still undecided is former veep, who said last month that he's close to a decision and that his family is encouraging him to run. That is bad advice, because Democratic primary voters are not very enthusiastic about the prospect. In fact, yesterday, CNN's Alisyn Camerota asked a focus group of six Democrats how many of them want Biden to run, and none of them raised their hands. Ouch.Also in the undecided category is former Virginia Governor, whose candidacy would complicate things for the other candidates because of his commanding fundraising ability and the broad loyalty he enjoys from Democratic fundraisers . For instance, Chris Korge, a prolific Democratic donor and coordinator, told CNN: "I did give a contribution to Kamala Harris, but when I gave it to her, I told her, 'If McAuliffe jumps in, I am supporting him.' I have made it clear to her, as well as every other person who has approached me, including five or six of them running, that if McAuliffe runs, I am supporting him." Damn.And finally! Former candidate for Georgia Governorstill hasn't decided what her next move will be, with lots of options on the table: "She said she will run for office again, and will decide whether for senator, governor, or president by late March or early April."LOVE. HER.Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short. The Mainzeal court decision has opened a can of worms for Mainzeal directors and their insurers as they work out who gets up to $23 million of liability insurance payouts to cover $36 million of court-ordered payments. Last week Justice Francis Cooke ruled that four directors of the failed construction company, including former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, should pay $36 million to unsecured creditors. The Mainzeal directors had traded recklessly, Justice Cooke said, particularly by allowing the mostly loss-making company to trade for several years while technically insolvent. The losers had been those unsecured creditors, particularly sub-contractors and some employees, who ended up being owed $110 million when the company collapsed in February 2013. Theres a strong likelihood at least one side will appeal. The Mainzeal liquidators could argue that $36 million is only a third of what the creditors lost and ask for a bigger compensation payment. The directors could argue either that they werent reckless, or that they are paying too much. In the meantime, arguments have already begun about the insurance. Under the directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance policy Mainzeal took out with insurance company QBE, $23 million is potentially available to help the directors pay the money they owe. But will QBE pay out? And if so, how much will they pay, and who gets what? One problem is there appears to be no precedent about what happens in this sort of situation. It would be easy (or easier) if all four directors had been given the same punishment - you just divide up the money equally. But thats not the case. Justice Cooke said in the judgment summary that all the directors had breached their duties, but Shipley and two other directors, Clive Tilby and Peter Gomm, had all acted in good faith and with honesty and had done so throughout. In other words, they thought they were doing the right thing, even if in the end they werent. The judge made Shipley, Tilby and Gomm liable for up to $6 million each of the $36 million total. But the case was different for a fourth director, Richard Yan, who was also the founder and main shareholder of Mainzeals parent company, Shanghai-based Richina Pacific. A key reason for the Mainzeal collapse was that the New Zealand construction company had lent millions of dollars to Richina and never got it back. Although Yan also acted honestly, the judge said, he was in a very different position [as he] benefited very significantly from the funds extracted from Mainzeal... He induced the other directors to breach their duties, including by making misleading representations to them. Justice Cooke said Yan should be liable for the full $36 million. The implication being that if the other directors for some reason weren't able to make a contribution, Yan will end up carrying the can for Mainzeal's collapse. So how do you divvy up the insurance money? At the end of the court hearing in October last year, Justice Cooke asked the parties pretty much that. Lets say that I do find the directors behaved badly but the sum I award is more than the insurance would cover, he said in essence. Who do you think might get what? And there was some head-scratching among the lawyers. There is scant authority on the apportionment of cover between co-insureds making simultaneous claims that exceed the limit on indemnity, Mark OBrien QC, lawyer for the liquidators BDO wrote in a submission to the court after the hearing finished. Jack Hodder QC, the lawyer for Shipley, Gomm and Tilby, said much the same in his own memorandum of counsel. Where co-insured defendants face differing liability sums between themselves, in relation to one Wrongful Act, the position is unclear, he said. However, in an uncannily familiar-sounding theoretical example, Hodder imagines a $3 million judgment scenario where three defendants (he calls them defendants 1, 2 and 3) are jointly and severally liable for $1 million, while defendant 1 is severally liable for $2 million in addition. Trouble is, there is only $1 million in the insurance pot. Hodder imagines three potential solutions to this imagined problem: First, give one third of the $1 million insurance money to the three together (approximately $111,000 each) for the jointly and severally part, and two thirds to defendant 1 ($666,000). That way, defendant 1 gets the lions share of the cover ($777,000) while stumping up with another $1.56 million out of their own pocket, and defendants 2 and 3 have to pay $222,000 of their own money to make up the difference of what they owe; Second, divide the $1 million insurance payout by three (approximately $333,000 each); Third, use the $1 million to pay off the $1 million joint and several liability of defendants 1, 2 and 3, leaving defendant 1 with the additional $2 million liability without the benefit of the policy. In both scenarios 2 and 3, defendants 2 and 3 end up being fully covered by the insurance payout. Commenting on these scenarios, Hodder argues for a solution where any payment of the insurance funds is... simply made towards the judgment of $3 million. It is not made either to the joint and several liability of defendants 1, 2 and 3, or the several liability of defendant 1. When the judgment is satisfied to the value of $1 million by the insurance funds, the joint and several liability of defendants 2 and 3 is necessarily extinguished. Of course, a lawyer acting for Shipley, Gomm and Tilby is likely to argue that way. Under the real scenario, the QBE-issued D&O indemnity policy pays out a maximum of $20 million to the Mainzeal directors, plus a $1 million extension for each non-executive director. Total: $23 million, maximum. Under Hodders solutions 2 and 3, Shipley and Tilbys part of the payment ends up being covered by insurance. That is, $5 million as each ones quarter share, plus $1 million extra because they were non-executive directors. The total: $6 million each, which is conveniently exactly the amount they owe. Under this arrangement, Shipley and Tilby would likely be keen to pay the money and see the whole case closed. Problem gone away. Gomm, the former Mainzeal chief executive, wouldnt get the $1 million non-executive payment, but would get the $5 million. Yan could get $6 million, but be left with a $12 million shortfall. In that case, he might put pressure on his fellow directors to push more of the insurance money in his direction. Or he could decide to appeal. The waters are muddied by an argument about whether Yan should get any of the insurance payout at all. In his memorandum, filed in court just before Christmas, Jack Hodder said the QBE policy arguably did not cover a director who gained personal profit or advantage from a Wrongful Act, where that Wrongful Act was intended to gain the personal profit or advantage. In this case, the wrongful act is the reckless trading, leading to the collapse of Mainzeal. In that regard, as the Court was advised during the trial, the insurer has expressly reserved the indemnity position in respect of Mr Yan, Hodder said. Which means, in laymans terms: Dont assume QBE will pay out on Richard Yan. Although Justice Cooke was aware of the D&O insurance behind the directors and asked the lawyers about the position, in his judgment he expressly said the existence or size of the $20 million of cover didnt make a difference. The Court considered, but ultimately did not take into account, the insurance cover held collectively by the directors, he said in the judgment summary. The court made no findings on the extent and operation of this insurance cover. Which doesnt help the directors, the liquidators, their lawyers or the insurers. Imagine plenty of behind-closed-doors meetings. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Special Dividend 8th December 2021 Morning Report New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZX: NZK) Market Update Scales Corporation Limited (NZX: SCL) Market update Delegat Group Limited (NZX: DGL) $333 million syndicated bank facilities 7th December 2021 Morning Report Sky Network Television Limited (NZX: SKY) Transformation accelerates - Sky raises FY22 guidance PGG Wrightson Limited (NZX: PGW) FY22 Operating EBITDA forecast to better last year Vulcan Steel Limited (NZX: VSL) Trading Update & Earnings Upgrade 6th December 2021 Morning Report The New Zealand dollar continues to hover around 68 US cents, capped by strong US data overnight that gave the greenback some support. The kiwi was trading at 68.01 US cent at 8am in Wellington from 67.98 US cents at 5pm in Wellington. The trade-weighted index was unchanged at 73.76. "US data beat expectations, lending the USD some support. That said, recent central bank caution has contained volatility for the time being and that is reflected in the tight ranges for major currency pairs," said ANZ Bank FX/rates strategist Sandeep Parekh. The US ISM non-manufacturing index rose to 59.7 points compared with expectations of 57.4. New orders rose strongly to 65.2 points from 57.7 hitting a 13-year high. Export orders also rose sharply, while the backlog of orders firmed. US December new homes sales rose 3.7 percent on the month but the November print was revised down to 9.1 percent from 16.9 percent. The kiwi was also supported when the global dairy prices moved higher in the overnight auction, with whole milk powder prices, the key price for Fonterra suppliers, lifting 6.0 percent. The main focus on the day will be the fourth-quarter gross domestic production data in Australia. " Poor data have led to revisions to GDP estimates, which has kept pressure on the AUD of late," said Parekh. The Australian economy likely expanded 0.5 percent on quarter and 2.7 percent on the year, according to the median in a Bloomberg poll. ANZ, however, is expecting a 0.2 percent on quarter expansion. The kiwi traded at 95.91 Australian cents from 96.07. It was at 51.62 British pence from 51.68 British pence and at 60.14 euro cents from 60.02. It was at 76.07 yen from 76.06 yen and at 4.5608 Chinese yuan from 4.5566 Chinese yuan. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Special Dividend 8th December 2021 Morning Report New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZX: NZK) Market Update Scales Corporation Limited (NZX: SCL) Market update Delegat Group Limited (NZX: DGL) $333 million syndicated bank facilities 7th December 2021 Morning Report Sky Network Television Limited (NZX: SKY) Transformation accelerates - Sky raises FY22 guidance PGG Wrightson Limited (NZX: PGW) FY22 Operating EBITDA forecast to better last year Vulcan Steel Limited (NZX: VSL) Trading Update & Earnings Upgrade 6th December 2021 Morning Report Shareclarity managing director Daniel Kieser gets up at 3.47am. Not 3.45am, 4am, or even a more sleep-enhancing 6am. His alarm goes off at 3.47am. It may be a signal of workaholic tendencies. Or enthusiasm for what he does. Or maybe the founder and boss of the online equities research firm just likes to do things a bit differently. Like launching an augmented reality app which allows stock market investors and traders who happen to be wandering past a Kathmandu or Briscoes store, for example, to open up the Shareclarity app, point their smartphone at the shop sign, and immediately pull up market analysis and data about the listed company. As one does. Or like bringing out a voice recognition app which allows you to mutter fish stocks into your phone and end up not with a recipe for bouillabaisse, but everything you wanted to know about Sanford Ltd. Shareclarity has just introduced both these apps to its customers, the majority of whom would be over-60s white guys. Essential tool or crazy waste of time? Kieser accepts only about 20-30 percent of Shareclarity clients would be in a demographic likely to use the new apps. But he doesnt care. The older generation go thats weird, the young go thats real cool. "Equity research is not blowing the lights out in terms in coolness, Kieser says, so the apps are a chance to establish a point of difference for the company. What I keep saying to the board and myself is that we want to be best-in-class with everything we do. It makes us feel like a cool company in a dull industry. People see you as a pioneering organisation, and they want to talk to you more. Kieser swears that the new augmented reality and microphone apps cost only $12,000 to develop and it took less than two months. Kieser was born in South Africa, moved to New Zealand as a teenager and started his work life as a software engineer. He changed track to share analysis after turning down a software engineering job with Dutch banking group ABN Amro. I didn't have a tweed jacket, monobrow or food all over my clothes. There were no windows and it smelled like a boys room. I said This isnt me. From equities research, Kieser moved onto working on carbon pricing, at a time when only a few people were involved in the field. He helped set up a carbon trading fund for Singapore-based Sindicatum, then joined forces with a friend to form Asia Renewables, a based company which owned and operated renewable power plants. When the 2012-2013 European banking crisis kicked in, Asia Renewables fell over. We were chasing too many power plants and funding. We lost everything. I realised things in the global markets were in state of flux. I needed to come to a country I knew, and de-risk myself completely from the GFC. Kieser ended up as a business analyst at electricity lines company Vector, but a couple of years later decided it was time to be an entrepreneur again. Hed been pondering the concept of an online equity research company and founded Shareclarity in 2014. It took two years, and three rounds of capital raising to develop the software and bring the company to market. Shareholders include Stephen Tindalls K1W1 venture capital fund, investor and commentator Shamubeel Eaqub, and former Citigroup director Mark Benseman. Shareclarity now employs five analysts, including Carolyn Holmes, the former director of equity research for Morningstar Australasia in Sydney. There are also two software engineers, neither of whom has a nerdy monobrow or food on their shirt. The company covers 280 companies, 85 on the NZX, 20 in Hong Kong, and the rest in Australia. Kieser would like to get to 350 within the next 12 months. Meanwhile, Shareclarity has 5,000 customers, Kieser says, the largest being broking firm First NZ Capital. The company also has partnerships with the stock exchange and the NZ Shareholders' Association. Next up, he is pondering introducing an 'Easter egg' or two into his software. Not the chocolate variety, apparently, but the sort of secret feature or hidden message that software developers sneak into games as an inside joke. Imagine going into the worst performing stock on the market and a little dog pops up and scratches off some fleas. Its non-productive, it doesnt change anything. But Shareclaritys target market is predominantly males; young at heart. And this is a little bit of something that is cool. Anyway, what else are you going to be doing at 3.47am? (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Special Dividend 8th December 2021 Morning Report New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZX: NZK) Market Update Scales Corporation Limited (NZX: SCL) Market update Delegat Group Limited (NZX: DGL) $333 million syndicated bank facilities 7th December 2021 Morning Report Sky Network Television Limited (NZX: SKY) Transformation accelerates - Sky raises FY22 guidance PGG Wrightson Limited (NZX: PGW) FY22 Operating EBITDA forecast to better last year Vulcan Steel Limited (NZX: VSL) Trading Update & Earnings Upgrade 6th December 2021 Morning Report Kolkata: E-commerce company MSTC Ltd, a mini-Ratna under the Ministry of Steel, on Monday said it has got approval for its IPO from the Securities and Exchange Board of India. The MSTCAIPO comprises an offer for sale of 17,600,000 equity shares equivalent to 25 per cent of the post-offer paid-up equity share capital of the company, it said in a statement. Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan made the remarks during a visit to the forward operating bases (FOB), where he met combat and ground crew, air defence and engineering personnel, troops and civilian staff, a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) spokesperson was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper. : Pakistan Air Force chief on Monday asked his officers to keep their 'guard up' as the challenges facing the country 'are not over yet', amid heightened tensions with India following the Pulwama terror attack and an aerial combat between the two forces. Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad killed 41 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir on February 14. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan retaliated with a large air formation, comprising 24 fighter jets, including F-16s. "The challenges are not over yet, and we should keep our guards up and always be ready to respond to any aggression from the adversary," Khan said, referring to the Indian air strikes in Balakot. Recalling the shooting down of an Indian aircraft by PAF jets last week, the air chief said the entire nation is 'proud of PAF, which did exceptionally well in safeguarding the sovereignty of our country in the recent conflict with the enemy'. An Indian pilot was captured by the Pakistani forces. The pilot returned to India from Pakistan on Friday to a hero's welcome, nearly 60 hours after he was captured following a dogfight when his MiG 21 was shot down. The move was seen as a step by Pakistan to de-escalate tensions with India, but the air chief instructed PAF personnel to not let their guards down. The Pakistani drone was detected by a ground-based radar station and minutes later one of the Sukhoi-30 jets deployed in the area to keep an eye on Indian air space shot it down, they said. : A Sukhoi-30 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force on Monday shot down a Pakistani military drone in Bikaner sector of the Indo-Pak border using an air-to-air missile, government sources said. The Pakistani military drone was targeted at around 11.30 am in Bikaner-Nal sector in Rajasthan, the sources said. It was the second unsuccessful attempt by Pakistan to send a spy drone inside India in the last six days. A Pakistani drone was shot down by India on February 27 along the Indo-Pak border in Kutch in Gujarat. The Indian Air Force has kept all its bases in Western sector on maximum alert after India carried out a strike on the biggest terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26. Pakistan had attempted to retaliate by unsuccessfully targeting a number of military installations in Kashmir on February 27 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. 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New England IPA to the festival. Provided A quartet of beer brands based in the Cincinnati area will make the trek up I-71 this coming Saturday to participate in the Ohio Craft Brewers Associations 13th annual Winter Warmer Fest. Grainworks Brewing, MadTree Brewing, Rhinegeist, and Streetside Brewery will join roughly 60 other Buckeye State brewers offering more than 200 beer varieties, including winter seasonals, limited-editions, and high-gravity (i.e., high-alcohol) beers at the Windows on the River complex in downtown Cleveland on Saturday, March 9 from 25 p.m. Ohio breweries are cranking out world-class beer, as evidenced by our recent strong showings at such events as the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup competitions, says Justin Hemminger, deputy director of the Cleveland-based association. We highly encourage participating breweries to bring their A-game beers to the fest, which has made this event bigger and better every year, he continues. The exceptional variety appeals to craft beer enthusiasts and newbies alike. Here are the local brewers taking part in the fest, and their planned offerings: Grainworks Brewing Company, West Chester poundsign nofilter New England IPA Defroster Winter Warmer Bagpipes of Bardstown BBA Scotch Ale Old Motor Oil BBA Russian Imperial Stout MadTree Brewing, Oakley PsycHOPathy IPA Shade Bonsai Project OH DBA Rubus Cacao Rhinegeist, OTR Night Whale Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Saber Tooth Imperial IPA Subliminal Jam Mixed Berry Sour Ale Cheetah Lager Wowie Ale with passion fruit and pineapple Streetside Brewery, Columbia-Tusculum Thique Mexican Hot Chocolate BA Imperial Stout with habanero, cocoa nibs, and cinnamon Suh, Brah? New England IPA Doodle Bob Imperial Brown with snickerdoodle coffee Hemminger says the event can accommodate about 1,500 attendees, and that it sold out at that level last year. The fest is a fundraiser for the association, a non-profit organization founded to preserve, protect, and unify the states craft brewing industry. Ohio's craft beer scene is booming. General admission tickets are available in advance for $45, which includes a souvenir glass and tasting tickets for 20 four-ounce samples. (Designated driver admission is available for $15 and includes a food voucher.) Tickets can be purchased online at www.beerfesttickets.com/winterwarmer2019 Barrels of craft beer brewed in Ohio in 2017:Craft beer industrys economic impact in Ohio in 2016:Economic impact increase 20142016:Jobs supported by the craft brewing industry in Ohio:Number of craft breweries operating in Ohio:Number of known breweries in planning:Craft beer consumption per capita in Ohio:Rank among states in economic impact:Rank among the states in craft beer production: Philippine defence chief calls for US pact review Manila, March 5 (AFP) Mar 05, 2019 The decades-old defence treaty between the United States and the Philippines needs to be revamped, or risks dragging Manila into a war with China, the Filipino defence chief said Tuesday. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana made the comments four days after US Secretary Mike Pompeo said Washington would intervene in case of an armed attack on Philippine forces or vessels in the disputed South China Sea. "It is not the lack of reassurance that worries me. It is being involved in a war that we do not seek and do not want," Lorenzana said in a statement. Filipino officials have suggested the Philippines' 1951 mutual defence treaty with the US may not apply in the strategic waterway, since Washington has not stopped Beijing building artificial islands over reefs claimed by Manila and other neighbours. The US has said it does not take sides in the dispute over the South China Sea claimed by Beijing as well as the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. It has however sailed warships near the Chinese-built islands to assert free passage. Pompeo said Friday China's actions in the waterway -- through which trillions of dollars of global trade passes each year -- threaten both the US and the Philippines, and vowed to keep it open. But Lorenzana said the naval manoeuvres risked dragging the Philippines into armed conflict. "The United States, with the increased and frequent passage of its naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea, is more likely to be involved in a shooting war," he said, referring to Filipino-claimed areas of the sea. "In such a case and on the basis of the (treaty), the Philippines will be automatically involved," he said. The "vastly different" security environment now in place "necessitates a review of the treaty", he added. Nigerian court orders assets forfeit of slain ex-defence chief Lagos, March 5 (AFP) Mar 05, 2019 A Nigerian court has ordered the forfeiture to the government of properties and $1 million in cash from a former defence chief who was killed while on trial for corruption. Ex-chief of defence staff Alex Badeh was shot dead in his car by unknown gunmen on a road outside the capital Abuja last December. The retired air chief marshal and his company were being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of abuse of office and money laundering. He allegedly diverted nearly $20 million (17.6 million euros) of government funds, including money meant for salaries, for his own use. Some of the cash was allegedly used to purchase a mansion in the upmarket Maitama district of the city, Badeh, 61, served as Nigeria's defence chief under former president Goodluck Jonathan, as Boko Haram Islamists seized territory across the northeast. At the time, Nigerian troops complained the jihadists were better armed, and that they were not being paid or provided with food. In a ruling on Monday, federal high court judge Okon Abang ordered the forfeiture of various luxury properties in Abuja and $1 million recovered from his company to the government. The properties include the house in Maitama, a shopping mall and three apartments, the EFCC said in a statement. Police said in December that five suspects were arrested in connection with his death. Nigeria is battling a myriad of security problems, from Boko Haram in the northeast to farmer-herder conflict in the centre, kidnappings and armed robberies in the south. Funds meant to be used to procure weapons to battle Boko Haram were allegedly looted by top defence and security chiefs under president Jonathan. His successor, Muhammadu Buhari, who came to office in 2015 and last week won a second term, has vowed to recover all looted funds. Pakistan detains militant suspects after Kashmir attack Islamabad, March 5 (AFP) Mar 05, 2019 Pakistan has detained dozens of alleged militants after a suicide attack in Indian-held Kashmir last month which sent tensions between the nuclear-armed foes soaring, its interior minister said Tuesday. Among those detained in Islamabad's latest crackdown on banned groups was Abdul Rauf -- who a security source told AFP is a younger brother of Masood Azhar -- the leader of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) that claimed responsibility for the February 14 attack. Rauf had been named in a dossier of evidence in that attack given to Pakistan by India, the interior ministry said. "We have launched a crackdown against proscribed organisations and have taken 44 individuals into custody, including Mufti Abdul Rauf and Hammad Azhar," state minister for the interior Shehryar Afridi told reporters in Islamabad. He did not give any further names, clarify what groups those detained allegedly belonged to, or say if they would face charges. The February 14 attack killed 40 Indian paramilitaries and spurred tit-for-tat air raids between India and Pakistan across the highly militarised Line of Control, the de facto border in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Both sides claimed they had shot each other's warplanes down, igniting fears of an all-out conflict as world powers pleaded for restraint. Pakistan captured one Indian pilot, releasing him on Friday in a bid to pull both countries back from the brink, though tensions remain high. Rauf is a little-known younger brother of Masood Azhar, the security source said. He added that "Hammad Azhar" was an alias, but did not say who for. Indian officials were sceptical of the detentions Tuesday. "We have seen Pakistan make arrests before, and then the people are released," an Indian government source told AFP. India, along with the US, has pressured Pakistan to take action against militancy. "If they still do not mend their ways, We have told them what will happen," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told an election rally in central India Tuesday. Afridi said Pakistan was "not taking this action under pressure from anyone". Islamabad has vehemently denied involvement in militant attacks, and said there are no safe havens left for terror groups on its territory. JeM leader Masood Azhar remains in Pakistan, foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told CNN last week, adding that he was "very unwell" and could not leave his house. bur-ga-ja-st/tom Pakistan navy says it stopped Indian sub from entering its waters Karachi, March 5 (AFP) Mar 05, 2019 Pakistan has stopped an Indian submarine from entering its waters, the navy said Tuesday, as tensions continue to run high between the nuclear-armed foes. The development came days after a rare aerial dogfight between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir ignited fears of an all-out conflict, with world powers rushing to urge restraint. "The Pakistan navy stopped an Indian submarine from entering our territorial waters," a naval spokesman said. He added "the Indian submarine was not targeted, in line with the government's policy of maintaining peace". It was the first such incident since 2016, when Pakistan said it had "pushed" an Indian submarine away from its waters. The navy later said the submarine was detected on Monday within Pakistan's maritime zone, or 200 nautical mile (370 kilometre) exclusive economic zone, but did not give further details on the location. It also released what it said was video of the submarine, with the grainy black and white footage showing only what appeared to be a periscope above water. The timestamp at the beginning of the video clip read 8:35 pm on Monday. India said its navy remained "deployed as necessary". "Over the past several days we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propoganda," an Indian Navy spokesman tweeted Tuesday. An Indian government source also dismissed the video, telling AFP: "Why would a submarine in Pakistani waters have its periscope up?" Tensions between the arch-rivals have escalated significantly over recent days, after a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 40 Indian paramilitaries. A militant group based in Pakistan claimed responsibility for the February 14 blast, and 12 days later Indian jets bombed what New Delhi called a terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan. Pakistan has denied any damage or casualties, and independent reporting has shown the strikes hit a heavily forested area with little infrastructure nearby. Residents have said just one person was injured. The next day Pakistani aircraft entered Indian airspace and the two nations' jets engaged in aerial dogfights, with at least one Indian aircraft shot down and its pilot captured by Pakistan. The pilot was handed back to India last Friday in what Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan called a "peace gesture". Both sides also claimed a second plane had been shot down, but they have disputed whose plane it was and what happened to the pilot. Pakistani and Indian soldiers have continued to fire over the Line of Control -- the de-facto border dividing Kashmir -- in the days since, killing several civilians on both sides. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over it. Algerian army chief vows to secure protest-hit country Algiers, March 5 (AFP) Mar 05, 2019 Algeria's army chief on Tuesday pledged to guarantee the country's security following mass demonstrations against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in office. General Ahmed Gaid Salah also criticised those who he said want to return to the "painful years" of the 1992-2002 civil war "during which the Algerian people experienced all forms of suffering and paid a heavy price." The armed forces chief of staff said in a speech at a military academy outside Algiers that the country's success "in eradicating terrorism... has displeased some parties who are upset to see Algeria stable and safe." The people will continue to enjoy "security and stability" of which the army "will remain the guarantor", the general, who is close to Bouteflika and considered one of Algeria's most powerful figures, said according to an official transcript. The army chief, who is deputy defence minister, urged Algerians to be ready to "erect a rampart against anything that could expose Algeria to unpredictable threats". Protests have seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets of the North African country since last month demanding the 82-year-old president resign. Thousands of students marched in the capital and other cities on Tuesday in the latest display of public anger. Bouteflika, who suffered a stroke in 2013 and is rarely seen in public, promised on Sunday that if he wins elections in April he will organise a "national conference" to set a date for further polls which he would not contest. His pledge, made in a letter read out on state television, has been dismissed as an insult by Algerians weary of his two-decade-old rule. Bouteflika has been in Switzerland since February 24 for what the presidency has described as "routine medical tests". NATO chief says bloc preparing for more Russian missiles Sofia (AFP) March 1, 2019 NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Friday the military alliance needs to be ready for a world with more Russian missiles, after a UN warning that the global arms control system is collapsing. "NATO does not want a new Cold war, we don't want a new arms race. And therefore we call on Russia to come back into compliance with the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) treaty," Stoltenberg told reporters during a visit to the Bulgarian capital Sofia. "At the same time we need to be prepared for a wor ... read more Rs. 344 billion has been allocated in the appropriation bill for education and higher education. Education The 13 years of education programme is a key ongoing project of the government which will expand education opportunities across a range of skill sets. The government is cognizant of the need to invest heavily in education quality to ensure desired outcomes. Envisaged education reforms will help nurture the analytical and creative skills required to thrive in the modern economy. Rs. 6 billion has been allocated for ongoing education reform programme including substantive curricula reforms. There are ongoing plans for introduction of STEM+A to enable students to combine subjects across streamseg. mathematics with music. A further Rs. 3.6 billion has been allocated to support technological education. Rs. 16 billion has been allocated to upgrade overall school facilities including laboratories, libraries, classrooms, and sanitation facilities a key element particularly to ensure undisrupted education for girls. Teacher training is also a crucial element of ensuring education outcomes and Rs. 100 million is allocated for continuous professional development for teachers. Additionally, Rs. 500 million is allocated for Tamil Medium teacher training. The government will launch the Scholarship for Educational Excellence (SEE) to enable the best performers from Sri Lankan schools to apply to the worlds best universities. The Fund will support the university education of the top performers in each stream and the top performer from each province. The government is also supporting the neglected area of pre-school education a key stage of development of a child. A regulatory framework, including curricula and teacher training, is being designed to enable private participation in the sector as well, supported by a concessionary loan scheme for qualified applicants.Rs. 1.1 billion has been allocated for investment in early childhood development.A network of high quality pre-schools will also support greater participation of women in the work force. Higher Education Rs. 25 billion has been allocated for investments in facilities at universities including professorial units, libraries, theatre complexes and other measures for higher education expansion and development of quality. Whilst investing heavily in state education, it is necessary to enable an appropriate role for non-state education as well. Towards this end, a loan scheme has been initiated under Enterprise Sri Lanka to extend to students applying to qualifying non-state higher education institutes, Rs. 1 million at a subsidized rate of 6% with a 2 year grace period to be repaid over 15 years. Skills for Work Significant investment is being directed to upgrade skills to align human resource capabilities with work force demands. Towards this end, the government is supporting approaches such as apprenticeship programmes and internship programmes that are initiated by the private sector. For instance, in sectors such as health and IT, skill development programmes led by the private sector will be supported by the government in the form of stipends during the training period. In the IT sector for instance, graduates in non-technical subjects will be absorbed into the industry for a training period during which time the government will provide a stipend of up to Rs. 25,000/- per month per student.Rs. 300 million has been allocated for this. Through this approach, the training will be provided for exactly the type of skills required by the industry. A similar approach is being initiated in the nursing sector and pharmaceutical industries. The government is also supporting skill development in the construction sector led by CIDA for which Rs. 300 million has been allocated. This will help develop skills in these key areas. Depending on the success of these programmes, the government will encourage other industry bodies to develop similar projects. In addition, the Sri Lanka army has a substantial capacity to support the government in its initiatives in skill development for various technical skills to support independent livelihoods. The SLA will provide NVQ certified training programmes in skill areas such as electronics, welding, carpenting, plumbing, agriculture, and animal husbandry. Trainees will be provided with a stipend during the programme. The appropriation and budget proposals encompass allocations of Rs. 39.5 billion for the housing sector, of which Rs. 38 billion is capital expenditure. A major objective of this government is to make Sri Lanka into a home-owning democracy. Already substantial investment has gone into this sector across different value segments over the last 3 and a half years. At low income income levels the government bears the major part of the funding, at the mid-range level the government will share the costs of funding through subsidized loan schemes, and at the higher end the government will provide a conducive environment for private investments in housing. Significant investment is allocated for low income housing with Rs. 7.5 billion allocated and a further Rs. 2.9 billion for estate housing. In 2019 several middle income housing projects will commence, including projects in Wadduwa, Ragama, Yakkala, Kundasale, Borella, and Pannipitiya, among others. Rs. 8.1 billion is allocated through the appropriations bill for the Urban Regeneration project. The appropriation bill and budget proposals also suppors housing for re-settlement projects with a total allocation of Rs. 13.5 billion for this. In addition to public housing, the government is supporting investment in private housing investments. The Home Sweet Home loan under the Enterprise Sri Lanka loan scheme will provide Rs. 10 million loans at concessionary financing of 6% for first time home buyers. This is another measure that will support middle income housing in Sri Lanka and help build a home owning democracy. Enterprise Sri Lanka will also provide Rs. 10 mn concessionary financing for migrant workers to invest in a home in Sri Lanka. The government will bear 75% of the interest cost and provide a 2 year grace period out of a 15 year loan tenor. To support local construction companies, in order to tender for future government projects, a foreign construction company must form a partnership with a local construction company. This will address the issues faced by local companies in facing up to international competition. In order to reduce the costs of construction, the para-tariffs applied to selected construction materials will be reduced. The NBT for the main contractor in construction projects will also be made exempt. To support the property development sector, a residential visa will be provided for 3 years for foreign nationals who invest US$ 300,000 or more in condominiums. English04/03/2019 SDA AND ISLAMIC COMMUNITY TO DISTANCE FROM JUSUFF TRBICS STATEMENT BIJELJINA, March 4 /SRNA/ - The SDA and Islamic Community representatives need to distance themselves from the statement made by the SDA councilor in the Bijeljina City Assembly, Jusuf Trbic, who called the Republika Srpska Army "Karadzics fascists" and call for peace, tolerance and good relations between all the people living in Bijeljina, Republika Srpska and BiH instead, said Nedeljko Coric, the chairman of the SNSD City Board. Coric told SRNA that he found it surprising that the current majority in the Bijeljina City Assembly, headed by the mayor, and the Bijeljina War Veterans Organisation representatives failed to criticize Trbic's statement, which set us many years back and did not contribute to reconciliation in BiH, nor did it improve living conditions of citizens. "Every Trbic's public appearance shows radical approach advocated by the SDA, which is the unification of BiH," Coric said, commenting on Trbic's appearance in the City Assembly. He stressed that it was not time to send offensive messages of one nation to another, but the time when the tolerance threshold should be raised to the highest possible level. "This is necessary in order to deal with the burning issues and problems that bother BiH in general," said Coric, who is also a SNSD deputy in the Republika Srpska National Assembly. He added that the Serbs are a tolerant people who wants to live in peace with their fellow citizens and neighbors in this region. During the session held on February 25, SDA municipal councilor Jusuf Trbic called the Army of Republika Srpska "Karadzics fascists", which is why some of the SNSD walked out of the session held in the City Assembly. /end/vos English04/03/2019 AGREEMENT ON CHEAPER ROAMING CHARGES TO BE SIGNED ON APRIL 5 IN BELGRADE SARAJEVO, March 4 /SRNA/ - BiH Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik said today in Brussels that BiH will certainly sign an agreement on cheaper roaming charges for the Western Balkans region on April 5 in Belgrade. "BiH has unjustly stalled the issue of signing the agreement on roaming in the region. It is the only country that did not consent to an agreement to be signed on April 5 in Belgrade," Dodik said in a press conference in Brussels over the information that certain competent BiH institutions officially requested the postponement of signing this agreement at the beginning of February. He emphasized that the Presidency of BiH is ready to issue an order and provide support to the agreement on cheaper roaming services for the Western Balkan region. "BiH will certainly be a country to sign an agreement in Belgrade on April 5, which gives our citizens the possibility of cheaper roaming charges in the region, as well as the reduction in the EU states roaming charges until its final abolition," Dodik said. The BiH Presidency chairman also addressed the issue of accreditation of higher education institutions in BiH, stressing that no university in BiH should be allowed to lose the opportunity to apply for quality sources of support at different levels coming from the EU. "For this reason, we will have to put this issue very quickly on the agenda in order to resolve it and avoid any harm being made in that regard. I thank the EU for noting this as a need to help universities and students in BiH in general, Dodik said. Due to the blocking of the Managing Board of the Agency for Higher Education of BiH, six universities failed to obtain accreditation last year, which was not extended this year too. It is about the universities in Zenica, Banjaluka, Istocno Sarajevo, the University of Business Studies in Banjaluka, the Banjaluka College and the Independent University in Banjaluka. The EU Delegation to BiH has given the Agency for Higher Education BiH the deadline to extend the accreditation to the aforementioned higher education institutions by March 31, which is obligatory under the Framework Law on Higher Education in BiH. If this does not happen by March 31, these six universities will be expelled from the Erasmus Plus Programme, while their diplomas could eventually become invalid in the EU. /end/vos English04/03/2019 GOLIC: BiH INSTITUTIONS FAILED TO REACT BANJALUKA, March 4 /SRNA/ - The Republika Srpska Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology, Srebrenka Golic, says the BiH institutions failed to react in order to thwart Croatia from its intention to dispose radioactive waste along the border with BiH, that is, Srpska, even though they are obliged to do it by documents and resolutions adopted by the BiH Parliament. Who knows what Croatias future plans are? Maybe the radioactive waste disposal on Trgovska Gora later becomes a nuclear waste disposal since the fact is that until the year 2023, Croatia must take over a half of the waste from the Krsko nuclear power plant, Golic told SRNA. She says that Srpska will not give up the struggle, adding that she expects SNSD representatives to have a more active role in resolving this problem after the BiH joint institutions are formed. It is our goal to put an end to this issue and for Croatia to place a disposal deeper into its territory, and not on a border with neighbors, since this is not done anywhere in the world, Golic said. According to her, around 230,000 people who live in the watershed of the River Una would suffer the greatest consequences. I understand the fear of these people, but also the fear of all of us in Republika Srpska. It is inadmissible for Croatia to store the radioactive waste on a border, Golic said. She says that data show that the location on Trgovska Gora is not safe for the disposal of waste as this is an earthquake prone area, interwoven with water courses which empty into the River Una, which can have far-reaching consequences. Golic says that her Ministry learned from the media that Croatia is again doing something regarding waste disposal on Trgovska Gora. The same happened in November last year when we learned from internet portals that they adopted a national plan which says that Trgovska Gora is a potential location for radioactive waste disposal and that they will draft a study of impact on the environment, Golic said. She says that BiH and Republika Srpska adopted and ratified the Espoo Convention which stipulates that the affected countries must be actively included in the whole process. We have struggled with Croatia for several years regarding the location for radioactive waste disposal and we have already sent a request to the Croatian authorities asking for information about their activities regarding this issue, she said. Golic says that they addressed the Croatian authorities many times, objected to their national plan, but they have never received any official response, which means that Croatia ignores our authorities. That which we read on their internet portals, and this is our only information, says that not a single objection presented by Republika Srpska was accepted and that they have all been assessed as inadequate, she said. Golic announced a meeting for tomorrow with Novi Grad municipal officials regarding this issue. Novi Grad Mayor Miroslav Drljaca earlier told SRNA that the municipality will not stop fighting against radioactive waste disposal in Cerkezovac, in the area of the Croatian Municipality of Dvor, on the border with BiH, and added that in case a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached with Croatia, international arbitration should be sought. He says that after they learned about the latest developments they asked for a meeting with the Republika Srpska Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology, Srebrenka Golic, in order to agree on a joint action. Croatian media reported that the Croatian government started preparations for the disposal of radioactive waste from the Krsko nuclear power plant in the abandoned barracks Cerkezovac on Trgovska Gora, in the immediate vicinity of the border with BiH/Republika Srpska. Media reported that a meeting was held on January 24 in the Ministry of Defense due to the handing over of the Cerkezovac military warehouse to the Ministry of the Environment. /end/sg Would better access to the Mississippi River be advantageous to Ste. Genevieve? Yes! It would boost tourism and be awesome for locals. Not really. Anyone who really wants to see it can drive to the ferry landing. View Results Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. In the corridors the conversations are in English, and in the offices and laboratories there are young people of different nationalities and skin colours. Having researchers from all around the world "is a great opportunity; they bring a fresh approach, a new view of the problems and a different way of working, and that is enriching for everyone," says Jose Becerra, a professor of Cellular Biology at Malaga University and the scientific director of Bionand, which is hosting the eight young researchers from other countries. Four continents Claudia Oliveira is from Portugal, Ana Ercegovic Rot is Slovenian, Liliya Kazantseva is Russian but lives in Peru, Precious Kwadzo Pomary comes from Ghana, Jonas Leuermann is German, Vladimir Stamenkovic is Serbian, Amene Tesfaye Ayane comes from Ethiopia and Ashish Avasthi has come to Malaga University from India. These eight young people have been given a three-year contract as part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie programme, financed by the EU, to carry out their doctoral theses in Malaga in the field of nanomedicine and biotechnology. They were selected from more than 100 applicants from all over the world, which gives an idea of the level of interest in Malaga and this research centre. The process took a year, and the final selection was decided by the Agencia Andaluza de Conocimiento, with external evaluators to ensure that the process was impartial. The researchers have completed one-third of their stay in Malaga now, and the results of their work are already evident: publication in important scientific journals, or new lines of research. "They know they have to complete their thesis within three years, so they are working at a good speed," says Jose Becerra. The medicine of the future, in which nanotechnology and biotechnology go hand in hand to provide new therapies which are practically tailor-made for each patient, is being investigated by leading research centres worldwide. Malaga has achieved a high ranking on this map of excellence in research thanks to Bionand, the Centro Andaluz de Nanomedicina y Biotecnologia, an institution which includes Malaga University and the regional ministries of Health and of Conocimiento y Universidad. Millionth of a millimetre In their laboratories, using large electronic microscopes and latest generation optics, nuclear magnetic resonance, fluorescence or bioluminescence equipment, the researchers are working with molecules of unthinkable dimensions: nanotechnology works on the manipulation of material with a size equivalent to one-millionth of a millimetre. Few of them knew much about Malaga before being selected. Some admit they wouldn't even have been able to find it on a map. Now, however, they are all delighted with their decision to come here, not only because of the state-of-the-art centre in which they work and carry out their research but also because they like the city. Some of them are still struggling with the Spanish language, partly because at Bionand English predominates. Jonas and Amene are taking lessons and Liliya, who speaks it because of the years she has spent in Peru, acts as interpreter. Claudia, from Portugal, also manages to get by in Spanish. They all came to Bionand because they have done previous work, mainly for their Masters degree, on nanomedicine and biotechnology. "I was looking for an important centre where I could carry on with my studies into the chemistry of nanomaterials, and I came across Bionand and these grants," says Amene Tesfaye. Jonas already knew about Malaga and the university, because his research group was in contact with the Communications Engineering faculty. When the director, Inigo Molino, went to Germany they discussed the possiblity of him doing his thesis in Malaga. Ana Ercegovic Rot is working on cellular reprogramming and its applications, a line of research into the patients' own cells being used to cure them, and thereby preventing rejection. Ashish Avasthi, from India, has a Masters degree in nanotechnology and was looking for a place where he could do his doctoral thesis while continuing to work on the biotechnology and nanomaterials he had already studied. "Curiously, it turned out there was one in Malaga," he says. Liliya Kazantseva agrees that one of the major advantages of Bionand is that nanomedicine and biotechnology are under the same roof. "We have everything we need here, with equipment you don't always find in universities," she says. Jonas Leuermann explains that his project requires a great deal of equipment and team work. "We began a new line of research, and we needed other teams for it. We quickly found those, and it is fantastic to work with all these facilities," he says. Few of them know what they will do after the three years are up. Liliya says she might continue to work in Malaga, Claudia wants to return to Portugal and Amene says he is hoping to find work at a university back in Ethiopia. Progress After a year of work in Malaga, they have made major progress in their projects and have even opened new lines of research, as in the case of Jonas, who was looking at photonic (light) sensors to detect illnesses. His thesis director, Inigo Molina, says they have applied for funding for a project to design a new generation of 'photonic chips' which incorporate nano-structured materials. Maria Isabel Montanez, a researcher at Bionand who is directing Amene Tesfaye's thesis, says that in just one year "we have discovered a battery of nano-structures and published a very interesting article" about 'in vitro' diagnosis of allergies to amoxicillin and other medications. Working together under one roof also leads to interesting interaction and positive feedback, so that each person's work is enriched by contributions from the others, says Jose Becerra. He says this is proving a very positive experience, and that the researchers all show an extraordinary degree of motivation. There are now plans to incorporate post-doctoral graduates in the future, thereby expanding even further the contribution of this leading research centre in the field of new medical technologies. The image of the mothball-scented charity shop has changed greatly over the years and what were once considered as shops that sold out-of-date clothes, tacky ornaments and scratched records have transformed into big moneymaking enterprises. Over the past 30 years, many of the charity organisations run by foreign residents on the Costa del Sol have realised this and have opened shops in most of the major resort towns along the coast. Some organisations have premises in more than one town, such as the hospice charity Cudeca, which now has 19 shops and outlets in the province of Malaga. These shops are similar in that they offer the same type of items for sale, but what they also have in common is that they are usually the charitys most important source of funding. As non-profit organisations (ONGs) whose aim is to improve the lives of other people through humanitarian, educational or healthcare services, the shops have certain benefits, like tax exemptions. Shops rely on the help of volunteers and generous donations. / T. B. Cudeca was the first to introduce the concept on the Costa del Sol and this started a trend that has produced many thriving secondhand shops run by selfless volunteers, raising hundreds of thousands of euros in revenue every year. Most shops have a volunteer base of approximately 20 to 50 people if they open only in the mornings and as many as 80 volunteers if the shop opens in the afternoon and evening as well. The first charity shop Cudeca, which opened its first shop in Fuengirola in November 1992, enjoyed a year of strong growth in 2016, with several new premises opening, along with a central warehouse that provides logistics services to the entire network. The cancer hospice, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, now has shops from Malaga to Estepona and the income they generate covers a large part of the expenses it incurs each year. In 2015, the shops generated almost 50 per cent of the overall funds raised. 2016 was a year of healthy progress with the network of shops drawing in 72 per cent of the years total figure. Katie ONeil, coordinator of Cudecas network of commercial outlets, explained to SUR in English why there had been such a drastic rise in funds generated in the shops. There has been a big push in the shops since the end of 2015, thus the big change in numbers. We have also opened a new furniture outlet and we offer a delivery and collection service. Fuengirola is our top shop, however, Torre del Mar is a close second. Other shops that have been showing a lot of growth recently are in Torremolinos and Marbella, we are proud to say. Age Concern Age Concern Fuengirola and Mijas was formed by a small group of volunteers in February 2014. The charity now has three drop-in centres, a welfare outreach programme, a shop and a house clearing service. The Age Concern charity shop in Los Boliches opened its doors in March 2017 and from the first day it has proven to be successful. In the beginning, the shop only attracted the local expat community, but they soon began to lure the local Spanish community as well. The shop prides itself on the quality of the goods it offers and the low prices charged, but, like all of these outlets, the stock depends largely on what people donate. The majority of charity shops on the coast sell clothes, accessories, bric-a-brac, porcelain, toys, DVDs and books, while a few outlets concentrate on furniture and larger items. However, the shop manager never knows what is going to come through the door. With merchandise arriving daily we can satisfy even the most fastidious of customers. However, horse tack and vibrating mattresses were beyond our remit, said Steve Marshall, secretary of Age Concern. Established in 1999, La Cala de Mijas Lions Club has three charity shops in the same street. The shops generate the bulk of the clubs annual income, grossing between 50,000 and 80,000 euros every year. We have three shops and these are a major contributor of funds for the Lions. We are very fortunate, because 2016 was an excellent year and we had a lot of support, both from donors and volunteers, July Barry, President of La Cala de Mijas Lions, explained. Other charity outlets include Age Care, a small organisation that operates a secondhand shop in the El Zoco commercial centre in Calahonda. The organiser stress that items donated, if considered unsuitable to sell in the shop, are given to the homeless. Towels and bedding which are past their sell by date are given to a local dog charity, so nothing goes to waste. The ARCH shop, which is based in Alhaurin el Grande, has recently moved to much larger premises because it outgrew the old one. The charity, which cares for abused and mistreated horses, was founded in 2009 and opened its first shop in 2013. ARCH receives donations from all sorts of people, including a Marbella boutique that donates out-of-season stock, but it has also been given some unusual antique items. We receive all sorts of weird and wonderful things. Someone donated a large 1950s wooden Mickey Mouse puppet and we were also given a solid silver tea pot, which we are sending to auction in London, Liz, the shops coordinator, explained. Despite more modern and imaginative fundraising initiatives, the revenue raised in the good old-fashioned secondhand shop enables charities based on the Costa del Sol to continue with the excellent services they provide. The shops rely heavily on the generosity of the general public, donations received from private institutions and companies and, of course, the tireless help of those volunteers who offer their services to help run them. Have you heard that more than 100 members of the Democratic-majority U.S. House of Representatives have signed onto a new version of a "Medicare for All" bill? Yes, that's right, this is the House's latest version of a bill to universalize Medicare coverage in the U.S. that dates all the way back to 2003 and has seen different variations since, including the one that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced back in 2016. This bill would essentially end nearly all existing public and private health care plans but Medicare, fold nearly everyone into a beefed-up version of Medicare, and fulfill the roughly $30 trillion pricetag in part by enacting major new taxes on millionaires and billionaires. What's especially interesting about this version, unveiled by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), is that it goes further than any previous such bill, including coverage of long-term care, the costs of which can impoverish elders and drain their estates for their progeny. (Current Medicare barely covers long-term needs.) It also would cover dental, hearing, and vision and allow the government to bargain down drug prices with pharmaceutical companies -- also currently not allowed. And yet another interesting thing about this bill is that it came right out of the gate with more than 100 House Democrats supporting. That's a far bigger start than any previous such bill has had, and it reflects the House's new progressive wing, which is setting up the Democratic Party for a massive center-versus-left soul-searching as we head into the 2020 election season. More broadly, of course, it reflects a progressive surge in American politics and the realization that Obamacare has not solved the American health care crisis. But hold up! We can't overstate how far away from becoming reality the bill is. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hasn't said if she supports it or would bring it for a vote. In fact, she just seemed to dismiss it wholesale, asking, "How do you pay for that?" It would almost certainly fail in the Senate, still ruled by Republicans who equate single-payer, universal health care with evil, scary socialism. And even if it passed both chambers, Trump would almost certainly not sign it. The massive power of the health care and health insurance lobbies, which want to keep things the way they are or make worse coverage options legal, cannot be overstated. In other words, the bill may reflect some version of the wishes of 70% of the electorate, according to a recent poll, but unless Democrats seize both chambers of Congress and the White House in 2020, and unless a popular groundswell continues pushing Democratic leadership to the left, it all remains wishful thinking. We checked in with our favorite health care wonk and activist Mark Hannay, director of Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign, to chat more about what #M4All, as they call it on Twitter, means for folks with HIV -- and how it all might play out in the months and years ahead. Tim Murphy: Hi, Mark! So what are your billboard thoughts about this bill? Mark Hannay: Hi! Well, there's two aspects of it. One is the policy side. This is a significant improvement over the previous bill in the House. The biggest change is that it would cover long-term care. The current Medicare program only covers a couple months of hospitalization and recovery. Most people have to spend down their assets, or sign them over to others ahead of time, so they can then qualify for Medicaid and live on a very limited income. I think this aspect would be very popular among older voters or those with disabilities. The other aspect is the political side. This bill was introduced with 107 sponsors. The previous bill worked its way up to 120 sponsors, but to have this many from the get-go is significant and reflects the new wave of progressives who've come into the House. Many of these folks ran in the 2018 midterm campaigns on the "Medicare for All" catchphrase. The whole idea has become much more prominent, has more public awareness, and is being taken much more seriously by policy advocacy groups on both sides. It's no longer dismissed as a left-wing fringe idea. It's part of the political mainstream, even if it's not at the exact center of the mainstream. TM: But so much would have to happen for this to become reality, yes? MH: First it would have to get through three House committees. Nancy Pelosi has said she will allow hearings on this sometime soon. But if we know one thing about Pelosi, it's that she doesn't take things to the floor unless the votes are ready to go, and so far less than half the Democratic majority in the House has signed on. The current Senate is not going to take this up, and it's highly unlikely that Trump would sign it. It's an aspiration bill, a placeholder for something that has yet to go through the sausage-making process. When and if the hearings occur, then the bill can be aired out, to make sure everyone understands what's being talked about, then people could put forward amendments in a second round of hearings. TM: So, say that both chambers of Congress and the White House go Democratic in 2020? MH: Let's assume we get both chambers and the new president amenable to this. Passing Obamacare was a good 1.5-year process, so I think this would be a similar time-frame, starting in early 2021. Let's say it's enacted into law before the 2022 midterm elections. Then this version envisions a two-year phase-out of the current system and implementation of the new, with lots of details to be worked out in regulations and guidelines in several different government agencies. So we're looking at 2024-26 before the whole system would be in place. TM: What would #M4All mean for people with HIV? MH: The bill promises to retain only two other government coverage programs, the Veterans Health Administration and the Indian Health Service. That means that all other programs, including Medicaid and the HIV-specific ADAP [AIDS Drug Assistance Program], would be folded into #M4All, and most employer-based and private-market plans would be phased out, although people would be able to buy private insurance on top of #M4All if they wanted to. I think overall, people with HIV should welcome and support this, because, in the end, they'll get much better coverage. That said, they, like other key constituencies, are going to have a lot of very legitimate questions they deserve to have answered. TM: A lot of the 2020 presidential candidates are using the #M4All catchphrase, but it doesn't necessarily mean the same thing to all of them, right? MH: Right. It could mean a version where you can buy into Medicare, but it's not required. Say for people 50 or over. Or where only people 50 or over are automatically enrolled. Still, I don't think there's any version that will actually be enacted absent a broader political movement in the U.S. that also includes a Green New Deal, campaign finance reform, expanded voting rights -- a bunch of things that are indicative of a progressive political transformation. TM: What if a new wave of Democrats are elected in 2020 who won't necessarily get on board with #M4All, given the corporate pressure against it, and who haven't been held to a promise on it? MH: I don't have a good answer to that. The interesting thing about this new class of Democrats in the House is that there's a bunch of progressives but also a bunch of centrists who come from previously Republican districts who are much less likely to be enthusiastic about #M4All. So for Pelosi, how does she bridge this and keep everyone together? It can turn into a circular firing squad where centrists and progressives turn on each other and the other side takes full advantage of that. Then we get nothing. This is a long game, so how do we get there? I do know that there has to be a vanguard that does not give up on the #M4All message. TM: So what can readers and citizens do if they want to get behind the #M4All momentum? MH: There's a lot of groups working on this you can tap into to stay informed and get on-ramps to rallies and other efforts: National Nurses United, Physicians for a National Health Program, Healthcare-NOW, Progressive Democrats of America, the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer Health Care, Public Citizen, Social Security Works. In New York State, where I am, you can tap into the Campaign for New York Health. This is a visionary bill, and we need to keep getting that vision out there and asking the candidates about that vision, because it'll help to frame the nitty-gritty that starts to happen down the road. TM: Thanks, Mark! MH: Thank you! Moving to a new city can be full of anxiety and excitement. When you feel scared, you cant enjoy the... Most real estate agents have an obligation to market their business to potential clients. You have to make sure that... Were sure you already know, but lets repeat: Burlington is a city located in the Halton, Ontario area. It is... A personal injury occurs when a person's body, mind, or emotions are injured due to the negligence, carelessness, or wrongful... I Agree This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy The future of East River Park, more bar battles, Mount Sinais plans for Rivington House just a few of the topics on Community Board 3s March agenda. Tomorrow night, March 6, there will an update from the Lower East Side Partnership about its District Boundary Expansion at a meeting of the Economic Development Committee. On Thursday, March 7, the Health & Human Services Committee will take up Mount Sinai/Beth Israels takeover of the former Rivington House nursing home building. On Monday March 11, the State Liquor Authority Committee will review several applications, including plans for multiple liquor permits at the still-under-construction Allen Street Hotel. The Transportation Committee will hear a proposal March 12 from the citys Office of Nightlife and the LES Partnership on, Nightlife Quality of Life Mitigation strategies, including proposed parking regulation changes. At the Land Use Committee March 13, there will be updates on the mayors proposed Chinatown mega-jail and the proposed community-led rezoning of the Two Bridges neighborhood. On March 14, the Parks Committee will revisit the citys controversial revised plans for an East River flood wall and hear about Dock NYCs plans for Pier 36. In another meeting of the liquor licensing committee on March 18, Epsteins Bar will seek support for a sidewalk cafe and Hwa Yuan, the fancy Chinese restaurant on East Broadway, will take another run at a full liquor license. On March 25, the Baruch Bathhouse Task Force will meet. For meeting details and full agendas, click here. The organisation has placed young people from BAME - black, Asian, and other non-white ethnic minorities - in three to twelve-month internships within creative industry companies since it was founded in 2012, as well as supported over 20,000 young people with essential skills for employment including CV help and interview preparation. Creative Access interns at ITV Studios Credit: Creative Access Holding the position as the 1000th intern is Patricia Chidavarume, who moved to the UK from Zimbabwe aged five. An English graduate from the University of Brighton, Chidavarume struggled to find any role until she was given help by Creative Access. She is now placed as a marketing and administrative assistant at the Royal Society of Literature. "I'm really enjoying my time at the RSL so far," Chidavarume told the National Student. "It's a great organisation that celebrates and nurtures all that is great in British literature, and is run by a hard-working, intelligent and friendly team."Creative Access also proves that 1000 interns is not just a number, as 89% of their interns so far have secured permanent or freelance jobs after completing their internships, to the praise of leading industry experts. These include everything from major publishing houses and literary agencies to indie firms and trade associations. The overall vision of CA is that one day the creative industries will truly reflect British society. According to Creative Skillsets 2012 Employment Census, BAME representation across the industry is just 5.4% while the UK is 14% non-white and London in particular was over 40% BAME. Creative Access works to improve this imbalance in representation, questioning how media can represent society when society itself isnt represented within media. Josie Dobrin, chief executive and co-founder of CA, said: Were really thrilled and excited, but I would say there is still quite a long way to go, and the thing is that its great placing people at entry level positions but really the true challenge for us that lies ahead is actually making sure that these people can rise up through the ranks and eventually take on more senior positions because that is how we are going to fundamentally make a difference in the long term. Creative Access intern at Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone book signing Credit: Creative Access Starting off just working with BAME candidates, Creative Access now also works with young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, targeting people that the industry previously struggled to reach. On looking forward and setting goals for the future, Dobrin said: There is always amazing young people coming through so its providing great opportunities for them and we want to work more with the companies themselves to make sure that they are providing environments where young people can thrive, and also to support our alumni as they develop. Its about making sure that right from senior management and everyone engaged from the whole way up actually buys into the concept and understands the value, not just from a moral perspective but also from an economic one, of having a diverse workforce. An open letter on climate action was released by The Guardian Young people aim to persuade the government of the pressing issue of climate change and force them to take more decisive action. Image Credit: MR Online outside the Swedish Parliament. Global, organised strikes have been taking place since late last year, when 16-year-old Greta Thunberg drew media attention after protesting Since then similar strikes have spread across the globe, with UK students striking on the 15th of February. "Young people make up more than half of the global population. Our generation grew up with the climate change crisis and we will have to deal with it for the rest of our lives. Ahead of the global strike later this month, students have released a statement in the form of an open letter, criticising governments' exclusion of young voices, saying: negative response The UK government has been widely criticised for itsto the victims The letter continued: "We will no longer accept this injustice. We demand justice for all past, current and futureof the climate crisis, and we are rising up." Strikes in Berlin / Image Credit: Leonhard Lenz from Wikipedia It goes on to say: "We finally need to treat the climate crisis as a crisis...we will not accept a life in fear and devastation...We, the young, have started to move. We are going to change the fate of humanity, whether you like it or not. United we will rise until we see climate justice. We demand the world's decision-makers take responsibility and solve this crisis. "You have failed us in the past. If you continue failing us in the future, we, the young people, will make change happen by ourselves. The youth of this world has started to move and we will not rest again." View the full letter on The Guardian. Fridays for Future The movement,, "Began in August 2018, after 16-year-old Greta Thunberg sat in front of the Swedish parliament every schoolday for three weeks, to protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis. "On the 8th of September, Greta decided to continue striking every Friday until the Swedish policies provided a safe pathway well under 2-degree C, i.e. in line with the Paris Agreement." 'weak result' The movement has continued after protestors were disappointed by afrom COP24, the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Image Credit: ParaDoxus argh. Keith Flint you bloody legend. The Prodigy were one of the first big bands we supported years ago and Keith single-handedly shattered my presumption that big stars would have an arrogance and aloofness about them. He was so welcoming, sweet and passionate. Rou Reyno (@RouReynolds) March 4, 2019 Originally recruited as a dancer during the bands genesis in the late 80s, he then lent his voice to the infamous Firestarter and gradually became more involved in the musical direction of the group.The Prodigy emerged at the dawn of the 90s during the peak of the rave movement, an umbrella term encompassing the genres of acid house, breakbeat and hardcore and played at illicit events in unassuming venues such as warehouses, basements and open fields. Helping shape the sounds that would soundtrack such spontaneous gatherings they scored two number one hits in 1996 with the previously mentioned Firestarter and Breathe, both of which featured Flints lead vocals, and which bolstered the bands reputation as the torchbearers of the subculture. A genre that music journalists christened big beat began to coalesce around them alongside the similarly audacious Fat Boy Slim and The Chemical Brothers.As a group which operated in the worlds of dance and rock music, the loss of Keith Flint is felt across the musical spectrum. Defying conventional categorisation, the band won fans from what were considered disparate worlds. This, and undoubtedly their charismatic frontman, led to their staying power where others clung too closely to the Zeitgeist and then dropped off the radar. In an era of hysterical fear of the rave subculture, Flint was able to capitalise on anxieties by creating a horrifying persona that stoked outrage and was gleefully eaten up by a generation eager to rebel. This was compounded by a possessed dance style he likened to using [his] body to shout.The Prodigy enjoyed sustained popularity in the UK since the release of Music for the Jilted Generation and every full-length album released in its wake has reached number one in the charts. They also brought their style abroad, gaining fans across Europe, taking a punk-rock spirit to dance music that had the muscle of metal guitars. But The Prodigy was more than a band, they had an iconography too and at the heart of this chaotic trickery was Keith Flint who embodied the essence of the group better than any one song could. Fellow musicians took to Twitter to express their condolences following Flints death including past collaborators such as Sleaford Mods, who worked with The Prodigy on their 2015 single Ibiza, and Kasabian who had input from the group on the album Empire. Other figures in the music industry paid tribute to Flints personal charm, his positive spirit and warm personality: Goodbye Keith. Tragic news. He was a punk with a real sweet spirit. He will be missed by so many x x pic.twitter.com/aKf5ZmHd1O Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) March 4, 2019 A fellow Essex man shared a fond memory from when Flint took over Plesheys The Leather Bottle pub in 2014: Keith Flint kept a swearbox above the fire in the pub he used to own (The Leather Bottle in Pleshey, Essex). Whenever he put the logs and kindling in and someone piped up with the obvious joke, he'd point to it and charge them a quid. RIP. pic.twitter.com/lEYZPXfrFj Steve Anglesey (@sanglesey) March 4, 2019 What made Flint & co . special In 2015 The Prodigy bemoaned that in comparison with Brit Pop they had received relatively little recognition for what they achieved in the 90s. Its true that the hagiography surrounding bands like Blur and Oasis doesnt exist for the Essex trio, but when we take their lasting influence on dance music into account, the number of imitators speaks for itself. Added to that, few groups can claim the lasting appeal that The Prodigy maintains nearing the end of the 21st centurys second decade. From the cutting edge of the mid-90s, the band provided the secondary school disco hits of the generation born during their breakthrough on 2009s Invaders Must Die. We must not forget, however, that at the heart of all these heart-warming anecdotes and fond memories lies a collective made up of three guys who wanted to mix things up in the typically anonymous world of electronic music. Keith Flint was the face and physical manifestation of this previously impersonal subculture, which he helped propel to mainstream success. Whether a classic from the 90s or a track from last years most recent album No Tourists, stick on The Prodigy and dance like a freak. In this, you honour a true icon in the best way possible. Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: Home Page The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia March 4, 2019 TO CALCULATE THE AMOUNT TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR KROLL PIT J. Yanqui Zaza J. Yanqui Zaza1 New Banknotes 18,151,000,000 18,151,000,000 18,151,000,000 18,151,000,000 Cur. in Cir. 11/30/18 18,889,600,000 Plus Beg. In 1/1/2016 10,393,000,000 Plus US $14 Million 2,151,000,000 2,151,000,000 2,151,000,000 Amount Infused 2016 <3,759,000,000> <3,320,000,000> <3,759,000,000> Amount infused 2017/18 <6,387,000,000> <10,718,000,000> <6,387,000,000> Ruined old banknotes <4,390,276,620> <4,390,276,620> Left in reserved Vault <1,465,000,000> <1,465,000,000> <1,456,000,000> <1,456,000,000> Total To be accounted 4,308,000,000 <1,773,000,000> 10,350,000,000 8,700,000,000 (L$18.15 billion New banknotes: PIT Report) (L$18.88 billion Ending at 11/30/18: CBL) The schedule above is to help us understand how the Presidential Investigation Team (PIT) arrived at the L$2 billion to be accounted for by the Liberian government. Kroll, the foreign and second investigating Team, without stating an amount, recommended that the government should investigate a significant amount to be unaccounted for. On the other hand, I, using the two reports, audited financial statements, annual report of the Central Bank and my experience reviewing financial records of the Central Bank of Liberia, I have computed a conservative amount to be accounted for. If you are not aware, the government had set up two investigating Teams to investigate an official report last year that government was searching for L$15 billion banknotes. Let us forget about the two schedules (i.e., the one above and the other below) for the moment and visit our attitude as citizens of a country that got its independence in 1847. Why did Liberia have to go through such an embarrassment and a humiliation in order to retrieve documentations to provide evidence that the government deposited L$ 18.15 billion new banknotes in 2016, 2017 and 2018? This business transaction is similar to any business transaction that happens every day. For instance, a government, which has a savings account or checking account at a bank, will usually prepare a deposit slip, reflecting the amount to be deposited. A teller at his/her bank, after the deposit transaction, should give a deposit bank receipt, with a date and a number, to the depositor proving that the amount of money reflected on the customers deposit slip was the amount deposited into his/her account on that date. Description 2018 2017 2016 2015 Beg. Cur in Cir. 15,927,925,000 12,755,365,000 10,393,019,000 9,394,317,000 Add. banknotes 2,961,675,000 3,172,560,000 2,362,346,000 End. Cu in Cir 18,889,600,000 15,927,925,000 12,755,365,000 As per KPMG Audited Financial Statements (2015, 2016, 2017). CBL Annual Report 2018. In the case of the Liberian L$18.15 billion saga, Liberian officials and/or investigators should have asked the Finance Ministry of Liberia, Central Bank of Liberia and commercial banks of Liberia for documentation since each institution should have some kind of record of new banknotes. Liberian commercial banks have banknotes information because they receive them when the Central Bank of Liberia infuses banknotes (new or old) into the economy. I guess that every three-six years, the government has to infuse new banknotes to replace old and ruined banknotes and/or to infuse new banknotes into the economy to meet governments needs. The honorable Minister of Justice of the Republic of Liberia, Cllr. F. Musa Dean and Oversight Commissioner For Enforcement/LCCC, Mr. Charles J. L. Gibson, III signed the Presidential Investigation Team (PIT) Report. Did PIT focus on getting documentation or schedules to prove that the Central Bank of Liberia included the L$18.15 billion within the Liberian Currency Circulation credit account? Was it correct for PIT to deduct L$4,439,027,620 mitigated banknotes (i.e., mutilated or impaired amounts destroyed in 2017 and 2018) from the L$18.15 billion new banknotes in order to determine the amount missing or to be accounted for? Also, if it is correct to deduct the ruined L$4.44 billion from the L$18.15 billion new banknotes to arrive at the amount to be accounted for, why did PIT not include the L$2.15 billion, amount received from the US $14 million in computing the amount missing? Did PIT obtain collaborating documentations from third parties to authenticate the L$19 billion included within the Liberian Currency Circulation? Did PIT reconcile the L$19 billion included within the Currency Circulation to the Currency Circulation as Central Bank reported in 2016, 2017 and 2018? Page # 13 As of December 2018, the CBL had circulated all of the new banknotes printed in relation to the first contract (including the over-printed new banknotes), of which LRD 3.759 billion had been injected into the Liberian economy without removing from circulation and destroying the equivalent quantity/value of legacy banknotes. Page # 14 of Kroll Report: Therefore, new banknotes totaling LRD 6.387 billion from the second contract for LRD 10.0 billion were injected by the CBL into the Liberian economy without Legislature approval. Combined with the new banknotes totaling LRD 3.759 billion from the first contract injected by the CBL into the Liberian economy, it is possible that new banknotes totaling LRD 10.146 billion were injected into the Liberian economy in total. Page # 14 of the Kroll Report: Kroll has sought to obtain information from the CBL regarding the end recipient of the new banknotes (e.g., commercial banks, Liberian Ministries etc.) however the CBL has not been able to provide this information. Consequently, there is a risk that significant funds were (and remain) unaccounted for by the CBL, and Kroll, therefore, recommends that this matter merits further understanding. Now let us go to the schedule above. Please keep your eyes on three items; (1) amount infused or injected into Currency in Circulation, (2) banknotes destroyed, and (3) banknotes left in reserved vault. This is because if the investigators reported higher amounts for any of these items, the amount to be accounted will be lower. What is the reason? Well, if a significant portion of the L$18.15 billion was injected or infused into the Liberian Currency in Circulation, then CBL deposited with the commercial a significant portion of the L$18.15 billion. About using the value of banknotes to reduce the L$18,151,000,000, I disagree. Yet, PIT believes that it is right, and it did use destroyed banknotes value to reduce the L$18.15 billion. Another area of concern is that both investigators did not provide any documentations to indicate that they receive collaborative schedules or documentations from third parties such as commercial banks. For example, both investigating teams (PIT and Kroll) indicated that in 2016, the Central Bank injected or added about L$3 billion to the Currency in Circulation in 2016. However, the CBLs financial statements audited by KPMG stated that the Central Bank injected L$2 billion in 2016. Also, PIT reported L$10 billion as additions to the Liberian Currency in Circulation in 2017 and 2018, but the Central Banks 2017 and 2018 financial statements, which were audited by KPMG, reported a combined amount of L$6 billion. as the amount added to 2017 and 2018 Currency in Circulation. PIT, which should have access, to the audited financial statements, did not provide any explanation. The numbers PIT used to calculate the amount to be accounted for are eye-popping. So, let us add the numbers. It deducted L$4 billion destroyed; deducted L$10.718 billion infused in the economy in 2017 and 2018; deducted L$3 billion infused in the economy in 2016; deducted L$1 billion left in reserved vault in 2016, and deducted L$1 billion left in reserved vault in 2018. The total amount L$19 billion (L$4 B, L$10 B, L$3 B, L$1 B, and L$1 B) is more than the L$18.15 billion to be accounted for. Therefore, how did PIT arrive at the L$2 billion to be accounted for? This is the kind of report and conclusion any lawyer will hope to use and free his client. J. Yanqui Zaza jyanqui@aol.com Presidential Investigation Report (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yC0g4I6kN4fb7K7Og49ZMrhtBfBpQEYj/view) (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yC0g4I6kN4fb7K7Og49ZMrhtBfBpQEYj/view) Kroll Report (https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1860/Kroll_Missing_Currency_Report_2019_508.pdf) 2018 Annual Reports (https://www.cbl.org.lr/doc/Annual_Report_2018_Feb_12_2019.pdf) 2017 Audited Financial Statements (https://www.cbl.org.lr/doc/2017%20Financial%20Statements.pdf) Audited 2016 Financial statements (https://www.cbl.org.lr/doc/f_statement_2016.pdf) 2015 Audited Financial statements (Https://www.cbl.org.lr/doc/financial%20statement.pdf) Welcome to followthemedia.com The article or material you have chosen... Michael Hedges March 4, 2019 - The sun rarely sets on a part of the world where reporters and editors escape threats and intimidation. And rarely a day passes when another transgression is reported. Authoritarian dictators, crime bosses and wannabes in both ranks take some pride, it seems, in putting news media under their thumbs. It never ends. Intimidating Reporters Yields Results For AutocratsMichael Hedges March 4, 2019 - Follow on Twitter The sun rarely sets on a part of the world where reporters and editors escape threats and intimidation. And rarely a day passes when another transgression is reported. Authoritarian dictators, crime bosses and wannabes in both ranks take some pride, it seems, in putting news media under their thumbs. It never ends. ...is available for restricted access. You may access this specific article or material for 4 If you are an ftm Member, please go to the home page HERE and log in ftm Members can access all site material at no additional charge. You can JOIN ftm here The ftm newsletter available at no charge to all with registration To register click here. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Variably cloudy with snow showers. High -6C. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.. Tonight Light snow in the evening will transition to snow showers overnight. Low -8C. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Larry Ruark, of North Attleboro, is a Sun Chronicle columnist. His essays appear here once a month. Reach him at lbruairc@aol.com UAE employers are planning a net expansion in headcount during 2019, with an increasing share of the new jobs being filled by Asian professionals, according to a study conducted by online recruitment firm, GulfTalent. The study was based on a survey of 300 UAE hiring managers, as well as analysis of talent searches conducted by over 1,000 UAE-based employers on GulfTalents database of professionals. GulfTalents study projects a net 9 per cent growth in UAE employment during 2019. This is based on the finding that 36 per cent of all surveyed companies plan to increase headcount this year, against 27 per cent who expect to reduce staff and 37 per cent who foresee no change. The study found that an increasing share of the new vacancies are being filled by candidates of Asian nationality, with employers citing the lower salary expectations of these candidates as the primary reason. Over the past year, Asian nationals saw a 12 per cent increase in their share of approaches by UAE employers hiring on GulfTalent, while Arab and Western expats saw declines of 8 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. Confirming this trend, one UAE-based HR manager interviewed by GulfTalent said: Our hiring preference has been towards Asian expats, as it gives us a balance between the right skill set and a salary expectation that fits our budget. Based on GulfTalents data, among expatriate professionals working in the UAE and holding the same job title, salaries paid to Asian nationals are on average 20 per cent lower than Arab nationals and 40 per cent lower than Western nationals. The gaps in expatriate salary expectations are influenced by the prevailing salaries in the candidates home countries. Among nationalities commanding a significant share of the UAE hiring activity, Indian and Pakistani professionals have seen the biggest surge in interest from employers over the past year, followed by those from the Philippines and Sri Lanka. At the same time, American, Canadian and Australian nationals all saw declines in hiring by UAE employers. Approaches to British nationals also declined but to a lesser extent, possibly due to the continued low value of the British currency following the Brexit referendum, making salary expectations of British expats more affordable for UAE employers. In their effort to reduce costs, employers surveyed also reported reaching out to less experienced candidates. This is consistent with interactions observed on GulfTalents website, where candidates below the age of 35 have seen a 6 per cent increase in approaches by employers over the past 12 months, while those aged 35 or more have seen a decline of 5 per cent over the same period. Sector trends GulfTalents survey found the fastest growing sectors to be IT and Healthcare, both witnessing a 30 per cent year-on-year growth in the volume of hiring. Healthcares growth is driven by legislation mandating provision of health insurance by employers. This has resulted in a much higher share of the UAE population utilizing healthcare services, increasing demand for doctors, nurses as well as support staff. IT hiring is driven by increased digitization of services and the continuing expansion of the countrys startup ecosystem. Over 100 UAE-based startups received venture funding during 2018, totalling $625 million, according to Magnitt, specialists in venture capital data. Much of the funding is going into product development, with software developers dominating tech hiring. Cybersecurity is also contributing to IT hiring growth, especially in larger corporates and financial institutions. According to GulfTalents findings, the construction sector remains under pressure, with overall hiring limited and some companies downsizing. While there is a healthy supply of projects, many driven by the upcoming Dubai Expo 2020, firms typically struggle to collect payments from clients. Retail is another sector that is facing challenging conditions, due to lower consumer spending resulting from market conditions as well as the jump in prices following the introduction of VAT last year. TradeArabia News Service Bahrain will host a key conference to highlight the major medical advances and technologies in emergency medicine in October this year. His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa will patronise the first Bahrain Emergency Medicine Conference (BAEM19) organised by the Bahrain Medical Society and Bahrain Association of Emergency Medicine from October 9-11 at the Gulf Hotel. Dr Ghada Al Qassim, president of BMS, extended her sincere gratitude to HRH Prime Minister for his patronage of this unique conference which aims to highlight the importance of emergency medicine in enhancing governments efforts to better healthcare in the kingdom. The event will gather high-calibre speakers under one roof to share and network their ideas and practices to improve emergency medicine. Attendees will also have the opportunity to join pre-conference and hands-on workshops. It will also concentrate on research and its importance in developing medical care. The conference aims to attract emergency physicians, family medicine physicians, general practitioners, emergency nurses, EMT/ paramedics and medical students. Dr Salah Al Ghanem, president of BAEM, stated: We are pleased to share our thoughts with a group of emergency medicine specialist from the US, Canada, Europe and GCC along with our Bahraini emergency doctor colleagues. He noted that the conference is endorsed by International Federation of Emergency Medicine (IFEM), Gulf Federation of Emergency Medicine (GFEM), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Saudi Society of Emergency Medicine (SASEM), Emirates Society of Emergency Medicine (ESEM), Oman Society of Emergency Medicine (OSEM) and Kuwait Emergency Medicine Society (KEMS). - TradeArabia News Service The potential of Dubai-based global marine terminal operator DP World investing in new infrastructure in Kazakhstans ports and logistics sectors was the focus of recent high-level discussions held in Astana. The discussions took place between DP Worlds chairman and chief executive Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and Kazakhstans Prime Minister Askar Mamin, said a company statement. This follows the signing of two framework agreements with the Government of Kazakhstan for Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in Aktau and Khorgos. DP World has been providing management services to the Port of Aktau, Kazakhstans main cargo and bulk terminal on the Caspian Sea, and Khorgos SEZ and Inland Container Terminal (ICD), which is strategically situated on the China-Kazakhstan border and has been acting as the primary transit point for trans-Eurasian cargo trains. DP World considers that both facilities play an important role in enhancing trade connectivity along the New Silk Route and have further actively promoted business connectivity between Kazakhstan and Dubai. Bin Sulayem said: Our expertise in developing logistics and trade enabling infrastructure will benefit tremendously from building facilities in Kazakhstan and to the needs of local businesses. We believe that the economic fundamentals of Kazakhstan are very strong, which is why look forward to continue investing there, he said. President Nursultan Nazarbayevs vision and progressive policies have laid the groundwork for linking the Far East to Europe and ensuring that the Khorgos Internal Container Depot and SEZ play a crucial role in facilitating this, he added. TradeArabia News Service Beautyworld Middle East, the region's leading trade show for beauty products and wellbeing, has over the years featured the cream of international beauty brands looking to engage with the Middle East markets. The 2019 edition of the industrys largest trade and networking platform in the region will not only have an enticing array of leading international beauty brands, but will also boast of a heady Spanish flavour. Beautyworld Middle East 2019 will welcome more than 1,750 exhibitors from 62 countries, when doors open on April 15 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Spanish contingent will be among the most prominent with more than 50 participating exhibitors taking up as much as 1,000 sqm of exhibition space this year. According to STANPA, the Spanish cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery association who is responsible for bringing together more than 50 leading Spanish companies to Beautyworld Middle East 2019, Spain is the third largest exporter worldwide for perfumes and among the Top 10 globally as exporters of beauty and personal care products. The Middle East region is an extremely important market for Spanish companies, with exports to the region being worth more than $272.19 million. The UAE is the third largest non-EU destination for Spanish beauty products registering $110 million in sales. Saudi Arabia was the next largest consumer of Spanish beauty products taking up $45.3 million. Exhibitors from Spain have always formed an important and influential segment at Beautyworld Middle East over the years and this year their presence has been reinforced, said Elaine OConnell, show director of Beautyworld Middle East. Spanish beauty products and brands have carved out an enviable niche in the market and they have contributed significantly to boosting the show and trade in the region. Viewing their presence at Beautyworld Middle East as a great opportunity to engage with key market figures was Josep Maria Sainz Valls, CEO of the Anubis Cosmetics Group: Beautyworld Middle East is the must attend event for skincare manufacturers around the globe who desire to enhance their business relations with professionals from the Middle East, Asia and Europe. It is a referral fair for the beauty channel worldwide. For Anubis Cosmetics Group, being at BWME Dubai means a great chance to enhance brand awareness in the Middle East. Its a great way to develop synergies among visitors and professionals related to the sector, and a great platform to search for potential partners that are looking for the distribution of skincare brands, he said. Sergio Garcia, export manager for Nirvel, felt that the show presented a golden opportunity to showcase their wide range of products and establish direct contact with customers, potential customers and suppliers, among others: To be connected with the sector, to know first-hand the latest trends, how it is innovating, what new features are presented, what services are offered, he said. Nirvel will be showcasing hair products under the Nirvel Professional brand, and facial and body cosmetic products under the LeviSsime brand. In addition to Spain, other country pavilions at Beautyworld Middle East 2019 will be from Argentina, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Morocco, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UK, the US and for the first time in 2019, Belgium, Romania and Lithuania. Beautyworld Middle East covers the six product groups of Hair, Nails, and Salon Suppliers; Cosmetics and Skincare; Personal Care and Hygiene; Machinery, Packaging, Raw Materials, and Contract Manufacturing; Fragrance Compounds and Finished Fragrances; and Natural and Organic. The dedicated showpiece has enjoyed strong growth over the last four years, with both exhibitor and visitor numbers increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6 per cent between 2014 and 2018. Headlining the act of new highlights in 2019 is Front Row, a three-day programme of live makeup, hair, and nail demonstrations delivered by the regions premier beauty artists, influencers, and creative talents. Here, interactive talks will be interspersed with bold, theatrical runway shows presenting the latest trends in the regional and global beauty market. Ready to Beauty is another new feature this year, a dedicated showcase of hand-picked brands from across the globe that answer the needs and wants of a multicultural Middle East and African audience. From established brands with an existing international footprint to start-up niche labels eager to test new waters, Ready to Beauty will put the spotlight on the latest shades of beauty unique to the consumer with darker skin tones. Beautyworld Middle Easts organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East also confirmed all the regular popular features will be back in 2019, including the 4th edition of Quintessence, an exclusive showcase of niche perfumes. Battle of the Barbers, a live three-day competition organised by the British Barbers Association (BBA) in partnership with Beautyworld Middle East, will also return for its fourth year, where the UAEs finest male grooming technicians will battle it out for two coveted titles: the UAEs Best Barber and UAEs Best Shave. The Fragrance Station and Nail It! By OPI and Artistic a nail art competition are other returning features, along with a series of informative workshops and seminars covering topics such as understanding different product regulations in various Gulf markets, and women entrepreneurship in the beauty business. Thats in addition to rich and diverse product launches and innovations from established beauty names, challenger brands, and niche players alike, all of whom are aiming to increase their share in a Middle East and African (MEA) beauty and personal care market that, according to analysts Euromonitor International (EMI), was worth $32.4 billion in 2018. - TradeArabia News Service Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has announced plans to launch two new routes this June. The carrier will commence flights to Athens from June 5 and Marrakesh on June 6. Both flights will be standalone routes; operated nonstop and direct from Saudi Arabia to Morocco and Greece. The Jeddah-Marrakesh route will be operated with a widebody Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with 24 seats in Business Class and 274 in Economy Class, operated three-times-weekly (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays) effective June 6. Saudia currently flies regular scheduled services to Casablanca, and Marrakesh becomes the carriers second destination in the country. The airline is returning to Greeces capital after services discontinued in 2008. The destination will provide an additional link for holidaymakers and business traffic, starting first with a Riyadh to Athens nonstop service, which later in the year will become a Jeddah-Athens service. The Riyadh-Athens route will be operated with an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration, four-times weekly (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays). Last year the airline flew more than 34 million passengers, and introduced five new routes to its network: Vienna (Austria), Trivandrum (India), Surabaya (Indonesia), Medan (Indonesia) and re-introduced flights to Cochin, India, in addition to three seasonal routes to: Izmir, Malaga and Moscow. Saudia flies to 95 destinations worldwide, with a modern fleet of more than 160 narrow and widebody Airbus and Boeing aircraft. The average age of the Saudia fleet is less than five years. - TradeArabia News Service Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has announced its first Envoy by Four Seasons collaboration for 2019. American artist and illustrator Missy Dunaway was selected for the maiden Envoy experience. Launched in November 2018, Envoy by Four Seasons is a pioneering program reimagining the influencer space through a creative and distinctive approach to storytelling. Since the programs launch, more than 1,000 world-class artists, storytellers and content creators across a variety of mediums including photography, filmmaking, music, poetry, visual art and dance have applied for the coveted title of Envoy, and the opportunity to use their storytelling craft to connect Four Seasons guests, and the world, to the experiences Four Seasons can create. Four Seasons carefully narrowed down the list of applicants focusing on content quality as a measure of value, placing original storytelling at the forefront ahead of online follower count. Only storytellers who demonstrated a deep connection to their craft were considered, those who were curious travellers with a passion for exploration and discovery through travel, and who could bring destinations to life in imaginative and artful ways. Dunaways emotive portfolio features journals and sketchbooks laden with colourful scenes and thoughtful poetry inspired by her global travels. Transcending follower-count, geography, culture and language, the diverse range of Envoy applicants demonstrates the appetite for a program rooted in authentic storytelling, said Peter Nowlan, chief marketing officer, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Envoy is an opportunity to disrupt the status quo of influencer marketing and immerse audiences in the Four Seasons guest experience, all through the unique global perspectives of an untapped pool of storytellers personified by the rich and varied group of Envoys who will be announced throughout 2019. Drawn to her craftsmanship, visual narrative style and passion for travel, Four Seasons has invited Missy to be the first Envoy in a series of collaborations rolling out this year. Earning a Fulbright Fellowship in 2013, Missy has been awarded six artist-in-residence fellowships, travelling the globe and filling journals with handcrafted memories while visiting each new destination." Based in Portland, Maine, Dunaway will travel to Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam this month, immersing herself in the hospitality and people of Four Seasons while exploring Vietnams culture and celebrated traditions. Dunaways experience and resulting works of art will be spotlighted across the brands social media channels and owned content platforms following her stay. I am thrilled to be working with Four Seasons as part of such a collaborative program focused on the influence of storytelling through craft, said inaugural Four Seasons Envoy, Dunaway. My Envoy journey with Four Seasons celebrates a mutual appreciation for being in the moment and bringing memories and experiences to life in unique, resonant and personal ways, inspiring others to explore and discover the world around them. Prospective Envoys are invited to apply using the Envoy application form. The application form will remain live throughout the year for ongoing submissions. Follow the hashtag #FSEnvoy on social media for the latest news and updates about the program, and to experience the creative journeys of selected Envoys. - TradeArabia News Service China likely to build LNG power plant in Sri Lanka's Hambantota Colombo, Mar 3 (UNI) China's envoy Cheng Xueyuan and Sri Lanka's Minister of Power, Energy and Business Development Ravi Karunanayake held discussions regarding the possibility of establishing an LNG power plant in Hambantota.The meeting between focussed on the issue of power generation and enhancing bilateral ties between the two countries. The Chinese Ambassador said "on behalf of the government of China he agrees to provide support on the LNG power plant technology to expand the electricity sector in Sri Lanka. He noted that the electricity generation and power supply in Sri Lanka is at a better position Chennai, Mar 5 (UNI) Terming the IAF air strike as not a 'military action' as there were no damages to civilians, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the number of terrorists killed in the IAF strike at Balakot in the aftermath of Pulwama attack, was one the and same provided by the Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, who did not give any numbers. Responding to questions on BJP President Amit Shah's claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the Balakot air strikes, she told reporters that the Foreign Secretary has not given any figure about the number of terrorists killed in the air strike. 'The government's position on the number of terrorists killed (in Balakot air strike) was the same as the one provided by the Foreign Secretary, who didnt give a figure in his statement', Ms Nirmala said. The Foreign Secretary gave a statement...he didnt give a figure. That is the Government of Indias position', she added. After the air strike, Mr Gokhale said the non-military and pre-emptive strike on JeM camp in Balakot killed very large number of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders. Ms Nirmala's Sitharaman's remarks on casualties of terrorists comes in the backdrop of Opposition parties demanding details of the number of deaths of terrorists in the Balakot strike and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa yesterday clarifying that 'we don't count the human casualties and that the central government would provide the details on the casualty figures.' 'We count what targets we have hit or not hit," he said. Ms Nirmala said India went for a pointed hit after ascertaining that terror attacks were being planned from there (Balakot). Stating it was ensured that no civilian was affected in the attack, the Defence Minister said the IAF strikes at Balakot was not a military action. 'We, including the previous governments, have been consistently saying that terrorism is emanating from Pakistan. This has been going on for a long time. These terrorists are coming from Pakistan to attack us. Not only us, the UPA government too had been giving proof to Pakistan on terror training camps in Pakistan and that we should not come under attack from them', she added. Dismissing Pakistan's claims at the global level that they were also victims of terror, she said Pakistan has not dismantled any terror camp. Stating that proof of involvement of Pakistani handlers was given to the Pakistan government after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, she said Pakistan had have not brought the perpetrators to justice before the courts unlike India. 'We took these terrorists through a proper legal process step-by-step and punished those who attacked our country. Pakistan has never punished any terrorists through its courts, she asserted. UNI GV 1640 Amazon Executive and Former U.S. Ambassador from Wyoming to Speak March 8 at UW Torrington native Michael Punke, a vice president for global public policy with Amazon Web Services and a former U.S. ambassador, will discuss his insight on current trade and business trends Friday, March 8, at UW. (Sophie Silk Punke Photo) Wyoming native Michael Punke, a vice president for global public policy with Amazon Web Services and a former U.S. ambassador, will discuss his insight on current trade and business trends Friday, March 8, at the University of Wyoming. Punke, from Torrington, will share his expertise and insight on current trade and business trends, as well as the position of the United States in the world from 2-3 p.m. in the UW Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center auditorium. He has more than 25 years experience in international trade and regulatory issues. Steve Farkas, College of Business assistant dean and MBA Program director, will moderate Punkes talk. The event, free and open to the public, is sponsored by UWs College of Business, Center for Global Studies, School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies, and the Office of Engagement and Outreach. Punke served as deputy U.S. trade representative and U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2010-17. Punke also wrote the book The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, which was adapted into the Oscar-nominated film The Revenant in 2016, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, who won the Academys award for Best Actor, and Tom Hardy. For more information, email Jean Garrison, UWs chief engagement officer, at garrison@uwyo.edu. Student Becomes UWs First Coverdell Fellow While serving in the Peace Corps, UW student Coletan Nutter, left, worked with Hijanguraa Mu, Paskaline Kaviri and Jordan Morissy on education projects in Omatjete, a small village in the Erongo region of Namibia, Africa. (Coletan Nutter Photo) University of Wyoming graduate student Coletan Nutter, an Air Force kid who grew up in multiple states across the country before landing in Laramie, has chosen to make Wyoming his focus for betterment through UWs new Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program. We are so proud to have Cole Nutter, who so well exemplifies all that Coverdell stands for, as our first scholar, says Stephanie Anderson, head of the School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies (SPPAIS). UW and the Peace Corps have partnered to launch the program that provides graduate school scholarships to returned Peace Corps volunteers. The Coverdell Fellows Program provides a great opportunity for returned Peace Corps volunteers to continue their service to underserved communities while also pursuing graduate studies at a reduced cost, according to the Peace Corps website. SPPAIS provides Coverdell Fellows who wish to pursue masters degrees in political science, public administration or international studies with full graduate assistantships, including tuition, stipends and health insurance. The International Studies program has had a long history working with returning Peace Corps volunteers, Anderson says. We are very excited to become a Coverdell partner institution so we can deepen this relationship. Nutter is in his first year of the graduate program and is UWs first Coverdell Fellow. As part of the program, all members of the fellowship are required to complete internships in underserved communities in the United States, allowing them to bring home and expand upon the skills they learned as volunteers. As a volunteer, Nutters primary project was education in Omatjete, a small village in the Erongo region of Namibia, Africa. I taught fourth- through seventh-grade English, life skills, information technologies and adult computer literacy, Nutter says. I ran a library and did a bunch of professional development and grant proposal writing. I also operated the copier, which was a nonstop job. Nutter has not yet worked out the details of his internship, but he is confident the program will help in giving him a step up in the job market, in terms of both hard and soft skills, as well as the competitive edge in the job market. He hopes to work within sustainable and collaborative development agencies after graduation. This is to say, agencies that work within a cultural context as opposed to those that simply give money or supplies to different states for unsubstantiated distribution, Nutter says. Peace Corps taught me the difference between these organizations. It also offered me a perspective that was previously unavailable to me. The program will give Nutter and all future UW Coverdell Fellows financial assistance, professional experience, the chance to help others while furthering the Peace Corps mission, and the possibility of extending noncompetitive eligibility status for federal job applications from one year to three years. Returned Peace Corps volunteers earn lifetime eligibility for the program if they completed a full two-year tour of Peace Corps service; were given completion of service status; were medically separated; were given interrupted service status because of circumstances beyond their control; or were Peace Corps response or global health services partnership volunteers who completed 12 months of service within a 24-month period, according to the website. For more information about the Coverdell Fellows Program, visit www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/university-programs/coverdell-fellows/. UW to Host Education in Prison Conference March 29-30 Advancing the field of education in prison and efforts to support formerly incarcerated people in their transition to freedom is the purpose of the University of Wyomings Symposium on Transformative Education in Prison and Beyond. The two-day, solution-oriented conference will consist of various panel discussions, interactive workshops and keynote addresses by leaders in the field. The free event is March 29-30 in the UW Conference Center. The symposium grew out of conversations about the power of philosophy and the humanities to make a transformative, lasting impact in the incarcerated population, especially as a companion to relevant job training, and was truly brought to life by a generous award from the UW College of Arts and Sciences, says Alec Muthig, one of the symposium organizers. We expanded this idea of transformative education to other areas and are excited to host an international-caliber, collaborative event that we hope will lead to more life-changing opportunities in prison. Damon Horowitz and Jody Lewen are scheduled keynote speakers. Horowitz is a philosophy professor and serial entrepreneur, working at the intersection of technology and the humanities. He recently served as consulting philosopher at AltSchool, a B-corporation focused on using technology to bring personalized progressive education to a broader population. Previously, he was in-house philosopher/director of engineering at Google, leading a companywide personalization initiative with a focus on data privacy issues. He also has taught philosophy coursework to prisoners in California. Lewen is the founder and executive director of the Prison University Project, which operates the college program at San Quentin State Prison in California. The program provides a general education Associate of Arts degree and intensive college preparatory courses to about 350 incarcerated people. The Prison University Project also provides training and technical assistance to colleges offering higher education programs in prisons throughout California and across the United States. Panelists are national and international experts in the field. Panel topics include: insights from the Wyoming Department of Corrections, and currently and formerly incarcerated students; philosophy in prison; jail writing programs; transformative technology; theories, practices and challenges in higher education in prison programs; and success beyond reduced recidivism. We are extremely pleased to be hosting an event of this caliber at UW, says Rob Colter, associate lecturer in philosophy and another of the events organizers. It is a wonderful opportunity to make connections with people doing this work around the country and world, to make progress on challenges and successes, and to share the value of our efforts with a broader audience. The symposium is co-hosted by UWs Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies and Wyoming Pathways from Prison, which previously partnered to bring stoicism programming to Wyoming correctional facilities. Primary funding is through the College of Arts and Sciences, with additional support by the Social Justice Research Center; Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research; School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice; Department of English; College of Education; College of Law Defender Aid Clinic; and the national Correctional Education Association. Preregistration for this free event is highly encouraged. For more information and to register, visit www.uwyo.edu/stepb. South Africa: Police Committee concerned by allegations of bribery at Westville Police station The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Francois Beukman, has raised alarm at the allegations that are made by the father of the musician Bongekile "Babes Wodumo" Simelane that Mandla 'Mampintsha' Maphumulo bribed police officers at Westville Police station to ensure that his abuse of Simelane is not investigated. The police's primary role is to protect citizens and to uphold the rule of law and any acts of bribery should be investigated and prosecutions must be initiated. The committee is worried that men continue to abuse their partners and some cases never see the light of day due to such acts of bribery. "South Africa is facing a serious problem of gender based violence and one of the pillars in dealing with this scourge is a police service that is at the forefront in not only arresting perpetrators but also ensuring that cases are properly investigated to ensure effective prosecutions," Beukman said on Monday. He said the National Commissioner of the South African Police Services (SAPS) together with the Provincial Commissioner must urgently investigate these allegations and if bribery is found to have taken place the officers concerned must be prosecuted. This will encourage women to report acts of abuse with the knowledge that proper investigation will be done. The committee remains of the view that cases of abuse of women and children must at all times receive priority from police to rid the country of these abhorrent acts. The committee encourages Simelane to lodge a case immediately and work with police to ensure the earliest arrest and prosecution of Maphumolo. To this effect, the committee welcomes the activation by the National Commissioner of a team to look into the matter. Furthermore, the committee has called for a societal cooperation and commitment in ending violence against women and children. "We cannot as a society stand by when abuse is meted out on women and children," Beukman emphasised. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. In 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) made history when it detected gravitational waves for the first time, something that Albert Einstein had proposed almost a hundred years ago. Now, it is getting a significant upgrade that will improve the instruments sensitivity to gravitational waves. Funds for LIGO upgrade In total, the LIGO project will receive about US$34.5 million in funding. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will contribute $20.4, million while UK Research and Innovation, together with the Australian Research Council, will contribute US$14.1 million of the funds. The money will be used to upgrade instruments at LIGO facilities located at Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. Each LIGO facility works by sending twin laser beams down two 4 km-long tubes arranged as an L-shape that are kept under a near-perfect vacuum. The beams are reflected back down the tubes by mirrors precisely positioned at the ends of each arm. As a gravitational wave passes through the observatory, it causes extremely tiny distortions in the distance traveled by each laser beam, according to Physics World. New coatings will be applied to the mirrors that will bring down thermal noise and improve the laser system. The coating will also reduce the waddling of molecules on the mirror surfaces. Plus, the suspension system on which the mirrors are hung will be made much more stable. The upgrade is being dubbed Advanced Ligo Plus. So how will the upgrades improve LIGO? LIGO will be able to pick up waves from less massive objects, including smaller black holes and neutron stars, as well as nearby supernovas and star collisions. But most importantly, LIGO will be able to pick up gravitational waves from much farther away. The upgrade will be able to extend LIGOs range by almost seven times, which should make picking up a gravitational wave event an almost daily occurrence, according to Popular Mechanics. Detection of more black hole collisions will enable scientists to learn further about them, specifically about their edges, where regular physical laws are known to break down. The upgrade will also allow researchers to observe collisions in ultra-high definition. It might also help to understand the speed at which the universe is expanding. Other observatories There are currently three gravitational wave detectors operating in the world two LIGO facilities in America and a third observatory in Italy, known as the Virgo Interferometer. While its mirrors and instrumentation are in a suspended state, Virgos laser beam runs in a vacuum. The project is a collaboration of six European countries Italy, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Hungary. In addition to these three, two new gravitational detectors are expected to go live over the coming years. First up is the Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector (KAGRA) in Japan. A project of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR) of the University of Tokyo, KAGRA will be Asias first major gravitational wave observatory. New technology is being used in the project where mirrors are cooled to 20 degrees above absolute zero. Researchers believe that this will provide better results. The detector is expected to be online by the end of this year. The second gravitational wave detector is LIGOs third observatory, located in India. It is being built as an identical facility to the U.S. observatories and is projected to be completed by 2025. The Indian facility will be located 300 miles east of the city of Mumbai. Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our weekly email Tax Treaty with the Kingdom of Spain The Chief Minister of Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar, the Hon Fabian Picardo QC MP has today written to the Rt Hon David Lidington MP (the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Mrs May's de facto Deputy Prime Minister) asking him to sign a Tax Treaty covering Gibraltar and Spain. As a result, Mr Lidington has signed the Tax Treaty for Gibraltar as the United Kingdom retains constitutional responsibility for Gibraltar's external relations, including the execution of international treaties. For the purposes of the Tax Treaty, the UK therefore acts as the State responsible for Gibraltar's external relations. The Tax Treaty has been negotiated between the Governments of Spain, Gibraltar and the UK. The Gibraltar Government team has been led by the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and the Financial Secretary, Albert Mena, with the support of the Commissioner of Income Tax, John Lester and Senior Tax Counsel Terrence Rocca. The Tax Treaty principally seeks to improve co-operation in the field of taxation and assist in the resolution of disputes as to the proper tax residence of companies and individuals where their place of residence between Gibraltar and Spain may be in issue. The Treaty also provides for Gibraltar to keep legislation equivalent with EU law on matters related to transparency, administrative cooperation, harmful tax practices and Anti-Money Laundering after we have left the EU - something we have long been committed to doing. This is especially the case as we will remain committed to the OECD and G-20 principles which already provide for similar standards. The Treaty also provides for Gibraltar to keep legislation equivalent with EU law on matters related to transparency, administrative cooperation, harmful tax practices and Anti-Money Laundering once EU law ceases to apply in Gibraltar, something we have long been committed to doing. This is especially the case as we will remain committed to the OECD and G-20 principles which already provide for similar standards. The Chief Minister said: "I wrote to David Lidington today to consent to the signature of the Tax Treaty on behalf of Gibraltar. "This is an important moment for Gibraltar and for our relations with our neighbour. This Treaty recognises the existence of a separate and distinct tax authority in Gibraltar. Even more importantly, in the Treaty Spain recognises, for the first time in history, the existence of registered Gibraltarians and of the Gibraltarian Status Act. This is the Act that determines who are the people that can register and describe themselves as "Gibraltarians". This is massively significant. Additionally, the Gibraltar rates of corporation tax are also recognised by Spain. In agreeing to this Tax Treaty, Gibraltar has conceded nothing in respect of its absolute autonomy in tax affairs. What we have done - as we have long been offering to do - is reach an arrangement with our nearest neighbour to resolve cases of dispute as to the residence of individuals and companies. As a result, I trust we will now be able to end the irritating myth that Gibraltar is anything other than entirely cooperative when it comes to the exchange of tax information.This treaty and the cooperation it supports should put an end to that myth. Indeed we have obtained a commitment from the Spanish Government that the effective implementation of this Treaty will lead to Gibraltar being removed from the Spanish blacklist of tax haven jurisdictions in the future.This is also massively significant. The Treaty will also bring an end to any doubt about Gibraltars inclusion in international conventions which relate to tax and financial services, including the OECD BEPs inclusive framework. Indeed Gibraltar will be writing this week to apply for membership of the BEPs inclusive framework. Additionally, the Treaty provides for information to be provided by the Spanish tax authorities to the Gibraltar authorities also. The flow of information is anticipated to be in both directions. Needless to say, we are fully committed to the commitments associated with this Treaty and the Spanish have said the same. Cross frontier workers will have the benefit of the elimination of double taxation pursuant to the provisions of the law of the state that they are determined to be resident in. I now look forward to the formal ratification process of this Treaty. I will tomorrow brief the Parliament's Brexit Select Committee on the content of the agreement. I expect we will be able to publish it in full in coming days also as it is published also in the UK in keeping with the relevant procedures for the adoption of international treaties. I will lay a copy of the Treaty in Parliament on the 14th March. I want to thank the Gibraltar negotiating team, led by Financial Secretary Albert Mena, as well as Commissioner John Lester and Senior Tax Counsel Terrence Rocca for their hard work on this very difficult and challenging subject. I also want to thank the teams at Her Majesty's Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for their assistance in these complex negotiations. I also look forward to the Gibraltar and Spanish tax authorities working together in a spirit of normality and cooperation, as the Gibraltar tax authorities already do with the tax authorities of most states around the world. Together with our agreement on tobacco pricing, this is an important step in slaying the myths that have circulated on Gibraltar. These agreements deal with those irritants in a positive and forward looking way that broaches no concessions and yet normalises the relationship between neighbouring tax authorities." Gibraltar Spring Festival 2019 - Short Story Competition Gibraltar Cultural Services on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, the Gibraltar Chronicle and the Department of Education, will hold a Short Story Competition as part of the Gibraltar Spring Festival 2019. The competition is open to both Gibraltarians and residents of Gibraltar who may submit one piece of work, in any subject. There will be four categories as follows: A. School Years 4 to 5 - (250 - 350 words) B. School Year 6 to 7 - (250 - 350 words) C. School Years 8 to 10 - (450 - 550 words) D. School Years 11 to 13 - (500 - 1000 words) E. Adults - (must not exceed 1000 words) The winning entries will be printed in the Gibraltar Chronicle. The overall winner will receive the Ministry of Culture prize of 500 and a trophy. Additionally, each category will receive a voucher and a pen kindly donated by the Gibraltar Chronicle, plus a trophy from the Ministry of Culture. Entry forms and full conditions are available from: Schools and College The Department of Education, 23 Queensway Gibraltar Cultural Services, 308 Main Street www.culture.gi Works may be handed in at the Gibraltar Cultural Services, John Mackintosh Hall, 308 Main Street between 9.30am to 7.30pm, and Monday to Friday. The closing date for receipt of entries is: Monday 18th March 2019 For any enquiry please contact the Events Department, Gibraltar Cultural Services, 308 Main Street, Gibraltar, or Tel: 200 67236 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. At the invitation of Mr. Marat Sultangaziyev, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Kazakhstan on 4 and 5 March 2019 to meet political leaders and observe the velocity of the bilateral trade movements in these logistic hubs. Dr. Mikuriya visited the Nur Joly Border Crossing Point in the Almaty region to look at the functioning of its new Customs facilities at the border with China, on a major trade route linking Western China with Western Europe, which had been opened last September. With the new cargo tracking technology, trade flows seamlessly through Customs while Customs officers monitor its movements and manage the risks from the control center without unnecessarily interfering in the overall processes. These facilities were built through a public-private partnership arrangement, and provide traders with information at any time about the clearance status of their goods. During this visit in Nur Joly, Dr. Mikuriya inaugurated the Customs Museum of Khorgos, which aims at informing the public on the history of this Customs check-point and its memories. From that crossing border, Secretary General Mikuriya went to Astana where he appreciated the efficiency of its modern logistic center, which is operational since 2016. It is implementing the one-stop-shop procedures, inviting the different agencies including the Postal Service, which has its offices under the same roof as Customs, to join them. At the center, they clear goods including those coming by trucks and railway from Nur Joly and the offices are organized in a way to provide traders with an easy access, while ensuring transparency in the procedures applied. During his stay, Secretary General Mikuriya also met with the Prime Minister, Mr. Askar Mamin, and discussed ways to enhance cooperation. Prime Minister Mamin mentioned that, as his country invested substantially in transport infrastructures, he was interested in applying WCO standards and tools such as the ones for the facilitation of transit. Dr. Mikuriya suggested that Kazakhstan shares its experience and best practices with other countries via WCO committees and conferences to enhance connectivity at borders. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 04, 2019 | PADUCAH By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 04, 2019 | 06:40 PM | PADUCAH Six people were arrested Friday after a drug investigation on Paducah's south side. The McCracken County Sheriff's Department said they executed a search warrant at the home of 42-year-old Michelle Franklin on Bullard Street. Franklin was in the home with 29-year-old Jonathon Hernandez and 31-year-old Kenneth Vasseur of Paducah. Detectives said 39-year-old Joseph S. Taylor of Ledbetter was in a camper in the back yard, while 60-year-old Johnny Hernandez and 37-year-old Timothy Wilson of Paducah were in the back yard. A search of the home, property and people led to the seizure of methamphetamine, marijuana and assorted paraphernalia such as meth pipes and hypodermic needles. Franklin, Jonathon Hernandez, Johnny Hernandez, Taylor and Vasseur all face charges of possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. Taylor also faces a charge of marijuana possession. Wilson was charged with possession of marijuana and for not notifying KY DOT of an address change. All six people were taken to McCracken Co. Jail. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Tips lead to drug charges for two in Paducah By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 05, 2019 | 12:26 PM | MARSHALL COUNTY Don't fall for it. That's what Marshall County authorities are saying about another telephone scam that's circulating in the area. According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, someone pretending to be with the Marshall County Rescue Squad is calling local residents soliciting funds. According to the sheriff's office, the Rescue Squad is currently not soliciting funds. Deputies say if you receive one of these calls, do not give the caller any personal information or donate any funds. Anyone who receives one of these types of calls is asked to contact the sheriff's office. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 04, 2019 | WICKLIFFE, HICKMAN By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 04, 2019 | 04:13 PM | WICKLIFFE, HICKMAN The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has announced funding for roadwork throughout Ballard and Fulton County. In a press release, it was announced that Ballard Fiscal Court will receive $196,160 in discretionary funds for vital resurfacing work on Kevil Road, Wildlife Lodge Road, Dennis Lane and Pace Lane. Fulton Fiscal Court will receive $284,910 for work on Running Slough Road and Palestine Road. Resurfacing repairs address existing surface cracks, potholes, rutting, crumbling shoulders and base failures. The Bevin Administration continues to focus on taking care of what we have at both the state and local level to address critical infrastructure needs that improve safety and support job creation and retention, said KYTC Secretary Greg Thomas. This funding builds upon existing transportation investments and allows the Cabinet to collaborate with local governments to identify projects that will have large impacts to communities." I want to thank Governor Bevin for his assistance in making several Ballard County roads safer, said Ballard County Judge-Executive Todd Cooper. Governor Bevin and his amazing staff, including the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet leadership, are very progressive in assisting local governments in making our transportation system as safe as possible for those travelers who use our roads and to promote economic development. The people of Fulton County and the Fulton County Fiscal Court would like to express appreciation to the Secretary of Transportation and Governor Bevin for awarding us funding for the paving of these roads, said Fulton County Judge-Executive Jim Martin. We appreciate the leadership in the Transportation Cabinet and the Governors office for recognizing our road issues and providing the funding for these repairs. We appreciate the aggressive approach this administration is taking to restore Kentuckys transportation infrastructure. Projects submitted to the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid for discretionary fund consideration were evaluated by the KYTC district staff to assess the condition of roads and determine the most critical needs based on factors such as safety, economic impact, and traffic volumes. By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 04, 2019 | 10:41 PM | BENTON, KY The Benton Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating a missing teen. Seventeen-year-old Chelsey Neamon was last seen at her home in Benton. She may possibly be in the company of friends in the Murray area. Police say that Neamon now has bright purple short hair. Anyone with information about Neamon is asked to contact the Benton Police Department or your local law enforcement agency. By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 05, 2019 | 07:34 AM | GRAVES COUNTY Four Graves County residents were arrested on Monday after a multi-agency raid was conducted on three different homes. Graves County Sheriff Jon Hayden said the DEA, ATF, FBI, Kentucky State Police Drug Enforcement/Special Investigations Unit and Mayfield Police Department assisted in the execution and arrest of the four individuals on Irwin Court in Pryorsburg, the 500 block of South 8th Street and the 300 block of Willow Drive in Mayfield. Officers reportedly found crack cocaine, marijuana and a large sum of money believed to proceeds of illegal drug sales. Fifty-one-year-old Charles Scott, of Pryorsburg, was arrested and charged with trafficking in cocaine 2nd offense and possession of drug paraphernalia. Thirty-six-year-old Cornelius Jones, 35-year-old Vinisha Stubblefield and 35-year-old Shantula Johnson, all of Mayfield, were arrested and charged with possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. All four were lodged in the Graves County Jail. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 04, 2019 | BENTON By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 04, 2019 | 02:19 PM | BENTON The Commonwealth of Kentucky will not seek the death penalty against accused Marshall County shooter Gabriel Parker, but instead will seek a sentence of life in prison without parole. On Monday, West Kentucky Star received a copy of a motion and notice filed by Marshall County Commonwealth's Attorney Dennis Foust last Thursday. The notice states that his office wants a sentence of life without parole for a minimum of 25 years. The motion asks for the court to set a trial date and pretrial conferences in the criminal case against Parker, who is accused of opening fire January 23, 2018, at the high school, killing Bailey Holt and Preston Cope, and injuring others. Parker faces two counts of murder and 14 counts of assault in the case. The motion states that "over 13 months have passed, and while pretrial discovery is not complete, it is progressing in such a manner to the extent that it is appropriate to set a trial date," and discovery should be completed by then. The Commonwealth estimates the trial should take about 20 days, and asks for deadlines to be established for any motions by either party. The prosecution also requested that notice be provided by the defense if any expert testimony will be introduced, so the prosecution can examine them in advance and avoid any other delays. Judge James Jameson presides over Marshall Circuit Court. Guo Weimin, spokesman of the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2019. The CPPCC National Committee held a press conference on Saturday afternoon, one day ahead of its annual session. [Xinhua/Shen Bohan] China will hold a series of activities this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's political advisory body, a spokesperson said Saturday. The activities include holding related conferences and exhibitions, enhancing theoretical research on the CPPCC, and producing CPPCC-themed publications and documentaries, said Guo Weimin, spokesperson for the second session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, at a press conference. As a distinctively Chinese political institution, the CPPCC is an important organ for multi-party cooperation and political consultation led by the Communist Party of China. It is a major channel for socialist consultative democracy and a specialist consultative body. The CPPCC system has grown more mature over the past 70 years, Guo said. "Focusing on the Party and country's key tasks, the CPPCC is playing an increasingly important role in political consultation, democratic oversight, and participation in and deliberation of state affairs," he noted. (Source: Xinhua) Xi Jinping (C, front), Li Keqiang (3rd R, front), Li Zhanshu (3rd L, front), Wang Huning (2nd R, front), Zhao Leji (2nd L, front), Han Zheng (1st R, front), and Wang Qishan (1st L, front) attend the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2019. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] China's top political advisory body started its annual session Sunday afternoon in Beijing, raising the curtain of a key season in the country's political calendar. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and other Chinese leaders attended the opening meeting at the Great Hall of the People. Wang Yang, chairman of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, delivered a work report to more than 2,000 political advisors at the session. Wang commended the political advisory body's work last year, saying new advances have been made under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. "We gave full play to the CPPCC's role as a body dedicated to consultation and carried out our dual responsibility of offering suggestions and building consensus," Wang noted. Over the past year, the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee has focused on the central tasks of the Party and country and fulfilled its duties with commitment to pursuing unity and democracy. Political advisors have conducted consultations with a focus on fighting the three critical battles against potential risk, poverty, and pollution, and on promoting high-quality development, according to Wang. With regard to the CPPCC's major tasks in 2019, Wang said top priority will be given to studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The second task is offering high-quality suggestions on the central tasks of the Party and the country, which include completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and deepening supply-side structural reform. Making greater efforts for unity and friendly ties is another important task, said Wang. Other major tasks include contributing wisdom and strength to the major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, making solid progress in the self-improvement of the CPPCC, and holding celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the CPPCC's founding. This year is a critical year in China's bid to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects to reach its first centenary goal. "Building a moderately prosperous society in all respects is a cause that benefits our population of more than one billion people," said Wang, highlighting the importance of harnessing positive energy for securing a decisive victory in this goal. Wang encouraged political advisors to focus on hotspot and difficult issues, promptly identify potential risks and dangers, and proactively report on social conditions and popular sentiment, so as to provide the Party and government with valuable proposals and suggestions to help resolve issues and defuse risks. Describing the formidable tasks, the many problems, risks and challenges, and the complex demands involved in decisively securing a moderately prosperous society in all respects as "unprecedented in scale," Wang pinpointed the need to build consensus and promote unity. It is necessary to strengthen theoretical and political guidance and build consensus on sensitive issues, points of risk, and matters of public concern in view of the fact that the CPPCC features a diversity of sectors, strata, and interests, he noted. A total of 5,571 proposals had been submitted by the CPPCC National Committee members over the past year, with 41 percent of them focusing on practicing new development concepts, deepening supply-side structural reform, and promoting high-quality economic development. As of Feb. 20, 99.2 percent of them had been handled, said Su Hui, vice chairperson of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, when delivering a report on proposals. The second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2019. [Xinhua/Yao Dawei] Wang Yang, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, delivers a report on the work of the 13th CPPCC National Committee's Standing Committee at the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2019. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin] Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) attend the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2019. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin] (Source: Xinhua) Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over a preparatory meeting for the second session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over a chairpersons' meeting of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) gathered Monday morning at a preparatory meeting to elect the presidium and secretary-general and set the agenda for the second session of the 13th NPC scheduled to begin on Tuesday. A 176-member presidium was elected, with Wang Chen as the secretary-general of the NPC session, according to a statement issued after the meeting. All preparation for the annual session is done, according to Chairman of the 13th NPC Standing Committee Li Zhanshu, who presided over the preparatory meeting and expressed his hope that the session will be democratic, united, pragmatic and progressive. As of Sunday, 2,956 of the 2,975 NPC deputies had registered with the session's secretariat, and 2,932 attended the preparatory meeting. The meeting also adopted the agenda of the session. Prior to the preparatory meeting, a meeting of chairman and vice chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee was held, where attendees heard the report on the drafts of the agenda and the presidium and secretary-general name lists of the upcoming annual session, and decided to submit the drafts to the preparatory meeting. Email Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter Based on JLL's latest whitepaper Shenzhen's Tech Prosperity Drives Office Demand, technology companies are spurring global demand for office space, and this phenomenon is particularly pronounced in Shenzhen, China. As Edward Xia, Managing Director, JLL Shenzhen points out, "After four decades of economic expansion, Shenzhen is now internationally recognized as South China's technology and innovation epicenter, inevitably drawing comparisons with Silicon Valley. The strong and sustained growth that the city's tech industry is currently experiencing is set to form an important source of office demand in coming years". China's Tech Powerhouse On the 40th anniversary of Reform and Opening, no transformation better exemplifies the growth and modernization of a Chinese city than Shenzhen. From its humble beginning as a rural fishing village, to current status as a tech-centric megacity, four key inter-related factors have driven this remarkable transformation. A combination of economic reform, capital-backed start-ups, agglomeration, and the ability to attract top talent are behind the Shenzhen tech industry's growth to date, and they will continue to propel it rapidly into the future. Between 2011-2015, over 41,000 Patent Cooperation Treaty filings came from the Shenzhen-Hong Kong cluster, the second highest in the world, and firmly ahead of many traditional innovation hubs. Silvia Zeng, Head of Research, JLL South China, said: "Shenzhen offers a unique model in which government initiatives, entrepreneurial spirit, corporate headquarters, talented people, business clusters, and plenty of investment capital, have come together to fuel the technology sector's growth, and a corresponding surge in Chinese innovation." In terms of office leasing demand, the tech industry is the most active player in the Shenzhen office market. It has spurred the city's evolution, with the last 15 years witnessing an eight-fold increase in office stock to 6.4 million square meters by late 2018, making Shenzhen the third largest office market in Mainland China. Demand for office expansion is being supported by both the growth of existing sectors and emergence of new ones. As staff numbers increase, the expansion and relocation of main or regional headquarters of the multinational tech giants and larger firms will lead future demand. The JLL report also points out that many tech firms can now afford higher rents and are also seeking to raise their corporate image, making upgrade demand another important force in the Grade A office market. Nanshan Leads, Suburbs Follow Shenzhen expects a staggering 7.6 million square meters of Grade A office supply to come online in the next five years. Active future demand from tech firms will be focused on Shenzhen High-tech Industrial Park and the surrounding Nanshan business district, which will remain Shenzhen's core submarket for the tech industry, accounting for 60% of future supply. With the predicted acceleration in the tech industry's growth, demand for business park space will rise, driven by expansion and setup. Emerging sectors with large space requirement such as robotics, will find suburban locations such as Bao'an and Longgang ideal for relocation or expansion. A new generation of workforce is calling for upgraded working environments that elevate user experience and promote innovative thinking through the latest technologies. This is particularly true of the innovative and progressive younger workers that the tech industry tends to attract. As Zeng points out, "A significant proportion of Shenzhen's future office supply will consist of corporate headquarters. As more companies begin to recognize the various benefits that Future of Work models can generate, an increasing number of offices in Shenzhen are expected to adopt this concept." Co-working will also become an important channel to meet future office demand. As expanding tech companies begin moving to semi and fully furnished flexible offices with short-term leasing options, a number of experienced global co-working service providers are weighing up their prospects for entering Shenzhen's highly dynamic market. The Greater Bay Area looks to have a bright future, with Shenzhen as a major driver with a booming office market closely linked to the flourishing tech sector. Both start-ups and established tech enterprises will ensure this surging office demand, while foreign institutional investors continue to pay close attention to assets in the region. As Jex Ng, Managing Director, JLL South China emphasizes, "Due to acute land supply shortages in Shenzhen, a significant amount of manufacturing, including even some from the hi-tech sector, will have to be relocated outside of Shenzhen. As the city's tech industry grows in coming years, such relocations will play an important part in the Greater Bay Area's industry upgrade process, helping many nearby cities replace traditional manufacturing with hi-tech alternatives." Sign Up Free | The WPJ Weekly Newsletter Relevant real estate news. Actionable market intelligence. Right to your inbox every week. Go Thank you for your interest! You will now be receiving our Weekly Real Estate Newsletter. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-04 21:11:58|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Iraqi President Barham Salih (R) meets with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 4, 2019. Iraqi President Barham Salih Monday discussed with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas bilateral relations, and expressed Iraq's support to the rights of the Palestinian people to achieve peace and stability on their land. (Xinhua) BAGHDAD, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi President Barham Salih Monday discussed with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas bilateral relations, and expressed Iraq's support to the rights of the Palestinian people to achieve peace and stability on their land. A statement by the presidency office said that Salih received Abbas and accompanying delegation, and the two sides held a meeting to discuss means to enhance cooperation and coordination in a way that serves the aspirations of the two brotherly peoples. "President Salih stressed the importance of protecting Jerusalem as well as sanctities from any violations, confirming the need to exert efforts to achieve the hopes of the brotherly Palestinian people for peace and stability as well as to realize their full legitimate rights," the statement said. For his part, Abbas congratulated the Iraqi people and government for the victory over Islamic State (IS) group and the liberation of all Iraqi territories, and expressed the "desire of his government to develop and expand bilateral relations," the statement added. The two sides also "discussed the latest developments in the Arab and regional arenas and the need to work to support the unity of Arab world to achieve security and stability in the region," it said. Abbas arrived in Iraq's capital Baghdad on Sunday afternoon with a high-level delegation including Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki, for a two-day visit aimed at discussing the current political situation, particularly the Palestinian cause, and ways to promote bilateral relations in all fields. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 01:43:13|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry Bahram Qasemi attends a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on March 4, 2019. Iran's Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that a European delegation will visit Tehran in the coming days to discuss Europe's Instrument In Support Of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz) TEHRAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that a European delegation will visit Tehran in the coming days to discuss Europe's Instrument In Support Of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). "The launch of INSTEX was the first step," spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry, Bahram Qasemi, said in his weekly press conference. "Over the past weeks, we have had good talks (with the Europeans) concerning economic and banking sections, and in the near future, Tehran will host some European delegations that have responsibilities over the INSTEX," Qasemi added. During the upcoming meeting, experts of the two sides will discuss the steps to implement the INSTEX, the spokesman said. On Jan. 31, the European Union announced the setting up of the new institution INSTEX to secure trade with Iran and skirt U.S. anti-Iran sanctions after Washington pulled out of the 2015 landmark nuclear deal last May. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 02:28:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WINDHOEK, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) said Monday it seized drugs worth some 12,968,248 Namibian dollars (about 913,000 U.S. dollars) in February, arresting 60 suspects on drug related charges. A statement by NamPol said the drugs seized included cannabis, cocaine powder and crack cocaine. Abortion tablets were also found, according to the statement. A total of 56 Namibians, one Mozambican and three Swaziland nationals were arrested. "Drugs are very destructive especially to the youth of Namibia," said the statement, which added that NamPol would not relent in fighting the use, dealing and possession of drugs. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 02:53:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close CAIRO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's foreign reserves rose to 44.06 billion U.S. dollars by the end of February compared to 42.6 billion dollars by the end of January, the Central Bank of Egypt said on Monday. Last December, Egypt's foreign currency reserves fell to 42.551 billion dollars from 44.513 billion dollars in November, the first drop since November 2016. Egypt's foreign currency reserves have been witnessing continuous increases since 2014. Over the past few years, Egypt has been suffering an economic recession because of political instability and relevant security issues that led to the decline of tourism and foreign investments, two major sources for Egypt's foreign currency reserves. But Egypt's forex started to recover under President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who was backed by some oil-rich Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait through financial support. Improving security condition, increasing remittances of Egyptian expatriates abroad as well as more foreign loans and deposits have refilled the Central Bank with foreign funds. To boost the economy, bolster forex and contain dollar shortage, Egypt started in late 2016 a strict three-year economic reform program including imposing austerity measures, fuel and energy subsidy cuts and tax increases, in addition to local currency's full floatation that led to nationwide price hikes. Egypt's reform program is encouraged by a 12-billion-dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 04:28:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SANAA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels on Monday accused British government of seeking to derail a fragile peace deal in Yemeni main port city of Hodeidah. "We do not consider Britain as a mediator in the Yemeni peace talks," Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said in his Twitter account in response to remarks made a day earlier by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Abdulsalam added that "it also appeared that the UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths was representing his British government more than representing the UN." Abdulsalam said that his group was committed to Stockholm Agreement reached in December last year. He said that handing over management of the port city to a neutral side was not part of the agreed deal, accusing Hunt of seeking to pave way for Saudi-led coalition to occupy the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. On Sunday, Hunt said that he visited government-controlled southern port city of Aden to push the two Yemeni rival parties toward implementation of the peace deal, adding that it was "the last chance." Hunt warned peace process in Yemen could die in weeks if Stockholm deal was not fully implemented. Hunt said in his Twitter account that he told Abdulsalam in Oman on Friday that "withdrawal of Houthi troops needs to happen soon to maintain confidence in Stockholm and allow opening of vital humanitarian channels." The peace deal intended to avert fighting in Hodeidah, the key lifeline for two-thirds of Yemen's population, which the UN says is on the brink of famine. Both warring parties have yet to implement the UN-brokered plan to pull out forces from inside and around the city since the deal went into force on Dec. 18, 2018. Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile and seized much of the country's north, including the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah port city. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 04:43:52|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (R, center) and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov (L, center) walk before the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, March 4, 2019. Bulgaria and Russia here on Monday during a visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev expressed their willingness to further develop bilateral ties on the basis of traditional friendship and a wide range of opportunities. (Xinhua/Zhan Xiaoyi) SOFIA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria and Russia here on Monday during a visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev expressed their willingness to further develop bilateral ties on the basis of traditional friendship and a wide range of opportunities. There were deep historical, spiritual and cultural ties between the peoples of Bulgaria and Russia that have endured the trials of time, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said at his meeting with Medvedev. "I believe that there is a political will and the necessary conditions for developing an equitable and mutually beneficial cooperation," Radev said at the beginning, which was open to reporters. There were areas such as tourism, where relations were sustainable and promising, Radev said. He added Russia has been Bulgaria's strategic partner in the energy sector, "where there is great potential for deepening our relations, of course, in keeping with important principles such as expedience, competitiveness, transparency, security of supply and especially important for Bulgaria -- a bargain price." "I believe that the Bulgarian economy can offer much more to the Russian consumer who knows and appreciates the quality of a number of Bulgarian goods," Radev also said. The two countries also had long traditions and huge prospects for development in education, science, culture, the Bulgarian president said. "And last but not least, I believe that the Bulgarian-Russian dialogue contributes to the restoration of the trust between the European Union and Russia, which we all have an interest in," Radev said. For his part, Medvedev said "We must, in my opinion, based on the special, good relations that exist between our peoples, make a qualitative leap in the development of our relations for the future." "It is in our power to change everything," he said. Energy cooperation remained the flagship of bilateral relationship, Medvedev said. "We continue to cooperate in this area, despite the fact that there were also problems there." During Medvedev's visit, which will end on Tuesday, the two countries signed two protocols on social security, a program of collaboration in the tourism sector for 20192021, and a plan of consultations between the ministries of foreign affairs. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 05:03:55|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ALGIERS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Constitutional Council on Monday revealed that 20 people have submitted candidacy for the presidential election due on April 18. The council will examine the eligibility of each bid within 10 days, while the rejected candidates would have the right to appeal the decision. After the retreat of several candidates such as former Prime Minister Ali Benflis, observers believe that retired General Ali Ghediri, so far, seems to be the most capable candidate to compete with incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April's polls. Ghediri has managed to attract well-known people to join his team, including prominent lawyer and human rights activist Mokrane Ait Larbi, who is appointed as the campaign director. Ghediri was born in 1954, and joined the military institution in 1973. Ghediri has no political career, as he has never joined a political party. In last December 2018, he revealed that he intends to run for presidency. On Sunday, In a message to the nation read by his campaign director Abdelghani Zaalane, Bouteflika, who is running for his fifth presidential term, said that if re-elected, he would organize new presidential elections ahead of schedule in which he would not run for, in a bid to guarantee smooth transfer of power. The president also said if re-elected, he would "organize an inclusive conference open for all tendencies to discuss freely new political, social and economy reforms." Bouteflika, 82-year-old, is still in Geneva for medical care. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 05:49:01|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close THE HAGUE, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch government has called back its ambassador in Tehran, Iran, for consultations, the Dutch Foreign Ministry announced on Monday in a statement. The decision follows the announcement by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that two Dutch employees at the Dutch embassy in Tehran have been declared persona non grata and had to leave the country. The Iranian ambassador was summoned to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague. "It has been made clear to him that the expulsion of two Dutch members of staff is unacceptable," Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in the statement. The two diplomats returned to the Netherlands on Monday. "For themselves, their family and the team they left behind, such an abrupt departure was a shock," said Blok. "They will get all the support they need." Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday confirmed that the Islamic republic has expelled two Dutch diplomats in a tit-for-tat response to the Netherland's earlier expulsion of two Iranian diplomats. The move by Iran comes two months after the Netherlands accused Iran of an alleged plot to assassinate opponents on Dutch soil. The Dutch government later expelled two members of staff of the embassy of Iran in The Hague. Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi rejected the accusations concerning Iran being behind political killings in the Netherlands as "baseless." Following the move by the European country, Iran decided on a tit-for-tat response, said Qasemi. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 06:54:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close OTTAWA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Jane Philpott announced her resignation on Monday as the Treasury Board president in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet, saying the ongoing SNC-Lavalin scandal is the factor of her resignation. In a statement, Philpott, one of Justin Trudeau's most trusted ministers, said that the recent events, including the SNC-Lavalin scandal, "have shaken the federal government in recent weeks and after serious reflection, I have concluded that I must resign as a member of cabinet." "Unfortunately, the evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former attorney general to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin, and the evidence as to the content of those efforts, have raised serious concerns for me. Those concerns have been augmented by the views expressed by my constituents and other Canadians," she said in the statement. Trudeau has been facing calls to resign after former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould testified at the House Justice Committee last week that she faced high-level "veiled threats" and "sustained" political interference in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec construction and engineering company. The resignation came five days after Wilson-Raybould told the Justice Committee of House of Commons that she faced "consistent and sustained" political pressure from Trudeau and senior officials, including veiled threats on the need to shelve the criminal prosecution of the Montreal construction and engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. Philpott said, "I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised." "It grieves me to leave a portfolio where I was at work to deliver on an important mandate. But I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities and constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one's principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them," she added. However, Philpott said she will remain in the Liberal caucus and is committed to the platform of the Liberal party, especially for justice for indigenous people. The Canadian Prime Minister's Office offered only brief remarks on Philpott's resignation, saying Trudeau will address the resignation Monday night. "Earlier today, the Prime Minister spoke with Jane Philpott, who informed him of her decision to resign from cabinet. The Prime Minister accepted her resignation, and thanked Ms. Philpott for her years of service to Canadians and her dedication. Minister Qualtrough immediately assumes responsibilities as acting President of the Treasury Board," the office added. SourceXinhua| 2019-03-05 07:22:33|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Hindu devotees wait with pots of water as offerings to Lord Shiva on the occasion of the Maha Shivaratri festival in Jammu, the winter capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, on March 4, 2019. Maha Shivaratri is a major festival in Hinduism celebrated annually in honour of Lord Shiva. (Xinhua/Stringer) Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 07:34:22|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close NEW YORK, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China Institute will launch a new educational program on traditional Chinese music in partnership with the Bard College Conservatory of Music (BCCM) on Sunday. The New York City-based non-profit educational and cultural institution and BCCM's U.S.-China Music Institute will celebrate the opening of the new program -- Music at China Institute, Sunday afternoon with special guest Yu Feng, president of the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing. The program, a new addition to China Institute's School of Chinese Studies, aims to bring the beauty, wisdom and philosophy of traditional Chinese music to people of all ages and backgrounds in the heart of Lower Manhattan, the institute said in a press release. In spring 2019, classes of eight sessions each will be offered at China Institute for music lovers to learn Guqin, Erhu, and Guzheng. For toddlers, a Mommy and Me series will bring the fun of learning Chinese musical rhythms and movements to their intellectual and social development. Small group classes are taught by professionally trained instructors who are also award-winning musicians and educators, each carefully selected by BCCM. For over 5,000 years, music has been essential to Chinese culture. Its language is tonal, its poems were once sung, and traditionally an educated person was understood to be a musical expert. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 08:09:26|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China will issue 2.15 trillion yuan (about 320 billion U.S. dollars) of special local government bonds this year, an increase of 800 billion yuan over last year, says a government work report. The report was available to the press on Tuesday morning ahead of the annual legislative session. "This is designed to both provide funding for key projects and create conditions for better forestalling and defusing local governments' debt risks," the report says. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 09:29:39|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, March 4 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were shot dead and six others were missing following a dispute over land in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca, local authorities said on Monday. The feud flared on Sunday in Oaxaca's northeastern mountain region after villagers from San Juan Jaltepec were ambushed by rivals from the village of Nuevo San Antonio during a visit to the disputed parcel of land. Officials found three bodies at the site. A fourth person was wounded and taken to hospital for treatment and six residents from Nuevo San Antonio were missing. In a statement, the State Attorney General's Office reiterated its commitment to investigating and bringing those responsible to justice. "No crime goes unpunished," it said. Violent clashes over land are not uncommon in Oaxaca, one of Mexico's less developed states. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 10:14:53|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. beverage and snacks giant PepsiCo announced Monday that Laxman Narasimhan has been named the company's new chief commercial officer, a newly created position. Narasimhan, who joined PepsiCo in 2012 from McKinsey & Company and previously ran the company's businesses in Latin America, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, will take charge of PepsiCo's integrated long-term growth strategy and lead the development of commercial and marketing capabilities, the company said in a press release. "Laxman is the ideal executive to take on this important new role," PepsiCo's CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a statement. "He will be instrumental as we sharpen our integrated long-term growth strategy," said Laguarta, to whom Narasimhan will report in his new capacity. In addition, the company also announced that Rene Lammers, who currently serves as the senior vice president overseeing research and development, is succeeding Mehmood Khan as chief science officer. Khan will leave PepsiCo this month and become CEO of Life Biosciences Inc., a biotechnology startup. "We believe these changes will enable us to better capture growth opportunities by getting closer to our consumers and deploying our global capabilities in a way that allows us to win locally in each of our markets," said Laguarta, who took over as CEO in October 2018. PepsiCo's full-year net revenue growth in 2018 is 1.8 percent, according to its latest quarterly report. It expects core earnings per share (EPS) in 2019 to decline to approximately 5.50 U.S. dollars, down 3 percent from 5.66 dollars in the previous year. Excluding changes in exchange rates, the decrease in core constant currency EPS year-over-year is forecast to be 1 percent this year, according to the report. "Importantly, we expect to return to high-single-digit core constant currency EPS growth in 2020," PepsiCo said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 10:19:56|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a government work report at the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang admitted that China faced severe challenges caused by the growing pains of economic transformation, when delivering the government work report to the annual legislative session Tuesday. "Looking back at the past year, we can see that our achievements did not come easily," said Li at the opening meeting of the second annual session of the 13th National People's Congress. "An interlacing of old and new issues and a combination of cyclical and structural problems brought changes in what was a generally stable economic performance, some of which caused concern," he continued. Li said that China also faced a profound change in its external environment in 2018. Setbacks in economic globalization, challenges to multilateralism, shocks in the international financial market, and especially the China-U.S. economic and trade frictions, had an adverse effect on the production and business operations of some companies as well as on market expectations, according to the premier. Moreover, China was facing a complicated terrain of increasing dilemmas, with multiple targets to attain, such as ensuring stable growth and preventing risks, as well as multiple tasks to complete, like promoting economic and social development. The country also had multiple relationships to handle, including that between short-term and long-term interests, while the difficulty of making policy choices and moving work forward increased markedly, Li said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 10:29:57|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close PYONGYANG, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un returned to Pyongyang early Tuesday morning after a trip to Vietnam, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Senior officials of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the government and the armed forces attended a greeting ceremony at the Pyongyang railway station, the report said. During his stay in Vietnam, Kim held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in the capital Hanoi on Feb. 27-28 before paying a two-day official goodwill visit to Vietnam till Saturday. During the second Kim-Trump summit, the two leaders "had a constructive and candid exchange of their opinions over the practical issues arising in opening up a new era of the improvement of the DPRK-U.S. relations on the basis of the progress," the KCNA said in an earlier report. They discussed the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and bilateral issues without signing a deal, while both sides expressed willingness to continue the peace process on the Peninsula. During his visit to Vietnam, Kim met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The two sides discussed further developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and the two countries, according to the KCNA. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 10:40:01|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close CANBERRA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Former Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has reiterated her view that she would have won the upcoming general election if she was chosen as prime minister in August 2018. Bishop, who served as the minister for Foreign Affairs between 2013 and 2018 and as deputy leader of the governing Liberal Party between 2007 and 2018, ran for leadership of the party in August 2018 but was knocked out in the first round of voting. Having since announced her retirement from politics in February, Bishop on Sunday claimed she could have defeated Bill Shorten, leader of the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP), in May's general election but was undermined from within during the leadership ballot. According to opinion polls, the governing Liberal-National party coalition (LNP) and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was chosen as leader over Peter Dutton in the second round of voting, trails the ALP in the run up to the general election in May. Asked on Monday night if she stood by her comments on Sunday, Bishop said she was "just speaking the truth." "The reason I stood was because I believed I had support and I could beat the opposition," she told reporters. Bishop was a leading moderate in the LNP and a strong supporter of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, whose downfall as leader of the party triggered August's ballot. Her retirement announcement ended months of speculation about her future. In her interview with The Sunday Times, Bishop said prior to the ballot, 28 colleagues had pledged their support. Instead, she got only 11 votes. "Because I had been the party's deputy leader (for 11 years), I felt a responsibility to put my name forward," she said. "And I was confident that I could (beat Shorten)." Source: Xinhuanet| 2019-03-05 10:44:35|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close By Xinhuanet writers Wang Chengcheng, Chen Ying BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Thousands of Chinese legislators and political advisors are now gathering in the early spring Beijing for the nation's annual two sessions. This years "two sessions" are the 2nd session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC) and the 2nd session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conferences (CPPCC). The legislators -- NPC deputies play a role of bridge between the government and the people, the political advisors -- CPPCC members carry out consultation, supervision and participation in the deliberation of state affairs. Two sessions have drawn worldwide attention as they are regarded the best window to view China. True, the world will have a good opportunity to explore into Chinas major foreign and domestic policies, and specific measures it will adopt in 2019. By convention, two highly anticipated press conferences by the Premier and Foreign Minister will be held during the two sessions, to expound Chinas domestic and foreign policy and external relations. China will host a series of major international diplomatic events this year, including the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 Beijing China, and the second China International Import Expo, among others. It is expected many journalists, particularly foreign journalists, will have opportunities to ask questions, and will get satisfactory answers to their questions, from Chinese Premier, or Foreign Minister. Another important issue that will highlight during the period is the submitting of a draft foreign investment law to the NPC session. Once adopted, the unified law will replace the three existing laws on Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, non-equity joint ventures (or contractual joint ventures) and wholly foreign-owned enterprises. Putting the draft to a vote itself is a timely response to the overseas investors concern and their expectation. The law will go a long way to help Chinas efforts to attract more foreign investment, protect their legitimate rights and interests, foster an environment favorable to doing business. And surely it will clearly demonstrate to the whole world that China is resolute to open wider and reform in deep. While playing an increasingly significant role on the global stage, China is experiencing great transformations. In this sense, the two sessions are a chance for the outside world to learn about Chinas development and difficulty, Chinas wisdom and philosophy. China is a big, developing country with a unique position. With a population of about 1.4 billion, it takes up 19 percent of worlds population. Over the past four decades, Chinas GDP has increased from 0.37 trillion yuan in 1978 to over 90 trillion yuan last year. The tremendous progress is not just reflected in economy, but also in public service, education, healthcare, environment protection. As a vital platform for policy-making, the two sessions will indicate the further steps China to take on both national and international arenas. In another word, they will display the Chinese way of doing things and solving problems, from which the whole world can benefit. People watch a TV live broadcast on top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK) Kim Jong Un meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho) SEOUL, March 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed hope on Monday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States could continue their talks to strike a deal on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula "in the end." Moon made the remarks during a plenary session of the National Security Council (NSC), according to the presidential Blue House. The NSC meeting was chaired by Moon in about nine months since he presided it over on June 14 2018, two days after the first summit between top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore. Kim and Trump ended their second meeting in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi last week without any agreement. "We wish the two countries continue talks. (We) anticipate the two leaders meet again as soon as possible to strike the delayed deal," said Moon. Moon said it would never be desirable for Pyongyang and Washington to halt dialogue for long, and he believed that the two sides would reach an agreement "in the end." He said South Korea could play a significant role in helping the two sides strike a deal, indicating his willingness to broker a compromise between the DPRK and the United States. The president instructed the NSC to make efforts for the rapid resumption of working-level talks between Pyongyang and Washington, and try their best to find measures contributing to the DPRK-U.S. dialogue resumption through the development of inter-Korean relations without violating international sanctions. The NSC meeting was attended by prime minister, ministers of foreign affairs, unification and defense, intelligence agency chief, presidential chief of staff, top national security advisor and secretaries for security and foreign affairs. Moon said the second DPRK-U.S. summit confirmed "very important fruits" that the two sides bore through dialogue, noting that Kim and Trump discussed the dismantlement of the DPRK's Yongbyon nuclear complex. He said the verifiable dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear facility, which he said is a core of the DPRK's nuclear program, was within a possible range. If all the plutonium-reprocessing and uranium-enrichment facilities in Yongbyon are completely dismantled, it will mark an irreversible phase for the peninsula's denuclearization, Moon noted. Moon said relief from sanctions against Pyongyang was also discussed at the Hanoi summit, which he called a great progress as it meant the two sides entering a phase of trading denuclearization and corresponding measures. During the Hanoi summit, Kim and Trump discussed the establishment of U.S. liaison office in Pyongyang that has a "great meaning" in the process going toward normalized relations between the DPRK and the United States, the South Korean leader noted. What is different from the past, Moon said there has been neither condemnation from either side nor tensions raised even after the DPRK and the United States ended their talks without any deal. Moon said the leaders of the DPRK and the United States expressed their unwavering trust to each other and made clear their willingness to continue talks to strike a deal. It indicated the second Kim-Trump summit was in the process of going toward a greater agreement, though it takes time, Moon added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 10:55:06|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday denied discussing the issue of U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), during the Hanoi summit. Trump tweeted that he never talked about this issue with Kim during their recent summit, adding that he had decided to downgrade those exercises long ago because of the tremendous cost that cannot be reimbursed. "The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed," Trump said in a previous tweet on Sunday. "Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!" The Pentagon on Saturday announced in a statement that Washington and Seoul had decided to "conclude" the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of military exercises, which Pyongyang has denounced as a dress rehearsal for northward invasion. The United States and South Korea will maintain military readiness through newly designed Command Post exercises and revised field training programs, according to the statement. The adaption of the joint training program, the statement said, reflected "our desire to reduce tension and support our diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a final, fully verified manner." The move came right after Trump's second meeting with Kim, held in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Feb. 27-28, without reaching an agreement. Nevertheless, the White House said the two leaders had "very good and constructive meetings" and discussed various ways to "advance denuclearization and economic driven concepts." About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, vestigial of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 10:55:07|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a government work report at the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China will expand effective investment, accelerating the implementation of a number of key projects, according to a government work report. Premier Li Keqiang delivered the report on Tuesday morning at the annual session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature. Li said 800 billion yuan (119 billion U.S. dollars) will be invested in railway construction, 1.8 trillion yuan in road construction and waterway projects. Work will start on a number of major water conservancy projects and the planning and construction of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be sped up. Other infrastructure mentioned in the report include intercity transportation, logistics, utilities, disaster prevention and mitigation, and civil and general aviation, and next-generation information infrastructure. Li said 577.6 billion yuan is included in the central government budget for related investment this year, an increase of 40 billion yuan from last year. China will explore new forms of project financing, lower as appropriate capital contribution requirements for infrastructure projects, make good use of developmental financial instruments, and attract more private capital into projects in key areas, Li said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 11:00:08|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday launched a national security probe into titanium sponge imports, adding one more item to the list of investigations under Section "232" of U.S. trade law. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross accepted the Section "232" petition filed on Sept. 27, 2018, by domestic producer Titanium Metals Corporation (TIMET) and launched an investigation into whether the quantity or circumstances of titanium sponge imports into the United States threaten to impair the national security, the department said in a statement. Ross sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan informing him about the initiation of the investigation, and the Pentagon supported the probe, the statement said. "The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security will conduct a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation before we make a recommendation to the President," Ross said. The secretary also noted that titanium sponge has uses "in a wide range of defense applications, from helicopter blades and tank armor to fighter jet airframes and engines." Imports account for more than 60 percent of U.S. titanium sponge consumption, according to the department. The investigation was launched under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which would allow the U.S. administration to impose tariffs on imported products on national security grounds. The Trump administration has repeatedly invoked the previously seldom-used Section 232, drawing strong opposition from the domestic and international business community. Last year, the administration unilaterally slapped tariffs on imported steel and aluminum products citing Section 232 investigation, provoking retaliation from trading partners including Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Last month, the Commerce Department submitted to the White House a Section 232 report on imported cars and parts, which could recommend up to a 25 percent tariff hike in the auto sector. The department also launched national security investigation into uranium imports in July. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 11:05:09|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close SANTIAGO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum aims to help bolster global trade, Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero said on Monday. The bloc of Pacific-facing countries "can once again become a key driver and an important contributor for strengthening the architecture of global trade," Ampuero said at the inauguration of the APEC Vision Group (AVG) in Chile's capital Santiago. As the rotating president of the bloc in 2019, Chile is set to host a year-long series of events leading up to next year's APEC forum. The AVG's mission is to propose "a post-2020 outlook" for the bloc and its members that is in step with APEC's goal of promoting free trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region, the Chilean Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Also on Monday, Chile's Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Gloria Hutt inaugurated a two-day APEC gathering on telecommunications, especially the digital economy. In Chile, "we are working day in and day out to close the existing digital divide, and make progress towards a digital society where all citizens have democratic access to new technologies," said Hutt. Chile, which hosted the APEC forum in 2004, expects to receive around 20,000 delegates from the bloc's 21 members during the November 2019 gathering, which will focus on the digital economy, regional connectivity, and the role of women in economic growth. APEC was founded in 1989 with an aim to drive economic growth by promoting cooperation, free trade and investment among the economies that lie along the Pacific. The bloc is home to 40 percent of the world's population, and accounts for 57 percent of global gross domestic product and 49 percent of global trade. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 11:20:15|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close SYDNEY, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Tools made from human bones make up part of the oldest tattoo kit in the world, Australian researchers said on Tuesday. The kit, consisting of ink pot and bone "combs," was first uncovered in 1962 on Tongatapu, Tonga's main island -- with radiocarbon dating placing them at around 2700 years old. Dr Michelle Langley from Griffith's Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, and Associate Professor Geoffrey Clark, from the Australian National University (ANU) recently studied the tools in depth for the very first time. "This discovery pushes back the date of Polynesian tattooing right back to the beginnings of Polynesian cultures around 2,700 years ago," Clarke said. Studies showed that two of the four bone combs came from a type of large seabird, such as an albatross, and two came from a large mammal -- as there were no other large mammals in the area at that time, the team concluded that the pieces were most likely human. "Tattooing combs like these are important for making the complex linear designs famous in Oceania," Langley said. "These combs are more complex than the obsidian stone flakes used in places like New Guinea 3,500 years ago -- these Oceanic combs are part of a multi-component tool which required more effort to make and maintain." The finding is the oldest "intact" tattooist kit to be uncovered anywhere in the world; however, the ink pot which was documented as part of the kit at discovery was lost during a fire in 2013. The combs themselves are the oldest to have been discovered in Oceania and hold a stunning resemblance to what is still used for tattooing on many Pacific Islands today. "The actual tool itself -- the comb shape and the way it's used -- hasn't changed much, and that's why this find is so interesting. These ancient tools continue to be used today," Langley said. "The kit most likely belonged to one tattoo artist. One tool was broken and it looks like it was being repaired, so perhaps the kit was accidentally left behind or was too broken to bother salvaging. Perhaps the tattooist was given a new set." Source: Xinhuanet| 2019-03-05 12:18:18|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close Nepali Ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal takes an exclusive interview with Xinhuanet in Beijing, capital of China, February 26, 2019. (Xinhuanet/Xu Xin) By Miao Mingmei BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhuanet) -- "China's development is opportunity for us," Nepali ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal said in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhuanet. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. The miraculous advancement China has made over the 70 years is unprecedented and historic, he noted. Of this, the pace and magnitude of its infrastructure development is highly impressive, the ambassador added. As an example, he said, China's high-speed rail network now accounts for 60 percent of the global total and the technology is still advancing rapidly to increase the speed, improve comfort and enhance safety. China has also set an example in poverty elimination, he said, adding that the world wants to learn and benefit from this example. Given the large population of China, the ambassador is amazed by China's agricultural production capacity. The ambassador said China's rapid expansion of agricultural production has not only improved the living conditions of its people, but also contributed to global food security. Equally impressive is the development of science and technology in China. He noted that China is rapidly coming up in 5G development, big data, and space science and technology. On the Belt and Road Initiative, the ambassador stressed, it promotes connectivity, people-to-people exchange and win-win cooperation. "After joining the Belt and Road Initiative, we have significantly enhanced the level of cooperation, " he said. Nepal has been getting a lot of resources and expertise and human resources development opportunities, he added. The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in China this year. The ambassador said that Nepal wants to further expand cooperation with China in different areas to further enhance the level of cooperation. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 12:35:32|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close KATHMANDU, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Nepal Army observed its annual Army Day on Monday amid a special function at the Nepal Army pavilion in Tundikhel in the capital city. Every year, Nepal Army is celebrating Army Day coinciding with the Hindu's festival Maha Shivaratri as per the lunar calendar. Army Day is celebrated to honor courage, patriotism and military professionalism and to recall the sacrifices made by brave soldiers for the people and nation. Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, who is also the Army's Supreme Commander, attended the function as the chief guest. Similarly, Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Speaker of House of Representatives Krishna Bahadur Mahara, ministers, chiefs of security bodies, representatives from diplomatic missions and various high level government officials observed the ceremony. On the occasion, Nepal Army personnel displayed spectacular arts and skills including march-past, military drills, raid operations, and disaster rescue operation, among others. They also displayed armaments and equipment including armored vehicles, weapons, and engineering and communication devices among others. Likewise, the cultural military team from seven different provinces of the country performed special dances in traditional attires. In addition, the trained military personnel displayed shoot to kill, taekwondo, khukuri drill and free fall jump with the use of parachutes. As in past years, Nepal Army soldiers displayed a special rifle salute firing in succession along the ranks. Different battalions were presented with colors, banners and arms, trophies and prizes for their contributions by the Chief of Army Staff General Purna Chandra Thapa. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 12:55:36|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson will travel to London on March 5-8 to meet with her British counterparts on international security issues. According to a statement issued by U.S. State Department on Monday, Thompson will discuss the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, arms control, and cyber security issues with British officials in London, the statement said. In January, Thompson and her Russian counterparts held consultations on the fate of the INF Treaty signed between Washington and Moscow, but to no avail. The Kremlin said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree suspending Russia's compliance with the INF Treaty with immediate effect. Putin ordered to suspend the implementation of the Treaty "until the United States eliminates the violations of obligations under the treaty or until its expiration," according to the text of the decree published on the Kremlin website. The Trump administration last month announced that the United States would suspend its compliance to the Treaty from Feb. 2, citing Russia's violation of the deal, a claim that has been repeatedly denied by Moscow. Signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the United States, the INF Treaty marked the first-ever pact reached by Washington and Moscow on nuclear disarmament and a major step forward in restricting the arms race. However, the two sides have been accusing each other of violating the arms control agreement amid increasing tensions in recent years. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 13:05:38|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close HAVANA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Monday condemned a new measure by the United States to tighten its six-decade trade embargo against the island. The measure essentially allows Cuban exiles in the United States to launch lawsuits against Cuban companies operating in properties that were nationalized or confiscated after its 1959 revolution. "I strongly reject the U.S. State Department announcement to allow lawsuits under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act against list of Cuban companies arbitrarily sanctioned by (Donald) Trump administration," tweeted Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. Starting March 19, U.S. courts can process lawsuits against more than 200 Cuban businesses blacklisted by Washington for having ties with the island's military and intelligence services. The U.S. State Department on Monday granted a 30-day waiver for suits involving all other companies not blacklisted, which makes those companies and their investment on edge. The "thirty-day waiver granted for all other cases is (an) unacceptable threat against the world," added Rodriguez. If Title III was fully implemented, it would dampen the foreign investment Cuba seeks to develop its economy, and lead to years of litigation in U.S. courts. "The U.S. State Department's decision is a hostile and irresponsible act that seeks to tighten the blockade and strangle the Cuban economy. It's a measure that has opposition in the world and the United States itself, whose business owners are against the embargo and favor trade with Cuba," said Rodriguez. He sought to reassure foreign companies and investors that operate in the country, saying "you have the backing of Cuban laws, the international law and laws of your own countries." Recent U.S. presidents have suspended this section of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, but Trump won office in part with the votes of Miami's Cuban expatriate community, by pledging to stiffen sanctions against the island. U.S.-Cuba relations have backslid since Trump took office, rolling back the detente initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama and reverting to Cold War rhetoric, but maintaining the restored diplomatic ties. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 13:05:39|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close KATHMANDU, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Hindus in Nepal celebrated their biggest festival Maha Shivaratri on Monday by offering prayers to Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the God of immense power and destruction. Shivaratri is celebrated annually in the devotion of Lord Shiva on a new moon day in the Nepali lunar month of Falgun. Devotees from across Nepal and other countries such as India, Malaysia and Singapore gathered in the holy shrine Pashupatinath Temple, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in Kathmandu for the special prayers. On this day, devotees offer milk and flowers, especially "Dhaturo" (an intoxicating plant) and green leaves named "Belpatra" to Lord Shiva and light the oil lamps. People also observe fast and meditation on this day, while light woods and bonfires during the night and perform special prayers. There are various myths behind marking of Maha Shivaratri, among which the marriage of Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvati is one of the major reasons for celebration. "Shiva is the God of the Gods. Lord Shiva is the one who guides and blesses the whole humanity. I have a huge faith on him. Thus I am observing fast today to receive his special blessings," Ganga Pokharel, a Hindu devotee told Xinhua at the Pashupatinath Temple premise. One of the major attractions of Shivaratri festival in holy shrine Pashupatinath is the visiting sadhus (sages) from within the country and neighboring India. According to Pashupati Area Development Trust, this year around 7,000 sages of various clans have thronged the temple. Beside prayers and devotion, the visiting sages with unique appearances are mostly seen getting intoxicated with local drugs. They engage in smoking weed, locally known as "Ganja" referring it to sacred Prasad of Lord Shiva. Though the use of drugs is illegal in Nepal, the sages are often found mixing up some tobacco, marijuana and other cannabis-derived compounds and inhaling. The holy men believe that consuming marijuana enables them to overcome all the miseries and complexities of life. "It's not drugs. It's Prasad of Lord Shiva. It helps to gain the knowledge of life, death and universe," a 58-year-old holy sage from Allahabad of India told Xinhua. Another aspect of Shivaratri festival is the visiting Naga Babas who avoid all the clothes and cover the body only with ashes. These naked sages remain inside the main corridor of the temple for three days in the devotion of Lord Shiva. This year, over 1 million devotees are expected to visit Pashupatinath Temple on the occasion. The Nepali government provides a public holiday every year to mark the festival. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 13:05:39|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close NANJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A China-made crane ship has been used to successfully salvage a sunken Norwegian frigate after a six-day operation, the maker of the crane ship said Tuesday. Despite signs of collision and erosion on the surface, the main structure of the 400 million U.S. dollar frigate remained intact, said an executive of the Nantong Rainbow Offshore & Engineering Co. Ltd. (ROC), adding that the frigate has been transported to a Norwegian navy base. Rambiz 4000, the crane ship used in the operation, is equipped with two cranes and has a hoisting capability of 4,000 tonnes. It has mainly been serving European clients in heavy lifting operations such as the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms and sea bridges. On Nov. 8, 2018, the Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad collided with a tanker after taking part in a NATO military exercise. Despite attempts to keep the frigate afloat, it ultimately sank on a seabed near a Norwegian fjord. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 13:10:41|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close HANOI, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam spent over one billion U.S. dollars importing completely-built automobiles and components for assembly in the first two months of this year, gaining a year-on-year surge of 105.1 percent. Specifically, the country imported nearly 19,700 completely-built automobiles worth 462 million U.S. dollars, according to its Ministry of Industry and Trade on Tuesday. Early last year, few automobiles, especially cars, were imported to Vietnam because traders were not well-prepared to comply with a new governmental decree which requires traders to provide more relevant certificates and to undergo more tests than before, local experts explained for the import surge early this year. In 2018, Vietnam spent nearly 5.4 billion U.S. dollars importing completely-built automobiles and components for assembly, seeing a year-on-year drop of 2.6 percent. Specifically, the country imported roughly 81,800 completely-built automobiles worth nearly 1.8 billion U.S. dollars, posting respective declines of 16 percent and 19.9 percent. According to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association, more than 288,600 automobiles were sold in the Vietnamese market in 2018, up nearly six percent from 2017. Specifically, the sale of locally-assembled automobiles rose 11 percent, and that of imported vehicles dropped over six percent. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has recently proposed exempting locally-made automobile parts from special consumption tax to foster the domestic industry. The localization rate currently stands at only 10 percent, although years ago, the localization target for cars with nine seats or fewer was set at 60 percent by 2010. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 13:10:42|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close SYDNEY, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Australia's vast network of animal havens has prevented the extinction of 13 mammal species, new research released on Tuesday has found. But to understand more about how Australia's islands, sanctuaries and conservation parks help protect native fauna from invasive species, the Threatened Species Recovery Hub, made up of 10 leading Australian universities and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, conducted a major audit into the network. "Predation by feral cats and foxes is the main reason that Australia has the worst mammal extinction record over the last 250 years," study lead Professor Sarah Legge from the University of Queensland explained. "At least 80 Australian islands are naturally cat and fox-free havens which prevented extinctions." "For example, the greater stick-nest rat became extinct on mainland Australia, but survived on the Franklin Islands off South Australia, which were not reached by foxes or cats." With pressure on Australian authorities to better protect its native animals, a number of additional animal havens have been created on mainland Australia with large fenced areas to keep feral pests out of reach. According to the findings of the research, there are now 101 island havens covering 2,152 square km and 17 fenced havens covering 346 square km. "Understanding where safe havens are needed and identifying species that require protection will be vital for avoiding future extinctions," Australia's Threatened Species Commissioner Dr Sally Box said. "This science is building a clearer picture of where best to create safe havens that deliver exceptional conservation benefits and protect a wide range of species." While Australian conservationists are still searching for more effective ways to manage invasive species, Legge believes the efforts made by government agencies, NGOs and universities will remain vital for many Aussie animals. "Longer term, we are still seeking ways of reducing fox and cat impacts across the landscape so that native mammals can be restored at bigger scales," she said. "Until then, cat and fox-free havens will continue to be a critical tool in preventing extinctions." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 13:10:43|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close HANOI, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's export turnovers of key agricultural products including rice, coffee, cashew nuts and pepper fell in the first two months of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on Monday. Specifically, Vietnam exported 788,000 tons of rice worth 335 million U.S. dollars, down 4.9 percent in volume and 17.5 percent in value against the same period last year. Its largest rice importer was the Philippines. Vietnam raked in 500 million U.S. dollars from exporting 284,000 tons of coffee between January and February, posting year-on-year respective declines of 26.9 percent and 19.6 percent. The country also earned 371 million U.S. dollars from selling cashew nuts and 92 million U.S. dollars from selling pepper overseas, down 21 percent and 20.6 percent, respectively. According to local experts, the decreasing world prices lowered Vietnam's export turnovers of key agricultural products. Vietnam targets to expand its agricultural product export to over 43 billion U.S. dollars this year, up from 40 billion U.S. dollars last year. The country is striving to become one of the world's top 15 farming powerhouses in the next 10 years, the government said said in January. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 13:15:44|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close LONDON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A London patient has become the second known man worldwide to be cleared of AIDS virus after receiving a bone marrow transplant from an HIV resistant donor, according to his doctor. The patient has shown no trace of previous HIV infection since he underwent the transplant operation three years ago. "There is no virus there that we can measure. We can't detect anything," said Ravindra Gupta, a professor and HIV biologist who co-led a team of doctors treating the man. However, Gupta described his patient as "functionally cured" and "in remission," rather than "cured." "It's too early to say he's cured," he said. The first known patient to be functionally cured of HIV is an American man, Timothy Brown, who also underwent similar treatment in Germany in 2007. Both patients received bone marrow stem cells from donors with a rare genetic mutation known as "CCR5 delta 32," which confers resistance to HIV. Between Brown and the new London patient, scientists made several attempts to cure other AIDS patients using the same method, but failed in all of them. Gupta said the method used is not appropriate for all patients but offers hope for new treatment strategies. The study is to be published Tuesday in the journal Nature. As of 2017, there were approximately 36.9 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by more than 51 percent since the peak in 2004, according to the Joint United Nations programe on HIV/AIDS. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 14:05:54|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close LONDON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Exposure to social media marketing of unhealthy food could lead to an immediate increase in children's intake of unhealthy food with more calories, a new study published in Pediatrics Monday suggested. With an aim to examine the impact of social media marketing of snack foods on children's snack intake, researchers of the University of Liverpool in Britain designed a control experiment which consisted of 176 participants aged nine to 11. The participants were randomly split into three equal groups with each assigned to one of three influencer-marketing conditions: healthy food marketing, unhealthy food marketing, and non-food marketing, and shown artificially created social media pages of popular vloggers consuming different kinds of food. The result showed that children in the group that viewed unhealthy snack images consumed 31.5 percent more calories from unhealthy snacks specifically, and 25.5 percent more calories in total compared with children who saw non-food images (the control group). According to the study, even though acute experimental exposure to influencers promoting unhealthy food on social media revealed direct influence on children's food intake, healthy food endorsements on social media had little or no effect on them regarding healthy food intake. "Tighter restrictions are needed around the digital marketing of unhealthy foods that children are exposed to, and vloggers should not be permitted to promote unhealthy foods to vulnerable young people on social media," Anna Coates, a member of the research team, said in a report published on the university's website. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 14:26:05|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close TOKYO, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday granted bail to former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, meaning the ex-auto tycoon could be released for the first time since his arrest on Nov. 19 last year. Ghosn's bail was set at 1 billion yen (9 million U.S. dollars) after a request was filed with the court on Thursday by Ghosn's new legal team. His new team now includes lawyer Junichiro Hironaka who is known for winning high-profile cases. It was the third attempt his legal team had requested bail for their client, after the first two were rejected by the court. While out on bail, Ghosn will be under a travel ban, ensuring he does not leave Japan. Other provisos of his bail have not been made clear, but according to sources close to the matter they are based around making sure Ghosn cannot tamper with evidence. Ghosn is facing two charges of under-reporting his remuneration in Nissan's securities reports and another allegation of aggravated breach of trust. Ghosn, widely recognized as the brains and brawn behind Nissan's rapid turnaround since 1999, has rigorously maintained he has in no way violated financial regulatory laws in relation to reporting his earnings, and has maintained that Nissan incurred no losses from his private investment dealings that have led to allegations of breach of trust. Holding Brazilian, French and Lebanese citizenship, Ghosn appeared in public at a hearing for the first time on Jan. 8 and was granted permission to voice his opinions in court about the myriad charges facing him. He has maintained that he had been wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 15:01:09|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close People dismantle the ruins of a house destroyed in a gunfight at Mir Mohalla-Tral of Pulwama district, about 39 km south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, March 5, 2019. Two militants were killed on Tuesday in a fierce gunfight with troops in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, which erupted on Monday night, officials said. A civilian was also wounded in the crossfire according to the reports. (Xinhua/Javed Dar) SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Two militants were killed on Tuesday in a fierce gunfight with troops in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said. The gunfight erupted on Monday night at Mir Mohalla-Tral of Pulwama district, about 39 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "Two militants were killed today in a gunfight with troops in Tral," a senior Indian army official said. "The gunfight started last night and continued until this morning," the official added. The identity of slain militants was being ascertained, police said. Reports said a civilian was also wounded in the crossfire between militants and government forces. According to locals, he has been removed to hospital. Police officials said the village was cordoned off Monday night following specific intelligence information suggesting presence of militants. "No sooner the joint contingents of police and army reached the spot, they came under heavy fire, which triggered gunfight," a police official said. Locals said a house was completely damaged in the exchange of fire between the holed up militants and troops. Authorities have suspended mobile Internet service in the district and closed all the roads leading to the gunfight site. Three paramilitary troopers, two policemen and two militants were killed in a three-day-long gunfight in Sopore on Sunday. A civilian was also wounded during clashes with government forces near the gunfight site. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 15:41:16|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close Cargo ships are anchored on the waters of Mississippi river in Louisiana, the United States, March 2, 2019. The Southeastern U.S. state of Louisiana has benefited from its collaboration with Chinese businesses and expects to see a closer partnership, Don Pierson said. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) by Xinhua writers Pan Lijun, Zhang Mocheng, Gao Lu BATON ROUGE, United States, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Southeastern U.S. state of Louisiana has benefited from its collaboration with Chinese businesses and expects to see a closer partnership, a local economic official said. "Louisiana enjoys a positive trade balance with China," said Don Pierson, secretary of Louisiana Economic Development (LED), detailing the significance of Chinese businesses to his state in a recent interview with Xinhua. The Bayou State, Louisiana, imports 1.3 billion U.S. dollars a year in goods while exporting 7.9 billion dollars in goods to China, mainly including chemicals, fuels and agricultural products, he said. China is Louisiana's top export market and ranks seventh in imports. Chinese commerce has already been a transformative force in Louisiana's economy, with extensive trade and cross-border investment linking the two more strongly than ever, according to the LED website. Calling the state's economic ties with China "very important," "very strong" and the two sides "good trading partners," Pierson said Chinese direct investment in Louisiana is "a growing segment," which he believes has great potential. Located along the Mississippi river, Louisiana is one of America's earliest port hubs with a view to the entire world. About one in six local jobs is closely related to foreign commerce, Pierson said. From 2012 to 2018, Louisiana has taken in about 120 billion dollars, much of which was from foreign direct investment (FDI), with Chinese FDI accounting for some 3 billion dollars, according to LED statistics. "If Chinese companies can establish their operations in Louisiana and export products that are needed back to China, that's a win-win scenario," said the state economic official. Pierson spoke highly of the Chinese companies that are represented in his state as they do not only benefit the regional economy by creating jobs and contributing to local communities, but are also responsible participants regarding safety and security around their facilities. "They're doing a great job and we hope to introduce more Chinese companies to Louisiana," he said, adding that the state's strategic location for logistics, rich natural resources as well as low cost of feedstock and electricity can help create a favorable environment for foreign businesses. Shandong Yuhuang Chemical, one of the Chinese companies investing in Lousiana, is constructing a 1.85-billion-dollar methanol production facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Also in the same parish, Wanhua Chemical Group from east China's Shandong Province plans to invest 1.25 billion dollars to develop a methylene diphenyl diisocyanate complex. The project is set to start construction in 2019 and is expected to go into operation in 2021, according to the latest statement by the company. In January, Shandong Yuhuang and LED were presented with the Outstanding FDI Partnership Award by the New York-based Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the largest and most influential non-profit organization representing Chinese enterprises in the United States, with its members exceeding 1,500. Pierson has been to China more than 20 times during his over 27 years of economic development experience. He is scheduled to lead a delegation to China for about two weeks this month, during which they plan to cement existing business collaboration and find more opportunities for further cooperation, especially when there are positive signs from the latest U.S.-China trade negotiations. The economic official hopes that the United States and China could ink some agreements "very soon," so that commerce can grow. Pierson said he was optimistic about a potential trade deal between the two countries as it's not only desirable from the Chinese side, but also "the desire of the U.S. participants to grow the economy of the U.S., and China is such an important part of that." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 15:41:18|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have found that a key gene of silkworms is related to its feeding preference for mulberry leaves, providing possible new strategies for silkworm rearing. Domesticated silkworms are the foundation of sericulture. Silkworms predominately feeds on mulberry leaves, but the genetic basis for its feeding preference is unknown. Scientists from the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences/Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have conducted gene analyses and found that the gene GR66 is a major factor affecting the feeding preference of the silkworm. A gene mutation in silkworms can change their eating habits. Results showed that GR66 mutant larvae acquired new feeding activity, exhibiting the ability to feed on a number of plant species in addition to mulberry leaves, including fresh fruits and grain seeds. According to Tan Anjiang, one of the researchers, mulberry leaves have been used as the only food source for mass rearing of silkworm for thousands of years, however, limited supply of mulberry leaves has created a bottleneck in the sericulture industry. The research provides a promising approach for developing alternative food sources for the mass rearing of silkworms, Tan said. "The research will also provide insights into the mechanisms underlying insect feeding behavior and insect-plant interactions, facilitating the development of novel strategies for pest management," Tan added. The research was published in the journal PLOS Biology. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 16:01:26|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close NANNING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A total of 695,800 impoverished people have been relocated for a better life in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region as of Feb. 28 this year since the region started a campaign to alleviate poverty through resettlement in 2016. Guangxi, a key region in China's anti-poverty efforts, plans to relocate 710,000 people and help them get rid of poverty from 2016 to 2020. Local government will help create job opportunities for the relocated population, and efforts will also be made in providing basic social security, said an official in charge of the poverty-relief work. China aims to eliminate absolute poverty by 2020. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 16:26:33|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close SEOUL, March 5 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's top nuclear envoy headed to Washington to consult with U.S. officials on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) affairs, South Korean Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. Noh Kyu-duk, the foreign ministry spokesman, told a press briefing that South Korea anticipated a rapid resumption of the DPRK-U.S. dialogue, saying the visit by Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, to Washington was part of the country's efforts for it. Lee would meet with Stephen Biegun, U.S. special representative for DPRK, and other U.S. officials during his visit to Washington until Thursday, according to local media reports. The South Korean diplomat would reportedly consult with his U.S. counterpart on measures to resume talks between the DPRK and the United States. The second summit between top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a deal in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi last week. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said his country would seek to help resume dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington, hoping that the DPRK-U.S. talks would be resumed as soon as possible. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 16:31:35|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close HARBIN, March 5 (Xinhua) -- In a national park in northeast China, the local forest management bureau reported that 35 traces of Siberian tigers were spotted last year, a record high. "The rising number suggests an improving ecological system," said 41-year-old Liang Zhuo, a researcher with the bureau. Liang is responsible for monitoring the endangered species which are mainly found in east Russia and northeast China. Monitoring is one of the most essential tasks for researchers in the national park for wild Siberian tigers (also called Northeastern tigers) and Northeast Asian leopards (also called Amur leopards), the first of its kind in China founded in 2017, with ten branches scattered across Heilongjiang Province, China's northernmost province and neighboring Jilin Province. The areas designated for the park are considered the country's most inhabitable lands with the most Siberian tigers and leopards, covering 14,600 square kilometers. Over the years, conservation efforts have started to pay off. However, dating back to the end of the 20th century, the well-being of the Siberian tiger was a matter of considerable concern for experts in China as its population saw a sharp decline due to damaged habitats. China attaches great importance to ecological protection and green development. As such, Siberian tigers, a species at the top of the ecological wildlife pyramid, became a priority in the country. "If Siberian tigers can survive and settle down in the region, it means the local ecosystem has been restored," said Jiang Guangshun, an official with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. In 1998, China initiated its conservation project for forest resources and forbade commercial logging in the northeastern state-owned forests under national protection. China has also undertaken a number of campaigns to raise public awareness including the celebration of the first Global Tiger Day in 2010. Thanks to a string of measures such as logging and hunting bans, northeast China's mountain forests began to see greater diversity in wildlife species, further creating favorable habitats for Siberian tigers. According to the national park, there are at least 27 wild Siberian tigers and 42 Amur leopards in China, an indicator of the reproduction peak of the tigers and leopards. The population also suggests a migration towards the Chinese territory from a transboundary area of China and Russia. "That's a sign that China's habitats for Siberian tigers are under better protection," said Jiang. "The well-being of the tigers depends on the continuous improvement of northeast China's ecological environment," Jiang added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 16:46:39|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KATHMANDU, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A Russian national died in a paragliding accident on Tuesday afternoon in Nepal's tourism hub Pokhara, local authorities said. The Russian national lost his life right after taking a solo paragliding flight from the Sarangkot Hill in Pokhara, the most popular tourism destination after Kathmandu. "The deceased has been identified as 42-year-old Russian citizen Dmitri Stepanishin. He was rushed to Metro City hospital, however he was pronounced dead immediately," local Deputy Superintendent of Police Komal Shah told Xinhua over phone. The solo pilot had lost his control right after taking off and plunged into the hill. It has been assumed that the incident took place after the strong wind took control of the glider in the spring sky of Pokhara. This is the third accident in Pokhara's sky this week alone. A Romanian paraglider died after plunging into Fewa Lake on Sunday while on Monday a Portuguese paragliding pilot had met an accident with injuries after he came into contact with the high voltage electric transmission line. Pokhara, located some 200 km away from the country's capital Kathmandu, is a popular destination for adventure tourism. It is regarded as one of the top commercial paragliding destinations in the world with breath taking view of snow capped mountains, green hills and lakes. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 16:46:40|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China-U.S. economic and trade consultations demand joint efforts by both sides, said China's Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan Tuesday. "In the economic and trade talks, both sides should make joint efforts to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries," Zhong said at a "passage interview" for ministers after the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's national legislature. The consultations have followed the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, which are agreed by the leaders of both sides, he said. The 90 days of consultations have achieved important progress, with breakthroughs made in some fields, which should be cherished, Zhong said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 17:06:43|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close OTTAWA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The crisis facing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government over the SNC-Lavalin affair deepened on Monday with the sudden resignation of one of his most solid cabinet ministers. Jane Philpott, who served as president of the Treasury Board that oversees federal government spending, wrote in a publicly released letter to Trudeau that she had "lost confidence" in the way the government has dealt with the issue of alleged political interference in the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. The resignation came five days after former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould told the Justice Committee of the House of Commons that she faced "consistent and sustained" political pressure from Trudeau and senior officials, including veiled threats on the need to shelve the criminal prosecution of the Montreal construction and engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. "The solemn principles at stake are the independence and integrity of our justice system," said Philpott. "It is a fundamental doctrine of the rule of law that our attorney-general should not be subjected to political pressure or interference regarding the exercise of her prosecutorial discretion in criminal cases." At a raucous climate-action rally in Toronto on Monday evening with protesters present, Trudeau said he was "disappointed" by Philpott's decision to resign but also offered that she "felt this way for some time." In a January shuffle, the prime minister moved Philpott to the Treasury Board post from the indigenous services portfolio, and "demoted" Wilson-Raybould, who was Canada's first indigenous attorney general and justice minister, to the veterans affairs post until she resigned from the cabinet in February. When the Liberals took office in 2015, Trudeau brought Philpott, a medical doctor, into his cabinet as health minister that found her working closely with Wilson-Raybould on the government's 2016 bill that legalized medical assistance for dying patients. The departure of two of Trudeau's most powerful female cabinet ministers in less than a month "clearly demonstrates a government in total chaos, led by a disgraced prime minister consumed with scandal," Canadian Official Opposition and Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer said on Monday. "If [other] Liberal ministers stay silent, Canadians will have no choice but to conclude that the ethical rot that infects this government has consumed it entirely. That it is a government that cannot be redeemed. It can only be defeated." Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada's left-of-center New Democratic Party, reiterated his call for a public inquiry into the SNC-Lavalin case on Monday, and called on Trudeau and other officials Wilson-Raybould cited in her explosive testimony to also appear before the Justice Committee of the House of Commons of Canada under oath. One of those people -- Gerald Butts, who stepped down as the prime minister's principal secretary last month -- is set to appear before that committee on Wednesday. In his resignation letter, Butts denied that he or anyone else in Trudeau's office pressured Wilson-Raybould, which she refuted last week in her testimony in the justice committee. On Monday, Wilson-Raybould was among the members of the Canadian Parliament, from both the government and opposition sides of the House of Commons, who praised Philpott for her ministerial competence and integrity. In a tweet, Wilson-Raybould called Philpott a "leader of vision and strength" who since her election to Parliament in 2015, has demonstrated a "constant and unassailable commitment to always doing what is right and best for Canadians." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 17:21:45|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, on Tuesday afternoon attended a panel discussion with his fellow deputies from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at the second session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's national legislature. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 17:21:45|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close COLOMBO, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Police on Tuesday recovered a rare diamond worth an estimated 27 million U.S. dollars from a suspect who had allegedly stolen it from a gem merchant in Pannipitiya, in the outskirts of capital Colombo last year, local media reported. The suspect was nabbed from Panadura, in the island's south with the diamond and other precious gem stones in his possession. A Police Spokesperson told Xinhua that the diamond was stolen from the gem merchant in November, when a group of thieves, disguised as police officers, forcibly entered the residence of the gem merchant under the instructions of a drug kingpin. Further investigations are ongoing to nab the remaining perpetrators. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 17:21:45|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian prosecutors charged a former ally of ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak with multiple counts of money laundering on Tuesday as the government continues investigation into the alleged wrongdoing by its predecessor. Musa Aman, former chief minister of state of Sabah, was charged at a Kuala Lumpur court with 16 counts of money laundering amounting to 37 million U.S. dollars. Musa was accused of indirect involvement in alleged money-laundering activities by instructing a bank account to be opened at a Singaporean bank to receive proceeds from an illicit transaction. He was also accused of indirect involvement in money laundering through receiving illicit funds from various companies and individuals through a foreign bank between 2006 and 2008. The largest recorded sum for a single transaction amounted to 16.15 million U.S. dollars. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Musa is already facing 35 charges, filed in November last year, for receiving a total of 63.2 million U.S. dollars in bribes in exchange for logging contracts. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 17:46:49|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close by Dana Halawi BEIRUT, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Standard & Poor's (S&P) recent revision of its outlook on Lebanon from stable to negative is a warning for the country to implement quick and necessary reforms, local economists said. "S&P considers that investors' confidence will decline in the absence of significant reforms and measures to reduce the fiscal deficit, which in turn, may lead to a deceleration in non-resident deposit growth and a decline in foreign currency reserves which may affect Lebanon's ability to serve its foreign currency debt," Nassib Ghobril, head of the economic research department at Byblos Bank, told Xinhua. Ghobril explained that the negative outlook means that S&P has doubts about the government's seriousness in implementing reforms. "If the government implements its reforms, the outlook will go back from negative to stable. But if not, then S&P may further downgrade its rating," he said. The International ratings agency S&P revised its outlook on Lebanon to negative from stable late Friday night. S&P said it could lower its ratings on Lebanon within the next 12 months if "political stasis causes fiscal deficits to rise while banking system deposit inflows, the government's key funding source, slow further." Ghazi Wazne, a Lebanese independent economist, agreed with Ghobril that the change by S&P of its outlook on Lebanon serves as a warning for Lebanon to implement necessary reforms. According to Wazne, S&P's recent move is based on several factors. "S&P changed Lebanon's outlook because it knows that the public debt will keep on increasing in the coming period because of the absence of reforms while growth will remain slow," he said. The U.S.-based financial services company also believes that the deficit in Lebanon's trade balance and balance of payments will continue so that pressure will be exerted on the monetary and financial situation, he added. "The complicated situation of the region will continue to have an impact on Lebanon," the Lebanese economist noted. Furthermore, such downgrade decisions also affect investors' sentiments. "Investors will ask for a higher return on investment when they invest in a country that is not highly rated by rating agencies," Wazne said. Depositors may also want higher interests on their deposits in this country or even consider withdrawing their deposits, he added. However, Wazne seemed to be optimistic about the reforms that were included in the ministerial statement of the cabinet. "I am optimistic that good changes will take place. In my opinion, the fiscal deficit in 2019 will be lower than in 2018 because the government has no other alternative but to implement reforms," said Wazne. The government will freeze recruitment and increase in salaries in the public sector, and increase its revenues with a better collection of taxes, he explained. Meanwhile, Ghobril said the government should at least send positive signals about intended reforms. "We know that reforms are medium to long term propositions but the government needs to send signals to the market that it is serious about reforms especially that it took nine months to form the cabinet, which is bad for Lebanon's image," Ghobril concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 17:56:51|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close by Federico Grandesso BRUSSELS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- "The decisions taken during the Two Sessions in Beijing will have an impact not only domestically but also at an international level," Duncan Freeman, a research fellow at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, told Xinhua in a recent interview. The ongoing Two Sessions refer to the 2nd session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), which began Tuesday, and the 2nd session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which opened on Sunday. "China's opening up and reforms have been extremely important for the global economy for the past 40 years and it is even more so today when China has a very big economy, so how China moves forward next will be crucial," the British expert said. According to Freeman, it is important that China continues the opening up of manufacturing, high-tech and automobile sectors, where relevant decisions have already been made. "These are key sectors, but we also hope to have further openings in the services, banking, finance and insurance sectors," Freeman said. Asked about the global economic trend, the expert explained that there are a certain number of challenges, including those faced by the international economic system and the global growth. "For this reason China's commitment to ongoing reforms, openness and sustaining its domestic growth is extremely important as a contribution not just to the maintenance of an open global economic system but to global growth," Freeman said. "At the moment, there are very different views about WTO (World Trade Organization) reform, so the contribution that China makes and its continuous commitment to its system are in itself highly important, especially now where some major countries are questioning the value of that global system of rules for trade," he noted. According to Freeman, the growth of consumption in China has been very important not just domestically but also for the global economy, so anything that Beijing does to create demand is a contribution to maintaining global growth. Freeman said high technology is also becoming a key issue for China and global growth. "I think a win-win momentum will depend on how China is willing to continue its opening to participation with European companies in these sectors, and not just investing in them," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 18:11:56|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close GHAZNI, Afghanistan, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban key commander named Kakar has been confirmed dead after fighting aircrafts targeted a Taliban hideout in Andar district of Afghansitan's eastern Ghazni province on Tuesday, provincial government spokesman Aref Nuri said. "Acting on tip off, the fighting aircrafts pounded a Taliban hideout in Bakhshio village of Andar district in the wee hours of Tuesday, killing the notorious commander Kakar on the spot," Nuri told Xinhua. A number of bodyguards of commander Kakar were also killed and injured during the air raids, the official said. Andar district, according to locals, has been regarded as the fiefdom of the Taliban outfit in the troubled Ghazni province. Physical elimination of commander Kakar, according to Nuri, is a major achievement in the war against Taliban fighters in the restive Ghazni province, which could demoralize the militant group to lose grounds. Taliban militants are yet to make comment on the report. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 18:21:58|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China's largest lender by market value, has extended trillions of yuan of loans to the country's manufacturing sector in the past few years. As of the end of 2018, outstanding loans from the ICBC to the manufacturing industry amounted to 1.38 trillion yuan (about 206 billion U.S. dollars), among which over 500 billion yuan went to the advanced manufacturing sector. ICBC has offered various financing services, including equity financing, industry funds and debt restructuring, to address the multiple needs from the manufacturers and lower their cost, said a staff familiar with ICBC's business. ICBC has participated in the financing projects in fields of advanced technology, petrochemical engineering and shipbuilding. The bank also provided financing support for the Chinese national brands' international business and helped the country's advanced manufacturers to promote international cooperation and improve their competitiveness worldwide. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 18:26:59|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close Rwandan Foreign Minister Richard Sezibera speaks at a press conference held by the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, March 5, 2019. The Belt and Road Initiative is a partnership that is mutually beneficial for Rwanda and addresses Rwanda's development challenges, Rwandan Foreign Minister Richard Sezibera said here Tuesday. (Xinhua/Cyril Ndegeya) KIGALI, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road Initiative is a partnership that is mutually beneficial for Rwanda and addresses Rwanda's development challenges, Rwandan foreign minister Richard Sezibera said Tuesday in Rwandan capital city Kigali. The Belt and Road Initiative is a good initiative, which addresses development requirements of China's partners, said Sezibera when responding to a question on the Belt and Road Initiative and second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at a press conference held by Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. China is an important partner for Rwanda at all levels, and Rwanda welcomes the growing partnership with China, he said, adding that Rwanda and China have important relationships in infrastructure development, party-to-party and people-to-people exchanges, and at the political level. The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is going to be held in April in Beijing. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 18:26:59|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close HAIKOU, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China's southernmost island province of Hainan will ban the sale of oil-fueled automobiles throughout the province by 2030, the provincial government said Tuesday. The province will speed up the promotion of clean energy vehicles, and has set specific targets and outlined a roadmap. According to a development plan issued by the provincial government, all vehicles added or replaced in the public service sector, including government vehicles and buses, will use clean energy as of 2020. New and replaced rental cars and vehicles used for postal service and logistics are required to use new energy. Automobiles used for sanitation, tourist transport and urban-rural passenger transit will be replaced by clean energy vehicles by 2025. A greater proportion of newly-licensed private passenger cars will be new energy vehicles (NEVs), with a 10 percent increase every year, eventually reaching 80 percent by 2025. Charging and filling stations will be built on the island in the next three to five years to meet the needs of clean energy vehicles, the plan said. Hainan had 37,100 clean energy vehicles by the end of 2018, accounting for about 2.9 percent of the province's total, among which 22,800 were NEVs. More than 4,500 charging facilities for electric cars were built during the same period. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 18:37:02|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close GUANGZHOU, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou plan to build or renovate 1,213 public toilets as the country's toilet revolution gains further steam. A total of 355 toilets will be built, while 858 will be renovated. A mobile application to help the public find toilets will also be revamped to "improve the level of happiness among the public," according to the urban management and law enforcement authorities of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province. The toilets will be built with new materials to create environmentally friendly toilets. The authorities said they will encourage more toilets in public institutions, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and supermarkets to open to the public. The authorities will also launch a campaign to select the city's 20 "most beautiful toilets." In 2015, the Chinese government launched its "toilet revolution" to promote sanitation upgrading across the country, complementing national efforts to remarkably improve the rural living environment and demonstrating its commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 for clean water and sanitation. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 18:57:07|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close TIANJIN, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A big batch of Tesla's long-range Model 3 sedans have arrived at north China's Tianjin Port after 84 such cars were imported via the port in February. A total of 1,171 Model 3 sedans, in addition to 44 models of Tesla's other lineups and 590 cars of other brands, were imported via the same freighter, according to freight authorities at the port. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), in 2018, 1.27 million new energy vehicles (NEV) were produced in China, while about 1.26 million were sold, up 59.9 percent and 61.7 percent year on year, respectively. The booming NEV market in China has drawn the attention of foreign car-makers including Tesla. Compared with other Tesla models, the Model 3 offers a more compact and low-priced option, with a starting price of 433,000 yuan (about 64,300 U.S. dollars). Earlier this month, prices of several other Tesla models were further reduced to attract more customers. At present, Tesla has established its charging network covering more than 170 cities in the country and has built more than 1,300 fast-charging supercharging stations in total. The Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory, the largest foreign-invested manufacturing project in Shanghai's history, broke ground in January. The factory is designed with an annual production capacity of 250,000 electric cars including the Model 3 in the first stage. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 19:27:13|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said here on Tuesday that trade and investment is one of the main focuses of his government's foreign policy and he wants to further promote it to attract foreign investment, local media reported. In a meeting with local business community, the prime minister said that after coming to power last year, the government successfully overcame the challenge of stabilizing the economy, and now their next focus is to promote economic growth in the country. There is positive vibe regarding improvement of Pakistani economy in the international community, and the positive sentiment is needed to be capitalized for bringing more foreign investment in the country, Khan said in the meeting aimed at facilitating business community to strengthen the country's industrial sector. The prime minister also said that the government is working on a comprehensive plan to encourage non-tax payers and informal sectors to join the documented economy and sought recommendations from the business community to bring more people under the tax net. Participants from the business community expressed confidence in the policies of the government and the steps being taken to reduce the cost of doing business in the country. President of the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry Shazia Syed also suggested the government hold an international investment conference to highlight Pakistan's economic potential in front of the global community. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 19:27:13|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close RAMALLAH, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Palestinians are holding their breath as Israel's general elections are due to take place on April 9, amid fears of further regional escalation to serve the electoral aspirants. Observers believe that the Palestinian issue is the most tackled on the campaign trail of Israeli parties, including more hostile steps to gain public support ahead of the upcoming elections. For weeks, the Palestinian territories have been experiencing more tension with Israel in the light of what Palestinian officials describe as deliberate actions in the framework of Israeli election campaigns. Israel recently said its security cabinet decided to withhold 138 million U.S. dollars in tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority citing its payments to prisoners jailed for attacks on Israelis. At the same time, the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is witnessing almost daily tension, in addition to new plans of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The Israeli army also declared its readiness for a possible military operation in the Gaza Strip a few days ago, followed by a sudden training of troops stationed near the Gaza Strip. For the Israeli parliamentary elections, right-wing factions are expected to prevail while the left-wing parties are trying to maintain a foothold in the political map. According to Naji Shurrab, a professor of political science at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, the upcoming elections in Israel will take place for the first time under unexpected changes and alliances in political contexts that work for the right-wing camp. He said, however, indicators point to the formation of a right-wing radical government, ruling out that the left-wing groups could achieve significant breakthroughs in the upcoming elections. But the popularity of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently gone down in opinion polls after he was accused of corruption, Shurrab added. The professor believes that Netanyahu is expected to present something concrete to lift his popularity ahead of the upcoming elections, such as further escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem or a new war on the Gaza Strip, to help him win the election again. Meanwhile, Georges Juqman, head of the Institute for Democratic Studies in Ramallah, also said the Palestinian issue is strongly present in the Israeli elections, adding that Israeli parties are using it in their election bids. "Public opinion in Israel has been going to the right for several years ... Politicians are racing to win electoral support. The more extremist they become, the more victims there will be among the Palestinians," he warned. He believes that the chances of an Israeli military escalation in the Gaza Strip appear to be slim as the military leaders oppose this option. The impasse in the Palestinian cause is expected to remain, noting that postponing the announcement of the U.S. deal of the century until after the Israeli elections proves that the situation will not change, Juqman explained. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed hope in February that the Israeli parliamentary elections scheduled in April would bring a new leadership that believes in peacemaking. "The Palestinian hands will be extended to the elected Israeli leadership to achieve peace in the region," Abbas said. "I believe in peace more than before and I don't want a war." The Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled since 2014, after nine months of U.S.-sponsored talks failed to make progress to resolve the decades-long conflict. Hani al-Masri, director of the Ramallah-based Masarat Center for Research and Studies, said the Israeli elections are witnessing a fierce competition between the extreme right and the right wings, adding that both streams are hostile to the Palestinians. "There are many Israeli plans in which the parties of the far right and the new right meet on points such as opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state and separating the West Bank from the Gaza Strip," al-Masri said. There is a consensus among these parties to maintain a full Israeli security control over the Palestinian territories after reaching a final solution to the conflict, he added. The competition in Israel is based on "ending the remaining political role of the Palestinian Authority so as to undermine the Palestinian rights and continuing to bury the choice of the Palestinian state in favor of the establishment of the State of Israel," Al-Masri concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 19:47:16|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close VIENTIANE, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Wedding customs in Laos, the only land-locked country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), are full of traditional customs and charm. At a wedding of a couple of Lao Loum heritage, the main ethnic group of Laos, proceedings started early in the morning for the celebrations held in Xiengkhuang Province, about 180 km northeast of the capital Vientiane. The groom made his way to the bride's house early in the morning once his family had prepared the dowry. In full wedding attire, he first paid his respects by prayer to his relatives and ancestors and asked for their blessings. In the meantime, his beautiful bride was busying herself, donning wedding garbs and being pampered, while awaiting her soon-to-be husband. The groom, after paying his respects to his family and ancestors, departed for his bride's house along with his relatives. In the earthen bowls adorned with flowers and banana leaves carried by his relatives is the dowry, which comprised cash and jewelry. At this point, the groom and his family stopped to take photos, with the scene symbolic of the giving and receiving of blessings as well as the sharing of the family's happiness. The groom, in full traditional Lao costume, replete with sword and satchel, was holding a candle and a bouquet in his hand as he sat in a decorated vehicle accompanied by his relatives. Together they made their way to the bride's home. The family were gleefully singing and dancing as the procession made its way along the streets. The groom and his entourage were greeted with even more music as they neared the bride's house. They disembarked from the wedding vehicle and walked slowly to the bride's house while continuing with their traditional songs and dance. Before entering the bride's house, the groom and family offered gifts of lucky money in red envelopes and even local beer to bypass the symbolic barriers put up in front of the bride's house. With a lit candle in hand, the groom removed his shoes prior to entering the house and accepted prayers accompanied by floral cologne and a ceremony akin to a baptism, prior to entering the inner sanctum of the bride's house. Once inside, both the bride and groom jointly lit up a decorative bundle of candles on the center table using the groom's already lit candle. Also on the table were the couple's marriage certificate and a presentation compiled of rice, eggs, snacks, towers of banana leaves and a selection of fruit. The "baci" ceremony, which involves the tying of strings around the couple's wrists, was conducted by the elders of the family and sages in the village. The ceremony was witnessed by all members of both families and included a host reading scriptures and blessings. The bride and groom then went on to sit down and offer flowers as they prayed, while accepting blessings from others, especially from both sets of parents. The baci ceremony is a traditional blessing ritual in Laos and is conducted on various occasions, such as welcoming guests, at weddings, festivals or when celebrating the return of a loved one after a long absence. The main function of tying the string around the couple's wrists is to symbolically unite souls, banish evil and receive blessings. After the baci ceremony, which ended in the late afternoon, the guests from both sides of the family reconvened at a hotel ballroom where a modern wedding ceremony was held. As with tradition in Laos, the guests were notified in advance of a particular theme color to wear. During this stage of the wedding, the bride and groom danced together to the music of a live band. The elders of the two families also danced a popular local folk-dance known as "lamvong," which in traditional Lao culture imparts both harmony and happiness. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 19:47:16|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ANKARA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. decision to end the preferential trade status with Turkey contradicts the bilateral trade goal and will harm U.S. companies and manufacturers, Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said Tuesday. "Unfortunately, this decision contradicts our mutual objective of reaching a bilateral trade volume of 75 billion U.S. dollar," Pekcan said on her Twitter account. "The decision will also negatively affect U.S. small and medium-sized companies and manufacturers," she added. Pekcan, however, emphasized Turkey's willingness to continue to seek increasing bilateral trade with the United States. The minister's statement came a day after Washington announced the end of the preferential trade relations with Turkey and India. The office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said in a statement that Turkey is no longer eligible to participate in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program because "it is sufficiently economically developed." "An increase in Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, declining poverty rates, and export diversification, by trading partner and by sector, are evidence of Turkey's higher level of economic development," it said. Turkey was designated as a GSP program beneficiary in 1975. The imports of the United States from Turkey under the GSP program amounted to 1.66 billion dollars in 2017, representing 17.7 percent of the total U.S. imports from Turkey, according to the USTR's data. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 20:02:19|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TOKYO, March 5 (Xinhua) -- IHI Corp., a maker of heavy machinery, admitted Tuesday that unqualified inspectors had been carrying out checks on airplane engines after repair and maintenance procedures had been carried out. Following the transport ministry here conducting an on-site probe in January and February and discovering the faulty checks were taking place, IHI conducted its own investigation into whether the improper practices had been continuing. According to IHI, workers unqualified to carry out inspections were involved in visual inspections of engine parts for low-cost carriers at a factory in Tokyo that is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of around 150 airplane engines a year. It was also found that unqualified workers were using the names of qualified inspectors to sign off on documents they compiled related to the improper inspections. Transport minister Keiichi Ishii told a press conference on the matter Tuesday that the ministry will "consider taking necessary administrative measures." IHI, for its part, released a statement of apology. "We deeply apologize for causing concern and worries to our stakeholders, including customers and clients," IHI's statement read. IHI, who makes engines for for Boeing Co. and Airbus S.A.S., has maintained that the unqualified inspections have not led to any disruptions to flights as a result of potentially faulty engines, with the firm adding that it has no plans as yet to issue a recall. IHI is the latest Japanese firm found to have been involved in carrying out improper safety checks or fabricating quality control data. Automakers Nissan Motors Co. and Subaru Corp. have admitted to inspections being carried out by unqualified staff. Kobe Steel Ltd. and Mitsubishi Materials Corp., meanwhile, have admitted to fabricating data related to their products, in scandals that have seriously undermined the reputation of Japan's once stellar manufacturing industry. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 20:07:21|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on Tuesday urged for strong public-sector structures and effective institutional reinforcement so as to strengthen urban development across Africa. The call was made by ECA's Macroeconomics and Governance Division Officer, Eunice Ajambo, who stressed that "strong public sector institutions and structures, capacity-building and institutional reinforcement are needed to steer urban development on the continent." "This entails transforming the way governments, institutions and public administrations are organized and work in an effective, inclusive and accountable manner, as committed in SDG 16," an ECA statement quoted Ajambo as saying. According to ECA's economic affairs officer, a transformational leadership is "crucial to achieving the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." Noting that "cities and human settlements are key to achieving the sustainable development goals," Ajambo further stressed that SDG 11 in particular recognizes the central role of urbanization in powering the momentum towards sustainable development. Target 11 of the global sustainable development goal mainly envisaged to make cities and human settlements across the globe "inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable." "Leaders need to have the necessary capacities and mindsets to drive the change," said Ajambo. Ajambo also stressed that the transformational change envisaged as part of the 2030 Agenda "requires a shift in mindsets in the public service to address requirements of both public service institutions and public servants themselves." "The implementation of the 2030 Agenda will not be possible without mobilizing the public service and building public trust, alongside the principles of effectiveness, integrity, impartiality, equity, transparency, ethical standards, values and selflessness along with accountability," she said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 20:07:22|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close PRAGUE, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-one people were injured in a train collision at southeastern Czech city Brno's main railway station on Tuesday morning. Eleven of them were taken to hospital, while the others suffered lighter injuries, according to Radio Prague. Emergency workers evacuated 250 people from the trains, which met in a head-on collision. Police have cordoned off the scene. The cause of the accident is being investigated. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 20:12:24|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close JUBA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Japan has donated 3.2 million U.S. dollars to Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to help boost South Sudan peace process, the bloc said on Tuesday. Ismail Wais, IGAD special envoy to South Sudan, said in a statement that the funds will be used towards the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. He reiterated the East African bloc's commitment to the ending of the conflict in South Sudan through collaboration with parties and stakeholders, as well as through involvement of all interested parties in giving the South Sudanese people the peace they desperately want. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 20:17:28|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close Xi Jinping (C, front), Li Keqiang (3rd R, front), Wang Yang (3rd L, front), Wang Huning (2nd R, front), Zhao Leji (2nd L, front), Han Zheng (1st R, front) and Wang Qishan (1st L, front) attend the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, opened its second session Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Communist Party of China and the state were present at the opening meeting, which was attended by nearly 3,000 NPC deputies. Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan sat on the stage with members of the legislative session's presidium. Li Zhanshu announced the opening at 9 a.m. Li Keqiang delivered the government work report on behalf of the State Council to the legislature for deliberation. Li Keqiang said though China faced a complicated and challenging environment rarely seen in many years with the economy under new downward pressure, the nation managed to accomplish main targets for economic and social development in 2018. "We must face the problems and challenges squarely, shoulder our responsibility, fully perform our duties, and do all we can to truly live up to people's expectations," he said. Looking to 2019, he announced some of the main projected targets for economic and social development that include 6-6.5 percent GDP growth, over 11 million new urban jobs, CPI increase of around 3 percent, a reduction of over 10 million in the rural poor population, among others. Ten main tasks were further outlined for the government's work this year. Li Keqiang said it is necessary to sustain healthy economic development and maintain social stability to create a pivotal underpinning for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China with outstanding accomplishments. At Tuesday's opening meeting, the report on the implementation of the 2018 plan for national economic and social development and on the 2019 draft plan for national economic and social development, and the report on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2018 and on the draft central and local budgets for 2019 were submitted to the legislature for deliberation. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 20:52:43|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close PARIS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Two prison guards were wounded in a knife attack involving a radicalized detainee on Tuesday in Conde-sur-Sarthe in northwestern France, BFMTV news channel reported. At around 09:45 local time, an inmate stabbed two jail officers when he was with his wife at the family unit where the prisoners could stay at least 48 hours with one of their family members. He reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" when he attacked the two guards before he was hidden in the unit with his wife. The attacker, who had been radicalized, seriously wounded one of the two guards in the belly and the head. Their situation was not critical, according to the report. "We have a terrorist act that took place in prison," Yoann Karar, deputy secretary general of FO Penitentiary union told BFMTV. In 2014, the attacker was jailed 30 years for public offences. Paris prosecutor anti-terrorism office has opened a probe into the assault. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 20:52:44|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close PRAGUE, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis left on Tuesday for the United States to start a five-day trip. On Thursday, he will meet with U.S. President Trump at the White House. According to the Czech Office of the Government, the meeting will cover bilateral relations as well as the defense and security cooperation of both countries. This is the first visit of the Czech PM to the White House since 2014. During the trip, Babis will meet number of innovative companies to discuss Czech Innovation Strategy 2019-2030, said the Government office, adding that on Wednesday he is also scheduled to hold talks with representatives of American universities and research institutions. He will be back to Prague on Saturday. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 20:52:45|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close GAZA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior Egyptian security delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to hold talks with the leadership of Islamic Hamas movement, a security official in Gaza said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that the delegation came from the West Bank and arrived in the coastal enclave through Erez crossing point between the northern Gaza Strip and Israel. He said the Egyptian delegation will meet with leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions over the issues of calm with Israel and the internal Palestinian reconciliation. Last November, Egypt and the United Nations brokered a calm understanding between Israel and Hamas-led factions, aiming at achieving cease-fire on the border between Gaza and Israel. Israel Radio quoted a Hamas source as saying the Islamic movement demanded 20 million U.S. dollars to pay its employees' salaries in exchange for cease-fire on the border. But Israel violated the calm understanding, thus ruling out the entry into the second phase of the deal, the source added. The Egyptian-brokered understanding was intended to decrease tension and violence on the border resulting from the Palestinian protests, better known as the Great March of Return rally, which started in late March last year. The anti-Israel protests have been organized weekly to pressure Israel to end or ease more than 12 years of blockade on the Gaza Strip. Health Ministry in Gaza said the Israeli army has shot and killed 260 Palestinians and wounded more than 26,000 others since the beginning of the rally. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 21:02:48|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close JAKARTA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a mine collapse in North Sulawesi province of central Indonesia has risen to 17 while the search and rescue efforts were thwarted by further slides of rocks and soil in the illegal gold mine. A heavy machinery equipment has opened the access to the underground tunnel, but more landslides occurred halting the rescue operation, said Abdul Muin Peputungan, head of emergency unit of the disaster management agency in Bolaang Mongondow district. "So far, four bodies of miners have been identified, and one injured survivor has been dead days ago. Besides, there are also 12 body bags (containing miners' bodies). The bodies have not been identified," Abdul told Xinhua over phone. The death toll has risen from nine on Saturday, according to the official. A total of 18 miners survived the disaster which hit the unlicensed gold mine in Bakan village on Feb. 26, he said. As scores of miners are still believed to be trapped underground, and authorities have extended the state of emergency for three days starting from Tuesday. Spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the number of miners who were working underground at the time of the disaster was unclear, but some sources said it could be as many as 100. Poor mine infrastructure and too many holes dug by miners amid unstable soil condition were to blame for the accident, according to the disaster agency. The government has prohibited operation of illegal gold mines, which are often located in remote areas. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 21:07:52|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- People across China on Tuesday observed "Lei Feng Day" by showing goodwill and helping others in remembrance of the soldier renowned for his generosity and altruistic deeds. March 5 has been designated as "Lei Feng Day," after Chairman Mao Zedong called on the whole nation to learn from Lei in 1963, one year after the soldier died in an accident at the age of 22. Since then, the soldier, known for selflessly devoting his time and money to those in need, has been lauded by generations of Chinese as a model Good Samaritan and a virtuous example to emulate. More than five decades later, the legacy left by the national hero still inspires the Chinese people to do volunteer work and lend a helping hand to people in need. In Yanshan County, north China's Hebei Province, a team of volunteers visited Liu Shuying, a senior citizen plagued by cataract and cerebellar atrophy, on Tuesday morning and sent her food and other necessities. The volunteers had visited the 88-year-old for several times and installed heating equipment in her home to help her tide over the winter. "I stayed warm and didn't starve in this winter. It couldn't be better," Liu said. The team, comprised of over 200 volunteers, had also donated money and school supplies to impoverished local students. Volunteering has been rising in China in recent years, with over 100 million Chinese registered as volunteers by the end of 2018. The number of registered volunteer service organizations in China reached about 12,000 last year, providing more than 1.2 billion hours of service in total, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. For many of the country's volunteers, doing charitable deeds is not one day's job, but a long-term commitment. On Monday, more than 200,000 volunteers in Hebei's city of Hengshui visited local schools, nursing homes and neighborhoods to provide free services ranging from haircuts to cleaning. Hao Hongyin, a volunteer, says his family visits local nursing homes once a week to offer free haircuts to the elderly. Hao's fellow volunteers often stage performances such as singing and dancing to entertain the elderly in nursing homes. In Shanghai, a voluntary services station has been operating for 10 years at the Shanghai South Railway Station. Volunteers were particularly busy during this year's 40-day Spring Festival rush which ended on March 1. They gave directions to passengers, helped them carry baggage and offered them hot water. "It can be really difficult for passengers to navigate the railway station, and we are more than happy to offer help," said Zhang Guiying, a volunteer at the station. Shi Xiaoqian, who is in charge of the volunteer station, said, "everyone can be a 'Lei Feng' if he or she is willing to give a helping hand." Volunteers with the station had also played an important role in major international events such as the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the first China International Import Expo in 2018. In a child rehabilitation center in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, doctors provided patients with free health check-ups and medical treatment. Many of the center's patients are children with disabilities or orphans. "We hope to bring them love and care," said Ma Xiaofei, head of the center. Besides offering free treatment, the center's doctors have also volunteered to train the parents to help with their children's rehabilitation. Wang Haiqing, a psychological counselor and head of a volunteer organization in northeast China's Liaoning Province, said volunteering could strengthen communities and bring warmth to people. "Our small acts of kindness can converge into a strong power. In that way, there will be hundreds of thousands of 'Lei Feng' around us," Wang said. IMMORTAL CULTURAL ICON On Tuesday, an event was held to encourage more people to learn from Lei Feng in Huludao city of Liaoning Province where Lei was buried. "Lei Feng spirit is immortal," said Guo Mingyi, who made a name for himself by helping those in need and was named "Modern Lei Feng." "More and more volunteers have joined us to learn from Lei Feng, let us work together to bring more warmth and positive power to the society," Guo said. Guo is not the only "Modern Lei Feng" who is applauded in the country. A drama titled "Modern Lei Feng in Zhuang Village" was staged in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on March 1. The drama tells the story of Bin Yi, a Guangxi policeman praised by the locals as a "modern Lei Feng" for selflessly helping others and donating his organs after his death. "Bin Yi is an ordinary man just like Lei Feng. If everyone is willing to perform common acts of kindness, the society will be much better," said Su Shijin, director of the drama. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 21:32:58|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close RAMALLAH, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The caretaker government of the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday slammed the United States for its decision to close the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem and merge it with its embassy in the city. "The American measure is a direct violation of the international laws and resolutions and its commitments to the laws," the government said in a statement after the weekly cabinet meeting held in Ramallah. The U.S. decision is also "a clear violation of the Palestinian people's rights" and "a denial of the state of Palestine and the Palestinian identity," the statement added. The Palestinian Authority has been boycotting the U.S. government since December 2017 when U.S. President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and decided to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the city. Meanwhile, an EU official said on Tuesday that EU countries won't move any of their offices to East Jerusalem, in an apparent response to the U.S. merge decision. "The EU is sticking to the European countries position which reiterates East Jerusalem as an occupied territory," Shadi Othman, an EU official in charge of media and communication in the European Commission, told Palestine Television. "The EU is calling for finding a fair solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in accordance to the international resolutions, mainly the ones related to Jerusalem," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 21:43:02|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has been striving to attract more Chinese tourists in a bid to bolster growth in the mining-dependent economy, an official said Tuesday. Mongolia attracted a total of 529,370 foreign tourists in 2018, up 11.01 percent from the previous year, Dagvajamts Batsukh, head of Ulan Bator's tourism department, told Xinhua in an interview. More than 30 percent of these foreign tourists were Chinese, said Batsukh, noting that China has been the biggest market for Mongolian tourism for many years. "Mongolia is said to be one of a few countries which retained its ancient culture and traditions and the nomadic lifestyle. We have a unique chance to develop tourism by promoting the nomadic lifestyle," Batsukh said. In 2019, the Ulan Bator's tourism department plans to organize many cultural and sporting events to attract more tourists from international markets, especially from China, Batsukh said. "Particularly, the tourism department is now cooperating with the Chinese side to organize Culture and Tourism Days of Ulan Bator in major cities of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, like Hohhot, Baotou and Ordos, in late April," he said. "China is the most important market for our country's tourism." "As China's economy expands rapidly, the number of Chinese citizens visiting other countries has been dramatically increasing. I believe that Mongolia has the full potential to attract more tourists from China," Batsukh said, highlighting his country's geographic location. In addition, Ulan Bator will organize an annual international motorsports festival entitled the "Steppe wind" on June 8-9 in the city. At least 100 motorcyclists each from China and Russia are expected to participate in the fifth edition of the festival, he said, adding that 50 motorcyclists from the two countries each attended the festival last year. But tourism development faces several obstacles, Batsukh told Xinhua. "The lack of direct flights linking Mongolia and other countries, poor tourism infrastructure and the low human resource are major challenges facing tourism development in the country," the official said, adding that Ulan Bator has been paying special attention to these problems. Mongolia has set a goal of hosting 1 million foreign tourists and earning 1 billion U.S. dollars from tourism in 2020. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 21:53:06|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has launched a national campaign to reduce violent crimes, including murder and assault, the National Police Agency said Tuesday. "The number of crimes against human life and health in Mongolia has significantly increased over the last five years. Adopting a positive attitude and learning how to curb your anger are important to reducing these types of crimes," the National Police Agency said in a statement. During the month-long campaign called "one moment to understand each other", police officers and artists are expected to give lectures at schools, universities and other organizations on adopting a positive attitude. According to the National Police Agency, a total of 36,220 criminal cases were recorded across the country in 2018, with roughly 30 percent categorized as violent crime. Cargo ships are anchored on the waters of Mississippi river in Louisiana, the United States, March 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) by Xinhua writers Pan Lijun, Zhang Mocheng, Gao Lu BATON ROUGE, United States, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Southeastern U.S. state of Louisiana has benefited from its collaboration with Chinese businesses and expects to see a closer partnership, a local economic official said. "Louisiana enjoys a positive trade balance with China," said Don Pierson, secretary of Louisiana Economic Development (LED), detailing the significance of Chinese businesses to his state in a recent interview with Xinhua. The Bayou State, Louisiana, imports 1.3 billion U.S. dollars a year in goods while exporting 7.9 billion dollars in goods to China, mainly including chemicals, fuels and agricultural products, he said. China is Louisiana's top export market and ranks seventh in imports. Chinese commerce has already been a transformative force in Louisiana's economy, with extensive trade and cross-border investment linking the two more strongly than ever, according to the LED website. Calling the state's economic ties with China "very important," "very strong" and the two sides "good trading partners," Pierson said Chinese direct investment in Louisiana is "a growing segment," which he believes has great potential. Located along the Mississippi river, Louisiana is one of America's earliest port hubs with a view to the entire world. About one in six local jobs is closely related to foreign commerce, Pierson said. From 2012 to 2018, Louisiana has taken in about 120 billion dollars, much of which was from foreign direct investment (FDI), with Chinese FDI accounting for some 3 billion dollars, according to LED statistics. "If Chinese companies can establish their operations in Louisiana and export products that are needed back to China, that's a win-win scenario," said the state economic official. Pierson spoke highly of the Chinese companies that are represented in his state as they do not only benefit the regional economy by creating jobs and contributing to local communities, but are also responsible participants regarding safety and security around their facilities. "They're doing a great job and we hope to introduce more Chinese companies to Louisiana," he said, adding that the state's strategic location for logistics, rich natural resources as well as low cost of feedstock and electricity can help create a favorable environment for foreign businesses. Shandong Yuhuang Chemical, one of the Chinese companies investing in Lousiana, is constructing a 1.85-billion-dollar methanol production facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Also in the same parish, Wanhua Chemical Group from east China's Shandong Province plans to invest 1.25 billion dollars to develop a methylene diphenyl diisocyanate complex. The project is set to start construction in 2019 and is expected to go into operation in 2021, according to the latest statement by the company. In January, Shandong Yuhuang and LED were presented with the Outstanding FDI Partnership Award by the New York-based Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the largest and most influential non-profit organization representing Chinese enterprises in the United States, with its members exceeding 1,500. Pierson has been to China more than 20 times during his over 27 years of economic development experience. He is scheduled to lead a delegation to China for about two weeks this month, during which they plan to cement existing business collaboration and find more opportunities for further cooperation, especially when there are positive signs from the latest U.S.-China trade negotiations. The economic official hopes that the United States and China could ink some agreements "very soon," so that commerce can grow. Pierson said he was optimistic about a potential trade deal between the two countries as it's not only desirable from the Chinese side, but also "the desire of the U.S. participants to grow the economy of the U.S., and China is such an important part of that." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 22:03:11|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close LONDON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A patient diagnosed with HIV and treated with stem cell transplant has been in remission for 18 months after his antiretroviral therapy (ARV) was discontinued, according to a press release Tuesday posted on the website of the University of Cambridge. Regular testing confirmed that the patient's HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) viral load remained "undetectable", and he has been in remission for 18 months since ceasing ARV therapy (35 months post-transplant), according to the press release. But the team emphasized that it is too early to say with certainty that the patient has been cured of HIV, and that they will continue to monitor the patient's condition. The case report is carried out by researchers at University College London (UCL) and Imperial College London, together with teams at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. The breakthrough result comes 10 years after the first such case, known as the "Berlin Patient", who was also reported to be in sustained remission without ARV. The male patient in Britain was diagnosed with HIV infection in 2003 and on antiretroviral therapy since 2012, according to the report. Later in 2012, he was diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In addition to chemotherapy, in 2016 he underwent a haematopoietic stem cell transplant from a donor with two copies of the genetic mutation, or "allele", that prevents expression of CCR5. CCR5 is the most commonly used receptor by HIV-1, the most common and most harmful type of HIV. People who have two mutated copies of the CCR5 allele are resistant to the HIV-1 virus strain that uses this receptor, as the virus cannot enter host cells. "Finding a way to eliminate the virus entirely is an urgent global priority, but is particularly difficult because the virus integrates into the white blood cells of its host," said the study's lead author, Professor Ravindra Gupta from the University of Cambridge, who led the study while at UCL. "By achieving remission in a second patient using a similar approach, we have shown that the Berlin Patient was not an anomaly, and that it really was the treatment approaches that eliminated HIV in these two people," said Professor Gupta. However, the researchers caution that the approach is not appropriate as a standard HIV treatment due to the toxicity of chemotherapy, but it offers hope for new treatment strategies that might eliminate HIV altogether. File Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb. 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday denied discussing the issue of U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), during the Hanoi summit. Trump tweeted that he never talked about this issue with Kim during their recent summit, adding that he had decided to downgrade those exercises long ago because of the tremendous cost that cannot be reimbursed. "The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed," Trump said in a previous tweet on Sunday. "Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!" The Pentagon on Saturday announced in a statement that Washington and Seoul had decided to "conclude" the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of military exercises, which Pyongyang has denounced as a dress rehearsal for northward invasion. The United States and South Korea will maintain military readiness through newly designed Command Post exercises and revised field training programs, according to the statement. The adaption of the joint training program, the statement said, reflected "our desire to reduce tension and support our diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a final, fully verified manner." The move came right after Trump's second meeting with Kim, held in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Feb. 27-28, without reaching an agreement. Nevertheless, the White House said the two leaders had "very good and constructive meetings" and discussed various ways to "advance denuclearization and economic driven concepts." About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, vestigial of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 22:11:51|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Military ships take part in the "Blue Homeland 2019" naval military exercise in Izmir, Turkey, March 5, 2019. The largest ever drill conducted by the Turkish Navy is seen by analysts as a sign of both Ankara's determination to protect its territorial and gas exploration rights in the Mediterranean Sea and the rebound of the navy from the fallout of a failed coup in 2016. (Xinhua) Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 22:23:20|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Despite increasing downward pressure on its economy, China is assuring the world of its firm resolution in the pursuit of green development with concrete and self-motivated efforts. For China, green development is a critical element of modernizing its economy. The country sticks to a new development vision that features innovative, coordinated, green and open development for the benefit of all. It is not at the request of others, but on the country's own initiative. With a large population, China is facing increasing resource constraints, severe environmental pollution and a deteriorating ecosystem. People are becoming increasingly aware of environmental problems. The country's leadership has made it clear that China must win the battle to ensure blue skies and clean water and soil. The battle will not be won easily. Facing a complicated and challenging domestic and international environment of a kind rarely seen in many years, China has two options: lowering standards of environmental protection in launching new projects to stimulate growth; finding fundamental solutions to address pollution and build an ecological civilization that will benefit generations to come. China's choice and actions reassure those who may doubt its seriousness about green development. When China says it "puts ecological protection first," it is not just lip service. This year, China will cut the energy consumption per unit of GDP by around 3 percent. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions will be cut by 3 percent, and there will be a continuous decline in PM2.5 density in key areas. The central government will allocate 25 billion yuan (3.73 billion U.S. dollars) to prevent and control air pollution, an increase of 25 percent year on year, an evidence of the advantage of China's governance system which can "concentrate resources to accomplish major undertakings." China will also strengthen green and environmental protection industries, and press ahead to conserve and restore the ecosystems of mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, farmland, and grassland. Simple, moderate, green, and low-carbon ways of life are increasingly popular in China. It has become common sense among the public that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets themselves." As a matter of fact, the country's yearning for green growth, instead of dragging down the economy, will be a boon to the economy, for China and the rest of the world. Chinese and foreign investors are embracing a new wave of opportunities in the market for environment-related products and services, such as thermal power and steel industry upgrading, the development of sewer networks and treatment facilities and the construction of eco-friendly buildings. China is one of the first countries to sign the Paris Agreement on climate change. China has pledged to halt the rise in carbon dioxide emissions by around 2030. Among the essence of traditional Chinese thinking is the concept that man and nature form a community of life. Only by observing the laws of nature can mankind avoid costly blunders in its exploitation. China has embarked on this bumpy but promising road. Marching toward an era of green development, there will be no turning back. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 22:28:21|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TOKYO, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The case of former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who has been granted bail by a Tokyo court on Tuesday, will not affect the relations between Japan and France, Japan's government spokesman said Tuesday. "Japan and France, which are special partners, have maintained close political, economic, security and cultural ties, and it's unlikely they'll be affected by individual cases," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference. The Tokyo District Court granted bail to Ghosn on Tuesday, meaning the ex-auto tycoon could be released for the first time since his arrest on Nov. 19 last year on charges of financial misconduct. In response to a question on the criticism over the ousted chairman's long detention of more than 100 days, Suga said the government should not comment on a judicial decision. However, he said investigations were "conducted under a strict judicial review and based on proper procedures." Ghosn's bail was set at 1 billion yen (9 million U.S. dollars) after a request was filed with the court on Thursday by Ghosn's new legal team. Prosecutors filed a quasi-appeal with the court against its decision to grant Ghosn's bail, but if rejected, the defendant's release could be imminent. Ghosn, a French citizen born in Brazil, joined Nissan in 1999 and brought the ailing automaker out of its financial difficulties under a capital alliance with Renault. He became Renault's CEO in 2005 but was stripped of his position amid the scandals. Mitsubishi Motors joined the Nissan-Renault alliance in 2016. Renault owns a 43.4-percent stake in Nissan, while Nissan holds a 15-percent stake in Renault and a 34-percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors. According to local media reports, the French government owns the largest proportion of shares in Renault. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 22:28:21|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani law enforcement agencies have arrested 44 members of proscribed organizations operating in the country banned by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference, the minister said the government launched a major crackdown against proscribed organizations on Monday and it would continue for two weeks. The minister said the action was Pakistan's own decision and it was not taken with any outside pressure and advice. "Pakistan's policy is very clear against terrorism and extremism. Pakistan will not allow anybody to use its land for any ill purposes," said the minister. The campaign was approved during a high-level meeting held in the Ministry of Interior this month, which was attended by all representatives of all provincial governments, a statement by the ministry said. Earlier Tuesday, local reports quoted the country's Foreign Ministry as saying that the government had issued an order to streamline the procedure for implementation of UNSC sanctions against designated individuals and entities. "Over the years the sanctions regime of the United Nations Security Council has evolved. A key measure of these sanctions regimes is 'assets freeze' under which states are required to freeze or seize the assets of designated entities and individuals as soon as they are designated by the relevant UNSC Sanctions Committee," the ministry said in a statement late Monday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Faisal told local media that "from now onwards, all kinds of assets and properties of all banned organizations will be in the government's control." He said the government has taken over the control of all banned outfits operating in Pakistan. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 22:33:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, March 5 (Xinhua) -- An international cybersecurity organization on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a representative of Chinese cybersecurity industry professionals to promote closer cooperation between the two sides. Jim Reavis, chief executive officer of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), a leading international organization dedicated to ensuring a secure cloud computing environment, signed the MoU with Han Xiao, secretary general of the Organizing Committee of Internet Security Conference (ISC), which is to be held in the Chinese capital of Beijing in August this year. With the MoU, the CSA will bring its summit to the ISC, which is expected to draw many top scholars from think tanks, technical experts and industry security leaders, as well as more than 30,000 visitors, Reavis said at the RSA Conference 2019, an annual five-day international cybersecurity conference kicking off here on Monday. It will be "a wonderful collaboration" of thought leaders and experts in all forms of cybersecurity, cloud computing, internet of things that will gather together and provide great and profound insights, Reavis said of the upcoming CSA summit to be held during the ISC in Beijing. The Beijing summit will be a "global knowledge sharing" among world leading cybersecurity enterprises and industry experts, Reavis added. "Cloud Security Alliance has had participation from Chinese enterprises inside of our organization, literally from the beginning," he said. "Cybersecurity is a global concern," Han said, for her part, noting that it is not limited within individual countries, "but calls for the sharing and exchanges of information and knowledge about online threats." The cooperation between the CSA and the ISC will provide a platform for technical and knowledge exchanges between both sides, which will surely help capacity-building of Chinese professionals in the security industry, Han said. Co-organized by the Internet Society of China and the 360 Internet Security Center, the ISC is one of the most important cybersecurity summits in China. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 22:38:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attends a panel discussion with his fellow deputies from Jiangxi Province at the second session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Senior leaders on Tuesday urged more efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects when attending panel discussions with their fellow deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at its annual legislative session. Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng -- members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee -- all gave their complete support for the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the session. Summing up the work over the past year, Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said it was essential to always follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and firmly safeguard Xi's status as the core of the CPC Central Committee and the whole Party, as well as the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee. Wang Yang, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, told deputies from Sichuan Province to be aware of more arduous tasks for reform, growth and stability as the year 2019 is crucial in the country's endeavors to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects. He encouraged the province to fully implement Xi's instructions and strive for more progress. Wang Huning, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, underscored the learning and implementing of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the primary political task and called for more and continuous progress in advancing high-quality development. Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, called for intensified supervision and examination of the implementation of policies in economic and social development and the implementation of major tasks. He demanded stronger action against the practice of formalities for formalities' sake, bureaucratism, and corruption in key areas or that occurs on the people's doorsteps. Vice Premier Han Zheng spoke of the need to deepen the market-oriented reform and earnestly cut taxes and fees. He demanded deepening supply-side structural reform and continuing to fight the three tough battles against major risks, poverty and pollution. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 22:58:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and World Bank (WB) on Tuesday urged African countries to promote innovation and economic transformation so as to create the "much-needed jobs" to Africa's burgeoning youth. ECA and WB revealed the joint call during a joint ECA-World Bank meeting on jobs and economic transformation in Africa that was held in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Tuesday. "Africa has to innovate if the continent is to create sufficient decent jobs for its growing youthful population," Executive Secretary of the ECA, Vera Songwe, told the joint meeting. According to Songwe, with Africa's rising population, which is estimated to increase to 1.7 billion by 2030, a growth rate of more than 8 percent per annum is needed to create the least required 120 million jobs for the youth entering the labor market between now and 2030. "The question around jobs and economic transformation is one that almost every African leader is worrying about," the ECA chief said, as she described the huge unemployment burden the African continent presently faces. "Immediate action on all fronts is imperative to address the continent's jobs challenge in a structural way," the executive secretary said. "Africa is growing again but we need to do better and more. It is disheartening every day to see that more Africans are falling into poverty," Songwe said. Songwe, in particular, singled out innovation's "huge significance" in averting Africa's employment challenges. "Innovation is a major force for economic growth and development, which is crucial for the continent to create enough jobs for its youth in particular," she said. "Digitalization is more than ever playing an important role in Africa's economic transformation and has the potential to open opportunities to labor markets, moving beyond markets through the free movement of people," Songwe added. The ECA chief also underscored digitalization's role in transforming how businesses operate, moving individuals from the informal sector to the formal sector in Africa. Akihiko Nishio, Vice President for Development Finance at the World Bank, who expressed Africa's employment challenges as "daunting," revealed that Africa will require at least 15 million jobs each year so as to keep pace with its demographics. "For most developing countries and development institutions like ours, the need for more and better jobs remains a top development priority," Nishio said. "Failing to deliver good jobs for the growing youth population not only risks squandering the demographic dividend, but raises significant social risks, contributing to fragility and driving young people to migrate abroad in search of better opportunities," Nishio stressed. According to Nishio, tackling Africa's employment challenges mainly requires economic transformation across the continent, with the support of innovation. "It means moving workers from lower to higher productivity activities led by a vibrant private sector and supported by public policy actions," he said. The joint ECA-World Bank high-level meeting on Tuesday, among other things, focused on three topical areas that are digital transformation, trade and global value chains, and human capital for jobs. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 23:03:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TOKYO, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Japan's health ministry on Tuesday granted permission for world's first clinical test with artificially derived stem cells for the treatment of a corneal disease that causes decreasing vision, local media reported. The test using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells will be conducted by researchers from the Osaka University. It will be implemented on four adult patients who suffer from the corneal disease causing haze and decline in their vision, with transplantation of 0.05-mm sheet-like tissues cultivated from iPS cells. The research team plans to conduct the first transplantation in June and will try to make the operation accessible to practical use in the next five to six years. The health ministry has required more documents that explain the trial in detail before it is conducted. With artificial cultivation, the iPS cells can grow into any type of body tissues. They were developed by Shinya Yamanaka at the Kyoto University who won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 2012 for the achievement. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 23:18:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close OSLO, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A 40-year-old man in Norway was charged for online sexual offense against 263 children aged between nine and 16, public broadcaster NRK reported Tuesday. The man from Romerike in southern Norway has acknowledged guilt and the final indictment is expected to be ready in spring, said state prosecutor Carl Graff Hartmann. Most of the victims, 220 of which Norwegian, are boys, whom the man had contacted through the chat programs Skype and Omegle. The man did not meet with any of the victims, even though meetings were discussed with the children, the report said. "The boys thought that they were talking to a girl who was one or two years older than them. The accused has been very good at using youth language," Anette Holt Tonsberg, coordinating assistance lawyer in the case, told NRK. According to Tonsberg, some of the victims have rather forgotten the offense and find it stressful to be part of a police case, while others are very affected, with suicidal thoughts and difficulties in everyday life. The case started with the mother of a 10-year-old boy from Trondelag in November 2017 hearing a girl's voice in his bedroom after bedtime. "I went in and discovered that he was having a video call on his phone. He told about Stine of 15 to 16 years of age, who had several relationships in Norway. However, her camera was broken, so only my son was filmed," the mother told NRK. Police tracked the person at the other end to Romerike, where the man in his 40s was arrested in January 2018 and has since been in custody. According to the man's lawyer Gard A. Lier, "he is relieved to have been arrested because he wanted out of this." He has asked for help in prison, Lier said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 23:33:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MOSCOW, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Russian navy will get new submarines and surface ships this year within its re-equipment program, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday. Two nuclear and one diesel submarines will be commissioned, Shoigu said at a conference call with top armed forces officials, according to a Defense Ministry statement. The surface forces will receive a frigate, a corvette, a large landing ship, two small missile ships, a patrol ship, a minesweeper, five combat boats and 20 support vessels. He said 11 ships will undergo repairs this year. Under the Fundamentals of Russia's State Naval Policy Through 2030 approved by President Vladimir Putin in 2017, Russia aims to build its navy into the world's second in terms of combat capabilities. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 23:38:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KIEV, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's presidential candidate Andriy Sadovyy has withdrawn his candidacy from the presidential race, local media reported Tuesday, citing sources in the Central Electoral Commission (CEC). According to the government-run Ukrinform news agency, the CEC has already received Sadovyy's official request to strike his name from the ballot. Last week, Sadovyy, mayor of Ukraine's western city of Lviv, announced his intent to quit the presidential race, urging his supporters to vote for another presidential nominee -- former Defence Minister Anatoly Hrytsenko. Later, another candidate, journalist Dmytro Gnap, also voiced his readiness to withdraw from the elections in favor of Hrytsenko. The CEC has not yet confirmed Gnap's withdrawal. According to a recent survey conducted by the sociological group Rating, Hrytsenko placed fifth among presidential candidates with 7.7 percent of voter support. Initially, 44 candidates registered to compete in the election scheduled for March 31. The presidential contenders are permitted to withdraw their candidacy from the race no later than March 7. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-05 23:48:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WINDHOEK, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The third edition of Namibia's International Oil and Gas Conference will take place from April 24 to 25 in the coastal town of Swakopmund. It will be held under the theme of "Building partnerships to transform Africa's oil and gas industry." The conference will be hosted in partnership with the country's National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia. It has the endorsement from the Namibia's Ministry of Mines and Energy, and is supported by the African Energy Chamber, RichAfrica Consultancy said in an announcement Tuesday. Namibia's Minister of Mines and Energy Tom Alweendo will chair the event. He is also expected to attend an opening plenary with other Petroleum Ministers from the region as well as panel discussions by decision makers and industry players. The conference will also showcase opportunities in the upstream and downstream industry in Namibia and the region, the statement said. Furthermore, the conference will explore the country's potential to become an oil and gas logistics hub. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 00:04:03|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Nkandu Luo, Zambia's Minister of Higher Education, delivers a speech during the Huawei ICT competition awarding ceremony in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, March 5, 2019. A senior Zambia government official on Tuesday awarded certificates to three university students and one instructor as winners of the 2018/2019 Huawei Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Competition. The competition, which was launched in September last year, attracted more than 1,000 students across Zambia who took their time to study the competition. 100 of them joined the national final examination. The theme of the competition is "Connection, Glory, Future." (Xinhua/Peng Lijun) LUSAKA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior Zambia government official on Tuesday awarded certificates to three university students and one instructor as winners of the 2018/2019 Huawei Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Competition. The three students, who emerged winners out of 11 finalists, will represent the country at the regional ICT competition in South Africa from March 8 and 9. Nkandu Luo, Minister of Higher Education, commended the Chinese telecommunications firm for coming up with the competition which will help develop ICT technology talent in the southern African nation. "Following the ongoing challenge facing our country in the growth of ICT, we all know that students in ICT especially in higher learning institutions need to be equipped with necessary ICT facilities to foster proper academic growth," she said during the award ceremony. She said the launch of the competition reflected Huawei's continued commitment to Zambia and to the country's flourishing ICT industry, adding that participating in the competition would broaden students' opportunities of working in the ICT industry by expanding their knowledge. Li Jie, Chinese ambassador to Zambia, said ICT was the foundation of national economic development, adding that the success of the competition will promote the cultivation of ICT talents in the southern African nation. It will also support the development of the ICT industry and provide a steady source of power for the comprehensive development of the country's economy, Li said. "It is my belief that as time goes by, with the joint efforts of the governments and enterprises of China and Zambia, Zambia will have an army of high-quality ICT talents to help the country realize its ICT vision and strategic program," he said. According to Li, ICT was one of the key areas of economic and trade cooperation between China and Zambia. The competition, which was launched in September last year, attracted more than 1,000 students across Zambia who took their time to study the competition. 100 of them joined the national final examination. The theme of the competition is "Connection, Glory, Future." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 00:24:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close AMMAN, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Tuesday released three Jordanians who were detained a few months ago after mistakenly entering the Iranian waters from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Iranian authorities released the three Jordanians and handed them to the Jordanian diplomats at the embassy in Tehran and preparations started for them to return, said Jordan's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah in a statement. The Iranian authorities took a decision two weeks ago to release the three Jordanians after imposing a fine on them for illegally entering the Iranian waters. The three Jordanians were on a fishing trip in the UAE waters. The Jordanian official said the embassy paid the fine, voicing appreciation for the Iranian government for releasing them. The official added that the ministry took all necessary measures to ensure their release as soon as possible. The three were detained in December 2018. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 01:59:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close CAIRO, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) called on the international community to provide protection for the Palestinian people against what it referred to as "Israeli violations and crimes," the pan-Arab body said in a statement on Tuesday. "The international community and the United Nations Security Council are required to provide international protection for the Palestinian people in implementation of relevant international legitimacy resolutions," Saeed Abu Ali, AL assistant secretary general for the occupied Palestinian and Arab lands, said in the statement. Abu Ali condemned what he described as "field executions carried out by the Israeli occupation," referring to an Israeli gunfire attack on Monday that left two Palestinians dead and one wounded in the village of Kafr Ni'ma in the suburbs of the West Bank city of Ramallah. "The Israeli occupation forces killed the two Palestinian youths in cold blood and made up excuses and lies to justify the crime and avoid its responsibility," said the senior AL diplomat. He stressed the importance of sending a UN investigation committee to probe such Israeli violations against Palestinian people. The decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on since the Western-backed creation of Israel by occupying Palestinian territories in 1948. The deadlock of the peace process between the two sides is largely attributed to the debatable status of Jerusalem, the issue of the Palestinian refugees and Israel's settlement expansion policy that has always been rejected even by the international community as well as its strongest ally, the United States. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 02:29:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GENEVA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet announced Tuesday, "with deep regret," that the UN Human Rights Office in Burundi has closed at the insistence of the Central African nation's government. UN rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani at a media briefing here quoted Bachelet as saying, "It is with deep regret that we have had to close our office in Burundi after a 23-year presence in the country" from Feb. 28. "Since the UN Human Rights Office in Burundi was established in 1995, for many years we worked with the government on peace-building, security sector reform, justice sector reform and helped build institutional and civil society capacity on a whole host of human rights issues," she said. Shamdasani said the office played a leading role in the establishment of the independent National Commission on Human Rights, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in legislative reforms and the emergence of active civil society organizations in Burundi. Many of these human rights gains had been jeopardized since 2015, said Shamdasani. Two years after the suspension of cooperation, on Dec. 5, the Burundi government requested the closure of the UN Human Rights Office. It asserted that Burundi had made sufficient progress in putting in place national mechanisms for the protection of human rights, so the existence of the office was no longer justified. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 02:59:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WARSAW, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Polish government adopted on Tuesday legislation preparing the country for a no-deal Brexit, including guaranteeing the rights of British citizens residing in Poland post-Brexit. "A hard Brexit was never as likely as it is today," said Konrad Szymanski, secretary of state for European affairs in the Polish Foreign Ministry, quoted by the local daily Rzeczpospolita. The law adopted on Tuesday guarantees British citizens residing in Poland access to the Polish labor market, business activities and social security. These guarantees follow those offered to Polish citizens residing in Britain, which were agreed during previous negotiations between the EU and Britain. Approximately one million Poles currently live in the UK, compared to around 6,000 Brits living in Poland. As part of its preparations for a no-deal Brexit, Poland is setting aside funds in case it needs to increase its contribution to the EU once Britain exits. The 2019 budget includes a reserve of over 1 billion Polish zloty (263 million U.S. dollars) for this purpose. Poland is getting ready to increase its administrative capacity to deal with potential residency requests from Brits, and the authorities are updating Polish businesses about the potential effects of a no-deal Brexit. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 03:29:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ATHENS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Greek prosecutors brought charges against 20 individuals, mostly still serving and former officials, over the wildfire tragedy of July 23 last summer near Athens which caused 100 deaths, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Tuesday. Attica Regional Governor Rena Dourou, two mayors, former general secretary for civil protection Yannis Kapakis, the former Fire Brigade chief as well as the current head who was serving as deputy chief at the time, are among those charged with negligent arson and negligent manslaughter. An elderly man who is suspected of starting the blaze to burn wood at his backyard, is also among the 20 charged. Fuelled by strong winds, the flames swept through the seaside resort of Mati, some 30 kilometers northeast of Athens, resulting in the death of entire families in some cases. According to sources, prosecutors pointed to lack of coordination among authorities and grave mistakes while battling the fire and criminal omissions before it started. File Photo: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (L front) receives interviews at Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, said Monday that he expects a resolution ending President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration will pass the Senate, though it is unlikely for Congress to be able to override a possible presidential veto. "I think what is clear in the Senate is that there will be enough votes to pass the resolution of disapproval, which will then be vetoed by the president and then in all likelihood the veto will be upheld in the House," McConnell told reporters in his home state Kentucky. The Senate is expected to vote on the resolution before lawmakers leave town on March 15 for a weeklong recess. The U.S. Senate is likely to have garnered enough bipartisan supporting votes as Republican Senator Rand Paul signaled in the weekend that he will join three other Republican senators to vote for the resolution. "I can't vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasn't been appropriated by Congress," Paul said at a dinner in Western Kentucky University. With Republicans holding just 53 Senate seats, these defections mean the resolution will likely pass. On Tuesday, the Democratic-controlled House voted 245-182 to approve the resolution. Thirteen House Republicans joined Democrats to end Trump's emergency declaration. File Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at the Capitol to deliver remarks about tax reform in Washington D.C. Nov 16, 2017. (Xinhua/Ting Shen) Trump has said he will veto the measure. Trump made the declaration in February to free up billions of U.S. dollars in funding for U.S.-Mexico border wall construction after Congress allocated just a fraction of what he had asked for. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 04:15:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIRUT, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Australian Ambassador to Lebanon Rebecca Grindley said Tuesday that Australia will continue to support Lebanon in its hosting of Syrian refugees, the National News Agency reported. "We hope to find a final solution to this issue very soon," Grindley was quoted as saying during her meeting with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi. Grindley said that Australia appreciates Lebanon's great efforts of hosting a big number of Syrian refugees, adding that Australia has also contributed 438 U.S. million dollars to support Syrian refugees since the start of the crisis in Syria. The Australian ambassador praised the great relations between Lebanon and Australia, saying that the presence of 400,000 Lebanese citizens in Australia contributed to the growth and development of her country. "There are numerous mutual visits and trips for Lebanese and Australian expatriates during holidays and in the summer," she added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 04:20:08|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Wang Zichen BRUSSELS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese technology firm Huawei unveiled its Cyber Security Transparency Centre in Brussels to public on Tuesday, allowing outsiders to access Huawei's source code remotely. ACCESS TO "CROWN JEWELS" The centre "will showcase Huawei's end-to-end cyber security practices," and "facilitate communication between Huawei and key stakeholders on cyber security strategies and end-to-end cyber security and privacy protection practices," the company said in a statement. Most crucially, the centre is open to customers and independent third-party testing organizations, Huawei said, where "they are invited to perform fair, objective, and independent security tests and verifications according to industry-recognized cyber security standards and best practices." Dozens of journalists from across Europe attended a guided tour of the centre in the morning. "These centres are equipped with dedicated testing environments, to provide customers and third parties with Huawei products, software, technical documents, testing tools, and necessary technical support," according to the statement. That includes access to Huawei's source code, or in the words of John Suffolk, Huawei's global cybersecurity and privacy officer, "our crown jewels." Huawei enables tests and verifications of similar sorts in other cyber security centers across the world, including in Britain, Germany, Canada's Toronto and its headquarter Shenzhen in China. CALLS FOR COMMON CYBERSECURITY STANDARD In a speech at the opening ceremony of the centre, Huawei's Deputy Chairman Ken Hu called for common cyber security standards. "As a whole, the industry lacks a unified set of technical standards for security, as well as systems for verification. This is complicated by globalization of the value chain. Digital products include components from many different countries, with many different standards, or no standards at all," Hu said. "There is an urgent need to invest in security standards and verification systems at the national level, as well as professional resources and skills," Hu said. Hu applauded the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a European Union law on digital data that came into effect last year, saying it "sets clear standards, defines responsibilities for all parties, and applies equally to all companies operating in Europe." "We believe that European regulators can also lead the way on similar mechanisms for cyber security," Hu said. Huawei is in support of - and believes "all stakeholders should get behind" - a voluntary security assurance scheme called NESAS(The Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme), Hu said. NESAS is jointly defined by 3GPP, which results from collaboration between groups of telecoms standard associations, and GSMA, a body representing global mobile operators. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 04:35:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIRUT, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Dutch Ambassador to Lebanon Jan Waltmans said Tuesday that his embassy in Lebanon is working hard on bolstering trade ties between the two countries. "Trade between the two countries last year was remarkable and we are working on succeeding on this front this year as well," Waltmans was quoted as saying by the National News Agency. Waltmans' remarks came during a ceremony held by the Lebanese-Dutch Business Association in honor of Telecom Minister Mohamad Choucair. Watlmans praised the new Lebanese government for its keenness on implementing serious economic reforms. "My country will help and support Lebanon in this area," he said. Meanwhile, Choucair said that the Netherlands is characterized for having great expertise in fields such as industry, technology, education, training and oil and gas. "We want to thank the Lebanese-Dutch Business Association for bringing this expertise into Lebanon in a bid to improve our productivity," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 04:45:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday he would cooperate with Congress' investigation into the Trump administration. "I will do everything to facilitate this investigation and there's nothing that I have to hide. So I want a swift conclusion to this whole thing as soon as possible," Spicer told Fox News. Spicer, who was the first White House press secretary under the Trump administration, also expressed his reservations about the probe initiated by the Democrat-controlled House Judiciary Committee. "Going back through the president's personal finances and history, you know, who knows how far, seems a bit of an expedition as opposed to enacting agenda that they put the American people to be elected to govern on," he said. Spicer was one of 81 individuals and entities that have been requested by the House panel to share information and documents on the Trump administration Monday. Others that were reached by the committee include President Donald Trump's sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The House Judiciary Committee is looking into matters regarding former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey, and the Trump tower meeting between the Trump campaign and a Russian lawyer prior to the 2016 elections. The White House blasted the Democrat effort late Monday, calling the investigation disgraceful and abusive. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 05:15:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Scott Gottlieb, head of the Food and Drug Administration, will leave service next month. "Scott Gottlieb, who has done an absolutely terrific job as Commissioner of the FDA, plans to leave government service sometime next month," Trump said, confirming previous news reports. "Scott has helped us to lower drug prices, get a record number of generic drugs approved and onto the market, and so many other things. He and his talents will be greatly missed!" Trump said. Gottlieb, 46, assumed office on May 11, 2017. He was known for taking a more pro-regulation position than many other members of the Trump administration. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 05:30:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump responded to lawmakers that he fully agrees on keeping U.S. forces in Syria, U.S. media reported on Tuesday. A bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives wrote to Trump on Feb. 22, praising his decision to keep a small group of troops in Syria as a stabilizing force. A copy of the letter obtained by NBC News showed that Trump highlighted a paragraph about the objectives of U.S. continued presence in Syria. "I agree 100%. ALL is being done," Trump wrote on the letter with his signature. The White House on Feb. 21 announced that the United States would leave about 200 troops in Syria after the planned pullout. Trump confirmed the next day that a small fraction of U.S. forces would remain in Syria with troops from other countries. Citing a senior administration official, the media later reported that the U.S. military would leave about 400 troops in two different regions of Syria. According to the official, half of them would join the multinational force of roughly 800 to 1,500 troops deployed in northeastern Syria to maintain a buffer between Turkey and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. The rest 200 troops would stay at its base in al-Tanf, near the Syrian border with Iraq and Jordan. General Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told the media last month that the United States would likely start to withdraw its troops from Syria in the coming weeks. Currently, there are about 2,000 U.S. troops deployed in Syria. Declaring victory over the Islamic State, Trump last December announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, leading to the resignation of then U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis. File Photo: U.S. soldiers surveil the area during a combined joint patrol in Manbij, Syria, Nov. 1, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS) WASHINGTON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump responded to lawmakers that he fully agrees on keeping U.S. forces in Syria, U.S. media reported on Tuesday. A bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives wrote to Trump on Feb. 22, praising his decision to keep a small group of troops in Syria as a stabilizing force. A copy of the letter obtained by NBC News showed that Trump highlighted a paragraph about the objectives of U.S. continued presence in Syria. "I agree 100%. ALL is being done," Trump wrote on the letter with his signature. The White House on Feb. 21 announced that the United States would leave about 200 troops in Syria after the planned pullout. Trump confirmed the next day that a small fraction of U.S. forces would remain in Syria with troops from other countries. Citing a senior administration official, the media later reported that the U.S. military would leave about 400 troops in two different regions of Syria. According to the official, half of them would join the multinational force of roughly 800 to 1,500 troops deployed in northeastern Syria to maintain a buffer between Turkey and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. The rest 200 troops would stay at its base in al-Tanf, near the Syrian border with Iraq and Jordan. General Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told the media last month that the United States would likely start to withdraw its troops from Syria in the coming weeks. Currently, there are about 2,000 U.S. troops deployed in Syria. Declaring victory over the Islamic State, Trump last December announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, leading to the resignation of then U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 06:10:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LONDON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A man has been arrested Tuesday on suspicion of terrorism offences as part of an investigation by the London Metropolitan Police (Met)'s Counter Terrorism Command. The 20-year-old man was arrested at an address in west London under section 41 (1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 and was taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody, said the Met. Officers are also carrying out a search at the address in west London and enquiries continue. The Scotland Yard said this arrest is not connected to the investigation into suspicious explosive packages received at three buildings in London earlier on Tuesday. The packages - all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags - have been assessed by specialist officers to be small improvised explosive devices. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 06:15:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close JERUSALEM/GAZA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli fighter jets struck on Tuesday night a Hamas military compound in Gaza after "explosive balloons" from the Palestinian enclave reached southern Israel, the Israeli army said. "Israel Defense Forces fighter jets and aircraft struck a number of terror targets in a Hamas military compound in the northern Gaza Strip," a military spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson said that the strike was carried out in response to balloons carrying explosive material launched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory earlier on Tuesday. The spokesperson warned that Israel holds Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian movement that runs Gaza, "accountable for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip and emanating from it." The spokesperson added that the military "views any attempt to harm Israeli civilians with great severity and will continue to operate with determination against these attacks." The Gaza Health Ministry said in a press statement that no injuries were reported in the Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip, adding that all Gaza Strip hospitals are ready to receive casualties if the Israeli airstrikes go on. Similar incidents occurred on Monday and Sunday, with the army attacking Hamas posts after helium-filled balloons with explosives or incendiary materials were sent toward southern Israel. Over the past months, Palestinians have occasionally sent balloons with incendiary materials or explosives amid protests and clashes along the fence between Gaza and Israel. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 01:19:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BRUSSELS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will hold its first meeting in Vienna on Wednesday since the establishment of the European Union's (EU) so-called special purpose vehicle designed to facilitate trade with Iran, the EU said on Tuesday. The meeting will be attended by China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran. Absent will be the United States, which endorsed the nuclear deal with Tehran during the Obama administration but withdrew from it under President Donald Trump in spite of the EU's repeated calls for it to remain in the deal. Since the U.S.' withdrawal last May, some other countries involved, including major European powers such as Germany, France and Britain, have tried to keep the deal alive. At the end of January, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Britain launched the special purpose vehicle (SPV) to secure trade with Iran and skirt the U.S.' anti-Iran sanctions after Washington pulled out of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. By launching the SPV mechanism, the three European countries reiterated "their resolute commitment and continued efforts to preserve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action". They also reaffirmed that "their efforts to preserve the economic provisions of the JCPOA are conditioned upon Iran's full implementation of its nuclear-related commitments, including full and timely cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)." The Iranian nuclear issue has long been a thorn in transatlantic relations, and the division between the two allies was looming large during February's Middle East conference in Warsaw. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, did not attend the Warsaw conference, which was co-organized by Poland and the U.S. and which has "widened divisions among EU member states," according to Robert Czulda, an assistant professor of Middle East studies at the University of Lodz in Poland. "The absence of high-ranking officials of the EU shows that the EU's policy towards Iran differs" from that of the U.S., Czulda told Xinhua in an interview in February. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-06 02:14:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close PARIS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Will French President Emmanuel Macron's recipe for a "European Renaissance" bode well? Can his project of a new Europe based on greater integration tread water on the nationalists' momentum ahead of a "decisive" EU ballot? In a newspaper column published in each of the 28 member states on Tuesday, Macron wrote: "Never since the Second World War has Europe been so essential. Yet never has Europe been in such danger." "In a few weeks' time, the European elections will be decisive for the future of our continent," he stressed, sounding the alarm bell on "nationalist retrenchment", which according to him "offers nothing." Instead, "I propose we build this renewal together around three ambitions: freedom, protection and progress," he wrote, pledging that "In this Europe, the peoples will really take back control of their future." WINNING SUPPORT FROM EUROPEAN LEADERS Macron's proposals were welcomed by some European leaders. Some others gave their polite support. "The renaissance of Europe must start now," European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted. "I agree with Emmanuel Macron. Do not allow external anti-European forces to influence our elections and decide on key priorities and new leadership of EU. All those who care about EU should cooperate during and after the EP elections," he said. German Justice Minister Katarina Barley thanked the French head of state for his European project. Barley is the German Social Democrats' top candidate in the European election. "Dear Emmanuel Macron, thank you for this initiative. We need to come together as Europeans and make Europe strong," Barley wrote in French on Twitter. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel expressed his support for Macron's "proposals for a new impetus for the European project." "This could mark the beginning of a serious European debate," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a statement. "In the details, of course, we have differences of views." The Hungarian government disagreed with Macron over immigration. Macron "believes immigration is good. We believe it is bad", the Hungarian government said in a statement. MIXED REACTIONS AT HOME In France, reactions to Macron's letter have been mixed. Speaking to the local broadcaster Europe 1, Richard Ferrand, president of the French National Assembly, hailed the initiative that aimed "to put Europe on the move". Macron "is embodying what France wants for Europe ... The populists want less Europe, we want a better Europe, that's the difference. We need ... more Europe in real life," he said. Macron's plan includes the creation of a "European Agency for the Protection of Democracies, which will provide each member state with European experts to protect their election process against cyber attacks and manipulation". He also proposes banning the funding of European political parties by foreign powers, and says that "we need to rethink the Schengen area" and create a "common border force and a European asylum office". In the letter, Macron calls on the EU to set a zero carbon target by 2050; introduce a minimum European wage; and ban in Europe businesses that "compromise our strategic interests and fundamental values". Furthermore, the French head of state calls on the European institutions and states to set up a "Conference for Europe" by year-end to propose all necessary changes to the bloc's political project. President Macron "speaks about protecting our continent. And he does not say anything about massive immigration? Nothing on Islamism? As always, we talk, difficult subjects are hidden and nothing changes," commented Laurent Wauquiez, head of the conservative Les Republicans party. In an interview with RMC radio, Sebastien Chenu, spokesman of the anti-Europe National Rally party, denounced the president's suggestion related to migration. He "is proposing that our migration policy should be decided in Brussels. For us, immigration control is fundamentally a national policy," he said. "With this project, Macron shows that he is a candidate of the Republic on the Move party (LREM) in the European election ... As president of the Republic, he should be above all that," he added. Fueled by the persistent migration crisis and economic woes, fears that such views could dominate the European Parliament election may challenge Macron's "European renaissance" proposal. According to public opinion polls, the French president's La Republique En Marche (LREM) party is back ahead of its far-right contenders in voting intentions. But a political earthquake triggered by unprecedented support for the nationalists remains on the cards. "Even if the surveys are not bad for the LREM, which is always projected in the lead, Emmanuel Macron still needs to reboot his speech. He must find a dynamic campaign and ... address all those who tomorrow could be his allies in the European Parliament," political analyst Olivier Bost said on RTL radio. Raed Arafat: In noaptea de Craciun si in cea de Revelion restaurantele nu se vor inchide Guvernul urmeaza sa prelungeasca astazi starea de alerta, incepand cu data de maine, si sa aprobe, eventual cu unele modificari, masurile propuse aseara de Comitetul National pentru Situatii de Urgenta. Este vorba, [citeste mai departe] JusMin Toader announces five amendments to OUG 7/2019 on justice laws Justice Minister Tudorel Toader announced at Victoria Palace five amendments to OUG 7/2019 on the laws of justice, including the repeal of the provisions of Article 54, paragraph 1, stating that "it goes back to the regulation before Ordinance 7, in the sense that only prosecutors can become high-ranking prosecutors, even though in their previous professional career they have also been judges, with a 15-year seniority in magistracy." "Listening to the arguments and counter-arguments, seeing the reactions at the level of the judiciary and partly in the civil society (...), the following Citeste articolul mai departe pe stiripesurse.ro Sursa articol: stiripesurse.ro Stiri pe aceeasi tema - Romanian fencer Ana-Maria Popescu, olympic vicechampion in Tokyo, announced, on Tuesday, her retirement from activity in a tearful video, mentioning she no longer has the motivation to continue after a 20-year career. In a video clip recorded immediately after winning the silver medal in the - The President of the Senate, Liberal leader Florin Citu, answered yes to a question regarding the possibility for the voting age to be lowered to 16, mentioning that an amendment of the Constitution in this sense would be a good thing, agerpres reports. "We see, for example, that in the EU the age - Regizoarea Penny Lane vorbeste despre cel mai recent film al ei, Listening to Kenny G, un documentar cu o structura atipica, transformat de participarea artistului deopotriva iubit si hulit, cel mai bine vandut instrumentist din toate timpurile, un personaj interesant pe care criticile nu l-au - Romanian prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into an organised crime group that stole roughly $2 million worth of diesel and other fuel from a U.S. military base in the eastern county of Constanta, police said in a statement on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Police and prosecutors from the - A three-judge panel of the Bucharest Court of Appeal decided on Wednesday to drop particularly serious consequences from the of abuse of office crime of which some of defendants in the Colectiv nightclub fire case, including former Bucharest District 4 Mayor Cristian Popescu-Piedone, are being charged - Zoltan Nagy-Bege, vice-president of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE), said on Tuesday that he expects the EU executive to recommend the elimination of two taxes from the electricity bill - the green certificate tax and the cogeneration bonus. "I have some reservations about - The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) is going to consultations at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace with a protocol for early elections and wants an independent prime minister, rejecting "any attempt to keep Florin Citu at Victoria Palace [of Government]", AUR co-chair, MP George Simion The number includes more than 5,000 students and professors from military-grade colleges Open source More than 130,000 police agents, National Guards and other law enforcers will be called for maintaining order during the presidential elections in Ukraine. The fighters are already training for the mission, the Interior Ministry's press office reports. 'That [the number] includes 69,230 law enforcers from the National Police, 8,133 from the State Border Guard, 7,688 fighters of the National Guard, 39,361 rescue team members, 1,857 workers of the State Migration Service and 5,276 people from the military-grade colleges', reads the message. Currently, all units train to act in the wide variety of possible emergency scenarios during the election process. These possible scenarios include chances of violations in the course of elections. Besides, agents of fire rescue service will be on duty on the election day, which is slated for March 31. The on-duty units will start working on the polling stations across Ukraine on March 21. That, in particular, includes seven oligarchs from Ukraine Open source Forbes magazine came up with the fresh list of the world's top billionaires. The paper includes names of the renowned businessmen, oligarchs, philanthropists and startup leaders. According to the outlet, there are seven businessmen from Ukraine on the list. The leader in this six is Rinat Akhmetov, the CEO of System Capital Management and the key investor of DTEK, the major energy enterprise. He is also a stakeholder in Metinvest Group, one of Ukraine's largest private companies. His wealth is estimated at the rate of six billion U.S. dollars. Kostyantyn Zhevago comes second, with 1.5 billion dollars on his assets in total. The CEO and the stakeholder of Ferrexpo mining company, he was a long-standing manager of Finance & Credit bank that went bankrupt in 2015. Yuriy Kosiuk chairs MHP, Ukraine's largest poultry producer. He owns 65 percent of all shares of this company, which trades in London. He is an experienced businessman who used to trade grain for a while after the fall of the USSR. According to Forbes, the fourth of the six richest men in Ukraine is Viktor Pinchuk, the son-in-law of ex-president Leonid Kuchma and CEO of Interpipe, the major producer of steel products. His assets are estimated at the level of USD 1.4 billion. Hennadiy Boholyubov comes fifth; the co-founder of Ukraine's largest bank, PrivatBank, he and his associate Igor Kolomoisky had their London-based assets (USD 2.5 billion) frozen due to the court decision in 2017. Ihor Kolomoisky follows Boholyubov in this list, with his assets estimated as 1.1 billion dollars in total. In 2015, Kolomoisky was forced to step down as the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region. Vadym Novynsky, the current member of Opposition Platform-For Life party, is the owner of Ukraine's Smart Holding Group. In 2007, he exchanged his metal companies for a 24-percent stake in Akhmetov's Metinvest Group. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko Open source Most Ukrainians are inured to stories of corruption, but a month before the countrys presidential election, a scandal has sparked outrage among even the most jaded. The son of a close business partner of President Petro Poroshenko is accused of selling smuggled Russian components to Ukrainian defense factories at wildly inflated prices. Poroshenko, who is running for re-election on a nationalist platform, frequently stresses that he has strengthened the military to increase the price Russian President Vladimir Putin would pay for further aggression. During Poroshenkos presidency, Ukraines defense and security spending has gone up sharply -- to $7.8 billion this year from about $3.3 billion in 2014. This year, about $630 million of that budget has been earmarked for weapons and military equipment. Support for the military is akin to a sacred duty for patriotic Ukrainians. Millions of ordinary citizens have chipped in to help the armed forces meet its needs, often by buying equipment that the government was slow to provide. Stealing from the war effort is seen as the most egregious crime. Thats why an investigation led by the prizewinning journalist Denys Bihus that aired on Ukrainian television Monday was such a bombshell. Citing an archive of documents and private messages from an anonymous leaker, the journalists described fraud by a group that allegedly included Ihor Gladkovsky, the 22-year-old son of Oleh Gladkovsky, a former close business partner of Poroshenkos who now serves as deputy head of Ukraines National Defense and Security Council. In this capacity, Gladkovsky senior has oversight of the Ukrainian defense industry. The Ukrainian and Russian defense industries cooperated closely before 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and backed a rebellion in eastern Ukraine with weapons and troops. Ukrainian officials have said theyd stopped component imports from Russia since then. Yet, according to Bihuss program, Ukrainian factories still needed Russian parts, and the group of young men smuggled them into Ukraine. Then, they doubled or tripled the asking prices and sold the components, often of poor quality, to factories, paying hefty kickbacks to managers. The TV program accused the state-owned Ukrainian armaments holding, Ukroboronprom, of complicity in a crime that cost many millions of dollars to the Ukrainian taxpayer. Even though theres no suggestion Poroshenko profited personally, his election rivals reacted harshly to the revelations. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko demanded that impeachment procedures be started against the president for treason a process that would be impossible to finish by election day. Populist Oleh Lyashko wrote on Facebook that if the allegations are true, Poroshenko should be shot. Volodymyr Zelensky, the comedian and election front-runner, posted an angry Facebook video. People who came to power on blood are making money off blood, he said. Well-known anti-corruption activists also demanded answers from Poroshenko. Instead, Ukrainians got a series of Poroshenko tweets listing his achievements in strengthening the army and the defense industry and a tweet from the presidential spokesman demanding on behalf of the president that law enforcement agencies look into the Bihus allegations. Gladkovsky senior also demanded an investigation and announced he was stepping down temporarily from the Defense and Security Council. Gladkovsky junior said the private messages implicating him were fake and threatened to sue the Bihus program. Ukroboronprom issued a statement accusing the journalists of manipulating information from an ongoing investigation. The presidents allies are trying to spin the component-smuggling story as a possible Russian fake. Why would Poroshenko, who gave millions to the military in 2014 and 2015, let his friends steal from that same pocket? Volodymyr Ariev, a pro-Poroshenko legislator, wrote on Facebook. Poroshenkos charity foundation reported providing 350 million hryvnias ($12.3 million at the exchange rate for the end of 2016) to the military in 2014 through 2016. Profits from the smuggling and overpricing operation reached an estimated 250 million hryvnias. But Arievs question would only be valid if Poroshenko himself had been accused of profiting from the scheme. Instead, hes accused of tolerating a system of pervasive corruption that helps him consolidate control of the country, much like other post-Soviet authoritarians. A continued war in the east and high defense spending provide great business opportunities in such a system. The war doesnt just get Poroshenkos government Western diplomatic support and financial aid: It also helps corrupt people on both sides of the border enrich themselves. Thats a conclusion that Poroshenko, who has made a tough stance against Russia a campaign mainstay, doesnt want voters to reach. Both Tymoshenko and Zelensky promise to be more flexible than the incumbent in trying to negotiate peace with Russia, and neither has friends allegedly profiting from the war. For them, the investigation is a gift; meanwhile, Bihus is promising to reveal another defense industry-related scandal in a week. The Ukrainian campaign is heating up, and even though he is pulling out all the stops he has just announced a pension increase starting in March Poroshenko shouldnt be expected to cruise to victory. Read the original text here. The Ukrainian parliament adopted several symbolic amendments to the Constitution, on February 7. The amendments, which President Petro Poroshenko signed into law on February 19, aim to make Ukraines strategic course toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union irreversible (Ukrinform.net, February 19). Poroshenko had personally submitted the draft law to the legislature on September 3, 2018. One key amendment removes Paragraph 14 of Section XV (Transitional Provisions) of the Constitution (Rada.gov.ua, September 3, 2018). This constitutional clause explicitly permits foreign countries to temporarily lease pre-existing military bases on Ukrainian territory for stationing their military personnel (UNIAN, November 22, 2018). Specifically, this provision legitimized Russias ongoing lease of its naval base in Sevastopol, Crimea, since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian government, under then-president Leonid Kuchma, had originally written in Paragraph 14, Section XV, as a concession to Moscow in 1997, while the two countries were negotiating the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership Between Ukraine and Russia. Last September, Poroshenko announced that his government would not voluntarily extend the Russian-Ukrainian friendship treaty, which is now set to expire on March 31, 2019 (UNIAN, September 19, 2018). According to Poroshenko, by repealing Paragraph 14, Section XV, Ukraine is preparing itself for any potential Russian legal challenges as to its claims to military bases in Crimea (particularly, the naval facilities in Sevastopol), once Kyiv retakes de facto control over the Russian-occupied peninsula (TSN, September 20, 2018). Other experts have proposed that the amendment aims to build up additional legal grounds for future litigation cases against Moscow in international courts (Segodnya.ua, September 20, 2018). But critics have argued that the amendment to remove the basing clause from the Constitution will have the unintended consequence of essentially enshrining a non-aligned status on Ukraine. They further alleged that the repeal of Paragraph 14, Section XV came about as some sort of geopolitical compromise between the West and Russia (RBC, February 8, 2019). Strikingly, Constitutional Court judge Mykola Melnik suggested that by eliminating this paragraph from the Constitution, Ukraine has inadvertently deprived itself of the only legal means to allow NATO-member countries to maintain longer-term presence on Ukrainian soil. Consequently, the recently adopted amendments de facto contradict each other and Ukraines national interests in the face of pervasive Russian aggression (Justice.org.ua, December 6, 2018). Similarly, former deputy of head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SSU) Viktor Trepak openly questioned why Paragraph 14 should be removed if, in its wording, it does not explicitly name Russia and could be reapplied to the countrys actual allies in the West. Repealing this clause without putting anything else in its place would require the parliament to undertake a whole new round of Constitutional changes that could legalize the possibility of hosting NATO militaries on Ukrainian soil in the future (Zaxid.net, September 6, 2018). In response to such criticism, the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Iryna Friz, publicly reassured that the repeal of Paragraph 14, Section XV, will not harm Ukraines aspirations to join the North Atlantic Alliance. She added that Articles 85 and 92 already provides sufficient legal justification for permitting the presence of foreign formations in Ukraine. The presence of foreign military units in Ukraine will be handled according to procedures regarding multinational exercises, with the approval of all terms by the Ukrainian parliament, she concluded (UNIAN, September 21, 2018). In an effort to address the legal uncertainties that were raised by the repeal of the temporary basing clause in the Constitution, the Ukrainian parliament passed, on February 26, a new law on the admission of units of the armed forces of foreign states onto the territory of Ukraine in 2019, to participate in this years series of planned multinational exercises. Over the course of 2019, these exercises will attract more than 14,000 military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and about 8,000 foreign participants. The exercises are set to include the joint Ukrainian-US Rapid Trident, the Ukrainian-US Sea Breeze, the Ukrainian-Romanian Riverine, the multinational Maple Arch, and the Ukrainian-British Vorir Votcher (Ukrinform.ua, February 26, 2019). Despite initial divisions among the political elite regarding the recently passed package of Constitutional amendments designed to reinforce Ukraines pro-Euro-Atlantic orientation, it was clearly adopted in response to the uncertainties surrounding who will win this years upcoming presidential and parliamentarian elections as well as ongoing nervousness about Russias continuing revanchist aggression. It is worth pointing out that Ukraine is highly unlikely to be able to join NATO as long as Vladimir Putin maintains power in the Kremlin. Moreover, Putin can be expected to try to more aggressively tackle the Ukrainian question in order to prop up his own flagging popular support at home. And if Moscow does, indeed, attempt to reignite the simmering war in Donbas, Kyiv will clearly need constitutionally unambiguous legal mechanisms already in place for potentially allowing foreign allied forces on Ukrainian soil for extended periods of time. Read the original text at The Jamestown Foundation. Open source Russia has asked the UN ombudswoman to protect the citizens of Crimea from the actions of the Ukrainian authority as TASS reported. Russian Ombudswoman Tatiana Moskalkova made such statement during the meeting with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. Moskalkova asked to protect the rights of the citizens of Crimea, who are persecuted by Ukraine, according to her. She states that Crimeans are literally hunted. If they come to the territory of Ukraine, they are often arrested and convicted, Moskalkova said. Besides, she noted that the ban for the entry to Ukraine for Russian males aged from 16 up to 60 is 'unprecedented'. A lot of them have joint families, jobs, it is so far from the definition of the civilizationThey became entangled in politics. It is unfair toward people, Moskalkova added. In her turn, Michelle Bachelet promised to figure out this situation. We will see what we can do. We have the mission in Ukraine, which manages the monitoring of the situation, Bachelet said. Crimea was annexed by Russia after the illegal referendum was held on the peninsula in March 2014. Earlier, the Russian military captured all strategic military objects and buildings of the key authoritative bodies. Neither Ukraine nor the rest of the civilized countries recognized the results of the referendum. A number of the European and the world countries, including Ukraine, imposed the economic sanctions against Russia. Last year, Ukraine banned the entry to its territory for the male citizens of Russia in the age from 16 up to 60, as President Petro Poroshenko proposed to tighten the rules of the registration in Ukraine for the Russians. The Organization's Secretary General Thomas Greminger urged the government to stay committed to the implementation of reforms in this country Open source OSCE endorses the draft law on advocacy in Ukraine (No.9055), estimating it as a 'progress' compared to the current legal frameworks in this specific area. OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger said that at a conference in Vienna; the event was focused on the key reforms in Ukraine, including the decentralization and judicial system. '... The offered bill is a step forward if compared with the current law on advocacy, which has been effective since 2012. And I urge the Ukrainian leadership to stay committed to the reform', Greminger said. Providing his evaluation of the reform of judiciary system in Ukraine, Greminger marked the fundamental changes on the legal level, as well as considerable replenishment of judges' line-up, thanks to the professionals coming from other jobs in the law and advocacy area. President Petro Poroshenko registered the draft law in the Ukrainian Parliament in September 2018. In December 2018, the respective committee recommended that the MPs support is as the basis for future law. Lyudmyla Denisova urged Tatyana Moskalkova to see to it that Pavlo Gryb has an urgent surgery, which is necessary in his current health condition Envoys for human rights Lyudmyla Denisova (Ukraine) and Tatyana Moskalkova (Russia) negotiated over the most burning issues of political prisoners in these respective countries. That, in particular, included the Ukrainian sailors arrested after the attack on Ukrainian Navy vessels in the Kerch Strait. According to the Ukrainian official, Moskalkova promised she would check the information about Crimean Tatar Edem Bekirov not getting the necessary medical assistance. When speaking about the current condition of Ukrainian Pavlo Gryb, Denisova asked her counterpart to see to it that Gryb has an urgent surgery. 'I noted that Volodymyr Dudka needed medical aid and the due detention conditions. Moskalkova promised to re-check the conditions and health conditions of his', Denisova wrote on Facebook. The Russian official also said that the wounded Ukrainian sailors Andriy Eider and Andriy Artemenko are being treated after the examination took place; the third wounded seaman Vasyl Soroka is undergoing the examination and expects a further surgery. 'We also discussed options of the exchange. I asked Moskalkova to pass the information to the respective authorities so that 25-on-25 exchange could be discussed', Denisova wrote. Previously, Moskalkova complained to her UN counterpart, saying Ukraine allegedly violated the rights of residents of Crimea. The politician will discuss elections and fighting corruption with officials in Kyiv David Hale, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs U.S. Embassy in Ukraine U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale will meet the senior Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on March 5-7, as the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine reported. In Kyiv March 5-7, the Under Secretary will meet with senior Ukrainian officials and political leaders to reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemn Russias continued aggression in Ukraine, including the November 25 Kerch attack. He will also discuss upcoming elections, anticorruption, and human rights issues with government officials and civil society leaders and will lay flowers at the Memorial to the Heavenly Hundred to honor those who gave their lives for freedom during the Revolution of Dignity, the message said. On March 4, Hale visited London. Syria, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Russia were the top issues of the meetings. David Hale will discuss the bilateral relation and return to the dialogue in Kosovo on March 8. Besides, he will talk about Russia and Chinas influence on Western Balkans. On March 9, Hale will meet the officials of Kosovo in Pristina to emphasize the historical possibility to reach the comprehensive normalization of the situation with Serbia and seek ways to settle the conflict. As we reported the technical mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will visit Ukraine on March 5-13. The incumbent head of the agency was busted with consulting suspects on evading criminal responsibility for corrupt actions; he cannot be trusted, - Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch Marie Yovanovitch, the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Open source U.S. Ambassador in Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch called on the Ukrainian authorities to fire Nazar Kholodnytsky who currently serves as the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor. The U.S. diplomat said that during her speech at Ukrainian Crisis Media Centre in Kyiv on Tuesday. 'The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor should be changed for the sake of the integrity of anti-corruption institutions. The one busted with consulting the suspects on evading responsibility under charges with corruption... he cannot be trusted with dealing with these particular cases', she said. At that, the Ambassador added that the investigation and court activities against the suspects should be taking place; if the guilt is proven, they should end up behind the bars, she said. 'For that to happen, all the elements of the anti-corruption architecture should be present, working effectively', Yovanovitch concluded. In March 2018, the Ukrainian media spread information about Kholodnytsky's office being wiretapped. Later, it appeared that the Prosecutor's General Office probed into his activities, using the devices of NABU, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. The two agencies had a suspicion that Kholodnytsky made the preliminary investigation's results public - on purpose. Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko asked the disciplinary committee to consider the option of firing Kholodnytsky. The committee, instead, merely reprimanded him. The Jewish communities were striving for it for dozens of years Pope Francis announced the decision to open the access to the materials concerning World War II times and the pontificate of Pope Pius XII as Voice of America reported. Usually, the Vatican opens access in 70 years after the end of the pontificate; however, in case of Pope Pius XII, who headed the Catholic Church in 1939-1958 and during the biggest part of the World War II, Pope Francis decided to open the archives for eight years earlier not waiting for 2028, the message said. The Jewish communities were striving for it during dozens of years. Some of the representatives accuse Pope Pius XII of avoiding to condemn of the Holocaust. The archives concerning the 19-years pontificate will be opened for the researchers in a year (from March 2, 2020). The Vatican defends the pontiff, insisting that he did everything possible by secret diplomacy. Pope Francis shares this position. He thinks that the critic of Pius is slightly prejudiced and exaggerated and expresses the confidence that serious and objective historical investigation will allow estimating rightly. Pope Francis added that he made such decision in a tranquil and confident state of mind and added that Pope Pius XII ruled the Church during the darkest and saddest times of 20s century. Earlier the Institute of National Remembrance of Poland got about 60,000 pages of the document on the Soviet repressions of the Poles in the 1930s in the result of the cooperation with the Ukrainian archives. Besides, the Archives Department of Stasi or State Security Service (the secret police of German Democratic Republic times connected with Russian KGB) found the identity card issued on the name of current Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev, this is possible under "certain conditions" Russian Prime Minister Medvedev TASS Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev said Russia would keep gas transit to Europe through Ukraine after 2019 under certain conditions, as the press office of Russias Government reported. We dont refuse from transit by the current pipelines. Neither Nord Stream 2, nor Turkish Stream provide such decisions concerning Ukraine or other countries, Medvedev said. According to him, gas transit through Ukraines gas transmission system might be preserved by settling relationships among the interested companies, profitable economic and commercial aspects of the deal, and stable political situation. Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda urged the German government to give up on Nord Stream 2 construction. He insisted that the new pipeline would breach the current energy balance, posing danger to the energy safety of some countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Russian president Putin claimed that the Russian Federation was ready to save the gas transit through Ukraine after the launch of the Nord Stream 2. Gazprom and its partners intended to begin the realization of the Nord Stream 2 project, which costs ten billion dollars. It is expected that the 1,200-km gas pipeline will be laid through the Baltic Sea, and will connect Russia and Germany bypassing Ukraine, Poland, and Baltic countries. The capacity of the gas pipeline will be twice increased compared to that of the first Nord Stream. The construction is estimated to be completed by the end of 2019. Ukraine is adamantly opposed to the construction by calling it politically motivated and suggesting the EU to create a consortium with the involvement of European companies to manage the existing more efficient transportation route through Ukraine. A number of EU countries have expressed their disagreement with the Nord Stream 2 project, in particular, Poland and Lithuania. This activity was documented by announcements which offer the apartments Apartments in Czech Republic leased by the Russian Embassy denikn.cz Russian Embassy in the Czech Republic was profiting from the lease of hundreds of apartments in Prague, provided by the Czech Government for Russian diplomats, as Denik N reported. The apartments belonged to the Czech Republic and were provided to the Russian Embassy for its diplomats for an indefinite period of time before the Communism collapsed in 1989. According to the news agency, apartments are leased without any contracts. Lease payments are made in cash directly to the Russian Embassy. As it was reported, this activity was documented by announcements, which offer the apartments. The news agency informs that such actions violate Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. As it was reported, 120,000 Ukrainians work in the Czech Republic legally. Open source The U.S. President Donald Trump ordered to prolong anti-Russian sanctions for the aggression in Ukraine for another year, as the press office of the White House reported. The actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation with respect to Ukraine undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets, the message reads. Therefore, the national emergency declared on March 6, 2014 and measures taken then, including those adopted on March 16, 20 and December 19, 2014 were prolonged for one more year to deal with this emergency. Besides, the measures imposed by Trumps Administration on September 20, 2018 were also extended. The actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation, including its purported annexation of Crimea and its use of force in Ukraine, continue to undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets, the press office informed. Related video: 2021 might become the last year of seasonal change of time in the EU The European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism approved the proposal to end seasonal change of time in the EU, as the website of the European Parliament reported. 23 MPs voted for, 11 against. Now, the European Parliament and EU member states will express their opinion in this regard. According to the draft report, 2021 might become the last year of seasonal change of time in the EU. The Transport Committee proposes that the clock change on the last Sunday in March 2021. Member states that prefer to keep their standard time, also known as winter time, could change the clocks for the last time on the last Sunday in October 2021, the message reads. Some issues in the transport sector regarding seasonal change of time remain unsettled. Next time the transport ministers of the EU member states will meet in June. As it was reported, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, stated that the EU intended to cancel transition to summer and winter time. Earlier Finland claimed to strive for the cancelation of the daylight saving time in the EU when 70, 000 Finish citizens signed a proper petition. Moreover, Estonia also supported the idea that the European Parliament should consider the issue of the cancelation of the switch to the standard and daylight saving time. The reason is the same, the negative influence on people's health. The first switch from the standard to daylight saving time took place in 1908 in the UK. It happened with the purpose of energy saving. At the moment, the switch to the standard and daylight saving time exists in 100 countries. The subject matter of the lawsuit is the protection of dignity and business reputation Igor Gladkovsky, son of the former First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleg Gladkovsky Open source The son of dismissed First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleg Gladkovsky Igor is suing the investigation journalists Denis Bihus and Lesya Ivanova. The relevant information was posted on the website of Kyiv Podol District Court. Denis Bihus, Lesya Ivanova and TOM 14 NGO are in the list of defendants. Judge Volodymyr Grebenyuk will consider the case. As we reported earlier, Kremlin commented on the scandal with smuggling of military equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The press secretary of the president of Russian Federation Dmitry Pesov claimed this to be absurd, as such equipment is under special control. February 25, journalist investigations Bihus.Info, Nashi Hroshi program alleged that Igor Gladkovsky, the son of close Poroshenko ally Oleh Gladkovsky, deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, organized a corruption scheme to smuggle spare military-equipment parts from Russia in 2015. State defense facilities purchased the smuggled spare parts from private companies linked to Hladkovsky and his friends at highly inflated prices. Ukroboronprom state concern, which supervises defense industry production facilities, knew the origin of the smuggled parts but agreed to purchase them. Igor Gladkovsky, along with Vitaliy Zhukov (former advisor of Ukroboronprom Director, the member of supervisory council of Meridian company till 2013, former assistant of Yuriy Tereshchenko, ex-Head of State Service of export control, Oleg Gladkovskys friend, - ed.) and Andriy Rogoza (CEO of Inter Steel Ltd., - ed.) were supplying smuggled Russian components and components from the Ukrainian military units through straw companies at prices 2-4 times higher than market ones. Ukrainian presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko has initiated impeachment proceedings against Poroshenko, as his Leninska Kuznia company was involved as a straw company. Ukroboronprom called the investigation of the journalists of Nashi Groshi (Our Money) show on the embezzlements by concerns officials manipulations. Related video: SAP Head Nazar Kholodnytsky stated he had a question concerning the presence of certain documents in the case material Ukraines Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (SAP) is finding out whether the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) was hiding documents required for the investigation of embezzlement in Ukroboronprom, as SAP Head Nazar Kholodnytsky commented for 112 Ukraine. I would like to have a report on the investigation of each proceeding, because as SAP Head, I have a question about the presence of certain documents in the case material which, according to the resources, NABU had two years ago and hidden it from the prosecutors for some reason. We are trying to find that out, he stated. As it was reported earlier, the investigators of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office detained the acting and former directors of the State Foreign Trade Enterprise SpetsTechnoExport on suspicion of embezzling $2,225 million, according to NABU. Kremlin commented on the scandal with smuggling of military equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The press secretary of the president of Russian Federation Dmitry Pesov claimed this to be absurd, as such equipment is under special control. February 25, journalist investigations Bihus.Info, Nashi Hroshi program alleged that Igor Gladkovsky, the son of close Poroshenko ally Oleh Gladkovsky, deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, organized a corruption scheme to smuggle spare military-equipment parts from Russia in 2015. State defense facilities purchased the smuggled spare parts from private companies linked to Hladkovsky and his friends at highly inflated prices. Ukroboronprom state concern, which supervises defense industry production facilities, knew the origin of the smuggled parts but agreed to purchase them. Related video: Ankle bracelet will be taken off the suspect, he will be able to leave Kherson Vladyslav Manger, the Head of Kherson Regional State Administration Open source Kyiv Shevchenkivsky District Court received an application for removal of the Head of Kherson Region Council Vladyslav Manger suspected in the murder of Kateryna Handziuk, as the press office of the court reported. An application for dismissal of Kherson Region Council Head Magner suspected in the commission of a crime provided by the article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on intentional homicide, the message says. It was noted that the court session for consideration of this appeal is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on March 5, 2019. As we reported earlier, Kateryna Handziuk was known for her activity in fighting corruption in the local government in Kherson. On November 4, it became known that she deceased at age of 34. She was doused with sulphuric acid in July 2018. According to preliminary information, her death was caused by blood clot's detachment, multiple organ failure, and chemical burns. In February, the investigation into Handziuk's death led to a possible organizer of the murder. The suspect is Vladyslav Manger, the head of Kherson regional council. On February 11, Manger was served with charge papers in Handziuks murder. In his turn, Manger said that he would not escape from the country due to suspicion of organizing the murder of Handziuk. The court ruled to arrest Manger until March 3 with the possibility of bail. However, later lawyer Dmitry Ilchenko has posted bail for his client. On February 19, Vladyslav Manger started to wear the digital bracelet. Related video: Ukraines defense state enterprise Ukroboronprom korrespondent.net Ukraines state group corporation Ukroboronprom claimed that another series of journalist investigation was a manifestation of biased journalism, as Ukroboronproms point of view was not published. There were no multiple price raises in purchase of devices for Antonov An-26 aircraft and the information published by the journalists is inaccurate without a full understanding of all nuances of customs value formation, according to Ukroboronprom. The state enterprise commented on another investigation of Bihus.info, which analyses the purchase of altimeters for An-26 and states that Ukroboronprom paid seven times over the price of devices. The information published by the program Nashi Hroshi uses manipulation and is a manifestation of biased journalism. The authors did not mention in the story the point of view of Ukroboronprom, which was provided to them in response to an inquiry. We stress that the information about the so-called seven-times price raise for An-26 devices is inaccurate, the enterprise claimed. It was noted that the contract with foreign customer provided for installation of altimeters on two planes, three devices in each of the two. According to the contract conditions, the devices were to be replaced with those produced after 2015. Ukrainian aviation enterprises to which group corporation turned, reported they did not have such altimeters. The only company that agreed to deliver these devices was An-Service Ltd. They were checked by Kyiv Aircraft Repair Plant 410 and representatives of the customer, Ukroboronprom said. The state enterprise added that there no other imports of altimeters made after 2014 to Ukraine were recorded and the issue of devices delivery to Ukraine is not commented because group corporations enterprises did not provide logistics services. At the same time, we stress that the journalists statement concerning the price of products is absolutely inaccurate without a full understanding of all nuances of customs value formation, the official message says. As it was reported earlier, the investigators of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office detained the acting and former directors of the State Foreign Trade Enterprise SpetsTechnoExport on suspicion of embezzling $2,225 million, according to NABU. Kremlin commented on the scandal with smuggling of military equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The press secretary of the president of Russian Federation Dmitry Pesov claimed this to be absurd, as such equipment is under special control. February 25, journalist investigations Bihus.Info, Nashi Hroshi program alleged that Igor Gladkovsky, the son of close Poroshenko ally Oleh Gladkovsky, deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, organized a corruption scheme to smuggle spare military-equipment parts from Russia in 2015. State defense facilities purchased the smuggled spare parts from private companies linked to Hladkovsky and his friends at highly inflated prices. Ukroboronprom state concern, which supervises defense industry production facilities, knew the origin of the smuggled parts but agreed to purchase them. London-based fintech startup Stable has launched a platform to help buyers and sellers of food mitigate price volatility. The platform is backed by $6 million in seed funding from fintech investor Anthemis, Syngenta Ventures, Swiss insurer Baloise, and Bermuda-based Ascot Underwriting. Price volatility is a major risk for producers, buyers, and insurers of agricultural products. Prices can swing by as much as 20% or 30% per year, making it difficult for farmers to manage and plan their businesses and for commodities investors to gauge investment decisions. Dairy farmers are a good example of a farmer group impacted by price volatility; record numbers of price-taking family farmers are leaving the industry with AHDB reporting 222 British dairy farmers left the industry in the last four months alone. Currently, large farmers and traders are able to minimize their risk for common crops, such as corn, wheat, and soy, with futures, which guarantee prices for a period of time. But less than 1% of the worlds farmers work on farms bigger than 250 acres, and most crops are not traded on exchanges. Stables mission is to fill a market gap for midsize farmers of the top 200 crops produced around the world, making it easier for them to insure their businesses against sudden changes in price. The platform acts as a marketplace for farmers to buy affordable volatility insurance for their products. Having access to this type of insurance not only helps farmers secure their income but also helps them de-risk their businesses, making other types of financing, like business loans, more accessible. Commodity buyers, meanwhile, use the platform to make trades in products that arent available on the large exchanges. The platform currently supports farmers and commodity traders in 15 countries, with its top three markets being the UK, Brazil, and Australia. The company is currently managing roughly 2 million ($2.6 million) in premiums, with average insurance contract sizes of about 3,000. Stables founder Richard Counsell says the platform is adding about 1,000 contract per month. With Stables seed funding, the company is eying both geographic expansion and launching industrial and energy products. A farmer understands Counsell, himself a farmer in southwest England, got the idea for Stable while working for a software company in Chicago. Counsell felt that agricultural commodities markets and financial products for farmers had become entirely too complex. I felt like the whole industry had forgotten its real farming roots, Counsell told AgFunderNews. From the farmers standpoint, he felt the language and tools used in financial markets didnt translate to farmers day to day business activities and concerns. If we forget everything else, and think about what do farmers need, it sure as hell wouldnt look like a Bloomberg screen. On the front end, Stable offers a simple interface for farmers to buy insurance to protect themselves against price swings for the food they produce. Farmers use the platform to get quotes and purchase policies based on the type, volume, and duration for a food commodity they want to protect. Premium levels vary based on the minimum and maximum commodity pricesknown as start and stop pricesfor which farmers choose to insure their goods. On the back end, these policies are underwritten against independent index prices, which reflect the average sales price for a particular good. Stable relies on commodity index prices from the U.K.s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). This type of insurance, known as index insurance, is intended to simplify policy and claims management because payouts are triggered automatically based on how commodity prices shift around a baseline index price. Index insurance policyholders can recoup lost costs more quickly and efficiently than most standard policies allow because they do not involve claims evaluators. In exchange, policyholders compromise somewhat on how much they are able to recoup. In Stables case, the payout threshold is capped at 50% of a given commodity price index, known as the stop price. If the index price for a ton of wheat, for example, is $100, Stables stop price would be $50, meaning the limit of a farmers protection would be $50 per ton. Farmers can choose the point at which they receive a payout, known as the start price, and can set that price at up to 90% of the index price. In the same wheat example, a farmer with a $90 start price per ton of wheat would get a payout if the price fell below $90, up to Stables stop price of $50 per ton. The lower a farmers start price, the lower his insurance premium, because a payout would be less likely. Having a stop price of 50% of the current index price limits the theoretical maximum losses for the underwriters, and therefore the premiums payable are more affordable. Stables stop-loss policy is designed to provide the maximum level of protection for the most affordable premium, the company notes on its website. Niche and diverse The other way it mitigates risk for underwriters is by spreading their exposure across a wide range of commodities and geographic areas. Counsell compares this approach to the traditional practice of mixed farming, where farms grew a range of crops throughout the year, which helped ensure that no single weather event or crop loss devastated a farmers earnings. If an underwriter insures 1,000 [units] of Australian barley and the price of barley drops, the underwriter will write down a lot of money, he explained. Here, insurers are taking pieces of risk from different geographies and crops. There is no correlation between Argentine beef and Norwegian salmon, and thats what our platform is built on. We love niche and diverse. Counsell says the only reason Stable can disrupt the risk management market this way is because of the advancement of data science and financial technology. The platforms launch is the result of three years of research and development, partnerships with three universities, in Lisbon, Cambridge, Mass., and Liverpool, England, and a lot of air miles that Counsell racked up traveling to meet with farmers in 15 countries. Doing something simple is incredibly complicated, Counsell joked. Investors backing Stable speak to the companys novel approach to helping agricultural businesses and capital risk takers quell variability, particularly in the the majority of markets worldwide where protection is not guaranteed, as it is for farmers in the U.S. under the federal governments crop insurance program. Stable is tackling a huge problem for a very crucial market in a way we have not seen before, said Ruth Foxe Blader, managing director of Stable investor Anthemis. Sitting at the intersection of agriculture, finance and technology, the team are disrupting a multi-trillion dollar industry to give stability where volatility clouds the market. Anthemis was an investor in The Climate Corporation, which sold to Monsanto for just under $1 billion in 2013 as agtechs first digital unicorn. Contracts bought on the platform are underwritten by global underwriters at Lloyds of London (pictured). Students have the opportunity to meet with advisors and representatives from these local institutions and more to hear about transferring to the learning facitility of choice. Are you looking to continue your studies toward a four-year degree? Do you know what the requirements are for entrance into New Mexicos colleges and universities? Have you explored all the options? Santa Fe Community Colleges advisors and Welcome and Advising Center can help you prepare for your next degree at the 2019 Spring College Transfer Day on Tuesday, March 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Main Hallway. Its free. Students will have the opportunity to meet with advisors from SFCC and representatives from these institutions, among others: Eastern New Mexico UniversityGrand Canyon UniversityInstitute of American Indian Arts New Mexico Highlands UniversityNew Mexico State University Northern Arizona UniversityNorthern New Mexico CollegeSanta Fe Higher Education CenterUniversity of New Mexico For more information, contact Melba Ramos, Academic Advisor at 505-428-1880 or melba.ramos@sfcc.edu. PLEASE NOTE! Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate! All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited! (One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!) French English Regulated information Gosselies, Belgium, 5 March 2019, 7am CET BONE THERAPEUTICS (Euronext Brussels and Paris: BOTHE), the bone cell therapy company addressing high unmet medical needs in orthopaedics and bone diseases, today announces an increase in the total number of voting rights and shares as a result of the issuance of new shares on 13 February 2019 following the conversion of convertible bonds issued on the private placement on 7 March 2018. The following information is published in accordance with Article 15 of the Belgian Law of 2 May 2007 on the publication of major shareholdings in issuers whose shares are admitted to trading on regulated market. Total amount of share capital on 9 January 2019 EUR 12,579,237 Total number of shares with voting rights on 9 January 2019 8,342,152 Total number of new shares issued on 13 February 2019 134,032 Total amount of share capital on 13 February 2019 EUR 12,781,625 Total number of shares with voting rights on 13 February 2019 8,476,184 (a) Total number of voting rights (denominator) on 13 February 2019 8,476,184 Total number of attributed warrants 167,300 Total number of convertible bonds outstanding 143 Total number of bond warrants outstanding 1,960 Total number of shares with voting rights that could be created following the exercise of the bond warrants, the conversion of the convertible bonds and the attributed warrants (1) 1,725,032 (b) Total number of diluted shares with voting rights 10,201,216 (=a+b) (1) Based on the conversion price of EUR 3.3751 (92% of the Volume-Weighted-Averaged-Price of Bone Therapeutics on 13 February 2019) About Bone Therapeutics Bone Therapeutics is a leading cell therapy company addressing high unmet needs in orthopaedics and bone diseases. Based in Gosselies, Belgium, the Company has a broad, diversified portfolio of bone cell therapy products in clinical development across a number of disease areas targeting markets with large unmet medical needs and limited innovation. Bone Therapeutics technology is based on a unique, proprietary approach to bone regeneration, which turns undifferentiated stem cells into bone-forming cells. These cells can be administered via a minimally invasive procedure, avoiding the need for invasive surgery. The Companys primary clinical focus is ALLOB, an allogeneic off-the-shelf cell therapy platform derived from stem cells of healthy donors, which is in Phase II studies for the treatment of delayed-union fractures and spinal fusion. In addition, the Company also has JTA-004, a viscosupplement in development for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Bone Therapeutics cell therapy products are manufactured to the highest GMP standards and are protected by a rich IP estate covering nine patent families. Further information is available at: www.bonetherapeutics.com. Contacts Bone Therapeutics SA Thomas Lienard, Chief Executive Officer Jean-Luc Vandebroek, Chief Financial Officer Gunther De Backer, Head of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Tel: +32 (0) 71 12 10 00 investorrelations@bonetherapeutics.com International Media Enquiries: Consilium Strategic Communications Marieke Vermeersch Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5701 bonetherapeutics@consilium-comms.com For French Media and Investor Enquiries: NewCap Investor Relations & Financial Communications Pierre Laurent, Louis-Victor Delouvrier and Nicolas Merigeau Tel: + 33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 bone@newcap.eu Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company or, as appropriate, the Company directors` current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person`s officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. English Italian NEWS RELEASE MDxHealth's SelectMDx Liquid Biopsy Test for Prostate Cancer Included in the 2019 Italian Society of Urology Guidelines A significant milestone to increase adoption of SelectMDx in Italy IRVINE, CA, and HERSTAL, BELGIUM - 07:00 CET, March 5, 2019 - MDxHealth SA (Euronext: MDXH.BR) today announces that SelectMDx liquid biopsy test for prostate cancer has been included in the 2019 Italian Society of Urology (SIU) guidelines. The SIU guidelines assist clinicians in making informed treatment decisions, taking into account the available scientific data. The inclusion of SelectMDx in the SIU guidelines will enable adoption of the test in Italy and contribute to the ongoing reimbursement process in that country. In Italy, c.100,000 prostate biopsies are performed annually, resulting in c.42,000 newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients per year. A recent cost-effectiveness study in Italian men with elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) compared the use of SelectMDx to stratify men for biopsy based on the likelihood of them harboring the aggressive form of prostate cancer with the current standard of care consisting of an initial prostate biopsy. In the study, SelectMDx demonstrated a cost saving of 762 per patient per year. On an annual basis the overall savings for Italy's healthcare system would be approximately 105million. These findings were published in the journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases. SelectMDx is available in the US and all EU member states and nearly 19,000 men were tested in 2018, an increase of over 60% compared to 2017. Dr. Angelo Porreca, MD, President of the Italian Association of Urologists in Private Hospitals (UrOP), Member of SIU, commented: "The addition of SelectMDx for prostate cancer in the 2019 Guidelines from the Italian Society of Urology demonstrates the value of the test in helping urologists make the right clinical decisions for patients, thus reducing unnecessary biopsies and/or stratifying patients that should undergo further examinations such as mpMRI " Prof. Dr. Ir. Wim Van Criekinge, Chief Scientific Officer of MDxHealth, commented: "The inclusion in the SIU guidelines is an important recognition of the clinical value of SelectMDx as a non-invasive method of identifying men at high risk of having the aggressive and potentially lethal form of prostate cancer, and men at low risk who can then forego a painful and unnecessary biopsy, preventing overdiagnosis and overtreatment." About SelectMDx for Prostate Cancer Of the nearly 2 million prostate biopsies performed each year, less than a third identify cancer. Most of these men could have avoided a painful and invasive prostate biopsy procedure, with its associated complications and costs. SelectMDx for Prostate Cancer is a proprietary urine-based, molecular diagnostic test that offers a non-invasive liquid biopsy method to assess a patient's risk for prostate cancer. SelectMDx helps identify men at increased risk of harboring aggressive, potentially lethal, prostate cancer who may benefit most from a prostate biopsy and earlier detection. The test delivers a negative predictive value (NPV) of 98% for clinically significant disease, helping to reduce the need for MRI procedures and invasive prostate biopsies by up to 50%, thereby reducing healthcare costs. The test has been included in the 2018 European Association of Urology (EAU) clinical guidelines. About MDxHealth MDxHealth is a multinational healthcare company that provides actionable molecular diagnostic information to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The company's tests are based on proprietary genetic, epigenetic (methylation) and other molecular technologies and assist physicians with the diagnosis of urologic cancers, prognosis of recurrence risk, and prediction of response to a specific therapy. The Company's European headquarters are in Herstal, Belgium, with laboratory operations in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and US headquarters and laboratory operations based in Irvine, California. For more information, visit mdxhealth.com and follow us on social media at: twitter.com/mdxhealth, facebook.com/mdxhealth and linkedin.com/company/mdxhealth. For more information: MDxHealth Mike McGarrity US: +1 949 812 6979 BE: +32 4 257 70 21 info@mdxhealth.com Consilium Strategic Communications David Daley, Chris Welsh, Jonathan Birt UK: +44 20 3709 5701 mdxhealth@consilium-comms.com This press release contains forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of MDxHealth and the market in which it operates. Such statements and estimates are based on assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable but may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict, may depend upon factors that are beyond the Company's control, and may turn out to be materially different. MDxHealth expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this release to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based unless required by law or regulation. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities or assets of MDxHealth in any jurisdiction. No securities of MDxHealth may be offered or sold within the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or in compliance with an exemption therefrom, and in accordance with any applicable U.S. securities laws. NOTE: The MDxHealth logo, MDxHealth, ConfirmMDx, SelectMDx, AssureMDx, PredictMDx and UrNCollect are trademarks or registered trademarks of MDxHealth SA. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Amsterdam, the Netherlands - 5 March 2019 - Intertrust N.V. ("Intertrust" or "Company") [Euronext: INTER], a leading global provider of expert administrative services to clients operating and investing in the international business environment, today announces that it is starting a partnership with Viteos Fund Services Ltd., a leading provider of financial services technology solutions. As part of the agreement, Intertrust has named Viteos as preferred provider to support the company's technological innovation. The partnership fits Intertrust's strategic priority to further develop its technology foundation to serve changing client needs. Stephanie Miller, CEO of Intertrust: "Innovative technology solutions developed by Viteos for similar industries are exactly what our clients are waiting for, offering a seamless and effective experience. While enabling our clients to grow their global business sustainably, they also want tailored solutions to operate efficiently, transparently and with full insight into relevant data. This is precisely what we will be doing in partnership with Viteos. "We're constantly enhancing our service offering to ensure that we deliver great value to our clients and technological innovation plays a crucial role in that. Not only do we optimise our service levels through smart use of technology, we also improve collaboration and achieve efficiency gains. The partnership with Viteos is another step of our strategy to become the leading tech-enabled corporate and fund solutions provider." Shankar Iyer, CEO of Viteos: "Building technology solutions is the DNA of VITEOS and our investment over the past decade attests our commitment to making a difference in a complex industry. Providing our technology to manage full fund administration and operations outsourcing will benefit Intertrust and its clients. We're delighted to partner with a company who is as focused on quality and innovation as we are." Investor and media contact Marieke Palstra marieke.palstra@intertrustgroup.com Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Tel: +31 20 577 1157 About Intertrust Intertrust is a global leader in providing expert administrative services to clients operating and investing in the international business environment. The Company has more than 2,500 employees across 41 offices and 29 jurisdictions in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the Middle-East. Intertrust has leading market positions in selected key financial markets, including the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Jersey and the Americas. Intertrust delivers high-quality, tailored corporate, fund, capital market and private wealth services to its clients, with a view to building long-term relationships. The Company works with global law firms and accountancy firms, multinational corporations, financial institutions, fund managers, high net worth individuals and family offices About Viteos Fund Services Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, Viteos Fund Services provides customized straight-through-processing and integrates post-trade operations across virtually every asset class, currency, border, or structure for the alternative investment management industry in the United States, Europe and Asia. It is a leader in shadow-accounting, middle-and back-office technology and services and licenses its platform to investment managers. English Dutch Amsterdam/'s-Hertogenbosch, 5 March 2019 In the period from 26 February 2019 until 4 March 2019 Van Lanschot Kempen has repurchased 21,937 of its own shares (depositary receipts for Class A ordinary shares). The shares were repurchased at an average price of 20.15 per share for a total amount of 442,106. These repurchases are part of the share buy-back programme for at most 370,000 of own shares, which was announced on 21 February 2019. The total number of shares repurchased to date is 28,952. More information, including a detailed overview of the repurchase transactions under this programme, is available on www.vanlanschotkempen.com/sharebuyback. Media Relations: +31 20 354 45 85; mediarelations@vanlanschotkempen.com Investor Relations: +31 20 354 45 90; investorrelations@vanlanschotkempen.com About Van Lanschot Kempen Van Lanschot Kempen, a wealth manager operating under the Van Lanschot, Evi and Kempen brand names, is active in Private Banking, Asset Management and Merchant Banking, with the aim of preserving and creating wealth for its clients. Van Lanschot Kempen, listed at Euronext Amsterdam, is the Netherlands' oldest independent financial services company with a history dating back to 1737. vanlanschotkempen.com Disclaimer This document does not constitute an offer or solicitation for the sale, purchase or acquisition in any other way of or subscription to any financial instrument and is not an opinion or a recommendation to perform or refrain from performing any action. This document is a translation of the Dutch original and is provided as a courtesy only. In the event of any disparities, the Dutch version will prevail. TORONTO, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Troilus Gold Corp. (TSX: TLG; OTCQB: CHXMF) (Troilus or the Company) announces that it has withdrawn its reclamation security deposit with the Government of Quebec totaling $3,972,976 in exchange for an underwritten bond from an insurance company. To purchase this insurance, Troilus has given a $1,589,190 deposit to the insurance company and will pay annual interest of 2.5% of the insured amount. The net impact of this is a cash injection of $2,383,786. Justin Reid, Chief Executive Officer of Troilus Gold Corp., commented, This transaction significantly strengthens our balance sheet and puts us in a better position to move ahead with our planned corporate and technical objectives. We are very excited about Troilus 2019 outlook. About Troilus Gold Corp. Troilus is a Toronto-based, Quebec focused, advanced stage exploration and early-development company focused on the mineral expansion and potential mine re-start of the former gold and copper Troilus mine. The 16,000-hectare Troilus property is located near Chibougamau, within the Frotet-Evans Greenstone Belt in Quebec, Canada. From 1996 to 2010, Inmet Mining Corporation operated the Troilus project as an open-pit mine, producing more than 2,000,000 ounces of gold and nearly 70,000 tonnes of copper. Qualified Person The technical and scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Blake Hylands, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Hylands is an employee of Troilus and is not independent of the company under National Instrument 43-101. For more information: Spyros Karellas Director, Global Communications +1 (416) 433-5696 spyros.karellas@troilusgold.com Cautionary statements Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of Mineral Resources will be converted to Mineral Reserves. Inferred Mineral Resources have a lower level of confidence that that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. Quantity and grades are estimates and are rounded to reflect the fact that the Mineral Resource Estimate is an approximation. For more information with respect to the key assumptions, parameters and risks associated with the mineral resource estimates discussed herein, see the Companys technical report entitled Technical Report on the Troilus Gold Copper Mine Mineral Resource Estimate, Quebec, Canada dated November 20, 2017 (the Technical Report) available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. This press release contains forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forwardlooking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding , the impact of the insurance bond and withdrawal of the reclamation deposit on the company and its outlook, the planned drill program and results on the Company, , the projected economics of the project, and the Companys understanding of the project; statements with respect to the development potential and timetable of the project; the estimation of mineral resources; realization of mineral resource estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future exploration; costs of future activities; capital and operating expenditures; success of exploration activities; government regulation of mining operations; and environmental risks and the receipt of any required regulatory approvals. Generally, forwardlooking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forwardlooking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Troilus to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forwardlooking information, including but not limited to: there being no assurance that the exploration program will result in expanded mineral resources; ;risks and uncertainties inherent to mineral resource estimates; receipt of necessary approvals; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages; environmental and other risks of the mining industry, including without limitation, risks and uncertainties discussed in the Technical Report and other continuous disclosure documents of the Company available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com . Although Troilus has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking information. Pitchblack and Troilus do not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Significantly Reduces Leverage and Improves Liquidity Position Increases Borrowing Base to $125MM Reduces Fully Diluted Share Count by Approximately 12MM Management to Review Financial Results, Provide an Operations Update and 2019 Outlook and Guidance on Conference Call Webcast at 11:00 a.m. ET on Friday, March 8, 2019 HOUSTON, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lilis Energy, Inc. (NYSE American: LLEX), an exploration and development company operating in the Permian Basin of West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico, announced that the Company has entered into definitive agreements for a transformational recapitalization of its balance sheet. In the transaction, which is expected to close later today, the Company will exchange its outstanding Second Lien Term Loan for a combination of preferred and common stock. Concurrent with the exchange and the regularly scheduled spring redetermination, Lilis increased the borrowing base under its revolving credit facility to $125MM. The Company has provided a presentation detailing the transaction on its website. Ronald D. Ormand, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, This transformative transaction, extinguishing the remainder of our Second Lien Term Loan, significantly reduces our leverage profile, simplifies our capital structure, and, in conjunction with our borrowing base increase, improves the liquidity of the Company. The transaction also removes all conversion features associated with the Second Lien, the Series C and Series D preferred stock and reduces the fully diluted share count by approximately 12MM shares. This transaction importantly removes any concerns over leverage and near-term debt maturities and allows both investors and the Company to focus on the continued, efficient development of our high-quality assets. The Company will have greater operational and financial flexibility to allow us to manage our return on capital and better match our capex program with cash flows and commodity prices. As a result, we will continue to move towards cash flow neutrality in the second half of 2019. Transaction Highlights: Significantly Reduces Leverage and Common Stock Dilution The exchange of Second Lien Term Loan for preferred and common stock dramatically reduces leverage Leverage reduced to ~2x proforma 2019 Decreases fully diluted share count by approximately 12MM shares Substantially Improves Liquidity and Cash Flow Increases borrowing base by approximately 16% to $125MM with room for future growth All preferred securities have PIK options, eliminating any near-term cash service Cash-flow neutral development program for 2019 should enhance liquidity and maintain lower leverage ratios Eliminates 2021 Maturity and Impact of Future Conversions Transaction eliminates the 2021 Second Lien maturity and extends RBL maturity to 2023 No scheduled principal repayments required until 2023 Eliminates conversion features associated with Second Lien, Series C and Series D preferred stock and reduces Series C redemption premium Simplifies the capital structure Transaction Summary Second Lien claim balance of approximately $133.6MM exchanged for: $60.0MM Series E Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock - 8.25% PIK interest; toggles to cash pay or increased PIK rate (9.25%) in 2021 at the option of the Company - $2.50/share Conversion Price - Optional redemption Ability to redeem when common stock trades at or above 150% of conversion price ($3.75) Optional redemption premium: Yr1 - 10%, Yr2 5%, 0% thereafter No redemption premium for a redemption in connection with a Change of Control - 8.25% PIK interest; toggles to cash pay or increased PIK rate (9.25%) in 2021 at the option of the Company - $2.50/share Conversion Price - Optional redemption Ability to redeem when common stock trades at or above 150% of conversion price ($3.75) Optional redemption premium: Yr1 - 10%, Yr2 5%, 0% thereafter No redemption premium for a redemption in connection with a Change of Control $55.0MM Series F Non-Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock - 9.0% PIK interest; toggles to cash pay or increased PIK rate (10.00%) in 2021 at the option of the Company - Optional redemption premium of 15% at anytime - 9.0% PIK interest; toggles to cash pay or increased PIK rate (10.00%) in 2021 at the option of the Company - Optional redemption premium of 15% at anytime Approximately $18.6MM balance paid in common stock at closing (approximately 9.9MM shares) Extinguishment of Series C and D preferred conversion features and voting rights: Extinguishment of all conversion features linked to Second Lien, Series C, and Series D preferred stock offset by issuance of new common shares and Series E dilutives - Fully diluted share count decreases by 9%, approximately 12MM - Fully diluted share count decreases by 9%, approximately 12MM 7.75MM new common shares issued in exchange for the extinguishment of convertible features (and associated voting rights) of the existing Series C and D Preferred Stock Series C redemption premium capped at 25%, resulting in potential savings up to $8MM Increased Borrowing Base to $125MM: Concurrent with the exchange and the regularly scheduled spring redetermination, Lilis increased its borrowing base to $125MM The credit facility is led by BMO Capital Markets Corp. and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc., as Joint Lead Arrangers; BMO Harris Bank, N.A. as Administrative Agent; SunTrust Bank as Syndication Agent; Capital One, N.A. as Documentation Agent, and Credit Suisse AG. Conference Call: Management will host a conference call on Friday, March 8, 2019 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time to review financial results and provide an update on corporate developments. Following managements formal remarks, there will be a question and answer session. Participants are asked to preregister for the call through the following link: http://dpregister.com/10129253. Please note that registered participants will receive their dial in number upon registration and will dial directly into the call without delay. Those without internet access or who are unable to pre-register may dial in by calling: 1-866-777-2509 (domestic), 1-412-317-5413 (international). All callers should dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and ask to be joined into the Lilis Energy Inc. call. The conference call will also be available through a live webcast, which can be accessed via the following link: https://services.choruscall.com/links/llex190308.html, which is also available through the companys website at: http://investors.lilisenergy.com/events-presentations. A webcast replay of the call will be available approximately one hour after the end of the call through June 8, 2019. The replay can be accessed through the above links. About Lilis Energy, Inc. Lilis Energy, Inc. is a Houston-based independent oil and gas exploration and production company that operates in the Permians Delaware Basin, considered amongst the leading resource plays in North America. Lilis current total net acreage in the Permian Basin is over 20,000 acres. Lilis Energy's near-term focus is to grow current reserves and production and pursue strategic acquisitions in its core areas. For more information, please visit www.lilisenergy.com. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These risks include, but are not limited to, our ability to replicate the results described in this release for future wells; the ability to finance our continued exploration, drilling operations and working capital needs; all the other uncertainties, costs and risks involved in exploration and development activities; and the other risks identified in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements regarding expected production levels are based upon our estimates of the successful completion of drilled wells on schedule. Actual sales production rates from our wells can vary considerably from tested initial production (IP) rates and are subject to natural decline rates over the life of the well. Contact: Wobbe Ploegsma V.P. Capital Markets & Investor Relations 210-999-5400, ext. 31 CHICAGO, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) will host an Investor Day on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 in New York City. The event, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) and is expected to conclude at approximately 4:00 p.m. ET, will feature a series of presentations and product demonstrations from executive management, segment presidents and a number of other TransUnion leaders. Presentation materials and a live webcast can be accessed on the TransUnion Investor Relations website at http://www.transunion.com/tru . A webcast replay will also be accessible following the event. About TransUnion TransUnion is a leading global risk and information solutions provider to businesses and consumers. The company provides consumer reports, risk scores, analytical services and decisioning capabilities to businesses. Businesses embed its solutions into their process workflows to acquire new customers, assess consumer ability to pay for services, identify cross-selling opportunities, measure and manage debt portfolio risk, collect debt, verify consumer identities and investigate potential fraud. Consumers use its solutions to view their credit profiles and access analytical tools that help them understand and manage their personal information and take precautions against identity theft. www.transunion.com DORADO, Puerto Rico, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GSRX Industries Inc. (OTCQB: GSRX) (GSRX or the Company) announced today that, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Project 1493 LLC, the Company has completed construction of its sixth Green Spirit RX medicinal cannabis dispensary in Puerto Rico. Located in the Isla Verde District of Carolina, this is the newest location for which the Company has received pre-qualification for a dispensary license from the Department of Health of Puerto Rico. Operations at the Isla Verde location will commence following final inspection and receipt of the requisite operating permit from the DHPR. Currently, there are five Green Spirit RX medicinal cannabis dispensaries open in Puerto Rico, with locations in Dorado, Carolina, Fajardo, Andalucia and San Juans Hato Rey neighborhood. The Company has additional locations currently under development/construction in Guaynabo, Bayamon and Old San Juan. Green Spirits newest Green Spirit RX dispensary is located at 1060 Av. Isla Verde, Carolina, Puerto Rico 00913. Isla Verde is one of the most popular beach vacation destinations in the metro San Juan area and attracts both leisure and business travelers. It is home to some of the islands most luxurious beachfront hotels, and Isla Verde Beach was voted the Best Urban Beach 2016 by USA Travel readers. Isla Verde is located within minutes of San Juans Luis Munoz Marin International Airport and boasts an active nightlife scene, with casinos, dance clubs and elegant lounges. Like the Companys other locations throughout Puerto Rico, the Isla Verde Green Spirit RX dispensary will offer patients an extensive selection of medicinal cannabis. Importantly, the island's cannabis law includes a reciprocity policy that allows dispensaries to serve patients who are visiting for business or pleasure and who hold a medical cannabis card from their home state. GSRX recently announced that it has adjusted its 1st quarter guidance upwards, citing stronger than anticipated sales across the Companys dispensaries ( GSRX Raises First Quarter Guidance ). About GSRX Industries Inc. GSRX Industries Inc. (OTCQB: GSRX), through its subsidiaries, is in the business of acquiring, developing and operating retail cannabis dispensaries, and is in the process of expanding its business to include the cultivation, extraction, manufacture and delivery of cannabis and cannabinoid products. Currently, GSRX operates five cannabis dispensaries in Puerto Rico under the name Green Spirit RX, one dispensary in California under the name The Green Room, and has five additional pre-qualified locations in Puerto Rico, all of which are in various phases of development and construction. GSRX also owns and operates the e-commerce site GetPureAndNatural.com, which offers a broad range of pharmaceutical grade CBD products. Websites: Green Spirit RX https://www.greenspiritrx.com/ Spirulinex https://www.spirulinex.com Get Pure and Natural GetPureandNatural.com Instagram: Spirulinex https://www.instagram.com/spirulinex/ The Green Room https://www.instagram.com/greenroommendo/ Facebook: Green Spirit RX (Puerto Rico) https://www.facebook.com/Green-Spirit-Rx-746194692378429/ Spirulinex https://www.facebook.com/spirulinex/ The Green Room https://www.facebook.com/greenroommendo/ Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such statements include statements regarding our expectations, hopes, beliefs or intentions regarding the future, including but not limited to statements regarding our market, strategy, competition, development plans (including acquisitions and expansion), financing, anticipated revenues, operations, and compliance with applicable laws. Forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those discussed in any such statement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include the risks described in greater detail in the following paragraphs. All forward-looking statements in this document are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement except where applicable law requires us to update these statements. Market data used throughout this prospectus is based on published third party reports or the good faith estimates of management, which estimates are based upon their review of internal surveys, independent industry publications and other publicly available information. - Big4Bio:Philly to Recap Life Science Developments in the Greater Philadelphia Region; To Launch During BIO International Convention in Philadelphia in June - All Big3Bio Regional Sites of Boston, SFBay, San Diego to Come Together Into New Big4Bio.com Website With Philadelphia to Be Included SAN FRANCISCO, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BigBio Communications is proud to announce the upcoming expansion and rebranding of its biotech news aggregator service, Big3Bio, to Big4Bio ( Big4Bio.com ). Big4Bio will become the industrys leading daily aggregator of news and developments for four of the top life science clusters in the world: The Greater Boston area, the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Diego region, and with the upcoming launch of Big4Bio:Philly, the Greater Philadelphia region. With the support of its sponsors and partners, Big4Bio:Philly is set to debut during the BIO International Convention being held in Philadelphia, June 3-6, 2019. BigBio Communications will have several Big4Bio launch activities during the week, including an invitation-only event for Big4Bio region-based CEOs. "Big4Bio's launch in greater Philadelphia underscores the biotech industry's tremendous value to patients and the economy," said Topper Ray, president of communications at Bravo Group, a premier sponsor of Big4Bio:Philly. "Bravo Group is pleased to be part of this robust community and looks forward to working with Big4Bio and its partners to advance the industry in greater Philadelphia." Upon launch, all Big3Bio regional websites ( Boston , SFBay , and San Diego ) will come together into the new Big4Bio.com website, with Philadelphia included. The free Big4Bio:Philly newsletter will join the other award-winning regional newsletters in providing unrivaled daily coverage about industry developments in its area, which will include industry developments in the region, which will cover southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware. We believe the Big4Bio newsletter will be an opportunity to showcase the wealth of innovation coming from life sciences companies and our research institutions in Greater Philadelphia, said Barbara Schilberg, CEO of BioAdvance, a founding sponsor of Big4Bio:Philly. We expect it to lead to increased exposure outside of the region as well as increased growth and connectivity within the community. For each region, Big4Bio offers: Free daily newsletter with links to the latest industry press releases and media coverage in each region Calendar of events, including event recaps Sponsored profiles on innovative companies, people, technologies and organizations Financials section for every type of stakeholder or company Social media channels that share additional biocluster information and help build a more collaborative community Ultimately, the goal of Big4Bio is to be a required daily resource for everyone involved in the life sciences, especially individuals within these regions, said Tilton Little, executive director of Big3Bio. We look forward to updating industry professionals about the developments in these dynamic biohubs. To learn more and sign-up early for the Big4Bio:Philly newsletter, go to Big4Bio.com. For more information about the Big4Bio launch event and activities, contact us at info@bigcom.bio . About BigBio Communications BigBio Communications is a global independent communications company and the publisher of Big3Bio, the leading aggregator service for the top three life science hubs in the world: Boston, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Big3Bios newsletters and additional channels provide complete, daily coverage of the news, events, jobs, and developments in these regions to the industrys top professionals and executives. More information is available at www.bigcom.bio . Subscribe to the Big3Bio newsletters at www.big3bio.com . Contact: Robert Slocumb info@bigcom.bio WALTHAM, Mass., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TESARO, an oncology-focused business within GSK, today announced that data for dostarlimab (anti-PD-1 antibody, formerly TSR-042) and Zejula (niraparib) will be presented at the 2019 Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Womens Cancer being held March 16-19 in Honolulu, Hawaii. At this years SGO meeting, data will be presented from the GARNET trial of dostarlimab in recurrent endometrial cancer patients, including patients with recurrent MSS endometrial cancer, for which limited treatment options exist today, said Mary Lynne Hedley, Ph.D., President and COO of TESARO. We are on track to submit a BLA for dostarlimab by the end of the year. Data will also be presented from several studies of Zejula in patients with ovarian cancer, including safety data from the fully enrolled Phase 3 PRIMA study of Zejula as a first-line maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer regardless of BRCA status. Please plan to visit TESARO at Booth #207 for information on the expanded development program for Zejula, dostarlimab and our broader pipeline. Oral Presentations Information (all times local): Dostarlimab (TSR-042) Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 7:45 AM to 9:00 AM Preliminary safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic characterization from GARNET, a phase I/II clinical trial of the antiPD-1 monoclonal antibody, TSR-042, in patients with recurrent or advanced MSI-H and MSS endometrial cancer (EC) Oral in the Scientific Plenary VI, Abstract: 33, Location: Kamehameha 3 Zejula (niraparib) Saturday, March 16, 2019, 6:45 AM to 7:45 AM Time without symptoms or toxicity in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer receiving niraparib maintenance treatment versus placebo: A TWIST analysis of the ENGOT-OV16/NOVA trial Oral in the Scientific Plenary I, Abstract: 1, Location: Kamehameha 3 Saturday, March 16, 2019, 6:45 AM to 7:45 AM Baseline platelet count and body weight as predictors of early dose modification in the QUADRA trial of niraparib monotherapy for the treatment of heavily pretreated (4th line), advanced, recurrent high-grade serous ovarian cancer (OC) Oral in the Scientific Plenary I, Abstract: 2, Location: Kamehameha 3 Saturday, March 16, 2019, 6:45 AM to 7:45 AM A prospective evaluation of tolerability of niraparib dosing based upon baseline body weight and platelet count: Blinded pooled interim safety data from the ENGOT-OV26/PRIMA study Oral in the Scientific Plenary I, Abstract: 3, Location: Kamehameha 3 Niraparib is marketed in the United States and Europe under trade name Zejula. About Zejula (niraparib) Zejula (niraparib) is a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) 1/2 inhibitor indicated for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. In preclinical studies, Zejula concentrates in the tumour relative to plasma, delivering greater than 90% durable inhibition of PARP 1/2 and a persistent antitumour effect. Myelodysplastic Syndrome/Acute Myeloid Leukemia (MDS/AML), including some fatal cases, was reported in patients treated with Zejula. Discontinue Zejula if MDS/AML is confirmed. Hematologic adverse reactions (thrombocytopenia, anemia and neutropenia), as well as cardiovascular effects (hypertension and hypertensive crisis) have been reported in patients treated with Zejula. Monitor complete blood counts to detect hematologic adverse reactions, as well as to detect cardiovascular disorders, during treatment. Zejula can cause fetal harm and females of reproductive potential should use effective contraception. Please see full prescribing information, including additional important safety information, available at www.zejula.com . About GARNET The ongoing Phase I/II GARNET trial is evaluating dostarlimab as monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors. GARNET included a weight-based dose escalation study (Part 1) and a fixed-dose safety study (Part 2A), both of which have been completed. Results of these studies were used to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D; 500 mg Q3W for the first 4 cycles then 1000 mg Q6W). Part 2B of the study includes four large expansion cohorts: MSI-H endometrial cancer, MSI-H non-endometrial cancer, MSS endometrial cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). About dostarlimab Dostarlimab (TSR-042) is an investigational humanized anti-programmed death (PD)-1 monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to the PD-1 receptor and effectively blocks its interaction with the ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. Dostarlimab is the only anti-PD-1 therapy administered as monotherapy every 3 weeks for 4 doses then every 6 weeks thereafter. Dostarlimab was developed as part of the collaboration between TESARO and AnaptysBio, Inc. This collaboration was initiated in March of 2014, and is focused on the development of monospecific antibody drugs targeting PD-1, TIM-3 (TSR-022), and LAG-3 (TSR-033), in addition to a bi-specific antibody drug candidate targeting PD-1/LAG-3 (TSR-075). About TESARO TESARO is an oncology-focused business within GSK, devoted to providing transformative therapies to people facing cancer. For more information, visit www.tesarobio.com , and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn . Media Contact: Kristin Ainsworth Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Advocacy, PR & Communications +1.781.786.7007 or kainsworth@tesarobio.com SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inphi Corporation (NYSE: IPHI), a leader in high-speed data movement interconnects, today announced that its 16nm 400Gbps Porrima Single-Lambda Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM4) platform was recognized as a winner in the 2019 Lightwave Innovation Reviews program in the Communications Semiconductors and Electrical ICs category. The company will be showcasing the platform at its booth #4013 at OFC 2019 in San Diego, March 4-7, 2019. Inphis Porrima platform solution represents the industrys first sampling platform that is based on multiple generations of field-proven PAM4 DSP technology, Linear TIA and Driver for up to 400G client optical modules. The Porrima PAM4 Platform is focused on 400GbE cloud networks and offers a fast time to market that spans EML, DML and Silicon Photonics based optical front ends for the upcoming 12.8T switch generation. The 4.5 score Inphis Porrima received was well earned, said Stephen Hardy, editorial director of Lightwave and program manager of the Lightwave Innovation Reviews. Our judges noted Porrimas performance and the significance of enabling single-lambda 100G in their comments. Inphi is elated to accept this award three years running for our PAM4 DSP platform innovation for wired network infrastructure, including hyperscale cloud data center, service provider and enterprise networks, said Xi Wang, director of product marketing, Networking Interconnect at Inphi. We are consistently redefining the possibilities of data centers and are proud that both Lightwave reviews and our customers agree that our 400G Porrima platform is the first complete 56GBaud platform solution that delivers unprecedented performance and power efficiency for the upcoming 12.8T switch generation. The Lightwave Innovation Reviews is in its fourth year of recognizing and celebrating the industry's most unique products and solutions that help optical communications professionals worldwide drive improvements and innovation in optical technology. Executives at Ciena, Intel, Lumentum, LightCounting Market Research, and Adva were among the third-party judges for the 2019 Innovation Reviews. Criteria used in the Innovation Reviews rankings include, first and foremost, unique technology or application thereof, innovation, ease of use, efficiency, reliability and contribution to profitability. Key attributes and benefits of the 400Gbps Porrima PAM4 platform: Low power consumption for next generation module applications, enabling <10W DR4/FR4 optical modules per IEEE standards and MSA Enables DR1/FR1 optical modules for legacy 3.2/6.4T switches while offering an upgrade path for 12.8T switches Optimally designed DSP and TIA receive chain for power-performance trade-offs Enables customers to develop a 400Gbps optical interconnects in a compact form factor for applications with up to 10km The supporting IN563x Linear Driver and IN566x Linear TIA provide packaging flexibility for excellent linearity, high bandwidth, adjustable gain to optimize the PAM4 system performances and wide dynamic range to meet the different performance and link requirements for optical applications Implemented in small form factor and power efficiency on proven, high-volume 16nm process technology node, ensuring fastest time to production Porrima 16nm Product Family: Porrima PAM4 DSP IC provides a full bi-directional interface with host ASICs that have 28GBaud PAM4and NRZ electrical interfaces while bridging to 56GBaud optics. The product family can support PAM4 or NRZ signaling, and both Retiming and Gearbox functionality with packaging specifically designed for the following optics modules: Porrima 400G 8x56Gbps PAM4 <-> 4x100Gbps PAM4 for QSFP-DD/oSFP/COBO Porrima 100G 4x25Gbps NRZ <-> 1x100Gbps PAM4 for QSFP Porrima 100G- 2x50Gbps PAM4 <-> 1x100Gbps PAM4 for QSFP/uQSFP/SFP-DD Additional Porrima technical features include: Fifth generation InphiNity DSP Engine with a unique mixed-mode DSP architecture for high performance, low power applications needing adaptability and configurability Numerous self-test and loopback modes that allow diagnostic monitoring of channel and system parameters Modular API software suite that covers link margin and stress testing along with data and error analytics Forward error correction (FEC) functionality for 100G and 400G optics are integrated IN563x Linear Driver Product Family: The IN5630DE/IN5634SE is a 56GBaud low power single/quad linear driver for PAM4 optical modules. Features include: Excellent linearity, high bandwidth, adjustable gain to optimize the PAM4 system performances Low-power modulator driver in small package or in bare die form IN566x Linear TIA: The IN5661TA/5664TA is a 56GBaud low power single/quad linear TIA for PAM4 optical modules. Features include: Wide dynamic range to meet the different performance and link requirements for optical applications Excellent signal integrity necessary for PAM4 modulation schemes Low-power and small form factor About Lightwave For more than 30 years, Lightwave ( www.lightwaveonline.com ) has delivered trusted technical, application and business insights to senior-level decision makers for optical communications worldwide. Lightwave serves technology vendors, communications carriers and major enterprises with a complete and nuanced picture of the optical communications business environment. Lightwave is a valued information source for information related to FTTx, networking, equipment design, MSO optics, and test and measurement for corporate executives, department heads, project managers, network engineers and others making strategic decisions that are critical to the success of their businesses. Lightwave is a unit of PennWell Corporation. About Inphi Inphi Corporation is a leader in high-speed data movement interconnects. We move big data - fast, throughout the globe, between data centers, and inside data centers. Inphi's expertise in signal integrity results in reliable data delivery, at high speeds, over a variety of distances. As data volumes ramp exponentially due to video streaming, social media, cloud-based services, and wireless infrastructure, the need for speed has never been greater. That's where we come in. Customers rely on Inphi's solutions to develop and build out the Service Provider and Cloud infrastructures, and data centers of tomorrow. To learn more about Inphi, visit www.inphi.com. Inphi, the Inphi logo and Think fast are registered trademarks of Inphi Corporation. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. Corporate Contact: Kim Markle Inphi Corporation kmarkle@inphi.com SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OFC 2019 -- Inphi Corporation (NYSE: IPHI), a leader in high-speed data movement interconnects, and Innovium, Inc., a leading provider of networking switch solutions for data centers, today announced a range of industry-leading 100G-400G data center solutions from OEMs, ODMs and optics module vendors to meet bandwidth demand growth. These solutions include Innoviums TERALYNX 12.8Tbps low-latency programmable switch, Inphis 400Gbps Porrima Single-Lambda Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM4) platform and Inphis PAM4 Vega Gearbox and Retimer. The companies will hold multiple technology demonstrations at partner booths at the Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) Conference and Exhibition, to be held March 4-7, 2019 at the San Diego, CA Convention Center. Inphi and Innoviums interoperable data center solutions meet the demanding needs of data center customers. The solutions include: 128 x QSFP28 100GbE switch system with Innoviums TERALYNX switch and Inphis Vega Gearbox to offer the highest radix fixed switch using existing NRZ based copper and optics ecosystem. This system dramatically reduces complexity, power, latency and cost compared to existing solutions that use multiple 3.2Tbps or 6.4Tbps switch chips. 32 x QSFP-DD 400GbE switch system with Innoviums TERALYNX switch and Inphis Vega Retimer to drive long reach DAC and optics. Optics modules using Inphis Porrima PAM4 platform inserted into Innovium TERALYNX based switch systems to deliver highly power efficient, cost-effective and high performance 100-400GbE connectivity. Innovium TERALYNX offers 12.8 Terabits/sec throughput, while delivering line-rate programmability, large on-chip buffers, breakthrough telemetry, and low-latency. TERALYNX supports 10GbE to 400GbE Ethernet and delivers 128 ports of 100GbE, 64 ports of 200GbE or 32 ports of 400GbE in a single device. Innoviums TERALYNX enables customers to future-proof programmable switching technology with robust tunneling, low latency, power efficiency, and advanced analytics/telemetry, that are essential for scaling next-generation data centers. Large scale data center customers are looking forward to rapidly adopt 12.8Tbps switches with 100G to 400G connectivity to reduce cost, power, latency, and complexity, while expanding network capacity and radix, said Amit Sanyal, VP of Product Management and Marketing at Innovium. Innovium is excited to see systems companies build multiple 100G to 400G switches with Innovium TERALYNX and Inphi Vega Gearbox and Retimers, connected to optics modules built with Inphi Porrima to achieve those goals. Inphis Porrima represents the industrys first sampling platform solution that includes field-proven PAM4 DSP technology, Linear TIA and Driver for up to 400G client optical modules. The Porrima platform also supports a wide range of 25/50/100/400Gbps optical interconnects for hyperscale cloud data center, service provider and enterprise network. Leveraging multiple generations of DSP development, Inphi has developed an optical platform expertise and an API-based DSP software suite that achieves quick time-to-market with the right trade-offs in power and performance for data center optical interconnects. Inphis Vega is a family of market leading, multi-rate low power 50/100/200/400G PAM4 Gearbox and Retimer DSPs for system line cards. The PAM4 Gearbox and Retimers support next generation QSFP, QSFP-DD, OSFP and CFP8 optical modules and serve as the external device needed to drive the channels in the retimer applications or as a gearbox in rate-mismatched applications on highly dense system line cards. As a pioneer in PAM4 based solutions, Inphi has a range of power efficient PAM4 DSP solutions to enable the next-generation of network infrastructure, said Scott Feller, AVP Product Marketing, Networking Interconnect at Inphi. Inphis low power, high bandwidth, and high density solutions working with Innoviums industry leading TERALYNX, will enable the build out of hyperscale data center and cloud networks. About Innovium Innovium is a leading provider of high performance, innovative switching silicon solutions for data centers. Innovium TERALYNX family delivers software compatible products ranging from 3.2Tbps to 12.8Tbps with unmatched power efficiency, radix, programmability, buffers and low latency. Innovium team members have a highly successful track record in delivering several generations of widely deployed data center products. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California and is backed by leading venture capital firms including Greylock Partners, Walden Riverwood, Capricorn Investment Group, Qualcomm Ventures, S-Cubed Capital and Redline Capital. For more information, please visit: www.innovium.com . About Inphi Inphi Corporation is a leader in high-speed data movement interconnects. We move big data - fast, throughout the globe, between data centers, and inside data centers. Inphi's expertise in signal integrity results in reliable data delivery, at high speeds, over a variety of distances. As data volumes ramp exponentially due to video streaming, social media, cloud-based services, and wireless infrastructure, the need for speed has never been greater. That's where we come in. Customers rely on Inphi's solutions to develop and build out the Service Provider and Cloud infrastructures, and data centers of tomorrow. To learn more about Inphi, visit www.inphi.com. Inphi, the Inphi logo and Think fast are registered trademarks of Inphi Corporation. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. TIANJIN, China, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MDJM Ltd (the "Company" or MDJH), an emerging, integrated real estate services company in China, announced today that on November 30, 2018, it successfully won a bidding to a Primary Real Agency Services Contract (the "Contract") with Tianjin Meiyin Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. regarding the Tianjin Ping An Teda Financial Center (the Financial Center). Tianjin Meiyin Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Teda Investment Holding Co. Ltd., one of the China Top 500 Enterprises, and Ping An Real Estate Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Ping An Insurance Company of China, Ltd., began construction on the Financial Center in 2017. Teda Investment Holdings Co. Ltd. and Ping An Real Estate Co., Ltd. own 70% and 30% of Tianjin Meiyin Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. respectively. Pursuant to the Contract, the Company expects to serve as the primary real estate sales agent for the Financial Center, responsible for market research, marketing planning and providing sales agents, etc. MDJH has been entrusted to sell 596 residential units for the Financial Center with a total construction area of up to 70,090 square meters and a saleable area of up to 69,190 square meters. Mr. Siping Xu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MDJM Ltd, stated, We are pleased to announce our contract to provide real estate services for the Tianjin Ping An Teda Financial Center. We view this an excellent opportunity to strengthen our brand and demonstrate our teams ability to overcome challenges as we contribute to a high-profile project in one of our core markets. Following the kickoff of our new year with our successful IPO, we are excited to tackle this contract and continue to execute on our growth strategy in 2019. About MDJM Ltd Headquartered in Tianjin, China, MDJM Ltd (the "Company") is an emerging, integrated real estate services company in China. The Company offers primary real estate agency services to real estate developers including integrated marketing planning, advertising planning and strategy. The Company also provides real estate consulting services and independent training services on an as needed basis. Currently, the Companys primary market is the Tianjin Autonomous Municipality and since 2014 the Company has expanded its market presence to other cities including Chengdu, Suzhou, and Yangzhou. Through two major development businesses, Xishe and Xishe Xianglin, coupled with existing core business, MDJM promotes the integration of urban and rural lifestyle services. For further information regarding the Company, please visit: http://ir.mdjhchina.com. Forward-Looking Statements This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the Company's proposed IPO. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, including the expectation that the IPO will be successfully completed. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Companys registration statement and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please contact Investor Relations at: Opal Family Office Winter Forum New York City, March 6, 2019 Roth Conference Laguna Niguel, CA, March 18-19 NORWOOD, MA, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MariMed Inc. (OTCQB: MRMD) a multi-state cannabis operator and hemp CBD product producer, announced today that it will be appearing at two investment conferences in March. On Wednesday, March 6, MariMed senior management will attend the Opal Groups Family Office Winter Forum held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, New York City. It is one of the largest family office events in the U.S. Additionally, MariMed CEO Bob Fireman will participate in a 4:00 PM panel discussion focusing on investing in the cannabis industry. March 18-19, MariMed senior management will be at the 31st Annual Roth Conference at The Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Orange County, Calif. This conference is expected to attract close to 550 participating companies and over 4,700 attendees, and will feature presentations from public and private companies in a variety of sectors. MariMed CEO Bob Fireman noted, Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, health and wellness products containing hemp-derived CBD are legal nationally. As one of the largest multi-state cannabis operators in the U.S., and as an early investor in high quality, hemp-derived CBD production, we are uniquely well positioned for future growth. MariMed management looks forward to contributing to the investment communitys understanding of this industry and its potential to improve health and wellness across a broad spectrum of conditions. About MariMed Inc. MariMed, Inc. is dedicated to improving health and wellness with the highest quality hemp and cannabis products. The company distributes a full range of branded cannabis products in select states, operates state of the art cannabis facilities in multiple states, and has recently announced the formation of a separate division, MariMed Hemp, focused on the development of industrial hemp-derived CBD products. In late 2018, the Company announced a $30MM investment in Kentucky-based GenCanna, a recognized genetic innovator in industrial hemp. Across its branded products, MariMed is on the forefront of precision dosed branded products for the treatment of specific medical symptoms. MariMed is expanding licensing and distribution to numerous additional markets encompassing thousands of dispensaries. For additional information, visit www.MariMedAdvisors.com . Search MariMed and post on social media with the hash tag #MedicatedByMarimed: Twitter: @MariMedInc Facebook: @MariMedInc Instagram: MariMedInc YouTube: MariMedInc Forward Looking Statements: This release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to MariMed Inc. that is based on the beliefs of MariMed Inc.s management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events including estimates and projections about its business based on certain assumptions of its management, including those described in this Release. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risk and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, including, among other factors, changes in demand for the Company's services and products, changes in the law and its enforcement and changes in the economic environment. Additional risk factors are included in the Company's public filings with the SEC. Should one or more of these underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as "hoped," "anticipated," "believed," "planned, "estimated," "preparing," "potential," "expected," looks or words of a similar nature. The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. None of the content of any of the websites referred to herein (even if a link is provided for your convenience) is incorporated into this release and the Company assumes no responsibility for any of such content. Media: Julie Shepherd, Accentuate PR Julie@accentuatepr.com 847-275-3643 Investors: Jon Levine, CFO, MariMed info@MariMedAdvisors.com 781-559-8713 ### HAWTHORNE, Calif., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fulham Co., Inc., a leading supplier of lighting components and electronics for commercial and specialty applications, is pleased to announce that Fulhams new EliteControl PoE 2-Channel LED Driver has received this years Sapphires Award for innovation in LED drivers from LEDs Magazine. The awards were presented at Strategies in Light in Las Vegas February 28. The Sapphire Awards are judged by a panel of industry experts using various criteria, including innovation, user value, sustainability, impact, and meeting a defined need. The new Power over Ethernet (PoE) driver fills a void in the solid-state lighting market and was developed to meet the growing demand of Fulham customers for a PoE lighting solution. Fulham first demonstrated prototypes of its new PoE drivers at LightFair 2018 in May 2018. We are delighted that LEDs Magazine has recognized our new EliteControl PoE driver as a recipient of its Sapphire Award, said Russ Sharer, Vice President of Global Marketing and Business Development for Fulham. More of our customers are looking for luminaire control options and new ways to harness solid-state lighting as a platform for building automation. In fact, we have received a number of requests for a Power over Ethernet driver, and with this new EliteControl driver we offer both PoE and wireless Bluetooth mesh access. Its part of Fulhams commitment to continued innovation and anticipation of our customers needs. June Griffin, publisher of LEDs Magazine (www.ledsmagazine.com), said "This prestigious program allows our LED and Lighting Group to celebrate and recognize the most innovative products and leaders in the solid-state lighting industry. Our 2019 Finalists are an outstanding example of companies who are making an impact." The EliteControl PoE 2 Channel Driver uses power delivered over an Ethernet cable and has two-channel output for color mixing. The driver can handle an input voltage of 42.5 to 57VDCm with an input power of 12.95W maximum per port (as defined by IEEE 802.3af), 25.5W maximum per port (802.3at), and 51.0W maximum per port (UPOE). This constant current/constant power driver also includes Bluetooth mesh wireless access for remote dimming control. The PoE driver output range and other functions can be preprogrammed using Fulhams TPSB-100 SmartSet Controller and software. PoE color tuning and diming controls are managed using an amBX Smart Control management station that issues commands over the same Ethernet cable that delivers power. The 2019 Sapphire Awards winners were announced at the Gala Event at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on February 28, 2019. This event occurs during the annual Strategies in Light show held February 26 - March 1, 2019. More information about the Strategies in Light trade show and the Sapphire Awards Gala can be found online at www.strategiesinlight.com. About LEDs Magazine LEDs Magazine is the leading information resource for the global LED community, serving over 64,000 readers that specify, design and manufacture LED-based products for a wide range of end-use applications, particularly solid-state lighting. LEDs Magazine is part of the LEDs & Lighting media group, the worlds leading media resource focused on the LED and lighting industry, along with the Strategies in Light conference portfolio and the market research company Strategies Unlimited. About LEDs Magazine Sapphire Awards The Sapphire Awards are the first in the lighting industry to focus on the LED-based solid-state lighting (SSL) market from an enabling-technology and elegance-of-design perspective recognizes true technology stars. The judging process, handled by independent industry experts, culminates in an Awards Gala held at Strategies in Light, which puts the spotlight on winners in multiple product categories, as well as an individual or team honored as Illumineer of the Year for an especially noteworthy development in the LED-centric sector. About Fulham Fulham Co., Inc. is a leading global provider of intelligent, socially-conscious sustainable commercial lighting components and electronics for use in commercial general lighting, parking structure, signage, horticultural, UV and other applications. The company develops and manufactures a variety of award-winning LED and emergency products, lighting controls, as well as legacy products across multiple lighting platforms. Fulham sells its lighting solutions worldwide through original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and electrical equipment distribution channels. Headquartered in Hawthorne, Calif., the company has sales and/or manufacturing facilities in the Europe, China, and India. For more information, visit www.fulham.com, @FulhamUSA or @FulhamEurope. Press contact Andy Firchau Marketing Manager (323) 779-2980, ext. 1252 afirchau@fulham.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4ea06904-74b0-4c7b-a7e2-5b7d3498025a Dublin, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "UK Mortgage Market 2018: Forecasts and Future Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Gross advances are expected to record a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.2%, reaching 338bn by the end of the forecast period versus a historic five-year CAGR of 7.6% from 2013 to 2017. "UK Mortgage Market 2018: Forecasts and Future Opportunities", offers five-year gross lending forecasts for residential and niche mortgages up to 2022, along with a detailed examination of the various supply-side factors that will determine the market outlook. The mortgage market has recovered well since the financial crisis, often producing double-digit growth each year. However, rising economic uncertainties will dampen the prospects for future growth over the coming years. On the supply side, an increased supply of new homes, stamp duty relief for first-time buyers, and the extension of the Help to Buy equity loan scheme will improve matters for first-time buyers. More withdrawals in the buy-to-let sector by landlords are expected over the next two years, increasing the supply of properties available to both existing homeowners and first-time buyers. Political uncertainty arising from the Brexit negotiations has weighed on economic growth, and is likely to continue to do so over the forecast period. But high levels of employment, rising wages, and slower private rental growth - combined with significant government intervention in the housing market - will ensure moderate growth over the forecast period. Key Highlights The Right to Buy sector will be supported by the scheme's extension to housing association tenants and the government's lifting of the Housing Revenue Account cap, enabling local authorities to increase borrowing to invest in new housing stock. Buy-to-let lenders are adapting to margin compression by including non-rental income in affordability assessments. As mortgage interest tax relief is removed, demand for top-slicing products will increase. The number of equity release products is growing rapidly to meet consumer demand. Prospects for further growth are strong, with several years' worth of property price rises leaving borrowers with plenty of capital value to withdraw. The removal of restrictive criteria and increased consumer awareness, combined with substantial government funding, will see the shared ownership sector grow significantly over the forecast period. Scope The key macroeconomic, regulatory, and other factors that will drive the supply of mortgages over the next five years. The outlook for niche sectors, including buy-to-let, equity release, shared ownership, shared equity, Right to Buy, Sharia-compliant, and self-build. Reasons to buy Develop more targeted strategies through analysis of key mortgage market developments. Inform your future plans with our five-year forecast of gross advances for niche product lines. Analyze trends with details of historic gross advances across a range of specialist mortgage sectors and product types. Key Topics Covered: 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1. Market summary 1.2. Key findings 2. THE MORTGAGE MARKET WITNESSED MODERATE GROWTH IN 2017 2.1. Supply-side factors will increase the pool of funds available for lending 2.1.1. Regulatory changes have dampened the appeal of the buy-to-let sector 2.1.2. First-time buyer numbers continue to grow as a result of government support 3. NICHE MORTGAGES WILL EXPERIENCE VARYING FORTUNES 3.1. Government intervention has reigned in buy-to-let lending 3.2. Shared equity activity will continue to grow, but at a slower rate 3.3. Shared ownership has been boosted by regulatory changes 3.4. Right to Buy will grow moderately over the next few years 3.5. Equity release will see double-digit growth throughout the forecast period 3.6. Self-build lending is unlikely to meet demand 3.7. Market volatility as a result of the UK's withdrawal from the EU could present opportunities for the secured lending market 3.8. Professional and graduate mortgages will continue to flatline 3.9. The appeal of Islamic home finance is broadening 4. PRODUCT VARIATIONS 4.1. Offset mortgage lending will decline 4.2. Sterling depreciation as a result of Brexit will buttress the large-value mortgage lending sector 4.3. Near-prime lending is expected to remain strong 5. APPENDIX 5.1. Abbreviations and acronyms 5.2. Definitions 5.3. Methodology 5.4. Secondary sources 5.5. Further reading Companies Mentioned Al Rayan Bank Secure Trust Bank Vida Homeloans and Masthaven Virgin Money For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8nvclj/uk_mortgage?w=12 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Data published in Gut demonstrate that the companys automated polyp detection system significantly increased the number of small tumors and hyperplastic polyps detected during colonoscopy; improved detection may allow more effective intervention that reduces the morbidity and mortality of colon cancer SHANGHAI, China, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shanghai Wision AI Co., Ltd, a leader in developing computer-aided diagnostic algorithms and systems to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of diagnostic imaging, today announced results of the first-ever prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based system for disease diagnosis. The study, which was conducted in 1,058 patients undergoing colonoscopy, found that the Wision AI system significantly increased adenoma and polyp detection rates and the mean number of adenomas and polyps detected per patient. Clinicians at the Center for Advanced Endoscopy at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical School and the Sichuan Provincial Peoples Hospital conducted the study using the automated polyp detection system developed by Wision AI. The study results appear in the current issue of Gut : https://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2019/02/27/gutjnl-2018-317500 The miss rate for colon polyps can be up to 27 percent. This limits the efficacy of screening colonoscopy, which is a critical tool for reducing the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer by detecting and removing adenomatous polyps, said Tyler Berzin, MD, Co-Director, GI Endoscopy, and Director, Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship at BIDMC and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that a high-performance, real-time automatic polyp detection system based on a deep learning algorithm can significantly increase polyp and adenoma detection, especially those that are 5 mm or less. Given its high accuracy, fidelity and stability, the Wision AI system could enable improved detection of colon polyps and adenomas in clinical practice. Given its high accuracy, fidelity and stability, the Wision AI system could enable improved detection of colon polyps in clinical practice, said Tyler Berzin, MD, Co-Director, GI Endoscopy. [ Click to Tweet ] A total of 1,130 patients met the eligibility criteria for the study and were randomized to undergo routine colonoscopy (n=567) or computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) colonoscopy (n=563). Subsequent to randomization, 72 patients met exclusion criteria, resulting in 536 patients undergoing routine colonoscopy and 522 undergoing CAD colonoscopy. In the CAD group, the real-time automatic polyp detection system was used to assist the endoscopist. The endoscopist focused mainly on the original monitor during the procedure and was prompted to look at the system monitor by a sound alarm. The endoscopist was required to check every polyp that the system detected. Key findings from the study include: Polyp detection The mean number of polyps detected per colonoscopy in the control and the CAD group were 0.51 and 0.97, respectively (p<0.001). There was a 1.89-fold increase in the mean number of polyps detected between the two groups (p<0.001). The polyp detection rate of the control and CAD group was 0.29 and 0.45, respectively (p<0.001). Adenoma detection The mean number of adenomas detected per colonoscopy in the control and CAD group were 0.31 and 0.53, respectively (p<0.001). There was a 1.72-fold increase in the mean number of adenomas detected between the experimental and control groups (p<0.001). The adenoma detection rate of the control and CAD groups was 0.20 and 0.29, respectively (p<0.001). There was a total of 39 false alarms (non-lesion area continuously traced) in the CAD group, averaging 0.075 false alarms per colonoscopy; all polyps detected by the endoscopist in the CAD group were also detected by the automatic detection system. Excluding the additional biopsy time, overall procedure time between the control and CAD groups were similar. The improvement in the adenoma detection rate between the CAD and control group was statistically significant in patients with normal bowel but not in patients with excellent bowel prep. There were no complications reported. The aim of a CAD system is not to show how smart the AI is, but to be useful in clinical settings, and this reflects our commitment to innovating AI-based diagnostics with proven clinical benefits, said JingJia Liu, Chief Executive Officer at Wision AI. The study shows that use of our system did not increase procedure time, which is mainly because of the low false alarm rate. This demonstrates that the system can improve polyp and adenoma detection without negatively impacting physician and facility efficiency. The observation that our system provided an even superior detection in patients with normal bowel prep is also important given that fully complying with bowel prep procedures may be a challenge for some patients, and not all patients achieve excellent prep. We believe the results of this study are highly compelling and warrant further evaluation of our technology in screening colonoscopy or other diagnostic indications. About Wision AI Shanghai Wision AI Co., Ltd is a leader in developing computer-aided diagnostic algorithms and systems to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of diagnostic imaging. Based in Shanghai, China, the company has extensive expertise in mathematics, algorithm development, software and hardware engineering and works closely with top-tier medical institutions in China and around the world. The company integrates medical knowledge into flexible and scalable models that leverage cutting-edge convolutional neural network and general-purpose computing to achieve high sensitivity and specificity in detection, segmentation and measurement in diagnostic imaging. Future US based clinical trials for Wision AI are expected to take place soon, and the company is looking for clinical partners in Europe. Wision AI is advancing its transformative mathematical medicine approach in multiple clinical settings, including gastroenterology, ophthalmology, and pathology. To learn more about Wision AI, go to http://www.wision.com/ Contact Information For Wision AI Shawn Liu +86 139-1030-8383 shawn@wision.com Or Lazar Partners Eric Sandoval - (917) 487-2867 esandoval@Lazarpartners.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/24d2cf6e-ebb9-4103-91b1-58d752a3204f Rockville, MD, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a recent study by Fact.MR, demand for liquid thermal interface materials is estimated to grow at 4.5% in 2019 over 2018. Gains are likely to be driven by development of novel liquid thermal interface materials and their widespread adoption in electrical and automotive industries. According to the study, as adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology grows, the demand for high-performance computing solutions is on the rise. With consumers increasingly preferring compact high-processing laptops and PCs, integrated circuit manufacturers are focusing on the production of high-density circuits with smaller sizes. Demand for high-performance computing continues to surge with incremental growth in the sales of high-performance gaming laptops and alienware. Request For Sample Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=3085 The study finds that liquid thermal interface materials are gaining increasing traction in the market providing microprocessor manufacturers an efficient and lightweight solution for the production of miniature electronic components. Growing demand for wearable technology such as smartwatches and virtual reality headsets is also likely to fuel the demand for small-sized electronic components which, in turn, is estimated to benefit the liquid thermal interface materials market . Additionally, burgeoning demand for compact high-performance processors in smartphones is further estimated to bolster liquid thermal interface material market growth. Challenges with Silicone Thermal Management Creating Opportunities Silicone-based thermal interface materials are the conventional thermal management systems being used in LEDs since their inception. However, recent studies have linked silicone-based thermal interface materials to be a vital cause for the decreased output of LEDs over time. According to the Fact.MR study, manufacturers are making a shift towards other alternatives due to these challenges. These shifts have also been complemented by the rising cost of producing silicone. Browse Full Report on Liquid Thermal Interface Materials Market with TOC- https://www.factmr.com/report/3085/liquid-thermal-interface-materials-market The gradual shift to non-silicone-based thermal interface material is likely to open up lucrative opportunities for liquid thermal interface material manufacturers with LEDs finding growing adoption in households and automobile industry owing to its cost-effectiveness and eco-friendly nature. Companies are launching new products to leverage the growing demand for non-silicone based thermal interface material in the LED industry, a recent example being Electrolubes launch of two non-silicone thermal pastes in Heat Transfer Compound Plus and Heat Transfer Compound. Additionally, liquid alloys offer promising prospects to explore in the liquid thermal interface material market with the substances offering the superior thermal conductivity of metals while allowing greater control over consistent application on surfaces, unlike liquid metals. Request Methodology of this Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RM&rep_id=3085 Europe Remains the Largest Market for Liquid Thermal Interface Materials According to Fact.MRs research, Europe is expected to remain at the forefront of liquid thermal interface material market growth. Burgeoning investments in the electric vehicle market, coupled with numerous initiatives popularizing the adoption of the eco-friendly alternatives are likely to present lucrative opportunities for liquid thermal interface material manufacturers with thermal management occupying the primal focus of electric vehicle battery manufacturers. Numerous companies are expanding their production facilities or setting up new manufacturing sites to capitalize on the growing demand for thermal interface materials in Europe. For instance, Sekisui Chemicals Ltd., a leading manufacturer of thermal interface material, announced it would be setting up a production facility in the Netherlands specifically to meet the burgeoning demand for thermal interface material in the electronic vehicle industry in Europe. Due to these factors, Europe is estimated to account for the production of more than 20% of liquid thermal interface materials in 2019. The Fact.MR report tracks the liquid thermal interface materials market for the period 2018-2028. According to the report, the liquid thermal interface materials market is projected to grow at 5.2% CAGR through 2028. To Buy Liquid Thermal Interface Materials Market Report, Check- https://www.factmr.com/checkout/3085/S About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us AUSTIN, Texas, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Drillinginfo, the leading energy SaaS and data analytics company, today announced the availability of its new DI Dealmaker Suite, the oil and gas industrys first M&A deal evaluation platform that revolutionizes how investors, analysts, and executives research and evaluate potential and completed deals. The DI Dealmaker Suite incorporates the databases of the three most trusted sources for data and analysis in the energy industry: Drillinginfo, PLS, and 1Derrick delivers deal information and commentary to users preferred devices in a matter of minutes. Drillinginfos acquisition of PLS and 1Derrick last year positions the company as the only provider capable of creating a platform that brings together powerful transaction data and analysis, historical data from years of collection, and objective industry data including production, rigs, permits, and leases into a single source for decision-making. The DI Dealmaker Suite serves as a single source for in-depth insight specific to the transactions that happen in the industry for C-level executives, M&A professionals, banks, E&P firms, buy side firms and CLO managers, Oilfield Services and Midstream companies, and mineral rights/buyers family offices who want more context around transactions. The DI Dealmaker Suite represents more than 50 years of experience and expertise in collecting, analyzing, and reporting on oil and gas industry transactions, said Colin Westmoreland, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Market Research at Drillinginfo. We have successfully integrated the people, technologies, and databases of two industry leaders to create a game-changing solution for more quickly identifying and valuing transaction opportunities. Information is Power Information drives decision-making but capitalizing on investment opportunities requires getting that information first. From alerting users to a new announcement to evaluating the deals value, the DI Dealmaker Suite delivers an unprecedented combination of detailed information and speed. The platform draws all relevant current and historical information from multiple sources including more than 2.4 million slides gathered over the last 20 years in the Drillinginfo database. It leverages acreage data for more than 1,100 public and private companies along with their private equity sponsors and commitments. Additionally, it accesses the most robust, current, and historical listings database of transactions and deals for sale in the industry, enabling it to search through more than 15 years of comparable deals in the areas around any new transaction. Information at Your Fingertips Within minutes of a new deal announcement, users receive push notifications with the news on their phone via the Drillinginfo mobile app. The Drillinginfo Virtual Scout feature constantly monitors for news related to parameters users have pre-defined, such as buyers, sellers, and custom areas of focus. Opening the deal on the mobile or desktop apps enables users to view the deal terms, the deal report, comps, and other information about publicly reported IPs, type curves, etc., complete with links back to source documents. Users can build custom heat maps comprised of layers that show dozens of different parameters for active deals and historical transactions including production, active rigs, permits, and deals for sale, and where private equity money is being spent over time. This unique mapping feature instantly provides more context into any transaction. Researching investment opportunities is often a group effort, so DI Dealmaker Suite includes an Alert Team feature that lets you save a deal to a workspace in your Drillinginfo dashboard and send an alert to your entire team, said Melwyn Oommen, Market Research Product Manager at Drillinginfo. Your analysts can quickly access the workspace in the web or mobile apps to see acreage position and other relevant context such as offset production and transactions, permits, rigs, leases, and type curves. You gain a critical edge over your competition instead of wasting time hunting for deals, metrics, or information. The DI Dealmaker Suite also incorporates the recently-announced Executive Deal Summary product that provides one publication with all information relevant to a deal which researchers and analysts can deliver to their senior leaders and decision-makers within 48 hours after a major transaction occurs or is announced along with single-click access to the detailed information in the platform. Availability The DI Dealmaker Suite is available now, visit the Drillinginfo website for more information. # # #About DrillinginfoDrillinginfo delivers business-critical insights to the energy, power, and commodities markets. Its state-of-the-art SaaS platform offers sophisticated technology, powerful analytics, and industry-leading data. Drillinginfos solutions deliver value across upstream, midstream and downstream markets, empowering exploration and production (E&P), oilfield services, midstream, utilities, trading and risk, and capital markets companies to be more collaborative, efficient, and competitive. Drillinginfo delivers actionable intelligence over mobile, web, and desktop to analyze and reduce risk, conduct competitive benchmarking, and uncover market insights. Drillinginfo serves over 3,500 companies globally from its Austin, Texas, headquarters and has more than 900 employees. For more information visit drillinginfo.com. NEW YORK, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via CannabisNewsWire CannabisNewsWire ("CNW"), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company, today announces its participation as a media sponsor for Cannabis Conference 2019 , the premier industry event offering unprecedented insights, unparalleled education and exceptional networking opportunities over three eventful days, April 1 - 3, at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Attendees are welcome to meet a few of our CNW team members at the 10 x 20 space reserved on the exhibitor floor at Booth #216. We are really excited to be part of this amazing conference as a media sponsor, said Christopher Johnson, Director of Syndicated Communications for CannabisNewsWire. The cannabis space is a robust, dynamic industry that is challenging conceptions and pushing boundaries. Cannabis Conference organizers have designed the perfect platform for stakeholders to deep dive into challenges facing the industry. We are honored to be part of this must-attend conference and look forward to participating alongside other sponsors supporting this event. Produced by GIE Media Inc., publishers of Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary, Cannabis Conference 2019 brings together some of the brightest minds in the cannabis cultivation and business operations sectors as well as those in retail management and customer engagement. A changing legal cannabis landscape offers opportunities and challenges for todays professional cannabis cultivator and retail businesses as new markets open and competition rises. In-depth educational sessions packed with the latest technologies and innovations, along with solid insights into cannabis cultivation and business operations, will help ensure Cannabis Conference 2019 attendees are immersed from day one with ideas for success. Education sessions will be led by more than 90 cultivation, breeding and business experts including Debby Goldsberry of Magnolia Wellness, Cascadia Labs Jeremy Sackett, Dr. Greenhouse Inc.s Nadia Sabeh and Scott Reach of RD Industries/Rare Dankness. Keynote speaker Jeremy Plumb, aka The Wizard of Weed, is the director of production science at Pruf Cultivar, one of the most technologically advanced cannabis cultivation facilities in North America. At Pruf, Plumb combines decades of cannabis horticulture experience with cutting-edge technology to deliver previously unattainable consistency in both product quality and consumer effect. Prior to his leadership at Pruf, Plumb was a co-founder of Farma, recently acclaimed by Rolling Stone as one of Oregons top dispensaries. Cannabis Conference 2019 also provides attendees with access to a 70,000-square-foot exhibition hall showcasing the latest technologies, solutions and services that help advance cannabis cultivation and business operations. New this year is an All-Access Pass, which provides attendees access to exclusive pre-show workshops on Monday, April 1, as well as archived video footage of the entire event. Attendees will also enjoy a continental breakfast, networking lunch and cocktail receptions each day of the conference. We are pleased that CannabisNewsWire will be in attendance at our annual event, said Jim Gilbride, Group Publisher for the Cannabis Conference. Its no coincidence that CannabisNewsWires success mirrors our own as we both seek to raise the visibility of an industry that has long been in the shadows. CannabisNewsWires ability to bring added exposure via their extensive syndication network of investor-focused brands, social media channels, and news-oriented websites will provide an invaluable service to conference goers, sponsors and exhibitors. For more information and to register, visit www.cannabisconference.com . About CannabisNewsWire (CNW) CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is a specialized information service that (1) aggregates cannabis news, (2) provides CannabisNewsBreaks that quickly updates investors in the space, (3) enhances corporate press releases, (4) helps companies with distribution and optimization of social media, and (5) delivers comprehensive corporate communication solutions. CNW is uniquely positioned in the cannabis market with a strong team of journalists and writers who can help private and public companies reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public through our ever-growing dissemination network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets. CNW is bringing unparalleled visibility, recognition and content to the cannabis industry. For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Corporate Communications: Organization pledges additional $1 million to bring total funding to 20,000 credit-bearing exam fees ModernStates.org gained 120,000 students in first 17 months, offering free college courses online from top professors; now Americas leading free college program Modern States students achieving a 75 percent passing rate on credit bearing CLEP exams, exceeding the national average of 67 percent Each free course and exam can save students up to $1,000 to $2,000 of college cost, with no taxpayer dollars spent NEW YORK, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Modern States Education Alliance , a philanthropy dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and accessible to everyone, today announced that it will help 10,000 more of its learners by paying their College Level Examination Program (CLEP) test fees. This increases the total tests paid for by Modern States to 20,000 from the original 10,000. As a public service, Modern States.org provides top quality online college courses and online textbooks for free to everyone who seeks them, and also pays for the corresponding CLEP exam that gives the student college credits at 2,900 traditional universities, from Ohio State to Morehouse. Over 120,000 students have registered on ModernStates.org since its launch about 17 months ago. About 10,000 Modern States students have taken CLEP exams with Modern States paying and have passed with a 75 percent rate, exceeding the 67 percent national average. Each free course and exam passed can save students and their families $1,000 to $2,000 of college cost, with no taxpayer dollars spent. ModernStates.org has quickly become the leading free college for credit site in America, with more students gaining traditional academic credit through Modern States than through any known alternative. ModernStates.org and its Freshman Year For Free program is the first-ever catalog of tuition-free online courses for more than 30 core collegiate freshman subjects. The initiative assists learners in earning traditional academic credits at more than 2,900 major U.S. colleges and universities. Modern States' free courses, taught by professors from well-known institutions, prepare students to take and pass CLEP exams offered by The College Board. In addition to paying the $87 exam fee, Modern States reimburses students for test centers fees, typically $25. No one should be blocked from education for lack of money, said Steve Klinsky, Modern States founder and CEO who is providing the funds for the additional exams. Access to education is fundamental to a society that respects every individual, and fundamental to allow people to achieve their full potential. My family and I are pleased to offer this additional gift. For the 120,000 learners who have registered at ModernStates.org so far, the site and its courses and exams act as an on-ramp into the traditional college system. Whether someone takes one course or enough credits to fulfill their freshman year requirements, Modern States Freshman Year for Free is providing a path to college for all kinds of learners. Research has shown that students who pass a CLEP exam are more likely to graduate from college overall, and more likely to do well on the follow up course. The professors who teach the Modern States courses include faculty from some of the nations best universities, including Columbia, Purdue, Rutgers, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Baruch College, University of Texas and George Washington University. Thousands of major colleges and universities have accepted CLEP exams for credit for the past 50 years, and CLEP exams have been widely used by the U.S., military for decades. Major state university systems such as SUNY and Texas State have been highly supportive of Modern States as a way to attract great students into their schools and to make college more affordable for all. Governor Jeb Bush has written to all governors encouraging them to adopt the Modern States model in their own states. Legislation to reimburse CLEP fees and to encourage use of the free courses for credit has now been proposed in New Hampshire and elsewhere. Registering for Modern States courses is free and easy. Sign up here . In the long term, Modern States aspires to help over one million learners earn credit at no tuition cost, saving students and taxpayers approximately $1,000 per course and over $1 billion in total. 13:59 | Cajamarca (Cajamarca region), Mar. 5. During this celebration, the fun spirit of the party takes over locals and tourists with such exultation and rejoicing that it is impossible to escape from it. Patrols and troupes from various neighborhoods sing and wear colorful costumes as they dance across the streets. Cajamarca's most traditional neighborhoods organized into patrols and troupes mainly made up of youth include Cumbe Mayo, San Sebastian, San Pedro, La Merced, Dos de Mayo, Santa Elena, San Jose, and Pueblo Nuevo. In addition to parades, dances, and coplas (popular poetic forms), the traditional celebration includes water balloon fights and plenty of traditional food. This year, the No Carnavalon or King Momo the main attraction of the carnival made its appearance on March 2, marking the beginning of main celebrations. His presence stirred up excitement among locals and tourists. King Momo is considered the king of Carnivals in numerous Latin American festivities. His appearance signifies the beginning of the Carnival season. Every year, the mythical character tours the streets of Cajamarca city onboard a float decorated with flowers, balloons, and streamers en route to Los Banos del Inca district, his resting place. People usually throw water, dyes and talcum powder upon one another as the No Carnavalon dances to the rhythm of the region's traditional music. Other popular activities include a beauty pageant, umsha rituals in which couples are given turns to try to cut down a specially planted and decorated tree while dancing around it as well as the No Carnavalon's funeral and burial. (END) LZD/MAO/RMB/MVB VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oroco Resource Corp. (TSX-V: OCO) (Oroco or the Company) wishes to provide an update on the legal status of its interests in those mineral concessions in Sinaloa State, Mexico known as the Santo Tomas Concessions. This update is provided in furtherance of the Companys news release of October 9, 2018, wherein Oroco announced that it had entered into a definitive option agreement with Altamura Copper Corp. and its shareholders to acquire, indirectly, certain interests in those concessions. There are several areas of current legal activity relating to protecting and enforcing the Companys interest in the Santo Tomas Concessions. At present, the following initiatives, amongst others, are expected to validate and maintain the status quo of the titles and eventually remove any unwarranted ownership claims to the Santo Tomas Concessions as are currently being made by Aztec Copper Inc., an Arizona company, and its Mexican subsidiary, Prime Aztec Mexicana S.A de C.V. (together, the Aztec Companies): Closure Petition: A petition has been filed with the Thirteenth Civil Court of the City of Mexico (the State Court) seeking a declaration that a judgement generated in early 2016 by that court in favour of the Aztec Companies (the Judgement) cannot be executed or enforced. The petition is based on what are, in the strong opinion of our legal counsel, certain fatal and incurable flaws which exist in the underlying documentation necessary to the registration of any title interest in favour of the Aztec Companies. It should be noted that the Company does not expect to prevail in the State Court for reason of the demonstrated reluctance of the Mexican courts at this level to nullify previous decisions. However, the Company fully expects to prevail at the Appeal Court level. Such an eventual result would permanently prohibit any further attempt to enforce the Judgement. Amparo relating to Improper Service: An amparo action has been commenced in the Ninth District Court for Civil Matters in Mexico City (the Amparo Court) by Fierce Investments Ltd. Fierce is seeking the nullification of the entire Aztec trial and the resulting Judgment for reason that Fierce was not notified of, or represented at the trial. A successful outcome will result in the trial and the resulting Judgment being nullified without prejudice to Aztecs ability to recommence the action. However, any such initiative by the Aztec Companies would be unsupported by the true facts of the matter and they would have no legitimate claim to any interest in the Santo Tomas Concessions. At present, the recent decision of the Amparo Court to deny the Fierce application due to a discrepancy between the corporate designation of the applicant and its designation during the Aztec trial is in the process of being appealed. Once again, the Company expects that this application will be upheld at the appeal level. Criminal Complaint: In the course of these matters, certain facts have come to light which have prompted the decision to initiate a criminal complaint against Ron Arnold, the President of Aztec Copper Inc. and others. This complaint relates to the activities of Arnold and his associates in regard to the procedural fraud which precipitated the Aztec Court judgement. The Company will provide further details of this complaint once it is formally filed in Mexico. Arizona Corporate Action: Legal actions have been initiated in Arizona in regard to certain corporate matters involving Aztec Copper Inc. and its Alberta-based management. To date, communication with Stephen C. Snyder, legal counsel responding on behalf of Aztec management, quite expectedly has generated a continuous process of obfuscation and avoidance. At present, Aztec has failed to comply with two default judgements obtained in the Arizona Superior Court. Furthermore, at a meeting of the shareholders of Aztec held on February 23, 2019 in Edmonton, Alberta, Aztec management intentionally withheld certain written information from those Aztec shareholders who questioned the status of the Santo Tomas matter. The Company is now reviewing the details of that meeting so as to consider how those actions may affect the related matters currently before the Arizona courts. Administrative Appeal: Certain initiatives have been taken with the Mexican Mining Registry on behalf of the Mexican subsidiaries of Altamura Copper Corp., a B.C. company, the ownership of which is subject to an irrevocable purchase option held by the Company. In 2016, the registration of the sale and transfer of the Santo Tomas concessions by one affiliate of Altamura to another was filed with the Mining Registry prior to the annotation in the Registry of the Aztec judgement. While Mexican law favours the completion of that transfer, notice of a prior claim, since removed, caused the effective suspension of the Santo Tomas Concession transfer at that time. The Company has subsequently taken the position that completion of the intended sale and transfer is not required until after the Aztec matter is finitely resolved. In the meantime, Altamura indirectly controls fifty percent of the registered owner of the Santo Tomas concessions, Compania Minera Ruero S.A. de C.V., and holds an option to acquire the other fifty percent of the ownership, thereby providing a second pathway to outright control of the Santo Tomas project. Furthermore, Oroco has received a legal opinion from Joaquin Cabrera, a senior partner in a highly-regarded Mexican law firm, that in regard to the underlying contract necessary to the enforcement of the Judgement, the (Mexican Mining Registry) would never agree to register the Aztec Contract, and of that I am certain. Commenting on the Aztec judgement, Oroco President and CEO, Craig Dalziel stated: Despite the fact that the Aztec Companies have an ill-gotten judgement noted in the Mexican Mining Registry, the Company firmly asserts that Aztec has no effective legal position. Favourable resolution of the Aztec judgement issue on behalf of Altamura is only a matter of time, not a question of outcome. Relevant members of the Mexican judiciary are now aware of the circumstances under which the Judgement was obtained, and those parties such as Ramon Parra of Mexico City that are attempting to advance the Aztec interests have been identified. The only measurable consequence to the existence of the Aztec judgement is that it effects a corresponding delay in the commencement of the option period associated with the purchase by Altamura of the balance of the registered owner of the Santo Tomas concessions. However, the existing outright control by Altamura of the contractual owner of the property, Xochipala Gold S.A. de C.V., allows the Company and its affiliates to continue to advance the Santo Tomas project. With respect to the status of the Altamura acquisition, the independent qualified person referenced in the Companys January 14, 2019 news release is currently on site at Santo Tomas finalizing data accumulation in regard to the Technical Report which is necessary to support the acquisition of Altamura. The Company expects the first draft of that report within 10 days. Thereafter, the Company will provide a full update on the projects site-related activities. For further information, please contact: Mr. Craig Dalziel, President and CEO Oroco Resource Corp. Tel: 604-688-6200 www.orocoresourcecorp.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release includes certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, statements relating to future events or achievements of the Company, are forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in such statements. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these matters. Oroco does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements should they change, except as required by law. 12:20 | Tumbes (Tumbes region), Mar. 5. The overflowing has affected a few croplands in Pampa Grande, whereas at least 200 hectares owned by 400 farmers in La Noria sector are at risk. Meanwhile, the overflow on the right side of the riverbank is affecting agricultural zones in El Huaco and Mal Paso localities. Additionally, lower areas in San Jacinto and San Juan de la Virgen have already been affected. Tumbes Mayor Jimmy Silva urged the population to stay away from the riverbank. He also stipulated the placement of sandbags along the area adjoining the Bellavista neighborhood, which is likely to be the most affected community. Water is already rushing through the streets; however, it has not entered houses yet. Army brigades and COER Tumbes staff remain in the area to assist the population in coping with weather-related events or risks. According to Peru's National Meteorology and Hydrology Service ( SENAMHI ), the flow of Tumbes River increased due to heavy rains in Capitan Hoyle town in the Peru-Ecuador border which caused the Cazaderos stream to suddenly grow. (END) JYC/MAO/RMB/MVB The overflowing of Tumbes River is already affecting several agricultural areas in the region of the same name, mainly in Pampa Grande, San Jacinto, and San Juan de la Virgen districts, local authorities confirmed on Tuesday.Published: 3/5/2019 I am a Flag-Waving Everyman, also known as a patriot. I believe in freedom, apple pie, rooting for America at all times, and that God gave us a two-day weekend so we could enjoy football and NASCAR. (Dan herelifted from Bondadd blog) by New Deal democrat You know the drill its Sunday so I speak my mind on things non-economic.. Way back in the days of the dinosaurs when I was a young teen, I concluded that there were really only two extinction level threats to humanity: 1. Nuclear war 2. Overpopulation (a/k/a The Population Bomb) As to the first, fortunately we have gone over 70 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But I find it difficult to conclude that unless something changes, over a long enough time horizon, like 500 years, a nuclear war wont happen. Just consider the likes of Donald Trump and Kim Jung Un with their fingers on the button, and wonder how long till someone like them makes a fatal mistake. As to the second, we have the example of Easter Island, where the last tree is cut down, and the last food-source is exhausted. Humanity disappears. All you need to consider is whether the Easter Island experience can be scaled up to the entire planet. I have thought a lot recently about climate change, and increasingly think it is ultimately a manifestation of the Population Bomb. I am currently reading historian Yuval Noah Hararis Sapiens: a Brief History of Humankind. Im not sure if the book as a whole is very recommendable. Much of it comes across as broad-brush sociological speculation, some of it provocative (e.g., money is the most universally accepted part of human culture. One culture may hate another, but will universally be willing to trade in their accepted coin or currency.), and some of it flimsy (e.g., why patriarchies are much more common than matriarchies). Perhaps the most interesting observation is that what sets humans apart from other social animals is our willingness to cooperate on both an individual and massive scales with complete strangers. A look at human population growth shows just how successful that has been. The first modern human, our Eve, lived about 200,000 years ago. Probably the genetic mutation that she spawned was the dropping of the voice box further into the throat, enabling speech (as opposed to, e.g., grunts or gestures). So magical was the ability to speak that those endowed with it the new human species expanded through Africa and then ultimately out of it to Europe and Asia about 70,000 years ago. What does that have to do with climate change and overpopulation? According to Harari, along the way, something alarming happened. About 45,000 years ago, humans arrived in Australia. Shortly thereafter, almost all of the large predator and prey species went extinct. About 16,000 years ago, humans arrived in the Americas. Shortly thereafter, almost all of the large predator and prey species went extinct. About 800 years ago, humans arrived in New Zealand. Within 200 years, most of the large predator and prey species were extinct. (As an aside, its possible that humans had a partner in crime in these extinctions. Below is a still of the last frame of the move Alpha, a fictional account of the first wolf that partnered with a human: , Nosotros no podemos decir que fuesemos tus maestros, tu ya lo habias elegido, era Jean Petard. Cada ano a la sombra del pino enfrente de las sabinas d... Hace 7 anos YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that she has no plans to run for president in 2020, CNN reports. Im not running, but Im going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee told CNN affiliate News 12 Westchester. Hillary Clinton also informed that she will not run for governor or mayor of New York. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Ethnic Armenian lawmaker of the Turkish Parliament from the Peoples Democratic party (HDP) Garo Paylan has sent an inquiry to the countrys culture ministry over the demolition of the native house of Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents in the town of Kars, demokrathaber.org reports. Did you have ever thought that the demolition of Charents house can create an insult among the people respecting the memory of the poet? Which structure has made the decision to destroy Charents house? Has the culture ministry been aware of that? Charents house can be a memory place for Kars. Does the ministry have any program for its renovation and turning it into a museum? In my opinion, Charents house has been demolished because of his being an Armenian, do you agree with me?, Garo Paylan stated in the inquiry. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan NEW YORK, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JobDiva, the leading global Applicant Tracking System, is delighted to announce a partnership with Resume-Library, one of the fastest growing job sites in the U.S. The collaboration between these two companies will provide JobDivas users with instant access to millions of resumes, straight from the Resume-Library database. Going forward, organizations using JobDiva to source talent will now be able to apply JobDivas patented search technology against Resume-Librarys vast talent pool of available Candidates. Appealing candidates can be unlocked with a click. This means JobDiva users now can conduct searches into Resume-Library without ever leaving the JobDiva platform, saving precious time for busy hiring professionals. The JobDiva platform radically improves the efficiency and effectiveness of an organizations recruiting lifecycle, setting up its clients for exponential growth without the growing pains. JobDiva also prides itself on its unique ability to better the quality of life of its users. In line with these missions, JobDiva is pleased to be partnering with Resume-Library. We are excited and proud to announce our new partnership with Resume-Library, said Emily Clark, JobDivas Chief of Product Management. Resume-Library is an important resource for our clients, and the ability to execute our unique, powerful search against its database truly adds value. Giving clients the ability to unlock these resumes with a click should prove to be an immediate benefit in terms of shortening the distance between the candidate and their desired job. JobDiva believes that providing its clients ever-faster, ever-wider and ever-more-precise search results will give them the information they need to win. JobDivas partnership with Resume-Library serves to reaffirm this goal, equipping JobDivas clients with the agility and data to outperform in todays competitive job market. We recognize that JobDiva is a major player in the market and were delighted to be working with the team on this integration. We want to push the boundaries of recruiting capabilities within ATSs and are constantly looking at ways to roll out further developments that will make the recruiting experience even better for users of JobDiva, said Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of Resume-Library. Resume-Library has had over five million candidates register on its site in the last 12 months and this number is only set to grow further throughout 2019. Its sister site, CV-Library, now boasts over 13 million resumes. The partnership will be beneficial to companies that are hiring on a global scale, by giving JobDiva users in the UK access to CV-Librarys unrivalled database in the coming weeks. About JobDiva: JobDiva is the leading global provider of Talent Management, Talent Acquisition and Applicant Tracking technologies. JobDivas world-class platform integrates social media tools, recruiting and sourcing software, HR analytics, electronic on-boarding, a CRM and Applicant Tracking Softwareall to help organizations deliver on HR goals that range from workforce qualifications to openings, talent availability and maximized delivery. JobDiva currently stands at over 29,000 global users. Request a demo today. Yana Nigen, Chief Marketing Officer, JobDiva 212-384-0194 yana@jobdiva.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7930b331-d0a0-4c6f-8077-f12ed56debc5 YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented on the questions regarding the cooperation with Russia and the European Union at the European Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee, reports Armenpress. Pashinyan stated that the EU doesnt put a question on geopolitical orientation before Armenia. The cooperation agenda with the EU is completely directed for implementing reforms. Of course, our cooperation with Russia is very important because we are strategic partners, and I think that there are no contradictions and cannot be in our relations with Russia and the EU. These relations are transparent, and I want to state that our rapprochement with the EU doesnt suppose any conspiracy against Russia, as well as there is no conspiracy against the EU in our continuous relations with Russia, the Armenian PM said. He added that the cooperation in energy sector is very important for Armenia. We plan to develop it with Russia and Iran. Recently I visited Iran, and we discussed the opportunities to deepen the energy cooperation, Pashinyan added. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan is in Brussels on a working visit. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian citizen has been detained in suspicion of drug trafficking at the Agarak border checkpoint in Syunik upon traveling back to Armenia from Iran. The suspect was apprehended by the Russian border guards of Meghri, in collaboration with Armenias State Revenue Committee anti-smuggling agents, the Border Patrol Department of the Russian Federal Security Service in Armenia said in a news release. Agents searched three Armenian nationals at the border on March 5. The three were traveling from Iran, according to the news release. One of the citizens had what appears to be methamphetamine. The 109 gram package was sent to laboratory confirmation. Authorities have launched proceedings into the smuggling attempt. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Passenger flow in Armenias two airports comprised 166 451 people in February 2019, which surpasses the figure of January 2018 by 11.6%, Armenia International Airports CJSC told Armenpress. The passenger flow in Zvartnots airport grew up by 12.4% in February 2019 against February 2018. In February 2018, 139 216 people used the services of the Zvartnots airport, whereas this number in February2019 is 156 452. The passenger flow in Gyumris Shirak airport comprised 9 999 people in February 2019, compared to 9 941 people in February 2018. Flight-landings in both airports increased 10.6% in January-February 2019 compared to January-February 2018. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan on March 5 attended a solemn event commemorating the 60th anniversary of National Hero of Armenia and Hero of Artsakh Vazgen Sargsyan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. The event took place at the Defense Army Central Defense Area's 8th separate motorized infantry brigade named after the Commander (Sparapet). In his speech Bako Sahakyan noted that Vazgen Sargsyan was one of those exceptional military, political and public figures who will be remembered both by his contemporaries and future generations as a selfless and committed friend and commander, as a sensible and intelligent mentor and leader, as a great patriot, as the Sparapet. President Sahakyan underlined that the people of Artsakh always remember and revere Vazgen Sargsyan's memory, with whose direct and active participation we forged the unblemished string of our victories, the Defense Army was organized, the formation and development of our newly independent country was ensured. His deeds and life have made him a true legend, who will pass through centuries always inspiring and educating the generations, leading them towards new victories. He will thus continue pursuing his patriotic mission, timelessly serving his Homeland, the Artsakh Republic President said. Third President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, second President of the Artsakh Republic Arkady Ghukasyan, primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, state minister Grigori Martirosyan, defense minister Karen Abrahamyan, Vazgen Sargsyan's relatives and fellows-in-arms, and other officials participated in the event. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Defense minister Davit Tonoyan assures that the Armenian side controls the situation in the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, reports Armenpress. The situation in the border is stable and under control, the minister told reporters in the Yerablur Military Pantheon, where he visited to pay tribute to the memory of Commander Vazgen Sargsyan. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Armenian defense minister Davit Tonoyan rules out the possibility that the CSTO Secretary General can be elected without Armenias participation to this process, reports Armenpress. This is an appointment of a Secretary General, is not a decision, a task to make tactical or operative-tactical decision. This is a strategic issue, an issue of appointing a Secretary General. How is it possible to elect or appoint a Secretary General without one member of an alliance? It is not permitted by the Rules of Procedure, the minister told reporters today. Davit Tonoyan said the ministry has already expressed its opinion on the election of the CSTO Secretary General, and at the moment other bodies are dealing with the issue. At the moment the foreign ministry is carrying out respective works in the CSTO. The CSTO Secretariat in its turn conducts respective activities. Armenias defense ministry has already expressed its opinion, the minister said. On November 2, 2018, Armenias Yuri Khachaturov was dismissed from the position of the CSTO Secretary General after Armenia applied to the CSTO member states to launch the process of recalling him as criminal case was filed against Khachaturov over the 2008 March 1 unrest in Yerevan. CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov temporarily assumed the duties of the CSTO Secretary General. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko argues that the Eurasian integration process isnt making progress, it is rather declining. Many economic matters were transferred from the Union State agenda to the EAEU. Unfortunately, Eurasian integration is turning or has already turned back. I learn about barriers, obstacles and restrictions for our economic operators. The absence of meaningful efforts to remove them is covered by some digital agenda, the Belarusian BelTA news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying at a session to discuss integration projects and cooperation with European organizations. Maybe, we need to go back to the package principle in addressing some burning issues and in removing barriers and restrictions? The answer to this question is important for the future of Eurasian integration. Lukashenko, however, affirmed that CIS countries remain a key partner for his country. The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) consists of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian on March 5 met with John Thornhill, innovation editor at the Financial Times, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. John Thornhill writes a regular column on the impact of technology in the contemporary world. At the meeting John Thornhill said he is deeply impressed with the ancient history and rich culture of Armenia after visiting historical-cultural sites of the country. President Armen Sarkissian and John Thornhill talked about Armenias past and future, in particular, the new development directions and innovations. The President said all these are based on education, adding that Armenia attaches great importance to education, science and technologies by encouraging the youth to propose new ideas, study the new technologies and establish startups. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Inecobank CJSC on March 5 has announced the completion of a private transaction between the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and US based Developing World Markets (DWM) investment company, according to which the later acquired part of EBRD shares of Inecobank CJSC. Under the terms of this transaction, DMW becomes a shareholder with 5% of the total shares at Inecobank CJSC, the Bank told Armenpress. We are excited to welcome such a reputable institution as DWM as a shareholder of Inecobank. The acquisition of Inecobank shares marks the entry of DWM in the Armenian market, expanding its presence in the region, Inecobanks Chairman and major shareholder Avetis Baloyan said. Having DWM as a shareholder of Inecobank will enhance the Banks visibility in the international market and will further strengthen the position of Inecobank as one of the leading banks in the South Caucasus region. This is the second equity investment transaction for Inecobank during the last year, which shows how much confidence investors have for Inecobanks current business model, the partnership environment, vision for the future and corporate governance practices. The Bank will continue to engage new investors and expand its shareholder base, who will support the implementation of our vision of becoming a leader in the financial sector of Armenia and South Caucuses, said Avetis Baloyan. ABOUT DMW DWM is an emerging and frontier markets investment manager based in USA, dedicated to making return-first impact investments that seek risk-appropriate returns for our investors and measurable environmental or social benefits for the developing world. We believe that the private sector and capital markets can and should be utilized to create positive economic, environmental and social change. YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian on March 5 met with Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. During the meeting the officials exchanged views on security issues. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan CubeSat arrives at NanoRacks for launch integration; Mission features the first commercially developed earth observation microwave radiometer on orbit Oxfordshire, England, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Orbital Micro Systems (OMS), a leader in advanced instrumentation for small satellite missions and analytic-ready earth data intelligence platforms, announced that the first satellite in its Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) constellation has been delivered to NanoRacks for launch integration. Housed in an AAC Clyde Space bus, the satellite will be launched April 17, 2019 from Wallops Island, Virginia. It will be put into low earth orbit via the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer (NRCSD) on the International Space Station via NanoRacks Space Act Agreement with NASAs US National Lab. The mission is part of the In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) Program, funded by Innovate UK and managed by the Satellite Applications Catapult. The launch of the IOD-1 GEMS puts us on the cusp of the next generation in weather and earth data driven analytics that will have a profound effect on all aspects of society impacted by the accuracy of weather forecasting, said William Hosack, OMS chief executive officer. Through the dedicated efforts of the OMS and Clyde Space engineering teams, our satellite has passed all launch readiness tests and is cleared to fly. After deployment in low earth orbit, the satellite will gather and transmit atmospheric observation data which will be aligned and integrated with other atmospheric and weather datasets at our International Center for Earth Data (ICED) in Edinburgh. We anticipate that the resulting datasets will begin to improve the quality and temporal resolution of weather intelligence available to commercial, governmental, and institutional users. In addition to this launch, OMS plans to place six to eight more weather observation satellites in orbit throughout 2019. With eight satellites, and OMS ICED platform direct-to-user data capabilities, observation revisit rates for any point on earth will approach two hours, compared to the three- to 72-hour data collection intervals available from existing government-operated satellites and data dissemination systems. The full GEMS constellation is planned to consist of 48 CubeSats which will provide global weather observations at 15-minute intervals. Employing miniaturized passive microwave radiometers, the GEMS satellites will gather temperature, humidity and precipitation measurements, providing fundamental inputs for weather nowcasting and forecasting. Weather intelligence tools incorporating this analytics-ready data (ARD) will be leveraged through the ICED platform, by their customers in the aviation, shipping, insurance, and agriculture sectors. One point of pride for OMS is that this milestone has been reached by a commercial company that has bootstrapped its growth through private funding, competitive awards and sweat equity, continued Hosack. While the data produced from these satellites will be of critical interest to governments, we are squarely focused on delivering what the commercial market needs regarding near real-time access to highly accurate and detailed weather intelligence that can increase global safety, security, and prosperity. For more information about Orbital Micro Systems please visit www.orbitalmicro.com. About Orbital Micro Systems Orbital Micro Systems (OMS) specializes in the development and delivery of technology and data for space applications. With broad expertise in applied science, weather science and earth observation, instrumentation development, data science, space operations, and program delivery, OMS is positioned to deliver innovation to many areas of the aerospace sector. For more information about OMS, please visit www.orbitalmicro.com BRUSSELS, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. During their meeting in Brussels Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of the European Council Donald Tusk touched upon the recent snap parliamentary elections in Armenia, which, according to the PM, have been definitely assessed by the international community as in full accordance with the best European practice, reports Armenpress. After the meeting PM Pashinyan stated that there was an unprecedented public trust in Armenia towards these elections. In this context we also highly value the EUs support to successfully organizing the election processes. Of course, the recent dynamic political changes in our country, as well as our democratic elections made Armenia and the EU closer in terms of our dedication to common values. I am proud of the fact that democracy is no longer under danger in Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan said. He said new Armenia is ready to make continuous efforts, propose new ideas and initiatives to enrich the cooperation with the EU and its member states. I am happy that our European friends and partners have such an approach and vision on our bilateral agenda, he added. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan is in Belgium on a working visit. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. New Ambassador of the United States to Armenia Lynne Tracy today presented her credentials to President Armen Sarkissian, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. I proudly present my credentials to the President and note that I am ready to work with the Armenian government to deepen and strengthen the Armenian-American relations and support Armenias democratic agenda, the Ambassador said. In his turn the Armenian President congratulated the Ambassador on appointment and stated that Armenia attaches great importance to the Armenian-American friendship and partnership which are based on common values, mutual respect and trust. The President expressed confidence that the new Ambassador will invest her rich experience and knowledge to further develop the multi-sectoral partnership between the two countries. During the meeting the sides noted that they will continue the joint efforts to contribute to the effective utilization of the huge potential existing in the bilateral relations. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. President of the European Council Donald Tusk says the status quo in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is unsustainable; the conflict needs an early political settlement in accordance with international law, reports Armenpress. We have discussed with you today the solution ways of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I am encouraged by the recent contacts between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is necessary to understand that the peace of these peoples is above all, Donald Tusk said during a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels. Pashinyan is in Brussels on working visit. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had a brief meeting in Dushanbe on September 28, 2018, during which they reached an agreement to reduce tension and prevent incidents in the border. An operative connection has been established between the sides since the meeting of the two leaders. Thereafter, they held another informal meeting in St. Petersburg in December on the sidelines of the informal meeting of the heads of CIS states. Pashinal and Aliyev also met on January 22, 2019 in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has addressed the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during a meeting with President of the European Council Donald Tusk in Brussels. He said CEPA is a very important tool for expanding bilateral relations and realizing Armenias reforms agenda. We intend to implement this ambitious agenda, relying on the solid mandate of our citizens and countrymen, as well as the progressing assistance of our international partners. We concur that the agreements maximally speedy ratification by all member states has significant importance and will enable benefiting from all opportunities envisaged by this document, which are temporarily being applied since June of 2018. In this context be discussed the directions for accelerating the ratification process, Pashinyan said in a joint press conference after the meeting with Tusk. Citizens of Armenia are impatiently waiting the chance to freely travel to the European Union in the nearest future. We hope that a political decision will be recorded in this issue, because this will be a tangible result for our citizens and will make our partnership more visible, the Armenian prime minister said. Pashinyan said they also addressed the upcoming 10th anniversary of Eastern Partnership. I reiterated our commitment to be actively involved in the joint preparations for the Eastern Partnerships 10th anniversary, he said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan BRUSSELS, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. During their meeting in Brussels Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of the European Council Donald Tusk have also touched upon regional issues, reports Armenpress. We highly appreciate the EUs balanced stance on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict which supports the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, their position and efforts. This is a valuable contribution to ensuring peace and security in our region, Pashinyan said after the meeting. He reaffirmed that Armenia is committed to the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan is in Belgium on a working visit. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, 5 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 5 March, USD exchange rate down by 0.08 drams to 490.60 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.93 drams to 555.65 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 7.46 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 3.00 drams to 646.81 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 422.15 drams to 20274.81 drams. Silver price down by 6.35 drams to 239.12 drams. Platinum price down by 301.91 drams to 13312.54 drams. YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan on March 5 sent a condolence letter to the family of author and screenwriter Kim Bakshi, the Artsakh Presidential Office told Armenpress. The letter runs as follows: Artsakh grieves the passing of Kim Bakshi, renowned author and screenwriter. A man of great service, a true friend of the Armenian people and great admirer of the Armenian culture and history, Kim Bakshi had a significant contribution in developing and enhancing the Russian-Armenian friendly relations. He showed particular sensitivity to Artsakh with deep feelings of friendship and respect. He is the author of a number of remarkable works and pieces on the Artsakh history and culture, worked tirelessly to raise awareness about our country around the world. The Artsakh Republic acknowledged Kim Bakshi's activity, awarding him with the "Gratitude" medal. At this time of grievous loss I would like to extend my deep condolences and those of the Artsakh people and the authorities to the family and all the friends of late Kim Bakshi. The legacy of this honest man of great morale, who enjoyed the well-deserved respect and love of all those who he spoke a word and worked with, will forever be cherished in our hearts. YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Following the meeting in Brussels Prime MIniste rof Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of the European Council Donald Tusk issues a statement for media. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, PM Pashinyan said, Honorable President Tusk, Dear representatives of mass media, This is my second meeting with President Tusk in Brussels and the 1st one since my re-appointment as Prime Minister of Armenia. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for the warm reception and the productive and targeted discussions. During the todays discussions we touched upon numerous issues, starting from the democratic transformations in Armenia to regional and international developments. We are glad to underline the high level political dialogue and cooperation level between Armenia and the EU. I emphasized that Armenia is very resolve and has the political will to deepen the partnership with the EU. During the discussions we referred to the early parliamentary elections in Armenia, which were assessed by the international community as one fully meeting the criteria of the best European practice. There was unprecedented public trust towards those elections in Armenia. In this context, we also highly appreciate the European assistance to the successful organization of electoral processes. The dynamic political changes in our country, as well as the democratic elections brought Armenia and the EU closer in terms of common values. I am proud for the democracy of Armenia is no longer under risk. I highly assess the technical and financial assistance of the EU to the democratic and economic reform agenda of our Government, that includes fight against corruption, fostering democracy and strengthening rule of law. New Armenia is ready to make continuous efforts and propose new ideas and initiatives to enrich the cooperation agenda with the EU and its Member States. I am glad for our European friends and colleagues have a similar opinion and vision on our bilateral agenda. We have the willingness to implement this ambitious agenda, based on the solid mandate that our citizens and compatriots granted us, as well as on the durable assistance of our international partners. During our discussion we referred to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, which is a key tool for expanding bilateral relations and the implementation of the reform agenda. We shared the opinion that the maximally soon ratification of the agreement by all the Member States is of key importance and will allow to make a full use of all the opportunities provided by this agreement, that have been temporarily been implemented since June 2018. In this context, we discussed the ways for accelerating the ratification process. We also discussed the visa liberalization process. The citizens of Armenia expect to have the opportunity to freely travel to Europe in the near future. We hope that a political decision will be recorded for this issue, since it will be a tangible effect for our citizens and will make our partnership more visible. During the meeting with President Tusk we also referred to the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership. I reaffirmed our readiness to be actively involved in the preparatory works of the 10th anniversary events of the Eastern Partnership. We also discussed regional issues. We highly assess the balanced position of the EU on Nagorno Karabakh conflict, that supports the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, their positions and efforts. Its a valuable contribution to the ensuring of peace and stability in our region. I reaffirmed that Armenia is committed to an exclusively peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Finally, I want to express confidence that the ongoing dialogue and the effective discussions will foster the future strengthening of our partnership and the implementation of the mutually beneficial bilateral agenda in all the areas. Let me once again thank you, Mr. President, for the warm reception. President of the European Council Donald Tusk said, I welcome you, Mr. Prime Minister. I am glad to again meet you in Brussels. First of all, I would like to thank you for visiting Brussels so frequently following your impressive victory in the elections in December and the oath taking of your Government. The values of your Government and the reforms based on those values are deeply esteemed in Europe. I am admired by your determination to carry out democratic reforms and economic development from which all Armenians will benefit. The EU will continue to support Armenia in becoming a more consolidated democracy and creating a better economic future for its citizens. We are determined to keep the promise to implement the Comprehensive and Advanced Partnership Agreement, which will beneficial for both Armenia and the European Union. The overwhelming part of the agreement has already been temporarily applied and has a real impact. The EU is Armenia's largest exporting partner, with a share of over 28% of Armenia's exports. This agreement is being implemented in parallel with domestic reforms. The EU is ready to continue to support your reform process with extensive technical and financial support. We agree with your strong emphasis on the fight against corruption and the rule of law in the reform process. Today we discussed the issue of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. As you know, the EU fully supports the Minsk Group Co-chairs and their proposals. I am inspired by the recent contacts between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and welcome the current decline of tension in the region. The EU continues to believe that the status quo is unstable: the conflict does not have a military solution and needs a quick political settlement in accordance with international law. Preparing the population for peace is an important step toward the settlement that we are ready to support. I also thank the Prime Minister for Armenias valuable contribution to the Eastern Partnership. The Partnership celebrates its 10th anniversary in May. We agreed to meet again to discuss the progress that has been made over the past 10 years. So I look forward to seeing you again after two months, during the May jubilee celebrations in Brussels. " Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn thinks that the existing negotiation format for Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement should be preserved, ARMENPRESS reports Hahn announced in a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikolk Pashinyan. During the tenure of the new Prime Minister of Armenia it was possible to hold new meetings, including between the foreign ministers. This is already a progress. As refers to the EU assistance to the settlement, I think the existing format should be preserved, nothing new should be created. We should discuss how we can foster the cooperation between countries in different areas. There should be opportunities and I think that the conditions in the region are quite favorable for further improving the regional situation. We have to support the conflict settlement, but only at the request of the sides. The sides know how to work, Hahn said. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Facebook page of the Government of Armenia. Pashinyan is on a 2-day working visit in Belgium. Earlier, he participated in the session of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, where he delivered remarks and answered questions. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan TORONTO, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the request of IIROC, the Company wishes to clarify certain disclosures in its March 4, 2019 news release Gold Rush Cariboo Provides 2018 Operations Update, 2019 Action Plan and Notice of Warrant Amendment. The following reference in the news release was inappropriate in that it contravened NI 43-101, 2.3(1)(b) relating to historical estimates. The sampling program defined a grade of $4.77 per cubic yard based on a gold price of $15.00 per gram calculated at 28 grams to the ounce. In 2019 terms, that is $11.50 per cubic yard based on a gold price of $35.70 per gram ($1000 per ounce) calculated at 28 grams to the ounce. The company retracts this reference and apologizes for the error. On Behalf of Gold Rush Cariboo Corp R. Brian Murray, CEO, Director 416-985-7810 Three latest artillery pieces for the Airborne Forces are ready for trials in 2019. They are 120mm self-propelled Lotos gun, artillery fire control vehicle Zavet-D and Drok mortar. They are likely to be accepted into service in 2020, the Army Standard weekly writes. 120mm self-propelled artillery 2S42 Lotos (Picture source: Vitaly Kuzmin) Besides the already operational BMD-4M airborne fighting vehicle and Rakushka BTR-MDM armored personnel carrier, the airborne and air assault units will soon receive new artillery weapons. It has recently become known that Lotos 2S42 and portable/vehicle-borne Drok 2S41 on Typhoon-VDV vehicle will begin final trials in 2019. Modern Zavet-D artillery fire control vehicle is also prepared for the Airborne Forces. 120mm Lotos can fire up to eight various munitions per minute at a distance of 13 km. It is over four kilometers longer than currently operational Nona-S can do. The gun has a fuel range of 500 km at a speed of 40 km/h on dirt road and 70 km/h on tar road. The deployment time into combat position and back is 30 seconds. The vertical inclination angle of the Lotos gun is 80 degrees. The Lotos is to replace 120mm Nona-S 2S9, 2S9-1 Sviristelka and Nona-SM 2S9-1M self-propelled guns in the Airborne Forces. Lotos is distinguished by a satellite-navigation automatic control and fire adjustment system. It will help artillery men automatically receive and transmit target data. The equipment of the new gun fully meets requirements to modern general combat and is interfaced with automatic controls of airborne firepower. Airborne Lotos will combine the advantages of several artillery guns and aim the weapon 360 degrees by the azimuth and fire at elevation angles of -4 to +80 degrees. It can fire from closed positions as an ordinary howitzer and destroy targets by curved fire as a mortar. If necessary, it can fire directly as a cannon. Various shells and mines can be used. Open sources said Lotos would fire prospective artillery shells with increased power. 120mm munitions will have destruction characteristics of standard 152mm guns. Lotos gun can fire 120mm shells produced in various countries. The caliber is popular in the world and will not leave the Russian gun unarmed in combat on adversary territory. The Drok is a self-propelled (man-portable/vehicle-borne) mortar on Typhoon-VDV armored vehicle with high firepower and shooting range. The new mobile airborne artillery weapon can fire ordinary and higher range and power mines directly from the combat compartment of the vehicle. It is also possible to take off the mortar and fire from the ground. Typhoon-VDV K-4386 armored vehicle has improved maneuvering characteristics and reliable armor. Its 350HP engine accelerates the 14-ton vehicle to 100 km/h and has a fuel distance of 1200 km. Drok fires to a distance of six kilometers and the minimal target destruction distance is 100 meters. The rate of fire is 12 shots per minute and the round of munitions comprises 40 mines. The vehicle is armed with a machinegun installed in remotely controlled combat module to destroy infantry. The vehicle can also carry electronic warfare equipment. The Drok offers a mobile alternative to existing 82mm-caliber portable or towed mortars. The new weapon will be tested at several ranges of the Russian Defense Ministry. This year, the paratroopers will receive Zavet-D artillery fire control vehicle for test operation. It will replace Reostat mobile reconnaissance and fire control units. Zavet-D was created on the basis of airdropped Rakushka BTR-MDM. It has the same maneuvering characteristics and can overcome water obstacles. The vehicle has been designed for the Airborne Forces since 2016. It is equipped with advanced high-tech devices. They detect and identify targets, including camouflaged ones. Some experts believe Zavet-D will interact with various drones, the Army Standard said. The Army Center of Military History will realign under Army Training and Doctrine Command April 1 to better promote history at schoolhouses across the force. The center's mission will remain the same and its activities will continue at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. Sean Kimmons, Army News Service, explains on U.S. Armys website. The Army Center of Military History will realign under Army Training and Doctrine Command April 1 to better promote history at schoolhouses across the force (Photo credit: National Infantry Museum ) Under TRADOC, a four-star command, the center will have further access to inspire and educate Soldiers from trainees in basic combat training to officers at staff colleges. "It allows us to much more effectively do what we do on behalf of the Army," said Charles Bowery Jr., the center's director. There are currently no plans to physically relocate or eliminate the center's 250 employees due to the realignment, he added. The Institute of Heraldry, a CMH directorate for the past three years, however, will remain at the Department of the Army headquarters level under the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. Other key changes will mainly occur behind the scenes, such as new procedures for reporting and administrative support, funding and lines of accounting, and new rating officials for GS-15 and above employees. The center's move is part of reforms being made by the secretary of the Army to ensure the headquarters level is focused on policy and oversight, and commanders at lower levels are properly equipped to carry out their functions. "We're kind of the standard bearer of reform for the Army in realigning to TRADOC," Bowery said. The modern organization of Army historical efforts dates back to World War II as the service sought to record the official history of the war, according to the center's website. Over the decades, the center expanded that role into military history education, introduced automated data-retrieval systems, and currently manages the Army's museum system. The museum system includes 47 Army museums and 176 other holdings, which have around 500,000 artifacts and over 15,000 works of military art. The center is also behind the National Museum of the U.S. Army, which is under construction at Fort Belvoir and projected to open in 2020. With 750,000 visitors expected to visit each year, the museum will serve as a "launch point" for TRADOC to engage the public about the Army. "We look at the national museum as a premiere platform to advertise the Army to the nation and the world," Bowery said. Other Army museums may also see changes as the center plans to look at some management reforms to ensure they run more efficiently. "It's all about funding the secretary of the Army's priorities," Bowery said, "and we want to make sure we're good stewards of the money we receive to run the museums." In the publishing realm, he added, the center will also embark on a new series telling the histories of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The books, which will be called the "Tan Books" after the center's "Green Books" series on World War II, will eventually be available online and in print when finished. Army Recruiting Command, which is part of TRADOC, has also expressed interest in having the center help tailor historical content for young trainees in basic combat training. "We've already taken some baby steps toward doing that," he said. "We're talking about things like developing apps and publications that are accessible to different audiences and are inspiring." Historical content is often made for a variety of audiences. Officer trainees or officers attending staff colleges, for instance, may receive more specific details on previous battles, campaigns, and strategic, operational and tactical decisions. "You want them to learn from those past decisions, so that their critical thinking is sharpened and that they make better decisions in the future," he said. Noncommissioned officers, he noted, may also receive that sort of information as well as history that serves to inspire. Being a part of TRADOC, the center will be able to expand its reach to those audiences. "It's really a golden opportunity for us to influence the Army in a much deeper way," Bowery said. Protesters are seen marching through Sydney in protest of Adanis Queensland coal mine project in Sydney, Saturday, December 8, 2018. Image: AAP A proposed bill to ban coal mining in the Queensland Galilee Basin has been described as dangerous by the multi-billion dollar multinational corporation planning to mine it. Adani has warned this week that it will sue the Queensland government for $1.4 billion and future profits should it pass a bill put forward by state Greens MP Michael Berkman to ban coal mining in the basin. Queenslands Galilee Basin is a 247,000 square kilometre thermal coal basin and native habitat to the endangered Black-Throated Finch. Opponents of the mine say its operation will also require the dredging of the Great Barrier Reef one of Australias natural wonders. However, Adani Mining chief executive Lucas Dow told a public hearing on the bill on Monday that to ban coal mining in the Galilee Basin would create enormous regulatory uncertainty and sovereign risk for Queensland, which would extend well beyond simply the Galilee Basin. It would have far-reaching impacts, and there would clearly be a legal recourse for what has already been spent and for future profits. He accused those who supported the bill of favouring environmental symbolism over welfare, and said the conglomerate organisation would seek compensation from the government. However, Berkman said Queensland should extend its concerns to consider the environmental cost of the controversial Carmichael coal mine and not just the potential losses Adani would make should the mine be banned. Berkman said if the basin was mined it would drive down market prices and increase the uptake of coal in Australia. And its going to mean that we completely blow our Paris targets, he told the ABC. Thats really what this is about. No amount of solar power, no amount of renewable energy of any type, can prevent the most catastrophic consequences of climate change if we dig up this volume of coal. According to The Australia Institute think-tank, the social cost of carbon emitted from the Galilee Basin mining will total at least $24.1 million before health costs and direct environmental damages are taken into account. Story continues The troubled operation has received severe criticism from environmentalists, native title groups and even Australias big four banks, who all refused to finance the operation in 2017. With AAP Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news. Now read: Youd have $252K if youd bought $10K of these shares five years ago Now read: The 20 worst places to be a young person looking for a job Now read: Australia signs free trade deal with Indonesia FILE PHOTO - The Google name is displayed outside the company's office in London, Britain November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo PARIS (Reuters) - A three percent tax on the French revenue of large internet companies could yield 500 million euros (568.5 million pounds) per year, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday. Le Maire told Le Parisien newspaper the tax is aimed at companies with worldwide digital revenue of at least 750 million and French revenue of more than 25 million euros. He said the tax would target some 30 companies, mostly American, but also Chinese, German, Spanish and British, as well as one French firm and several firms with French origins that have been bought by foreign companies. The paper listed Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple (the four so-called "GAFA" companies) but also Uber, Airbnb, Booking and French online advertising specialist Criteo as targets. "A taxation system for the 21st century has to built on what has value today, and that is data," Le Maire said. He added it is also a matter of fiscal justice, as the digital giants pay some 14 percentage points less tax than European small-and-medium sized companies. Fairer taxes are a key demand of the "yellow vest" protests seen across France in the past three months. Le Maire said the tax would target platform companies that earn a commission on putting companies in touch with customers. Companies selling their products on their own websites would not be targeted, such as French retailer Darty which sells TVs and washing machines via its website. But companies such as Amazon earning money as a digital intermediary between a producer and a client would have to pay. The tax would also target the sales of personal data for advertising purposes. In order to avoid penalizing companies who already pay taxes in France, the amount paid will be deductible from pretax income, Le Maire said. He will present a draft law to the cabinet on Wednesday before it is presented to parliament. France has led a push for firms with significant digital revenue in the European Union to pay more tax at source, but has made little headway as Germany is cool to the idea, while member states with low corporate tax rates such as Luxembourg and Ireland firmly oppose the proposal. Story continues In an interview with weekly Journal du Dimanche, Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard said it is high time to end the fiscal imbalance between brick-and-mortar firms like his and the U.S. and Chinese internet platform companies. "They pour their products onto markets without even paying value-added tax, and hardly any other tax at all, it is intolerable. On the same turnover they should pay the same tax," he said. (Reporting by Geert De Clercq and Elizabeth Pineau; editing by Jason Neely) US tech giant Salesforce has pledged to invest $50 million into Australian startups. Salesforce, known for its customer relationship management software, said that "The Australia Trailblazer Fund" will help Aussie founders to scale and invest in innovation. The money is coming from Salesforce's dedicated venture capital arm, Salesforce Ventures, which has also backed companies like Evernote, Stripe, and Dropbox. Some 300 startups across 20 countries have been backed by the fund so far. Headquartered in San Francisco and led by billionaire Marc Benioff, Salesforce will hope to make a profit from the investments it makes into Australian startups. John Somorjai, EVP of corporate development and Salesforce Ventures, said in a statement: "Salesforce Ventures recognises the incredible opportunity to invest in Australian entrepreneurs to create world-class startups that will grow the opportunity within the Salesforce ecosystem and deliver customer success." Almost half of all Australian startups are currently trying to raise capital, according to Startup Muster, which aims to provide an annual snapshot of the Australian startup ecosystem. Salesforce announced the new VC fund on the same day a US tech investor criticised Australian founders for paying themselves too much.Simon Birmingham, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, welcomed the announcement, saying it will help companies succeed at home and internationally. "Initiatives such as Salesforce Ventures' new $50 million Australian Trailblazer Fund provide the valuable support and investment needed for startups to scale, employ Australians, and see their great ideas become great businesses," said Birmingham. US tech giant Salesforce has pledged to invest $50 million into Australian startups. Salesforce, known for its customer relationship management software, said that "The Australia Trailblazer Fund" will help Aussie founders to scale and invest in innovation. The money is coming from Salesforce's dedicated venture capital arm, Salesforce Ventures, which has also backed companies like Evernote, Stripe, and Dropbox. Some 300 startups across 20 countries have been backed by the fund so far. Headquartered in San Francisco and led by billionaire Marc Benioff, Salesforce will hope to make a profit from the investments it makes into Australian startups. John Somorjai, EVP of corporate development and Salesforce Ventures, said in a statement: "Salesforce Ventures recognises the incredible opportunity to invest in Australian entrepreneurs to create world-class startups that will grow the opportunity within the Salesforce ecosystem and deliver customer success." Almost half of all Australian startups are currently trying to raise capital, according to Startup Muster, which aims to provide an annual snapshot of the Australian startup ecosystem. Salesforce announced the new VC fund on the same day a US tech investor criticised Australian founders for paying themselves too much. Simon Birmingham, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, welcomed the announcement, saying it will help companies succeed at home and internationally. "Initiatives such as Salesforce Ventures' new $50 million Australian Trailblazer Fund provide the valuable support and investment needed for startups to scale, employ Australians, and see their great ideas become great businesses," said Birmingham. Thousands of Algerian students marched on Tuesday in protest at ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's determination to stand for re-election, brushing aside his pledge not to serve a full fifth term. The country's army chief meanwhile delivered a speech slamming unnamed parties he said want to return to the "painful years" of Algeria's civil war, and pledged to guarantee the country's "security and stability". Bouteflika suffered a stroke in 2013 and is rarely seen in public. Rallies demanding the 82-year-old resign have rocked Algeria since February 22, with protesters mobilised by calls on social media, in a country where half the population is under 30 and many young people struggle to find jobs. Following mass demonstrations, Bouteflika promised Sunday that if he wins the April poll he will organise a "national conference" to set a date for further elections which he would not contest. But Algerians weary of his two-decade rule angrily dismissed his promise, read out on state television, as an insult. On Tuesday thousands of university students from campuses across Algiers marched in the capital, many carrying their country's flag. Abderahman, a 21-year-old student, said Bouteflika "wants an extra year" in power. "We don't want him to stay even an extra second. He should leave now," he said. Police deployed across the centre of the capital where protests have been banned since 2001. "Hey Bouteflika, there won't be a fifth term," the students chanted. Onlookers applauded them and motorists honked their horns in a show of support. Thousands of students also rallied in the centre of Algeria's second city Oran, an AFP reporter said. Local journalists in the cities of Constantine and Annaba said thousands more students had also joined protests, while Algerian media reported demonstrations in other cities. In a sign they would not back down, students in Algiers chanted "bring on the army commandos and the BRI (police rapid response squad)". - Army chief warns protesters - General Ahmed Gaid Salah said on Tuesday that the army would continue to guarantee Algeria's "security and stability" and slammed those he said want to return to the "painful years" of the 1992-2002 civil war. Speaking at a military academy outside Algiers, the armed forces chief of staff urged Algerians to be ready to "erect a rampart against anything that could expose Algeria to unpredictable threats". The European Commission has stressed the importance of freedom of expression and rule of law, following days of protests which have seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets. "The right to freedom of expression and assembly are written in the Algerian constitution," said commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic. "We expect that these rights can be exercised in a peaceful way and guaranteed in respect for the rule of law," she told journalists. Bouteflika formally submitted his candidacy for the April 18 poll just before a midnight deadline on Sunday. It was handed in by his campaign manager Abdelghani Zaalane as the president has been in Switzerland since February 24 for what the presidency has described as "routine medical tests". In Sunday's message he said his pledge not to serve a full term if re-elected "will ensure I am succeeded in undeniable conditions of serenity, freedom and transparency." He acknowledged the mostly peaceful protests against him. "I listened and heard the cry from the hearts of protesters and in particular the thousands of young people who questioned me about the future of our homeland." But his words have failed to end the demonstrations against him which have continued daily, drawing Algerians from all walks of life, including students, lawyers and journalists. - 'No means no!' - Tuesday's rallies came in response to calls on social media for students to gather outside the iconic building housing Algiers' main post office. "No means no! Hasn't he understood the message of the people?" asked mathematics student Selma. A sign held up by demonstrators read: "No studies, no teaching until the system (regime) falls", as students were reportedly considering going on strike. The sprawling Bab Ezzouar campus of the University of Algiers, just outside the capital, was deserted. "There is a massive strike by students... I've never seen anything like it since the 1980 Berber Spring," a professor told AFP. She was referring to a weeks-long uprising demanding cultural rights for Algeria's Berber community, who long fought for greater recognition for their customs and ancient language overshadowed by Arabic culture. Algerian students demonstrate in the capital on March 5, 2019 against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term Algerian riot police push back students demonstrating in Algiers Algerian have protested against ailing President Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term since February 22 Protesters in Algeria have been mobilised by calls on social media in a country where half the population is under 30 The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier meets Britain's negotiating team on Tuesday as both sides seek a breakthrough with just weeks to go before this month's ominous divorce deadline. The sitdown comes after Barnier said on Saturday that the European Union was ready to give London further guarantees to help push a troubled divorce deal through the British parliament. Barnier also suggested European leaders would be amenable to a short "technical" delay in Britain's departure from the EU, scheduled for March 29, to give parliament time to formally ratify a final divorce deal. His small overture to Britain has raised hopes that both sides can find a solution, including to the so-called "backstop" plan for the Irish border, a major sticking point for pro-Brexit MPs. Barnier, a former French foreign minister, will meet in Brussels with Britain's attorney general Geoffrey Cox and Brexit minister Stephen Barclay for talks that start at 1700 (1600 GMT). "We're now at a particularly critical stage in these negotiations," said a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday. - 'Running the show' - Cox's presence is seen as central to the meeting, as he will ultimately offer a legal opinion on the Brexit deal and the Irish backstop that could determine whether key MPs in the British parliament will approve the accord. Earlier disfavourable advice by Cox was viewed as a contributing factor in the defeat of May's deal by MPs in January. "Cox is running the show," a senior EU source told AFP. "We are trying to find a junction between our positions and we are not there yet," the source added. But despite that defeat, EU leaders insist that the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened, and talks in Brussels are focused on drafting a separate document to placate doubters in London. Also raising hopes are the softening positions of several hardline Brexit supporters in May's Conservative party who have dropped their demand that changes to the backstop be made to the withdrawal treaty itself. But most of them continue to press for a time limit or exit clause to the backstop. They have also set up a team of lawyers to scrutinise anything that Cox brings back from Brussels. "Many Tories who dislike May's deal are reluctantly coming round to the idea of voting for it," said Eurasia Group analyst Mujtaba Rahman, a former UK official. "Regardless of what he gets" from Barnier, "Cox will reverse his previous legal advice that the UK could be trapped 'indefinitely' in the backstop," Rahman predicted. In 2017, Britain invoked Article 50 of EU law, triggering a two-year countdown to Brexit that ends at 11pm (2300 GMT) on March 29. Both sides are furiously trying to steer away from a dreaded "no-deal" divorce with the EU that could wreak havoc on global markets and create border chaos. British MPs last week agreed to give May more time to get her changes from Brussels, but if she cannot get her deal passed by March 12, she has agreed to let parliament vote for a possible Brexit delay. "Many Tories who dislike May's deal are reluctantly coming round to the idea of voting for it," says Eurasia Group analyst Mujtaba Rahman Some hardline Brexit supporters have softened positions on how to resolve the Irish border issue SOLANA BEACH, Calif., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AEVEX Aerospace , a full-spectrum airborne intelligence solutions company, today announced the appointment of Lauren Corbett to Director of Proposal Management. For 10 years, Lauren has led capture/proposal teams in the planning, development, and submission of bids and proposals in support of U.S. Government, commercial, and international customers. At AEVEX, Lauren will be responsible for overseeing proposal development efforts in support of the companys growth initiatives. AEVEX provides rapid, innovative airborne intelligence solutions with past performance supporting some of the nations most sensitive ISR operations, said Corbett. I am honored to be a part of this determined, mission-focused team delivering critical support to our Warfighters. Prior to AEVEX, Lauren worked with several companies including Special Operations Solutions (SOS), Barbaricum, and Dynamic Aviation where she successfully managed large-scale, winning pursuits within the aerospace and defense industry. Laurens background in proposal management across industry sectors aligns perfectly with the goals of AEVEX, said Brian Raduenz, CEO of AEVEX. AEVEX is primed for significant growth, and I am confident Laurens impressive background will help us advance the company and our efforts to offer cost-effective and customized solutions to answer our customers toughest challenges. Lauren has a Bachelors in English from James Madison University and is a member of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) where she holds an APMP Foundation Level certification. About AEVEX Aerospace AEVEXs vision is to be the recognized leader in full-spectrum airborne intelligence solutions. They take a long-term view of their relationships, partnering with customers to rapidly identify, develop, and deliver tailored solutions for airborne intelligence requirements. Their culture attracts and retains elite talent who thrive in dynamic mission environments. Whether providing flight test support for a new collection aircraft; operating a high-priority deployed unmanned aircraft system; or providing post-mission collection analysis for special operators, AEVEX delivers high-end results to empower their customers for consistent mission success. AEVEX has offices in Solana Beach, CA, Tysons Corner, VA and Fayetteville, NC. It currently consists of 500 employees across more than a dozen locations around the world. China's premier warned Tuesday that the country faces a "tough struggle" as he unveiled tax cuts to prop up a stuttering economy while increasing military spending to nearly $180 billion. The slowdown and US trade war have become major challenges for President Xi Jinping, a year after becoming the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong with the abolition of term limits and etching of his name into the constitution. Premier Li Keqiang told the opening session of China's annual National People's Congress that the government is targeting growth of 6.0-6.5 percent this year for the world's second-largest economy, lowering its range from 2018. Nearly 3,000 delegates from across the country gathered under tight security, with legislation aimed at improving conditions for foreign investors topping the agenda of the two-week session. "In pursuing development this year, we will face a graver and more complicated environment as well as risks and challenges ... that are greater in number and size," Li said in his speech. "We must be fully prepared for a tough struggle," he said. The government had set a target of around 6.5 percent in 2018 and eventually recorded official growth of 6.6 percent -- the slowest pace in nearly three decades. Three-quarters of provinces have already lowered their annual growth targets this year. - Taxes cut, spending boosted - "We have made a moderate adjustment to our projection on the basis of a thorough assessment of destabilising factors and uncertainties affecting the economic performance," Li said. To combat slowing growth, policymakers have said they will lower taxes, reduce fees and streamline red tape. China will cut company taxes and employer social insurance contributions paid on behalf of workers by nearly 2 trillion yuan ($298 billion), Li said. The value-added tax for manufacturers will be lowered to 13 percent from 16 percent and drop one percent for transportation and construction industries. Beijing will also lift spending, with China's targeted fiscal deficit set to increase to 2.8 percent of GDP, from 2.6 percent last year. "They need to strike a balance between boosting economic activity and not restarting another debt-fuelled boom," said Tai Hui of JP Morgan Asset Management. Fiscal policy will be "proactive", while monetary policy will remain "prudent", Li said, outlining cuts to the reserve ratios at medium and small banks to unleash more funds into the economy. Beijing is determined to achieve above six percent growth for the next two years to "meet its promise" of doubling GDP for the decade ending 2020, said Lu Ting, an analyst at Nomura bank. - Economic difficulties - Despite the slowdown, the government unveiled a military budget increase of 7.5 percent to 1.2 trillion yuan, though that is lower than last year's 8.1 percent hike. China has spent billions on stealth warplanes, aircraft carriers and other advanced weaponry as it faces territorial disputes in the South China Sea and issues warnings against independence in Taiwan. Recent economic data point to the difficulties China faces, with growth in the last three months of 2018 clocking in at 6.4 percent. In January, an important barometer of prices in the country's industrial sector neared contraction territory while China's imports fell at the start of the year. Manufacturing activity saw its worst performance in three years in February. But the country's stock market soared to its highest point in more than eight months Monday on renewed optimism about a US trade deal. Relations with the United States deteriorated sharply last year after President Donald Trump hit roughly half of Chinese imports with new tariffs in an attempt to force trade concessions. Trump, however, has voiced confidence that he could soon sign a deal with Xi. Li said China will settle "trade disputes through discussions as equals". Enforcement of any agreement with the US has emerged as a potential sticking point. "We faithfully honour our commitments," Li said. "Right now both teams are still negotiating because there is still lots left to do," Commerce Minister Zhong Shan told reporters, adding there have been "breakthroughs in some areas". The legislature will next week pass a new law regulating foreign investment and barring the forced transfer of technology by foreign firms to Chinese joint venture partners, in a move that could help ease US trade tensions. Beijing will "create a fair and impartial market environment where Chinese and foreign companies are treated as equals and engage in fair competition", Li said. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, which has voiced concerns that the foreign investment law was being fast-tracked, cautiously welcomed the government report. "We hope that the work report provides real impetus to create a fair and well-regulated Chinese market with global characteristics," said Mats Harborn, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. Nearly 3,000 delegates from across China have gathered in Beijing for the annual session of the National People's Congress Chart showing China's GDP growth since 1978, including the forecast for 2019 Li Keqiang has outlined tax cuts and a reduction in red tape to combat slowing growth Manufacturing activity has shrunk for three straight months, recording its worst performance in three years in February As the economy slows, Beijing has unveiled a military budget increase of 7.5 percent Tourists are flocking to the University of Sydney in the belief the Harry Potter movies were filmed on campus. F.I.T. Travel, which provides support and travel advice for Chinese people to destinations including Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, has the campus listed among the citys best attractions. It compares the sandstone-style buildings and green lawns to a real life Hogwarts the fictional campus where wizards and witches study magic. Let us visit Australias magic academy while waiting for the owl, the listing reads. Chinese tourists are visiting the University of Sydney in the belief the Harry Potter movies were shot there. Source: Getty Images (file pic) It adds the University of Sydney is the real version of Hogwarts. However, it seems some tourists believe the Harry Potter movies were actually filmed in Sydney. A University of Sydney spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo 7 tourists have been arriving on campus looking for the Harry Potter film scenes. Tourists visiting the University of Sydney have on occasion asked our staff whether the Harry Potter movies have been filmed on our campus, the spokesperson said. Although our Quadrangle is often compared to Hogwarts, none of the Harry Potter films have been filmed here, as our staff inform those who ask. Dr James Fraser of the universitys Nicholson Museum told SBS theres been a 4000 people increase in visitors to the campus in the last two years. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Source: Warner Brothers Pictures He told the news site one reason for that is people keep asking to see where Harry Potter was filmed. A Chinese tourist also told SBS he believed one of the Harry Potter scenes was filmed in the Quadrangle the universitys sandstone building made up of a number of towers with grass in the centre. Do you know more or have a story tip? Email: y7newsroom@yahoo7.com.au. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7s daily newsletter. Sign up here. A Chinese tourism website has made comparisons between Sydney Uni and Hogwarts. Source: Getty Images (file pic) President Donald Trump on Tuesday furiously branded a sweeping new investigation by Democrats of his inner circle a "big, fat, fishing expedition." In a series of early morning tweets, the president said the House Judiciary Committee investigation of his alleged crimes was "the greatest overreach in the history of our Country." "The real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done!" he said. Democrats, who took control of the House of Representatives in elections last November, suspect Trump of a slew of potentially impeachable offenses. The powerful judiciary committee on Monday requested information from 81 Trump-connected individuals and entities, including his sons and close advisors. The letters demanded documents that could shed light on possible obstruction of justice and abuse of office by the administration and Trump himself. US President Donald Trump addresses the National Association of Attorneys General in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on March 4, 2019 High-profile barrister Robert Richter QC denies reports hes quit George Pells legal team. I have not quit. I do not quit, he told AAP on Tuesday, following reports he claimed to be too emotionally involved in the case and angry at the jurys perverse verdict after the cardinal was found guilty of child sex offences. The Age reported Mr Richter felt he did not have sufficient objectivity at this stage to be involved in a Court of Appeal challenge to Pells conviction for orally raping a choirboy and molesting another at St Patricks Cathedral in the 1990s. Robert Richter QC (left) who represented Cardinal George Pell (right) denies he has called it quits from the cardinals legal team. Source: AAP Pell has launched an appeal of the conviction. It was announced last week that Sydney barrister Bret Walker SC would lead the case through the appeal process, with Mr Richter to remain part of the defence team. Mr Richter has a practice of not running appeals where he has been unsuccessful at trial, a staff member from his chambers said. Do you know more or have a story tip? Email: y7newsroom@yahoo7.com.au. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7s daily newsletter. Sign up here. Yaakov Baruch is the rabbi at Indonesia's only synagogue but he keeps his religious identity under wraps, like most of the tiny Jewish community living in the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation. A group of men threatened Baruch with death and called him a "crazy Jew" as he walked in a mall with his pregnant wife several years ago, prompting him to limit when he wears his kippah -- a Jewish skullcap. "It's never happened again because I chose to hide my identity as a Jew in public," he said. There is a similar ripple of concern among many of the estimated 200 Jews living in the Southeast Asian country of 260 million people, with most centred in a remote corner of the sprawling archipelago. Manado on Sulawesi island is one of the few places that Indonesia's remaining Jews -- mostly descendants of traders from Europe and Iraq who were once thought to number around several thousand before World War II -- feel comfortable showing their faith. A 62-foot-tall menorah, possibly the world's largest, stands near the town of Tondano -- around 20 kilometres (13 miles) south of Manado -- where Baruch holds regular services at a modest, red-roofed synagogue. - 'The enemy'- The Shaar Hasyamayim synagogue is Indonesia's lone house of worship for Jews after the only other one in the city of Surabaya was demolished in 2013. It had been the site of anti-Israel protests for years, and was sealed off by religious hardliners in 2009 and left to decay. Indonesia has long been praised for its moderate brand of Islam, but more conservative forms of the religion have taken centre stage in recent years, driven by increasingly vocal hardline groups. Tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and the Palestinians, spill over here and deepen religious divides. Thousands of hardliners demonstrated in Jakarta when US President Donald Trump announced last year that the American embassy in Israel would be moved to the contested city of Jerusalem. "There is still a lot of anti-semitic sentiment in Indonesia," Baruch said. "Generally speaking, Indonesians don't differentiate between being Jewish and Israel. They think Jews and Israel are the enemy of their religion and state," he added. "There is no denying that tolerance is fading in our country." The size of the Jewish community makes it almost invisible so Jews have not been the target of Islamist militants like some of Indonesia's larger religious minorities. A wave of deadly suicide bombings at churches in Surabaya last year highlighted the threat to minority groups, while Shiites and Ahmadis -- regarded as heretics by some majority Sunni Muslims -- have also been the target of violence. - Kosher food shortage - Still, Indonesia's Jews are on the radar of some groups. Monique Rijkers' efforts to bridge the divide with a TV programme about Judaism drew the ire of the Indonesian Muslim Students Association, which she claims reported her to government and broadcast regulators. "They demanded that I be fired and that the programme be cancelled," said Rijkers, founder of Hadassah of Indonesia, a non-profit organisation that offers cultural education programmes centred on Israel, Jews and the Holocaust. Indonesia's Jews face some practical challenges, too, such as finding kosher food in a country where it's not widely available. Another hurdle is that Indonesia has long allowed for only six different religious categories on all-important ID cards -- Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism. The cards are crucial for accessing government services, and for doing things such as registering marriages and births, meaning most Jews lie and put "Christianity" on the documents. Even some Muslim Indonesians learn that taking an interest in anything Jewish can raise eyebrows. Sapri Sale, who started teaching a Hebrew class in Jakarta a year ago, has been studying the language since the 1990s and compiled what he says is the world's first Hebrew-Indonesian dictionary. But his interests got little positive feedback at home. "I was called Sapri the Jew," he said. Most members of the tiny Jewish community in Muslim-majority Indonesia keep their identity under wraps Indonesia's remaining Jews are mostly descendents of traders from Europe and Iraq who were once thought to number around several thousand before World War II The size of the Jewish community makes it almost invisible so Jews have not been the target of Islamist militants like some of Indonesia's larger religious minorities Indonesia's Jews face some practical challenges, too, such as finding kosher food in a country where it's not widely available 05.03.2019: Borregaard ASA ("Borregaard", OSE ticker: BRG) Reference is made to the stock exchange notice of 1 March 2019 where Borregaard announced the intent to repurchase up to 300,000 of its outstanding common stock. Borregaard has today purchased 28,000 own shares through broker at an average price of NOK 82.90 per share. After this transaction Borregaard holds a total of 193,996 own shares, representing 0.19% of total shares outstanding. Contact: Lotte Kvinlaug, Investor Relations Officer, +47 922 86 909 This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. The tiny Pacific nation of Cook Islands is considering changing its name to something that reflects its Polynesian culture, rather than honouring the British explorer James Cook. The government set up a committee in January to find a new indigenous name for the grouping of 15 islands, about 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles) northeast of New Zealand. Initially the idea was to have the indigenous moniker feature alongside the existing Cook Islands name, in the same way that its larger neighbour is sometimes known as Aotearoa-New Zealand. But committee chairman Danny Mataroa said Monday that once discussions began it became apparent there was support for dropping the Cook Islands name altogether in favour of one in the local language, known as Cook Islands Maori. "When the committee members, which include Cook Islands historians and people with deep traditional knowledge, met we decided it was time we change the name of the country," he told AFP. Mataroa said the new name should reflect the country's heritage, its people and its strong Christian belief. Deputy Prime Minister Mark Brown backed the move, but said there was still a long way to go before the nation of 12,000 people changed its name. "I'm quite happy to look at a traditional name for our country which more reflects the true Polynesian nature of our island nation," he told Radio New Zealand. It is not the first time the issue has surfaced, with a 1994 referendum to change the name to Avaiki Nui resoundingly defeated. The Cook Islands were a British protectorate from 1888 until 1900, when they came under New Zealand's jurisdiction. The Cooks gained independence in 1965 but maintains close ties to Wellington, which takes responsibility for the Cooks' external affairs and allows its citizens to live and work in New Zealand. Dancers from the Cook Islands perform during a ceremony in the capital, Avarua. The government is considering changing the name of the tiny nation to something more traditional Map showing the Cook Islands. Weightlifter Sam Pera parades the Cook Islands flag during the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games. The tiny Pacific Ocean nation is considering a name change to something more traditional Rio threw the second and final night of its celebrated carnivalright through to dawn Tuesday in a show that blended political protest with a return to Brazil's roots. More than 70,000 people sang at the top of their voices Monday night as the seven final samba schools paraded through the city's Sambadrome, the huge concrete arena built by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemayer. The night before, another seven of the city's competing samba schools -- a mixture of trained dancers and enthusiastic neighborhood locals -- had staged their own colorful parade, in costumes and with giant decorated floats. The first school of 2,500 dancers and musicians made their way past the crowds and the judges at a reasonable hour of Monday evening, and the last did so at the crack of dawn Tuesday. As they do every year, Brazilians briefly forget their woes during the world's biggest party, including the economic crisis, bitter political divisions, massive corruption scandals and a sky-high murder rate. The fiesta serves as a cathartic coming together for the city, reflecting the joy, suffering and dreams of its denizens. "It's another way of crying. And protesting: we are alive!" said an editorial in the daily O Globo on Monday. The crowd this year included celebrities, such as football great Neymar, who was seen at the stadium with funk singer Anita. Neymar plays for France's Paris Saint-Germain and is in Brazil for treatment of a foot injury. The city had been battered by torrential summer rains in the hours leading up to the start of the parade on Sunday, but the skies cleared, as if by magic, just as the first samba school sashayed into the spotlight. And the magic of the parade has not dried up either in the first carnival to be staged under the new far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. Sunday saw a display of spectacular floats featuring giant flamboyant birds, slave ships, the Roman colosseum and of course scantily clad dancers in exotic headdresses throbbing to the deafening beat of drum bands. - Criticism and satire - But once again the carnival served as canvas for political messages, sending up the "circus" of the political capital Brasilia or condemning widespread corruption and a growing intolerance towards the black and LGBT communities. Those messages appeared to be directed pointedly at Bolsonaro, notorious before the election for race-baiting, sexist and homophobic comments. The parade Monday night continued that satirical theme. The Mangueira school caused a stir with a theme of popular heroes from Brazilian history who do not feature in school textbooks, mostly from the traditionally neglected black and indigenous communities. The highlight of that parade was a homage to Marielle Franco, a black city councilor and human rights activist from one of the city's poor favela neighborhoods who was shot dead last year. Another highly anticipated display was from the Portela school, which holds a record 22 carnival wins and partnered French fashion guru Jean-Paul Gaultier to design its dancers' costumes. It highlighted Brazil's roots by celebrating the memory of Clara Nunes, an icon of the 1970s samba scene and the first artist to defend the rights of African-Brazilian religions. - Budget cuts - The show also celebrated the resilience of the sambas schools themselves, whose subsidies from the city have been reduced since Marcelo Crivella, a former Evangelical pastor, became mayor in 2017. The carnival has also tamped down its traditional feel of debauchery, which normally draws around 1.5 million visitors to the "Marvelous City," including foreign tourists with their much-needed cash. But for Jairo Machado, a dancer with the Beija-Flor samba school, it would take more than budget cuts or torrential rain to dampen the legendary party-goers' enthusiasm. "Despite the weak investment by the city, the schools have overcome all that, they have managed to throw a good carnival," he told AFP. The judges are to announce the winner of the samba contest on Wednesday based on three criteria: the inventiveness of the floats, the theme of parade, and the quality of the dancing in the sambadrome. For the schools, that means months of work to makes the costumes, build the floats, rehearse their dance steps and learn their songs, making winning a huge prize for a school and its local community. Members of the Viradouro school samba through the 700 meter Sambradrome in Rio's carnival: each school fields hundreds, if not thousands, of dancers, as well as floats and drummers A Mangueira school dancers performs on the second night of Rio's Carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro The fiesta serves as a cathartic coming together for the city, reflecting the joy, suffering and dreams of its denizens A slavery themed dance display by the Unidos de Tijuca samba school in a carnival that features a number of politically themed protests aimed at the country's new far-right President Jair Bolsonaro Dancers from the Paraiso do Tuiuti samba school perform during the second night of Rio's Carnival parade at the Sambadrome Rio's Sambadrome, full of thousands of costumed dancers and elaborate floats decorated to reflect national, regional, cultural or historic themes Hundreds of students from universities across Algeria on Tuesday marched in the capital to protest against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's determination to run for a fifth term in April elections. "Hey Bouteflika, there won't be a fifth term," the students chanted in central Algiers, an AFP reporter said. Onlookers applauded them and motorists honked their horns in a show of support. And in a sign they will not back down from protests calling on the veteran leader to resign, the students chanted "bring on the army commandos and the BRI (police rapid response squad)." Bouteflika, who suffered a stroke in 2013, vowed in a letter read out on state television late Sunday to quit early if he is re-elected for a fifth time in the April vote. He said he would organise a "national conference" that would set a date for further polls which he would not contest. "I listened and heard the cry from the hearts of protesters and in particular the thousands of young people who questioned me about the future of our homeland," he said in the message. But his words have failed to end the protests against him which first erupted on February 22 and have continued daily. Tuesday's rallies came in response to calls on social media for students to gather outside the iconic building housing Algiers' main post office. Police deployed across the centre of the capital where protests have been banned since 2001, but did not intervene. Bouteflika, who is rarely seen in public, formally submitted his candidacy for the April 18 poll just before a midnight deadline on Sunday. It was handed in by his campaign manager Abdelghani Zaalane as the president has been in Switzerland since February 24 for what the presidency has described as "routine medical tests". Algerians, and local newspapers, have dismissed his promise to quit early as an insult and a show of contempt. "No means no! Hasn't he understood the message of the people?," asked Selma, a student taking part in Tuesday's rally. "Today we will make it clear for him, and again on Friday," which has been the main day for protests, she said. Algerian students are calling on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika not to stand for a fifth term A photo of a smiling cop on a sunny West Australian public holiday has gone viral. Western Australia Police posted a picture of one of its officers holding two breathalysers on Monday, with a message urging people to drive safely on the WA Labour Day long weekend. We hope you had a fantastic long weekend WA, the message reads. Just remember, you still need to drive home! Were out and about across the state. But it seems many followers of the WA Police Facebook page were more interested in the police officer than the message the force was trying to get across. Many followers of the WA Police Facebook page were more interested in the police officer than the message the force was trying to get across. Source: Facebook/Western Australia Police Force The picture of Kalbarri Senior Constable Paul Ellison has received more than 1000 comments and has been shared more than 340 times. Anyone know where this guy is stationed, one person wrote. I feel the need to commit a crime. He can take my breathe (sic) any day, another woman gushed. Theres no ring on them fingers ladies, an eagle-eyed observer noted. Seriously though if there was a 2020 police officer calendar for charity, I would buy one if he was in it, one fan wrote. Or even if he wasnt. But mostly if he was. Another person wrote: Thanks for the reminder officer hottie (sic). But not everyone was impressed by the commentary on the officers looks. In this day & age of the #metoo campaign I feel I must protest this objectification of a good looking police officer, one woman remarked, adding the hashtag #doublestandardsladies. But the officer in question told The West Australian he was flattered by the response and was even happier to get the road safety message across. Do you have a story tip? Email: y7newsroom@yahoo7.com.au. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7s daily newsletter. Sign up here. A Tokyo court on Tuesday unexpectedly granted bail to former auto industry titan Carlos Ghosn, who has spent more than three months in a detention cell. It was the latest twist in a case that has gripped Japan and the business world since the tycoon's shock arrest on November 19 over suspicions of financial misconduct An appeal by prosecutors against the decision to grant Ghosn bail was thrown out late Tuesday, according to the Jiji news agency. The 64-year-old Ghosn's lead lawyer Junichiro Hironaka suggested to Japanese media he could be freed Wednesday, once his defence team has raised bail which was set at one billion yen ($9 million). The former head of Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and Renault faces three charges -- two involving alleged under-reporting of his salary and a third over a complex scheme in which Ghosn allegedly sought to transfer his losses to Nissan's books. Further claims of financial misconduct have been levelled against him and prosecutors may yet slap him with additional allegations to keep him in detention. Ghosn again insisted his innocence in a statement released early Wednesday, saying he would "strongly" defend himself against the "unfounded" charges. "I am boundlessly grateful to my family and friends for backing me through this terrible ordeal," he added in the statement released by his lawyers in Paris. - Banned from leaving Japan - Under his bail terms, Ghosn is banned from leaving Japan and must adhere to conditions aimed at preventing him from fleeing or destroying evidence. The shock decision came a day after Hironaka, who Ghosn hired just last month in a shake-up of his defence team, told reporters he had filed a "convincing" application for bail that contained fresh elements. Hironaka, who has a reputation for securing acquittals for high-profile clients in a country where almost all court cases end in conviction, offered greater surveillance of Ghosn and a limit on his electronic communications. The court has previously said Ghosn's continued detention was justified because he posed a flight risk and could seek to tamper with evidence. It had already rejected two official bail bids and other attempts to win freedom. However, his prolonged stay behind bars has come under fire internationally and from rights groups. Speaking to AFP and French daily Les Echos in January -- his only interview with foreign media so far -- Ghosn himself said that his continued detention "would not be normal in any other democracy". "Why am I being punished before being found guilty?" Ghosn asked. - 'The razor' - Under Japanese law, prosecutors can hold a suspect for up to 22 days while they investigate an allegation, and then can apply for repeated one-month stretches of pre-trial detention for each charge eventually levelled. That means prosecutors could effectively prevent Ghosn from leaving detention despite Tuesday's bail decision if they level new allegations against him, restarting the 22-day detention clock. In a shake-up of his legal team last month, Ghosn replaced a former prosecutor known as "the breaker" with Hironaka, who has earned the nickname "the acquitter" for his court record and the "razor" for his mental sharpness. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Hironaka had vowed a "completely new legal strategy" to obtain his client's release. "I think the content of the lawyer's application changed the situation," said Japanese lawyer Nobuo Gohara. - 'Further discoveries' - Nissan declined to comment on the bail decision, saying it was a matter for courts and prosecutors. However, it said that an internal probe had "uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct" and that "further discoveries related to Ghosn's misconduct continue to emerge". "The company's focus is firmly on addressing weaknesses in governance that failed to prevent this misconduct," it added in a statement. A towering figure once revered in Japan for turning around Nissan's fortunes, Ghosn also forged a successful alliance between Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and France's Renault. But his attempts to deepen the alliance caused resentment in some quarters, and Ghosn has claimed the allegations against him are part of a "plot" by opponents of greater integration between the three firms. Given the number of people involved in the complex case and their wide geographical spread, Hironaka said the case would run over a "very long time span". However, he said prosecutors had begun handing over some of their evidence prior to a potential trial. Ghosn's family lawyer told French LCI television that his release would end a "cruel and brutal" time in custody for the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive. Auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn's case has gripped the business world since his arrest in Japan The Ghosn case has been full of twists and turns Ghosn appeared only once in public since his arrest - in court EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and his British counterparts on Tuesday wrapped up the latest round of talks aimed at getting the Brexit deal through parliament in London as this month's divorce deadline loomed. Barnier met UK attorney general Geoffrey Cox and Brexit minister Stephen Barclay for four hours over dinner, an EU official told AFP following conciliatory signals from both sides. The official could not confirm whether the talks would resume on Wednesday when he said journalists would be briefed on the results of Tuesday's meeting. Barnier said Saturday the European Union was ready to give further guarantees to help the Brexit deal it struck with Prime Minister Theresa May in November get through the British parliament. Barnier also suggested European leaders would be amenable to a short "technical" delay in Britain's departure from the bloc scheduled for March 29, to give parliament time to formally ratify a final accord. "We are determined to get a deal over the line and deliver on Brexit," Barclay tweeted as he and Cox, the government's top lawyer, departed for Brussels. There was no immediate comment from Barclay after the talks ended. Barnier's small overture to Britain has raised some hopes that both sides can find a solution, including to the so-called "backstop" plan for the Irish border, a major sticking point for pro-Brexit MPs. The two sides are at a "critical point" in these negotiations, a spokeswoman for May said earlier on Tuesday. Cox's presence is seen as central as he will ultimately offer a legal opinion on the Brexit deal and the Irish backstop that could determine whether key pro-Brexit lawmakers will approve the withdrawal agreement. The EU sees the backstop as an insurance policy to keep open the border between EU member Ireland and British Northern Ireland -- and to preserve the island's peace process. - 'Prepared to be flexible' - Earlier advice by Cox, warning that the backstop could keep Britain tied permanently to an EU customs union, was viewed as a contributing factor in the massive defeat of May's deal by MPs in January. EU leaders insist the legally binding withdrawal agreement will not be reopened, and the talks in Brussels are focused on drafting a separate document to placate doubters in London. Also raising hopes are the softening positions of several hardline Brexit supporters in May's Conservative party who have dropped their demand that changes to the backstop be made in the withdrawal treaty itself. But most of them continue to press for a time limit or exit clause to the backstop. They have also set up their own team of lawyers to scrutinise anything that Cox brings back from Brussels. British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt told BBC radio on Tuesday his government is getting "reasonably positive" signals from officials in EU capitals who he says are starting to realise the deal can get through parliament. Hunt said avoiding an indefinite backstop was the crucial issue, when asked whether London was sticking to either a time limit or a unilateral exit mechanism from the backstop. He added: "How we get there is something we are prepared to be flexible about". Eurasia Group analyst Mujtaba Rahman, a former UK official, said "many Tories who dislike May's deal are reluctantly coming round to the idea of voting for it." Cox will likely "reverse his previous legal advice that the UK could be trapped 'indefinitely' in the backstop," Rahman predicted. In 2017, Britain invoked Article 50 of EU law, triggering a two-year countdown to Brexit that ends at 11:00 pm (2300 GMT) on March 29. Both sides are furiously trying to steer away from a dreaded "no-deal" divorce that could wreak havoc on global markets and create border chaos. With fears about financial and economic stability growing, British lawmakers last week agreed to give May more time to seek changes from Brussels, but if she cannot get her deal passed by March 12, she has agreed to let parliament vote for a Brexit delay. "Many Tories who dislike May's deal are reluctantly coming round to the idea of voting for it," says Eurasia Group analyst Mujtaba Rahman Britain's Brexit Minister Stephen Barclay (R) and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox leave 10 Downing Street before heading for EU talks in Brussels Some hardline Brexit supporters have softened positions on how to resolve the Irish border issue Today on the Eye on NY podcast: An interview with Dana Balter, a former congressional candidate and founder of Enter the Public Square, a new nonprofit organization that aims to boost civic engagement. Balter discusses the role she hopes Enter the Public Square will play in encouraging central New Yorkers to participate in their communities. She also reflects on her campaign for Congress. There is talk of eliminating fusion voting in New York. What is fusion voting, why does it matter and what are the differing viewpoints? I'll break it down. Will it be difficult for Democrats to agree to a state budget this year? The latest on state budget talks in Albany. SUBSCRIBE: Listen on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or PodBean. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 AUBURN The New York State Fair is experiencing record growth, and Troy Waffner wants that trend to continue. Waffner, the state fair director, was the guest speaker at the Auburn Rotary Club luncheon Tuesday. He highlighted the fair's successes and welcomed critiques of the annual 13-day event. The critiques, he explained, help him understand what the fair needs to improve. For three years in a row, the fair has set all-time attendance records. In 2018, the fair drew nearly 1.3 million visitors an average of roughly 98,000 attendees per day. With the boost in attendance, the fair has been ranked as the third-largest in the country. While music acts and food vendors receive attention, Waffner reminded the Rotarians that the fair's mission is to promote New York agriculture. There is a cost to carrying out that mission, though. He estimated that highlighting the state's agricultural sector costs the fair $600,000 annually. "We have to find a way to pay for agriculture on the fairgrounds," he said. It helps the fair has drawn record-breaking crowds. There has been some criticism of the fair's admission promotions, such as Dollar Days $1 admission on the opening and closing days of the fair $3 admission on Thursdays. But Waffner told the Rotary Club that there is a benefit to the promotions: When people come to the fairgrounds, they tend to spend money an average of $80 per fairgoer. "It's worth letting people in on a Dollar Day or $3 Thursday," he said. Waffner attributed the fair's recent success to the transformation at the fairgrounds in Geddes. In 2016, the Grandstand and race track was demolished to free up 63 acres of land. The fair has used that land to expand its midway, establish a 313-site RV park and a 16-acre festival area. Other improvements included the construction of a new main gate, the relocation of the New York State Police exhibit and some renovations to the Iroquois Indian Village. The largest project funded by the state's $120 million investment in the fairgrounds was the 110,000-square-foot Exposition Center, which opened last summer. The facility is not only important to the fair during the summer, but it's a way to lure non-fair events to Onondaga County. The state announced Monday that more than 1 million visitors attended non-fair events in 2018, a record for the fairgrounds. Waffner noted that they are already on pace to break that record this year. Waffner also shared how the fair uses feedback from visitors to improve the event and the venue. Fair officials, he continued, read comments on the fair's social media pages, emails and comments posted on news websites. Reading those messages help the fair identify areas of concern and how they can fix them for next year. What's become a perennial issue is parking. The fair has drawn record crowds, but with that comes complaints about the lack of parking near the fairgrounds. The fair sought to reduce congestion by expanding its partnership with Centro to provide more shuttles during the fair. One of the improvements near the fairgrounds was a $27 million project to pave the Orange Lot, one of the fair's main parking lots. When the Orange Lot was expanded to hold about 7,000 vehicles, Waffner thought it would never be filled to capacity. However, on two occasions during the 2018 fair, the lot had to be closed because it was full. The fair is continuing to explore options for parking, including the acquisition of land to create new lots and improving existing areas. One Rotarian pitched the idea of having rail service provided by regional companies, such as Finger Lakes Railway, during the fair. Waffner liked the idea and said he would "take a look at it." Whether it's parking or the makeover at the fair, Waffner wants to remain focused on the fair's core mission. He said highlighting agriculture is especially important now that less than 2 percent of the population is involved in farming. "The more you can do to put people's eyes in front of cows, sheep and goats and understand where our food comes from and that it doesn't come from Wegmans, Tops and Price Chopper the better off we all are in the long run," he said. Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Washington, D.C., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Much can happen in a year, as a major collective effort underway by the organic community is proving. Scores of organic companies and stakeholders have enthusiastically stepped up to invest almost $1.5 million in programs to advance organic food and farming -- initiatives to promote organic, educate consumers about organics benefits, assist organic farmers and foster critical organic research. And this is just the beginning. Less than a year ago, the Organic Trade Association made the pivotal decision to create an innovative check-off-like voluntary program to support the U.S. organic sector. The effort was aptly named GRO Organic (Generate Results and Opportunity for Organic) and since then specific action plans have been put in place to reduce the confusion about organic, to help farmers go organic and stay organic, and to spur research on ways that organic practices can fight climate change. Organic has lots of challenges right now, and I am thrilled and heartened with how the sector has turned these challenges into new opportunities for strategic thinking and real action, said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association. Organic innovators and industry leaders are investing into their future, and taking proactive steps to ensure that organic continues to flourish. When we reimagined GRO Organic last year, we got to work immediately to develop diverse and forward-looking programs to not only benefit organic farmers and organic businesses, but to help consumers make the best choices and to encourage more organic research, said Batcha. We set measurable and tangible goals for the first two years of GRO Organic, and were poised to surpass those goals in the first year. The Organic Trade Association has partnered with Organic Voices, The Organic Center, and 69 (and counting) organic brands, businesses and leaders across the industry to implement programs as prototype working examples that can be expanded into even more ambitious future initiatives. The wide-ranging programs focus on four key action plans: Launching a national campaign to reduce consumer confusion about organic; Learning what customers are hearing and how it affects their behavior; Connecting technical specialists with transitioning and existing organic farmers in every state; Researching how organic is part of the solution to soil health and climate change. An engaging fishbowl discussion is being planned for organic stakeholders at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim on Friday, March 8, to provide an update on program specifics from GRO Organic Core Committee members, and to hear from stakeholders spanning the entire organic supply chain about the latest consumer insights, messaging plans and ideas, potential Governance structures and more. A national campaign to promote organic Organic Voices, led by Stonyfield Co-founder Gary Hirshberg, and the Organic Trade Association have collaborated to fund a two-year nationwide campaign to promote organic. To support the cutting-edge campaign, $1 million has already been raised in the first year (and another $1 million is on target for year two of the campaign with the goal to raise more). Organic Voices has been working for over a year to craft a new organic messaging and education campaign to eliminate consumer confusion about organic. Following a two-day retreat in which 20 leading organic firms compared and debated consumer insights, a core group of organic company chief marketing officers have led a rigorous 12-month effort to devise a campaign that hammers home the enormous numbers of chemicals used in conventional food, personal care and textile production, and the fact that all of these are prohibited under the USDA Organic seal. The key consumer message is: Skip all the chemicals and just go with organic. The campaign will extend to multiple mediums but with a heavy emphasis on social media. Attendees of Expo West will be briefed on the Organic Voices 2019 campaign in partnership with GRO Organic on Thursday, March 7. The Organic Voices messaging effort will help to erase consumer confusion and make clear exactly why organic is one of the very best and most practical steps one can take to promote preventive health, said Hirshberg. This campaign comes at a critical time for organic, and all of us in the organic community need to step up and pool our resources to promote organic. Learning what motivates todays organic customer The American organic sector is now a $50 billion industry, and its growth isnt showing any signs of stopping. Consumers of all ages, all income levels, and of all demographics are buying organic. And theyre hearing and learning about organic from a wide variety of sources. The Organic Trade Association is collaborating in a six-phase research project to better understand what drives a consumer to choose organic, what messages penetrate deeper than others, and what attributes of organic are the most valued by todays diverse organic customers. After interviewing dozens of consumers, industry professionals, and thought leaders, the research project is now entering phase three. Up next is a review and distillation of the information gleaned from the consumer and professional interviews, and the building and shaping of a communications toolkit for organic businesses (and available to all) based on findings from the research. Projected date for conclusion of the project: summer 2019. Helping farmers go organic and stay organic The hard reality for organic farmers and farmers who want to go organic is that the network of agronomists and technical service providers is often just not there to support growers through transition to organic and beyond. The ultimate goal of GRO Organic is to connect technical specialists with existing and transitioning organic farmers in every state, and year one of GRO has made an important first step towards that goal. With the support of GRO and the generosity of a cornerstone donation from Clif Bar, a train the trainer program will be launched this spring in the Midwest. The pilot initiative will train agricultural professionals working with organic or transitioning farmers. Called the Organic Agronomy Training Series (OATS), three OATS regions have been established in nine states: Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. During spring/summer 2019, each region will deliver a training suited to their growers, their environment, and their crop calendar. The pilot program was designed to be relatively narrow in focus the first year to successfully test a concept that can be expanded across a variety of organic crop systems throughout the country. The goal of OATS is to create a knowledgeable support network for organic farmers and those transitioning to organic, lowering many of the barriers to organic transition and promoting organic as an opportunity worth exploring, said Anders Gurda, Senior Manager-Agronomy Solutions for Pipeline Foods, which is spearheading a broad coalition to implement the pilot training sessions. Also getting underway through GRO is a special assessment of the organic technical assistance field. This will enable GRO to design an informed investment strategy for its technical assistance projects, and to identify programs that can be scaled up to include different regions and crops. Researching how organic can help fight climate change The food system is in a dangerous predicament its a significant contributor to one of its own biggest threats climate change. Thats where organic comes in. Organic farming can be part of the climate change solution because it does not rely on fossil-fuel intensive synthetic inputs, and it uses farming techniques that sequester carbon in the soil. Supported by GRO Organic, The Organic Center has put together a package of immediate-action research projects for 2019. A research project with the University of Maryland is already underway to review the science that evaluates organic methods for building soil health and to provide farmers with actionable recommendations for best management practices. Another project with the University of Maryland will investigate the impact of organic farming on carbon sequestration. A research study with the University of California, Berkeley, will quantify how environmentally friendly practices can impact a farmers economic bottom line. Our package of projects combines soil and climate issues with farmer benefits to move the needle toward a more sustainable climate, said Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs for The Organic Center. We need to act now to fight against climate change, and organic should have a major role in that battle. GRO Organic expected to keep GROing In kicking off GRO Organic, the Organic Trade Association launched a companion effort to develop a voluntary governance approach for long-term sustainability of the GRO effort. Last November, the Organic Trade Association opened a six-month period for interested parties to weigh in and answer key questions on how GRO Organic should be shaped. The call for Big Ideas is open through April 30. We want everyone to know that GRO Organic is live, and its investing in programs, said Organic Trade Associations Batcha. These arent pie-in-the-sky ideas. Thanks to the support of our organic innovators and leaders, these are now real on-the-ground projects that will make a difference for organic. Through GRO Organic, organic stakeholders can invest in their future and keep organic thriving and moving forward. We thank all of the GRO Organic investors for stepping up and making a real difference. We know the numbers will continue to GRO! said Batcha. For more information on how to invest in GRO Organic, contact Cassandra Christine at the Organic Trade Association. The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTAs Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace. A pair of central New York congressmen are urging the International Joint Commission to prevent flooding along Lake Ontario. U.S. Reps. Anthony Brindisi and John Katko co-authored a letter to Lana Pollack, U.S. section chair of the commission, requesting "immediate action" to address rising water levels that could lead to a repeat of the floods that occurred in shoreline communities two years ago. The Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board, which was established by the IJC to manage water levels, reported last week that the lake is now nearly 15 inches above its average for this time of year. With the lake level at 246.06 feet, the board has increased outflows at the Moses-Saunders Dam near Massena. Brindisi, D-Utica, and Katko, R-Camillus, asked the IJC for information about how the commission plans to address the rising water levels and prevent flooding. Katko's district contains three counties Cayuga, Oswego and Wayne along Lake Ontario. Brindisi represents the eastern portion of Oswego County. "As you know, shorelines across Lake Ontario were severely impacted by record flooding in 2017. The resulting devastation caused to local businesses, residences and infrastructure continue to be the subject of significant recovery efforts in coastal communities," Brindisi and Katko wrote. "In addition to threatening the lives of families throughout the region, continued flooding would only cause further destruction and cripple communities that are already struggling to respond to existing damage." State and local officials brought attention to the rising water levels nearly two weeks. State Sen. Pam Helming and Assemblyman Brian Manktelow, Wayne County's state representatives, led a letter to Katko, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to alert them that flooding is a serious concern. Wayne County officials told Helming and Manktelow that if lake levels reach 246.5 feet, they may declare a state of emergency. Last week, Gillibrand and Schumer wrote to Pollack and urged the IJC to take action and prevent flooding along the lake. The Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board is responding to the high water levels. In a Facebook post Friday, the board shared that outflows "remain very high and they continue to be gradually increased as conditions allow." Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Central New York Regional Economic Development Council has a new leader. SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley has been named co-chair of the panel. She will lead the council with Randy Wolken, president of the Manufacturers Association of Central New York, who became co-chair last year. Stanley succeeds Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena, the former president of SUNY Upstate Medical University. Laraque-Arena was one of the council's co-chairs since 2016. "I would like to thank Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and (Gov. Andrew Cuomo) for this exciting opportunity to serve our communities in central New York and I want to thank Dr. Laraque-Arena for her years of dedication to our region," Stanley said in a statement. "I look forward to working alongside Randy Wolken and my fellow council members and I am excited to continue the outstanding work of the council." Together with Wolken, Stanley will lead the most successful regional council in the state. The central New York council, which is comprised of Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties, has received $703.6 million in state funding, the most of any other regional council in New York. The funding has supported more than 700 projects in the region. The total doesn't include central New York's win in the Upstate Revitalization Initiative contest. In 2015, central New York was one of three regions to win a $500 million grant for economic development projects. Stanley has been president of SUNY Oswego since 1995. She has spearheaded a campus improvement to renovate buildings and construct new facilities, including an on-campus townhouse residential complex. Two fundraising campaigns launched by Stanley have generated more than $65 million for the college. She also created the Presidential Scholarship Program to reward top-performing students. The Oswego Guarantee, which she helped establish, ensures classes are available to students committed to completing their degrees in no more than four years. In return, the housing and meal plan costs for these students are frozen. Stanley's appointment is the second leadership change for the central New York council since 2018. Last year, Wolken took over for longtime chair Rob Simpson, who is president of CenterState CEO. The state's regional councils have two co-chairs: one from the business community and another who represents higher education institutions. Wolken welcomed Stanley to the council's leadership team. "I am very much looking forward to working closely with President Stanley as CNY REDC co-chairs, and know that she brings to the table a wealth of knowledge about regional economy," he said. Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Science and history units at Peachtown follow a three- to four-year rotation, with variations for contemporary and special topics, much in the way small colleges offer courses in alternating semesters. Units are taught in alternating five- to seven-week blocks, a format that allows our multi-age classrooms to function without grade-dictated limitations. History and science serve as the springboard for our integrated studies in all areas. For example, the study of the Revolutionary War period included early American art and crafts, music of the time, historical fiction and, in French class, the French Revolution. We even ground grain, grew our own sourdough cultures and baked delicious bread. Ancient cultures are regular features in the curriculum rotation, but we select the specific area of study based upon how well it meshes with the other topics for the year. This year, we chose Ancient Greece to sandwich in between colonial America and the antebellum and Civil War eras. These three separate units and the way they connect in such clear and often contemporary ways underscores the critical importance of a rich history curriculum. It is a challenge for adolescents to keep their dates, wars and presidents straight, but the common recurring connections across millennia and cultures provide the perfect format to revisit the momentous moments in history and relate them to contemporary issues. As we studied the fight for American independence and the writing of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, we connected the struggle for consensus among the Founding Fathers with todays hot-button constitutional issues. Jumping across a 2,000-year divide, the Athenian democracy gave us an opportunity to look again at our earliest political roots and offers another example of a democracy that embraced only white men. The Trail of Tears offers a timeless example of the price of expansion, greed, class and race distinctions, which result in cruel displacement and genocide. Andrew Jackson was a populist president who shifted the paradigm of leadership in his century like Donald Trump has today. And how ironic that tribes of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which served as an important exemplar for the writers of the Constitution, were driven out by the Sullivan Campaign before the Constitution was ever written. This years study has truly developed a context in which students can better understand our current racial, political and social environment. The passage of time sometimes seems great, and at other times very small. Four hundred years since the first slaves came to the mainland American colonies seems endless in the struggle for racial equality. On the other hand, my cousins great-grandfather fought at Gettysburg with a regiment from Clyde. He walked home to Scipio from a Confederate prison after the Civil War, weighing just 86 pounds when he completed his journey. I knew his daughter well when I was a young girl. This makes me feel old, but also closer to lives that were intimately touched by this turning point in history. Peachtown Elementary was named after the native Cayuga settlement as a reminder that we are our collective history. The study of civics is critically necessary for a population to intelligently govern themselves. But more than just civics, history traces the actions of people, their politics, motivations, outcomes and legacies, from which we have so much to learn. Today, a smaller percentage of college students are majoring in history. The loss is tangible. In a Washington Post article, Max Boot quotes a survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni that found that more respondents knew that Michael Jackson wrote Beat It than what the Bill of Rights was, and a full third could not place the Revolutionary War in the correct century. If the general population cannot identify simple facts, they surely arent aware of the repeating patterns and important lessons of history. Nor would they recognize what a crumbling democracy or a fascist state looks like. History, like all the humanities, is about building a frame of reference upon which we can understand who we are and the consequences of our actions. We must learn from our mistakes and ensure that history remains an important topic of study from the earliest grades throughout our lives. Groundhog Day is a good movie, but a poor motto to live by. Barbara Post is the head of school at Peachtown Elementary School in Aurora, a small independent school offering grades prekindergarten through eighth. For more information, call (315) 364-8721 or visit peachtownschool.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion is only three months away, so I thought this would be a good time for me to hop into my time machine and go back to 1944 to see what was happening in local schools at that time. However, I couldnt get the darn thing started, so I had to resort to the next best thing: I visited the history room at Seymour Library, where I found 1944 yearbooks from East, Central, West and Holy Family high schools. D-Day is a military term for the beginning of an event or operation. In June of 1944, it referred to Operation Overlord, where more than 150,000 American, British and Canadian soldiers crossed the English Channel and landed on the coast of Normandy, France. More than 4,000 Allied fighters were killed, and thousands more were either injured or reported missing in action. My father and several of his brothers fought in World War II, so I have a personal connection to the impact of the war. I found some interesting information in each of the yearbooks I viewed, and I will address them in alphabetical order. From Mercury, the Central High yearbook: Confronting us, the graduating class of 1944, is a world beset with havoc and filled with misery. The great conflagration of war which has been raging unabated has seared us all. We look forward to the day when we may live, once again, in a world at peace. This is from an editorial in the front of the yearbook by the class vice president, Earl Schemerhorn. Keep in mind that Earl wrote this before the United States had even joined the war effort in Europe. From The Arrow, the East High School yearbook: A democratic people in time of war voluntarily surrender many rights and privileges in order that the war may be ended quickly and successfully. ... We must see that our inheritance is restored to us as soon as possible after the war. This is from an unsigned editorial in the front of the yearbook. In the senior picture section, four students were listed as already being in the service. From The Achillean, the Holy Family yearbook: Our country has been plunged into a devastating war. Most of us perhaps shall be called upon to fight for our country. ... Perhaps some shall even be forced to sacrifice their lives that those who survive may live in peace. This is from a forward to the book. According to the June 28, 1944, edition of The Citizen-Advertiser, Class President Robert Morgans commencement speech was titled Post War Peace. This yearbook also featured a four-page tribute to class of 1943 graduates who were serving in the military. Next to one photo was a handwritten note indicating that one Theodore Miskell had been killed in action in France on June 22, 1944. From Tech, the West High School yearbook: The class of 1944 is the first class to have completed secondary work in West High School. This is from an introduction by Principal Harold D. Kelly. The school had opened in 1941. Many of the seniors indicated they would be joining the military after graduation. In his commencement speech, class valedictorian Donald Loeper said, Many of our graduating class will be leaving for the armed forces in a few weeks. ... Those who will not be carrying a gun are challenged on the home front to keep our American way of life. From me: I look forward to a time when our graduating seniors do not have to worry about having to risk their lives in a war zone. Working for peace in the future is to work for peace in the present moment. Thich Nhat Hanh Joe Sarnicola is retired from the Auburn Enlarged City School District. He can be reached at joesarnicola@yahoo.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 AUBURN As an effort to get private investment flowing into low-income communities, New York state is participating in the new Opportunity Zone development program. New York has more than 500 Opportunity Zones, and one is in Cayuga County. Opportunity Zones are census tracts with an individual poverty rate of at least 20 percent and a median family income no greater than 80 percent of the area median. Auburn's northwest quadrant qualifies as an Opportunity Zone. Here's how the program works: An Opportunity Zone can receive funds from Opportunity Funds. Those Opportunity Funds provide investors a chance to put that money to work by rebuilding poorer communities. To invest in Opportunity Funds, investors must hold 90 percent of their assets on a property within a designated zone. Why would investors do this? There are two main incentives. Investors can defer taxes on any prior gains invested in an Opportunity Fund until it's eventually sold. If the investment is held for longer than five years, investors pay 10 percent less on those taxes. If the investment is held longer than seven years, that 10 percent becomes 15 percent. As for the other incentive, investors can permanently exclude capital gains from the sale or exchange of an investment in an Opportunity Fund if held for more than 10 years. The zones, according to the IRS website, are designed to "spur economic development and job creation in distressed communities." But there's a couple catches. So far, the program's draft regulations have been promulgated, but final regulations were hung up due to the government shutdown. Also, the program lacks a way to monitor its job creation. Michael N'dolo, the vice president of Camoin Associates, provided an informational presentation on Opportunity Zones Monday at Auburn's city hall. He said that although there's nothing in place now, he does anticipate some way of monitoring the impact of these investments on poor communities will come about soon. But even that could be questionable. Opportunity Funds are self-certified, meaning IRS approval isn't needed. For investors, this is one less step they have to worry about, but this could make tracking Opportunity Zone progress tricky. "You don't have to go to the IRS and say 'Hey, I think I'm a fund, can you stamp me.' You just say 'I'm a fund,'" N'dolo said. "In fact, a lot of deals out there that will be done, no one will ever know that they're Opportunity Zone deals because this all happens internally." Staff writer Dan Orzechowski can be reached at (315) 282-2239 or dan.orzechowski@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @OrzechowskiDan. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. With the state budget process coming to a close on April 1, Gov. Andrew Cuomo remains confident a vote to legalize recreational marijuana can be completed by that time. His confident endorsement is focusing on decriminalizing the drug and increasing state revenue rather than thinking about his constituents personal health. Decriminalization and expunging criminal records of low-level drug offenders will alleviate pressures on the judicial system initially, but what are we giving up in the long-run? Our efforts will be shifted to drugged-driving crashes that of which will still carry a cost via law enforcement and emergency responders. I applaud Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck for looking at the bigger picture, as presented on Feb. 8, as he stood in solidarity with other sheriffs across New York state in opposition to this vote. Data provided within the article shows the negative side of legalization in Colorado with increased crime rate and traffic incidences. Advocates tend to dismiss the harsh realities that come with legalization of such a harmless drug. Where does this apathetic attitude towards illegal drug use end? If more people chose to use another illegal substance in the future will we decriminalize it as well for the sake of ease? SAN FRANCISCOFalcon Studios Group has released its latest NakedSword Originals all-sexer, Bare, on DVD and digital download. This is NakedSword Originals' first-ever all-bareback DVD in eight years of producing original content, and releasing over 75 hit movies. Bare is now available for purchase and digital download on the Falcon Studios Group Store. The studs of Bare include Falcon Studios Group Exclusive Steven Lee and fan favorites Jay Dymel, Ryan Stone, JJ Knight, Nic Sahara, Colby Tucker, and Jack Hunter. Over the years, NakedSword Originals has become known for its award-winning original series and feature movies with story-driven plots and themes. NakedSword Originals, its movies and stars have received dozens of awards from the industry including GayVN, Str8UpGayPorn, Grabbys, Cybersocket, and Prowler. After decades of pumping out story-driven hit features, NakedSword Originals presents Bare, an ultra-sexy collection of bareback sex scenes featuring no story, no condoms, just sex. I'm so excited we're finally releasing our first full, totally bareback feature for NakedSword, said director mr. Pam. With hot, raw man-fucking and cock sucking, it only made sense to call this one Bare. NakedSword Network President Tim Valenti said, Bare is a definite first for us being that it's our first non-condom release, as well as our first non-story/plot-driven DVD. With this release, we decided to strip it down, no pun intended, and focus on the sex and genuine interactions between the models with no storyline or script. The reaction from members has been fantastic. We will still continue to produce big budget features while at the same time continuing to experiment with more releases like this in the future." For DVD wholesale purchasing, contact John Gunderson ([email protected]). Contact Toby J Morris ([email protected]) for additional image assets, information and access to the Falcon Studios Group Media FTP. WASHINGTON, D.C.Ever since the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission scrapped Obama-era net neutrality rules in June of last year, after voting to end the rules in December of 2017, individual states and even the United States Senateor at least Democrats in the Senatehave been pushing for ways to revive the regulations. Under net neutrality, giant internet service providers must provide equal access to online data pipes for all content providers. Getting rid of net neutrality changed all that, paving the way for the big ISPs to favor certain contentoften their own, in an era when some ISP giants such as AT&T have become content providers themselves. Other content could be blocked or throttled by individual ISPs without net neutrality rules in place. While ISPs have yet to take any such drastic measures in the wake of net neutrality repeal, in part because of the massive public outcry against it, AT&Ts new chief of WarnerMedia recently griped that Netflix gets a free-ride on connectivity over everybody. On Wednesday, congressional Democrats will take steps to prevent those measure from taking place, when they introduce a bill titled the Save the Internet act, according to a letter sent to House Democrats by Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday. The legislation will also be introduced in the Senate, she said, though with the Senate remaining under GOP control, any such bills chance of passage there remains an iffy proposition at best. The House Energy & Commerce Committee has scheduled a hearing on the bill for March 12. Of course, even if passed by the Senate, the net neutrality bill would face the possibility of a Donald Trump veto, as well. Though Pelosi has not yet released the text or a summary of the net neutrality bill, it is expected to include a key provision expressly omitted from three competing, Republican-backed net neutrality bills. Those GOP bills fail to switch the official classification of the internet back to a Title II common carrier telecommunications service. The FCC repeal reclassified the internet as an information service, a category that allows for only much lighter government regulation. Because the Republican bills do not reinstate the information service classification, open-internet advocates have dismissed them as fakes, pushed by ISP lobbyist shills. The bills objective, according to Pelosis letter, will be reversing the disastrous repeal by Trumps Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in late 2017 of the critical net neutrality protections." The bill isnt out yet, but we hope it will give a congressional stamp of approval to the FCCs 2015 Net Neutrality rules and the whole Open Internet Order, Timothy Karr, senior director of strategy and communications at the advocacy group Free Press, told the tech site Gizmodo. As AVN.com has reported, a major lawsuit led by Mozilla, makers of the open-source web browser Firefox, to overturn the FCCs net neutrality repeal, is currently being heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Photo BY AFGE/Wikimedia Commons TORONTO, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proactive Investors, a leading provider of news coverage, investor conferences and website services to small-cap companies, is pleased to announce the opening of its sixth office globally, and second in Canada, at 100 King Street West (First Canadian Place) in downtown Toronto. The office will serve as an additional access point for Proactive clients in the Toronto area and those visiting Toronto on business. As the office is located inside the new Toronto headquarters of the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), it will also provide media opportunities for CSE-listed companies. The new office includes a state-of-the-art broadcast studio where small-cap company executives will be interviewed by award-winning broadcast journalists Steve Darling and Christine Corrado, based in Vancouver and New York, respectively. The addition of a Toronto location is part of an expansion at Proactive Investors designed to ensure small-cap company CEOs have access to video interviews and broad digital distribution in all major capital markets. The Toronto office joins facilities in Vancouver, New York, London, Sydney and Perth. Proactives Toronto studio was established to enhance our comprehensive coverage of Canadas growth company sector and we view expansion of our long-standing relationship with the Canadian Securities Exchange as an important aspect of this strategy, said Proactive Investors Chief Executive Officer Ian Mclelland. We look forward to welcoming a wide variety of public companies to our new studio and continuing to bring innovative outreach tools to help Canadas most innovative companies. About Proactive Investors Proactive Investors is one of the fastest growing financial media portals in the world, providing breaking news, commentary and analysis on listed companies and pre-IPO businesses across the globe. Editorial and video content is featured on Proactive Investors platforms, and through syndication reaches many of the worlds largest news amalgamators, financial websites and news tracking services. News coverage takes place around the clock via six offices on three continents, and dedicated teams regularly organize large investor events in London, New York and Sydney. Proactive Investors is proud to serve over 600 clients worldwide. For further information, please contact: Peter Murray, President, Proactive Investors Canada T: 604-688-8158 (peter@proactiveinvestors.com) Cannon Beach History Event: Buffalo Soldier Connection to Oregon Coast Published 03/06/2019 at 2:23 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Cannon Beach, Oregon) A tiny but fascinating corner of Oregon coast history comes to light on March 14 in Cannon Beach, as the local history museum presents a talk on an early African-American trailblazer and his connections to the north Oregon coast. (Above: the Cannon Beach History Museum). At the close of the Civil War, a Louisiana-born black man named Moses Williams joined the army and began a distinguished military career that lasted 31 years and included some time on the north Oregon coast. Sgt. Williams led troopers of the 9th U.S. Cavalrys Buffalo Soldiers, receiving the armys highest award, the Medal of Honor. From his posting as ordnance sergeant at Fort Stevens on the Oregon coast, Williams petitioned the War Department for the honor of fifteen years after demonstrating what the assistant secretary of war later called most distinguished gallantry in action with hostile Apache Indian in the foothills of the Cuchillo Negro Mountains in August 1881. Williams was posted at Fort Stevens on October 15, 1895 and served for three years. The talk is given by Portland historian Greg Shine, who recently penned an article on Buffalo soldiers in the Pacific Northwest and their time in Washington and Oregon. His presentation will focus primarily on Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Moses Williams and his connections to Fort Stevens. (At right: Moses Williams). Shine is best known to north Oregon coast residents for his extensive work in researching the USS Shark, the ship from which the cannon came that eventually got Cannon Beach its name. That carronade is on display at the museum. In addition to his work in the Oregon/Washington State Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Greg serves as a lecturer in the History Department at Portland State University and volunteers on the editorial board of the Oregon Encyclopedia and the board of the Friends of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site nonprofit organization. For nearly 30 years, Greg has produced studies, reports, presentations, technical papers, and digital media for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. National Park Service; contributed chapters to books including Exploring Fort Vancouver (UW Press, 2011) and The Civil War Remembered (Eastern National, 2011); edited and co-written books including Revealing Our Past: A History of Nineteenth Century Vancouver Barracks through 25 Objects (National Park Service, 2013). Shine has also appeared on PBS's History Detectives and OPB's Oregon Experience episodes. Alongside that, hes known for numerous articles for journals and the online Oregon Encyclopedia, including "Respite from War: Buffalo Soldiers at Vancouver Barracks, 1899-1900," for the Oregon Historical Quarterly which he will draw upon for his History Center presentation. Shine and his family live in Portland but can often be found exploring the Oregon coast - especially Cannon Beach. This event is free to the public and begins at 1 p.m. Seating for Shines presentation is very limited so youll want to arrive a little early to get a seat, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and peruse the museum before the lecture starts at 4:00 p.m. Doors are closed at 4:15 p.m. 1387 South Spruce Street. 503.436.9301. Lodging in Cannon Beach - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours Above: Fort Stevens More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted TORONTO, ON, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Easton Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTC: EAPH ) announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire a commercial bakery with existing revenues and projected to reach over $20,000,000 within 12 months. In its ongoing efforts to diversify and enter other lucrative sectors and add value-added businesses to achieve consistent growing sales to coincide with its revenue-generating framing contract and its pharmaceutical / diagnostic division, Easton is pleased to have signed an agreement to acquire a Toronto based commercial bakery and food preparation company which manufactures white labeled food products for third party food companies and its own line of niche food product lines, sold in major grocery chains, as well as specialty coffee chains. The company has an R&D division with product development and has begun discussions with licensed producers of cannabis, as well as food chains in order to develop and supply cannabis edible products. Easton Pharmaceuticals and its management saw an opportunity to acquire a company with not only a proven track record, but also major expansion opportunities that can potentially grow its sales to over an estimated $50,000,000 per year. Eastons management will be implementing some changes that will increase the revenues to approximately $20,000,000 over the next 12 months. Eastons CEO Evan Karras stated, We are extremely pleased to have signed a definitive agreement to acquire what we believe to be a successful commercial bakery and food preparation company, that together with their market knowledge and market share, and our expertise and infrastructure, we will be able to increase the sales fairly quickly. Easton expects the transaction to be completed in the next 2 weeks as it is already with legal counsel for closing, but has already commenced a strategic transition plan. More information will be announced and disclosed once the transaction is completed. About Easton Pharmaceuticals Easton Pharmaceuticals is a diversified specialty pharmaceutical company involved in various pharmaceutical sectors and other growing industries. The Company previously developed and owned an FDA-approved wound-healing medical drug and currently owns topically delivered drugs to treat cancer and other therapeutic products to treat various conditions that are all in various stages of development and approval. Easton, together with BMV Medica S.A. own the exclusive distribution rights in Mexico and Latin America for two patented women's diagnostic products and a novel natural treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis, which they have sub-licensed to Bayer and Gedeon Richter. In addition, a generic cancer drugs line is being developed for sale in Mexico. The company's gel formulation is thought to be an innovative and unique transdermal delivery system that can in the future be adaptable in the delivery of other drugs. As part of its strategic growth plan, the Company will be entering new lucrative market segments globally, including Gaming, Real Estate Development and Hospitality and Food and Beverage, among others. For More Information on Easton and Affiliated and Partner Company's Visit: http://www.eastonpharmaceuticalsinc.com http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=eaph https://twitter.com/eastonpharma Safe Harbor This news release may contain forward-looking statements or expressions within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (The "Act"). In particular, when certain words or phrases such as "hope", "positive", "anticipate," "pleased," "plan," "confident that," "believe," "expect," "possible" or "intent to" and similar conditional expressions are expressed, they are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Act. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any of the forward-looking statements. Any investment made into Easton Pharmaceuticals may contain risks. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market conditions, general acceptance of the company's products and technologies, competitive factors, the ability to successfully complete additional or adequate financing, government approvals or changes to proposed laws and other risks and uncertainties further stated in the company's financial reports and filings. Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers. Kiwi-As Toilets: Where to go when you need to go in New Zealand by Jo Knox Keep this book in your car for your convenience. If you groaned at that, wait till you read all the toilet references in the Preface. The author, Jo Knox, begins her Introduction no other country does toilets like New Zealand does! And yet interesting toilets are possibly one of New Zealands best-kept secrets! Kiwi-as Toilets aims to start the ball rolling (or should that be ballcock rolling?!) in giving our countrys top toilets the recognition they deserve. Not only will Kiwi-as toilets guide you where to go when you need to go, these toilets are places you will want to go to when you dont even need to! What follows is coverage of noteworthy loos she has viewed, from Kawakawa to Invercargill 40 in North Island and 25 in South Island. Together, they show that even this most utilitarian of facilities can be a work of art. Of course she begins in Kawakawa with the famous Hunterwasser masterpiece which no doubt inspired other places in the country to reboot their bogs. Sorry, its catching! Lots, but not all, are quirky. For instance, Paihias wee toilets have toilet bowls adorning its roof, apparently serving as planters rather than for after-hours or climbers use; and just around the bay the wharehoroi in the Waitangi Treaty Grounds is gleaming in glass and concrete yet designed to blend with the surrounding bush. The selected edifices are aflush with murals, together featuring local history, outdoor activities, scenery, motifs of native flowers and birds, or with toilet humour. Most are public facilities, but to view/use some youll have to visit business premises bars, cafes, restaurants particularly. The restrooms at White and Wongs in Aucklands Viaduct area rate a special mention see the book for details but the supreme award must go to the internationally recognized non-block design at The Redwoods, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua. Tread gingerly when youve gotta go at Wanakas Puzzling World and, men, be prepared to aim for either Donald Trump or Stephen Jones at Cowboys in Queenstown. Every page of Kiwi-As Toilets has colour photos to support the descriptions that give details on the artists and architects involved. Some of the names recur and one wonders if the CVs of these designers might be something of a toilet roll. Perhaps what impressed and astounded me most is the amount of money allocated to creating some of these designer dunnies. If many of the loos are to be admired for their artistic merit, so is Kuljit Kaur's design of this book. Keep it in your glove-box for reference. Therere blank pages at the rear for adding to it when you come upon any notable examples that havent made it into this celebration of WCs. Dare I suggest that the only thing it lacks is a few squares of toilet paper, just in case one of them lets you down. Review by Al Fabet Title: Kiwi-As Toilets: Where to go when you need to go in New Zealand Author: Jo Knox Publisher: Kiwi-as Toilets co ISBN: 9780473449476 RRP: $29.99 Available: bookshops or http://kiwiastoilets.co.nz 2019 OCKHAM FINALISTS EXPLORE THE TRUTH AND ISSUES OF OUR TIMES New Zealand Book Awards trustee Jenna Todd says the full Ockhams shortlist is clear evidence of the vitality of New Zealand literature. Not only does the shortlist feature some of our best-known writers those with long and illustrious careers but it also includes newcomers writing out of deep passion and engagement. Four of our best-known novelists whose novels, appropriately for our times, explore what it means to tell the truth are in the running for the countrys richest fiction writing award, the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize, with todays Ockham New Zealand Book Awards finalist announcement New Zealand Book Awards trustee Jenna Todd says the full Ockhams shortlist is clear evidence of the vitality of New Zealand literature. Not only does the shortlist feature some of our best-known writers those with long and illustrious careers but it also includes newcomers writing out of deep passion and engagement. These 16 books deepen the public discourse on a range of issues and the particular genius of each of their writers lifts them to an emotional plane at which they reward and endure for their readers. Jenna Todd, NZ Book Awards trustee READ MORE You can find the full list of Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlisted titles here and you can download social media visuals and other material to promote the books from the Resources page of our website later this morning. WE WELCOME TWO NEW SPONSORS Todays finalist announcement includes two major new category sponsors for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. To support and nurture new writing talent, mitochondrial science company MitoQ will sponsor the four Best First Book awards, and arts enthusiasts and philanthropists Mary and Peter Biggs will support the Poetry category. Todays finalist announcement includes two major new category sponsors for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. To support and nurture new writing talent, mitochondrial science company MitoQ will sponsor the four Best First Book awards, and arts enthusiasts and philanthropists Mary and Peter Biggs will support the Poetry category. Mary and Peter Biggs say that with poetry undergoing a wonderful resurgence in our country over the last few years, it struck them as strange that the poetry award was unsupported. MitoQs chief marketing officer John Marshall says that as one of New Zealands newest success stories, it is their pleasure to help emerging writers further enrich the countrys literature.Mary and Peter Biggs say that with poetry undergoing a wonderful resurgence in our country over the last few years, it struck them as strange that the poetry award was unsupported. We are thrilled to be involved and hope that the Award continues to recognise poetrys and the poets vital role to, as Salman Rushdie says, shape the world and stop it from going to sleep. Peter Biggs CNZM READ MORE OUR INTERNATIONAL JUDGE Irish born O'Neill is the author of four novels, most recently The Dog and Netherland , which received the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Kerry Fiction Prize. He has also published a book of short stories, Good Trouble , and a family history, Blood-Dark Track . Award-winning New York-based novelist Joseph O'Neill will assist the three New Zealand judges to select this years Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize winner from the four finalistsIrish born O'Neill is the author of four novels, most recentlyand, which received the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Kerry Fiction Prize. He has also published a book of short stories,, and a family history, NPD HAS A NEW ADMINISTRATOR Jacqui majored in Literature, before working as a writer and editor for several years in London and Sydney. She completed her Masters in 2015. She is a keen supporter of poetry and has a couple of poems published in the latest Fast Fibres collection. We were very sad to bid farewell to the extraordinary Harley Hern, Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day administrator of the past two years, but we are also delighted to have her fellow alumni from the Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Auckland, Jacqui Hammond, take her place.Jacqui majored in Literature, before working as a writer and editor for several years in London and Sydney. She completed her Masters in 2015. She is a keen supporter of poetry and has a couple of poems published in the latestcollection. Jacqui Hammond Jacqui is keenly awaiting the flood of proposals when NPD 2019 registrations open next Wednesday. GET READY FOR THE 2019 HELL READING CHALLENGE Were just days away from launching the wonderful annual campaign that gets our nations youth reading and enjoying the pleasures of stories with the bonus of free pizza rewards. Yes, the 2019 HELL Reading Challenge is about to kick off! Registrations open Friday 8 March and already our administrator Joy Sellen has fielded an unprecedented number of enquiries from schools and libraries, so we are set for another record year. In last years Challenge 300,000 reading wheels were distributed, meaning that potentially more than two million books were read by Kiwi kids as a result of the campaign. DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 8 March: HELL Reading Challenge 2019 begins. 13 March: National Poetry Day event registrations/seed funding applications open. 14 May: Ockham NZ Book Awards ceremony at Aotea Centre, as part of Auckland Writers Festival. Tickets on sale 15 March. 22 May: Deadline for National Poetry Day event registration/seeding funding applications. 6 June: Shortlist announced for 2019 NZ Book Awards for Children & Young Adults. 7 August: NZ Book Awards for Children & Young Adults ceremony in Wellington. 23 August: Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day OUR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, The New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults, and Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day could not exist without the generosity, commitment and vision of our sponsors and staging partners. The New Zealand Book Awards Trust is hugely grateful to Creative New Zealand, Ockham Residential, Acorn Foundation, Royal Society Te Aparangi, MitoQ, Mary and Peter Biggs, Auckland Writers Festival, HELL Pizza, Wright Family Foundation, LIANZA, Wellington City Council, Te Papa, Nielsen Book, Phantom Billstickers, and our other wonderful supporters. You can find out more about them here , here and here KEEP IN TOUCH You can find out more about the work of the Trust on our website or if you have a specific enquiry, contact our Trust Manager . And do follow us on our various social media accounts to keep up with our busy calendar of events and other news: Ockham New Zealand Book Awards via via Facebook or Twitter Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day via via Facebook or Twitter New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults via via Facebook or Twitter A decision by Wake County Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins to invalidate two constitutional amendments isn't necessarily tarnished by partisanship or judicial activism, former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr says.In some ways, Orr told Carolina Journal, Collins' ruling poses critical questions about the enforcement of a truly constitutional government.In November, North Carolinians voted to add voter ID and an income tax cap to the N.C. constitution. Both measures were placed on the ballot by a three-fifths majority vote of the General Assembly. Both were challenged in court by the NAACP and Clean Air Carolina.On Feb. 22, Collins ruled in favor of the NAACP, voiding the amendments and stating the legislature is ineligible to pass such ballot measures due to illegally gerrymandered legislative districts. Collins said CAC lacked standing to sue.Collins wrote in his opinion.Some praised Collins. Others criticized him. Still others, like Orr, took a step back to consider the context of the situation.Orr told CJ.In 2018, a panel of federal judges ruled North Carolina's districts unconstitutional. That decision begs questions about whether lawmakers elected in those districts should be able to push ballot measures to amend the constitution, Orr said.Republican lawmakers, led by Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, have filed a motion to stay Collins' decision while they seek an appeal.Some prominent Democratic lawmakers also have expressed concern over the decision.Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, tweeted Feb. 25: "I would certainly agree that we are a deeply gerrymandered state and that this affects the moral credibility of our state legislature ... but I've got two issues with this ruling: 1. It's not the appropriate judicial remedy... 2. The ruling itself is unworkable."" Jackson wrote.Collins' decision so far hasn't "attracted much support in terms of legal doctrine," said John Dinan, a professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University.*he told CJ.Collins' legal rationale is highly unusual, Dinan said, though it isn't unprecedented for state or federal judges to invalidate a constitutional amendment after it has been ratified.Montana is one example, he said, pointing to a case in which that state's Supreme Court invalidated a voter-approved Marsy's Law amendment on technical grounds.Dinan said.Collins isn't an activist judge, and he had to play with the cards in his hand, Orr said. WOBURN, Mass., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Access completed 13 acquisitions with significant expansion into Canada in 2018, the largest number of acquisitions completed in one year in its 15-year history. Creating a business foundation for further expansion, the 13 acquisitions include 29 locations in Canada as well as businesses in Washington, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Tennessee and Missouri. Access now has 130 locations in North America, the Caribbean, Central and South America, making it the largest privately-held records and information management (RIM) company in the world. Access, a growth-oriented company, has completed more than 130 acquisitions since its founding in 2004. To better accommodate the growing business, Access moved its headquarters across the country from Livermore, Calif. to Woburn, Mass. during 2018. The addition of the 13 acquisitions last year increased Access total headcount to more than 2,000 employees worldwide. In 2018, Access completed several key Canadian acquisitions, providing clients in Canada with a complete suite of information management solutions. Access today serves most major markets across Canada including: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, St. John and St. Johns. This network of locations provides a strong national footprint across Canada, and coupled with Access U.S. locations, allows Access to serve the information management needs of businesses of all sizes across North America. These acquisitions in Canada were a huge step in our companys growth, providing our Canadian clients with a complete suite of information management solutions, said John Chendo, President of Access. To add to our stellar year in 2018, we also expanded our existing U.S. footprint by acquiring nine companies spanning eight different markets, putting us one step closer to realizing our mission of advancing how the world manages information with the very best service. The Access team is led by CEO Rob Alston and President John Chendo, two veterans of the records management industry. The Access team has built a dynamic and well-respected company based on a strategic acquisition program coupled with a focus on driving organic growth and adding new capabilities through offerings such as CartaHR, a cloud based employee document management solution that helps HR teams focus on their people, not on paperwork. About Access Access is the largest privately-held records and information management (RIM) services provider worldwide, with operations across the United States, Canada, Central and South America. Access provides transformative services, expertise, and technologies to make organizations more efficient and more compliant. Access helps companies manage and activate their critical business information through offsite storage and information governance services, scanning and digital transformation solutions, document management software including CartaHR, and secure destruction services. For more information on Access, please visit AccessCorp.com. For more media information, contact: Lisa Hendrickson/for Access 516-767-8390 lisa@lchcommunications.com TEL AVIV, Israel, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alcide, a cloud-native security leader and the first to provide a Microservices Firewall that secures microservices deployments with one policy engine for Dev, Sec and Ops, today announced it has been named by Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM) winner of the Breakout Cloud Security 2019 InfoSec Award at RSA. Isnt it time to stop cloud security breaches and get one step ahead of the next threat? Alcide was recognized as a Breakout Cloud Security company by our magazine because they are an innovator in cloud security that might actually help you reach this goal and defeat the next generation of exploiters, said Gary S. Miliefsky, CEO, Cyber Defense Media Group which is in its 7th year of publishing Cyber Defense Magazine and running these independent and prestigious awards. We are honored to be recognized by the 2019 InfoSec awards as a Breakout Cloud Security company, said Ranny Nachmias, CEO of Alcide. In an increasingly distributed and complex service-centric world driven by DevOps and Kubernetes technologies, security requires a fundamentally different approach, which is what we have sought to deliver by providing continuous security with one unified policy enforcement engine that addresses the security risks from code to production. We are thrilled Miliesfsky and his cybersecurity expert team of independent judges have chosen to recognize us this year. This award win comes on the heels of a recent platform release that empowers DevSecOps teams to continuously secure and protect their multi-cluster Kubernetes and Istio deployments while unifying different clusters into a single security incident stream. The company also enhanced its machine-learning, behavioral-based anomaly detection by complementing its unified security policies with advanced network attack detection and insider threats. Winners were published on the InfoSec Awards site and announced to the community. A full list of 2019 InfoSec winners can be found at http://cyberdefenseawards.com/infosec-awards-winners-2019/. Those interested in learning more about Alcides cloud security platform can schedule a demo here. About Alcide Alcide is a cloud-native security leader empowering DevSecOps teams to continuously secure and protect their growing multi-cluster Kubernetes deployments. By automatically discovering, managing and enforcing security policies across deployments, Alcides Microservices Firewall for K8s and Istio enables unified code-to-production enforcement of security policies spanning networks and workloads. This enables the smooth operation of business apps while protecting cloud deployments from malicious attacks. More at https://www.alcide.io/. About CDM InfoSec Awards This is Cyber Defense Magazines seventh year of honoring InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com. About the Judging The judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables. CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking Whats Next? so we are looking for Next Generation InfoSec Solutions. About Cyber Defense Magazine With over 1.4 Million annual readers and growing, and over 7,000 pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and limited print editions exclusively for the RSA conferences and our paid subscribers. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at http://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit http://www.cyberdefensetv.com and http://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. When democratic socialists were asked what they would build in place of Amazons HQ2 now that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had chased it out of Queens, the response was a guillotine. That reply, contained in an insightful and in-depth portrait of young socialists in New York magazine, perfectly illustrates the difference between the worldview of secular collectivists and those who believe in the free market. One may take from Simon van Zuylen-Woods thorough essay that todays socialism is built on the three-legged stool of envy, ignorance, and faith. As their casual embrace of decapitation may insinuate, for all their talk about solidarity with suffering humanity young socialists disregard the fundamental human dignity of their opponents. The guillotine comment is no mere aberration. The magazine Jacobin named for the insurgents who led Frances murderous Reign of Terror during the Revolution has only grown in influence since its 2010 founding, writes van Zuylen-Wood. Escorting Jeff Bezos to the gallows for the crime of offering people jobs seems unduly harsh unless one has polarized the world into hermetically sealed camps of oppressors and liberators. One hears this contempt echo in the counsel of Chapo Trap House podcast host Will Menaker. He warned young socialists that they must come up with a smart response when asked how they plan to pay for their policies: The smart response is: All the numbers are correct. All this is true about the deficit. But, fk the deficit because its not real and it doesnt matter. The audience whooped. Another option, he said, is to turn all the existing billionaires into millionaires. Or Soylent. (The original article did not censor the curse word.) His comments betray not only a chilling inhumanity but a widespread ignorance found among socialists not only of economics but of exactly what socialism is. Widespread acceptance of command economics is due in part to the fact that a nebulous socialism has become most popular with those born after the end of the Cold War. [T]he word had lost its meaning by the time it got hot again, writes van Zuylen-Wood, and its idealistic adherents eagerly project their hopes and desires onto it. A recent Gallup poll showed only 17 percent of Americans properly defined socialism and the confusion is not merely limited to everyday Americans but also on popularized by its most ardent proselytizers. Ash Sarkar the young British polemicist lionized by Teen Vogue for screaming Im literally a Communist at Piers Morgan promotes a brand of fun Communism to her followers. Communism is a belief in the power of people to organize their lives as individuals their social lives, their political and their economic lives without being managed by a state, she told fellow leftist Owen Jones. In another context, she explained that Communism is the desire to see the coercive structures of state dismantled, while also having fun. To describe a totalitarian philosophy that systematically starved, enslaved, and murdered hundreds of millions of people for a century as a minimal state is, to put it mildly, ahistorical. To characterize Communism as fun reveals either the depths of ones ignorance or sadism. Or faith. Van Zuyen-Wood concludes his article by noting that he attended a recent Democratic Socialists of America meeting where, before the members could endorse a candidate, they had to engage in a convoluted and boring bureaucratic process. (This should give them a tiny window into life under socialism.) However, he writes the comrades sat through the ordeal enthusiastically, [l]ike devoted members of a social club, or a church parish. Engaging with todays young socialists begins with the realization that their proposals are not merely unrealistic, but that they are deliberately so. The thirst for communion with God and man, placed in the heart by our Creator, is ineradicable. When belief in religion wanes, faith seeks new vessels of adoration. Socialists vulgarize the communion of saints into solidarity with the proletariat. They swap asceticism aimed at purging their sinful passions for political activism on behalf of those they deem historically oppressed. (The article humorously notes the DSAs demographic makeup, as usual is considerably whiter than the neighborhoods its members purportedly represent.) They switch a reasoned dialogue to discover the good, the true, and the beautiful with an endless array of censorious codes aimed at curbing the expression of proscribed thoughts. Socialists proximate exchange of productive, good-paying jobs for publicly beheading billionaires reflects their offering an economic idol in place of their deeply religious yearning for their meaning, purpose, and significance as children of God. They replace their hungering to enter the kingdom of Heaven with fantasies of erecting an earthly Utopia and tragedy inevitably follows. Faiths that have historically rejected socialism encourage humanity to build. They want to see businesses open, new ventures attempted, and individuals peacefully coexist politically and economically through free exchange. Free enterprise, if far from perfect, respects the individual dignity of every child of God by assuring his or her agency. Virtue constrains that agency which is just another term for free will within socially beneficial outlets. And faith is so apparently the surest ground for virtue that Gouverneur Morris, one of the most virulent opponents of slavery among the Founding Fathers, wrote that [r]eligion is the only solid basis of good morals. Those who believe in the free market, irrespective of whether they believe in a higher power, should hope that the mass of their fellow citizens do. And adherents of true faith should do all in their power to gain adherents before their religion is eclipsed by a misguided, and barbarous, pretender. (Photo credit: David Shankbone. This photo has been cropped. CC BY 3.0.) Are conservatives abandoning the free-market movement? Has the rise of populism changed the axis of American politics by convincing the political right to embrace neo-mercantilism? These are questions that many are asking, and if you want to understand where the culture is heading, it is best to start here. Exit polls during the presidential election of 2016 showed that Donald Trumps victory in the Rust Belt pointed to a political realignment in the United States. Suspicious of free-market ideas, politically conservative people with a blue-collar background voted overwhelmingly on Trump. The electoral swing was so significant that the counties corresponding to the so-called Upper Mississippi River Valley Anomaly, a phenomenon that has been intriguing political scientists for decades, was converted to Trump country. Wherever Bibles and weapons had any social significance and many of these counties had voted blue for decades President Trumps conservative populism drew overwhelming support. Pari passu the electoral change, a new wave of conservative intellectuals with anti-market leanings prominently among them Notre Dame scholar Patrick Deneen and his book Why Liberalism Failed have gained prominence. In general, these thinkers believe that capitalism has deleterious effects on the social fabric and eventually tends to destabilize traditional institutions. Therefore, according to this view, the defense of social structures and the free market cannot constitute a single coherent political action. Before going into the political meaning of these two phenomena, let me emphasize two points that deserve reflection. First, the overwhelming support of blue-collar workers for Republican or conservative candidates is not new. Both Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon were elected with a 49 state landslide thanks to their ability to appeal to segments of the population that typically did not vote for the GOP. Recall the Reagan Democrats. Trumps electoral triumph is so out of the slope because the contrast between his everyday mans populist appeal with the extreme social insulation that the GOP has been through since President George H. W. Bush, the prototype of the country-club Republican, arrived at the White House. Second, anti-capitalist or anti-free-market conservative intellectuals have been with us for a very long time. Outside the Anglo-Saxon world, a deep suspicion of the rise of the bourgeoisie and a fear of the adverse social effects of the Industrial Revolution was the rule, not the exception, among conservatives on the European continent. The French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Spanish conservative intelligentsia understood capitalism as the economic unfolding of the ideas of the French Revolution. To them, the merchant, the industrialist, and the banker were wanna-be Robespierres who only believed in profits. The alignment between economic libertarianism and cultural conservatism is unique to the post-World War II American political reality. There is no parallel in other countries, not even in the United Kingdom, where the Tories have always been reticent about the free-market system at least since Benjamin Disraeli. The first step to understanding a problem is to seek to define the object under analysis. As far as I know, the best definition of conservatism was given by the German sociologist Karl Mannheim. According to him, conservatism is necessarily a reactive doctrine since it seeks to preserve a particular social order against changes that threaten the very nature of that order. This definition is good since it can apprehend the essence of a political movement beyond the phenomenological appearance of it. Historically, European conservatism fought revolutionary ideas in defense of the Church and the Nobility. What mattered to them was to preserve this particular socio-political arrangement. Born of a political revolution, there was neither an established Church nor nobility to be preserved in America. Nevertheless, there was a constitutional order established by the Founding Fathers. To the extent that the progressive movement endangered this constitutional order, conservatism began to evolve from a diffuse feeling in society to a political doctrine. It is not surprising, therefore, that conservatism arose in the United States as a political movement in the second half of the 20th century. From this perspective, American conservatism is a dialectical reaction to the New Deal. It makes sense that American conservatism is also libertarian because it has as its defining antagonist the growth of government power mainly over the economic life of the people. However, if Mannheims interpretation is right, the libertarian economic doctrine of American conservatives is an instrument of preservation of an established constitutional order. That said, a defense of the free market is not its ultimate goal. There is another justification for aligning conservatism with capitalism. According to the Italian political theorist Norberto Bobbio, the difference between political right and left is the interpretation that each side makes of the concept of equality. While the left is egalitarian, the right believes that society is naturally organized following a hierarchical order. This hierarchy, according to conservatives, is present in both non-economic and economic relations due to the logical development of natural human inequality. What type of capitalism is best is the subject for debate, but socialism, which holds egalitarianism, must be rejected at once by the political right. It is, therefore, appropriate to ask why there are a significant number of people in the United States who are sociologically conservative, but who oppose the free market. I believe there are several reasons for this. First of all, there is nothing conservative about defending the free market. The American conservative political movement developed with a strong libertarian orientation because the conservative ethos in the United States was the defense of an economically libertarian constitutional order. Since this order no longer exists, the proliferation of an anti-capitalist animus is not an anomaly. The Supreme Court, by banning school prayers and the pledge of allegiance to the flag, legalizing abortion and gay marriage, and ensuring uncontrolled growth of the federal government, buried the constitution. The rhetoric of the American conservative movement became only rhetoric, wholly dissociated from the existential reality of the modern American people. Making things even worse, these conservatives outside of government and politics were systematically betrayed by the Republican establishment. Every two years, for the last three decades, cultural conservatives have supported the GOP and, as a payback, the GOP has worked to destroy these people. Why do I say destroy? Because there is no better word to describe the policies adopted by Republicans. The GOP, deeply influenced by egalitarian liberals known as neoconservatives, has undertaken a social engineering program aimed at subverting the traditional culture of the partys electoral base much of it evangelical and white because party elites believe in a Messianic vision of annihilating national and religious identities across the world. Hillary Clintons comment about how Trumps constituents were a basket of deplorables is the neoconservative philosophy in a nutshell. It was following this worldview that the Bush-Clinton consortium promoted NAFTA with Mexico, destroying hundreds of thousands of jobs in the Rust Belt, and adopted open borders policies that resulted in the flattening of the wages of the poorest and the demographic catastrophic that America lives in today. The neoconservatives in the government promoted foreign wars in hopes of reshaping the world and pushed the liberalization of cultural values through an expansion of the welfare state and other deleterious policies. Needless to say, the neocons are at the forefront of anti-Western multiculturalism which denies the right of the cultural conservative to defend their social identity. Insinuating that everyone that disagrees with their revolutionary Catechism is white supremacists, bigotries, and even traitors, neocons did it all under a strong rhetoric in favor of globalization and the free market. In truth, neocons do not support any of this. They are power-seeking crony capitalists who only believe in their Jacobin ideology. To establish their control, neocons purged from the conservative movement all the patriots and dissidents who opposed them like John OSullivan, Paul Gottfried, Sam Francis, Peter Brimelow, and Joseph Sobran. Who can blame, therefore, the cultural conservatives for rejecting the free market since, thanks to the conservative media outlets such National Review and the pre-Trump Fox New, they associate the free-market with the neocons failed policies? In deep America, the institutions that for more than a century were the axis of social existence of these people churches, traditional family, the very feeling of belonging to a community are collapsing on the pressure of the cultural revolution pushed by neocons, on the one hand, and the cultural left, on the other. They were politically orphaned until Trump showed up. No wonder Evangelicals who see God as central to their lives, but who do not go to church the epitome of an existential crisis -, are those most likely to be an anti-free market and Trumps supports. In other words, Cultural conservatives who do not trust free-market ideas are precisely those who are most intensely living the spiritual crisis that is destroying the United States. The libertarian philosopher Hans-Hermann Hoppe hated by the neocons wrote that the defense of the free market must unite libertarians and conservatives alike and the reason is simple: The greatest agent of destruction of the traditional institutions that the conservatives so much prize is precisely the government that, through wars and the welfare state, has been corrupting the social fabric. As the economist Thomas Sowell wrote, most of the social ills alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, divorce are directly associated with government growth. Twenty-seven years ago, the great economist Murray Rothbard (1926-1995) writing about the rebellion led by Pat Buchanan to unseat country-club President George H.W. Bush in 1992 called the conservative populist Buchanan our leader and said that with him we shall break the clock of social democracy. This is the plain truth. What must unite conservatives, populists, and libertarians is the fight against the almighty modern state. As a supporter of laissez-faire capitalism, I consider anti-free market sentiments a misguided response to the spiritual crisis of our era. It is certainly wrong, nonetheless conservative. Homepage photo credit WikiCommons. Freedom of religion is denied in much of the world, according to the U.S. ambassador for religious freedom. And a United Nations committee of NGOs dedicated to religious liberty has called the UN to protect the most fundamental freedom. Eighty percent of the worlds population lives in a religiously restricted atmosphere, Sam Brownback told the committee. Eighty percent of the world is religious. How can we tolerate this continuing situation? He recounted harrowing tales of persecution that he had personally witnessed, especially in the Middle East. In Iraq weve seen a genocide of Yazidis and Christians, and Ive met myself Yazidi women sold up to 10 times by ISIS fighters claiming a religious mandate to be able to do this, Brownback said. Ive talked to a woman who had a 15-year-old mentally handicapped child beat out of her arms, that they said they could take him from her because of her faith. Hajnalka Juhasz, part of Hungarys government commission on Christian persecution, recounted the statistics of Christians fleeing their native lands as the terrorist caliphate expanded. The greatest achievement for Western civilization, democracy, is founded on our shared values of tolerance and individual freedom, Juhasz said. These values originate in the Middle East, the cradle of Judaism and Christianity. She warned that her commission finds the freedom of religion facing increasing restrictions in the West, as well something other watchdogs have amplified. The UN has been part of the problem, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has issued a 48-page white paper on global religious persecution. The focus among UN entities, from treaty bodies to special rapporteurs to UN agencies, is limiting the exercise of conscientious objection to providing abortion or potentially abortifacient contraception. An ecumenical group of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian leaders in Europe shared similar concerns in a 2017 statement. They warned that Christians in Europe suffer more subtle forms of discrimination, such as when they are excluded from certain roles or professions, when their right to conscientious objection is disregarded, or when persons who request counselling when faced with the choice of performing an abortion have that request denied. Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama said persecution, of any religion by any other religion gives the wrong impression that religion is a force for evil. That, too, echoes present realities in the West. Most Scandinavians and many Europeans believe religion has had a negative impact on history, and 53 percent of Western Europeans describe themselves as neither religious nor spiritual. Interfaith tension is fed, in part, by government policy. Brownback said he just returned from a regional summit in Abu Dhabi to address hateful material in school textbooks directed against religious minorities in the Middle East, especially Christians and Jews. These textbooks, he noted, were funded by the respective national governments. They may, indeed, have been financed in part by the religious minorities demonized in the texts. A particularly heated moment came in the question-and-answer session, when the representative from China objected to characterizations of his nations persecution of its Uighur Muslim population. The mass imprisonment of Chinas religious minority population was carried out in accordance with law, in response to terrorist attacks, and to prevent the formation of a budding Boko Haram, he said. Thomas Farr of the Religious Freedom Institute called the statement offensive and outrageous. This is what causes terrorism, Farr responded. This is tantamount to a new Cultural Revolution in China. The entire world condemns whats happening there. Brownback called for a global movement of religious freedom that has carrots and teeth associated with it at the meeting, held in Geneva on March 1. Archbishop Kaigama called for an end to inciting religious hatred. Sanity, not sentiments, must prevail in matters of religion, he said. Competition in matters of religion should only be about doing good. You can watch the full proceedings below: Special counsel Robert Mueller today notified a federal judge that yet another Instagram post by Donald Trump's longtime friend Roger Stone may have violated Stone's gag order. If Judge Amy Berman Jackson agrees, Stone is going to jail. Monday's filing by Mueller's office mentions a CNBC story on Sunday detailing the Instagram post by Stone, which contained an image of him under the words "Who framed Roger Stone." New in Instagramland: Roger Stone, using Insta stories (which disappear after 24 hrs), suggests he's being framed. pic.twitter.com/GK0tUsH4jq Shelby Holliday (@shelbyholliday) March 3, 2019 Stone is barred from commenting on Mueller's team of prosecutors under the gag order imposed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson in late February. Dan Mangan for NBC News: If Stone, who is currently free on a $250,000 signature bond, is found by Jackson to have violated that order, she could have him jailed without bail pending his trial on charges of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing justice. Stone deleted the "Who framed Roger Stone" image from a series of other rotating images on his Instagram story Sunday shortly after CNBC sent an email to his lawyer asking about it. The other images suggested that people donate to Stone's legal defense fund, with one saying "I am committed to proving my innocence. But I need your help," and another saying, "I've always had Trump's back. Will you have mine?" "We note for the Court that according to public reporting, on March 3, 2019, the defendant's Instagram account shared an image with the title 'who framed Roger Stone.' A copy of the image is submitted under seal as Exhibit C. 1," Mueller said in the court filing in federal court in Washington, D.C. Jackson issued the gag order on Stone on February 21 after an ill-advised Instagram post of a photo showing judge Amy Berman Jackson's face next to gun crosshairs. He has used this image & language *many times* online and on social media. But this is the first time I've seen it since the gag order. Shelby Holliday (@shelbyholliday) March 3, 2019 For years, college students have unofficially majored in weed. Now universities are beginning to offer cannabis studies programs because, y'know, marijuana is where the money is these days. From the Associated Press: "We're providing a fast track to get into the industry," said Brandon Canfield, a chemistry professor at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Two years ago, he proposed a new major in medicinal plant chemistry after attending a conference where cannabis industry representatives spoke of an urgent need for analytical chemists for product quality assessment and assurance. The four-year degree, which is the closest thing to a marijuana major at an accredited U.S. university, has drawn nearly 300 students from 48 states, Canfield said. Students won't be growing marijuana, which was recently legalized by Michigan voters for recreational use. But Canfield said students will learn to measure and extract medicinal compounds from plants such as St. John's Wort and ginseng and transfer that knowledge to marijuana. Agricultural schools are also getting in on the action. A similar program is being launched at Minot State University in North Dakota this spring. The college said students will learn lab skills applicable to medical marijuana, hops, botanical supplements and food science industries. "All of our graduates are going to be qualified to be analysts in a lab setting," Canfield said, noting that experience could lead to a position paying $70,000 right out of school. Those wishing to start their own businesses can choose an entrepreneurial track that adds courses in accounting, legal issues and marketing The University of Connecticut is launching a cannabis horticulture program this spring. "We're following the market," said Jennifer Gilbert Jenkins, an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Morrisville, a college in rural central New York that's launching a new minor in cannabis studies in its horticulture department this year. Students work with hemp and other plants rather than marijuana, but can take internships at medical marijuana facilities, Jenkins said. The last time you saw former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, he was perhaps delivering the Democrats' response to President Trump's 2017 state of the union address. But the chances are you forgot it, as he wasted it trying to appeal to Trump voters, because the only way mainstream Democrats can imagine electoral victory is by winning over white men suffering from "economic anxiety" and other euphemisms. Anyway, here he was boiling all that down to its depressing yet hypnotizing essential, as posted on Twitter by Thomasurlatoile to remind us of what a Biden presential run is going to entail. P.S. One of the interesting things about Beshear's career is that when you search the text of articles about it, the word "position" only ever refers to the various jobs he has held. Since 2001, the NSA has secretly ingested the calling records of virtually every US mobile phone subscriber, with the covert participation of the mobile carries; the program authorized by a secret order of then-president GW Bush remained secret until it was disclosed through documents provided to journalists by the whistleblower Edward Snowden. After the Snowden revelations, a cowardly Congress retroactively legalized the NSA's domestic surveillance program with a 2015 bill called the USA Freedom Act (yes, seriously). The Act expires this year and there has been little action to reauthorize the program after it does. Now, Luke Murry a national security advisor to the House Republican minority has claimed in a Lawfare podcast interview that the system has not been used "in months," and that the GOP has no appetite for renewing it. Murry is an advisor to Representative Kevin McCarthy [R-CA], who quickly threw Murry under the bus, stating that Murry "was not speaking on behalf of administration policy or what Congress intends to do on this issue." The NSA has never provided any evidence that the program has thwarted a single terrorist attack. Last year, it was forced to delete all data gathered under the program because an unnamed mobile carrier had provided the Agency with more data than it requested, causing it to overcollect, even by the lax standards set out in the (barf) USA Freedom Act. Problems with the system emerged last year, when the National Security Agency said it had decided to delete its entire database of records gathered since the Freedom Act system became operational. Glenn S. Gerstell, the agency's general counsel, said in an interview at the time that because of complex technical glitches, one or more telecom providers he declined to say which had responded to court orders for records by sending logs to the agency that included both accurate and inaccurate data. When the agency then fed those numbers back to the telecoms to get the communications logs of all of the people who had been in contact with its targets, it ended up gathering some data of people unconnected to the targets. The agency had no authority to collect their information, nor a practical way to go through its large database and cull those records it should not have gathered. As a result, it decided to purge them all and start over. But it had not been clear until Mr. Murry's comments in the podcast that was posted over the weekend that the problems have continued, even as a legislative battle over the Freedom Act and the inevitable scrutiny of how the program has functioned has drawn near. Disputed N.S.A. Phone Program Is Shut Down, Aide Says [Charlie Savage/New York Times] LOS ANGELES, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The California Community Foundations (CCF) Wildfire Relief Fund announced it would give $5 million to support immediate and longer-term recovery efforts in communities impacted by the Camp, Woolsey and Hill Fires. In November 2018, three massive wildfires broke out, devastating communities across Northern and Southern California. Butte County faced the nations deadliest wildfire in more than a century, the Camp Fire, which killed 86 and destroyed nearly 19,000 structures. In Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, the Hill and Woolsey fires killed three and forced hundreds of thousands of residents from their homes. The Wildfire Relief Funds $5 million in support represents the second round of relief and recovery funding for communities affected by the Camp, Hill and Woolsey Fires, raising the total granted to $6.2 million. These grants are made possible thanks to the incredible outpouring of support by people around the world who stepped up to help in the aftermath of the fires. Since November, more than 21,000 individuals, families, foundations and corporations shared their care and resources with those who have experienced loss by donating to the fund. Determined through consultation with on-the-ground partners in affected areas, the current grants focus both on the immediate needs of vulnerable residents and on longer-term efforts like economic recovery and bolstering the local social safety net. These grants include $3.5 million in support for Northern California communities affected by the Camp Fire and $1.5 million for Southern California communities impacted by the Hill & Woolsey Fires. Recipients include: Northern California Relief North Valley Community Foundation : serves as a disaster relief and recovery hub, supporting efforts focused on housing, health and wellness, youth, education, community development and economic recovery. serves as a disaster relief and recovery hub, supporting efforts focused on housing, health and wellness, youth, education, community development and economic recovery. United Domestic Workers of America : provides food, shelter and other support for domestic and home care workers displaced by the Camp Fire. provides food, shelter and other support for domestic and home care workers displaced by the Camp Fire. 3CORE: provides small business loans and economic recovery and development planning in communities affected by the Camp Fire. Southern California Relief In addition, CCF is working with local nonprofits and other safety net providers in Butte County to gain a deeper understanding of the regions ongoing recovery needs. The results of this study will help determine future grants focused on the longer-term recovery effort. It is an honor to be entrusted with the stewardship of our donors gifts and to join them in helping wildfire-affected communities, said CCF President & CEO Antonia Hernandez. Their generosity is helping new futures to take root, rise above the ashes and burst into bloom. A complete list of Wildfire Relief Fund grants related to the Camp, Hill & Woolsey Fires, along with pictures and stories from grantee organizations, can be found on the Wildfire Relief Fund's Community Impact Page. The California Community Foundations Wildfire Relief Fund supports immediate and longer-term recovery efforts for major California wildfires, as well as preparedness efforts. Since 2003, the fund has granted more than $11 million to support relief and recovery efforts throughout the state. For more information, please visit calfund.org/wildfire. The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization since 1915, empowering donors to pursue their own personal passions and to collaborate with us in addressing the root causes of challenges in Los Angeles County. CCF stewards $1.7 billion in assets and manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit calfund.org. Pennsylvania airport screeners find a non-functioning military rocket-propelled grenade launcher in a Florida man's luggage. From AP: The Transportation and Security Administration says the unassembled parts of the launcher and a replica grenade were found on Monday when an alarm went off as the bag passed through security equipment at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, about 60 miles north of Philadelphia. The man, from St. Augustine, was stopped by police and told officials he thought he could bring the non-functioning launcher onboard in a checked bag. The items were confiscated and he was able to catch his flight to Orlando. The National Security Agency is reportedly considering ending the mass surveillance program that gathered data about hundreds of millions of telephone call records each year, including ones by Americans. NSA is "considering" ending that bulk phone spying program not because of all the outcry, or the disgrace over Edward Snowden's revelations but after all these years, "because it lacks operational value," as reported in the Wall Street Journal by Dustin Volz. Senior Senate Intelligence Committee member Senator Ron Wyden [D-OR] released this statement on the NSA telephone records program today: "I cannot comment on classified matters referenced in media reports. However, it is increasingly clear to me that the NSA's implementation of reforms to the phone records dragnet has been fundamentally flawed. In my view, the administration must permanently end the phone records program and Congress should refuse to reauthorize it later this year. "The agency's admission last year that it vacuumed up over half a billion telephone records indicates that, despite the intent of Congress, bulk collection of phone records never really ended. I warned in 2011 that the executive branch was using the Patriot Act in ways that would leave Americans shocked and angry, and later revelations demonstrated that was true. Last year, I called for a thorough investigation of the program. Today, the NSA owes the American people an explanation of where things stand. I will not stop pushing Congress and intelligence leaders to be straight with the American people and end unnecessary surveillance that violates our constitutional freedoms without keeping us any safer." Last year, Wyden and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., asked the NSA Inspector General to investigate the NSA's overcollection of phone records. Wyden has been a leader in the fight against overreaching government surveillance, and for real solutions to keep Americans safe without sacrificing liberties. [via] Books. Bikes. Boomsticks. Party politics today is a race to the boxcars; first team there gets to make the other team ride. So you are starting to plan a Disneyland trip for the family but when is the perfect time to visit? What should you expect when visiting Disneyland in February? Wait times, park hours, weather, packing tips and more. Check out our tips from our most recent trip to the happiest place on Earthin February. Our February Disneyland trip was one that was made on a whim. Randomly, I realized that the kids had a little mini break just before Presidents Day Weekend and after a little more research we decided in early January to book our trip! This was only our second trip to Disneyland and while our October trip in 2016 was simply amazing, I think Disneyland in February might be my favorite! Visiting Disneyland In February What To Expect Average Weather In February: Typically the weather in February is pretty pleasant and perfect for a great day and night at Disneyland. The average high during the day is in the upper 60s or low 70s. At night, the low is generally in the upper 40s or low 50s. Now, keep in mind that February is the rainiest month on the average. Just like any city it is important to be prepared for those not so average weather days colder, hotter, rainy, etc. Disneyland never closes because of rain, but rides with outdoor tracks may close for safety precautions. Pack That Rain Gear! This year, 2019, is apparently a year that El Nino is affecting the rain in this area of California. The week we were at the parks we dealt with a few moments of downpours and we have been told that was super unusual for Disneyland but thankfully we were prepared for it. As stated before, Disneyland never closes because of rain, so be prepared so you can enjoy the magic even in the rain! We really loved these cute Mickey Mouse Ponchos and they were high quality enough to last 3 days. Make sure you visit my Tips For Visiting Disneyland When It Rains post. Not only will you get some great packing tips but you will see why going in the rain isnt a bad thing! Go With Layers Even for us Colorado natives, those early mornings and late evenings had us needing a few layers. Once the sun goes down you feel chilly. We did see some brave (or stupid) folks in shorts but for the most part I would suggest wearing long pants and layer your tops. For the kids we had them wear long sleeve cold weather tops under their t-shirts and then had sweatshirts on top of those. It worked well for the whole day and no one complained! BONUS! Feel The Love! As you walk around the park you will notice a theme Valentines Day!! So many great photo ops that include a little Valentines Day Love. It was so fun to see the park all dressed up for Valentines Day because when we went in October it looked completely different and ready for Halloween. That is one reason to visit at different times of the year, you will get all new and different photo ops! To celebrate Valentines Day, you might be able to find heart-shaped balloons for sale and Valentine-themed foods to enjoy too! Less People To Deal With Look, I am not going to lie here, the worst part about visiting Disneyland is the crowds. I hate feeling like we are shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other people. February is relatively uncrowded at Disneyland and we certainly saw this the first two days we were there Thursday and Friday. Saturday, which was also the Saturday before Presidents Day weekend was SUPER crowded. Keep in mind that holiday weekends are always busier. For day-by-day crowd predictions, use this crowd forecast calendar. Honestly, this is pretty on point! Wait Times or No Wait Due to lower crowds you will find that the wait times are way more manageable and we even found that some rides had only about a 5-10 minute wait! So awesome!! Keep in mind, even on a not so busy day you can use the MaxPass and this will help you and your family enjoy more of the attractions without worrying about the lines. I am so happy we opted to do the MaxPass every day we visited. Yes, it is an additional cost but it allowed us to enjoy so many more attractions without waiting in line. This was a blessing on our rainy day as well. We basically went from ride to ride which allowed us to get out of the downpour! Disney MaxPass is an optional, paid program. It allows guests to book Disney FASTPASS reservations through the Disneyland Resort Mobile App and allows unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads for the day. The price for Disney MaxPass is $15 per person, per ticket, per day. Some Ride Closures While you will enjoy less crowds in February it is also a month that a lot of refurbishment is done on rides and attractions the Disneyland maintenance team is busy busy! Currently, Sleeping Beautys castle is being worked on so we did not get to walk through that or take a fun photo in front of it. You can check the ride closure information on the Disneyland App which I highly suggest you download even as you are planning your trip! Lunar New Year at California Adventure Park In honor of the Lunar New Year, California Adventure park puts on a celebration Disney style. You can enjoy Mulans Procession (we saw this and it was incredible!) and other Asian-themed performances. We did find some Disney characters in seasonal costumes and saw that we could have participated in free arts and crafts activities. They even had free face painting for the kids! While we didnt partake there was some amazing looking Asian-themed food with an unmistakable Disney twist. This celebration usually starts toward the end of January. And just like Disneyland being decorated for Valentines Day, California Adventure Park was all decorated for the Lunar New Year! Disneyland Hours In February Keep in mind that the winter hours are a bit different than the busy summer months. Also we learned that California Adventure hours are often shorter than Disneylands. You can check the official February hours up to 6 weeks in advance. As we started planning our stay we did use the app to check the hours. Also, a few days before we visited the parks shut down a few hours early due to heavy rains again, check the app for the most updated information when visiting. General February Hours: Monday through Thursday: Open 10 to 11 hours per day Open 10 to 11 hours per day Friday through Sunday: Open 11 to 16 hours per day So, as you can see we had a great time and now that I know about this little February break from school this might become a tradition for our family. In general, the hotels were less expensive than during those busier summer months and flights werent terrible either! While we did have one day that was completely rainy we have decided that we like visiting in February better than October. Other Disneyland Posts You May Enjoy: 15 Disneyland Travel Tips Tips For Visiting Disneyland In The Rain What is your favorite month to visit Disneyland? WE ARE A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR US TO EARN FEES BY LINKING TO AMAZON.COM AND AFFILIATED SITES. Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) and U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the working session at the G7 Summit in the Charlevoix town of La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, June 8, 2018. (Photo: Christinne Muschi/Reuters) USMCA is close to being a done deal. The trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada just needs to be ratified. But the U.S. still hasnt removed tariffs on steel and aluminum. Canada has some leverage in getting them removed before signing, but that doesnt necessarily mean pressure tactics are the right move. To muddy the waters even more, the U.S. Department of Commerce launched an investigation into steel dumping allegations from Canada, China, and Mexico as recently as February 27. It was initiated based on a request from the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), which says Canada sells steel in the U.S. at a discount of as much as 30 per cent and receives unfair government subsidies. Theres more than one way to skin this cat. The Ontario government called on Ottawa to drop retaliatory tariffs Canada imposed in response. Canadian officials have threatened not to ratify USMCA until the tariffs are removed. Jean Simard, president of the Aluminium Association of Canada, says Ottawa should stick to its guns on both issues. The two put together contribute to keeping the right level of tension in addition to the self-imposed impacts of the U.S. tariffs on the U.S. domestic industry, Simard told Yahoo Finance Canada. Canada is aligned with leaders in Trumps own party in Congress (Senator Grassley), the business community that Trump has asked to help lead USMCA advocacy in Congress (U.S. Chamber of Commerce) and labour (Steelworkers). Canada has leverage, but the bigger point is that there is a massive coalition in the U.S. that will demand it. Catherine Cobden, president of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, agrees. As for USMCA, it is difficult to ratify a new free trade agreement with these steel and aluminum tariffs in place between our two countries, Cobden told Yahoo Finance Canada. Nine months into this situation, the tariffs are having a negative impact on both sides of the border and support is growing in the U.S. as well for their removal. Story continues Trade lawyer at MAAW Law Mark Warner says not ratifying USMCA isnt a credible threat. Canada has made similar threats before and had to back down and Americans know Trudeau has a majority government and can make his trained seals dance when he wants, so I doubt the U.S. expects Parliament to pass USMCA before Congress acts even though the Trump Administration would probably find that to be helpful, Warner told Yahoo Finance Canada. Warner says Canadian demands wont do any great harm but have the potential to backfire. Unless it emboldens Democrats in Congress to block USMCA and encourages Trump to up the ante by notifying a withdrawal from the existing NAFTA to gain leverage over Congress, said Warner. Fellow Trade lawyer Dan Ujczo, from Dickinson Wright, says reminding the U.S. that ratification in Canada is not guaranteed is one of its only pieces of leverage, but says an offer of assistance is a more effective message. Canada can advance quickly with passing the USMCA, which the White House can then use to persuade reluctant members of Congress that this is a good deal, even the Canadians are on board! Ujczo told Yahoo Finance Canada. Canada could get on friendlier terms with the Trump administration by lobbying Congress to get on board. The White House has asked both Canada and Mexico for this support to help persuade House Democrats to (1) introduce the USMCA implementing legislation, starting a clock on a vote; and (2) pass the legislation, Christopher Sands, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, told Yahoo Finance Canada. Thus far, Canada and Mexico have said they cannot undertake a lobbying effort with Congress while Section 232 tariffs are applied on steel and aluminum and possibly pending on autos. Like Warner, Sands doesnt think not ratifying USMCA is a credible threat. Whether Canada approves the legislation in Parliament or not makes no difference to the United States. Most here see Canada suffering from uncertainty over Canadian market access, and so doubt Canada would seriously delay approval, said Sands. Two things are more likely: (1) that Canada presses ahead of ratification because the U.S. is making changes to its commitments under the USMCA and so if Canada passes the deal as negotiated they may hope to lock in concessions they can petition for in court later; (2) that Canada passes the legislation so that the USMCA is not pending during the next Canadian federal elections. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MATTER announced today that Chipo Mtasa has been elected to the MATTER Board of Directors. Chipos selection to the board mirrors MATTERs continued efforts to expand and deepen partner relationships in Africa. We are excited Chipo is joining the MATTER board, stated Casey Carl, MATTER Board Chair. As we continue to further strengthen our international relationships and execute against our strategy, having a highly-qualified board member from Africa will infuse valuable in-country and continent-wide insights into our efforts. Chipo is the Managing Director of TelOne, one of the largest telecommunication entities in Zimbabwe. Prior to heading TelOne, Chipo was Group Chief Executive of Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG), from October 2004 to March 2012. RTG is the second largest hospitality company in Zimbabwe and is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange. Prior to this position she was the Group Finance Director for RTG. Chipo holds BACC (Hons) from University of Zimbabwe and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (Zimbabwe). She also holds an Executive Management Development Certificate from Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, USA. In conclusion, Chipo stated, I am honored to join MATTERs board and am looking forward to contributing to MATTERs life-changing work in Africa and around the world. ### About MATTER MATTER is a Minnesota-based global nonprofit on a mission to move people forward by giving them a chance at a healthier life. Throughout the United States, MATTER activates healthy eating for kids and families with the MATTERbox program, a novel solution to healthy food access and nutrition education. Internationally, MATTER addresses these barriers by giving hospitals the tools they need to care for the sick and injured in dignified ways, and by designing solutions to create diversified and resilient farms. Hope and opportunity also reach people through the MATTER Innovation Hub, a portable learning environment outfitted with solar power that can be shipped and set up anywhere in the world. Learn more at www.matter.ngo. Attachment By Donny Kwok and Jamie Freed HONG KONG/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Hong Kong flagship carrier Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Tuesday it is in "active discussions" about an acquisition involving budget airline Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd, although an agreement has yet to be reached. Such a deal would give Cathay exposure to the growing budget-travel market at a time when a lack of slots at Hong Kong International Airport has constrained its ability to follow peers like Singapore Airlines Ltd and Qantas Airways Ltd and set up its own budget brand. The Hong Kong carrier has instead shifted some destinations from its main brand to its regional carrier, Cathay Dragon, as part of a transformation plan designed to cut costs and increase revenue. It has ordered 32 Airbus SE A321neos for Cathay Dragon. Cathay said it had decided to go public about the discussions in response to media reports suggesting it may be in talks to acquire shares in Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd and full-service sister carrier Hong Kong Airlines Ltd from cash-strapped Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co Ltd. It did not detail the potential value of the transaction, nor the size of the stake it would hold. It said it would issue an additional statement when appropriate. An analyst last year estimated to Reuters that HK Express could be worth about $300 million. HK Express in a statement said shareholders have held initial discussions with strategic investors about a potential acquisition but no details had been confirmed and there was not yet any agreement. A person with knowledge of the matter said the companies appeared close to reaching an agreement and noted Cathay's parent Swire Pacific Ltd had historically taken majority stakes when making investments. Cathay is not interested in Hong Kong Airlines because it has both similar routes and full-service positioning, the person said. A second person with knowledge of the matter said Cathay had signed an exclusivity period for discussion but other parties remained interested in HK Express if a deal could not be reached. Both sources spoke on the condition of anonymity as discussions are confidential. ANTITRUST Given Cathay's dominance of Hong Kong's aviation market, a deal could attract scrutiny from the competition regulator. Some analysts have also expressed doubts about the likely benefits of any deal. Daiwa analyst Kelvin Lau said he did not see much value from the acquisition as the two airlines flew similar routes, but also because Cathay would need to undertake significant reform to add a budget wing. Jefferies analyst Andrew Lee however said in a note to clients it would be "positive for Cathay Pacific" as it would give the airline greater access to a different passenger segment in the low-cost market. FLYING HIGH News of Cathay's interest in HK Express comes just weeks after Hong Kong's flagship carrier projected its annual profit at more than double analyst estimates, sending its shares surging nearly 9 percent. Shares of Cathay have risen more than 19 percent so far this year, compared with an 8 percent fall in 2018. The airline's shares jumped more than 3 percent on Tuesday morning. Cathay has faced repeated questions from investors over the last few years about its failure to set up a budget carrier. Chief Executive Rupert Hogg has said it would be difficult to do so until a third runway was completed at Hong Kong International Airport in 2024, opening up more slots. "Our home-based airport is full at the moment, or largely full, and so it's not a perfect place to develop a model from scratch," he told CAPA Centre for Aviation last May. HK Express operates a fleet of 25 A320 family aircraft to regional destinations around Asia, according to plane tracking website FlightRadar24. Embattled HNA Group is more than a year into the process of unwinding a $50 billion acquisition spree that at its peak netted the company stakes in banks, fund managers, hotels, property and airlines, among other assets. (Reporting by Donny Kwok in HONG KONG and Jamie Freed in SINGAPORE; Additional reporting by Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Editing by Stephen Coates and Christopher Cushing) By Jennifer Hiller and John Benny NEW YORK (Reuters) - The two biggest U.S. oil companies tried to outdo each other on Tuesday, boasting about their prowess in shale to lure investors to their side. Chevron Corp and Exxon Mobil Corp released dueling Permian Basin projections that, if realized, would cement the rivals as the dominant players in the West Texas and New Mexico field, with one-third of Permian production potentially under their control within five years. Chevron expects shale production from the basin to reach 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) by the end of next year, 59 percent above current production, and 900,000 bpd by the end of 2023, it said at its annual meeting with equity analysts in New York. The stakes are such that Exxon on Tuesday forecast shale production of 1 million barrels per day in the Permian as early as 2024, grabbing the spotlight on the day Chevron was making a case in its oil growth. "Our investors don't need to wait several years for the story to come together," Chevron Chief Executive Mike Wirth said in an apparent dig at Exxon, which has been investing heavily in the Permian to reverse production declines. "Were delivering now." The Permian Basin pumps around 4 million barrels per day now and IHS Markit expects it to hit 5.4 mbd in 2023, more than the total production of any OPEC country other than Saudi Arabia. Wirth said at a press conference that he had been "busy" and had not seen Exxon's Permian goal, which was released while he was speaking to analysts. He said, however, that Chevron's production could exceed 900,000 barrels daily if the company decided to increase drilling rigs from the 20 currently in operation. "Its a decision we havent taken yet but we certainly have it under active consideration," Wirth said. "Its a good story that could get even better." Oil companies are trying to win back investors after years of underperforming other industrial sectors and the S&P 500. The weighting of energy shares in the S&P 500 index fell to 6 percent in 2018, from 8.4 percent four years earlier. Like Exxon, Chevron has begun to emphasize achieving faster payoffs from investments in shale rather than the megaprojects of the past. "The key driver of cash flow growth over the medium term remains the Permian, which continues to perform ahead of expectations," said Biraj Borkhataria of RBC Europe Limited. Chevron said it expects global production to rise 3 percent to 4 percent annually through 2023. Executives said the company would return more cash to investors this year through dividends and $4 billion in share buybacks aiming to achieve a 6 percent shareholder return. The company also raised its estimate of its reserves in the Permian, in Texas and New Mexico, to 16.2 billion barrels of recoverable resources from 9 billion. The San Ramon, California-based company expects to sell assets worth $5 billion to $10 billion https://bit.ly/2tOctMy between 2018 and 2020, including production assets in Denmark, Azerbaijan and Britain's North Sea. The company's annual capital expenditure is expected to be in the range of $19 billion to $22 billion between 2021 and 2023. Chevron expects to spend $3.6 billion in the Permian Basin and another $1.6 billion in other shale fields. Chevrons other shale holdings include the Marcellus in the Northeastern U.S., the Duvernay in Alberta, Canada and the Vaca Muerta in Argentina. Wirth also touched on Venezuela, where Chevron, the largest U.S. oil company still in operation there, is under pressure from U.S. sanctions. He said Chevron's employees are safe and its operations are "in good shape," and that it has taken "the long view" on the country. Wirth said he continues to talk with U.S. government officials. "Were trying to be sure that we understand the policy objectives of the government and the government understands the ramifications of policy actions they might take," Wirth said. (Reporting by John Benny in Bengaluru and Jennifer Hiller in New York; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Steve Orlofsky) FILE PHOTO: A canola crop used for making cooking oil sits in full bloom on the Canadian prairies near Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada July 11, 2011. REUTERS/Todd Korol/File Photo By Dominique Patton and Rod Nickel BEIJING/KABUL (Reuters) - China has canceled Canadian agribusiness Richardson International Ltd's registration to ship canola to China, the company said on Tuesday, the latest sign of tensions between Ottawa and Beijing. It was not immediately clear why exports to China by Richardson, the world's top importer of canola, had been halted. Canada and China are locked in a dispute over trade and telecoms technology that has ensnared the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Ltd, the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, who faces U.S. criminal charges. Officials at China's General Administration of Customs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Richardson spokeswoman Hayley Johnson confirmed that China revoked the company's import permit for canola, after Reuters earlier reported a document listing approved shippers posted on the website of the Chinese customs administration on March 1 showed the cancellation. The document is a revised version of a notice first posted on Jan. 14. A note beside the entry for Richardson International in the latest document reads: "Canola export registration already canceled." A lasting block on Richardson's canola exports would be a headache for Canada's biggest grain handler and a potential blow for the country's economy as a whole. Oilseeds like canola, fruit and grain are Canada's biggest China export category, making up nearly 17 percent of all exports in 2017, the latest annual data available, according to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. ICE May canola futures fell $4.30, or about 1 percent, to $458.50 per ton. (GRAPHIC: Canada to China exports - https://tmsnrt.rs/2Urb9et) Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said she was "very concerned" by the blocked shipment. "We do not believe there is any scientific basis for this ... we are working very very hard with the Chinese government on this issue," she told reporters in Longueuil, Quebec, saying the matter was of the utmost priority for Ottawa. Story continues CANADIAN CANOLA, AUSTRALIAN COAL As the diplomatic dispute between China and Canada intensified, Beijing has detained two Canadians working in China, and on Monday accused one of them of stealing Chinese state secrets passed on to him by the other. There had already been reports last month that Canadian canola shipments to China had been slow to clear customs amid the dispute. China buys some C$2.5 billion ($1.88 billion) of Canadian canola per year, and a slower pace of sales would mean another hit for exporters, which include Viterra and Cargill Ltd. The restriction on imports of canola from a country with which links have worsened echoes moves by Chinese customs to slow clearing of Australian coal imports. Australia's ties with China have deteriorated since 2017, when Canberra accused China of meddling in its domestic affairs. ($1 = 1.3331 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Dominique Patton in Beijing and Rod Nickel in Kabul; Additional reporting by Hallie Gu in Beijing and David Ljunggren in Ottawa and Tom Polansek in Chicago; editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Grant McCool) For the first time in years, the population of Chipman hasn't declined. Councillors say it held steady last year because of an influx of skilled workers recruited by J.D. Irving Ltd. from around the globe for its local forestry operations in the Chipman area. "For the first time in many, many years the population has stayed the same," said Deputy Mayor Keith West. Eighteen new residents have already moved to the rural community, and a new subdivision is being built to accommodate newcomers. In coming years, West expects dozens more to be added to the village's current population of about 1,000. He says they're coming from Ukraine, Latvia, Finland, and Brazil. Shane Fowler/CBC "Right now we have about 10 new families from abroad," said Paul Klassen, co-ordinator of Chipman's newcomer settlement program. According to Klassen and West, workers will be operating in three different capacities for JDI: driving logging trucks, working with logging operations, or working in the Grand Lake Timber in Chipman. "These are not minimum wage jobs," West said. "These are good-paying jobs. These people are making 60, 70, 80 thousand dollars a year." "So in a small town like Chipman that's big money." West said it's his understanding that JDI is bringing in as many as 3,000 workers from outside of New Brunswick over the next three years to fill positions in southern New Brunswick because the company cannot find employees locally. "Most of these jobs are skilled labour," he said. "And the people who say they would work, they don't have the skills and the company needs skilled labour. Working in a sawmill isn't like it was 50 years ago. You know, it's all skilled labour." Shane Fowler/CBC CBC News requested an interview with someone from JDI to speak on the specifics of the positions being filled and recruitment, but no interview was provided. According to an email from JDI spokesperson Mary Keith, 17 workers and families are expected to move to the community next year as part of the company's plan to fill 7,500 jobs by 2021. Story continues Keith also said the company established a director of immigration as of last year and is forecasting 400 immigrants for Canadian operations over the next three years. The workers are coming through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, a federal program for employers looking to recruit internationally for jobs they have been unable to fill locally. Construction underway In Chipman, so many workers and their families are expected that a new subdivision is being built. Chipman Housing Authority Inc. was created in August 2018 and lists Mayor Carson Atkinson and JDI woodlands division vice-president Jason Limongelli as two of its directors. According to West, incoming workers can't afford to buy a home and there are few spaces for rent. Shane Fowler/CBC "So, we've created a non-profit housing authority and putting in mini-homes and renting them to the immigrants on a temporary basis until they can get their permanent residency and get their own place." Built on eight acres of village land, the subdivision will host 25 mini-homes, with two expansions already planned. The mini-homes are being built by Kent Homes, which is a division of JDI. Atkinson said Limongelli was not a part of the tendering process that resulted in Chipman Housing Authority Inc.'s purchase of mini-homes from the Irving-owned company. Shane Fowler/CBC Mary Keith said Limongelli recused himself. "He did not see any of the bids," she said in an email. "We had four tenders, open tenders, and all that stuff and we took the lowest tender," Atkinson said. "And it turned out to be Irving." "This was a public tender so we had to take the lowest tender anyway. But then they threw in some bonuses." Atkinson said the bonuses include air-conditioning, with ductless heating and cooling systems, and the models are more esthetically pleasing. Atkinson said he was not yet able to provide documents of the tender process or its results. Nor was he able to disclose the amount the housing authority has received from the province. "I don't think I'm at liberty to talk about the amount," he said. "But it's not enough to complete what we want and that is why we are approaching different banks." Shane Fowler/CBC But he said anyone questioning the relationship between the village and the company shouldn't worry. "We are supportive of any group that comes in and offers us any kind of partnership that doesn't cost the village money and is a long-term benefit to the community," said Atkinson. "Why wouldn't we? That's what's done in every other community across the world." So far, the subdivision has five mini-homes, two of which already have immigrant workers and their families living in them. Language barriers For those helping newcomers settle into life in rural New Brunswick, the biggest challenge has been language. "New Brunswick is quite well set up for providing French as a second language in small communities, but not really English," said Klassen. "So, we were kind of a test case." Klassen said JDI has required that workers they bring in speak rudimentary English for work. But their families often do not speak any English and finding teachers to help them learn has been a struggle. Shane Fowler/CBC Many of those moving from Latvia and Ukraine speak Russian. For months, the community has been attempting to set up classes for families to learn or improve their English, but three weeks ago, Klassen said, the instructor quit, leaving them in a bind. "We are currently working with the provincial government to provide training for these families that are coming in," said Klassen. "We're going to see how that expands and who exactly will be funding all of the training, but at least we have a commitment now to get something up and running." Respite for a 'dying' community To hear it from those involved in the project, the incoming workforce is a godsend for a community in dire need of new blood. "It's going to make all the difference," said Klassen. "Because it was another village that was just dying. And now this influx of people and work is going to turn it around." In her email to CBC News, Keith said it is an "amazing story about a small rural community coming together to welcome newcomers." In a later email, she wrote: "Our priority is to keep New Brunswicker's home and bring them home. However, understanding NB demographic challenges, immigration make N.B. home is also part of the strategy." Shane Fowler/CBC The workers are seen as saviours by West, giving hope to a area that in recent years had begun to lose services, including its only bank. Many were starting to fear the village's elementary school and high school were next. "When I went to school here, there were 500 kids in each school," said West. "There's barely under 100 kids in each school today. So, every kid that goes into that school is going to help save our schools. And it's imperative that we keep that." The writer is head of legal strategies for Palestinian Media Watch , and a retired lieutenant-colonel who served for 19 years in the IDF Military Advocate General Corps, most recently as director of Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria. Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. . ..JPost/Opinion..04 March '19..While it might be premature to eulogize Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, his recent actions demonstrate beyond any doubt that the most prominent legacy of his 15-year presidency is to reward terrorists at the expense of law-abiding Palestinians.Paralyzed by the internal rift between his Fatah Party and the internationally recognized terrorist organization Hamas, Abbas made a positive choice to curry favor using the broadest base of Palestinian consensus financially rewarding terrorists and their families.Even though the PA has provided financial incentives and rewards to Palestinian terrorists since its creation, under Abbass leadership these payments have grown tremendously.In 2006, Abbas approved the regulations that codified the monthly salary payments paid by the PA to Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons. He also codified the practice of ensuring jobs to released terrorists in PA institutions. In 2010, he approved a salary hike for the terrorist prisoners, including a 300% rise, from 4,000 shekels per month to 12,000 shekels per month for prisoners who serve more than 30 years in prison, i.e., murderers.In 2007 and again in 2009 and 2013, Abbas approved a hike in the monthly allowances that the PA pays to the families of dead terrorists, including suicide bombers.Needless to say, as the number of terrorists arrested, convicted, and released has grown, and as the number of families of dead terrorists has increased, so too did the annual PA expenditure to fund their rewards.While constantly asking the international community to fund the needs of the Palestinian population, Abbas, to the detriment of the law-abiding Palestinians, has been and still is squandering the limited PA funds to finance his ever-increasing rewards to terrorists.After years of silence, during which both the Israeli authorities and the international community ignored Abbass practice of paying considerable financial rewards to terrorists, 2018 brought about a substantial change.In March 2018, the Taylor Force Act conditioned any additional US support to the PA on the latter abolishing what has now become known as the PAs pay-for-slay policy.In July 2018, Israel also passed an anti-pay-for-slay law. According to that law, Israel will deduct the amount the PA spends on rewarding terrorists from the taxes it collects and transfers to the PA.In December 2018, following a presentation by Palestinian Media Watch founder and director Itamar Marcus, the Dutch Parliament decided to reduce its support to the PA, pending the abolition of pay-for-slay. Swedish and Norwegian politicians, who also heard Marcus, expressed the same intention in January 2019.IN LIGHT OF these decisions, Abbas is now faced with a harsh dilemma: Stop paying financial rewards to terrorists, or risk losing hundreds of millions of shekels, dollars and euros that could be used for the benefit of the entire Palestinian population.Abbass response to the loss of the foreign aid and the impending implementation of the new Israeli law has been clear: Even if we have only a penny left, it will only be spent on the families of the martyrs and the prisoners, and only afterwards will it be spent on the rest of the people.Two weeks ago, following the brutal rape and murder of Ori Ansbacher, Israels cabinet decided to implement the countrys new law. In the absence of clear figures regarding the total amount the PA spends on the allowances to the families of the dead terrorists, the cabinet decided to make only a partial deduction of 502 million shekels that the PA itself admitted it paid to the imprisoned and released terrorists in 2018. According to the law, that sum will now be deducted in 12 monthly installments each of about 42 million shekels.The taxes that Israel collects and transfers to the PA amount to, on average, 670 million shekels per month. Cumulatively, they account for almost 50% of the PAs annual budget.Abbass response was again quick to come. If Israel dares to implement the law, he will refuse to accept any of the remaining taxes. Without these funds, the PA will no longer be able to provide essential services to the innocent Palestinian population or pay the tens of thousands of its law-abiding civil servants.As if positively choosing to deprive the law-abiding Palestinians of hundreds of millions of shekels a year while instead squandering it to pay financial rewards to terrorists was not enough, Abbas is now positively choosing to inflict financial ruin on all the Palestinians. The PA has announced that public employees and employees in the private sector will have to take pay cuts in order for the PA to continue paying terrorist murderers in full.In the absence of any other clear legacy, Abbas will certainly be remembered as the PA chairman who paid the most in financial rewards to terrorists, at the expense of and to the detriment of the millions of law-abiding and productive Palestinians. SAN FRANCISCO, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (RSA Conference) -- WootCloud , an innovative IoT cybersecurity company, today officially announced a global research initiative to help the OpenSource and the IoT community at-large identify IoT cybersecurity vulnerabilities. As part of this initiative, WootCloud Labs, the research division of WootCloud, is addressing a mission critical need for businesses worldwide. Using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Neural Network technology, WootCloud Labs is conducting highly detailed research and analysis to identify IoT (Internet of Things) threats that have historically gone undetected. WootCloud Labs is committed to working with IoT organizations and companies, via responsible disclosure, to alert the wider IoT community of these vulnerabilities with the goal of preventing attacks before they occur. The number of IoT connected devices will number 38.5 billion in 2020 and spending on IoT cybersecurity solutions is set to reach over $6 billion globally by 2023 according to Juniper Research . With a mission to help enterprises and security firms get ahead of and detect new threats that exist in the rapidly expanding IoT ecosystem, WootCloud Labs has identified and ethically disclosed numerous new threats over the past year. These include the following: The presence of three new botnet families on Polycom HDX systems, both mimicking the behavior of the Mirai botnet. The malware families are a version of the Bushido and Hades Bots. WootCloud Labs detected the infections in the Asia region. A number of Polycom devices were found to be running the discovered bots, which performed brute-force and password cracking operations from the device via the telnet interface. APIs supported by Polycom devices are abused by the attackers for performing unauthorized operations on the device. The OMNI botnet, which harnesses the power of open open-source software packages such as BusyBox, WGet and others that shipped with the embedded firmware of the Polycom devices. OMNI bypasses the various authentication mechanisms and enables a complete takeover of the target device. It also enables the attackers to launch brute-force attacks and DDoS attacks and allow conferencing systems to act as proxy devices for routing malicious communications such as Command and Control (C&C). More than 200,000 Cisco routers running with exposed web administrative panels. Exposed routers could become potential targets for malware authors to compromise these devices and use the same for forming botnets. Compromised routers can be used for building botnets to trigger unauthorized operations such as launching brute-force attacks, bitcoin mining, building hidden proxy tunnels, and many others. WootCloud Labs research reflected the risk of allowing administrative web consoles to be exposed on the Internet, as they can be accessible by remote users without any restriction. With so many smart devices available in the wild, device sprawl is rampant and creates an environment that is becoming more and more inviting for attackers, said Srinivas Akella, founder and CTO of WootCloud. At WootCloud Labs our goal is to deliver actionable insights to the IoT community, empowering businesses with the information they need to get ahead and stay ahead of a wide range of vulnerabilities, exposures and exploits. We are looking forward to continuing to collaborate with organizations to deliver research and analysis around a wide variety of impending threats. In a climate where more than half of organizations have no good control over or have an inaccurate assessment of devices available on their network, there is an urgent need to proactively identify and manage dark devices in a more effective way, added Akella. We are committed to developing solutions and insights that will continue to address this demand. About WootCloud Labs WootCloud Labs, the research division of WootCloud, uses Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Neural Network technology to identify cybersecurity threats worldwide on the vast number of IoT devices that are active on enterprise networks. According to research reports, 40 percent of devices that access an enterprise network are invisible to current tools. To combat this challenge, WootCloud Labs vision is to collaborate with businesses to identify threats on these devices, responsibly and ethically communicate these to end users, and offer suggested countermeasures to prevent attacks. About WootCloud WootCloud is the only enterprise IoT security solution provider to leverage both the radio and network characteristics to neutralize IoT threats. WootClouds unique platform empowers security and IT teams to identify both managed and unmanaged devices and proactively control access. The companys scalable, agentless deployment capabilities, covering 100 percent of a network, enables actionable insights to detect behavioral anomalies faster at a lower cost. WootCloud was one of the select companies to win the prestigious 2017 Tie Silicon Valley Top 50 Startups Award. A privately held company, WootCloud is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices in India and Argentina. Photo - Mt Carmel overlooking the Jezreel Valley History reveals without too much difficulty that religious belief has been the well-spring of philosophical thought so as to engage in military conflict. The ancients let alone the Old Testament reveals this, as did Rome. English history and it's War of the Roses and the Magna Carter is just one of many political examples. It ultimately led three hundred years later giving Henry VIII the go for national religious independence. We might even consider the Spanish conquests of Latin America where a very clear stated purpose was to bring the Roman Church to the conquest. We might even be so bold as to suggest the British rule of India accompanied by so many Christian missions might be somewhere along that same philosophical thought. That the Muslim fighters were stopped at the gates of Vienna in the 14th century historians are of no doubt, saved Europe for Christianity. The carve up of the Ottoman Empire after WWI had as much political (divide and conqueror) as religious considerations. Perhaps not WWI but certainly WWII had a "freedom" aspect as opposed to "Nazi slavery" with religious overtones and if that could in any way be contested at the time, the revelations of the concentration camps left no doubt as to its varsity. Now in recent times the call for an Islamic Caliphate has all these same characteristics, where politics and religion are in the thick of it, but more so, in Islam the politic is the religion determined for the Muslim. It is characterised and exhibited as being one and the same. Protestants call their world view as the providence of God in order that the freeing Gospel of Jesus Christ illuminates people's hearts and minds to greater justice for all. Therefore the philosophy stands good to fight the good fight for both Salvation of the soul and salvation from political slavery. Photo - Pergamum from the early church Why is Israel any different Turning our attention to our era, there appears to be very different rules when it comes to Israel and its right to have a continuing existence. Even some Christians have labelled Israel as apartheid, when any alternative policy would see the Jews lose political control of their own country. So it was with much interest therefore to read Israel's Ron Prossor's speech to the United Nations. This is just a snippet. I stand before the world as a proud representative of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. I stand tall before you knowing that truth and morality are on my side. And yet, I stand here knowing that today in this Assembly, truth will be turned on its head and morality cast aside. The world's unrelenting focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an injustice to tens of millions of victims of tyranny and terrorism in the Middle East. As we speak, Yazidis, Bahai, Kurds, Christians and Muslims are being executed and expelled by radical extremists at a rate of 1,000 people per month. I stand before you to speak the truth. Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, less than half a percent are truly free a and they are all citizens of Israel. Israeli Arabs are some of the most educated Arabs in the world. They are our leading physicians and surgeons, they are elected to our parliament, and they serve as judges on our Supreme Court. Millions of men and women in the Middle East would welcome these opportunities and freedoms. Nonetheless, nation after nation, will stand at this podium today and criticise Israel a the small island of democracy in a region plagued by tyranny and oppression. Our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of the Jewish state. Sixty seven years ago this week, on November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted to partition the land into a Jewish state and an Arab state. Simple. The Jews said yes. The Arabs said no. But they didn't just say no. Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon launched a war of annihilation against our newborn state. According to the United Nations, about 700,000 Palestinians were displaced in the war initiated by the Arabs themselves. At the same time, some 850,000 Jews were forced to flee from Arab countries. The difference is that Israel did its utmost to integrate the Jewish refugees into society. The Arabs did just the opposite. The worst oppression of the Palestinian people takes place in Arab nations. In most of the Arab world, Palestinians are denied citizenship and are aggressively discriminated against. They are barred from owning land and prevented from entering certain professions. And this Every European parliament that voted to prematurely and unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state is giving the Palestinians exactly what they want statehood without peace. By handing them a state on a silver platter, you are rewarding unilateral actions and taking away any incentive for the Palestinians to negotiate or compromise or renounce violence. You are sending the message that the Palestinian Authority can sit in a government with terrorists and incite violence against Israel without paying any price. The State of Israel is the land of our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is the land where Moses led the Jewish people, where David built his palace, where Solomon built the Jewish Temple, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. For thousands of years, Jews have lived continuously in the land of Israel. We endured through the rise and fall of the Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek and Roman Empires. And we endured through thousands of years of persecution, expulsions and crusades. The bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish land is unbreakable. Nothing can change one simple truth a Israel is our home and Jerusalem is our eternal capital. We are ready for peace, but we are not naive. Israel's security is paramount. Only a strong and secure Israel can achieve a comprehensive peace. Hamas's genocidal charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews worldwide. For years, Hamas and other terrorist groups have sent suicide bombers into our cities, launched rockets into our towns, and sent terrorists to kidnap and murder our citizens. As I stand before you today I am reminded of all the years when Jewish people paid for the world's ignorance and indifference in blood. Those days are no more. We will never apologise for being a free and independent people in our sovereign state. And we will never apologise for defending ourselves. Photo - Philadelphia from the early church Analysis Should the reader dispute my analysis at the beginning of this article, surely now, we have ISIS (Death Cult) wanting to destroy the existing statuesque of Middle East politics and establish their own caliphate for all Muslims demonstrates the critique. Yet, Israel the only democratic nation in that region stands as a bulwark against this surrounding Islamic threat to life and limb. Now the thrust. All the above illustrates the nature of the mix between religion and politics. The danger of separating politics and Christianity is the lack of justice. Politicians caught in a hot place don't want true justice. The do-gooders with a world view that fails the test of the tyrants of history and today, subjugates this kind of justice as it demands a rejection of atheism. There is a God who is ultimately in charge. Ponder this therefore, that Christianity at its core of true justice it illustrates the Cross of Calvary as front and centre of a loving justice. This is bewildering yet marvellous. It's earth shattering. Ultimately, the Scriptures says it brings in a new world. Photo - Sardis from the early church Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand. Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html This year Baptist World Aid Australia is celebrating our 60th Anniversary. Together with churches across the country there is such a rich, shared history to celebrate, and so Id love to share with you about some exciting ways that you can be involved in this. Our beginnings Starting as a grassroots movement of Baptists in 1959, our International Program first began in response to the suffering of WWII refugees. John Hickey, CEO reflects Almost 60 years ago a small band of passionate, faithful volunteers met in a garage in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, that was the start of Baptist World Aid. Now 60 years later, thanks to the engagement of the Australian Baptist Movement, around 1,000 churches across Australia, we serve across 25 countries and seen positive impact in over a million lives. Rather than looking at history however, we are looking toward the future and how we can continue to see poverty ended across the world. As part of this process, we are asking: what does it really mean to Be the love that ends poverty?. Photo - Rev Allan Prior and the founding BWA executive Be the love that ends poverty Gods call to be love in this world requires a whole of life response it requires action and participation. He called us not only to declare the good news of His Kingdom available to us through Christ, but also to demonstrate this Kingdom in how we live our whole lives. As we experience Gods love and grace in sending His Son for us, we should be compelled to show love to those around us: to love our neighbours. Yet it can be challenging to act out this gospel mandate to love our neighbour in any sort of abiding way, cant it? We might make a donation here and there, or we might volunteer a few hours a year to serve in a soup kitchen, but how do we infuse our entire lives with acts of generosity and love, just as God has asked us to? Our lives are made up of thousands of choices. Baptist World Aid believes, that its through these choices, both individually and collectively, that we can end poverty. Its through these actions that we become part of building His Kingdom. So what if we cultivated and strengthened habits of generosity, selflessness, and love that equip us to make kingdom-building choices in each moment of each day? Thats exactly what Baptist World Aid are aiming to do for our 60th Anniversary year! Photo - BWA app. Launching the end poverty app We are putting the tool into your hands to be able to cultivate these habits. In January we launched our End Poverty mobile app with a story hub and an electronic version of the Ethical Fashion Guide. For many of us, reaching for our phone is already a habit in our day-to-day lives, so why not use this device as a tool to strengthen the way you show Gods love each day? To facilitate this, in March 2019, we will launch the 60/40 challenge on the app, a discipleship program that takes us through 60 actions to end poverty over 40 days! Our prayer is that this program will begin to instil daily habits of love and generosity in believers everywhere. Each day there will be one or two habit building actions of reflection, prayer, fundraising and advocacy seeking to build into our lives daily actions of love and selflessness. Will you consider coming on this generosity journey with us? John Hickey asks, Will you and your church family join this 40-day discipleship journey and discover how your lives your decisions can change our broken world for the better? A big thank you to all our church and individual supporters for helping us end poverty for 60 years. I hope you can join us in 2019 to continue doing what Jesus calls us to do, to be love and end poverty, together. John Hickey, CEO Photo - BWA current leadership Brent Van Mourik is the Queensland State Representative for Baptist World Aid Australia and is a registered pastor with the Baptist Union of Queensland. He completed a Bachelor of Theology with honours in New Testament through Malyon College in Brisbane, where he now lives with his wife, Jane, and his young son, Joshua. In his down time, he enjoys making and drinking good coffee, and developing his theology of disappointment, whilst putting into practice Ephesians chapter 4 verse 26 (In your anger do not sin) on the golf course. A historic Armenian church in in Istanbul has been vandalised with graffiti, sparking outrage among Christians and minorities activists. The messages in English and Arabic were found at the entrance of the Church of the Holy Mother of God (Balat Surp Hreshdagabet). According to a statement from the Church, photographs and video recordings have been handed to the police. The statement continued: 'It is our greatest wish that such events do not happen again and the criminals are punished.' Turkey's Armenian community was targeted for genocide in 1915, though Turkey still refuses to accept this; up to 1.5 million Armenians may have died and only around 100,000 still live in Turkey today. The church is open only one day a year and its entrance is built with stones from the church that hosted the historic Council of Nicea in 325 AD, according to Armenian writer Murad Mhc, who shared images of the vandalism on Twitter. Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of parliament, tweeted: 'A hate attack has been carried out against Balat Surp Hreshdagabet Armenian Church. Every year, scores of hate attacks are being carried out against churches and synagogues. Not just the perpetrators, but also the people who are behind them, should be addressed. For the most important part, the politics that produce hate should be ended.' Hate speech has also increased against Turkey's Protestant churches in the wake of the Andrew Brunson case, according to a recent report. International Christian Concern's regional manager for the Middle East, Claire Evans, said: 'Thankfully, no one was hurt during this incident. However, the gravity of the situation cannot be ignored. Armenian Christians have long suffered targeted harassment and violence in Turkey, which drove most to flee. The general increase of hate speech in Turkey directed against Christians sounds the alarm that the environment is increasingly hostile toward non-Muslims. 'Turkey purports itself to be a secular nation, a country which has turned over a new leaf. If such is true, then those who encourage and commit these hate crimes against Christians must be held accountable before the situation escalates to something worse.' At the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, E.P. Carrillo announced a new line known as the Encore. Prior to that trade show, the E.P. Carrillo portfolio underwent a major overhaul. During that time, the La Historia and Encore were put in a group in the E.P. Carrillo portfolio that became known as the Perez-Carrillo Series (which was originally called the Family Series). While Encore was showcased at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, the Encore took some time to make it into widespread distribution. Fast-forward a year to the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, and many expected the Encore to have a formal launch. That didnt quite happen as owner Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. opted to work the blend some more. It wouldnt be until March 2018 when the Encore would finally hit stores. Today, we take a look at the Encore by E.P. Carrillo in the Majestic size. When the Perez-Carrillo Series was originally announced as the Family series, it was described as follows: Perez-Carrillo, as a name, has been known in the Cigar Industry for years. Ernesto is a Junior and his father before him and the family before that all have been integrally involved in making cigars for generations. This is what was the inspiration for the Family Series of Cigars. These cigars are generations of know how, poured into unique blends and culminate as the creations of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo himself. Only these cigars are allowed to bear the name Perez-Carrillo and each vitola is an homage to someone within the family. Cigars that are the pride and joy of the Perez-Carrillo family history. Both the La Historia and Encore became lines that would garner significant critical acclaim. La Historia would snag the #2 Cigar of the Year on Cigar Aficionados highly coveted Top 25 list. Four years later, Encore Majestic would top that capturing the #1 Cigar of the Year on the Cigar Aficionado list, and the Valientes size snagged Cigar of the Year honors by Prime Time Special Editions Bear Duplisea. Without further ado, lets break down the Encore by E.P. Carrillo in the Majestic size and see what this cigar brings to the table. SPECIFICATIONS Blend and Origin The Encore by E.P. Carrillo is a Nicaraguan puro. While it wasnt the first all-Nicaraguan cigar made by E.P. Carrillo (that cigar was the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2016 Nicaragua), there are some differences with this blend. The tobacco used for the Encore was aged and cured in something called tercios. Tercios comes from the bark of palm trees and is used to wrap the tobaccos in bales. After the tobacco is wrapped, there is some additional aging that occurs. Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Country of Origin: Nicaragua Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. Vitolas Offered The four vitolas of the Encore are presented in 10-count boxes. The sizes of the four vitolas are the same sizes of the vitolas in the La Historia line, but with different names. Like La Historia, Encore is a box-pressed line. Majestic: 5 3/8 x 52 Celestrial: 6 1/8 x 50 Valientes: 6 1/8 x 52 El Primero: 6 7/8 x 54 Appearance The Nicaraguan wrapper of the Encore Majestic had a medium brown color. There wasnt much in the way of oil on the surface. It was a relatively smooth wrapper with any visible veins on the thin side and the wrapper seams well hidden. The box-press of the cigar is a Cuban soft-press style. There are two bands on the cigar. The primary band is a variation of the La Historia band but it features a copper, rose-gold, brown, and beige color scheme. The center of the band features a chest-like design. Sitting on the chest is the text Perez Carrillo in a large silver cursive font and the text Encore just below it in white cursive font. To the left of the chest is the portrait of a woman in a tobacco field which is said to be Perez-Carrillos grandmother. To the right is a portrait of a woman with Miami in the background who resembles Ernestos daughter Lissette Perez-Carrillo. On the far left of the band is the Perez family coat of arms. On the far right is the Carrillo family coat of arms. The band itself has a copper foil-like trim around it. The secondary band is much simpler. It is brown with copper trim. On the brown background is the text PEREZ CARRILLO in white font. Finally, around the footer area of the cigar is an antique white ribbon. PERFORMANCE Pre-Light Draw After removing the ribbon from the footer, a straight cut was used to commence the cigar experience of the Encore Majestic. Once the cap was removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw provided a prelude of things to come as notes of earth, natural tobacco, fruit, and a slight amount of cedar were picked up. I judged this to be a very good pre-light draw. At this point it was time to light up the Encore Majestic and await what the smoking phase would have in store.\ Tasting Notes The Encore Majestic picked up where the pre-light draw left off as there were moore notes of natural tobacco, cedar, fruit, and earth. During the early stages some black pepper also entered the occasion. There was a fusion that developed between the cedar and natural tobacco that produced a unique flavor. The cedar/natural tobacco combination moved to the forefront early on. The fruit notes were a close secondary note with the earth and pepper more distant. Meanwhile the retro-hale produced another layer of black pepper and cedar. During the second third, the fused natural tobacco and cedar combination continued. This combination contained a mix of sweet and bitter flavors. The fruit sweetness that had been present earlier on had diminished. Meanwhile, there still were note of earth and black pepper in the more distant background. The final third of the Encore Majestic saw the earthy notes more prominent and join the natural tobacco/cedar combination in the forefront. There was an slight increase in black pepper, and there were still touches of fruit sweetness in the background. This is the way the Encore Majestic came to a close. The resulting nub cool in temperature and firm to the touch. Burn On each of the samples smoked, there were a few points where the burn line wanted to meander. This resulted in a few extra touch-ups above what I would consider the norm. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper color scheme which was at times skewed toward the dark side of gray. The burn temperature was ideal. This was a slightly quicker burning cigar taking an average of about 62 minutes to smoke. Draw The draw to the Encore Majestic is what I would describe as open but not a loose draw. Ill infer this contributing to the slightly rapid burn rate. While normally I prefer a little more resistance on the draw, this still was a relatively low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from. Strength and Body In terms of strength, I assessed the Encore Majestic to be a solid medium. For the most part, there wasnt a lot of variance in the strength level. The body of the Encore Majestic also started out medium, but by the midway point of the cigar experience, the cigar progressed into medium to full-bodied territory. When looking at strength versus body, the body had a slight edge throughout the smoking experience. OVERALL ASSESSMENT Final Thoughts There are two conclusions I came out of my smoking experience of the Encore Majestic. The first is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While the flavor notes might not seem exotic, when combined it creates a synergy and the Encore smokes like no other Nicaraguan puro out there. The second is that this is a cigar that age is definitely kind to. Ive smoked many of these over the past year, and I find the longer Ive kept them in my humidor, the better they smoke (this review was based on cigars about six months old). The Encore Majestic is a cigar I would recommend to the experienced and novice cigar enthusiast. As for myself, its a cigar Id smoke again and it garners box worthy consideration. Summary Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Fruit, Black Pepper, Earth Burn: Very Good Draw: Very Good Complexity: Medium Plus Strength: Medium Body: Medium Finish: Very Good Rating Value: Box Worthy Consideration Score: 91 References News: E.P. Carrillo Perez-Carrillo Encore Slated for March 15th Release Price: $11.50 Source: Purchased Brand Reference: E.P. Carrillo Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted TUESDAY, March 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Will an aspirin a day keep prostate cancer at bay? Not necessarily, according to new research. Danish scientists say low-dose aspirin doesn't seem to reduce a man's risk of death from prostate cancer, but it may slow down the disease in some cases. For patients with slow-growing, non-aggressive cancer, aspirin did appear to stop the cancer from progressing. A slight benefit was also seen among men who took aspirin for more than five years, the researchers found. "Aspirin is widely used due to its established protection against cardiovascular diseases," said lead researcher Charlotte Skriver, from the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen. "Our results, however, do not suggest an overall protective effect of low-dose aspirin used in the year after prostate cancer diagnosis on mortality from prostate cancer." But growing evidence suggests aspirin might reduce the risk of developing and dying from colon and other cancers, Skriver said. It was thought that prostate cancer could be added to that list. Researchers did see a small reduction in prostate cancer deaths among patients who took low-dose aspirin for an extended time, she said. More study is needed to confirm that finding. Skriver said any potential benefit from low-dose aspirin needs to be weighed against the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding linked with its use. For the study, her team collected data on more than 29,000 men, average age 70, who were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2000 and 2011. During nearly five years of follow-up, more than 7,600 men died of prostate cancer and more than 5,500 died from other causes, the study found. The findings were published March 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Dr. Teemu Murtola, a professor of surgery at the University of Tampere in Finland, wrote an editorial that accompanied the study. "Aspirin may have other benefits, but it is probably not helpful against prostate cancer," he said. Murtola noted that aspirin was not associated in this large study with a lower risk of death from prostate cancer, despite promising previous laboratory studies. Still, the risk was reduced among aspirin users in a subgroup of men with lowest-risk prostate cancer, he said. "Future studies should aim to evaluate effects of very long-term, at least 10 years, of aspirin use on risk of prostate cancer death," Murtola said. Dr. Anthony D'Amico, a professor of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said the study doesn't take into account the treatment patients received -- an important point, because treatment directly affects survival. Variables such as surgery, radiation and hormone treatment are essential to tease out the real effect of aspirin on survival, he said. It's not only the treatments themselves, but the combinations used and the duration that can make a difference, D'Amico said. "This is not definitive, because there is too much lacking in terms of treatment specifics," he said. "It's interesting, but it doesn't mean you should take an aspirin." More information The American Cancer Society has more about prostate cancer. Delhi/NCR In the biggest office space transaction so far this year, American multinational investment bank and financial services company Bank of America's offshore delivery arm has picked up nearly 0.5 million, or 5 lakh sqft, office space in DLF and GIC's commercial complex DLF Cyber Park in Gurgaon on a long-term lease, said two persons with direct knowledge of the development. Total tenure of the lease would run for 9 years and the agreement includes a rental escalation clause every 3 years. Currently, the rentals have been fixed at over Rs 110 per sqft a month and will have a 15% escalation every 3 years. The Indian offshore services unit of Bank of America is planning to house its back office and processing set-up in this space. The complex is nearly ready and will be offered for fit-outs over the next few months. "The offshore delivery subsidiary of the bank will be relocating its staff from the existing office in Gurgaon to this new well-connected office that also has better amenities and facilities. The shifting will be done in a phase-wise manner," said one of the persons mentioned above. Bank of America has its head office in Mumbai's business district Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), while its offshore delivery services arm has processing facilities in Gurgaon, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai with over 19,000 employees. Of the total headcount, over 5,000 executives are located in the Gurgaon office, which will now be shifted to the newly leased premise. ET's separate email queries to Bank of America and DLF remained unanswered till the time of going to press. While this is the biggest office space transaction concluded so far this year, Samsung Research and Development Institute had picked up 4 lakh sqft office space in Bangalore in February. The 2.5-million sqft Cyber Park complex in Gurgaon is being developed by DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL), which is a joint venture between DLF and Singapore sovereign fund GIC. Promoters of DLF have sold their 33.34% stake in this rental arm DCCDL to GIC for nearly Rs 9,000 crore. The transaction was concluded in December 2017, and the company now holds the balance 66.66% in DCCDL. Currently, the rental arm's portfolio includes leased space of 27 million sqft and nearly 4 million sqft is under construction. The joint entity also has access to land bank that has additional development potential of 19 million sqft. Kailash Babar, Economic Times, Delhi/NCR San Francisco, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sustainable Brands (SB) launches SB Voyager today, a new program supporting businesses that face significant challenges related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and reputation. This latest offering, a precursor to the SB Corporate Member Network, is designed to help companies, which do not yet meet the full qualifications for membership, overcome those challenges and fuel their transformation. SB has a vibrant, growing network of Corporate Members. Its comprised of professionals from nearly 80 global and emerging brands who regularly learn from, collaborate with, and support one another on the journey to becoming better brands, said Darren Beck, Vice President of the SB Corporate Member Network. Some companies have much greater distance to cover on that journey. Theyd like to join the network, but have yet to meet the minimum requirements. If theyre ready to fundamentally transform their business to help create a more sustainable future, were ready to make room for them at the table. Thats where the Voyager program comes in. The new program enables companies, which have a publicly stated commitment to transform controversial business models for the better, to actively engage with SB Corporate Members in regular meetings and online. The expectation is that access to a leadership network of this caliber will provide them with support and guidance to help accelerate ambitious change as they pursue qualifications for full membership. Philip Morris International (PMI) is the first company to be accepted into the new program. Three years ago, at PMI, we made a commitment to a future without cigarettes, a smoke-free future that will improve the health trajectories of more than one billion adult smokers. We are actively transforming our business from the inside out and are doing everything we can to get to a smoke-free future as quickly as possiblebecoming a SB Voyager is an important step in this journey said Andre Calantzopoulos, CEO of PMI. For us, our smoke-free vision and purpose is about creating a business that brings a very positive societal change and therefore, is much more sustainable. We are dedicated to using our resources and ingenuity to develop and commercialize better alternatives for the people who smoke as fast as possible. We need strong community partners to help us in this enormous undertaking. That is why becoming an SB Voyager is so significant for all of us. KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, Founder and CEO of Sustainable Brands, agrees. Change is tough, and even more so when pursued without critical feedback, guidance and accountability from a peer network of like-minded sojourners. We welcome PMIs participation in this rigorous transformation process. We encourage companies to embrace their past, recalibrate and boldly pursue new, industry-changing paths to reduce impact and move toward a net-positive future. SB and its community are prepared to meet and support them on this journey. PMI and future SB Voyagers will receive access to the SB Brand Transformation Roadmap. This proprietary assessment tool is designed to help companies identify where they sit along a continuum of sustainable business practices. The highest level of attainment is emerging as a truly sustainable branda company operating a profitable, net-positive business model that seeks system-wide solutions through deep external collaboration, actively tries to shift unsustainable societal norms and intentionally cultivates breakthrough leaders. SB Voyagers annually assess their coordinates on this journey using the roadmap and receive peer assessments from SB Corporate Members, as well. According to criteria defined by the SB Membership Advisory Council, SB Voyagers must progress to the next level of maturity in one or more areas of the roadmap within two years in order to satisfy a main condition for becoming an SB Corporate Member. Transformative change takes time, but SB has helped us realize change faster through engagement with others in the SB network, and collaborating in ways none of us thought possible. We need open, frank dialogue with different minds that can help us navigate this change quickly and efficiently. said Huub Savelkouls, Chief Sustainability Officer for Philip Morris International. For PMI, or indeed any tobacco company, to credibly speak about sustainability and contribute to todays Sustainable Development Agenda, the purpose can be none other than to replace cigarettes with better alternatives for smokers, society, and the environment. This is an essential step to becoming a more sustainable business, the first of many steps ahead in our ambition to become a sustainable brand. To learn more about the SB Corporate Member Network visit, www.SustainableBrands.com. Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about the SB Voyager Program and this announcement. About Sustainable Brands. Sustainable Brands is the premier global community of brand innovators who are shaping the future of commerce worldwide. Since 2006, our mission has been to inspire, engage and equip todays business and brand innovators to prosper for the near and long term by leading the way to a better future. Digitally published news articles and issues-focused conversation topics, internationally-known conferences and regional events, a robust e-learning library, and peer-to-peer membership groups all facilitate community engagement throughout the year. For more information visit www.SustainableBrands.com. Attachment Coinbase Ousts Ex-Hacking Team, Questions Remain In an update from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, the major crypto company said it is dismissing all members of Hacking Team, a group with connections to Neutrino, the controversial blockchain analytics company that was recently acquired by Coinbase. Source: iStock/Memitina According to Armstrong, Coinbase was very satisfied with Neutrinos product and technology, but did not properly evaluate whether the company complied with the exchanges mission and values as a crypto company. We took some time to dig further into this over the past week, and together with the Neutrino team have come to an agreement: those who previously worked at Hacking Team (despite the fact that they have no current affiliation with Hacking Team), will transition out of Coinbase, the exchanges CEO wrote. However, the company started to "dig further into this" only after their users have started to delete their Coinbase accounts protesting the acquisition of Neutrino. The hashtag #DeleteCoinbase was becoming more and more popular, ranging from users showing proof that theyve deleted their Coinbase account, over warning against staying there, to one instance of people even paying others for closing their accounts. In either case, not everyone is happy with the response from Coinbase. For example, Jesse Powell, CEO of competing cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, said that "it's optics without action" as some questions still remain unanswered. Moreover, yesterday, it turned out that the acquisition of Neutrino was motivated by the behavior of their third-party providers as they were selling Coinbase customers data to external sources. Also, a list of questions to Coinbase, posted on Reddit, has started to circulate in the Internet. Redditor coinwatchman asked 10 questions: When will they [ex-Hacking Team members] transition out? Now or 10 years later? Where will they transition to? A wholly owned subsidiary where they will be developing software for 1 client: Coinbase? Why are you blaming it on your Corporate Development team's diligence process now? You said before that you had already considered the team history in your diligence process but it didn't matter because "technology". So, were you lying then or are you lying now? Even Kraken managed to identify the problematic reputations of the founders just through basic vendor evaluation. That you would miss it in your acquisition diligence is not believable (especially after you admitted that you had considered it). Why do you say "despite the fact that they have no current affiliation with Hacking Team"? This is like saying "despite the fact that they have no current affiliation with Nazi genocide". You think it shouldn't matter and it didn't matter to you but because people are unreasonable in their expectations, you are forced to make a fake apology? What about our data that was sold? Why no mention of this? How about answers to these questions? https://twitter.com/TuurDemeester/status/1102205826872287232 Why are you still feeding us this line about Neutrino's technology? Others have said it's weak compared to the other options out there. Did you actually buy Neutrino for the government contacts or was it for their abilities to deanonymize even the most careful journalists? What is truly so special about Neutrino that you're not saying? Or, did they have something on you and you were forced to pay? Is Coinbase still lobbying for heavy regulation? https://twitter.com/nic__carter/status/1075743141255364609 Why did Coinbase violate its own listing policy and list XRP? Why don't you just take some accountability and say that you hired these guys because they're the best fit for the future Coinbase wants: heavy regulation with insider deals with the government which you will feed dissidents to? _____ Coinbases acquisition of Neutrino has become a hot topic in the crypto community after it was revealed that key people behind the blockchain analytics company has been involved in intelligence work through Hacking Team for government agencies, including Russian intelligence service FSB. Neutrino is also controversial in itself in the crypto community, given the fact that the company develops technology for law enforcement and financial institutions to investigate and track transactions on the blockchain. The firms software allows its government and law enforcement clients to secretly install implants on remote machines that can steal private emails, record Skype calls, and even monitor targets through their computers webcam," according to Motherboard. "Any cryptocurrency exchange that touches the banking system must implement a know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering (AML) program, and a key part of those programs is blockchain analytics," Armstrong said. ____ Blockchain and the Privacy Risks: Sam Palmisano, chairman of The Center for for Global Enterprise, and David Kappos, a partner with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, discuss the privacy concerns surrounding blockchain technology with Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Amanda Lang on "Bloomberg Markets." TVS Motor Company has bagged the international sustainability award Green Era Award for Sustainability in Lisbon, Portugal. Tata Motors also won the Quality and Business Excellence Award in acknowledgement of its endeavour to create new benchmarks in product quality. Green Era Award for Sustainability The Green Era Award for Sustainability was awarded at the Green Economy Forum held on 10th of February 2019 at Lisbon. The forum witnessed the participation of renewable energy firms, environmental agencies and green companies from the 5 continents. The nominees for the Green Era Award for Sustainability are based on the following criterias: Energy Efficiency representing a reduction of specific energy consumption through general housekeeping measures, best practices, retrofitting inefficient equipment and new projects in the use of energy. Creativity & Innovation in terms of demonstrated systems and processes, influencing energy technologies, opportunities with potential for further development and transferability to others and productivity of the operations while making sure that the ecological balance is not impacted. Increase of Renewable Energy share in the energy source portfolio use of renewable energy such as solar, wind, biomass, biogas and other cleaner energy sources and gradual reduction of dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Economic, Social & Environmental Impact. The Green Era Award for Sustainability recognises the true global exemplars who have been innovative and creative in pursuing the sustainable imperative. The awards are based on the conclusion of the research team of Otherways Management & Consulting, France. Question: Regarding my posts about the terrible perversion of Torah and halacha that Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky has engineered with his prod... lt is clear that no one in the world has the authority to establish guilt anyone without both [the accuser and accused] coming ... Important!! email - yadmoshe@gmail.com Wisconsin native. "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."--GKC "Liberalism is the modern and morbid habit of always sacrificing the normal to the abnormal" --G K Chesterton "The only objective of Liberty is Life" --G K Chesterton "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mountain Boy Minerals Ltd (Mountain Boy or the Company) (TSX.V: MTB; Frankfurt: M9U) reports that its joint venture partner Decade Resources Ltd has reported the final assay results from the 2018 drilling on the Red Cliff property. Highlights of drilling, as reported by Decade, include: 16.56 g/t gold over 5.12m in DDH-MON-18-50 13.90 g/t gold over 2.99m in DDH-MON-18-48 21.90 g/t gold over 1.83 m in DDH-MON-18-58 8.93 g/t gold over 6.1m in DDH-MON-18-67 13.58 g/t gold over 3.2 m DDH-MON-18-46 Mountain Boy holds a 35% interest in the Red Cliff project located in the Stewart Camp of British Columbias Golden Triangle. Decade is operator of the project. Red Cliff was the first significant mine in the Stewart area, with a rail line built to transport ore to the port at Stewart. Between 1908-12, about 2385 metres of underground development was carried out on five levels, focused on the copper-rich zone at the valley level. (Minfile 104A 037 Red Cliffe.) The recent work is directed at the Waterpump and Montrose zones which are located north of the original mine and at higher elevation. Those zones occur along 400m of length in a gold-bearing structure that has been identified over at least a 2.3 km length. Lawrence Roulston, president of Mountain Boy commented: "We continue to be encouraged by these latest results, which support our belief that Red Cliff represents a large and well-mineralized gold system. Road accessible and just 2.5 kilometres from a paved highway, Red Cliff is ideally situated for mine development. Mountain Boy and Decade are examining options for an independent review and a resource estimate which will provide further guidance in how best to advance this project." Final Results of the 2018 drilling, as reported by Decade, are shown below: MONTROSE ZONE DDH No. From(m) To(m) Core Length(m)* Gold g/t MON-2018-45 208.90 210.06 1.16 1.78 and 211.89 215.24 3.66 8.94 and 224.54 225.64 1.10 6.33 and 227.44 228.05 0.61 9.06 MON-2018-46 202.41 203.05 0.64 2.06 206.10 207.77 1.68 4.59 210.82 214.02 3.20 13.58 MON-2018-48 225.64 226.25 0.61 3.97 233.84 236.13 2.29 13.90 245.30 246.34 1.04 1.46 251.89 257.32 5.43 3.90 MON-2018-49 233.84 236.89 3.05 1.37 238.45 239.05 0.61 25.10 239.94 245.12 5.18 7.16 257.01 259.91 2.90 9.29 MON-2018-50 236.89 239.94 3.05 1.41 243.96 249.09 5.12 16.56 252.01 253.66 1.65 2.83 268.35 269.27 0.91 13.70 MON-2018-51 274.39 276.86 2.47 3.74 278.08 278.54 0.46 2.26 281.25 281.71 0.46 4.33 294.82 296.74 1.92 17.93 MON-18-52 370.24 371.62 1.37 1.29 380.12 381.62 1.49 4.86 382.84 383.66 0.82 3.26 384.60 385.43 0.82 3.76 390.09 392.38 2.29 1.74 395.43 398.48 3.05 2.88 MON-18-55 215.24 218.29 3.05 2.25 MON-18-56 236.13 240.24 4.12 8.59 Incl. 236.13 237.04 0.91 12.60 Incl. 239.73 240.24 0.52 45.50 242.96 243.29 0.34 4.49 246.04 247.10 1.07 1.36 MON-18-57 242.53 244.51 1.98 1.85 252.74 253.35 0.61 2.08 MON-18-58 307.01 308.84 1.83 21.90 316.46 317.13 0.67 1.36 MON-18-59 235.12 236.89 1.77 2.99 239.09 240.30 1.22 4.36 252.87 253.87 1.01 3.95 258.23 261.28 3.05 7.61 MON-18-60 91.01 92.59 1.59 3.88 114.63 117.68 3.05 1.06 MON-18-61 108.54 111.59 3.05 6.57 114.63 116.62 1.98 1.25 121.65 123.78 2.13 1.05 MON-18-62 148.48 151.07 2.59 2.01 155.43 156.49 1.07 11.28 MON-18-63 95.73 96.65 0.91 8.23 157.62 158.90 1.28 3.27 169.42 172.26 2.84 1.44 193.75 197.26 3.51 5.05 MON-18-64 214.12 214.88 0.76 5.85 220.27 222.56 2.29 1.15 227.74 230.79 3.05 1.87 250.76 255.79 5.03 6.88 Incl. 251.83 254.27 2.44 12.56 MON-18-65 105.49 108.54 3.05 3.37 109.76 114.63 4.87 2.50 117.68 120.67 2.99 3.55 123.17 123.78 0.61 13.01 126.83 129.88 3.05 1.35 MON-18-67 93.60 99.70 6.10 8.93 110.52 112.50 1.98 3.31 117.99 122.10 4.11 2.88 Incl. 117.99 118.90 0.61 6.94 * True width is believed to be 70 % of intersection length. Paul Metcalfe, P. Geo., a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for the technical aspects of this release. Actlabs in Kamloops and Loring Labs in Calgary provided the analysis on the core. About Mountain Boy Resources Ltd. In addition to its interest in Red Cliff, Mountain Boy is exploring 200 square kilometres in the American Creek and Bear Pass areas north of Stewart. Drill permitting is underway as part of an aggressive exploration program planned for this year. Mountain Boy is exploring a large and highly prospective property portfolio in the Stewart camp, at the southern end of the Golden Triangle in British Columbia. Mountain Boy projects are located on or near roads and within 45 kilometres of the deepwater port of Stewart. Mountain Boy has a highly experienced geological team with extensive knowledge in the Golden Triangle and the Company is dedicated to maximizing exploration success by deploying a systematic and comprehensive exploration approach. On behalf of the Board of Directors: Lawrence Roulston President & CEO (604) 914-2142 For further information, contact: Nancy Curry VP Corporate Development (604) 220-2971 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. A blog about life under, and resisting, a dictatorship Tamil Nadu: Kasimedu: Fishers irked as dumping of trash continues March 05,2019 | Source: The New Indian Express At Kasimedu old fishing harbour, towering piles of rotting garbage dumped near the fish market have been a common sight for locals. Fishermen frustrated with the constant menace, struggle to find a permanent solution to stop the dumping. The harbour, which is spread over 24 hectares, is caught in between administrative struggle as the State fisheries department has been trying to take control of the harbour from the Union government for years now. Though NGOs and government officials from various departments conduct clean-up drives along the harbour, day-to-day civic activities are not being monitored. This garbage remains uncleared, ignored by authorities and is left to rot for close to 20 days, complained fish vendors. People regularly smoke near this spot and if one cigarette butt falls near the garbage piles, the new boats being made nearby are in the danger of catching fire. In the evenings, we find it impossible to continue our work because of the stench and swarm of mosquitoes, said Maya, a fisherman. Locals allege that ward-level corporation conservancy workers collect garbage from nearby households at Singaravel Nagar, Thideer Nagar and Indira Nagar and dump it at this spot which falls under the purview of Chennai Port Trust. A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said he saw a corporation conservancy worker dump garbage collected in a tricycle three days ago around 9 am at the old harbour. They dump garbage even twice a day sometimes and after 15-20 days the same workers come to the spot and clear it. None of us know why they do this when a corporation truck comes to Jeevarathinam Salai every morning to collect waste, the resident said. But corporation officials from Tondiarpet zone denied the allegations of locals and said no such activity takes place. We do door-to-door collection of garbage strictly and send only segregated waste to the landfill. It is the Chennai Ports responsibility to keep this area clean as it comes under their jurisdiction. If they want the corporation to clear the garbage, they will have to pay us, said an official. Though several attempts were made to contact Chennai port trust officials, they could not be reached for comment. Pakistan: Oysters under threat of extinction due to overfishing March 05,2019 | Source: The Express Tribune Even though they are not much of a delicacy in Pakistan, local shellfish appear to have run out of luck. A burgeoning demand for clams and oysters worldwide seems to have caught up with Pakistans shores, threatening local mollusc species with overfishing. Seas have a complex, yet well-coordinated ecosystem, based on various different species dependent on each other for their survival, food and reproduction. The unusual or excessive hunting of any organism can disrupt the ecosystem and lead to inadequate supply or depletion of species, such as the mass number of jelly fish seen on the shores of Karachis beaches that marine life experts believe to be a consequence of such disruption. High demand Ruthless fishing in the local seas has caused many oyster species to go extinct, while many other species of fish are also endangered due to oysters lost to fishing. Closely-knitted, nylon fishing nets, locally known as Bhulo Gujjo, that are used for fishing not only entrap various forms of larvae but also catch a massive number of oysters. According to fisherman, oysters found from hard, bone-shaped shells have a strong demand in foreign countries, for which they do not only use large fishing nets but also smaller ones and handmade rods. Bhulo Gujjo is commonly used in Thatta, Badin, Lath Basti and Kharo Jan for oyster hunting, according to sources. Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum Chairperson Muhammad Ali Shah says that the uncontrolled hunting of any organism has adverse effects on the ecosystem. Oysters not only play a critical role in combating marine pollution, but also feed on insects while their faeces are consumed by a large number of fish. According to Shah, oysters found in shells are not consumed in Pakistan but are in high demand abroad. They are eaten both in raw and cooked form. In addition, salty water inside oyster shells is ingested in the same way as water from inside a coconut. The specialists Fishermen of the Ibrahim Hyderi jetty specialise in hunting oysters. According to Ruksana Asghar Chaudhry, an official from the fisheries department, provincial authorities have taken measures against the use of lethal fishing nets to protect oysters and other marine species. As a special restriction, the government has banned hunting of oysters and small-sized fish and larvae. However, any crackdown on fishermen results in protests and subsequent filing of cases against the fisheries department, she said, adding that the fisheries authorities, along with teams from Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, in their crackdown seized a large number of lethal fishing nets, but hunting of oysters continued on a small scale. Razor clams According to World Wildlife Fund Technical Director Moazzam Ali Khan, cigarette-shaped oyster specie called razor clam, locally known as Marori, is found in large numbers on the coasts of Sindh and Balochistan. Migratory birds from various cold regions including Siberia usually make way to various lakes and water streams in Sindh and Somiyani, Balochistan. Due to the excessive hunting of razor clams, however, the number of migratory birds has drastically decreased in the last couple of years as they mainly fed on razor clams or oysters. According to experts, the razor clam is found in a large number on the Sindh and Balochistan coastal belt. Fishermen throw salt on the deltas, because of which the oysters are forced to come to the surface. Once out, their hunting becomes easy. Families living on the coastal areas have made picking oysters a practice for decades, basing their livelihood on it. Both frozen and live oysters are exported on a large-scale to East Asian countries like Korea, China, Thailand and Vietnam. These species form an important part of the marine ecosystem, which is why its hunting is discouraged. Oysters weighing tons are sorted and cleaned in various factories in Ibrahim Hyderi, along with shrimps and prawns. According to workers of the factories, the shells of oysters are used for ornamental purposes or sold as chicken feed. Bangladesh: Govt imposes 60-day fishing ban in Chandpur, Bhola March 05,2019 | Source: Dhaka Tribune The government has imposed a 60-day ban on netting of all sorts of fish in Padma, Meghna and their tributary rivers adjacent to different areas of Chandpur, Bhola and Lakshmipur. The ban is effective from March 1 to April 30. The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock imposed the ban in a bid to protect ilish fry- also known as jatka. Different sections of Padma, Meghna and Tetulia rivers adjacent to Chandpur, Bhola and other districts are included under the fishing ban. The ban is effective on a 100km ilish sanctuary in Meghna River stretching from Shatnol of Chandpur to Char Alexander of Lakshmipur. According to Chandpur district administration sources, various initiatives have been taken by the district and police administrations to prevent the netting of ilish fry just like every other year. Combined teams of police, river police, coast guard and local representatives led by the Chandpur deputy commissioner (DC) will conduct drives in river to enforce the ban properly. Chandpur District Fisheries Officer Md Asadul Baki said: As part of jatka protection program, we have already launched various campaigns. Several meetings have been held with local fishermen, fish traders, leaders, and local representatives on this regard. All preparations have been taken to prevent anglers from fishing during this two-month ban. We will set up makeshift sentinel camps in 15 different places in Meghna River to take quick legal action against anyone who defy the ban, he said. The fisheries officer also said a total of 51,190 fishermen earn their livelihood by fishing in the river. Like previous years, the government will assist them with 40kg rice, free of cost, within a period of four months. Moreover, the ban is also effective on a 190km sanctuary of ilish stretching from Meghna to its tributary Tetulia rivers adjacent to Bhola district. Bhola District Fisheries Officer SM Azharul Islam said: All preparations to enforce the ban have been completed. Police teams, along with coast guard and magistrate, will patrol the river for 24 hours. The distribution of rice among fishermen under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) project has also begun. However not all fishermen will be able to get the allocated rice, he said. There are 132,000 registered fishermen in Bhola district but only 52,000 of them will get the VGF rice, he added. Sri Lanka: Agro and fisheries sector analyse 2018 budget and its promises March 05,2019 | Source: News First LK The annual budget is the document that depicts the annual economic plan of a country and the allocation of financial resources for the future projects and activities of a government. Yet, the reality behind financial policies in many of the previous budgets are worth any concerned citizens attention. In the budget presented for the year 2018 by the government, agriculture was given top priority. The budget proposals included: - Removal of silt from the bottom of small and medium-sized tanks. - Construction of three storage facilities to collect farming produce in the Polonnaruwa, Kilinochchi and Ratnapura districts. - Maintaining storage facilities based on a token system. - Introducing an insurance scheme for paddy, potato, corn and big onions based on weather indices. Commenting on past budget proposals, Chief Organizer, All Ceylon Farmers Federation Namal Karunatne noted that Rs. 3000mn was to be allocated for insuring six types of crops. Compensation of Rs.40,000 per farmer was also planned. However, only a handful of farmers received compensation. The following promises were made to the fishermen as well. - The government would absorb 50% of the refrigeration cost to store fish from multi-day fishing vessels. - The government would absorb 50% of the cost of multi-day fishing trawlers that are longer than 55 feet. - efurbishment of ferries and ports. - Establishing a manufacturing zone to process and store sea cucumbers in the Kilinochchi district. - Completion of infrastructure facilities of the model marine-life industry park. Chairman of All Ceylon Fisheries Union, Ratna Gamage noted the government made many false promises last year to the fisheries industry. He added that Chilaw and Gandara fisheries harbours were to be developed, yet they all proved to be false promises. He added that although some were ignored the government lived up to their promises and developed Devundara harbour. Senior Professor Milton Rajaratne of the Management Faculty of Peradeniya University commented that the lack of support for the farmer resulted in low performing growth rates of the country. professor I.R Prasanna of the Economics department of the Ruhuna University also shared similar sentiments. Nagaland: Formalin in fish: Phom points finger at suppliers March 05,2019 | Source: Eastern Mirror Despite the Nagaland government banning sale of formalin-laced fish last year, reports about district authorities catching hold of the banned fish in the market have emerged recently. Alarmed over the development, minister of Health and Family Welfare, S Pangnyu Phom on Monday conducted an emergency meeting with the district administration, department concerned, and stakeholders at the deputy commissioners office in Dimapur. According to Phom, in all the recent incidents at Kohima, Mokokchung, Zunheboto and Wokha markets, the fish caught were found to have been injected with formalin and without certification. He said that those fish consignment were beyond what was agreed between the state government and Andhra Pradesh. However, the secretary of Andhra Pradesh Fish Traders, M Veera Satya who attended the meeting, denied that the fish were from Andhra Pradesh. He claimed that there were five companies supplying fish to Nagaland, and none of them inject banned substance. Traces of formalin found in the recent consignment can very well be the naturally occurring form of formalin and not added formalin, he said. Satya suggested that Nagaland could send a delegation to inspect the process in Andhra Pradesh while asserting that they use the standard Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) detection kit. While all the consignments originating from Andhra Pradesh meant for Nagaland are sealed, certified, and have no stoppage in between, there are also fish (consignments) entering from Assam and those are often the ones that are unsold in Assam and may contain formalin. Most of these enter through Mariani, said Satya. The Food Safety Cell, however, argued that the process employed by the department is meant to detect only adulterated chemical, not naturally occurring formalin. They also maintained that the CIFT kit only shows positive result if the content of formalin is equal or more than 4 ppm. Food Safety Officer, Samuel Zehol said the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011 clearly states that the content of formalin must be zero. If there were a permissible limit according to the Act, wed have followed that. Zehol agreed that fish in small unhygienic containers from Assam do find their way to Nagaland through buses and others nonconventional modes. A representative of Dimapur police said that though police cannot test the fish, it will work with the administration to regulate those entering from Assam. After listening to the inputs, Phom assured to have a discussion with the government of Andhra Pradesh and formulate plans to end the problem. He said that except for consignments certified by the Andhra Pradesh government, no other consignments will be allowed. He suggested that there should be only one entry point to Nagaland. Another death row inmate in Nevada wants to be executed. Nearly two months after condemned prisoner Scott Dozier killed himself in Ely State Prison, court papers filed Monday revealed that convicted Las Vegas murderer Kevin Lisle has indicated that he intends to stop fighting his case. Given Lisles clear intention to waive his appeals with the understanding that he would be put to death, there is every reason to believe Lisles execution could and would take place prior to January 30, 2020, Chief Deputy Attorney General Randall Gilmer wrote. In the court brief, the prosecutor included a copy of a handwritten motion from Lisle that stated he hereby WAVES (sic) HIS RIGHT TO APPEAL of his own will with the complete and competent understanding that ELY STATE PRISON EXECUTIONERS will put him to death by leathal (sic) means. The motion was signed by Lisle on Feb. 13. Dozier first waived his appeals in October 2016, and his death wish lingered in the court system before he died by hanging in January. Lisle, now 48, was convicted in the 1994 killings of 19-year-old Kip Logan and 19-year-old Justin Lusch, who was the son of then-North Las Vegas Police Chief Ron Lusch. Prosecutors at the time said that Justin Lusch was shot and killed, execution style, in a deserted area in the northwest valley. The second killing occurred when John Melcher, who was driving on a Las Vegas freeway, pulled alongside a Mustang driven by Logan, a former Bishop Gorman High School student. A jury found that Lisle, the front passenger in Melchers van, shot and killed Logan. Melcher and another passenger testified against Lisle at his trial. Jurors found Lisle guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in both cases and sentenced him to death. Lisles death wish came to light in the prison systems appeal of District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalezs decision to bar the Department of Corrections from using drug company Alvogens sedative in lethal injection, essentially halting Doziers planned execution. The Nevada Supreme Court had asked lawyers to explain why the case was still relevant after Dozier died. Alvogens lawsuit had accused the prison system of surreptitiously obtaining the drug for use in the execution. Lawyers for the Nevada attorney generals office, representing the Department of Corrections, questioned whether the makers of a sedative planned for use in the lethal injection could stop the death penalty. Two days after Lisles motion was filed, Nevada lawmakers introduced legislation to abolish the death penalty. Attorney General Aaron Ford, who took office in January, has expressed opposition to capital punishment, though he has vowed to uphold state laws. The state has a legal duty to enforce capital punishment, Gilmer wrote. He added: So as long as Nevada law provides for capital punishment, there is a likelihood that similar issues as presented in this case will arise in the future. Alvogens lawyers, with the firm Pisanelli Bice PLLC, also cited Lisles execution request in a separate filing on Monday, writing that Gonzalezs decision was broader than Doziers execution, adding that the prison system continues to wrongfully possess Alvogens midazolam. The judges decision to block the state from using midalozam, a sedative, in lethal injection, continues as a live controversy, particularly in light of Lisles recent announcement, the filing said. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! Clemency sought for young maid who claims she killed abusive employer in self-defense A Catholic bishop has called on the Saudi Arabian government "to be merciful" and grant clemency to a young Filipino woman on death row Last week, the Saudi Court of Appeals upheld a death sentence handed down in 2017 against the unnamed Filipino woman convicted of killing her female employer. "We turn to God in prayers that He may move the [Saudi] government to be merciful," said Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga, head of the Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People. The prelate also appealed to the Philippine government to exhaust all means to save the woman and conduct a "thorough investigation" into how the woman arrived in Saudi Arabia. "Placement agencies should be made accountable for whatever happens to [Filipino workers] sent to other countries," said Bishop Santos. The Philippines' foreign ministry said it will continue to assist the woman, who claims she killed her "abusive" employer in self-defense. Many cases of workers being abused by their employers have emerged from the Gulf kingdom. Edgar Badajos, consul-general at the Philippine consulate in Jeddah, said the Philippine government has been assisting the woman since the start of her trial. He said the government has been working to file charges against the recruiters of the woman, who was reported to be still only a minor when she was sent to Saudi Arabia in 2016. In January, a 39-year-old Filipino maid was executed in Saudi Arabia after being found guilty of murder in 2015. An estimated 2.3 million Filipinos work abroad, about half a million of whom work in Saudi Arabia, making it the top destination for Filipino migrant workers | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! TORONTO, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inspiration Mining Corporation (Inspiration or the Corporation) is pleased to announce that it has rescheduled its annual and special shareholders meeting for April 17, 2019 (the Meeting). At the Meeting the shareholders of Inspiration will consider, among other things, the appointment of directors, a special resolution changing the name of the Corporation from its current form to Silk Energy Limited, consolidation of the Corporations issued and outstanding common shares on a three (3) for one (1) basis and approval for the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding securities in the capital of Silk Energy AS (Silk). Further to its press release dated October 25, 2018, Inspiration and Silk entered into a share purchase agreement dated October 24, 2018 (the Agreement) with the shareholders (collectively, the Vendors) of Silk, an arms length party incorporated pursuant to the laws of Norway. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Inspiration will acquire one hundred percent (100%) of the issued and outstanding securities of Silk (the Acquisition) from the Vendors for an aggregate purchase price of $32,364,500 (the Purchase Price). The Purchase Price will be satisfied through the issuance of an aggregate 161,822,500 post-consolidated common shares (the Consideration Shares) in the capital of Inspiration at a deemed price of $0.20 per Consideration Share. The entering into this Agreement is considered a fundamental change under Policy 8 of the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) and, as such, closing of the Acquisition is subject to all of the requirements of Policy 8 including, but not limited to, CSE and shareholder approval. About Silk Energy AS Silk is a private Norwegian company, established specifically to secure undervalued and distressed oil assets in Kazakhstan. It recently agreed terms to participate in 50% of the Ustyurt license comprising 6,451 sq km in the Caspian Sea region, which includes an obligation to pay US$5 million to KazMunaiGas to bring the license up to date and a US$10 million work program incorporating the drilling of two wells in 2019. Ustyurt is less than 100 kms from the super giant Tengiz and Kashagan fields with a combined 22 billion barrels of recoverable reserves and it's in the fairway of other giant fields. In excess of $80 million has been spent by the previous owners and the state oil company on the acquisition and interpretation of a comprehensive set of 2D seismic. Despite all of the data, only one well has been drilled in the whole contract territory in the last 30 years. It is incredibly under-explored and management has multiple targets to exploit. For further information, please contact Randy Miller, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, at tel: 416-842-9000, www.inspirationmining.com The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions, uncertainties and managements best estimates of future events. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are detailed from time to time in the Corporation's periodic reports filed with the Ontario Securities Commission and other regulatory authorities. The Corporation has no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. I am a retired newspaperman. I live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 44 years, Lou Ann. I grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather. Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com Trump and his crime family have been in bed with the Russian Mafia for decades and everyone knows he's also Putin's bitch. But there are some Russians he'd like to do without and one is chess grandmaster-- and political activist-- Garry Kasparov, a Putin for. He's also a Trump foe. In 2011, following the death of former Czech president Vaclav Havel, Kasparov, was named chairman of the Human Rights Foundation. Appropriately enough, during the 2016 election he described Trump as "a celebrity showman with racist leanings and authoritarian tendencies." Yesterday, thepublished a Kasparov OpEd, asserting that Trump is devising America . "No matter how low your opinion may be of President Trump," be began, "hell always find a way to lower it. On Wednesday, he outdid himself, breaking even the laws of physics by reaching new depths in two places at once. In Washington, Trump was revealed to be even more traitorous, venal and outright criminal than already assumed thanks to the congressional testimony of his long-time attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. Just hours later, in Hanoi, Trump was forced to walk away from his latest love-fest summit with one of the worlds bloodiest dictators, North Koreas Kim Jong Un." Cohen was as convincing as a confessed crook can be. Its impossible to find an honest man to testify against Trump since he tends to surround himself with people as corrupt as he is. So we are forced to rely on their self-interest and the renowned lack of honor among thieves. Unlike Trumps convicted campaign chief Paul Manafort, who continued to lie and conspire against his own interest, Cohen is more worried about American justice than Russian killers. This is another reason I believe Cohen when he says he doesnt know much about Trumps Russia connections beyond the Trump Tower Moscow deal (in which the would-be American Presidents company considered offering Russian dictator Vladimir Putin the buildings $50 million penthouse, free of charge). If Cohen knew more, hed say less. Russia appeared elsewhere in Cohens testimony, if mostly indirectly. He confirmed that Trump heard from Roger Stone that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange would release emails that would damage Hillary Clinton. Assange and WikiLeaks have been lockstep collaborators with Russian intelligence services for years and cannot be considered to act independently from Putins wishes. Additionally, Deutsche Bank lent Trump hundreds of millions of dollars when no other institution would give him a dime. This is the same bank that was fined for laundering billions in Russian cash and was described by expert reporter Luke Harding as facilitating a shuffle of money between its business with Russians and its business with Trump. From Trump Tower to the hacked emails to the fishy loans to the polling data Manafort handed over to a Russian agent, the list of contacts and likely quid pro quos between Trump and Russia is long and growing. I believe the English term is collusion. Cohens credibility was enhanced by his Republican interrogators, who debased themselves, their offices and Congress as an institution with their eagerness to attack one of the few people who can shed light on the threat Trump represents to the country. It is vital to understand what Putin extracted from Trump in exchange for keeping quiet about the Trump Tower arrangement and the Trumps many lies about it. But it was clear from the start that the Republicans werent interested in the truth, only in defending their Dear Leader. They attempted to do this by calling Trumps right-hand man a liar and a crook, as if those characteristics arent exactly why Trump relied on him for so many years. The GOP questioners didnt even try to exculpate Trump, conceding that his actions are indefensible so the only hope is discrediting the messenger. The GOP isnt angry with Cohen for lying to Congress in 2017 when he was doing it to defend Trump. Theyre angry that he stopped. In the U.S., lawmakers take an oath to defend the Constitution, not whoever happens to be sitting in the Oval Office. Unfortunately, this was only the latest confirmation that the GOP is the party of Trump, not of conservatives and certainly not of the people. Just a day earlier, only 13 of 197 Republican members of Congress voted to block Trumps spurious national emergency declaration. Democratic control of the House guaranteed its passage there regardless, but it remains to be seen if the GOP-controlled Senate has any interest in reasserting the legislature as the first branch of government, as the Founders designed. The President has greater discretion in the foreign policy realm, power that Trump has used to weaken American alliances and empower autocrats around the globe. From kowtowing to Putin to downplaying the murder of a Saudi-American journalist, Trump hasnt met an authoritarian he doesnt like. (His administrations laudable pressure on Venezuelas Maduro is the exception that proves the rule. One can only assume that there are millions of barrels of ulterior motive involved.) Trumps wooing of murderous North Korean dictator would be inexcusable even if it achieved results. It hasnt. Instead, Kim has received the global elevation all dictators crave by being treated as an equal by the leader of the most powerful free country in the world and given up nothing he cares about. His country is still a concentration camp of 25 million souls, and he knows the only reason he is receiving first-class treatment is because of the nuclear weapons he will never relinquish. Just as Russia loomed over the Cohen hearing, Putins shadow was also present in Hanoi, with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov appearing right on time to claim that the Americans are seeking our advice on the negotiations. To be fair, if Kim listens to anyone, its likely Putin, who helped turn the North Korean missile program into a global threat in record time. As also seen in Afghanistan, Georgia, Ukraine and Syria, there is little Putin likes better than to create or stoke a conflict and then offer to assist in defusing it. It keeps him on the global stage and makes for good propaganda at home in Russia. Putin has no real interest in de-escalation on the Korean Peninsula. He sells tech and fuel to North Korea against sanctions and gets slave labor and influence in return. Trump and Kim acting out a futile pantomime also strengthens Putins message that the United States has become a laughingstock, a paper tiger. Its increasingly difficult to disagree. This latest American debacle in Vietnam couldnt have ended in a more pathetic fashion without Trump clinging to the last helicopter out. I suppose its true that Trump leaving Hanoi with no deal was better than making a bad one, but this is saying that drinking half a glass of poison is better than drinking a full glass. North Korea quickly disputed Trumps reasons for abandoning the deal, and it is tragic that the words of a Stalinist dictatorship sound more credible than those of the U.S. President. Trump then added insult to injury by saying he took Kim at his word when he denied, preposterously, that he knew about the torture of American prisoner Otto Warmbier, who died soon after returning to the U.S. in 2017. This revolting statement stung me especially hard, coming as it did on Feb. 27, the date my friend Boris Nemtsov was assassinated in Moscow four years ago. The likelihood that an American prisoner was abused without Kims knowledge is the same as the assassinations of Nemtsov or Jamal Khashoggi happening without the approval of Putin or Muhammed Bin Salman, respectively. In none of these cases would anyone risk such a move without the leaders sanction, if not direct instruction. This is the mafioso-style code Cohen spoke of in his testimony regarding Trumps oblique instructions to lie and threaten. Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest? from the top boss is as clear as a signed death warrant. But Trump always believes what dictators tell him because he wants the same autocratic standard to apply to him. If its good, they want all the credit. If its bad, they knew nothing about it. The buck stops nowhere. The message Trump is sending to the rest of the world is clear: The United States is an unreliable ally and an unworthy enemy. Hostile actors are tempted to act while allies are forced to consider their own plans instead of relying on collective defense. Such a trend foretells a return to the uncertainty and regional power struggles that turned the 20th century into a bloodbath. Days that live in infamy are usually the result of attacks from abroad. Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were met by unprecedented unity among Americans and their political representatives. The attacks today are largely internal, and self-inflicted. The greatest political scandal in American history is being met with denial and obstruction from Republicans, whose party once championed the rule of law. If asked what they stand for today, they can say only that they stand for whatever Trump says-- and that theyll sit and roll over for him, too. Trump has been exposed for what he is, a thuggish con-man with no regard for decency or the law. He has declared moral bankruptcy nearly as often as financial bankruptcy. Yet the damage he is doing to the presidency, the standing of the United States, and the global world order is of greater consequence. The free world still requires U.S. leadership and strength against its many enemies. Trumps reputation can never be repaired, but Americas reputation must be. Yeah1 Group lost over $22 million in Mondays trading session following a YouTube incident. Photo by Shutterstock. YEG shares of Vietnams Yeah1 Group lost over $22 million in Mondays trading session following a YouTube incident. The incident arose after YouTube claimed SPRINGme Pte. Ltd, a Thailand-based company, indirectly owned by Yeah1 (16.93 percent), had violated its policies with some of its channel management activities, according to YouTube. While a series of stocks surged in Mondays trading session, YEG was one of the few that lost out the most, down seven percent by the end of the session. This was equivalent to a drop of VND17,100 ($0.74) per share, down to VND227,900 ($9.82), bringing YEGs market capitalization down by VND520 billion ($22.42 million). YEG shares plummeted in response to YouTube announcing it was terminating all Content Hosting Services Agreements (CHSA) after March 31 with all YEGs subsidiaries or investment companies with business activities related to YouTube Adsense, the program that allows publishers on the video channel to serve advertisements by third parties, which in turn generate revenue for the content provider. The termination would apply to several of YEGs multi-channel network (MCN) companies it has control over, such as Thailand-based SPRINGme, US-based ScaleLab, and organic Yeah1 Network Pte Ltd. The Yeah1 Group management has said it is seeking further clarification with YouTube regarding this action, and actively working with the video hosting website to prolong the CHSAs after March 31. In 2018 alone, YEGs YouTube AdSense business contributed about $1 million to its revenue, equivalent to 13 percent of the group's after-tax profit. However, the digital conglomerate has also diversified and pledged to generate revenue through different channels to ensure its overall development. At the end of 2018, Yeah1 reported VND1.66 trillion ($71.58 million) in revenue, up 97 percent over the previous year; and VND180 billion ($7.76 million) in after tax profits, up 119 percent. Founded in 2006, Yeah1 is Vietnam's largest multi-channel media ecosystem, operating TV channels, movie studios, Youtube networks, and digital news. It was also the first media company to go public, listing on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE) last June. YEG shares are currently the second most expensive stock on HOSE, behind SAB shares of Vietnam's largest brewer Sabeco. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The First Nations Housing & Infrastructure Council of British Columbia (HIC) is hosting a two-day forum for BC First Nations housing and infrastructure representatives and federal and provincial governments to gain further input that will help frame the future Housing & Infrastructure Authority. Our Place, Our Future: Designing A First Nations Housing & Infrastructure Authority Forum 2019 is being held March 5 and 6, 2019 in Richmond, BC. Participants will provide detailed input into the core directives, governance, financial relationships, integration of on and off reserve, and other design elements of the future authority. HIC is leading development of a First Nations-controlled housing and infrastructure authority in British Columbia, designed for First Nations, by First Nations. Designing a community-based housing and infrastructure model with the input of BCs First Nations is fundamental to HICs work. HIC is engaging First Nations communities and organisations across BC to ensure their experience, expertise and best practices contribute to the model for service delivery. In addition to the forum, HIC is holding regional engagement sessions in First Nation communities across the province to further refine the design of the new delivery model and additional details to inform an agreement that transfers housing and infrastructure authorities (including programs and services) from the federal government to the new BC authority. HIC is embarking on a new path to Indigenous self-governance after more than a century, writing a new chapter that will see British Columbia First Nations assume control over their own housing design and delivery. This initiative is part of a national movement mandated by Canadas Indigenous leaders. HIC is leading the initiative in British Columbia with a mandate from BC First Nations leadership while the BC First Nations community is shaping development of the future authority along every step of the journey, says Chief Dan George, Chair of HIC. Media Interview Opportunities: HIC Executive Director Garry Merkel will be available by phone to media to provide insight into HICs mandate and an update on HICs work to date. Trinh Van Quyet has become the new chairman and CEO of Bamboo Airways. Photo courtesy of FLC Group Trinh Van Quyet, chairman of private firm FLC Group, is the new chairman and CEO of Bamboo Airways. Quyet will replace Dang Tat Thang, who stepped down for personal reasons, but will remain the deputy CEO of FLC, a source familiar with the matter told VnExpress. The decision shows the strong determination of FLC to push for the stable development of Bamboo Airways with its pre-determined strategy to provide the best services for domestic and international passengers, FLC said in a statement. Last month, Bamboo Airways appointed three new deputy CEOs at the same time to manage flying operations, maintenance, and administration. Bamboo was set up by FLC Group in 2017 with a charter capital of VND700 billion ($30 million), which it recently increased to VND1.3 trillion ($55.68 million). After launching its maiden flight on December 30, the airline has successfully completed over 1,000 flights. The fifth airline in Vietnam now operates 17 domestic routes and plans to launch new routes to Singapore in April and Japan and Korea in May. Bamboo Airways last week signed a deal with Boeing to buy 10 new Boeing 787-9 wide-body jets worth $5.6 billion at list prices. It currently operates 10 Airbus planes and plans to increase its fleet to over 20 aircraft by the end of May, including Boeing planes. The number of billionaires in Vietnam has risen to five in Forbes magazines 2019 list of worlds richest people released Tuesday. The newcomer is Ho Hung Anh, chairman of the Vietnam Technological & Commercial Joint-Stock Bank, or Techcombank. He made to the list with a net worth of $1.7 billion, ranked 1,349th in the world. Hung Anh started out by trading goods between Eastern Europe and Vietnam in the 1990s and invested in Techcombank in 1995. Last year it was the second highest bank in terms of after tax profits of VND8.46 trillion ($363.48 million), behind Vietcombank. Nguyen Dang Quang, chairman and founder of private food producer Masan Group, also made to the billionaire list for the first time this year. Nguyen Dang Quang (L) and Ho Hung Anh enter 2019 Forbes rich list for the first time. Photo (L) courtesy of Forbes Vietnam and (R) acquired by VnExpress. With a net worth of $1.3 billion, he was ranked the 1,717th richest person in the world. Quang founded Masan in 2004. The company now is a major producer of fish sauce and packaged food. It also owns about 20 percent of Techcombank. Three other billionaires who were listed last year remain in this years list: Pham Nhat Vuong, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao and Tran Ba Duong. Pham Nhat Vuong, owner of Vietnam's biggest real estate conglomerate Vingroup, is on the list for the seventh consecutive year, ranked 239th. He remains the richest person in Vietnam with a net worth of $6.6 billion, a $2.3 billion increase compared to last year. Pham Nhat Vuong remains the richest person in Vietnam. Photo acquired by VnExpress CEO of budget carrier Vietjet Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao was listed for the third time with a net worth of $2.3 billion, down from $3.1 billion last year, ranked 1,008th. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao was listed on Forbes billionaire list for the third time. Photo by Reuters/Kham Tran Ba Duong, chairman of Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco), made to the list for the second time at $1.7 billion, down $0.1 billion from last year, ranked 1,349th. Duong founded Thaco in 1997 and the company later started assembling cars for foreign brands such as Kia, Mazda and Peugeot, as well as producing its own buses and trucks. Tran Ba Duong is the chairman of Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco). Photo acquired by VnExpress Tran Dinh Long, chairman of steel maker Hoa Phat Corporation, was not listed this year after making his debut last year. Amazons chief Jeff Bezos remains the richest person in the world this year with a net worth of $131 billion, followed by Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates at $96.5 billion and Berkshire Hathaway chief Warren Buffet at $82.5 billion. More than half of HCMC's first metro line has been completed. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran HCMC metro officials have asked the city for a VND39 billion ($1.67 million) advance payment to pay staff salaries. The HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) has said in its petition that it is facing financial difficulties, despite making its first request for funds in November last year. Project staff have only received a part of their monthly salary since January 31, and this was paid with what was left over from advance payments that the city had made last year. Now, MAUR needs another advance payment to pay the staffs remaining dues, because they are in distress, unable to cover their daily expenses. The company stressed that the staff were making all efforts needed to meet the target of completing the metro line next year. The municipal administration had in January this year allocated more than VND2 trillion ($86.2 million) from its own budget to pay for work that the contractor had last year and so far this year. This will be the fifth time since 2017 that the city is making an advance payment (before getting funds from the central government) to the contractor of its first metro line. In late November last year, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Umeda Kunio had said that unpaid bills for Japanese contractor Sumitomo Corporation had climbed to $100 million. If the city failed to pay that bill by the end of 2018, the contractor might have to stop its work, hed said in a letter sent to the government, ministries and the HCMC Peoples Committee. The Ben Thanh Suoi Tien metro line runs 20 kilometers (12.43 miles) through the districts of 1, 2, 9, Binh Thanh, and Thu Duc of HCMC, and Di An District in the neighboring province of Binh Duong. Work started in August 2012 and the project was expected to be finished in 2017 but financing and staff challenges made the target unachievable. Only 62 percent was completed by the end of last year against a target of 65 percent. The projects demand to sanction an increase in cost from VND17.4 trillion ($747.6 million) to VND47.3 trillion ($2 billion) was approved in January. Industry 4.0 can beget new billion dollar industries in Vietnam A worker holds a metal frame at an assembly plant that produces smartphones in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by Reuters/Kham A think tank says Industry 4.0 can create new billion dollar industries and give Vietnams GDP a double-digit boost. It says that the application of Industry 4.0 technology in production could boost Vietnams GDP by between $28.5 billion and $62.1 billion from now until 2030, a growth of 7-16 percent. The Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) also says in a new report that per capita GDP could rise by $315-640, thanks to increased employment and productivity. Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said at a recent conference that Vietnams GDP per capita had surged by 27.4 times in the last 30 years to almost $2,590 last year. The Fourth Industrial Revolution can create 1.3-3 million new jobs, the CIEM estimates, noting that while some jobs will be lost, many more will be created. Nguyen Dinh Cung, director of CIEM, said Industry 4.0 will create new billion dollar industries, which will drive economic growth, raise productivity and competitiveness, and create new services. The institute predicts revenue generated from Vietnams e-commerce to grow to $40 billion, cloud computing, $2.2 billion, ride hailing technology $2.2 billion, smart agriculture $1.7 billion, and fin-tech $1.5 billion by 2030. However, Vietnam currently lacks the support mechanisms to develop these platforms, Cung said. "Overall, Vietnams market and economic systems are generally not geared towards innovation. Business laws are slow to change in response to changes in technology and market trends," he added. The director of CIEM said he believed that Vietnam needs to have high-quality and large-scale innovation centers to nurture and develop startups. More importantly, the government should give such establishments the freedom to innovate and not hold them back with obsolete regulations or administrative procedures. "These centres should be run by great CEOs with competitive salaries," Cung said. The institute also proposed policies to further institutional reform, digitize government functions, upgrade management tools and generate new management thought. "This is a prerequisite for implementing the Industrial 4.0 revolution in Vietnam," Cung said. On Saigon's Guitar Street, a luthier refuses to string along A luthier instrumental in Vietnams growing reputation for making acoustic guitars firmly rejects the over-commercialization of his trade. Ton That Anh is one of the longest-serving luthiers on Nguyen Thien Thuat Street in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen Ton That Anh is one of the longest-serving luthiers on Nguyen Thien Thuat Street in Ho Chi Minh City, known by generations of musicians and guitar buffs in southern Vietnam as the "Guitar Street." Anh, who co-owns Duy Ngoc Guitars with his siblings, has witnessed several changes over the years, and rues the shallow understanding of the instrument that has resulted from what he calls over-commercialization. "Many guitars are made with low-quality wood in a rushed and automated process," he said. Anh, who set out on the guitar-making trade in 1988, said he was perturbed by how the instrument has been made a mass product, devoid of the artisans sentiments. They are not musically okay, he added. Guitars made of plywood, for instance, cannot sustain the pulling strength of six strings, leading to them being pressed too close to the fret board. No decent musical sound can come out of a guitar like that, he explained. Duy Ngoc Guitar uses imported wood from Europe and North America for their creations. Pine wood is commonly used for the front part of a guitars body. Hawaiian koa wood is also used to make some custom-made guitars. It typically takes two months to craft a handmade guitar at Duy Ngoc. Photo courtesy of Ton That Anh When instruments are manufactured in uniformity and in bulk, they are promoted and sold for mass consumption, too, and many music shops in Vietnam are focused on maximizing sales. "There have been advertisements quoting music instrument entrepreneurs as saying a guitar for a million dong ($43) is appropriate for rookies, but that is not true," Anh said. "They sell all kinds of instruments in many showrooms and know little about each one of them," he added. Anh only sells guitars in his store. While over-commercialization is a major issue, Anh also feels that the downward trend in quality can be related to a lack of recognition of guitar artisans, given that there is no copyright for guitar creations in Vietnam. It typically takes two months to craft a handmade guitar at Duy Ngoc. Prices range from $200 to around $1,000, which might not be a bit stiff for a common Vietnamese buyer, but a bargain for most foreigners. A handmade guitar can cost thousands of dollars in the western countries, but while the price is significant lower in Vietnam, the quality is very good, Anh said. A premium, custom order can take four months of work, making the guitar stand out high-end wood and intricate carvings. "Judging a guitars quality and sound comes down to your feelings about it," Anh said. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen Anh said he feels it is not practical or right to have a fixed categorization of guitar for each skill level, because it is fundamentally an individual experience. "Judging a guitars quality and sound comes down to your feelings about it. You can close your eyes and let your ears and other senses do the job," he said. Then, the ears pick up the timbre, reverberation, vibration, frequency, and so on. "Handmade guitars cannot be simply described as done by hand, it also requires those hands to manage machinery expertly," Anh said. He said technical factors have to be combined with the heart of the artist to make sure that a guitar is a work of art. "There are stages where an artists sentiment is needed for the job to be done," Anh said. Know the buyer Duy Ngoc Guitar's showrooms are frequented by Vietnamese customers from Saigon and other places, as well as foreigners from many parts of the world. An influx of buyers is good for business, but "Im a picky seller. I can tell if a buyer knows about guitars based on the questions they ask, the way they touch one," Anh said. Duy Ngoc Guitar's showrooms are frequented by Vietnamese customers from Saigon and other places, as well as foreigners from many parts of the world. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen He joked that he can judge a customers guitar savvy even before one entered his shop. Anh calls himself a "heathen" in Vietnamese, not in a religious or self-humiliating sense, but someone who sets himself apart from other guitar entrepreneurs. "I see that many entrepreneurs make what the public like so they will buy from them. But I do the opposite. I make and play the guitars I like, and hope that others like them too." He is also not worried about similar guitar showrooms springing up on Guitar Street, which already has more than 10 shops on a 500-meter stretch. He sees it as "positive competition." "There must be competition for growth to take place. But the most important competition is with oneself," Anh said. The father of two built a guitar career out of his love for music. He fretted a bit about not having enough time to practice with his guitar because of work and family duties, but he does manage time to compose songs. Music and guitar-making are two inseparable themes in Anhs life, with one influencing and enhancing the other. Anh built a guitar career out of his love for music. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen Babies for sale: poverty in Vietnam, desperation in China An insidious cocktail of abject poverty in Vietnam and desperation for progeny in China turns babies into commodities. Over the past three years, Ky Son District in the central province of Nghe An, one of the most underprivileged mountainous districts in Vietnam, has seen a boom in the business of selling newborns, mainly in Huu Kiem Commune. An initial estimate by local authorities is that 22 pregnant women, mainly belonging to the Kho Mu ethnic minority residents of the commune, have gone to China in order to sell their newborn babies to strangers for VND40 million to VND80 million ($1,720 to $3,450). Unforgettable memories Sitting in a three-story stilt house, Moong Thi Tho, 26, recalled a journey she went on more than a year ago, returning home with VND40 million, the largest sum of money shed ever had in her life. In 2017, Tho was pregnant with her third child. When she came to a local clinic for a prenatal check-up, she knew that she was carrying a baby boy. Moong Thi Tho, a woman in Nghe An Province who has sold her baby to China. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Hai "A few days later, I received a call from an unknown woman, offering me to go to China and give birth for VND40 million if the child was truly a boy." With her family burdened by mounting debt, Tho didnt ask for permission from her husband and decided to go across the border into China, one of the world's most well-trodden bride trafficking circuits, now being deployed for newborns. In September 2017, around eight months pregnant, Tho took a bus from Nghe An to Mong Cai in the northern province of Quang Ninh, home to the world famous Ha Long Bay, before crossing the border into China. There, a stranger picked up her and took her to a remote house where Tho was given food and drink until the due date, but she was not allowed to go out. A month later, she gave birth to a son. Minutes later, an unknown Chinese man came to take the baby away and left her Chinese yuan equivalent to VND40 million. Tho was not allowed to stay too long to rest after birth. Four days later, she was asked to catch a bus to return home, wrapping up a baby sale that lasted 40 days. After reaching home, she confessed what shed done to her husband. He sympathized with her. "I was deeply repentant and I promised never to do this again," Tho said. Yet Tho is not the only woman who has risked her life to go to China and sell her newborn. Abject poverty also spurred Mac Thi Hoa, Thos neighbor, to look for ways to help her family. Mac Thi Hoa sits outside her house in Nghe An Province, mourning the baby she had sold. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Hai More than a year ago, pregnant with her fifth child, the 38-year-old woman was tipped off by a stranger that she could cross the border and sell her baby for up to VND80 million. With the agreement of her drunk husband, Hoa started the journey to the border. Like other Vietnamese women, she was brought to an isolated house in total darkness and cared for until the due date. "I only heard a few cries of my baby girl and didnt see her face clearly. I didnt even know whether she looked like me," Hoa said. After giving birth, she was paid VND80 million, the largest sum of money shed ever seen in her life, which she used to pay off debts and cover daily expenses. "I didnt know whether my action was illegal or not. If it is banned, I will not do it again," she said. Tears, separation and death But not all of the Vietnamese women have been successful in this business. Some have paid with their lives and others have been tricked and trapped, not able to return because they have no money. Residents of Chieu Luu Commune, around 20 kilometers from Huu Kiem, are still in shock after the sudden death of Moong Thi Lam, who died in a bus crash in Chinas Hebei Province last September. After receiving the news that his pregnant wife had died in an accident, Lam's husband Luong Van Hong managed to borrow more than VND50 million from neighbors and went with a relative to China to bring the ashes of his wife home. "I didnt know that my wife had gone to China to sell our baby. If I had known, I would have prevented her," a red-eyed Hong said. Luong Van Hong's family lives in a stilt house in Chieu Luu Commune. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Hai Standing behind the houses door, Luong Thi Dau, 13, the eldest of his four children, seemed to be the only to feel the pain of losing her mother. One day before leaving for China, her mother instructed her to take care of her siblings and help her father with household chores, promising to bring money and new clothes home. "Earlier, when my mother was still alive, we sometimes had a meal with pork; now we only have rice with eggplant," Dau said. Luong Thi Dau (2rd, L) has lunch with her siblings. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Hai In the fateful bus accident in Hebei, another pregnant Vietnamese woman, Moong Thi Mui of Huu Kiem Commune, was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment. She gave birth to a child at the hospital, but failed to cover the medical expense of 2,000 yuan ($295), so she could not return to Vietnam. Last month, Nghe An Police and Blue Dragon, a Hanoi-based non-profit organization working with street children and trafficking victims, organized a rescue operation to bring the woman and her three-month-old baby home. "Many of the victims are forced into becoming pregnant and giving up their babies; they are deceived by traffickers and taken to China believing they are on the way to a job," said Australian Michael Brosowski, founder of Blue Dragon, told VnExpress International. "These women had no choice at all. Some were in desperate situations and felt they had no option; they were in debt and had huge bills to pay, and thought that selling a baby was the only way out," he said. Many young women did change their mind and give up the idea of selling their babies before giving birth, realizing they were making a terrible mistake. However, the traffickers would not let them escape, forcing the women to call for help, he added. Over the past several years, Blue Dragon has worked to help survivors of this crime to return home, and assist them with reporting their ordeal to the police. No sign of stopping The central province of Nghe An, around 300km (190 miles) south of Hanoi, has been put on high alert for human trafficking in recent years. So far, the province has uncovered nearly 30 cases of babies trafficked, in which the mothers, mostly uneducated ethnic women, have fallen into the trap of different brokers who promise handsome payments for giving birth in China. A baby boy would sell for VND40 million to VND50 million, while a little girl fetches VND70 million to VND80 million. A mountainous road leading to Huu Lap Commune in Ky Son District where many pregnant women risk their lives to escape over China to sell their newborn babies. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Hai China, the worlds most populous country, suffers from one of the worst gender imbalance rates in the world due to the one-child policy and illegal abortion of female fetuses. This has been a major factor behind the trafficking of Vietnamese women and girls across the border, and now, newborns. Vi Thi Quyen, vice chairwoman of Ky Son District, said most local residents mainly live on farming and earn very little. When they are deep in debt and unable to meet daily expenses, they consider extreme options for survival. It has been stated often that besides financial difficulties, negligence, poor education and weak law enforcement, gender imbalance in destination countries is a major factor driving human trafficking. This has led to an increase in kidnappings, tricking and trafficking of Vietnamese women and baby girls, and now, even newborn babies, said Nguyen Huu Cau, chief of Nghe An Police. Furthermore, many families have failed to abide by family planning policies, and many people have five to six children instead of two, plunging them deeper into financial crisis, Cau said. Broken spirit Luong Thi Mui, a woman in Nghe An Province who sold her baby to China. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Hai 48-year-old Luong Thi Mui of Huu Lap Commune sits in despair on the stairs of her house. She bursts into tears whenever someone mentions her trip to China, and keeps calling out the name of the woman who tricked her. Early in 2017, when she was pregnant with her sixth child, Mui was tricked by a neighbor to go to China and sell the newborn for VND30 million. She took a bus to get to the border and a group of traffickers took her to a house in a village to rest before the due date. After giving birth, she nurtured the child for 21 days before the traffickers came to pick the baby up. But they did not pay her. Several days later, they told her the baby had died and threatened to kill her if she didnt return to Vietnam, Mui said, adding that her newborn baby was completely healthy and normal. After returning home, the female broker gave Mui VND19 million and told her not to ask for anything more. Mui and her husband have gone to the neighbors house several times to ask for the remaining money. They also complained to local authorities. Crying, she said: "I dont want to be pregnant anymore and will never cross into the border to sell my child. I miss my child." The JS Setoyuki and JS Shimayuki vessels dock in Tien Sa Port, Da Nang, February 6, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong Japanese training vessels JS Setoyuki and JS Shimayuki docked Wednesday at Da Nang City's Tien Sa Port. The vessels are on a four-day visit between March 6-9 to Vietnam. Led by Colonel Nakagama Yoshiyuki, the two ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force have brought 380 officers and sailors. During their stay in Da Nang, the Japanese delegation will visit a Vietnamese Naval vessel, play volleyball and perform music with their Vietnamese counterparts, meet with Vietnams Naval Region 3 Command, which is in charge of ensuring peace and stability in waters off Vietnam's north-central coast. They will also meet with Da Nang authorities, and take a city tour. JS Setoyuki (TV-3518) and JS Shimayuki (TV-3513), 130 meters long and 13.6 meters wide, were built originally as destroyers under the Hatsuyuki class, but were turned into training vessels in 2012 and 1999 respectively. Last September, the Japan maritime defense force sent the Kuroshio submarine to Vietnams Cam Ranh Port, a deepwater base on the central coast, for a four-day visit, marking the first time the sub had docked in Vietnamese waters. Its risk of becoming a "golden dragon that is surrounded by coal ash" is real. Nguyen Dang Anh Thi In late 2013, when driving along the central coast, I stopped by a streetside coffee shop for a break. From where I stopped, I could see steel walls along with chimneys painted in red and white rising up into the sky. It was the Vinh Tan 2 thermal power plant, part of the Vinh Tan power complex that was under construction in Binh Thuan Province in south central Vietnam. Chatting with me, the vendor seemed to be happy a new plant was going up in her hometown and would bring workers, meaning more customers. She also had high hopes that the plant would create jobs for locals "as they [the authorities] have promised." After a while, in April 2015, the media reported unprecedented "gatherings" in Binh Thuan by local people to protest against the severe pollution caused by Vinh Tan 2. They were unhappy with the chimneys that destroyed their skyline and the dust and other toxic substances it discharged from its coal ash dumps polluting the groundwater and the sea and marine resources, their major source of livelihood. In less than five years since the first generator of Vinh Tan 2 operated, data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade shows, Vinh Tan had generated 4.5 million cubic meters of coal ash. If the coal ash is put in 40-foot containers with a capacity of 30 tons each 127,000 of them would be needed for all the plant's ash. A freight train to transport them all would stretch 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles). But Vinh Tan is not the only thermal power plant in Vietnam -- there are more than 10 others across the country -- and they are creating mountains of coal ash. There is a fact that should be noticed around the "gatherings" in Binh Thuan: 2015 was the year when Vietnam turned from being an energy exporter into an importer, with the largest of the imports being coal for thermal power plants. A history of more than 120 years of coal exports was replaced by a new chapter, one that is getting darker and darker. In 2018 Vietnam spent over $2 billion to import coal, and in the last 10 years its coal consumption jumped by 350 percent compared to the global average of 26 percent. But Vietnam's addiction to coal has yet to end, and anything has even gotten worse. For a while now pollutants emitted by coal-fired power plants have been known to damage the air, water sources, soil, destroying ecosystems and causing diseases. Besides, coal plants projects are considered the main culprit in emitting greenhouse gases, the reason for global warming and climate change. Jim Yong Kim, former president of the World Bank, said in 2016: "If Vietnam goes forward with 40GW of coal, if the entire region [Asia] implements the coal-based plans right now, I think we are finished. That would spell disaster for us and our planet." The policy of treating thermal power projects as the pillar of electricity development in Vietnam has been a barrier to attracting investments in clean energy projects. In Binh Thuans Tuy Phong District alone, we could see two opposite scenarios. In its south are wind farms with turbines, warmly welcomed by local people and producing green energy, and in the north is the Vinh Tan Power Center, the headquarter of five thermal power plants under the Vinh Tan umbrella that requires special security protection. Part of Vinh Tan thermal power complex in Binh Thuan Province in south central Vietnam. Photo by Vietnam News Agency These two stories are enough to spell out an urgent need: The government needs to issue a new power development plan centered around clean energy and create a roadmap to either give up or limit thermal power as much as it can. And the most important question should be: How to ensure national energy security but at the same time create prosperity in which the quality of life of each and every resident is improved? Until recently the Ministry of Industry and Trade has been exhorting the public not to take an extreme stand against thermal power because of the importance of the nations energy security. But public sympathy cannot last forever, and people need to see the nation's new energy strategy before it's too late. In a report in 2016 Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit a nonprofit that supports informed debate on energy and climate change issues based in the U.K. -- named China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam as the "four tigers" that have the worlds four biggest coal power project pipelines and account for 74 percent of the global coal power capacity. There is no pride in being named like that. Ousmane Dione, the World Bank's country director for Vietnam, once said that when its economy thrives, it is essential that Vietnam "will not want to turn into a golden dragon that is surrounded by coal ash." *Nguyen Dang Anh Thi is an energy and environment specialist. The opinions expressed are his own. Vietnamese officials check a site where pigs infected with African swine fever were buried in Hai Phong City on March 2, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Khuong Luc HCMC authorities are planning urgent measures to prevent an African swine fever outbreak seen in north and central provinces. So far, the highly contagious disease has been detected in seven provinces and cities - Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Ha Nam, Hai Duong in the northern region and Nghe An in central region. So far, around 4,200 sick pigs have been killed, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Tran Vinh Tuyen, vice chairman of HCMC, told a meeting Monday that the transport of pigs and pork products from the north to the south, especially from provinces affected by the African swine fever, poses a health risk. Many traders in southern provinces have brought pork products from the north, sparking concerns about the spread of African swine flu, for which there is no cure. This strain of swine flu is not transmitted to humans. From February 15-28, slaughterhouses in the city received more than 1,500 pigs from northern provinces like Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen and Vinh Phuc, as also localities where the swine-flu has been detected, like Ha Noi and Nghe An, Tuyen said. He proposed that the transport of pigs and pork products from the northern region and other infected areas to the south be banned. A checkpoint at Hai Van Pass, which forms a boundary between the northern and southern parts of Vietnam, should be established to prevent transport of pigs to the south, Tuyen said. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc Monday called for provincial authorities and relevant agencies to mobilize all sources and step up measures to prevent further outbreaks of the African swine fever. The flu is a viral disease that infects all pig species through bodily fluids such as blood and mucus. It causes hemorrhagic fever with a 100 percent mortality rate. Twenty countries and territories have reported the disease since 2017 and over one million pigs have been culled, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. After outbreaks were confirmed in the country, Taiwan announced a fine of about $6,500 on people bringing pork from Vietnam, and $32,400 for second time offenders, beginning last Wednesday. A Vietnamese woman who refused to pay a $6,500 fine for bringing a pork snack to the Taichung airport in central Taiwan on February 27 was not allowed entry. She returned to Vietnam the same day. Dubai, U.S. and U.K. have also announced to ban pork products from Vietnam following the recent outbreaks. Uganda is on the hunt for 16 Vietnamese suspects it believes to traffic ivory and pangolin scales worth up to $8 million into its soil. By Shutterstock/Svetlana Foote Ugandan authorities Saturday stopped two Vietnamese men from boarding their plane, suspecting them of smuggling ivory and pangolin scales. Officers of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Customs Enforcement Intelligence detained Nguyen Van Thanh and Dinh Van Chung at the Entebbe International Airport as they were about to board a plane, the Daily Monitor reported. They are suspected of belonging to a group of 18 Vietnamese men involved in smuggling ivory pieces and pangolin scales worth $8 million that Uganda has been tracking for weeks. The URA recently shared photos of the suspects, saying all the 18 Vietnamese men are on the run in connection with the wildlife trafficking case. The smuggled goods were concealed in timber logs and could have originated in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and passed through South Sudan before entering Uganda, the URA said. Uganda police discovered the illegal cargo and seized it in early February. URA identified the suspects as Thai Xuan Phuong, Dinh Van Quan alias Tony, Din Van Chung, Vo Quoc Trinh, Thai Xuan Tuan alias UNK, Do Trong Ha alias Hoang Ha, Tran Van Cao alias UNK, Vu Van Huan alias Jimmy, Trinh Trung Dung alias UNK, Le Viet Quyen alias UNK, Ha Chan Chinh, Le Dinh Quan, Nguyen Van Linh, Nguyen Van Thanh, Pham Trong Phuc, Nguyen Van Pha, Nguyen Van Viet, Hoang Van Hau. No explanation was given for several people having the same alias. "These two (Thanh and Chung) were arrested trying to flee the country to escape prosecution. URA Customs is now on the hunt for 16 suspects still at large," the URA said. The ring is said to have been operating in Uganda for the last three years. Global trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after populations of the African pachyderms dropped from millions in the mid-20th century to around 600,000 by the end of the 1980s. Vietnam also outlawed the ivory trade in 1992, but the country remains a top market for ivory products which are prized locally for decorative purposes and for traditional medicine, despite there being no proof of its medicinal qualities. Pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, have also become critically endangered due to demand for their meat considered a delicacy and their scales, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat aliments from cancer to arthritis. Of the 10 countries and territories with the largest number of pangolin trafficking incidents, seven were in Asia China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia according to a 2017 study by wildlife trade monitoring group Traffic and Australias University of Adelaide. TORONTO, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) was honoured to welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the PDAC 2019 Convention in Torontothe worlds leading mineral exploration and mining convention. The Prime Minister addressed delegates in a special conversation with PDAC President Glenn Mullan about the Governments support for Canadas mineral industry, highlighting the recent five-year extension of the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (METC)the first multi-year extension since its inception in 2000. The Prime Minister and PDAC President also discussed the importance of the minerals industry to Canadas prosperity, our leadership in Indigenous partnerships, responsible exploration, and the outlook for the sector. What were trying to do as a country, and what you are certainly doing as an industry, is look to where things are going, said the Prime Minister. The investments in innovation, in research, in science, in partnerships with Indigenous people are all things that are going to stabilize and give you opportunities to be more competitive in coming years. We very much appreciate that the Prime Minister joined us at our iconic PDAC Convention to discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by Canadas minerals sector, and the best ways to move forward in collaboration, adds Mullan. About the PDAC PDAC is the leading voice of the mineral exploration and development community. With over 8,000 members around the world, PDACs mission is to promote a globally-responsible, vibrant and sustainable mineral sector that encourages leading practices in technical, operational, environmental, safety and social performance. PDAC is known worldwide for its annual PDAC Conventionthe premier international event for the industrythat has attracted over 25,000 people from 135 countries in recent years and will next be held March 1-4, 2020 in Toronto. Please visit www.pdac.ca . Russia's Medvedev names conditions for preserving gas transit via Ukraine Moscow seeks to have relations between Naftogaz and Gazprom normalized. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter National Bank buys almost US$478 in two months of 2019 The regulator bought $327 million in February alone, while sold a mere $3 million. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Ukroboronprom reacts to new part of probe into procurement of components at inflated prices The company says the journalists' statement about the cost of goods procured lacks "full understanding of all the nuances of the formation of customs value" and brands it categorically incorrect. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Ukraine reduces gas imports by 20% in Jan-Feb According to the company report, over the said period gas was imported exclusively from Europe. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going. "Thermal energy storage systems serve as a storage medium for a building's refrigeration system and is a cost-effective solution to store and dispatch the large amount of energy required by refrigeration equipment in cold storage facilities," said Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency Tilak Subrahmanian. "We recently launched a program designed to install new technologies, like thermal energy storage, to lower energy use and demand during peak energy usage hours. Our partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank will help them better manage their energy and deliver a cutting-edge solution that will benefit the organization overall and support its critical mission." The new TES system, developed by Viking Cold Solutions, has reduced electrical consumption at the Greater Boston Food Bank's energy-intensive, cold storage facility while improving temperature stability inside their freezer. Cold storage facilities, such as frozen food warehouses and grocery store walk-in freezers, have the highest energy demand per cubic foot of any category. During peak energy use periods, they can account for up to 70 percent of the total electric bill for commercial and industrial organizations. "As the largest hunger relief organization in New England, our goal is to provide healthy meals to those in need across Eastern Massachusetts," said The Greater Boston Food Bank SVP of Supply Chain and Food Acquisition Cheryl Schondek. "We strive for cost saving operational efficiencies, and our partnership with Eversource and the installation of the Viking Cold TES system better enables us to achieve this goal. We appreciate their commitment to our mission to end hunger here." The energy cost savings delivered by the TES system will allow the Food Bank to provide an additional 10,500 meals per year. Since 2015, Eversource has worked with the Greater Boston Food Bank on several lighting upgrades that have saved the nonprofit approximately $42,000 annually. They are currently working together on more energy efficiency projects, which include refrigeration, lighting and HVAC upgrades. For more information on Eversource's energy efficiency programs, please visit eversource.com. About Viking Cold Solutions Viking Cold Solutions is the leading thermal energy storage provider to the energy-intensive frozen/low-temperature cold storage industry. Viking Cold delivers cost-effective and flexible energy management services which preserve food and help reduce environmental impact. Its patented Thermal Energy Storage system with phase change material (PCM), intelligent controls, and 24/7 cloud-based monitoring, allows customers to reduce cold storage energy costs by up to 35 percent, or more, while improving their temperature stability and maximizing refrigeration efficiencies. Viking Cold Solutions' TES systems have been Measured & Verified and incentivized by energy utilities across the U.S. and are currently in use around the world in grocery stores, low-temperature warehouses, and restaurants. For additional information, please visit www.vikingcold.com. About The Greater Boston Food Bank The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. GBFB provides the equivalent of 50 million healthy meals annually, distributed through its network of 526 food pantries, meal programs and shelters across Eastern Massachusetts. GBFB operates four direct service programs at nearly 70 sites throughout the area. A member of Feeding America, the nation's food bank network, GBFB serves more than 140,000 people every month in its goal to create a hunger-free Eastern Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.gbfb.org. About Eversource Eversource (NYSE: ES) transmits and delivers electricity, natural gas and water to 1.7 million customers throughout Massachusetts. This includes approximately 1.4 million electric customers in 140 communities, 300,000 gas customers in 51 communities, and 19,500 water customers in five communities. Recognized as the top U.S. utility for its energy efficiency programs by the sustainability advocacy organization Ceres, Eversource harnesses the commitment of about 8,000 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. For more information, please visit our website (www.eversource.com) and follow us on Twitter (@eversourceMA) and Facebook (facebook.com/EversourceMA). For more information on our water services, visit www.aquarionwater.com. Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH and Eguana Technologies Inc. (TSX.V:EGT) (OTCQB:EGTYF) are pleased to announce that the companies have entered into an exclusive agreement to market, sell, and distribute the Eguana Enduro Home storage system throughout the European Union, Switzerland, and Norway under the Q CELLS brand. Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH ("Q CELLS"), the German subsidiary of Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. ("Hanwha Q CELLS"), one of the largest solar cell and module manufacturers in the world, is recognized as the market leader in Germany's solar module market in 2018, according to EuPD Research. "Q CELLS is the current European market leader for residential rooftop PV installations, a position that has been achieved through superior products and the development of the Q.PARTNER network," stated Eguana CEO Justin Holland. "Home storage systems are included in over 50% of new solar systems currently sold in Germany and standard solar+storage packages support the fastest market penetration potential. This partnership is a natural fit for both companies and we look forward to working closely with the Q CELLS team." The Enduro is a fully integrated AC-coupled solution for the European self-consumption market, which allows homeowners to use their own PV electricity whenever they need it - night or day - which significantly reduces utility bills, while providing emergency back-up power through an integrated power outlet. "Q CELLS searched the market for an AC-coupled solution that could be incorporated into our Q.HOME package. We believe that the Eguana Enduro is the product that best exemplifies our commitment to best-in-class products, quality, and reliability for our consumers and Q. PARTNERS," said Vincent Lim, Head of Business Development and System Solutions at Q CELLS. "Our 2018 residential installations across Europe surpassed 15,000 customers. The addition of the Eguana Enduro to our Q.HOME package will allow us to continue this growth trajectory and maintain our leadership position." The agreement has an initial order quantity of 500 units, which extends the exclusivity period into the second contract year, with an additional minimum of 1,500 units through the second contract year for Q CELLS to maintain and extend exclusivity into the third year. "This partnership with Q CELLS will put our Enduro product immediately in front of more than 1,000 installers across the region, with over 600 in Germany alone. We are looking forward to helping Q CELLS meet and exceed its sales targets," added Martin Duerr, Director Business Development at Eguana. About Hanwha Q CELLS Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. ("Hanwha Q CELLS") and Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corporation (Collectively, "Hanwha Q CELLS") is one of the worlds largest and most recognized photovoltaic manufacturers for its high-performance, high-quality solar cells and modules. It is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea (Global Executive HQ) and Thalheim, Germany (Technology & Innovation HQ) with its diverse international manufacturing facilities in the U.S, Malaysia, China, and South Korea. Hanwha Q CELLS offers the full spectrum of photovoltaic products, applications and solutions, from cells and modules to kits to systems to large-scale solar power plants. Through its growing global business network spanning Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East, Hanwha Q CELLS provides excellent services and long-term partnerships to its customers in the utility, commercial, governmental and residential markets. Hanwha Q CELLS is a flagship company of Hanwha Group, a FORTUNE Global 500 firm and a Top 10 business enterprise in South Korea. For more information, visit: https://www.q-cells.eu/ About Eguana Technologies Inc. Based in Calgary, Alberta Canada, Eguana Technologies (EGT: TSX.V) designs and manufactures high performance residential and commercial energy storage systems. Eguana has two decades of experience delivering grid edge power electronics for fuel cell, photovoltaic and battery applications, and delivers proven, durable, high quality solutions from its high capacity manufacturing facilities in Europe and North America. With thousands of its proprietary energy storage inverters deployed in the European and North American markets, Eguana is the leading supplier of energy storage solutions for solar self-consumption, grid services, and demand charge applications at the grid edge. Forward Looking Information The reader is advised that some of the information herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning assigned by National Instruments 51-102 and other relevant securities legislation. In particular, we include: statements pertaining to the value of our power controls to the energy storage market and statements concerning the use of proceeds and the Company's ability to obtain necessary approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and involves a number of risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or future events or developments, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date hereof. Readers are also directed to the Risk Factors section of the Company's most recent audited Financial Statements which may be found on its website or at sedar.com. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained herein to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Company InquiriesProduct / EES Inquiries Justin Holland CEO, Eguana Technologies Inc. +1.416.728.7635 Justin.Holland@EguanaTech.com Martin Duerr +1.416.318.6675 Director of Business Development Martin.Duerr@EguanaTech.com Washington, DC, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) has appointed Monte J. Stanford as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). As COO, Stanford will oversee daily business operations, to include the Single Family Programs and Multifamily Lending and Neighborhood Investments divisions, the Housing Investment Platform, IT and Business Intelligence. Monte has an extensive background in housing, finance and IT that will allow him to have an immediate impact on the Agencys programs, technology and day-to-day business operations, stated Todd A. Lee, DCHFAs Executive Director and CEO. Upon joining DCHFA Stanford stated, Joining DCHFA as its COO, allows me to combine my career background in multifamily financing, IT in addition to my previous experience from other housing finance agencies into a single position, to advance the Agencys goals of being an innovative resource for affordable housing solutions in Washington, D.C." Stanford has over 20 years of experience working in public finance, during which he spent much of his career working with local and state housing finance agencies. Prior to joining DCHFA, Stanford spent three years as the Chief of Staff at MassHousing in Boston, Massachusetts. During his tenure at MassHousing, he oversaw strategic agency operational issues and was instrumental in the execution of community initiatives. Stanford created MassHousings Service Delivery Department and established IT Governance, Risk Management, improved internal controls and IT customer service. His first position at MassHousing was the Director of Rental Lending in 2010. Stanfords experience in public finance also includes Manager of Multifamily Public Finance at Fannie Mae for six years, Senior Management Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC for four years, nine years as the Managing Director of Financial Engineering at Information Engineering Services, and two years working as an independent affordable housing finance consultant at the firm he founded, the Stanford Advisory Group. At the Stanford Advisory Group, he supported FDIC-structured loan sales and worked with clients including John Hopkins University and Urban Information Associates. Stanfords firm developed a proposal designed to more effectively market GSE debt products to non-profits. This proposal was submitted to and accepted by the Fannie Mae Foundation. Stanford is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB), where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Masters degree in Economics. The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency is in its 40th year. The Agencys mission is to advance the District of Columbias housing priorities; the Agency invests in affordable housing and neighborhood development, which provides pathways for DC residents to transform their lives. We accomplish our mission by delivering the most efficient and effective sources of capital available in the market to finance rental housing and to create homeownership opportunities. Attachment S.J. Cahill is the winner of the 2019 Vermont Writers' Prize for his short story "Family Ground," which explores the moral dilemma of the Vietnam War and its impact on a Vermont community. The Vermont Writers' Prize is awarded annually by Green Mountain Power and Vermont Magazine, and "Family Ground" is published in the March/April issue of Vermont Magazine which is on newsstands now. "Cahill's Family Ground' is a captivating story and very touching," said Phil Jordan, editor of Vermont Magazine. "He writes with clarity that draws out the emotion in this personal story while Vermont remains a central feature, which is a wonderful tradition for winners of this Prize." S.J. Cahill was a Vermont Writers' Prize finalist in 2014. Now, the East Burke resident will receive a $1,500 prize for this short story, which was fueled by his own life experiences. "I'm thrilled to win this award and to win it for this story," Cahill said. "As a military veteran who didn't serve in Vietnam, I was intrigued with the moral dilemma. Most people have forgiven those who refused to go but there are some who never will." "Family Ground" tells the story of a young man returning to Vermont after fleeing to Canada to avoid the Vietnam draft. He is worried whether he will be welcomed home, aware of his father's own military service and the death of a neighbor's son in Vietnam. The story opens with a clear demonstration of Tommy's relationship with his father: "They argued about everything. His father was a Holstein man, Thomas favored Jerseys. They debated tractors and balers, cover crops, dry hay and silage, and had disputes over milkers and beef. They never agreed about the rotation of Winter Rye and Clover or the best forage grasses for pasture land. But their biggest battles were over life styles. Thomas liked playing his horn in a local blues band; his father said milking time came early and he needed to settle into running the family farm. They argued constantly. About everything. Except Vietnam. Papa John had waded ashore on Normandy and come back from Germany with a Silver Star and a Purple Heart and wasn't going to talk about war. Ever. Thomas came of age for the draft lottery of '69 and when his induction notice came in the mail, he decided not to discuss it. He wasn't going to argue." The Prize was created to honor the literary legacy of the late Ralph Nading Hill Jr., a Vermont historian and writer and long-time member of Green Mountain Power's Board of Directors. It is considered by Vermont writers to be one of the state's premier literary prizes. In addition to the winning story, three of the finalists, "The Hot Spot," a short story by Peter Cammann of Shelburne, "Lunar," a poem by Lisa Buckton of South Burlington, and the poem "Poulin's Cows," by Carol Henrikson of Washington, will also be featured in this issue of Vermont Magazine. The selections were made by an independent panel of judges: Phil Jordan, editor of Vermont Magazine; Tony Marro, retired executive editor of Newsday; Alison Freeland, a 1994 winner of the Ralph Nading Hill, Jr. award (predecessor of Vermont Writers' Prize); Suzanne Loring, a writer at The Stern Center for Language and Learning and committee member of the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award; Marisa Crumb, Executive Editor of Vermont Magazine, Brian Otley, Green Mountain Power COO; and Steve Terry, retired Green Mountain Power senior executive. Entries for the 2020 Writers' Prize are now being accepted, and the increasing number of poems entered over the last few years convinced contest organizers to establish a new, separate award for poetry. "The interest in poetry is growing. We see it in the number of poems submitted, and the quality of the writing is tremendous. We hope this new award specifically for poetry will both celebrate that and encourage more Vermonters to write and submit their poems," GMP's Brian Otley said. Starting with the 2020 contest, both prose and poetry winners will win $1,250. The deadline to enter is November 1, 2019. The contest is open to all Vermont residents. Entrants may be amateur or professional writers. Submissions may include essays, short stories and poetry that focus on "Vermont--Its People, Its Places, Its History or Its Values." Entries must be unpublished and less than 1,500 words long. Individuals may submit only one entry. Employees of Vermont Magazine or Green Mountain Power and previous winners are ineligible. Entries should be submitted on-line here: https://vermontwritersprize.submittable.com/submit/86155/vermont-writers-prize. All submissions will be acknowledged via the website that they have been received. About Green Mountain Power Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont and is partnering with them to improve lives and transform communities. GMP is focused on a new way of doing business to meet the needs of customers with integrated energy services that help people use less energy and save money, while continuing to generate clean, cost-effective and reliable power in Vermont. GMP earned a spot on Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in the World list three years in a row (2017, 2018, 2019). GMP is the first utility in the world to get a B Corp certification, meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to use business as a force for good. J.D. Power's 2018 rankings also put GMP among top utilities for customer satisfaction. TEP has partnered with Southwest Gas to create a new program for Pima Community College, or PCC, that prepares students for a variety of utility careers. The new Energy Technology Certificate program is part of our company's longstanding support of education and job creation. The certificate will be offered starting this fall. The two-semester program builds on a previous collaboration among TEP, Pima Community College and four other Arizona colleges on a grant to develop an energy industry training program called Get Into Energy . After grant funding ended, TEP and PCC decided to revamp the classes to give students broader exposure to utility jobs. Southwest Gas approached Pima about joining the group to add gas-related courses. The change will expand students' employment opportunities. "Part of Pima Community College's mission focuses on meeting the needs of the community, including engaging industry to increase the skilled workforce within Pima County," said Greg Wilson, PCC's Dean of Applied Technology. "This is a stronger program due to input from industry partners." Students learn the fundamentals of the energy industry and technical math, along with gas and electrical techniques, while earning nationally recognized credentials. Upon completion, students will be qualified to apply for jobs with TEP and Southwest Gas as well as with utility contractors and related employers. "This opens up doors for students. Through the certificate program, students will have a platform to build on for their futures," said JoLee Bracamonte, a TEP Talent Acquisition Specialist in Human Resources. Brittney Schmidt, Southwest Gas' Supervisor in Engineering, said the program will help fill a need for entry-level workers, especially for Southwest Gas's contractors that have difficulty retaining employees. "Southwest Gas is excited about the direction we're heading with this partnership with TEP," Schmidt said. "Through the classes, students can evaluate if they have a knack for the jobs. Students who come out of classes are much more likely to stay with those jobs." While Pima has yet to offer the new certificate, utility classes have been ongoing, including sessions at TEP's Irvington campus and H. Wilson Sundt Generating Station. "This gives us an opportunity to see how the students work, and it gives the students a chance to figure out their passions," said Dylan Bearce, Director of Tucson Power Production. Two of the TEP instructors are David Wagner, Director of Transmission & Distribution Line Construction and Metering, who has taught for 12 years, and Tom Kaminski, a T&D Supervisor, who recently began his third semester heading the Electric Utility Technology class. Kaminski teaches at the Ken Saville Training Center and invites colleagues from other departments as guest speakers so students are exposed to other avenues at TEP. Most students start the semester wanting to be Linemen, but many end up interested in other jobs. Pima plans to enroll more than 50 students a year in the revamped program, which may expand if there is higher demand. More than 300 students have taken previous classes, Wilson said. "The new program gives us a lot of opportunities to attract more students and provide pipelines for our companies and our contractors," Schmidt said. "The key is that everyone is finding value in this - the utilities, the college and specifically, the students." This spring, over 200 students, representing 22 colleges and universities from 15 states, will get hands-on with renewable energy and spend their school break installing no-cost solar for low-income families, gaining hands-on workforce training, and connecting with solar industry careers through GRID Alternatives' Solar Spring Break program. GRID Alternatives, a national leader in making clean, affordable solar power and solar jobs accessible to low-income communities and communities of color, will lead teams of students in solar installations across California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nepal from March 4 through May 10. Now in its sixth year, the alternative break program is an immersive, service-learning opportunity for students to learn about the energy and environmental issues facing low-income and tribal communities in the United States and abroad. Throughout the spring, teams of 10-12 students will travel to different project sites in the United States and Nepal and spend the week on a combination of solar installations, neighborhood outreach, renewable energy educational activities, and recreation. "Solar Spring Break gives students who are passionate about renewable energy the chance to see how solar power technology's real-world benefits make more resilient communities," said GRID Alternatives CEO and co-founder Erica Mackie. "We're helping shape the climate leadership of tomorrow." Solar Spring Break has grown from six schools and teams in 2014 to 22 schools represented through 23 teams with an international reach in 2019. This year's program includes teams from: Arizona State University California State University, East Bay California State University, San Bernardino Duke University Fort Lewis College Georgia Tech Massachusetts Institute of Technology Miami Dade College Michigan State University Navajo Technical University North Carolina State University Penn State University University of California, Berkeley (two teams) University of California, Santa Cruz University of Michigan (three teams) University of Nevada - Reno University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill Rice University Villanova University Intercollegiate Team "What started as a solar installation project has become a phenomenal opportunity for hands-on community engagement," said Alexis Thompson, a senior mechanical engineering student at University of Michigan-Dearborn, describing her experience participating in Solar Spring Break in 2018. Alexis is one of the many student leaders from the University of Michigan making an impact again this year. Students from University of Michigan have participated in every Solar Spring Break and this year have three teams of students traveling to Los Angeles, San Diego, and Nepal. In the first international Solar Spring Break, students are traveling to Nepal's Chitwan National Park to bring solar power to the Kumal Tower, a recently constructed off-grid wildlife observation tower. Students who complete the program will also have access to educational resources, advocacy networks and solar industry job openings through the Solar Energy Industries Association, which is partnering with GRID Alternatives for the third time this year to help make career connections for students wanting to continue in renewable energy. Solar Spring Break effort is sponsored by the Wells Fargo Foundation, which has underwritten the program's expansion with a focus on schools serving diverse populations. Photos and b-roll from 2018 are available for download here. Media contact: Sarah Bucci, sbucci@gridalternatives.org, 720-452-5562 ABOUT GRID ALTERNATIVES GRID Alternatives is a national leader in making clean, affordable solar power and solar jobs accessible to low-income communities and communities of color. Using a unique, people-first model, GRID develops and implements solar projects that serve qualifying households and affordable housing providers, while providing hands-on job training. GRID has installed solar for more than 13,800 families to-date and helped households and housing providers save $344 million in lifetime electricity costs, while training nearly 30,000 people. GRID Alternatives has nine regional offices and affiliates serving California, Colorado, the mid-Atlantic region, and Tribal communities nationwide, and serves communities in Nicaragua, Nepal, and Mexico. For more information, visit www.gridalternatives.org. Contact Sarah Bucci | Public Relations Officer GRID Alternatives (o) 720-452-5562 | (m) 303-931-6049 RP Global, an independent renewable energy developer and majority shareholder of JUMEME Rural Power Supply Ltd., announced today (3/4) that construction of the first phase of its ambitious solar-hybrid mini-grid project in Tanzania was in progress. In this first scaling phase, 11 new mini-grids are currently being constructed to bring 24/7 electricity supply to a population of more than 80,000 people. Built on a cluster of islands in Lake Victoria, these independent solar-hybrid mini-grids, equipped with battery storage technology, will electrify 20 villages. This project was enabled by the European Union, who provided co-financing through the ACP- EU Energy Facility. Commissioning is scheduled to take place in June of this year. In the upcoming second scaling phase of the project, JUMEME aims to build up to 11 more mini-grids to electrify 23 additional villages, bringing energy services to a population of over 160,000 people. This project extension is well underway, with consents and permits already secured and preparations for the implementation taking place. Leo Schiefermuller, Director of RP Global Africa, commented on the development conditions in the country: "Besides the existing legal framework and the favourable solar resources, our decision to invest in Tanzania is a direct consequence of the low electrification rate in the country. Solar hybrid mini-grids are the least-cost electrification option, especially in rural areas and the pay-as-you-go business model of JUMEME makes electricity consumption for the customer affordable." Apart from the obvious improvement of living conditions, bringing power to these off-grid communities will set a full virtuous circle in motion; JUMEME's first mini-grid system, which is in operation since early 2016 confirms the great potential for increased rural economic growth when clean energy starts powering people's lives and business ventures. This is especially true for women, who are provided with new means to gain economic independence by founding electricity-reliant businesses, such as hair salons or bakeries. In addition, access to electricity will enable the installation of irrigation systems and water pumps, thereby reducing the adverse impact of draughts. It will also improve the production of food and its storage. "Many of the remote communities in Tanzania are still without access to electricity. So far, our regions of operation show some of the lowest rural electrifications rates in Tanzania, ranging between 3% - 5%. In these areas, the population is widely dispersed across numerous distant villages and small towns making it hard to connect them through the national grid. By 2023, JUMEME could supply high quality and reliable electricity to 1 million Tanzanians, making this company the largest mini-grid operator in Sub-Sahara Africa, if the political and regulatory situation improves for investors" concluded Schiefermuller. The JUMEME venture was made possible through financial support from the European Union under the ACP-EU Energy Facility, and REA, Tanzania's Rural Energy Agency. About JUMEME JUMEME - Rural Power Supply Ltd. is a fully integrated energy service provider, developing off- and on-grid renewable energy projects in Tanzania. JUMEME was founded in 2014 as a joint-venture between INENSUS, a leading German company specialized in development, technology and consultancy services on rural mini-grids, Terra Projects, an Austrian specialist in renewable energy project development, and St. Augustine University of Tanzania, an independent higher learning institution based in Mwanza. In 2016, RP Global, an Austrian developer, investor and operator of renewable energy projects, joined JUMEME and being now the majority shareholder. The modular design of the power system allows for a constant extension with growing electricity demand, making it possible to supply electricity to any existing or future customers such as shops, workshops and small to medium sized industrial users, in addition to households and public infrastructure. This enables customers to make full use of their development potentials while creating fair returns for JUMEME and its investors, thus ensuring long-term viability and scalability of the approach for the benefit of all parties involved. To ensure successful implementation of the projects, JUMEME has joined forces with several experienced project partners and which are amongst others: Energy 4 Impact, an NGO providing energy advisory services to micro, small and medium energy enterprises, the German Agency for International Development (GIZ), and Excel Hort Consult Ltd., a Ugandan agribusiness and development company. About RP Global RP Global is a developer and independent power producer that draws its expertise from over 30 years of experience in the renewable energy sector. As a developer, investor and operator, RP Global's focus is on hydro, wind and solar PV projects. The company is focusing on flexibility, innovative solutions, and projects of the highest quality, with a special focus on all E & S matters. RP Global has cooperated with and has had many successful partnerships with investors and lenders, such as the IFC/World Bank, the EBRD, Mirova/Natixis, the Marguerite Fund and the Bank of Georgia, among others. RP Global has constructed more than 40 power plants whilst retaining 16 plants under operation or construction. RP Global's international team is currently active in Europe, South America, and Africa: Austria, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, France, Poland; Georgia; Chile, Peru, Argentina, Colombia and Tanzania are the countries RP Global operates in. The headquarters are in Vienna, Austria and Madrid, Spain. http://www.rp-global.com Contact: Emmeline Hess Public Relations +43 699 1104 7031 e.hess@rp-global.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) welcomes the report released by David Eby, QC, Attorney General, entitled ROADS TO REVIVAL - An External Review of Legal Aid Service Delivery in British Columbia . We are pleased to welcome the reports recommendations for meaningful change to legal aid in British Columbia, said CBABC President Margaret A. Mereigh. Recommendation 1 endorses the Canadian Bar Associations proposal for national benchmarks, set in 2016, for integrated public legal assistance services that are sustainably funded, evidence-based and people-centred. Ms. Mereigh continued, Legal assistance service providers will need to collaborate with other providers to ensure a whole process from outreach to after-care is a success. They must work together to provide services that are fully accessible, timely, high quality, culturally appropriate and cost-effective. Collaboration and integration in the delivery of legal aid services will support meaningful participation of clients and the lawyers assisting them, and it will achieve fair and equitable outcomes. Recommendation 25 in the report is for government to collaborate with CBABC and other justice system stakeholders to promote legal aid practice and reduce justice system costs and delay. We are ready for continued engagement with government, the Legal Services Society and all its funders, said the CBABC President. Our call for a system that cares about the user experience and includes tools to measure what works or what doesnt is reflected in this report. We hope the government now chooses to fund the recommended reforms. The report was prepared by practising lawyer Jamie Maclaren, QC at the request of BC Attorney General David Eby, QC. It is the result of a comprehensive review, from a users perspective, of legal aid service delivery models in BC with a view to optimizing access to justice. The Canadian Bar Association is the professional organization representing more than 38,000 lawyers, judges and law students across Canada with 7,000 members in British Columbia. In the Spanish language, a wide range of objects and ideas are defined by a nationality, from the so-called Russian salad (ensaladilla rusa) and the English wrench (llave inglesa), to expressions such as voting like a Bulgarian (votar a aprobacion a la bulgara), which refers to decisions that receive unanimous approval, typically out of fear. In Czech and Slovak, the word Spanish is associated with the strange and incomprehensible But what does the adjective Spanish mean in other languages? When, and for what reason, is Spanish used as a descriptor? On the one hand, certain languages associate Spain with the strange and incomprehensible. For example, in Slovak, saying that something is a Spanish town (To je pre mna spanielska dedina), means it doesnt make any sense. The same expression exists in Czech (spanelska vesnice). In German there is a similar association; if something sounds strange and unreliable, then it sounds Spanish (das kommt mir spanisch vor). And in French, speaking like a Spanish cow (parler comme une vache espagnole) is to speak very bad French. However, when we cross the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, the word carries a different meaning, particularly in the world of viral memes and social media jokes. Using the cries in Spanish meme can mean, among other things, that someone is being over-the-top and exaggerating their feelings of distress. Negative connotations The use of Spanish can often have negative connotations, with the adjective often unfairly used to describe unwelcome events and problems. The most obvious example is the so-called Spanish flu, a reference to the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed 40 million people (including Austrian painter Gustav Klimt). Although the pandemic did not break out or spread from Spain, it is described as the Spanish flu in English, Slovak (spanielska chripka), Portuguese (gripe espanhola) and German (Spanische Grippe). The flu was given this title because of the attention it received in the Spanish media. Other international media filled their pages with news of the First World War and censored information about the effects of the disease so as to not appear weak before their enemies. But Spain, which did not participate in this war and did not have to worry about its image, faithfully reported the news on the flu and paid for it with its name. The adjective Spanish is also negatively used in the French phrase a Spanish hotel (l'auberge espagnole), which describes a place that is messy and disorganized. This was the title of a 2002 French film by Cedric Klapisch about a chaotic student apartment belonging to a group of European students in Barcelona on their Erasmus year (known as The Spanish Apartment and Pot Luck in English). Meanwhile, the French phrase to make castles in Spain (faire des chateaux en Espagne) is the equivalent of saying something is pie in the sky. Poster from the movie "L'auberge espagnole." Other negative uses of the adjective are related to the Spanish Inquisition. For example, certain torture methods used during the Inquisition are described as Spanish in other countries. In Slovak, a Spanish boot (spanielska cizma) refers to the iron casting that was placed on a persons leg to crush their bones. In English, a Spanish tickler is the name given to a metal claw that was used to rip flesh away from the bone. Another example is the English phrase Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, which refers to an unexpected visit from a threatening figure. This expression comes from a well-known episode of Monty Python. The Spanish rider Other uses of Spanish in foreign languages are less negative. In ancient battles, to defend a strategic area, sharpened stones were stuck into the ground with their points facing outward. This made it hard for horses to walk and forced riders to take the road by foot. Examples of this are seen on pre-Roman walls in Celtic and Iberian areas. The invention has been called the Spanish rider" in German (Spanischer Reiter) and in Slovak (spanielsky jazdec). Interestingly, in Spain this defense mechanism is called fields of stones or the horse of Friesland, an allusion to Friesland, a province in the Netherlands. Spanish is used to describe paprika in German When it comes to food, the word Spanish has a variety of meanings. Unsurprisingly, Andalusian olive oil is called Spanish oil outside of Spain (or sometimes, sadly, Italian olive oil). But it also has more unexpected uses. In Germany, Spanish is used to describe paprika (spanischer Paprika); in Italy, ice cream with sour cherries is called spagnola (even though the berries are not eaten in Spain); in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a meat roll stuffed with vegetables is known as a Spanish bird (spanelsky ptacek and spanielsky vtacik respectively). Generally speaking, what is Spanish, according to others, tends to be associated with the outrageous, the exotic or based on common stereotypes. English version by Asia London Palomba. The North Korean embassy in Madrid is a large residence surrounded by pine trees, and located in Aravaca, a quiet residential area north of the capital. According to sources close to embassy staff, only a diplomat and one or two of their assistants and respective families have lived at the embassy since former Spanish Interior Minister Alfonso Dastis expelled the North Korean ambassador Kim Hyok Chol from Spain on September 19, 2017. Investigators believe the attack was carried out by professionals who knew what they were looking for On February 22 at 3pm, 10 masked men carrying imitation weapons are alleged to have entered the embassy and beaten, handcuffed and interrogated the eight people inside. They carried fake firearms and they held them for two hours, said sources close to the investigation, who say that the attack appeared to be carried out by a military cell. At 5pm, a Korean woman managed to escape through a window and alerted residents with her screams. The woman allegedly ran down the street to a nursing home and large luxury hotel, although no one from the hotel said they heard or saw anything. Minutes later, a police car arrived at the scene but the officers were unable to understand the woman because she had a head injury and was only speaking in Korean. Thanks to a translating application on her phone she was able to tell the officers what had happened. According to the woman, the attackers were also Korean and had entered the embassy by scaling a wall the building shares with an empty property. Police officers tried to enter the embassy, but the man who opened the door told them everything was fine. In police chat groups, officers questioned the mental health of the Korean woman. But the officers remained on the scene and saw a man enter the house. Shortly after, two luxury cars sped out of the garage, leaving the beaten captives inside. The men are also alleged to have stolen cellphones, computers and documents. Personnel from Madrids SAMUR ambulance service arrived at the scene and tended to the injured, who had bruises of varying degrees of seriousness caused by blows. Hours later, police found the cars the assailants had used to escape. Both vehicles had diplomatic license plates and had been stolen from the North Korean embassy. They are currently being inspected by forensic teams. Police are investigating whether the stolen computers may have contained important documents left behind by the former ambassador Police have not ruled out any explanation. One theory is that the attack was related to political espionage, and officers have gone to the South Korean embassy to identify staff there. The former North Korean ambassador to Spain, Kim Hyok Chol, was expelled in 2017 given that the nuclear testing that the country was carrying out at the time was in serious breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Kim Hyok Chol, who was declared persona non grata by Spain and was invited to leave the country, is currently one of Kim Jong-uns highly trusted diplomats, and one of the architects of the recent failed nuclear summit between the North Korean president and US President Donald Trump in Vietnam. Police are also investigating whether the stolen computers may have contained important documents left behind by the former ambassador. Sources close to embassy staff say that the diplomats and their families live modestly in a very Spartan place, where there is little to be stolen. Investigators believe the attack was carried out by professionals who knew what they were looking for. English version by Asia London Palomba. Aerial view of Gibraltar. A.Carrasco Ragel (EFE) Gibraltars Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has expressed satisfaction at an agreement that could take The Rock out of Spains blacklist of tax havens. But business leaders and unionists are being cautious about a deal that could become poisoned due to the instability of the UK government and the uncertain outcome of the upcoming elections in Spain. The international tax treaty was signed on Monday by Spains Foreign Minister Josep Borrell and by the UKs Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, and must now be ratified by the parliaments of both countries. This is the first international treaty between Spain and the UK over Gibraltar since the Treaty of Utrecht Foreign Minister Josep Borrell The agreement seeks to improve cooperation on tax matters, help resolve disputes over tax residency, and increase transparency and cooperation against tax fraud. It is the latest in a series of deals between Spain and the UK over longstanding irritants involving the British Overseas Territory, such as environmental protection, tobacco smuggling, police cooperation, citizens rights and tax matters. In November of last year, London and Madrid signed four memorandums of understanding on matters such as tobacco pricing. I trust we will now be able to end the irritating myth that Gibraltar is anything other than entirely cooperative when it comes to the exchange of tax information, said Chief Minister Fabian Picardo about the latest agreement. Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell signing the treaty. EFE Picardo said he believes that much of the treatys content was already being implemented, but that it is a good thing to tie up loose ends and allow Spain to remove Gibraltar from the Spanish blacklist of tax haven jurisdictions in the future. This commitment by Spain is not binding, according to sources at the Foreign Ministry who talked to EL PAIS. If it materializes, Spanish cross-border workers will not have to deal with dual taxation. It would also represent one more step toward normalizing trade relations between companies in Spain and Gibraltar, said sources close to the Gibraltar government. Minister Borrell said on Monday that the agreement is the first international treaty between Spain and the UK over Gibraltar since the [1713] Treaty of Utrecht. I trust we will now be able to end the irritating myth that Gibraltar is anything other than entirely cooperative when it comes to the exchange of tax information Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo But not everyone in Gibraltar is quite as optimistic. Except for the changes to workers tax obligations, most of the measures contained in the treaty are little more than political grandstanding, said Loren Perianez, a businessman from the neighboring Spanish city of La Linea de la Concepcion and vice-president of the Cross Frontier Group, which represents business associations and unions from Gibraltar and the surrounding Campo de Gibraltar. There was already transparency. In any case, anything designed to combat fraud and improve transparency is welcome, he said. The groups president, Lionel Chipolina, who is also a representative of Gibraltars Unite union, was if anything more cautious: The agreement eliminates uncertainty, and it seems like the spirit of cooperation is still there. The fear is that it could become poisoned at any given moment. Chipolina was expressing doubts as to what Spains Gibraltar policy would be if the conservative Popular Party (PP) were to win the general election on April 28. At a political rally in the southern city of Algeciras in November, PP leader Pablo Casado renewed historical claims of Spanish sovereignty over The Rock, which was ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. English version by Susana Urra. A Barcelona judge has refused to impound a bus being used to campaign against Spains gender-violence laws and what its slogans describe as feminazis. The bus, which was launched by the ultraconservative Catholic organization Hazte Oir (Make Yourself Heard) on Friday in Madrid, reached the Catalan capital on Monday. The public prosecutor called for the bus to be stopped on the grounds that sexist messages should not be allowed to circulate in the city The Catalan regional government called on Barcelona prosecutors to file a complaint with the courts, arguing the campaign constituted a hate crime and discriminated on the basis of sex and gender. The Barcelona public prosecutor presented the complaint against Hazte Oir and called for the bus to be stopped on the grounds that sexist messages should not be allowed to circulate in the city. But the judge ruled that even though the campaigns messages may be considered abhorrent and even repugnant, they were protected by freedom of speech. The bus calls on Spains conservative political leaders Pablo Casado from the Popular Party (PP), Albert Rivera from Ciudadanos (Citizens) and Santiago Abascal from the far-right party Vox to repeal the 2004 gender violence law and legal protections granted by Spanish regions to the LGBTQI community. The bus was vandalized by activists in Barcelona. Albert Garcia (EL PAIS) Its not gender violence, its domestic violence is the main message plastered on the bus. Gender laws discriminate against men. Casado, Rivera, Abascal: Repeal the gender laws, is written below. The bus also features an image of Adolf Hitler wearing makeup and the symbol of feminism on his military cap, above the hashtag #StopFeminazis. Barcelonas municipal police force fined the bus for breaking the citys ordinance on social harmony and the Catalan Advertising Law The judge criticized the use of Hitlers face, arguing it takes us back to a shameful past for humanity, the epitome of the widespread and systematic violation of the most basic and essential human rights. But the court ruled that the messages did not represent a criminal offense, meaning the bus could not be impounded. Members of the Catalan anti-capitalist organization Arran stopped the vehicle on Monday when it reached the Diagonal avenue at the crossroads with Maria Cristina street. The activists threw paint at the vehicle and tore off a few of its stickers. The organization later complained on social media that their protest was broken up by members of the Catalan regional police, the Mossos dEsquadra. The bus was allowed to travel throughout the city toward one of architect Antoni Gaudis most famous landmarks, the Sagrada Familia. Barcelonas municipal police force fined the bus for breaking the citys ordinance on social harmony and the Catalan Advertising Law. According to the Barcelona public prosecutor, Hazte Oirs campaign breaks equality laws, especially those designed to protect women. The bus left the city after prosecutors filed the complaint. Like the message or not, we are here, said Hazte Oir spokesperson Teresa Garcia at a press conference in Barcelona. According to Garcia, the petition to repeal Spains gender-violence laws has already received 20,000 signatures. English version by Melissa Kitson. A new opinion poll to gauge voting intention in Spain shows that women are more undecided than men about their choices for the April 28 and May 26 elections, when Spaniards will elect new local, regional, national and European leaders. The latest poll by the Center for Sociology Studies (CIS) also shows that women are less likely to vote for the new parties Podemos, Ciudadanos (Citizens) and Vox and more for the two traditional groups, the Socialist Party (PSOE) and the Popular Party (PP). The Pedro Sanchez government has presented itself as the most feminist in Spanish history The survey, which was conducted in January, shows that of all the respondents who said they still didnt know who to vote for, nearly 60% around four million voters were women. This could explain why political campaigning has been focusing on women: the PP is suggesting a national pact on the salary gap, while Ciudadanos has come up with a liberal feminist manifesto that includes regulatory measures for prostitution and surrogacy. Meanwhile, the Unidos Podemos coalition, made up of the United Left and the anti-austerity Podemos, has changed its name to the more feminine-sounding Unidas Podemos. Although the PP does not embrace feminism (it does not see the need for a collective movement to fight for womens rights), it is the Spanish party with the highest number of female voters, followed closely by the PSOE. The CIS poll shows that 57% of respondents who said they will vote for the PP are women. That figure was 55% for the Socialists. The poll shows that women are less likely to vote for new political parties The Pedro Sanchez government has presented itself as the most feminist in Spanish history because the Socialist prime minister appointed the highest number of women ministers of any Cabinet in the world when he took office in June 2018. And the PSOE has another added advantage: in Spain, as in neighboring countries, women are more likely to vote for social-democratic parties, writes Gema Garcia Albacete, who teaches political science at Carlos III University, in an article for EL PAIS. But the PSOEs real strength resides in female voters who are 65 and older. Of these, one out of three said they would vote for Pedro Sanchez. The partys challenge now is to tap into a younger female voter base, and the opportunities abound: one out of every four women under 35 said that they are still undecided, and this group has been shown to be especially sensitive to equal-rights issues. Among the new parties, Podemos does not seem to be attracting more women voters despite the fact that it is viewed as pro-feminism. The poll shows that 57.6% of Unidos Podemos voters are men. Meanwhile, Ciudadanos has more female than male voters, but has still lost seven percentage points in female support from the last election in 2016. And then there is Vox, a far-right party that makes a point of fighting feminism and which is backed mostly by men: 65% compared with 35% of women voters. English version by Susana Urra. Roger Torrent, the speaker of the Catalan parliament, testified on Monday at the ongoing trial of separatist leaders in Madrid, where he made a political statement in favor of self-determination. We will never give up on the will of a majority of Catalans to decide our own future. I voted on October 1, and keep in mind that we will vote again, said Torrent, alluding to the unauthorized independence referendum held on October 1, 2017. I asked Carles Puigdemont to stop his suicidal behavior Enric Millo, ex-government delegate in Catalonia Twelve Catalan political and civil society leaders are being tried for their role in the events leading up to the referendum and the unilateral independence declaration that followed in late October. They face charges ranging from disobedience to rebellion over acts alleged in the courts to have been unconstitutional. Torrent, of the pro-independence Catalan Republican Party (ERC), answered questions about the breakaway laws that were passed in the Catalan parliament, particularly why these were brought to the floor in the first place despite warnings from the parliaments own legal counsel. The speaker defended his predecessor, Carme Forcadell, who is being tried for her role in the independence bid. Torrent said that the parliaments top officers, assembled in a speakers committee known as the Mesa, had the duty to put the breakaway laws to a vote because the Mesa is an impartial body whose role does not include assessing proposals, no matter how unconstitutional they might seem. Ex-government delegate to Catalonia Enric Millo giving witness testimony. EFE I would have done exactly the same thing in her place [], and protect the participation rights of all the parliamentary groups, he told the panel of seven justices who are trying the case at the Supreme Court. But his views were contradicted by two other witnesses who took the stand on Monday: Xavier Muro, the secretary general of the Catalan parliament, and Antoni Bayona, its former chief counsel. Both men headed the chambers legal services at the height of the independence bid. Muro and Bayona underscored that the Mesa has a duty to reject initiatives that are clearly unconstitutional. They also said they warned former speaker Forcadell as well as the other members of the Mesa, verbally and in writing, that the Constitutional Court had ordered a halt on all parliamentary proceedings aimed at achieving unilateral independence. Sensing disobedience The parade of witnesses as many as 600 have been called in to testify over the coming weeks continued on Tuesday. Neus Munte, a former Catalan government official, said that she could sense a scenario of disobedience and decided to resign in July 2017, a few months before the unauthorized referendum and independence declaration. And Enric Millo, a former Spanish government delegate in Catalonia, said that he asked the Catalan premier at the time, Carles Puigdemont, to stop his suicidal behavior. Former Catalan government official Neus Munte in court on Tuesday. Millo also said that there were episodes of harassment, violence and intimidation by pro-independence supporters. Throwing incendiary objects, spray-painting intimidatory messages, and pointing out police officers... this is violent, he said, positing that these actions were the work of the self-styled Committees to Defend the Republic (CDR), grassroots groups behind roadblocks and other forms of street protest. Whether violence was employed at any time during the secession attempt is crucial to upholding the most serious charge of all: rebellion. Puigdemont is not himself on trial because he fled Spain to avoid arrest, and a German court refused to extradite him on the rebellion charge, only for misuse of public funds. The Spanish judge in charge of the case decided to drop the international arrest warrant rather than try the leader of the secession attempt on lesser charges than his aides are facing. English version by Susana Urra. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine intends to contest the ruling of Kyiv's District Administrative Court invalidating government resolution No. 315 of April 27, 2016, which, in particular, determines the procedure for setting the price of natural gas for the needs of the population. "The Cabinet of Ministers will appeal this decision in the prescribed manner," press secretary of the prime minister of Ukraine Vasyl Riabchuk said on Facebook. At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that the court ruling in question canceled the decision, which had already terminated. "Appealed resolution No. 315 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated April 27, 2016 became invalid according to cabinet resolution No. 867 of October 19, 2018 on approval of the provision for imposing special obligations on the natural gas market entities to ensure public interests in the process of functioning of the natural gas market," the expert added. Procurements of components at inflated prices for state-run Ukroboronprom Concern's enterprises included kickbacks allegedly paid to incumbent head of the Concern Pavlo Bukin and former first deputy head of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleh Hladkovsky, who was dismissed on Monday, March 4, investigative journalists from the Bihus.Info project say. The third series of their probe published on the evening of March 4 was also based on a leaked archive the journalists received in the autumn of 2018 from an unidentified person and provides materials proving that Hladkovsky and Bukin were allegedly paid at least $30,000 and $10,000, respectively, when purchasing Russian-made altimeters for repairing Kazakhstan's An-26 planes in Ukraine. According to the journalists, in 2016-2017, the devices whose actual cost was about $85,000 were, through the mediation of Hladkovsky's son, Ihor Hladkovsky, and the latter's business partner Vitaliy Zhukov, were delivered to Ukraine through the UAE under the guise of spare parts for a civilian helicopter and sold to Ukroboronprom's state-run company Ukrspecexport, which was headed by Bukin at that time, for about $580,000. The journalists said that Oleh Hladkovsky and Pavlo Bukin had declined to comment on the facts. What is more, Oleh Hladkovsky denied he knew Zhukov. Investigative journalist Denys Bihus announced that the last part of the investigations will focus on law enforcement agencies. OAKLAND, Calif., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Girls CODE , the innovative non-profit dedicated to teaching girls of color ages 7-17 about computer programming and technology, announced today that the organization and its CEO, Kimberly Bryant, will be honored at the upcoming SXSW Conference 2019 , to be held in Austin, March 8-17. Black Girls CODE (BGC) will receive a SXSW Community Service Award , one of just six organizations to receive this recognition. Six individuals will also receive Community Service Awards. The award recognizes each organization and individuals Dedication to fostering positive community spirit. The awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, March 10, starting at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. Kimberly Bryant, who has presented at several SXSW Conferences in the past, will be inducted into the SXSW Hall of Fame during the 22nd Annual Interactive Innovation Awards Ceremony, to be held Monday, March 11, 6:009:00 p.m. CT. These awards, Celebrate some of the most exciting innovations at SXSW. But these awards are just the beginning of Black Girls CODEs presence at SXSW. The organizations other activities will include: Kimberly Bryant will participate in a SXSW Keynote Session titled, Behind the Click: Securing the Future for Black Women and Girls in Tech. The session will be held Friday, March 8, 3:304:30 p.m. CT, at the Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon H., 500 East 4th Street, Austin. Black Girls CODE will host a pop-up event, a Tech Diva BGC Alumnae Panel, moderated by Angel Rich, founder and CEO of The Wealth Factory and including five BGC alumni. The event is part of SXSWs four-day Interactive Festival . This event will be hosted by sponsor ConsenSys and will take place Sunday, March 10, 1:004:00 p.m. CT at The ConsenSys House, 606 East 3rd Street, Austin. Black Girls CODE will host in partnership with ConsenSys, two Blockchain workshops titled, Create Your Own Bitcoin. These will be held on Wednesday, March 13 at the Westin Austin Downtown, room Paramount 2. The first session will run 2:30 4:00 p.m. CT, the second will run 4:30 6:00 p.m. CT. At SXSW, Black Girls CODE is launching its alumnae network, a mentorship and leadership program for BGC college alumnae and graduating seniors, and will include a BGC Alumnae Experience for 14 selected students. To learn more about Black Girls CODE, events, or ways to get involved, visit: www.blackgirlscode.com / . About Black Girls CODE Since 2011, Black Girls CODE has been committed to providing girls from underrepresented communitys access to technology and 21st century skills necessary to become tech leaders. Having reached more than 8,000 young women in 14 chapters around the world, Black Girls CODEs organizational vision is to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 17 to become innovators in STEM fields, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science and technology. http://www.blackgirlscode.com Press Contact: Claire Burke UPRAISE Marketing + PR for Black Girls CODE T: 415.397.7600 E: claireb@upraisepr.com Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has endorsed the concept of combating terrorism in Ukraine, according to which the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation aimed at destabilizing the situation in the Ukrainian state is the biggest terrorist threat to Ukraine. The corresponding presidential decree No. 53/2019 of March 5, 2019, was made public on the presidential website. The concept's "Problems that Require Solution" section says that "the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation, aimed at destabilizing the situation in the state, including through inspiration for separatism and comprehensive support for subversive and terrorist activities of puppet quasi- formations in the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions currently poses the biggest terrorist threat to Ukraine." "The actions of illegal armed groups 'DPR' ['Donetsk People's Republic'] and 'LPR' ['Luhansk People's Republic'], in particular, the shelling of civilian facilities and infrastructure, which cause numerous civilian casualties, acts of subversion, the creation of obstacles to the work of observers of international organizations, threats to their lives and health are characterized in international law enforcement practice as terrorism," the concept said. It is noted that in the global terrorism index, which is being developed to determine the level of vulnerability of states to terrorist threats, Ukraine climbed from 51st place (in 2013) to 21st place (in 2018) among 163 countries since the beginning of Russia's armed aggression. According to the concept, such factors are conducive to the spread of terrorism in Ukraine as: activation of separatist movements in Ukraine and the instigation of such sentiments in areas densely populated by national minorities; aggressive actions of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, including in the Azov-Black Sea region; the presence in Ukrainian territory of a large number of the most vulnerable facilities exposed to possible terrorist attacks; an increase in the crime rate associated with the illicit trafficking of firearms, ammunition, explosives and poisonous substances and other means of mass destruction; increased interest in Ukraine from international organized crime in the areas of illegal migration, money laundering, the smuggling of weapons, hazardous materials and drugs, biological and chemical waste, nuclear materials, etc. "In the context of hybrid warfare, the institutional mechanism for coordinating the activities of counter-terrorism actors needs to be improved, including by clarifying the tasks and functions of the Anti-Terrorist Center under the Security Service of Ukraine, along with optimizing its organizational and staff structure," the concept says. In addition, according to the author of the document, the functioning of the nationwide system of combating terrorism should be carried out, utilizing experience in the fight against terrorism, including through the phased implementation of the provisions of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The concept's "Ways and Methods for Solving Problems" section says that, in order to accomplish tasks to ensure greater effectiveness of the fight against terrorism, it is intended, inter alia, to: improve the institutional mechanism for coordinating the activities of entities fighting terrorism; to ensure constant and duly exchange of information about terrorist threats between subjects of the fight against terrorism; optimize the structure and personnel size of the Anti-Terrorist Center under the Security Service of Ukraine and relevant units of counter-terrorism entities; streamline educational programs for training and additional training of personnel and workers engaged in the fight against terrorism; use modern security systems at sites of possible terrorist attacks; provide the subjects of the fight against terrorism with the necessary resource base, etc. It also foresees ways to improve and expand the interaction of the subjects of the fight against terrorism with law enforcement agencies and special services of foreign states, antiterrorist structures of the UN, the OSCE, NATO, the EU, other international organizations engaged in the fight against terrorism, on the basis of international treaties. The implementation of the provisions of this concept is expected to boost the efficiency of the functioning of the nationwide system of combating terrorism, strengthen the protection of state sovereignty, the constitutional system and the territorial integrity of Ukraine with the strict observance of human and civil rights and freedoms. "The implementation of the provisions of the concept is assigned to the subjects of the fight against terrorism within their competence," the document says. The implementation of the concept should be financed from funds of the national budget allocated for subjects of the fight against terrorism, as well as other sources not prohibited by law. The presidential decree, which endorsed the concept, also instructs the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine jointly with the Security Service of Ukraine, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, the State Security Directorate of Ukraine to develop and approve a plan to implement the concept of combating terrorism in Ukraine within two months. The SBU, with the participation of other actors in the fight against terrorism, was tasked to prepare and submit, within two months, for consideration by the President of Ukraine proposals on how to conduct an inspection of the nationwide anti-terrorism system. This decree comes into force on the day of its publication. Presidential candidate, leader of the Batkivschyna Party Yulia Tymoshenko declares that the ruling by the District Administrative Court of Kyiv on the illegality of gas price increases for the population by the government in 2016 is a big victory, which indicates that all further pricing was also unreasonable. "This is a fateful trial which lasted for more than two years. They could not make a decision for a long time, since the judges panel was under fierce pressure. But in the end, it made two decisions: the price was set illegally by the government (No. 315 of 2016) and is unreasonable," said Tymoshenko during a meeting with chief editors of local media in Khmelnytsky on Tuesday, the press service of Batkivschyna reported. The politician explained that the ruling, which the court overturned and declared illegal, is no longer valid, because after it new rulings on new gas prices were passed. At the same time, she expressed conviction that if the first increase in the price of gas was recognized by the court as illegal, this means that the rest of increases are also illegal. "This is a big victory," the presidential candidate of Ukraine said. "She debunked the 'myth' which the authorities imposed on Ukrainians that the gas price was supposedly market-based. She assured that it is 100% monopolistic and established by a government decree - there is no such thing anywhere in the world." The leader of Batkivschyna is convinced that the president himself is politically responsible for the gas price hike, because it is by his decree that the members of the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation of Ukraine (NCER) are appointed, who set tariffs. "For five years the government has been telling us that we do not consume Russian gas. But it's a hoax. What is called European gas, is in fact Russian gas, which is resold through intermediaries with overpayment to Ukrainians," Tymoshenko said, adding that if she wins the presidential elections in Ukraine, those responsible for the robbery of people will be brought to justice. On Thursday, March 7, at 10.30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Five Years of Reforms: the Public or Politicians?" Participants: the people's deputy of Ukraine, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs Hanna Hopko, the co-chairman of the Reanimation Package of Reforms Council, director of the Center for Democracy and Rule of Law Taras Shevchenko, chairman of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory Volodymyr Viatrovych, a member of the Reanimation Package of Reforms Council, chairman of Detector Media LLC Natalia Lihachova (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation. Additional information by phone: (095) 153 2542, yarineyy@gmail.com (head of the Reanimation Package of Reforms communications department Yaryna Busol). On Wednesday, March 6, at 11.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Bribing Voters in favor of Presidential Candidate Tymoshenko" on violations of electoral legislation and facts of voter bribery that were discovered during the monitoring project "Stop Political Corruption." Participants include human rights activist, representative of the NGO "Stop Corruption" Ihor Bondarchuk, head of the NGO "Stop Illegal Immigrant" Denys Shynkarenko, representative of the NGO "Anti-Corruption Movement of Odesa region" Veroyka Korzhova (8/5a Reitarska Street). Accreditation of journalists by phone: (044) 578 0004. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Results of Voters' Committee on Observation of Election Campaign' On Thursday, March 7, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Results of Voters' Committee on Observation of Election Campaign" by Voters' Committee of Ukraine. Participants include Head of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine Oleksiy Koshel, Voters' Committee analyst Denys Rybachok (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation. Five people were killed when the Iranian rescue helicopter they were traveling in crashed into a utility pole in western Iran on March 4, according to state media. The helicopter was on its way to pick up a pregnant woman in urgent need of medical care when it went down in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, state television reported. Pirhossein Koulivand, head of the country's emergency medical services, said that three of the five people on board were flight crew and the two others were rescue workers. The cause for the crash was unclear. The state-run IRNA news agency reported that the helicopter collided with a transmission tower, while state TV said it had crashed into the mountains. The Zagros mountain range, which passes through Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, has been the site of several crashes in recent years. Tehran says U.S. sanctions have long prevented it from buying new aircraft or spare parts from the West to modernize its fleet. Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and IRNA Tehran, March 5, 2019 (AFP) - An ultraconservative Iranian newspaper called Tuesday for the expulsion of French diplomats from the country, accusing France of expelling an Iranian diplomat on the basis of a "ludicrous accusation". The Kayhan daily demanded that the Iranian foreign ministry reciprocate "the insolent and vile behavior of France in accusing and expelling our diplomat from its soil." The newspaper, considered to be the mouthpiece of ultraconservatives in Iran, reported in October that an Iranian diplomat had been expelled by France without saying why. Neither the Iranian nor the French foreign ministries have denied or confirmed the report. On Tuesday the paper reported in a front-page article that the diplomat had been expelled on the basis of the "ludicrous accusation of attempting to attack a meeting of the terrorist cult of hypocrites in Paris." It was referring to the People's Mujahedin Organization, an opposition group in exile that aims to overthrow the Islamic republic in Iran. Kayhan also blamed France for the arrest of another Iranian diplomat by Germany in July 2018 on suspicion of involvement in the alleged plot to bomb an Iranian opposition rally outside Paris the previous month. The diplomat, normally based in Vienna, was extradited to Belgium for prosecution. Kayhan, Iran's second-oldest daily in circulation, is state owned and its managing director and editor in chief Hossein Shariatmadari was personally appointed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 1993. Its demand came a day after Iran expelled two Dutch diplomats in retaliation for the Netherlands' expulsion of two Iranian embassy staff in June 2018. According to the Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok, the Iranian diplomats had been expelled "due to strong indications from (Dutch intelligence) that Iran has been involved in the liquidations on Dutch territory of two Dutch people of Iranian origin." Kayhan has consistently been opposed to the policy of detente with Western powers pursued by moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. It has ceaselessly attacked the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and cited US President Donald Trump's decision to quit the accord as an example of the futility of dealing with Western powers. The Iranian Parliament on March 3 voted to prevent members from being reelected for fourth consecutive terms in a bid "to rejuvenate the parliament, to make it agile and facilitate the rotation of political elites." However, the ratification has yet to be approved by the Guardian Council. If it receives final approval, the new legislation would limit the tenure of members of parliament to three consecutive terms and require them to wait four years before being eligible to run for a fourth term. The legislation will deprive some 34 incumbent MPs, including parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani, from pursuing seats in the next election in 2020. The Iranian Constitution limits presidents to two consecutive terms in office, but it makes no mention of how many times people can be elected to the parliament. Almost everyone in positions of power in Iran's political establishment has been involved in the government for the past 40 years, and many are of an advanced age. Iranians still remember a particular politician who served as an MP for several terms and until recently was a member of the Tehran city council who was caught by photographers dozing off in official meetings. Photos of sleeping politicians at the Assembly of Experts are frequently featured by the media. Opposition to the legislation has already started. Several MPs, particularly those affiliated with the ultraconservative Paydari (Steadfastness) party, signed a letter to the speaker saying, "It might deprive wise but otherwise aging individuals from running for the parliament." They also called on the Guardian Council to reject the legislation. Ironically, Isfahan MP Hassan Kamran, who has served six terms over 24 years as MP at the parliament, has supported limiting the number of re-elections. Nevertheless, former reformist MP Rassoul Montajabnia told reporters, "I suspect there is a political agenda behind this move to deprive a number of influential MPs from getting elected once again." He also predicted the new legislation will be rejected by the Guardian Council. The idea of limiting the number of times MPs can be reelected was put forward three times before, in 2003, 2014, and 2018, but every time it faced strong opposition. In an article in the administration-owned daily Iran, prominent lawyer Bahman Keshavarz pointed out that the new legislation violates Article 62 of the Iranian Constitutional Law, which does not impose any limitation on reelection. Former reformist MP Mohamad Reza Kahabbaz argued in a commentary in the same paper that "the reason to limit the re-election of presidents is to prevent dictatorship and corruption, but an MP has no money or executive power at his or her disposal. On the contrary, experience could add value to an MP's performance." MP Ezzatollah Yousefian Molla argued that the new legislation limits voters' choices, and lawyer Hossein Naqqashi wrote that MPs responsibilities include legislation and supervision and it is unlikely that a prolonged presence in the parliament would adversely affect either of those functions. Meanwhile, the proposed legislation included calls for parliamentary elections at the provincial level and stipulated that apart from individual candidates, political parties can publish and promote lists of their own candidates. While there have been many debates on the issue of re-election, MPs were not observed reacting or discussing the implications of other parts of the legislation. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi (Qassemi) says that a European delegation in charge of INSTEX is set to visit Tehran in "near future" to negotiate with the Islamic Republic authorities. "The delegation will probably consist of only economic and technical experts" Ghassemi noted. Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have set up a payment channel with Iran, the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchange (INSTEX), to help continue trade with Iran and circumvent U.S. sanctions. Washington has repeatedly cautioned EU nations against such actions. Jeremy Hunt, Heiko Maas, and Jean-Yves Le Drian, Foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, and France, respectively, announced in January that INSTEX has been officially registered to facilitate "legitimate trade" with Tehran. The European trio has insisted that INSTEX will focus initially on the sectors most essential to the Iranian population; such as pharmaceutical, medical devices, and foodstuff, excluding oil and other trade. Iranian Foreign Ministry officials have repeatedly expressed hope that INSTEX would not be limited to trade on essential commodities. One of the main hurdles of full implementation of INSTEX is said to be Iran's hesitation to ratify the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and other international conventions to combat money laundering and financing terrorism. The fate of the bills concerning FATF is currently in the hand of the Expediency Discernment Council (EDC). The council has officially announced that it will not decide the fate of FATF before the new Iranian year, beginning March 21. Meanwhile, numerous hardline allies of the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader have insisted that FATF should not be endorsed until the EU promises are materialized. Furthermore, the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei once again on Monday, March 4, cast doubt on INSTEX, reiterating, "The Iranian government should not rely on European countries' proposed packages for solving internal economic problems." In a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet on Monday, Khamenei went further and warned the government not to be "deceived" by European countries and their "smiles". Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 Trend: The first business incubator in Azerbaijan Barama Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, which is going to celebrate 10 years anniversary, continues its contribution towards the development of information technologies with the support of Azercell Telecom LLC and PASHA Bank. The center, which offers an opportunity for the startups to realize their ideas by virtue of rich experience, interaction with professional mentors and supports by competent counterparts, organized an event for students. Thus, Owbike startup held the workshop on how to develop a website within a day for students. The participants were trained on several skills, such as how to find out companies in need of websites, how to make market research, how to create website content for businesses correctly and how to offer the websites developed in Owbike system to the companies. Training was followed with the discussions on advantages of the well-designed and visually appealing websites for companies, development of a proper content strategy and other hot topics. The workshop was aimed to teach the bases of Content Management to the students and assist them in their future activities in this field. Owbike will further continue to organize free workshops. It is worth noting that, Owbike, the resident of Barama Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, is the scalable cloud-based website building system. The system allows the entrepreneurs to develop profitable websites of their own without any need for technical knowledge. Remarkably, Barama Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center is a project established by Azercell with the view to support entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan. The center helps startups operating mainly in the field of information technologies to build their businesses. For more information, please contact [email protected] The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With 49 percent share of Azerbaijans mobile telecom market Azercells network covers 99.1 percent of the territory (excluding the occupied territories) and 99.8 percent of population of the country. Currently, 4.5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, Metro coverage, 24/7 call center service, 7 day/week Front Office service, M2M services, one-stop-shopping approach Azercell Express offices, mobile customer services, Online Customer Care and Social Media Customer Care services, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc. Azercell deployed first 4G LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile network quality and wireless coverage mapping surveys by international systems, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Azercell is the only company in Azerbaijan and CIS region which has been awarded Gold Certificate of International Investors in People Standard. LOS ANGELES, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm , a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Venator Materials PLC (Venator or the Company) (NYSE: VNTR ) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Venator suffered a massive fire at a very important manufacturing facility in January 2017. The Companys Registration Statement associated with its August 2017 IPO and its December 2017 SPO failed to disclose the extent of the damage caused by the fire, and the huge cost that would be required to repair the facility. The manufacturing plant, located in Finland, lost 80% of its capacity, which was 15% of the Companys total capacity. The restoration cost would be more than $1 billion. By the middle of December, shares of Venator had fallen 81% from its IPO price. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate . We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com , or by email at brian@schallfirm.com . The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. CONTACT: The Schall Law Firm Brian Schall, Esq. Sherin Mahdavian, Esq. 310-301-3335 Cell: 424-303-1964 info@schallfirm.com www.schallfirm.com SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 24 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said March 5, Trend reports. The Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Sara Israfilbayova Trend: The Armenians vandalism greatly damages Azerbaijans ecology, Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev said. Babayev made the remarks in Baku at the international conference on illegal economic and other activity in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Trend reports on March 5. The international law must intervene and play a key role, he added. The occupation caused not only moral damage to the Azerbaijanis and claimed lives, but also caused enormous economic damage. "Azerbaijani forests, flora and fauna are destroyed, water is polluted, he said. About 100,000 hectares of Azerbaijani forests were destroyed as a result of deliberate arson by the Armenians." The minister said that the Armenians continue to plunder Azerbaijans natural resources. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Sara Israfilbayova Trend: The OSCE must use its power to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak said. Lajcak made the remarks at the press-conference in Baku, Trend reports. "Our activity mainly focuses on people, stability, dialogue and we will use all our power in this direction," he said. The minister stressed that various issues were discussed during the meeting with Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, in particular, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "Next week, during my stay in Yerevan, we will continue these discussions and continue to look for the ways to resolve the conflict," the minister said. Lajcak also stressed that the embassy of the Slovak Republic is planned to be opened in Baku, which will contribute to the expansion of relations between Azerbaijan and Slovakia. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Sara Israfilbayova Trend: Azerbaijan and the OSCE discussed various important issues, including the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said. Mammadyarov made the remarks at the press-conference in Baku following a meeting with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak, Trend reports on March 5. Everyone wants the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to be resolved peacefully, the minister added. "We are constantly conducting discussions to find the ways to resolve the conflict." President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met several times with the Armenian prime minister, Mammadyarov stressed. There were also four meetings at the ministerial level. The Azerbaijani foreign minister stressed that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs repeatedly stated that the status quo in the conflict is unacceptable. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Sara Israfilbayova Trend: The OSCE Minsk Group is the only recognized format in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak said. Lajcak made the remarks in Baku at the press-conference following the meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Trend reports on March 5. He said that Slovakia chairing the OSCE supports the settlement of this conflict. "The OSCE Minsk Group is the only recognized format in the negotiations and any changes must be coordinated," Lajcak added. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 Trend: On March 4, following the quadripartite meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Turkmenistan, a Bucharest Statement was adopted in Bucharest regarding the Caspian Sea-Black Sea international transport route, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. The document reads that the first special meeting of the foreign ministers was convened in Bucharest, Romania March 4 to further strengthen and enhance economic cooperation between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Turkmenistan in support of sustainable development and stability across the wider region. The meeting was attended by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Teodor Viorel Melescanu and deputy chairman of the Cabinet of the Ministers of Turkmenistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov. The ministers reaffirmed the mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of their internationally recognized borders, highlighting the current achievements of sectoral cooperation between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Turkmenistan and called for expanding trade and economic relations and fostering interregional connectivity. They mentioned importance of the project related to the development of the international transport route between the Black and Caspian Seas in a quadruple partnership for all four states, giving the growing international significance attached to the global trade and effective transport connectivity. The ministers stressed that the States of the Black and Caspian Seas are playing an important role in further promotion of the Black Sea-Caspian Sea freight transportation route as a competitive link connecting Europe and Asia. They also stressed the importance of making the best use of existing and other potential cooperation formats with the EU to develop international transportation route connecting the EU with the Central Asia trough Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Turkmenistan. The document was signed by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Teodor Viorel Melescanu and deputy chairman of the Cabinet of the Ministers of Turkmenistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov. Details added (first version posted on March 4 at 11:51) Baku, Azerbaijan, March 4 Trend: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Governor of the General Investment Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, co-chair of Azerbaijan-Saudi Arabia Joint Intergovernmental Commission Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar. Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar extended greetings and best regards of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud to President Ilham Aliyev. He said he is pleased to visit Azerbaijan, noting that members of the delegation are impressed by ongoing development processes in the country as well as samples of culture and architecture, particularly the beauty of the Heydar Aliyev Center. The head of state thanked for the warm words. President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that ongoing huge reconstruction work and the creation of the state-of-the-art infrastructure in Azerbaijan gives a strong impetus to all spheres of economy, including the development of tourism in the country. The expansion of friendly relations and the successful development of bilateral ties between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in political, economic and other fields was hailed during the meeting. The sides expressed their confidence that the visit of the Saudi delegation to Azerbaijan will contribute to the expansion of bilateral relations, and underlined the Intergovernmental Commissions role in developing cooperation between the two countries. Saudi Arabias interest in expanding cooperation with Azerbaijan and investing in different sectors of the countrys economy was also noted at the meeting. The growing number of the Saudi Arabian tourists arriving in Azerbaijan during a year was hailed. The sides exchanged views on new cooperation areas between the two countries. They also discussed prospects for bilateral relations in a number of areas, including energy, investment, creation of renewable energy sources, tourism and tourism infrastructure, industry, agriculture, oil and gas, alternative energy, and transportation. They stressed the necessity of increasing trade and exploring logistic and transport opportunities in this regard. President Ilham Aliyev thanked for the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, and asked Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar to extend his greetings to the Saudi King and Crown Prince. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The slander campaign against Azerbaijan, which continues from abroad, is being eliminated in the legal sphere and condemned by the Azerbaijani citizens, deputy executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations Siyavush Novruzov said, Trend reports. Novruzov noted that foreign companies allocate grants to these individuals namely for this slander. They dont say a word about Armenia, about crimes, acts of genocide committed by it in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, he said. If they start speaking, they will immediately be deprived of grants. The Azerbaijani people take with indignation their absurd opinions about the propaganda of Armenia, that supposedly that country has a higher level of democracy. In their speeches, these persons voiced anti-state appeals (armed rebellion, coup, etc.). Novruzov added that in this regard, the Azerbaijani Prosecutors Office should initiate a criminal case and ensure the arrest and delivery of these people through Interpol. They must face the Azerbaijani courts, he said. It is necessary to appeal to the embassies that operate in those countries and to the embassies in Azerbaijan. Therefore, I believe that this issue should be brought to their attention. Besides, the Azerbaijani public should condemn such people. On March 1, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva met with a group of cultural and art workers. The issues raised at this meeting were immediately taken into account. However, those who are abroad havent yet raised a single issue to the benefit of Azerbaijan. They only voice opinions that dont correspond to reality. Everyone who comes from abroad to Azerbaijan sees the development that is taking place in the country, and no doubt that their local accomplices are trying to have the raised issues resolved. Novruzov also noted that the Commission on Pardon has already begun to consider the issue of pardoning. We receive appeals from those who committed crimes, regardless of political views, and who regret their past actions, he said. He reminded that after the Azerbaijani national leader came to power, more than 70 acts of pardon and about 13 acts of amnesty were adopted. The last act on amnesty was adopted on the initiative of First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, and this act affected over 10,000 people, he said. So what are those abroad concerned about? he asked. They use family members of prisoners, speak on their behalf. But after these people are released, they dont even care about them, because they use these issues only for material gain. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The European Union and Azerbaijan will continue talks on the new partnership agreement in March, Trend learned from the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan. We can confirm that the EU-Azerbaijan Cooperation Committee took place in Brussels on 27-28 February in presence of Azerbaijans Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev and EEAS Director Luc Devigne, said the EU Delegation. Talks on the new agreement will continue in March. The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan in November 2016. The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today. The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan. The new agreement envisages the compliance of Azerbaijans legislation and procedures with the EUs most important international trade norms and standards, which should lead to the improvement of Azerbaijani goods access to the EU markets. --- Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_Zeyn Details added (first version posted on 11:33) Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The slander campaign against Azerbaijan, which continues from abroad, is being eliminated in the legal sphere and condemned by the Azerbaijani citizens, deputy executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations Siyavush Novruzov said, Trend reports. Novruzov noted that foreign companies allocate grants to these individuals namely for this slander. They dont say a word about Armenia, about crimes, acts of genocide committed by it in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, he said. If they start speaking, they will immediately be deprived of grants. The Azerbaijani people take with indignation their absurd opinions about the propaganda of Armenia, that supposedly that country has a higher level of democracy. In their speeches, these persons voiced anti-state appeals (armed rebellion, coup, etc.). Novruzov added that in this regard, the Azerbaijani Prosecutors Office should initiate a criminal case and ensure the arrest and delivery of these people through Interpol. They must face the Azerbaijani courts, he said. It is necessary to appeal to the embassies that operate in those countries and to the embassies in Azerbaijan. Therefore, I believe that this issue should be brought to their attention. Besides, the Azerbaijani public should condemn such people. On March 1, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva met with a group of cultural and art workers. The issues raised at this meeting were immediately taken into account. However, those who are abroad havent yet raised a single issue to the benefit of Azerbaijan. They only voice opinions that dont correspond to reality. Everyone who comes from abroad to Azerbaijan sees the development that is taking place in the country, and no doubt that their local accomplices are trying to have the raised issues resolved. Novruzov also noted that the Commission on Pardon has already begun to consider the issue of pardoning. We receive appeals from those who committed crimes, regardless of political views, and who regret their past actions, he said. He reminded that after the Azerbaijani national leader came to power, more than 70 acts of pardon and about 13 acts of amnesty were adopted. The last act on amnesty was adopted on the initiative of First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, and this act affected over 10,000 people, he said. So what are those abroad concerned about? he asked. They use family members of prisoners, speak on their behalf. But after these people are released, they dont even care about them, because they use these issues only for material gain. More than 50% of Canadians find it difficult to quickly access after-hours medical care without going to an emergency department; New smartphone app gives Canadians convenient access to doctors and healthcare information where and when they need it VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, following a recent announcement , TELUS Health and Babylon are together launching Babylon by TELUS Health , a future-forward virtual healthcare solution that promises to revolutionize how Canadians take control of their own health from the convenience of a smartphone. Babylon by TELUS Health will empower Canadians with access to healthcare support and information day and night - a huge step forward in the evolution of Canadas healthcare system and how patients currently access care. The app also improves the efficiency of communication with doctors to help drive better health outcomes for all Canadians. At launch, British Columbians will be the first to get access to the apps one-on-one video consultation feature, allowing them to speak directly and privately with a BC-licensed family doctor. This video consultation will be covered by the patients BC provincial MSP. Canadians across the country who download the Babylon by TELUS Health app on iTunes or Google Play can immediately use the apps Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot Symptom Checker. Developed by a team of dedicated doctors and scientists, the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Symptom Checker draws on more than 500 million streams of medical knowledge and asks patients questions about their symptoms providing information on possible causes or courses of action.The smartphone app is available in English immediately, with a French version to follow later in the year. TELUS Health is leveraging the power of technology to improve health outcomes for all Canadians because we believe that by giving people the right tools, information and support we can empower them to manage their own health leading to healthier, happier lives, said Juggy Sihota, vice president, TELUS Health. Babylon by TELUS Health revolutionizes how Canadians can access healthcare with a unique patient-centric approach thats built upon TELUS unparalleled Customers First strategy. Quality healthcare and support underscored by putting patients first. Canadians can use Babylon by TELUS Health (BC-only at launch) to: Book an appointment with a doctor through the app in seconds; Access doctor consultation notes and video consults for quick reference and/or sharing; Manage prescription details and preferred pharmacy for easy prescription pick up; and Get referrals for diagnostic tests or specialists when needed. Babylons suite of digital solutions is currently being used by approximately three million registered users outside of Canada and is accessible to tens of millions more through Babylons worldwide partnerships. We are honoured to be partnering with TELUS Health, an organisation dedicated to driving enhanced patient experiences and greater efficiency in healthcare, to launch Babylon by TELUS Health. Through this partnership, we will enable access to innovative, high quality healthcare for all Canadians. Consistent with the progressive mindset in this country, our partnership with TELUS Health shows that by working closely and collaboratively, we can use advanced technology to help bring accessible, affordable healthcare services to patients and doctors, as demonstrated already in Rwanda and the UK, said Tracey McNeill, Chief Mobilisation Officer, Babylon. Plans are also currently underway to integrate Babylons virtual care platform into TELUS Health electronic medical records systems (EMRs) to enable physicians across the country to also easily conduct virtual sessions with their own patients. TELUS Health is committed to ensuring that patient privacy is respected and Babylon by TELUS Health meets or exceeds legal and industry standards for privacy. Patient records are retained in accordance with national best practice guidelines and all data is securely transmitted using industry-recognized encryption methods. About Babylon Babylons Mission is to put an accessible and affordable health service in the hands of every person on Earth. Babylon uses a combination of cutting-edge technology and the best available medical expertise to deliver 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week access to digital health tools (including health assessment, Symptom Checker and medical information tools), to people across Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, as well as video doctor consultations. For more information, please visit: www.babylonhealth.com . About TELUS Health and Payment Solutions TELUS Health is a leader in home health monitoring, electronic medical and health records, as well as consumer health, benefits management and pharmacy management solutions. TELUS Health leverages the power of technology to enable better health outcomes for Canadians with innovative digital solutions that enable collaboration, efficiency and productivity for physicians, pharmacists, health authorities, allied healthcare professionals, insurers, employers and citizens. TELUS Payment Solutions complements our health solutions by delivering secure, industry-compliant payment and lending solutions that connect lenders, payors, insurers, extended health care providers and financial institutions to their customers across Canada. For more information please visit: www.telushealth.com and www.telus.com/payment-solutions . For media inquiries, please contact: Jill Yetman Senior Communications Manager TELUS Social and Media Relations 416-992-2639 jill.yetman@telus.com Edward Sykes Public Relations Manager Babylon +44(0)203 848 7316 ed.sykes@babylonhealth.com NOTE: For b-roll of the Babylon by TELUS Health virtual care application, please click here: https://we.tl/t-yNo7mpRrb5 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b5104cc0-7f05-404b-b5cf-b6dfc45c8e01 Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend: Azerbaijan always focuses on the further strengthening of tolerance, head of the department of interethnic relations, multiculturalism and religious issues of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Etibar Najafov said, Trend reports on March 5. Ensuring the freedom of religion of citizens is a part of domestic policy in the country, he said. "Azerbaijan regards the freedom of religion of its citizens as a part of their rights and freedoms. Ensuring freedom of religion has been indicated in the country's legislation." Najafov stressed that along with freedom of religion in Azerbaijan as an example of a high level of relations between the state and religion, it is necessary to emphasize the equality of all religions before the law. "Another achievement in the sphere of relations between the state and religion is that the state renders the necessary support to each of the religious structures, including financial assistance, he said. Recently, Russian Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox, Albanian-Udi churches and temples, Jewish synagogues have been overhauled in Baku and the Azerbaijani districts." Najafov added that Azerbaijan also renders spiritual support to the religious structures operating in the country. International Day for Tolerance was celebrated in Azerbaijan on November 16 for the first time in the South Caucasus region, he added. He stressed that ensuring religious freedom in Azerbaijan at a high level, equality of all religions before the law, rendering state support to the religious structures contributed to establishing interreligious relations in the country on the basis of mutual respect. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend: A religious figure should serve to creation of peace and tranquility between nations, said Siyavush Novruzov, chairman of the Azerbaijani parliamentary committee on public associations and religious organizations, Trend reports March 5. He was speaking at an international conference From Interreligious and Inter-civilizational Dialogue to Cooperation. Unfortunately, in Armenia, religion serves occupation policy, and religious figures support this, he said. He noted that instead of condemning, religious leaders in Armenia advocate the continuation of occupation policy. Despite repeated appeals to Armenian religious leaders regarding the return of the bodies of martyrs, they refused to respond positively to these appeals, he added. A so-called trial was held over Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, their rights were violated. Appeals in this direction didnt meet a positive reaction of Armenian religious leaders, either. Therefore, events like this should be carried out in all countries to prevent such phenomena. Novruzov added that some states under the veil of religion are taking certain steps to fulfill their interests. Such actions negatively affect religious relations, lead to the deterioration of ties of friendship and neighborhood between the nations and the relations between states, he said. During an operation in July 2014 in Shaplar village of Azerbaijani Kalbajar district occupied by Armenia, the Armenian special forces killed an Azerbaijani, Hasan Hasanov, and took hostage two other Azerbaijanis, Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov. A "criminal case" was initiated against them. Afterwards, a "court" sentenced Asgarov to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years in prison. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Details added (first version posted on 12:44) Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 Trend: Armenias leadership must understand that this country will never be completely independent without normalizing the relations with Azerbaijan, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said. Abdullayeva was commenting on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans statement in the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, Trend reports on March 5. During his speech at the European Parliament, the Armenian prime minister stressed that he is not delivering speech on behalf of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh region must be determined by the people living there, she said. I would like to ask if it is so, what do young people who are Armenian citizens do in other countrys territories, that is, in the occupied Azerbaijani territories? Why do these young people die? Such unreasonable appeals made by the Armenian prime minister deceive not only the world community, but also the Armenians living worldwide, in Armenia and in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region," Abdullayeva added. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Ilhama Isabalayeva Trend: Religious leaders from various countries will gather in Azerbaijan on November 14-15, 2019, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade said on March 5. The preparation is already underway for a grand event entitled "Azerbaijan - the leader not only in the oil and economic sectors, but also in the work in the spiritual sphere", he added. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Ilhama Isabalayeva Trend: Azerbaijan is a platform for cooperation and dialogue, a country calling for world peace, Vice-Speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament Bahar Muradova said. Muradova made the remarks at the international conference entitled "Improving the Interfaith and Inter-Civilizational Dialogue to Cooperation" in Baku on March 5. She added that Azerbaijan itself was subjected to the influence of conflicts and terror. Muradova stressed that Azerbaijan is the first country among Islamic countries which created a democratic republic for the first time, attracted people to the construction of a civil society, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, political outlook, as well as a country ensuring the equal rights of people. "Tolerance in Azerbaijan is not an achievement, she said. It is our way of life." Muradova stressed that today, interfaith relations should be developed to achieve harmony between nations. We all must serve in the name of peace, she said. By using our political, economic, cultural ties and opportunities, we must think about serving peace and prosperity everywhere. We call for this. Azerbaijan observes the goals of sustainable development, Muradova said. "The transition from religious, ethnic, intercultural dialogue to the cooperation is required." Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 Trend: Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received the delegation headed by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak, Trend reports citing Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. After tete-a-tete discussions between Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Minister Miroslav Lajcak, the sides continued discussions with the participation of delegations. Greeting the guests Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted the important role of the OSCE in the European security architecture and underlined that the protracted conflicts in the territories of the participating states constitute serious threat to the security in the OSCE area. Minister informed the Chairman-in-Office about the latest negotiations process with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Referring to the recent statements of the Armenian leadership, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov underlined that such statements seriously undermine the negotiation process. Emphasizing that the position of Azerbaijan in negotiations remain unchanged, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov stressed that the withdrawal of the Armenian forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and return of the Azerbaijani displaced persons to their homelands constitute the basis of negotiations and this demand is reflected in the UN Security Council resolutions. In his turn, Miroslav Lajcak touched upon the chairmanship priorities of his country and noted that prevention, mediation and mitigation of the conflicts and their humanitarian consequences is among these priorities. In this regard, the Slovak diplomat highlighted that his visit creates a good opportunity to exchange views on the conflict. Furthermore, the sides discussed the wide range of issues of the Azerbaijan-OSCE cooperation agenda. Speaking about the importance of widening cooperation in the Second Economic and Environmental dimension of the OSCE, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov proposed the connectivity subject to be given due attention. He informed his counterpart on the quadruple meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs on Caspian Sea Black Sea International Transport Route. Sharing the idea of importance of widening cooperation in the second dimension of the OSCE, Chairman-in-Office noted the OSCE's off-budget project named Promoting Green Ports and Connectivity in the Caspian Sea Region prepared by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. Touching upon the Azerbaijani-Slovakian relations, the ministers highly appreciated the outcomes of the recent visit of the Slovakian Prime Minister to Azerbaijan. The Slovakian diplomat expressed his hope that political decision of his country to open soon its diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan would contribute to further strengthening bilateral ties. At the meeting the sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 6 Trend: Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received Deputy State Secretary on Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Christina Marti Lang, who is visiting the country for bilateral political consultations, Trend reports citing Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. At the meeting Christina Marti Lang expressed her thanks for warm greeting and noted that political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation were fruitful. Noting the exchange of views on cooperation perspectives between two states, Christina Marti Lang highlighted the discussions on strengthening ties in wide range of areas. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov informed his interlocutor on the latest negotiations process of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is a serious threat to security in the region. It was stressed that the latest statements of the political leadership of Armenia seriously undermine the negotiation process. It was brought to the attention of the Swiss official, that Armenian new leadership instead of reflecting on the benefits and prosperity that the settlement of the conflict would bring to the region and concretely to the population of Armenia, undermines the peace process by groundless statements. At the meeting the sides also broadly discussed the regional issues of mutual interest. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 Trend: The Heydar Aliyev Palace brought together multiple jazzmen to delight music lovers with beautiful sounds of jazz, Trend reports via Azernews. Ten-time Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval performed a marvelous concert in Baku on March 2. Those who have heard him playing the piano, or his classical works, know that Arturo Sandoval is an outstanding musician, one of the brightest, many-sided and recognized performers of our time. Addressing the event, the host of the evening, the teacher at the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, jazz columnist Tofig Hasanov informed the public about the important stages in the creative path of musician. Arturo Sandoval, the protege of jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, was born in Cuba in Artemis, a small town near Havana, on November 6, 1949. As a twelve-year-old boy in Cuba, Sandoval played trumpet with street musicians. He helped establish the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna, which became the band Irakere in 1973. He is one of the world's most recognized musicians playing the jazz trumpet and flugelhorn. Sandoval is also known as a performer of classical music, regularly performing with leading symphony orchestras of the world. He is the author of the concert for the pipe "Concert for Trumpet and Orchestra". With his virtuosity, the musician has won the recognition of the most famous conductors, composers and symphony orchestras all over the world. "Arturo Sandovals performance can be heard in recordings with many musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Hermann, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, Alisia Keys and many others. He also created music for many famous films," said Hasanov. The host of the evening also noted that Sandovals biography became the basis of the TV film "For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story" (2000), where Andy Garcia starred as the main character. Tofig Hasanov stressed that the concert was held with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Baku. U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Azerbaijan William Gill addressed the event. In his speech, William Gill expressed his gratitude to the concert organizer, General Director of Premier LTD Art Management Nazakat Gasimova and the Heydar Aliyev Palace. Afterwards, Arturo Sandoval appeared on the stage. The audience gave him a big round of applause. The virtuoso trumpeter surprised the audience also with piano performance, percussion, as well as breathtaking scat singing (vocal improvisation). Arturo Sandoval endeared the listeners with heartfelt songs. His performance on the pipe is worthy of special praise. Watching the energetic performance of the musician, it was hard to believe that he would turn 70 in November. He charged the public with his incendiary energy, which never stopped applauding solo improvisations of the musician and his trumpeter band. Talented musicians Tiki Pasillas (percussion) Mike Tucker (saxophonist), Max Haymer (pianist), John Belzaguy (bass) and Johnny Friday (drummer) made the evening even more spectacular. Arturo Sandoval informed the public that he visited Baku in the 1970s, and that he was happy to come back here again. He also noted that the city impressed him with its beauty. At the end of the concert, the public did not let the musicians go for a long time. After that, the musician posed for photos with his fans and signed autographs. The concert has been organized by Premier LTD Art Management with support of the US Embassy in Azerbaijan. Media support was provided by Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az, Azernews.az Details added (first version posted on 12:48) Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 Trend: The 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be held in Baku from June 30 to July 10, Azerbaijani Minister of Culture Abulfas Garayev said. Garayev made the remarks at a meeting of the Organizing Committee created upon the Azerbaijani presidents corresponding order in connection with the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, Trend reports. The minister highlighted the achievements of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva in the development and strengthening of mutual relations between Azerbaijan and UNESCO. Garayev stressed that holding of the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku is indeed responsible work. "I would like to stress that initially the Committee sent the conditions reviewed by all state bodies, he added. The necessary work on their implementation was carried out." "By hosting this event and at the same time presiding there, Azerbaijan will make indelible mark on the history of the culture of the peoples of the world," the minister said. The 43rd session of the structure is connected not only with culture. Natural reserves are planned to be included in the list. Up to 3,000 representatives from more than 180 countries are expected to attend this session, which is considered one of UNESCOs most important events. Among the topics put on the agenda is the inclusion of new sites in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the work being carried out in this direction. Then a website developed for the 43rd session was demonstrated, which will be fully ready for use until the end of March. The event will be broadcast via this website. Several meetings will be organized at the Baku Congress Center where the session will be held. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Fakhri Vakilov - Trend: The Uzbek delegation discussed the issues of promoting the process of country's accession to WTO at Russian Ministry of Economic Development, Trend reports via Uzbek media. The course of implementation of projects included in the intergovernmental program of economic cooperation for 2019-2024 was reviewed. The dialogue was devoted to the possibilities of increasing industrial cooperation between economic entities of the two countries. The talks also discussed issues of assistance of Russian partners in the process of Uzbekistans accession to the WTO. Uzbekistan received observer status in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in June 1994. The working inter-ministerial committee on accession to WTO was formed in 1998. At the end of November 2017, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that the country resumed work on joining WTO. Earlier it was reported that in 2019 a meeting of the Turkic Business Council and business forum will be held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). --- Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri HOUSTON, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Momentum Events is delighted to announce that Alastair Caithness, Founder & CEO of Ziyen will moderate one of the featured sessions at the upcoming Blockchain Oil & Gas Summit (www.blockchainoilgassummit.com/), which will be held in Houston, Tx. on March 7, 2019. The session that Mr. Caithness will be leading is titled The Power and Promise of Blockchain Technology in Royalty Management. He will facilitate a lively and rich discussion with Vikrant Lakhanpal, Petroleum Engineer at Proline Energy Resources Inc. and Lisa M. Smith, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Data Gumbo Corporation where they will explore the current problems and opportunities within royalty management and the capabilities of blockchain to solve the most complex issues. Mr. Lakhanpal and Ms. Smith will take the audience from pilot to production to share real use cases and lessons learned to allow the attendees to understand what is real and possible within this space to lower costs, reduce the risk of disputes, increase clarity and improve the overall transfer of money. Ziyen has been a wonderful and collaborative partner on this event and we are delighted that Mr. Caithness has joined our speaking faculty to share his vast knowledge and expertise of blockchain, said Ben Greenzweig, Momentums CEO. The full Blockchain Oil & Gas Summit will offer attendees a strategic understanding of how Blockchain Technology can make their energy business more secure, compliant, efficient and profitable. Fortune 500 executives alongside the creative technologists driving Blockchain adoption will share specific tactics for how to incorporate Blockchain into the attendees enterprise transformation. I am thrilled and privileged to have been appointed as the Official Supporting Partner of the Blockchain Oil & Gas Summit, said Ziyen CEO, Alastair Caithness. This offers the perfect venue for investors to learn more about the Blockchain industry and our plans to offer a proprietary Security Token Offering (STO). Ziyen has accomplished a lot over the last 3 years, and, in many ways, were really just getting started. We believe our STO will be beneficial not only for investors and Ziyen, but for the industry in general. About Blockchain Oil & Gas Summit The Blockchain Oil & Gas Summit is the first evidence-based blockchain summit crafted exclusively for the Oil & Gas industry. The Summit brings together peers with the common goal to solve problems across the oil and gas industry, providing attendees a strategic understanding of how blockchain technology can make their energy business more agile, secure, compliant, efficient and profitable. Save 15% with discount code: ZIYEN15. To register and for more information, please visit: www.blockchainoilgassummit.com/ About Momentum Events Momentum believes in committing our people, capital and ideas to developing, growing and innovating sustainable event experiences across multiple audiences and industries. We are proud to work with thousands of leading companies, media outlets, trade associations and academic institutions including the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Since 2014, Momentum has produced events that showcased the latest applications of blockchain technology and on March 7th is proud to offer our newest edition; The Blockchain Oil & Gas Summit. More information please visit: www.momentumevents.com Contact: Rob Candiano Marketing Director Momentum Events Email: Rob@momentumevents.com Tel: 1 (516) 426-0506 Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Fakhri Vakilov - Trend: A regular meeting of Uzbek-South Korean intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation was held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Trend reports via Uzbek media. Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Elyor Ganiyev and Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea Yunmo Sung attended the meeting of the commission. Representatives of Uzbekistan and South Korea discussed issues of trade and economic cooperation between the countries and issues of expanding investment cooperation. The event discussed preparation for the visit of Korean President Moon Jae-In to Uzbekistan. The parties noted that countries need to enrich cooperation. The parties also considered the implementation of projects under contracts signed between the governments of two countries. It was noted the need for formation of joint centers that will deal with their effective implementation. The delegations of Uzbekistan and South Korea discussed the construction of high-speed railways in Uzbekistan, the production of environmentally friendly cars, projects for the creation of tourism infrastructure, a smart city, and the cultivation of export-oriented agricultural products. As part of the event, the opening of the Tashkent Business Development Center of the Trade Development Agency of Korea took place. The center will develop the economy and infrastructure in the country, as well as support business. There are representative offices of more than 70 South Korean companies in Uzbekistan, over 630 enterprises with South Korean investments. In 2018, more than 150 enterprises with South Korean investments were formed. The volume of trade between the two countries amounted to more than $2 billion, which is 57 percent more than in 2017. --- Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 5 By Sara Israfilbayova Trend: The illegal economic activities of Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are detrimental to the country's economy, Rufat Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan said. He made the remarks at the "Illegality of Economic and Other Activities in and with Regard to Territories Under Military Occupation: Third-Party Obligations and Implications for Conflict Resolution" International Conference held in Baku, Trend reports. As the deputy minister noted, Armenians formed companies in the occupied Azerbaijani lands and registered them in offshore zones, and these structures extract resources in the occupied territories and supply them as raw materials to global markets. Mammadov noted that such actions are illegal and no state can support it. "Azerbaijan closely cooperates with international organizations and is doing everything possible to prevent violations of international law," said the deputy minister. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Kheyraddin Nasirov - Trend: The capacity of cargo terminal in Irans Astara city, which the Azerbaijani side leased for 25 years, is planned to be increased to five million tons per year, said Elkhan Asadov, head of the tariff department of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, Trend reports March 5. He was speaking at the seventh meeting of the Coordinating Council of the North-South International Transport Corridor in Iran. He said that the terminal has capacity of two million tons per year. In addition to the 35-hectare cargo terminal, the Azerbaijani side leased a 1.4-kilometer-long railway running from the border of the two countries to the terminal, he noted. The Azerbaijani side continues to initiate and actively participate in a number of projects to develop the regions logistics potential, said Asadov. Over the past years, a common cargo terminal, a container yard and terminal roads with length of 1,800 meters were built. The first test cargo train was launched Feb. 9 along the Astara (Azerbaijan) -Astara (Iran) railway and the wagon unloading process was carried out at the terminal. In general, the terminal complex in Astara consists of four terminals: common cargo terminal, container terminal, grain terminal and oil terminal. Asadov stressed that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the development of the North-South International Transport Corridor, the creation of direct international railway communication and ensuring uninterrupted and safe transportation of goods, by directly connecting the railway networks of Europe with the countries of the Persian Gulf and India. Asadov noted that after the construction of the section of the road from Astara station to Rasht station is completed, the Nordic countries, Scandinavian countries, Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran will be united into a single network within the North-South project. A single railway will be formed in the direction of the North to the Persian Gulf and back, he said. At the same time, it will be easy to transport cargo by Iranian railways from the port of Bandar Abbas to the countries of Europe and the Black Sea through Azerbaijan and in the opposite direction. The North-South corridor is designed for the transportation of goods from India and the Gulf countries to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. Cargo transportation by sea through the Persian Gulf, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea to Helsinki is carried out within 45-60 days, while the North-South corridor decreases the delivery time to 20-25 days. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 5 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: Kazakhstan and Iran have agreed on the export of cattle, Trend reports via Kazakh media. "As part of the 8th West Eurasia Roadmap Meeting for the Foot-and-Mouth Disease, a veterinary certificate was signed in Tehran for the supply of live cattle from Kazakhstan to Iran," the press service of Kazakhstans Agriculture Ministry said in a statement. The certificate was signed by Tursyn Kabduldanov, Deputy Chairman of the Veterinary Control and Supervision Committee of Kazakhstans Agriculture Ministry, and Maken Ali, Deputy Head of Iran Veterinary Organization. Now Kazakh farmers can export live cattle for slaughter in Iran. "A number of veterinary certificates have already been agreed with Iran for the supply of lamb, beef, chicken eggs, small cattle and its by-products," Kazakhstans Agriculture Ministry noted. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Fakhri Vakilov - Trend: Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision has canceled a multi-year ban on importing fresh vegetables, fruits and dried fruits weighing no more than five kilograms from Uzbekistan starting from March 5, Trend reports with reference to the federal agency. Russian service noted that the ban on import was lifted as a result of joint work of the State Plant Quarantine Inspectorate under Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers and the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision to ensure the phytosanitary security of the two countries. The import is allowed under the guarantees of State Plant Quarantine Inspectorate. The ban was introduced on April 16, 2012 due to the systematic identification of quarantine organisms in products. Federal Customs Service (FCS) of Russian Federation underlined that the volume of imports of vegetables and some edible roots and tubers from Uzbekistan to Russia in 2017 amounted to $34.814 million, edible fruits and nuts - $83.881 million. The results of three quarters of 2018 shows that the value of imported vegetables to Russian Federation amounted to $44.034 million, fruits and nuts - $74 million. --- Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Matanat Nasibova - Trend: A decrease in demand has been observed in the construction market of Azerbaijan in the last two or three years, Mahammad Najafli, the head of Azerbaijani construction company "Inshaat Construction", told Trend. Presently, the volume of orders of "Inshaat Construction" for the construction of private houses, villas, as well as the repair of buildings has decreased by 80 percent, Najafli noted. "Our work is carried out on the basis of orders that come to us from individuals, from firms, and the state. Currently, we are practically inactive, because there are no calls, no orders. To a certain extent, this is associated with the seasonal factor, since the greatest number of orders falls on the spring and summer period. Nevertheless, if compared to previous years, the situation in the construction market has changed a lot," the head of the company said. He noted that "Inshaat Construction" felt a decrease in demand since the end of 2016, and added if that year the company completed 10-15 orders related to construction and repair work, in the next two years the figure dropped to 2-3. The situation that has been observed since early 2019 does not inspire optimism either, he added. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MatanatNasibova Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: First trucks transporting BD-260 drilling rig, purchased by Canadas Zenith Energy company for operations onshore Azerbaijan have arrived in Azerbaijan field locations, Trend reports citing a message from the company, which is the operator for development of Muradkhanli-Jafarli-Zardab block of oil fields. First trucks transporting BD-260 drilling rig arrive in Azerbaijan field locations. Unloading of trucks transporting BD-260 drilling rig begins in Azerbaijan, said the company. Moreover, Zenith Energy said that civil works at Well C-37 of Jafarli field are 75 percent complete. Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR and Zenith Aran Oil Company signed a Rehabilitation, Exploration, Development and Production Sharing Agreement (REDPSA) in March 2016 for a block that includes the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab oil fields. Zenith Energy Ltd established its subsidiary company Zenith Aran Oil Company Ltd for production operations in these three fields. Production under the agreement began in August 2016. Zenith holds an 80-percent participating interest in the three fields within the contract area, while SOCAR retains the remaining 20 percent. The agreement is for 25 years, with a potential extension by five additional years. The total area of the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab fields is 642.2 square kilometers, and according to the contract, it is divided into rehabilitation and exploration territories. The Muradkhanli-Jafarli-Zardab block is located in the Yevlakh-Agjabadi oil and gas region of Imishli district of Azerbaijan. The Muradkhanli field was discovered in 1971, Jafarli - in 1984, and Zardab - in 1981. --- Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Azad Hasanli Trend: Saudi Arabia proposes to create a roadmap with Azerbaijan to expand cooperation and increase investments, Governor of the General Investment Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar said. Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar made the remarks at the meeting with Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov in Baku, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry on March 5. Al-Omar stressed that Saudi Arabia is interested in expanding cooperation with Azerbaijan and increasing investments in the fields of agriculture, tourism, transport and energy. In turn, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov spoke about the current cooperation between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia, including within OPEC +, the situation in the field of alternative energy, oil and gas in Azerbaijan, as well as new projects and opportunities for cooperation. Shahbazov stressed the role of the Technical Commission between the ministries of the two countries in the implementation of new proposals for cooperation. The views on the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding with ACWA Power company in the field of alternative energy, as well as the participation of Saudi Arabian companies in the petrochemical industry and gas processing industry were exchanged during the meeting. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Hasanli_Azad Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The smarter E Europe, the continents largest energy industry platform, has signed a cooperation agreement with the associations Eurogas and Hydrogen Europe, Trend reports citing Eurogas. Reportedly, their objective is to join forces in achieving a decarbonised Europe and work together towards a sustainable energy future. The future role of Power-To-X and how hydrogen, together with solar and wind energy, can pave the way towards successful sector coupling will be among the topics discussed at The smarter E Europe and its individual exhibitions, which are taking place in Munich on May 1517, 2019, reads a message from Eurogas. James Watson, Secretary General of Eurogas, noted that this partnership underlines the gas industries commitment to contributing to a carbon neutral future for Europe. These are exciting times in the gas sector and the role that we can play in powering the European economy through strong innovation is starting to be understood. With innovations like power to gas, we can help the European Union reach its ambitious decarbonisation targets in a cost effective and publicly acceptable way, he added. Europes transition to a decarbonised energy world is underway. All 28 EU Member States have signed the COP21 Paris Agreement to keep global warming well below 2 Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the increase in temperature to 1.5 Celsius. This target will fundamentally change the way in which energy is generated, stored, distributed and consumed in the EU. Attaining this goal will require power generation to become virtually carbon neutral and will also necessitate greater energy efficiency and the widespread decarbonisation of transport systems, buildings and industry. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Bulgaria recognizes Azerbaijan as the main driving force behind the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor, Bulgarian ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikolay Yankov said. Yankov made the remarks in Baku at the official reception on the occasion of the Liberation Day of Bulgaria on March 3, Trend reports. Azerbaijan and Bulgaria have been enjoying close and friendly relations, extremely active high-level dialogue and increasing bilateral cooperation in all spheres of mutual interest, he said. Both countries are developing their ties in the spirit of strategic cooperation, Yankov said. Bulgaria recognizes Azerbaijan as the main driving force behind the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor which is essential for the diversification of the sources and routes for natural gas supply not only for our country but for Europe as a whole, he said. Bulgaria has already signed a contract for the delivery of 1 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Shah Deniz 2 field as of 2020 representing about 30 percent of Bulgarias annual consumption and we are working on other opportunities for strengthening our relations in the energy sector, Yankov added. Today Bulgaria is in the process of modernizing its national gas-pipe network and soon will have the capacity to transit gas from different sources including Azerbaijan to the Balkans and further into Western and Northern Europe, he said. This would also bring undeniable benefits to Azerbaijan which would serve as an important factor for European energy security for many years to come and reap additional revenue to further develop its non-energy sector and bring more prosperity to its people, Yankov said. Bulgaria is highly committed to continue working on further developing the bilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan for the benefit of our two countries and their people, he said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Nissans purpose-driven Calling All TITANs campaign continues with the donation of the Ultimate Work TITAN to Habitat for Humanity The one-of-a-kind work truck is a TITAN XD Diesel Crew Cab Midnight Edition transformed into a home builders dream The custom truck will be on display during the Work Truck Show at the Indiana Convention Center March 6-8 INDIANAPOLIS, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nissan is no stranger to Habitat for Humanity, having donated more than 150 trucks and $16.9 million since 2005. Today in Indianapolis, the 14-year partnership reached new heights with the unveiling of the Ultimate Work TITAN, the second in a series of three Ultimate TITANs built as part of the purpose-driven Calling All TITANs campaign. Featuring a complete mobile office, toolkit and off-road necessities, the one-of-a-kind work vehicle debuted to a group of media at the headquarters of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis. The truck will be on display at The Work Truck Show at the Indiana Convention Center through March 8, and then officially donated to Habitat for Humanity, where it will be put to work on and off the job site. Though Nissans partnership with Habitat for Humanity has been deep-rooted for well over a decade, we are consistently searching for ways we can do more together, said Jeremy Tucker, vice president, Marketing Communications and Media, Nissan North America, Inc. Behind the rugged and capable foundation of our TITAN trucks, our Calling All TITANs campaign has provided a perfect platform to do just that. In a celebration of all TITANs of the Neighborhood, alongside Habitat for Humanity, we are proud to unveil this Ultimate Work TITAN, built specifically to the needs of the hard-working people on the build site. In creating the Ultimate Work TITAN, Nissan and Habitat spent countless hours talking with construction site supervisors and volunteers across the country to find out what they needed most in a truck. These working men and women are passionate about their trucks, and there was no shortage of ideas. After compiling their feedback, three common suggestions emerged: Off-road capability is a must The interior should be treated like a mobile office The bed must be loaded with easy-to-access tools, ladders and lockable storage And with that, the build of the Ultimate Work TITAN commenced. Originating as a stock TITAN XD Diesel Crew Cab Midnight Edition , transformation into the Ultimate Work TITAN began just as the Ultimate Service TITAN did with the addition of a factory-authorized ICON three-inch suspension lift kit, available through Nissan dealers. The ICON lift kit includes adjustable-height coil-over shock absorbers, custom rod end bearings and patent-pending Delta Joints helping provide increased ground clearance and enhanced ride quality both on and off the job site. Anchored by Nitto Ridge Grappler tires and ICON Alloys REBOUND wheels, the truck adds Addictive Desert Designs bumpers to provide an additional layer of protection, while a WARN Industries ZEON Platinum 12-S Winch ensures the Ultimate Work TITAN can help itself and counterparts out of even the most challenging situations. In the nighttime hours, Baja Designs lighting leads the way with custom worksite lighting. In the midst of the chaos of a work site, often times what construction site supervisors need most is a quiet space to relax and get some paperwork or calls completed. The Ultimate Work TITAN has this covered, and then some. Knowing that supervisors are constantly in need of updated build site maps, blueprints, punch lists, daily reports and submittals among a daily list of paperwork a 13-inch laptop and a printer was added to help make life just a little bit easier. And not be overlooked in the back seat is a full mobile office, featuring a custom desk and file storage with an additional power inverter. Construction site supervisors made it clear to us what was needed to make their jobs more productive, and after incorporating their feedback, one thing has become clear: this is the truck for TITANs of the Neighborhood, said Fred DePerez, vice president, North America LCV Business Unit, Nissan North America, Inc. Built on the foundation of a rugged TITAN XD Diesel and featuring parts from some of the most reputable names in the construction industry, the Ultimate Work TITAN lives by its name in every sense. We cant wait to get this truck off the show floor and onto the build site, where we know it will thrive. When its time to get out of the mobile office and into the work site, the Ultimate Work TITAN bed is a great place to start. Anchored to TITAN's innovative Utili-track Bed Channel System, a BEDSLIDE 2000 HEAVY DUTY sets the stage for easy access to all the bed has to offer. Connected to the bed slide is a DECKED lockable storage system, where a site supervisor can confidently store tools. Commercial class heavy duty lockable tool boxes are included along the sides of the bed for additional storage. Inside the lockable storage are some of the highest quality tools in the industry. In addition to a complete toolkit, other products stored within the bed include a table saw, chop saw, chainsaw, air compressor and drill kit. A Zamp 200 Watt power inverter, as well as RIGID Extension Cords, was included to provide power sources in addition to the 110-volt power outlet included both in the bed and the cabin of the TITAN XD. Of course, no home can be built without a ladder. Atop the Ultimate Work TITAN sits a TrailFX aluminum ladder rack featuring multiple commercial grade ladders, easily accessible with the help of the TITAN XD dampened assist tailgate. Meanwhile, TITAN XDs 14 cup holders will ensure everyone has a spot during their hard-earned water break. And at the end of another long day at the job site, builders will rest easy on the standard TITAN XD Zero Gravity seats, enjoying music on the new Fender Premium Audio System, reflecting on a job well done. The Ultimate Work TITAN will be on display during the Work Truck Show at the Indiana Convention Center through March 8. For more information on the Calling All TITANs campaign, the 2019 TITAN, TITAN XD and the complete Nissan vehicle lineup, please visit NissanNews.com . About Nissan North America In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year since 2010. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and INFINITI vehicles can be found online at www.nissanusa.com and www.infinitiusa.com, or visit the U.S. media sites nissannews.com and infinitinews.com. About Nissan Motor Co. Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2017, the company sold 5.77 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.9 trillion yen. On April 1, 2017, the company embarked on Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, a six-year plan targeting a 30% increase in annualized revenues to 16.5 trillion yen by the end of fiscal 2022, along with cumulative free cash flow of 2.5 trillion yen. As part of Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, the company plans to extend its leadership in electric vehicles, symbolized by the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissans global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, the Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance sold 10.76 million vehicles combined in calendar year 2018. For more information about our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube. About Habitat for Humanity Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org. Media Contact: Kevin Raftery Nissan Product Lifecycle Communications 615-725-5236 Kevin.Raftery@nissan-usa.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7d372b75-5624-42fc-bdcc-67a005ce70ce Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 5 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistan is working to intensify partnership with the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), which is part of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB), Trend reports with reference to the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper. The corresponding report at the Turkmen government meeting was presented by Deputy Prime Minister Gochmyrat Myradov. He said that the ICD is interested in investing in the projects of Turkmen businessmen. In this regard, the relevant organizational work is planned by the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan, the report said. The purpose of creating ICD is to support economic development and promote the development of the private sector in member countries by providing financing and/or investments that are carried out in accordance with the principles of Sharia (Islamic law). The ICD also provides advisory services to governments and private organizations to promote the creation, expansion and modernization of private enterprises. The share of private sector in the gross domestic product (GDP) of Turkmenistan, excluding the fuel and energy industry, is more than 60 percent. This is a result of formation of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UIET) in 2008, which brings together over 20,000 entrepreneurs. There are about 600 plants in Turkmenistan, including those producing construction materials, textiles and carpets, chemicals, metal products, furniture, glassware, as well as polyethylene and plastic products that are in demand in the domestic and foreign markets. In line with a state program of Turkmenistan, by 2020, the share of the non-state sector in the gross domestic product should reach 70 percent. Entrepreneurs are allowed to establish joint ventures with foreign partners by attracting their investments. Turkmenistan holds one of the key positions in the region in terms of the supply of natural gas - China and Iran are importers. At the same time, Russia - the traditional buyer - stopped buying Turkmen gas in 2016. Against this background, the Turkmen entrepreneurs began to experience difficulties due to currency conversion restrictions. Turkmenistan needs to ease foreign exchange regulations on imports and other current international payments, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said following the visit of the IMF mission to Ashgabat during February-March 2018. Real sector reforms should focus on significantly simplifying administrative procedures and regulations, accelerating reforms and privatization of the state-owned enterprises, and attracting foreign direct investment, according to the IMF. Turkmenistan set a course to a gradual transition to a market economy, which is reflected in the Constitution. Presently, a relevant regulatory and legal framework is being created, while the commodity and raw materials exchange and the labor exchange are formed, and conditions are created for free wholesale trade. The goals were set for creation of a commodity market, a stock market, a securities market, information, advisory and audit centers in the country. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Iran and Azerbaijan discussed the possibility of signing agreements in the financial sector, the Minister of Economy and Finance of Iran Farhad Dejpasand said after meeting with Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev in Tehran, Trend reports via ISNA on March 4. The minister noted that an agreement has been reached to conduct primary research in this direction. At the same time, Dejpasand proposed to create a special group to monitor the implementation of the agreements. In general, the Iranian minister, assessing today's meeting, noted that it opened a new page in bilateral relations between the countries. He added further that the parties also discussed various economic projects. Iranian investments in Azerbaijan exceed $3 billion. According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, trade with Iran in 2018 amounted to $446 million, $414.8 million of which accounted for imports of Iranian products. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 5 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: Kazakh airline Qazaq Air has received a permit and a certificate for the operation of international routes, Trend reports via Kazakh media. The Civil Aviation Committee informed that Qazaq Air plans to fly to Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Georgia, in particular, to operate the routes AlmatyBishkekAlmaty, AlmatyOshAlmaty, AtyrauAstrakhanAtyrau, AtyrauMineralnye VodyAtyrau, AtyrauTbilisiAtyrau, AktauTbilisiAktau, AktauGroznyAktau and OskemenNovosibirskOskemen. "The summer flight schedule of the airline envisages the start of regular passenger air service in the directions of Almaty-Bishkek, Atyrau-Astrakhan and AlmatyOsh. On March 21, the first AlmatyBishkek flight will be operated, and in the future flights to the capital of Kyrgyzstan will be operated twice a week," the Committee noted. The increase in flights and the expansion of flight geography will further strengthen trade and economic cooperation between countries, as well as increase passenger traffic and Kazakhstans tourism potential. Previously, Qazaq Air confirmed compliance with international safety standards by receiving the IOSA certificate. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: In January 2019, 1.102 million of 1.539 million tourists who visited Turkey arrived by plane, which is 71.59 percent of the total number of tourists, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism told Trend on March 5. "Meanwhile, 28,000 tourists arrived in Turkey by ship in January 2019, which is 1.82 percent of the total number of tourists," the ministry said. Some 409,000 tourists arrived in Turkey by car and train. In January 2019, 115,700 tourists arrived in Turkeys Antalya province and 915,800 tourists arrived in Istanbul. Moreover, in January 2019, 1.539 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 5.33 percent more compared to January 2018. Over 918,000 tourists visited Istanbul and 116,000 tourists travelled to Antalya in this period. Most of the tourists, who visited Turkey in January, came from Bulgaria (113,800) and Georgia (112,300). --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Jeyhun Alakbarov - Trend: The tourism potential of Azerbaijan will be presented in Berlin, Trend reports referring to the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan. Between March 6 and 10 March, with the organizational support of the State Tourism Agency and Azerbaijan Tourism Board, the Azerbaijani delegation will take part in the international exhibition "ITB Berlin 2019". Azerbaijan will be represented at the exhibition by various travel agencies and hotels. On the first day of the exhibition, a special event to popularize the Azerbaijani culture will be organized with the participation of representatives of major travel companies in Germany and influencers. Azerbaijan has been participating in the exhibition since 2003. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 5 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: A regional seminar entitled Caspian Sea - Sustainable Development and Management is being held in Turkmenistans Caspian resort town of Awaza, and will last until March 15, Trend reports referring to the Turkmenistan State News Agency. The event, organized by the Foreign Ministry and the State Enterprise for Caspian Sea Affairs under the President of Turkmenistan, in cooperation with the International Ocean Institute (IOI), is attended by experts from the Caspian littoral states. IOI Director Antonella Vassallo and Advisor to Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO Yuriy Olyunin are among the honored guests. The seminar program includes consideration of such issues as the law of the sea, maritime policy, sea pollution, development of Caspian resources, preservation of its biodiversity and biological resources, coastal zones, integrated coastal zone management and marine spatial planning. The main objective of the forum, which is being held for the seventh time in Awaza, is to preserve the unique Caspian ecosystem, its rich biodiversity and coastal landscapes. The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland water body, not connected to the oceans and has a climate-forming significance. It is unique in having carried a diverse relict flora and fauna, including the world's largest herd of sturgeon. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 5 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: The Turkmen Foreign Ministry hosted a meeting with Christian Berger, the head of the EU delegation to Turkmenistan (with residence in Ankara), Trend reports with reference to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry. The parties discussed issues related to the opening of the EU office in Turkmenistan in the near future, the report said. At the meeting, the sides highlighted the positive development of cooperation in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian fields. EU technical assistance projects are being implemented in Turkmenistan, in particular, the effectiveness of Erasmus Mundus (programme funded by the European Commission, aims are to encourage mobility (long-term and short-term) of students and staff), a student exchange program, was mentioned. Besides, the EU and Turkmenistan are committed to implementing a project designed to bring Turkmen hydrocarbon energy carriers to European markets. The negotiations have been underway since 2011. The project of laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to the shores of Azerbaijan is optimal for the delivery of Turkmen gas to the European market. Further, the Turkmen gas can be delivered to Turkey, which borders with European countries. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Mar. 5 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a decree on the creation of a new modern administrative center for the countrys Ahal Region, Trend reports referring to the published decree. The construction of what essentially is an entire city is a significant event in the life of this region, as the president was quoted in the report of the local Altyn Asyr TV channel. The concept of this large-scale project implies, along with construction, the formation of more favorable economic, social and other prerequisites for the further development of the new administrative center. As per the presidential decree, the city is to be built in the territory of Ahal Regions Gokdepe District in 2 stages, up to (and including) the year 2022, in accordance with the master plan developed by the Ministry of Construction and Architecture of the country. Originally, the capital city of Ashgabat was the administrative center of the Ahal Region. Later, Ashgabat was reorganized into a separate administrative unit, and the city of Anew in the Akbugday District became the center of the region instead. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 5 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Turkmenistan, Mamuka Murjikneli, who presented his credentials, Trend reports referring to Turkmen government. An exchange of views on the prospects for bilateral cooperation took place during the meeting. A reliable basis for bringing the Turkmen-Georgian partnership to a qualitatively new frontier resulted in the agreements reached in recent years at the highest level, government report said. In realizing the existing opportunities for building up trade and economic ties, a significant role is assigned to the joint intergovernmental commission, which is called upon to promote the intensification of productive contacts in various industries, including through business structures. Transport sector was noted as one of the priority directions of interstate cooperation. The favorable geographical position of the two states and the common interests of the parties determine favorable prerequisites for effectively combining efforts to create multimodal transit-transport corridors using the potentials of the Caspian and Black Sea regions. Here the project of the transport corridor "Lapis lazuli" along the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey route also serves as a certain example. Saudi Arabia has ruled out reopening the kingdom's embassy in Syria, saying it is "too early" to restore diplomatic ties with President Bashar al-Assad's government, Trend reports referring to Aljazeera. The comments were made on Monday by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir, who also said Saudi authorities would not take part in any reconstruction efforts in Syria without progress on a political process to end the country's eight-year-old war. "The kingdom has always been keen on the integrity of the Syrian territory and the political solution," al-Jubeir told a joint press conference with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. "[And] the reopening of the embassy is related to the progress of the political process," he added. Riyadh closed its embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and pulled out its diplomats and staff in March 2012. Al-Jubeir also said Riyadh, which backed rebels fighting Assad, was against reinstating Syria to the Arab League for now. Syria was suspended from the pan-Arab body in 2011 and slapped with sanctions following Assad's brutal crackdown on anti-government protests. The unrest escalated into the country's ongoing civil war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million others, according to the United Nations. Assad has since recovered control of most of Syria with support from Russia, Iran and Tehran-backed groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), meanwhile, have backed armed groups opposed to Assad during the war. In December last year, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir became the first Arab League leader to visit Damascus since the war in Syria began. Shortly afterwards, the UAE, a Saudi ally, reopened its embassy in Damascus in December in a bid to re-engage with Assad and rebuild its influence in Syria as a means of heading off regional interference in "Arab affairs". But the United States is lobbying other Gulf states to hold off on rehabilitating Syria, the Reuters news agency reported last month, citing five sources familiar with the process. MELBOURNE, Australia, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (Clean TeQ or Company) (ASX/TSX:CLQ; OTCQX:CTEQF) is pleased to announce that Mr Shawn Wang has been appointed as a non-executive director. Mr Wang brings a wealth of valuable business experience to the Company having engaged in cross-border mergers and acquisitions and investment in natural resources for more than 10 years. As Head of Business Development and Investment at Pengxin International Mining Co. Ltd (Pengxin Mining), Mr Wang is responsible for all investment activities in Pengxin Mining, one of Clean TeQs largest shareholders. Prior to his current role, Mr Wang was the president and founder of Hillroc Capital, a natural resources fund within the Pengxin Mining group. Mr Wang has led or participated in a number of major mining investment projects and has extensive experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the mineral resources industry. Mr Wang holds a Master of Finance from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. Mr Li Binghan has resigned as a Director with effect from todays date. The appointment of Mr Wang signals the completion of Mr Li Binghans appointment as a Non-Executive Director of the Company. Mr Sam Riggall, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, along with the entire Board thank Mr Binghan for his valuable service as a Director. For more information, please contact: Ben Stockdale, CFO and Investor Relations (Australia) +61 3 9797 6700 Evan Young, Investor Relations (North America) +1 647 808 2141 About Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (ASX/TSX: CLQ) Based in Melbourne, Australia, Clean TeQ is a global leader in metals recovery and industrial water treatment through the application of its proprietary Clean-iX continuous ion exchange technology. For more information about Clean TeQ please visit the Companys website www.cleanteq.com . About the Clean TeQ Sunrise Project Clean TeQ is the 100% owner of the Clean TeQ Sunrise Project, located in New South Wales. Clean TeQ Sunrise is one of the largest cobalt deposits outside of Africa, and one of the largest and highest-grade accumulations of scandium ever discovered. About Clean TeQ Water Through its wholly owned subsidiary Clean TeQ Water, Clean TeQ is also providing innovative wastewater treatment solutions for removing hardness, desalination, nutrient removal, zero liquid discharge. The sectors of focus include municipal wastewater, surface water, industrial waste water and mining waste water. For more information about Clean TeQ Water please visit www.cleanteqwater.com. When implementing the national foreign political strategy the Chinese government lays hopes on the strengthening of the UNs positions and the development of other effective mechanisms of multilateral cooperation, Premier of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China Li Keqiang said on Tuesday, Trend reports referring to TASS. "We will firmly support the multilateral principles of cooperation through multilateral mechanisms, the key role among which belongs to the UN," he noted in a report at the opening of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC). "China is actively participating in the reforming and improvement of the system of global management and firmly protecting the world open economy, contributing to the development of a human society with a common fate." According to the prime minister, Beijing is ready to actively work on new constructive projects and initiatives which will make it possible to solve many international problems and overcome a number of regional challenges. "The economic globalization is going through difficult times: the multilateral principles of cooperation were damaged, and there is instability on global financial markets, especially in the conditions of the Chinese-American trade-economic disagreements which negatively affect the commercial and production activity of companies and the markets expectations," Li Keqiang stressed. The prime minister noted that Beijing has all the chances to overcome the existing difficulties thanks to the long-term elaborated strategy designed under the management of the Communist Party of China. London's police are enhancing citywide presence and search activities following the increase of unrelated knife-stabbing incidents throughout the city, London Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham McNulty said in a statement on Monday, Trend reports citing Sputnik. The statement was released following the information that two teenagers were stabbed to death in London and Greater Manchester over the weekend. "In advance of the weekend just passed, we had arranged for more officers from our Violent Crime Taskforce to be on duty and we have extended their shifts to raise our visibility across London. These officers are operating across London in both uniform and plain clothes," McNulty said. The assistant commissioner said that tackling violent crime remained the police force's top priority and that officers have conducted over 2,500 stop and searches in the last three days. On Sunday, UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he would be meeting with police chiefs during the week to discuss solutions to the "senseless violence." According to the London Metropolitan Police, knife crime surged by 16 percent in the capital in 2018. The UK National Health Service data shows that the number of children aged 16 and undertreated for stab wounds in England rose by 93 percent, from 180 admissions in the year 2012/2013 to 347 in 2017/2018. German Justice Minister Katarina Barley on Tuesday thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his plan for European renaissance, saying that Europe needed to unite and become stronger, Trend reports referring to Reuters. Dear Emmanuel Macron, thanks for this initiative! We Europeans must now come together and make Europe strong together, Barley, the Social Democrats top candidate in European elections in May, wrote on Twitter. The negotiations between Russia and the US on the development of air traffic were positive, Russian Transport Minister Yevgeny Ditrikh told journalists, Trend reports referring to TASS. "Positive," he said, answering the question on the results of the negotiations that were held in Washington on February 26-28. "The negotiations on the extension of contacts and cooperation were rather substantial and comfortable. We hope that these contacts will continue to extend in the future." The previous meeting between the representatives for the aviation authorities of the two countries was held in June 2018. It, in particular, reportedly focused on issues of transit cargo transportations of American air companies through Russias airspace. The air communication between the United States and Russia has recently seen a number of problems. In particular, due to the issue of American companies transit Washington tightened demands for three Russian companies - Aeroflot, AirBridgeCargo (part of the Volga-Dnepr group) and Yakutia - in May last year. Russian scientists cooperation with US and European colleagues will help sophisticate the experiment for printing micro-organs on the International Space Station (ISS), Managing Partner of 3D Bioprinting Solutions Laboratory Yusef Khesuani told TASS on Tuesday, Trend reports. Russian researchers are currently acquainting their foreign colleagues with the results of the worlds first experiment for printing the living tissues of the mices thyroid gland and human cartilage with the help of the Organ-Avt space bioprinter. "Now we are informing our foreign colleagues about what we succeeded to do during the first experiment on the ISS. We are telling them about our bioprinter and other things so that they can understand what infrastructure we already have. We have drawn up several projects, which we have submitted for their study and which describe the operations where we can join efforts, proceeding from their infrastructure," Khesuani said. Further on, the bio-printing experiment can be sophisticated and divided by segments on the ISS as part of international scientific cooperation, he said. "In particular, if we talk about improving the system of delivering the tissues obtained to the Earth for subsequent transplant experiments, bioreactors are needed," he added. "The idea is as follows: we deliver materials to the Russian segment and conduct the first part of the experiment there: printing micro-organs and then transferring the samples to American colleagues so that they use bioreactors and complete growing these micro-organs before the return to Earth," the scientist explained. In December 2018, the worlds first experiment was conducted on the orbital outpost for the printing of living tissues using the Organ-Avt bioprinter developed by Invitro. At that time, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko printed the tissues of the mices thyroid gland and human cartilage on the space station. The Organ-Avt bioprinter developed to carry out the worlds first experiment for printing living tissues was delivered to the space station on December 3 aboard the manned Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft. The magnetic 3D-bioprinter has been devised to grow living tissues and eventually organs and it can also be used to study the influence of outer space conditions on living organisms during lengthy flights. The experiment has been devised by 3D Bioprinting Solutions, a bio-technical research laboratory, which is a Russian start-up and a subsidiary of Invitro company. The plans to deliver the bioprinters first copy failed after the aborted launch of the Soyuz-FG booster with the manned Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft from the Baikonur spaceport on October 11. The biological samples were delivered back to Earth aboard the manned Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft on December 20. Moscow hopes that the Syrian opposition will contribute to the speedy development of the Constitutional Committee, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with Nasr al-Hariri, head of the oppositional Syrian High Negotiations Committee, on Tuesday, Trend reports referring to TASS. "We value your intention to find ways out. We expect you and other representatives for the Syrian opposition to support the speedy development of the Constitutional Committee," the minister said. "We expect responsible opposition members to speak in favor of assistance by the global community to the Syrians not just in the form of humanitarian help, but by creating basic conditions - water supply, electric power supply and educational and medical services, which would make it possible for the refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes," Lavrov stressed. He reported that these issues were discussed during his meetings in Riyadh with his Saudi counterparts. "We reached understanding on all major issues," the Russian foreign minister stressed. President Donald Trump delivered notice Monday he plans to end key trade preferences for India and Turkey, Trend reports citing Bloomberg. Trump notified Congress in letters of his intent to terminate trade benefits for both countries under the generalized system of preferences. The notification starts a 60-day countdown before the president can take the action on his own authority, the US Trade Representatives Office said in a statement. Their designation under the program allows duty-free entry of about 2,000 products including auto components, industrial valves, and textile materials. The president can still walk back his notice to terminate the preference programs if the two countries satisfy the concerns of his administration. India was the largest beneficiary of the program in 2017 with $5.7 billion in imports to the US given duty-free status and Turkey the fifth largest with $1.7 billion in covered imports, according to a Congressional Research Service report issued in January. The US said in April it would review Indias eligibility for the generalized system of preferences program after some US companies said dairy and medical devices shipments to India were being hurt by non-tariff barriers. Trump said in a notification letter that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India. He said in a separate letter that Turkey is no longer a developing country based on its level of economic development. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Franklin Jeffrey has arrived in Turkey, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish media. During his visit to Ankara, Jeffrey will hold a series of meetings with Turkish officials, including Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar. Such issues as the withdrawal of the US troops from Syria, the creation of a safe zone near the Turkish border, the supplies of the S-400 Russian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) to Turkey and the plans to purchase the Patriot SAMs from the US will be discussed during the talks. On Jan. 17, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the delivery of the Patriot SAMs to the Turkish Armed Forces is linked to a number of issues. Cavusoglu pointed out that one of such issues is the date of delivery of the US SAMs, with the other being the possibility of their purchase through a loan. He pointed out that Turkey also intends to organize production of the American Patriot SAMs, as agreed with Russia, which also intends to supply the Turkish Air Force with its S-400 SAMs. The initial reports of negotiations between Russia and Turkey regarding the S-400 came in November 2016. The signing of a contract was confirmed by the Russian side on Sept. 12, 2017. Turkey is the first NATO member to acquire SAMs of such type from Russia. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Turkey's border gate in the southeastern province of Kilis, near the Syrian border, is reopened on Tuesday after eight years, Trend reports citing Xinhua. Beforehand, Turkish drivers were transferring their loads to other trucks with Syrian license plates. With the reopening, some 50 Turkish trucks have crossed the Oncupinar border gate within a few hours. Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan announced that an additional border gate will be opened in the southeastern province of Hatay. "The Olive Branch border gate is prepared, hopefully, it will be functioning next week," she said referring to the border gate between southern Hatay province and Syria's Afrin district. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful the United States would send a delegation to North Korea in the coming weeks, after a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended with no deal, Trend reports referring to Reuters. The leaders second summit, held last week in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, failed to produce any agreement or immediate plan for follow-up negotiations. I am hopeful, although I have no commitment yet, that we will be back at it, that Ill have a team in Pyongyang in the next couple weeks, Pompeo told the Iowa Farm Bureau. Im continuing to work to find those places where theres a shared interest, he said. The two sides gave different reasons for the abrupt end to the talks about denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. Trump said on Thursday that North Korea wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, while North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said they had only demanded a partial easing in exchange for dismantling its main nuclear site at Yongbyon. However, the two sides left room for further discussions, with Trump highlighting the economic benefits for North Korea if it gave up its nuclear weapons. North Korean state media, which in the past has used fiery rhetoric against Trump and blamed the United States for previous failed negotiations, reported on Tuesday that Kim returned home after a successful trip to Vietnam. It made no mention of the summit breakdown or any disagreement between the two leaders, in line with its positive coverage last week. LOS ANGELES, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- March 5, Charles Hutter is being presented with the Annual Gilbert W. Speed Award, honoring outstanding leadership and collaboration across the global aerospace and defense supply chain. Mr. Hutter is the fifth winner of the award which was presented today by the Aviation Week Network at its 33rd Annual SpeedNews Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference in Beverly Hills, CA. Charles Hutter has accomplished much through innovation, creating new products, and the businesses to make and sell them. His contributions in aerospace fastening systems and manufacturing processes were preceded by the founding of his own industrial design firm, Physical Systems, where he led several successful research and development projects in the medical, motion picture, industrial, and electronics sectors. Mr. Hutter and his wife, Collie Langworthy Hutter, founded Click Bond in 1987. Over thirty years, he has received over 80 patents worldwide for his adhesive bonded rivetless fastening and derivative technologies and processes. His innovations have earned their way onto the largest and most technically ambitious aerospace and defense (A&D) programs in the world. Click Bonds operations have grown to nearly 500 employees. Headquartered in Carson City, Nevada, Click Bond also has operations in Watertown, Connecticut, and Saltney Wales U.K. Charles passion for general aviation, the aerospace and defense industry, and uniformed military and civilian operations is evident in his work. He served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1966 1969, rising to the rank of Captain. He is an ATP-rated aircraft pilot with over 7,000 flight hours in 20 different models of aircraft. In addition, he and his wife have held leadership positions in several public-service and policy organizations, including the Aerostar Owners Association, Carson City Airport Authority, Aerospace Industries Association, and the National Association of Manufacturers. Gil Speed graciously helped me a number of times over the years with his vast knowledge of the people and activities in the Aerospace Industry with personal introductions he made for me to meet customers and competitors alike, said Charles. Through his SpeedNews presence at international airshows and his companys supplier conferences, Gil was always respected as the gentleman with the latest aviation information. We all miss him and his enormous contributions to our industry. I am honored to receive this years Gilbert W. Speed Award. "Charles has exhibited leadership and innovation on so many fronts during a career that mirrors all of the criteria embodied by the Gil Speed Award," said Greg Hamilton, President of Aviation Week Network. "From his military service with the Wild Weasels in Vietnam, to myriad technological innovations, Charles has made a significant difference in improving the efficiency and reliability of multiple aerospace platforms." The Gilbert W. Speed Award honors the legacy of the man who founded SpeedNews, the aviation industrys newsletter of record, in 1979 and established its annual suppliers Conference in 1987. Mr. Speed, who passed away in January 2014 at age 81, was a well-respected industry partner and touched many lives during his 60+-year tenure in the aviation industry. Previous award winners include David P. Storch, Chairman & CEO of AAR, Scott Smith, President of AMI Metals, Jim Downey, Co-Founder of EnCore Aerospace and Stephen E. Gill, Chairman & CEO of The Gill Corporation. For more information about the Gil Speed Award, visit http://speednews.com/commercial-aviation-industry-suppliers-conference . ABOUT SPEEDNEWS CONFERENCES For 33 years, SpeedNews Conferences have delivered an array of information to the aviation industry that is unmatched in its quality and depth to stakeholders in commercial, defense, business and general aviation, aerospace manufacturing, raw materials, and M&A. SpeedNews Conferences is the world's most prominent developer of aerospace and aviation information sharing events providing global aerospace and aviation leaders, executives, and decision makers with targeted industry information, data, updates, forecasts, and professional networking opportunities. AVIATION WEEK NETWORK Aviation Week Network, an Informa business, is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace, and defense industries, serving 1.7 million professionals around the world. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week Network to help them understand the market, make decisions, predict trends, and connect with people and business opportunities. Customers include the world's leading aerospace manufacturers and suppliers, airlines, airports, business aviation operators, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this worldwide marketplace. Aviation Week Networks portfolio delivers award-winning journalism, data, intelligence and analytical resources, world-class tradeshows and conferences, and results-driven marketing services and advertising. ABOUT INFORMA EXHIBITIONS Informa Exhibitions, the global exhibitions division of Informa PLC, enables communities across the globe to engage, experience and do business by providing them with powerful platforms to connect across key regions and market verticals. Industry insight, coupled with an innovative and customer first approach, provides Informa Exhibitions customers and partners with the opportunity to create business advantage and access markets, both digitally and face-to-face, 365 days of the year. MEDIA CONTACT: Joanna Speed, Managing Director, A&D and SpeedNews Conferences Tel: +1-424-465-6501 Cell: +1-310-893-4004 Fax: +1-913-514-6872 Connect With Us: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn About 7,141 cusecs of water is currently being drained off the dam located in Idukki district of Kerala. Last Thursday, Polish communities celebrated Tusty Czwartek, a sugar-filled feast preceding Lenten lean times. A centerpiece of the Fat Thursday festivities, Paczki is a doughnut lovers' dream: It's a paunchy pastry traditionally laden with jelly, then is either glazed or rolled in powdered sugar. While the feast happened last week, many Polish bakeries will have Paczki for sale during Mardi Gras on Tuesday. A single Paczki is rich and filling enough to make you want a nap immediately afterwards. But if you felt compelled to do a self-guided Paczki walking tour tomorrow, you could definitely do that, especially around New York City's resident Polish enclave, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Here are several spots that we know of that'll be serving a range of sweet Paczki all day long. Syrena Bakery This haunt has scores of bagels, breads, and pastries on any given day. Head there to get your Paczki fix on Tuesday, though, particularly if you're keen on rosehip or prune jelly fillings. If you're feeling something different, they have a vanilla pudding number with chocolate on top. Syrena is at 207 Norman Street, between Russell and Humboldt Streets, in Greenpoint. Northside Bakery Northside Bakery has several locations, but their Greenpoint outpost is located less than a three minute walk away from Syrena, also on Nassau Avenue. If you're lucky, you'll get to sample some Paczki with a custard filling. The customary rose jelly will be available, of course, and the bakery says they'll likely have coconut and chocolate custard available as well. Your best bet is to get there in the morning before they're all gone. Northside has three locations: There's one in Greenpoint and one in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and another in Glendale, Queens. Head over to their website to check out individual locations and hours. Jaslowiczanka Bakery This tiny neighborhood bakery is known for its low prices and no-fuss baked goods. Jaslowiczanka isn't located on one of Greenpoint's main arteries, and it sees a bit less foot traffic than other Polish bakeries in the areawhich may work in your favor if you're trying to get your hands on a gooey Paczki. As one enthusiastic Yelper put it, the rose jam-filled offering is "fluffy, pillowy goodness." Jaslowiczanka is located at 163 Nassau Ave, between Diamond and Newel Streets, in Greenpoint. Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop This beloved Greenpoint go-to will have oodles of Paczki varieties for sale tomorrow: There's raspberry jam with glaze, cinnamon sugar, prune plum with powdered sugar, custard with chocolate on top, and the traditional rendition, which features rose jam with powder and rose jam with glaze. Peter Pan tells Gothamist that they sold out of Paczki very quickly on Fat Thursday, and have tons of orders in already, so get there on the earlier side if you can. Peter Pan is located at 727 Manhattan Ave, between Norman and Meserole Streets, in Greenpoint. East Village Meat Market For a bare-bones and solid rosehip-flavored Paczki, head to the East Village Meat Market. This is a two for one: You can get your pastry, and nibble on something saltier (this is the butcher, after all) if the craving strikes. The East Village Meat Market is located at 139 2nd Ave #1, between East 9th Street and St. Marks Place. JW Real Polish Delicatessen South Brooklyn's JW Real Polish Delicatessen is the place to get bonafide smoked meats and homemade Polish fare. A special kind of Paczki, packed with mixed fruit jelly inside, is on their baked goods roster as well. JW Real Polish Delicatessen is located at 321 Church Avenue, between East 3rd and East 4th Streets, in Kensington, Brooklyn. New Delhi/Islamabad: Islamabad on Tuesday claimed to have detected an Indian submarine in its waters. Pakistan claimed that the Indian submarine returned after being warned, At a time when the border tensions between India and Pakistan are at an all-time high in decades,. It is most pointed out that the development came on a day when Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba warned that there were reports terrorists are undergoing training to carry out attacks through the sea. The warning came weeks after the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 40 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed. Following the February 14 terror attack, the Indian Air Force conducted air strikes in Pakistan on February 26 at a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot. It may be noted that the JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. Admiral Lanba said compared to other countries in the region, India was facing a "far more serious" version of "state-sponsored" terrorism. also read FATF reports reveal major transaction of Pakistan to terror funding.see how large amount transacted However, a day later, Pakistani Air Force jets violated Indian airspace and tried to target military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian Air Force jets thwarted that bid and a MiG-21 Bison downed a Pakistani F-16 jet in a dogfight before itself crash-landing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army before being released two days later. Meanwhile, the Navy Chief today said the Pulwama attack was carried out by terrorists that were "aided by a State" which is seeking to destabilise India. He was addressing a gathering of global experts at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue in New Delhi. The Navy chief said without mentioning Pakistan "We recently saw the horrific scale of the extremist attack in Jammu and Kashmir about three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a State that seeks to destabilise India,". he warned "We have seen how quickly terror groups evolve across the globe. A particular brand of terror can well become a global problem in near future,". It may be recalled that 26/11 Mumbai terror attack in November 2008 was carried out by 10 sea-borne terrorists of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, who had hijacked an Indian fishing vessel to enter Mumbai. also read OIC world wrestling asked all national federations to suspend dealing with India Reigniting longstanding accusations by civil rights activists that minority straphangers are unfairly targeted by the NYPD for fare-beating cases, the Daily News reports that a black New York University professor was issued a summons for fare evasion last month at a Harlem subway station despite, telling officers that the MetroCard machines were broken. The incident occurred at the same subway station where another subway rider had previously claimed he was racially targeted by police, and ultimately wound up filing a lawsuit against the city and NYPD. After following up on both of those cases, the Legal Aid Society is now calling for an investigation of the NYPD for disproportionately policing minority neighborhoods for fare evasion. Terrance Coffie, a former prison inmate who eventually went on to earn a masters degree from NYU and now teaches community policing and discretionary enforcement, was issued a summons on January 11th at the A/C/B/D station at 125th Street. Coffie told the Daily News that he decided to bypass the turnstile only after realizing that the MetroCard machines were not working. He said other morning commuters did the same. After walking through the emergency exit, he was eventually approached by four plainclothes police officers. Upon explaining that the MetroCard machines were broken, he said one of the officers said that the NYPD and MTA were aware of that. "That's when the situation really kicked in," Coffie told the News. "Are you saying to me that you are consciously aware that there is a malfunction, but instead of assisting the patrons, what you chose to do is be in a disclosed location to surveil the situation and issue summonses?" Coffie says he tried to reach for his phone to record the interaction, but was ordered to remove his hands from his pockets and threatened with being handcuffed, according to the Daily News. Roughly two weeks earlier, at the same station, the NYPD mistakenly issued a summons for the same offense against an Asian American man. John Tran went on to appeal the summons at the Transit Adjudication Bureau in Downtown Brooklyn, where the MTAs computer system showed that he had swiped his card two minutes before police officers said they saw him evade the fare. Tran, who was able to record the interaction on video, is currently suing the city, the New York Police Department and the three police officers who falsely accused him of breaking the law, for violating his civil rights with a quota-driven and race-based policing practice. Last month, he told Gothamist that he believed that his predominately black and Hispanic West Harlem neighborhood along with his attire that day, consisting of a beanie, puffy coat, along with sweatpants and sneakers, played a role in how he was treated by police. Tran's attorney, Kathleen Linnane, said she was contacted by the Legal Aid Society regarding her client's case. On February 25th, Legal Aid wrote a letter to the NYPD's Office of Inspector General requesting an investigation into the department's policing strategy and raised the use of fare evasion strike teams," noting Tran's experience at the same subway station. The letter also quotes a reader's comment on the Gothamist story about Tran, which suggests the Metrocard machines have been chronically broken: This is my daily subway stop. Whats particularly infuriating is that for the last 6 months the vending machines have always been malfunctioning: either the touch screens dont work or they wont accept cash or credit card or vice versa. On at least two occasions, Ive had to jump the turnstile or risk being late for work. Linnane said she hopes Legal Aid's call for an investigation draws the attention of Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Its a major issue," she said. "This 1980s style of policing is against the law." The city has yet to respond to Tran's lawsuit. However, a hearing date of April 1st has been set. Under city law, Tran must submit to a deposition, a criminal background check as well as a physical exam. Such requirements seem invasive and unfair in Tran's case, Linnane said. "John was the one racially targeted," she said. "He should not be the one going through this. A Marshall Project investigation co-published with Gothamist last summer found that neighborhoods that are predominately black and Hispanic are often also home to precincts with high arrest rates for turnstile offenses. Arrests for turnstile violations have dropped in recent years, following an announcement by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance that his office would stop prosecuting most fare evasion cases. In 2017, the City Council passed a law requiring the NYPD to release detailed breakdowns of both fare evasion summonses and arrests by race, age and gender for every subway station in the city. But according to Linnane, the NYPD still has not provided full and complete data on summonses and arrests by subway station, including the one where Tran and Coffie were stopped. News UAE Rulers witness the launch of new 50-dirham banknote as part of Golden Jubilee celebrations Sheikh Mansour added, "We see in this issuance that the UAE has entered a new phase in its history and a renewed pledge to continue the process of economic and social growth. This occasion also allowed us to express our appreciation and gratitude to our founding fathers, by issuing a new 50 dirham banknote to celebrate the passing of Fifty years since the establishment of the UAE. The BBVA Foundation's award in the Basic Sciences category has gone in this 11th edition to physicists Charles Kane and Eugene Mele, 'for their discovery of topological insulators, a new class of materials with extraordinary electonic properties' The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Basic Sciences category has gone in this eleventh edition to physicists Charles Kane and Eugene Mele, "for their discovery of topological insulators, a new class of materials with extraordinary electronic properties: (...) they behave as conductors on the surface, but as insulators in the interior," according to the committee's citation. The discovery of topological insulators brought to light new properties of matter that had always been there, but that no one had thought to look for. Shortly after Kane and Mele predicted their existence, in 2005, a multitude of materials were experimentally verified to be insulators of this kind. The study of their properties and potential applications, including the development of tomorrow's quantum computers, is now among the hottest topics in physics research. The "surprising discovery" of topological insulators, has, says the committee, confirmed "the existence of new phases of matter and ways of manipulating their properties. Moreover, the basic principles behind topological insulators have important implications beyond condensed matter physics, for instance in the generation of efficient photonic and electronic devices, or quantum information processing." Inspiration from graphene Charles Kane (Urbana, Illinois, United States, 1963) and Eugene Mele (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 1950) work at the University of Pennsylvania, and are longstanding collaborators. The seed that led to their discovery of topological insulators was the characterization of graphene in 2004 as a single sheet of carbon one atom thick. Mele and Kane realized that graphene had the peculiarity of being neither an electricity conductor nor an insulator. It stood instead "at a critical point between these two states," explained Mele on the phone yesterday after hearing of the award. "We began to study the problem and that led us to the concept of this new insulating phase of matter." The standard wisdom in the physics of the time was that materials had to be one of two types: conducting or insulating. "Metallic materials conduct electricity whereas insulators do not," explains the committee. However "Kane and Mele predicted in 2005 that this simple classification fails for a new class of materials called topological insulators, whose existence was experimentally confirmed soon thereafter." The new laureates postulated in 2006 how a real material might look that fit the definition of a topological insulator. And just one year later, a laboratory came up with a combination of mercury and tellurium that displayed the properties predicted. However it was, like graphene, a one-atom-thick two-dimensional material, making it hard to synthesize. The real boom in the area had to wait until the next decade, and the discovery that 3D topological insulators actually exist in nature; among them cadmium telluride, a crystalline compound used in the manufacture of solar cells. Kane and Mele were the first to express surprise at this new finding: "We initially thought that [topological insulators] could only occur at energy scales too small to be directly useful, but then we discovered one could do this in three-dimensional materials at energy ranges that are routinely accessible," says Mele. "In fact since then we have discovered that this phenomenon is not that rare in nature, it is just that people had not thought to ask the question or look for it before." Robust materials resistant to impurities An essential characteristic of these materials is that their surface conductivity is "fundamentally robust," the committee remarks. What this means in essence is that topological materials are not affected by the presence of the impurities or other perturbations that can alter the performance of conventional conductors. As Kane explains it, "[in topographical insulators] the conducting surface is very special because it cannot be destroyed. It is very robust, so for that reason there may be things you can do with it that you can't do with ordinary conductors. It is a new phase of matter, an insulator that is guaranteed to have this conducting state on its surface, and also it is topological, that is, it can be deformed without losing its conductivity." It is this property that opens the door to improvements in today's electronic devices, enabling, for example, their further miniaturization. In topological insulators, "the flow of electric charge in the surface conductor is more organized than in an ordinary conductor," he adds, "and that might enable a smoother, more efficient flow, without overheating." Yet the most promising applications lie in the future. Guaranteed conductivity, proof against any perturbation, is among the conditions of interest for the development of quantum computers with exponentially more processing power. Applications as yet unimagined For Mele, "the biggest pay-off may be things that we haven't really thought of. We have a new palette of materials and when you hand that to people who are clever they will do clever things with them. If I could travel ahead 50 years in a time machine, I would like to know what kinds of new devices have been developed that are informed by our basic research." Both awardees, however, defend the value of their discovery above and beyond its potential applications: "What drives me is the beauty of what nature can do," says Kane. "Certainly major technical applications could emerge from this, but what fascinates me is discovering what nature can do with these seemingly simple building blocks. This topic arose out of curiosity about how matter could arrange itself. At the time, we had no idea it was going to develop into such a broad enterprise...". "If I had only been willing to do work on things I knew were going to be technologically relevant in the short-term, I never would have discovered topological insulators. What made that possible was the fact of having the opportunity and the luxury of being able to follow my interests and my passion," Kane concludes. Mele shares his view, adding that "what is so nice about this work is that the underlying thinking is very mathematical; elegant, simple and pretty. And that fusion of an underlying mathematical, simple structure and its connection with things that have a real-world technical pay-off is what we are striving for in science." ### Bio notes Charles Kane Charles Kane (Urbana, Illinois, 1963) completed a BS in Physics at the University of Chicago in 1985 and his PhD at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989. After three years working as a postdoctoral associate at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Center in New York, in 1991 he joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania as Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He subsequently rose through the ranks at what would be his academic home to his current position as Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Physics in the School of Arts and Sciences. Kane had around one hundred published papers to his name, twenty-eight of them in collaboration with Eugene Mele, and is a regular speaker at international conferences and congresses. Eugene Mele Eugene Mele (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 1950) completed a BS in Physics at St. Joseph's University (Philadelphia) in 1972 then went on to earn a PhD in the same subject from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1978. One of his first professional posts was as an Associate Scientist at the Xerox Webster Research Center (New York). From 1981 on he has held successive appointments at the University of Pennsylvania (United States): as Assistant Professor from 1981 to 1985; Associate Professor from 1985 to 1989; and as Professor of Physics from 1989 to 2017. In this last year, he took up the position of Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Physics in the same institution's Department of Physics and Astronomy. In the course of his career, he has authored 180 papers in leading scientific journals, and served as a reviewer for publications like Science, Nature, American Journal of Physics and Physical Review Letters. Organizer of numerous symposia, conferences and congresses, in 2001 he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Basic Sciences committee and evaluation support panel The rigor, quality and independence of the judging process have earned these awards the attention of the international scientific community and a firm place among the world's foremost prize families. The committee in this category was chaired by Theodor Hansch, Director of the Division of Laser Spectroscopy at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Germany), and the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Physics, with Ignacio Cirac, Director of the Theory Division at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Germany) acting as secretary. Remaining members were Emmanuel Candes, the Barnum-Simons Chair in Mathematics and Statistics at Stanford University (United States); Nigel Hitchin, Emeritus Savilian Professor of Geometry at the University of Oxford (United Kingdom); Hongkun Park, Mark Hyman Jr. Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics at Harvard University (United States); Martin Quack, Head of the Molecular Kinetics and Spectroscopy Group at ETH Zurich (Switzerland); and Sandip Tiwari, Charles N. Mellowes Professor in Engineering at Cornell University (United States). The BBVA Foundation is aided in the evaluation process by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the country's premier public research organization. The Foundation and CSIC jointly appoint the evaluation support panels charged with undertaking an initial assessment of the candidates proposed by institutions across the world and drawing up a reasoned shortlist for the consideration of the award committees. CSIC is also responsible for designating each committee chair. The evaluation support panel in this category was coordinated by Maria Victoria Moreno, the Council's Deputy Vice President for Scientific and Technical Areas, and formed by: Paloma Adeva, Coordinator of the Material Sciences and Technology Area and Research Professor at the National Center for Metallurgical Research (CENIM); Alberto Casas, Research Professor in the Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT); Marta Fernandez, Scientific Researcher in the Institute for Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP); Jose Manuel Garcia, Coordinator of the Chemical Sciences and Technology Area and Research Professor at the Institute of Chemical Research (IIQ); and Joaquin Perez, Research Professor in the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry (ICP). About the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards The BBVA Foundation centers its activity on the promotion of world-class scientific research and cultural creation, and the encouragement of talent. The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards, established in 2008, recognize and reward contributions of singular impact in science, art and the humanities, privileging achievements that significantly expand the frontiers of the known world, open up new fields, or emerge from the interaction of various disciplinary areas. Their eight categories are congruent with the knowledge map of the 21st century, ranging from basic sciences to key challenges for the natural environment by way of domains at the crossroads of disciplines - Biology and Medicine; Economics, Finance and Management - or the supremely creative realms of music and the opera. The award presentation ceremony moves to Bilbao The annual ceremony of the Frontiers of Knowledge Awards will change venue this year, with the 11th and future editions sited in Bilbao. The presentation event, held until now in the Madrid headquarters of the BBVA Foundation, will take place on 18 June in the Euskalduna Conference Centre, which will also host the previous evening's concert in honor of laureates. The program at this gala concert will be performed by the Orquesta Sinfonica de Euskadi, from now on the principal orchestra associated with the Frontiers Awards. After the first ten years of this international award scheme - with seven laureates subsequently going on to win the Nobel prize - the BBVA Foundation wishes to give new impetus to the social projection of the Frontiers Awards by giving the various formal and celebratory events a stable home in the Basque Country, concretely in Bilbao. By applying gene analysis to individual cells from early mouse embryos, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered previously unknown cellular stages of fetal development from fertilised egg to living being. The study is published in the scientific journal Cell Reports. All over the world, researchers are trying to find all the pieces of the puzzle describing how a fertilised egg develops into a healthy being, in order to gain a detailed understanding of the differentiation process from the totipotent stem cell. This knowledge is essential to understanding the mechanisms behind congenital diseases and fetal malformation, and eventually, how to treat diseases using stem cells. "Being able to follow the differentiation process of every cell is the Holy Grail of developmental biology." says Qiaolin Deng, researcher at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, and Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden. Dr Deng has led the study, which has revealed new details of the critical phase between the attachment of the embryo to the uterus and the formation of the first anatomical axis, at which point the embryonic cells begin their journey towards creating a body, with a front and a back. "It's a critical period when the whole anatomical plane is created," she says. "If it doesn't go smoothly, it can cause fetal malformation or death." However, the developmental states of the cells that take part in the process is not always the same. In order to map what happens in individual cells, the researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing on a total of 1,724 cells from 28 mouse embryos in four early stages of development (5.25 to 6.5 days old). An average of 8,577 genes were expressed in each cell. Using bioinformatic analysis, the cells were then sorted into different cell types on the basis of which genes were active or inactive, allowing the researchers to see the order in which the genes were switched on. The result was a molecular road-map of the events that control cell differentiation. "The study has revealed previously unknown details about what happens before the early embryo gains its first spatial orientation, and shown that the cells along the future head-tail axis have different differentiation potential," says Dr Deng. At the same time as the anatomical axis starts to form, another process gets underway in the female embryo, which contains two X chromosomes, one from each biological parent. Previous studies on mice have shown that the paternal X chromosome is first switched off completely in the embryo so that female embryos do not have twice the genetic activity as male. The paternal X chromosome copy remains switched off in the cells that form the placenta and the yolk sack, but is reactivated in the embryo's cells. Then a random inactivation of the maternal or paternal X chromosome occurs. Female embryos therefore comprise a "mosaic" of cells, in which either the maternal or paternal X chromosome is active. The new study shows that the first inactivation of the paternal X copy does not happen to the extent previously believed. "What's interesting, molecule-wise, is that the paternal X chromosomes that are reactivated never have been completely switched off. The random inactivation also takes place at different rates in the embryo's cells." The results of the study shed new light on the early development of the embryo in animals, humans included. "Knowledge of the events and factors that govern the development of the early embryo is indispensable for understanding miscarriages and congenital disease," says Dr Deng. "Around three in every 100 babies are born with fetal malformation caused by faulty cellular differentiation." ### The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Tech University, Tongji University (Shanghai) and the University of Sydney (Australia). It was financed with grants from the Swedish Research Council, SSMF, the Ake Wiberg foundation, the KID foundation, KI faculty-funded career grant and the Jeansson foundation. Publication: "Single-cell RNA-seq reveals cellular heterogeneity of pluripotency transition and X-chromosome dynamics during early mouse development". Shangli Cheng, Yu Pei, Liqun He, Guangdun Peng, Bjorn Reinius, Patrick P L Tam, Naihe Jing, Qiaolin Deng. Cell Reports, online 5 March 2019. March 5, 2019, BOSTON--NEHI (The Network for Excellence in Health Innovation) released a white paper today recommending that Massachusetts health care payers, providers, and the state's biopharma industry come together in collaboration to address the unique payment and insurance coverage challenges raised by very highly innovative, "next generation" therapies. A growing number of highly innovative new therapies are reaching the health care market that are notable both for the unprecedented benefits they may confer on patients and for the challenge they pose to conventional methods of evaluation, payment and cost management of new pharmaceuticals. The NEHI white paper urges early assessment of trends in the drug development pipeline to identify needed changes in coverage and payment policies and identifies five principles of cross-industry collaboration that should shape new policies. "Massachusetts continues to play a leading role in health care reform and the drive to assure every citizen's access to affordable health care," said NEHI Executive Chair Wendy Everett. "We also have a front row seat on the global revolution in biology as many of the most promising new therapies have their roots in the Commonwealth's laboratories and biopharmaceutical companies. Together we are facing difficult issues, but we have the talent, ability and commitment to harmonize our leadership on health care access with our leadership in medical innovation." NEHI's recommendations are an outgrowth of discussions it generated among its member organizations in the health insurance, health care provider, patient advocate and life science sectors. The recommendations focus specifically on newly-approved therapies that can be characterized by these attributes: They employ an expanding number of scientific approaches to diagnose and treat disease, including various types of gene therapy, cell therapy, immunotherapy and other highly-innovative treatment approaches now in development. They are approved by the FDA to meet significant unmet medical needs or as promising significant improvements in patient health over current standards of care. Many are approved through the FDA's pathways for accelerated review, and may be approved based on novel clinical trials, evaluated against novel endpoints (such as surrogate endpoints). Dr. Everett added, "Therapies are emerging that cure previously untreatable diseases among some people, while other therapies are reducing disabilities among patients who previously had few effective treatment options. But we are also experiencing complex issues such as therapies that work in some patients but not in others and therapies that impose significant, one-time costs on a health plan for a patient who may move on to another health plan in a few months. All while we continue to work to ensure affordable health insurance and care for every resident of Massachusetts." The NEHI white paper recommends that payers, providers, patient groups and biopharmaceutical firms in the state engage in "horizon-scanning" processes to assess the implications of new drug development in a high-priority field such as oncology. The objectives of the horizon scans will be to anticipate therapeutic trends that may have a major impact on the health care system once new therapies are approved by the FDA; to gauge the accumulating impact on health care spending as the number of next generation therapies (many of them highly-personalized or used among small numbers of patients) grows over time; and to identify the need for new policies on coverage and reimbursement that ensures both patient access to new therapies and sustainable overall health care spending. The white paper also recommends five guiding principles for collaboration among pharmaceutical manufacturers, providers and payers in the Commonwealth: Agreement in principle to link manufacturer reimbursement to demonstrations of lasting (durable) benefits among patients. Agreement in principle to expand reimbursement of physician-administered drugs to include direct contracting between payers and manufacturers, complemented by new methods for fair reimbursement of providers who must incur new costs for facilities and personnel in administering some next generation therapies. New collaboration among the state's payers, providers and biopharmaceutical manufacturers to create standard templates for alternative contracting, such as outcomes-based pharmaceutical contracting. Greater engagement among all parties to measure the total costs and benefits that may accrue from use of next generation therapies. These may include non-pharmaceutical costs, such as medical services needed to support a new therapy, or conversely, the elimination of lifelong medical costs if a patient is cured from a previously incurable condition. New engagement on alternative policies on reinsurance and risk adjustment that may support the highest and best use of next generation therapies, recognizing longer-term costs and benefits. Dr. Everett, who recently stepped down as the first Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, concluded, "We are urging all stakeholders and the state's policymakers to obtain a more sophisticated understanding of the incredibly diverse array of next generation therapies now arriving, and to take action to assure patient access, affordability and sustained innovation in the Commonwealth." "We are fortunate that we have such valuable and talented innovators in our universities, life sciences industry, and health plans who are working on this complex set of issues. This work ultimately needs to be encouraged and expanded to encompass the entire array of new treatments we are likely to see over the next decade." ### Read the full report at https://www.nehi.net/publications/83-next-generation-therapies-in-massachusetts-new-solutions-for-coverage-and-payment/view. MISSOULA - In a recent study, University of Montana researchers explored the ways forest succession and climate variability interacted and influenced fires in Alaska's boreal forests over the past four centuries - from 1550 to 2015. "We reconstructed fire activity over the last 450 years using lake-sediment records," said Tyler Hoecker, the study's lead author. As part of his master's thesis work in the Systems Ecology program in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Hoecker collected lake-sediment cores near the Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge in central Alaska, a fire-prone area that also has many lakes. "Charcoal produced by fires is blown into lakes and settles to the bottom, forming a stable record of the fire history in the layers of sediment, much like fire scars on tree rings," Hoecker said. "By carefully measuring changes in charcoal through time, we deduced changes in fire activity. We paired fire history records from seven lakes with records of tree ages and a record of climate. Then, we compared these records, looking for patterns in how the processes interacted." Hoecker and co-author Phil Higuera, an associate professor of fire ecology in UM's Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, found that years of extensive fire activity usually occurred several decades after trees established, suggesting that the development of mature forest across the study landscape was necessary to support widespread burning. They also saw that there was more fire activity in years when temperatures were higher, especially over the past 100 years. "In the 20th century, fires and temperatures both increased significantly, beyond what either had been at any earlier point in our 450-year record," Hoecker said. "This indicates that fires are happening more frequently than they have for many centuries and could cause big changes in the character of forests in Alaska." Boreal forests cover over 10 percent of the Earth's land area, and because they store massive amounts of carbon, both above and below ground, they are partly responsible for regulating Earth's climate. While wildfires have burned in boreal forests for millennia, changes in fire activity could alter the way these forests affect regional and global climates, the researchers said. "Understanding how slowly varying processes like succession and climate affect fire activity is difficult to do in a single human lifetime," Higuera said. "Paleoecological records, like the lake sediments used in this study, extend the window of observation further into the past, allowing scientists to understand long-term change and put ongoing change into context." Hoecker said the paper helps address a number of questions related to the impact of climate change on fire activity. First, it helps tease apart the roles climate and vegetation play. "We found that both were players: Fires require abundant fuel and warm, dry climate years," he said. "But when temperatures really started increasing in the 20th century, fire activity did too. This suggests that climate is a key limiting factor for extensive burning in Alaska's boreal forest." The study also helps place this increase into the broader context of the past. "The increases in fire activity we saw in the 20th century are particularly significant when you compare them to the previous several centuries," Hoecker said. "That longer record suggests that the trajectory of increasing fire activity we are seeing in Alaska may be unprecedented over a very long period." ### Hoecker graduated from UM in 2017 with a master's in systems ecology and is now a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The study, "Forest succession and climate variability interacted to control fire activity over the last four centuries in an Alaskan boreal landscape," was published in the journal Landscape Ecology and is available at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10980-018-00766-8. LAWRENCE -- Can't find your house keys? Frustrated by that sock that seemed to disappear during laundry? Don't feel so bad. It turns out scientists have a hard time detecting some 95 percent of the matter and energy that make up the universe, according to NASA. Indeed, the nature of "dark matter" and "dark energy" might be the most outstanding riddle in science. The presence of dark matter and dark energy has been established in cosmology through gravitational effects on scales from the size of a galaxy to that of the universe. But, neither the Standard Model of physics nor Einstein's General Relativity can account for dark matter and dark energy. According to experts, "beyond the standard model" physics are needed to resolve properties of dark matter and dark energy at the microscopic level. Now, a research team from the University of Kansas has earned a three-year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy EPSCoR State/National Lab Partnership program as well as $150,000 in matching funds from the state of Kansas to hunt new ways to detect and understand dark matter and dark energy. Particle theorists K.C. Kong and Ian Lewis, and astrophysicists and cosmologists Mikhail Medvedev and Sergei Shandarin will partner with scientists at DOE's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory to carry out the investigation. "Most of the universe is a question mark," said Lewis, assistant professor of physics & astronomy at KU. "Two of the biggest puzzles in fundamental physics are dark matter and dark energy -- a whole bunch of matter in the universe we don't understand. These are 'known unknowns,' or big questions out there we know we don't understand, and those are what we are going after." The KU team will work with scientists running supercolliders like the Large Hadron Collider and neutrino detectors at Fermilab, and also generate computer models to guide experiments looking for indications of dark matter and dark energy. "The group is proposing a comprehensive program that includes very sensitive detectors and accelerators, and state-of-the-art numerical simulations in conjunction with a deep understanding of the complex and exotic dark matter possible interactions and dark energy effects," said Hume Feldman, professor and chair of physics & astronomy at KU. "Since there are many possible scenarios involved, it is absolutely necessary to explore a wide variety of cosmic energy scales and intensity frontiers, each sensitive to different possible configurations and scenarios of the dark sector." At Fermilab, KU particle physicists Lewis and Kong will propose new ways to search for dark matter using instruments designed to measure neutrinos, subatomic particles with almost no mass. "Experimentalists will hopefully perform these searches," Lewis said. The KU physicist said equipment designed to look for neutrinos is well-suited to look for dark matter as well. "Neutrinos are very weak interacting particles, and their experiments are built to see these rare events anyway, and you could look for dark matter events with those same experiments," he said. "We'll use the same detectors, but try to find a new way to use them. One idea of using the neutrino detectors is that some dark matter could accumulate in the sun and it could annihilate itself into different forms of dark matter that comes streaming out of the sun -- and hopefully, you could see that with a neutrino detector." In the meantime, Medvedev and Shandarin will partner with Argonne National Laboratory on computer simulations of the cosmos, called "N-body simulations," to model astrophysical forces under a variety of dark-matter scenarios. The project, which builds on expertise and strengths in KU's Department of Physics & Astronomy, could push forward scientific understanding of the fundamental makeup of the cosmos. "I'm describing it as theoretical physics phenomenology," Lewis said. "My colleague K.C. Kong and I were interested in seeing how beyond-standard-model physics could show up in experimental data, and what could that tell us about fundamental problems like dark matter. We're trying to bridge pie-in-the-sky theory with actual experiments, we're kind of experts on that. Medvedev and Shandarin are experts in things like the cosmic web and space physics and what you can do with dark energy." Along with the investigation carried out with the KU faculty researchers, the new grant will provide funds for graduate and undergraduate KU students and postdoctoral researchers to study dark matter and dark energy. "We're budgeted for graduate students and postdocs in the DOE-EPSCoR grant," Lewis said. "There are also matching funds from the state of Kansas, including additional funding for graduate and undergraduate students. We also support their travel to Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory to work with our lab partners." ### PITTSBURGH, March 4 - Pancreatic cancer is a grim diagnosis, with a five-year survival rate of less than 9 percent. To improve those odds, researchers at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine sought genetic signatures in the largest study of its kind that could be used to better match drugs to patients and for early detection. The study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, involved sifting through the genomes of thousands of tumors, sampled from all over the world. In 17 percent of cases, there was a genetic flag that indicated the tumor should be susceptible to existing chemotherapy drugs. The researchers also found supporting evidence for heritable genes, including some in the BRCA family associated with breast cancer, that can predispose whole families toward pancreatic cancer. "People have been looking for such markers for a long time, and our study shows that it's possible to break pancreatic cancer patients into different treatment buckets," said senior author Nathan Bahary, M.D., Ph.D., oncologist at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and associate professor of medicine at Pitt. One reason why pancreatic cancer is so deadly is that the majority of patients often are identified late in their disease course and frequently present with inoperable tumors at the time of diagnosis. For some of these patients, it may be possible to shrink the tumor with existing chemotherapy drugs, but in a disease where 75 percent of patients die within a year of diagnosis, time is of the essence, and unfortunately, there's no way to know in advance which patients will respond to which drugs. "Every pancreatic cancer is different, and performing molecular profiling of each patient's tumor could help determine the best treatment options," said lead author Aatur Singhi, M.D., Ph.D., surgical pathologist at UPMC and assistant professor of pathology at Pitt. "Rather than blindly giving patients the same chemotherapy, we want to tailor a patient's chemo to their tumor type. A one-size-fits-all approach isn't going to work. Therefore, we would like to make molecular profiling standard-of-care for patients with pancreatic cancer." Singhi and Bahary's study characterized the genome of 3,594 pancreatic tumor samples from patients around the world, provided by collaborators at Foundation Medicine. "We believe that this is the largest study in pancreatic cancer conducted using comprehensive genomic profiling to identify a broad set of genomic alterations, and ultimately, therapeutic targets, in this difficult-to-treat disease," said Siraj Ali, M.D., Ph.D., senior director of clinical development at Foundation Medicine. Besides shrinking tumors with personalized chemotherapy, another way to increase pancreatic cancer survival rates is through increased pancreatic cysts screening, Singhi said, but the problem is that pancreatic cysts are incredibly common, and not all lead to cancer. Previously, Singhi and colleagues developed a clinical molecular test known as PancreaSeq to evaluate common pancreatic cysts and identify which cases may progress to cancer. Now Singhi and Bahary's newly discovered biomarkers can be added to the PancreaSeq platform, already being used by several institutions, including UPMC. ### Additional authors on the study include Ben George, M.D., from the Medical College of Wisconsin; Joel Greenbowe, Ph.D., Jon Chung, Ph.D., James Suh, M.D., Alexa Schrock, Ph.D., Vincent Miller, M.D., Jeffrey Ross, M.D., and Siraj Ali, M.D., Ph.D., from Foundation Medicine Inc.; Anirban Maitra, M.B.B.S., and Javle Milind, M.D., from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Samuel Klempner, M.D., and Andrew Hendifar, M.D., from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Talia Golan, M.D., from Tel Aviv University; and Randall Brand, M.D., Amer Zureikat, M.D., and Somak Roy, M.D., from UPMC and Pitt. This research was funded by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the National Pancreas Foundation and the Sky Foundation. To read this release online or share it, visit http://www.upmc.com/media/news/030419-pancreatic-cancer-genomics [when embargo lifts]. Contact: Erin Hare Office: 412-864-7194 Mobile: 412-738-1097 E-mail: HareE@upmc.edu Contact: Cyndy Patton Office: 412-586-9773 Mobile: 412-415-6085 E-mail: PattonC4@upmc.edu About UPMC A $19 billion world-renowned health care provider and insurer, Pittsburgh-based UPMC is inventing new models of patient-centered, cost-effective, accountable care. UPMC provides more than $900 million a year in benefits to its communities, including more care to the region's most vulnerable citizens than any other health care institution. The largest nongovernmental employer in Pennsylvania, UPMC integrates 87,000 employees, 40 hospitals, 700 doctors' offices and outpatient sites, and a 3.5 million-member Insurance Services Division, the largest medical insurer in western Pennsylvania. As UPMC works in close collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside on its annual Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals. UPMC Enterprises functions as the innovation and commercialization arm of UPMC, and UPMC International provides hands-on health care and management services with partners around the world. For more information, go to UPMC.com. About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998. In rankings recently released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt ranked fifth among all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support. Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see http://www.medschool.pitt.edu. http://www.upmc.com/media The Charles Koch Foundation's grant to the USC Dornsife Korean Studies Institute will help expand research opportunities for scholars in Korean, international studies USC Dornsife's Korean Studies Institute (KSI) announced today a new interdisciplinary predoctoral exchange that builds on the university's emerging position as a global leader in American international relations focused on East Asia. KSI will offer a year-long program to young scholars working to earn their Ph.D.s in fields such as international relations and history at colleges and universities across the country. The initiative expands USC Dornsife's already vibrant mentorship program, where a wide variety of graduate students from across the social sciences and humanities focus on US-East Asia relations. The expansion is made possible by a $1.2 million grant from the Charles Koch Foundation. "This grant will provide valuable support to our tremendous group of scholars working on issues related to the Pacific Rim, said Andrew Lakoff, Divisional Dean of Social Sciences for USC Dornsife. "We are confident that this initiative and the research undertaken at KSI will have a direct and important impact on US-East Asian relations and will enable the program to grow to meet the need for new answers that address emerging challenges." The initiative will be headed by KSI Director and social scientist David Kang, in collaboration with Jonathan Markowitz, an assistant professor in the USC Dornsife School of International Relations. Each annual cohort will have the opportunity to regularly interact about research and scholarship and will receive mentoring on professionalization and public engagement. The program will host conferences, workshops and other similar programmatic activities related to the mission of the center and scope of the grant. In addition, KSI will organize and host a set of academic talks designed to publicize the center's research. "The program is poised to become one of the leading sources of insight about the US-East Asia and US-Korean relations," said Kang, the Maria Crutcher Professor of International Relations, Business, and East Asian Languages and Cultures. "It's innovative and badly needed, so we are tremendously grateful to the Charles Koch Foundation for its support. As the security environment for the United States and East Asia continues to change, we need to develop and nurture scholars who have deep knowledge of the region and who care about policy issues." The Charles Koch Foundation supports research and educational programs in areas such as criminal justice and policing reform, free expression, foreign policy, economic opportunity and innovation. The Foundation supports more than 300 colleges and universities across the country, including UCLA, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and Notre Dame. "The national conversation on foreign policy benefits when additional scholars from diverse disciplines engage," said Charles Koch Foundation Executive Vice President Ryan Stowers. "We're excited to continue supporting USC's Korean Studies Institute as its researchers enhance understanding of the security environment with East Asia and expand opportunities for others to contribute." Kang, who has been at USC Dornsife since 2009, studies East Asian security with a particular emphasis on the Korean peninsula. For the decade prior, he taught at Dartmouth and the Tuck School of Business. He has written on the economic development of Korea and the Philippines, the international relations of historical East Asia, North Korea. His most recent book is American Grand Strategy and East Asian Security in the 21st Century. Earlier grants to Kang have included funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Korea Foundation and the Academy of Korean Studies. Jonathan Markowitz is a leading authority on resource competition and has researched extensively territorial disputes in the South China Seas and emerging competition over the Arctic Ocean. He is finishing a book entitled the Perils of Plenty: Arctic Resource Competition and the Return of the Great Game. ### Additional private support will be needed to sustain the predoctoral program in US-Asia relations. For more information, please contact Associate Director Gloria Koo at gloriako@usc.edu or (213) 740-0005. TAMPA, Fla. (March 5, 2019)- More than 50 children died in hot cars in 2018, making it the deadliest year on record. Many of the cases involve parents who unknowingly left a child behind, often for an entire day. University of South Florida Psychology Professor David Diamond has studied this phenomenon for over a decade and has served as an expert witness on many high-profile cases. In his latest publication, he describes the psychological and neural basis of how responsible people make such fatal errors. His study, published in Medicine, Science and the Law, explains how the brain can fail to remember to do something in the future (prospective memory). Examples of prospective memory are remembering to call a friend after lunch or to stop at the store on the way home from work, as well as prospective memory errors which result in a loss of life, in airplane crashes and when children are forgotten in cars. Diamond described how the frontal and parietal cortices allow us to use stored information to make a plan and then to execute that plan in the future. The hippocampus is critical for consciously remembering to retrieve the memory and that the task was completed. The basal ganglia enable us to go into an "autopilot" mode, in which we follow a well-traveled route, but in the process, lose awareness of the plan to take the child to daycare. According to Diamond, as someone goes into an 'autopilot' mode, habitual behavior, such as getting ready for work and driving directly to the office on a typical day, can cause a parent to lose awareness of the child in the car. Extensive research has shown that competing factors can cause the execution of a plan to fail rapidly, even in a matter of seconds. Examples of factors that cause prospective memory to fail include stress, a disrupting phone call, and sleep deprivation. A lack of visual or verbal reminders, like a sleeping child or a misplaced diaper bag, increases the chances for a person to lose awareness of the child in the back of a car. Diamond's study also included research on false memories, in which people create strong memories of events that were implied but did not happen. In the cases he has handled, the brain somehow creates the false memory that the parents had dropped off their children, as planned, at daycare. Diamond recalls the horror conveyed by the parents he has interviewed - 'they return to their car with the plan to pick their child up at daycare, only to find the child had suffered from heatstroke during the day.' Many of the parents that forget children in cars have been charged with manslaughter, and even murder. Diamond has worked with defense attorneys and legal scholars to address the legal ramifications for child deaths in hot cars. His study included a review of an absence of mens rea, in which harm caused by an individual without intent or awareness, should negate prosecution of cases where parents and caretakers unknowingly and unintentionally leave a child in a car. That's because neuroscience research confirms that when brain systems compete the subconscious (habit) neural system can overpower the conscious mind when it comes to maintaining awareness of a sleeping child in the back of a car. "The brain memory systems that fail when people forget children in cars are the same as those systems that cause us to forget to shut off the headlights when we arrive at a destination," said Diamond. "Just as auto manufacturers have built-in systems that shut off headlights, we must have built-in systems that detect a forgotten child in a car." Many efforts are underway to find a solution, such as proposed federal legislation that requires vehicles to alert drivers when a child is left in the car. ### Mechanics, landscapers, computer technicians, electricians, engineers, and so many more. These are the numerous professionals who work behind-the-scenes to keep society running smoothly. Often, these roles go unnoticed. Lee Vinsel wants to change that. Vinsel, an assistant professor in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at Virginia Tech, has been studying the importance of the maintainers of society since he was a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University. He became fascinated with the people who regulate the automobile industry and conduct tests to determine whether vehicles are safe to drive. Recently, Vinsel and a collaborator at SUNY Polytechnic University received a grant that they expect will pave the way for conversations between leaders of various organizations and the maintainers who work for them. Vinsel and Andrew Russell, who is dean of arts and sciences at SUNY Polytechnic University, received $189,193 from the Alfred Sloan Foundation to address the chronic neglect of maintenance. The funding will help Vinsel and Russell connect scholars, researchers, and maintenance professionals from many industries, discussing ways that leaders can better manage organizations to recognize the maintainers. They are working with Educopia Institute, a nonprofit that cultivates conversations with cultural, scientific, and scholarly institutions. "How do you make sure that the people taking care of things are recognized?" Vinsel asked. "It's about changing leadership and the way that we lead and manage organizations." Vinsel and Russell's insight and research have been recognized around the world, thanks to a global interdisciplinary research network that they created -- The Maintainers. The two often speak on the topic at conferences, and they have written columns published in major news outlets, including a popular New York Times piece, "Let's get excited about maintenance." They also are co-writing a book called "Innovation Delusion," which tells the story of maintainers' struggles and explains why innovation is overvalued and maintenance work is not recognized as essential. It likely will be published next year. Vinsel, who teaches courses at Virginia Tech about innovation and maintenance, said he wants students to understand that maintainers' jobs are important. After all, 70 percent of engineers monitor systems as a daily part of their work, he said. "Humans have a need for recognition," he said. "We are trying to improve the lives of maintainers." ### An English bibliotaph of fifty years residence in Wales pontificates about politics (slightly off-message), films and trivia. Acting secretary of Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats. Candidate for Neath in the Westminster elections of 1997 & 2017 and the Welsh general election of 2016. By Lawrence White LONDON (Reuters) - Top Barclays executives worried that investors in the bank's 2008 emergency fundraising would go "nuts" if Qatar was given a better deal unfairly, a London court heard on Monday. Richard Boath, one of four former Barclays bosses on trial over fraud charges, told the bank's former Middle East head Roger Jenkins that they had to be careful to ensure the legality of a plan to pay Qatar extra fees it was demanding in the form of a separate advisory agreement. "We can't do a capital markets transaction in which we give one set of fees to one set of investors, and a different set of economics for another set of investors because if they found out they'd go nuts," Boath said he told Jenkins in a recording of a 2014 interview with Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) played to the jury. An unfairly preferential deal could also have risked trouble for the executives who planned it, Boath said he told Jenkins. "He said well fuck that I am not taking a hit to save John and Bob's jobs," Boath reported Jenkins as replying, referring to Barclays' former chief executive John Varley and former investment banking chief Bob Diamond. The SFO contends that Boath, Jenkins, Varley and former head of wealth management Tom Kalaris misled shareholders and other investors by not disclosing that Barclays paid an extra 322 million pounds ($424 million) to Qatar through so-called "advisory service agreements" (ASAs) at the height of the credit crisis. All four men, the most senior to face a criminal trial over crisis-era conduct, deny wrongdoing. Qatar has not been accused of any misconduct. Diamond is not involved in the trial. The agreements were entirely legal and authorized by the bank's internal and external lawyers, board and compliance department, Kalaris said last week in a prepared statement read out to the jury by prosecutors. Boath likewise on Monday said in recorded statements played to jurors that, after raising concerns about the ASAs, he became comfortable that they were legal and approved by the relevant authorities within the bank. The prosecution alleges that concerns about the deal expressed by the defendants show they thought or knew what they were doing was wrong. Whereas the bankers say it just shows they were being careful to remain within the rules. China Development bank and Singapore's Temasek were among the other investors in the eventual deals in 2008 that meant Barclays avoided a state bailout, unlike rivals Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland. The trial continues this week. (Reporting by Lawrence White; Editing by Mark Potter) (Bloomberg) -- Its watching, and knows a crime is about to take place before it happens. Vaak, a Japanese startup, has developed artificial intelligence software that hunts for potential shoplifters, using footage from security cameras for fidgeting, restlessness and other potentially suspicious body language. While AI is usually envisioned as a smart personal assistant or self-driving car, it turns out the technology is pretty good at spotting nefarious behavior. Like a scene out of the movie Minority Report, algorithms analyze security-camera footage and alert staff about potential thieves via a smartphone app. The goal is prevention; if the target is approached and asked if they need help, theres a good chance the theft never happens. Vaak made headlines last year when it helped to nab a shoplifter at a convenience store in Yokohama. Vaak had set up its software in the shop as a test case, which picked up on previously undetected shoplifting activity. The perpetrator was arrested a few days later. I thought then, Ah, at last! said Vaak founder Ryo Tanaka, 30. We took an important step closer to a society where crime can be prevented with AI. Shoplifting cost the global retail industry about $34 billion in lost sales in 2017 the biggest source of shrinkage, according to a report from Tyco Retail Solutions. While that amounts to approximately 2 percent of revenue, it can make a huge difference in an industry known for razor-thin margins. The opportunity is huge. Retailers are projected to invest $200 billion in new technology this year, according to Gartner Inc., as they become more open to embracing technology to meet consumer needs, as well as improve bottom lines. If we go into many retailers whether in the U.S. or U.K., there are very often going to be CCTV cameras or some form of cameras within the store operation, said Thomas OConnor, a retail analyst at Gartner. Thats being leveraged by linking it to an analytics tool, which can then do the actual analysis in a more efficient and effective way. Story continues Because it involves security, retailers have asked AI-software suppliers such as Vaak and London-based Third Eye not to disclose their use of the anti-shoplifting systems. Its safe to assume, however, that several big-name store chains in Japan have deployed the technology in some form or another. Vaak has met with or been approached by the biggest publicly traded convenience-store and drugstore chains in Japan, according to Tanaka. Big retailers have already been adopting AI technology to help them do business. Apart from inventory management, delivery optimization and other enterprise needs, AI algorithms run customer-support chatbots on websites. Image and video analysis is also being deployed, such as Amazon.com Inc.s Echo Look, which gives users fashion advice. Were still just discovering all the market potential, Tanaka said. We want to keep expanding the scope of the company. Founded in 2017, Vaak is currently testing in a few dozen stores in the Tokyo area. The company began selling a market-ready version of its shoplifting-detection software this month, and is aiming to be in 100,000 stores across Japan in three years. It has 50 million yen ($450,000) in funding from SoftBank Group Corp.s AI fund, and is in the middle of its series A round, seeking to raise 1 billion yen. What makes AI-based shoplifting detection a straightforward proposition is the fact that most of the hardware security cameras is usually already in place. Essentially this is using something thats been underutilized for decades, said Vera Merkatz, business development manager at Third Eye. Founded in 2016, the startup offers services similar to Vaak in the U.K. market, where it has a deal with a major grocery chain. Third Eye is looking to expand into Europe. The ability to detect and analyze unusual human behavior also has other applications. Vaak is developing a video-based self-checkout system, and wants to use the videos to collect information on how consumers interact with items in the store to help shops display products more effectively. Beyond retail, Tanaka envisions using the video software in public spaces and train platforms to detect suspicious behavior or suicide jumpers. At Third Eye, Merkatz said shes been approached by security management companies looking to leverage their AI technology. The potential is broad since it can be applied outside of shoplifting prevention and outside of retail such as with manufacturing or other types of marketing, said Hiroaki Ando, a retail consultant at Ernst & Young Advisory & Consulting Co. in Tokyo. (Edits throughout, adds subheads.) To contact the reporters on this story: Lisa Du in Tokyo at ldu31@bloomberg.net;Ayaka Maki in Tokyo at amaki8@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: K. Oanh Ha at oha3@bloomberg.net, Reed Stevenson, Jeff Sutherland For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. BOSTON, March 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Block & Leviton LLP ( www.blockesq.com ), a securities litigation firm representing investors nationwide, is investigating whether CenturyLink, Inc. (CenturyLink or the Company) (CTL) and certain of its officers and directors violated federal securities laws. On March 4, 2019, CenturyLink asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to extend the deadline for filing its 2018 annual report. CenturyLink stated that the reason for the delay in filing was due to a "material weakness" it found in internal controls linked to recording revenue at Colorado-based Level 3 Communications, which it purchased for around $34 billion in 2017. CenturyLink also stated that there were problems with measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities. On this news, CenturyLink shares fell more than 7% in intraday trading. If you have purchased or otherwise acquired CenturyLink securities and have questions about your legal rights, or possess information relevant to this investigation, you are encouraged to contact attorney Dan DeMaria at (888) 868-2385, by email at dan@blockesq.com , or by visiting http://shareholder.law/cases/?case=centurylink . Block & Leviton LLP was recently ranked 4th among securities litigation firms by ISS for recoveries in 2017. The firm represents many of the nation's largest institutional investors and numerous individual investors in securities litigation throughout the country. Indeed, its lawyers have recovered billions of dollars for its clients. This notice may constitute attorney advertising. CONTACT: (Adds reaction from the International Crisis Group, former Canadian ambassador to China) By Ben Blanchard BEIJING, March 4 (Reuters) - China on Monday accused detained Canadian citizen Michael Kovrig of stealing state secrets which were passed on to him from another detained Canadian, Michael Spavor, in what is likely to increase tension between Ottawa and Beijing. Businessman Spavor, who worked with North Korea, and former diplomat Kovrig were picked up in December, shortly after Canada arrested Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who faces extradition to the United States. China has repeatedly demanded Meng be released, and reacted angrily last week when Ottawa approved extradition proceedings against her. The Communist Party's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission said Kovrig had often entered China using an ordinary passport and business visas, "stealing and spying on sensitive Chinese information and intelligence via a contact in China". "Spavor was Kovrig's main contact and provided him with intelligence," the commission added, without giving details. Kovrig - who works for the International Crisis Group (ICG) non-governmental organisation - severely violated Chinese laws, and China will start the next judicial proceedings in due course, it said. "China is a country with rule of law and will firmly crack down on criminal acts that severely undermine national security." Canada's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The ICG, which focuses on conflict resolution and has denied any involvement in espionage, said it had heard nothing official about any charges. "Michael's work for Crisis Group has been entirely transparent and in the open," spokesman Karim Lebhour said. "Vague and unsubstantiated accusations against him are unwarranted and unfair." While Canada says China has made no specific link between the detentions and Meng's arrest, experts and former diplomats say they have no doubt it is using the cases of the two men to pressure Canada. Story continues Canadian diplomats have visited the two men. However, sources familiar with the case have said Kovrig has not been allowed access to lawyers or family members, unlike Huawei's Meng. David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said the detainees would come under increased pressure to talk about people they had met. "They'll be told that if they confess to something they may be able to expect a degree of leniency," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "They'll also probably be asked to see if they can put pressure on Canadian officials who visit them to see if they can secure the release of Ms Meng." China has said it is fully guaranteeing both men's lawful rights. Kovrig also holds Hungarian citizenship. Canada arrested Meng on Dec. 1 as she was changing planes in Vancouver, at the request of the United States. In late January the U.S. Justice Department charged Meng and Huawei with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran. She is free on bail and denies the charges against her. Separately, Huawei plans to announce a lawsuit against the U.S. government on Thursday on grounds related to a defense bill, a source with knowledge of the matter said. (Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa and Sijia Jiang in Hong Kong) Ediding by Robert Birsel) China on Tuesday set its 2019 defense spending at 7.5 percent higher than a year ago or 1.19 trillion yuan ($177.61 billion). That's lower than the 8.1 percent growth in 2018 and far below double-digit increases of previous years though analysts have long questioned how accurately the budget reflects actual spending. But slower growth in defense spending doesn't mean ongoing military tensions with the U.S. have ceased, warned Timothy Heath, senior international defense researcher at U.S. think tank Rand Corporation. China announced Tuesday that military spending will grow at a slower pace than last year, but one analyst cautioned that it should not be interpreted to mean that military tensions with the United States will ease. At its annual parliamentary meeting, the National People's Congress, Beijing set its 2019 defense spending at 7.5 percent higher than a year ago or 1.19 trillion yuan ($177.61 billion) . That's lower than the 8.1 percent growth in 2018 and far below double-digit increases of previous years though analysts have long questioned how accurately the budget reflects actual spending. Military tensions between the U.S. and China have been on the rise in recent years as Beijing takes a more assertive stance on territorial claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea, as well as over Taiwan a self-ruled territory which Beijing claims as its own. But slower growth in defense spending doesn't mean tensions with Washington have ceased, warned Timothy Heath, senior international defense researcher at U.S. think tank Rand Corporation. In fact, the stated amount is less important than what it's used for, Heath told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. Claims over South China Sea China's military budget is closely watched for hints on its strategic intent in the region and beyond. "We will implement the military strategy for the new era, strengthen military training under combat conditions, and firmly protect China's sovereignty, security and development interests," Premier Li Keqiang told parliament Tuesday. Story continues The build-up of China's military capabilities has long rattled its neighbors. To counter Beijing's rising military might in the region, Washington has tens of thousands of troops stationed in its military bases in Japan and South Korea. The U.S. Navy has also sailed war ships through the Taiwan Strait, and near fortified Chinese-controlled islands and reefs in the South China Sea in a bid to show support for the right of freedom of navigation in international waters. China strongly criticizes those operations. Heath said this year's military budget will likely be aimed at increasing the capability of China's military to "challenge U.S. power in Asia." "So what this will mean in practice is, you're going to have a (Chinese military) with more lethal weaponry, greater ability to operate as a joint force and greater reach," Heath said. "And what that will probably do is exacerbate the tensions in the security domain." To put things in perspective, China's military spending pales in comparison to the United States. President Donald Trump is expected to request a budget of about $750 billion for this year. Washington also largely outpaces Beijing in terms of equipment and weapons, such as the number of aircraft carriers but China is keen to close that gap. Heath also noted that China has been stepping up its military ambitions at sea and in cyber and outer space, and the country has been putting more of its resources into those domains. "Undoubtedly some of the spending will be committed towards improving the (military's) offensive and defensive capabilities in the cyber, space and the more conventional domains," he said. Cross-strait tensions China has long sent mixed messages on its military ambitions, saying on the one hand they pose no external threat but vowing repeatedly, in the words of President Xi Jinping , to develop the capability to fight and win wars. Heath said that China has steered its spending to obtain weapons including submarines, aircraft carriers, stealth aircraft and missiles. "These are primarily designed to increase China's capabilities in any contingency regarding Taiwan, (the) South China Sea and East China Sea," he said. Beijing has threatened before to use force against Taiwan if the self-ruled island moves toward formal independence. Dane Chamorro, senior partner at Control Risks in Singapore, said that ensuring some kind of resolution to the issue of Taiwan's status is a key goal for President Xi who wants to cement his status as one of the country's most significant leaders. "I'm not projecting that that means they are going to invade Taiwan," Chamorro said on CNBC's "Capital Connection." "What I'm saying is that he will have to put in some kind of structure or mechanism or trajectory that's irreversible, so that at some point in the future Taiwan comes back to the mainland," Chamorro said. More From CNBC NEW YORK (Reuters) - China's government and its leading smartphone maker Huawei Technologies Ltd on Monday stepped up pressure on U.S. and Canadian governments in a dispute over market access that has ensnared Huawei's CFO, who faces U.S. criminal charges. China on Monday accused a detained Canadian man of stealing trade secrets passed on to him from another detained Canadian, while the telecom gear maker is also preparing a lawsuit against the U.S. government over a law that restricts its market access. They were the latest escalation of an unprecedented crisis for Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker and no. 2 manufacturer of smartphones, as Washington calls on governments around the world to stop using its gear, particularly in 5G networks. China accused detained Canadian citizen Michael Kovrig of stealing state secrets which were passed on to him from another detained Canadian, businessman Michael Spavor, in a move likely to increase tension between Ottawa and Beijing. We are obviously very concerned with this position that China has taken," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said about the accusations on Monday. "Weve been engaging and standing up for the two Canadians who have been arbitrarily detained by China from the very beginning." Spavor, who worked with North Korea, and former diplomat Kovrig were picked up in December, shortly after Canada arrested Huawei Technologies Co Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who faces extradition to the United States. Lawyers for Meng are suing the Canadian government, its border agency and federal police, alleging their client was detained, searched and interrogated for three hours in violation of her constitutional rights. Canada arrested Meng in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, which has charged her with bank and wire fraud to violate American sanctions against Iran by doing business through a subsidiary it tried to hide. Story continues HUAWEI TO SUE In another escalation of the trans-Pacific dispute, Huawei plans to announce a lawsuit against the United States government on Thursday on grounds related to a defense bill, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Huawei will challenge an addition to the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed last year, that controlled U.S. government contracts with Chinese companies and strengthened the role of the panel that reviews foreign investment proposals. Beijing has condemned the NDAA act as targeting China. Trump last year signed the law that limits Huawei and ZTE Corp's access to U.S. government and military contracts. This is part of an all-out U.S. effort on the two companies to close their access to not only the U.S. market, but also major telecoms markets around the world where next-generation, 5G, networks are being designed and built. U.S. lawmakers earlier this year introduced bills that would ban the sale of U.S. chips or other components to Chinese telecommunications companies that violate U.S. sanctions or export control laws. U.S. officials have alleged Chinese telecom manufacturers are producing equipment that allows their government to spy on users abroad, including Western researchers working on leading-edge technologies. Beijing and the Chinese companies have repeatedly denied such claims. Trump is considering declaring a national emergency that would bar U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by Huawei and ZTE, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters in December. The Justice Department has also charged Huawei with stealing robotic technology from T-Mobile US Inc. Trump said in February he may or may not include Huawei and ZTE in the trade deal being negotiated with China. Trump told reporters at the White House that U.S. officials are not talking about dropping charges against Huawei. HUAWEI CFO IN LIMBO Huawei CFO Meng, who is out on bail, is due to appear in a Vancouver court on Wednesday, when a date will be set for her extradition hearing. Ottawa rejects Chinese calls to release Meng, saying it cannot interfere with the judiciary. The Canadian government approved her extradition proceedings on Friday. China, whose relations with Canada have deteriorated badly over the affair, denounced the decision and repeated previous demands for Meng's release. It could be years before Meng is sent to the United States since Canada's slow-moving justice system allows many decisions to be appealed. A final decision will likely come down to the federal justice minister, who will face the choice of angering the United States by rejecting the extradition bid, or China by accepting it. (This story corrects headline to say China has accused Canadian man, not charged him.) (Reporting by David Ljunggren, Ben Blanchard and Sijia Jiang; Writing by Nick Zieminski in New York; Editing by Susan Thomas) SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese stocks surged on Monday, adding to recent gains after reports that Washington and Beijing are close to reaching a deal to end their year-long trade war, and as China prepared for the opening of its annual session of parliament. At the midday break, China's benchmark Shanghai Composite was 2.6 percent higher, breaking through the 3,000-point level to end the morning at 3,073.03 points. The index has gained more than 20 percent so far this year. The blue-chip CSI300 index rose even more, adding 3 percent to 3,862.01 points. In Hong Kong, Chinese H-shares rose 1.88 percent at 11,723.25, while the Hang Seng Index was up 1.16 percent at 29,147.64. The smaller Shenzhen index was up 3.52 percent and the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was higher by 4.71 percent. The rise in the Shanghai Composite follows the strongest weekly gains for the index in more than 4 years last week, powered by expectations for government stimulus and policy support, renewed optimism about U.S.-China trade talks, and the announcement by global index provider MSCI that it will quadruple the weighting of Chinese A-shares in its global benchmarks later this year. Zhang Yanbing, an analyst at Zheshang Securities in Shanghai, said the rally was a continuation of market strength "prompted by the combination of many favourable factors" that have emerged since October of last year. But he said that the news of a possible forthcoming agreement between China and the United States, and the opening of the annual session of China's parliament on March 5 could be seen as specific factors driving gains on Monday. Chinese leaders are expected to set less ambitious targets for economic growth this year, but Premier Li Keqiang's 2019 work report is expected to offer more assurances of Beijing's support for small businesses, and plans to boost domestic demand and safeguard jobs. Adding to hopes that the U.S. and China might be close to ending their trade war, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could reach a formal trade deal at a summit around March 27. That news, and comments from President Trump that a strong dollar was hurting U.S. competitiveness, helped to lift the yuan to 6.688 per U.S. dollar, 0.3 percent firmer than the previous close of 6.7078. (Reporting by Andrew Galbraith; Editing by Sam Holmes) A high-profile tour by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month culminated in multi-billion dollar investment pledges for China, India and Pakistan in sectors including infrastructure and energy along with promises of increased trade and security cooperation. Riyadh is strengthening and diversifying its international relationships based on economic and geopolitical interests, regional experts say. In a post-Khashoggi world, the kingdom is working to ensure it has a range of partnership options at its disposal. Saudi Arabia is aggressively expanding its international relationships, and that will have inevitable consequences for the United States and its influence in the country. A high-profile tour by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month culminated in pledges of $20 billion worth of investment in longtime partner Pakistan, $28 billion in economic accords with China and an open-ended goal to invest $100 billion in India, along with promises of increased trade and security cooperation. In a post-Khashoggi world where Riyadh's longtime bond with its foremost security ally, Washington, faced its biggest crisis in years over human rights issues the kingdom is working to ensure it has a range of options at its disposal. Saudi Arabia also needs a survival strategy: With falling oil prices and a highly fossil-fuel dependent economy, it's racing against the clock to diversify its revenue streams and bolster partnerships with larger powers to secure trade and security alliances. This pursuit is set to continue with help from the U.S., but it will also foster greater engagement with the East both for economic and geopolitically strategic aims. An economic win-win with China Sharply heightened scrutiny and criticism from the West means that "Saudi Arabia needs the buy-in from major Asian economic powers now more than ever," Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, recently wrote in Time Magazine. Story continues Numerous European and American policymakers have sought to blame the crown prince for his alleged role in the October murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a charge the monarchy denies. The governments of Pakistan, India and China, by contrast, haven't uttered a peep about the killing. Riyadh's China and India investments are primarily economic at this point, says Hasnain Malik, global head of equity research and strategy at Exotix Capital in Dubai. They serve to deepen trade links with the fastest-growing markets for Saudi oil, though some experts have questioned whether and when all these pledged projects will actually happen. But significantly, they also serve "the need to strengthen geopolitical relations to the East in preparation for a long-term scenario where the U.S. reduces commitment to Saudi security, leaving it to contend with Iran more self-sufficiently," Malik told CNBC. While in China, the Saudi crown prince emphasized efforts to link Saudi Vision 2030 investments with those of Beijing's expansive Belt and Road initiative, and Chinese President Xi Jinping called for developing deeper ties through a China-Gulf Cooperation Council free trade zone. China is already the kingdom's largest trading part The Saudis also signed a contract last year with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei to jointly develop the kingdom's 5G network, against U.S. warnings. Chinese competition with the US? But will the partnership upset America's dominance in the region? That's up for debate. Risk analysis firm Stratfor, in a late February brief, described the revived pledges of partnership as highlighting "China's growing involvement in the Middle East and its attempts to exploit tensions between the United States and Saudi Arabia by advancing its own economic interests with Riyadh." Others maintain China is nowhere near America in terms of its influence and power in the Gulf region. "The Chinese at least so far don't seem to be willing to play a role as competitor with the U.S. in Middle East security issues. My read of them is they want to stay out of the politics," said Gregory Gause, professor and head of the International Affairs Department at Texas A&M University's Bush School of Government. Rather, Beijing's eye is on economic expansion. "They want to be an energy purchaser, and maybe an energy investor," Gause said. "But they don't want to pick sides between Iran and Saudi Arabia." China was one of eight countries granted a waiver last fall for U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil. China began building the Middle East's first armed drone factory in Saudi Arabia last year, and weapons experts now suspect Chinese support for a ballistic missile facility that was spotted by satellite imagery in the Saudi desert, which Riyadh has yet to acknowledge. But in terms of encroaching on America's security relationship with the kingdom, "They can't yet," said Gause. "They just don't have the capabilities to project power into the Gulf the way the U.S. does." The U.S. military has bases in every single Gulf Cooperation Council country; China has none. China accounted for 1.5 percent of all Saudi arms imports over the last five years; the U.S. accounted for more than half. "It is too early to describe this as a dash for independence from the U.S.," Malik said. "However, there is little doubt that Saudi is building alternative sources of support in the event that the U.S. becomes a less reliable ally." Congress vs. Trump on the Saudi relationship's future Shortly after the crown prince's Asia tour, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, along with other U.S. officials, visited Riyadh to discuss cooperation between the two countries, the elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, and "economic investment," according to a White House readout. Overtures of support from the White House and planned changes to U.S. weapons export regulations reflect the U.S. commitment to keep offering the Saudis the partnership they've come to know for more than 70 years. But this is happening while pressure mounts from Congress to end support for Saudi Arabia's offensive in Yemen and condemn the crown prince's actions with some lawmakers calling for his removal from the Saudi line of succession altogether. As momentum continues to build in Congress and the Democrat-led House of Representatives, messages toward Saudi Arabia will be mixed, incentivizing the young crown prince to continue his pivot eastward toward countries that are less likely to field criticism against his controversial policies. And these developments are likely to keep Washington on its toes. Put bluntly by Eurasia Group's chief Middle East analyst Ayham Kamel, "The crown prince's tour in Asia is meant to signal to the West that he has options to reorient if they intend to pressure the King to replace him." More From CNBC * China 2019 defence spending to rise 7.5 percent * China provides no breakdown of expenditure * China ramping up military modernisation programme * Japan urges more transparency from China (Adds comment from China's premier, military website) By Michael Martina and Ben Blanchard BEIJING, March 5 (Reuters) - China's 2019 defence spending will rise 7.5 percent from 2018, according to a budget report issued at the opening of the country's annual meeting of parliament on Tuesday, a slower rate than last year but still outpacing the economic growth target. The defence spending figure, set at 1.19 trillion yuan ($177.49 billion), is closely watched worldwide for clues to China's strategic intentions as it develops new military capabilities, including stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and anti-satellite missiles. The 2019 defence spending increase comes as China's economic growth target for the year was set at 6.0 to 6.5 percent. "We will implement the military strategy for the new era, strengthen military training under combat conditions, and firmly protect China's sovereignty, security and development interests," Premier Li Keqiang told parliament. "We will further implement the military-civilian integration strategy, and speed up efforts to make innovations in defence-related science and technology," he added. China's military build-up has unnerved its neighbours, particularly because of its increasing assertiveness in territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas and over Taiwan, a self-ruled territory Beijing claims as its own. A government spokesman on Monday said China would keep up a "reasonable and appropriate" increase in defence spending to satisfy its national security and military reforms. On its website, the official People's Liberation Army Daily said in a report on the defence budget that the armed forces would "focus on supporting national defence and military reform and comprehensively promoting national defence and military modernisation". Beijing does not provide a breakdown of its defence budget, leading neighbours and other military powers to complain that its lack of transparency has added to regional tensions. Story continues "China has increased defence spending at a high rate for some time and Japan would like to see a high level of transparency in regard to its defence policy and militarisation," the Japanese government's spokesman Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and at the same time will look to engage further with China in security dialogue in order to seek clarification." Last year, defence spending was set to increase 8.1 percent, compared to a 7 percent rise in 2017, and 7.6 percent in 2016. The five years before that had seen double-digit increases. 'SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE' China's defence spending ranks as the world's second largest, lagging behind the United States. By comparison, U.S. President Donald Trump has backed plans to request $750 billion from Congress for U.S. defence spending in 2019. But diplomats and military experts say China's defence numbers probably underestimate true military spending for the People's Liberation Army, the world's largest armed forces, which are in the midst of an impressive modernisation programme overseen by President Xi Jinping. China says it is committed to peaceful development, and regularly denounces those it says seek to hype up the "China threat" theory. "China does not export revolution, hunger or poverty and does not interfere in other countries internal affairs. So where does this threat thing come from?" official news portal China Military Online wrote in a commentary on Tuesday. Sam Roggeveen, visiting fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at Australian National University, said the budget figure marked a "substantial increase" in the size of China's military. "China has long maintained its military is for the defence of its borders but that definition has broadened over the years," Roggeveen said. "The West will be very interested to see what the funds are used for, particularly if it used on assets that can project force over great distances." China's military has been particularly focused on democratic Taiwan recently and is nervous President Tsai Ing-wen wants to move the island towards a formal declaration of independence, a red line for China, which views Taiwan as its territory. Li said China will "resolutely oppose and deter any separatist schemes or activities seeking Taiwan independence, and resolutely protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity". Tsai, who has repeatedly warned of the threat from Beijing, says she wants to maintain the status quo with China but will defend the island's security and democracy. "China repeatedly claims that they won't give up annexing Taiwan by force, so we are always being very cautious," Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told parliament on Tuesday when asked by a lawmaker about the Chinese military threat. "We are not afraid of a fight and we will not challenge (China), but we are ready to fight at all times." (Reporting by Michael Martina and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Additional reporting by Gao Liangping, and Colin Packham in Sydney, Tim Kelly in Tokyo and Yimou Lee in Taipei; Editing by Sam Holmes, Michael Perry and Darren Schuettler) MONTREAL, March 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX:CNR) (NYSE:CNI) is pleased to be recognized as one of Canadas Best Diversity Employers by Canadas Top 100 Employers for a third consecutive year. The diversity of our employees is among our biggest strengths and contributes to our ongoing success, said Kim Madigan, Senior Vice-President, Human Resources at CN. Therefore, it will continue to play a central role in our strategy to attract and retain the best people. Working with a broad range of strengths, perspectives and experiences makes us better; and it fosters innovation by bringing the best solutions to the table, Madigan added. Last year, 36 per cent of all new CN employees came from diverse backgrounds. To explore current positions at CN, interested candidates can visit www.cn.ca/careers. CN is a true backbone of the economy, transporting more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information about CN, visit the Companys website at www.cn.ca. Contacts : Shares of Cousins Properties Incorporated CUZ inched up 1% during yesterdays trading hours as the company announced an increase in its 2019 earnings guidance on the back of three strategic transactions it signed in Atlanta. These transactions are expected to be immediately accretive to its 2019 results. Accordingly, the company now expects 2019 funds from operations (FFO) per share to be 70-75 cents, up from 61-65 cents, provided earlier. Transaction Details On Feb 26, Cousins completed the sale of its air rights for nearly eight acres in an area at Downtown Atlanta known as The Gulch. The rights were sold to developer CIM Group for a gross price of $13.25 million. It will record $13.1 million as gain on land sale. Additionally, the company has entered into an agreement with CIM, per which Cousins will retain office development rights on the property. On Mar 1, the office landlord entered into an agreement with Norfolk Southern Corporation NSC to develop the new headquarters of the latter at 650 West Peachtree in Midtown Atlanta. It is situated near Georgia Tech and is nearby the North Avenue MARTA station. Norfolk Southern had earlier acquired the land from Cousins and will own the development. Construction will commence in the ongoing quarter, with expected delivery targeted for third-quarter 2021. Cousins will serve as fee developer and will have no funding requirements. Accordingly, it will recognize fee income of $52.3 million through 2022 for this development. Concurrent with the development agreement, the company also acquired 1200 Peachtree a Class A office building from Norfolk Southern for $82 million. The 370,000-square-foot building is located in Midtown Atlanta and was recently revamped with significant upgrades. Norfolk Southern has signed a triple net lease for the full building and will continue to occupy the building until it relocates to its new headquarters. The lease will expire on Dec 31, 2021. Story continues Buying 1200 Peachtree is a strategic fit for Cousins as it gives the company additional ownership in Midtown Atlanta. It already owns the adjacent Promenade office tower. Additionally, Cousins will recognize the associated GAAP net operating income (NOI), amounting to$8 million, for the 10-month ownership period in 2019. Per management, the acquisition of 1200 Peachtree and the retention of development rights for The Gulch has opened up additional value accretion opportunities over the long term, while boosting the companys 2019 results. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Stocks Worth a Look A few better-ranked stocks from the same industry are Boston Properties, Inc. BXP and Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. PDM, both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Boston Properties Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 FFO per share has been revised 0.9% upward to $6.90 over the past month. Piedmont Office Realty Trusts FFO per share estimates for the current year inched up 1.1% to $1.78 in a months time. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. Theyre also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (PDM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Boston Properties, Inc. (BXP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies continued on a downward trajectory on Tuesday morning Investing.com Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies continued on a downward trajectory on Tuesday morning in Asia, with market cap hitting a week low. Bitcoin shed 2.86% to $3,713.9 by 10:14 PM ET (03:15 AM GMT), tumbling from above $3,800 last week to hover around the $3,700 range this week. Ethereum was down 3.31% to $125.79, XRP slipped 2.53% to $0.30205 and Litecoin lost 4.25% to $46.01 over the past 24 hours. The crypto market cap lost $4 billion since the beginning of March to $126 billion on Tuesday. Governments and corporations are moving to put digital assets under their watch. Russia rolled out special regulations for Russian offshores that include cryptocurrencies, according to Russian news agency TASS. These Russian offshores are where companies can legitimately be exempt from paying taxes or operate under more relaxed regulatory structures. Part of these special regulations cover digital assets and shipping. It is clear that this is cryptocurrency, but for now we are speaking more generally, Ilya Torosov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, told TASS. Russia is moving fast to put crypto under its regulatory framework. Last week, President Putin ordered that these digital assets be regulated by July 1 of this year. The Russian State Duma will also review and adopt new crypto regulations this month. Meanwhile, Ernst & Young, one of the global Big Four auditing and professional services providers, launched EY Crypto-Asset Accounting and Tax tool for accounting and tax calculations for cryptocurrency transactions. The tool will be used to serve its institutional clients that have crypto-assets on their balance sheets and institutional and individual clients who trade digital assets on a smaller scale. The company said it could source transaction-level information from virtually all major exchanges and prepare IRS tax returns related to crypto-assets. Related Articles Crypto Mixed; France Suggests Ban on Privacy Coins Crypto Skeptic Massachusetts Secretary Creates Fintech Advisory Group OKEx Lists Tron on Customer-to-Customer Trading Platform By Agamoni Ghosh March 5 (Reuters) - Mexican shares led the fall for Latin American stock markets on Tuesday as investors worried about possible rating downgrades for a number of companies, while currencies in the region were mixed against as strong dollar amid higher oil prices. MSCI's index for Latin American stocks barely managed to hold steady as losses on Mexico's IPC index offset gains made by Colombia's IGBC index with markets in Brazil and Argentina closed for the Carnival holiday. Shares in Mexican telecommunications firm America Movil and upscale retailer Liverpool fell, while those of Coca-Cola Femsa were under pressure after ratings agency Standard & Poor's revised their credit outlook down to "negative" from "stable." The revised outlook on the companies comes after debt-laden state oil firm Pemex as well as the sovereign outlook for Latin America's second largest economy were also revised to "negative" by S&P. Moody's warned that rising crime will hurt corporate profits in the country over the next 12 to 18 months, raising serious questions about the health of the economy. "We suspect Mexico will be downgraded, but it will be a slow process ... more likely for 2020," said Gustavo Rangel, ING's chief economist for Latin America. The primary ratings risk for Mexico comes from the mounting debt of Pemex, which was downgraded two notches by Fitch in late January to their lowest rung of investment grade. "It is overburdened. Hard for us to see a solution that makes Pemex a viable company," Rangel added. The country's peso, however, shrugged off the negative sentiment on ratings, edging 0.2 percent firmer. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hit back on Tuesday at ratings agencies saying they were punishing Mexico for previous "neo-liberal" policies. Chile's peso rose 0.4 percent tracking a gain in the price of copper, the country's top export, while shares on the IPSA index were marginally lower. Colombia's peso weakened, while local stocks hovered around three-month highs, with energy firm Ecopetrol SA riding oil prices higher. Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1730 GMT: Stock indexes Latest Daily pct change MSCI Emerging Markets 1,055.41 0.17 MSCI LatAm 2,775.58 0.01 Brazil Bovespa - - Mexico IPC 42,313.65 -0.25 Chile IPSA 5,244.45 0.07 Argentina MerVal - - Colombia IGBC 12,366.14 0.1 Currencies Latest Daily pct change Brazil real - - Mexico peso 19.2680 0.21 Chile peso 657.25 0.39 Colombia peso 3100.67 -0.22 Peru sol 3.311 -0.03 Argentina peso (interbank) - - (Reporting by Agamoni Ghosh, editing by G Crosse) * Weber gives three conditions for Orban to stay in EPP * Apologise, end anti-EU campaign, guarantee CEU freedom * Juncker says would support exclusion * Orban's Fidesz party wants to stay in EPP, boost nativism * Orban welcomes Macron's EU reform talks initiative (Adds Juncker) BUDAPEST/ROTTERSDORF, Germany, March 5 (Reuters) - The leader of the main centre-right party in the European Parliament said on Tuesday that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban must apologise for his criticism of the EU or his ruling Fidesz party could be suspended from the grouping. Orban, an outspoken nationalist, wants to remain in the EPP, Fidesz said on Tuesday, despite growing pressure within the European Parliament's biggest grouping to suspend or expel it, a scenario backed by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker. The Hungarian leader has long been at loggerheads with Brussels over his hardline stance on immigration and accusations - which he denies - that he is undermining the rule of law. The feud is escalating ahead of European Parliament elections in May. "Viktor Orban must immediately and permanently end his government's anti-Brussels campaigns," Manfred Weber, the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) candidate to be EU Commission President, told Bild newspaper. On Monday, the EPP said it had received motions from 12 member parties in nine EU countries and would discuss suspending or excluding Fidesz on March 20. Juncker, who in 2014 was the EPP's candidate for the top EU executive position he now holds, accused Orban of coming "within a hair's breadth" of peddling falsehoods and said he would support the exclusion. Asked about Orban, Juncker told German broadcaster ZDF: "Whoever lies in European affairs for domestic political reasons has to ask himself whether he still wants to belong to the EPP club. I think, they are not one of them any more." "I already said months ago that the EPP's biggest problem in the European elections has a name, and that is Orban. I will support this exclusion," Juncker added. Speaking to journalists in the Germany town of Rottersdorf Weber said that in recent weeks "Viktor Orban and the Fidesz have crossed red lines again" and added that all options were on the table, "especially the option of expulsion and going away, going our future way without Fidesz". Story continues Orban's party said in a statement: "Fidesz does not want to leave the (European) People's Party, our goal is for anti-immigration forces to gain strength within the EPP." "CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE" Orban has launched a media and billboard campaign that frames the May elections as a choice between forces backing and opposing mass immigration and that attacks Juncker. However, on Tuesday he said he welcomed an initiative by French President Emmanuel Macron for reforming the EU. "In the details, of course, we have differences of views, but far more important than these differing opinions is that this initiative be a good start to a serious and constructive dialogue on the future of Europe," Orban said in a statement to Reuters. Weber told Bild newspaper he expected an apology to EPP member parties, an immediate and permanent end to Orban's anti-EU campaigns and renewed government support for Central European University to stay in Budapest. CEU was forced out of Hungary and plans to relocate to Vienna from September as Orban wages a bitter campaign against its founder, U.S. billionaire George Soros, accusing him of supporting immigration to undermine Europe's way of life. Hungarian-born Soros, 87, denies that. The EPP has 217 lawmakers in the 750-strong EU legislature, 12 of them from Fidesz. It is expected to remain the biggest parliamentary group in the May elections, although likely weakened, opinion polls show. Far-right, populist parties are expected to perform well. (Reporting by Marton Dunai and Gergely Szakacs in Budapest, Joern Poltz in Rottersdorf, Germany, and Peter Maushagen in Brussels; Editing by Frances Kerry and Janet Lawrence) By Aram Roston GULF STREAM, Fla. (Reuters) - In November 2017, Harry Sargeant III, a wealthy American businessman, flew to Venezuela to see about buying some oil. Sargeant, the former finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party, was looking to purchase a New Jersey asphalt plant that needed a steady supply of the heavy crude that Venezuela has in abundance. Never mind that the South American country was in the cross-hairs of the Trump administration. The trip got off to a worrying start when Sargeant's plane was directed to a special hangar in Caracas and surrounded by soldiers. But what followed, he says, was privileged treatment, including an unexpected meeting the next day with Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelas socialist president. Within a year, Sargeant had inked an attractive oilfield agreement to help raise plummeting crude production in Venezuela, whose economy is in a free fall. A new Delaware company called Erepla Services LLC, of which Sargeant is a shareholder, would rehabilitate three troubled oilfields in exchange for almost half the revenue. We like high-risk places, said Sargeant, whose dealmaking has taken him to hot spots such as Iraq. The 61-year-old former Marine Corp pilot discussed the Venezuela deal with Reuters in an exclusive interview in the wood-paneled cigar room of his mansion in Gulf Stream, an affluent community on Florida's east coast. Sargeant's timing for the venture turned out to be lousy: On January 28, just weeks after news broke of Sargeant's partnership with Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), the U.S. government unleashed tough new sanctions banning Americans from working with Venezuela's state-run oil firm. It was part of a wider U.S. pressure campaign to topple Maduro's government. Sargeant acknowledges sanctions have derailed his deal. Still his willingness to do business with a ruler the Trump administration seeks to undermine reflects a long tradition of oil companies making deals with disfavored governments around the world. Prior to the January sanctions, the United States had been the biggest cash-paying customer for Venezuelas oil, importing more than 500,000 barrels daily. The intended partnership also highlights Venezuela's desperation. With Western oil majors steering clear of new investment there, the country has turned to China and Russia as well as upstart firms like Erepla. Maduro has long sought an end to what he calls an economic war being waged against his government by the United States. His embrace of an American company belies his public denunciations of Trump. Story continues There is no doubt they wanted to send a message that Venezuela was open to American business, Sargeant said. The Venezuelan government and PDVSA did not respond to emails requesting comment about the state oil company's deal with Erepla or Sargeant's version of events. FACE TO FACE WITH MADURO Sargeant says his business dealings in Venezuela date to the late 1980s. A Sargeant family company claimed in court that it was forced out of Venezuelas asphalt business by PDVSA in 2005. And the firm, records show, once owed a $52 million judgment to PDVSA. He says he decided to give the country another shot on his search for heavy crude because he still had industry contacts there. The day after Sargeant's November 2017 arrival, he said, a small convoy of SUVs took him to a house at the Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas. Inside, he said officials showed off a room with various live snakes, some venomous, on display in glass cages. Sargeant thought he would be meeting only with a PDVSA official he knew. Instead he said he found himself face-to-face with Maduro, whom he said was "friendly but serious." Maduro, he said, wanted him to explain why American companies were not investing in the oil sector there. And, with the help of a translator, the Venezuelan president waxed philosophical about the ravaged economy, Sargeant recalls. "He said China reinvented itself and the Venezuelans can reinvent themselves," Sargeant said. Sargeant did not end up purchasing the New Jersey asphalt plant. Instead, a few months later, he and his team began discussing a production venture with PDVSA, according to Ali Rahman, a Washington DC-based executive at Erepla. "We went in saying Hey, were an American oil company, we want to help revitalize the Venezuelan oil sector, and we want to do it waiving the American flag. CONTROVERSIAL PAST Sargeant's tolerance for risk-taking has taken him to hazardous corners of the globe where some of his business dealings have become tangled in investigations and lawsuits. During the height of the Iraq War, one of his firms, International Oil Trading Company (IOTC,) won lucrative contracts from the Defense Logistics Agency to supply the U.S. military with fuel. Disputes ensued at the Armed Forces Board of Contract Appeals. The U.S. government in the civil proceedings claimed IOTC used "bribery and fraud" to win permission from the nation of Jordan to transport oil across its territory. IOTC and Jordan denied those allegations at the time. Early last year the U.S. government settled, and agreed to pay IOTC $40 million, in what Sargeant says is a full vindication. His proposed deal with PDVSA is at odds with Republican Party efforts in his home state of Florida, a key battleground for the 2020 presidential election and where an estimated 200,000 Venezuelans have recently settled. Trump made an appeal to Venezuelan exiles at a recent rally in Florida, where he condemned Maduro's socialist government. Florida Senator Marco Rubio pushed for the U.S. ban on Venezuelan oil imports. Neither the White House or Rubio responded to a request for comment about Sargeant. Sargeant insists it is not his concern who rules Venezuela. Our business is with PDVSA, the institution," he said. We are not into the politics of the situation. (Reporting by Aram Roston; Editing by Kieran Murray and Marla Dickerson) Gold prices showed mild increases Tuesday morning in Asia. Investing.com Gold prices showed mild increases Tuesday morning in Asia. Gold futures for April delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange were up 0.15% to $1,289 a troy ounce by 10:15 AM ET (3:15 AM GMT) on Tuesday morning. Over the past three weeks, gold has given up some of the gains from a big three-month run up. Prices rose from around $1,200 in mid-November to almost $1,348 on Feb. 20 but have since dropped by about 4.4%. News on Monday that a potential trade deal between the U.S. and China could happen soon helped lift stock markets but put downward pressure on safe-haven assets like gold. On Tuesday, however, concerns rose about the ultimate impact of such a trade deal and those concerns gave gold some of its luster back. And also supporting gold prices in the medium term was the release of an updated forecast for gold prices by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS). The investment bank now expects gold to touch $1,350 in three months, up from a previous forecast of $1,325. In six months, the bank expects gold to hit $1,400 and $1,450 in 12 months on the back of falling unemployment rates in the US that could support inflows into exchange-traded funds, low growth in Europe, higher geopolitical tensions, a weaker dollar and faster GDP growth in emerging markets that could boost gold price, according to FX Street. Goldman Sachs also lifted its forecast for silver. The U.S. Dollar Index that tracks the greenback against a basket of major currencies fell marginally by 0.01% to 96.67. Related Articles As Dollar Softens, Gold Prices Gain Gloomier ECB Economic Outlook Takes Toll on Oil Prices Oil prices drop as ECB warns on weaker economy, U.S. supply soars FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is pictured at the entrance to the Google offices in London, Britain January 18, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay SYDNEY (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google has rejected calls by Australia's competition regulator for tougher scrutiny of its operations, denying that it enjoys market power in online searches and advertising, documents published on Monday showed. The global giant was responding to recommendations made late last year by the watchdog, such as increased scrutiny and a new regulatory body to monitor the dominance of tech giants in online advertising and news markets. "The preliminary report bases many of its recommendations on the mistaken premise that Google has market power in search, search advertising, and news media referrals," Google wrote in a Feb. 18 statement published by the regulator. "Google faces fierce competition from other providers, including vertical search sites like Amazon, Expedia, Domain and Carsales.com, many of which users access directly through mobile apps." The regulator had said the enormous market power of firms such as Google, which has a 94 percent share of web searches in Australia, and their opaque methods for ranking advertisements, gave them the ability and incentive to favor their businesses over advertisers. In preliminary recommendations that are subject to change, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) also said the new regulator should have powers to investigate how the companies rank advertisements and news articles. Google rejected such a measure as "unnecessary". It said the regulator had provided no evidence that regulatory review of Google's algorithms and potential recommendations for more disclosure about its news ranking would lead to higher quality search results. "We support transparency for our customers and partners in a fragmented space, but we disagree with the appropriateness of price monitoring as a solution," Google said in the statement. Australia, which has passed laws forcing tech companies to help police access user data amid growing concerns about the distribution of so-called "fake news", ordered the inquiry into their influence as part of wider media reforms in 2017. (Reporting by Paulina Duran; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Chief Justice Harold Melton, Supreme Court of Georgia (Photo: John Disney/ALM) The winning lawyer said he sees broad implications for a Georgia Supreme Court decision Monday striking down a law requiring lifelong electronic monitoring for certain convicted sex offenders who have served their sentences. Its going to affect a lot of people, said Mark Yurachek, who argued the appeal for Joseph Park. He said others similarly situated should contact their local sheriff. I dont think those offenders any longer can be subject to the monitoring requirement, Yurachek added. Mark Yurachek (Courtesy photo) Mark Yurachek (Courtesy photo) In a unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice Harold Melton, the high court ruled that Georgia Code 42-1-14 (e) authorizes a patently unreasonable search that runs afoul of the protections afforded by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Melton said the court found that requiring someone to wear an electronic monitor permanently cannot stand under the Fourth Amendment, at least with respect to individuals who have completed their criminal sentences. The requirement amounts to a lifelong search imposed after a person has completed the sentence and probation imposed, Melton said. No small factor in the equation is the requirement that the offender pay for the lifelong monitoring. It really seems like the first cousin of executing someone and then sending the family the bill for the bullet, Yurachek said. I dont think anybody should be paying for the government to search their home. Attorney General Chris Carr said in an email from a spokesman, We have reviewed the Courts opinion and respect its decision. Park was convicted in 2003 in Douglas County of child molestation and nine counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with eight to serve. Shortly before Park was released from prison in 2011, the Sex Offender Registration Review Board classified him as a sexually dangerous predator. Section (e) of 42-1-14 says that any sex offender classified as a sexually dangerous predator must wear and pay for an electronic monitoring system linked to a GPS system for the remainder of his or her natural life, according to Melton. Park sought re-evaluation of his classification but lost. The Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal on that matter. But then, in February 2016, Park was arrested and indicted for tampering with his ankle monitor, an offense that carries a punishment of up to five years in prison. The case at hand is an interlocutory appeal from the tampering case before DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gail Flake. Flake ruled the statue to be constitutional following a 2017 hearing. This ends that, Yurachek said of the tampering case. He also said the charge is misleading because the problem with the monitor was that it kept falling off. It was unintentional, he said. Yurachek agreed in part with the special concurrence Justice Keith Blackwell wrote. Blackwell said he agrees with the decision but wrote separately to emphasize that Meltons opinion does not foreclose other means by which the General Assembly might put the same policy into practice. Our decision rests in significant part on the fact that subsection (e) requires some sexual offenders to submit to electronic monitoring even after they have completed the service of their sentences, Blackwell said. But nothing in our decision today precludes the General Assembly from authorizing life sentences for the worst sexual offenders, and nothing in our decision prevents the General Assembly from requiring a sentencing court in the worst cases to require GPS monitoring as a condition of permitting a sexual offender to serve part of a life sentence on probation. At least at the original sentencing, the defendant would have a right to an attorney, Yurachek said. I do agree that, if youre going to make it part of the landscape, making it part of sentencing would be the way to go, Yurachek said. I know Georgias Legislature is always happy to ramp up the punishment for this particular class of offender, but I dont agree thats always deserved or worthy. The case is Park v. State, No. S18A1211. Huawei would be forced to hand over 5G data to the Chinese government if it was asked for it, because of national security laws, experts told CNBC. China's National Intelligence Law from 2017 requires organizations and citizens to "support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work." A government spokesperson said that intelligence work should be done "according to the law" and urged people to "not take anything out of context." Huawei would have no choice but to hand over network data to the Chinese government if Beijing asked for it, because of espionage and national security laws in the country, experts told CNBC. Major governments including the United States , Japan and Australia have blocked the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker from providing hardware for next-generation mobile networks known as 5G. The U.S. has said Huawei equipment could provide backdoors for the Chinese government into American networks a claim the company has repeatedly denied. Australia did not cite specific countries or companies, but last year it gave guidance to domestic carriers saying that "the involvement of vendors who are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law, may risk failure by the carrier to adequately protect a 5G network from unauthorized access or interference." The Australian government is highlighting a concern on the top of minds of several governments China wide-ranging internet laws, which require tech firms to help Beijing with vaguely-defined "intelligence work," meaning companies could be forced to hand over network data whether they want to or not. Two pieces of legislation are of particular concern to governments the 2017 National Intelligence Law and the 2014 Counter-Espionage Law. Article 7 of the first law states that "any organization or citizen shall support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work in accordance with the law," adding that the the state "protects" any individual and organization that aids it. Story continues And it appears that organizations and individuals don't have a choice when it comes to helping the government. The 2014 Counter-Espionage law says that "when the state security organ investigates and understands the situation of espionage and collects relevant evidence, the relevant organizations and individuals shall provide it truthfully and may not refuse." Huawei: We 'will not build backdoors' The company strenuously contends that it will not hand over customer data, and Huawei told CNBC that it has never been asked to do so. Huawei's billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei and other senior executives "have stated unambiguously that Huawei will not build backdoors or hand over customer data. It doesn't get much clearer than that," a Huawei spokesperson said. "We have never been required to do so, they have stated. We are not going to speculate on future possible scenarios beyond repeating the reassurances of Huawei's most senior management." In an interview last month with CBS News , Huawei's Ren said the company would never help China spy on the United States even if required by law. "We never participate in espionage, and we do not allow any of our employees to do any act like that. And we absolutely never install backdoors. Even if we were required by Chinese law, we would firmly reject that," Ren told the American television network. Sources within China contacted by CNBC declined to comment. But experts from outside the country suggested it would be near-impossible for Huawei to reject a request for data from Beijing. "There is no way Huawei can resist any order from the [People's Republic of China] Government or the Chinese Communist Party to do its bidding in any context, commercial or otherwise. Huawei would have to turn over all requested data and perform whatever other surveillance activities are required," Jerome Cohen, a New York University law professor and Council on Foreign Relations adjunct senior fellow, told CNBC by email. "Not only is this mandated by existing legislation but, more important, also by political reality and the organizational structure and operation of the Party-State's economy. The Party is embedded in Huawei and controls it," said Cohen, who as a practicing attorney represented corporate clients in China and elsewhere in Asia. The relationship between Huawei and the government has been questioned because of Ren's past as a former soldier in the People's Liberation Army and a current Communist Party member. In a question and answer session with international media in January , Ren said that his relationship with China's ruling party would not stop him from refusing any request from them for user data. "I don't see close connection between my personal political belief and our business actions we are going to take as a business entity," Ren said. In the same session, Ren said that he "would rather shut Huawei down than do anything that would damage the interests of our customers in order to seek our own gains." The problem for Huawei is that there does not appear to be legal recourse if Beijing comes knocking. "The idea of fighting a request of this nature in the courts is not realistic. In truth the law only confirms what has long been true that one must submit to the Party if called upon. Added to this, a company of Huawei's size, working in what is considered a sensitive sector, simply cannot succeed in China without extensive links to the Party," Martin Thorley, an expert on international engagement with China at U.K.-based University of Nottingham, told CNBC by email. "For anyone at Huawei to oppose a serious request from the Party would require bravery bordering on recklessness what do you do when your adversary is the police, the media, the judiciary and the government?" he added. China: Don't 'take anything out of context' China's government addressed the National Intelligence Law during a press conference on Monday. "According to China's National Intelligence Law, organizations and citizens have the obligation to support, assist and cooperate with national intelligence work. At the same time it also explicitly stipulates that intelligence work should be conducted according to law and in a way that respects and protects human rights and the lawful rights of individuals and organizations," government spokesperson Zhang Yesui said, urging people to "not take anything out of context." Zhang was responding to reporters' questions ahead of China's National People's Congress, a big annual event where Beijing formally announces major policy elements such as economic growth targets. The comments were made in Mandarin and translated into English by an official translator. "Some U.S. government officials have been playing up the so-called security risk associated with products of certain Chinese companies and linking it with Chinese national intelligence law," Zhang said. "This kind of behavior is interference into economic activities by political means and it is against WTO (World Trade Organization) rules. And it disrupts international market order that is built on fair competition. This is a typical double standards (sic). It is neither fair nor ethical." Many of China's largest tech companies have flourished over the last decade within the country in the absence of foreign competition. China has for years blocked some of America's largest internet giants on claims that those U.S. companies pose national security risks. China 5G dominance The battle between the U.S. and Huawei is bigger than worries over national security risks, according to geopolitical analysts. It's about who has control of the critical infrastructure that runs 5G . The new network will not only support super-fast mobile internet but it will be the backbone behind other technology like driverless cars. "Huawei involvement in the core backbone 5G infrastructure of developed western liberal democracies is a strategic game-changer because 5G is a game-changer," Nigel Inkster, a senior adviser to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told CNBC by email. Inkster, a former senior British intelligence official, explained that China has "embarked on an ambitious strategy to reshape the planet in line with its interests" through its massive Belt and Road Initiative . Its "national telecoms champions" are a big part of that. Because of that drive from China, Inkster said that Huawei is part of this "all-of-nation project." "Huawei has indeed said that it would refuse any Chinese government request to facilitate espionage. But such a statement simply cannot be taken at face value," Inkster told CNBC. "Huawei is a product and instrument of the Chinese state and has been co-opted to achievement of the state's strategic objectives," he said. "The proposition that it is just a telecommunications company has worn beyond thin." CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report. More From CNBC * Release of 2018 Khamenei speech hints at foreign policy feuds * Comes a week after brief resignation of foreign minister * Khamenei forecast EU wouldn't shield benefits of nuclear deal * Trump's reimposition of Iran sanctions put deal in doubt * (Adds Zarif tweet and IAEA confirmation) LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - A closed-door speech last year by Iran's Supreme Leader voicing doubt about the Iranian government's diplomatic overtures to Europe was released on Monday in a sign of feuding over foreign policy that led to a short-lived resignation by the foreign minister. The address by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in mid-2018 appeared to forecast difficulties European countries would have in honouring pledges to protect trade with Iran from new U.S. sanctions after Washington abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. The speech showed that while President Hassan Rouhani was trying to save the nuclear deal with European powers, who remained committed despite the U.S. exit, Khamenei was not optimistic. The publication of the comments eight months afterward presented Khamenei as viewing the situation as unchanged. Khamenei, an anti-Western hardliner, was quoted as saying by his official website that the Europeans would naturally say they are protecting Iranian interests with their package but the Iranian government "should not make this a main issue". He said the nuclear deal did not resolve any of the economic problems of Iran. He predicted that a mechanism proposed by the EU to shield business with Iran against the U.S. sanctions would also be no panacea for Iran's economic hardship. "(The Europeans) are bad. They are really bad. I have a lot to say about the Europeans; not because of their current policies, but their mischievous nature over the last few centuries," said Khamenei. ZARIF'S RESIGNATION His comments, made in a meeting with the cabinet, were published a week after Rouhani rejected the resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a U.S.-educated veteran diplomat who championed the nuclear deal. Khamenei's comments cast doubt on the efficacy of Zarif's past and current efforts to keep the agreement alive. Story continues Zarif, who retracted his resignation after Rouhani refused to accept it, said on Monday he had resigned in order to preserve the dignity and credibility of the Foreign Ministry, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. Fars quoted him as saying the ministry is responsible for all of Iran's foreign relations. "It's not that any body inside or outside the government has its own foreign policy, and we're only responsible for the foreign policy of the foreign ministry. In that case, there would be no need for a foreign ministry," he was quoted as saying. Iranian politics has long been riven by factional struggles, especially on fraught relations with the West. While Rouhani and his moderate camp still back the nuclear deal and seek rapprochement with the United States and Europe, hardliners, echoing Khameneis stance, reject any yielding to foreign pressure as inimical to Islamic revolutionary values. Khamenei, who has the final say on all major Iranian domestic and foreign policy and only reluctantly backed the nuclear negotiations, said on Monday Rouhani's government should not be deceived by European countries and their "smiles". Under the nuclear deal struck between Iran and six big powers in 2015, sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and United Nations were lifted in return for Iran agreeing long-term curbs on a nuclear programme the West suspected was geared to developing an atom bomb. U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out last year. His administration said that while Iran had met the deal's terms, the accord was too generous, failing to rein in ballistic missile testing or to curb Iranian involvement in regional conflicts such as Syria and Yemen. New U.S. sanctions have largely succeeded in persuading European companies to put aside business projects with Iran. France, Germany and Britain opened a new channel for non-dollar trade with Iran in January, although diplomats say it is unlikely to enable the big transactions Tehran says are needed to keep a nuclear deal afloat. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi praised the proposed EU mechanism, known as Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), as a "late but important step". Qasemi said, however, that the Islamic Republic would accept no conditions from the EU. France has called on Iran to stop all activities linked to its ballistic missile programme or face sanctions. The Europeans have promised to help companies do business with Iran as long as it abides by the deal. Iran has threatened to pull out of the 2015 deal itself unless EU powers demonstrably protect its economic benefits. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday that Iran is still meeting its commitments under the nuclear deal. "Contrasting the constant lies that Netanyahu, Trump & Associates tell about Iran, the #IAEA once againand for the umpteenth timeaffirms our standing by our word and adhering to the nuclear accord that the US has illegally violated. Our patience, however, is running thin," Zarif tweeted on Monday. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Babak Dehghanpisheh Editing by Mark Heinrich and Frances Kerry) BEAUREGARD, Ala. (AP) -- The youngest victim was 6, the oldest 89. Relatives said one extended family lost 10 members. The 23 people killed in the nation's deadliest tornado in nearly six years came into focus Tuesday with the release of their names by the coroner. They included 6-year-old Armando Hernandez Jr., known as "AJ," torn from his father's arms two days after singing in his first-grade class musical; 10-year-old Taylor Thornton, who loved horses and was visiting a friend's home when the twister struck; and Jimmy Lee Jones, 89, who perished along with his wife of six decades, Mary Louise, and one of their sons. "Just keep those families in your prayers," Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said, two days after the disaster. The search for victims, pets and belongings in and around the devastated rural community of Beauregard continued amid the din of beeping heavy machinery and whining chain saws. But Sheriff Jay Jones said the list of the missing had shrunk from dozens to just seven or eight. "We've got piles of rubble that we are searching just to make sure," said Opelika Fire Chief Byron Prather Jr. "We don't think we'll find nobody there, but we don't want to leave any stone unturned." Four children were killed, ages 6, 8, 9 and 10. The youngest, AJ, had taken shelter in a closet with his father and older brother when the tornado hit, said Jack Crisp, the boy's uncle. The punishing winds tore the family's home apart, Crisp said, and pulled both boys from their father's arms. "He had them squeezed tight, and he said when it came through, it just took them," Crisp said. "It just demolished the house and took them." The boy's father and brother both survived. AJ did not. Jackie Jones said she and her siblings rushed to her parents' house after the storm passed and nobody answered the phone. "They usually answer on the first ring," she said. The siblings found the home reduced to its foundation. One of their two brothers who lived at the house survived and was taken to a hospital. But Jimmy Lee and Mary Louise Jones, married for more than 60 years, had died along with their 53-year-old son Emmanuel. Those three deaths meant cousins Cordarrly and Demetria Jones lost their grandparents and an uncle. They said seven others killed were their cousins by blood and marriage. Story continues "Everybody in this area just about was related," said Demetria Jones, 28. "It's devastating." The body of David Wayne Dean, 53, was found by his son in a neighbor's yard after the twister demolished his mobile home. He was known as "Roaddog" because of his love for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. "He was done and gone before we got to him," said his sobbing widow, Carol Dean, who was at work at Walmart when the storm hit. "My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up." The tornado was an EF4 with winds estimated at 170 mph (274 kph) and carved a path of destruction up to nine-tenths of a mile (1.4 kilometers) wide in Alabama, scraping up the earth in a phenomenon known as "ground rowing," the National Weather Service said. It traveled a remarkable 70 miles or so through Alabama and Georgia, where it caused more damage. Ninety people were injured in the Beauregard area, authorities said. Most have been released from the hospital. President Donald Trump said he will visit Alabama on Friday to see the damage. "It's been a tragic situation, but a lot of good work is being done," he said at the White House. In a news release Tuesday night, Trump approved a federal disaster declaration and ordered federal aid to assist state and local recovery efforts. Along the two-lane country road where some of the victims died, firefighters used heavy machinery to overturn pieces of houses that were blown into a gulley. A car sat atop the remains of one house. A red-brick foundation was all that was left at another lot. The search took its toll around Beauregard, an unincorporated area of roughly 10,000 people near the Georgia line. Church chaplain Ike Mathews walked down a road lined with broken trees and debris as he went to check on members of his congregation and emergency workers. "Yesterday I talked to some team members who had found bodies. They're hurting. The community is torn up. They started crying talking about it," said Mathews, an associate pastor at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church. Many of the people living in the area are senior citizens who moved to the country after retiring from textile mills or an old magnetic-tape manufacturing plant that closed years ago, Mathews said. "They start with a mobile home and hope they can build a house someday. They invest in their homes, and they have a sense of legacy. It's something to leave their kids and grandkids," he said. It was the deadliest tornado to hit the U.S. since May 2013, when an EF5 twister killed 24 people in Moore, Oklahoma. Government teams surveying storm damage confirmed that at least 20 tornadoes struck on Sunday in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Cindy Sanford said one of her neighbors in Beauregard died in the storm, and another neighbor remained missing Tuesday. "I pray to God that they find her," Sanford said as picked through remains of her home, which tumbled in the wind and is now scattered across neighbors' land. Sanford said she left home with her 5-year-old grandson about five minutes before the storm struck after she got a feeling it was unsafe. "It was God," she said. "And then I heard the siren." ___ Associated Press writers Kate Brumback and Jeff Martin in Atlanta and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the coroner now says the oldest victim was 89, not 93. Press release Positive start to the year for McPhy, with over 5 million in orders received A 6-station order for the deployment of hydrogen mobility solutions as part of the EAS-HyMob project in Normandy, increasing the number of McFilling stations installed or in the process of being installed to 21 2 MW in additional electrolysis capacity in Germany for the Energy market, lifting the high-power electrolysis capacity implemented by McPhy to 16 MW The previously announced [1] largest ever order for McPhy`s PIEL product line, with 11 electrolyzers to be shipped to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department A previously announced electrolyzer1 for the mobility market, which will be fitted in the 1st hydrogen refueling station in Chambery for the Zero Emission Valley project. La Motte-Fanjas, March 5, 2019 at 5:45pm - McPhy (Euronext Paris Compartment C: MCPHY, FR0011742329) a specialist in hydrogen production and distribution equipment, is today announcing that it has received firm orders worth over 5 million since the beginning of the year. We are delighted with how 2019 has started for us, since we have achieved the positive top-line momentum we predicted. These firm orders are a ringing endorsement of our product strategy in our three key hydrogen markets-mobility, industry and energy." Pascal Mauberger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McPhy, commented: "We are delighted with how 2019 has started for us, since we have achieved the positive top-line momentum we predicted. These firm orders are a ringing endorsement of our product strategy in our three key markets. In the zero emission mobility market, we logged an order for six McFilling 20-350 stations in the framework of the EAS-HyMob project, which shows that our offering is well-suited to France`s strategy for deploying hydrogen refueling infrastructure. In Germany, we reached a major technological milestone by marketing our first electrolyzer fitted with "high current density" electrodes co-developed with De Nora. The electrolyzer will double the volume of hydrogen produced. These two new megawatts will lift to 16 MW the high-power electrolysis capacity we have implemented. It is crucial for the large-scale decarbonization of applications in the industry, mobility and energy sectors." Orders delayed in 2018 have now materialized driving strong business momentum Story continues With over 5 million in orders received, it is a positive start to the year for McPhy: McPhy has just logged an order for six stations from SIEGE 27 and SDEC Energie[2] to support the roll-out of hydrogen mobility solutions in the Eure and Calvados departments as part of the EAS-HyMob Normandy project[3]. These stations are the first in the plan, which will ultimately feature 15 hydrogen refueling units and are due to be commissioned as captive hydrogen vehicle fleets are introduced. As previously announced, McPhy has received an order for a next-generation 40kg/day 30-bar electrolyzer, which will be delivered this year. It is intended for a hydrogen station to be built in Chambery by ATAWEY[4] as part of the Zero Emission Valley project[5] in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region. Under the project, 20 stations are due to be installed across the region, including 15 with electrolyzers[6]. It aims to make Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Europe`s leading region in the deployment of hydrogen. These new projects increase to 21 the number of McFilling stations installed or currently being installed, together representing a daily potential of 64,500 km in zero emission mobility. In the energy market, McPhy received the first payment for a Power to Power application in Germany in respect of a McLyzer 400-30 installation. This is the first McLyzer 400-30 featuring McPhy`s high-density current electrodes co-developed with De Nora, its industrial partner. This 2 MW project lifts to 16 MW the high-power electrolysis capacity built by McPhy. Lastly, McPhy recently received an order from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department for 11 electrolyzers from the PIEL line, which are due to be delivered during 2019. These electrolyzers will be used to inflate balloons for weather probes. This is the largest order ever placed for McPhy`s PIEL line of products. Together, all these firm orders are worth over 5 million. These commercial successes demonstrate that the delayed orders initially anticipated in 2018 have now materialized, and that the Group`s top-line business momentum is right on track. Next press release: FY 2018 results on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 (after the market close) About McPhy In the framework of the energy transition, and as a leading supplier of hydrogen production, storage and distribution equipment, McPhy contributes to the deployment of clean hydrogen throughout the world. Thanks to its wide range of products and services dedicated to the hydrogen energy, zero emission mobility and industrial hydrogen markets, McPhy provides turnkey solutions to its clients. These solutions are tailored to our client applications: renewable energy surplus storage and valorization, fuel cell car refueling, raw material for industrial sites. As a designer, manufacturer and integrator of hydrogen equipment since 2008, McPhy has three development, engineering and production units based in Europe (France, Italy, Germany). The company`s international subsidiaries ensure a global sales coverage of McPhy`s innovative hydrogen solutions. McPhy is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris (Segment C, ISIN code: FR0011742329; ticker: MCPHY). Media relations NewCap Nicolas Merigeau T. +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 mcphy@newcap.eu Investors Relations NewCap Julie Coulot | Emmanuel Huynh T. +33 (0)1 44 71 20 40 mcphy@newcap.eu Follow us on @McPhyEnergy [1] 2018 revenue press release dated January 22, 2019 [2] This project is supported by European Union funding via the European Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) as part of the Connecting Europe Facility - Transports (CEF-T) infrastructure program. [3] https://eadymob.normandie.fr [4] http://www.atawey.com [5] https://www.auvergnerhonealpes.fr/uploads/Presse/91/203_486_CP-12-20-Zero-Emission-Valley-reconnu-au-niveau-europeen.pdf [6] https://www.auvergnerhonealpes.fr/uploads/Presse/91/203_486_CP-12-20-Zero-Emission-Valley-reconnu-au-niveau-europeen.pdf PDF version This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: McPhy Energy via GlobeNewswire HUG#2237287 Netflix is continuing its push into African originals with its latest order, the South African teen series Blood & Water. The series, which is directed by Nosipho Dumisa, the helmer behind the buzzy SXSW title Number 37, follows a local teen who discovers her familys secret past while navigating the complicated world of a South African high school. Related stories Felix Mallard Joins Netflix's 'Locke & Key' (EXCLUSIVE) Netflix Buys Malaysian Election Drama Film 'Rise' Netflix to Adapt Author Kristin Hannah's 'Firefly Lane' Into Series The news comes two months after Netflix announced its first African original, Queen Sono, starring veteran South African thesp Pearl Thusi (Quantico) as a secret agent fighting crime while dealing with her messy personal life. Last week the streamer also announced its acquisition of South African drama Shadow, about an ex-cop with superpowers, which will be released globally as a Netflix Original March 8. Blood & Water features an up-and-coming local cast and will be produced by the Gambit Films team behind Number 37. Daryne Joshua and Travis Taute will be writing and co-directing with Dumisa, with Bradley Joshua and Benjamin Overmeyer on board as producers and Simon Beesley as lead editor. The series is set to start production later this year and is expected to launch globally in 190 countries in 2020. Gambit Films and I are so excited to be working with Netflix on this explosive young-adult drama, with not only a cool look at strong female leads but also a powerful mystery at its core, said Dumisa. As a director who loves genre, this series combines the best of so many and isnt shy to delve into the real issues of youth culture, whilst jam-packing it with twists that will keep viewers guessing. We are delighted to be investing further in African content and to partner with Nosipho and the team at Gambit Films to bring our second original series from South Africa to Netflix. Great stories are universal, so we expect this gripping teen drama, with its view on contemporary high-school life, to appeal to young adults from South Africa, as well as the rest of the world, added Kelly Luegenbiehl, Netflixs vice president of international originals for Europe, Turkey and Africa. Story continues She continued: Following on the heels of Queen Sono, Blood & Water is the next step in our further investment in original African content, and were excited to explore more projects across the region. As well as co-producing these two series, the streamer has also acquired South African series Shadow, a superhero drama about an ex-cop who cant feel pain. This is another vote of confidence in local talent, according to Motion Storys Gareth Crocker, the shows producer. Its a major endorsement of our studio. We hope this will help to open international doors, not just for Motion Story, but for other emerging film studios in Africa, Crocker said. He described Shadow as a fast-paced emotional thrill-ride, which, thanks to its exotic locations and international storylines, will appeal not only to African viewers but viewers all over the world. Netflix will release Shadow worldwide on March 8. Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts! Newmont Mining rejected Barrick Golds $17.8 billion unsolicited takeover bid, a deal that wouldve created the worlds largest gold producer. The board unanimously rejected the proposal, saying it would not be better than Newmonts previously announced takeover of Goldcorp, the Colorado-based company said in a statement Monday. Instead, Newmont submitted a joint venture proposal to Barrick that would encompass the two companies Nevada operations. Newmont had raised serious doubts about Toronto-based Barricks proposala hostile all-share no-premium bidfrom the day it was publicly announced Feb. 25. Newmont said its previously announced agreement to take over Goldcorp offered better benefits, and Chief Executive Officer Gary Goldberg called Barricks takeover offer desperate and bizarre. The combination with Goldcorp is significantly more accretive to Newmonts shareholders on all relevant metrics compared to Barricks proposal, even when factoring in Barricks own synergy estimates, Goldberg said in the statement. Barrick has no intention of raising its offer, a person familiar with the matter said last week. The top end of the gold industry has been in a state of transformationin September, industry leader Barrick agreed to buy Randgold Resources for $5.4 billion. Three months later, Newmont announced its plan to purchase Goldcorp for $10 billion, which would leapfrog it into the leading gold-producer spot. Better Job Newmonts shares rose 1.3% to $33.39 at 7:49 a.m., before the start of regular trading in New York. Barrick was little changed. A spokeswoman for Barrick had no immediate comment on the rejection. Since previous merger discussions terminated in 2014, Newmont has significantly outperformed Barrick on almost every metric, Goldberg said in a letter Monday to Bristow and Barrick Executive Chairman John Thornton. Our management team has a consistent, long-standing track record of delivering superior execution, he wrote. In contrast, Barricks underperformance highlights its ineffective operating model, poor record on delivering stockholder returns, and significant jurisdictional risk. Story continues Mark has never run a global portfolio, Goldberg said in a Feb. 25 interview, referring to Barrick CEO Mark Bristow, who until Jan. 1 ran Africa-focused Randgold. In fact, Id say none of his team have run a global portfolio like what we have in place. On the same day, Bristow said his team could do a better job running his rival. I have spent a lot of time in Nevada, and I have no doubt that I can do a better job than Newmont, Bristow said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. Niamey (AFP) - The impoverished Sahel state of Niger on Tuesday launched a campaign to vaccinate six million children against meningitis, which killed nearly 200 people two years ago. Children aged between one and seven years will be immunised over the week-long nationwide programme, Health Minister Idi Illiassou said. He called on parents to "massively" support the effort. The two-billion-CFA-franc (three-million-euro, $3.4-million) cost is being mainly borne by the World Health Organization (WHO), GAVI Alliance, Rotary International and the UN children's fund, Unicef. Niger lies in the so-called "meningitis belt" of sub-Saharan Africa, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, where outbreaks of the disease are a regular occurrence. The vaccination programme in Niger is against meningitis A, one of the six groups of meningitis bacteria that can cause epidemics. The disease is transmitted between people through coughs and sneezes, close contact and cramped living conditions. The illness causes acute inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord, with the most common symptoms being fever, headache and neck stiffness. * Machinery stocks gain ground on trade talk hopes * Suzuki Motor tumbles on weak sales at Indian unit By Ayai Tomisawa TOKYO, March 4 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei rose to a fresh three-month high on Monday morning after companies with exposure to China rallied on signs Beijing and Washington were closing in on a trade deal to end their bitter year-long tariff dispute. The Nikkei share average gained 0.8 percent to 21,770.18 in midmorning trade, after rising to 21,816.74, the highest since Dec. 13. The Topix's 26 subsectors were up, with machinery, chip-related firms relying on demand from China leading the charge. Yaskawa Electric Corp jumped 4.6 percent, Fanuc Corp rose 3.1 percent, Advantest Corp rallied 3.5 percent and Sumco Corp advanced 3.7 percent. Komatsu Ltd added 2.3 percent and Hitachi Construction Machinery rose 2.4 percent. The Wall Street Journal reported Washington could lift most or all of its tariffs on Beijing while a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to sign a final trade deal could happen later this month. That followed comments from Trump on Friday that he had asked China to immediately remove all tariffs on U.S. agricultural products because trade talks were progressing well. He also delayed previously scheduled plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on Chinese goods. "Any sign that indicates progress in trade talks would be positive to Japanese stocks as earnings were pressured by a slowdown in global demand," said Fumio Matsumoto, a senior fund manager at Dalton Capital Japan. Business equipment provider Uchida Yoko jumped 10 percent after its August-January net profit more than doubled to 378 million yen from 162 million yen in the previous year thanks to strong software license sales. Moving against the broader market, Suzuki Motor tumbled 4.2 percent after its Indian unit Maruti Suzuki's February sales dropped 0.8 percent on the year. The broader Topix rose 0.5 percent to 1,623.51. Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones 1,294 to 721. (Editing by Shri Navaratnam) George Levesque, a shareholder in GrayRobinsons Tallahassee office. Courtesy photo A suspended Panhandle schools superintendent stripped from her post by Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking the Florida Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue. Shortly after taking office in January, DeSantis suspended Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools Mary Beth Jackson, citing scathing grand jury reports that alleged dereliction of duty by Jackson. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, a former House speaker, recommended that DeSantis suspend Jackson. But in a 21-page petition filed Friday, Jacksons lawyer, George Levesque, with GrayRobinson in Tallahassee, wrote that the governor lacked the authority to remove the elected official from office. The grand jury reports were based on allegations of abuse by a former school employee, Marlynn Stillions, during the 2015-16 school year, Levesque wrote. The reports alleged that Jackson, among other things, failed to implement proper procedures for reporting abuse to the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Education and failed to implement a proper procedure for removing teachers facing allegations involving the health or safety of students. But Levesque argued that, because the events being used against Jackson took place before her 2016 re-election, DeSantis lacks the authority to remove the elected official for actions before her current term. The text of the Florida Constitution and the longstanding precedents of this court indisputably hold that Governor DeSantis is without authority to suspend Superintendent Jackson for actions preceding her current term of office, Levesque wrote. Asking the court to consider the case, Levesque wrote that Jacksons petition presents a question of great and pressing importance to the functions of government. When asked about Jacksons legal action Friday, DeSantis, a Harvard Law School graduate, railed against her. For years, Mary Beth Jackson has tried to hide her negligence as school superintendent and I will not back down on protecting the children of Okaloosa. Students should feel safe in school and this administration will not tolerate neglect of duty nor incompetence from any government official. The petition is being reviewed by our legal office, the governor said in an email. Since taking office, DeSantis has suspended three other officials, including Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and former Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. The disruption to local governments will be substantial if the governors authority is not exercised in a constitutionally compliant manner, Levesque wrote. The request to the court comes as the Florida Senate, which has the authority to remove or reinstate elected officials, is considering an appeal by Jackson. A prehearing in her case is scheduled for March 11. Israel also is fighting his suspension in the Senate; Bucher did not. A bill of particulars filed in Jacksons Senate case by DeSantis lawyer, Nicholas Primrose, details the governors charges against her. The governor suspended Jackson after numerous criminal charges of child abuse/neglect by instructional personnel, numerous criminal charges of failing to report suspected child abuse by instructional personnel and administrators, a failure of leadership in training and requiring instructional personnel and administrators to report suspected child abuse/neglect and failing her paramount duty as the superintendent to protect the health, safety and welfare of the students of the Okaloosa School District. Jackson denies the allegations against her, Levesque noted in Fridays Supreme Court filing. Previous court rulings have held that elected officials cannot be removed for misconduct that took place before their re-election, Levesque wrote. Implicit in this holding is the principle that the intervening election cleanses the taint of allegations occurring prior to the current term in office, he argued. Dara Kam reports for the News Service of Florida. By Soundarya J and Jessica DiNapoli (Reuters) - Papa John's founder John Schnatter is leaving its board of directors as part of a settlement resolving a bitter dispute for control of the world's third-largest pizza chain. The company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday it would co-operate with Schnatter to find a mutually acceptable independent director who would not be affiliated with Schnatter or hedge fund investor Starboard Value LP, which owns a nearly 10 percent stake in the restaurant chain. Schnatter, who owns about 30 percent of the company's shares, would resign from the board if the independent director is appointed before the annual stockholder meeting slated for May, Papa John's said. Schnatter stepped down as chairman last summer, following reports he had used a racial slur on a media training conference call. Schnatter has filed several lawsuits against the company in a bid to regain control of the company he founded in his father's tavern. In January, he claimed a victory when a court ordered the board to give him some internal documents, including text messages related to his firing, which Papa John's had until then refused to share. After learning that Papa John's would not nominate him to its board this year, Schnatter last Friday submitted a letter nominating himself, according to a regulatory filing and a person familiar with the matter. The moves laid the groundwork for a costly and distracting proxy battle that the settlement now helps avoid, the person said. As part of the agreement, Papa John's has agreed to share with Schnatter all of the company's records, giving him the option to sue if those documents revealed wrongdoing by the company, Schnatter said in a statement Schnatter, in return, has agreed to dismiss lawsuits he filed against the company. "(I am) thankful that I've been able to resolve these important issues, and that we can all focus on the companys business without the need for additional litigation," Schnatter said. Story continues The restaurant chain agreed to remove a provision of a poison pill, a stockholder rights plan that can dilute shares, preventing Schnatter from speaking with other shareholders about the company. Papa John's also agreed to relinquish the requirement that Starboard vote in favor of the incumbent board. Last week the pizza chain said its North American same-restaurant sales fell 7.3 percent in 2018 and that sales would lag into the first half of 2019. Its shares were up about 3 percent in morning trade on Tuesday. (Reporting by Soundarya J and Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru and Jessica DiNapoli in New York; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Susan Thomas) NEWPORT NEWS, Va., March 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today that Carlos Aguayo has been named general manager of the HII San Diego Shipyard. He will replace Daniel Flood, who is retiring after 40 years in the ship repair and defense contracting industry. Aguayo will be responsible for the overall operation of the shipyard business, including strategy development and execution, customer relations, quality, production, resource management, human capital development, process improvement, and finance/accounting. Throughout his 35-year career on the San Diego waterfront, Aguayo has held numerous, diversified positions increasing in scope and responsibility. Beginning his path as an apprentice for a subcontractor, Aguayo began as a 23-year-old leadman of one of the production departments at the San Diego Shipyard, formerly known as Continental Maritime of San Diego, in 1989. Carlos has had an accomplished career with an extensive knowledge base crossing a wide range of disciplines, said Brad Mason, president of HIIs Fleet Support group. Having worked on the frontline and in senior management, Carlos has proven himself as the well-deserved successor for Dan. I am especially pleased that the employees know him well, as he is celebrated for fostering a strong team environment. He also mentors employees for future advancement. We are confident that Carlos exudes the strengths and qualifications that will move our organization forward. Dan has maintained a record of success in managing HIIs San Diego Shipyard, and the company is grateful for his leadership and innovative thinking, Mason continued. He has led the yard during volatility in the defense market in order to win important contracts. Although we are sad to see Dan retire, his mentorship and employee-focused legacy will continue with Carlos at the helm. A photo of Aguayo is available in HIIs newsroom: https://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file?fid=5c7d58762cfac276f16aae45 . Story continues Andy Green, president of HIIs Technical Solutions division said, Carlos has excelled for 15 years in senior leadership positions in business management, finance and contracts, which serves as a fitting segue into his new role as general manager of the HII San Diego Shipyard. His excellent track record in creating positive transformation both within the financial functions and throughout the organization will preserve the organizations core values while paving the way for innovation and future success. Aguayo has a bachelors degree in legal studies and a masters degree in management, both from National University in San Diego, as well as several industrial, leadership and lean manufacturing certifications. HII Technical Solutions is a professional services business helping government and commercial customers around the world solve their most complex problems. Areas of expertise include cyber security, software development, unmanned systems, training, modeling and simulation, nuclear operations, fleet services, and oil and gas engineering. For more information, visit https://tsd.huntingtoningalls.com . Huntington Ingalls Industries is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HIIs Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Mission Driven Innovative Solutions, Nuclear & Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 40,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit: HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries Contact: Beci Brenton Beci.brenton@hii-co.com (202) 264-7143 (Adds report of South Korean spy agency comment on reactor, paragraph 14-16) By Makini Brice and Hyonhee Shin WASHINGTON/SEOUL, March 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful the United States would send a delegation to North Korea in the coming weeks, after a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended with no deal. The leaders' second summit, held last week in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, failed to produce any agreement or immediate plan for follow-up negotiations. "I am hopeful, although I have no commitment yet, that we will be back at it, that I'll have a team in Pyongyang in the next couple weeks," Pompeo told the Iowa Farm Bureau. "I'm continuing to work to find those places where there's a shared interest," he said. The two sides gave different reasons for the abrupt end to the talks about denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. Trump said on Thursday that North Korea wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, while North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said they had only demanded a partial easing in exchange for dismantling its main nuclear site at Yongbyon. However, the two sides left room for further discussions, with Trump highlighting the economic benefits for North Korea if it gave up its nuclear weapons. North Korean state media, which in the past has used fiery rhetoric against Trump and blamed the United States for previous failed negotiations, reported on Tuesday that Kim returned home after a "successful" trip to Vietnam. It made no mention of the summit breakdown or any disagreement between the two leaders, in line with its positive coverage last week. Pompeo said during the Iowa visit that his team has been trying to convince Kim that the security of his country and government would not be compromised if it abandoned its nuclear weapons program. The United States and South Korea announced on Saturday an end to large-scale joint military exercises held every spring. North Korea has long derided the combined exercises, which often involve U.S. nuclear bombers, stealth jets and naval ships in what Pyongyang has called a "rehearsal for war." Story continues Smaller drills will continue, but ending large-scale exercises could help the nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, South Korean officials said. In another indication that the North might be trying to take steps to secure a compromise, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that a five-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, which produces weapons-grade plutonium used to build bombs, had not been operational since late last year. The news agency, citing lawmakers briefed by intelligence officials, said there had been no sign of reprocessing plutonium at the reactor. That contradicted U.S. nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker who said spent fuel generated by the reactor from 2016-18 appeared to have been reprocessed starting last May. BREAKDOWN The summit collapse could hurt South Korean President Moon Jae-in's bid to play the role of mediator, as requested by Trump, according to Moon's office. Moon had hoped that eased U.S. sanctions would help to restart projects between the Koreas, including a factory park and tourism zone. Some pro-engagement experts in South Korea have blamed the United States for failing to address the North's concerns. A former unification minister, Chung Se-hyun, who advises Moon on Korean relations, said he believed the summit fell apart after John Bolton, Trump's hawkish national security adviser, joined the discussions. "Bolton being present at the expanded second-day meeting was a sign of breakdown," Chung told a seminar in Seoul on Tuesday. "They had Bolton in raising the bar, and the North Koreans responded with stronger demands for sanctions relief, which leads them nowhere. It was a premeditated collapse." Other experts say the Moon administration can no longer play a bridging role by echoing North Korea's demands for sanctions relief. They also worry that the halt in major military drills could hurt joint readiness and the U.S.-South Korea alliance. "As a mediator, your job is to draw not just U.S. concessions, but also more proactive action from North Korea toward denuclearization," said Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. Moon, who has urged his officials to find a way to break the impasse, said in a speech to naval cadets on Tuesday that the pursuit of peace with the North would deliver denuclearization and a "peace-driven" economy. (Reporting by Makini Brice in WASHINGTON and Hyonhee Shin in SEOUL; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON and Joyce Lee in SEOUL Editing by Sandra Maler, Clarence Fernandez and Darren Schuettler) President Trump says he wants to kick India and Turkey out of a program that gives the countries special trade treatment. Trump announced his decision on Monday, saying he wants to remove the countries from the Generalized System of Preferences, or GSP which allows developing countries to send certain products to the United States duty-free. Last year, the United States began reviewing Indias eligibility for the program. Countries with GSP designation must meet certain criteria and can graduate from the program. In a statement, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Turkey is sufficiently economically developed and should no longer benefit from preferential market access. In a letter to Congress, the president accused India of shutting out American businesses. I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the Government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India, the president said in the letter. India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce. Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion, said a USTR statement. The Indian Commerce Secretary reportedly said benefits of the exemptions were minimal and moderate, adding up to about $190 million on exports of $5.6 billion. Trump slammed India over the weekend, calling it a high-tariff nation at the Conservative Political Action Conference, adding: When we send a motorcycle to India, its a 100% tariff. They charge 100%. When India sends a motorcycle to us, we brilliantly charge them nothing. Richard Rossow, senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Yahoo Finance he wasnt surprised by the move and he didnt think the Indian government was surprised either. Story continues Tensions and frustration were clearly boiling over, said Rossow. This isnt part of, I think, the overall package of the Trump administration initiating trade wars globally. India had actually done a number of things that kind of warranted this review. Rossow pointed to Indias increased customs duties, expanded mandatory local content rules for production and price controls. The Trump administration is not likely to back down from a trade fight. India will still be able to export goods to the U.S., but will be subject to higher customs duties. Rossow said the real risk for India is losing market share. That narrow price differential of pre-GSP and post-GSP can other countries exporters fill in that gap? said Rossow. The customs duties themselves, youre talking about a couple hundred million bucks, maximum. Thats survivable...but if actually the exporters themselves begin to lose out to competing companies and manufacturers in other countries thats where India begins to feel direct damage to the economy. India was one of the countries hit by Trumps tariffs on steel and aluminum last year. While India announced retaliatory tariffs, they have not been enacted. Rossow said he does not think India will want to escalate the situation. I do think the [Narendra] Modi government does very much understand that the Trump administration is not likely to back down from a trade fight, said Rossow. The United States is one of only two countries among Indias largest trading parters with which India has a surplus so India has a great deal to lose in this trade relationship with the United States if this thing begins to escalate further. USTR says no changes will go into effect for at least 60 days. (Bloomberg) -- When anti-government protests erupted on Russias side of the Caucasus Mountains in October, authorities did something theyd never done before: cut mobile internet service to an entire geographical area. For almost two weeks, tens of thousands of mainly Muslim Russians were prevented from accessing social media sites and sharing videos through their smartphones. Unlike China, where control of the internet is uniquely centralized, Russia doesnt yet have an easy way to quarantine negative news, so it had to force commercial carriers to curtail local services one by one. Russias censorship deficit relative to China is about to narrow. Backed by President Vladimir Putin, lawmakers in Moscow are pushing a bill through parliament dubbed Sovereign Internet thats designed to create a single command post from which authorities can manage and, if needed, halt information flows across Russian cyberspace. Putin is touting the initiative as a defensive response to the Trump Administrations new cyber strategy, which permits offensive measures against Russia and other designated adversaries. But industry insiders, security experts and even senior officials say political upheaval is the bigger concern. This law isnt about foreign threats, or banning Facebook and Google, which Russia can already do legally, said Andrei Soldatov, author of The Red Web: The Kremlins Wars on the Internet and co-founder of Agentura.ru, a site that tracks the security services. Its about being able to cut off certain types of traffic in certain areas during times of civil unrest. Tensions may have subsided along Russias southern border in the last four months, but theyre ticking up across the country. Since winning re-election by a landslide last March, Putins approval ratings have sunk to multiple-year lows, dragged down by decisions to cut spending and raise taxes while wages continue to slide and consumer prices creep ever higher. Story continues The draft law, which was co-authored by Andrei Lugovoi, the KGB veteran whos wanted in Britain for the 2006 murder of renegade agent Alexander Litvinenko, is actually a hodgepodge of bills, some of which have been in the works for years. The ultimate goal, according to Putin, is to ensure that the Runet, as the domestic internet is known, continues to function in the event the U.S. tries to isolate its former Cold War foe digitally. They sit there, its their invention, and everyone listens, sees and reads what you say Putin told media executives inside the Kremlin last month that he doubted the U.S. would unplug Russia from the web because it would cause them enormous damage. Still, he said the threat is real so Russia has to prepare.They sit there, its their invention, and everyone listens, sees and reads what you say, Putin said. The more sovereignty we have, including in the digital field, the better. This is a very important area. The first step toward the kind of independence envisioned in the legislation is the establishment of the technical means of countering threats. This refers to installing special boxes with tracking software at the thousands of exchange points that link Russia to the wider web. The units would feed a single nerve center, allowing regulators to analyze both the volumes and kinds of traffic in real time and selectively block or reroute certain types of flows, be they YouTube videos or Facebook feeds. So-called deep-packet inspection, or DPI, has been a popular tool for operators of large networks for years because it helps optimize user loads. Content providers use the technology to harvest the increasingly valuable metadata about consumers that they sell to advertisers, but DPI is also a powerful mechanism for repression, according to former Google chief Eric Schmidt. Not only can DPI censor objectionable activities, it can also slow the internet for target users or communities, Schmidt wrote in 2014. Lugovoi, the co-sponsor of the bill, said in hearings that officials have absolutely no clue about the communications networks laid in Russia and cross-border connectionswho owns them, how theyre used, what kind of information is sent. Once the monitoring hub is set up, he said, well be able to see all this online. The BBC caused an uproar on social media in Russia last month when it reported that authorities in Moscow were planning to isolate the Runet completely for a few hours this spring to test the system. But thats neither true nor technically possible, according to officials and industry executives whove been briefed on the project. Internet providers and wireless carriers are objecting to the bill as written on several grounds, not least of which is expense. They say that while the government has pledged to pay the costs of implementation, the 20 billion-ruble ($304 million) estimate put forward by one of the authors wont be enough for procurement, installation and refinement, let alone maintenance. But even before getting to that point, officials need to involve market participants in extensive tests of all relevant hardware and software to avoid major disruptions that could cost companies tens of billions of rubles in lost revenue, the industrys main lobby group said in a statement. Rongbin Han, a professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia in the U.S. who studies the Great Firewall of China, said all major countries are extending their sovereignty into cyberspace for one very good reasonnew threats are emerging all the time. Russia is moving in a similar direction as China, Han said. You dont necessarily need to shut down the entire internet to quash political dissent. Its smarter just to filter online content." One Russian official said the new law will make it easier for authorities to monitor and disrupt scores of apps and message groups that are currently classified as illegal. He said as many as 30 million Russians use such services, the most popular of which is Telegram, a platform founded by rebellious tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov and his mathematician brother. Russian efforts to force Durov, whos based in Dubai, to hand over his encryption keys last April resulted in protests and mass ridicule. Authorities tried to pull the plug on Telegram in Russia, but ended up bringing down hundreds of unrelated sites in the process, including retailers, banks and airline-ticketing systems. They sit there, its their invention, and everyone listens, sees and reads what you say The Runet went largely unregulated in the early years of the Putin era as the Kremlin focused on bringing to heel the most influential media outlets of the time, which were in broadcasting and print. But censorship has been systematically tightened, particularly since nationwide protests erupted in late 2011, when then-premier Putin announced his return to the presidencyRussia now censors a variety of topics online, often under the pretext of rooting out extremism. It also blocks foreign companies like LinkedIn and Zello that refuse to locate servers inside the country. In total, about 80,000 sites are currently blacklisted, according to Roskomsvoboda, a Moscow-based group that campaigns against online restrictions. Artem Kozlyuk, the groups founder, said if Russia is truly afraid of getting kicked off the web by the U.S. then its playing into Americas hands by trying to centralize a distributed system. That would both make the Runet easier to attack and increase the likelihood of some unskilled official crimping connection speeds around the world by mistake, he said. Russia is one of the worlds largest hubs for exchanging of traffic, with fast channels, Kozlyuk said. Putting monitoring boxes on every node may slow down not only the Runet, but the global internet. Its like closing your airspace. --With assistance from Gina Turner and Jeremy Diamond. To contact the authors of this story: Ilya Khrennikov in Moscow at ikhrennikov@bloomberg.netStepan Kravchenko in Moscow at skravchenko@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Brad Cook at bcook7@bloomberg.net, Rebecca Penty For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), left, greets Sean Jordan, nominee to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, before the start of his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM Eastern District of Texas judicial nominee Sean Jordan encountered little resistance at a sparsely attended Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, both R-Texas, lavished praise on Jordan while Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, pressed him on various U.S. Supreme Court precedents. Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, was not present for the hearing, but Cornyn said at the end of the session that he was hopeful Graham would soon hold a vote for Jordan and Mark Pittman, a nominee for the Northern District of Texas who was also questioned Tuesday. Jordan is with Jackson Walker in Austin, where he co-chairs the firm's Appellate Practice Group, and previously served in the office of Solicitor General for the State of Texas. Cruz, a former Texas solicitor general who hired Jordan as an assistant solicitor general and later promoted him to a deputy solicitor general, praised Jordan's service in the U.S. Army as an infantryman and paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. "I will tell you, Sean brings his background as a paratrooper to practicing law, because in major cases, Sean was always the person you could count on to jump on the grenade and handle the most difficult issues," Cruz said. Cornyn asked Jordan, a Connecticut native who attended the University of Texas at Austin for undergrad and law school, to describe his military service and how he came to settle in Texas. "I consider my experience in the military transformativeit was a tremendous honor to serve our country," Jordan said. "People I met in the Army strongly recommended I go to the University of Texas. That is how I wound up being in Texas. It was the best decision I ever made." Blumenthal, the only Democrat in attendance, noted that Jordan participated in preparation of amicus curiae briefs for Texas in two landmark gun control cases, District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008 and McDonald v. Chicago in 2010. Blumenthal noted that the Judiciary Committee will soon hold hearings on a so-called red flag statute, which allows law enforcement officers to seek a court order taking guns away from someone who is considered dangerous. "Do you view that statute as inconsistent with the positions you have taken in Heller and McDonald?" Blumenthal asked. "I believe the Heller decision acknowledges there is an individual right to keep and bear arms. Because I'm appearing before this committee as a nominee, I believe it would be inappropriate to comment on pending legislation," Jordan said. Blumenthal also asked Jordan if he believed Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court decision desegregating schools, was correctly decided. "That is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court," Jordan replied. "It overturned Plessy. I would faithfully apply that precedent as I would all Supreme Court precedent." Blumenthal went on to ask Jordan to ask if he believed Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling declaring the right to abortions, was correctly decided. Jordan replied that he didn't "think it would be appropriate to comment on its correctness. I assure you I would faithfully apply Roe and every Supreme Court decision. Blumenthal later remarked that he was "disappointed" with Jordan's responses to those questions. "I believe personal beliefs are important. Often applying the law isn't simply a rote or algorithmic exercise. I hope you will have the courage of commitment because you will be the face and voice of justice if you are confirmed." Blumenthal has repeatedly questioned President Donald Trump's nominees about Brown and Roe. A question on Brown v. Board of Education tripped up Wendy Vitter, a district court nominee for Louisiana, who faced backlash from civil rights groups afterward. Her nomination is currently pending. I dont mean to be coy, Vitter said during her April 2018 hearing. But I think I can get into a difficult, difficult area when I start commenting on Supreme Court decisionswhich are correctly decided and which I may disagree with. She added that the ruling is Supreme Court precedent. It is binding. If I were honored to be confirmed, I would be bound by it and of course I would uphold it. Royal Road Minerals to acquire over 2000 square kilometers of appraised and prioritized mineral exploration titles and title applications containing drill-ready targets Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Royal Road Minerals Limited (TSXV: RYR) ("Royal Road" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it (the "Purchaser") has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement (the "Agreement") with Compania Kedahda Limited (the "Seller"), an affiliate of AngloGold Ashanti Limited ("AngloGold Ashanti"), to acquire Northern Colombia Holdings Limited ("NC Holdings"). NC Holdings in turn owns Exploraciones Northern Colombia SAS ("ENC") which owns a title package (collectively, the "Titles") comprised of mining concession agreements covering approximately 36,000 hectares of land, and the rights with respect to applications that have been made to acquire mining concessions over approximately 215,000 hectares of land, in prospective mineral belts in the Narino, Cauca and Antioquia departments of Colombia (the "Transaction"). Highlights of the Transaction High quality, Appraised and Prioritized Title Package. AngloGold Ashanti has elected to focus on its three advanced projects in Colombia and in Q2 of 2018, commenced a sales process for its exploration title packages outside of these three principal projects including the Titles as held under NC Holdings and ENC. These title packages are the result of systematic exploration, appraisal, prioritization and the purposeful reduction of land holdings by AngloGold Ashanti over the years since inception of its activities in Colombia in 2004. Increased Future Optionality. The Transaction will significantly increase the Company's portfolio of potentially Tier 1 exploration assets and provides the Company with various options for joint-venture and cash generating transactions in Colombia. Advanced Exploration Potential. The Transaction provides the Company with access to drill-ready potentially Tier 1 projects on granted concession agreements within its present area of interest and elsewhere in prospective mineral belts throughout Colombia. Cannot view this image? Visit: https://media.zenfs.com/en-us/newsfile_64/1930a1303facd328c39d3225e23bbab9 Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4008/43208_figure1.jpg Story continues The Properties The Titles are grouped into two blocks, the Southern Block, which is located contiguous with Royal Road's existing 3500 square kilometers of exploration rights in Narino Province and the Northern Block, which covers the well-known Middle Cauca Belt, a region hosting over 50 million ounces of recently discovered gold resources (see Figure 1). There are 16 currently identified individual gold project areas located within the title package and numerous underexplored areas which management believes host significant geologic potential. Royal Road's initial focus will be on granted titles containing targets that can be moved to the drilling-stage as soon as possible. Some of these targets are as follows: The La Llanada project area in Narino Province, characterized by very high stream sediment sample results and comprising several currently known high-grade vein-gold systems, (see Figure 2) and surrounding the La Redencion mining license, over which the Company has an option agreement and is permitted to drill (see press release dated April 4, 2016). Cannot view this image? Visit: https://media.zenfs.com/en-us/newsfile_64/62ab7074ef0e710c0fd90bc50038e33b Figure 2 To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4008/43208_figure2.jpg The El Tambo intrusion-related gold project in Cauca Province, where AngloGold Ashanti reported an area of steep-moderate dipping quartz-veins, up to 3 meters wide, over 3 kilometers in strike length and 600 meters in total zone-width and with rock chip results returning up to 77 grams per tonne gold (based on a reported 182 combined panel and grab rock-chip samples ranging from below detection limit and with a mean of 2.2 grams per tonne gold; (Figure 3). The Guinter sheeted quartz-calcite-sulfide vein project area in Antioquia. The vein system has been mapped over 6 square kilometers, AngloGold Ashanti drilled 10 scout diamond drill holes for a total of 5662 meters at the project and reported best intersections of 56 meters at 1.1, 14 meters at 1.8 and 20 meters at 1.8 grams per tonne gold (not true thickness). Based on geological observations management believe there is volume potential in mineralized stratabound horizons and potential for higher-grade mineralization where veins link and interact similar in style to the nearby Buritica and Anza projects (Figure 3). Cannot view this image? Visit: https://media.zenfs.com/en-us/newsfile_64/26028efdf89d9ae9bc7cd203b1bae51c Figure 3 To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4008/43208_figure3.jpg The title package contains numerous porphyry-style occurrences and two well-known porphyry copper and gold projects that whilst not drill-ready, will be the short-term focus for Royal Road's social and permitting teams. The El Molino porphyry gold project (Figure 4) is an outcropping gold porphyry system located in Cauca Province. Both the potassic core and quartz-sericite halo of the system are exposed on surface. AngloGold Ashanti previously reported sheeted gold veinlets returning rock-chip samples of up to 184 grams per tonne gold (based on a reported 493 combined grab and panel samples ranging from below detection limit with a mean of 2.5 grams per tonne gold; Figure 3). The Caramanta region in Antioquia, where AngloGold Ashanti reported three copper and gold bearing porphyry bodies and rock-chip results of up to 47 grams per tonne gold and 3.3% copper (based on 255 combined grab and panel samples ranging from below detection limit with a mean of 0.65 grams per tonne gold and 0.07% copper). Further information is available by navigating to the dedicated landing page on the Company's web site www.royalroadminerals.com. The foregoing exploration information and data contained in this news release was not prepared by the Company or the qualified person named below. Neither the Company nor such qualified person has independently verified the foregoing exploration results and data and the Company cautions that there is a risk that further exploration will not produce similar results. Cannot view this image? Visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4008/43208_fig4.jpg Figure 4 To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4008/43208_figure4.jpg Transaction Details All figures are in United States dollars unless otherwise indicated. Under the terms of the Agreement, the Purchaser agreed to acquire from the Seller all of the issued and outstanding shares of NC Holdings. NC Holdings indirectly holds, through two wholly owned subsidiaries, all of the issued and outstanding shares of ENC, which is the holder of the mineral concession Titles and is the assignee of the rights to any Titles that are granted to AngloGold Ashanti Colombia S.A. (the "Assigning Company"), an affiliate of Anglo Ashanti, pursuant to title applications made by the Assigning Company to the National Mining Agency of Colombia (Agencia Nacional de Mineria). In consideration for the purchase of the shares of NC Holdings, the Company agreed to pay the Seller a purchase price of $4,655,462 on completion of the Transaction. In addition, the Company has granted the following contingent considerations to the Seller: If at any time after the closing of the Transaction, Royal Road Minerals completes a technical report pursuant to NI43-101 that discloses for the first time an inferred mineral resource of not less than one million gold equivalent ounces on a specific area within the lands subject to any of the Titles held by the Company or any of its affiliates, such specific area shall be designated as a "Specific Project", and the following provisions shall apply with respect to each such Specific Project identified: An amount equal to five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be payable within 90 days following the date on which such technical report for the Specific Project is completed; and a further amount equal to five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be payable within 90 days following the date on which a feasibility study for such Specific Project is completed and delivered to the Seller; and a further amount equal to five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be payable within 90 days from the commencement of commercial production for the Specific Project; and a further aggregate amount equal to twenty million dollars ($20,000,000), payable in four equal installments of five million dollars ($5,000,000) on the date that is 90 days following the end of each of the Company's four consecutive fiscal quarters immediately following the commencement of commercial production for the Specific Project. If at any time after Closing, the Company completes a feasibility study that discloses for the first time an inferred mineral resource of not less than five million gold equivalent ounces on a Specific Project, the Seller shall have a one-time option (the "Feasibility Option") to purchase a 75% interest in the Specific Project for a purchase price in an amount equal to the sum of the following amounts: An amount equal to three (3) times the aggregate sum of all exploration expenditures up to and including the feasibility study funded by Royal Road Minerals; plus An amount equal to the aggregate sum of all exploration expenditures funded by Royal Road Minerals for that Specific Project from the feasibility option date until the completion of the transfer of the purchased interest. If the Seller exercises the Feasibility Option for a Specific Project, then the Company will no longer be required to pay the payments on and following commercial production for the Specific Project for which the Seller has exercised the Feasibility Option. The Agreement contains customary representations, warranties, covenants and conditions for transactions similar to the Transaction. In addition, the obligations of the Company to complete the Transaction are subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions on or before the closing of the Transaction, including, among others, the following conditions: The Company shall have completed a financing for aggregate gross proceeds of at least $3.5 million on or before the date that is 60-days from March 4 th 2019; and the Company shall have obtained any required approvals of the TSX Venture Exchange and the relevant authorities in Jersey in connection with the acquisition contemplated by this Agreement. The Seller shall have obtained the required approval to implement the Transaction from the South African Reserve Bank. The Transaction is expected to close on or before the date that is 60-days from March 4th 2019, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and the other conditions precedent set out in the Agreement. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The information in this news release was approved by Dr. Tim Coughlin, BSc (Geology), MSc (Exploration and Mining), PhD (Structural Geology), FAusIMM, President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Road Minerals Limited and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Quality Assurance and Quality Control: The following information was made available to the Company by AngloGold Ashanti. Sample preparation and analyses are conducted according to standard industry procedures. Rock samples are crushed, split and pulverized prior to analysis of Gold by fire assay and Atomic Absorption and multi-elements by ICP-AES and ICP-MS after four acid digestion. Stream sediment samples are sieved to -200 mesh and analyzed for Gold by fire assay and ICP AES and multi-elements by ICP-AES and ICP-MS after aqua regia digestion. Analytical performance is monitored by means of certified reference materials (CRMs), coarse blanks, coarse and pulp duplicate samples. Surface samples have been prepared, for the most part, in ALS Chemex preparation lab in Colombia and analyses have been completed in ALS Chemex Lima. Cautionary statement: This news release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements") including e statements relating to the Transaction and those describing the Company's future plans and the expectations of its management that a stated result or condition will occur. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or developments in the Company's business or in the mineral resources industry, or with respect to the Transaction, to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include all disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that is based on assumptions about, among other things, future economic conditions and courses of action, and assumptions related to government approvals, and anticipated costs and expenditures. The words "plans", "prospective", "expect", "intend", "intends to" and similar expressions identify forward looking statements, which may also include, without limitation, any statement relating to future events, conditions or circumstances. Forward-looking statements of the Company contained in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to, those related to the Transaction, the Company and the Company's plans exploration plans. The Company cautions you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. There is no guarantee that the anticipated benefits of the Transaction and the Company's business plans or operations will be achieved. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements include, among others: economic market conditions, anticipated costs and expenditures, government approvals, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with Canadian provincial securities regulators or other applicable regulatory authorities. Forward-looking statements included herein are based on the current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions of the Company management and, in part, on information provided to the Company by Anglo Ashanti and its affiliates, and, except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change. For further information please contact: Dr. Timothy Coughlin President and Chief Executive Officer USA-Canada toll free 1800 6389205 +44 (0)1534 887166 +44 (0)7797 742800 info@royalroadminerals.com Corporate Logo To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43208 Depending on the jurisdiction, cryptocurrency regulation has largely been the turtle in this race. Widely criticised by many and anticipated by others, slowly and surely, countries and regulators are gaining pace with the hare. A few days ago, Russia became the latest country to set a deadline for cryptocurrency regulation. But what if anything does this mean for the industry at large? Is Russia a key player in the cryptocurrency scene? There are certainly a lot of enthusiastic Russians in the cryptocurrency space, both developers and investors. The ruble may not be as volatile as the lira or the Venezuelan peso, but the countrys politics often make up for that. It isnt too surprising that 13% of the Depending on the jurisdiction, cryptocurrency regulation has largely been the turtle in this race. Widely criticised by many and anticipated by others, slowly and surely, countries and regulators are gaining pace with the hare. A few days ago, Russia became the latest country to set a deadline for cryptocurrency regulation. But what if anything does this mean for the industry at large? Is Russia a key player in the cryptocurrency scene? There are certainly a lot of enthusiastic Russians in the cryptocurrency space, both developers and investors. The ruble may not be as volatile as the lira or the Venezuelan peso, but the countrys politics often make up for that. It isnt too surprising that 13% of the Russian population use cryptocurrencies of some kind. Throughout 2016 and 2017, Russia seemed to be a major player in the cryptocurrency space. Then it also became a paradise for scammers. One fake ICO too many and regulators took notice. While it didnt outright ban ICOs, it did make them harder to do. With a few too many stipulations to contend with and raised public awareness over investing in scam ICOs, Russian enthusiasm in cryptocurrency waned, and its start-ups set up shop in safer pastures like Switzerland and Singapore. Putin sets a deadline for cryptocurrency regulation But now, President Vladimir Putin has placed a deadline on cryptocurrency regulation in the Russian Federation. By July 1st 2019, the Russian ruler wants to clear up ambiguity surrounding the cryptocurrency community in his land, and Kremlin.ru issued a document to the Federal Assembly stating as such. Without diving too deeply into the structure of Russian politics, what the document essentially decrees is that both the upper and lower parliamentary houses must reach a decision and adopt a set of regulations for digital assets within this time frame. What will this mean for cryptocurrency regulation in the country? Well, Putin has actively stated that he is not against cryptocurrency. In fact, the main goal of the regulation is meant to achieve a framework in which blockchain companies can flourish and help breed innovation in the country. Story continues As such, the regulations are unlikely to pinpoint just one sector of blockchain technology, such as ICOs, but rather look at the industry holistically, taking into account digital financial assets and ways to boost the Russian economy. In short, this should be bullish for cryptocurrency in Russia and will allow the country to stop sending innovation offshore. It should also ensure that Russia doesnt end up lagging behind in the blockchain race. How will cryptocurrency regulation take shape in Russia? Cryptocurrency regulation is a mixed bag in Russia. There are many who believe that companies cannot operate in a lawless environment. But there are plenty of others who believe that blockchain technology is still nascent and that over-regulating this area will stifle innovation. Just recently, Alexander Konovalov, the Minister of Justice of Russia, stated his concerns over the fact that the industry is too immature to regulate. He feels that detailing a list of stipulations and requirements may be prohibitive to technological advancement, especially as digital assets are not recognised as a means of payment in Russia. On the other hand, the Russian banks have been famously anti-cryptocurrency. Andrey Kostin, head of VTB, Russias second-largest bank, even likened cryptocurrency mining to money printing. He vehemently believes that cryptocurrency cannot be seen as something legal to trade on the stock market, for example. His stance is that this asset class becoming mainstream would be dangerous for the financial market. Its far from certain how cryptocurrency regulation in Russia will play out, but it is certain that some form of regulation will take place by July 1st. What does this mean for the industry? Many industry insiders believed that 2018 would be the year of cryptocurrency regulation. To a certain extent, it was. We saw trailblazing countries like Malta passing new laws on ICOs, exchanges, and DLT. We also saw a commitment from the countrys Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to make blockchain and other emerging technologies a key focus of the countrys economic growth. However, in the US, regulation is still dragging its heels. Its beginning to take more shape on a state-by-state basis, rather than at a federal level. And everyone is still waiting to hear the SECs ruling on the Bitcoin ETF proposals. Moreover, 2019 is the year that the international body for anti-money laundering, the FATF, will come out with clear guidelines that all member countries must follow. This means that any exchange or wallet provider in these areas must implement KYC and AML. And now that Russia has set a date for cryptocurrency regulation, this may have some effect on the industry, as countries look to each other to find the right way forward. Germany also announced last week that it will decide on cryptocurrency regulation by the middle of this year. South Korea is also close to establishing clear guidelines. Whether Russian regulation, German regulation, and decisions from the SEC will be bullish or bearish for crypto remain to be seen. But the point here is that global regulation is finally starting to come whether it works with or against the industry will be key. The post Russia is setting deadlines for cryptocurrency regulation. What does this mean for the industry? appeared first on Coin Rivet. A veteran activist group has secured eight congressional sponsors for a pledge to find a responsible and expedient end to what it calls the forever warU.S. military action thats been ongoing since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in 2001. Sponsors include Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). The signers pledge to fight to reclaim Congresss constitutional authority to conduct oversight of U.S. foreign policy and independently debate whether to authorize each new use of military force and act to bring the Forever War to a responsible and expedient conclusion. The United States has been in a state of continuous, global, open-ended military conflict since 2001, reads the pledge. Over 2.5 million troops have fought in this Forever War in over a dozen countriesincluding Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Niger, Somalia, and Thailand. The statement was written by Common Defense, a politically-minded group of military veterans and families who organized after the 2016 election. With more than 150,000 supporters across the country, Common Defense endorses progressive candidates and promotes issues relating to service members and their families. Last week, members of Common Defense traveled to Washington to lobby for support of their pledge, The Intercept reports. For them, the fight to end war is personal. Were watching the Taliban govern areas [in Afghanistan] where we deployed, and where our friends died, Alexander McCoy, political director for Common Defense, told The Intercept. Were watching Trump destabilize entire regions. Were watching our friends who we served with now on their eighth and ninth deployments. Were seeing our kids now will be old enough to enlist and having to have hard conversations about that. Along with Sanders, Warren, Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, and Omar, Common Defense has secured the support of Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Shoal Games'Rooplay OTT System and the Kidoz Network will Reach 50 Million Kids a Month with a Premium Subscription System Offering ANGUILLA, BWI / ACCESSWIRE / March 4, 2019 / Shoal Games Ltd. (SGW.V) ("Shoal Games" or the "Company"), mobile software developer, owner of the Rooplay edu-games platform (www.rooplay.com) and publisher of the Rooplay Originals games library, has successfully completed its acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Kidoz Ltd. ("Kidoz"), the Israel-based industry-leader in the global kids' content distribution and monetization marketplace (the "Acquisition"), as previously announced in the Company's news release dated December 28, 2018. The Acquisition enables the global reach of Kidoz's content network to be efficiently combined with Shoal Games' Rooplay subscription OTT platform, to create a unique player in the high growth digital kids market. The combined company is positioned to grow through exclusive ownership of content which the Kidoz network will make accessible to tens of millions of kids each month, utilizing a proprietary OTT subscription platform and a kid-safe monetization platform to attract top kids advertisers. Highlights of the Transaction Industry-leading market position: The combined company will provide a unique Kid Safe platform for digital content distribution and monetization that reaches over 50 million children and parents worldwide every month. Established digital edu-game product strategy: Combining the companies will significantly enhance the cost-effectiveness and reach of Shoal Games' distribution strategies for its consumer-focused EdTech games platform, Rooplay. Expanded commercialization of "Rooplay Originals" games library: Shoal Games extensive games library of curated COPPA-compliant games can now be commercialized using Kidoz sponsored promotions with top kids brands like Hasbro, LEGO, Disney, Viacom, Crayola and many others. Distribution of Rooplay over the Kidoz content discovery network: Leveraging Kidoz's distribution capabilities will enable the combined company to bring unique, child safe games to the worldwide market through the thousands of popular kids apps that use the Kidoz Network. Accretive economics on both trailing and forward metrics: Kidoz has lean operations that are highly complementary to those of Shoal Games. In combination with Shoal Games' extensive management track record in video game development and in the public markets, the combined entity looks forward to rapidly increasing combined revenues and improving overall economic performance. Combined company synergies: The combined company is expected to realize improved management efficiencies, leveraging Shoal Games' cost-effective public company management practices and experience and both companies' combined development knowledge and libraries; the Kidoz worldwide distribution platform; cross-selling and up-selling to customers through a broader content portfolio; integrated operations and controls; and implementation of best practices. Highly experienced management teams with worldwide focus: Kidoz and Shoal Games have been working together for over a year and determined to enter into the Transaction after recognizing that the synergies available from joining together in today's complex technological environment would provide the combined company with a strong global foothold in the continually expanding kids' digital market. Pursuant to the Acquisition the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Kidoz from the former Kidoz shareholders in exchange for the issuance to them, as beneficial owners, of a total of 52,450,286 common shares of the Company. Immediately following the Acquisition, the Company closed a private placement of 5,000,000 common shares of the Company, which raised gross proceeds of US$2,000,000 (the "Concurrent Financing"). After the Acquisition and the closing of the Concurrent Financing the former Kidoz shareholders now beneficially own (on a non-diluted basis) 40% of the outstanding common shares of the Company. The shares issued to and for the benefit of the former Kidoz shareholders were issued at a deemed consideration of US$0.40 each, the same price at which shares were offered under the Concurrent Financing, for a total deemed purchase value of approximately US$21 million. The shares issued to and for the benefit of the former Kidoz shareholders are subject to hold periods imposed under the rules and policies of the Exchange and applicable Canadian securities legislation and are subject to resale restrictions imposed by the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act"). None of the former Kidoz shareholders will, as a result of the issuance of shares to them or for their benefit in connection with the Acquisition, become an insider, affiliate or control person of the Company. Story continues A fee of US$130,000 was paid to Ibis Capital Ltd., of London, England, for acting as finder and exclusive financial advisor to Kidoz in connection with the Acquisition. Clubb Capital Limited, of London, England received a 10% cash commission of US$200,000 in connection with the Concurrent Financing. The shares being offered and sold under the Concurrent Financing have not been and will not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. Persons, are being offered and are to be sold in accordance with the provisions of Regulation S made under the 1933 Act, and will not be registered under the 1933 Act. All of the shares issued pursuant to the Concurrent Financing are subject to a four-month hold period, as required under the rules and policies of the Exchange and applicable securities legislation, and may not be sold, transferred or otherwise traded before July 5, 2019. Under the terms of the Acquisition, the former Kidoz shareholders are entitled to have three persons nominated by them appointed as directors of the Company, and have nominated Joseph Mandelbaum and Moshe David, former directors of Kidoz, as well as Eldad Ben Tora, the CEO of Kidoz, for appointment in that capacity, as soon as all outstanding requirements regarding their respective appointments are met. In addition, Eldad Ben Tora has been appointed as Co-CEO of the Company. Kidoz will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shoal Games, and its current management and employees will remain with the combined company. Trading in the common shares of the Company on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") was halted on December 31, 2018 pending completion of the acquisition. The common shares of the Company will resume trading on the Exchange upon the opening of the Exchange on Thursday, March 7, 2019. Management Commentary "This is an exciting time for Shoal Games, Kidoz, and Rooplay," said Jason Williams, Shoal Games CEO. "We have been working with Kidoz for over a year and the synergies were so strong that both companies were motivated to come together. Rooplay will benefit from access to millions of potential customers each month and Kidoz will gain a library of exclusive content and a premium subscription platform of its own to feature on the Kidoz content network. Further, Shoal Games will gain the leadership and experience of the Kidoz CEO, Eldad Ben Tora, and the entire Kidoz team of skilled software and publishing personnel. Eldad and I are now tasked with leading Shoal Games to success, by integrating our companies' considerable assets, creating synergies to unlock revenue growth, and capturing the kids digital market. I believe that Shoal Games has never been stronger and our potential for rapid growth in 2019 is high." "I'm excited to be working with Jason and the entire Shoal Games team," said Eldad Ben Tora, Kidoz CEO. "Kidoz has been growing its global distribution rapidly and it was our mandate to add exclusive content to our monetization offering, so that we could grow our revenue potential from subscribers. We have been working closely with the world's largest app developers and most successful kids brands for years now, and joining our two companies will expand our offering with fully branded games and playable ads within apps. Integrating Rooplay's content platform into our network will bring enormous value to our device manufacturer partners." For full details of the Company's operations and financial results, please refer to Shoal Games corporate website at http://investor.shoalgames.com or its continuous disclosure record on SEDAR. About Shoal Games Ltd. Shoal Games Ltd. (SGW.V) (www.shoalgames.com) is the owner of the "Rooplay" EdTech games platform (www.rooplay.com). Rooplay's pioneering curated games platform brings calm, structure and accountability for children and parents in an increasingly confusing and fragmented digital world. Empowering children with inspired play, engagement and innovative learning prepares them for success in their futures. Rooplay is available on Android, worldwide in the Google Play Store, and on browsers of web enabled digital devices at www.rooplay.com. Featuring Garfield, Moomin, Mr. Men, Little Miss, Pororo, Peter Rabbit and Mr. Bean, the product offers families a handpicked and growing selection of hundreds of educational games for a monthly subscription fee. The Rooplay platform uses the same subscription business model as Netflix, but substitute's passive video content with active learning games designed to inspire children to success. About Kidoz Ltd. KIDOZ Ltd. (www.Kidoz.net) is a leading distribution and monetization platform for kids content, reaching over 50 million children worldwide. KIDOZ is the owner and developer of the KIDOZ OS and the Kidoz Network. KIDOZ OS serves as the official Kid Mode for over 40 top tier OEMs, carriers and kids brands including Lenovo, PBS Kids, Sprout TV, Acer and more. The solution is preloaded on millions of devices, providing safe content for kids and safety features for parents. The Kidoz Network is a complete AdTech platform helping hundreds of developers monetize their apps in a COPPA & GDPR-compliant manner, and enabling top kids' brands including Hasbro, Nintendo, Lego, Crayola and more to reach and engage kids with their content. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by the company) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to anticipated future success of the company. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the company. For a description of additional risks and uncertainties, please refer to the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Specifically, readers should read the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 20, 2018, and the prospectus filed under Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act on March 9, 2005 and the SB2 filed July 17, 2007, and the TSX Venture Exchange Listing Application for Common Shares filed on June 29, 2015 on SEDAR, for a more thorough discussion of the Company's financial position and results of operations, together with a detailed discussion of the risk factors involved in an investment in Shoal Games Ltd. For further information, please contact: Henry Bromley CFO ir@shoalgames.com (888) 374-2163 www.shoalgames.com SOURCE: Shoal Games Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/538037/Shoal-Games-Completes-Acquisition-of-Kidoz-Ltd (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Nik Storonsky, the Russian-born co-founder of Revolut Ltd, has been setting the record straight on a lot of things lately. His $1.7 billion money-transfer app has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons: Regulatory scrutiny over an alleged compliance lapse; the departure of its finance director; suspicions of Russian political interference; and a toxic work culture. The famously blunt executive, a champion swimmer who boxed as a child, has reassured customers and staff that there was no compliance lapse, that the CFOs exit was to make way for someone more experienced in global banking, and that any corporate-culture issues are firmly in the past. And that his ties to Russia are irrelevant and inaccurate. Yet there are more fires to fight. Revolut on Tuesday rebuffed a report in the Financial Times that said Londons Metropolitan Police force was conducting a fraud investigation into an apparently botched money transfer. A company spokesman said the police werent investigating any fraud case involving Revolut and that it had never been in control of the funds concerned. Still, the report wasnt a great advertisement for Revoluts service for business customers, a division that has grown at breakneck speed and is seen by Storonsky as a central plank of the apps money-making product range alongside cryptocurrency trading and premium cards. Revolut seems to be suffering from the consequences of what happens when investors throw large amounts of money at a crop of startups in a high-risk industry with lots of red tape. The expectation is for super-charged growth, but its a challenge to keep regulators happy when youre going this quickly. Revolut is certainly delivering the growth. In 2017, its customer numbers trebled to 1.2 million, revenues increased five times to 12.8 million pounds ($16.8 million), and monthly transaction volumes jumped to $1.5 billion from $200 million. But the cost of that expansion still isnt clear. High staff turnover and a business model reliant on process-driven machines is potentially a dangerous mix. Story continues A tool aimed at enforcing regulatory compliance resulted in too many false positives, and annoyed customers, so Revolut dropped it. But that has brought attention from the U.K.s Financial Conduct Authority. Storonsky insists no regulation was breached, but the episode raises questions about the companys priorities. Despite the high values of fintech startups, there are still concerns about the sustainability of their business model. They need to undercut the big banks on price, while trying to make sure they provide the same level of security to customers. Storonsky told Bloomberg Television last year that Revolut was targeting the U.S., India, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong. That will require more money, more staff and more regulatory boxes to tick. Its the latter that poses particular concern. Revolut is now a licensed bank in Europe, via a license granted in Lithuania, a country that is trying to take extra measures to cope with the very real threat of money-laundering. Revolut may be small still, but its already a part of the global system of money transfers, so compliance is crucial. The co-founders focus has long been about driving fast. If you want a product to be sold in huge quantities with zero marketing it has to be 10 times cheaper and 10 times better, Storonsky said last year. Now it should be about driving safe. To contact the author of this story: Lionel Laurent at llaurent2@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Boxell at jboxell@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Brussels. He previously worked at Reuters and Forbes. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff, pictured above, is at the center of a developing $1 million campaign finance scandal | Source: Politico By CCN.com: Rookie U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been dragged into an emerging campaign finance scandal that could potentially compromise her carefully crafted reputation as the peoples candidate, as well as call her political platform into question just three months after the 2018 midterm elections that saw her become the youngest-ever female member of Congress. At the center of the scandal is her chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti, who is accused of diverting more than $1 million in donations from her supporters into a slush fund controlled by two private companies registered to him, ostensibly for the purpose of obscuring what the money was used to do. It will be recalled that Ocasio-Cortez has built her budding reputation on the platform of clean politics, with the congressional freshman repeatedly emphasizing that her campaign does not accept money from corporate political action committees (PACs), which she has described as dark money. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has achieved great success by branding herself as the candidate of the people, could be facing an embarrassing campaign finance scandal The allegations, which are detailed in a complaint submitted to the Federal Election Commission on Monday, could significantly curtail her burgeoning influence among Democrat ranks on Capitol Hill. This comes at a time when she has become powerful enough to threaten House Democrats from swing districts with primary elections if they do not vote along party lines. Possible Campaign Finance Law Violations The Washington Examiner reports that between 2016 and 2017, ex-Bernie Sanders campaign organiser Charkrabarti set up two PACs called Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats. Between them, they raised over $3.3 million predominantly from individual donors across the country to help Democrats like Ocasio-Cortez get into Congress. In that time, the sum of $1,045,000 was apparently paid in several tranches to Brand New Campaign LLC and Brand New Congress LLC two private companies controlled by AOCs Chief of Staff. Story continues The payments were apparently made for the purpose of Strategic Consulting, which is to say the least extremely ambiguous, if not outright suspicious. Even more tellingly, while Brand New Campaign LLC is registered in Delaware, there are no Secretary of State records for Brand New Congress LLC, and the time or location of its incorporation remain unknown. This raises the obvious question of what strategic consulting work these companies did to earn over $1 million in fees within that time period despite having no recognized activity or personnel apart from Charkrabarti. Investigators will want to get to the bottom of the matter, not only to establish whether Charkrabarti in fact embezzled or otherwise misused campaign funds, but also to find out what exactly or how much Ocasio-Cortez knew about the arrangement. From her constitutents point of view, as a House member who has nailed her colours to the clean campaign finance mast, it is particularly important to determine whether she was in fact an accomplice to potential violations of campaign finance laws, given her close relationship with Charkrabarti. Read the full story on CCN.com. top states for higher education A college degree is pricey and getting increasingly expensive: From 2006 to 2016, the cost of college tuition and fees increased by 63%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That may leave would-be undergraduates with sticker shock that deters them from matriculating. But forgoing a college education can limit your earning potential. From 1979 to 2017, real incomes for men with just a high school degree dropped by 18% while incomes for women in the same group rose, but only by 5%. Your best bet is to find a college education that wont break your savings account . Public schools typically offer some of the most bang for your buck. Below, we rank the best states for higher education. To rank the best states for higher education, we looked at five metrics. We compared the state higher-education systems by their student-faculty ratios, average net price, graduation rate, in-state attendance rate and the 20-year return on investment. The Data and Methodology below includes our data sources and how we put all the metrics together to create a final ranking. This is SmartAssets fifth annual study on the best states for a higher education. Read the 2018 study here . Key Findings Southern states populate the bottom 10 Five of the bottom ten states for higher education are in the South. The data shows that these states have high student-to-teacher ratios and low graduation rates. Consistency reigns All of last years top 10 states remain in this years top 10, albeit in a reshuffled order. A tie in 10th place meant we included 11 states on this list, so Washington State was the only new entrant to our top rankings this year. higher education 1. Virginia Once again, Virginia comes out as the top state for higher education. The average college in this state has a student-to-faculty ratio of fewer than 11 students to one teacher, the second-best rate in the country. Virginia schools rank fifth for average 20-year return on investment for their students. Story continues 2. Michigan Michigan ranks above average in every metric we analyzed. In-state attendance is a particularly important factor in our study. Michigan high school graduates are especially likely to choose to attend a local institution of higher learning. This state also has a low student-to-teacher ratio, ranking 10th in that metric with roughly 14 students per teacher. 3. North Carolina One of the best states for community colleges is also a great state for those pursuing four-year degrees. Our data shows North Carolina has a graduation rate of 64%, which is seventh best in the nation. Higher education in North Carolina is also on the affordable side, meaning graduates shouldnt be saddled with too much student debt after they leave college. North Carolina ranks 12th in average net price. 4. California California schools offer the highest return on investment. The Golden State also ranks in the top 10 for average net price and 15th for in-state attendance rate. Student-to-teacher ratio is the only metric for which California ranks below average: It holds last place. 5. Delaware Delaware offers in-state attendees an education that pays off in the long run. Our analysis shows that Delaware schools rank third for return on investment. Unlike California, Delaware has a low student-to-teacher ratio. Only eight states have a lower student-to-teacher ratio than Delaware. 6. Connecticut Connecticut is the top New England representative in the study. This state ranks in the top 10 for both student-to-faculty ratio and graduation rate. Students in Connecticut benefit from the fact that this state ranks 20th for return on investment. On the downside, attending Connecticut schools is expensive. This state ranks 41st for average net price. 7. Washington Roughly 34% of high school graduates in Washington go on to attend college in Washington, giving the state the ninth-highest rate in this metric. Another reason to attend school in Washington is the price. Washington ranks first for average net price at $8,033 per year. Only the relatively low graduation rate, 42%, stops Washington from claiming a spot in the top five overall ranking. 8. New Jersey New Jersey schools have impressive returns on investment and high graduation rates. New Jersey ranks 15th for average return on investment and third for average graduation rate. The high average cost, however, may leave some students reconsidering their choice to pursue higher learning here. New Jersey ranks 40th in this metric, with an average net price of $16,179. 9. Wyoming Wyoming offers a little bit of everything when it comes to advantages in higher education: It ranks within the top 20 in four of the five metrics. The return on investment and student-to-faculty ratio scores particularly stand out in the Cowboy State, ranking at 13th and 15th respectively. Not as many Wyoming high school graduates choose to continue their education in their home state, which hurts Wyomings overall score. 10. (tie) Iowa Iowa has an average graduation rate of 73%, the highest in our study. The return on investment for in-state graduates of Iowa schools is also attractive; Iowa ranks eighth in that metric. Despite these two top-10 scores, Iowa falls to tenth overall because of below-average scores in the other three. 10. (tie) New York New York is one of the more affordable states to get a higher education. According to our data, the average net price for in-state students is just $10,200 per year. In that metric, New York ranks fourth. New York also ranks above average in average return on investment and graduation rate. higher education Data and Methodology To find the best states for higher education, SmartAsset looked at data for all 50 states across the following five metrics: Undergraduate graduation rate. Data comes from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Data is for the 2016-2017 school year. Average net price. This metric considers the average yearly price for first-time, full-time undergraduate students. Data comes from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and is for the 2016-2017 school year. Student-faculty ratio. This metric also comes from the IPEDS. It is from the 2017-2018 school year. 20-year return on investment. This number is the amount of 20 years of median pay for a graduate with a bachelors degree (or 24 years of median pay for a high school graduate) minus the costs for attending the higher education institution for four years. Data comes from PayScale. In-state attendance rate. This is the percentage of students who graduated from high school in 2016 who went on to attend an in-state college. Data comes from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Data for metrics were found using a weighted average of the schools in each state. We ranked each state in the five metrics. We then found each states average ranking, giving a double weighting to graduation rate. Using this average ranking we created our final score. We graded our score on a curve, with the top 15% of states getting an A and the bottom 15% getting an F. Tips for Managing Student Loans Refinance If you find yourself unable to save because you are spending most or all of your income only on rent and student loans , one option is to refinance to a lower rate and consider extending the life of the loan. By doing that you can lower your monthly student loan payments, giving yourself a little more cushion in your budget. Be aggressive If you do have room in your budget for savings and you already have an emergency fund, it may make sense to try and pay down your student loan early. Paying upwards of 5% interest on debt can be expensive. Paying down that debt and avoiding the interest charges could be a wise change. Get an advisor High-earning individuals with large student loan burdens have a few things to consider. They need to save for retirement as well as pay down their debt while considering other costs. Juggling all of those financial responsibilities leaves any non-expert liable to make a mistake. Instead of trusting yourself to do everything, why not lighten the load by getting the help of a financial advisor? If you are not sure where to find one, check out SmartAssets financial advisor matching tool . Questions about our study? Contact us at press@smartasset.com Photo credit: iStock.com/nothjc The post Top States for Higher Education 2019 Edition appeared first on SmartAsset Blog. Related Articles: By Eric Beech and Neha Dasgupta WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump looked set to open a new front in his trade wars with a plan to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States. Monday's move comes as trade tensions between the United States and India mount. The United States is trying to rework pacts with a number of other countries as well, including China. Trump has said weak deals have cost millions of American jobs and has vowed to cut U.S. trade deficits. India played down the impact, saying it was keeping retaliatory tariffs out of its talks with the United States, but the opposition could seize on the issue to embarrass Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of general elections this year. Trump has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs, and U.S. trade officials said scrapping the concessions would take at least 60 days after notifications to Congress and the Indian government. "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Trump told congressional leaders in a letter. India is the world's largest beneficiary of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which dates from the 1970s, and ending its participation would be the strongest punitive action the United States has taken against the country since Trump took office. Reuters last month reported the planned U.S. action, which comes as the United States and China appear close to a deal to roll back U.S. tariffs on at least $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. "Discussions are on with the United States, and given cordial and strong ties, (we are) keeping retaliatory tariffs out of it," Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said in New Delhi. The preferential treatment brought India an annual "actual benefit" of just $190 million, he told reporters. Of the 3,700 products covered, India used the concession for just 1,784, Wadhawan added. Story continues "The benefit to industry is low, U.S. tariffs are already low," said another government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "GSP is more symbolic of the strategic relationship, not in value terms." Still, some expect the move to ratchet up pressure on India to address U.S. concerns. "The Indian government hasn't engaged enough to address market access issues," said Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. "For the sake of the many Americans and Indians who relied on GSP benefits, I hope that India will work to quickly address these legitimate concerns." POLITICAL PRICE Despite its limited impact, the GSP removal could hurt Modi's Hindu nationalist ruling party ahead of the election, expected in the next couple of months. "It can become a political issue in an election year," said the official who declined to be named. Modi's own relationship with Trump has been limited, with their meetings less frequent than those of Chinese President Xi Jinping with Trump, for example. Trade ties with the United States suffered after India adopted new rules on e-commerce curbing how internet retail majors Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc-backed Flipkart do business. That followed a drive by New Delhi to force global card payments companies such as Mastercard Inc and Visa Inc to move their data to India and higher tariffs on electronic products and smartphones. In 2017, the United States protested against India's decision to cap prices of medical devices. Last week, India delayed until April 1 higher tariffs on some U.S. imports announced in response to a U.S. refusal to exempt it from new steel and aluminum tariffs. "Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion," USTR said. The agency estimates the United States ran a goods and services trade deficit of $27.3 billion with India in 2017. India's top GSP exports to the United States in 2017 included motor vehicle parts, ferro alloys, precious metal jewelry, building stone, insulated cables and wires, said business grouping the Confederation of Indian Industry. "Some industries which are highly export-oriented to the American markets would be impacted, like pharma or textiles," said Siddharth Sedani, equity advisory head at brokerage Anand Rathi. India's falling trade deficit with the United States is estimated to have narrowed by more than $4 billion in 2018, the trade ministry said, adding it would fall further on growing demand for energy and civilian aircraft. (Additional reporting by Manoj Kumar, Krishna N.Das and Aditya Kalra in NEW DELHI and Chris Prentice in new York; Writing by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and James Dalgleish) President Donald Trump said hes ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give Alabama the A Plus treatment following a devastating tornado. Tornadoes touched down in the southern United States on Sunday, the worst ripping through rural Alabama. The storms left at least 23 people dead, including three children, and destroyed more than 1,000 homes, The New York Times reports. Sheriff Jay Jones of Lee County, Alabama described the destruction as catastrophic and said he expected the death toll to rise as search and rescue teams continue their efforts. Trump tweeted on Monday morning that FEMA would provide the A Plus treatment to the Great State of Alabama and the wonderful people who have been so devastated by the Tornadoes. FEMA has been told directly by me to give the A Plus treatment to the Great State of Alabama and the wonderful people who have been so devastated by the Tornadoes. @GovernorKayIvey, one of the best in our Country, has been so informed. She is working closely with FEMA (and me!). Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2019 His comments have spurred criticism online, as the presidents words suggested to some that FEMA provides different levels of aid depending on his orders. Trump has a rough history with disaster response: his harsh criticism of Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria has not been forgotten. He once threatened to pull FEMA funds from the recovery, a move he repeated a few months later during the California wildfires. Were glad Trump is devoting the full resources of FEMA to the people of Alabama after the devastating tornadoes ripped through peoples homes. But when other states experienced similar disasters, Trump was totally careless and even mean, tweeted Eugene Gu, a scientist who frequently speaks out against Trump on social media. Wish we had a President who cared about all Americans whether they live in a red state, blue state, or US territory, Gu added. According to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, the primary focus of recovery at this time is search and rescue, as there are many people unaccounted for. By 2020, women may control as much as $72 trillion of the worlds investable wealth a number thats forcing markets to care about how women deal with their finances and what issues concern them, according to a new report from S&P Global. S&P Global recently polled men and women in the 11 countries with the biggest stock markets to gauge their sentiments about the financial markets, their own sense of preparedness and investment habits. The biggest takeaway: womens control of the worlds investable wealth could reach $72 trillion, yet women often feel less financially secure and less optimistic about their economic futures than men. This social and economic reality will affect their investment decisions and could impact global financial markets. Women are more worried than men about finances Both men and women are worried about their financial future. More than 70% of men and women in the U.K., Switzerland, Germany and France say they are at least somewhat worried about their financial future. But in every one of those countries, a higher percentage of women feel that way. Women in 10 out of the 11 nations said that men are better prepared for a financial setback than they are. (Only in Japan women and men were even on this question.) In Japan and Korea, more than eight in 10 women are concerned about their personal finances. Source: S&P Global Even though women own an estimated 42% of the wealth in the U.S., the majority is still pessimistic about their finances, judging their situation to be fair at best. Only 26% of American women invest in the financial markets, even though 41% say now is the time to do so. Thats because women dont feel they are in a secure enough position financially and dont want to take on the risk associated with investing, according to the S&P Global report. Nearly 40% of women in the U.S. say theyd be unable to afford their current lifestyle for more than a month if they lost their job. For 22% of women, the impact would be immediate, while only 13% of men say the same. Story continues Millennial womens personal finances are bleak. More than two-thirds of millennial women in North America say they are in poor or fair shape financially. (Overall, 60% of U.S. women say theyre in poor or fair financial shape.) While three-quarters of women in the U.S. and Canada say theyre somewhat worried about their financial future, more than two-thirds feel that theyre in control of their financial well-being. They say that their own actions such as saving, smart investing, and working hard are more important than events out of their control, like market volatility. Women make buying and investment decisions based on companies environmental and social impact in greater numbers than men A majority of women in all 11 countries included in S&P Globals poll say a companys stance on environmental and social issues is important in their investment decisions. In the U.S., 79% of women vs. 67% of men view a companys impact on those issues as critical in their investments. A companys stance on those issues also impacted whether or not women chose to purchase their products and services. Source: S&P Global Its estimated that women own as much as 40% of the worlds total wealth, S&P Global says, so fund and asset managers increasing focus on social, governance, and environmental issues is likely to continue. Follow Sibile Marcellus on @SibileTV More from Sibile: Why McDonalds and Dominos better watch out for Wingstop Whats driving markets? Not fundamentals: Slok Former Essence magazine editor: Why people will still buy print Martin Luther King Jr,s secret weapon tells his story of civil rights in America How MLKs favorite barber provided a safe haven for civil rights leaders (Bloomberg) -- As Theresa Mays Brexit deal stumbles over the thorny issue of the Irish border, another frontier farther south risks causing problems of its own. Betting companies with operations in Gibraltar on Spains southern flank worry Madrid will restrict land access to the tiny British territory when the U.K. leaves the European Union. GVC Holdings Plc and William Hill Plc have more than 1,400 employees on the rocky peninsula, which has long been an international betting hub because it had a legal framework for gambling before the U.K. mainland and more favorable taxes. Competing claims over the territory have caused tension between Spain and Britain for three centuries. About 80 percent of William Hills 400 Gibraltar staff, who include financial managers, compliance officers and programmers, commute from Spain. The companies say the threat that Brexit will choke the border has forced them to invest in improved remote office technology and find ways for employees to fill in for colleagues who cant get to work. It could take a lot of time to get across if the Spanish decide to put in place detailed passport checks and other checks, William Hill Chief Executive Officer Philip Bowcock said in an interview. If that happens then that becomes a problem -- but we obviously have business protection plans in place. GVC Chief Executive Officer Kenny Alexander said the situation would have been much worse 14 or 15 years ago when remote office technology was less sophisticated. The executives spoke after the betting companies reported full-year financial results showing continued growth in online betting. Both have been adjusting their overseas operations to ensure they can still operate in the EU if Britain leaves its single market for services. With the U.K. government tightening regulation in response to concerns over problem gambling, the continent has become even more vital to their growth prospects. William Hill shifted some regulatory functions from Gibraltar to EU member state Malta when it acquired Swedish bookmaker Mr. Green in October. GVC said Tuesday it would move servers hosting its online gambling platforms to Ireland and bring parts of the business with EU customers under Malta online gambling licenses. Its online gambling headquarters remain in Gibraltar. Story continues Financial services and online gaming account for a quarter of jobs in Gibraltar and 40 percent of its economic output. Fears that Brexit could disrupt those industries underpinned almost unanimous support from the territory for continued EU membership in the 2016 referendum. To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Seal in London at tseal@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rebecca Penty at rpenty@bloomberg.net, Thomas Pfeiffer For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Welcome toMoney Diaries , where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period and we're tracking every last dollar. Today: a graduate student working in earth sciences who earns a $20,000 stipend per year and spends some of her money this week on a chai. Occupation: Graduate Student Industry: Earth Sciences Age: 30 Location: Delaware Salary: $20,000 stipend = $17,386.78 after taxes Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $965.94 after taxes Monthly Expenses Rent: $1,099 (includes all utilities except electricity) Student Loans: $0 (I worked for seven years between undergrad and grad school and paid everything off.) Electricity: Up to $120 in the winter, around $40 in the summer Cell Phone & Car Insurance: $0 (These are both paid by my parents.) Annual Expenses University Student Fees: $1,112 (This covers health insurance and graduate student association fees.) Annual IRA Contribution: $6,000 (This comes from my savings. I have $47,000 saved.) Day One 7:30 a.m. I wake up to snow, but it's only an inch, so I take a shower, fold yesterday's laundry, skip breakfast, and pack my schoolbag for my 9 a.m. class. I then check my email right before leaving the house and find that classes are cancelled until noon! This is utterly ridiculous. I've spent the past 15 years living in Massachusetts and then Wisconsin, and I find it laughable that an academic institution would shut down in a panic for an inch of snow. There's another email cancelling my second class because the professor is having transportation issues. Guess I get to stay home today! That's fine, I have a LOT of work to catch up on. 10:30 a.m. It's lunch time! I heat up frozen patra (it's a West Indian dish that you can find in the freezer section of Indian grocery stores) and have it with chocolate milk. This pairing makes no sense, but is pretty typical of how I eat it's what's available. I've begun work on a project I promised to help a colleague with. It has nothing to do with my field of research, but he promised me co-authorship if I helped him meet a deadline on a proposal, and I am in no position to turn my nose up at a possible publication. Story continues 2 p.m. I'm hungry again, so I heat up the rest of the patra. This bag was supposed to contain four servings, but it's empty now. I am beginning to seriously worry that I eat too much. Yes, I know, you're only supposed to eat until you're full, but stomach sizes differ, don't they? I don't eat past fullness, but maybe somewhere along the way I trained my stomach to be bigger than it needs to be? I don't know if this is something I need to worry about, and I frankly don't have the time to worry about it, but as with all inconvenient thoughts, I'm sure it's going to take up space in my head. 6 p.m. It's time for rooibos tea and a sandwich (cheese, tomato, salt, and pepper). I've been working steadily on my colleague's research project on IPCC reports. The newest IPCC report is already pretty devastating, but climate change could be even worse for the earth than they predicted. 9:30 p.m. My friend calls to chat about his day, and I take a break to make some chamomile tea. He's in grad school, and we're each other's lifelines in our horribly busy lives. At this point, I am so sick of staring at this IPCC report, but I haven't even done one-tenth of the work I've promised to deliver. My friend and I video chat while we work we're barely talking to each other, but it's nice to have some company. I head to bed at 11 when he ends the call to go to the gym. Daily Total: $0 Day Two 9 a.m. The weekend has arrived! I got 10 hours of sleep, which is two too many because it makes me wake up with lower back pain. I stay in bed where it's lovely and warm and work on the IPCC analysis for two hours. No breakfast I'd have to get out of bed, and I'm not interested in facing the world yet. 11 a.m. I shower, chat with my mom before she goes to bed (she's in India right now), and make three sandwiches (cream cheese, pickle) for lunch. I watch yesterday's episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the CW website while eating, wash up, and return to the IPCC report. Whoever claimed that variety is the spice of life wasn't a graduate student. 2 p.m. I'm hungry again, but I strongly dislike cooking, so I guess I'll have two more sandwiches. This time it's cheese, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. The brief respite is far too brief. Back to work! 6 p.m. I've been checking my email periodically all day, and the email I've been waiting for has finally arrived. I'm a teaching assistant this semester (which is why I'm paid $20,000). The professor I'm assisting wants me to cover all student requests with regard to the online portal, but I can't do that until I have access to the online portal. As the instructor of record, he has to approve my access, and he's finally done it. The floodgates have opened there are 21 student questions that need to be addressed. I pour myself some chocolate milk and spend an hour and a half working on their questions and sending each of them emails when I resolve their issues, after which I return to the IPCC report. I'm so thoroughly fed up with it, but today is the last day I will spend this much time on it. I've managed to do enough work that from now on, I can spend an hour or two on it per day and be done by our proposal deadline. 10 p.m. I'm done for the day! One more fortifying mug (I don't own glasses) of chocolate milk and it's time for le petit mort. I even managed to complete tomorrow's portion of IPCC analysis, so I can spend the entire day on homework, which is, of course, how Sundays should be spent. Daily Total: $0 Day Three 7 a.m. Just over eight hours of sleep = no backache, woohoo! My bodily aches and pains aren't exactly new they started when I was 28 but I still resent the hell out of them. I can't believe I'm old enough for this to have become a regular feature of my life. How did this happen? Is it going to get worse? How do people who are over 40 ever summon up the energy to get out of bed? Backaches aren't my only issue I also carry all my stress in my neck and shoulders, which means they're always tight and aching. Last semester, they started aching about halfway through the semester. At the moment, we're only two weeks into this semester, and my neck and shoulders already ache like nobody's business. I can't imagine how much pain my grandparents are always in, if their pain only increased as they aged and they started at the level of pain I have now. I stand ramrod straight against a wall as I munch on a slice of bread for breakfast. 9:30 a.m. A friend and I are going to work on our homework together in his department office. Parking on campus is free until 1 p.m. on Sundays and it's raining outside, so I decide to drive over. I'm quite happy about this, because the past two days at home have been cold and I've had the heater going, which I will have to pay for when my electricity bill comes in. I spend as much time on campus as I possibly can in order to avoid paying for electricity (thank goodness for societal support!), because as it stands, I'm barely scraping by on my stipend. I have savings, but I really don't want to touch them. 1 p.m. Homework session is over, so I drive to the grocery store. I buy bell peppers, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, ginger, serrano peppers, tea bags (chamomile, rooibos), bread, potato chips, pita chips, soy milk, chocolate milk, shredded cheese, yogurt, and eight Amy's Broccoli & Cheddar Bowls. All of this would have cost me about $70 in Wisconsin. I'm still upset at how expensive Delaware is. I'm told it's because it's the East Coast. I can assure you that when I lived in Massachusetts, no one I knew ever thought of Delaware as being part of the East Coast. It's the Mid-Atlantic at best, or maybe even the South. There are houses here that were part of the Underground Railroad! $98.91 2:30 p.m. I drop off my groceries at home and put the frozen stuff away so it won't defrost. Then I set off for the Indian grocery store, which is in the opposite direction. I buy bags of frozen patra, samosas, arbi, undhiyo mix, rotis, some cumin seeds and powdered cardamom, paneer, a bottle of sesame oil, a can of coconut milk, and some fresh okra. I forgot frozen peas at the grocery store, so I buy some here. In general, it's a bad idea to buy things at the Indian store that you can get at a regular grocery store, because it's undoubtedly more expensive than it is at the grocery store, but peas are delicious and I can afford an extra dollar. I also pick up a carton of one-day-from-expiring mango pulp. Yum! $41.50 4 p.m. I'm very hungry and I have all this mango pulp that's expiring, so it's going to be mango milkshakes for dinner. In India, milkshakes are made with milk, not ice cream. I'm a typical Indian vegetarian (yes to milk and honey, no to eggs), so it was a shock to me when I moved to the U.S. and found out that certain milkshakes might be off limits to me. Solution: Make your own milkshakes! 11 p.m. I've spent the past few hours (drinking milkshakes and) continuing to stare at my homework. I am increasingly worried that I don't understand it well enough to pass muster. It's economics, something with which I have absolutely no experience. The math is not hard, but the logic escapes me. For example, we're supposed to find it realistic that someone gets a marginal benefit of $2,000 from a fire hydrant, so we use this dollar amount to justify how many fire hydrants a city needs. At the same time, we are supposed to be skeptical that someone would actually pay $2,000 for a fire hydrant, so we posit that the city won't have as many fire hydrants are we previously calculated it needed. Why is realism required in the second instance, but not in the first? How am I supposed to know when to suspend my disbelief? Ugh, it's time for bed. Daily Total: $140.41 Day Four 7:30 a.m. I'm up, showered, fed (a serving of milkshake), and ready to attack my homework by 8:30. Monday is normally a free day, but I have a 2:30 meeting with my economics professor to discuss the homework, so I'd better have it done by then. 11:30 a.m. Brief break for samosas and the last of yesterday's mango milkshake. I'm almost done with the homework. 3:30 p.m. My meeting with the professor went well I only made two mistakes in my logic. Next I walk over to meet a friend at a cafe on Main Street. We trade complaints about our lives over coffee (her) and chai (me). I don't need coffee or tea as stimulants, and it's not something that people hang out over in India, but my friend needs coffee and enjoys the coffee at this cafe, and they have excellent chai, so I indulge myself. $4.50 5 p.m. I finish the bag of frozen samosas and work on today's IPCC analysis. I watch yesterday's episodes of Charmed and Supergirl before heading to bed at 10. Daily Total: $4.50 Day Five 8 a.m. Oh my goodness, so much lower back pain. I eat an Amy's bowl so that I have some food in my stomach to support an Aleve. I have class at 11, but the pain hasn't lessened by 10:45, so I have another Aleve. I chat with my mom on the walk to class. I will never tell her about my body pain. She doesn't need a reason to worry about me she already worries enough without having anything concrete to worry about. 1:45 p.m. I forgot to buy granola bars! I stop by the student center to buy some avocado toast. It's really good, with huge flakes of salt and pepper. They were closed over winter break, so this is my first one of the new year, and I've missed it so. I eat it in my office while starting on the reading for my most important class on Thursday. $4.50 6 p.m. Tuesday is the day that all the grad students in the department try to meet up for $2 mystery beers, but no one seems to be interested today. This is unfortunate, because it's quite a nice day and the semester is only going to get harder and busier. If we can't make it happen today, we're definitely not making it happen once midterms approach. I head home and have some poor grad student's nachos pita chips with chopped tomato and melted cheese. I work on the portion of the IPCC report that I've earmarked for today and read for Thursday until I fall asleep. Daily Total: $4.50 Day Six 7 a.m. I wake up in a panic from a dream that I failed my thesis defense because I didn't have enough research done. At the moment, this is, in fact, true. I'm spending so much time doing schoolwork, TA work, my colleague's research work, and housework that I am not really working on my own research. I can feel the weight of everything I have to do on my shoulders, and time is slipping by while I do none of it. It's well past time to get moving, but I'm paralyZed by how big the task is. 10 a.m. I get the IPCC work out of the way before continuing to read for Thursday's class. I'm hungry, and the okra is looking sadder with every passing day, so I chop it up while my laptop reads my article out to me. I have roti and okra for lunch with pickle and yogurt, and then I clean up. This is why I hate cooking. Not the act of cooking itself that's fine. But cooking also includes shopping, washing/rinsing the vegetables, chopping them, clearing up, washing dishes, wiping them, and putting them away. It's such a time commitment, and I have absolutely no time. And then the food is gone and I have to do it all again. When am I supposed to get my research done? (Sure, let's blame cooking for my lack of research progress. Absolutely no part of me buys this, but I'm going to try it anyway.) 3 p.m. Rooibos tea as I fold laundry and listen to my reading. My dream has been bothering me. The truth is that I genuinely have no time for research. But I'm going to have to fit it in it's actually even more urgent than I dreamt. I'm presenting at a conference next month, and then my thesis defense is in May of next year. Worse yet, doing research will require money, which means I need to actively work on finding funding. Applying for grants requires having a proposal, and I only figured out what I wanted to study for my thesis at the end of January. 7 p.m. I've been munching on carrots, but I'm sick of them now. I need something salty. Dinner is potato chips, leftover okra, and yogurt. I mix pepper and chili powder into the yogurt, and it's the finest dip known to man. I can't keep my eyes open past midnight, even though I'm not done with the reading for tomorrow. Daily Total: $0 Day Seven 9 a.m. Breakfast is potato chips and yogurt. So good. I have back-to-back classes from 11 to 1:45 pm, and then again from 3:30 to 6:30. It's going to be a long day. I heat up a bag of patra and pack it up. 7 p.m. My electricity bill arrived in the mail ($119.20). I knew it the university was closed, so I spent most of my time at home and it was freezing all month even before the polar vortex struck. I'm so worried about money. I spend about $250 a month on food (because most of it is ready-to-eat). Right now, I use my savings to make IRA contributions and front me the money for things like student fees and gasoline, but in the winter months, I spend more than I make. I pay the money back into my savings account in the summer when my electricity bill is around $40. If/when my parents stop paying for my cell phone and car insurance, I'll have no choice but to pay from my savings. I know that my issue is the rent it's too high. But I value my proximity to campus and my lack of roommates. I'm not giving that up. Bread and cheese for dinner. 10 p.m. I'm done with today's IPCC chunk. I watch Black Lightning on the CW website until I fall asleep. All things considered, it's been a light week. Next week will be worse I have an exam and two homework assignments due. And I need to start my literature review. No point in impressing my advisor in class if I fail to deliver the research goods. Besides, what's the point of me being here in grad school if I don't come away with the ability to be useful to world? I genuinely like my field. I'm excited for my research. I can't wait to get started. Daily Total: $0 Money Diaries are meant to reflect individual women's experiences and do not necessarily reflect Refinery29's point of view. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behavior. The first step to getting your financial life in order is tracking what you spend to try on your own, check out our guide to managing your money every day. For more money diaries, click here. Have questions about how to submit or our publishing process? Read our Money Diaries FAQ doc here: r29.co/mdfaqs Have you been working for at least 8 years and seen your salary increase or fluctuate? If so, fill out this form for a chance to be featured on our Salary Story series. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? How Kylie Jenner Became The Youngest Self-Made Billionaire Here Are The Theranos Investors Who Lost Millions Forbes List Reveals Kylie Jenner As The World's Youngest Self-Made BillionaireEver Dutch ecommerce giant selects Manhattan WMS as the core technology for its DC expansion and modernisation initiative NIEUWEGEIN, The Netherlands and ATLANTA, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Manhattan Associates Inc. (MANH) today announced that leading Dutch online retailer Wehkamp has selected Manhattans Warehouse Management System (WMS) to run its new distribution centre (DC) in Zwolle, Netherlands. The project, part of a 40 million investment Wehkamp is making in expanding and modernising this DC, will eventually extend to Wehkamps other DCs in the country. Wehkamp chose Manhattans WMS because of its industry-leading functionality, because it can orchestrate and maximise the performance of both human and automated resources and because it will allow the retailer to scale order line volumes at a 20 percent growth clip. With 2.7 million regular customers and more than 11 million orders processed annually, Wehkamp is the Netherlands online market leader in fashion, lifestyle, beauty and baby/childrenswear. Its Zwolle DC, already one of the worlds largest automated DCs for online retail at 360,000 square feet, is being extended to 650,000 square feet. Once this expansion is completed, Wehkamp will have almost 1.5 million square feet of warehousing capacity in the Netherlands and be able to process more than 250,000 order lines per day. Once Wehkamp began this DC expansion and modernisation project, executives concluded that the companys incumbent WMS would not be able to keep up with its rapid growth or the additional associated complexity. The company set out to find a single, future-proof solution that could be deployed across its DCs, could efficiently orchestrate workflow across both automated and manual resources and could maximise product flow-through velocity. Manhattans state-of-the-art WMS will provide Wehkamp with more flexibility in terms of how it processes orders and returns, maximise asset utilisation and support mobile workflows within its DCs. The solutions order streaming capabilities will allow the retailer to simultaneously process wave, waveless and flow-through orders, whilst its embedded Warehouse Execution System (WES) capabilities will orchestrate workflow between its human workforce and its various automated technologies, which include 550 shuttle robots. Story continues Wehkamp has grown rapidly because we have made offering the ultimate customer experience our number one priority, said Maarten Tibosch, chief operations officer at Wehkamp. Manhattans WMS will help us develop a supply chain that is effective, efficient, flexible and scalable to support our customers evolving needs. This solution will maximise asset utilisation, accelerate inventory flows and get goods to consumers faster. Pieter Van den Broecke, managing director, Benelux and Germany, Manhattan Associates commented, Manhattan currently works with the top brands and retailers around the globe to help them navigate the complexities of omnichannel fulfilment. With Manhattans WMS, Wehkamp can be confident it will be able to deliver on its growth and efficiency improvement goals so that it can make the lives of all families in the Netherlands easier and more beautiful. About Wehkamp Wehkamp is a large online department store in the Netherlands. The company has more than 2.7 million regular customers and more than 500,000 visitors a day, and it ships more than 11 million packages a year. Its product assortment consists of more than 400,000 different items spanning some 2,000 brands, mainly in the categories of fashion, living, beauty and baby/children. Wehkamp sells large international brands, local brands, small brands and exclusive brands, and produces many private label collections. The company believes in cleverly combining fashion and lifestyle with online technology and a great shopping experience to offer its customers and partners a relevant and compelling retail platform. More than 50 percent of its customers now shop on their mobile devices, mainly via the Wehkamp app. Any stock item can be ordered today, shipped free of charge tomorrow and returned free of charge. Wehkamps mission is simple: to make the lives of all families in the Netherlands easier and more beautiful. For more information, please visit www.wehkamp.nl . About Manhattan Associates Manhattan Associates is a technology leader in supply chain and omnichannel commerce. We unite information across the enterprise, converging front-end sales with back-end supply chain execution. Our software, platform technology and unmatched experience help drive both top-line growth and bottom-line profitability for our customers. Manhattan Associates designs, builds and delivers leading-edge cloud and on-premises solutions so that across the store, through your network or from your fulfilment centre, you are ready to reap the rewards of the omnichannel marketplace. For more information, please visit: www.manh.nl or www.manh.com/en-nl . The long-term future for California utility stocks is riding on the states willingness and ability to reform inverse condemnation laws, according to a Wells Fargo analyst and he's not hopeful. The Analyst Wells Fargo analyst Neil Kalton reiterated a Market Perform rating and $65 price target for Edison International (NYSE: EIX). Kalton also reiterated a Market Perform rating and $20 target for PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG). The Thesis California utility investors hoping for a comprehensive inverse condemnation solution from the state in 2019 will likely be disappointed, Kalton said in a Sunday note. The best solution would likely be switching standards from strict liability to a negligence standard, and any solution that falls short of that standard will leave the utilities exposed to a dangerous amount of risk, the analyst said. The state could potentially meaningfully change wildfire liability laws in the coming months, but the chances of a legally binding resolution that get Edison and PG&E out of the woods appear slim, Kalton said. While we are encouraged by comments made by Governor Newsom that we think indicate a willingness to meaningfully address IC, we are not aware of any legislative momentum for a substantial fix." In the meantime, both Edison and PG&E will continue to take large charges relating to wildfire liability. Kaltons EPS estimates for Edison and PG&E assume $4 billion and $10 billion in additional wildfire liabilities, respectively. Wells Fargo is calling for EPS of $4.60 from Edison in fiscal 2019 and EPS of $3.80 from PG&E. Price Action Edison shares were down 0.3 percent at the time of publication Monday and PG&E was up 0.34 percent following the latest commentary from Wells Fargo. Related Links: Citi Upgrades PG&E, Raises Price Target By 200% Well Fargo Downgrades Edison International On Liability Legislation Pessimism Latest Ratings for EIX Mar 2019 Bank of America Upgrades Underperform Neutral Feb 2019 Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight Equal-Weight Feb 2019 Wells Fargo Downgrades Outperform Market Perform View More Analyst Ratings for EIX View the Latest Analyst Ratings Story continues See more from Benzinga 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE The state of Colorado has agreed to settle its legal dispute with Masterpiece Cakeshop and its owner, Jack Phillips, over the shop's refusal to make a custom cake for a transgender woman, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced. The two sides "have mutually agreed to end their ongoing state and federal court litigation," an announcement Tuesday from Weiser's office said. The state and Phillips have been battling for years over his refusal in a pair of well-publicized cases to design custom products for LGBTQ customers. Phillips has maintained that to do so would violate his religious beliefs, adding that all customers are free to buy non-custom products at his Lakewood shop. "Under the terms of the agreement, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission will voluntarily dismiss the state administrative action against Masterpiece Cakeshop and its owner, Jack Phillips, and Mr. Phillips will voluntarily dismiss his federal court case against the state," Weiser's office said. The statement said the commission agreed to the settlement in a unanimous vote. Phillips' most recent case against the state involved attorney Autumn Scardina, a transgender woman who in 2017 attempted to get Masterpiece Cakeshop to make a cake that would celebrate her male-to-female transition. The shop refused, citing religious beliefs. Scardina filed a complaint with the state civil rights division. On June 28, 2018, the Colorado Civil Rights Division issued a finding that there was probable cause that the cakeshop had discriminated against Scardina. In October, the civil rights commission issued a formal complaint against Phillips. Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit legal organization that says it defends people based on their religious beliefs, filed a federal lawsuit against the division, the commission, and the Colorado governor and attorney general in August 2018, complaining that the state is "on a crusade to crush Plaintiff Jack Phillips because its officials despise what he believes and how he practices his faith. In the lawsuit, Phillips' attorneys said he "believes as a matter of religious conviction that sex the status of being male or female is given by God, is biologically determined, is not determined by perceptions or feelings, and cannot be chosen or changed." The lawsuit sought $100,000 in damages from Civil Rights Division Executive Director Aubrey Elenis. In January of this year, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Wiley Y. Daniel ruled over the state's objections that the lawsuit could go forward, saying Phillips was able to demonstrate that actions by the state are causing injury. The agreement announced Tuesday "does not affect the ability of Autumn Scardina, the complainant in the state administrative case, to pursue a claim on her own," the Weiser statement said. It said that "each side will bear their own costs and attorneys fees." Weiser as attorney general represents both the Civil Rights Commission and the director of the Colorado Civil Rights Division in the legal dispute. After careful consideration of the facts, both sides agreed it was not in anyones best interest to move forward with these cases," Weiser said. "The larger constitutional issues might well be decided down the road, but these cases will not be the vehicle for resolving them. Equal justice for all will continue to be a core value that we will uphold as we enforce our states and nations civil rights laws." Colorado law bars discrimination by a business on the basis of a customer's sexual orientation. An earlier case involving Phillips' refusal to make a custom wedding cake for a same-sex couple drew national attention when it rose to the U.S. Supreme Court, which, in June 2018, overturned a ruling by the Civil Rights Commission that found that Phillips had discriminated against a same-sex couple. The court found that the commission had not exercised its "obligation of religious neutrality." However, the court's ruling was narrowly tailored and applied to how the state handled the Masterpiece case, avoiding setting a national precedent on religious beliefs as a defense for discrimination based on sexual orientation. A statement Tuesday from Alliance Defending Freedom described the settlement agreement as a "victory for Jack Phillips." The state of Colorado is dismissing its case against Jack, stopping its six and a half years of hostility toward him for his beliefs, ADF executive Kristen Waggoner, who argued on behalf of Phillips at the U.S. Supreme Court, said in the group's statement. Jacks victory is great news for everyone," Waggoner said. "Tolerance and respect for good-faith differences of opinion are essential in a diverse society like ours. They enable us to peacefully coexist with each another. But the states demonstrated and ongoing hostility toward Jack because of his beliefs is undeniable. In response to Weiser's announcement, Daniel Ramos, executive director of One Colorado -- an advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Coloradans -- issued this statement: Despite the mutual agreement between the State of Colorado and Masterpiece Cakeshop, the law is still the law. No matter who you are, who you love, or what you believe, Coloradans across our state including LGBTQ Coloradans and their families are still protected under Colorado law from discrimination in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations. "We strongly believe that the freedom of religion must be defended as one of our most fundamental values as Americans, and that freedom cannot be used to harm or discriminate against others," the statement continued. "The fact remains that Colorado has a civil rights division and anti-discrimination laws that equally protect the fundamental rights of all Coloradans. Businesses may decide what products or services they offer, but they do not get to pick and choose who they offer those products or services to. The very narrow ruling by the Supreme Court in Masterpiece vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission does not change our countrys long-standing principle that businesses open to the public must be open to all. In January, a state bill aimed at reimbursing Phillips for his legal expenses died in a state House committee. This is a developing story that will be updated. RELATED COPO COVERAGE: > Colorado bill to reimburse Masterpiece Cakeshop baker for losses fails > Federal judge allows Masterpiece Cakeshop baker's lawsuit against Colorado to proceed > Masterpiece Cakeshop baker back in court over 2nd LGBT bias allegation > Lamborn wants Justice Dept. to investigate Colo. civil rights agency > Jack Phillips, Masterpiece Cakeshop in another dispute over alleged discrimination > Ex-Colo. official denies bias in same-sex wedding cake case > Crowd denounces Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling at Capitol rally > Couple at center of Masterpiece Cakeshop case speak out > What Masterpiece ruling means for the Colorado Civil Rights Commission > Supreme Court sides with Colorado baker on same-sex wedding cake > FULL TEXT: Supreme Court ruling on Masterpiece Cakeshop case MONUMENT Three finalists from outside the Pikes Peak region are vying to be superintendent of Lewis-Palmer School District 38. They are Matthew J. Mann of Pleasanton, Texas; Josh J. Middleton of Middleton, Idaho; and Kenneth Christopher K.C. Somers of Aurora. All have doctoral degrees. Mann has been superintendent of the Pleasanton Independent School District since March 2015, after starting there in 2012 as a high school principal. He graduated from Widefield High School in Colorado Springs and attended Adams State University in Alamosa on a debate scholarship. Middleton has worked for the Middleton School District in Idaho since 2016, having left the Billings, Mont., school district in 2014. He has more than 15 years of administrative experience and has worked as a teacher. Somers became principal in July 2014 of Columbine High School in Littleton, the site of the 1999 massacre of 12 students, a teacher and both gunmen. Since September 2017, hes worked as learning community director for Aurora Public Schools. The finalists will interview next week with three teams before doing interviews with D-38 board members. The teams are led by a district administrator and consist of school leaders, teachers, parents and community representatives. They were chosen based on participation in the district and the community, district spokeswoman Julie Stephen said. The school board will announce the new superintendent, who will replace retiring Superintendent Karen Brofft, on March 18. Contact the writer: 719-476-1656. Colorado Springs made a strong showing in this years statewide excellence in education awards for charter schools, with local leaders taking two top titles. The 2019 Charter School Leader of the Year is Mary Faith Hall, executive director of K-12 at Thomas MacLaren School, a state-authorized charter school that opened in 2009. Lauren Martinez, special education coordinator for Mountain Song Community School in Old Colorado City, was named the 2019 Charter School Educator of the Year. The awards were announced at the Colorado League of Charter Schools annual conference in Denver on Friday. They induct the recipients into the Leagues Hall of Fame. Hall is one of three founders of Thomas MacLaren, which has grown from 77 students a decade ago to 820 students this school year. I was just going to help get this school off the ground, and it turned into a lifes work, said Hall, a former private-school teacher. She credits the schools family feel as a reason for its growth. Its been quite an adventure, growing so quickly, Hall said. Its a place of good conversation and respect for each other. Its such a environment. The school is unusual in that it de-emphasizes grades. Were not teaching to any test, Hall said. Were really trying to help students build habits of learning. Even though we have a culture of thoughtful conversation, rigorous math and science, reading original texts and playing orchestra every day, these are habits of mind that will equip students for whatever they do, she said. Thomas MacLaren tied for first in the Pikes Peak region and fifth in the state on SAT scores, had the third highest PSAT10 score statewide, and was No. 1 in the region. Schooldigger.com ranks Thomas MacLarens high school as No. 2 among 388 public high schools statewide. Were more interested in good conversations that happen at the dinner table at night than test scores, but they are an indication students are well prepared, Hall said. In addition to serving as executive director of K-12 at MacLaren, Hall also is head of school of the upper school. She deserves the award because shes been at the center of the schools success, said school spokeswoman Katherine Brophy. She has led this school in the day-to-day issues that an administrator must deal with, as well as the complexities of growth, facility needs, financial stability, and state and federal compliance, Brophy said. We would not be the school that we are today if she was not at the helm. Thomas MacLaren moved to a larger site last school year still within Colorado Springs School District 11, the old Irving Middle School off Murray Boulevard, and added elementary grades to its middle school and high school for a full build-out. We love the campus and the neighborhood, Hall said. Martinez pours her warm heart, creative problem-solving, open acceptance, and selfless devotion to meeting the varied needs of exceptional students at Mountain Song Community School, Principal Teresa Woods wrote in her nomination letter. Martinez has worked at the school since it opened on the citys west side in 2013, coordinating the Special Education Department. Shes known to maintain a professional and warm presence, holding students to account while also embracing them with love and acceptance for who they are, Woods said. The Charter School Educator of the Year Award recognizes someone who is exceptionally dedicated to closing the achievement gap and preparing students for success now and into the future, according to the sponsor. Special education teachers have to balance teaching individual lessons with a heavy load of paperwork, Martinez said, which makes the job challenging. Mountain Song, also a state-authorized school, uses the Waldorf method of instruction, which calls for educating the whole child. Martinez said shes realized the key is to build relationships with special-needs children before working on academic, and social and emotional skills. Creating a safe environment is super important, she said. Noticing their strengths helps them see they are a whole person and not just let their disability define them. Charter schools are often criticized for not accepting a fair share of special-needs students, but Martinez said the 12 percent of special-needs students at her school is in line with traditional public schools. The K-8 school serves 315 students. Its important for all families, including families of students with disabilities, to have choice in where they send their children to school, she said. Im happy and honored to represent special education in charter schools. Colorado and 19 other Democratic-led states announced challenges Monday to the Trump administrations new obstacles for women seeking abortions, including barring tax-funded family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers. California filed a federal lawsuit Monday in San Francisco to block the family planning rule by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, announced state Attorney General Xavier Becerra. The rule shifts millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood to faith-based family planning groups. Colorado and the 19 other states, along with Washington, D.C., said they will sue separately Tuesday in Oregon. Title X is a critical source of health care funding in Colorado, state Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. In 2017, Colorado received $3.8 million in federal funding, which provided a range of services including general health screenings and a broad range of family planning methods to more than 55,000 Coloradans throughout the state. These restrictions threaten to undermine health care providers ability to serve their patients professionally. If these rules go into effect, Colorado will see an increase in teen births, unintended pregnancies, and abortions. The other states are Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. Washingtons Democratic attorney general also has said that state will challenge the rule. Trump administration officials predicted legal challenges to the new rule, which also prohibits federally funded family planning clinics from being housed with abortion providers. Changes to the federal family planning program are scheduled to take effect. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment denounced the new rule, saying it jeopardizes access to critical reproductive health care services, including cancer screenings, for thousands of Coloradans. The new rule will result in more unintended pregnancies, more sexually transmitted infections, and more early-stage cancers that will go undetected, said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, CDPHE executive director, in a statement. The money provides low-cost and free reproductive health care for Coloradans but doesnt pay for abortion services, the release says. CDPHE uses the Title X funding in addition to $4.1 million in state money to support the Colorado Family Planning Program. The program helped cut teen birth and abortion rates in half over the last 10 years, the release says. An independent study found the program averted $66.1 million to $69.6 million in potential costs for four state and federal programs that provide health care, food and other assistance to Colorado women and their infants. The agency predicted the rule will severely reduce providers. These prohibitions inappropriately interfere in the physician-patient relationship by compromising the providers professional responsibility to provide unbiased care to their patients. And some clinics could lose Title X funds because of the confusing and burdensome financial and physical separation requirements. Without its skilled and innovative providers, Colorado will see an increase in teen births, unintended pregnancy and abortion, the release says. Colorado will lose the gains we made thanks to expanded contraceptive access. But Brittany Raymer, of Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, said the new rules are about accountability and transparency when it comes to separating family-planning services and abortions. I think in this instance, that Colorado probably shouldnt be joining this lawsuit. Physical separations and financial separations are something that, I think, a lot of people have been looking for for many years, because there have been some questions about, Are these funds from Title X supplementing abortion services?, which is not what they are meant to do. Raymer said the rule is unlikely to limit health care access because many clinics do not provide abortions and therefore wont be restricted. Women will still be able to go to other options that are available to them, she said. But when the rule was announced last month, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains decried its potential effect. Birth control is health care. Cancer screenings are health care. Reproductive health care is health care, and health care is a human right, Vicki Cowart, the agencys president and CEO, said in a statement. And this gag rule threatens access to care for millions of people across the country. Here at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, our doors are open and we will continue to provide high-quality health care to our patients across our region, no matter what. Californias attorney general said the new rule affects 4 million mostly low-income women nationwide and 1 million women in California. The Trump-Pence administration has doubled down on its attacks on womens health, Becerra said. Colorado Politics and The Associated Press contributed to this report. An earthquake shook western Colorado on Monday, the strongest in the state this year, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The earthquake hit 4.5 magnitude on the Richter scale at 10:22 a.m. in Bedrock, 35 miles north of Dove Creek near the Utah border. It happened near Reclamations Paradox Valley Salinity Control Facility, where highly pressurized, concentrated salt water also known as brine is injected into a 16,000-foot-deep well, preventing the brine from entering the Dolores River, says a news release from the U.S. Department of the Interiors Bureau of Reclamation. The well was not operating at the time of the earthquake due to routine maintenance, the release says. Operations will not resume until Reclamation completes a thorough assessment of the situation. High-pressure brine injection has been known to trigger small earthquakes in the past, and todays event was within the range of previously induced earthquakes. The Dolores River historically picked up an estimated 205,000 tons of salt annually as it passed through the Paradox Valley, the release says. Since the mid-1990s, much of the salt has been collected by the Paradox Valley Salinity Control Unit in shallow wells along the Dolores River and then injected into deep subsurface geologic formations. The deep-well injection program removes about 95,000 tons of salt annually from the Dolores and Colorado rivers, the release says. The Paradox Valley Salinity Control Facility substantially benefits downstream water quality in the Colorado River Basin, and helps the United States meet treaty obligations with Mexico for allowable salinity levels in the river. Damaging earthquakes are rare in the bedrock in that part of the Colorado Plateau, geologists said. The biggest there before Monday came in 2000, when brine injections in the Paradox Basin prompted a 4.4 magnitude quake, the USGS website says. It was really strange to hear about it, but I didnt feel it. I havent felt one in 20 years, said longtime Dove Creek resident Roberta Lowry. The earthquake was the 11th in Colorado this year and the most intense, surpassing the magnitude of the Feb. 27 quake near the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Tremors were felt in western Montrose County, the Sheriffs Office there said. Yes, I found a better job Yes, but I'm still looking for a new job Yes, I retired Yes, I started my own business No, I like my current job No, but I'm currently looking for a new job Vote View Results Babies fighting for their lives deserve the chance to survive. Sen. Michael Bennet appears to disagree, voting against life-saving health care You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close The Philippines (winter 2014)Western US (fall 2011/2012/2013/2014)Turkey (fall 2010)France/Germany/Denmark/Hollan (summer 2010)Uganda/Tanzania/Kenya (winter 2010)China (fall 2009)France/Italy (summer 2009)South Africa/Lesotho/Mozambique (winter 2009)Southern U.S. (fall 2008/fall 2010/spring 2011)Spain and the Camino de Compostela (summer of 2008)Israel (winter 2008)Eastern U.S. (fall 2007)Great Britain (summer 2007)Venezuela (winter 2007)Japan (fall 2006)Croatia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Poland (summer 2006)Western US (fall 2005)Ecuador (winter 2005)Italy (spring 2004/summer 2009)France (summer 2004/2005/2006/2007/2008/2009/2010/2011/2012/2013/2014/2015/2016/2017/2018/2019)Iceland (summer 2003)Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia (Fall 2002)Minneapolis to Chicago (summer 2002)Bolivia (spring 2002)Scandinavia--Finland, Norway, Sweden (summer 2001)Hes followed the Tour de France seventeen times beginning in 2004 , riding much of each year's route, fully loaded, before or after the peloton and sent out regular reports during the race, also posted here.He has a long-running email list that he sends updates to every few days when he's on tour.You can write him at: george6567@yahoo.com. If you like, he'll add you to his e-list.He spends the rest of the year also on a bike, working as a messenger in Chicago.He's also an independent film enthusiast, attending or working at several major film festivals annually, including Telluride and Cannes. His coverage of Cannes is also included here in May of 2004-2015.For a "Chicago Tribune" article on George see the January 17, 2002 entry of the blog. There is also a "Hollywood Reporter" article posted October 25, 2005, and a "Streetwise" cover story posted on April 17, 2010 and stories in French newspapers the past few summers.(I'm Jeff Potter and I helped George get his blog going. I run OutYourBackDoor.com , where I report on a wide range of everyday, affordable, healthy outdoor action. I also sell some hard-to-find indy culture media and other goodies. Lotsa bike stuff!) MONTREAL, March 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Mining Group Ltd. ("Imperial") (TSX VENTURE: IPG) is pleased to announce that it has mobilized crews to commence diamond drilling activities on its Crater Lake scandium project, northeastern Quebec (Figure 1). The program calls for up to 2,500 m of diamond drilling to be completed on the TG Zone (TGZ) target (Figure 2). The diamond drill program will commence in early March and is expected to be completed by the end of April. Data from this definition drilling will be used for a 43-101 Inferred Resource calculation, which is expected to be delivered by the end of May or early June. The ultimate objective of this exploration work is to deliver a Preliminary Economic Assessment on the scandium resource towards the end of the year or early 2020. The highest scandium grades obtained from the property were returned from a highly-magnetic pyroxenite horizon related to a 6-km diameter alkali intrusive Complex. Previous exploration programs over the pyroxenite target returned very high scandium grades in drilling of up to 167.8m grading 260 g/t Sc including 62.8 m grading 304 g/t Sc 2 O 3 and including 27.6 m grading 351 g/t Sc 2 O 3 . In addition, previous drilling at the southern margin of the TGZ target returned a high-grade scandium intersection grading 506 g/t Sc 2 O 3 over 19.0m. Imperials summer prospecting and grab sampling program over the TGZ target area returned between 404 g/t and 1,540 g/t Sc 2 O 3 in outcrop (see Press Release: October 30, 2018). These grades compare well with those reported from other scandium resources presently being explored in Australia and the United States. The magnetic anomaly related to this target measures 600 m in strike length by 200 m wide and represents a very attractive scandium target for drilling (Figure 3). The drilling will be conducted along 100 m spaced sections with three (3) boreholes to be drilled per section (Figure 3) for a total of 15 holes. Forage Avataa-Rouillier of Kuujjuaq, Quebec, is the contractor for the drill program. Samples collected from drilling will be submitted to Actlabs of Ancaster, Ontario for geochemical analysis upon completion of the program. A quality control program will be followed and certified standard and blank materials will be inserted at regular intervals throughout the sequence of samples. As well, duplicate samples will be also inserted. This diamond drilling program is the culmination of a strong team effort to understand the scandium resource potential of such a large exploration target, said Peter Cashin, Imperials President & Chief Executive Officer. We hope to start releasing results of the diamond drilling sometimes in April. It is apparent, from our recent strategic marketing activities, particularly in the EU and UK, that the automotive and aerospace sectors will rapidly adopt scandium as a critical lightweight alloy agent once a long-term, sustainable supply has been identified. Imperial fully intends to be one of those principal supply sources. Scandium Markets and its Potential Applications in the Automotive Sector Scandium acts as a grain-refiner and hardener of aluminum alloys. Aluminum-scandium alloys combine high strength, ductility, weldability, improved corrosion resistance and a lower density. The combination of all these properties makes aluminum-scandium alloys well-suited for the aerospace, automotive and defense industries. The broader adoption of scandium in the aluminum alloys sector has been constrained by the limited availability of scandium in western commercial markets from primary suppliers, China and Russia. The lack of an assured source of supply to provide material for additional applications has also limited market expansion. This has resulted in much higher prices for Sc compared to competing alloy materials, such as titanium, and has limited its broader industry adoption. Imperials outreach activities in Stuttgart during the week of February 19th to 21st with German auto industry OEMs was very positive as the industry truly embraced the potential of a long-term, sustainable source of scandium as presented by our Crater Lake project. Efforts are now underway to solidify application R&D partnerships for programs that will address the auto industrys requirements for lightweighting solutions for future EV and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) platforms. Generally, Imperials discussions and findings from the Conference have identified areas for broader scandium-aluminium adoption, which are: Chassis Development The general thinking is, aside from the mechanical qualities offered by Sc-Al, there is scope to change the design philosophy and in turn reduce the amount of Aluminium used per automobile. With EV, given the weight of the battery packs, this will not, we assume effect the balance/handling of the Auto, but certainly a consideration for the ICE/Hybrid Platform. Lightening of the chassis would extend EV range and improve fuel efficiency of combustion engine vehicles. EV Battery Tray The strength and weight saving characteristics of Sc naturally lend themselves to Battery Trays, but we believe Sc-Al offers an alternative solution regarding corrosion resistance and high ballistic protection afforded by the alloy. NASA previously completed work with Sc-Al seeking a material that would remain inert in contact of rocket fuel plus had ballistic resistance qualities against micrometeorite impacts in space. Our belief is these characteristics would play very well for Battery trays and offer a potential safety solution around the battery packs themselves while reducing weight. Hydrogen Fuel Tanks NASA has also found that Sc-Al for Hydrogen Fuel tank applications is an interesting area within the Automobile value chain. Hydrogen fuel cells will likely be the longer-term clean mobility solution as opposed to EV. Hydrogen fuel tanks are complex items and for the moment are expensive with market studies stating that a tank can cost up to $30,000; from the research we have conducted Tank development is the one of the major inhibitors to fuel celled cars being more widely adopted. Crash Structures At the Conference we heard about Crash Structures in cars as being an area of interest and based on the discussions of last week, we agree there are several characteristics in Sc-Al which would lend itself well to Crash Structure applications. Truck & Auto Wheels There is a call from fleet managers of trucking groups to strengthen and lighten truck wheels to reduce fuel costs through weight savings and to improve road safety. The same consideration applies to automobiles. * - 1 g/t Sc metal = 1.5338 g/t Sc oxide In addition, Imperial recently launched an IR initiative with Investing News Network (INN) in an effort of broadening IPGs investor profile and expanding its scandium sector outreach. Imperials INN profile will allow the Corporation to keep investors updated on its exploration project activities and provide a platform to educate investors as to the critical nature of the growing scandium markets in the automotive, aerospace, defense and alternative energy sectors. The INN profile can be accessed using the link: https://investingnews.com/company-profiles/imperial-mining-scandium-exploration-mining-company-quebec/ The technical content in this press release was prepared, reviewed and certified by Pierre Guay, P. Geo., Imperial's Vice-President, Exploration, a Geologist and Qualified Person as defined by NI43-101. ABOUT IMPERIAL MINING GROUP LTD. Imperial is a new Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on advancing its copper-zinc, gold and technology metals properties in Quebec. Imperial is publicly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange as IPG and is led by an experienced team of mineral exploration and development professionals with a strong track record of mineral deposit discovery in numerous metal commodities. For further information please contact: Peter J. Cashin President and Chief Executive Officer Tel: +1 (514) 360-0571 Email: info@imperialmgp.com URL: www.imperialmgp.com This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to the Companys operations or to its business environment. Such statements are based on the Companys operations, estimates, forecasts, and projections, but are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict or control. Several factors could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed. These factors include those set forth in the corporate filings. Although any such forward-looking statements are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot guarantee that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. In addition, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, for any reason. We also do not commit in any way to guarantee that we will continue reporting on items or issues that arise. Investors are cautioned that this press release contains quoted historical exploration results. These are derived from filed assessment reports and compiled from governmental databases. The Company and a QP have not independently verified and make no representations as to the accuracy of historical exploration results: these results should not be relied upon. Selected highlight results may not be indicative of average grades. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Figures 1, 2 and 3 accompanying this announcement are available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/04d95a79-2f27-4f4c-86e8-4bed20f3b168 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/74e262b7-fe94-49a3-a50c-74492e00bf86 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7b6397b7-cc05-4480-822e-5879a28bb085 Recent success occurs outside historical area of focus, indicating potential for growth in size of opportunity Up to 2.65% nickel within 10 meters of surface Contains metals core to EV battery production Resource estimate planned for 2019 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacific Rim Cobalt Corp. (the Company or Pacific Rim Cobalt) (CSE: BOLT) (OTCQB: PCRCF) (FRANKFURT: NXFE) is pleased to announce assay results from the ongoing 2019 drilling campaign at the Cyclops, Nickel/Cobalt Project Indonesia, located proximal to the worlds largest electric vehicle battery market. The results from 8 of the first 15 holes drilled in the Yapase area have been received. This area covers the north east portion of the project and is peripheral to the main area over which historical exploration was focused. The drilling confirms the development of a complete mineralized laterite profile and is starting to confirm grades and widths which form the basis of the Historical Estimate1 for the Project. Mineralization occurs from surface with elevated cobalt values of up to 0.24% encountered in the limonite layer and is underlain immediately by the limonite transition and saprolite zones containing elevated nickel values of up to 2.65%. Other laterite projects in the region include MMCs $2.1 billion Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea @ 1.0% nickel; ERAMETs Weda Bay @ 1.36 % nickel; and ANTAMs Gag island @ 1.63% nickel, both in Indonesia. Highlights from the latest drilling results include: Hole From (m) To (m) Length (m) Nickel (%) Cobalt (%) Cutoff Grade (%) 200 1 4 3 1.00 0.11 0.05 Co And 4 19 15 1.28 0.02 0.50 Ni Including 4 11 7 2.15 .03 1.00 Ni Including 4 10 6 2.28 .03 1.50 Ni 219 1 4 3 1.24 0.12 0.05 Co And 4 13 9 1.48 0.03 0.50 Ni Including 4 12 8 1.65 0.03 1.00 Ni Including 4 8 4 1.96 0.04 1.50 Ni The Cyclops project was acquired following extensive due diligence on over 40 projects across Indonesia. The latest drill results continue to confirm our initial impression/assessment/observations of the projects potential which is beneficially located in proximity to the worlds largest buyer of battery metals, remarked Ranjeet Sundher, Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Rim Cobalt. "We expect the near-surface nature of cobalt/nickel mineralization at the Cyclops project will lend itself well to low-cost, logistically straightforward drilling. We thus anticipate the opportunity to undertake a resource calculation study, as well as ongoing metallurgy and process option testing, will present itself in the near future." Members of the Companys in country team responsible for conducting community relations, recently completed the necessary agreements to start accessing areas of the project hosting the historically identified core mineralized zones. The Company is now well positioned to undertake all facets of its programs fundamental to publishing a resource calculation in 2019. A 50-hole core drilling program commenced in mid-January 2019 on areas of laterite delineated by a geological mapping and a hand augur geochemistry program. A total of 15 holes have been completed to date for a total of 255 m. Hole depths ranged from 13m to 29m and where possible were drilled to fresh rock in order to intersect the full laterite profile. First pass drilling is being completed initially on a 100m grid pattern to be followed up by holes on a 50m grid over anomalous zones intersected. The Cyclops project was extensively explored by previous operators with a focus on nickel mineralization, during which time they completed 856 drill holes and 26 test pits. The project area located in Papua Province, Indonesia, benefits from excellent infrastructure, including proximity to a work force and supplies, sealed roads, ocean access, nearby port facility, and gentle topography. The road system enables year-round access to the project and connects it with the large town of Sentani, located about 15 kilometres (kms) to the east, and with Jayapura, the capital city of Papua province, located about 40kms to the east. Battery production has big appetite for nickel and cobalt In addition to cobalt, the production of batteries suitable for electric vehicles and other power storage purposes requires significant amounts of nickel. The mass adoption of the electric vehicle and the roll out of energy storage systems is underway. Look no further than acceleration of recent electric vehicle (EV) sales and headlines around energy storage systems being sold globally. Over the past five years approximately 5 million EVs have been sold. In the past twelve months 1 million EVs have been sold and over the next twelve months we are on pace to sell another 1.5 million EVs. Battery storage facilities are being connected to wind farms and solar at an exponential rate. Unlike other battery metals, nickel stands to benefit twice as much from the adoption of the EV and the roll out of energy storage systems: 1) nickel will benefit from an increased nickel rich battery chemistry; and 2) it will benefit from increased EV and energy storage systems sales. For at least the next decade, the evolution of the lithium ion battery and its componentry is towards a more nickel rich cathode. Nickel is further differentiated from other battery metals in its inability to respond quickly on the supply side due to the fact that bringing on a new large-scale nickel mine can often run in to the billions of dollars.1 Anthony Milewski , The Often Forgotten Battery Metal (Benchmark Minerals, 2018) Pacific Rim Cobalt provides shareholders exposure to both nickel and cobalt whose markets, by all indications, are set to be transformed in the coming years. Additional drill results include: Hole From (m) To (m) Length (m) Nickel (%) Cobalt (%) Cutoff Grade (%) 238 0 2 2 0.65 0.16 0.05 Co and 2 9 7 0.68 0.02 0.50 Ni 218 0 3 3 0.92 0.13 0.05 Co and 3 17 14 0.84 0.01 0.50 Ni including 3 6 3 1.30 0.02 1.00 Ni including 3 5 2 1.52 0.03 1.50 Ni 237 0 1 1 0.52 0.07 0.05 Co and 1 7 6 0.50 0.02 0.50 Ni 236 0 2 2 0.48 0.13 0.05 Co and 2 10 8 0.52 0.02 0.50 Ni 235 0 1 1 0.76 0.09 0.05 Co and 1 3 2 0.78 0.04 0.50 Ni 466 0 1 1 0.85 0.16 0.05 Co and 1 9 8 1.14 0.03 0.50 Ni including 1 5 4 1.58 0.05 1.00 Ni including 1 3 2 2.00 0.08 1.50 Ni Sample Processing All drilling results discussed in the press release are JORC compliant with all protocols in place. Assaying was completed at the Geo Assay Laboratory - PT. Geoservices, Cikarang, Jakarta. The Geo Assay Laboratory analysed the samples using the XRF fusion method. PT Geoservices Ltd - Geo Assay Laboratory employed industry standard internal QA/QC methods that Pacific Rim Cobalt reviewed and found acceptable. Debt Settlement The Company also announces that it plans to to complete a debt settlement with three creditors (the "Debt Settlement"). The Debt Settlement will result in an aggregate of $108,000.00 of indebtedness being retired in consideration for the issuance of 600,000 common shares at a price of $0.18 per common share. The indebtedness is held by arms length parties and will not result in the creation of a new insider or a new control person. The Debt Settlement remains subject to Canadian Securities Exchange approval. The securities to be issued under the Debt Settlement will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day from the date of issuance. National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Garry Clark, PGeo, independent director of Pacific Rim Cobalt and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. 1Historical Estimate A historical estimate, which dates from before the requirement for uniform regulatory compliance and therefore fails to meet the current standards of National Instrument 43-101, is being referenced as a guide for Pacific Rim Cobalt's 2018 work program. This early data employed measurements still in use today and indicate mineralization from surface with an estimated potential of 37 million tonnes of 0.11 per cent cobalt and 1.31 per cent nickel at a 0.8-per-cent-nickel-cut-off grade. The company intends to validate the resource and, where possible, expand upon the historical estimate, as only five of the nine known cobalt/nickel occurrences were the subject of the historical studies. The company affirms this data in no way implies an estimated resource valuation but are offered as a basis for its current exploratory efforts and approach. Pacific Rim Cobalt considers the cobalt and nickel tonnage and grade estimates contained herein to be historical estimates. The historical estimates are contained in the summary geologic investigations, PT Pacific Nikkel Indonesia 1969 (Reynolds, 1979). These historical estimates do not use categories that conform to current CIM (Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum) definition standards on mineral resources and mineral reserves as outlined in National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) and have not been redefined to conform to current CIM definition standards. These estimates were prepared in the 1980s prior to the adoption and implementation of NI 43-101. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources, and Pacific Rim Cobalt is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources. More work, including, but not limited to drilling will be required to conform the estimates to current CIM definition standards. Investors are cautioned that the historical estimates do not mean or imply that economic deposits exist on the company's project. Efforts to obtain any additional information regarding relevant historical work are continuing, although there are no assurances that these original data will be found. Pacific Rim Cobalt believes that the historical estimates are relevant to continuing exploration on the project. For more information, please refer to the technical report, filed on SEDAR on Dec. 8, 2017, and available under the company's profile at SEDAR. About Pacific Rim Cobalt Pacific Rim Cobalt is a Canadianbased exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of production grade nickel and cobalt deposits, key raw material inputs for the growing lithiumion battery industry. Visit https://pacificrimcobalt.com/ to find out more. Pacific Rim Cobalt Corp. Ranjeet Sundher President and CEO (604) 922-8272 rsundher@pacificrimcobalt.com Steve Vanry CFO & Director (604) 922-8272 steve@vanrycap.com Sean Bromley Director & Investor Contact (778) 985-8934 sbromley@investfortuna.com Reader Advisory This news release may contain statements which constitute forward-looking information that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements herein, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company and with respect to the results of exploration and prospective plans in regards to the Cyclops project. The words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions, such information is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information. Information provided in this document is necessarily summarized and may not contain all available material information. Although Pacific Rim Cobalt has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, success of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. ATLANTA, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huber Engineered Materials (HEM), a specialty engineered materials company owned by the J.M. Huber Corporation (Huber), announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement with Dunes Point Capital, LP to acquire Miller Chemical & Fertilizer , LLC (Miller). Miller, founded in 1937, has nearly 100 employees and is headquartered in Hanover, Pennsylvania where its manufacturing operations are located. The company manufactures and distributes crop protection and nutritional agrichemical products designed to improve plant and crop production quality and yield. Miller sells its products into the farming and agricultural industries in more than 90 countries via its global sales force of skilled agronomists and distributors, and targets the high value segment of fruits, nuts and vegetables. The acquisition of Miller furthers HEMs mission to build a diverse portfolio of small to medium sized, competitively advantaged businesses in the chemical and mineral markets, says Dan Krawczyk, President of HEM. We are excited to welcome Millers employees into the HEM organization and work with them to continue to serve their customers globally with world-class products and services. The current management team and employees will continue to operate Millers operations and serve the companys customers as a business unit within HEM. Huber looks forward to investing and growing the capabilities of the business for the long-term strategic needs of its customers. Says Mike Marberry, CEO & President of the J.M. Huber Corporation, This acquisition is a strategically important step in Hubers ongoing effort to diversify its overall portfolio with new specialty businesses that can grow and deliver significant value to their customers. This marks a significant milestone in HEMs history, and we look forward to introducing Millers employees to the Huber Principles, and working with them to expand this business on a global basis. About J.M. Huber Corporation J.M. Huber Corporation, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S.), operates as a Portfolio Management Company, which serves as an effective organizational structure for a diverse range of businesses. CP Kelco , Huber Engineered Materials , Huber Engineered Woods and Huber Resources Corp hold leadership positions in rapidly growing markets such as specialty chemicals and minerals, hydrocolloids and engineered woods, as well as timber management. Founded in 1883, Huber is one of the largest family-owned companies in the U.S. The diversified, multinational company creates products that are used in a broad range of consumer and industrial applications, including fire retardant additives and smoke suppressants, personal care, food, beverage, pharmaceuticals and building materials. About Huber Engineered Materials Huber Engineered Materials, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S.), is a global business focused on engineered specialty ingredients that enhance the performance, appeal and processing of a broad range of products used in industrial and consumer-based applications. With an expertise in inorganic materials, it has a portfolio of high value products: specialty alumina trihydrate, magnesium hydroxide, molybdate compounds and industrial, food and USP grade calcium carbonate. MEDIA CONTACT: Lea Volpe Director, Corporate Communications J.M. Huber Corporation 678.247.7128 phone lea.volpe@huber.com MIAMI, FL, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- EAWC Technologies (OTC: EAWD) (also known as Eurosport Active World Corp) announces that it is launching The Blue Aqua Mission System, a state-of-the-art German engineered Atmosphere Water Generation (AWG) technology that is completely powered by renewable energy. The system is composed of a suite of intelligent software solutions for real-time optimization of process performance, and operates through its own innovative self-powered system. With The Blue Aqua Mission System, EAWC Technologies brings a tangible and real solution to the 700 million people in 43 countries that suffer today from water scarcity. Management will initially focus in the countries of South Africa, Peru and Mexico where it already has strong contacts, and fast implementation can occur with its project financing relationships. The Blue Aqua Mission System focuses on real-time automated optimization of the generation of water ensuring a stable operation with water generation up to 10,000 liters of water per day. The potential for this system is nothing short of extraordinary, and can be suitable for small and medium sized municipal and industrial water consumption needs in just about any part of the world. About EAWC Technologies: EAWC Technologies (www.eawctechnologies.com) (OTC: EAWD) operates under the public company Eurosport Active World Corp, a Florida Corporation. EAWC Technologies is an engineering services company in the green tech industry, formed as an outsourcing services green tech platform, which can provide an all-inclusive services package to assess the feasibility of the potential technological solutions for a project that seeks to achieve the close cycle of waste to energy and water generation by exploiting renewable technologies. The green tech industry is constantly evolving due to ongoing and increasing water scarcity, as well as increased energy need. EAWC is well positioned to offer engineering and technical consultancy to design the most accurate renewable technology solutions to these problems and to take advantage of this rapidly growing industry with many new markets. Forward-Looking Statements Kiadis Pharma Strengthens Management Team Dirk de Naeyer appointed Chief Operations Officer and Martine Nolan as Head of Quality Assurance, effective March 1, 2019 Amsterdam, The Netherlands, March 5, 2019 - Kiadis Pharma N.V. ("Kiadis Pharma" or the "Company") (Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels: KDS), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, today announces senior management appointments to further strengthen the Company as it transitions into commercial stage. Dirk de Naeyer, who joined Kiadis Pharma in October 2018 as Head of Supply Chain, moves to the position of Chief Operations Officer, as a planned succession from Jan Feijen. Martine Nolan joins as Head of Quality Assurance. Both de Naeyer and Nolan will report to Kiadis' CEO Arthur Lahr and be members of the Company's management team. Arthur Lahr, CEO of Kiadis Pharma, commented: "To start, I would like to thank Jan for his contributions to Kiadis. He has been instrumental in building the operations team with several talented individuals, including Dirk, who has already made a substantial contribution to our supply chain and development. Martine's track record in commercial quality and manufacturing, combined with Dirk's experience leading operations in both clinical and commercial-stage biotechnology companies, will contribute to our position as a leading fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company. I am delighted to welcome Dirk and Martine to their new positions - with their appointments, we have strengthened and completed our leadership team, adding new capabilities and expertise in anticipation of potential product commercialization and scale up." Prior to joining Kiadis, Mr. de Naeyer was at Janssen Pharmaceuticals where he spent 14 years in various leadership positions. Most recently, he was R&D and Regulatory lead for the integration of Actelion into Janssen. Before that, he was the head of the Janssen Global Clinical Operations team and held supply chain and manufacturing leadership positions in both commercial and clinical-stage small molecules, biologics and stem cell platforms. Mr. de Naeyer joined Janssen after five years at McKinsey. He holds a Masters in Engineering from the KU Leuven, Belgium, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Ms. Nolan brings over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sector to Kiadis which she joins from Amgen where she served as Regional Head of Quality Operations, leading a team of more than 200 employees at the Dublin, Ireland and Breda, Netherlands sites. Prior to that Ms. Nolan served as Executive Director for International Quality, Turkey, Middle East & Africa where she had responsibility for quality of both manufacturing and distribution activities. Before joining Amgen, Ms. Nolan held several positions of increasing responsibility in quality operations at Schering-Plough (Merck) in Ireland, Singapore and US. Ms. Nolan holds a MSc in Cellular Physiology from University College Cork and a BSc in Biochemistry from University College Dublin. For more information, please contact: Kiadis Pharma: Amy Sullivan, SVP, Corporate Affairs Tel. +1 508 479 3480 a.sullivan@kiadis.com Optimum Strategic Communications: Mary Clark, Supriya Mathur, Hollie Vile Tel: +44 203 950 9144 David Brilleslijper (Amsterdam) Tel: +31 610 942 514 kiadis@optimumcomms.com About Kiadis Pharma Kiadis Pharma is developing its lead product candidate, ATIR101, for use in conjunction with haploidentical HSCT for adult blood cancers to address key limitations of haploidentical HSCT, without prophylactic immunosuppression and its associated morbidity and mortality. Based on the positive results from the single dose Phase II CR-AIR-007 study, the Company submitted a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency in April 2017 for approval of ATIR101 as an adjunctive treatment in haploidentical HSCT for high risk adult hematological malignancies. If the product is conditionally approved, Kiadis Pharma intends to launch ATIR101 in selected countries in Europe through its own commercial organization starting in the second half of 2019. In December 2017, Kiadis Pharma commenced an international, multicenter, randomized and controlled Phase III clinical trial of ATIR101 against the Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide, or PTCy protocol, the main protocol used to perform a haploidentical HSCT. The trial will be performed in 250 patients with acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome at approximately 50 sites in the United States, Canada, Europe and certain additional countries. ATIR101 received regenerative medicine advanced therapy designation from the FDA in September 2017, which provides benefits that are materially equivalent to a breakthrough designation from the FDA. In addition, ATIR101 has been granted multiple orphan Drug designations both in the European Union and the United States. The Company's shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels under the ticker KDS. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect Kiadis Pharma's or, as appropriate, Kiadis Pharma's directors' current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, Kiadis Pharma expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither Kiadis Pharma nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person's officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Bringing out the big guns The Pentagon changes its focus to Russia and China After 18 years of IEDs in the Middle East, Americas armed forces are planning for high-tech warfare Grand Old Partisan salutes Elias Selah Holliday, born this day of 1842. He moved with his family from Indiana to Missouri and later taught school in Iowa. During the Civil War, this patriotic youth served in the 5th Kansas Infantry. Peace restored, he returned to Indiana for law studies. Holliday was at various times a small-town mayor, town attorney and town councilman. In 1900, Republican voters elected him to the first of four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Here is a Video Version of this article on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8Zk3J8_VfOc Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement. Each day, Michael Zak's grandoldpartisan YouTube channel and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than sixteen decades of Republican heritage. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states so far. He also wrote the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar. Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision. Buy the book at Amazon See www.youtube.com/q?v=IzxKCiXc5Qc for a brief video of a Texas Republican praising Back to Basics for the Republican Party. "This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!" "Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP." "Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan." "Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before." and "one of the best books I ever read" My names Will Capers. For almost nine years, Ive blogged on various topics. I blogged as Blaque Ink first, and as Brotha Wolf second. The latter had a mu... 2 years ago IceViking strongly condemns physical attacks and harassment directed towards them. They are also often victims of the Islamic idea. This is true when it comes to the cruel and tragic treatment of Muslim women and children when it is in accord with the Koran, the example of Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia, which may be applied regardless of where a Muslim male may find himself in the world, whether in a Muslim or non-Muslim country. However, in no way, shape or form should one judge all Muslim men because of what is in Islamic scripture and what constitutes the Islamic law, Sharia. "Race", ethnicity or basically anything that you are "merely" born with should never be a basis for bigotry and discrimination. Apostates from Islam have been executed for 1400 years in accord with the Koran and the words and actions of the Islamic prophet Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia. They should be lovingly helped. Furthermore, approximately as many as 11,000,000 Muslims may have been killed by other Muslims since 1948. To quote the website The Religion of Peace (TROP), edited by Glen Roberts: While it may be safe to say that a true Muslim would not intentionally kill another true Muslim ( 4:92-93 ), the Quran places no such value on the life of a Muslim who is not true. Consider verse 9:73 : Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell. The Arabic for strive hard uses the same root as Jihad - and the context in this sura is holy war (see v. 86 and 91). Thus, there are two distinct classes of people that a true Muslim is to target with harshness: disbelievers and hypocrites. A disbeliever obviously refers to a non-Muslim, so a "hypocrite" must be a Muslim of some sort. In fact, hypocrites are those who say they believe, but do not act as they should. In other words, they are "Muslims", but not true Muslims. They will go to hell just as unbelievers do, and so, according to the verse, their lives matter for naught. The same sura says that a hypocrite can be recognized not just by lack of piety (reluctance to follow Sharia), but by fear of death ( 9:56 ), reluctance to fight ( 9:44-45 ) and even friendliness toward non-believers ( 9:67 ). A true Muslim would thus be a pious person who relishes martyrdom, is eager to fight, and shuns non-believers. Even the Quranic passage that warns against killing "believers" ( 4:88-94 ) is more complicated than it first appears. It never says that a true Muslim is incapable of killing another Muslim, just that it should not be done. In fact, it makes exceptions for the unintentional killing of "believers" in war and mandates the killing of "hypocrites." Verse 17:33 says, "Do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause" . The greatest cause of all is that Islam be superior ( 9:33 ), which is exactly what Islamic terrorists say is their goal. Thus believing Muslims are allowed to be collateral damage in the war on unbelievers. There is sadly a phenomena that I`ve noticed in Sweden and elsewhere of people using true facts about Islamic doctrine and history as a cover for all sorts of irrational targeting of Muslims, ranging from xenophobia and racism to verbal abuse and physical attacks. This is strongly condemned by this website and does not in any way serve serious criticism of orthodox Islam and other important work. It`s also important that one tries to express oneself in a civilized way. Words matter. In this bloggers humble opinion the root cause of the problem is the ancient doctrine of orthodox Islam. In simple terms a non-Muslim is a Kafir. " The Koran defines the kafir and kafir is not a neutral word. A kafir is not merely someone who does not agree with Islam, but a kafir is evil, disgusting, the lowest form of life." An exact quote, as stated in the writings of Dr. Bill Warner in the article "Kafir" at http://www.politicalislam.com/kafir . In the perfect Koran (Allah`s direct and literal word as revealed to Mohammed through the angel Jibril), Muslims are told 89 times to emulate Mohammed in all ways (see Koran 33:21 for instance). Mohammed`s example, the Sunna, is found in the Hadith (stories of what Mohammed said and did) and the Sira (biographies of Mohammed). Islamic law, Sharia , is directly derived from these unchanging scriptures. It is based on the Koran`s numerous commands to obey Allah and obey the Messenger, that is Mohammed (see Koran 4:59 for instance). Islam is Sharia. Sharia is Islam. It is a capital crime for Muslims to deny Sharia in any way. A Muslim is someone who submits to Islam and submitting to Islam means obeying the Sharia of Allah. Sharia law includes pronouncements for both Muslims and non-Muslims (Kafirs). Islam is a "complete way of life", a "complete code of life", a "complete system of life". Islam is not just a religion but also a comprehensive ideology. Islam is a supremacist ideology. Islam is a totalitarian and imperialistic ideology akin to Communism and Nazism. Islam is a civilization. Islamic law, Sharia, is a manual for a civilization. Islamic law, Sharia, governs every aspect of life. It has a say about every conceivable human act . Non-Muslims are morally and legally inferior in Islam. Women are morally and legally inferior in Islam. The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS by Robert Spencer is the first one-volume history of jihad in the English language and a great book on the topic. Allah guarantees Paradise to those who "kill and are killed" for him (Koran 9:111). A hadith depicts a Muslim asking Muhammad: "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." Muhammad replied, "I do not find such a deed." (Bukhari 4.52.44) Muhammad himself said: I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah, and he who professed it was guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allah. (Sahih Muslim 30) Freedom of speech, human rights, democracy, science and human lives are all at stake in the fight against the Islamic Jihad. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ The Comal County Courthouse had a full house Wednesday morning for the SOAH preliminary hearing for the proposed Vulcan quarry permit. One such tactic was on display last week in the form of remarks made by the editor-in-chief of the hardline daily newspaper Kayhan regarding the Yemeni Civil War. That conflict has largely functioned as a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the former backing Houthi militant rebels and the latter supporting the internationally recognized government. Both of these outside entities have proven to be equally intractable, with catastrophic consequences for the Yemeni people, but supporters of the Iranian regime are now working to describe the Saudis as being just on the verge of defeat. Hossein Shariatmadari, the Kayhan editor, claimed that the Saudis had specifically reached out to Tehran in the interest of finding a way to exit the conflict without losing face. Naturally, this claim was not independently verified, and it raises questions as to why one bitter adversary would expect another for help in designing a public relations strategy. But that narrative is very much in keeping with Irans overall propaganda, which tends to position the Islamic Republic as the would-be leader of a nominally unified Muslim world, which includes existing allies like Syria and Iraq, as well as current partners to the US, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This general feature of Iranian propaganda was evident in recent remarks by Ali Shamkhani, the head of the countrys Supreme National Security Council. As Agence France-Presse reported on Sunday, Shamkhani sought to address its Arab adversaries with the latest of a long series of efforts to encourage them abandon their alliances with Western powers. Our prediction about Americas allies in the region is that if they continue the policy of relying on Islams enemies, they will face the uprising of their humiliated citizens, he said. But these remarks ignore the fact that it is Iran, more than any of these countries, that is facing domestic unrest on a virtually unprecedented scale. At the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, protesters in an estimated 140 Iranian cities and towns undertook simultaneous demonstrations against the government, chanting such provocative slogans as death to the dictator and death to Rouhani in reference to the nations supreme leader and its president. Despite thousands of arrests related to the uprising, these and other anti-government slogans are still repeated to this day in recurring sociopolitical protests and labor strikes. The National Council of Resistance has been closely following these incidents, many of which involve the participation or organizational support of the coalitions main constituent group, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran. Most recently, the NCRI reported on simultaneous strikes by teachers in 31 cities, following upon smaller demonstrations in the same sector that took place in May, October, and November. The NCRI report also included a quotation from an official Iranian Resistance statement countering Irans state propaganda: As the demonstrations and protests join and gain momentum in several sectors of the Iranian society, the regime is finding itself less and less capable of maintaining its hold on power and stifle the voice of justice. Nevertheless, that propaganda can be expected to continue issuing from state media and prominent Iranian officials, with disregard for the challenges that the regime faces both at home and abroad. Toward that end, Shariatmadaris recent remarks were not limited to commenting on the comparative Iranian and Saudi positions in Yemen. Instead, they also touched upon Irans military readiness, saying that the country is standing at its highest level of progress and is impervious to threats from all foreign powers, including the United States. According to Iran Front Page News, Shariatmadari referred to efforts by certain circles to imply that the ghost of war is hovering over the Iranian nation and said this is part of enemies trick to disappoint Iranian people but to no avail. But references to a potential future war have overwhelmingly come from Iranian officials and media outlets, rather than from entities that Tehran routinely describes as enemies. Last month, the regime marked the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution with war games and the unveiling of a series of new weapons. The head of the countrys naval forces even went as far as suggesting that a flotilla would soon be dispatched to the Atlantic as a counterbalance to American power and influence in the Middle East. But such comparisons of Iranian and Western military capabilities often serve to give the impression of an omnipresent threat, albeit one that the regime is supposedly prepared to meet. This in turn serves a propaganda narrative that portrays virtually every threat to the regime as the work of foreign enemies. In January of last year, while the nationwide uprising of Iranian activists was still at its peak, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publicly acknowledged the role of the PMOI, but also insisted, without evidence, that domestic Resistance units were only foot soldiers in a scheme designed by a triangle of enemies consisting of Israel, the US, and its Arab allies. A similar narrative was repeated last month in the wake of an attack on off-duty Revolutionary Guard officers in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, which regime authorities immediately blamed on Saudi Arabia, without citing evidence to suggest that it was anything other than a domestic matter. The news comes at a time when Iran is becoming increasing isolated from the rest of the world. The country is facing many challenges, not just from the international community, but also on the domestic front where the people of Iran have been making continued calls for regime change. On a personal level, Javad Zarif has been under pressure from the hardliners in Iran, especially with regards to his role in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiations and because of his support of diplomatic efforts to keep the deal in place following the economic sanctions that U.S. President Trump re-imposed after the United States departure from the deal. Javad Zarifs resignation, however, was not accepted by President Hassan Rouhani who said that it is against the countrys interests. Despite not giving a reason for his resignation in his Instagram post, Javad Zarif said the following day that he was feeling side-lined. He also said to a reporter: The deadly poison for foreign policy is for foreign policy to become an issue of party and factional fighting. He returned to work on 1st March but this whole incident goes to show how split the Iranian regime is and how the internal crisis is deepening. The international community can now see just how much in-fighting there is, even at senior level. The Iranian regime is controlled by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Senior officials in the regime have very little power or authority over how the government is run. Even President Hassan Rouhani has very little power. This is another issue that is becoming more and more obvious and something that the regime cannot deny or hide. This goes for foreign policy Javad Zarif, under normal circumstances, would have a significant degree of control over foreign policy, but in Iran he is just a puppet of the Supreme Leader. The editor of Kayhan Daily, Hossein Shariatmadari, with close links to the Supreme Leader, said: The Foreign Ministry has not delivered an acceptable report card under Zarif and it finally ended with the nuclear deal catastrophe as the main such example in this regardOur foreign enemies are describing Zarifs resignation in a manner to ridicule the [regime] as a failed state. A split in the leadership with regards to the anti-money laundering and financing of terrorism bills is also portraying the regime as weak. High-level officials are having trouble deciding whether to adopt the new legislation that the government was in favour of. The regime is based on terrorism and corruption so adopting the new legislation would be suicidal. Yet it would also be equally suicidal for the regime to reject the new legislation because it would isolate the country from the international community even further. William Joseph Griffin, the friend of a Houston-area man on trial for the 2016 murder of a Canyon Lake woman, described how the defendant cool With that in mind, we wanted to look at how Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian Resistance, would support womens rights in a Free Iran. In our previous piece, we will look at the freedoms, rights, and equality that Maryam Rajavi believes all women should enjoy. In this piece, we will discuss equality in the family sphere, the prohibition of violence against women, and how the government should be helping women through social benefits. Womens rights in the family Maryam Rajavi believes that in terms of marriage, women should be free to choose whether to marry or divorce a spouse, that women should not be married before they reach legal age, and that polygamy should be banned. She would also remove all laws that excuse violence against women in the family sphere. Maryam Rajavi would ban any coercion or compulsion of women in the family sphere and give women equal rights to obtain custody over their children. Maryam Rajavi would also seek to make the division of family responsibilities, i.e. housekeeping, raising children, employment, and educating children, shared equally between spouses. For young girls, Maryam Rajavi would ensure they stayed in education by barring underage marriage and underage employment. Maryam Rajavi would also end government inquisition meddling in women private lives, i.e. what clothes they wear, whether they have children, what jobs they do. Ending violence against women Maryam Rajavi would stop violence against women by actually criminalising various forms of violence against women, as well as intimidation or forcible deprivation of their freedoms. She would also make rape a crime in all circumstances, including in marriage. In order to end the governments violence against women, Maryam Rajavi will ban the death penalty, torture, flogging, stoning, and other inhuman punishments that the mullahs carry out and repeal all laws that sanction that violence. A ban on sexual exploitation Maryam Rajavi would immediately ban the sex trade and make the trafficking of women or any other attempts to force them into prostitution a crime. She would also ban all forms of sexual exploitation of women and remove any customs, laws and regulations that allow a parent/guardian to give a girl or woman away for sex, under the pretext of marriage or anything else. Additionally, Maryam Rajavi would ensure that anyone who sexually abused a child is prosecuted. Social benefits Maryam Rajavi believes that the government must help women to succeed and that they can do some of this through social benefits for the retired, unemployed, disabled, and pregnant. Maryam Rajavi believes that the government should help Iranian mothers by providing nursery and day care for working women and removing their employers ability to dismiss them from work because of pregnancy or force them to do harmful jobs during pregnancy. She also believes that women employed under temporary contracts should not be deprived of social benefits and that the government should provide additional help for single women who provide for their families. In our next piece, we will look at Maryam Rajavis plan for more women in the political sphere. In January, the Dutch government issued statements highlighting these incidents, the 2015 killing of Mohammad Reza Kolahi Samadi and the 2017 killing of Ahmad Mola Nisi. The head of the Dutch intelligence agency was quoted as saying, Irans involvement in the assassinations underlines the importance of our investigation of the Iranian regimes intentions. Dutch officials accordingly began to put pressure on fellow European states to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic, as France had already done in the wake of an investigation that confirmed Tehrans responsibility for a thwarted bomb plot that would have targeted an Iranian opposition rally near Paris last June. Pressure from the Netherlands was arguably instrumental in convincing the entire European Union to adopt the French measures, which imposed economic sanctions on Iranian intelligence and two individuals known to have operated in its employ. In any event, the Dutch governments public commentary was met with virulent condemnation by Iranian officials, who refused to acknowledge any past wrongdoing. The Iranian regime reiterated this disregard for well-founded foreign criticism on February 20 when it expelled two Dutch diplomats, apparently without cause and without explanation. On Monday, Al Jazeera quoted the Netherlands Foreign Minister Stef Blok as saying that the expulsion was purely retaliatory, being motivated by the Dutch governments previous expulsion of two Iranian embassy workers who were suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. In a letter to the Dutch parliament explaining the decision to recall the Dutch ambassador to Iran, Blok described the Iranian governments actions as unacceptable and damaging to the relationship between the two countries. But both the cause and the consequence of those actions suggest that neither the Netherlands nor the Islamic Republic is showing any interest in backing down amidst the conflict over past and ongoing Iranian threats to opposition figures living within or visiting European territory. At the same time, there are tentative signs that other European nations are inclined toward further responses to the pressure that they have received from the Netherlands and other entities that are familiar with the history of Iranian terror threats. Tensions between Iran and Britain escalated over the weekend when Tehran condemned the British government for its recent announcement that it would be banning the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in its entirety. Britain had already designated the military wing and the external security wing of the organization as terrorist groups, but this farther-reaching measure brings this aspect of foreign policy into line with that of the United States. Under President Donald Trump, the US has also extended terrorist designation to the entirety of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, instead of just its foreign expeditionary wing, the Quds Force. The administrations famously assertive stance on matters of Iran policy is indicative of the pressure that Europe is facing not only from within its own ranks but also from the US over Iranian terror threats and human rights issues. But Britains decision may not, however, be a response to these pressures alone. It may also have reflected awareness of a changing regional situation, and specifically one in which Tehran has been widely deemed responsible for trends affecting instability and the persistence of open conflict. Although Iranian officials sought to discourage the British measure by crediting Hezbollah as a contributor to the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria, many Western governments and their allies in the Middle East are deeply concerned about how the Syrian Civil War has provided the Lebanese terrorist group with a permanent foothold outside its home country, particularly along a different border with Israel, which Iranian officials have frequently sworn to destroy. Regardless of the particular decision-making process underlying Britains announcement last week, it is clear that Irans influence via its own forces, Hezbollah, and other Shiite paramilitaries in the region is a point of contention for several leading European powers. Irans own Fars News Agency seemed to acknowledge this on Sunday, although it did so in the context of a report that disputed reports in other media about specific conditions that have been set by Europe in advance of the full implementation of a plan to circumvent US sanctions. After the US pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal last year, the European signatories Britain, France, and Germany initiated efforts to preserve the deal even in the face of renewed US sanctions. Prominent among their ideas was the creation of a special purpose vehicle for transactions with the Islamic Republic, which has since come to be known as the Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges, or INSTEX, and which formally launched last month but has yet to be seriously utilized. The Fars report quoted an official by the name of Mohsen Rezaie as saying that even if INSTEX was fully implemented, it would likely not be considered sufficient to guarantee Irans continued adherence to the nuclear deal. At the same time, as the head of Irans Expediency Council, Rezaie represents a major obstacle to one of the supposed European conditions for the systems implementation, namely Iranian compliance with the anti-money laundering standards laid out by the Financial Action Task Force. Hardliners and powerful institutions like the Expediency and Guardian Councils have already prevented the adoption of multiple pieces of legislation that would establish this compliance, and they have done so specifically out of concern that the FATF standards will undermine Tehrans financial support of Hezbollah. Those same concerns would no doubt be extended to any of the paramilitary organizations in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere that the Iranian regime has helped to establish in keeping with the Hezbollah model. Whats more, it may not only be FATF compliance that Europe is holding over Iran as a condition for utilizing the sanctions-busting trade mechanism. The reports that Fars denied on Sunday suggested that four European governments had demanded changes to Irans policies or strategies not only in Syria and Iraq, but also in Hezbollahs home country of Lebanon, and in Yemen, the site of devastating civil war between a Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Fars quoted Irans Foreign Minister spokesperson Bahram Qassemi as saying that reports to this effect are incomplete and incorrect. But it remains to be seen whether there is any basis for that assertion. If the reports are in fact accurate, it would present a significant new obstacle to a long-term agreement that keeps the Iran nuclear deal in force and promotes reconciliation between Iran and the West. This is especially true because any serious demands by Western powers would play into the prefabricated, confrontational narratives of high-ranking Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. As Reuters reported on Monday, Khamenei has always been skeptical of the nuclear agreement and the preceding negotiations. In fact, while those negotiations were still ongoing, the supreme leader barred his subordinates from engaging in dialogue with the US or the European Union about any topic other than modest restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program. This no doubt contributed to the situation that set the stage for US withdrawal, insofar as the negotiating parties were unable to establish restrictions on Irans ballistic missile development or its regional role. Khameneis suspicions reportedly intensified after that withdrawal, prompting him to deliver a speech in which he predicted that Europe would fail to uphold promises regarding the protection of Iranian markets from US sanctions. Notably, this attitude did not simply reflect Khameneis understanding of the logistics involved in that protection, but his overall opinion of Europe. [The Europeans] are bad, he said. They are really bad. I have a lot to say about the Europeans; not because of their current policies, but their mischievous nature over the last few centuries. Of course, European nations conduct over the last few centuries are hardly relevant to the policies of current European governments toward the Islamic Republic, which has only existed since 1979. Over the past forty years, many critics of the Iranian regime have actually accused those governments of being overly conciliatory or even offering the regime policies of appeasement. And these criticisms continue to the present day, even as some European nations elect to impose sanctions and otherwise shine a light on the regional instability and global terrorism that can be traced back to Tehran. The Washington Examiner published an editorial to this effect on Monday. In it, American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Rubin took aim at the government of Germany, noting that it joined Iranian authorities last month in celebrating the 40th anniversary of the revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini and his theocratic system to power. In the authors view, congratulatory messages from German officials reflect an enthusiasm for ties to one of the worlds most murderous regimes that stems from a desire to gain access to Iranian markets at virtually any cost. Rubin offered several specific examples of terrorist acts and human rights abuses to which Germany is allegedly still willing to turn a blind eye, even in the wake of warnings from the Netherlands and other countries that have been subject to significant Iranian threats. These warnings and the supposed disregard for them are both indicative of broader phenomena, and it remains unclear which trend will be followed by Europe as a whole. The impulse to pursue dialogue with an antagonistic Iranian regime remains on display in the form of a Joint Commission scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the future of the nuclear deal, as well as the recent extension of the deadline for FATF compliance from February until June. The Europeans may yet adopt assertive positions like those that have defined recent US policy toward Iran, but for the time being it appears as if some European states remain at cross purposes. Last week, the UK designated both the military and political wings of Hezbollah as terrorist groups, joining the US, Canada, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Israel in recognising that there is no distinction between the two wings; something that even Hezbollah admits. UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: Hezbollah is continuing in its attempts to destabilize the fragile situation in the Middle East, and we are no longer able to distinguish between their already banned military wing and the political party. Because of this, I have taken the decision to prescribe the group in its entirety. There is no denying that Hezbollah should have been designated as a terror group a long time ago, after all, it has been involved in terrorism since the 1983 bombing of the US marine barracks in Lebanon. Since then it has been involved in the 1984 US Embassy annex bombing in Beirut, the 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, the 9/11 attacks in the US, a 2009 plot in Egypt, a 2012 bus bombing in Bulgaria, and many more besides. But we must ask at whose direction were these plots carried out? The answer to that is the Iranian Regime, specifically it Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which spends billions of dollars every year to prop up the terror group in order to use them to achieve Irans ideological and political objectives. The UKs decision to list Hezbollah as a terrorist group is a huge step towards peace and stability in the Middle East, but a more effective policy would put pressure on the Iranian Regime and weaken them as well because this would cut off the flow of funds to Hezbollah. Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah admitted in 2016, when the US levied sanctions against them, that all of Hezbollahs budget from wages of fighters to food to weapons comes from Iran, so Hezbollah would not be affected. Therefore, the most effective policy to counter Hezbollah would be to impose financial sanctions on Iran, but the UK seems unwilling to do that and is actively appeasing the Iranian Regime by maintaining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) through a payment channel designed to help Iran evade US sanctions. Rafizadeh wrote: If the UK and other European countries join the US in putting tangible pressure on the Iranian regime, Tehran will find it extremely difficult to continue sponsoring, arming and financing Hezbollah. In order to pressure Hezbollah, the Iranian regime must be weakened. As long as Iran enjoys high revenues and trade on the global stage, Hezbollah will continue to expand its power and terror activities. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. - Maine Mendoza has admitted to exclusively dating Arjo Atayde - After the revelation, the two stars went to Taiwan together for a vacation - Photos of their Taiwan trip went viral on social media and drew comments from netizens PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Maine Mendoza and Arjo Atayde recently made headlines by admitting that they are exclusively dating. KAMI learned that the lovebirds just took their relationship to the next level by going abroad together. Based on new social media posts, Maine and Arjo are spending time together in Taiwan. Photos show the stars interacting with Filipinos in that country and going to different locations. Despite the possibility that they would once again get bashed by the fans of the AlDub love team, Maine and Arjo continue to stand for their right to love who they want to love and date who they want to date. Netizens on Fashion Pulis posted words of encouragement for the two: Laban lang! Wag pansinin ang mga nagpipilit na gumawa ng storya. Nakakatuwa makakita ng masayang nag iibigan. Getting to know each other abroad! Getting to know each other abroad, kasi afford nila. Its better than getting to know each other sa FB chat at text. They deserve to have fun! PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! In a previous report by KAMI, Maine got emotional due to the birthday party given to her by her Eat Bulaga family. Maine Mendoza, or Nicomaine Dei Capili Mendoza in real life, is a Filipina actress, host, comedienne, and entrepreneur, born on March 3, 1995. She was hailed as the most googled female personality in the Philippines in 2015 and the most tweeted Filipino celebrity in the world in 2017. The Kapuso star is currently dating Arjo Atayde, an actor from the Kapamilya network. POPULAR: Read more news about Maine Mendoza! Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! People React To Beggar Giving Them Money! What if a homeless guy gave you money? How would you act? Some reactions were quite unexpected! Check out all of our exciting videos on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph - The Ombudsmans Office of the Special Prosecutor said that there is enough evidence against former Senator Jinggoy Estrada - The Ombudsman asked the Sandiganbayan to reject Estradas motion for leave - Earlier, Estrada said that those who committed plunder must be punished with the death penalty PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Former Senator Jinggoy Estrada committed plunder and there is enough evidence to prove it, the Ombudsmans Office of the Special Prosecutor said. KAMI learned that the prosecutor asked the Sandiganbayans Fifth Division to reject the former senators motion for leave to file a demurrer to evidence with regard to his plunder case. According to a report by the Philippine Star, the prosecutor insisted that the bank inquiry made by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) was enough evidence to prove that Estrada committed plunder. It was seen in the inquiry report that Estradas financial and bank transactions have the indications that he actually received 157.6 million kickbacks from Janet Lim-Napoles starting from 2007 to 2012. CNN Philippines reported before that Estrada said that those who committed plunder must be punishable by death since it is also considered as a heinous crime. "When I was still a senator nagbotohan kami dyan sa death penalty during the time of President Gloria. I abstained from the votation to abolish the death penalty because I still had an existing plunder case which was punishable by death," Estrada said. PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! Aside from Estrada, former Senator Bong Revilla and former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile were also involved in the alleged pork barrel scam for kickbacking millions from their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). However, Estrada and Enrile were able to post bail while their trial is still on-going. Meanwhile, KAMI that the Sandiganbayan has set Revilla free of his plunder case. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! People React To Beggar Giving Them Money | What if a homeless guy gave you money? How would you act? Some reactions were quite unexpected. on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph - Sara Duterte-Carpio shared that she has finally spoken with Imee Marcos about her educational background - Duterte-Caprio said that she told Marcos that college degree is not a requirement to be a senator - She added that Marcos will be releasing an official statement regarding this matter PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio shared that she has finally spoken with Senatorial candidate Imee Marcos about the latters educational background. KAMI learned that Duterte-Carpio told Marcos that a college degree is not a requirement when running for any position may it be for the presidency or vice presidency. Sinabi ko naman sa kanya, in any event, whatever it is, the law, our Constitution only requires for the president, vice-president, and senators to be able to read and write and she can very well do that given her track record as governor, Duterte-Carpio said, as reported by ABS-CBN News. The Davao City mayor also said that Marcos will be releasing an official statement about her educational background. Marcos is part of the regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago led by Duterte-Carpio. PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! KAMI reported before that Marcos claimed she graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law and Princeton University. However, while both universities confirmed that Marcos studied there, they said that they have no records showing that Marcos finished her studies and earned a degree. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! People React To Beggar Giving Them Money | What if a homeless guy gave you money? How would you act? Some reactions were quite unexpected. on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph - A church was razed by a raging fire, burning the entire structure to the ground - The fire was overwhelming that firefighters weren't even able to come close to the burning building - Firefighters expressed their disbelief after finding Bibles and crosses which came out "unscathed" PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed! A huge fire burned down an entire church to the point that even firefighters had a hard time getting close to the building. KAMI learned that what made this fire different from other was the fact that Bibles and crosses inside the church were unscathed. According to the Coal City Fire Department, "In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes. Not a single bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!!" PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! The Bibles and the crosses were miraculously kept in pristine condition because one look at the wreckage will not make people think that something could still have survived. However, these things proved something that defies logic. According to the firefighters, "Though the odds were against us, God was not." CNN Philippines reported that in the incident, no firefighter was injured. The Freedom Ministries Church in Grandview, West Virginia may have been razed by fire but the miracle that was witnessed by many that day will surely live on. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Want to know the "Firsts" of LizQuen. Liza and Enrique play the "Firsts" game. Watch it here. Source: Kami.com.ph Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe EDITOR'S NOTE: We've stopped updating this version of our election guide, which covered the primary race. Click here to find our current field guide to the 2019 L.A. Unified School Board election, which we're updating through the runoff. UPDATED, Mar. 28 -- And you thought you were done with consequential elections until 2020. Not so in Los Angeles, where ten candidates have lined up for a special election for an open seat on the Los Angeles Unified School Board. At stake: control of a pivotal seat on the LAUSD board, which is caught in the middle of an increasingly expensive political proxy war between charter school advocates and teachers unions. But there are even more elements of intrigue in the race: a clash between new faces and the old guard, divisions along racial and geographic lines -- and even the remnants of a scandal. Here's what you need to know: I.) THE BASICS ANOTHER ELECTION ALREADY? WHY NOW? The last board member to hold this seat, Ref Rodriguez, resigned last July after pleading guilty to felony campaign finance charges. By the time Rodriguez stepped down, it was too late to add an election for the open seat to the November 2018 ballot -- and the remaining six board members could not agree on a temporary replacement. So the board left the seat vacant, voting only to call a special election to serve out the remaining time on Rodriguez's term, which expires in December 2020. WHEN IS THE ELECTION? The election date is March 5, 2019. If no one finishes with more than 50 percent of the vote -- which is likely, given the high number of declared candidates -- the city will hold a runoff election between the top two finishers on May 14, 2019. That means by the time the new board member is seated, he or she may have only a year-and-a-half to serve before facing the prospect of another election. CAN I VOTE IN THIS ELECTION? LAUSD board members each represent a geographic area. This seat represents Board District 5, which includes parts of both northeast L.A. and also the small cities southeast of downtown. If that geography sounds weird, it looks even weirder on a map, thanks to the peculiar art of determining district boundaries (more on that below). And it shapes the race. Two-thirds of the students in Board District 5 attend schools in the heavily Latino southeast cities, like Huntington Park, Maywood and Bell. But the northern half is where most of the voters in BD5 elections live; turnout has historically been highest in the affluent or gentrifying neighborhoods of Silver Lake, Eagle Rock, Highland Park or Los Feliz. To double-check whether your address makes you eligible to vote in this election, check out this handy tool. To make sure you're registered, click here. WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THIS ELECTION? LAUSD is the nation's largest school district overseen by an elected school board. That means the buck stops with board members; they are ultimately responsible for whether more than 601,000 students in L.A. are learning. But the LAUSD board is also caught in the middle of a power struggle between two groups with sharply contrasted views of how to run schools -- and both have lots of cash to spend on elections. On one side: teachers unions, like United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), who see charter schools as part of an existential threat to school districts. On the other: the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) and other self-styled "education reform" groups like EdVoice, who position themselves as a counterweight to the long-dominant unions. In 2017, outside groups -- mostly the teachers union and the charter association -- combined to spend a record $15 million on LAUSD elections. To learn more about the charter school debate that's played out in state and local politics recently, have a look at this piece. Both the CCSA and UTLA have something to prove in this special election. For the teachers union, it's a chance to rebuild after a disastrous 2017 campaign, during which CCSA-endorsed candidates -- including Ref Rodriguez -- secured a solid four-member majority on the board. (A swing vote from another board member, Richard Vladovic, who has earned both the CCSA and UTLA endorsements in the past, occasionally gave pro-charter groups a five-vote majority.) CCSA and their allies are also regrouping after a rough go in statewide elections in 2018. Pro-charter groups placed heavy bets on the candidacies of Antonio Villaraigosa for governor and of Marshall Tuck for state Superintendent of Public Instruction -- and both lost. "It's a little like the War of the Roses," said political scientist Raphael Sonenshein, who runs the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. If these "education wars" interest you, he said this LAUSD race may hold nearly as much intrigue as the hotly contested race for state schools superintendent -- also a charter-versus-union clash. "The forces are very evenly divided," added Sonenshein. "It's clearly a fair fight in L.A." Cynthia Gonzalez, a principal at a high school at the Diego Rivera Learning Complex in South L.A., speaks to a meeting of the East Area Progressive Democrats on Nov. 27, 2018. Gonzalez is running for the vacant L.A. Unified School Board seat once held by Ref Rodriguez. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC) WHO'S ON THE BALLOT? Ten -- count 'em, 10! -- candidates qualified for the ballot, gathering at least the minimum 500 petition signatures required to appear on the March ballot. Here's a look at the crowded field. Grab a chair. This could take a minute: Jackie Goldberg: Goldberg, 73, is a legend in local politics. Before she became the first openly lesbian member of the L.A. City Council, Goldberg was elected to the BD5 seat for two terms from 1983 to 1991. This summer, the longtime Silver Lake resident lobbied the current LAUSD board to name her as interim replacement for Ref Rodriguez, promising not to run a full term if appointed -- but board members passed. A sharp critic of charter schools and of the decision to hire LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner, Goldberg was the "overwhelming" choice of UTLA members for the teachers union's endorsement. Her decision to enter the race this year prompted at least two candidates to bow out: Bell Mayor Fidencio Gallardo and Bennett Kayser, who held the BD5 seat until losing to Rodriguez in 2015. Right before the March primary, candidate Rocio Rivas also threw her support behind Goldberg. Heather Repenning: Repenning was, until recently, a member of the L.A. Board of Public Works and a longtime aide to Mayor Eric Garcetti. She launched her campaign boasting not only Garcetti's endorsement, but the support of several trade unions. Among them: the Service Employees International Union, which represents some non-teaching employees in LAUSD. SEIU Local 99 has historically been the third-largest outside contributor to school board elections. Repenning had been angling for the even-more-lucrative endorsement of LAUSD's teachers union, UTLA; she has promised to reject the support of its political rival, the California Charter Schools Association. Repenning's young daughter attends elementary school in Silver Lake. Repenning was, until recently, a member of the L.A. Board of Public Works and a longtime aide to Mayor Eric Garcetti. She launched her campaign boasting not only Garcetti's endorsement, but the support of several trade unions. Among them: the Service Employees International Union, which represents some non-teaching employees in LAUSD. SEIU Local 99 has historically been the third-largest outside contributor to school board elections. Repenning had been angling for the even-more-lucrative endorsement of LAUSD's teachers union, UTLA; she has promised to reject the support of its political rival, the California Charter Schools Association. Repenning's young daughter attends elementary school in Silver Lake. Allison Bajracharya: While Repenning and Goldberg have sworn off the support of pro-charter school groups, others appear open to it -- and Bajracharya may be a natural fit for the endorsement. A former teacher in New Orleans, Bajracharya -- who now lives in Los Feliz -- used to work for the California Charter Schools Association, and is now a top executive at the Camino Nuevo network of charter schools. (FWIW: The teaching force at Camino Nuevo, unlike at most charters, is unionized.) In an interview with the charter-friendly advocacy organization Speak Up, Bajracharya bemoaned the Trump Administration's embrace of charter schools: "They've really convoluted what the concept of charter schools are, especially charter schools in L.A." While Repenning and Goldberg have sworn off the support of pro-charter school groups, others appear open to it -- and Bajracharya may be a natural fit for the endorsement. A former teacher in New Orleans, Bajracharya -- who now lives in Los Feliz -- used to work for the California Charter Schools Association, and is now a top executive at the Camino Nuevo network of charter schools. (FWIW: The teaching force at Camino Nuevo, unlike at most charters, is unionized.) In an interview with the charter-friendly advocacy organization Speak Up, Bajracharya bemoaned the Trump Administration's embrace of charter schools: "They've really convoluted what the concept of charter schools are, especially charter schools in L.A." Graciela Ortiz: As a counselor at Marquez High School in Huntington Park, Ortiz is a member of UTLA, and has even been involved in setting the union's political agenda. The Huntington Park City Councilwoman might seem a strange fit for the CCSA endorsement, but at a recent public appearance, Ortiz didn't slam the door on accepting support from pro-charter groups if they offered it. "We have to remember it's about kids," Ortiz said in a measured statement at an East Area Progressive Democrats' meeting. "In the southeast, we have a lot of charter schools there. It's about accountability." Jackie Goldberg, a candidate for L.A. Unified School Board, speaks with an attendee at a candidate forum in Cudahy. Goldberg, 73, is running for a seat on the board she once held from 1983 to 1991 before going on to a career on the L.A. City Council and in the State Assembly. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC) Ana Cubas: "At this point, I am an independent candidate," the City Terrace resident said at the East Area Progressive Democrats meeting -- though Cubas did not rule out charter support either. Cubas ran for L.A. City Council in 2013, losing a close race to Curren Price, and was also once chief of staff to councilman Jose Huizar (who's currently under FBI scrutiny, though Cubas told the advocacy group Speak Up she hasn't worked for Huizar in seven years). Cubas was also once the deputy director of the Youth Policy Institute, a huge organization that runs a huge array of services -- as well as several charter schools -- aimed at helping low-income children. "At this point, I am an independent candidate," the City Terrace resident said at the East Area Progressive Democrats meeting -- though Cubas did not rule out charter support either. Cubas ran for L.A. City Council in 2013, losing a close race to Curren Price, and was also once chief of staff to councilman Jose Huizar (who's currently under FBI scrutiny, though Cubas told the advocacy group Speak Up she hasn't worked for Huizar in seven years). Cubas was also once the deputy director of the Youth Policy Institute, a huge organization that runs a huge array of services -- as well as several charter schools -- aimed at helping low-income children. Nestor Enrique Valencia: "No millionaires have approached me for this race, and I doubt I'm going to get any support," the Bell City Councilman told the East Area Progressive Democrats -- though he adds he is for a moratorium on charter schools. Valencia is seeking financial backers, "but I'm very careful what money I take," he said, noting he ran to replace city council members widely held responsible for a multi-million dollar municipal corruption scandal in Bell. Cynthia Gonzalez: The principal of a high school at the Diego Rivera Learning Complex in South L.A., Gonzalez said she supports charter schools as they were originally pitched -- as incubators of innovation and new teaching strategies. She'd like to think she could earn CCSA's endorsement, but also believes charters have strayed from their original mission -- and supports a moratorium on their further growth. (Gonzalez told the East Area Progressive Democrats that, after reading over her application for CCSA's endorsement, a friend asked her: "Are you trying to get rejected?") This week, Gonzalez said she was withdrawing from CCSA's endorsement process altogether: "Those driving [CCSA's] political agenda have now become a divisive force in our communities." Gonzalez, who lives in Cudahy and has two daughters in nearby LAUSD schools, is pitching herself as the only school administrator running. Rocio Rivas: Rivas was active in organizing protests urging Rodriguez to resign after criminal charges against him were first announced. That experience inspired the Highland Park parent to run. Rivas believes the average parent can't get a fair hearing with the LAUSD board; she says it's advocacy organizations like Speak Up and Parent Revolution that really have board members' ears: "They're listening to all those other astro-turf, nonprofit organizations that say they're there for justice, they say they're there for equality, but they twist those words for their benefit. And I know their tricks." Rivas was active in organizing protests urging Rodriguez to resign after criminal charges against him were first announced. That experience inspired the Highland Park parent to run. Rivas believes the average parent can't get a fair hearing with the LAUSD board; she says it's advocacy organizations like Speak Up and Parent Revolution that really have board members' ears: "They're listening to all those other astro-turf, nonprofit organizations that say they're there for justice, they say they're there for equality, but they twist those words for their benefit. And I know their tricks." Chamba Sanchez: Sanchez, a professor in the L.A. Community College District, says he's running because "students I keep getting from LAUSD -- they don't know how to read, they don't know how to write, they don't know how to think critically." Sanchez, of Silver Lake, said he wouldn't accept a charter school endorsement -- "I'm a former union organizer, I don't think that would ever happen" -- but he told East Area Progressive Democrats that candidates ought to be asked how to improve LAUSD schools so that parents don't send their children to charters. Sanchez, a professor in the L.A. Community College District, says he's running because "students I keep getting from LAUSD -- they don't know how to read, they don't know how to write, they don't know how to think critically." Sanchez, of Silver Lake, said he wouldn't accept a charter school endorsement -- "I'm a former union organizer, I don't think that would ever happen" -- but he told East Area Progressive Democrats that candidates ought to be asked how to improve LAUSD schools so that parents don't send their children to charters. David Valdez: Valdez is a graduate of Garfield High School and Yale University who currently serves onthe Silver Lake Neighborhood Council and the L.A. County Arts Commission, through which he says he's working to increase diversity and inclusion in county-wide arts programs. As an official at the Weingart East L.A. YMCA, he launched a digital media program for middle and high school students. Valdez is also a member of the board of director for Jovenes, Inc. -- an organization serving homeless young adults in Boyle Heights and Southeast L.A. County -- and volunteers with numerous other community organizations. Several candidates have already pulled out of the race, including former LAUSD teacher Scott Cody and diversity consultant Justine Gonzalez. NALEO organizer Eduardo Cisneros also withdrew, calling the campaign a "fight I simply cannot win." LAUSD teacher Erika Alvarez, who said she planned to run again in 2020, pulled out and endorsed Jackie Goldberg. Three more candidates did not submit signatures: Gallardo and Kayser -- both of whom also endorsed Goldberg -- and LAUSD teacher James O'Gabhann III. Bell City Councilman Nestor Enrique Valencia speaks to a meeting of the East Area Progressive Democrats. Valencia is seeking a seat on the L.A. Unified School Board. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC) WHO'S RAISED THE MOST MONEY SO FAR? UPDATED, Mar. 1 -- At last check, Repenning's fundraising numbers led the pack -- but Bajracharya and Goldberg were having particularly strong fundraising months, and Ortiz, too, is not far behind. However, those numbers are now almost a month old. Candidates must file reports updating their fundraising totals every few weeks. The latest report only covers the period up to Mar. 1. Candidate fundraising totals as of Mar. 1, 2019. (SOURCE: L.A. City Ethics Commission) (Kyle Stokes/KPCC) II.) WHAT FACTORS WILL SHAPE THE RACE? BIG MONEY As you might have guessed after learning about the candidates, the support of either United Teachers Los Angeles or the California Charter Schools Association is critical in LAUSD elections. The endorsement of either group often carries the implicit promise of millions in outside spending to bolster your campaign (and perhaps pay for negative ads against your opponent, too). While these groups are limited in the amount they can give directly to a campaign, most of their spending in LAUSD races takes the form of "independent expenditures" -- which cannot legally be coordinated with the candidate. LAUSD politics are not black-and-white; there are few board members or candidates who are entirely "pro-charter" or "pro-union." But UTLA or CCSA can outspend nearly everyone -- including the candidates -- and usually spend against each other, which often forces the most serious candidates to pick a side. There are exceptions: historically, the Service Employees International Union has been the third-largest outside spender in recent LAUSD elections. SEIU Local 99 has endorsed candidates on both sides of the charters-versus-UTLA debate. In a race with such a crowded initial field of candidates, that makes SEIU a wild card -- with pockets deep enough to make them a difference-maker. (SOURCE: L.A. City Ethics Commission) But this year, SEIU hasn't been playing second (or third) fiddle. SEIU has been the biggest outside spender on the race so far, giving a boost to their endorsed candidate, Heather Repenning. SEIU has also spent money to oppose the candidate UTLA endorsed, Jackie Goldberg, as well as Graciela Ortiz. Meanwhile, UTLA has spent more than $594,000 to support Goldberg. But SEIU has spent more -- about $919,000 -- to bolster Repenning. In total, outside groups have spent more than $1.7 million on the BD5 special election so far. But while that's a lot of money for a school board election, it's still nowhere close to the levels of spending by outside groups in the school board elections in 2017. (SOURCE: L.A. City Ethics Commission) Part of the reason spending totals haven't approached that record-setting pace: on Dec. 28, CCSA announced they would not endorse a candidate during the primary. The decision not to endorse also means CCSA is not spending money either to support or oppose any candidates. That could change, though -- CCSA's statement leaves open the possibility they make back a candidate during the May runoff. GEOGRAPHY Board District 5's wonky map helps explain how the May 2015 runoff between incumbent Bennett Kayser and challenger Ref Rodriguez played out, as the map above shows. Rodriguez and Kayser both won about 10,000 votes from the portions of board district within the city of Los Angeles -- which mostly means the northern half of BD5, where turnout was highest (just under 12 percent). But in the non-L.A. portions of BD5 -- particularly in the city of South Gate -- Rodriguez received nearly two votes for every Kayser vote. Even though turnout in these areas was lower (about 6.7 percent), Rodriguez's margins of victory in the south made the difference in the race. For this reason, it's worth keeping track of where each candidates' base of support is physically located. This year, six of the 10 declared candidates reside north of downtown and the 10 Freeway. Four of the candidates come from the southern part of the district -- and two of them are already elected officials in the southeast cities. RACE While Rodriguez may have found a lot of support in the southern half of Board District 5, he and Kayser both lived in northeast L.A. It's a reminder that in many ways, "geography" in BD5 is also a code-word for race. The vast majority of the students in BD5 are Latino, and the vast majority of the board district's students attend schools in the southeast. By contrast, schools in the northern half of the district are much less racially homogenous, with much larger populations of white and Asian students in particular. Veteran political consultant Michael Trujillo said the district's boundaries were redrawn in 2002 to include the southeast cities -- a move meant to create "the best possible chances for a Latino to win." But in December, KPCC/LAist reported five Latino candidates are concerned that the three most-crucial endorsements -- from UTLA, SEIU and CCSA -- could all go to white candidates. (CCSA's endorsement has not yet been announced.) SOURCES: 1992 map courtesy of L.A. City Archives; current map courtesy of LAUSD It wasn't the first time in this year's campaign that race emerged as an issue. In August, when Jackie Goldberg -- who's white -- lobbied the board for a temporary appointment to the seat, some public commenters pushed back, suggesting a Latino ought to represent the heavily Latino district. But there was a divide about whether Goldberg's race was a deal-breaker. "We had a Latino on the seat," Ruth Perez told the board during public comment last August, "and he didn't do anything for anybody. [Ref Rodriguez] won the election with cheating." Trujillo, who was working for Eduardo Cisneros' campaign, sees it differently. "It's about representation," he told KPCC/LAist in a recent interview. "It's nice that well-meaning white people want to represent Latinos, but I feel that Latinos can do a nice enough job by themselves." UPDATES Dec. 6, 5 p.m.: Updated to reflect the latest official list of candidates to qualify for the ballot. Dec. 7, 1:25 p.m.: Updated to reflect Eduardo Cisneros' decision to drop out of the race. Dec. 12, 2:15 p.m.: Updated to reflect the final list of candidates and include additional information in candidate bios. Dec. 12, 7:15 p.m.: Updated to reflect the UTLA endorsement for Jackie Goldberg. Dec. 28, 12:30 p.m.: Updated to reflect news of CCSA's decision not to endorse a candidate during the primary. Feb. 15, 8 p.m.: Updated to reflect the candidate fundraising totals reported through Jan. 19, and the independent expenditure totals reported through Feb. 14. Mar. 4, 5 p.m.: Updated to reflect the candidate fundraising totals reported through Mar. 1, and the independent expenditure totals reported through Mar. 4. Mar. 28, 12 p.m.: This update removed a reference to Jackie Goldberg's intentions "to only serve until Dec. 2020." Goldberg's campaign contended this reference was outdated and misleading. Before school board members declined to appoint her, Goldberg had stated she had no desire to run for the seat or serve beyond Dec. 2020. But Goldberg had said in interviews that she would reserve the right to run if board members didn't appoint her as a temporary representative -- and her campaign later made clear Goldberg would run for re-election in 2020 if elected in this year's special election. Hey, thanks. You read the entire story. And we love you for that. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you, not advertisers. We don't have paywalls, but we do have payments (aka bills). So if you love independent, local journalism, join us. Let's make the world a better place, together. Donate now. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Officials at Newport Harbor High School are looking into a photo posted on social media over the weekend that showed students gathered around red Solo cups formed into the shape of a swastika, their arms outstretched in the Nazi salute. The photo, which has been reposted all over the internet, appears to feature at least 11 people taking part in the salute, both female and male. Another photo shows participants clinking cups over the swastika, with the words "ultimate rage" written over it in a banner. In a statement, representatives from the Newport Mesa Unified School District said they were made aware of the photos on Sunday. Officials noted that the incident didn't happen on campus or at a school-related event, but added that they "condemn all acts of anti-Semitism and hate in all their forms." Other students at the school have responded as well. An Instagram post to a student-run account states, "As an organization dedicated to representing the students of Newport Harbor High School, we and the school administration denounce and condemn all acts of anti-Semitism and hate in any form...To all those negatively affected, you have our deepest apologies. With all of the bad out there, we will and encourage everyone to turn to goodness, kindness, and respect over hatred." Statements on the incident have come in from elected officials as well. "I condemn the devastating and shocking anti-Semitism on display by local students this weekend," said U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter. "The use of such a harmful symbol, which represents the genocide of the Jewish people, is an act of aggression and hate that has no place in our vibrant, diverse and welcoming community." "There is no place for hateful symbols of swastikas and Nazi salutes in our community," added Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley. "Glorifying or even joking about these symbols contradicts the values we share as a diverse community." Foley added that she discourages villifying the people involved. Instead, she said, "we need to seriously address why teens in our community might think these types of hateful symbols are acceptable or funny and worthy of selfies." There will be two town hall meetings this week for parents and students, where the matter will be discussed in both English and Spanish. The first meeting is scheduled for Monday at 6:00 p.m. at Newport Harbor High School, and the second is scheduled for Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at Corona del Mar High School. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Are you surprised to learn that storm clouds will cover the sun this week and water will fall from the Southern California sky? Don't be. This is our lives now. We get rain -- and plenty of it (*knocks on soggy wood*). In keeping with our new way of life, a "strong atmospheric river" is heading into the region starting Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The storm is likely to bring heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms through Wednesday, with flooding and debris flows possible, forecasters said. Light showers are expected to continue Thursday and Friday. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for all burn areas in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Here is the forecasted storm total rainfall for SW CA, for a 48-hour period starting Tuesday at 4 AM. #SoCal #LArain #CAwx pic.twitter.com/dxRCllJqFN NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) March 5, 2019 Parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties could get 3 inches of rain in a 48-hour period, while in Los Angeles County, 1 to 2 inches is expected in Malibu, Woodland Hills, Pasadena and Santa Clarita. Santa Barbara County officials have issued evacuation orders for residents in the burn areas of the Thomas, Whittier and Sherpa fires. Everyone in the Debris Flow Risk Area has been ordered to evacuate by 4 p.m. Tuesday. A flash flood watch goes into effect at 6 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday morning. Are LA Drivers Really That Bad At Driving In The Rain? ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES For updates throughout the day, including lists of road closures, evacuation orders and flood warnings, check the following sites: California AG to Announce Whether His Office will File Criminal Charges Against Two Police Officers who Shot and Killed Stephon Clark California Attorney General Xavier Becerra spoke with reporters Monday morning about Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schuberts decision to not file criminal charges against the police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark. ADVERTISEMENT SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Californias attorney general will announce today whether his office will file criminal charges against two Northern California police officers who shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark last year. Attorney General Xavier Becerras announcement follows the decision by Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert not to charge the two Sacramento Police officers, Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet. She said Saturday that the two officers broke no laws when they shot Clark. Clarks family and black community leaders have urged Becerra to reach a different conclusion. I would like for the attorney general to prosecute the officers, his brother, Stevante Clark, said Sunday. I want justice and accountability. Clarks killing prompted intense protests last year in Californias capital city and sparked demonstrations across the U.S. Schuberts decision has prompted a fresh round of demonstrations. More than 80 people were arrested during a Monday night protest in a wealthy Sacramento neighborhood. ADVERTISEMENT Schubert concluded that the officers feared for their life when they shot Clark, who they thought was holding a gun. They were pursuing him after receiving calls about someone breaking car windows. Schubert said the evidence showed Clark was advancing toward the officers when they shot him. Investigators found only a cellphone. Clark was shot in his grandmothers backyard. Schuberts decision not to prosecute the officers has increased support by top state officials a change to the states legal standard for when police can kill. Many View black friend defense as a Tired, Hollow Argument Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., listens as he questions Michael Cohen, President Donald Trumps former lawyer, as Cohen testifies before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Lynne Patton, who works in the Trump administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, stands behind Meadows, as Meadows said to Cohen, I asked Lynne to come today in her personal capacity to actually shed some light. (Associated Press) Kelly Darden Jr. still remembers one of the first times he experienced the black friend defense. ADVERTISEMENT Back in high school, a group of white classmates dressed in Confederate-inspired clothing as part of a social club called the Rebel Rousers and insisted they werent racist when confronted because some of them knew Darden, who is black. It was insulting, the 64-year-old Greenville, North Carolina, man recalled Thursday. I was insulted by it even when it was occurring. Darden and countless other African-Americans have experienced variations of the black friend defense saying that a person cant be racist because of the color of the company he keeps for generations. And the trope played out in front of a national TV audience this week as Republican Rep. Mark Meadows defended President Donald Trump against testimony by Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen , who claimed the president is racist. Meadows, of North Carolina, quickly sent social media into a frenzy when he pointed to Lynne Patton, a black Trump administration staffer, and said Patton never would tolerate working for a racist . Many consider the black friend defense a tired and hollow argument. The fact someone would actually use a prop, a black woman in this chamber, in this committee, is alone racist in itself, Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan said in response to Meadows interaction with Patton, who works at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. An outraged Meadows, who is white, hit back, saying he cant be racist because he has nieces and nephews of color and he is friends with Rep. Elijah Cummings, who is black and was chairing the hearing. ADVERTISEMENT The defense has a history of being part of a politicians playbook. Trump himself has trotted it out more than once. While giving remarks during a 2016 presidential campaign stop, Trump pointed to someone in the crowd and yelled Look at my African-American over there. A few black celebrities have been called props or Uncle Toms for throwing support Trumps way or simply just meeting with him. Kanye West, Steve Harvey and Jim Brown have all been criticized. Harvey, who voted for Hillary Clinton, told media outlets in 2017 that he regretted meeting with the president at Trump Tower because of the backlash. He only did so in the hopes of helping with Trumps transition to the White House. UPDATE: California AG Wont Charge Officers Who Killed Stephon Clark SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Californias attorney general said Tuesday that he wont charge two Sacramento police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man last year, a killing that set off intense protests. Attorney General Xavier Becerras conclusion to a nearly yearlong investigation follows a Sacramento district attorney finding last weekend that the officers broke no laws when they shot 22-year-old Stephon Clark. ADVERTISEMENT Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet said they mistakenly thought Clark was approaching them with a gun after he ran from them into his grandparents backyard as police investigated vandalism. Investigators found only a cellphone. Becerra acknowledged that the killing was devastating for Clarks family but that his review found Clark had been committing crimes and officers believed he was armed and their lives were in danger when they opened fire. Becerra, who called for changes in law enforcement practices to prevent other shootings, said there was plenty of evidence to support his conclusion. Still, he said it was not an easy decision. Theres a young man whos no longer alive, Becerra said. Two sons who wont have a father. Whose mother I just met is still grieving. Of course it was a tough call. These are all tough calls. Its never easy. Before announcing the decision, he met with Clarks mother, SeQuette Clark, who was expected to speak to reporters later in the day. Clark was shot seven times on March 18, 2018, and his killing prompted protests in Californias capital city and across the U.S. ADVERTISEMENT New demonstrations followed Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schuberts decision not to charge the officers, with more than 80 people arrested Monday in a wealthy Sacramento neighborhood. Clarks family and black community leaders urged Becerra to reach a different conclusion. I would like for the attorney general to prosecute the officers, brother Stevante Clark said Sunday. I want justice and accountability. Both Becerra and Schubert concluded that the officers feared for their lives when they shot Clark, who they thought was holding a gun. They were pursuing him after receiving calls about someone breaking car windows and a neighbors sliding glass door. The attorney general and district attorney said the evidence showed Clark was advancing toward the officers holding what they thought was a gun when they shot him. Top state officials are supporting changes to Californias legal standard for when police can use deadly force. Lawmakers have revived a measure introduced after Clarks slaying that would make California the first state to allow police to use deadly force only when its necessary to prevent imminent and serious injury or death and if theres no reasonable alternative, such as warnings or other methods. Strong opposition from law enforcement agencies stalled it last year. Becerra was vague about what reforms he would support but said change was needed. This incident reads like the bitterly familiar passages of a long, complicated and uninviting book, he said. We must all be willing to write the next chapters in this story of what we call American justice. Thanks for signing up! News & Alerts by Email! Stay up to date by getting the latest LA Sentinel News and Alerts sent to your email inbox. Email Address First Name Sign Up Maureen O'Hara and James Ellison star in the RKO musical romance THEY MET IN ARGENTINA (1941), just released on DVD by the Warner Archive O'Hara plays Lolita O'Shea, whose father (Robert Barrat) owns a racehorse which Tim Kelly (James Ellison, THE GANG'S ALL HERE ) is attempting to purchase for his boss (Robert Middlemass) while on a business trip to Argentina.There's honestly not much more to the plot than that. Will standoffish O'Hara fall for Ellison? Will he buy the horse? The story is that basic.THEY MET IN ARGENTINA is, sadly, a real snooze. O'Hara and Ellison meet in the first scene, then she completely disappears from the film for roughly 20 minutes while there's interminable discussion about buying the racehorse. The rest of the film goes on in similar fashion, alternating talky scenes -- which ironically don't say much -- with unmemorable music. The pristine black and white shots of lovely Maureen, as filmed by J. Roy Hunt , can't compensate for the lack of a memorable story -- or pretty muchstory -- and it's really difficult to believe the score, mostly performed by Buddy Ebsen and Diosa Costello, was composed by Rodgers and Hart. It's kind of a long 77 minutes.The most interesting aspect of THEY MET IN ARGENTINA may simply be that it's an exemplar of the "Good Neighbor Policy" film of the early '40s, intended to help strengthen our relations with South American countries just before and during WWII. Other examples include the Fred Astaire musical YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (1942) and Disney's "south of the border" films, SALUDOS AMIGOS (1942) and THE THREE CABALLEROS (1944). "Good Neighbor" films weren't actually filmed on location -- though Disney artists did take a prolonged visit to South America, as seen in the documentary WALT AND EL GRUPO (2008) -- but were meant to engender positive feelings for our neighbors to the south among the American public.The supporting cast includes Alberto Vila, Luis Alberni, and Fortunio Bonanova. Betty Jane Rhodes sings onscreen under the opening credits.THEY MET IN ARGENTINA was directed by Leslie Goodwins and Jack Hively , who took over when Goodwins became ill.The Warner Archive print is lovely. There are no DVD extras. Tuesday, March 5, 2019 The New York Times (Mar. 1, 2019): An 11-Year-Old in Argentina Was Raped. A Hospital Denied Her an Abortion, by Daniel Politi: Despite laws in Argentina saying that pregnant people may seek abortions in the case of rape (one of the only instances in which abortion is legal in the country), an 11-year-old rape survivor was denied the abortion she requested and instead forced into a C-section delivery. The child was reportedly raped by her grandmother's boyfriend. She discovered her pregnancy at 19 weeks after going to the hospital complaining of severe stomachaches. Both the child and her mother pushed for her to receive the abortion, but doctors administered drugs without consent to hasten the development of the fetus so that she could deliver instead (the doctors told her that they were giving her "vitamins"). Fernanda Marchese is the executive director of Human Rights and Social Studies Lawyers of Northeastern Argentina, which is representing Lucia (a pseudonym) and her family. Marchese reports that the hospital permitted anti-abortion activists to enter Lucias hospital room, "where they urged her to have the baby, warning that she otherwise would never get to be a mother." "Reproductive rights groups filed emergency lawsuits that led to a court order instructing the hospital to carry out an abortion at once." The doctors still refused, citing conscientious objections. Private sector doctors Cecilia Ousset and Jose Gigena agreed to conduct the abortion, but because Lucias pregnancy was so far along, they decided they had no choice but perform a C-section. Dr. Ousset identified that Lucias life was at risk throughout the ordeal in a phone interview with the New York Times. Lucia is now healthy and should be discharged soon. Genetic material from the umbilical cord will be studied and possibly used to prosecute the man who is alleged to have raped Lucia. He has already been arrested. Although the case has gained notoriety, many say it reflects a reality in parts of Argentina. In the north of Argentina, Dr. Ousset said, there are lots of Lucias and there are lots of professionals who turn their back on them. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/2019/03/an-11-year-old-in-argentina-was-raped-a-hospital-denied-her-an-abortion.html Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido returned home to Venezuela on Monday and urged his supporters to intensify their campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido spent the last week traveling outside the country, having ignored an official ban on foreign travel. There were concerns that Guaido might be detained upon his return. But the 35-year-old said he got through immigration checks at Venezuelas main airport with no problems. He was met at the airport by top diplomats from the United States, Germany, Spain and other countries. Guaido later spoke to a crowd of demonstrators in Caracas. He called on his supporters across the country to fill the streets on Saturday to protest Maduros hold on power. Guaido is leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly. He declared himself interim president of Venezuela on January 23, two weeks after Maduro began his second six-year term. Many Venezuelans say the election should not be recognized because Maduro barred his opponents from running against him. In the last week, Guaido visited Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Ecuador -- all countries that support his claim to be Venezuelas interim president. Guaido said he hopes his return to Venezuela will increase pressure on Maduro to resign so a temporary government can prepare the country for fair and free elections. Maduro has said he is the target of a U.S.-backed plot to overthrow him. The United States and about 50 other countries have recognized Guaido as the true leader of Venezuela. There was no immediate comment Monday from the Maduro government, which has in the past jailed and driven into exile other key opposition leaders. Instead, the Maduro government has been trying to center the publics attention on the carnival celebrations going on this week. On Sunday, Maduro tweeted that Venezuelans nationwide were enjoying carnival in peace and happiness. Among the demonstrators who waited for Guaido at the Caracas gathering Monday was Wildredo Moya. He is a 55-year-old former construction worker. He said Venezuelans hoping for change should understand it will take time. Its a long process, Moya said. I'm Ashley Thompson. The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story interim - adj. used or accepted for a limited time : not permanent construction - n. the act or process of building something (such as a house or road) The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The United States and China are working to finalize a trade agreement. But Chinese officials appear to be having problems persuading the countrys citizens on the need to enact the agreement and enforce its rules. The problem for Xi Jinping and the government is both economic and political. It comes just as Chinas yearly political congress opens in Beijing. Around 5,000 delegates from around the country will attend the two-week congress. They include the heads of major Chinese businesses, both private and state-owned. The trade deal may be difficult for state-owned businesses. Many are owned by Communist Party members who could lose a lot of money. Some state-owned companies receive large amounts of assistance from the government. Others are monopolies, meaning they control the supply of or trade of a product or service. State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) employ millions of people in areas like energy, mining, banking and manufacturing. "The Chinese government will face resistance from SOEs, said Zhiqun Zhu. He is chairman of the Department of International Relations at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. He added that resistance will also come from coastal provinces that are already actively trading with the United States and other countries. During the legislative meetings, President Xi will be closely watched in China and around the world. Observers will see how he deals with issues such as the slowing economy and the dispute between the U.S. government and Chinese technology company Huawei. Huawei is the worlds largest maker of telecommunications equipment. U.S. officials believe that the Chinese government is actively involved in the company and uses some of its equipment for spying. The United States and other western governments have banned the use of Huawei devices. In an unusual move, Chinas legislature may support a proposed law on foreign investment. Part of the proposal is meant to reduce pressure on foreign companies to hand over their technology to Chinese officials. This was one of U.S. President Donald Trumps major criticisms of China when the trade war between the countries began. China denies that the handover of technology is unfair, but may change the measure to help end the trade war. The United States is asking China to buy more American-made goods. It is also demanding structural changes from Chinese industry. It wants China to end special treatment for SOEs, such as government assistance. The special treatment makes it impossible for companies in other countries to compete with Chinese companies. "Structural reforms will be more difficult (for China) due to interests of SOEs and local governments and businesses with extensive trade," Zhiqun said. Paul Gillis is a professor at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management. He said, "Trade policy changes always have winners and losers. Expect opposition from the losers". Nature of Opposition Resistance to a trade deal will mostly happen behind closed doors and come from small groups of legislators. It will not be part of the publicly televised discussions of the National People's Congress and the China People's Political Consultative Conference. These are the two groups that are part of what political observers are calling the "Twin Sessions". The main events are to be broadcast live on television. All speeches have been approved before the meetings, sources tell VOA. "We have our systemonce the President gives a directive, the delegates will not say no," said Shen Dingli. He is an international relations specialist who works in Shanghai. He added "the Twin Sessions will follow the leader's view. But some provincial leaders from more developed provinces and cities like Shanghai are worried about the effects of any new agreement on their local economy. Leaders of several SOEs are asking the government to change the way it rates their companies performance. They expect that profits will fall because of the new agreement. "It is up to the central government and President Xi. If they are really determined to carry out structural reforms, they can, Zhiqun said. Lost Profits Some observers believe that the SOEs will not face loss of profitability as a result of the new agreement. I think they can handle that," Gillis said, talking about competition from foreign companies. He pointed out the SOEs have faced competition from foreign companies since 2001, when China became a member of the World Trade Organization. "The competition seems to have made many of these companies stronger," Gillis said. Chinese experts said things will not change quickly, even with a new trade agreement. The Chinese government was moving towards a market economy for its own reasons before the trade war. Now it will move more quickly. Shen said, "The question is: Can China stop all subsidies to state owned enterprises? In some cases, China is not ready now, it needs a few years. Shen added that the United States should accept it will take some time. Im Ashley Thompson. And I'm Caty Weaver. Indonesias most populous province has set restrictions on when more than 80 English language songs can be broadcast. The West Java provincial broadcast commission identified 85 songs its members consider adult because of their offensive language. It said that local radio and television stations can only play such music between 10 at night and 3 in the morning. The songs include Ed Sheerans Shape of You, Ariana Grandes Love Me Harder and Thats What I Like by Bruno Mars. Indonesia is the worlds biggest Muslim-majority country. It has seen a rise in restrictions on subjects or behavior considered pornographic. The country is officially secular, meaning there is no state religion. But local lawmakers sometimes pass laws based on sharia or Islamic law. Broadcast programs are barred from having songs and/or video that show or contain obscenities, sex...and drugs, said Neneng Athiatul Faiziyah, a member of the commission. She said the action followed public comments on the issue. There were similar objections over thousands of songs, she said. Faiziyah said that she and other members were also making a list of Indonesian language songs they considered adult. West Java is home to 48 million people. It is known for being among the most conservative provinces in Indonesia. At the national level, Indonesia already has strong anti-pornography laws. Critics say these measures can be misused to threaten tolerance or creative expression in the Southeast Asian country. Last month, Indonesias parliament dropped a music bill after protests by artists and rights activists who were concerned that it could restrict freedom of expression. The bill included wording that aimed to prevent the creation of music considered to include bad influences from foreign cultures. The Jakarta Post newspaper said it also was designed to control influences that could incite violence or illegal behaviors. I'm Jonathan Evans. The Reuters news agency reported this story. George Grow adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story pornographic adj. of or involving images or writing meant to produce an intense emotional reaction obscenity n. an extremely offensive word or expression tolerance n. the ability to accept something We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. U.S.-backed Syrian forces fighting Islamic State militants said they freed more than 12 Yazidi children from IS last week. The children were released when the Syrian Democratic Forces evacuated civilians from the town of Baghuz. The children had been held by the militant group for years. Mustafa Bali is a spokesman for the Kurdish-led alliance. He wrote in a social media tweet, "Among many children saved from [IS] territory today, a group of Yazidi children also arrived to safe areas." Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking religious minority who live mostly in northern Iraq. They are viewed as infidels by IS extremists. Sex slaves, soldiers In August 2014, IS militants attacked Sinjar in northern Iraq, then home to the largest Yazidi community in the world. At least 5,000 Yazidis were killed during the attack, mostly men and boys. IS militants then kidnapped thousands of Yazidi children and women and made them work as child soldiers or sex slaves. The 12 children recently freed in Baghuz are now in a special home near Hasaka, a Kurdish-held area in northeast Syria. "I was held for more than four years," said Mazin Salim, 14, a former captive. "Along with many other Yazidi children, I was then taken to a location in Syria. I believe it was Aleppo. After staying there for a few months, they (moved) us to Raqqa," he added. Islamic State made Raqqa its capital. The city was taken from IS by the SDF with support from the U.S.-led coalition in October 2017. The Yazidi teenager said that while he was held, IS brainwashed him with its extremist ideology. "In the beginning, they would beat me every day because I didn't know Arabic and didn't know anything about Islam," Salim explained. "But slowly, they taught me how to read from the Quran." Brainwashed children While it controlled parts of Syria and Iraq, IS forced brainwashed and abused children to carry out suicide attacks, kill civilians and perform other cruel acts. "I checked up on all of these children," said Shahin Hossein, a Kurdish doctor. He has been providing medical care to the Yazidi children since their arrival. "All of them have psychological problems." Hossein also said some of the children have been suffering from physical illnesses for a long time without receiving any treatment. Since the battle to capture Baghuz began, SDF fighters have been better able to find Yazidi children and women. Since all civilians are leaving Baghuz, it is easier to identify Yazidis as they come out of the town," SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told VOA. Yazidi children and women are taken to a location that is separate from refugee camps for the other civilians fleeing IS. "Our job is to receive them, give them medical treatment and then. return to Sinjar," said Mahmoud Resho. He is part of Yazidi House Council, a local organization that supports Yazidi refugees and captives. "So far, we have a total of 25 children and a woman who are waiting to go to their families in Sinjar," Resho told VOA. Resho said the Iraqi government has recently closed its border with Syria. "That's why these people have been waiting for a while," he added. Uncertainty about families The Yazidi children rescued from IS in Syria have other problems as well. Many do not know where their families are now, Resho said. "These kids have been kidnapped for almost five years. Some of their families are either killed or have migrated to Europe," he said. Fourteen-year-old Salim says he does not know what he will find when he returns to Sinjar. I miss my family so much, he said. But he does not know whether they are alive or dead. I'm Susan Shand. VOAs Sirwan Kajjo reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story evacuate v. to remove someone from a dangerous place infidel n. a person who does not believe in a religion that someone regards as the true religion teenager n. a boy or girl between the ages of 13-18. cruel adj. used to describe people who hurt others and do not feel sorry about it psychological adj. of or relating to the mind scholarship, news and new ideas in legal history Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. Hong Kong: Teresa Cheng to visit Bangkok Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng will travel to Bangkok, Thailand on March 6 to promote Hong Kongs legal and dispute resolution services. In Bangkok, Ms Cheng will visit the Supreme Court of Thailand, the Ministry of Justice, and the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Thailand. She will also meet business sector representatives. Ms Cheng will return to Hong Kong on March 7. This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Nathan B. Oman (William & Mary Law School) have posted Civil Disobedience in Latter-Day Saint Thought (Forthcoming in "Civil Disobedience in Latter-day Saint Thought" in Open Questions in Latter-Day Saint Thought (Eric Eliason & Terryl Givens, eds.)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the largest of the religious traditions born in the United States. What is the role of civil disobedience in the Latter-day Saint thought? Some passages in the scriptures of the church suggests an almost unlimited obligation to comply with secular law. In other places, the Latter-day Saint canon suggests a more limited duty of obedience, one that is broadly speaking contingent on the legal system being what might be called a nearly just regime. In practice, when pushed by a hostile state, the Saints have been willing to declare if the laws of my country should come in contact with the laws of God I shall invariably choose the latter. However, history also reveals that the calculus for Latter-day Saints has never been this simple. Church leaders have generally counseled obedience to unjust laws coupled with engagement to improve them. More tellingly, in the face of at times suspicious and vicious governments, Latter-day Saints have been counseled to obey the law as a way of protecting themselves and their community from predatory state actors. In short, their religion does not provide the Latter-day Saints with any neat or clear answer to the perennial question of where to draw the line between the claims of God and the claims of Caesar. Rather, it gives them a native tradition within which to consider such questions. Recommended. China is planning to cut the value-added tax rate that covers the manufacturing sector by 3 percentage points as part of measures to support the slowing economy, a person familiar with the matter said. The reduction in the highest of the nations three VAT brackets could be announced as soon as this week, when political leaders are gathering in Beijing for the annual National Peoples Congress, the person said, who declined to be named as the matter isnt public. Premier Li Keqiang is due to deliver his annual report on economic policy on Tuesday, a detailed document that sets targets for gross domestic product expansion as well as objectives for fiscal and monetary policy. A 3 percentage-point cut to VAT could deliver a boost worth up to 600 billion yuan or 0.6 percent of GDP, according to estimates by Morgan Stanley. The move helps corporate profits at a time when the economy is facing pressure from the U.S. trade standoff and the impact of a domestic debt cleanup. Officials have increasingly turned to tax policy in their efforts to support growth, as debt-fueled spending and monetary policy become increasingly constrained. The tax cut is also part of broader, more proactive fiscal support. The budget deficit target is said to be widened to 2.8 percent of GDP from 2.6 percent in 2018, and the quota for special bonds is said to be set to 2.15 trillion yuan, a significant rise from 1.35 trillion yuan in 2018. The Finance Ministry didnt respond to faxed request for comment on the VAT reduction plans. Bloomberg Last week, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) met with 14 representatives of the six gaming concessions for a discussion on matters concerning illegal money exchange syndicates. During the meeting, representatives of the gaming industry agreed on the importance and urgency of combating these groups. The representatives also pointed out that a series of previous crackdowns by police had been effective, further claiming that recent money exchange activities have been significantly reduced. The representatives promised to actively cooperate with police and send additional security personnel to conduct inspections in casinos and hotels. The law enforcement department of the security sector was also present at the meeting and stated that it will continue to strengthen relevant crackdowns, conduct intelligence exchanges with law enforcement agencies in mainland China and coordinate with the gaming industry to establish closer communication. A government representative at the meeting suggested that the gaming industry should share relevant information and inform the law enforcement department in a timely manner. Money exchange gangs have been present at various casinos in Macau for years, impacting Macaus social security system and the normal operation of the casinos. In 2018, the Judiciary Police and the Public Security Police Force conducted several large-scale operations against money exchange syndicates. Over 3,000 people were detained and deported due to the actions of these bodies. In 2019, the two bureaus have strengthened their inspections. As a result, in the first two months of the year more than 1,000 people have been detained due to their involvement. JZ The Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in the Roman Curia, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, has spent two days in Macau as part of his pastoral visit. The cardinal an expert in Chinese affairs travelled to Taiwan as a Special Envoy of the Holy Father to conclude the celebration of the IV National Taiwan Eucharistic Congress. He was also part of a meeting with the Bishops of the Chinese Regional Episcopal Conference, amongst a series of visits he conducted in Taiwan. During his visit to the SAR, the cardinal held a solemn mass at Se Cathedral which was attended by a significant number of Catholic devotees. He also took part in a meeting with local priests and affiliates of the diocese on Sunday, according to reports. Yesterday, the cardinal visited the University of St. Joseph to celebrate mass and meet with professors and students. Cardinal Filoni has been the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in the Roman Curia since May 2011, following the appointment of Pope Benedict XVI. The Catholic official is currently in Hong Kong visiting the regions Holy Spirit seminary. He is set to leave for Rome tomorrow. LV As the China-U.S. trade dispute continues to deepen, polarized opinions have emerged concerning its impact on the economies of Guangdong and Macau. There is an undeniable fact that many foreign-invested companies have shifted their investment to other Asian countries. The American Chamber of Commerce in South China, which is mainly focused on Guangdong but has some members in Fujian and Hunan provinces, has published its 2019 Special Report on the State of Business in South China. The AmCham conducted its 13th annual study of companies with established operations in China through simple random sampling. Some 256 companies participated in the study, and questionnaires from 240 companies were finally analyzed. As the research was conducted shortly after the U.S. and China announced a temporary 90-day ceasefire to deescalate trade tensions, the research is said to shed light on the influence of the trade dispute on businesses in southern China. According to the survey, 44 percent of the surveyed foreign-owned companies have shifted some of their planned reinvestment in China to other jurisdictions. When it comes to their Chinese counterparts, 30 percent have shifted some of their reinvestment to other countries. Contacted by the Times, Joe Rocha III, the Governor of AmCham South China, commented, I think we have already seen a lot of the shift, and this happened prior to the trade dispute. As explained by Rocha, the reinvestment has shifted to Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, while some companies have been able to relocate to the U.S. According to the AmCham survey, 17 percent of respondents favored Vietnam and Thailand when the companies considered moving some or all of their production lines away from China. While the vast majority of companies some 63 percent believe that the U.S.-China trade dispute is likely to escalate in 2019, about one-quarter of the respondents hold the opposite view. American companies are also said to be more optimistic on bilateral relations than their counterparts from other countries. We have seen that 82 percent of businesses are going to increase [their] investment amount [into] China this year, Rocha told the Times, adding that in regards to the impact of the trade dispute in southern China, companies are hopeful for further negotiation. Naming some of the big U.S. players in southern China, Rocha referenced Procter & Gamble and Mead Johnson, which are both headquartered in Guangzhou. The [reports] findings were that American companies continue to be hurt as a result of the combined tariff, Rocha told the Times. Thirty-three percent of the Chinese companies, and 22 percent of companies from other countries also report being hurt by the tariff. Some commentators worry that the dispute, which is impacting the views of business leaders on the mainland, will negatively influence Macaus economy because of its heavy reliance on external economic environments. Others are more optimistic, arguing that Macaus gaming industry will likely be unaffected by the trade dispute. Peng Chun Vong, Director of the University of Macaus Business Research and Training Center, told the Times that there will be some impact to the gaming industry, but not that much. According to Vong, Macaus economy involves a large number of trade activities, and even if the trade dispute harms Guangdongs economy, the influence on Macau will still remain small. Last week, Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng encouraged efforts to promote the development of the Guangdong- Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. According to Han, cooperation in technology and innovation between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau ought to be promoted. A series of measures would be adopted to facilitate customs clearance of personnel and goods in the Greater Bay Area, as well as the exit and entry of samples for scientific research, laboratory reagents and genetic resources, he said. Aside from Shenzhen, the Greater Bays established tech center, Zhuhai has also been advertising its Hengqin district as a new technology and innovation center. Commenting on the impact of the trade dispute on Guangdongs technology industry, Rocha said that China still has a long way to go. I think that, in terms of technology, we have seen a lot of investment from the Chinese governments standpoint. As for investment in AI [Artificial Intelligence] and [other] high tech, the results if you have seen the return and investment and performance of some of these companies still has a long way to go. If you see some of the big high-tech companies, a lot of them are still largely dependent on foreign technology, added Rocha. As the trade dispute between the two countries has continued for quite a long time, more companies expect that its impact will last longer than in our previous study, the AmCham survey says. A 32-year-old mainland man has been accused of document forgery in a case that the Public Security Police Force (PSP) received in the form of a complaint from an anonymous woman, PSP spokesperson Cheong Heon Fan informed yesterday at a joint press conference held at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters. The case began with a complaint from an anonymous source, who told the PSP that a certain man had bought a quota for a non-resident worker (a blue card) from a local restaurant, where he had never in fact worked. The man had been using the document to easily enter and exit Macau for gambling purposes. After an investigation and several attempts to find the man, the PSP finally located him at the restaurant last Saturday. When taken for questioning, the man confessed to having acquired the document via the restaurant for gambling purposes, in order to avoid the process of an individual visa (and its limitations) every time he wanted to enter Macau to play in the local casinos. He said to police that he had paid RMB20,000 for the processing of the document. The PSP have already forwarded the case to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on charges of document forgery. No information was disclosed on whether the authorities are doing their due diligence in order to seek accountability from the establishment owners. COOK CAUGHT STEALING FROM TAXIS In a separate case, a local 22-year-old man who works as a cook in a restaurant has been accused of performing a series of thefts at a car park in the Fai Chi Kei area. According to PSP spokesperson Cheong, the man had knowledge of a common procedure among several taxi drivers who would park their cars in a certain parking lot while changing the drivers shift, leaving the cars unlocked. He made use of the knowledge last Saturday at around 10:15 a.m., entering the car park and checking which taxis were open one by one, searching the cars interiors for cash and valuables. According to the police report, the man stole at least MOP230 and HKD400 in cash from several vehicles, money he was said to have spent immediately thereafter. He was presented to the MP for theft yesterday. FINDERS, (SHOULD NOT BE) KEEPERS A 33-year-old mainland man wanted by local authorities was caught by the PSP reentering Macau at the Border Gate on Sunday at around 4 p.m. The man is wanted for appropriation, in respect of finding goods in a case that goes back to January 31, when the suspect, after having a meal at a restaurant located inside a Cotai casino, noticed that a red bag had been left behind by customers seated at a table next to him. According to the PSP spokesperson, the man decided to take the bag and left Macau almost immediately. After being questioned by the police force, the man admitted to the crime, explaining that he took the bag and then emptied the cash from inside (HKD4,000 and RMB200) before returning to the mainland. As for the bag and its contents, he is said to have dumped it in a garbage bin. He was presented to the MP on the charges of appropriation yesterday. A Chinese government spokesman took issue yesterday with U.S. claims that telecoms giant Huawei Technologies poses a threat to other countries information security because of Chinese laws. The comments by spokesman Zhang Yesui ahead of the annual session of Chinas rubber- stamp parliament followed news that Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested by Canada at the request of the U.S., is suing the Canadian government over her treatment. Lawyers for Meng, who is staying at a property she owns in Vancouver after her release on bail, said Sunday she was suing the Canadian government, its border agency and the national police force, alleging she was detained, searched and interrogated before she was told she was under arrest. The U.S. is seeking Mengs extradition to face charges she misled banks about the companys business with Iran. The U.S. has been lobbying its allies to shun Huaweis products on national security grounds, saying Chinese law requires the company to provide it with intelligence on its foreign clients whenever requested. Zhang said U.S. officials were taking Chinas national security law out of context and playing up the so-called security risks associated with Chinese companies. The 2017 law borrows from other countries experiences and is designed explicitly to protect human rights and the lawful rights of individuals and organizations, he said. This kind of behavior is interference into economic activities by political means and is against World Trade Organization rules. It disrupts an international market order that is built on fair competition, Zhang told reporters. This is a typical case of double standards that is neither fair nor ethical. Washingtons accusations have been underscored by Mengs arrest on Dec. 1. Huawei also faces other allegations in the U.S. related to alleged theft of technology. Meng, Huaweis chief financial officer, is due in court tomorrow to set a date for the extradition proceedings to start. It could be several months or even years before her case is resolved. Her lawsuit alleges that instead of immediately arresting her, authorities interrogated Meng under the guise of a routine customs examination and used the opportunity to compel her to provide evidence and information. Mengs arrest set off a diplomatic furor and has severely strained Canadian relations with China. China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor on Dec. 10 in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release Meng. A Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier. Kovrig and Spavor havent had access to a lawyer or to their families since being arrested. Also yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang accused Canada and the U.S. of abusing their bilateral extradition treaty. He reiterated Beijings demand that Washington withdraw its accusations against Meng. China urges Canada to immediately release Ms. Meng Wanzhou and let her return to China in safety while ensuring her legitimate and justifiable rights and interests and not repeat [Canadas] mistakes, Lu said at a daily press briefing. Lu also said China had fulfilled its obligation to access by Canadian diplomats to Kovrig and Spavor, who he said are suspected of engaging in activities that endanger national security. China has given no details about those alleged activities and routinely cites vague national security charges to justify restricting suspects rights to legal counsel. AP Portuguese- speaking countries will play a key role in the future of Macau, as outlined in the Greater Bay Area Plan of the Central Government of China, but Hengqin will also be involved. The Greater Bay Area consists of the two SARs Macau and Hong Kong and nine cities in Guangdong province: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhaoqing, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Huizhou. With a gross domestic product of USD1.5 trillion in 2017, it is the most developed area of China, with the highest levels of foreign investment and per capita incomes. Together with Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, Macau is one of four key cities and core engines for regional development, with its own designation as a tourism hub and platform for trade with Portuguese- speaking countries. The Plan says Macau should establish itself as a training base for bilingual talent proficient in Chinese and Portuguese and help the tourism industry, but that neighboring Hengqin will also play an important part in this initiative. The Plan also says that Macau should leverage its distinctive characteristics as a place where diverse cultures from both the East and the West have long integrated and co-existed, as well as expediting the development of cultural industries and cultural tourism to develop as a cultural exchange center between China and the Lusophone countries. Another area of cooperation is trade and financial services. In detail, the Plan says that Macau should study the feasibility of establishing a platform for Sino-Lusophone financial services. Macau should develop into a world-class tourism and leisure center, and a commerce and trade cooperation platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries to promote an appropriate level of diversified economic development, the Plan outlines. Macau should essentially serve as an entry point for the Lusophone world into the mainland market, according to the Plan. One important place for this is Hengqin, part of the neighboring city of Zhuhai. Beijing has designated it as a special area, with preferential policies not available in other cities. Hengqin and Macau should jointly develop the China-Latin America economic and trade cooperation platform, the plan says. Hengqin should provide a pivot for Macaus development of cross-boundary e- commerce industries and facilitate the convenient entry of products from Portuguese-speaking countries into the mainland market via Macau. A proposal to give authority to Hengqin to issue residence permits to foreigners is under study. Students from Portuguese-speaking countries are an important part of higher education in Macau. The aim is to turn the Greater Bay Area into an international demonstration zone for education, bring in world-renowned universities and specialized colleges, and pursue the establishment of world-class universities and academic programs. The Plan wants to attract students from all over the world, including the Portuguese-speaking countries, and contemplates that universities in Macau may offer them the additional benefit of being able to take courses in Portuguese. Indonesia and Australia signed a free trade agreement yesterday that will eliminate many tariffs, allow Australian-owned hospitals to operate in the giant Southeast Asian country and increase work visas for young Indonesians. Trade ministers from the two countries signed the agreement, negotiations for which first began in 2010, at a Jakarta hotel with Indonesian vice president Jusuf Kalla looking on. It is subject to ratification in both countries. Indonesian Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita said Indonesia would complete ratification by the end of this year. Annual trade between Australia and Indonesia in goods and services is valued at USD11.6 billion. Though neighbors, their trade is relatively small, with Indonesias exports to Australia just 1.5 percent of its total exports. Indonesia, with 260 million people, is forecast to be one of the worlds biggest economies by 2030. Australian Minister of Trade Simon Birmingham said the agreement will take Australian and Indonesian relations to a new plane, one in which our economic and trade relations will be much deeper, stronger and richer for both our nations. Major details of the agreement were announced by Australia in September after leaders of the two countries said negotiations had been completed. The text of the agreement is expected to be released after the signing. Australia says 99 percent of its exports to Indonesia by value will be tariff-free or have improved preferential access by 2020, up from 85 percent under an existing trade agreement between Australia, New Zealand and 10 Southeast Asian countries. Indonesian exports to Australia will face no tariffs, but it already enjoys substantially tariff-free access to the Australian market under the Southeast Asia agreement. The Australia-Indonesia agreement will allow Australian companies to have majority ownership of investments in various industries in Indonesia, including health care, telecommunications, energy, mining and aged care. Separately, Indonesia is considering allowing foreign companies to invest in higher education, which along with hospitals is an area the country is lagging far behind international standards. Australias live cattle exports are set to increase under the agreement, with tariffs to be eliminated and the number of animals exported to Indonesia allowed to increase 4 percent a year until reaching 700,000. Australian working holiday visas for young Indonesians will be increased to 6,000 a year from the current 1,000 over six years. AP Institute of Medicine issues stern warning against private practice during official hours The Office of the Dean of the Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine last week issued a directive to its teaching hospital, asking it to monitor senior doctors and bar them from private practice during official hours. Declaring that the church isnt afraid of history, Pope Francis said yesterday he has decided to open up the Vatican archives on World War II-era Pope Pius XII, who has been criticized by Jews of staying silent on the Holocaust. Francis told officials and personnel of the Vatican Secret Archives that the archive would be open to researchers starting March 2, 2020. Pius was elected pontiff on March 2, 1939, six months before World War II erupted in Europe. Pius died on Oct. 9, 1958, at the Vatican summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome. The Vatican usually waits 70 years after the end of a pontificate to open up the relevant archives. But the Holy See has been under pressure to make the Pius XII documentation available sooner and while Holocaust survivors are still alive. Vatican archivists had already started preparing the documentation for consultation back in 2006, at the behest of Francis German-born predecessor, Benedict XVI. The Vatican has defended Pius, saying he used behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try to save lives. Francis indicated he, too, embraced that interpretation. Pius actions will be scrutinized as part of efforts underway to decide if he should be declared a saint. Francis indicated that the church was confident that the papacy would withstand the findings by historians studying the archives, saying Pius was criticized, one can say, with some prejudice and exaggeration. In Jerusalem, the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial commended the decision and expressed the expectation that researchers will be granted full access to all the documents stored in the archives. It noted that it had for years called for the opening of the archives, saying that will enable objective and open research as well as comprehensive discourse on issues related to the conduct of the Vatican in particular, and the Catholic church in general, during the Holocaust. Israels foreign ministry also expressed hopes that there would be free access to all relevant archives. Francis expressed confidence it was the right move. The church isnt afraid of history, on the contrary, it loves it, and would like to love it even more, like it loves God, Francis told staff at the archive. Thus, with the same trust of my predecessors, I open, and entrust to researchers, this patrimony of documentation. Francis expressed certainty that historical research would properly evaluate Pius legacy with appropriate criticism. He said the Pius papacy included moments of grave difficulties, tormented decisions of human and Christian prudence, that to some could appear as reticence. Instead, he said they could be seen as attempts to keep lit, in the darkest and cruelest periods, the flame of humanitarian initiatives, of hidden but active diplomacy aimed at possibly opening hearts. Yesterdays announcement followed decades of lobbying by Jewish advocates for access to the documentation to help answer the long-standing question of whether Pius did all he could to save lives during World War II. In New York, Rabbi Rosen, the international director for interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee called Francis decision enormously important to Catholic-Jewish relations. He noted in a statement that he had raised the issue with Francis and his predecessors in meetings. It is particularly important that experts from the leading Holocaust memorial institutes in Israel and the United States objectively evaluate as best as possible the historical record of that most terrible of times to acknowledge both the failures as well as the valiant efforts made during the period of the systematic murder of six million Jews, Rosen said. Later this week, it said a delegation of the Committees leadership will be given an audience with the pope at the Vatican. The organization has lobbied for more than 30 years for full access to the archives. Frances DEmilio, Vatican City, AP A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer who recently completed a two-year prison sentence on national security charges has returned to his parents home in central China after he briefly went missing upon his scheduled release. Jiang Tianyong defended politically sensitive individuals including blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng and followers of the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual group. The 47-year-old former lawyer video-chatted with his wife, Jin Bianling, and their 16-year-old daughter Saturday, Jin said on Twitter over the weekend. She and their daughter live in Los Angeles. I cried, he teared up too! she said. I see that Tianyong has gotten thinner, and his face is a bit darker. She added, He says right now he is still not free. Jiang was permitted to go to his parents residence in Henan province two days after he was initially released and escorted elsewhere by police, Jin said. Jiangs sister and father had gone to meet him Thursday upon his release, but were only allowed to see him briefly with state security agents present. Jiang, his sister and father then became unreachable for two days, Jin told The Associated Press last week, saying she feared that they had all been taken into police custody. It wasnt immediately clear where the three were during those two days. China increasingly places rights defenders and those it considers dissidents under various types of extra-legal detention even after they have served their sentences. Prior to Jiangs arrest in 2016, he had worked to publicize the plight of lawyers arrested in a sweeping crackdown on legal advocates that began in July 2015. He was forced to stop practicing law in 2009, after authorities refused to renew his legal license. Jiang was sentenced in 2017 to two years in prison for inciting subversion of state power, a vague charge often levied against human rights activists. Prosecutors accused Jiang of using social media platforms to denigrate the government and judicial authorities and said he fabricated a claim that another lawyer had allegedly been tortured in custody. AP Nine speakers from fields such as education, philosophy, music and conservation shared their stories, projects and ideas to an enthusiastic and young crowd at the first TEDxSenadoSquare, held on Sunday at the Dom Pedro V Theater. Organizers already say they are hoping to bring the event back to Macau next year. According to organizers, under the theme of Ripple, TEDxSenadoSquare strived to increase local cultural consciousness, raise awareness on local affairs and introduce innovative ideas through multiple talks. The speakers at this years event included Kwong Chun Man, founder of philosophy group Corrupt the Youth, Italian architect Tamara Solski and Antonio Leong, a local photographer from Macau, who shared how he became quickly engrossed in his hobby. They were joined in the afternoon sessions by Pasu Ng, chairman of Hong Kong Life and Death Studies Association, Anna Choi, head of Digitalization for Schindler, Lin Hsiangchun, owner of Jubilo 31 books, Viena Mak, a member of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, Cheang Chi Meng, residential fellow of Chao Kuang Piu College at the University of Macau, and Burnie Lam, an electronic musician. It was great to witness the collaboration of good ideas at TEDxSenadoSquare, event curator Venus Loi told the Times. I am overwhelmed by the positive support from the organizing team, volunteers, speakers, performers and the audience. The talks were inspiring and I am thrilled to hear so many discussions between participants and speakers during break time, added Loi. It really connects the people in our community [ and] I am very happy to be able to provide this platform for the participants. There were about 100 attendees when the Times attended the event during the morning session, however organizers say double that number were involved over the course of the day. TEDxSenadoSquare provided sign language interpretation to allow those with impaired hearing to participate in the activity. The talks were either in Mandarin, Cantonese or English, with both English and Chinese subtitles. Loi told the Times by email yesterday that the organizing team intend to bring the event back to Macau next year following its successful debut Sunday. TEDxSenadoSquare is held by Attic Association, founded by a group of young volunteers, which aims to inspire and initiate positive action, to encourage youth participation on social affairs, strengthen local connection and stimulate contributions to society. TEDx is a local, self-organized and independent event that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. The TEDx format was created by TED to include local elements into the curating process. DB A double-decker bus has crashed into a broken-down truck at the entrance to a harbor tunnel in Hong Kong, killing the drivers of both vehicles. Along with the two fatalities, 15 people aboard the bus and one inside the truck were injured in Monday mornings collision in the semi-autonomous Chinese regions Kowloon district. Police said the 59-year-old bus driver, identified only by his surname, So, apparently failed to brake in time and slammed into the truck, which was sitting in a middle lane awaiting a tow truck. They said So had worked as a bus driver for 17 years, while the truck driver, identified by his surname, Lam, was self-employed. New Guangzhou-Vienna route via Xinjiang A new flight from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou to Vienna via Urumqi, capital of northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, will open on June 18. It will be the first direct flight linking Urumqi and a western European city. The service will be operated by China Southern Airlines on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The new flight will save time for passengers traveling between northwestern China and Vienna, capital of Austria. The return flight will leave Vienna at 18:55, arrive in Urumqi at 7:55 for a 90-minute stopover and arrive in Guangzhou at 14:35. Over 1,500 turtles intercepted in Manila A total of 1,532 live turtles inside four pieces of luggage were intercepted on Sunday at Manilas main international airport, Philippines airport authorities said. Bureau of Customs officer Carmelita Talusan told reporters that the checked-in luggage arrived on board a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Chinas Hong Kong. No passenger claimed the luggage, she said. The unclaimed suitcases contained several species of turtles such as star tortoises, sulcata tortoises, red-footed tortoises, and red-eared sliders. Some were even duct-taped. The bureau is coordinating with the airline company to determine the owner of the abandoned luggage who apparently attempted to smuggle the reptiles into the country. Nepal and Japan to finalise labour migration mechanisms within March Nepal and Japan are likely to agree and finalise the formalities required for the migration of Nepali workers to Japan within this month. Concerns grow over armsin good numbersin possession of Chand outfit When Pushpa Kamal Dahal, at a book launch in the Capital on February 8, warned that the country could see the birth of a new Maoist force, it was not quite clear what he exactly meant, for he stopped short of elaborating. He, however, talked a bit about the peace process and called for its "honest implementation". The Peruvian revolutionary politician and activist talks to Alborada about a lifetime of fighting capitalism in defence of humanity and the environment . Hugo Blancos long life has been committed to revolutionary struggle. Now 84, he became politicised at just ten years old, after learning of indigenous struggles in his native Peru. He became a student leader and joined the Trotskyist Revolutionary Workers Party at the age of 24. He mobilised campesino and indigenous uprisings against the repressive state and national bourgeoisie, which brought him under scrutiny from security forces. Establishing solidarity and practical links between workers and indigenous movements, he founded a peasant trade union with thousands of previously non-unionised members. After entering armed struggle, in 1961 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, sparking a major international campaign for his release. In 1971, Hugo Blanco was deported to Chile, then under the government of socialist president Salvador Allende. During the 1973 military coup detat that overthrew Allende, he sought refuge in the Swedish embassy and was smuggled out of Chile. He then returned to Peru in 1978 to stand as a presidential candidate for the recently-founded Workers Revolutionary Party in the 1980 election. He came fourth and entered the Peruvian senate, where he remained until threats forced him into exile, this time in Mexico, in 1992. Hugo Blanco still lives in Mexico today, where he works closely with indigenous and rural movements based in revolutionary socialist and ecological principles. A new biography, Hugo Blanco: A Revolutionary Life by Derek Wall, charts his lifetime of resistance to capitalism and environmental destruction. While in London recently to promote the book, Hugo Blanco sat down with Alborada to talk about the challenges which continue to shape indigenous and campesino struggle in Latin America and beyond. What does indigenous society teach us about democracy and organisation? Its important to pay attention to indigenous peoples, whether in Peru, the Americas or all over the world. They represent the original form of humanitys horizontal organisation. Once this shape was lost, caste-based societies emerged, such as the Incas and the Aztecs, and that was followed in Europe by class-based societies the pro-slavery class, the feudal class, all the way to where we are now with vertical governance by transnational companies. I believe therefore that its positive to support indigenous movements which preserve humanitys original organisation along horizontal lines. For example, an indigenous community may elect a general secretary or a president, but they soon make changes. The Zapatistas are a precise model of this kind of organisation, and they apply it very well, while the Zapatista Army fights arms itself to defend their territories. The civilian population governs in a way that is exemplarily democratic. They do not elect a person, but a group of people of equal rank. All the group has the same rank. Re-election is prohibited, because nobody is indispensable. This means that the collective governs. I believe this is how humanity should be organised. How can indigenous people organise within a capitalist system that does not respect ancestral claims to territory, and in which everything rivers, land, community is a market commodity? How do they respond to these attacks? These are attacks in every sense, such as with mono-agriculture. In the Brazilian rainforest, Bolsonaro is at the vanguard of the attack on nature. This attack is not only against the indigenous population, but against humanity and nature in their entireties. For example, the rainforest is destroyed to extract fine woods or to construct hydroelectric power stations. Or its cleared for ranching to send meat to Europe, and for agro-industries such as palm oil. There is a war not only against people but against nature in general. The survival of the species is threatened by environmental destruction: for example, global warming is a product of large transnational companies which today govern the world but do not care about the environment. They dont care if the world ends or not. They only care about earning the highest amount of money in the shortest possible time. Peasant communities, of course, maintain a struggle of resistance. They defend their territories and fight open-pit mining. Why? Because open-pit mining extracts four tons of rock, which it washes with water and cyanide, to create one gram of gold. In Peru, I was involved in the struggle against the Conga mine in Cajamarca. This was just one mine but today there is a mining corridor which traverses three Peruvian states: Apurimac, Cuzco and Arequipa. The attack on nature, and therefore on humanity, is always growing. Thats why indigenous peoples must fight back against this attack. How does urban society perceive the challenges faced by indigenous populations? There is less consciousness than before. But it is positive that there are collective struggles and demonstrations to resist the aggression towards the environment or humanity. For me, these public demonstrations are positive, as they are convoked by general society rather than any political party. But it is necessary to organise more of these mobilisations and more frequently to reject the attacks by big capital on the environment. What is the relationship between the state and indigenous populations? And what links are there between indigenous populations and the working class? There are links of solidarity with workers. But governments today represent the interests of big business and they use the police to attack. For example, the Lopez Obrador government in Mexico has confronted the corrupt political parties which governed Mexico, the PRI and the PAN, and as such many people have faith in him. But he has another side. For example, the Maya Train project threatens the Zapatista zone. He has told soldiers that they are also police, encouraging them to target the Zapatista zone. Recently, I attended the 25th anniversary of the Zapatistas, and the Zapatista Militias were parading at arms. In Latin America, we witness attacks by large transnational companies, conducted through governments, against the general population. There is a permanent struggle everywhere. Are indigenous people viewed as an obstacle within capitalist systems? Yes, of course. Because indigenous people maintain their struggles against the destruction of the system. Across the Americas Latin America, the United States and Canada indigenous people resist big capital. Other oppressed groups, such as workers, also fight. Sometimes there is a concentration of people to protest an act which harms the population. The collective demands that big capital respects its rights. In Brazil, Bolsonaro faces resistance from Amazonian people and from the Brazilian people in general, as he plainly represents the interests of big capital. Bolsonaro is completely open about this but other governments are subtler. Achyut Wagle holds PhD in economics and is currently a professor at the Kathmandu University School of Management. He is an econo-political analyst, writing for The Kathmandu Post for many years. Credit: CC0 Public Domain More than 50 children died in hot cars in 2018, making it the deadliest year on record. Many of the cases involve parents who unknowingly left a child behind, often for an entire day. University of South Florida Psychology Professor David Diamond has studied this phenomenon for over a decade and has served as an expert witness on many high-profile cases. In his latest publication, he describes the psychological and neural basis of how responsible people make such fatal errors. His study, published in Medicine, Science and the Law, explains how the brain can fail to remember to do something in the future (prospective memory). Examples of prospective memory are remembering to call a friend after lunch or to stop at the store on the way home from work, as well as prospective memory errors which result in a loss of life, in airplane crashes and when children are forgotten in cars. Diamond described how the frontal and parietal cortices allow us to use stored information to make a plan and then to execute that plan in the future. The hippocampus is critical for consciously remembering to retrieve the memory and that the task was completed. The basal ganglia enable us to go into an "autopilot" mode, in which we follow a well-traveled route, but in the process, lose awareness of the plan to take the child to daycare. According to Diamond, as someone goes into an 'autopilot' mode, habitual behavior, such as getting ready for work and driving directly to the office on a typical day, can cause a parent to lose awareness of the child in the car. Extensive research has shown that competing factors can cause the execution of a plan to fail rapidly, even in a matter of seconds. Examples of factors that cause prospective memory to fail include stress, a disrupting phone call, and sleep deprivation. A lack of visual or verbal reminders, like a sleeping child or a misplaced diaper bag, increases the chances for a person to lose awareness of the child in the back of a car. Diamond's study also included research on false memories, in which people create strong memories of events that were implied but did not happen. In the cases he has handled, the brain somehow creates the false memory that the parents had dropped off their children, as planned, at daycare. Diamond recalls the horror conveyed by the parents he has interviewed - 'they return to their car with the plan to pick their child up at daycare, only to find the child had suffered from heatstroke during the day.' Many of the parents that forget children in cars have been charged with manslaughter, and even murder. Diamond has worked with defense attorneys and legal scholars to address the legal ramifications for child deaths in hot cars. His study included a review of an absence of mens rea, in which harm caused by an individual without intent or awareness, should negate prosecution of cases where parents and caretakers unknowingly and unintentionally leave a child in a car. That's because neuroscience research confirms that when brain systems compete the subconscious (habit) neural system can overpower the conscious mind when it comes to maintaining awareness of a sleeping child in the back of a car. "The brain memory systems that fail when people forget children in cars are the same as those systems that cause us to forget to shut off the headlights when we arrive at a destination," said Diamond. "Just as auto manufacturers have built-in systems that shut off headlights, we must have built-in systems that detect a forgotten child in a car." Many efforts are underway to find a solution, such as proposed federal legislation that requires vehicles to alert drivers when a child is left in the car. Explore further An epidemic of children dying in hot carsa tragedy that can be prevented More information: Medicine, Science and the Law, DOI: 10.1177/0025802419831529 Takotsubo heart, showing the typical shape resembling a Japanese octopus trap. Credit: Christian Templin, University Hospital Zurich Scientists have shown for the first time that the brain is involved in the development of a heart condition called Takotsubo syndrome (TTS). They found that regions of the brain responsible for processing emotions and controlling the unconscious workings of the body, such as heart beat, breathing and digestion, do not communicate with each other as well in TTS patients as in healthy people. The study is published in the European Heart Journal today and the researchers say that although, at this stage, they cannot show that the reduced brain functions definitely cause TTS, their findings suggest that these alterations in the central nervous system may be part of the mechanism involved and they are linked with the onset of TTS in response to stressful or emotional triggers. TTS is known as "broken heart" syndrome and is characterised by a sudden temporary weakening of the heart muscles that causes the left ventricle of the heart to balloon out at the bottom while the neck remains narrow, creating a shape resembling a Japanese octopus trap, from which it gets its name. Since this relatively rare condition was first described in 1990, evidence has suggested that it is typically triggered by episodes of severe emotional distress, such as grief, anger or fear, or reactions to happy or joyful events. Patients develop chest pains and breathlessness, and it can lead to heart attacks and death. TTS is more common in women with only 10% of cases occurring in men. In an unusual example of collaboration between neuroscientists and cardiologists, researchers carried out MRI brain scans in 15 TTS patients taken from the InterTAK Registry, established at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, in 2011. They compared the scans with those from 39 healthy people. The scans were performed between July 2013 and July 2014 and the average time between TTS diagnosis and the MRI scans was about a year. Professor Christian Templin, principle investigator at the Registry and professor of cardiology at University Hospital Zurich, said: "We were interested in four specific brain regions that are spatially separate from one another but functionally connected, meaning they share information. We found that TTS patients had decreased communication between brain regions associated with emotional processing and the autonomic nervous system, which controls the unconscious workings of the body, compared to the healthy people. Brain and heart may be connected in more ways than previously imagined. Here a Japanese octopus trap, from which Takotsubo syndrome derives its name because of the shape of the 'broken heart', is shown in the heart with the connections to the brain. Credit: Professor Christian Templin, University Hospital Zurich "For the first time, we have identified a correlation between alterations to the functional activity of specific brain regions and TTS, which strongly supports the idea that the brain is involved in the underlying mechanism of TTS. Emotional and physical stress are strongly associated with TTS, and it has been hypothesised that the overstimulation of the autonomic nervous system may lead to TTS events." The regions of the brain that the researchers looked at included the amygdala, hippocampus and cingulate gyrus, which control emotions, motivation, learning and memory. The amygdala and cingulate gyrus are also involved in the control of the autonomic nervous system and regulating heart function. In addition, the cingulate gyrus is involved in depression and other mood disorders that are common among TTS patients. "Importantly, the regions we've identified as communicating less with one another in TTS patients are the same brain regions that are thought to control our response to stress. Therefore, this decrease in communication could negatively affect the way patients respond to stress and make them more susceptible to developing TTS," said Professor Templin. A limitation of the study is that the researchers did not have MRI scans of patients' brains before or at the time they developed TTS, so cannot say for certain that the decreased communication between brain regions caused the TTS or vice versa. Co-author, Dr. Jelena Ghadri, a senior research associate at the University Hospital Zurich and co-principle investigator of the InterTAK Registry, said: "Our results suggest that additional studies should be conducted to determine whether this is a causal relationship. We hope this study offers new starting points for studying TTS in terms of understanding that it much more than 'broken heart' syndrome and clearly involves interactions between the brain and the heart, which are still not fully understood. We are at the beginning of learning more about this complex disorder. Hopefully, one day new findings can be translated into developments in preventive, therapeutic and diagnostic strategies to improve patient care. "Of note, this study presents the results of a collaboration between neuroscientists and cardiologists. One problem in TTS research is that usually cardiologists only focus on the heart; we believe that approaching TTS in a multidisciplinary way might help to uncover the real nature and causes of this disease. The methods we used are mainly neuroscientific in nature, but the findings we uncovered are, in our view, of major importance for cardiologists in understanding TTS." Explore further Happiness can break your heart too More information: "Fast track brief communication: altered limbic and autonomic processing supports brain-heart axis in Takotsubo syndrome", European Heart Journal (2019). Journal information: European Heart Journal "Fast track brief communication: altered limbic and autonomic processing supports brain-heart axis in Takotsubo syndrome",(2019). DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehz068 More than 40 leading CEOs from around the country have issued a step-by-step plan to improve mental health in the workplace. The executives released a report Tuesday called "Mental Health: A Workforce Crisis" as part of a leadership collaborative called the American Heart Association CEO Roundtable that includes executives from Johnson & Johnson and Bank of America, among others. The report offers seven strategiescertified by an expert panelthat employers can use to help workers manage depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions. "We need to take care of our mental health with the same attention we take care of our physical health," said the report's chair, Jennifer Bruno, Vice President of Global Health Services at Johnson & Johnson. "Building a culture of workplace health takes time and commitment, but it can be done, and it needs to be done." The report comes at a time of growing concern about mental health in all parts of society. Roughly 45 million U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, according to a 2016 National Institute of Mental Health nationwide survey. Three out of four U.S. employees reported struggling with issues related to their mental health, according to a recent survey commissioned by the AHA CEO Roundtable. Darcy Gruttadaro, director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation's Center for Workplace Mental Health, said the new report is a valuable tool at a pivotal time. "Global rates of depression, anxiety and suicide are increasing each year, but less than half of people with mental health conditions receive treatment that would benefit them," said Gruttadaro, a member of an expert panel that helped develop the seven strategies. "It's a problem that impacts everyone from employees in the front lines to those in the executive suites." The "actionable strategies" urge employers and business leaders to focus on seven areas to make improvements: leadership; organizational and environmental support; communications; programs and benefits; engagement; community partnership; and reporting outcomes. Gruttadaro said top business leaders are uniquely positioned to raise mental health awareness. "Stigma continues to be a major barrier, and having a CEO or someone at a high level speak openly about mental health really opens the door for people to feel safe to come forward and get help," she said. According to the AHA CEO Roundtable-commissioned survey, 63 percent of employees diagnosed with a mental health disorder said they didn't disclose it to their employers. Supervisors at all levels need training and resources to tackle the issue, Gruttadaro said. "They have to know how to address employee needs and help them get care," she said. Yet finding the right mental health professionals can be a daunting task. "There is a shortage of specialists, which can place a tremendous burden on individuals if there's a three- to five-month wait for a psychiatrist," Gruttadaro said. She said it's up to employers to be diligent in finding the best health plans with the widest array of care. Bruno said supporting mental health in the workplace isn't simply about productivity; it's the right thing to do. "We have a responsibility to support employees and provide tools and resources for them to be their personal best," she said. "Mental well-being is not a nice-to-have. It's a must-have." Explore further Employers are vital to promoting mental health, new report says American Heart Association News covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org. Regenstrief Institute investigators Noll Campbell, PharmD, MS and Babar Khan, MD study ways to decrease the duration or severity of delirium in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Credit: Regenstrief Institute The results of two new Regenstrief Institute trials published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society underscore and confirm the need to look to options other than medication to lower the duration or severity of delirium in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. "Looking at our large studies and other recent work, including several trials we and others have conducted focusing on haloperidol, the most commonly used antipsychotic in the ICU, we can now conclusively say that the role of antipsychotics for management of delirium severity or duration is nonexistent," said Regenstrief Institute Investigator Babar A. Khan, M.D., who led one of two new studies of pharmacological management of delirium in the ICU testing low doses of haloperidol. In addition to his Regenstrief appointment, Dr. Khan is a faculty member of Indiana University School of Medicine. "It's clear that the problem of delirium in ICU patients is complex and not easily reversible," said Regenstrief Institute Investigator Noll Campbell, PharmD, MS, who led the concurrent study on deprescribing of drugs thought to cause or prolong delirium in the ICU. "For example, our study showed that implementing electronic alerts that advise deprescribingto reduce the dose or discontinue a medication linked to deliriumhad no impact on clinical outcomes." In addition to his Regenstrief appointment, Dr. Campbell is a faculty member of Purdue University's College of Pharmacy. Delirium, a sudden and serious change in brain function often manifesting as confusion, occurs in as many as three quarters of the five million Americans treated in a medical or surgical ICU annually. Individuals who experience delirium in the ICU are more likely to have longer hospital stays, more hospital-associated complications and higher risk of hospital readmission. They also have a greater likelihood of dying for up to a year after their hospital stay than ICU patients who did not experience delirium and also are more likely to experience cognitive impairment and have ongoing problems with daily activities. "Our extensive research in these two high quality and pragmatic trials enables us to make significant conclusions," said Regenstrief Institute Investigator Malaz Boustani, M.D., MPH. "First, in order to reduce the burden of delirium we need to explore biological pathways other than the antipsychotic ones such as exploring the therapeutic role of the inflammatory pathways. Second, in order for us to reduce exposure to harmful medications such as anticholinergics and benzodiazepines, we need to adopt insights from behavioral economics to develop more effective deprescribing strategies." Dr. Boustani is the founding director of the Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science, a joint venture among Regenstrief, IU School of Medicine and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute; an associate director of IU Center for Aging Research and the Richard M. Fairbanks Professor in Aging Research at IU School of Medicine. The pharmacologic interventions studied in these trials, focusing on drugs with known adverse effects on the brain, did not benefit ICU patients, suggesting that other approaches to delirium care in these extremely ill individuals should be investigated. Drs. Khan, Campbell and Boustani call for further study of non-pharmacological methods to combat delirium in ICU patients including waking them sooner and more frequently, earlier mobilization and exposure to music. Explore further Study shows prevention, treatment of ICU acquired delirium requires personalized approach More information: Babar A. Khan et al, Pharmacological Management of Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit: A Randomized Pragmatic Clinical Trial, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2019). Journal information: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Babar A. Khan et al, Pharmacological Management of Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit: A Randomized Pragmatic Clinical Trial,(2019). DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15781 Pauline Blomfield and Levi. Credit: University of Otago The University of Otago and K9 Medical Detection NZ are working together to investigate using dogs as a diagnostic tool to sniff out prostate cancer. It is a strategy currently being used in the UK and University of Otago researchers are set to begin a proof of concept trial to determine whether trained detection dogs can be used similarly in New Zealand. Dunedin dog trainer Pauline Blomfield and two like-minded friends have established the K9 Medical Detection New Zealand Charitable Trust, buoyed by the success of medical detection dogs internationally sniffing out a variety of diseases in the UK, from Parkinson's disease to malaria. Medical detection dogs are trained to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are released from tumours present in medical conditions, such as cancer. When it comes to detecting cancer, there is growing evidence that elevated levels of a "signature" of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are associated with disease growth. Research has shown that dogs can be trained to detect these odours and identify the "signature smell" associated with cancer. Mrs Blomfield says a dog's sense of smell is remarkable and they are able to detect stable concentration thresholds of 1-2 parts per trillion, that's the equivalent of one teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic-sized swimming pools of water. "Compared to humans, who have five million scent receptors, dogs can have up to 300 million. Where we might think 'that casserole smells nice', dogs can layer scents, so in the casserole they can smell the meat, the onion, the cabbage, the tomatoes," Mrs Blomfield explains. The University of Otago has joined the K9MD trust as the official research partner together with a full medical advisory team, an international canine scent detection expert to review the work, a biostatistician to analyse the data, a training facility in the North Island with a laboratory for the storing and handling of all medical samples, an adult dog (Frieda) ready to start work and nine-month old puppy (Levi) in the development programme. Credit: University of Otago It would be incorrect to think the dogs are going to be out in the community sniffing around men's crotches. Instead, Professor Sarah Young, Head of the Department of Pathology at the Dunedin School of Medicine, explains the proof of concept trial will be based around dogs detecting prostate cancer cells in urine with the view that in future men will be able to provide a urine sample to be tested. One of the benefits of using dogs as a diagnostic tool is that it enables a non-invasive test, she says. Currently in New Zealand, many men are discouraged from being tested for prostate cancer because there are limitations around the current blood test results, while the other option of a digital rectal exam turns many away. Cancer is currently the number one killer in New Zealand with 9500 people dying each year. Early detection is a critical factor, Professor Young explains. "If we can develop a non-invasive test which can be used at a much earlier stage, we will hopefully see an increase in patient uptake and improved health outcomes for the country." Professor Young says a wide variety of researchers and clinicians across the University's campuses and rural hubs are involved and excited about the partnership with K9 Medical Detection NZ. "We want our research to be meaningful to New Zealanders. With our biomedical research we often work at the front-end in the lab where what we are doing will lead along a pathway, but does not have immediate applicability, the great thing about this is that it is immediately applicable." Dogs are bred and selected from well-known working dog lines with prodigious lineages to undertake the detection work. However, because there is no specific funding for the training or clinical research, the trust has established a Give A Little Page in the hope that New Zealanders will contribute. If the proof of concept trial is successful, the University will begin a new trial testing for ovarian cancer and Legionnaires' disease. Explore further Dogs sniff out chemicals linked to prostate cancer Harvard's Max Essex, one of the first scientists to hypothesize that a retrovirus was the cause of AIDS, discussed the Trump administrations plan to end HIV transmission. Credit: Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer After four decades of fighting AIDS and the human immunodeficiency virus that causes it, the U.S. government is pressing forward with a plan to end HIV transmission in the country by 2030. The plan targets about 48 "hotspots" where transmission is concentrated with enhanced surveillance and tracking, as well as stepped up prevention and treatment efforts. It dovetails with a similar international goal supported by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which also seeks to greatly reduce transmission by 2030. Max Essex, the Mary Woodard Lasker Professor of Health Sciences Emeritus and chair of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health AIDS Initiative, has been on the epidemic's front lines from its start in the early 1980s. He was one of the first scientists to hypothesize that a retrovirus was the cause of AIDS and conducted early work that led to one of the first blood tests for HIV. Through the Botswana-Harvard Partnership, he conducted research on the global pandemic in southern Africa, among the world's hardest-hit spots. Essex talked to the Gazette about the Trump administration's plan to end HIV transmissionannounced during last month's State of the Union addressits chances of succeeding, and what the approach of such a milestone means to those who've worked in the field for decades. GAZETTE: What was your reaction when you heard about the plan? ESSEX: I was a little bit surprised, but not hugely, because I think it was pushed hard by [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert] Redfield. Redfield has connections with Christian evangelical groups that he and others worked closely with in '02 or '03, during the second Bush administration, to set up the PEPFAR program [the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief]. I'm sure that constituency, with Tony Fauci [head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases], still exists, although it's probably somewhat back-burnered by the others who are stronger voices in the Republican Party right now. GAZETTE: How realistic is the idea that we can end transmission here in the U.S.? ESSEX: It's realistic. Just as background, I'm on the UNAIDS advisory council. That was the group that initially proposed the 90-90-90 guidelines that recommend 90 percent of people who are HIV-positive in a given country should know they're positive. Of those who are positive, 90 percent should be in treatment. And of those in treatment, 90 percent should be in complete viral suppression, meaning the treatment is working. And if the treatment is working, then they're not infectious because virus levels in their body, including in reproductive tract fluids and blood, wouldn't be infectious. If, by 2020, the world isor given countries arein adherence with 90-90-90, then 10 years after that, by 2030, there should be a 90 percent reduction in new infections. That has been interpreted by some as meaning the end of the epidemic, but it's not really the end. That's because the more cases that you successfully treat, the more HIV-positive people you're keeping on drugs for a long time, maybe a lifetime. So, the total number of people who are infected goes up because they're not dying. That plan has worked best in countries that have had the highest rates of infectionin southern Africa: Botswana, Namibia, places like thatwhere the populations were ready to be tested and get treatment and everything else. They've been doing extremely well and are already at 90-90-90. Probably in Botswana it's 95-95-95. GAZETTE: Really? ESSEX: Yes. We published a paper two or three years ago saying Botswana was almost at 90-90-90. The bottom line is that in places like that, in Namibia for sure and to some degree in South Africa and Swaziland and Zimbabwe, new infections are decreasing very dramatically, much more so than in the U.S. One of the reasons is probably because they're generalized epidemics that affect a large fraction of adults. In the U.S., it's an uneven epidemic that's concentrated in certain populations and some of the poorest sections of big cities, like Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, where there's high injection-drug use. It's also in other communities, not necessarily the biggest cities, characterized by higher rates of hepatitis B and things that are associated with injection transmission, as well as cities that have high rates of gay-men transmission and poverty-related transmission. It's logical the CDC would focus in on [those hot spots] because the CDC first gets the information through surveillance. They know which populations are most infected geographically, behaviorally, and otherwise. So, they are the most logical ones to draw up a plan that says we're going to concentrate our resources for testing and "treatment as prevention" in those places where incidence is highest. It remains to be determined how universally accepted the interventions will be by those communities. GAZETTE: Is that the biggest hurdle? Community acceptance? ESSEX: I think the biggest hurdle is participation by many in the highest-risk groups. That's especially true in those places and for those subpopulations who've been most marginalized and outside of public health programs, like injection drug users who haven't been exposed to clean needle exchanges and programs like that. That's going to be very uneven, according to different state [programs] and local stigma and things like that. It will take a fairly involved analysis and a lot of education of the local political establishment, as well as of the population at risk. GAZETTE: And do you have a sense that the folks at the CDC and Health and Human Services and whoever else might be involved can pull it off? ESSEX: Redfield is certainly very knowledgeable, appreciates the magnitude of the problem, and knows what to do. But the extent to which he'll get cooperation from local and regional politicians in places where there's still a lot of stigma and discrimination, whether it's based on sexual orientation or injection-drug use or whatever else, is not as clear to me. I think that's a much bigger hurdle for places like the U.S. and other somewhat developed countries of the world as opposed to places like southern Africa, where it was a generalized epidemic early on. GAZETTE: That's an interesting distinction you're making. It sounds like the characteristic of the epidemic in southern Africa that made it such an existential threatthat most of the transmission was heterosexual and it was in the general populationhas also made these prevention measures easier and more acceptable to the general population there. Here, antiretrovirals came in right away and the epidemic flirted with crossing into the general population, but we managed to beat it back, and the fear of AIDS has kind of receded. Is that success in some ways working against us in these last phases? ESSEX: Yes, though I'm not sure a lot of injection-drug users who are at higher risk have quite the same issues. But for example, younger gay men, some of whom may be fairly sophisticated and recognize that now, going on modern, three-drug regimens with drugs like Dolutegravirwhich doesn't generate drug resistance and is easily toleratedis not hugely different from going on drugs for hypertension, in the context of taking drugs on a regular basis for the rest of your life, and not having huge side effects from them. GAZETTE: You've been involved with this epidemic from the start. Did you think you'd get to a point where we'd be talking about the end of transmissionclearly a critical milestonewithout a vaccine? ESSEX: It depends on the timeframe in which you're asking the question. In the 1980s or early 1990s, I would have said our only hope is a vaccine. There's no chance we'll get ahead of this with drugs. If it was in the early 2000s, before 2008 or 2010, I would say drugs are showing an awful lot of promise and the more people who are on them the fewer people who are going to get infected. But if it was five to 10 years ago, I would say it's really looking very promising that drugs will be the answer and a vaccine isn't even needed. Further, I'd probably say that it wouldn't be possible to do efficacy trials on a vaccine in a conventional way [which would require control subjects to forego known, effective treatment, like PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)]. The change has been a combination of how well treatment-as-prevention is working to decrease transmission, and how well PrEP is working on high-risk groups who aren't yet infected but are such high risk that drugs might prevent infection. I think those things, to those of us in the business, were apparent years before they were apparent even to the general health establishment. GAZETTE: You conducted trials on treatment-as-preventionwhich aims to not only keep a person well, but also reduce their viral load to the point they're not infectious, right? ESSEX: Beginning by about 2010. We're getting answers to these questions and they're clearly affirmative. It's apparent to everyone now that you can do tremendous things with drugs. Even more than that, I would say the biggest changethat I wouldn't have expectedis how well some of the drugs work. They don't generate drug resistance because they're well-tolerated, so people have no reason not to take them on a regular basis. GAZETTE: So, we have good drugs. We have a strategy to slowly strangle the epidemic as opposed to killing it quickly with a vaccine, and here we are? ESSEX: Yes. There was a timeframe where [many thought] such drug approaches wouldn't work because the drugs were so expensive. Twenty years ago, some of us were saying, "Yeah, I don't know how on earth they'll ever be cheap enough or available enough for widespread use treating people at low-income sites." GAZETTE: I remember that narrative. What happened to it? Did the price come down? Or did more money, from PEPFAR, the Clinton Foundation, and other sources, just become available? ESSEX: It was all of the above. The Clinton Foundation played a big role in that, for sure. And yet, making generics in India and a few other places played a big role in it too. And developing drugs that didn't generate drug resistance, like Dolutegravir, played a big role. Now Dolutegravir is being used in Africa. For the future, newer slow-release formulations of such drugs will also be very important. So it was all of the above. Some things more than others, but it's been quite a ride. This story is published courtesy of the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official newspaper. For additional university news, visit Harvard.edu. A PopART study health worker draws blood from the finger of a study participant for an in-home HIV test. Credit: Kim Cloete New HIV infections declined by 30 percent in southern African communities where health workers conducted house-to-house voluntary HIV testing, referred people who tested positive to begin HIV treatment according to local guidelines, and offered other proven HIV prevention measures to those who tested negative. Local guidelines evolved during the study from offering HIV treatment based on immune health to offering immediate treatment for all. Surprisingly, the investigators found that new HIV infections did not decline in communities where those who tested positive were offered immediate treatment throughout the study. Analyses are under way to try to explain this puzzling outcome. These results from the large clinical trial called "Population Effects of Antiretroviral Therapy to Reduce HIV Transmission" (PopART), or HPTN 071, were announced today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle. The findings also will be presented Wednesday as an oral abstract at the conference. "The results of the PopART study suggest that conducting population-wide, home-based HIV testing and offering treatment to those diagnosed with HIV could help control the epidemic in certain settings," said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. "These findings indicate that a universal test-and-treat strategy could be an important addition to our toolbox of proven HIV prevention modalities." The goal of PopART was to learn whether conducting HIV testing throughout a population and promptly offering treatment to all who test positive would achieve a high level of community-wide HIV suppression, thereby reducing the rate of new infections in the population. NIAID sponsored and co-funded PopART, which was funded primarily by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), administered by the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy in the U.S. Department of State. Leading the study were Richard Hayes, M.Sc., D.Sc., F.Med.Sci., professor of epidemiology and international health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; and Sarah J. Fidler, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., professor of HIV medicine at Imperial College London. The PopART study took place from 2013 to 2018 in 21 urban and peri-urban communities in South Africa and Zambia. Each community had an average of roughly 50,000 residents for a total study population of about 1 million. The communities were clustered into seven groups of three"triplets"matched by geographical location and estimated HIV prevalence. The communities in each triplet were assigned at random to one of three study groups. The first group received annual house-to-house voluntary HIV testing and counseling, linkage to care for those who tested positive and the opportunity to immediately begin treatment, and the offer of a suite of proven HIV prevention measures to those who tested negative. The second group received the same services as the first, except treatment was offered according to national guidelines. The third group served as a control and received HIV prevention and testing services according to the local standard of care as well as HIV treatment according to national guidelines. At the beginning of the trial, the national guidelines for HIV treatment in Zambia and South Africa specified that people living with HIV should start antiretroviral therapy (ART) when their CD4+ T cell counta measure of immune healthhad declined to 350 cells per microliter. That threshold was raised to 500 cells/L in 2014. Then in 2016, the countries recommended that everyone diagnosed with HIV begin ART immediately, regardless of CD4+ T-cell count. Consequently, the first and second groups of communities in the PopART study received the same intervention during the last two years of the trial. To measure the impact of the PopART interventions, the investigators recruited a random sample of 48,300 adults ages 18 to 44 years from the overall study population, including roughly 2,300 adults from each community. Members of the study team visited these participants, called the "population cohort," at the start of the trial and then once a year for three years to collect data through a questionnaire and blood testing, including a test for HIV infection. Between the first and third years of the study, 553 new HIV infections occurred in the population cohort during nearly 40,000 person-years of follow up for an incidence rate of 1.4 infections per 100 person-years (p-y). Investigators found that HIV incidence was 7 percent lower in group 1 than in the control group (1.5/100 p-y versus 1.6/100 p-y), but this difference was not statistically significant. In contrast, investigators found that HIV incidence was 30 percent lower in group 2 than in the control group (1.1/100 p-y versus 1.6/100 p-y), and this difference was highly statistically significant and consistent across all seven matched triplets. Among those members of the population cohort who tested positive for HIV by the second year of the study, the investigators determined the proportion who had an undetectable level of virus in their blood. Viral suppression was achieved by 72 percent of these study participants in group 1, 68 percent in group 2 and 60 percent in the control group. "We found very strong evidence of an effect in the group that received treatment according to national guidelines, said Dr. Hayes. "The absence of a clear reduction in HIV incidence in the group that received the most intensive HIV prevention intervention is surprising and inconsistent with the group's rate of viral suppression. Further analyses of qualitative and quantitative data from the study communities may help us better understand this unexpected result." The study data include information on mobility and migration as well as findings from an ongoing study of the genetic evolution of circulating HIV strains in the study population. "The HPTN 071 (PopART) study, the largest HIV prevention study conducted to date, highlights the importance of conducting large-scale studies that aim to measure the impact of an integrated prevention strategy," said Wafaa El-Sadr, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.A. Dr. El -Sadr is co-principal investigator of the NIH-funded HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) and professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University. "Achieving HIV epidemic control will require the integration of various evidence-based interventions tailored to the needs of specific populations," she added. The PopART study was conducted by HPTN investigators in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London, the Zambia AIDS-Related Tuberculosis Project and the Desmond Tutu TB Centre of South Africa. HIV care and treatment were provided by government health services in the study communities with support from PEPFAR under the direction of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to PEPFAR and NIAID, study funders included the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health, both part of NIH. HIV infecting a human cell. Credit: NIH The "London Patient" is only the second person known to have shaken off the HIV virus during a 40-year AIDS epidemic that has infected 70 million people and killed half of them. Experts universally hailed the case, even as they cautioned that the procedure that resulted in the likely curea bone marrow transplant to treat blood canceris too dangerous and costly to be applied as a general treatment for HIV, which can today easily be managed, though not cured, with pills. "Whilst this type of treatment is clearly not practical for millions of people around the world living with HIV, reports such as this may help in the ultimate development of a cure," said Andrew Freedman, a reader in infectious diseases at Cardiff University in Wales. Since American Timothy Brown became the first patient cured of HIV more than a decade ago, there have been three main theories as to how the cancer treatment he and the anonymous London patient underwent managed to unseat HIV in their bodies. Sharon Lewin, director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne and a leading expert on HIV/AIDS, told AFP it was likely one of two things had happened. "The first is that CCR5-negative cells are resistant to HIV," she said. The CCR5 gene, and the eponymous cell it codes for, almost certainly play a crucial role in the collateral HIV cure. The vast majority of HIV virus strains use the CCR5 molecule, or receptor, as the port of entry into human cells. With one exception: A rare variant of the gene known as CCR5-Delta32carried by just one percent of Europeans, and virtually no other populationsblocks HIV's attempts to invade and infect. Not coincidentally, the stem cells that both patients received in the transplant came from donors with a double set of this rare CCR5 mutation. The transplant, in other words, changed the key on the lock, and the virus could no longer get in. Graft v host? "If we are going to talk about remission and getting people off of ART (antiretroviral treatment) for life, then targeting CCR5 therapeutically is an option that we need to explore further," University of Cambridge professor and lead author of the Nature study, Ravindra Gupta, told AFP. In the decade between the two successful cases there were other similar operations, but the patients died of cancer before it could be determined if Brown's case was an aberration. "In the second theory, you are mixing two immune systems, with your new immune system reacting against your original one," Lewin said. Well-known to immunologists, this tug-of-war is called "graft vs. host disease", a non-fatal condition that can nonetheless cause severe discomfort. But it also effective against cancer because the new "graft" cells work better against the disease. "And maybe that's what's happening herethe graft is eliminating any residual HIV," Lewin said. Before Tuesday some researchers had posited a third theory: that it was the intense combination of radiation and chemotherapy ahead of the stem-cell transplant that floored the virus. But the London patient's conditioning treatment was far milder than Brown's, leading many to conclude this was probably not responsible for vanquishing the HIV virus. Explore further Second HIV remission patient rekindles cure hope 2019 AFP Neurosurgeon Jason Schwalb, M.D., surgical director of the Movement Disorder & Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Henry Ford Health System. Credit: Henry Ford Health System A 32-year-old man is the first in Michigan with a complete Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) system surgically implanted for the treatment of epilepsy. Neurosurgeon Jason Schwalb, M.D., with help from the team at the Henry Ford Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, implanted targeted electrodes in Steven Rennie's brain on Feb. 12, and a pacemaker-like device known as an internal pulse generator in his chest on Feb. 28. The electrodes are attached to the internal pulse generator, their power source, via thin extension cords below the skin. Together, these components make a complete DBS system something that provides hope for Rennie, who has not seen a significant reduction in symptoms from other epilepsy treatments. Rennie's journey with epilepsy began at age 24 when he experienced his first seizure while sleeping. His mother discovered him having the seizure, and she quickly rushed him to the nearest emergency room. He spent the next year seizure-free before having his second on Oct. 30, 2012exactly one year to the day after his first. Shortly afterward, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. A Long Journey In the time since his diagnosis, Rennie has experienced more than 200 seizures, sometimes up to eight in one day. While some are severe and debilitating, others are so mild that he isn't aware he is having a seizure. "The seizures can be very hit-or-miss," Rennie explained. "I underwent surgery to place electrodes on my brain at Henry Ford Hospital so my doctors could monitor my brain activity when a seizure happened. For two weeks, I did not have a single seizure. I then had to go back to the operating room to have the electrodes removed. The day after I went home, I had one." For many epilepsy patients, medication or a Vagus Nerve Stimulator can provide a significant reduction in the frequency and severity of seizures. For Rennie, these provided only moderate relief, and it was clear that he needed a different option. Thanks to the FDA's approval of anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT)- DBS for the treatment of localization-related epilepsy, and the highly-skilled team at the Henry Ford Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Rennie now has a promising alternative to the treatments he has previously tried. "From the initial clinical trial that was done in the U.S., long-term results showed that 70 percent of patients had a greater than 50 percent reduction in how frequently they were having seizures," Dr. Schwalb explained. "We are optimistic that Mr. Rennie will see significant improvement from DBS. However, it may take a couple years to determine exactly how effective DBS is for him." Undertreatment: A Widespread Problem The ideal treatment for localized-related epilepsy that does not respond to medication or Vagus Nerve Stimulation is resective surgery to remove the part of the brain causing the seizures. Unfortunately, this is a far-underutilized option. In Rennie's case, tests have not been able to determine exactly where within the brain his seizures originate from, ruling out the possibility of resective surgery. "In the U.S., there are 100,000 patients every year who would benefit from epilepsy surgery, but there are only 4,500 epilepsy surgical procedures performed each year," Dr. Schwalb said. "Less than five percent are getting the appropriate surgery. For a patient who has three grand mal seizures per year, the likelihood that the patient will die from epilepsy within a decade is 15 percent. That's higher than some cancers." Anyone who has two or more seizures per year with altered levels of consciousness not knowing what is going on, or not remembering what happened during the seizures after two appropriately chosen medications at appropriate doses, should be considered for epilepsy surgery, Dr. Schwalb explained. If surgery is not an option, such as in Rennie's case, treatments such as DBS may significantly improve symptoms and reduce the damage done by seizures. Hope for the Future Now that Rennie has a completed DBS system implanted, he looks forward to seeing what this can do for him and others who share a similar battle. "I believe this is going to work for me," Rennie said. "I've done a lot of research and Henry Ford has the only doctors in the state who have been trained in this. They have supported me every step of the way. I hope this helps not only me, but also other people out there who have epilepsy and haven't seen improvement from the other treatments." Explore further Q&A: Deep brain stimulation may reduce seizures caused by epilepsy More information: For more information on the Henry Ford Comprehensive Epilepsy Center or to request an appointment, visit For more information on the Henry Ford Comprehensive Epilepsy Center or to request an appointment, visit HenryFord.com/Epilepsy Credit: CC0 Public Domain Shortages of essential chemotherapy drugs for children undergoing cancer treatment has been an increasingly frequent obstacle for patients and hospitals across the country. In a new position paper in JAMA Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine's Drs. Stacey Berg and Brooke Bernhardt address this issue and call for the development of an essential medicines list for this group of patients to help ensure reliable access and forecast future shortages. Shortages of essential medicines for childhood cancers can result in increased medication errors, delayed administration of life-saving therapy, inferior outcomes and patient deaths. "All children, including those undergoing treatment for cancer, have a fundamental right to healthcare, and these drug shortages compromise that right," said Berg, professor of pediatrics hematology and oncology at Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital. "Essential medicines lists are used in other countries, but one has yet to be established for the United States, which could help alleviate this economic and healthcare burden domestically." In addition to compiling a list of essential drugs, the authors also provide recommendations on what to do when there are shortages, as well as how to forecast need in the future. "We need a more active planning process," said Berg, who also is associate dean for research assurances and member of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor. "These medicines should be considered critical infrastructure in healthcare, and this approach has implications beyond pediatric oncology; children with other serious diseases should have access to evidence-based medicines that are deemed essential to preserve life and function." Many of these agents are relatively inexpensive, and often are generic, Berg explained, so it can be challenging to capture the attention of the big pharmaceutical companies. "We hope this list will help educate families that their children are potentially at risk and galvanize the public to pressure for legislative change and increased involvement from the Food and Drug Administration in preventing and managing shortages of essential cancer medicines." Explore further Canada needs essential medicines list to ensure supply More information: Yoram Unguru et al. Chemotherapy and Supportive Care Agents as Essential Medicines for Children With Cancer, JAMA Pediatrics (2019). Journal information: JAMA Pediatrics Yoram Unguru et al. Chemotherapy and Supportive Care Agents as Essential Medicines for Children With Cancer,(2019). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0070 Fifteen seconds to fame First came Dubsmash, then came Vine, then Musically, and now, theres TikTok Credit: Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology A team of Skoltech researchers has created a device that can monitor a cosmonaut's cardiovascular system during pre-flight training, space mission and after-flight rehabilitation. The results of their study were published in the international journal Acta Astronautica. With the advancement of digital technology, wearable and smart electronics are becoming commonplace for simple health measurements like step counting. Sophisticated wearable medical devices capable of capturing and transmitting more subtle data about health should be exceptionally accurate and user-friendly. Skoltech scientists working on a high-precision AI-based cardiovascular monitoring device and the methods for processing and analyzing its outputs within their new sense2beat startup report that it can take ECG measurements and transmit them over a wireless communication link. The device provides constant ECG monitoring to diagnose a variety of cardiac arrhythmias that are difficult to capture during a short test with a stationary cardiograph. "Our solution can benefit both cosmonauts and ordinary people," says sense2beat founder and Ph.D. student at the Skoltech Space Center Natalia Glazkova. "Cardiovascular diseases remain the No. 1 cause of death in Russia and globally. Nearly one-third of stroke patients are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Our device performs extended seven-day monitoring, thus raising the chances of detecting the problem at an early phase. We believe that this cardiac data collection and analysis tool will benefit healthcare in general and personalized health services in particular, while enhancing the efficiency of preventive tools and ultimately helping to significantly improve the quality of life and life expectancy." "Our device is a much-needed solution for human space missions where the cosmonaut's body is subjected to severe overloads, and the heart's response to such exposure is still poorly explored. In addition, our research contributes to the development of preventive medicine that serves to detect the first symptoms and prevent a disease wherever possible. We tried to create an elegant and handy device that would be easy to carry around. A modern gadget should be highly ergonomic for people who want to use it in their daily life," says Professor Tatyana Podladchikova of the Skoltech Space Center. The Skoltech researchers continue to work on improving their new device. Currently, their research efforts are focused on enhancing the accuracy of the Big Data processing methods and denoising the signal received by the mobile device. These tasks are of high relevance for designing new wearable biomedical devices, ensuring reliable automated Explore further Scientists use computer vision and machine learning to predict plant growth More information: Natalia Glazkova et al. Non-invasive wearable ECG-patch system for astronauts and patients on Earth, Acta Astronautica (2019). Journal information: Acta Astronautica Natalia Glazkova et al. Non-invasive wearable ECG-patch system for astronauts and patients on Earth,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.01.036 Mothers and caregivers wait in line at a health clinic Credit: SEAR/A. Cabellero-Reynolds A mass measles vaccination campaign saved tens of thousands of children's lives in India between 2010 and 2013, according to a report published today in eLife. The findings suggest that eliminating deaths from measles in India could be possible, although it will require continued diligence to ensure high immunization rates among Indian children and direct mortality monitoring. The results may also help to encourage greater uptake of vaccinations in children across the world. There have been substantial decreases in the number of deaths from measles over the last 30 years. However, the infection remains a significant cause of mortality in children under five years old globally, with much of the burden of mortality and transmission residing in Africa and Asia. India was one of the last countries to adopt two doses of the measles vaccine as part of national immunization programs. In 2010, its government implemented second-dose measles vaccines alongside mass immunization campaigns in districts (small administrative areas, each comprising about two million people) with low child vaccination rates. "We know that measles deaths have declined in India, but what we did not know prior to this study is if the national measles campaign reduced child mortality rates," explains first author Benjamin Wong, Epidemiologist at St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto in Canada. "Until now, no studies had directly answered this question due to gaps in the available data." Wong and his team applied a novel statistical method to data from the Million Death Study (MDS) - a nationally representative sample of all deaths in India, which includes detailed interviews with families about child deaths. They examined 27,000 child deaths from 1.3 million households surveyed from 2005 to 2013. During this period, the MDS captured deaths for 13,490 girls and 13,007 boys aged between one and 59 months old. The current analysis suggests that the measles vaccine campaigns saved 41,000 to 56,000 children in India during 2010 to 2013, or 39%-57% of the expected number of deaths nationally. Mortality in children aged between one and 59 months fell more in the campaign states following launch (27%) than in the non-campaign states (11%). Measles mortality risk was notably lower for children living in the campaign districts and those born between 2010-2013. The team also found that the campaign was particularly successful for girls, as there was a steeper decline in the mortality rates of girls than boys in the vaccination campaign states during the three-year period. But while this highlights a narrower gap between girls and boys, mortality rates remain higher for girls. This is possibly due to lower vaccination coverage, a social preference for boys and/or lower levels of breastfeeding and healthcare access. "Together, our results demonstrate the significant success of the measles vaccination campaigns in saving children's lives in India," concludes senior author Prabhat Jha, University of Toronto Chair in Global Health and Epidemiology, and Executive Director of the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael's Hospital. "We've shown that nationwide mortality studies that are representative of the population are an inexpensive and practical way to directly investigate the impact of interventions for other diseases in India and elsewhere." Explore further Measles epidemic in Madagascar kills more than 900, says WHO More information: Benjamin KC Wong et al, The impact of measles immunization campaigns in India using a nationally representative sample of 27,000 child deaths, eLife (2019). Journal information: eLife Benjamin KC Wong et al, The impact of measles immunization campaigns in India using a nationally representative sample of 27,000 child deaths,(2019). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.43290 CF-patients have a genetic defect which results in dehydrated sticky mucous in the lungs, leading to severe and persistent lung infections often caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Credit: Bunyos A new study, recently published in Nature Communications, has looked at infections in Danish youth with cystic fibrosis (CF) over a period of 10 years. This is the largest longitudinal study to date of the evolution involving both traits and genes of the disease-causing microbes that persistently infect young CF patients. CF patients have a genetic defect that results in dehydrated sticky mucous in the lungs, leading to severe and persistent lung infections often caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The research shows that within the first two to three years after infection with P. aeruginosa, the bacteria are already adapting rapidly to the environment, growing slower and optimizing their fitness to survive. "Across all of our patients within the first three years, the bacteria on average slow their growth rates significantly and they reduce their susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, a first-line drug in treatment of CF patients. This means that one should pay extra close attention in this period of time to avoid the infection becoming persistent," says Jennifer Bartell, Postdoc at The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain) and co-first author. Looking beyond antibiotic resistance Clinicians usually focus on detecting antibiotic resistance during infections, and this appears to be an effective way to follow the development of short-term acute infections. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are identified by their ability to survive above a specific concentration of an antibiotic. The researchers saw a rapid increase in the concentration of antibiotics that the bacteria could tolerate. But at the same time, few bacteria achieved detectable antibiotic resistance in the early infection period of CF. The researchers suspect this pre-resistance adaptation to be an underused marker of progression in the infection. This pre-resistance adaptation likely occurs in other persistent infections, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Besides looking for antibiotic resistance, clinicians also monitor bacterial mucoiditya trait where bacteria produce a protective, slimy coating, as a marker of a chronic infection. But according to the new study, bacteria can become persistent and resilient to treatment regardless of the appearance of mucoidity. Other bacterial traits such as the ability to attach to surfaces and aggregate in biofilmshefty structured layers of adherent cellsevolve more consistently in these persisting infections than mucoidity and may serve as a better sign of early chronic infection. "We can see which traits might actually be valuable for the clinicians to monitor in addition to antibiotic resistance," says Lea Sommer, Postdoc at Rigshospitalet and co-first author. Potential for new diagnostic tools The researchers identified these important evolving traits of P. aeruginosa by screening 443 isolates from 39 young cystic fibrosis (CF) patients over a ten-year period and mapping traits adapting in tandem using statistical modeling approaches. Usually, studies focus on bacterial isolates collected from older CF patients with chronic infections, who have become multi-drug resistant and already have adapted to the human lungs. These results emphasize that trait evolution measurements are important and should not be neglected, even though genomic tests are advancing. "In this early phase, the bacteria change a lot and become much more robust, but the doctors do not necessarily see this with current clinical measurements," says Lea Sommer. Going forward, the researchers wish to find out how the adapting bacteria respond to a larger panel of antibiotics that are used to treat patients. Armed with this comprehensive map of evolutionary pathways, clinicians would have a much better chance of categorizing the infection and, hence, take the necessary precautionary steps. "In the clinic, doctors would potentially be able to take a single patient's bacterial screening data and analyze how this patient responds to the current treatment. As we gain experience with more patients, it will be easier to assess what can be done to stop the transition to chronic infection, "says Jennifer Bartell. Thus, this could pave the way for developing more fine-tuned personalized treatments for all patients suffering from continuous persisting infections, such as CF, COPD, and perhaps diabetics with chronically infected wounds. Explore further Cocktail of common antibiotics can fight resistant E. coli More information: Jennifer A. Bartell et al, Evolutionary highways to persistent bacterial infection, Nature Communications (2019). Journal information: Nature Communications Jennifer A. Bartell et al, Evolutionary highways to persistent bacterial infection,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08504-7 In July, bartenders picked up 437 straws along a two-block stretch of Miami Beach. While that city is expanding its ban on plastic straws, Islamorada has decided against a ban and will simply discourage their use. DAVE DOEBLER The Senate Commerce and Tourism committee approved a bill Monday that, instead of taking aim at plastic straw use, sets up a study to look at the effects of the plastic utensils. It also puts a five-year moratorium on local plastic straw bans. The amended bill, introduced by committee member Sen. Travis Hutson, now sets up a study to be carried out by the Department of Environmental Protection. Local governments would not be able to ban plastic straws until 2024. An earlier version of the bill would have required restaurants and other eateries to only give out plastic straws at the request of a customer. "I realized that I was kind of putting my own thoughts into this .. it was government overreach," the Elkton Republican said. "So what I did was file an amendment that would put a moratorium but give us a study." Under the current bill, a local government that violates the rule would be fined $25,000 fine. In 2008, the Legislature enacted a similar law requiring DEP to analyze the need for new or different regulation of auxiliary containers, wrappings, or disposable plastic bags used by consumers to carry products from retail establishments. To date, the Legislature has not yet adopted any recommendations contained in the report. Campaigns to eliminate plastic straws in Florida have popped up in recent years. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection launched a Skip the Straw campaign earlier this year, and cities like Coral Gables, St. Petersburg, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale have passed regulations about the plastic utensils. In February 2016 Coral Gables voted to ban the use of Styrofoam containers even after the Florida Legislature passed a law prohibiting cities from banning the polystyrene products. That summer, the city was sued by the Florida Retail Federation, Inc. and Super Progreso Inc., who alleged that the ordinance was preempted by state statute. The courts ruled that the ordinance was valid and enforceable. Jennifer Rubiello, of St. Petersburg-based Environment Florida, said by putting a stay on plastic bans, the state is allowing everyday items plastic straws to threaten Florida's premier wildlife and waterways. "As a state surrounded by water on three sides, we should be leading the nation in moving away from single-use plastics rather tying the hands of local governments who want to protect wildlife and the health of their communities from pollution," she said. Holly Parker-Curry of the Surfrider Foundation agreed. "If you stop and clean a beach for five minutes, youll have a bag full of straws. The impact is already very clear and very established," she said. "We dont need a study, we need action." Sen. Jeff Brandes, Scott Keeler | Times A sweeping criminal justice reform bill, dubbed the Florida First Step Act after a similar federal law, unanimously passed its first committee in the Florida Senate on Monday. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, whos been trying for years to overhaul a prison system he says focuses far too much on punishment over rehabilitation and needlessly costs the state millions. This bill, he emphasized, is only the first piece, and he wants to do more in the long run. Historically, some Republicans, especially in the House, have been hesitant to embrace large-scale criminal justice reforms, but will sometimes be more willing to pass smaller pieces toward that end goal. If I could waive a magic wand I would move the state away from mandatory minimum sentences in a heartbeat, he told the committee. (But) we have an opportunity to put back hope in the criminal justice system. Some of the bills highlights include: Doing away with mandatory minimum sentences for certain, nonviolent drug trafficking charges Setting up for the creation of an entrepreneurship program to teach inmates new skills while in prison Keeping inmates at prisons within a 300-mile radius of their families Allowing for nonprofits or other non-governmental organizations to offer reentry programs in prisons Offering less severe penalties for those who commit technical violations of their probation such as failing a drug test of missing curfew Providing inmates who are released a document that lists all the outstanding terms of their sentence, including court fees and restitution That last point was the source of concerns from civil rights groups and Democrats on the committee on Monday, who said they feared that this bill would be tied to the implementation of Amendment 4, a proposal approved by voters in November that allows most former felons to register to vote. Sen. Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando, said hes concerned that including restitution and court costs in this document could open the door for those pieces to also be required in order for former felons to be eligible to vote, rather than only requiring them to finish serving their time in prison. The committee, the Republicans, the leadership, are going to exclude as many people as possible to vote, Bracy said. I have a feeling this is a signal to what the (Amendment 4) implementing bill is going to look like. Bracy said he hopes Brandes will remove court fees and restitution from his bill, otherwise he plans to vote against it in the next committee. Bracy, as well as the Southern Poverty Law Center, both said they are also concerned that easing mandatory minimums only for nonviolent crimes would unfairly leave out many inmates of color, who they said are more likely to be charged with violent offenses than whites. On both the federal and the state level, criminal justice reform has typically created unusual alliances between libertarian-minded groups like the Koch-affiliated Americans for Prosperity and civil rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union. But these new concerns from the left could endanger that for the Florida First Step Act. But Brandes said he was willing to consider changes to the bill in order to quell those fears, and asked that lawmakers commit to this bill so he can have a launchpad to do more. If Congress or the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the Affordable Care Act, Florida should still ensure patients with pre-existing conditions are able to secure health insurance, a Senate committee said Monday. Members of the Senate Health Policy committee agreed unanimously to advance SB 322 , which would require insurers to offer at least one policy that could not refuse or restrict coverage for patients based on their existing medical conditions. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, would not take effect unless the signature Obama-era healthcare law is repealed or struck down and is meant only to provide a backup if the federal landscape changes, he said. The legislation comes amid ongoing efforts to challenge the Affordable Care Act, which bars insurers from denying coverage to people with already existing medical conditions. Republican lawmakers in Congress have unsuccessfully attempted to repeal the healthcare law and portions of the law have been challenged in federal court. Though Simpsons bill would require every insurer and health maintenance organization offer a policy for residents regardless of existing medical conditions, it does not specify any limitations on how much those plans can charge. Sen. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, questioned the lack of such limits during Mondays committee hearing: Have we put any protections [in place]?" Simpson said the bill contains no such provisions but that he had another bill forthcoming that addresses some of the cost concerns. A similar question came up last month during the bills first stop in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, when Sen. Annette Taddeo, D-Miami, worried about past instances when plans that would cover people with pre-existing conditions "were too high for you to be able to afford it. Simpson said then that the legislation was not meant to fully outline a possible alternative to the ACA but to "guarantee" that some coverage would exist for pre-existing conditions if the federal law is changed. Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice. Nepal prepares wishlist for transit treaty talks with India Nepali and Indian officials are scheduled to meet in New Delhi on March 18 to review the bilateral Treaty of Transit in a bid to ease Nepals third country trade through Indian territory. Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years. FNB has launched support for the Samsung Pay app, allowing clients with compatible devices to make contactless payments at terminals across the country. Users with a compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphone can now scan their FNB Cheque or Credit Card to add it to their application and begin making payments. The bank added that FNB Business Credit Cards are not supported by Samsung Pay. Samsung Pay is compatible with the following Samsung devices: Galaxy S10e, S10, and S10+ Galaxy Note 9 Galaxy S9 and S9+ Galaxy Note 8 Galaxy S8 and S8+ Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Galaxy A8 (2018) Galaxy A5 and A7 (2017) Galaxy Watch Gear S3 Watch Gear Sport Watch Samsung Pay is the latest partner wallet to be enabled by FNB, following last years successful launch of both Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay, said FNB head of digital payments Jason Viljoen. In addition, FNB remains the only bank in Africa to allow customers to make contactless payments via any compatible Android smartphone, using FNB Pay on the FNB App. The banks support for Samsung Pay, coupled with the recent launch of the new Scan to Pay feature on the FNB App, provides customers with even more choice when it comes to digital payments, he said. Samsung Pay uses both NFC and MST technology to make payments, making it compatible with the majority of payment terminals in South Africa. The app is available for download from the Google Play Store. Now read: Standard Bank builds blockchain for international payments Load-shedding has a big negative effect on South African businesses, homes, and industries. According to the OUTA, load-shedding costs South Africa up to R5 billion per day. Without electricity, businesses cant operate, which sees them lose large amounts of revenue all due to failures at Eskom. South African broadband networks are also affected by load-shedding, further impacting the running of businesses which have backup power. Vumatel customers recently reported significant downtime thanks to load-shedding, as even when the power returns providers take time to get their systems up and running. To learn more, MyBroadband spoke to several South African broadband providers about how load-shedding affects their network operations. Vodacom Vodacom said it has put proactive measures in place to help mitigate the effects of widespread load-shedding. These include additional batteries and generators that have been installed across sites nationwide. Vodacom added that it is also prepared to deal with an extended period of load-shedding. We have multiple layers of protection on our core facilities. On our base stations we have battery backup, which we continuously upgrade based on battery life cycles. However, Vodacom added that this costs the company tens of millions of rands, which impacts the cost of operating the network. MTN MTN claims to be the network least affected by load-shedding due to its R43-billion investment in its network over the past four years. It has installed backup batteries and/or generators at most of its cellphone sites, which should keep MTN customers connected. However, MTN noted that stage 3 and 4 load-shedding bring with them greater risk to network consistency and delivery. The more severe load-shedding, where power goes out in a particular area more than once a day or for extended periods of time, can result in the batteries simply not having enough time to fully recharge before the next outage. While MTN has largely been able to mitigate this, stage 3 and 4 load shedding has resulted in some intermittent network outages. Cell C Cell C said that even when load-shedding does not take place, mobile networks face significant electricity-based challenges locally. On any given day 80% of the alarms on the Cell C network are related to power outages or power-induced failures in various areas around the country, said Cell C. Load-shedding compounds these problems exponentially, with vandalism doubling during these periods. The mobile network added that load-shedding also affects the efficacy of their batteries, as they are not given adequate time to recharge. Cell C said that it had made several attempts to engage with Eskom regarding energy solutions for mobile networks, but these efforts have been unsuccessful. Rain Khaya Dlanga, CMO at Rain, said they have battery backups at all towers. Key sites also have generators, but according to Dlanga, these provisions arent always enough. Some towers are affected as the duration of load-shedding exceeds the time available on batteries for towers with no generators, said Dlanga. It would be extremely expensive to install and maintain generators at all towers, he added. Dlanga said that load-shedding is a big issue for the entire industry. Should it continue it will significantly impact our ability to drive the costs of data down, as our underlying costs will be higher. Openserve Openserve told MyBroadband that it has substantial battery backup and diesel power generation facilities throughout its fibre network. However, the provider added that its ability to keep its infrastructure running during load-shedding differs from site to site. Depending on the frequency and duration of load-shedding, we may lose some access network elements which can impact services especially in our smaller and remote infrastructure sites, said Openserve. It added that it anticipates an exponential increase in operational costs due to the additional resources it requires to support its network during load-shedding. Broadband Infraco Broadband Infraco has permanent generator backups at all of its critical points of presence, as well as a significant number of mobile generators deployed at all of its regional offices. All PoP sites have Environmental Monitoring Systems which detect any changes to the normal AC power supply, said Broadband Infraco. It said that while its sites are designed to have enough battery backup capacity for individual outages, its systems are not designed to deal with regular and extended outages. Most remote sites are designed to withstand electrical power outages for less than 16 hours, but not persistent and wide power outages. A long power outage would certainly have huge negative impact on Broadband Infracos operations and service delivery. Broadband Infraco added that extended power outages will force it to invest in higher capacity backup batteries and diesel for its generators, which will mean increased network costs. DFA DFA said it has secured its power supply on multiple levels, while it is prepared for virtually any length of power failure from a facilities point of view. We have a proper AC/DC backup system, said DFA. This can keep the site going for 6-24 hours, depending on the load from the facility. DFA also has remote monitoring so that it can keep track of its power levels, and if these levels sink too low, DFA dispatches mobile generators to these sites within 90 minutes. The companys Network Operations Centre also has backup solar power, ensuring that it is capable of dealing with extended power issues. Now read: The best uncapped fibre deals in South Africa Your talent can bring you more ... Wonderful news on the heels of last weeks cover story about Kith & Kin, our local Irish band. The White Barn has added a second 30th anniversary show at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 17, the 4 p.m. show having sold out. Get your tickets at thewhitebarn.org and prepare for an evening of merriment, blarney and fond memories of the late John Kelley, courtesy of Kathi Brotemarkle, Ron Brunswick, Ann Gilleran, Linda Howard and Michael Waterson. *** With March comes another opportunity to Give Big to the nonprofit groups supporting the St. Helena Unified School District. March 24 is the Big day of fundraising, although donations can be made already at givebigsthelena.org. The parent groups and the St. Helena Public Schools Foundation will use the proceeds to fund educational enhancements (field trips, guest speakers, special projects, etc.) during the 2019-2020 school year. *** St. Helena and Calistoga high school students 16 years or older are eligible for Fields of Opportunity, a mentorship program for young people interested in pursuing a career in the vineyard and wine industry. During an eight-week paid mentorship from June 10 through Aug. 2, each student will work with two partner organizations learning vineyard management, ag mechanics, customer service, viticulture, safety, human resources, winery and cellar work, and much more. The program is a collaboration among the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation, and the St. Helena, Calistoga and Napa Valley school districts. The deadline is March 15 to apply at bit.ly/fieldsofopportunity. *** I cant count the number of captivating and gorgeously composed photos feature writer Carolyn Younger contributed to the Star over the years. Now retired, Carolyn has turned her keen photographic eye to the natural world and become active in the Napa Valley Photographic Society. Shes one of the photographers featured at a group show, Savoring the Moment, continuing through June 10 at the Napa Valley College Upvalley campus on College Avenue in St. Helena. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. *** The Great Decisions seminar is returning to Rianda House with a 7-week series starting at 4:30 Thursday, March 14. Facilitated by Jim Haslip, each class focuses on a different topic that shapes U.S. foreign policy. Pre-registration is required. The cost is $25 (which includes a textbook and materials) or $35 for a couple with a shared book. A donation of $5 per class to Rianda House is appreciated. Call 963-8555. *** Heres one for my readers who are already in spring cleaning mode. Brooks Palmer is giving a free presentation on clutter busting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at the St. Helena Public Library. Palmer is a motivational speaker, professional organizer and author of two books on de-cluttering ones life. His appearance is sponsored by the Friends & Foundation, St. Helena Public Library. *** Lets give a round of applause and a hearty chorus of meows to the anonymous donor who has pledged to match up to $10,000 in donations to We Care Animal Rescue before May 31. Donations help with vet costs, medication, prescription foods, dental care and surgeries for 200-plus felines and a handful of vastly outnumbered but safely sequestered dogs. Stop by the shelter between 1 and 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, call 963-7044, or donate online at wecareanimalrescue.org. *** Well, one atmospheric river in the books and another one on the way. Missy Doran sends word that her weather station on Spring Mountain got 11.5 inches of rain during last weeks storm. She said Stu Smith got a similar reading, also on Spring Mountain. Lets be thankful we made it through without any horrendous flooding and send our prayers to our neighbors along the Russian River who werent as lucky. If you can spare some money for relief efforts, go to gofundme.com/cause/russianriver-flooding. As Im writing this, it is yet another dreary, rainy day in a winter full of them. But Im thrilled to say that by the time you are reading this next week, it will be summer and sunny. Oh wait, sorry. I didnt mean to confuse you. Your calendar is correct, its only the beginning of March. And theres no need for you to doubt the local weather forecast, with its prediction of more rain all week. Your eyes arent deceiving you. Cloud banks are still gathering overhead and the Napa River is still threatening to assault its banks. Please dont let me interrupt your labors. Carry on collecting pairs of animals for the ark you are building in your backyard. This miraculous change of seasons only applies to me. I cant take one more drop of cold water trickling inside my collar. So Im taking action. By the time you read this, I will be far away, in the Southern Hemisphere, with its delightfully opposite seasons. Im heading to Santiago, Chile, where the temperature is predicted to be in the low 80s next week. Heaven! Its a happy coincidence that this trip is taking me to summer just when I need it most. It was actually planned months and months ago, when the sun (remember the sun? kind of a bright star that throws off heat and makes things glow?) was lighting up the sky. I almost hesitated at the March timing of the trip, as spring can be magical here at home, when and if it deigns to arrive. I didnt realize how long it would be in coming this year, or how desperately I would need this respite. Though, alas, my visit to summer will be brief. The Santiago part of the trip wont be long, as we are heading out after a few days to Patagonia, where all bets are off. It could be cold or hot, rainy or sunny, windy or calm, and who knows what else, all in the same day. Im not sure if they have Accuweather in Patagonia, but if they did, they would need to update it so often it would probably crash the server. And after that well be heading to the Atacama Desert. Its one of the driest places in the world (hurrah!) so theres no need for rain gear, and the days will be hot (its a desert after all), but there are two seasons each day, as chilly nights are the norm. And at some point in between, well also be back in balmy Santiago to dine at some of the citys chic restaurants, with side trips to their wine country and to a beach resort town. How do you pack for a trip like this one? My list is all over the place hiking boots, sandals, rain gear, sleeveless tops, short- and long-sleeve T-shirts, sweater, bathing suit, jeans, shorts, biking pants, down jacket, sundress, leggings, socks and lots of things to layer. At the moment, its all piled up on my bed, looking significantly larger than the carry-on bag I was hoping to squeeze it into. Usually this is the point where I would be ruthlessly editing what I am taking, but I fear this is one trip where I wont be able to get by with just a pair of jeans and a couple tops. I think Im going to need all of it. I might have to switch to a larger suitcase. Its either that, or get on the plane wearing my hiking boots and enough layers to make me look like the Michelin man. Not very comfortable for a long overnight flight, plus I dont imagine it would go over well with TSA or the impatient folks behind me as I hold up the line with a decidedly unsexy striptease as I take off piece after piece to make it through screening. Actually, a bigger suitcase isnt such a bad idea. It will give me more room on the way home to stash any souvenirs I happen to acquire. I might even bring you a present. Im hoping to fill every spare corner of my luggage with something thats very hard to find in Napa this year, and that Id be more than happy to share. Sunshine. Lemon-Caper Egg Salad Trip preparation for me includes emptying out the fridge by forcing myself to use only the ingredients I can find there. By now, Im down to the last dregs. When I went to rustle up lunch today, all I could find was eggs, a few stray veggies and condiments. I was going to fix plain old egg salad, but wondered if there was some way to gussy it up and make it less boring. When I searched the web for recipes, I found one on a blog called Macheesmo that called for literally everything I had left in my fridge: celery, radishes, scallions, capers, mayo and a lone lemon. That seemed like kismet, so I made it, and it was pretty good (especially after I goosed it up with some fried shallots that I happened to have in the cupboard). Im offering it to you for inspiration in case you are hunkering down and looking for a tasty meal solution that doesnt involve venturing out in the rain to go grocery shopping. 5-6 eggs 1 stalk celery, finely chopped 2 radishes, finely chopped 3 scallions, finely chopped 2 Tbsp. capers, drained Zest of 1 lemon 1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice 1/4 cup mayonnaise Salt and pepper Crunchy fried shallots or onions (optional) Cook the eggs by steaming them over a pot of boiling water for 10-11 minutes. (This is the hack I learned a couple months ago put the eggs in a strainer suspended over the boiling water and cover with the pot lid. They cook perfectly and peel easily, and if you use them right away tend not to get that gray line around the yolk that can sometimes occur.) While they are cooking, prep the other ingredients. Peel the eggs, place them in a bowl and mash with a fork until they are the texture you prefer. Mix in the mayo, lemon zest, veggies, capers and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve as a salad, topped with fried onions or shallots (the kind you use for those Thanksgiving green beans), or in a sandwich with lettuce or arugula. Betty Teller promises to bring spring home with her. Put in your other souvenir requests at amuse-bouche@sbcglobal.net. SACRAMENTO Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, and Sen. Mike McGuire, D-North Coast, have been appointed co-chairs of the Senate Select Committee on Californias Wine Industry for the 2019-20 legislative session. The pair co-chaired the committee during the last legislative session. The wine industry is a crucial economic driver for our region and the state as a whole, said Dodd. "The committee will pursue innovation in sustainability, competitiveness in a global marketplace and pragmatic solutions to challenges ahead. Over the past two years, the Select Committee on Wine has been focused on some of the biggest issues facing the wine industry, including the impacts of wildfires, changing state and federal regulations and water supply concerns," McGuire said. The committee is made up of a bipartisan group of senators from around the state who oversee the diverse issues affecting Californias wine industry. California makes 90 percent of all the wine produced in the United States. The California wine industry has an annual economic impact of over $57 billion to the state and creates 325,000 jobs. The wine industry is also an essential part of California tourism, bringing in upwards of 23 million tourists annually. Wineries in the senators districts are a particularly integral part of local tourism, accounting for more than half of all tourist spending on wine throughout all of California. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. PG&E meteorologists said they expected the Central Coast to bear the worst brunt of the storm, but Northern California would be hit with rain and snow, according to a statement from the utility. PG&E did not anticipate having to activate a Napa-based storm response location and said there were no outages in the county as of 2 p.m. Tuesday. SACRAMENTO -- Dozens of people, including a Sacramento Bee reporter, were detained Monday night when a protest over the Sacramento County district attorney's decision not to charge two officers in the shooting death of Stephon Clark, a black man holding a cellphone, turned tense and closed down one of the city's most affluent neighborhoods. Authorities detained journalist Dale Kasler and two pastors, including Les Simmons, a well-known church leader who has been a vocal supporter of the Clark family, after the protest had begun to break up and people were attempting to leave the area. An administrative law judge was also detained. Kasler was released soon after. The protesters could not return to their cars because police would not allow them back into the area where they had parked. As the protesters moved down the only available path, police followed, eventually making arrests. Sacramento police did not immediately return a call for comment. About 100 protesters had marched through East Sacramento, where Ronald Reagan lived when he was governor and where the film "Ladybird" was shot amid streets filled with historic urban mansions that house many of Sacramento's elite. Pushing a sound system in a wheelchair, they chanted Clark's name. "Our plan was to bring the issue to a neighborhood whose residents have proximity to decision-making power," protester J. Ama Mantey said in a statement. "This is a neighborhood that would likely never experience such a tragic and violent loss of one of its residents, so we are bringing the discomfort and pain of our trauma to their doorstep." The area's population is 83% white, with an average household income of more than $100,000. Meadowview, the area where Clark was shot, has an average household income of about $45,000 and is 22% white, according to U.S. census data from the five-year American Community Survey. Sacramento city police arrested 84 people, including journalists, during a protest Monday night over the local district attorney's decision not to charge two officers in the shooting death of Stephon Clark, a black man holding a cellphone. Authorities also detained a Sacramento Bee reporter but released him without arrest. I think that's a really necessary thing for him to do. an opportunity for the community to be heard ... and listen to everyone so we can best craft soemthing going forward. Clark, 22, was shot last March by two officers who mistook his iPhone for a gun. The officers had been responding to a call about a vandal, and a subsequent investigation found that Clark had broken three vehicle windows and a sliding glass door on his neighbor's house. The officers were directed to Clark by a Sheriff's Department helicopter and chased him into a dark backyard, where they fired 20 shots after seeing a burst of light in his hand that one officer thought was a muzzle flash, according to the subsequent investigation. Clark was struck at least seven times and died at the scene. The killing ignited massive protests around the city, shutting down an NBA game and closing a freeway. On Saturday, Sacramento County Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schubert announced she would not charge the officers criminally, leaving many in the capital city fearing another round of demonstrations. Activists and Clark's family were particularly angered by Schubert's decision to release text messages on Clark's phone that detailed a fight with the mother of his children, Salena Manni, in which he discussed committing suicide and an alleged domestic violence incident. So far, protests have not drawn the massive turnouts that happened just after the shooting. But activists have said they plan on targeted actions throughout the week that will focus on "disruption and discomfort," said protester Berry Accius. On Sunday, Accius and a group of students staged a sit-in at the city's largest mall, prompting its owners to shut it down for the day. Black Lives Matter has announced that it will begin holding thrice-weekly protests beginning Tuesday at the city's main police station. A second review of the shooting is being conducted by state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. That report is expected to be released soon, according to his spokeswoman. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. SACRAMENTO Heather Stanton, a longtime Napa County public servant who has devoted her retirement to helping Napa and Solano county seniors, was honored by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, as 2019 Woman of the Year. I have been so very fortunate to have had the unique opportunity to serve our community over the past 27 years, Heather Stanton said. And I have been blessed to work alongside so many great public servants and community members. I thank Sen. Dodd for this tremendous recognition. Stanton is on the board of directors of the newly formed Napa-Solano Area Agency on Aging and is the chair of the Napa County Commission on Aging, where she is in her second two-year term. She began her elder advocacy after retiring from the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, where she served as project manager from 1998 to 2008. She previously worked for the city of Napa, overseeing parks and recreation, including the Napa Senior Center. Before coming to Napa in 1981 she worked for the city of San Jose and ran her own public relations firm. As Napas Community Resource Department director she oversaw construction of Las Flores Community Park and the Napa Skateboard Park. Her duties as flood control manager included guiding the Napa River flood control project, restoring wetlands, replacing bridges and creating various recreational facilities. In retirement, she served on numerous non-profit organizations including the Area Agency on Aging for Napa and Solano counties. She volunteered as executive director during the agencys transition and helped lead the creation of the new organization. Heather has been a true public servant and trusted member of this community for decades, said Sen. Dodd. Her legacy is cemented by her leadership on the flood control project and other important initiatives. Im grateful for her many contributions. Its simple: housing is a necessity, a human right. Our state policies must be designed to ensure that everyone, regardless of income, race, or age, has safe, stable, affordable housing. When people earning lower incomes have housing they can afford near their jobs and important family resources, we all get less traffic, a healthier community, a stronger economy, and more diverse neighborhoods and schools. In other words, when we prioritize people with the greatest need, everyone wins. When it comes to basic needs and rights, we cannot trust the market to work for everyone. Thats why government intervenes in the market to provide public education, affordable health care, food and water. Affordable housing should be no different. With more than 1.5 million low-income households over-burdened by housing costs and 130,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in California, lawmakers have a serious challenge in front of them. With a recent history of strong leadership, and a new governor who has prioritized affordable housing, they also have an unparalleled opportunity to make real progress. My organization, Housing California, has been working to alleviate housing instability and homelessness for four decades. We understand the appeal of pursuing new and innovative strategies. One such strategy that has gotten significant attention lately is freeing up the market by easing barriers to residential development and allowing taller buildings. The thinking goes: make it easier and more profitable for developers to build housing, and they will build more and ease our housing shortage. Freeing up the market may result in building more market-rate homes and may make homes more affordable for some middle-class families. But the market is unlikely to help the most severely rent-burdened Californians, who are disproportionately black and brown families, because of market and government barriers. Worse yet, policies that havent specifically considered and addressed the needs of people most at risk of losing a home have often harmed them instead. If our lawmakers are intentional and thoughtful as they develop market housing supply policies, everyone, including those most in need, can benefit. We can have a more balanced system. With the right interventionsand the right principles guiding legislators worktheir proposals can increase market-rate housing while at the same time directly benefit Californians struggling the most. Heres how: Collaborate with representatives of low-income communities, communities of color, and people with disabilities. They understand how the market has disadvantaged their communities and have thoughtful solutions. They must have a central role in policy making, and their voice is key to creating equitable neighborhoods. Include affordable housing. Set aside a meaningful percentage of homes for residents at lower income levels, including for people experiencing homelessness. It is essential that market-rate developers taking advantage of government benefits provide deeply affordable housing. Protect existing residents from displacement when investing in vulnerable communities. Investment in vulnerable communities is essential for advancing social and racial equity. But investments must serve the needs of the existing community and not result in their displacement. This includes direct displacement resulting from demolition, but also indirect displacement that results from gentrification caused by increased property values that motivate some landlords to pressure existing tenants to leave, accelerate evictions, and substantially increase rents. Open up communities that have traditionally resisted both market-rate and affordable housing. These communities are frequently low density (think mostly single-family homes) and often include good jobs and high-quality public schools. Yet new market-rate supply may end up mostly affecting historically redlined and vulnerable communities, making them particularly vulnerable to gentrification and especially in need of affordable housing. Our leaders have the right intentions. But we must be sure that their policies have the right impacts as well. Tyrone Buckley is policy director of Housing California, a nonprofit advocacy organization working to prevent and end homelessness and increase the supply of affordable homes. He wrote this commentary for CALmatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias Capitol works and why it matters. Pokhara Civil Aviation Authority bans solo paragliding following third accident in a week The Civil Aviation Authority, Pokhara has banned paragliders from making solo flights following a series of deaths of adventure seekers while doing the sport in Pokhara. A South Carolina mother and her baby son were allegedly kicked off an American Airlines flight on Thursday because of their rare genetic skin condition, Daily Mail reported. Jordan Flake had boarded a flight from El Paso, Texas, to Dallas to visit her husband. She had her one-year-old son Jackson with her. 'Jackson and I were just discriminated against...big time!' she posted on Facebook Thursday, including a picture of her on board an aircraft with her baby in her lap. She continued: 'We boarded our American Airlines flight where everyone smiled and talked to Jackson. Before take off a man (employee called on flight to handle the situation) came up to my row and asked the 2 men sitting next to me to get up. 'He then quietly asked me about my rash and if I had a letter from a doctor stating it was ok for me to fly.' Flake explained to the staff member that she and Jackson had a rare genetic skin condition called Ichthyosis. Flake stated that, once she informed him of her medical condition, the man went to the front of the plane. He returned, after Googling Ichthyosis, and apologized to the woman before telling her that she and her son had to get off the flight. 'The pilot seemed ok with it, but the flight attendant rudely said (without even acknowledging me) well she doesnt have a letter from a doctor, so...' The staff member helped Flake get a hotel for the evening and arranged for her to take a different flight on another airline. She added: 'I have never been so humiliated in my life! I have emailed them and am waiting for a reply. Happy Rare Disease Day! Quit being ignorant and take the time to listen to people! I shouldnt have to explain myself.' The airline sent a statement to Fox, that said: 'Our goal at American Airlines is to create a welcoming environment for all of our customers. We sincerely apologize to Ms. Flake and her son for the experience they had yesterday, and our team has begun an investigation into the matter. Our Customer Relations team has already spoken to her directly and upgraded them on their flights.' Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is in Brussels on a working visit, visited the European Parliament on Monday. He was welcomed by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee David McAllister, the PM's office reported. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered a speech at the the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament: In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated: "Chairman McAllister, Distinguished Members of the European Parliament, Ladies and gentlemen, I'm honored and privileged to address the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. After the velvet revolution, it is the first opportunity for the Armenian Prime Minister to speak at the Foreign Affairs Committee. Hence, I would like to focus, in particular, on the fundamental changes that already happened and are currently taking place in my country. I will also speak about the challanges that we are facing today and about goals and plans for the our future . Distinguished colleagues, Armenia is currently undergoing changes, which are unprecedented in their nature and magnitude, changes that are completely transforming our political and economic landscape. Last spring a non-violent revolution occurred in Armenia. Armenian people guided by the slogans of love, tolerance and brotherhood, stood up to protect their political rights and build the society inconformity with their ideals and values. They opted for democracy and pluralism, for justice and equality. They spoke against corruption and the political system, based on a client-patron relationship. They stood against the elite, which monopolized the political and economic life od the country, against oligarchic economy and against those who established and exploited extractive institutions leading the country to stagnation. Velvet revolution restored democracy in Armenia. Snap parliamentary elections held last December reinforced our achievements. The political forces which were behind the revolution won a landslide victory. We gained an overwhelming support of the Armenian people - more than 70% of the votes. For the first time in about 25 years, the elections held in Armenia were not contested by any political party. It is equally important to say that the recent election obtained the best possibly assessments of European observers who welcomed them as free, fair and transparent. I am confident that the victory of democracy is irreversible in our country. My confidence is based on the following premises: First, ideas of freedom and democracy have deep roots in the core values of our people. Armenia was one of the first countries where nationwide popular movement arose against the former Communist regime back in 1980's . The restoration of our independence in 1991 was indisputably aimed at establishing society based on constitutional democracy, rule of law and liberal values. The distortion of democracy, which we witnessed in our country during the last 20 years, happened as a result of a deviation from the initially chosen path of c issues has been distorted in by distracting us from the previously democracy. It originated from a wrong and misleading interpretation of our traditional values and aspirations. Second, the democratic transformation in our society is based on a wide social demand, coming from of all layers of the Armenian society and the 6 million strong Armenian Diaspora worldwide. This progressive process was born out of the will and aspirations of our people. Moreover, it had nothing to do with outside forces. It did not produce any tectonic shift in our foreign policy, nor originated any changes in our foreign policy strategy. Armenia remains committed to its foreign policy obligations and partners. Third, democracy is not merely one of the viable options for us. Rather it is a matter of security for us. We believe that for our people and our political culture it is true to claim that democracy provides for stronger and more efficient economic and political institutions which constitute an important precondition for the development of the country. Therefore, we couldn't afford the luxury of underdeveloped institutions which previously existed in our country. They caused economic inefficiency, impeding our country's progress. Democracy, promoting our economy and political institutions became imperative in Armenia . It has no alternative today. We need democracy in order to be competitive in the 21st century. Nevertheless, democracy needs to be protected and reinforced. What are the main challenges that we are facing today? First of all, it is the poverty which still exists in our country. Today, the people who live under the poverty line make up about the one-third of our total population. They constitute the main social basis for fraud elections and electoral bribes that we were witnessing in the past. In our society there is an obvious correlation between economic development and democracy. Erosion of the middle class was actually accounting for the decline of democracy that we witnessed in the past. Thus, a strong and vibrant middle class is considered to be one of the main prerequisites for sustainable democracy in Armenia, and the economic revolution is chosen therefore as the next goal of our government and the cornerstone of its program. With this view in mind, we adopted and already started implementing an ambitious reform agenda. As I have mentioned on many occasions, among the current priorities of the the Armenian government are the fight against corruption, eliminating monopolies, elimination of the poverty, consolidation of the independent judiciary system and establishment rule of law, and ensuring equal rules for all economic and political actors. We are going to put in force a package of drastic measures to reform our tax and customs systems. We also focus on reforming our education system. People should be able to live and create in a rapidly evolving and shrinking world world in which progress is driven by knowledge. I am proud to inform you that a lot of visible changes have already occured place in our country over the past few months . For example, we have already eradicated systemic corruption in Armenia. The power of monopolies and existing oligopolies in Armenia has already been reduced. Today there is no one in Armenia who is able to use political influence to achieve economic goals anymore. Distinguished colleagues, While implementing our reform policy, we are stumbling on obstacles. One thing is clear in this regard: Implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the European Union is of tremendous importance for the success of our reforms. The value and attractiveness of this initiative are in achieving its objectives exclusively through the implementation of reforms. CEPA is a reform generating tool. The fulfillment of its provisions will lead to qualitative changes in many areas of our society. Taking the opportunity, I would like to assure you that the Armenian government is resolute to take all the necessary measures for the implementation of the CEPA. We are determined to conduct an active and fruitful cooperation with the European Union in all areas of mutual interest. In this regard, I want to note that the early ratification of the CEPA by the EU member states is crucial for its complete entering into force and further strengthening of our bilateral relations. At this point more than a third of the Member States have already ratified the agreement and we are hopeful that others will do the same in the near future. On this matter we very much count on the Parliament's support and your personal contribution. In the context of our cooperation agenda, I would also like to point out the dialogue on visa liberalization. Opening of the process will greatly contribute to the people to people contact and to our cooperation in general. Taking the opportunity, I would like to ask your support in promoting this case, given the fact that Armenia is consistently implementing all the requirements on this issue. The financial and technical assistance of the European Union remains critically important for us. We need your support to make drastic steps in implementing our reforms. It is obvious, that EU's enhance assistance will help us move forward more resolute and decisive way. The wider the scope of the assistance, the faster and smoother the pace of our reforms. Distinguished colleagues, Geopolitical and security risks in the South Caucasus are tha other challenges that we are facing today. They seriously undermine our reform potential. First, the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the existing tension in our region create political risks which are significantly affecting investment attractiveness of our country and the region as a whole. Second, the arms races unleashed by our opponents cause additional difficulties for the South Caucasus region. Today Armenia has to allocate large portion of its scarce resources to maintain peace in the region. It is Armenia which actually bears the economic burden of keeping the existing balance and preventing another outburst of hostilities. Third, the closed borders and the continuing transport blockade imposed on our country since the early 1990s sharply reduce the possibilities of diversifying our economy. Finally, the sanctions imposed on Iran are also having negative consequences on our economy, reducing the availability of one of two corridors connecting Armenia to the rest of the world. As I mentioned the Karabakh conflict, I would like to stress the constructive and balanced approach of the European Union toward this issue. It is our view that the international community should continue to support the OSCE Minsk Group peacekeeping efforts, especially by sending clear message that the use of force is inadmissible. We are confident that the settlement of the conflict implies the necessity of respecting the right of the people of Karabakh to self-determination. People of this mountainous region have lived in de facto independence for more than two decades. There is a generation young people there who can not imagine any alternative to the independence. If we seek for a peaceful, just and lasting solution to the conflict, the people of Karabakh should be given the opportunity to find their future by themselves. I'm not representing the people of Nagorno Karabakh. As the prime minister of Armenia, I only have the mandate of Armenian citizens, but not the Armenian population of Karabakh who have their own constitution and form their own government. It is obvious for me that the peace process could produce a real progress only if the people of Karabakh have a seat at the negotiating table only if the voice of the people of Karabakh is heard and taken into account. Dear Members of the Parliament, It is our deep conviction that trust between the involved parties is one of the key preconditions for the settlement of conflicts. This confidence can be achieved through developing dialogue and understanding. We see the South Caucasus as a region where independent nations live in peace, solidarity and cooperation. Indeed, in the modern world, closed borders are considered at least economic and political nonsense. The world is changing by the day, resulting in a greater interconnection and interdependence. Our region needs new forms of dialogue, peaceful coexistence and economic cooperation. The culture of dialogue, tolerance and compromise should dominate all existing disagreements in the South Caucasus. Thank you for attention". Missing, captured soldiers families spend night at Armenia legislature entrance Karabakh President stresses role of Russia peacekeeping mission Newspaper: Who is accountable for Armenia losing at International Court of Justice? Armenia PM sending delegation to Paris Police bring in forces near Armenia parliament building Newspaper: Armenia ruling partys plan works against it in local elections OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries FMs issue statement on Karabakh conflict Putin, Biden task to continue Russia-US dialogue on Ukraine NEWS.am daily digest: 07.12.21 Kazakhstan First President notes Russias role in resolving Karabakh conflict Armenia opposition MP: We are launching legal process of National Assembly speaker's resignation Fight occurs in Armenia legislature Armenia legislature deputy speaker from opposition: We are at preparatory phase for rallies Armenia parliament speaker claims video with his remarks on captive Armenian soldiers was edited The Big Bang Theory star calls for a boycott of Mel Gibson MFA: Armenia urges Azerbaijan to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions Legislature speaker: Criminal case will be launched against Armenian soldiers who laid down their weapons, surrendered 4 more die of coronavirus in Artsakh Dejavu: Parliament speaker says Armenian captive soldiers no longer exist for him National Assembly holding urgent discussion on Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan Light Drops: Arman Chilingaryan's movie recognized as best drama at Tokyo Film Awards in Japan Armenia legislature majority blocks opposition draft statement on border delimitation Drake withdrew his candidacy from Grammy candidates list Armenia ex-defense minister on border delimitation: Authorities say 'we negotiate whatever we want' Lost treasure. Deleted scenes of "Home Alone2" US embassy of Armenia on local elections: We note reports of pressure against opposition candidates Ombudsman in Paris, briefs France colleague on Armenian captives in, war crimes of Azerbaijan Opposition Armenia Faction plans to launch urgent parliamentary debates on POWs in Azerbaijan Karabakh President pays tribute to 1988 Spitak earthquake victims Benedict Cumberbatch talks about his kidnapping in Africa Pentagon discusses situation on Russia-Ukraine border 240 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Latest trailer for The Matrix Resurrections is here! (VIDEO) US Air Force plans to develop 2 new secret combat drones Wreath laid in Gyumri on behalf of Armenia ex-President Kocharyan Ombudsman provides details from Azerbaijan shooting at Karmir Shuka village of Artsakh Armenia parliament session kicks off with minute of silence Newspaper: As always Armenia citizens chose individuals over ideas in elections Armenia remembers victims of 1988 earthquake IFFHS announces its coaches of the year Newspaper: Armenia gets more than $11M from international organizations, several countries for Covid prevention Seven die in Zanzibar after eating exotic food Premier League: Arsenal lose US announces diplomatic boycott of 2022 Beijing Olympics Turkey and Qatar discuss possibility of joint operation of airport in Afghanistan Development of warm relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran is one of UAE priorities Israel tries to convince US to strike Iranian targets Bayramov and US Assistant Secretary of State discuss normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan NEWS.am daily digest: 06.12.21 Armenia legislature majority to block opposition draft statement on border delimitation Vahe Hakobyan underscores effective cooperation with UNDP Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia project Armenia prosecutor's office files lawsuit demanding confiscation of ex-Police chief, his familys illegal property One dollar passes AMD 491 threshold in Armenia Armenia parliament to set up friendship group with Montenegro Yerevan to host world-famous drummer Billy Cobham Ted Baker head John Burton dies aged 78 India-Eurasian Union free trade zone talks to begin early 2022 Armenia Supreme Judicial Council members receive ECHR judgments execution department delegation Armenia President, UK envoy discuss regional security Ibrahimovic hopes to stay in Milan forever Armenia premier chairs Security Council meeting Man found dead in downtown Yerevan near garbage cans Health minister: Covid cases dropping in Armenia in recent days Opposition Armenia Faction MP: Premier Pashinyan gave best assessment of local elections Malmo claims Swedish Championship title for the 22nd time Armenia to manufacture, export Sputnik Light vaccine Armenia opposition lawmaker on local election results: Authorities rigged, pressured but still did not win Kopirkin: Russian-Armenian Center for Humanitarian Response has highly qualified specialists Russia official: 1988 Armenia earthquakes tragic experience gave impetus to creation of effective warning system Mbappe says he is disappointed he did not leave in the summer Opposition MP: Nothing officially announced in Armenia about negotiations over return of 10 POWs Return to Hogwarts: Teaser of Harry Potter franchise special episode released Young Russia air force crew kicks off night flights over Armenia mountains 2 people killed in single-engine plane crash in Canada 95 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Alec Baldwin removes his Twitter account after big interview Yerevan hosting international conference with participation of Armenia, Russia emergency ministries representatives World oil prices on the rise Friend of Armenian people, former US Senator, presidential candidate Bob Dole dies aged 98 Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Artem Simonyan meet in Rome PM: Practice of election-rigging undermined state resistance system emerging in early 1990s in Armenia World gold prices going down Armenia local elections: Ruling party loses by more than 13.5% in Vanadzor Artsakh soldier, 19, dies from gunshot wound Armenia local elections: Ruling party suffers crushing defeat in Aparan Hamilton wins Saudi Arabia F1 GP to draw level with Verstappen Armenia local elections: Lack of alternative, record low voter turnout ensure ruling partys win in Armavir Serie A: Juve beat Genoa Armenia local elections: PAP beats ruling party in Abovyan Armenia local elections: Bloc named after incumbent mayor wins in Sevan The body of a young man found under a bridge in Yerevan UAE National Security Advisor to visit Iran Artsakh registered 31 new coronavirus cases Voter turnout in local elections in Armenia 3 hours before the end of voting was 33.8% Naftali Bennett calls on world powers to take a tough stance on Iran Tens of thousands of people signed petition to ban Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith from interviewing COVID-19 in Armenia: 327 new cases OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs regret that it was not possible to hold a joint meeting of Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs Aravot: Special police forces are in Aparan Head of Ayntap village of Ararat province and his brother apprehended March 5th marks the birthday of Sparapet (Commander-in-Chief), National Hero of Armenia and Artsakh Vazgen Sargsyan (photo report). Today his friends-in-combat, public and political figures and average citizens are respecting his memory at Yerablour Military Pantheon. Among those attending the event were Armenias President Armen Sargsyan; His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians; Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan; Deputy Premier Tigran Avinyan; President of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan; Secretary of the National Security Council Armen Grigoryan; former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan; Sparapet Vazgen Sargsyans brother Armen Sargsyan; MPs and others. On October 27, 1999, Premier Vazgen Sargsyan, Speaker of the National Assembly Karen Demirtchyan, six MPs and one minister were killed by a group of armed persons who had entered the building of the parliament. The perpetrators were sentenced to life in prison. Between 1990 and 1991, Vazgen Sargsyan united the voluntary detachments of land defenders under his command and served as a Deputy of the Supreme Council of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and later as chairman of the standing committee on defense and internal affairs. Sargsyan made great efforts to keep the homeland and its borders away from the enemys encroachments and to achieve victory. In 1991, he was appointed Armenias Minister of Defense and made great contributions to nation-building and the formation of the national army in Armenia. He founded the Yerkrapah Union of Voluntary Land Defenders and was elected President of the Union. He has received the title of National Hero and the Golden Eagle Order. In December 1999, he was posthumously awarded the title of National Hero and Homeland Order of Armenia. He began his political career in 1999 as a leader of the Republican Party and later as co-chairman of the Unity alliance of political parties. In June 1999, he became Armenias Premier, and a couple of months later, on 27 October, he was killed during the terrorist act that took place in the sessions hall of the National Assembly. Upon the decision of the Premier of the Republic of Armenia, an anniversary commission, led by Nikol Pashinyan, has been set up to mark the 60th birthday of National Hero of the Republic of Armenia, hero of Artsakh Vazgen Sargsyan. To solemnly mark the 60th birthday of Sparapet Vazgen Sargsyan, the government has allocated about AMD 13 million from the reserve fund to the Ministry of Defense. I would like to highlight three aspects of the processes underway in Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday stated about the abovementioned while responding to the queries posed by those in attendance, after his address at the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, in Brussels. First of all, we need to create strong democratic institutions, he continued. Of course, we must continue to improve the electoral system, so we need to cooperate efficiently with the European Union. We see that our European partners are prepared to support us. I would like to assure that we are firmly determined to fully implement the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, since we are convinced that it fully complies with our overall policy agenda and priorities. As to the fight against corruption, I should note that it is extremely important for us to establish the rule of law in the country. Several criminal cases have been filed against former officials. The exposure of corrupt behavior will continue. It is up to courts to decide the fate of those criminal cases, and in this regard, it is extremely important to ensure the independence of the courts. From the very beginning, our government endeavored to put an end to the vicious practice of influencing court decisions. But I am not sure that the former authorities, or if you want the oligarchy no longer make use of their leverages and tools to influence the courts. Nevertheless, we are not going to interfere with court dealings in any way: our goal is to make the judiciary truly independent. The funds looted from the state should be returned, and we hope that we will succeed in building effective cooperation with the European Union to achieve that goal. It is extremely important for us that the OSCE has promised to assist the Armenian government in returning public funds to the state budget. A key feature of our ideology is to encourage people to take concrete steps in order to shape their own future. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday noted about the above-said while responding to the queries posed by those in attendance, after his address at the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, in Brussels. After the political revolution, we kept urging our citizens to more actively engage in economic activity, he said. Before the revolution, we had monopolies and oligarchy that restricted the economic opportunities in our country. Now we are opening the field, creating equal conditions for all players. What matters most is that we are also reforming our regulatory framework in favor of small and medium businesses. And we will try to create a new field of economic activitythe micro businesswhere people might be free from tax burden. We are also going to make legislative amendments to improve the investment climate. We will develop infrastructures, and here we will need technical and financial support from the European Union [(EU)]. Again, I find it important to stress that we should continue to build stronger democratic institutions in Armenia. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that democracy and the rule of law are irreversible in Armenia, and the former corrupt system has no chance of return in our country. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who resigned last week, did not know about the visit of Syrian President Bashar Assad to Tehran, said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi. President Hassan Rouhani rejected Zarifs resignation last Wednesday, Reuters reported. The ministry of foreign affairs did not have information at any level (about the trip) and this lack of information was maintained until the end of the trip, Qassemi said. One of the reasons for the resignation of Dr. Zarif was this type of lack of coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs. And as it has been announced before, the resignation of the honorable minister was not a private and individual issue and the goal and intent of that was a positive effort to return the ministry of foreign affairs and the diplomatic system of the country to its main place. Dang police arrest three leaders of Chand outfit for extortion Police on Tuesday arrested three district leaders of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal from Tulsipur in Dang district. Servicemen of Meghris border guard detachment and employees of the Division for Fight against Smuggling of Narcotics of the Customs Service of the State Revenue Committee in Syunik Province have jointly arrested an offender who had secretly tried to smuggle narcotics through the Armenian-Iranian border. The press service of the Border Guard Department of the Federal Security Service of Russia reports that on 5 March, law-enforcement authorities detected 3 citizens of the Republic of Armenia at the Agarak checkpoint (Syunik Province) of the Republic of Armenia who had traveled from Iran via a passenger car. During inspection, one of the passengers had 2 (two) packages of a gray substance (probably methamphetamine) with a total weight of 190 grams. Currently, the competent authorities are conducting necessary preliminary investigation measures to clarify all the circumstances behind the incident, and the substance has been sent for expert examination. YEREVAN. Diplomatic representations of the Republic of Armenia (RA) should have been much more active in the matter of the ratification of the Armenia-European Union Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Naira Zohrabyan, chairperson of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia, on Tuesday told about the aforementioned to reporters in parliament. She noted this while reflecting on the remarks that the CEPA ratification process has slowed down. There are European Parliament elections in May, Zohrabyan noted. Its clear that the European countries that have not yet ratified the agreement will not leave the elections behind and think about ratification of the RA-EU agreement. The MP expressed a conviction, however, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia should have been a little more active and proactive. I hope they [Armenias new ambassadors] will not continue the tradition of the predecessors when the ambassadors were not engaged in representing and protecting the interests of the RA, but in protecting their own business interests, Naira Zohrabyan concluded. The Armenia-European Union Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement was signed on November 24, 2017 in Brussels. At present, ten European countries have ratified this document. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has expressed concern over the unhealthy situation at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), including with respect to the appointment of the next secretary general of this organization. Lukashenko made the respective statement at Tuesdays session to discuss integration projects and cooperation with European organizations. In view of the global developments, the importance of this organization [the CSTO] is of no doubt, the Belarusian president said, BelTA reported. But now the organization is caught in some unhealthy situation. Take, for example, the routine issue of appointment of the secretary general. He added that politico-military cooperation within the framework of the CSTO was important to Belarus. Today this is the most important area where we should focus our efforts because of the politico-military trends in the world, Lukashenko said. State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, Stanislav Zas, has been proposed as candidate for the post of next CSTO Secretary General. The Belarusian candidature is approved by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Russia. But difficulties in the matter remain with Armenia, which withdrew its representative Yuri Khatchaturov from this post ahead of time and insists on appointing its own candidate to this post until 2020, when the countrys term in this office formally comes to an end. Nothing can be concealed since there are trials, as well as oversight of preliminary investigation bodies over those trials. This is what Armenias Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan told journalists at Yerablour Military Pantheon on 5 March as he touched upon NEWS.ams question on why the Ministry of Defense had, in the course of this year, concealed the deaths of 4 servicemen, the names of which were published in the presses. Who says the names were concealed? There are simply incidents that are directly linked to the adversary and to military service. The Ministry of Defense always announces about the death of a serviceman, even if he wasnt shot, the Minister highlighted. What is noteworthy is the fact that, in this regard, Spokesman of the Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan has stated that the Ministry has not reported on the incidents not linked to military service, but the information has been reported in this or that way and the Ministry has confirmed it. Earlier, NEWS.am had reported that, according to Tert.am, servicemen had died in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and in the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh in the course of nearly two months, yet the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Army had not reported any information about that. The Prosecutor Generals Office has informed Tert.am that, in the mentioned period, 3 deaths linked to military service were recorded in the Armed Forces and the Defense Army, and 4 deaths were recorded in circumstances not linked to military service. YEREVAN. If the adversary constantly says, We are about to attack, we are about to war, we are about to free our territories, what should the defense minister do? The minister raises the moral and psychological state of the society and the armed forces. The Minister of Defense of Armenia, Davit Tonoyan, on Tuesday told the aforesaid to reporters at Yerablur Military Pantheon in capital city Yerevan. A lot of information that comes from our adversary [Azerbaijan] is downloaded in the media outlets of Armenia, Tonoyan added. We are working so that psychology changes among the public. And as long as the [Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict] negotiation process is not over, [we] always have to be ready for war. YEREVAN. Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan ruled out that the matter with respect to the next Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) can be resolved without Armenias consent. Tonoyan on Tuesday was asked by reporters at Yerablur Military Pantheon in capital city Yerevan whether he considered possible that the next CSTO chief could to be appointed without the consent of Armenia. I rule out that possibility, Tonoyan said. Its the appointment of the [CSTO] Secretary General. Its not a matter of making a decision at the tactical, or the operative tactical chain. This is a matter of the election of the Secretary General of the strategic alliance. How can a secretary general be elected without one member of the alliance? The [CSTO] regulation doesnt permit such a thing. The regulation permits something else, but not in connection with the election of the Secretary General. And when asked what Armenias position on this matter was, the defense minister responded as follows: At this moment, the MFA is carrying out relevant work at the CSTO, the CSTO Secretariat is carrying out relevant work, [and] the Defense Ministry has expressed its view. The office of the CSTO Secretary General has remained vacant ever since the year past, when Armenias representative Yuri Khachaturov was dismissed from this position due to criminal proceedings against him in Armenia. CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov has been appointed Acting Secretary General of this organization. Armenia argues that another of its representative must assume the CSTO Secretary Generals post until 2020, when the countrys term in this office formally comes to an end. But as Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev had earlier stated, during the CSTO leaders summit that was convened last November in the Kazakh capital city of Astana, it was decided that Belarus representativestate secretary Stanislav Zas of the Security Council of Belarusshall be appointed as the next Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Shock, anger and calls for investigation in the UK and the US after reports on World Wide Fund for Nature British and American lawmakers have demanded an investigation into the governments funding of the World Wide Fund for Nature, a day after the Post and BuzzFeed News published reports on how the global charity has been actively supporting paramilitary forces accused of abusing, torturing and murdering scores of people in national parks across Asia and Africa. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will address the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during the spring session. According to PACE website, the Assembly will hold its spring session in Strasbourg on 8 to 12 April 2019, with addresses expected by the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Georgia. There will be a joint debate on strengthening co-operation with the UN and implementation of the sustainable development goals, with the possible participation of the UN Secretary-General. The Assembly will hold a joint debate on stopping hate speech and acts of hatred in sport, as well as the role of political leaders in combating hate speech. Other topics to be discussed include promoting parliaments free of sexism and sexual harassment, the implications for human rights of social media, and a report on balancing the rights of parents, donors and children during the anonymous donation of sperm and oocytes. The Assembly will also look at so-called laundromats and new challenges in combating organised crime and money-laundering, and will discuss its view on the creation of a new EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights will present her annual activity report for 2018 and take questions, while there will be the usual exchange of views with the current head of the Council of Europes ministerial body, Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister Timo Soini, and question time with Secretary General Thorbjrn Jagland. The OSCE Minsk Group is the only format of negotiations that is acceptable for all parties to the conflict. This is what OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Slovakias Minister of Foreign Affairs Miroslav Lajcak declared during a press conference in Baku, reported haqqin.az. Any change of this format must be agreed with the opposite party, Lajcak said. Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has blamed Armenia, stating that the latest statements of Armenias leadership are not targeted at peace. For instance, the latest statement of the Director of the National Security Service. I have had a talk with the Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group about that today, Mammadyarov said. Many issues, from democratic transformation in Armenia to regional and international developments were discussed by the EU Council President Donald Tusk and Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan during their meeting in Brussels, Pashinyan said in a statement for media. During the meeting, we were glad to highlight existing high level of political dialogue and cooperation between EU and Armenia, Pashinyan said. He stressed Armenias determination to enhance partnership with Brussels, and added that the parliamentary elections were also touched upon during the meeting. We appreciate assistance of the European Union for the successful organization of electoral processes. Political changes as well as democratic election brought EU and Armenia even closer in terms of shared values, Pashinyan emphasized. He appreciated technical and financial support of the EU to the Armenian governments reform agenda, which envisages fight against corruption, protection of human rights and consolidation of the rule of law. We touched upon CEPA which is an important instrument for enhancing bilateral relations. We agreed that early ratification of the agreement is essential, Armenian PM added. In addition, visa liberalization process was touched upon, Pashinyan said, adding that the citizens of Armenia are looking forward to freely traveling to the EU in the near future. We hope the political decision will be taken shortly, he said. As to the regional changeless, Pashinyan said Armenia appreciates EUs continued balanced position on Karabakh, and its support for the OSCE Minsk Group efforts. Armenia is committed to exclusively peaceful solution, he added. Armenian government's focus on values and values-based reforms is deeply appreciated in Europe, President of the European Council Donald Tusk said in his statement after meeting Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan I admire your resolve to bring about democratic reforms and economic development, which will benefit all Armenians, he said. The EU will continue to support Armenia's journey towards becoming a consolidated democracy and creating a better economic future for its citizens, Tusk said. We are determined to make the promise of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement a reality, with real benefits for both Armenia and the EU. The vast bulk of the agreement is already provisionally applied and has a real impact. The EU is Armenia's biggest export partner with over 28% of Armenian exports. The implementation of this agreement goes hand in hand with domestic reforms. The EU is ready to further support your reform process with enhanced technical and financial assistance. We agree with your strong emphasis on the fight against corruption and the rule of law reform. Today, we also discussed the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As you know, the EU fully supports the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and their proposals. I am encouraged by the recent contacts between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and welcome the current decrease in tension. The EU continues to believe that the status quo is unsustainable; the conflict does not have a military solution and needs an early political settlement in accordance with international law. Preparing the respective populations for peace is an important step towards settlement, which we are ready to support. I also thanked the Prime Minister for the valuable contribution Armenia makes to the Eastern Partnership. This partnership celebrates 10 years in May. We have agreed to meet again to take stock of the progress the Eastern Partnership has made over the past decade and to look ahead on the occasion of the anniversary celebrations in May here in Brussels. So, I look forward to seeing you back in only two months, he said. YEREVAN. When organizing any elections in Armenia, their results have never been known beforehand. Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Tigran Mukuchyan, on Tuesday stated the aforementioned at the National Assembly. He noted this as he presented the CEC activity report on the snap parliamentary election that was conducted on December 9 of the year past. In Mukuchyans words, the results of any election are materialized by way of voters casting ballots, and they become apparent immediately after these elections. Also, he noted that the CEC has endeavored to strictly follow the Electoral Code requirements during all nationwide elections in Armenia, ever since 2012. Since 2012, no incident occurred so that anyone attempt to remove ballots from ballot boxes and present another picture, to record other voting results on the records, he assured. Tigran Mukuchyan added that ever since 2012, no pressure that could affect the results of elections in Armenia could have been put on the expression of voters will. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with EU officials during his visit to Brussels. The first meeting was with European Council President Donald Tusk. They discussed EU-Armenia relations, visa liberalization, implementation of CEPA, as well as the Karabakh conflict. Pashinyan said he appreciates technical and financial support of the EU to the Armenian governments reform agenda, which envisages fight against corruption, protection of human rights and consolidation of the rule of law. Donald Tusk, in turn, assured that EU will continue to support Armenia's journey towards becoming a consolidated democracy and creating a better economic future for its citizens. Armenian PM is also expected to meet with the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and will meet with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. March 5th marks the birthday of National Hero of Armenia and Artsakh Vazgen Sargsyan. Today his friends-in-combat, public and political figures and average citizens came to honor his memory at Yerablur Military Pantheon. Another ceremony was held in Artsakh where the local officails, as well as the third president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, were present. Israeli citizen Mari Agajanian, who was supposed to enter prison in November 2017 for 26 months after she was convicted of defrauding new immigrants in difficult financial circumstances, was arrested in Armenia. The woman was arrested in Armenia in an Interpol operation conducted at the request of the Israeli authorities. Not only did Agajanian escape from Israel without the authorities notice; she returned at one point to visit her parents and left, again without anyone stopping her. The situation over the appointment of a new Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is yet unclear. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has expressed concern over the unhealthy situation at the CSTO, including with respect to the appointment of the next secretary general of this organization. In view of the global developments, the importance of this organization [the CSTO] is of no doubt, the Belarusian president said, BelTA reported. But now the organization is caught in some unhealthy situation. Take, for example, the routine issue of appointment of the secretary general. Meanwhile, Armenia's Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan ruled out that the matter with respect to the next CSTO Secretary General can be resolved without Armenias consent. At this moment, the MFA is carrying out relevant work at the CSTO, the CSTO Secretariat is carrying out relevant work, [and] the Defense Ministry has expressed its view, he said. Relations with the EU are one of the priorities of Armenias foreign policy. The European Union is a reliable partner for Yerevan, the continuous development of cooperation with which is especially important today in the context of the democratic reforms taking place in our country, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during the meetng with European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday. Armenia is ready to work on enriching the cooperation with the EU and EU member states with new ideas and initiatives, said Nikol Pashinyan. The head of Armenian government stated that there will be no deviation from the democratic agenda declared by the Armenian authorities and the EU assistance is very important for Armenia, particularly in areas such as reforms in justice system and police, and development of economic infrastructure. Pashinyan also touched on the visa liberalization between Armenia and European Union, noting that it would become another impetus for advancing the Armenia-EU cooperation. STEPANAKERTA.- Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan sent on Tuesday a condolence letter to the family of author and screenwriter Kim Bakshi, the Artsakh Presidential Office reported. The letter runs as follows: Artsakh grieves the passing of Kim Bakshi, renowned author and screenwriter. A man of great service, a true friend of the Armenian people and great admirer of the Armenian culture and history, Kim Bakshi had a significant contribution in developing and enhancing the Russian-Armenian friendly relations. He showed particular sensitivity to Artsakh with deep feelings of friendship and respect. He is the author of a number of remarkable works and pieces on the Artsakh history and culture, worked tirelessly to raise awareness about our country around the world. The Artsakh Republic acknowledged Kim Bakshis activity, awarding him with the Gratitude medal. At this time of grievous loss I would like to extend my deep condolences and those of the Artsakh people and the authorities to the family and all the friends of late Kim Bakshi. The legacy of this honest man of great morale, who enjoyed the well-deserved respect and love of all those who he spoke a word and worked with, will forever be cherished in our hearts. Six foreign firms bid for transmission line project Six international companies have shown interest in executing a component of the Tamakoshi-Kathmandu Transmission Line Project being developed by the Nepal Electricity Authority. Azerbaijan is trying to bring back its criminals Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilham Askerov through its actions. This is what secretary of the Prosperous Armenia Partys faction Arman Abovyan said in his speech at the National Assembly on 5 March. Abovyan talked about citizen of the Republic of Armenia Karen Ghazaryan, who was taken captive by the Azerbaijani army and recently sentenced to 20 years in prison by an Azerbaijani court under a phony charge. According to Abovyan, Bakus actions will lead to heroification of similar crimes, and Armenia must not let that happen by any means. The Armenian authorities know and realize this, and it is clear that Azerbaijan will try to everything it can to give birth to two people like Ramil Safarov once more in the political sense, the political figure emphasized. A 104-year-old Milwaukee photographer who survived the Armenian genocide, shot photos of President Franklin Roosevelt and saw Babe Ruth play at Yankee Stadium has died, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. B. Artin Haig died of natural causes at St. John's on the Lake where he lived. Haig would have turned 105 in August. Born Haig Artin Kojababian in Armenia in 1914, less than a week after the start of World War I, he was orphaned at the age of 4 or 5. He saw his mother dragged away by Turkish soldiers; his father, a math professor, disappeared. His family was wealthy and among the ruling class in their Armenian village of Hadjin. He fled Armenia and lived with an uncle in Constantinople, then moved to Marseilles, France, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, before immigrating to New York when he was around 10 years old. There, a distant cousin owned a photography studio at West 46th Street and Broadway Times Square. Haig wanted to photograph pretty girls and he asked his cousin, who took pictures for theater producer Flo Ziegfeld, what he needed to do to become a professional photographer. Haig moved to Washington, D.C., and worked for Underwood & Underwood, a news photography company that had studios at hotels where brides would come to get their photos taken. At that time, Haig recalled, brides would arrange for photos to be taken by two or three photographers free of charge before choosing their favorite to hire. Between 1 January and 20 February 2019, 4 deaths of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Armenia and the Defense Army of Artsakh (not linked to military service) were recorded, including 2 deaths caused by illnesses and 2 deaths caused by car accidents. This is what Advisor to Armenias Prosecutor General Gor Abrahamyan posted on his Facebook page. An attempt is being made to present the deaths not linked to military service, presented in the information that the Prosecutor Generals Office of the Republic of Armenia provided in response to Tert.ams inquiry in regard to the deaths recorded in the period between 1 January and 20 February in the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, as intentionally concealed deaths through the manipulative effect. Since this concerns a moral and delicate issue such as the death of a person and particularly a person in military service on the one hand and the extremely major factor of public confidence in the armed forces, I am compelled to announce the major circumstances behind the deaths not linked to military service in order to prevent subsequent artificial speculations. I leave it up to readers rational and reasonable judgment to determine the extent to which those cases are linked to military service and on-duty service, the extent to which the people who, unfortunately, died as a result of those incidents, be viewed as victims, and the extent to which concealing those incidents could make any sense in general. In the period between 1 January and 20 February 2019, there were 4 deaths not linked to military service recorded by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh. Two of the deaths were linked to illnesses, and another two were linked to car accidents. In particular: 1. G. G. Chobanyan, contractual sergeant, got into a car accident and died during a shift service at 21:30 in the 141st km section of the Yerevan-Noyemberyan road on 1 January 2019 2. S. G. Gevorgyan, subaltern, on 6 January 2019, he checked into the hospital of the city of Martakert and was diagnosed with hypertensive crisis, ischemic disease and an ulcer. At around 11:50, his biological death was recorded. 3. Kh. S. Gevorgyan, contractual private, on 13 January 2019 at around 22:00, he clashed with a truck of a citizen of Iran with his car on the 374th section of the Yerevan-Meghri road and died on the spot. 4. K. T. Lalayan, Lieutenant, on 24 January 2019 at around 23:15, his biological death was recorded in the ambulance truck, he was diagnosed with cancer. As a matter of fact, there are groundless speculations that the number of deaths in the armed forces has increased compared with the previous year. I deem it necessary to inform that whereas a total of 7 deaths were recorded in the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh in the period between 1 January and 20 February 2019 (3 deaths linked to military service, 4 not linked to military service), in the same period of 2018, a total of 11 cases were recorded, of which 6 were linked to military service and 5 were not linked to military service, wrote the Advisor to the Prosecutor General. Belarus continues working to address the situation with the appointment of secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). This is what Deputy Premier of Belarus Igor Petrishenko told journalists after a consultation with the head of state, reports BELTA. We discussed the issue. A number of instructions were given during the meeting. We will continue working on the matter so that our military political organization could get a legitimately appointed secretary general, Igor Petrishenko said. During the consultation, Alexander Lukashenko described the situation with the appointment of the CSTO secretary general as unhealthy and urged to resolve it as soon as possible. There are a number of other issues on the agenda of the organization. As was reported, State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Stanislav Zas had been proposed as candidate for the post of the CSTO secretary general. The Belarusian candidature was already approved by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Russia. Difficulties in the matter remain with Armenia that withdrew its representative Yuri Khatchaturov from the post ahead of time and insists on appointing its candidate. Missing, captured soldiers families spend night at Armenia legislature entrance Karabakh President stresses role of Russia peacekeeping mission Newspaper: Who is accountable for Armenia losing at International Court of Justice? Armenia PM sending delegation to Paris Police bring in forces near Armenia parliament building Newspaper: Armenia ruling partys plan works against it in local elections OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries FMs issue statement on Karabakh conflict Putin, Biden task to continue Russia-US dialogue on Ukraine NEWS.am daily digest: 07.12.21 Kazakhstan First President notes Russias role in resolving Karabakh conflict Armenia opposition MP: We are launching legal process of National Assembly speaker's resignation Fight occurs in Armenia legislature Armenia legislature deputy speaker from opposition: We are at preparatory phase for rallies Armenia parliament speaker claims video with his remarks on captive Armenian soldiers was edited MFA: Armenia urges Azerbaijan to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions Legislature speaker: Criminal case will be launched against Armenian soldiers who laid down their weapons, surrendered 4 more die of coronavirus in Artsakh Dejavu: Parliament speaker says Armenian captive soldiers no longer exist for him National Assembly holding urgent discussion on Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan Armenia legislature majority blocks opposition draft statement on border delimitation Armenia ex-defense minister on border delimitation: Authorities say 'we negotiate whatever we want' US embassy of Armenia on local elections: We note reports of pressure against opposition candidates Ombudsman in Paris, briefs France colleague on Armenian captives in, war crimes of Azerbaijan Opposition Armenia Faction plans to launch urgent parliamentary debates on POWs in Azerbaijan Karabakh President pays tribute to 1988 Spitak earthquake victims Pentagon discusses situation on Russia-Ukraine border 240 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia US Air Force plans to develop 2 new secret combat drones Wreath laid in Gyumri on behalf of Armenia ex-President Kocharyan Ombudsman provides details from Azerbaijan shooting at Karmir Shuka village of Artsakh Armenia parliament session kicks off with minute of silence Newspaper: As always Armenia citizens chose individuals over ideas in elections Armenia remembers victims of 1988 earthquake Newspaper: Armenia gets more than $11M from international organizations, several countries for Covid prevention Seven die in Zanzibar after eating exotic food Turkey and Qatar discuss possibility of joint operation of airport in Afghanistan Development of warm relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran is one of UAE priorities Israel tries to convince US to strike Iranian targets Bayramov and US Assistant Secretary of State discuss normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan NEWS.am daily digest: 06.12.21 Armenia legislature majority to block opposition draft statement on border delimitation Vahe Hakobyan underscores effective cooperation with UNDP Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia project Armenia prosecutor's office files lawsuit demanding confiscation of ex-Police chief, his familys illegal property One dollar passes AMD 491 threshold in Armenia Armenia parliament to set up friendship group with Montenegro India-Eurasian Union free trade zone talks to begin early 2022 Armenia Supreme Judicial Council members receive ECHR judgments execution department delegation Armenia President, UK envoy discuss regional security Armenia premier chairs Security Council meeting Man found dead in downtown Yerevan near garbage cans Opposition Armenia Faction MP: Premier Pashinyan gave best assessment of local elections Armenia opposition lawmaker on local election results: Authorities rigged, pressured but still did not win Kopirkin: Russian-Armenian Center for Humanitarian Response has highly qualified specialists Russia official: 1988 Armenia earthquakes tragic experience gave impetus to creation of effective warning system Opposition MP: Nothing officially announced in Armenia about negotiations over return of 10 POWs Young Russia air force crew kicks off night flights over Armenia mountains 2 people killed in single-engine plane crash in Canada 95 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Yerevan hosting international conference with participation of Armenia, Russia emergency ministries representatives World oil prices on the rise Friend of Armenian people, former US Senator, presidential candidate Bob Dole dies aged 98 PM: Practice of election-rigging undermined state resistance system emerging in early 1990s in Armenia World gold prices going down Armenia local elections: Ruling party loses by more than 13.5% in Vanadzor Artsakh soldier, 19, dies from gunshot wound Armenia local elections: Ruling party suffers crushing defeat in Aparan Armenia local elections: Lack of alternative, record low voter turnout ensure ruling partys win in Armavir Armenia local elections: PAP beats ruling party in Abovyan Armenia local elections: Bloc named after incumbent mayor wins in Sevan The body of a young man found under a bridge in Yerevan UAE National Security Advisor to visit Iran Artsakh registered 31 new coronavirus cases Voter turnout in local elections in Armenia 3 hours before the end of voting was 33.8% Naftali Bennett calls on world powers to take a tough stance on Iran COVID-19 in Armenia: 327 new cases OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs regret that it was not possible to hold a joint meeting of Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs Aravot: Special police forces are in Aparan Head of Ayntap village of Ararat province and his brother apprehended 10 Armenian captives are returned from Azerbaijan Azerbaijan transfers 10 soldiers to Armenia, media report Armenia PM attends meeting of Consultative Assembly on Cooperation with Extra-Parliamentary Political Forces Armenia FM meets with OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Identity of Azerbaijani who killed Artsakh resident is known Turkey intelligence took part in 2020 war against Karabakh, says Turkish vice president Baku explains why it declined from Stockholm meeting of Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs FM: Any status within Azerbaijan is unacceptable for Artsakh people, authorities Opportunities for expanding Armenia-Belarus cooperation in high tech are discussed Quake hits Armenia-Georgia border zone Russia peacekeepers in Karabakh ensure safety during replanting of vineyards Biden says hopes to have long discussion with Putin 54 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh 419 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Blinken: NATO does not seek aggression against Russia MFA spokesman: Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs did not meet in Stockholm WHO: Omicron variant could worsen situation in Europe Newspaper: Opportunity created for change of power in Armenia Newspaper: Matter of changing Armenias external vector becoming reality? Psaki: US, Russia considering possibility of Biden-Putin meeting Armenian FM meets with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Putin and Erdogan discuss Azerbaijan, Armenia, Syria, Libya, and Ukraine Still work to be done The Prime Minister Employment Programme is welcome, but implementation and monitoring mechanism will be key President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak. The President of Azerbaijan noted that the visit of Lajcak is a great opportunity to discuss the situation in the region, the Karabakh conflict settlement and other issues. Azerbaijani is the most interested side in a peaceful settlement of the conflict, Aliyev stressed. Pointing out that a certain dynamics is observed in the negotiation process, as four meetings were held at the level of foreign ministers and three conversations were held between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Aliyev noted that the Armenian side does not have any serious intentions to conduct substantive negotiations, and Armenia is trying to disrupt the negotiation process, Trend reported. In turn, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office stressed that conflict prevention and mediation are among the important priorities, and they intend to contribute to the negotiation process to resolve the Karabakh conflict. The upcoming meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will be devoted to discussions on the format of negotiations. This is what Premier Nikol Pashinyan said during a joint press conference with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. One of the journalists particularly asked if there were new emphases of the meetings with Aliyev that Pashinyan could announce. You know, our contacts have been non-official, and in essence, we havent talked about the ways and delicacies of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at all. Therefore, there is a small misunderstanding in your question on whether there is anything to add. We have yet to start our discussions. As I already said in Tehran, our upcoming meeting will be devoted to the discussions on the format of negotiations because we believe, and our position has remained unchanged, that an effective resolution of the issue will first and foremost require the creation of an effective format that will be aimed at ensuring Nagorno-Karabakhs participation in the negotiations, Pashinyan said. Story Highlights Trump's handling of economy (56%) and unemployment (54%) rank highest 43% overall job approval rating remains higher than January readings Handling Russia, race relations, government corruption, Syria rank lowest WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Donald Trump's rating for handling the economy, 56%, is the highest of his presidency and the highest of his approval ratings on any of 14 domestic and foreign issues tested in the latest Gallup poll. Americans' approval of his handling of unemployment is nearly as high, at 54%. At the same time, his overall 43% job approval rating is essentially unchanged since earlier in February but appears to be stabilizing at a higher level than it had been in late 2018 and early 2019. Still, his overall approval rating is likely dragged down by some of the issues that garner his lowest ratings -- relations with Russia (39%), race relations (38%), corruption in government (37%) and the situation in Syria (35%). Americans' Approval Ratings of President Trump Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling -- ? Approve Disapprove % % His job as president 43 54 The economy 56 43 Unemployment 54 42 The situation with North Korea 51 45 National defense 50 47 Relations with China 47 48 Foreign trade 45 50 Taxes 45 52 Immigration 42 57 Foreign affairs 42 56 The federal budget 42 55 Relations with Russia 39 58 Race relations 38 59 Corruption in government 37 60 The situation in Syria 35 55 GALLUP, Feb. 12-28, 2019 The poll, conducted Feb. 12-28, found Trump's only other approval rating above the 50% mark was his handling of the situation with North Korea. This 51% approval rating is up five percentage points since August and is the highest Trump has received on the issue during his presidency. Most interviews in the poll were conducted during the runup to his second denuclearization summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un on Feb. 27 and 28, which ended abruptly when the two could not reach a deal. Other Gallup polling earlier in February found that Americans' perceptions of North Korea as the greatest enemy of the U.S. had plummeted in the past year. As the summit with North Korea was taking place, Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified publicly in a congressional hearing which Trump has blamed, at least in part, for the failed denuclearization agreement. Cohen alleged that the president is a "con man" and a "racist" and shed doubt upon his campaign's relationship with Russia -- issues on which Trump earns his lowest approval ratings. The president's approval ratings on a range of other issues are at or below 50%. These include national defense, relations with China, foreign trade, taxes, immigration, foreign affairs and the federal budget. Sharp Partisan Differences in Views of Trump Americans' views of Trump remain sharply polarized along partisan lines. Nine in 10 Republicans approve of the president's job overall and about as many or more approve of his handling the economy, national defense, unemployment, immigration, foreign affairs, the North Korean situation, relations with China and foreign trade. Republicans' dimmest assessment of the president is for his handling of the Syria situation -- 71% approve, 18% disapprove and 12% have no opinion. Republican lawmakers have roundly criticized Trump's decisions about U.S. involvement in Syria since his announcement in December that he would abruptly withdraw all troops from the country. The Republican backlash and pleas from U.S. allies have slowed down that process, but last week Trump declared that all of the ISIS-controlled territory in Syria had been conquered, a claim disputed by many. For their part, Democrats' approval of Trump's overall job is 6%, and their approval of his handling all 14 issues measured ranges from 5% to 21%. Democrats' highest approval ratings are 21% for unemployment, 20% for the economy and 17% for the situation with North Korea. Democrats give Trump his lowest ratings for handling relations with Russia, race relations, government corruption and foreign affairs, all garnering no more than 8% approval from Democrats. Partisans' Approval Ratings of President Trump Republicans Independents Democrats % % % Overall job 90 35 6 The economy 93 53 20 National defense 91 48 14 Unemployment 90 56 21 Immigration 89 32 10 Foreign affairs 88 31 8 The situation with North Korea 88 46 17 Relations with China 88 42 14 Foreign trade 87 41 9 Taxes 86 43 10 The federal budget 82 35 9 Race relations 81 30 6 Relations with Russia 80 31 5 Corruption in government 79 27 7 The situation in Syria 71 29 9 GALLUP, Feb. 12-28, 2019 Independents' overall job approval rating of Trump is 35%, and their approval of him on the issues tested ranges from 27% for his handling of government corruption to 56% for unemployment. Trump's Approval for the Economy Is Highest Yet Americans' assessments of the national economy have been mostly positive since Trump took office and his handling of it has been a relative strength for his public image. With the unemployment rate at 4% in January and the stock market performing better than it had been in December and January, Americans' approval of Trump's handling of the economy rose four points since early February. Gallup has asked Americans to assess presidents' handling of the economy with some regularity beginning with Reagan's presidency. Clinton had the record-high economic approval rating of 81% in 1999. The elder Bush had the record-low of 17% in 1992. The average rating is 43%, below both of Trump's February readings. In fact, Trump's approval on the economy has not fallen below 45% throughout his presidency. Bottom Line The president's greatest strength in the views of Americans remains his handling of the economy, although his overall approval rating lags far behind it. Americans' ratings of his handling of the economy and unemployment outpace 12 other issues tested in the latest Gallup poll, and at 56%, his rating on the economy is the highest of his presidency, up four percentage points from earlier this month. Trump also enjoyed increased approval on the situation with North Korea in the latest poll, but the poll concluded just as the denuclearization talks ended without a signed agreement, and it is unclear what effect that will have on public evaluations in the coming weeks. Explore President Trump's approval ratings and compare them with those of past presidents in the Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center. View complete question responses and trends. Three years had passed since the group of interstellar explorers journeyed thousands of light years to Omicron Ceti 3 in the far reaches of the Milky Way, hoping to establish a colony there. Had they perished? Or did they find a way to protect themselves from the deadly form of radiation called Berthold rays that was bombarding the planet? No one knew. So on stardate 3417.4, Captain James T. Kirk and five crewmembers of the starship Enterprise beamed down to the planet surface to find out. Their discovery: The colonists were not only alive but thriving. Spores from Omicron Ceti 3s plant life had protected them from the lethal Berthold rays. Science fiction? Of course. From an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, to be precise. Professor Victoria Coverstone looks an artists rendering of a human colony on Mars with Luis Rodriguez, a postdoctoral student in mechanical and aerospace engineering, who has been running computer simulation programs on the Red Planets radiation levels. Photo: Evan F. Garcia/University of Miami But for University of Miami researcher and diehard Trekkie Victoria Coverstone, the challenge of protecting future colonists from dangerous levels of radiation on Mars couldnt be more real. It is problem that requires a much more sophisticated solution than make-believe plant spores. The answer, says Coverstone, lies in what is left of Marss original magnetic field. Like Earth does now, the Red Planet once had a strong magnetic field that protected it from the full brunt of solar and cosmic radiation. But about four billion years ago, Mars lost its magnetic field when its iron core cooled, and solar winds have been stripping away the Martian atmosphere ever since, explained Coverstone, professor and chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering. Traces of the Red Planets magnetic field remain, however. By using loops made of superconductors (metals that allow electrical current to flow unimpeded if cooled below a certain temperature), Coverstone hopes to enhance those remnants to generate a localized magnetic field on Mars equivalent to that of Earths. For now, she is using computer simulations to test her theory. But eventually, she would like to test a small version of her magnetic shield under a proton therapy or electron machine. The radiation shields would be a modular design that would be a part of the spaceship during the cruise phase and should be able to be easily removed and placed accordingly by humans or autonomous robots, said Coverstone. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an arm of the U.S. Department of Defense, her project is a prelude to a manned mission to Mars, a voyage that, when ultimately undertaken, will be fraught with all sorts of risksradiation exposure being one of the biggest. A two-year roundtrip missionNASA envisions six months flight time each way, plus about a year on the surfacewould expose astronauts to radiation levels far above the space agencys current guidelines. A manned mission to Mars is already in the works at NASA, where astronauts and engineers have been conducting tests on models of the Orion spacecraft, built to take humans to Mars. Once there, they will need protection from harmful radiation, which is where professor Victoria Coverstones research on localized magnetic shield generation comes in. Photo: NASA So far, only NASA rovers have explored the Martian surface, collecting and sending back to Earth crucial data that is being used to help make a manned mission possible. The car-sized Curiosity, for example, which landed in Marss 96-mile-wide Gale crater in 2012, measured levels of cosmic radiation and solar energetic particles during both its journey to and exploration of the Red Planet. This data is of critical importance for future radiation protection shield designs and simulations, said Coverstone. She has no doubt that humans will eventually reach and colonize the Red Planet, perhaps some time in the 2040s. Its just a matter of time, she said. Im disappointed that were still stuck in low-earth orbit and are still only talking about going to Mars. But it is a hard problem to lick. To do it, knowing that there is a high probability that lives will be lost, takes a lot of planning. Captivated by Star Trek as a little girl, Coverstone dreamed of becoming an astronaut. It was visually stimulating, and the storylines were interesting, she said of the science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, calling it ahead of its time. When Coverstone started applying to colleges, she didnt even know about the field of aerospace engineering. During her first year at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, she took a slew of math courses, thinking she would become an accountant one day. But a canoe trip with a fellow student changed her career path for good. He told me a little bit about the field, and that led me to talk with an advisor. They told me about aerospace engineering, and it was a slam-dunk from there, she recalled. I said to myself, If I have to study, Im going to study so that I can cruise around the galaxy with James T. Kirk. Coverstone eventually applied to become a NASA astronaut, making it to the final cut before being disqualified because of a flaw in her visual depth perception. But she never thinks about what might have been. After all, she figures, she might not ever have become a researcher working on a way to protect astronauts from radiation on Mars. Is the risk involved in going to the Red Planet worth it? Absolutely, Coverstone said emphatically. Why did we go to the North Pole? Why did we go to the South Pole? Why did we climb Mount Everest? Its something in our DNA that forces us to do these extreme things. Its part of the human spirit. 00:17 A political row broke out over alleged data theft of Andhra Pradesh voters by an IT firm in Hyderabad with the ruling Telugu Desam Party on Monday alleging a cyber conspiracy and seeking transfer of the case registered by the Telangana police to the neighbouring state. As Telangana police citing preliminary probe claimed the IT company got 'illegal' access to details of voters, TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged it was part of a conspiracy to help opposition YSR Congress headed by Jaganmohan Reddy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and KCR (Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao were helping Jaganmohan Reddy in executing this 'cyber conspiracy', he alleged in his teleconference with TDP leaders. "It is atrocious to steal our data and give it to our rivals," he said. Naidu alleged, "The Bihari gang led by (political strategist and JD-U leader) Prashant Kishore is giving such evil advise to the YSRC." The YSRC, however, questioned how confidential data related to the state government went into private hands. "Why is Chandrababu so scared of the investigation? The data theft is part of a plan to remove names of those against the government from the electors list," YSRC leader and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Buggana Rajendranath Reddy alleged. The case against the firm was registered on Saturday on a complaint from a data analyst alleging that TDP cadre were using certain mobile phone and tab-based applications especially 'Seva Mitra' app for 'advancing their party's electoral prospects'. It drew protests from Andhra Pradesh ministers and TDP legislators on Sunday with IT Minister N Lokesh in a tweet alleging that Telangana police was harassing the IT firms that have been hired to curate information whose complete rights were held by the TDP. Hitting back, Telangana Rashtra Samiti working president K T Rama Rao on Monday asked why the TDP was afraid of a probe if it had not done anything wrong. Naidu should be 'ashamed of' his party's criticism of the Telangana government, Rao said and dared him to face the probe. "If you have not done the theft, Chandrababu Naidu ji...why should you fear?" he asked. "It is the TDP which committed the wrong. The (AP) government which is supposed to keep personal data a secret, gives that data to a party, how should it be seen," he told reporters in Hyderabad. Rama Rao, son of Telangana CM, also alleged the TDP tried to defame the TRS government on social media through 'a paid campaign'. Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar told reporters in Hyderabad that police have issued a notice to the Amazon Web Services, with which the database was said to have been stored, seeking the data. 'Prima facie, the investigation has revealed' that the company got access of personal information and sensitive dataof individuals related to Aadhaar, electoral roll, government schemes and voters information of various political parties 'which can be misused for illegal purposes like alleged deletion of voters', he said. -- PTI The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] 2019 Math Field Day sets new prizes, events by Tim Crosby CARBONDALE, Ill. New activities will greet young mathematicians from two states who will once again travel to Southern Illinois University Carbondale for day of competitions, comradery and achievement. The annual Math Field Day competition is set for March 19, at the SIU Arena. Organizers expect students from about 40 schools in Illinois and Missouri to attend and compete for scholarships and prizes. A maximum of 36 students, nine per grade from each school, may compete. The event, which includes a comprehensive test designed, presented and scored by faculty in the mathematics degree program, kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs until noon. Organizers will present awards at the arena beginning at 2 p.m. New for 2019! This year, a variety of SIU workshops will be offered for students between 12:30 and 2 p.m. After a pizza lunch, students will participate in two workshops provided by SIU faculty and graduate student at various campus locations. Also new this year, officials will award $75 and $50, respectively, for first- and second-place finishers in each grade level. Teachers program, trophies and ribbons on tap Top-scoring student teams will receive trophies or ribbons in three divisions based on school enrollment size. Students also can win certificates for individual accomplishments in each academic division. SIU will host a program for math teachers during the event, as well. The program is set for 10 a.m. in the Roger & Sally Tedrick Auditorium, Boydston Center Room 189, at the SIU Arena. This years program is a virtual reality workshop presented by Harvey Henson, assistant professor in the curriculum and instruction degree program and interim director of SIUs STEM Education Research Center; Carl Spezia, associate professor of technology; and Valerie Rasp, assistant dear for recruitment and retention. For more information, contact co-chairs Kathy Pericak-Spector, retired professor of mathematics, or Ron Nagrodski, senior lecturer in the mathematics degree program, at 618/453-5302 or mathfd@siu.edu. This government has been ineffective not because of incompetence, but because of its design: CK Lal The Posts Mukul Humagain spoke with CK Lal, a political analyst and columnist, about Olis first year in office and a wide range of issues ranging from his governments performance, foreign policy conduct and Nepals political fault lines. I love this front fender line, says August Achleitner, Porsches vice president of the 911 model line, running his hand over a 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet at the Geneva Motor Show. Its so much more muscular compared to its predecessor. It gives it a really sporty feel. I also love the shape of the headlamp, because its round and pure, more like the 911s of the 70s. The launch of the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet is a bittersweet one for Achleitner, who has been with Porsche for decades, as it will be his last before his retirement. Im so very proud of what we were able to accomplish here, he says gesturing to the handsome cabrio. The vast list of enhancements seems never-ending, though a few facts and figures stick out more than others. Related stories Porsche Made Vinyl Records From Shredding the 919's Le Mans Winning Tires Jerry Seinfeld Sues the Dealer that Sold Him a "Fake" 1958 Porsche Watch a 1967 Jaguar E Type Playfully Drift Around an Ice Track Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet Its wider than before, with comely but sizable hindquarters, giving it a more powerful stance. A lot of the body design is coming from the larger rear wheels, which we now offer up to 21-inches, Achleitner explains. Beyond the rim, the whole wheel is one class bigger, which impacts the shape and the styling of the rear. Theres not a ton of space left around the wheel. Indeed, the hump above the flat-six turbocharged engine is larger than the 991s, but its got a nice flow that makes it cohesive. The 911 Carrera S and the 4S Cabriolet were developed in concert, which meant Porsche is able to offer the aluminum sport chassis for the drop-top for the first time. That chassis sits 20 millimeters lower and weve brought new damper technology, both dramatically help with handling characteristics, he says. The improved dampers can now work in conjunction with the rear wing to impart a more balanced feel when driving. Before, we could only change that relationship in one positionthe wings lowestbut now it can happen in live time, he says. That variability of the rear spoiler is also new. We wouldve had to have changed a lot of mechanical elements to get the same effect before, but now were manipulating it with only software, Achleitner says. Story continues Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet The 3.0-liter engine in the Carrera 4S makes 443 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, an uptick from the prior model by 23 ponies, and the shuffle to 60 sees 0.4 seconds shaved off, dropping to 3.6 seconds, thanks to the all-wheel drive. With the Sport Chrono Package, another 0.2 seconds fade away, leaving you with an impressive 3.4 second sprint. While its 154 pounds heavier than the hardtop, the convertible is a blast to drive. Firing off through the alps with the sport exhaust ringing in your ears, Achleitner smiles. That is driving perfection. Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Trade war tensions took the global markets into a tailspin in 2018. Even in mid-January, the International Monetary Fund reduced its world economic growth forecasts for 2019 and 2020, pointing out weakness in Europe and some emerging markets, as well as trade tensions. All the tariff talk started last March. On Mar 1, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his plan to impose a 25% tariff on steel and a 10% tariff on aluminum imports. Then, the move against China was at fever pitch over the course of the year as both countries imposed tit-for-tat tariffs (read: One Year of Trade Spat: 5 ETF Winners). So far, the United States has imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of imports from China, while Beijing has retaliated with tariffs on $110 billion worth of U.S. goods, per the source. Though things started improving from 2019 with both countries negotiating hard and there are chances that Trump and Chinas president Xi Jinping could strike an official trade deal at a summit around Mar 27 (per the Wall Street Journal report on Sunday), the material impact that the dispute had on global markets in 2018 cannot be overlooked(read: 10 ETF Areas to Gain as Trump Delays Additional Tariffs). Several countries suffered due to these tariff issues, especially China. Against this backdrop, we would like to note the country ETFs that hung in there through the heightened yearlong trade tensions and returned in double digits (per xtf.com). iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF KSA Up 22.5% Saudi Arabia stocks benefited from higher oil prices in a considerable part of 2018. Also, increased spending by the government probably helped in boosting Saudi stocks. Index provider FTSE Russell has included many Saudi stocks on its global equity index this year, a move that is expected to haul in $500 million of inflows. FTSE Russell is also set to include Saudi Arabias stocks on the emerging market index in five phases. Saudi Arabias stock exchange expects passive fund inflows of $15 to $20 billion this year (read: EM Equities ETFs Off to a Great Start in 2019: Here's Why). Story continues iShares MSCI Qatar ETF QAT Up 22.0% Another gulf country Qatar has shown sturdy performances during the past one year. There were increased buying interests from foreign and domestic institutions. There was an increase in foreign ownership limit in some companies, which is deemed to be resulting in such huge interests. Global X MSCI China Energy ETF CHIE Up 13.6% Energy stocks have gained occasionally in the past year. Output cuts by OPEC and Russia for the first six months of the year, U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela, and hopes of U.S.-Sino trade truce that have led to anticipation of higher demand for oil in the worlds second-largest economy boosted oil prices and this energy fund. iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Switzerland ETF HEWL Up 13% The underlying MSCI Switzerland 25/50 100% Hedged to USD Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Zurich Stock Exchange with the currency risk of the securities included on the Underlying Index hedged to the U.S. dollar on a monthly basis. The Swiss economy seems to be better-placed in the European block. After some years of lackluster growth, the Swiss economy grew 2.5% in 2018 thanks to a positive global situation. The growth missed expectations (+2.6%) by a whisker, but came in way sturdier than 2017s growth rate of 1.6%. However, the Swiss government is more skeptical about prospects for this year, and could cut its forecast for 2019 growth. Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report iShares MSCI Qatar ETF (QAT): ETF Research Reports Global X MSCI China Energy ETF (CHIE): ETF Research Reports iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Switzerland ETF (HEWL): ETF Research Reports iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (KSA): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ONEOK (NYSE: OKE) is coming off an excellent year. Not only did the company grow earnings and cash flow by more than 20%, it also secured $5.5 billion of expansions that will drive continued growth over the next few years. The company's management team spent some time on the fourth-quarter conference call outlining what they see ahead. Here are four things they wanted investors to know about the company's future. Pipelines heading into an energy complex. Image source: Getty Images. 1. It expects continued growth in 2019 ONEOK's EBITDA surged 23% last year thanks to higher volumes across all three of its segments. While the company won't grow quite as fast this year, it still sees earnings increasing 6% year over year. CFO Walt Hulse walked through the factors driving the company's continued growth by stating: We expect year-over-year earnings growth in all three of our business segments, with Natural Gas Liquids [NGL] segment expected to be the largest contributor to that growth. We expect key drivers for 2019 to include our recently completed Sterling III and West Texas LPG pipeline expansion projects. We expect the completion of the southern portion of Elk Creek pipeline in the third quarter, additional third-party plant connections in our NGL segment, and increased volumes and a higher-average fee rate in our gathering and processes segments. Overall, the company expects 2019 to be a solid year, as all its segments should benefit from continued production growth in the U.S. 2. It expects growth to reaccelerate in 2020 In addition to providing its guidance for 2019, ONEOK also unveiled a glimpse of what it sees ahead for 2020. CEO Terry Spencer stated: We expect a greater-than-20% increase in adjusted EBITDA in 2020 compared with 2019 expectations. More than $4.4 billion of capital growth projects expected to be completed in 2019 and in the first quarter of 2020 will provide a foundation for significant earnings growth in 2020 and beyond. ONEOK is in the midst of a major expansion phase after securing $5.5 billion of capital projects last year, the bulk of which won't enter service until later this year and early 2020. That time frame positions the company to deliver accelerated earnings growth in 2020, which should carry over into 2021. Story continues 3. It has the financial capacity to fund its current slate of expansions ONEOK invested $2.1 billion in expansion projects last year and anticipates spending another $2.5 billion to $3.7 billion in 2019. While ONEOK's free cash flow after paying its dividend has been on the rise, it won't come close to covering its capital needs in 2019. However, as CFO Walt Hulse pointed out on the call: With our strong balance sheet, expected continued earnings growth, and financial flexibility, we expect no equity financing needs in 2019 nor in 2020, based on our expected slate of growth projects and our rapid deleveraging as these projects come online. In other words, the company doesn't need to dilute existing investors by selling any more stock to fund its current slate of expansions. Instead the company currently plans to use its available borrowing capacity to bridge the gap between its excess cash and capital expenses. While that will cause its leverage ratio to rise in the near term, ONEOK ended last year with a low 3.75-times leverage ratio, which gives it plenty of breathing room to get through this heavy investment period. Meanwhile, as these expansions start coming online and generating earnings, it will push leverage back down. A natural gas processing complex. Image source: Getty Images. 4. It has more projects under development While ONEOK already has a large backlog of expansions under way, CEO Terry Spencer stated: We continued to evaluate additional opportunistic projects that address customer needs and the increasing demand for NGLs and natural gas in the U.S. and abroad. He then noted: One of these projects, which has received a lot of attention, is the potential NGL export facility. What I can say is that we're closer to a deal now than we've ever been, but there are a number of details that still need to be worked out before we announce anything further. We're optimistic about where we are in the process and believe this facility would be a great fee-driven addition to our already predominantly fee-based business model. The company has been working on adding export capabilities to its portfolio because, according to Spencer, exports are a natural progression for us in the value chain. It seems to finally be closing in on a project that would accomplish that goal, currently working on a joint venture that would help finance the more-than-$500 million facility. This project is one of a few opportunities the company has under development, some of which involve additional NGL fractionators, which would process raw NGLs into higher-value products like propane and ethane. Lots of growth ahead ONEOK is building a large slate of expansion projects that will enable the company to continue growing earnings this year before shifting into a higher gear for 2020. Meanwhile, it has the financial capacity to fund this growth without diluting investors, which means it will drive an equally fast growth rate on a per-share basis. On top of that, the company has additional expansions under development, which could give it the fuel to continue growing earnings at a healthy pace well beyond next year. That upside is one of the many reasons ONEOK looks like a great stock to buy and hold for the long-term. More From The Motley Fool Matthew DiLallo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends ONEOK. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. SACRAMENTO, Calif. A protest over the shooting of an unarmed black man by Sacramento police has ended with at least 80 arrests, police said. Among those detained were clergy and a reporter. Capt. Norm Leong tweets that the protest Monday night ended with 80 plus arrests. Still processing it all. Dozens of people staged the march in a wealthy area of the city after prosecutors declined to file charges against police who shot Stephon Clark last March. The officers said they thought the 22-year-old Clark had a gun, but he was holding a cellphone. About 2 hours into the demonstration, police ordered protesters to disperse. Remaining demonstrators were later surrounded on a freeway overpass, the Sacramento Bee reported. Police handcuffed at least three clergy members and Bee reporter Dale Kasler, who was covering the demonstration, the newspaper reported. Kaslers hands were twist-tied and he was led away as other reporters shouted that he was a member of the media on assignment, the Bee said. He was standing with several protesters when he was detained, the newspaper reported. The reporter was released after he had been held for an hour, the newspaper said. Mayor Darrell Steinberg told the Bee in a text message that he questioned the polices response to the protest. Im very disappointed that the protest ended the way it did, Steinberg said. I have many questions about what caused the order to disperse and the subsequent arrests. I will withhold further comment until I get answers to these crucial questions tonight or tomorrow morning. The mayor also told the Bee that hes upset about the reporters arrest. No matter what precipitated this order to disperse, no member of the press should be detained for covering a protest, Steinberg said in a phone call to the newspaper. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 80 arrests made, including a reporter and 3 clergy members, during Sacramento police shooting protest WASHINGTON With the future of abortion rights on the verge of changing like no time since before Roe v. Wade, advocates are presenting new arguments to plead their cases. Both sides have amped up messaging in an effort to intertwine human rights and abortion since the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and the precarious health and potential retirement of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In addition, abortion proponents and opponents have strongly reacted to President Trumps changes to Title X, a federal grant program that provides reproductive health care and birth control to low-income Americans. The new rule would block federal grant funding to family planning facilities, such as Planned Parenthood, which provide abortions. Americans opinions on abortion, though polarized, have remained relatively unchanged since 1995, according to Pew Research Center. In a Pew poll on abortion conducted in September, 58 percent of Americans said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 37 percent said it should be illegal in all or most cases. More: How younger generations are leading the abortion debate Mary Ziegler, a professor at the College of Law at Florida State University, is an expert on the legal history of reproductive rights. Ziegler said the arguments employed by anti-abortion groups have remained mostly consistent since the Roe decision in 1973 with the exception of a shift toward focusing on the cost of abortion to women, families, parents, partners, the sort of broader culture. For abortion advocates, Ziegler said the argument has shifted away from privacy and focused more on human rights in the context of international social justice. The language that you often see now is instead of reproductive rights, which would suggest that the government is going to leave you alone to do your own thing, Ziegler said. A lot of activists will use the language of reproductive justice. Abortion advocacy organizations such as Advocates for Youth and NARAL Pro-Choice America use the hashtags #reproductivejustice and #ReproFreedom to tie human rights to support for abortion rights, specifically. Story continues While most anti-abortion advocates have at least tangentially tied their opposition to religion, groups such as Secular Pro-Life are now crafting arguments based on non-spiritual elements. SPL President Kelsey Hazzard, 30, of Florida, founded the organization 10 years ago when she felt the need for a community that espouses her views. The group, which is open to anyone who does not ascribe religious beliefs to their anti-abortion stance, operates completely online and has a following of over 22,000 on Facebook. Hazzard said that President Trumps decision to single out abortion during his State of the Union address earlier this month was a win for the anti-abortion movement but she disagreed with his religious appeal on the issue. I wish that he had taken more of a human rights approach to it, Hazzard said. But ultimately, obviously, the fact that he is responding to these extreme state-level laws, doing so vocally, doing so in the State of the Union, is really encouraging. Abortion messaging has become increasingly targeted toward specific audiences, including specific religious affiliations and members of low-income and/or marginalized communities. Abortion rights advocates like Dr. Krystal Redman, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, said women of color and members of the LGBTQ community are typically left out of the broader discussion of abortion rights. Redman is the executive director of SPARK Reproductive Justice Now, an organization that champions reproductive rights for marginalized communities. The group hosts an annual advocacy day to lobby the Georgia state legislature and recently worked behind-the-scenes to help introduce a bill that would pull $2 million in grant funding from the state budget that goes to Crisis Pregnancy Centers, nonprofits that provide counsel and resources to persuade women not to have abortions. These facilities will provide ultrasounds for women to listen to the heartbeat or provide resources such as free diapers and gas cards to women seeking an abortion. "When you think about rights, you automatically assume you have the right to make a choice, Redman said. A lot of black folks, a lot of people of color, a lot of queer folks, have been marginalized and they don't have the luxury of making a choice for themselves. Religious-affiliated groups have also mentioned human rights as a rationale for their stance on abortion. Glenn Northern, 50, is the domestic program director of Catholics for Choice in Washington, D.C., which was founded in 1973 as an abortion-rights advocacy organization that broke tradition with the Catholic Churchs anti-abortion doctrine. Northerns abortion rights stance is based on a womans right to follow her conscience in making the decision whether to have an abortion. The women are missing, when we talk about the culture of life, Northern said. It includes women too but that is not something that the opposition wants to actually look at with care, look at with compassion, look at with nuance. Cecily Routman, 59, of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, is the president of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation, which began in 2006 as an organization focused on supporting members of the Jewish community who have had an abortion. One of the organizations programs focuses on healing and is based on the repentance concept of Teshuvah in the Jewish faith. Routman said she was pleased with Trumps acknowledgement of the dignity of every person because she is concerned with the dehumanization of life in the womb. Just as in Germany, Jews were dehumanized to the place where people didn't consider us human and so we didn't have to be protected, so the unborn child has been dehumanized, Routman said. It's been a systematic propaganda for decades now. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the total number of reported abortions in 47 states, Washington, D.C. and New York City was down 24 percent from 842,855 in 2006 to 638,169 in 2015. The CDC collects data from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and New York City and releases reports typically three years after the abortion was reported. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Activists shifting abortion debate to focus on human rights James Kent loves nothing more than telling the stories of the past, just one look at his IMDb page is proof of that. Testament of Youth, Agatha Christies Poirot and his latest film, The Aftermath, are a selection of period dramas to his name but hes already looking to his next subject. That subject is a former fashion model-turned-photographer who became Vogues war correspondent during the Second World War. I love war photography and so the photographer Lee Miller, who was a World War photographer and she was at the forefront of being a war correspondent, the director said. She had the most amazing life, great passions, and so that would be an amazing biopic to tell. Lee Miller in steel helmet specially designed for using a camera, Normandy, France 1944 by unknown photographer Photographer Unknown The Penrose Collection, England 2015. All rights reserved. Read more Fighting With My Family stars say film set culture is better It was announced in 2017 that Kate Winslet would play Miller in a movie and produce alongside Troy Lum and Andrew Mason of Hopscotch Features. According to the Hollywood Reporter eOne have bought distribution rights of the film that will document Millers life, as told by her son, Antony Penrose, in the only authorized biography, The Lives of Lee Miller. At the time no director had been announced so there certainly still could be time for Kent to be snapped up for the job. The filmmaker has made biopics before, as both features and documentaries, but one of his most famous is Fashion Victim: The Killing of Gianni Versace. The 2001 docu-drama was critically-acclaimed upon its release and praised for its level of detail that the writer of Ryan Murphys American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace used it for inspiration. The Assassination of Gianni Versace writer used Kents documentary on the subject for inspiration (FX) Read more Knightley talks The Aftermath, Bend it Like Beckham According to Kent, writer Tom Rob Smith used the Storyville documentary as a basis to build the drama series starring Darren Criss as serial killer, and Versaces murderer, Andrew Cunanan. I know the writer because Ive just been doing this Richard Gere series, which is going out soon, the director tells Yahoo Movies UK. I talked to Tom quite a bit and he watched my documentary and used that, a lot of it, as the basis for the story. Story continues So its remarkable how much the TV drama and my documentary parallelled each other, Kent added. I was pleasantly surprised that the drama was pretty accurate. Keira Knightley reveals her one hope for fans watching new film The Aftermath Read more Armie Hammer refutes Batman rumours His latest feature, The Aftermath, is based on the novel of the same name by Rhidian Brook which in turn was inspired by the authors grandfathers experience in post-war Hamburg. British forces were sent in to rebuild the city and during their stay requisitioned German houses for the commanders to live in. This story centres on a fictional affair between a Colonel and his wife, played by Jason Clarke and Keira Knightley, and Alexander Skarsgards German widower who owns the house the bereaved couple move into. I used to read historical novels and romances when I was a child all the time so Ive always had this love of the past, Kent says of why he chose this story to tell. It has in its DNA human drama and compassion and emotion and forgiveness. The Aftermath is in cinemas now Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Today's buy recommendation comes from Fundamental Research Corp. Analyst Sid Rajeev gives Agrios Global Holdings (CSE: AGRO) (FSE: 0SA) (OTCQB: AGGHF) a buy rating and a fair value estimate of $0.65 per share, a premium of 62.5% to the $0.40 closing price on January 15th, the day the report was issued. Agrios, an agricultural technology, services, and property management company, provides property and equipment on a lease basis, along with agronomy services, drawing on its proprietary technology to enhance the crop yields and quality of cannabis growers. For more information, please view the InvestmentPitch Media "video" which provides additional information on the company and this news. If this link is not enabled, please visit www.InvestmentPitch.com and enter "Agrios" in the search box. Cannot view this video? Visit: http://www.investmentpitch.com/video/0_nj5m4ec1/Fundamental-Research-gives-Agrios-Global-Holdings-a-buy-rating-and-a-fair-value-estimate-of-065-per-share The company owns a dedicated production facility in Shelton, Washington and has leased the canopy space to a Tier 3 cannabis producer. The 70,000 square-foot Shelton Facility consists of 30,000 square-feet of canopy growing space, 20,000 square-feet of processing space, with the remaining 20,000 square-feet dedicated to office, storage, mechanical and delivery space. Agrios uses a unique yield-enhancing cultivation technology known as aeroponics, whereby the plants grow without the use of soil, with their roots exposed, which are sprayed with a nutrient rich mist. This technology was first used by NASA to produce food in zero-gravity environments. In addition to the cost effectiveness and yield enhancing benefits of aeroponics, by collecting and analyzing a substantial number of data points per minute, from each cannabis plant, Agrios is able to quantify and measure every stage in the plant's life-cycle, from seed to sale. Story continues As a result of the integration of data science into its cultivation processes, Agrios reports that its crops exhibit average THC potency of 21.4%, well above the 14 to 15% average currently reported in Washington State. When fully operational, the Shelton facility has an implied yield of 183 grams per square-foot of growing canopy area, compared to Fundamental's estimated industry average of 120 grams per square-foot. Sid Rajeev, Fundament Research Analyst, stated: "The economic potential of a precision agriculture technology such as aeroponics is vast, and not limited to a single high-value crop such as cannabis. Though the company's current operations are in the cannabis space, we expect that success at the company's current facility may result in expansion to other jurisdictions. We estimate the addressable precision agriculture market that the company could access with their aeroponics technology could be as large as $115 billion globally." Agrios does not directly operate the Shelton facility, nor does it derive income directly from the sales of cannabis, generating revenue from the tenant covering leasing fees on property and equipment, management/consulting fees, and royalty fees on its unique aeroponic technology. For more information please visit the company's website www.AgriosGlobal.com. Investor Relations is handled by Bettina Filippone of Renmark Financial, who can be reached at 514-939-3989 or by email at bfilippone@RenmarkFinancial.com. About InvestmentPitch Media InvestmentPitch Media leverages the power of video, which together with its extensive distribution, positions a company's story ahead of the 1,000's of companies seeking awareness and funding from the financial community. The company specializes in producing short videos based on significant news releases, research reports and other content of interest to investors. CONTACT: InvestmentPitch Media Barry Morgan, CFO bmorgan@investmentpitch.com Corporate Logo To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43233 By Benet Koleka TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania's main opposition leader on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Edi Rama to call a snap election over allegations of corruption and vote fraud, as anti-government protesters rallied outside parliament. They burned portraits of Rama and threw firecrackers at the building, but the demonstration - the fourth against his administration since mid-February and timed to coincide with parliamentary sessions - was calmer than in previous weeks. The opposition Democratic Party and its allies gave up their parliamentary seats 12 days ago, saying investigations by prosecutors into allegations of vote fraud vindicated claims that Rama's Socialists fixed the 2017 national election. Rama, who has rejected the allegations, told lawmakers on Tuesday that democracy was not up for "negotiation" and urged the opposition to test its strength at the ballot box in local elections in June. Democratic Party head Lulzim Basha called parliament a hotbed of "crime and corruption". He told Tuesday's crowd, which Reuters estimated as numbering more than 5,000, that only "free and fair elections" would pave the way for Albania's entry to the European Union. The Balkan NATO-member country aims to start accession talks with the EU this year, but the febrile political climate could delay that process. The European Union and its member states last month called on all sides to "do their utmost to avoid violence and further unrest". The next protest is scheduled for 11 days' time. (Reporting by Benet Koleka; editing by John Stonestreet) Amazon AMZN is firing on all cylinders to expand its footprint in the retail sector on the back of its strengthening grocery business and growing physical presence. Reportedly, the e-commerce giant is aggressively pursuing inauguration of a new chain of grocery stores, with the intention of disrupting the retail space further. The company is planning to spread the new chain across all the major cities of the United States including San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. Notably, the first one set to open in Los Angeles. Notably, these stores will be stocking a wider variety of items from different categories such as grocery, health and beauty products, compared with Whole Foods stores. This in turn will provide customers with more options. Further, Amazon is likely to focus more on the grocery services, especially on pick-up services with its new concept. Deepening Retail Focus Amazons latest plan bodes well for its strengthening retail strategies which includes bolstering retail presence, strengthening distribution strength and enhancing shopping experience for the customers. Per the report, the company may consider acquiring another grocery chain in the United States in order to accomplish its new plan. Apart from this, Amazon is also planning to set up additional Whole Foods stores across more U.S. cities and suburbs in a bid to facilitate its fast delivery services to more grocery shoppers. This remains a tailwind. Additionally, growing footprint of Amazon Go which is a cashier less store of the company remains a major positive. The company intends to take the number of these stores to a record of 3,000 stores by 2021 and aims at opening 50 by the end of 2019. Further, Amazon is gearing up to open a new kind of physical store called Amazon 4-star which will be located at Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Spring Street. Notably, the store will only stock four-star or beyond rated products from the categories like kitchen appliances and other items, home stuffs, toys, books, devices, consumer electronics and games. Moreover, Amazon bookstores have expanded to a dozen of U.S. cities, strengthening its retail presence. Story continues Amazon.com, Inc. Revenue (TTM) Amazon.com, Inc. Revenue (TTM) | Amazon.com, Inc. Quote Intensifying Retail Battle Amazons aggressive stance on core retail industry, especially on grocery retail, continues to put competitive pressure on brick-and-mortar stores as well as big retailers like Walmart WMT, Target TGT and Kroger KR, to name a few. These big retailers are already bearing the brunt of Amazons well-performing online retail platform and robust grocery services. However, in order to counter Amazons competitive threat, Walmart and Target have also ramped up their initiatives to strengthen their delivery and pick-up services. Walmart is already offering grocery pick-up and delivery services at 21,00 locations and 800 locations, respectively. Further, Target is leaving no stone unturned to expand its in-store pickup and next-day delivery services. Nevertheless, Amazons rapidly expanding grocery pickup and delivery services along with availability of Prime Savings at all Whole Foods Stores and Whole Foods Market 365 stores across the United States remain the key catalysts. Further, its growing number of offline retail stores is likely to sustain Amazons momentum in this intensifying battle. Currently, Amazon carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. Theyre also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Target Corporation (TGT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Walmart Inc. (WMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Zero-sum wild game Conservation is important, but it definitely needs a moral compass that assesses the human cost too. Environment and people are not mutually exclusive. On September 5, 2018, the New York Times published an anonymous editorial by a supposed senior official in the Trump administration. In astounding fashion, the unnamed writer claimed that he/she was part of a legion of administration appointees and government officials who were actively working to undermine the Trump presidency by overriding his orders, keeping information from an unknowing Trump, or acting independently of his directives. Or as Anonymous unapologetically put it: Trump is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by a modern American leader. Its not just that the special counsel looms large. Or that the country is bitterly divided over Mr. Trumps leadership. Or even that his party might well lose the House to an opposition hellbent on his downfall. The dilemma which he does not fully grasp is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations. I would know. I am one of them. The Times author then continues by confessing to a sort of slow-motion coup to undermine the Trump presidency: It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room. We fully recognize what is happening. And we are trying to do whats right even when Donald Trump wont. The result is a two-track presidency. The writer then lists the supposed Trump sins and offers the following rationale for such extraordinary subversion on the part of self-elected conspirators: This isnt the work of the so-called deep state. Its the work of the steady state. Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until one way or another its over. The bigger concern is not what Mr. Trump has done to the presidency but rather what we as a nation have allowed him to do to us. We have sunk low with him and allowed our discourse to be stripped of civility. Story continues Most telling, however, given the supposed plethora of Trump sins, the author never cites a particular presidential act that by any coherent definition could be called illegal, dangerous, or unethical, much less unprecedented in presidential history. Indeed, Anonymous concedes that Trump has often been successful in his tenure: Dont get me wrong. There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more. Yet Anonymous then boasts that such landmark success came because of others and in spite of Trump: But these successes have come despite not because of the presidents leadership style, which is impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective. Trumps purported sins then arise largely in matters of executive style and supposedly unpresidential character: Meetings with him veer off topic and off the rails, he engages in repetitive rants, and his impulsiveness results in half-baked, ill-informed and occasionally reckless decisions that have to be walked back. Anonymous did not square the circle of how such an incompetent and dangerous leader had accomplished such admittedly good things, often well beyond the ability of prior and supposedly better qualified and more sober Republican presidents. The author concludes his opinion editorial by promising the country that like-minded unelected officials and bureaucrats have formed a resistance that will do its best to nullify the directives of the elected president and instead implement policies that they believe will take the country in the right direction and are the product of their apparently superior professionalism and a proper presidential tone that they associate with their own: There is a quiet resistance within the administration of people choosing to put country first. But the real difference will be made by everyday citizens rising above politics, reaching across the aisle and resolving to shed the labels in favor of a single one: Americans. What neither the opinion writer nor the New York Times disclosed about their joint efforts of producing an anonymous op-ed on September 5 were some obvious considerations of sourcing, timing, and objectives. First, the editorial appeared on the eve of a much publicized tell-all about the Trump White House by Washington Post investigative journalist Bob Woodward, whose latest book, Fear his nineteenth such expose mostly based on undisclosed and unnamed sources and without citations was scheduled to come out just six days later. Advance excerpts largely dovetailed with Anonymouss argument of a president whose inexperience and temperament scare those in government and force them to find ways to circumvent or obstruct his wishes. The opinion piece also coincidentally was published just four days after the late Senator John McCains funeral. McCain is lionized in the anonymous op-ed as the proper antithesis to Trump (We may no longer have Senator McCain. But we will always have his example a lodestar for restoring honor to public life and our national dialogue). At the funeral, eulogist after eulogist used the solemn occasion not just to praise John McCain, but also to blast Donald Trump. Oddly, McCains final deification by his erstwhile critics and enemies was mostly a result of his own bitter and ongoing feud with Donald Trump that in his eleventh hour sanctified him to past presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Both their earlier presidential campaigns had once smeared McCain as a libertine and reckless (the Bush effort in 2000, especially during the South Carolina primary), and vilified him in 2008 as a near-demented racist (the Obama 2008 campaign). Due to his feud with Trump, in death McCain was transmogrified into angelic status by the very architects who in life were sometimes responsible for his demonization. Finally, the McCain funeral and anonymous op-ed marked the return of former president Barack Obama to the campaign trail, as he began to give a series of angry and often bitter speeches on the eve of the 2018 midterms ironically both blasting Trump as dangerous and incompetent while taking credit for the apparently quite competent Trump handling of the economy. The common thread in all these coincidental events was not just collective hatred of Trump on the part of the establishment, but also the extraordinary means by which a proverbial deep state sought to subvert a supposedly extraordinarily dangerous outsider. Usually ex-presidents do not blast their successors at funerals. A prior president customarily does not hit the campaign trail to level charges against a sitting president. State funerals are not regularly transmogrified into pep rallies. And anonymous members of an administration usually do not have the connections to publish lead New York Times editorials that channel Bob Woodwards sensational but unsourced allegations. A cynic might have believed there had been some sort of collusive effort ahead of the 2018 midterm election to create a simultaneous and force-multiplying demonization of Trump almost as if there was a common effort coordinated by the major media, journalists, establishment politicians, and supposedly dozens of officials within government. But that idea would not completely be a conspiratorial conclusion, because Anonymous boasted of the presence of such an organized resistance inside the government. A final, even more disturbing note: the deep state is neither transparent nor confident in its criticisms, at least enough to name names in its near-subversionary efforts. Both past presidents and Megan McCain, daughter of John McCain, in their funeral eulogies trashed Trump to the glee of editorials in the major papers. But none of them completed their politicization of the service by mentioning Donald Trump by name. Nor did Anonymous ever disclose his name or come forward publicly to present particular examples of documented wrongdoing. Nor did Bob Woodward cite most of his sources, name his informants, or produce footnoted data to assure the readers of the veracity of his sensational charges. Instead, the premise was that the establishment has such power, prestige, and authority that it has no need to reveal its methodologies and sources once it claimed the higher moral ground and felt that it had not just the right, but indeed the duty, to overturn the verdict of the 2016 election. Editors Note: This essay is adapted from Victor Davis Hansons new book, The Case for Trump. More from National Review BEAUREGARD, Ala. Lee County authorities on Tuesday will release the names of the 23 people killed when a tornado tore through the rural area Sunday shredding homes, trees and power lines. County coroner Bill Harris on Monday night said he expected the death toll to be higher, based on the devastation. The twister packing 170-mph winds cut a mile-long swath through the area. "I can't believe it," Harris said Monday. "I thought we'd see more." The victims ranged in age from a nine-year-old boy who died at a hospital from his injuries, to a woman in her 90s who died near her home. The storm also killed an entire family of three and a family of four. Most of the victims suffered extensive blunt-force trauma, Harris said, and many were sucked out of their homes. Sunday's tornado was the deadliest twister since 2013, when 25 people were killed in Oklahoma. About 10,000 people live in the Beauregard community, which is about 60 miles east of Montgomery and has a few small stores, two schools and a volunteer fire department along the main highway. Everybody in Beauregard is a real close-knit family, said Jonathan Clardy, who huddled with his family inside their trailer as the tornado ripped the roof off. Everybody knows everybody around here. Everybody is heartbroken. Steve Whatley's wife, daughter and mother-in-law, Vicki Braswell, hunkered under a mattress in their mobile home as the tornado sucked their home into the air. Whatley said his mother-in-law died when the mobile home collapsed. We heard it coming but by the time we knew what it was, it hit us. Thats when all hell broke loose, said Whatley, 36. It picked us up and dumped us back down 50 feet away. Watleys wife was still hospitalized Monday with multiple injuries. More : Resident in rural Alabama community hit by twister: 'I thought I was gone' More: Alabama tornado in Lee County has killed more than all 2018 US tornadoes combined Story continues Of the injured, Harris said two people remained in intensive care. The coroner called in help from the state to assist his staff of four with body recovery, identification and cause of death. He then sat with the families for about four hours on Monday, formalizing IDs and explaining how their loved ones died. "I thought I could handle this but I found out right quick it was beyond my scope," Harris, 64, said Monday night as a stream of hearses and minivans collected the bodies for transport to funeral homes. Contributing: The Associated Press; Joseph Castle,The Montgomery Advertiser This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Heartbroken': Alabama tornado victims to be identified, 23 dead Our series How I became a digs into the stories of accomplished and influential people, finding out how they got to where they are in their careers. Editors note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. While most high school freshmen were learning their way around a new school, supermodel and tech entrepreneur Karlie Kloss was starting her career, walking for Calvin Klein after being discovered at a St. Louis shopping mall. Today, Kloss, 26, has appeared on the cover of Vogue 40 times and walked for everyone from Victorias Secret and Christian Dior to Versace and Oscar de la Renta. Kloss balances her high-flying modeling career with everything from being the host on the newest season of "Project Runway" to Kode With Klossy, which she founded to give girls the opportunity to learn how to code and become tech leaders. Kode With Klossy hosts free summer camps across the country for young women ages 13-18, with applications opening Wednesday for the newest group of young female coders. USA TODAY caught up with Kloss to talk about her illustrious modeling career, finding balance between work and life and eating her way through the world during her travels. Karlie Kloss wears a creation as part of the Off-White ready to wear Fall-Winter 2019-2020 collection, that was presented in Paris on Feb. 28, 2019. Question: How did you get your start in modeling? Kloss: I fell into fashion. I got my start in modeling because I was discovered in a mall when I was 13 years old in St. Louis, Missouri. I, at the time, had no idea of fashion and of the modeling world. It wasnt until I was 15 years old that I seriously considered the opportunity to take a chance and to go to New York and see where the opportunity could take me. The same week I started my freshman year of high school, I started school on Monday, and for Friday and the long weekend I went to New York and I got booked to walk Calvin Klein for New York Fashion Week. It was the most incredible start to a very fast-paced career, and pretty much immediately after that I was full-time working in fashion, traveling the world and also a freshman in high school. I proceeded to do that for all four years of high school. Story continues 'Follow your heart': How Florida Georgia Line balances family life with country music stardom One creative career path: How Jen Gotch went from pre-law student to co-founding ban.do Q: What does a typical workday look like for you? Kloss: One of the things that I love about my job is that there is no such thing as a typical workday. No two days are alike in my calendar and that can be a blessing and it can be exhausting sometimes. A big part of my workday is spent on set, and that can be anywhere in the world. One thing I always incorporate in my day is fitting in a sweat so whether that means going for a run first thing in the morning before work or afterwards. But, fitting in a workout and then heading to set, which is sometimes in a studio, sometimes on location you know, running through the streets of Paris and doing a photo shoot, or sitting on the edge of a volcano and doing a photo shoot for a magazine cover. I feel like Ive been able to see and experience all four corners of the earth because of my day job, and no two workdays are alike. Q: How do you balance work and life? Kloss: Ive learned to multitask. I have incredible people around me and on my team, but Ive also learned with time to work smarter and not just harder and to really only spend time on jobs and with people that I really love and respect, and who love and respect me. The juggle of work and life is something that were all constantly figuring out, but especially with all of the different things I have going on, you just make it work. Im really lucky because I love my day job, and I love what I get to do, and Im someone who really goes out of my way to experience where I am and learn from people around me. I feel that sometimes the line blurs and they are one. Q: Why did you choose to get into coding? Kloss: Its something that I didnt learn growing up. Its not something I had access to in my school, and I have been able to meet so many entrepreneurs in tech, and I think everyone realizes its the language thats building the technology of today and certainly of our future. For me, its really important to use my voice and platform in any way I can to help provide opportunities for other young women to be a part of that conversation and be a part of building the technology of our future. Q: What made you start Kode With Klossy? Kloss: That really came out of sheer passion and curiosity. I had a couple of weeks off in my modeling career, and I decided to sign up for a coding bootcamp and really learn kind of the fundamentals of code and how technology is built. I was really inspired by the power of this skillset and this language, but really blown away by the fact that this was something I had no exposure to prior. Most people, certainly most young women, dont have access to that kind of learning, nor are they encouraged to get into it. I was really blown away by how creative of a skillset that is, and how creative you can be with using technology to solve problems and build your ideas into businesses or things that can really make impact in the world. Q: To what do you credit your success in your career? Kloss: Honestly, I feel really grateful. Ive felt like Ive experienced the Cinderella kind of opportunity to see the world and to learn from incredible people. Im from the Midwest and I am somebody who, it is part of my value system something I learned from my parents to treat others with kindness, to show up and work hard, and give it everything youve got. Im someone who approaches every day with a no job too big or too small kind of mentality. Its hard work, giving it my all and 100 percent my parents. Back to when I first started my career, my parents were really my biggest advocates in not only just the profession that I have chosen, but just generally in supporting whatever I want to do in life. Karlie Kloss walks the runway for the Marc Jacobs Fall 2019 Show at Park Avenue Armory on Feb. 13, 2019 in New York City. Q: What is your favorite thing about your job? Kloss: The people I meet and I work with and learn from. Im always going out of my way to meet interesting people in the cities I get to travel to, whether its in fashion or business. Im constantly curious about whats happening and how I can learn from those around me. I also really love being able to eat my way around the world. Every city I go to, I always love discovering amazing restaurants and bakeries. Q: What is your advice for someone who wants a career in modeling? Kloss: Its going to take thick skin, hard work, ready to show up and give it your all, and have that no job too big or too small mentality. I really do think that kindness goes such a long way in the world and certainly in any job that you choose. I find fashion and modeling really is a people business and treating other people with kindness is really very important. Treating others the way you want to be treated. Quick hits Whats your coffee order? An iced coffee with almond milk. Whats your favorite book? The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo. Whats your favorite song of the moment? River by Leon Bridges Whats the coolest thing youve ever done? Starting Kode With Klossy. For me, its been amazing to watch so many young women go on to do incredible things in their life. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: From 'Project Runway' to coding: How supermodel Karlie Kloss became a tech entrepreneur In a first-of-its-kind reversal, Apple is now hiring more software than hardware engineers. | Source: Shutterstock By CCN.com: Companies have always needed to adapt to changes in their industries to maintain- or increase- profitability. Hundreds of case studies have shown this to be a recipe for success. Now, it seems that Apple is looking to make slight alterations to its operation in a bid to keep up with challenging times. Data published by Thinknum, a research firm that monitors company changes based on their websites, revealed that for a few months now, the tech giant has been actively recruiting more software specialists than hardware professionals. The research company discovered that as of February 27, software and service development-related jobs on Apple amounted to over 1,400, while the company required only a little over 1,000 hardware engineers. Over the years, Apple has had more use for hardware specialists. Why? It kept building devices that held the world spellbound. Now that revenue from its devices has been on a decline, the company is looking to pivot into something new. Declining Sales and Revenues have Woken Apple Lagging sales in China, as well as the impact of the tariffs that were caused by U.S.-China trade tensions, have come to haunt the company in more ways than one, as explained in a letter by CEO Tim Cook. Read the full story on CCN.com. The new Aston Martin Lagonda SUV Concept at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show, March 5, 2019. Photo: Reuters/Pierre Albo The subject of Brexit may be hanging around executives at this weeks Geneva Motor Show like a bad smell, but Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer presented the brands stunning new lineup today without once mentioning it no easy feat for the head of a British company. Not that Aston isnt bracing for it: Aston revealed last week that it was setting aside 30m ($39.5m) to buffer it against a Brexit fallout. Today, however, was all about dazzling hypercars and its new electric Lagonda All Terrain Concept SUV. Palmer described the massive Lagonda SUV as like a sculpture on wheels and akin to being in a private jet. The decision to develop a premium electric SUV, he said, was based on the growth potential of both SUVs and the automotive shift to electrification. The Lagonda SUV will be produced in Aston Martins new St Athan plant, Wales, from some time in 2022 onwards. As well as the Lagonda SUV concept, Aston executives pulled the sheets off its AM-RB 003, the third member of its mid-engined family along with the Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro. Only 500 of the 003s will be built, and those 500 customers can expect their hypercar after 2021. The new Aston Martin AM-RB 003. Photo: Reuters/Pierre Albouy That wasnt all. Aston also premiered a new Vanquish Vision Concept, which will be its first series production mid-engine car. Aston Martin Lagonda shares took a dramatic dive last week after the company reported a 68m loss in the year, despite record sales 1.1bn. Palmer today referred to the companys record 12 months, and the 26% increase. He said Aston was moving on to the next stage in its Second Century strategy, which is growth. For the past three years, Paula Gomes says that she has sometimes felt she is working two full-time jobs--her human resources position at Emory University in Atlanta, and her role as a caregiver to her mother and mother-in-law. SEE ALSO: Educate Yourself on Being a Caregiver "There's just a lot to learn" when you become a caregiver, says Gomes, 60, executive director of Emory's Faculty Staff Assistance Program. "You're stepping in all of the sudden to do so much. My husband and I feel overwhelmed sometimes." So Gomes turned to her employer for help. Emory offers a caregiver support program through its Work-Life Resource Center, which includes an on-site consultant to help employees find elder-care resources and support, even from a distance. Mary Ellen Eady, Emory's work-life specialist, referred Gomes to a resource for rehabilitation options in Virginia for her mother-in-law and offered advice on creating an informal care support network in her mother-in-law's community. Gomes' mother-in-law died last year, but Gomes and her husband also care for Gomes' mother, 85, who lives in North Carolina and is in the early stages of dementia. Gomes again used Emory's services for some of the legal and financial issues related to her mother's condition. The services provided by the university "made an incredible difference to me," Gomes says. Balancing caregiving responsibilities with working is challenging. One in three U.S. workers voluntarily left a job because of caregiving responsibilities, a recent Harvard Business School study found. And one-third of them were caring for a sick elderly relative. Yet fewer than 10% of employers surveyed offered subsidized elder-care services, according to the study. Reaching Out While juggling work with caregiving is only beginning to be addressed in the workplace, you may have options for help. If you need to step back from work, you may be able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, while keeping your job and health insurance. Story continues Four states--California, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island--offer paid family leave. Other states have expanded benefits or eligibility for family leave. The National Conference of State Legislatures keeps track of state policies at ncsl.org. While elder-care assistance is not yet a common company benefit, some employers are stepping up to the plate. At audit and consulting firm Deloitte, about 5,000 employees have taken advantage of up to 16 weeks of paid family leave under a program established by the firm in 2016, a Deloitte spokesperson says. Mortgage giant Fannie Mae was an early adopter of caregiving benefits, becoming one of the first companies to offer an onsite elder-care consultant in 1999. The consultant has a typical caseload of about 50 clients per month with about 200 contacts, such as emails and calls, to help employees with elder-care needs, says Michelle Stone, Fannie's work-life benefits manager. Fannie also reimburses employees up to $65 per day for a maximum 30 times per year for emergency adult care when a home health aide isn't available. Check with your employer to see what benefits may be available to you, says Drew Holzapfel, chair of ReACT, or Respect a Caregiver's Time, a corporate coalition aimed at improving workplace caregiving benefits. A company's employee assistance program might include some elder-care support services. Also, reach out to your supervisor as early as possible to explain your caregiving situation. "This is a tough conversation to have," Holzapfel says. But that conversation can help an employer and employee be prepared to handle an absence if an employee needs to deal with an elder-care emergency. SEE ALSO: 3 Health Stocks to Own for the Next 10 Years And if it looks like you might have to leave the workforce for caregiving, propose a part-time or consultancy position to continue earning money and to create an on-ramp for your return. EDITOR'S PICKS Copyright 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors London (AFP) - Europe's financial system faces "potential risks" to its stability arising from a no-deal Brexit, the Bank of England warned Tuesday, as it extended its weekly lending facilities to include euros. With just 24 days to go until Britain is set to leave the European Union, the BoE said businesses and households across Britain and the EU were vulnerable. The BoE said it had activated a swap line with the European Central Bank, which will provide euros in exchange for British pounds. Brussels and London are furiously trying to steer away from a dreaded "no-deal" divorce that could wreak havoc on global markets. The BoE warned Tuesday that "some disruption to cross-border services is possible and, in the absence of other actions by EU authorities, some potential risks to financial stability remain. "Although these would primarily affect EU households and businesses, they could also be expected to spill back to the UK in ways that cannot be fully anticipated and mitigated," it added in a statement. The British central bank made the remarks in minutes from its Financial Policy Committee (FPC) meeting that was held on February 26. The BoE also said it was further stepping up its lending facilities for commercial banks over the next few months. A week after the bank said it would increase the frequency of existing market-wide sterling cash loans from monthly to weekly, the BoE on Tuesday added that this would be extended to euros. "The FPC welcomes the recent Bank decision to increase the frequency of the Bank's sterling liquidity operations and to initiate a new weekly Liquidity Facility in Euros (LiFE), alongside the existing weekly dollar lending facility," it said. The European Central Bank said in a separate statement that the BoE's euro facility was a "prudent and precautionary step" aimed at supporting the smooth functioning of markets that serve households and businesses. Story continues Eurozone central banks would also be ready to lend British pounds to commercial lenders in the single currency zone, the ECB said. - 'Normal contingency planning' - Bank of England governor Mark Carney last week said that such liquidity measures were "part of normal contingency planning" and that commercial banks were functioning well. The central bank carried out the same measure ahead of and following Britain's referendum on leaving the EU in June 2016. This helps banks and the wider financial industry keep ticking over during periods of market turbulence. Similar lending was also carried out in 2008 during the global financial crisis. Britain is on course to leave the EU on March 29, although there has been increasing talk of a possible delay. Ahead of Brexit, authorities in Britain, including the Bank of England, have also agreed with the United States to maintain how multi-trillion-dollar financial transactions are carried out between the two countries. The agreement concerns trades of derivatives -- securities whose value is based on an asset such as currencies, stocks and commodities. The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier meets Britain's negotiating team on Tuesday as both sides seek a breakthrough. The sitdown comes after Barnier said on Saturday that the EU was ready to give London further guarantees to help push a troubled divorce deal through British parliament. Barnier also suggested European leaders would be amenable to a short "technical" delay in Britain's departure from the EU, in order to give parliament time to formally ratify a final divorce deal. His small overture to Britain has raised hopes that both sides can find a solution, including to the so-called "backstop" plan for the Irish border, a major sticking point for pro-Brexit MPs. By Andrei Makhovsky MINSK (Reuters) - Belarus will seek better ties with the West even though this provokes "hysterics" from its traditional ally Russia, long-serving President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday, a day after lifting a cap of five U.S. diplomats in his country. Belarus is trying to improve ties with the West after a number of disputes with Moscow, which has announced cuts to subsidies that have long kept the country of 9.5 million people in Russia's orbit. Lukashenko's comments suggested he had not ironed out differences with Russia's Vladimir Putin after several meetings, including on a Russian tax change which Belarus says will cost its budget $400 million this year. Speaking of NATO and the EU at a government meeting, Lukashenko said, "We should talk to them, we should not look at them as enemies. "Ideally, the western and eastern directions of Belarusian foreign policy should balance each other," he said, as quoted by the state news agency BelTA. Belarus cooperating with the West "causes some kind of allergic reaction and sometimes hysterics from our main partner the Russian Federation," Lukashenko said. "The question is, why are you being hysterical?" Lukashenko has been in power for 25 years, making him one of the longest-serving former Soviet leaders. Throughout his rule, Belarus has generally been more closely aligned with Moscow than any other ex-Soviet state, while his lack of tolerance for dissent at home has made him largely a pariah in the West. However, he has shown increasing signs of seeking a thaw with the United States and European Union since 2014, when Belarus did not recognize Russia's annexation of the Crimea peninsula from neighboring Ukraine. U.S. and EU sanctions imposed on Belarus over its treatment of Lukashenko's political opponents were mostly lifted in 2016 following the release of political prisoners and other reforms. On Monday, Belarus lifted a restriction that had capped the number of U.S. diplomats permitted to operate in the country at just five since 2008. The Belarussian Foreign Ministry said it hoped the move would "contribute to the further normalization of relations between Belarus and the United States". Lukashenko said Russian officials had sometimes set unacceptable conditions for Belarus, such as adopting the Russian currency or even merging with Russia. Russia has kept Belarus in its political orbit through subsidies and loans, but Moscow plans to phase these out to lessen the burden on its own economy, hit by Western sanctions. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have a duty-free arrangement under which Moscow has been sending crude oil and oil products to Minsk with no export fee. Belarus then re-exports some of those goods, pocketing the associated charges. However, on January 1 Russia amended its tax code to halt those subsidies. (Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Peter Graff) 1. Yes. The Schlueter Group has extensive experience and contacts. Its a good investment. 2. Yes. The firms namesake has a background as a legislator and knows Killeen well. 3. No. The expenditure is a waste of money. Our lawmakers should be doing that work. 4. No. The contract should be shorter, incentivized and based on performance benchmarks. 5. Unsure. Its not always easy to quantify the outcomes of lobbying efforts. Vote View Results Billionaire Eugene Kaspersky says the world will one day be ready for a cryptocurrency like bitcoin, but that might not be for 100 years. | Source: AP Photo / Pavel Golovkin By CCN.com: Billionaire Eugene Kaspersky says bitcoin is a brilliant innovation, but the world is not ready for cryptocurrency just yet. However, the CEO of Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab believes that will change in 100 years. Kaspersky made the remarks in an interview with Arabian Business, during which he denied reports that his Moscow cybersecurity company develops spying technology for Russian intelligence. Bitcoin Adoption Requires New World Order Kaspersky says he believes that digital currencies will eventually overtake paper money in the future. However, he thinks that will require a new world order, where theres a single government instead of the many different nation-states that we have today. Cryptocurrencies are a great idea, but the world is not ready for them yet. The world must be united if we want to have encrypted currencies. At the moment, governments will want to control them. Crypto Cant Replace Current Financial System eugene kasperksy bitcoin crypto Kaspersky says he believes that cryptocurrency technology will eventually overtake paper money in the future, though bitcoin probably wont replace the financial system. | Source: REUTERS / Paul Hanna Read the full story on CCN.com. Apprehensions of migrants along the nation's southern border are the highest in more than a decade, creating what the top U.S. Customs and Border Protection official described Tuesday as a mushrooming crisis that threatens to overwhelm federal authorities. The influx is being driven by a 300 percent increase in the number of people crossing as part of families compared with 2018. Families, along with unaccompanied children, accounted for 60 percent of all apprehensions since Oct. 1. "We are currently facing both a border security and humanitarian crisis along our southwest border," Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan told reporters. During the five-month period ended Feb. 28, Border Patrol officers apprehended some 268,000 migrants who entered the United States without legal authorization. More than 76,000 entered in February alone. MORE: Border Patrol migration statistics, October through February In the El Paso sector, which stretches from the westernmost border counties of Texas through all of New Mexico, apprehensions were up 434 percent from the previous year. People entering as part of family units are outpacing the number of those entering by themselves or in groups on non-relatives, said Brian Hastings, the chief of Border Patrol operations, who joined McAleenan at the briefing. The Border Patrol, Hastings said, "has no reason to expect this trend to decrease. In fact, it will increase." Border Patrol Agents take in to custody migrants shortly after crossing the river from Mexico near Mission TX, on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2019. The briefing came as the U.S. Senate nears a vote on a House-passed resolution to overturn President Donald Trump's declaration of a state of emergency on the southern border so that he may divert federal funds toward the effort to construct more physical barriers that he said would help stem illegal immigration. More apprehensions are taking place in the remote and rugged deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, far away from medical facilities and transportation systems, Hastings said. And more migrants are coming as part of large groups. Story continues So far during the fiscal year that started in October, authorities have apprehended 70 groups that numbered 100 people or more. The year before, there were 13 such groups. And the year before that there were two, Hastings said. If the present trend holds, he said 174 groups of 100 or more, totaling about 29,000 people, will be taken into custody by federal authorities by the end of the current fiscal year. A migrant is searched before being transported after being taken in to custody by Border Patrol near Mission, Texas, after tracking them trough a field on Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2019. Unlike earlier in the 2000s and before, most undocumented migrants are not from Mexico. About 70 percent, Hastings said, are from what he called the Northern Triangle of Central America: El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Apprehensions are on pace to be the largest since 2005, Hastings said. According to Border Patrol statistics, apprehensions on the southern border reached nearly 1.18 million that year. The present appearance of large groups of migrants has also provided cover for drug traffickers because so many agents are needed to process group members, screen them for medical conditions and transport them to detention facilities, Hastings said. "That's highly concerning for us going forward," he said. Meanwhile, with authorities taking in an average of 55 people per day who need immediate medical attention, Customs and Border Protection plans to expand medical support in what Hastings and McAleenan described as "high-risk locations at and between ports of entry." This will include facilities for medical assessments that will be staffed by registered nurses and nurse practitioners. The agencys efforts to care for migrants has been under scrutiny ever since three migrants died in custody in three months, including two young children from Guatemala. The child deaths prompted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to order medical screenings for all children in custody, but questions have continued about the agencys willingness, or ability, to adequately care for migrants. The spike in apprehensions is straining Border Patrol staff, Hastings said. "The current situation is unsustainable." Related Coverage More: On the border, migrant apprehensions happen around the clock More: Here's what the busiest stretch of U.S./Mexico border looks like More: Donald Trump's emergency order hits wall with GOP senators. What's next? More: Violent crime in El Paso before and after border fence: Column This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Border Patrol: 300 percent spike in family apprehensions creates 'humanitarian crisis' LONDON (Reuters) - Brexit minister Stephen Barclay has asked the European Union for its "formal views" on a proposal to preserve citizens' rights regardless of whether a Brexit deal is agreed, according a letter published by the government on Tuesday. Last month, the government adopted a proposal by a Conservative lawmaker to ensure that the safeguards on the rights of British citizens living in the EU and vice versa in the divorce deal be ensured even if the deal is not ratified. "In light of our aim, we have already set out a fair and comprehensive unilateral offer of how we will protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK that is based on the Withdrawal Agreement," Barclay wrote in the letter dated March 4. He said the government welcomed the Commission's request for EU members to adopt "a generous approach" to British citizens living in the bloc, but that the government had "particular concerns in relation to healthcare arrangements". "I would be happy to explore this further with you to consider solutions that will ensure that the arrangements for citizens, in particular vulnerable citizens, are safeguarded in all scenarios." (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; editing by William James) Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was dealt a fresh blow Monday when his budget minister resigned, the latest in a string of officials to quit amid allegations of government interference in a major fraud case. Jane Philpott, who also served as Treasury Board president, said she no longer had confidence in Trudeau's government over the allegations that senior officials attempted to head off the prosecution of engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. "I have been considering the events that have shaken the federal government in recent weeks and after serious reflection, I have concluded that I must resign as a member of Cabinet," Philpott said on Twitter. "The solemn principles at stake are the independence and integrity of our justice system... Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised." Philpott is said to be close to ex-justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, who triggered the crisis for Trudeau's Liberal government. Last month, Wilson-Raybould testified before the House of Commons Justice Committee that Trudeau and his inner circle applied "inappropriate" pressure on her, including "veiled threats," to intervene in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. She said that from September to December 2018, officials "hounded" her to ask prosecutors to settle the case out of court. Last week, the opposition called for Trudeau's resignation and for launching a federal investigation to look into Wilson-Raybould's claims. SNC-Lavalin was charged in 2015 with corruption for allegedly bribing officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011 to secure government contracts during former strongman Moamer Kadhafi's reign. - 'Very concerned' - Wilson-Raybould refused, and the trial is set to proceed. Canada's first indigenous attorney general, she was shuffled to veterans affairs in January, and a month later resigned from cabinet. Story continues Days later, Trudeau's longtime friend and top advisor Gerry Butts also quit. Trudeau said he "completely disagrees" with his former attorney general's characterization of events, insisting that he and his team were rightly looking to safeguard up to 9,000 Canadian jobs, including in his own Quebec electoral district. Wilson-Raybould referred to those moves as improper "partisan political considerations." Trudeau has insisted that he made clear to his former attorney general that the "decision around SNC-Lavalin was Wilson-Raybould's and hers alone to make." Trudeau faces other crises. He must also contend with a burgeoning row with China over the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of telecoms giant Huawei, at the request of the United States. Washington wants to put Meng on trial on fraud charges for allegedly violating Iran sanctions and lying about it to US banks, and the case has become a major headache for Ottawa. China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor in December in what observers see as retaliation just days after Canada arrested Meng. China's official news agency Xinhua has reported that Beijing suspects Kovrig of spying and stealing state secrets -- prompting Trudeau to say that he is "very concerned with the position that China has taken." By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shows every sign of trying to battle his way through the biggest crisis of his tenure even as opinion polls show he stands a real chance of losing power in an election this October. A second member of Trudeau's Cabinet resigned on Monday, saying she had lost confidence in how the government had dealt with allegations that officials inappropriately pressured former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould last year to try to help construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid a trial on charges of bribing Libyan officials. Treasury Board President Jane Philpott was one of the most respected members of government and political observers described her departure as a major blow. Trudeau, who came to power in November 2015 promising to do more for women, has now lost two high-profile female ministers and his principal personal secretary in less than a month as the crisis deepens. A government official said while Trudeau was disappointed by Philpott's resignation, he would not be changing tack. "We will not lose sight of the big picture, we will not lose sight of the reasons that people elected us," said the official, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. Trudeau told a Liberal rally on Monday night that he took Philpott's concerns seriously while noting that "we are allowed to have disagreements and debate." NERVOUS LIBERAL LEGISLATORS Some nervous Liberal legislators say Trudeau needs to make changes to his inner circle and complain about a lack of communication from top aides. But a Liberal with close experience of working with the prime minister said a major shift in tactics was very unlikely. "He will always double down when under pressure," said the Liberal. "That's his way." An Ipsos poll for Global News released on Tuesday showed the Conservatives would get 40 percent support from decided voters compared with just 31 percent for Trudeau, more than enough to ensure his defeat. Penny Collenette, an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa and former national director of the Liberal Party, said Trudeau needed to quickly give his version of events. "Governments survive resignations from high-profile cabinet ministers ... it doesn't have to be fatal at all. But we're now into the fourth week and every day that goes by without this closing is a day lost for this government in an election year," she said by phone. Gerald Butts, who quit last month as Trudeau's chief aide, is due to testify to the House of Commons justice committee about the allegations on Wednesday. There are no immediate signs of an attempt to pressure Trudeau to leave, if only because it can take years to force out a Canadian leader who does not want to go. The heads of political parties are elected by members at formal conventions and cannot be sacked after a snap vote by parliamentarians, as is the case in Britain and Australia. In statements to domestic media, every one of the 33 remaining Cabinet members - including Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland - issued statements backing Trudeau. "Removing a leader just a few months before an election would be suicide," said another Liberal. Trudeau dismisses opposition calls for a public inquiry, noting that Canada's independent ethics commissioner is looking into the allegations. The commissioner, though, can take months to wrap up a probe and there is no guarantee the results would be released before the vote in October. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Phil Berlowitz) Film critics have had their say on Captain Marvel (Disney) The review embargo has lifted for Captain Marvel ahead of its nationwide release on Friday, 8 March, and the response from film critics has been largely positive. Early reviews have put the film on an 86% approval rating, according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Brie Larsons performance as pilot turned warrior Carol Danvers has been widely praised, with critics also lauding her chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson, who portrays a digitally de-aged incarnation of SHIELD boss Nick Fury. Read more: Larson responds to critics The film is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to feature a solo female superhero as the title character and could well tie in to the apocalyptic events of Avengers: Infinity War, as well as its upcoming sequel Avengers: Endgame. If critical reaction is anything to go by, fans of the Marvel movies will be satisfied with the latest effort, directed by duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Read more: How Marvel de-aged Samuel L. Jackson Heres what the critics had to say Empire: Carol Danvers final battle offers a radical message and becomes a powerful metaphor for what could happen if we stop waiting to be told that we are enough; if we stop believing the people who tell us were too emotional or too weak. The Guardian: Larson has the natural body language of a superhero: that mixture of innocence and insouciance, that continuous clear-eyed idealism and indignation combined with unreflective battle-readiness, all the things that give MCU films their addictive quality. Mashable: If Captain Marvel cant quite match Marvel Studios at its very best, if it feels a bit like a franchise in need of an identity, its still a rock-solid introduction to a new character who, judging by her immense power, may just turn out to be the Thanos-killer that the Avengers need in Endgame. Just as the Marvel makers wanted, I left the theater pleased to have met Carol at long last, and eager to see her again. Read more: Captain Marvel credit scenes details Story continues Daily Telegraph: Marvel films are all about anticipation: theyre designed to make you crave the next helping before youve even swallowed the current one. But this is the first in a while that Ive found myself immediately hungry to revisit. Variety: Its a prequel that casts its gaze way forward. Yet in its sturdy and standard-issue way, it invests Carol Danvers with a heroic majesty and heft that moves her, as a presence, right to the forefront of the series. USA Today: Carol is the straight-up female powerhouse the universe has been missing. Scenes where men throughout her life tell her shes too weak and not good enough including Jude Laws very punchable Starforce commander Yon-Rogg pay off in one rousing, cathartic moment where Captain Marvel gets knocked down but gets up again, and no ones going to keep her down. Actors Mckenna Grace and Brie Larson attend the Los Angeles World Premiere of Marvel Studios Captain Marvel at Dolby Theatre on March 4, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) It wasnt all plain sailing for the film, though, with some critics describing the movie as a disappointment in comparison to other recent Marvel outings. Hollywood Reporter: Public confidence in the brand and good will toward this new franchise, in particular, will probably grant the film a pass from most fans, but the storytelling is perfunctory at best. IndieWire: As generic and retrograde as Black Panther was specific and revolutionary, Captain Marvel is a frustrating disappointment at a time when every inclusive blockbuster is fought over as though it could be the decisive battle in our never-ending culture wars. Captain Marvel is in cinemas from Friday. Watch a trailer below. Many investors are still learning about the various metrics that can be useful when analysing a stock. This article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE). Well use ROE to examine Academies Australasia Group Limited (ASX:AKG), by way of a worked example. Academies Australasia Group has a ROE of 12%, based on the last twelve months. That means that for every A$1 worth of shareholders equity, it generated A$0.12 in profit. View our latest analysis for Academies Australasia Group How Do I Calculate Return On Equity? The formula for ROE is: Return on Equity = Net Profit Shareholders Equity Or for Academies Australasia Group: 12% = 3.992 AU$36m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.) Most readers would understand what net profit is, but its worth explaining the concept of shareholders equity. It is all earnings retained by the company, plus any capital paid in by shareholders. The easiest way to calculate shareholders equity is to subtract the companys total liabilities from the total assets. What Does ROE Signify? ROE looks at the amount a company earns relative to the money it has kept within the business. The return is the profit over the last twelve months. A higher profit will lead to a higher ROE. So, all else being equal, a high ROE is better than a low one. That means ROE can be used to compare two businesses. Does Academies Australasia Group Have A Good ROE? By comparing a companys ROE with its industry average, we can get a quick measure of how good it is. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. If you look at the image below, you can see Academies Australasia Group has a lower ROE than the average (16%) in the Consumer Services industry classification. ASX:AKG Past Revenue and Net Income, March 4th 2019 Unfortunately, thats sub-optimal. Wed prefer see an ROE above the industry average, but it might not matter if the company is undervalued. Still, shareholders might want to check if insiders have been selling. Story continues How Does Debt Impact ROE? Virtually all companies need money to invest in the business, to grow profits. That cash can come from issuing shares, retained earnings, or debt. In the first and second cases, the ROE will reflect this use of cash for investment in the business. In the latter case, the use of debt will improve the returns, but will not change the equity. That will make the ROE look better than if no debt was used. Academies Australasia Groups Debt And Its 12% ROE While Academies Australasia Group does have a tiny amount of debt, with debt to equity of just 0.023, we think the use of debt is very modest. Its very respectable ROE, combined with only modest debt, suggests the business is in good shape. Careful use of debt to boost returns is often very good for shareholders. However, it could reduce the companys ability to take advantage of future opportunities. But Its Just One Metric Return on equity is useful for comparing the quality of different businesses. A company that can achieve a high return on equity without debt could be considered a high quality business. All else being equal, a higher ROE is better. Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, youll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. Profit growth rates, versus the expectations reflected in the price of the stock, are a particularly important to consider. Check the past profit growth by Academies Australasia Group by looking at this visualization of past earnings, revenue and cash flow. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. (Reuters) - Chelsea Manning on Tuesday lost a bid to quash a subpoena compelling her to testify in front of a grand jury, according to media reports and a group supporting her. Manning is a transgender U.S. Army soldier who served seven years in military prison for leaking classified data while she was working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq. She was granted clemency by former U.S. President Barack Obama. Manning is expected to return to the courthouse in Alexandria on Wednesday, according to Chelsea Resists!, a group that supports her. It is not clear why Manning is being compelled to appear in court. In remarks made outside the Virginia courthouse, Manning said she opposed grand juries in general and that her team thinks they "still have grounds to litigate," the Washington Post reported. Manning was convicted by court-martial in 2013 of espionage and other crimes because she furnished more than 70,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables to Wikileaks, an organization that publishes information from anonymous sources. In November, U.S. prosecutors revealed they were pursuing a criminal case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and had obtained a sealed indictment against him. Lawyers for Manning and representatives from the courthouse did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Tom Brown) China's premier warned Tuesday that the country faces a "tough struggle" as he unveiled tax cuts to prop up a stuttering economy while increasing military spending to nearly $180 billion. The slowdown and US trade war have become major challenges for President Xi Jinping, a year after becoming the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong with the abolition of term limits and etching of his name into the constitution. Premier Li Keqiang told the opening session of China's annual National People's Congress that the government is targeting growth of 6.0-6.5 percent this year for the world's second-largest economy, lowering its range from 2018. Nearly 3,000 delegates from across the country gathered under tight security, with legislation aimed at improving conditions for foreign investors topping the agenda of the two-week session. "In pursuing development this year, we will face a graver and more complicated environment as well as risks and challenges... that are greater in number and size," Li said in his speech. "We must be fully prepared for a tough struggle," he said. The government had set a target of around 6.5 percent in 2018 and eventually recorded official growth of 6.6 percent -- the slowest pace in nearly three decades. Three-quarters of provinces have already lowered their annual growth targets this year. - Taxes cut, spending boosted - "We have made a moderate adjustment to our projection on the basis of a thorough assessment of destabilising factors and uncertainties affecting the economic performance," Li said. To combat slowing growth, policymakers have said they will lower taxes, reduce fees and streamline red tape. China will cut company taxes and employer social insurance contributions paid on behalf of workers by nearly 2 trillion yuan ($298 billion), Li said. The value-added tax for manufacturers will be lowered to 13 percent from 16 percent and drop one percent for transportation and construction industries. Story continues Beijing will also lift spending, with China's targeted fiscal deficit set to increase to 2.8 percent of GDP, from 2.6 percent last year. Fiscal policy will be "proactive", while monetary policy will remain "prudent", Li said, outlining cuts to the reserve ratios at medium and small banks to unleash more funds into the economy. To combat problems facing small business, Beijing will raise the VAT threshold to 100,000 yuan in monthly sales, from 30,000 yuan and direct large state banks to lend 30 percent more to small firms this year. Beijing is determined to achieve above six percent growth for the next two years to "meet its promise" of doubling GDP for the decade ending 2020, said Lu Ting, an analyst at Nomura bank. - Economic difficulties - Despite the slowdown, the government unveiled a military budget increase of 7.5 percent to 1.2 trillion yuan, though that is lower than last year's 8.1 percent hike. China has spent billions on stealth warplanes, aircraft carriers and other advanced weaponry as it faces territorial disputes in the South China Sea and issues warnings against independence in Taiwan. Recent economic data point to the difficulties China faces, with growth in the last three months of 2018 clocking in at 6.4 percent. In January, an important barometer of prices in the country's industrial sector neared contraction territory while China's imports fell at the start of the year. Manufacturing activity saw its worst performance in three years in February. But the country's stock market soared to its highest point in more than eight months Monday on renewed optimism about a US trade deal. Relations with the United States deteriorated sharply last year after President Donald Trump hit roughly half of Chinese imports with new tariffs in an attempt to force trade concessions. But Trump has voiced confidence that he could soon sign a deal with Xi. Li said China will settle "trade disputes through discussions as equals". Enforcement of any agreement with the US has emerged as a potential sticking point. "We faithfully honour our commitments," Li said. "Right now both teams are still negotiating because there is still lots left to do," Commerce Minister Zhong Shan told reporters, adding there have been "breakthroughs in some areas". The legislature will next week pass a new law regulating foreign investment and barring the forced transfer of technology by foreign firms to Chinese joint venture partners, in a move that could help ease US trade tensions. Beijing will "create a fair and impartial market environment where Chinese and foreign companies are treated as equals and engage in fair competition", Li said. Chinas $1 trillion online market may not be enough for homegrown giants Alibaba (BABA) and JD.com (JD). The countrys two biggest e-commerce players are now trying to appeal to businesses and customers in the United States. Both companies, against the backdrop of China-U.S. trade tensions, have been growing their efforts to expand in the U.S. market by partnering with local companies: JD.com quietly started to sell on Google to consumers and Alibaba has partnered with Office Depot to attract small businesses. Alibaba, the Hangzhou, China-based online marketplace, announced a strategic partnership with Office Depot on Monday, aiming to provide an one-stop solution for U.S. small businesses who shop for office supplies in the U.S. and source their products from China. Small businesses who spend over $200 on Alibaba.com can receive exclusive offers on officedepot.com and in Office Depot stores across the U.S. To me, this is a huge opportunity for both companies to bring I think a unique value that could compete against the other guys in North America, Office Depot CEO Gerry Smith told Yahoo Finance. Alibabas head of North America B2B John Caplan believes the partnership will be complementary because Alibaba focuses on customized manufactured good, while Office Depot mainly sells finished goods like printers. Why can't I have a one stop summation for my customized goods and for the supplies I need to operate my business every day? That's a customer first approach, said Caplan. Alibabas Chairman Jack Ma vowed to create 1 million jobs in the U.S. by helping small businesses in January 2017, a promise he later backed down from because of the trade tension. JD.com lists items on Google Express JD.com sells on Google Express JD.com, Chinas second largest e-commerce platform, is taking a different approach. Instead of going after enterprise customers in the U.S., JD.com is targeting the average American shopper. After Google announced a $550 million investment in JD.com in June, the Chinese company quietly began selling products on Googles shopping site Google Express this year. There are currently more than 1,000 products listed on Google Express from Joybuy, a JD.com-owned English shopping website for overseas customers. Among the items listed are electronics and hair extensions, which can be delivered within four days. A JD.com spokesperson confirmed that products were listed on Google Express this year, and said it is still in a testing phase. Story continues JD.com has pledged to offer a more seamless experience for U.S. customers through the Google partnership. In China, JD.com is known for its ultra-fast delivery and extensive supply chain. Obviously we dont have that same kind of infrastructure in the U.S., were looking at what we can do to get something close to the kind of shopping experiences we want to have, the JD.com spokesperson told Yahoo Finance. It remains to be seen how Chinas e-commerce giantss efforts in the U.S. will pan out. Amazon, an e-commerce giant in the U.S., hasnt had much luck in China and is reportedly considering selling its China business to domestic player NetEase. In 2019, China is expected to account for nearly 56% of all online retail sales globally, while the U.S. market is projected to contribute 17%, according to an eMarketer report. Correction: Jack Ma vowed to create 1 million jobs in the U.S. The previous version of the story incorrectly stated the number. The second paragraph has been updated for clarity. Share your thoughts with Krystal Hu via krystalh@yahoofinance.com Read more: China builds the worlds longest high-speed rail as a rail stalls in the U.S. Apple cuts iPhone XR price for partner sellers in China Amazon eyes closed Sears stores for Whole Foods expansion In China, there is a new way to pay tribute to Warren Buffett, the legendary investor known as the god of stocks in the country. A Little Buffett summer camp is recruiting Chinese kids and teenagers, 6 years old to 19 years old. The first-of-its-kind camp, branded as the trip for future entrepreneurs, scientists and investors, offers an 10-day trip to the U.S. in July and August. The camp includes three different routes across the country: the East Coast, the West Coast and the Middle America. All participants will spend the last three days of their trip in Omaha, Nebraska, Buffetts hometown to learn how to invest. Activities also include touring the perimeter of Buffetts house, and eating at his favorite restaurant Gorat's Steakhouse. At the end of the trip, participants will receive investment projects and they are encouraged to start their own investment fund and report their returns periodically. They can also take advantage of free U.S. college application services, a common practice among Chinese students that could cost a few thousands of dollars. June Cui, one of the organizers of the camp, said the purpose of starting such a camp is to build connections with participants and benefit other entrepreneurship and investment events she is running. Buffett's assistant told Yahoo Finance that Buffett "doesnt know anything about this." Tepid interest in Little Buffett camp Chinese fans of Warren Buffett host his book at Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting to begin, in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, May 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) Learning the Buffett way comes at a cost. For each kid, the cost was advertised to be about $8,600, excluding the round-trip tickets from China to the U.S. The ad said parents are welcome to join as well, at $6,600 per person. Cui said the price of the camp has not been finalized. The camp, which started enrollment in late January, has so far not been well received. There have been no sign-ups. Some people have asked for more information, as they are hesitant to spend so much money on a first-time event. Cui said they need 10-20 participants to make the camp happen. Story continues We want to host a high-end summer camp, Cui explained, referring to the hefty price tag of the 10-day trip. Most people who have showed interest are affluent Chinese parents who want to cultivate their kids spending and investing habits from early on, according to Cui. She plans to rent Mercedes-Benz cars and book luxury hotels for the kids. If the cost for camp named after Buffett is too low, people would think youre scammers, Cui said. Editors note: The Little Buffett camp is a 10-day trip and while the price of the camp was advertised to be $8,600 that price has not been finalized. After this article was published Cui said she was not the leader of the North America Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum and could not say if it was participating in the camp. Also, The Omaha Value Investment Education and Research Center said it has no connection with the camp. Krystal Hu covers technology and China for Yahoo Finance. Write to her via krystalh@yahoofinance.com Read more: China builds the worlds longest high-speed rail as a rail stalls in the U.S. Apple cuts iPhone XR price for partner sellers in China Amazon eyes closed Sears stores for Whole Foods expansion Cimarex Energy Co. XEC recently announced that the company has closed the $1.6 billion cash-and-stock acquisition deal with Resolute Energy Corporation. Notably, Cimarex had issued around 5.7 million common shares for former shareholders of Resolute Energy. It also paid $325.6 million in cash. Additionally, Cimarex announced that it is committed to achieve cashflow neutrality (after paying dividends) in 2019, with an assumed oil price of $52.50 per barrel. The Resolute Energy acquisition, effective Mar 1, 2019, is anticipated to add 28,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOED) of production (52.9% oil) to total output in March. For 2019, the company expects overall production to rise 18%, with oil output expected to increase 23%. It expects overall output to average 250,000-270,000 BOED in 2019. Including the effects from the acquisition, production in first-quarter 2019 is expected within the range of 245,000-257,000 BOED. The strategic acquisition is expected to lead to significant commercial, financial and operational synergies, courtesy of integration of assets and systems. Cimarex holds about 94.4% stake in the combined entity, following the closing of the deal. The move is expected to be a prudent one as the deal is likely to be accretive to the companys earnings and non-GAAP cash flow. The agreement added around 21,100 net acres of Reeves County acreage to Cimarexs Permian portfolio, expanding its position by 34% to a total of 83,158 acres. Notably, in 2019, the company plans to invest $1.1-$1.2 billion for drilling and completion of 83 net wells, of which 66 are from the Permian Basin. As a result, around 85% of its total drilling and completion capital will be directed toward the Permian Basin. Price Performance Cimarex has lost 22.9% in the past year compared with 23.8% collective decline of its industry. Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider Currently, Cimarex carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors interested in the energy sector can opt for some better-ranked stocks as given below: Story continues Austin, TX-based Jones Energy, Inc. JONE is an exploration and production company. For 2019, its bottom line, which has witnessed one upside revision over the past 60 days, is expected to grow 19% year over year. The company currently holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Denver, CO-based Antero Resources Corporation AR is an upstream energy company. Its top line for 2019 is expected to increase 11.8% year over year. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2. Enbridge Inc. ENB is a Calgary, Canada-based energy infrastructure provider. The company delivered average positive earnings surprise of 31.8% in the trailing four quarters. It currently has a Zacks Rank #2. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. Theyre also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Enbridge Inc (ENB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Antero Resources Corporation (AR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cimarex Energy Co (XEC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Jones Energy, Inc. (JONE) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research In a surprising about-face late last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer outlined a new vision for how Democrats will legislate protections against climate change. The shift in strategy comes just a few weeks after Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markley introduced their Green New Deal, a proposal that aims to reduce carbon emissions, create jobs, and boost the economy. This is the first time Democrats have decided to go on offense on climate change, Schumer said in an interview with the New York Times. Asked about what bill Democrats plan on running, though, he admitted, Its going to take us a little while to come up with a consensus that works. With climate change becoming a key issue for younger millennials, the decision to focus more on the environment is one way in which Democrats hope to court younger voters. Thanks in part to activists throughout Europe, young Americans particularly young women are taking up the mantle to force serious legislation to protect the planet. As part of that effort, climate change activists are planning mass protests on March 15 across the US and around the world. And organizations such as Zero Hour are focusing their efforts on mobilizing youth, many of whom are voting for the first time in 2020. There arent very many spaces that I can be in charge of, and what Im going to say is going to be heard, 17-year-old Jamie Margolin, Zero Hours executive director, told BuzzFeed News in February. If youre a victim of a system of oppression, youre more affected by the climate crisis that goes for women. Nobody is going to hand us this. We have to step up and raise our voices. Democrats plan to do just that in Congress. Per the Times, Schumer is organizing daily speeches about climate change inaction, as well as a proposal for a special Senate committee focused on the issue. Story continues But its not just Congress thats poised to move into a more climate-driven conversation: Late Friday, Governor Jay Inslee announced his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. And his platform focuses primarily on fixing the environment. Inslee, a former state legislator and congressperson, has spent his career focused on the environment. In 2007, he co-wrote a book on climate change that called for sweeping legislation focused on clean energy jobs and environmental justice. His decade-old plea is strikingly similar to Ocasio-Cortezs Green New Deal, which combines job creation with environmental protections and emissions-reducing targets. Ultimately, I believe there is one central, defining, existential-with-a-capital-E threat to the future of the nation: climate change, Inslee told Vox ahead of his announcement. It is clear that it will only be defeated if the United States shows leadership. And that will only happen if the US president makes it a clear priority the number one, foremost, paramount goal of the next administration. With global scientists warning that were almost out of time to repair the environment (never mind reverse course), voters may prioritize environmental reform something that wasnt even on most peoples radar just 10 years ago. Were the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, Inslee said in his presidential bid video. And were the last who can do something about it. (Photo via Adam Berry/Getty Images + Karen Ducey/Getty Images) By Barbara Goldberg and Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) - New England dug out from more than a foot of snow on Monday that snarled commutes, canceled nearly 1,800 airline flights and was blamed for injuries to five people after a commuter jet slid off a snowy runway in northern Maine, forcing the airport to close. A pilot and four passengers suffered minor injuries when the United Express flight, a 50-seat Embaraer 145, veered off the runway at Presque Isle International Airport, in northern Maine, about 150 miles east of Canada's Quebec City, on landing at about 11:30 a.m., the airport said on Facebook. All five were transported to nearby Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital where they were treated and released, the airport said. The plane was damaged and would remain in place until Federal Aviation Administration officials could assess the scene. "At this time, the airport is closed and officials are currently in discussions with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine when the runway will be reopened," the airport said. A band of winter weather stretching from Maryland to Maine dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of New England, including 15 inches (38 cm) overnight on downtown Boston, National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard reported.New York City was spared the worst of the late-winter storm, although Mayor Bill de Blasio took the rare step of shutting the city's massive public school system and New Jersey Transit canceled about a dozen trains on its sprawling commuter system. The mayor defended the school closures on Twitter after snow totals in New York were less than expected and parents complained on social media that he had overreacted. "We put safety first when we make a call on closing school. The overnight storm had more rain and less snow than forecasted. We know its tough for working parents - thats why we made an early decision so New Yorkers could plan," de Blasio said in a tweet. Story continues More than 1,700 flights were canceled on Monday and another 4,500 were delayed, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.com. Government offices and libraries in Boston were closed. In New Jersey, where Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, state workers had a two-hour delay. "This is horrible!" said Steve Wesley, 56, as he shoveled snow from his driveway in Maplewood, New Jersey. Wesley's two-mile local commute by car was delayed nearly two hours by the 4 to 6 inches of snow. Commuting challenges may mount in the coming days as snow melts and temperatures drop, icing over roadways. "Each day is a little bit cooler," the National Weather Service's Chenard said, noting the week's highest temperatures for the Northeast will be in the low 30s (1 C). "Youll get some melting during the day, especially when the sun is hitting the snow, and then at night its going to be cold enough to refreeze. Any road surfaces that arent treated, certainly could get icy at night into the morning," he said. (Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Scott Malone, Bill Berkrot and Leslie Adler) Here are the companies Yahoo Finance is watching today. GNC (GNC) fell short in Q4 with a miss on earnings and revenue, while same-store sales slid. The company also revealed it signed a $175 million partnership with international vitamin corp. The two companies will integrate their manufacturing operations in the deal. Papa John's (PZZA) is ending a feud with its founder. Court filings show John Schnatter has agreed to end his suits against the company and step down from the board. That's if both sides can find a mutually agreeable independent director to take his place. Schnatter was ousted last year after admitting using a racial slur on a conference call. GameStop (GME) is moving to boost its stock. The retailer plans to buy back some $300 million in shares, as it continues a strategic review of future plans. GameStop shares are down more than 8% this year, and the company announced in January it was no longer pursuing a sale. Spotify (SPOT) just added a million new subscribers in under a week. The streaming service waited a year to launch in India but signed up its first million users in that country in six days. No word on how many of those new listeners are paying for the service or are from Spotify's free ad-based service. A prominent wealth manager is hot on Disney (DIS). Ross Gerber told MarketWatch that 'Disney is changing Hollywood as we know it.' He added that everyone with a child is going to sign up for the company's streaming platform. He also calls Disney the 'best reward deal' in a long time. Disney also recently announced it will cut compensation for CEO Bob Iger by $13.5 million. By Abubaker Kirunda. A 55-year old man has survived being lynched by residents of Nakirulwe village in Nawaningi sub-county in Iganga for allegedly defiling a 6-year old minor. The suspect Wilber Murwasira was saved by the area LC1 Chairman Abbas Pamba. Pamba said the suspect was found with the minor behind the mothers house. He said the act of defilement by the suspect might have been prompted by over taking of alcohol. Pamba said the suspect was handed over to police after being rescued from angry residents. Even conservatives who tell themselves they prize the eternal truths are subject to intellectual fashions, storms of passion, and the irritation that comes from being slighted. Being a coalition made up of human beings, conservatives who normally align with each other but come to different judgements on one war, one presidency, or one policy will usually find their disagreements leaking over into personal slights. Because he is the Republican president and has mostly done the normal things people expect Republicans to do (tax cuts, appointing conservative jurists), most conservatives are united behind Donald Trump now. Some grudgingly. But a few are not. Although most of them have disclaimed the label, they get called the Never Trumpers. And the remaining Never Trumpers are lashing out at the faults of the movement they were in. They complain of the baleful influence of talk radio. They point to the presence of idiots who learn a little anti-liberal patois and rake in a ton of money. Not so far beneath the surface, they occasionally let a contempt for the masses of conservative voters start to sneak in. They welcome liberal readers to thrill at their denunciations of the Right. Soon, someone, possibly here at National Review, will come along for the kill shot and say of them, They began by hating the populists. They came to hate their party and this president. But all I can think when I read them is, I know what that feels like. In 2006, I threw in with conservatives who were against the Iraq War at The American Conservative and who generally had a low opinion of President George W. Bush. We also lamented the state of conservative talk radio. We also poked fun at CPAC. We cared deeply about the lines set by National Review. We cheered that they were against Bushs comprehensive amnesty, but lamented everything else on foreign policy. Like The Bulwark today, we took dissenting Republican congressmen and senators like Ron Paul and Walter Jones on the right, or Lincoln Chafee in the center, and turned them into tea leaves we used to divine a better future. Story continues Some among us went all the way to become Obamacons. Actually, a few among NRs extended family went that way too. We were frustrated and encouraged whenever conservatives that had better standing in the movement admitted that, privately, they agreed with a lot of our criticisms of it. We had a following among writers for The Weekly Standard that probably would embarrass everyone if it were fully understood. What we disliked most of all, I think, was the identification of political conservatism with George W. Bush himself, a man whose second inaugural contained so much revolutionary ambition, it reminded us of comrade Lenin. And none of us could have predicted that just eight years after Bush left office, Republicans would elect a man who criticized the Iraq War in some of the exact terms we did. And it is that last point that bears repeating: We could not see around the corner. And perhaps we didnt appreciate the past enough either. People who feel excluded from a movement in which they had a stake tend to dwell on the slights they were given, the offices for which they were passed over, the figures they admired who found themselves ousted, fairly or not. But you have to see beyond today. And that would be the caution I give to the members of Continuity Never Trump. Remember our history and remember that many present trends will change whether you push back or not. Its hard not to detect the prelapsarian myth that sits behind much commentary from Never Trumpers. As if talk-radio blather, Roger Stone, and trade protectionism had snuck into GOP politics for the first time in 2015, and everything before that had been conducted with the innocence of Dominican nuns praying the chaplet of divine mercy for the triumph of pure Hayekianism. For those who need reminders, Stone was doing the whip books for Reagan in 1976. Reagan and George W. Bush had both used trade protection of certain industries ahead of re-election campaigns. And conservative talk radio has been filling the airwaves with occasionally bilious populism for decades. The influence of Murdochs media empire and the cult of celebrity have been problems for true conservatism as well. Recall that in Californias infamous recall election, figures like Sean Hannity flocked to the moderate (but famous) Arnold Schwarzenegger over the rock-solid Golden-State conservative Tom McClintock. While defending his fellow Never Trumpers from conservative criticism, Charlie Sykes recently asked, What does the endgame look like if the GOP continues to alienate women, young people, Hispanics, African-Americans, Muslims, Asian-Americans? But the abysmal performance of the GOP among racial minorities predates Trump by a long way. Writers like Henry Olsen, whom Sykes wants to ostracize, argue consistently that Trumps aspiration for a Republican workers party is the best way to reach out to minority voters. Similar complaints have been made about conservative intellectuals looking to the European right for inspiration. As if that were new, and not a return to the practice of William F. Buckley. So, yes, I would urge members of Continuity Never Trump to get their history right, and to account for their own failures of judgement in it too. But, we shouldnt leave it there. These men and women should also have hope for the future. Returning things to just as they were in 2012, or 2004, or 1984 is impossible. But we wont be stuck in 2019 for long either. Many have remarked in the last week that the presidency of George W. Bush seems to have been erased from the collective memory of CPAC attendees. In that observation there may be a reason for optimism for the die-hard Never Trumpers. If the Trump presidency comes up looking like a dud by the end, conservative voters will put him out of mind. Continuity Never Trump should consider that the presidency itself may be too big to succeed. Any intellectual faction of the Right too closely identified with a president is likely to suffer in the long run. Some may recall this truth with bitterness. The sheer number of political appointees that it takes to assume control of the executive branch, the incredible remit of power that is given to the president because of the abdications of Congress, the way people assume the president leads his political party and charts a course for the intellectuals and policy-thinkers who are attached to it practically guarantee failure and disappointment. One of the European conservatives who they think we shouldnt read anymore said that all political lives end in failure. So it will be with Donald Trump. Another man whose conservative ideas have pre-Lockean roots cautions us: Put not thy trust in princes. Looked at a certain way, Trump has liberated conservatives. Not just from a few outdated and unpopular agendas, but from the presidency itself. Everyone knows that conservative intellectuals had a complicated relationship with Trump. And in fact, if you get beyond some of the personal sniping, youll find that at the highest level conservatives are engaging in their most interesting, and searching, debates in years. It gets better. More from National Review The inside of the property in Devon is covered in pigeon poo (Pictures: SWNS) A four-bedroom property is being sold for just 45,000 because it is covered in pigeon poo. The problem was so bad that the owner has fled the house in Ilfracombe, Devon. The property, Number 1 Coburg Villas, is a large terraced house with plenty of rooms and outdoor space and stunning views over the Bristol channel but the inside is full of pigeon droppings. In some areas of the house, the thickness of the bird excrement is two feet. The house is on the market for just 45,000 (Picture: SWNS) Much of the interior is covered in bird faeces (Picture: SWNS) And thats not the only issue the home is also missing windows, has no staircase to the first floor, has collapsed ceilings and several rotten floors. The top floors are completely covered in bird faeces. The home is in such disrepair that prospective buyers arent allowed inside instead, they must view an online video tour of the property. Estate agents Webbers are marketing the home. Its director, Lee Hussell said the house was lived in until the end of last year. Read more Shocking list of suspected killings in London so far this year after girl is stabbed to death Husband of Isis bride denied UK citizenship wants them to live together as a family Meghan Markle gender fluid Royal baby claims are totally false, says Kensington Palace He said: The lady who lived here kept herself to herself and has now moved into rented accommodation. The property is in a very sorry state of repair but has massive potential. Due to the structural state of the building and the large amount of pigeon waste, which is a hazardous substance, we are not able to offer any viewings on this property. All of the upper floors are coated in pigeon poo (Picture: SWNS) There has been remarkable online interest in the property (Picture: SWNS) A virtual tour of the property was filmed for marketing purposes by Panoptic Motion, which featured a man wearing a large pigeon head hovering behind a door on the third floor. Mr Hussell said: The people at Panoptic Motion were able to go in and provide a virtual tour which obviously has a big surprise on the third floor. We knew nothing about this until we looked through it ourselves, but its very funny and tongue-in-cheek and the more we can get people talking about this property the better. Story continues He said the state of the property as well as the surprise in the virtual tour has led to tens of thousands of views of the property online. The owner fled the property last year (Picture: SWNS) Estate agents have warned buyers the home is not for the faint-hearted (Picture: SWNS) The house in Ilfracombe, Devon, is in a serious state of disrepair (Picture: SWNS) Its gone properly viral weve had people contacting us to say its been shared in Australia. So far, thousands of people have seen the property online so Im hopeful for a fair bit of interest when it comes to auction. Number 1 Coburg Villas is part of a wider auction lot of properties in Ilfracombe and Woolacombe which will take place at midday on Friday, April 5 at the Lantern Centre in Ilfracombe. On the website the premises is described by Webbers as a proper renovation project not for the faint-hearted. It continues: The house is on the market for the first time in nearly 40 years. The three-storey accommodation is in a very poor state of repair with some areas open to the elements and the bay windows in a state of dilapidation and in need of rebuilding. The one bright side of the property is its stunning views (Picture: SWNS) The inside of the property is not a pretty sight (Picture: SWNS) There is no staircase to the first with access being required by ladder only and some of the floor areas being held up on acrow props. There are several areas of rot and dampness with the property likely to require a complete strip out and re-fit. As a result of the works required we can almost certainly say that the property is not suitable for mortgage lending purposes. The popular location is just metres from the high street, seafront and picturesque harbour and the many top quality restaurants, bars and small independent shops that the town has to offer. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Counter-terror police are investigating a possible Irish link after three explosive devices were sent to major transport hubs in London. Packages were sent to Heathrow Airport, Waterloo Station and City Airport. All the packages were A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags and appeared capable of igniting a small fire when opened, the Met said. Security sources have emphasised that investigators are keeping an open mind, but Irish police have confirmed that they are helping with the investigation following reports the packages had been sent with Irish stamps. A statement from Irish police said: An Garda Siochana are assisting the Metropolitan Police with their enquiries. Photo of one of the suspect devices this one sent to Heathrow. It caught fire: pic.twitter.com/keObgokRVH Alistair Bunkall (@AliBunkallSKY) March 5, 2019 Sky News correspondent Alistair Bunkall tweeted a picture which he said showed the package sent to Heathrow airport. The stamps appeared similar to some issued by the Irish postal service for Valentines Day 2018, featuring a heart motif and the words Love Eire N. One of the images showed a partially-burned package which appeared to have Dublin written in black ink in the bottom right-hand corner of the envelope, which Mr Bunkall said had caught fire. Staff at the Compass Centre, which serves as Heathrow Airport Limiteds head office in Nelson Road, Hounslow, opened the package, causing it to partially ignite as a result the building was closed and evacuated. Scotland Yard said officers are treating the incidents as linked and are keeping an open mind regarding motives. No one has been injured in the three incidents, police said. READ MORE Father left son to die in park because he was fried on drugs No link between MMR jab and autism Husband of Isis bride denied UK citizenship wants them to live together as a family Story continues In a statement, Scotland Yard said: At approximately 9.55am the Met Police received a report of a suspicious package at The Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow. The package was opened by staff at the building, causing the device to initiate. This resulted in part of the package burning. A second package was reported at around 11.40am at Waterloo Station, the statement said, adding: The package was not opened. Specialist officers attended and made the device safe. No one was injured. The station was not evacuated and train services continued to operate as normal. London security alerts: Heathrow, Waterloo and City Airport devices were bombs, terror police say. Above officers cordon off an area near Waterloo. A third package was reported to police after a suspicious package was found at offices at City Aviation House, Royal Docks, Newham just after noon. Staff were evacuated from the building as a precaution, the statement said. The package was not opened and no one was injured. Specialist officers attended and made safe the device. The building has been reopened. As a precaution, DLR services to London City Airport were suspended but are now fully operational. Flights to and from the airport have not been affected. All the packages were capable of igniting a small fire when opened, police said Scotland Yard said advice has been given to transport hubs across London to be vigilant for and report suspicious packages to police. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing, the force said. A Heathrow spokesman said that flights and passengers were not affected by the incident and Network Rail has not commented on the incident. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted: Our thanks go to police, security, transport staff and all involved for their swift actions to keep our city safe. A crypto exchange has announced it is launching zero-fee trading across the 131 countries where it currently operates. Zebpay says it wants to liberate crypto from the shackles of trading fees, and to reduce the friction for all those who are new to crypto. Many exchanges charge a small commission whenever their users make a trade. While the company says fees of 0.25 percent may seem insubstantial, it warned they certainly add up and can eat into trading profits, and even deter infrequent traders from participating more. In a blog post announcing the changes, Zebpay said: The ethos of the crypto space is all about empowering individuals through decentralization. In this scenario, we strongly felt that it wasnt fair to tax the actions of these empowered individuals. Thats why we got rid of the trading fee entirely. No maker-fees. No taker-fees. A rebranded service Zebpay has also unveiled a new brand identity to mark its shift to fee-free trading. The company hopes to become a trendsetter and is optimistic that other platforms will follow in its footsteps, stressing that its approach is not a marketing gimmick but a brand promise a belief that this is where the market must go. Its founders say they have been involved in the Bitcoin and the blockchain community since the early days before starting Zebpay in 2014. Since then, more than three million users have come on board the platform, amassing more than $2 billion in fiat-to-crypto trade volumes. Ajeet Khurana, the CEO of Zebpay, told Cointelegraph: In crystallizing the zero-trading fee model, our challenge was that historically approximately 90% of our revenues came from trading fees: How would we come up with an economic model that worked? But what we have repeatedly seen is that players that align with the sentiment called crypto, tend to make it big in the business called crypto. Thats what we are banking upon: people will rally to a provider that allows them to freely move across crypto-fiat and crypto-crypto pairs. Story continues Zebpay is available here New features, new look Zebpay says that its zero-fees policy is complemented by how users are not required to have a minimum balance in their wallets and the number of trades they can make on a daily basis is unlimited. The company adds that its exchange has been given a refreshing new look, with the objective of being clean, intuitive and simple. Zebpay says it invests heavily in security for its users and that it has an incident-free past. It aims to make the process of buying, selling and storing crypto stress free by ensuring that 98 percent of the cryptocurrencies it handles are kept in cold storage on air-gapped machines that have been distributed in cities around the world. On its website, the team also explain that its infrastructure has been built so there is no single point of failure. They add: Coins stored with us cannot be breached or accessed from one geographic location or by a single person. Apart from the cold storage, all hot wallet transactions on Zebpay are signed using systems across different cloud platforms. Zebpay says that it is committed to engage, participate and grow the global crypto and blockchain community and to this end, it has become a member of Switzerlands Crypto Valley as well as the Bitcoin Association Switzerland. New features are regularly being added to its apps for Android and iOS devices. At the start of the year, Zebpay unveiled plans to expand its footprint in Europe by enabling users to make deposits and withdrawals in euros, paving the way for fiat-to-crypto trading on the continent. The feature is now live in 131 countries for everyday users and corporate investors. Learn more about Zebpay Disclaimer. Cointelegraph does not endorse any content or product on this page. While we aim at providing you all important information that we could obtain, readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company and carry full responsibility for their decisions, nor this article can be considered as an investment advice. Related Articles: Democrats brace for Trump tax return legal fight that could reach Supreme Court originally appeared on abcnews.go.com House Democrats are girding for a fight over President Donald Trump's tax returns, one that will likely lead all the way to the Supreme Court. A team of four attorneys has been guiding the House Ways and Means Committee, which has the authority to request the IRS documents from the Treasury Department. They have been actively crafting what they hope will be an "air-tight" legal strategy to compel the president to hand over 10 years of his personal tax returns, working on the assumption their request will be challenged by the courts, according to a senior Democratic aide. "It will be fought out in the courts, and then possibly the Supreme Court," committee member Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., told ABC News. "We knew this would eventually happen. They weren't going to simply take the letter and agree to it. (MORE: House Democrats take 1st step to obtain Trump's tax returns) PHOTO: Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., leaves the House Democrats' caucus meeting in the Capitol, Jan. 4, 2019. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images) Trumps refusal to make his tax returns public - a move that broke with decades of tradition -- was a Democratic rallying cry during the 2016 campaign. Since the 1970s, most presidential candidates have made their tax returns public. Trumps returns have remained a persistent fixation during his presidency, with his critics viewing the filings as a potential road map to possible conflicts of interest and tax evasion. During recent testimony, the presidents one-time personal attorney Michael Cohen alleged that Trump regularly bragged that he did not pay taxes. There are also questions over whether the president inflated his personal wealth. (MORE: Democrats and GOP square off over Trump's tax returns) PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., March 2, 2019. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images) Cohen's bombshell testimony last week also accelerated the timeline for requesting the president's personal tax returns from the past 10 years, according to three Democratic aides. During Cohen's testimony before the House Oversight Committee, he suggested that Trump's tax returns would show if he committed tax evasion or inflated his income for insurance purposes. Story continues Trump has resisted releasing his returns, saying they are under audit. One of his attorneys, Rudy Giuliani, has said the president will fight any effort by Congress to obtain copies. Prior to the midterm elections, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., enjoyed a good personal relationship, according to aides to both men. Shortly after the midterms, the two met for a breakfast where they talked tax policy, but towards the end of the meal, the issue of President Trumps tax returns came up. After Democrats took control of the House during the 2018 midterm elections, there was wide speculation that the party would use its new majority to pursue Trumps returns, but during the breakfast meeting neither side laid out a clear position, according to the aides. As Neal has moved forward, aides have said the Treasury Department has given no clear indication of how it will respond to a committee request for Trumps returns. Secretary Mnuchin will review any request with Treasurys attorneys for legality, a Treasury Department spokesperson said. (MORE: In pursuit of Trump's tax returns, Democrats face legal, political hurdles) PHOTO: Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin speaks during a TV interview at the White House, May 21, 2018. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) The committee has not acted yet but is already anticipating resistance. The senior committee aide suggested to ABC News that Neal will likely have to submit one letter and then a follow-up letter if the Department of Treasury does not respond. Their third request will be a subpoena. This would initiate a court battle in District Court, and then if the ruling is appealed, it could end up in the Supreme Court. The upcoming request is likely to be a one-page two-paragraph memo, according to two Democratic committee aides. The committee aims to submit the letter in the coming weeks, with a self-imposed deadline of April 15, according to one aide. But if the Mueller report is made public before the letter is submitted, they will move to immediately make the request. "If we're going to court we need to lay out things that are very specific to indicate that the law is on our side, we want to make sure the facts are," Pascrell said. "This is why it's going to be very methodical." (MORE: Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez draw Trump's ire questioning Michael Cohen about the president's tax returns?) Through a 1924 provision in the tax code, the Treasury Secretary shall furnish any individuals tax return information upon written request from the chairmen of certain congressional committees. Once provided, the tax information can only be reviewed in a closed session by certain members unless lawmakers vote to make it public. In the opening days of the new congressional term, the committee sought tax returns directly from the Trump organization and Trump Foundation in addition to Trump's personal tax returns, according to two committee aides. But now, they are considering a direct request to Treasury for his personal returns from the past 10 years. If the committee wins that legal battle, they assume it will pave the way for Trump Organization and Trump Foundation returns. House Democrats are aware that the president's personal tax returns won't likely provide a roadmap to Russian relationships, if any exist, since the origin of the money is not stated. There's also a concern that the Trump Organization records could be overwhelming for the committee to analyze since it's entities are split into numerous limited liability corporations. Neal has been cautious about how aggressively to pursue the tax returns. He initially told reporters that he planned to wait for the special counsel's report to be made public before submitting the request. But there's been new pressure since Cohen's testimony from within the panel and from outside committees to make the request. House speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic-party leadership thought they solved their Ilhan Omar problem one month ago. After the freshman Minnesota congresswoman outraged both Democrats and Republicans with an anti-Semitic tweet about AIPAC buying congressional support with the Benjamins, Pelosi acted quickly. She set up a private meeting with Omar, following which the freshman issued a contrite-sounding apology saying that she had no idea that her comments were anti-Semitic. It sounded very much like her 2012 apology over a tweet accusing Israel of hypnotizing the world, but the Democrats accepted it and , in turn, ignored calls from Republicans to strip her of her House Foreign Affairs Committee seat as the GOP had stripped Steve Kings (R., Iowa) committee assignments. Conservative critics argued that Omars anti-Semitism, like that of her fellow House freshman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan (who had accused supporters of Israel of dual loyalty in a tweet), was not so much a matter of ill-considered comments but a product of a worldview. Democrats responded with a deluge of whataboutism. They seized upon every questionable tweet or comment from Republicans that could somehow be interpreted as offensive to Jews, despite the reliably pro-Israel stance of the Trump administration and the lack of evidence that any top Republican is remotely anti-Semitic. Why the defensiveness? Democrats are loath to discard someone like Omar, who was one of their top feel-good stories coming out of the midterms. Omar was the first Somali American to be elected to Congress and forced the House to change its rules about female head coverings in order to accommodate her Muslim faith. As a woman of color and an immigrant, Omar embodied everything the Democrats believed was the right response to President Trump. Thats why Democrats quickly moved on from Omars Benjamins comment. Indeed, Pelosi posed with Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jahana Hayes for the cover of this months issue of Rolling Stone magazine, which featured The Women Shaping the Future. While AOC is the rock star of the class of 2018, Pelosis embrace of Omar showed that support for BDS would be no bar to coveted committee assignments in a party where identity politics is the priority. Story continues Yet Omar doubled down on anti-Semitic invective the first chance she got. At a Progressive Town Hall held in Washington last week, she claimed that her Jewish colleagues were targeting her and representative Rashida Tlaib because we are Muslim. According to Omar, she and Tlaib are both innocent of using anti-Semitic tropes and the victims of religious discrimination by a powerful lobby that uses Benjamins to buy off members of Congress, especially Jewish ones: a lot of our Jewish colleagues, a lot of our constituents, a lot of our allies got to thinking that everything we say about Israel to be anti-Semitic because we are Muslim. . . . Its almost as if everything we say regardless of what it is we say . . . we get to be labeled something. Because we end up defending that and nobody ever gets to have the broader debate of what is happening with Palestine. She also tried out the dual-loyalty canard, adding: I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country. This prompted another bipartisan storm of protest. Far from retreating, Omar doubled down in her response to criticism from Representative Nita Lowey (D., N.Y.), a veteran liberal Jewish Democrat. When Lowey urged her to retract her comments, Omar tweeted, I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on a committee. Democrats are responding to this with yet another congressional resolution, which will pointedly define anti-Semitism to include the types of comments made by Omar and Tlaib but decline to mention them by name. Nor is there any sign that Pelosi will kick Omar off of the Foreign Affairs Committee, despite the anger of its pro-Israel chairman Representative Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.) and calls from Republicans and some Jewish groups for more than another meaningless apology. Its obvious that Omar and Tlaib have taken the measure of their partys leadership and decided that they have nothing to fear if they continue with their effort to delegitimize supporters of Israel. These controversies are not rooted in a lack of communication. Since their goal is to legitimize both anti-Zionism and a BDS movement whose aim is Israels destruction, they aim to shut down criticism theyve received for their anti-Semitism and falsely link the defense of Israel with anti-Muslim prejudice. Omar and Tlaib are probably right not to fear Pelosis wrath. They know that support is growing on the left for intersectional libels in which every act of Israeli self-defense against terror is termed a war crime and where self-determination for a Jewish majority is labeled apartheid. Indeed, despite the furor over the Benjamins libel, as a New York Times feature questioning whether AIPAC is too powerful indicated, there is an appreciative audience for attacks on the pro-Israel lobby and its supporters in both the liberal press and the Democrats base. AIPACs allegedly limitless power especially when compared with the power of other political and industry lobbies that operate on Capitol Hill is more myth than reality, and the groups actual influence is a function of broad support for Israel and Zionism. But attacks on it remain a good indicator of the persistent appeal of anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. At this point, Democrats have a dilemma. If they wish to avoid a creeping Corbynization of their party in which anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism first become tolerated and then accepted, theyll have to take the kind of action including taking away Omars committee assignments that cant be ignored. But if, due to their fear of offending Omars growing legion of fans on the left, they let her off with a slap on the wrist, they will demonstrate that their political narrative in which Trump and the Republicans are depicted as evil while Democrats have clean hands on hate is a partisan fable. If Omar is still in her seat the next time the Foreign Affairs Committee meets, she could be forgiven for thinking that Rolling Stones prediction about the future of the Democrats is prescient. More from National Review Democrats in the House of Representatives are stepping up investigations into Donald Trumps potentially impeachable acts of corruption, obstruction of justice and abuse of power. Related: Democratic oversight is 'bullshit': Trump goes off-script at CPAC On Monday the House judiciary committee, which is on the frontline of renewed Democratic efforts to hold the president accountable, will issue demands for documents from more than 60 people and entities. The targets include the presidents son Donald Trump Jr and the chief finance officer of Trumps business empire, Allen Weisselberg, both of whom have been implicated in payments made to an adult film actor on Trumps behalf in violation of campaign finance laws. Other possible targets are John Kelly, Trumps former chief of staff, and former White House counsel Don McGahn. The Democratic document grab was revealed on Sunday by Jerrold Nadler, the judiciary committees chairman. He told ABCs This Week the request for information would be going out to the White House, the justice department and other agencies and individuals. We will do everything we can, he said, to get whatever evidence to begin the investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power. The New Yorkers threat capped a disastrous week for Trump who, while out of the country at the Hanoi summit with Kim Jong-un of North Korea, was the subject of almost six hours of withering testimony from his former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. The account to the House oversight committee was packed with peril for the president as well as several people in his inner circle, including Don Jr who was tied by Cohen much more closely into the scandal surrounding the payoff of the actor Stormy Daniels. Cohen produced for the committee a cheque for $35,000 signed by Donald Trump Jr and Weisselberg. He said it was one of 12 installments reimbursing him for the $130,000 payment he had made to Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election to keep her from going public over an alleged affair with Trump Sr a payment that was a criminal violation of campaign finance laws that has in part sent Cohen to prison. Story continues Cohen also put the heat on Weisselberg by naming him more than 20 times. Trump is facing up to six investigations led by Democrats in the House. Democrats in the Senate will continue to press for more information, although Republican control of committees will dampen their efforts. Mark Warner, Democratic vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, told CNNs State of the Union that Cohens testimony had thrown up three new lines of inquiry. Cohen provided an account of overhearing a whispered conversation between Trump and Don Jr that suggested the elder Trump had prior knowledge of the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a group of Russians peddling dirt on Hillary Clinton. Cohen also recounted being in Trumps office when his longstanding adviser Roger Stone called on speakerphone and said he had just talked to Julian Assange of WikiLeaks who had told him of an imminent dump of emails damaging to Clinton. Asked if phone records existed of that call, Warner replied: There are phone records though he later appeared to retract that statement by saying he was not sure. The third area of investigation prompted by Cohens hearing related to Trumps financial dealings, particularly over plans to build a Trump tower in Moscow that were under discussion during the 2016 election. Warner said he wanted to find out why Trump and Cohen had misled the American public for months. News that the Democrats are beginning to home in on Trumps personal finances made him see red on Saturday. In a rambling two-hour speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the president bluntly dismissed the inquiries as bullshit. No matter how much Trump complains about scrutiny of his financial affairs, he will not succeed in holding back the Democratic steamroller. The House intelligence committee is instigating a major investigation into the Moscow Trump tower deal and the involvement in it of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, during the 2016 race. Adam Schiff, chairman of the intelligence committee, told CBSs Face the Nation the Democrats would be looking at persistent allegations that the Russians have been laundering money through the Trump Organization. Related: 'Kim knew': top Republican contradicts Trump over Otto Warmbier's death He added: Well need to talk to some of the banks that have been doing business with Mr Trump like Deutsche Bank which has a history of laundering Russian money. Deutsche Bank was one of the main funders of the Trump Organization, particularly after US banks ceased lending money to the real-estate developer in the wake of his business failings and bankruptcies. In 2017 Deutsche Bank was fined $630m for failing to stop Russian money laundering to the value of $10bn. As Democratic power brokers dig into the Trump investigations, they will be counting on considerable support from Cohen, who is scheduled to go to prison on 6 May at the start of a three-year sentence. The lawyer told Congress last week he has more than 100 hours of voice recordings of conversations with people in the Trump circle and others, and he offered to hand them to the oversight committee. Warner said: Mr Cohen is in the process of turning over to our committee and others a whole series of additional records we have been looking for for a long time. In the face of the storm, Republican leaders continue to talk denial. Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader of the House, told ABCs This Week theres nothing the president did wrong. To me [the Democrats] are trying to find a case for a problem that doesnt exist. It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in TCL Electronics Holdings Limited (HKG:1070). What Is Insider Selling? Its quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. As Peter Lynch said, insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise. Check out our latest analysis for TCL Electronics Holdings TCL Electronics Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Founder & Chairman DongSheng Li for HK$3.9m worth of shares, at about HK$2.98 per share. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price, we still think insider buying is a positive. The purchase might not be the best indicator of confidence in the current valuation. In the last twelve months insiders purchased 3.66m shares for HK$11m. On the other hand they divested 4.98k shares, for HK$15k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by TCL Electronics Holdings insiders. They paid about HK$3.05 on average. We dont deny that it is nice to see insiders buying stock in the company. But we must note that the investments were made at well below todays share price. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! Story continues SEHK:1070 Recent Insider Trading, March 4th 2019 TCL Electronics Holdings is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Insiders at TCL Electronics Holdings Have Bought Stock Recently At TCL Electronics Holdings,over the last quarter, we have observed quite a lot more insider buying than insider selling. DongSheng Li spent HK$10m on stock. But insiders only sold shares worth HK$15k. We think insiders may be optimistic about the future, since insiders have been net buyers of shares. Insider Ownership of TCL Electronics Holdings Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that TCL Electronics Holdings insiders own 3.4% of the company, worth about HK$313m. Weve certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. So What Does This Data Suggest About TCL Electronics Holdings Insiders? The recent insider purchase is heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest TCL Electronics Holdings insiders are well aligned, and quite possibly think the share price is too low. Looks promising! Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for TCL Electronics Holdings. If you would prefer to check out another company one with potentially superior financials then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. Donald Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, repeatedly donated to Kamala Harris during her rise in California politics, supporting the Democratic senator as she vied to become the states top cop, a new report has revealed. The president first donated to Ms Harris in 2011 as she was running for attorney general. That donation amounted to $5,000 (3,793). He then donated another $1,000 (758) to her re-election campaign in 2013, Washington newspaper McClatchy reported on Monday. Ivanka Trump also donated thousands of dollars to the Democratic senator. In 2014 she donated a reported $2,000 (1,517) to Ms Harris re-election efforts. A spokesperson for the senators 2020 presidential campaign confirmed the presidents donations to her previous campaigns in a statement to McClatchy. They noted Ms Harris eventually donated the total sum of Mr Trumps contributions to a non-profit Central American advocacy group. Mr Trumps support for the Democrat came at the same time as he was attacking Barack Obama on a variety of cable news shows and online, claiming he was not actually a US citizen and lacked the necessary qualifications to serve in the White House. The president and Ms Harris political views are in stark contrast and the two have exchanged harsh criticisms since Mr Trump assumed the Oval Office. In 2018, he claimed Ms Harris was responsible for supporting the animals of MS-13, after the Los Angeles-based gang began drawing national attention for a series of violent crimes. Ms Harris told The Root last week she believed Mr Trump was racist, saying, I dont think you can reach any other conclusion. Much of the Trump familys political donations went to Democrats across the country before the president expressed interest in running for the White House. While the vast majority of his contributions to political campaigns were directed to Democrats throughout his entire career, donations began increasing in 2010 and were instead allotted to Republicans, with the party being the sole recipient of his donations by 2011. Despite accruing donations from wealthy donors throughout her political career, Ms Harris managed to raise an impressive $1.5m (1.14m) in donations within the first 24 hours of launching her White House bid against Mr Trump, with the average donation amounting to less than $40, according to her campaign. By ABUBAKER KIRUNDA. President Yoweri Museveni has directed all Resident District Commissioners to close down Schools which have declined to implement patriotism activities in their programs. The President commissioned the patriotism program in 2009 with an aim of making residents to love their country for good transformation in all spheres of life. This was emphasized by a circular issued by the Ministry of education instructing all Schools to mainstream patriotism activities in their programs. However, very few secondary schools mainly government aided are implementing this program since its launch. The Jinja Resident District Commissioner Eric Sakwa while speaking during the pass out of over two hundred students of Wanyange Girls secondary school in Jinja who went through 10days training in patriotism on Sunday said the president has now instructed them to close schools not implementing the p0rogram. Sakwa said the president ordered them to shut down these schools while meeting them at State house in Entebbe. He said the president believes that ruminants of corruption in the country is a result of lack of patriots who must be nurtured in schools by implementing patriotism program. He said the president emphasized that private secondary schools that defy should have their licenses canceled on addition to be closed. He added that government aided schools defying the program should be reported to the ministry of education for the managers to be disciplined. WASHINGTON Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear to President Donald Trump that he has a choice: Move ahead with his emergency declaration at the border and risk of a rebuke from his own party or shift gears. McConnell acknowledged Monday the Senate is likely to pass a resolution to block Trumps emergency declaration at the southern border. Since the measure has already cleared the House, Senate passage would send it to Trump's desk. I think what is clear in the Senate is there will be enough votes to pass the resolution of disapproval, which will then be vetoed by the president, McConnell told reporters in Kentucky. And then, in all likelihood, the veto will be upheld in the House. Mitch McConnell: It's clear Senate will vote against President Trump's national emergency Rand Paul: Kentucky senator says he'll vote to block Trump's emergency declaration Start the day smarter: Get USA TODAY's Daily Briefing in your inbox Trump has threatened to veto the resolution if it passes both chambers of Congress and lawmakers have said the emergency order's opponents do not appear to have enough votes in either the House or the Senate to override a presidential veto. Even so, the struggle over the emergency order would mark a turning point in Trump's presidency. Not only would it be the first time Trump has issued a veto, it would put him at odds with members of his own party over how to deliver one of the key promises of his 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans say that while they support Trumps objective building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border several have serious reservations about declaring a national emergency to free up billions of dollars for the structure. Some lawmakers also have raised concerns that Trump will be diverting from key military programs to fund the barrier. Trump declared a national emergency along the border on Feb. 15 to free up money for a border wall. The decision came after Congress refused to give him the $5.7 billion he had demanded for the barrier. Story continues Trump said he wants the wall to stop drugs and gangs from coming into the U.S., even though an analysis of data indicates the vast majority of narcotics enters through country ports of entry, not the wide swaths of border in between where additional barriers could be erected, experts say. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the latest GOP senator to voice objections to an emergency declaration. Paul said during a speech in Kentucky on Saturday that approving the emergency declaration would be tantamount to giving extra-Constitutional powers to the president something he said hes unwilling to do. Bill Maher: Donald Trump is the national emergency 'I didn't need to do this.': Critics say Trump quote undercuts national emergency for border wall I cant vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasnt been appropriated by Congress, Paul said, as reported by the Bowling Green Daily News. We may want more money for border security, but Congress didnt authorize it. If we take away those checks and balances, its a dangerous thing. Some House Republicans made the same argument last week, when 13 of them joined all Democrats in voting to block Trump's declaration, sending the measure to the Senate. McConnell has said the Senate will take up the measure by March 15. Meanwhile, some GOP senators are looking to give Trump a way out. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who has called an emergency declaration "inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution," offered an alternative last week. Instead of declaring a national emergency, Alexander suggested Trump could secure money for his border wall by tapping into funds that Congress already approved for various programs. Not only would that give Trump access to the money he wants, it could potentially avoid months and years of litigation, Alexander said. National emergency: Donald Trump declares national emergency to free up billions of dollars for border wall Trump's approval rating: President's approval rating continues to climb As the Senate vote approaches, several GOP senators said they're still deciding how they will vote. Others support Trump, saying hes doing what he needs to do to protect the nations borders. The presidents not exercising any power that Congress didnt give him," said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. Had Congress done its job instead of playing politics, he wouldnt have to do it. Democrats, meanwhile, have complained Trump is trying to do an end run around the Constitution." This is a president who is grasping for power, and he has to be reined in," said New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Growing list of Republicans voice concerns Paul's weekend announcement that he opposes the emergency declaration makes him the fourth Senate Republican who has said they will vote to stop it. His decision gives opponents the 51 votes they need to block Trump's declaration. The other three Republicans who have said they will vote to stop the declaration are Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. "As a U.S. senator, I cannot justify providing the executive with more ways to bypass Congress," Tillis wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post, laying out his concerns. "As a conservative, I cannot endorse a precedent that I know future left-wing presidents will exploit to advance radical policies that will erode economic and individual freedoms." Tillis was elected in 2014 and is up for re-election in 2020. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the seat likely Republican. Collins, who is also up for re-election next year, said shes concerned about Trump using the declaration to repurpose billions of dollars that Congress has already appropriated. It strikes me as undermining the appropriations process, the will of Congress and of being of dubious constitutionality,'' she said. Collins, who is serving her fourth term, is a moderate Republican who sometimes breaks with her party on key issues, including health care. She criticized a federal judge's ruling last December to overturn the Affordable Care Act, saying it was too sweeping. She was also among the three Republicans, including the late Arizona Sen. John McCain and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted last summer against the Republican's skinny repeal bill, killing the GOP health care measure. All eyes were also on Collins last fall when the Senate voted on the controversial confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who had come under fire for accusations of sexual assault committed decades ago. Collins, who had been on the fence for months, voted for Kavanaugh, saying that voting against him without witnesses or proof could start a "dangerous" precedent. And as recently as last week Collins was the lone Republican to oppose the nomination of Andrew Wheeler, who was narrowly confirmed as Trumps pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Collins said she opposed the nomination because, as acting administrator, Wheeler supported policies that are not in the best interest of our environment and public health, particularly given the threat of climate change to our nation." Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announces support for Brett Kavanaugh on Senate floor, Oct. 5, 2018, Washington, D.C. Murkowski said she will support the resolution to block Trump's emergency declaration. Murkowski, who has been in the Senate since 2002, is up for re-election in 2022. She shocked the political world in 2010 when she waged a successful write-in campaign after losing her partys primary. Murkowski, the daughter of former Alaska governor and senator Frank Murkowski, has at other times refused to vote in lockstep with the national party that some say abandoned her during her re-election bid. Murkowski was the only Republican to vote against Kavanaugh's appointment. She voted present as a collegial gesture for her Republican colleague Sen. Steve Daines, who supported Kavanaugh but was attending his daughter's wedding. Murkowski has worked across the aisle on issues important to her state, including with former Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana on energy policies. Murkowski, along with Collins, also voted against the confirmation of Betsy DeVos, Trumps choice to head the Department of Education. Arizonas Sen. Martha McSally, a newcomer to the chamber, also has voiced concerns about the emergency declaration. McSally, appointed last December to fill McCain's seat, said recently she was "seeking assurances that the money will not come from Arizona military construction projects" for her vote supporting the president. McSally is expected to face a competitive race in the 2020 special election. The Cook Political Report rates the seat "leans Republican." Earlier this month, Mark Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy pilot and the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, announced his plans to run for the seat. How did it fare in the House? Despite concerns raised by some GOP lawmakers, only 13 broke ranks with the party and voted in favor of the Democratic backed resolution when it passed the House last week. Several of them, including Reps. Will Hurd of Texas, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Fred Upton of Michigan, are expected to run in competitive races in 2020. Most Republicans voted along party lines and against the resolution, citing the need for more border security. Contributing: Eliza Collins, Maureen Groppe This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump's emergency order hits wall with GOP senators. What's next? Donald Trump has lied a staggering 9,014 times since becoming US president. He's the real fake news. | Source: REUTERS / Yuri Gripas By CCN.com: Donald Trump has taken to Twitter again to denounce the fake news media, calling it the enemy of the people. In March 4 tweet which quotes Fox News host Tucker Carlson, he lashes out at The Washington Post and The New Yorker. The American Media has changed forever. News organizations that seemed like a big deal are now extinct. Those that remain have now degraded themselves beyond recognition, like the New Yorker or theyve been purchased by Jeff Bezos to conduct unregistered lobbying for Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 . Amazon, like the Washington Post. Its hard to remember that not so long ago America had prestige media outlets, but not anymore. @TuckerCarlson The Fake News Media is the true Enemy of the People! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 But the real fake news operation is taking place in the White House itself. Fact checkers now put Donald Trumps lies and falsehoods at 9,014 since assuming office. Thats an average of almost 12 misleading claims every single day. Read the full story on CCN.com. A lot can change in a few years, especially when youre the leader of a country. Just ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who appears to be facing the biggest controversy of his political career. Trudeau is facing allegations of political interference that are so explosive, theyre making international headlines. The Guardian calls it the scandal that could bring down Trudeau, while Time magazine says its his most explosive crisis yet. There are scandals, small s, and there are scandals, capital S,' Renan Levine, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto, told Yahoo Canada. The scandal, of course, has gotten worse. The SNC-Lavalin affair has dogged the Trudeau Liberals since an explosive newspaper report was published on Feb. 7. The Globe and Mail reported Jody Wilson-Raybould faced pressure from the Prime Ministers Office to intervene in the criminal case against Quebec engineering giant SNC-Lavalin while she was the federal justice minister and attorney general. Trudeau denied the allegations, but a lot has happened since then. Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet and Trudeaus principal advisor Gerald Butts also called it quits. Then a second Liberal minister decided to step down. Jane Philpott, the Treasury Board president and the minister of digital government, departed Trudeaus cabinet Monday, citing concerns over the handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair. U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are photographed together in Buenos Aires during the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on Nov. 30, 2018. Both leaders have faced controversies in recent weeks. Photo from The Associated Press. Here we go again? Last Wednesday, Wilson-Raybould told the House justice committee she faced veiled threats in an inappropriate effort to sway her into providing SNC-Lavalin with a deferred prosecution agreement as the company faces criminal charges. While Wilson-Raybould never accused the prime minister of doing anything illegal, Levine suggests the optics surrounding this controversy flies in the face of expectations. Trudeau represented a new generation, a new style, and not the same old Liberal party. And this scandal really fits a narrative that I think the opposition parties are, of course, emphasizing that its plus ca change,' Levine said, a French saying that means the more that changes, the more its the same thing. Story continues Here we go again with the Liberals cutting deals and political pressure in order to support allies, especially allies in Quebec.' Meanwhile, last weeks public testimony of Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trumps former personal attorney, accused Trump of being a racist, conman and a cheat. While Levine says those revelations were certainly eyebrow raising, many of the scandals Trump faces have been following him for years now. PM Justin Trudeau vs. President Donald Trump There have been comparisons between Trudeau and Trump since the latter became U.S. president in 2017. Thats when Ipsos Public Affairs Canada conducted a poll of 2,000 Canadians for Yahoo Canada that suggested Trudeau crushed Trump on issues related to style, according to Ipsos vice-president Sean Simpson. Canadians were asked about issues such as equal rights protections, media relations, protecting the environment, international relations, connecting with voters, and more. In every case, more Canadians prefer Trudeau to Trump, but in many cases, theyre not necessarily thrilled with Trudeau, either, Simpson said in 2017. Fast forward two years, and neither leader appears to have the support of most of their citizens. FiveThirtyEight, a website that calculates the U.S. presidents approval rating based on all polls, suggests only 42 per cent approve of Trump as of March 1. The CBCs Poll Tracker, an aggregation of all publicly available polls, has the Liberals virtually tied with the Conservatives at around 35 per cent support in an analysis published on Feb. 21. Big differences between Canada, U.S. The most glaring contrast between these two world leaders is where theyre from, Levine notes. Theres big differences between the U.S. and Canada in terms of our level of partisanship and the extent to which our partisanship, or partisan identity, affects our views of essentially, the whole political universe, Levine explained. Relatively speaking, theres much weaker partisanship in Canada compared to the U.S., which means theres more of a chance of Canadians changing their minds when its time to vote, according to the University of Toronto professor. A surprising number of Americans will express hesitation about their children marrying someone with a different political identity, Levine said. We dont really have that in Canada. Another key distinction between whats going on with Trudeau compared to Trump is that the former appears to be facing pushback from members of his own party, whereas Republicans south of the border rarely rebuke Trump, if at all. A lot of stalwart Liberals are very disappointed in Prime Minister Trudeau, Levine said of recent events. Prime Minister Trudeau may indeed be facing a very difficult political future precisely because so much of this criticism is coming from party allies. The optics may not look good for Trudeau right now, but it may be too early to write off his re-election chances seven months before an election. When compared to Trump, Levine suggests theres still hope for the younger leader. Trudeau has the opportunity, Levine asserted, adding theres still plenty of time to reshape the conversation. If I was a political consultant in either country, Id be more excited to work for Trudeau and say we can undo this damage. We may not be able to undo all of it, but right now could be the bottom point.' Photo credit: Getty Images From House Beautiful Emily Ratajkowski's husband, producer Sebastian Bear-McClard, has been living in their NYC apartment located in the neighborhood of Noho rent-free since 2017. Seriously. The pair holds a combined net worth of around $18 million, according to celebritynetworth.com, but they haven't paid their $5,000 rent for over a year. The model married the millionaire a little over a year ago, and the pair has been presumably living together at the 49 Bleecker Street residence since then. Sebastian Bear-McClard, though, has been subletting the second floor of the former manufacturing building since 2013, according to the New York Post. He is currently allowed to live there rent-free under certain legal loopholes in NYC's 1982 Loft Law, which was initially meant to protect struggling artists and low-income tenants from being evicted. This married couple just so happens to be the farthest thing from a low-income tenant. Their landlord claims that there are around $120,000 unpaid fees from the couple's second-floor loft, which is mere chump change for two millionaires. Here is a prime example, in prime NYC real estate, where an uber-wealthy celebrity couple and tenant can take advantage and exploit a law that was intended for truly struggling artists and low-income families in need of affordable housing, said Carolyn Daly, spokeswoman for a coalition of loft building owners (including 49 Bleecker), to the New York Post. The attorney for the owner of 49 Bleecker, partner Lisa Gallaudet of Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman, LLP, explained to us exactly what the Loft Law is, and what loopholes they're trying to use to live rent-free. "The Loft Law was enacted in 1982 to regulate the growing number of illegal conversions of commercial and manufacturing buildings to residential use and provide a pathway for the occupants of such units," Gallaudet tells House Beautiful. In 2010, the Loft Law was amended to permit an additional eligibility period and those units that didn't have a residential certificate but were being occupied during 2008 and 2009 could qualify as Interim Multiple Dwelling under the law. Story continues So how exactly do two millionaires get away with using the Loft Law for their benefit? "The Loft Law requires that loft tenants must pay rent to the owner during the legalization process, so long as the building owner is in compliance with the Code Compliance timetable set forth in the Loft Law," Gallaudet says. "These deadlines, however, have all passed and are impossible to meet. The tenants are aware that if the owner doesnt meet the deadlines, they do not have to pay rent. Thus, the Loft Law is structured to incentivize tenants to delay the legalization process, placing a hardship on the owner." The dwelling where Ratajkowski and Bear-McClard live is actually not protected under the 2010 amendment because it was the commercial residence of famous French Canadian painter Joanne Cornear, not residential. Sebastian Bear-McClard applied for coverage under the Loft Law in the spring of 2017 (the deadline for applications was June), knowing that if he had a pending loft law application, he could not be evicted. "[Bear-McClard] is proceeding with a knowingly meritless claim because it takes years to litigate a claim and he has the money to pay his attorney-not only because he is worth millions-but he is also living rent free. His strategy is to remain in occupancy, rent free, until the law is amended. Yet, if it werent for his current meritless claim for coverage, he would not be in possession of the unit." In the meantime, Em Rata's personal Instagram is currently being riddled with comments simply saying, "pay your rent." Follow House Beautiful on Instagram. ('You Might Also Like',) Baden Bond was abandoned by his father 12 years ago and his body has never been found (Picture: AAP/Queensland Police A father has admitted killing his one-year-old son by abandoning him in a park 12 years ago because he was fried from taking drugs. Shane Arthur Simpson, 51, abandoned 22-month-old Baden Bond at a park near a river in Eagleby, Queensland, Australia, in May 2007. The boys mother, Dina Colleen Bond, has continually lied to the Department of Child Safety in Australia and it was nearly 10 years before authorities realised the child hadnt been seen by a doctor or enrolled in a school. Baden was born with methamphetamine in his system during an attempted home birth, Brisbane Supreme Court heard on Monday. He and the couples other children had been in the care of the state, but were returned to their parents a year later. The couple believed Baden to be evil, the court heard, calling him the devils child. They blamed him for the removal of his siblings. Read more Shocking list of suspected killings in London so far this year after girl is stabbed to death Husband of Isis bride denied UK citizenship wants them to live together as a family Meghan Markle gender fluid Royal baby claims are totally false, says Kensington Palace His nappies were left unchanged and his bedroom locked and the windows darkened with spray paint. Baden was last seen in March 2007 but wasnt reported missing until June 2015 when a community services department went searching for him. The couple lied that Baden was with relatives or in foster care. In 2016, when Simpson admitted to police he had abandoned the child, he said everything just got too much. Baden Bonds parents have pleaded guilty to charges over his death (Picture: AAP) He said he was fried off my head from taking drugs. Crown prosecutor Danny Boyle said: At the park, he put his hand on his head and said he was sorry. He jumped in the car and drove off. He said he was hoping someone would find him and look after him. The boys body has never been found. Simpson pleaded guilty to manslaughter, while Bond has pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter for lying about her sons whereabouts. Story continues Both parents will be sentenced at a later date. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears to be flip-flopping on her opposition to Amazon's New York City HQ2. But is AOC's change of heart too little, too late? | Source: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan By CCN.com: More than two weeks after Amazon announced it had scrapped plans to build part of its second headquarters in New York following opposition from local politicians, an aide to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said that AOC would welcome the online retail giant back to the Empire State as long as theres community involvement. Per the congresswomans chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti, Ocasio-Cortez opposed Amazon because of the process by which it happened. But now, says Chakrabarti, AOC would welcome a community-driven process, according to Bloomberg. We welcome a process, we welcome having a community process, but I dont know where the talks are at at this stage. Why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Said No to Amazons 25,000 Jobs and $28 Billion Tax Revenue An Amazon HQ2 in New York would have created 25,000 permanent jobs and generated tax revenues of $28 billion. Read the full story on CCN.com. We are still trying to fathom the apparent but transient palace-coup attempts of Rod Rosenstein and Andrew McCabe. No one has gotten to the bottom of the serial lying by McCabe and James Comey, much less their systematic and illegal leaking to pet reporters. We do not know all the ways in which James Clapper and John Brennan seeded the dossier and its related gossip among the press and liberal politicians only that both were prior admitted fabricators who respectively while under oath misled congressional representatives on a host of issues. The central role of Hillary Clinton in funding the anti-Trump, Russian-collusion, Fusion/GPS/Christopher Steele dossier is still not fully disclosed. Did the deluded FISA court know it was being used by Obama-administration DOJ and FBI officials, who withheld from it evidence to ensure permission to spy on American citizens? Could any justice knowingly be so naive? Do we remember at all that Devin Nunes came to national prominence when he uncovered information that members of the Obama administrations national-security team, along with others, had systematically unmasked surveilled Americans, whose names then were leaked illegally to the press? One day historians will have the full story of how Robert Mueller stocked his legal team inordinately with partisans. He certainly did not promptly disclose the chronology of, or the interconnected reasons for, the firings of Lisa Page and Peter Strozk. And his team has largely used process-crime allegations to leverage mostly minor figures to divulge some sort of incriminating evidence about the president none of it pertaining to the original mandated rationale of collusion. These are the central issues and key players of this entire sordid attempt to remove a sitting president. But we should remember there were dozens of other minor players who did their own parts in acting unethically, and in some cases illegally, to destroy a presidency. We have mostly forgotten them. But they reflect what can happen when Washington becomes unhinged, the media go berserk, and a reign of terror ensues in which any means necessary is redefined as what James Comey recently monetized as a Higher Loyalty to destroy an elected president. Story continues Here are just a few of the foot soldiers we have forgotten. Anonymous On September 5, 2018 (a date seemingly picked roughly to coincide with the publication of Bob Woodwards sensational tell-all book about the inside of the Trump White House), the New York Times printed a credo from a supposed anonymous Republican official deep within the Trump administration. In a supposed fit of ethical conviction, he (or she) warned the nation of the dangers it faced under his boss, President Trump, and admitted to a systematic effort to subvert his presidency: The dilemma which he does not fully grasp is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations. I would know. I am one of them. Anonymous elaborated: Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until one way or another its over. We do not know whether Anonymous was describing the coup attempt as described by Andrew McCabe that apparently entailed Rod Rosenstein at the Justice Department informally polling cabinet officials, or marked a wider effort among Never Trump Republicans and deep-state functionaries to ensure that Trump failed whether marked by earlier efforts to leak confidential calls with foreign officials or to serve up unsubstantiated rumors to muckrakers or simply slow-walk or ignore presidential directives. In any case, Anonymouss efforts largely explain why almost daily we hear yet another mostly unsubstantiated account that a paranoid, deranged, and dangerous Trump is holed up in his bedroom with his Big Macs as he plans unconstitutional measures to wreck the United States and then, by accident, achieves near-record-low peacetime unemployment, near-record-low minority unemployment, annualized 3 percent GDP growth, record natural-gas and oil production, record deregulation, comprehensive tax reform and reduction, and foreign-policy breakthroughs from the destruction of ISIS to cancellation of the flawed Iran deal. James Baker In the course of congressional testimony, it was learned that the FBI general counsel, James Baker, for a time had been under investigation for leaking classified information to the press. Among the leaks were rumored scraps from the Steele dossier passed to Mother Jones reporter David Corn (who has denied any such connection) that may have fueled his sensational pre-election accusation of TrumpRussian collusion. Nonetheless, about a week before the 2016 election, Corn of Mother Jones was writing lurid exposes, such as the following, to spread gossip likely inspired from the Christopher Steele dossier (italics inserted): Does this mean the FBI is investigating whether Russian intelligence has attempted to develop a secret relationship with Trump or cultivate him as an asset? Was the former intelligence officer and his material deemed credible or not? An FBI spokeswoman says, Normally, we dont talk about whether we are investigating anything. But a senior US government official not involved in this case but familiar with the former spy tells Mother Jones that he has been a credible source with a proven record of providing reliable, sensitive, and important information to the US government. In June, the former Western intelligence officer who spent almost two decades on Russian intelligence matters and who now works with a US firm that gathers information on Russia for corporate clients was assigned the task of researching Trumps dealings in Russia and elsewhere, according to the former spy and his associates in this American firm. What does assigned mean, and by whom? That Fusion/GPS (which, in fact, is a generic opposition-research firm with no particular expertise in Russia) hired with disguised Clinton campaign funds a has-been foreign-national spy to buy dirt from Russian sources to subvert a presidential campaign? Those leaks of Christopher Steeles dirt also did their small part in planting doubt in voters minds right that electing Trump was tantamount to implanting a Russian asset in the White House. Baker has been the alleged center of a number of reported leaks, even though the FBIs general counsel should have been the last person to disclose any government communication to the press during a heated presidential campaign. And there is still no accurate information concerning what role, if any, Baker played in Andrew McCabes efforts to discuss removing the president following the Comey firing. Evelyn Farkas On March 1, 2017, just weeks after Trump took office, the New York Times revealed that. in a last-minute order, outgoing president Obama had vastly expanded the number of government officials with access to top-secret intelligence data. The Obama administration apparently sought to ensure a narrative spread that Trump may have colluded with the Russians. The day following the disclosure, a former Pentagon official, Evelyn Farkas (who might have been a source for the strange disclosure of a day earlier), explained Obamas desperate eleventh-hour effort in an MSNBC interview: I was urging my former colleagues, and, and frankly speaking the people on the Hill . . . it was more actually aimed at telling the Hill people, get as much information as you can, get as much intelligence as you can before President Obama leaves the administration. Because I had a fear that somehow that information would disappear with the senior people who left so it would be hidden away in the bureaucracy, um, that the [stutters] Trump folks if they found out how we knew what we knew about their [the] Trump staff, dealing with Russians that they would try to compromise those sources and methods, meaning we no longer have access to that intelligence. So I became very worried because not enough was coming out into the open and I knew that there was more. We have very good intelligence on Russia, so then I had talked to some of my former colleagues and I knew that they were also trying to help get information to the Hill. Despite media efforts to spin Farkass disclosure, she was essentially contextualizing how outgoing Obama officials were worried that the incoming administration would discover their own past efforts (sources and methods) to monitor and surveil Trump-campaign officials, and would seek an accounting. Her worry was not just that the dossier-inspired dirt would not spread after Trump took office, but that the Obama administrations methods used to thwart Trump might be disclosed (e.g., if they found out how we knew what we knew about their [the] Trump staff, dealing with Russians that they would try to compromise those sources and methods, meaning we no longer have access to that intelligence). So Farkas et al. desperately sought to change the law so that their rumors and narratives would be so deeply seeded within the administrative state that the collusion narrative would inevitably lead to Congress and the press, and thereby overshadow any shock at the improper or illegal methods the Obama-administration officials had authorized to monitor the Trump campaign. And Farkas was correct. Even today, urination in a Russian hotel room has overshadowed perjury traps, warping the FISA courts, illegal leaking, inserting a spy into the Trump campaign, and Russian collusion with Clinton hireling and foreign agent Christopher Steele. Samantha Power We now forget that for some reason, in her last year in office, but especially during and after the 2016 election, Power, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, reportedly asked to unmask the names of over 260 Americans picked up in government surveillance. She offered no real explanations of such requests. Even stranger than a U.N. ambassador suddenly playing the role of a counterintelligence officer, Power continued her requests literally until the moments before Trump took office in January 2017. And, strangest of all, after Power testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Representative Trey Gowdy reported that her testimony is they [the unmasking requests] may be under my name, but I did not make those requests. Who, in the world, then, did make those requests and why and, if true, did she know she was so being used? And were some of those unmasking requests leaked, thus helping to fuel media rumors in late 2016 and early 2017 that Trump officials were veritable traitors in league with Russia? And why were John Brennan, James Clapper, Susan Rice, and Sally Yates reportedly in the last days (or, in some cases, the last hours) requesting that the names of Americans swept up in surveillance of others be unmasked? What was the point of it all? In sum, did a U.N. ambassador let her name be used by aides or associates to spread rumors throughout the administrative state, and thereby brand them with classified government authenticity, and then all but ensure they were leaked to the press? We the public most certainly wondered why the moment Trump was elected, the very name Carter Page became synonymous with collusion, and soon Michael Flynn went from a respected high-ranking military official to a near traitor, as both were announced as emblematic of their erstwhile complicit boss. Ali Watkins and James Wolf Watkins was the young reporter for Buzzfeed (which initially leaked the largely fake Steele dossier and erroneously reported that Michael Cohen would implicate Trump in suborning perjury) who conducted an affair with James Wolf, a staffer, 30 years her senior, on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Wolf, remember, systematically and illegally began leaking information to her that found its way into sensationalized stories about collusion. But as Margot Cleveland of the Federalist pointed out, Watkins was also identified by Buzzfeed in court filings as one of the individuals who conducted newsgathering in connection with the Dossier before Buzzfeed published the Article on the dossier. This fact raises the question of whether Watkins received information from Wolfe concerning the dossier and, if so, what he leaked. In other words, the dossier was probably planted among U.S. senators and deliberately leaked through a senior Senate aide, who made sure that the unverified dirt was published by the press to damage Donald Trump. And it did all that and more. The list of these bit players could be easily expanded. These satellites were not coordinated in some tight-knit vast conspiracy, but rather took their cue from their superiors and the media to freelance with assumed impunity, as their part in either preventing or ending a Trump presidency. And no doubt the Left would argue that the sheer number of federal bureaucrats and political appointees, in a variety of cabinets and agencies, throughout the legislative and the executive branches, all proves that Trump is culpable of something. Perhaps. But the most likely explanation is that a progressive administrative state, a liberal media, and an increasingly radicalized liberal order were terrified by the thought of an outsider Trump presidency. Therefore, they did what they could, often both unethically and illegally, to stop his election, and then to subvert his presidency. In their arrogance, they assumed that their noble professions of higher loyalties and duties gave them exemption to do what they deemed necessary and patriotic. And others like them will continue to do so, thereby setting the precedent that unelected federal officials can break the law or violate any ethical protocols they please if they disagree with the ideology of the commander in chief. We ridicule Trump for going ballistic at each one of these periodically leaked and planted new stories that raised some new charge about his stupidity, insanity, incompetence, etc. But no one has before witnessed any president subjected to such a comprehensive effort of the media, the deep state, political opponents, and his own party establishment to destroy him. Subversion is the new political opposition. The nation and the Left especially will come to regret the legacy of the foot soldiers of the Resistance in the decades to come. More from National Review Calais (France) (AFP) - French customs officials warned of lengthy delays at the port of Calais on Tuesday as their work-to-rule strike snarled traffic for a second day, leading to queues of trucks several kilometres (miles) long. Customs agents began their protest on Monday to press their demands for higher pay and demonstrate what will happen if greater controls are put in place once Britain leaves the European Union, planned for later this month. "Agents are doing longer checks than usual and it creates traffic jams immediately," Vincent Thomazo from the UNSA union said. "It's a strike that might last a long time because officers are just doing their jobs." Trade unions have called for an increase in overnight pay, a danger allowance, and more staff to help with the extra work which is expected once Britain breaks away from the EU. The French government has announced the recruitment of an extra 700 customs officials to cope with the demands of Brexit, but unions want more. On Tuesday there were several kilometres of trucks backed up along the A16 motorway which leads to the port of Calais and the entrance to the Channel tunnel which links France and Britain. Some truckers sounded their horns in frustration, fearing a repeat of the chaos on Monday when many had to wait six or seven hours to get on boats or trains heading for Britain. Around Dunkirk, another major port handling freight between the neighbours, traffic was moving freely, unlike on Monday, local officials said. The head of customs services at Calais, Rodolphe Gintz, told AFP that the strike had "absolutely nothing" to do with Brexit. "It won't happen like this. We are not going to create queues of trucks. We're not going to inspect every truck one after the other for a minute," he said on Monday. He explained that controls would be in the other direction -- on trucks arriving from Britain -- and that there would be extra resources if necessary. The leader of the Hauts-de-France region, which includes Calais and Dunkirk, told AFP last month that fears about monster traffic jams after Brexit were overblown. "From our point of view, for the ports and the tunnel, we will be ready," Xavier Bertrand told AFP. By Alwyn Scott and Rachit Vats (Reuters) - General Electric Co's chief executive surprised investors on Tuesday by forecasting a net cash outflow from its industrial businesses this year mainly due to its ailing power-plant unit, a gloomy outlook that sent shares and bonds tumbling. "Industrial free cash flow will be (in) negative territory," compared with a positive $4.5 billion last year, CEO Larry Culp said in a webcast interview with JPMorgan analyst Stephen Tusa, a longtime GE bear. The shock remark dealt a fresh blow to GE investors who have watched the Boston-based conglomerate slash its dividend as it took massive asset write-downs and huge insurance charges last year. The stock is up nearly 36 percent this year but is still worth less than a third of its value in mid-2016. "I don't want to sugarcoat" the problems in GE's power business, Culp said, adding the unit likely will lose more cash in 2019 than the $2.7 billion in free cash flow it lost in 2018. The cash forecast shows "demand for GE's (power) turbines is half what the company forecast two years ago, and this is likely to persist into 2020," said Jim Corridore, an analyst at CFRA, who rates GE a "buy." The stock swiftly fell below $10, the company's biggest intraday percentage drop in more than three months, which knocked more than $4 billion off GE's market value. The shares closed 4.7 percent lower at $9.89 on Tuesday after falling as much as 7.6 percent. GE's bonds also declined, with GE Capital bonds the hardest hit. A $2.25 billion issue at 4.5 percent coming due in March 2044 was down 1.65 percent. "The risk of additional debt ratings downgrades has now increased," said John Inch, an analyst at Gordon Haskett Research Advisors, who rates GE "underperform." GE's bonds are rated three notches above junk and it is selling assets to reduce its high level of debt. Culp's comments went well beyond his January warning that industrial free cash flow, which excludes GE Capital dividends and cash from asset sales, would weaken in 2019. Investors are looking closely at GE's cash because of the gap between cash and earnings. Story continues Profits collapsed at GE's power unit in mid-2017 as sales fell and the company failed to deliver on promises to increase margins after a $10 billion acquisition of Alstom of France. Since then, GE has blamed the power unit's losses, which totaled $22 billion last year, on its own poor management and a shift toward new wind and solar power plants. The power unit is spending at least $480 million to fix thousands of turbine blades that are at risk after blades broke in 2015 and 2018, causing serious damage to power turbines and coinciding with a drop in GE's market share. GE also has poured billions of dollars into its insurance business, which includes thousands of money-losing long-term care policies written more than a decade ago. Some experts said GE may have to spend billions more to cover claims. Culp said the power business would face headwinds for "a couple of years," would not resolve problems with breaking power turbine blades for "a while" and promised to step up restructuring in the business and elsewhere. GE declined to provide restructuring cost estimates. The company is due to publish a financial forecast on March 14. Culp said on Tuesday that GE would continue to provide cash to its GE Capital unit for the foreseeable future, though probably not as much as the $4 billion it provided last year. GE Capital used to pay dividends to the parent company, but that stopped after losses mounted at GE's reinsurance business in the second half of 2017. (Reporting by Rachit Vats and Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru and Alwyn Scott and Kate Duguid in New York; Editing by Patrick Graham and Matthew Lewis) BERLIN (Reuters) - A 31-year-old Russian who knew the perpetrator of the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack has been charged with plotting to bomb another target in Germany, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday. The Russian suspect, identified as Magomed-Ali C., was accused of planning the bomb attack with Tunisian Anis Amri - the man who plowed a truck through shoppers in December 2016, killing 12 people - and a French man, identified as Clement B. Prosecutors gave no detail on where they suspected the group was planning to attack or when. Magomed-Ali C. had stored large quantities of the explosive triacetone triperoxide or TATP in his Berlin apartment in October 2016, the prosecutors added. There was no immediate comment from him or any lawyer representing him. TATP, an unstable homemade explosive, has been used by militants in several attacks in western Europe, including in Manchester, Britain, in May 2017, Brussels in 2016 and Paris in 2015. Amri was shot dead by police in Italy days after the attack in Berlin. The Russian has been in custody pending investigations in Berlin since August. The suspect identified as Clement B. was arrested in France in April 2017, the prosecutors said. (Writing by Madeline Chambers and Joseph Nasr; Editing by Andrew Heavens) Good Morning Britain weatherman Alex Beresford interrupted a debate today as he delivered a passionate rant about knife crime. Beresford couldnt stop himself from shouting across the studio after John Apter, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, called for more prisons to be built. Prison doesnt work though. It does not work, he shouted off camera. Ive grown up in some of these communities you guys are talking about. Prison is not a deterrent. Some of these boys dont fear prison. Alex Beresford said that those who carry knives havent benefitted from their environment Read more: Michael Jackson told Piers Morgan he would rather slit his wrists before abusing a child If you dont change the evironment you wont change anything and thats the key thing. This has been happening for years. And its not always in the media. It wont change. its going to take several things to come together. Yes policing is one thing. Beresford then passionately argued that everyone in the GMB studio, including himself, had benefitted from the environment in which they were raised. Read more: Katie Price brands ex Peter Andre selfish as Piers Morgan suggests she should grow up At the end of the day, if you dont change these boys environment. All of you guys on that side have benefited from the environment youve grown up in. Youve benefited from this work environment. Ive benefited from it. But these boys, not all of them get to benefit from the environment. If we dont show them something else you wont change it, sorry. ICYMI: In a debate about the effectiveness of using stop and search to combat knife crime in the UK, @alexberesfordTV speaks frankly about the issues behind the problem, and his own experience of being stopped by police. pic.twitter.com/U3sbIyrM2L Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 5, 2019 Read more: Be silent!: Good Morning Britain guest loses his patience with Piers Morgan After Piers Morgan argued that more needed to be done to crack down on those carrying large killing devices, Beresford replied: Often you dont catch them, Piers. Avon and Somerset Police I know for a fact do knife sweeps. Often you get the innocent young black boy who gets stopped by police and gets frustrated. Weve all seem them on social media where they get arrested because they cant control their anger. Thats how that relationship with the police breaks down. Google will not be hosting your ads if you're running for office in Canada. | Source: Shutterstock By CCN.com: Alphabet Inc.s Google is banning political advertising in Canada just in time to apply to the 2019 Federal elections. The prohibition came in the wake of the Elections Modernization Act, passed by the Canadian Senate this December, which requires online advertising platforms to monitor and report all political and partisan ads. The penalties for not adhering to the said Bill C-76 could slap offenders with fines and possibly, imprisonment. Ruby Sahota, the liberal politician in Canada, said the Election Modernization Act would limit third-party influence on the outcome of the upcoming Federal elections. No foreign actors would be allowed to participate financially in our elections and also for all those who are advertising on platforms such as Facebook or any other platforms, all would be made transparent, Sahota said while adddressing the senate. Better Safe than Sorry Nevertheless, achieving the kind of transparency the Canadian liberals seek could become a challenging task for online advertising companies. Colin McKay, Google Canadas head of public policy and government relations, told TGAM that it was difficult for them to detect partisan ads, arguing that they may not feature the name of a political candidate or party. Read the full story on CCN.com. To understand why social media giants dont want to be considered media companies, all you have to do is to compare the price/earnings ratios of Disney and Twitter. There are other reasons why Twitter, (which has a P/E of 19.6) might carry a higher valuation than Disney (15.6), but when arguably the best-managed legacy media company is cheaper than a social media company that has had issues, that says something. And this isnt the only example. You see the same valuation divide across the board with old media stalwarts such as Comcast, CBS/Viacom, Sony and AT&T (more on them in a second) on the one hand (cheap), and the social media companies; Facebook, Google parent Alphabetand even the likes of Yelp, and presumably Pinterest when it goes public, (pricey.) With that kind of evidence, I think its safe to say the category itself, to a degree, informs those relative stock prices. None of this is lost on the leaders of social media companies, who have long resisted being labeled media companies in part because media companies command lower valuations. Why social media doesnt want to be old media If Twitter, Facebook, and Google were media companies, they would be held 100% accountable for the content that appears on their platforms. Under Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act, providers of interactive computer services like these tech giants are largely immune from liability over content posted by others. LOS ANGELES - 1941: Actor, producer, writer and director Orson Welles poses as Charles Foster Kane in a scene from the RKO film 'Citizen Kane' in 1941 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) If they were media companies, it would invite regulation and more investment in terms of sophisticated algorithms and hiring more humansnever mind difficult decision-making. It would also make these platforms much more susceptible to litigation. Every single one of those items would require significant expenditures that would lower margins. That would make the companies less valuable and presumably lower their P/Es into the range of the old media companies. So you can see why executives at social media companies go to great lengths to describe themselves as open, agnostic, even magical platforms with little responsibility for their content except in very obvious cases such as calls for murder and the sale of opioids. Story continues But now Facebook, Alphabet, and Twitter are discovering its much more complicated than that. You see it in headlines every day: Pinterest recently stopped allowing for searches on vaccines as it was enabling the anti-vax crowd. Google followed suit to a degree and Facebook may be, as well. Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer and founder of Facebook Inc., listens during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on April 11, 2018. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Getty Images And speaking of Google, it recently had to work to rid its comments section on YouTube of content that was linked to pedophiles. And theres Alex Jones and myriad others whove been banned from Twitter. I find this Wiki page list of Twitter suspensions fascinating. Meanwhile, old-school companies like AT&T, which owns Warner Communications, are struggling to morph into new media by recasting themselves and creating streaming services. So far its been a mixed bag at best. AT&Ts recent restructuring announcement did nothing to move its stock. If it looks like a duck ... No wonder new media companies work so hard not to be lumped in with the legacy names. Advocates for social media companies say the bar defining a media company is fairly high. They refer to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996 as making that pretty clear. It reads: "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider. This law specifically protects content moderators like Facebook and not content creators like The New York Times. If you take the position that content moderation makes you a media company, thats precisely the result section 230 was trying to avoid, argues Matt Schruers, Vice President, Law & Policy at Computer and Communications Industry Association, a trade group that includes Google and Facebook. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 04: Rashad Robinson speaks onstage during the BET 'Finding Justice' Atlanta premiere at The Foundry At Puritan Mill on March 04, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET Finding Justice) Opponents say none of this passes the duck test (If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck ... then its probably a duck). In other words, social media companies look and function a lot like media companies. In September, a Pew poll found about two-thirds of American adults at least occasionally get their news on social media. [Social media companies] prioritize whats legitimate media and what isnt, says Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a civil rights organization. Algorithms determine what we see and dont see ... [Social media] platforms pick winners and losers and prioritize certain content over others. Absolutely [they are] gatekeepers. Is regulation an answer? The social media companies insist that all that is required is self-oversight, a notion critics dispute. Kristen Clarke, president & executive director at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, says, I do believe that many tech companies feel they can self-police and self-regulate. We had employers and landlords once upon a time who felt they could do the same. At the end of the day, it took strong civil rights laws put on the books to hold companies that discriminate or facilitate discrimination to be held accountable. A new kind of beast Jennifer Granick, attorney with ACLU, points out that the arguments, or those engaging in them, are often paradoxical. The same people who dont want Facebook to restrict job searches to people of certain age or housing by ethnicity may want Facebook to remove what they consider hateful speech. The social media companies also talk from both sides of their mouth, arguing like media companies that they need to cover both sides of, say, political issues, but then pooh-poohing calls for the kind of regulation media companies have. That kind of mixed thinking makes blanket resolutions difficult. The real conundrum of course is that Facebook, Alphabet, and the like are still to a great degree, the unknown. Founded only an eye blink ago (Google 1998, Facebook 2004) and now wielding almost unimaginable power over our economy and society, they are undeniably a new kind of beast, part media, part communication platform, whose sum total we are still figuring out. For investors in these new companies the good news is that this noveltynever mind the growth of the businesshas conferred rich valuations and powered the stocks higher. More recently of course Facebook, Google, and Twitter have faced a host of issues entailing privacy, national security, and free speechthe same problems traditional media outlets have faced for decades. Not only do social media companies need to address those concerns, they seem to feel compelled to do so as their own special category. That could be tough to pull off. Andy Serwer is editor-in-chief of Yahoo Finance. A simple, yet radical solution to solve Facebooks problems How Donald Trump strengthened The New York Times and grew a Mexican billionaire's fortune Better than FANG? Consider MVP, CAT WMN, and PASS (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google will ban political advertising on its platform before the Canadian federal election, after the country introduced stringent transparency rules. The Bill C-76, which was passed in December, requires online platforms to keep a registry of all political and partisan advertisements they directly or indirectly publish. "For the duration of the 2019 federal election campaign, Google will not accept advertising regulated by Bill C-76," Colin McKay, Google Canada's head of public policy, said in a statement. "We're focusing our efforts on supporting Canadian news literacy programs and connecting people to useful and relevant election-related information." Election is due in October in Canada. Google will modify its ad policies and systems to block advertisers from running ads that fall under the purview of the definitions set out in Bill C-76. Other Google services such as enhanced search results and platforms, including YouTube, will still be available during the campaign period. This was first reported by the Globe and Mail. (Reporting by Rishika Chatterjee and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreejay Sinha and Rashmi Aich) The app - named Absher - has been downloaded more than a million times in Saudi Arabia Google is refusing to remove a Saudi government app that allows men to track and control women. The app, which gives men the power to grant and rescind travel permission for women and to set up SMS alerts for when they use their passports, will remain available to buy. Google said it had reviewed the app called Absher and concluded that it did not violate any agreements, and could therefore remain on its Google Play store. The app, which is owned and operated by the kingdoms interior ministry, also has features that send alerts if a woman leaves a certain area - making it difficult for women to leave without the say so of a male guardian. Women in the ultra-conservative kingdom must by law have male guardians, whether it be a husband, father, brother or uncle, who gives permission for them to do everything including studying, marrying, renting a house, and travelling. Google and Apples decision to host the app, which has been downloaded more than one million times, has drawn complaints, including from Human Rights Watch which said the tech companies were facilitating human rights abuses. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, an 18-year-old Saudi woman took back her passport and fled her family Credit: Reuters More than a dozen members of US Congress wrote to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook on February 21, demanding that the app be removed. They described Google, as well as Apple, as "accomplices in the oppression of Saudi Arabian women" for hosting the app. They gave a deadline of Thursday 28 February to explain why the app is hosted on Google Play. Ilhan Omar, Democrat Rep, one of the signatories, tweeted: Women are not your property! Women are not your property! Women are not your property! So why are @Apple and @Google hosting an app that allows men to track and control womens movement in Saudi Arabia? This insanity needs to end! The subject of Saudi womens right to travel was highlighted last month after an 18-year-old Saudi woman fled her family over alleged abuse. Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun said she took her passport while on holiday in Kuwait and travelled to Thailand hoping to claim asylum. Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido vowed on Tuesday to step up the pressure on President Nicolas Maduro a day after defying the threat of arrest to return to a hero's welcome in Caracas. The 35-year-old National Assembly leader has not even been mentioned publicly by Maduro's government since his homecoming from a tour of friendly neighbors, let alone faced arrest. "They're drowning in contradictions, they don't know how to respond to Venezuela's people," Guaido told reporters. "They thought the pressure had reached its zenith but it's only just beginning." Battered by an economic meltdown, Venezuela descended into a major political crisis when Guaido declared himself interim president in January and asserted that Maduro was no longer legitimate. Recognized by more than 50 countries as Venezuela's interim president, Guaido flouted a government travel ban to embark on a 10-day tour of South American allies seeking support for Maduro's ouster. When Guaido returned to Caracas on Monday, tens of thousands of supporters turned out around the country to welcome him home. On Tuesday, a national holiday, he met public sector union leaders. "Public sector workers have lost practically all their rights, we have no other option but to call for a civic strike," said Guaido, without giving any further details. Unions from the oil industry, basic services, the public bank and local government took part in the meeting, union leader Ana Yanez told AFP. "The public administration is practically paralyzed. In the town halls people only go to work three days a week and even then barely half the day," said Yanez. Guaido's return marks the latest challenge to Maduro's authority since the young challenger declared himself acting president on January 23, vowing to set up a transitional government and hold new elections. The opposition-controlled legislature had declared Maduro to be a "usurper" for assuming a second term of office on the basis of a disputed election in May that was widely condemned as fraudulent. Story continues As part of his challenge, Guaido is attempting to take control of the state bureaucracy, which he considers to have been "kidnapped" by Maduro through blackmail and persecution. Maduro was active on Twitter on Tuesday, but only to mark the anniversary of the death of his predecessor Hugo Chavez. "Thanks to your teachings and your example we're continuing the permanent fight against those who tried so many times to extinguish your voice," wrote Maduro. During his travels, Guaido met US Vice President Mike Pence and the leaders of Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile and Ecuador. He crossed into Colombia on February 23 to lead a bid to bring in humanitarian aid stockpiled near the border, but the move was blocked by the military and security forces in a day of chaos and bloodshed. Venezuela is wracked by a humanitarian crisis that has seen poverty soar with an estimated 2.7 million people leaving the country since 2015. When we invest, were generally looking for stocks that outperform the market average. And while active stock picking involves risks (and requires diversification) it can also provide excess returns. To wit, the Reece share price has climbed 64% in five years, easily topping the market return of 5.9% (ignoring dividends). However, more recent returns havent been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 7.5% in the last year, including dividends. Check out our latest analysis for Reece There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a companys share price and its earnings per share (EPS). During five years of share price growth, Reece achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 10% per year. This EPS growth is remarkably close to the 10% average annual increase in the share price. That suggests that the market sentiment around the company hasnt changed much over that time. Rather, the share price has approximately tracked EPS growth. You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values). ASX:REH Past and Future Earnings, March 4th 2019 We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Reeces earnings, revenue and cash flow. What About Dividends? It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Reece, it has a TSR of 90% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return. Story continues A Different Perspective Reece shareholders are up 7.5% for the year (even including dividends). But that return falls short of the market. Its probably a good sign that the company has an even better long term track record, having provided shareholders with an annual TSR of 14% over five years. Its quite possible the business continues to execute with prowess, even as the share price gains are slowing. It is all well and good that insiders have been buying shares, but we suggest you check here to see what price insiders were buying at. Reece is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU exchanges. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - When parents of boys don't enjoy parenthood or don't spend a lot of time playing or talking with them, their sons may be more likely to use guns in adolescence, a U.S. study suggests. Among 503 teen boys in Pittsburgh public schools, one in five reported carrying a gun at some point during adolescence, researchers found. Parental disengagement - caregivers who didn't play with kids, participate in daily activities, discuss things with children, or enjoy parenting - was directly linked to teen gun carrying. Some of this connection - about 29 percent - could be explained by related factors like childhood behavior problems or friendships with delinquent kids, the study found. "One reason that disengaged parenting in childhood promoted gun carrying in adolescence is that parenting in childhood sets the stage for conduct problems and delinquent peer networks to emerge in early adolescence, and these early adolescent risk factors place youth at risk for gun carrying in later adolescence," said study leader Jordan Beardslee of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University in Phoenix. "However, only some of the effect of parental disengagement was due to the emergence of early externalizing problems and early affiliation with delinquent peers," Beardslee said by email. "The remaining impact of parental disengagement could be due to continuity of parenting practices in later adolescence or to ... factors in adolescence." More than 7,000 youth are injured or killed by guns in the U.S. each year, Beardslee and colleagues note in Pediatrics. Teens who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods, have behavior problems, or have friends who get into trouble at school or with law enforcement are more likely to carry guns, previous research has found. But less is known about which childhood experiences might contribute to adolescent gun violence. Almost all teen gun use involves boys, and the current study focused only on males. Starting when boys were about seven and a half, researchers surveyed them every six months for four years and then annually for nine years. The boys reported any gun carrying as well as exposure to peer violence, theft or drug dealing. During the earlier years of the study, researchers also surveyed parents about engagement levels. During adolescence, researchers surveyed teachers about any conduct or behavior problems they observed. The study wasn't designed to prove whether parenting styles directly impact the risk of teen gun carrying, and it also didn't examine whether having weapons on hand might lead to firing these weapons. Even so, previous research suggests that kids' relationships with their parents can impact their success in school and the odds that they will get into trouble or have friends who are a bad influence and encourage antisocial behaviors, said Alex Piquero, a professor of criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas who wasn't involved in the study. "This study clearly shows that strained parent-child relationships early in life lead to a myriad of negative behaviors that ultimately lead to an increased risk for gun carrying," Piquero said by email. "It shows the long-term damage that parental disengagement has on their children and others around them." This also means parents can play an outsize role in preventing teen weapon use, Piquero said. "The take-home message for parents could not be clearer: monitor your children's behavior, develop strong emotional and interpersonal connections with them, and help establish their ability to control their impulses and consider the long-term outcomes of their decisions," Piquero advised. "The earlier and more frequently that parents can do this, the better for their children and their children's long-term life success." SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2C7lbtR Pediatrics, online March 4, 2019. Hillary Clinton smacked down months of speculation Monday about her launching yet another presidential bid in 2020. The former first lady and Secretary of State revealed to News 12 Westchester her decision not to run against President Trump again after losing as the Democratic nominee to him in 2016. Im not running, but Im going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe, Clinton said. The former New York senator also pledged to continue participating in the political conversation because the state of the country is deeply troubling and unprecedented. I want to be sure that people understand Im going to keep speaking out, she continued. Im not going anywhere. Whats at stake in our country, the kind of things that are happening right now are deeply troubling to me. She also lamented the current polarization of political debate. And Im also thinking hard about how do we start talking and listening to each other again? Clinton said. Weve just gotten so polarized. Weve gotten into really opposing camps unlike anything Ive ever seen in my adult life. Although she is not running for president, Clinton said she plans to put her nose to the grindstone during the 2020 campaign season to help Democrats win back the White House. Ive told every one of them, dont take anything for granted, even though we have a long list of real problems and broken promises from this administration that need to be highlighted, she said of the Democratic 2020 candidates. People need to understand that in many cases, they were sold a bill of goods. We cant take anything for granted. We have to work really, really hard to make our case to the American people, and Im gonna do everything I can to help the Democrats win back the White House. Story continues Asked whether she would consider getting involved in local New York politics, such as a run for governor or New York City mayor, Clinton responded, I dont think so. But I love living in New York and Im so grateful that I had the chance to be a senator for eight years and to work with people across our state, she said. I care deeply about the future of New York and so, again, Im gonna do what I can to help support candidates and causes that I think are continuing to make New York a better and better place. Clinton now lives in Chappaqua, Westchester County, with her husband, former president Bill Clinton. More from National Review Hillary Clinton has said she will not run for the US presidency in 2020. The former senator and US secretary of state ruled out another run for the White House in an interview with New York TV station News12. Im not running but Im going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe, said Ms Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump. Whats at stake in our country, the kind of things that are happening right now are deeply troubling to me. The 71-year-old added that she is not going anywhere, despite ruling herself out of the presidential race. She said she had spoken to several of the candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination and told them dont take anything for granted, even though we have a long list of real problems and broken promises from Donald Trumps administration. Prominent Democrats including Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders are eyeing a White House run, in what is likely to be a crowded field. Additional reporting by agencies Hoda Muthana, who left Alabama at the age of 19 to join the terror group Isis in Syria, said she is not a threat to America and wants to return to the US as her lawyer battles her case in court. Speaking to CBS News in northern Syria, Ms Muthana claimed to be a US citizen, rejecting denials from Donald Trumps administration, while noting the son she had with a now-deceased Isis fighter does not hold citizenship to any country. I was only 19 when I made my decision. And you know, people when theyre young they make very big stupid mistakes, she said. Were still trying to win the case and hopefully we will. Ms Muthana has been held by Kurdish forces allied with the US since January, when she turned herself in amid the caliphates decline. A federal court in Washington was scheduled to review her case on Monday. I know I am an American citizen and I know I have the right to come back, she continued. I have no other citizenship anywhere. Even my own home country I dont. Ive never been there (Yemen). The US State Department has claimed Ms Muthana is not actually a US citizen because she was born to Yemeni parents. Her father who worked as a diplomat in the US for a period of time was not working as a diplomat at the time of her birth, according to her lawyer. US law does not automatically provide citizenship to the children of diplomats who are born within the countrys borders. Ms Hoda Muthana is not a US citizen and will not be admitted into the United States, secretary of state Mike Pompeo said. She does not have any legal basis, no valid US passport, no right to a passport nor any visa to travel to the United States. But Hassan Shibly, a lawyer for the woman, insisted Ms Muthana was born in the United States and had a valid passport before she joined the Islamic State in 2014. He says she has renounced the terrorist group and wants to come home to protect her 18-month-old son regardless of the legal consequences. Story continues Shes an American. Americans break the law, said the lawyer with the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. When people break the law, we have a legal system to handle those kinds of situations to hold people accountable, and thats all shes asking for. Ms Muthana and her son are now in a refugee camp in Syria, along with others who fled the remnants of the Islamic State. Her lawyer said that the administration argues that she did npt qualify for citizenship because her father was a Yemeni diplomat. But the lawyer said her father had not had diplomatic status at the time of her birth in Hackensack, New Jersey. He released a copy of the womans birth certificate, issued two months after her birth on 28 October, 1994, to support his claim. Ms Muthanas lawyer said she was just a stupid, naive, young dumb woman, when she became enamoured of Islamic State, believing it was an organisation that protected Muslims. The Associated Press Contributed to this report The new Honda E Prototype is displayed at the Geneva International Motor Show on March 5, 2019. Photo: Reuters/Denis Balibouse Honda (HMC) announced at the Geneva International Motor Show today that 100% of its European sales would be electric by 2025, part of its overall electrification strategy. The target is a ramp-up of its 2017 goal of getting to two-thirds of European sales being electric by 2025. Environmental challenges continue to drive demand for cleaner mobility, said Tom Gardner, the senior vice president for Honda Europe. Technology marches on unrelenting and people are starting to shift their view of the car itself. The first of Hondas electric offerings in Europe will be the e Prototype, which launched its charm offensive at the motor show today. The production-ready super-mini, an evolution of the Urban EV concept shown at Geneva two years ago, will be produced for the EU market only. With its chunky little body and inquisitive face (based, Honda said, on its headlights shaped like human eyes), it is one of the cutest-looking cars at the show this year. It promises a range of over 200km (124 miles), so its best suited to nipping around the city, and will charge up via its roof-mounted charging outlet to 80% in just half an hour. The Japanese car giant announced in February that it was shutting down its Swindon factory in the UK, saying it would help the company ramp up its switch to electric mobility. READ MORE: Hondas call to quit UK makes perfect sense as electric-car age looms By Rodi Said and Ellen Francis DEIR AL-ZOR PROVINCE, Syria (Reuters) - Hundreds of Islamic State militants have surrendered as they left the group's last enclave in eastern Syria amid more than 6,500 people, mostly civilians, who were evacuated in the last 24 hours, a spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian force battling the jihadists said on Tuesday. Islamic State (IS) faces defeat in Baghouz on the banks of the Euphrates, but it still holds remote pockets of land further west and has launched guerrilla attacks in other areas where it has lost control. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Monday they had slowed their assault on Baghouz because more civilians, previously thought to have completely evacuated, were trapped in the enclave, but they promised to capture it soon. Mostafa Bali, head of the SDF media office, said that among some 6,500 people fleeing since Monday after the SDF opened a corridor for them to flee, hundreds of jihadists had surrendered. It was not possible to independently verify the number and SDF officials also said it was difficult to estimate how many people were left. "For the second consecutive day our forces had succeeded in evacuating more than 3,500 between women, children and men. There were more than 500 men mostly from foreign nationalities," Bali told Reuters. Around 3,000 were evacuated on Monday. The militant fighters hail from a number of countries including Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The SDF, led by the leftist Kurdish-YPG militia, has also attracted fighters from radical secular Marxist volunteers from across Europe who are ideologically opposed to Islamist groups. Baghouz, a collection of hamlets and farmland near the border with Iraq, is the last patch of populated territory that IS still holds in the area straddling the two countries where it declared a caliphate in 2014. Reuters photographs from Baghouz on Tuesday showed mostly women and children who had been evacuated on Monday waiting to be sent to a camp to the north under SDF control, al-Hol. Story continues The United Nations said last week that at least 84 people, two-thirds of them young children, have died since December on their way to al-Hol camp. The camp now holds at least 45,000 people, according to Jens Laerke, spokesman of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), who said many people had arrived exhausted, hungry and sick. While the capture of Baghouz would mark a milestone in the fight against IS, the group is expected to remain a security threat as an insurgent force with sleeper cells and some pockets of remote territory. (Writing by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Frances Kerry) Washington (AFP) - The number of undocumented immigrants stopped at the US border with Mexico soared to more than 76,000 in February, the highest monthly level in years, US Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday. The number of families and unaccompanied children also rose to nearly two-thirds of the total, often crossing in large groups and turning themselves in to authorities to request asylum, blunting the Trump administration's tactics aimed at curbing the flow. At 76,103, the number of people stopped at the border or detained after crossing was up sharply from the roughly 61,000 average for the previous three months, a surprising surge for what is usually a downturn in the coldest month of the year. It was also more than double the number of February 2018 and 3.2 times the number for February 2017, the first full month after President Donald Trump took office promising to take aim at illegal immigration. "We are currently facing a humanitarian and national security crisis along our southwest border," said CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan. "The vast increases in families and children coming across our border, in larger groups and in more remote areas, presents a unique challenge to our operations and facilities, and those of our partners." In late January, the government launched a new policy to send the asylum-seekers -- nearly all from impoverished, crime-racked Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador -- back across the border into Mexico to wait while their applications are reviewed, which can take up to two years. But implementation of that program only began in one area of the border, at Tijuana, Mexico, and has not been put in place in other areas yet. Meanwhile, more than 70 groups of over 100 migrants each crossed the porous border last month, handing themselves in to authorities immediately. The February surge likely included many of those who joined caravans up from Central America, people whom Trump cited to justify shutting down the government for six weeks in December and January in a bid to obtain money from Congress to build more sections of wall along the long frontier. When Congress still refused, Trump declared a national emergency last month that would potentially enable him to divert funds for the wall from the US military and other departments. That move remains under legal challenge. Pakistani soldiers and media personnel gather at the site where the Indian Air Force (IAF) strike hit - AFP Indias air chief has refused to confirm the death toll from last weeks strike on an alleged terrorist training camp in Pakistan, fuelling doubts about the success of an attack initially claimed to have killed 250 militants. The Indian Air Force (IAF) does not count human casualties, said Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa in his first press conference since the 27 February offensive. We count what targets we have hit or not. Asked how many militants had been eliminated in the strike, Marshal Dhanoa said: Its for the government to answer that question. The IAF had launched the punitive strike on what it claimed to be a training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group after the group claimed responsibility for killing 40 Indian paramilitaries in a suicide bombing in northern Kashmir on 14 February. The assault significantly raised tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, triggering a dog-fight between Indian and Pakistani fighters in which an IAF pilot was shot down. Over the weekend Amit Shah, the powerful head of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), repeated that 250 terrorists had been killed. The government, however, has declined to comment. Opposition party leaders, quoting foreign news reports from Pakistan, are now claiming that the air strikes were a fiasco, striking empty hillside. Were you (the IAF) uprooting terrorists or trees tweeted provincial Congress Party minister Navjot Singh Sidhu from northern Punjab state. Was the air attack an election gimmick? he further asked, referring to charges that Mr Modi had ordered the strike to boost his chances ahead of a general election scheduled to be held before the end of May. Meanwhile defence personnel and analysts are questioning the overall capability of Indias military that is short of assorted materiel like combat aircraft, helicopters, submarines, warships, artillery, tanks and even small arms for the armys infantry troops. Story continues In a series of six reports tabled in parliament last December Indias Parliamentary Defence Committee castigated the government for allocating inadequate funds for long postponed military modernisation in a turbulent neighbourhood. In March last year the Indian Armys former vice chief of staff said 68 per cent of the armys equipment was in the vintage category. Some 24 per cent was current, and a mere 8 per cent state of the art. (Reuters) - Activist investor Barington Capital on Tuesday urged L Brands to separate its Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works businesses, in an effort to turn around the struggling consumer brands owner. Barington urged the company to retain advisers and explore either a spin off of the underperforming Victoria's Secret brand or take the much financially stronger Bath & Body Works public. The hedge fund also suggested that the role of chairman and chief executive officer be held by separate individuals, an increasingly popular demand by activist investors who feel it would help companies run better. In a letter to L Brands' chairman Leslie Wexner, Barington said the "true potential" of Bath & Body Works had not been realized because of years of weak performance at Victoria's, stemming from a failure to maintain a strong brand image and missteps with merchandising. Barington did not disclose the size of its ownership stake in L Brands. It did not immediately respond to emails seeking details. Shares in L Brands rose as much as 6 percent on Tuesday, having fallen last week after reporting poor quarterly results. L Brands said in a statement it welcomed open communication with shareholders and "values input that may advance our goal of enhancing shareholder value." It also highlighted changes it had already made to its business, including closing or selling some brands, while appointing new leadership at others. "The company has significantly underperformed its peers and the market as a whole," Barington Chairman James Mitarotonda said. Mitarotonda also expressed concern over a lack of diversity on L Brands' board nine of its 12 directors are men and pointed out that some directors had sat on the board for decades. Barington's call for separating the company comes just days after apparel maker Gap Inc announced it would spin off its better-performing Old Navy brand. L Brands' shares have fallen nearly 40 percent in the last 12 months. By comparison, the S&P composite 1500 apparel retail index had risen about 13 percent in the same period. (Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar) GENEVA (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian President Bashar al-Assads trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on Tuesday. The news agency cited foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi as the source of the information in its report. President Hassan Rouhani rejected Zarifs resignation last Wednesday, bolstering a moderate ally who has long been targeted by hardliners in factional struggles over the 2015 nuclear deal with the West. The ministry of foreign affairs did not have information at any level (about the trip) and this lack of information was maintained until the end of the trip, Qassemi said, according to ISNA. One of the reasons for the resignation of Dr. Zarif was this type of lack of coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs. And as it has been announced before, the resignation of the honorable minister was not a private and individual issue and the goal and intent of that was a positive effort to return the ministry of foreign affairs and the diplomatic system of the country to its main place. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the branch of the elite Revolutionary Guards responsible for operations outside Irans borders, was present at a meeting last week between Assad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic. Soleimani said last week that Zarif was the main person in charge of foreign policy and he was supported by Khamenei. (Reporting By Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Nick Macfie) Tehran (AFP) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was the lead negotiator in the 2015 nuclear deal has abruptly tendered his resignation on Instagram, although there was no sign President Hassan Rouhani had yet accepted his decision. Zarif offered an apology for his "shortcomings" in the unexpected message on Monday, with prominent members of parliament immediately calling for Rouhani not to accept the resignation. Zarif, 59, has served as Rouhani's foreign minister since August 2013 and has been under constant pressure and criticism by hardliners who opposed his policy of detente with the West. "I apologise for my inability to continue serving and for all the shortcomings during my term in office," Zarif said in the message posted on his verified Instagram account. He thanked Iranians and "respected officials" for their support "in the last 67 months". The resignation was confirmed by an informed source, however in a tweet, Rouhani's chief of staff strongly denied reports it had been accepted by the president. The resignation happened hours after a surprise visit by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to Tehran. However, according to the semi-official ISNA News Agency, Zarif was not present at any of Assad's meetings with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Rouhani. Mostafa Kavakebian, a reformist MP, was among those calling for Rouhani not to accept the resignation. "Undoubtedly the Iranian people, government and state will not benefit from this resignation," he said. "A great majority of MPs demand that the president never accept this resignation," he said in a tweet. Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo, however, was less moved, tweeting that "we note @JZarif's resignation. We'll see if it sticks." "Either way, he and @HassanRouhani are just front men for a corrupt religious mafia," Pompeo wrote. "We know @khamenei_ir makes all final decisions. Our policy is unchanged -- the regime must behave like a normal country and respect its people," he said of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Story continues - Under pressure - The head of parliament's influential national security and foreign policy commission told ISNA how a planned trip to Geneva with Zarif on Monday afternoon had been cancelled at the last minute with no explanation. "I suddenly got a text message saying the trip has been cancelled," Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh told ISNA, adding that this was not the first time Zarif had resigned but "that he has done so publicly this time means that he wants the president to accept it this time." Zarif's standing within Iran's political establishment took a hit when the US withdrew from the nuclear accord in May 2018, under which Tehran drastically scaled back its atomic programme in return for sanctions relief. The deal's achievements became less and less clear as Iran's economy nosedived. Ultra-conservatives said Zarif had negotiated a bad deal that had not gained anything meaningful for Iran for all the concessions it had made in its nuclear programme. The faceoff between the minister and his critics only intensified as time passed, with Zarif saying his main worry throughout the nuclear talks had been from pressure from inside Iran. "We were more worried by the daggers that were struck from behind than the negotiations," he told a local newspaper on February 2. "The other side never managed to wear me down during the negotiations... but internal pressure wore me down both during and after the talks," he said. The latest point of contention between Zarif and hardliners was the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force's requirements regarding money laundering in Iran. The rift on the issue pitched the government and parliament against supervisory councils. On Sunday, ISNA reported that Zarif had warned the Expediency Council, an arbitration body tasked with solving such impasses, that it should "understand the consequences of its decision." He was immediately attacked by the ultra-conservatives who deemed what Zarif had said as a threat. Rome (AFP) - Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday that he expects his government to decide by the end of the week on whether to pursue work on a disputed high-speed rail line between Turin and Lyon. "As far as the TAV (high-speed line) goes, we are nearing the finish line... I think a decision will be made by Friday," Conte told media following a high-level cabinet meeting on the matter. The line between Turin and Lyon has become a key battleground for Italy's coalition government, with the far-right League party led by Matteo Salvini backing the project, while its coalition partner, Luigi Di Maio's anti-establishment Five Star Movement, considers it to be a misuse of public funds. Their differences on the issue have been tamped down because neither wants an ensuing crisis to topple the government. France supports the rail link, as does the European Union, which has already provided hundreds of millions of euros in funding to the project. "I can guarantee that we will make a decision aimed at protecting the national interest," Conte said Tuesday, adding that no meetings with French officials were planned in the coming days. Last week Italian Finance Minister Giovanni Tria said there had been a "positive evolution" within the Italian cabinet regarding the project, after meeting with his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire. The key element is a tunnel that would run for 57.5 kilometres (36 miles) beneath the Alps at an estimated cost of 8.6 billion euros ($9.7 billion), part of which has already been dug. The high-speed line would halve the travel time between Turin and Lyon to just two hours, and make it possible to travel from Milan to Paris in just over four hours, down from almost seven. Proponents of the line, launched nearly 20 years ago and officially scheduled for completion in 2025, argue that it would rid the roads of a million trucks and avert three million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year. But a contested report commissioned by the Italian government released last month said the train line and tunnel would be "very negatively profitable", losing seven billion euros up to 2059. However the composition of the commission and the methodology used have since come in for sharp criticism. The Boston Celtics are reeling. After reaching the Eastern Conference finals without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward last year, the Celtics were expected to make the leap to the top of the East and potentially compete for a title with those two back in the fold this year. Instead, in the midst of a tumultuous 1-5 stretch coming out of the All-Star break, Brad Stevens team sits in the No. 5 spot in the East while rumblings about Irvings impending free agency continue to simmer. Its taking a toll. Jaylen Brown, an emerging star from last seasons playoff run relegated to a bench role behind Irving and Hayward, described the current environment within the team as toxic. To be honest, Im not feeling good at all, Brown said Monday, according to the Boston Globe. The losing, its not a good feeling. Im not too good about that. Because right now its not good. Its toxic. I cant really point out one thing. I dont have all the answers. Im just going to try to be part of the change. Im going to try to do my best. Thats all Ive got to say. Jaylen Brown called Boston's team environment "toxic." (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) To fix it, the whole team has to be on the same page, Brown said. And with 18 regular season games remaining entering Tuesday nights road contest against the Golden State Warriors, he thinks theres enough time to flip the switch before the playoffs. The Golden State game is the first of a four-game West Coast road trip for the Celtics, who are currently 38-26 overall and 2.5 games behind the fourth-place Philadelphia 76ers in the East standings. The Milwaukee Bucks (48-16) and Toronto Raptors (46-18) have been the Easts top teams all year long, and the third-place Indiana Pacers are trudging on with injured star Victor Oladipo out for the year. With as much talent as the Celtics have, it may only take two or three games to flip the switch and get everybody the seemingly disgruntled Irving included on the same page. Despite the turmoil, Boston would be a scary draw in the first round, especially for Philadelphia. Story continues The Celtics have had Phillys number in recent years, and the two sides would meet in the first round if the playoffs began today. But the Sixers are gaining ground on Indiana (just a half-game back in the standings) with Oladipo sidelined, so an Indiana-Boston first-round matchup seems more likely. But thats weeks down the road. In the meantime, Brown and company have work to do. More from Yahoo Sports: NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan police have summoned Finance Minister Henry Rotich for questioning for a second time over a multi-million dollar scandal involving advance payments for two dam projects, the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said. The DCI said last week it was investigating what it described as fraudulent construction of the two dams valued at 63 billion shillings. Some payments had already been made despite the dams not being built, it said. Rotich was not immediately available for comment, but in a statement published by local media on Sunday, he said that up to 19.8 billion shillings ($198 million) had been paid in advance to various firms for the Arror and Kimwarer dams. He said the payments had been made in accordance with the law. "He must answer several questions," George Kinoti, the head of the DCI, told Reuters in a text message late on Monday. Rotich arrived at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nairobi at around 6 am on Tuesday, a police officer posted outside told Reuters. (Reporting by Humphrey Malalo, Hereward Holland and Maggie Fick; Editing by Nick Macfie) A senior Republican has contradicted Donald Trump about whether Kim Jong-un is to blame for the death of an American citizen, saying: North Korea murdered Otto [Warmbier] I think Kim knew what happened, which was wrong. Related: Vietnam summit: North Korea and US offer differing reasons for failure of talks The House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, spoke on Sunday, a day after Trump, without withdrawing his support for Kims denial of knowledge of the incident, complained he had been put in a horrible position. Warmbier, a 22-year-old student at the University of Virginia, died in June 2017, having been held in North Korea for 17 months. He was returned to his home state, Ohio, in what doctors there called a state of unresponsive wakefulness, having suffered a severe neurological injury. In North Korea, he had initially appeared before cameras in apparent control of his actions, if in evident mental distress. Pyongyang denies he was tortured. Sign up for the US morning briefing Trump met Kim this week, in Vietnam at their second summit regarding North Koreas nuclear weapons. The meeting ended with no significant diplomatic gain for the US but a concession to Pyongyang: the cancellation of major US military exercises with South Korea. In Hanoi, Trump told reporters the North Korean dictator told him he didnt know about how Warmbier was treated. I will take him at his word, he said. I dont think the top leadership knew about it. The presidents remark was similar to expressions of trust in the word of autocratic leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Mohammed bin Salman. As such they provoked a storm of criticism, including a stern statement from Warmbiers parents. We have been respectful during this summit process, Fred and Cindy Warmbier said. Now we must speak out. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that. Trump subsequently tweeted: Of course I hold North Korea responsible... for Ottos mistreatment and death. Most important, Otto Warmbier will not have died in vain. Story continues Then, in a rambling, two-hour speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington on Saturday, during which he sought to portray his Vietnam visit as a success, he said: We got our great people back. That includes our beautiful, beautiful Otto. Otto Warmbier, whose parents Ive gotten to know, whos incredible. And Im in such a horrible position, because in one way I have to negotiate, and the other way I love Mr and Mrs Warmbier. And I love Otto. And its a very, very delicate balance. He was a special young man and to see what happened was so bad. Related: Trump: I took Kim at his word over Otto Warmbier's torture On ABCs This Week on Sunday, McCarthy contradicted the president when he flatly said: North Korea murdered Otto [Warmbier]. I think Kim had all authority to do that. I think Kim knew what happened, which was wrong. Referring to sanctions passed by Congress in 2017, the California representative added: Thats why when we passed sanctions, we named [the bill] after Otto Warmbier. Thats why the president kept those sanctions in place. The sanctions the president did not lift on North Korea were named after Otto. And I think the president clarified that. Host George Stephanopoulos pointed out that Trump has said he holds North Korea responsible for Warmbiers death, not Kim. I think Kim knew, McCarthy repeated. Trumps national security adviser, John Bolton, played a straighter bat. Repeatedly claiming the Hanoi summit was a success, the former United Nations ambassador told CNNs State of the Union: The president takes [Kim] at his word. My opinion doesnt matter. I am his national security adviser. I am not the national security decision-maker. Thats his view. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who chairs the House intelligence committee, told CBSs Face the Nation the summit was a spectacular failure made all the worse by the presidents obsequious comments when it came to the murder of an American citizen, Otto Warmbier. Bolton told the same show Trump had been very clear he viewed what happened to Otto Warmbier as barbaric and unacceptable, and repeated what some might call an optimistic demand: that the secretive totalitarian state should provide a full description of what happened. To CNN host Jake Tappers contention that most North Korean experts would agree nothing could have happened to Warmbier without Kim knowing about it, Bolton said: Good for them. ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli said on Tuesday it expected organic sales to grow 5-7 percent this year, in line with mid-term targets, as it works to improve the performance in its North American unit. Chocolate makers are grappling with saturated European and U.S. markets and a trend towards healthier snacking, but Lindt is growing faster than peers as it taps new markets in Asia and Africa and expands its own retail network. It is, however, taking more time to turn around its Russell Stover business it had bought to boost its position in the United States, and had to trim its mid-term guidance to 5-7 percent organic sales growth in January when it released 2018 sales figures. The maker of Lindor chocolate balls said it had made substantial investments in North America "to lay the foundation for profitable sales growth", but did not say whether it expected improvements starting this year. Net profit rose 7.6 percent to 487.1 million Swiss francs ($487 million) in 2018, in line with expectations in an Infront Data poll, the company known for its gold foil-wrapped Easter bunnies said in a statement. It proposed to pay out a dividend of 1,000 Swiss francs per registered share, an increase of 7.5 percent over last year, and also in line with forecasts. It had already reported a 5.1 percent increase in organic sales in January. Kepler Cheuvreux analyst Jon Cox said the group margin was slightly below consensus dragged down by a 240 basis point decline in North America. "Lindt is clearly still in the middle of repositioning Russell Stover," he said. (Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz) A London man has become the second in the world to be cured of HIV after a bone marrow transplant from an HIV resistant donor, doctors said. The discovery could pave the way for a way to end AIDS, but it does not yet mean that a usable cure for HIV has been found, doctors cautioned. The patient is still testing negative for HIV, three years after receiving bone marrow stem cells from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that resists HIV infection. He has also not taken antiretroviral drugs for 18 months. The new case comes 10 years after the first patient was cured of HIV, known as the Berlin patient, using a similar method. There is no virus there that we can measure. We cant detect anything, said Ravindra Gupta, a professor and HIV biologist. The doctors sought out bone marrow from a patient who had a genetic mutation called CCR5 delta 32, which makes the person immune to HIV. By achieving remission in a second patient using a similar approach, we have shown that the Berlin Patient was not an anomaly and that it really was the treatment approaches that eliminated HIV in these two people. Gupta described his patient as functionally cured and in remission, but cautioned: Its too early to say hes cured. The man is being called the London patient, in part because his case is similar to the first known case of a functional cure of HIV in an American man, Timothy Brown, who became known as the Berlin patient when he underwent similar treatment in Germany in 2007 which also cleared his HIV. Brown, who had been living in Berlin, has since moved to the United States and, according to HIV experts, is still HIV-free. The AIDS pandemic has killed around 35 million people worldwide since it began in the 1980s. Read more Shocking list of suspected killings in London so far this year after girl is stabbed to death Husband of Isis bride denied UK citizenship wants them to live together as a family Meghan Markle gender fluid Royal baby claims are totally false, says Kensington Palace Scientific research into the complex virus has in recent years led to the development of drug combinations that can keep it at bay in most patients. Story continues Gupta, now at Cambridge University, treated the London patient when he was working at University College London. The man had contracted HIV in 2003, Gupta said, and in 2012 was also diagnosed with a type of blood cancer called Hodgkins Lymphoma. Could a cure for HIV be on the horizon? Getty In 2016, when he was very sick with cancer, doctors decided to seek a transplant match for him. This was really his last chance of survival, Gupta said. The donor who was unrelated had a genetic mutation known as CCR5 delta 32, which confers resistance to HIV. The transplant went relatively smoothly, Gupta said, but there were some side effects, including the patient suffering a period of graft-versus-host disease a condition in which donor immune cells attack the recipients immune cells. Most experts say it is inconceivable such treatments could be a way of curing all patients. The procedure is expensive, complex and risky. Specialists said it is also not yet clear whether the CCR5 resistance is the only key or whether the graft versus host disease may have been just as important. Both the Berlin and London patients had this complication, which may have played a role in the loss of HIV-infected cells, Gupta said. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Doctors said a London man with HIV has become the second known adult in the world to be apparently cleared of the infection since the global epidemic began decades ago, giving hope for a potential cure for AIDS. Doctors said that recent tests showed no trace of the mans previous HIV infection. The milestone came about three years after the man received bone marrow stem cells from an HIV-resistant donor and about a year and a half after coming off antiretroviral drugs. The patient was receiving the bone marrow transplant for cancer. The case offers hope that researchers will soon find a cure for AIDS. But doctors cautioned against calling the patients results a cure for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Ravindra Gupta, an HIV biologist who helped treat the man, told Reuters that his patient is in remission but warned that its too early to say hes cured. The man has chosen to remain anonymous, with scientists referring to him as the London patient. The title is similar to the first known case of a cured HIV-positive patient. Timothy Brown, an American man, was known as the Berlin patient when he also received a bone marrow transplant for leukemia treatment in Germany 12 years ago. That transplant also appeared to clear his HIV infection. A scanning electron micrograph of multiple round bumps of the HIV-1 virus on a cell surface. (Photo: Cynthia Goldsmith/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP) After Browns case, scientists tried for 12 years to copy the result with other HIV-positive cancer patients. The London patient, who had Hodgkins lymphoma, is the first adult to be cleared of HIV since Brown. The decades-long HIV epidemic still persists in the United States and worldwide, with nearly 39,000 new diagnoses in the country in 2017. About 37 million people worldwide currently have HIV, and the AIDS virus has killed about 35 million since taking off in the 1980s. Scientists who have studied the London patient are expected to publish a report Tuesday in the journal Nature. They also plan to present details in Seattle at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, which began Monday. Story continues Bone marrow transplants as an HIV cure is a treatment with harsh side effects, but The New York Times reported that scientists think giving patients similar HIV-resistant immune cells might do the trick. This will inspire people that cure is not a dream, Dr. Annemarie Wensing, a virologist at University Medical Center Utrecht, told the Times. Its reachable. Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Paris (AFP) - For just the second time ever an HIV patient is in sustained remission from the virus in what was hailed by experts Tuesday as proof that the AIDS-causing condition could one day be curable. Ten years almost to the day since the first confirmed case of an HIV-infected person being rid of the deadly disease, a man known only as the "London patient" has shown no sign of the virus for nearly 19 months, doctors reported in the journal Nature. Both patients underwent bone marrow transplants to treat blood cancers, receiving stem cells from donors with a genetic mutation present in less than one percent of Europeans that prevents HIV from taking hold. "It is a landmark. After 10 years of not being able to replicate (the first case), people were wondering if this was a fluke," said lead author Ravindra Gupta, a professor at the University of Cambridge. "I think it is important to reaffirm that this is real and it can be done," Gupta told AFP. However, he was very careful at a press conference in Seattle, Washington, to avoid using the word "cure," noting instead that "in another six months or two years, things will be clearer." Millions of people infected with HIV around the globe keep the disease in check with so-called antiretroviral therapy (ARV), but the treatment does not rid patients of the virus. Close to 37 million people are living with HIV worldwide, but only 59 percent are receiving ARV. Nearly one million people die every year from HIV-related causes. A new drug-resistant form of HIV is also a growing concern. The first sustained remission survivor, announced in 2009 as "the Berlin patient" and later named as American Timothy Brown, was given two transplants and underwent total body irradiation to treat leukaemia -- a process that nearly killed him. Gupta said that although a second successful transplant did not constitute a generalised cure, it showed that even milder forms of treatment can achieve full remission. Story continues "There are a number of learning points here," he said. "Radiation has a lot of side-effects and leads to a delayed recovery of the bone marrow, so it's really good that we've shown you don't need radiation. "The Berlin patient also had two rounds of chemotherapy because the first one didn't work. We've done ours just once, and it was also a milder form, which is important," he added. - 'HIV is curable' - Both patients received stem cell transplants from donors carrying a genetic mutation that prevents expression of an HIV receptor, known as CCR5. The London patient was diagnosed with HIV infection in 2003 and had been on antiretroviral therapy since 2012. Later that year, he was diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a deadly cancer. He underwent a stem cell transplant in 2016 from a donor with two copies of a CCR5 gene variant, which is resistant to most HIV-1 virus strains. "CCR5 is something essential for the virus to complete its life-cycle and we can't knock out many other things without causing harm to the patient," said Gupta. "We know that CCR5 can be knocked out without any serious consequences because people are walking around without that gene." CCR5 was the target in the genome of the controversial gene-edited twins born last year in China, whose father is HIV-positive. Experts cautiously welcomed Tuesday's announcement. The International AIDS Society said in a statement Tuesday that results from the second patient "reaffirm our belief that there exists a proof of concept that HIV is curable". Sharon Lewin, director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, told AFP that the second case showed a cure was "feasible". - New communities - After the bone marrow transplant, the London patient remained on ARV for 16 months, at which point treatment was stopped. Regular testing has confirmed that the patient's viral load remained undetectable since then. But scientists were keen to stress that the technique is likely only viable among a tiny percentage of sufferers. "Due to the rarity of suitable donors, this precise approach will not be available to all HIV patients," said Aine McKnight, professor of Viral Pathology at Queen Mary University, London. "However, this work has the potential to stimulate research into more generally applicable therapies." Gupta said he hoped to expand research on the stem-cell transplant technique to focus on communities in Africa, where the HIV-beating mutation does not naturally occur. "Expanding remission to populations that are affected disproportionately is quite important," he told AFP. Low-level letterboxes on new buildings could soon become a thing of the past. (PA) A move to ban low-level letterboxes from new buildings has received government backing, much to the relief of posties across the country. Unions have waged a long campaign to protect workers from back injuries, dog bites and trapped fingers, the BBC reports. Conservative MP Vicky Ford took up their cause with a private members bill on a minimum letterbox height. The government has now promised to consider changing the law as early as 2020. The new regulations are likely to be similar to European standards, where a letterbox must be between 0.7m and 1.7m high. Every year 18,600 Roayl Mail employees have time off due to back complaints leading to unions to call for a ban on low level letterboxes. Stock image. (PA). MP Vicky Ford said low-level letterboxes were a real issue in her Chelmsford constituency, where staff at her local Royal Mail delivery office had first raised it with her. Since she introduced the bill, she has been contacted by people all over the UK in support of changes, from those delivering parish magazines, pizza leaflets and newspapers. The governments Building Regulations Advisory Committee has now announced it will be reviewing low letter boxes on new build properties. Read more: Father left son to die in park because he was fried on drugs No link between MMR jab and autism Husband of Isis bride denied UK citizenship wants them to live together as a family Mrs Ford said she had been contacted by Housing Minister Kit Malthouse to inform her it was now under consideration and so she had decided to withdraw her bill. The move is supported by Royal Mail staff who are in the Communication Workers Union. Every year, 16,800 Royal Mail workers have time off due to back complaints, said Mrs Ford. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK PARIS (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron drew both support and skepticism Tuesday with a clarion call to voters in 28 nations to choose a stronger European Union and reject populists, amid concerns that euroskeptics could achieve unprecedented success in upcoming European Parliament elections. In a column published for Tuesday's editions throughout the bloc, Macron advised voters in the May 23-26 EU parliament elections to reject nationalist parties that "offer nothing," laying down the battle lines for the vote. Instead, he called on people to support parties who want to strengthen Europe. Macron himself defeated an anti-EU candidate to become modern France's youngest leader, but his popularity at home has dipped since taking office to the strains of the bloc's anthem, "Ode to Joy." The column is his furthest-reaching attempt to shore up the EU, where nationalist and populist candidates have seen gains, including in neighboring Italy and most recently in the Estonian general election on Sunday. "Never has Europe been in so much danger," he wrote. He called Brexit a symbol of the crisis plaguing Europe a "trap" of lies and irresponsibility backed by fake news. "Freedom, protection and progress: we need to build European renewal on these pillars. We can't let nationalists with no solutions exploit people's anger. We can't sleepwalk to a diminished Europe. We can't remain in the routine of business as usual and wishful thinking," he wrote. He proposed the creation of an agency to protect member states' elections from cyberattacks and other manipulations. He also seeks to ban the financing of EU political parties by foreign powers. To address migration, Macron called for stricter border controls, a common border force, and common asylum rules measures that have already started being implemented. Macron also called for Europe to lead the fight against climate change by setting a target of zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and cutting pesticide use in half by 2025. Story continues Macron's office said the French president's approach is "legitimate and useful" in opening a European debate without interfering in domestic politics. It added that the French presidency had informed all 28 EU governments ahead of the publication. The European Commission welcomed Macron's appeal, though it says it has already been working for years on many of the ideas he raised ranging from border guard and asylum agencies to security and food safety proposals or tackling climate change. Olaf Scholz, Germany's vice chancellor and finance minister, praised Macron for sending "a determined signal for cohesion in Europe." He told the Funke newspaper that Europe needs to be strong to avoid being pushed around. In a tweet Tuesday, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila offered support for Macron's call for "security, sustainable growth and ambitious climate policy." Sipila added that people needed to see "the EU that is capable of making decisions and implementing them." Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said he particularly hoped for "a Europe that protects liberty and democracy," according to the agency Belga. But Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Babis, a populist billionaire, appeared skeptical of Macron's plea. "I don't think it goes in the right direction," he told The Associated Press, adding that he believed the EU should focus on issues such as defense and making the bloc's common trading market work better. Macron on Tuesday launched in Paris a new body where members of intelligence services from across the continent and other experts can exchange theirs views and experiences. He said in a speech this is an example of what can be done in Europe. The body, called Europe's Intelligence College, notably aims at better fighting of terrorism and cybercrime, but is not involved in operational intelligence exchange. In France, Macron's ratings remain low in popularity polls even if he has appeared to regain a little support in recent weeks as he tries to quell the yellow vest anti-government protest movement. The polls suggest that Macron's party appears ahead of the far-right National Rally in European Parliament elections. Since he took office in May 2017, Macron has made a point of visiting 19 European countries. But that has not prevented tensions from breaking out between France and nations where populist parties govern, from Poland and Hungary to Italy. In October, Macron harshly accused Hungarian and Polish leaders of "lying" to their people about the EU. The Hungarian government of President Viktor Orban said Tuesday: "Macron is a pro-immigration politician, who believes immigration is good. We believe it is bad. "In truth, Macron wants to attack those who are against immigration. That's what this program is about," a written statement said. France last month saw its most serious diplomatic dispute with Italy since World War II. Paris even recalled its ambassador for a few days to protest perceived Italian meddling in French domestic politics, after Italian Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio met with French yellow vest activists seeking to run for the European Parliament. Italy's anti-migrant Interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has repeatedly criticized Macron and said he hoped the French would not back him in the upcoming elections. ___ Jan M. Olsen contributed to this report from Copenhagen, Denmark. Merck & Co., Inc. MRK announced that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has given a positive opinion, recommending marketing approval for an improved dosing schedule of its blockbuster anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda. The CHMP nod supports approval of a six-week 400 mg dosing option of Keytruda for all eight approved monotherapy indications across five tumor types in Europe. The new recommended dose will be delivered as an intravenous infusion over 30 minutes and will provide greater flexibility than the currently approved dose of 200 mg every three weeks infused over 30 minutes. Mercks application will now be reviewed by the European Commission, which will announce its decision in the second quarter of this year. Mercks stock has risen 6.5% this year so far compared with a 3.8% increase for the industry. In a very short span of time, Keytruda has become Mercks biggest product. It is now already approved for use in 15 indications across 10 different tumor types in the United States. The drug generated sales of $7.17 billion in 2018, reflecting a massive 88% surge year over year. Keytruda is continuously growing and expanding into new indications and markets globally. The Keytruda development program is also progressing well and the drug is being studied for more than 30 types of cancer in more than 900 studies, including more than 500 combination studies. Merck is collaborating with several companies including Amgen AMGN, Incyte INCY, Glaxo GSK and Pfizer separately for the evaluation of Keytruda in combination with other regimens. We believe that Keytruda has strong growth prospects based on increased utilization, recent approvals for new indications and potential additional approvals worldwide. Merck currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential Story continues The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. Theyre also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Incyte Corporation (INCY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Amgen Inc. (AMGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Michael Jackson said he would slit his wrists before abusing a child in an emotional interview with Piers Morgan in 1999. Live on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, Morgan shared snippets of the never-heard before, 40-minute interview with the King of Pop, where the two of them spoke about his relationship with kids. Jackson became tearful while discussing the child sex abuse allegations against him and angrily spoke out about the medias unfair treatment of him. Morgan shared the unheard interview in light of the controversial documentary Leaving Neverland, in which some of the stars accusers speak out about their alleged abuse. If it wasnt for children I would throw in the towel. I would kill myself. I wouldnt care to live. They give me my inspiration, he told Morgan. Michael Jackson told Piers Morgan in an exclusive interview in 1999 that he would kill himself if it werent for children Related:Michael Jackson documentary generated an array of emotions for viewers Everything I do, every song I write, the dance, everything I do. They [the press] try to use it against me. Its been so unfair. Im very upset about it. I would slit my wrists before I would [harm children] . I would never ever. Michael Jackson said he would slit his wrists before harming a child Related: Michael Jackson documentary called cheap shot by fans as it airs in America Jackson also spoke about his visits to children in Great Ormond Street Hospital, adding that the press made it hard for him to be in London. I would love to live in London and I love it so much, he said. Its just the press is so hard on me here and I try to do so good. I go to the hospital, I give presents to the children. As soon as I leave the next day they go Wacko Jacko left the hospital and he ignored all the children and it hurts my heart. Because I purposely flew Minnie and Mickey Mouse all the way from Euro Disney. I brought them with me to surprise the children. I bought bags of presents and everything. I spent time with the kids and they made fun of me. Piers Morgan described Jacksons comments as extraordinary in wake of the Leaving Neverland documentary Related: Michael Jackson accusers detail alleged sexual sexual abuse in new interview After listening back to the recording, Morgan admitted, in light of the allegations against Jackson from the Leaving Neverland documentary, that the singers comments were extraordinary. This was all parts of Jacksons thing, Morgan said. Hed say Im here to love children, they bring out the best of me. But getting very tearful there about those allegations. These revelations are sending real shockwaves around the world. (Reuters) - Restaurant rating guide Michelin said on Tuesday it will launch a publication for California in early June, expanding its current coverage for eateries in San Francisco and the surrounding wine-producing regions of Napa and Sonoma. The new Michelin guide will incorporate its anonymous raters' grading for restaurants in Los Angeles, Monterey, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego and Santa Barbara, it said. "With access to many of the world's best farms, food producers and vineyards, California cuisine is respected worldwide not only for the quality of its ingredients but also due to the creativity displayed by its chefs, said Gwendal Poullennec, international director for the Michelin Guides, in a statement. In the 2019 edition of its San Francisco area guide, Michelin awarded eight restaurants with three stars, its highest ranking. They included Atelier Crenn, owned by Dominique Crenn who became the first U.S.-based female chef to receive the distinction. Michelin's three-star rating, coveted by chefs and restaurateurs, is rare. Just over 100 establishments around the world have that status. (Reporting by Richard Leong; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe) LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday defended her proposal to nearly triple Michigan's per-gallon gasoline tax to make it the highest in the nation, promising no more "shell games" or "half measures" to reverse the deteriorating condition of the roads. The proposal the centerpiece of a $60 billion budget plan followed her November election victory over Republican Bill Schuette in part on a promise to "fix the damn roads." The $2.5 billion plan would increase the 26-cent fuel tax by 45 cents between this October and October 2020 and guarantee that the additional revenue is targeted to more heavily traveled roads. To alleviate the burden for some motorists, she proposed a tax overhaul under which retirees and low-income earners would get breaks while more businesses would pay a 6 percent tax instead of the lower 4.25 percent personal income tax. The proposal is an attempt to reverse parts of a tax rewrite enacted by her Republican predecessor, Rick Snyder. "No one likes to raise taxes," she told lawmakers during her first budget address as governor. "I wish I didn't have to come here today and put this budget before you because I know it's hard. But the hard truth is we got to get to work. Every day we don't we are jeopardizing our economic future, wasting our money and endangering our people. No more shell games and half measures. Here's a real plan." Her road-funding plan will face resistance in the Republican-controlled Legislature, where one GOP lawmaker called it "completely unrealistic." Legislators previously passed fuel and vehicle registration tax hikes that took effect in 2017, but they have been criticized for not generating nearly enough revenue under laws that also shifted spending from other budget priorities. Critics said the tax hikes only slowed the decline of road conditions. States across the nation are struggling with how to finance road maintenance and construction as vehicles become more fuel-efficient and generate less revenue from flat per-gallon taxes. New Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is seeking an 18-cent gas tax increase . Story continues Whitmer quickly came under criticism from some in the GOP because last year, in a gubernatorial debate , she dismissed Schuette's warning that she would raise the gas tax by 20 cents as "ridiculous" and "nonsense." "How can you explain a 45-cent tax increase today?" Rep. Matt Maddock asked Whitmer's budget director after pointing to her debate comments. The conservative Michigan Freedom Fund accused Whitmer of lying on the campaign trail. Whitmer said it was not always her plan to seek so large of a tax hike, but once she took office she gained a "real appreciation" for how quickly the nation's worst roads are deteriorating. "We thought (a) user fee that is actually the right size to fix the problem was the way to go," she told reporters while denying that she broke a campaign pledge. "My campaign promise was to fix the damn roads. This plan does that." Whitmer said her proposal would cost the average driver $23 a month, or $276 a year, but contended that motorists already are paying a "roads tax" for vehicle repairs caused by crumbling infrastructure. She proposed doubling the earned income tax credit for low-income residents, saving 750,000 families $30 a month, and repealing the so-called retirement tax on pension and other income saving 400,000 households $65 per month. Those components drew mixed reaction from legislators, while small-business groups denounced her plan to boost taxes on 150,000 S corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies. Michigan now has the 9th-highest combined local, state and federal gas taxes in the U.S., according to the American Petroleum Institute. Under Whitmer's plan, it would have the highest taxes, easily surpassing states like Pennsylvania and California. Michigan is among a small number of states to apply the sales tax to motor fuel, but that revenue mostly goes to schools and local governments under the state constitution. In response to Whitmer's proposal, Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield renewed his call for ensuring that "every penny" paid at the pump is devoted to roadwork. "We can't continue to gloss over the long-term structural problem, while asking families, workers and seniors who are already living paycheck to paycheck to pay even more," he said in a statement. Whitmer did propose no longer diverting hundreds of millions in general funds to the transportation budget, saying it should go to universities. She also outlined a $507 million boost in K-12 spending for the next fiscal year, including extra funding to teach at-risk, special education, and career and technical students. She also wants to make more 4-year-olds eligible for publicly-funded preschool. A separate proposal for the current fiscal year includes a $120 million infusion to improve drinking water infrastructure in the state where Flint's crisis occurred and $60 million to install hydration stations in schools. Michigan Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rich Studley, whose group has sway with GOP legislators, commended Whitmer and said he was prepared to support a "meaningful increase in user fees phased in over time." ___ Follow Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 More than 600 dogs were removed from a home in south Georgia from what animal rescue groups were calling a puppy mill and an extreme case of hoarding, according to new reports. The dogs were forced to live in small, filthy cages, WXIA-TV reported. And while it appears theyd been fed and had water, many of them suffered from infections and illnesses. The Humane Society of Valdosta/Lowndes used its transport truck and trailer to move about 250 off the property, said Emily Smith, director of operations. The society also took in 10 dogs, which were transferred to the Atlanta Humane Society for vetting and adoption. Animal shelters throughout the state were being asked to help in the rescue, The Associated Press said. The nonprofit USA Rescue Team, based in Valdosta, is coordinating the effort to save the dogs. Last week, the Georgia Department of Agriculture contacted the Berrien County Sheriffs Office after a routine inspection of a dog breeder, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The breeder, Reason Craig Gray of Nashville, Georgia, reportedly told officials he needed help. The societys spokeswoman, Christina Hill, told the newspaper: They were living outside in homemade sheds, and the crates were stacked on top of each other. So when they went to the bathroom, it would drip down onto the other dogs. Its unclear whether charges will be filed against the owner. Various shelters say the dogs will be up for adoption after they are rehabilitated. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the Humane Society of Valdosta/Lowndes took in 230 dogs. The group transported about 250 dogs and took in 10. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. A New Jersey congressman won't introduce a resolution that would hold North Korean leader Kim Jong Un responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier after a request from the Warmbier family. Rep. Tom Malinowksi, D-N.J., had planned to introduce the resolution this week but decided against it after speaking with the family, said spokeswoman Amanda Osborne in an email. "Ultimately, the family decided they did not want the resolution to move forward, and the Congressman wants to respect their wishes," Osborne said. Malinowski proposed the resolution to rebuke President Donald Trump, who said after his summit with Kim that he doesn't hold the North Korean leader responsible for the Ohio college student's death. FILE - In this March 16, 2016, file photo, American Osborne didn't say why the family wanted the resolution pulled but did say Malinowski has no intentions of amending or reintroducing any similar legislation. A call to Warmbier's father, Fred Warmbier, was not immediately returned Tuesday. The Warmbiers released a statement Friday morning holding the North Korean leader responsible. "Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity," Fred and Cindy Warmbier said. "No excuses or lavish praise can change that." Trump later said in a series of tweets he was being misinterpreted. "I got Otto out, along with three others. The previous Administration did nothing and he was taken on their watch. Of course I hold North Korea responsible for Ottos mistreatment and death. Most important, Otto Warmbier will not have died in vain. Otto and his family have become a tremendous symbol of strong passion and strength, which will last for many years into the future. I love Otto and think of him often!" Otto Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, went to North Korea on a tourist vacation in late 2015 and was about to return in the first days of 2016 when he was arrested and charged with stealing a poster from a Pyongyang hotel. After a show trial, a North Korean court sentenced Warmbier to 15 years hard labor. Story continues Immediately after the sentencing, however, no further word was heard from Warmbier. His parents pushed the Obama administration to win his release, but all efforts failed. When Trump took office, he sent an envoy to North Korea to bring Warmbier home. The Kim government released him as a humanitarian gesture. Warmbier returned to Cincinnati in a state doctors diagnosed as unresponsive wakefulness that left him blind, paralyzed, bedridden and unable to communicate. Tests showed his brain had been starved of oxygen. He died at age 22, six days after his return to Cincinnati. In December, Warmbiers parents won a $501 million judgment against the North Korean government for their sons wrongful death by torture. At Thursdays news conference, Trump said nothing about any U.S. efforts to help the family collect on the judgment. Instead he simply called them an incredible family. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: N.J. congressman pulls back Kim Jong Un resolution after request from Otto Warmbier's family Nasa has announced that later this month it will carry out the first ever all-female space walk. A Soviet cosmonaut, Svetlana Savitskaya, was the first woman to walk in space, doing so on July 25 1984. But on March 29, Nasa astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch will conduct a spacewalk as part of the Expedition 59 crew at the International Space Station (ISS). They will be supported by Canadian Space Agency controller Kristen Facciol, who will be sitting at the console at Nasas Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Florida Today reported. News that the all-woman crew was set to make history came in a tweet from Ms Facciol. I just found out that Ill be on console providing support for the FIRST ALL FEMALE SPACEWALK with @AstroAnnimal and @Astro_Christina and I can not contain my excitement!!!!, she wrote. I just found out that Ill be on console providing support for the FIRST ALL FEMALE SPACEWALK with @AstroAnnimal and @Astro_Christina and I can not contain my excitement!!!! #WomenInSTEM #WomenInEngineering #WomenInSpace Kristen Facciol (@kfacciol) March 1, 2019 A spokesperson for NASA confirmed to The Independent the all-female space walk would be one of three such operations scheduled to be carried out once the ISS has a complement of six astronauts. That is due to happen on 14 March, when a Russian Soyuz flight will transport cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Ms Koch to the station. Story continues The spokesperson said it was cool to have an all-female walk, but it had not been orchestrated to be this way. The spokesperson said the space walks taking place during female history month would focus on the replacement of batteries. Axios said the first American woman in space was Sally Ride, who flew with the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. It said spacewalks were reasonably rare and tended to be carried out to address mechanical repairs to the ISS. State Sen. Majority Leader Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, resigned Tuesday after pleading guilty to federal campaign finance law violations. Atkinson, who was serving his first year in the top legislative post, announced his departure in an emotional speech from the Senate floor. He offered few details on an ongoing investigation into his personal use of campaign funds. His attorney did not immediately return requests for comment. "Ive let myself and my family down," Atkinson told his colleagues during a tearful farewell speech. "I accept full responsibility for my actions. I cant express the depth of my remorse. I am truly sorry. "Ive been treated respectfully by prosecutors and investigators. I do hope to have the opportunity to prove one day this is not who I am. Its just what I did wrong." Assistant Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, will serve as his acting replacement. Atkinson was the states first openly gay Senate majority leader. Cannizzaro is the states first female Senate leader. Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson, D-Las Vegas, expressed disappointment in a brief statement issued minutes before his longtime colleague stepped down. I am unfamiliar with the details of his particular circumstances," Frierson said. "While Im disappointed by his actions, he appears to be taking full responsibility, as he should. "Our job is to focus on passing meaningful legislation that helps all Nevadans. We cannot be distracted from doing the work that voters elected us to do. The Nevada Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement that it will continue to focus on fighting for hardworking Nevadans. The Nevada Senate Democrats are saddened and disappointed to learn of the circumstances leading to Senator Atkinsons resignation today, wrote Cheryl Bruce, the caucus' executive director. The charges levied against him are serious, and allege conduct that we strongly condemn. His resignation is appropriate. We trust the courts to do justice in this matter. Story continues "Given what little information we currently have, we wont be commenting on what appear to be ongoing investigations." Gov. Steve Sisolak said he looked forward to working with Cannizzaro. I am extremely disappointed in the news that Kelvin Atkinson misappropriated campaign funds for his personal use," Sisolak said in a statement from a spokeswoman. "This admitted violation of the law goes against the integrity every elected officer in the state of Nevada should uphold. By doing so, he betrayed the trust of the public, and therefore should be held accountable." I am extremely disappointed in the news that Kelvin Atkinson misappropriated campaign funds for his personal use. This admitted violation of the law goes against the integrity every elected officer in the state of Nevada should uphold. (1/3) Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) March 5, 2019 State Senate Minority Leader James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, said the as-yet-unspecified charges against Atkinson had violated the integrity of elections and the trust of voters. We hope this is an exception, but we must get all of the facts and determine how far this corruption goes," Settelmeyer said in a statement. "We must preserve the integrity of this institution. Assembly Minority Leader Jim Wheeler called his actions "more than troubling." The Clark County Commission will appoint Atkinsons replacement, who must be a Democrat and reside within Senate District 4. This month's Pints and Politics included State Senator Nicole Cannizzaro and Minority Leader Senator James Settelmeyer. The event was moderated by RGJ political reporter James DeHaven at Craft Wine-n-Beer in Midtown on Tuesday Feb. 26, 2019. James DeHaven is the politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal. He covers campaigns, the Nevada Legislature and everything in between. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com right here. This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Nevada Senate leader resigns, pleads guilty to federal campaign finance charges The need for speed the new Koenigsegg Jesko (Picture: Koenigsegg) A new hypercar has been unveiled that could be the first car to reach a speed of 300mph. The Koenigsegg Jesko was revealed at the Geneva motor show in Switzerland on Tuesday amid claims it will be the fastest production car ever. The car was unveiled to the world on the Koenigsegg stand by the Swedish companys founder, Christian von Koenigsegg, who named it after his father, Jesko, who was also on stage. Jesko backed his son in the car manufacturing business when he was 22 and had hardly any money. The Jesko will cost about 2.3 million (Picture: Koenigsegg) Koenigsegg say they plan to sell the car in two different configurations, one for use on the track and one to maximise top speed. The latter is hoping to be the first production car to break the 300mph barrier. Read more Shocking list of suspected killings in London so far this year after girl is stabbed to death Husband of Isis bride denied UK citizenship wants them to live together as a family Meghan Markle gender fluid Royal baby claims are totally false, says Kensington Palace That would make it the fastest road-legal car in the world, breaking the record of 277mph set by the companys own Agera model. The company plans to build 125 Jeskos in the next few years and the car will cost about 2.3 million. Mr von Koenigsegg said his company has already taken 83 deposits on the car. The interior or the new hypercar (Picture: Koenigsegg) The Jesko is aiming to be the first production car to break 300mph (Picture: Koenigsegg) He told the crowds in Geneva: Be fast if you want one. We will have to see how many are left at the end of the show. He said the Jesko is capable of speeds of more than 300mph in simulations, and the race is now on to see if the real thing can reach the milestone. The cars front bonnet, doors and rear clamshell can be opened at the touch of a button, while its infotainment features Apple CarPlay and wireless phone charging. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK NextEra Energy Inc. NEE announced that its subsidiary Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has undertaken an initiative to build four new solar plants in Florida. The new solar power plants will have a capacity of 74.5 megawatts (MW) each. These are expected to supply clean energy to customers starting from 2020. The solar plants will generate substantial clean energy for supplying electricity to 60,000 homes. These four new solar plants will require installation of nearly 1 million solar panels, which are part of FPL's 30-by-30 plan to add 30 million more solar panels by 2030. The company already operates 18 solar plants in Florida and the addition of new solar units will further increase green power generation in the sunshine state. The new additions will take solar power generation capacity of FPL in Florida beyond 1,500 MW by the end of 2019. Development of Renewable Projects The demand for energy is rising in the United States and a major portion of the electricity will be produced from clean sources. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects average U.S. solar generation to rise from 265,000 megawatthours per day (MWh/d) a year ago to 301,000 MWh/d in 2019, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 14%. In addition, EIA forecasts increasing usage of wind to support electricity production in the United States. Courtesy of higher investment in wind power, EIA projects that wind generation will rise from 756,000 MWh/d a year ago to 859,000 MWh/d in 2019. Wind generation is further projected to rise to 964,000 MWh/d (a share of 9%) by 2020. The share of wind power in the companys renewable generation mix is likely to exceed hydropowers share for the first time during the year. NextEra Energy, Inc. Price NextEra Energy, Inc. Price | NextEra Energy, Inc. Quote Long-Term Plans NextEra has well chalked out plans to invest in different projects over the 2017-2020 period. These investments will be directed to modernize and strengthen the existing infrastructure of the company, enabling it to serve the expanding customer base more effectively. The regulated investment helped the company generate adequate cash flow, which was utilized to strengthen existing operation and increase its shareholders value. Systematic renewable investments aim to lower the companys carbon emission by more than 65% in 2021 from 2001 levels. Other than NextEra, utilities like Xcel Energy Inc. XEL, DTE Energy Company DTE and American Electric Power Company AEP are investing substantially to add clean sources to its generation portfolio. Zacks Rank & Price Movement NextEra currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Shares of the company have gained 8.3% over the past six months. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. Theyre also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) : Free Stock Analysis Report DTE Energy Company (DTE) : Free Stock Analysis Report NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research India has the highest number of child brides in the world Malas story haunts me to this day. If you have the heart, read on. The 16-year-old lives in a small village in Gyanpur, in eastern Uttar Pradesh. On a visit to an NGO-run knowledge centre, I saw Mala happily seated in a class full of women of various ages. Some were old enough to be her grandmother, their faces wrinkled and worn out by the vestiges of time. The glint in their eyes was unmissable as they clearly lived for this time of the day when they had a chance to learn. Their teacher, 21-year-old Sumitra, was their window to the world. Not only did she teach them to recognise letters and numbers, her job also extended beyond the classroom. To get all these 17 women under one roof was a battle she had to fight on a daily basis. Sumitra had to wait for them in the fields, go to their huts and talk to their families into getting them to class daily. Mala caught my attention as I walked into the classroom. As soon as Sumitra was done with her lessons, the other students went up and huddled around Mala with their assignments. It was almost as if she was the second-in-command after Sumitra. Why dont you go up and talk to her? She doesnt belong here. Her intelligence surpasses ours, Sumitra told me. As I approached Mala, I was given a chair to sit. I insisted that Mala, who was seated on the floor, be given one too. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Sumitra told me that Mala could neither stand nor walk. As my gaze shifted downward, I realised Mala had no legs. Learning comes easily to me. Thats the only thing I am good at. I am not so good at household chores. Sometimes, my mother thinks I wont get a groom and my life will be doomed. It already is, Mala said. It seemed that she had accepted her reality. I asked her what she would like to be when she grows up. She looked at Sumitra and then looked at me and said, I want to teach women. I want to be like Sumitra madam. Malas life was once relatively easier. She was provided a wheelchair by a government-run hospital, but her father soon sold it off for Rs 2,500 to fund his drinking habit. Story continues On the nights it rains, I have a bigger problem of going to the fields to relieve myself. I have to drag my torso as it is too much for my frail mother to pick me up, Mala said. When our conversation ended and it was time for Mala to go home, a few women appeared almost on cue out of nowhere. They carried her down the stairs, and then lifted her up on their shoulders to carry her home. We couldnt let Mala sit at her home. She belongs in this classroom. So, this is the least we could do, said Sumitra, as I stood there in astonishment. Sumitras journey into being a teacher was not an easy one either. A topper, she passed the 10th grade with flying colours. She had always wanted to become a teacher. But, the day she returned home to announce the news to her mother, she was instead welcomed by strange faces. They are a good family. After your father passed away, there is no one to look after us and now you are growing up, her mother told her, never once bothering about her daughters consent. Dont worry, he will support your education, her mother assured her. But that was not to be. Soon after marriage, Sumitra was pushed into the dark corners of her husbands house, yoked endlessly to domestic chores. At times, her in-laws or husband would lock her inside a room and beat her up for no apparent reason. The abuse worsened after she gave birth to a son, until one day it became so intolerable that Sumitra fled with her child to her mothers home, never to return again to her husband. I am breathing now. Its hard to believe I am back in school and now I am teaching other women too, Sumitra told me. However, the mere thought of Mala and the grave fate that most likely awaited her, dampened her spirits. She is going to get married in two months to a man she has never seen. And, there is nothing anyone can do about it. Malas story begins in a small village. And, it ends there. As does Sumitras. However, their courage to dream and stand up for their convictions is an inspirational tale that needs to be told time and again across the length and breadth of the country. According to a 2015 Oxfam study, India houses 287 million illiterate adults. 48% of the students who drop out of school are girls. UNESCO puts the number of child brides in our country at above 24 million, which is the highest in the world. Indeed, as Didier Levy says in Shantaram, the real India starts where the streetlights end. Cybersecurity firm McAfee has said a group of North Korean hackers have been actively targeting critical infrastructure in an operation that started 18 months ago and likely did not stop during Donald Trumps recent summit with Kim Jong-un in Vietnam. In a new report, the company said it had found hackers likely connected to North Korean group Lazarus attempting to gain access to as many as 80 businesses around the world, and some governments themselves. The targets of the attacks included banks, oil companies, and utilities. Germany was reportedly on the receiving end of the largest number of attempted attacks, while other countries including Turkey were also attacked. In the new report, McAfee said that they found numerous links between the hacking operation and Lazarus, a North Korean group connected to banking hacks. Pyongyang has denied any connection to hacking groups, and a McAfee spokesperson told The Independent that they saw no indicator that any hacks were connected to diplomatic activity. "The Financial, Government and critical Infrastructure segments were the most targeted," the spokesperson said in an email. To conduct its research, McAfee said it worked with at least one unnamed government, but declined to name what government partners the company may have. McAfee believes that such digital forensic evidence must be complemented by traditional evidence from law enforcement and government agencies to make such assertions, Raj Samani, McAfee's chief scientist, told CNN. That said, McAfee is obligated to report technical similarities between attacks and campaigns to provide its customers cyber threat intelligence they can use to protect themselves from current and future attacks. The attacks on western businesses and governments appeared to flare up in 2017 when the US and North Korea were experiencing a period of particularly tense relations. At that time, Mr Trump repeatedly mocked and provoked Mr Kim, calling him little rocket man in an exchange that escalated while North Koreans tested their missile capabilities. WASHINGTON Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came to the defense of fellow congressional freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar on social media as the House prepares to vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism in response to comments Omar made about Israel. In a series of tweets on Monday and Tuesday, the New York Democrat accused lawmakers criticizing Omar of employing an inconsistent standard in their condemnation of bigotry. Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, has been accused by members of both parties of using anti-Semitic tropes in her critiques of U.S. policy in the Middle East. "Its not my position to tell people how to feel, or that their hurt is invalid," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "But incidents like these do beg the question: where are the resolutions against homophobic statements? For anti-blackness? For xenophobia? For a member saying hell 'send Obama home to Kenya?'" she said, referring to comments Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., made in 2012. "If House leadership is creating a standard & committing to calling a resolution for every incident ... then thats a clear way to address the issue & we can all understand," she said in another tweet. "But if theyre not, I think its valid to ask why not." If House leadership is creating a standard & committing to calling a resolution for every incident - whether its the Congressional Black Caucus, CHC, etc, then thats a clear way to address the issue & we can all understand. But if theyre not, I think its valid to ask why not. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 5, 2019 Ocasio-Cortez's defense of Omar began in response to a tweet from Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif., who said, "It is disturbing that Rep. Omar continues to perpetuate hurtful anti-Semitic stereotypes that misrepresent our Jewish community. Additionally, questioning support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is unacceptable." Story continues She asked Vargas to "further explain his stance" and said many Democratic members of Congress have said that "debate on this issue is fair and merited." "Is this stance a departure from that?" she wondered. "History shows that making some questions 'unacceptable' is a mistake," she said, citing the decision to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Im curious if Rep. Vargas will further explain his stance here that its unacceptable to even *question* US foreign policy. Plenty of Dem members have asserted that discussion + debate on this issue is fair and merited. Is this stance a departure from that? https://t.co/2tcelsxFCU Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 5, 2019 I remember a time when it was unacceptable to question the Iraq War. All of Congress was wrong, including both GOP & Dem Party, and led my generation into a disastrous + wrong war that virtually all would come to regret, except for the one member who stood up: Barbara Lee. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 5, 2019 One of the things that is hurtful about the extent to which reprimand is sought of Ilhan is that no one seeks this level of reprimand when members make statements about Latinx + other communities (during the shutdown, a GOP member yelled Go back to Puerto Rico! on the floor). https://t.co/MwrRN4v4DG Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 5, 2019 Last month, Omar apologized for tweets she posted implying money from pro-Israel lobbying groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was responsible for stifling debate about Palestine. Critics said her comments invoked old conspiratorial stereotypes about Jewish money controlling global politics. And last week, Omar prompted House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., to accuse her of using a "vile, anti-Semitic slur" when she suggested at a town hall event that Israel demands "allegiance" from American lawmakers. Critics said that remark played into a "myth of dual loyalty" that has long been leveled at American Jews. After Omar's most recent comment, Democratic leaders in the House moved to introduce a resolution, which does not mention Omar by name, "condemning anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States." Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that "calling out" a member of Congress for an "insensitive" remark should be a "measure of last resort" after trying to educate he or she about why their remark was hurtful. The House may vote on the resolution as soon as Wednesday. Calling out is one of the measures of last resort, not 1st or 2nd resort. We do it when repeated attempts to call in are disrespected or ignored. And I believe that Ilhan, in her statement a few weeks ago, has demonstrated a willingness to listen+work w/impacted communities. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 5, 2019 I often think about how I work with white or male allies when they say something insensitive. The 1st thing I do is pull them aside + say hey, you may not be aware of X thing regarding Latinx people, but here is the history and its hurtful. If you want to learn more, read Y. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 5, 2019 And dont even get me started on misogyny. If we called resolutions on sexist statements, a good chunk of Congress would be gone. To jump to the nuclear option every time leaves no room for corrective action. So I ask *everyone* that we practice calling in before calling out. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 5, 2019 This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ocasio-Cortez defends Ilhan Omar ahead of vote on resolution to condemn anti-Semitism Office Depot, Inc. ODP plans to collaborate with Alibaba Group to promote growth of U.S. small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Per the deal, both the companies will launch a new e-commerce site from where these SMBs can access the global supplier network of Alibaba that offers variety of products. Notably, the global e-commerce market is touted to be worth $23.9 trillion, per the U.S. International Trade Commission. Apart from this, SMBs will be able to access selective products and services of Office Depot. The deal will enable Alibaba to leverage Office Depots 10-million U.S. customers along with 1,800 sales professionals. Although Alibaba offers same-day delivery services in China, the company lacks the same facility for customers outside China. Office Depots solid supply-chain network and next day delivery services in the United States will mitigate this headwind. At the same time, the company will gain from Alibabas strong product base, manufacturing capabilities and global network of more than 150,000 suppliers. With such upsides, both the companies will help SMBs sell products to customers in the United States and the rest of the world via Alibabas platform. In fact, major U.S. retailers and brands have already been benefiting from Alibabas e-commerce platform that provides global access to 700 million Chinese customers via its two market places, namely Taobao and Tmall. Moving on, the deal marks Alibabas first business-to-business partnership with a major U.S. retailer. Prior to this, the Chinese e-commerce giant had signed a deal with Kroger KR, per which the latter will sell its products on Alibabas e-commerce platform. We expect such moves to empower Office Depot and help combat stiff competition from players like Amazon AMZN. Moreover, the company is making efforts to transform into a product and services-driven enterprise. That said, we believe that this collaboration will help Office Depot progress in achieving this goal. In a bid to widen its domain of offerings, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company acquired CompuCom Systems that is helping it acclimatize to the fast-changing retail landscape along with providing enterprise-level tech services and products to customers. The company is also incorporating Tech-Zone services desk across its stores. It also launched a subscription-based business services platform, BizBox to assist start-ups and small businesses on host of things such as website designing, financing and accounting service, HR/payroll support, and others. We believe that improvement in Business Solutions and CompuCom divisions is likely to benefit the company, going forward. Such well-chalked efforts to boost portfolio and provide impetus to the business have been fueling investors optimism in the stock. Shares of this company gained 11.9% in the past three months, outperforming the industrys growth of 2.7%. Story continues Check This Trending Pick Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. BBBY, which carries a Zacks Rank #2, has long-term earnings growth rate of 1.5%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. Theyre also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Office Depot, Inc. (ODP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Michael Kahn and Jason Hovet PRAGUE (Reuters) - Online retailers racing to build warehouses in central Europe are propelling the region's real estate market to new heights and Asian investors on the hunt for higher yields are getting in on the act. Short distances to customers in bigger markets such as Germany, cheaper labor costs and good transportation links all helped attract a record 2.8 billion euros ($3.2 billion) of investment into the region's warehousing market last year. Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, which bought Prague-based P3 Logistic Parks in 2016, is now planning to double its 4.1 million square meters of real estate assets in the region in the coming years through acquisitions and by buying land. "Five years ago, I would not have expected to see Asian capital in the Czech Republic and Poland," said Otis Spencer, P3's chief investment officer. "What we have seen is more groups from Asia specifically targeting logistics assets." P3 is looking to close a number of land deals in Poland and is scouring Romania and Slovakia for targets as e-commerce gives another boost to a sector already buoyed by manufacturers relocating operations to central and southeastern Europe. "We are seeing more e-commerce related tenants and we are going to see this market adapt to those needs," Spencer said. "The quality of asset you can get versus what you get in western Europe is higher for the same relative price." The attractive returns from warehouses are both boosting investment from abroad and also propping up the wider commercial real estate market - despite signs of cooling economies in emerging Europe, market participants say. Online retailers Amazon, Tchibo and Zalando - which opened a warehouse in Szczecin, Poland, in December and has plans for three more in the country - are just some of the e-commerce firms expanding in the region. REAL ESTATE HEDGE Yields on industrial and logistics properties in the region range from 5.5 percent in Prague to 9.5 percent in Sofia, compared with 4.5 percent in Paris or Berlin, according U.S. real estate company Colliers International Group. Story continues "Not only is there local consumption and growth but the big western European e-commerce operators are seeing Poland and the Czech Republic as places to set up locations," said Robert Dobrzycki, chief executive of Panattoni Europe, a commercial real estate developer based in California. "We are building German-driven e-commerce buildings in central Europe. On top of that we see a huge trend of investors outside the region trying to diversify and hedge against a slow-down in other real estate sectors," said Dobrzycki. In October, Singapore-based Mapletree Investments announced the $1.1 billion acquisition of a global logistics portfolio from Prologis, with properties in the United States, France, Germany and also Poland. Other big investors include sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp. It bought European warehouse firm Logicor for 12.3 billion euros in 2017 from private equity house Blackstone - which has since bought back a 10 percent stake. "Asian investors are starting to look around because they see the differences in yields with western Europe," Dobrzycki said. "Sometimes the difference might be 30 kilometers to the border but a 100 to 150 basis point difference in yields." BIG-BOX BUILDINGS Cheaper land and easier approval processes mean projects can get up and running more quickly in emerging Europe - while serving customers in western Europe, market participants say. While most of Logicor's operations are in Poland, Bartek Mierzwiak, its managing director for central and eastern Europe, predicted that over the next few years the company would expand into other countries in the region. "There is a big wave of construction of big-box buildings for e-commerce for the purpose of delivering to western European countries," he said. "This is driving demand for our sector." Much of the investment is flowing into Poland, the region's biggest economy, where deals in the logistics sector hit a record 1.9 billion euros in 2018, a 63 percent rise from a year ago, according to a BNP Paribas Real Estate report. Poland also leads the region in growth in warehousing stock with a 17 percent rise last year, ahead of double-digit increases also seen in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Another 2.2 million square meters of space is under construction in Poland, in addition to the existing stock of 15.8 million square meters, according to data from U.S. real estate company Cushman & Wakefield. Overall, investment in the sector jumped 20 percent in 2018 to 2.8 billion euros with vacancies hovering at historic lows, helped by the e-commerce dynamic, according to Colliers. "The (economic) cycle is tipping over now and we are entering a soft phase," said Mark Robinson, a specialist in central and eastern Europe at Colliers. "This dynamic is a great counter-cyclical movement that is mitigating any slowdown for logistics players." (Reporting by Michael Kahn and Jason Hovet; editing by David Clarke) Investors in NVIDIA Corporation NVDA need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Mar 15, 2019 $265.00 Put had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today. What is Implied Volatility? Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell-off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy. What do the Analysts Think? Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for NVIDIA shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, NVIDIA is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) in the Semiconductor - General industry that ranks in the Bottom 7% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 30 days, no analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while eight have dropped their estimates. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from $1.40 per share to 82 cents in that period. Given the way analysts feel about NVIDIA right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Oftentimes, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected. Looking to Trade Options? Each week, our very own Dave Bartosiak gives his top options trades. Check out his recent live analysis and options trade for the NFLX earnings report completely free. See it here: Bartosiak: Trading Netflix's (NFLX) Earnings with Options or check out the embedded video below for more details: Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Pakistan fully reopened its airspace on Monday, authorities said, days after it closed its skies to all air travel, leaving thousands stranded worldwide as tensions with nuclear arch-rival India soared. The decision to close the airspace came last Wednesday after a rare aerial dogfight between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir ignited fears of an all-out conflict, with world powers rushing to urge restraint. Both sides claimed to have shot each other's warplanes down, and one Indian pilot was captured. He was returned to India Friday, crossing the Wagah border on foot. "All airports across Pakistan are operational and airspace reopened," a spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Authority told AFP Monday, adding the process had been completed by 1:00 pm (0800 GMT). The closure disrupted major routes between Europe and South Asia, with mounting frustration from passengers stranded at international airports. It also delayed attempts to search for a British and an Italian climber who went missing on Nanga Parbat, Pakistan's "killer mountain" and the ninth highest peak in the world, as rescue teams were forced to wait for permission to send up a helicopter. The climbers, Daniele Nardi and Tom Ballard, were last heard from on February 24. Fresh rescue attempts had to be called off over the weekend due to bad weather amid growing fears for their survival. Pakistan began reopening its airspace "gradually" from Friday, with flights allowed in and out of major cities. But the backlog means major delays are still expected and authorities have urged passengers to check for more information with their airlines. Shares of cybersecurity outfit Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW) rallied after the company reported another strong advance in its business during the second quarter of its 2019 fiscal year. Companies around the world are transitioning legacy operations to more-efficient digital ones, but that creates the need for new security measures. And that's where Palo Alto comes in. The provider of firewall software (which manages access to a network) has successfully made its way into the cloud computing universe after a number of acquisitions the last couple of years. And the launch of new artificial intelligence-based products has it positioned for further growth. Business results are accelerating Palo Alto is riding a wave of digital change. Traditionally concerning itself with firewalls, the company made a handful of buyouts to help it get into the growing cloud-computing security market. Those moves have kept double-digit top- and bottom-line growth intact -- revenue and adjusted earnings were up 29% and 47%, respectively, last fiscal year. And those metrics have accelerated so far in the 2019 fiscal year. Metric Six Months Ended Jan. 31, 2019 Six Months Ended Jan. 31, 2018 Y-O-Y Change Revenue $1.37 billion $1.05 billion 30% Gross profit margin 71.8% 71.3% 0.5 p.p. Operating expenses $1.01 billion $823 million 23% Earnings (loss) per share ($0.44) ($0.98) N/A Adjusted earnings per share $2.67 $1.80 48% YOY = year over year. P.P. = percentage point. Data source: Palo Alto Networks. Palo Alto needs to keep its foot on the gas, though, as cyberattacks continue to increase in frequency and complexity. A myriad of solutions from peers in the cybersecurity industry have emerged, but Palo Alto has responded by continuing to broaden its offerings to be a one-stop solution for customers. The latest move is into services powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Just before second-quarter earnings, the company announced the $560 million acquisition of Demisto -- a start-up in the emerging security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) segment of the cyberworld. In a separate statement on the day of earnings, Palo Alto also announced the launch of several new services, including a cloud software AI-based security platform called Cortex. Those moves should set up Palo Alto for the next wave of expansion as it tries to capture a larger slice of the growing security industry. Story continues An illustrated shield on top of digits, depicting data security. Image source: Getty Images. First cloud, now AI But why AI-based solutions now, and why a hefty $560 million price tag on a smaller peer? The answer is that while companies are dealing with complex threats from the bad guys, they are also having to navigate an increasingly complex set of solutions to stay protected. In light of the situation, Palo Alto thinks it has a chance to simplify things using AI and automation and gain market share. Chief product officer Lee Klarich had this to say: "While detection and response are integral components of cybersecurity defense, the current model of disjointed stand-alone products leaves organizations with blind spots and conflicting data. We believe the only way to solve this is with best-in-class prevention, combined with the ability to normalize and analyze data at scale from as many sources as possible, applying AI and machine learning to automatically detect and quickly respond to threats." The stage has therefore been set for another evolution of the cybersecurity industry, and Palo Alto is helping lead the way into AI. Sales momentum should equate to further gains for the company as it lands lots of new customers around the globe and progressively expands on those relationships over time. Management said it expects revenue in the next quarter to climb between 23% and 25% higher from a year ago. That's a slowdown from the first half of the fiscal year, but Palo Alto has a history of underpromising and overdelivering -- the second quarter of 2019 being the latest example when it forecast 24% to 26% top-line growth but ended up posting a 30% increase. So that outlook seems like a low hurdle for the company to clear. Either way, management is backing up its confidence with more share repurchases. A new $1 billion buyback authorization good through the end of 2020 was announced on top of the $1 billion in buybacks just completed at the end of 2018. That should help offset dilution from stock-based compensation that Palo Alto awards to its employees and keep earnings headed north. Palo Alto Networks isn't simply enjoying success from the growing need to secure online data, it's helping lead the charge in the industry. It's all adding up to strong double-digit growth in sales and an even faster growing bottom line. More From The Motley Fool Nicholas Rossolillo and his clients have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Palo Alto Networks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. By Baek Byung-yeul Korea's three car battery makers LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation have been rushing to build production lines abroad to meet growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs). The companies said Monday they are seeking to increase their capacities in Europe where demand for EVs has been growing rapidly. They said the move is also to respond to their Chinese competitors' rising investments in the region as China's CATL recently announced it will increase battery production capacity at its Germany plant to 100 gigawatt hours (GWh). LG Chem, the country's largest car battery maker, said it is considering constructing a second battery plant in Europe. The firm operates a battery plant currently in Wroclaw, Poland. "Thanks to the growing demand for EV batteries in Europe, we are considering adding a battery plant there," said an LG Chem spokesman, adding the firm has not yet decided on the location of the second battery manufacturing plant. "The location will either be next to our Poland plant or a completely new spot." The spokesman said LG Chem has been accelerating its investments in Europe to reach its 2020 yearly output goal of 100 GWh. LG Chem built a battery plant in Poland in 2016 and began mass production in the first quarter of 2018. It said it will invest $571 million in the plant to expand battery production capacity from 6 GWh to 15 GWh. Photo credit: Getty Images - Getty Images From Popular Mechanics The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is researching new long-range smart weapons designed to devastate attacking enemy forces, buying time for the U.S. to send reinforcements in a hypothetical future engagement. The program, known as Assault Breaker II, mirrors a Cold War era program designed to stop Soviet armored spearheads poised to roll into Western Europe. The effort would consist of a combination of long-range sensors and bombers loaded with smart weapons designed to seek out and destroy tanks, ships, and other enemy systems. Back in the 1970s, NATO faced a numerically superior Soviet Army in Europe. In the event of war, Soviet forces would have streamed into Western Europe with waves upon waves of tank and mechanized divisions. The use of tactical nuclear weapons to strike back in such a scenario, while a centerpiece of NATOs defense strategy since the 1950s, risked escalation to all-out nuclear warfare. Photo credit: U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Bradly A. Schneider In response, the U.S. embarked upon a project known as Assault Breaker. Assault Breaker would combine sensors (particularly the E-8C JSTARS airborne surveillance aircraft) with long range smart weapons designed to hunt and destroy enemy armor. While NATO ground forces went head-to-head with the first echelon of invading Soviet forces, Assault Breaker would target follow-on Soviet forces behind enemy lines, bleeding them before they even reached the front. Now, according to Aviation Week & Space Technology, the idea behind Assault Breaker is back . The U.S. is concerned that countries like Russia and China could stage a massive surprise attack on nearby U.S. bases, destroying them and leaving the Pentagon without a means to fight back. Assault Breaker II would be a quick reaction system capable of being launched a few hours after the onset of hostilities. Assault Breaker II would heavily damage enemy forces at the front line, buying time for the U.S. to flow fresh reinforcements into the theater. Story continues Assault Breaker II would work something like this: Say Russia has launched a attack on NATOs eastern flank, against the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Russian long-range bombers and missiles have struck U.S. Army posts and air bases throughout the region, causing heavy casualties and preventing an immediate response. In response, the U.S. Air Force immediately launches a squadron of 12 B-52H heavy bombers. JSTARS aircraft, having identified columns of Russian armor on the move across the Baltics, vector the B-52s in to intercept. Each bomber releases 20 Assault Breaker standoff missiles. As the missile nears the Russian tank column, it releases a swarm of up to 40 smart submunitions, each of which powers on its infrared sensors and begins hunting tanks. Once a tank is located, it fires an explosively forged penetrator into the thin armor protecting the top of a tank or armored vehicle, destroying it. The BLU-108 submunition dispenser, shown in the video below, can pack up to 4 tank-hunting submunitions, and a single CBU97 bomb can pack up to ten BLU-108s inside. Assuming each munition has a 50 percent chance of destroying a tank, a single Assault Breaker weapon could knock 20 out of the 30 tanks in a Russian tank battalion out of action, rendering the unit unfit for combat. Multiply that by 240 and just twelve bombers could deal a crippling blow to an invasion force, smothering it with nearly ten thousand shots. A similar situation could play out against China, though it is unlikely the U.S. will face significant numbers of Chinese ground forces in the Asia-Pacific. In a scenario involving China, Assault Breaker II would be used to target enemy air bases, naval bases, and even ships. The munitions could target aircraft sitting on tarmacs or the specific radar antennas on naval destroyers, blinding enemy ships and putting them out of action. Assault Breaker II is meant to be a deterrent, dissuading potential adversaries from launching surprise attacks on the U.S. and its neighbors. Even if such an attack were successful, Assault Breaker II would prevent enemy forces from exploiting the attack, destroying them and in turn holding the enemy at risk from U.S. reinforcements. It would be primarily a defensive weapon. The U.S. Armed Forces could field Assault Breaker II within ten years or less, the Pentagon thinks. Almost all of the technology is mature and has been in service for years. This time around even more new features could be added, such as a deconfliction mechanism designed to prevent multiple munitions from attacking the same target, the ability for the same missile to be used against targets on the ground and at sea, and self-destruct mechanisms to prevent unexploded munitions from posing a risk to civilians. Read more at Aviation Week & Space Technology ('You Might Also Like',) The new Peugeot 208 GT is displayed at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland March 5, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse The European Unions looming new rules on car emissions are not sinking in with carmakers, according to Peugeot (UG.PA) brand chief executive Jean-Philippe Imparato. Imparato warned today of the monumental challenge for the automotive industry to lower their emissions to 95g of CO2 per kilometre from January 2020, or face steep fines. The average European emission now is 125g, in the coming six months, 125g will become 95g, he told a press round table at the Geneva motor show. If you are not at this level you are dead. Im not totally sure the Geneva Motor Show ecosystem is entirely aware of the fact that we need to cut 30g in the coming six months, Imparato said. Carlos Tavares, chief executive of PSA which owns Peugeot, told Le Figaro on Sunday that the new emissions limits could jeopardise 13 million jobs in the European car industry, as, among other challenges, automakers wont be able to sell enough electric cars to meet the CO2 limits and get slapped with fines. You dont cope with this type of trajectory without any collateral effect, Imparato said of the switch to electrification, noting that making fewer internal combustion cars means cutting suppliers and reducing distribution costs to preserve car company margins. Each and every gram counts in the weight of the car when it comes to the emissions, he said, adding, I have a sensation that today, in Geneva, carmakers are not aware of that. For decades, country managers used to have three targets to hit customer satisfaction, market share, and profit now Imparato says CO2 emissions will be a fourth permanent target for them. Peugeot revealed its brand new battery-electric Peugeot e-208 hatchback and Peugeot Sport Engineered 508 Concept at the show today. The company, like all its mass-market European rivals, is racing to electrify, and the e-208 will go into production later this year. From now on, all of the new models Peugeot introduces will have a battery-electric variant available. The new 208 will also be available as petrol and diesel options, and go up against its arch-enemy, the new Renault Clio, also having its debut in Geneva this week. The PSA group announced last month that it was gearing up to reenter the US and Canadian markets after a nearly 30-year hiatus, aiming for a 50% increase in sales outside Europe by 2021; right now it sells about 80% of its cars in Europe. The PSA chief executive told Le Figaro that the PSA group has struggled to break the Chinese market so far. By a wide margin, American voters believe their president has committed crimes. Sixty-four percent of U.S. voters say they believe Donald Trump did something illegal before he was elected president, while 24 percent believe he did not, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. Sixty-five percent of Independents and 89 percent of Democrats said they believe Trump committed crimes before taking office. But only a minority of Republicans surveyed agree: 33 percent, compared to 48 percent who said they did not believe Trump committed crimes before being elected. Caen (France) (AFP) - A "radicalised" inmate at a prison in northwest France, who seriously wounded two guards in a knife attack on Tuesday, was shot and injured in a police raid that also left his visiting partner fatally wounded, sources told AFP. Prisoner Michael Chiolo and his female partner had been holed up in the family-visiting area of the modern, high-security prison at Conde-sur-Sarthe in Normandy when police moved in and detained them, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Twitter. Both were shot and wounded in the operation and "the woman died" of her injuries, a source close to the case said, adding that Chiolo was less seriously wounded in the cheek. Elite police units moved in some 10 hours after 27-year-old Chiolo wounded the prison guards with a knife which Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet suggested might have been smuggled into the prison by his partner. "There is no doubt as to the terrorist nature of this attack," Belloubet told reporters earlier. Chiolo, who was serving a 30-year sentence, is thought to have become a "radicalised" Islamist while in prison. He shouted "Allahu Akhbar" (God is Greatest) during his rampage in the family-visiting area, prison staff representative Alassanne Sall told AFP. France has suffered a series of deadly attacks from Islamist extremists since 2015 and is on high alert amid concerns about the return of Islamic State group jihadists from Syria. The Paris state prosecutor said separately that accounts by witnesses suggested Chiolo "wanted to avenge" Cheriff Chekatt, who was shot dead by police after killing five people and wounding 11 at a Christmas market in the eastern French city of Strasbourg in December. The latest violence comes as prison staff nationwide, who have been demanding better working conditions, have repeatedly staged protests on Tuesdays. In January 2018, prison staff held three weeks of protests after a guard was attacked by a jihadist inmate at a high-security jail in northern France. Story continues Experts and trade unions have consistently raised the alarm about the spread of extremism in French prisons, leading the government to build special facilities to house dangerous individuals who are sometimes held in solitary confinement. - 'Blood everywhere' - "It was truly a murder attempt. There was blood everywhere. The family-visiting unit was a battle scene," said Sall, from the Force Ouvriere trade union. One of the guards suffered a serious chest wound, while the second was slashed on the face and back, he added. Chiolo was serving his 30-year sentence for kidnapping leading to a death, armed robbery and condoning terrorism. He and an accomplice were sentenced on appeal in 2015 for choking to death an 89-year-old man they had tied up while robbing his home. He was also sentenced to a year in jail -- when already in prison -- for asking fellow inmates to "reenact" an attack by Islamic State gunmen on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in November 2015. The jihadists, wearing explosive belts and armed with assault rifles, killed 90 people in the concert hall, one of several venues attacked on the same day in and around Paris. "After Paris, I would have carried on in other parts of the country," he reportedly told another inmate, according to prison staff. The Conde-sur-Sarthe prison is one of France's most secure jails and does not suffer from overcrowding, unlike other facilities, according to Belloubet. But despite having been identified as an extremist, Chiolo was not housed in a secure wing for radicalised inmates which was opened in September, she added. - 'Not easy to handle' - Chiolo was "not easy to handle and so a very close eye was kept on him," the minister added. The inmate's lawyer, Pauline Brion, who described her client as "intelligent" and "educated" said he met his partner while in prison and that he intended to marry her. "He had written to someone after converting (to Islam) for them to find him a wife," the lawyer told AFP. The first "jihadist attack" launched from within a prison in France took place in September 2016, according to prison authorities. A Moroccan, jailed for attempting to travel to Syria to join jihadists, attacked two guards with a knife at a prison in Osny, northwest of Paris, saying he was acting on behalf of the Islamic State. Then in January 2018, a German Islamist extremist, Christian Ganczarski, jailed for helping organise an attack against a synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, wounded three prison guards in a knife attack at Vendin-le-Vieil, northern France, prompting staff to demand better safety and working conditions. Germany has agreed on a new anti-terror law that will see ISIS fighters stripped of their citizenship (Picture: Getty) Germany is set to pass a new law that will allow it to strip Isis fighters of their citizenship, according to reports. Media reports from numerous outlets in Germany said the current Nationality Act would be expanded to allow it to strip citizenship from jihadis who travel abroad to fight for Isis. It would only apply to adults who have a second nationality and would not be applied retrospectively so would not apply to those who are already imprisoned. The Nationality Act already includes a similar rule for people with dual nationality who join the armed forces or a comparable armed unit of another country without the permission of the German Defense Ministry. But the expanded law would apply to someone who takes part in combat operations abroad for a terrorist militia, according to reports. READ MORE Five arrested after teen injured when gang armed with knives walked into college and threatened students The move comes after the UK said it would strip Isis bride Shamima Begum of her British citizenship after she said he wanted to return to the UK, despite fleeing to join Isis four years ago, aged 15. Last week, Sweden also took steps to make it illegal to join a terror organisation. In February, Donald Trump called on Britain and other European allies to take back more than 800 Isis fighters captured in Syria and put them on trial. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK SMITHS STATION, Ala. Kim Serda didnt think she would make it out alive. As she took cover in a bedroom closet with her two dogs, Serda could feel the pressure building up around her. Suddenly, Serda said she heard the back window of the room blow out. Then, the attic access door in the closet blew off causing Serdas entire body to be lifted and nearly sucked out. I thought I was gone, said Serda, as she sat at her kitchen table, just a few steps away from the tree that had fallen through the ceiling of her living room. The Serdas are among 24 families in Smiths Station, Alabama left homeless after the deadly tornado that swept through Lee County on Sunday. The twister has been blamed for at least 23 deaths. On Monday, residents near Lee County Road 294 in Smiths Station were outside assessing the damage as contractors cleaned up debris. Yards were littered with tree branches, roof shingles, vinyl siding from homes and glass bottles. Dozens of trees were uprooted, including one that smashed a mobile home. The nearby West Smiths Station Elementary School was also damaged. Parts of the schools roof had blown into a neighbors yard and the playground was mostly destroyed. Volunteers were organizing clean-up efforts Monday for this small, rural and tight-nit community. The Serdas said their home is a complete loss and they will have to rebuild. As long as we are safe, thats all that really matters, said Roberto Serda, who was hit with a piece of a storm door as he tried to grab the couple's third dog during the storm. "We didn't have any damage to us, it was just material things." Some residents didnt suffer as much property damage but said Monday they were still shaken up. Drone shows Alabama tornado destruction Ferson Luke, who lives next door to the Serdas, said he was in the kitchen with his granddaughter Sunday when he heard a loud noise that sounded like a train. He looked outside and saw power lines falling and trees blowing. Story continues It happened so fast I didnt have time to take cover, Luke said. I wasnt scared for my property, I was scared for my life. Luke said he feels lucky all he needs is a new roof and the debris in his yard picked up. David McBride, owner of Buck Wild Saloon, talks on the phone in front of his bar after it was destroyed by a tornado March 4, 2019 in Smith Station, Ala. While no customers were inside, McBride was sitting in his truck outside of the bar when the tornado hit Sunday afternoon. Earl Washington, who lives across from West Smiths Station Elementary, was raking up branches in his yard Monday. Though Washington had a large uprooted tree on his property, he planned to spend his evening helping others who were hit harder. When I saw this I was like wow, said Luke. But when I went over behind the school, my heart dropped. They need help over there. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'I thought I was gone': This Alabama woman didn't think she'd make it out of the tornado alive By Babak Dehghanpisheh (Reuters) - Qassem Soleimani's role in a political crisis in Iran highlights the influence of the leader of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, who has acquired celebrity status at home after being largely invisible for years. The resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif last week was quickly rejected by President Hassan Rouhani, but a week on, tension over Zarif's absence from meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that Soleimani attended is still evident. Soleimani's Quds Force, tasked with carrying out operations beyond Irans borders, shored up support for Assad when he looked close to defeat in the civil war raging since 2011 and also helped militiamen defeat Islamic State in Iraq. Its successes have made Soleimani instrumental to the steady spreading of Iranian influence in the Middle East, which the United States and Tehran's regional foes Saudi Arabia and Israel have struggled to keep in check. Khamenei made Soleimani head of the Quds Force in 1998, a position in which he kept a low profile for years while he strengthened Irans ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad's government, and Shiite militia groups in Iraq. In the past few years, he has acquired a more public persona, with fighters and commanders in Iraq and Syria posting images on social media of him on the battlefield, his beard and hair always impeccably trimmed. "Soleimani is an operational leader. Hes not a man working in an office. He goes to the front to inspect the troops and see the fighting," said an Iraqi former senior official who asked not to be identified discussing security issues. An Iraqi militia released a music video in 2014 praising Soleimanis efforts in fighting Islamic State, and state media have run multiple accounts of his role in military victories. "His chain of command is only the Supreme Leader. He needs money, gets money. Needs munitions, gets munitions. Needs materiel, gets materiel," the Iraqi former official said. After Zarif tendered his resignation, Soleimani issued a rare statement. There had been a "bureaucratic" mistake rather than any intention to exclude Zarif, it said, describing the minister as the main person in charge of foreign policy and backed by Khamenei. But on Tuesday, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported that the foreign ministry had not been informed throughout Assad's trip, citing ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi, saying Zarif's aim with his resignation was to restore Iran's diplomatic system to its rightful place. "WE ARE CLOSE TO YOU" The row is an unusually public display of tension between the Guards, who play a key role in politics in the Islamic Republic, and moderate government officials who favor reconciliation with the West 40 years after Iran's 1979 revolution ousted the U.S.-backed Shah. A regional official with knowledge of Iranian affairs said the foreign ministry and the Quds Force had conflicts of opinion over Syria. The release on Monday of a closed-door speech last year by Khamenei highlighted another ongoing split - over Iran's agreement with world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. The speech voiced doubt about the government's overtures to Europe to try to shore up the deal after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out. A major-general, Soleimani is also in charge of intelligence gathering and covert military operations carried out by the Quds Force and last summer he publicly challenged Trump. "Im telling you Mr. Trump the gambler, Im telling you, know that we are close to you in that place you dont think we are, said Soleimani, wagging an admonishing finger. "You will start the war but we will end it," he said, with a checkered keffiya draped across the shoulders of his olive uniform. "GETS WHAT HE WANTS" Softly-spoken, Soleimani came from humble beginnings, born into an agricultural family in the town of Rabor in southeast Iran on March 11, 1957. At 13, he traveled to the town of Kerman and got a construction job to help his father pay back loans, according to a first person account from Soleimani posted by Defa Press, a site focused on the history of Irans eight year war with Iraq. When the revolution to oust the Shah began in 1978, Soleimani was working for the municipal water department in Kerman and organized demonstrations against the monarch. He volunteered for the Revolutionary Guards and, after war with Iraq broke out in 1980, quickly rose through the ranks and went on to battle drug smugglers on the border with Afghanistan. "Soleimani is a great listener. He does not impose himself. But he always gets what he wants," said another Iraqi official, adding that he can be intimidating. At the height of the civil war between Sunni and Shiite militants in Iraq in 2007, the U.S. military accused the Quds Force of supplying improvised explosive devices to Shiite militants which led to the death of many American soldiers. Soleimani played such a pivotal role in Iraqs security through various militia groups that General David Petraeus, the overall head of U.S. forces in Iraq, sent messages to him through Iraqi officials, according to diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks. After a referendum on independence in the Kurdish north in 2017, Soleimani issued a warning to Kurdish leaders which led to a withdrawal of fighters from contested areas and allowed central government forces to reassert their control. He was arguably even more influential in Syria. His visit to Moscow in the summer of 2015 was the first step in planning for a Russian military intervention that reshaped the Syrian war and forged a new Iranian-Russian alliance in support of Assad. His activities have made him a repeated target of the U.S. Treasury: Soleimani has been sanctioned by the United States for the Quds Force's support for Lebanon's Hezbollah and other armed groups, for his role in Syrias crackdown against protesters and his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. Soleimanis success in advancing Irans agenda has also put him in the crosshairs of regional foes Saudi Arabia and Israel. Top Saudi intelligence officials looked into the possibility of assassinating Soleimani in 2017, according to a report in the New York Times late last year. A Saudi government spokesman declined to comment, the Times reported, but Israeli military officials have publicly discussed the possibility of targeting him. (Editing by Michael Georgy and Philippa Fletcher) Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia on Tuesday welcomed Britain's decision to outlaw the political wing of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, describing it as an "important and constructive" step. Britain announced on February 25 it would seek to make membership of the Shiite movement or inviting support for it a crime. The decision followed outrage over the display of the Hezbollah flag, which features a Kalashnikov assault rifle, at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London. "Categorising the (Hezbollah) militia, which is backed by Iran, as a terrorist organisation is an important and constructive step in combatting terrorism around the world," said a foreign ministry source, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. "Britain's decision is in line with the decision Saudi Arabia has taken towards the terrorist party, both politically and militarily." London's move was welcomed by other foes of Iran, Hezbollah's key supporter, including the United States and Israel. Hezbollah meanwhile said Britain had "insulted the sentiments and the will of the Lebanese". In 2016, the Gulf Cooperation Council -- which includes regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- designated Hezbollah a "terrorist" organisation. Hezbollah was established in 1982 during Lebanon's civil war and is now a major political party in the country, holding three cabinet posts. Britain blacklisted Hezbollah's military wing in 2008 but had until now made no move against its political wing. However, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said last Monday that any distinction between its military and political wings "does not exist". The US designated Hezbollah a foreign terrorist organisation in 1997. AUBURN, Ala. When morning came in Lee County, Alabama, the sun rose over a church billboard that read GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL, then over a ring of families gathered around a cross at a nearby school. They gathered Tuesday at Lee Scott Academy in Auburn to pray for strength hours after learning that fourth-grade student Taylor Thornton was among the 23 people killed in Sunday's tornado. The mountains may roar and the valleys may roll, but Gods always in control, parent Tracie Starr said to the sobbing crowd. Thornton, 10, was one of 743 students at the K-12 Christian school. The school closed Monday, partly because of the loss and partly so its families could help with recovery efforts. Students and community members gather for prayer at Lee Scott Academy in Auburn, Ala., on Tuesday March 5, 2019. A student from the school died during the fatal storm that struck Beauregard on Sunday afternoon. Head of School Stan Cox said groups spread through the community, doing what they could. In at least one case, that meant a class spent the day working to repair the home of a classmate. Starr and fellow parent Rozi Dover hold the prayer service once a month around a cross in the schools courtyard. Sometimes only a handful of people attend. March 5: Storm-battered Alabama could see more severe weather and possible tornadoes this weekend March 4: 'A child of God': Fourth-grade girl among 23 victims of Alabama tornado Tuesday, there were more than 100 attendees, including children who huddled afterward to offer each other support. Many of them didnt personally know Thornton or her parents. Were here because ... were family, Starr said. You said wherever two or more are gathered, youd be there with us, Cox prayed. Father, were claiming that promise. Then, they returned to class. Follow Brad Harper on Twitter: @BradMGM This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: School prays for strength after fourth-grader dies in Alabama tornado A man has died at a Sydney immigration remand centre, the second death in less than two months, raising concerns about conditions in Australia's onshore detention network. The man was believed to be an Iraqi asylum-seeker who took his own life at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre late Monday, refugee advocate Ian Rintoul told AFP. Australian immigration officials confirmed his death Tuesday but did not release further details, saying only that the matter was under investigation by government agencies and the state coroner. "People (inside Villawood) said he had been quite depressed and hadn't been coming out of his room," Rintoul said of the detainee. The latest death came six weeks after a male detainee, reportedly from Sierra Leone, died at Villawood. Rintoul said he was also an asylum-seeker and was believed to have committed suicide. Australia has a mandatory detention policy for illegal immigrants, including for minor offences like visa overstays. Human rights groups have warned about self-harm at Australia's onshore and offshore remand centres, saying detainees were struggling with mental health issues amid long detention times that could last for years. Government officials last month denied there was a hunger strike across the onshore remand centre network over conditions at the facilities, adding that detainees were given quality food, medical care and activities. Canberra has tightened its visa rules in recent years, requiring foreign nationals be sent home if they have served a jail term of 12 months or more. The foreign nationals are held in migration centres such as Villawood before being deported. Australia also runs an offshore detention camp on the remote Pacific island of Nauru to hold asylum-seekers who have tried to reach the country by boat. Another camp on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island has been shuttered, although hundreds of asylum-seekers and refugees remain in transition centres. Southwest and American Respond to Maintenance Workers Public Disputes American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are locked in nasty battles with unions representing mechanics, but the CEOs of both companies sought Tuesday to defuse controversy, saying they have no ill-will toward their mechanics, even if they say theyre sometimes puzzled by the actions of labor leaders. Our mechanics are superb, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said Tuesday at an investor conference in New York. They work very hard, they do an outstanding job and they deserve an updated contract and that is and has been my desire. His opinions on the union representing them, the American Mechanics Fraternal Association, are another matter. On March 1, Southwest filed suit against American Mechanics Fraternal Association in federal court in Dallas, alleging it organized a job action to hamper Southwests operations. The airline said some mechanics have drawn attention to minor issues they normally would defer. The union disputes Southwests claims, saying its members have a duty to maintain airplanes, and have wide latitude to question safety matters. But Southwest told the court some union members began finding more faults after a Feb. 12 negotiating session went awry. Kelly said Tuesday the airline noticed an unprecedented number of maintenance-related write-ups. A Southwest spokeswoman said the airline had about 40 aircraft out of service on Tuesday, twice the usual number. In its complaint, Southwest said it grounded as many as 60 aircraft on some days in February. The damage to the company runs in the millions of dollars weekly in lost revenue due to canceled flights and millions of dollars weekly in terms of additional costs caused by delays and cancellations, Kelly said at the JP Morgan Aviation, Transportation and Industrials Conference. Customers are harmed. While a federal judge may give Southwest relief, this saga might not end until the mechanics and company agree on a new contract. Union members rejected a tentative agreement last year that would have given them substantial raises with very minimal work rule changes, Kelly said. Union leadership said it had concerns Southwest wanted to outsource maintenance work. Story continues The union did not reply Tuesday to a request for comment. However, in a note last week to members Bret Oestreich, the unions national director, called Southwests lawsuit outlandish and frivolous. It is disturbing and extremely concerning that Southwest Airlines misunderstands the most fundamental duties and responsibilities of federally licensed airmen and the services that they provide to a point at which it spitefully sues their representative body in attempt to suppress their mandated role, he said. Americans Predicament American has similar issues with its mechanics, who have been negotiating with management since December 2015, though it is not clear the dispute has affected operations. In an interview, Gary Peterson, a union vice president, said the sides are are close on money, but further apart on other issues, including outsourcing and healthcare. For our side of it, it is fairly simple, he said. We are not going to give up any jobs to outsourcing or off-shoring of work. Negotiations havent spilled into public for American as much as for Southwest, but the union has made some attempts to gain leverage by questioning the airlines maintenance practices. Last month, after some American maintenance workers appeared in a CBS News story to complain about the airlines approach to safety, the Transport Workers Union of Americas president wrote to American President Doug Parker and said: It is atrocious and immoral that, solely in order to improve the companys profitability, you would allow and oversee a system that potentially places air travelers at risk. In response to the CBS segment, an American spokesman said, The FAA investigated all of the allegations and the vast majority were closed without any findings. In all cases, it was never alleged that any aircraft we flew was unsafe. Most investment analysts trust airlines to maintain safe operations. However, some have expressed concern about the optics of two major carriers with acrimonious labor relations. Over time, it can hurt business, as United Airlines discovered before Oscar Munuoz took over as CEO in 2016 with a mandate to improve management-union relations. At Tuesdays conference, JP Morgan analyst Mark Streeter asked American CEO Doug Parker whether his airline has slipped on labor relations in the past three years, after improving following the US Airways merger. There seems to be a growing perception that management relationships with labor at American, on a confrontation scale, may be leading the way among U.S. airlines, Streeter said. Parker said hes not concerned, saying union leaders like to take negotiations to the public, because they want to curry favor with membership. Its just part of the negotiations, he said. They have hard jobs, Parker said. To stay elected, you need to make sure that youre saying things about the company that reflect what your membership feels about the company, Parker said. One day, thatll change, I hope. Youll see at all airlines that even in negotiation times, were sitting down, talking about, OK, whats the right number here? instead of trying to make sure were saying things that speak to our base. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. By Tracy Rucinski CHICAGO (Reuters) - A dispute with its mechanics union is costing Southwest Airlines Co millions of dollars in lost revenues a week as well as millions of dollars in costs related to flight cancellations and delays, chief executive Gary Kelly said on Tuesday. Southwest and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which have been in contract negotiations since 2012, are locked in an escalating battle that last week saw the airline file a lawsuit asking a federal judge to intervene. Kelly was speaking at a JPMorgan conference in New York, where he also said the airline could add 500 more Boeing Co 737 aircraft to its fleet as it considers adding new destinations in North and South America in coming years. In a statement, the union - which represents more than 2,400 Southwest mechanics - disparaged Kelly's comments as "a way to distract the public from Southwest's own degrading safety standards." Dallas-based Southwest, one of the largest domestic U.S. carriers, has said it is committed to operating a safe fleet and that every maintenance report is investigated. An unprecedented number of out-of-service aircraft in recent weeks at four of Southwest's maintenance locations has forced the airline to delay or cancel hundreds of flights. Southwest said on Monday that it will begin flying to Hawaii from California on March 17 as part of the budget-friendly carrier's push to boost leisure travel from the West Coast. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Writing by Nick Zieminski; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Sonya Hepinstall) Steel Authority of India Limited (NSE:SAIL) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 13% in the last month. But that is minimal compensation for the share price under-performance over the last year. In fact the stock is down 33% in the last year, well below the market return. Check out our latest analysis for Steel Authority of India Because Steel Authority of India is loss-making, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. When a company doesnt make profits, wed generally expect to see good revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth. In the last year Steel Authority of India saw its revenue grow by 29%. We think that is pretty nice growth. Unfortunately that wasnt good enough to stop the share price dropping 33%. You might even wonder if the share price was previously over-hyped. However, thats in the past now, and its the future that matters most. Depicted in the graphic below, youll see revenue and earnings over time. If you want more detail, you can click on the chart itself. NSEI:SAIL Income Statement, March 4th 2019 You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic. What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)? Wed be remiss not to mention the difference between Steel Authority of Indias total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. Steel Authority of Indias TSR of was a loss of 33% for the year. That wasnt as bad as its share price return, because it has paid dividends. A Different Perspective We regret to report that Steel Authority of India shareholders are down 33% for the year. Unfortunately, thats worse than the broader market decline of 5.0%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case theres a good opportunity. Unfortunately, last years performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 2.1% over the last half decade. We realise that Buffett has said investors should buy when there is blood on the streets, but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality businesses. You might want to assess this data-rich visualization of its earnings, revenue and cash flow. Story continues We will like Steel Authority of India better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on IN exchanges. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. Blockchain advisor Stuart Wilson says the new Samsung smartphone with its cryptocurrency wallet and the rumours that Facebook is creating its own coin can only be good news for mass adoption. After a career spent working for American Express and in fintech, he is now a blockchain advisor, working with businesses who are considering using blockchain technology. He is the founder and CTO at Blockchain Advisory which seeks to bring clarity to the often confusing topics of blockchain, Bitcoin, distributed ledger technology, cryptocurrencies and related innovations. It aims to advise how innovations will add value to their businesses now and in the future. Struggling He tells me most companies are struggling to understand why the technology might be useful. People are still pretty confused as to when and why they could be using blockchain. He says there is no need for people to talk endlessly about the deep aspects of cryptography or maths to see what the use cases could be for blockchain. Stuart Wilson People using their smartphones dont discuss endlessly the technical aspects of how and why their mobile signal changes if they are on a train, for example. They dont need to know that, he says. They just accept the technology because they see it working. People in blockchain need to get out of the hole of endlessly talking about the technology. Walmart Blockchain is already being used by the likes of Walmart to check the provenance of goods in the food supply chain and if issues arise they can be resolved much more quickly using blockchain. Cryptocurrencies have made a lot of people wealthy almost by accident, he says. Those who have become unexpectedly wealthy can read a chart on a screen but may not fully understand the underlying blockchain technology. Some of the problem can be a lack of imagination as people think that everything has already been solved by technology, (when clearly it hasnt). Story continues The lack of mass adoption can be frustrating as fintech innovation can often be linked to money laundering problems. He cites the recent resignation of Revoluts Chief Financial Officer over the removal of money laundering technology on its site as an example. Theres no evidence it allowed any suspicious transactions and the company says it was because the software was not working, he says. Nobody knows if any money laundering was carried out but the checks were not taking place. Innovation This type of story can get in the way of innovation, though, he argues. People involved in money laundering are always going to find a way of doing it. And peoples perception has been coloured so much by Mt. Gox, the Wannacry virus where people were saying pay me in Bitcoin. This type of currency is associated with crime. However, despite this he says it is encouraging to see the S10 Samsung phone having a crypto wallet installed on it. Samsungs one of the top three providers of handsets throughout the world. And people will start to see crypto wallets appearing on their phones. Facebook rumours The rumours of the Facebook coin which could be used within its messaging function, is another example of the move towards greater adoption of the technology. If the Facebook initiative comes off, he says it could help crack the identity issue and help prevent the fear of money laundering and crime. The pseudonymous wallets, which are currently just a string of numbers, would then become associated with a Facebook profile. Both these technology firms moves would potential give access to billions of people to blockchain technology. He believes it could create a tipping point if it starts to become genuinely easy to use people will start to move money around and use the network. Contactless payments He points to contactless payments on card payments which became more prevalent once the limit was lifted. You can now buy a typical small round of drinks, or half a pint if you are in London, he jokes. Like other transactions, you do not think about the technology no worry about security its an easy way to achieve a goal. Blockchain and cryptocurrency will achieve this when it becomes the quick and easiest way to carry out transactions. With International Womens Day fast approaching this week, he says the gender imbalance in IT is something he finds fascinating. When embarking on his career in the early 1990s, there was a lot more women in computing jobs, he says. The lack of diversity was not talked about as a concern at the time, he says. Since then, there has been a rise in computer gaming which tends to be more male than female. He believes the work environment is also important to encourage more women into blockchain. Fairness in recruiting When he was working at Amex, he says they made deliberate efforts to ensure fairness in recruiting if there was a new cohort of 10 recruits, theyd aim to find five women and five men. He also believes that different functions should rotate so marketing (which is perceived as a more female-dominated area) and HR, finance and technology roles should be mixed. His aim is to demystify blockchain for companies and he urges anyone who is struggling to get in touch to see if he can help. Among his clients are a solar company thats looking at how it can capture data from solar power to create carbon credits which can be traded and a film company thats looking to disrupt the traditional fundraising process. Another barrier to big companies embracing the technology could be some of the players in the space, he adds. We talk about the idealism of Brock Pierce, who I interviewed for Coin Rivet recently. Its a business which can be seen to be dominated by hippies, anarchists and those who may want to bring down the banking systems as well as criminals, but the technologys here to stay, he adds. By Helen Bennicke March 5, 2019 The post Stuart Wilson: How Facebook and Samsung interest will help mass adoption of blockchain appeared first on Coin Rivet. By Elizabeth Dilts NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc said on Tuesday that it is relaxing the dress code for all its employees, a move once considered unimaginable for the Wall Street firm's leagues of monk-shoed partners and bankers in bespoke suits. The new "firm wide flexible dress code" was announced in an internal memo, which said the shift was due to "the changing nature of workplaces generally in favor of a more casual environment." The memo sent to the bank's some 36,000 employees was penned by Chief Executive Officer David Solomon, a former investment banker who took the role in October, along with Chief Financial Officer Stephen Scherr and Chief Operating Officer John Waldron. Historically known as a white-shoe investment bank, Goldman Sachs traditionally required formal business attire. But since 2017, the bank began relaxing its dress code for employees in the technology division and other new digital businesses. This created a divide in the workforce as clear as denim versus pinstripes. Like other Wall Street banks, Goldman has been competing to secure the best employees. Large technology firms and hedge funds often have more relaxed offices and perks. Tuesday's announcement was also meant to bring the bank's traditional policies up to date for its younger workforce. More than 75 percent of Goldman employees are members of the Millennial or Gen Z generations--people born after 1981. The memo did not specify which clothes are or are not appropriate. "All of us know what is and is not appropriate for the workplace," the memo reads. The memo also reminded employees to dress "in a manner that is consistent" with clients' expectations. "Of course, casual dress is not appropriate every day and for every interaction and we trust you will consistently exercise good judgment in this regard." (Reporting By Elizabeth Dilts; Editing by Anna Irrera and David Gregorio) Near Baghouz (Syria) (AFP) - Hundreds of civilians streamed out of the Islamic State group's last Syrian stronghold Tuesday into territory held by US-backed forces battling to finish off the jihadists' dying "caliphate". A total of 3,500 people exited the riverside village of Baghouz, including 500 jihadists who had surrendered, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said. Five SDF fighters were also freed, their spokesman Mustefa Bali said on Twitter. IS seized large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" there, but has since lost all but a patch on the banks of the Euphrates River near the Iraqi border. At a screening point for new arrivals outside Baghouz, an AFP reporter saw hundreds of men, women and children. Men sat on the ground, surrounded by members of the Kurdish-led SDF, while women clad from head to toe in black waited to be searched. Among them was the widow of French jihadist Jean-Michel Clain, 38, who said her husband had been killed last month after his brother Fabien. "The drone killed my brother-in-law and then the mortar killed my husband," Dorothee Maquere told AFP. Fabien Clain, 41, had voiced an IS audio recording claiming responsibility for the November 2015 attacks in Paris, when IS jihadists slaughtered 129 people in coordinated operations. Backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition, the SDF smashed their way into the jihadists' last remaining sliver at the weekend. But they slowed down the offensive on Sunday over concerns for civilians trapped inside. Bali on Monday night said 3,000 more people had been evacuated since Sunday. An SDF official told AFP "hundreds" of IS fighters were among them. - 'War injuries' - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, earlier said 280 IS fighters were among those who quit the pocket since Sunday. Diehard jihadists are fiercely defending their last patch after the SDF and the US-led coalition resumed their offensive late Friday, following a two-week pause to allow for civilian evacuations. Story continues The Kurdish-led force pushed into Baghouz on Saturday. On Monday night, an AFP correspondent near the front line saw black smoke billowing over the besieged pocket after an air strike. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said artillery fire and air strikes continued into the night. The mass outpouring of people from the dying "caliphate" has sparked a major humanitarian emergency, with an aid group saying 600 people arrived early Tuesday in one camp for non-combatants in northeast Syria. Among those who arrived at the camp in Al-Hol, 10 people "needed urgent medical treatment because of shrapnel or war injuries", the International Relief Committee said. Six were sent to hospital. Around 15,000 people reached Al-Hol from Baghouz between February 22 and March 1, the UN's humanitarian coordination office OCHA said on Monday. - Dying days of 'caliphate' - The new arrivals have pushed the camp's population to over 56,000, exacerbating already dire conditions at the crammed facility, it said. After months under heavy bombardment and sometimes with very little to eat, many of those emerging from Baghouz are in poor physical and psychological health. Around 90 people, mostly children under the age of five, have died en route or shortly after arriving at Al-Hol, OCHA said. Syria's Kurds hold hundreds of foreign jihadists and IS sympathisers, whose governments have been reluctant to take them back. A US judge on Monday rejected a request for expedited treatment of the case of an Alabama woman who joined IS in Syria but has asked to return home. The government has declared that Hoda Muthana, 24, is not an American citizen, and has barred her from entry. The jihadists are massively outnumbered in Baghouz and the SDF say they expect a victory within days. The Kurdish-led forces launched their broad offensive on remaining IS strongholds in the Euphrates Valley six months ago. The capture of Baghouz would mark the end of IS territorial control in the region and deal a death blow to the "caliphate". At its peak more than four years ago, the IS proto-state was the size of the United Kingdom and ruled millions of people. Syria's war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Target CEO Brian Cornell isnt being kept up at night on fears Amazons potential foray into grocery stores will eat up all his sales of affordable meat, poultry and fish. I am worried about a lot of things, I havent spent a lot of time thinking about that one, Cornell told Yahoo Finance Tuesday after a day-long presentation to Wall Street when asked about Amazon potentially expanding into groceries. I worry about lots of things right now, thats probably not on the top of the list. Cornell emphasized that the grocery business is challenging and complex and success doesnt happen overnight. Cornell would know. Cornell cut his teeth as an executive at grocery store chain Safeway, was a key executive at beverage and snacks giant PepsiCo and led Walmarts Sams Club division. Amazons expansion into groceries wont be easy Amazon is reportedly planning to open dozens of grocery stores (separate from Whole Foods) in several major U.S. cities. The stores are said to offer a wider array of products and lower price points compared to Whole Foods. Amazons first store of this kind is expected to open in Los Angeles by year end. The push into mass market groceries would be quintessential Amazon. More grocery stores give Amazon an important source of household data and shopping frequency, points out Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak. Success in grocery, says Nowak, brings Amazon a greater market share of trade spend budgets (think vendors like PepsiCo) that could boost the company's surging advertising business. And finally, the stores could help propel sales of Amazons high-margin private-label goods and spur more Prime accounts. But it would be insane to think Amazon could run roughshod over the major grocery chains anytime soon (if at all). Target grocery department. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) For one, Amazon is up against an army of formidable store networks. Kroger, Walmart and Target almost operate a combined 10,000 stores in the United States. Walmart Sams Club and Costco weigh in with more than 1,100 membership clubs in America. Not only are their stores in some of the best locations, but they have unmatched supply chains in the fresh food business. Story continues All also continue to push deeper into online grocery delivery and same-day-delivery services. Target has a head start in groceries At Target specifically, it continues to remodel hundreds of stores to include larger, better looking departments for fresh food and other groceries. The retailer is also bringing in more emerging, healthier food brands to capture business. Amazon isnt even on the ground yet with grocery stores beyond Whole Foods. Secondarily, opening grocery stores wont be cheap for Amazon. Morgan Stanleys Nowak estimates 12 stores at 35,000 square feet in size would cost Amazon a whopping $100 million to build. Barring acquisition, however, we would expect any roll-out to be slow given Amazons mathematical, methodical and ROI-driven manner of investment, Nowak says. Remember that Amazon isnt just a retailer. It needs a good bit of capital to support its leading Amazon Web Services cloud business and Jeff Bezoss vision for grandeur when it comes to original movie content. Amazon further has large capital requirements for Whole Foods and initiatives to build its own fleet of delivery trucks and cargo planes. All of these businesses have to be nurtured its not as if Amazon can go full bore into grocery stores without harming one of its crown jewels. So for now, Cornell could rest (somewhat) soundly. Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @BrianSozzi Read more: Malmo (Sweden) (AFP) - They grew up in Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia and can place Israel on a map, but many young refugees in Sweden have never heard of the Holocaust. Their first contact with Jewish history in Europe is often in the classroom and sometimes from the teachers themselves. "One of my teachers was harassed by other students. He's Jewish and they made fun of him all of the time," says Nergis Resne, a 19-year-old born in Sweden to Turkish-Macedonian parents. She has since joined the group Young People Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia founded by Siavosh Derakhti in Malmo, Sweden's third-biggest city where one in three inhabitants was born abroad. Organisations and a foundation started by Stieg Larsson, the late author of the best-selling "Millennium" crime trilogy, are taking on the challenge of helping students and teachers fight against anti-Semitism. Despite online threats against him, Derakhti, 27, organises seminars in schools, group talks and study visits to former concentration camps to raise young people's awareness of the horrors of the mass killing of Jews during World War II and the need for peaceful co-existence. "Some of them come from dictatorships, from warzones brimming with anti-Semitic, homophobic and misogynist beliefs," explains Derakhti, originally from Iran, who in 2013 won the first Raoul Wallenberg Prize in honour of the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in the war. Educators say their job is made more difficult by the vast amount of prejudice, fake news and conspiracy theories circulating on social networks. "The most popular is without a doubt YouTube, where the radical far-right propaganda and the propaganda from radical Islam occasionally overlap," says Jonathan Leman, a researcher at the Larsson-founded Expo foundation. Expo put together a booklet after 90 of the 100 teachers it surveyed in 2016 said their students believed conspiracy theories including that the Holocaust either never happened or not the way it's told in history books. Story continues - The imam and the rabbi - A stone's throw from Expo, in Stockholm's Old Town, Ingrid Lomfors welcomes thousands of students each year to the Living History Forum museum. Here the aim is to foster understanding by appealing to people's compassion and touching their hearts, rather than giving lessons in morality. "Last year I had a wonderful exchange with three young Muslim girls about Anne Frank," the Jewish girl in Amsterdam who wrote a diary before she died in a concentration camp, says Lomfors. "They knew nothing about Anne Frank. They walked through the exhibit, and then at the end two of them told me they identified with her, because of the isolation, the constant threats, the persecution, not knowing if they'd be alive the next day." In Malmo, imam Salahuddin Barakat and rabbi Moshe-David HaCohen have together founded the Amanah project aimed at building bridges between their two communities through festivals, workshops and lectures. The challenge is rendered even more difficult by urban segregation, with large numbers of immigrant youths concentrated in the same neighbourhoods and schools. - Swedes see anti-Semitism growing - According to the most recent report by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention in 2016, three percent of crimes of religious, ethnic, political or sexual nature had an anti-Semitic character, in a country of 10 million people that is home to 15,000 to 20,000 Jews. In one such case, young migrants from Syria and the Palestinian territories were convicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at a synagogue in Gothenburg in December 2017. No one was injured in the attack. In 2016, anti-Muslim crimes were more than twice as common as anti-Semitic ones, at seven percent. Mosques and migrant housing centres were the targets of numerous attacks. Police have not seen any significant rise in the number of anti-Semitic crimes reported since 2014, even though Sweden has taken in 400,000 migrants since then, more than any other European country per capita. Sweden does not include ethnicity in its crime statistics. Last year 35 police reports of anti-Semitic crimes were filed in Malmo, a number seen as stable but in all likelihood below the actual number, suggests Malmo police official Zandra Brodd. Meanwhile three out of four Swedes believe anti-Semitism has grown in the past five years -- the highest proportion in the European Union -- according to a Eurobarometer study published by the European Commission in December. "Many (Jews) choose to keep a low profile in public. They may for example hide a Star of David pendant inside their shirt or take off their kippah as soon as they leave the synagogue," says a spokesman for Malmo's Jewish community, Fredrik Sieradzki. In January, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven pledged to allocate more funding so more youths can visit Holocaust memorial sites in Europe, and Sweden will host an international genocide conference in 2020. Washington (AFP) - Ethan Lindenberger spent his first 18 years unvaccinated -- defenseless against tetanus, polio, measles. But in December, defying his mother, he went and got inoculated, a rebellion that earned him an invitation to Congress. "I grew up understanding my mother believed vaccines are dangerous, as she would speak openly about her views both online and in person," the high schooler said Tuesday in testimony before a Senate hearing on contagious disease outbreaks. But Lindenberger, still 18, said he did his own research, became convinced that information in defense of vaccines "outweighed the concerns heavily" of the so-called anti-vax movement, and started receiving the shots he had missed as a child. In recent weeks he has become a hero of believers in modern medicine in the United States, where experts and elected officials still struggle to convince some that their refusal to get themselves or their children vaccinated is fueling several recent outbreaks of measles. Similar dangerous outbreaks have occurred in Brazil, France and Ukraine. Many vaccines are theoretically mandatory for students to attend school in the United States. But almost all states -- 47 out of 50 -- allow exemptions either on religious, moral, or personal grounds, including Lindenberger's state of Ohio. "It was a slow progression to start to see evidence" of the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, he said, adding that he grew intrigued by so many people who "disagreed with my mom" and sought to dismiss her claims online. But he sought out information from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, public health organizations and scientific journals. When he showed his mother the articles explaining, for example, that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine did not cause autism, he said she replied: "That's what they want you to think." Lindenberger's defiance of parental guidance earned him the attention of thousands, including members of the US media and Congress. Story continues He was soon invited to appear before a panel of senators, several of whom praised his persistence in seeking out the truth. Lindenberger said one of the main challenges now is to counter the online anti-vaccination sites that peddle conspiracy theories. "The sources which spread misinformation should be the primary concern of the American people," he said. Washington (AFP) - Ethan Lindenberger spent his first 18 years unvaccinated -- defenseless against tetanus, polio, measles. But in December, defying his mother, he got inoculated, a rebellion that earned him an invitation to Congress. "I grew up understanding my mother believed vaccines are dangerous, as she would speak openly about her views both online and in person," the high schooler said Tuesday in testimony before a Senate hearing on contagious disease outbreaks. But Lindenberger, still 18, said he did his own research and became convinced that information in defense of vaccines outweighed the concerns of the so-called anti-vax movement. In recent weeks he has become a hero of believers in modern medicine in the United States, where health officials struggle to convince some that their refusal to get themselves or their children vaccinated is fueling a resurgence of measles. Pressure to boost vaccinations has surged amid the worst measles outbreaks in years in several US states including Washington, where the governor has declared a state of emergency. Similar dangerous outbreaks have occurred in Brazil, France and Ukraine. Lindenberger, testifying alongside distinguished health experts and officials, said "it was a slow progression to start to see evidence" of the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. But he grew intrigued by so many people who "disagreed with my mom" and sought to dismiss her claims online. He began studying reports by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, visiting public health organization websites, and poring over scientific journals. When he showed his mother the articles explaining, for example, that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine did not cause autism, he said she replied: "That's what they want you to think." Many vaccines are theoretically mandatory for children to attend school in the United States. But almost all states -- 47 out of 50 -- allow exemptions on religious, moral, or personal grounds, including Lindenberger's state of Ohio. Story continues What got Ethan's vaccination quest noticed was his November post on the discussion website Reddit: "My parents are kind of stupid and don't believe in vaccines. Now that I'm 18, where do I go to get vaccinated?" He received thousands of responses, and the US media came calling. He soon got vaccinated against hepatitis A and B, influenza, tetanus and papillomavirus. He says he has also received MMR and polio vaccines. - Disinformation on Facebook - Seated before some of America's most senior lawmakers, he was praised for his persistence in seeking out the truth. "I applaud your critical thinking skills," said Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. "I'd love to be a guest at your Thanksgiving dinner at your house," quipped Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican. Ethan's mother did not testify. "I just continue to try and be respectful and as kind as I can and share the truth with her," Lindenberger told AFP. "I think she understands that it's important to me." Ethan, who lives with his father and wants to become a pastor, firmly believes his mother had good intentions in refusing to vaccinate her children. He said a main challenge now is to counter the online anti-vaccination sites that peddle conspiracy theories by using "anecdotal" information that can ring true for concerned parents. "People don't resonate well with information and data," Lindenberger said. "My mom reaffirmed that her position was correct because she knows people and she sees stories -- but correlation doesn't equal causation." Lindenberger says such personalized accounts should be answered by equally personal stories about the deaths and other harm caused by infectious diseases that vaccines were created to eradicate. "When you convince parents that... their children are at risk, that's a much more substantial way to cause people to change their minds." Ethan has four younger brothers and sisters. Do they agree with him? "So far there's been a substantial leaning towards my side," he said. Some people attending the hearing, including anti-vaccine activists, were not convinced by Ethan's arguments. One of them, Jena Dalpez from Washington state, which has recorded more than 70 measles cases since January, argued that parents of unvaccinated and infected children "knew the risks." United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Security is worsening in Mali with terror attacks on the rise, targeting UN peacekeepers, Malian troops, international forces and civilians, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in a report on Tuesday. The threat from extremist groups has spread from northern Mali to the center of the West African country, complicating efforts to implement a peace deal with armed groups. "Despite significant international efforts, the security situation has continued to deteriorate with an increase in the number of terrorist attacks," said Guterres in the report sent to the Security Council. In 2018, there were 237 terror attacks, up from 226 in 2017 and 183 the previous year, said the report. The Security Council is planning to visit Mali this month for a closer look at the conflict as it faces a June deadline to extend the mandate of the 14,000-strong MINUSMA peacekeeping force deployed there. Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Al-Qaeda-linked extremists took control of the north in early 2012, prompting a military intervention by France. Although the jihadists were routed in the French operation in 2013, large stretches of the landlocked state remain out of government control. Most of the violence is centered in Mali's central and southern regions but it has also spread across its borders, affecting neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. A peace agreement signed in 2015 by the government and armed groups was aimed at restoring stability, but the latest UN figures on the terror attacks confirmed the accord has failed to stop the Islamic militants. In January, 10 Chadian peacekeepers were killed in an attack on their UN camp in the northern Kidal region claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), one of the deadliest strikes against MINUSMA. In all, 18 peacekeepers have been killed and 77 others injured in attacks in the past six months, the report said. Despite the rising violence, Guterres reported progress in efforts to implement the peace deal, with over 1,400 combatants setting aside their weapons and new district administrations set up in the north. "International pressure, including through the prospect of sanctions, was viewed as an important factor in accelerating the process," said the report. France, which will lead the council visit to Mali along with Germany, is pushing for additional funding to shore up the G5 Sahel force set up in 2015 to root out the jihadists. Tesla stock plunged on Tuesday after Chinese customs authorities took 1,600 Model 3 vehicles hostage. | Source: REUTERS/Aly Song By CCN.com: Two months after Tesla CEO Elon Musk broke ground for a new factory in Shanghai, authorities in China suspended customs clearance procedures for the electric carmakers lowest-priced car, the Model 3. China Holds Tesla Model 3s Hostage According to Caixin Global, customs authorities in Shanghai are currently holding 1,600 Tesla Model 3 cars after finding various irregularities. China is Currently Holding 1,600 Teslas at Customs https://t.co/lokqjoeKqc via @CaixinLive Caixin Global (@caixin) March 5, 2019 Some of the irregularities included improper labeling. Per the General Administration of Customs (GAC), there were missing labels as well as labeling inaccuracies, according to Caixin: BANGKOK (AP) The deputy leader of an up-and-coming political party contesting Thailand's general election has become the latest target of online content laws after unwittingly sharing a false news article. A spokeswoman for the Future Forward Party said Tuesday that a representative of the ruling military junta had filed a police complaint accusing Pongsakorn Rodchompoo of violating the Computer Crime Act, which carries a penalty of up to five years' imprisonment. Pongsakorn admits sharing an article that accused a top junta official of buying cups of coffee for 12,000 baht ($377) each, but says he deleted the post within minutes after learning it originated from a website promoting fake news, Future Forward spokeswoman Pannika Wanich said. The story had been widely circulated on Facebook. Five other people have reportedly been charged for the same offense, accused of violating a provision of the law against online activity that endangers national security. The head of the military government, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, is seeking to stay in office after the March 24 election. He is the candidate for prime minister of a new party regarded as a proxy for the military, but is not running for Parliament. Laws passed under the junta's rule allow so-called outsider unelected prime ministers. The junta has already filed charges against Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit for online remarks that the junta had unfairly lured other political parties to be allies of the military. He is accused of violating the Computer Crime Act by allegedly putting false information online, and could be punished with a five-year prison term. Thanathorn is a particularly articulate critic of Prayuth and the military. His case will be considered after the election. In another case, Thailand's army chief, Gen. Apirat Kongsompong, has ordered officials to file defamation charges against a former police chief who is running for prime minister after he made remarks regarding the many decorations on the general's uniform, Thai news reports said Tuesday. Thailand's Election Commission, which is nominally independent but generally follows the direction of whatever government is in power, also has oversight over online election material. On Monday, it ordered 12 social media postings be deleted for false or offensive messages. The commission is also looking into a complaint that Future Forward posted a false detail on its website about party leader Thanathorn's career, an infraction punishable by a fine, imprisonment and a ban from politics for up to 20 years. The incorrect entry described him as the head of a national industrial organization rather than of one of its regional branches. His party said it was a clerical error. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voiced strong concern Monday after Chinese state media reported that a former Canadian diplomat detained in the country was suspected of spying and stealing state secrets. "We are obviously very concerned with the position that China has taken," Trudeau told reporters, referring to the case of Michael Kovrig, who was detained in December following the arrest in Canada of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Trudeau reiterated that Canada considers China to have arbitrarily detained both the former diplomat and his compatriot Michael Spavor -- a businessman suspected by China of being a key source of intelligence for Kovrig. "The safety and security of Canadians is always first order for this government, and that's why we've been engaging and standing up for the two Canadians who've been arbitrarily detained by China from the very beginning," Trudeau said. Kovrig and Spavor were detained in what observers see as retaliation just days after Canada arrested Meng, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, at the request of the United States. Chinese authorities had previously said the two Canadian men were under investigation on suspicion of endangering national security. Spying charges could expose them to tough prison sentences. Kovrig, who now works for the International Crisis Group think tank, had often entered China using a non-diplomatic passport and business visas and has been gathering intelligence since 2017, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua said. The new allegations come three days after Canada launched the extradition process against Meng, angering Beijing, which called the action a "severe political incident." Meng is due in court in Vancouver on Wednesday to schedule a date for her extradition hearing. Donald Trump has said Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omars latest controversial comments about the US-Israel relationship represent a dark day for the Middle East country. Ms Omar, the first Somali-American elected to Congress, has been forced to defend herself in recent days following an event last week in which she claimed she was being pressured to pledge allegiance to Israel. I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country, she told an audience in Washington on Wednesday. She doubled down on her comments on Sunday, tweeting that she should not have to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve in Congress. Late on Monday evening, Mr Trump tweeted: Representative Ilhan Omar is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel. Jewish groups have just sent a petition to Speaker Pelosi asking her to remove Omar from Foreign Relations Committee. A dark day for Israel! Ms Omars comments were also criticised by members on both sides of the congressional aisle, with some claiming the suggestion of allegiance to Israel invokes antisemitic tropes. "Throughout history, Jews have been accused of dual loyalty, leading to discrimination and violence, which is why these accusations are so hurtful, tweeted Nita Lowey, a fellow Democratic congresswoman. But Ms Omar received support from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said the criticism of Ms Omar was "hurtful" and that discussion and debate on this issue is fair and merited. "One of the things that is hurtful about the extent to which reprimand is sought of Ilhan is that no one seeks this level of reprimand when members make statements about Latinx + other communities (during the shutdown, a GOP member yelled 'Go back to Puerto Rico!' on the floor)," Ms Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Tuesday. I remember a time when it was unacceptable to question the Iraq War, she also tweeted on Monday evening. All of Congress was wrong, including both GOP & Dem Party, and led my generation into a disastrous + wrong war that virtually all would come to regret. Story continues Israeli journalist Mairav Zonszein was among those who implied Ms Ilhan's criticism of Israel and US foreign policy was being wrongly conflated with antisemitism. Responding to Mr Trumps tweet, she said: Another admission its about criticising Israel and US foreign policy. Nothing to do with Jews. "This is why I cant believe the American Jews doubling down on Ilhan Omar. Do they really not see the real danger?" WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday amping up efforts to prevent veteran suicide. Veterans are 1.5 times more likely than non-veterans to take their lives, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 20 die by suicide on average each day. The order creates a Cabinet-level task force led by VA Secretary Robert Wilkie that will coordinate and align efforts across the federal government to help stem the crisis among former service members. The panel will be tasked with creating a national plan to more effectively lower the numbers of veteran suicides after numerous programs and billions of dollars allocated to address the problem in recent years have had minimal impact. "Veteran suicide is a tragedy of staggering proportions," Trump said at a signing ceremony. "Today, we can help end this crisis." The initiative is dubbed the "Presidents Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide" or the PREVENTS Initiative. The plan will include prioritizing related research, encouraging collaboration with the private sector and developing a proposal to offer grants to state and local governments to support efforts to prevent veteran suicide. "We're going to take care of our veterans we're working so hard on this. We're going to take care of them like never before," Trump said, calling them "our single greatest national treasure." "They kept us safe, and we're going to keep them safe," he said. The order follows a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released in November that found VA suicide-prevention outreach dropped off since Trump took office. That included fewer social-media postings, public service announcements and advertisements. The agency spent only $57,000 of more than $6 million that had been budgeted for ads. We also found that VA did not have clear goals for evaluating the effectiveness of its outreach activities, the GAO found. Story continues The VA attributed the drop-off in outreach to leadership changes and a realignment of suicide-prevention efforts. The agency identified veteran suicide as its highest clinical priority last year and released a 10-year strategy to address the crisis. From 2008 through 2016, more than 6,000 veterans took their lives each year totaling more than 54,000 deaths. In April 2017, former Navy SEAL Ryan Larkin became one of them. The 29-year-old had deployed twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan before leaving the service in 2016, and he struggled to return to civilian life when he got home. "Ryan kept saying that something was wrong with his head, but nobody was listening," his father, Frank, said during remarks with Trump at the White House on Tuesday. Frank Larkin said after his son's death, researchers discovered he had been suffering from a traumatic brain injury caused by exposures to blasts in training and on the battlefield. He praised the president's order, specifically the aspects furthering research, and urged anyone struggling now not to lose hope. "We will find a better way," Frank Larkin said. "Failure is not an option." Veterans needing help can call the VA crisis line by dialing 800-273-8255 and selecting option 1. They can also send a text message to 838255, or chat with counselors online. Opinion: I survived combat in Iraq and a suicide attempt at home. But many veterans aren't so lucky. More: Suicide never entered his mind. Then 9/11 happened. More: Authorities locate the suicidal veteran James Woods used Twitter to help More: Suicide rate up 33 percent in less than 20 years, yet funding lags behind other top killers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump ramps up effort to prevent veteran suicides with executive order creating task force WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday extended by one year sanctions against Zimbabwe saying that the new government's policies continue to pose an "unusual and extraordinary" threat to U.S. foreign policy. The renewal comes despite calls by African leaders, including South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, for the sanctions to be lifted to give the country a chance to recover from its economic crisis. "The actions and policies of these persons continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States," Trump said in a notice announcing the extension, adding: "I am continuing for (one) year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288." The renewal comes despite calls by African leaders, including South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, for the sanctions to be lifted to give the country a chance to recover from its economic crisis. Trump administration officials had said the sanctions will remain until the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa changes Zimbabwe's laws restricting media freedom and allowing protests. According to U.S. officials, there are 141 entities and individuals in Zimbabwe, including Mnangagwa and long-time former president Robert Mugabe, currently under U.S. sanctions. Mnangagwa has called for the sanctions to be lifted against the ZANU-PF ruling party, top military figures and some government-owned firms, which were imposed during Mugabe's rule over what the United States said were human rights violations and undermining of the democratic process. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton, editing by G Crosse) The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has hired Daniel Goldman, former Assistant US Attorney from the Southern District of New York, to spearhead an investigation into Donald Trumps White House administration. Mr Goldman began serving as a senior adviser and director of investigations last month after being hired by Adam Schiff, the committees Democratic chairman. A career prosecutor with experience combatting Russian crime operations, Mr Goldman previously told The Independent in an interview last year he would feel comfortable charging the president with felony campaign finance fraud based on what we know now, adding an important caveat: So long as Michael Cohen could be used as a witness, he said, and if the president could actually be indicted. Video: Jerry Nadler Defends Sweeping Investigation Into Trump For more news videos visit Yahoo View. Weve had some kindling and now we have real smoke but were not yet at a bonfire, though that certainly seems to be the direction were heading, Mr Goldman said in December 2018 nearly three months before the presidents former lawyer Michael Cohen delivered his explosive public testimony on Capitol Hill in which he accused Mr Trump of criminal conduct while in the White House. I think the presidents most concrete legal jeopardy that we know of in the public is the campaign finance fraud crimes that Michael Cohen plead guilty to. The hiring announcement first reported by The New Yorker arrives as multiple House committees launch aggressive investigations into the presidents financial dealings and involvement with Russia during the 2016 election and dating back to the 1990s. The investigations have been launched by newly-appointed Democratic chairmen after the party took control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 election. Story continues Mr Goldman worked for a decade at the Southern District of New York, which has now found itself at the core of multiple investigations into Mr Trump. Cohen revealed during his public testimony last week the office is investigating previously-unreported potential crimes committed by the president, and that he was not allowed to discuss the last conversation he had with his former boss as that was included in the Southern Districts ongoing probes. Mr Goldman previously served as the deputy chief of the organised-crime section at the US Attorneys Office in Manhattan, New York. His career has largely focused on prosecuting organised crime syndicates he oversaw prosecutions of a number of Russian criminals involved in financial crimes such as health-care fraud and nearly 30 defendants all accused of money laundering and racketeering. House investigators have also requested documents and information from translators who sat in on meetings between Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin, in which readouts and details have not been entirely disclosed to the public. In his interview with The Independent, Mr Goldman said: There are many strong legal arguments for why a sitting president can be indicted. Those included issues with statutes to limitations and fading memories, but also basic fundamental principles that no one should be able to defraud the voting public to attain office and then be protected by that office, he said. However, he noted that right now the policy at the DOJ is a sitting president cannot be indicted and unless that is reversed then there wont be an indictment by either the special counsels office or the southern district. Mr Schiffs committee will be focused on determining the extent of Mr Trump and his campaigns awareness of Russias intention to sway the 2016 election against his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, as the US Intelligence Community has since confirmed took place. The White House did not return requests for comment. President Donald Trump is putting an end to the preferential treatment afforded to India, a key ally. | Source: AP Photo/Susan Walsh By CCN.com: President Donald Trump has indicated that the preferential trade status that India enjoys with the United States under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) tariffs system and which allows it to export some products to the U.S. duty-free will be ended, according to Reuters. In a letter to Congress, Trump indicated that the decision to remove India from the Generalized System of Preferences tariff system was prompted by trade difference. According to Trump, India had failed to assure the U.S. of getting equitable and reasonable access to its markets. Under the GSP tariff system, some countries are exempt from the general rules as set by the World Trade Organization. India has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the GSP tariff system since its inception in the 1970s. Trumps Move Will be Implemented Two months After Notice Removing India from the preferential tariff system will take effect 60 days following the notification. It will be done via a presidential proclamation. Some of the exports from India that will be affected include handicrafts, farm and marine products. This is according to the Federation of Indian Export Organizations director general, Ajay Sahai, who spoke to Reuters. We fear that our labor-intensive exports of agriculture, marine and handicraft products to the U.S. would be hit hard. Under the preferential tariff system, India exports to the United States goods worth approximately $5.6 billion annually duty-free. Anup Wadhawan, Indias Commerce Secretary, however, said that the move would have a minimal impact on India. Wadhawan argued that the GSPs actual benefit to the country was just $190 million. Read the full story on CCN.com. Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Monday denied that he ordered an end to major US-South Korean military exercises as a concession to North Korea's totalitarian leader Kim Jong Un. The previously annual, large-scale maneuvers -- meant to keep troops ready in case of conflict with North Korea -- were shelved shortly after Trump's summit last week with Kim in Hanoi. Trump denied there was any link. "The military drills, or war games as I call them, were never even discussed in my mtg w/ Kim Jong Un," he tweeted. "I made that decision long ago because it costs the U.S. far too much money to have those 'games', especially since we are not reimbursed for the tremendous cost!" he said in the tweet. There are close to 30,000 US troops stationed in South Korea, and their annual drills with tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers have angered North Korea, which claims they are rehearsals for invasion. While Trump has ruled out withdrawing US troops, he has repeatedly complained about the cost of the exercises, describing them at a press conference in Hanoi as "very, very expensive." Trump's summit with Kim ended with no progress toward Washington's goal of getting the isolated country to give up its nuclear weapons. By Eric Beech and Neha Dasgupta WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump looked set to open a new front in his trade wars with a plan to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States. Monday's move comes as trade tensions between the United States and India mount. The United States is trying to rework pacts with a number of other countries as well, including China. Trump has said weak deals have cost millions of American jobs and has vowed to cut U.S. trade deficits. India played down the impact, saying it was keeping retaliatory tariffs out of its talks with the United States, but the opposition could seize on the issue to embarrass Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of general elections this year. Trump has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs, and U.S. trade officials said scrapping the concessions would take at least 60 days after notifications to Congress and the Indian government. "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Trump told congressional leaders in a letter. India is the world's largest beneficiary of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which dates from the 1970s, and ending its participation would be the strongest punitive action the United States has taken against the country since Trump took office. Reuters last month reported the planned U.S. action, which comes as the United States and China appear close to a deal to roll back U.S. tariffs on at least $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. "Discussions are on with the United States, and given cordial and strong ties, (we are) keeping retaliatory tariffs out of it," Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said in New Delhi. Story continues The preferential treatment brought India an annual "actual benefit" of just $190 million, he told reporters. Of the 3,700 products covered, India used the concession for just 1,784, Wadhawan added. "The benefit to industry is low, U.S. tariffs are already low," said another government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "GSP is more symbolic of the strategic relationship, not in value terms." Still, some expect the move to ratchet up pressure on India to address U.S. concerns. "The Indian government hasn't engaged enough to address market access issues," said Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. "For the sake of the many Americans and Indians who relied on GSP benefits, I hope that India will work to quickly address these legitimate concerns." POLITICAL PRICE Despite its limited impact, the GSP removal could hurt Modi's Hindu nationalist ruling party ahead of the election, expected in the next couple of months. "It can become a political issue in an election year," said the official who declined to be named. Modi's own relationship with Trump has been limited, with their meetings less frequent than those of Chinese President Xi Jinping with Trump, for example. Trade ties with the United States suffered after India adopted new rules on e-commerce curbing how internet retail majors Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc-backed Flipkart do business. That followed a drive by New Delhi to force global card payments companies such as Mastercard Inc and Visa Inc to move their data to India and higher tariffs on electronic products and smartphones. In 2017, the United States protested against India's decision to cap prices of medical devices. Last week, India delayed until April 1 higher tariffs on some U.S. imports announced in response to a U.S. refusal to exempt it from new steel and aluminum tariffs. "Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion," USTR said. The agency estimates the United States ran a goods and services trade deficit of $27.3 billion with India in 2017. India's top GSP exports to the United States in 2017 included motor vehicle parts, ferro alloys, precious metal jewelry, building stone, insulated cables and wires, said business grouping the Confederation of Indian Industry. "Some industries which are highly export-oriented to the American markets would be impacted, like pharma or textiles," said Siddharth Sedani, equity advisory head at brokerage Anand Rathi. India's falling trade deficit with the United States is estimated to have narrowed by more than $4 billion in 2018, the trade ministry said, adding it would fall further on growing demand for energy and civilian aircraft. (Additional reporting by Manoj Kumar, Krishna N.Das and Aditya Kalra in NEW DELHI and Chris Prentice in new York; Writing by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and James Dalgleish) WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he will visit Alabama on Friday, after weekend tornadoes in the southern state left 23 people dead. Alabama search and rescue teams on Tuesday were going through the wreckage of houses flatted by tornadoes, looking for as many as eight people who remained unaccounted for in the wake of the deadliest U.S. twister outbreak since 2013. "It's been a tragic situation," Trump said at the White House before a ceremony on military veteran suicides. "But a lot of good work is being done. I'm in constant touch with the governor and also the governor of Georgia." RELATED: Tornadoes strike in Alabama, Georgia Trump said details of his trip would be announced later. On Monday, the president wrote on Twitter that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be helping the region recover from the devastation. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Tom Brown) Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he'll go later this week to Alabama where tornadoes killed at least 23 people and wrecked swaths of the southern state. "I'll be heading to Alabama on Friday," he told reporters at the White House. "It's been a tragic situation but a lot of good work is being done." Tornadoes hit the state on Sunday, including a "monster" blast that tore through a strip of land several miles long. The wind pulled roofs from houses, snapped trees and in one case reportedly carried a billboard 20 miles (32 kilometers) through the air. Trump tweeted earlier that he had ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give Alabama "A Plus treatment." Im old enough to remember when religious-liberty lawyers were a quirky, somewhat cool, and tiny (very tiny!) subset of the legal profession. They were the guys whod skipped out on the law-firm bucks and instead spent their days making sure that the faithful folks on the fringes of American life didnt get a raw deal. They kept the dominant American cultural Christians honest. Did a Native American group need the liberty to build a sweat lodge? Was a quirky home-school family getting harassed by state education officials? Did a Sikh need help to keep his dagger? In each case, the religious-liberties bar was there to help, and with broad public approval. Few things symbolize the transformation of American politics more than the transformation of the religious-liberty dispute. Remember all the way back in 1993, when the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed with only three dissenting votes? It was introduced in the House by Chuck Schumer, in the Senate by Ted Kennedy. Bill Clinton signed it, with great fanfare. Now the very thought of introducing state versions of this federal legislation brings national condemnation, corporate boycotts, and media scorn. In the early 1990s, you could almost fit the entire religious-liberties bar in a single mid-sized hotel conference room. Now conservative religious-liberties lawyers are the virtual Seal Team Six of the culture war, with multiple organizations raising collectively close to $200 million annually to do battle in courtrooms from coast to coast. What changed? America changed from a largely single-faith culture to a two-faith nation sacred and secular and it will be a two-faith nation for the foreseeable future. Thats why religious liberties are so controversial. Thats why theyll be a flashpoint in 2020 and in 2024. No longer is a Christian nation urged to protect the small and politically insignificant faiths in its midst. In 1993, there was no real perceived public cost to basic religious tolerance. Now, the Sunnis are asked to tolerate the Shiites. The Hindus are asked to tolerate the Muslims. And in the zero-sum game of two-faith power struggle, when one faith wins, the other takes a loss. Story continues In an invaluable piece in todays New York Times, Ross Douthat makes an important point about American politics. While Democrats are divided between left and center-left on a broad range of policies, when it comes to the culture war, there is no meaningful center-left. Heres Douthat: The story of the Democrats struggles over the last 15 years is a story of a party that has consistently moved leftward faster than the also-changing country, and consistently overread victories on same-sex marriage above all as a template for how every cultural battle should play out. Its a story of a new feminism thats pushing the party ever-further from the center on abortion, of a new cohort of white liberals who are actually to the left of many African-Americans on racial issues, of an activist base that brands positions that many liberals held only yesterday as not only mistaken but bigoted or racist or beyond-the-pale. Consider Hillary Clinton, for example. I wrote not long ago that if the 2016 version of Hillary ran in 2020, shed anchor the far-right wing of the Democratic primary. Her health, climate, and foreign policies are all well to the right of the Democrats today. But not on cultural issues. On cultural issues she was lockstep with the white progressive Left dismissive of religious freedom, fully on board with the Obama administrations gender-identity initiatives, and even seeking public funding of abortions. Ross calls this modern liberalism a pseudo-church. Increasingly, however, we can drop the pseudo. As Andrew Sullivan and many others have been arguing for some time, the language and practice of secular intersectionality directly compares with multiple elements of classic religious belief from original sin (privilege), to justification (becoming woke), to sanctification (being an ally). But the secular nature of this religion leads many progressives to believe it can fully inhabit government, the academy, and corporate America without constitutional or legal consequence. True enough, under American law you can preach each aspect of the social-justice faith from the government pulpit in a way that you cant preach the divinity of Christ, but social justice cannot crowd religion from the public square. Identifying intersectionality and the secular focus on social justice as fundamentally religious impulses helps us identify the magnitude of our national polarization. The adoption of these religious impulses even by the center-left helps us understand why the stakes of our political contests always seem to rise. This is a sobering idea, because lets face facts present world realities and enduring examples from history teach us that true two-faith nations often struggle mightily to maintain social peace and political cohesion absent extraordinary efforts to maintain unity and comity. Tolerance is easy when tolerance doesnt threaten your power. A nation secure in its identity can and should unite to protect marginalized and politically weak religious voices, and in 1993 it did exactly that. A nation torn by religious division, by contrast, will view each advance by a religious foe as a material defeat of religious friends. Unless we can break that paradigm, look for the American divide to widen all the more. More from National Review By Lesley Wroughton, Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Monday it would allow lawsuits by U.S. citizens against dozens of Cuban companies and other entities on Washington's blacklist but will maintain, for now, a ban against suing foreign firms doing business on the communist-ruled island. The move marked an intensification of U.S. pressure on Cuba and also appeared aimed at punishing Havana over its support for Venezuelas socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. But it stopped short of the more severe step of targeting foreign investments in Cuba - though it left the door open to doing so in the future. Lawsuits in U.S. courts against Cuban enterprises, many linked to military and intelligence services, will be permitted beginning on March 19. But Washington will keep in place until at least April 17 a ban on legal action against foreign firms using property confiscated by the Cuban government since the 1959 revolution, the State Department said. Every U.S. president has suspended on a rotating six-month basis a section of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act that would allow such lawsuits by Cuban-Americans and other U.S. citizens due to opposition from the international community and fears it could create chaos in the U.S. court system with a flood of legal claims. But President Donald Trump's administration first announced in January a 45-day review of the matter and has now added another 30 days for further study while allowing the act's controversial Title III on private legal actions to be partially activated for the first time. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said he "strongly rejected" the U.S. action against Cuban companies "arbitrarily sanctioned" by the Trump administration. The 30-day waiver for other cases, he said in a message on Twitter, amounted to an "unacceptable threat against the world." A complete lifting of the ban could let potentially billions of dollars in legal claims move forward in U.S. courts and likely antagonize Canada and U.S. European partners, whose companies have significant business holdings in Cuba. It could also affect some U.S. companies that have begun investing in the island since former President Barack Obama's opening to the old Cold War foe. Allowing the provision to go into effect even on a limited basis could undermine efforts by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to foster foreign investment and promote tourism to bolster the Caribbean islands fragile economy. "The decision today adds obstacles to our development and economic goals, but the United States will continue to fail in its central aim of subjecting the sovereign will of Cubans by force," Cuba's foreign ministry said in a statement. CONSULTATIONS WITH CANADA, EUROPEANS A senior State Department official said the Trump administration had consulted with Canada and European partners in deliberations on how to proceed. Under Monday's announcement, lawsuits will not be authorized against foreign partners in joint ventures with the Cuban government, the official told reporters. The administration had initially prepared to open the door wider to litigation, exempting only U.S. companies and those from allied countries, but it decided in the end on a more limited approach for now, a person familiar with the discussions said. Among the foreign companies heavily invested in Cuba are Canadian mining firm Canadian Sherritt International and Spains Melia Hotels. U.S. companies, including airlines and cruise companies, have forged business deals in Cuba since the easing of restrictions under Obama. U.S.-Cuban relations have nosedived since Trump became president, partially rolling back the detente initiated by Obama and reverting to Cold War-style rhetoric. A six-decade-old U.S. economic embargo on Cuba has also remained officially intact. With Monday's announcement, the administration made clear that it was not only acting because of what the State Department official called "the Cuban states repression of its own people" but also to send a message about Havana's role in Venezuela. Cuba continues to maintain close relations to Russia and China and has destabilized Venezuela, leading to mass flows of refugees and of course public health threats," the official said. Trump aides have regularly denounced Cuba for what they say is political and security assistance helping Maduro to keep his grip on power since opposition leader Juan Guaido invoked the Venezuelan constitution in January and swore himself in as interim president. Washington and dozens of other countries have recognized Guaido, but Maduro, who says he is being targeted by a U.S.-directed coup attempt, is backed by Cuba as well as Russia and China and retains control of state institutions, including the military. Trumps toughened stance on Cuba as well as Venezuela has gone down well in the large Cuban-American community in south Florida, an important voting bloc in a key political swing state as he looks toward his re-election campaign in 2020. John Bolton, who became Trump's national security adviser last April, called Cuba and its top allies Venezuela and Nicaragua a "troika of tyranny" in Miami speech in November. (Reporting By Matt Spetalnick, Patricia Zengerle and Lesley Wroughton; writing by Matt Spetalnick; editing by Susan Thomas and Cynthia Osterman) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. State Department spokesman on Tuesday declined to elaborate on a comment by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday in which he called the Afghan Taliban terrorists. "The secretarys words speak for themselves and I am not going to go beyond that," spokesman Robert Palladino told a briefing. He said U.S. and Taliban representatives currently are meeting in Doha. Speaking to a group of students in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, Pompeo said: "I have a team on the ground right now trying to negotiate with the Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan." The United States has not declared the Taliban a terrorist organisation. Palladino said the peace talks in Doha are making progress but more work needed to be done to reach an agreement. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Lisa Lambert and Paul Simao) By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican and Democratic U.S. senators said on Monday they were frustrated with the Trump administration's failure to provide more information about the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi and vowed to push for a stronger response. State and Treasury Department officials briefed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee behind closed doors on Monday evening. Lawmakers said they had learned nothing new. "It was a complete waste of time. I knew more than they did," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump on many issues, told reporters. Graham said it was time for more action, but did not elaborate. Republican Senator Mitt Romney said: "It was not very helpful. And it was frustrating for a number of us to have made so little progress." Bob Menendez, the committee's ranking Democrat, said new sanctions should be levied, possibly via legislation he co-sponsored with Graham. "I think the Senate's going to have to act unless it is willing to accept the death of a U.S. resident journalist as an acceptable action because of a broader relationship. I don't accept that," Menendez said. The Trump administration missed a February deadline to report to Congress on who was responsible for Khashoggi's death. In Saudi Arabia, 11 suspects have been indicted in the murder, and officials have rejected accusations that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing. The report was required after lawmakers last year triggered a provision of the 2016 Global Magnitsky human rights act requiring that a Trump administration investigation. "The Senate needs to act. Otherwise, Global Magnitsky will have no consequence and any administration, this one or another, can just ignore it," Menendez said. Senator Jim Risch, the committee's Republican chairman, has not joined the criticism of the administration, but has sought more information. "This is a work in progress, and we will not let it go," Risch said in a written statement after the briefing. It said written material from the State Department was being reviewed. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Riyadh government, was killed at a Saudi consulate in Turkey in October. His death fueled simmering discontent in Washington over Saudi Arabia's human rights record and heavy civilian casualties in Yemen's civil war, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Last month, the Democratic-led House of Representatives approved a rare war powers resolution that would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. [L1N20820U] The timing of a Senate vote is uncertain. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) JERUSALEM (AP) The U.S. has deployed a highly advanced missile defense system in Israel for the first time, the American and Israeli militaries announced Monday, reflecting their shared concerns about Iran's development of powerful missiles. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, as a testament to the strength of the two countries' military ties, saying that it makes Israel "even stronger in order to deal with near and distant threats from throughout the Middle East." Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli army spokesman, told reporters that a THAAD battery, flown in from the U.S. and Europe, arrived Monday at an air force base in southern Israel. He said that the defense battery has only been installed a few times elsewhere in the world, and tested the U.S. ability to carry out accelerated deployment of such powerful and complex weapons. Israel already has an advanced multi-layered missile defense system, capable of intercepting everything from advanced guided long-range missiles outside the atmosphere to short-range unguided rockets fired from neighboring Gaza. During this week's drill, the THAAD battery, which shoots down long and intermediate range missiles, will bolster Israel's existing systems. The deployment is temporary, and for now, the THAAD system will not be permanently integrated into the Israeli defense shield, Conricus said. The U.S. military echoed said the deployment demonstrates the United States' "continued commitment to Israel's regional security" and more broadly shows that U.S. forces can "respond quickly and unpredictably to any threat, anywhere, at any time." Conricus described the deployment as a defensive drill unrelated to current developments in the region, but it comes amid tensions with Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah. Earlier this year, tensions nearly escalated into a confrontation between the longtime foes when Israel struck Iranian military targets in Syria in retaliation for Iran launching a missile from Damascus toward northern Israel. The Iranian missile was successfully intercepted by Israel's defensive shield. Israeli officials have repeatedly raised concerns about Iran's development of long-range missiles as well as Hezbollah's vast arsenal of rockets and missiles in neighboring Lebanon. Jerusalem (AFP) - The United States has deployed its advanced THAAD missile defence system temporarily to Israel for a joint military exercise, the first of its kind, officials said Monday. The two countries confirmed the deployment, with Israel's military stressing it was "not related to any specific current event". It is the first such exercise in Israel, although the two allies hold regular joint war games. No dates have been announced for the manoeuvres. Israel has its own missile defence system, but the exercise aims in part to examine how to incorporate THAAD so that "we are ready for any challenges in the future", military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said. It will also allow the US military to practice the rapid deployment of THAAD across the globe, officials said. "We see this as an opportunity to practice the integration of advanced American air defence systems into the Israeli air force air defence array," Conricus told journalists. "The THAAD system is considered to be one of the most advanced of its kind in the world," the Israeli spokesman said. The exercise with THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, involves more than 200 US military personnel and its components include radars and launching systems, Conricus said. Components and personnel have come from the United States and Italy, Conricus said. The THAAD will be deployed in southern Israel, but officials declined to say specifically where and for how long. Israel's enemies in the region include Iran and Lebanon's Tehran-backed Hezbollah, both of which are supporting President Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria. THAAD is capable of destroying short, medium and intermediate-range missiles. In 2017, the US government approved its sale to Saudi Arabia, providing Riyadh with state-of-the-art capabilities that could thwart an Iranian rocket attack. It had already been supplied to Saudi Arabia's neighbours Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Its deployment by the US military in South Korea as defence against North Korean drew protests from Beijing, which feared its sensors would be capable of penetrating Chinese air space and upset the balance of power. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the joint exercise, calling it "additional testimony to the commitment of the US to the security of Israel". Washington (AFP) - The US House will vote as early as Wednesday to condemn anti-Semitism, following another round of controversial comments by a new congresswoman who criticized pro-Israel lawmakers for potential "allegiance" to a foreign country. The resolution is not expected to specifically name Ilhan Omar, one of the first Muslim women ever elected to Congress, but the vote will be a clear reprimand against the freshman from Minnesota -- and the second public admonishment by fellow Democrats that she will have received since coming to Washington. Last week Omar sparked an uproar at a Washington event when she criticized the "powerful" pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, and US lawmakers who fiercely support the Jewish state. "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country," she said. Several lawmakers and activists recoiled. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Eliot Engel said it was "unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views, including support for the US-Israel relationship." President Donald Trump weighed in late Monday, pointing to Omar's "terrible comments concerning Israel" and suggesting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Anti-Defamation League chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt wrote to Pelosi slamming Omar's comments and urging the top Democrat to introduce a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and bigotry. "Accusing Jews of having allegiance to a foreign government has long been a vile anti-Semitic slur that has been used to harass, marginalize, and persecute the Jewish people for centuries," he wrote. Politico and others reported that the resolution, drafted by Pelosi and other top Democrats, will receive a floor vote Wednesday. Last month Omar, a onetime refugee from Somalia, triggered uproar with comments that echoed an anti-Semitic trope that Jewish influence in politics is money-related. Story continues Stunned Democratic leaders demanded -- and received -- and apology from Omar. But a second round of controversial comments has further angered some lawmakers. "It is disturbing that Rep. Omar continues to perpetuate hurtful anti-Semitic stereotypes that misrepresent our Jewish community," tweeted House Democrat Juan Vargas. "Additionally, questioning support for the US-Israel relationship is unacceptable." But Omar has pushed back. "I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee," she tweeted. Omar's public statements triggered an ugly Islamophobic reaction in the West Virginia statehouse. A poster displayed there by Republicans comparing Omar to Al Qaeda terrorists and showing 9/11 imagery sparked a physical confrontation between Democratic and Republican lawmakers. We listen to local police and fire departments scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, especially if they happen overnight. If you know of something were not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkindailynews.com, or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips. WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional panel said on Monday that it has served document requests on 81 government agencies, entities and individuals as part of an investigation into alleged obstruction of justice and other abuses by President Donald Trump and others. Among those targeted by the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee are the president's sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, WikiLeaks, White House aide and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former White House counsel Doug McGahn. "We have seen the damage done to our democratic institutions in the two years that the Congress refused to conduct responsible oversight. Congress must provide a check on abuses of power," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said in a statement. Among the committee's aims is determining whether Trump may have obstructed justice by ousting perceived enemies at the Justice Department, such as former FBI Director James Comey, and abused his presidential power by possibly offering pardons or tampering with witnesses. The House Judiciary Committees letter has been received by the White House," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. "The (White House) Counsels Office and relevant White House officials will review it and respond at the appropriate time. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the department has received the committee's letter and is evaluating the request. Republicans in Congress accuse Democrats of pursuing an impeachment agenda as part of a political strategy to reclaim the White House in the 2020 election. Comey was leading an investigation into Russia activities in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign when the president fired him in May 2017. The investigation was subsequently taken over by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is expected to end his investigation and report his findings to Attorney General William Barr in coming weeks. Story continues Nadler said Mueller and prosecutors conducting investigators in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office are aware of the committee's action. "We will act quickly to gather this information, assess the evidence, and follow the facts where they lead with full transparency with the American people," Nadler said. Some of those the committee is seeking documents from are among the dozens indicted by Mueller. They include former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former Trump adviser Roger Stone, and former attorney Michael Cohen. Also on the committee's list are others who worked on Trump's 2016 campaign or in the White House such as Hope Hicks, Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer; Rhona Graff, a long-time executive assistant at the Trump Organization; and David Pecker, chief executive of American Media Inc, which publishes the supermarket tabloid the National Enquirer. Trump maintains that his campaign did not collude with Russia and has repeatedly attacked the investigation, Mueller and the Mueller staff on Twitter. The committee's investigation will cast a wider net than Mueller, whose investigation is focused on specific crimes. The panel also is looking at whether Trump has used the White House for personal enrichment in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause. Several U.S. congressional committees are pursuing investigations focusing on Trump. Democrats say Cohen's testimony before the House Oversight Committee last week directly implicated Trump in various crimes including campaign finance violations. (Reporting by David Morgan and Sarah N. Lynch Editing by Bill Trott) Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Israel ahead of its April 9 election but will not be involved in the country's domestic politics, the State Department said Tuesday. Pompeo said Monday during a discussion with students in Iowa that he planned to visit Lebanon, Israel and Kuwait "next week." The State Department, without giving precise dates, said the trip was planned for a little later. In any case, it will take place ahead of the Israeli election. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of the Trump administration, is facing a tough election battle as he fends off charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said Pompeo's trip was not intended to send any message. "Israel is an ally," Palladino said. "We're not going to get involved in the domestic politics of another country." He said a detailed itinerary would be announced soon. As for Kuwait, Pompeo had planned to go there in January but was forced to cut his eight-day Middle East trip short for family reasons. "This is very much the continuation of that previous trip, the (US-Kuwait) strategic dialogue," he said. A coalition of 20 US states and California's Attorney General have announced lawsuits seeking to block a new rule barring groups providing abortions or abortion referrals from receiving federal funding. Changes to the Title X family planning programme announced by the Trump administration last month are expected to shift tens of millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood towards faith-based clinics. The lawsuits seek a court injunction to stop the rule from taking effect in 60 days. The filings are the first of what is expected to be a flurry of challenges to the new rule that would affect more than 4 million low-income women who receive services including cancer screenings and pregnancy tests through the Department of Health and Human Services programme. The California suit was filed in US District Court in San Francisco on Monday. The multi state lawsuit, brought mostly by Democratic-controlled states, is expected to be filed on Tuesday in US District Court in Oregon. [[gallery-0]] Everyone deserves the ability make their own decisions about their health care, Oregon governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, said in a statement. It is appalling that the federal government wants to rob individuals of the right to complete medical information and full access to the critical health care services they rely on. The rule imposes what administration officials have referred to as a bright line of physical and financial separation between the provision of family planning and abortion services. It would effectively require Planned Parenthood to drastically alter its operations, or forgo an estimated $60m in annual funding. It also bars federally funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions. Opponents call this stipulation a gag rule, arguing it will compromise medical ethics and potentially endanger women's lives. Xavier Becerra, California's Attorney General, called the rule an extraordinary overreach. Story continues HHS has exceeded the scope its statutory authority and acted in a manner that is arbitrary, capricious, and not in accordance with law, he wrote. In a statement, Mr Becerra, a Democrat, said the rule would deny patients access to critical health care services and prevents doctors from providing comprehensive and accurate information about medical care. It would also put California's Title X providers, which serve about 1 million women, in an untenable situation. He wrote: If existing health care providers are forced to decide whether to provide full and accurate information to patients, or forego federal Title X funding, numerous providers will have no choice but to sacrifice needed funds, to the detriment of the patients they serve. The 21 states are just some of the parties including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Centre for Reproductive Rights that have vowed to sue over the rule, which was published on Monday in the Federal Register. Supporters of the rule, which include numerous religious and anti-abortion organisations, have pointed to how the Supreme Court upheld similar regulations in 1991's Rust v Sullivan decision in a 5-to-4 ruling. But those regulations, introduced under Ronald Reagan and tied up in legal challenges, were in effect for only several weeks before the arrival of the Clinton administration, which promptly eliminated them. Maureen Ferguson, senior policy adviser with the Catholic Association, has argued the rule simply clarifies that abortion is not an appropriate method of family planning..." "The difference between the two is profound," she added "Title X money is appropriated by Congress for preventative family planning services, and was never meant to subsidise abortion clinics. Both state lawsuits argue, however, that the rule violates a provision of the Affordable Care Act, which wasn't in place 28 years ago, and which forbids regulations that create unreasonable barriers to the ability of individuals to obtain appropriate medical care. The multi-state lawsuit also describes the requirement of physical and financial separation as onerous. In a statement, Oregon officials explain that it would require health clinics to open another location, or create a separate entrance for patients, have separate examination rooms, hire separate personnel to work at separate workstations, maintain a separate phone number and website, and have separate electronic medical systems in order to continue to accept Title X funds. That lawsuit also takes issue with the rule's mandate that every pregnant patient get a referral for prenatal care regardless of the needs or the wishes of the patient. In addition to Oregon, the states participating in the multi-state lawsuit are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. The District of Columbia is also a party to the suit. The nation's Democratic attorneys general have repeatedly challenged initiatives of the Trump administration, weighing in on issues including the president's immigration policy and efforts to fund a wall along the US-Mexico border through an emergency declaration. Washington Post Tashan Gallagher, 31, was jailed for 15 years for a range of sexual offences at Bolton Crown Court (Picture: National Crime Agency) A vile paedophile has been jailed for 15 years after filming himself raping a six-month baby girl and abusing a two-year-old baby boy. Tashan Gallagher posted the footage to an encrypted app so he could join a private paedophile discussion group that had a condition that new members must post brand new abuse images. The 31-year-old was caught when investigators found the distinctive trainers he wore in one of the videos in his house, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Gallagher, of Leigh, Greater Manchester, was jailed for 15 years at Bolton Crown Court after admitting a catalogue of sex offences, including one charge of rape, four counts of sexual assault, five charges of making indecent photographs, two counts of distributing an indecent image of a child and two counts of possession of indecent images. He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and was made to sign the sex offenders register for life. Sentencing Gallagher at Bolton Crown Court, Judge Timothy Stead said words to describe his vile offending were wholly inadequate (Picture: PA) Sentencing Gallagher, Judge Timothy Stead said choosing words to describe the nature of this vile offending are wholly inadequate. The court heard that Gallagher filmed his attacks on the children four times in 2017 and uploaded them to Russian-based messaging app Telegram. He was arrested in October last year after Homeland Security investigators in America shared intelligence with the NCA relating to video files shared on Dropbox. When NCA officers searched his house they found the pair of Nike Air Max trainers Gallagher wore in one of the abuse videos and the mobile phone he used to record and upload the footage. READ MORE One in eight children dont play outdoors, report reveals The Catch-up: Soaring knife crime linked to police cuts, Met commissioner says Outcry over PC game where people play serial killer rapist and baby is killed on screen During police interview, Gallagher denied having a sexual interest in children, saying he got gratification from engaging with other men who did. NCA Operations Manager Graham Ellis said: Tashan Gallagher has been convicted of some truly incomprehensible, horrific crimes. Story continues His escalation of offending is very frightening; going from viewing abuse images to sexually abusing children, recording it and posting it online so he could join a private group. These forums incite offenders to increase their offending and are at the epicentre of online child sexual abuse. Gallagher represents where law enforcement needs to be, targeting the highest risk, most dangerous offenders using covert and specialist capabilities as required. The NCA will continue to work with our partners, at home and abroad, to ensure those who abuse children are brought to justice. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen has signed German start-up e.GO Mobile as the first external partner for its modular platform for electric vehicles (EV), as it seeks to simplify production across a variety of models. The partner will use VW's so-called MEB production system to "bring e-vehicles to market that complement Volkswagen's model offering," the carmaker said in a statement. A specific vehicle has yet to be decided on jointly, it added. The VW brand's strategy chief Michael Jost said in a newspaper interview in January the group was in advanced talks with competitors over opening its modular EV production platform to rivals. The platform seeks the cost advantages of large production numbers by standardizing as much as possible even across very different models. Volkswagen in January said it was exploring joint development of e-vehicles with Ford, under a wide-ranging partnership. The German group plans to invest 30 billion euros ($34 billion) in e-mobility until 2023, it said in a statement on the eve of the Geneva car show. The carmaker's electric-vehicle investment budget outstrips that of its closest competitors, in pursuit of profitable mass-production of electric vehicles, something that no carmaker has come close to achieving. E.GO Mobile helped develop a delivery van that is being produced by a subsidiary of postal services group Deutsche Post. Among e.GO's other projects, it aims to bring an electric minibus to market in a joint venture with German autos supplier ZF Friedrichshafen. (Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Mark Potter) A Volkswagen electric vehicle is plugged into a charging station. (REUTERS/Mark Blinch) The chief executive of Volkswagen Canada says the federal government should look at encouraging the removal of older, gas-guzzling cars from Canadian roads when it unveils its long-anticipated electric vehicle (EV) policy. Daniel Weissland, CEO and president of Volkswagen Canada, said in an interview with Yahoo Finance Canada that policies to encourage consumers to purchase zero-emission vehicles would only go so far, at least in the near term, to reduce carbon emissions. Even if you increase the number of electric vehicles from one to five per cent tomorrow, the majority of the vehicles on Canadian roads are the ones that produce CO2, Weissland said. If we find a way to get those older vehicles with higher C02 emissions off of the roads and replace it with new vehicles, or even current generation internal combustion vehicles, that would help us reduce emissions. The federal government announced in May 2017 that it would work with provincial partners and industry stakeholders to develop a national strategy to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles on Canadian roads. The strategy was supposed to be released by 2018. (Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains told Automotive News Canada in January that the policy would be unveiled in a matter of months.) Last year, the newly elected Doug Ford government in Ontario rolled back electric vehicle incentives that provided buyers with up to $14,000 in subsidies. While Weissland said he was surprised by the sudden rollback of those incentives, he says they were not a sustainable way to spur EV demand. Those, for me, are just temporary measures, Weissland said. Lets say half of our customers will be buying electric vehicles. Who is going to pay for those rebates? At the end of the day it would be the taxpayer, and we shouldnt forget that. Thats not sustainable. Electric vehicle adoption rates in Canada have certainly been slow. In fact, a 2009 goal to get at least half a million electric cars on Canadas roads by the end of 2018 missed the mark by a whopping 400,000+ vehicles. Data compiled by FleetCarma, which tracks quarterly EV sales, suggests that by the end of 2018 sales were less than 100,000. Story continues Still, Volkswagen and other automakers around the world see electric vehicles playing a crucial role in the future of the auto industry. For example, General Motors has pledged to launch 20 EV models by 2023. In fact, an increased focus on electric vehicles was cited as one of the reasons behind the pending closure of the companys assembly plant in Oshawa, Ont. For its part, Volkswagen is trying to encourage EV adoption rates in Canada through Electrify Canada, a company formed by Volkswagen Canaada that will build fast-charing EV charging stations across the country. Each charging station will have four chargers on average, with capability to charge larger batteries expected to come to market going forward. Range anxiety is still one of the biggest concerns people have, Weissland said. Thats why were investing in infrastructure. Volkswagen Canada isnt the only one. Suncors Petro-Canada announced last month that it will be building a network of EV fast-charging along the Trans-Canada highway, stretching from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. The focus on electric vehicles from auto makers and industry stakeholders alike can, at least in part, be credited to the rise of Elon Musks Tesla something Weissland says has changed the industry for the better. Competition is always good, especially with a disruptor like this. Its a wake up call for the whole industry, and now Tesla is being used an example of what can be done for many traditional OEMs, he said. We need people like Elon Musk who will lead the way, are progressive and make those moves when everyone is saying, dont do it. With files from the Canadian Press. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. The replica of the Fearless Girl statue in Paternoster Square. Photo: State Street Global Advisors A replica of the Fearless Girl statue made famous on Wall Street has come to London. US bank and financial services company State Street announced on Tuesday that it has installed the replica in Paternoster Square in London, right next to the London Stock Exchange. The installation comes ahead of International Womens Day on Friday and is meant to highlight the campaign by State Streets asset management division to get more women in management teams and on boards. Lori Heinel, deputy global chief investment officer for State Street Global Advisors, said: Studies have shown that companies with greater gender diversity at the senior leadership levels generate better returns than their peers. That drives our conviction to continue our engagement and voting efforts as we look to make further progress on this important topic. Last year State Street identified 1,265 companies with no women on its board. Since then, 423 have added at least one female director to their board, State Street said. The company also announced on Tuesday that from 2020 in the UK, US, and Australia State Street Global Advisors would vote down entire boards if they have no female nominees and have not engaged with State Street on the gender diversity issue. State Street Global Advisors is the worlds third largest asset manager, with $2.5trn in assets under management. The Fearless Girl (L) statue stands facing the Charging Bull as tourists take pictures in New York on April 12, 2017. Photo: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images The Fearless Girl statue was first installed on Wall Street in 2017, pictured staring down the Charging Bull statue on Wall Street. Catherine McGuinness, chair of the policy and resources committee at the City of London Corporation, said: We are delighted to welcome Fearless Girl to the City. This builds upon the City of London Corporations continuing efforts to increase the recognition of women in the Citys public realm. I hope that Fearless Girl will serve as a reminder of the progress we have made and the progress we still need to make. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - A UN envoy is moving ahead with plans to hold a second round of talks this month on settling the decades-old conflict in Western Sahara, the UN spokesman said Tuesday. Horst Koehler, a former German president who has been leading the UN peace effort between Morocco and the Polisario Front, held a first round in December in Geneva that did not yield any breakthroughs. The envoy "plans to convene a second roundtable of meetings in the second half of March in Switzerland," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Koehler has been holding bilateral meetings to prepare for the talks between Morocco, the Algerian-backed Polisario, Algeria and Mauritania. The Polisario fought a war with Morocco from 1975 to 1991, when a ceasefire deal was agreed and a UN peace mission was deployed to monitor the truce. The Polisario is demanding a referendum on independence for the territory, which Morocco has flatly rejected. Morocco, which annexed the territory after Spain withdrew in 1975, considers Western Sahara to be an integral part of the kingdom and has instead offered autonomy. By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Matthew Whitaker, whose brief tenure as acting U.S. attorney general was marred by accusations that he might try to interfere in a probe of President Donald Trump's campaign, left his Justice Department job over the weekend, a department spokeswoman confirmed on Monday. Whitaker's last day at the department was on Saturday, the spokeswoman said, adding she did not know where he might be headed next. In mid-February, Attorney General William Barr was sworn in and Whitaker stepped down from the top post to become a senior counselor in the office of the associate attorney general. In one of his final acts as acting attorney general, Whitaker testified before the House Judiciary Committee where combative Democratic lawmakers pressed him on whether he had tried to interfere with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia. Whitaker denied any interference and said he had not talked to Trump about the probe. Trump has denied colluding with Russia, and has repeatedly called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt." Whitaker first joined the Justice Department as former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' chief of staff in the fall of 2017. Trump hand-picked him as acting attorney general in November after the president fired Sessions. Whitaker's appointment alarmed Democrats, who pointed to numerous negative comments that he had made about the probe during his previous work as a conservative political pundit. Those concerns were exacerbated after the Justice Department revealed its career ethics lawyers had recommended that Whitaker recuse himself from the probe to avoid the appearance of a conflict, but that he declined to do so. The Justice Department also separately faced a backlash in the form of multiple lawsuits alleging Whitaker's appointment violated the U.S. Constitution and the federal law governing succession at the department. None of the plaintiffs who challenged Whitaker's appointment prevailed, and the issue has since been mooted with Barr's Senate confirmation. Although Whitaker is no longer with the Justice Department, he could still find himself in the spotlight. Following his contentious House testimony last month, Democrats have raised questions about whether he had been truthful in his statements under oath. In a letter to Whitaker, the panel's Chairman Jerrold Nadler said he wanted Whitaker to come back and follow up on answers he gave which seemed "unsatisfactory, incomplete or contradicted by other evidence. The status of the committee's request as of Monday was not immediately known. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by David Gregorio) Post: #1 You Have to Pay With Your Body: Hidden Nightmare of Sexual Violence on the Border Advertisement You Have to Pay With Your Body: The Hidden Nightmare of Sexual Violence on the Border March 3, 2019 MCALLEN, Tex. It was dark in the stash house where they kept her, the windows covered so no one could see inside. At first, the smugglers had her cook for the other migrants who had recently crossed illegally into the United States. Then they took her to a room upstairs, locked the door and began taking turns with her. It was the summer of 2014, and Melvin, a 36-year-old mother of three, had just completed the journey from her native Guatemala, crossing the Rio Grande on a raft before being led to the house in the Texas border city of McAllen. For weeks in that locked room, the men she had paid to get her safely to the United States drugged her with pills and cocaine, refusing to let her out even to bathe. I think that since they put me in that room, they killed me, she said. They raped us so many times they didnt see us as human beings anymore. ... https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/03/us/bo...0585O0qYtY --------------------------------------------------------------------- New York Times Admits Mass Rape of Latino Migrants The New York Times has admitted that many Latino migrants are being raped by the cartel-affiliated coyotes who traffick them to jobs in Democratic-run cities. Under the headline, You Have to Pay With Your Body: The Hidden Nightmare of Sexual Violence on the Border, the newspaper reported: Gladys, 45, a mother of four from Guatemala, said she was kidnapped by armed smugglers after crossing the border and jumped out of a car to escape, but was captured again. For days, she was held prisoner at a stash house in McAllen and forced to have sex with six men. I thought it would be better if I died when I fell from the car, she said. ... https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/...-migrants/ March 3, 2019MCALLEN, Tex. It was dark in the stash house where they kept her, the windows covered so no one could see inside. At first, the smugglers had her cook for the other migrants who had recently crossed illegally into the United States. Then they took her to a room upstairs, locked the door and began taking turns with her.It was the summer of 2014, and Melvin, a 36-year-old mother of three, had just completed the journey from her native Guatemala, crossing the Rio Grande on a raft before being led to the house in the Texas border city of McAllen.For weeks in that locked room, the men she had paid to get her safely to the United States drugged her with pills and cocaine, refusing to let her out even to bathe. I think that since they put me in that room, they killed me, she said. They raped us so many times they didnt see us as human beings anymore....---------------------------------------------------------------------The New York Times has admitted that many Latino migrants are being raped by the cartel-affiliated coyotes who traffick them to jobs in Democratic-run cities.Under the headline, You Have to Pay With Your Body: The Hidden Nightmare of Sexual Violence on the Border, the newspaper reported:Gladys, 45, a mother of four from Guatemala, said she was kidnapped by armed smugglers after crossing the border and jumped out of a car to escape, but was captured again. For days, she was held prisoner at a stash house in McAllen and forced to have sex with six men. I thought it would be better if I died when I fell from the car, she said.... INDIANAPOLIS - On Ash Wednesday, you may encounter Christians, especially Catholics, wearing a smudge of ashes on their foreheads. That could be a bit startling, unless you know the meaning behind this religious practice. Here is what you should know about Ash Wednesday and the celebration of Lent. What is Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday officially known as the Day of Ashes is a day of repentance, when Christians confess their sins and profess their devotion to God. During a Mass, a priest places the ashes on a worshiper's forehead in the shape of a cross. The ceremony, which also can be performed by a minister or pastor, is meant to show that a person belongs to Jesus Christ, and it also represents a person's grief and mourning for their sins the same sins that Christians believe Jesus Christ gave his life for when he died on the cross. Mardi Gras: What is it, and how do people celebrate every year Ash Wednesday is important because it marks the start of the Lenten period leading up to Easter, when Christians believe Jesus died and was resurrected. During this period, Christians show repentance and mourning for their sins, because they believe that Christ died for them. When the priest applies the cross of ashes, he says to the worshiper: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. He also may say Repent and believe in the Gospel. It is not required that a worshiper wear the ashes for the rest of the day, although many Christians choose to do so. However, dining out or doing non-essential shopping are considered inappropriate on Ash Wednesday. The Rev. Tom Kryder-Reid, right, signs the cross of ashes on the forehead of Siara Reyes, as others wait their turn, on Ash Wednesday "Ashes On The Go!" offered at Christ Church Cathedral on Monument Circle, on Feb. 14, 2018. People could come up to receive the ashes and head on their way. Where do the ashes come from? Traditionally, ashes used on Ash Wednesday are gathered up after palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned. They are then blessed before being used in the ceremony. Palms are used on Palm Sunday in many Christian churches to symbolize Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the Sunday before his crucifixion on Easter. Residents of Jerusalem are said to have waved palm fronds to celebrate his arrival. Story continues Father Rick Nagel shows the ashes used during Ash Wednesday service at Saint John Catholic Church, Wednesday, February 10, 2016. Can Catholics eat meat on Ash Wednesday? No. Catholics are not supposed to eat meat on Ash Wednesday. They also are expected to give up meat on Fridays during Lent. Catholics are expected to fast on Ash Wednesday. Fasting means consuming only one full meal a day; two smaller meals that don't together add up to a full meal also are allowed. Children and the elderly are exempt from the fasting requirement on Ash Wednesday and during Lent. Intermittent fasting: This man fasts from 17 to 24 hours a day. Here's how he says it's changed his life. Is Ash Wednesday based on a pagan festival? No. Early Christians in Rome were sprinkled with ashes during Lent, but the Ash Wednesday practice of placing ashes on the forehead of Christians didn't begin until the Middle Ages. When is Ash Wednesday in 2019? Ash Wednesday falls on a different day each year, because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as Feb. 4 or as late as March 10. This year, Ash Wednesday is Wednesday, March 6. What is Lent? Ash Wednesday is one of the most important on the Christian calendar, because it marks the start of Lent. Lent is a six-week period of fasting, self-sacrifice and prayer observed by Christians each year to prepare for the celebration of Easter, when they believe Christ rose from the dead to sit at the right hand of God, his father. Lent is celebrated over 46 days. It includes 40 days of fasting and six Sundays, on which fasting is not practiced. The 40-day period has a special significance in the Old and New Testaments. For instance, Moses spent 40 days and nights with God on Mount Sinai in preparation to receive the Ten Commandments. Jesus also is depicted as being led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 40 days. Lent turns digital: Churches try Facebook Live videos, Instagram hashtags A nun prays during Ash Wednesday service at Saint John Catholic Church, Wednesday, February 10, 2016. Things to give up for Lent Many people want to know what they should give up for Lent to prove your devotion. Many people give up things that they love, such as candy or sweets, favorite foods, television or gasp! social media. The reason for their self-sacrifice: Christians want to replicate the hardships felt by Jesus during his 40 days in the desert. Follow Dwight Adams on Twitter: @hdwightadams. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Christians wear ashes for Ash Wednesday and give up their favorite things for Lent For years, climate change has been the also-ran of presidential campaign issues, even as the threat has become steadily more serious. Vice President Al Gore, who spent the previous decade calling for action, didnt center his campaign around the issue during his run in 2000. Barack Obama and John McCain both talked about fighting climate change in 2008, but global warming was dwarfed as an issue by Iraq and the economy. And in 2016, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump did not receive a single question on the issue over the course of three debates. Now, activists, environmentalists and some politicians think the dynamic has shifted, in part because voters are starting to see the effects of climate change in real time. Wildfires are ravaging California, heavy rain is flooding communities across the country and drought has killed off crops in the heartland. Meantime, President Donald Trump, who once called climate change a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, has galvanized Democrats and suburban moderates who are worried about his Administrations rolling back of efforts to fight it, which has left the U.S. the only country opposed to the Paris Agreement on climate change. But those on the front lines of climate change politics say its no longer enough for it to be just one of several top issues. With time running out to cut greenhouse gases in order to stave off the worst-case scenarios, they say presidential contenders need to commit to making it their No. 1 issue when they take office. You need to hear from the candidates that this is going to be a priority from day one, says Christy Goldfuss, who chaired President Obamas Council on Environmental Quality and is now a senior vice president at the Center for American Progress, adding that candidates need to acknowledge that they are willing to use all aspects of the government. With the 2020 election more than 600 days away, several key players are working to push climate change to the top of the agenda, at least for the Democratic nominee. Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and veteran Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts put forward a broad outline of a Green New Deal which calls for the U.S. to decarbonize by 2030 an aggressive goal that could require trillions of dollars in investment. (Supporters argue the costs of inaction would be far higher.) Story continues Many of the best-known Democratic presidential candidates have endorsed the Green New Deal resolution, but it remains unclear to what extent they are committed to all of its parts. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, for example, endorsed a Green New Deal but suggested that she might not support every plank, instead calling it a framework for discussion. And former Texas Rep. Beto ORourke, who is widely expected to run for president, said in January that he is supportive of the concept. While its too early in the campaign to ding candidates for lacking detailed plans, many seem more animated by kitchen table issues like health care and economic inequality. Thats understandable given that most of them cut their teeth as politicians in an era when climate change ranked low on the list of voter priorities, but activists say the urgency of climate change makes such a posture unacceptable. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a former member of Congress who entered the Democratic presidential primary last week, has taken a different tack, building his entire candidacy around the issue. He told TIME that he wants his run and potential presidency to serve as a bugle call to activate American ingenuity that will drive economic prosperity. It may have already helped raise his profile, at least, as he says he raised more than $1 million since launching his campaign despite a low national profile. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an outspoken advocate for action on climate change, said Tuesday that he would not run for president, but he doubled down on his commitment to fund candidates with strong positions on the issue. The public is looking to their Democratic leaders for leadership, says Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat who has pushed for climate change measures in the Senate. You can get into a vicious cycle when Democratic leaders see climate as a No. 7 issue in the minds of the public, and so we dont talk about it, and it stays a No. 7 issue. A landmark report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations climate science body, shows the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 to keep temperatures from rising more than 1.5C by 2100, a level the agency warns will kill off the worlds reefs and unleash mass climate-related migration, among a slew of other challenges. Meeting that goal is difficult already and will grow more difficult with every passing year. And then theres the political urgency. If history is any guide, the next president is likely to have one shot at passing big legislation before the politics of the midterm elections take over. Climate change could easily fall to the wayside if its a second or third priority for the next president, as happened under Obamas first term. We all agree on a lot of shit, says Sean McElwee, co-founder of the progressive group Data for Progress. The question is, when you have a limited amount of political capital, you have a limited legislative calendar, what gets put to the front of the agenda and what gets pushed off to the future? Thats where the activists come in. A group of young progressives has pushed their elected officials to prioritize climate change and endorse bold solutions. Most notably, the Sunrise Movement, an activist group led by young people, has hosted sit-ins in lawmakers offices and kept the issue in the medias eye. Were pushing folks not just to pay lip service to the Green New Deal or use it as a sexy buzzword but to put some actual substance behind, says Varshini Prakash, Sunrises executive director. The activists want to ensure that the Green New Deal remains at the top of conversation. To President Trump and many conservatives, the activists are easy fodder for ridicule and help rally the Republican base against big government. But Democratic presidential candidates take the protesters seriously. On a recent Wednesday morning, activists from Sunrise toured the Washington offices of Democratic senators running for president. Grinning receptionists and staffers eager to pitch the activists on their bosss credentials met the activists as they sang and chanted in their offices. (Thats a sharp contrast from their visits to Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosis offices, where their pleas were met with arrests). And, while national polls may not seem to favor the climate discussion, the Democratic primary is a different beast. A February poll from the Center for American Progress shows that Democratic primary voters in five early voting states see climate change as a top issue alongside health care. And a poll from Yale Climate Communications showed that voters who identify as liberal Democrats ranked climate change fourth out of 28 issues ahead of the midterm elections. The Sunrise activists say that talking about the Green New Deal helps voters understand climate change as a kitchen table issue, too, as a warming planet exacerbates issues like unemployment and poverty. Were actually talking about the real life issues that Americans are facing, says Prakash. Ultimately, though, as the effects of climate change grow more severe, the warming planet will push its own messaging. The urgency of global warming is much easier to understand when your backyard is on fire or youre wading through your neighborhood. And that may be what it takes for people to vote on it. MILWAUKEE In violation of a health-department measles quarantine, a Brookfield man and his wife were charged after visiting a local health club, according to a criminal complaint. Jeffery Murawski told a deputy that he hid in his car while his wife drove him to Gold's Gym in Waukesha so he would not be spotted by another deputy stationed outside his house to keep him from leaving. Although the alleged incident took place 10 months ago, Christine Bennett, 58, and Murawski, 57, were charged with one count each of exposing the public to communicable disease, a misdemeanor, on Friday in Waukesha County Circuit Court. A family member reached out via email to dispute that Murawski had measles. The family member alleged the discussion with health officials was about possible exposure after the Public Health department was unable to confirm that he was vaccinated - which he disclosed, the family member said. Measles: People may have been exposed to measles at Chicago's Midway airport Vaccinations: Vaccines don't cause autism, yet another study finds The Waukesha County Health Department declined to say whether it is normal for someone with measles to be quarantined and whether it is customary for law enforcement to be stationed outside a quarantine's person's home. "The Waukesha County Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Division respectfully declines to answer general information questions at this time," said Linda Wickstrom, the agency's public communications coordinator. A Waukesha County Sheriff's Department deputy reported on May 1 that another off-duty deputy noticed a man whom he recognized as Murawski, walking on the street. The deputy knew a Waukesha County Health officer had previously ordered Murawski to be quarantined at his home in order to prevent the spread of measles, according to the criminal complaint. The quarantine in this instance was the least restrictive form, allowing Murawski's immediate family living within the home to enter and leave at any time because they had been vaccinated against the virus. Story continues Murawski was ordered to be quarantined in his home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, until he was either deemed non-contagious by Health and Human Services or until May 7, the complaint said. The deputy noticed Murawski from a distance walking into the suite of businesses at 1801 Airport Road, Waukesha, where his wife, Bennett, worked. There he observed Bennett in her car waiting in the parking lot. Murawski walked up to Bennett, greeted her, then entered the car, according to the complaint. Measles outbreak: What to know about the measles outbreak, affecting over 60 in Washington anti-vaccination hot spot Vaccinations: Teen who vaccinated himself says anti-vaxx Mom gets misinformation from Facebook An on-duty deputy pulled over Bennett's car and asked Murawski, "Aren't you supposed to be at home?" Murawski reportedly put his head down said yes and began apologizing profusely. Murawski said he needed to get out of the house because "he was going crazy" and had been on quarantine at his home on Carpenter Road since April 26, the complaint said. Murawski was asked whether at any point he had exited the car and stated no despite the fact that an off-duty deputy had observed Murawski walking down Moreland Boulevard carrying a gym bag. Murawski eventually admitted going inside Gold's Gym to work out, but said he was there for only a few minutes because he felt guilty and sick to his stomach for deciding to leave his house, the complaint said. Bennett said she knew Murawski was not supposed to leave and that she had taken away his car keys. She told the deputy she went against her better judgment and later agreed to take him to Gold's Gym before going to her work. Murawski said he hid in his wife's car in order to avoid being seen by the deputies, who were assigned to remain directly outside of Murawski's home to enforce the order at all times. The criminal complaint said the off-duty deputy was aware of Murawski's situation as he was monitoring him as part of the special assignment on both April 29 and 30. 'The real infection is misinformation': UNICEF on alarming global surge in measles Measles: 900 people died of measles in Madagascar outbreak. Could that happen in the U.S.? The maximum penalty Bennett and Murawski could face would be 30 days jail and a $500 fine. There have been no confirmed cases of measles in Wisconsin in 2018 or to date in 2019. The last time Wisconsin had measles cases was in 2014.That year, there were two cases, according to Elizabeth Goodsitt, communications specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The disease is caused by the measles virus. Measles starts with fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes and sore throat. It is followed by a rash that spreads over the body. Measles can lead to ear infections and diarrhea. Serious side effects from measles can occur. Some children may get an infection of the lungs (pneumonia) or swelling of the brain, which can sometimes lead to death, according to a DHS fact sheet. Goodsitt said that when someone is quarantined, it is not because they have the measles, it is because that person was exposed and does not have proof of immunity. Someone with measles would be isolated from others. The measles virus can stay in the air for up to two hours after a sick person has been in a room. Infected people can spread measles to others four days before the rash appears through four days after it appears. The best way to avoid getting sick from measles is to get vaccinated, Goodsitt said. She recommends going to Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR), which allows people to check their immunization records online. Follow Karen Pilarski on Twitter at @KarenPilarski. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin man accused of breaking a measles quarantine to go to the gym Designed to provide broad exposure to the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs category of the market, the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFJ) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 06/16/2006. What Are Smart Beta ETFs? The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment. A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns. But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market. Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance. While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results. Fund Sponsor & Index Because the fund has amassed over $766.64 M, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs. DFJ is managed by Wisdomtree. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index. WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index measures the performance of dividend-paying small capitalization companies in Japan. After the 300 largest companies have been removed from the WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index, the remaining companies are chosen for inclusion in the Index. Companies are weighted in the Index based on annual cash dividends paid. Cost & Other Expenses Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same. Story continues With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.58%. It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.78%. Sector Exposure and Top Holdings Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings. Taking into account individual holdings, Sankyo Co Ltd accounts for about 0.78% of the fund's total assets, followed by Matsui Securities Co Ltd and Dic Corp. The top 10 holdings account for about 6.03% of total assets under management. Performance and Risk Year-to-date, the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund has added about 6.31% so far, and is down about -13.65% over the last 12 months (as of 03/05/2019). DFJ has traded between $60.90 and $82.84 in this past 52-week period. The ETF has a beta of 0.69 and standard deviation of 13.78% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 815 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk. Alternatives WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well. JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BBJP) tracks MORNINGSTAR JAPAN TRGT MRKT EXPOSURE ID and the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) tracks MSCI Japan Index. JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF has $3.92 B in assets, iShares MSCI Japan ETF has $15.53 B. BBJP has an expense ratio of 0.19% and EWJ charges 0.47%. Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs. Bottom Line To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFJ): ETF Research Reports iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ): ETF Research Reports JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BBJP): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research For Immediate Release Chicago, IL March 5, 2019 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Global Payments Inc. GPN, Euronet Services Inc. EEFT, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. FIS and Credit Acceptance Corp. CACC. Here are highlights from Mondays Analyst Blog: 4 Payment Stocks to Gain on Growing Consumer Confidence The payments industry, which is largely dependent on consumer spending, is set to thrive on the recently reported strong consumer confidence data. Strong Consumer Confidence According to the Conference Board, the consumer confidence index for the month of February 2019 climbed to 131.4 from a revised 121.7 in January. The key economic indicator that measures attitude on economic prospects exceeded analysts expectations of a 124.7 reading and has rebounded after three straight months of decline. Peoples confidence in the present situation improved from 170.2 last month to 173.5 in February, which is an 18-year high. The future expectations index also increased from 89.4 to 103.4, the largest monthly gain since 2011. Consumers optimism was largely driven by strength in the labor market. Increase in Spending to Boost Online Payment Transactions Such a record consumer confidence number is significant since the index has been, historically, good at predicting consumer spending over the next three to six months. The more confidence households generate, the more they are likely to spend. Notably, consumer spending accounts for roughly 70% of the U.S. economy. Given the increased speed, ease, flexibility and popularity of the use of cards and online modes of making payments, the share of e-commerce has been increasing consistently in recent years. Often e-commerce sales include online payments via debit or credit cards, from bank accounts or even contactless methods. The proliferation of technology has led to an increase in e-commerce in the recent years, which in turn has given a boost to digital payments. Story continues The impact and influence of digital payments are expanding rapidly, fueled by the proliferation of smart connected devices, adoption of technology that enables payments in new environments, and growth in under penetrated payment segments. Per Statista, in 2018, online sales of physical goods amounted to $504.6 billion and are projected to surpass $735 billion in 2023. Apparel and accessories retail e-commerce in the United States is projected to generate over $138.7 billion in revenues by 2022. Our Picks Since the payments industry is positioned to benefit from this promising reading on confidence level, picking stocks from the same will be a smart move. Global Payments Inc.with a Zacks Rank of 2, is a credit card processor, merchant acquirer and bank credit card issuer. The company provides payment processing, merchant and related payment services to financial and nonfinancial institutions in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico and internationally. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The company witnessed a revenue CAGR of 11% from 2008 to 2018. The top line should see further upside from a strong market position and attractive core business that continues to be driven by new deals, renewed agreements, accretive acquisitions and expansion of service offerings. The stock has risen 16% in a years time, almost the same as its industry. Euronet Services Inc. is an industry leader in providing secure electronic financial transaction solutions. The company offers financial payment middleware, financial network gateways, outsourcing and consulting services to financial institutions and mobile operators. The companys strong position is backed by constant expansion across the globe through strategic acquisitions, strong results of the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and Money Transfer segments. Its revenues have been growing consistently over the past few years on the back of diversity across products and geographies. The stock has gained a whopping 58% in a years time against its industrys decline of 13%. It carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and has witnessed a 0.9% upward revision in 2019 earnings estimates. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. provides payment solution among a host of other services. It remains well positioned for growth backed by its attractive core business with a recurring revenue model, digitization and several ongoing strategic initiatives. Further, the company's international exposure will support revenue growth. Its strong capital position keeps the company well poised to undertake opportunistic expansion strategies. The stock has gained 8% in a years time compared with its industrys growth of 16%. It carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and has witnessed 30% upward revision in 2019 earnings estimates over the past 30 days. Credit Acceptance Corp. with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) has been witnessing consistent revenue growth. Its top line has registered a five-year (2014-2018) CAGR of 15.5%. Growth is primarily attributable to continued rise in finance charges, which is also the main revenue component (accounting for 91.5% of total revenues in 2018). Given the increase in the demand for auto loans, finance charges are likely to continue improving, thereby supporting revenue growth. The stock has gained 35% in a years time against the industrys decline of 10.5%. It has witnessed a 6.2% upward revision in 2019 earnings estimates over the past 30 days. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, wouldn't you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? From more than 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank, these 10 were picked by a process that consistently beats the market. Even during 2018 while the market dropped -5.2%, our Top 10s were up well into double-digits. And during bullish 2012 2017, they soared far above the market's +126.3%, reaching +181.9%. This year, the portfolio features a player that thrives on volatility, an AI comer, and a dynamic tech company that helps doctors deliver better patient outcomes at lower costs. See Stocks Today >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Credit Acceptance Corporation (CACC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (EEFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Global Payments Inc. (GPN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research ... Veteran Nigerian rapper eLDee has lashed out at his colleague Olu Maintain for perfoming his song without appropriate permission. It all started when the Yahoozee crooner shared a video clip on Instagram where he was seen performing somewhere in America. In the video Olu Maintain was performing Big Boy which is owned by eLDee but he was however featured on the track alongside Oladele and Banky W. Reacting to the clip the leader of defunct Da Trybes Men crew called Mr Olu a Shameless N*gga. He wrote this shameless n*gga out here on stages performing my song like he created it. Eldee also noted that Mr Olu tried to steal the record from him after he was featured. Still on the clip, Ice Prince opined that Olu Maintain had as much right to perform the tune because he was a featured artiste. See the exchange below. The National Caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is currently in a closed-door meeting at the Wadata Plaza. The party is discussing the outcome of the February 23 election while also strategizing ahead this Saturdays governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections. Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, during the opening session, said: The decision to go to court has been finalised and agreed and the process is on. The lawyers have been assembled. We may be in court today or tomorrow. No one can stop us. No matter the propaganda of APC, we will seek justice till the last drop of our blood. We believe justice will be done and God almighty will give justice. KINDLY DROP A COMMENT BELOW Home | News | General | Why Buhari will support Igbo presidency in 2023 - APC chieftain - A chieftain of the APC, Chief Livinus Okwara, says the southeast region has never produced a president in the history of Nigeria - Okwara notes that President Buhari being a man who loves justice will not renege on his support for the Igbo to produce the president in 2023 - The APC chieftain urges politicians from the southeast region to form a common ground ahead of the 2023 general elections A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Livinus Okwara, has expressed the confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari will support the bid of an Igbo presidency in 2023 despite losing in the zone in the 2019 presidential election. Okwara told reporters that Buhari being a man of justice will back Igbo presidency because the region had not produced a president in Nigeria, The Nation reports. READ ALSO: The truth about my alleged ban on Governor Ajimobi - Tinubu speaks President Buhari is a man who loves justice and will not renege on his support for the Igbo to produce the President in 2023, being the only major tribe that has not done so, he said. Chief Okwara urged politicians from the southeast region to form a common ground ahead of the 2023 general elections. He accused the Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, of failing to protect the interest of the people in the southeast and called for the group to be scrapped. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Ndigbo must form a strong front that will cut across party lines before 2023. We must put away our political and religious differences, and choose an Igbo man that will be accepted across the country. I also support that Ohanaeze Ndigbo should be scrapped since it is no longer serving its purpose and has drifted into partisan politics that will not be in the interest of Ndigbo, he said. In another news report, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been endorsed for election by the state chapter of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo group. The Ohanaeze Lagos state leader, Solomon Ogbonna, announced at a town hall meeting in the state on Sunday, March 3, that members had concluded plans to cast their votes for Sanwo-Olu, Leadership reports. Legit.ng gathered that Ogbonna promised to mobilise the over two million Igbo voters in Lagos to cast their votes for Sanwo-Olu. He, however, demanded that after the election, six of the groups members be appointed as commissioners. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Woman who returned millions found at the airport speaks | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Just in: Alleged issue with Governor Ajimobi - Tinubu reveals what actually happened - Asiwaju Bola Tinubu explains that his intervention in the APC in Oyo state is not about Governor Ajimobi - Asiwaju Tinubu notes that as governor, Ajimobi can go anywhere he wants within Oyo state and therefore, cannot be stopped at any APC rally - The national leader describes reports that he sought to ban Ajimobi from rallies as false The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, late Monday, March 4, reacted to reports that he allegedly banned Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state from campaigning for the party. Tinubu described Ajimobi as his partner and not rival adding that his intervention in Oyo APC is to engender genuine reconciliation not to hide or supplant the governor. The APC leader said this in reaction to a report by SaharaReporters that he was moving to ban Governor Ajimobi from leading APC campaigns in Oyo because of his intervention in the state. The report said in preparation, Tinubu was holding discussions with some notable leaders and bringing back to the party's fold former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala. Tinubu, who described the report as false, called Ajimobi an excellent governor and a faithful member of the APC. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda "He has brought progress to the state and in serving two consecutive terms, Ajimobi made history in Oyo. He is instrumental to anything the APC can achieve in Oyo, he said in a statement made available to Legit.ng by his media adviser, Tunde Rahman. The statement said Tinubu was only lending his support to the moves by the governor and the APC in the state. "This report goes beyond a lie. It is a vindictive attempt to sow discord because the writer is angered by the APCs success in the presidential election. Thus, the writer has cast truth aside in his angry desire to inflict some kind of electoral wound on the APC. "Sahara Reporters seems unable to mend its ways. Instead of trying to publish what is fair and accurate, it rather grows its tales from seedlings of untruth and calumny. This online newspaper no longer bothers to offer the pretense of seeking the truth. For Sahara Reporters, whatever is sensational must be true and whatever is true must be sensational. The real truth is that SaharaReporters no longer cares if its reportage is right. Sahara Reporters just cares that it is widely read. It dare not allow veracity to hamper its business model. This is a disservice to ethical journalism which honors truthful, accurate reporting. "The report titled Tinubu Bans Ajimobi from Appearing at APC governorship Rallies is another of Sahara Reporters excursions into falsehood. The report claims that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu somehow has banned Governor Abiola Ajimobi from attending APC campaigns for Saturdays governorship election in Oyo state. "This report goes beyond a lie. It is a vindictive attempt to sow discord because the writer is angered by the APCs success in the presidential election. Thus, the writer has cast truth aside in his angry desire to inflict some kind of electoral wound on the APC. However, the writer should refrain from this path of falsehood. It would be better for the writer to come to grips with reality and to accept the fact of the APC presidential victory and the likelihood of APC victories in most governorship elections, including that of Oyo. "The mischief that Sahara Reporters cites is not between Tinubu and Ajimobi. It is solely in the mind of Sahara Reporters. By its unsubstantiated report, the medium seeks to set brother against brother. Asiwaju and Governor Ajimobi have been political brothers and allies for a long time. Their friendship existed long before Sahara Reporters came to the scene and will endure long after this self-diminishing online site is no more," Rahman said in the statement. The statement added: "Moreover, Governor Ajimobi has been an excellent governor and a faithful member of the APC. He has brought progress to the state and in serving two consecutive terms, Ajimobi made history in Oyo. He is instrumental to anything the APC can achieve in Oyo. The truth is that Asiwaju is not trying to supplant or hide the governor. Instead, Asiwaju is lending his support to the governors and APCs efforts in the state. They are partners not rivals. "As such, he has held strategic meetings with some notable groups and important individuals. The heart of the discussions was the need for all to come together to achieve victory for APC in the March 9, governorship poll. At no time did the issue of banning anybody, talk less of Governor Ajimobi, enter into the discussions. We want and need Governor Ajimobi to be a visible figure at the forefront of this campaign during these final decisive days. He will prove pivotal to our hope for victory in the state. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app "Sahara Reporters betrayed its abject bias with this report. It makes absolutely no sense to even try to stop a sitting governor from campaigning in that governors state. Such a move would only create enmity and hinder, not help a campaign. For Sahara Reporters to claim this is to claim that Asiwaju is a political novice. Asiwaju has never barred anyone from participating in a campaign. Why would he now start with Ajimobi in Ajimobis own state? "In addition to not having such a negative inclination, Asiwaju wields no such power and has no desire to have such power. Ajimobi is a sitting governor who can travel his state as he pleases. Who can dare stop him? We want him in and at the rallies. Asiwajus intervention in Oyo was to engender genuine reconciliation. To exclude this good and able governor would have aborted this mission before it started. "Asiwaju views Governor Ajimobi as highly disciplined and a committed and respected party leader, unlike some others who have no respect for party supremacy. The relationship between them remains solid and loyal. And one hundred false reports by one hundred Sahara Reporters cannot change that reality." Legit.ng earlier reported that barely five days to the governorship election, a faction of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo state reportedly told the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that certain conditions must be met before it could support the ruling party and work for its candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, on Saturday, March 9. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Guru Maharaj Ji slams Nigerian prophets, says only he knows who will win elections| Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. 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The partys National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, disclosed this while addressing newsmen after the partys expanded caucus meeting on Monday in Abuja. He said that the party would also report the role of the military to other global democratic institutions. READ ALSO: Elections: What happened in Akwa Ibom on February 23 was robbery - Buhari The party decried the alleged militarisation of South-South ahead of Saturdays governorship and state house of assemblies elections. He said that the PDP presidential candidate would go to court to challenge outcome of the presidential election. We insist that our party and our candidate have resolved to seek legal redress on the stolen mandate. The partys caucus also commends Nigerians for refusing the harassment, intimidation and militarisation of the electoral process and for participating in the elections, Ologbondiyan said. PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, who also spoke, said the decision of the party to seek legal redress on the just concluded presidential election was informed by the alleged rigging of the polls. Secondus alleged that not only were electorate harassed, the ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were also intimidated to rig the elections. Nothing will make us waver in the pursuit of justice. The decision to go to court has been finalised and the process has begun. We will file our petition today (Monday) or Tuesday. Our leaders are not talking and if you dont speak against evil, it will consume everybody. The National Peace Committee is not saying anything. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app If nothing is done, we (party) will nosedive and go deeper and deeper in this situation we have found ourselves, he said. Secondus called for the immediate release of the PDP presidential candidates son in-law, Babalele Abdullahi and his personal lawyer, Uyiekpen Osagie, alleged to have been arrested by the EFCC. Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the expanded caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday, March 4, said it has resolved to head to the Election Tribunal following the outcome of the 2019 presidential election which took place on Saturday, February 23. The party's caucus said it will not renege on plan by the PDP and its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in seeking legal redress over the election. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better. 2019 Election: Atiku heads to court to contest election result, can he win?| Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Elections: What happened in Akwa Ibom on February 23 was robbery - Buhari - President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the APC will reclaim its mandate in Akwa Ibom - President Buhari at a townhall meeting in Uyo state said Senator Godswill Akpabio was rigged out of the Senate during the February 23 election - The president was represented in Akwa Ibom by the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday said that the votes of the Akwa Ibom people allegedly stolen during the Presidential and National Assembly elections of February 23, would be reclaimed. Buhari said this during a town hall meeting held in Uyo to thank the people of the state for casting their votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the elections. President Buhari, who was represented by the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo encouraged the people to defend their votes during the coming Governorship and House of Assembly Elections. He decried the circumstances, under which Sen. Godswill Akpabio lost his re-election into the senate in spite of his popularity across the state. He alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) robbed him and the party of victory. READ ALSO: The truth about my alleged ban on Governor Ajimobi - Tinubu speaks The News Agency of Nigeria reports that he assured Akwa Ibom people that all the wrongdoings during the Presidential and National Assembly elections would be addressed. Osinbajo said: What happened on the 23rd of February was robbery. The votes of the people were stolen, but we are not deterred. The president sent me to thank you today. We are going to make sure that everything that was stolen on the February 23 would be restored. It is not possible that Senator Godwill Akpabio lost. We are in no doubt that Senator Akpabio is the elected senator of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District. I and Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the party have been in the opposition for long and we cannot be defeated anymore. Everyone of you should go out to vote on Saturday and defend your votes, we cannot be cheated; not only you but tell your neighbours to vote for Obong Nsima Ekere and all APC candidates. Wait for your votes to be counted. It is the duty of the Federal Government to provide security and we will do that. We will recover every one of our votes, he said. The National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said the party was not in the state to lament but to appreciate the people of the state for doing their jobs and voting President Buhari and Prof. Osinbajo. He alleged that INEC colluded with some of the electoral officers to deny the state of its electoral victory on Feb 23, even though the people voted for APC. We have not come here to lament that our mandate was stolen on February 23. We have come to thank you that you voted for President Buhari, and all members of the party. You did your job but some armed robbers in INEC stole your votes. You think that those who stole your votes will have peace? We have come to reaffirm our commitment with democracy. We have come to affirm that no robber will go unpunished, but when an electoral umpire is corrupt and collude with the opposition, we have the witnesses and we have lawyers to deal with that. On Saturday we are not going to wait for them to steal out votes. We call on Akwa Ibom people to protect their votes. We must maintain our sanity even in this hour of provocation. Those who committed democratic abortion would be brought to book, Oshiomhole said. The APC governorship candidate in the state, Mr Nsima Ekere, encouraged the people not to be deterred by the Feb. 23 elections, but to go out and vote during the March 9 elections, saying the party was sure of victory. He said that the people of the state were in need of change, as demonstrated by him during his campaign across the 31 local government areas of the state. He assured the president that after March 9 elections, Akwa Ibom would not be in the opposition but would be reunited with the centre. Thank you for what you are doing for APC. The people voted for you, that vote is a re-validation of what the people want. You put Nigerias economy back on track. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app We are here because we have faith in you and Mr President, the opposition and INEC have no choice than to give us back our mandate. Whosoever shall attempt to work against the collective will of Akwa Ibom people, we shall collectively resist. We send a message to the electoral umpire and the other parties that they must respect the votes of the people, every vote must count. Akwa Ibom people love APC, Ekere said. Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that ahead of the Saturday, March 9, President Buhari on Monday, March 4, vowed that the APC will completely take over Delta state. President Buhari said that this will be by the achievements of the party in the state during the presidential and National Assembly elections. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Election: Atiku heads to court to contest election result, can he win?| Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Buhari holds 'Victory Dinner' for officials of APC Campaign Council - Buhari on Monday night hosted members of the APC Campaign Council to a celebratory dinner - The president had earlier hosted members of the PCC Situation Room to a similar dinner - President Buhari was declared winner of the 2019 presidential election on February 27 Muhammadu Buhari on Monday night hosted members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) to a victory dinner at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those in attendance at the dinner included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, some cabinet ministers and presidential aides. The president had on Feb. 27 hosted members of the PCC Situation Room to a similar victory dinner at the State House. READ ALSO: Elections: What happened in Akwa Ibom on February 23 was robbery - Buhari NAN reports that members of PCC headed by the president and co-chaired by APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who were inaugurated in January, formulated and took charge of the 2019 APC Presidential Campaign Policy. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Feb. 27 declared the president winner of the 2019 presidential election held on Feb. 23. Buhari was declared re-elected having polled 15,191,847 votes, winning in 19 states, to defeat 72 other candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 11, 255,978 votes. Atiku won in 17 states and the FCT to occupy the second position. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Legit.ng earlier reported that the Presidency has denied alleged sacking of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. That sources in the presidency on Monday evening, February 4, said Emefiele still remains the CBN governor. It was reported by some media organisations (Not Legit.ng) that Emefiele received a letter from the office of president Muhammadu Buhari to vacate his office. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better. Leadership of Nigeria is not meant for our forefathers| - on Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Oyo ADC reportedly gives Tinubu conditions to rejoin APC, support Adelabu - ADC in Oyo state has reportedly given conditions to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, before it could work for APC on Saturday, March 9, governorship election in the state - The national leadership of APC led by Tinubu has been trying to woo some of political bigwigs of oppositions in the state ahead of the election - Former governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, had jettisoned his governorship ambition under ADP and promised to work with APC's candidate, Adebayo Adelabu Barely five days to the governorship election, a faction of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo state has reportedly told the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that certain conditions must be met before it could support the ruling party and work for its candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, on Saturday, March 9. Legit.ng regional reporter, Imran Khalid, reports that the leadership of APC has been mounting pressure on the leaders of the factional ADC, following the poor performance of the party during the presidential and the National Assembly. READ ALSO: Breaking: Court reportedly nullifies PDP governorship candidacy in Kano It was gathered that the leaders of the ADC, Alhaji Busari Adebisi and Chief Michael Koleoso had replied the APC's stalwart that they would rejoin the party provided they were ready to meet the conditions. The conditions stated by the leaders of the unity forum in ADC were premised on the undisclosed huge amount of money and dissolution of the executive members at the state level and across the thirty three local governments in Oyo state. It was learnt that to cement the agreement and fulfillment of the terms of negotiation as prerequisites to guarantee their welcome into APC's fold, Tinubu had invited all the gladiators of the unity forum in ADC to his residence at Bourdillon in Lagos on Sunday, March 3, where matters relating to the agreement and fulfillment of terms of negotiation that would facilitate their rejoining APC were fruitfully discussed. According to a member of Unity Forum in Okeho, Kajola local government, who spoke under the condition of anonymity disclosed that Tinubu had been mounting pressure on the members of unity forum in ADC in the state to rejoin APC so as to win the forthcoming gubernatorial election. The leaders were reported to have said that they would be ready to rejoin APC in the state provided the conditions of undisclosed huge amount of money and dissolution of the party's executive members across the state would be met. The source said that Tinubu pledged to give half of the total amount and wholeheartedly agreed to dissolve the executive members across the state,adding that the ADC leaders promised to get back to the APC national leader after consulting with the members of the party. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Olufemi Lanlehin and Sharafadeen Alli, the governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) respectively on Monday, March 4, stepped down for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluseyi Makinde. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better. 2019 Election: Atiku heads to court to contest election result, can he win? | - on Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | 2019 election: Apologise for your anti-party activity now or face penalty - Ondo APC tells Akeredolu - Ondo state chapter of APC has told Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to apologise to the leadership of the party over his anti-party activities - President Muhammadu Buhari was defeated in the state by the PDP's candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Saturday, February 23 - Akeredolu was said to have ordered some members of the party before the election, to work for the candidates of Action Alliance (AA) Some campaign groups under the Ondo state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), Think Buhari 2019 and Buhari/Osinbajo movement, have urged Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to apologise to members of the party for jeopardising their chances in the state during the Saturday, February 23, presidential and National Assembly elections. Legit.ng regional reporter in Akure, Oluwadamilare Moriyeke, reports that the coordinator of Buhari/Osinbajo movement, Segun Omojola and the coordinator of Think Buhari 2019, Emminence Dada, at a press conference held in Akure, accused the governor of anti-party activities that thwarted President Muhammadu Buhari's reelection in the state. READ ALSO: Breaking: Presidency reportedly denies sacking of Emefiele as CBN governor According to them, the party members in the state appreciated the leadership of President Buhari but lost the presidential and National Assembly polls due to the directives given by the governor and state leadership of the party. They said: "The party in the state which used to be the beautiful bride was derobed by the anti-democratic attitude of the governor and some party leaders. "The machinery of the party in the state was therefore deployed for the benefit of Action Alliance (AA)'s candidates instead of the President Muhammadu Buhari re-election bid and that of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates. "They misled our people with their anti-party activities to vote for opposition party by directing them to vote for their candidate of choice which is Action Alliance (AA)." The Omojola and Dada urged the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to establish a panel of inquiry to investigate the poor performance of the party in the state like it happened in Ogun and Imo states. "We also resolved that Rotimi Akeredolu should apologise to president and the leadership of our party for sabotaging our efforts and for deceiving president over his promises that he would win for APC handsomely. "While having divergent opinion, we therefore call on Governor Akeredolu to do the needful on or before state House of Assembly election by appealing to all the candidates across the state and National Working Committee (NWC) of the party." Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, won the presidential election in Ondo state. The state is currently governed by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Nigerias ruling APC. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better. 2019 Election: Atiku heads to court to contest election result, can he win? | - on Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | APC planning to use men of NURTW to unleash terror - Oyo PDP raises alarm ahead of election - PDP chaiman in Oyo state, Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha, has raised alarm over alleged attempt by APC to rig election with NURTW thugs - Speaking ahead of election, the PDP chair also expressed cnfidence in the party winning six out of the seven zones in the state - Mustapha also disclosed that the ongoing coalition with ADC, SDP, ZLP and some other political parties has been sealed Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman in Oyo state, has expressed confidence that the party would win six out of the seven political zones of the state conveniently on Saturday, March 9 election. Mustapha told newsmen in Iseyin, Oyo state on Monday, March 4, that the party was confident of massive support by the people of the state. The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the seven political zones of the state are Ibadan, Ibadan less city, Ibarapa, Ogbomoso, Oyo, Oke-Ogun I and Oke-Ogun II. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda He said that the party enjoyed massive support in Ibadan, Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun and Oyo, adding the ongoing coalition with ADC, SDP, ZLP and some other political parties has been sealed. The PDP chairman said that the coalition has adopted Seyi Makinde, the PDP governorship candidate, as their governorship candidate for Saturdays governorship election. Mustapha said: The defeat of Governor Abiola Ajimobi in the last senatorial election is the end of APC. Today, we have a coalition of no fewer than five political parties supporting PDP. In Ibadan, all the governorship candidates of major political parties except the APC has stepped down for Seyi Makinde, the PDP governorship candidate. In Ibarapa, we won the two federal constituencies. In Oyo, we will spring surprises and in Oke-Ogun, all is not going to be as usual. We are all at home working hard for the victory. Here in Iseyin, all those in the ADC are now with us in PDP. We may not win in Ogbomoso, but we are very sure that the election in that zone will be keenly contested.'' Mustapha said the partys performance in the just concluded presidential and National Assembly election in the state was just a tip of the iceberg. He added: Our party did well, though not up to our expectation in some councils as a result of manipulations carried out by the government of the day. These manipulations were carried out in some councils in Ibadan, Saki and Iseyin. I am sure you can see that the people are really tired of the present government. Mustapha said that the methods employed by the APC to manipulate the last election has already been exposed, vowing that PDP and the coalition would not allow such in the Saturday governorship election. He denied the involvement of PDP in vote buying and election rigging, saying the party was not in government and could not get such huge money to buy votes. The party chairman said that information at their disposal revealed that the ruling APC was planning to import people from Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states where the governorship election would not hold into the state. Mustapha alleged that the imported people would use fake PVCs to vote for the APC, calling on security agencies to be neutral and perform their duties as expected. The PDP chairman tasked INEC and its staff from allowing themselves to be compromised to engage in electoral malpractice, saying such action would be resisted by the people. The PDP chieftain said: Let me inform you that the APC is planning to use men of the NURTW to unleash terror on opposition members. I want them to know that these people are children of many people across party lines. We have heard their plans and we wont take it lightly with anyone who intends to cause violence in the state. Parents should warn their children.'' Speaking on former governor Adebayo Alao-Akalas support for the APC governorship candidate, Mustapha said that the former governor left the cialicoal without his people. The PDP chieftain said: Alao-Akalas only legacy in Ogbomoso is the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital and I can tell you that the people of Ogbomoso did not go with him because they are wiser. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Olufemi Lanlehin and Sharafadeen Alli, the governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) respectively on Monday, March 4, stepped down for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluseyi Makinde. The leadership of the campaign organizations of the parties involved in the coalition revealed this on Monday, adding that an official announcement and unveiling of the coalition would be made public in a press conference on Tuesday, March 5. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Election: Nigerians reveal what Buhari did to them| Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Just in: EFCC releases Atikus son-in-law, arrests his lead counsel A son-in-law to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has been released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Cable reports that Babalele Abdullahi was released after the anti-graft agency invited Tanimu Turaki, a senior lawyer who is leading the defense team of Atiku to sign a bail document for him (Abdullahi). It was gathered that Abdullahi was released after his was granted administrative bail by the commission. However, Turaki who is also the deputy director-general of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation.was detained by the EFCC. READ ALSO: Elections: What happened in Akwa Ibom on February 23 was robbery - Buhari Conforming Turaki's arrest, the acting spokesperson for the commission, Tony Orilade, said: I heard of it yesterday; but let me get confirmation and the details." Reacting to the arrests, the PDP said this is the ruling party, All progressives Congress (APC) grand plot to use power to intimidate the opposition. The spokesperson for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the development is also to scuttle opposition's effort to reclaim its mandate allegedly stolen at February 23, 2019 Presidential polls. Since the peoples candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP expressed our unwavering determination to reclaim our victory at the tribunal, being armed with overwhelming evidence, our leaders have been subjected to escalated harassments, constant threats, blackmails, cajoling and contrivances by the APC to drop our legal option, Ologbondiyan said. The PDP, however, states in clear terms that the APC and the Buhari Presidency are fighting a lost battle as no amount of harassment and threats will ever make the party to buckle in its determination to take back the mandate, in line with the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians," he said. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Atiku had assured Nigerians that under no circumstance will he mortgage the mandate of Nigerians as expressed on February 23 Presidential Election. Abubakar gave the assurance in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Mr Paul Ibe on Saturday in Abuja. He said that the assurance came against the backdrop of the invasion and arrest of Alhaji Babalele Abdullahi, the Finance Director of his group of companies in Abuja on Saturday. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better 2019 Election: Atiku heads to court to contest election result, can he win? - on Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | INEC ad hoc staff commence training ahead of March 9 to address electoral hitches - INECs Plateau chapter has commenced training for its ad-hoc staff to mitigate against hitches experienced during the February 23 elections - The training is for confidence building for the staff as well as to acquire more requisite skills ahead of the March 9 elections - The electoral commission urged voters to cooperate with officials to enable them conduct the forthcoming elections successfully The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Plateau has commenced refresher training for its ad-hoc officials to mitigate against hitches experienced during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections. INECs head of voter education and publicity in Plateau, Osaretin Imahiyereobo, made the disclosure on Tuesday, March 5 in Jos, at a town hall meeting on voter education, NAN reports. READ ALSO: Second person cleared of HIV after receiving bone marrow transplant Legit.ng gathers that the meeting was organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with a private radio station, KT 103.9FM to review the lessons learnt during the national elections and proffer solutions. Imahiyereobo said the training was for confidence building for the staff as well as to acquire more requisite skills ahead of the March 9 governorship and state House of Assembly elections. We received reports that many ad-hoc officials were intimidated at polling units to use manual polling, which is zero voting. We want them to have the boldness and courage to coordinate the activities of their polling units because they are representatives of the INEC chairman, he said. He said INEC guidelines must be adhered to, including using the card reader machines, adding that where there were hitches, its technical officials would address such. All the card reader machines are working, but the ad-hoc officials may not be effective in using them hence the training. The use of the machine would prevent multiple voting, he said. The INEC official urged voters to be patient with the machines and cooperate with officials to enable them conduct the forthcoming elections successfully. Bulus Dabit, the director of NOA in Plateau said that the agency was worried about the number of invalid votes recorded during the last elections, saying voter education was critical to ensure votes are counted. I want to commend voters in the last elections for being resilient and coming out en masse to exercise their franchise. We want to appeal to political parties and traditional leaders to educate electorates on how to vote accurately, he said. Participants at the town hall meeting included security agencies, faith based organisations, civil Society organisations and journalists among others. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Kimpact Development Initiatives (KDI), an NGO, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to address some of the lapses encountered during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections. Bukola Idowu, the executive director, KDI, and coordinator, southwest Hub of Nigerian Election Violence Report (NEVR) made this known in Osogbo. Idowu, who was speaking ahead of the March 9 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections, said: Despite INECs success in conducting the presidential and National Assembly elections, the late arrival of sensitive materials to polling units remains one of the challenges that must be tackled in the coming gubernatorial election. 2019 Elections: Sirleaf meets with INEC chairman - on Legit TV: [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | I didnt know the N450m I received from Diezani - Belgore testifies in court - Dele Belgore has testified in court that he did not know the N450m he received was from Diezani - Belgore said in his capacity as PDP Kwara director, he assumed the money was from his party - The senior lawyer claimed he has never met Diezani in his life A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dele Belgore told a Federal High in Lagos, that he thought the N450 million was sent from the PDP 2015 Presidential Campaign Headquarters in Abuja and not part of 115 million dollars, doled out by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. Beogore was being in evidence by his counsel, Mr Ebun Shofunde (SAN), at the resumed trial over N450 million money laundering charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). READ ALSO: How APC plans to secure leadership positions at National Assembly As campaign co-ordinator in Kwara for the 2015 election, we were informed that monies would be sent from the Presidential Campaign Headquarters in Abuja, to the PDP in Kara My lord, i have no information that the money was paid on the instructions of Allison-Madueke. I have never met her, and i have never spoken with her. i have never dealt or spoken with anybody claiming to be acting on her behalf. In relation to me, in relation to PDP, in relation to the presidential campaign for which i was coordinator, and in relation to the said N450 million or any sums at all. As i have said before, as co-ordinator and stakeholder in Kwara State, we had asked the presidential campaign headquarters for funds for the election and we were told that there were no funds available. We were however informed that there will be series of fund raising activities, where funds will be raised; i also know that within a very short time, the heaquarter called me and said that the funds were available. So, all along, there was absolutely no case, no evidence, no indication, and nobody saying that the money came from any other place other than the presidential campaign headquarters. So, it was surprised when i received the proof of evidence in February 2017, and when Pw2 told the court in his evidence, of a different source of the money, he said. But Prosecution witnesses I and 2(PW1 and Pw 2) had in their testimonies alleged that the money from which the N450 million was brought, came from some oil marketers. In response, Belgore said Well, my lord, i do not know any of the said oil marketers that pw1 and 2 claimed provided the money. I have never met them;i have never dealt with them, or dealt with anybody who claimed to be acting on their behalf. I first heard of them in February 2017 when i was served with the proof of evidence, On the allegation that the monies were paid into the Fidelity bank account of these oil marketers, Belgore replied : I have no information as regards that fact. it is not a fact within my knowledge at the material time, and it has not been a fact within my knowledge ever since, Asked of his reaction to PW 1 and PW2 claim that the money was paid out on the instructions of Diezani Allison -Madueke, The defendant said that as a matter fact, it was during investigations in November 2016, that he first heard from Pw2 that the said funds did not come from the presidential campaign headquarters, as he was made to believe. He said Until this time, no one, other than Pw2 and maybe Pw1, has told me that the N450 million did not come from the fund raising activity conducted by the presidential campaign organisation, Earlier, the defence had exhibited before the court, two CCTV footages of Fidelity Bank, which were displayed for about two and half hours in court. But Belgore told the court that he was not in the footage. He had said I also note that in the video, there were various scenes or snap shots of different places, presumably different parts of the bank, but i did not see myself in the first video and also did not see myself in the second video. .Justice Aikawa had adjourned the case until March 27 and April 10 for continuation of trial. NAN reports that the anti graft Agency is prosecuting Belgore, alongside a former Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Sulaiman, over alleged money laundering to the tune of N450million. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The commission alleged that the money was part of a sum of 115 million dollars, which the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, (Alison-Madueke), doled out to influence the 2015 general elections. Legit.ng earlier reported that a court reportedly found Air Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi guilty of diverting N136 million meant for purchase of arms by the military. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. INEC announces Buhari as 2019 election winner, Nigerians react | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Buhari Media Center releases how all APC candidates will win governorship elections (infographics) Ahead of the governorship and state assembly elections coming up on Saturday, March 9, the Buhari New Media Centre (BNMC), a platform focused on President Muhammadu Buharis campaign and media perception online, has expressed a 100% commitment to the successful election of all the state governors contesting on the APC platform. Sharing some pieces of infographics on its Facebook page on Tuesday, February 5, the BNMC writes: This is our resolve and we will stand by it and defend it with our thumbs on Saturday. READ ALSO: How APC plans to secure leadership positions at National Assembly Similarly, following the outcome of results in the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections across Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress may give the Senate presidency to the north while the speaker of the House of Representatives goes to the south. Daily Trust reports that the ruling party has since the elections garnered lawmakers in both the upper and lower chamber of the National Assembly with 64 senators-elect and over 200 representatives-elect. Also, in a bid to avoid the grave mistake the party made during the leadership contest at the 8th Senate, some major stakeholders of the party are pushing for the Senate presidents seat to be zoned to the north. Anonymous sources quoted by the newspaper said there are plans to zone the Senate presidency to the northeast, and the position of the speaker to the south, particularly southwest. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that Kimpact Development Initiatives (KDI), an NGO, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address some of the lapses encountered during the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections. Bukola Idowu, the executive director, KDI, and coordinator, southwest Hub of Nigerian Election Violence Report (NEVR) made this known in an interview on Monday, March 4, in Osogbo. Idowu, who was speaking ahead of the March 9 Governorship and National Assembly elections, said, despite INECs success in conducting the presidential and national assembly elections, the late arrival of sensitive materials to polling units remains one of the challenges that must be tackled in the coming gubernatorial election. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! INEC announces Buhari as 2019 election winner, Nigerians react | - on Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Username: Password: or Register Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Thread Rating: 2 Vote(s) - 3.5 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi We All Hate Socialism lop guest User ID: 491769 03-05-2019 07:00 AM Post: #1 Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi Advertisement About 3-in-4 American voters favor a populist-nationalist America First legal immigration, trade, and foreign policy platform from candidates running for office that prioritizes protecting the way of life and economic security of United States citizens above all else. The latest Harvard/Harris Poll finds near unanimous support for populist-nationalist candidates among Republicans, conservatives, and President Trump supporters, as well as a majority of support from all voters. The findings are the latest evidence that the open borders, globalization, and endless wars ideology of former administrations such as President George W. Bushs has very little support with the American electorate. Voters were asked if they would be more or less likely to support a candidate who said, We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens, the kind of populist sentiment often deployed by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In total, about 75 percent of all voters said they would be more likely to support a candidate who made the statement, while about 88 percent of Republicans, 89 percent of conservatives, 75 percent of swing voters, and 91 percent of Trump supporters said they too would be more likely to support the candidate. Across racial lines, the vast majority of white Americans, 79 percent, and black Americans, 75 percent, said they would support a candidate who said they wanted an immigration system that benefited American citizens, rather than foreign national https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/...andidates/ Harris Harvard Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presidential CandidateAbout 3-in-4 American voters favor a populist-nationalist America First legal immigration, trade, and foreign policy platform from candidates running for office that prioritizes protecting the way of life and economic security of United States citizens above all else.The latest Harvard/Harris Poll finds near unanimous support for populist-nationalist candidates among Republicans, conservatives, and President Trump supporters, as well as a majority of support from all voters.The findings are the latest evidence that the open borders, globalization, and endless wars ideology of former administrations such as President George W. Bushs has very little support with the American electorate.Voters were asked if they would be more or less likely to support a candidate who said, We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens, the kind of populist sentiment often deployed by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.In total, about 75 percent of all voters said they would be more likely to support a candidate who made the statement, while about 88 percent of Republicans, 89 percent of conservatives, 75 percent of swing voters, and 91 percent of Trump supporters said they too would be more likely to support the candidate.Across racial lines, the vast majority of white Americans, 79 percent, and black Americans, 75 percent, said they would support a candidate who said they wanted an immigration system that benefited American citizens, rather than foreign national thor Banned User ID: 439106 03-05-2019 07:22 AM Posts: 152 Post: #2 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi Trump Touts Legal Immigration System for Our Corporations at Expense of American Workers ... https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/...porations/ While Trump mentioned he wanted to end the process known as chain migration, where newly naturalized citizens can bring an unlimited number of foreign relatives to the country, and the Diversity Visa Lottery, which admits 55,000 random foreign nationals from around the globe to the U.S. every year, the president said he supported admitting more foreign workers to take coveted American jobs to help the big business lobby and corporate interests. Wow.. Isn't this from the same source as your post!! what a f&*king joke!! Yep, Trump is really putting America first....What a f&*king joke!!!Trump Touts Legal Immigration System for Our Corporations at Expense of American Workers ...While Trump mentioned he wanted to end the process known as chain migration, where newly naturalized citizens can bring an unlimited number of foreign relatives to the country, and the Diversity Visa Lottery, which admits 55,000 random foreign nationals from around the globe to the U.S. every year, the president said he supported admitting more foreign workers to take coveted American jobs to help the big business lobby and corporate interests.Wow.. Isn't this from the same source as your post!!what a f&*king joke!! thor Banned User ID: 439106 03-05-2019 07:25 AM Posts: 152 Post: #3 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi You f&*king retards need to get you head out of your f&*king asses!!! None of these people want to stop immigration.. legal or illegal.. Export jobs and import immigrants!!! gee.. why would they do that? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 491769 03-05-2019 07:26 AM Post: #4 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi thor Wrote: (03-05-2019 07:22 AM) Yep, Trump is really putting America first....What a f*cking joke!!! Trump Touts Legal Immigration System for Our Corporations at Expense of American Workers ... https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/...porations/ While Trump mentioned he wanted to end the process known as chain migration, where newly naturalized citizens can bring an unlimited number of foreign relatives to the country, and the Diversity Visa Lottery, which admits 55,000 random foreign nationals from around the globe to the U.S. every year, the president said he supported admitting more foreign workers to take coveted American jobs to help the big business lobby and corporate interests. Wow.. Isn't this from the same source as your post!! what a f*cking joke!! Hes just telling the Lib-Tards what they need to hear. Hes just telling the Lib-Tards what they need to hear. thor Banned User ID: 439106 03-05-2019 07:29 AM Posts: 152 Post: #5 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi LoP Guest Wrote: (03-05-2019 07:26 AM) thor Wrote: (03-05-2019 07:22 AM) Yep, Trump is really putting America first....What a f*cking joke!!! Trump Touts Legal Immigration System for Our Corporations at Expense of American Workers ... https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/...porations/ While Trump mentioned he wanted to end the process known as chain migration, where newly naturalized citizens can bring an unlimited number of foreign relatives to the country, and the Diversity Visa Lottery, which admits 55,000 random foreign nationals from around the globe to the U.S. every year, the president said he supported admitting more foreign workers to take coveted American jobs to help the big business lobby and corporate interests. Wow.. Isn't this from the same source as your post!! what a f*cking joke!! Hes just telling the Lib-Tards what they need to hear. Bullshit!!!!! Nothing has changed.. Bullshit!!!!! Nothing has changed.. thor Banned User ID: 439106 03-05-2019 07:36 AM Posts: 152 Post: #6 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi politicians are not going to help you... they work for the corporations!!! f&*king hilarious,, breitbart talking out of both sides of their mouth and people eat this sh*t up!!!!politicians are not going to help you... they work for the corporations!!! LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 491790 03-05-2019 07:36 AM Post: #7 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi thor Wrote: (03-05-2019 07:22 AM) Yep, Trump is really putting America first....What a f*cking joke!!! Trump Touts Legal Immigration System for Our Corporations at Expense of American Workers ... https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/...porations/ While Trump mentioned he wanted to end the process known as chain migration, where newly naturalized citizens can bring an unlimited number of foreign relatives to the country, and the Diversity Visa Lottery, which admits 55,000 random foreign nationals from around the globe to the U.S. every year, the president said he supported admitting more foreign workers to take coveted American jobs to help the big business lobby and corporate interests. Wow.. Isn't this from the same source as your post!! what a f*cking joke!! No he actually stated in the same speech. He has done so well on economy we ,for the first time ever, have more jobs available than people unemployed No he actually stated in the same speech. He has done so well on economy we ,for the first time ever, have more jobs available than people unemployed thor Banned User ID: 439106 03-05-2019 07:39 AM Posts: 152 Post: #8 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/...porations/ Ya just cant make this sh*t up!!!! Over the last two months, Trump has regularly touted his support for admitting more foreign workers to the country to compete against Americas working and middle class for jobs, a reversal from his commitment in 2015, 2016, and 2017, where he vowed to reduce overall legal immigration levels to boost the wages of U.S. workers.Ya just cant make this sh*t up!!!! thor Banned User ID: 439106 03-05-2019 07:40 AM Posts: 152 Post: #9 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi LoP Guest Wrote: (03-05-2019 07:36 AM) thor Wrote: (03-05-2019 07:22 AM) Yep, Trump is really putting America first....What a f*cking joke!!! Trump Touts Legal Immigration System for Our Corporations at Expense of American Workers ... https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/...porations/ While Trump mentioned he wanted to end the process known as chain migration, where newly naturalized citizens can bring an unlimited number of foreign relatives to the country, and the Diversity Visa Lottery, which admits 55,000 random foreign nationals from around the globe to the U.S. every year, the president said he supported admitting more foreign workers to take coveted American jobs to help the big business lobby and corporate interests. Wow.. Isn't this from the same source as your post!! what a f*cking joke!! No he actually stated in the same speech. He has done so well on economy we ,for the first time ever, have more jobs available than people unemployed Oky doky... its your story.. tell it the way you want... dumb ass.. Oky doky... its your story.. tell it the way you want... dumb ass.. thor Banned User ID: 439106 03-05-2019 07:44 AM Posts: 152 Post: #10 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi As Breitbart News reported, an alliance of mostly globalist organizations and business groups have had access to the White House to discuss the national legal immigration policy. These groups include Koch Industries, the George W. Bush Center, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/...porations/ It is not america first... it is corporations first.... Sorry.. the working class gets f**ked!!!! Trumps shift from a wage-boosting legal immigration system to one that benefits corporations and their shareholders concides with recent big business lobby influence over his White House, at the behest of advisers Jared Kushner and Brooke Rollins.As Breitbart News reported, an alliance of mostly globalist organizations and business groups have had access to the White House to discuss the national legal immigration policy. These groups include Koch Industries, the George W. Bush Center, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).It is not america first... it is corporations first....Sorry.. the working class gets f**ked!!!! thor Banned User ID: 439106 03-05-2019 07:46 AM Posts: 152 Post: #11 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi Pick one!! Again.... same news source telling two different stories....Pick one!! thor Banned User ID: 439106 03-05-2019 07:51 AM Posts: 152 Post: #12 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi And another thing... everybody can shove the "president trump is going to save us sh*t up their ass!!!" They dont give a rats ass about us!! corporate profits come first.. above all else... LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 491790 03-05-2019 08:28 AM Post: #13 RE: Poll 75% of voters prefer a America first, Legal Immigration, non socialist Presi thor Wrote: (03-05-2019 07:40 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (03-05-2019 07:36 AM) No he actually stated in the same speech. He has done so well on economy we ,for the first time ever, have more jobs available than people unemployed Oky doky... its your story.. tell it the way you want... dumb ass.. No its not my story. Its literally what he said in the CPAC speech when he talked about immigration. No its not my story. Its literally what he said in the CPAC speech when he talked about immigration. Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Home | News | General | 5 Nigerians who claimed to have died, gone to heaven and came back In Nigeria, religion is indeed a big deal. Many Nigerians are usually bonafide members of a particular religious assembly and denomination. Christianity is particularly one religion that many within the country subscribe to, and with this belief system, comes a whole baggage of strange, mysterious practices. One of such practices that have pervaded the Christian space is the whole idea of a person dying and resurrecting back to life. But this is not even the major issue. Some of these Christians who claimed to have gone to heaven and come back also took to saying they were able to visit heaven and hell. Even more, some of these people even claimed that their creator, God, purposely took their lives so as to show them the splendour of heaven and the horror of hell. Then, when they resurrected, they claim that they were sent back, against their wishes, in order to be messengers meant to tell people what they saw. In this regard, here are five of the most popular people who have claimed to go to heaven or hell and come back. READ ALSO: Man who was supposed resurrected by South African pastor reportedly speaks out 1. Abraham Yakubu Abraham Yakubu was a Muslim who later became a Christian after he supposedly had a life-changing encounter. As the story goes, he had a terrible accident which led to his acclaimed death. It was said that even doctors confirmed his death. However, while he was lying dead, Abraham Yakubu said he was transported to heaven and hell where he was exposed to some revelations. He later reportedly came back to life. In the year 2016, Abraham Yakubu was a big hit among the Christian folks. Although a lot of people before him had claimed to have gone to heaven, his testimony seemed sure and believable. In fact, the Muslim turned Christian toured around and caused a wave of fear among many. After that time, his popularity seemed to have waned over time. Abraham Yakubu on the left and Shotunde Kayode on the right Source: Eternity Race; Ckn News Source: UGC READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda 2. Shotunde Kayode Recently, a cleric of Uncommon Favour Evangelical Ministry in Ibadan, Oyo, took to revealing how he went to heaven and came back. The man named Shotunde Kayode revealed that he knew nothing of God. But somehow, he had an accident alongside 17 people. His body was embalmed in the mortuary for three days as nobody knew who he belonged to. It was within this three days that he got an experience of heaven. He also allegedly received a ministry from God. On the fourth day, he said God told him to return and tell people of what he had experienced. This was what led him to establish the ministry he established. PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group 3.Bishop Susan Ziki Dube This lady is the leader of an Apostolic church. She is founder of Holy Baptist Apostolic Church of Africa. According to her, she had been praying for people since the age of 19. But what made her start a church was that she once died in the hospital. While the nurses were waiting for the doctor to come so they could tell him the sad news, she saw herself ascend into heaven. She went into the first, second and third layers of heaven. When she got here, an angel met her, told her to go back to earth and start a church, and just like that, she obeyed. 4. Samuel Samuel is a 10-year-old boy who supposedly said he went to heaven and came back. The young evangelist who hails from Edo had a lot to say about his experience in the place he called paradise. Another contemporary of Samuel is Tega. The young guy also claimed to have gone to heaven and hell. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app 5. Margaret Amure Margaret is yet another person who claimed to have gone to heaven and come back. Alongside young Samuel, she released a video which was widely sold to Nigerians across the country. Their stories, however, did not fly as much as the story of one Linda Ngaujah, a Sierra Leonean who shook Africa with her testimony and even pointed out names of people, pastors and dignitaries in her long, lengthy statements. Recently, it was said that some people saw the image of Jesus appear on the sky as the sun burst through the cloud over Italy. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better. Jesus came here and took me physically to the third heavens | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | World | Africa | 'I can get more votes than Chamisa in 2023' says Mwonzora MDC Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora says he is a capable leader who is able to garner more votes that what MDC President Nelson Chamisa got in the last election if he was to be elected as Party President and 2023 Presidential candidate.MDC is going for a Congress in May. Mwonzora was speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Larry Kwirirayi on ZiFM on Monday evening. Larry had put to Mwonzora to task over allegations by some MDC officials that ZANU PF is supporting him because he is a weak candidate who is not a threat to the ruling party. "On the charge that I am weak, I am not weak. I was jailed for fighting one-party state by the ZANU PF government. I was in COPAC and was mandated to bring about a democratic people driven constitution and I delivered," Mwonzora said. Responding to accusations by MDC Vice Chairperson Tendai Biti that he is "a ruling party chosen half-wit" Mwonzora said he had done a lot for himself and the party and is not worried about Biti's statement. "All these things I have done cannot be done by someone who is weak. If Tendai Biti believes I'm a half-wit then it's his opinion." Mwonzora said if he is chosen to lead he will not fail to run the party adding that as the SG he literally runs the party (administratively) though Chamisa oversees everything. He also took the time to dismiss allegations that he is being funded by ZANU PF to contest Chamisa. "I am a man of integrity and I have been in opposition longest that any one I am currently with in leadership. I am challenging my colleagues to try me and see what happens. I want to assure Zimbabweans that it's not true, these are lies." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Home | World | Africa | Chamisa condemns MDC Youths for supporting him MDC President Nelson Chamisa has condemned the statements by MDC Youth from Harare Province that anyone who contests again Chamisa has declared themselves an enemy of the party. "This is unacceptable and intolerable. Whereas individual liberties and opinions are tolerated, macho politics unacceptable."Chamisa fumed. "Such politics occupy no space in MDC, the glorious family of Democrats, our party of excellence. We will put a stop to this and punish any such future infractions." The Provincial Youth Assembly Vice Chairman Stan Manyenga said the youth assembly had agreed that they would not support any candidate for the presidential position other than Nelson Chamisa. "A reckless and Zanu PF supported presidential supported choice would weaken the party ahead of future elections and the youth assembly would not tolerate that candidate who has a blessing from the ruling party," said Manyenga. " We will create an equal platform and conducive environment for candidates who intend to campaign for positions for vice president and below to campaign freely and peacefully." Human Rights Lawyer Dr Pedzisayi Ruhanya said the statements by the youths are tantamount to Gestapo threats. "Gestapo threats by MDC Harare youths against political contestants against Nelson Chamisa are vile, despicable and a mountain of BS. Let party members contest without fear or favour. Those people are not acting in the best interest of MDC, Chamisa and democracy." Said Ruhanya. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa The split prone MDC faces arguably its strongest test post-Tsvangirai era, when that party commences its elective congress from 24 May 2019 to 26 May 2019. Contradictory statements have already started circulating with that party's Deputy Treasurer General, Chalton Hwende declaring that the President's position would not be contested and only 4 positions would, while other reports claim that the co-Deputy leader, Elias Mudzuri and Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora are warming up to the idea of contesting for the Presidency. For a party that has been working tirelessly to present itself to anyone who cared to listen, especially, the international community as a democratic party, the press statement by the MDC youth assembly on 4 March 2019 only managed to reveal that party's true colours, and pointed to a bumpy road ahead. The MDC youth assembly declared that anyone wishing to contest against Chamisa would be regarded as an enemy of the party, yet the party claims to be democratic, "Anyone who has aspirations, who thinks or dreams of contesting Chamisa, is declaring themselves as enemies of Harare province, an enemy of progress in Zimbabwe." MDC has a history of splits, in 2005 the then Secretary General, Welshman Ncube broke away from the Tsvangirai led MDC following disagreements over the party's participation in senatorial elections. In 2014, Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma defected from the MDC after challenging Tsvangirai to step down and give others a chance. In 2018, after Tsvangirai's passing another split occurred when Thokozani Khupe broke away and formed her splinter party after Chamisa bulldozed his way to the Presidency. Fast forward to 2019, we may have a new player on the field but the party's allergy to democracy is still the same. Chamisa's ascendancy to power was and still is questionable as he elbowed out the only Vice President Khupe who was elected at congress. The fact that Chamisa was not voted in power, power retention remains a top priority on his to do list, this explains why he sent a delegation led by Amos Chibaya on a nationwide tour to convince party structures that Chamisa should not be contested at Congress. Now that that plan has failed with some provinces already declaring their intention to nominate Mwonzora instead of Chamisa, a situation that has riled Chamisa into restructuring the party structures. The restructuring process aims at weakening Mwonzora's supposed strongholds while consolidating Chamisa's strongholds. Not only is the MDC undemocratic, it is a violent party. Who does not remember the violence that was unleashed on the late Trudy Stevenson after openly disagreeing with Tsvangirai? Or the assault on Biti and Mangoma after challenging Tsvangirai to step down and give someone else a chance to bring new ideas arguing that he had lost 4 elections hence the need to renew the leadership. The MDC has on numerous occasions shown that it is an undemocratic party and those in leadership positions are only interested in power consolidation. Those who wish to challenge Chamisa at the elective congress should be allowed to do so and not be persecuted, a highly unlikely scenario. Another split is looming after the May congress. Hello guys, hezvoko! Bwaa! Greetings from my five star apartments here at Kempinski Hotel, right in the heart of the sizzling sights of the Atlantic Ocean sending encouraging breezes from my brother Trump. I greet you in the name of the May Congress! I know you are all aware of the treachery of my fellow brother from Manicaland insofar as usurping my God ordained seat this very winter. Do not worry yourselves, my church visit disguise has worked well. Right at Kotoka International Airport I was received well by none but swarms of men in cleric collars, including my very men you all know from HH. You know how it is. And truly, we are the masters of foolery. You know it without a speck of doubt. My boys from New York as you instructed are already here. They have already told me of the trendy casinos here in Accra and Kumasi. They will personally drive me there. I just love being driven by these guys, I like their cars. I will not forget to give them the list of the guys on the opposite bench you recommended for sanctions. In case I lose the paper, please do send me the names again on whatsapp. You can even call me on my same 0772, I am on roaming! I do not want to miss this opportunity. Also send me the names of the companies you want included on the list, I am sure they have already done so on the money transfer agencies in the country. Good work they are doing! If they do not suffer they will never vote me. I told you about it, didn't I? Jecha ndizvo! Hezvoko! Guys, remember, I will not forget to meet the man you said is deep down in the forests of Kumasi. Our plan must be backed by his powers. Tambo, remember to write to the papers telling them i am on a diplomatic offensive. That is necessary for their consumption. Very necessary! And of course, I will not forget to tell my friends from Manhattan about the congress budget. I will tell them we have orphans to care for too, 10 million of them. I will try starting at 20 million, if they believe it, we would have hit gold! The treasurer general will have nothing to do with this one. That's why I did not take him on board. It's my own deal. Kutsvaga-tsvagaka vakomana. Chinhu ndechangu ichi. This afternoon my runners here are busy organising a foreign currency account at the biggest bank here. I am sure I would have enjoyed a few deposits by the time I hit RGM Airport later this week. Get me four trucks, the shopping I am planning here cannot fit in the range rover. Also, my clever brother from Kenya will be arriving this afternoon. He evaded the glare of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and chose the quiet Mombasa run way. He has some important notes to give me. He will not be flying direct either. He will arrive via Cairo and we will meet in the said Kumasi forests. He has a tourist visa! Hezvoko! I hear our visitors have been stopped from entering the country! What a shame! I told you, any idea that comes from him does not work! And now he thinks he can challenge my position, I cannot wait for congress! As I argued last Wednesday, our guys should have gone to meet these guys in South Africa so we strategise another shut down in their name, see? This is why our January plan worked superbly well. The coming of these guys has now exposed us. I will chastise him before I greet even my wife on my return! I do not want dumb witted lawyers! As you read this, the first flight from New York is bringing my designer suits. This time I was too broke to go down there for shopping. The congress delegates shopping is just draining me. I hope this congress will come to pass. The idea that each delegate has to be bought using foreign currency was truly a bad idea you guys imposed on me. Anyways, I will stick to it. I am hopeful my friends will just bring enough to spend on this important shopping. We shop votes, welcome to the party of excellence. Hezvoko! Nekoko! Tell me, have these our guys in fake hiding decided to finally come out? Their upkeep is equally draining us. Can't they see the facade has died down? If they continue hiding under their tails they will not lick any position at congress. Can't they see that the Monetary Policy and the stability of the Bond note has stolen the limelight? Their decoy hide can no longer sustain our desired propaganda. So, guys, please tell them to come out, at least to come to parliament. We cannot stand any by- election guys. And last but not least, remember to buy enough sjamboks for the congress. One man one sjambok! Hezvoko! Nekoko! The number of new print magazines started in the U.S. fell by more than half in 2020 to 60, compared t Air New Zealand Limited (NZSE:AIR) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 20% in the last quarter. But at least the stock is up over the last five years. However we are not very impressed because the share price is only up 30%, less than the market return of 83%. View our latest analysis for Air New Zealand While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price. Over half a decade, Air New Zealand managed to grow its earnings per share at 6.3% a year. This EPS growth is reasonably close to the 5.4% average annual increase in the share price. This indicates that investor sentiment towards the company has not changed a great deal. Indeed, it would appear the share price is reacting to the EPS. You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values). NZSE:AIR Past and Future Earnings, March 3rd 2019 It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Air New Zealands earnings, revenue and cash flow. What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Its fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, Air New Zealands TSR for the last 5 years was 133%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. And theres no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence! A Different Perspective Air New Zealand shareholders are down 17% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 11%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Longer term investors wouldnt be so upset, since they would have made 18%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. Before spending more time on Air New Zealand it might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares. Story continues Of course Air New Zealand may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on NZ exchanges. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. Alberta governments decision to respond to the very low Canadian heavy oil prices with mandatory production cuts of 325,000 bpd has created a division among Canadas oil industry. The government of Alberta has achieved its primary goal with the cutsto lift the price of Western Canadian Select (WCS) and to help narrow the huge differential between WCS and WTI from late 2018. In recent weeks, the discount of WCS to WTI has been below US$15 a barrel, compared to more than a US$40 differential in the fall of 2018. The production cut in a free market like Canada, however, has drawn uneasy comparisons with the way OPEC intervenes on the global oil market to curtail production at times of glut or to ramp up oil supply when shortages are created or expected. While some Canadian companies, such as Cenovus Energy, have argued for all-round cuts across the industry, othersincluding Imperial Oil, Suncor Energy, and Husky Energywere against cuts across the board and they continue to hold the view that the Alberta government has been wrong in intervening on the free market. Some analysts have also chimed in against the cuts, noting that such OPEC-style market intervention would erode business and investor confidence in Canadas oil industry. Albertas Premier Rachel Notley also announced last month an investment of US$2.8 billion (C$3.7 billion) in moving up to additional 120,000 bpd crude by rail by 2020. The plan by the NDP government drew harsh criticism from Jason Kenney, the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP), ahead of the provincial elections this spring. Related: Miners Eye The Moon For Trillion Dollar Payoff The UCP leader said that the plan is a reckless waste of four billion tax dollars, moving the risk from the private sector oil companies onto the backs of taxpayers when we can least afford it. If elected, a UCP government will do everything within its power to cancel the NDPs plan to have taxpayer dollars to interfere with the market, Kenney said. We believe that the private sector can and will increase rail shipment capacity for Alberta oil when the market conditions are right, Kenny said, describing Notleys plan as a corporate welfare that is a risky venture. The private sector, for its part, has been divided since talk of production cuts first emerged. Cenovus Energys President and CEO Alex Pourbaix was one of the first managers to call for cuts from all companies. I remain convinced that this curtailment is the right thing for our industry and for Albertans, Pourbaix said on the Q4 earnings call in mid-February. Ultimately people need to keep in mind that this has been a short-term solution for an extreme situation that was many years in the making, he said. Other Canadian oil firms, however, do not support the OPEC-like market intervention. Those are mostly companies with investments in downstream operations that had benefited from the very low prices of refinery feedstocks. We believe that intervention to artificially manipulate markets introduce free trade risk, particularly in an integrated market such is North America, Rich Kruger, CEO at Imperial Oil, said on the Q4 earnings call in early February. So in short, with a stroke of a pen, the government began picking winners and losers. We think this action is unfair, anticompetitive and not representative of free economy in a modern democracy, Kruger noted. Relate: The Winners And Losers Of The Latest Commodity Rally Recent actions by the Government of Alberta to intervene in the oil market have added further uncertainty and unpredictability into the business and investment climate, Imperial Oil said in its earnings release. Suncor Energy said as early as the curtailment was announced that Suncor believes the market is the most effective means to balance supply and demand and normalize differentials. Husky Energy said in an earnings release last week: Husky believes that this abandonment of free market principles has impacted investor confidence and created several business challenges, including the Companys ability to process and transport its production to markets unimpeded, and profitably. Curtailment rules disproportionately impact companies, like Husky, with significant Downstream and midstream investments relative to producers who have not made these investments. We will continue to urge the government to immediately ease these punitive of production cuts and develop a clear plan to end the program and reestablish Alberta's reputation as a market economy, Husky CEO Robert Peabody said on the conference call. Alberta eased some of the cuts last week, saying that April oil production would be up by 100,000 bpd compared to the initial limit set for January. The provincial government has always said that production curtailment is a short-term solution to Canadas constrained takeaway capacity. Alberta has been fighting for more oil pipelines amid fierce opposition from neighboring British Columbia and amid regulatory and court ruling setbacks. More pipeline capacity is the preferred option for all Canadian producers, including for those who support the short-term oil production cuts. Ultimately we still need new pipelines to improve market access and to address the problem of wide differentials, said Cenovus Energys Pourbaix. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Goldman Sachs expects OPEC to succeed in clearing what it has deemed excessive oil supply by April, when the latest production cut deal will be reviewed at a meeting of the cartel and its partners. Goldmans commodity chief Jeffrey Currie told CNBC "OPEC is pursuing a shock and awe strategy," cutting production faster and deeper than the investment bank expected. This suggests that supply will tighten sufficiently by April for OPEC to call the mission accomplished. After that, Currie said, OPEC will probably take a month or two to announce how it will proceed with dialing back the cuts and this would discourage U.S. producers from boosting their own production further, bringing about another price crash. While its safe enough to say prices will inch down when OPEC announces the end of the cuts, it is probably the only thing thats safe to say. Currie told CNBCs Closing Bell that prices could rebound to above US$70 for Brent thanks to the tighter supply and strong demand. But just a month ago worries about oil demand pressured prices and kept them from climbing much higher. In other words, nothing is certain, especially where oil prices are headed. The uncertainty becomes even more pronounced if we factor in a recent statement by Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih that he was willing to extend the production cuts into the second half of the year. Now, this would certainly support prices but leave them vulnerable to economic data from Asia specifically, where everybody looks to gauge future oil demand trends. The latest from China in this respect already pressed oil prices lower: Beijing has revised down the forecast for the countrys economic growth by half a percentage point to 6.5 percent. Prime Minister Li Keqiang announced a series of measures aimed at stimulating growth, but oil prices will remain vulnerable, motivating an extension of the cuts. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russia has long been established as a crucial component of most European natural gas import portfolios, with most imports received via pipeline through the Yamal-EuroPol pipeline (Poland) or the Baumgarten gas hub (Austria). However, in the month of February, Russian LNG flows played a pivotal role in price formation within Europe. Many analysts have attributed the increased dependence on Russian LNG imports to the combined factors of weak Asian demand, driven by unseasonably warm winter temperatures, and the earlier-than-anticipated start of the Yamal LNG project. This article reviews whether this is an anomaly, or, if it is the new normal, and the potential ramifications for European natural gas security. The Yamal LNG project, a US$27-billion joint venture between Novatek, Total, CNPC and The Silk Road Fund, began operations earlier than anticipated, with the first cargo shipped on December 11th, 2017. Due to the April 2020 commencement date of Yamal term contracts, the early cargoes from the facility are mainly being sold on a spot basis in the markets with the highest netback, which is currently Europe, according to Mark Gyetvay (CFO, Novatek PJSC). Whilst Gyetvay attributed the increase in European LNG imports to the warmer weather at the IP Week Conference, he added that once the term contracts come into play, you get a better sense of where the trading operations are, indicating that this is an anomaly, not the new normal for the Russian export market. Related: The Worlds Next Great LNG Project Most of the Yamal LNG cargoes have been shipped to Northwest Europe this winter, becoming the main source of European LNG imports, providing both supply flexibility and, by extension, a cap on natural gas prices observed throughout Europe. This is mainly due to the dynamics observed within the Asian gas markets, typically the largest consumer of LNG. Following the tight spot LNG market last winter, Asian buyers secured sufficient supplies ahead of the winter, which has been unseasonably warm. Figure 1: The origins and number of LNG cargoes landed in Northwest Europe in February 2019. This excludes any reloaded cargoes. That said, Asia remains the largest, and most critical, consumer of LNG. As Asian LNG import demand is set to be the largest driver of growth within the global trade, many analysts pay disproportionate attention to macro-economic and demand within Asia, often overlooking the relatively paltry European LNG market. Related: The Winners And Losers Of The Latest Commodity Rally For example, China, already the worlds largest importer of gas, saw a 100% increase in LNG imports within the space of two years, largely due to a change in environmental policy. As such, further growth in LNG demand is anticipated from India and other Asian nations, which are in the process of transitioning away from dirtier fuels due to climate change and air quality concerns. All three Yamal trains are anticipated to be online by April 2020, when the pre-agreed term contracts come into force. However, before the long-term deals begin, LNG plants usually market their production within the short-term market in order to gain additional return on investment. As such, a substantial amount of LNG cargoes shall drop out of the spot market in April 2020, when the pre-agreed term contracts become effective. However, even in April 2020, it will be difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of the identity of the Yamal cargo end-users. This is due to the majority of Yamals contract counterparties simultaneously operating across numerous supply contracts and short-term gas and LNG markets, enabling them to choose the most profitable end destination from within their portfolio. By David Woroniuk for OilPrice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Username: Password: or Register Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Mountain Lion Hunter Infuriates Conservationists silversides The bare necessities of life User ID: 148291 03-05-2019 08:42 PM Posts: 31,922 Post: #1 Mountain Lion Hunter Infuriates Conservationists Advertisement Her hunting fee has supported conservation. In a state with few Mountain Lions it would be a problem. ------------------------- The hunter who went viral for posing with a dead mountain lion says she and her family ate it and rely on hunting for meat Jacob Shamsian 21 hrs ago Hunter Franchesca Esplin went viral after posting a Facebook video of her hunting a mountain lion and a photo with its bloody corpse. The pictures infuriated conservationists, with the head of one organization calling it a "trophy hunt." Esplin told INSIDER that she's a conservationist herself who hunts to keep the predator population down. She also said she and her family ate the mountain lion, which she believes is more ethical to eat than factory-farmed animals and tastes "stronger than pork but is a lean white meat." The hunter who went viral for posing with the corpse of a mountain lion she killed is defending herself, telling INSIDER that she uses hunting for meat since it's more ethical than factory farming. Franchesca Esplin, the hunter, said that she's more comfortable feeding her family meat she hunts herself, because the animals don't have antibiotics or hormones injected into them. "My family relies on that meat from hunting as a way to feed us," Esplin told INSIDER. "We can't always go to the store and buy meat where the animals were treated horribly and abused in feed lots." https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/news...dhp#page=2 ------------------------- outrage as colorado hunter proudly posts photos of mountain lion she just killed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InclGgCnR4w A Colorado hunter's decision to share photos on her Facebook page of her proudly posing up with a blood-soaked mountain lion she had just killed has led an environmental group to publicly shame her as a sociopathic trophy hunter. Prairie Protection Colorado last week reposted images depicting Franchesca Esplin lifting the carcass of the freshly killed mountain lion, and then showing off her manicured hands completed coated with the animal's blood. The images, along with a short video showing the woman shooting the big cat perched in a snow-covered tree, were all taken during a December 2018 hunting trip. The group also shared a post from Esplins now-defunct Facebook page, in which the married mom, who is a taxidermist by trade, gushes about bagging the mountain lion, which she said 'has been at the top of my bucket list FOREVER.' In her status update from late December, Esplin thanks the houndsmen who helped her 'harvest this amazing tom' and went on to says she is 'still on cloud 9.' 'Thank you to all those that helped out, you guys have NO idea how happy I am,' she goes on. 'I can see why this hunt is addicting.' She concludes her effusive note by saying, 'I'm so dang happy.' Activists with Prairie Protection Colorado, which seeks to protect local wildlife, wrote a blistering post condemning the 28-year-old Esplin as a 'sadistic' killer and calling for a ban on trophy hunts. This is the mentality of people who kill predator species for sport and fun, the groups message read. Make no mistake that Colorado's wildlife policies and officials support this insane looting of Colorado's wildlife. It is OUR RESPONSIBILITY as people who care about wildlife to END the insanity of killing for pleasure. We have to do more than get angry and type about it on Facebook. We need to all come together to start the process of changing laws. The author of the post appealed to the groups supporters to sign a citizens petition calling for a ban on bobcat trapping and hunting in Colorado. Under the current rules of the Department of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, mountain lion hunters are required to obtain a lion license and have it with them during the hunt. The license allows each hunter to harvest one bobcat per season. Esplin defended herself in an off-camera interview with Fox 31 Denver on Wednesday, telling the station that she had a permit to take the bobcat and that her hunt was 'completely legal. Officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife backed her up, saying there is nothing to suggest the woman had violated any laws pertaining to mountain lion hunting. Esplin, who has deleted most of her social media accounts as of Thursday afternoon, complained that she has been receiving threats. On Wednesday, the wildlife protection organization posted a follow-up message on its Facebook page, arguing that they never intended to 'specifically target Franny,' but rather the mentality of trophy hunters.' Anyone who would glory in the blood of an animal they kill has some cleary[sic] sociopathic tendencie, the post read. Ethical hunters feel reverence and a sense of responsibility to the animals whose lives they take for subsistence. They do not proudly display the "trophy" of the animal they killed and exclaim that the kill had been on their "bucket list forever." Unfortunately, this mentality and the killing of our native species for sport is codified in Colorado's wildlife laws that are geared towards protecting sport hunters "right to kill." 'By publishing these types of photos, we are shining a light on what is legally accepted in Colorado. We do this to inspire the people who care to get educated, put their feet on the ground and work towards change. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= *For Contact : Mele Kalikimaka There is no shortage of Mountain Lions in Colorado.Her hunting fee has supported conservation.In a state with few Mountain Lions it would be a problem.-------------------------The hunter who went viral for posing with a dead mountain lion says she and her family ate it and rely on hunting for meatJacob Shamsian 21 hrs agoHunter Franchesca Esplin went viral after posting a Facebook video of her hunting a mountain lion and a photo with its bloody corpse.The pictures infuriated conservationists, with the head of one organization calling it a "trophy hunt."Esplin told INSIDER that she's a conservationist herself who hunts to keep the predator population down.She also said she and her family ate the mountain lion, which she believes is more ethical to eat than factory-farmed animals and tastes "stronger than pork but is a lean white meat."The hunter who went viral for posing with the corpse of a mountain lion she killed is defending herself, telling INSIDER that she uses hunting for meat since it's more ethical than factory farming.Franchesca Esplin, the hunter, said that she's more comfortable feeding her family meat she hunts herself, because the animals don't have antibiotics or hormones injected into them."My family relies on that meat from hunting as a way to feed us," Esplin told INSIDER. "We can't always go to the store and buy meat where the animals were treated horribly and abused in feed lots."-------------------------outrage as colorado hunter proudly posts photos of mountain lion she just killedA Colorado hunter's decision to share photos on her Facebook page of her proudly posing up with a blood-soaked mountain lion she had just killed has led an environmental group to publicly shame her as a sociopathic trophy hunter.Prairie Protection Colorado last week reposted images depicting Franchesca Esplin lifting the carcass of the freshly killed mountain lion, and then showing off her manicured hands completed coated with the animal's blood.The images, along with a short video showing the woman shooting the big cat perched in a snow-covered tree, were all taken during a December 2018 hunting trip.The group also shared a post from Esplins now-defunct Facebook page, in which the married mom, who is a taxidermist by trade, gushes about bagging the mountain lion, which she said 'has been at the top of my bucket list FOREVER.'In her status update from late December, Esplin thanks the houndsmen who helped her 'harvest this amazing tom' and went on to says she is 'still on cloud 9.''Thank you to all those that helped out, you guys have NO idea how happy I am,' she goes on. 'I can see why this hunt is addicting.'She concludes her effusive note by saying, 'I'm so dang happy.'Activists with Prairie Protection Colorado, which seeks to protect local wildlife, wrote a blistering post condemning the 28-year-old Esplin as a 'sadistic' killer and calling for a ban on trophy hunts.This is the mentality of people who kill predator species for sport and fun, the groups message read. Make no mistake that Colorado's wildlife policies and officials support this insane looting of Colorado's wildlife. It is OUR RESPONSIBILITY as people who care about wildlife to END the insanity of killing for pleasure.We have to do more than get angry and type about it on Facebook. We need to all come together to start the process of changing laws.The author of the post appealed to the groups supporters to sign a citizens petition calling for a ban on bobcat trapping and hunting in Colorado.Under the current rules of the Department of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, mountain lion hunters are required to obtain a lion license and have it with them during the hunt. The license allows each hunter to harvest one bobcat per season.Esplin defended herself in an off-camera interview with Fox 31 Denver on Wednesday, telling the station that she had a permit to take the bobcat and that her hunt was 'completely legal.Officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife backed her up, saying there is nothing to suggest the woman had violated any laws pertaining to mountain lion hunting.Esplin, who has deleted most of her social media accounts as of Thursday afternoon, complained that she has been receiving threats.On Wednesday, the wildlife protection organization posted a follow-up message on its Facebook page, arguing that they never intended to 'specifically target Franny,' but rather the mentality of trophy hunters.'Anyone who would glory in the blood of an animal they kill has some cleary[sic] sociopathic tendencie, the post read.Ethical hunters feel reverence and a sense of responsibility to the animals whose lives they take for subsistence. They do not proudly display the "trophy" of the animal they killed and exclaim that the kill had been on their "bucket list forever."Unfortunately, this mentality and the killing of our native species for sport is codified in Colorado's wildlife laws that are geared towards protecting sport hunters "right to kill."'By publishing these types of photos, we are shining a light on what is legally accepted in Colorado. We do this to inspire the people who care to get educated, put their feet on the ground and work towards change.=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*For Contact : [email protected] silversides The bare necessities of life User ID: 148291 03-05-2019 08:54 PM Posts: 31,922 Post: #2 RE: Mountain Lion Hunter Infuriates Conservationists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlht31L3ERQ Man Films Group of Mountain Lions on Porch in Colorado Mele Kalikimaka LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 481418 03-05-2019 08:56 PM Post: #3 RE: Mountain Lion Hunter Infuriates Conservationists Like the chinese who eat Domestic Cat kittens. Uppity Me Registered User User ID: 491073 03-05-2019 08:57 PM Posts: 38,866 Post: #4 RE: Mountain Lion Hunter Infuriates Conservationists crack pot Quote: Les pauvres n'ont-ils des Euros ? Alors laissez les pauvres 'sh*t' dans les rues Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Russias gas giant Gazprom aims to further increase its 35-percent market share in Europe, amid higher natural gas demand and expected lower production at key western European natural gas producers, according to a senior Gazprom manager. The Russian company sees opportunities to lift its market share in Europe even more amid an expected decline in production in the North Sea and the planned shutdown of a huge gas field in the Netherlands, Reuters quoted Elena Burmistrova, Director General of Gazprom Export, as saying at a recent industry event. After years of debates and measures to curb production at the Groningen gas field, the Dutch government decided in March last year that output at Groningen would be terminated by 2030, with a reduction by two-thirds until 2021-2022 and another cut after that. The authorities have already limited production from the field because of the earthquakes it causes, but they decided last year that the risks and costs were no longer acceptable. Gazproms preliminary estimates show that the companys share on the European market was 34 percent in 2017, while the share in 2018 could have hit 35 percent, Burmistrova said in remarks published by Reuters on Wednesday. With North Sea production gradually falling, the space for Russian gas is being freed up, the manager said. Gazprom is not setting targets for its market share in Europe as it doesnt want to sound too aggressive, according to Burmistrova. Several European countries, including the Baltic states and Poland, as well as the European Union (EU), have expressed concern about Russia using gas sales and its gas monopoly Gazprom as a political tool. Burmistrovas take is that Gazprom has proven it is a reliable natural gas supplier and it will always be competitive against American LNG, to which counties like Poland and Lithuania look for reducing their dependence on Russian supplies. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Libyas largest oil field, Sharara, is back in operation after almost three months of suspension, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation. The field was originally closed for production in December, when clashes between militant groups forced the National Oil Corporation of Libya to institute a force majeure, which was only lifted yesterday. The groups that occupied Sharara in early December with demands for better economic conditions and power supply security. The occupation lasted until early February, when the Libyan National Army, a group affiliated with the eastern Libyan government, took control of the field. The force majeure remained in place as the NOC refused to yield to demands for payments, arguing this would set a dangerous precedent. Then, however, the LNA faced the Petroleum Facilities Guard, an old adversary and a group loyal to the UN-recognized Libyan government. The situation was resolved only last week with mediation from the United Arab Emirates. According to NOCs chairman, Mustafa Sanalla, the three-month blockade of the field had cost it US$1.8 million and 20,000 bpd in lost production capacity as a result of vandalism and looting. In a statement, the state oil company said the venture operating the field had "received written assurance from the officials from the Libya National Army "that all individuals subject to Public Prosecutor arrest warrant have been removed from the field and will not be readmitted to the site. Additional security measures for on-site staff are being implemented, with perimeter security and safe "green zones" a priority," Sharara has the capacity to pump 340,000 bpd, which is about a third of Libyas total oil production when the field is in operation. This importance of Sharara has made it a frequent target for various groups and their grievances and ambitions, turning Libya into a swing producer despite its relatively low production rate of just above 1 million bpd before the latest Sharara outage. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Mexico will continue to need U.S. natural gas imports over the next decade, despite efforts by the new Mexican government to reduce dependence on American natural gas, data and analytics company GlobalData said in a report on Tuesday. Currently, U.S. natural gas pipeline exports, mainly from Texas, look like a much more convenient option for Mexico than grappling with possible shortfalls of natural gas supply, according to GlobalData. Without a comprehensive strategy that considers development of large natural gas resources, both onshore and offshore, it will be difficult to reduce the volume of imports demanded for power generation and industrial use, the analytics firm said. The Mexican governments approach to domestic resource development would make it difficult for the country to reduce its energy dependence, because state-owned oil and gas firm Pemex has the dominant position over much of Mexicos gas reserves, but lacks the capital to work by itself on capital-intensive gas development projects, GlobalData said. In addition, resource development could be further constrained because the Mexican government has halted the bidding rounds for the time being. Mexico is looking for ways to reduce its overwhelming dependency on U.S. natural gas imports, which currently satisfy over 50 percent of its demand. This is the highest foreign gas dependency rate in the world, according to a senior adviser to Mexicos president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. In the short and mid-term, Mexicos natural gas production decline could be alleviated by developing key upstream projects but this is unlikely given the current strategy led by the Mexican government, GlobalData noted. At the same time, U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico have been growing, thanks to expansion of cross-border pipeline capacity, the EIA has estimated. The rise of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and pipeline exports to Mexico resulted in the United States being a net natural gas exporter for the second year in a row in 2018. Exports of natural gas to Mexico by pipeline exceeded 5 Bcf/d in July 2018, the EIA said earlier this year. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: OPEC will likely wait until June to decide how to proceed with the production cuts as the initially set date for review, April, could be too soon to assess how the cuts and the supply from exempted and sanctioned Iran and Venezuela would affect the oil market, Reuters reported on Monday, citing three OPEC sources. OPEC and its Russia-led non-OPEC partners are implementing a new round of cuts of a total of 1.2 million bpd between January and June in an attempt to rebalance the oil market, which had tipped into oversupply in the latter half of 2018 when the Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, together with Russia, ramped up production to compensate for what was expected to be a significant reduction of Iranian oil exports due to the U.S. sanctions. With the U.S. granting waivers to eight Iranian customers, the OPEC+ alliance found themselves having to grapple with another glut building, coupled with market fears of economic and oil demand growth slowdown. When the partners decided to begin the new round of cuts, they said that the deal was subject to review in April. Now, according to Reuters OPEC sources, April could be too soon for a definitive decision to be made. Related: Activist Investors Force Change In The Oil Industry The key factors that OPEC will be watching in the next two months are how tight supply from Iran and Venezuela would be, considering that the current U.S. waivers expire in early May, while Venezuelas production and exports are likely to further drop in the coming months as the political crisis there continues. As things stand now, OPEC is likely to defer the decision from April to June and the likely scenario is to extend the agreement, the OPEC sources tell Reuters. So far the likely decision is to extend the agreement in June. Nothing much is planned for April, just to discuss the OPEC and non-OPEC (cooperation pact), one OPEC source told Reuters. Last week, Saudi Arabias Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih signaled that he was leaning toward an extension of the OPEC+ production cuts after June, although he noted that the producer group would take a measured approach not to tighten the oil market too much. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russia will speed up its oil production cuts this month and plans to reach its share of the OPEC/non-OPEC output reduction by end-March or early April, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday. There is an understanding that Russia will reach higher compliance levels in March, Novak said, as carried by Russian news agency TASS. At the end of March-early April, Russia will have reached the planned reduction, 228,000 bpd, Novak added. As part of the OPEC+ production cuts between January and June, Russia is taking the lions share of the non-OPEC cuts and pledged to reduce production by 230,000 bpd from Octobers post-Soviet record level of 11.421 million bpd, to 11.191 million bpd. Moscow, however, has repeatedly said that due to weather and geological conditions in the cold Russian winter, it cannot cut its oil production too quickly. In mid-January, Khalid al-Falih, the energy minister of Saudi Arabiathe OPEC kingpin and key Russian ally in all OPEC/non-OPEC production policy deals since early 2017had said that Russia was moving with the cuts slower than Id like. Referring to Russias share of the cuts, Novak said last month that as of February 14, the country had reduced its production by 80,000 bpd-90,000 bpd from Octobers levels. Novak said last month that the Russian companies would try to accelerate the cuts to reach the target by April. Last Friday, the minister held a meeting with Russias oil companies to discuss the cuts and the situation on the oil market. Russia is fully complying with its pledges to gradually reduce production, Novak said, as carried by the Russian energy ministry. In February, Russia cut its oil production by around 97,000 bpd compared to October levels, and as of end-February, the country had cut a total of 118,000 bpd compared to October 2018, the energy minister said on Friday. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: South Dakotas governor, Kristi Noem, has proposed legislation seeking to uncover where out-of-state funds for pipeline protests come from and cut them off at the source, the Associated Press reports, adding Republican Noem also said she would set up a fund for extraordinary costs for law enforcement that usually accompany pipeline protests. Im a supporter of property rights, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. We should celebrate differences of opinion. But here in South Dakota, we will have the rule of law, because rioters do not control economic development in our state, Noem said. In response to the news, the policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota said such legislation may infringe of free speech. The legislation has been triggered by the problems of neighbor North Dakota, which had to deal with a months-long protest against the Dakota Access pipeline back in 2016 and this cost the state tens of millions of dollars. North Dakota is the site of another controversial pipeline, the Keystone XL, which has had its fair share of protests and legal challenges. Last November, the project got the green light from a Montana judge to start doing some preliminary work while the State Department reviewed its original assessment of the environmental impacts of the project, as ordered by the court. Yet the same judge blocked all other activities around Keystone XL such as setting up worker camps along the route of the pipeline, which means the start of construction will once again be delayed even if TransCanada is lucky enough to emerge as the victor in the legal battle. The 830,000 bpd, US$8-billion pipeline will run from the Albertan oil sands through Montana and South Dakota, ending in Nebraska, where it would connect to the existing pipeline network that goes on to the Gulf Coast. Yet like Dakota Access, Keystone XL has become a focal point for environmentalists arguing there are already more than enough oil pipelines in the United States and Canada. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential , independent , neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish from , mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely. Some other variants include: Austria -- Ombudsstelle Croatia -- pravobranitelji France -- mediateur/defenseur Germany -- Ombudspersonen Italy -- difensore Netherlands -- ombudspersoon Norway -- ombudet Poland -- Rzecznik Portugal -- provedor Russia -- Spain -- ombudsman organizacional Sweden -- studentombud 5 Mar Actresses Ina Raymundo and Ai-Ai delas Alas were recently named Best Actress at the 39th Fantasporto International Film Festival in Portugal. As reported on Inquirer, Raymundo won the honour for her role in "Kuya Wes", which was also a finalist at last year's Cinemalaya, while delas Alas was awarded for her role in "School Service". It is noted that delas Alas previously won similar honour at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. Sharing the good news online, delas Alas wrote, "Thank you to Mother Mary and to our Father, Lord thank you so much for these wonderful blessings this 2019. And thank you very much Fantasporto International Film Festival Award (Portugal) for the best actress award." Raymundo also took to Instagram to express her happiness, writing, "I didn't expect this at all. Thank you Lord. Also, please watch "Kuya Wes" showing in cinemas on March 13th." Both actresses were not present to receive the award. (Photo Source: News5 Features) Chinese telecom giant Huawei will give foreign media a peek into its headquarters Wednesday as the normally secretive company steps up a counter-offensive against US warnings that it could be used by Beijing for espionage and sabotage. Huawei has kicked off the year with an aggressive PR campaign that has seen reclusive founder Ren Zhengfei suddenly give a series of interviews with foreign media to deny the company was a threat, while executives have dismissed the US warnings as baseless. The charm offensive reaches another gear Wednesday when Huawei rolls out the media welcome mat at its headquarters in the southern city of Shenzhen. Foreign journalist visits are hardly routine at a headquarters where high-tech labs and manufacturing facilities employ 60,000 people, but these are unusual times for the company. The United States says Huawei equipment could be manipulated by China's Communist government to spy on other countries and disrupt critical communications. Washington is urging governments to shun the company just as the world readies for the advent of ultra-fast 5G telecommunications, an advancement that Huawei was expected to lead and which will allow wide adoption of next-generation technologies like artificial intelligence. Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, Ren's daughter, also faces a court hearing on Wednesday in Vancouver on a US extradition request. Two Canadians have been detained in China in suspected retaliation over her arrest. The US Justice Department accuses Huawei and Meng of circumventing US sanctions against Iran. Two affiliates also have been charged with stealing trade secrets from telecommunications group T-Mobile. - Wolf ethos - Founded by Ren in 1987, Huawei has espoused a relentless "wolf" ethos that executives say fuelled its rise to become the world leader in telecom network hardware. It remains to be seen how the new charm offensive will play out, but the wolf may already smell blood. After intense recent lobbying by Huawei, reports have suggested Britain and New Zealand may walk back earlier indications that the company would be frozen out of their telecom plans. At the world's top mobile industry fair in Spain last week, Huawei bagged 5G commercial contracts or partnership agreements with 10 telecom operators including Switzerland's Sunrise, Iceland's Nova, Saudi Arabia's STC and Turkey's Turkcell. On Thursday, Huawei Chairman Guo Ping will hold a news conference at the Shenzhen headquarters that may be the real reason for the media tour's timing. The New York Times on Monday cited anonymous sources saying Huawei this week will announce plans to sue the US government for barring American federal agencies from using the company's products. The topic of the news conference has not been disclosed, but a big announcement would allow Huawei to seize back the narrative from Meng's extradition hearing. Huawei declined to comment publicly on the Times report. Opening its sprawling grounds also is a chance for Huawei to show that it is a global player not to be trifled with. Around 60,000 employees work at Shenzhen HQ, which has cutting-edge laboratories, hotels, swimming pools and fitness centres, a dozen cafeterias, and a Huawei University where it trains staff as well as foreign customers and partners. Huawei strenuously denies any connections to China's government. Sceptics, however, say it is highly unlikely that Ren, a former Chinese army engineer, could have steered his company to such heights in such a strategic sector without the support of Beijing, which has clearly stated its goal of becoming the world's high-tech leader. Besides its network dominance, Huawei is the world's number three smartphone supplier after Samsung and Apple. MANILA, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the measure that automatically entitles all persons with disability (PWD) membership to the National Health Insurance Program or PhilHealth coverage. Signed by the President on February 22, Republic Act No. 11228 states that premium contributions for all PWDs will be paid by the national government while those in the formal economy will be shared by the PWD and his employer. The law will be funded with proceeds from the excise tax on tobacco products. It also orders the PhilHealth to design packages that will address the specific health needs of PWDs. The new measure takes effect 15 days after its formal publication in a newspaper of general circulation. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Rosalie Coz) The post Duterte signs law granting mandatory PhilHealth coverage for PWDs appeared first on UNTV News. The Department of Transportation gave the Cavite provincial government until the middle of the year to resolve the issues on its unsolicited proposal to develop an international airport in Sangley Point. Its [Cavite government unsolicited proposal] still pending with Neda [National Economic and Development Authority. The issue I think is still the [source of] funding, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said. Neda returned in January Cavite provincial governments unsolicited proposal to build a new international airport over the alleged unclear implementing arrangement for the project. The Cavite provincial government submitted to Neda the full feasibility study for the project on Dec. 17, 2018. Sangley International Airport is expected to cost more than P500 billion. Tugade said that the national government would not help the Cavite government in funding the project. He said the agency was giving the Cavite government a reasonable period to resolve the issues on its proposal to develop an international airport. By mid this year, there should be a decision one way or the other, he said. Tugade clarified that the DOTr had not yet rejected the proposal of Solar Groups All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp. to develop an international airport in Sangley Point. Under the rules, if there is a government-to-government offer and there is a private offer, the priority is the government. So before you talk of any other options, you should talk first about the offer of the government, Tugade said.When asked if the agency is still considering the private proponent, Tugade said: Of course, options will always with them. He said the government options should not delay the development of Sangley airport. We already completed the asphalt overlay of the runway. I believe in the value and use of the Sangley [airport] and my strategy is I will not wait. I am also talking to the proponent about reimbursement to the government. But I wont delay the repair of the runway, Tugade said. Sangley Airport Infrastructure Group Inc., a consortium led by Solar Groups All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp., earlier submitted an unsolicited proposal to build the Philippine Sangley International Airport for $12 billion. Another crucial portion of the ARRC development plan is the rehabilitation of Danilo Atienza Air Base which will be later used as a general aviation airport to decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals during the project development phase. ARRC proposed a concession period of 50 years for the Sangley International Airport. Under the proposal, the project will start with the reclamation of about 2,500 hectares of land north of the Sangley peninsula which will be used for the development of airport infrastructure and a commercial establishment to complement the project. Sangley airport would be designed with two parallel independent runways and sufficient airside and terminal capacity to accommodate future demand for the domestic and the international traffic, not only for the Philippines but also for Southeast Asia. THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has removed over 650,000 campaign materials all over Metro Manila.NCRPO Director Major General Guillermo Eleazar urged the candidates to also do their PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has approved a proposed executive order (EO) on the implementation of the normalization process in Mindanao, Malacanang said on Tuesday, March 5. Duterte gave his nod on the normalization program under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) during the 35th Cabinet meeting held at Malacanan Palace on Monday, March 4, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said. The Palace official, however, did not elaborate on Duterte's approval of the EO. "The Chief Executive during the same Cabinet meeting approved the proposed executive order on the implementation of the Annex on the Normalization under the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)," Panelo said in a statement. The annex on normalization is the last of the four annexes to the CAB signed between the Philippine government and the MILF in 2014. The normalization annex deals with decommissioning the armed wing of the MILF and outlines steps to disarm private armies in the new Bangsamoro region. The last annex to the framework agreement defines normalization as a process "whereby communities can achieve their desired quality of life, which includes the pursuit of sustainable livelihood and political participation within a peaceful deliberative society." The Chief Executive approved the EO following the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which creates the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) in place of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The Barmm has expanded land and water jurisdiction, greater fiscal autonomy, and increased share in national government resources, among others, according to the landmark BOL. On February 22, Duterte led the oath-taking of the 80 members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), which serves as an interim government of the Barmm. The BTA is led by a chief minister, a position assumed by MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim. (SunStar Philippines) THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has removed over 650,000 campaign materials all over Metro Manila.NCRPO Director Major General Guillermo Eleazar urged the candidates to also do their DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana disagreed Tuesday, March 5, with the statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. that there is no need to review the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the Philippines and the United States. I do not believe that ambiguity or vagueness of the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty will serve as a deterrent. In fact, it will cause confusion and chaos during a crisis, said Lorenzana in a statement. The fact that the security environment now is so vastly different and much more complex than the bipolar security construct of the era when the MDT was written necessitates a review of the treaty, he added. Lorenzana said he would even argue that the MDT should have been reviewed after the US bases were terminated in 1992 and the country lost its security umbrella. He said since the US left the bases, the Chinese has become aggressive in its actions in the Mischief Reef. Lorenzana said although the Chinese aggression was not an armed attack, it cannot be denied that the US did not stop it. The Philippines is not in a conflict with anyone and will not be at war with anyone in the future. But the United States, with the increased and frequent passage of its naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea, is more likely to be involved in a shooting war. In such a case and on the basis of the MDT, the Philippines will be automatically involved, he said. It is not the lack of reassurance that worries me. It is being involved in a war that we do not seek and do not want, he added. In a press conference on Friday, March 1, Locsin said the vagueness of the MDT is what makes it effective. My own view is no. I believe in the old theory of deterrence. I have been an old man, Ive engaged in the Cold War for longer than you. In vagueness lies the best deterrence, he said. How do you flesh out that vagueness? The repeated assurances by the United States that in the event of an act of aggression committed against the Philippines. I dont believe that going down into the details is the way the sincerity of the American commitment can be shown. They will respond, depending on the circumstances, he added. Story continues But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in the same press conference, assured that the conflicting claims in the West Philippine Sea is covered by the MDT. Locsin said Pompeos statement made the Philippines very assured and very confident that the US got our back. The MDT, signed in 1951, includes eight articles and requires Pacific allies to provide assistance in case of an armed attack either in Washington or Manila. (SunStar Philippines) A few months back, I sat down for a coffee with a journalist who was starting a new a regional news project. The conversation was focused on potential business models for this new initiative. Since announcing the Journalism Entrepreneurship Boot Camp and News Foundry, these coffee conversation have been happening with more frequency and I love every minute of them. Over the course of these conversations literally dozens of them several patterns have started to emerge. Theres one specific pattern, however, that I believe is indicative of how some significant percentage of journalists see the process of connecting the work of a new journalistic undertaking to the people its aiming to serve. This pattern is something that Ive started to refer to as push journalism. And I believe theres a great struggle in the hearts of minds of journalists today between this push journalism which is roughly equivalent to the status quo and a new paradigm, process, and pattern thats quickly emerging. Lets call this newer pattern pull journalism. (Humorously, the only other reference I could find to pull journalism was posted on the blog of one of the early news nerds, Daniel Bachhuber, almost a decade ago. It seems to have come up at a BarCamp News Innovation in Philly, which, incidentally, just had its 10th anniversary in 2018.) Now, heres the really interesting thing: Ill bet that push journalism is something different than you might think it is. Id be curious to know if thats true. So, heres how I see push journalism: The reporter has a hunch about a newsworthy story that hasnt being told yet The reporter checks with a couple of sources and their editor The reporter invests a lot of time and energy into investigating and writing the story The story is published Then everyone in the organization PUSHES LIKE HELL to get the story in front of as many people as possible in the hope that it will reach the people who need that information the most The pushing comes in the form of distribution partners, email blasts, social media campaigns and, possibly worst of all, paid social media campaigns. The amount of pushing is often proportional to the time or cost of the reporting. The ethos of this pattern is: A lot has been invested into this reporting, so we must push it out into the world, and push it in front of potential readers at every opportunity. And thats because this piece of reporting is often viewed as a little paper sailboat in a stream of information where the current is quickly pulling it away and out of view. So we cup our hands to our mouths, breath in deep, and then blow wind into the sail of the little paper boat again, and again, and again. Thats push journalism. I see that in contrast to a newer, emergent approach that I like to call pull journalism. Pull journalism is very similar to concepts from the journalism world like engaged journalism and public-powered journalism, but adds concepts from the Lean Startup world like customer development. The pull pattern is quite simple, really: Have a hunch about a problem that people might be experiencing, or a question that has gone unanswered one that might have an impact on peoples lives. Interview those people perhaps a dozen of them and listen for signals that your hunch is correct. Also listen for signals that your hunch is incorrect, and that perhaps theres another problem, or unanswered question, thats more pressing. Formulate a hypothesis based on these conversations about what might address the problem, or answer the question: is it a written story, or is it something else? How might these people use the information? Where and when would they use it? Go back to those dozen people, if possible, and present a stand-in for the finished version of the idea: a story pitch, a survey, a napkin sketch, a low-fidelity prototype, or what-have-you. Ask them for feedback. Ask them for introductions to another dozen people that you might be able to talk with. Repeat this process as quickly as possible until you believe youve got a well-tested idea for a journalism undertaking that solves a problem, or answers a question one that is a pressing information need in people lives. Now go and do the reporting, the building, the producing. When its done, publish it, and then present it to all of the people that youve spoken with and ask them, if they believe its useful, to let people know. The exciting thing about a process like this is that it might provide an opportunity to create products so good so well-tailored to a communitys needs that people just pull the products into their lives. What would the act of a reader pulling journalism into their life look like? Great question! I dont have all the answers, but I have a few hunches (and, if you have the answers, please post them in the comments below): They hear about it from a friend or colleague and search it out. They search for an answer to a question on the Internet and find your organizations reporting They follow a reporters work so closely that this person found their own way to be notified the minute new work is published because its so relevant to them (even though your organization doesnt provide a way to follow individual reporters yet). They create Twitter lists of people that they trust to pull important facts into their view in a timely fashion The list goes on Do you have a journalism or information product in your life like this already? I know that I do. I have many. These products werent pushed into my view. I pulled them in because friends had mentioned them or because theyve become a cultural zeitgeist in my little corner of the universe. This isnt as far out as it sounds. Last year, Eric Ulken shared how the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Philly.com used tools from the Design Thinking toolbox to build more audience empathy into their products. He described the opportunity like this: The problem was, we still didnt know exactly who we should be targeting or what they wanted. Sure, our analytics gave us great insight into how current users reacted to work we already produced, but we didnt really know what topics and approaches we might be missing, because we hadnt talked in a meaningful way to digital news consumers in the market including those who werent regular users of our products. And its not just The Philadelphia Inquirer. Newsrooms all over the US and Canada are starting to embrace these ideas. In Canada, The Discourse has been using community listening sessions to help determine where to focus their coverage. In Chicago, City Bureau has been doing the same. And two companies are leading the charge with new tools to support these processes: both Hearken and Groundsource have been outspoken about their support for these ideas. Hearkens CEO, Jennifer Brandel, describes the reasoning behind their approach like so: So newsrooms arent empathizing, prototyping, or testing their work with their audience before they publish. What does this mean? It means limited effectiveness. It means newsrooms create stories they think serve their audience, but they dont know if theyre right until its too late and theyve already made the investment. It means a lot of money and time sunk on stories that dont necessarily resonate with, help, or serve people. A change this big isnt going to happen overnight, but I believe you can start experimenting with it today simply by remembering this: pull journalism feels like making something important for people you know personally vs. push journalism, which feel like making something of undetermined value for a not-well-known group of people referred to as the audience, readers, or listeners. I dont imagine that every journalists is going to pivot to pull journalism tomorrow, nor a time when pull journalism would make up 100% of a news organizations offerings. I believe theres always going to be a role for producing information that benefits a community that they may not recognize the need for directly, or on a day-to-day basis, e.g., education, housing and homelessness, government transparency, etc. However, I believe that for news organizations to truly thrive along with the journalists within these organizations making products that people love, products that they pull into their lives, is going to be the factor that sets apart the news organizations of tomorrow, from the ones of yesterday. But, theres no doubt in my mind that now is the time to start experimenting. Lets get started today. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The adder could all but disappear from the UK countryside by 2032, according to new research conducted with the help of citizen scientists. The findings, published in the Herpetological Journal, are the culmination of 11 years of nationwide monitoring and showed that 90 percent of adder populations surveyed were declining. Experts warn that, if these trends continue, within just 10-20 years adders could be restricted to just a handful of sites in the UK. The adder is a conservation priority species in the UK. Although concern has been growing among reptile experts for decades that our native adder populations are in decline, this study is the first time that national adder population trends have been measured, and the data confirm that our adders are in serious trouble. The data were collected by Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK (ARG UK) through the 'Make the Adder Count' project, a citizen science survey to monitor adder populations across the UK, which was set up in 2005. Each spring, volunteer surveyors visit their local adder sites to count the numbers of animals, in order to assess whether populations are changing. Dr. Emma Gardner, a researcher from the University of Reading, has analysed the first 11 years of monitoring data. "Our analysis shows that 90 percent of the sites surveyed have small populations and on average these small populations are declining." said Dr. Gardner. "When surveyors visit these sites, they typically record less than 10 adders. Only 10 percent of sites have large populations, which seem to be doing ok. If these trends continue, within 10-20 years, adders will be restricted to just a few sites in the UK, significantly increasing the extinction risk for this priority species in Britain." This is not just bad for adders. Adders are an indicator species. If adders are in serious decline, this suggests many other species who depend on the same habitats are likely to be suffering too. So why are so many adder populations in decline and what can we do about it? The study also identified key threats currently affecting the adder sites. Top of the list was public pressure through disturbance. "Almost half of the adder sites surveyed reported public pressure through disturbance as negatively affecting their adders." said Dr. Gardner. "This ranged from people inadvertently trampling vegetation, to off-lead dogs disturbing the adders and people getting too close trying to photograph them. We know that there are some sites were adders live perfectly happily alongside people, so we really need more research to assess the impacts of disturbance on adders and identify what conditions are needed to allow both adders and people to enjoy the same spaces together. Another critical factor is how adder habitat is managed. Sadly, adders may not be safe from harm even on nature reserves, where vegetation is often mechanically cut or grazed to maintain it in optimum condition. "Mechanical cutting can physically injure or kill adders, and overgrazing removes the cover they need to hide from predators and safely hunt for prey." said Dr. Gardner. "Adders are very faithful to their homes, will hibernate year after year in the same place and often hibernate together, hidden away under a tree stump or in a bracken bank. If management operations accidentally destroy these hibernation places, then a whole adder community can be wiped out in one go." ARG UK and its volunteers are working hard to try and turn things around for adders. Special projects like 'Adders are Amazing!' aim to change public perceptions of adders and encourage everyone to champion and cherish this much misunderstood species. As part of the project, supported by the Welsh Government and Pembrokeshire County Council, ARG UK's Dr. Sam Langdon works alongside schools, community groups, local conservation partners and landowners on the St David's Peninsula in Pembrokeshire, to help safeguard the future of their local adder populations. This summer, ARG UK are also hosting a two-day symposium, 'Vanishing Viper 2019: A European approach to developing an adder conservation strategy', bringing together adder workers from across Northern Europe to identify solutions at a pan-European level. Right now, adders across the UK will be emerging from their winter hibernation. ARG UK volunteers will continue to count them and monitor their population levels through 'Make the Adder Count'. "Our study has shown just how vulnerable our UK adder populations are," says Dr. Gardner. "And how important it is that we act now to help conserve our adders, before it is too late." The adder is a 'Section 41' species, which means that it is listed as a conservation priority under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. Explore further Health check on England's only venomous snake More information: Emma Gardner. January 2019, Herpetological Journal (2019). Emma Gardner. January 2019,(2019). DOI: 10.33256/hj29.1.5770 The development and improvement of pharmaceuticals plays the central role in the ongoing battle against human disease. Organic synthesis is the field that enables these developments as it offers the toolbox to diversify chemical structures. The group of Nuno Maulide, recently named the Scientist of the Year 2018 in Austria, in collaboration with the group of Harald Sitte, has now reported a facile method for the replacement of hydrogen with fluorine in important drug molecules. This new discovery enables the fine-tuning of existing (and potential new) pharmaceuticals to endow them with improved pharmacological properties. The results have been recently published in the renowned journal Nature Chemistry. The vast majority of pharmaceuticals employed in the treatment of human diseases are of an organic nature, meaning that the active component is a molecule (or a combination of several molecules) that is constituted of carbon and hydrogen atoms. This trait is shared with all living matter, as proteins, sugars, fats and DNA are also based on such hydrocarbon skeletons, differing only by arrangement and their substitution with a relatively small amount of other possible elements (mainly oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus). "Our bodies are nothing else than a large assembly of billions of carbon-made, or in other words, organic molecules", says Nuno Maulide, recently named Scientist of the Year 2018 in Austria and Professor at the University of Vienna. Owing to this similarity, organic pharmaceuticals are ideally suited to interact with the human body, for example by binding to receptors thereby triggering or inhibiting a desired or undesired function. Finding the key that best fits the lock The design of a pharmaceutical molecule targeting a specific interaction with a receptive structure is often conceptualised by the analogy of a lock and key. "The receptor (for example an enzyme) has a unique structure (lock) and therefore requires a unique structure (key) to interact with. Due to the need for an exact fit, the structural integrity of the pharmaceutical compound is key (pun intended!) to assure its beneficial bioactivity", explains Harald Sitte, Professor at the Medical University of Vienna and co-author of the study. Credit: University of Vienna Trying to escape the clean-up However, just as nutrients are metabolised by the body, pharmaceuticals that enter the body (made up of the same essential constituents, carbon, hydrogen, ) are also degraded by the same enzymes that metabolise and eliminate our food constituents. "This type of clean-up machinery is essential for our body in order to protect itself; molecules that are undesired and could have negative effects must be eliminated swiftly. Unfortunately, such machinery is often indiscriminate and pharmaceuticals will also be metabolised as soon as they enter in contact with the body", explains Christopher Teskey, PostDoc in the Maulide group and joint first author of the study. This can alter the structure of pharmaceuticals and therefore also remove their beneficial properties. "Large parts of this degradation occur precisely at the junction of carbon and hydrogen atoms (CH bonds), that can be broken or altered to form new compounds that can be more easily cleared from the body by excretion. CH bonds are inherently rather weak bonds, meaning that oxidation can take place easily", explains Pauline Adler, former PostDoc in the Maulide group and the study's other joint first author. "It ultimately is a race to escape cleaning up! The longer a beneficial pharmaceutical can escape this cat-and-mouse chase with the metabolism enzymes, the longer its beneficial effect can be felt in the body", jokes Maulide. A clever solution: exchange H with F can be a 2-in-1 It is therefore obvious that, if the structural weak points of drug molecules could be eliminated or mitigated, their metabolic stability could be significantly increased. Chemists have found some years ago that the strategic replacement of especially weak CH bonds with much stronger CF bonds can be a highly rewarding approach in this direction. While hydrogen and fluorine are distinctly different in some respects, their sizes are comparable, and the replacement of H with F can therefore often be assumed to have only minimal effect on the structure of the key (pharmaceutical). "Even more so, because of these differed electronic properties, a strategically placed fluorine atom can potentially establish additional interactions with its target (lock), thereby enhancing the desired activity", explains Maulide. "Moreover, introduction of fluorine into a drug molecule can alter its properties in such a way that it can be more easily absorbed by the body (increased bioavailablility), once again increasing the amount of drug that can find and interact with its receptor. It really can be a 2-in-1 situation!", posits Daniel Kaiser, former Ph.D. student of the Maulide group and co-author of the study (Figure 1). Credit: University of Vienna The challenge of replacing H with F: if only you could use toothpaste While the introduction of fluorine can have this wide range of beneficial effects on a pharmaceutical, its placement onto organic molecules is often far from trivial. The most common methods of fluorination involve highly reactive, corrosive and sometimes toxic reagents. These reagents are based on positively charged fluorine atoms (F+), which are far more expensive and difficult to handle than their common and cheap negatively charged (F) fluoride counterparts (the fluoride anion itself is commonly known, for example, as a constituent of toothpaste). A simple solution and the first demonstration The research group of Prof. Nuno Maulide (Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Vienna) has now discovered a facile and selective method for the introduction of fluorine atoms into organic molecules using the widely available fluoride anion (F). "Most chemists have looked to introduce fluorine by using negatively polarised organic molecules that can react with a F+ reagent. We simply did the opposite: switch polarity of the organic molecule so that we can use the same fluoride you have in toothpaste!", enthuses Maulide. Importantly, this approach employs cheap starting materials, is operationally simple and delivers high yields of the products in short amounts of time. Credit: University of Vienna In the published work, several fluorinated analogues of common bioactive agents were easily synthesised, most prominently fluoro-Citalopram. "The parent molecule Citalopram is a blockbuster antidepressant used in the treatment of clinical depression. It interacts with the serotonin transporter (SERT) and raises the synaptic concentration of serotonin to alleviate the depressive symptoms", explains Sitte. In collaboration with the group of Prof. Harald Sitte (MedUni Vienna), Prof. Maulide and his team were able to establish that the activity of Citalopram is retained upon insertion of a fluorine atom. Significantly, while the activity is retained (despite the structural change), other pharmacological factors, such as metabolic stability and bioavailability, are expected to improve as a consequence of fluorination. The teams therefore believe that fluoro-Citalopram could present a viable alternative to the non-fluorinated analogue. Chemistry opens the door "Having a method to exchange H with F under such simple conditions is but the beginning. We can now imagine doing this exchange in a range of other pharmaceuticals and study the properties of the resulting, new analogues. Since the exchange of H with F is also a technique that can be of relevance to the materials industry, you can understand why we are excited about this work", explains Maulide. "This is a great example of the power of Chemistry: because we are able to manipulate the structure of matter at a molecular level with atomic precision, we can open doors that would otherwise remain closed to the imagination", closes Maulide. Explore further When sulfur disappears without trace More information: Pauline Adler et al. -Fluorination of carbonyls with nucleophilic fluorine, Nature Chemistry (2019). Journal information: Nature Chemistry Pauline Adler et al. -Fluorination of carbonyls with nucleophilic fluorine,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41557-019-0215-z Credit: Fauna & Flora International For centuries, we have thought of the ocean as unimaginably vast and unchangeable, as a sea of opportunity, spawning fishing fleets and shipping lines, building the wealth of maritime nations. The ocean fundamentally underpins the populations and food of many coastal and island states, and always has done. But seas are not limitless, and nor are their resources. We cannot extract all the fish and dump our waste at sea with impunity. The ocean cannot mop up the atmosphere's CO 2 without consequences for its own health and ours. The rush towards ocean exploitation continues, be it deep-sea mining, or capitalising on blue carbon and new biotechnology opportunities. The water seems deep and inviting to many, and innovation in marine industries abounds. Some of the world's leading marine innovators, entrepreneurs and decision-makers are gathering at this week's World Ocean Summit in Abu Dhabi to discuss this sea of opportunity, this chance to create a "Blue Economy." So what is a Blue Economy? Is it a vision of the future where humans take more from the ocean than they do now? Is it a way of ensuring that the food and money derived from the ocean are shared more equally? Is it a set of principles that guide the decisions of our governments and leaders of industry? In a sense, Blue Economy is all of these things, but it is precisely this range of definitions that represents both an opportunity and a risk to marine biodiversity. The long-term future of coastal communities will hinge on careful management of the oceans finite resources. Credit: JABRUSON While the history of the Blue Economy, originally conceived as an aquatic version of the Green Economy concept, is complex, its roots are in an understanding that humanity's systems cannot grow indefinitely. That the problems of poverty, of injustice and of biodiversity decline cannot be tackled in isolation. That our world will only survive if we all from individuals to global superpowers do more with less. That a healthy planet forms the basis of a thriving human race. However, while the Green Economy courtesy of its very name is directly associated with sustainability, we see the term Blue Economy being hijacked to represent all marine industries whether sustainable and environmentally conscious or not. A path of "Blue Growth" has emerged; a vision in which economic resources are mobilised towards uncontained ocean extraction, in which marine industries expand indefinitely and in which governments ensure that laws support rather than limit this transition. This shift from "green" to "blue" poses a real risk of valuing only what we can commodify or exploit when, in fact, the fundamental services the ocean provides are not incorporated on any balance sheet. At Fauna & Flora International (FFI), we now prefer to add a caveat, and talk instead about a sustainable blue economy. We challenge all those gathering in Abu Dhabi to recognise and build on this principle. Dredging damage on the fragile seabed, Scotland. Credit: COAST The ocean represents the final frontier for exploration and for innovation. It also has the capacity to absorb and store carbon. But its capacity to provide for us and service our needs is limited, and will be damaged if we pursue short-term economic gain at the expense of ocean health. In promoting a blue economy, we risk exposing this last, vast wild frontier to untrammelled exploitation. We need to balance exploitation with protection and nurturing of our ocean, otherwise we cannot sustain the benefits it offers us all. Marine protected areas are key to keeping the balance and allowing recovery, and to reap the ocean's wealth with one hand we need to invest in its resilience with the other; we must maintain this equilibrium. At FFI, we believe that the bluest economy is one with local ocean ownership at its core, where grassroots civil society movements lead the way for healthy oceans and healthy people, supported by corporate and government decision-makers that understand the determination and patience required to achieve this. We also believe that some activities such as destructive forms of deep-sea mineral extraction or dredging or any other misguided means of unnecessarily or inappropriately extracting marine life cannot in good faith be considered compatible with the Blue Economy in any sustainable economic framing, as they pose demonstrable or in some cases yet-to-be-defined threats to the functioning of key pillars of ocean health. In short, we believe that a sustainable blue economy will make a positive difference to people and to the ocean only if it limits unsustainable growth, is built from the ground up, and has marine biodiversity protection at its heart. Explore further Fighting global warming with blue carbon Credit: Fauna & Flora International When we hear scientists talking about accidental bycatch, we tend to think of turtles entangled in fishing nets, or an albatross impaled on a longline trawler's fish hook. A tapir in a tiger snare is the terrestrial equivalent. It is common knowledge that the illegal trade in tiger bones and body parts poses a grave threat to the remaining populations of Asia's most iconic big cat. But this grisly business also has a detrimental impact on other species that have the misfortune to be caught in the crossfire. Kerinci Seblat National Park in Indonesia is one of the last remaining strongholds of the critically endangered Sumatran tiger. It also harbours a globally important population of the endangered Malay tapir, which is down to an estimated 2,500 adults worldwide. You might imagine that a sizeable, relatively defenceless herbivore would be perfect prey for a voracious apex predator. In fact, fatal encounters appear to be relatively infrequent even though they share the same forest habitat, due to the fact that tigers are largely crepuscular active at dusk, to you and me while tapirs are nocturnal. So far so good for the tapir, but it turns out that hungry carnivores are the least of its problems. Tapirs and tigers tend to favour the same network of trails through the forest, especially in the mountains that comprise much of the park. And it is here that the poachers set their lethal wire snares. Warning The video clip contains upsetting footage of a wild Malay tapir caught accidentally in a poachers snare intended for tigers. The traumatised animal was found by one of the parks tiger protection units during a routine patrol. The team had to work out how to free this 300-kilo beast without endangering themselves or the tapir. Releasing the wrong cable would have allowed the animal to escape with the leg snare still attached, which would probably have resulted in a slow, painful death from gangrene. Fortunately, after a long and painstaking operation, the team succeeded in releasing the cables in the correct order, after which the tapir bolted for the shelter of the forest severely stressed, but otherwise unharmed. We are hopeful that it made a full recovery, but others are not so lucky; without the intervention of the anti-poaching teams, these snares would take a terrible toll on tigers and other animals that share their habitat. Credit: Fauna & Flora International These poachers tend to be opportunists; tigers are their primary target, but if they happen to trap a different species, they won't hesitate to sell it for bush meat. In the case of the tapir, however, the flesh is widely considered haram forbidden by the local Muslim population, and this animal currently has little or no value in the local traditional medicine trade although skulls and bones may be passed off as those of Sumatran rhinoceros. A tapir in a tiger snare is, therefore, the worst possible outcome for both poacher and victim, and a fitting, if depressing, symbol of the wastefulness of this indiscriminate hunting method. To add insult to injury, snares can have a disproportionately serious impact on tapirs, because their relatively slow rate of reproduction makes them less resilient to poaching pressure than a more prolific breeder such as the tiger. The collateral damage inflicted by would-be tiger trappers is undoubtedly a genuine cause for concern, but until now there have been few attempts to quantify these wider impacts, particularly where Malay tapirs are concerned. Tiger patrol team (faces hidden to preserve anonymity) with a heavy-duty wire snare. Credit: FFI/KSNP Despite their large size an adult male can weigh more than 300 kilos Malay tapirs are seldom encountered by humans due to their nocturnal nature and preference for deep rainforest habitat, and we know surprisingly little about them, particularly the Sumatran population. They are spectacular, charismatic animals, but have been inexplicably overlooked in Southeast Asia. Thanks to an inspired piece of collaborative research involving Fauna & Flora International (FFI), Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Australia Zoo and the evocatively named University of the Sunshine Coast, that has begun to change. Tiger Protection and Conservation Units have been operating in Kerinci Seblat National Park since 2000. A crucial facet of their anti-poaching work is to conduct routine and intelligence-led forest patrols. Over the years, these crack teams have removed thousands of snares and covered a cumulative distance of over 23,000 kilometres. Kassandra Campbell a member of the tiger team at Australia Zoo, which has supported the work of the Tiger Protection and Conservation Units since 2004 was looking for an interesting research project for her degree. She set herself the task of analysing four years of patrol data compiled during a period that was characterised by an alarming spike in tiger and hornbill poaching activity in and around the park. One of two Malay tapirs rescued from tiger snares within the same month. Credit: FFI/KSNP That analysis included exploring the relationships between the frequency of tiger, tapir and snare signs over time, spatial changes around tiger, tapir and snare signs over time and tapir mortality in relation to snare presence over time. It is hoped that the results of Kassie's findings will help to inform management decisions in the park by providing a greater understanding of poaching activity and the consequent threats faced by both tigers and tapirs. We have already seen ample evidence that the anti-poaching activities of the tiger protection teams in Sumatra can benefit other species such as pangolins and helmeted hornbills by disrupting illegal wildlife trade networks. In this instance, it seems clear that snare detection and removal is helping to safeguard tapirs as well as tigers. The Malay tapir is the least studied large herbivore in Sumatra. It's not easy to conserve a species or the forest ecosystem it supports unless you understand its role and its needs. This recently published paper goes some way towards bridging the knowledge gap by shedding new light on what was a grey area. Now, thanks to the collaborative efforts of FFI and our partners, it's all there in black and white. Armed with the latest information, we are developing plans to ensure the survival of this declining denizen of the deep, dark rainforest. Rescuing a powerful and distressed tapir from a snare is a hazardous business. Credit: FFI/KSNP Explore further Protecting tigers could be beneficial for their prey A computer drawing shows the FASER instrument in a tunnel at CERN's Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland. The detector will be precisely aligned with the collision axis in the ATLAS instrument 480 meters away. FASER will track and measure the decay of particles produced. Credit: FASER / CERN The CERN research board has approved the Forward Search Experiment, giving a green light to the assembly, installation and use of an instrument that will look for new fundamental particles at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland. Initiated by physicists at the University of California, Irvine, the five-year FASER project is funded by grants of $1 million each from the Heising-Simons Foundation and the Simons Foundation with additional support from CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. FASER's focus is to find light, extremely weakly interacting particles that have so far eluded scientists, even in the high-energy experiments conducted at the CERN-operated LHC, the largest particle accelerator in the world. "Seven years ago, scientists discovered the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider, completing one chapter in our search for the fundamental building blocks of the universe, but now we are looking for new particles," said FASER co-leader Jonathan Feng, UCI professor of physics & astronomy. "The dark matter problem shows that we don't know what most of the universe is made of, so we're sure new particles are out there." Feng, a theoretical physicist, will be joined by CERN collaborators as well as other scientists from research institutions in Europe, China, Japan and the United States. The FASER team will consist of 30 to 40 members, relatively small compared to other groups conducting experiments at the LHC. The FASER instrument is also compact, measuring about 1 meter in diameter and 5 meters long. It will be placed at a specific point along the 16-mile loop of the LHC, about 480 meters (1,574 feet) away from the hulking, six-story instrument used by the ATLAS Collaboration to discover the Higgs boson. As proton beams pass through the interaction point at the ATLAS instrument, they may create new particles that will go through concrete in the LHC tunnel and then into the FASER instrument, which will track and measure the progress of their decay. FASER will collect data any time ATLAS is operating. "One of the advantages of our design is that we've been able to borrow many of the components of FASER silicon detectors, calorimeters and electronics from the ATLAS and LHCb collaborations," said Jamie Boyd, CERN research scientist and co-spokesperson for the project. "That's allowing us to assemble an instrument that costs almost hundreds of times less than the largest experiments at the LHC." Another advantage is FASER's rapid construction schedule. According to FASER experimental physicist Dave Casper, UCI associate professor of physics & astronomy, graduate students joining the team now will be able to participate in the complete life cycle of the experiment from assembly and installation to gathering data and reporting on results something scientists on larger LHC projects, some of which took decades to design and build, could only dream of. The FASER detector, which will be one of only eight research instruments at the LHC, is being built and installed during the collider's current hiatus and will collect data from 2021 to 2023. The LHC will be shut down again from 2024 to 2026. During that time, the team hopes to install the larger FASER 2 detector, which will be capable of unveiling an even wider array of mysterious, hidden particles. This area of research has strong links to past UCI efforts. Founding faculty member Frederick Reines won the Nobel Prize in 1995 for his co-discovery of neutrinos in 1956. "In some sense, we're following that tradition by looking for extremely weakly interacting light particles, like the neutrino," Feng said. "We now know that neutrinos make up some chunk of the universe but far less than 1 percent of the dark matter. We're trying to find out what makes up the rest." Explore further Physicist Philip Harris on first observation of long-predicted Higgs boson decay Credit: CC0 Public Domain The National Farmers Federation wants to lift the value of Australian agricultural production to $100 billion by 2030. While that might be possible on the current trajectory it is forecast to reach $84 billion by 2030 we should be mindful of the substantial, and sometimes painful, reforms that have been needed to achieve the growth we have in recent decades; and that price increases accounted for 90% of that past growth. Furthermore, the rate of productivity growth has been slowing. Key reasons include adverse shifts in climate and seasonal conditions, reduced investment in research relative to the value of production, and that fact that the easiest productivity gains have already been made. This suggests nothing can be taken for granted. Instead, we should recognise that achieving the best for agriculture, our rural communities and the national economy will require tough choices. Making farming attractive to workers and investors The sector is well aware of the need to attract workers with the right mix of skills, and is taking steps to do it. The 2018 Budget provided funds to improve our evidence base about labour force issues. It is encouraging to see sector leaders acknowledging the need to eliminate exploitation of workers, particularly seasonal workers and other vulnerable groups, but actions are always going to speak louder than words in ensuring a positive experience for farm workers. Investment is crucial to lifting productivity and strengthening supply chains. Unfortunately agriculture faces some headwinds in attracting investment, including high seasonal variability relative to other nations and some persistent policy uncertainty. This makes it crucial that Australia's foreign investment rules are applied transparently and predictably, respecting community caution that investment should deliver social and economic benefits, while maintaining Australia's reputation as a stable and attractive investment destination. Harnessing innovation Australia is not immune to global shifts in research and development. This includes slower growth in public R&D, which in the past has provided the foundation for growth in private R&D. Our distinctive use of government and levy funded Research and Development Corporations has served us well in the past, but needs some adjustment to ensure that the resources available deliver the best possible outcomes for agriculture and the nation as a whole. Priorities should include reducing fragmentation and improving collaboration on "whole of sector" challenges, greater clarity and consistency around contributions and benefit sharing, and achieving faster adoption and commercialisation of successful research. Promoting resilience Australian farmers manage very significant variability, including variability in climate and prices. Climate variability is increasing and extreme events, such as droughts and floods, are becoming more frequent and severe, impacting on output and incomes. Increased variability is also likely to contribute to more volatile global prices. It is a good bet in these circumstances that future droughts and weather events will continue to trigger calls for government to do more to help famers. But policy makers should continue to be careful in how they respond, as poorly designed polices have the potential to slow farm adaption and structural adjustment, hurting productivity. Australia's national drought policy rightly establishes a clear separation between promoting proper risk management by farm businesses and providing support to farm households and communities in need. Read more: Helping farmers in distress doesn't help them be the best: the drought relief dilemma Eligibility criteria for the Farm Household Allowance are more generous than those that apply to income support available to other groups. Programs such as the Farm Household Allowance, the Farm Management Deposit Scheme and tax concessions provide important relief for farm households and are consistent with Australian community values. Overall, their current settings are unlikely to undermine resilience and drought preparedness or to have substantial adverse impact on agricultural productivity. This is an achievement worth defending against well meaning or occasionally self-interested calls to blur the lines between household support and business assistance. And we should always seek further improvements. Here the remaining policies that provide business assistance, such as concessional finance, need careful assessment. Over time, the perceived need for such policies could be reduced by further development and uptake of market-based risk management tools, such as multi-peril crop insurance, and index-based insurance for cropping and livestock. Persisting with water reforms The Murray-Darling Basin Plan was inspired, in part, by the 2003 Living Murray Initiative and its vision of a "healthy working river" and in part by a reaction to the realities graphically exposed by the Millennium drought. It was predicated on the conviction that healthy communities and regional economies required a healthy river, and that achieving it required substantial changes to water management. These changes were twofold: promoting water trading across the basin, which allows water to move to higher value uses and altering the balance between consumptive and environmental uses to achieve healthy river ecosystems. This view that healthy industries require healthy catchments has not always been visible in recent debate and finger pointing, which is often framed in terms of trade-offs between "industry" or "development" versus the "environment". It is self evident that achieving the National Farmers Federation aspiration for agriculture will require sustainable management of scarce water resources. Irrigated crops are one of the strongest growing agricultural sectors, with excellent future prospects. Realising the full potential of the irrigation sector will require clear and confident water policy settings which support the sector's social licence, and avoid the uncertainty associated with acrimonious ongoing debate. Respecting evolving consumer expectations Staying ahead of the curve on consumer expectations sits at the heart of agriculture's value proposition, reputation, and future growth and can only be effectively led by industry. Shifts in social expectations may well be both the greatest opportunity, and the greatest threat, facing Australian agriculture. Rising real incomes allow consumers and citizens to care about issues they have previously ignored, and to express this care through their purchasing decisions and networks. These issues might be personal such as health or more general such as concern for the environment or animal welfare. Shifts in consumer sentiment can occur rapidly, and be difficult to predict. In 2016, for example, around 15% of milk consumers voted unexpectedly with their wallets by shifting from cut price $1 milk to more expensive branded milk, delivering an additional $100 million in sales revenue, in response to concerns about the plight of dairy farmers. But capitalising on consumer concerns over the long term involves risks and hard work. Back in 2003, Perth-based Austral Fisheries caused some waves when it set out to secure independent Marine Stewardship Council sustainability certification for Patagonian toothfish, as a first step in a sophisticated customer engagement strategy. Their persistence paid off: today more than half the global catch is certified, its premium market position has been restored and prices increased by around 300%. Some shifts will involve more threats than opportunities, at least in the absence of stronger engagement by industry. Producers are particularly exposed on environmental and animal welfare issues, where real or perceived poor behaviour by a few players can tarnish the reputation or market access of an entire sector. Assessing these risks and opportunities requires industry to understand how consumers think and feel, even when this is confronting. As an example, debates about land clearing can be polarising, generating more heat than light. To be hard nosed about this, however, it is in industry's interest to consider how the economic rewards of land clearing for some graziers stack-up against the potential risks to the reputation, social licence and market position of the industry nationally, and the various ways these risks could be managed. Focusing on the main game Australian agriculture has many advantages, and a track record of good performance, underpinned by tough choices. If we continue in this tradition Australian agriculture will prosper, enhancing the well-being of producers, consumers, regions, and the nation. Explore further How investment in irrigation is paying off for Ethiopia's economy This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Public policies rooted in racial resentment can carry grave consequences for health and well-being, according to new research by Vanderbilt psychiatrist and sociologist Jonathan Metzl. His findings, based on seven years of fieldwork in Tennessee, Missouri and Kansas, can be found in his new book, Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America's Heartland. Metzl is the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Medicine, Health and Society, and director of Vanderbilt's Center for Medicine, Health and Society, which studies the social, political and community forces that impact health. Metzl undertook the research for this book to understand how white Americans reconciled support for anti-tax, pro-gun policies in regions struggling with the impact of poor health care and education and high rates of gun death. He took a personal approach, focusing in three specific areas: Medicaid expansion in Tennessee, school funding in Kansas and gun laws in Missourithree states where he's lived much of his life. "What was interesting was that, even as the negative health effects became more and more apparent, I found that it actually made people more adamant about supporting these positions, not less," Metzl said. "I realized you really can't understand this point of view until you understand the history of race in America." What it means to be white In his book, Metzl explains that today's skepticism toward gun control and government programs has a long history in the segregated South and Midwest, where gun ownership, affordable health care and quality education were considered privileges that only whites deserved. Likewise, those attitudes reflected a view of whiteness that emphasized extreme self-reliancethe idea that individuals can and should be solely responsible for the health, safety and well-being of themselves and their loved ones. According to Metzl, this view is linked to backlash following the U.S. Civil War and Federal interventions to end segregation. More recently, he said, these attitudes resurged following the election of President Barack Obama, paving the way for Metzl's research. The "mortal trade-offs" of racial resentment Credit: Vanderbilt University Through focus groups and extensive in-depth interviews with working- and middle-class whites, Metzl found that anxieties about changing racial dynamics were significant predictors of support for pro-gun, anti-tax policies and rejection of government-sponsored health care programs. Support wasn't necessarily motivated by explicit racism, he said, though he did encounter that, tooall it took was an investment in this particular brand of "whiteness." Furthermore, through statistical analyses of population and life expectancy, he found these attitudes carried significant health consequences not only for minorities and immigrants, but whites as well. "In other words," Metzl said, "whiteness itself has become a negative health indicator." He found that, in Missouri, when gun laws were relaxed, white men became 2.38 times more likely than men of other races to die by firearm suicide. In Tennessee, he calculated that opposition to the Affordable Care Act led to health care gaps that cost every white resident of the state 14.1 days of life. And slashing school funding in Kansas greatly increased the number of white teens dropping out of high school, which correlates with nine years of lost life expectancy. Yet there remained a significant portion of the population who acknowledged the personal harms of these positions, but felt it was more important to prevent groups they felt were undeserving from taking unfair advantage of them. "So this sense of white identity and white identity politics was in some instances a more powerful driver than longevity or well-being for dictating how people behaved," said Metzl. Seeking solutions for a healthier future Why would voters support policies that make their lives sicker, harder and shorter? Metzl emphasized that his research does not suggest that these individuals are simply naive people who have been duped. In fact, many of the people he interviewed expressed far more nuanced views than were reflected in the region's political discourse. Rather, he found it's a symptom of how powerful and pervasive this hierarchical conception of whiteness is, and it shows how damaging backlash policies can be for everyone. Metzl believes that neither major political party is going to have all the answers. "What I'd argue for instead is a progressive conservatism that emphasizes cooperation and common cause, and that actively promotes the well-being of all lower- and middle-income Americans," he said. He hopes that his research will provide some ideas for a healthier way forward. "If you look at the toll that racial tension and racial resentment is taking on this countrythe toll on all of us," he said, "it's not a great mystery why addressing that would be better. Better for everybody." Explore further Race-based misdiagnosis still remains a health care problem Metro Pacific Investments Corp. plans to raise P15 billion to P20 billion from the sale of shares in its hospital business. Metro Pacific chief finance officer David Nicol said in a news briefing the company was looking at various options including private placement or initial public offering. We are still looking at some ideas to bring external money into the hospital portfolio whether through IPO or private placements. We are evaluating our options, Nicol said. Nicol said the sale share could be finalized this year or early 2020. The company targets to have 5,000 beds over the next two years. Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. has 3,200 hospital beds across 14 hospitals. MPHHI president Augusto Palisoc said the company aimed to have 30 to 40 hospitals with 5,000 beds under its portfolio. Metro Pacific said core net income climbed 7 percent in 2018 to P16.1 billion from P14.1 billion in 2017, lifted by the steady growth of power, toll road and water businesses. Metro Pacific said in a disclosure to the stock exchange power accounted for P10.8 billion, or 55 percent of net operating income. This was followed by tollroads which contributed P4.4 billion or 23 percent. The groups water subsidiary contributed P3.8 billion while the hospital group provided P771 million. The companys rail, logistics and systems group posted a net loss of P248 million.Our earnings growth reflects meaningful volume increases for all our businesses, supported by years of high investment and our continuing emphasis on operational efficiencies, said Metro Pacific president and chief executive Jose Ma. Lim. Maynilad Water Services Inc. posted a core net income of P7.7 billion last year, up 5 percent year-on-year, driven by revenue growth, lower provisions and lower interest expense. The groups toll road business delivered P4.5 billion in core net income, up 13 percent from P3.9 billion in 2017, on higher volume across its road networks in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. MPHHI also recorded a core net income P2.4 billion in 2018, up 15 percent from the previous year, on a 14-percent rise in aggregate revenues. Light rail, logistics and other businesses registered a net loss of P248 million. We are pleased with the performance of MPIC companies for 2018, said Metro Pacific chairman Manuel Pangilinan. We are seeing the partial resolution of some of our long-pending tariff issues. Thats the good news. Regrettably, the shape of the resolution in the form of staggered tariff increases and concession extensions does not provide sufficient immediate cash flows to cover the upfront financing costs of our current expansion program, he said. The Casey Station is part of Australias permanent outpost in Antarctica. Credit: Shaun Brooks, Author provided Most people picture Antarctica as a frozen continent of wilderness, but people have been living and building there for decades. Now, for the first time, we can reveal the human footprint across the entire continent. Our research, published today in the journal Nature Sustainability, found that while buildings and disturbance cover a small portion of the whole continent, it has an outsized impact on Antartica's ecosystem. Our data show 76% of buildings in Antarctica are within just 0.06% of the continent: the ice-free areas within 5km of the coast. This coastal fringe is particularly important as it provides access to the Southern Ocean for penguins and seals, as well as providing a typically wetter climate suitable for plant life. A hard question to answer How much land we collectively impact with infrastructure in Antarctica has been a question raised for decades, but until now has been difficult to answer. The good news is it's a relatively small area. The bigger issue is where it is. Together with our colleagues Dana Bergstrom and John van den Hoff, we have made the first measurement of the "footprint" of buildings and disturbed ice-free ground across Antarctica. This equates to more than 390,000 square metres of buildings on the icy continent, with a further 5,200,000m of disturbance just to ice-free land. To put it another way, there is more than 1,100m of disturbed ground per person in Antarctica at its most populated in summer. This is caused primarily by the 30 nations with infrastructure in Antarctica, along with some presence from the tourism industry. Figure Building footprint density. Credit: Nature Sustainability It has taken until now to find the extent of our impact because of difficulty in gathering the data. Because so many countries are active in Antarctica, getting them to provide data on their infrastructure has been very slow. As two-thirds of research stations were built before the adoption of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, they did not require environmental impact assessments or monitoring, so it is quite likely many of the operators do not have accessible data on their footprints. In addition, due to the inherent difficulty in accessing Antarctica, and the vast distances between each station, it is not possible to conduct field measurements on a continental scale. To address these problems, our team took an established approach to measuring a single station's footprint, and applied it to 158 locations across the continent using satellite imagery. The majority of images used were freely sourced from Google Earth, enabled by continually increasing improvements in resolution and coverage. This process took hours of painstaking "digitisation" where the spatially accurate images of buildings and disturbed ground were manually mapped within a computer program to create the data. Interestingly, one of the most difficult sites was the United States' Amundsen-Scott Station. As this station is located on the geographic South Pole, very few satellites pass overhead. This problem was eventually solved by trawling through thousands of aerial images produced by NASA's Operation IceBridge, where we found their aircraft had flown over the station in 2010. After capturing these data, we then compared our measurements against existing known building sizes and found our accuracy was within 2%. Davis Station, one of Australias three permanent research outposts in Antartica. Researchers used Google Earth images to map the footprint of human infrastructure across the continent. Credit: Shaun Brooks, Author provided Unlike buildings, we didn't have measurements to compare for disturbed ground such as roadways, airstrips, quarries and the like. We believe we have produced a significant underestimate, due to factors including snow cover and insufficient image resolution obscuring smaller features such as walking tracks. Location, location, location After mapping the footprint of buildings and ground disturbance our data has yielded some interesting results. For practical reasons, most stations in Antarctica are located within the small ice-free areas spread across the continent, particularly around the coast. In addition to being attractive to us, these areas are essential for much of Antarctica's biodiversity by providing nesting sites for seabirds and penguins, substrate for mosses, lichens, and two vascular plants, and habitat for the continent's invertebrate species. Another interesting finding from these data is what they tell us about wilderness on the continent. Although the current footprint covers a very small fraction of the more than 12 million square kilometres of Antarctica, we found disturbance is present in more than half of all large ice-free areas along the coast. Furthermore, by using the building data we captured, along with existing work by Rupert Summerson, we were also able to estimate the visual footprint, which amounts to an area similar in size to the total ice-free land across the whole continent. Adelie penguins need ice-free areas to access the ocean. Credit: Shaun Brooks, Author provided The release of this research is timely, with significant increases in infrastructure proposed for Antarctica. Currently there are new stations proposed by several nations, major rebuilding projects of existing stations underway (including the US's McMurdo and New Zealand's Scott Base), and Italy is building a new runway in ice-free areas. Australia has proposed Antarctica's first concrete runway, which if built would be the continent's largest. Until now, decisions on expanding infrastructure have been without the context of how much is already present. We hope informed decisions can now be made by the international community about how much building in Antarctica is appropriate, where it should occur, and how to manage the future of the last great wilderness. Explore further Human 'footprint' on Antarctica measured for first time This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Coffin Bay dolphins. Credit: Dr Fernando Diaz-Aguirre, Flinders University When it comes to wooing the 'ladies," it turns out male bottlenose dolphins seem to employ similar tactics to some human groups. Flinders field work on the dolphins of southern Australia found they form strong bonds with other male relatives in their social circle to improve their success rate when breeding with a small number of available females. New research has analysed the behaviour of 12 dolphin social groups in South Australia's Coffin Bay region and shows males which team up in groups of two to five to form beneficial alliances may have more sexual success. The collaboration improves the bottlenose dolphins' chances of finding and breeding with females in a competitive environment, ensures they stay fit, and leads to stronger family bonds over time. Led by Dr. Fernando Diaz-Aguirre at the Molecular Ecology Lab and Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab at Flinders University, the study examined the social and genetic structure of Southern Australian dolphins dealing with population density, an unfavourable sex ratio, and their own behavioural characteristics. "Our research shows males form tight groups likely to increase their chances at mating with limited numbers of females, and at the same time they can defend females and prevent other male groups from mating with them," says Dr. Diaz-Aguirre. "The study highlights which geographic and demographic factors directly influence how male dolphins go about increasing their success rate with females." Male lions, chimpanzees and horses are known to form bachelor groups in the animal kingdom, but it's even more important for dolphins because females only give birth to a single calf every two to five years. Previous research has shown other dolphin's types form similar relationships, but this study analysed why bonds are based on blood relations in the Coffin Bay region. "The results corroborate predictions that a high density of dolphins living in an environment which presents unfavourable sex ratios are likely to result in the formation of male social groups," states Associate Professor Luciana Moller, senior author of the study. "In addition, the groups clearly tend to favour relationships based on blood relations. So it's very similar to a group of humans, as we obviously socialise more with our relatives, such as brothers or cousins due to family relationships and because that's who we feel more comfortable with," says Dr. Diaz-Aguirre. Photo-identification data and biopsy samples were collected in Coffin Bay from 2013 to 2015 through boat-based surveys. Previous studies have found that male dolphins who form close alliances breed more successfully in similar circumstances. The study, "Kinship influences social bonds among male southern Australian bottlenose dolphins," (December 2018) by Fernando Diaz-Aguirre, Guido J. Parra, Cecilia Passadore and Luciana Moller, has been published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (Springer). More information: Fernando Diaz-Aguirre et al, Kinship influences social bonds among male southern Australian bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops cf. australis), Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2018). DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2621-4 Journal information: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Fernando Diaz-Aguirre et al, Kinship influences social bonds among male southern Australian bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops cf. australis),(2018). DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2621-4 Single-nanoparticle logic computation on LNTs. (A) Schematics of the LNT platform. Two types of DNA-modified nanoparticles, immobile receptor (R) and mobile floater (F), are tethered to an SLB and monitored by DFM. (B) RF pairs as nanoparticle Boolean logic gates. Each logic gate takes DNA as inputs and yields either an assembly or a disassembly between the two particles as an output. Bidirectional arrows denote RF interactions. Surface DNA ligands are not depicted. (C) Single-nanoparticle YES gates. Functional domains are represented by color and subscripted numbers with arrowheads indicating their 3 ends. Asterisks denote complementarity. Glowing circles behind RF dimers illustrate plasmonic coupling. (D) Image analysis. A single-particle tracking algorithm first identifies receptor signals from a raw image sequence. Afterward, the detected signals are sampled and used to generate a new dark-field movie that visualizes only receptor signals. (E) Kinetics analysis. Receptor-only snapshots (top) and a kinetics plot (bottom) of the Assembly YES gate are provided for each input condition. A kinetics plot is obtained by cumulatively counting the number of state-switching receptors over time. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau2124 Nanoparticles can be used as substrates for computation, with algorithmic and autonomous control of their unique properties. However, scalable architecture to form nanoparticle-based computing systems is lacking at present. In a recent study published in Science Advances, Jinyoung Seo and co-workers in the Department of Chemistry at Seoul National University in South Korea, reported on a nanoparticle platform built in with logic gates and circuits at the level of the single particle. They implemented the platform on a supporting lipid bilayer. Inspired by cellular membranes in biology that compartmentalize and control signaling networks, the scientists called the platform "lipid nanotablet" (LNT). To conduct nano-bio-computing, they used a lipid bilayer as a chemical circuit board and the nanoparticles as units of computation. On a lipid nanotablet in solution, Seo et al. established that a single nanoparticle logic gate senses molecules as inputs and triggered particle assembly or disassembly as an output. They demonstrated Boolean logic operations alongside fan-in/fan-out of logic gates and a combinational logic circuit as a multiplexer in the study. The scientists envision the novel approach would be able to modulate nanoparticle circuits on lipid bilayers to engineer new paradigms and gateways in molecular computing, nanoparticle circuits and system nanoscience, in the future. Matter can be merged with computation across many length scales, ranging from micro-sized droplets in microfluidic bubble logic and micro-particles to biomolecules and molecular machines. Implementing computation in nanoparticles remains unexplored, despite a wide range of applications that could benefit from the ability to algorithmically control the useful photonic, electrical, magnetic, catalytic and material properties of nanoparticles. These properties are currently inaccessible via molecular systems. Ideally, systems of nanoparticles equipped with computing capabilities can form nanoparticle circuits to autonomously perform complex tasks in response to external stimuli to combine the flow of matter and information at the nanoscale. An existing approach to use nanoparticles as substrates for computation is to functionalize the particles with stimuli-responsive ligands. A group of such modified nanoparticles will then perform elementary logic operations that respond to a variety of chemical and physical inputs. Scientists aim to use an individual nanoparticle as modular nano-parts and implement a desired computation in a plug-and-play manner. However, there are difficulties in wiring integrated multiple logic gates in the solution phase since it is challenging to control the diffusion of inputs, logic gates and output in 3D space. To solve this challenge, scientists were inspired by the cell membrane; a biological equivalent of a circuit board that can host a variety of receptor proteins as computational units. In nature, compartmentalized proteins interact with receptors as a network to conduct complex functions. The membranes can also allow parallel computing processes to occur and therefore materials scientists were inspired to rewire the biological phenomenon. Time-lapse dark-field imaging of a nanoparticle Assembly YES gate. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau2124. Bioinspired by cellular membranes, in the present study, Seo et al. demonstrated a lipid bilayer-based nanoparticle computing platform. As a proof-of-principle, they used light-scattering plasmonic nanoparticles to build circuit components, DNA as surface ligands and molecular inputs alongside biotin-streptavidin interactions to tether the nanoparticles to the lipid bilayer. After fixing the nanoparticles to a supported lipid bilayer (SLB), they provided several key features in the experiments; They compartmentalized the nanoparticles from a solution containing molecular inputs. Particle-to-particle interactions were confined so they would occur only through lateral diffusion at the fluidic 2D reaction space, They tracked the laterally confined nanoparticles and analyzed them in situ with single-particle resolution since a large number of light-scattering nanoparticles were shown to be confined in the focal plane using dark-field microscopy (DFM). The scientists implemented nano-bio computation at the interface of nanostructures and biomolecules, where the molecular information in solution (input) was translated into a dynamic assembly/disassembly of nanoparticles on a lipid bilayer (output). As a key component of an LNT, Seo et al. engineered a flow chamber with a lipid bilayer coated at the bottom of the substrate. The receptor-only visualization of a dark-field movie. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau2124. To construct lipid nanotablets in the experimental setup, the scientists used three key components small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs), glass flow chambers and DNA-functionalized plasmonic nanoparticles. The DNA modified nanoparticles adhered to the lipid bilayer to form logic gates and circuits that processed molecular information. The scientists classified the functionalized nanoparticles into immobile receptors (reporters for computation) or mobile floaters (information carriers of computation). In this context, floaters were "wires" that carried information of upstream gates into downstream gates through robust lateral diffusion. They characterized the nanoparticles to validate their material properties prior to constructing the experimental circuits. Seo et al. used dark field microscopy (DFM) imaging to measure the performance of the nanoparticle logic gates in response to molecular inputs in solution. When dark-field image sequences were obtained from the logic operations, the scientist processed and quantified them using a custom-built image analysis pipeline. Altogether, the scientists engineered nanoparticle Boolean logic gates and single-nanoparticle YES gates assembly and disassembly operations in real-time. Single-nanoparticle YES gates formed the simplest examples in the study. To detect the scattering signals of a nanoparticle logic gate, the scientists relied on plasmonic coupling between two core particles that composed the gate. To form the nanoparticles, Seo et al. synthesized gold nanorods with silver shells, gold nanospheres and silver nanospheres on gold seeds referred to as red, green and blue nanoparticles to exhibit red, green and blue scattering signals in the study. The scientists represented the behavior of logic-gated nanoparticles in a simple, nanoparticle reaction graph to show an assembly reaction from a floater to a receptor and a disassembly reaction, providing an intuitive view on each nanoparticle logic gate behavior. Design principles for nanoparticle logic gates. (A) Graphical summary of the generalizable concept. Illustration of effector-mediated nanoparticle Assembly/Disassembly YES gates (left) and truth table for the concept (right) are provided. Selective effector-ligand pair and effector-chelator pair are required for construction of Assembly/Disassembly logic gates. To build a logic gate using two nanoparticles, bonding interactions in the receptorfloater interface need to be programmed in such a way that the bonds are formed (via assembly) or cleaved (via disassembly) only if two molecular inputs satisfy AND or OR logic. (B) Two-input Assembly AND gate. (C) Two-input Assembly OR gate. Assembly reactions are controlled by AND logic when the bond-forming interaction require the serial activation by the two inputs and by OR logic when the bond-forming interaction is controlled in parallel. (D) Two-input Disassembly AND gate. (E) Two-input Disassembly OR gate. Similarly, Disassembly reactions are modulated by AND logic via parallel disconnection and by OR logic via serial disconnection. (F) Table summary. These illustrations describe the generalized concept of the interface programming. In this study, we used sequence recognition and strand displacement of DNA as the mechanisms to implement the logic. Specifically, we used single-stranded DNA molecules as effectors, thiolated oligonucleotides as ligands, and a strand displacement as chelation mechanism. We foresee that this design rules can be potentially applied to other ligand systems and core nanostructures. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau2124. The scientists used a sufficiently high density of nanoparticles and incorporated single-particle tracking algorithms to profile the scattering signals and visualize the receptor signals alone in a dark background. To qualitatively understand the overall computing performance of a single nanoparticle logic gate, they used the "receptor-only" view. The results showed that the population of nanoparticle logic gates switched into the ON state in response to performing a YES logic operation. The scientists deduced that a population of nanoparticle logic gates produced high output counts only when the molecular input met TRUE conditions. To demonstrate two-input, single-nanoparticle logic gates, Seo et al. similarly developed: Assembly AND, Assembly OR, Disassembly AND, and Disassembly OR gates via "interface programming". The scientists showed that the design principles for interface programming were straightforward and could be generalized among circuits. They expanded the interface programming to enable nanoparticle logic gates to process INHIBIT logic. The scientists then increased the complexity of reactions at the receptor-floater interface but noticed incomplete reactions or spurious interactions occuring in the system. Such anomalous interactions indicated that they could not rely on programming particle interfaces as before to construct complex circuits. Instead, they introduced a conceptually distinct approach termed nanoparticle "network programming" to allow two single-particle logic gates to be combined with AND or, OR logic. In the resulting network programming of wired nanoparticle logic gates, the scientists showed the strategy could be implemented to build complex multilayer cascades readily without extensive optimization. Seo et al. successfully implemented the nanoparticle multiplexer to show the ability to design and operate nanoparticle circuits on LNTs in a highly modular and controlled manner. Wiring of nanoparticle logic gates via network programming. (A) Wiring with AND logic. Two logic gates (Disassembly AND gate and Assembly YES gate) are designed to operate in series for AND wiring. The floater F1, which is bound to the first receptor R1 in its initial state, acts as a Disassembly AND logic gate and subsequently as an Assembly YES gate with the second receptor R2. The generation of R2F1 dimers is an output of the (X1 AND X2) AND X3 circuit. (B) Wiring with OR logic. Two logic gates (Disassembly AND gate and Disassembly YES gate) are designed to operate in parallel for OR wiring. The two gates both release G-NFs as outputs. The generation of the G-NFs is an output of the (X3 AND X4) OR X5 circuit. Circuit diagrams (top), single-particle dark-field analysis (middle), and kinetics analysis of circuits (lower left) and intermediate reactions (lower right). Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau2124 Scientists can expand on the demonstrated scope of lipid bilayer-based nanoparticle computation to advance the existing molecular computing technologies to operate nanoparticle circuits. They can also integrate lipid bilayers with DNA nanostructures to open the development of new molecular circuits by expanding on dynamic inter-origami interactions for more complex and practical molecular computations. Current limits of the experimental setup prevent the construction of arbitrarily large circuits. These can be overcome to generate broader design space for circuit buildup with new modes of communication, dynamic reconfiguration and DNA walkers. Seo et al. envision that the molecular computing network can be analogously built in a similar approach to silicon-based computers that have improved through the years. The scientists can advance the experimental setup by increasing the nanoparticle density, to increase the computing capacity and expand parallelism, so that each nanoparticle may independently perform its own computation. For practical applications, the lipid nanotablet will play a pivotal role in building dynamic, autonomous nanosystems in molecular diagnostics and smart sensors; to sense multiple stimuli and trigger the appropriate response. If such nanocircuits are introduced into living cell membranes, scientists can create novel bioengineered nano-bio interfaces as biologic-inorganic hybrid systems. The particles can also be used separately to study membrane-associated phenomena in living cells. In this way, by facilitating communication between nanosystems and cellular systems, the scientists will be able to activate new pathways to navigate complex and dynamic theranostic applications. Explore further Researchers use disordered matter for computation, evolving breakthrough nanoparticle Boolean logic network 2019 Science X Network UChicagos Knowledge Lab analyzed Wikipedia pages to find that collaborations which bridge the political spectrum produce higher-quality work. Credit: shutterstock.com Many studies have found that political polarization in the United States is rapidly increasing, particularly online, where echo chambers and social media have inflamed partisanship. But new research from the University of Chicago's Knowledge Lab of more than 200,000 Wikipedia pages finds that collaborations bridging the political spectrum produce higher-quality work than articles edited by moderate or one-sided teams. Wikipedia pages covering politics, social issues and science written by editors with a broader range of political affiliation rank better on Wikipedia's own quality scale, because of diverse perspectives, increased debate and appeals to community guidelines, the study found. The analysis, published in Nature Human Behavior, suggests that ideological diversity, in a system with well-defined policies, can actually create more productive and higher quality collaborations. "This study doesn't say we can always get along," said James Evans, professor of sociology, director of Knowledge Lab and a leading scholar in the quantitative study of how ideas and technologies emerge. "But if we're diverse along political lines, it actually means that we bring separate perspectives, and when we're able to work together, then we're able to produce a more complete and balanced perspective. If we're imbalanced, then this study also suggests how bad it can be." The crowdsourced model of Wikipedia allows any user to edit most pages, as long as they follow the site's guidelines on providing sources and avoiding bias. These policies are enforced in a decentralized fashion by other users, and discussions over the legitimacy of edits are conducted on each article's "talk page." Articles on controversial events, topics or figures, such as the Syrian Civil War, abortion or George W. Bush, attract a higher rate of edits and discussion, and may include an extra level of protection where edits require community approval before appearing. In the new study, researchers Feng Shi, Misha Teplitskiy, Eamon Duede and Evans first estimated the political affiliation of more than 600,000 Wikipedia contributors through how often they contributed to liberal or conservative articles. They then measured the overall political alignment of each editing community behind 232,000 different Wikipedia pages, considering editor groups with a broader range of ideological alignments to be more "polarized." When this measure of polarization was compared against Wikipedia's six-category scale for article quality (ranging from "stub" up to "featured article"), the authors found that higher polarization was associated with higher qualitynot just for political articles, but also those on social issues and science topics. "While political polarization is now regarded as toxic or brutal, it can work in our favor if it begets diversity of views, balanced engagements and reasoned debates," said Shi, a data scientist with the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "Polarization of the editors is positively associated with the quality of their work, even controlling for article length, editing activity, previous editing experience, and other article and talk page attributes." Knowledge Lab is a unique research center that combines "science of science" approaches from sociology with the explosion of digital information now available on the history of research and discovery. By using advanced computational techniques and developing new tools, Knowledge Lab researchers reconstruct and examine how knowledge over time grows and influences our world, generating insights that can fuel future innovation. The analysis also found that polarization drives different styles of discussion on article "talk pages." By analyzing the content of these pages, researchers found that polarized teams engage in more debate but with less toxic conflict than ideologically uniform editing communities, where the efforts of lone, contrarian editors to "de-bias" articles provoke charged disputes. Polarized teams also refer to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines more frequently, a structure that protects against the raw emotions and abuse found in many less-regulated online communities. "Our work suggests that increasing oversight and bureaucracy can be highly beneficial for content," said Teplitskiy, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University's Laboratory for Innovation Science. "Another way in which Wikipedia is different is its well-known and well-publicized commitment to discourse and consensus. Strongly signaling such a mission upfront may induce self-selection of only those individuals who are willing to cooperate for a common good." "It's important, and perhaps surprising, to note that Wikipedia's guidelines are generative of not just quality articles, but a sustained culture," said Duede, a Ph.D. student in the UChicago Committee on the Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science. "These are not just rules concerning what can be said and in what manner in an article. These stipulate acceptable social conduct, how editors treat one another in talk page debate. But, also how we, as researchers, engage with the community. It required enormous effort to earn the right to conduct this study. We had to become members of the community in order to understand the community." Though the current study focused solely on Wikipedia polarization, the authors suggested that its conclusions could be expanded to other collaborative sites, or even to the formation of ideologically diverse teams in the offline world. "Wikipedia works because it has a culture where people can appeal to guidelines and recommendations, and they do, they rely on the laws of the community," Evans said. "In a community or media environment without laws, or with reducing norms, it becomes potentially a toxic environment where there are shorter conversations, less collaboration and lower quality." Explore further George W. Bush page most edited on Wikipedia More information: Feng Shi et al. The wisdom of polarized crowds, Nature Human Behaviour (2019). Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour Feng Shi et al. The wisdom of polarized crowds,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0541-6 An "old-growth" cedar forest in The Ancient Forest/Chun T'oh Whudujut Park and Protected Area, British Columbia, Canada. Credit: Troy McMullin Two Canadian biologists are proposing a better way to assess the conservation value of old-growth forests in North Americausing lichens, sensitive bioindicators of environmental change. Dr. Troy McMullin, lichenologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, and Dr. Yolanda Wiersma, landscape ecologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland, propose their lichen-focussed system in a paper published today in the Ecological Society of America journal, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. "We are presenting a paradigm shift for the way we assess forests and manage them," says McMullin. "How do we select the forests with highest conservation value? How do we decide what to protect and what to cut? Lichens are part of the answer." Old-growth forests, especially those in North America, are perceived to be rich in biodiversity, in addition to capturing aesthetic and spiritual values. These forests are usually defined by the age of the trees, with conservation and management practices developed accordingly. McMullin and Wiersma say this is an over-simplification, as it overlooks the importance of biodiversity in those habitats. "Forests with old trees in them are certainly awesome and important," says Wiersma. "However, forests change through time and something that is an older forest now may not always be a forest." The approach of the researchers lets them look at the presence of forests in the context of the broader landscape. "If we think of the landscape as a patchwork quilt of different types of forests of different ages, some of those patches of forest will stick around for a long time, while others might wink in and out over different time frames. Our approach lets us identify which patch has been a forest for the longest period of time, even if it's not the one with the oldest trees." McMullin and Wiersma argue that old trees are only a proxy for biodiversity in old-forest ecosystems and that biodiversity should be measured directlywith lichens as the ideal candidates. Sphaerophorus globosus (coral lichen), a readily identifiable lichen, on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador. This lichen has been demonstrated to usefully discriminate between old-growth and second-growth forests in Nova Scotia, Canada). Credit: Troy McMullin "The advantage of lichens as indicators for this biodiversity is that they don't go anywhere, you can study them anytime of the year, and they 'eat the air', which makes them one of the most sensitive organisms in the forest ," explains McMullin. Many old-growth forests have high sustained moisture and a high number of microhabitats suitable for certain species, which can't disperse easily. Having these forests in the landscape provides a refuge for the seeds and spores that helps with the continued preservation of this biodiversity. In their paper, McMullin and Wiersma propose that suites of lichens associated with known old-growth areas can be used to develop "an index of ecological continuity" for forests of interest. This scorecard of lichen species could then be used as a tool by conservation biologists and forest mangersthe more species that are old-growth dependent, then the higher the forest's conservation value. The scientists note that lichens are already being used to assess old-growth value and forest continuity in parts of Europe, less so in North America. As examples, they cite the studies of British botanist Dr. Francis Rose, who developed an index of about 30 lichens associated with Britain's Royal Forests or medieval parklands, which have been relatively untouched going back hundreds or even thousands of years. McMullin has also built on the work of Dr. Steven Selva at the University of Maine. Selva has documented that species of stubble lichens (the calicioids), which tend to be found predominantly in old-growth areas, can be good indicators of continuously forested lands in Acadian forests. So, what next? McMullin and Wiersma propose they can build on this knowledge to develop lists of appropriate lichen suites for forest types such as Carolinian, Boreal or Great Lakes-St. Lawrence. Next steps could include training those responsible for assessing the forests, offering access to the expertise of trained lichenologists, and taking advantage of new technologies such as DNA barcoding. Lichens 101 There are an estimated 2,500 species of lichens in Canada. Lichens are found on every continent and can grow in frigid polar regions, harsh deserts, as well as your backyard! A lichen is part fungus and part green alga or a cyanobacterium (sometimes both). Some lichens fix nitrogen for the soil and lichens play important roles in ecosystems: they are among the first colonizers of bare rock and prevent erosion by stabilizing soil, they provide food for animals, habitats for insects, and they can serve as monitors for air-pollution. The Canadian Museum of Nature houses the National Herbarium of Canada, which includes about 150,000 specimens of lichens. Explore further Lichen is losing to wildfire, years after flames are gone Provided by Canadian Museum of Nature Students in the arts-integrated life science class drew animal and plant cells to understand the structures within. Credit: Mariale Hardiman/Johns Hopkins University Incorporating the artsrapping, dancing, drawinginto science lessons can help low-achieving students retain more knowledge and possibly help students of all ability levels be more creative in their learning, finds a new study by Johns Hopkins University. The findings were published on Feb. 7 in Trends in Neuroscience and Education and support broader arts integration in the classroom. "Our study provides more evidence that the arts are absolutely needed in schools. I hope the findings can assuage concerns that arts-based lessons won't be as effective in teaching essential skills," says Mariale Hardiman, vice dean of academic affairs for the School of Education at the Johns Hopkins University and the study's first author. While research already shows that the arts improve students' academic outcomes and memory, it remains unclear whether general exposure to the arts, adding arts to lesson plans, effective instruction, or a combination are responsible for these benefits, says Hardiman. "When we talk about learning, we have to discuss memory. Children forget much of what they learn and teachers often end up reteaching a lot of content from the previous year. Here we're asking, how exactly can we teach them correctly to begin with so they can remember more?" In this study, the research team sought to determine whether an arts-integrated curriculum had any direct effects on learning, specifically students' memory for science content. Throughout the 2013 school year, 350 students in 16 fifth grade classrooms across six Baltimore, Maryland schools took part in the study. Students were randomly assigned into one of two classroom pairs: astronomy and life science, or environmental science and chemistry. In the arts-integrated chemistry class, students learned about states of matter by working in groups to physically demonstrate solid, liquid and gas particles. Credit: Mariale Hardiman/Johns Hopkins University The experiment consisted of two sessions, each lasting three to four weeks, in which students first took either an arts-integrated class or a conventional class. In the second session, students received the opposite type of class; thus, all students experienced both types and all eleven teachers taught both types of classes. Examples of activities in the arts-integrated classes include rapping or sketching to learn vocabulary words, and designing collages to separate living and non-living things. These activities were matched in the conventional classrooms with standard activities such as reading paragraphs of texts with vocabulary words aloud in a group and completing worksheets. The research team analyzed students' content retention through pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests 10 weeks after the study ended, and found that students at a basic reading level retained an average 105 percent of the content long term, as demonstrated through the results of delayed post-testing. The researchers discovered that students remembered more in the delayed post-testing because they sang songs they had learned from their arts activities, which helped them remember content better in the long term, much like how catchy pop lyrics seem to get more and more ingrained in your brain over time. This addresses a key challenge and could be an additional tool to bridging the achievement gap for students who struggle most to read, says Hardiman, because most conventional curriculum requires students to read to learn; if students cannot read well, they cannot learn well. The research team also found that students who took a conventional session first remembered more science in the second, arts-integrated session and students who took an arts-integrated session first performed just as well in the second session. While not statistically significant, the researchers suggest the possibility of students applying the creative problem-solving skills they learned to their conventional lessons to enhance their learning. Looking forward, Hardiman hopes that educators and researchers will put their fully-developed intervention to use to expand on their study and improve understanding of arts integration in schools. "Our data suggests that traditional instruction seems to perpetuate the achievement gap for students performing at the lower levels of academic achievement. We also found that students at advanced levels of achievement didn't lose any learning from incorporating arts into classrooms, but potentially gained benefits such as engagement in learning and enhanced thinking dispositions. For these reasons, we would encourage educators to adopt integrating the arts into content instruction," says Hardiman. Explore further Latin may help students bridge their native language with English More information: Mariale M. Hardiman et al, The effects of arts-integrated instruction on memory for science content, Trends in Neuroscience and Education (2019). Mariale M. Hardiman et al, The effects of arts-integrated instruction on memory for science content,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2019.02.002 Last fall, a group of Indigenous women in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan brought a class-action suit against the Saskatoon Health Authority. They also sued the provincial and federal governments and some medical professionals. They asserted that some Indigenous women had been forcibly sterilized. Others had been tricked into giving consent for sterilization when they were under stress or heavily drugged. They claimed that doctors did this over several decades, up to the 2000s. The UN Committee on Torture recommended in late 2018 that the Canadian government investigate all allegations of enforced sterilization and adopt legislation criminalizing it. Indigenous activists want a new law specifically outlawing forced sterilization, but the federal government argues it's already illegal. Canada doesn't have a good history with regard to forced sterilization. The provinces of Alberta and British Columbia forcibly sterilized people from the 1930s to the 1970s. Authorities were responding to the eugenics movement, popular among many influential Canadians. Eugenicists wanted to keep the Canadian "race" pure by sterilizing "unfit" people. "Unfit" people were usually poor people, immigrants and people with disabilities. Indigenous people also were far more likely than others to be sterilized. As Angus McLaren shows in his 1990 book Our Own Master Race, during the last few years of forcible sterilization in Alberta, Indigenous and Metis people were 2.5 per cent of the population but 25 per cent of those sterilized. One aspect of genocide Forced sterilizations are an aspect of genocide. Most people think of genocide as the mass, deliberate murder of large numbers of people. But when the United Nations passed the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948, it defined five ways genocide could be committed. Only one of the five means defined in the Genocide Convention is mass murder. The others are: "causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;" "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;" "imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;" and "forcibly transferring children of the group to another group." Forced sterilization prevents births. The "Sixties Scoop" removed thousands of Indigenous children from their families and communities in the 1960s. The reason given was to protect the children from abusive situations, but this could be considered an example of forcibly transferring children from one group to another. On Jan. 7, 2019, Premier Scott Moe of Saskatchewan apologized for the Sixties Scoop. Manitoba and Alberta had already apologized. Forcible deportations are a way to deliberately inflict conditions calculated to bring about a group's physical destruction. Canada deported several Indigenous groups in the Far North from their homelands to other locations. Many died from starvation, exposure and disease. Any removal of Indigenous people anywhere in the country that resulted in a significant number of deaths might be considered genocide by deportation. Canada must remedy its history of genocidal actions The term genocide was originally coined in 1944 by a Polish Jewish lawyer, Raphael Lemkin. Lemkin wanted to include what we now call cultural genocide in the definition. He wasn't thinking about Indigenous peoples; he was thinking of the cultural genocide of ethnic groups in occupied Eastern Europe by the Nazis during the Second World War. Lemkin thought malicious destruction of works of art and culture should be a crime called vandalism, and destruction of human collectivities should be a crime called barbarism. Although Lemkin lobbied hard for the UN to adopt these crimes of vandalism and barbarism as infractions people could be prosecuted for; it did not. If it had, we could argue that Canada's system of residential schools was an aspect of genocide, the barbarism of destroying a collectivity. Indigenous children were removed from their communities and forbidden to speak their languages, or practice their customs and cultures. We use the term cultural genocide as a descriptive term, but it isn't part of the UN's legal definition. Legally speaking, the UN definition requires proof of intent to commit genocide. In other words, if Canadian authorities claim that the sterilizations of Indigenous women were the accumulation of a taken-for-granted culturally sanctioned practice of many doctors over many decades, then according to the law, Canada wasn't committing genocide by preventing births. Similarly, if there was no intent to destroy a community by forcibly transferring children, then the Sixties Scoop wasn't genocide. And if there was no intent to deliberately inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about peoples' physical destruction by deporting Indigenous peoples, then Canada wasn't committing genocide. But if we add up all the ways that Canadian governments have oppressed Indigenous peoples over the centuries, then those governments bear a weighty burden. They still must remedy the effects of practices that in effect, if not in intent, constituted genocide. Explore further Genocide: why a focus on prevention would produce a better outcome This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: CC0 Public Domain A stocktake of Australia's animal havens conservation areas free of cats and foxes has found that they have already prevented 13 mammal extinctions. The University of Queensland's Professor Sarah Legge was part of the Threatened Species Recovery Hub team of 28 scientists and conservation managers from universities, government conservation agencies and NGOs, who collaborated to undertake the audit. "Predation by feral cats and foxes is the main reason that Australia has the worst mammal extinction record of modern time," she said. "About 80 Australian islands are naturally cat and fox-free havens, and this has prevented some extinctions." An example is the greater stick-nest rat, which became extinct on mainland Australia, but survived on the Franklin Islands off South Australia, locations not reached by foxes or cats. "Since the 1980s additional havens have been created in Australia by eradicating feral animals from islands or from within large fenced areas on the mainland, and threatened animals have been moved to these havens to put them out of reach of introduced predators. "As of early 2018, we had 101 island havens covering 2152 square kilometres and 17 fenced havens covering 346 square kilometres." Researcher Dr. Jeremy Ringma said if future extinctions are to be prevented, proponents need to be more strategic about where new havens are located, and which species go into them. "The review revealed that while more than half of the mammal species in Australia that are vulnerable to cats and foxes have the protection of being in a haven, 29 species are not yet in a single haven," Dr. Ringma said. Dr. Michael Bode from Queensland University of Technology said, to prevent future mammal extinctions, national collaboration and coordination must be increased. "We now know where new havens need to go, and with just 12 new havens, we can protect every threatened mammal species vulnerable to predation by cats and foxes. "With 39 new havens we'd be able to protect at least three populations of every one of these species. "But longer term, we really need to find ways of reducing fox and cat impacts across Australia, so we can restore our native mammals to landscapes at bigger scales. "Until then, cat and fox-free havens will be critical in preventing extinctions." The research was undertaken by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub of the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program, in collaboration with government and non-government conservation agencies. It has been published in Wildlife Research, Nature Ecology and Evolution and Conservation Letters. Explore further Australian mammals at greatest risk from cats and foxes, new study More information: Sarah Legge et al. Havens for threatened Australian mammals: the contributions of fenced areas and offshore islands to the protection of mammal species susceptible to introduced predators, Wildlife Research (2018). Sarah Legge et al. Havens for threatened Australian mammals: the contributions of fenced areas and offshore islands to the protection of mammal species susceptible to introduced predators,(2018). DOI: 10.1071/WR17172 Jeremy Ringma et al. Australia's mammal fauna requires a strategic and enhanced network of predator-free havens, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0456-4 Jeremy Ringma et al. Systematic planning can rapidly close the protection gap in Australian mammal havens, Conservation Letters (2019). DOI: 10.1111/conl.12611 Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution , Conservation Letters Virtual reality can bring historical sites to life. Credit: The Conversation Back in 2001, an acquaintance who worked for Lonely Planet told me about a surprise discovery. The travel guide business had an audience of people who would buy their travel books, but never travel. Lonely Planet dubbed them "virtual tourists". Now Lonely Planet, and others, have become excited by tourism powered by virtual reality (VR) both on this planet and, thanks to NASA, on others. VR films are also being developed by travel companies, such as Thomas Cook. And Tourism Australia has partnered with Google to understand the marketing potential of VR (well, 360 degree panoramic videos). But VR tourism isn't only about recreating a virtual version of reality that renders travel to the destination unnecessary. It can enhance tourism in other ways by allowing tourists to handle precious historical artefacts in virtual form, or by retelling contested histories from previously unexplored perspectives. What is virtual tourism? In contrast to Lonely Planet's definition, let's consider virtual tourism to be the application of virtual reality including augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) to tourism. The term virtual reality is most commonly used to describe what happens when you are completely immersed in a virtual environment you can see through a headset. Enhanced forms of virtual reality allow you to interact with that environment using extra equipment, such as gloves fitted with sensors. PhD student Mafkereseb Bekele demonstrates a digital underwater landscape augmented over the real world as it would appear through a Microsoft Hololens headset. Author provided Virtual reality is also used as a catch-all term to describe the overall spectrum of digitally mediated reality, which includes virtual reality, as well as mixed reality and augmented reality. Augmented reality and mixed reality are computer-generated visualisations that augment our sense of the real world around us or merge the real and virtual together. You still wear a headset, but rather than blocking out the world, an AR or MR headset enables you to see visualisations within your real world surroundings. Augmented reality and mixed reality is usually visual, but you can now get audio augmented reality, that will play audio recordings through special glasses about sites you're looking at. There is even olfactory-augmented reality that can enhance your experience with smell. Moving beyond realism Virtual reality can be more than a mirror that gives you a realistic interactive simulation of the current world: it can bring the past into the present. As Sir David Attenborough has noted: "The one thing that really frustrates you in a museum is when you see something really fascinating, you don't want to be separated from it by glass. You want to be able to look at it and see the back of it and turn it around and so on." The London Natural History Museum's app Hold the World gives users a chance to move and manipulate virtual objects that are fragile, expensive or remote. Virtual tourism is also breathing new life into mythology and folklore. In Denmark, there are plans to turn a virtual reality exhibition exploring Viking history and Norse mythology into a permanent theme park. Visitors will be able to fight giants and dragons, and explore a complete "Nordic" landscape. Virtual tourism can allow people to hear fresh interpretations of history. For example, the augmented reality app Dilly Bag connects users with the stories of Indigenous Australian servicemen via a smartphone. Stories can be told from the perspective of flying animals, or provide thrills and spills that appear more dangerous, immediate and visceral than the real thing (see this VR rollercoaster theme park in China). Whether virtual tourism proves to be only a pale imitation of the real thing depends on how imaginative we are. How common is virtual tourism? Given the expense and complexity of virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality arguably have more potential for virtual tourism. Wi-Fi, which is required for many virtual tourism experiences, is now commonplace, and many people do have their own devices. But content must be tailored to specific devices smartphones can overheat from processing so much data, and the size of tablets can make them unwieldy. The number of exciting technological showcases is matched by the number of failed or broken equipment and deserted VR centres. Hyped promises proliferate apparently every year is the year that VR, AR and MR will break though. Yet any VR software and hardware currently full of promise seems to get old very, very, quickly. If we are to move past one-hit AR wonders such as Pokemon Go, we need scalable yet engaging content, stable tools, appropriate evaluation research and robust infrastructure. Formats such as WebVR and Web XR promise to supply content across both desktops and head mounted displays, without having to download plugins. But before we see virtual tourism become widespread, we need to change our preconceptions about what virtual reality is. Let's not limit VR experiences to recreations of the real world, instead let's open our minds to history, mythology and fresh perspectives from real people. Explore further Apple buys a maker of futuristic augmented-reality software This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Today's extinction rate is probably 100-1,000 times higher than in pre-human times according to Professor Georgina Mace. Image credit - Paul VanDerWerf, licensed under CC BY 2.0 Credit: Image credit - Paul VanDerWerf, licensed under CC BY 2.0 Alarming declines in the number of insects, vertebrates and plant species around the world have raised fears that we are in the midst of a sixth major extinction that could cause a collapse of the natural ecosystems we rely upon to survive. Urgent international action is needed to halt this potentially catastrophic decline in biodiversity, according to Professor Georgina Mace, head of the Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research at University College London, UK. She has argued that the threat is so severe that biodiversity loss needs to be addressed on a global scale in a similar way to climate change. We're hearing a lot about biodiversity loss at the moment. What's the latest situation? 'The evidence from all of the recent studies indicates it is increasing. We're losing biodiversity more quickly than we did in the past. 'If you look at extinction rates, which is hard because you need to be sure something is really extinct, they are probably 100-1,000 times higher than in pre-human times. 'Another way of measuring (biodiversity) is to look at the abundance of life rather than numbers of species. For vertebrates (birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals) there is a fairly good estimate that more than 50% of the vertebrate abundance has been lost in the past 50 years. The information for invertebrates and plants is less good, but there is some evidence to suggest insects are declining just as quickly, if not more so. One recent paper showed the mass of insects is falling by 2.5% a year. 'Then we are also losing the interactions between these species.' Why should we be worried? 'The diversity of life on Earth is the defining feature of our planet we don't know of any other planets that have life on them. We developed and evolved with other species here, and their diversity allows us to thrive. So, it's very reckless to assume that we can do without them and that we don't have some responsibility for all those other species. 'Then there are some of the benefits of biodiversity that we largely take for granted. These are things like primary production, which is the way plants convert energy from the sun and is the basis for all life on Earth. Wild species break down organic material back into nutrients, so it can be recycled and used again. The water cycle also relies heavily on living organisms. 'Finally, there is a utilitarian view about the value of nature to us. It provides us with goods and services like pollinating crops, or timber production or novel drugs from tropical plants. If we lose pollinators that are specially adapted to a particular plant, even if we have more widespread invasive pollinators coming in, they may not be able to pollinate that plant.' What is driving these losses? 'We can see four main drivers of extinctions due to humans. First we overexploited and ate our way through species like wild grazers such as cattle and many large birds including the dodos. Then there was a second wave caused by invasive species and pathogens transported around by European colonisations. 'Then, land use change has probably become the dominant problem as we cut down forests and plough up intact grasslands for agriculture, roads and urban settlements and local pollution causes further threats. 'The next one coming down the road is climate change. At the moment it is not a major cause of extinctions, but will be in the coming decades.' Is the focus on climate change overshadowing action on biodiversity loss? 'I do think it's been overshadowed, but not unreasonably. It is relatively easy for science to show that climate change will have significant impacts on millions of people. 'We haven't been able to pinpoint these urgent problems from biodiversity loss in the same way. Perhaps the loss of pollinators and the impact this will have on food production is the most distinct example we have, but it is still hard to put a finger on what is going to happen and who will be most affected. '(But) by treating these two major problems separately, we've lost sight of the real wins there could be in addressing them in tandem.' Prof. Mace says that we need to address the food system which is the major driver of biodiversity loss. Image credit - Courtesy of Professor Georgina Mace Credit: Image credit - Courtesy of Professor Georgina Mace How could they be tackled together? 'One of the recommendations from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is to restore vegetation and plant new vegetation that is efficient at drawing carbon out of the atmosphere or storing it in the soil. So, that could be by planting new forests or maintaining mangroves, seagrass beds and existing forests. 'Maintaining intact tropical and temperate forests does a lot for climate mitigation. It also does a lot for soil quality, for flood regulation and does a lot for biodiversity. Treating them together has many win-wins for people and nature that we are not seeing in the policy responses at the moment.' What else can be done? 'The obvious thing to do is to address the main driver of biodiversity loss, which is the food system. At the moment, there is a concern about whether we're going to be able to feed a world of 10 or 12 billion people, particularly when we are facing climate change and losing biodiversity. 'The policy responses at the moment deal with food through intensive agriculture, biodiversity with protected areas, climate with emissions reductions mainly in industry. We're missing that sweet spot of using the landscape in a way that would achieve multiple goals. 'For example, you might have landscape that has mixed agroforestry and fewer livestock. You could have more arable areas interspersed with high biodiversity landscapes to keep the pollinators.' Is this why you have argued for a biodiversity equivalent of the Paris Agreement on climate change? 'We need to recognise that most of the drivers of biodiversity loss are international issues. In the UK for example, probably more than 60% of our food footprint is in other countries. 'This had led to suggestions that we need something more concrete to aim for, equivalent to limiting global warming to 1.5C on pre-industrial levels. Something concrete like that might change people's minds about the need to act and help us track progress. 'But it is hard to set these sort of targets as biodiversity is much harder to measure and the impacts of losing it are hard to pinpoint. Some of the processes biodiversity contributes to are so fundamental that they are effectively existential. Without them we wouldn't be here at all.' What will happen if we don't take action? 'It is very difficult to say. There are various predictions about what may happen if we continue to deplete biodiversitywe could end up having to replace crop pollinators with genetically engineered crops, or we will lose some of the fruit and vegetables that require insect pollinators. Or we may find that whole forest stands are vulnerable to invasive diseases because there isn't the diversity there to resist them. Simplification of forests could mean they are less able to cope with climate change, then we might also lose their ability to slow down water and so we may get more flooding. 'You can come up with all these scenarios but none of them are easy to predict with any certainty.' How optimistic are you about the future? 'Back in 2010 I felt a bit more positive about it, because there was a strong and consistent set of targets from the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Aichi, Japan, in 2010. They seemed like a good framework for action, but it is difficult to point to many successes as a result of that strategy. There has only been modest progress in a couple of areas, such as increasing protected areas. 'I don't think we've really tried hard enough yet. If we were to take action across sectors and at scale, then I think we could reverse the trend. Natural systems do have a lot of built in resilience and are good at bouncing back. 'But we need to get on with it pretty quickly.' Professor Mace advises the EU on biodiversity issues and has worked with the EU-funded BiodivERsA consortium which promotes pan-European research on biodiversity and ecosystems. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. More information: Horizon brings you the latest news and features about thought-provoking science and innovative research projects funded by the EU. Our articles are written by independent science journalists and are designed to appeal to both scientists and non-scientists alike. We mix stories on the latest EU-funded research with interviews with leading scientists, all written in a clear, accessible style. Each month we also take an in-depth look at a particular area of research, from 3D printing to Europes obesity epidemic. Our content is updated daily and access is free. Horizon is published in English, on behalf of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, and by ICF Mostra, a division of ICF International. Provided by Horizon: The EU Research & Innovation Magazine PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta Public Attorneys Office chief Persida Rueda-Acosta on Tuesday vowed to challenge the Department of Justice over the dismissal of charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. The Justice department found probable cause to indict former Health Secretary Janette Garin for the deaths of eight children who received anti-dengue vaccine shots, or Dengvaxia.The panel found sufficient evidence that Garin and the other respondents circumvented various regulations in the purchase of P3.5 billion worth of Dengvaxia vaccine which constituted proof of their reckless imprudence, it said. But the DoJ cleared Duque from any culpability. We will file a motion for reconsideration [to hold] Zuellig Pharma, the Department of Health and Philippine Childrens Medical Centers contractor [liable], she told the Manila Standard.More than 10 children died after receiving the Dengvaxia vaccine in November 2017. He disregarded the warnings of the Filipino experts last March 27, 2016 and November 2016 during congressional hearings, she said. She added Duque also ignored the admissions of the giant French pharmaceutical Sanofi Pasteur Inc. about the fatal side effects of the vaccine. We have not yet received a copy of the resolution up to now. That is why we cannot still file a motion, she said. An Abu Sayyaf bandit who took part in the kidnapping of 21 individuals, including 11 foreigners in the Sipadan, Malaysia in 2000, was arrested at his hideout in Zamboanga Sibugay Monday, the military said Tuesday. Capt. Clint Antipala, Public Affairs Chief of the Armys 1st Infantry Division, said Maldimar Mahmor was nabbed by police and members of the 44th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Madaup, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay at 1 p.m. the other day. Antipala said Mahmor was arrested on the strength of a warrant of arrest for illegal possession of firearms and ammunitions. Records showed that Mahmor was a lieutenant of Sulu-based former ASG sub-leader, Indang Susukan (Galib Andang) also known as Commander Robot. He currently serves as the ASGs liaison and facilitator in its kidnapping activities in the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur, said Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, the 44th Infantry Battalion Commander. Reports indicated that Mahmor participated in the Sipadan kidnapping in 2000, snatching 21 individuals consisting of European and Malaysian tourists and Filipino resort workers. At least six fully armed ASG members under Indang Susukan swooped down at the famous Sipadan island resort and forcibly took a Malaysian police officer, three Germans, two French, two South Africans, two Finns and a Lebanese citizen.The hostages were herded into a waiting pump boat and fled towards Sulu. Prior to Mahmors arrest, the ASG bandit figured in the kidnapping of former Mayor of Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay and Duterte Couple in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte. Authorities said a caliber .38 revolver, one hand grenade, an M16 magazine, one rocket-propelled grenade bullet were recovered from Mahmors possession. The apprehension of Mahmor is a big loss for the ASG because it will disrupt their illegal activities, particularly kidnapping, in our area of operation, said Col. Bagnus Gaerlan, Jr., commander of the 102nd Infantry Brigade based in Zamboanga Sibugay. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Roberto Ancan, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said army troops in collaboration of the PNP would intensify joint lay enforcement operation to protect the people and communities against terrorist. Virtually every American policymaker believed that the collapse of the USSR marked the end of history. Ever since the dawn of human civilization, hostile societies had vied for supremacy, resulting in war after war. But, it was thought, the break-up of the main sponsor of Communism demonstrated that there were simply no political ideas that could compete with free market democracy. Looking forward, all the worlds societies would evolve gradually toward capitalism and toward republican forms of government. This attitude, known as triumphalism (i.e., the conviction that the Western system of government is obviously superior to and will inevitably triumph over all others) was best expressed in Francis Fukuyamas famous article, The End of History, published in The National Interest (and in his subsequent book, The End of History and the Last Man). Triumphalism, however, came as a surprise to radical Islam and to Chinas Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. These two systems both considered that, far from being triumphant, capitalism and democracy were worn out, failing systems. The worlds democratic republics were in terminal decline, while China and the radical Islamic world were in insuppressible ascent. Radical Islam has certainly caused the world its share of problems, but it hasnt, at least to date, proven to be an existential threat. The Islamic societiesand the supposed caliphatesare simply too poor and/or too unstable to compete head-to-head with the democratic West. Indeed, many Islamic nations are, in fact, relatively secular democracies: Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan. Even Iran is a republic, albeit an Islamic one that allows religious leaders to override the democratic process (albeit not easily). China, however, is a very different animal. Chinas population is almost five times that of Americas. And even though its per capita income is far below that of the Western democracies (@ $60,000 for the U.S. versus @ $10,000 for China), its aggregate GDP is huge, giving it far more clout than any country in the world except the U.S. China is, in fact, the only major economy in the world whose leaders are not elected. In addition, and far more worrisome, China practices, and advocates, a totalitarian system that elevates the interests of the Chinese Communist Party above all else. Human freedoms, democratic elections, a free press, diversity, open economic markets, all this and more is sacrificed as necessary to keep the CCP in power. Worse, China exports totalitarianism. China is the major financial and political supporter of abhorrent regimes in Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, and elsewhere. It sells monitoring technology to places like Yemen and Syria so that those regimes can also repress their populations. Finally, China seizes territory belonging to other sovereign countries whenever it can get away with it. Viz., the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Nepal is essentially a ward of China and Tibet was long ago incorporated into China proper. Which brings us to Xi Jinping. Whatever else we might say about Chinas leader, you have to give the man his due: he sees China far more clearly than any Chinese leader since Deng Xiaoping. Deng, as noted in the first post in this series, observed that Communist economic policies were destroying the USSR and would soon destroy China. So Deng changed those policies and pursued capitalist practices wherever possible. Socialism, Deng was fond of saying, does not mean shared poverty. Dengs bargain with the Chinese people was Faustian but straightforward: Give us [i.e., the CCP] all power and we will make you rich. For 25 years the CCP kept its end of the bargain, riding capitalist practices to incredible economic growth. Socialism with Chinese Characteristics may not have made logical sense, but it worked for a long time. But by the time Xi came to power, Dengs reforms and openness had begun to run out of steam. GDP growth was, even by official measures, only half what it had been. Most Western observers put Chinese GDP growth at about 2% lower than the official numbers, meaning growth may have slipped to only one-quarter of its peak. To make matters worse, the most influential group in China the urban middle class elite are now wealthy enough that a bit more economic growth is less important to them than personal freedoms. As Xi saw clearly, that left the CCP only two choices. The first, and the choice everyone in the West assumed the CCP would make, was to double down on Dengs reforms and openness. Political and economic liberalization would boost economic growth and also vastly enrich the Chinese polity in nonfinancial ways. But Xi recognized that that road led to perdition, at least if you were the head of the CCP. Even Dengs limited reforms had caused many problems, starting with Tiananmen Square. Further liberalization could very quickly spiral out of control, as had happened near the end of the Soviet Union. Xi sees no place for political experimentation or liberal values in China, and regards democratization, civil society, and universal human rights as anathema. Steve Tsang, Director of the China Institute, SOAS University, London In other words, when Xi closes his eyes at night his nightmare isnt about corruption or the trade dispute with the U.S. His recurring nightmare is the collapse of the CCP and the consequences for Mr. Xi. When dictatorships fail, the dictators are sometimes allowed to retire quietly to the countryside. Sometimes they are allowed to slip out of the country to asylum in some other dictatorship. All too often, however as in Xis recurring nightmare the tyrants are hunted down like animals and killed. Consider, just in the modern era (never mind Charles I or Louis XIV), Mussolini, the Ceausescus, Antonescu (Romania), Samuel Doe (Liberia), Najibullah (the Communist dictator of Afghanistan), Saddam, Gadhafi, etc., etc. If you were Xi, would you take a flyer on political and economic liberalization? Me neither. Next week well take a look at why now is almost the ideal time to launch Cold War II. (The ideal time was ten years ago.) Next up: Cold War II, Part 4 5 hours ago American CEO Parker becomes latest airline chief to exit DALLAS (AP) American Airlines CEO Doug Parker will retire in March and be replaced by its current president, Robert Isom, as the nations largest airline seeks to rebuild after massive losses caused by the pandemic. Parker, 60, has been CEO at three different airlines since 2001, including the last eight years at Texas-based American. Read Article President Duterte has approved the proposed executive order seeking the implementation of the annex on the normalization program in the Bangsamoro region, Malacanang said on Tuesday. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo bared that during the 35th Cabinet meeting on Monday evening, the Chief Executive greenlighted the normalization program under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. The normalization annex, which deals with the decommissioning of the MILFs armed wing and disarming privates armies in the new Bangsamoro region, is the last of the four annexes to the CAB forged between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2014. We are doing everything we can to help achieve peace [in Mindanao]. Anything that is contributory to the goal of peace in that place, we will do it, Panelo said in a Palace press briefing. The MILF has allowed itself to be subjected to the [peace] process. They really want peace. They despise war now. In Cotabato City, Interim Chief Minister Hadji Murad Ibrahim wants government workers to closely engage grassroots residents and officials in development planning for rehabilitation of conflict-affected areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMM Minister of Local Governments, said Murad had specific instructions on an anti-corruption government agenda through full-disclosure and transparency programs on the allocation and utilization of Internal Revenue Allotment by local government units. Murad himself on Monday opened the two-day strategic planning sessions of the BARMM-MLG here which will delve on new development programs and projects during the first 100 days of BARMM. The Palace has yet to release a copy of the executive order.Panelo, meanwhile, admitted he was not privy to the presentation led by presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. Under the last annex to the framework agreement, the normalization process hopes to achieve the desired quality of life, which includes the pursuit of sustainable livelihood and political participation within a peaceful deliberative society. The annex also aims to intensify the efforts to rehabilitate, reconstruct, and develop the Bangsamoro region. It also provides for the creation of a transitional justice program that plans to address the Bangsamoro peoples grievances, correct historical injustices, and tackle human rights violations. Meanwhile, the other annexes deal with transitional modalities, revenue generation, wealth sharing, and power sharing. These annexes were initially crafted to serve as guides for the Bangsamoro Basic Law, seeking to end the decades-old armed conflict in the war-torn region. The BBL, which is now referred to as the Bangsamoro Organic Law, was previously ratified in January 2019, creating the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in place of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Last week, the President led the oath-taking of the 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority, which will be the interim government of the BARMM until elections in 2022. Currently, MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim serves as its chief minister. With Nash Maulana About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile AGAINST MONEY LAUNDERERS. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino (left) and Anti-Money Laundering Council Executive Director Georgie Racela sign their Memoramdum of Agreement that sealed their partnership against suspected money launderers who wash their illicit proceeds from illegal drugs activities. Manny Palmero The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has partnered with the Anti-Money Laundering Council against suspected money launderers who wash their illicit proceeds from illegal drug activities. Director General Aaron Aquino and AMLC Executive Director Mel Georgie Racela signed a memorandum of agreement to strengthen their partnership against the illegal drugs as well as terrorism. Apart from financing terrorism, laundered money comes from the production and trafficking of dangerous drugs, he said.Banks and other regulated entities have become conduits for laundering drug money, he added. Drug lords hide their profits to make it appear they were acquired through legitimate means. We need to track down their drug money trail and prevent them from using their affluence and influence to evade punishment, he said. Under the arrangement, both parties have expressed their desire to promote and encourage cooperation to effectively prevent, control, detect and investigate unlawful activities under Section 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The efforts and resources used by PDEA in tracking down and arresting illegal drug dealers and manufacturers will definitely go for naught if we cannot freeze the assets of these criminals while they are being prosecuted, he said.We [just] cannot go on arresting and filing the cases while the drug lords are freely using drug money to buy their way out of prison, he added. Both parties vowed to cooperate in information exchange and capacity building measures, including the exchange of studies, researches, information on current, new and emerging trends and typologies in money laundering and terrorism financing, he said. PDEA may request for financial information to support an ongoing investigation to any violations of the anti-drug law. In return, AMLC may enlist the assistance of PDEA in the detection and investigation of money laundering activities and other violations of the AMLA, he added. In 2018 alone, PDEAs anti-money laundering desk was able to refer 75 cases involving 102 targeted drug personalities and 64 others believed to be involved in illegal drug activities to AMLC for financial investigation. From 2011 to 2018, AMLC had frozen P2.037 billion worth of assets, including local and foreign currencies, real estate, motor vehicles and firearms, from all drug cases. SC nix bid to transfer school entry regulation posted March 05, 2019 at 10:30 pm by Rey E. Requejo March 05, 2019 at 10:30 pm Supreme Court magistrates on Tuesday turned down a proposal to transfer the regulation of law schools from the Legal Education Board to the SC by groups questioning the LEBs policy that centralized the entrance examinations in law schools. During oral arguments, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justice Marvic Leonen shared the view that the proposal by retired Makati Regional Trial Court Judge Oscar Pimentel and a group of law students to transfer admission in law schools under the supervision of the high court would violate academic freedom under Section 5, Article 14 of the 1987 Constitution. Carpio grilled petitioners on their argument that the SC is mandated by the Constitution to regulate admission to the legal profession, which supposedly includes admission to law schools.However, Carpio differentiated admission to legal profession from admission to legal education. According to the senior magistrate, the High Court is not required by law to regulate law schools because this would mean that the Court has been derelict of such duty since the first Constitution in 1935. COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section. Locsin and Lorenzana The decades-old defense treaty between the United States and the Philippines needs to be revamped, or risks dragging Manila into a war with China, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday.Lorenzana offered this assessment four days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited Manila, said Washington would intervene in case of an armed attack on Philippine forces or vessels in the disputed South China Sea .] READ: PH-US defense pact likely item in Pompeo visit It is not the lack of reassurance that worries me. It is being involved in a war that we do not seek and do not want, Lorenzana said in a statement. His remarks contradict Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.s statement that there is no need to review the treaty, and that the ambiguity or vagueness in the treaty would serve as a deterrent to attacks against the Philippines. In fact, it [ambiguity] will cause confusion and chaos during a crisis, said Lorenzana, who has been pushing for a review of the 1951 mutual defense treaty with the US. Filipino officials have suggested the treaty may not apply in the strategic waterway, since Washington has not stopped Beijing building artificial islands over reefs claimed by Manila and other neighbors. The US has said it does not take sides in the dispute over the South China Sea claimed by Beijing as well as the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. It has, however, sailed warships near the Chinese-built islands to assert free passage.Pompeo said Friday Chinas actions in the waterwaythrough which trillions of dollars of global trade passes each yearthreaten both the US and the Philippines, and vowed to keep it open. But Lorenzana said the American naval maneuvers risked dragging the Philippines into armed conflict. The United States, with the increased and frequent passage of its naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea, is more likely to be involved in a shooting war, he said, referring to Filipino-claimed areas of the sea. In such a case and on the basis of the [treaty], the Philippines will be automatically involved, he said. The vastly different security environment now in place necessitates a review of the treaty, Lorenzana added. He said the ambiguity in the current treaty would cause confusion and chaos during a crisis. The Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in 1951, contains eight articles requiring the two Pacific allies to provide aid in case of an armed attack against either nation by an external party. The EU Google says the EU requires a notice of cookie use (by Google) and says they have posted a notice. I don't see it. If cookies bother you, go elsewhere. If the EU bothers you, emigrate. If you live outside the EU, don't go there. If you want to teach someone the boom-bust nature of the mineral commodity industry, the story of cobalt over the last few years would be a perfect example. The metal, which is used in lithium-ion batteries to stabilize them, recorded several years of rising prices until last year it began to slide down eventually hitting multi-year lows. How did this happen? The answer is easy enough since it follows the classic industry price pattern, as detailed by Bloombergs Mark Burton. The EV hype that unlike so many other hypes actually transformed into a real race to bring more electric vehicles to the market sparked a cobalt mining frenzy that boosted supply more quickly than the EV revolution took off. This revolution, by the way, still hasnt taken off and is shaping up to be more of an evolution than revolution: a fact thats added its own weight to cobalt prices. After an early 2018 cobalt hit a 10-year high trading at an average of US$100,000 per ton in the first half of the year, between last November and this February, the metal dropped 40 percent. Now, it is trading at barely above US$30,000 per ton. The bust has come, brought about by a rush to mine as much cobalt as possible and sell it to the Chinese: China accounts for 65 percent of the worlds lithium-ion megafactory capacity. So, one reason was the EV rush. Another, however, had to do with where cobalt is most abundant. Thats the Democratic Republic of Congo and its notorious political instability has served as another booster for the price of the metal. There is also one more rather unique factor that has contributed to the rout: artisanal cobalt mining in DRC. People there are literally mining cobalt in their backyards. Thats a dangerous endeavor in the absence of specialist mining equipment and protective gear but the practice has proved unstoppable. The fact a single countryChinais home to more than 50 percent of battery production capacity helped as well. Cobalt just became one more metal whose price fluctuates every time China releases economic data. Related: Medical Bankruptcy Is Killing The American Middle Class Whats more, there was a hoarding element to cobalts rise to prominence. Benchmark Minerals cobalt expert Caspar Rawles explains, as quoted by Edward Niedermeyer in a story for The Drive, The Chinese were also buying more than they needed because they were stockpiling it and it was going up in value every month so they were making paper profits... which ended up being part of their undoing in 2018." Even so, the rout now seems to be over. Prices have bottomed out and analysts expect them to start climbing up again as demand remains strong. Thats the good thingor bad thing, depending on perspectiveabout fundamentals. If these are strong, any price crash would be a temporary headache. With weak fundamentals, we get the new normal in oil prices. Yet cobalt has strong fundamentals: demand will remain robust as the EV industry gathers pace, albeit more slowly than initially expected. Government regulations, notably in China but also in other countries, will serve as a major boost for electric car adoption and whatever boosts EVs will boost battery metals. The cobalt market is already self-regulating. Artisanal mining in Congo has declined along with prices, so there is less supply coming into the market. At the same time, carmakers are pushing ahead with their ambitious EV plans. Whether these will unfold as they expect remains to be seen, but cobalt will continue to be in demand, even if this demand grows more slowly than optimists expected at the height of the EV hype. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: China is in the process of setting up a vast surveillance system that will track every single one of its 1.4 billion citizens in a drive that includes an Orwellian social credit system that Beijing rolled out last year, ranking citizens based on behavior and doling out rewards or punishment based on scores. And now, the Chinese are beginning to get a taste of the real-life Black Mirror. A report by Associated Press says that the government blocked people from buying plane or train tickets a grand total of 23 million times last year because of low social credit scores. People were blocked from buying high-speed train tickets 5.5. million times and from purchasing airline tickets 17.5 million times for various offenses including failure to pay taxes or fines. Thats a nearly fourfold increase compared to last years collective figure of 6.5 million. Social grading The idea of social credit was first mooted circa 2007 before the government launched several opt-in systems in 2014. Chinas social grading system has been compared to Big Brother, Black Mirror and many other dystopian future sci-fi labels. While not exactly a world first, the countrys surveillance system will be unique-- and worsethan anything else that preceded it once its complete around 2020. Most countries do have some sort of citizen grading system. Credit checks are almost universal wherein data brokers trace the timely manner in which we pay our debts. Lenders and mortgage providers use these credit scores to evaluate our creditworthiness. We also have social-style scores that we use on online sites like Amazon and eBay while Uber drivers and passengers rate each other. Related: Gold Jewelry Fuels $20 Billion Valentines Spending Spree Chinas social credit system takes this idea to a whole new level. Caught jaywalking, playing your music too loud on the train, fail to pay a court bill or your taxes and you risk losing certain rights including booking a flight or train ticket. The country does not as yet have a single nationally coordinated social credit system but rather local governments have their own social record systems. No one us sure of the exact methods that the government is going to use to monitor its citizens. But the final system is likely to be downright creepy if currently available technologies are any indication. Here are some of the social surveillance systems already in use in China: #1. Facial recognition technology At least 16 provinces, cities and municipalities across the country already use facial reconition systems to scan citizens with a 99.8 percent accuracy. Last year, police using facial recognition systems managed to locate and arrest a suspect in 60,000-person pop concert. #2. Group chats admins spying on people The Beijing government holds people criminally liable for content posted in group chats. The regulation applies even to private and encrypted apps such as WhatsApp. The government also requires tech companies to monitor and report any illegal activities to the authorities. #3. Forced installation of spying apps US-funded Open Technology Fund has reported that the government forced Uighurs, a small ethnic community in western China, to download a spying app that scans videos, photos, ebooks, and other files and sends the information to an outside server. #4. Spying on peoples online shopping habits The Communist Party wants citizens to be responsible and on their best behavior, and people who spend frivolously by buying non-essentials are penalized under the social credit system. For instance, people who play too many video games are labeled irresponsible and slapped with a low score while buying diapers online is likely to be seen as a good thing and elicit higher scores. #5. Your car spying on you More than 200 automakers that sell electric vehicles in China send at least 61 data points to government-backed monitoring programs under rules published in 2016. These include American and European manufacturers such as Tesla, General Motors, Ford, BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler. By Alex Kimani for Safehaven.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: Education Reporter Mathew Burciaga is a Santa Maria Times reporter who covers education, agriculture and public safety. Prior to joining the Times, Mathew ran a 114-year-old community newspaper in Wyoming. He owns more than 40 pairs of crazy socks from across the globe. The minority bloc in the House of Representatives on Tuesday said erstwhile Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno is not yet off the hook in relation to the ongoing congressional investigation on the P75billion alleged insertions into the 2019 national budget and other questionable budget practices. House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, chairman of the House committee on public accounts, said this following Dioknos appointment by President Rodrigo Duterte to replace late Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. At a news conference, Suarez said his panel will continue the investigation on Diokno that the House committees on rules and appropriations initiated. Diokno has pending issues at the Lower House. There is no closure yet as far as the House probe on alleged irregularities in the budget preparation is concerned, Suarez said. I will continue hearing [Dioknos budget practices]. [Ill be] taking advantage of my few remaining months in Congress, he added. Senator Panfilo Lacson had vowed to raise a big legal issue before his colleagues in the Senate after he accused House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of realignments in the Department of Healths budget for her supposedly favored congressmen. Arroyo has no business or legal authority to prepare and impose the menu list of the Department of Health appropriations for Health Facilities Enhancement Program worth P25 million in individual allocations for her favored congressmen, said Lacson. However, the House contingent to the bicameral conference committee on the national budget does not take orders from the Speaker, thus she can not be behind the realignment of P25 million from the DOH budget, Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said. Andaya, the chairman of the House appropriations committee, defended Arroyo and said the Senate President and the Speaker are not directly involved in the bicameral committee discussions.Responsibility rests on the Bicam conferees, said Andaya, who asked Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate committee on finance, to hold a joint press conference aimed at promoting transparency in the P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget following Lacsons statement. Suarez stressed the House may still invite Diokno if there is a need despite the latters non-appearance in the previous hearings. COOP NATCCO party-list Rep. Anthony Bravo, a member of the minority bloc, said he expects the new secretary of the DBMrumored to be Government Service Insurance System chairman Rolando Macasaet, to cooperate on their inquiry. Documents are still there in the DBM. And now that there will be a new secretary to be appointed by the President. I am looking forward that secretary will be showing us all the documents for the purpose of transparency, said Bravo, who joined Suarez in the news conference. Earlier, Andaya said the panel of Suarez will continue hearing the P75-billion insertions of Diokno and will call his Chief of Staff, Budget Undersecretary Amenah Pangandaman, and engineer Glenn Degal, a technical expert assigned at the programming division of the Department of Public Works and Highways-Planning Service. Instead of citing Diokno in contempt and compelling his presence to the congressional inquiry, Andaya said the committee would now focus in the filing of criminal complaints against the erstwhile Budget chief and others for allegedly giving undue advantage to the Aremar Construction owned by his in-laws family. The original investigating panel on Dioknos questionable budget practices that he vehemently denied was the House committee on rules when Andaya was still its chairman, being the former House Majority Leader. A tornado roared into southeast Alabama and killed at least 23 people and injured several others Sunday, part of a severe storm system that caused catastrophic damage and unleashed other tornadoes around the Southeast. Third Circuit panel rules sex offenders subject to registration laws in Pennsylvania are "in custody" for habeas purposes | Main | Georgia Supreme Court unanimously declares state's approach to lifetime GPS monitoring for sex offenders violates Fourth Amendment As reported in this local article, headlined "Judge denies Krasner offices request to vacate death penalty in 1984 double murder," an effort by the current Philadelphia District Attorney to undo some work by prior DAs hit a federal snag. Here are the interesting details: A federal judge on Monday denied a request by the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office to vacate the death penalty for a Philadelphia man convicted of the 1984 strangulation and drowning deaths of a prominent pastors son and daughter-in-law in their East Mount Airy home. U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg wrote that for three decades, the DAs Office had consistently and zealously opposed inmate Robert Whartons efforts to overturn his conviction and death sentence. Early last month, the office informed the judge it would no longer fight the appeal. Max Cooper Kaufman, supervisor of the federal litigation unit under District Attorney Larry Krasner, wrote that the decision came after the office reexamined the case and communicated with the victims family. In his written opinion, Goldberg described the deaths of Bradley Hart, 26, and his wife, Ferne, 31, as particularly horrific and noted the DAs Office didnt explain the reason behind what he called "this complete reversal of course. He ordered both parties to submit briefs explaining their positions. Krasner, a former criminal defense lawyer who took office last year, campaigned on a platform of never seeking the death penalty. His spokesperson, Ben Waxman, said by email Monday that the office had no comment on Goldbergs ruling except to say that we are reviewing the opinion and considering next steps in the case." The Federal Community Defender Office, which is representing Wharton, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Whartons co-defendant, Eric Mason, was sentenced to life in prison. Both men, construction workers from Germantown, were 20 at the time of the murders. Now 56, Wharton is on death row at the State Correctional Institution-Phoenix in Montgomery County. According to evidence in the case, on the night of Jan. 30, 1984, Wharton and Mason went to the Harts home, tied up the couple, and separated them. Wharton choked Ferne Hart with a necktie and drowned her in a bathtub. Mason denied killing anyone, but was accused by Wharton of killing Bradley Hart by forcing his face in water and strangling him with an electrical cord.... In April 1992, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court partially granted Whartons appeal, ordering a new sentencing hearing. That December, a second Philadelphia jury reimposed the double-death sentence for Wharton. In December 2002, then-Gov. Mark Schweiker signed his death warrant, but the execution was stayed after Wharton appealed to federal court. Goldberg in 2012 denied his petition, but an appellate court sent it back to the district judge on just one claim whether his lawyer was ineffective for failing to tell the jury about Whartons adjustment to prison. That was the claim the District Attorneys Office last month said it would not fight. The DAs Office also asked the judge to grant summary relief by taking the death penalty off the table and said that if the judge did so, prosecutors wouldnt seek a new death sentence in state court. Krasner has received pushback by the judiciary in at least one other case in which his office tried to throw out a death sentence. In October, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Christine Donohue wrote in a majority opinion that a jury had approved the death penalty for Lavar Brown, and the DAs Office couldnt change that result based upon the differing views of the current office holder. Pennsylvanias death penalty has been used just three times since it was reinstated by the state in 1978. Gov. Tom Wolf imposed a moratorium on its use in 2015. Wolfs spokesperson said Monday that the governor believes the moratorium should continue in light of a June 2018 report by a bipartisan legislative task force and advisory committee, which found various problems concerning the death penalty. Federal judge denies request by Philly DA to vacate state death sentence | Main | "The Case for a Trial Fee: What Money Can Buy in Criminal Process" March 5, 2019 Georgia Supreme Court unanimously declares state's approach to lifetime GPS monitoring for sex offenders violates Fourth Amendment The Supreme Court of Georgia issued a notable unanimous opinion yesterday in Park v. Georgia, No. S18A1211 (Ga. March 4, 2019) (available here), declaring unconstitutional the state's lifetime GPS monitoring requirement for certain sex offenders. The opinion for the court authored by Chief Justice Melton starts this way: We granted an interlocutory appeal in this case to address Joseph Parks facial challenge to the constitutionality of OCGA 42-1-14, which requires, among other things, that a person who is classified as a sexually dangerous predator but who is no longer in State custody or on probation or parole wear and pay for an electronic monitoring device linked to a global positioning satellite system (GPS monitoring device) that allows the State to monitor that individuals location for the remainder of his or her natural life. Id. at (e). For the reasons that follow, we conclude that OCGA 42-1-14(e), on its face, authorizes a patently unreasonable search that runs afoul of the protections afforded by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and, as a result, subsection (e) of the statute is unconstitutional to the extent that it does so. Notably, a concurring opinion by Justice Blackwell seems interested in helping the state legislature find a work around to this ruling. His opinion starts this way: The General Assembly has determined as a matter of public policy that requiring some sexual offenders to wear electronic monitoring devices linked to a global positioning satellite system promotes public safety, and it enacted OCGA 42-1-14(e) to put that policy into practice. The Court today decides that subsection (e) is unconstitutional, and I concur fully in that decision, which is driven largely by our obligation to faithfully apply the principles of law set forth by the United States Supreme Court in Grady v. North Carolina, ___ U.S. ___ (135 SCt 1368, 191 LE2d 459) (2015). I write separately, however, to emphasize that our decision today does not foreclose other means by which the General Assembly might put the same policy into practice. Our decision rests in significant part on the fact that subsection (e) requires some sexual offenders to submit to electronic monitoring even after they have completed the service of their sentences. But nothing in our decision today precludes the General Assembly from authorizing life sentences for the worst sexual offenders, and nothing in our decision prevents the General Assembly from requiring a sentencing court in the worst cases to require GPS monitoring as a condition of permitting a sexual offender to serve part of a life sentence on probation. March 5, 2019 at 10:07 AM | Permalink Comments Post a comment FILE PHOTO: A European Union flag is seen outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium November 14, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir//File Photo By Francesco Guarascio BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union states have added 10 jurisdictions to a draft tax haven blacklist, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bermuda, an EU official told Reuters on Tuesday, in a move that would triple the number of listed countries. The measure comes more than one year after the bloc decided to blacklist jurisdictions that are non-cooperative on tax matters and to monitor countries that commit to change their tax rules to comply with EU standards. In a meeting on Wednesday, EU envoys are set to agree on the new list which will then be formally adopted by EU finance ministers in a meeting on March 12. The existing list includes only five jurisdictions: Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago and the three United States' territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. The new draft list has been broadened to 15 jurisdictions, including the UAE, Oman, the British territory of Bermuda, and other Caribbean and Pacific islands, the official said. However, EU states are still considering whether Bermuda and the UAE will be added, the official said. The measure comes after EU states moved to block the adoption of another blacklist of countries that show deficiencies in countering money laundering and terrorism financing. That list included Saudi Arabia, Panama and the three U.S. territories already on the tax haven blacklist. TAX EVASION Jurisdictions are added to the tax haven blacklist if they have shortfalls in their tax rules that could favour tax evasion. They are removed from the blacklist if they commit to reforms. Sixty-two jurisdictions around the world have committed to abiding by the tax standards set by Brussels. Most of them were required to overhaul their rules by December or February. Bermuda and the UAE have not complied by the set deadlines, but EU states are assessing whether their delays could be warranted. The 28 EU member states have not been screened as they already fulfil the criteria, the European Commission said. But tax campaigners and EU lawmakers have accused some of them of acting as tax havens. Story continues The EU Parliament's committee on financial crime said in a report adopted last week that Luxembourg, Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Malta and the Netherlands "display traits of a tax haven and facilitate aggressive tax planning". The EU blacklist was set up in December 2017 after revelations of widespread tax avoidance schemes used by corporations and wealthy individuals to lower their tax bills. It originally included 17 jurisdictions. Blacklisted jurisdictions could face reputational damage and stricter controls on their financial transactions with the EU, although no sanctions have yet been agreed by member states. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; editing by Foo Yun Chee and Gareth Jones) JakartaFacebook has banned political advertisements from outside Indonesia ahead of the countrys presidential poll, just weeks after being heavily criticized by the European Union for not doing enough to counter election meddling. The worlds biggest social network said it was temporarily restricting any paid material from advertisers based outside the Southeast Asian nation that related to politicians, parties or attempts to encourage voter suppression. We want to make it harder to interfere with elections on the platform, and easier for people to make their voices legitimately heard in the political process, Facebook said in a statement, adding the new policy will be effective Tuesday. EU officials blasted the company earlier this year for not doing enough to scrutinize advertising on its site in the runup to European Union elections in May. In response, the company unveiled new tools and rules that would require a wide range of political ads linked to the elections to be specifically authorized and tagged with a clear paid for by disclaimer. The US firm first began looking into its influence on elections after revelations of Russian influence campaigns during the 2016 US election. But the social media giant has been accused of being too slow to act by some leaders.Facebook said it would use a combination of automated and human intervention to remove offending ads relating to Indonesia. Indonesia is battling its own wave of online hate speech, as conservative groups exploit social media to spread lies and target minorities. Authorities are worried inflammatory material posted online could crack open social and religious fault lines in the worlds largest Muslim-majority country ahead of presidential elections in April. Facebook said in February it removed hundreds of accounts and pages linked to Indonesian cyber group Saracen that has been accused of spreading hate speech and fake news. Facebook has a fact-checking partnership with AFP in multiple countries. SINGAPORE (Mar 5): Oxford Economics says the prospects of Northeast Asian economies, which are uniquely exposed to the ongoing global electronics slowdown, are not as bleak as they seem. This is due to trade diversions partial mitigation of the impact of US-China trade tensions as well as limited direct competition between China and other Northeast Asian economies in the high-value field of semiconductor production, according to the global forecasting and quantitative analysis firm. In a Tuesday report, economist Tommy Wu says the global electronics downcycle, particularly in the case of semiconductors, is reflective of normalising prices after a period of exceptional price increases in the generally deflationary sector. The impact of the US-China trade conflict has also likely been partly mitigated by trade diversion in certain countries as well, in his view. Koreas semiconductor exports to the US have surged since October last year, a timing which coincides with the imposition of 10% US tariffs on US$200bn worth of Chinese goods in September. Taiwans data also show exports to US holding up, in contrast to the general downtrend, illustrates Wu. Further, Wu thinks direct competition between Chinese semiconductor producers, and those in other Northeast Asian economies, is limited as the formers strengths lie in design rather than production. This is in contrast to typical development patterns in other industries, where the production stage precedes the design stage. As such, we expect China to continue to rely on electronics supply from other APAC economies, at least over the medium term while its electronics production is catching up, states Wu. Citing Oxford Economics Global Impact Model, he believes Chinese domestic demand has a relatively stronger impact than that from the US and the EU, with China expected to continue its reliance electronics imports from Asia at least over the medium-term as the nations electronics production continues to ramp up. Story continues The share of Chinese domestic demand is growing steadily, and is likely to become an increasingly important source of final demand for the electronics sector in APAC economies going forward, opines Wu. Structural drivers such as automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will benefit semiconductors in the long run, he adds with the use of semiconductors in growth areas such as electric vehicles (EVs) and smart devices to further support the sectors expansion. Indeed, the use of semiconductors is expanding beyond the traditional electronics sector, and electric vehicles, smart devices and the internet of things will provide additional support for the sectors growth in the long run, says the economist. Less than a month after it was signed, the Central African Republic's peace agreement was under strain on Monday after a militia group abandoned the deal and a second said it was quitting a new government designed to be the keystone of the accord. The Democratic Front of the Central African People (FPDC), one of 14 armed groups that inked the so-called Khartoum Agreement, announced it was walking away in protest at a newly formed government. The FPDC "is resolved purely and simply to withdraw from the peace process," it said in a statement sent to AFP. The group, whose stronghold is in the northwest, protested that the new government formed on Sunday was "far from being inclusive". Just hours after the ministerial list was unveiled, the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic (FPRC), said it was leaving the government. The FPRC did not specify whether it planned to remain part of the peace process, but charged the authorities with "bad faith, amateurism and incompetence." The peace agreement was forged after negotiations in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum before being signed in Bangui on February 6. The deal brings together President Faustin-Archange Touadera and the leaders of the 14 armed groups who control most of the CAR. It is the eighth attempt to bring peace to the CAR, one of the world's poorest and most unstable countries, since mainly Muslim rebels ousted president Francois Bozize, a Christian, in 2013. France, the former colonial ruler, intervened militarily under a UN mandate as fears grew of a Rwandan-style genocide. The Seleka were forced from power and in February 2016, Touadera, a former prime minister, was elected president. - Anger - Under peace accord's provisions, Touadera agreed to form an "inclusive" government. But in the team unveiled on Sunday, the ministers in sensitive key posts all kept their jobs, while six of the 14 armed groups obtained no post at all. One of those left out, the Movement of Central African Freedom Fighters for Justice (MLCJ), a small group in the north of the country, warned the authorities "to look again" at the list. The armed groups had also demanded that prime minister be chosen from their ranks. But the job was handed to Firmin Ngrebada, Touadera's former cabinet director. "By playing at 'Let's take the same people and start over', the president of the republic ... has stifled all hope at birth," the FPRC said. The deal was prepared in 2017 by the African Union and has the support of Bangui's partners, notably former colonial power France, along with a 12,000-strong UN stabilisation mission, MINUSCA. But militia groups, often claiming to defend an ethnicity or religious group, still hold sway over four-fifths of the country. Fighting, typically for control of natural resources, has left thousands dead and forced a quarter of the population of 4.5 million from their homes. Other provisions in the agreement include the launch of a "Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation Commission" within 90 days and the start of joint patrols by militia members and the security forces. The agreement does not spell out any amnesty for militia leaders -- something that had been a stumbling block in past agreements. However, the president may exercise a "discretionary right to issue pardons". Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Monday pledged Can$53 million (US$40 million) in humanitarian aid for Venezuelans amid a deepening crisis. "Today, Canada is stepping up and announcing $53 million to address the most pressing needs of Venezuelans on the ground, including almost 3 million refugees," Trudeau told a gathering of the Lima Group of nations. "The bulk of the funds will go to trusted partners, and neighboring countries to help them support Venezuela and Venezuelans," he said. The 14-member Lima Group, which includes most Latin American countries and Canada, met to discuss how to support opposition leader Juan Guaido, who proclaimed himself acting president last month. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Deputy Head of European Diplomacy Helga Schmid were to participate by videoconference in the debates. Guaido, who heads the opposition-controlled National Assembly, addressed the gathering in a video message, saying he looked forward to having "free and fair elections as soon as possible in order to restore democracy to Venezuela." Venezuelans are "very close to reclaiming their freedom," he said. Most of the bloc last week urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down, and make way for elections to deal with an economic collapse that has sent Venezuelans flooding into neighboring countries. Madrid, London, Paris, Berlin and several other European capitals on Monday also backed Guaido as interim president of Venezuela after Maduro refused to call a presidential election despite a European ultimatum. Created in 2017, the Lima Group includes Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico (which did not recognize Guaido), Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Guyana and Saint Lucia. - Trudeau, Guaido call - Trudeau, who has been personally involved in the crisis, spoke with Guaido by telephone on Sunday. The two men called for the organization of a "free and fair" presidential election in Venezuela and reaffirmed the "illegitimacy" of Maduro's presidency. Maduro began a new term in office last month after disputed 2018 elections whose results were rejected as invalid by the opposition. Julio Borges, leader of the Primero Justicia Party of Venezuela and Guaido's special envoy, told reporters as he arrived for the Lima Group meeting that European backing of Guaido was "very good news." "We are hoping and we are expecting at this meeting of the Lima Group to have full support for the humanitarian channel, for the coalition for freedom in Venezuela, full support for free elections in our country, full support for new measures for democratic pressure in order to finish the regime of Maduro," he said. "We really believe that what we are doing is not only for Venezuela, it's the fall of the Berlin wall in Latin America and it's a new chapter for history." The Canadian funding will go specifically to providing emergency food assistance, healthcare, water and sanitation, education and protection services for those most affected by the crisis, including refugees. Canada will also help monitor and report on the human rights situation in Venezuela. SINGAPORE (Mar 4): Singapore may have accumulated huge surpluses during the current term of government, but that does not indicate an upcoming spending spree. The surpluses will also not be used to stall an impending Goods and Services Tax hike due to happen from 2021 to 2025. On Feb 28, in rounding up parliamentary debate on the broad fiscal principles of this years Budget, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat explains that the planned increase in the Goods and Services Tax is necessary, and reiterated the government stance on saving for a rainy day. Heng notes that while the government still has not decided on when the GST hike will happen, it will exercise care when doing so. Heng was responding to a suggestion by Member of Parliament (MP) Foo Mee Har to postpone the unpopular GST hike and use the estimated surplus of $15 billion for fiscal wiggle room. Foo was among 55 MPs who, over three days, aired views and suggestions on the Budget, ranging from borrowing to fund infrastructure spending, to climate change laws and education system tweaks. The decision to raise GST was not made lightly, Heng says. As the government, it is our responsibility to anticipate and plan ahead for future needs. When doing so, we need to distinguish between one-off factors and underlying structural increases. This GST hike, he adds, goes towards structural increases such as in healthcare spending, preschool education and security. Structural spending, such as that on healthcare, is also to be taken differently from one-off packages such as that for the so-called Merdeka Generation. Heng notes that subsidies for patient bills through existing permanent schemes alone are expected to cost the government $6.1 billion this year. This does not even include spending to enhance our healthcare facilities, and to research more effective treatments, says Heng. The base of our healthcare spending is rising. Pointing to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) paper, Heng notes that governments must raise primary revenues so they can fund rising costs without increasing public debt. OECD had estimated that governments will need additional revenues of 6.5 percentage points of GDP by 2060. The planned GST hike in Singapore will raise about 0.7 percentage points of GDP. Story continues By contrast, the current surplus is unexpected. Heng attributes most of it to the volatilities and uncertainties in revenues and expenditures. For example, the government had expected property stamp duty collections to be lower in FY2018 because of the additional curbs that it had introduced in a bid to moderate the rise in property prices. But the property market defied our expectations, Heng says. Meanwhile, there were also surprises on the expenditure front, such as the two-year suspension of the KL-Singapore High Speed Rail Project. Forecasting is an inherently difficult exercise, Heng says. In his speech, Heng also addresses MP Saktiandi Supaats suggestion to tier GST for different goods so the tax burden on the lower income is reduced. That was a point that has been raised multiple times in Budget debates over the years, says Heng, who used the analogy of bread to explain why it was hard to define what necessities are. He points to white bread and wholemeal bread at the supermarkets, as well as loaves sold in artisan bakeries. Where do we draw the line? he asks. Richer households also spend more in absolute terms, thus benefitting more from reduced GST rates, and other countries experience is that businesses tend to pass on the resulting compliance and administrative costs to consumers. Our approach is to have a flat GST rate, while providing structural offsets through the GST Voucher scheme, he says. And as I said in the Budget Speech, we will also be preparing a transitional package when [the GST hike] comes in. On calls to spend the surpluses accumulated from the current term, Heng reminds the House that surpluses at the end of the term does not disappear, but go into the reserves which are invested and used to supplement the Budget, and act as a rainy-day fund for the country. He points out how, during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, savings accumulated through the governments term funded three-quarters of the $20.5 billion Resilience Package. The rest of the bill was paid for by past reserves. We should not have the mentality of trying to spend everything that we have, before the end of each term of government, he says. We plan for the long term, because we plan for Singapore to be here in the long term. The full version of this story is available in The Edge Singapore issue 871 (week of Mar 4), which is in stores now. Click here to read it online, or subscribe today China has sought to defend its ailing Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from mounting international criticism ahead of an important summit in April to fine-tune the multibillion-dollar infrastructure investment programme. National Peoples Congress spokesman and former foreign affairs vice-minister Zhang Yesui refuted concerns that the project, estimated to be worth US$900 billion, lacks transparency and creates debt traps for participants, especially developing countries. China attaches great importance to the problem of debt sustainability and will neither force others to cooperate on projects nor create any traps, Zhang said at the second session of the 13th National Peoples Congress in Beijing on Monday. Obviously, like other international cooperation initiatives, there will be some difficulties, problems, risks and challenges during the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. However with continued overall improvement, I believe that the Belt and Road Initiative will certainly bring better development and even more rewards to participating nations. Zhang said 157 nations and international organisations had signed belt and road agreements to date, with 67 joining in 2018. Zhang was positive about the expected outcome of Aprils planned summit in Beijing, which will try to build consensus among belt and road strategy participants as the ambitious scheme reaches its sixth year while facing numerous setbacks and international suspicion. Adam Ni, a China researcher at Sydneys Macquarie University, believes the summit will provide an opportunity for China to become more transparent over its intentions, and clarify its strategy and approach for the BRI going forward. Unfortunately, what we will likely see is political theatre spinning a wholly positive message about the progress of the BRI, he said. Malaysia has complained that its belt and road projects are too costly. Meanwhile, the US$60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project remains fiercely opposed by India since it runs through the disputed territory of Kashmir, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan. Story continues However, Ni said that, while certain countries had been negatively affected by Chinese debt resulting from the belt and road plan, there was no evidence that the BRI is premised on intentionally creating debt traps. China can and does use debt as leverage, but it is not in its long-term interest to create debt trap situations for its BRI partners, Ni said. That being said, China must learn to deal with anxiety over increasing Chinese debt and influence as well as improve the transparency and governance over BRI projects. The backlash against the BRI in both the developed and developing world suggest deep-seated anxieties over Chinas approaches to investment as well as its strategic intentions. Harry Verhoeven, convenor of the Oxford University China-Africa Network, predicted that the April summit would address some of the debt concerns. Beijing has in reality been stung by the mounting criticism in Africa, South America and the West about the unexpectedly high financial and political cost of its infrastructure diplomacy in general, and BRI in particular, he said. I very much expect the April summit therefore to highlight some debt rescheduling and cancellation measures, especially those with some headline/media value, in order for the Communist Party to seek to reclaim some of its credibility and to assuage the fears that exist around the BRI. More from South China Morning Post: This article China defends belt and road strategy against debt trap claims first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. There are two things we can bet you right now: One: the CX-5 or the CX-9 can get the attention of most people; and two, the MX-5 RF could be the haymaker for you to appreciate Mazdas distinct design. The eye-catching cars of this Japanese brand can be attributed to its design language, dubbed as Kodo: Soul of Motion. Conceptualized by Ikuo Maeda, the overall goal of Mazda is to build its newest cars that are refined and dynamic, yet with a hint of sleekness and luxurious appeal. Here is an overview of the brand-new Mazda 2019 models: Mazda Philippines is offering a wide range of vehicles. If youre looking for an urban jungle warrior, Mazdas 2, 3, and 6 models are one of the most ideal cars you can get in the local market. All have a sharp and sleek exterior styling along with capable engines. On the other hand, Mazdas crossovers and SUVs are the ideal pick if you want to have space and drive onto rough terrain. And dont forget the BT-50 pickup and the MX-5clearly something worth taking a look at. Mazda Philippines has a vehicle for every lifestyle. Visit CARMUDI PHILIPPINES to know more about the Mazda brand. You can also start shopping for your next brand-new car by clicking this link. The post INFOGRAPHIC: Brand-New Mazda 2019 Models appeared first on Carmudi Philippines. Malaysia has become a member of the International Criminal Court, a minister said Tuesday, in a boost for the beleaguered institution at a time it faces growing criticism. The ICC is the world's only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling. But the tribunal in The Hague has come under fire over high-profile acquittals, while Burundi became the first country to quit the court in 2017 and the Philippines has announced its intention to withdraw. Malaysia's new reform-minded government, which came to power last year, had vowed to join the ICC, and human resources minister M. Kula Segaran confirmed the country signed the tribunal's founding treaty Monday. Malaysia becomes the 124th member of the court since its establishment in 2002. "By joining the ICC, Kuala Lumpur can now play an important role in issues related to crimes against humanity," Segaran, who has long championed Malaysia becoming a member, told AFP. Foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah signed the ICC founding treaty after Malaysia's cabinet approved the move, the foreign ministry confirmed in a statement late Monday. The ICC suffered a major setback in January when judges acquitted former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo over a wave of post-electoral violence, raising fresh questions about whether the court is fit for purpose. Burundi's decision to withdraw came after the ICC chief prosecutor launched a preliminary probe in 2016 into possible crimes against humanity in the central African nation during a political crisis. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gave notice in March last year he was pulling out of the tribunal's founding treaty after the court launched an investigation into his government's deadly drug war. The impoverished Sahel state of Niger on Tuesday launched a campaign to vaccinate six million children against meningitis, which killed nearly 200 people two years ago. Children aged between one and seven years will be immunised over the week-long nationwide programme, Health Minister Idi Illiassou said. He called on parents to "massively" support the effort. The two-billion-CFA-franc (three-million-euro, $3.4-million) cost is being mainly borne by the World Health Organization (WHO), GAVI Alliance, Rotary International and the UN children's fund, Unicef. Niger lies in the so-called "meningitis belt" of sub-Saharan Africa, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, where outbreaks of the disease are a regular occurrence. The vaccination programme in Niger is against meningitis A, one of the six groups of meningitis bacteria that can cause epidemics. The disease is transmitted between people through coughs and sneezes, close contact and cramped living conditions. The illness causes acute inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord, with the most common symptoms being fever, headache and neck stiffness. President Rodrigo Duterte (Photo courtesy | Presidential Photo) QUEZON CITY, Philippines The Philippine National Police (PNP) asserted that President Rodrigo Dutertes list of political figures involved in illegal drugs has been verified and backed with strong evidence. According to PNP Spokesperson Police Colonel Bernard Banac, the so-called narco-list went through careful deliberation and verification with the collaboration from members of the PNP, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the logal governments, the Dangerous Drugs Board and other concerned agencies. However, Banac said it is still the decision of the President on whether or not to divulge the drugs watchlist. Ang list na iyan habang inaakyat natin sa ating authorities ay talagang merong ebidensya. Hindi lamang base sa may galit iyong mga tao. Ito ay kailangang solido, matibay, at may ebidensya, the police officer said. Once the narco-list is out, the PNP will help in preparing the charges to be filed against those concerned. Dapat iyong mga ipapalabas na ay mayroon tayong mga ebidensya na makalap ng sa gayon ay makapagsampa tayo ng kaukulang kaso at kung sapat na para tumayo ito sa korte, he added. Critics of the administration are against the plan to publicize the list of the said narco-list which allegedly includes lawmakers and political candidates in the upcoming midterm polls. They argued that such a move will resort to a negative campaigning against election hopefuls included on the list. Some senators suggested that instead of humiliating them in public, authorities may perhaps file appropriate charges against them. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Lea Ylagan) The post PNP: Dutertes narco-list backed with verified evidence appeared first on UNTV News. A Vietnamese woman accused of murdering the half-brother of North Korea's leader will testify in court for the first time next week, when the long-running trial over the Cold War-style hit resumes, her lawyer said Tuesday. In a brazen killing that shocked the world, Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam and Siti Aisyah from Indonesia are accused of assassinating Kim Jong Nam by smearing VX nerve agent on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017. The women have denied murder, saying they believed they were taking part in a prank and were tricked by North Korean agents. Salim Bashir, one of Huong's lawyers, said she will testify on Monday when the trial resumes with the defence stage of proceedings after a break of several months. "Huong is in good health, confident and is ready to take the stand," he told AFP, adding that the thrust of the defence remained that the women were tricked into carrying out the killing. "Huong had no... intention to commit murder." The pair have been on trial since October 2017 but proceedings have been hit by repeated delays, and Aisyah's defence -- which was originally due to start last year -- is currently on hold due to a row over witness statements. Prosecutors presented their case in the first stage of the trial, with witnesses describing how the victim -- the estranged relative of Kim Jong Un and once seen as heir apparent to the North Korean leadership -- died in agony shortly after being attacked. In August, a judge ruled there was sufficient evidence the suspects had engaged in a "well-planned conspiracy" with four North Koreans to murder Kim, and ordered that the trial continue to the defence stage. The four, who are accused of having recruited the pair and being the masterminds of the plot, are also formally accused over the killing. They fled the country shortly after the murder. South Korea has accused the North of ordering the hit, which Pyongyang denies. A murder conviction carries a mandatory penalty of death in Malaysia. The government has vowed to abolish capital punishment for all crimes, although parliament still needs to vote on changing the law. Gabons President Ali Bongo has returned to Morocco to continue his medical rehabilitation after he spent 48 hours at home where he chaired a cabinet meeting. The Gabonese leader returned to the North African country on Feb. 27. He had come back home on Feb.25. During the 48-hour stay, Ali Bongo chaired a cabinet meeting, made several appointments including a new foreign minister and a new envoy to the Moroccan kingdom. The February comeback was the second by the African leader from Morocco where he had been receiving medical treatment after suffering a stroke in Saudi Arabia late October while attending an investment conference. The 54-year old President made a swift trip, less than 24 hours, to Gabon in December to oversee the inauguration of a new cabinet. In a letter, the cardinal writes we sincerely ask for forgiveness for what we did wrong and for what we failed to do, calling for structural renewal necessary to root out from the Church every form of abuse, not only sexual but also of power and conscience. Bangkok (AsiaNews) - Card Charles Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon (Myanmar) and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC), urges his fellow prelates in the continent to support Pope Francis call to protect children from abuse. In a letter published on Sunday, the first cardinal from Myanmar underscores "the important need to turn this evil into an opportunity for purification in the Church. The prelate was among the delegates who took part in the meeting on The Protection of Minors in the Church", held in the Vatican from 21 to 24 February 2019. "After painful hearing of the victims of the terrible crimes of sexual abuse against minors committed by members of the clergy, we sincerely ask for forgiveness for what we did wrong and for what we failed to do, the letter says. As shepherds entrusted with the flock, we know their pain and healing their wounds is at the core of the shepherds task, it adds. Together with the pontiff and the delegates at the meeting, Asias bishops also reiterated what Pope John Paul II said to US cardinals on 23 April 2002: "People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young. Citing Pope Francis who spoke at the end of the meeting in the hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Card Bo writes that If consecrated persons, chosen by God to guide souls to salvation, let themselves be dominated by their human frailty or sickness [they] become tools of Satan. The Churchs aim will thus be to hear, watch over, protect and care for abused, exploited and forgotten children, wherever they are. The FABC president ends the letter urging his fellow bishops to entrust our resolve to the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of the clergy, to journey with us toward structural renewal necessary to root out from the Church every form of abuse, not only sexual but also of power and conscience. All Tanzanian villages will be connected into the national electricity grid by 2021, local media reported quoting the Minister of Energy Medard Kalemani. Kalemani made the statement during an official tour in Northwestern Tanzanias district of Geita. According to him, several villages had so far been connected in the first round under the third phase of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). The move is in line with the governments endeavor of transforming Tanzania into an industrial economy by 2025, he said. Our aim is to industrialize the economy, and well do so if our people are connected with reliable power, the minister added. In 2016, the government received financial support from the World Bank amounting to $209 million for the program. It aimed at connecting 2.5 million Tanzanian households in rural areas. As a reminder, Tanzania and Kenya are working towards a joint power project tagged Kenya-Tanzania Power Interconnection Project funded by a $258.82 million loan from the African Development Bank and the Japanese International Co-operation Agency. The Kenya-Tanzania Power Interconnection Project, scheduled for operations in 2020, will enable the two East African countries exchange electricity easily, with reduced operational cost of energy production. Both Tanzania and Kenya will be able to displace high-cost thermal energy production with cheaper hydropower. Get More Slate Money Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcastsand much more. Sign up today. Join Slate Plus Subscribe to Slate Money Copy this link and add it in your podcast app. copy link copied! For detailed instructions, see our Slate Plus podcasts page. Listen to Slate Money via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Hospitality columnist Colin Nagy joins Felix to talk about creativity, brands, and ghosts as they relate to hotels, on Episode 3 of this new miniseries from Slate Money all about travel. Skift: On Experience Email: slatemoney@slate.com Twitter: @felixsalmon Podcast production by Max Jacobs. Its technically true that the Civil War general Ambrose Everett Burnside invented, and lent his name to, sideburns. But its also true that the sideburns century-ish of history can be considered but a prelude to one fateful day in 1990 or thereabouts when Luke Perrys barber, clippers in hand, reached the space in front of the actors ears and paused. The clouds parted, the angels sang, and a few millimeters of growth later, lo it had been achieved: the pinnacle of the sideburn. Advertisement Perrys sudden death on Monday has inspired an outpouring of grief for the actor and fond remembrances of how he carried his heartthrob mantle through generations. But if you really want to understand just how culturally important, admired, and lusted over Luke Perry was during the height of the 90210 years, you need look no further than his facial hair. The actor was so famous that his sideburns took on a life of their own. No one, not even his Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Jason Priestley, sideburned better than Perry in his prime.* To witness Perrys burns on the show was to watch a great artist at work: Someone alive in the 90s couldnt hear Beethoven play piano live or see Olivier on stage, but she could count herself lucky to live in the time of Perry, with his innate cool and the impossibly perfect hair adjacent his ears. Though the Rachel gets all the glory, Perrys sideburns kicked off the original 90s haircut crazeand there is a rich trove of cultural coverage from the time to prove it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perrys sideburns rated a mention in practically every article about the actor or the show. Its his voice, his sideburns. Hes so casually cool, a 13-year-old named Robin gushed to Newsday in 1991. The next year, the Chicago Tribune tried to dress Perry down by calling him a bit too big for his sideburns. The Chicago Sun-Times ran a guide to 90210 for boomers and identified Perry by his earside hedges, while the Vancouver Sun referred to Perry as Priestleys partner in sideburns.* In 1991, a Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel article, written after Perrys appearance at a local mall devolved into overcrowding and shoving that led to 20 injuries, teased that Perrys sideburns were even longer in real life than they were on the show, a morsel designed to drive adolescent girls crazy. Advertisement In the annals of celebrity hair, Luke Perrys sideburns deserve a place alongside Andy Warhols wig, John Waters mustache, and Amy Winehouses beehive. Soon enough, young men everywhere started copying the sideburns, and, like the tiny hairs by their ears, trend pieces started sprouting up all over the place. In 1992, the Wall Street Journal called the sideburn fad so trendy that for some its already passe, before identifying Perry and Priestley as the two leading examples of the burns trend.* The paper said the previous heyday for sideburns had been the 60s and 70s, when Elvis wore them so large they almost covered both of his chins (though other publications pointed to James Dean and the 1950s as precursors). Theyd gone out of style, until 90210 arrived on the scene and changed everything: Advertisement Messrs. Perry and Priestly [sic] showed up, independently, with sideburns for their auditions for Beverly Hills 90210. The shows producers were at first skittish, not sure how the look would fly on prime-time TV. But they took the plunge, and the rest is history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Baltimore Sun took the first-person tact on sideburn mania with an article headlined Cool Hair Luke, by a writer who discussed his own brush with longer hair on the side of his head as well as his envy of the full sideburns of the supposedly high schoolaged stars of the show. How do they keep them so close? he opined. The actors probably get a touch-up every day from professional stylists. The writer wasnt alone. A 22-year-old quoted in the Las Vegas Review-Journal that year professed to hate 90210 and insisted he was going for more of a James Hetfield of Metallica look with his sideburns. It bugs me when people tell me Im trying to be like Luke Perry, another 19-year-old man told the paper. Men seemingly wanted to subtly associate themselves with the heartthrobs of 90210 without actually having to watch 90210, a point that says almost as much about the masculinity of the era as it does about the coiffure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Get Slate Culture in Your Inbox We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. In the annals of celebrity hair, Perrys sideburns deserve a place alongside Andy Warhols wig, John Waters mustache, and Amy Winehouses beehive. They became such a trademark that they later inspired a meta joke in one of Perrys first post-stardom film roles. If Beverly Hills, 90210 isnt remembered as a particularly good show, Perrys performance was special, as was his wily infiltration of the larger culture, and his sideburns provided an enduring part of that mystique. It was a magnetism that even some of the beleaguered sideburned men of the era couldnt resist. As one of them, David Birmingham, then 27, told the Orlando Sentinel, [I]ts OK to have people say, Hey, you look like that guy on Beverly Hills 90210. I mean, hes a pretty cool guy. In the end credits of Leaving Neverland, the explosive HBO documentary in which two men detail years of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of Michael Jackson, is a series of undated photographs. They show accuser Wade Robson standing next to a bonfire, burning various pieces of memorabilia as his young son looks onincluding, it seems, the famous jacket from the music video for Jacksons hit Thriller. Could these be the authentic items going up in flames? Mike Pesca, host of The Gist, asked director Dan Reed whether the items are actual Michael Jacksonworn gloves and jackets, and Reed responded that theyre the real deal. Of course, its all genuine. I verified this with Wade, he said in an interview. Hes not gonna go and buy some Michael Jackson memorabilia on eBay and then burn it in front of his little boy. I mean, come on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robson does say in the documentary that, while he and his family were visiting Jacksons home in Hayvenhurst, Jackson let him pick out souvenirs from his wardrobe. He specifically names a pair of buckled gloves from the Bad music video and a white fedora from the Smooth Criminal music video. But Robson sold both items through Juliens Auctions in 2011, for $31,250 and $49,920, respectively. Juliens recently verified the sale on Twitter in response to critics of Robson, who are accusing him of participating in the documentary for financial gain. Wade asked to remain anonymous and said that he did not want anyone to know that it was him selling it the items in 2011. But we did not agree to that and listed it as the Wade Robson collection. He consigned multiple items and wanted us to sell all items of his that had value. Juliens Auctions (@JuliensAuctions) February 24, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In any case, its actually Safechuck, not Robson, who says Jackson let him take the Thriller jacket home. I wore it to the grocery store, he says in Leaving Neverland. But was it the Thriller jacket? And then what do we see Robson preparing to burn? It was costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis, wife of Michael Jacksons Thriller director John Landis, who put Jackson in the original Marc Laurent Paris jacket for the video to make him appear more virile. That jacket sold for more than $1.8 million to a Texas commodities trader in 2011, so its presumably not the one Robson burns. But that isnt the only Thriller jacket ever to exist. The 1983 video was used by Jacksons longtime collaborators Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush to design additional versions for Jackson to wear at his concerts over the years. Further complicating matters is that after Jacksons death, his brothers launched the J5 collection with 1,000 signed collectors edition replicas of the Thriller and Beat It jackets in Jacksons size. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The result is that there are tons of sanctioned Thriller jackets floating around (to say nothing of copycats and knockoffs), many of them signed by Jackson and later auctioned off. Heres one sold in 2010, with a black signature from Jackson on the breast pocket. Heres another from 2012, this one signed in silver on the back. Yet another, sold in 2011, comes with a lively backstory: The jacket is accompanied by a letter from the jackets original owner, who obtained the signature when he attended the September 11, 1988, show during Jacksons Bad World Tour in Liverpool, England. He accompanied his sister backstage after she fainted. Together with the original concert ticket from this show. size 36. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Slate has reached out to Reed to ask him to clarify which jacket Robson burned and will update this post with that information. In the meantime, he did offer an explanation for why Robson burned anything at all. The other day he described it as he wanted to, like, get the yuck off his body, get Michael off him, and by incinerating these mementos he felt that he was taking a step towards that, towards freeing himself, Reed said. Hes really moved on from there, and hes done a lot of therapy and a lot of thinking. I think today you wouldnt find him incinerating anything. Hes got better things to do. Subscribe to Slates Culture newsletter for the best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered twice a week. Until recently, Kosoko Jackson was considered an expert in the trapdoors of identity-related rhetoric. Jackson worked as a sensitivity reader for major publishers of YA fiction, a job that entails reading manuscripts and flagging them for problematic content. His own debut novel, A Place for Wolves, was promoted as an #ownvoices book, a hashtag attached approvingly to books in which the author shares a particular marginalized identity with his subject. (Jackson is black and queer.) He believed that, for example, women shouldnt profit from writing gay mens stories, as he tweeted last year. And he was part of a small and informal but intense online community that scolded writers who ran afoul of these values in their work or online. Now, Jackson has been demonized by the community he once helped police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Place for Wolves, Jacksons first novel, was scheduled for publication later this month. The romantic thriller, set in the late 1990s during the Kosovo War, follows a relationship between two American teen boys. The book looked poised to succeed: It received several early starred reviews, which influence library purchases and bookstore placement, and had been named a Kids Indie Next pick, suggesting an early interest from independent booksellers. Last week, however, Jackson released a statement addressed to the Book Community that apologized for the problematic representation and historical insensitivities in his novel. He wrote that he had asked his publisher, Sourcebooks, to withdraw the book from publication. Sourcebooks quickly complied. Get Slate Culture in Your Inbox We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. The backlash seems to have begun on Feb. 22, with a long review posted to the community-review site Goodreads, a favorite site of YA agonistes. I have to be absolutely fucking honest here, everybody, the review opened, in the hyperbolic voice of its genre. Ive never been so disgusted in my life. She objected to the books use of a recent genocide as a backdrop to romance, the way some early fans fetishized it as a cute gay love story, that it was not written by a Muslim, that it centers privileged Americans, and that the villain is an ethnic Albanian, among other concerns. Are you able to confidently justify supporting this book despite all of the above, despite the harm it can and will do to real people? she asked in conclusion. (The reviewer nonetheless gave the book two stars out of five because it was ownvoices and well done.) Advertisement Advertisement The criticism snowballed from there, with other readers chiming in: How could you take a beautiful LGBTQ love story and shit on genocide victims like that? one asked on Twitter. Heidi Heilig, an author who has participated in many online skirmishes and provided a positive blurb for Jacksons book, hastily revised her Goodreads review of A Place for Wolves. She suggested the books content may have changed since she read an early draft, apologized to those Ive hurt by my blurb, and promised to work harder. Advertisement Advertisement This is starting to look like a conversation focused less on literature than obedience. Seeing the momentum within his own community turn against him, Jackson apparently decided it was better to self-cancel than to be canceled. This is the second time this year that a YA writer has made the same calculation. In January, another first-time author, Amelie Wen Zhao, asked her publisher to pull her to-be-released fantasy novel, Blood Heir, because of early reader critiques about racial insensitivity. The novel featured a storyline about slavery and a character whom some readers interpreted as black, who dies so a white character can live; Zhao explained in her statement that as a Chinese immigrant to the United States, she was inspired by trafficking and labor issues in Asia, but apologized nonetheless for causing pain. (Aja Hoggatt broke down the controversy in detail for Slate.) Jackson had participated in that online pile-on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Jackson and Zhang are people of color who now see their careers hobbled in an industry that claims to be laser-focused on diversity. Jackson has already been dropped from the lineup in at least one literary festival, though its not clear if he withdrew or was ousted. To risk stating the obvious, books can take years to write; unlike, say, a reporter who writes a clunker of a piece, an author cant simply pop back onto the scene with a new piece of content in a few days or months. And the industry as a whole is still extremely, extremely white. A survey of book-publishing employees in 2016 found that 82 percent of editorial department employees are white; just 2 percent are black. A reckoning with these abysmal numbers and their impact is overdue within book publishing. Instead, weve gotten an increasingly toxic online culture around YA literature, with evermore-baroque standards for who can write about whom under what circumstances. From the outside, this is starting to look like a conversation focused less on literature than obedience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his statement, Jackson invoked his young readership by mentioning the responsibility that comes with introducing readers to certain topics. Young readers are frequently invoked as potential victims of bad YA fiction. But although teenagers are known to be Extremely Online, they do not tend to participate publicly in the skirmishes over whether they can handle stories with blurry moral lessons, questionable plot twists, or problematic protagonists. Meanwhile, a 2012 study found that 55 percent of YA readers are adults, a percentage I suspect has risen since then. (I lamented this trend back in 2014 in an essay that made me an enemy of YA Twitter along a different fault line.) This is a conversation among adults about books that are written by adults and largely read by adults, shredding each others reputations under the guise of protecting the children. Advertisement Advertisement None of this has to do with whether Jacksons book is any good, or even in good taste. (I havent read it.) But it was written by an author exquisitely attuned to identity issues, and presumably vetted by his agent, the staff of a publishing house, and other early readers, including some who have now turned against it. Yes, plenty of books make it that far and then sell poorly or are savaged by critics after publication. But a landscape in which a handful of online critics can hound an author into retracting her own work is something much more forebodingand hardly one in which new and genuinely interesting voices are likely to thrive. As the tagline for Jacksons now-dead A Place for Wolves put it: The only rule? Survive. How you do that? Up to you. The Daily Mail ran a story this week that should have been a tabloid editors dream: The paper sent a reporter to the Florida home of the obscure mother of star congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and he succeeded in getting her talkingand talkingabout her daughter. We know how this kind of thing usually ends up. This is how we got President Barack Obamas aunt, who lived illegally in Boston, telling a reporter that the country has an obligation to make her a citizen; this is how we got Neil Bush and Roger Clinton and Billy Carter. It seems that for every polished rising star stepping into the spotlight, theres a Thomas Markle shuffling along behind her, embarrassing the living daylights out of her in the press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is not, however, what the Daily Mail got when it sent gossip columnist and reporter Jose Lambiet to knock on Blanca Ocasio-Cortezs door in Eustis, Florida. There is no way the savvy Ocasio-Cortez advised her mother to speak to a reporter from the Daily Mail; this reeks of a setup. But instead of a juicy encounter with an off-script relative, the site got what may be the most wholesome political interview of the Trump era. Lambiet writes that he first found the clerical assistant in her yard, buffing a piece of wood to make a new island for her kitchen. He apparently got her talking, and he returned a few nights later while she was making lasagna for a visiting relative. Here are some of the bombshells that emerged from those two conversations: Advertisement Advertisement She and her late husband, Sergio, picked the name Alexandria for their daughter because it sounded powerful. Alexandria was a bright and chatty toddler who aced her pre-K interview. Alexandria was very social as a child and teenager. She and her friends turned a shed in the familys backyard into their clubhouse, cleaning it up and hanging curtains and pictures. Advertisement The family enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle until Sergio died of lung cancer in 2008 but fell into serious debt when he left unpaid medical bills and no life insurance to cover them. Blanca worked two jobs, including one as a housekeeper, to save their house. (This the exact story AOC has told about her background.) Shortly before Sergio died, when he could no longer speak, he and Alexandria were sitting together watching an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. At one point, Sergio pointed to Capt. Janeway and then at Alexandria, as if to suggest she, too, would be someone in charge someday. Later, the actress who played Janeway, Kate Mulgrew, made an appearance at one of Alexandrias campaign rallies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blanca adores Alexandrias longtime boyfriend, Riley Roberts, and hopes they get married, though they havent mentioned any plans to do so. Blanca finds her daughters success surreal. Get The Angle in Your Inbox Every weekday, Slate's copy editors round up the stories you should read. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. The only minor grist for the scandal mill was BOCs offhand explanation for why she moved to Florida from New York: I was paying $10,000 a year in real estate taxes up north. Im paying $600 a year in Florida. Its stress-free down here. Conservatives have latched onto that as a scathing indictment of New Yorks high taxes. Fox and the New York Post covered it, and conservative dingus Charlie Kirk went the extra mile by pumping the $10,000 up to $100,000 in an anti-AOC tweet that has been retweeted 14,000 times without correction. For what its worth, Blanca says she paid $87,000 for her crumbling home in Florida, on a dead-end street with a cemetery at the end and at least one house where drug deals went down. This is a possible clue to the decline in her taxes and other expenses. Im sure Kirk will be moving next door soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not surprising that the site tracked Blanca down and tried to wring some content out of her. The British-based Daily Mail, which launched its popular U.S. site in the early 2010s, covers the freshman congresswoman obsessively. Just in the past week, DailyMail.com has run stories about Instagram videos that may suggest Ocasio-Cortez moved into her new apartment in November instead of February, an Federal Election Commission complaint filed against her chief of staff, and her appearance at the New York premiere of a documentary about her campaign (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Laps Up the Applause ). In many stories, fumes of inchoate contempt practically waft off the screen. AOC, as she likes to call herself, bows to nobody in self-adoration, columnist Piers Morgan harrumphed on the British version of the site in January. Morgan called her the J-Lo of Washington, listed the sticker price of an outfit she wore in a photo shoot, and retold a story about his own Twitter spat with Ariana Grande (Ocasio-Cortez retweeted Grande, see). The column was a mess, but a good assemblage of the kinds of criticism the Daily Mail is experimenting with. Advertisement Advertisement Needless to say, all of these stories are accompanied by many, many large photos of the beautiful, charismatic young congresswoman. But the site hasnt quite settled on an argument against her. Is she corrupt? Entitled? Fancier than she claims? So far, nothing has seemed to stick. With the Mails tabloid DNA and populist-conservative ethos, editors surely hoped for something meaty when it got Blanca Ocasio-Cortez talking. Instead it got a hardworking middle-aged woman making semi-homemade lasagna in her kitchen, a jar of Ragu on the counter and a familiarly charming smile on her face. Daniel Mallory Ortberg is online weekly to chat live with readers. Heres an edited transcript of this weeks chat. Q. Paintings of first wife: My brothers first wife, Lynn, was my dearest friend and my daughters namesake. She was murdered, and the killer was never caught. This has devastated our family for decades. My brother is in his mid-40s now and remarried. I liked my new sister-in-law Karen until she requested I redecorate my house. I was an artist in my youth; some of my best works involve Lynn and my daughter. I have them scattered through our home. Lynn was an artist as well and did some watercolors of my parents and our old childhood home. I have hung those paintings in my guest room for more than a decade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karen pulled me aside at my parents home to confront me. She told me that staying at my home was morbid for her, she saw it as a shrine to Lynn, and I was undermining her marriage by asking her to sleep in my guest room. I was shocked. I told Karen I never gave much thought to how she would feel about my house decor. This offended Karen greatly, and she told me flat-out that my brother would never be staying in my house again. At this point, I asked Karen if I should change my daughters name since it must offend her so. Karen turned red and left in a huff. The topic has not come back up, but my brother has rejected invitations to visit over the summer and will be missing the celebration for my daughter going off to college. I asked my brother if staying at a motel rather in my home would make Karen more comfortable. He stuttered and ended the call. My brother has come to every major life event for all my children. He is especially close to my daughter. I have a wedding picture of my brother and Karen on the wall with the rest of the family photos. I havent spoken to anyone about my conversation with Karen. What should I do? My daughter is upset her uncle isnt coming, and my sons miss him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A: I feel like Ive been getting a variation on this question every day for the past few months, and Id like to take a second to offer a PSA to people who marry widows and widowers: If they or some of their relatives keep up some pictures or other mementos of the deceased, its free and easy to just let it go! Having a few fond memories of a dead partner does not mean that youre going to be pushed out at arms length and treated like an also-ran. Dont demand that your partners relatives tear down every old photograph or piece of art that features someone they loved who died. Its cruel, its demanding, and if you feel that threatened by a simple reminder of the dead, its not going to actually soothe your anxieties in the long run. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think the best move for you here is to prepare to celebrate your daughter heading off to college without trying to rush a reconciliation with her uncle, while also making it clear to him that the door is always open. I also think its worth going through your brother, rather than directly to Karen, at least in part because she seems so threatened that Im concerned she wont be able to listen to reason when you offer it to her. Give him a call in a few weeks when youve both had the chance to get a little distance, and tell him that you want to try again, that you miss him and want him and Karen to visit, that you understand if theyd rather stay in a nearby hotel (this time offering sincerely what before was offered as a gibe). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I keep those paintings up because I love to look at them and they remind me of a friend I miss very much. That doesnt mean I dont care about Karen or your marriage to her, and I hope you know that. I dont know what Karen told you about our conversation, and I certainly dont want to put you in the middle of our disagreement. But what I mostly wanted you both to know is that, while I wont hide those paintings, I do care about your comfort and I want to spend time together whenever we can. Do you think theres a way for us to figure out a compromise? How to Get Advice From Prudie: Send questions for publication to prudence@slate.com. (Questions may be edited.) Advertisement Join the live chat Mondays at noon. Submit your questions and comments here before or during the discussion. Advertisement Call the voicemail of the Dear Prudence podcast at 401-371-DEAR (3327) to hear your question answered on a future episode of the show. Q. Didnt kiss and tell: I just found out that my boyfriend of two years kissed another girl a few months ago. There was a day when he was gone and came home at about 2 a.m. very inebriated with little explanation of where he was (I know red flag.) I had been calling and worried about him from the moment I came home from work, and he was nowhere to be found. He has bouts of depression and gave me an explanation about how he was feeling sad and needed to be alone that day. I later discovered that he had actually been out to drinks with another woman. He downplayed this and said I was crazy to make a big deal of itthat it was just friendly, he didnt spend much time with her, and that it was an insignificant part of his day. I stated I thought it was inappropriate to go to drinks with another woman, not tell me about it, and then downplay it as no big deal when confronted about it. He continued to reiterate how it wasnt a big deal and that I needed to move past it. Advertisement Advertisement A couple of weeks ago, I figured out that he had in fact gone back to this persons house that evening and they made out but it did not go any further. He has apologized extensively and stated that he was just scared and going through a hard time and didnt want to hurt me. Im obviously very angry for many reasons, but mostly because around the time this happened, I begged him for honesty and to talk to me if something was feeling wrong or off in our relationship, and he didnt open up. Weve had past conversations around monogamy in our relationship, and we agreed that if one of us ever made a mistake with someone else, it would not necessarily be the end; we just needed to communicate with each other, which I really valued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now we are trying to rebuild. He is trying to quit drinking (not an easy feat since he works in a bar), and he has begun counseling. I dont want to abandon my relationship based off of a stupid makeout, but the level of betrayal here seems insurmountable. Am I a fool for giving him a chance and trying to make this work? I love my boyfriend a lot, and we have a lot of strengths in our relationship outside of what happened here, but Im worried its not enough. Advertisement Advertisement A: Based on the gradual unraveling of this particular anecdote, Im half-convinced youre going to find out in another week or two that well, actually, they slept together and accidentally got engaged. Your boyfriends version of not trying to hurt you apparently involves disappearing without a moments notice, calling you crazy for worrying about him, lying to you, insisting that the problem is yours for getting anxious when he disappears to get drinks with another woman, demanding you shut up and stop asking questions, and then a few weeks later revealing he cheated on you. Thats actually remarkably hurtful! Moreover, trying to cover up the decision to go out on a date with another woman with Sometimes Im depressed and need to be alone is some seriously cruel misdirection. Lets take that claim at face value for the time being: Apparently your boyfriends response to sadness or going through a hard time is to set up dates with other women, get wasted, lie to you, repeatedly try to convince you that youre making things up when you ask questions about where hes been, and trickle-truthing, as the kids say, the details of his infidelity. I wouldnt trust his claim that they only made out for a minute, by the way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes tried to blame you, and now hes trying to blame alcohol for a decision he made and reinforced repeatedly, not only when he was drinking. Was he drunk every single time he told you, Its not a big deal. You need to get over it? I think you should pay attention to the part of yourself that says This seems insurmountable and Wow, he lied to me a lot. Q. At a loss with my boss: I am a married mother of two. Three years ago, I had an affair with my boss, a married father of four and a longtime family friend who is more than 20 years my senior. He even got an apartment close to his business so we had a place to go. The affair lasted almost a year, longer than any other affair hes had, and the emotional affair continued much longer. He ended the physical affair by telling me he was a codependent sex addict and that he thought I had some of those behaviors as well, and then left on a European vacation with his family. I was devastated. Since then, I have worked very hard with my therapist trying to get to the root of the reason I cheated and how to prevent this in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About a year after the physical affair ended (though the emotional affair continued), I learned he slept with a mutual friend. Because he had promised to tell me if he engaged in these behaviors but had not, I immediately shifted our relationship to work-only and ceased all emotional communications. This was a very difficult time for me as I missed him dearly and felt very alone. After six months, we slept together again on a business trip (those are rare). While we did not continue the physical part, the emotional affair picked back up, and I realized how much I missed him and wanted to be with him. Knowing he would decline (keeping his marriage intact for his children has always been his goal), I confessed my feelings for him and asked if he would leave his wife for me. As expected, he turned me down. I began processing the rejection with my therapist, which brings us to today. Advertisement Advertisement I finally feel some peace at work and in life in general as Im trying to be accepting of my feelings for him and have worked very hard on treating my past traumas. I love my job, and I am really good at it; in fact, I recently got a large raise. But Im at a loss on what to do going forward. My relationship with my husband is improving (he does not know about the affair), and I am happy with my job, though it is extremely stressful at times. However, I still have periods when I miss my boss/lover and yearn for him, and he still has moments when he makes sexual innuendoes or overshares beyond the boundaries we have established about his personal life. I have to interact with many of the women he has slept with in the past, though none of them know about each other or about me. I have to interact with my boss every day on some level, and we work incredibly well together. He has been supportive through my quest for mental health and wants me to continue working with him. Sometimes it seems utterly impossible to do that, and sometimes it seems like I have a perfect work situation that I would be stupid to give up. Advertisement Advertisement A. I think that you do not have a perfect work situation that you would be stupid to give up. I think youre in a nightmarish work situation with the worlds worst boss who has a habit of seducing and taking advantage of his younger, financially dependent subordinates that you need to leave immediately for the sake of your marriage and your own emotional well-being. That doesnt mean you should quit tomorrow with no plan in place. Spend some time applying for positions youre qualified for at other companies, and ask your therapist for support as you do so. (By the way, a man who sleeps with his 20-years-younger employee, dumps her by declaring Im a dysfunctional sex addict, and I think you are toonow off to Europe with my family, sleeps with their mutual friends, and overshares with his former affair partner and uses her as a surrogate partner at work is not supportive through [her] quest for mental health. Hes actively sabotaging that quest.) But get out of there as quickly as you can, and dont look back. Advertisement Advertisement Want to See Dear Prudence Live? Check out dates and locations for our national tour. Tickets here. Advertisement Advertisement Q. Parents going overboard: I am a queer woman in my early 20s with Catholic parents who have always been fairly conservative. When I was growing up, we barely discussed sexuality at all, with the exception of my father occasionally making homophobic jokes. I recently came out to them. They have so far been supportive in their way and welcoming of my partner. The problem is that they are going so far over the top to appear comfortable with my relationship that it is just odd and embarrassing. For instance, they have purchased ugly rainbow napkins that they get out whenever we come for dinner and regularly give both of us gay-themed gifts, some of which are just bizarrelike a box set of The L Word when neither of us even has a way of playing DVDs. My mum went as far as to give us a piece of art that is abstract but distinctly looks like labia; she told us that the artist is a lesbian. She will also comment on the sexuality of various TV personalities and say things like That Ellen DeGenereswhat a trailblazer, or Kerryn Phelps, I wish she was my family doctor. Or she will mention things she saw on YouTube about gay young people who came out and were disowned; she then follows by saying, Id sure like to tell those parents a thing or two. My dad recently sent me a horribly disturbing internet video of a trans woman being beaten, with his own rant about what should be done to punish the men who did it. Advertisement Advertisement Recently, my country voted to introduce gay marriage, and both of them talk endlessly about how it is a shame that the church hasnt caught up. My mum points out that she thinks a lesbian wedding is the best kind and that she will pay just as much for my wedding as for my siblings (my partner and I have no plans to marry yet). My siblings think it is hilarious and will egg them on. Its not. How do I get them to dial it down? Advertisement A. Oh, my God, Im so sorry. This is both cringe-inducing and very-distantly-almost-sort-of-kind-of-sweet and totally over-the-top. The first thing to do is to get your siblings in line; take them aside when your parents arent around, and tell them that youre going to ask your parents to take it down about 100 notches and that youd really appreciate their support. Tell them that even though they think its funny, its really made you feel uncomfortable and singled out (and sometimes horrified, as in the case of the recording of a hate crime your father sent you) and that they would be doing you a kindness by not laughing or egging your parents on. Once youve gotten their buy-in (even if its begrudging), talk to your parents. Some of these things will probably feel easier to deal with (goofy rainbow napkins) once youve made it clear whats more serious (sending you videos of anti-trans or anti-gay violence, buying you suggestive art). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its meant so much to me that both of you support me and other queer people; I cant tell you how glad I am to have your support. But please dont feel like you have to only buy me gay-themed giftsI really dont need or expect that from you. And its actually painful to see reminders of homophobia and transphobia, so please dont send me links to hate crimes, even if it is to tell me how much you disagree with them. I see things like that often enough, and I know how much bigotry is still out there. It would mean a lot to me if you could both agree not to send me any more of those. Advertisement Advertisement Q. From nowhere and everywhere: I am 32 years old, and I have been traveling a lot this past year. I meet new people around the world, and this is very fulfilling, except that I have been dumbfounded by one question I am frequently asked: Where are you from? I have only one nationality (from my European birth country), but indicating my citizenship doesnt satisfy anyone I have met so far: Some people ask for a specific area, and some are puzzled because I dont fit the stereotype, so they tend to additionally inquire about my heritage. Advertisement The thing is I have many heritages; my four grandparents are all from at least four different ethnicities and/or countries. Second, I have lived in different places since I was a baby, and the place where I have lived the longest is the place I relate to the least (12 years as a child). As of today, I am not particularly attached to one place, nor to one specific ethnic heritage. I have literally no fixed residence because I move around more than I settle, and between two long trips, Im hosted by one or another relative. I have family scattered throughout three continents. Advertisement When I meet new people, though, I dont want to tell everything I just wrote here because oftentimes, I dont feel like revealing my whole life path or explaining why this may be a complicated question, especially when Ive just met the person (I dont mind discussing it later if the relationship goes deeper). How can I respond briefly, simply, without ambiguity, and in a way that will stop short or satisfy any more inquiring minds? A. Im from [country of origin], but I have family in a few different countries. Sometimes people wont stop asking me this question until I give them every detail about my familys ethnic background. Its weirdly common and gets pretty irritating, so Im glad youre not quite so boorish and know when to move on to a different topic of conversation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Get Prudie in Your Inbox Sign up for the Dear Prudence mailing list to receive notifications of new columns and chats We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Q: Stuck between two loves: I am completely stumped. My youngest brother and I have been very close our entire lives; we are in our 50s now. He is single with no kids; I am married with six kids, all grown. My brother has always been close with my kids, or so I thought. Out of the blue last month, my youngest daughter told my husband and me that my brother hurt her. She refuses to go into detail other than hinting that he molested her. I dont know what to think. I have always told my girls that if anything ever happened to them, sexually or otherwise, that I would believe them. Im having a very hard time with this, though. I cant imagine my brother doing anything inappropriate with (or to) my kids, but I also cant imagine that my daughter would make this up. She refuses to be anywhere that he is, which usually isnt a problem as he lives several hours away, but he is planning a trip to see us in the next couple of months. Advertisement How do I navigate believing my daughter and, at the same time, not believing my brother could do something like this? Do I suddenly, and without explanation, ghost my brother? I think that telling him what my daughter says will be devastating for him, especially if he didnt actually do anything wrong. Without any details its impossible to know, but my daughter absolutely refuses to talk about it. Please give me some guidance here. Advertisement A: Youve said that you would always believe your children if they told you someone hurt them, and your child has told you someone hurt herthe way forward here is clear. The path isnt a complicated one, but it is extremely painful. Tell your daughter that youre so sorry someone hurt her and you werent able to protect her in the moment, that you will not share what she told you in confidence, that you will never ask her to spend time with her uncle, and that if she ever wants to talk to you about what happened, she has your full attention and support. Advertisement Advertisement The implied question in your letterThis is so out of the blue. How can it possibly be real? How can my child have been hurt or molested without my having noticed something at the time?is a deep and painful one, and I dont have all of the answers for you. But you should, I think, trust that your daughter stands to gain nothing from telling you this, and in fact risked a great deal to speak up, and that sexual abuse is very common within families. Right now your daughter has not asked you to do anything, either to cut off your brother or to speak to himshes only asked for space for herself. Please find a therapist that you can talk to about this so your daughter isnt the only person you can speak to on the subject. Be prepared to listen, to be patient, to offer support, and to hear things you dont want to be true. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Q. Re: Paintings of first wife: I highly recommend Emily Yoffes wonderful essay about her marriage to her husband, who was a widower. Its loving and graceful, and grateful as well. A. I think this is a great time to revisit that essay too. It was a beautiful piece, and I think of it often. Daniel Mallory Ortberg: Thanks for chatting, everyone, and remember to stick to redecorating your own houses. See you next week! If you missed Part 1 of this weeks chat, click here to read it. Discuss this column with Dear Prudence on his Facebook page! Classic Prudie Q. He cheated, but my behavior was worse: Ive been with my boyfriend for over 10 years. We have a great relationship with normal ups and downs over the years. Ive recently suspected he might be cheating, but after searching his phone (I know, Im sorry), I couldnt find any evidence. I confronted him with it and he denied it. Well, after coming home from an annual OB-GYN appointment, I cried to him that I was diagnosed with herpes. I was so upset and again brought up his potential cheating, as its the only way I could have gotten an STD. He broke down, admitted to an infidelity, and was devastated he gave it to me. Weve done some real work and are back on track. But: I made it all up. I was never diagnosed but thought the lie would get him to confess. It did! And I feel awful. Am I a monster? And find even more letters in the Dear Prudie archive. Nearly all coal-fired plants in operation in the U.S. have leaked chemicals and contaminated the local groundwater supply with toxins, according to a report released Monday by environmental groups Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice. The alarming, though perhaps not altogether surprising report, found that a whopping 91 percent of power plants using coal had higher than normal levels of arsenic, lithium, and other pollutants in nearby groundwater, in some cases at levels that far exceeded what is allowable by the Environmental Protection Agency. Advertisement The data released by the groups, which was obtained thanks to a 2015 regulation that required monitoring and disclosure of nearby groundwater by most coal plants, showed that 241 of the 265 plants across the country showed unsafe levels of chemicals derived from coal ash, which is the residue of burning coal for energy. The report also found that 52 percent of those plants had unsafe levels of cancer-causing arsenic in nearby groundwater, while 60 percent showed unsafe levels of lithium, which can cause neurological damage, according to Reuters. Amid strong pressure from utility and coal companies, the EPA under President Donald Trump last July revised the 2015 rule to suspend groundwater monitoring requirements at coal ash sites if it is determined there is no potential for pollutants to move into certain aquifers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the Washington Post: The examples span the country. At a family ranch south of San Antonio, a dozen pollutants have leaked from a nearby coal ash dump, data showed. Groundwater at one Maryland landfill that contains ash from three coal plants was contaminated with eight pollutants. In Pennsylvania, levels of arsenic in the groundwater near a former coal plant were several hundred times the level the EPA considers safe for drinking. The report acknowledges that the groundwater data alone does not prove that drinking-water supplies near the coal waste facilities have been contaminated, the Post notes. Power companies are not routinely required to test nearby drinking water wells. That means, according to the report, the scope of the threat is largely undefined. In early 2015, as the Obama administration was deep into negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, Republican House Speaker John Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stridently opposed the deal, to address a joint session of Congress. The speech itself, which was intended to convince Congress to scuttle the agreement, turned out to be a dud. Instead of shaming Democrats into opposing the deal, Bibi seemed to unify them in support of it. But the public spectacle of a foreign leader attempting to undermine the American president on U.S. soil at the request of his political adversaries was symbolically striking. Later, polling would show that GOP voters generally felt more warmly about Netanyahu than their actual commander in chief. Republicans havent just rejected Obama. They have adopted Netanyahu as their leader, Slates Will Saletan wrote at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Does a majority of the Republican Party identify more with Israeli interests than with American interests? he continued. When Israels prime minister speaks on the floor of Congress, do Republicans feel more allegiance to him than to their president? If so, will the feeling subside once Obama leaves office? Or does it signify an enduring rift in the fabric of this country? Ive found myself thinking about Netanyahus speech, and its troubling optics, again this week in light of the most recent fury over Rep. Ilhan Omar, who for the second time in a month has stumbled into a controversy over anti-Semitism and Israel. Back in February, the freshman from Minnesota, who is one of the first two Muslim women ever elected to Congress, issued a public apology after being widely criticized for tweeting that U.S. support for the Jewish state was all about the Benjamins babya comment that, even if unintentionally, pretty bluntly evoked well-worn stereotypes about Jewish influence and money in politics. Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes, Omar wrote amid the backlash. But at a bookstore event in Washington last week, she managed to kick the outrage cycle back into gear. After telling the crowd that critics were accusing her of anti-Semitism in order to snuff out debate about Israels human rights record, she said, I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country. Advertisement Advertisement Get The Angle in Your Inbox Every weekday, Slate's copy editors round up the stories you should read. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. The problem, in this case, was the word allegiance, which went off like a skronky shofar once her comments hit the internet. To some, the phrase allegiance to a foreign country alluded to the old anti-Semitic image of Jews as scheming subversives working on behalf of foreign powersa trope often referred to as the dual loyalty smear. Conservative supporters of Israel pounced on Omars commentNew York Times columnist Bret Stephens called it blatantly anti-Semiticas did some liberals, such as New York magazines Jonathan Chait. There should be more space in American politics to advocate criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights, Chait wrote. But Omar is using that cause to smuggle in ugly stereotypes. And whatever presumption of good faith she deserved last time should be gone now. Democratic politicians eventually joined in. It is unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views, including support for the US-Israel relationship, Rep. Eliot Engel, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement Friday. We all take the same oath. Worse, Representative Omars comments leveled that charge by invoking a vile anti-Semitic slur. And on Monday, Nancy Pelosi prepped a resolution for the House to vote on later this week condemning the myth of dual loyalty, which is clearly intended as a rebuke to Omar. (Donald Trump has, of course, tweeted.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Omars left-leaning supporters have fired back that shes being excessively demonized and attacked, both because she is a Muslim woman and a forceful critic of American support for the Israeli government. And this time, the congresswoman doesnt seem to be in a mood to apologize. This weekend, she leaned right back into the A-word as she responded to criticism from another Democratic colleague. Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that! https://t.co/gglAS4FVJW Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement I find Omars rhetoric tone-deaf, but havent seen compelling evidence that she has any real animus toward Jews. The more likely explanation for these statements is that shes an inexperienced politician who arrived at the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia at age 12 and probably came of age in left-wing circles where vocal opposition to Israel was the norm, and there wasnt a lot of thought given to words that Jews consider anti-Semitic dog whistles. Once the outrage crested last week, she could have shown a little sensitivity to peoples concerns and backed down. But I have trouble blaming her for not doing so. First, this week arguably demonstrated her broader point. She gave a talk about how accusations of anti-Semitism tend to silence critics of Israel. In response, she was swiftly called a Jew hater. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, theres the sheer hypocrisy factor. Many of the Republicans attacking Omar now have shown little if any concern about their own partys use of anti-Semitic tropes. And as Omar points out, they also havent shown much concern about the Islamophobic attacks or death threats that have come her way. My Americanness is questioned by the President and the @GOP on a daily basis, yet my colleagues remain silent. I know what it means to be American and no one will ever tell me otherwise. Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019 Advertisement Then theres the substance of the matter. In recent years, Israels most conservative backers (the vast majority of whom are not Jewish) have taken steps that unfortunately blur the distinction between supporting a country and showing loyalty to it. Welcoming Netanyahu to Washington in 2015 was one example. Boehner made the unprecedented decision to invite the Israeli prime minister without first informing the White House, to ensure that there was no interference from the administration. Some suggested the move may have been unconstitutional. It is normal and healthy for Congress and the White House to clash over foreign policy. It is not normal, however, for opposition lawmakers and a foreign leader to publicly work hand in hand to undermine the diplomatic efforts of a sitting U.S. president. This does not mean Republicans were actively trying to undermine Americas interests on behalf of Israel; they saw them as one and the same. But given a choice between Netanyahu and Obama, as Saletan wrote, it was pretty clear whom Republicans felt more loyalty to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The raging fight over the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movementor BDSis a more recent and clear-cut example where Israels backers have placed its interests above those of their countrymen. Supporters of BDSincluding Omar and her colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaibare trying to borrow a page from the anti-apartheid playbook by economically isolating Israel so it will be forced to make a peace deal with the Palestinians. Israels backers see BDS as inherently anti-Semitic, in part because they believe it is an attempt to delegitimize the Jewish states existence and because other countries arent facing boycotts for their human rights abuses. (There arent a lot of campus activists protesting Chinas decision to throw the Uighurs in re-education camps, for instance.*) Its a complicated issue, but pushed by pro-Israel activists, at least 25 states have come down hard on it by passing laws aimed at barring businesses and individuals from government contract work if they take part in BDS. A speech pathologist is currently suing the state of Texas because she allegedly lost her job after refusing to sign a contract promising not to support a boycott of Israel. Advertisement Advertisement What do you call a law that prioritizes the economic well-being of Israel over the free speech rights of individual Americans? Is it a loyalty oath, as Glenn Greenwald referred to it? Is it a pledge of allegiance? You can debate whether those phrases are appropriate. But to many observers, it clearly comes close enough. As Batya Ungar-Sargon, opinion editor at the Forward, wrote in December: Texass anti-BDS bill doesnt only impinge on the free speech rights of a U.S. citizen in a bizarre attempt to stand with Israel; it turns every potential contractor with the state of Texas into a literalization of the anti-Semitic canard of dual loyalty. Texas citizens are now literally more loyal to Israel than they are to the U.S., insofar as they may say and do things to their own country that they may not engage in vis-a-vis Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, some members of Congress who have bristled at Omars comments are busy tweeting out messages that seem to prove her point. Take this chestnut from a fellow Democrat: It is disturbing that Rep. Omar continues to perpetuate hurtful anti-Semitic stereotypes that misrepresent our Jewish community. Additionally, questioning support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is unacceptable. (1/2) Rep. Juan Vargas (@RepJuanVargas) March 4, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think Omar gets a lot of the dynamics of the U.S.-Israeli relationship very wrong. American politicians dont only support Israel because of AIPACs donor network or Sheldon Adelsons billions. The political muscle of Christian Zionists, geopolitical concerns, and, yes, the votes of a dwindling group of Israel-friendly Jews factor in too. Meanwhile, the Iran deal itself shows that even if some Democrats seem like they support Israel unconditionally, they will break with the countrys leaders on major issues (Pelosi called it a diplomatic masterpiece at the time). Its clear that you can be a Democratic member of the House without pledging allegiance to any foreign country. But Omars not wrong to highlight just how difficult it is to question the U.S.-Israel relationship, and to want that to change. Its almost as every single time we say something, she said moments before her allegiance remark, our advocacy about ending oppression, or the freeing of every human life and wanting dignity, we get [labeled] something and that ends the discussion. Because we end up defending that, and nobody ever gets to have the proper debate about what is happening with Palestine. While her approach has been somewhat counterproductive for the Jewish American left-wing activists who are more emboldened than ever to speak out about what is happening with Palestine, her willingness to throw herself into a highly fraught political issue and not back down is admirable. If Israels most devoted U.S. backers are really so concerned over dual loyalty smears, maybe they should think more carefully about how theyre encouraging them. Does the Constitution compel state and local governments to subsidize religion? That question might seem preposterous, since the First Amendments Establishment Clause prohibits the government from funding religious exercise and limits its ability to fund religious facilities. Yet in 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court flipped the First Amendment on its head by ruling, for the first time ever, that the Constitution sometimes requires the government to provide public funds directly to a church. Its decision in Trinity Lutheran v. Comer blew a chunk out of the wall between church and state. And on Monday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh announced his intention to demolish the remainder of that wall by invalidating laws that bar government subsidization of religion. Advertisement In fairness to Kavanaugh, this Supreme Court was already hostile to the Establishment Clause before he joined. That much was clear from its Trinity Lutheran decision, an assault on religious freedom that masqueraded as a defense of religious equality. The case involved a Missouri church, Trinity Lutheran, that sought state funds to resurface a playground used for its day care and preschool programs. Missouri rejected its bid due to a provision of the state constitution that bars the use of taxpayer money in aid of any church, sect, or denomination of religion. Trinity Lutheran sued, alleging a violation of its rights under the First Amendments Free Exercise Clause. By discriminating on the basis of its religious identity, the church argued, Missouri had infringed upon its free exercise of religion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court agreed in a 72 ruling. Chief Justice John Roberts majority opinion held that Missouri could not disqualify houses of worship from a public benefit solely because of their religious character. In a furious dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, accused the majority of dismantl[ing] a core protection for religious freedom. The court, she wrote, discounts centuries of history and jeopardizes the governments ability to remain secular. For decades, the court had recognized that the Establishment Clause forbids direct government funding of religious institutions to protect all Americans freedom of conscience. Now the majority insisted that, in fact, the Free Exercise Clause sometimes demands such subsidization of religion. Get The Angle in Your Inbox Every weekday, Slate's copy editors round up the stories you should read. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. In a footnote to his opinion, Roberts claimed that Trinity Lutheran involved only playground resurfacing and did not address religious uses of funding or other forms of discrimination. If that were true, the decision would be troubling enough; after all, Trinity Lutheran used its playground to help teach a Christian world view to children, and the public funds used to resurface it would invariably further its religious mission. But Roberts footnote was plainly nonsense. How could the sweeping principle he announced be limited to playgrounds? The court had all but invalidated the constitutional provisions of 39 states that restricted public aid to religion, Sotomayor wrote. Its ruling obliterated states ability to separate the public treasury from religious coffers. Advertisement There is no obvious limit to the principle enshrined by Trinity Lutheran. On Monday, Kavanaugh vindicated Sotomayors fears by seizing upon a case called Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders v. Freedom From Religion Foundation. In Morris County, 12 churches sought to help restore their facilities with historic preservation funds provided by the county. But the New Jersey Constitution, like the Missouri Constitution, bars direct aid to religion, and a taxpayer, represented by FFRF, sued to enforce this provision. The churches argued that, under Trinity Lutheran, this prohibition violates the Free Exercise Clause. But the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously disagreed, noting that the public funds awarded in this case would go toward religious uses. Indeed, the funds in question would help the church conduct worship services and repair religious imagery. New Jersey taxpayers, the court held, cannot possibly be obligated to subsidize the literal exercise of religion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kavanaugh disagreed. Although the Supreme Court declined to hear Morris County, Kavanaugh wrote separately to condemn New Jerseys pure discrimination against religion. In his view, prohibiting historic preservation grants to religious organizations simply because the organizations are religious would raise serious questions under this Courts precedents and the Constitutions fundamental guarantee of equality. Eventually, Kavanaugh wrote, the court should affirm the bedrock principle of religious equality by striking down laws that restrict states ability to preserve houses of worship with taxpayer dollars. Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch joined his opinion. Advertisement Advertisement If Kavanaugh, Alito, and Gorsuch are so furious, why didnt they vote to take Morris County and reverse the New Jersey Supreme Court? Kavanaugh wrote that the precise scope of the program is in dispute. And this uncertainty could hamper our analysis of the churchs religious discrimination claim. Advertisement But that isnt true: The parties agreed on the facts from the start, as the New Jersey Supreme Courts decision notes. Andrew Seidel, an attorney with the Freedom From Religions Foundation who litigated this case, told me there was another reason Kavanaugh may have shied away from the case: Morris Countys program flagrantly favored churches, rendering most businesses and nonprofits ineligible for historic preservation funds. The historic preservation program was gerrymandered to aid religion. And Kavanaugh may have recognized that this fact cast a shadow on the optics of the case. The churches were colluding with the county to demand a handout, not competing on equal footing with secular groups. And so, on Monday, Kavanaugh declined to seize upon Morris County to further dismantle the Establishment Clause. Still, the wrecking ball looms. There is no obvious limit to the principle enshrined by Trinity Lutheran. The New Mexico Supreme Court has already used it to let the state fund textbooks for religious schools. It would seem to open school voucher programs to parochial institutions. And once Kavanaugh gets the right case, he will deploy Trinity Lutheran to open historic preservation funds to houses of worship. The Supreme Court is rewriting the First Amendment by creating a constitutional right to taxpayer-subsidized religion. When the rule of law finally sucks in its last gasp in America, it may well come not by way of an authoritarian clampdown on free speech or a refusal to abide by a court order. No, when historians someday attempt to explain what happened to the rule of law in America in the first quarter of the 21st century, they may well find themselves explaining that it died in the most American way imaginable: by way of the cowardly, lawyerly memo to filedeath by a thousand cover-your-asses. Advertisement What is the lawyerly memo to file? Look to this New York Times report, out last week: President Trump ordered his chief of staff to grant his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, a top-secret security clearance last year, overruling concerns flagged by intelligence officials and the White Houses top lawyer, four people briefed on the matter said. Mr. Trumps decision in May so troubled senior administration officials that at least one, the White House chief of staff at the time, John F. Kelly, wrote a contemporaneous internal memo about how he had been ordered to give Mr. Kushner the top-secret clearance. The White House counsel at the time, Donald F. McGahn II, also wrote an internal memo outlining the concerns that had been raised about Mr. Kushnerincluding by the C.I.A.and how Mr. McGahn had recommended that he not be given a top-secret clearance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the Times reports, then chief of staff John Kelly knew full well that affording a top-secret security clearance to Jared Kushner posed a national security risk. President Donald Trump evidently told him to clear Kushner anyhow. Then White House counsel Don McGahn also advised against that clearance, and was also overruled by the president. And so evidently, when Kushner was cleared over their own misgivings, the step they decided to take was to pop a little note in the file, flagging their objections in secret. In the event they werent already among the most depressing actors in this whole sad saga, theyve now cemented themselves as such. Not brave enough to do or say anything that would reflect the fact that they believed Kushner posed a material risk to the country, they were content to simply leave a little I was only following orders note for posterity. Tuesday: dentist; Wednesday: dry cleaning; Thursday: endanger entire intelligence apparatus. Advertisement McGahn actually gets extra style points: Last week, he swanned back to his old law firm, Jones Day. On the way he offered up the smug statement that I enjoy the practice of law, and I look forward to coming back to Jones Day. Im going to practice law. No paid corporate speeches and no books, unlike some others who have worked in the White House. You decide which is worse: the people who worked for the White House and left to write books, or the people who worked for the White House, approved alarming decisions, and then went back to their normal lives after leaving a note in the file. Advertisement The decision to write a note-to-file has become the lawyerly response to Trumps lawlessness. It is largely a meaningless gesture. As John Oliver put it on Sundays Last Week Tonight: The fuck is Trump supposed to do with a memo raising concerns?! Read it? A memo? With what? His eyes? For what possible reason? So he can know stuff? To what end? So he can do stuff? Why?! So he can get more memos about the stuff hes doing? Nice try, memos! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also is not an entirely new phenomenonwe know that James Comey, when he was FBI director, took copious, detailed contemporaneous notes of his interactions with the unpredictable new president. He did that in part because note-taking is baked deep into the FBIs culture, and in part because he was attempting to build a record, in the event that anything ever happened (surprise: it did). As he later testified in a Senate hearing, he wrote those memos because he was refusing to comply with Trumps directives and was concerned the president might lie about the nature of their meetings. Former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe also took notes of his interactions with the president, for many of the same reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reason for the note-taking is obvious: The president doesnt understand how government is supposed to work, nor does he have much respect for the rule of law. This makes everyone who is accustomed to rules and laws feel anxious. So government workers who reside someplace down the chain, presumably also aware of this problem, are also reacting by making notes for their files. As Politico reported this week: Numerous career staffers decided to document everything they could, what became known as putting it in the record. That often meant putting certain ideas and opinions in emails or copying other agencies on communications. Many staffers knew that by including the agencies, the information would more likely be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and could one day see the light of day or even land in history books. Some admit they hoped that people in the agencies would leak the information to reporters. And many acknowledge they wanted a record, somewhere, of themselves objecting to policies they thought could be illegal. Advertisement It is alternately sad and hopeful that career staffers are turning to note-taking as a means of countering what is spewing out of the White House. For these staffers, the action has the potential to pay off: Both Comey and McCabe lost their jobs because they didnt always follow orders. But for Kelly and McGahn, both political appointees, the move makes significantly less sense. They seem to have kept notes to exonerate themselves after following orders against their better judgment (and then departed the White House without letting anyone know). That Kelly and McGahn seemingly each acceded to something they believed was profoundly, existentially dangerous, and then somehow convinced themselves they were patriots for privately noting their apprehension, is next-level self-justification. No, gentlemen, you arent off the hook. You sold out the country to Jared, and then kept the receipts in case they turn out to be get-out-of-jail-free cards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If there is anything sadder than the anonymous op-ed as Trump resistance, the anodyne CYA to the file is surely it. Its another way of shirking personal or public responsibility and hiding it under the veil of lawyerly professionalism. For the political staffers working in Trumps White House, here is a lawyerly reminder: If your client is out of control and liable to hurt someone, you have a duty to act. And if your client is out of control and liable to hurt someone and also imperiling national security, you have a duty to act. Waiting around to participate in the someday Ken Burns movie isnt going to cut it. The rule of law will continue to lose all meaning in Trumps America, not just because of cowardice and collusion, but because far too many people who insisted they were just doing their jobs let themselves off the hook. A Nigerian woman is under police observation after she was arrested on suspicion of being a drug trafficker. Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Sunday intercepted 25-year-old Princess Okoye at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. According to the DCI, Princess Okoye was found with 77 pellets of suspected narcotics concealed in plastic bottles containing milk. Upon being placed under observation, she emitted an additional 15 pellets, the DCI said in a statement on Monday. Princess Okoye was intercepted by DCI detectives based at JKIA as she prepared to board a plane to Italy. She will remain in police custody as the DCI investigates the matter. The arrest follows a recent seizure of heroin worth Sh1.5 million at the JKIA on February 25. The narcotics, destined for Guinea, were concealed in a generator spare part. After the April 2018 raid of Michael Cohens home, office, and hotel room rattled the White House and Trump world writ large, attorneys for the former Trump personal lawyer approached the presidents legal team about the possibility of a presidential pardon, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The ask reportedly came when Cohens attorney at the time, Stephen Ryan, was working side-by-side with Trumps lawyers to figure out what documents seized by the FBI during the raid might be protected by attorney-client privilege. Trumps legal team, which included Jay Sekulow and Rudy Giuliani, apparently rejected the idea, but, according to the Journal, Giuliani left open the possibility of a future pardon for the Trump consigliere. Advertisement Cohen testified before the House Oversight Committee last week he had not asked to receive a presidential pardon, saying: I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from Mr. Trump. This leaves open the question of whether Cohen was aware of the pardon discussion initiated by his attorney who, according to the WSJ, left the impression that if Mr. Cohen couldnt rely on a pardon, he might cooperate with prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. attorneys office investigating Mr. Cohen Giuliani, for his part, would not confirm whether Cohens lawyer had requested a pardon, but the longtime Trump confidant turned Russia investigation lawyer has said that attorneys have reached out to him about potential pardons. I would assume, ones representing Cohen were among them, Giuliani semi-cryptically told the WSJ. Cohen changed attorneys shortly after the raid, document review and reported presidential stiff arm, marking a strategic shift by breaking with President Trump. Trump has said in the past that he did not offer Cohen a pardon, though he loves to publicly muse about his pardon-granting ability. Im not taking anything off the table., Trump said of Cohen. While the Constitution gives the president great latitude when it comes pardons, former federal prosecutors told the Journal that [d]angling the prospect of a presidential pardon to discourage someone from assisting prosecutors in a criminal investigation could constitute witness tampering or obstruction of justice. Guilty: In 1998, correspondent Seth Stevenson took time off from his early days at Slate to serve on the jury for a murder trial. That case, which resulted in two convictions for one bullet, shaped the lives of everyone involvedso Seth has followed its aftermath in fits and starts for nearly 21 years. He revisits the case, and its key players, in our latest cover story. Seeing red: This week, the New Yorker published an expose that detailed just how deep the ties are between President Donald Trump and Fox News. April Glaser takes the revelations from the piece and ties them to the Trump administrations policy on media companies like Time Warner and Sinclair, discovering a common thread: It all goes back to Rupert Murdoch. Advertisement Murky forecast: Sen. Chuck Schumer told the New York Times on Monday that he would make Democrats go on offense with regard to climate policybut his actual plan is pretty weak. What is his goal here, and how does it compare with the energized climate momentum from the left flank of his party? Josh Voorhees breaks it down. Hear her out: Controversy continues to emerge from both sides of the political aisle over freshman Rep. Ilhan Omars public statements on the U.S. and Israel. While Jordan Weissmann agrees that some of her comments have been tone-deaf, he argues that to dismiss her wholesale is to ignore the larger points shes making about the U.S.-Israel relationshipmuch of which are justified. For fun: Shazam! Its no Kazaam, Nitish In both big-budget movies and reality, one of the core tenets of U.S. foreign policy has long been that the American government will make its best military and diplomatic efforts to protect and rescue Americans who are in danger abroad. Or at least, that was a core tenet until the Donald Trump presidency, during which you apparently can kill any American anywhere in the world so long as you have a relationship of mutual butt-kissing and/or sketchy business entanglements with Trump or his family. Advertisement This innovative new approach was in the news again Tuesday morning because of the administrations ongoing lack of interest in formally asserting that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey last Octoberor in responding to the Saudis gruesome hit on Khashoggi in any substantive way at all. (Khashoggi was not a U.S. citizen, but he lived in Virginia, worked for the U.S-owned Post, had three children who are U.S. citizens, and had reportedly applied to become a permanent U.S. resident.) The administration briefed senators Monday on its so-called investigation into the killing, and its presentation was apparently so worthless that even Republicans (who already passed a resolution last December officially declaring bin Salman responsible for the murder, a claim that is backed up by U.S. intelligence assessments and publicly reported evidence) were willing to say so on the record. From the Hill: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the panel, told reporters that it was a complete waste of time. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) added that he heard nothing that changed his mind about the killing. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said that the briefing was frustrating for many members of the panel. The Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Idahos Jim Risch, said in a short statement that the Senates investigation into whether Saudi individuals should face human rights sanctions for their roles in Khashoggis murder was ongoing and asserted, in unusually blunt language, that we will not let it go. Not unrelatedly, House of Representatives investigators released a report recently about the Trump administrations extensive efforts to implement a plan that would involve the Saudi government making a lucrative nuclear-technology purchase from a company with ties to Jared Kushner and Trump inaugural committee chairman Tom Barrack. And thats only one of several ongoing stories that involve actual or proposed Saudi business relationships with individuals close to Trump. Advertisement Meanwhile, during his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam last week, Trump said the following about Otto Warmbier, a Virginia college student who was arrested in North Korea in 2016 and sentenced to 15 years hard labor for allegedly attempting to steal a poster at a hotel, then returned to the U.S. in 2017 in such dire medical condition that he died six days later: Advertisement I dont believe [Kim] would have allowed that to happen. It just wasnt to his advantage to allow that to happen. Those prisons are rough, theyre rough places and bad things happened. But I really dont believe that he wasI dont believe he knew about it. He felt badly about it. He knew the case very well, but he knew it later. And youve got a lot of people, big country, a lot of people. And in those prisons and those camps you have a lot of people. And some really bad things happened to Otto, some really, really bad things. [Kim] tells me that he didnt know about it, and I will take him at his word. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warmbiers arrest was an international news story, and the idea that Kim and the North Korean regime had anything less than total control over the conditions of his incarceration is far-fetched. Trump, though, has said that he fell in love (!) with Kim after the leader wrote him flattering letters related to their summit meetingsmeetings for which Trump hopes to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He has also apparently discussed North Koreas potential as a site for beachfront resort developments with Kim. Advertisement Advertisement One of the relatively under-the-radar claims that Trump made at his notorious July 2018 Helsinki press conference with Vladimir Putin was that he would be happy to let Russian operatives into America to engage in the questioning of U.S. intelligence officials who concluded that the Russian government was responsible for the death of a whistleblower in an embezzlement case. Fortunately, that plan did not go anywhere. At the moment, though, there is still a U.S. citizen named Walid Fitaihi being detainedand allegedly torturedin Saudi Arabia for unclear reasons. Hopefully, someone in the administration will persuade Trump to put America first when it comes to Fitaihis case. But it doesnt seem likely, does it? Listen to Slates The Gist: Get More of The Gist Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcastsand much more. Sign up today. Join Slate Plus Subscribe to The Gist Copy this link and add it in your podcast app. copy link copied! For detailed instructions, see our Slate Plus podcasts page. Get The Gist in Your Inbox We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Listen to The Gist via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. On The Gist, the White House PR machine. In the interview, John Carlin is a former Asst. Attorney General for the Dept. of Justice and former Chief of Staff to Robert Mueller, and his new book Dawn of the Code War tracks the rise of global cyber threats from Russia and China, and how our country is working to respond. In the Spiel, CPAC lets Trump get away with anything he wants. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Email: thegist@slate.com Twitter: @slategist Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Pierre Bienaime. We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies , click here. The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless. The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well. By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled What does social life look like in North Korea? There are now cafes, restaurants, pizzerias, and luxury businesses in Pyongyang but when I was there for the first time in 2011, women could not go to coffee shops. When I came back a year later, Kim Jong-un was already in power, initiating some reforms. Since then, women are allowed to go into pubs. The middle class in Pyongyang is quite well-off but still worse-off than in our country. They have no access to the internet or free media. Yet, if they want to go out for a pizza or coffee, they can. If they have no money, they live a poor life, though. Nina Spitalnikova (31) studied Korean Studies in Prague spent two month-long stays in Pyongyang visited South Korea and other countries in the region multiple times continues to study North Korea has written the book Between Two Kims (Medzi dvoma Kimami) publishes posts about her experience from North Korea on the Facebook page DPRK live: beyond the 38th parallel (KLDR zive: za 38. rovnobezkou) cooperates with the Peace Research Centre in Prague runs in the European Parliament elections for the Czech Pirate Party Besides the party and army leadership, who has got money in North Korean society? Entrepreneurs. Private business is forbidden in the country, but the youngest Kim, unlike his father, has begun to tolerate the black market. He knows there is no other way to offer people the goods they want. Oddly enough, mostly women are becoming richer because their working hours are shorter; men work 10 to 16 hours a day, women spend six to eight hours at work. Thus, women have more time left to be in business. The middle class comprises mostly women, some resellers offering tobacco, gold and medication. What do North Koreans do in their free time? The regime wants people to have the least amount of free time possible. They work from Monday to Saturday. After work, they have to educate themselves, and they also go to confession once every two weeks where they confess what they have done wrong in the last few days. On Sunday, the can go to the park, but they are not allowed to visit each other's homes. It is prohibited. Even if they want to visit their family in a neighbouring village, North Koreans need a special permit. If they want to travel to Pyongyang, they are also required to obtain a permit from the Interior Ministry. As a result, North Koreans experience the capital mostly as students during school trips. Do men go out for coffee with women? It is taboo. Neither is there dating. Professional matchmakers choose people's future partners. For instance, they also do blood tests before the wedding to avoid mixing different blood groups, which could cause damage to the purity of the race. Couples go to the park and row a boat. That is it. The purpose of a relationship is to give birth to and raise a child, which will serve the party and the state. Prior to the wedding, spouses never meet in most cases. A wedding comes only after eight years of military service, during which men are prohibited to have sex with and meet other women. Women also undergo military service but for a shorter period of time. North Korean society is divided into 52 castes. How does it work? Upon a child's birth, social class is determined for each person, which will shape the child's future. Ideological questions, for example, if someone's great-grandfather fought against Japanese imperialists, decide what caste the child is assigned to. If someone weds a partner from a lower caste, they immediately fall into the partner's lower social class. But they can also climb the caste ladder, for instance, if someone saves a portrait of the North Korean leader in a fire and dies in it. Their children then move up to a higher ranked caste. Otherwise, the chance of climbing in society is minimal. Ex-SIS agent Peter Toth confirmed that Jan Kuciak was monitored at the turn of September and October 2017. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Former journalist and ex-agent of the Slovak Information Service (SIS) intelligence agency, Peter Toth, confirmed that he acted as an anonymous witness in the case of the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova. He stated this in a video published on Facebook. Read also: Read also: Not only Peter Toth spied on journalists for Kocner Read more He stressed that he will not be an anonymous witness anymore, and will speak under his name as regular witness. The testimony of a witness under their own identity has more weight in a criminal prosecution and I want Kuciaks murderers to be punished, he said, explaining that he wants to help law enforcement bodies. Journalists were monitored After some information leaked from the investigation file, several media outlets pointed out that Toth is an anonymous witness. However, he denied it until now. Read also: Read also: Dennik N: Former journalist-turned-spy spied on journalists for Kocner Read more In a video, he stressed that he is only a witness and refutes any direct links to the murder. If I had known about the planning of Jan Kuciaks murder, he and Martina Kusnirova would still be alive, he said. He confirmed that he mediated the monitoring of journalists, but he did not conduct any monitoring himself. Kuciak was monitored at the turn of September and October 2017, several months before the murder. Toth denies that it could be linked with the murder. He also stresses that he is a witness in the case, and not the accused. Nana Owiti, the wife of Kenyan rapper King Kaka, has painfully recalled suffering a miscarriage about five years ago. Taking to her social media page, the mother of two narrated the whole experience from when she learned she was pregnant. She also shared the moment she spotted a blood stain while in a washroom. In April 2014, I went to the washroom and got a blood stain. Very fast I Google and somewhere hapo napata ooh! Sijui implantation bleeding, said Nana. She went to a hospital for a scan and her worst fears were confirmed. Read her full narration below. Its Feb 2014. Beautiful morning. I take a test and oh! Its positive. King said he wanted mtoi amuite Daddy Gugugugu Now if you have been an ardent fan of King Kaka in his Rabbit days you will know that is an excerpt from his song-Twende. He meant every word. He wanted a baby-I grew into that idea. So yeah! We didnt talk about baby names by the way. King has started calling me Mama Gweth long before we planned on having a baby. Said its a unisex name. I tell him no need of starting clinic mapema so we good.. First forward to the 1st of April 2014..I go to the washroom and get a blood stain. Kwani google ni ya kazi gani. Very fast I google and somewhere hapo napata ooh! Sijui implantation bleeding. Aaai! The math didnt make up for implantation building but I choose to just hold onto that as I freshen up and we head to the hosi. I tell the doc my LMP(Last Menstrual Period) and of course! The stain. He asks us to do a Scan.. the Sonographer calls another Sonographer and I hear. Hakuna! Did I mention before that nimekunywishwa Maji mbaya sana coz the pregnancy is kidogo waezi ona if the bladder is not fullAnyway, I ask Hakuna nini? the first Sonographer says Hakuna heartbeat Yaani Hakuna siku ilifeel April fools Kama hii siku(notice the day) I gave King a quick glance and quickly gave those two sonographers another one expecting a We just fooled you! My God! There was no taking back their words. I died a little. King was confused and I some more. I walked out first and sat by the hallway of the hospital. Then King followed then we went back to the Sonographer and he asks..Hakuna kitu mnaeza do yani? (Trust the Eastlando in this guy) Then he responds..The best we can do is aoshwe as soon as possible..because by her LMP she should be 12weeks but by the foetal blah blah(those medical jargons) iko 7weeks meaning shes been walking around with a dead baby for weeks!!!!! God! I died some more We were taken to the ER and before medical evacuation was performed I gathered enough courage and asked why? what happened? what did I do wrong? The doc was kind enough to explain.. Could be many things..Stress..Hormonal imbalance.. Honestly my brain went into a trance and well, I dont remember much of anything he was saying. King Hugged me and well, we mourned our little angel that we didnt get to meet.. When I woke up, King was by my bedside, My heart dented, soul fractured, eyes swollen and my womb childless ? Did I have my fears? YES! Did I worry I might never conceive or Never be able to carry a baby to term? OF COURSE! Did I worry My Relationship with King would suffer a massive blow? Oh! My God!! ABSOLUTELY! Did I worry I would never get through that!! Wah! Si ndio!!! Anyway, Home we went with hopes of a child(ren) someday. God naye ni nani? In 3 months time Alifanya Kaa yeye and I was pregnant with our girl Gweth who is going to be 5 in a months time. Another 3years after that I got my son @princeiroma. If you are going through this Turmoil, I promise time is a healer and it shall be well. Your blessing is coming. Cry if you have to,sleep if you feel like,talk to a counselor. Chin up and Pray and hope for the best. When the doc waves that Green flag, do not be scared to take off. Try again. Harness racing returned to the eastern side of Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning, as The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono held the first of its three qualifying sessions prior to the tracks 2019 opening night (Saturday, March 16). With the track crew doing their usual excellent job of working with a track that had seen much snow in recent days, the surface was rated fast and a two-second allowance in time was given. The temperature during the session was 19 degrees Fahrenheit. The fastest of the five morning miles was recorded by the Western Ideal gelding Busboy Hanover. He popped outside down the backstretch, went up to challenge the new leader, Make It Big, and then drew clear of to win in 1:56.2 for driver Anthony Napolitano and trainer Bucky Angle Jr. Bill Moon Mullin, a three-time Pocono training champion, combined with driver Tyler Buter for two tallies: with the Muscles Yankee trotting mare Casino Cutie IT, wire-to-wire in 2:00, and with Paprike Blue Chip, an altered pacing son of Roll With Joe, who was a pocket rocket in 1:57.1. Another three-time Pocono conditioners crownwinner, Steve Salerno, harnessed the first winner of the day, the Somebeachsomewhere pacing mare Attention Hanover, who was guided to victory by Eric Carlson in 1:57.2. Todd Schadel, 2018 North American UDR champion in the 300-499 category, won the other event as a trainer. He had tapped Tom Jackson to handle the 11-year-old Cantab Hanover trotter Buffalino Hanover, who posted a head triumph in 2:00.1. The draw for the tracks opening card will be conducted on Monday, March 11. Pocono will race on Saturday and Tuesday (19) its first week, add Sundays the following week, and then settle into its Saturday-through-Tuesday basic schedule the week of March 30-April 2. Post time will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and then 4 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday to take advantage of the simulcast bridge hours. Qualifiers will be held at Pocono on Thursday and then on Wednesday 13, just before a press conference welcoming the media back to the Downs for the 2019 meeting. (With files from PHHA / Pocono) The government is having a hard time managing its economic slowdown. The economy is making an expected move (as rapidly developing market economies do) from the dependence of export sales and spending on infrastructure to a consumer economy. This is a switch the United States made a century ago and Japan went through it three decades ago and had problems, as most market economies do at this stage of their development. But China is unique in two respects. It is the largest economy to go through this process and it is a nation that is still a police state, not a democracy (or constitutional monarchy). The government pays attention to public opinion but also devotes a lot of time and effort towards molding that opinion. The government makes it clear that the main goal of the government is to keep the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) and party leader (and president for life of China) Xi in power. The military swears to serve and protect the CCP, not China or the Chinese people. This was made clear recently when it was announced that the main goal of anti-corruption measures was to keep Xi and the CCP in power. This creates an economic situation unique in history and that makes it difficult to use past economic history as a guide. One thing is certain; the CCP dominated government is using its powers to censor and control the news to try and keep Chinese from seeing what is really happening in China and the rest of the world. This effort works, but only for a while. Despite all the media controls modern communications tech has made it easier to pass accurate news around in a police state, it just takes longer. The news travels faster than in the pre-Internet and cell phone days and that has become a major problem for police states. It means that now police (authoritarian) states have to pay more attention to public opinion. Successful autocrats have always done this and used that knowledge to avoid rebellion or civil war. CCP leaders dont like the modern (faster news spread and faster public reaction) version of this but have made the best of the situation by calling their attentiveness to public opinion Chinese democracy. Coping With Korea China has confirmed that it had made a separate deal with North Korea over sanctions. Several meetings between North Korean leader Kim Jon Un and senior Chinese officials indicated that China was more interested in North Korea reforming its economy and becoming less of a financial burden and security risk for China. China also wanted the North Korean nukes gone but the major concern was preventing massive unrest in North Korea. Thus China has, since late 2018, unofficially eased up on some of the current UN economic sanctions. In return, North Korea has continued to go through the motions of negotiating denuclearization (not only getting rid of their nukes but allowing regular on-the-spot inspections to confirm compliance). The reality was that inside North Korea the official word (distributed to key officials and leaked) was that North Korea had no intention of getting rid of the nukes and was going through the motions convincingly in order to get the Americans to ease the sanctions a bit because North Korea was continuing to negotiate but not actually doing anything to denuclearize. This became obvious on March 1st when the meeting between the North Korea leader and the American president ended with the Americans refusing to ease sanctions unless North Korea made some real and verifiable progress on denuclearization. Later in the day, China asked the UN to ease up on some of the sanctions because the North Koreans were at least making an effort. China was going along with the North Korean scam and was trying to persuade the UN to cooperate. At the same time, the Americans are putting economic pressure on China to halt its unfair, and often illegal trade practices. This included massive theft of American and Western technology and continued economic espionage on and data theft from the West. The Chinese economy is already in trouble for self-inflicted problems (corruption and falsifying economic data) and the North Korean mess is getting worse. North Korea is still in danger of a government collapse that would send millions of refugees into China and force China to either take control of North Korea and be stuck with huge costs (financial and otherwise) or allow South Korea to do it. The latter is considered an unacceptable option but it is there whether China likes it or not. So is the fact the Chinese aggression against neighbors (especially the South China Sea and Indian border) has created a growing (in numbers, power and resolve) anti-Chinese alliance. China is willing to unofficially reduce sanctions as long as North Korea follows Chinese advice about reforming their economy and adopting more of the techniques that have enabled China to remain a communist police state while also benefitting from a free market economy. Kim Jong Un is apparently succeeding in convincing China that North Korea will accelerate its adoption of Chinese economic practices. That includes being more open to economic cooperation with South Korea. Since the 1990s South Korea and China have become major trading partners. South Koreans are becoming more willing to help North Korea economically even though that will mean less incentive for North Korea to denuclearize. China continues to tolerate a certain amount of North Korean smuggling and financial misbehavior. But North Korea must be discreet because China is officially backing (if not actually enforcing) most of the economic sanctions on North Korea. Since a crackdown on Chinese banks a few years ago North Korea has moved most of its illegal finance operations out of China. North Korea has established a network of companies and banks that will act (for a fee) as middlemen in turning North Korean profits from foreign operations into products that can be shipped to North Korea without any real proof North Korea paid for it. Of course, it is obvious that these imports are not free foreign aid but the source of payment is difficult to trace, often more trouble than it is worth. But when the effort is made a new North Korea financial network is detected. Venezuela China is still waiting to see if the Maduro government of Venezuela will survive its latest problem, being condemned by most Western Hemisphere states and many others worldwide for rigging elections and refusing to allow food and medical aid in. Maduro insists foreign aid is not needed and that elections over the last few years were fair. Maduro does not believe there is any kind of crisis other than what problems there are were created by foreign intrigue. Yet ten percent of the population has fled the country because of the economic collapse and shortages of food, medicine and much else. China, like many other nations, is waiting to see if the Venezuelan security forces (army and police) remain loyal in the face of family, friends and neighbors of most soldiers and police suffering from the shortages and violence. China is willing to deal with the rival president of Venezuela, the widely accepted Juan Guaido who, technically is the interim president until fair elections can be held. Even Russia and China agree the political and economic situation in Venezuela is a mess but both want to protect their investments (loans and business agreements) and avoid any unfavorable fallout. China is in touch with Guaido while Russia is letting China take the lead. China is allowing senior Maduro officials to send family members to China, which may indicate a willingness to provide comfortable exiles for these wealthy families. The only catch is their wealth is the result of massive corruption by Maduro cronies and Maduro himself. The cash is often stashed in Western banks, which are seen as more reliable (even though they will respond to court orders). Putting dirty money in Chinese banks puts you at the mercy of a government that is not answerable to courts or any international rules. Perilous Pakistan The Pakistani military told China that, for the right incentives Pakistani could control and manipulate their local Islamic zealots. That proved more difficult than anticipated and while a four year military campaign (starting in 2014) against the local Islamic terrorists (the extremists among the Islamic conservatives the Saudis created) reduced the number of Pakistani Islamic terrorists seeking to replace the current government (a democracy dominated by the military) with a religious dictatorship, those zealots have become a permanent part of Pakistani society. This has caused problems with neighbors like Iran (Pakistani zealots kill Pakistani Shia), China (Pakistani zealots attack Chinese investments and the Chinese running them) and India (Pakistani zealots seek to terrorize India and seize control of Kashmir and eventually all of India). These neighbors have become increasingly forceful in their demands that the Pakistani government do something about this. Pakistan placates the Iranians by refusing to provide military assistance to the Arabs in Yemen, or against any Iranian military operation directed at the Gulf Arabs. Now Pakistan has to deal with increasingly angry Arabs who threatened to halt the cash infusions that the Pakistani economy increasingly depends on. The Chinese demand quick and effective action against Pakistan supported Islamic terrorists who threaten Chinese investments. This was one of the reasons for the 2014 campaign against many of the Islamic terror groups operating from Pakistani bases. Pakistan had hoped the Chinese would replace the Arabs as a source of cash support but the Chinese dont operate that way. China makes investments and does not provide cash like the Arabs and, until recently, the Americans did. The United States has halted all cash support for Pakistan because the Pakistanis would not shut down Islamic terror groups that attacked American interests. Now the Pakistanis know that if the Chinese feel they are being played, like the Americans were, the Chinese will not be patient or forgiving. The Americans are no longer as accommodating as they used to be and the Iranians never were. India is a nuclear power with a larger army and economy than Pakistan. India is also losing patience and threatening war. Pakistan has to worry about too many past mistakes catching up with them at once. China has told Pakistan openly that China is not an ally or protector of Pakistan. China is a business partner and as long as business continues there will be a Chinese presence in Pakistan. The same rules are applied to everyone else. China does business with Iran and the Sunni Arab states Iran is at war with. Same with Russia and Ukraine. March 2, 2019: South Korea reported that China, which accounts for nearly a third of South Korean export sales, continued to cut orders for South Korean goods resulting in February an overall South Korean exports declined 11 percent compared to February 2018. Chinese orders have been declining sharply since late 2018. This is all about the massive economic changes China is going through. March 1, 2019: The U.S. declared that it would defend the Philippines in the South China Sea according to the mutual defense treaty the U.S. and Philippines have had since 1951. Filipino officials asked for a more precise definition of what constituted an attack. Chinese strategy is to be aggressive but not to the extent that it would be an obvious act of war. February 28, 2019: China announced it will increase defense spending by 7.5 percent, to $178 billion, in 2019. While actual Chinese annual defense spending is over $200 billion the official defense budget is announced each year and for the second year in a row defense spending is higher than GDP growth. GDP growth for 2019 is expected to be six percent. In 2018 the defense budget went up 8.1 percent hike when GDP growth was under 7 percent. For 2016 spending was up 7.6 percent versus and 10.1 percent in 2015. These annual Chinese increases peaked from 2005-2009 when they were 15-20 percent a year. Chinese defense spending is about 1.4 percent of GDP. Thats about a third of what the U.S. spends (as a percentage of GDP). According to NATO reporting standards (which take into account the many different ways you can calculate military spending) China is believed to spend up to 50 percent more on the military than it admits. That would make 2019 military spending about $250 billion. China has had the second largest annual defense budget on the planet for over a decade now. In East Asia, the closest competitor is Japan, which continues to increase its defense budget and is spending $48 billion in 2019. February 27, 2019: Two Chinese aircraft carriers went to sea at the same time. This was a first for China, even though both carriers are operating independently. The only active Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoning (CV-16) achieved combat readiness in May 2018, along with its escort and support group. Back then Liaoning was only combat ready in day time and used mainly for training. There was only one Chinese carrier jet fighter pilot qualified to land on a carrier at night and barely enough carrier pilots to fly a full complement (24) of J-15 fighters on the Liaoning. Chinese carrier aviation is making steady progress, just not as fast as the Chinese Defense Ministry publicists describe. Chinas second aircraft carrier (CV-17 Shandong) was launched (in the water) in April 2017. That was 25 months after construction began. At the end of 2017 CV-17 was at dockside being prepared for sea trials, which will apparently begin in early 2018 and will have CV-17 in service by 2020. Thats less than half the time a Western nation would require and at half the price. Its not just aircraft carriers. China has demonstrated the same efficiency with other ship classes (destroyers, frigates, amphibious, coastal patrol, mine warfare, sustainment, floating docks and so on). China has not revealed how many carriers it plans to eventually build. But based on what is being said in Chinese media and around the shipyard the performance of CV-17 will play a large role. CV-17 is expected to undergo two years of sea trials before entering service. But the plan is apparently to build two more similar carriers (CV-18 and 19) which will lose the ski jump deck and instead adopt a catapult. These two will be a bit larger than CV-17 and the first one is already under construction as a Type 002 ship and is expected to be in the water by 2020 and in service by 2024. One thing that might delay the Type 002 is the decision on which catapult system (steam or electric) to use. The U.S. Navy has had problems getting its EMALS (electromagnetic aircraft launch system) to work effectively and the Chinese may be waiting to see how that works out before making their decision. The Type 002 will have a steam propulsion system but one that will produce a lot more electricity (for laser weapons and catapult). After the two catapult equipped carriers are evaluated it is believed that two nuclear-powered carriers are planned (CVN-20 and 21). These will be similar to the American Nimitz class CVNs. There was some other good news for Chinese combat aviation. A Pakistani official claimed that the Chinese designed JF-17 fighter was responsible for recently shooting down a MiG-21 in Kashmir. India officials insist that a Pakistani F-16 downed the MiG-21 and presented fragments of an American AMRAAM air-to-air missile, which the Pakistanis have and only their F-16s are equipped to use it. Pakistan insists the AMRAAM fragments were planted and are from an AMRAAM sold to Taiwan. Meanwhile, the news, whether true or false, of a JF-17 shooting down an enemy aircraft, made the JF-17 a little combat proven and there was a large boost in the stock price of the Chinese firm that developed the JF-17 and still manufactures components (which are sold to Pakistan.) Since early 2018 China has been implementing major upgrades for the JF-17. These Block III upgrades mainly involve replacing the mechanical radar with an AESA (phased array) radar and a general upgrade in electronics. The Chinese manufacturer (CAC) is doing this because it has found AESA an essential feature if you want export sales. CAC also builds the J10, which is similar to the JF-17, and installed AESA in the J10 in 2007 so China definitely has the tech. While there have been some JF-17 export sales many potential customers refused to consider the JF-17 because the aircraft was not considered competitive. That doesnt bother Pakistan, where their first JF-17 squadron became operational in 2010. Upgrading Pakistani JF-17s with AESA will be a first for Pakistan because none of the other Pakistani fighters have it (not even the F-16s.) So far Pakistan is the only user of the JF-17 although Burma and Nigeria have some on order. Pakistan has over a hundred JF-17s. The JF-17 was part of a project that began in 1992 and while it was a joint Pakistan-China development project China supplied most of the money and did most of the work. China, however, does not use the JF-17, only Pakistan. Thats largely because the JF-17 is assembled in Pakistan, although over 40 percent of the components come from China or Russia. The project has gone through several name changes (FC-1, Super 7) and was never a high priority for China. The 13 ton JF-17 is meant to be a low cost ($20-30 million) alternative to the American F-16. The JF-17 is considered the equal to earlier versions of the F-16, but only half as effective as more recent F-16 models. The JF-17 uses the same Russian engine, the RD-93 that is used in the MiG-29. The JF-17 design is based on a canceled Russian project, the MiG-33. Most of the JF-17 electronics are Western. The JF-17 can carry 3.6 tons of weapons and use radar guided and heat seeking missiles. It has a max speed of Mach 1.6, an operating range of 1,300 kilometers and a max altitude of 17,000 meters (55,000 feet). Even with these Block III upgrades and claims of downing a MiG-21, the JF-17 is seen as second rate and more of a vanity project by Pakistan than anything else. February 25, 2019: Turkey is the first Moslem majority state to openly criticize China for its treatment of the Uighur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz Moslem Turkic Moslem minorities in northwest China (Xinjiang province). China responded with threats of severe diplomatic and economic penalties for Turkey. China closed one of its consulates in Turkey and announced a list of potential economic sanctions. Turkey stepped up in this subject mainly because it has been trying to establish itself as protector (and leader) of Turkic people everywhere. The move against China seems a logical choice for Turkey, although Turks opposing Chinese power is a situation that has existed for centuries and the Chinese always eventually come out on top. Off the Chinese coast, two U.S. Navy ships (a destroyer and a replenishment ship) passed through the Taiwan Strait (the waters between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland) as a form of FONOP (freedom of navigation operation). This was the third Taiwan Strait FONOP since mid-2018 where the passage was publicized. Until the 2018 FONOP such trips through the Taiwan Strait (which American warships do regularly) were not publicized, something the U.S. had been doing since 2007. The renewal of publicizing these movements annoys China which responded by having their own warships following American warships passing through the Taiwan Strait and increasing Chinese naval ship patrols around Taiwan. February 20, 2019: China completed five weeks of unannounced naval and air exercises in the South China Sea. This exercise was actually something of a wargame with most of the operations between a red (Chinese) and blue (enemy) force. Several destroyers and an amphibious ship as well as many aircraft were involved. One of the warships had a Strategic Rocket Force detachment on board, apparently to test the ability of ships to supply target data for ballistic missiles capable of hitting moving ships. These forces were involved in what was apparently a simulated battle for portions of the South China Sea. February 19, 2019: China quietly imposed a two-month ban on foreigners visiting Tibet. This is not an unusual move and occurs at least once a year, but for shorter periods and with more publicity. News of the ban got out when so many travel agents were quietly told that they could not get anyone into Tibet until April 1st. Since the Internet makes it easy for news like this to spread and be correctly interpreted it became apparent that this was all about the 60th anniversary of the last major Tibet rebellion against Chinese rule. Cant have foreigners seeing that sort of thing. Some foreigners can get in but they need a special permit and that is only available to those known to be staunch friends of China. The resistance in Tibet is different from what is going on in nearby Xinjiang province. The Turkic minorities there (Uighur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz) are Moslems and are seen as more of a threat than the Tibetans (who are Buddhist). Nevertheless, China is installing the same Big Brother video and electronic monitoring systems that in Tibet after noting the success of this tech in Xinjiang. Tibet is also getting more prison/reeducation camps were uncooperative Tibetans can be convinced that resistance is not an option and those who do not cooperate suffer for it. February 18, 2019: China is seeking to buy all or part of key Ukrainian defense manufacturers in order to improve weak areas of the Chinese defense manufacturing capabilities. One key area is helicopter manufacturing and Ukraine has a firm (Motor Sich) that is a world leader in building helicopter engines and other components as well as turbine engines for warships. Ukrainians, in general, are not willing to see what many consider a national treasure become Chinese owned. China has been buying components from Motor Sich since the 1990s and wants to get access to its trade secrets and key personnel. The Ukrainians are wary and the Chinese are relentless. Russia is nervous as well because until 2014 Russia was also dependent on Motor Sich (and other Ukrainian firms) for some key aircraft and industrial components. As long as Russia is occupying Crimea and parts of Donbas those business relationships are blocked and Russia has not been successful in creating adequate Russian suppliers. February 14, 2019: The military controlled government in Thailand is seeking approval for a $7 billion defense budget in 2019. The defense budget has gradually increased nearly 17 percent since the military took power in 2014 and the upcoming elections will replace military rule and try to cut the defense spending. Much of the increased defense spending since 2014 went to purchase weapons and equipment elected government refused to order. Since 2014 the military government has ordered three submarines from China, as well as dozens of Chinese tanks and other weapons. South Korean T-5o trainer/attack jet aircraft were bought as well. Purchases from the United States continued, including UH-60 helicopters. A week earlier the army ordered 39 more Chinese VN1 armored personnel carriers (for $2 million each) to replace elderly M-113 tracked and V-150 wheeled models. This is in addition to the initial 2017 order for 34 VN1s. China has been developing new wheeled armored vehicles since the late 1990s. Until recently, these were all based on Russian designs. The ZBL 09, however, borrows more from the West. The Thai military defended the purchase pointing out that the VN1 was cheaper than comparable Western vehicles. February 11, 2019: The U.S. Navy conducted its first FONOP in the South China Sea for 2019. This one took two American destroyers within the claimed territorial (closer than 22 kilometers) of some of the Spratly Islands. China issued warnings and accused the Americans of troublemaking. The last FONOP was in November, which was the fifth one for 2018. Since 2015, when the Chinese South China Sea claims became a major issue, the Americans have carried out fifteen FONOPS in the South China Sea. By early 2019 China had moved more radars and EW (Electronic Warfare) equipment and guided missiles to the Paracel islands. China also declared once more that the Paracels were part of China and China would control its territorial waters. That last 2018 FONOP was near several of the Chinese occupied islands in the Paracels. These islands had long belonged to (and been occupied) by Vietnamese. China took the Paracels by force in the 1970s. In 2012 one of the Paracel islands (Woody Island) was declared the center of Sansha, a new Chinese municipality (city). Sansha is actually Woody Island and dozens of smaller bits of land (some of them shoals that are underwater all the time) in the Paracels and the Spratly Islands to the south. In fact, the new "city" lays claim to two million square kilometers of open sea (57 percent of the South China Sea). China continued its policy of not interfering with FONOPS but does send warships to follow the foreign ships. There are two ways China can enforce its sovereignty exert control over its territorial waters. The traditional response is to attack intruders with gunfire or missiles. Then there is the preferred Chinese method of swarming around the intruder with commercial, coast guard and even navy warships and combat aircraft. This has included causing collisions (often just bumping). China does not want a war with the United States, mainly because of the economic risks which could lead to more unrest inside China. Interference with seaborne trade and trading relationships, in general, would disrupt the Chinese economy and threaten CCP control. What China has demonstrated is a willingness to do everything short of war, especially if they can remain able to claim victim status. China announced a foreign aid project that will benefit both Afghanistan and Pakistan. China will pay for the construction of new border crossing facilities at the two main crossings; Torkham in eastern Afghanistan (via the Pakistani the Khyber Pass) and Chaman in the south (Baluchistan.) The new facilities would contain modern rest areas for people waiting to cross (especially drivers of trucks) and these amenities would include refrigerated warehouses for perishable cargoes (like fruit and vegetables) delayed at the crossings. February 7, 2019: In northern Burma (Kachin State), some 10,000 locals held a very vocal protest against the Chinese Myitsone dam project. This is a very visible response to the Chinese ambassador, who visited Kachin State at the end of 2018 and bluntly told local officials that if China were not allowed to resume work on the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam project there would be serious consequences for Kachin state and Burma in general. After the visit, China reported that the ambassador found most people in northern Burma did not oppose the Chinese projects. The reaction in northern Burma was to accuse the ambassador of ignoring reality. The dam project was the result of studies done in the late 1990s to develop the border areas and control flooding. Originally scheduled to be operational by 2017 the Myitsone project has been shut down since 2011 because of corruption charges (largely true) and armed resistance from local tribal rebels. China was always willing to make concessions to save the dam project but has been unable to agree with Burma on terms. Meanwhile, conditions in China have changed. Originally China needed the 6,000 MW of electrical power generated by Myitsone and 90 percent of it was going to China. But in the last few years Chinese economic growth has slowed and with that the need for additional electric power. Actually, there are now electricity surpluses in parts of China bordering Burma and the Chinese have been offering to export some of that electric power to northern Burma (which still has an electricity shortage). Because of this many similar Chinese development projects in northern Burma (other dams, new mines and lots of road and bridge building to support it all) are no longer as important to China. Burma is willing to let Chinese development projects to go forward in the north as long as there are minimal corruption and misbehavior. That means compensating the local landowners (mainly tribes that have been in the area for centuries) fairly. China, however, wanted more than just the electrical power and profits from these investments. China also wants some diplomatic assistance, apparently regarding North Korea, the South China Sea and other sensitive matters. China has been willing to negotiate with Burma and compromise on its unpopular economic activities, mainly in the north. China is also offering good deals (low prices) on modern military equipment and that has the Burmese military leadership interested. Meanwhile, the border tribes have to go along with any Chinese settlement and the tribes dont want the Burmese troops to have more effective weapons. The Kachin tribes dont trust the Chinese or their own government. Isabel Colman and Professor Tim Bedding from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy. Just months after its mission ended and a decade after its launch, glimmers of data detected by NASAs Kepler space telescope in 2009 have been confirmed as evidence for a large, hot-Jupiter-like planet orbiting a star 2600 light years from Earth. That 10-year mission to find distant planets around distant stars has shown that the universe is literally teeming with planets. There are more than 2300 confirmed exoplanets, ranging from huge gas giants to rocky worlds, perhaps not dissimilar to Earth. It is likely, maybe, that we are not alone. Now, an international team of astronomers has solved Keplers first mystery: the curious case of KOI-4, Kepler object of interest four. Evidence gleaned a decade ago, from the missions initial sweep of data, prompted KOI-4 as the first candidate for a new planet discovered by Kepler. It was quickly dismissed as a false positive just a two-star binary system giving hope where there was none. However, some galactic sleuthing led by University of Hawaii PhD student, Ashley Chontos, has meant that Keplers uncertain first finding has become its latest confirmed discovery. That work was assisted by University of Sydney PhD student Isabel Colman, who helped rule out that the light from the host star Kepler 1658 was contaminated by light from a nearby star. Much of what I do is work on close analysis of Kepler pixel data, Ms Colman said. Looking at the signal from KOI-4, we could see a rotating sun spot. Using a technique called difference imaging to pinpoint the pixel source, I could confirm the signal came from KOI-4, giving us more information about the star. Star bigger than first thought The campaign, which was launched in 2017, is pushing back against the ideologies of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, that has taken control of large parts of northern Syria writes Salon Syria. After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took full control over Idleb province, activists launched the campaign Syrians Against Extremism with the aim of raising awareness about the dangers of extremism and extremist ideology in Syria, among all communities. The campaign began at the end of 2017 and is still ongoing in all parts of Idleb and its countryside. Campaign organizer Nassib Abdelaziz, 31, said, With the campaign, we are trying to distance the largest possible portion of the populace, which the terrorists groups might have been successful in attracting, especially after we saw the formal transformations of these groups recently. Abdelaziz said these changes included changing the name al-Nusra Front to Fatah al-Sham and then Tahrir al-Sham, and playing with structures such as mergers, blocs, and civil administrations. Standing against extremism and terrorism has been an issue adopted by many of the Syrian revolutions activists, figures and thinkers. Even before the emergence of these organisations, they warned of how they could obstruct and threaten the revolutions legitimate aims of freedom and dignity. On this basis, the Syrians Against Extremism campaign was not born of this stage, but is a step on a path to building a civil, peaceful Syria that rejects violence and terrorism, explains Abdelaziz. He adds that the aims of the campaign are limited to preventing the spread of extremist ideas in general and in particular among young men and adolescents, which the extremist groups try to win over and exploit to carry out their aims, through their media and by manipulating religious concepts and moral values, which shows the real image of the al-Qaeda group. Abdelaziz says that, despite their attempts to obscure their real faces, the campaign is working to make sure al-Qaeda is unable to obtain a popular base, win the support of residents and keep away from its projects other forces in the areas al-Nusra is deployed. Syrians Against Extremism is a public campaign, but it has concentrated its efforts in the areas of northern Syria, and especially Idleb and its countryside, the southern and western Aleppo countryside, and the northern Hama countryside, which are the areas controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is working to create changes to ensure its stability within Syrian society. The campaign includes the distribution of brochures containing the views of influential figures, especially trustworthy clerics, and putting up posters showing the effects of extremism in a clear manner, as well as graffiti, and videos on the campaigns social media platforms. The interaction and response to the campaign has been very positive, especially in light of the conditions that the area is undergoing and which was clearly influenced by extremism and its negative effects. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. France has reportedly reached out to Moscow to break the impasse of the constitutional committee and speed up the process of elections in Syria writes Asharq al-Awsat. Official French sources have revealed contacts between Paris and Moscow to reactivate the Syrian political process by way of the constitution. A proposal has been communicated, by way of high-level contacts, based on the understanding that the agreed-upon international process, which stipulates the formation of a constitutional committee of 150 members who will be entrusted with the task of writing a new constitution, be subsequently approved and upon the basis of elections that will be conducted, is extremely complex. Evidence of this is that the committee has not yet been formed, and that explosive issues would subsequently erupt with the launch of this committee if it reaches that stage. The sources added that the proposal transmitted to Moscow, which it agreed to, abandons the desire to write a new constitution and is based on the existing constitution and, working to amend five or six points of dispute. These points include the broad powers of the president, the independence of the judiciary and some state institutions, and the relationship between the security institutions. Sources added that these amendments, should be discussed with international supervision to arrive at an amended constitution instead of losing time by drafting a new constitution. The subsequent stage will be, moving towards new transparent elections overseen by the United Nations, which has experience in this field. The French sources said that the proposal, which means giving up on efforts to establish a constitutional committee, was transmitted to President Vladimir Putin, who in turn transmitted it to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. According to Paris, the latter, agreed to it on the condition that the elections be limited to inside Syria, that is, excluding the millions of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries and in Europe. That means that he wants to, make sure in advance that he will be reelected in a process that will give him new legitimacy. The West is insisting that the elections enable those who left Syria to cast their votes in the process determining their countrys future. The condition that Assad imposed derails the Western proposal, which had intended to get out of the dead end that the formation of the constitutional committee has found itself, and therefore attempted to relaunch the halted political process. Meanwhile, French diplomats are interested in the efforts being exerted to rehabilitate the Syrian regime among Arabs by way of restoring Damascus to the Arab League. According to Paris a group of American opponents who have so far frozen the efforts that intend to ensure Syrias return at the upcoming Arab summit in Tunisia. The French vision is based on the belief that this issue is an internal Arab matter and that Paris does not want to influence it but that it does not object in principle to the return of Damascus. They are wagering it on the active launch of the political processthat is, Paris does not want this return to be a free gift for the Syrian regime, and Putin succeeding in this mission was unacceptable. Other sources said that Westerners were, aware that the situation in Syria is headed toward a reshuffling of the cards after the change of the shifting American position which Paris has suffered from. Paris says that President Macron had a role in pushing Trump to revise his position around the complete withdrawal of his forces from northeastern Syria, but that it is still cautious about what might come from Washington, after the elimination of the Islamic State from its last pocket. France did not hide its appreciation for the 200 American troops remaining in the areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, and perhaps the same number in the al-Tanf base. It has not yet revealed if this American shift will encourage it to participate in overseeing the safe zone that Washington wants and whose outlines have not yet appeared. According to the sources, Paris is still pushing its Western allies and Arab friends to, avoid any participation in the reconstruction process in Syria without conditions for the launching of the political process, because it is the main card to put pressure on Damascus that remains if Washington withdraws from Syria, which will leave the stage open for Iran and Russia. It believes that, giving the task of confronting Iranian influence to Israel will not lead to the results Washington desires, because all Israel has achieved is preventing Iranian bases settling on its borders, and not removing Iran and those who represent it on the ground from Syrian territory, according to the sources. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Russia has threatened residents of Syrian camp al-Rukban with forced conscription and the withdrawal of aid after they failed to leave through humanitarian corridors reports Al-Araby al-Jadeed. Russia has threatened to block aid to the al-Rukban refugee camp in southern Syria and force men into the army unless refugees leave the area. Russian forces and the Syrian regime last week opened two humanitarian corridors in an attempt to vacate the camp, which is known to have some of the worst conditions of any in the country. Most residents either refused or were unable to leave the camp. Russia on Friday blamed militants for preventing refugees from elsewhere in Syria from leaving the camp. Residents said they feared retribution from the regime, including arrest and torture, if they moved to areas controlled by the government. Illegal armed groups operating in the area [spanning] 55 kilometres, are preventing the refugees from leaving the al-Rukban camp, providing them misleading information about [the] true intentions of the Russian side and Damascus, said Sergei Solamatin, head of the Russian defence ministrys Centre for Syrian Reconciliation, according to a Russian state news agency. The political organisation of the camp called the Russian accusations lies. A delegation from the camp met with Russian and Syrian regime forces on Saturday to discuss the conditions of a possible evacuation of Rukban. Rukban camp IDPs refuse to use Russian humanitarian corridors to Syrian regime areas Russia on Tuesday opened two temporary humanitarian corridors from The Russians asked the delegation to list the names of those wishing to return to areas under the control of the Syrian regime, in order to evaluate them as security risks, Imad Ghali, a media activist in al-Rukban, told The New Arabs Arabic service. The Russians reportedly refused the Rukban delegations requests for aid for the camp, which has faced extreme winter weather conditions and severe shortages of food, water and medication, and the return of residents to their villages. At least eight children have died in the camp this winter, according to UNICEF. They requested that the camp sends its young men to the Syrian regime forces for compulsory military service, otherwise residents could face starvation in the camp, on which a siege has been imposed by Russia and the Syrian regime since October. Residents said the road taking food and fuel into the camp was cut off, causing prices to surge in the absence of sufficient supplies. There is only enough food and fuel from a recent aid delivery to to last a month. The remote desert camp is located inside the al-Tanf deconfliction zone set up by the US-led international coalition in 2016. First set up to train opposition forces for the fight against the Islamic State group, the zone has since been described as a base for monitoring Iranian movements in Syria. Rukban has become increasingly isolated since Jordan sealed its border with Syria in 2016, after an Islamic State group militant attack on Jordanian border guards left seven officers dead. Jordan has said they will only allow the transfer of refugees through their territory who have received offers of resettlement. The Russians are seeking to recruit thousands of young people living in the Rukban camp in the regimes forces with absolute loyalty to the Russian side, Said Saif, a spokesman for the Ahmad al-Abdo Forces present in Tanf, said. Saif stressed that the various factions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) present in Tanf would reject any Russian or regime-backed reconciliation offers, which are not safe. The Russian general who met with the camps delegation clearly threatened the IDPs if they did not comply with Russian conditions We are sure that the regime will pursue the returnees to their homes, and what happened in Daraa and the countryside of Damascus prosecutions, arrest and forced recruitment is a good example for what will happen to them. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Hammoudeh Sabbagh highlighted the need for increasing parliamentary relations between Syria and the Inter-Parliamentary Union writes SANA. Speaker of the Peoples Assembly, Hammoudeh Sabbagh, and Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Martin Chungong, discussed means of activating and developing parliamentary relations with the Union. Discussions occurred during a meeting on Monday, on the sidelines of the 29th Conference of the Arab inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU), currently being held in Amman, Jordan. Sabbagh underlined the importance of cooperation between the Peoples Assembly and the IPU through dialogue, the exchange of ideas and the enhancing of the role of parliamentary diplomacy by building bridges between countries and peoples. For his part, Chungong voiced his hopes of bolstering cooperation between the two sides, and referred to his 2015 visit to Damascus and showed willingness to repeat the visit to exchange ideas on parliamentary work and cooperation in this field. Sabbagh heads Syria parliamentary delegation to the 29th Conference of AIPU currently being held in Amman, under the title al-Quds (Jerusalem), the eternal capital of Palestine. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Former nominated Senator Joy Gwendo can heave a sigh of relief after the High Court on Monday reviewed the two-year jail term handed to her by Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti for stealing Sh1.7 million. Judge John Onyiego, while delivering the ruling, ruled that the trial court erred in law by sentencing her to jail without the option of a fine. The High Court also noted that the money Ms. Gwendo stole had been fully repaid. Joy Gwendo will now have to part with Sh660,000 fine or spend a year in jail. The former legislator had pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud after reaching a plea bargain deal with the DPP Noordin Haji. In the agreement, the former nominated Senator was to pay Kisumu East Cotton Growers Cooperative Sh1.7 million the amount of money she is alleged to have stolen from the Sacco. She, however, failed to honour the plea deal and was consequently convicted by Magistrate Ogoti. Gwendo had been charged with five counts, including abuse of office, issuing bad cheques and stealing, but the State dropped charges of stealing and issuing bad cheques. Kirinyaga County is not taking chances as over 6000 delegate troop to Kirinyaga University for the sixth Devolution Conference. Governor Anne Waigurus administration has distributed over 150,000 condoms to be used during the conference which kicked off on Monday, March 4 and ends on Friday, March 8. Kirinyaga County Deputy Public Health Officer Peter Irungu said his officers distributed the condoms to bars and restaurants as well as areas where the delegates will be accommodated. The Health official further warned bar owners against selling the condoms, noting that the government has paid for them hence they should be issued out for free. People should not shy away because distribution of condoms has been going on even when there is no devolution conference, he said. During the five-day meeting, the government and its key stakeholders will be reviewing what they have been able to deliver. In todays podcast, we hear that India went on the offensive when its government websites were attacked by hackers from Pakistan. Rob Joyce, Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity Strategy to the Director of the US National Security Agency, discusses trends in cyber conflict. A Chinese cyberespionage group hacks for maritime technologies. Facebook lets people look you up by your two-factor authentication phone number. And Google researchers disclose a vulnerability in macOS. CyberWire Editor John Petrik with results from the RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox. Guest Balaji Parimi from CloudKnox weighs the pros and cons of various authorization schemes. Kenyas newest dancehall sensation Arrowbwoy is on a roll. Just a month after collaborating on a smash hit Lika with Jamaicas Badgyal Cecile, the Digi Digi hitmaker has tapped another major Jamaican dancehall crooner in Demarco. This new Kenya-meets-Jamaica song is a certified club banger dubbed Love Doctor. As the title implies, the two infatuated artistes believe themselves to be the true doctors of love. The jam also sees Demarco drop some lines in Swahili as he keeps up with other Jamaican stars who have tried the language in a song with a Kenyan artiste. Love Doctor is the first single off the Hatua Album expected to drop in August this year. Audio is by Vicky pondis/TEDDY B while the Video is Directed by JORDAN HOECHLIN. Watch Love Doctor by Arrow bwoy ft Demarco below. Rating 8/10. I did not arrive at Emory planning to be a musicologist, but the mentoring I received opened my eyes to a field I knew nothing about and opportunities for study that I could not even imagine." Sam Budnyk 17C, who will pursue a PhD in musicology as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford. Recent Emory alumnus Sam Budnyk 17C has been selected for the second cohort of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford University, a highly competitive international program that fully funds graduate study at Stanford. Budnyk, the first Emory student or alum to be selected for the program, was among 68 scholars selected from 20 countries around the globe. He plans to pursue a doctorate in musicology at the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. He earned a bachelors degree in music and comparative literature from Emory Universitys College of Arts and Sciences and will complete a masters degree in musicology from the University of Oxford in June. The Knight-Hennessy program aims to develop an interdisciplinary community of future global leaders to address the worlds most complex challenges through collaboration and innovation. The primary selection criteria used to evaluate applicants were independence of thought, purposeful leadership and a civic mindset. I appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with such a diverse group of ambitious change-makers. I look forward to the opportunity to learn and grow thanks both to my peers in the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program and to the world-class faculty at Stanford, Budnyk says. The buzz of the forward-thinking, Silicon Valley-style mindset is in the air and I am excited to participate in that and hopefully broaden the horizons for academic publishing and cultural criticism in this dynamic time." Building on his extensive undergraduate work in music history, composition, languages and literature, Budnyk has spent the last two years in England at Oxford studying musicology in preparation for doctoral-level work. He is also at work on an interdisciplinary, open-source journal designed to make humanities research more accessible to the general public that he hopes to bring to Stanford next fall. "The support I received from my academic departments at Emory, both in music and comparative literature, was exceptional. Faculty members encouraged me to explore my interests and freely gave their time to support this, Budnyk says. I did not arrive at Emory planning to be a musicologist, but the mentoring I received opened my eyes to a field I knew nothing about and opportunities for study that I could not even imagine." Emory College professors Peter Hoyng (German studies), Garth Tissol (classics) and Kristin Wendland (music) were especially influential, he says, and gave him opportunities for independent study and research that influence his scholarship today. "I did not fully appreciate the opportunities I had at Emory scholastically and in terms of extracurriculars until I arrived at Oxford. The chance to seek out what makes you excited as a thinker and try out courses in many different top-quality departments is something special that many students elsewhere will not get to experience, he says. Ambassador for the arts and humanities Budnyk, a native of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, entered Emory as part of the Emory Scholars Program. He auditioned and was selected as a Deans Music Scholar, a prestigious designation given to four students in each class. He served as the principal bassist for the Emory Symphony Orchestra starting in his sophomore year, and as a junior he was selected as the Department of Musics Stipe Society Scholar, an honor that recognizes a student with the best academic and artistic performance and leadership in each arts discipline and requires a commitment to increase arts outreach on Emorys campus and in the local community. He also received the Charles Elias Shepard Scholarship for Graduate Study while at Emory. In addition to his leadership in music and the arts, Budnyk committed much of his energy at Emory to the campus newspaper, the Emory Wheel, beginning as a writer and serving in several editorial positions before being promoted to Managing Editor in his junior year. As he did during his four years on the Emory campus, Sam Budnyk will continue to be extraordinary ambassador for the arts and humanities with his selection as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, says Michael Elliott, dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences. At Oxford, he was elected chair of the Music Faculty Graduate Joint Consultative Committee and currently serves as Graduate Humanities Divisional Representative and a voting member of the Oxford Student Union Student Council. He has studied French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin and Spanish languages, and participates in blind wine tasting competitions. As part of the program, Knight-Hennessy Scholars also participate in experiential learning through the King Global Leadership Program, which provides a collection of community experiences, workshops, meetings with leaders, global study trips and personal development opportunities. We are impressed and humbled by what this new cohort of scholars has already achieved and inspired by their deeply rooted commitment to effect positive and lasting change in the world, says John L. Hennessy, the Shriram Family Director of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program. The program, announced in 2016, is named for Hennessy, chairman of Alphabet Inc. and president of Stanford from 2000 to 2016, and Phil Knight, MBA 62, philanthropist and co-founder of Nike Inc. The program plans to increase the annual intake of scholars to 100 in coming years. [Ed note: Working in a rush, I made a big, bad editing mistake and posted only a truncated version of this article yesterday. This is the full version. If you already read the first part here yesterday, please skip to the subsection with the heading "Then and now" and continue reading to the end. My sincere apologies to author and audience for my error. Note to self: must never work in a rush and then rush off. Mike] Written by Moose I bought Looking at Photographs by John Szarkowski based on Mike's recommendation. I would recommend that his hypothetical friend not bother. No single book is sufficient to be worth the trouble, unless it's a "check off the list of topics" library; in which case, who cares? I just don't get that book. And yes, I do open it and browse from time to time, hoping that it has changed, hoping that I have not, at least in that direction. As Mike says, it's a history, a collection of historical photos. But also a specialized history, with a bias. He was one of the group of powerful curators and gallery owners who determined who did and did not become a successful photographer on the national stage. The book celebrates and works to reinforce that taste. Although folks like Fred Herzog, safely off in remote Vancouver, were doing fresh work in color, it would be a few more years before William Eggleston more or less shoved color down those collective throats, through sheer brilliance and the pressure of a viewing and buying public that saw the value of color photos for more than reporting. The situation in Art Photography at that time might be seen as analogous to the Three Minute Rule in commercial radio, before Dylan broke it; originally technological limits that became embedded in taste and practice. "In those days, if you recorded a song that was longer than three minutes and 15 seconds, they just wouldnt play it," Thomas Tierney, director of the Sony Music Archives Library, said. In those days, if it wasn't black-and-white, and didn't follow accepted standards of subject matter and approach, they just wouldn't hang it. Flip through Looking at Photographs, and ask yourself how many of the photos were not made from the perspective of a standing adult male, using a lens with an angle of view in the range from that of a 35mm lens on 35mm film to that of a 90mm lens. Looking at Photographs is old: the subjects are all at least 50 years ago, most older, many much older. The medium is B&W, in part for technical reasons, but also as a matter of artistic judgement. The range of subjects and angles/approaches to them are rather limited. Again, tech and taste. I lived through the latter part of the era those photos present, and much that is earlier feels familiar from the photos I saw back then. But it's not alive for me. Looking at Photographs is staid (well, OK, to me, boring). The text is all curator-speak, about the photographer's place in their world, repeated obvious observations about the content, and so on. Elliott Erwitt, Venice, 1965 Szarkowski's commentary on "Venice, 1965" is an example. He starts out with a stated premise that there are only three ways of seeing the physical world, and ends with a statement that any opinion about the photo must fall into one of those three. He completely ignores other possibilities, including the first one that occurs to me when I see it. A photo of mine that it reminds me of makes, in my mind, both when I took it and now, no comment on the content of the frames or the nature of the institution in which they hang. It's about repeating patterns of shape, tone, light and reflections, largely abstract. (The entire thing, by the way, is a row of hung art as seen in a mirror on the side wall, with a moon sticker on it, reflection of reflections.) Erwitt's photo is of the same sort to me, an exploration of found shapes, with repetitive elements and reflections, that actually depends on not being able to see the content of the frames, which would detract from the arrangement of elements. Look, for example, at the echo of the ornate central frame in the doorway frame. Then and now If photography is to be Art, it must evoke an emotional reaction in the viewer. The vast majority of these photos don't do that to me. The commentary seems almost perversely designed to kill off any such reaction with distant, dispassionate, superficial observation. "Why would anyone want to photograph an indisputably colourful world in monochrome? If colour film had been invented first, would anybody even contemplate photographing in black and white?" Russell Miller Magnum: Fifty years at the Front Line of History (1999), p. 4 Anyone taking up photography today, unless interested in recreating the past, should be looking at good representations of how it is practiced today, what it means to people today and how current photographers create photographs that make them feel fulfilled and, with luck, engage others. I'd suggest books such as: The Practice of Contemplative Photography by Andy Karr and Michael Wood, to start to understand how the photographer's inner life and relationship to the world may be used to do individual creative work. Why Photographs Work by George Barr, for insight into how others see photographs. The commentary is head and shoulders above that of Looking at Photographs. Mother Earth, ed. Judith Boice (2nd. edition) for examples of the vast range of subjects and approaches to them possible today that can create such a wide array of beautiful, and moving (at least to me) photographs. It's Not About the F-Stop by Jay Maisel, about all the above, plus seeing the artistic arc of a passionate and wide-ranging photographer's life. Appointment in Venice by Alex Gotfryd, for something mysterious, using the techniques of the past to create a personal vision. Showing as well how a series of photos as a planned project may create something larger. Such a small sample, for such a vast subject.... Moose Original contents copyright 2019 by Moose. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. Want to help? (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.) Featured Comments from: Peter Wright: "Don't beat yourself up on it Mike! It's not as if Moose was arguing one point for the whole of the first part and then refuted entirely it in the later half. "Main comment: I find myself somewhere between the poles on Looking at Photographs by John Szarkowski. Many, if not most of the pictures are of historic significance only, and would have been largely forgotten if they did not appear in books like this one written by people with disproportionate degrees of influence at the time. However, I like Szarkowski's writing (could that be a major source of Mike's appreciation as well?), and think of this book as very much a 'keeper' in my modest collection. "On Moose's recommendations: I own, or think I may own, The Practice of Contemplative Photography. But I could well have thrown it out, as I remember being intrigued by the title and ordering it, but when it arrived, I found it irritating and shallow. The picture on the cover about sums it up. (I'll have to see if I still have it, and if it still has the same effect.) If you want to see excellent introspective colour photographs, and understand more about how to improve your visual sense, then I suggest any of the books by Freeman Patterson. Moose's recommendation of George Barr's book Why Photographs Work I heartily second. It's a great learning source. Whatever your tastes you can't go wrong with that one. His other recommendations I don't know, and I will need to check them out, but I think I will need to see them before ordering. (Moose is only batting 500 here .) "On the topic of what one book your hypothetical friend of the vast empty bookshelf must buy, I would recommend "The Black Trilogy" by Ralph GibsonDifferent, original, thought-provoking. And I have to agree with the suggestion from others for Here Far Away by Pentti Sammallahti. How did he ever 'see' those pictures?!!" [Ed. note: Just as Neil Young's "Ditch Trilogy" was composed of three separate albums, Ralph Gibson's landmark "Black Trilogy" is composed of three separate booksThe Somnambulist (1970), Deja-Vu (1973), and Days at Sea (1974). Good news and bad newsthe three books, originally published by Ralph's own Lustrum Press and now quite valuable in the original editions, were reprinted as a three-volumes-in-one edition by the University of Texas Press only a little more than a year ago (January of 2018). However the reprint is itself now out of print. I called UT Press, and they confirmed for us that the reprint will not receive a second press run...they are gone and there won't be more. All I've been able to find are two copies of the French edition (with French text) at Amazon UK. As for Here Far Away, I can only say I hope people bought it as I was urging them to when it was new. It now goes for $400 and up.] The New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts (NHBCA), New Hampshires statewide membership organization that promotes the intersection of art and commerce, and New Hampshire Humanities kick off a partnership on March 1 to promote Humanities @ Work, an initiative to offer NHBCA businesses the opportunity to bring a variety of humanities-based programming into the workplace. With Humanities @ Work, NHBCA business members can bring innovative cultural programming into the workplace over lunch, or whenever is best for employers and employees. The programs are diverse, ranging in topics from music and poetry appreciation to the history of animation; from quilt-making traditions to New Hampshires architectural legacy; and even a program on the quest for happiness. NHBCA members can pick from the many Humanities to Goofferings or request tailored programs to fit their needs. While a modest fee is required, a discount will now be offered to NHBCA members. We are delighted to collaborate with New Hampshire Humanities to make cultural experiences accessible to businesses of all shapes and sizes, said NHBCA Executive Director Tricia Soule. As businesses look to attract and retain a talented and robust workforce, it is important to provide engaging experiences for employees to build connections with one another and consider new and (continued) interesting ideas. Making Humanities @ Workavailable to our members is one way we hope to help businesses highlight the important role cultural offerings play in making New Hampshire an attractive place to live and work. New Hampshire Humanities is proud to partner with the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts to offer Humanities @ Workto employers who recognize that technical training is not the only strategy for attracting and retaining top quality workers, said New Hampshire Humanities Board Chair Ellen Scarponi of Consolidated Communications. By making it easy and affordable for employers to offer humanities-based programs in the workplace, New Hampshire Humanities gives employers the ability to provide something that unites, inspires, and enlightens their employees, contributing to overall job satisfaction, creating a responsive, respectful workplace, and retaining the best workforce possible. For more information about Humanities @ Work, visit www.nhhumanities.org/HAW. About NHBCA: The New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts is a statewide membership organization that promotes the intersection of art and commerce through networking and learning opportunities. NHBCA engages business and arts leaders to encourage more direct communication between the two sectors, build mutually beneficial relationships, and develop a sense of professional camaraderie. The New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts is uniquely positioned to make a significant impact on New Hampshire's creative economy. For more information visit http://www.nhbca.com. About New Hampshire Humanities: For more than four decades, New Hampshire Humanities has provided the people of the Granite State with opportunities to cultivate curiosity, connect across cultures, examine beliefs, practice civility, strengthen community bonds, and engage in civic life. Last year New Hampshire Humanities sponsored 549 free programs reaching 174,288 residents in 165 communities in partnership with 314 organizations. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org. "Clap Your Hands If You Believe in Fairies!" On Tuesday morning, EU Commissioner Pierre Moscovici met with Luxembourg's finance and budget commission in parliament and expressed a hope that Luxembourg world become a bit more proactive in terms of taxes. "If we want to make structural reforms that are useful to our fellow citizens, we will have to progressively move from unanimous voting to qualified majority voting when it comes to taxation", Moscovici said on Tuesday. While Moscovici conceded that a paradigm shift had taken place over the last 10 years on the question of taxation in Luxembourg and that the Grand Duchy had been very forthcoming to EU directives on the matter for the past four and a half years, the EU commissioner explained that it is now time for the next step. Moscovici touched on the "delicate" subject of taxes in Luxembourg, saying that a lot has already been done to combat tax evasion in the country. However, he said that real progress could only be made by a move from unanimous voting to qualified majority voting in the EU on the issue of taxation. He named energy taxes in the fight against climate change, the digital economy, and VAT taxes as examples of issues that could be moved along a lot quicker by a change in the voting system. Rene Pfeiffer / RTL Tele Letzebuerg Rene Pfeiffer / RTL Tele Letzebuerg Rene Pfeiffer / RTL Tele Letzebuerg The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question. So far, the Luxembourgish government has remained quite unimpressed by this proposal. PM Xavier Bettel said that he didn't want Luxembourg's fiscal policies to be dictated by the EU. Moscovici showed understanding for these arguments, saying that some believe that a new system could risk marginalising smaller countries. In an effort to ease concerns, the EU Commissioner said that Luxembourg had no reason to fear marginalisation because, while it is small in size, the Grand Duchy plays an important role in the EU. Moscovici's approach was criticised by CSV MP Laurent Mosar, who explained that the EU could end up crippling itself on the global market by introducing a fairer tax system. Mosar believes that the move towards qualified majority voting could disrupt the current equilibrium and destroy the "level playing field": "We can't give ourselves strict rules and have the rest of the world ignore them: The Americans, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Russians. I think we could risk a very difficult competitive situation, which is why I think caution is essential." Mosar went on to say that while the meeting with EU Commissioner Moscovici was very positive, a number of important questions still remain on the topic. CSV MP Emile Eicher submitted a parliamentary question: Do these products conform to the law on food safety? Since a few months ago, a number of shops have popped up in Luxembourg that sell products containing Cannabidiol, also known as CBD. This cannabinoid extracted from cannabis plants, unlike THC, does not have any psychoactive effects and is therefore legal in Luxembourg. CBD can be found in products like oil, creams, tea or shampoo. Do these products conform to the law on food safety, and are the stores that sell them monitored? These are the questions asked by CSV MP Emile Eicher in a parliamentary question. Minister for health, Etienne Schneider, and the minister for consumer protection, Paulette Lenert, emphasise that this is a complex topic and that one has to differentiate between the different parts of the plant. The seeds of industrial hemp and products made from them, such as hemp oil, can be used as food products. The flowers are well known as tea. Extracts from the cannabis sativa plant with concentrated CBD count as food products "without history of consumption". CBD, or CDB oil, should therefore be classed as a new food, according to those two ministers. They are regulated on a European level and their commercialisation as food products requires authorisation. The ministers specify that food safety operates on four levels. Officers, for example, monitor websites. Since last May, 11 people who own a website selling CBD products were monitored and sent a so called "rapport d'appreciation" (appraisal report) with warnings. Ten further websites are waiting to be monitored. Further controls target imports. Last year, 17 shipments with CBD/hemp/cannabis were blocked and sent back. Businesses that are already running are monitored regularly. In the lead-up to a visit by Russian Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev, the USA prompt Luxembourg to take a stand against the annexation of Crimea. A statement by the US embassy talks of Luxembourg's unique position to protect the rights of other countries and populations to "dat ze bleiwen, wat se sinn" ("to stay what they are"). This reference is aimed at the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea, which has been occupied by Russia for five years. The aim of the statement is to encourage Luxembourg to take a clear position against the annexation of Crimea when talking to the Russian PM. The government has not taken a position to the US embassy's statement, but the minister for employment, Dan Kersch, has done so in through Facebook account: "The Luxembourgish government does not need tutoring from another state or embassy about how foreign policy should be defined. This is unacceptable!" The minister added that, in order to make a point of this, he has decided to participate in the program planned for the Russian prime minister. The Russian prime minister is scheduled to land at Findel Airport on Tuesday afternoon to start his two-day official visit. Moscow - Luxembourg, on first sight appears to be David against Goliath. Diplomats and business people who have been partaking in bilateral meetings over the last two decades, describe the historically grown relationship between Russia and Luxembourg as one of equals. Ekaterina Volotovskaya, the president of "Luxembourg-Russia Business Chamber" explains Luxembourg's advantages: It is a small country, which is more flexible than any large economy, business people have easier access to administrations and the Chamber of Commerce. It's a place where it's still easy to see a minister or the deputy prime minister, or even the prime minister, and a banker can immediately get an appointment at the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. "You will be welcomed with open arms", says Ekaterina Volotovskaya. The Russian PM Dimitri Medvedev will also be welcomed with open arms on Tuesday afternoon. The minister of the economy, Etienne Schneider, has described the visit as a "friendly visit". It is also a visit, at leas ton paper, to Russia's second largest investor: 51 billion dollars flow into Russia through Luxembourgish funds and industry. There is no doubt that many topics, such as the global situation and economy, will be covered over the course of the next two days. Both countries will be making decisions on each others interests. Russia has a lot to offer, especially in the digital domain, says Etienne Schneider, who had been looking into Russian start ups a couple of weeks ago. In this context, the signing of the so called ''Accord de modernisation" of the economies is scheduled to be signed n Wednesday. Other topics will be the ''Space Resources'' initiative, a potential direct flight connection between Luxembourg and Russia, as well as common interests in terms of Syria, Venezuela and of course a Ukraine crisis embargo. Among other things, the two politicians will discuss the economic relations between Russia and the Grand Duchy. The Russian prime minister Dimitri Medwedew has arrived for his state visit to Luxembourg, which will last until Wednesday. Earlier on Tuesday around 3pm, the Russian politician landed at Luxembourg Airport in Findel, where he was greeted by Luxembourg's prime minister Xavier Bettel. Olidom Multimedia Olidom Multimedia Olidom Multimedia Domingos Oliveria/ RTL Domingos Oliveria/ RTL Domingos Oliveria/ RTL The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question. On Monday, the US embassy put politicians under pressure over the visit, arguing that Luxembourg must bring up the controversial annexation of Crimea. Deputy prime minister Etienne Schneider showed himself surprised that a diplomat was giving orders to the Grand Duchy. Luxembourg, he argued, never shied away from addressing sensitive issues. Wonder Caves: Ideal Spot for Hikers and Cave Explorers The clergyman runs Caritas in Giai Lai province. I love the indigenous people. I like their simplicity, he writes. To help them, we must think in terms of integral development. For this reason, I believe that what we must promote first and foremost is education. Pleiku (AsiaNews/JesuitGlobe) Fr Ngo Phan Dinh Phuc is a Jesuit priest whose pastoral work takes place among the tribal people in and around Pleiku, the capital of Gia Lai province, in the highlands of central Vietnam. For him, adaptation "is the keyword, in education as well as in pastoral care". The local indigenous population is divided into 54 different ethnic groups. In Vietnam, almost half of the ethnic minority population still lives in extreme poverty, this despite the countrys economic development. In the mountainous areas, tribal communities live in a context of marginalisation. Fear of natural disasters aggravate their condition. We present below Fr Ngo Phan Dinh Phucs own testimony about his social and pastoral outreach, which he gave to jesuits.global. In the village where I live, there is a community of about 400 Catholics and a few Protestants out of a population of about 3,600. We dont have a church, so I celebrate Mass in the parishioners houses, in turn. But this pastoral work is only a small part of my ministry. I am responsible for Caritas, the Churchs social services wing for the whole province of Gia Lai under the responsibility of the Jesuits with the collaboration of religious sisters. I respond to all those in need, whether they are Christians or not. For example, there are about 1,500 leprosy patients in the province. I try to visit all of them every year to bring them medicines, but also spiritual and moral support and encouragement so that they do not isolate themselves. Sometimes these patients have to be taken to the hospital and Caritas takes care of meeting the transport and medical costs involved and providing accompaniment. Here is another example of the assistance we provide. We have an ambulance because the hospitals regular ambulance services do not go easily into the mountains. In fact, many mothers died in childbirth because they could not go to the hospital. So, we considered it a priority. I also remember the case of a man who suffered severe burns. People, at first thought that he must have been drunk and that he set his house on fire through negligence. The reality was that he had entered his burning house to save his wife and four-year-old daughter. She had unexpectedly turned on the gas when the mother lit the fire to cook the meal and everything blew up. We accompanied them and paid for the medical expenses. I love the indigenous people. I like their simplicity. They are also very sensitive and we must show them a lot of respect. They have often suffered from being ignored. To help them, we must think in terms of integral development. For this reason, I believe that what we must promote first and foremost is education. But the traditional school does not suit them. They do not have an abstract approach to reality; their relationship to the world is concrete. Adaptation is therefore the keyword, in education as well as in pastoral care. (Photo credit: jesuits.global) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Vietnams Ministry of Finance on Tuesday signed a loan worth US$188 million for the upgrade of a major expressway and improvement of traffic connectivity in the northern region. The credit will fund a project aimed at renovating the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway, which links Hanoi and the northern province of Lao Cai. The project is also intended to boost connectivity between northwestern provinces and the Vietnamese capital, thus enhancing economic opportunities for poor localities in the region. The renovation is expected to focus on making improvements to 198 kilometers of roads that connect several towns and districts in Lai Chau, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai Provinces with the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway. According to Eric Sidgwick, ADB country director for Vietnam, the improved connectivity will help facilitate border trade and private investment, create jobs, and provide better access to education, healthcare, job training, and emergency disaster relief for the people of the northwestern provinces, especially the ethnic minorities. ADB believed that the project would expand the benefits of the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway to these residents, Sidgwick added. Stretching approximately 254 kilometers, the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway was first open to traffic in late September 2014. It runs from Hanois Noi Bai through the provinces of Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho and Yen Bai before reaching Lao Cai. ADB operations in Vietnam totaled $15.83 billion in 531 projects as of December 31, 2017, according to the institutions website. The bank is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members, 48 from the region. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first-ever trip to Hanoi for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and an official goodwill visit to Vietnam last week, his interpreter got the chance to be back to where he learned the Vietnamese language more than three decades ago. In 1984, Ri Ho Jun was enrolled in the Department of Vietnamese Language at Hanoi General University, which is now the Department of Vietnamese Language and Studies under the Vietnam National University-Hanoi. More than 30 years on, Ri was back to Hanoi as the translator for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who was in the Vietnamese capital from February 26 to March 2. Chairman Kim arrived at Dong Dang Railway Station in the northern province of Lang Son on the morning of February 26, following a 60-hour train journey from Pyongyang through China. From Dong Dang, he traveled by car to Hanoi, where he had meetings with President Trump for their second summit on February 27 and 28. After the summit concluded with no deal reached, the North Korean leader paid a friendly visit to Vietnam on March 1 and 2. He arrived in Pyongyang on his return trip by train on early March 5. Ri Ho Jun (left) accompanies North Koreanl eader Kim Jong Un on March 1, 2019. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Ri the interpreter was first seen accompanying his leader when Chairman Kim arrived at Dong Dang and when he reached the Melia Hotel, where he stayed during his time in Hanoi. Many former lecturers of Ri immediately recognized their old student was on duty along the North Korean leader as they watched the broadcast of the event. "It is not uncommon to see students graduating from our department take up diplomatic positions in other countries, one of the lecturers, Tran Nhat Chinh, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. But I was moved to see the North Korean leader coming to Vietnam with a translator that is our former student. Tran Nhat Chinh holds a photo taken with his student Ri Ho Jun 35 years ago. Photo: Ngoc Ha / Tuoi Tre A flight to remember According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam, head of the Department of Vietnamese Language and Studies, Ri Ho Jun was one of the four North Korean students who signed up for the bachelors program of the then-Vietnamese Language Department in the 1980s. Ri stood out as the most confident among the four, Nam told Tuoi Tre. In 1987, Nam took the four students on a field trip to Ho Chi Minh City, where they had an exchange session with the Department of Vietnamese Literature at Ho Chi Minh City General University. However, there was a problem upon their return trip. "It was really hard to get an air ticket to Hanoi at the time, so I could not get one for myself, while my students were able to buy their tickets because they are foreigners, Nam recalled. Ri then decided to meet with airline officers and explained the situation. Thanks to Ris efforts, Nam was eventually assigned a seat in the toilet on a Hanoi-bound flight, one day after his students trip. A scanned copy of a photo in which Ri Ho Jun (left) poses with Tran Nhat Chinh, his former lecturer, at Thu Le Park in Hanoi in 1984 Daughter followed in dads footsteps Chinh, who also taught Ri and the other three North Korean students, said they were all excessively hard-working undergraduates." The four all took a four-year bachelors program in Vietnamese from 1984 to 1988. Chinh still keeps photos of him and his eldest daughter posing with the four North Koreans at Thu Le Park in Hanoi in 1984. Ri Ho Jun, then more or less 20 years old, was leader of this four-member team, and he just did not look much like foreigners at all, Chinh said. A scanned copy of a photo of Ri Ho Jun (wearing glasses) when he was a student at the Department of Vietnamese Language, Hanoi General University As Chinh did not understand Korean and his students had no background in Vietnamese, they needed English as the means of communication at times. Ri Ho Jun, according to Chinh, could also speak French. At that time, foreign students would stay in the dormitory located on their schools campus. As my house was close to the school, the four students often dropped by, Chinh said. The North Korean students would proudly wear the badge of their leader Kim Jong Il on their clothes, and, interestingly, they hardly ever talked about their homeland," Chinh recalled. A scanned copy of a photo the four North Korean students took with the family of their lecturer Tran Nhat Chinh in 1984 After graduation, Ri had been back to Vietnam occasionally and once worked for the North Korean Embassy in Hanoi. He also paid visits to his former lecturers. "He once treated my family to dinner at a well-known restaurant on Trang Thi Street, Chinh said. His daughter at that time was also a student at our department and I was the teacher of his daughter too!" Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are todays leading news stories: Society -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan chaired a teleconference with authorities of provinces and cities on Monday to discuss urgent measures to tackle African swine fever outbreaks that have affected seven localities. -- A total of 44 students of an elementary school in the northern province of Hai Duong were hospitalized on Monday after they ate toilet cleaning powder that a teacher had left under the stairs within the school, apparently believing that the product was a kind of food. -- Police in the northern province of Bac Giang confirmed on Monday they had summoned a local elementary school teacher for investigation after he was accused of molesting multiple fifth-grade schoolgirls. -- The villa of a former military official in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has been found encroaching on the land plot that was previously zoned for the construction of roads and sidewalks. -- Two people in a family were killed while two others were injured after being attacked by a knife-wielding man, who works as a Feng Shui practitioner, in the northern province of Nam Dinh on Monday. The attacker tried to commit suicide at his home following the incident and is now being treated at the hospital for his serious self-inflicted wounds. -- Officers in the central city of Da Nang confirmed on Monday they had apprehended two South Korean men for stealing VND150 million (US$6,450) from a Vietnamese man at a local hotel on March 1. -- A 79-year-old woman in the north-central province of Thanh Hoa has been probed for storing about 153 kilograms of explosives and 2,300 detonators at her home. Business -- The Vietnam Electricity (EVN), in coordination with Singapores Sembcorp Group, has announced their $3 billion investment in the construction of the Dung Quat power center in the namesake economic zone in the central province of Quang Ngai. Education -- The Kovalevskaia awards ceremony was held in Hanoi on Monday to honor outstanding female scientists in Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Business magazine Forbes Vietnam revealed on Monday its list of the 50 most influential women in Vietnam in 2019. The 50 Most Influential Vietnamese Women 2019 list, the second of its kind, names women working in a wide range of fields, namely politics, science-education, social work, communications, arts, creativity, and sports. Twenty of the 50 women honored are entrepreneurs, including Tran Thi Le, general director of Nutifood Nutrition Food JSC; Le Minh Trang, general director of Saigon Trading Group; and Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, general director of budget airline Vietjet and chairwoman of HD Bank. Among the female entrepreneurs, 40 percent were named for the first time, while some, including general director of Vinamilk Mai Kieu Lien, chairwoman of REE Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh, and chairwoman of PNJ Cao Thi Ngoc Dung, continued their presence from the previous list. This has shown the firmness, tenacity, and great influence of these leading businesswomen, said managing editor of Forbes Vietnam Vo Quoc Khanh. The cover of the Forbes Vietnam issue featuring the 50 most influential women in Vietnam in 2019 HHen Nie, the first Vietnamese beauty queen to win a place in the top five of Miss Universe, writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu, who won the 2018 German Literaturpreis award, and filmmaker and producer Hong Anh are among the women working in the field of arts named in the list. Huong Giang, who was crowned the 2018 Miss International Queen, a transgender beauty pageant, was honored for her social activities. Forbes Vietnamfirst released its 50 Most Influential Vietnamese Women list in 2017. The magazine, which launched its Vietnamese edition in 2013, said it used its own methodology to select the country's powerful women. Among the criteria are the positive impacts the women have on the economy, society and community. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Two South Korean men have been apprehended for allegedly stealing VND150 million (US$6,450) from a local tour guide in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang before spending all of the money on gambling at a local casino. Officers in Hai Chau District confirmed on Monday they had arrested Kim Kwang Seung and Seo Kyoung Won, both South Korean nationals, and transferred them to the municipal police department for further investigation. Preliminary information showed that the two foreigners had stolen the money from L.Tr.T.H., a Vietnamese tour guide who resides in the central city, at a hotel on Nguyen Van Linh Street on March 1. At around 7:20 pm that day, H. and his group of tourists returned to the hotel after their tour. The guide had been resting in the lobby for a while, before going outside to talk with his friend for a few moments, leaving behind his backpack that contained VND150 million ($6,450) in cash. H. later returned to the hotel lobby only to find the backpack had disappeared. The case was reported to Hai Chau District police, who were able to identify the suspects and capture them the following afternoon. At the police station, Kim and Seo admitted they had taken the backpack as no one was watching it. They then used the cash to gamble at the casino of a hotel on Vo Nguyen Giap Street in Ngu Hanh Son District but eventually lost all of the money. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Police in the northern Vietnamese province of Bac Giang have summoned an elementary school teacher after he was accused of molesting multiple fifth-grade schoolgirls. Officers in Viet Yen District confirmed on Monday afternoon that Duong Van M., a teacher at Tien Son Elementary School, is being investigated for allegedly conducting lewd acts against the young students. M. has been temporarily suspended from his work to assist the investigation. Police are also coordinating with the school board to collect statements from the victims. According to Major General To An Xo, director of the provincial police department, legal proceedings against the teacher will be carried out once sufficient evidence is collected. M.s report showed that he had some drinks with the family of one of his former students on the morning of March 1, before heading back to work on the same afternoon. He admitted to teaching the class when he was drunk that day and having such actions as pinching the students noses and ears, and patting their shoulders and buttocks during the class session. Later the same day, some parents demanded an urgent meeting with the school board and local authorities after listening to their children's account of M.s actions. One parent stated during the meeting that 15 girls, who are in fifth grade, had been molested by the teacher. Meanwhile, some other parents told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that it is too early to charge M. with any offense. He was just being playful with the students, Nguyen Thi Hop, a mother, said, adding that people have been exaggerating the nature of the incident. My daughter said she and her friends had their noses and ears pinched by the teacher, Do Van Hung, another parent, remarked. I think this is normal as it shows a close relationship between teachers and students. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Next week ABC premieres a 3 part doco series The Cult of The Family. Produced by Big Stories Co. this centres around outer-Melbourne cult The Family, headed by Anne Hamilton-Byrne. It features former members sharing their stories. This sect was frequently the target of current affairs programmes especially in the late 1980s. Anne Hamilton-Byrne was beautiful, charismatic and delusional. She was also incredibly dangerous and many allege, a psychopath. Convinced she was a living god, Hamilton- Byrne headed an apocalyptic sect called The Family which was prominent in Melbourne, Australia from the 1960s to the 1990s. With her husband Bill, she acquired numerous children some through adoption scams, some born to cult members and raised them as her own. Isolated from the outside world, the children were dressed in matching outfits, had dyed blonde hair and were beaten, starved and dosed with LSD. Taught that Hamilton-Byrne was both their mother and the Messiah, the children were eventually rescued during a police raid in 1987. With survivors and former cult members telling their stories alongside the Australian detectives and the investigative journalist who worked the case, this confronting three part TV series exposes not just The Family but also the conservative community that allowed it to flourish. Featuring testimony from cult survivors, their relatives and those who are only now prepared to speak on the record, The Cult of The Family probes the psychology of love and loyalty, power and betrayal, justice and truth to address the question how did she get away with it? Tuesday 12 March 8.30pm on ABC. SBS VICELAND will celebrate all things girl power on Friday, International Womens Day. 9.55pm Why Do Men Earn More Than Women (2018) Through womens stories from every corner and sector of society, Baroness Karren Brady (The Apprentice) uncovers the shocking truth of the gender pay gap in Britain how early in life it starts, how unjust the consequences of this inequality can be at every pay grade and ultimately the toll its having on womens lives. 10.50pm What Makes A Women (2018) Transgender model and social activist Munroe Bergdorf examines the changing world of gender and identity in todays society, as she becomes both author and subject of her first UK documentary. The film follows Munroe as she undergoes dramatic facial feminisation surgery as part of tackling her gender dysphoria, a hugely personal moment that kick starts an exploration of the central question What Makes a Woman? 11.50pm Half The Picture (2018) Half The Picture consists of interviews with high profile women directors including Ava DuVernay, Jill Soloway, Lena Dunham, Catherine Hardwicke, and Miranda July, among many others, who discuss their early careers, how they transitioned to studio films or television, how they balance having a demanding directing career with family, as well as challenges and joys along the way. Friday, 8 March at 9.55pm on SBS VICELAND. Eight members of parliament from the Labour Party have made the decision to split from the party with hopes of creating a new splinter group more in line with their beliefs. This was followed by three further MPs belonging to the Conservative Party also leaving to join the new independent party. On 20 February 2019, "with a saddened heart" a joint letter was signed confirming Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen will be departing the Conservative Party to join the eight ex-Labour MPs in the new Independent Group in an attempt to create a central party which honours the wishes of the British public. The split has come following criticism of Theresa Mays handling of the UKs departure from Europe and a view that the current government has ignored other burning injustices in our society, focusing too much on Brexit rather than deep-rooted issues closer to home. In her comments, Ms Allen stated she can no longer represent a government and a party who cant open its eyes to the suffering endured by the most vulnerable in society. This sentiment was echoed by fellow leaver Ms Wollaston, who claimed Mrs May simply hasnt delivered on the pledge she made on the steps of Downing Street to tackle the burning injustices in our society. All leavers claimed to be saddened over leaving their respective parties, as anyone leaving a political party they have committed their time and energy to would rightly feel. However they have arrived at a point where disillusionment became too much, and dissatisfaction with the leadership in both the Conservative and Labour parties has led the 11 now-independent MPs to seek an alternative option. Who are the new Independent Group? The New Independent Group a name they seem likely to keep is now made up of 11 former Labour MPs and three former Tories with rumours more from each party are considering joining up. From Labour, we have Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Ann Coffey, Gavin Shuker and Joan Ryan. These MPs claimed to have left the Labour party amid discontent with Jeremy Corbyns leadership on Brexit, specifically with regards to issues surrounding immigration, foreign policy and antisemitism. The former Labour MPs are joined by Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen of the Conservative Party, who are also unhappy with the leadership of their party and feel that Brexit is not only being mishandled but is also taking attention away with other key issues such as unemployment, homelessness and social inequality which the government promised to tackle when they took office. Last week, former Labour MP Chuka Umunna was appointed as the Groups overall spokesman, and its looking as though hes set to take on the leadership of the new party. In his own words, Mr Umunna has said in a TV interview that he hopes to play the biggest role in the new independent party and its likely he will appoint one of the former Conservative MPs as his deputy. Despite this, Mr Umunna has also claimed its important that they are all leaders in the Group, showing confidence for a united party the UK isnt currently seeing. According to former Labour MP Chris Leslie, the Independent Group are attempting to form an official party as swiftly as possible, stating we cant leave the British public with a choice between Corbynism and Europhobia at a General Election we have a duty to develop a serious alternative. They intend to open talks with the Electoral Commission on Tuesday, 5th of March regarding the steps they need to take in order to register as an official party who can put up candidates nationwide should a snap election be called. Other opinions For better or worse, the new Independent Group are certainly gaining momentum, despite only having been established less than a fortnight ago. With many hundreds of small donors putting their bankroll up to several hundreds of thousands of pounds already, they are currently actively seeking larger scale financial backing in hopes of funding central and regional offices as well as electoral campaigns in preparation for the current political disarray to cause a snap general election. Rumours are that the Group are also undertaking discussions with other Labour and Conservative MPs who are unhappy with the current government and are considering defecting to the new party. As well as speaking with members of their previous political parties, the Group members are reaching out to dissatisfied MPs from other parties including the Liberal Democrats. In response, Nick Clegg, leader of the LibDems, has stated he has extended the hand of friendship to the new Group, although hopes none of his own party will defect. In other conversations, former Prime Minister Tony Blair has spoken out, stating that although he will not be leaving the Labour party himself, he has a great deal of sympathy with [the Group] and what theyre saying. Popularity According to a recent Opinium poll for the Observer, the Independent Group hasnt yet made much of a substantial breakthrough in terms of public support, with just five per cent of the public surveyed saying they would vote for the Independent Group should a general election be called tomorrow. In the same poll, 37 per cent of the population said they would vote for the Conservatives, 33 per cent would vote Labour and seven per cent would vote for the Liberal Democrats. They are also yet to make huge waves in government as an amendment they put down regarding the Brexit agreement (calling for a second referendum) was not selected by the Speaker, John Bercow. Mr Bercow also disregarded the new party when former Labour MP, Luciana Berger, was not selected by Mr Bercow during the Prime Ministers questions. Despite this, the new Independent Group is currently the fourth largest political group in government, with 11 members of parliament putting them in joint place with the Liberal Democrats, although there have been criticisms that the MPs should have considered holding by-elections in their constituencies when they deflected to ensure their politics still align with those of the public they represent. As such a new party, whether they will grow in popularity or fade into the background as a small party remains to be seen. The only thing we know for certain is this is one of the biggest shake-ups British politics has seen for some time. With mounting uncertainties in government and the UK in general, we can only hope that this new party can find some equilibrium and create something which reflects the will of the British public appropriately. Maybe theyll be able to put a stop to the squabbling and offer a united front. Time will tell. An unprecedented movement in the Russian embassy was supervised by intelligence agencies, days before and after the poisoning by Novichok of the Russian spy Sergei and his daughter Yulia Skripal. According to The Guardian, a source told the Press Association, the M15, the M16 and the GCHQ, were investigating the unusual activity during those days, on May 4, 2018. Meanwhile, the Kremlin denied being linked to the attack and published a report in which it states that a British woman named Dawn Sturgess was contaminated with the neurotoxic agent Novichok and hospitalized in Salisbury. The attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia collapsed after coming in contact with the novichok nerve agent, at his residence in Salisbury. From that collapse, they recovered, but in their place, Dawn Sturgess died, after exposing himself to the novichok that was contained in a bottle of perfume, which was found by his companion Charlie Rowley. From the beginning, the United Kingdom has accused Russia of being behind this attack, leading to Theresa May taking the decision to expel 23 possible Russian spies from the embassy in London, the biggest expulsion of spies since the end of the cold war. The position of intelligence agencies Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service reported in September that they had sufficient evidence to indict two Russians, Alexander Petrov and Anatoly Chepiga for the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripa. Then a third suspect was identified, Denis Sergeed, all believed to belong to the Russian intelligence agency GRU. It is not ruled out that there are more suspects. The investigation around the case continues, and in the words of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, they will never surrender in their eagerness that the culprits be brought to justice. On the other hand, just last week the work of cleaning and decontaminating the street where the attack was carried out was completed. Even anti-terrorism officials are trying to find out where the perfume bottle was located where the novichok was, from the March attack until he was found by Charlie Rowley in June. The Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have not commented. Neither the Russian Embassy nor the GCHQ has refuted the Press Association report. The source warned that there might be more suspects than those already named and said the investigations were not limited to publicly known suspects. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay are to hold fresh talks in Brussels in a renewed effort to secure changes to the Northern Ireland backstop. Downing Street has said negotiations are at a critical stage as Theresa May presses for concessions from the EU that will persuade MPs to back her Brexit deal in next weeks expected crunch Commons vote. Conservative Brexiteers are demanding guarantees the UK cannot be tied indefinitely to EU rules through the backstop, intended to ensure there is no hard border on the island of Ireland in the absence of a future free trade agreement. However, French president Emmanuel Macron signalled he would firmly resist any measure that might diminish the security and integrity of the EUs external border and internal market. He also accused Brexiteers of lying about the consequences of leaving the EU and suggested Britain would end up being part of a reformed Europe in the future. No 10 refused to be drawn on Monday on a report that Mr Cox had dropped attempts to secure either a time limit or a unilateral exit mechanism in the face of entrenched opposition from the EU. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay (left) and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox are to hold fresh talks in Brussels (Stefan Rousseau/PA) However, Mr Cox poured cold water on the claims describing then as misunderstood fag ends dressed up as facts. Some of it is accurate, much more of it isnt and what is not is far more significant than what is, he wrote on Twitter. Complex and detailed negotiations cannot be conducted in public. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said the negotiations were definitely making progress but that there definitely remains more work to be done. Meanwhile, the so-called Cash Council of pro-Brexit Tory MP lawyers named after arch Euro-sceptic Sir Bill Cash said they would make a judgment on whether to vote an agreement once they had seen the details. The DT reporting of the last 24 hours consists of misunderstood fag ends dressed up as facts. Some of it is accurate, much more of it isnt and what is not is far more significant than what is. Complex and detailed negotiations cannot be conducted in public. Get Outlook for iOS Geoffrey Cox QC MP (@Geoffrey_Cox) March 4, 2019 Council member Michael Tomlinson said any document would have to meet the requirements of the Brady amendment, passed by the Commons in January, which called for alternative arrangements to replace the backstop. Story continues There are no documents for us to examine at this stage, but we look forward to seeing in due course what the Attorney has agreed, so that we may assess whether it meets the requirements of the Brady amendment, which commanded a majority in the House of Commons and calls for significant, legally-binding changes to the Withdrawal Agreement, Mr Tomlinson said following the first meeting of the group at Westminster on Monday. We support the Prime Minister in seeking treaty-level changes, but pre-judging or speculating at this stage wont help the re-negotiating efforts. The council has asked to be given all of the relevant documents in good time to consider them properly, in order to form a judgment in advance of a vote. Our primary objective is a proper analysis. (PA Graphics) Mr Macron tore into Brexiteers on Monday, saying anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything. He said: Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? Who spoke to them about losing access to the European market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the former border? Nationalist retrenchment offers nothing. Indicating he will stand firm on the backstop, he said: Our borders also need to guarantee fair competition. What power in the world would accept continued trade with those who respect none of their rules? We cannot suffer in silence. At least 32 people were killed and thousands displaced as floods swept through Afghanistan in early March, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council and Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty. Other news outlets gave differing figures. The United Nations said on March 4 that eight provinces had been affected by the floods, with more than 1,600 houses damaged or destroyed. Credit: Tolo News via Storyful A meat cleaver is just one of the shocking weapons found by the Metropolitan Police as the force strikes out against knife crime. Forbidden on the streets and hidden from sight these are the lethal weapons seized from Londons streets as knife crime rockets. Police forces across the capital have used their social media accounts to showcase the deadly knives theyve taken off the streets. The images were shared as former commander Bernard Hogan-Howe saidBritain needs 20,000 more police officers on the streets to combat the epidemic. On Friday, 17-year-old Jodie Chesney was stabbed to death in a park near Romford, east London. A day later, Yousef Ghaleb Makki, also 17, was killed in Hale Barns, near Altrincham. The Metropolitan Police has shared images of weapons seized from the streets as the battle against knife crime steps up. Above a screw driver, baseball bat and lethal serrated blade. (Met Police) A lethal flick knife seized by London police. (Met Police) Weapons ranging from a meat cleaver to a lock knife have been seized and posted online by police. The true number of confiscated weapons is likely to be much higher. It comes after two teenagers, a Girl Scout and a pupil at a top private school, were stabbed to death in over the weekend. The assortment of knives recovered by police officers in Camden, Islington, Shoreditch, Enfield, Haringey and Charlton come as new statistics show the number of under-16s treated in hospital for stab wounds has nearly doubled in five years. Police share an image of a machete seized from the capitals streets as the panic over knifecrime continues (Met Police) A knife found in undergrowth by police (Met Police) Many of the weapons seized are clearly designed as weapons intended for causing harm. (Met Police) Doctors are battling to save three children a day on average as knife crime rates soar to the highest level since the Second World War. Recent figures have revealed 347 under-16s were taken to A&E with stab wounds last year, up from 180 in 2012-13, the number of child knife killers has risen by 77% in two years, and Knife-point robberies by teenagers have leapt by more than 50% in the same period Read more: Shocking list of suspected killings in London so far this year Husband of Isis bride denied UK citizenship wants them to live together as a family Meghan Markle gender fluid Royal baby claims are totally false, says Kensington Palace Knives seized by the Metropolitan Police and shared on social media over the weekend. (Met Police) Knives seized by the Metropolitan Police and shared on social media over the weekend. (Met Police) Knives seized by the Metropolitan Police and shared on social media over the weekend. (Met Police) Knives seized by the Metropolitan Police and shared on social media over the weekend. (Met Police) Just one of the blades shared by neighbourhood policing teams across London that were seized at the weekend. (Met Police) This weekends murders follow the fatal stabbings of three teenagers in a fortnight in Birmingham, which led to West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson declaring a national emergency. Story continues On Monday Theresa May has a cross-Government response to knife crime as she rejected claims police cuts had contributed to a series of brutal stabbings around the country. The Prime Minister vowed to tackle the causes of knife crime by addressing the issues which led so many young people to carry blades. But Mrs May was accused by political opponents of presiding over reductions in police numbers and cuts to youth services which have contributed to a rise in violent crime. A report by PwC found the country had retained its position as the best performing part of the UK. Scotland has maintained its place as the top performing part of the UK when it comes to gender diversity in the workplace, a new report has found. The latest Women in Work Index report by professional services firm PwC said that Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales outperformed most English regions in this regard. This was likely due to the higher share of public sector employment in these regions that tend to have smaller pay gaps and better female representation at senior levels. In 2000, Scotland had one of the highest female unemployment rates in the UK but since then this has gone from 6% to 4% in 2017, putting the country fifth in the UK rankings for female joblessness. The annual study looked at the representation and welfare of women in the world of work across 33 OECD countries in 2017. Overall, the UK improved its performance slightly, moving from 14th to 13th position in the ranking. But the report said: Its progress is held back by a stubbornly persistent gender pay gap, which will require concerted government policy and business action to address. Iceland and Sweden continued to occupy the top two positions on the index, with New Zealand rising from fourth to third. But the report said that the UK performs well in comparison to the other G7 nations, coming in second only to Canada in this group. Within the UK, PwC found that the top three performing regions are Scotland, the South West and Wales with the report noting that these regions have large hospitality sectors and a high concentration of public sector jobs, both of which tend to have more balanced gender representation at all levels and hence smaller pay gaps. In comparison Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the West Midlands were the three worst performing regions. Increasing female employment in the UK to the 69% achieved in Sweden could boost Britains economy by 178 billion, the report estimated. Story continues Lindsey Paterson, head of diversity and inclusion for PwC in Scotland, said: Scotlands strong performance across all metrics shows our country is making significant progress in addressing gender imbalance. The issue is clearly moving up the political agenda and is something all businesses must address with a sense of urgency. The one area where Scotland is below average is in relation to the number of women in full-time employment, albeit this is offset by the higher level (72%) of female labour force participation. Scotland benefits from better female representation at senior levels but to improve overall we must create a culture where ambition and progression is encouraged at all levels, even for those on reduced hours contracts. We would also encourage businesses to ensure flexible working policies benefit both male and female workers and allow them to achieve their full potential no matter their family responsibilities. A Scottish Government spokesman said: Equality for women is at the heart of our vision for a fairer Scotland and were delighted to see this reports recognition of the progress being made. The gender pay gap for full-time workers in Scotland is at a record low and is markedly lower than the rest of the UK as a whole. Were working hard to reduce it further and are continuing to invest in and promote family-friendly employment practices to employers across Scotland. The search has resumed for two European climbers missing for more than a week on the worlds ninth-highest mountain. Tom Ballard, whose mother died on K2, was climbing Nanga Parbat in Pakistan with Italian Daniele Nardi when they lost contact on February 24. The search resumed on Tuesday, involving four Spanish rescuers who were flown to the area by military helicopter on Monday, when they joined Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara who was waiting at base camp. Aerial reconnaissance on Monday found no trace of the climbers, however Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said that there is still hope as in some instances in the past, missing climbers were miraculously rescued after a long time. Search ops for @NardiDaniele and Tom Ballard under way this morning. Search party @AlexTxikon, Ali Sadpara, Felix Criado, Ramat Ullah Baig. Grateful to have such impressive guys on the job. Plan is to reach Camp 3 and search the surroundings also with the help of the drones pic.twitter.com/6zfIA32PSx Stefano Pontecorvo (@pontecorvoste) March 5, 2019 Italian Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo said that the climbers are two tough guys and he hopes they can be found alive. He said: Its been a week. There are known cases of mountaineers who had survived for longer than that. But he also acknowledged that the summit is a very difficult one. He said two Pakistani mountaineers were with the missing pair but had decided to turn back because they thought it was too dangerous. On Tuesday he tweeted a picture of the area and wrote: Search ops for @NardiDaniele and Tom Ballard under way this morning. Story continues Search party @AlexTxikon, Ali Sadpara, Felix Criado, Ramat Ullah Baig. Grateful to have such impressive guys on the job. Plan is to reach Camp 3 and search the surroundings also with the help of the drones. Mr Ballard, 30, was born in Derbyshire but moved to the Scottish Highlands in 1995, the year his mother, Alison Hargreaves, died on K2 when she was 33, months after becoming the first woman to conquer Everest unaided. Friends of the climbers have raised more than 115,244 towards the search effort in two days through a GoFundMe page. The target of the fundraiser is 150,000 euros (128,500). Alison Hargreaves with her two children Kate and Tom (Chris Bacon/PA) Mountain guide Sandy Allan, who has climbed with Hargreaves and knows Ballard, said he remains hopeful but admitted to having some negative thoughts after Mondays rescue flights failed to locate the pair. He said: I think people are getting really worried and very sad about the whole thing. He and his mother were very popular people. He was a little bit quiet, kept to himself, had some secret projects that he kept quiet, like all us climbers, but he was sociable and popular. I think most people liked him a lot. Allan said it was discouraging that the helicopter flights found nothing because if the two were alive in a snow cave they would likely have heard the helicopter and gone out to try to flag it down. He said the missing climbers situation becomes more and more precarious by the hour because of the extreme cold and wind. Located in Pakistans Gilgit Baltistan area, Nanga Parbat, dubbed Killer Mountain, is the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 metres (26,660 feet). Nardi, 42, and Ballard set out on the climb on February 22, making it to the fourth base camp by the following day. The pair last made contact on February 24 from an elevation of around 6,300 metres (nearly 20,700 feet) on Nanga Parbat. The UN children's agency is concerned after a global surge in measles cases last year. Most of the countries that experienced large spikes in the number of cases contained war or conflict zones, with Ukraine, the Philippines and Brazil seeing the largest year-on-year increases.France stands out among the top ten countries as a relatively rich country where the caseload jumped by 2,269."This is a wake-up call," said Henrietta Fore, the executive director of Unicef of the global upsurge. She noted that a "safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine" exists against the disease, which is more contagious than Tuberculosis or Ebola and can cause death.Growing anti-vaccine movementThe UN says conflict, complacency and the presence of a growing anti-vaccine movement on social media are behind the surge.The measles vaccine was linked by one study to autism in the 1990s. Any link has since been proved medically baseless after extensive research, but some parents still choose not to vaccinate their children.The World Health Organization last month listed vaccine hesitancy as among the top 10 most pressing global health threats for 2019.This after 136,000 cases of measles were recorded in 2018, an increase of 50 per cent compared to 2017.A few countries, such as Romania and Indonesia, have seen massive drops in the number of measles cases.Nigeria, Pakistan, Italy and China also saw a decline in reported cases.French family accused of bringing measles to Costa RicaA case has hit the headlines recently in France about a French family who went on holiday to Costa Rica.Their 5-year-old child, who had not been vaccinated, was hospitalised with measles shortly after their arriving.The family are now being accused of re-introducing the measles virus to Costa Rica, where it had been wiped out.The last measles case among the people of the country was recorded in 2006.Most recent case imported by visitors was in 2014. The UN children's agency is concerned after a global surge in measles cases last year. Most of the countries that experienced large spikes in the number of cases contained war or conflict zones, with Ukraine, the Philippines and Brazil seeing the largest year-on-year increases. France stands out among the top ten countries as a relatively rich country where the caseload jumped by 2,269. "This is a wake-up call," said Henrietta Fore, the executive director of Unicef of the global upsurge. She noted that a "safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine" exists against the disease, which is more contagious than Tuberculosis or Ebola and can cause death. Growing anti-vaccine movement The UN says conflict, complacency and the presence of a growing anti-vaccine movement on social media are behind the surge. The measles vaccine was linked by one study to autism in the 1990s. Any link has since been proved medically baseless after extensive research, but some parents still choose not to vaccinate their children. The World Health Organization last month listed vaccine hesitancy as among the top 10 most pressing global health threats for 2019. This after 136,000 cases of measles were recorded in 2018, an increase of 50 per cent compared to 2017. A few countries, such as Romania and Indonesia, have seen massive drops in the number of measles cases. Nigeria, Pakistan, Italy and China also saw a decline in reported cases. French family accused of bringing measles to Costa Rica A case has hit the headlines recently in France about a French family who went on holiday to Costa Rica. Their 5-year-old child, who had not been vaccinated, was hospitalised with measles shortly after their arriving. The family are now being accused of re-introducing the measles virus to Costa Rica, where it had been wiped out. The last measles case among the people of the country was recorded in 2006. Most recent case imported by visitors was in 2014. France has remained conspicuously silent as Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a veteran of Algeria's independence struggle, stares down a wave of angry protests opposing his bid for a fifth term as ... While President Emmanuel Macron was quick to take a position on the political crisis in Venezuela where the masses are seeking to topple Nicolas Maduro hes yet to weigh in on events across the Mediterranean in Frances former colony, where huge crowds are similarly hoping to topple an authoritarian leader.William Jordan, former deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Algiers, says France has little choice but to walk on eggshells where Algeria is concerned.This is a key consideration stemming from its colonial history. Atoning for French sins, Macron is conscious of measuring his words carefully, Jordan says.He knows that anything France says or does is going to be seized on in Algeria for whatever political agenda they may be pushing. The question of perceived French interference in Algeria is a big club that anyone on either side can use.A bedrock of French policy is that they prefer stability and predictability over anything else, Jordan adds. The French government simply doesnt want to see a change in the status quo and to launch into the unknown.Another fear is that insecurity in Algeria could spur waves of people to flee to France, says French historian Tramor Quemeneur, who specialises in the Algerian war of independence.Given the countries have such close social relations, we could see a flood of Algerians coming to France, where a lot of Algerians live already, he says. The Macron government does not want to see a lot of Algerian exiles in France.Theres also the question of the defence and security links that underpin the Franco-Algerian relationship.Algeria is the largest country in Africa, and it holds the key to the security of the north-west.While Frances own problems with social movements ie the gilets jaunes, or Yellow Vests make it hard for Paris to adopt an official position (France has to be seen to be supporting democracy), Quemeneur says the real reason for Macron's silence is to do with security and fighting terrorism.France has a close relationship with the Algerian regime, and the Algerian regime plays an important role in the Maghreb and in all of North Africa including the Sahel, he says.Algeria is crucial to the Sahels defence and security, so a big political change could pose problems for France as well and for the fight against jihad, he adds, noting France's engagement in combatting Islamist militants in the Sahel.Jordan goes a step further, saying its no coincidence that Bouteflika is seeing an uprising by people fed up with political and economic stagnation at the same time as Macron is being challenged, for similar reasons, by the Yellow Vests.People in Algeria see similar problems playing out in France, and there are some who may be drawing a certain inspiration. Algerians pay attention to events in France because of their longstanding history, Jordan says.Algeria also has significant oil and gas interests, and offers a lucrative market to many French businesses. France has remained conspicuously silent as Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a veteran of Algeria's independence struggle, stares down a wave of angry protests opposing his bid for a fifth term as ... While President Emmanuel Macron was quick to take a position on the political crisis in Venezuela where the masses are seeking to topple Nicolas Maduro hes yet to weigh in on events across the Mediterranean in Frances former colony, where huge crowds are similarly hoping to topple an authoritarian leader. William Jordan, former deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Algiers, says France has little choice but to walk on eggshells where Algeria is concerned. This is a key consideration stemming from its colonial history. Atoning for French sins, Macron is conscious of measuring his words carefully, Jordan says. He knows that anything France says or does is going to be seized on in Algeria for whatever political agenda they may be pushing. The question of perceived French interference in Algeria is a big club that anyone on either side can use. A bedrock of French policy is that they prefer stability and predictability over anything else, Jordan adds. The French government simply doesnt want to see a change in the status quo and to launch into the unknown. Another fear is that insecurity in Algeria could spur waves of people to flee to France, says French historian Tramor Quemeneur, who specialises in the Algerian war of independence. Given the countries have such close social relations, we could see a flood of Algerians coming to France, where a lot of Algerians live already, he says. The Macron government does not want to see a lot of Algerian exiles in France. Theres also the question of the defence and security links that underpin the Franco-Algerian relationship. Algeria is the largest country in Africa, and it holds the key to the security of the north-west. While Frances own problems with social movements ie the gilets jaunes, or Yellow Vests make it hard for Paris to adopt an official position (France has to be seen to be supporting democracy), Quemeneur says the real reason for Macron's silence is to do with security and fighting terrorism. Story continues France has a close relationship with the Algerian regime, and the Algerian regime plays an important role in the Maghreb and in all of North Africa including the Sahel, he says. Algeria is crucial to the Sahels defence and security, so a big political change could pose problems for France as well and for the fight against jihad, he adds, noting France's engagement in combatting Islamist militants in the Sahel. Jordan goes a step further, saying its no coincidence that Bouteflika is seeing an uprising by people fed up with political and economic stagnation at the same time as Macron is being challenged, for similar reasons, by the Yellow Vests. People in Algeria see similar problems playing out in France, and there are some who may be drawing a certain inspiration. Algerians pay attention to events in France because of their longstanding history, Jordan says. Algeria also has significant oil and gas interests, and offers a lucrative market to many French businesses. I haven't written about Kazakhstan for a while, but this is really fascinating Since it became independent, the Kazakhstani government has been trying to coax ethnic Kazakhs who live in other countries to move to Kazakhstan (the " Oralman "). They have been pretty successful. A bunch of my friends from Kazakhstan actually spent their childhood elsewhere (although most of the ones I know personally tend to be from other former soviet republics and not China). In any case, the Oralman resettlement project has meant that a lot of Kazakhstani citizens have relatives in nearby countries. There are 1.8 million Kazakh's in China. It is the country with the second largest number of Kazakh s after Kazakhstan. There is even a Kazakh autonomous prefecture in Northern Xinjiang, China.News of China's concentration camps for non-Han Muslim in Xinjiang increasingly comes out. The crackdown initially reported as targeting Uighurs, but also clearly is sweeping up Kazakhs. Uighurs are ethnic cousins to Kazakhs and probably would have garnered some sympathy in Kazakhstan. But the news that Kazakhs are also being targeted seems inevitable to stir some real outrage, made worse by the fact that many of those Chinese Kazakhs have relatives who came to KZ as Oralman and are now Kazakhstani citizens.Kazakhstan likes to portray itself as the defender of the Kazakh people. But China and Kazakhstan generally have good relations, and Kazakhstan depends upon China economically. So the government has been loath to criticize Beijing over its mistreatment of Kazakhs in Western China, even when some of them hold a Kazakhstani passport. While Kazakhstan is more economically dependent on China than China is on Kazakhstan, China's Belt and Road Initiative (arguably China's biggest most ambitious international effort) depends upon Kazakhstan. Most of the overland routes to Europe and the Middle East cross Kazakhstan So the government of Kazakhstan doesn't want to press China over its treatment of Kazakhs, but is facing enormous pressure from its citizens and international groups to do so. Meanwhile in the few cases when Kazakhstan has used its influence, China often has done what Kazakhstan wants. China has too much riding on KZ to jeopardize a souring relationship. But those few successful cases puts the Kazakhstani government under even more pressure to take on China. and yet Kazakhstan knows there is some line it cannot cross without risking a serious break with one of its most important trading partners.I'm convinced that Kazakhstan and and other Muslim countries are much better positioned to get China to change its behavior than the U.S. is (especially under Trump). The Saudis potentially had a lot of juice, but they have already pissed it away . So that leaves Kazakhstan, a country that is not in a terribly good position to make a risky move like that, and whose president who has tried hard to maintain good relations with everyone. But the Kazakh people are angry. President Nazarbayev can't ignore that. Turkish-born citizen and leader of the South Africa National Democratic Movement (SANDM), Mehmet Vefa Dag, is seeking to sit at the helm of the country in May presidential elections, to become the first South African citizen of foreign origin to lead the most powerful African nation. The Cape Town-based politicians party has entered into coalition with eight other parties for the May 8 elections. Dag, a Turkish businessman who settled in South Africa about two decades ago, pledged in his electoral promise a social revision and an improved economy with projects like a locally-made car, high-speed train services as well as the construction of Africas biggest airport, reports say. We have 8,000 registered party members and plan to hold a large campaign rally in Cape Town on March 23. I was born in Turkey but people here see me as one of their own, he told Yeni Safak newspaper. Dag arrived in Cape Town in 2001 after graduating from Uludag University of Turkey. He also received a MBA from the University of Liverpool, according to his Linkedin profile. He is the CEO of Vefa Holdings Pty LTD, a business specialized in wholesale. The dual South African-Turkish national lost mayoral election in Cape Town three years ago. The SANDM will fight harshly against dominating governing African National Congress (ANC) led by current state President Cyril Ramaphosa; the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) led by Mmusi Maimane; and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) led by Julius Malema. Ver esta publicacion en Instagram Que bonita experiencia #ucl On Sunday afternoon, Lee County, southeast of Alabama was thrown into chaos as horrendous tornadoes claimed the lives of twenty-three victims including a six-year-old child. Homes, businesses, and valuables have been affected adversely by the strong winds, the BBC reported. The potency of the tornadoes The tornadoes were potent enough that homes were wrecked, power outages happened and a huge steel cell tower came crashing down. USA Today reckon these strong winds were equally felt in parts of Southern California, Georgia, and Florida. A spokeswoman for Lee County Emergency, Rita Smith, notes that about 150 first responders joined efforts to help find survivors who were hit by the powerful storms. Beauregard in Lee County seems to be the area most affected. Video clips show debris found and houses without roofs and homes reduced to slabs. The National Weather Service (NWS) said it raced through Lee County with winds of 150 miles per hour at the midpoint of the five-step Enhanced Fujita scale, which is used by meteorologists to measure the magnitude of tornado's strength. Yahoo News believes up to fifty persons are injured and twenty-three victims dead already. The roads were littered with loads of debris. The authorities say the death toll could rise as the week continues. A local resident was interviewed by the authorities. They had this to say: Everything just kind of went dark...when it was almost like night outside. And it's that old cliche that it sounds like a freight train coming, well, that's what it sounded like. Obviously, the experience was terrifying. BBC News has it that this would be the country's deadliest tornado spawning in six years since twenty-four people were killed in Oklahoma City on May 20, 2013. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said that the disaster and the sheer volume of debris collected are the most he has ever seen. Discuss this news on Eunomia Reactions to the tragedy Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama State went on to Twitter to voice her condolences to persons and families affected by the winds. She pointed out that the authorities have been issued orders to send relief and help in searching for survivors. Likewise, President Donald Trump also used the same media platform to express his concerns. Alabama Meteorologist Eric Snitill reacted as well. Hee tweeted that more deaths have been recorded in the Lee County tornados than the entirety of the United States last year. Michael Cohen, who was President Trump's personal attorney for over a decade and is facing heavy jail time in the near future, testified before the House oversight committee on Wednesday, February 27 and didn't hold much back when asked about his former boss. Among all the verbal jabs and accusations he made about the former real estate developer, Cohen made a comment towards the end of his testimony that sounds particularly ominous. According to the HuffPost, Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power, said Cohen. There is already a wide and deep field of people vying for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2020 presidential election cycle. Among the well-known politicians who have already announced that they're running is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Senator and 2016 candidate Bernie Sanders, and California Senator and former state Attorney General Kamala Harris. Cohen's opinion is one that has been voiced before The lawyer is not the only one who fears that Trump may refuse to leave the White House when his time as president is over. Various left-wing political commentators, such as comedian and stand-up satirist Bill Maher and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore, have also voiced their concerns about a peaceful transition of power between Trump and whoever the 46th president of the United States will be. Maher, an outspoken liberal atheist who is the host of Real Time With Bill Maher on HBO, talked about this during a recent segment, along with what he feels would be the difficulty of enforcing a subpoena sent to Trump as part of the Mueller investigation. While on Maher's show on June 29 of last year, Moore echoed the same sentiment while pleading for Americans to turn out and vote in the upcoming midterm election. Discuss this news on Eunomia Trump has certainly mused aloud about the prospect of not having to leave the office of president. Early last year, Chinese president Xi Jinping helped remove that country's limit of two terms for each president. When speaking at a Republican party fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort a few weeks later, Trump said, "[Xi]'s now president for life. President for life. No, he's great. And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot someday." It is up to interpretation whether president Trump was being serious or if he made that comment at least partly in jest. Michael Cohen has not been complimentary of his former boss For years as Trump's personal lawyer as vice president of The Trump Organization, Cohen defended the commander-in-chief to a fault, especially as he mounted his hugely successful presidential campaign in 2016. These days, however, he has said nary a good word about the leader of the free world. On Wednesday Cohen admitted to threatening many people on the behalf of Trump. When asked by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) how many times he did so, Cohen said "quite a few times", then admitted that the actual number of people he threatened was well into the hundreds. Towards the end of his testimony, Cohen said that Trump's habit of lying and his overall behavior denigrates the office of the president," then displayed what seemed like deep regret. My loyalty to Mr. Trump has cost me everything, Cohen said. I will not sit back and say nothing and allow him to do the same to the country. Cohen was convicted of lying to Congress about being involved in a Trump Tower Moscow deal during the former real estate mogul's 2016 campaign. The people of Estonia have held their election for the Riigikogu, what they call their parliament. Polls indicated the race would be close, though it can be debated as to how accurate they were. It can also be debated if the personal popularity of the potential prime ministers might have effected the results. Whatever the deciding factors, the results are notable for more than one reason. And it appears that history is about to be made. The Estonian Reform Party finished in first place The Reform Party landed a plurality of votes cast, tallying 28.8 percent, according to The Guardian. Ideologically, the party promotes market liberalism and low taxes. Currently, it is led by Kaja Kallas. Kallas is the daughter of former Prime Minister Siim Kallas. The elder Kallas also founded the Reform Party was a candidate for president of Estonia in 2016. In second place was the Estonian Centre Party. As the name might suggest, the party is largely centrist in its platform. It is led by incumbent Prime Minister Juri Ratas. Polls had shown Ratas to be the most popular candidate on a personal level among voters. However, that apparently did not sway enough voters to put his party over the top. The party that may be getting the most attention is the third place finisher. This would be the Conservative People's Party of Estonia and it's a major source of controversy. Its leader is Mart Helme. Helme is a former Estonian ambassador to Russia and was a 2016 presidential candidate. As the AP indicates, the party has espoused nationalistic and populist beliefs. They are opposed to immigration into Estonia aside from countries within the European Union. However, the party is also hostile towards the EU itself. Discuss this news on Eunomia Other parties getting significant votes were the conservative Pro Patria and the liberal Social Democratic Party. Both parties are currently in a governing coalition with the Centre Party. That coalition, however, no longer has the numbers to continue in its current form. Forming a new coalition could be a difficult task. Both the Reform Party and the Centre Party have vowed not to enter into one with the Conservative People's Party. The two party leaders have also expressed enthusiasm at forming a coalition with each other. This would be known as a 'grand coalition'. In parliamentary politics, a grand coalition occurs when the two main rivaling parties form a governing coalition together. But this feat may be easier said than done. The parties' differences on taxation, education, and citizenship could put a halt on coalition negotiations. Estonia could be on the verge of history Though things remain unclear, Kaja Kallas is still most likely to become the next prime minister. She would be the first woman to hold the office. Previously, Estonia experienced a historic event in 2016 when Kersti Kalijulaid was elected president. Kalijulaid became the first woman and the young person ever to be selected for the position. Kalijulaid's path to the presidency was in and of itself unique. In Estonia, the president is first supposed to be elected by the Riigikogu. If that fails, an electoral college is the next step. In 2016, three rounds of voting in the Riigikogu and two in the electoral college, none of the candidates were chosen. Notably, Kersti Kalijulaid was not a candidate in any of these rounds. Instead, the process was started over and she was suggested as a compromise candidate in the Riigikogu. This approach was successful. The Chinese stock market is already the hottest market so far this year. The widespread belief that the Trump Administration is about to end its trade war and come to an agreement on enough issues, to send many Chinese equities soaring. By James DiGeorgia, Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI Inc.) announced yesterday that it intends to boost the weighting of Chinas onshore shares in its emerging market index by over $46 billion. News of the re-focus back into the Chinese equity marker sent Chinese equities climbing to their highest levels since June today, which means theyre up 20% this year. Large benchmarks like MSCI Inc. are wielding a more significant amount of influence over investors dollars as passive, index-tracking products. More than $1.8 trillion of investments followed MSCIs emerging-markets index as of June. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) estimates that $70 billion may flow into China as money managers follow MSCIs lead on increased asset allocation in Chinese shares. Special: Imagine an options trading service that has delivered over 4,872% in winning trade recommendations over 11 years. That's 442% a year in winning trade recommendations. Check it out! Just $49 for the first 60 days! China and international financial market and financial analysts were buoyed yesterday as news broke that President Trump was unable to get even the appearance of a deal with North Korea because they know that he is desperate for a deal from any source. The failure to make any headway with North Korea makes getting a deal with China that ends the considerable economic pain the United States is going through that much more critical. The amount of economic damage that can be attributed to the Presidents trade war now exceeds $68 billion, and the number of Republican Governors from red-states screaming bloody murder is growing. Presidents Trump and Xi are likely to meet at Mara-a-Lago estate in Florida the last week in March to finalize their newly negotiated deal. MSCI Chief Executive Officer Henry Fernandez decision to allocate much more money to Chinese stocks increasing his fund's weighting to 3.3% from 0.7% will take place in three buys between May and November. Markets in Southeast Asia could lose out amid the higher allocation to China, according to Morgan Stanley. The U.S. Commerce Department reported last Thursday that the U.S. economic growth slowed during the previous three months of 2018 and warned that more of a slowdown was possible going forward. By James DiGeorgia The broadest measure of goods and services produced in the United States grew at an annual rate 2.6% in the final quarter of last year and slowdown is significant from the middle of the year, when tax cuts and government spending fueled economic growth that grew briefly above 4%. 2019 economic growth in the United States has already started at an even slower pace than the last quarter of 2018 causing many economists to expect economic growth to fall below 2% in the first quarter of 2019. The 35-day partial government shutdown has inflicted the lower growth, and Trumps trade wars. Special: Imagine an options trading service that has delivered over 4,872% in winning trade recommendations over 11 years. That's 442% a year in winning trade recommendations. Check it out! Just $49 for the first 60 days! While most economists do not expect a recession in 2019, this means the current economic expansion is still on track to become the longest economic expansion on record. Lewis Alexander, chief United States economist for Nomura. I think this is a slowing, but I dont think this is were falling into an abyss. Kevin Hassett, chairman of Mr. Trumps Council of Economic Advisers, insisted in an interview on Thursday that President Trump still has some bragging rights albeit with an asterisk A year of 3.1 percent growth is something many people thought was impossible as recently as 2016, so its a major accomplishment. Still, Mr. Trump hasnt delivered the 5% to 6% he promised during his 2016 campaign for the White House, with economic growth in 2018 coming in at 2.9 percent. Whether growth hits 3 percent might matter politically, but it makes little difference economically. The difference between 2.9 percent and 3 percent growth is negligible in any one year, and, in any case, the Commerce Department will revise its fourth-quarter estimate in March. Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee, supports all Arab efforts aimed at defending the Palestinian cause and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Al Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, said Speaker of the House of Representatives (lower house), Habib El Malki, in Amman. Taking the floor at the 29th Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU), El Malki stressed the need to address the challenges facing the Arab nation, noting that Arab solidarity, cooperation, dialogue and coordination are much needed to defend the Palestinian people. He also called on Arab MPs to unify ranks to counter the threats and challenges facing all Arab countries, saying we all need unity, wisdom and foresight, vigilance and collective consciousness, mutual respect and the willingness not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. El Malki recalled in this regard, the message sent by King Mohammed VI to the 1st Arab-European Summit held recently in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in which the Sovereign said that Arab national security must remain an Arab matter, free from any external interference or influence. He also spoke about relations and cooperation between Morocco and the Gulf countries, affirming that the partnership existing between Rabat and these countries is strategic and not dictated by short-term interests, as Moroccos King said in his speech to the Morocco-GCC Summit, held in April 20, 2016, in Riyadh. The 29th conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) opened Sunday in the Jordanian capital under the title, Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine. The two-day event features debates on building a unified Arab stance on various regional and international issues, the fight against combating terrorism and the rights of women and children, in addition to issues pertaining to parliamentary work. On the sidelines of the AIPU conference, El Malki met on Monday with Jordanian Prime Minister, Omar Razzaz. The two sides hailed the excellent relations binding the two countries and the convergence of their views on regional and international issues, including the Palestinian cause and the right of the Palestinians to establish their independent state with Al Quds as its capital. El Malki commended during the meeting Jordans steadfast position on the issue of Moroccos territorial integrity. For his part, Razzaz expressed his countrys desire to take advantage of Moroccos rich experience in the areas of democratic practices, freedoms, rights and socio-economic development. HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. Last week a fire at Laughingbrook Spellcrafting & Ancestral Arts (LBSCAA) that was the result of faulty wiring and poor maintenance allegedly on the part the buildings owner and management has brought to light some religious intolerance within the Huntersville, North Carolina community. The fire started in the space of above the ceiling of LBSCAA and did little damage to the structure. Unfortunately, the contents of the store were affected by water damage when the fire was doused by firefighters. Gabriella Laughingbrook, founder and owner of LBSCAA, opened the business in the Fall of 2014 and has enjoyed the support of former Mayor, Jill Swain. Laughingbrook said Swain often brought officials visiting from other towns to see the variety of local art showcased at the shop and to experience the hospitality and the strength of diversity it represented. Laughingbrook Spellcrafting & Ancestral Arts also maintained a good relationship with the Huntersville Police Department, and other town officials. According to Laughingbrook, The local papers and news networks have been tremendously supportive and positive in their presentations of the pagan community. The community that has grown up around LBSCAA that Laughingbrook refers to as a Village or Village Laughingbrook. I asked her clarify how she defined Village. My style of Craft is VERY New England, Salem Village, Colonial hedgecraft type stuff, (easy when youre born there). So, when I use the word Village, Im referring to this sacred image in my head; an idealized collective of people, fraught with struggle, who each lend value to our experience of life. More concretely its the group of folk who want a family type sense of belonging whether they come into the shop in person, or simply participate in our discussions online, I counsel them all. I love them all. We are accountable to each other and grapple with our existences however they play out. Thats the Villagemuch, much more than calling them just regular customers. The community helped Village Laughingbrook thrive even while many other businesses were struggling. While terrible, the fire showed the strength of the community The support for LBSCAA has been overwhelming. It comes from both within Village Laughingbrook and just outside it. We are a community gifted with many connections and peopled with many skilled tradespeople, Laughingbrook said. Within hours of being notified of the fire, Laughingbrook said, A GoFundMe account was created before the smoke had cleared from the rooftop of our building. Volunteers have declared themselves on every social media account we have. Donations of art pieces to repopulate the shops inventory have flowed into my home here in Huntersville since Wednesday. The support did not end there. Since LBSCAA is going to have to relocate, Laughingbrook began receiving offers of all kinds of help. We have had lawyers and realtors jump to the occasion of assisting in our representation and relocation. She said, I post updates to our status regularly on the shop FB page so volunteers can anticipate asking time off from work to assist in the move, when it is finally possible. The new location will absolutely remain in Huntersville but this time, will be structurally sound. This is an opportunity for huge growth, both educationally for both communities and structurally for what has truly become a healthy and vibrant pagan Village. Not all of the responses have been kind, however. One comment posted to one of LBSCAAs public pages raised concerns. Laughingbrook wrote a powerful response to the comment and captured the screenshot above. Laughingbrook told TWH, What Mr. Kraft painfully underestimated in his moment of underwhelming affront, was the carbon fiber of strength and resilience that has been intentionally grafted to the bindwood of our green and growing Village. What Kraft and others like him hoped was true was that we a small, diffuse, leaderless gaggle of basement-dwelling, delusional cosplayers. Im sensing he and many others have learned that we are far from that. I am an outspoken advocate for Pagan/Witch rights. The shop caught the attention of the community and local media the day our door opened. What came to the fore was the jurrassically outdated rhetoric of xtian supremacy. I make an easy target because I do not shrink from difficult conversations. With BAs in Hispanic Linguistics and Cultural Anthropology, and a Master of Education degree in Social Justice Education, plus having been a professional educator and advocate for over 25 years, Laughingbrook was well equipped to handle the adversity. She went on to say, I trust Mr. Kraft now knows that I welcome every teachable moment and emphatically promote public awareness of injustice. There had been a few demonstrations of religious intolerance since the shop opened in 2014, and all of them occurred online. Laughingbrook cites a total of four incidents, I can count only 4 individuals to date who have commented their personal intolerance on the LBSCAA FB shop page, the Village Laughingbrook community page and one private message through the LBSCAA shop page. While there have been no actual physical encounters, Laughinbrook said there was the potential for one, A mounted physical confrontation has been alluded to on a Huntersville Presbyterian Church chat thread back in 2015, but was shut down by then acting Mayor, Jill Swain. Musings of torches and pitchforks style protest have never been actualized. The only other issue arose when an adjacent business site that had been formerly occupied by Lupies Cafe was leased to a pizza vendor in earlier this year. While the property owner had touted the new business moving in as potentially boosting foot traffic for LBSCAA, they seemed to not be very friendly. Laughingbrook explained how the interactions unfolded, When the new restaurant was still in the build-out stage, my children and volunteers noticed immediately that their attempts at conversation and welcome were coldly ignored. My eldest daughter went so far to go over and try to chat up the owners who we had heard one of whom was also from a Sicilian background. My intention had been to offer them a pot of Nonna Santinas tortellini soup as a hospitality, but after hearing back from her and my older son that they were being very coldly ignored, I realized that the property owner had deliberately misrepresented the open-mindedness of the new tenants. Things began to get a more tense over time. Laughingbrook stated, The coldness became leering looks of disgust, whispering employees out back behind the restaurant, and finally, the visitation of a local Catholic Priest who rudely ignored our greetings, and openly made faces of disgust when we attempted to initiate dialogue. The tension continued to escalate after Laughingbrook was told by one her regular Village members of a conversation overheard, It wasnt soon after that a regular to LBSCAA came over after having a slice of pizza in their establishment to report that kitchen staff had openly reported that the owners had planned to run them (us) off, and that the owners [of the pizza restaurant] had gotten a priest to come over to exorcise the witches from the building. Mind you, by this point, LBSCAA had been very successfully serving the community for 3.5 years. Laughingbrook said the series of events culminated in the arrival of a priest, Indeed, the Catholic Priest did appear on the property and in my hallway which in no way is connected to the hallway entrance to the new restaurant. When asked if he could be helped or if hed like a cup of coffee or tea, completely ignored my staff, exited the building and went straight to his car and refused to address my staffperson. From then on, the reports of slander came into the shop quite regularly from our Villagers who would grab a slice of pizza from the restaurant. She summarized the experience as a little more than disturbing, To say we were upset was an understatement. Previous to their tenancy, we had created a beautiful working community between Lupies, LBSCAA, Cafe 100, and Video Game World. With the exception of pizza shop, that community bond is still intactindeed it was Zach Kuklinski, Manager of Video Game World who called the Fire Department and me when the fire first broke out. She does have some concerns. My worry is that the damage of this fire, albeit faultless of LBSCAA, has provided the grumbling undercurrent of repressed intolerance a timely opportunity to throw a stone at our community. Even while standing outside Tuesday night at 8pm watching the roofline over the shop billow smoke, frequenters to the pizza shop could be overheard saying, the witches left a candle burning, or, they probably left some incense burning. That is the sum total of the angst and vitriol the pizza shop has added to what was previously a beautiful retail support system. When asked what she might want the Pagan community to learn from her experience, she responded, That resilience is the exact opposite of doubt. That as we are faced with a historically endless stream of atrocities against us, we are refined as survivors. We dont just endure, we persist. We dig in. As long as we can witness the Earths perpetual magics, Her infinite and conspired collaborations with Her Sun and Her Moon, from whom all magic is descended, then humanity will never cease to swim in the flow and miracle of Her Mysteries. One burnt roof does NOT an ending make. Village is Eternal. Editors note: An earlier version of this story mistakenly listed Laughingbrook Spellcrafting & Ancestral Arts as Laughingbrook Spellcasting & Ancestral Arts. As was expected, ailing president Bouteflika announced in a letter that he will succeed himself for a fifth term, but promised early elections within a year in a bid to stoke off public anger against his re-election while preparing to leave power on his own terms. In view of his frail health, Bouteflika hasnt spoken in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. And while the country is in turmoil, protesting his fifth term in office; he is believed to be hospitalized in Switzerland. His candidacy letter was met with protests, which started on Sunday night and continued to Monday with students taking to the streets. The President pledged to hold a national conference after his election for a fifth term followed by anticipated elections in which he promised not to run again, at a time analysts question whether he will be still alive before the ballot of April 18. Bouteflika, confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak intelligibly, is unrelenting in his obstinacy to a presidency for life. His insistence to be re-elected mirrors disdain for the popular protests across Algiers which have been so far peaceful save some scuffles with Police in Algiers which has used tear gas injuring hundreds and killing one person so far. Yet, Bouteflikas candidacy is a mere time buying measure that may help vying clans with a regime made up of military generals, ruling FLN leaders and business tycoons to agree on a successor. Algeria has been ruled by figures who took part in the war of liberation. But some Algerian nationalists denounce them as wrong leaders who hijacked power from a civilian government after the departure of the French, marginalized real resistance figure and imposed a military autocracy. Opposition parties have issued a joint release calling on all candidates to withdraw from sham elections whose result is set in advance in favor of Bouteflika, the regimes candidate. 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Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kevin Roche has died at age 96, Roche is known for his legacy of built works that will far surpass his career, which spanned over six decades. Roche died on March 1, 2019 at his home in Guilford, Connecticut. Roche, was one of the easiest winners of the Pritzker Prize in 1982, was an Irish-born American architect. Roche was recognized for his vast institutional and corporate spaces that satisfied respective communities and their environments. Especially he is know with the masterplan of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY, 1968), and much of the expansion that followed, including the Lehman Pavilion, Temple of Dendur, and the reopened American and Islamic wings. Master planning for the museum The Met with the American Wing. Image courtesy of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates Other significant projects of Roche include the Oakland Museum of California (Oakland, CA ,1965), Ford Foundation (New York, NY, 1968), General Foods headquarters (Rye Brook, NY, 1982), and J.P. Morgan Bank headquarters (New York, NY, 1990). Kevin Roche started his practice in the 1950s with John Dinkeloo. Then they established Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, L.L.C. (Roche Dinkeloo), located outside New Haven, Connecticut, is a direct outgrowth of Eero Saarinen and Associates. After Saarinen's passing in 1961, the practice was subsequently taken over by Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo. Together they worked to resolve the remaining design issues on Saarinens major projects including the Dulles International Airport, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, and the CBS Headquarters in New York. Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts. Image courtesy of Pritzker Prize The office is a recipient of the AIA Firm Award, which is the highest honor bestowed on an architecture firm by the American Institute of Architects. Since its founding in 1966 Roche Dinkeloo has consistently produced exceptional buildings tailored to the distinct goals of their clients. Roche Dinkeloo is engaged in major projects throughout the United States, Europe and Asia and provides complete master planning, programming, architectural design, interior design, working drawings, specification and construction administration services. Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates' 60 Wall Street in New York. Image courtesy of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates His firm has designed a variety of institutional and corporate projects including 38 corporate headquarters, three hotel/apartment buildings, eight museums, numerous research facilities, theaters, schools, factories, performing arts centers, private residences, and the Central Park Zoo in New York. For the past 45 years, Kevin Roche has been the architect for the master planning and expansion of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, designing all of its new wings and installing many of its collections. "Architecture is an achievement that comes from the commitment of the owner and the understanding of the architect that the work to be realized will be a response not only to the immediate requirements but also to the broader concerns of the community, the accommodation of the natural and cultural environment, and the belief that the final responsibility is not only to the user and the community, but ultimately to posterity," said Kevin Roche in an office statement. Ford Foundation Headquarters in New York. Image courtesy of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates The 1982 the Pritzker Jury stated in its citation, "he is no easy man to describe: an innovator who does not worship innovation for itself, a professional unconcerned with trends, a quiet humble man who conceives and executes great works, a generous man of strictest standards for his own work. In this award to Kevin Roche we recognize and honor an architect who persists in being an individual, and has for all of us, through his work and his person, made a difference for the better." Top image: Kevin Roche (2016). Image Gerald Wenner > via Pritzker Prize Distinguished Japanese architect, city planner and theorist Arata Isozaki has been named as the 2019 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the award that is known internationally as architectures highest honor. Isozaki has been described as "he surpasses the framework of architecture to raise questions that transcend eras and borders." Arata Isozaki is also a Honorary Member of World Architecture Community and he is one of World Architecture Community's first Members (since 2007). Lauded as a visionary amongst his international contemporaries, Isozakis forward-thinking approach, deep commitment to the art of space, and transnational methodology have been evidenced since the 1960s. The prolific architect has been credited with facilitating dialogue between East and West, reinterpreting global influences within architecture, and supporting the development of younger generations in the field. His precision and dexterity are demonstrated through his mastery of an intercontinental range of building techniques, interpretation of site and context, and intentionality of details. The 2019 Jury Citation states, in part, "possessing a profound knowledge of architectural history and theory, and embracing the avant-garde, he never merely replicated the status quo, but his search for meaningful architecture was reflected in his buildings that to this day, defy stylistic categorizations, are constantly evolving, and always fresh in their approach." Isozakis early successes in architecture transpired during the era following the Allied occupation of Japan, when the country sought to rebuild itself after the ruins of the Second World War. "I wanted to see the world through my own eyes, so I traveled around the globe at least ten times before I turned thirty. I wanted to feel the life of people in different places and visited extensively inside Japan, but also to the Islamic world, villages in the deep mountains of China, South East Asia, and metropolitan cities in the U.S. I was trying to find any opportunities to do so, and through this, I kept questioning, what is architecture?, recalled the Laureate. Not only did he extend efforts to physically reconstruct his native hometown with buildings including Oita Medical Hall (1959-60) and Annex (1970-1972 Oita, Japan), and the Oita Prefectural Library (1962-1966 Oita, Japan, renamed Oita Art Plaza in 1996), but also redefined mutual exchange between eastern and western societies, allowing Japanese vision to inform European and American design, particularly in the 1980s. "Isozaki was one of the first Japanese architects to build outside of Japan during a time when western civilizations traditionally influenced the East, making his architecturewhich was distinctively influenced by his global citizenrytruly international," commented Tom Pritzker, Chairman of Hyatt Foundation. "In a global world, architecture needs that communication." Isozaki is the 46th Laureate of the Pritzker Prize, and the ninth to hail from Japan. The 2019 Pritzker Prize ceremony will take place in France this May, accompanied by a public lecture in Paris. The Priztker Prize jury is composed of Stephen Breyer (Chair) U.S. Supreme Court Justice Washington, DC, Andre Aranha Correa do Lago - Architectural critic, Curator, and Brazilian Ambassador to India Tokyo, Japan, Richard Rogers - Architect and 2007 Pritzker Laureate London, England, Sejima Kazuyo - Architect and 2010 Pritzker Laureate Tokyo, Japan, Benedetta Tagliabue - Architect and Educator Barcelona, Spain, Ratan N. Tata - Chairman of Tata Trusts Mumbai, India, Wang Shu - Architect, Educator and 2012 Pritzker Laureate Hangzhou, China, Martha Thorne (Executive Director) Dean, IE School of Architecture & Design Madrid, Spain. Details coming soon.... Top image courtesy of Pritzker Architecture Prize > via Pritzker Architecture Prize Members of the foreign affairs committee at the European Parliament turned down a proposal sponsored by advocates of separatism calling for treating southern Morocco, the Sahara, as a separate entity within the European neighborhood policy. The anti-Morocco proposal was put forward by the Greens in a series of failed proposals that bear prejudice to the territorial integrity of a close-EU partner in the Mediterranean. Morocco is one of the main beneficiaries of the EUs neighborhood policy, which aims at promoting prosperity, stability and security in the region. Partnership between the two parties survived the maneuvers of separatist proponents as Morocco and the EU renewed both the agricultural and the fisheries agreements, which both cover products from the Sahara. Morocco and the EU cooperate on a range of key issues including migration and security. The Union is Moroccos largest trading partner, accounting for 59.4 % of its trade in 2017. The same year, 64.6 % of Moroccos exports went to the EU, and 56.5 % of Moroccos imports came from the EU. Morocco is the EUs 22nd trading partner representing 1.0 % of the EUs total trade with the world. Total trade in goods between the EU and Morocco in 2017 amounted to 37.4 billion. Two-way trade in services amounted to 8.8 billion in 2016 with EU imports of services representing 5.2 billion and exports 3.6 billion. Emmanuel Macron in The Guardian: Citizens of Europe, if I am taking the liberty of addressing you directly, it is not only in the name of the history and values that unite us, but because time is of the essence. A few weeks from now the European elections will be decisive for the future of our continent. Never since the second world war has Europe been so essential. Yet never has Europe been in such danger. Brexit stands as the symbol of that. It symbolises the crisis of a Europe that has failed to respond to its peoples need for protection from the major shocks of the modern world. It also symbolises the European trap. The trap lies not in being part of the European Union; the trap is in the lie and the irresponsibility that can destroy it. Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? Who spoke to them about losing access to the EU market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the border? Retreating into nationalism offers nothing; it is rejection without an alternative. And this is the trap that threatens the whole of Europe: the anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything. More here. I was helping a patient with chronic pain and depression wean off opioids last year. Then, in the midst of that process, she got pregnant. We expedited our plan and quickly got her off opioids. We kept her mental health stable through an approach of exercise, counseling, medication and mindfulness. She had a successful pregnancy and delivery. Although her pain remains an ongoing issue, which we are managing through integrative care, she is now the mother of a healthy baby boy. Even with her chronic conditions, the patient has several factors in her favor compared to other new mothers. She has good social support from her partner, friends and family. She has a strong primary care network that also helps coordinate subspecialty care when needed. She has a great health benefits package through her work. And, also relevant: She is white. When we discuss the alarming trend of worsening maternal mortality rates in the United States, we need to talk about black women.(www.nationalpartnership.org) The maternal mortality ratio for white women is 12.4 per 100,000; it's more than three times higher for black women at 40 per 100,000, according to the CDC.(www.cdc.gov) These disparities persist in multivariable analysis for other women of color, too.(www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Although infant mortality rates are consistently improving, the nation's already-high maternal death rate has spiked since 2000. In fact, an NPR and ProPublica investigation of maternal mortality(www.npr.org) found that not only were American women far more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than their peers in other developed countries, the United States was the only country out of 14 where the rate of women dying is increasing. The leading causes of pregnancy-related maternal death(www.cdc.gov) include cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases, infection, hemorrhage, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolism, cerebrovascular accidents, and hypertension. But in digging deeper past these stats, it's clear the problem is a complex web involving lack of social support, chronic medical conditions with inadequate primary care and implicit biases in medicine. The racial disparities span across socioeconomic status and education levels. A 2016 study conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene(www1.nyc.gov) found that college-educated black women are more likely to suffer complications or death from pregnancy compared to white women who lack a high school degree. It's a painful reminder of the impact of institutional racism. What can family physicians do to support our reproductive-age patients, especially women of color? There's the obvious, of course: We need more family physicians in both rural and urban communities providing obstetric care, and they should be well trained in managing obstetric emergencies, through courses like Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics. But there are several other areas, which are less obvious, that can have an even larger impact on curbing maternal mortality. Here, all family physicians can play a valuable role -- even those who don't provide obstetric care. Of critical importance: Women need preconception access to primary care to improve management of chronic conditions, like obesity, hypertension and diabetes, which all pose real threats in pregnancy. And, as our opioid crisis grows among reproductive-age patients, we must aggressively integrate addiction medicine, as well as mental health, into preconception and prenatal care. All these efforts can be led by family physicians. Our fractured health care system is a clear culprit in contributing to maternal deaths. A model family physicians can use to deliver care is maternity medical homes,(www.ihi.org) which are emerging as a platform to provide coordinated maternity care with a focus on quality, safety, access to care and primary care. Family physicians can also use our learnings from the chronic disease care model of group visits and apply them to pregnancy. Centering Pregnancy(www.centeringhealthcare.org) is a group prenatal care model that encourages emotional support for behavior change, empowerment and health education. Another factor to consider in maternal mortality: Half of all pregnancies in in the United States are unplanned. Family physicians play a critical role in reducing the rates of unplanned pregnancies through comprehensive sex education as well as widespread family planning. Unfortunately, we are sliding backward in this aspect of reproductive health, too, and the recent Title X gag rule(1 page PDF) is expected to have a disproportionately negative impact on women of color(www.elle.com) regarding access to family planning services. So where do we go from here? Based on a substitute resolution passed by the AAFP Congress of Delegates (COD), the Academy is developing a maternal mortality task force, which will have its first meeting in April. The task force is expected to report back to the COD on issues related to evidence-based methods to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality; methods to increase recognition of implicit bias and reduce disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality; and strategies to improve resident education and support practicing family physicians in providing full-scope reproductive and maternity care. Finally, we must advocate for our patients in order to dismantle social systems that disadvantage women of color. Certainly, training on implicit bias is beneficial for every health care professional. On a more systemic level, family physicians should advocate for policies that advance birth equity(www.marchofdimes.org) and fight systemic racism by supporting affordable housing, education, labor rights, access to quality health care and more. Addressing maternal mortality is complicated, but it won't take Herculean efforts. Mahmoud Fathalla, M.D., Ph.D., former President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, once said, "Women are not dying because of untreatable diseases. They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving." Natasha Bhuyan, M.D., is a board-certified family physician in Phoenix. You can follow her on Twitter @NatashaBhuyan.(twitter.com) Read other Fresh Perspectives posts by this blogger. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) plans to attract $48.04 billion in oil and gas investments over the next seven years, Group MD, Maikanti Baru, said on Monday. Baru who was speaking during a session at the 2019 edition of the International Petroleum Week in London, called on investors from across the globe to take advantage of the expected investment opportunities. According to him, over 41 billion barrels of oil (bbl) and 319 trillion cubic feet (tcb) of gas were yet to be discovered in the sub-Saharan region. He said several new frontiers for exploration opportunities abound in Nigeria, and that offshore discoveries in the country have mostly been limited to between 1,000 to 1,500 metres of water depth. The NNPC boss also stated that within this investment window, the country would have 20 out of the 93 projects to be funded across the continents oil and gas industry. He said the continents energy outlook remains positive amid difficult operating and economic headwinds and there has been a surge in capital expenditure (CAPEX) across Africas oil and gas sector, with close to $194 billion earmarked to be spent between 2018 and 2025. Baru said 23.8 percent of CAPEX in Africa would be spent in Mozambique, Angola Tanzania, Senegal, Mauritania, Uganda, Egypt, Algeria and Kenya. Gov. Noem's budget calls for workforce raises, high-dollar projects for local economies Noem's proposed budget includes $30M to help DSU bolster its cyber-security training program, which could include a facility in Sioux Falls. Rio Rancho Fire Rescue Chief Paul Bearce confirmed that there are plans to help reduce emergency response times to the Mariposa neighborhood. Bearce said in a phone interview Wednesday that the City of Rio Rancho is working with University of New Mexico Hospital and Lifeguard Emergency Services to stage a medical helicopter in Mariposa. However, he said several agreements need to be made before the city can move forward on the proposed service. Details have not been worked out yet. According to Bearce, the fire department is also putting together an emergency-medical-service-only crew based in Mariposa. Bearce said RRFR removed crews from Station 6 in Mariposa because of the call volume from across the city. Last year, there were 37 calls for service (out of Mariposa proper), and out of those 37, only 12 were what we call priority one calls, he said. Now Station 1, which is down here in the south part of the city, had 4,500 calls last year, so that is the reason we look into balancing the communitys needs. Bearce said RRFR wants to supply service to Mariposa without negatively affecting the response to other parts of the city. NAIROBI, Kenya A nearly day-long siege in the heart of Somalias capital ended with all of the al-Shabab extremist attackers killed, police said Friday, as the death toll was at 24 and expected to climb. Capt. Mohamed Hussein told The Associated Press that an operation to clear the besieged buildings had begun, with bodies found. Two of the dead were soldiers, he said. The overnight attack began with a pair of car bombs exploding in a popular area of Mogadishu where Somalis were relaxing at restaurants and hotels Thursday evening. One went off near the home of appeals court chief Judge Abshir Omar, and security forces fought off gunmen who tried to force their way inside, Hussein said. We heard a huge blast, a devastating blast that affected all the buildings, said Mohamed Ibrahim Moalim, the secretary general of the national union of Somali journalists. At least four gunmen then opened fire at nearby buildings and businesses, sparking clashes with hotel guards, he said. Dozens of cars caught fire along busy Maka Almukarramah Road. The extremists then holed up inside buildings, exchanging gunfire with security forces who worked well into Friday to rescue trapped civilians. Police said more than 10 people had been freed since morning. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, Africas deadliest Islamic extremist group, claimed responsibility for the attack and said its target had been the nearby Maka Almukarramah hotel, which is patronized by government officials. The extremist group has targeted it multiple times, killing scores of people. Police said the death toll could rise. Many victims had horrific injuries some had lost limbs, nurse Sadiya Yusuf at Daru Shifa hospital said and hospitals were said to be struggling to cope with the number of causalities. Doctors at Erdogan Hospital in Mogadishu said they had received 55 wounded people, with three succumbing to injuries. Many were in critical condition and 15 had undergone surgeries, said Dr. Ismail Yamas, the hospital manager. The style of the attack echoed previous ones by al-Shabab in Mogadishu as well as the attack in January at a luxury hotel complex in the capital of neighboring Kenya that killed 21 people. The United Nations mission in Somalia and others in the international community quickly condemned the attack, one of the worst in Mogadishu in months. It came after the U.S. military carried out a number of deadly airstrikes in recent days against al-Shabab, considered the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa. Al-Shabab opposes Somalias federal government and wants to impose sharia law. The U.S. has dramatically increased such airstrikes since President Donald Trump took office. The U.S. military command for the African continent reported carrying out 50 strikes in Somalia in 2018. This year, the airstrikes have come at an even faster pace, with 24 so far. The U.S. military command for Africa reported a new one that killed 26 al-Shabab fighters on Thursday in central Somalia, where two strikes earlier this week killed 55. ___ Associated Press video journalist Mohamed Sheikh Nor in Mogadishu, Somalia contributed. ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa Households in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia will have better access to electricity through the construction of the Kenya-Ethiopia electricity interconnection line, Ecofin news agency reported. The interconnection will be ensured by a 1068-km, 500-kilovolt high-voltage direct current transmission line, with 437 km in Ethiopia and 631 km in Kenya with related facilities at Wolayta-Sodo (Ethiopia) and Suswa (Kenya). This line is scheduled to enter its operational phase in the course of 2019, providing an uninterrupted supply of electricity for all. By December 2020, it will have a transmission capacity of 2000 megawatts, AfDB said. The commissioning of the interconnection with Kenya will enable Ethiopia to purchase new equipment and exploit part of its potential, according to Ecofin. While the Ethiopian Government is aiming to reach a hydroelectric capacity of 17,000 MW by 2020, thanks to the interconnection project, it could achieve a capacity of 40,000 MW by 2025, using the waters of the Nile. Currently, Ethiopia exports 100 MW, 80 MW and 10 MW to Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya respectively. Households in Kenya continue to struggle to have a continuous supply of electricity throughout the day. The East African nations installed generation capacity is 2370 MW, while peak demand is approximately 1770 MW. Angel Deleon, 41, was the last suspect still on the loose after being charged in 2015 for his involvement in the notorious prison gang, Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico. That changed Friday when he was arrested by Mexican law enforcement and Interpol in Cardenas in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Deleon is charged with murder in the 2001 killing of Frank Castillo in prison in Dona Ana County. According to an indictment filed in federal court, Deleon and others killed Castillo for the purpose of gaining entrance to, and maintaining and increasing position in the Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico Gang. Joe Gallegos, Edward Troup and Billy Garcia were found guilty of killing Castillo in May 2018. The murder was one of several counts against 30 suspected gang members charged in a wide-ranging indictment that included a plot to kill then-Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel. SNM was formed after the deadly prison riot in Santa Fe in 1980, and authorities say its members have controlled drug trafficking and other illegal activities in New Mexican prisons and on the streets. Federal authorities undertook a three-year investigation that relied on numerous informants to dismantle the gang. Roughly 120 members and associates of the gang have been convicted, more than a dozen of whom were found guilty of, or pleaded guilty to, murder charges. FBI agents had worked with Mexican authorities to track down and arrest Deleon, said FBI spokesman Frank Fisher. This is a great example of the FBI and our partners in Mexico working together to get a dangerous individual off the streets, said James Langenberg, Special Agent in Charge of the Albuquerque FBI Division. We want to thank the Mexican government, our Legal Attache staff in Mexico, and the U.S. Department of State for their assistance. Deleon will be extradited to the United States. SANTA FE A bill that would make the historic Los Luceros property north of Espanola part of the Museum of New Mexico passed the House on Monday. If approved by the Senate and signed by the governor, House Bill 692 would make the 148-acre property the states ninth state historic site, joining Coronado State Monument, Jemez Historic Site and the Bosque Redondo Memorial, among others. Currently under the oversight of the state Department of Cultural Affairs, it would be managed by that departments state historic sites and monuments division. In addition, a separate measure, House Memorial 47, calls for a study to be conducted to determine the feasibility of an application to list Los Luceros as a World Heritage site should the United States rejoin the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (The U.S. withdrew from UNESCO in December, citing anti-Israel bias after UNESCO agreed to designate the Palestinian city of Hebron as a World Heritage site.) There are more than 1,000 World Heritage sites around the world, including the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Grand Canyon. New Mexico already has the most World Heritage sites of any state with three: Carlsbad Caverns, Chaco Canyon and Taos Pueblo. I just think Los Luceros is deserving of having that designation, said Rep. Jim Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, who introduced the legislation. Its got a lot of history. In 1983, Los Luceros was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the House Memorial, Los Luceros has been known by many names over the centuries. Ancient people lived and farmed the land near what is now Alcalde and two pueblo communities were built nearby. It was at the center of the Spanish land grant establish by General Don Diego de Vargas in 1705. It became a working farm and ranch and after New Mexico achieved statehood it was purchased by Mary Cabot Wheelwright, who later gifted it to Maria Chabot, a friend of Georgia OKeeffe. The property, which includes a 5,700 square foot hacienda on the Rio Grande and a visitors center, was purchased for $2.5 million by the state of New Mexico in 2008 a move that was somewhat controversial given no definite plans for its use. Suggestions over the years included a film institute and agricultural education or crop studies. According to the fiscal impact report, the property has never received adequate funding due to the economic downturn. Rep. Trujillo said he has asked for $100,000 in capital outlay for maintenance during the current legislative session. The Journal reported in November that Los Luceros is currently operating with temporary funding. The Department of Cultural Affairs had recently hired an on-site property manager, who said a farm employee was been tending to the sites agricultural land. Tours were being conducted by appointment and parties can rent the facilities for weddings, retreats or special events. Los Luceros also hosts an annual Harvest Festival, during which visitors can pick apples from a 1,000-tree orchard, watch sheep-shearing demonstrations using the Los Luceros flock, and wool-spinning demos. Leading health organizations, including the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, recommend breastfeeding because of the benefits for infants, which include lower risks for ear infections, cancer and digestive problems. Mothers who breastfeed typically have lower risk for postpartum depression, Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They also avoid the cost of buying bottles and formula. The New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force has been working for decades to improve opportunities for women who want to breastfeed their babies. Our commitment at the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force has always been to advocate for and increase awareness of breastfeeding in order to equip communities with the resources needed to provide support, and protect the rights of children and mothers, said Executive Director Jennifer Mastripolito. As part of its mission, the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force holds an annual conference where lactation consultants and medical professionals discuss new trends and issues that arise for breastfeeding mothers. This years conference, the 25th annual event, will be held Thursday and Friday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albuquerque. Featured speaker Anne Eglash, MD, a clinical professor with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, will talk about integrating breastfeeding care into medical practices and supporting breastfeeding during the first weeks postpartum. Dr. Eglash is an associate editor for the Breastfeeding Medicine Journal. She also co-hosts and produces a podcast series called The Breastfeeding Medicine Podcast, which is available free on iTunes. Dr. Frank J. Nice has practiced as a consultant and author on medications and breastfeeding for more than 40 years. He will hold a session on breastfeeding, pregnancy and marijuana. Another session will cover what professionals should know about medications and breastfeeding. Laurel Wilson is a pregnancy and lactation expert, and author of such books as The Greatest Pregnancy Ever: The keys to the MotherBaby Bond and Attachment Pregnancy: the Ultimate Guide to Bonding with Your Baby. One of her sessions will focus on social media and how it may affect new parents. The conference is primarily geared toward health care providers, lactation consultants and others who work with breastfeeding mothers, such as midwives and pediatricians, said Breastfeeding Task Force Deputy Director Monica Esparza. The New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force is a nonprofit with chapters throughout most of the state. It works with hospitals and clinics around New Mexico to promote breastfeeding, and advocates for breastfeeding-friendly workplace policies and legislation. If you go Ticket prices WHAT: 25th Annual Advanced Concepts in Breastfeeding Conference WHEN: Thursday, March 7, and Friday, March 8 WHERE: Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1901 University Blvd. NE. REGISTER AT: breastfeedingnm.org, click on Events and Meetings and Annual Conference. MEMBER RATES: (both days) $350, (one-day attendance) $225 NON-MEMBER RATES: (both days) $400, (one day) $250.Childcare is available throughout the conference Tom and Peggy Misciagna were sitting in their Manassas, Va., home recently, talking about the children they adopted overseas in the 1980s, when Tom, 64, misremembered a major detail. We got two kids out of India, he said. Peggy, 59, chimed in. Philippines. Oh, yeah, Philippines, said Tom, a retired CIA officer. He grinned wryly at his wife. Thats Ollie talking. Ollie is their nickname for Alzheimers, the disease Tom was diagnosed with seven years ago. For the Misciagnas, Ollie is a third presence in the house, one they didnt invite in. But since hes there, theyre making room for him. And though it might seem counterintuitive, they are even trying to have fun with him. That approach giving the illness a nickname, smoothly zigging after hitting a zag puts the Misciagnas in a growing camp of people determined to approach dementia care differently, coming at it with a sense of openness, playfulness and even wonder. It is in stark contrast to earlier generations of Alzheimers patients and their caregivers, who saw the disease as something to be hidden. Even now, fewer than half of Alzheimers patients are told they have it, according to a 2015 Alzheimers Association report, and a 2012 study found it surpassed cancer as the disease Americans fear most. It has been swathed in shame, stuck in what Bill Thomas, a geriatrician who is working to change attitudes about old age, calls the tragedy narrative. The main framework America has available to contend with this is . . . that its a terrible, destructive ride all the way down and then you die, he said. While factually true, that is extremely unhelpful to families and elders. Family members often try to nudge a loved one back toward getting facts right or remembering things correctly, but as the disease progresses this can turn their daily interactions into grim, and increasingly frustrating, battles. Instead, Thomas and others are promoting a more joyful approach, which they say can help caregivers and patients alike. It involves a lot of flexibility and willingness to expand ones ideas of how things are supposed to be even, crazy though it might sound, to see Alzheimers as a kind of gift. Too much attention is focused on medicalizing the disease, said Mary Fridley, co-creator of a workshop called The Joy of Dementia (Youve Got to Be Kidding!) at the East Side Institute, an alternative psychology and education research center in New York. Dementia is enormously painful, said Fridley, who has written about caring for her mother, who had Alzheimers and died a year ago. But, she added, I truly believe it is an opportunity, if people so choose, to be improvisational, to be silly, to play, to free ourselves from the constraints of truth and knowing and assumptions. A 2016 pilot study in a Canadian nursing home found that dementia patients behavioral and psychological symptoms declined significantly and their quality-of-life scores improved significantly after 12 weeks of visits by elder-clowns who engaged with them using humor, empathy and improvisation. Caregivers, too, appear to benefit: A 2016 Australian study found dementia-care staff with positive attitudes and person-centered strategies felt more competent about their ability to provide care. Although large-scale studies on positive approaches to dementia have yet to be done, a growing number of groups around the United States are embracing them. Thomass organization, ChangingAging, has a traveling show called Disrupt Dementia that explores the emotions associated with dementia. And in Seattle, a collective movement known as Momentia facilitates social gatherings at coffee shops, museum tours, zoo walks, and even gibberish conversations for people with dementia and their caregivers. That is familiar to Fridley. With my mom, especially as she began to lose, quote-unquote, her capacity to speak, she was babbling and the words were nonsensical, she said. Rather than staying confined to a fixed idea of what language is, Fridley stopped worrying about it. Sometimes, we created a poem together. She would say something and I would say something that, quote, rhymed and then she would say something that rhymed, like, Im dying; Youre dying; Im dining; Im dining before Im dying. Jennifer Carson, director of the newly launched Dementia Engagement, Education and Research program at the University of Nevada at Reno, encourages this kind of engagement. Alzheimers can be a liberating event, an opportunity to fly, she said. This is in no way to dismiss the pain and suffering that comes from dementia, but to understand that a lot of that pain and suffering comes from the response. Carson believes much suffering comes from the social response after the diagnosis, what she describes as being treated as if youre no longer there. Tell someone they have dementia and then ignore them: Thats the suffering, way more than the tragedies that are intrinsic to dementia itself. That was the experience of Brian LeBlanc of Pensacola, Fla., who was diagnosed with Alzheimers four years ago. People would walk up and turn to whoever I was with and say, Hows he doing? Id turn to them and say, Im doing pretty good and I can still hear you, he said. LeBlanc, 58, was painfully familiar with the disease his mother, grandfather and great-grandmother had it, and receiving his diagnosis was devastating. But, he said, I did not want to stay in that dark place. His mother had never wanted to talk about her Alzheimers and became withdrawn after her diagnosis. But LeBlancs background was in public relations and marketing, so he started doing what he knew best: traveling and speaking publicly, hoping to educate people about how Alzheimers feels from the inside. From the early days of his diagnosis, LeBlanc used humor as a coping mechanism. After he learned he had the disease, a friend sent him a picture of a T-shirt that read: Roses are red Violets are blue I have Alzheimers Cheese on toast. I thought that was the funniest thing, he said. Those are the type of things that keep me going. I get enough of the stigma of people saying I dont look like I have Alzheimers. But its the people who are really my friends who will stick with me and joke and say, Hey, do you have the 20 bucks you owe me? And then I have to stop and think, and theyll start laughing. WASHINGTON If he were alive today, Mark Twain might say the following: Theres lies, damned lies and Donald Trump. The president of the United States not only lies routinely, but he believes other peoples lies without a modicum of skepticism. Last week, the liar in question was North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who claimed to have known nothing about what appears to have been the torture and, ultimately, murder of American college student Otto Warmbier. After holding a second nuclear summit for which he was grossly unprepared, this time in Vietnam, Trump said Kim tells me that he didnt know about it, and I will take him at his word. He added that Kim felt badly about it. He felt very badly. Right. Because Kims empathy and compassion toward his starving countrymen and those he has had killed, allegedly including his half-brother, are legendary. It is mind-numbing and breathtaking to hear such nonsense from a president, who, if normal, would vindicate the victim through punitive actions rather than side with a violent dictator in some weird, contrived, non-productive chit-chat about nuclear weapons. Warmbiers parents were appropriately outraged by the presidents cavalier comments especially since he had used the Warmbiers as props during his 2018 State of the Union address and they issued a harsh rebuke. The 21-year-old Warmbier had been touring North Korea when on Jan. 2, 2016, while going through airport security to leave the country, he was detained by North Korean authorities. He was accused of stealing a propaganda poster from the Pyongyang hotel where he was staying. No conclusive evidence was provided that he did so, but he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. After 17 months, Warmbier was sent home in a coma, having suffered severe brain damage from possible multiple beatings, and he died a few days later. His brutal death was surely no accident, as Cindy and Fred Warmbier asserted in their statement rebuking Trump, nor was it likely unknown to Kim, whose Supreme Leadership doesnt leave much wiggle room for independent action. No one familiar with North Korea believes Kim wasnt well aware of his American captive. How could he not have been after a year-and-a-half of international news coverage and outreach from the U.S. State Department? Thus, make no mistake, Warmbiers death was as much an assault on America as it was on this young American son. But Trump, who confessed to having a warm relationship with Kim, based presumably on whatever pheromones passed between them, said he believed the man he previously called little rocket man. This is because the president is (a) a useful idiot; (b) a malevolent force in the universe; (c) a small-pawed, big-dog fanboy; (d) a strategic genius. I think most of us can eliminate option d. Option c is probable given Trumps strange attraction to tyrants, dictators, murderers and thieves. He has used similar terminology with other strongmen, with whom he has been equally credulous. Trump believed Russian President Vladimir Putin when he denied knowing about Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election. And he believed Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman when he denied knowing anything about the torture, murder and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. At the same time Trump believed their lies, he disbelieved the conclusions of American intelligence agencies, which, in each case, pointed a finger at the top guys. How could it be otherwise? Even if we pretend Trump is a strategic genius who is flattering his foes by faking belief in their lies, one is left to wonder to what end? To win their approval? To soften them for the next round? To charm them into believing hes one of them, that they are essentially the same but for minor differences resolvable through the art of the deal? If only he were trying to seize a widows home to make space for a new limo parking lot at one of his casinos. Or negotiating a new Trump tower in Moscow. But the stakes are a little higher now. And Trump, in trying to be a tough guy, has created the opposite perception. What every foreign ruler, dictator, president or potentate now knows is that every American tourist, journalist, college student or diplomat is fair game for capture, arrest, hostage-taking, torture or murder all without consequence. All they have to do is lie to the president, a proven weakling, and the bad thing that happened will just go away. The American people must not let him get away with it. Email kathleenparker@washpost.com. 2019, Washington Post Writers Group. What do you do when you have so much money you dont really know what to do with it? Well, if youre Democrats in the New Mexico House of Representatives grappling with two years of billion-dollar SURPLUSES, you muscle through what some are calling the largest tax increase in state history raising taxes on everything from auto purchases to personal income and raising an additional $350-million-plus in new revenue in the process. And then you cloak it in the ghost of positive, though failed, legislation past and call it tax reform. First, lets dispense with the notion this is tax reform the kind sponsored regularly by Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, which would close hundreds of loopholes and lower the regressive gross receipts tax on goods and services. Because the majority of our lawmakers couldnt muster up the appetite for that then or now. And while House Bill 6 does close a couple of important loopholes primarily leveling the playing field for online retailers with brick-and-mortar businesses and nonprofit hospitals with their for-profit and government brethren to pretend its tax reform would be an exceptional piece of political marketing. Because the biggest thing its fixing is governments insatiable need for more of your money. It doesnt stop there While a good case can be made for responsible increases in spending on schools, state employees and reserves, lawmakers are also considering HB 548, aka House Bill Junior, in which lawmakers get additional money for capital outlay, aka pork. Remember, each lawmaker already gets funding for capital outlay to spend at their discretion. HB Junior would add $400,000 to each of the 70 House members pots. No wonder the House wants those tax hikes. A key piece of HB 6 is raising personal income tax on high earners from 4.9 percent to 6.5 percent, unwinding cuts under Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson and putting New Mexico further out of whack with its neighbors. The message HB 6 sends to doctors and other upper-income professionals: You are better off in Texas, Arizona, Utah or Colorado. Then theres an increase in the motor vehicle excise tax giving N.M. car buyers another financial incentive to purchase vehicles out of state. To add insult to injury, this new money would incredibly not be designated for the road fund; it would go into the pot for general spending. Supporters of the House tax package its sponsored by Democratic Reps. Jim Trujillo of Santa Fe; Sheryl Williams Stapleton, Javier Martinez and Antonio Moe Maestas of Albuquerque; and Susan Herrera of Embudo point out the state has been through some tough times. State government had to tighten its belt a few notches. State coffers will continue to grapple with the up-and-down nature of the oil and gas industry (which N.M. relies heavily on, along with federal spending). But rather than fashion a system designed to grow an economy that in turn would generate tax revenue by attracting private-sector businesses, professionals and workforce, they prefer to lock in tax hikes so future government spending is more insulated from the real economy. Meanwhile, other states with the same kind of fiscal surplus problem are making smarter investments. According to the Wall Street Journal, Arkansas lowered its top personal income tax rate, South Carolina proposed an income tax rebate, and Florida is looking at lowering property and sales taxes. Its also worth noting Arkansas, South Carolina and Florida are pushing for more education funding. Delete the anti-NM parts The Journal is not opposed to everything in HB 6 or tax-increase related. We have advocated for imposition of gross receipts on internet sales as a matter of equity and for a higher gasoline tax earmarked for roads. Nor do we oppose the increase on nonprofit hospitals or the tax on e-cigarettes. But the Journal is opposed to telling residents and visitors alike their money goes further across the state line. This behemoth of a tax package is in the Senate, now the land of fiscal sanity in state government. The state will be much better off if senators jettison the economic poison pills in this raid on residents pocketbooks. Because under HB 6, N.M. government wants to do everything but learn to live within its means. And that will lead to fewer people living in New Mexico. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. Get ready for a Downtown slowdown. The Albuquerque City Council has approved designating the heart of the city a safe zone where speed limits cannot exceed 20 mph. The new resolution, passed 7-1 Monday night, would affect an area bounded by Coal and Lomas, 8th Street and the railroad tracks. However, Lomas itself would not be subject to the lower speed limit. Councilor Isaac Benton, who sponsored the proposal, called it an outgrowth of a 2014 Downtown walkability study. Author Jeff Speck had in his report actually recommended a 25 mph for the area but called it a compromise, writing that a growing number of cities have instituted 20 is Plenty ordinances in their downtowns, and a few have even settled on 18 mph as the target speed. Benton, who represents Downtown, said 20 makes sense in the citys core, noting its grid-like design and closely spaced intersections. Its very important for a Downtown center where there is tourism and where we are trying to re-establish vitality to be walkable, Benton said prior to the vote. Its good for business, its good for health, its good for everybody. Council President Klarissa Pena quipped: Sounds like the cruisers had it right: we just want everyone cruising Downtown. Don Harris cast the lone vote against the proposal, saying in an interview afterward it could have unintended consequences. I think it cuts against having Downtown be a commercial destination, he said. A lot of people dont like to go Downtown because its a hassle, and I think this could make it more of a hassle. But Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement he supports the idea as it aligns with the Downtown Public Safety District initiative. With Kellers approval, the new speed limit likely will take affect in mid- to late April. Lawrence Rael, Kellers chief operations officer, said the roadway system should be shared. We ought to have a reasonable speed limit that ensures the safety of those who are on bicycles, who may be at some point on e-scooters, and pedestrians that are walking Downtown, Rael told the council. Benton said studies have shown that pedestrians have a 90 percent survival rate when hit by cars going 20 mph, but it falls to 50 percent when the car is traveling 30 mph. While many of the affected Downtown streets are only 25 mph now, he noted that many drivers tend to exceed limits by 5 mph. Transportation officials have said New Mexico has one of the highest if not the highest rates of pedestrian fatalities in the U.S.; more than 400 people on foot were struck by vehicles in 2018 in Albuquerque alone. The Mid-Region Council of Governments in 2016 compiled a report identifying the sites of all pedestrian crashes between 2010 and 2014 involving a vehicle and at least $500 in damage or personal injury. The map shows a concentration along Central Avenue, including in the Downtown core. The organization has not done a more recent report, according to a spokeswoman. The city will have to adjust traffic signals at 45 intersections and replace 45 signs as part of the change, which Municipal Development Director Pat Montoya said will cost an estimated $70,000. DMD spokesman Johnny Chandler said the safe zone designation is the first of its kind on city streets, though the New Mexico Department of Transportation has identified part of Interstate 25 in the city as a safety corridor. Police can double speeding fines in those state-designated corridors, but Benton said the Downtown safe zone resolution does not include that provision. Bentons resolution also reiterated many previous recommendations made for Downtown traffic flows, some of which he acknowledged require more study. That includes transitioning Tijeras and Marquette from one-way streets to two-ways. Rael said the administration needs to further evaluate that idea as it could impact access to underground parking and create other concerns. But Montoya from Municipal Development said a bike lane reduction is among the more imminent changes. The city plans to restripe 5th between Lomas and Gold and 4th from Gold to Tijeras, moving the existing parking spaces next to the curb, where there are currently bike lanes. Crews will paint sharrows on the streets, indicating that cars and bikes are to share the roadway, Montoya said. There should be no bike lanes left (within the safe zone) once we do all of our restriping, he said. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Theres a rift over reefer within the New Mexico Republican Party. After state GOP Chairman Steve Pearce asserted the party does not support bills to legalize recreational marijuana use including one pushed by three Republican senators one of the lawmakers pushed back, saying Pearce should have researched the bill before speaking out. Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, also said Pearces unsuccessful bid for governor last year hurt Republican legislative candidates statewide. Failed and out-of-touch politicians should speak for themselves and not an entire party, Moores added in a letter to the Journal scheduled to be published Wednesday. Pearce, who gave up his southern New Mexico-based congressional seat to run for governor, was elected state Republican Party chairman in December. That was less than two months after he was defeated by Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham in a hard-hitting governors race. In his own letter to the Journal, published Sunday, Pearce suggested that legalizing recreational marijuana sales and use would lead to higher New Mexico crime rates, greater family instability and more traffic accidents. Let Colorado over the next five years say if its worth it, then well consider this drug, wrote Pearce, who also opposed recreational cannabis last year on the campaign trail. In his letter, he said the Republican Party opposes two proposals House Bill 356 and Senate Bill 577 that both call for legalizing recreational marijuana use, but would establish different systems for its sales. The House bill would allow for private dispensaries and personal production licenses, while the Senate bill would create a new state agency to oversee marijuana production, sales and product standards. That version would allow for the sale of marijuana through state-run stores only. The Senate bill is sponsored by Sens. Moores, Cliff Pirtle of Roswell, and Craig Brandt of Rio Rancho, who are working on it with three Democratic colleagues. Supporters said during a hearing Monday that it would avoid a proliferation of privately run dispensaries or the green mile, as Pirtle described it. They also said that with an increasing number of states moving toward cannabis legalization 10 states have already done so and recent polls showing broad support for the idea among New Mexico voters, legalization is just a matter of time. I think unless you live under a rock, you know legalized marijuana is coming, Moores said. Most New Mexico Republicans and some Democrats have steadfastly opposed proposals to legalize marijuana in recent years. Former two-term Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican who left office at the end of last year, vowed to veto any marijuana legalization or decriminalization bills that reached her desk. None ultimately did during her eight years in office. But with Lujan Grisham now New Mexicos governor, some Libertarian-leaning Republicans have come forward with their legalization plan despite Pearces opposition. Those who just say no to reality choose a path that leads to a loosely regulated system with a pot store on every block, Moores said. The Senate Judiciary Committee did not vote Monday on the legalization bill, with some senators saying the bill needs more work. It has already cleared one Senate committee and must pass two more to reach the full Senate. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal Karen Trujillo easily won Senate confirmation as New Mexico education secretary Monday. Trujillo won confirmation in the Senate by a 38-0 vote. It came after a hearing before the Senate Rules Committee that lasted less than two hours. Her confirmation lacked the drama of the confirmation of former Gov. Susana Martinezs pick to head the Public Education Department, Hanna Skandera. It took four years for Skandera to be confirmed, partly because of constitutional questions over her qualifications. Skanderas successor, Chris Ruszkowski, was never confirmed. Trujillos confirmation comes less than two months after her nomination by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, D-Albuquerque, said it was nice not to have to look at the Constitution to see if this applies. No one spoke in opposition to Trujillos confirmation during a Senate Rules Committee meeting or on the Senate floor before the vote. Lawmakers praised Trujillos background as an educator, which Skandera lacked. Sen. Clemente Sanchez, D-Grants, said he was impressed with Trujillos answers during the hearing. Now we have an educator who will listen to students, Sanchez said. She understands classrooms. She understands schools. Trujillo told the Senate Rules Committee she was excited to serve as education secretary. We have an amazing team at the Public Education Department, Trujillo said. Trujillo fielded questions about her views on vocational training, bus safety, assessment changes, adult education, charter school funding, early childhood education, special education training and other issues. One of her duties will be fulfilling a Lujan Grisham promise of replacing the PARCC assessment, which was put into place during Skanderas tenure. Trujillo told the committee that PED officials have been talking to communities to see what the assessment should look like. That includes engaging teachers, Trujillo said. Trujillo said it was important to have teachers on board with the changes. An assessment is federally mandated by the Every Student Succeeds Act. We want to make sure our assessments are culturally responsive to who we are in New Mexico, Trujillo said. Trujillo did voice concerns in the hearing about testing students to death. You cant test students into proficiency, she said. She said she wanted to see the PED as a resource center for teachers and school administrators. We need to have a sense of mission, Trujillo said. We need to know how to align our resources (to accomplish the mission). Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE The triple-murder conviction of a Santa Fe County man accused of killing a family nearly eight years ago has been reinstated, after the state Supreme Court reversed a trial judges ruling to grant defendant Nicholas Ortiz just 16 years old at the time of the homicides a new trial. In December 2016, Ortiz, now 24, was found guilty of bludgeoning to death Lloyd Ortiz, Dixie Ortiz and their adult son Steven Ortiz at their home in El Rancho in June 2011 during a botched burglary attempt. Investigators say Nicholas Ortiz, not related to the victims, used a mattock, similar to a large pickax, to carry out the murders. But District Court Judge Francis Mathew granted a defense motion for a new trial after ruling that the Santa Fe District Attorneys Office failed to provide crucial jury instructions for the first-degree murder charges. The DAs Office appealed that decision to the Supreme Court. In a written decision issued Monday, Justice Shannon Bacon just sworn in as a member of the Supreme Court on Feb. 5 noted that a motion for a new trial must be filed within 10 days of a verdict. Nicholas Ortizs former attorney, Dan Marlowe, filed his motion six months after the conviction. Because Defendant did not timely file his motion for new trial, the district courts order granting a new trial is reversed, and this case is remanded to the district court for reinstatement of the verdict and entry of a judgement and sentence, Bacon wrote. According to Judge Mathews written decision from two years ago, he granted Ortiz a new trial because a fundamental error was committed by the failure of the jury instructions to instruct the jury in any fashion concerning the lack of sufficient provocation as an element of felony murder. Before the murders, Nicholas Ortiz had stayed for some time with Lloyd and Dixie Ortizs adult daughter, Cherie Ortiz-Rios, next door to the house where Lloyd and Dixie lived before he was kicked out. The killings took place in El Rancho, near Pojoaque. Based largely on the accounts of two cousins who were with him the night of the homicides, Nicholas Ortiz was accused of killing Lloyd, 55, in the backyard; Dixie, 53, as she was sleeping in her bed; and their adopted special needs son, Steven, 21, after a struggle in the kitchen. A first trial ended with a hung jury in May 2016, but prosecutors were able to secure a conviction in a second trial later that year. The Supreme Court ruling now prevents a third trial. It has been a very heartbreaking journey for all of us, Lloyd and Dixies other daughter, Angela Ortiz, told the Journal on Monday. I still remember this as if it happened yesterday. It wont give us closure, but it will give us a foundation to move forward. Ortiz was not arrested until 2015 after a co-conspirator, Ashley Roybal, went to State Police and told them Ortiz was the killer. Both she and her first cousin, Jose Roybal, testified at both trials that they planned to kill the Ortizes and take money and marijuana from their home. Ashley Roybal drove Jose and Nicholas to the Ortizes house. Jose Roybal testified that he got cold feet and ran away. Ashley said she picked up Nicholas after the murders and he had blood on him. No items were taken from the house. Ashley Roybal was sentenced to 11 years in prison for her role, but Jose Roybal was not charged. Im grateful for the Supreme Courts ruling allowing our office to move forward with justice in this horrific case that devastated the community of El Rancho, and all of northern New Mexico, District Attorney Marco Serna said in a written statement. Nicholas Ortizs current attorney, Jeffrey Buckels, could not be reached Monday. Ortiz is now expected to be sentenced for three counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated burglary and one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. Ortiz was tried as an adult. I just hope the judge does what he should do and sentences this guy for life, Angela Ortiz said. The government of Togo has announced a plan to promote solar energy systems in rural communities. The government of the tiny West African nation began offering subsidies to its citizens to cover the cost of off-grid solar power systems. According to officials, a fund will be allocated to cover part of the cost of these solar energy systems. Dubbed the CIZO Cheque, households with solar home systems will be granted a monthly subsidy of 2,000 FCFA over a three-year period. Marc Ably-Bidamon, the Togolese Minister of Energy said, access to electricity is a basic need and the government of Togo is committed to achieving 100 percent access for all by ensuring that no one is left behind. UK-based BBOXX won a tender to electrify 300,000 Togolese households without access to the national grid. A second company, Soleva a consortium of Aphlion Energy and Wawa Energy Solutions signed a similar agreement with Togo in August. Since it was launched about a year ago, nearly 10,000 households got solar kits through the CIZO project in Togo. The CIZO initiative which means lighting up in the local Guin language aims at making households rely more on solar power and boost electrification in rural communities. Togos strategy is to bring electricity to all of its nearly 8 million people by 2030. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal Charles Suazo, 17, remembers the first dish he cooked by himself. Bread pudding. The senior at Santa Fe Indian School, who is a member of the Santa Clara Pueblo, has been cooking for as long as his memory stretches. His mom and aunts were his tutors. For him, cooking is more than a hobby. Its an important aspect of Suazos identity. As a pueblo member, food is our life, he said. Monday morning was a time to showcase this. He, along with three team members 17-year-olds Sheyenna Mitchell, Mario Abeyta-Ayala and Selena Calabaza from the school, got to flex their culinary muscles at the 17th Annual New Mexico ProStart Invitational in Albuquerque, a culinary and restaurant management competition. Think TV competitions Top Chef or Chopped, but less cutthroat. And instead of cash prizes, Suazos team was facing off against 15 other high schools across the state for scholarships and the chance to represent New Mexico at a national competition in Washington, D.C. In the end, Demings culinary team and the Taos High School management team are going to D.C. in May. The Taos team of Aedin Miller, Jordan Montoya, Makayla Montoya and Miel Montoya developed a restaurant concept from marketing to menu. And the Deming students Lisa Klockgether, Gordo Martinez and Emily Wertz made a three-course meal with white wine, butter and herb-poached halibut as the entree. The Santa Fe Indian School student chefs also made three dishes in less than two hours, giving each a name in Tewa. They made Than Povi, or sunflower, for the appetizer, creating a spring mix salad with a Parmesan bowl to mimic sunflower petals; four lines of dressing were drizzled on each side to represent the Zia symbol. Aakhang, or black ribbon, was the entree, a squid ink pasta with chorizo, shrimp sauce and scallops on the side. And for dessert, they made a lemon butter cake with lemon sauce and berries, named Tsegi Ohuwa Ping, or Yellow Cloud Mountain. Calabaza who will tell you her favorite food is her grandmas cooking estimates the group prepped for more than 100 hours to perfect those dishes. The students met after school and practiced in their culinary arts class, passing out the food to classmates for feedback. Although they arent headed to D.C., they said they learned a lot at the competition. They told the Journal that Mondays culinary adventure also taught them teamwork, time management and communication. After spring-like weather on Saturday, winter came back to Carlsbad Sunday and Monday with U.S. highway 62/180 closed near Whites City due to multiple vehicle crashes caused by icy roadways. The New Mexico Department of Transportation website indicated the highway was closed at 7:16 a.m. Monday morning at mile marker 16. There were multiple crashes due to inclement weather, said Lt. Matt Hutchinson of the Eddy County Sheriffs Office. Hutchinson said no serious injures were reported from the accidents. U.S. highway 62/180 reopened around 10 a.m. Monday, per the NMDOT. Rick Hluchan, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Midland, Texas, said an arctic cold front moved through Eddy County Sunday causing temperatures to plunge nearly 40 degrees from Saturday. Hluchan said a warm-up is forecasted for Carlsbad as the week goes on. Well see a warm-up maybe some 40s close to 50. There maybe more sun tomorrow (Tuesday). The sun should help things warm up nicely, he said. Hluchan said temperatures could warm up to near 80 degrees on Thursday and Friday. This air is going to make it out of here quick, he said. U.S. highway 285 from Artesia to Vaughn was closed due to the conditions, according to the NMDOT. U.S. National Weather Service Chaves County Skywarn Coordinator Jim Tucker reported a trace of snow with a thin layer of ice in west Roswell Monday morning. Tucker said the weather closed schools in the Roswell Independent School District along with Chaves County government offices. Tucker said Chaves County was under a winter weather advisory until 3 p.m. Monday. Use caution going out of town. Highways out of town (Roswell) are pretty slick, he said. Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter. 2019 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) Visit the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) at www.currentargus.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. PORTALES A mother and daughter who formerly operated a Portales day care were sentenced to 36 and 30 years in prison, respectively, following an emotional hearing at the Roosevelt County Courthouse on Monday. State District Judge Donna Mowrer delivered the sentence to mother Mary Taylor and her daughter Sandi Taylor. The former owners and operators of the Taylor Tots day care were convicted last month of reckless child abuse pertaining to the death of one girl and serious injury to another after leaving them in a hot car in July 2017 in Portales. Prosecutors believed the two girls were left in the car for more than two hours. Maliyah Jones, 22 months, died later that day at Roosevelt General Hospital. Aubri Loya, 2, survived the incident, but had to re-learn many physical functions. Each faced up to 36 years in prison. Mowrer denied two defense motions earlier in the day. The first was for the Taylors to be acquitted despite the jurys verdicts, arguing the Taylors did not have the requisite state of mind nor the voluntary conduct required by statute for a conviction on their charges. The second was for release pending appeal, with defense attorney Tye Harmon noting the Taylors crimes were not capital or violent offenses, and they abided by all court conditions during the 19 months between the incident and the trial. Mowrer also denied a motion for release on bond pending an appeal. Mary Taylor, left, and her daughter Sandi Taylor were sentenced to prison Monday after being convicted last month of reckless child abuse pertaining to the death of one girl and serious injury to another. The University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management will honor this years Hall of Fame and Young Alumni honorees Thursday. This years honorees include: n Lillian Montoya (EMBA 98), president and chief executive officer of Christus Health, Christus St. Vincent Health System, of Santa Fe. n Jerry Pacheco (BBA 88, MBA 91), founder, president and chief executive officer of the Border Industrial Association in Santa Teresa. n Alice Loy (MBA 02), chief executive officer and co-founder of Creative Startups in Santa Fe. n C. Thomas Daulton (BBA 77), private equity investor, Dallas Hall of Fame candidates are selected for their professional success, contribution to community and their ongoing commitment to education, according to a news release from Anderson. This years Young Alumni Award honorees are: Amanda Armenta (BBA 02, MBA 03), senior manager, employee success partner at T-Mobile USA in Albuquerque. James Trudeau (BBA 06), deputy director/acquisition adviser for the United States Air Force, Program Management Division, Patrick AFB, Fla. The Young Alumni Award recognizes Anderson graduates under the age of 40 who are having an impact on their community and are making strides in their professional career. Faculty Community Leadership Award The Faculty Community Leadership Award will honor Dimitri Kapelianis, associate professor of marketing. Kapelianis started at the Anderson School in 2009 and served as associate dean for Enrollment Management from 2017 to May 2018. He earned his bachelor of commerce and master of Commerce from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Arizona State University. Thursdays ceremony and banquet will be at the Student Union Building at UNM from 6 to 9 p.m. It will include a video presentation on the honorees and a live auction with the proceeds going to support student scholarships. More information is available from Kyle Biederwolf at 505-277-0864 or here. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney says the Air Force has not come up with an acceptable schedule or long-term plan to clean up contamination of the groundwater at Cannon and Holloman Air Force bases. He said that is the motivation for the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court by the New Mexico Environment Department and the state Attorney Generals Office against the Air Force. The complaint alleges violations of the states Hazardous Waste Act and that contamination constitutes an imminent and substantial danger to communities on and off base. Cannon is located near Clovis, and Holloman is near Alamogordo. In our discussions, if they had a proposed timeline that was acceptable, we wouldnt be at this point, Kenney said. The discussions with the Air Force are confidential, but NMED spokesperson Maddy Hayden said, What we were told was unacceptable. No one has a right to pollute New Mexicos vital water resources, Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a news release. We will fight to ensure that New Mexico families and military families have access to safe, clean water. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson must do the right thing. While he said the Air Force couldnt comment on pending litigation, Mark Kinkade, a spokesman with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, said the Air Force responded aggressively to the contamination. Kinkade said the Air Force acted immediately by providing alternate water and then began working with the community and regulators on identifying and implementing a better long-term solution to prevent exposure. Kenney said the Air Force has identified some of the contaminated areas and had taken some remedial steps, but not enough work has been done. One of the issues that led to the lawsuit, Kenney said, was a failure by the Air Force to fully identify the extent of the contaminated groundwater water plumes at both bases. He said delineating the groundwater plumes would be a good first step. The suit claims public and private water sources have been contaminated with concentrations of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. PFAS are suspected carcinogens that were in fire-suppressant foam formerly used by the Air Force. Kenney said the foam containing PFAS had been used to fight fires and during training exercises at both bases. The suit claims the foam had been used at Cannon for decades. Air Force sampling found PFAS in wells both on and off base which supply drinking water and livestock and irrigation water to local dairies, according to the suit. Kenney said the Air Force notified the state about the contamination at Cannon in 2018. In November, the Environment Department issued a notice of violation to the base when dozens of private wells, including two that supply dairies, had PFAS levels three times the advisory level. The fact that Cannon sits on the Ogallala Aquifer is a concern, Kenney said. It serves water systems in (multiple) states. Kinkade said the Air Force has been working with residents affected by the Cannon contamination to design and implement point-of-use filtration systems. In addition, we are expanding our evaluation and continue taking action where necessary to protect people from exposure to drinking water that contains PFOS and PFOA at levels above the (Health Action Level) and is probably at least partially attributable to Air Force activities at Cannon, Kinkade said. In the case of Holloman, the NMED served the base with a notice of violation last month after monitoring wells tested at twice the acceptable levels for the contaminants. The Air Force reported groundwater concentrations of PFAS at 137 parts per trillion at monitoring wells. The federal Environmental Protection Agencys drinking water health advisory for PFAS is 70 parts per trillion. At Holloman Air Force Base, we collected samples from on-base monitoring wells during the summer of 2018, Kinkade said. Four groundwater samples came back above the LHA levels for PFOS and PFOA, but the groundwater is not fit for human consumption for reasons that are unrelated to PFOS/PFOA contamination or other contamination from Air Force activities. Drinking water for Holloman and for the City of Alamogordo comes from well fields located 12 to 35 miles southeast of the installation. These wells have been tested and were found to be free of PFOS/PFOA contamination. Kenney and Kinkade both said Kirtland Air Force Base, which is not a part of the suit, does not have the same PFAS issue. PFAS has been detected on the base, Hayden said, but it was below EPA standards for contamination. Information on the EPAs website indicates that exposure to PFAS can lead to cancer, thyroid disorders and low infant birth weights. Sampling at Cannon and Holloman in continuing, according to the suit. The suit seeks to require the Air Force not only to clean up the contamination, but also to pay for abatement activities. Each year, New Mexicos official ornament highlights a piece of the states culture. From flamenco to pottery and hot-air balloons, the different aspects of life in New Mexico has been honored in the past. The theme for the 2020 ornament is ranch culture and film production and the winning design will be done by a New Mexico student. I love anything that helps inspire our students about New Mexicos rich history and arts, said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Our film industry and ranch culture are so valuable and Im eager to celebrate these designs with our young artists. The New Mexico Film Office is teaming up with the New Mexico Governors Mansion Foundation for a design contest open to New Mexico students for the 2020 ornament. The top five designs will receive educational grants and the deadline to submit an original design is April 15. According to the contest rules, it is open students currently enrolled in a New Mexico school. Designs must include at least one film element and one ranch and/or Western element, and must promote the states history of film production and ranch culture and the entrants artwork must be accompanied by a written description of how the design promotes state history. According to the New Mexico Governors Mansion Foundation, the student with the winning design will receive a scholarship award. The winning student, along with other finalists, will be lauded at a red carpet ornament release party at the Governors Mansion, at a later date. Top prize carries a $2,500 scholarship, second place is $1,000, third and fourth places are $500 and the fifth place award is $250. The contest rules are located at nmfilm.com/nmfo-events/#ODC. New Mexicos multi-billion-dollar film industry is invaluable to the states economy, said Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes. Commemorating New Mexicos film history and western ranch culture in the official state ornament is a fantastic opportunity to honor these industries and involve the next generation of artists. New Mexicos history was shaped, in part, by farm and ranch heritage that is preserved for eternity in countless films that capture the grandeur and majesty of the Great American West. The New Mexico Film Office has achieved success in positioning the state as one of the top places to film Western-themed films such as The Cheyenne Social Club (1970), The Cowboys (1972), Silverado (1985), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), True Grit (2010), and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). SANTA FE The state House wants to rename a stretch of highway from Clines Corners to Encino in honor of the late Rep. Larry Larranaga, an Albuquerque Republican who earned bipartisan respect during his 24 years of service in the Legislature. Lawmakers shed some tears Tuesday as they shared stories about Larranaga, who died last year shortly after resigning from the Legislature. Its not often so many of us agree on one thing, House Minority Leader James Townsend, R-Artesia, said as lawmakers celebrated with members of Larranagas family. The House voted 70-0 in favor of asking the state transportation commission to rename a stretch of U.S. 285 the Larry Larranaga Corridor. Larranaga, a former Cabinet secretary for the state highway department, grew up on a ranch about 12 miles south of Clines Corners in central New Mexico. SACRAMENTO, Calif. Californias attorney general announced Tuesday that he wont charge two Sacramento police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man last year, joining a local prosecutor in finding that the officers reasonably believed Stephon Clark had a gun as he moved toward them. Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the results of a nearly yearlong investigation after telling Clarks mother privately. He acknowledged that it was not what Clarks family wanted but said the evidence showed the officers had reason to believe their lives were in danger, though investigators found only a cellphone. There is a lot of hurt in this community today and certainly in the home of the Clark family, Becerra said. Our investigation cant change what has happened, but we can make every effort to deliver a fair, thorough and impartial review, which we promised this community. Clark, 22, was suspected of vandalism when he was shot seven times on March 18, 2018, and his killing prompted protests in Californias capital city and across the U.S. New demonstrations followed Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schuberts decision this weekend not to charge the officers, with more than 80 people arrested Monday. A reporter from The Sacramento Bee newspaper was briefly detained while live-streaming the protest. With the conclusion of the state and local investigations, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott and Sean Ragan, who heads the FBIs Sacramento office, said they and the U.S. Justice Departments Civil Rights Division will review the results to see whether the officers violated Clarks civil rights. Such reviews are standard practice, Scott spokeswoman Lauren Horwood said. Sacramento police said they now will decide whether the officers violated any policies or procedures, which could result in their firings. Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet said they thought Clark was approaching them with a gun after he ran from them into his grandparents backyard. The officers had been pursuing Clark after receiving calls about someone breaking car windows and an elderly neighbors sliding glass door. The attorney general and district attorney said the evidence showed Clark was advancing toward the officers holding what they thought was a gun when they shot him. Clark could have kept fleeing through an opening at the other side of the backyard, Becerra said, but instead advanced from about 30 feet (9 meters) away from the officers to about 16 feet (5 meters) away before they opened fire. Attorneys for Clarks family say an autopsy they commissioned found that police shot Clark seven times from behind. Becerra said his office hired the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office to conduct an independent review, which backed the official autopsy showing that Clark was most likely shot as he approached police. The attorney general said he considered evidence that Clark had drugs and alcohol in his system and had been fighting with his fiancee in the days prior to the shooting. But while the local district attorney highlighted those factors during her announcement Saturday, drawing protests that she was impugning Clarks character, Becerra said they were not key to his decision. Becerra, who called for changes in law enforcement practices to prevent other shootings, said there was plenty of evidence to support his conclusion. Still, he said it was not an easy decision. Theres a young man whos no longer alive, Becerra said. Two sons who wont have a father. Whose mother I just met is still grieving. Of course it was a tough call. These are all tough calls. Its never easy. Before announcing the decision, he met with Clarks mother, SeQuette Clark, at a church. She planned to speak to reporters later in the day. The case has led top state officials to support changes to Californias legal standard for when police can use deadly force. Lawmakers have revived a measure introduced after Clarks slaying that would make California the first state to allow police to use deadly force only when its necessary to prevent imminent and serious injury or death and if theres no reasonable alternative, such as warnings or other methods. Strong opposition from law enforcement agencies stalled it last year. Becerra was vague about what reforms he would support but said change was needed. He did not endorse specific legislation. This incident reads like the bitterly familiar passages of a long, complicated and uninviting book, he said. We must all be willing to write the next chapters in this story of what we call American justice. ___ Associated Press writers Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento and Christopher Weber and Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed to this report. One of the last investigations Jim Boren oversaw before he retired as executive editor of The Fresno Bee was a four-month examination of substandard housing in the city at the heart of Californias Central Valley. The multimedia project revealed the living conditions imposed on many of the citys low-income renters, many of them immigrants: apartments filled with mold, mice and cockroaches, to name some of the more glaring problems. Local housing advocates compared it to the tainted water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The investigation got immediate results. We made peoples lives better. We changed laws, said Boren, who retired in 2017 and is now director of the Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State University. Among other things, the city responded by requiring property owners to make repairs when it found violations, rather than just levy fines. Those are the kinds of things that journalists do, Boren said. Its the kind of journalism holding local government officials accountable for problems that affect the lives of real people that is in danger of being lost in many communities around the country. Newspapers are closing or being consolidated at an astounding rate, often leaving behind what researchers label as news deserts towns and even entire counties that have no consistent local media coverage. According to an Associated Press analysis of data compiled by the University of North Carolina, more than 1,400 cities in the U.S. have lost a newspaper over the past 15 years. Many of those are in rural and lower-income areas, often with an aging population. The loss of a reliable local news source has many consequences for the community. One of them is the inability to watchdog the actions of government agencies and elected officials. Newspapers typically have played the lead role in their communities in holding local officials accountable. That includes filing requests to get public records that shine a light on government action or inaction or even filing lawsuits to promote transparency. Strong newspapers have been good for democracy, and both educators and informers of a citizenry and its governing officials. They have been problem-solvers, said Penelope Muse Abernathy, a University of North Carolina professor who studies news industry trends and oversaw the news desert report released last fall. That is what you are missing when you dont have someone covering you and bringing transparency or sunlight onto government decisions and giving people a say in how those government decisions are made. The absence of a local newspaper playing a watchdog role also can translate into real costs to a community and its taxpayers. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Notre Dame found that municipal borrowing costs increase after a newspaper ceases publication. They found the increase had nothing to do with the economy. Rather, the demise of a paper leaves readers in the dark and emboldens elected officials to sign off on higher wages, larger payrolls and ballooning budget deficits, their study found. Our evidence suggests that a local government is more likely to engage in wasteful spending when there is no local newspaper to report on that government, said University of Illinois Chicagos Dermot Murphy, one of the studys authors. Investors find it riskier to lend money to wasteful governments, and thus the costs of financing public infrastructure projects, such as schools, hospitals, and roadways, for a local government are higher. Stanford Universitys James Hamilton applies a wider lens to the problem of newspaper closures, examining the benefits that come with investigative journalism and what is lost when it disappears. In his book Democracys Detective, he examined several case studies of newspaper investigations, including police shootings of civilians, and found that each dollar spent by the news organization generated hundreds of dollars in benefits to society. When investigative scrutiny declines, stories go untold, which means waste, fraud, and abuse will be less likely to be discovered, said Hamilton, director of the Stanford Journalism Program. News outlets will still have stories about a bad doctor, identified through court cases or patient complaints. The story about a bad hospital, which would require more resources and analysis to document, will be less likely to be told. ___ Follow Michael Casey at https://twitter.com/mcasey1 Moving for Sunshine Week, held annually to highlight journalisms role in fighting for government transparency. Houston, Texas-based Nutex Health Inc. is opening a micro-hospital and emergency room at 9310 Coors Blvd NW, formerly the site of Grandmas Music. The 15,585-square-foot facility, called Albuquerque ER & Hospital, is scheduled to open May 10. It will accept most commercial and private insurance plans and New Mexico Workers Compensation, according to information supplied by the company. It will not accept Medicare or Medicaid. Once open, the facility will have seven acute care beds, four inpatient beds and a staff of about 40 employees, 30 of them full time. MRI, CT scans and digital x-ray will be available on-site, among other services. Albuquerque ER & Hospital is operated by four physicians who were most recently associated with Lovelace Health System or Presbyterian Healthcare Services. Nutex is the corporate owner of Albuquerque ER & Hospital and more than a dozen similar sites in several states; the doctors are licensed owners of this particular facility. Dr. Sanjay Kholwadwala, formerly of Lovelace, is the hospitals CEO and medical director. The micro-hospitals spokeswoman, Misti Melendez, said the company would release names of the other three doctors at a later date. In an interview, Kholwadwala said the goal is to treat between 20 and 30 patients a day at the facility, a far lower volume than is typical at traditional emergency rooms. We believe the micro-hospital can be a more effective model for patients, said Kholwadwala. They are popping up around the country. Asked how the organization would handle those patients with urgent care needs who arrive at the emergency room, Kholwadwala said the staff would make good-faith efforts to direct such individuals toward an urgent care facility so the patient is not charged for emergency room services. Melendez said the company will discuss insurance and self-payment options with patients upon arrival. She attributed the decision to not accept Medicare or Medicaid to the doctors desire to make treatment central to the operation. Theres so much strict regulation with those programs, sometimes the focus on treatment gets lost in the process, said Melendez. These doctors want to focus on patients. Melendez said local emergency service providers have been told not to take patients with severe trauma to Albuquerque ER & Hospital, because other hospitals are better equipped to deal with such a situation. If such a patient were to arrive at the facility, the individual would be stabilized and transported elsewhere, she said. by Kamran Chaudhry Vigils are held simultaneously in Lahore and New Delhi. Human rights advocates call for genuine peace talks to solve the conflict in the disputed area. As a result of the arrogance of both countries military budgets are up. Lahore (AsiaNews) More than 100 activists have held two parallel vigils in India and Pakistan for peace between the two countries. In Pakistan, the anti-war rally was held at Lahores Liberty market roundabout. in India, human rights advocates held their rally at New Delhis Red Fort. The Catholic Church of Pakistan also called for fresh peace talks, whilst saying nothing about alleged meetings with its Indian counterparts in Pakistan. Church groups are said to be organising meetings in Nepal, Dubai and Thailand. Meanwhile, tensions between the two neighbours remain high along the Line of Control, the border that separates the two countries in the disputed territory of Kashmir. Over the week-end, artillery fire was reported, despite Pakistans good-will gesture to release the Indian pilot shot down on Wednesday of last week, and repatriated on Friday. Fighting resumed following an attack against Indian troops near Srinagar, which caused the death of 44 soldiers. Christians joined the Lahore rally, promoted by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). Indian intellectuals and leaders have been called for lectures in Lahore but now our voice has weakened. This is tragic, said Hina Jilani, a member of the HRCP council who spoke to AsiaNews. Arrogance on both sides of the border has resulted in expansion of military budgets as well as poverty, she added. For Imtiaz Alam, general secretary of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), the narrative of war supports extremist forces. In our 19 years of struggle for Indo-Pak peace, the last year was toughest, he explained. The authorities view us as enemies for organising anti-war rallies. The focus instead should be on stopping terrorists from playing havoc with regional peace and jeopardising the peaceful struggle of Kashmiris for their rights, he added. Moroccos permanent representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, has informed the UN Secretary-General and the members of the UN Security Council of the adoption on Monday by the European Council of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Morocco. The Council also adopted the agreements related implementation protocol and the exchange of letters accompanying the agreement, the diplomat said in letters he addressed to UN Chief, Antonio Guterres, and to the fifteen members of the Security Council. This decision marks the last step of validation and ratification, on the European side, following the adoption by the European Parliament on February 12, in a plenary session in Strasbourg, with an overwhelming majority of 415 votes in favor, 189 against and 49 abstentions, of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement and its related implementation protocol, Omar Hilale pointed out, noting that the agreement covers the Moroccan Sahara. The Moroccan diplomat noted that this agreement does not in any way concern the political process on the Sahara issue, taking place under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations and the facilitation of the Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy. The decision of the EU Council and the vote of the European Parliament are a logical consequence of recent, positive developments in the strategic partnership between Morocco and the EU, including the adoption of the Farm Agreement in Januray, Hilale said. The Fisheries Agreement and its implementation protocol cover the Moroccan Sahara region and explicitly stipulate that the fishing zone extends from Cape Spartel to Cap Blanc, south of the city of Dakhla, he added. Several steps preceded these adoptions, namely the decision of the European Council on 19 February 2018 authorizing the European Commission to renegotiate the Fisheries Agreement; the beginning of negotiations between Morocco and the EU for the renewal of the Fisheries Agreement on April 19, 2018, and the culmination of 6 rounds of negotiations by the initialing of the new fisheries agreement in Rabat on July 24, 2018, Hilale explained. Extensive consultations on this agreement have been conducted at the level of the Parliament, Regional Councils and the Fisheries Chambers, in addition to consultations held by the EU with elected officials of the Moroccan Sahara, economic stakeholders and NGOs in the region, he said. This adoption confirms that the Kingdom of Morocco is the only legally empowered authority, in the exercise of its sovereignty, to negotiate and sign agreements including the Moroccan Sahara, he said. The Moroccan ambassador recalled that the EU Court of Justice dismissed on Feb. 8, 2019, the action for annulment brought by the Polisario on June 14, 2018, against the decision to conclude the Fisheries Agreement. The court stressed that the Polisario is not entitled to represent the Sahara populations and cannot play any role in the process of concluding agreements between Morocco and the EU, the Moroccan diplomat recalled. CHICO, Calif. - University police are investigating reports of a potentially threatening individual near Meriam Library on Monday. University Police Chief John Reid said that the department received reports from students about the suspect asking "potentially alarming questions." Reid said that he has been identified and is known to law enforcement. The department increased patrols in the area and urged students to take basic precautions. Additionally, the department asked students to report suspicious individuals by calling campus police at (530) 898-5555. Action News Now is working to gather more information. Stay tuned for updates. University Police and campus leadership are aware of an individual recently in or near Meriam Library asking potentially alarming questions. The subject has been identified and is known to law enforcement. Chico State (@ChicoState) March 4, 2019 University Police has increased patrols in the area in response and continue to monitor the situation. UPD is also working with local law enforcement in connection with this individual. If you identify someone acting suspiciously please notify campus police at 530-898-5555. Chico State (@ChicoState) March 4, 2019 Please be alert and take general precautions for your safety. No one should ever feel a false sense of security that they might be less of a target for criminals because of their gender, build, or other factors. Chico State (@ChicoState) March 4, 2019 Democratic centrists need to surrender the intraparty battle and join with the left to fight the common foe. Photo: Hulton Deutsch/Corbis via Getty Images Democratic centrists or you can call them New Democrats or moderates or pragmatic progressives or whatever label you choose have had quite an impressive run in national politics. They have won seven consecutive Democratic presidential nominations (or perhaps eight, depending on how you classify Michael Dukakis), and then went on to win the popular vote in six of those general elections. This stretch of relative success came after Republicans had won five of six presidential elections between 1968 and 1988. But after 2016, it became clear that the center-left project exemplified by the Clintons (and also pursued by Obama) had reached a point of diminishing returns. Yes, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama held back what at some points seemed to be an irresistible conservative tide led by an increasingly irresponsible and extremist Republican Party. But their positive accomplishments were limited, and were eroded by their Republican successors. Perhaps more importantly, their effort to revive progressivism by marrying it to market mechanisms in part to secure business and moderate Republican support never caught the publics imagination or secured bipartisan support. It instead became a vehicle for deregulation and speculative excesses that helped produce the financial crisis and the Great Recession, a hollowing-out of industries employing the non-college-educated, and the kind of growing income inequality that looked to be waning for a moment in the 90s. And even when this approach succeeded initially, as with the classic public-private structure of Obamacare, it conspicuously failed to inspire the sort of loyalty commanded by the supposedly archaic and sclerotic public programs of the New Deal and the Great Society. And then there was 2016 itself, when the political premise of Democratic centrism evaporated in Hillary Clintons shocking loss to Donald Trump. All the compromises and temporizing of the Clinton and Obama eras, which deeply dissatisfied more left-bent Democrats, were supposed to seize the center and make short work of a bizarre extremist like Trump. Instead, Trump was able to redeploy leftist criticisms of Obama and both Clintons and win Rust Belt states that had not gone Republican in decades. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. I say all this unhappily, as a charter New Democrat who fell in love with Bill Clinton in the mid-1980s and with Barack Obama almost instantly. But its impossible to honestly deny that the time has come for a change of leadership in the Democratic Party, with the long-suppressed left finally getting a chance to show its political and substantive prescriptions are what the country wants and needs. In both 2016 and in the 2018 midterms, there was no electoral bonus for moderation, and all the enthusiasm came from the left, which is also generating the more interesting and inspiring policy ideas. So its the lefts turn to take the wheel. Does that mean centrists have no role in a recalibrated Democratic Party? Not at all. As former Clinton administration economist Brad DeLong explained in an interview with Vox, they have a new and vital if subordinate role. And its really all thats left to them in the Trump era: Until something non-rubble-ish is built in the Republican center, what might be good incremental policies just cannot be successfully implemented in an America as we know it today. We need Medicare-for-all, funded by a carbon tax, with a whole bunch of UBI rebates for the poor and public investment in green technologies. Thats the best policy given the political-economic context. If the political-economic context were different well, Im fundamentally a neoliberal shill. It is very nice to use market means to social democratic ends when they are more effective, and they often are. Instead of acting as a bridge to a nonexistent center-right, those on the center-left can more usefully help their progressive allies tailor their policies to avoid substantive and policy pitfalls. These allies have earned the right to primacy, says DeLong: The world appears to be more like what lefties thought it was than what I thought it was for the last 10 or 15 years [W]hile I would like to be part of a political coalition in the cat[bird] seat, able to call for bids from the left and the right about who wants to be part of the governing coalition to actually get things done, thats simply not possible as of now. We shouldnt pretend that it is, or that its going to be. We need to find ways to improve left-wing initiatives, rather than demand that they start from our basic position and do minor tweaks to make them more acceptable to their underlying position. There remain legitimate questions about how you define the left. DeLongs interviewer, Zack Beauchamp, clearly thinks it means democratic socialists like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Perhaps an easier reach for centrists looking for political relevance would be leaders like Elizabeth Warren, who tends to think in terms of fundamental repairs to capitalism that bend the private sector and government to the popular will and the public interest. In any event, Democratic centrists need to accept that the Donkeys moving in a new direction now; fighting it by demonizing the left just makes the calamitous prospect of a second Trump term more likely. And perhaps a new synthesis of left and center-left thinking on politics and policy can emerge, once the scourge of todays Republicanism is overcome. Its a more productive occupation than endlessly relitigating the 2016 election. CHICO, Calif. - Chico Mayor Randall Stone said the city needs $8 million to repair its roads. Currently, the budget is $1 million. Stone said the public works director for engineering is trying to find a solution. We've also asked for money from the state for Camp Fire relief and for the types of damages and impacts that we're seeing with traffic, Stone said. A recent road project on Cohasset, which was only about one mile of road repair, cost $2 million. The city says it will cost $300 million to fix all of the citys roads. This International Womens Day, Indya, an ethno-fusion brand founded by two women, introduces She For She, a campaign to encourage women empowerment. The initiative is supported by Goonj, a social enterprise that resonates with the aesthetics of Indya to nurture and inspire women to build their own future. Goonj employs countless resilient women and helps them work their way towards empowerment. As a part of the She For She campaign, the shoppers of Indya are gifted with an upcycled purse made by these women associated with Goonj. Majority of these women are from humble backgrounds or from families who lost their sole source of earning. These diligent women upcycle urban discard and skillfully craft it into usable products. The campaign aims to raise awareness about these creative women, acknowledge their efforts and help them in getting exposure to multifold opportunities, so as to earn a livelihood and build a secured future. Most of the women associated with Goonj are involved in sorting, repairing, packaging and making of various upcycled products by putting their own creativity. Urban surplus material of all kinds that includes a myriad range of household items like clothes, utensils, shoes, blankets, school supplies and miscellaneous items are segregated in Goonjs processing units. After sorting, the materials are arranged into various kinds of kits and are made reusable for the people in need and disaster hit areas. The women at Goonj are also skilled to make cloth sanitary pads, traditional cloth quilt and a range of up-cycled handmade products from materials that are contributed to Goonjs collection centers. Tanvi Malik and Shivani Poddar, co-founders, Indya, share their views, Indya is a brand for the women, by the women and of the women. This International Womens Day, we are delighted to launch the campaign She For She that promotes women empowering other women. Gifting this upcycled purse to our patrons is a way to recognize and value the potential of countless resilient women who are working their way towards empowerment. We are hopeful that this exercise helps these women to receive acknowledgement for their sterling efforts and takes them a step ahead towards a better future Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. Atlanta, The next-generation H160 is debuting a new air medical interior concept at this years Heli Expo trade show, with a cabin-mock up on the Airbus Helicopters booth completed by Metro Aviation. Metro, a longstanding partner of Airbus, developed this specific cabin concept design with needs of North American air medical operations in mind. At Metro Aviation, we spend a large amount of time pouring over designs to ensure any configuration that leaves our facility is one that exceeds expectations and eases the burden of air medical professionals who are already faced with a stressful job, said Metro Aviation Managing Director Milton Geltz. This EMS cabin concept designed for the H160 was laid out to ensure medical crews have the room and flexibility they need to work efficiently with the right equipment at their fingertips. We are excited about the possibility of completing this aircraft in the future." Some key features of the Metro concept interior include machined aluminum cabin floor allowing multiple configurations; four track and swivel medical attendant seats; a Modular Medical Rack (MMR); and an overhead communication panel with radio, audio and touch screen controls. The H160 is the next generation medium twin-engine helicopter destined for offshore transportation, business and private aviation, public services, and commercial passenger transport. Its entry into service is planned for 2020. With the largest cabin in its class, wide opening sliding door and positionable stretcher capacity, the H160 is the next generation high intensive care helicopter ideal for long distances critical patient or isolette transport. The air medical configuration on display at the show is just one of the concepts that will be designed for the H160, as this helicopter has the necessary components allowing it to be customized to meet the various patient care mission profiles delivered by air medical providers. We are excited to see the wide range of H160 configurations begin to take form, as we gear up for the much anticipated entry into service of this next-generation aircraft, said Chris Emerson, president of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and head of the North America region. Metro Aviation is a trusted partner and performs completions on the entire range of Airbus products. We are impressed with their initial concept and look forward to expanding on its development. Airbus Helicopters is the leading provider of helicopters to the air medical transport industry. Approximately 55% of the 2,500 helicopters EMS helicopters flying in the world today are Airbus helicopters. In the U.S. alone, more than half of all new air medical helicopters sold in the last decade were produced by Airbus. Stay tuned for updates throughout the show by following us on Twitter: @AirbusHeli, @AirbusPress, Instagram @airbus_helicopters and Facebook. About Metro Aviation Metro Aviation, Inc., based in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States is a worldwide provider of completion services for all missions and types of helicopters and specializes in the EC135 and EC145 with several Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) developed by the company for these and other aircraft. Metro is an FAA approved repair station, approved Airbus (Eurocopter) Service Center and FAR Part 135 air medical operations provider at several locations across the United States. The company is privately held and is one of the largest traditional air medical providers in the country. About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2018 it generated revenues of 64 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the worlds leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. Oxford, National Police Air Service (NPAS) of the United Kingdom, has selected Airbus Helicopters to provide support and maintenance for its fleet of 19 helicopters following a competitive procurement. Oxford-based Airbus Helicopters UK will support the operation of 15 Airbus EC135 and four EC145 role-equipped aircraft flown by NPAS in support of the 43 regional police forces of England and Wales. The helicopters are based at 14 locations and are among the most intensively used police helicopters in the world. Under the terms of a five-year contract due to begin in October 2019 , Airbus will provide a package of services comprising of: maintenance of aircraft and mission system equipment, continuing airworthiness management, supply of spare parts and engine support. The contract also includes the option for modifications to the aircraft and mission systems where previously these had to be tendered separately under procurement regulations. This follows an earlier contract with the company signed in 2014, Airbus Helicopters UK Managing Director, Colin James, said: The national infrastructure that we have developed together with NPAS to support its ever more demanding requirements is absolutely unique worldwide in its capability, throughput and efficiency. We take great pleasure in this opportunity to continue our journey with NPAS in the coming years, and to making our contribution to the UKs security. Formed in 2012, NPAS operates 24/7, 365 days a year. Steph McKenzie, Head of Technical Services at NPAS, said: Following a tendering process, we have selected Airbus Helicopters UK as our preferred aircraft maintenance contractor for the next five years. We believe their expertise, and heritage of more than 30 years involvement in UK police aviation, is ideal for providing engineering support for our fleet. Our aircraft will collectively be used for around 20,000 tasks every year, as requested by all police forces in England and Wales. About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2018, it generated revenues of 64 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the worlds leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. About the National Police Air Service We provide borderless air support to all police forces of England and Wales 24/7, 365 days a year, from our national network of 14 bases. The National Police Air Service exists to keep communities safe and tasks which pose the highest risk to communities are prioritised in line with local police and crime plans. All requests for support are managed through one central point in our national operations centre in West Yorkshire. The National Police Air Service was formed in October 2012 following the national review of air support conducted by the Home Office in 2009. We are the first and only collaboration of all police forces in England and Wales, regulated by law. The National Police Air Service is delivered by West Yorkshire Police on behalf of British Policing and governed by a National Board made up of six elected Police and Crime Commissioners and six Chief Constables each representing their policing regions. It is funded through the collaborative agreement of participating police forces to each pay a proportionate contribution toward this overall cost of delivery which corresponds to their service use. https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Belgiums-Anti-Jewish-Parade-Float.html The grotesquely anti-Semitic float in Belgium reflects growing anti-Jewish feeling. The Belgian city of Aalst is only a short drive from the gleaming modern towers that house the European Union in central Brussels. But on Sunday, the picturesque town seemed to belong to a previous era, as a grotesque anti-Semitic parade float promenaded through the center of town, looking like something out of the Middle Ages or Nazi times. The float depicted two huge, snarling Orthodox Jews with huge hook noses and beards, wearing shtreimels (the fur hats worn by some Hassidic Jews), standing amid gold coins and bags of money, One of the Jews has a rat on his shoulder. In the back is a synagogue with a mezuzah on the doorway. The title of the float was Sabbath Year. A small group of locals was behind the float. The group calls themselves Vismooiln and is made up of seemingly ordinary Belgians, including one former worker in the Department of Education. Each year, they create an elaborate carnival float. This year, they explained to journalists, they were worried about money, so they decided to express their economic anxiety by turning to age-old anti-Jewish stereotypes of Jews and money. This isnt the first time that Aalsts annual carnival has featured extreme anti-Jewish floats. In 2013, a different community group designed an elaborate float featuring people dressed as Nazis and Hassidic Jews, standing on a train car like the type that brought Jews to their deaths during World War II. A poster on the float showed local politicians dressed up as Nazis holding canisters of Zyklon B, the poison used to murder Jews in gas chambers. The day after the parade, condemnations poured in. Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, the Chief Rabbi of the Netherlands, criticized the float for containing anti-Semitic caricatures from 1939. The main Jewish communal groups in Belgium complained to the federal anti-racism office: In a democracy like Belgium, there is no room for such things, carnival or not. The organizers of the parade apologized for the float. Yet the fact remains that scores of people could look at these floats - workers could spend hours creating them, they could go home and describe them to their families, parade committees could review and approve the floats - and no one ever seemed to recognize that their expressions of venal hatred towards Jews was a problem. When I read about the parade in Aalst, I was sitting next to my young son. What is that? he asked, leaning into my computer for a closer look. My heart sank; I shut my computer and suggested we play a game instead. Were they Jews? my son asked a little while later. I tried to explain that the grotesque caricatures were what some people thought Jews look like. My stomach tightened in a knot. My son is named after his great-grandmother, who fled Nazi Europe in the 1930s. She used to tell me about the raw hatred shed experienced growing up in Vienna. It used to seem so far away. I couldnt imagine experiencing such intense hatred. Yet in the past few years, these hostile attitudes towards Jews have resurfaced. Belgium is a case in point. In 2014, Belgian authorities ruled that a Turkish-run cafe in the city of Liege had to remove a sign saying that dogs were allowed in the restaurant but Jews were not. That same year a Belgian doctor in Antwerp refused to treat an elderly Jewish woman for a fractured rib; he advised her to go to Gaza instead. A 2018 poll found that well over half of Belgian Jews report having been harassed for being Jewish. Anti-Jewish feeling is rising across Europe and beyond. Britain, the United States and Canada have all seen record levels of anti-Jewish attacks in recent years. On a recent visit to London, a woman on the underground train stared at my sons kippah and then said to her husband in a loud stage whisper, Thats why I support Corbyn, referring to the leader of Britains Labour party who has been widely accused of being anti-Semitic and allowing anti-Semitism to flourish in his party. The outrageous float in Aalst isn't a wakeup call; its more like an alarm were hearing after hitting the snooze button a hundred times. In too many quarters, its become acceptable to make fun of Jews or to express blatant anti-Semitism. Were far from the hell in which my grandmother found herself, but all these years later, one insight she used to share seems crucial. When my grandmother was a child, Jews were so demonized that even Jews themselves had internalized their hatred. She recalls being ashamed of being a Jew and feeling that it was natural that others would think less of her if they knew she was Jewish. We Jews cannot be cowed; we must not be ashamed. When we see outrageous example of Jew-hatred, its our duty to protest and demand a change, and stand up for ourselves with pride and strength. Ben Carson at CPAC 2019 in National Harbor, Maryland. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images In an interview with the conservative outlet Newsmax TV on Monday, Ben Carson announced that he will likely leave his role as secretary of Housing and Urban Development after Trumps first term. I will certainly finish out this term, Carson said in the interview. I would be interested in returning to the private sector because I think you have just as much influence, maybe more, there. It appears that leading the agency responsible for the 2 million residents living in public housing, and another 4.7 million living in Section 8, isnt enough influence for the pediatric neurosurgeon and 2016 presidential candidate. Carsons appointment was widely questioned in 2017, as he had no experience in any form of housing policy. Some, including Curbeds Alissa Walker, concluded that Trump who was once sued by the Department of Justice for refusing to rent to black tenants had picked Carson on a single misconception: that urban America equals Black America. That seems to be why he picked a black man to oversee his plan for African Americans. Though Carson came into HUD with no experience to show, he proved to be one of this administrations more capable secretaries; under the Trumpian definition, one is capable if they scale back their departments mission without getting mired in too many ethical scandals. Unlike other cabinet secretaries who were brought down by their conflicts of interest and questionable spending, Carson managed to avoid such a fate, though he was criticized for purchasing a $31,000 dining set with taxpayer money (the order was eventually cancelled). Other near-scandals include: when he had his son schedule a HUD listening tour in Baltimore with businessmen that Ben Carson Jr. had dealings with, and a report that claimed a third of Carsons top appointees did not have housing policy experience. Under Carson, HUD has seen a serious decline in the enforcement of Obama-era anti-discrimination housing regulations. In April 2018, the agency also attempted to triple the rent of tenants receiving federal housing assistance. In January, Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude, considered the departments most competent executive, resigned in frustration over HUDs housing policy under Trump, and the presidents attempt to cut disaster-recovery funding for Puerto Rico. Carsons announcement comes with the assumption of a second Trump term, which is well within the realm of possibility, according to a new poll from NBC News and The Wall Street Journal, which finds four out of ten voters prepared to reelect the president. That number is significantly lower than normal for an incumbent, but high enough for a White House already plagued by turnover to worry about the possibility of a second-term staff exodus. Through Baghdadi folk songs and lullabies, British-born musician Carol Isaacs sailed with dozens of Iraqis and Britons from London all the way to her motherland in Mesopotamia. The Wolf of Baghdad, held at the SOAS University Jewish Music Institute on Feb. 18, is the artists own audio-visual journey to revive Iraqs vanishing Jewish community that formed one-third of Baghdads population in the 1940s. London-based Iraqi-British Munder al-Khudairi, a marketing and advertising professional, attended the event along with many other Iraqis of different backgrounds to explore the tragedies of a lost homeland. Some of my family members left Iraq in the same manner, leaving their wealth and history behind, said Khudairi, adding, I relate to their struggle. Iraq is a refugee manufacturer. Upon exiting the hall, Iraqis talked amongst themselves more than they did while they were inside. We heard stories of grandparents switching on the lights and candles for Jewish families, and Iraqi Muslims and Christians helping Jewish families escape and get their money outside of Iraq, said Khudairi. He added, The positive point is that Jews have now opened up about it, as they used to be reclusive. This will build better understanding and form stronger bonds. While the Islamic State (IS) was terrifying Iraqis, the SOAS Center for Jewish Studies held an event in November 2014 to screen and discuss Shadow in Baghdad, a film that tells the story of Linda Menuhin Abdul Aziz, an Iraqi-Israeli journalist who escaped the upheaval of Iraq in the 1970s, and her unexpected connection with a Baghdad-based Iraqi journalist and their collaboration to explore the fate of her missing father. On that evening, Ali an Iraqi-British pharmacist and two of his friends were the only non-Jews in the hall. I was moved by the film and almost cried, said Ali, who asked Al-Monitor not to disclose his identity. Still, there was some harsh criticism when [IS] atrocities against the Yazidis were mentioned. I did not like being grouped with fundamentalists or being judged because of my religious background. Ali spoke to Linda and admired her Iraqi dialect. Just like the rest of the audience, she was skeptical of and surprised by his presence there. Ali was asked if he really cared about them. He noted that fear and mistrust remain prevalent: Shadows of the tragic past are still hovering, he said. For Ali, this first encounter with Jews was an exploratory journey of the other side. I started questioning the narratives of both sides, he said, adding, We are more similar than we know. We have more things in common that make you want to know more. Ali never regretted the step he took out of curiosity, and later on he brought gifts from Baghdad to his Jewish friends in London. After 2003, many Iraqi Jews rebuilt connections with Iraqis; this is quite understandable. But it took me some time to understand why Iraqis are doing the same, Idan Barir, a research fellow in The Forum for Regional Thinking, an Israeli think tank, told Al-Monitor. Many young Iraqis have never seen a Jew in their lives. They were exposed to huge propaganda against Jews. This made them curious about them and keen to check the narratives they were raised on, Barir added. For young, often secular, Iraqi intellectuals, what happened to Jews is a reminder of what is happening and could happen to them in modern Iraq. It is a lesson that needs to be learned to build a better Iraq, said Barir, who has been working with the Yazidis since 2005 and is involved in initiatives to liberate Yazidi women held captive by IS. The number of minorities in Iraq fell dramatically. Young Iraqis are concerned and looking for ways to maintain diversity and pluralism the only way to save Iraqs real identity. Thanks to social media and the mutual longing, the mental barriers of fear and mistrust between non-Jewish Iraqis and Iraqi Jews are collapsing quickly, said Aydin Yaqubi, a 25-year-old Iraqi-American student, who agrees with Barir that the sense of curiosity is a primary driving force to get to know the other side. Last August, Yaqubi went on a journey for reconciliation with self to Israel. The seven-decadeslong conflict and the erroneous way the Iraqi Jewish community was expelled made the majority of them feel a sense of anger, disappointment and complete detachment from their Iraqi identity, Yaqubi wrote to Al-Monitor, adding, This trend has been vastly reversed. Now, many are trying to reconcile with their heritage. They all heard stories from their Iraqi-born relatives of coexistence and familial relations with the Iraq Muslim majority. Likewise, Iraqis hear collective familial stories about their Jewish neighbors. Many display an apologetic sense of collective guilt and sorrow due to the mass expulsion of the Jewish community in the 1950s, Yaqubi said. This longing, in particular, took Ali the London pharmacist to Israel in 2015 despite his familys political stance and safety concerns. I went to explore the lost Iraq in the heart of Israel, he said, adding, I met many Iraqi Jews and was overwhelmed by their hospitality. They took me to visit their grandparents, and I tasted tibeat [traditional Jewish chicken stew served on the Sabbath in Baghdad]. It was a perspective-changing journey. While many Iraqi Jews long to visit Iraq, Baghdad-born businessman and philanthropist Edwin Shuker followed his heart and returned to Baghdad 40 years after he fled the country. Visiting Erbil, Baghdad, war-torn Mosul and Babylon, Shuker feels the weighty responsibility to preserve the 2,700-year-old legacy of one of the oldest Jewish communities to ever have existed. Despite the haunting memories of the Farhud massacres of Baghdads Jews in 1941, Joseph Braude traced his Baghdadi mothers roots and mastered Arabic. It is nostalgia to my maternal roots, said Braude, an expert on culture and politics in Arab societies at the Washington Institute and author of Reclamation: A Cultural Policy for Arab-Israeli Partnership. He added, I am proud of the environment I was raised in because it gave me the chance to learn this great language. Braude sees hope in a growing minority of Arabs who express regret about the departure of Jewish populations from Arab lands and use culture to build bridges. In 2017, Vered Susanne Cohen-Barzilay, a half-Iraqi half-Turkish social entrepreneur, called for using literature to combat hate speech. Literature allows us to know people, meet them physically and even explore the forbidden cultures, she wrote, adding, It helps us to get to know them better and feel their suffering and success. Barzilays dream was realized when her colleague Tsionit Fattal Kuperwassers novel made its way to the 46th Baghdad International Book Fair this month. Kuperwasser's "The Pictures on the Wall" debuted in Hebrew and was published in Arabic by Mesopotamia Publishing House in 2017. It talks about the Baghdad Jewish Community where my parents were born before their emigration in 1951, she wrote to Al-Monitor. Having my book published in Baghdad made me feel some closeness since it allowed my characters to return to their place of birth, Kuperwasser added. Ignoring the recent threats by Iraqi militia leaders against intellectuals approaching Israelis, deeming it an act of espionage, many Iraqi poets and writers publicly shared pictures of themselves with Kuperwasser's book. My book was the No. 1 seller at the Mesopotamia Publishing House, Kuperwasser wrote. Still, I feel saddened faced with the political reality that does not allow me to attend the fair, meet my readers and sign my books. I hope that the literary bridges built in the last years will someday become physical so I can meet my audience in Iraq, she said. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip As Israel gears up to hold its parliamentary elections April 9, Al-Monitor learned of political debates within Hamas about which Israeli prime minister candidate might be the least problematic for the group. Hamas seems to prefer that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain in office, but that possibility became a bit less likely Thursday after Israeli Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit recommended that Netanyahu be indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Netanyahu's poll numbers dropped, but he has overcome such doubts before. Echoing a phrase often used by US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu called the allegations a "witch hunt" and pledged to remain in office. The Israeli Central Elections Committee closed the applications process Feb. 21, with 47 parties signed up to run for the 21st Knesset, according to The Jerusalem Post. Poll results released March 1 by Israeli news group Kan predict Netanyahu's Likud Party will take 29 of 120 seats in Israels parliament a three-seat drop from results a week before. The new poll showed his party's biggest rival, the newly formed Blue and White party, nabbed three more seats, giving it 37. Blue and White is an alliance between Benny Gantz's Israel Resilience Party and Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid. After the attorney general recommended Netanyahu be indicted, Gantz urged Netanyahu to resign. The Kan poll predicts Netanyahu will not be able to bring together an alliance after the elections. A Hamas source spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity about meetings the movement held in mid-February to discuss Israels elections. The source noted that the majority of Hamas politicians who attended the meeting would rather Netanyahu remain in office. The source said this preference for Netanyahu over his rivals stems from him allowing Qatar to provide money to the Gaza Strip. He added that Hamas sees him as the most appropriate Israeli figure to communicate with to reach a long-term truce. Also, The majority of Hamas political leadership prefers Netanyahu because they were able to reach the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal in October 2011 with him. This [could mean] a greater chance for another exchange deal with Hamas in return for the two Israeli soldiers Aaron Shaul and Hadar Goldin captured during the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014, the source noted. Hamas leader Yahya Moussa refused to name a choice from among the running Israeli parties. He told Al-Monitor, Hamas believes all Israeli parties are hostile to the Palestinian people, be it affiliated with the left wing or right wing. All Israeli parties deny the rights of our people and, most importantly, the return of Palestinian refugees who emigrated from their villages and cities in 1948. They also deny us our right to the city of Jerusalem, which Israel has taken as its capital. Moussa affirmed that Hamas will deal with the winning party just the way it has with Netanyahu, based on a "calm-for-calm" principle. He stressed that Hamas will continue to organize the weekly marches of return, which began almost a year ago aiming to break the Israeli siege. He said Hamas will boost these protests' popular momentum to pressure any future Israeli prime minister to end the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007. Ayman al-Rafati, an expert on Israeli affairs and a political author for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Resalah website in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, Hamas favors Netanyahu's survival as head of the Israeli government because he seeks to avoid an extended war against Gaza and maintains calm-for-calm balance in managing the Palestinian front. He added, Hamas doesn't want the Blue and White party to take over the premiership because its best-known leaders were former military figures. This may increase the chances of the new Israeli government pursuing military options against Hamas. The Blue and White party includes prominent Israeli figures such as Moshe Ya'alon and Gabi Ashkenazi. Ya'alon was defense minister when Israel launched its war on Gaza in 2014, which killed 2,147 Palestinians, including 530 children. Meanwhile, Palestinians view Ashkenazi as a war criminal, since he was the army's chief of staff during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in 2008, which led to the deaths of 1,500 Palestinians and destroyed a lot of infrastructure. Hamas doesn't favor the victory of the leftist parties in the elections, such as the Labor Party, which won the Israeli elections in 1992 and 1999," Rafati noted. "The left wing will strive to return to the negotiating table with the Palestinian Authority [PA] to conclude a settlement agreement. Back in 1993, Yitzhak Rabin, the former prime minister of Israel who headed the Labor Party, signed the Oslo Accord with the PA. Hamas does not want a similar agreement in the future, because it would mean recognizing Israel's right to 78% of historic Palestine, which Hamas rejects." Ibrahim Abu Jaber, director of the Center for Contemporary Studies in the northern Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm, told Al-Monitor, I think Hamas doesn't favor a leftist or centrist figure in the post of prime minister of Israel because these parties want to reach a peace agreement with President [Mahmoud] Abbas and not with Hamas. Netanyahu, however, wants to reach a peace agreement with Hamas and not President Abbas. [Those favoring Abbas] may be more inclined to 'deal' with Hamas by adopting military deterrence and imposing penalties. He explained, For example, when the leader of the centrist Kadima Party Ehud Olmert took over the Israeli government in 2006, he imposed the ongoing Israeli siege against the Gaza Strip after Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary [legislative] elections. Abu Jaber said Olmert was very close to reaching a peace agreement with Abbas during the 2008 negotiations, but resigned that year after facing corruption charges. TEHRAN A 1970s building on Tehrans Enghelab (Revolution) Avenue that ends in Azadi (Liberty) Square has recently been the site for a series of meetings on an unusual subject given Iranian social norms. Every Tuesday, experts and members of the public come together there to talk, sometimes heatedly, about sex. Since Dec. 4, Forums on Sexual Crisis in Iran has been bringing together academics, documentary filmmakers, clerics, journalists, students and women activists to discuss such issues as polygamy, sex education, homosexuality and transsexuality. The participants have also looked at temporary marriage (nikah mutah) and semi-independent marriage (in which a young couple officially marry and then live with his or her parents for a while), the pros and cons of Western approaches to sex-related matters and sexuality. The sessions generally revolve around the so-called sexual crisis in Iran. Most of the speakers interpret the term to refer to the phenomenon of young Iranians turning away from the sexual mores advocated by Islam, namely no sex outside marriage. The forums have been organized by Safir Films, a company founded in 2010 by a group of students from the Sharif University of Technology. The company produces long-form documentary films as well as video and audio clips. Most of the content on the website, including a documentary Safir distributed called I am Rouhani, espouses hard-line views. A member of the company who spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity denied rumors of the operation being linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), describing it as an independent media group. He conceded, however, [One] could not be really independent when it comes to documentary making in Iran because you must sell some of your products to either the OwJ, the Hozeh Honari or the Documentary and Experimental Film Center. The OwJ is the IRGC's media company, and the Hozeh Honari, the nation's largest cultural center, is under the Office of the Supreme Leader. The Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry oversees the Documentary and Experimental Film Center. Despite the seemingly daring subject of the Safir conferences, the speakers mostly present conservative views, which participants occasionally contest. Speaking at the first forum, Mohammad Reza Zibaee Nejad, head of the Family and Women's Research Center at the Qom seminary, dismissed the idea that there is a sex crisis in Iran. [Rather, the situation is that] our young generation has questions regarding sexual subjects, he said. A new rationality that stems from the Western schools of liberalism and individualism are exerting changes on our society. There are new developments regarding sexual matters. The first step to address is sexual education. That said, Zibaee Nejad further stated, We should be careful to provide education to our youngsters at the right time without playing into the hands of the Western policymakers who have a totally different agenda from us regarding sexual education, its goals and language. At the Dec. 21 session, Ebrahim Fayyaz, an anthropologist from the University of Tehran, told the audience that Iran is going through a phase of sexual crisis during which young people seek sexual relations outside marriage, an institution in which they have no interest. While extramarital sex is generally frowned upon by traditional norms and condemned by religious and political authorities in Iran, it is quite common. Fayyaz remarked, Men are turning into women while women are turning into men. He also asserted, Encouraging society to look at woman as the axis of family and society is the approach that could turn the current tide. Fayyaz indicated that he is clearly for resolving the sexual crisis, which, to him, is the tsunami of homosexuality. Alireza Lavar, a researcher at the National Family Foundation, agreed that there is a sexual crisis of young people turning to extramarital relations. The antidote, in his eyes, is therefore marriage. He told conference participants, Islamic teachings encourage marriage as one of the ways to prevent or decrease social harms and improve the quality of life, therefore the society and the government should facilitate marriage by paving the ground, creating jobs, changing some traditional attitudes and views that hinder marriage between the young. On a more progressive note, Lavar said that women should play the main role in fighting back against some traditions, such as polygamy and nikah mutah. One of the forum organizers, who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, said, We wanted to address the social and religious issues preventing some of the 20 million young men and women of sexually active ages from having legal and socially normal relationships. The figure he referenced stems from the 2016 census, published by Irans Statistics Organization, which showed that 11.5 million men and 8.6 million women over the age of 18 had never been married. He also noted that from 2015 to 2017 the rate of marriage fell by 16%, and the divorce rate increased by 7%, with the highest rate in Tehran. When asked to assess the Forums on Sexual Crisis in Iran, Fatima Seraj, who has a doctorate in gender studies, gave the sessions a mixed review. The forums were a good platform to ask questions but were not successful in offering solutions, she told Al-Monitor. The problem with debating such topics in a religious society such as Irans is that all discussions are from the Islamic point of view, particularly the Shiite branch of Islam, and they dont take into consideration Western points of view. Documentary filmmaker Fatima Ismaili has been happy with the content. They are trying to professionally address sex and sexual matters from an Islamic perspective, she told Al-Monitor. Some sessions really turned into a battlefield, especially the one about polygamy, when the female speaker who opposed polygamy, could not convince the audience [of her position]. The forum sessions will conclude in the coming days. Asked whether Safir Films might revive the series at a later date, the organizer who spoke to Al-Monitor said, We have to evaluate our achievements. If we are convinced that more discussions are needed, then yes, we may continue with them. China is still Iran's top trade partner, leading oil customer, a key technology exporter, a major political ally and one of the signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) still committed to the deal. All of this has given Beijing an increasingly central position in Iran's "Look to the East" doctrine, a key foreign policy strategy actively pursued by the Islamic Republic after the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal in May 2018. The recent visit to Beijing of a senior Iranian delegation comprising the parliament speaker, ministers of economy, oil and foreign affairs, the central bank governor and senior lawmakers shows how Iran is banking on China as US sanctions are hitting the Iranian economy hard. During those meetings, Chinese President Xi Jinping offered assurances to Speaker Ali Larijani that Beijing will continue to stick to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Iran, no matter recent regional and global developments. The fact that China hosted the high-ranking Iranian delegation prior to an impending visit by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia Iran's key regional rival and arch-foe also highlights where Iran stands in China's Middle East policy. On the ground, however, China-Iran ties have always proven to be more trilateral than bilateral, as the United States continues to play the role of a decisive third party effectively determining the direction the China-Iran relationship takes. While Beijing and Tehran have found common ground for cooperation in response to American geopolitical strategies, US pressure has weakened Iran-China economic ties. In fact, with Washington's withdrawal from the JCPOA and an ongoing full-blown US-China trade war, the American role in Tehran-Beijing relations has now become even more complicated. Iran has succeeded in mustering China's political support following the US departure from the nuclear deal. Chinese leaders have on multiple levels and on different occasions stood by the JCPOA, criticizing the US sanctions on Iran as illegal and stressing the continuation of robust economic ties with Tehran. But who mainly decides Sino-Iranian business interaction is not the government in Beijing, but rather China's largest companies. Like their European counterparts, those enterprises are already entangled in the global value chain and follow a US-controlled international financial order. Understanding how devastating US punitive measures against any corporation could be, the Chinese government, therefore, has not put particular pressure on those companies to keep business with Iran flowing. With that at work, the Chinese customers of Iranian crude cut in half the volume of their imports (from a daily 750,000 barrels to 360,000) in the months that followed the US exit from the nuclear agreement. In yet another significant setback caused by US pressure, the energy giant China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) suspended its 80% stake in a mega development project focused on phase 11 of Iran's South Pars gas field. CNPC had grabbed a bigger chunk of that contract thanks to the vacuum created by the exodus of Frances Total, which left after it was denied a sanctions waiver in the immediate aftermath of Washington's farewell to the nuclear deal. Meanwhile, several multibillion-dollar Chinese investment and financial procurement agreements with Iran are now hanging in the balance. The situation is being exacerbated by a recent US securitization policy manifested in the form of a legal crackdown on the Chinese tech giant Huawei for its alleged violation of Iran sanctions. With Huawei's chief financial officer about to be extradited from neighboring Canada, the United States is bound to set an example for other Chinese firms, scaring them away from Iran and making them feel that business with Tehran is not worth the trouble. In non-oil trade, Iran's imports from China mainly cover intermediate goods and technology services, which are vital to the supply chain of Iranian industries. A 15% drop year-on-year was witnessed in that sector in the 10 months since the United States walked away from the JCPOA. This could be partly explained by the fact that those Chinese companies were not interested in the headache caused by US-imposed international financial restrictions. The US punitive measures against Iran have also complicated Iran-China banking relations. Kunlun, the sole Chinese bank that used to actively work with Iranians, is now finding the road bumpier than ever. On a larger scale, the same US sanctions have also affected Iran's partnership in China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. The massive project includes the development of a Silk Road economic belt, which connects China and Central Asia to West Asia via Iran. Once onstream, it is expected to offer China enormous economic benefits. But now, US sanctions are in effect functioning as sanctions against a key aspect of the Chinese project, with the US penalties meant to minimize Irans role. Thus, during his visit to China, one mission Iran's parliament speaker pursued was drawing the Chinese leadership's attention to the role Tehran could play in ensuring the success of the Belt and Road Initiative. Against this backdrop, it is important to consider that a glance at the most recent trend of economic ties between Iran and China indicates that interaction has been mostly reduced to small- and medium-sized enterprises, as large corporations have either left for good or significantly reduced their involvement with Iran. Although in the wake of the US departure from the nuclear deal Iran has gained relative success in winning China's backing, the logic adopted by Chinese companies is more or less that of their European counterparts. In other words, the risks posed by US penalties for business with Iran have forced them to either bid farewell to their projects or dramatically downsize them. In the new Iran sanctions era, China is still sticking to an older model it devised during the first phase of tough sanctions that Iran grappled with during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013). Beijing remains cautious not to provoke Washington into practicing its punitive measures. In doing so, China prefers a relative loosening of ties by keeping its large enterprises at a safe distance from the risk of business with Iran. It seems, therefore, that as long as US sanctions are in place, Tehran has no other option but to pin its hopes on trade with small- and medium-sized Chinese enterprises. The Iranian government has approved a generous plan to facilitate participation in the hajj, offering Saudi-bound travelers the opportunity to pay for the voyage estimated to cost over $3,000 in local currency at rates far below the open market. As of March 5, the US dollar cost around 130,000 rials on the open market, over three times the official rate, which has stood at a fixed 42,000 rials for almost a year now. The subsidized rate offered to pilgrims will be just over half that on the open market, or 70,000 rials per dollar. According to Alireza Rashidian, the head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, the government of President Hassan Rouhani is doing its best to minimize costs for Iranian hajis. Some 85,000 Iranians are expected to embark on the pilgrimage this year. The first groups will land in Saudi Arabia in the second half of July. Rashidian announced that Iran is also awaiting approval from Saudi officials to increase its quota by 10,000. Aside from the subsidies for the cost of the pilgrimage itself, the Iranian government has approved an extra $200 per pilgrim, also to be sold below the open market rate. As part of its austerity measures triggered by the free-fall of the rial in the past year, the Rouhani administration has been keeping as much foreign currency at home as possible. In one controversial step, the government tripled departure taxes to around $50. To further discourage foreign travel, the rates are $75 and $100, respectively, for a second and third exit in the same Iranian year. To many Iranians, these belt-tightening policies stand in sharp contrast with the generosity shown toward those who travel for the purpose of pilgrimage, and their anger is nothing new. Last September, the government sparked criticism among both the religious and the non-religious when it provided Iranians who visit Iraqi holy sites the privilege of paying visa fees with subsidized currency. Major turbulence in Iran's forex market in the past year, with severe fluctuations and a record nosedive of the national currency, has translated into skyrocketing prices of basic supplies for ordinary Iranians. The government's subsidies for hajis are therefore seen by many as an unfair privilege. "I'm not content with being pickpocketed," tweeted one Iranian. Under Islamic rules, a strict condition for pilgrims is financial ability, meaning that the traveler must be able to afford the costs without a loan or other assistance. Some critics have attacked the government's offer on that basis. Since the outbreak of the Saudi-led war on Yemen in 2015, another argument in Iran has centered around the possibility that the money spent on the hajj ends up financing the Saudi war effort, which has claimed thousands of civilian lives and pushed Yemen to the brink of extreme poverty and famine. The government subsidies could have been invested, for instance, in reconstruction in the earthquake-stricken areas in the western province of Kermanshah. One Twitter user wrote, "People are still living in tents and makeshift metal structures. Still, the government is giving away $3,300 at a low rate to pilgrims. That's what makes the difference between first and second-class citizens." The issue of the hajj has long drawn a clear line between the highly religious and those with moderate leanings, who sometimes cite a famous poem by the 13th-century Persian Sufi mystic Rumi, who calls on pilgrims to embark on a true religious journey by helping those in need surrounding them instead. The poem is sung by the popular Iranian musician Mohsen Chavoshi in a video that is being widely circulated across social media platforms with pictures of impoverished children, appealing to pilgrims to focus on improving their fellow Iranians' lives rather than spending money on trips to Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a set strategy when dealing with anyone who dares challenge his leadership: He labels them leftists. He did it for the first time in 1996 when he defeated then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres with the unforgettable slogan Peres will divide Jerusalem. Since then, all of his rivals are leftists a label that conveys to his right-wing electoral base the sense of danger the "leftists" pose and makes his base run to the nearest polling station to vote for him. That is why it does not matter who is running against him in the April 9 elections. The very fact that someone is makes that person a radical leftist, as was the case in 2015 with Labor leader Isaac Herzog. These days, Netanyahus sophisticated apparatus is busy churning out spins attacking former Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. (res.) Benny Gantz and his political partner Yair Lapid, who together head up the Blue and White party. Many of Netanyahu adherents do not fact check anything he or his people say about their rivals. These voters would rather see Netanyahu at the helm despite allegations of bribery, fraud and breaches of trust leveled against him. Many of them have bought into his mantra that the media, law enforcement agencies and prosecution are persecuting him and conspiring to unseat him. After Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit outlined the states suspicions against Netanyahu on Feb. 28, the prime minister responded with a harsh attack on the prosecutors handling his cases with accusations of bias. With that behind them, his Likud party has now entered a new campaign phase. From now on, only one message counts: Gantz is a leftist. Netanyahu has mobilized Likud ministers for the cause, meeting with them in recent days and hammering home the message Its either Bibi or Tibi a reference to his own nickname Bibi and to the popular head of the Arab Taal party, Knesset member Ahmad Tibi. The idea is to convince voters especially moderates on the right displeased with Netanyahus corruption allegations that Gantzs only option is to form a government with the support of Israels Arab parties. On March 3, right after exiting Netanyahus office, the ministers stood in front of reporters faithfully reciting Bibi or Tibi. Polls conducted right after Mandelblit issued his decision to indict Netanyahu, pending a hearing, indicate that the Likud is essentially holding its own. That was the good news for Netanyahu. The bad news was that support for Blue and White is growing and the party is maintaining its position as the largest party polling the equivalent of six to eight Knesset seats ahead of the Likud. Gantz is also neck and neck with Netanyahu on the poll question of which is more suited to be prime minister. The polls also yielded a particularly worrisome result for Netanyahu: The right-wing bloc of parties could garner the same number of votes as the other parties, with some polls giving a slight advantage to the non-right bloc on which Gantz is relying. This is an excellent start for Blue and White, although a significant shift of moderate right voters to their side is still missing. In that sense, we are in the midst of one of the most riveting and rocky election campaigns in Israels 72-year history. Everything is possible and will likely remain so until election day. On March 4, one could better understand where all this was heading. Leaders of the Blue and White Gantz, Lapid and their partners, former chiefs of staff Moshe Yaalon and Gabi Ashkenazi set out for a tour of the Golan Heights in a militaristic show of strength by three of the countrys former army chiefs. Their message was clear: Netanyahu cannot claim this group is dangerous and understands nothing about defense matters. After all, he was the one who entrusted Gantz with the Israel Defense Forces when he appointed him chief of staff in 2011. Gantz came to this tour armed with a statement highlighting Netanyahus troubles. He said, All those who are taking a nosedive in the polls and starting to make things up, that these people will go with Tibi and those people will go with [Otzma Yehudits mentor, the extremist Rabbi Meir] Kahane none of it is true. Gantz used the scenic backdrop of the Golan to hammer home his message in concrete terms: Here, in this place, Bogie [Yaalon] fought, Gabi [Ashkenazi] fought too, and I was also engaged in operations here. There are three chiefs of staff and a former minister who was in the Cabinet. [One-hundred and seventeen] years of military experience we will not be taught how to protect the country and how to fight terror we will never leave the Golan Heights. On the contrary, it will be developed and multiplied. With this statement of intent ruling out concessions on the Golan to appeal to right-wing constituents and a party platform published that same morning that makes no mention of a Palestinian state but pledges to maintain intact Israels settlement blocs in the West Bank Gantz and his party will try to draw voters away from Netanyahu. It remains to be seen whether they succeed. Netanyahus response was not long in coming. That same evening, when the Likud formally launched its campaign at a festive event in the town of Ramat Gan, no one but Netanyahu took the stage. The Likud leadership served as cheerleaders and movie extras. Netanyahu even shook hands with his Likud rival and nemesis Gideon Saar in a highly public show of unity. The apparent bonhomie was intended to show his voters that the entire party was lined up behind him despite the suspicions of bribery against him. If there is one political achievement in the past year of which Netanyahu can boast, it is his ability to mobilize an entire party and get its members to parrot his talking points despite all the police investigations and pending charges. His lengthy speech at the launch event was more of the same: I say to you, Gantz and Lapid: Dont be ashamed. Youre leftists. Its okay to be leftist; just dont hide it. Stand behind your positions. Lets help them take their masks off. Netanyahu will keep trying to sidestep the accusations and keep labeling Gantz a dangerous liberal. Blue and White, for their part, will try to push Netanyahu into a corner and conduct more defense-oriented field trips. The fate of the satellite parties to the left and right of the Likud in the coming elections is the one major unknown: The Gesher party, led by Knesset member Orly Levy-Abekasis, the center-right Kulanu Party and the left-wing Meretz Party are all polling below the electoral threshold. Failure by any of them to garner sufficient votes to get into the Knesset could change the political map and determine who will be Israels next prime minister. It will be a very close call. Let us imagine that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decides to deploy troops tomorrow for a ground operation in the heart of the Gaza Strip, and some of them are killed in action. Let us say the operation is a reasonable, even completely justified response to rockets fired from Gaza into Israeli border communities. Regardless, the parents of the dead soldiers will harbor the terrible suspicion to their dying day that their loved ones were the victims of an election campaign. They will be haunted by the sense that their sons were sent into battle to best Netanyahus main rival, the new Blue and White alliance, which is led by three generals, and to silence critics competing with the Likud for the right-wing vote on April 9. Yet this ostensibly libelous claim, according to which the prime minister of Israel would place his personal interests ahead of the public good, is not a scenario cooked up by the political left and the media. Netanyahu himself wrote the book. As head of the opposition in 2008, Netanyahu warned against overtures Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was making to the Palestinians while under suspicion of corruption. There is concern I have to say, real and not unfounded, that [such a prime minister] will make decisions based on the personal interest of his political survival and not on the basis of national interest, Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 2 television. Addressing reports that Olmert had offered to cede land for peace, Netanyahu added, A prime minister sunk up to his neck in investigations has no moral and public mandate to determine fateful issues for the State of Israel. If a prime minister up to his neck in police probes does not have a mandate to make peace, does a prime minister dogged by serious criminal suspicions have a mandate to determine fateful issues such as war? Anyone looking at the situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip can see that an election battle could deteriorate any day into a bloody war. On the one hand, Blue and White candidates, whom Netanyahu portrays as leftists, are hounding Netanyahu, reminding him of his support for Israels 2005 pullout from Gaza and his 2011 decision to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in return for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. On the other hand, the chair of the New Right, Naftali Bennett, is egging him on to crack down on the Palestinians. The terrorists are warning that theyll get upset if you block their illegal cell phones in prison, so you gave in? Bennett lashed out on March 4. He reminded Netanyahu, On the metal detectors you showed the same fear when confronted by threats, so now we have terrorists taking over the Temple Mount. Bennett was referring to Netanyahus 2017 decision, made under international pressure, to remove metal detectors from the Temple Mount and to recent violent clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at the Gate of Merci (Bab al-Rahma), which has been closed on the Temple Mount since 2003. In the past three weeks, Israel has arrested some 100 East Jerusalem Palestinians and banned Muslim clerics and officials, among them the chair of the Waqf Council, Sheikh Abd al-Azeem Salhab, from the compound. Meanwhile, Jewish Temple Mount activists, among them members of HaBayit HaYehudi, lambasted the government for failing to adequately seal the Gate of Mercy after a break-in. They are planning a huge protest march from Safra Square to the Gate of Merci and an ascension en mass to the Temple Mount. Netanyahu has dealt in the past with violent clashes that started out on the Temple Mount, holy to both Jews and Muslims, who call it the Haram al-Sharif, and with the resulting crises in relations with neighboring Jordan, which is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. Given the personal and political crisis in which Netanyahu is mired, will he want to or be able to douse the flames while his government partners on the right are breathing down his neck? Even the pro-right-wing Israel Hayom has stepped on Netanyahus blisters. The paper gave prominent placement to a Jan. 9 demand by Economics Minister Eli Cohen of the center-right Kulanu to implement the Supreme Courts ruling allowing the razing of the West Bank Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, which has been sitting on Netanyahus desk for months awaiting his order. In regard to Netanyahus own words about Olmerts competence, what sort of national interest would dictate a decision to crush the Palestinian security forces, which are cooperating with Israel to prevent terror attacks? What do Israelis stand to gain from the governments theft of NIS500 million ($138 million) in tax revenues it has collected for the Palestinian Authority (PA)? Will this move, designed to punish the PA for paying the families of Palestinians jailed in Israel prevent even one terror attack? On the other hand, the same government that displays such determination in facing down Palestinian violence is supporting Jewish violence by omission and commission. Such support is especially strong during election seasons. When the battle concerns the prime ministers personal freedom, the settlers take special liberty to pick fights. The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs has this year alone documented 47 attacks by settlers against Palestinians resulting in injuries and property damage, compared with 38 events in the corresponding period in 2018 and 29 in 2017. In clashes documented Feb. 12-25, two Israeli soldiers and 139 Palestinians were injured. Thirty Palestinian children and three teachers required medical treatment after inhaling tear gas in their school compound in a section of Hebron under Israeli control. In three separate incidents, settlers uprooted 600 Palestinian-owned olive trees, and in two others, settlers stole animals and farm produce from Palestinians in the West Bank. Also during that period, Israel demolished 26 Palestinian structures in the West Bank and severed three links to the areas water supply, steps that left 44 Palestinians homeless and hurt thousands of others. Israel justified its actions by citing a lack of building permits. In East Jerusalem, seven buildings were demolished, and 38 people were uprooted from their homes. Three settlers were injured in the resulting clashes, and stone-throwing Palestinians damaged settlers cars. What does the US administration, the one needed more than ever to be the responsible adult, do to restore calm and prevent violence? It moves the US Consulate the de facto diplomatic mission for Palestinians into the recently inaugurated embassy, which is headed by a close friend of the settlers, Ambassador David Friedman. The decision severs the main diplomatic link between Washington and Palestinian headquarters in Ramallah, even though this link had served to calm tensions from time to time. At the same time, President Donald Trumps deal of the century is gathering dust. After all, Trump too is up to his neck in investigations and does not have a moral mandate to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace. He, too, is under suspicion of making decisions based on the personal interest of his political survival and not on the basis of national interest. Israel released over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in 2011 within the framework of the Shalit prisoner-exchange deal. In return, Hamas released Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted five years earlier. But in July 2014, after the abduction (and murder, as it was later discovered) of Israeli youths Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach in the West Bank, Israel re-arrested several dozen of the released prisoners. On March 3 of this week, 31 of these Hamas prisoners appealed to the High Court of Justice (HCJ) through their lawyer, Avigdor Feldman, against their imprisonment. Feldman argued that Israel re-imprisoned these people because of political reasons, even though none of them had committed a security offense or threatened the security of the state. It was also argued that the second incarceration violated the agreement signed by the government. As proof of their arguments, the prisoners submitted their appeal together with a post that had been circulated Feb. 4 by the founders of the New Right party, Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, in which it was argued that the re-incarceration was designed to inflict pain on the terrorists and pressure their families. The post also claimed that by virtue of Bennetts actions in the security Cabinet, the IDF and the Shin Bet re-arrested 60 prisoners released in the Shalit deal after the 2014 kidnapping of the three youths. Meanwhile, half of them have been released already. The remaining 31 now have appealed to the HCJ. In the appeal, Feldman explains that Israel indicted the prisoners for violating the terms of their release because they accepted money from associations that were declared illegal. Feldman also claims that this excuse was supposed to provide legal backing for the re-arrests after they had been released in an agreed-upon deal backed by Egypt. Israel never denied that the arrest was designed to inflict pressure on Hamas to lead to the release of the three boys before it became known that they had been murdered. (True, a phone call from one of the boys that was taped in the police emergency center in the very first hours after the kidnapping showed that the chances were low that they could be alive. A volley of shots was heard in the recording, then silence.) Nonetheless, Israel initiated Operation Brother's Keeper in Hebron, in addition to the re-arrest of some of the prisoners released in the Shalit and arrest of the Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council members. The arrests did nothing to help locate the graves of the youths; instead, it only served to cause further deterioration between the sides, leading to the 2014 Gaza-Israel campaign (Operation Protective Edge). Hamas began firing rockets at Israel because Israel had deprived it of Hamas only achievement in Gaza till then: the release of the Palestinian prisoners. Israel responded by attacking targets in Gaza, and the sides found themselves embroiled in a bloody military operation that lasted 50 days and caused the deaths of 68 Israeli soldiers, five civilians and one foreign worker. Gaza was witness to more than 3,000 deaths of civilians and militants. Note Bennetts revelation: His post shows that he is responsible for the explosion of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in April 2014. It is worth remembering that parallel to the launching of official talks between Israel and the Palestinians in August 2013, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu committed himself to release Palestinian prisoners in four stages. The goal was to deflect the strong criticism hurled at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for agreeing to conduct negotiations without stipulating that Israel freeze construction in the settlements for the duration. Netanyahu preferred to release terrorists rather than freeze construction in the settlements to offset the strong opposition of the settlers. However, he only carried out the first three stages (August 2013, October 2013 and December 2013). What happened? According to Bennett, he threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu would carry out the fourth stage, which was to release terrorists. Despite his [Netanyahus] commitment to [John] Kerry and President Abbas, that fourth stage was not carried out and from then until this very day, not one terrorist was freed, he said. Netanyahu argued at the time that he refused to free the last 26 prisoners out of 104 that had been agreed on since the last group included Israeli-Arab prisoners including the murderer of Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam. The bottom line: Bennetts threats to quit the government made their mark, the fourth stage was canceled, the negotiations blew up and the rest is history. The re-arrest of the Shalit-deal freed prisoners constituted a continuation of Israels tendency not to carry through on its commitments. Eventually, it also emerged that even the attempt to re-imprison the prisoners from the Shalit deal as a means of pressure did not achieve its objective. On the contrary: It dragged Israel into Operation Protective Edge and averted the deal for the release of the bodies of slain Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin (who fell in the battle in Rafah) and two Israeli civilians held in Gaza, Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu. The Hamas leadership has long stated that it will no longer consider prisoner-exchange deals with Israel because the latter does not carry out its obligations and promises. Hamas demands that Israel, in the very first stage, must release these Hamas operatives who were re-imprisoned before any talk of a new deal a broad arrangement including alleviating the blockade on the Gaza Strip and exchange of prisoners and civilians. It is clear beyond a doubt that there is no deterrence-value involved in this continuing incarceration. Still, Israel keeps refusing to free the Hamas operatives. This re-imprisonment does not create pressure on Hamas. If anything, it creates pressure on Netanyahu. However, the pressure inflicted by right-wing parties on Netanyahu (against a release) has proven to be both effective and deterring. Netanyahu will not dare free the prisoners of the Shalit deal as the first condition for beginning negotiations with Hamas. More so, he wont release them even when pressured by the Shaul and Goldin families. On the other hand, if the HCJ should decide that the re-arrests were illegal and order that the operatives be released, that would get Netanyahu off the hook. It wouldnt be a political decision that would lead to a right-wing protest against the political echelons. Instead, the fury would be directed at the court. Those in the Palestinian Prisoner's Club in the Strip believe that the decision to petition the HCJ at this point in time evidently points to an Israeli plan in the works for a large-scale deal with Egyptian involvement to secure an arrangement with Gaza. This deal will be completed after Israels April elections. According to club chairman Qadura Fares who spoke to Al-Monitor, the Feb. 28 release of four Hamas operatives who were held in Egypt from 2015 shows that the HCJ petition is part of a much larger scheme. No one can tell ahead what the HCJ justices will decide with regard to such a sensitive issue or whether the Shin Bet will present confidential material that may cause a continuation of the incarceration. Still, facts and publicized information tell a very clear story. Netanyahu keeps capitulating to the right, thus sealing the fate and future of Israel. Hussein Shaalan feels nostalgic for the 1990s, when international sanctions against Iraq following the countrys annexation of Kuwait made his pottery business soar. The 1990s were the last years when this craft was prosperous because imports [which competed with local products] were rare, the 60-year-old potter from Hillah city in Babil governorate told Al-Monitor. Today, Shaalan can no longer rely on pottery to make a living as he has done the last 35 years. Industrial development and imported goods now offer people plastic and metal alternatives to the clay pots that Iraqis traditionally used as table and kitchenware. There is no more daily use for clay pots. It is an old craft taught by families from one generation to the next, but today there is only one workshop left in the entire city, he said. We are merely resisting the inevitable end that gets closer day by day. Shaalan looks back at his youth when every city in Iraq had dozens of pottery workshops where clay pots, jugs, bowls, jars for water and pickled products, cylinders to preserve water and large containers were carefully crafted all by hand. Nidal Moussa Jaffar, a technical expert at the Ministry of Industry and Minerals specialized in folkloric production, told Al-Monitor, Pottery-makers had an important social and economic role in the past decades. They used to earn a large income, he said. Families practicing this profession were called 'kawaz' many families with this last name can be found in Iraq today. Pottery families carried out this tradition for generations. The Iraqi potters used a mix of red sand that they gathered from the river banks and integrated it into the clay. Then they shaped the clay into different forms, sometimes using a wheel. The pots were usually left in the shade to dry, but later, once the pottery shops became part of industrial areas, a kiln was used. Today pottery is no longer a craft practiced by artisans, but an art practiced in academia, Iraqi artist Shubayb al-Medhati told Al-Monitor. Pottery and ceramics have become an art for the elites. Clay and ceramics is shaped at academies, art schools and chic homes; the works are displayed in exhibitions, museums, malls and antique shops. Medhati, who works at the Iraqi National Library and Archive, said that Iraqi pottery heritage will continue to be a source of inspiration for contemporary artists. Many famous Iraqi artists like Faeq Hassan and Jawad Saleem have been influenced by traditional pottery and they produced ceramics. The influence of pottery is noticeable in their works. Secretary of the Iraqi Plastic Artists Society Qassim Hamza told Al-Monitor, Working with clay used to be important in these lands. Assyrians and Sumerians engraved their codes on tablets and cylinder seals. Each person had a seal on which he would engrave his property. Some of the cylinder seals can be seen in the current collection of the National Museum of Iraq. Ali Khalid Abbas, head of the ceramics department at the Institute of Applied Arts at the University of Baghdad, told Al-Monitor that many of the ceramics schools suffer from lack of funds. The first institute for teaching pottery and ceramics was established in Iraq in the early 1940s. Yet the attention given to this art has decreased because of the bad security situation, the wars that Iraq has gone through and the unstable economy," he said, calling for economic incentives for the sector. Similarly, Adnan Saddam, head of the Baghdad-based Institute for Folk Art and Craft, told Al-Monitor, The craft of pottery is going through a crisis. What is required today is reviving this industry through the support of workshops and projects. We must strive to prevent the disappearance of this folkloric and popular craft. Ali Hussein al-Mahmoud al-Assadi, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Basrah, is more optimistic. He told Al-Monitor, The art of pottery will not die because the number of artists specializing in this craft is on the rise. Hamza also thinks that there is cause for optimism. A pottery and ceramics exhibition was organized this year in Baghdad and 63 artists presented 150 works of international caliber, he said, adding that most art academies in Iraq still teach the craft of pottery and ceramics, along with other art forms. As the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are slowly clearing the Islamic State (IS) from its last Syrian foothold of Baghouz in the east, there has been a steady stream of media comments and forecasts about the final defeat of IS. President Donald Trump, since announcing US troops will withdraw from Syria, has repeatedly said IS is finished. Trumps White House has likewise adopted a "Mission Accomplished" slogan. But one should be cautious when linking the words Islamic State and defeat. The most pertinent consideration is how to define and measure defeat. If one defines success as eliminating IS' military capabilities and territorial control, then it can be said that IS appears to have been militarily defeated. But the current situation takes me back to 2006-2007, when I served as the Turkish point of contact at Kirkuk in Iraq. I recall how the US Army with its surge strategy defeated the Sunni insurgency in Anbar province. When measuring success by operational metrics in those days, we saw a rapid and significant decline in violent attacks in Iraq and in the number of civilians killed, as well as a sharp reduction in attacks on US soldiers and military casualties. Other yardsticks such as suicide attacks, roadside bombings and security forces killed showed similar declines as well. In a nutshell, the surge as an operational-military strategy was successful. Sadly, because of the complex, treacherous nature of state vs. nonstate confrontations, this operational victory couldn't be translated into a sustainable political victory, and the surge strategy became one of those primary antecedent conditions yielding to the emergence of IS as a splinter group of al-Qaeda. The surge couldn't completely destroy al-Qaeda cells in Iraq, and those cells simply went underground and waited for the right time to return. Nowadays, I sense the same operational euphoria in the air, like we felt at the end of 2007 in Iraq. If I'm asked about IS, which rose to great prominence with its capture of Mosul in June 2014 and now is said to be nearing its end at Baghouz, I would highlight a couple of points. First, IS was an effective war machine that projected good amounts of both offensive and defensive operational capabilities from 2014-2018. It was a quasi-state aiming to expand its territorial control taxing people, issuing IDs, running borders and providing basic services to millions under its control for long period of time. It was a propaganda machine whose sagas and strategic narratives lured thousands of people from all over the world. Most importantly, it is not was an influential ideological hub appealing to thousands in Iraq and Syria and perhaps tens of thousands globally. In this sense, we shouldn't underestimate what IS is still capable of in Syria and Iraq. Some lingering questions cloud the potential for peace and stability there in particular, and all over the world in general. Some people optimistically see the pending victory against IS at Baghouz as the cure to eradicate a deadly disease. But what if that victory is actually just a short-acting painkiller that masks a symptom of something even more insidious in the Middle East? Are the alienated Sunni political structures in Iraq and Syria the "first victims of IS terrorism that should urgently be engaged after the IS defeat? Or are they a potential fertile breeding ground for the resurrection of IS-like structures that should be kept from developing in political and material terms? I believe it's premature to talk of post-IS settings in Iraq and Syria. Despite the demise of IS, there are still three types of sentiments causing armed mobilization in northern Syria to consider: first, Sunni/Salafi; second, Kurdish ethno-nationalist; and third, pro-Iranian pan-Shiite. These three sentiments have all been adapted as proxies by countries with stakes in Syria. Unfortunately, none of those states with a military presence in Syria are willing to disrupt the zero-sum game among these three. Will the zero-sum game continue in the post-IS setting? This question concerning who can diminish/eliminate these sentiments and how this can be done in a synchronized fashion will remain, as the world waits for peace and stability in Iraq and Syria after the so-called defeat of IS. In the meantime, the ideology and propaganda of IS will be hovering like a ghost over Iraq and Syria, waiting for the proper conditions for it to reappear. Guaido arrives to Caracas on March 4, 2019. Photo: Carolain Caraballo / Cont/Getty Images Venezuelan opposition leader and self-styled interim president Juan Guaido returned to Caracas on Monday, defying a threat by embattled president Nicolas Maduro to have him arrested if he came back to Venezuela. Despite being under orders from the Venezuelan supreme court not to leave the country, the 35-year-old Guaido had departed for Colombia on February 23 to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid from neighboring countries to alleviate shortages of food and medicine. That effort was unsuccessful: Maduro, who has alleged that the aid trucks are cover for a military intervention, made good on a promise to close the borders and block them from entering the country. Only one truck made it through, from Brazil, while at least six people were killed in clashes between opposition protesters and soldiers enforcing the blockade at border crossings. The clashes further inflamed tensions in the country, just as the failed aid delivery left Venezuela mired in a humanitarian crisis whose existence Maduro continues to deny. While in Colombia, Guaido also met with U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence before traveling onward to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Ecuador to meet with heads of state and bolster these countries backing of the transitional government he is attempting to lead. Guaido has been recognized as the legitimate president of Venezuela by the United States and around 50 other countries, including most of Latin America. Several countries sent their envoys in Venezuela to greet him at the airport on Monday as a show of support, as well as to offer him a measure of protection on his way into Caracas in case the government attempted to detain him. The Trump administration had warned Maduros regime not to arrest Guaido or take any other action against him. The U.S. ratcheted up sanctions on Venezuela on Friday, targeting high-ranking members of Maduros security forces. U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports an essential source of revenue for the petro-state caused them to decline 40 percent last month. The U.S. also put forward a resolution in the U.N. Security Council last week calling for new elections in Venezuela and for aid to be allowed in, which was blocked by Russia and China. Russia, which continues to back Maduro as a legitimate head of government, has accused the U.S. of violating Venezuelas sovereignty and preparing a military intervention to oust Maduro by force. Nonetheless, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday that Moscow was willing to enter bilateral talks with the U.S. regarding the situation. The prospect of a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela is not limited to the imaginations of Maduro and Lavrov: National Security Adviser John Bolton and Trumps special envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams are both unabashed neoconservatives who have supported such misadventures in other countries. Nonetheless, it looks unlikely at this point, as the Trump administration has opted for a coercive strategy of sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and multilateral pressure to achieve the goal of regime change in Caracas. This is a wise choice, as a foreign invasion is perhaps the only thing less popular in Venezuela right now than Maduro himself, and could easily backfire by reaffirming the loyalty of the Venezuelan military and security forces to the regime. While Republicans have gladly dinged prominent Democrats for expressing opposition to an intervention, one need not be a Maduro supporter to see that as a poor course of action, especially considering the disastrous results of previous U.S. regime change operations in Latin America and beyond. Unfortunately, Maduros military brass has yet to turn on him, even though Guaido claims that most of the countrys rank-and-file soldiers support his protest movement and many are defecting. Barring the use of force by outside actors, the armed forces will ultimately decide whether Maduro stays or goes as is true of all dictators. In that regard, the deployment of soldiers to burn aid trucks and fire on civilian protesters last week was a demoralizing moment for Guaidos supporters, indicating that Maduro maintains a firm enough grip on the military to carry out such atrocities. Democratization, political scientist Javier Corrales wrote in a New York Times op-ed on Monday, requires decoupling the military from Maduro, a process complicated by the unconventional structure of Venezuelas security forces. Instead of one centralized chain of command, the Venezuelan military consists of several independent elements: the regular army operates alongside nonstandard groups of ideologized soldiers and bureaucrat generals, in addition to the special forces and civilian colectivos who act as Maduros extrajudicial assassination and terror squads. The trouble with Guaidos approach to the military, Corrales argues, is that his offer is only attractive to one of these groups: the regular soldiers, to whom he has promised amnesty for crimes they may have committed on the regimes orders. Hard-core ideologues wont be swayed by this, nor will the bureaucrat generals who will lose their corrupt cash cows under a legitimate government, amnesty or not. Before the military can become a partner in democratization, it must be restored to order and these irregular elements shaken out. The transition to democracy will require applying a combination of force and some concessions to the least professional groups within the military, Corrales concludes, which will no doubt will be unpleasant for Venezuelan democrats. One might also add that a regime change facilitated by the military in its current condition could lead to an outcome no better than what Venezuela has now. For example, many Middle Eastern countries have suffered from similarly compartmentalized security establishments, with independent and sometimes competing groups of corrupt generals, unaccountable intelligence and secret service forces, and government-backed militias or gangs. Populist revolutions in these countries often resulted in new military dictatorships, the most recent example being Egypt in 20112013. If Maduro is ousted by his generals today, theres no guarantee that they will then usher in a democratic transition. Guaido may have hoped for a relatively quick and painless end to the Maduro regime, driven by a critical mass of people power, but now hes looking at a more protracted fight: a fact he acknowledged on Sunday when he predicted a long and difficult process. He may well be jailed in the coming days, and even if he remains free, he will need to renew and sustain the momentum of his movement while figuring out a more effective strategy for separating Maduro from the forces keeping him in power. He will also need all the help he can get from abroad that is, without his international backers giving him wrong kind of help. DIYARBAKIR, Turkey An entity with clear ties to Turkey has emerged claiming to represent a segment of Syrian Kurds and calling for the ouster of what it considers to be Kurdish terrorist organizations. Syrian Kurds typically have been dominated by two sides: the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG); and the Syrian Kurdish National Council (ENKS). The YPG is thought by many to be the Syrian extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of Turkey, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and others. But on Feb. 23, the Independent Kurdish Coalition of Syria met in Turkeys Mediterranean city of Mersin. The coalition defines itself not as a party or an organization, but as a fully independent initiative. Its members include notable politicians, lawyers, writers, academics and religious figures. The group, which had met quietly three times before, held its largest meeting in Turkey at the same time a potential Turkish operation east of the Euphrates River is being considered. The coalition readily gives the impression it was created by or is at least strongly supported by Turkey, adorning its meeting hall with Turkish flags and holding its previous meetings in the Syrian town of Afrin, which is under Turkish control. About 300 people attended the meeting in Turkey. The questions most discussed were: Who represents the Kurds? What are Kurdish interests? and Who are their friends and enemies? The most debated topic was the YPG and its PYD political wing. The new group shares Turkeys views on this matter and freely describes the PYD and YPG as terrorists. Coalition President Abdulaziz Temo said Syrian Kurds have been played like cards in hands of other countries. Speaking to Al-Monitor, he said Kurds have been looking for a solution within Syria. We are part of the Syrian people," he said. "When the question is fully solved in Syria, our problems will also be solved, and as Syrian Kurds we will achieve our rights. According to Temo, Syrian Kurds are being squeezed between the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil, and the Qandil Mountains the main command center of the outlawed PKK. The Qandil group that is, the PKK/YPG are terrorists and enemies of the Kurdish people. They have nothing to do with Kurdish issues. They have made the Syrian Kurds their manpower source. They are shedding the blood of youngsters. They terrorize Syrian Kurds. They have killed our politicians and activists. Hundreds of activists are in their jails, he told Al-Monitor. In our Mersin meeting, everyone agreed that they are terrorists," Temo said. "They dont represent us and should get out of our land. [Also], the group in Erbil has never pursued patriotism and the rights of Syrian Kurds. They say the rights of Syrian Kurds depend on the establishment of Kurdistan. Temo said the coalition has no problems with Iraq, Iran and Turkey. He believes Damascus is the Kurds challenge. He doesnt hesitate to reveal the group's close relations with the Turkish state as well. We have friendly ties with Turkey. We are part of the Syrian opposition [to President Bashar al-Assad] that doesnt see Turkey as an enemy. Our problem is in Damascus. The solution is there. We want to tell Turkey that we have nothing to do with the PKK/YPG. Turkey has never fought against the Syrian Kurds but against the PKK. Our common enemy with Turkey is the PKK," he said. Does this new initiative have a support base in Syria? Vahap Coskun, a law professor at Diyarbakirs Dicle University, feels this new initiative can't be a solution by itself. The US is working on structuring a safe zone model with a Kurdish body," he told Al-Monitor. "All of [the international actors] are in touch with the PYD in this or that way. What Turkey has to do is to talk to Kurds, including all the Kurds in Syria. To say the PYD doesnt represent all the Kurds and that it has nothing to do with Turks isn't realistic. Turkey must talk to Kurds under ENKS and the PYD. It is a mistake for Turkey to refuse to talk with the PYD while everybody else is talking to them." One single group can't represent all the Kurds, he said. Without excluding anyone speaking for the Kurds, Turkey must speak to everyone," he said. "Nobody can say, 'We are the sole representatives of Kurds, speak only to us.' He added, Syria is divided into three. On one side there is the Assad regime supported by Russia and Iran, which controls the largest part of Syria. Then you have the FSA [Free Syrian Army] supported by Turkey, and finally the PYD, supported by the US. Trying to determine the future of the Syrian Kurds issue only with those meeting in Mersin can't be realistic and functional." Turkeys strong support for the new group is beyond doubt. But observers note that to seek a solution in Syria without first finding a solution to Turkeys own Kurdish dilemma isn't feasible, especially when everyone agrees that the solution to Turkeys own Kurdish issue is linked to the Syrian Kurds. The Independent Kurdish Coalition of Syria insists on a Damascus regime without Assad. This, however, doesnt mesh with recent reports that Turkey is quietly looking into improving ties with Damascus. That contradiction casts doubt on the new coalition's ability to achieve a long-term solution. Controversy transpired following the publication of a picture showing Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani sitting next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Middle East conference held Feb. 13-14 in Warsaw, Poland. Although many Arabs criticized the Yemeni diplomat for being photographed next to the Israeli premier, some expressed support not necessarily for the love of Israel, but rather to spite Iran and its wings in the region, particularly since the Warsaw conferences most prominent aim is to counter Iranian influence. The United States announced in mid-January that it would host the ministerial conference in Warsaw to promote the future of peace and security in the Middle East. All Palestinian factions boycotted the meeting, while 11 out of 22 Arab countries attended. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the conference was to focus on Iran's influence and terror in the region. The conference also tackled the developing US plan to solve the Palestinian-Israeli issue, commonly referenced in the Arabic press as "the deal of the century." The Israeli media praised the Warsaw conference, which Netanyahu called a historic turning point. Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi described it as a new and important vision for the future. Yamani stressed in a press statement following the conference the common points between the two countries [Yemen and Israel] to confront the Iranian threat. Meanwhile, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa spoke about the Warsaw conference in a closed meeting, saying, Confronting the Iranian threat is more serious than the Palestinian cause. Following the Warsaw conference, five Iraqi factions the Popular Mobilization Units, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Badr Organization, Al-Nujaba and the Hezbollah Brigades published a document Feb. 17 stating that anyone who travels to or communicates with Israel would be supporting its criminal behavior. The document also stated, Anyone who deals with Israel would be spying and betraying the homeland. Meanwhile, leader of Yemens Ansar Allah (Houthis) Abdul Malik al-Houthi called for protests against any outcome of the Warsaw conference. Thousands of people from a number of Yemeni provinces answered the call Feb. 17. Observers believe that while Israel emerged victorious from the conference, Iran also benefited politically by mobilizing its allies on several levels. Meanwhile, the Arab participants including Yemen, which was represented by Yamani did not gain any fruitful results from the conference. On the contrary, Arab states were met with a flood of popular criticism. Some ministers rushed to justify their positions following the conference, Yamani included, saying that meetings with Israeli officials only occur under the dome of the United States and the Security Council, denouncing the popular focus on his seat next to an Israeli official in Warsaw. Undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Information Fayyad al-Numan told Al-Monitor, The Houthi militias attempt to exploit Yamanis picture in the conference only serves their terrorist projects and their objective of lighting up the fighting fronts in Yemen. He pointed out that Yemens support of the Palestinian cause still stands, and no Iranian tool working to create chaos and terrorism in the Arab region can change it. Numan added, The official position of the Yemeni government was clear when it took part in the Warsaw conference in order to introduce the Yemeni cause and mobilize global support to save the Yemeni people from this [war], caused by the Iran-backed Houthis. This was completely unlike the relationship that the Houthis have with the Zionist entity, which even led to giving up Yemeni artifacts. He accused Houthis of working with Israel to allow a Jewish Yemeni family to immigrate in March 2016 to Israel carrying an old manuscript of the Torah, which it handed over to Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Saudi support for the UN-recongized government continues, as does Iran's indirect support for the Houthis, while millions of civilians are living on the verge of famine. There needs to be an international alliance to curb Iran's terrorist project in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon, Numan said, adding, The [popular] focus on Yemen [at Warsaw] was only by the Iran-controlled media in order to serve the Houthis coup attempts in Yemen. It is a response to Irans failure in Yemen given the intervention of the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Observers believe that the Yemeni governments official position on the Warsaw conference seems vague; while it formed with Israel what seemed to be an alliance in Warsaw, it still rejects normalization. Former Yemeni Foreign Minister and presidential adviser Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi tweeted Feb. 14, Normalization or the suspicion of normalization with the Zionist enemy in any way is contrary to all our peoples principles, history and constitution. However, no official statement was issued by the Yemeni government on the subject of normalizing ties with Israel after the Warsaw conference. On the other hand, a Yemeni political source speaking on the condition of anonymity told Al-Monitor, A sharp dispute broke out in the office of the Yemeni presidency between those who supported and those who rejected the Warsaw conference. But President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi insisted that Yemen take part, especially since the Saudi government had advised him of the importance of Yemen participating in the conference. Ali al-Qahhoum, a member of the Houthis political bureau, told Al-Monitor, [Participating] in the Warsaw conference shows open conspiracy and normalization with the Zionist entity, aiming to quash the Palestinian cause." He added, The Warsaw conference created a standstill on the US-Israeli front to subjugate the Arab peoples and bring them back under the US wing. It represents a conspiracy against Islam and Arab and Islamic issues. Qahhoum said that the Warsaw conference represented a scandal for Arab regimes. He described Yamani as a spy and a traitor who sat next to the head of the Zionist entity, denouncing his representation of Yemen. Qahhoum said it was a "US-Zionist aggression par excellence, and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are only tools to implement the US project in Yemen and the region. The Houthis discontent with the Warsaw conference was interpreted by popular mobilization of what they saw as opening the fighting fronts against those working for the United States and Israel, in reference to the government of President Hadi. They also started a trial in absentia for those accused of treason and conspiracy with the Israeli entity, according to Houthis, namely President Hadi, Prime Minister Moin Abdul Malik and Yamani. For his part, Abdul Salam Mohammed head of Abaad Studies and Research Center, which is based in Sanaa told Al-Monitor, Popular reactions in Yemen to the Warsaw conference revolved around the fear of focusing on normalization [with Israel] and forgetting about the main issue of Iran's interventions, pointing out that those who benefited the most from Yamani being seated next to Netanyahu were the Houthis who claim that their war in Yemen is against the United States and Israel. He said, This huge mistake that Yamani made by sitting next to Netanyahu damaged the status of the legitimate government internally, paving the way for Houthis to recruit thousands of Yemenis. Mohammed noted, Some Arab regimes, along with Israel, want to use the fear of the Iranian intervention to quash the Palestinian cause completely. They want to achieve normalization with Israel in exchange for confronting Iran, without giving Palestinians anything in return. This action will be met with popular discontent, which Iran will be able to exploit the most. Mohammed said, Yamani saw that this openness serves the Yemeni issue externally, but in fact, it harms [the issue] on the popular level at home. The Warsaw conference concluded with Israel believing it would fight Iran with Arab states, with Netanyahu stating that the conference constituted an opportunity to work with Arabs against Iran. The Arabs, meanwhile, believed they would fight Iran with Israel as shown by the statements of Arab leaders, including the Bahraini foreign minister. There are several scenarios in the foreseeable future. First, the Palestinian cause will be quashed once and for all if Israel succeeds in normalization with the rest of the Arab regimes, as Arab states would give up the right of return and their recognition of the 1967 borders. Thus, a new Middle East led by Israel would emerge. A second scenario suggests the region may be shared between Israel and Iran. The most unlikely scenario, however, would be for a unified Arab project to come to life and limit the action of both Tel Aviv and Tehran in the region. The crack of dawn isnt that bad when a bountiful breakfast awaits. See where to get some of Birminghams best, from artful toasts and decadent donuts to hearty hashes and Southern-certified biscuits, as we provide the ultimate guide to morning-time meals in the Magic City. Your Friendly Neighborhood Breakfast Find out where to get the best breakfast in your neighborhood, from traditional diners to cool cafes. CAHABA HEIGHTS Magic Muffins (3150 Overton Road) - One of Birminghams favorite bakeries, Magic Muffins pastries and breakfast casseroles are a neighborhood staple. Their namesake muffins come in a variety of flavors from German apple to carrot pecan, and bonustheyre all low fat. Must-try dish: Muffin Tops A cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese from Crestline Bagel. Photo by Stephen DeVries. CRESTLINE Crestline Bagel (66-B Church Street) - Did you know you can get New York-style bagels right here in the Ham? Crestline Bagel specializes in the addictive, chewy, boiled-then-baked bagels of the Big Apple. Bakers get in at midnight to prepare for the next morning, meaning you always get a fresh bagel. Must-try dish: Eggel ENGLISH VILLAGE Continental Bakery (1909 Cahaba Road) - A traditional European-style bakery in the heart of Mountain Brook, everything at Continental is baked from scratch daily by artisan bakers. For breakfast, grab a Breakfast Club on a butter croissant or a bowl of homemade granola, then take a baguette to go for dinner. Must-try dish: Belgian Chocolate Croissant FIVE POINTS Original Pancake House (1931 11th Avenue) Anchoring Five Point Souths main intersection, Original Pancake House is the uncontested authority when it comes to hot cakes in the Magic City. Choose from more than 15 styles, and if youre not in the mood for a short stack, order from their list of waffles or egg dishes. Must-try dish: Dutch Baby HIGHLAND PARK Bogues (3028 Clairmont Avenue) - A historic restaurant for a historic neighborhood, Bogues has been in business since 1938. The operation boasts stick-to-your-ribs comfort foods that will keep you satisfied all-day long. Must-try dish: Sweet rolls (original recipe from restaurant founder Mildred Bogue) HIGHWAY 280 Big Bad Breakfast (5361 US-280) - Originally from Oxford, Mississippi, Big Bad Breakfast has made quite the splash in Birmingham with two locations that remain busy day in and day out. BBB is best-known for its massive fluffy biscuits and homemade preserves that pair perfectly with smoked bacon from the Fatback Pig Project in Eva, Alabama and McEwen and Sons grits. Must-try dish: Breakfast Crumble HOMEWOOD Salems Diner (2913 18th Street South) - Known for its laid-back atmosphere and classic breakfast dishes, Salems Diner has been a staple in Homewood since 2006. The joint opens bright and early at 6:30 a.m. six days a week, making it a go-to spot for filling breakfast sandwiches, omelets, and pancakes. Must-try dish: Philly Omelet HOOVER Tip Top Grill (588 Shades Crest Road) - Dine al fresco at this hilltop restaurant that offers stunning vistas of Shades Valley. There are limited tables inside, so its best to go on a nice day and enjoy the ample outdoor seating. Choose from 18 specialty breakfast sandwiches that range in price from $1.65 to $4.25. Must-try dish: Tip Top Special WOODLAWN Woodlawn Cycle Cafe (5530 1st Avenue South) - Three years ago, Woodlawn Cycle helped light a spark in the Woodlawn neighborhood. Featuring minimalistic decor and refined breakfast dishes, it quickly became a favorite for Birminghamians from all walks of life, including cyclers needing a refuel during long rides. Must-try dish: Cycle Breakfast Bowl For the Love of Trattoria Learn some of the secrets behind downtowns favorite breakfast spot. When Trattoria Centrale opens at 7:30 a.m. each weekday morning, the smell of fresh-baked scones wafts down the street. The bustle begins as soon as the doors unlockbankers, lawyers, and downtown employees intermingle with loft residents and families, all looking to grab coffee or a hearty breakfast before starting their day. The stream of people is consistent, but the orders are varied. Tickets ring up for fried farm eggs allarrabiata (a signature dish), omelets, hashes, waffles, and even breakfast pasta. Others on the go opt for the scone of the day or a salmon and cream cheese bagel. Bryan Stanfield, owner of Trattoria Centrale, shows off one of the restaurant's popular breakfast dishes. Photo by Mary Fehr. Trattoria has been dishing out breakfast, lunch, and (more recently) dinner for nearly 10 years. The cafe, which opened in the summer of 2009, was the brainchild of Brian Somershield and Geoff Lockert, two Ohio natives who wanted to open a casual concept where they could offer a great product at an affordable price. Inspired by his travels through Rome, Brian sought to introduce pizza al taglioa Roman-style rectangle pizza to Birmingham, and thus, Trattoria was born. The decision to open for breakfast was made simply because they already had to be there to prepare for lunch. So why not offer breakfast to an area that, at that time, didnt offer much else in the way of morning meals? Now owned by Bryan Stanfield and Erica Schmidt, a married couple who met while working at Trattoria, the cafe has become more than just a stapleits a lifeblood for downtown. Due to its popularity, Trattoria is currently working to expand into its adjoining space. Once it reopens later this spring, the menu will maintain its old favorites and introduce some new items, too. And believe us when we say people cannot wait for their favorite breakfast spot to be open once again. Developing relationships is very, very important to the business, Stanfield says. The vast majority of our customers come in here every day of the week. Without the community, we wouldnt be here. A variety of bagels and doughnuts from Birmingham businesses. Photo by Stephen DeVries. Hole-y Grail Five of our favorite places for hole-in-one breakfasts (plus more options not to miss!). 1. Crestline Bagel (66-B Church Street in Mountain Brook) and (4117 Crosshaven Drive in Cahaba Heights) Fun Flavors: Sun-dried Tomato, Salt, Pumpkin (when in season) 2. Homewood Bagel Company By delivery (homewoodbagelco.com) Fun Flavors: The Patriot, Asiago Rosemary, Pepper Jack Jalapeno 3. Heavenly Donut Company (4911 Cahaba River Road, #105) Fun Flavors: Maple Bacon, Chips Ahoy, Chocolate-Covered Sour Cream 4. Hero Doughnuts (3027 Central Avenue) Fun Flavors: Pistachio, Strawberry Malt Crumble, Blueberry Cheesecake 5. Mile End (1701 1st Avenue South) Fun Flavors: Everything, Poppy Seed, Sesame Other places for bagels and donuts: Shipley Do-Nuts, Magic City Daylight Donuts, Continental Bakery, Donut Joes, Pops Donuts, YoYo Donuts, Urban Standard See more from our ultimate breakfast feature below, and be sure to pick up Birmingham magazines March issue for the full story. This story appears in Birmingham magazines March 2019 issue. Subscribe today! Recovery efforts continue in tornado-ravaged southeast Alabama. Twenty-three people, including three children, died in storms that cut through Lee County on Sunday. Almost 50 more were injured and numerous homes and businesses were reduced to rubble. The National Weather Service in Birmingham confirmed Monday that six tornadoes ripped through the state: Two EF1s in Washington County, an EF1 in Macon County, and EF2 and an EF1 in Barbour County and the storm in Lee County, which has now been given a preliminary rating of EF4. You can read more on the tracks and ongoing assessment here. Stories of those killed in the storm are emerging. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris met with the families of the victims Monday. Of the victims, 22 died at the scene and one died at the hospital, he said. At least three of those victims were children. You can read more about the victims of the storm here. Lee County officials announced Tuesday all victims have been identified. You can read more about the victims here. Heres the latest on the Alabama tornadoes: Donations reach capacity From the Lee County Sheriffs Office: Due to the tremendous love for our community, we have been truly blessed with all the donations people have made. That said, EMA has put a hold on people taking donations to our drop off locations temporarily as we have reached capacity! We thank you all for your love and support and will continue to need it in the coming weeks. If you wish to make a monetary donation you can do so through the Red Cross and specify Lee County in your donation or to help with debris clean up you can call 334-749-8161. For now we are pausing any other donations. Thank you again for all of your support! Reports of the missing As of noon Monday, there were no additional reports of missing people, according to the Lee County Coroners Office, but the number of fatalities could increase as teams reach new areas. 10 Aerial photos of March 2019 tornado damage Schools to remain closed Lee County Schools will remain closed Tuesday. Schools escaped major building damage but a lack of electricity and blocked roadways necessitated the closures, officials said. How to help Anyone who needs assistance or anyone wanting to provide resources can call "211" and provide their information, Lee County EMA said. People should use this number if they need assistance or if they have resources they can provide/donate to help with the disaster relief. You can see more ways to help here. Heroes emerge This young lady epitomizes what it means to be "Beauregard Strong". She lost everything in yesterday's storm, including... Posted by Lee County Sheriff's Office Investigations on Monday, March 4, 2019 State trooper among the injured An Alabama State Trooper is in serious condition after being injured in Sundays storms, the Opelika-Auburn News reported. Trooper Sgt. Robert Burroughs of Opelika is at East Alabama Medical Centers Intensive Care Unit. He and his wife, Sandi, also lost their home. Reactions from around the state and country Our thoughts and prayers are with the city of Beauregard and everyone else in Lee County. THIS is the very reason why we do @BoBikesBama. THIS is the very reason why everyone should donate something because you never know when mother nature will visit your town. https://t.co/vRy8HjWWEd Bo Jackson (@BoJackson) March 4, 2019 Keeping all affected by the tornados in Georgia and Alabama in our prayers. Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) March 4, 2019 My prayers are with @GovernorKayIvey and all of the people of Alabama affected by the powerful tornadoes yesterday, especially those who lost loved ones. May you all find peace after this tragedy. John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 4, 2019 Trump pledges support Speaking to the National Association of Attorneys General at the White House Monday, President Trump pledged his continuing support. Let me begin by saying our hearts go out to everyone affected by the devastating storms in Alabama, Georgia, and the surrounding states, and especially to the families of those who have tragically lost their lives, the president said. Ive spoken with Governor Ivey, and we're working closely with officials throughout the region to get our communities back on their feet. President Trump's message to those affected by the tornadoes in the Gulf states: "We grieve by your side and we pledge our unwavering support to help you rebuild from the very depths of this horrible tragedy." pic.twitter.com/s2QEfJhCDe The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 4, 2019 Disaster assistance Just signed an expedited major disaster declaration request asking @POTUS to approve our need for immediate assistance in Lee County. Earlier today, President Trump pledged his unwavering support for the folks of Alabama & assured me @FEMA will be there to help. @AlabamaEMA pic.twitter.com/IrF9harApY Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) March 4, 2019 Relief agencies arrive Relief agencies from around the country have arrived in Lee County and the surrounding area. Our team has deployed to #Alabama to help families after #tornadoes leveled entire neighborhoods and left at least 23 dead. https://t.co/NVGSYz9cVw Samaritan's Purse (@SamaritansPurse) March 4, 2019 Our hearts are with the people of Alabama. We are on the ground, and working closely with local emergency management, to help people impacted by these deadly storms. https://t.co/Ydsmp3eaDS #AlabamaTornado American Red Cross (@RedCross) March 4, 2019 Verizon is committed to supporting residents & 1st responders following yesterdays devastating tornadoes impacting Lee County, AL, & surrounding areas. Our Mobile Command Trailer is currently being set up to support the on-the-ground efforts of the Lee County Sherriffs Office. pic.twitter.com/Mm6fFaRaMj Kate Jay (@KateHarrisJay) March 4, 2019 Tuscaloosa offers support Lee County Condolences Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Lee County community in the wake of the devastating tornado and the coming days ahead as they work towards recovery. Posted by City of Tuscaloosa Government on Monday, March 4, 2019 Tuscaloosa City Hall added blue lights to its building to show support for Lee County. Tuscaloosa was among the hardest hit areas in the super tornado outbreak of 2011. Auburn football players offer their support Auburn football players were out in Lee County to assist with cleanup efforts Monday. The Alabama Legislature began its annual session today with Gov. Kay Ivey and the leaders of the Republican-controlled House and Senate asking for an increase in state fuel taxes to support roads, bridges and improvements to the port in Mobile. Ivey will deliver the annual state of the state speech at 6:30 p.m. at the state Capitol. Lawmakers met for less than an hour after convening at noon today and voted to recess until after the governors speech tonight. Its not customary for lawmakers to meet at night after the state of the state speech and could be a sign the governor will announce a special session during her speech. A special session could help overcome opposition to the fuel tax. It would allow the legislation to bypass a regular session rule requiring a three-fifths vote to get bills up for debate. Ivey has said all options are on the table when asked about a special session. Lawmakers would resume the regular session after a special session, which would take a minimum of five days to pass a bill. The fuel tax proposal calls for a 10-cents per gallon increase over three years on gasoline and diesel fuel and would raise an estimated $320 million a year when fully phased in. The bill would link the tax to a national index on highway construction costs that could raise it one cent every two years. The Ivey administration is asking lawmakers for about a $40 million increase in the budget for state prisons, with much of that to hire 500 more correctional officers and raise pay by 20 percent to help hire and keep more officers. The state is under a federal court order to add about 2,000 officers over several years, a number the court based on the Alabama Department of Corrections findings that prisons have only about half the staff they need. Lottery legislation is proposed every year. Some lawmakers said it will get more attention this year, with all of Alabamas neighboring states now having lotteries. Sen. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, is expected to introduce a lottery bill. Any lottery proposal requires voter approval in a constitutional amendment. Other decisions facing lawmakers include the size of an expected cost of living raise for teachers, a bill intended to identify and prevent racial profiling in police traffic stops and a proposal to allow people to carry concealed handguns without a permit. The legislative session can last up to three and a half months. By the time skies darkened over Lee County Sunday, East Alabama Medical Center was already putting its disaster plan together to deal with whatever might happen. Around the area, others prepared as well, as agencies do in Alabama when severe weather threatens. Most times, the worst doesnt materialize. Little did anyone realize what was in store. By the end of the day, 23 people would be dead in the county following an EF-4 tornado with winds at around 170 mph. Most of the victims were concentrated in an area around Alabama 51 near Lee County Roads 38 and 39 in Beauregard, an unincorporated community east of Auburn and south of Opelika. EAMC in Opelika is a 340-bed hospital just nine miles away from Beauregard, Ala., and 20 miles from Smith Station, Ala., the two areas wrecked by tornadoes. Because of its location, it was uniquely situated to take the majority of victims. At EAMC, they started hearing about 2:30 p.m. Sunday from Lee County EMA to prepare. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning eight minutes later. Once the storm passed, first responders on the scene began to understand the severity of the storm damage. Some physicians and part of the hospitals workforce were tracking the storm and arrived at the hospital shortly before patients began arriving. Bobby Kilgore, a captain in the Opelika Police Force, was one of those who responded at the scene. About 100 law enforcement and rescue personnel descended on Beauregard in the aftermath of the storm, he said. That included Lee County Sheriffs Office, Opelika and Auburn police, ALEA, and the Opelika and Auburn fire departments. Kilgore, like others, searched for ways to categorize something hed never witnessed before in his professional career. When I saw the width of the track, he said. It was as far as I could see. It was later, after the sun went down, but it was huge. It was like nothing any of us had seen before. Jonathan Morris, a Beauregard resident, watched the storm track from his front porch as it cut a swath through the densely wooded areas and through farms and across homes. Inside, his wife and children were in the closet. Within minutes, Morris said, he was getting calls from relatives and friends needing help. The storm touched them all. My buddys house got blown away, he said. I was talking to another guy, his son lost his home. Their neighbors lost their home. Another one, they lost the roof. One guy called his girlfriend to ask how she was. She said, Im lying in the hall and I can see daylight." East Alabama Medical Center is located in Opelika, only a few miles from the two sites of tornado devastation in Lee County, Ala. John Atkinson, the hospitals marketing director, said 63 people were treated in the aftermath of the storm, with about 12 sent to other hospitals directly from the scene. By Monday morning, only four of the 63 remained hospitalized. Atkinson himself was exhausted, after having spent a full 24 hours at the hospital. We conduct disaster drills at least twice a year and most times they involve a tornado because thats one of the most likely disaster scenarios we all face in Alabama, Atkinson said. Those certainly prepared us for the quick influx of patients. But no event in the past 50 years or so compares to what Lee County experienced yesterday, he said. A calendar rarity means that the good times will be rolling for Fat Tuesday in Mobile Tuesday, without any state politicians. This years Mardi Gras Day coincides with the constitutionally-authorized beginning of the state legislative session. Lawmakers from coastal Alabama to the Tennessee Valley are due into Montgomery for the start of the Legislatures annual session around the same time that Fat Tuesday parades commence along the streets of downtown Mobile. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is scheduled to deliver her State of the State Address at 6:30 p.m. at the Old House Chamber of the State Capitol. Her speech coincides around the same time the Order of Myths will roll through the city streets starting at 6 p.m. It is the final parade of the Mobile Mardi Gras season. Years ago, they used to not meet on Mardi Gras Day, said state Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile. That changed about 20 years ago. He added, Thats alright. I will just get up and drive to Montgomery like I normally do. Indeed, the 118-year-old state constitution was amended in 1999 to schedule specific start dates for the legislative session. Commencing that year, which was the beginning off a four-year term for lawmakers, the session commenced on the first Tuesday in March. But the start of the 1999 legislative session didnt coincide with Fat Tuesday, as Mardi Gras Day occurred on Feb. 16. The 1999 changes are also spelled out: For the first day of the second and third years of the term, the start date is on the first Tuesday of February. For the fourth year, the start date was moved to the second Tuesday in January. State Rep. Sam Jones, D-Mobile, the former Mobile mayor, said he doesnt think lawmakers, overall, would object to putting off the legislative session for one day to recognize Mardi Gras. He said they have the authority to suspend the session for a day and recess until Ash Wednesday. But I think there is a good push for certain legislation and to get there as soon as possible and that is mostly with the gasoline tax, said Jones, referring to Iveys plan to raise the states fuel tax to pay for a road and bridge program. They are wanting to get a start on it. Said State Rep. Adline Clarke, D-Mobile, I believe weve always been in session on Fat Tuesday. Perhaps as more Alabama cities celebrate Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday will become a statewide holiday. Decatur is one northern Alabama city that does hold its own Mardi Gras celebration. The Carnegie Carnival parade complete with floats, throws and music took place Saturday in downtown Decatur. State Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, was among the revelers in Decatur, and she attended a Mobile Mardi Gras parade last week. Approximately 60 lawmakers were in Mobile on Thursday to tour coastal facilities including the Alabama State Port Authority before gathering inside a downtown Mobile office to watch the Mystic Stripers Society parade. Each area of our state has such exciting things going on and our legislators to see those things is always a positive, said Collins. Mardi Gras in Mobile is the states largest annual festival, drawing hundreds of thousands of revelers to the downtown area for two weeks of parades, balls and more. For most of Mobile, its also a work holiday. Government buildings are closed, and most business take the day off. The Mobile City Council, which traditionally meets on Tuesdays, postpones its Mardi Gras week meeting until Wednesday. The folks who live in the northern part of the state dont understand, dont feel and dont smell and see what its like to be here in coastal Alabama, said state Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Daphne. He said he was planning to bring a King Cake to the Senate chambers Tuesday, which is his official first day in office. Im going to make sure of that, he said. Three weeks after issuing a press release headlined Where is Leigh Corfman? the issue over when Roy Moores accuser would sit for a deposition has been resolved. Attorneys for both sides agreed during a hearing in Montgomery on Monday morning that Moore would complete his nearly-finished deposition and then Corfman would give hers in the defamation lawsuit she brought 14 months ago against the 2017 U.S. Senate candidate. That resolution fell in line with the position stated by Corfman's lawyers in court filings, who maintained that Moore should answer the final questions in a deposition largely completed in October. After that point, their client would answer questions from Moore's attorneys. Moore's team had expressed concerns that Corfman would tailor her answers to Moore's. But Corfman's attorneys have repeatedly said she will have no advance knowledge of Moore's testimony. The bulk of the hearing lingered into the figurative legal argument weeds as Moore's attorneys presented their case orally to Montgomery County Circuit Judge John Rochester to supplement their motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Neither Moore nor Corfman attended the hearing. Rochester listened to lawyers from both sides make their cases but did not issue an immediate ruling. However, he said that granting a motion to dismiss is a rare occurrence unless a defendant presents a "compelling" case. Rochester then said he was sure that Moore's attorneys believed they had presented such a case. Moore's lawyers emphasized that their client never attacked Corfman, who told The Washington Post in a story published a month before the Dec. 12, 2017 Senate election that Moore had made unwanted sexual advances when she was 14 and he was 32. Moore has repeatedly denied the accusations. "All you can do is deny it," Moore attorney Julian McPhillips told the judge. "All of a sudden, you can be sued because you denied it." Corfman's lawsuit, which makes no specific requests for money and seeks a public apology from Moore, focused on Moore use of the phrase "false and malicious" when describing Corfman's allegations. That statement was made in a lawsuit Moore filed soon after the narrow election win by Doug Jones in an effort to stop the process of making the results official. "He says he doesn't know her from Adam's housecat," McPhillips said. Corfman attorney Jeffrey Doss said that the lawsuit spells out defamatory statements against Corfman not only from Moore but also representatives of his Senate campaign and, in turn, from the public. Doss also said that Moore's denials went beyond what was necessary and suggested that all Moore needed to do was to say he did not know Corfman and her accusations were not true. Moore and his campaign, Doss said, went "above and beyond mere denial." In discussion about Corfman's request for the judge to enter a "declaratory judgment" against Moore and require his apology, Rochester said he did not see how a sincere apology could be demanded from Moore. No trial date has been set for the case. The police chief of a small town in north Alabama is on leave pending the findings of a federal investigation. The Falkville Town Council voted unanimously Monday night to put Chief Chris Free on paid administrative leave. Theres an ongoing FBI investigation that has been underway for many, many months, said Larry Madison, the towns attorney. Madison said he couldnt comment on the nature of the investigation. Free didnt immediately return a call from AL.com seeking comment. Falkville is a small town along Interstate 65 in Morgan County. Located about 60 miles north of Birmingham, the town has about 1,200 residents. Madison said the Town Council voted to put Free on administrative leave as a precaution. Everybody in town knows about it (the FBI probe) and theyre asking about it, Madison said. The town has found no wrongdoing whatsoever. Mayor Ken Winkles said he couldnt disclose details of the investigation. Pending further action of the council, Free will keep his full salary and benefits while hes on leave. This is not saying the chief is guilty or innocent, Winkles said. An FBI spokesman declined to comment. AL.com is seeking more information through a public records request. Updated at 2:32 p.m. to show the FBI declined to comment. The life of Greg Molinari and his family were likely saved by a simple, yet heroic text message they received minutes before a tornado ravaged their home in the neighborhood of Lee County 430. It was a message from their daughter in law, which told them to create makeshift helmets by using kitchen pots to put on their heads. It was advice that proved to be life-saving. We did put big cooking pots over our head, Greg Molinari told AL.coms Mike Cason. "Saved our lives. The ceiling crashed in on us. Throughout the day, Cason and AL.com have been on the ground in Lee County, speaking with survivors and victims from the tornados that passed through Lee County on Sunday and killed at least 23 people more than double the number of lives lost to tornados in all of 2018. Dozens more people remain missing more than 24 hours after the impact. Meteorologist Chris Darden said it was an EF-4 tornado with winds estimated at 170 mph. He said the tornados track was 24 miles long at minimum. There are stories of tragedy people sifting through the rubble of their homes, literally needing to rebuild a way of life that was taken away in an instant. There are also stories of heroism, and life-saving luck, and community togetherness that surfaced as a county looks to heal from one of the worst natural disasters in this Alabamas history. The daughter in-law for the Molinari family was one of those heroes. Another was the husband of Taylor Grantham, who lives in the same community as the Molinaris. She got a warning about the tornado, but at first didnt think much of it. But once her husband saw it, he slammed the door and covered the couple with a mattress and waited for the storm to come and go. The house sustained significant damage, but it didnt cave in. After going outside, she saw other home destroyed, and assisted with others in lifting the roof off a woman in need. Grantham had avoided being at risk for the same fate because theyd utilized the mattress. For many people, there was little time to react to the warning. For this county, survival involved quick and resourceful thinking to preserve life. In Smiths Station, David McBride was able to preserve life while watching his business of six years come down in a fell swoop. His bar, the Wild Buck Saloon exploded. He saw the roof fly off of it. Had it come four minutes later, hed have been inside, and who knows what that might have meant. To say the day ended with many people seeing the damage wouldnt justice to the speed with which this tornado came and went. At 2 p.m., it was a rainy Sunday afternoon. An hour later, homes had turned to rubble, the dead would number in the dozens. In six of those cases, physical characteristics couldnt identify who had passed. A 6-year-old child, Armando Hernandez, was among those killed. The stories and the horror are impossible to recount fully in words. But mixed in that tragedy, was bravery, and people who had to fight for their lives and those of their loved ones. This storm was devastating, Smiths Station Mayor Fred Copeland said. The one thing I can say is whether you live in Texas, whether you live in Arkansas or wherever, if you hear a siren, take heed. This is not the Steve King of the left. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Last week, Ilhan Omar said something insensitive about the Israel lobby. While explaining her frustration with the way allegations of anti-Semitism can be used to suppress the broader debate of what is happening with Palestine, the Democratic congresswoman said, I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country. Many American Jews took exception to this remark. And not without reason. Omars intentions were ambiguous; it is not clear exactly whom she meant by people, or what she meant by allegiance. But one premise of anti-Semitic ideology in the U.S. is that American Jews primary loyalty is to Israel, not America (and that, since Jews illicitly control the political system, the federal government has adopted the same treasonous allegiance). By suggesting that it is not okay for American Zionists to push for allegiance to a foreign country, Omar evinced insensitivity about this trope. Some progressives have defended Omars comments by insisting that she was not talking about Jews, but only about pro-Israel lobbyists a group that includes no small number of Christian Zionists. And this is almost certainly true. Ive seen no compelling evidence that Omar is an anti-Semite, rather than a critic of Israel who is (understandably) frustrated with the extraordinary power that Likud wields in D.C. But even if we interpret her remark with maximum generosity, it would still be a lousy sentiment. It should be okay for Americans who want their country to have a close alliance with a foreign power to form political organizations that advance their views. The problem with AIPAC is not that it pushes American lawmakers to show deference to the interests of another country. The problem is that it pushes them to show deference to a country that practices de facto apartheid rule in much of the territory it controls. If there were a lobby pushing Congress to put the humanitarian needs of Bangladesh over the immediate economic interests of Americans by imposing a steep carbon tax and drastically increasing foreign aid to that low-lying nation would the left decry the idea that such lobbying was okay? Of course not. Because progressives arent hypernationalists. And I dont think Omar is either. So she shouldnt frame her opposition to the Israel lobby in nationalist terms. The problem isnt Congresss allegiance to a foreign country, but its complicity in Jewish supremacy in the West Bank, an inhuman blockade in Gaza, and discrimination against Arab-Israelis in Israel proper. So, Omar said a needlessly tone-deaf sentence, and she should strive to avoid saying stuff like that in the future. With that stipulated, lets put this gaffe in its proper context. Speaking extemporaneously in her second language Omar (by all appearances, unintentionally) said some words that could be interpreted in an anti-Semitic fashion. Meanwhile, virtually all of her colleagues routinely say in prepared remarks, as a matter of principle that America should continue to abet the race-based oppression of Palestinians in Israel. For over half a century now, Palestinians in the West Bank have been living under an illegal military occupation one that provides their Jewish neighbors with the franchise and basic civil rights, while providing them with neither. In recent years, this de facto apartheid rule has been shading into the de jure variety. In 2017, the Israeli Knesset (i.e., parliament) enacted a law that instructs its army to confiscate privately owned Palestinian land, and transfer it to Israeli settlers. As Michael Sfard observed in the New York Review of Books, This law is not only a naked sanction of land theft; it is also an unprecedented imposition of Knesset legislation on Palestinians who have no parliamentary representation. For over a decade, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been living under an Israeli blockade that restricts their access to basic goods, their ability to fish for sardines (their fishing industrys most important catch), and their capacity to export agricultural products. Israel justifies this blockade in the name of security, as Gaza is currently ruled by the terrorist group Hamas. In reality, many of the blockades most damaging provisions merely serve Israels parochial economic interests. Speaking at AIPACs conference last year, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer suggested that Israel did not need to end any of these practices because the Arabs wouldnt make peace with the Jewish State, even if it did: Now, some say there are some who argue the settlements are the reason theres not peace some say its the borders Now, let me tell you why my view, why we dont have peace. Because the fact of the matter is that too many Palestinians and too many Arabs do not want any Jewish state in the Middle East. The view of Palestinians is simple, the Europeans treated the Jews badly culminating in the Holocaust and they gave them our land as compensation. Of course, we say its our land, the Torah says it, but they dont believe in the Torah. So thats the reason there is not peace. They invent other reasons, but they do not believe in a Jewish state and that is why we, in America, must stand strong with Israel through thick and thin. When Schumer says that America must stand strong with Israel, he means that it must block any and all efforts to liberate Palestinians from race-based oppression. When the Obama administration declined to veto a unanimous U.N. resolution condemning Israels illegal settlements in 2016, Schumer decried the move as frustrating, disappointing and confounding. Schumer explicitly defended the indefinite subjugation of Palestinians in the West Bank, on the grounds that such Arabs will never accept the truth of the Torah. These remarks inspired no significant intraparty criticism, and he was easily reelected Senate Minority Leader last fall. Omar said a phrase similar to phrases that anti-Semites have used to rationalize ill-treatment of Jews in some historic contexts. Her remarks inspired bipartisan condemnation. This disparity is enough to establish that Omars true offense in the eyes of her party was not evincing a bigoted attitude toward a vulnerable minority group. The Democratic leadership clearly has no problem with such bigotry, so long as it is directed at a minority like the Palestinians (i.e., one that lacks political power in the U.S.). As stated above, Omar remarks were, in my view, insensitive. But in the Washington Establishments view, her true sin is that her views on the Israel-Palestine conflict are not bigoted enough. Unlike the vast majority of her colleagues, Omar has the temerity to insist that Palestinians are full-fledged human beings, entitled to political freedom and equality before the law. This makes many Democratic donors (and voters) uncomfortable. And so, when she says something that could be plausibly interpreted in an anti-Semitic light, the Democratic leadership treats her momentary insensitivity as a terrible scandal. Resolutions get written. Solemn statements get released. Unintentionally telling tweets get posted. It's important for Rep Vargas to include the second sentence here to explicitly articulate, what is, I think, really driving this. "Questioning support for the US-Israel relationship is unacceptable." https://t.co/245dYjHvce Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 4, 2019 As my colleagues Jonathan Chait observes, the substantive content of the Democratic Partys resolution condemning Omars language about foreign allegiances is unobjectionable. But that does not mean that criticism of the resolution is unjustifiable. There are costs to selectively policing bigoted (or insensitive) speech. The Democratic Partys decision to spotlight Omars moment of rhetorical insensitivity toward Zionists while ignoring, or actively championing the oppression of Palestinians distorts public understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The partys actions have the effect of casting Omar as the face of extremism on the Israel-Palestine issue, even though her official position that any peace agreement must affirm the safety and rights of both Palestinians and Israelis is more consistent with Americas purported values than almost any other lawmakers. Never mind that Chuck Schumer proudly defends Israels right to permanently disenfranchise Palestinians, as a means of protecting its ethnostate from the demographic threat posed by other peoples babies. Since Omars remarks attract bipartisan condemnation while Schumers do not it is Ilhan Omar who gets branded as the Steve King of the left. Omars remarks about Zionists were insensitive and counterproductive. But her colleagues enthusiastic support for the subjugation of Palestinians is something much worse. And when we criticize the former without acknowledging the latter we do precisely what Omar feared; we suppress the broader debate of what is happening with Palestine. President Donald Trump is being accused of playing favorites after he tweeted Monday morning that he directed FEMA to give Alabama the A Plus treatment for disaster relief while being slow to respond to the hurricane that hit Puerto Rico and threatening to withhold funds for the California wildfires. FEMA has been told directly by me to give the A Plus treatment to the Great State of Alabama and the wonderful people who have been so devastated by the Tornadoes. @GovernorKayIvey, one of the best in our Country, has been so informed. She is working closely with FEMA (and me!). Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2019 Critics of the president suggested Trump was playing politics with disaster relief, noting that Alabama is a reliably Republican state while California is solidly blue and Puerto Rico is majority Democratic although the island does not have federal voting rights. I'm old enough to remember Puerto Rico going a year without the essentials that they needed. Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) March 4, 2019 Puerto Rico would say treatment post Hurricane Maria was not an A+. https://t.co/RmOAgxTGDz Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) March 4, 2019 After the largest wildfires in Californias history, Trump threatened to withhold FEMA funds from the devastated families who lost their homes and loved ones and blamed the state for poor Forrest management. He literally gave the state his F treatment. pic.twitter.com/6zYT5S52Vw Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) March 4, 2019 Send Alabama up a nice fruit basket and tell California we cant fix the toilet until morning. Schooley (@Rschooley) March 4, 2019 The base gets A Plus treatment. Puerto Rico, which has 3.5 million US citizens, gets deliberately neglected. California, which suffered one of the worst fires in its history, is punished and mocked. I'm just glad none of this is subtle. It's all out in the open. https://t.co/dj9mM2dcS5 Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 4, 2019 At least 23 people were killed in Sundays tornadoes in Lee County with search efforts continuing Monday. Trumps critics said his tweet suggested that areas of the country that do not support him, such as California and Puerto Rico, did not get A-plus treatment. When Puerto Rico was battered by Hurricane Maria in 2017, a Category 5 storm that killed at least 2,975 people, the Trump administration was slammed for what was viewed as a slow response to help the island. The president also got in a feud with the mayor of San Juan, whom he blamed for the depth of the disaster: ...Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Despite the criticism, Trump gave his administration a 10 out of 10 in handling the disaster. And when wildfires raged through California last year and caused more than $3.5 billion in damage, the president blamed the states gross mismanagement for the scale of the destruction and threatened to withhold federal funding to the blue state. President Trump is planning a trip to Alabama to view the devastation from tornadoes that ripped through the southeastern parts of the state, killing 23. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the devastating storms in Alabama, Georgia, and the surrounding states, and especially to the families of those who have tragically lost their lives, Trump said at a White House event Tuesday. Ill be heading to Alabama on Friday. Its been a tragic situation, but a lot of good work is being done. Details of the visit have not been announced. All of those killed in the Sunday storm lived in a roughly one-square mile area of the community of Beauregard in Lee County. More than 90 people were injured and multiple homes and businesses were destroyed. The president has referenced the Alabama tornadoes several times in recent days, promising federal assistance to help with the recovery and cleanup. To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2019 Formal charges have been filed in the slaying of a woman killed during a fight with her boyfriend over the weekend. Xavier Scott, 36, is charged with murder, Birmingham police announced on Tuesday. He is charged in the death of 31-year-old Jennifer Marie Lane, a mother of two. She was originally from Moody but lived with Scott in east Birmingham. Birmingham police East Precinct officers were dispatched at 5:42 p.m. Sunday to St. Vincents East on an assault. Sgt. Johnny Williams said officers arrived on the scene and learned the woman had died from undisclosed injuries. Coroners officials said the assault happened at a home in the 800 block of 82nd Street South. Williams said the couple got into a physical altercation, which led to the injuries that killed Lane. Williams said officers were able to find Scott, who had brought the woman to the hospital in his vehicle. The suspect was taken into custody at the hospital. Scott is in the Birmingham City Jail, awaiting transfer to the Jefferson County Jail. His bond is set at $150,000. Lane is Birminghams 19th homicide this year. Of those, four have been ruled justifiable. In all of Jefferson County, her death marks the 32nd homicide in 2019. A 26-year-old Selma man was sentenced to life without parole in the 2015 killing of a Demopolis man during a car break-in. Dallas County Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins handed down the sentence Monday for Devontae Terrell Jiles. The shooting happened March 14, 2015 in the Old Town community in Selma. Authorities said 28-year-old Jimmy Hudgens was in town visiting his uncle when he was killed early that Saturday morning. He had been shot in the face. Police responded that morning to the home in the 500 block of Dallas Avenue. Hudgens uncle told officers that he and his nephew heard something outside and Hudgens went to investigate. The uncle then heard his nephew say, What are you doing back here? The suspect pointed his shotgun at Hudgens and fired. Hudgens was airlifted to a Montgomery hospital where he later died. The uncle said he found the suspects had broken into his Mercedes which was parked in the garage. Police quickly received a tip identifying the suspects as Jiles and his cousin and co-defendant Kendarius Brown, according to police reports, later confessed to the car break-in and the deadly shooting. He said Hudgens had pointed a gun at them first. Jiles later said he fired the shot because he was afraid Hudgens was going to shoot his cousin. Jiles in October 2018 pleaded guilty to capital murder in Hudgens death and to attempted murder of Hudgens uncle. He received a life sentence for the attempted murder conviction. Kendarius Brown Brown pleaded guilty to felony murder and received a 30-year sentence. He also received a 10-year sentence for breaking and entering a vehicle. All of the sentences were handed down Wiggins. This was a totally senseless killing, said Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson. These two gunslingers will now be off the streets. Both defendants stated that they were sorry for what happened, but they should have used their brains before they committed these horrific acts, Jackson said. This tragedy has been very rough on the deceaseds family members. Two hundred years ago, when Alabama became a state, leaders invested in infrastructure to create an economy for the former territory. That same challenge exists today. If Alabama is going to compete in the worldwide economy, it must finance roads, bridges, and ports to connect supply chains to markets and to help people and places prosper. The industries weve attracted to Huntsville in recent years are impressed with our strong workforce. Aerospace, automotive, biotech and healthcare are choosing to locate here, bringing tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. Their success, however, demands a strong transportation network throughout the state. Without these physical assets, businesses wont be able to thrive and neither will we. An investment into Mobiles ship channel is good for everyone in the state. Goods shipped in through the port might provide supplier parts for our growing automotive, aerospace and industrial fields. The greater the capacity of the Mobile shipyard, the greater the capacity for Alabama to sell products overseas. An investment into I-65 supports every aspect of business in the state. I-65 is the spine that provides for industry to locate in Alabamas 67 counties. Without it, Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers wont be able to support Hyundai in Montgomery, Honda in Lincoln, and Mercedes in Tuscaloosa. An investment into new bridges means a construction worker in Marshall County can commute safely to work in Huntsville. Through my decades of experience as a businessman and elected leader, quality roads has been and remains the #1 issue for voters. It takes effort and money to build and repair them. For those who dont want to fund these projects, whats your plan B? States have traditionally relied on the federal government to fund major public infrastructure projects. That support is still welcome, but federal funding hasnt kept pace and Washington has yet to come up with a new plan. We cant afford to wait. Alabamas leadership must think and act boldly to fund the infrastructure required for the 21st century. Like our forebears 200 years ago, its time to combine vision with action. The overwhelming majority of Britons who have lost their citizenship are of immigrant backgrounds. The United Kingdoms decision to revoke the citizenship of Shamima Begum, a British teenager who travelled from London in 2015 to ISIL-controlled Syria, highlights a deeply founded two-tier system, legal experts have said. Begums case has created a media frenzy since the now 19-year-old appealed in a television interview last month to be allowed to return home with her newborn son. Some experts say Home Secretary Sajid Javids decision to strip her of her citizenship is not unique and points towards a racist policy that has for years targeted British citizens of immigrant backgrounds. 190226210138059 After Javid notified Begums parents of his decision to revoke her citizenship on February 19, British media reported that the action was taken on the grounds that she could obtain another passport because of her Bangladeshi heritage. While Begums parents are of Bangladeshi heritage, she was born in Britain and has never travelled to Bangladesh. She does not hold a Bangladeshi passport, according to her lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee. He is challenging the move, saying it leaves the 19-year-old stateless. Prominent precedents Although Begums case led to international media attention, it is not the first of its kind. Legal experts and campaigners have pointed towards several other instances of Britain revoking nationality. The suggestion that this [case of Shamima Begum] is setting some kind of precedent is completely untrue. There are multiple cases of nationality revocation even before the existence of ISIS, Moazzam Begg, head of outreach at the UK-based campaign group CAGE, told Al Jazeera. Under the 1981 British Nationality Act, the UK home secretary has the power to revoke someones citizenship if they are satisfied that deprivation is conducive to the public good. While the legal concept upon which these powers were founded had become dormant, they were updated under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act in 2002, allowing the home secretary to strip nationals of their citizenship on national security grounds, without prior approval from the courts. It clearly appears to be a two-tier and racist system. Moazzam Begg, head of outreach at the UK-based campaign group CAGE The act was amended again in 2006, allowing the British government to remove the citizenship of dual nationals who are considered not conducive to the public good. It maintained the prohibition on rendering someone stateless. People affected can appeal the decision in the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), a court that deals with cases of national security and hears evidence in secret. According to a report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in 2016, the then-Home Secretary Theresa May stripped 33 dual nationals of their British citizenship on terror-related grounds since 2010. A number of citizenship revocations for other reasons brought the total to 70. One of the earliest cases was Abu Hamza, an Egyptian-born, Muslim cleric who was stripped of his British passport in 2003, but later appealed and won the case, only for the decision to be overturned in 2010. Other prominent cases include Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks, who gained and lost his British citizenship in a matter of hours in July 2006, and Russian spy Anna Chapman who was arrested by the FBI in the US and stripped of her British passport in 2010. More recent cases include Britons who allegedly joined the fight in Syria, such as the 20 people whose citizenship was revoked by the home secretary in 2013. Others include Mahdi Hashi, who was stripped of his British citizenship while living in Somalia in 2012, and E2 as he is referred to in media reports who lost his nationality in 2012 while visiting family in Pakistan. On Monday, British media reported that 31-year-old aid worker Tauqir Sharif and his family were stuck in Syria after his UK citizenship was revoked and his eldest daughter was refused a passport. Two-tier system According to CAGEs Begg, the policy targets Britons from an immigrant or Muslim background. There were around 36 cases of nationality revocation in 2014, all of which hailed from a Muslim country, with the exception of one, a Russian, he told Al Jazeera. It [the policy] clearly appears to be a two-tier and racist system. There are many cases where people have had their nationality revoked based upon secret evidence, evidence you cannot challenge, cannot see, nor can your lawyers see, said Begg. That throws up another issue: What is the British government doing using secret evidence? Although previous amendments to the Nationality Act maintained that making someone stateless is prohibited, a 2014 amendment to the Act allows UK citizenship to be removed if there are reasonable grounds for believing the person would be able to become a citizen of another country. In the home secretarys letter to Sharif, he described the aid worker as a British-Pakistani dual national. The whole policy is inherently racist and discriminatory in its application. It can only be used against British citizens who are the children of immigrants. Fahad Ansari, lawyer Although Javid has said that he did not use this measure in Begums case, Akunjee, her lawyer, argues that the move has in effect made her stateless and breached international law. The UK home secretary is violating international law by stripping people of their citizenship on a whim. This can only be done when someone is deemed a dual national, said Akunjee. The reality is Shamima Begum was born, bred and radicalised in the UK, and then she travelled to Syria. None of this has anything to do with Bangladesh. In her [Begums] case, we got a very clear message from the Bangladeshi government which would suggest that, according to their view of their law, she is not a citizen, nor will she be able to avail herself of any citizenship at this junction. Given that position, she is technically stateless. Following Javids move, Bangladeshs Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan said Begums case had nothing to do with Dhaka. Fahad Ansari, a UK lawyer who has overturned decisions to revoke the citizenship of two Britons of Bangladeshi origin, said identity was at the core of the issue. The whole policy is inherently racist and discriminatory in its application. It can only be used against British citizens who are the children of immigrants, he told Al Jazeera. The idea being it is only against those who are perceived as never having belonged in the UK in the first place. British protesters denounce anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. Photo: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images Last week, Rachel Shabi, a left-of-center British journalist, warned American progressives that anti-Semitism could one day tear apart Democrats just as it is now doing to the Labour Party. When I read her essay, just ten days ago, it seemed fantastical. Today, after watching progressives floundering about in the wake of Ilhan Omars smearing of pro-Israel activism as a form of dual loyalty, Shabis diagnosis looks prescient. It can happen here. Shabis argument is that three conditions exist to help spread anti-Semitism among even progressives who are not inherently predisposed to it. The first is the right uses hyperbolic accusations of anti-Semitism to close off legitimate criticism of Israel. Second, the right is comprehensively more bigoted than the left. And third, the left itself is divided, so that when a member of the more radical faction is identified with it, anti-Semitism quickly became part of an ongoing factional battle. All these conditions drive many leftists to form a protective cordon around their allies who promote anti-Semitic tropes. Only the most hard-core members actually defend anti-Semitic ideas on the merits. Most of them instead are driven into this position by polarization, defending anti-Semitism as an act of defiance against political enemies inside and outside the party. The source of their ire at the moment is a new resolution by House Democrats denouncing anti-Semitism. It defines the term. In an implicit rebuke to Omar, to include accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations. If Omar merely spoke clumsily and didnt intend to question the legitimacy of Jewish participation in the foreign policy debate, they could happily endorse the measure. It does not censure Omar, or even name her. The resolution also cites the post-9/11 conditions faced by Muslim-Americans in the United States, including unfounded, vicious attacks on and threats to Muslim-American Members of Congress as a form of unacceptable bigotry. So, what is it about the resolution they object to? They resent a rebuke of their political ally. One viral tweet scolds Democrats for proposing a resolution against anti-Semitism while ignoring the much worse racism of Steve King. In fact, two months ago, Democrats also introduced a resolution denouncing King (by name, unlike Omar.) The main theme of the defenses of Omar is deflection. Mehdi Hasans pro-Omar column lists all the anti-Semitism on the Republican side that has gone unpunished, and devotes not a single word to defending or even minimizing her offense. This has been a running theme of pro-Omar commentary on social media: Don't throw the book at a Muslim woman of color while ignoring the many, many white Christian members of Congress who've trafficked in anti-Semitic tropes and tell me you're doing it to protect Jews. Our safety is in solidarity, not in tearing each other apart. Leah Greenberg (@Leahgreenb) March 4, 2019 Instead of a resolution to condemn death threats and religious bigotry against @IlhanMN or condemning Netanyahu's Trump-like policies and alliance with the Israeli far-right, Democratic leadership chooses to attack the first Muslim woman in Congress. Wow.https://t.co/5schN9QGW4 Waleed Shahid (@_waleedshahid) March 4, 2019 The GOP under Trump has run roughshod over our norms and values. They've kidnapped babies from breastfeeding mothers. They've stolen health care from the sick to enrich oligarchs. They pollute our air and water. But we're supposed to believe @IlhanMN and @AOC are the problem? Peter Daou (@peterdaou) March 5, 2019 All these people are making the same argument: We must choose between condemning the greater evil of the opposing side and condemning the lesser evil of our own. We cannot do both. Obviously, this kind of logic is not peculiar to arguments from the left or arguments about anti-Semitism. It is a broadly popular form of deflection. Daous phrase the problem, which is also sometimes expressed as the real problem is usually a tip-off that this kind of deflection is being employed. The very term the problem primes you into thinking there can only be one kind of problem. And since we know the other side is worse, it follows that our side cannot be the problem. Therefore, to criticize ones own side is to ignore the problem (or the real problem). To rule out the possibility of multiple problems is to preclude internal criticism altogether. In the Israel debate, like most issues, there are multiple problems. One is anti-Semites smuggling their biases into criticisms of Israel. Another is Israel supporters using hyperbolic accusations of anti-Semitism to shut down criticism of Israel. (Progressives sometimes use hyperbolic accusations of racism and sexism to shut down criticism also.) The trick is to navigate a middle ground that allows both calling out real bigotry and permitting open debate. Contrary to Omars insinuation, at least some Democrats do criticize Israel and its domestic supporters in harsh terms without leaning on anti-Semitic tropes. An easy way to do this is to recognize that advocating for a strong American alliance with another country is not a form of disloyalty. The United States has some strong alliances (Canada, the United Kingdom, NATO). The term special relationship is often used to describe both the alliance with Britain and the alliance with Israel. Because the former is largely uncontroversial, or at least nonpartisan, you dont see politicians beating their breasts to defend it very often, and you also dont see much lobbying to maintain it. And so when British prime ministers deliver speeches on the floor of Congress, or when American politicians promise to stand shoulder to shoulder or allow not one inch of daylight between us, most Americans understand this rhetoric as normal advocacy of an alliance. Its only debate surrounding the Israel alliance that brings out suspicions of subversion of national sovereignty by a disloyal minority. Whether or not the United States should treat Israel as that kind of ally is a completely legitimate subject of political dispute. The place to make the argument is in the facts of the case specifically, whether Israel merits such a level of support. Over the last decade and a half, as Israels rejectionist right has cemented almost permanent control of its foreign policy, I have grown more skeptical of the merits of the alliance. There is plenty of room to be much more critical than I am without falling into the trap of anti-Semitism. Shabis advice analyzes the dilemma from the perspective of a party in a much more advanced stage of crisis. Viewing American progressive politics today is like seeing the beginnings of a slow-motion car crash, one weve already been through, she writes. As the Labour Party has embraced Jeremy Corbyn, acceptance of left-wing anti-Semitism has become a kind of totem of ideological virtue. The addictive pull of factional partisanship has produced an outbreak of anti-Semitism so deep and wide, the Jewish community is abandoning the party en masse. The Democratic Party is far more resistant to anti-Semitism than the Labour Party ever was (which is why, even as recently as ten days ago, Shabis warning struck me as overly pessimistic). But the speed at which the virus has spread among progressive activists in the wake of Omar-gate has been a depressingly illuminating experience. Progressives are right to object to bad-faith charges of anti-Semitism closing down questions about Israel. But defending anti-Semitism as just asking questions about Israel is not a solution. It is the opposite of a solution. Casting harsh condemnation of Israel as a stalking horse for anti-Semitism is easier if anti-Semitic insinuations are routinely smuggled into the debate. Progressives are also right to object to the implication that bigotry should be thought of as a Democratic Party problem. The Democrats are a multicultural party that has built a strong culture of tolerance. This is of a necessity: The party could not survive without finding a political language that creates respect for religious and racial minorities as well as the majority. Those high standards can only exist if they are maintained. To change the subject to the lower standards of the Republican Party is eventually to adopt those standards as your own. The number of deaths caused by two back-to-back tornadoes which smashed the southern state of Alabama in the United States on Sunday is likely to rise. The search for dozens of missing people was focussed in the area around Beauregard, about 100km east of Alabamas capital Montgomery, where so far 23 people are known to have died in the deadliest US twisters in nearly six years. Rescue crews using dogs and drones searched for victims amid splintered lumber and twisted metal, while volunteers used chain saws to clear paths for emergency workers. It looks almost as if someone took a giant knife and scraped the ground, Sheriff Jay Jones of Lee County told the AFP news agency. We have several people who are still unaccounted for, Jones said. Unfortunately, we anticipate the number of fatalities may rise. A powerful EF-4 monster tornado was blamed for most of the destruction on a path about 39km long, meteorologist Chris Darden said. The deadliest, an EF-5, killed 24 people in Oklahoma in 2013. More than 6,000 homes were left without power in Alabama, according to PowerOutage.us, while 16,000 suffered outages in neighbouring Georgia. The twisters were part of a powerful storm system that slashed its way across the Deep South, spawning numerous tornado warnings in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. An early March tornado outbreak in the Alabama-Mississippi area is usual, experts said. Why was a documentary film on the anti-Semitism in Labour debate banned from being screened at the British parliament? When I received the message from Jewish Voice for Labour announcing that the screening of the documentary Witch Hunt in parliament and the scheduled panel to follow (which I had been invited to join) had been cancelled, I was nonplussed. Three weeks earlier, I had watched Witch Hunt at a London cinema. The documentary tells the story of Jackie Walker, the activist suspended from the Labour Party over comments that were allegedly anti-Semitic while underscoring how anti-Semitism has become a weapon in the hands of those defending Israels abusive practices. Indeed, the film shows how accusations of anti-Semitism are increasingly being used to delegitimise critics of the Israeli government and its policies towards the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and occupied East Jerusalem. The documentary also exposes the intimate relations between the pro-Israel lobby and members of the British parliament and is quite critical of some of the ways in which the Labour party has been handling accusations of anti-Semitism. At one point, the film even suggests that the party is entering a McCarthyist era. The complaint As if to prove these assertions right, Labour MP Chris Williamson, who had helped arrange the screening, was suspended from the party in late February. A Labour spokeswoman said it was completely inappropriate for Williamson to have booked a room in parliament for a screening of Witch Hunt. 180907095256686 The major complaint against Williamson, however, involved a remark he had made a few days earlier about Labour having been too apologetic when confronting those who have accused it of harbouring anti-Semites. Let me be clear. Insofar as the Labour party represents a cross-section of British society, it likely does have some anti-Semites within its ranks, and I wholeheartedly agree with those who argue that the party should have zero tolerance for these bigots. However, the real point of contention between Jewish Voice for Labour, Chris Williamson and Jackie Walker on the one side, and their detractors on the other, is not about whether the party should tolerate anti-Semitism, but about what anti-Semitism is. My assumption is that all those involved in this dispute agree that anti-Semitism is evil. Millions of Jews were once exterminated by an anti-Semitic regime as world leaders watched in silence. Anti-Semitism can lead and has led to genocide and other horrific and egregious crimes and therefore it must be rejected, combated and eradicated, regardless of its specific manifestations, the location of its occurrence or the identity of its promulgators. This, in my eyes, is self-evident and should be the starting point of any discussion on anti-Semitism. I also assume that Williamson, Walker and their detractors would agree that anti-Semitism is on the rise: from the desecration of Jewish cemeteries in France and the horrific attack on a synagogue in the United States through Prime Minister Viktor Orbans anti-Semitic campaign against Jewish philanthropist George Soros in Hungary and the Jews not welcome signs put up by the fascist Golden Dawn movement in Greece, to the current Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewiczs belief that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion are authentic. The dispute between the different sides, then, has to do with how anti-Semitism is defined. Again, I presume, everyone involved would agree with the way historians and social scientists have traditionally defined anti-Semitism: hatred of Jews per se; belief in a worldwide Jewish conspiracy; belief that Jews control capitalism; belief that Jews are naturally inferior; and so on. The false conflation The problem begins when one side conflates anti-Zionism or criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. Although this conflation is not entirely new, it took on new life when the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance published its definition of anti-Semitism, providing a number of examples informed by the false assumptions that Zionism is completely identical to and with Jewishness and that a seamless equation can be drawn between the State of Israel and the Jewish people. 180716085952930 But many Jews are not Zionists, while, simultaneously, Zionism has numerous traits that are in no way embedded in or characteristic of Jewishness but, rather, have their roots in nationalist and settler ideologies of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Accordingly, a critique of Zionism or Israel is not necessarily a product of animus towards Jews, while, conversely, hatred towards Jews does not necessarily entail an anti-Zionist stance. Indeed, when examining statements made by leading members of the alt-right in the US and extreme right-wing politicians across Europe, it becomes obvious that one can be both a Zionist and an anti-Semite. I am thinking of people like Richard Spencer from the US who characterises himself as a white Zionist, yet thinks that Jews are vastly over-represented in what you could call the establishment. In a similar vein, Orban, who has professed his admiration of Zionism, has, on other occasions, revealed his anti-Semitic tendencies. The important point is that these right-wing politicians can be Zionist and anti-Semitic at the same time and with intellectual consistency. And if Zionism and anti-Semitism can coincide, then, according to the law of contradiction, anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are not reducible one to the other. Let there be no mistake, in certain instances, anti-Zionists are indeed anti-Semitic, but this in and of itself does not say much since a variety of views and ideologies can coincide with anti-Semitism. One can, for example, be a capitalist or a socialist or a libertarian and still be an anti-Semite, but the fact that anti-Semitism can align with these ideologies does not tell us very much about their essence. Perhaps the greatest irony regarding those who demanded that Williamson cancel the screening of Witch Hunt at Westminster is that their position is in direct opposition to the Jewish tradition and, indeed, to the great Jewish prophets people like Amos, Jeremiah and Elisha who were extremely critical of the people of Israel. The frightening reality is that if these prophets were living in Britain today and were to reiterate words enshrined in the Bible, they, too, would be branded anti-Semites. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Islamabad, Pakistan Pakistani authorities say they have detained 44 members of various armed groups, including relatives of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, the man at the centre of an ongoing crisis with neighbouring India. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday in Islamabad, Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan said those arrested would be held for at least 14 days, and if further evidence was found against them they would be prosecuted. The detainees included Abdul Rauf, Azhars brother, and Hammad Azhar, the JeM chiefs son, Khan said. Both names were among several suspects whose details were included by India in a recent dossier shared with Pakistan following an attack last month in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 42 Indian security forces personnel and prompted a tense standoff between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. India blamed Pakistan for controlling the attack, and went on to carry out air raids on Pakistani territory. Pakistan retaliated by launching air raids of its own, shooting down an Indian fighter jet in the process. The pilot of the jet was returned on Saturday, but tensions remain high on Tuesday, Pakistans navy said it successfully foiled an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter Pakistani waters. Pakistans decision In Tuesdays press conference, Khan alleged that the Indian dossier, shared with Pakistan on Thursday, was short on prosecutable evidence. There are some things that were mentioned in the Indian dossier, but they did not provide evidence, he said. Until they provide us evidence, we have taken some people into protective custody and we will investigate it. He asserted that Tuesdays operation was aimed against all armed groups operating on Pakistani soil, an allusion that authorities were not just targeting JeM, which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. In recent days, the United States, Britain and the European Union have issued statements calling on Pakistan to deal with armed groups, but Shahryar Afridi, minister of state for interior, asserted that Islamabad was not under foreign pressure to make the arrests. This is Pakistans decision, he said, sitting alongside Khan. This is our own future and our own initiative. We are not doing this under pressure. There was no immediate reaction by the Indian government to the arrests. Anti-terrorism laws The move came a day after Pakistans government passed a bureaucratic regulation authorising the seizure of assets of armed groups that have been sanctioned by the United Nations, including JeM. The measure does not have the same constitutional authority as a law passed by Parliament, and its enforcement may be challenged in court. In the past, listed individuals in Pakistan have successfully challenged such regulations in this way. The objective of the UNSC (Freezing and Seizure) Order 2019 is to streamline the procedure for implementation of Security Council Sanctions against designated individuals and entities, Pakistans foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. The new measure, which updated existing legislation, applies to all groups designated by the UN as being affiliated with ISIL and al-Qaeda and are also listed under domestic Pakistani antiterrorism laws. Pakistan outlawed JeM as a terrorist organisation in 2002. JeM has several hundred armed supporters located in [Pakistan-administered Kashmir], and in Indias southern [Indian-administered] Kashmir and Doda regions, reads a UN summary of why the group was sanctioned in 2001. Supporters are mostly from Pakistan and Kashmir, but also include Afghans and Arab veterans of the Afghan war JeM is based in Peshawar and Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, but members conduct terrorist activities primarily in Kashmir. The UN says JeM has coordinated with the Afghan Taliban to target members of the US-led NATO military coalition in neighbouring Afghanistan, as well as with al-Qaeda. Azhar, the JeM chief, is not subject to UN sanctions, but appears on a Pakistani government list of proscribed individuals. Other armed groups would also be subject to the new measure, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and its charitable arms Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Filah-e-Insaniyat Foundation. JeM chief Masood Azhars brother and son have been taken into preventive detention [File: Reuters] The latest government move comes as Pakistan has come under increasing pressure from the Financtial Action Task Force (FATF), a 38-member intergovernmental body that monitors and combats the financing of armed groups and money laundering. Last year, FATF downgraded Pakistan to its grey list, saying the country needed to take urgent measures to tackle armed group funding, or face being blacklisted such a development would put barriers between Pakistans financial system and the international banking infrastructure, among other implications. Mondays statement by Pakistan explicitly acknowledged that the new regulation had been formulated in line with UNSC [United Nations Security Council] and FATF standards. The measure also formalises the methodology for seizing assets, including funds, moveable assets, bank deposits and property. It allows for those subject to the assets freeze to apply for exemptions based on basic living needs, in line with UN regulations. UN sanctions require designated individuals and groups to be subject to an assets freeze, international travel ban and an arms embargo. Pakistan has passed similar regulations in the past, with listed individuals often finding relief through the court system, challenging the freeze on the grounds it violated their fundamental rights. Analysts say that for the new measure to have a real effect, it will have to be passed by Parliament, effectively amending the constitution to allow assets of Pakistani citizens to be seized based on international sanctions, even if they have not been convicted in Pakistans courts. They pass these regulations whenever they want to show action, said Amir Rana, director at the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS). They will have the same status as before, as long as we do not have the proper legislation on these issues. They will get relief from the court. Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim Citys mayor wants answers after 84 people arrested during protest against the 2018 police killing of Stephon Clark. The mayor of Sacramento, California said he wants answers about what happened during a Monday night protest that led to the arrest of 84 people, including clergy, local media reported. According to the newspaper, The Sacramento Bee, Mayor Darrell Steinbergs office said it was planning to discuss the matter during Tuesday nights city council meeting. The mass arrests took place during a protest over the March 2018 police shooting of 22-year-old Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man. Over the weekend, the citys district attorney announced she would not prosecute the two city police officers involved in the shooting, angering the local community. The officers said they thought the father of two had a gun, but he was holding a mobile phone. He was shot more than 20 times in his grandmothers backyard. Dozens of people staged Mondays march in a wealthy area of the city. After about 2.5 hours, police ordered protesters to disperse. Police handcuffed at least three clergy members and Bee reporter Dale Kasler, who was covering the demonstration, the newspaper reported. Kaslers hands were twist-tied and he was led away as other reporters shouted that he was a member of the media on assignment, the Bee said. He was standing with several protesters when he was detained, the newspaper reported. The reporter was released after he had been held for an hour, the newspaper said. At least two other local reporters said they were detained. 180401065607657 Im very disappointed that the protest ended the way it did, Steinberg tweeted on Monday. I have many questions about what caused the order to disperse and the subsequent arrests. I will withhold further comment until I get answers to these crucial questions tonight or tomorrow morning, he said. No matter the reason, an order to disperse was given, no member of the press should be detained for doing their job. Sacramento Police Capital Norm Leong tweeted that police began moving closer to the protest group after seeing cars getting keyed. Late on Monday, he tweeted, Ended up with 80 plus arrests. Still processing it all. On Tuesday, the citys attorney general was expected to give the results of an independent investigation of the shooting. Manipulated Clarks killing set off a wave of demonstrations from Sacramento to New York City, reigniting calls to end what many call the systemic racism among US police forces. Last April, an activist suffered minor injuries after the protester was hit by a Sacramento Sheriffs vehicle during a march calling for justice for Clark. A Black Lives Matter protester holds a sign as he sits on his car blocking an intersection during a demonstration against the Sacramento police department [File: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images] Online, many condemned the polices actions on Monday. Sharing a post about the arrest, Ernest Owens tweeted, But still no convictions for the cops who actually murdered Stephon Clark. A damn shame. Public dollars wasted silencing protesters than actually protecting the Black bodies they are protesting for. But still no convictions for the cops who actually murdered Stephon Clark. A damn shame. Public dollars wasted silencing protestors than actually protecting the Black bodies they are protesting for. #justiceforstephonclark https://t.co/6hf94dVVLF Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) March 5, 2019 Others accused the police of trapping and then arresting them. Peaceful protesters were manipulated into their arrest after they were corralled by the polices threats of death and then arrested for failure to disburse at the 51st Street overpass in Sacramento, one user tweeted. Peaceful protesters, marching against the ruling on the Stephon Clark shooting, were manipulated into their arrest after they were corralled by the polices threats of death and then arrested for failure to disburse at the 51st street overpass in Sacramento. pic.twitter.com/U6Y0fK3spS Dust Bunnys (@DustBunnyss) March 5, 2019 Reverend Shane Harris, who represents Clarks fiancee and was arrested on Monday, told The Sacramento Bee that police cornered everybody purposely. This is why people in this town are sick and tired of police, he was quoted as saying. Black Lives Matter protesters hold their fists in the air as they block the entrance to the Golden 1 Center during a demonstration against the Sacramento police department [File: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images] Mondays protest comes amid years of national outrage over what activists and others call institutionalised racism among US police. The Washington Posts Fatal Force database counted more than 995 people police killings in 2018 and more than 980 the previous year. The Guardian documented more than 1,090 police killings in 2016. Nearly a quarter of those killed in 2016 were African Americans although the group accounts for only roughly 12 percent of the total US population. These disparities, particularly the killing of African Americans by police, has prompted the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, a popular civil rights movement aimed at ending police violence and dismantling structural racism. Thousands of young Algerians demonstrate in the capital, Algiers, over ailing presidents bid to seek a fifth term. Algiers, Algeria Thousands of university students have marched in Algerias capital, as peaceful rallies against President Abdelaziz Bouteflikas bid to seek a fifth term continued for a second week. Like their peers who held similar protests across the North African country, the students in Algiers on Tuesday took to the streets to reject the 82-year-olds candidacy in the April 18 elections. Nobody wants a fifth term for Bouteflika. This is ridiculous, they are treating us with contempt!, 19-year-old Hamza, a science and technology student who, like many others, has known no other president, told Al Jazeera. Bouteflika, who took office in 1999, suffered a debilitating stroke that confined him to a wheelchair in 2013. Algeria has been rocked by protests since February 22 over Bouteflikas bid for re-election [Toufik Doudou/AP Photo] On Tuesday, the young protesters chanted slogans against the ailing leader and his brother Said, a presidential adviser seen by many as having major political influence. They also denounced widespread corruption and government inefficiency, echoing those taking part in mass nationwide protests on February 22 and March 1, while also insisting on silmiya (peaceful) a key theme of the rallies so far. Alongside the flags and political banners, there were plenty of tongue-in-cheek signs on display during the students rally, as well as a smattering of pop-culture references. Algeria has no master. Algeria is a free country, read one banner, in reference to a line said by a character in the popular Harry Potter series. Accio loyal government, said a different sign, imitating one of the fictional young wizards spells. Students downtown #Algiers went full #HarryPotter during their anti- #Bouteflika protests. A poli science student told me: "You know, it's like in Harry Potter when Donny the slave gets his freedom." They are brave, beautiful and hilarious.#YouthPower#AlgeriaProtests pic.twitter.com/i0qbnlNzeM Farah | (@souamesfarah) March 5, 2019 Another student wrote, Where is democracy? I dont see it, a meme inspired by Dora the Explorer. A different student brought a completely off-topic sign: Subscribe to PewDiePie, the popular YouTube channel. Humour is also how many Algerians have been dealing with the presidents absence since the protests erupted last month. A campaign launched on Facebook encouraged subscribers to start calling the university hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, where Bouteflika is believed to have been since February 24 for routine medical checks, according to officials. The hospital has reportedly received hundreds of phone calls from Algeria. Please tell Mr Bouteflika that the Algerian people are worried about him, an Algerian can be heard saying in the recording of one such call posted on YouTube, as an increasingly frustrated operator tries to stick to the script of not revealing patients identities. On Sunday, Abdelghani Zaalane, Bouteflikas campaign manager, formalised the presidents candidacy by filing paperwork on his behalf, a move seen by legal experts as illegal because candidates are required by Algerian law to register themselves. Zaalane also read a letter attributed to Bouteflika meant to calm the protests, in which he offered not to serve a full term if he won next months vote. According to the statement, Bouteflikas first reaction to the demonstrations was to vow to organise a national conference that would set a date for new elections that he would not contest. Still, the proposals failed to appease public anger. Disappointed with Bouteflikas move to maintain his candidacy despite the protests, many took to the streets on the same night, followed by thousands more the following day. New mass protests are planned for Friday, March 8 [Ramzi Boudina/Reuters] At the students protest on Tuesday, the snap election proposal was mocked and criticised. He wants to stay another year? Were not renting apartments here, one sign said. The regime is just trying to stall in order to replace Bouteflika with someone who suits them. We want them all gone, 22-year-old Amine, a finance student, told Al Jazeera. The number of people joining the protests has seemingly made it impossible for police to enforce a protest ban put in place in Algiers in 2001. New protests are planned for March 8, in what is becoming a new ritual in Algeria. Payment comes as members of Congress look to punish Saudi Arabia for its role in the war in Yemen and Khashoggi murder. The US government said it has awarded arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin a $946m payment on behalf of Saudi Arabia for an advanced missile defence system. The contract, announced by the Pentagon in a statement on Monday, is the first instalment of what is expected to be a $15bn deal. In November, Saudi and US officials signed the letters of offer and acceptance formalising terms for the kingdoms purchase of 44 Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) launchers, missiles and related equipment. As a part of the scope of work outlined by the Pentagon, obsolete systems currently in place will be updated to prepare the current Saudi missile defence infrastructure for the new THAAD technology. The contract also allows Lockheed Martin to pay for materials, tooling and engineering development, among other work. The Pentagon said the partial payment that would go to Lockheed Martin and prevent major delays in the production of the new missile defence system in Saudi Arabia. The payment comes as Saudi Arabia faces increasing international pressure in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post columnist was killed at the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul in October last year by a Saudi hit squad, which Riyadh said was rogue but which leaked Western intelligence assessments have reportedly concluded was ordered by Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabias powerful crown prince. A number of US politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties have called for punitive action against the Saudis for the journalists death and for its role in the ongoing war in neighbouring Yemen. Senior Republicans, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have called for sanctions against Riyadh, but such calls are in contrast to the statements and actions of US President Donald Trump. Death toll may rise as dozens of people remain missing following Sundays storm. Rescue crews are using dogs and heat-detecting drones to search for victims of a tornado that has left 23 people dead in southeast Alabama in the United States. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told a news conference on Monday that dozens were still missing a day after the giant twister hit the rural Beauregard community, leaving a path of destruction nearly a mile (1.6km) wide. Jones said search crews were basically using everything we can get our hands on to comb through wreckage and debris. That includes dogs brought in from across Alabama and neighbouring states as well as drones equipped with infrared capability to detect heat signatures. Jones said the hardest-hit areas have been checked, but the searches are far from over. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said President Donald Trump called her mobile phone on Monday morning to offer help after the deadly tornadoes struck her state. {articleGUID} Trump has told the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to give Alabama the A Plus treatment, he said in a tweet. To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2019 To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all! Trump tweeted. We will stand together Addressing storm victims in one hard-hit county, Ivey said, I want you to know Ive got your back. We will do everything in our power to help the citizens of Lee County recover. So to the people of Lee County, please know we are here today to stand with you today, tomorrow and in the weeks ahead, she added. We will stand together and get through this together. {articleGUID} At least three children are among the 23 killed by the tornado. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said that the children killed were aged six, nine and 10. Harris said all but six of the people killed in the storm have been identified, and his office soon would begin contacting families about funeral homes and arrangements. Danny Allen helps recover belongings while sifting through the debris of a friends home destroyed by a tornado in Beauregard, Alabama, on Monday, March 4, 2019. [David Goldman/AP Photo] Searches continue Harris warned that the overall death toll could still increase as searches continue. Jones said search crews were still checking addresses of people who had been reported missing. He would not give a number for how many were still missing, but said, I would say dozens. A National Weather Service official said a tornado that struck southeast Alabama was an EF4 twister with wind speeds estimated at 170 mph (274 kph). Meteorologist Chris Darden said the storm on Sunday had a path nearly one-mile wide (1.6km), and 24-miles long (39km), stretching towards Georgia. {articleGUID} He said officials on both sides of the state line were surveying the severe storms damage. Darden said it was one of several tornadoes that struck southeastern Alabama. Sundays tornadoes were part of a powerful storm system that also slashed its way across parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. The storm left more than 10,000 people without power as the temperature dropped. In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 80 miles (130km) south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency. Televised news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. On Monday, friends in eastern Alabama were helping tornado survivors retrieve the scattered pieces of their lives after devastating winds destroyed their homes. French president launches push for further EU integration, citing Brexit as a symbol of the danger facing Europe. French President Emmanuel Macrons plea for reform of the European Union has been met a mixed reception by leaders on the continent. In a column published on Tuesday by 28 publications of record throughout the EU, Macron called for a European renaissance to ensure the future of the bloc and appealed to voters to reject populist parties and politicians in upcoming European Parliament elections. Retreating into nationalism offers nothing; it is rejection without an alternative, Macron said. And this is the trap that threatens the whole of Europe: the anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything, he added. Voters throughout the 28-member EU are set to vote in the blocs parliamentary elections between May 23-26. Macron also said he believed the continent was dying from those who, in a way, have renounced maintaining this desire of Europe, citing the UKs impending departure from the EU commonly known as Brexit as a symbol of the danger facing the continent. Macron himself defeated an anti-EU candidate in May 2017 to become modern Frances youngest leader, but his popularity at home has dipped since taking office to the strains of the blocs anthem, German composer Ludwig van Beethovens Ode to Joy. The column is his furthest-reaching attempt to shore up the EU, where nationalist and populist candidates have seen gains, including in Italy and most recently in the Estonian general election on Sunday. A determined signal Among Macrons reform proposals were the creation of an agency tasked with protecting the blocs members states from cyberattacks and manipulation, a ban on the funding of European political parties by foreign powers and a common asylum office. He also called for Europe to lead the fight against climate change by setting a target of zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. The European Commission, the EU executive, saluted Macrons call as a contribution to the debate about Europe but said most of the ideas had already been implemented or were under way. Germanys vice chancellor also welcomed Macrons push for reform of the EU, saying the bloc needed to be strong to avoid being pushed around. Olaf Scholz, who is also Germanys finance minister, told German newspaper group Funke on Tuesday that the French president had sent a determined signal for cohesion in Europe. Hungarian, Czech criticism Other European officials were less complimentary, however. Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis told The Associated Press news agency that Macrons push did not go in the right direction. Babis said the EU should focus on more fundamental issues instead, such as defence and making the blocs common trading market work better. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also dismissed Macrons plea, saying the French leader was a pro-immigration politician attacking those like him who are opposed to immigration. Orbans office also accused Macron of censorship, claiming he called for the banning of posters of the opponents of immigration. In recent weeks, the right-wing Hungarian government has been waging a media campaign against EU leaders and their supposedly pro-immigration position. Orban himself has emerged as a self-styled illiberal figurehead for nationalist politicians in Europe, and claimed that immigration brings increased crime, especially crimes against women, and lets in the virus of terrorism. The number of people seeking asylum in the European Union fell for a third straight year in 2018 to less than half the peak during the 2015-2016 migration crisis, according to data published last month by the blocs asylum agency. Last years figure was slightly below the 641,000 asylum applications filed in 2014, the last year before a surge in arrivals fleeing war and instability across North Africa and the Middle East by the Mediterranean Sea created a high-profile humanitarian and political crisis within the bloc. As scrutiny grows, the social media giant says its move is aimed at safeguarding election integrity on its platform. To allay concerns that its platform is being used to manipulate voting behaviour, Facebook has banned political advertisements from outside Indonesia as the worlds third-largest democracy heads to its presidential and legislative elections. The announcement is a part of the social media giants efforts to safeguard election integrity on our platform and will be effective from Tuesday. We want to make it harder to interfere with elections on the platform, and easier for people to make their voices legitimately heard in the political process, Facebook said in its statement. 181215135521539 Indonesians will vote in presidential and legislative polls on April 17. The presidential campaign has pitted incumbent Joko Widodo against ultranationalist former General Prabowo Subianto, who was narrowly defeated by Widodo in 2014. Indonesia is battling its own wave of online hate speech, as conservative groups exploit social media to spread lies and target minorities. Authorities are worried inflammatory material posted online could crack open social and religious fault lines in the worlds largest Muslim-majority country ahead of the polls. Facebook said in February it removed hundreds of accounts and pages linked to the Indonesian cyber group Saracen that was accused of spreading hate speech and fake news. Al Jazeera probe on fake news In the run-up to the Nigeria election, an Al Jazeera investigation found that Facebooks automated system could be tricked to allow advertisements and fake news to be shared with millions of users. 190214115116293 The advertisements Al Jazeera was able to get Facebook to approve included a false claim that armed group Boko Haram would take part in the Nigerian election. Other claims included US President Donald Trump voicing his support for opposition leader Atiku Abubakar, the deadline for collection of personal voter cards in Nigeria being extended by a week, and thousands of Nigerian refugees getting a voting extension after the February 16 voting date. All four claims were false but Facebook still approved the advertisements after Al Jazeera made slight changes in them to overcome the social media platforms initial rejections, effectively tricking its approval system. Increased social media scrutiny Facebook and other internet companies are facing increased scrutiny over how they handle private user data and have been accused of not doing enough to stop misuse of their platforms by groups trying to sway elections. Critics say foreign interests, and Russia in particular, used Facebook to harvest private data and disseminate paid advertisements that may have influenced the outcomes of the 2016 United States presidential election and the United Kingdoms referendum on leaving the European Union. 190218055057923 The announcement also came just weeks after Facebook was heavily criticised by the EU for not doing enough to counter election meddling. The social media company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp and has about 2.3 billion users for its Facebook site alone, said it is using a mix of automated and human intervention to identify foreign-funded election advertisements. It said the restriction applies to any advertisement coming from an advertiser based outside of the country if it references politicians or political parties or attempts to encourage or suppress voting. The company said it also prohibited foreign-funded advertisements for last months election in Nigeria and plans to do the same in Ukraine, which votes later this month For upcoming elections for the European Parliament and India, Facebook said advertisers will need to be authorised to buy political advertisements and a new tool will provide information about budget, the number of people it reached and demographics on who saw the advertisements, including age, gender and location. Democrat was unsuccessful in 2016 election, says she will remain politically active but will not run next year. Former Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has ruled out running in the 2020 US elections. The former secretary of state, senator, and first lady said she wont make a bid for the White House in 2020, but vowed shes not going anywhere during an interview posted on Monday by New York TV station News12. Im going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe, said Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump. 190220190219256 Whats at stake in our country, the kind of things that are happening right now are deeply troubling to me. A number of senior US politicians have announced they will be running for the Democratic Party ticket, including senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, as well as progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost out to Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. Sanders launched his campaign on Saturday before a large crowd not far from where he grew up in the New York borough of Brooklyn. The Vermont senator positioned himself in opposition to Trump administration policies from immigration to climate change. The 77-year-old, who would be the oldest US president to take office if elected, said: I did not come from a family of privilege that prepared me to entertain people on television by telling workers, Youre fired. Primary elections are currently scheduled to start in February 2020 and will conclude in the summer the same year. In the 2016 presidential election, Clinton won the popular vote with a margin of some three million votes but lost to Trump through the electoral college vote, which went in the Republican candidates favour with 304 to Clintons 227. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Shortly after the September 11 attacks, the National Security Agency began logging and analyzing Americans domestic phone calls and texts. Twelve years later, the American people found out. The George W. Bush administrations decision to green-light bulk collection without asking the (supposedly self-governing) public for permission, or even disclosing the policys existence was justified on grounds of national security. If the government had declined to collect such data, it would have put American lives in danger by frustrating its capacity to foil terrorist plots. And if the White House announced the programs existence, terrorists would be better able to disguise their communications from the NSA. And yet, after Edward Snowden exposed the programs existence in 2013, we learned that the policy had never actually been used to thwart a single terrorist attack. The ensuing controversy led the Obama administration to endorse modest reforms to the program. Instead of allowing the NSA to bulk-collect Americans phone records, the USA Freedom Act of 2015 outsourced such data storage to private phone companies. If the NSA wished to access the records of a particular suspect along with those of everyone who had ever been in contact with said suspect the agency would need to secure a judges permission, and then retrieve the data from its private-sector partners. Privacy advocates were not satisfied. But preserving the NSAs access to such data was vital to national security. Or so the NSA claimed. Apparently, the reformed program was so important to our collective safety, it was worth overriding civil liberties concerns to implement but also, so unimportant, the NSA could just stop using it for months on end. As the New York Times reports: The National Security Agency has quietly shut down a system that analyzes logs of Americans domestic calls and texts, according to a senior Republican congressional aide, halting a program that has touched off disputes about privacy and the rule of law since the Sept. 11 attacks. The agency has not used the system in months, and the Trump administration might not ask Congress to renew its legal authority, which is set to expire at the end of the year, according to the aide, Luke Murry, the House minority leaders national security adviser. Assuming this disclosure is true, its a boon to civil libertarians who want the program dead. Status-quo bias which is to say, a reflexive aversion to messing with the present way of doing things is among the more powerful forces in American politics, particularly in debates over unwinding programs implemented in the name of national security. No one wants to be known as the lawmaker who killed the intelligence tool that would have stopped the terrorists from killing Americans. But if the status quo is, now, that the NSA hasnt been bothering to fix its bug-riddled phone-data collection system, then Congress may actually be willing to let the program die. After all, the NSA would still be able to collect Americans phone data using overseas sources, a practice that is almost entirely unregulated. And its also possible that the agency has some other shiny new surveillance tool at their disposal that well learn all about in 12 years or so. Search team to use drones after military helicopters do not find Italian and British mountaineers on Nanga Parbat. Hopes are fading for two European climbers missing on their way to the worlds ninth-highest peak in Pakistan after an intense search operation produced no leads on Monday. Pakistani military helicopters, that were earlier grounded by bad weather, scoured the peak of Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres for signs of Italian Daniele Nardi and Scotsman Tom Ballard, who have now been missing for more than a week. The pair last made contact on February 24 from an elevation of around 6,300 metres at the summit of what is known as the killer mountain because of the dangerous conditions. Two helicopters flew a Spanish climbing team from the base of K2 the worlds second-highest mountain to Nanga Parbat on Monday afternoon to look for the missing climbers, according to a top army aviation official. He said the helicopters carried out an aerial search with the help of mountaineer Rehmatullah Baig, who was climbing with the missing men before turning back, but could not find anything. The helicopters flew for more than 30 minutes in the targeted area but there was no sign of life, the official told the AFP news agency, requesting anonymity. Baig said the Spanish team would begin a search with drones on Tuesday. Two tough guys The search was delayed last week because rescue teams were forced to wait for permission to send a helicopter after Pakistan closed its airspace on Wednesday amid escalating tensions with neighbouring India over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Ballard is the son of British mountaineer Alison Hargreaves, the first woman to scale Mount Everest alone and without bottled oxygen. She died in 1995, aged 33, while descending the summit of K2, also part of the Himalayas. Nardi, 42, from near Rome, has attempted the Nanga Parbat summit in winter several times in the past. Ballard, 30, is a skilled climber who in 2015 became the first person to solo climb all six major north faces of the Alps in one winter. About 121,661 euros ($137,835) have been raised to keep funding a helicopter search team, which is estimated to cost about 50,000 euros ($56,647) a day, the BBC reported. About 3,000 people came out of Baghouz in eastern Syria through a humanitarian corridor, US-backed SDF rebels say. Thousands of people, including armed fighters, have left the last area held by ISIL in Syria, a spokesperson for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said. Mostafa Bali of the SDF tweeted that about 3,000 people had come out of the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria on Monday through a humanitarian corridor established by the Kurdish-led group for those who want to leave or surrender. Bali said among those who left was a large number of fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group who surrendered to our forces. The evacuations came as the US-backed forces slowed down their latest push on Baghouz, the last shred of ISIL-held territory, to allow civilians to leave the tiny enclave. Slowing down the offensive in #Baghouz yesterday, we managed to evacuate about 3.000 ppl from ISIS pocket through the corridor we opened. A large number of Daesh jihadists surrendered to our forces among the same group overnight. Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) March 4, 2019 It is unclear how many ISIL fighters and civilians remain inside, but the number is likely in the hundreds, according to local activists. Since February 20, more than 10,000 people have left the pocket, producing dramatic scenes of women shrouded in black and many children climbing off trucks in the desert to be screened and searched. They were then whisked off to a camp for displaced persons to the north, while suspected fighters were moved to detention facilities. Overwhelming Meanwhile, a Red Cross official said the weak and fragile services at the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, which has been in recent weeks inundated with civilians and ISIL fighters fleeing from Baghouz, are on the brink of collapse. Robert Mardini of the International Committee for the Red Cross said in New York that the population in the camp has risen from 34,000 at the beginning of December to 45,000 now. He said several thousand mainly women and children arrive daily and there is no end in sight. Mardini says those coming out of Baghouz are sick, injured, tired, afraid and the situation at the camp is overwhelming. He also said says the international Red Cross is ready to help with any repatriations of ISIL fighters and their families provided agreements are negotiated with their home countries. Mardini called this one of the most complex issues, not only from a humanitarian sense but also from whether countries want their nationals to return or not. Kims arrival comes as US official says hes hopeful a team will be in Pyongyang in weeks to keep nuclear talks alive. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un returned home on Tuesday after travelling 4,000km in his green train from Vietnam, where his high-stakes nuclear summit with US President Donald Trump ended without an agreement. His arrival came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was hopeful Washington would send a delegation to North Korea in the coming weeks to continue denuclearisation negotiations. The Kim-Trump summit broke down mainly because of disputes over the extent of sanctions relief the North could win in return for its nuclear disarmament steps. Both Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the breakdown, but neither side says they would pull out of diplomacy. The crowd welcoming Kim at Pyongyangs railway station gave shouts of joy and loud hurrahs upon his return, the Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim received a salute from the head of the armys honour guard and was presented with flowers from children. Senior officials also greeted Kim with their ardent congratulations, KCNA reported. KCNA briefly mentioned Kims summit with Trump but didnt say the meeting failed to produce any agreement and ended early. Propaganda services The Norths main Rodong Sinmun newspaper had previously reported that Kim and Trump had agreed to continue talks to resolve issues discussed in their Hanoi summit, but it didnt mention the lack of agreement in the summit. Some observers say the Norths propaganda services wont report about the summits collapse to prevent Kim from suffering any damage to his leadership at home. They say Kim is desperate to win sanctions relief to try to resolve his countrys moribund economy and improve public livelihoods. The Hanoi summit followed their meeting in Singapore last June that ended with Kims vaguely worded promise to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. Pompeo expressed optimism that talks would continue. I am hopeful, although I have no commitment yet, that we will be back at it, that Ill have a team in Pyongyang in the next couple weeks, he said on Monday. Im continuing to work to find those places where theres a shared interest. Charles Sirleaf charged in connection with the unlawful overprinting of local currency worth millions of US dollars. The Liberian police have formally charged the son of the countrys former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in connection with the unlawful overprinting of local currency worth millions of US dollars. Charles Sirleaf, the 61-year-old former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, was ordered by a court in the capital, Monrovia, on Monday to be held in jail pending the scheduling of the trial. Additionally, Sirleaf, former head of the bank Milton Weeks and bank official Dorbor Hagba were also ordered by the court to be kept in jail. The crowded court heard that between 2016 and 2018, Sirleaf purposely with wicked and criminal intent connived and conspired with other officials to print local currency, allegedly pocketing some of the proceeds. Judge Kennedy Peabody said Sirleaf would be charged with the commission of economic sabotage, misuse of public money, property or records and theft and or illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money and criminal conspiracy. Charles Sirleaf and his accomplices Milton Weeks and Dorbor Hagba, including defendants Richard Walker and Joseph Dennis who are at-large, are criminally liable [for] Liberian dollar banknotes brought into the country which cannot be accounted for by them, said Peabody. The lawyers for the accused did not publicly comment about the charges. President George Weah separately expressed appreciation to the countrys partners, especially the United States, for helping with the investigation. I wanted the Liberian people [to] know that we are transparent, the president said in a statement. Whatever happens from [the] findings, we will follow it because, in the process of getting information, a lot of things do come out. When everything is done, I hope Liberia will be in peace and people will not take to the streets again. Weah announced the probe in September into the handling of around 16 billion Liberian dollars ($99m) destined for the central bank. What exactly happened to the money remains unclear, with a report by the US investigative agency Kroll Associates saying it arrived at the central bank but that there were failings at each stage of the process. One of the worlds poorest countries, Liberia has been struggling with rampant corruption which Weah vowed to combat when he took office a year ago. Ellen, the first elected female head of the African state, was president for 12 years. She gained widespread praise for stable governance following back-to-back civil wars which killed an estimated 250,000 people. In 2011, she was a joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Latest departure is another setback for a prime minister who came to power promising more accountability in politics. In a serious blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a second member of his cabinet in Canada resigned saying she had lost confidence in how the government had dealt with an escalating political scandal. The departure of recently appointed Treasury Board President Jane Philpott, who was in charge of government spending, deprives Trudeau of another powerful female member of cabinet just months before an election that polls show he could lose. Philpott expressed unhappiness about the governments response to allegations that officials inappropriately pressured former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould last year to help major construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid a corruption trial. Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised, Philpott said in a statement. I have concluded that I must resign as a member of cabinet. Trudeau told a Liberal Party rally in Toronto he was disappointed but understood why she had left. Concerns of this nature must be taken seriously and I can ensure you that I am, said Trudeau, who did not specifically address Philpotts stated reasons for leaving. He also thanked her for serving in his cabinet something he notably did not do when Wilson-Raybould quit. Philpott is a close friend of Wilson-Raybould, who herself resigned on February 12 after she was unexpectedly demoted in January. Wilson-Raybould said last week she was convinced her refusal to help SNC-Lavalin was behind the demotion. Trudeau has insisted he made clear to her the decision around SNC-Lavalin was Wilson-Rayboulds and hers alone to make. Total chaos Andrew Scheer, head of the official opposition Conservative Party, repeated calls for Trudeau to quit amid ethical rot he said was undermining the rule of law. Jane Philpotts resignation from cabinet clearly demonstrates a government in total chaos led by a disgraced prime minister consumed with scandal and focused only on his political survival, Scheer told reporters in Toronto. The departure of Philpott is another setback for a prime minister who came to power in November 2015 promising sunny ways, more accountability in politics, and a greater number of female ministers. What should be worrisome for the Trudeau Liberals is that the two cabinet resignations have been on issues of principle and ethics, said Nanos Research pollster Nik Nanos. The second resignation begs the question what did happen and could there be more resignations, he said by email. Philpott, 58, was widely regarded as one of the best of Trudeaus cabinet ministers. She had previously served as minister of health and minister of indigenous services. Refugees from Mali explain why they no longer feel safe in the place where they have taken shelter. Refugees who escaped fighting in Mali by heading to neighbouring Burkina Faso say they could be attacked or arrested if they leave their camp in the town of Dori. Thousands crossed the border when armed groups started fighting forces supporting Malis government. Some say they are now being targeted as violence Burkina Faso is increasing. Al Jazeeras Rob Matheson reports. A Moroccan designer is teaching underprivileged children the art of embroidery, a Moroccan tradition at risk of extinction. Sale, Morocco Fadila el Gadi, a Moroccan designer, runs an institute that teaches underprivileged children the art of embroidery. She established the school to save embroidery a part of Moroccos culture from extinction. El Gadi had a lifelong love for the art of embroidery and, after becoming a fashion designer, realised she needed to act fast if she wanted to see more of that art. Opening a school that teaches embroidery was not only my dream but also a necessity given how this art is dying, Gadi told Al Jazeera. The children spread across the room in the centre just outside the capital Rabat are either dropouts or have never been to school. This not only helps conserve the tradition but also gives these kids hope for the future because otherwise they had nothing to look forward to. Video by: Faras Ghani The United Nations human rights investigator on Myanmar has expressed alarm over the pervasive nature of hate speech in the country, including material in textbooks that reportedly teach fourth-grade students to loathe those of mixed blood. In a report published on Tuesday, Yanghee Lee described hate speech as institutionalised in Myanmar, where the government is under fire over an August 2017 military crackdown that sent hundreds of thousands of members of the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority fleeing into neighbouring Bangladesh. The UN special rapporteur was denied entry to the country for her research. The government, led by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, told Lee in a December letter that her visits were counterproductive, claiming her previous reports lacked objectivity and impartiality. The people of Myanmar have endured decades of abuse; international inaction, or delayed action, is a further injustice, Lee said in Tuesdays report, urging the global community to take concrete action to advance human rights in the country. There was no immediate comment from the Myanmar government. Here are some key takeaways from Lees report, which the UN envoy is expected to present to the UN Human Rights Council on March 11. Institutionalised hate speech The pervasive nature of hate speech is alarming, particularly that it is used by senior government officials, Lee said, referring to comments by Thura Aung Ko, minister for religious and cultural affairs, who was accused in November of describing Islam as an extreme religion. 190215011406975 Meanwhile, the national elementary school curriculum includes lessons and textbooks that contain discriminatory and incendiary material, Lee said. For example, there is a fourth-grade lesson on Wunthanu Spirit, meaning nationalistic and patriotic spirit. The lesson says we loathe those of mixed blood, for they prohibit the progression of a race. Teaching children these ideas promotes racial superiority and communal disharmony, she added. Groups linked to the military and members of the government continued to proliferate hate speech and misinformation on Facebook, she said, urging the social media platform to do more to protect human rights in Myanmar. Rohingya repatriation Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed an agreement to repatriate the more than 730,000 Rohingya who fled the militarys campaign of mass killings and rape in western Rakhine State, but conditions for voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable returns do not exist, Lee said. Rohingya were continuing to leave Rakhine for Bangladesh, she said, with newly arrived refugees reporting recent acts of violence against them and their family members. Bangladesh, which said it could not take any more Rohingya refugees, has proposed setting up safe zones inside Rakhine, but the very need for safe zones undermines the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable nature of repatriation, she said. Also, confining returnees to safe zones could result in their being more vulnerable, would further constrain their freedom of movement and would segregate them from other communities, she said. Taking note of Aung San Suu Kyis call for investment in Rakhine during a trade fair in February, Lee said investors must be cautious of the many risks to human rights by the various conflicts in the crisis-hit state. Plagued by conflict Expressing concern over ongoing clashes between the military and ethnic armed groups in the north and east of the country, Lee said: Myanmar continues to be plagued by armed conflicts and violence. Recent fighting in Rakhine between the military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group that seeks greater autonomy for the people of the state, has resulted in several civilian deaths, including of children, and displaced more than 5,500 people, she said. 181202225600024 Meanwhile, the continued instability in other border areas was preventing hundreds of thousands of displaced people and refugees from returning to their homes, she said, voicing worries over the slow pace of progress in peace talks between the rebels and the government. Aung San Suu Kyis government has promised to prioritise ending the decades-old conflicts with Myanmars various ethnic groups, and Lee stressed meaningful, open and inclusive dialogue was necessary to the process. Shrinking democratic space There was a large number of people imprisoned or detained for political activity, including 33 who are serving sentences and 311 awaiting trial, she said, labelling the development totally unacceptable in a democratic society. 190125035908709 The figure included Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who are serving seven-year prison sentences for breaching Myanmars colonial-era Official Secrets Act during their reporting of the killing of 10 Rohingya men in Rakhine. The decreasing space for expression of views that are critical of the government could leave abuses of power unchecked and stymie Myanmars transition to democracy, she said. Sanctions Examining the role of military-run conglomerates in Myanmars mining industry, Lee said fresh sanctions should be considered against the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (UMEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC). The two conglomerates, which have received significant international investment since 2011, provide off-budget financing to the military, she said, and were involved in natural-resource extraction, where reports of rights abuses were rife. The unaccounted profits and loss of revenues from resource extraction, and the commercial interests of military-owned and military-affiliated entities is a concern for human rights in Myanmar, she said. These economic structures sustain the power and influence of an institution that obstructs democracy and commits egregious crimes with impunity. Tokyo court sets bail at $9m, but prosecutors appeal decision with Ghosn facing charges of financial misconduct. A court in Japan has granted bail to Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan who is accused of financial misconduct, after more than three months in detention, his lawyer said. The Tokyo court on Tuesday set bail at one billion yen ($9m), but later in the day, prosecutors appealed the bail decision. The ex-chairman of Nissan, Mitsubishi and Frances Renault has been in custody at a detention centre in the Japanese capital since his arrest last November. Ghosn is charged with under-reporting his compensation at Nissan for nearly a decade until 2018, as well as charges of aggravated breach of trust. He has denied wrongdoing. The surprise decision came a day after Ghosns newly appointed legal team, led by lawyer Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters he filed a convincing application for bail that contained fresh elements. Hironaka, who has a reputation for securing acquittals for high-profile clients in a country where almost all court cases end in conviction, offered greater surveillance of Ghosn and a limit on his electronic communications to win bail. The court has previously said Ghosns continued detention was justified because he posed a flight risk and might try to tamper with evidence. Prosecutors have defended his detention while they investigate three charges of financial misconduct, two involving alleged under-reporting of his salary and a third over a complex scheme in which Ghosn allegedly sought to transfer his losses to Nissans books. Medieval rules They are likely to appeal the bail decision. Under Japanese law, prosecutors can hold a suspect for up to 22 days while they investigate an allegation, and can apply for repeated one-month stretches of pre-trial detention for each charge that is eventually levelled. That means prosecutors could effectively prevent Ghosn from leaving detention despite Tuesdays bail decision if they level new allegations against him, starting the 22-day detention clock. On Monday, Ghosns family said in a statement they would appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Council over the business tycoons prolonged detention. In a statement read out by a lawyer representing Ghosns wife, Carole, the family criticised Japans medieval rules. She had previously described her husbands detention conditions as deplorable. Carlos Ghosn was a colossus of the global car industry before his arrest in November [File: Toru Hanai/Reuters] Ghosns new lawyer Hironaka has vowed a completely new legal strategy to obtain his clients release. He has also questioned why Nissan brought a case to prosecutors over incidents that allegedly took place more than a decade ago. A towering figure in the world car industry, Ghosn is credited with reviving the fortunes of Nissan and forging a successful alliance between Nissan, Mitsubishi and Renault. But his attempts to deepen the alliance caused resentment in some quarters, and Ghosn has claimed the allegations against him are part of a plot by those who oppose greater integration. Given the number of people involved in the complex case and their wide geographical spread, Hironaka said the case was likely to run over a very long time span. However, he said prosecutors had begun handing over some of their evidence prior to a potential trial. According to Chinese state media, birth rates in Chinas northeast are the lowest in the world, around a third of Japans. Two years after the end of the one-child policy, China is struggling to encourage women to have more children. One of the talking points at the annual parliamentary meeting will be a declining birth rate. With a shrinking workforce and ageing population, analysts say China could be heading for a demographic disaster. Al Jazeeras Katrina Yu reports from Beijing. Adama Brown-Hathasway, left, the Rev. Dr. Jay Williams, both from Boston, and Ric Holladay of Kentucky join in prayer during the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church in St. Louis, Mo. Photo: Sid Hastings/AP/REX/Shutterstock It was the betrayal with a kiss, the Reverend Alex da Silva Souto said last Thursday. Days earlier, the United Methodist Church voted to reinforce its official ban on the ordination of openly LGBT clergy and the solemnization of same-gender weddings at a special General Conference convened to consider the matter. For da Silva Souto, who is openly queer, his churchs decision had painful ramifications. It was the confirmation that theres no chance that this denomination can go on with the structure that we currently have, he said. That the General Conference will never get to a place where the affirmation and protection of LGBTQI individuals will be a reality. The system as its designed will not allow for that. Da Silva Souto, who served as a co-convener of the United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus until recently, told New York that he and others had been trying to change the church from within, a risky proposition even before the conclusion of last weeks General Conference. Queer clergy already occupied a precarious position within the UMC. Since 1972, the UMCs Book of Discipline, which functions like a constitution, has affirmed sexual relations only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage. Some regional conferences of the church, however, are more liberal, and have ordained openly LGBT clergy and permitted same-sex weddings in defiance of church law. In some cases, these acts of defiance led to church trials. Its not unusual for Christian denominations to oppose the ordination of LGBT clergy. The Southern Baptist Convention, for example, observes similar prohibitions. Rather than allow its de facto theological diversity to persist, the UMC has brought itself more firmly in line with other conservative denominations. But the churchs pursuit of doctrinal purity may come at a high cost. By reinforcing the denominations traditional position, delegates may force liberal congregations, ministers, and individual members to make a hard decision: Stay in a hostile church, or leave and potentially fracture the nations third-largest Christian denomination. Conservatives and liberals alike told New York magazine that a split would simply formalize an ideological schism that already exists. It didnt have to be this way. A General Conference works quite a bit like a smaller version of Congress, and delegates considered several different pieces of legislation. The Simple Plan, which da Silva Souto helped draft, would have struck anti-LGBT language from the Book of Discipline. Most of the denominations bishops supported the One Church Plan, which essentially would have enshrined the churchs status quo: Local Methodist congregations would have been able to write their own policies on same-sex marriage, clergy would not have been subject to church trial for either being openly queer or for performing a same-gender wedding, and conferences whose leaders did not want to ordain LGBT ministers would not have been obligated to do so. It was, in short, a compromise bill. Delegates instead passed the Traditional Plan favored by factions like the Wesleyan Covenant Association, an alliance of theologically conservative Methodist congregations and clergy. The WCAs president, Keith Boyette, told New York that it wasnt his groups intent to force people to leave the denomination, but that departures are a natural consequence of these kinds of decisions. He added, too, that there had been talk of conservatives breaking away if the General Conference had passed a more liberal policy. When I became a member of the United Methodist Church and when I became a pastor in this church, I did it with my eyes wide open, Boyette said. I was asked to take vows that said I had studied and understood the teachings of the church, and that I would live my life and that I would exercise my office in accordance with those teachings and discipline. If I cant do that with integrity, he added, I either need to work within the system to change it or I need to step aside and pursue my ministry or pursue my faith elsewhere. But queer clergy said they arent willing to cede their church, or their vocations, to traditionalists. We talk about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You cant tell me what that relationship, then, is or is not, said Bishop Karen Oliveto, the churchs only openly gay bishop. Oliveto, whod backed the One Church Plan, criticized traditionalists for stating, in her words, that there are people they will not be in relationship with. For her part, she does not intend to leave the UMC. This is my spiritual home, she said. I was raised in it. I was nurtured in the love of God through it. My discipleship was deepened through it and I have served it faithfully. Where would I go? This is my home. The Reverend Jay Williams, who pastors Union United Methodist Church in Boston and who, like da Silva Souto, helped write the Simple Plan, said that the General Conferences outcome is also at odds with the historical character of his congregation. Our first pastor was a former enslaved person turned abolitionist, he explained. For over 200 years, our church has been a beacon in Boston of justice and abolition against oppression and discrimination. In 2000, he added, Union became the first African-American church in the UMC to openly affirm LGBT people. Our position is solid, he said. Were recommitting ourselves to as the black church tradition says love everybody and treat everybody right. But what does this mean for us as a local church in a larger denomination that has sided with injustice and discrimination? What options does that leave for us? We dont know, but thats the question that people are going to be looking to have answered in the coming weeks. Some church members may indeed leave. The Reverend M Barclay, who also supported the Simple Plan, said that while many people seem interested in waiting to see what develops in the aftermath of the General Conference, others are ready to walk. Ive heard of others who just absolutely cannot stand by this denomination one more day, which is certainly an understandable reaction, they said. The scale of that exodus may depend on how, specifically, the UMC proceeds from last weeks vote. The Traditional Plan is now under review by the denominations judicial council, which multiple sources described as the UMCs analogue to the Supreme Court. Its possible that some provisions might not survive that review process, but queer clergy say damage has already been done. Williams is fielding questions from parishioners unsure of the churchs future. Oliveto says her youth leaders have reported self-harm among the young Methodists in their care. (There is evidence that bullying and anti-LGBT discrimination contributes to rates of depression and suicidal ideation among LGBT youth.) As they guide their flocks, openly queer clergy must navigate their own murky futures in the church. The Traditional Plan opens the door to possibly hundreds of future church trials for clergy who are either LGBT or who perform same-gender weddings. Ministers who violate the Book of Discipline risk losing their credentials. A defrocked minister doesnt just lose her pulpit, but her livelihood, too a grim footnote to the public humiliation of a trial. Williams, who is openly gay, said that the act of committing to lifelong ministry has very material consequences in terms of vocation. This is how I pay my bills and support my family as well as other gay clergy, he added. Despite the risks, Oliveto isnt the only clergyperson whos determined to stay in the UMC for now. Theres so many reasons to go and so many reasons to stay, Barclay mused. I think for me, part of why Im interested in staying is because this is where I have influence. In a world thats aching with all sorts of injustice, if this is the space where I have the most opportunities to have conversations that matter and to have an impact that might matter, then walking away and trying to build up the same kind of opportunity somewhere else just doesnt make a lot of sense for me. Its an unnerving time for queer clergy, Williams said. But I believe that ultimately love will prevail, and justice will prevail, because conservatives have read Scripture very narrowly and taken a very small number of passages from the Old Testament and a few from the New Testament and read them out of their original context, he added. The basic principle of the Bible can be boiled down to this simple statement: God is love. If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm, please call the Trevor Project Lifeline at 866-488-7386. New regulation formalises process for seizure of assets of any armed group or individual, including Jaish-e-Muhammad. Islamabad, Pakistan The government of Pakistan has passed a regulation authorising the seizure of assets of armed groups that have been sanctioned by the United Nations and listed under Pakistani domestic anti-terrorism laws. The objective of the UNSC (Freezing and Seizure) Order 2019 is to streamline the procedure for implementation of Security Council Sanctions against designated individuals and entities, said Pakistans foreign ministry in a statement released on Monday. The move follows an attack on a security forces convoy in Pulawama last month, which killed at least 42 people and sparked a crisis that saw Indian and Pakistani jets bomb each others territory, with at least one Indian aircraft shot down and its pilot captured. The pilot was later returned to India on Friday, with Pakistan hoping the gesture would defuse the crisis to a degree. The Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) group claimed responsibility for the attack and a top Indian general accused Pakistani intelligence services of controlling it. JeM, a Pakistan-based armed group that targets Indian security forces in the disputed territory of Kashmir and elsewhere, was banned as a terrorist organisation under Pakistani law in 2002. 190303082652440 The UN said JeM has coordinated with the Afghan Taliban to target members of the US-led NATO military coalition in neighbouring Afghanistan, as well as with al-Qaeda. JeM has several hundred armed supporters located in [Pakistan-administered Kashmir], and in Indias southern [Indian-administered] Kashmir and Doda regions, reads a UN summary of why the group was sanctioned in 2001. Supporters are mostly from Pakistan and Kashmir, but also include Afghans and Arab veterans of the Afghan war JeM is based in Peshawar and Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, but members conduct terrorist activities primarily in Kashmir. Its chief, Masood Azhar, is not subject to UN sanctions, but appears on a Pakistani government list of proscribed individuals. Other armed groups subject to the new measure include Lashkar-e-Taiba and its charitable arms, Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Filah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF). FATF grey list The passing of the regulation by Pakistan comes as the country has come under increasing pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a 38-member intergovernmental body that monitors and combats the financing of armed groups and money laundering. Last year, FATF downgraded Pakistan to its grey list, saying the country needed to take urgent measures to combat armed group funding or face being blacklisted. Among other implications, FATF blacklisting would put barriers between Pakistans financial system and the international banking system. Mondays statement by Pakistans foreign ministry explicitly acknowledged that the new regulation had been been formulated in line with UNSC [United Nations Security Council] and FATF standards. The new regulation formalises the methodology for seizing assets, including funds, moveable assets, bank deposits and property. It allows for those subject to the assets freeze to apply for exemptions based on basic living needs, in line with UN regulations. UN sanctions require designated individuals and groups to be subject to an assets freeze, international travel ban and arms embargo. Pakistan has passed regulations similar to these measures in the past, with listed individuals often finding relief through the court system, challenging the freeze on the grounds of violating their fundamental rights. Analysts say that for this measure to have any real impact, it will have to be passed by parliament, effectively amending the constitution to allow the seizing of assets belonging to Pakistani citizens based on international sanctions, regardless of any convictions in Pakistani courts. They pass these regulations whenever they want to action, said Amir Rana, director at the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS). They will have the same status as before, unless we will not have the proper legislation on these issues. They will get relief from the court. Donald Trump set to open a new front in trade wars with a plan to end preferential trade treatment for India and Turkey. At President Donald Trumps direction, the United States intends to scrap the preferential trade status granted to India and Turkey, the US trade chiefs office has said. Washington intends to terminate Indias and Turkeys designations as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme because they no longer comply with the statutory eligibility criteria, the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a statement on Monday. India has failed to provide assurances that it would allow required market access, while Turkey is sufficiently economically developed that it no longer qualifies, the statement said. Under the GSP programme, certain products can enter the US duty-free if countries meet eligibility criteria including providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access. India, however, has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce, the statement said. It said Turkey, after being designated a GSP beneficiary in 1975, has meanwhile demonstrated a higher level of economic development, meaning that it can be graduated from the programme. The changes cannot take effect for at least 60 days following the notification of the US Congress as well as the countries affected a process Trump began on Monday with letters to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the Senate. The change for India came after intensive engagement between New Delhi and Washington, Trump wrote in one letter, the text of which was released by the White House. I will continue to assess whether the government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the GSP eligibility criteria, the US president wrote. In his letter on Turkey, Trump said the countrys economy has grown and diversified, and noted that Istanbul has already graduated from other developed countries GSP programmes. No retaliatory tariffs, says India India exports $5.6bn worth of goods to the US duty-free, making the South Asian nation the worlds largest beneficiary of the GSP programme. Ending Indias participation would be Trumps strongest punitive action against New Delhi since he took office in 2017. Reacting to the move, a top Indian trade official on Tuesday said New Delhi does not plan to impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods. Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said the withdrawal of the GSP for Indian products would have limited impact. The two countries had been working on a trade package to address each others concerns, he said. New Delhi hoped the planned withdrawal of the preferential trade treatment to India would not lead to trade hurdles, an Indian government source said, adding that the actual benefit to India was only $250m a year. GSP is more symbolic of the strategic relationship not in value terms, the source told Reuters news agency, declining to be named ahead of a press briefing by the Indian trade ministry. While New Delhi has played down the impact of the move, Indias opposition parties could seize on the issue to embarrass Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of general elections due in April and May. New trade war front after China The move against India and Turkey comes as the US and China seek to negotiate an exit from a costly trade war that is part of the Trump administrations efforts to address what it views as inequitable commercial relationships with other states. 190305025944600 Trump has made taking aim at what he considers imbalanced trade relationships a central plank of his presidency sparking the year-old trade war with Beijing. The US and China agreed to a 90-day truce to work out their differences, and Beijing and Washington have been edging closer to an agreement in recent weeks. The truce was scheduled to end on Friday, but Trump lifted the ultimatum to further increase tariffs, satisfied by progress made in several rounds of talks. Under an agreement taking shape, Beijing would lower some barriers on US companies operations in China and purchase large amounts of American agricultural and energy goods if the US lowered most of the tariffs in return. President Trump says Zimbabwean governments policies pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to US foreign policy. US President Donald Trump has extended sanctions against Zimbabwe by a year, saying that the new governments policies continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the American foreign policy. The renewal on Monday comes despite calls by African leaders, including South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa, for the sanctions to be lifted to give the country a chance to recover from its economic crisis. The actions and policies of these persons continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States, Trump said in a notice announcing the extension. I am continuing for [one] year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288. Trump administration officials had said the sanctions will remain until the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa changes Zimbabwes laws restricting media freedom and allowing protests. According to US officials, there are 141 entities and individuals in Zimbabwe currently under US sanctions, including Mnangagwa and former president Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa has called for the sanctions to be lifted against the ZANU-PF ruling party, top military figures and some government-owned firms, which were imposed during Mugabes rule over what the US said were human rights violations and undermining of the democratic process. Zimbabwe is going through its worst economic crisis in a decade. Low on cash reserves, the southern African nation is battling severe fuel shortages. The government announced in January a 150 percent increase in fuel prices which led to widespread discontent and violent demonstrations. Saudi Arabia is using its counterterrorism laws to silence activists in violation of international law guaranteeing freedom of speech, United Nations human rights experts said. A panel event titled Saudi Arabia Time for Accountability was held on Monday on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Counterterrorism laws and other regulations are unacceptably wide and unacceptably vague, said Fionnuala Ni Aolain, UN special rapporteur on protecting human rights while countering terrorism. These laws are used to directly attack and limit the rights of prominent human rights defenders, religious figures, writers, journalists, academics, civil activists and all of these groups have been targeted by this law, Ni Aolain said. Michel Forst, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, said he has been in touch with Riyadh for the past year since its crackdown. Worrisome for me is the targeting of women human rights defenders, he said. All arrests involved incommunicado detention at undisclosed locations. Heeding international standards Abdulaziz MO Alwasil, Saudi ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the Human Rights Council last Friday: The kingdom heeds in its measures all international and national standards related to human rights. At Mondays panel, Saudi and other campaigners called on the kingdom to release human rights defenders being unjustly held. Some are leaders of famous campaigns like the right to drive and abolishing male guardianship. These attacks are designed to mute their voices and dismantle the movements in the country, said Zaynab al-Khawaja of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights. Issuing her groups report on alleged torture in Saudi Arabia, she said: We highlight some of the torture methods that are being used in Saudi Arabia electrocution, flogging, sometimes whipping, on the thighs, for example, sexual assault where some women human rights defenders have been stripped, have been groped, have been photographed naked, some while handcuffed, and others while blindfolded. Omaima al-Najjar, a Saudi blogger living in exile since fleeing the kingdom, voiced concern for at least 18 women she said had been charged. It is important to remember that while so many women for example now can drive, women who campaigned for driving are still in prison. Im concerned that those women if there is no international pressure, will end up spending the rest of their lives in prison, if not executed, said Najjar. 190109093412494 Draconian measures Arsalan Iftikhar, a human rights lawyer, said the reason Saudi authorities are targeting citizens is that theyre challenging the status quo. The irony is theyre going to use these counterterrorism laws to selectively prosecute people like womens rights activists, religious minorities and journalists. Its important to keep in mind at a time when Saudi Arabia is supposed to be moving towards transparency and reform theyre actually regressing, he told Al Jazeera. Iftikhar noted the moves mimic what happened in the US after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The counterterrorism measures being employed by the Saudi kingdom are similar to ones employed by the United States after 9/11 against Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities, he said. For a so-called Muslim-majority country to use these same sorts of draconian measures to imprison and convict in kangaroo courts people who challenge the conventional wisdom of the status quo, the irony is pretty astounding. Circular comes amid military standoff with Pakistan which has triggered a rise in patriotism ahead of national election. Indias state carrier Air India has reminded cabin crews to follow all announcements with a rousing cry of Hail India! as nationalistic fervour grips the nation amid the latest military standoff with Pakistan. With immediate effect, all are required to announce Jai Hind at the end of every announcement after a slight pause and with much fervour, the airlines head of operations said in a circular on Monday. 190227063414443 An Air India spokesperson told the AFP news agency that the order was first issued in 2017, but that a reminder was required because new staff had joined. It comes as Indias biggest military standoff with Pakistan in years triggers a rise in patriotism ahead of looming national election due in April and May. Indias excitable news channels have gone into overdrive and people have been flocking to a rip-roaring film about an Indian special forces incursion into Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Little surprise that with General Elections around the corner, the josh of patriotism hasnt even spared the skies. https://t.co/AyVvEPDU3u Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) March 5, 2019 The film Uris catchphrase hows the josh? meaning hows the fervour? has been widely quoted online and offline, with even government ministers employing it at political rallies. 190304100556184 An Indian fighter pilot who was shot down, captured and then released by Pakistan has become a national hero, with some copying his handlebar moustache and even one baby named after him. The latest crisis between the nuclear-armed Asian foes was sparked by a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir that left at least 40 Indian paramilitaries dead on February 14. India launched air attacks inside Pakistan 12 days later, and an aerial dogfight between the two countries air forces over Kashmir broke out the next day. Tens of thousands attended funerals and solidarity marches around India, with some setting fire to Pakistani flags. The Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) group that claimed credit for the attack is based in Pakistan. Islamabads release of the pilot on last Friday eased international alarm although tensions remain high, with both sides firing shells and mortars over their de facto border in Kashmir. Indian media reports said that a Pakistani military drone was shot down over northern India on Monday, while Islamabad said on Tuesday it prevented an Indian submarine from entering its waters. Air Indias announcement also attracted mockery on social media in view of the stricken airlines crippling debts. Much welcome but before starting this Air India should improve the service. Make the airline profitable. Keep up to schedule. Stop wasting taxpayer money. Be customer friendly, quipped Dinesh Joshi, one Twitter user. Sanctions threatened after zero information at briefing on Trump administrations handling of Saudi writers killing. Senators in the United States left a closed-door briefing with Trump administration officials frustrated by the lack of new information on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The meeting on the status of the investigation into Khashoggis assassination on Monday came amid rising tensions between the White House and Congress over the US-Saudi relationship. It was a complete waste of time. I knew more than they did, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump on many issues, told reporters. Graham said it was time for more action, but did not elaborate. Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he didnt learn anything new from the briefing. Moving forward, he said, the Senate will have to decide if its going to impose its own sanctions on the government of Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi, a writer for The Washington Post, was killed in Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul last year by Saudi agents. The Saudi government said the murder was carried out by rogue operatives and denied the involvement of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. American legislators, however, have said they believe Prince Mohammed ordered the killing, but Trump has been reluctant to place blame. Zero information Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said the briefing contained zero new information and expressed frustration by the lack of an intelligence official among the briefers, a move he described as purposeful. They dont want us to have a conversation about the intelligence, he said, referring to the White House. These folks had no new information and were not permitted to give us any new information. Bob Menendez, the committees ranking Democrat, said new sanctions should be levied, possibly via legislation he co-sponsored with Graham. I think the Senates going to have to act unless it is willing to accept the death of a US resident journalist as an acceptable action because of a broader relationship. I dont accept that, Menendez said. The Trump administration missed a February deadline to report to Congress on who was responsible for Khashoggis death. The report was required after legislators last year triggered a provision of the 2016 Global Magnitsky human rights act requiring a Trump administration investigation. The Senate needs to act. Otherwise, Global Magnitsky will have no consequence and any administration, this one or another, can just ignore it, Menendez said. Khashoggi, a critic of the Riyadh government, was killed and his body dismembered on October 2, 2018 in Istanbul. His body has never been found. Turkish investigators believe it was taken in bags from the consulate to the consulate generals residence a few hundred metres away and incinerated in a high-powered oven. Khashoggis killing has fuelled simmering discontent in Washington over Saudi Arabias human rights record and heavy civilian casualties in Yemens civil war, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Defence deals Meanwhile, US company Lockheed Martin Corp will receive the first payment towards the installation a $15bn missile defence system in Saudi Arabia as part of a $110bn arms package the Trump administration negotiated with the kingdom in 2017, the Pentagon said on Monday. The Pentagon awarded Lockheed a $946m payment for the foreign military sale. Saudi Arabia is purchasing 44 THAAD launchers, missiles and related equipment. Al Jazeeras Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, said although the timing of the announcement was coincidental, there could be criticism of the Saudi deal moving forward. The agreement was reached two years ago that the US would provide this technology to Saudi Arabia in order to deal with what the US has called malign Iranian influence across the greater Middle East, she said. China to cut taxes and boost spending as trade dispute with the United States takes toll on the economy. China will cut billions of dollars in taxes and fees, boost infrastructure spending, and step up lending to small firms to shore up an economy expanding at its slowest pace in nearly three decades. The government is targeting gross domestic product (GDP) growth of between six to 6.5 percent this year, Prime Minister Li Keqiang said at Tuesdays opening of the annual meeting of Chinas legislature. Its previous target was 6.5 percent. Three-quarters of provinces have already lowered their annual growth targets this year, especially in export-driven coastal areas. In pursuing development this year, we will face a graver and more complicated environment as well as risks and challenges, foreseeable and otherwise, that are greater in number and size, Li told the nearly 3,000 delegates from across the country who had gathered under smoggy skies and tight security for the two-week session. We must be fully prepared for a tough struggle, he said. GDP expanded 6.6 percent in 2018, the slowest pace since 1990. Ongoing trade war The slowdown and a simmering trade war with the United States have turned into major challenges for President Xi Jinping, one year after the congress made him the countrys most powerful leader since Mao Zedong by abolishing term limits and etching his name into Chinas constitution. Relations with the US deteriorated sharply last year after President Donald Trump hit roughly half of Chinese imports with new tariffs in an attempt to force trade concessions. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he thought the two countries were on the cusp of a deal to end their trade war, adding to recent positive signs about negotiations from both sides of the Pacific. We will continue to promote China-US trade negotiations, Li told delegates, and will settle trade disputes through discussions as equals. To help shore up the economy, China will lower corporate taxes and employer contributions to social security and reduce red tape. The government will also monitor closely the job situation at exporters heavily exposed to the US market, Li said. The government aims to create more than 11 million new urban jobs this year and keep the urban unemployment rate within 4.5 percent, he added, unchanged from its 2018 goals. China last year cut taxes and fees worth $194bn and allowed local governments to issue $201bn in special bonds to fund major projects. The special bond issuance quota for local governments has been set at $320bn, the finance ministry said in a report on Tuesday, as China ramps up infrastructure investment. Boosting lending This year, the government has set a budget deficit target of 2.8 percent of GDP, up from last years 2.6 percent, reflecting the reduction in taxes and higher government spending. Pauline Loong of Asia-Analytica in Hong Kong told Al Jazeera the measures together indicate a sea change in Chinas approach to the economy. The tax cut is part of a broader plan to stimulate the economy for growth, she said. But what is important is not the numbers themselves, the more important takeaway is that the Chinese government it giving its people a new narrative on economic policy. Only last year we were hearing about things like deleveraging, how we must make sure the economy is balanced. This year the message is entirely about growth. China has lowered reserve requirements for commercial banks five times in the past year to boost lending to small and private companies vital for growth and jobs. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the state planner, said a balance needed to be struck between stabilising economic growth and fending off risks in a report released on Tuesday. The legislature will next week pass a new law regulating foreign investment, in a move that could help ease US trade tensions. The legislation will bar the forced transfer of technology by foreign firms to Chinese joint-venture partners, a major bone of contention with the US. Two months after announcing pull-out, Trump says in letter obtained by NBC he agrees with keeping US military in Syria. US President Donald Trump has indicated that he now agrees 100 percent with keeping some US troops in Syria, according to a letter obtained by NBC News on Tuesday. The letter, sent to Trump by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives and dated February 22, came about two months after Trump abruptly announced the withdrawal of some 2,000 troops from Syria, declaring that the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL or ISIS) had been defeated. Since then, the Trump administration has decided to leave about 200 troops in the country as a small peacekeeping force. In the letter, the group of politicians applauded Trump for agreeing to keep a small group of troops inside Syria. We support a small American stabilizing force in Syria, the legislators wrote. We agree that a stabilizing force, which includes a small contingent of American troops and ground forces from our European allies, is essential to ensure stability and prevent the return of ISIS. 190222004539564 In a paragraph that Trump marked, the group also wrote, like you, we seek to ensure that all the gains made in Syria are not lost. At the top of the letter, the president wrote, I agree 100 percent. All is being done. Trumps controversial December announcement of the troop withdrawal led to the abrupt resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis and the early departure of the top US envoy in the anti-ISIL fight, Brett McGurk. US military leaders warned that ISIL remains a threat and could regroup after US troops leave. They also feared that a US withdrawal would make US-backed Kurdish forces vulnerable to a Turkish assault. Final ISIL enclave in Syria Meanwhile, on Tuesday, thousands of people, including armed fighters, left the last area held by ISIL in Syria, according to a spokesperson for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 190305074306139 Mostafa Bali of the SDF tweeted that about 3,000 people had come out of the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria on Monday through a humanitarian corridor established by the Kurdish-led group for those who want to leave or surrender. The evacuations came as the US-backed forces slowed down their latest push on Baghouz, the last shred of ISIL-held territory, to allow civilians to leave the tiny enclave. It is unclear how many ISIL fighters and civilians remain inside, but according to local activists, the number is likely in the hundreds. US and North Korean leaders met for a round of talks in Vietnams capital, with entrepreneurs cashing in on the meeting. Hanoi, Vietnam The leaders of the United States and North Korea met in the Vietnam capital, Hanoi, on February 27 and 28 in a follow-up to last years historic Singapore summit. As Hanoi geared up to host Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, it wasnt just the beefed-up security, sold-out hotels and fluttering flags across Hanoi that marked the occasion. Locals in Hanoi used the occasion to market their skills and businesses, and it has been a happening week for the tourists. Bars served Peace Negroniations and Rock it, man, T-shirts bearing the two leaders face were flying off the shelves and a hairdresser was offering Kim and Trump cuts for free. Video by: Faras Ghani Turkish courts expected to conclude all trials of a failed 2016 coup by the end of this year. Courts in Turkey are expected to finish 40 trials involving around 500 mostly military personnel accused of plotting a coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016. The coup failed to overthrow Erdogans administration, which has since jailed hundreds of thousands of people in the country. The government says many of them are supporters of US-based Muslim scholar Fetullah Gulen, who tried to instigate the coup. Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu reports from Ankara. Those who rallied on Capitol Hill in May 2017 to protect the ACA got their wish sort of. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images As you may recall, health care was kind of an important issue in the 2018 midterms. Annie Lowrey documented that clearly right before the election: In 2016, the Affordable Care Act came up in just 10 percent of pro-Democrat campaign advertisements and 16 percent of pro-Republican ones. This year, it came up in more than half of Democratic ads and nearly a third of those for Republicans. The two parties obviously had different messages on health-care policy, but they overlapped in terms of the public concerns addressed: For Democrats, the pitch to voters is straightforward: We are the party that will shore up the Affordable Care Act, maintain protections for preexisting conditions, and work to make coverage universal and affordable. For the first time in years, the party is defending a popular law rather than an unpopular one and is doing so vocally, playing on voters very real fears that Republicans will take away their coverage For Republicans, the laws sudden popularity and their continual efforts to reduce coverage and increase costs have made their campaign pitch a little harder. With no real health plan to run on, many have alighted on the bizarre argument that they would protect individuals with preexisting conditions. Obviously some Democrats went further to advocate Medicare for All, and some Republicans focused on opposition to the same idea. But there was certainly enough talk about addressing problems with the Affordable Care Act to create an expectation that it would be a lively topic of debate in the 115th Congress. Theres been talk from Democrats all right, as Paige Winfield Cunningham reports: [House] Democrats have spent the bulk of their time lambasting Republicans over various ways theyve undermined protections for patients with preexisting conditions or pushed what Democrats term junk insurance plans topics that helped Democrats win the House majority last year. Over the past two months, Democrats have held a half-dozen hearings framed along these lines. Moderate House Democrats who want to dramatize their interest in health-care policies that arent Medicare for All have introduced multiple bills aimed at fixing Obamacare. But the Senate Republicans who, in theory, might cooperate with them, as some tried to do in 2017, just arent into it, notes Cunningham: As for congressional Republicans, theyre publicly admitting theyve pretty much moved on from Obamacare and any effort to improve, weaken or otherwise change it. I think theres a little bit of once burned, why are we going at it again? Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told reporters Thursday. Obviously enough, Republicans understand that having failed to repeal and replace Obamacare when they controlled both Houses of Congress, theres no point in even trying to go back to that poisoned well with a Democratic House. But there seems to be a more pervasive GOP desire to ignore Obamacare, most notably from the one Republican member of Congress who was most interested in redressing some of the damage Trump inflicted on Obamacare participants, Lamar Alexander: [A]s a Republican legislator, I look for where can I get a result Weve proved over eight years thats hard to do on Obamacare so Id rather work on this other set of issues for the next couple of years, Alexander continued, pointing to broader efforts underway to rein in drug prices and increase transparency. Its a striking admission from the senator, who poured energy into advancing a bipartisan measure he co-wrote in late 2017 with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to infuse more funding into the Obamacare marketplaces. Part of the problem is that just about any bipartisan legislation involving Obamacare funding is likely to succumb, as did the AlexanderMurray bill, to conservative demands to attach anti-abortion language. But simple fatigue, and wariness over ever getting the president to commit to a constructive course of action on health care, have clearly taken their toll. So despite serious issues involving high premiums for certain Obamacare participants (especially older middle-income people in the Midwest), congressional action is unlikely. Health care should again be an important campaign issue in 2020 at both the presidential and congressional levels, whether the debate revolves around Obamacare or Medicare for All. Team BRIT, which stands for British Racing Injured Troops, aspires to compete at the Le Mans 24-hour motor race. A group of former British soldiers are aiming to become the first all-disabled team to compete at the Le Mans 24 hours motor race. They are called Team BRIT which stands for British Racing Injured Troops. The cars are specially adapted with hand controls to allow drivers to compete. Al Jazeeras Paul van der Werff reports. Lack of communication about visit of Syrian president was a reason for Javad Zarifs resignation, spokesperson says. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian President Bashar al-Assads trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) has reported. In its report on Tuesday, ISNA cited foreign ministry spokesperson Bahram Qassemi as the source of the information. President Hassan Rouhani rejected Zarifs resignation last Wednesday, bolstering a moderate ally who has long been targeted by conservatives in factional struggles over the 2015 nuclear deal with the West. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not have information at any level [about the trip] and this lack of information was maintained until the end of the trip, Qassemi said, according to ISNA. One of the reasons for the resignation of Dr Zarif was this type of lack of coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And as it has been announced before, the resignation of the honourable minister was not a private and individual issue and the goal and intent of that was a positive effort to return the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic system of the country to its main place. 190225201531240 Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the branch of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for operations outside Irans borders, was present at a meeting last week between Assad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic. Soleimani said last week that Zarif was the main person in charge of foreign policy and he was supported by Khamenei. Fourteen members of Britains Conservative Party are suspended after racist and anti-Islamic statements were posted on social media, UK newspapers reported. A list of comments made by those claiming to be Conservative Party members were compiled in a Twitter feed, included one that for Muslims to be turfed out of public office, one for the UK government to get rid of all mosques, and one with a photograph of a bulldozer with free mosque removal service written on it. The dismissals came after Twitter user @MatesJacob called for retweets of the compilation, hoping they would be noticed by Conservative Party Chairman Brandon Lewis. Please retweet! For weeks Ive been reporting @Conservatives members for Islamophobic hate-speech. But Im concerned that @BrandonLewis might not be seeing my reports. So Ive compiled them all into one thread, and hope youll retweet to ensure he sees them and takes action: MatesJacob (@MatesJacob) March 5, 2019 Former chair of the party, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi said Islamophobia is an institutional problem for the Conservatives. She spoke following the reinstatement of a Conservative candidate after making vile Islamophobic comments. Candidate Peter Lamb, who was seeking election to Harlow District Council for the Conservatives during the local elections in May apologised on Twitter on Saturday after his social media posts about Muslims from a few years ago surfaced. Among them was a Twitter post from 2015 which read, Islam like alcoholism. The first step to recovery is admit you have a problem. The same year he tweeted, Turkey buys oil from ISIS. Muslims sticking together! A Conservative Party spokesperson told the PoliticsHome news website on Monday that Lamb had apologised for the remarks and was suspended from the party before later being reinstated. But following continued backlash, Lamb announced on Tuesday he had quit the party. I deeply regret my remarks on social media. At no point did I intend to cause any offence to the Muslim community, Lamb wrote on Twitter. I have reflected on my comments and decided that I should step down as a local election candidate and resign the Conservative party with immediate effect. Warsi responded on Twitter that the way the case was dealt with demonstrates that Islamophobia is an institutional problem. So Peter Lamb finally quits @Conservatives and yet the Party continued to support him and felt him an appropriate candidate to represent us in #Harlow And that is why the problem is not just individuals its institutional #Islamophobia https://t.co/EqBNx7fCsB Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) March 5, 2019 The Party continued to support him and felt him an appropriate candidate to represent us in Harlow and that is why the problem is not just individuals, its institutional Islamophobia, Warsi wrote. She had told PoliticsHome on Monday that giving him what his local party chair calls a slap on the wrist shows again this is not an issue confined to individuals but one that has gripped in the institution. 180806165126027 I have been raising these issues for over three years and yet still the Party fails to act. We now have daily examples of the most vile racist and Islamophobic comments from both elected representatives and members and still the Party remains in denial. And whilst the comments and actions of individuals are disturbing whats even more hurtful and worrying is my Partys complete lack of political will to even acknowledge the extent of the challenge we face. This rot is institutional, Warsi said, adding that shes been urging the prime minister and others to hold an independent Inquiry. She has since written to the partys chief executive Mick Davis urging him to show leadership as leader Theresa May and Chairman of the Conservatives Brandon Lewis have failed. Sir Mick Davis has along history of fighting bigotry,was Ch @JLC_uk who have rightly led the fight against antisemitism within @UKLabour &was knighted for his amazing work on Holocaust commemoration & education He is uniquely placed to understand consequences of unchecked hate https://t.co/aAV71LkB74 Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) March 5, 2019 Warsi was the first Muslim woman to become a member of the UKs cabinet and frequently speaks out about Islamophobia within the Tory Party. In an op-ed published on Saturday, Miqadaad Versi, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, detailed the litany of unpunished bigotry from MPs over the years which is no surprise from a party which seems to attract anti-Muslim racists. According to the latest report from advocacy group HOPE not hate, 49 percent of Conservative voters see Islam as a threat to the British way of life, and 47 percent believe the false conspiracy theory that there are no-go areas in the UK where Islamic law dominates. Despite Israels ultimatum to close the site by Monday, Waqf says Bab al-Rahma will remain open for Muslims to pray. The Islamic authority that oversees Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem has rejected an Israeli court order to close a hall in the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque compound that has ignited tension between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police in recent weeks. Sheikh Abdel Azeem Salhab, head of the Waqf Council appointed by neighbouring Jordan, said on Tuesday that the structure, Bab al-Rahma, also known as the Gate of Mercy, would remain open for Muslims to pray, despite Israels ultimatum to close the site by next Monday. We will not respond to courts of the occupation regarding the issue of Bab al-Rahma and Al-Aqsa Mosque and it [does not have authority over the matter], the council said in a statement after it convened for an emergency meeting on Tuesday. Salhab demanded that Israel permit the Waqf to renovate the building and revoke orders banning dozens of Waqf officials, guards and worshippers from the sacred compound. Israeli authorities banned 133 Palestinians from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in February, according to a report by the Jerusalem-based Wadi Hilweh Information Centre. Among them was Salhab, who was banned from entering the holy compound for 40 days, an unprecedented move by Israeli authorities. The deputy director Sheikh Najeh Bkerat was also issued a ban for four months. 190227131117778 Some 229 people were also arrested in February, according to the report. Tensions have mounted in Jerusalem since Palestinians opened Bab al-Rahma last month, located in the compound by the eastern wall of the Old City. Prayers by Muslim worshippers have been taking place at the site since then. Israel had sealed off the structure in 2003, claiming the building was being used for political activities by an outlawed group. The Waqf has recently challenged the closure, claiming that it has administrative authority over all structures within the compound. Calls for a synagogue Adding to the tension, activists from the Israeli right wing have called on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to build a synagogue at Bab al-Rahma, according to The Jerusalem Post newspaper. The daily reported on Tuesday that activists have urged the government to open the synagogue for Jewish prayers. This came during a meeting attended by scores of right-wing activists on Sunday, the newspaper said. At the end of the meeting, the activists called for Israelis to ascend to the holy compound en masse on Thursday to strengthen the Jewish hold on the holy site, according to the JewishPress news website. For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the worlds third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times. Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community. I don't know why, but I am inspired this week to write an epistle to my fellow Americans that are black. I suppose this happened because in the week that a foolish black American actor cooked up a foolish hate crime hoax, I had positive exchanges with black people. One was a black woman who was unimpressed with the brouhaha over KKK hoods and blackface. The other was a guy at the gym who wanted to correct my swing on a weight machine. It's amazing, but this man used the Scott Adams technique of persuasion: he reeled off his credentials, that he had been 20 years in the service and was a fitness instructor, rather than suggest that my gym technique was racist. This is what I want to say to black Americans. Please, my fellow Americans, forget the race issue. I ask you to do this not for me, or for the rest of my fellow deplorable Americans. I ask you to do it for you. I ask you to do this, because until you do, you will never come into your rightful inheritance as full Americans; you will remain the Little Darlings of the liberal white ruling class, their special pets seething with the resentment they have carefully taught you and voting from year to year 90 percent for Democrats. The truth is that black Americans have never stood as tall as when you marched in the non-violent campaign of civil rights back in the 1960s. Actually, I am not sure that any Americans have stood as tall as black Americans did in the civil rights era. The fact is that the Civil Rights Acts went about as far as politics and legislation can go for any marginalized and oppressed group. Ever since, we have been arguing about girl stuff like "I can't believe she said that." We have been arguing about trifles. And if the main objective on civil rights was reached in the '60s by making racial discrimination illegal, then why has the use of "racism," per Google Ngram , shot into the stratosphere after the civil rights era? Equality? I just read this aphorism from Nietzsche: The thirst for equality can express itself either as a desire to draw everyone down to oneself (through diminishing them, spying on them, tripping them up [hello, Twitter] or to raise oneself and everyone else up (through recognizing their virtues, helping them, rejoicing in their success). You should know that our lefty friends like to say Nietzsche is "the Nazis' favorite intellectual." I suppose the real reason I am writing this today is that I have developed a new maxim: that leftism is a School of Hate . First the Left taught the workers to hate the middle class, then it taught women to hate men, then it taught blacks to hate whites. Now leftists are busy teaching gays to hate straights, and transgenders to hate gender binaries, etc. George Orwell taught us that the point of these Two Minutes Hates is to mobilize the people and enlist them into the ruling class's wars against Eastasia. Sometimes that is a good thing, because Hitler, but mostly it is just to whip the proles into line. See, I have this idea that when you become a Little Darling of the ruling class, you are really enlisting in their political army, cannon fodder for their issues, not your issues. Item: The Green New Deal, that proposes to enlist the whole nation as draftees in a global war on climate change, that will do nothing to help black Americans towards a long-delayed prosperity. Did anyone ask black Americans about the Green New Deal? That's the thing about government and politicians. They are always wanting to get us into wars; really, it's the only thing government does. Here's the thing about the Little Darlings drafted into the ruling class's political army. Eventually, the ruling class leaves them in the ditch on the route of march when they are no longer "effectives." That's why we talk about the white working class " dying of despair " in the political ditch. And what about women, who are now said to have been happier back in the '50s ? See, black Americans, I think you guys are next. We had the First Black President, and what good did he do? We have young black males committing violent crime at eight times the rate for whites, black women getting abortions , and Democratic politicians worrying more about the " immorality " of border walls than black jobs at home. Hey, I know. Why don't you black Americans crank up your vote for Trump 2020 to about, oh, 25 percent, just as an experiment. If you do, I warn you that in 2021, you will find out what white liberals really think about folks like you. Anyway, what have you got to lose? Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on U.S. government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class. Even though Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal was a complete failure of a bill, not even making it to a vote in the House, liberals still hail it as a success. True, it did not become law, but it had noble goals and could have succeeded if it weren't for America's self-interested economic system and selfish, unimaginative politicians. And this is how socialism wins in the end. Democratic socialists, like Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, claim to believe in what socialism promises equality, social benefits, a compassionate state and not in what it actually does, like impoverish and enslave the nations that adopt it. If anyone asks them how they plan to pay for these public goods, they never answer, but they claim the moral high ground, stating that they at least care about the poor and the environment and have started an important national conversation. The label of "socialist" has long been the easiest way to virtue-signal hence its popularity among college students. Whereas in the past, people would flaunt their Christian charity, in today's secular culture, people flaunt their socialist politics and the latter is much easier because it does not even require giving anything except repeating slogans like "health care for all!," "universal daycare!," or "down with the 1%!" This is a problem, not only because it garners support from gullible audiences (as evidenced from the millions raised for Bernie Sanders's campaign in a matter of hours) and through media propaganda that normalizes a radical ideology, but also because socialism is fundamentally wrong. Even as a theory, socialism does not work. Not only does it distort the nature of human beings, but it misunderstands the nature of property and human need. According to John Locke's foundational work The Second Treatise of Government, property is "whatsoever ... [a man] removes out of the state that Nature hath provided and left it in, he hath mixed his labor with, and joined to it something that is his own." Whatever a person gains through work or innovation makes that his property. True, he can do whatever he wants with his property, like exchange it or give it away, but no one is entitled to his property except himself. By contrast, socialism characterizes property as an indifferent good that everyone owns in common. Seizing someone's property, then, is not technically immoral. Ownership of property is based on need, which everyone has in equal capacity, not on productivity or work, which is naturally unequal. Jeff Bezos does not really need billions of dollars, so the democratic socialist has every right to take his property and redistribute it. This is simply the moral equivalent of finding a spring of fresh water and sharing it with people according to their thirst. As such, what counts as theft in a free society equates to sharing in a socialist one. To go even farther, a socialist government would not only take Bezos's billions, but would either take over his business and have a more fair-minded, but less qualified, person run it, or force Bezos himself to work against his will for the good of his fellow man which is essentially slavery. If Bezos resisted replacement or enslavement, he would not really be greedy, demanding more than his fair share; he would be human, demanding his natural rights (life, liberty, and property). In addition to misdefining property, theoretical socialism errs in regard to how it defines need. Is need just the bottom level of Maslow's hierarchy (food, shelter, water, sleep, etc.)? Is it all levels that involve more abstract goods, like friendship, education, and spiritual fulfillment which most socialist politicians have to promise to a pampered first-world audiences? Need, though sounding objective and absolute, is mostly a relative concept; depending on the situation, a person could define need different ways. And only an individual himself can define what he needs, not some distant government. He therefore meets his needs by producing things of value, which he can then trade to others who have what he needs. When a whole series of these trades occurs, the laws of supply and demand will determine the value of what people produce, incentivizing all members to produce more and meet everyone's needs along with wants. When a government determines people's needs, instead of people determining this themselves, the socialist nation will inevitably face shortages. First, with limited knowledge, political leaders will have to guess at what their people need, leading to scarcity in some areas and excess in others. Second, since government can only redistribute and not create, it will have to compel people to work at producing necessities and take them away from anything unnecessary, which includes all forms of innovation and personal improvement this means taking Bezos and other Big Tech executives out of their offices and putting them on farms and construction sites. Third, since government can plan only for what it knows, all unplanned events like war, natural disasters, rebellions, and large fluctuations in the workforce will result in even more shortages due to greater need and lower production. Finally, a socialist government will need to find ways to maximize compliance and minimize disruptions, for even the most willing population will require some motivation. This will necessarily involve constant propaganda to reinforce ideals of selflessness and worship of the state and eliminating or imprisoning those who dissent. Thus, even in theory, socialism implicitly requires theft, enslavement, deprivation, imprisonment, murder, and mass deception. The country and its people make little difference to the downward progression. No other pair of countries illustrates the difference socialism makes than North and South Korea. Situated in the same place with the same group of people in the same circumstances, socialism alone made the difference between one becoming rich and developed and the other becoming a miniature Hell on Earth. Socialism fails on all levels, and everyone should recognize this. Anyone who embraces the socialist label deserves scorn and correction, not praise and adulation, since they subscribe to a theory that is implicitly cruel and dysfunctional. For a desperate country looking for any kind of change to their misery, the appeal of socialism might make sense even if it won't work. But for the richest country in the history of the world, the appeal of socialism makes no sense. Only a profoundly lazy, ignorant, or morally corrupted society could accept it in any form even in theory. Auguste Meyrat is an English teacher in the Dallas area. He is the editor of The Everyman and has also written essays for The Federalist and The American Conservative. Follow him on Twitter. New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie finds "something odd about the self-described [Democrat] moderates and centrists considering a run for president." Initially, Mr. Bouie suggests that "'moderation' or 'centrism' means holding broadly popular positions otherwise marginalized by extremists in either party." Possible Democrat candidates Michael Bloomberg, Terry McAuliffe, and Joe Biden and declared independent candidate Howard Schultz have all presented themselves as "moderates," Bouie says. Bloomberg is such because he opposes Senator Warren's plan to tax the assets of the wealthy and "the idea of 'Medicare for all.'" McAuliffe opposes "universal free college," Schultz wants to cut Social Security and Medicare "to shrink the federal deficit," and Biden declines to attack the wealthy or Republicans. But none of these politicians and potential challengers to President Trump is really moderate, according to Bouie, since the "sweeping social policies" they oppose in fact are all popular. What earns them the title of "moderate" is their "belief that meaningful progress is possible without a fundamental challenge to those who hold most of the wealth and power in our society." They want to win the "business community" over to their side; in the case of Bloomberg and Schultz, they are part of that community. Accommodating the interests of big business is the fatal flaw of the candidates Bouie mentions, because it does not lead to progress. "Struggle against the powerful, not accommodation of their interests, is how Americans produced the conditions for its greatest social accomplishments like the creation of the welfare state and the toppling of Jim Crow." "Capitalism" and the "bosses" were together the "vector for oppression and disadvantage," and the struggle against them resulted in the New Deal. "Without a confrontational (and at times militant) black freedom movement, there is no Civil Rights Act." No, Bouie asserts, the division within the Democratic Party is not accurately described as one between "'moderates' or 'centrists'" and those who are not, but instead between "those who confront and those who seek to accommodate." The latter can claim no superior virtue, since confrontation ("[a]ntagonism, indignation, anger") is "necessary for challenging our profound inequalities of power, wealth and opportunity." Now, moderation, though not "centrism," was until our age understood to be a virtue. Do we still regard it as such, in any sense? It would seem that we do, since we are loath to engage in "extremism," and the word "extremist" remains an epithet. But, plainly, we do not esteem moderation as a virtue, insofar as we call it the propensity to embrace whatever is popular at the time and in the place that we find ourselves (the definition that Bouie suggests at the beginning of his column). For this would mean that in the middle of a lynch mob, it is moderate to go along; in 1930s Germany, to be a Nazi; and in the Jim Crow South, to be a racist. We also cannot agree with Bouie that the advancement of humanity ever resulted from assailing "the bosses" and capitalism or that the New Deal solved the problem of the Great Depression. It is a little unclear why, if Bouie is so sure that the policies he favors enjoy broad popular support, all this militancy is necessary. Why not just vote the policies in? Bouie, nonetheless, deserves our gratitude for raising the question of what political moderation is, even as he debunks it. Bouie makes essentially the same point as does Rush Limbaugh when the radio commentator asks how many books have been written about great moderates in American history. The answer is none, insofar as moderation is defined as accommodation of the other side, whoever is on it and whatever he wants. That definition makes moderation seem opposed to courage and anything but virtuous. Is there, however, another meaning of moderation, one that allows us to understand how it could have been thought an admirable moral quality? In its original and most basic formulation (Aristotle's), moderation was the correct susceptibility to physical pleasure and pain. A moderate man will forbear excessive feast, drink, and sex. He will not find such forbearance painful, but will derive happiness from it and the rest of virtue. How might this be connected to politics? The same ancient source informs us that moderation "preserves our practical wisdom" the kind of wisdom, distinct from the theoretical, pertinent to the daily business of governance. Practical wisdom or prudence is finding the most efficacious means to a salutary end one demonstrably beneficial and just. It is not the cunning of a criminal or tyrant. The occasional sex scandals that roil public life might confirm the harmful political effect of pursuing wanton pleasure. Physical pleasures and pains, however, are not the only kinds. It is pleasant to triumph over others and to vaunt oneself. It is also pleasant to be popular with those around us and painful to be scorned or defeated. It is painful to listen calmly to points of view we despise. It is decidedly unpleasant to be called a racist and a plutocrat. Today, it is easy to avoid such invective by doing what most news organizations, entertainers, academics, and Washington insiders want and then proclaiming it to be moderation. But what is done for the sake of the pleasant and out of aversion to pain does not denote moderation precisely the contrary. It does not reflect courage, either. As far as politicians are concerned, along with scorn comes partisan opposition and the possibility of losing office. Political courage in a democracy is doing your conscience, even if the result is defeat at the polls. Moderation also is doing what you know to be right, even if the result is that you are reviled rather than praised. Political moderation and courage are then complimentary rather than antithetical qualities. There is a tendency, opposed by Bouie, to assume that moderation always leads to the choice of accommodation and compromise over conflict to finding a middle ground. Aristotle himself famously defines the virtues as "means" between the "extremes" (e.g., courage as between cowardice and foolhardiness). This might engender the conclusion that it is simply better to be in the center, whatever the dictates of right and wrong. But a compromise between what is right and what is wrong is not what Aristotle intends when he refers to a virtuous mean. Such a compromise is hardly better than what is right and unadulterated by compromise, even if in politics less than what you think right sometimes is all you can get, because the votes are not there. That is a matter of arithmetic, not morality. The virtues are defined as means between excesses and deficiencies (of susceptibility to fear, pleasure, etc.) but as extremes of excellence. There is no such thing as too much virtue. The foregoing perhaps will become clearer to the reader if he considers its most celebrated iteration in American politics. When Barry Goldwater in his 1964 nomination acceptance speech said, "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice" and "moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue," he meant that moderation should never be construed to mean an attenuated commitment to the greatest good. A more extended treatment of the same idea occurred in Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail, written the year before Goldwater's speech. King replied to the criticism that nonviolent civil disobedience (King, unlike Bouie, did not champion "militancy") represented extremism and to the suggestion that he show greater moderation in opposing racial oppression. Those who scorn Goldwater's remarks as the intemperate outburst of a failed candidate ought to read King's more elaborate paean to a virtuous extremism and his condemnation of the false moderation that accepts injustice rather than disturb those perpetrating it. In short, Jamelle Bouie is entirely correct in stating that accommodation of an odious opponent is not to be praised as moderation. Republicans, in and out of government, are faced with a number of most odious opponents. Rejecting the sad direction of many of the other mainline Protestant denominations in the U.S., in a historic and what some view as a surprising vote at their General Conference last week, faithful United Methodists thanks in large part to African United Methodists stood firm and rejected the perverse LGBT agenda on sex and marriage. Unlike American Methodists more than two thirds of American delegates and a majority of American bishops supported the LGBT-driven "One-Church Plan" African Methodists overwhelmingly supported the Traditional Plan. Thank God for the African United Methodists! However, though the language forbidding any official acceptance of homosexuality by the Methodist Church is strong, the vote was far from overwhelming. The vote to defeat the "One Church Plan" the liberal plan that would have officially accepted homosexuality in the Methodist Church was 54.6% to 45.4%. The vote in favor of the "Traditional Plan" was 53.3% to 46.7%. In other words, it was not exactly a widespread, ringing endorsement of Scripture when it comes to matters in the sexual realm. Nevertheless, United Methodists at least for now staved off further infection of the liberalism that is helping to destroy other mainline U.S. denominations. Though this victory is huge, I urge my brothers and sisters among the United Methodists to remain faithful and vigilant. Whether via the LGBT agenda or some other wicked means, those bent on remaking Christianity into something that virtually no true believer would recognize will continue their evil efforts. No less than Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe general secretary of the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS, the United Methodist Church's controversial D.C. lobby office) hinted at such when she angrily denounced the passage of the Traditional Plan. As Juicy Ecumenism notes: "The 2019 General Conference chose to further deepen the divide in The United Methodist Church," excoriated [sic] Henry-Crowe. "The plan adopted by a slim majority is punitive, contrary to our Wesleyan heritage, and in clear violation of the mandate given to us in 1 Corinthians 12." ... Her comments were delivered in a GBCS press release appearing on the agency's web site using church letterhead. It was disseminated using church resources. Writing that there were moments "that broke the heart of God" at General Conference, Henry-Crowe struck a defiant tone, focusing upon the agency's "work for LGBTQIA equality": "We will seek justice for LGBTQIA migrants. We will seek to end conversion therapy, the dangerous and discredited idea that you can change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity. We will work to ensure that no one is fired from their job or prevented from access to housing because they are LGBTQIA. We will work to end hate crimes against LGBTQIA people, especially LGBTQIA people of color. We will seek a climate in which LGBTQIA children are protected and enabled to live full and flourishing lives." In other words, in clear contradiction to a wide array of Scripture, Henry-Crowe and her ilk will continue their war on the truth. This should be unsurprising, given that the website of the "Christian" organization Henry-Crowe leads declares that "What We Care About" is "civil and human rights; economic justice; environmental justice; health and wholeness; peace with justice; women and children." In all the items the GBCS chose to highlight as "What We Care About," there's no mention of Jesus, or salvation, or discipleship, or Scripture, or the Great Commission. This is typical of so-called Christians who support the LGBT agenda. Their sermons and ceremonies are often bereft of anything resembling orthodox Christianity. They sound not very different from godless fools who have the exact same views on virtually all the prominent moral issues of our time. If your moral compass is pointing in the same direction as those who say there is no God, why not simply abandon religion altogether? Nevertheless, these "Christians" continue their charade. It's almost as if these heretics have decided that they know better than God what is good and right, and they created a whole new religion one in which everybody gets to "rule their own world." This is exactly what they've done, and it's nothing new. Every false religion, every godless attempt at utopia, every selfish attempt to live your life on your own terms is nothing more than the same sad song sung in a different key. All such wickedness makes for attempts to replace what God has said is the way and the truth with man's foolish notions. Whether Methodists or Baptists, whether Catholic or Protestant, all sincere Christians must continue our fight against such deception. Abortion, homosexuality, "transgenderism," and the like are compelling battles in the same war. This war will never be won by mere political or legal means, though battles on such fronts are needed and necessary. This is a spiritual war, and we'll likely be fighting it until the end of days. Take heart: though these fights are hard and taxing, the truth will ultimately win out. Let us work diligently to bring as many as possible to the winning side. Trevor Grant Thomas: At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason. Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America. www.trevorgrantthomas.com For all the talk of the South China Sea and its territorial disputes calming down, China is still at it, using its favorite spy-and-invasion tool, fishing boats, to take over another country's island. According to an Agence France-Presse report that ran on the Australian News.com.au: There's a new name in the South China Sea's growing list of flashpoints: Thitu Island. While nowhere near the scale of Fiery Cross or Mischief Reefs, this island and bundle of low-lying sandbars off the Philippines coast is just as significant. It's a prosperous fishing spot. And it's another potential territorial marker in the hotly contested international waterway. Now, China has physically staked its claim over the sandbars that surround it. Filipino fishermen say they are being driven away from their traditional fishing grounds, by Chinese boats. Here are some maps: Source: CIA-WFB, with annotation in red by me. Source: Google Maps. Here's what a mayor of a Palawan town with Filipino fishermen says is now happening: Thitu Island itself is home to a Philippines slipway, jetty, runway and anchorage. But fishermen attempting to operate from there are being turned back as soon as they approach the nearest sandbar just 3km off the island's coast. "It means they (the Chinese) think they own it because they refuse to leave. If theyre just really fishing, they can leave for Subi Reef and then come back, but they no longer leave," [Kalayaan Mayor Roberto] Del Mundo said. "The presence of Chinese boats is now affecting our fishing activities. It wasn't that way before. When our fishermen is about to get near Sandbar 3, that is really our fishing ground, a Chinese vessel would immediately come up to us to ward us off so we cant come closer." The takeover is notable for two reasons. First, it shows that the Chinese are still using their favorite tool for muscling in on territory fishing boats, which appear to be so commercial and unthreatening as weapons against innocent territorial vessels that are actually trying to make a living. I've been to conferences at the RAND Institute in recent years, learning there that those boats are what intelligence officials recognize as the Beijing government's favorite tool. Fishing boats are regularly dispatched to conduct surveillance and spy operations, as well as serve as fronts for military muscle. They have also been known to ram the boats of real fishing operations from other countries. Obviously, this is what they are doing now, this time against the Philippines, in what is clearly a Philippine island as determined by international law. AFP reports that the island was explicitly declared theirs by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, years earlier. It shows that for China, support for international law is pretty selective. And now its use of fishing boats to achieve military aims is part and parcel of its military buildup, which it claims to be "no threat" to other countries. This is what the Chinese mean when they say "no threat." It bears striking similarities to Russia's Vladimir Putin's stealthy takeover of eastern Ukraine, through an undeclared war. Second, the activity is directly the result of the Duterte administration of the Philippines' appeasement policies with China. The AFP story notes that the Duterte administration tore down a fisherman's shack on Thitu at the Chinese government's request in 2017. Just as important, yet not cited by AFP, they also squelched the construction of a U.S. military base on Palawan that long, narrow island jutting at an odd angle from the Philippine archipelago which had been in planning for years (author Robert D. Kaplan describes it in Imperial Grunts), which would have provided a measure of deterrence as well as intelligence capabilities to ward off challenges. Taiwanese officials have told me they suspect that some Filipino officials have been bought off. For their efforts, they're now getting...fishing boats, the famous Chinese fishing boats running the genuine Philippine fishermen off their own fishing grounds and denying them access to their island. It shows that appeasing the dragon in the hopes it would eat them last is not working out well for them. China has its choice of countries to kick around, given the six nations that have territorial claims on the Spratlys, and they have chosen the appeasing one, the Philippines. One can only hope that there will be some domestic repercussions in the Philippines for Duterte over this stupdity. The U.S. naval mission of keeping the sea lanes open has gotten just a little harder. Hat tip: John McMahon Image credit: Google Maps, Google Permissions, and CIA-WFB via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. America is an interesting place to live because of her 1) work ethic, 2) economic opportunities, 3) top colleges and universities, 4) free and open society, and 5) democracy. Democrats have five policies that, if enforced, will stop any person from thinking about moving to the U.S. 1. Making millions of Americans addicted to pot that is an obstacle to hard work, 2. Ruining the economy through green deals and more free stuff. 3. Degrading academia with safe zones, affirmative action, and Antifa-like fascist oppression. 4. Cracking freedom of speech and religion through identity politics and political correctness. 5. Voting fraud and social engineering such as bringing enough Muslims to give seats of the Congress to anti-Semite and anti-American members. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are the results of this policy. If there were no ban on Muslims coming from the seven designated countries, soon we would have Muslim ghettos similar to Europe. Democrats are going to cancel this policy if they can get back White House in 2020. Immigrants used to love America. The socialism and Islamism of the left have been targeting all of these jewels of Western societies. If Democrats' policies are executed, in a decade, the U.S. economy will be as horrendous as Venezuela, and its freedom and democracy will be ruined to the level of Iran under mullahs. When I was doing my graduate program 15 years ago, all the SJWs were supporting Chavez's economic policies. They still do. The day Iran's foreign minister, Zarif, resigned, a group of Code Pink members was in Tehran to meet him. Code Pink says it has a "common dream" with the Islamic Republic. When the U.S. will be reformed (or revolutionized) to the level of Iran and Venezuela, nobody will be interested in this country. In the last couple of years, three million Venezuelans have escaped their country. Iran has lost millions of people to immigration in the last decade. She is at the top of the countries who are suffering from a brain drain in the world. In this situation, the new dystopian drama to warn the population will not be The Handmaid's Tale, which is about religious totalitarianism, but a doomsday scenario regarding an Islamist and socialist totalitarian society without enough food and prescription drugs and enough violence on the streets. The coalition of American Islamists and socialists wants to distribute wealth to the point that every American will be poor and to intimidate people (by name-calling) to the point where they stop thinking. Political correctness is about making everybody shut up and repeat what Silicon Valley sharia police want them to say. Then we will be a "fair and just" nation, and our citizens will emigrate maybe to Australia or Antarctica in millions. IndiGo airlines Tuesday announced a three-day runway sale on account of Holi across its domestic and international routes. The special discount is offered to passengers who book tickets between March 5 to March 7, 2019 for travels between March 19 and September 28, 2019. "Effective March 05, 2019 till March 07, 2019, IndiGo is offering all-inclusive fare starting at Rs 899 across domestic and Rs 3,399 across international sectors. This sale is valid for travel between March 19, 2019 and September 28, 2019," the airline said in a statement. Also Read: India-Pakistan air conflict: IndiGo suspends some flights, share price falls over 4% William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo, said, "It has been very encouraging to see a rise in the number of passengers flying during holiday seasons and these special sales provide more options for customers to fly at affordable fares." The limited period sale is offering discounted tickets for Delhi-Ahmedabad route at Rs 2,199, Delhi-Kolkata at Rs 2,899 and Delhi-Mumbai at Rs 2,399, respectively. Also Read: Why IndiGo has cancelled so many flights up till March-end Similarly, the tickets for Bengaluru-Ahmedabad route is available at Rs 1,799, Bengaluru-Delhi at Rs 2,899 and Bengaluru-Kolkata at Rs 3,199, the airline added. However, the offer is valid only on non-stop flights across IndiGo's domestic and international network. Also Read: IndiGo to induct 120 expat pilots by June 2019 to end staff crunch (With inputs from agency) Google's motto used to be "Don't Be Evil." The company ditched it last year, much to the chagrin of many Google old-timers. But the self-conscious progressive culture of Google remains. So what is the thinking now that an internal study by the tech giant has found that the company is underpaying more men than women for the same work? CNBC: In an effort to address wage equity among women and members of minority groups, Google studied its own practices as it does every year. But the results showed the company was underpaying more men than women for doing similar jobs in software engineering. Google compensated 10,677 employees an extra $9.7 million to offset the underpaid wages found in the study, the company wrote in a blog post, though it's unclear what percentage of those recipients were men. In 2017, Google said it increased compensation for 228 employees it found were underpaid, spending a total of about $270,000. Google's 2018 analysis found that in one group of lower-level software engineers men "received less discretionary funds than women," according to the post authored by Google's lead analyst for pay equity and people analytics, Lauren Barbato. Nearly half of the adjustment fund was spent on discrepancies in offers to new hires, Barbato wrote, which was the result of a new hire analysis Google conducted in the 2018 study. Google outlined its methodology for the report, saying it runs statistical analysis to "look for unexplained differences in total compensation (salary, bonus, and equity) across demographic groups." Google analyzed every job group with at least 30 employees total and at least five per demographic group. The analysis included 91 percent of Google employees. Has Google taken the concept of pay equity too far? Of course not. The statistical anomalies found by the study are probably more common than we might think. The problem in the "equal pay for equal work" concept has been trying to assign a similar monetary value to entirely different jobs. For instance, there is a large discrepancy in pay between female lawyers and male lawyers. Is it due to discrimination? Or is it the result of the kinds of law women gravitate to versus men? A public interest attorney makes a lot less than a corporate tax lawyer. A lawyer specializing in contract law will make more than one working for a non-profit group. Where there's a real problem is between defining the term "similar" when it comes to judging pay equity. JND: Pay disparity continues even though women tend to bill more accounts than men. Oftentimes, women lawyers are billed at lower rates than men. Although women make up about one quarter of the general counsel positions at Fortune 500 companies, they are paid less than men. Of these positions, men earned 17.5 percent more than their women counterparts with men having an average salary that was 6.3 percent higher and bonuses 31% higher than women. Among the AmLaw 200, women make up only 4 percent of executive management overall and 19 percent of all equity partners. Further data demonstrates that the higher the compensation level, the greater the pay increase is favored toward men. Is the wage disparity due to discrimination? Again, the problem is that Fortune 500 companies are not a monolith. They are different companies with different legal needs. It's a convenient shorthand to talk about "Fortune 500" companies as if they all have similar agendas and hiring practices. How valuable is one corporate lawyer to one company compared to another? This is not a simple issue, and reducing it to analytics the way that Google has tried to do is understandable, if misguided. Of course women should be paid the same as men for the same work. That's a no-brainer. And I suspect there are "glass ceilings" all over corporate America and that much work still needs to be done to rectify the real wage gap that exists. But ignoring reality to do it doesn't make any sense. House Democrats are inadvertently forming the Beria Caucus: "Show me the man, and I'll show you the crime." I have long predicted that Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) would lead the Democrats to self-destructive behavior that would alienate enough voters to hand victory to Trump and the GOP in 2020. The letters issued yesterday by three House Democrat committee chairs, demanding documents from 80 people associated in some manner with Donald Trump, are an obvious step down this path. The Washington Post reports: House Democrats sent more than 80 letters Monday demanding documents from family members, business associates, political confidants and others with ties to President Trump, launching a sprawling probe into whether he and his administration have engaged in obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power. The farthest-reaching request since Democrats took control of the House underscored lawmakers' determination to hold Trump and those around him accountable for an array of controversies that have dogged the president during his first two years in office and perhaps lay the grounds for impeachment. Those receiving letters from the House Judiciary Committee include the president's two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump; his son-in-law Jared Kushner; his former personal secretary Rhona Graff; Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization; and former top White House aides Hope Hicks, Sean Spicer and Stephen K. Bannon. Other demands for documents are directed to institutions including the White House, Justice Department, Trump campaign, Trump transition team and Trump Organization. The obvious comparison here is to the famous dictum of Lavrenty Beria, Stalin's secret police head: Source. It would not be unfair to describe the three chairmen making the demands, Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff, Foreign Affairs chairman Eliot Engel, and Oversight chairman Elijah Cummings, as the founders of the Beria Caucus. As a result of this demand, the targets will be forced to hire pricey lawyers, and for those who are not wealthy, the burden can be financially disastrous. This is an old D game elevated to the level of scorched-earth tactics. Anyone contemplating working for Donald Trump (or any future swamp-drainer) is on notice that financial ruin is in prospect once Democrats control either house of Congress. If, as is widely predicted, the Mueller reports finds no evidence of Russia collusion, there is great peril for the Democrats. Don't take it from me, though; even David Axelrod, the former Obama political guru, sees the danger. Maybe Im missing something, but the hazard of an omnibus document demand by House judiciary versus discreet, serial ones is that, however legitimate the areas of inquiry, the wide-ranging nature of it is too easily plays into the witch-hunt meme. David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) March 4, 2019 Of course, Axe wants the same end as the Beria Caucus: the destruction of Trump and all who helped him. But he sees that the frenzied attack is too visible, so he urges stealth. Socialism has become "a new way to date" in Brooklyn, according to a New York Magazine writer. There's even an app for that. Washington Times: Things have gotten so social with socialism that the young and restless now can consult a dating app called Red Yenta to find the fellow socialist of their dreams. Creators Marissa Brostoff, 33, and Mindy Isser, 28, were concerned that socialist men were not dating socialist women, and described their new dating platform as a "communal service" to help filter through a potential date's political leanings. Things have picked up considerably. Indeed, when it becomes "hip" to dig on socialism, times are changing. "Until very recently, it wasn't that socialism was toxic in a red-scare way. It was irrelevant, in a dustbin-of-history way. But then came Bernie Sanders's 2016 candidacy," writes Mr. Van Zuylen-Wood, citing the new popularity of the Democratic Socialists of America which has 55,000 members in 250 local groups nationwide and the "spectacular rise" of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat. "Coolheaded Obaman technocracy is out; strident left-wing moral clarity is in. And while this atmospheric shift is felt most acutely among the left-literary crowd, it's also bled into the general discourse, such that Teen Vogue is constantly flacking against capitalism and one of the most devastating insults in certain corners of the internet is to call someone a neoliberal," Mr. van Zuylen-Wood said. Teenage girls hating capitalism? Where do they think their smart phones come from? Try going to the mall in Cuba. What kind of shopping is available in North Korea? That, in a nutshell, is the problem. Millennials may think socialism is sexy. But they haven't a clue what it is, or the brutal, oppressive history behind it. "The word socialism has become a kind of blank canvas on which young leftists project their political desires. The reason to call it socialism, the lefty journalist Kate Aronoff has said, is because people are calling it socialism. At least in Brooklyn, and the spiritual Brooklyns of America, calling yourself a socialist sounds sexier than anything else out there, without necessarily advocating anything too risky," Mr. van Zuylen-Wood observed. "Anything risky"? Just a little socialism, right? Or socialism warmed over. We still want our cars, our phones, endless varieties of food, clothing, drugs, had homes, but let's just lose a little bit of freedom. Ignorance can be a blessing. You don't have to worry about the world's problems if you don't have a clue what they are. But isn't this dangerous? Socialism's millennial fans don't even know what it is. Millennials ignorant of socialism's appalling economic and human-rights history increasingly embrace socialism and its naively unrealistic prescriptions for ending all human want," says a New York Post editorial, noting that a recent Gallup poll found that 57 percent of Democrats have a positive view of socialism. "These socialists insist they don't support repressive states like the Soviet Union or North Korea," The Post said, and instead "point to Scandinavian-style socialism in nations like Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as 'true socialism.' One problem: Those countries aren't socialist." The Danes agree. The biggest problem is that there are socialists out there who don't think socialism is "sexy," and they know exactly what it is and what it means to adopt it. They, like their predecessors for the last 100 years, will promise Utopia and deliver the gulag. And oblivious Millennials will cheer them on until the knock on the door in the middle of the night to be hauled away forces them to wake up. It's too late at that point, as well meaning Russians, Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, and countless others discovered. It is the nature of socialism to oppress. Only by forcing people to act against human nature can socialism be achieved. And "democratic" or not, adopting socialism means the end of prosperity and the beginning of hardship and misery. You want to walk up to some of these dolts and knock some sense into them. It wouldn't do any good, of course. They have been carefully conditioned since childhood to believe capitalism is evil and socialism is good and now, sexy. Why should it surprise us that generations who have been raised this way would believe that socialism wasn't the answer? Money raised from donors by two political action committees (at least one of them problematic) was mysteriously "transferred" to two private corporations (LLCs) controlled by Saikat Chakrabarti, the founder of Justice Democrats, the group that recruited, trained, and ran the campaign that got Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez elected to Congress. There is no record of those private corporations providing services in exchange for the donations, which raises the question of what was done with this money. Alana Goodman writes in The Examiner: Two political action committees founded by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's top aide funneled over $1 million in political donations into two of his own private companies, according to a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission on Monday. The cash transfers from the PACs overseen by Saikat Chakrabarti, the freshman socialist Democrat's chief of staff run counter to her pledges to increase transparency and reduce the influence of "dark money" in politics. Chakrabarti's companies appear to have been set up for the sole purpose of obscuring how the political donations were used. The arrangement skirted reporting requirements and may have violated the $5,000 limit on contributions from federal PACs to candidates, according to the complaint filed by the National Legal and Policy Center, a government watchdog group. Saikat Chakrabarti (photo credit: Twitter). S.A. Miller of the Washington Times continues: "These are not minor or technical violations. We are talking about real money here," said Tom Anderson, director of NLPC's Government Integrity Project. "In all my years of studying FEC reports, I've never seen a more ambitious operation to circumvent reporting requirements." He added that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, "has been quite vocal in condemning so-called dark money, but her own campaign went to great lengths to avoid the sunlight of disclosure." The PAC money went to Mr. Chakrabarti's Brand New Congress LLC and Brand New Campaign LLC, entities that, unlike PACs and candidate campaigns, do not have to report or itemize their spending. The Ocasio-Cortez campaign also was paying Brand New Congress LLC for "strategic consulting." One of these new corporations, Brand New Congress, LLC, funneled money to Ocasio-Cortez's live-in boyfriend: Another FEC complaint by filed last week by the Coolidge Reagan Foundation alleged Brand New Congress PAC was involved in a scheme to funnel money to Ms. Ocasio-Cortez's live-in boyfriend, Riley Roberts. At the same time Mr. Roberts, a 29-year-old web developer, received payments totaling $6,0000 [sic] as a "marketing consultant" for the PAC, the Ocasio-Cortez campaign was paying Brand New Congress LLP for strategic consulting. Asked about the payments, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez focused on the legal entities handing the cash. "He's not on my payroll. They were not working for me and they are two separate entities here," she told The Washington Times. "This is the difference between an LLC and a PAC." The Coolidge Reagan Foundation, a conservative Washington nonprofit focused on free speech and campaign finance, said it looked like a shell game. "The timing and amounts of these transactions, the use of two affiliated entities as intermediaries, the vague and amorphous nature of the services Riley ostensibly provided, the magnitude of these transactions compared to both the limited funds the campaign had raised at the time and the total amount of its expenditures, and the romantic relationship between Ocasio-Cortez and Riley collectively establish reason to believe these transactions may have violated campaign finance law," said the group's complaint. In my experience, a lot of socialists are actually quite avaricious, adopting the rhetoric of socialism to mask their own greed. Consider the wealth ripped off from Cubans by the Castros and from Venezuelans by the Chavez family, both of which families are considered billionaires. The Examiner describes Chakrabarti as "a Harvard graduate and technology entrepreneur who became an organizer for Bernie Sanders during the socialist's 2016 presidential campaign." If the million bucks sent to the LLCs ended up in his pockets, without being declared as income, he is in for a world of hurt. I would guess he is smarter than that, but the question remains: other than a boyfriend, who else profited off the money? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez demonstrated her notable dancing skills yesterday by tap-dancing around a question about whether, as a democratic socialist, she would denounce the Maduro regime. The strongest condemnation she could come up with for a dictator who is starving his people, forcing millions to flee to market economies that are able to feed them, is "this is absolutely a complex issue." She goes on to caution against U.S. intervention, which is what really concerns her not the toll exacted on the Venezuelan people themselves. All she has are recycled slogans and accusations against Elliott Abrams, President Trump's special envoy. Because America is the only real problem when it comes to Venezuela. Transcript via Grabien: Yeah, so I think that this is absolutely a complex issue. I think it's important that we approach this very carefully. One, I am, I'm myself, just like anyone else who is absolutely concerned with the humanitarian crises that's happening, and I think it's important that any solution that we have centers the Venezuelan people and centers the democracy of Venezuelan people first. I am very concerned about U.S. interventionism in Venezuela and I oppose it, especially when we talk about a figure like this U.S. special envoy Elliott Abrams here. I think it's he's pled guilty to several crimes related to Iran-Contra and I don't think that we should be you know, I am generally opposed to U.S. interventionism as a principle, but particularly under this administration and under his leadership I think it's a profound mistake. It is evident to me that she has no empathy at all for the people whose lives are being ruined even ended by the socialist policies she endorses. When pressed, all she has are leftist slogans that blame America for every problem in the world, ignoring any reflection on the fatal flaws in her own policies. A more honest slogan that she somehow overlooked would be: "You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs." That classic communist justification for the suffering it causes applies to her Green New Deal. Photo credit: YouTube screen grab. Taking a page from the liberal playbook on illegal aliens, several blue-state counties are declaring themselves to be "Second Amendment sanctuaries" where they refuse to enforce gun laws they feel infringe on a citizen's Second Amendment rights. Reuters: Organizers of the pro-gun sanctuaries admit they took the idea from liberals who have created immigration sanctuaries across the United States where local officials defy the Trump administration's efforts to enforce tougher immigration laws. Now local conservatives are rebelling against majority Democratic rule in the states. Elected sheriffs and county commissioners say they might allow some people deemed to be threats under "red flag" laws to keep their firearms. In states where the legal age for gun ownership is raised to 21, authorities in some jurisdictions could refuse to confiscate guns from 18- to 20-year-olds. Democrats took control of state governments or widened leads in legislative chambers last November, then followed through on promises to enact gun control in response to an epidemic of mass shootings in public spaces, religious sites and schools. Resistance to those laws is complicating Democratic efforts to enact gun control in Washington, Oregon, New Mexico and Illinois, even though the party holds the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature in all four states. The sanctuary movement is exposing the rift between rural and urban America as much as the one between the Republican and Democratic parties, as small, conservative counties push back against statewide edicts passed by big-city politicians. Can counties pick and choose which gun control laws to enforce? The courts will decide that. But I think we're talking about apples and oranges when looking at lack of enforcement of federal immigration law and ignoring state gun control statutes. Sanctuary cities have been granted wide latitude by the courts to determine how they enforce federal immigration law specifically, whether they should be forced to put a "hold" on illegal aliens who commit a crime and keep them until federal authorities can take them into custody. Courts have ruled that requiring cities and states to comply with a federal "hold" on an illegal alien is an intrusion by the federal government into local law enforcement. But a state law banning sales of guns to anyone under 21, or allowing some people to own firearms who the state says cannot, is a different matter. The Constitution granted states full authority to legislate things like public safety, and it's not clear what legal justification the sheriffs can use to defy the law. State legislatures have every right to "intrude" in local law enforcement matters, so the basis of a legal theory that says otherwise remains hidden. While the idea has a nice symbiosis with sanctuary cities, I doubt whether the actions by counties will hold up in court. The United States Commerce Department launched a Section 232 investigation into titanium sponge imports on Monday March 4 after domestic producer Titanium Metals Corp (Timet) filed a petition in September. US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross accepted the Section 232 petition filed on September 27, 2018... and launched an investigation into whether the quantity or circumstances of titanium sponge imports into the United States threaten to impair the national security, Commerce said on March 4. While this marks the first petition filed by Exton, Pennsylvania-based Timet on Section 232 grounds, the company has previously claimed harm from overseas titanium sponge suppliers. Timet had filed a petition against such imports with the International Trade Commission (ITC) in August 2017, which prompted the agency to launch an investigation during the same month. Commerce subsequently initiated its own anti-dumping and countervailing duty probe into imports of the product from Japan and Kazakhstan in September 2017. But the ITC voted to end its investigation in October 2017, finding that product shipped by suppliers from the two countries did not harm the US industry. Commerce consequently halted its investigation. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 grants the US executive branch the ability to conduct investigations on certain imports that threaten US national security. Commerce must deliver a report of the findings of its investigation within 270 days of its launch. The president then has 90 days to determine whether to levy tariffs. The main applications for titanium metal are in commercial and defense aircraft production. Titanium sponge has uses in a wide range of defense applications, from helicopter blades and tank armor to fighter jet airframes and engines, Ross noted. Timet is the only remaining domestic producer of titanium sponge, after Allegheny Technologies Inc (ATI) idled its titanium sponge production facility in Rowley, Utah, in 2016. Japan and Kazakhstan remain the only overseas sources for aerospace-quality sponge and are currently the significant to sole source of supply to ATI, Arconic and Perryman. Moreover, we believe the US is unable to satisfy demand [the US can produce 13,000 tonnes, excluding Rowley, versus 35,000 tonnes of consumption]. Oddly enough, we also believe Timet even buys a modest amount of imported titanium sponge, KeyBanc Capital Markets analysts said in a March 4 research note. Indeed, Japan and Kazakhstan accounted for 99.4% of titanium sponge imports in November, the latest month for which import data is available. That's up from 97.5% in January 2018, US Geological Survey data show. If tariffs are eventually levied on titanium sponge imports, higher feedstock costs would boost costs along the aerospace supply chain, from melters to forgers to original equipment manufacturers, and those costs would likely be passed down to aircraft producers like Boeing and Airbus, industry sources told Fastmarkets. Timet revealed to Fastmarkets in October 2017 that the company had been supplementing some of its own titanium sponge capacity with imports from Japan. Timet and Airbus did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Boeing declined to comment. Are you lost in the wild? Sorry, but the page you're looking for has not been found Try checking the URL for errors, goto home or try to search below. Loading the player... Wing Commander Abhinandan needs to be medically fit before he flies again, says Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who returned to India last week after being held in captivity for two days in Pakistan, will need to be medically fit before he flies a fighter jet again, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa has said. He said that if the pilot is declared fit, he could go back immediately. SEBI seeks amendment in Companies Act after Vijay Mallya case Pakistan on Monday restored the Samjhauta Express services between Lahore and Delhi, days after the train was suspended due to tense bilateral ties in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent aerial engagement between the air forces of the two countries. The train service was started on July 22, 1976 under the Shimla Agreement that settled the 1971 war between the two nations.Capital markets regulator SEBI has asked the government to amend the Companies Act to ensure that a director declared by it as a disqualified person should immediately vacate the position, a plea triggered by defaulter businessman Vijay Mallya's reluctance to do so. Officials said the Finance Ministry is in agreement with SEBI on the proposed amendment and has asked the regulator to get it approved by its board and subsequently forward it to the Corporate Affairs Ministry.Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 6.5-km stretch of phase one of the Ahmedabad Metro train service on Monday. After inaugurating the 6.5 km stretch, connecting Vastral to Apparel park area here, Modi also took a ride on the metro. The first phase of the project costs around Rs 10,773 crore, for which Japan has extended a soft loan of Rs,066 crore to the Indian government.Private sector Karnataka Bank on Monday said the RBI has slapped a fine of Rs 4 crore on the bank for violating regulatory norms. The penalty was for delayed implementation of four of the Swift related operational controls.The IDBI Bank has received government nod to handle import and export transactions with Iran, a move which would help in promoting two-way trade amid US sanctions on the Persian Gulf nation, industry sources said. US President Donald Trump had in May last year withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, re-imposing economic sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation. Google is apparently working on a new API that would be able to store a digital version of your license on your smartphone. This is being called the IdentityCredential API, and its still in its early form. XDA-Developers, who originally saw the code about this new API, doesnt believe that it will make its way into Android Q, seeing as that preview is only a couple weeks away. But does believe itll be available in Android R, next year. Obviously, when it comes to storing important things like a drivers license, on your smartphone, security is a big deal. Which is why there is an actual API for this, and not just taking a photo of your license to store in your camera roll. You can of course secure your phone with your fingerprint or a PIN, but that wont matter if your device is compromised. Not to mention, if your phone doesnt have any juice to turn on, it becomes useless. Google is looking to make sure that wont be an issue with the new IdentityCredential API. It wants to be able to still turn on the device with almost no juice, to show things like a digital drivers license. It also appears that Google is going to be using hardware like the Titan M key found in the Pixel 3, to secure this data, so that it is less likely to be hacked or stolen. Even if your phone is stolen. Advertisement Theres not a whole lot of information available yet, in regards to this API. The commit was just submitted pretty recently, and didnt offer a lot of information. But given how early it is in development of this new API, we more than likely wont see it released in Android Q. If anything itll be part of Android R or even later on. Depending on how much trouble Google is having with getting the API to work. Google has already given us very little reason to even need a wallet these days. With Google Pay replacing just about everything in our wallet, except for our license. Now if this new API is able to launch, and be as secure as Google is saying it will be, a physical wallet could be a thing of the past. Imagine needing to go somewhere quickly, and not needing to remember your wallet, just your phone and your keys. Itll make things much easier. Some States have already started developing apps that have mobile drivers licenses available, like Louisiana for example. Where there is an app that has been approved by law enforcement, to show cops your drivers license. This makes it much quicker at traffic stops, as you wont need to reach into your back pocket. It may not sound like a huge deal to a lot of people, but it is a pretty big deal. And its going to feel like we are living in the future once it actually happens. Advertisement Dont expect this API to be part of Android Q, dont even expect Google to talk about it until at least 2020. Update: Google has issued a statement on this story: This speculation is inaccurate. As weve said for many months, we have no plans to launch Search in China and there is no work being undertaken on such a project. Team members have moved to new projects. Google had been working on a censored search engine, destined for China. It was under the project name Dragonfly. When employees found out about the project, they were pretty upset, and staged some protests to get Googles management to stop work on the search engine. But it appears that there is still some work being done. Advertisement Google employees have been monitoring the database, and saw that around 500 code changes were made in December, and another 400 made in January of 2019. That shows that the project is not dead, and is still pretty active. This group of employees also looked at the companys budgeting plans and saw that there are around 100 employees still working on Dragonfly. While it is possible that these changes were being made to kill off the project. But given that there were over 400 changes made in January alone, that seems like the project is still being worked on. This is all coming out of a report from The Intercept, who also spoke with an unnamed Google software engineer that believes the companys CEO is waiting for the Dragonfly outrage to die down, before it restarts the project under another name. When Googles CEO, Sundar Pichai testified in front of Congress late last year, he was asked about Dragonfly, and stated that they have no plans to launch a search engine in China at this time. That right there was not surprising. This is because Dragonfly is not finished, so there would be no launch plans ready for launching a search engine in the country. But, Pichai also did not say that they werent working on a censored search engine. After that testimony, many protests erupted at Google offices around the world. With employees wanting Google to stick to its motto of dont be evil. Advertisement Currently, Google is completely blocked in China. It pulled out of the country back in 2010, as it decided that it didnt want to play games with the Chinese government and its censorship laws. Since then, many search engines and Android app stores have popped up in the country, which is going to make it pretty difficult for Google to re-enter the market. Google didnt completely pull out though. It still owned another website called 265.com. This website has been used to track web queries for almost the past decade, to see what Chinese users are searching for, and what should be blocked. Google was using 265.com to build Dragonfly, as it was able to see what was being censored and what wasnt. Due to Chinas strict censorship laws, Google does have to abide by those laws if it wants to do business in China. But many Google engineers and employees see it as unethical, and it wants Google to stop working on the search engine. It was effectively ended back in December after Pichai testified in front of Congress. But what that one software engineer said, very well may be true. Pichai may bring it back under a new name, once everyone has effectively forgotten about it. Much like the OPPO R17 Pro, HONOR has outfitted the View20 with a Time-of-Flight (TOF) camera, which is a device that effectively measures depth information based on the speed of light. HONOR is using this for more than OPPO does, including sticker emojis, counting food calories, body shaping, and 3D Gaming. On the surface, it appears that it might have even better hardware than the considerably more expensive Huawei Mate 20 Pro, but direct comparisons reveal why theres such a gulf in price. While the main camera is incredibly similar in every way, including specialty modes like night mode and portrait mode, its the additional cameras on the Mate 20 line that make up the difference. The HONOR View20 features only a main 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor on the back, no secondary cameras for zooming in or getting wider angles. This main camera is a huge -inch sensor though, which is substantially larger than most other sensors, and while the physical 0.8m pixel size is tiny, Sonys Quad Bayer array configuration means this one can shoot 12-megapixel shots with an effective 1.6m virtual pixel size. The 12-megapixel size is configured out of the box and generally delivers the best balance of detail and dynamic range, but you have two other options to choose from as well. Advertisement Switching to the full 48-megapixel resolution will deliver absolutely mind-blowing detail in most lighting conditions, and even delivers essentially identical detail when compared to the considerably more expensive Huawei Mate 20 Pro. The full-frame resolution carries a few disadvantages with it though: loss of dynamic range, no zooming in the viewfinder, and worse low light performance than the default 12-megapixel mode. To alleviate this, HONOR has developed what it calls an AI Ultra Clarity 48-megapixel mode that works similarly to night mode, taking several shots over a period of a few seconds, and combining these shots for wider dynamic range and sometimes even enhanced detail. This is a really cool feature, and while the viewfinder reminds you that this mode will enhance well-lit scenes the best, theyll still help lower lit scenes from time to time as well. Whats cool is that, unlike night mode, you wont see any blur introduced into the frame if you move it during the capturing process, and this includes objects that are moving in a scene like people, for instance. Just like on Huaweis top-end phones, changing from 12-megapixel mode to 48-megapixel mode disables digital zoom from the viewfinder, but while Huaweis phones disable the additional cameras, theres no secondary camera to disable on the HONOR View20. Advertisement Youd be hard pressed to tell the difference in most circumstances though, especially when it comes to detail, where the View20 handily beats most other smartphones with telephoto lenses. Dynamic range is the weak point, again due to the fact that this is essentially a crop of a 48-megapixel shot, and those individual pixels are super tiny, meaning they just cant pull in the same amount of light others can in these types of shots. It also makes the question of choosing between the 12 or 48-megapixel setting quite a bit more difficult, as leaving it on 48 megapixels will always give you the full zoom ability, but will lessen the dynamic range. The front-facing camera is better on the HONOR View20 when compared to the Mate 20, and while its really only better by a hair, its still worth noting. This camera is clearer, brighter and just better overall when compared to Huaweis latest, and while its not quite the best front-facing camera on the market, its definitely more than good enough. Something the View20 does well, in particular, is capturing moving objects without blurring them. This has been a strength of Huawei devices for a while, but the View20 seems to be even better than before. Advertisement HONOR is continuing to utilize the term AI throughout most of its camera experience and has continued to improve the performance and image quality of its AI-powered features since the inception of the use of this phrase. Photos taken with the AI toggle enabled will have sections of the image tweaked, such as the color of the flowers or the grass, as well as additional calculations for increased dynamic range in scenes that need it. If you do prefer the look youll be pleasantly surprised at how fast the dual NPU inside the Kirin 980 processor detects scenes, meaning you wont have to wait around for them to be identified As has been the case with Huaweis latest flagships, the HONOR View20 has an incredible auto mode in low light and represents the absolute best auto mode of any phone on the market. Simply stunning, bright imagery comes out of the camera, no matter how low the light, and youll find that there are times where the auto mode captures a brighter scene than the night mode will without adjusting any settings. This auto mode reproduces the most color accurate pictures in low lighting of any phone on the market, with only the Huawei Mate 20 Pro tying its accuracy. It also takes a picture in just a fraction of a second, while night mode, of course, takes several long-exposure shots over several seconds and can have hand-jitter introduced into the scene if you find yourself shaking a lot. Advertisement As we covered in the night mode video published recently, auto mode wont produce the level of detail that night mode can simply because thats not its goal. Auto mode is designed to take a super bright picture in a split second, while night mode is designed to capture as much dynamic range and detail in a low lit scene as possible. As is the case on Huawei phones, night mode has manual adjustment settings for ISO and shutter speed, meaning you can increase either setting to deliver a brighter picture in night mode, all without sacrificing detail when the phone is stabilized. Advertisement Attempting to take longer exposures while holding the phone will always result in a brighter picture but, as expected, will almost assuredly introduce hand jitter. The biggest difference between the Mate 20 Pro and the View20 is in noise reduction, where Huawei takes a more aggressive approach while HONOR seems to side more with Google on letting a bit of noise in to preserve fine detail. Check out the gallery below and that night mode video for all the samples we took. Manual or Pro mode is exactly what youll find on the Mate 20, including the ultra-high ISO options and super long 30-second shutter speeds. ISO can climb as high as an astounding 102,400, which is second to none on the market and represents some of the most versatile manual photography modes on the market. The only real major thing missing is focus peaking, which makes manual focus very difficult to use. Theres no real pro or manual mode for video either, leaving only LGs flagships with such options for folks that want more manual control over their video experience. Portrait mode is generally good and does a solid job of edge detection but is not as good as Googles. The View20 doesnt feature the post-process adjustment features like Xiaomi does, meaning youll have to make sure your settings are correct before taking the shot, as blur depth and type cannot be adjusted after taking the picture. Portrait mode is limited to being used on human faces only and will only blur the background when a subject is detected in adequate lighting conditions. The TOF camera can be used to sculpt body shape based on a 10-point slider. This adjusts the face by elongating or squishing it, and it seems like the middle setting produces the most desirable results. Advertisement Folks looking to capture more than just people with that bokeh-style blur should use aperture mode, which works considerably better than portrait mode in most circumstances. Aperture mode creates a more true-to-life DSLR-style bokeh effect than portrait mode and works on all objects, not just when it recognizes faces. This does a super excellent job of organically blurring the background in a gradual fashion and even captures the effect well on moving objects, dramatizing a scene in a way portrait mode simply isnt intended to do. These effects are carried over into video mode, where Huaweis AI Color adjustments from the Mate 20 series have made their way here as well. Framerate of video capture and the accuracy, as a whole, seems to be improved from the Mate 20, but those changes will likely make their way to the Mate 20 in a software update since this phone features an identical processor and dual NPU setup as those phones. Even that body sculpting effect can be used in video mode, showing the true power of Huaweis Dual NPU solution inside the Kirin 980 processor. These effects are super cool and, while ultimately not practical in most situations, can be used for an impressive range of effects that otherwise would be incredibly difficult to reproduce without significant work in post-processing. All these effects are generated in real-time in the viewfinder and require no tweaking or adjustment from users. Advertisement Just like the Mate 20, the View20 can only record in 4K at up to 30FPS. The image stabilization is significantly improved over the Mate 20 series though, and is not only smoother and more elegant but doesnt feature the odd warping artifacts on the sides of the video either. The View20 also has identical super slow-motion quality as the Mate 20 series, providing 960FPS super slow-motion recording at 720p quality. The software continues to be improved on this front though and now only takes 3-4 second to save the video versus double that time on last years Huawei P20 Pro. HONOR View20 Camera Samples - Flickr.com The biggest setback in video is a lack of a telephoto camera on the View20, which is incredibly obvious when placing it next to any phone that has a telephoto lens. Even the cheaper Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 does a better job of zoom detail in video than the View20, and Huaweis Mate 20 or P20 series absolutely blow it out of the water but are, of course, more expensive devices. HONOR has put together what could arguably be called the best camera experience on the market when it comes to providing incredible quality at a true value. HONOR has, once again, shown that a good experience isnt one that costs an arm and a leg, but cost savings also means that some things had to make the cut. Ultimately though, the core experience is as good as youll find right now, and its only in a few areas where the View20 falls shy of the mark while excelling wildly at the vast, vast majority of every other benchmark we set. Next Page - HONOR View20 Design, Display, Sound, and Software Previous Page - HONOR View20 Review HTC is considering re-entering the Indian market by licensing its brand to other OEMs, claims a recent Economic Times report citing several senior industry executives. HTC did not reveal any official details on the matter but one spokesperson claimed that the OEM will have more to announce at a later date indicating that HTC might be negotiating a deal. The report mentions that HTC is in talks with three smartphone brands currently active in the Indian market, including Micromax, Lava, and Karbonn. Assuming a deal will be made, one or more of these brands could start manufacturing and selling HTC-branded mobile products in India under license, while HTC will earn royalties. Another unnamed executive cited by Economic Times claims that Lava and Karbonn might join forces and bit together to acquire the HTC brand license in India. Furthermore, the licensing agreement wouldnt be limited to smartphones only, and those who would acquire the license will be able to release tablets and other accessories under the HTC brand. Advertisement Its somewhat of a similar situation as it was with Nokia and BlackBerry, both of which have slowly but surely lost the smartphone race over the years and eventually made licensing deals with HMD Global and TCL Communications, respectively. Over the past couple of years the Nokia brand was very much revived under HMD Globals umbrella, but at the other end of the spectrum, BlackBerry didnt seem to enjoy as much success as the Finnish brand. ET reveals that the BlackBerry brand in India is actually used under license by Zen Mobile, not TCL Communications which has worldwide licensing deals, nor BB Merah Putih or India-based Optiemus Infracom, which previously launched BlackBerry-branded devices in Indonesia and South Asia, respectively. As for HTC, the OEMs smartphone business and revenues continued to decline year-on-year and aside from the HTC Exodus 1 crypto-phone, it barely has any devices to offer to prospective buyers. Besides, the Exodus 1 in itself is a niche device which HTC now hopes to push more into the mainstream. Advertisement Despite its efforts and several rebrands of its flagship lineups over the years, HTC continued to lose steam. HTC didnt reveal any new mobile products at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month, but the company did confirm in January that it plans to release its first 5G-enabled smartphone in the second half of 2019. A licensing deal with other OEMs might keep the HTC brand alive in India, and with luck, it can even thrive. On the other hand, the report citing an unnamed executive claims that it might be challenging for licensees to push the HTC brand to the forefront, given their lack of R&D capabilities in both software and hardware. Licensees would inevitably face tough competition in the Indian market from already-established brands including Xiaomi who continues to deliver smartphones with great value for money. According to the executive, the budget market hovering around the $150 price point is no longer just about hardware specs but also innovation. Case in point, Xiaomi is pushing exciting features into its budget phones and even Samsung is having a difficult time competing with the Chinese tech giant in India. Advertisement Only time will tell what will happen to HTC and whether the market will receive new HTC-branded devices manufactured by licensees this year. Even so, it remains to be seen what will happen to HTCs mobile business outside of India. Harman Audio is currently discounting the JBL LINK 10, dropping the price down to just $79.95. Thats good for around $20 off of its regular price. This is also the lowest weve seen the JBL LINK 10 go for, since the holidays back in December. So if youve been looking to get your hands on one, now is definitely the time to do just that. The JBL LINK 10 is the smaller of the models in the LINK lineup. But it does still perform quite well. This is a 360-degree speaker, so its going to fill up the room with audio quite nicely. The battery will last you around 5 hours of playback. Its lower than most other speakers due to its size and the fact that it is always-listening for you to say OK Google. The Google Assistant is baked into the JBL LINK 10, meaning that you can take the Google Assistant with you anywhere. Since this is a portable speaker. You can set it to always listen for that trigger phrase. Or simply turn that off and press the button to begin talking to the Google Assistant. Advertisement You can pick up the JBL LINK 10 from Harman Audio (this is HARMANs website that houses all of its products from all of its brands) using the link below. Update: Lenovo has reached out to various sources to clarify that the withdrawn designation for the 1080p variant of its Yoga Chromebook C630 in the US and Canada is temporary and that Chromebook will be back in stock very soon. Lenovo seems to be looking to limit the availability of the FHD variants of its Yoga Chromebook C630 in the US and Canada by driving sales of the 4K version by withdrawing the 1080p configuration from those markets. Thats based on chat conversations captured by one Reddit user which were picked up by the media, alongside evidence found on Lenovos official Product Specifications Reference (PSREF) pages. While the chat informed a user that Lenovo would no longer be selling the more budget-friendly configurations of its premium Chrome OS laptop in the US and Canada, the listing effectively confirms that. On the PSREF site, both models associated with the 1080p display and regions in question 81JX0004US and 81JX0007UX are shown in red. The reference provided at the bottom of the listing shows indicates that means they are being withdrawn from the region and will be added to Lenovos Withdrawn Products section in the near future. Advertisement The devices are still listed in the two regions as being available with a 4K 3840 x 2160 display configuration and all that entails. The 1080p variant is also set to remain available in other regions where the gadget has launched but will no longer be made available in the US and Canada. Whats behind the decision? For the time being, there are and will be some FHD Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 laptops still available at various locations and that will likely remain the case for regional retailers where supplies remain. Best Buy, for example, still has one on sale that doesnt feature the standard backlit keyboard in place on other variants, so this is only affecting direct sales for the time being. Advertisement Theres no clear indication as to why sales would be brought to an end for the two devices either since offering buyers more choice and variety would typically be considered a way to bolster sales. It may be that the Chrome OS gadget simply didnt sell well in the two regions in the now delisted configuration or the OEM may be looking to revamp sales of its 4K variant by removing a product. If the 1080p version is cannibalizing on the sales of the 4K offering, it might make sense to limit the latters availability. Lenovo hasnt put forward any reasoning for the move beyond listing the device as temporarily unavailable at each regions respective online shop. Whats left? Advertisement What that means for buyers in the US is that theyll only have access to the 4K variation of the device that landed near the beginning of February. Thats the most powerful version of the Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 launched so far, touting an eight-generation quad-core Intel Core i5-8250U with a base clock of 1.6GHz and a turbo boost of up to 3.4GHz with a 6MB cache. Behind the top-tier processor, the gadget also ships with 8GB DDR4 2400MHz memory and storage at 128GB. An Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 chip for handling visuals is part of that package as well, making the configuration thats still available starting at $899 one of the most high-performance Chromebooks at well below the cost of a comparable Pixelbook. As with its lower-resolution counterpart, thats a 15.6-inch IPS panel on a 2-in-1 platform with a 360-degree hinge. Advertisement For battery life, conservative usage will allow for up to 10-hours on a single charge with a full charge taking right around an hour and a half. A backlit keyboard is standard on the most performance-ready Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 too. Two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, as well as a single USB 3.1 standard USB port, Kensington lock slot, micro SD card reader, and 3.5mm headphone jack, are part of the package alongside two well-tuned stereo speakers can be found on the bottom. Thats all packed into an all-metal midnight blue frame. All members of Samsungs Galaxy S10 family will be capable of Netflix HDR playback from day one, the video streaming service confirmed as part of an update to its support pages. HDR 10 capabilities have been touted as one of the main selling points of the newly launched Android flagships which Samsung is trying to advertise as multimedia powerhouses, both in terms of capture and playback. The latest version of the Netflix Android app also brings support for HD playback to Samsungs Galaxy M10, M20, and M30 lineups. Announced earlier this year, the new product family is meant to succeed the Galaxy J range and blur the lines between the companys entry-level and mid-range products. With the addition of Netflix HD support, that goal is bound to be all the more achievable, though there are currently no indications of Samsung planning to bring the Galaxy M series to the West. Advertisement The update to Netflixs support pages indirectly also reveals how many Galaxy M configurations Samsung is planning in total as it places that number at twelve, or four specifications per device. This particular information has yet to be officially confirmed by Samsung as the company was so far reluctant to talk about concrete figures, insisting it will launch as many variants as needed if the market demands so. Netflix has not forgotten about Qualcomms latest chips either as the new update to its mobile app makes its HD service compatible with the Snapdragon 855, Snapdragon 710, and the Snapdragon 675. The change guarantees every single Android smartphone fueled by one of those silicon modules will support the feature, so its unlikely Netflix will be mentioning individual models set to be released later this year in its future updates as HD support will be a given. The same applies retroactively, so e.g. many contemporary Nokia handsets from HMD Global can deliver HD-quality Netflix streams despite not a single mention of them being found on the video companys pages. The last generation of Samsungs Android flagships offers the same level of Netflix integration but the Galaxy S8 series was never given the same treatment, having only received HD support without HDR playback. That injustice is unlikely to be repeated as the two companies are cooperating much more closely these days. Advertisement The Galaxy S10 family will officially become available for purchase later this week, with Samsung preparing a global release. Not all of the companys target markets will receive all colors and memory configurations that are in the works but the most popular (read: cheapest) choices are expected to be readily available in virtually every part of the world. The South Korean tech giant is hoping for a strong pre-order performance and has already invested plenty in maximizing early-order figures. Among other things, many of its subsidiaries are offering $130 gift certificates or free Galaxy Buds (value at around the same) to all early adopters. In terms of multimedia relevancy, the Galaxy S10 line is likely to be the final series of Samsungs Android flagships to be equipped with 3.5mm headphone jacks, according to a number of previous reports. The National Security Agency shut down its domestic phone spying program established following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, The New York Times reports, citing Luke Murry, the national security adviser of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The initiative has been in effect for close to two decades now, traditionally enjoying strong support from both the White House and Capitol Hill regardless of the party in power. The Trump Administration never outright opposed it but reportedly has little interest in renewing its legal authority, according to the congressional aide. The original effort that was often described as a privacy nightmare was championed by the administration of former President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The project was formally discontinued in 2015 during President Obamas second stint but was actually replaced with an almost identical alternative in the form of the U.S.A. Freedom Act. Advertisement While the official justification changed over the years and is relatively far from the original intent of hunting down Al-Qaeda members behind the devastating 9/11 attacks, the basic premise remains the same, with the legislative framework providing the NSA with an almost unrestricted access to the nations call logs and SMS messages so that the intelligence community can work its big-data magic on it and try to surface anomalies, individuals statistically likely to be connected to terrorism. How ethical that operation actually is has been one of the most polarizing subjects of the 21st century and one whereon every government so far largely deviated from what appeared to be the prevalent public opinion any particular issue. Even the relatively popular Obama administration dropped the ball over the matter, which only makes the newly reported development even more surprising. The NSA supposedly hasnt acted on the U.S.A. Freedom Act for months now and isnt expected to resume its previous operations as the prevalent belief is that the initiative will soon be put to its formal end. Advertisement An Orwellian state secretly in the making The program faced consistent criticism from privacy advocates and civil activists, having been described as one of the most intrusive efforts of its kind in the history of mankind, even relative to surveillance systems employed by non-democratic regimes in other parts of the world. The controversial effort enjoyed support from all three branches of the United States government and was eventually even blessed by a secret court order in 2016 following minor turmoil over its existence. No litigation would have likely taken place if the U.S. government managed to keep a lid on it but the effort was revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013. The former NSA contractor revealed the extent of the agencys spying as part of one of the largest and most shocking such leaks in the countrys history. Advertisement All wireless carriers in the country were forced to collaborate with the U.S. government on its data-collection efforts in total secrecy. In some cases, such partnerships reached arguably bizarre proportions; e.g. AT&T reportedly actively contributed to building out the NSAs spying tools. The Trump administration previously signaled its willing to look into the possibility of pushing for stronger data privacy regulations but did little to actually pursue that goal; putting an end to one of the most controversial surveillance laws ever would certainly help it gain significant credibility in that regard as it sets its sight on big tech. The official website of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) was hacked on Tuesday morning at around 11:30am and has since gone under maintenance. No one has come out and taken the responsibility for it yet. Also, no official response has come from the BJP regarding the hacking of its website. Visitors to the official BJP website were in for a shock on Monday morning after they noticed the party's welcome page filled with memes on PM Modi and expletives. Homepage of the BJP website also showed the photo of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. A music video of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen was posted below the picture. The website has been put under maintenance with the message stating, "We'll be back soon! Sorry for the inconvenience but we're performing some maintenance at the moment. we'll be back online shortly!". Taking swipe at the BJP, the social media head of Congress Divya Spandana tweeted, "Bhaiyo aur Bhehno if you're not looking at the BJP website right now- you're missing out". Ethical hacker Elliot Alderson who had earlier hacked into the Aadhaar app tweeted, "Don't deface websites. If you are clever enough to deface a website don't do it. Contact the admin to get him fix the issue.." Earlier on Sunday, there were reports that Pakistan based hackers tried to hack nearly 100 Indian sites post the Pulwama terror attack which killed as many as 40 Indian CRPF jawans. Samsung Display is looking to supply its new Dynamic AMOLED foldable panel to third-party smartphone manufacturers, claims a report from South Korean ETNews. Apparently, the OEM shipped sample units of its foldable display to both Apple and Google in an attempt to secure them as clients, which indicates theres a possibility that both tech giants might release new devices with bendable screens in the near future. The report mentions Samsung Display is capable of manufacturing 200,000 Dynamic AMOLED foldable panels every month, or 2.4 million units per year. The Samsung Galaxy Fold isnt expected to cover this figure because it will be marketed as a luxury device accompanied by a high price tag, so it wont match more conventional devices like the Samsung Galaxy S10 in terms of shipments; not even close. But Samsung Display is reportedly willing to expand its foldable display production capacity at up to 10 million units per year, assuming that demand for the technology will increase. Until then, the tech giants display arm is looking for more clients to secure sales for the 2.4 million yearly units, and sample units have already been sent to Apple and Google. Advertisement ETNews claims that these sample displays have a 7.2-inch diagonal, making them 0.1-inch smaller than the panel employed by the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Thats not to say that Apple and Google are necessarily planning on launching 7.2-inch foldable smartphone-tablet hybrids. Theres no information as to whether Samsung secured either one of the two companies as new clients for its foldable screen technology, so only time will tell if the Korean OEMs efforts will bear fruit. The report also mentioned that Samsung Display sent sample panels to both Huawei and OPPO last year, however, according to at least one recent report, the AMOLED panel adopted by the Huawei Mate X comes from China-based BOE Technology, not Samsungs display arm. In the meantime, Google has given up on the Android tablet segment and shifted its focus on Chrome OS-powered notebooks and convertibles, but perhaps the tech giant is considering joining this emerging foldable segment, which could mean that Android OS might evolve to encompass new features designed specifically for the new form factor. Samsung revealed previously that it worked together with Google to bring App Continuity to the Galaxy Fold, so Google already has some experience with the concept. Advertisement As for Apple, the OEMs iPads are still going relatively strong especially compared to the declining Android tablet market, so its somewhat difficult to believe that the Cupertino-giant would be interested in creating a smartphone-tablet hybrid and risk cannibalizing its iPad sales. On the other hand, the OEM could technically come up with its own design based on foldable screens, one which would focus less on the smartphone part and more on redefining the tablet. After all, the Samsung Galaxy Fold without the secondary 4.6-inch exterior screen would technically be just a foldable tablet because it keeps the 7.3-inch panel on the inside and opens like a book. It remains to be seen if the foldable form factor will gain enough traction so that more OEMs will jump on the bandwagon and Samsung Display will be willing to increase its manufacturing capacity. For now, the OEM seems to be looking for additional clients. T-Mobiles Samsung Galaxy Note9 units have started receiving Android 9 Pie, about a month after Sprint and AT&T did the same, and it is coming as a firmware version N960U1UEU1CSB3. T-Mobile is a bit late, but the most important thing is, the update is finally here, and it has started rolling out to T-Mobile consumers OTA (Over the Air). Do note that this is quite a large update, it weighs around 1.8GB, so make sure you have the necessary space on your phone before you proceed. As its usually the case, the phone will notify you when the update is available, and you will be able to download it, unless youve disabled the auto-check-for-updates options via settings. You can also manually check whether the update is available for your unit from the Settings app. Head over to the Settings app, tap Software update, and then hit Download updates manually. T-Mobile also notes that you can update your phone via your computer, if thats what you prefer. You do need to use Samsungs proprietary cable in order to do it, notes T-Mobile, and it is recommendable that you backup everything before you proceed in this manner. It is much easier to update via your phone by waiting for an OTA update, though, so we would not recommend messing with a PC, but it is an option. Advertisement T-Mobile had released Android 9 Pie for the Galaxy S9 and S9+, while it is currently working on doing the same for the Galaxy S8, S8+, S8 Active, Galaxy Note8, Galaxy J7 Star, and the Galaxy A6. Along with a number of stock Android 9 Pie features that will become available when you update, you will also get Samsungs Android overlay with its own set of features. Samsung is rolling out its new One UI Android overlay with Android 9 Pie, and the main premise of this UI is to make one-handed use a breeze. One UI is somewhat different than Samsungs previous skins, not only is it adapted for one-handed use, at least as far as Samsungs apps are concerned, it also looks somewhat cleaner than Samsungs previous iteration of an Android skin. Along with this update, T-Mobiles Galaxy Note9 users will also get an Android security patch for January. Advertisement Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness features are a part of this update as well, and your battery should improve following this update. Settings within One UI look quite a bit different compared to Samsung Experience UI, and youll also get a new and updated look of most Samsung applications. The Samsung Galaxy Note9 has been around for a while now, it had been introduced back in August last year, and the phone originally shipped with Android 8.1 Oreo. The Galaxy Note9 is still one of Samsungs most powerful devices, but since the Galaxy S10 series arrived, it is no longer considered to be the companys flagship. The Galaxy Note10 is expected to arrive in either August or September this year, and that device will ship with Android 9 Pie out of the box, of course. Huaweis sub-brand Honor is seemingly preparing to release an upgraded version of the View 20 launched last December in China. A render depicting the alleged device along with a list of specifications leaked on Chinese social network Weibo earlier today, and much like the Honor View 20, the updated model carries the AI Vision branding on the back panel, hinting at the inclusion of a Time-of-Flight camera. In terms of design, the unannounced model has a vertically aligned camera array, unlike the View 20s sensors which are aligned horizontally. The new model also lacks a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, but its unclear whether this is because it embeds the sensor in a side-mounted physical button or features an in-display module. Spec-wise the upgraded Honor View 20 is said to feature a 48MP camera coupled with a 20MP and 8MP sensor. The AI Vision branding hints that the device will take advantage of ToF capabilities and the preliminary list of specs mentions a 32MP front-facing sensor and a HiSilicon Kirin 980 chipset. Advertisement The display measures 6.1-inches, down from the View 20s 6.4-inch panel, and it is now based on OLED technology instead of IPS LCD, which might further indicate that the device could adopt an in-display fingerprint sensor. Other features seem to include a USB Type-C connector and a 3,650mAh battery, along with some gaming-oriented software features. The same source claims that the upgraded Honor View 20 will be released in three main variants, two of which will have 128GB of built-in storage along with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. The third model will sport 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. At the lowest price point, the device would cost 2,999 Yuan ($447). The mid-tier configuration will reportedly launch for 3,399 Yuan ($506) and finally, the top-tier variant will hit the shelves for 3,799 Yuan ($566). Advertisement In a way, this mysterious Honor View 20 update looks somewhat similar to the upcoming Huawei P30 and P30 Pro, except Honors model accommodates the three rear-facing sensors in two separate housings as opposed to sharing the same back panel cutout. Additionally, the View 20 doesnt have Huaweis Leica branding as it does its own thing with AI Vision. There are no images showing the front of the device, so its unclear whether it will have a punch-hole camera cutout for the front-facing sensor like the ongoing View 20, or adopt a centered drop-like display notch similar to whats expected from the Huawei P30 series. Assuming that all of these leaks are correct, it remains to be seen when the upgraded Honor View 20 will be introduced. Normally it would seem odd for an OEM to launch a new flagship two months after the most recent model made its debut, but then again the Honor View 20 introduced in December was preceded by the Honor Magic 2 in November, and both models were powered by the Kirin 980 chipset and 6GB or 8GB of RAM, along with three rear-facing cameras. Advertisement The Honor Magic 2 has an in-display fingerprint sensor, so in essence, it looks like the upcoming Honor View 20 might be a combination between the Magic 2 and the original View 20 released late last year. Posted on: March 5, 2019 5:22 PM Bujumbura Christian University (BCU) in Burundi is celebrating after 13 students obtained Bachelors Degrees in Theology the first students from the University to graduate. The 13 students 12 men and one woman received their degrees in a ceremony attended by all of the bishops in the Anglican Church of Burundi, as well as representatives from the countrys Ministry of Education and other dignitaries, guests and family members. This was a joyful occasion marking an important step forward for the Anglican Church of Burundi in the area of education and training for future leaders, the Provincial Communications Officer, Guy Nasasagare, said, The Primate of Burundi, Archbishop Martin Blaise Nyaboho, expressed gratitude to all those whose support had made the creation of the university possible. He urged the first graduates to become models for future generations who will be trained there. Canon Donald Werner, Vice Chancellor Emeritus of BCU, said that 12 February 2019 will always be a historical day in the history of the Church. He saluted the courage of students who persevered with their studies especially during the crisis of 2015. Posted on: March 5, 2019 3:23 PM The national investment bodies of the Church of England have announced a series of success stories with its stakeholder engagement. The Church Commissioners, the Church of England Pensions Board and the Central Board of Finance Church of England Funds are independent bodies which, between them, control investment assets of some 13 billion GBP. They are increasingly working with other investors to push for company boards to adopt ethical standards. Last month, the global mining company BHP announced it was supporting calls for a global independent public classification system for tailings dams. The call was made by a C of E-led coalition of investors with 3 trillion under investment, after the Vale dam in Brumadinho, Brazil, collapsed with the loss of around 300 lives. The Bishop of Birmingham, David Urquhart, will chair a high level meeting of investors, leading global experts and senior industry representatives this week to advance the investors call. A few days after the BHP announcement, another mining company, Glencore, said that it would align its business and investments with the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The agreement, reached at the UNs COP21 meeting, seeks to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius and to achieve net zero emissions in the second half of the century. In its announcement, Glencore undertool not to grow its coal production capacity. The announcement followed engagement by the Climate Action 100+ coalition of institutional investors, which have combined assets in excess of $32 trillion USD (approximately 24.4 trillion GBP) under investment. The Church Commissioners Head of Responsible Investment, Edward Mason, is the lead negotiator for the Climate Action 100+ coalition. Delivering on the goals of the Paris Agreement requires unprecedented collaboration and todays announcement is a positive step forward for Glencore, its investors and the fight against climate change, he said. Investors will now want to hold the company to its commitments and to ensure that the methodology for determining the companys alignment with the Paris goals is robust. A few days later, with the coalition on tailings dam safety having grown to investors with 5 trillion GBP of assets, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), a global trade body representing 27 multinational mining companies, announced that the Chief Executives of its member companies would establish an independent panel of experts to develop an international standard for tailings facilities. The standards will include a global and transparent consequence-based tailings facility classification system with appropriate requirements for each level of classification; a system for credible, independent reviews of tailings facilities; and requirements for emergency planning and preparedness. The Director of Ethics and Engagement for the Church of England Pensions Board, Adam Matthews, co-leads the investors tailings dam safety initiative. He gave a cautious welcome to the announcement, describing it as a welcome step in the right direction. The Church of Englands national investing bodies also work collaboratively with other Christian groups through the Church Investors Group, a coalition of church organisations with combined investment assets of approximately 21 billion GBP. It includes the main investing bodies of the Church of England and the Methodist Church in Great Britain; as well as 67 other bodies, including the Church Mission Society, the New Zealand Anglican Church Pension Board, the Representative Bodies of the Church of Ireland and Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church, USPG, Songs and Friends of the Clergy, and Christian Aid. The group has written to companies in the FTSE (Financial Times Stock Exchange) 350 listing to advise them of a new tough approach to voting in this years AGMs where reform on key issues is deemed to be too slow, the Church of England said. The Church investors common voting template will see them vote against the Chairs of companies which score zero for tax transparency in the FTSE ESG ratings. They will also vote against Chairs of companies rated Level 0 or 1 by the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) on climate change; and also against the Chairs of electricity utilities which do not have emissions reduction pathways consistent at least with the Nationally Determined Contributions submitted by parties to the Paris Agreement, or whose disclosure is inadequate in order to make such an assessment. They will also vote against the Chair of the Nominations Committee of companies in the main indexes in Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand if they do not have at least one female director; and also vote agaist remuneration reports of FTSE 350 companies that do not disclose the pay ratio between the CEO and average employee. Ultimately, a companys license to operate depends on the confidence of the public and its long-term contribution to the common good, Canon Edward Carter, Chair of the Church Investors Group, said. Our voting template for 2019 sends a strong signal to companies about the issues where we want to see change, he added. Climate change, diversity, remuneration and corporate tax are areas that concern not only fairness but also the mitigation of risk to the companies themselves and wider society. As asset owners, we will continue to press with our votes the need for companies to act responsibly and work not only for the benefit of shareholders but also contribute to the wider common good in both the short and long term. Telecom operators Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have paid the government about Rs 6,000 crore in spectrum dues slated for March 03, but debt-ridden Reliance Communications has so far not deposited its dues of Rs 21.5 crore, sources said. A source privy to the development told PTI that India's largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea has made payment of over Rs 3,042.7 crore to the Department of Telecom towards its spectrum dues (that is, deferred payment instalment for spectrum bought in auctions). Also Read: PM Modi launches pension scheme PM Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana in Ahmedabad The due date for the said payment was March 3, and Vodafone Idea made its payment on March 2, the source said. Vodafone Idea - whose Rs 25,000 crore fundraising plan by way of rights issue recently got the Cabinet nod - is slated to make its next payment of over Rs 6,000 crore sometime in April. While Bharti Airtel made payment of Rs 1,918 crore and Reliance Jio of Rs 1,053 crore by the due date, the embattled Reliance Communications has not yet made payment of Rs 21.5 crore as on the due date. The sources aware of the stipulated procedures said that telecom companies are given a grace period of 10 days after the due date by the DoT to make the payment, failing which a further decision is taken on such matters. Reliance Communications declined to comment to an e-mail query on the issue. A Vodafone Idea spokesperson confirmed that that the company has made the due spectrum payments but did not divulge any details. An Airtel spokesperson said that "Airtel has paid all its spectrum dues in full as per timelines". A mail sent to Reliance Jio did not elicit any response. Also Read: India Inc's average salary increment pegged at 9.7% in 2019, says Aon survey The move assumes significance as Vodafone Idea has earlier sought a two-years moratorium on annual spectrum payment of over Rs 10,000 crore, citing high debt levels and stress on the balance sheet. In all, the amount to be paid by Vodafone Idea is estimated to be around Rs 11,900 crore this year. Vodafone and Idea have participated in five auctions that were held in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 before merging their mobile businesses. In five auctions, Vodafone alone had acquired spectrum worth Rs 79,343 crore, which is highest in terms of value compared to bids made by any other operator. Idea too had purchased spectrum worth Rs 63,597 crore in those auctions. After completion of the merger on August 31, 2018, the spectrum payment liability is now on Vodafone Idea. The government, in March last year, the enhanced number of annual instalments for spectrum payment from 10 to 16 years to provide relief to the sector, which is reeling under the debt of around 7.8 lakh crore. But, industry body Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) in November again approached DoT secretary Aruna Sundararajan to seek an additional 2-year moratorium on payment of instalments of spectrum won in the auctions and interest charges imposed on instalments. The industry argues that the sector has lost 42 per cent revenue from sales of telecom services on a quarterly basis between April-June 2016 and July-September 2018. They have said the debt level on four mobile operators is at around Rs 5 lakh crore, and 60 per cent of the liability is from spectrum payment obligations. Also Read: Pakistan Navy claims to have thwarted Indian submarine from entering its waters BarcelonaCatalonia is a society that welcomes outsiders and possesses a great capacity to integrate newcomers. This is shown by the fact that between 2000 and 2008 a million immigrants arrived here, bringing Catalonias population to seven million, without any serious consequences. Likewise, in the 1960s and 1970s a million immigrants moved to Catalonia from other parts of Spain, in particular from Andalusia and Extremadura, as before the war others had come from Murcia, Aragon and Valencia. In the vast majority of cases they decided to put down roots here, meaning that today they are as Catalan as anyone. In fact, Catalan society was built by Catalans from all over the world. From 2006 to 2010 the president of Catalonia was Andalusia-born Jose Montilla. This makes last Sundays words by the president of Andalusia, Jose Manuel Moreno Bonilla, all the more infuriating. Speaking at a rally in Terrassa (Barcelona), Moreno Bonilla accused the Catalan government of wishing to "marginalize Catalans who have Andalusian roots". Moreno Bonilla visited Catalonia on the occasion of Andalusia Day, and rather than paying a courtesy visit to his Catalan counterpart, he chose to attack the Catalan government and differentiate between Catalans of Andalusian origin and the rest. Can you imagine what would have happened if it had been the other way around? Speaking in a similar vein, Ciudadanos Parliamentary spokesperson, Carlos Carrizosa, accused the pro-independence parties of treating Catalans born in Andalusia as "colonists". Why are they so keen on dividing Catalans according to their place of birth? Why are they so keen on pitching Catalans against each other? The answer is obvious: the PP and Ciudadanos (Cs) are hoping for electoral gain from having created a debate based on ethnicity, which denies the Andalusians who moved here, including their children, the right to fully integrate themselves into the host society. Furthermore, Moreno Bonilla's paternalism, like Susana Diaz's and many others before him, is upsetting since it ignores the dramatic circumstances in which the wave of immigration took place in the 1960s and 1970s. Both the PP and Ciudadanos often highlight the part played by immigration in present day Catalonia, with good reason, but they avoid speaking about the circumstances which forced tens of thousands of families to leave their home to embark on the uncertain adventure of migration; in other words, abject misery and the prospects of a bleak future. Most of them were able to build a new life in Catalonia, one that was denied to them in their place of birth, doing so thanks to their hard work and solidarity. They built entire neighbourhoods, fought for improvements in infrastructure and most of them joined forces with political Catalanism. They helped build Catalonia as it is today. And no one, absolutely no one, has the right to speak in their name since only they know what it cost them to fight for their dreams. Attempting to use the origins of the Catalan people for electioneering purposes, and to pitch one group against another is not only incredibly irresponsible: it is disgraceful. And it is doomed to end in failure. The problem is that some have decided that creating a rift in Catalan society is the only way to put a stop to a Catalan republic, a goal which is not free from criticism, but which at least is inclusive and open to all. As Catalanism has always been. And as Catalonia has always been. Abu Dhabi Airports is cooperating and coordinating with all relevant entities including Airport Police and Customs to ensure a seamless and efficient customer experience across passport control and other processes. This will include special meet and greet services for athletes and honored guests, preferential lane and queue control assistance, customized digital signage throughout Abu Dhabi International Airport, and additional staff and equipment deployed across the airport. In addition, Abu Dhabi Airports staff and volunteers are preparing to welcome travelers and national delegations with gifts and cards wishing them success and providing them with information about everything Abu Dhabi has to offer from thrilling amusement parks to iconic heritage sites. Bryan Thompson, chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: We are delighted to have the opportunity to welcome the athletes and visitors arriving in Abu Dhabi for the Special Olympics World Games. We have fully staffed various operations across Abu Dhabi International Airport to ensure excellent service and a world-class customer experience across all our facilities. We have coordinated with all relevant entities to ensure successful operations and efficient traffic handling throughout this exceptionally busy period. We are keen to ensure the comfort of every athlete and visitor and are looking forward to having the opportunity to introduce them to our unique brand of Arabian hospitality, added Thompson. The Special Olympics World Games will be hosted in Abu Dhabi in March 2019 for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since the movements founding over 50 years ago. The Special Olympics is the worlds largest humanitarian sporting event and a global movement which focuses on the empowerment of People of Determination through the power of sport. About About About Last Night This is a blog about the arts in New York City and the rest of America, written by Terry Teachout. Terry is a critic, biographer, playwright, director, librettist, recovering musician, and inveterate blogger. In addition to theater, he writes here and elsewhere about all of the other arts--books, [Read More...] About My Plays and Opera Libretti Billy and Me, my second play, received its world premiere on December 8, 2017, at Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach, Fla. Satchmo at the Waldorf, my first play, closed off Broadway at the Westside Theatre on June 29, 2014, after 18 previews and 136 performances. That production was directed [Read More...] About My Podcast Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I are the panelists on Three on the Aisle, a bimonthly podcast from New York about theater in America. [Read More...] About My Books My latest book is Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington, published in 2013 by Gotham Books in the U.S. and the Robson Press in England and now available in paperback. I have also written biographies of Louis Armstrong, George Balanchine, and H.L. Mencken, as well as a volume of my collected essays called A [Read More...] Stephen King Slams Media: My Wife Is Rightly Pissed Stephen King Defends Tabitha King After Headlines Call Her Just His Wife Stephen Kings not having it. He and his wife, novelist Tabitha King, are taking the media to task for not giving her the respect she deserves. My wife is rightly pissed by headlines like this: Stephen King and his wife donate $1.25M to New England Historic Genealogical Society, he shared in a Facebook post on February 28. RELATED: Here's Why You Should Be a Feminist The best-selling horror novelist let fans know right off the top that he and his wife are not happy with the medias coverage of the couples recent donation to the New England Historic Genealogical Society. According to Stephen, the donation of $1.25 million was originally her idea. Further, as he explains, neither was happy with the media addressing the couple in its coverage as Stephen King and his wife. Stephen shared the short letter from Tabitha as follows: Dear Editors (married to a wife or a husband): In recent media coverage of a gift that my husband (ironic usage) and I made to the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, we became Stephen King and his wife. Wife is a relationship or status. It is not an identity. You could have made other choices. You could have referred to me as OfStephen. Or His Old Lady. Or His-Ball-And-Chain. I have sons. You could have referred to me as Mother-of-Novelists. I have a daughter but wouldnt it be just silly to refer to me as Mother-of-Clergy? Im seventy. I thought I would give you permission, if OfTabitha predeceases me, to title my obituary, Relick of Stephen King. In the meantime, you might consider the unconscious condescension in your style book, and give women their names For many fans, Tabitha King is just as accomplished as her husband. For instance, she is the author of eight books, and is considered an accomplished writer on her own. Fans of the Kings were quick to show support, with many commenting that they were even bigger fans of Tabitha than Stephen. How can your entire family be so damn AWESOME!?!?!? STOP MAKING ME LOVE YOU GUYS MORE, IT'S STARTING TO HURT :) The Original Luzah (@luzah) February 28, 2019 Tabitha King donates 1.25M to New England Historic Genealogical Society. Mrs. King lives with a small dog and a husband. Martin Tiller (@mctiller) February 28, 2019 Brava to Tabitha and her husband. Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) February 28, 2019 Stephen and Tabitha King arent the only famous names to complain about the wife not getting her proper respect. In May 2018, actress Gabrielle Union spoke out after a Florida news station tweeted .@DwyaneWade, wife donates $200,000 to student-ran gun control rally. When they let you know what they think of you, she clapped at the news station. I have a name. You Might Also Dig: El Hassan moved to KPMG Law from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he was a partner and leader of the firms financial services risk advisory team in Australia. He is also a former partner at Clayton Utz and Corrs Chambers Westgarth. El Hassans arrival grew the firms partnership in the country to 20. He is known for his expertise in on business transformation, risk and remediation, fintech and artificial intelligence, and superannuation. Bailey is an expert in IT and telecoms, as well as commercial and corporate transactions. He will move to the firm from Herbert Smith Freehills, where he is a partner. He was also previously a partner at Simmons & Simmons. Bailey has extensive experience in infrastructure rollouts, major technology transformation projects, joint ventures, systems integration, outsourcing and cloud arrangements, strategic projects and new technologies. He is well-connected and extensively experienced in the Asian and Middle Eastern markets. Lundie will move to KPMG Law from Clayton Utz, where he is special counsel. He has a focus on technology transactions, including complex outsourcing projects, technology procurement, digital projects and as-a-service arrangements. He brings a combination of supplier experience, having worked at Infosys in London, and strong government experience, having recently worked on Commonwealth and state technology projects. Jones-Hope is the former senior solicitor and principal adviser for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. He has more than 25 years of private- and public-sector experience, working on government projects, commercial advisory, and legislative and regulatory reform. (By okili77/Shutterstock.com) (By okili77/Shutterstock.com) New funding of $19.4 million is to be provided by the Australian Government to attract skilled migrants to take up jobs and move to regional Australia in the next four years and encouraged to become permanent residents.Immigration Minister David Coleman has announced that regional employers and skilled migrants wanting to live and work in regional areas will be given access to priority processing on visa applications.Department of Home Affairs officials will also be deployed to regional communities to work directly with employers and communities experiencing critical skills shortages and support given to regional employers to get the skilled workers they need to grow and develop their businesses.'Our skilled visa programs are about supporting Australian businesses and creating opportunities for more Australians. There are a number of regions outside Sydney, Melbourne and South East Queensland who are calling out for skilled migrants. These regional initiatives will help these communities and local business attract migrants where they are needed most,' said Coleman.It means that where Australian workers are not available, visa settings will be tailored to suit the needs of specific regions through tools such as Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs).The Northern Territory recently signed its second DAMA agreement, and Warrnambool on Victoria's Great South Coast is expected to sign one soon.Coleman explained that the Government is significantly expanding the DAMA programme, with officials from the Department of Home Affairs already in discussions with a range of regions that are experiencing labour shortages to see whether a DAMA could be put in place to supplement the local workforce.'Training and skilling Australians is one of our top priorities, but there is a need for additional workers to supplement the workforce, particularly in regional areas,' he said.'DAMAs provide flexibility for regional employers to sponsor migrant workers, as well as incentives to migrants to live and work in regional areas, including by creating a pathway to permanent residence,' he pointed out.'There are economic gaps in regional areas which immigration can help to fill, and that is exactly what we are doing through these new or expanded measures,' he added. In a release posted on the official Facebook page, the Wicklife Police Department informs they have 18-year-old Gary Reba in custody for his participation in an incident that took the life of 17-year-old Anthony Noch.The two and another friend had been bowling inside an alley for the evening and they planned to leave together in the same car. Noch remained inside for a while longer to pay, and Reba and the other pal went to the vehicle, which they had left in the parking lot. Thats when Reba got the idea of playing a practical joke on Noch, the kind weve all probably witnessed ourselves at least once in our life. There was never any malicious intent behind it.Investigation determined the incident occurred during horseplay between the friends, the PD says. Reba moved the car from it's original parking spot, so that Noch would come outside and have to look for the car. As he did so, Reba drove towards Noch to startle him, and; in doing so, struck Noch with the front driver's side corner of his car. Noch fell to the ground and suffered a serious head injury.Noch was immediately transported to a local hospital and then to the University Hospital in Cleveland. He died the next day, from the injury sustained in the fall.The driver; Gary Reba, was arrested and charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle and aggravated vehicular homicide. At this time, there is no evidence that alcohol or drugs were involved, the statement further says. Palmdale, CA (93550) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 40F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 40F. Winds light and variable. Alibaba, which seemed contained to China for the first two decades of its existence, is steadily buddying up with U.S. companies and making inroads into the American market. Driving the news: In just the past 12 months, Alibaba has teamed up with Kroger and Tiffany & Co, among other American companies, and has brought its payment system, Alipay, to thousands of U.S. stores. The latest partnership is with Office Depot and the millions of small businesses which buy their office supplies there. The big picture: It's increasingly difficult for small U.S. retailers to go up against giants like Amazon and Walmart, which have the cheapest prices and the fastest delivery options. Amazon's competitors, Alibaba among them, have happily turned this into a business opportunity, selling logistics and manufacturing services to the smaller companies that want to battle the behemoth. Through the new deal, the 10 million small businesses that buy supplies at Office Depot will be able to tap Alibaba to set them up with Asian factories and call on Office Depot to help them with deliveries all to cut their costs. They'll also be able to sell on Alibaba's site, which has more than 600 million active users. Office Depot, like many brick and mortar companies in the age of Amazon, is struggling. Its stock price has fallen from around $9.50 in March 2015 to $3.50 today and its sales have shrunk from $15.5 billion in 2007 to $11 billion last year. The partnership with Alibaba is a play to stay relevant with a service offering for its customers as its traditional retailing business falters. For Alibaba, a partnership with an old American brand is helpful at a time when U.S. tensions with China keep escalating. "We recognize that the brand that Office Depot has matters," John Caplan, head of Alibaba.com's U.S. arm tells Axios. For years, economists and other experts have been puzzled by a uniquely American anomaly: after centuries as probably the most restless place on the planet its people shifting often thousands of miles around the country for a better life the U.S. has at once become much more stationary. The big picture: The explanations for all this stillness vary, but the most compelling are perhaps the simplest: people have dug in because there appears to be nowhere to go no "promised land" of relatively high wages on which they can build greater dreams. A much overlooked difference from the times of wagon trains and the Dust Bowl: The internet, which leaves very little mystery as to what lies at the other end of almost any road taken. What's happening: In a paper released last week, David Autor, a pioneering labor economist at MIT, said the geography of jobs has changed. Cities, once the hope of people seeking a middle-class life, are now a symbol of the disappearance of well-paid, middle-skill work. The culprits automation and the shift of jobs abroad. And people know that it's the same story everywhere, so they are "acting rationally," Autor tells Axios, and staying home. By the numbers : In a 2015 paper, economists from the Minneapolis Fed said American migration across state lines fell by 50% from 1991 to 2011. Such movement is at the lowest level since 1948, when the government began to track such figures. : In a 2015 paper, economists from the Minneapolis Fed said American migration across state lines fell by 50% from 1991 to 2011. Such movement is at the lowest level since 1948, when the government began to track such figures. Companies around the country are pleading for skilled workers. But they are looking for higher-level skills than those possessed by the men and women who ordinarily would be found in caravans, moving for better times. are pleading for skilled workers. But they are looking for higher-level skills than those possessed by the men and women who ordinarily would be found in caravans, moving for better times. What's largely left in the workforce are, on one end, jobs requiring only a high school education, and on the other college graduates. Only 20% of jobs require just a high school education, said Anthony Carnevale, Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce. The internet is a key unspoken actor in this dynamic of motionlessness. According to the Minneapolis Fed report, people know much more what they are getting into, and are seeing little romance in experiencing it for themselves. "There isn't this a sort of naive, 'I'm from Northern Wisconsin, and I'm going [to California] for the Palm trees,'" Carnevale tells Axios. I asked a string of other economists why Americans no longer move. Joan Williams, UC Hastings: "A more important factor is the Two Body problem, as it's called in academia. Families now need two better jobs, not just one. And they have to be so much better that the family will all be better off even after paying for services they get a home for free, notably child and elder care." Andrew Challenger, Challenger, Gray & Christmas: "It can be a cultural issue. People are scared of moving to the big city. When there is a very divided political and cultural moment, it could certainly keep some people from moving for opportunities." Anthony Carnevale, Georgetown University: "From 1946 through the 1970s, you could be pretty fancy free. If you were able-bodied and had a good attitude, there was something for you out there. Even without a high school education, you could get a job. Then the boom was over, and everything changed. In the 1970s, automation across industries began, and starting in the early 1980s, a double-dip recession. Computing skills began to be required, and better education. We are just a mature post-industrial society. The Tom Joads are in trouble." Mark Zandi, chief economist, Moody's Analytics: "Because people dont need to move to the job, they can do the job where they already live. The creation and use of information can be done almost anywhere. This even applies to those with lesser skills, who are increasingly part of the information economy." Daniel Shoag, Case-Western University: "The big action is on where people move, not so much a general decline in overall mobility. I know that's a controversial point, but my read of the data is more in line with this. In terms of where people move, I think it's mostly about out of control housing markets more than the internet." Two North African regimes that have ruled for a combined 50 years are facing unprecedented mass revolts and taking desperate steps to cling to power. The big picture: Leaders around the region who survived the tumult of the 2011 Arab Spring had hoped the disorder and disillusionment that followed would translate into a sort of benign malaise. The scenes in Algeria and Sudan which follow protests last year in Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Tunisia might indicate the winter frost is melting. However, as Marc Lynch writes in the Washington Post, while "the demands of todays protesters are very similar across borders, they have rarely been framed ... as a common struggle. That is partly because of their scattered emergence. But it is also because since 2011, Arab regimes have lived in fear of the sudden diffusion of unrest" and made preventing it a top priority. In Sudan, President Omar al-Bashir has declared a yearlong national emergency and dissolved national and state governments after three months of protests sparked initially by economic distress. He also stepped down as leader of his party. Bashir has led one of the worlds most repressive regimes for three decades and is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. This is the most significant challenge to his rule to date, and he seems intent to answer it with force. In Algeria, huge demonstrations this weekend greeted a letter from President Abdelaziz Bouteflika confirming he would seek a fifth presidential term next month. Bouteflika, who turned 82 on Saturday and has rarely appeared in public since suffering a debilitating stroke in 2013, wrote that hed oversee a national dialogue before stepping down early. The Atlantic Councils Karim Mezran says Bouteflika remains nominally in power six years after his stroke because the country's factionalized elites can't agree on another way to ensure the equilibrium of power." Now facing swelling protests, he says, "they are really freaking out. When I read the letter, my first thought was: They are at the last resort.'" In the years since the Arab Spring, says Mezran, the Algerian regime has been able to say, See what happened in Egypt? See what happened in Libya? And it has worked for a time. But not anymore. The regime in Algeria survived the Arab Spring in part through economic subsidies made possible by its energy wealth. There have been scattered protests since, but a combination of cash and repression kept them isolated. The shame of appointing a guy who is in effect not alive was finally enough to unite them, Mezran says. Where things stand: Now theres less money to dole out, more doubts surrounding the armys loyalty, and no obvious Plan B. To find another candidate who satisfies protestors and elites alike would be the act of a magician, Mezran says. How can they do it in one month when they couldnt do it for four years? Now theres less money to dole out, more doubts surrounding the armys loyalty, and no obvious Plan B. To find another candidate who satisfies protestors and elites alike would be the act of a magician, Mezran says. How can they do it in one month when they couldnt do it for four years? What to watch: Mezran says if the protests continue, it's possible the army will fire on demonstrators or an officer will decide to put an end to it and take over in a military coup. I think that something will happen, he says. Whether it will lead to democratization, I dont know. Meanwhile: Many in Sudans streets see Bashirs decision in the past week as a classic mistake repeated by desperate dictators in their final throes, and it raises their hopes that his days are numbered, the Posts Muhammed Osman and Max Bearak report from Khartoum. However, fears of a wave of violence are also growing. The House will vote as soon as Wednesday on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism in response to another set of controversial comments on Israel made last week by freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), the Washington Post reports. Details: The text of the resolution does not mention Omar or specifically list any of her recent comments, according to a copy obtained by USA Todays Eliza Collins. It does, however, condemn the use of anti-Semitic stereotypes, including the myth of dual loyalty which some Democrats had accused Omar of exploiting. Whereas the myth of dual loyalty, including allegations that Jews should be suspected of being disloyal neighbors or citizens, has been used to marginalize and persecute the Jewish people for centuries for being a stateless minority. Whereas accusing Jews of dual loyalty because they support Israel, whether out of a religious connection, a commitment to Jewish self-determination after millennia of persecution, or an appreciation of shared values and interests, suggests that Jews cannot be patriotic Americans and trusted neighbors, when Jews have served our Nation since its founding, whether in public life or military service. The backdrop: After "unequivocally" apologizing last month for using an anti-Semitic trope while criticizing the influence of the pro-Israel lobby, Omar reignited the anti-Semitism controversy by suggesting at an event last week that lawmakers and activists who support Israel hold "allegiance to a foreign country." Earlier on Monday, Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi to table a House vote on a resolution rejecting Omars "latest slur." Go deeper: Ilhan Omar clashes with top House Dem over anti-Semitism accusations Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Israel two weeks from now, as the campaign for the country's April 9 election enters its final stages. Pompeo's visit will be part of a regional trip that will include Lebanon and Kuwait. Why it matters: A visit by the secretary of state in a country during an election campaign is a bit unusual. Pompeo is expected to be in Jerusalem for a summit between Israel, Greece and Cyprus to be held on March 20 three weeks before the election. The visit is unusual also because Prime Minister Netanyahu will visit Washington four days later and meet President Trump at the White House. State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said in the press briefing today that Pompeo's visit is not a message of support for one of the political parties in Israel. He added: "Israel is an ally. We're not gonna get involved in the domestic politics of another country." In a CNN interview with Jake Tapper a few days ago, Pompeo was asked about the deal Netanyahu cooked with the far-right, ultranationalist "Jewish Power" party. Pompeo answered: "The United States is not going to get involved in an election, to interfere in an election of a democracy, and we will allow the Israeli people to sort this out." Pompeo is expected to meet Netanyahu during his visit to Jerusalem, but it's unclear if he is going to meet Netanyahu's main political rival retired Gen. Benny Gantz, who is leading in the polls. Unlike previous secretaries of state, Pompeo has not met any members of the opposition during his trips to Israel. The big picture: Pompeo will arrive in Israel against the backdrop of three indictments against Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The State Department refrained from commenting on Netanyahu's indictments. But one senior U.S. official did comment on Netanyahu's indictments President Trump. He was asked about it by an Israeli reporter during his press conference in Hanoi after the summit with Kim Jong-un, and responded: "I just think hes been a great prime minister, and I dont know about his difficulty, but youre telling me something that, you know, people have been hearing about. But I dont know about that. I can say this, that hes done a great job as prime minister. Hes tough, hes smart, hes strong. He is very defensive. His military has been built up a lot." Many in Israel saw Trump's remarks as an endorsement of Netanyahu. U.S. officials told me that was not the case and that Trump was only describing his appreciation to Netanyahu in response to a question. In any case, Netanyahu was quick to use Trump's remarks in his election ads. Go deeper: The European Union welcomes the Armenian governments ambitious reform agenda and is ready to support it with greater aid, European Council President Donald Tusk said after meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in Brussels on Tuesday. I admire your resolve to bring about democratic reforms and economic development which will benefit all Armenians, Tusk told Pashinian at a joint news briefing. The EU will continue to support Armenias journey towards becoming a consolidated democracy and creating a better economic future for its citizens. The EU is ready to further support your reform process with enhanced technical and financial assistance, he said. We agree with your strong emphasis on the fight against corruption and the rule of law reform. Johannes Hahn, the EU commissioner for European neighborhood and enlargement negotiations, said in Yerevan in late January that the EU will provide Yerevan with additional financial assistance already this year in recognition of democratic change in the country. Hahn singled out the proper conduct of the Armenian parliamentary elections held in December. Neither Hahn nor Tusk specified in their public statements the likely amount of the extra EU aid promised by them. Visiting Brussels in July, Pashinian criticized the EU for not boosting its assistance to Armenia following the velvet revolution that brought him to power. A senior EU diplomat dismissed the criticism at the time. Pashinian again called for greater EU support for his governments stated reform effort at the start of his latest trip to Brussels on Monday. It is obvious that an enhanced assistance of the European Union will help us move forward in a more resolute and decisive way, he told members of the European Parliament. The wider the scope of the assistance, the faster and smoother the pace of our reforms will be. Speaking after his talks with Tusk, the Armenian leader said: I highly appreciate the European Unions technical and financial support to our governments reform agenda. He stressed the importance of new EU initiatives aimed at supporting our efforts to develop institutions and reinforcing our democratic achievements. I am glad that our European friends and partners have a similar approach and vision on our bilateral agenda, he added. Pashinian also urged an early ratification by all EU member states of the EUs Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Armenia signed in 2017. And he again expressed hope that the 28-nation bloc will lift in the near future its visa requirements for Armenian travelling to Europe. We do hope that the political decision on this matter will be taken shortly, he said. The Armenian branch of U.S. billionaire George Soross Open Society Foundations (OSF) on Tuesday condemned a violent attack on an Armenian anti-government blogger while strongly denying responsibility for it. OSF-Armenia also decried broader false allegations about its activities in the country made by individuals and groups critical of the current Armenian government. The outspoken video blogger, Narek Malian, was confronted early on Monday by members of a youth group called Restart. A video posted on the Internet showed the Restart leader, Davit Petrosian, and several other men forcibly carrying him along a street in downtown Yerevan before being stopped by police officers. They said afterwards that they wanted to throw Malian into a trash container in response to his slanderous statements about Restart. Malian, who worked until last year as an adviser to former Armenian police chief Vladimir Gasparian, blamed OSF-Armenia for the kidnapping attempt, saying that Restart is financed by Soross charity. The OSF-Armenia director, Larisa Minasian, confirmed that Restart recently received a $20,000 grant from her organization. But she insisted that the funding was only meant to support the groups stated efforts to make the Yerevan State University (YSU) administration more accountable to students. OSF therefore cannot bear responsibility for, let alone order, any other actions taken by Restart, said Minasian. Restart has been campaigning for the dismissal of YSUs long-serving rector, Aram Simonian, since last years velvet revolution in Armenia in which its members actively participated. By contrast, Malian, has vocally opposed Simonians sacking and accused the rectors foes of acting on Soross orders. Minasian dismissed those allegations, insisting that her organization is not involved in the government-backed efforts to oust the YSU chief. Any suggestion that Open Society Foundations-Armenia aims to weaken Yerevan State University or undermine Rector Aram Simonian are ludicrous, offensive, and untrue, read a separate statement issued by OSF-Armenia. The statement also condemned the attack on Malian, while saying that it resulted from false allegations about our work and the work of our grantees. We condemn any personal attack of this kind as well as those who promote falsehoods in an attempt to divide us, it said. Nationalist and other groups as well as some well-known individuals opposed to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians government increasingly attack OSF in their public statements. They allege that the government is furthering Soross secret political agenda in Armenia which they say poses a serious threat to national security and traditional Armenian values. Some of them have gone as far as to claim that Soros was behind the velvet revolution that brought Pashinian to power. Minasian shrugged off those claims at a news conference in Yerevan. She noted that some former state officials now attacking the Sorosites had themselves received OSF grants in the past. The OSF-Armenia statement said the Soros foundation will continue to support civil society organizations and all Armenians working to advance sustainable, systemic reforms. Strong support of Armenia's civil society is vital to the country's democratic present and future, Soros tweeted on February 2. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 24 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said March 5, Trend reports. The Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia has reached such a level when both countries may establish joint ventures in third countries, for example, Iran or Turkey, Elkhan Alasgarov, PhD, head of the Expert Council of the Baku Network, said. Alasgarov made the remarks in Baku during the Moscow-Baku video conference entitled "Economic and Investment Cooperation of Azerbaijan and Russia: New Points of Growth" at the press-center of Trend news agency on March 4. In particular, the expert stressed that Azerbaijans construction business has been actively developing recently. Azerbaijani enterprises are looking for the markets outside the country and are already working in Kazakhstan, Turkey, Georgia, implementing road projects in Serbia, Alasgarov added. "Of course, joint ventures together with the Russian companies could work in the international arena, he said. I think that geography has determined the way through which we must develop our economic relations. Russia is a powerful country, while Azerbaijan has a lot of routes to rich energy, financial and economic sources, Alasgarov added. The potential of Azerbaijan and Russia may develop, beginning from cooperation in recovering Syria and ending with Afghanistan, Iran, Arab countries." He stressed that using of Azerbaijan to reach the southern countries will give Russia a lot of benefits. "I am sure that today's discussions will enable experts to develop relations in the spheres that we have not yet explored, but we must do it," Alasgarov added. The expert also touched upon the cooperation in the Caspian Sea region. The Caspian region is not used effectively for the economic development of countries, Alasgarov added. "In this context, the development of the Volga-Don Canal would be interesting because the only way that connects the Azerbaijani State Maritime Agency with the world is the Volga-Don Canal, he said. The agreements are available in this sphere, but this point of cooperation could give more opportunities for access to the world's oceans because some ships of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Closed Joint Stock Company are outside the Caspian Sea and are sailing in international waters." Speaking about Azerbaijans relations in terms of regional development, the expert also stressed Dagestan, which is Russias very rich region in terms of resources, including human resources. "Dagestan is near Azerbaijan from a geographical point of view, Alasgarov said. Of course, the development of our economic relations would give us great opportunities in this sphere." The expert also touched upon the cooperation in the field of nanotechnologies and space. Azerbaijan launched the third satellite, he added. Russia has enormous scientific potential in this sphere. At the same time, Russia has enormous experience in the field of nanotechnologies. We should learn something from Russia." As for the cooperation in the field of transport, first of all, Alasgarov mentioned the free economic zone which is being created in the Azerbaijani Alat settlement. "Of course, the free economic zone in the Alat settlement will enable the Russian companies to establish their representative offices in Azerbaijan, he said. Today logistics is a very strong economic tool and it brings huge profit. There are no language barriers in Azerbaijan. I dont think that translators will be required. The Russian language is widespread here. Speaking about the economic cooperation in the sphere of the military-industrial complex, Alasgarov stressed that so far, the corresponding facilities, the military-industrial complexes, and Azersilah agency have been established in Azerbaijan for ensuring self-sufficiency. "Russia, which has rich experience in this field, may participate in joint events with Azerbaijan," the expert said. Of course, tourism may develop. "This is the most feasible sphere in the system of economic relations, Alasgarov added. I think that the development of tourism has many facets, in particular, winter tourism. The Caucasus mountains have enormous opportunities for the development of tourism in winter and summer." The Moscow-Baku video conference entitled "Economic and Investment Cooperation of Azerbaijan and Russia: New Points of Growth" was held at the press-center of Trend news agency on March 4. The Azerbaijani and Russian experts who discussed the pace and scale of development of the economic projects which are being implemented, the formation of an axis of stable economic interaction by Moscow and Baku were involved in the event. The current level of cooperation between the countries, potential spheres for cooperation and other issues were also considered. According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to $2.55 billion in 2018, including export of Azerbaijani products worth $665.74 million to Russia. The Russian companies investments in Azerbaijan exceed $4 billion, while the Azerbaijani companies investments in the Russian Federation stood at $1 billion. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The indicators of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia testify to a noticeable growth trend, Deputy Director General of Trend news agency Arzu Naghiyev said. Naghiyev made the remarks in Baku during the Moscow-Baku video conference entitled "Economic and Investment Cooperation of Azerbaijan and Russia: New Points of Growth" at the press-center of Trend news agency on March 4. The trade turnover volume between the two countries reached $170 million in January 2019, which is four percent more than in January 2018, he said. The trade turnover volume reached $2.5 billion in 2018, which is 19.1 percent more than in 2017. "This growth trend is felt more every year," Naghiyev added. The trade turnover volume between Azerbaijan and Russia reached 7.3 percent of Azerbaijans total foreign trade turnover in January. The conference entitled Building a common future, search for a common past and development of a common present was held in Baku in late February in which the Russian and Azerbaijani MPs and experts participated. Naghiyev added that this is a policy aimed at improving relations between the countries. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Russia three times in 2018, he said, adding that the 9th Azerbaijan-Russia Interregional Forum was held in Baku with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which a number of important issues were discussed. Naghiyev stressed that 700 joint ventures with Russian capital operate in Azerbaijan. "The countries successfully cooperate in pharmacology, he said. The Russian companies have invested over $4 billion in the Azerbaijani non-oil sector. Azerbaijani companies have invested $1 billion in Russia." Azerbaijan and Russia are implementing a number of big joint projects, such as the North-South International Transport Corridor, Naghiyev added. "The foundation of a new automobile plant has been recently laid in Azerbaijans Hajigabul Industrial Site, he said. The amount of investments made in the Hajigabul Industrial Site will reach 14 million manats. At the first stage, 100 people will work here and about 1,000 cars will be produced a year." The Moscow-Baku video conference entitled "Economic and Investment Cooperation of Azerbaijan and Russia: New Points of Growth" was held at the press-center of Trend news agency on March 4. The Azerbaijani and Russian experts who discussed the pace and scale of development of the economic projects which are being implemented, the formation of an axis of stable economic interaction by Moscow and Baku were involved in the event. The current level of cooperation between the countries, potential spheres for cooperation and other issues were also considered. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Tourism Students Meetup project was held at Caspian Business Hotel on February 23. The project brought together 400 students studies on tourism, Trend Life reported. The event featured a presentation of Tourism Lab. Tourism Students Meetup began its activities as part of Tourism Lab. The project coordinator Fatima Aliyeva noted that Tourism Students Meetup is the first and only major platform for students of Azerbaijan studying in the field of tourism. Head of Tourism Lab. Havva Safarova spoke about the importance of cooperation and coordination of various fields of activity for the development of tourism. Head of Azerbaijan Hospitality Academy (AHA) Narmin Alisoy held a training seminar for students for future career development. As part of the project, students also got acquainted with the professional business environment, received advice from professionals of the tourism industry. Experts, including Insan Muhlindisliyi (Human Engineering) program manager Rovshan Najafov, director of consumer services department at Boulevard Hotel Autograph Colletion Samir Aliyev, art director of Mauve Hospitality Kamil Dadashov, director of business development at Mondo Travel Nadir Farajov, travel blogger Jala Alakparova, central inventory manager of Absheron Hotel Group Raggi Ahlimanzade, sales coordinator of Pasha Travel Farid Aliyev, general manager of Sumgayit Plaza Hotel Rahib Ismihanov, digital marketing specialist Alakpar Eyvazli, head of Tourism Lab. Havva Safarova presented their platforms. Media partners of the event are Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The first business incubator in Azerbaijan Barama Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, which is going to celebrate 10 years anniversary, continues its contribution towards the development of information technologies with the support of Azercell Telecom LLC and PASHA Bank. The center, which offers an opportunity for the startups to realize their ideas by virtue of rich experience, interaction with professional mentors and supports by competent counterparts, organized an event for students. Thus, Owbike startup held the workshop on how to develop a website within a day for students. The participants were trained on several skills, such as how to find out companies in need of websites, how to make market research, how to create website content for businesses correctly and how to offer the websites developed in Owbike system to the companies. Training was followed with the discussions on advantages of the well-designed and visually appealing websites for companies, development of a proper content strategy and other hot topics. The workshop was aimed to teach the bases of Content Management to the students and assist them in their future activities in this field. Owbike will further continue to organize free workshops. It is worth noting that, Owbike, the resident of Barama Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, is the scalable cloud-based website building system. The system allows the entrepreneurs to develop profitable websites of their own without any need for technical knowledge. Remarkably, Barama Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center is a project established by Azercell with the view to support entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan. The center helps startups operating mainly in the field of information technologies to build their businesses. For more information, please contact [email protected] The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With 49 percent share of Azerbaijans mobile telecom market Azercells network covers 99.1 percent of the territory (excluding the occupied territories) and 99.8 percent of population of the country. Currently, 4.5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, Metro coverage, 24/7 call center service, 7 day/week Front Office service, M2M services, one-stop-shopping approach Azercell Express offices, mobile customer services, Online Customer Care and Social Media Customer Care services, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc. Azercell deployed first 4G LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile network quality and wireless coverage mapping surveys by international systems, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Azercell is the only company in Azerbaijan and CIS region which has been awarded Gold Certificate of International Investors in People Standard. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova Azerbaijani Energy Ministry held a meeting to discuss the expansion of energy cooperation with Saudi Arabia. Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov met with the delegation led by Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), co-chair of the Saudi Arabia-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Joint Commission Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar. During the meeting, the sides discussed issues related to the development of bilateral relations in the economic, as well as energy sector, identifying new directions of cooperation and attracting investment. Shahbazov gave detailed information on the current level of cooperation with Saudi Arabia within OPEC +, as well as in bilateral format, current situation in oil and gas, renewable energy, planned projects and new opportunities. The Minister pointed out the joint technical committee's activity between relevant ministries of the two countries as an important step towards the implementation of new cooperation proposals. Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar said that Saudi Arabia is interested in expanding cooperation with Azerbaijan and investing in energy sector along with agriculture, tourism, transport. For this, the Road Map should be compiled and interaction between companies should be ensured. During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the participation of Saudi Arabia companies in the field of petrochemical, gas processing, as well as signing a memorandum of understanding with ACWA Power on renewable energy. Later, Mustafayev met with delegation led by Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar. Speaking about the successful activities of Saudi-Arabian companies in Azerbaijan, later Minister Mustafayev invited the Saudi businessmen to benefit favorable business environment in Azerbaijan, invest in industrial parks and districts, agroparks. Ibrahim bin Abdulrahman al-Omar said that Saudi Arabia businessmen are interested in active cooperation with Azerbaijani businessmen and offered to create an electronic database for business circles of both countries. Recently, the fifth meeting of the intergovernmental commission between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia was held in Baku to discuss the issues of cooperation in such spheres as economics, trade, investment, IT, culture, sports, agriculture, food security, employment, healthcare, tourism, education, etc. Within the meeting, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia signed a protocol on expanding cooperation in economic and trade investments. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. Over the past years, the bilateral economic relations have strengthened and expanded with the increased interest in investment. Currently, several companies of Saudi Arabia operate in various fields in Azerbaijan. Saudi Arabia is one of the first countries that signed an energy deal with Azerbaijan. Saudi Arabia participated in the Contract of the Century signed in 1994 in Baku and its Delta-Hess Company had a 2.72 percent share in the contract. So far, Saudi Arabia's state-owned and private companies invested about $ 370 million in Azerbaijan's economy. Azerbaijans trade turnover with Saudi Arabia amounted to 30.9 million manats in 2018, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. About 24.3 million manats accounted for the import of Saudi products in Azerbaijan. --- Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Iran and Azerbaijan discussed the possibility of signing agreements in the financial sector, the Minister of Economy and Finance of Iran Farhad Dejpasand said after meeting with Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev in Tehran, Trend reports via ISNA on March 4. The minister noted that an agreement has been reached to conduct primary research in this direction. At the same time, Dejpasand proposed to create a special group to monitor the implementation of the agreements. In general, the Iranian minister, assessing today's meeting, noted that it opened a new page in bilateral relations between the countries. He added further that the parties also discussed various economic projects. Iranian investments in Azerbaijan exceed $3 billion. According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, trade with Iran in 2018 amounted to $446 million, $414.8 million of which accounted for imports of Iranian products. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Ankara hosted the Day of Azerbaijani Cuisine on March 5. Ambassador of Azerbaijan in Ankara Khazar Ibrahim, foreign ambassadors, Turkish Deputy Defense Minister Suay Alpay, as well as ex-speaker of the Turkish parliament Cemil Cicek attended the event, Trend reported. Day of Azerbaijani Cuisine aims to acquaint visitors of the city and local residents with Azerbaijani cuisine and culture. Azerbaijani cuisine will spoil your taste buds with an intense mix of flavors. National cuisine employs a wide range of herbs, meet and vegetables. Fresh herbs, including mint, coriander, dill, basil, parsley, tarragon, leek, chive, thyme, marjoram, green onion, and watercress are very popular and often accompany main dish. Dolma, bozbash, bozartma, Shish kebab, piti, pilaf, and govurma are unique dishes of national cuisine. Shakh Pilaf (Crown pilaf) is the signature dish of national cuisine. The name of this dish is derived from its shape which resembles the crown of a Medieval Eastern ruler. It is traditionally presented as the main dish at wedding ceremonies in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan also attracts all those who have a sweet tooth. There are more than 30 varieties of Azerbaijani pastries that use unique ingredients such as poppy seeds, walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, ginger, and cardamom, which make the treats spicy and especially tasty. Pakhlava, shekerbura, and badambura, symbols of the Novruz holiday, are among the most famous Azerbaijani sweets. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Colorful exhibition opened at Art Tower Gallery on March 3. The event timed to International Women's Day was held as part of H.E.Art project, Trend Life reported. During the event, artists - Kamila Muradova, Nurai Allahverdiyeva, Ulviya Ismayilova, Ruslan Kovalev, Myataniyat Niftaliyeva, Roya Hasanova, Leyla Orujova painted metal barrels. Since the event was dedicated to the International Women's Day, flowers bloom on most metal barrels. Orchids, lilies, roses, gladioli turned metal barrels into incredible art objects. The event was co-organized by Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve and Arts Council Azerbaijan. H.E.Art art is an environmental project created by Arts Council Azerbaijan to contribute to the post-processing of oil barrels. The project allows to use metal barrels in an environmentally responsible manner as well as to develop creative thinking. Bright painting ideas turn metal barrels into colorful and beautiful yard decorations. The mobility of barrels allows to quickly move them to new locations. The author of the project is the head of Arts Council Azerbaijan Dadash Mammadov. Arts Council Azerbaijan is an international and independent art platform. The organization is the head of the International Arts Council Network operating in different countries around the world. It was created by Dadash Mammadov in 2006. The main purpose of the organization is to promote Azerbaijani culture and art. Many projects have been operating for many years under the auspices of the organization. Among them are Art Gazette, Production Studio, Azerbaijan Animation Museum named after Nazim Mammadov, Art School Drawing School, "Under open air" plein air, Art Residence, and Youth Network. Media partners of the event are Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az, Azernews.az. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be held in Baku from June 30 to July 10, Azerbaijani Minister of Culture Abulfas Garayev said. Garayev made the remarks at a meeting of the Organizing Committee created upon the Azerbaijani presidents corresponding order in connection with the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, Trend reports. The minister highlighted the achievements of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva in the development and strengthening of mutual relations between Azerbaijan and UNESCO. Garayev stressed that holding of the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku is indeed responsible work. "I would like to stress that initially the Committee sent the conditions reviewed by all state bodies, he added. The necessary work on their implementation was carried out." "By hosting this event and at the same time presiding there, Azerbaijan will make indelible mark on the history of the culture of the peoples of the world," the minister said. The 43rd session of the structure is connected not only with culture. Natural reserves are planned to be included in the list. Up to 3,000 representatives from more than 180 countries are expected to attend this session, which is considered one of UNESCOs most important events. Among the topics put on the agenda is the inclusion of new sites in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the work being carried out in this direction. Then a website developed for the 43rd session was demonstrated, which will be fully ready for use until the end of March. The event will be broadcast via this website. Several meetings will be organized at the Baku Congress Center where the session will be held. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Iran has supported Bakus fair position on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue for many years. Tehran considers a violent change of borders unacceptable and is always close to Azerbaijan on this problem. The Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan regards the poster of a group of Armenians living in Tehran and the slogans they shout out during a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as an unauthorized action and an unacceptable step and condemns it, said the Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan in a statement issued on March 4. The embassy said Iranian officials did not interfere in the meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia with a group of Armenians living in Tehran, and the embassy regards the poster hanging at this meeting and shouting Slogans, as an unauthorized action and an unacceptable step. We would like to emphasize that in the first and difficult days of the independence of Azerbaijan, Iran has always been close to the Azerbaijani state and its people, supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and will never change this policy, said the statement. Iran believes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be resolved between the two sides on the basis of the principle of respect for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and through peaceful negotiations, the embassy said. The friendship and brotherhood between Iran and Azerbaijan are eternal, and no provocation can harm them, the statement emphasized. Iran, as a regional power, cannot stand aside in the issue of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Tehran has always been in favor of maintaining stability and peace in this region, it is important for Iran to maintain and develop close relations with Baku. Iran has repeatedly stated that it supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and many well-known political figures of the country have repeatedly stated that Nagorno-Karabakh is an Azerbaijani land and it should be immediately returned to Azerbaijan. Maintaining friendly relations with Azerbaijan is crucial for Iran. The point is not only that Azerbaijanis are the second largest ethnic group in Iran (more than 20 million ethnic Azerbaijanis live in Iran), there are compact Talysh peoples living in the south of Azerbaijan. The international transport corridor "North-South", which connects the ports of the Baltic Sea and the Indian Ocean passes through Azerbaijan. Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan have repeatedly shown interest in the development of this route. That is why Iran today adheres to the preservation and development of the bilateral cooperation format with Azerbaijan. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Armenias leadership must understand that this country will never be completely independent without normalizing the relations with Azerbaijan, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said. Abdullayeva was commenting on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans statement in the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, Trend reports on March 5. During his speech at the European Parliament, the Armenian prime minister stressed that he is not delivering speech on behalf of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh region must be determined by the people living there, she said. I would like to ask if it is so, what do young people who are Armenian citizens do in other countrys territories, that is, in the occupied Azerbaijani territories? Why do these young people die? Such unreasonable appeals made by the Armenian prime minister deceive not only the world community, but also the Armenians living worldwide, in Armenia and in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region," Abdullayeva added. If Nikol Pashinyan is sincere by saying that the region "needs to establish a new dialogue, peaceful coexistence and economic development", then he must understand that the only way to achieve what he has listed is withdrawal the Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and the return of Azerbaijani internally displaced people to these territories, she added. Armenias leadership must understand that this country will never be completely independent without normalizing the relations with Azerbaijan, Abdullayeva said. "The Armenian leadership, declaring its democratic election, must be conscientious at least towards itself and its people and answer such a question, she added. What did Armenia and the Armenian people achieve as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan will not voice the answer to this simple question, but wants to hear it from the Armenian leadership." The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order regarding measures to continue renovation work in the city of Ganja, Trend reports referring to the presidential press-service. Under the presidential order, 11 million manats will be allocated to Ganja City Executive Authority for the continuation of redevelopment and repair work in the city. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijan reaffirms support to development of Caspian Sea Black Sea International Transport Route, Trend reports citing Azerbaijan`s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. "I would like to reaffirm Azerbaijans support to the development of the Caspian Sea Black Sea International Transport Route, said Azerbaijan`s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov as he addressed a special meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Turkmenistan on Caspian Sea Black Sea International Transport Route in Bucharest. The Foreign Minister said: The outcome of the Caspian Sea Black Sea International Transport Route (CSBS), of which I do believe can contribute to further promotion of cooperation among our countries and other interested parties in the field of transport, transit and logistics. As it is known, the idea of CSBS put forward by Romania and Turkmenistan was initially discussed by our experts last year in Ashgabat and now we have the chance to exchange views on the matter at the ministerial level here in Bucharest. The region that the territories of our countries cover is of paramount geostrategic importance: it naturally forms the bridge between Europe and Asia, while at the same time it is a vital transportation hub between North-South and East-West. Today we have gathered here to endorse our intention to build up a new avenue of cooperation between our countries. Mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of our countries constitutes the basis of our cooperation. Minister Mammadyarov said: It is obvious that development of economically feasible transport infrastructure always has tremendous role on increase of trade volumes which in its turn has a multiplier effect on promotion of overall bilateral and multilateral relations. Having this in mind, Azerbaijan has always been strongly supportive to building interconnectivity in the region and spared no efforts to enhance the regions transit potential through promoting East-West, North-South and South-West transport corridors. In this regard, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad commissioned in 2017 will connect not only the participating countries but continents as well. Along with this, the construction of the New International Sea Trade Port in Alat city of Azerbaijan and its International Logistic Centre, as well as Free Economic Zone will significantly increase the competitiveness of the international transport corridors and trade and transit capacity of the region. We also welcome the EU publication on Indicative TEN-T Investment Action Plan and inclusion of the Azerbaijani part of the East-West corridor, both road and rail, into TEN-T core networks. This can provide a solid platform to further enhance our transport dialogue with EU which was successfully launched in Baku just two weeks ago. There are some issues that can simply not be overlooked. Romania is one of the geographical gateways to EU market for us, but with realization of the CSBS route I do believe it will be turned into an operational one. When it comes to our immediate neighbors, Turkmenistan provides us with an access to Central Asia and further to the Far East and Georgia is also an important link of East-West, South-West transport corridors and an entry point to the Black Sea. Citing the above mentioned promising perspectives and geo-economic benefits the said initiative able to yield, I once again would like to reaffirm Azerbaijans support to the development of the Caspian Sea Black Sea International Transport Route in a quadruple partnership, which intends to be another competitive link in the broader region and express our readiness to be an active contributor to this process. We have no doubt that establishment of a quadrilateral working group and elaboration of a road map by our experts will ultimately lead us to multilateral agreement with the purpose of ensuring rapid implementation of CSBS and consequently, its effective operation, Elmar Mammadyarov added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend On March 4, following the quadripartite meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Turkmenistan, a Bucharest Statement was adopted in Bucharest regarding the Caspian Sea-Black Sea international transport route, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. The document reads that the first special meeting of the foreign ministers was convened in Bucharest, Romania March 4 to further strengthen and enhance economic cooperation between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Turkmenistan in support of sustainable development and stability across the wider region. The meeting was attended by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Teodor Viorel Melescanu and deputy chairman of the Cabinet of the Ministers of Turkmenistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov. The ministers reaffirmed the mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of their internationally recognized borders, highlighting the current achievements of sectoral cooperation between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Turkmenistan and called for expanding trade and economic relations and fostering interregional connectivity. They mentioned importance of the project related to the development of the international transport route between the Black and Caspian Seas in a quadruple partnership for all four states, giving the growing international significance attached to the global trade and effective transport connectivity. The ministers stressed that the States of the Black and Caspian Seas are playing an important role in further promotion of the Black Sea-Caspian Sea freight transportation route as a competitive link connecting Europe and Asia. They also stressed the importance of making the best use of existing and other potential cooperation formats with the EU to develop international transportation route connecting the EU with the Central Asia trough Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Turkmenistan. The document was signed by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Teodor Viorel Melescanu and deputy chairman of the Cabinet of the Ministers of Turkmenistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend A regular plenary meeting of the spring session of the Azerbaijani parliament will take place today, on March 5, and 18 issues are on the meetings agenda, Trend reports March 5. First, the Azerbaijani MPs will discuss the annual report of the Ombudsman. Then, the additions and amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, the Code of Construction and Urban Planning, the Land Code, the Code of Civil Procedure, the Criminal Code, the Law on Military Duty and Military Service, the Law on Lawyers and Lawyer Activity, the Law on Advertising, the Law on Specially Protected Nature Territories and Objects, the Law on Telecommunications, etc. will be submitted for discussion. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The slander campaign against Azerbaijan, which continues from abroad, is being eliminated in the legal sphere and condemned by the Azerbaijani citizens, deputy executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations Siyavush Novruzov said, Trend reports. Novruzov noted that foreign companies allocate grants to these individuals namely for this slander. They dont say a word about Armenia, about crimes, acts of genocide committed by it in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, he said. If they start speaking, they will immediately be deprived of grants. The Azerbaijani people take with indignation their absurd opinions about the propaganda of Armenia, that supposedly that country has a higher level of democracy. In their speeches, these persons voiced anti-state appeals (armed rebellion, coup, etc.). Novruzov added that in this regard, the Azerbaijani Prosecutors Office should initiate a criminal case and ensure the arrest and delivery of these people through Interpol. They must face the Azerbaijani courts, he said. It is necessary to appeal to the embassies that operate in those countries and to the embassies in Azerbaijan. Therefore, I believe that this issue should be brought to their attention. Besides, the Azerbaijani public should condemn such people. On March 1, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva met with a group of cultural and art workers. The issues raised at this meeting were immediately taken into account. However, those who are abroad havent yet raised a single issue to the benefit of Azerbaijan. They only voice opinions that dont correspond to reality. Everyone who comes from abroad to Azerbaijan sees the development that is taking place in the country, and no doubt that their local accomplices are trying to have the raised issues resolved. Novruzov also noted that the Commission on Pardon has already begun to consider the issue of pardoning. We receive appeals from those who committed crimes, regardless of political views, and who regret their past actions, he said. He reminded that after the Azerbaijani national leader came to power, more than 70 acts of pardon and about 13 acts of amnesty were adopted. The last act on amnesty was adopted on the initiative of First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, and this act affected over 10,000 people, he said. So what are those abroad concerned about? he asked. They use family members of prisoners, speak on their behalf. But after these people are released, they dont even care about them, because they use these issues only for material gain. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Religious leaders from various countries will gather in Azerbaijan on November 14-15, 2019, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade said on March 5. The preparation is already underway for a grand event entitled "Azerbaijan - the leader not only in the oil and economic sectors, but also in the work in the spiritual sphere", he added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend By virtue of its traditions of tolerance, Azerbaijan has been recognized as an exemplary country not only among Muslim states, but throughout the world, President of the US-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding Marc Schneier said March 5, Trend reports. He was speaking at an international conference From Interreligious and Inter-civilizational Dialogue to Cooperation. He noted that religious tolerance have ruled in Azerbaijan for hundreds of years. He also said that Heydar Aliyev played a special role in strengthening tolerance in Azerbaijan. Religious tolerance became a priority issue for Heydar Aliyev, Marc Schneier added. He noted that the organization he represents aims to build a bridge between evangelical Christians and Muslims around the world. Based on the foundations observations, it can be said that so far there has been no complete understanding between Muslims and evangelical Christians, he added. However, the participation of well-known evangelical leaders in this event in Azerbaijan contributes greatly to the essence of the event, he said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend OPEC and its partners are unlikely to decide on their output policy in April as it would be too early to get a clear picture of the impact of their supply cuts on the market by then, three OPEC sources said on Monday, Trend refers referring to Reuters. The sources said the production policy by the so-called OPEC+ alliance is expected to be agreed on in June with an extension of the pact the likely scenario so far, but much depends on the extent of U.S. sanctions on both OPEC members Iran and Venezuela. So far the likely decision is to extend the agreement in June. Nothing much is planned for April, just to discuss the OPEC and non-OPEC (cooperation pact), one OPEC source said. OPEC and its allies meet next in Vienna on April 17-18 and delegates say another gathering is scheduled for June 25-26. Another OPEC source said the most likely outcome of the June meeting was a rollover of the current oil supply cuts. But production by the exempt countries is already more than 700,000 bpd below the October level. Maybe there will be some adjustment, the second source said. On Jan. 1, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies began new production cuts to avoid a supply glut that could soften prices. OPEC, Russia and other non-members the OPEC+ alliance agreed to reduce supply by 1.2 million barrel per day for six months. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov The visit of Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili to Azerbaijan and the statements made in Baku took the occupant country out of the comfort zone and made it very nervous. Zourabichvilis visit to Baku could not pass unnoticed and unanalyzed by Yerevan. In Armenia, they got used to political correctness, which Tbilisi had previously demonstrated in relation to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, not wanting to spoil relations with Yerevan. This is despite the fact that Georgia is experiencing the same problems as Azerbaijan, which, of course, went beyond the bounds of logic. Isolated from the region, Armenia is hard to hear about projects being implemented without its participation. Yerevan made a number of statements demanding that the Georgian side allow it to use transport corridors. Tbilisi responded to this with the help of its experts, who explained to outraged Armenians that the projects implemented on Azerbaijani money are under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan and Yerevan must hold negotiations directly with Baku. Besides, Georgias new president annoyed Armenia by another sensitive topic. The Armenian nationalists were thrown into hysterics by the Zourabichvilis words regarding the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. "We have restored our independence together. In recent years we passed through the same tragedy. Today, we are experiencing what the occupation of territories means for the country. Territorial integrity has not yet been restored. The occupation issue still remains for us as an open wound. On the one hand hinders our development, and on the other hand, despite all these tragedies, we have been able to strengthen our state and economy. Our path is the path of independence, and we will continue to do so. These are great achievements," said Zourabichvili. Conflicts and violation of territorial integrity are a tragedy of both countries,she said, adding that today, Georgia and Azerbaijan are fighting together in international organizations from the UN to UNESCO to recognize and restore sovereignty and territorial integrity of two countries. Armenian media wondered if Tbilisi changed its position to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, or did Zourabichvili not thoroughly understand the regional policy and nuances of relations between the countries? In fact, Armenia has no moral right to blame Georgia for a constructive approach to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Remarkable that Armenia itself regularly votes in international organizations against the territorial integrity of Georgia and the right of Georgian refugees to return to occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia understands that this position of Armenia proceeds from the complete dependence of Yerevan on Moscow. Armenia does not recognize the territorial integrity of Georgia because it understands what a foolish situation it may be. If separatists in Georgia do not have the right to self-determination, then Yerevan automatically recognizes the absence of such a right from Karabakh as well. By the way, in Abkhazia, ethnical cleansing of the Georgian population was carried out with the direct participation of Armenian gangster formation named Bagramyan. Meanwhile, since the presidential term of Mikheil Saakashvili, official Tbilisi has openly advocated a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the principle of territorial integrity. Earlier, Georgia's former Foreign Minister Gela Bejuashvili stated that Georgia unequivocally supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Later, another foreign minister, Mikheil Janelidze, at a joint press conference with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey, said that Tbilisi is a supporter of the peaceful settlement of conflicts within the framework of the territorial integrity of states, demonstrating that Georgia adheres to a constructive position in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Kazakhstan has been and remains a strategic partner of Russia in Central Asia. An important area of cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan is the fuel and energy complex. In conditions when the sale of hydrocarbons is one of the most serious sources of resources for the growth of the Kazakh economy, the question of the prospects of oil sales markets and its transportation routes is extremely important. Kazakhstan in this matter adheres to a pragmatic policy - multi-vector export routes and maximum efficiency in the use of the pipeline system. President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed the cooperation agreement in the field of oil supplies with Russia, reports the press service of the head of state. The protocol was signed in Moscow on October 3, 2018. Earlier, The Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Kanat Bozumbayev informed that the issues of regulating the import of petroleum products from Russia to Kazakhstan and the export of petroleum products from the territory of Kazakhstan beyond the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will be brought to the interdepartmental level This agreement implies a number of changes in the intergovernmental agreement with Russia on trade and economic cooperation in the supply of oil and oil products to Kazakhstan of December 9, 2010. Noteworthy, the contract deals with the ban on re-export of Russian oil from the territories of Kazakhstan. The introduction of these lists was a necessity for guaranteed deliveries of light petroleum products (gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel) of Russian production to saturate the domestic market of Kazakhstan, as well as excluding re-export of the Russian product from the territory of Kazakhstan. Now, after completing the modernization of Kazakhstans oil refineries, the parties have agreed to bring the lists of petroleum products to an interdepartmental level. Changes to the agreement will contribute to the development of mobility when deciding on the opening (closing) of exports or imports of certain types of petroleum products, depending on the balance of the domestic market of fuel and lubricants in Kazakhstan. Diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Russia were established on October 22, 1992. The trade turnover of Kazakhstan and Russia amounted to $ 17.6 billion in 2018. This is 7.2 percent higher than the previous year. According to the figures for January-November 2018, Russia ranks first in terms of imports to Kazakhstan. Russia's share among the countries supplying products to Kazakhstan is 37.3 percent. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Moscow is ready to consider Dohas requests for weapons delivery, if such requests appear, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Monday during a joint press conference with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Trend reports referring to TASS. "Our military-technical cooperation with Qatar is regulated in a bilateral manner, 18 months ago we signed an intergovernmental agreement on military-technical cooperation," the minister noted. "Today, we reaffirmed the need to follow this agreement." "When our Qatari partners send us requests for delivery of Russian military products, we will consider them," Lavrov said. Earlier on Monday, Al-Thani stated that Doha is holding negotiations with Moscow on the purchase of S-400 missile systems, however, the parties have not made a decision so far. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Indian air intrusion night 25/26 February 2019 05 March, 2019 By Asif Haroon Raja Background Information. The intelligence agencies of India USA, Israel and the puppet government in Kabul (RAW, CIA, NDS) duly supported by MI-6, Mossad and BND based in Kabul have been targeting Pakistan from Afghanistan as well as Iran from 2003 onward to destabilize, denuclearize, de-Islamize and Balkanize Pakistan. The collaborating agencies have been making use of paid proxies and hybrid war to achieve their objectives. Pakistan security forces after fighting the war on terror for 15 years finally succeeded in chucking out all terrorist groups and restoring peace. Today Pakistan is in a much stronger position to deal with internal and external challenges which has dismayed India and its strategic partners. Pre-Pulwama Attack Situation India is highly perturbed over the fast changing regional scenario which is going in favor of Pakistan and is against the interest of India. Despite Indias best efforts to scuttle CPEC, it is making good progress. Game changing CPEC has disrupted Indias plan to isolate Pakistan. The US-Taliban peace talks in which India has no role, while Pakistan is playing a key role has upset India. The US plans to strike a peace deal with the Taliban and arrive at a political settlement. The US-NATO troops intend to exit from Afghanistan, which will pave the way for the Taliban to regain power. That would mean decrease if not termination of Indian influence and increase of Pakistans influence in Afghanistan. The gulf between Pakistan and the Arab Gulf States in the aftermath of Yemen crisis in 2015 had been quickly filled up by India by getting close to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and UAE. The void has now been filled and bitterness removed after the change of government in Islamabad and quiet diplomacy of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. Much to the disappointment of India, old camaraderie between Pakistan and KSA-UAE has been restored. KSA, UAE and Qatar have extended generous financial support and oil on deferred payment to help the new government led by Imran Khan to tide over its economic crisis. China is continuing to consolidate its strategic relationship with Pakistan and to bolster CPEC. USA finding itself stuck in Afghanistan and wanting to exit safely and honorably is waving an olive oil to Pakistan and extending an offer of free trade agreement. Amidst the happy tidings for Pakistan, planned high profile visit of Crown Prince M. Bin Salman to Pakistan and then to India and the expected Saudi investment of $20 billion together with setting up of oil refinery at Gwadar seaport to further boost up CPEC alarmed India. Visit of Afghan Taliban to Islamabad on 17th, hearing of Kalbushan case in ICJ on 18th, crucial meeting of FATF on 18th for which India was lobbying to put Pakistan in black list, and PSL matches taking place in Karachi-Lahore were other important events in that timeframe. Internally, Narendra Modi is facing heavy criticism from the public since he has been unable to fulfill the tall promises he made to the people of India. Instead of uplifting the GDP above 11% as boasted by him, the GDP has dropped below 7% and devaluation of bigger currency notes and taxation have affected the small businessmen and farmers. His extremist policies against the minorities in India and craze to promote Hindutva have declined his popularity and minimized his chances to get re-elected. In Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), Kashmiris have got alienated and Kashmir is fast slipping out of the hands of India owing to oppressive policies of BJP government. Moreover, the atrocities of Indian security forces are now being noticed with concern by the international community, the UN and even the saner elements in India. Modi is feeling frustrated that he has failed to overawe Pakistan through his aggressive tactics, keeping the Line of Control hot by carrying out repeated violations (300 in 2016, over 1900 violations in 2017 and that many in 2018), resorting to water terrorism and hurling threats to break Pakistan into four pieces. Much to his distress, the electoral loss of BJP in five states has panicked him. It was in the backdrop of series of upsetting developments for Modi when seen in context with approaching elections in India in May 2019 that it was apprehended that he might resort to some sort of misadventure with a view to infuse fresh life into his election campaign, distract the attention of the world from IOK, find an excuse to further step up ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Muslims, change the demography of Kashmir Valley, drum up old narrative that Pakistan is abetting terrorism in Kashmir and isolate Pakistan diplomatically. It became all the more crucial because of the planned visit of Crown Prince on 16-17 February. Pulwama Attack On 14 February, a suicide bomber rammed his car filled with explosive into the military convoy in Pulwama (part of Jammu in IOK) killing 40 Indian CRPF soldiers. Within minutes of the occurrence, India blamed Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Pakistan without even carrying out preliminary investigations. Possibilities Open 1. False flag operation by India. 2. Indigenous suicide attack by Mujahideen. 3. Pakistan sponsored attack. False Flag Operation. India has mastered the art of false flag operations and has been using it frequently to project itself as the victim of terrorism (attack on Indian Parliament in 2001, Mumbai attacks in 2008, Pathankot and Uri attacks in 2016). Indian leaders utter lies without any qualm and have been consistently cooking up fake stories to malign Pakistan. Need for engineering an attack was felt by the BJP to garner the votes of Hindu Far Right, to dampen the visit of Crown Prince in Pakistan and to color his perceptions. Most probable. Indigenous Attack. The way the Kashmiris are being oppressed, killed, maimed, tortured, raped and humiliated since 1989 by Indian forces and are being denied the right of self-determination gives them a strong cause to resort to extreme measure of suicide attacks. Even the children and girls throw stones at the Indian soldiers and do not fear them. Adil was among the many who were detained, tortured and made to rub nose on the floor. This option is probable but doesnt suit India. Pakistan Sponsored Attack. Pakistan draws no benefit and stands to lose on all accounts particularly when its national policy and strategy is defensive, and has shown extraordinary restraint in the face of Indian indiscriminate firing along the LoC causing deaths and injuries to a large numbers of civilians. Pakistan has paid a heavy price in controlling terrorism, it is making concerted efforts to get itself out of the FATF grey list and its main focus is on improving economy. Hence this option is unviable and ruled out but suits India the most. Orchestrated War Hysteria From February 14 onward, Indian media stimulated a calculated hysteria duly augmented by BJP hawks. Drums of war were drummed and slogan of teach Pakistan a lesson was loudly chanted. Options of how best to avenge the attack in Pulwama were openly discussed on Indian media channels. Kashmiris were hunted all over in Jammu and Indian cities, killed, thrashed and girls kidnapped. The state machinery backed up the goons belonging to RSS, BJP, Shev Sena and other extremist Hindu groups. Additional 12000 troops were inducted into the already saturated Kashmir Valley to further tyrannize the Kashmiris. It was owing to jingoism of India that the Crown Prince delayed his visit to Pakistan by one day and visit of Taliban to Islamabad was also cancelled. Highly successful visit of the Crown Prince to Islamabad followed by failure of Modi to extract a statement from the visitor advising Pakistan to rein in Pakistan-based terrorist groups allegedly involved in Pulwama attack thoroughly disappointed him. Failure of UNSC to blame and condemn Pakistan, rejection of Indian accusation against Pakistan in Pulwama attack by Turkey, and Trump desisting from pointing a finger at Pakistan further upset Modi. Wholehearted support of Indian Sikhs to the marooned Kashmiris added to Modis woes. Since Modi had stirred up the emotions of Hindu extremists to a high pitch and they were baying for Pakistans blood, he was left with no option other than undertaking some kind of a token strike inside Pakistan to pacify them. Weighing the pros and cons of each option short of war and with no human cost, it was decided to opt for air option against a civilian target under the garb of striking an imaginary training camp of JeM. Pakistans Readiness Contrary to Modis war mongering and irresponsible statements, PM Imran Khan gave a balanced and mature response by offering peace and dialogue and at the same time curtly stating that Pakistan will not think to react but will react. Chairing the NSC meeting, he authorized the military to react with full force whenever attacked. Gen Bajwa made it clear that Pak Armys response will be beyond Indian expectations and will stun India. The message was loud and clear; dont mess up with nuclear Pakistan! In a meeting between the Army and PAF chiefs on 25 February, they expressed satisfaction over the operational preparedness of armed forces for a befitting response to any Indian aggression. All the three services as well as the air defence carried out necessary preparations to face the possible Indian threat. The PAF started flying combat air patrols (CAP) in rotation along the eastern and northwestern borders. Sensing the ugly mood, Pakistan Foreign Minister expressed his apprehensions to his counter parts of other countries that India is up to something nasty and it must be restrained from undertaking a military venture against nuclear Pakistan since it will have horrendous consequences. Indian Air Intrusions On the night of 25/26 February, one of the CAP observed Indian jets flying towards Lahore-Sialkot border. Although it turned back when challenged, but I guess it was probably a deception to distract attention from the main strike. The next batch of jets was observed by another CAP along Okara-Bahawalpur front across the border which was also a diversion. The 3rd heavy batch of Mirage-2000s was next spotted by the CAP approaching Muzaffarabad sector-Kiran Valley. They crossed the LoC from Tangdhar salient opposite Balakot sector and penetrated 4-5 miles at 0345 a.m. When challenged by the CAP, the jets flew back in haste at 0350 a.m. after jettisoning their payload of 4 bombs at Jabba. The bombs fell at a deserted place causing no human casualty or damage to property except for uprooting some pine trees. It was not an attack on any military target but an intrusion which sought a civilian target. Claims made by India. True to its tradition, India has claimed that the attacking jets successfully targeted JeM camps in Balakot, each bomb weighing 1000 kg and in their 21 minutes operation, they killed 350 militants and destroyed a madrassa supposed to be a training centre of JeM. The claim is preposterous, fictitious and entirely based on figment of imaginations. This claim is similar to the one invented after the fake surgical strike conducted in AJK in September 2016, which has not been proved to this date. Indians are foolishly celebrating the fabricated victory and deriving a vicarious pleasure. DG ISPR Press Briefing. The DG ISPR Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor conducted an elaborate press briefing today and with the help of slides he exposed the fake story woven by India. He has extended an open invitation to the local and foreign media persons as well as diplomats to accompany him to the scene of occurrence and see for themselves and to interview the locals whether any area had been bombed/straffed by jets, and whether there was any trace of human blood, or any evacuation or burial of dead bodies was carried out, and whether there was a single brick found from the debris where the bombs had landed. He stated that Pakistan militarys response will come definitely and will be different and will surprise India. Pakistans Response Indian incursion has united the divided society and the polarized political parties. Large number of rallies have taken place in various cities to denounce Indian aggression. The nation has gelled together to face the Indian challenge squarely. The National Assembly and all the provincial assembles have censured the blatant intrusion of Indian jets and have extended their full support to the armed forces. The PM chaired the NSC meeting today in which it was decided that a credible response will soon be given at the time and place of our choosing. After the joint parliament session tomorrow, a meeting of National Command Authority will be held. Until and unless Pakistan gives a hard-hitting response, it will encourage India to undertake similar air violations on the pattern of ground violations in Kashmir. On the diplomatic front, we should make similar noise as is being done by Indian media and their leaders. The writer is retired Brig, a war veteran, defence analyst, columnist, author of five books, Vice Chairman Thinkers Forum Pakistan, Director Measac Research Centre, Member CWC PESS. asifharoonraja@gmail.com By Trend Russia and the United States will continue cooperation in manned and resupply space programs after the launch of the US Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), spokesman for Russias State Space Corporation Roscosmos Vladimir Ustimenko told TASS on Monday, Trend reports referring to TASS. The Crew Dragon spacecraft developed by SpaceX was launched to the orbital outpost on March 2 and docked for the first time to the space station on March 3. The spacecraft is expected to undock on March 8 and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean after its descent by the parachute. If the spacecrafts descent proceeds in a normal regime, it will travel to the orbital outpost with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on its board in July. After that, NASA will make a decision on certifying the Crew Dragon for regular flights to the ISS. "The negotiations [on cooperation] with NASA are now underway. Both organizations are interested in further cooperation. This cooperation will continue both in manned and resupply programs and on the ISS," the Roscosmos spokesman said. In the future, cosmonauts and astronauts will be able to fly aboard both Russias Soyuz and US spacecraft. The talks on this issue are currently in their "active phase" but no specific agreement has been reached yet, the spokesman said. Roscosmos Executive Director for Manned Programs Sergei Krikalyov earlier told TASS that the Crew Dragon should undergo tests and comply with safety and reliability requirements before Russian cosmonauts can travel aboard it. Only Russian Soyuz spacecraft have been used since 2011 to deliver cosmonauts, astronauts from the United States and other countries to the ISS. In the United States, SpaceX and Boeing are developing new spacecraft for manned flights. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The Uzbek delegation discussed the issues of promoting the process of country's accession to WTO at Russian Ministry of Economic Development, Trend reports via Uzbek media. The course of implementation of projects included in the intergovernmental program of economic cooperation for 2019-2024 was reviewed. The dialogue was devoted to the possibilities of increasing industrial cooperation between economic entities of the two countries. The talks also discussed issues of assistance of Russian partners in the process of Uzbekistans accession to the WTO. Uzbekistan received observer status in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in June 1994. The working inter-ministerial committee on accession to WTO was formed in 1998. At the end of November 2017, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that the country resumed work on joining WTO. Earlier it was reported that in 2019 a meeting of the Turkic Business Council and business forum will be held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend US President Donald Trump extended for one year sanctions introduced earlier against Russia in Executive Orders linked to the crisis in Ukraine, according to the official notice of the White House released on Monday, Trend reports with reference to TASS. "The actions and policies addressed in these Executive Orders continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States," the notice signed by the US President says. The regime of national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 is extended for one year, according to the notice. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend A new head of Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey has been appointed, Trend reports March 5 with reference to Turkish media. Anastasia Zoteeva, who was a member of the board of directors of Akkuyu nuclear power plant in 2016, has become a new head of the plant. Previously, this post was held by Yuri Galanchuk. In early April 2018, the Turkish province of Mersin hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for laying foundation of Turkey's first nuclear power plant "Akkuyu", which was attended by the presidents of Turkey and Russia - Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin. The agreement on the construction of Akkuyu was signed on May 12, 2010 in Ankara between the Russian and Turkish governments, and on December 13 of the same year Akkuyu Nuclear JSC was registered. The Akkuyu project involves the construction of four power units with Russian WWER-1200 reactor plants of 3+ generation that meet the highest post-Fukushima safety standards. The capacity of each unit will be 1200 MW. The cost of the project is estimated at $20 billion. Turkey intends to build another nuclear power plant in Sinop in the north of the country with Japan's participation, the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant with the participation of Russia. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Franklin Jeffrey has arrived in Turkey, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish media. During his visit to Ankara, Jeffrey will hold a series of meetings with Turkish officials, including Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar. Such issues as the withdrawal of the US troops from Syria, the creation of a safe zone near the Turkish border, the supplies of the S-400 Russian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) to Turkey and the plans to purchase the Patriot SAMs from the US will be discussed during the talks. On Jan. 17, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the delivery of the Patriot SAMs to the Turkish Armed Forces is linked to a number of issues. Cavusoglu pointed out that one of such issues is the date of delivery of the US SAMs, with the other being the possibility of their purchase through a loan. He pointed out that Turkey also intends to organize production of the American Patriot SAMs, as agreed with Russia, which also intends to supply the Turkish Air Force with its S-400 SAMs. The initial reports of negotiations between Russia and Turkey regarding the S-400 came in November 2016. The signing of a contract was confirmed by the Russian side on Sept. 12, 2017. Turkey is the first NATO member to acquire SAMs of such type from Russia. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Relations between Tajikistan and Kazakhstan are based on a solid historical base and have a long history. Today, two independent fraternal states build relations on the basis of mutually beneficial partnership and friendly relations. Airlines of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan increase the number of flights between countries from 18 to 32 flights per week, reports the press service of the Civil Aviation Committee. The flights will be increased along the route Almaty - Dushanbe to 12 flights a week, on the route Astana - Dushanbe up to 6 flights a week, on the rest routes between Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Taraz and Dushanbe, Khujand, Kurgan-Tube, Kulyab to 14 flights in a week. The aviation authorities of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan reached such an agreement at the talks with the participation of representatives of Air Astana, SCAT, Tajik Air and Somon Air. Airlines of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan also had the opportunity to enter into commercial agreements (code sharing, provision of a block of seats, etc.) between themselves and third-country airlines. "For the development of transit passenger traffic through Kazakhstan, the issue of opening direct flights between the regional airports of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan is being worked out," the Civil Aviation Committee reported. Currently, on the basis of the agreements reached, Kazakh airlines are planning to increase the number of regular flights between the cities of Astana, Almaty and Dushanbe from the spring-summer navigation of 2019. Earlier, Somon Air increased the frequency of flights on the route Dushanbe - Khujand - Dushanbe in January 2019. The management of the company made such a decision in connection with the temporary closure of the Dushanbe-Khujand road for the passage of motor transport in order to satisfy the transportation needs of the population. Diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan were established on January 7, 1993. According to the Statistics Agency of Tajikistan, the volume of mutual trade between the two countries was $ 836.5 million in 2018. Kazakhstan and Tajikistan intend to increase trade turnover to $ 1 billion in 2019 and $ 2 billion in 2020. Kazakhstan mainly exports grain, flour, sunflower oil, construction and paintwork materials, petroleum gases and gaseous hydrocarbons, petroleum and petroleum products to Tajikistan. Tajikistan send to Kazakhstan vegetables, fruits, ores and concentrates of lead, zinc, copper. Today, over 80 joint ventures with Kazakh investors are operating in Tajikistan. The two countries closely coordinate their foreign policy efforts on a multilateral basis, in the framework of international and regional organizations such as the UN, OSCE, CIS, CSTO, SCO. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov The European Unions strategy for Tajikistan is aimed at strengthening relations in all areas of cooperation. Within its framework, the political dialogue has been strengthened, regular meetings are held between the foreign ministers of the EU cuntries and Tajikistan, and programs are being implemented in the fields of education, the rule of law, and environmental protection. The authorities of Tajikistan expressed interest in receiving from the European Union (EU) new preferences in trade. In response to a request from Dushanbe for receiving unilateral tariff preferences under the Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+), a group of EU specialists arrived in Tajikistan. They will familiarize themselves with the political and socio-economic reforms being carried out in the country, said the EU Ambassador to Tajikistan Marilyn Josefson on March 1. At present, Tajikistan uses the basic GSP, according to which a country can export 3,000 commodity items without customs duties and 3,200 commodity items to the EU at reduced rates. If the EU provides Tajikistan with tariff preferences in the framework of GSP +, this will allow the country to receive duty-free access to more than 6,200 commodity items on the European market. Kinga Malinovska, an employee of the Public Relations Department of the European Commission, reported that there were several conditions for obtaining additional preferences for GSP+ on February 28. A country should be considered as vulnerable in terms of its size or limited diversification of its exports and it should ratify and effectively implement 27 international conventions (16 in the field of human rights and core labor standards and 11 in the field of environmental protection and effective management), said Malinovska. She noted that the authorities should, in particular, ratify the conventions on the prohibition of the use of torture, on the prevention of genocide, on the protection of the rights of the child, on the protection of freedom of speech and on holding rallies and meetings, to ensure the independence of the judiciary. Manouchehr Nasriddinov, head of Oro Isfara company, which specializes in the wholesale of dried fruits, nuts and legumes, said that they have experience working with companies in the Netherlands and Belgium. As he noted, the introduction of international standards is a mandatory step to promote products on the international market, adding that produced products have become easier to sell, with confirmation of its high quality and safety. If the EU provides Tajikistan with tariff preferences in the framework of GSP+, then what products "made in Tajikistan" may appear on the European market? Local economists consider, the list of goods exported by Tajikistan to the EU countries is not great, however, free access to European markets will help reanimate small and medium-sized businesses in Tajikistan, and also end their dependence on the markets of Russia and Kazakhstan. The EU began its engagement with Tajikistan in the early 1990s, following the country's independence from the Soviet Union. In 1992, the Technical Aid to the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS) program office was opened in Dushanbe. In 2001, the first annual meeting of the EU-Tajikistan Cooperation Committee was held in Brussels. In 2004, EU Commissioner for Foreign Policy visited Dushanbe, and President Rahmon signed in Luxembourg the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which entered into force after ratification in 2010. Today, relations between the EU and Tajikistan are developing in the framework of the EU Strategy in Central Asia for 2014-2020. In 2016, the European Commission reaffirmed its commitment by 2020 to provide Tajikistan with 251 million euros for development. In 2018, Tajikistan traded with 36 European countries, most of which are EU members: the total trade turnover of Tajikistan with European countries amounted to about $ 320 million, a decrease of almost a third compared with a year earlier. Tajik products were exported to Europe worth $ 63 million in 2018. Germany was the main trading partner of Tajikistan on the European continent, with bilateral trade with a total of $ 97.7 million. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov The Republic of Korea is well-known throughout the world as a highly developed state with large economic, scientific, technical, innovative and intellectual potential. Being strategic partners, Uzbekistan and South Korea appreciate cooperation based on openness, mutual understanding and respect for interests. A regular meeting of the Uzbek-South Korean intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation was held in Tashkent. Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Elyor Ganiyev and Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea Sung Yun Mo attended the meeting of the commission. Representatives of Uzbekistan and South Korea discussed issues of trade and economic cooperation between the countries. The sides discussed issues of expanding investment cooperation. The event discussed the preparation for the visit of the President of South Korea Moon Jae-in to Uzbekistan. The parties noted that countries need to enrich cooperation with new content. The counterparts also considered the implementation of the project under contracts signed between the governments of the two countries. The noted the need for the formation of joint centers that will deal with their effective implementation. The delegations of Uzbekistan and South Korea discussed the construction of high-speed railways in Uzbekistan, the production of environmentally friendly cars, projects for the creation of tourism infrastructure, a smart city, and the cultivation of export-oriented agricultural products. As part of the event, the opening of the Tashkent Business Development Center of the Trade Development Agency of the Republic of Korea took place. The center will develop the economy and infrastructure in the country, as well as support business. Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea were established on January 29, 1992. Uzbekistan is the main trading partner of the Republic of Korea among the countries of Central Asia. Uzbekistan accounts for over half of the trade turnover of the Republic of Korea with the states of the region. There are representative offices of more than 70 South Korean companies in Uzbekistan, over 630 enterprises with South Korean investments. In 2018, more than 150 enterprises with South Korean investments were formed. The main areas of their activity are oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical, mining, engineering, electrical engineering, textile, information and communication technologies, transport and logistics, tourism, production of building materials, as well as processing of agricultural products. The volume of trade between the two countries amounted to more than $ 2 billion, which is 57 percent more than in 2017. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov After the current President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power, a new era began in relations between the United States and Uzbekistan. The Uzbek Embassy in the United States, together with the Washington Intergovernmental Professional Group, held a briefing at the Ronald Reagan World Trade Center. Representatives of leading business, social, political and cultural-humanitarian circles of the United States, including employees of the Ministry of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce, which unites more than 300,000 companies, the leadership of the universities of Ohio and Georgetown, experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers and others attended the briefing. The Uzbek Ambassador to the United States, Javlon Vakhabov, made a detailed presentation about Uzbekistan, revealed investment opportunities, and particularly emphasized the work being done in the republic to increase the investment attractiveness and strengthen Uzbek-American relations in all areas. Experts paid special attention to the transition of the country's economic model to market mechanisms. It was noted that the country has a free conversion of the national currency. Uzbekistan has the largest market in Central Asia at 33 million people with a level of education of 97 percent, which is comparable to such economies as Singapore and Spain. The country is actively adapting the advanced experience of developed countries, thereby allowing it to maintain the pace of a rapidly growing national economy. Uzbekistan is the 9th largest gold producer in the world and ranks 10th in the world in terms of its reserves. The country also has significant reserves of natural gas, copper, uranium, coal and other minerals. The successful issuance of the first ever Eurobonds in London is proof that international investors believe in Uzbekistan and its development. The World Bank raised the country's Doing Business rating from 166th place in 2012 to 76th - in 2019th. For the first time, international rating agencies Moodys, Fitch and Standard & Poors assigned Uzbekistan long-term sovereign ratings. According to the U.S. Department of State, Uzbekistan is a safe country for tourism, which does not require special precautions. The New York Times Journeys has chosen Uzbekistan as one of 52 places for its annual visits. Following the briefing, an interesting question and answer session was held. Diplomatic relations between the United States and Uzbekistan were established on February 19, 1992. Since then, the United States and Uzbekistan have developed a broad-based relationship, cooperating in such areas as border and regional security programs, economic relations, political and civil society issues, and English language training. Uzbekistan and the United States signed a declaration on Strategic Partnership and the Basics of Cooperation in 2002. Thanks to active cooperation with American companies, two countries managed to increase the bilateral trade by almost two times and bring it to $332 million in January-September 2018. Currently, more than 200 enterprises with the participation of U.S. companies are successfully operating in Uzbekistan. American capital took part in the creation of 25 enterprises since the beginning of 2018. Uzbekistan has signed a trade and investment framework agreement with the United States and other Central Asian countries establishing a regional forum to discuss ways to improve investment climates and expand trade within Central Asia. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz India refused to issue visas to Pakistanis for Ajmer Sharif Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noorul Haq Qadri on Monday said India has refused to issue visas to Pakistanis wishing to attend the Urs of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti also known as Gharib Nawaz, or patron of the poor at Dargah Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan. According to Qadri, 500 Pakistanis were to leave for India on March 7. The announcement from the religious affairs minister comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama attack and subsequent airstrikes by both countries. Indias extremist face has come forward, Qadri said adding, India is held hostage by religious extremists. The religious affairs minister said Pakistanis had been deprived attendance to the Urs for two years. In March 2018, the Foreign Office (FO) had expressed its disappointment at Indias failure to issue visas to 503 Pakistani pilgrims wanting to participate in the annual Urs. Despite New Delhis warmongering, Islamabad on February 25 approved ten-day visit visas for around 3,000 Sikh pilgrims who wished to take part in the Vaisakhi Mela. Pakistan has granted visas to at least 5,600 Sikh and 312 Hindu pilgrims in 2019. The shrine of Chishti considered to be among the holiest Muslim shrines in India ? holds great significance for the followers of the 12th century saint residing in Pakistan. Every year, around 500 Pakistani devotees used to attend the Urs of the saint, who introduced the Afghan-origin Chishti Order, which preaches love and tolerance, to Punjab and Rajasthan. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Lynk & Co, a Chinese-Swedish automotive brand owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, recently released a group of photos of the Lynk & Co 03 Cyan Concept, which has currently started its road test in Spain. Its mass-produced vehicle, designed as the high-performance version of the existing Lynk & Co 03 will be unveiled at the Auto Shanghai 2019 in April. The new concept is named after Cyan Racing, the official motorsport partner to Geely Group Motorsport and also the co-creator of the model. Inspired by the Volvo S60 sport sedan, the 03 Cyan Concept adopts the classic cotton-candy blue for its exterior. The new model still retains Lynk & Co's signature diagonal headlights, while the tusk-designed fog lights render an aggressive front fascia. The sooty dual-five-spoke rims coupled with 6-piston calipers with 378 mm ventilated discs front and 2-piston calipers with 290 mm ventilated discs rear deliver a great sense of sports. The Lynk & Co 03 Cyan Concept road car has been developed by largely the same team that developed the previous concept cars of Cyan Racing, such as the 450-hp Volvo C30 Concept and the 508-hp Volvo S60 Concept. According to Cyan Concept's official introduction, the new vehicle will be powered by a 4-cylinder 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that pumps out 528hp at 7,800 rpm. Thanks to such powertrain and smarter aerodynamics design for the front face, the concept can sprint from 0-100km/h within only 4.4 seconds. Indian marine in Pakistani waters, sent back by Pak Navy An Indian marine was trying to enter Pakistani waters when it was thwarted by our Navy on Monday. The statement has come from the Navys spokesperson on Tuesday. The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters, said the spokes person. Keeping the governments initiative of peace in mind, the Indian submarine was not targetted by the Pakistan Navy, said the spokesperson. Learning from this incident, India should also work towards peace, the statement added. This great feat is a testament of the Pakistan Navys superior skills. The Navy will keep defending Pakistans naval border. The force has the capability to respond to any aggression. This is the latest provocation that has come from India after soaring tensions between the two nuclear powered countries. The Pakistan Navy detected an Indian submarine on Monday night trying to enter Pakistani waters and successfully thwarted the attempt, the Navy's spokesperson said on Tuesday exactly a week after India's aerial violation of the Line of Control that sent tensions soaring between the two nuclear-armed states. "The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a statement from the spokesperson said. This is the second time since 2016 that the Pakistan Navy has detected an Indian submarine trying to enter Pakistani waters. Pakistan territorial waters is 12 nautical miles while its seabed territory the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) grew to 290,000 square kilometres in 2015. EEZ signifies an area of coastal water and seabed within a certain distance of a country's coastline that cannot be entered without permission or prior information. Screenshot from the footage shared by Pakistan Navy shows the Indian submarine detected on Monday night. The fact that an Indian submarine laden with modern technology was detected by the Pakistan Navy is a loss for the Indian navy, said the spokesperson, adding: "Keeping in view the government's initiative of peace, the Indian submarine was not targetted by the Pakistan Navy." Learning from this incident, India should also work towards peace, the statement added. "This great feat is a testament of the Pakistan Navy's superior skills. The Navy will keep defending Pakistan's naval border. The force has the capability to respond to any aggression." The latest provocation by India comes a week after the Indian Air Force (IAF) violated Pakistani airspace on February 26 following the Pulwama attack in Indian occupied Kashmir. The IAF returned unsuccessful after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) "immediately scrambled" its jets. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Indian aircraft released their payload "in haste" as they returned. PAF the next day, on Feb 27, targeted non-military targets across the Line of Control to demonstrate Pakistan's aggressive capabilities, and shot down two Indian Air Force jets after they crossed the LoC. An Indian Air Force pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan, was taken into captivity of Pakistan's armed forces. He was freed the next day and handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah border. Prime Minister Imran Khan had termed his release as a "peace gesture" a move lauded by people on both sides of the border as well as the international community that had urged restraint. GOETTINGEN, Germany, March 05, 2019 / B3C newswire / -- Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB), a leading supplier for the biopharmaceutical industry, and Novasep based in Pompey, France, have entered into a collaboration agreement in the area of chromatography and single-use bioprocessing. Novasep provides various products and services to the life science industry, based on specialized technologies. In particular, this company is a recognized system provider with substantial expertise in the design, manufacture and control of resin-based batch and continuous chromatography systems. Novaseps established BioSC platform and SSBs single use technology will form the basis for the development of innovative chromatography systems. Systems currently on the market are designed for resins, but do not take full advantage of membrane chromatography capabilities. Optimally run membrane chromatography processes will provide the most attractive alternative to batch and continuous resin-based chromatography - namely higher productivity, smaller scale operations and increased robustness. Systems designed for membrane chromatography applications are a part of SSBs global product strategy to supply complete solutions for upstream and downstream processing in life sciences. Membranes are the embodiment of process intensification. As the market leader in membrane chromatography, Sartorius Stedim Biotech aims to realize this potential and offer customers the full benefits of our Sartobind portfolio, explained Dr. Fritjof Linz, Head of Separation at Sartorius Stedim Biotech. We are happy to work with a highly competent partner like Novasep to introduce new membrane chromatography technology for flow through and capture applications, the Sartorius manager added. Nadege Laborde, President Process Solutions at Novasep, commented: This collaboration is a wonderful opportunity for Novasep and Sartorius Stedim Biotech, as it leverages the core capabilities of the two companies. The result of this venture will satisfy the latest market demands for continuous processing, process intensification, performance, and ease of use. This press release contains statements about the future development of the Sartorius Stedim Biotech Group. We cannot guarantee that the content of these statements will actually apply because these statements are based upon assumptions and estimates that harbor certain risks and uncertainties. About Sartorius Stedim Biotech Sartorius Stedim Biotech is a leading international partner of the biopharmaceutical industry. As a total solutions provider, the company helps its customers to manufacture biotech medications safely, rapidly and economically. Headquartered in Aubagne, France, Sartorius Stedim Biotech is quoted on the Eurolist of Euronext Paris. With its own manufacturing and R&D sites in Europe, North America and Asia and an international network of sales companies, Sartorius Stedim Biotech has a global reach. The Group has been annually growing by double digits on average and has been regularly expanding its portfolio by acquisitions of complementary technologies. In 2018, the company employed approx. 5,600 people, and earned sales revenue of 1,212.2 million. About Novasep Novasep is a global provider of cost-effective and sustainable manufacturing solutions for life sciences molecules and fine chemicals. Novasep's unique offering includes process development services, purification equipment and turnkey processes, contract manufacturing services and complex active molecules to serve pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, fine chemical, food and functional ingredients as well as fermentation and chemical commodities industries. Contact Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH Dominic Grone Communications Manager +49 (0)551.308.3324 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Published by B3C newswire and shared through Newronic Leading stem cell research group and global leader in organ-on-a-chip technology develop stem cell-derived kidney tubules in microfluidic chips. LEIDEN, the Netherlands, March 05, 2019 / B3C newswire / -- Scientists from the Hubrecht Institute, the University of Utrecht, and MIMETAS have successfully grown kidney tubules derived from human kidney adult stem cells in microfluidic chips. This research has been published in Nature Biotechnology by the world-leading research group from Professor Hans Clevers. Henriette Lanz, Ph.D., Director of Biology at MIMETAS and co-author on the paper explains: Scientists at the Hubrecht Institute managed to reprogram stem cells found in the human kidney cortex to cells that are similar to tubular cells of the kidney. From these cells, my team has grown three-dimensional perfused kidney tubules. We have discovered that these tubules are fully polarized, meaning that they distinguish inside from outside, just like in a real kidney. Moreover, the biologically important barrier function of the kidney tubes is intact. We show that transporter activity is functional, which is a hallmark of kidney tissue, responsible for pumping of nutrients and toxicants across the kidney barrier. We can grow 40 of such tubules in one single OrganoPlate. The kidney tubes can be used to create disease models that allow the development of novel therapies. This novel technology offers a powerful human alternative to animal testing for toxic side effects of new medicines. A mini kidney from the lab doesn't look like a normal kidney, but the simple cell structures share many of the characteristics of real kidneys. Researchers can use them to study certain kidney diseases. We can use these mini kidneys to model various disorders: hereditary kidney diseases, infections, and cancer. This allows us to study in detail what exactly is going wrong, says Hans Clevers, Professor of Molecular Genetics at Utrecht University and the University Medical Center Utrecht, and group leader at the Hubrecht Institute. This helps us to understand the workings of healthy kidneys better, and hopefully, in the future, we will be able to develop treatments for kidney disorders. Caption: Perfused kidney tubules-on-a-chip. Left: The 3-lane OrganoPlate comprises 40 microfluidic chips embedded in a standard microtiter plate format. Middle, right: 3D reconstruction of kidney tubules grown against a collagen gel in the OrganoPlate. The tubules show cilia at the luminal (pre-urine, middle) side and ion transporters at the blood side (right). Read the full paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-019-0048-8 About MIMETAS MIMETAS (Leiden, the Netherlands, Gaithersburg, USA, Tokyo, Japan) provides organ-on-a-chip products for compound testing, screening, and fundamental research. Its flagship product, the OrganoPlate, supports 3D cell culture under continuous perfusion, with membrane-free co-culture and epithelial and endothelial tubules. The company develops and validates customized disease, toxicology, and transport models and ultimately will make its technology available for personalized therapy selection. MIMETAS has developed models for the kidney, liver, gut, brain and a range of oncological applications, that offer better predictivity towards human physiology as compared to laboratory animals and conventional cell culture models. Since its commercial launch in 2014, MIMETAS has grown its customer base to half of the global top-50 pharmaceutical companies, in addition to chemical, food and consumer goods companies. The fast market acceptance of the OrganoPlate is driven by its unsurpassed ease-of-use and throughput, in combination with complex human biology and disease relevance. More information https://mimetas.com https://www.hubrecht.eu/utrecht-researchers-develop-mini-kidneys-from-urine-cells/ Contact MIMETAS BV Jos Joore, CEO This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +31 85 888 3161 Published by B3C newswire and shared through Newronic John Cox can be reached at 661-395-7404. Follow him on Twitter: @TheThirdGraf. Sign up at Bakersfield.com for free newsletters about local business. Indian troops continued ceasefire violations at LOC Indian troops continued ceasefire violations in Nezapir, Pandu, Khanjar Munawar, Battal and Baghsar sectors along the Line of Control (LoC), said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday. Pakistan Army troops responded effectively to Indian fire targeting Indian posts, the ISPR said, adding that there were no casualties on the Pakistan side in the past 24 hours. Pakistan armed forces continue state of alert and vigilance, the statement added. The armys media wing had earlier announced that there was relative calm along the LoC after a heavy cross-border firing on the nights of March 1 and 2. However, intermittent firing took place the other night in the Neza Pir, Jandrot and Baghsar sectors. As per the militarys media wing, funeral prayers for Naik Khurram, who was martyred in Indian firing from across the LoC on Saturday, were offered in Dera Ghazi Khan. Author Appearance and Kids Story Time at Oregon Coast's Lincoln City Published 03/01/2019 at 3:23 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Lincoln City, Oregon) Lincoln City provides many distractions during spring break, and this March is chock full of them. One Oregon coast author shows up to discuss his latest book at the library, while a story time event for kids brightens things up at the local history museum. Spring break in the central Oregon coast town starts off with a fun take on history for kids and those a tad older. Kids of all ages are invited to Story Time at the Museum with storyteller, Doug Force, at the North Lincoln County Historical Museum on Saturday, March 16, from 2 - 3 pm. This Story Time at the Museums theme will be Water of Life. Doug Force takes everyone on a journey through Water of Life themed books. Force has decades of teaching, educational, and storytelling experience and makes the stories come alive. Get out of the rain and cozy up in the Mildred and Marie Childrens Room for this event. Driftwood Public Library in Lincoln City has just announced that C.D. Harper will be returning to visit the library from on Sunday, March 31 at 3 p.m., to talk about his new book of short stories titled Is It Always Tomorrow? Slavery existed in the United States for nearly 300 years. While the institution was abolished following the terminus of the Civil War in 1865, the aftermath of this atrocious practice is still felt to this day in American society. Harpers new collection was written to demonstrate the contradiction of this aftermath in American society. CD Harper Each of these short stories is a mere peek into what this most basic contradiction demanded of its people during the 1850s and 1860s prior to the Civil War. Most Americans think slavery ended with the Civil War, and it did. But its impact on the way Americans think about themselves and the way they think about others is so strongly embedded into the American psyche that John F. Kennedy said this country was willing to pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty. Harper decided to write this collection as an attempt to further educate people about American diversity and why it makes America great: If one looks at the total of American literature or read about the history of this very diverse country, very little had been written about the experience of those diverse people. Slavery is central to that diversity. So, I write about it. Hoping they will enhance someones understanding of American, land of the free. A gripping collection that will leave readers flipping back to the beginning to make sure they didnt miss any details, Is It Always Tomorrow? is an astounding social commentary on one of the most prevalent issues in our society today. C. D. Harper is a retired Professor of Theatre Arts and Dance, California State University, Los Angeles, where he served as Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, Founding Executive Director of the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Founder of the Luckman Jazz Orchestra. He also served as Executive Assistant to the President of the University. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, and a Master and Ph.D. from St. Louis University. Dr. Harper has published two novels: Covenant and Face the Unknown. He resides in Gleneden Beach. Harpers appearance is a free event and open to the public. Any questions may be directed to Ken Hobson by phone (541-996-1242) or via e-mail (khobson@lincolncity.org). Driftwood Public Library is located on the 2nd floor of Lincoln Citys City Hall building at 801 SW Highway 101 in Lincoln City, adjacent to McKays Market. Lodgings in Lincoln City - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours Sea Horse Oceanfront Lodging . Oceanfront rooms may start at special prices, depending on month. Vacation Rentals and Romance Suites. Fireplaces, and your pet is welcome.1301 NW 21st Street. Lincoln City, Oregon. 800-662-2101. 541-994-2101. www.SeaHorseMotel.com s More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Talk Looks at Oregon Coast River Fishing, Status of Species Published 03/03/2019 at 3:23 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Newport, Oregon) Oregon coast science gets a little fishy but in a serious way. An event in Siletz a small town just outside of Toledo takes a close look at some species of the Oregon coast, and will be of great interest to anglers. The talk on March 19 discusses local fish populations following the low returns of fall Chinook and emergency angling restrictions put in place this past fall. Part of the Siletz Watershed Councils spring quarterly meeting, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlifes Mid-Coast Assistant District Fish Biologist Paul Olmstead presents an overview of fall Chinook, coho, and steelhead stock status and their fisheries in the Mid-Coast District. In addition, hell give updates on the restoration work ODFW is currently undergoing in the Siletz Basin, and projects theyll begin this summer. Olmstead is an Oregonian who has lived in the state his entire life. Raised in McMinnville, he later attended both Oregon State University and University of Oregon, worked as a wildland fire fighter with the US Forest Service, then began his career with ODFW. For 13 years, he has conducted field work and research with the agency, from as far south as Roseburg and as far north as Nehalem, including 8 years at the Corvallis Research Lab, and is currently based in Newport. I have always had a curiosity and passion surrounding fishing and the biology and ecology associated with salmon, steelhead, and trout in the Pacific Northwest, especially in the Oregon Coast range, Olmstead said. I grew up spending lots of time fishing, hunting, camping, and backpacking with my family throughout Oregon and enjoy being outside on a river as much as possible. The presentation will begin at 6:30 PM in Siletz at the Public Library on 225 SE Gaither Street. Light refreshments will be provided. A Siletz Watershed Council Board meeting will follow the presentation in which planning for the Annual Siletz River Clean Up will take place, as well as time for community questions and announcements. Lodgings in Newport - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours Sea Horse Oceanfront Lodging . Oceanfront rooms may start at special prices, depending on month. Vacation Rentals and Romance Suites. Fireplaces, and your pet is welcome.1301 NW 21st Street. Lincoln City, Oregon. 800-662-2101. 541-994-2101. www.SeaHorseMotel.com More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Less Obvious Pacific City: Sandy Wonders of the N Oregon Coast Town, Unique Hikes Published 03/03/2019 at 5:23 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Pacific City, Oregon) For over two decades now, Pacific City has a been a glowing destination spot, filled with a variety of aspects for fun and repose crammed into one tiny place. The star attraction of the north Oregon town is Cape Kiwanda, but its sandy stretches are nothing to sneeze at. Just south of the Bob Straub state park access and on the other side of Kiwanda are miles and miles of soft grains and granules. Sometimes, what you really need is the archetypal long walk on the beach, or perhaps a good, long hike. Around the Bob Straub access, the sands get sculpted into something rather cool and even extraordinary at times. The slope of the beach here mixed with the wave action causes the breakers to carve interesting tiers into the beach. Its like the beach is multileveled, giving it an unusual look. From here southward, youre essentially on the Nestucca Spit, which will make for a five-mile loop if you hike the entire thing and then back. Gobs of forestland thats murky, mossy, green and full of ethereal atmosphere accompany you, and youll encounter plenty of wildlife, such as seals and shorebirds. On the northern side of Kiwanda, the beach runs on for a few miles, through Tierra Del Mar, until it dead-ends at the Sand Lake area. The first beach access after the cape is the killer: a delightful little secret known as McPhillips Beach (above), which is an unmarked gravel road about one mile north of Cape Kiwanda. You can drive on this beach, and admittedly this comes in handy as that lets you get close to the northern face of the headland, which has some of the most remarkable aspects of the entire attraction. One of the real stars of Pacific City is the Inn at Cape Kiwanda hotel, which really helped fire things up back when it was a sleepy little (and sometimes rather uninteresting) destination, launching it into the hotspot we all know today. This is a good central spot to stay when playing in these sands, and it comes with excellent oceanfront views in the first place. Aside from the lovely lodgings, theres the Stimulus Espresso Cafe offering Stumptown Coffee and fresh pastries, and heartier grub across the street at the Pelican Brewing Company. 33105 Cape Kiwanda Dr. Pacific City, Oregon. 888-965-7001. www.InnAtCapeKiwanda.com. For even more sandy wonders on this part of the north Oregon coast, continue up the Three Capes Tour to the Sand Lake dunes area and its miles of massive sand dunes. The beach is also very unique, and the one-mile hike to Cape Lookout yields some awe-inspiring blackened sands. More photos of these spots below: Lodgings, Hotels in Pacific City - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours Oregon Beach Vacations. Literally over 260 homes available as vacation rentals all quite distinctive and carefully selected to be special. Available in Yachats, Waldport, Newport, Nye Beach, Otter Rock, Depoe Bay, Gleneden Beach, Lincoln Beach, Lincoln City, Neskowin, Pacific City, Tierra Del Mar, Rockaway Beach, Manzanita, Cannon Beach, Seaside, Florence and Astoria. 1-800-723-2383 More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Malala wrote letters to PM India-Pakistan Malala Yousafzai has written letters to the prime ministers of India and Pakistan urging them to defuse the rising tensions between the two countries. As per a statement, a letter signed by the Nobel laureates, under the aegis of the Laureates and Leaders for Children, was submitted to India and Pakistans permanent representatives to the UN. In the best interest of our children, we, the Laureates and Leaders for Children call upon Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to demonstrate wise leadership and exercise immediate restraint at this critical juncture to avoid any escalation into a full-fledged war, the letter read. There is no place for violence, extremism and terrorism in a civilised world. This epidemic has to be through concrete and time-bound actions. We reiterate that children never create wars but are the worst sufferers. Therefore, we appeal to the two Prime Ministers, faith institutions, media, youth and the citizens of both India and Pakistan to work towards the restoration of peace the restoration of peace in the region with utmost urgency, the letter continued. The Nobel laureates who have signed the appeal included Leyma Gbowee, Shirin Ebadi, Tawakkol Karman, Malala Yousafzai, Muhammad Yunus, Jose Ramos-Horta, Edvard Ingjald Moser, May-Britt Mose and others. "The Iron Orchard" has a little bit of Beaumont in it. Native Sharon Parker has a role as an extra in the new made-in-Texas movie about the oil business and its 20th century booms and busts. JASPER A 55-year-old man remained in jail Tuesday in lieu of $1 million bond in connection with a homicide in rural Jasper County. Kevin Andrea Byerly of Newton was charged the previous afternoon with murder. The body of Candi McKee, 44, of the Old Salem community in Newton County was found in a remote area. She was found in the Sabine River near the Burr Ferry Bridge that links Burkeville with Louisiana after authorities were able to get her cell phone to ping a tower there. Jasper County Sheriff Mitchel Newman said Byerly and the victim knew each other, but he did not elaborate on the nature of their relationship. On Tuesday, McKee's widower remained in shock, breaking down multiple times during a telephone interview in which he spoke glowingly of his wife. "I'm still waiting for her to come home from work," Corey McKee told The Enterprise. He said Candi McKee left home in the early morning hours. When she didn't show up for work at the Dollar General in Buna, he called in a missing person's report. Sheriff Newman said the woman's burned-out car was found on County Road 588 just south of Kirbyville and 25 miles from where her body was discovered. It is believed she was killed in or near her vehicle. "She was usually aware of her surroundings and aware of the bad that could happen," Corey McKee said during the phone interview. "But she never let that stop her from helping others." He said the two had been high school sweethearts who reconnected years later. "She was an amazing, God-fearing woman who always put her Lord and family first," friend Stacy Marshall said of the wife and mom. "She loved people for exactly who they were. I miss her so much." An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of McKee's death. Flowers blooming for spring are about to get a rude awakening. A Canadian high-pressure system is expected to cause Southeast Texas temperatures to fall below freezing by midnight and into early Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service reports. The Weather Service issued a freeze warning from 11 p.m. Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday morning for several Southeast Texas and west Louisiana counties including Jefferson and Orange. A hard freeze warning was issued for northern Jasper and Newton counties. Temperatures are expected between 28 and 32 degrees for two to five hours. A freeze warning means sub-freezing temperatures are imminent or highly likely, according to the Weather Service. These conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation. Freezing temperatures are also possible Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service reminds residents to dress in layers and protect children, the elderly, pets and plants from the cold weather. Cold weather may also cause pipes to freeze and rupture. This can be avoided by opening cabinets under kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow warm air to heat the sink and protect outdoor faucets and pipes with insulation or newspaper. A storm system later in the week is expected to bring showers and thunderstorms this weekend, but the probability of severe thunderstorms is low. High temperatures are expected in the mid-70s with lows in the upper 50s. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain Pakistan Armys alertness prevented five possible Indian missile attack: Shah Mahmood ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Monday said Pakistan Armys alertness prevented possible Indian missile attack at five sites inside Pakistan. The armed forces were alert our intelligence was confirmed. Diplomatic and military contacts played a role in stopping the attack. The civilian and military leadership was also in contact [over the matter], the foreign minister told a private TV channel. Reports said India had planned to attack seven to eight places inside Pakistan from a base in Rajasthan. After learning of the plan, Pakistans security agencies warned their counterparts in India that Islamabad was ready and if an attack is launched, the magnitude of Pakistans response will be thrice as much. Report said that according to a second plan, India was to attack Pakistan with missiles. To foil this plan, Islamabad sent a message to New Delhi via third countries that any such attempt will draw a very strong response from Pakistans security forces. Talking to the TV channel, the foreign minister said Indias opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has asked for documentary evidence from the Modi government regarding their claims of bombing a terrorist camp in Balakot. Their version has been exposed as they have themselves admitted that two of their jets were struck down by the Pakistan Air Force, he said. The foreign minister said that Pakistan is fully aware of a nexus between Israel and India. They are in contact since long and regularly share intelligence reports with each another, he said. The minister said the situation is improving at the Line of Control as compared to that in the previous days. Pakistan is reviewing the Indian dossier which we received after 12 days of attack. We will respond to it after due review, he said. Qureshi said had the previous government implemented the National Action Plan in letter and spirit, Pakistan would not have been in the FATFs grey list today. Time has come to do what is in Pakistans interest, he said. We have to make a decision with political consensus. The international community has got the message that Pakistan wants peace, he added. Qureshi said Pakistan wants friendly relations with India but Kashmir is the bone of contention between the two neighbours. Kashmiris are giving sacrifices. No solution for Kashmir can be implementable without taking Kashmiris onboard, he asserted. He said the international community is stressing for dialogue between the two countries for normalcy to restore in the region. Members of the Council of State Monday held a closed-door meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the high rate of duties, levies and taxes on imported goods at Ghana's ports of entry and the large volumes of tax exemptions. Some traders unions, including the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA), have petitioned the state to intervene to review taxes and duties on imported items because they are too high. Following the petition, the Council of State moved into action to hold consultations with various stakeholders to enable it to provide informed advice on the issue. The council held discussions with a number of stakeholders, including the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kyerematen, and the Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr Isaac Crentsil. The council also met the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, and the leadership of GUTA, bringing the month-long consultative exercise to an end. Addressing the opening session of the meeting between the Council of State and the President, which later went into a closed-door session, at the Jubilee House, in Accra, the Chairman of the council, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, said the council would discuss its findings, conclusions and recommendations with the President. President on Taxes In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) to Parliament last February, President Akufo-Addo said revenue mobilisation posed the biggest challenge to the management of the economy, with the tax exemption policy in particular proving to be an Achilles heel. In the last eight years, he said, tax exemptions in respect of import duty, import VAT, import NHIL and domestic VAT had grown from GH392 million, representing 0.6 percent of GDP in 2010, to GH4.66 billion, constituting 1.6 percent of GDP in 2018. If we continue at this rate, in less than 16 years half of Ghanas revenue base will be given away as tax exemptions, he said. Chairman Nana Siriboe described as historic the achievements of President Akufo-Addos government in fulfillment of the electoral promises he made in 2016. Those achievements, he said, included the reopening of the Obuasi Mine, the restoration of peace in Dagbon and the installation of a new Yaa Naa and the creation and inauguration of six new regions and the appointment of regional and deputy regional ministers for those regions. Past Year Nana Siriboe said the council issued its report last year covering its activities during its first year in office. Since then, he said, it had held 57 meetings in both plenary and sub-committee sessions and would soon issue its second report. He explained that during those sessions, the council considered important appointments, met with various institutions and personalities, received petitions and deliberated on them and considered appointments to boards, councils, authorities and committees. Additionally, he said, it examined and reported on some very important appointments to positions such as Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) and two deputies and four Supreme Court judges. The council also met with the Lands Commission, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on illegal Mining (IMCIM), the Speaker and the leadership of Parliament, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BOG), the National Petroleum Authority, the Minister of Education and the Chief Executive and senior management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD). Source: Graphic.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Theres a reason House Speaker Nancy Pelosis face shows up in Republican ads and solicitations at election time: She is the GOPs favorite villain, bar none. In a Politico/Morning Consult poll two weeks ago, Pelosis unfavorable rating was 86 percent among supporters of President Donald Trump. By contrast, just 59 percent of Trump voters held a negative view of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Its no wonder that Pelosis warning Monday evening in Austin that Texas is ground zero in Democrats political plan is riling conservatives or at least giving them a fresh opportunity to raise cash. This state, when it turns, and it will, it will change not just Texas, it will change the country and the world, she said, speaking at the Travis County Democrats annual Johnson Bentsen Richards Dinner. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox U.S. Rep. Chip Roy wasted no time seeking to capitalize on Pelosis words. In a fundraising solicitation today, Roy, a member of the arch-conservative Freedom Caucus in the House, asserted that Pelosi is coming after Texas. His district stretches from Austin to San Antonio and includes much of the Hill Country. Roy and five other Texans in the U.S. House - among them Will Hurd of San Antonio and Michael McCaul of Austin - are among 33 incumbents around the country on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees initial takedown list for 2020. That's why we need your help to build up a strong war chest now, Roy wrote. Speaker Pelosi isn't kidding that Texas will determine the fate of the nation. So please, no matter where you live, chip in as much as you can right away to tell Nancy Pelosi: Come and take it. Ahead of the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board's March 5 decision on Quincy (Ill.) Medical Group's proposed $19.5 million ASC, Tanya Mero, MD, penned a letter to The Herald-Whig explaining the project's merits. Four takeaways: 1. QMG physicians decided to move forward with the standalone ASC project after rejecting Quincy-based Blessing Hospital's proposal to instead make QMG physicians minority owners in the hospital's surgery center. "The decision to move forward with this project was made after considerable research and heartfelt consideration," Dr. Mero said. "Conversation and ongoing efforts with Blessing Hospital failed to bring us to the best solution, so QMG physicians elected to propose another option for our patients." 2. QMG doesn't believe its proposed surgery center will impair Blessing's ability to provide inpatient psychiatry and emergency services, Dr. Mero wrote. 3. The proposed ASC would benefit patients in terms of cost, scheduling flexibility, convenience and personalized attention, according to Dr. Mero. She said the existing hospital-based ASC in Quincy "is not financially feasible for many patients." 4. Dr. Mero noted that "the development of the surgery center was never meant to pit one entity against another." Rather, she said, it was motivated by patient needs. The Orthopaedic Surgery Center in Boardman, Ohio, is a 100 percent physician-owned facility focused on orthopedics. Here, Administrator Taylor Cera discusses the group's growth and opening a new ASC in 2019. Question: The Orthopaedic Surgery Center started as an orthopedics-focused center but has added podiatric services, pain management, plastics and reconstructive surgery. What is the strategy for 2019? Taylor Cera: The strategy for 2019 is to focus on adding additional specialties including spine. Weve been able to increase revenue over the past five years by strategically adding joint replacements to our orthopaedic service line. Further, cost-cutting initiatives have improved financial results. Our operating margins and current ratio have improved-- The future looks bright. We still plan to focus on gaining more operational efficiencies in 2019. If we take a step back and look at the healthcare transformation to outpatient surgery, it's one of the fastest growing sectors in healthcare. I think as an ASC, you have the opportunity to position yourself for innovative changes in the delivery care models that are taking shape. Q: What industry factors drive change? TC: More than ever patients are shopping for their healthcare. They are searching the internet for price transparency-- low-cost, convenient options. The aging population is increasing and the demand for total joint replacement is going up. Patients who are otherwise healthy will now have surgery in the outpatient setting. Insurance companies are now interested in lower cost centers and with the technology changes that have happened in the past half-decade, we have strategically identified key opportunities to grow our center. After a series of small wins, we are now getting to our end goal of building an ASC designed for the future to increase access in our community. Q: What initiatives have you implemented to stay on the forefront of consumerism trends in healthcare? TC: Initiatives like outpatient joint replacements or price transparency are perfect for ASCs, as the low-cost setting that can offer a better patient experience. Staff and physicians are also an important part of the equation; you have to keep them engaged , motivated, and optimistic. You have to lead them and allow them to grow within the organization. Then, identifying opportunities early so you can implement strategic initiatives will build a strong foundation for growth in the future. Our facility was designed with the patients and clinicians in mind. For example, there are horizontal windows throughout the facility which gives everyone a sense of what is happening outside. Well have natural light in the facility around the clock.. Designers have data showing this improves peoples' mood. Furthermore, the new center has 23-hour private recovery suites. We were able to gather valuable data for our patients and healthcare professionals in the development of the Centers plans. It's been a lot of hard work, but at the end of the day we are proud to be physician-owned and led. In the current healthcare climate, the health systems that can align with and manage physician practices are successful and will remain successful. However, those that aren't able to align with and manage physician salaries and the high cost of brick and mortar facilities will fail; with the consumerism, patient shopping, and technology, elective orthopedic procedures in a traditional hospital setting will continue to decrease. What makes an ASC unique is the ability to operate to your size and scope and really manage margins. With regard to our digital response to consumerism, I think we do just an average job at marketing. We lacked the understanding of how to market and communicate. Theres an opportunity to expand access to our patients via new media in which some competitors are quite good at. We are actively looking for successful strategies to do this. Q: When you're building the team for a new center, how do you identify a physician leader? TC: You need a physician champion who is optimistic, creates energy, is a hard worker and possesses the ability to succeed! To be a leader, you must have followership around you. . This inspires creativity, commitment and growth in good times and in bad. Beyond this factor, the rest is quite simple, it just takes hard work. To participate in future Becker's Q&As, contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com. For a deeper dive into the future of total joints in ASCs, attend the Becker's 17th Annual Future of Spine + Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC in Chicago, June 13-5, 2019. Click here to learn more and register. The group Chief Executive of investment firm Databank, Kojo Addae-Mensah, has revealed that the collapse of gold dealership firm Menzgold is having an effect on his firm. According to him, some investors have panicked into withdrawing their investment with Databank out of fear of losing their monies as a result of the experiences of menzgold customers. Speaking to Starr News, Mr. Addae-Mensah said Databank is embarking on confidence-building measure dubbed Time with the CEO to assure customers that their investment is safe with them. What happened was that after the menzgold issue, people were asking themselves where else they have investment and then they started withdrawing out of fear of losing it. We saw a spike in withdrawals. It was going up rather than the usual. This is out of the experiences they had elsewhere because they are unable to have access to their funds, he said. Customers of Menzgold have had their funds locked up since September last year after the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bank of Ghana ordered them not to be taking on new customers. The company has subsequently been shutdown while its CEO Nana Appiah Mensah is facing trial in Dubai after he was embroiled in a gold deal. Government has however given the assurance it will liquidate the properties of the company in order to refund customers their investment. Source: Starr News Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Gag clauses in EHR vendor contracts prevent the industry from adequately discussing and addressing EHR usability issues that pose risks to patient safety, according to cardiologist John Levinson, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Levinson argues that EHR usability issues are more than "a pain in the neck" for physicians they pose real risks to patient safety. He cites 2018 studies in Health Affairs and JAMA that link poor EHR usability to patient harm. "The problem is that some EHR vendors have such overwhelming market power that they insert gag clauses into their contracts with hospitals, ostensibly to protect their intellectual property. In effect, these vendors have prohibited the free exchange of information including discussion of safety-related issues," Dr. Levinson writes. "This can't continue." These challenges can be fixed, Dr. Levinson notes. "What's needed is open and uncensored medical literature allowing clinicians to publish our experiences, drugmakers and device manufacturers to learn how to improve their products, and healthcare providers to learn how to implement them better," he writes. Read the full column here. More articles on EHRs: Data breach exposes 45,000 Rush patients Microsoft discontinues Band wearable, health dashboard apps 4 notes on Lyft in healthcare Rush, an academic health system based in Chicago, recently released its financial results for the second half of 2018 and provided an update on an ongoing claims audit. Rush reported operating revenues of $1.28 billion in the six months ended Dec. 31, up from $1.19 billion in the same period of the year prior. The three-hospital system said its operating expenses were down 9.9 percent year over year in the second half of 2018. After factoring in a nonoperating expense of $37.43 million, Rush's total expenses exceeded revenues by $38.94 million. That's compared to the six months ended Dec. 31, 2017, when the system's revenues exceeded expenses by $91.5 million. In its recent financial filing, Rush disclosed additional details about an audit conducted by HHS' Office of Inspector General. An OIG report released in 2017 found Rush University Medical Center did not comply with Medicare billing requirements for certain rehabilitation claims submitted over a two-year period. As a result, Rush's Medicare administrator contractor recouped $10.3 million from the hospital in 2018, according to the financial filing. Rush disputed the OIG's findings and is continuing to work with the federal government to get the overpayment amount reduced. "RUMC has and will continue to appeal the OIG's determination on these claims and the amount of the recoupment through the appropriate administrative process," the hospital stated in the earnings release. "Any repayments recouped from or made by RUMC related to this two-year audit period would be offset by any recoveries determined appropriate for RUMC at the end of the appeals process." Rush also disclosed that it expects to repay an additional $10.8 million to resolve potential overpayments received over a four-year period. The system self-reported the information related to those claims to the federal government, a spokesperson told the Chicago Tribune. The system is working with the OIG to determine the exact repayment amount, according to the report. More articles on healthcare finance: How CHS, Tenet, HCA and UHS fared in Q4 Temple University Health System's operating loss narrows to $26.2M Oklahoma hospital operator ousted over 'immediate threat' to patient safety Patients who receive an unexpected bill from an out-of-network provider or from an out-of-network provider the patient didn't choose are more likely to switch from their preferred hospital, suggests a study published in Health Affairs. The study led by Benjamin Chartock, a PhD student in the healthcare management department at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania examined patients' hospital choices after receiving a surprise out-of-network bill in an elective situation. The study found that when mothers received a surprise out-of-network bill with their first birth,19.4 percent of them switched to another hospital for their second birth. Of new mothers who did not receive a surprise out-of-network bill with their first birth,16.4 percent switched to another hospital for their second birth. The study also found obstetric patients who switched hospitals after a surprise out-of-network bill had 56 percent lower relative risk of a second surprise bill compared to mothers who did not switch after receiving their first surprise bill. "These results highlight the harmful effects of surprise out-of-network bills, as patients are more likely to switch from their preferred hospital after receiving a surprise bill," the study authors concluded. "Patients would benefit significantly from laws protecting them from the damaging financial consequences of surprise out-of-network bills, including those incurred in elective situations." More articles on healthcare finance: Shifting to value-based approach best way to reduce health costs, says AMGA For-profit hospital stock report: Week of Feb. 25-March 1 California health data company's 138% stock jump a mystery to traders Financial rewards programs that pay patients if they receive care from lower-priced providers are effective at reducing healthcare spending, suggests a study published in Health Affairs. The study led by Christopher Whaley, an associate policy researcher at the Rand Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif. examined a rewards program implemented in January 2017 by 29 employers with 269,875 eligible employees and dependents. The rewards program was introduced by Health Care Service Corp., one of the nation's largest health plans, and applied to more than 130 elective services, such as MRI, CT scans and knee-replacement surgeries. Patients who received care from a designated lower-priced provider received $25 to $500, depending on the specific service and the relative price of the provider. In the first 12 months of the program, researchers found a 2.1 percent reduction in prices paid for services eligible under the program, according to the study. This led to $2.3 million in savings, or about $8 per person annually. Researchers said effects were largely in magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasounds. "This structure is appealing to employers because, compared to alternative programs such as high-deductible health plans or reference pricing, it encourages patients to price shop without exposing them to increased out-of-pocket spending," the study authors wrote. "It is also easier for employers to implement financial 'carrots' instead of 'sticks.'" More articles on healthcare finance: Shifting to value-based approach best way to reduce health costs, says AMGA For-profit hospital stock report: Week of Feb. 25-March 1 California health data company's 138% stock jump a mystery to traders El Segundo, Calif.-based Verity Health, which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August, completed the sale of two California hospitals on March 1, according to NBC Bay Area. In December, the bankruptcy court approved Santa Clara County's $235 million offer to buy O'Connor Hospital in San Jose and St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy from Verity. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a petition to suspend the sale in early January because Santa Clara County did not agree to conditions put in place in 2015 when private hedge fund BlueMountain Capital acquired six hospitals owned by Los Altos, Calif.-based Daughters of Charity Health System. The deal and name change to Verity were approved, subject to several conditions including that O'Connor Hospital and St. Louise Regional operate as acute care hospitals and offer emergency services for 10 years. The district court rejected Mr. Becerra's attempt to block the transaction, ruling that he did not have authority over the sale. The transaction, which also includes the purchase of an urgent care center, closed March 1. "This acquisition is truly a win-win for the community," Joe Simitian, president of the Santa Clara County board of supervisors, said in a statement to NBC Bay Area. "It prevents the closure of two critically important hospitals and ensures continued access to medical services for those who need it, regardless of ability to pay." More articles on healthcare industry transactions: CHS sells 4 South Carolina hospitals for $176M Beth Israel Deaconess-Lahey Health merger is official Illinois hospitals end merger talks A district court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Los Angeles-based Pacific Alliance Medical Center against its insurer for refusing to cover the hospital's $42 million False Claims Act settlement and costs related to a federal investigation, according to JD Supra. Seven things to know: 1. In 2013, a whistle-blower filed a lawsuit against PAMC under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The whistle-blower accused the hospital of having improper financial relationships with certain physicians and billing Medicare and California's Medicaid program for services provided to patients referred to the hospital by those physicians. 2. The court unsealed the complaint in December 2015, and the hospital and the whistle-blower reached a settlement agreement in February 2017. 3. In April 2017, the hospital submitted notice to its insurer, National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, seeking coverage of the costs associated with the federal investigation and that whistle-blower action. 4. The insurer denied coverage, stating the claims were in the 2015-16 coverage period, and that the hospital had failed to report them during that time. The hospital subsequently sued National Union. 5. The 2015-16 insurance policy covered "claims first made" during the policy period or within 90 days of the end of the policy period. The court determined that a claim is "first made" when the hospital initially becomes aware of it. 6. The hospital claimed it waited to give the insurer notice due to nondisclosure language in a subpoena cover letter from the Justice Department, but the judge was unconvinced by that argument, according to JD Supra. 7. The court held it was proper for National Union to deny coverage to PAMC because the hospital submitted notice of the claim outside of the coverage period provided by the policy. Access the full JD Supra article here. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: Anthem accused of sending massive checks to patients to force providers in network Former Mayo Clinic employee faces 10 felony charges for alleged theft 13 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements A lawyer for William Husel, DO, the former Columbus, Ohio-based Mount Carmel Health System physician accused of ordering potentially fatal painkiller doses for 35 near-death patients, said he is "immune from civil litigation" under state law, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Dr. Husel's lawyer, Greg Foliano, made the claim March 1 in response to a lawsuit filed by David Austin on behalf of his wife, Bonnie. Ms. Austin died Sept. 30 at Mount Carmel West hospital after Dr. Husel ordered large doses of fentanyl and the anti-anxiety drug Versed. The suit is one of 23 filed against the physician. Mr. Foliano argued Dr. Husel is immune to Mr. Austin's suit and all other civil suits due to a state law that says, "An attending physician, consulting physician, healthcare facility and healthcare personnel acting under the directing of an attending physician are not subject to criminal prosecution, are not liable in damages in a tort or other civil action and are not subject to professional disciplinary action," according to The Columbus Dispatch. The statute explains that physicians are protected under law as long as their actions are made "in good faith and in accordance with reasonable medical standards." Mount Carmel officials confirmed 35 patients died after receiving excessive medication doses ordered by Dr. Husel as far back as 2015. Mount Carmel fired Dr. Husel Dec. 5, and the State Medical Board of Ohio suspended his license Jan. 25. Hospitals of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Tennova Healthcare are no longer in UnitedHealthcare's provider network. However, Tennova physicians are still in the insurer's network, causing confusion for patients, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. Five things to know: 1. As of March 1, Tennova confirmed five of its hospitals were out of network with UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealthcare is one of Tennessee's largest Medicare Advantage insurers. 2. The hospitals must still provide emergency care to UnitedHealthcare policyholders, and the change does not affect the insurer's Dual Special Needs Plans. 3. Tennova said March 1 that it has been negotiating with UnitedHealthcare since February 2018. A spokesperson for the hospital system told the Knoxville News Sentinel that "accepting the rates United has proposed would threaten the long-term viability of our hospitals." 4. UnitedHealthcare blamed Tennova and its parent company, Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, for the dispute. A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson told the publication that the hospital systems "insisted on rate increases of nearly 20 percent over two years that would have made the average cost of care at its hospitals more expensive than all other hospitals in our network in the Knoxville market." 5. Still, both Tennova and UnitedHealthcare said they remain "committed" to striking a new contract for patients, according to the report. More articles on payers: Oscar Health's telemedicine use 5 times greater than health insurance average Older adults drawn to short-term health plans due to cost, survey finds Breast cancer care delayed for women in high-deductible plans, study finds Healthcare organizations are split on whether the White House should impose stricter regulations on healthcare accreditation bodies to limit conflicts of interest, reports The Wall Street Journal. The Trump administration is debating whether to continue approving accreditation groups that also operate consulting arms, which charge hospitals for their help to gain accreditation. CMS has also proposed rule changes that would prevent such financial arrangements in the accreditation market. The agency has received 120 public comments on the proposal over the last few months. The Joint Commission told CMS it uses a firewall between its accreditation services and a consulting subsidiary. "A firewall has been in place since 1987 and has been enhanced over the years to remain up to date with the structure and operations of the organizations," the accrediting body wrote in its comment to CMS. Other accrediting organizations, like the nonprofit URAC, are encouraging CMS to address financial arrangements between accreditors and healthcare facilities. "We believe these may also constitute a conflict of interest, as it may provide some with undue influence over the accreditation process," former URAC President and CEO Kylanne Green wrote in a comment letter to CMS. To view WSJ's full report, click here. More articles on clinical leadership & infection control: Amazon removes anti-vaccine content after congressman pens letter of concern FDA warns against robotic surgery for cancer due to safety concerns Study: Diagnostic accuracy improves with 'collective intelligence' Irish Manufacturing Research partnered with nTopology and Renishaw to streamline production of 3D-printed spinal implants, 3D Printing Media Network reports. Five things to know: 1. The partnership used Renishaws metal additive manufacturing capabilities, nTopologys design and optimization software and IMRs spinal implant design. 2. The titanium cervical spinal implant features a complex internal lattice structure generated by nTopologys platform. An implant with a lattice structure is lightweight, can be optimized to meet the required loading conditions and has a greater surface area, which aids osseointegration, Renishaws Medical and Dental Products Division Marketing Manager Ed Littlewood told 3D Printing Media Network. Therefore, [additively manufactured] implants can be designed to mimic the mechanical properties of bone, resulting in better patient outcomes. 3. The 3D-printed implants are customized to the patient. 4. Renishaw worked tirelessly with us on improving the AM process for producing the spinal implants, IMR Senior Research Engineer Sean McConnell told 3D Printing Media Network. Together, we designed a set of experiments that yield the most appropriate parameter settings for the product. As a result, we reduced the amount of post processing required on key features of the implants by a factor of ten. 5. In addition to collaborating with nTopology and IMR, Renishaw also teamed up with the University Dental Hospital of Wales in Cardiff to 3D-print custom maxillofacial implants and surgical guides. It seems that no matter what you do, Brexit gets in the way of everything. Take Aer Lingus parent IAG, whose shares started the week of its full-year 2018 results at 650p. News then emerged its new share structure to deal with EU ownership rules after Brexit will see it drop out of some global stock indices. This dragged the shares all the way down to 595p by last Wednesday. Then a stellar better-than-expected set of results, including from Aer Lingus, combined with a 700m special dividend raised the investor mood somewhat and by last Thursday evening the stock was at 599p. But the stock was still down nearly 8%, despite the strong results and dividend. At Aer Lingus the operating story gets better and better. Its focus on transatlantic expansion while acting as a hub for traffic from Europe to North America is really paying off. Operating profits were 305m last year, while return on invested capital at Aer Lingus is the highest in the group at 26%, compared to 13% at Iberia and 17% at British Airways. As the former state airline plans another 15 routes to North America, one unanswered question relates to its short-haul performance. No short-haul passenger figures are provided and one might ask whether it is a game the airline plans to stick with for the long haul. The future may be that low-cost airlines provide the capacity to the longer-haul hubs, like Dublin, for transatlantic journeys. Aer Lingus's new single-isle transatlantic aircraft can be maximised by using them on onward short-haul routes to Europe, opening up the opportunity to restore 'business class' on some European routes. Flying business class on a two-hour journey sounds like a waste of good money. But when it comes to most business executives, it is a waste of somebody else's money. Cha-ching for the airline - for now anyway. *** CRH, which owns Northstone in Dunmurry, chipped in a solid set of results for last year. Revenues for the year to the end of December rose by 6% to 26.79bn, while its group profits jumped by 31% to 2.521bn. And there was good news across several divisions, not least in the Philippines where CRH has struggled in recent years since pretty much inheriting a presence there after its major acquisition of businesses from Lafarge and Holcim. CRH has a joint venture with local group Aboitiz called Republic Cement, in a country run by strongman president Roderigo Duterte. The government announced a massive $100bn infrastructure spend, which is music to the ears of cement-makers. Duterte is building new motorways, bridges and airports. Unfortunately, for CRH the Philippines also began importing huge amounts of cement to meet demand. The response from CRH's joint venture has been to invest in new capacity and give out about the cheap imports. It seems to have worked. Last month, it got a result when the Department of Trade and Industry imposed a heavy duty on imported cement. CRH chief executive Albert Manifold had signalled last year there was some "light at the end of the tunnel" regarding the Philippines and the results for 2018 show higher volumes and better prices. However, higher fuel and power costs left operating profit "significantly behind 2017". The Manila Times wrote last year about how Duterte's 'Build, build, build' programme could turn into a 'Bust, bust, bust'. Indications were that only one-third of the budget allocated for infrastructure projects in 2017 was actually spent partially due to delays and a "lack of competent people". Time will tell. *** YOU have to hand it to John Teeling when it comes to spotting a business opportunity. From mining diamonds, gold and distilling whiskey, to a company that sold women's underwear, the former UCD lecturer has seen it all. He now reckons that cannabis is the next big gold rush and he is thinking about how to invest. He isn't alone. Since its legalisation in several countries and US states, cannabis has become big business. Canadian multinationals are sucking up rivals abroad and growing at home (so to speak) as the law has changed there too. Now Mexico is moving towards legalisation. Tobacco companies such as Philip Morris are holding off on making a big acquisition or investment, but food and drink businesses see opportunities from using some of the elements found in the plant as ingredients. Even Coca-Cola is considering a cannabis-infused range. Perhaps Teeling sees it as a long-term threat to drinking and the likes of the whiskey industry. When it comes to investing, Teeling has plenty of experience of the highs and lows. The returning emigrant behind the 12m redevelopment of Killeavy Castle estate in Armagh has returned home to unveil his hotel after a cash boost from First Trust bank. Entrepreneur Mick Boyle flew into Armagh from his adopted home of Australia ahead of the April opening of the development at the foot of Slieve Gullion. It includes the redevelopment of the Grade 1 listed castle building, a permanent events marquee and a new build 45-bed hotel and spa. In total, the site will employ 85 people. The site was bought by Mr Boyle and his wife Robin in 2013 for 1.9m and over the last two years, 90 contractors have completed extensive renovations. Mr Boyle said: "We want Killeavy Castle to be a world-class destination where people can escape the busyness of modern life and get closer to what's important." Gary Flynn, business acquisition manager at First Trust Bank said: "We are incredibly proud to have played a part in the restoration of Killeavy Castle. The exceptional attention to detail at every step of the project has resulted in the creation of one of the most stunning venues on the island of Ireland. "Mick's passion for south Armagh is infectious. It's clear he is committed to creating hospitality excellence and showcasing the beauty and charm of the local area on a global stage. "The castle itself still has so many of its quirky period features, sympathetically restored to its former glory." Jason Foody, general manager, said demand for the event space was already high. "There has been a great demand for our unique facilities with 50 events already booked in, from fairytale wedding ceremonies to glamorous receptions. "We have had enquiries from all over the world including the US and Asia, with people excited about visiting the estate and taking in the breathtaking scenery." Mr Flynn added: "It's great to see such a high-quality development of this kind enhancing our rural communities and is testament to the potential that is there to be harnessed. The spectacular hotel will be a source of pride for the local people." A Belfast company developing pioneering heart monitoring technology for everything from steering wheels to clothing has announced the capture of 4m from a fresh funding round. Biometrics firm B-Secur, which is based at the Catalyst tech hub in the Titanic Quarter, has earned a growing international reputation for its innovations. In January, the company unveiled new product Heartkey at the world's biggest tech event, CES in Las Vegas, where it garnered significant attention. B-Secur said the technology combines unique user identification with advanced physiological monitoring for health and wellness purposes, including medical grade heart rate, stress and fatigue monitoring, which it said can be applied to everyday situations such as driving a car, or for real-time health monitoring in the home. The company has already established partnerships to embed its technology into cars made by major motor manufacturers and wearable devices made by global tech firms. The second round of investment in B-Secur is from a syndicate including Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV) and Kernel Capital, manager of the Bank of Ireland Kernel Capital Growth Funds, both of which supported the firm's previous funding round. The Belfast company's workforce has grown from five to 35 in a year. Company chief executive Alan Foreman said he expected another 10 people to be recruited this year. B-Secur is also moving towards a new base in the San Francisco area. "Securing further investment at this critical stage recognises our rapid development over the past 18 months and the market relevance of B-Secur's technology," he said. "Most importantly, it's a strong indicator of B-Secur's growth potential on a global scale. "Heartkey's algorithms offer data protection for devices and vehicles. It also offers the added benefit of providing insights into an individual's physical wellbeing, which enables a wide range of life-enhancing or potentially life-saving benefits," he added. "We're at a really exciting stage for the business, we have forged very significant links with big name partners who recognise our technology's value and importance to their own product development and this investment will allow us to continue driving our ambitions for B-Secur forward." Tong Gu, investment lead at investors ADV, said: "When everyday wearables become medical grade devices, the importance of assuring who can access sensitive information is of the greatest importance. "B-Secur's Heartkey software enables any OEM (original equipment manufacturer) to achieve near medical grade heart monitoring and tracking capability coupled with unique authentication. "We're backing B-Secur for the second time because we truly believe in the product vision and the team." Kernel Capital partner Jayne Brady added: "Since our first investment with B-Secur we have been impressed by the drive and determination of the management team and their highly skilled technical experts who have worked hard to elevate this technology and to pair it with partners and applications which we believe will change how we live and work. "They are at an exciting stage and we are very proud to support them in taking their vision forward on a global scale." An Iceland supermarket is on the market An Iceland supermarket in Co Down has gone on the market for around 0.7m as an investment purchase. The store at Kenlis Street in Banbridge is let to the frozen food specialist for 10 years from May 2015 on an annual rent of 57,500. Iceland's tenancy is unaffected by the proposed sale. The lease includes an 'upward only' rent review every five years, and there is no break option. Joint selling agents Savills and Frazer Kidd, who are seeking offers of over 730,000, described the site as a "prime town centre investment". It's understood the seller is a private investor. In a joint statement, the agents said the store was in an attractive location: "Kenlis Street has recently been the subject of major public realm works funded by Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council in collaboration with the Department for Communities, providing a high-quality pedestrian connection between the recently constructed 1m bus facility which services Banbridge and the main commercial centre of Banbridge, Newry Street. "The public realm works included new high-quality natural stone block paving, a bespoke archway leading to the bus station, new efficient street lighting, modern tree planters and comfortable seating adjacent to the public art feature." The store measures just under 6,700 sq ft on a site measuring 0.42 acres with neighbouring retailers including Ground Espresso, Specsavers, Houseproud, New Look and DV8. The agents said with six years remaining on the lease, the site would provide "355,000 of secure income from a strong covenant with low risk indicators". KFC tycoon Michael Herbert is ramping up his housebuilding business as he prepares to launch nearly 70 luxury homes in Belfast in an investment worth a total of 40m. Under his Lesley Residential business, the fast food franchisee is building 35 family homes and 16 large apartments in Stormont and a further eight properties off Malone Road as well as six detached properties on the Hawthornden Road in Ballyhackamore - a total of 65. The businessman, well known for his office complexes named after his wife Lesley, told Business Telegraph that he is expanding his residential developments due to higher demand. "We have always worked on residential projects alongside commercial developments - even during the property market downturn," he said. "Heightened demand for housing in the Belfast area has led us to begin construction on numerous sites and in the case of Lesley Park Royal complete it in one phase as demand is exceptional." Mr Herbert's latest three projects include Lesley Grange in Hawthornden Road, Lesley Park Royal facing Stormont and Lesley Demesne in Dub Lane, south Belfast. All three will be released next week through the agent Templeton Robinson. Lesley Residential will complete all builds in one go. Lesley Park Royal - the larger of the three schemes - had originally been planned as a phased project. Mr Herbert explained: "The work put in by our dedicated research team allows us to identify and meet our customer needs, all whilst simultaneously raising the bar in terms of quality and value for money. "Unlike other developers, we include many extras at no extra cost, which might explain why every development we have completed has been sold out. "With my wife Lesley undertaking the interior design of our show houses, and daughter Alexandra contributing towards the external aspects of our developments, Lesley Residential is very much a family-run business. "The Lesley brand name symbolises excellence and any development to which it is attached can be guaranteed to be of unrivalled quality." Neil Templeton, of Templeton Robinson, described Lesley Park Royal as "the best housing site in Belfast". The release of the properties comes after Mr Herbert submitted plans to convert two Belfast office blocks into apartments. The "city centre living schemes" include 21 Fountain Street and Lesley Place on Ann Street under Kirk Bryson and Co Ltd, which counts Mr Herbert as a director. Mr Herbert said: "Since the end of the Troubles people want to live back in the city where there's activity and nightlife. There is demand for it." When solicitors negotiate legal documents, much ink can be spilt over how a discretion conferred upon one party by the other is to be exercised and what conditions can be attached. In the case of property-related documents such as commercial leases, a discretion is often conferred in relation to the giving of approval by one party to a proposed course of action by the other. Common examples include a tenant's wish to assign its lease or to carry out alterations to the property or to change its use. In such cases the lease will usually provide that the proposed course of action by the tenant cannot be carried out without the prior approval of the landlord, and the lease will state whether or not such approval may or may not be unreasonably withheld. The starting point traditionally adopted by lawyers is that unless the lease expressly states that the landlord must not unreasonably withhold his approval, then the landlord has an unfettered discretion and may withhold his approval for any reason or for none. Consequently the solicitor acting for the party conferring the discretion will fight hard to qualify the discretion by including the magic words "such approval not to be unreasonably withheld". These words allow the party a foot in the door to challenge in court the other party's refusal to give approval. Since the commencement of the Business Tenancies (NI) Order 1996, any qualifying lease of business premises entered into after 1997 which prohibits the tenant from assigning or subletting its premises or carrying out improvements without the consent of the landlord is subject to the statutory qualification that the consent is not to be unreasonably withheld, and the Lands Tribunal can be asked to rule on whether or not consent has been withheld unreasonably in any given case. But apart from that limited statutory intervention, what can come to the aid of a tenant whose lease contains a landlord consent requirement in the numerous other scenarios that can crop up during the life of a lease, such as carrying out alterations, changing signage, erecting external equipment or making planning applications? A recent English Court of Appeal case has given hope to those who have tried and failed to attach an express test of reasonableness to the exercise of discretions in commercial leases. The case of No.1 West India Quay (Residential) Ltd v East Tower Apartments Ltd (2018) concerned an application by a tenant to assign his luxury residential apartments in Canary Wharf held on 999-year leases. Each lease required the landlord's consent to be obtained before assignment could take place and in each case the landlord refused, citing as its reasons, amongst other things, that the tenant had not paid the landlord's legal costs or provided references for the prospective assignees to show that they were good for the annual service charge. On the particular facts of the case, the Court of Appeal held that the refusal of consent was reasonable but, importantly, in coming to that finding, the court stated that the exercise of a contractual discretion contained in a lease, in this case the power to approve or refuse an assignment, is to be judged by the same principles as the court judges the exercise by a public authority of a statutory discretion (the 'Wednesbury test'). In the case of a contractual discretion in a lease this means that where the lease requires the tenant to obtain the landlord's consent before taking a certain action, a term will be implied to the effect that the landlord, broadly, must act reasonably. Specifically, the landlord's decision may be challengeable on the grounds that the landlord failed to take the right matters into account in reaching the decision or, even if it did so, that the decision was so outrageous that no reasonable landlord could have reached it. This should, in principle, make it easier to legally challenge a landlord's refusal to grant consent. In such challenges evidence will be key. Tenants will seek full disclosure of all the internal notes and emails which may reveal whether the landlord had regard to all relevant matters and disregarded all irrelevant matters. Equally, landlords refusing consent will need to retain evidence that they did base their decisions on the relevant matters alone. Northern Ireland has made significant progress in addressing female economic empowerment, according to a report today. The province has moved from eighth position to fourth in the UK between 2010 and 2017 in the Women in Work Index, according to business advisory firm PwC. PwC also said that since 2000, the pay gap between what men and women earn here has reduced by 13 percentage points, and now stands at 9%. In contrast, the UK average is 18%. Northern Ireland also has the lowest female unemployment rate, according to PwC. In July to September 2018, the unemployment rate for women here was 2.8%. In the survey of 33 OECD countries, the UK has risen by one place - up to 13th. Five areas of female economic empowerment were assessed - the gender pay gap, female full-time employment and unemployment, female labour force participation and the gap between it and male labour force participation. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has attributed trends in pay levels to the larger proportion of women than men working in higher paid full-time jobs, and also the levels of public sector employment which tends to have smaller pay gaps and better female representation at senior levels. PwC Northern Ireland partner Janette Jones said: "Northern Ireland has shown significant improvement in driving female empowerment, which is critical to improve diversity and achieve gender equality but we cannot be complacent. "Though there are many policies aimed at delivering a more gender-balanced workplace, we know there is still a considerable amount to do. "Only 1% of eligible parents are taking up shared parental leave for example." Harry Eaves has been integral to the development of Rotapal The health service is facing an unprecedented crisis. Hospital waiting times are on the rise, lengthy trolley waits are becoming increasingly common and health officials are struggling to balance the books amid shrinking budgets. Now, more than ever, it is crucial for those in charge of the NHS to find and implement more efficient ways of running the service. A Belfast-based business is developing a system to help doctors manage their rotas that is aimed at cutting locum bills and making the best use of medical and administrative staff. Rotapal is a Cloud-based on-call rota communication and management system designed by doctors, for doctors. It crucially enables instant access to colleagues on calls, a platform to simply and efficiently build rotas, the power to swap shifts and plan leave in real time and the ability to conveniently plan for the future. Harry Eaves (26) came onboard to develop the idea to allow the two doctors who came up with the technology to concentrate on their medical practice. He says: "They identified an issue with the management of rotas. "The current system is paper-based and distributed by email, it's printed off and stuck on ward walls. "However, every time a rota is distributed, it becomes obsolete almost as soon as it has been sent out as people swap and change their working hours. "This, of course, generates problems. "There is confusion about who is working where and when. This means that health trusts have to bring locums in at the last minute to fill in when someone doesn't turn up. "The two doctors behind this couldn't find a solution on the market and that's when they came up with the idea for Rotapal and decided they would design it themselves." Harry has a Masters in business management from Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh and was brought in to take the product from inception to market. After a number of years, they are now at the stage where the system is on trial with the South Eastern Trust. The programme is currently being used by 600 doctors in Northern Ireland, England and the Middle East. Harry says the nature of the platform means that he has not had to dedicate time to marketing it. "Because it manages doctors within a team, you tend to find that if one doctor starts to use it the whole team ends up using it," he says. "Then as doctors rotate around they take the system with them as they move on to another unit or hospital. "It really markets itself quite organically although we have been supported by the Northern Ireland Medical Dental & Training Agency, which gave us a bit of promotion." As well as helping doctors to better manage their rotas, the system also helps non-medical staff make better use of their time. Harry adds: "The switchboard needs to know who is working and when, so they can transfer calls through. "At the moment, the rotas are collated on a daily basis. There are 90 clinical rotas in the Ulster Hospital in the South Eastern Trust so that indicates the scale of the operation. "Depending on the size of the hospital, they could be spending two hours a day updating rotas with all the changes. "Our platform provides real-time updates and takes away the need to spend all that time making sure the rotas are current. "We have designed something that improves the working lives of everyone involved. "It facilitates better communication, it improves patient safety and there is the potential for the NHS to make huge savings. "The health service spends a ridiculous amount of money on locums every year. "Obviously a lot of it is down to staff shortages, which we can't do anything about, but we estimate that a percentage is down to management of rotas. "Perhaps a doctor doesn't realise that he is double booked across two sites and a locum is required at the last minute. "We hope that our system can help to address that." In order to take the idea forward, they have recently secured 150,000 seed funding. They are also hoping to begin a number of pilot schemes in other trusts. He said the fact that two doctors are behind the idea of the system has ensured it has been developed with the health service in mind. "They are ideally placed to know what is required, what the problems are, and what can be put in place to address those issues," he says. The system has also been developed so it is extremely user friendly. "People can almost be afraid of new technology and having to learn how to use it but we have taken a simplistic approach so there really isn't a lot to learn," Harry adds. "We are very keen to work with doctors and trusts to make sure it meets the needs of the people who are using it. "It's been a huge ask making sure that we definitely know what users need and what their requirements are, and that we have built a platform that meets those requirements. "We want to look at it from a user perspective and how we can best improve things." As for Harry, he has experience working with start-ups. However, this is the first time he has taken a product from inception to market. Harry is a past-pupil of Sullivan Upper School in Holywood, and studied business management at Heriot-Watt. From the experience, he said he has discovered the importance of market research. "I would say it's crucial to get to know your customer," he says. You need to know their problems and then work with them to develop a solution based on their needs. "Without that you don't have a product, it's all about the product fitting the market. "I'm excited to be a part of something that has the potential to really make a difference to a lot of people." The Belfast-headquartered agri-nutrition company Devenish recorded a 20% rise in turnover last year. Devenish (NI) Limited yesterday published its consolidated financial statement for the 12 months to May 31, 2018. Turnover was 225m for the year, with operating profits rising from 2.8m to 3.6m. Pre-tax profits rose 9% to 1.7m. The new report reflected the steady worldwide growth of the group, which now employs just over 500 people, trading in over 40 countries. Devenish has manufacturing sites across Ireland, the UK, USA, Turkey and Uganda. It's also actively building a new factory in Mexico. The company has invested significantly in research and development, evolving into a leading provider of environmental, animal and human health solutions. Its latest financial report notes that Devenish completed a refinancing of its business in August 2018, which it said will underwrite its R&D programme and support its ongoing growth. It included 40m (34m) from the European Investment Bank, the largest ever support for an agri-business with operations in the Republic. In 2017 Devenish also acquired a 50% stake in a Turkish nutrition business Yem-Vit, providing a stepping stone into the Middle East and African markets. Devenish chief executive Richard Kennedy (left) said 2017-18 marked a significant year of growth: "These results reflect our strategy of building through continued reinvestment into researching, developing and commercialising animal nutrition solutions that address the challenges facing farmers and food producers today," he explained. "Our R&D investment is targeted at health, food and the promotion of sustainable farming, creating solutions that differentiates us in the marketplace." A 35- year old a local gin distiller at Assin Edubiase who had sexual intercourse with his two biological daughters in exchange for payment of their apprenticeship fee has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment in hard labour by a Cape Coast Circuit Court. Joseph Narh made sex a precondition for paying for the apprenticeship fees of his two daughters aged 17 and 15 who wanted to learn a trade. Prosecuting, Police Inspector Gilbert Anyongo told the court presided over by Mrs Dorinda Smith Arthur that the complainant, Mr Bismark Kwame Sarfo is a farmer and a linguist at Assin Edubiase who lives in the same vicinity with Narh. He said the victims names withheld went to Accra to look for jobs but returned home to learn a trade after two years ago. The Prosecution said upon their return the older girl opted to learn dressmaking while the younger settled for hairdressing. Inspector Anyongo said their father gave a condition that he would only pay for their apprenticeship fees if they agreed to have sex with him. He said Narh later succeeded and had sex with his two daughters before enrolling them in their trades. He said the father persistently continue to have sex with the elder daughter and any time she resisted, he subjects to severe beatings. The Prosecution said on Wednesday, January 22, 2019 at about 0630 hours, Narh, as usual, wanted to have sex with the elder victim but her refusal infuriated him and he beat her severely and bit her arm in the process. He said Abigail reported to work and her Madam at work noticed the mark on her arm and questioned her about it, she then narrated her ordeal to her Madam who advised her to report to the Police. Mr Ayongo on the same day, a complaint was lodged at Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service at Assin Fosu, where Narh was arrested. He said upon arrest, the convict admitted the offence in his caution statement and pleaded for forgiveness. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The rise in locally-produced crime fiction will be showcased at an event in Belfast this weekend. (stock picture) The rise in locally-produced crime fiction will be showcased at an event in Belfast this weekend. The Noireland festival at the Europa Hotel offers aspiring novelists the chance to pick up tips from established home-grown and international authors. It is one of the UK's premier events for bringing together big names in crime fiction, who will share their experience with those beginning their journey towards becoming a published author. Angela McMahon, the co-director of the festival, said the crime fiction scene has evolved over the past two decades. She said: In the mid 90s there were one or two crime writers coming out of Northern Ireland and the crime being written about was reflective of the Troubles but as time as gone by there has been a huge Renaissance in crime fiction and within Northern Ireland some brilliant names have been coming forward. Irish people love crime fiction and I think that has encouraged people to start writing their own. We are lucky in that we have some world class writers who have been picking up awards and best sellers and for the size of Northern Ireland that is extraordinary. Northern Ireland has become quiet an interesting place to write about but more than that, the crime fiction world is evolving but we are also looking outward and I think that is what Noireland is trying to do. We are saying, this is what is going on in Northern Ireland but we are also bringing people over here and have a really interesting mix of crime writers from right across the world. Belfast-based solicitor Steve Cavanagh is among relatively new names making huge waves in the crime fiction scene. Cavanagh wrote his first book The Defence in 2015 which was later followed by the Gold Dagger award-winning The Liar and the critically acclaimed Thirteen. He said: I always loved crime fiction and writers like Lee Child, John Connelly and Michael Connelly were my inspiration and was amazed to learn that Lee Child who writes the Jack Reacher books isnt American at all. That made me wonder if maybe I could do that because there were so many brilliant writers writing about Northern Ireland. There are a varied number of writers from Northern Ireland who are writing America based thrillers Writers are all very supportive of each other, none of us is in competition with each other and that is important and it is important to share our experiences with people who are interested in writing crime fiction. It is hard to get an agent, I had around 40 rejection but once I had an agent I had no problem getting a publishers so keeping going is the important thing. Finn Og is a Co Down-born fledgling writer hoping to follow in the footsteps of Cavanagh and other successful local crime writers. He is writing the third in a trilogy of crime novels about a lone wolf called Sam who confronts very 21 century crimes such as people trafficking while dealing with his own human frailties in a hard hitting, no punches spared, page turner of a book. He said: I went to Noireland last year and sat at the back of the room just listening to what other writers had to say. It makes you feel you are not on your own and I was inspired to write about all the really horrific things I had witnessed in places around the world but to set them in the context of a novel that people will hopefully want to read. Brian McGilloway, author of the hugely successful Inspector Devlin and Lucy Black series, set in the wider North West area of Northern Ireland, penned his first novel, Borderlands in 2002 which took five years to get published. He thinks the seeming unquenchable appetite for crime fiction by Northern Ireland writers has not gone unnoticed by publishers who are now showing a level of enthusiasm which was sadly lacking previously. McGilloway said he was inspired by a post Good Friday Agreement Northern Ireland and the idea of a story based here that wasnt Troubles-related. He said: "One of the things that encouraged me to start writing was having someone like Ian Rankin who was writing about modern day Edinburgh and having success from it and again with John Connelly who was someone from Dublin and was able to write these fantastic thriller. That inspired me to think, if someone can set a crime novel in Edinburgh, then someone can set a crime novel in Strabane or Derry. I think it is fantastic that publishers are now seeking out Northern Ireland because for a long time there was a real resistance from publishers in sending anyone here. When Borderlands came out in 2007, Declan Burke had set up a blog about Irish crime writing and he had a list of about 15 Irish crime writers and his list now is about 200. There has certainly been an explosion in Northern Ireland and it all good - I think this will only encourage more people to try writer and the more the merrier. David Torrans owner of No Alibis Book store in Belfast who has been credited as a leading force in creating the environment that has helped create so many successful and aspiring crime writers believes there is still more to come. He said: I think there will be a continuation but I would like to see more female writers because there seems to be a bit of an imbalance in the North but that is steadily changing. I think it definitely will happen because while there are lots of fine male crime writers out there who try and encompass the idea of gender and what it means within crime fiction but we want to hear female voices. People like Sharon Dempsey, Clare McGowan and Kelly Creighton are all authors who write about this place who are all new authors that I would love to hear more from. Historically it is the female voices on so many levels that have actually been one who have paved the way. I dont think there is a gender barrier in crime fiction but I think we need to get more of them writing in that fashion but I do think that will happen. The full programme details can be viewed at www.noireland.com An anti-abortion group is planning to hold a protest outside a Co Tyrone school during a visit by Irish President Michael D Higgins. Mr Higgins will be visiting St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon on Thursday for the opening of a new 27m school building and the Tyrone Pro-Life Network said they will be protesting the event due to the Republic's "pro-abortionist" stance. In December last year, Michael D Higgins signed into law new legislation legalising abortion in the Republic, following a vote to repeal the eighth amendment to constitution in May. Read More Spokesperson for the Tyrone Pro-Life Network, Catherine Sewell, said the group will be praying the rosary outside the school gates as part of the protest. "Higgins is the nominal head of a State that is actively trying to remove all traces of the Catholic Church ethos from schools and hospitals across the south of Ireland," she said. "It is totally inappropriate that he should be opening a Catholic school in the north or that the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland should be seen to welcome him in any way." St Patrick's Academy was formed in 2003 following a merger of the St Patrick's boys and girls schools. A former principal of the boys school was renowned civil rights campaigner Fr Denis Faul. Ms Sewell said the Irish President's visit would be a "insult" to Fr Faul's memory. "Fr Denis Faul, a former principal of the school, was a giant of the pro-life cause and one of the most strident opponents of abortion that one could ever meet," she said. Read More Last month, the pro-life group planned to protest a Sinn Fein advice clinic in a Co Tyrone church hall which was later cancelled. In June last year, they also picketed outside the constituency office of party leader Michelle O'Neill over Sinn Fein's stance on liberalising abortion laws in Northern Ireland. St Patrick's Academy has been contacted for a comment. Diana Award nominations are open until March 29 for young people aged 9-25 years. For more information, visit www.diana-award.org.uk/nominate Daniella Timperley and mother Marie from Randalstown in Co Antrim A Co Antrim teenager who helps to raise awareness about domestic violence has been chosen as one of the new faces of the Diana Award. The prestigious honour was started in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales and recognises the humanitarian work of inspiring young people from all over the world. Daniella Timperley (18), from Randalstown, received her Diana Award in November after volunteering at a women's refuge. She is now joining 11 other outstanding young people for a campaign which will celebrate the initiative's 20th anniversary. "It's been an amazing experience meeting all the other people in the campaign from all over the world," she told the Belfast Telegraph. "It was actually my head teacher in St Louis Grammar in Ballymena who asked to nominate me for the award last year. "I did work experience and met victims of domestic violence in a women's refuge. "Meeting people who experienced that really inspired me to learn more about it." Since 2016, Daniella has also represented Women's Aid on the BBC Children in Need Youth Panel and has made two educational films with other young people to raise awareness in schools. She said: "The first film was about education around domestic violence. "To recognise the signs of someone going through it at home, but feeling too afraid to speak out about it. "The second video focused on helping people spot the signs of emotional abuse, and that it can be just as bad as physical abuse." She added: "The response has been amazing. It's such an important issue for people to hear about. "I've been told that people have actually come forward for help as a result of watching the films. "Even if it helps just one person, then it's been worth it." Currently preparing for her A-levels, Daniella hopes to study broadcast production at Queen's University, Belfast. Tessy Ojo, who is CEO of the Diana Awards, said: "The stories of the 12 young people leading this campaign demonstrate that young people are a driving force for good and have incredible power to create change. "This is reinforced by new research revealing that, despite negative perception, the vast majority of young people want to make a positive impact on society. She added: "We urge communities from across the globe to visit our website and tell us about young people who deserve to be recognised with the Diana Award." Holly Gray, who is the community investment manager for British Airways, said: "We are delighted to partner with the Diana Award as they kick off their 20th anniversary year and continue their work in recognising and inspiring the next generation of young leaders. She added: "We are proud to support projects and individuals who make a positive, lasting impact in their communities and are very much looking forward to welcoming the deserving winners on board as they travel to London for the awards ceremony." Diana Award nominations are open until March 29 for young people aged 9-25 years. For more information, visit www.diana-award.org.uk/nominate Attorney General Geoffrey Cox and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay are to hold fresh talks in Brussels in a renewed effort to secure changes to the Northern Ireland backstop. Downing Street has said negotiations are at a critical stage as Theresa May presses for concessions from the EU that will persuade MPs to back her Brexit deal in next weeks expected crunch Commons vote. Conservative Brexiteers are demanding guarantees the UK cannot be tied indefinitely to EU rules through the backstop, intended to ensure there is no hard border on the island of Ireland in the absence of a future free trade agreement. However, French president Emmanuel Macron signalled he would firmly resist any measure that might diminish the security and integrity of the EUs external border and internal market. He also accused Brexiteers of lying about the consequences of leaving the EU and suggested Britain would end up being part of a reformed Europe in the future. No 10 refused to be drawn on Monday on a report that Mr Cox had dropped attempts to secure either a time limit or a unilateral exit mechanism in the face of entrenched opposition from the EU. Expand Close Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay (left) and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox are to hold fresh talks in Brussels (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay (left) and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox are to hold fresh talks in Brussels (Stefan Rousseau/PA) However, Mr Cox poured cold water on the claims describing then as misunderstood fag ends dressed up as facts. Some of it is accurate, much more of it isnt and what is not is far more significant than what is, he wrote on Twitter. Complex and detailed negotiations cannot be conducted in public. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said the negotiations were definitely making progress but that there definitely remains more work to be done. Meanwhile, the so-called Cash Council of pro-Brexit Tory MP lawyers named after arch Euro-sceptic Sir Bill Cash said they would make a judgment on whether to vote an agreement once they had seen the details. The DT reporting of the last 24 hours consists of misunderstood fag ends dressed up as facts. Some of it is accurate, much more of it isnt and what is not is far more significant than what is. Complex and detailed negotiations cannot be conducted in public. Get Outlook for iOS Geoffrey Cox QC MP (@Geoffrey_Cox) March 4, 2019 Council member Michael Tomlinson said any document would have to meet the requirements of the Brady amendment, passed by the Commons in January, which called for alternative arrangements to replace the backstop. There are no documents for us to examine at this stage, but we look forward to seeing in due course what the Attorney has agreed, so that we may assess whether it meets the requirements of the Brady amendment, which commanded a majority in the House of Commons and calls for significant, legally-binding changes to the Withdrawal Agreement, Mr Tomlinson said following the first meeting of the group at Westminster on Monday. We support the Prime Minister in seeking treaty-level changes, but pre-judging or speculating at this stage wont help the re-negotiating efforts. The council has asked to be given all of the relevant documents in good time to consider them properly, in order to form a judgment in advance of a vote. Our primary objective is a proper analysis. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Mr Macron tore into Brexiteers on Monday, saying anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything. He said: Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? Who spoke to them about losing access to the European market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the former border? Nationalist retrenchment offers nothing. Indicating he will stand firm on the backstop, he said: Our borders also need to guarantee fair competition. What power in the world would accept continued trade with those who respect none of their rules? We cannot suffer in silence. A council has agreed to relax is spending limit for attending events after controversially paying 1,500 for a table at a DUP dinner. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council previously had a spending cap of 500 on attending events, however councillors have now decided to remove the limit, reports The Irish News. Senior staff will now be able decide on such payments without seeking councillors' approval. Read More The Northern Ireland Audit Office found the council had broke its own rules in attending the 2017 event in Ballymena hosted by Ian Paisley. The Electoral Commission is also investigating the issue. The revised policy was approved at a full meeting of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council on Monday night. SDLP councillor Declan O'Loan said: "I am shocked and saddened that the council could adopt a policy on attending gala dinners with much less transparency, no spending limit, and giving officers the power to attend dinners without reference to the council." Sinn Fein councillor Patrice Hardy said the decision shows a "blatant disregard and disrespect" for ratepayers. "This leaves us in dangerous territory. Elected members are the decision makers. We need greater transparency so that the ratepayers know what their money is being spent on," she added. A council spokesperson said: Mid and East Antrim Borough Council takes its responsibilities in relation to financial prudence and accountability very seriously. "As with any expenditure, decisions taken under this policy, will be subject to extensive and fully auditable scrutiny, both internally and externally. Our robust and extensive compliance mechanisms ensure efficient, effective and transparent governance across all council functions. The Audit Office report said that: "As an innovative and ambitious organisation, Council wants to ensure opportunities for networking and promotion of Mid and East Antrim can be secured." RHI caused huge fallout in 2017 when it emerged the scheme paid out more in subsidies than the cost of fuel The DUP has broken its silence on the drastic cuts to the RHI scheme tariffs - which were guaranteed by party leader Arlene Foster - saying it was important "fairness and balance" was achieved for those on the botched green energy scheme. When asked whether the party supported Ian Paisley's stance of pledging to lobby Government over the "grossly unfair" tariff cuts, a DUP spokesperson did not directly address the question. Last week, the Department for the Economy proposed severe tariff cuts for boilers under the botched green energy scheme, which led to the collapse of Stormont in January 2017. DUP MP Ian Paisley said: "I certainly believe that the current regime as outlined and the current proposals in Parliament are grossly unfair." Read More He said his party would be meeting with Government officials over the issue ahead of Secretary of State Karen Bradley fast-tracking legislation in parliament to reduce the payments. In order to encourage more people to take up the scheme, the then Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster, pledged the tariffs would be "grandfathered, providing certainty for investors by setting a guaranteed support level for projects for their lifetime in a scheme, regardless of future reviews". When asked whether a DUP supported Mr Paisley's position, a party spokesperson said the proposed cuts "are the work of the Department for the Economy". "We were given very late notice of the plan to legislate for these reductions," it added. "We have sought information as to why the cut is not in line with what is happening in Great Britain, particularly given State Aid rules apply across the UK. Our party are engaged in meetings to ascertain the current factual situation. "It is important that the facts of the situation are established and that fairness and balance is achieved for both the taxpayer and those in the RHI scheme who have genuinely observed the scheme criteria. The proposed new tariffs for the most common type of boiler on the scheme would drop from around 13,000 to 2,000 a year, leading to fears it could put many farmers out of business. Users in the Republic and Britain receive around 20,000 per boiler each year, whereas the proposed plans for here will see RHI users receive just 2,000. On Monday, the Renewable Heat Association Northern Ireland, which represents many claimants under the scheme, served an injunction on Secretary of State Karen Bradley to stop her tabling the tariff-reduction legislation. The Ulster Farmers' Union met with DfE last week to raise concerns that proposed tariff cuts could "decimate" businesses and cause "permanent damage" to the farming sector. RHI caused huge fallout in 2017 when it emerged the scheme paid out more in subsidies than the cost of fuel, resulting in an overspend of 460m - to be paid by the taxpayer. The scandal led to the resignation of Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and calls for First Minister Arlene Foster to resign, as she had signed off on the botched scheme as Enterprise Minister in 2012. A public inquiry into the scheme is expected to publish its report later this year. A DUP MP has said proposed tariff cuts to the Renewable Heat Incentive are "grossly unfair" and pledged to lobby the UK Government on behalf of participants in Northern Ireland. Ian Paisley's comments come after the Department for the Economy (DfE) proposed severe tariff cuts for boilers operating under the botched green energy scheme. Read More The cash-for-ash scandal brought down Stormont in January 2017 due to the DUP's handling of RHI, where costs spun out of control due to overly generous tariffs. The Renewable Heat Association Northern Ireland (RHANI) yesterday served an injunction on Secretary of State Karen Bradley in a bid to stop her fast-tracking legislation in Parliament tomorrow to reduce the tariffs. The legislation is necessary to cut tariffs to ensure the continuation of the scheme while capping costs. It is understood RHANI has been invited to a meeting with senior officials in the Secretary of State's office. It has requested that senior officials from the lending banks should also attended. The proposed new tariffs for the most common type of boiler on the scheme would drop from around 13,000 to 2,000 a year, leading to fears it could put many farmers out of business. Mr Paisley said many RHI owners feel that they have been "taken advantage of". "I certainly believe that the current regime as outlined and the current proposals in Parliament are grossly unfair," he added. "The Government has a responsibility to listen carefully to the points that are being made. "They (RHANI) are perfectly entitled to take legal action and that would affect what Parliament does in the interim, so I can understand why they are taking that action. "My view is that these proposals to cut the tariffs have been bounced on them and bounced on everyone. The cut is incredibly severe, not in line with what has happened in the Republic of Ireland or in the rest of the UK. "Why should Northern Ireland people, because of the history of RHI, be treated differently from how the RHI works elsewhere?" He said the DUP had a series of meetings with officials yesterday and will have further meetings today in advance of the Government bringing forward the legislation. He added: "We will continue to make the case for what is fair treatment of RHI users. These are genuine users, people who have followed all of the guidelines, did everything by the book and are now being punished and punished wrongfully." The Ulster Farmers' Union met with DfE last week to raise concerns that proposed tariff cuts could "decimate" businesses and cause "permanent damage" to the farming sector. Users in the Republic and Britain receive around 20,000 per boiler each year, whereas the proposed plans for here will see RHI users receive just 2,000. Local poultry producer Tom Forgrave said yesterday the cuts would be ruinous for many businesses who joined the scheme in good faith. He wrote: "When the proposed tariffs come into effect in April 2019, the RHI payments in Northern Ireland will be slashed to 2,000 per year, but all our current running costs and bank repayments remain the same. "The fact that the Renewable Heat scheme has become so interwoven with our overall business means that our entire business is now in jeopardy and facing ruin." RHI led to the resignation of then Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness when it became clear the scheme exposed the taxpayer to a huge overspend of 460 milloin by paying out more in subsidies than it cost to buy fuel. Sinn Fein had called for the resignation of then First Minister Arlene Foster, who was the Enterprise Minister who signed off on the disastrous scheme in 2012. The scandal led to a public inquiry, which is expected to publish its report later this year. The former Northern Ireland MP and SDLP leader Mark Durkan said he received the blessing of the Hume family ahead of his move to Fine Gael - but told the current leader on Monday, the day it was announced. The Derry man was speaking to BBC Radio Foyle on Tuesday morning a day after his shock announcement he is to run in the European elections for the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's party. He said he remained committed "heart and soul" to the SDLP, and would always support it. He also did not rule out contesting elections under an SDLP banner once again. In an often tense exchange, he said he hoped to offer representation to the people of Northern Ireland in Europe after Brexit. The veteran politician who played a key role in the Good Friday Agreement talks said he wanted to ensure that the historic 1998 peace accord was at the forefront of negotiations between the EU and UK for future trading arrangements. He said he had a lot of well-wishers offering support for his decision. He said Pat Hume, wife of former SDLP leader John, had known about his decision for some time and had not indicated any issue with the move. "My feeling on this is that I have her personal blessing," he added. "She understands the context of this.. she knows me well enough to know I am no less SDLP having taken this decision. Don't try to suggest there is a problem between Pat and myself." He refused to say exactly when he took the decision saying there was no talks last October at an event with the Taoiseach but the matter had been put to him before Christmas, admitting he had not thought about it beforehand and that it he felt it a surprise move to make at the time. He said ultimately he took the decision as it offered him the opportunity to "safeguard" the Good Friday Agreement. He said - as an author of the Good Friday Agreement - the UK's departure from the EU was something which represented a threat to "everything that was negotiated" in the historic 1998 peace accord. Expand Close SDLPs John Hume and Mark Durkan take a break in Derry in 2005 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp SDLPs John Hume and Mark Durkan take a break in Derry in 2005 On telling SDLP leader Colum Eastwood on Monday about the move, on the same day it was announced, he said he was wished well on the move and told it was a "good idea". He said it wasn't a difficult conversation. He said had he made the announcement during the SDLP's process of confirming its link-up with Fianna Fail, it would have been seen as "interfering". "It is only in more recent times whenever questions over Brexit and where we are going and all those implications were there I made the decision. I had the choice of making this decision." He added: "I have no problem whatsoever with the SDLP partnership with Fianna Fail. I have made it very clear I believe the policy partnership is something that can really add value and can be something that is valid and legitimate response to the pressures of Brexit." Addressing the shock some of the Derry public gave to his move, he said he had a long history of working with other parties in the Republic. "I am not running against the Irish Labour Party, I am not running against Fianna Fail, I am certainly not running against the SDLP," he said. "I am heart and soul SDLP in everything I have done and stood for." He said when he was SDLP leader he had advocated for a "realignment of Irish politics" but that sentiment had not been found in other parties. The former Northern Ireland Executive Minister did not rule out running for the SDLP in future elections and rounded on his interviewer for not asking him questions on Brexit issues and the uncertainties around the UK's departure from the bloc. "Those are issues I have to think about because I am serious about these issues.. whether you like it or not. "But I stand by exactly everything I have stood for when I helped negotiated the Good Friday Agreement and when I have tried to see it properly implemented." Mrs Cynthia Morrison, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has said Ghana is making headway in its quest to protect the child. She said the country, since the ratification of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC) has strengthened its laws to protect children. Mrs Morrison was speaking at the launch of the 30 years of the UN CRC in Accra. She said the Domestic Violence Act and Human Trafficking Act, as well as other related policies, are meant to complement the CRC to protect the rights of children. The CRC was signed and adopted by the Member States of the United Nations on November 20, 1989, and has become the world most ratified treaty which sets out basic, universal standards for every human being. Ghana became the first country to adhere to the CRC by ratifying the convention on January 29, 1990. Mrs Morrison said Ghana in 1989 synchronized its previously existing child care legislation to conform to the CRC and created the Childrens Act 1989, Act 560. She said since then a number of legislative and policy frameworks which include a child-rights based approach such as Child and Welfare Policy, National Justice for Children Policy, Inclusive Education Policy, Trafficking Act, Juvenile Justice Act (568), Adolescent Health Service Policy and Strategy and Expanded Programme on Immunization Policy among others, have been drafted and enacted. Mrs Henrietta Fore, United Nations International Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director, in a message to the participants, said Ghana has shown the world how to make the CRC real by reducing mortality for children and mothers; getting more children into school and by reducing the number of girls getting married before 18 years. She said UNICEF has been proud to walk the path with their partners in Ghana where many children dont have access to clean water and sanitation and too many still face the barrier of poverty, discrimination and inequality. Mrs Fore said for the next 30 years Ghana must continue moving from advocacy to realizing childrens rights adding that such rights can open opportunities and give children the tools to shape their futures. She said in the first decade of life, there is the need to scale-up early childhood development programmes like nutrition, stimulation and protection, whilst in the second decade, Ghana must give young people the education, entrepreneurial and digital skills they need for the world of work. The UNICEF Executive Director said: As we look back at 30 years of the CRC, lets look forward to the next 30 years, realise these rights, transform these rights into opportunities and solutions for every child and young person in the country. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former SDLP leader Mark Durkan has pledged to be a voice for Northern Ireland in Europe after Brexit as he launched a surprise bid to take a seat for Fine Gael in the May elections. In an unexpected move, Mr Durkan has joined Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's party just weeks after the SDLP announced a partnership with southern rival Fianna Fail. The fallout from that decision saw a number of key figures resign from leadership positions within the SDLP, including South Belfast MLA Claire Hanna. Now the party faces another high-profile departure with Mr Durkan's decision to run for the European Parliament in Dublin. The 58-year-old has been a member of the SDLP since 1981, taking over the party leadership from John Hume in 2001 before standing down in 2010. He briefly served as Deputy First Minister alongside Ulster Unionist David Trimble. The former MP for Foyle lost his Westminster seat to Sinn Fein's Elisha McCallion in 2017. Speaking in Dublin yesterday, Mr Durkan said he will suspend his SDLP membership in order to run as a Fine Gael candidate alongside former Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald. He added: "Obviously, going forward, I will be putting on a Fine Gael vest but I will not hide my SDLP jersey underneath." Mr Durkan said he wants to be part of a "strong team Ireland that stands for decency". "Given my own deep involvement in negotiating the Good Friday Agreement, I would really welcome the opportunity to contribute in that context in the European Parliament," he said. "The Taoiseach is following through on his statement last year that Northern Ireland citizens will not be left behind. "This is a big ask for the people of Dublin, but as we see a huge disenfranchisement in Northern Ireland, the promises of rights that were framed in the Good Friday Agreement stand in deficit at the minute. "In the broadest sense, I hope the people of Dublin look at this as an election of the greatest national importance. "I hope this is a green jersey day with a strong turnout to send a message to Brexiteers that the Irish people as a whole value the EU in a fundamental way." Mr Durkan, who is married to Jackie and has one child Dearbhail, added: "I'm not going to pretend I'm not a Derry person, and I'm not going to pretend that my family and I won't continue to live there." In a statement, the SDLP said: "Mark Durkan provided the people of Derry with a first-class public service for decades. "He is a first-class parliamentarian and his regrettable absence on the benches of Westminster has not gone unnoticed by parties and communities alike. "We wish him well in the upcoming European election. "Ireland can only benefit from having Mark Durkan back on a parliament bench." However, Fianna Fail's branch in Derry said in a tweet it was "extremely disappointed" at the move by a man of Mr Durkan's calibre. "Fianna Fail and the SDLP are the future on this island, Mark," it said. Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson was also critical of the decision. She tweeted: "Not only has former leader Mark Durkan jumped ship from the SDLP, he is also walking away from any prospect of securing democratic European representation for northern citizens after Brexit." Mr Durkan follows in the footsteps of former SDLP member Austin Currie in running for Fine Gael. Mr Currie was a TD in Dublin West and presidential election candidate. Mr Varadkar said his decision to invite Mr Durkan to run as a candidate was for the political future of the island. "I don't want the people of Northern Ireland to have no voice or representation in Europe, I don't want them ever left behind again," he added. Media commentator Jude Collins has apologised after coming under fire for his disparaging comments about Alliance leader Naomi Long. On his blog Mr Collins wrote that the first thing he noticed when Mrs Long appeared on television was her "weight problem". The long-time journalist speculated that she may be suffering from a medical condition. Responding on Twitter, the East Belfast MLA said that Mr Collins had "no right to speculate" about her health. She said the comments were also evidence "of his misogyny as well as his lack of manners". Read More Yesterday Mr Collins apologised for his "crassness" and removed the comments from his blog. Mrs Long has received support from across the political spectrum. Unionist commentator Alex Kane praised her for her "excellent response". He tweeted: "She and I would differ on many things, but we've always enjoyed a civil and friendly relationship. The key to commentary is knowing where to draw the line." Loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson added: "These comments from Jude Collins are vile and utterly disgraceful. "I disagree with Naomi Long robustly on most issues but it is absolutely pathetic for a man to resort to targeting a woman's appearance in some point scoring exercise." Politicians were quick to offer support on social media, while slamming Mr Collins for "fat shaming". SDLP councillor Mairia Cahill described Mr Collins' remarks as "an absolute disgrace", tweeting: "He has form for this sewer rat stuff, but really, he should just stop typing. He has nothing to offer society, only deliberate provocation. This is not free speech, it is hate speech." People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll branded Mr Collins "the lowest of the low". He added: "Nobody should be subject to comments about their weight/looks/appearance when it comes to politics." In a blog post yesterday Mr Collins said a "multitude of people" had contacted him over his "obnoxious" comments. He wrote: "I've gone back and looked at what I said and I can see that what I wrote could well have been hurtful to Naomi." He removed the offending paragraph from his blog, saying he had "no hesitation in apologising to the Alliance leader for my crassness and any hurt this may have caused her. I hope she will accept that apology". He added: "The more general point that I clumsily tried to make, that the audio-visual media and television in particular pay a lot of attention to image as well as sound, remains undeniable." However, Mr Collins said he was not attempting to deflect blame, and accepted responsibility for his words. "I'd emphasise that the above isn't an attempt to slide away from my regret over my paragraph on Naomi. That was bad judgement and bad taste, and I shouldn't have written it. Mea culpa," he added. Mrs Long has yet to respond to the apology, but yesterday her husband councillor Michael Long said: "Every day I watch people write the most horrific and disgusting comments about Naomi and a whole range of other politicians. "It seems that it is OK to say whatever you want about politicians and to hell with their feelings or the feelings of their friends and families. "Well it isn't." The charges related to the hijacking of a vehicle in Londonderry on Monday. A man have been charged with a number of offences by detectives investigating the hijacking of a vehicle in Londonderry. The 26-year-old has been charged with common assault, driving whilst unfit and using a motor vehicle without insurance. The charges relate to a report of the theft of tools and the hijacking of a vehicle in Londonderry on Monday. He is due to appear at Londonderry Magistrates Court on Wednesday 6th March. As is normal procedure all charges will be reviewed by the PPS. A 35-year-old man had previously been charged in relation to this incident and was due to appear at Londonderry Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Garda arrested two men, one in his 20s and one in his 30s, at 1.45pm on Tuesday at Muff, Co.Donegal. They appeared at Letterkenny District Court on Tuesday charged in relation to the unauthorised taking of a vehicle. A man required hospital treatment after a racially motivated assault in north Belfast on Sunday morning. Police have appealed for information after a report of an assault in the Ligoniel Road area. Shortly before 11:15am, it was reported that a man in his 30s was assaulted by two unknown men in the area. The victim received a cut to both his head and above his eye following the incident. The men are believed to have made off towards the Crumlin Road area. Enquiries are continuing and at this stage, we are investigating this incident as a racially motivated hate crime," Sergeant Tierney said. The males are described as being 58 in height, having shaved heads and wearing dark jackets and jeans. We would appeal to anyone who witnessed the incident or who has any information which may assist with our enquiries to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 500 3/3/19. "Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime." A man waved a white handkerchief on a stick after soldiers shot an unarmed man in the back and a grandmother in the face, an inquest has heard. John Maguire recalled the shooting of Joan Connolly (44) and Danny Teggart (44) outside Henry Taggart Army base on August 9, 1971 as he gave evidence at an inquest for the 10 victims of the Ballymurphy massacre yesterday. The 84-year-old said he was walking to a pub on the Springfield Road at around 7pm on August 1971 when he saw a "mini riot" further ahead. "We stopped - then soldiers started shooting," he said. The pensioner recalled how he and his four friends took cover in waste ground - formerly the site of a Presbyterian Manse - opposite the base. "Daniel Teggart tried to run, but he didn't get too far," he recalled. "He fell to the ground about 10 yards away; he was shot in the back and must have died instantly - he was definitely not armed." The elderly witness recalled hearing mother-of-eight Joan Connolly say "I can't see" after she was shot in the face. "She said it again, but her voice was much weaker," he said. "She must have lost consciousness then." Mr Maguire, who took cover behind a pillar with a number of other men, told the inquest his friend "tied a hanky to a stick and waved it" before an army vehicle drove into the middle of the field. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Riots : Belfast. January 1971. Soldiers frisking passengers and driver of a car on the Springfield Road, near Ballymurphy. (14/01/1971) Riots: Belfast. August 1970. Soldiers shelter behind their riot shields during rioting at Ballymurphy. (04/08/70) Riots : Belfast. August 1970. The common sight in the Roman Catholic estate at Ballymurphy, Belfast, as young rioters attack the army with missiles during the troubles. (04/08/70) Ballymurphy: troops stand by at the junction of Springfield and Whiterock Roads (20/09/1970) Riots : Belfast. January 1971. Catholic housing estate, Ballymurphy. (15/01/1971) Mourners file past the coffin of Father Hugh Mullan, one of the 10 people killed (PA Archive) PA Archive/PA Images Father Hugh Mullan. Shot at Moyard Park. 9/8/1971 THE FUNERAL HEARSE CARRYING THE BODY OF FATHER HUGH MULLAN TRAVELS ALONG THE ROAD IN BALLYMURPHY ESTATE. 12/8/1971 Joseph Murphy was one of 10 people shot dead by British soldiers in West Belfast in 1971 Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 John McKerr who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Fr Hugh Mullan who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Joseph Corr who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Danny Teggart who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Danny Teggart who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Danny Teggart who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland - 25th January 2012 Mandatory Credit - Photo-Jonathan Porter/Presseye. Ballymurphy massacre relatives call for a meeting with the Prime Minister, David Cameron. 10 people were shot dead by soldiers in west Belfast in August 1971. The victims, which included a priest and a mother-of-eight, were killed over the course of three days in August 1971 by members of the Parachute Regiment during Operation Demetrius, when people suspected of paramilitary activity were interned. Relatives Rita Bonner, John Teggart and Briege Voyle pictured at the top of the Whiterock Road in west Belfast beside a mural depicting the shootings. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Riots : Belfast. January 1971. Soldiers frisking passengers and driver of a car on the Springfield Road, near Ballymurphy. (14/01/1971) "A soldier got out - he knelt on the ground and started shooting with his short-arm," he said. The witness said he ran through a gap in the hedge and took refuge in a nearby house fearing the soldier was going to "pick us off". "If I had have ran with Danny Teggart I would have been shot too," he added. However MoD barrister Peter Coll QC highlighted discrepancies between Mr Maguire's testimony yesterday and previous statements he has made. The witness was "certain" the shots were fired from the Army base but failed to account for why he previously claimed he "did not know" where they came from. Mr Coll ceased interrogating the witness after the coroner intervened to say she would not allow the pensioner, or any civilian witness, to be subject to "this type of questioning". The inquest was shown a Belfast Telegraph report featuring a picture of an 18-month-old baby girl's bedroom which was riddled with bullets in August 1971. The coroner is considering issuing an urgent witness appeal to contact the child's parents who might still be alive. New statistics have showed an alarming increase in men in Northern Ireland dying from drug-related causes during the past decade. Drug-related deaths among males jumped 98% between 2007 and 2017, according to figures released yesterday by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). The number of male fatalities in 2017 was 101, almost double that of 51 recorded in 2007. In stark contrast female drug-related deaths largely remained unchanged at 35 compared to the 2007 total. Overall there were 136 drug deaths in 2017, a 60% jump compared to a decade ago, and 118 of these were associated with prescription medicines. Broken down by medication, 54 were linked to diazepam, 33 to pregebalin, which is used to treat anxiety, and 31 to tramadol. Most deaths recorded were due to the misuse of prescription medicines with many users taking a cocktail of potentially lethal substances - known as poly-misuse drug taking - with some 46% (62) of people having three or more drugs in their system at time of death. PSNI Detective Superintendent Bobby Singleton said alarming figures clearly show we have a "growing problem with potentially fatal drug misuse", with the misuse of prescription medicines in particular becoming more prevalent. "When we talk about drug misuse and related deaths people often assume that we must mean illicit drugs like heroin, cocaine and ecstasy," he added. Mr Singleton suggested men were less likely to fear the potential dangerous consequences in taking drugs, whether illicit or prescription, hence the higher death rate. "It appears to be that men are more comfortable with risk-taking in the 25 to 45 age demographic," he said. "I'm appealing to those individuals to think of their families." He added: "The loss of a loved one is heartbreaking for families. "The harm and hurt caused by drug misuse is cross-cutting and impacts people's lives at every level in Northern Ireland." Mr Singleton also welcomed legalisation being introduced in April that will see pregebalin classified as a class C substance. Coroner Joe McCrisken said individuals are misguided when it comes to prescription drugs, which are being obtained via family members, the internet or through drug dealers. "There is a myth surrounding prescription drugs that needs to be busted," he said. "There is a mindset that a drug like diazepam is safe because it is prescription and you're getting it from your granny say, but that isn't the case." Mr McCrisken added that he was seeing more and more cases where alcohol had been mixed with a cocktail of drugs - a factor that was creating additional difficulties for front line medical staff. The staff were suspended amid allegations of abuse against patients at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Antrim A regulatory body has allegedly "reneged" over consenting to lifting suspensions on two nurses who worked at Muckamore Abbey Hospital, the High Court has heard. But lawyers for the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said it reached its current position after receiving further information. A legal challenge to the sanctions imposed amid allegations that patients were abused will now take place later this month. In February seven other nurses at the hospital in Co Antrim successfully appealed their interim suspension orders. The court held there was insufficient evidence for the NMC to take the action against them. They can now practice in the UK, but remain temporarily suspended by the Belfast Trust pending the outcome of an ongoing PSNI investigation into claims that vulnerable patients were subjected to physical and mental abuse. It was disclosed that police are examining 240,000 hours of CCTV footage as part of the probe. A team of eight officers has currently been assigned to go through the material, with further requests made to double their numbers. Counsel for the NMC confirmed today that the actual CCTV footage has not yet been given to his client. But he indicated that further evidence has been provided by the Trust. A lawyer representing the two nurses, who cannot be identified, claimed the regulatory body was at one stage consenting to their applications to have the suspensions lifted. "The NMC are now reneging on that and it is therefore going to have to be listed for hearing," he told the court. Listing the case for hearing in two weeks time, Mr Justice McAlinden identified the issues as being the alleged resolution reached between the parties and an assessment of risk. The girl was approached at Upper Toberhewney Lane. Credit: Google Police have issued a warning after a P7 pupil was approached by two men in a van in Lurgan. The young girl was walking to school along Upper Toberhewney Lane when a grey van drove up alongside her and asked if she wanted a lift. She declined and walked on, but the van drove beside her and again asked her if she wanted a lift and offered her sweets. A friend phoned the girl and when she took her phone out of her pocket the van drove off. A PSNI spokesperson said that the pupil continued to school and immediately told her teacher. "We will actively patrol the schools in the area in the coming days. Parents please be vigilant and warn your children of the dangers of strangers," the spokesperson said. Following the incident police issued a warning on 'stranger danger': Never go with strangers. Never accept gifts or sweets from strangers. Always tell an adult you know if a stranger tries to make you go with them or offer you gifts. "Take the opportunity, have the conversation with your kids now," the spokesperson said. The Policing Board has been warned it could face legal action if politicians are involved in the process to recruit the next chief constable, it has been revealed. The board sought legal advice after Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said she could not identify anyone in the senior PSNI command that could take over the management of the organisation after George Hamilton's retirement. She was accused of undermining the process, however party colleagues said she did not know all but one of the senior command. Policing spokesman Gerry Kelly said any candidate would be appointed on merit. RTE reports that legal advice, which the Policing Board said would not be published, could leave the board vulnerable to being sued by an unsuccessful candidate from the PSNI on the grounds the process was not impartial. Sinn Fein and the other political parties would be represented in a regular recruitment process. The Policing board is to meet again on Wednesday to consider its options. Read More George Hamilton referred to Mary Lou McDonald's remarks as "ill-judged, wrong and inaccurate, claiming they ran directly contrary to Sinn Feins professed advocacy of integrity, fairness and equality. Dublin TD McDonald is to meet with Mr Hamilton next week. Any advice received by the Policing Board has to be considered by the Policing Board, she said. They are meeting tomorrow and they should be allowed space to pursue their job and consider any advice they receive. Im more than happy to allow the Policing Board to do its job. The Sinn Fein leader made the comments after a meeting with police about the organisation's failure to disclosure information to the Police Ombudsman over the 1992 Sean Graham bookmakers shooting which killed five people. Police put the issue down to human error saying it was a mistake and pledged to hand over its voluminous material to Police Ombudsman investigators. It also said legacy matters should not remain within its remit. Mrs McDonald did not say if she now regretted the comments, but said she would speak with Mr Hamilton in the next 10 days. I am hopeful I will meet George in the next week and Ill have a conversation with him directly, she said. The conversation we need to have is about the disclosure of critical information to the policing ombudsman, to the courts and other authorities, to assist families and victims who are looking for closure and facts, and I think everybody is duty-bound to do everything they can to make sure that happens. The job of recruitment of the chief constable lies in the hands of the Policing Board, thats always been the case, the Sinn Fein leader added. I have no authority or influence in that regard, my concern has been for families, in particular the families of the Sean Graham bookies." In a statement, the Policing Board said: The Policing Board has received legal advice in relation to the Chief Constable appointment process which is privileged. GHANAIANS RESIDENT abroad have asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to pass a Constitutional Instrument that will allow for the Implementation of the Representation of the Peoples Amendment Act 699 of 2006 in the 2020 election. The move, according to them, was necessary to enable them exercise their constitutional right of voting in the upcoming election. They have therefore threatened that there would be no election in 2020 if the EC fail to honour their demand. In a statement jointly signed by Dr. Kwaku Anane Gyinde, Frederick Addo, Kwaku Appiah, James McKeown, Portia Danso and Tanyaw Kwabena Awuah, the diasporan Ghanaians observed that we need from the EC the immediate release of Constitutional Instruments to implement ROPAA. Again, they said in the statement that we need the Inclusion of Diaspora in ROPAA implementation, and we are requesting the required training for all Diaspora volunteer groups in all countries who are ready to help EC. The statement indicated that the passage of The Representation of Peoples Amendment Act 699 of 2006 by former President Kufuor-led administration in 2006 was received with excitement by all Diasporas following a petition by Ghanaians Living Abroad (GLAs). It said we considered it a big milestone in deepening and concretizing Ghana s democracy. We recognize the importance of Diaspora voting as it is geared towards increasing political participation and contributing to the legitimacy and accountability of democratic governments. According to the statement, however, over a decade after the law was passed, the EC is yet to implement it, except to give promises that have never been fulfilled. It said a recent ruling by an Accra High Court headed by Justice Anthony Yeboah directing the Electoral Commission (EC) to implement the law in 2020 following another suit by the Progressive Alliance Movement (PAM) in 2017 as well as a promise by the President to make all resources available to the EC for the implementation of ROPAA after the past government have only given excuses for the delay in implementation and the Electoral Commission was oblivious to its implementation. The statement available to DGN Online said PAM in its dealings with the EC provided a scope upon which ROPAA could be implemented, and such letters and directions have not even been acknowledged, expecting one to believe the office of the EC is on leave. This was after the EC has failed to provide a roadmap as expected by December 2018. It observed that on 3rd January 2019, Diaspora ROPAA Ambassadors and Volunteers, a non partisan platform dedicated to the implementation of ROPAA submitted a petition signed by over 250 Ghanaians across the globe for inclusion in the ROPAA Consultative and Implementation Committee. The Diaspora ROPAA Ambassadors, it noted and volunteers abroad are ready to assist the Electoral Commission by offering free human resources and logistics for ROPAA implementation in any country abroad. This was after the nine-member committee that has been announced by the EC did not include a single Diaspora. The Electoral Commission is yet to respond to our petition which was submitted in early January. How can an Electoral Commission willing to implement ROPAA exclude representations from the very people the election concern the most? It quizzed It said the leadership as well as the entire membership of ROPAA Ambassadors in the Diaspora wishes to express its complete displeasure and disappointment about the laxity, sloppiness and inertia on the part of the Electoral Commission in implementing ROPAA. Any future opportunity for Ghanaians living abroad to vote in a General election remains unclear though the next election is in less than two years. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald plans to meet PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton next week. The meeting comes after an ongoing dispute between the two after Mrs McDonald said she would not have confidence in any current member of the Police Service of Northern Irelands (PSNI) senior command team replacing Mr Hamilton when he retires in the summer. Mr Hamilton branded the remarks ill-judged, wrong and inaccurate, claiming they ran directly contrary to Sinn Feins professed advocacy of integrity, fairness and equality. Expand Close PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton (Liam McBurney/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton (Liam McBurney/PA) The PSNIs oversight body the Policing Board is responsible for appointing the chief constable. A Sinn Fein appointee will be on the board panel that makes the decision. Legal advice received by the Policing Board has said there could now be legislative vulnerability if politicians sit on the panel. Mrs McDonald said she has not sought any legal advice on her comments on the recruitment of the new chief constable. Any advice received by the Policing Board has to be considered by the Policing Board, she said. They are meeting tomorrow and they should be allowed space to pursue their job and consider any advice they receive. Im more than happy to allow the Policing Board to do its job. I am hopeful I will meet George in the next week and I'll have a conversation with him directlyMary Lou McDonald Mrs McDonald did not say if she now regretted the comments, but said she would speak with Mr Hamilton in the next 10 days. I am hopeful I will meet George in the next week and Ill have a conversation with him directly, she said. The conversation we need to have is about the disclosure of critical information to the policing ombudsman, to the courts and other authorities, to assist families and victims who are looking for closure and facts, and I think everybody is duty-bound to do everything they can to make sure that happens. The job of recruitment of the chief constable lies in the hands of the Policing Board, thats always been the case, the Sinn Fein leader added. I have no authority or influence in that regard, my concern has been for families, in particular the families of the Sean Graham bookies. Significant information was kept from the policing ombudsman, that to me is outrageous and there has been no credible, plausible reason offered up for that. Its a case of grave concern to me, and more significantly the families, and its something we need to get to the bottom of. Five people were killed on February 5 1992 when members of the loyalist Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) opened fire on the Sean Graham bookmakers shop on the lower Ormeau Road. It emerged that the PSNI failed to disclose significant information relating to the notorious shooting. Police Ombudsman Michael Maguire said significant, sensitive information around the incident in south Belfast was not made available to his investigators. The Police Federation representative body has demanded an apology from Mrs McDonald, while her comments have also sparked a wave of condemnation from political rivals, who claim she has compromised the recruitment process. Donal Dalton takes his dog for a walk in Kilteel, Co Kildare Little Barry Hurson has some fun with his sled near Dublin Sheep on Slieve Croob near Dromara, Co Down Winter returned to Northern Ireland yesterday following an unexpectedly warm February. Parts of counties Down and Armagh were coated in snow as temperatures dipped. Britain was battered by gales, rain and snow as the sixth named storm of the winter season struck on Sunday. Storm Freya brought wind speeds that reached nearly 80mph, with trees being felled and roads closed. The wintry weather has also been causing travel problems in the Republic. North of the border, showery rain is expected this morning, although it will be drier and brighter later, according to the Met Office. Some hill snow could cause disruption to traffic this morning, although it is expected to clear later. However, heavy rain is expected from tomorrow. Whatever the outcome of the tortuous Brexit deliberations in the UK, the government in Dublin seems determined to show that any new border barriers will be economic rather than security focused. The view is in contrast to the position adopted in Northern Ireland where PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton has been allocated special funding to recruit an additional 308 officers and staff to deal with Brexit demands. And while welcoming the boost to the strength of the PSNI at a cost of 16.5m, the Police Federation has warned that a hard exit from the EU could create the need for further financial resources. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is adamant the Garda force will not be expanded because of Brexit and is relying, instead, on garda numbers rising by 600, compared to a year ago, as a result of existing recruitment plans. But this response is concerning many senior garda officers in the Republic's northern region where there is a belief that Dublin is underestimating the problems that could arise from the growth in goods smuggling and immigration, stemming from the financial changes, as well as the threatened resurgence of violence by dissident republicans anxious to exploit Brexit. The number of border crossings has quadrupled as a result of the peace process and, according to the Association of Garda Superintendents, these will create corridors to be exploited by criminal gangs while the garda numbers during the Troubles were at least three times the current levels. A by-product of the peace process was the significant reduction in the policing presence in the border region. Irish officers were pulled back to increase numbers in major urban centres, beset by increases in crime and gang feuding. This cannot be reversed without a drastic impact on gardai in the cities and big towns. And withdrawing personnel from rural areas, that are only starting to recover from the wave of burglaries and thefts in recent years, would create uproar. The Irish government is gambling that existing recruitment plans will be sufficient to provide the extra numbers necessary to meet required manpower levels along the border. Arguments that hundreds of extra gardai can be released from administrative duties to frontline policing have been around for more than a decade and we are yet to see any significant dividends on the streets. The Taoiseach changed his position dramatically since November when he said in Templemore there was no need for contingency planning in the event of a hard Brexit, to his comments in Davos in January about the army being deployed on the border in a worst-case scenario. Will the force have the numbers to perform their duties to the standards expected from them? Businessman Denis OBrien has lost his Supreme Court challenge over statements made in the Dail about his banking arrangements. In a ruling handed down at NUI Galway, where the court is sitting this week, it found the High Court had been correct to dismiss his action against the Clerk of the Dail and the Dail Committee on Procedure and Privileges (CPP). The Supreme Court found Mr OBriens challenge amounted to an "indirect or collateral challenge" on statements in the Dail, something that is impermissible under the Constitution. It is the second major legal loss for the telecoms and media tycoon in recent days. Last Friday, he lost a High Court libel action against the Sunday Business Post over articles relating to his borrowings. Mr OBriens Supreme Court challenge related to events in 2015 when he got injunctions against RTE, restraining the broadcaster from publishing details of his banking relationship with State-owned Irish Bank Resolution Corporation. But he argued his injunctions were made pointless when Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy and Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty subsequently revealed information in the Dail. The businessman, who is the largest shareholder in Independent News & Media, owners of the Belfast Telegraph and the Irish Independent, made a complaint. However, the CPP found the two TDs had not breached any rules. Mr OBrien lost a High Court action over the matter in 2017 when Ms Justice Una Ni Raifeartaigh ruled Article 15 of the constitution, which provides protections for speech in the Dail, meant the court could not intervene. In his Supreme Court challenge, Mr OBrien argued the CPPs finding was based on an error in its interpretation of Dail standing orders. His lawyers claimed there was no evidence on which the committee could have decided the TDs acted responsibly and in good faith when they made the statements. They also claimed his constitutional rights were deliberately damaged by the TDs. It was argued the courts could intervene because the CPP breached its own rules in how it dealt with the matter. However, the seven-judge court did not agree that the courts could intervene. Reading its ruling this morning, Chief Justice Frank Clarke said: "The fundamental point on which this appeal turns is the view of the court that the challenge which Mr OBrien seeks to bring to the decision of the CPP would amount to an indirect or collateral challenge to utterances made in the Dail and, as such, that challenge is impermissible. "For those reasons the court concludes that Ms Justice Ni Raifeartaigh was correct in her conclusion that these proceedings are non-justiciable and further correct in her decision to dismiss Mr OBriens case. "On that basis, the appeal must be dismissed." Welcoming the judgement, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said it was recognition by the courts that parliamentary privilege is an important aspect of our democratic system. "The CPP found that I had not abused parliamentary privilege in making a speech which was very squarely within the public interest and that I acted in good faith at all times. I am pleased that both the High Court and now the Supreme Court have upheld that decision," the TD said. "Whilst I am pleased that the courts have recognised the constitutional protections afforded to those of us who may find ourselves in the position of having to use parliamentary privilege for a matter of public interest, it is hugely incumbent on us, as elected representatives, to recognise that such privilege must only be exercised with great responsibility. "The public interest must always be to the fore and that is what has underpinned everything I have done to date." Former Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald has been put forward by her party for the European election. Ms Fitzgerald resigned as Taoiseach Leo Varadkars deputy in November 2017 amid political controversy over her handling of a Gardai whistleblowing case. The 68-year-old has a wealth of experience in Fine Gael and has served as Tanaiste, minister for business, enterprise and innovation, minister for justice and equality, and minister for children and youth affairs. She was unveiled as a potential candidate alongside former SDLP leader Mark Durkan on Monday. It's time to send your very best and most experienced to Europe and I'll be asking the people of Dublin to support me based on my recordFrances Fitzgerald Mr Varadkar hailed Ms Fitzgerald for the role she played in two major referendums in the state. Two able people are putting their names forward, he said. One is Mark Durkan. The other is someone who is defined by her courage, integrity and ability, and has played a transformative role in Irish politics and society. As chair of the Council for the Status of Women, as a minister, as Tanaiste, as instigator for the referendums on childrens rights and marriage equality, Frances Fitzgerald has been a trailblazer and has helped transform Ireland into the modern country it is today. I hope both are nominated by our members on Wednesday and receive a mandate from the electorate on May 24. Ms Fitzgerald said on Monday she was a long-time admirer of the SDLP and noted both her own and Mr Durkans experience in politics. Honoured to have been nominated to contest the @FineGael Selection Convention - alongside @markdurkan - for the @Europarl_EN Constituency of Dublin this coming Wednesday evening. It is essential that we send our most experienced figures to represent our capital city on May 24th pic.twitter.com/vE6QT6e8C2 Frances Fitzgerald MEP (@FitzgeraldFrncs) March 4, 2019 We bring very different but strong experience to the ticket, she said. Today shows what a very inclusive party Fine Gael is and thats a very important message at this time, inclusion matters and diversity matters, thats what Mark and I will be bringing to the European parliament. Its time to send your very best and most experienced to Europe and Ill be asking the people of Dublin to support me based on my record, while we discuss some of the most challenging circumstances in Europe. Ive always believed in the European ambition and it is under attack at the moment, and we have to defend it and thats an important part of what we have to do. I think the people of Dublin will judge me on my record, not on any particular events. Taoiseach @campaignforleo and Tanaiste @simoncoveney announcing the intention of @markdurkan and @FitzgeraldFrncs to seek the Fine Gael nomination to run in the European elections. pic.twitter.com/vw22c0xXrT Fine Gael (@FineGael) March 4, 2019 The selection decision will made by the members of Fine Gael this Wednesday at the partys Dublin Convention. Ms Fitzgeralds resignation as Tanaiste came after her emails dating back to 2015, when she was justice minister, were released by the Department of Justice amid the Sgt Maurice McCabe whistleblowing scandal into major issues within the Gardai. Following the publication of the Disclosures Tribunal report into the controversy, members of her own party said she had been vindicated by the tribunals findings. Justice Peter Charleton found that she had given an honest appraisal of her knowledge of the situation at the time. Health Minister Simon Harris claimed Ms Fitzgerald had been hounded out of office and called on political opponents to apologise for demanding her head on a plate. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood speaks at the launch of a new anti-Brexit billboard in front of Stormonts Parliament Buildings A group of residents have called for mass demonstrations along the Irish border the day after Brexit. Border Communities Against Brexit, supported by pro-Remain political parties, yesterday unveiled a new billboard at Stormont announcing the planned day of protest with just 25 days to go until the UK is due to leave the European Union. Politicians from Northern Ireland's main pro-Remain parties also turned out for the event, including representatives from Sinn Fein, the SDLP and the Alliance Party. Border Communities Against Brexit group spokesman Declan Fearon announced several locations for the border demonstrations on March 30, including at border crossing points in Co Down, Co Fermanagh, Co Tyrone and in Londonderry. He said their purpose in coming together is to press to ensure there is no return to a hard border in Ireland. British Transport Police Officers on the concourse of Waterloo Railway Station A British Transport Police vehicle at Waterloo Railway Station, London, after three small improvised explosive devices were found at buildings at Heathrow Airport, London City Airport and Waterloo Train Station. Credit: PA Gardai are aiding an investigation by London metropolitan police after three explosive devices, posted in Dublin, were sent to key transport hubs in the English capital. Officers from the Garda security and intelligence section at the force's headquarters in the Phoenix Park were called after the Irish connection to the small bombs was discovered. Read More The three A4-sized white postal bags had Dublin postmarks and stamps issued by An Post to mark St Valentine's Day, which said "Love from Ireland". The gardai are working closely with officers from the London Met's counter terrorism command. Expand Close Where the devices were found / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Where the devices were found The packages contained yellow Jiffy bags and were confirmed by specialist officers to be "small , improvised explosive devices". The devices were discovered at Heathrow and London city airports as well as Waterloo train station. Police said that, at this early stage of the investigation, the devices appeared capable of igniting an initially small fire, when opened. Gardai are trying to establish who is responsible for posting the devices. The most likely culprits are members of a dissident republican faction, anxious to score a publicity coup in the run up to Brexit. But officers said they had not ruled out that the devices could be the work of somebody with a grievance. They said the involvement of an international terrorist sympathiser was the least likely of the three options. Anti terrorist officers in London said they were treating the incidents as a linked series and were keeping an open mind on motives. Expand Close British Transport Police Officers on the concourse of Waterloo Railway Station / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp British Transport Police Officers on the concourse of Waterloo Railway Station Other transport hubs have been put on alert and told to be vigilant for other suspicious packages. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the incidents. Last week gardai discovered another arms dump in a wooded area outside Omeath, Co Louth, on the Cooley peninsula. The hide included two rifles and about a quarter kilo of Semtex plastic explosive, enough to act as a boost for three under car bombs. Two other dumps, containing an empty mortar tube and assorted ammunition, were discovered in nearby hides in January. All belonged to a dissident republican faction, likely to have been OnH. In a statement a Met spokesman said: "At approximately 09:55hrs the Met Police received a report of a suspicious package at The Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow. "The package was opened by staff at the building, causing the device to initiate. This resulted in part of the package burning. No one was injured. "The building was evacuated as a precaution. Specialist officers attended and made the device safe. "The building remains closed as enquiries continue. The building is not based at Heathrow Airport, and flights have not been affected by this incident." Two men have been arrested after drugs and weapons were found in Finglas, Co Dublin. Gardai seized drugs, ammunition and replica firearms during a planned operation on Monday. During the search officers recovered quantities of cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines with a combined estimated street value of 60,000 euro. Gardai in West Dublin arrested two men & seized drugs, ammunition & replica firearms during a planned operation in Finglas on Monday 4/3/2019. The operation was led by the K-District Community Action Team & Gardai from Finglas station. Enquiries are ongoing. pic.twitter.com/b7xg4Q1hbC Garda Info (@gardainfo) March 5, 2019 A replica rifle, two replica hand guns and quantities of ammunition were also recovered and removed for ballistic examination, along with three samurai swords and 2,000 euro in cash. The two men, aged in their twenties, were arrested at the scene and were detained at Finglas Garda Station. The operation was carried out as part of ongoing investigations targeting the activities of organised criminal groups in west Dublin by the K-District Community Action team, supported by units at Finglas Garda station. As part of the operation a search was carried out at a house in the Prospect Hill area. Gardai say the investigation is ongoing and further updates will follow. the director of Scottish Council of Jewish Communities has called for actions rather than words from Jeremy Corbyn to tackle anti-Semitism (Aaron Chown/PA) Labours latest anti-Semitism row frankly stinks, according to a Jewish leader in Scotland. Jeremy Corbyns inner circle has been accused of interfering in the outcome of anti-Semitism cases by one MP, while confusion surrounded an investigation into how the party deals with the issue. In a letter to the Labour leader, Dame Margaret Hodge claimed Mr Corbyn had either misled her or had himself been misled about his teams involvement in cases. Dame Margaret quoted a report from a whistleblower who alleged a member of staff from the leaders office intervened to stop a party member being suspended for anti-Semitism. The bewildered Jewish MP wrote that it contradicts what you told me to my face last week. Last week Corbyn reassured me categorically that his office never intervened in antisemitism complaints. @ObserverUK whistleblower account clearly shows Corbyns office have intervened. Either Corbyn has intentionally misled me or his staff have misled him. Full letter below pic.twitter.com/gUR6LvJ3QW Margaret Hodge (@margarethodge) March 5, 2019 Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, the director of Scottish Council of Jewish Communities Ephraim Borowski described the situation as Deja vu. This has been going on now for a couple of years in one form or another, he said, adding: There has been one lets call it an obfuscation rather than a lie after another. What the Jewish community would like to see is actions rather than words. Mr Borowski pointed out that Labours general secretary Jennie Formby revealed there were roughly 670 outstanding accusations of anti-Semitism towards party members. Thats an astonishing number, he said. We have to be clear that an accusation is not a conviction, but some of these people have been convicted and what happened was they got a letter reminding them of the standards of the party rather than punishing them and thats just absurd. Mr Borowski was also asked about reports that Lord Charlie Faulkner was announced to be leading an investigation into Labours handling of anti-Semitism, only for the peer to reveal he was still considering it, subject to being given access to the partys email archive. Meetings with Labour Party next week to agree terms on my independent Anti semitism role. Undertaking the role subject to agreement being reached. Charlie Falconer (@LordCFalconer) March 2, 2019 He said: Its utterly bizzare that [Labour] announced he was taking up this role and he announced that he was thinking about it. Theyre trying to appoint someone but not giving them access to the evidence. The whole thing frankly stinks. The Labour Pary said that it was categorically untrue to suggest that staff in the leaders office overturned recommendations in anti-Semitism cases. Asylum seekers could be given the right to work under changes to the system being proposed in Glasgow. Scotlands largest city welcomes the highest number of asylum seekers of any UK local authority area, and is keen to roll out reforms which would allow them to support themselves. An Asylum Task Force set up last year, which includes representatives from the Home Office and the Scottish Refugee Council, has made a number of recommendations to assist the vulnerable group. When people come to our city looking for help, Glaswegians want to ensure we do everything we can to assist themAnnemarie O'Donnell, Glasgow City Council They include allowing asylum seekers to work from six months after their asylum claim has been submitted, until the final determination of their application. Glasgow City Council said currently a very limited number of asylum seekers with specific skills can request permission to work. It applies only if their claim takes more than a year to be processed, and permission is rarely granted. The task force also wants asylum seekers to be able to register in regional centres like Glasgow, instead of having to travel to Croydon, and an end to people being required to travel to Liverpool to make further submissions. Council chief executive Annemarie ODonnell, chair of the Asylum Task Force, said: When people come to our city looking for help, Glaswegians want to ensure we do everything we can to assist them. This piece of work has been carried out in an open and honest environment and I want to thank colleagues from the Scottish and UK governments, Cosla, Serco, the Scottish Refugee Council and the West of Scotland Housing Forum for the way in which they have approached this. I am confident that the recommendations in this report, and the work that we will now do together, will allow us to do much more to support some of the most vulnerable people seeking asylum in the UK and in our city. Hong Kong: Health centre tender open, fair The tendering process for the Kwai Tsing District Health Centre was open and fair, Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan said today. Prof Chan was responding to public concerns over her position as the honorary patron of the Kwai Tsing Safe Community & Healthy City Association, which was awarded the operation service contract for the centre yesterday. I am not involved in any of the tendering process. The tendering process of the Government is actually open and fair, and also it involved colleagues from the Food & Health Bureau as well as the Central Tender Board which is outside the Food & Health Bureau. I felt that it is probably appropriate for me to resign from the honorary patronage position to alleviate those concerns. Prof Chan added she will review the list of organisations she is involved in as a patron, honorary patron or an adviser. I will make a decision as to whether I should resign from those positions in those organisations because there will be more of these district health centre networks coming up in the rest of the 17 districts in Hong Kong. This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Registered capital of Shenzhen DENZA New Energy Automotive Co., Ltd. (DENZA), a joint venture between BYD and Daimler, has been increased to RMB4.56 billion from RMB4.16 billion, according to data from business information platform Qixinbao. Meanwhile, the total capital contribution amount of the joint venture has grown from RMB5.66 billion to RMB6.06 billion, which is equally paid by two parent companies. This is the third year in a row for BYD and Daimler to add capital to DENZA. The new energy joint venture was founded in 2010 with an initial registered capital of RMB2.36 billion. Taking the high-end new energy vehicle (NEV) as the gateway, DENZA launched its first model in 2014. Although the automaker increased the vehicle's battery range up to 451km via two times of change-over in 2018, it has not released any all-new product after that. Up until now, DENZA sold only about 10,000 vehicles since hitting the market and its annual sales in 2018 even failed to reach 2,000 units. According to BYD's announcement, the NEV maker had suffered a cumulative loss exceeding RMB2.6 billion by the end of 2017. Then BYD and Daimler provided DENZA with respective capital of RMB500 million, which was mainly used to offset the negative effect caused by China's adjusted NEV subsidy policy. In addition, DENZA once again received a total of RMB800 million worth of capital from two parent companies in last May, making the joint venture's registered capital increased to RMB4.16 billion. The investment expansion are mainly used in staff expense in daily operation, marketing advertising, payment to suppliers, bank principal repayment, vehicle purchasing, upgrade and test of battery and construction of service network, etc. Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) has confirmed what it describes as a moderate earthquake in Accra with a 3.9 magnitude on a Richter scale. The incident happened last Saturday at about 11:22pm and was felt 15km away from GIMPA where the Survey Authoritys equipment is located. It was felt in the usual suspected places like Weija, Gbawe, McCathy Hill which is within the Ga South Municipality. It was also experienced in other areas such as, Sowutuom, Old Kasoa Barrier, New Bortianor, Awoshie, Abelemkpe, Tabora, Achimota, Ablekuma, Kissiman, Westland, Laterbiokorshie and Legon. According to a GGSA senior official Nicholas Opoku, the 3.9 magnitude recorded is the highest in 2019. He said the Survey Authority recorded 2.6 magnitude on the Richter scale in January 13, 2019 and 2.8 in February 25, 2019 with the third pointing to increasing seismic activity within Accra. As for bigger earthquakes, ne day it will come, he said in an interview with Joy News Fred Smith. He predicted but as to when is always a problem that semiologist have not been able to unravel. He said within the seismological community increasing magnitude can mean the worst is ahead while others argues, the worst could be behind. He said the best way to handle an earthquake is to build resilience and explained Ghana would have to take a closer look at areas where the risk is very high and consider evacuation. Research work dating back to 1981 indicates that most of the earthquakes in Ghana occur in the western part of Accra at the junction of the two major fault systems namely, the Coastal boundary fault and Akwapim fault zone. According to the research, most of the epicenters are located south of Weija suggesting that there is little activity north-eastward along the Akwapim range and westward along the Coastal boundary fault. The magnitude recorded so far in 2019 is still a distance from 6.5 magnitude, highest ever recorded in 1939 in which 17 were killed in Accra. Source: The Daily Dispatch Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The first police officer to go into the Mulberry Bush pub after it was blown up by an IRA bomb broke down while giving evidence as he recalled a scene of "pure carnage". Former Pc Derek Bradbury said the inside of the premises had been turned to "rubble" and "splinters", and described the injuries of some of those inside. Inquests are being held in Birmingham into the 1974 bombings, which left 21 people dead and 220 injured. Giving evidence at the hearings yesterday, Mr Bradbury said that following a coded bomb warning, the police control room had told him and colleagues to search the Rotunda. There had been no mention of the Mulberry Bush, or the Tavern in the Town, in the telephone warning phoned to a newspaper at 8.11pm earlier that night, the inquests' jurors have already heard. As Pc Bradbury and colleagues got into the Rotunda's lift in the main foyer, he described hearing a "huge thud". "We knew instinctively that a bomb had gone off," he said. He, a female police officer and another constable then ran the short distance around to the Mulberry Bush. He added: "It was just a scene of pure carnage, nothing left of the pub. "It was splinters of wood all over the place, wires were hanging down and water was coming down. You had to be careful, it was like walking on a rubbish tip because of all the bricks and rubble." He added: "As I was going in there a woman came out towards me..." But Mr Bradbury then broke down and had to leave the witness box for a few moments. When he returned, he took up his story, and said: "There was a woman staggering about towards me and she was not screaming but moaning and saying 'I have been hurt' and holding her stomach. "There was not much of her stomach left, really. "She was the first one we took out and I sat her down by (WPC) Maggie (Adams) and said, you know, 'do your best'. "I went back in again. There was a bloke lying there. This poor bloke, he was lying on his back and his legs had been blown off." Mr Bradbury told of another "kid" who he pulled out and believed already dead, another man who had lost a leg, and a young girl who he also believed was deceased. In all, he brought six of the dead out of the pub that night. He also discovered teenage friends Neil Marsh and Paul Davies, who had been walking outside when the bomb went off, and were among the deceased. He was asked by Leslie Thomas QC, representing nine of the bereaved families, why no cordon had been established around the Rotunda, including the pub, once a warning had been received. Mr Bradbury said: "A perimeter is a brilliant idea if you can do it. The numbers my seniors sent down, there were not enough." He added that "twice the amount" of officers would have not been enough and that running down the street "shouting 'bomb'" would have had little impact. On patrol in a Panda car that night, Mr Bradbury said he got the warning and it took "about a minute" to get to the Rotunda and park up. Arriving there were three officers, "waiting" for him and WPC Adams to begin the Rotunda search. Mr Bradbury said: "You can delve as deep as you like into what you're thinking at the time. "But if you're told there's a bomb going to go off in the Rotunda, you are not thinking about the IRA, you are not thinking about anything else, you are thinking about the Rotunda, and someone saying 'there's a bomb in there'." He added: "If I'd have known it was in the Mulberry Bush, I probably wouldn't be speaking to you here now, I would be dead with the rest of them. "But the point is hindsight is great. "But we hadn't got hindsight (then). "We were told it was the Rotunda." The inquest continues. Parkfield Community School in Birmingham has been running a No Outsiders programme promoting inclusion (Danny Lawson/PA) The school at the centre of a sex education storm will reportedly continue teaching about LGBT relationships after Easter. Parkfield Community School in Birmingham had always planned on returning to its No Outsiders programme next term after a planned break from the inclusiveness and diversity lessons. Hazel Pulley CEO of Excelsior Multi Academy Trust, which runs the school told BirminghamLive the plan had always been to block this half term out for teaching RE. She added: But, of course, during that time, our No Outsiders assemblies will continue and our welcoming No Outsiders ethos. Her comments come after it was reported the school was temporarily ceasing the lessons following protests from parents who argue they are against their faith. It has also been reported that more than 300 parents have signed a petition against the No Outsiders programme, after last week some took the decision to withdraw their children from school in protest. Asked how the protests had affected the school, Ms Pulley explained: What weve got to remember is this is one school that has made a decision to use the No Outsiders programme, and all that it brings with it through the right procedures of going to the governors and consultation with the parents we had about four years ago. Since then we have had various workshops to enable parents to see the lessons, and parents have been able to come into those through invitation through letter. Last month Ofsteds chief inspector Amanda Spielman backed the teacher who started the scheme. Assistant headteacher Andrew Moffat, has made the final of the Global Teacher Prize for his efforts to teach diversity. Andrew Moffat has been named as one of the worlds best teachers after facing protests and threats at the school gates over his promotion of equality issues pic.twitter.com/5rPI2rMZwV Good Morning Britain (@GMB) February 21, 2019 Christian and Muslim parents have claimed the lessons promote the personal beliefs of Mr Moffat, who is gay. But Amanda Spielman said it was important for children to learn about all aspects of society. Mr Moffat also runs a Parkfield Ambassadors after-school club that creates opportunities for children at his school where 99% of students are Muslim to meet people from different races, religions and cultures around Birmingham. While not quoted in the article, he tweeted links to it, appearing to confirm the No Outsiders lessons will resume after Easter. The Health Secretary has resisted campaigners pleas to invite a specialist surgeon from America to remove vaginal mesh implants and train Scottish doctors. Hundreds of women have suffered chronic pain due to mesh implants inserted by surgeons to treat bladder and bowel conditions, repairing weak or damaged tissue often suffered during childbirth. Campaigners say that only partial mesh removal is available in Scotland, but that the pioneering American doctor Dionysios Veronikis has carried out over 2,000 full removals of the damaging implants using new techniques he developed. Dr Veronikis has offered to come to Scotland to carry out operations and train Scottish surgeons how to do it. As mesh sufferers watched on in the Scottish Parliament, Jeane Freeman said that, while she had not rejected the specialists invitation to work in Scotland, it was not for her to decide what training doctors receive. Ms Freeman said she would discuss the issue with the Chief Medical Officer and look at whether there is additional training, expertise, learning that can be provided by Dr Veronikis or others. Cabinet Secretary you have the chance to act. You have the opportunity to change lives for the better. You have the chance to do the right thing. Neil Findlay MSP Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay pleaded with the Health Secretary and said: We have a small window of opportunity to act. An opportunity that if we dont take it will be lost. Take up the very genuine offer from Dr Veronikis to come to Scotland, to work up to 6 days a week to carry out full mesh removal procedures but critically to also train Scottish surgeons in his techniques. This is a serious and a genuine offer that I urge the Cabinet Secretary to take. After pointing out some victims of mesh implants watching the debate at the Scottish Parliament, Mr Findlay said: I implore Ms Freeman to do the right thing and do the right thing: give these injured women the best treatment available these women have already lost so much- they should not, as some are, have to travel to the US and elsewhere. The Cabinet Secretary has the chance to act; the opportunity to change lives. Cabinet Secretary, you have the chance to do the right thing. The alternative is these women left living a life of pain, a life of misery, careers and relationships lost and a lifetime of medical costs which will collectively far outstrip the costs of bringing this surgeon to Scotland. Expand Close Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh (Andrew Milligan/PA) In response, Ms Freeman said: Nobody needs to implore me, nobody needs to beg me. I completely understand that the women involved want to have the best possible response to the situation they find themselves in and for many of them that will be full mesh removal. Ms Freeman continued: My mind is not closed to this, it is not entirely my decision. I have not refused Dr Veronikis offer; it is not for me to accept that offer, it is for me to discuss with the clinical community how their learning and techniques can be improved and we will do that. At a press conference before the debate, Mr Findlay introduced Dr Mary McLaughlin, a law lecturer from Northern Ireland who had a full mesh removal carried out by Dr Veronikis in January. I can walk again without pain. I can sit without excruciating pain, Dr McLaughlin said. The trip to the United States for the operation cost her 15,000 and she added: I dont think anyone should have to pay for this operation. Mesh women were injured. We trusted doctors and weve been let down. Its not right to say that partial removal is good enough. We got these implants in Scotland, the damage was done in Scotland, and it's only right that experts should come to Scotland and repair what they've doneLorna Farrell, mesh survivor Sufferer Lorna Farrell, 53, said: Mary is just the perfect argument of why Dr Veronikis has to come to Scotland eight weeks ago she was like we are all now in constant, chronic pain. Ms Farrell, from Eaglesham near Glasgow, explained how she was told that doctors in Scotland could not fully remove the mesh and her partial removal has done so much damage. My nerve damage has become 100 times worse since they have gone in and cut this mesh inside of me. Fighting back tears, she added: I just cant see an argument why this doctor cant come to Scotland. We deserve to get our lives back. Its wonderful to see Mary and to hear how bad she was and how good she is now nobody has the right to deny us that. We got these implants in Scotland, the damage was done in Scotland, and its only right that experts should come to Scotland and repair what theyve done. After being told that the Scottish Government claimed full mesh removals were already taking place, campaigner Karen Neil said: We are being lied to. The 52-year-old from Glasgow added: I know just about all 635 Scottish mesh survivors personally, and I havent met or spoken to one yet whos had a full removal. Ms Freeman acknowledged a dispute about whether full mesh removals do take place in Scotland and said she would discuss the issue with Mr Findlay and other MSPs. An MP who was jailed for lying to police over a speeding offence is set to challenge her conviction for perverting the course of justice. Fiona Onasanya, who represents the Peterborough constituency, was expelled from the Labour Party after being found guilty in December last year. The 35-year-old solicitor was jailed for three months in January and was released from prison after serving one month behind bars. Court of Appeal judges will hear Onasanyas application to appeal against her conviction on Tuesday. It is not known what her grounds of challenge are. Expand Close Festus Onasanya was jailed for 10 months after he admitted three counts of perverting the course of justice (Jonathan Brady/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Festus Onasanya was jailed for 10 months after he admitted three counts of perverting the course of justice (Jonathan Brady/PA) Onasanya took the marginal seat with a majority of just 607 from Conservative Stewart Jackson at the 2017 election. Under parliamentary rules, a recall petition can force a by-election if signed by more than 10% of the electorate in the Cambridgeshire seat. Speaking ahead of her sentencing, a Labour Party spokesman said she had let the voters of Peterborough down and should have resigned when she was convicted. The Labour Party is among those to have called for the resignation of Onasanya, but she will continue to represent Peterborough as an Independent. This is because her jail term did not meet the 12-month minimum for an instant dismissal. A by-election can be triggered if a recall petition is signed by 10% of the electorate in the Cambridgeshire constituency, but this process is on hold pending the outcome of her conviction appeal. Jurors at the Old Bailey were told that she colluded with her brother Festus after her car was clocked speeding at 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney, near Peterborough, in July 2017. She was sent a notice of intended prosecution to fill out, but it was sent back naming the guilty driver as Aleks Antipow, an acquaintance of her brother, who was away visiting his parents in Russia. Sentencing Onasanya, Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said: You have not simply let yourself down, you have let down those who look to you for inspiration, your party, your profession and Parliament. Festus Onasanya, 34, from Cambridge, was jailed for 10 months after he admitted three counts of perverting the course of justice over speeding, including the July 24 incident. The appeal bid will be heard by Sir Brian Leveson, Mr Justice William Davis and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the 50th anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The Duchess of Sussex voiced concerns about American food production practices during celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Investiture of the Prince of Wales. Patrick Holden, a campaigner for organic food and a long-time associate of Charles, said he discussed the issue with Meghan when they chatted about her father-in-laws championing of sustainable farming. Meghan, who is heavily pregnant, was with Harry and other senior royals including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall at the Buckingham Palace event hosted by the Queen. Expand Close The Duchess of Sussex is conscious of eating the right things for the health of her baby, says Mr Holden (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Duchess of Sussex is conscious of eating the right things for the health of her baby, says Mr Holden (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Mr Holden said about his chat with the couple: We talked about the Prince of Waless leadership in the field of sustainable agriculture and how the farm at Highgrove is one of the most important exemplars of sustainable farming practice. It is an example of the princes vision made flesh. He said the duchess also expressed her concerns about America food production practices. The duchess is very well aware of how industrial US food systems have become and the need to make a change, he said. There was a lot of conversation about (how) badly wrong the US food systems are and how we need to act. She is pregnant, and obviously wants to make sure she is eating the right things, not just for the health of the baby but also its mental health. We are what we eat, and our mental health is connected with what we eat. Expand Close The Queen hosted the event, where she was joined by the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Queen hosted the event, where she was joined by the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Last week, Donald Trumps administration published negotiating objectives for a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK. It is seeking comprehensive market access for US agricultural products through the reduction or removal of tariffs and the elimination of unwarranted barriers to food and drink imports. US companies have long complained that EU regulations limit American exports of food products such as chlorine-washed chicken, hormone-boosted beef and genetically modified crops. Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron, a supporter of the Best for Britain campaign for a new referendum, speaking when the trade objectives were published said: Its clear that the US wants to flood us with chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-pumped beef. But Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to Britain, said the use of chlorine was a public safety no-brainer and insisted it was the most effective and economical way of dealing with potentially lethal bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has brushed aside calls for his resignation over a controversial 33 million payout to Eurotunnel to settle a legal action in relation to the Governments no-deal Brexit preparations. Mr Grayling faced renewed demands for his resignation after he failed to appear in the Commons on Monday to answer an urgent question on the settlement, leaving it instead to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. But arriving for the weekly meeting of the Cabinet, he told reporters the decision had been taken collectively by ministers to ensure the continued supply of drugs into the UK in the event of no-deal. I will carry on serving the Prime Minister as long as she wants me toChris Grayling He made clear that he had no intention of bowing to opposition demands for him to go. I will carry on serving the Prime Minister as long as she wants me to, he said. Eurotunnel brought the legal action after the Government awarded contracts to three ferry companies one of which had no ships to transport essential medical supplies from the EU if Britain leaves without a deal in place. Mr Grayling said the case was regrettable but that the Government had had to act to ensure the NHS had the supplies it needed. The decision that we took last week was taken by the Department of Health to protect drugs supplies to the UK in a no-deal in the same way as these contracts were let in the first place, after a discussion and a decision by a Cabinet committee because we had to prepare for all eventualities, he said. Expand Close Health Secretary Matt Hancock answered MPs questions after Chris Grayling refused to appear (House of Commons/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Health Secretary Matt Hancock answered MPs questions after Chris Grayling refused to appear (House of Commons/PA) We are still working for a deal, we dont want to leave without a deal, but we have to be ready for all eventualities. This was a sensible part of contingency planning to make sure that we had all resources that we needed, all the medical supplies that we needed, for the NHS. That is why the Cabinet took the decision that it did. That is why we collectively last week decided, however regrettable the Eurotunnel court action was, that we had to take a decision to protect the interests of the country in the circumstances of a no-deal Brexit. And that is the right thing to do. Some Labour MPs have reacted angrily to the appointment of a staff member from Jeremy Corbyns office to the party unit dealing with complaints of anti-Semitism. Following the weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) at Westminster, MPs expressed concern that the move of Laura Murray the daughter of long-standing Corbyn aide Andrew Murray undermined the independence of the whole process. Labour would not comment on the appointment, although a party source confirmed two junior staff members had been released from their roles in another part of the organisation to provide administrative support on an interim basis to the complaints team. This is standard procedure to reallocate resources from one part of the organisation when another part of the party comes under strain and requires additional staff support, the source said. It puts a major question mark on whether people within the organisation understand the concerns that have been expressedLouise Ellman MP Ensuring complaints on anti-Semitism are processed quickly is an absolute priority for the party which is why these additional resources have been reallocated. It is understood that the role of the two staff members concerned is purely administrative and will not involve ruling on disciplinary matters. However, the move was treated with deep suspicion by critics of Mr Corbyns handling of the issue anti-Semitism within Labours ranks. Following the PLP meeting, Louise Ellman, who is Jewish, said: What are her credentials? Is it a political appointment. The problem the partys failure to deal with anti-Semitism is a political one. I suspect that these are political friends who will find it virtually impossible to discipline someone they regard to be in their group. It puts a major question mark on whether people within the organisation understand the concerns that have been expressed, a question mark over the independence of the process. Ruth Smeeth, who is also Jewish, added: I think it is extraordinary. I have made it very clear and Ive said publicly this is a political will issue, it is not a process issue. Expand Close Dame Margaret Hodge says Labour needs to act on anti-Semitism (Yui Mok/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dame Margaret Hodge says Labour needs to act on anti-Semitism (Yui Mok/PA) The leaders office needs to get directly involved and own it and make it clear, or they have to stay well away from it and let process go on. The meeting was briefed by general secretary Jennie Formby, who is in charge of the complaints process and who clashed publicly at the weekend with deputy leader Tom Watson over the way the issue of anti-Semitism was being dealt with. However MPs said she had failed to address their concerns. Nothing has changed. We still arent any further on, Ms Smeeth said. Veteran MP Dame Margaret Hodge added: I have absolutely no trust in the current system. If we are serious about zero tolerance with anti-Semitism you need action. Theresa May yesterday refused to say the UK is still fighting for a "time limit" to the Irish backstop, in fresh evidence that the Brexit talks are in trouble. The Prime Minister appeared to water down her demands from the EU, threatening her ability to win over Conservative MPs in the second "meaningful vote" earmarked for a week's time. Downing Street declined to repeat the words "time limit" - or "unilateral exit clause" - when asked about a report that efforts in Brussels are now focused on a much weaker "arbitration mechanism" to escape the backstop. A time limit or exit mechanism were the two options Mrs May set out last month when she told MPs: "We believe it is reasonable to ask for legally binding changes to this effect." But, asked if those two options remained the Government's demands, her spokesperson said only: "The Attorney General continues to pursue legally binding changes to the backstop that are necessary to ensure that the EU cannot hold the UK in it indefinitely. We are now at a particularly critical stage in these negotiations and the AG's work is focused on securing legally binding changes to the backstop." Asked if an "arbitration mechanism" could now be the Government's aim, the spokesperson said he was "not getting into specifics". Geoffrey Cox, the Attorney General, and Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, will be in Brussels today, but there is "nothing in the diary" for the Prime Minister to take part in the negotiations. Mr Cox has dismissed a claim made in the Daily Telegraph that he had "abandoned" attempts to secure a time limit or one-way exit mechanism from the backstop. He tweeted: "The DT reporting of the last 24 hours consists of misunderstood fag ends dressed up as facts. Some of it is accurate, much more of it isn't and what is not is far more significant than what is. "Complex and detailed negotiations cannot be conducted in public." Mrs May is pinning her hopes of winning next week's vote on Mr Cox changing his legal advice, in January, that the UK is in danger of being trapped in the backstop indefinitely. However, that will be far more difficult if the UK is only able to appeal to an arbitrator that the backstop is no longer needed, possibly under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. If the meaningful vote is lost on Tuesday, MPs will have the opportunity to veto a no-deal Brexit and to seek an extension to Article 50 - delaying the UK's departure from the EU beyond March 29. Earlier, DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said his party must see legally binding and treaty-level changes to the withdrawal agreement regarding the backstop in order to support it. He told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour: "We need something which, whatever its legal form, has legal binding effect and which changes the current meaning of the withdrawal agreement. "And which makes clear that it cannot be indefinite, and it cannot be a trap both for the United Kingdom generally and for Northern Ireland in particular." Disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya has lost a challenge against her conviction for perverting the course of justice. The 35-year-old solicitor was expelled from the Labour Party after being found guilty in December last year. She was jailed for three months at the Old Bailey in January and was released from prison after serving one month behind bars. Expand Close MP Fiona Onasanya outside the Royal Courts of Justice (Yui Mok/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp MP Fiona Onasanya outside the Royal Courts of Justice (Yui Mok/PA) Representing herself at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, Onasanya told the court: The charge against me was perverting the course of justice. I said from the outset, and I still maintain my innocence, that I did not do that. But she was refused permission for a full appeal by three leading judges. Jurors at the Old Bailey were told that she colluded with her brother Festus after her car was clocked speeding at 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney, near Peterborough, in July 2017. She was sent a notice of intended prosecution to fill out, but it was sent back naming the guilty driver as Aleks Antipow, an acquaintance of her brother, who was away visiting his parents in Russia. Festus Onasanya, 34, from Cambridge, was jailed for 10 months after he admitted three counts of perverting the course of justice over speeding, including the July 24 incident. A PRIVATE legal practitioner in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, has accused the Asokwa Police of unprofessionalism in their handling of a suspected murder case that was recently reported to them. Lawyer Africanus Owusu-Ansah reproved the police for incarcerating two suspects alleged to have had a hand in the death of US-based Ghanaian, Elvis George Amofa aka Agyemang, beyond the constitutionally mandated 48 hours without arraigning them. Article 14 (3) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana states: A person arrested, restricted or detained shall be brought before a court within forty eight (48) hours after the arrest, restriction and detention. Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, Lawyer Owusu-Ansah claimed he was thrown out of a senior police officers office when he attempted to secure a police enquiry bail for the suspects Angie Ataa, one of Agyemangs wives and Osei Assibey, his brother, a day after they were arrested. My plea for bail was not entertained and for the whole of Saturday, February 23, 2019 (7am 6pm), I was at the Asokwa Police Station. Finally, Osei Assibey was released after I had strongly pleaded alibi for him, he revealed. The lawyer wondered why the police should keep the suspects in cells between Friday, February 22, 2019, and Monday, February 25, 2019, without arraignment when the cause of Amofas death had not been established to determine whether there was foul play or not. He decried the manner in which police often molest and torture suspects in the country, insisting that a suspect is innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubts. Being disillusioned about the attitude of the Asokwa Police in their handling of the case, the lawyer has consequently lodged a complaint with the Ashanti Regional Crime Officer, ACP Peter Baba, with copies to the Regional Police Commander and the Attorney Generals Department in Kumasi. ACP Peter Baba confirmed that he received the lawyers complaint and indicated that the Asokwa District and Divisional Crime Officers had been invited to a meeting over the matter. Meanwhile, a post-mortem examination conducted on the body of Elvis George Amofa believed to be in his 50s by doctors at the Emena Hospital has revealed that he died of natural causes. The US-based Ghanaian who had reportedly returned home about three months ago died a few hours after falling unconscious at Angies house at about 2 pm, after leaving his house with his first wife around 10 am on Monday, February 18, 2019. He was rushed to Atonsu Agogo Hospital in Kumasi where Osei Assibey was called in to care for him but he eventually died the same day. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Both the Welsh and Scottish Parliaments are voting on a motion opposing Theresa Mays Brexit deal (Jane Barlow/PA) Nicola Sturgeon hit out at the UK Governments unforgivably reckless stance on Brexit as she led calls from both Scotland and Wales to rule out Britain quitting the European Union without a deal in place. Ms Sturgeon spoke as both the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly looked set to rally behind a plea for Theresa May to rule out no-deal and extend the Article 50 deadline beyond March 29. Leaving the EU without any deal in place is an avoidable outcome which could only happen by the choice of the UK Government, the Scottish First Minister said. She added: It is unforgivably reckless. Speaking at Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon said: No rational government acting responsibly in the interests of those it serves would countenance leaving the European Union without a deal. With similar motions being debated in both Edinburgh and Cardiff, Ms Sturgeon noted: This is the first occasion in 20 years of devolution that the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly have acted in unison in this way. We have been brought together by our dismay, bordering now on despair, at the UK Governments approach to and handling of Brexit. Read @NicolaSturgeon's opening speech in the Scottish Parliament's debate over the EU Withdrawal Negotiations and Theresa May's #Brexit deal. https://t.co/WKHYXyHR8J The SNP (@theSNP) March 5, 2019 Both motions make clear opposition to the UKs Governments proposed Brexit deal which has not yet been approved by the House of Commons and states that a no-deal Brexit would be completely unacceptable. As well as calling on the Government to take immediate steps to prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal, they also insist that the Article 50 deadline should be extended. A UK Government spokeswoman said: An orderly Brexit is in the UKs best interests and the best way to achieve that is for MPs of all parties to support the Prime Ministers deal. The deal is a good one for Scotland, Wales and the whole of the UK it delivers the result of the referendum, gives us a close future partnership with the EU, and guarantees citizens rights. Refusing to support the Prime Ministers deal simply makes a damaging no-deal more likely. Ms Sturgeon however criticised the Prime Minister for showing no decisive leadership whatsoever in the midst of Brexit chaos. She added: Instead of doing the right thing and ruling out a no-deal exit at any stage, she insists on freewheeling the car ever closer to the Brexit cliff-edge. She is trying to run down the clock, making on an almost daily basis undeliverable promises to hardline Brexiteers and more recently offering tawdry, half-baked bribes to Labour MPs. Expand Close Motions against a no deal brexit are being debated at the Welsh Assembly (above) and Holyrood. (David Davies/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Motions against a no deal brexit are being debated at the Welsh Assembly (above) and Holyrood. (David Davies/PA) Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: We need a deal that protects jobs, that best defends workers rights, that safeguards environmental standards and consumer interests, which is underpinned by a permanent customs union and so critically prevents a hard border in Ireland. Meanwhile Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie blasted the UK Government over its display of incompetence of an historic scale. He said: As the days tick down to the self-imposed deadline, still no one in the country knows what our fundamental relationship will be with our closest neighbours in just a few weeks time. Ms Sturgeon, Mr Harvie and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie all backed calls for a second Brexit referendum. Mr Rennie argued: This is one of the biggest decisions this country has ever faced and it is wrong to deprive the people of the final say. But Scottish Conservative interim leader Jackson Carlaw said: The Brexit referendum in June 2016 was one of the largest exercises in democracy this country has ever witnessed. The number of people who voted to leave was the largest number of people to vote for anything in our history. And while theyve been largely forgotten in this place, let us not forget that they included one million people in Scotland more than the number who voted for the SNP in the most recent Westminster election. Too often, those one million Scots have been casually dismissed as either deluded, deranged or both. Their anger is very real. Mark Carney said there has been progress in preparedness (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) Bank of England boss Mark Carney has said the UKs Brexit preparations have reduced the economic damage that could follow a no-deal withdrawal. The governor said there had been progress in preparedness that has reduced the level of economic shock forecast if Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal. He told peers on the Lords Economic Affairs Committee that border agreements, the rollover of trade agreements and progress in the derivative markets meant the impact of a no-deal exit would be less severe than the Bank predicted in November. But Mr Carney said a disorderly Brexit would likely still be a material economic shock. In November, the Bank warned Britain would be tipped into a recession worse than the financial crisis in the event of a no-deal disorderly Brexit and warned that the worst-case scenario could lead to Britains GDP falling by 8%. Our session with Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, is about to start. Watch it here - https://t.co/wsQTlCg6DL pic.twitter.com/3xlNe4LpB4 Lords Economic Affairs Committee (@LordsEconCom) March 5, 2019 However Mr Carney told the committee on Tuesday that recent developments meant the contraction may be 2% to 3.5% lower. And he said: Since we released those scenarios in November there have been some constructive developments in terms of preparedness some of them have been detailed over the course of the last few weeks in terms of broader parliamentary testimony. Mr Carney explained: If you took the scenarios that we had for a no-deal Brexit and you referenced the disruptive and the disorderly, and it depends what your counterfactual is so what are we comparing it to if we compare those as we did in November to our forecast of the economy at the time which presumed something broadly consistent with the Prime Ministers deal the potential hit to GDP was just under 5% in the disruptive and just under 8% in the disorderly. The items I indicated earlier, given our modelling of the situation, would pull back somewhere between 2% to 3.5% of those losses depending on the scenario. He added: There has been progress in preparedness and that reduces the level of the economic shock. An MP has launched a bid to stop products from being priced differently based on whether they are targeted towards men or women. Liberal Democrat Christine Jardine will introduce a bill at Westminister on Tuesday which would ban differentiated pricing on products that are similar for men and women such as razors and deodorants. For years, campaigners have called on the UK Government to take action to end the so-called pink tax, indicating that many products could be almost identical and yet those targeted towards women are more expensive. In 2016, health retailer Boots announced that it would lower the price of some of its razors for women to bring them within line of those for men. This unfair price gap will have a significant financial impact on a woman over the course of her lifeLiberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine Ms Jardines Gender-based Pricing (Prohibition) Bill will have its first reading on Tuesday. The MP for Edinburgh West said that women were being hit by a double whammy, following the impact of the gender pay gap. She said: It is entirely unacceptable that in 2019 women and girls are still paying more than men for basic products, such as razors and deodorant. Whilst women are often still being paid less too, women really are being hit by a double whammy. Products marketed at women are on average considerably more expensive than those marketed at men. Often the only difference is the colour, yet this unfair price gap will have a significant financial impact on a woman over the course of her life. Liberal Democrats demand better. Its time to get rid of this price gap. My Bill would remove this outdated and sexist tax on women once and for all. Police officers by floral tributes at the scene of a stabbing near St Neots Road in Harold Hill, east London (Victoria Jones/PA) Theresa May has come under fire after she suggested that police cuts were not to blame for a spate of fatal stabbings on teenagers. Senior figures in policing were at odds with the Prime Minister as they called for a reverse to slashes in staffing levels. Mrs May had said there was no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Monday that Mrs May must start listening to police chiefs over the impact of cutting 21,000 officers, adding: You cannot keep people safe on the cheap. His comments came as Richard Cooke, the chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, accused the Government of responsibility dodging and called for more staff with greater stop and search powers. How can they ignore what is obvious to most of us that the violence is out of control partly because there are simply not enough bobbies on the beat? he wrote in the Daily Telegraph. Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor in Greater Manchester whose 17-year-old relative was recently stabbed to death in Birmingham, also criticised Mrs May for claiming there was no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers. I am aghast at what the Prime Minister had to say about police numbers that there is no correlation between the number of police and the amount of crime. Of course there is otherwise why would we have police at all, he told BBC2s Newsnight. When you reduce police numbers by 21,000 hundreds in pretty much every city there isnt the intelligence any more, there isnt the neighbourhood policing any more, people dont know where to go. Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe called for policing numbers to return to their former figure as he demanded that ministers get a grip on the crisis. Scotland Yard Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham McNulty also indicated that extra officers did make a difference in tackling the problem. The body that represents rank-and-file officers said the Prime Minister was delusional. John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: Policing has been stripped to the bone and the consequences are clear, splashed across newspaper front pages and TV news bulletins children being murdered on our streets. This is the true cost of austerity that we warned of, but were ridiculed for doing so. Mrs May promised a cross-Government response to knife crime as she rejected claims police cuts had contributed. The Prime Minister vowed to tackle the causes of knife crime by addressing the issues which led so many young people to carry blades. Mrs May, a former home secretary, said a lot of this is gang-related, some of it will be drugs-related, there are a wide variety of issues that need to be addressed here and thats what the Government is doing. But she was accused by political opponents of presiding over reductions in police numbers and cuts to youth services which have contributed to a rise in violent crime. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Home Secretary Sajid Javid will chair a meeting of police chiefs on Wednesday, including chief constables from the areas most affected by knife crime. It comes after the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney in an east London park on Friday night in what her family branded a totally random and unprovoked attack. On Saturday night, 17-year-old Yousef Ghaleb Makki was stabbed to death in Hale Barns, near Altrincham, in Greater Manchester. Meanwhile, an investigation by Channel 4s Dispatches found the number of recorded offenders aged under 18 committing homicides using a knife or sharp instrument rose by 77% from 2016 to 2018, up from 26 to 46. Mr Javid said: Young people are being murdered across the country and it cant go on. The Home Office said an extra 970 million in police funding is proposed in the funding settlement for 2019-20. It added that the Offensive Weapons Bill currently before Parliament will introduce new offences to tackle knife crime and acid attacks. Police funding has fallen by 19% in real terms since 2010. Over the same period, officer numbers have decreased by more than 20,000. At the end of September, there were 122,395 police officers in the 43 forces in England and Wales. This number was up by nearly 500 compared with 12 months earlier the first year-on-year increase since 2009. Pope Francis is to open up the Vatican archives on Second World War-era pontiff Pius XII, who has been accused by Jews of staying silent on the Holocaust. Francis told officials at the Vatican Secret Archives that documents would be open to researchers from March 2, 2020. Pius was elected pontiff on March 2, 1939, six months before the war erupted in Europe. He died on October 9, 1958. The Vatican usually waits 70 years after the end of a pontificate to open up the relevant archives, but the Holy See has been under pressure to make the Pius XII documentation available sooner. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long was totally correct in shaming blogger and commentator Jude Collins for his disgraceful comments about her appearance. He drew attention to her weight and speculated that it could be the result of a health problem after she went on a television politics show following her party's annual conference at the weekend. He was forced to apologise and withdraw the offending paragraph from his commentary after Mrs Long accused him of misogyny and told him he had no right to draw conclusions about her health. She was supported in Collins' own words by a multitude of people who contacted him to say how obnoxious his comments were. As a man who has courted controversy in his blogs and newspaper and radio commentaries, he could not have failed to recognise his comments were beyond the pale while writing them. Read More His was the language of a troll rather than that of anyone with an intellectual point to make. His observations on Mrs Long's weight had no relevance to the political discourse she was engaged in. This newspaper like any other responsible media outlet defends the right of free speech but it must be accompanied by a sense of responsibility rather than a distastefully constructed slur on a woman's appearance. Having made the comment in the first place many will wonder at the sincerity of his apology. He has form in offending people who have suffered grievously at the hands of terrorists. He queried whether the death of Mary Travers could be called murder because it resulted in a botched IRA attempt to kill her magistrate father, Tom, as they walked home from Mass in Belfast in 1984. On the 20th anniversary of the Omagh bombing - the worst atrocity of the Troubles - he was similarly pedantic in claiming those 29 deaths should not be classified as murder because the dissident republicans who planted the bomb got its location wrong in their warning. His logic was that they didn't mean to kill. He argued in another commentary that Patsy Gillespie, the Londonderry man chained to a lorry bomb and blown to bits by remote control, should have expected to be an IRA target because he worked in an Army base. None of the backlash to each of the above seems to have instilled any sense of responsibility in him and his comments now have lost all validity. There is nothing like a strict deadline to concentrate the mind. As Brexit Day, March 29, moves inexorably closer, there appears to be at least some discernible thawing among the icy crags of Tory backbench rebellion, which could yet give Theresa May a chance - at one time thought impossible - to achieve an agreement by the due date. This latest development has been welcomed by Dr Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary. And, should it persist, the Prime Minister may yet be able to achieve that miracle on time, for which she has been striving relentlessly for months. What a triumph that would be. But these painful negotiations have had their very ugly side. The threat by three Cabinet ministers - Greg Clark, Amber Rudd and David Gauke - to side with the rebels was a total disgrace. This disloyal trio should have been sacked on the spot. But, whatever happens at Westminster in the next three weeks, both the main political parties appear to be in danger of shedding more members to the new Independent Group of deserters. Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair is firmly of the opinion that that will happen, either because of Labour's left-wing lurch, or the alleged nationalism in the Conservative Party. Brexit has certainly turned the political landscape upside down. And to quote the late Ronald Reagan: "You ain't seen nothing yet." A friend at Westminster whispered to me the other day that David Lammy, the vociferous Labour MP for Tottenham, is becoming something of a pain in the neck. His latest grouse is to say that they can do without any more "white saviours" in Africa. This is a swipe at Comic Relief, which each year donates thousands and thousands of pounds to alleviate suffering around the world. In particular, Mr Lammy had a go at TV's Stacey Dooley for the "stereotyped" photograph of her holding an African child. I can't see what the colour of a person's skin should have to do with the generosity of people anxious to help others less fortunate than themselves. Gratitude might have been more appropriate. Tom Watson, the genial deputy leader of the Labour Party, has landed himself in hot water for offering what most people would consider to be a useful service to the party. He said that all complaints of anti-Semitism in the party should be referred to him and he would deal with them as best he could. But this seemingly well-meaning offer was almost immediately met with by a ferocious letter from the party's general secretary Jennie Formby. She accused him of completely unacceptable behaviour and claimed that he would be confusing and polluting the formal action being taken within the party to deal with these matters. I am glad to say that Mr Watson, far from contrite, has stuck to his guns. It is certainly a novel concept to me that paid officials should have the temerity to tell MPs how to behave. In any event, I would have thought the Labour Party had enough real problems on its plate without indulging in a ludicrous and unnecessary over the top war of words like this. The Conservative Party has been labelled the "nasty party" (an expression once used by Theresa May herself), the "toffs' party", as well as various other soubriquets too rude to be printed here. But it should now, it seems, also be labelled the "anti-book party" judging by what Speaker John Bercow told the House of Commons the other day. Spotting a Conservative MP entering the chamber bearing an armful of books, Bercow observed: "In the Conservative Party, which used to be my party, it was frequently said that to be seen carrying a book was dangerous, but to be seen reading it was fatal." It would, therefore, appear that, if you have ambitions to become a success as a Tory politician, you would be better advised to have a copy of Beano in your hands, rather than War And Peace. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. A woman who survived being shot six times by the same UVF unit that murdered Ian Ogle has accused his killers of "destroying lives". Jemma McGrath hit out at the terror gang, saying: "If the so-called UVF wasn't handing these lads guns and bats and knives, they wouldn't have the ego to feel they have the power to run around the way they do. Read More "And now it's a power struggle between the (UVF) team to see who can do the most damage to someone, because if they beat someone, shoot someone, and now actually murder someone they get treated like heroes" Jemma's damning assessment of the East Belfast UVF came after security sources confirmed the identities of another two men questioned by cops about the horrific Ogle killing. They are Alan 'Bo' Ervine and Robert Speers, both of whom are close friends of Jonny Brown (33), who has been charged with the killing but strongly denies involvement. A further two men listed as police suspects but who have so far not been spoken to by police are Glenn Rainey - who flew out to Thailand the day after the Ogle murder and remains there - and Mark Sewell. Sunday Life can also confirm that Neil Ogle, a cousin of the 45-year-old murder victim, was interviewed by detectives before being released without charge. However, that was connected to a fight between him, Ian Ogle and his son Ryan Johnston in the hours before the knife killing. There is no suggestion Neil Ogle was involved in the fatal UVF gang attack as he was being treated in hospital at the time. Expand Close The funeral of Ian Ogle Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The funeral of Ian Ogle Security sources, who dredged what is believed to be murder weapons from the Connswater River 10 days ago, say the net is tightening on the murder squad. One insider told us: "We are expecting to charge people with murder in the coming days. "The hold-up is down to DNA evidence taken from clothing belonging to Ian Ogle, the suspects and their getaway car being analysed. That, of course, takes time." In the five weeks since the murder, the Ogle family have been inundated with messages of support, with high-profile UVF gun attack victim Jemma McGrath now adding her voice to those backing the family. The 29-year-old survived being shot six times outside her east Belfast home in 2013 after being wrongly accused of giving an ecstasy tablet to overdose victim Alio McKenzie, the son of leading loyalist Alan 'Bloodnut' McKenzie. She has since reinvented herself as a high-profile businesswoman and beautician. In social media posts encouraging the Ogle family, Jemma (right) said: "I've known these boys (UVF) my whole life and just to get a bit of respect while sitting in a bar at the weekend, they would do it (murder) in a heartbeat. Expand Close Ian Ogle / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ian Ogle "One on one they couldn't beat snow off a rope, then the things they get away with just because they use a name or organisation." Prior to his murder outside his Cluan Place home in east Belfast, Ian Ogle was the subject of an 18-month intimidation campaign by elements within the UVF. The trouble began after a row in an east Belfast bar during which his son Ryan and daughter Toni Johnston were both assaulted. The Ogle family had to pay 500 to cover the cost of repairs to the pub. They were also told to present themselves for a pre-arranged punishment attack at which their arms and legs were to be broken, but they refused leading to more threats. Although living off the Albertbridge Road, Ian Ogle - who was a low-ranking UVF member- belonged to a unit based around the Beersbridge, Woodstock and Ravenhill roads. This gang is controlled by a veteran loyalist who has little time for the Newtownards Road UVF members who carried out the killing. Security sources believe that this may explain the ferocity of the attack on the dad-of-two. "Ogle was part of the UVF Ravenhill Road team and was very anti-drugs, his killers are part of an opposing faction who openly took drugs," explained an insider. "The murder was as much about a clash between old-school and new-school UVF members as it was a personal dispute." The UVF responded immediately to the Ogle killing by stating that it was not sanctioned by the leadership and was only okayed at a local level. It also strongly condemned the murderers and dismissed its Newtownards Road commander who gave the attack the green light. Leading figures in the East Belfast UVF told Sunday Life that they are furious that five weeks after the attack only one man, Johnny Brown, faces charges. The PSNI has confirmed that at least five men were involved in the Ogle murder, using knives and hammers to fracture his skull and stab him 11 times. Our UVF source said: "The murder of Ian Ogle was needless and sickening and anyone with information should take it to the PSNI. No one involved is being protected." In a statement issued the day after the Ogle killing, the UVF said: "Whoever did it did not do it in the name of loyalism or the UVF. "Actions of this sort undermine the positive transformation which is taking place with the organisation and we distance ourselves from the appalling act on a popular member of our local community. We send heartfelt condolences to the wider family circle." The Chinese are concerned about the state of marriage in their country. As divorce rates rise, they decided to do a few things to see if they could curb the rate of divorce. In 2016, one attempt was through Chinas Supreme Court. They made a recommendation aimed at helping couples distinguish the difference between marital death and marital crisis. The Court recommended that couples considering divorce take a 3-month cooling off period. This cooling off period was implemented on a case by case hearing and aimed at couples who had solvable problems. The idea was to help couples through marital crises rather than have them divorce impulsively or simple consider the marriage over. They noticed that young couples were especially prone to quick divorce when marital expectations were not being met. The concern with rising divorce rates was because divorce leads to a number of social problems, crimes and isolated elderly people. In China, the break up of the family has led to rising suicide rates among the elderly. Thus, the government is trying to support couples and keep families together, asking them to take a step back and work through marital conflicts. More focus is also being placed on the process of mediation when divorce looms. The hope is that slowing down the process of divorce may help some couples work through problems and stay married. In 2017, the results of the cooling off period were positive when tried in the Southwest China province of Sichuan. Chinanews. com reported that nine of 10 couples reconciled due to the cooling off period. Most of them realized they had minor problems that could be solved. In 2018, the courts imposed the cooling off period for a number of weeks to months. After a period of reflection, the couple can still decide to divorce, but the cooling off period is used to slow down impulsive decisions and fixable problems. There is a lesson here for all. Marriage is a covenant, entered into with the promise that you will stay with the person through good and bad times. In American culture, too many couple divorce over fixable problems. Many couples could benefit from basic relationships skills and conflict resolution. While many states in the U.S. require couples to wait six months to a year for a divorce, the use of the waiting period is not necessarily to work through problems. Cooling off periods are often used to.postpone the inevitable, not to work on couple problems. Marital training on fair fighting, the use of empathy, listening, compromise and forgiveness would be helpful to move couples into more satisfying relationships. I cant tell you how many times I hear couples wish they had done more work on their first marriage because they see the same problems repeat in their new relationships. Now, not all couple problems can be solved with a cooling off period. Certainly problems of abuse and abandonment would not be included. But many problems that lead to divorce are fixable when couples are willing to work on their issues. So the lesson here is to use the cooling off period to address the issues of the marriage, not as a waiting period to sign papers. Muhib Ullah, chairman of the advocacy group Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), talks to BenarNews in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, after attending a meeting with a Chinese delegation, March 5, 2019. Updated at 2:12 p.m. ET on 2019-03-06 A Chinese government delegation met Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh, promising each family up to U.S. $6,000 if they returned to Rakhine state in Myanmar, a Bangladeshi official and refugee leaders said Tuesday. Sun Gouxiang, Chinas special envoy for Asian Affairs, met with 15 men and 14 women at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Coxs Bazar on March 3, according to Syed Ullah, secretary-general of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), an NGO. They asked us whether we would go back if they gave us five thousand to six thousand dollars, Ullah told BenarNews. We rejected their proposal and asserted that we will in no way return if we are not given citizenship with Rohingya identity and our other demands are not met, he said. A Bangladeshi official who attended the meeting confirmed to BenarNews, on condition of anonymity, that the Chinese delegation had offered up to U.S. $6,000 per family to help the refugees rebuild their homes in Rakhine state. The Chinese embassy in Dhaka did not respond immediately to a BenarNews email seeking comment. The United Nations estimates that some 730,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh at the height of a brutal crackdown launched by the Myanmar military in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security posts in August 2017. At least 200,000 new houses must be constructed for repatriation of the refugees who have been living in Bangladesh. It would be very difficult to construct so many houses, the Bangladeshi official told BenarNews. Chinese government offered them the money, so that each Rohingya family can build their own houses when they go back, he said. But, he said, it would be impossible for the refugees to build their own homes, as most of them have lost the men in their households as a result of the military crackdown that the United States and the United Nations have condemned as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has denied the allegations. Delwar Hossain, an official in charge of the Southeast Asia desk at Bangladeshs Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told BenarNews that his office arranged the meeting between the Chinese delegation and the refugees. They discussed the demands of the Rohingya people, Hossain said. During his visit to Coxs Bazar, the Chinese envoy was accompanied by two officials from the Chinese embassy in Myanmar, a diplomat from its embassy in Dhaka, and two foreign ministry officials from Beijing, another Bangladeshi official, Alauddin Vuian, told BenarNews. The delegation met with Rohingya leaders and Mohammad Abul Kalam, Bangladeshs refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, foreign ministry sources said. A short video clip of that meeting, seen by BenarNews, shows Chinese officials talking to Rohingya leaders, some of whom hand documents to the visitors. A Rohingya leader told the Chinese delegation that the refugees would never accept any repatriation without international security, full citizenship with Rohingya identity and justice, Syed Ullah said. Muhib Ullah, another ARSPH official, provided more details about the meeting in an interview with BenarNews. First of all, they wanted to know whether all of us were Rohingya and we would go back, he said. We told them that we would go just now if they accept our demands. Otherwise, we will not go. If Myanmar grants citizenship, we will return jumping, Ullah said. Munshi Fayez, Bangladeshs former ambassador to Beijing, told BenarNews that Chinas move to start talking to Rohingya refugees about possible repatriation was apparently aimed at protecting Myanmar, its regional ally, from international pressure, and at gaining a foothold on the economic benefits of the return of the refugees. Myanmar has created such a situation that China in future may not be able to protect them from international pressure, Fayez said. So, they try to mediate the Rohingya repatriation to save (Chinas) international image. At the same time, he said, China was seeking a solution to the Rohingya issue for their economic interests. China wants to create an economic zone in Rakhine, Fayez said. If the Rohingya issue remained unresolved, they cannot create an economic zone. The Chinese envoy flew out of the country from Dhaka on Tuesday, Bangladeshi foreign ministry sources told BenarNews. Before travelling to Bangladesh, Sun Gouxiang visited several villages in Rakhine state and met with Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the capital Naypyidaw on Feb. 27, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar. Updated to correct that the U.S. $6,000 offer was for each family. Kashmiri villagers look on as a fire burns a house in the wake of a deadly shootout between Indian government forces and insurgents in the Tral area of Pulwama, a district of Indian-administered Kashmir, March 5, 2019. Pakistan said Tuesday it had detained 44 Jaish-e-Muhammad militants, a week after warplanes from India targeted a suspected JeM camp in Pakistani territory to retaliate for a car-bombing that killed dozens of Indian troops in the disputed Kashmir region. The climate between the two nuclear-armed neighbors has settled into an uneasy pause after last weeks airstrike and a subsequent military standoff had died down, according to analysts. During the standoff both militaries exchanged artillery gunfire across their respective borders in Kashmir, and a dogfight between the two air forces led to the capture by Pakistanis of an Indian pilot who was freed on Friday. Indias aerial bombing of the camp had eliminated a large number of JeM militants, Indian officials had said a week ago, while Pakistan had countered that there were no casualties in the Feb. 26 airstrike. India launched that operation in the aftermath of a Feb. 14 suicide bombing, which was claimed by Pakistan-based JeM and killed 40 Indian troops in Pulwama, a district of Indian Kashmir. Since then, at least 30 people have died in insurgency-related violence on the Indian side of the Himalayan region, authorities said. There is an uneasy pause in the Indo-Pak tense relationship. Pakistan has not taken any substantive steps toward shutting down terror camps operating on its soil. Any further terror attack or provocation from Pakistan is bound to evoke a strong response, Anil Wadhwa, a senior scholar at the Vivekananda International Foundation, an Indian think-tank, told BenarNews. On Tuesday Indian opposition parties clamored for proof from the ruling party that the airstrike had destroyed the JeM camp. Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the death toll in the aerial bombing would be known today or tomorrow. On Monday, Amit Shah, the president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claimed that at least 250 suspected JeM militants were killed in the attack. However, that same day Indian Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa maintained that his countrys warplanes had successfully leveled the JeM camp, but he declined to talk about the number of militants killed. We hit our targets. We dont count human casualties, the government does that, Dhanoa said. We are investigating them In Pakistan, news reports quoted Shehryar Khan Afridi, the Pakistani state minister for the interior, as saying that Mufti Abdur Rauf, the brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar, was among the 44 suspected JeM members rounded up by local authorities on Tuesday. He told a press conference in Islamabad that a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week had contained Raufs name. Another detained suspect was identified as Hammad Azhar, whose name was in the dossier too, the minister said, the Press Trust of India news agency reported from Islamabad. We are investigating them and if we get more evidence, more proof against them, they will be proceeded against according to law and if we dont get any proof their detention will end, the Reuters news agency quoted the minister as saying. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for harboring and supporting JeM militants in targeting India in attacks, including the Feb. 14 suicide bombing, an allegation that Islamabad has continued to reject. In Delhi on Tuesday, Indias navy chief told an annual conference of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue that last months attack was aided by a state that sought to destabilize India. We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea, Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba told the meeting. It was attended by officials from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Britain and the United States. Kashmir, which both India and Pakistan claim in its entirety, has grappled with a separatist insurgency on the Indian side that has killed at least 70,000 people since the late 1980s. The neighbors have gone to war over Kashmir twice in their 72-year history in 1965 and 1998. Indo-Pakistani tensions remain high although the standoff eased at the end of last week, according to another analyst. Neither side seems to have changed its orientation after the release of the Indian pilot. Now both countries are reportedly showing more aggressive posturing on the naval front as well as they test each others limits, security analyst Ajai Sahni told BenarNews. Confrontation was earlier restricted to ground forces along the border but after the terror attacks, there are chances of confrontation between naval and air forces also. I dont think there will be a let-up in tensions between the two sides, at least in the near future or until general elections in India are over, he added. General elections are scheduled to be held before May. Mohammad Amin Pirzada contributed to this report from Srinagar, India. The Malaysian parliament, seen here during the Oct. 15, 2018, swearing in of Anwar Ibrahim, has seen 39 members of Barisan Nasional leave the coalition since its stunning electoral defeat in May 2018. Updated at 4:23 p.m. ET on 2019-03-05 Ten months after its first-ever electoral defeat, Malaysias oldest political coalition lurched further toward potential collapse Monday as leaders of two key component parties called for it to be dissolved or restructured. The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) were founding members of the Barisan Nasional coalition, alongside the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). But in recent months that alliance has been undermined, its leaders said. MCA and MIC being representatives of their respective communities, acknowledge that the metamorphosis of BN to its present form has been rejected by their communities and are therefore calling for its dissolution or restructuring, a joint statement said. BN, established in 1973, suffered its first electoral defeat in May 2018, leading to the end of its unbroken six-decade rule and the departure of 10 of its 13 coalition members. The upstart Pakatan Harapan coalition scored a stunning upset and returned former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who had left BN, to power. BN won just 79 of 222 parliament seats in May, but that number has since shrunk to 40 as 22 MPs representing the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak left the coalition and 17 UMNO MPs defected. UMNO now holds 37 seats in parliament, while BN, MCA and MIC have one each falling far short of the 112 needed to control the government. Racial remarks In their statement, the MCA and MIC leaders said their parties did not recognize the illegal appointment in October 2018 of hardline UMNO Supreme Council member Nazri Aziz as BNs secretary general. They said Nazris repeated racial remarks and UMNOs silence on the matter had cracked the foundation of mutual respect that BN stood for all this while. Speaking ahead of a by-election in Semenyih, Selangor late last month, Nazri reportedly accused the current government of failing to defend the rights of Malays, who make up 61 percent of 33 million Malaysians. It is the duty of every prime minister and the government to defend the (Malay) privilege. However, the government is weak, Malaysiakini reported Nazri as saying at a lecture on Feb. 23. Many things that never happened before are happening now [look at the appointment of the] attorney-general, chief justice and finance minister, Malaysiakini reported the former tourism minister as saying. He appeared to be referring to Attorney General Tommy Thomas, an ethnic Indian Christian, and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, an ethnic Chinese Malaysian. The uncalled for racial remarks by the Datuk Seri Nazri in Semenyih have further damaged the ties between the three founding parties, the joint MCA/MIC statement said. This might not be the end Acting UMNO president Mohamad Hassan said the coalition would hear the grievances. The BN Supreme Council will call for a meeting at the nearest possible time and discuss the matter in detail, he told BenarNews. Hassan, who was elected as UMNOs vice president following the general election defeat, became acting president in December when Ahmad Zahid Hamidi took leave in response to the exodus of party members. Prior to the election loss, Zahid had served as deputy to Prime Minister Najib Razak. Like Najib, Zahid faces multiple charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering. The U.S. justice department alleges that high-level government officials and associates embezzled and laundered almost $4.5 billion (18.7 billion ringgit) from the 1MDB state fund through real estate and other assets, between 2009 and 2014. Nazri told BenarNews that he welcomed the MCA and MIC departures as it would be their own demise. Both parties have only one seat each, they need BN more than BN needs them, he said. He added the parties should just leave like other members and not waste time with calling for a discussion. Awang Azman Awang Pawi, a political analyst with the Academy of Malay Studies at Universiti Malaya, said UMNO might benefit from the latest defections, as it could cooperate with Malay Muslim-based Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS) for control of Malay voters. With MCA and MIC out of the way, there is no stopping other parties from joining BN, and this might not be the end of BN just yet, added Awang Azman. The most recent reports show Pakatan Harapan, with its Sabah-based allies Warisan and UPKO, holding 135 seats in parliament, followed by BN and its allies with 40, the Sarawak Union Party with 19, the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS), with 18, and the United Sabah Party with three. Seven members are independent. CORRECTION: An earlier version incorrectly stated that Barisan Nasional was founded in 1957. Malaysias oldest political party said Tuesday that it would work with a Muslim-based rival party, less than 24 hours after fellow founding partners in the Barisan Nasional coalition asked that the bloc be dissolved or restructured. Mohamad Hassan, acting president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party, announced plans to collaborate with the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) to ensure unity and stability in the country. Hassan said the effort to join ranks with PAS did not change the Barisan coalition, which had controlled Malaysian government for decades until it crashed out of power in last years general election. This is not the unification of parties. It is just a cooperation on the matter that is being championed by both parties, he said. There will be no new symbol. It is just a matter of working together. Because what we want to achieve is the peace and harmony we used to have before this, he said. Joining with Hassan for the announcement, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the two parties would try to find issues that brought them together. Even in PAS, we have members who are not Muslim. Our concept is ummah (community) and our focus is the government interest, he said. On Monday, leaders of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) co-signed a statement calling for a change, stating their alliance with UMNO had been undermined in recent months. Specifically, they challenged the appointment of hardline UMNO Supreme Council member Nazri Aziz as BNs secretary general, stating that his repeated racial remarks had harmed the coalitions mutual respect. Nazri responded on Monday, saying he welcomed the potential MCA and MIC departures. Both parties have only one seat each, they need BN more than BN needs them, he told BenarNews. The possible defections by members of the ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian parties could benefit UMNO by allowing it to cooperate with PAS to attract voters from the Malay Muslim majority, said a political analyst with the Academy of Malay Studies at Universiti Malaya. With MCA and MIC out of the way, there is no stopping other parties from joining BN, and this might not be the end of BN just yet, Awang Azman Awang Pawi said. On Tuesday, Hassan said UMNO and PAS would focus on parliamentary by-elections and, if successful, could continue into the next general election. In addition, the parties would work together to serve as a check and balance on the new government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Exodus Barisan Nasional suffered its first electoral defeat in May 2018. The upstart Pakatan Harapan coalition scored a stunning upset in the May 9 general election and returned Mahathir, who had served as prime minister while leading BN, to power. Since then, 39 of BNs members of parliament have left the coalition with many aligning with Pakatan. Hassan was elected as UMNOs vice president following the electoral defeat and became acting president in December when Ahmad Zahid Hamidi took leave in response to the exodus of party members. Prior to the election loss, Zahid had served as deputy to Prime Minister Najib Razak. Like Najib, Zahid faces charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering linked to the beleaguered 1MDB state fund. Lawyer Victor Kwadwogah Adawudu, Counsel for National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, insists his client is "innocent". According to him, the contents of the leaked viral audio cannot be attributed to his client, because he (Ofosu) has denied making such comments. Lawyer Kwadwogah Adawudu, who explained this to PeaceFM [email protected], added that the innocence of the embattled NDC National Chair who remained silent during the entire interrogation at the Police CID Headquarters on Monday, will be proven at the right time. "....after long hours at the police CID, my client has been granted 500,000 Ghana cedis bail with General Secretary, Mr. Asiedu Nketia and Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Ade Coker, acting as sureties for him." "They have asked us to report on Thursday, albeit we do not know whether we will be going to court or the case will be dropped," he added. Heavy Security Presence There was heavy security deployment at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service, when the National Chairman of NDC, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo reported himself to answer questions concerning a leaked tape in which he is said to have made certain statements inciting violence. Heavily armed policemen and armoured vehicles were deployed at vantage points to scrutinize members of the public before they entered the premises. All entrances to the CID headquarters were cordoned off to prevent any unnecessary entry to the premises. Dozens of heavily armed police officers were around the premises to maintain law and order. Restricted Access To NDC Solidarity Members Unlike in previous instances where teeming party supporters massed up at the CID headquarters which sometimes resulted in clashes with the police, the situation was different Monday morning. A good number of NDC supporters who came to stand in solidarity with the embattled national chairman were prevented from getting close to any of the entrances to the CID headquarters. They were confined to the road opposite the CID headquarters on the side that leads to Osu and were not allowed to cross to the opposite side. Mr Ofosu Ampofo, arrived at the Police CID headquarters with his lawyers and party bigwigs. Source: Isaac kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin (second from left) and his U.S. counterpart Michael Pompeo (second from right) are joined by members of their delegations during a meeting at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, March 1, 2019. The Philippines should review an outdated defense treaty with the United States and avoid unnecessarily being dragged to war in case of conflict between Washington and China over the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday. Lorenzanas statement came just days after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Manila to personally assure President Rodrigo Duterte that Washington would come to the Philippines aid in case a shooting war erupts in the highly disputed sea region. He said that despite the assurance, provisions of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), signed in 1951, remain vague and could cause confusion and chaos during a crisis. The fact that the security environment now is so vastly different and much more complex than the bipolar security construct of the era when the MDT was written necessitates a review of the treaty, Lorenzana said in a statement. The Philippines is not in a conflict with anyone and will not be at war with anyone in the future, Lorenzana said. But the United States, with the increased and frequent passage of its naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea, is more likely to be involved in a shooting war, he added, using the Philippine name for the South China Sea. Last week, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin met with his U.S. counterpart and said afterward that he was assured Washington would come to the countrys aid in the event an act of aggression is committed against Manila, its longtime Asian ally. But Lorenzana on Tuesday contradicted Locsins pronouncement, arguing that when the Philippine Senate ended the lease agreements for the Clark and Subic air and naval bases in Luzon, the countrys largest island, in 1992, Manila effectively lost its security umbrella. A couple of years after the U.S. left the bases, the Chinese began their aggressive actions in Mischief Reef not an armed attack, but it was aggression just the same, he said. The U.S. did not stop it.The Chinese first began encroaching in the South China Sea in the mid-1990s at Mischief Reef, about 130 miles west of the Philippines and clearly within its exclusive economic zone. Since then, China has reportedly installed anti-ship cruise missile and surface-to-air missile systems on three of the Spratly Islands west of the Philippines. The Philippine government on Monday said that it was also verifying reports over the weekend that Filipino fishermen were being driven away every time they approached sandbars in their traditional fishing grounds near Philippine-claimed Pag-asa Island, also known as Thitu Island, about 190 km (119 miles) northwest of Mischief Reef. Filipino defense department officials recently noted that dozens of Chinese ships had been anchoring near Pag-asa, the Tagalog word for hope. China claims most of the mineral-rich South China Sea, including areas that reach the shores of its smaller neighbors. The region also is claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. Brunei occupies none of the islands. On Tuesday, a small group of leftist activists protested outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila and called on Washington and Beijing to leave the Philippines. The group was allowed to protest near the embassy, as a phalanx of riot police stood guard. They later dispersed voluntarily. During a joint news conference in Manila on Friday, Pompeo assured the Philippine government that any armed attack on Philippine forces, aircraft or public vessels in the (South China Sea) would trigger mutual defense obligations under Article 4 of our MDT. Children ranging from six weeks to 16 years old are vaccinated against the measles at a health center in Dagupan City, Philippines, Feb. 20, 2019. The death toll from a measles outbreak in the Philippines has reached at least 261, with the number of confirmed cases exceeding 16,000 since the start of the new year, health officials said Tuesday. Three regions around the capital Manila accounted for most of the cases, Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said. On Tuesday, the Philippine Department of Health released its latest figures on the number of fatal cases and confirmed cases of measles covering the period from Jan. 1 until March 2. The United Nations had warned earlier that the outbreak in the Philippines and other affected countries would likely have disastrous consequences for children tomorrow unless more was done to boost immunization campaigns. This is a wake-up call. We have a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine against a highly contagious disease a vaccine that has saved almost a million lives every year over the last two decades, Henrietta Fore, executive director of the U.N. Childrens Fund (UNICEF), said in a recent statement. Apart from the Philippines, Ukraine, Brazil, Yemen, Venezuela, Serbia, Madagascar, Sudan, Thailand and France had also shown an upsurge of measles cases, Fore said. Fore said that in the Philippines, the government, would conduct a campaign to vaccinate nine million children against measles across 17 regions. The Philippine government had blamed the rise in measles cases to a vaccination scare in late 2017. At the time, French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur admitted that its dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, could cause side effects, which could lead to severe dengue to anyone injected with it who had no prior infections. The Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia where Dengvaxia was publicly released. Then-president Benigno Aquino approved its release before he stepped down in 2016, and the vaccine was administered to nearly a million children in public elementary schools. Mark Navales contributed to this report from Cotabato City, Philippines. An Accra-based legal practitioner and a former Deputy Minister for Local Government under Ex-President Kufuors administration, Captain Nkrabea Effah Dartey (rtd) has emphatically stated that NDCs National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo will be dealt with aptly after his bail. According to him, charges leveled against the NDC Chairman is a caution of what he is likely to face in court. He should not be happy, this is just a caution, he said. Ofosu-Ampofo spent over five hours at the Criminal Investigations Department headquarters in Accra being interrogated over a leaked tape with security implications. He is facing charges of threat of harm, conspiracy to commit harm, rioting and assaulting a public officer. In a meeting with party communicators, the Chairman of the largest opposition party incited his men to take the Electoral Commission Chairperson to the cleaners and to insult the National Peace Council Chairman. Charged supporters of the 'Umbrella' family besieged the surroundings of the CID headquarters demanding the release of their Chairman after hours of waiting on the street. Moments after Ofosu-Ampofo was released around 17:45GMT, the agitating supporters went into a state of a jamboree. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo stepped out to calm the crowd and assured them "the police were professional in handling him. He said NDC will not subvert the peace of Ghana and thanked the partys leadership for being behind him. But Lawyer Nkrabea Effah Dartey in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie said all the charges against him are appropriate. If the police show some seriousness on these charges unlike Kennedy Agyapongs charges, then he will be in trouble. "But this time, we the NPP are serious, we have to show Ofosu-Ampofo that we [NPP] are in power and we are maintaining law and order in Ghana. This is not an issue of where power lies, this is rule of law, he said. If NPP is in power, why should you [Ofosu-Ampofo] make such reckless statement that you cannot substantiate in public. The NPP is noted for rule of law and he will not go scot-free, he guaranteed. Lawyer Nkrabea Effah Dartey however noted that Mr Ofosu-Ampofo will be used as an example to deter others from making such reckless comments in future. God forbid that Ghana will experience war because of someones reckless comment, he told host Kwesi Aboagye. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Ambrose_wash Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 On this exclusive, members-only event, Bill breaks down what you need to know about The Real Joe Biden. Who is he and how will he directly affect you and your family? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Bitdefender Offers Agentless Security with VMware NSX-T Data Center BUCHAREST, Romania / Santa Clara, Calif. March 5, 2019 Bitdefender, a leading global cybersecurity company protecting over 500 million systems worldwide, today announced interoperability between Bitdefender GravityZone Security for Virtualized Environments (SVE) and VMware NSX-T Data Center. With this support, Bitdefender delivers an agentless security solution for customers that works with VMware NSX-T Data Center. As organizations embrace new technologies, data center environments become heterogeneous, and the percentage of workloads running in public clouds continues to increase. As such, software-defined networking (SDN) solutions must expand to offer a full range of networking and security services, natively, in these environments. In response, VMware has designed VMware NSX-T Data Center to support multi-cloud (e.g., AWS, Azure, and VMware Cloud on AWS), multi-hypervisor (e.g., VMware vSphere and KVM) and container (e.g., Docker and Kubernetes) environments. As customers build out hybrid clouds underpinned by VMware NSX, they need the broadest possible ecosystem of solutions to address their unique security requirements, said Umesh Mahajan, Senior Vice President of R&D, Networking and Security Business Unit at VMware. Bitdefender offers customers a proven security solution that can take advantage of the pervasive connectivity provided by VMware NSX to deliver layered security anywhere the application requires it. Bitdefender GravityZone SVE, a VMware Ready solution, offers VMware NSX customers the following benefits: Better protection against advanced threats with HyperDetect tunable machine learning Greater operational efficiency and agility via native NSX and VMware vCenter integration Higher infrastructure ROI due to increased consolidation ratios and faster performance Bitdefender is honored to be the first provider offering VMware customers the benefits of agentless security with VMware NSX-T Data Center and the only one to protect them against advanced threats with tunable machine learning, said Gavin Hill, Vice President, Datacenter and Network Security Products, Bitdefender. We value our ongoing partnership with VMware, and their likeminded commitment to customer service and innovation. Bitdefender will showcase GravityZone Security for Virtualized Environments (SVE) for VMware NSX-T at the Bitdefender booth 2051 at the 2019 RSA Conference on March 4-7 in San Francisco, CA. The solution will be generally available March 31, 2019. For more information or to schedule a trial, visit bitdefender.com/sddc. ### About Bitdefender Bitdefender is a global cybersecurity leader protecting over 500 million systems in more than 150 countries. Since 2001, Bitdefender innovation has consistently delivered award-winning security products and threat intelligence for the smart connected home, mobile users, modern businesses and their networks, devices, data centers and Cloud infrastructure. Today, Bitdefender and its Labs is also the provider vendor of choice, embedded in over 38% of the worlds security solutions. Recognized by industry, respected by vendors and evangelized by customers, Bitdefender is the cybersecurity company you can trust and rely on. www.bitdefender.com. VMware, NSX, NSX-T, NSX-T Data Center, VMware Cloud, vSphere, VMware Ready, and vCenter are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. The CEO of The Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA), Jacqui Stewart, has been selected as one of the 100 Most Impactful Healthcare Leaders by the World Health & Wellness Congress for 2019 scheduled for 14 February in Mumbai, India. The World Health & Wellness Congress is a not-for-profit body that organises the annual meeting with the objectives of learning and development, networking and recognising leaders who have contributed value to the profession or their organisation and who, through a positive impact, have made a difference.The Congress attracts leaders from the continents of Asia, the USA, Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), an alliance of six countries in the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.The organisers have informed Ms Stewart as follows:The Health and Wellness Conference takes place on 14 and 15 February 2019 at The Taj Lands End, Mumbai, an iconic venue overlooking the Arabian Sea.Responding Ms Stewart said, I am deeply honoured and very humbled. Thank you very much to you and the advisory board for this great honour.Says Chair of the COHSASA Board, Ms Sharon Slabbert, The COHSASA board congratulates Jacqui on another great achievement which is testament to her dedication to quality assurance internationally, but, particularly in Africa.Unable to accept the award in person in Mumbai since the dates clashed with COHSASAs Annual General Meeting and Board Meeting, Ms Stewart has asked that Mumbai resident, Mr Anisur Rehman, Jagrala accept on her behalf.Jacqui Stewart is the Chief Executive Officer of The Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa NPC (COHSASA). She has worked in the public and private health care sectors in South Africa and England. Having qualified as a registered nurse in Cape Town she went on to specialise in Cardio-Thoracic nursing at the London Chest Hospital in London England. She ran the Heart Transplant Unit at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex for five years. From there she moved into a variety of managerial roles in the National Health Service at district, regional and national level. First within the nursing directorate in quality improvement and then in capital and service planning. She was involved in the inception of the purchaser / provider split in the NHS.Her first director post was with the Family Health Services Authority (FHSA) in Kent, where she was responsible for the management and development of GP, Dental, Optical and Pharmacy services. On the merger of the FHSA with the District Health Authority, she was appointed the Director of Service Development for East Kent Health Authority, with a major focus on primary health care and service integration. Jacqui was a founder member of the NHS Benchmarking Club, which brought together healthcare managers and clinicians across England to benchmark activity and quality. She and her team developed the first primary care clinical effectiveness programme PRICCE, with more than 100 GPs signing up for the first phase.She was then appointed as the national Director of Career Development and Succession Planning at the NHS Modernisation Agency, Leadership Centre, which included developing a new system for CEO and senior management appointments as well as the lead for the further development of the Leadership Qualities Framework, which included a 360 assessment instrument. The Modernisation Agency was disbanded with the Leadership Centre merging with the NHS University. Jacqui was seconded as the Interim Director of the Leadership, Management and Improvement School. She successfully managed the closure of the school with the reallocation of all programmes and staff to other parts of the NHS.In 2005 Jacqui fulfilled a long time wish to return to South Africa and joined COHSASA as Chief Operations Manager. She was appointed Interim CEO in January 2015 and to the substantive post in April 2016. In 2018 she led COHSASA to its fifth successive ISQua accreditation. She is passionate about building capacity in healthcare professionals to improve the quality and safety for the most in need in low and middle-income countries particularly in Africa.She is a member of the South African Lancet Commission on High Quality Health Systems. She serves on the Accreditation Council and Board of ISQua and is an ISQua Expert. She has a Masters of Professional Studies, Health from Middlesex University, London. Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, also known as Shawkan, was released from prison on Monday after spending over five years in detention on anti-state charges, according to a post from his Twitter account. Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, also known as Shawkan, center, is hugged by his parents at his home in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, March 4, 2019. Shawkan was released after five years in prison. Credit: CPJ/AP Photo/Amr Nabil. According to news reports , Shawkan said he was officially approved for release on Sunday night but held by police until Monday morning. Authorities released Shawkan under " police observation " for five years, meaning he will have to appear at a police station every day at sunset.The journalist will also be prohibited from managing his financial assets and properties for the duration of those five years, according to news reports . Shawkan and his lawyer will appeal the verdict in Egypt's court of cassation, his brother Mohamed told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in late 2018.CPJ honored Shawkan with its International Press Freedom Award in 2016."We are relieved to hear that Shawkan is finally free after spending over five years in jail and call on authorities to end their shameful treatment of this photojournalist by removing any conditions to his release," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator Sherif Mansour."The Egyptian government should take steps immediately to improve its image, which has been badly tarnished by this unjust imprisonment - and it can start by releasing all journalists jailed in relation to their work."Shawkan had been imprisoned since August 14, 2013, when he was arrested while covering clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi for the UK-based photo agency Demotix.At the time of CPJ's last prison census , Shawkan was one of 25 journalists jailed for their work in Egypt. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he is shocked by a request by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for civil society organizations and other groups to take part in a meeting aimed at finding a lasting solution to political vigilantism in the country. The president had during the delivery of his third State of the Nation Address called on both the NDC and NPP to dialogue and see to the disbandment of militia groupsassociated with the two parties. In response to this call, Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo wrote to the president stating the partys willingness to partake in the said meeting. However, Mr. Ampofo charged the president to appoint a mediator to oversee the meeting, and also called for the inclusion of civil society groups and some other organizations in the said meeting. Responding to the NDC in a letter signed by the president and addressed to the NDC Chairman, President Akufo-Addo was surprised the NDC is asking for the appointment of a mediator and inclusion of other parties. According to the president, he is dismayed that the two parties who have dominated and continue to dominate the politics of the Fourth Republic will need a mediator to dialogue on matters of governance and political culture. President Akufo-Addo noted that it is the NDC and NPP that is associated with the militia groups, hence, it is important that the two parties deal with the issue at hand. I am not aware of any vigilante groups that are associated with any of these bodies, as your letter suggests. Political party vigilante activity in the country has, unfortunately, been associated with the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party. I, thus, see little basis for your request, the president stated. He hoped that the proposed meeting over the issue of militia groups would have been done within the shortest possible time by the two parties without preconditions from the NDC. My own view is that that meeting should take place as soon as possible, and all matters ventilated there, and the outcome of the meeting or meetings will be appropriately addressed. It is important that we trust in our own capabilities to resolve our own problems. Government stands ready to provide a venue, if it is the wish of the parties. However, the president Akufo-Addo is still hopeful the two parties will come together to achieve a positive result in sparing Ghana the consequences and traumas caused by the activities of the militia groups. Other security issues raised In the letter addressed to the NDC Chairman, President Akufo-Addo also debunked assertions made by the NDC that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) recruits members of its militia group into the national security. Firstly, contrary to your assertion, no evidence has been established at the on- going Short Commission about the sponsorship by the New Patriotic Party of vigilantes into the national security system. He also denied allegations that the NPP plans of unleashing thugs during the 2020 elections to retain power. Secondly, neither the Government nor the ruling New Patriotic Party has made any plans to recruit party thugs for the 2020 general elections. No such directive has been given, nor will any such directive be given, and no such recruitment is taking place. Neither the New Patriotic Party nor I need political party thugs to win the 2020 election. We will do so on the basis of our record, our argument and our values, President Akufo-Addo stressed. The president reiterated his commitment towards ensuring that peace prevails in the country. Source: 3news.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video | Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Indian economy is relatively well positioned on path of recovery but it cannot be immune to global situation, says Governor Das. Globally, economies are opening up, activities level are reaching pre-pandemic level: Governor Das. RBI to permit banks to infuse capital in overseas branches, repatriate profit without its prior permission, says Governor Das. Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION The Ibex has failed again in its attempt to overcome the 9,260 points and, after deflating throughout the day, ended up closing with a fall of 0.02% in 9.258. The selective is not able to leave behind this key level even with the support of Telefonica, which today has been one of the most bullish values, in a day in which the main European stock markets closed with slight increases. Within the selective group, there were increases in Cellnex (+ 2%), for the second consecutive day, and Merlin Properties (+ 1.5%), in addition to AENA (+ 1.2%). Telefonica has also stood out among the most bullish values with a rise of 0.9%, after having launched on Tuesday a bid to repurchase two hybrid bonds in circulation, whose total amount amounts to 1,6bn euros. The most bearish value of the session was Ence, which fell by 3% at the close, followed by Indra Sistemas, with a fall of 1.9%. Red Electrica, with a fall of 2%, was the third most bearish value on Tuesday after a reduction of Deutsche Bank. The German bank has cut the target price (from 18.2 euros to 16.3 euros per share, compared to the levels of 18.73 euros in which the title is listed) and its recommendation (from 'maintain ' to sell'). Naturgy, meanwhile, advanced 0.2% to close after its CEO, Francisco Reynes, said that the energy company plans to invest 2bn in 2019, 70% destined for Spain. In the Continuous Market, he highlighted the important fall in Talgo (-10.6%), after the Spanish private equity firm MCH Private Equity announced that it has sold 9% of the company's capital through an accelerated placement process among institutional investors. TECHNICAL ANALYSIS "In view of the daily chart it is easy to see how the Ibex has been moving laterally for a couple of weeks within a narrow range of prices, with support at 9,140 points and resistance at 9,300 points as a round figure, and after so much drilling up and down the control area of which we have talked so long (the 9,260 points) can be said that, little by little, is losing relevance ", explains the technical analyst of Bolsamania, Jose Maria Rodriguez . "This does not mean that we have to fall hard in the short term, in spite of the slight decreases of recent days we continue to have minimum and maximum increases. We must keep doing one thing: go up, slowly, so that either we break the 9,300 points as soon as possible and at closing prices or we can stay sideways, without a clear course. Rarely prices continue to climb positions with daily overbweight levels and with the stochastic crossed to the downside ", defends Rodriguez. "Therefore, and summarizing, we can say that at the moment no support has been drilled, but we are not able to attack the 9,300-point zone either, the daily overweight is still important in the short term and this makes us cautious, but at the same time the rebound started at the end of December still shows no signs of exhaustion, do we lose momentum? Yes, but the price always commands and this continues pointing to the upside, building minimums and increasing maximums, concludes the analyst . WAITING FOR AGREEMENT BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND BEIJING In the absence of new news about the trade agreement, on which there are contradictory versions at this point of the negotiations between Washington and Beijing, Wall Street recorded soft falls at this time. The key date will take place at the end of March, with a summit in which both powers hope to close an agreement that the market already seems to have lost hope in. During the night, more macro data was published in China that doe not invite optimism as they were references that continue confirming the slowdown of the Asian giant. In addition, the country has admitted the economic slowdown in the framework of the National People's Congress. "The fact that the Government of China has formalized the reduction of its growth expectations for 2019 will be analyzed by investors, who will remain very aware of the news leaked about the trade negotiations between this country and the US", they say from Link Securities. "The high level of overweight levels and the low trading volumes of recent months are a 'bad combination' to overcome the significant resistance to which many values and indices face after two months of strong increases", warn these experts. As for other aspects, Tuesday started with the news of the release from prison, on bail, of the former president of Nissan, Carlos Gosh. In the macro level, the PMI index of the total activity of the Euro Zone, prepared by the consultancy Markit, indicates, corrected for seasonal values, an increase to the 51.9 level of 51 registered in January and reached its maximum of three months. In fact, the index was above its previous estimate for February of 51.4. Gasgoo International, a Shanghai-based service platform for auto industry, is now seeking cooperation with media and companies in auto industry around the world. For media partners, Gasoo, as an influential media in China, can provide the latest Chinese auto news and reviews which partners are free to reproduce and reprint on their website. We are also seeking article translation and picture use of our partners articles. Of course, both parties should indicate the source of news. Media partners are welcome to participate in the meetings and forums held by Gasgoo. For companies, we can write articles in English or Chinese, about your company, news and products for promotion and branding. We have millions of readers across China. Besides, we can recommend supreme suppliers and help companies find good clients through our match-making events. We also hold tech shows at OEMs regularly where companies can showcase and demonstrate their products. Companies can also deliver speeches at our events in which many industry experts and company executives will participate. Gasgoo also has its own research institute with experienced analysts. We can provide professional analysis and data forecast about Chinas auto market. Kathmandu, Nepal: The Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, H. E. Mr. Masamichi Saigo, and Mr. Ratna Prasad Juwarchan, Chairman of Ward No. 1, Thasang Rural Municipality, today signed a grant agreement for the project Installation of an Excavator for Tukche Village, Mustang District. Under the agreement the Embassy of Japan will provide grant assistance of USD 82,553 (about NPR 9.3 million) under the Japanese Government's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP). Tukche is a village in Mustang District that is a famous stop-over for trekkers heading to Jomson, Muktinath, and beyond to Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang, and around the Annapurna trekking routes. Tukche is located along the banks of the Kali Gandaki River, thus large volumes of snowmelt water regularly hit the river banks during the rainy season. Erosion also happens in Tukche, and in the past people lost their fields and had relocated their houses. The excavator provided by this project will be used to prevent erosion as an emergency and temporary countermeasure. The Embassy of Japan believes that the project can contribute towards conserving the land around Tukche village. It also hopes that the assistance will contribute towards further strengthening the bilateral relationship between Japan and Nepal. KATHMANDU, Mar 5: Industry, Commerce, Labor and Consumers Welfare Committee under the House of Representatives, has agreed for representation of Labor organization in the Board of Directors of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Authority. Today's meeting of the Committee agreed for the representation in the Board of Directors of SEZ Authority at the recommendation of the Joint Trade Union Federation. The meeting also decided that industries to be established in SEZ should export 60 percent of their production. As per the SEZ Act, there should be the representation of different ministries and four organizations related to entrepreneurs in the Board of Directors of SEZ Authority. During the meeting, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Matrika Yadav, expressed the view that it would be better if there was the representation of a woman in the Board of Directors of SEZ Authority. Similarly, lawmaker Binda Pandey said that there should be a representation of two persons (a man and a woman) from the trade union. Likewise, Secretary at the Ministry, Yam Kumari Khatiwada, briefed the meeting about the relevance of the amendment to the act. Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Bishnu Regmi, said that representation from labor organization was not necessary as SEZ Authority is the regulating body and it would carry out only policy-level work. Committee President Bimal Prasad Shreevastav said that the meeting decided for the representation of a person from labor organization as the discussion was held time and again on this issue and as it was also proposed by Minister Yadav. RSS A woman who left her children unattended at home while she got drunk next door has been handed a fine. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us A woman who left her children unattended at home while she got drunk next door has been handed a fine. The woman who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the two children now in care pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court on Monday to failing to provide the necessities of protection for her children as well as failing to appear in court. "The biggest penalty for this particular charge is having to appear in court and admit that youve neglected your children," Judge John Combs said. "That is more punishment than I would be able to impose." Police were called to a home on Sept. 27 at approximately 1:30 a.m. after a baby could be heard crying, Crown attorney Grant Hughes told the court. Officers attended and found a one-year-old child inside the unlocked residence on the couch, crying and with a soiled diaper. There were no adults in the home, Hughes said. With the assistance of a family member, police found the mother next door heavily intoxicated on what was believed to be alcohol and drugs, Hughes said. With her was her five-year-old daughter, who had woken up to find her mom missing and went looking for her. The children were apprehended by Child and Family Services, Hughes said. Defence lawyer Melania Cannon said the woman left the children with someone she believed would take care of them, but they left the home. "She made a poor decision with the person she chose to look after them and is taking responsibility for her actions," Cannon said. "She didnt simply walk out on the kids, she did take some steps she recognizes now that they werent sufficient steps to ensure the childrens safety." Since the incident, the woman has taken parenting courses and programming for her addiction issues, Cannon added. "Obviously youre pleading guilty because you made some bad decisions that day," Combs said. "I dont know who you left your children with, but obviously it wasnt someone who was acceptable. The fact you were so intoxicated that you were unable to care for your five-year-old where you were was of huge concern. Im glad to hear youre getting some help." The woman was handed $450 in fines and will also now have a criminal record. edebooy@brandonsun.com Twitter: @erindebooy We were full of ourselves, bold seafarers reveling in boisterous sailing conditions, bursting with exuberance, on the verge of exchanging high fives every time a wave broke over the bow. We were sailing from St. Lucia to Fort-de-France, Martinique. The trade wind on that day had backed a few degrees to the north and picked up a few knots of velocity to something over 20, so our passage was a full-on beat into robust, whitecapped seas. Though the windward bash was leavened by the 80-degree warmth of the wind and water, the few sails we saw in the distance were on boats headed the easy way, downwind, and this added to our conceit that we were quite special. As the island of Martinique grew in the view over the bow pulpit, I spied something odd to starboardconical shapes rising with the waves and then disappearing in the troughs. As we got closer, I could tell the shapes were the tall straw hats worn by many working folk on Martinique. These were on the heads of three fishermen in a low-freeboard, open boat, maybe 15-feet long, making slow progress with a small outboard. One of them waved a greeting as we passed. The sight of the Martiniquais fishermen in their cockleshell treating their labors on the blustery Caribbean as just another day at the office was a deserved dose of humility for the self-impressed sailors on our chartered 50-foot, 20,000-pound fiberglass yacht. I experienced something like that when I read a book titled The Last Whalers, published in January. The last whalers are the Lamalerans, men of a village on a volcanic island at the southern extremity of Indonesia who sail on the Savu Sea in open boats they build according to remembered plans generations old with sails they make of palm fronds to hunt the whales their community depends on for survival. They are fearless in their frail craft, undeterred by the distances they need to sail in their whale quests or the weather they face on waters that are a virtual highway for typhoons. Their story is enough to give those of us who sail for pleasure in our sturdy, manufactured vessels a dilettante complex. To be clear, the book written by journalist Doug Bock Clark is not an anthropological tome, but a splendidly reported real-time story. He covered it while living in Lamalera in periodic sojourns from 2014 through 2018, and the story of this ancient seafaring hunter-gather society surviving tenuously in a modern world goes on even now. The Lamalerans subsist on sea creatures and they are sea creatures themselves, at home on and in their waters north of Australia between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. When one of their whale-hunting sailboats called tenas closes on a sperm whale, the harpooner balances on a platform at the bow and at the moment of truth, in an act that would likely scare the pants off of Queequeg, the noble harpooner of Moby-Dick, launches not just his homemade harpoon, but also his body, landing on the back of the leviathan at the instant he drives the spearhead home. The usual outcome is that the Lamaleran ends up swimming next to an enraged whale, as Clark wrote about a harpooner named Jon: Jon cut desperate strokes through the water back to the boat, trying to outdistance the whales gnashing jaw and thrashing tail. Sperm whales taken by the Lamalerans have been measured at more than twice the length of a tena. The boats are about 35 feet long, but built by an ingenious method passed down through the ages to be light enough to be launched quickly from a beach. Jungle trees are felled, dense Burmese rosewood for the lower hull and light kapok for the upper planks. A bent Chinese chaste tree is selected for the keel. Clark describes the building of a tena in 2016 for which clansmen sculpted the 32 boards of the hull not with chain saws or other modern tools but with hand adzes. Over a period of weeks they snapped the hull boards into the keel, their ends carved into lap-jointed hooks, so that the wood jigsawed together for strength. Not a single nail or screw was used. Instead the builders employed a lashed-lug fastening method dating to the Bronze Age. The hull was wrapped with rattan rope and then torqued, pressuring the joints and internal dowels pegged between them for days until they fused. The rig on a tena consists of two spars mounted on the gunwales that rise to an apex from which a single square sail is hung. The sail is trimmed with line the tribe weaves from jungle cotton and the bark of palms and hibiscus trees. The rig is taken down and stowed when the tenas confront a whale. There is a price to be paid for the lightness and agility of the Lamaleran sailboats and it is often exacted by the prey they hunt. Those thrashing tails have wrecked many a tena, and some of their occupants have been maimed or killed. Whales have dragged the boats and their crews into perilous straits. The Last Whalers begins with a tragic tale of four tenas towed by a devil whale speared by 10 harpoons in a terrifying version of a Nantucket sleigh ride into the maw of a typhoon that left them hundreds of miles from their village without water or food. The tenas and their sailors and their culture endure, but their future may be short. More and more Lamalerans hunt with jonsons, small boats named after the 15-horsepower Johnson outboards that powered the first of their type used by the tribe. A materialistic world lures young Lamalerans from their remote birthplace. And pressure from wildlife conservation organizations on the Lamalerans to end their whale killing is building, even though, in Clarks view, their hunting has little impact on a sperm whale population that numbers in the hundreds of thousands. It is hard to imagine a future for the Lamalerans without whales. Whale meat is shared with every member of the community in a society anthropologists have identified as one of the most generous in the world. Preserved as jerky, it is used as currency, traded for produce from more fertile areas of the island of Lembata. The Lamalerans are the last subsistence whalers in the world, but for sailing enthusiasts like us they are something elsebrethren sailors whose skills and courage are an inspiration. VICTORIA - The federal government says fighting gun and gang violence in Canada requires collaborative, multi-pronged approaches that involves all levels of government and communities of all sizes. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, left to right, B.C. NDP member Garry Begg and Federal Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair speak at the announcement of $5.3 million federal anti-gangs and guns violence fund at the Provincial Legislature in Victoria on Monday, March 4, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dirk Meissner VICTORIA - The federal government says fighting gun and gang violence in Canada requires collaborative, multi-pronged approaches that involves all levels of government and communities of all sizes. Gang and gun crime is no longer just a big city problem, Bill Blair, federal organized crime reduction minister, told a news conference Monday at British Columbia's legislature. "This is not simply just happening in large cities," he said. "Smaller cities are facing this challenge too, as are rural and Indigenous communities." The former Toronto police chief said the battle against gun and gang violence must go beyond police arrests and undertake deeper prevention and intervention programs. He committed $5.3 million to aid efforts to better understand, prevent and disrupt gun and gang violence in British Columbia. Blair said the federal government will provide more than $327 million over the next five years to support initiatives to reduce gun and organized gang crime across Canada as part of its Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence. B.C. is slated to receive $30 million over the five years, he said. "In my experience we cannot simply arrest our way out of the problem of rising rates of gun and gang violence in our communities," Blair said. "We must invest in our kids, in our communities and in community safety." He said gun violence and gang-related shootings are on the rise in Canada. "Shootings have now become the most common method of homicide and gang-related homicides are perhaps the greatest aggravation," said Blair. Statistics Canada reported last November that Canada's homicide rate reached its highest point in a decade in 2017 due to the spike in deaths from guns and gangs. "Gang-related homicides committed with a firearm represented 12 per cent of all homicides in 2015," Statistics Canada said. "By 2017, this proportion had grown to 21 per cent." The agency said there were 660 reported homicides in Canada in 2017, an increase of nearly eight per cent from 2016. Blair said the government's plan to reduce gun and gang violence involves improved data collection, better intelligence sharing among law enforcement and other agencies, and enhanced methods to identify gangs and their members. "There needs to be support for prevention, intervention and rehabilitation," he said. Mike Farnworth, B.C.'s public safety minister, said gun and gang violence continues to have devastating impacts in B.C. He said the federal money will be used to implement prevention and enforcement efforts in priority communities in B.C. struggling with organized crime. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Liberal MP Jane Philpott take part in a cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Eight stories in the news for Tuesday, Mar. 5 PM MORE CONCILIATORY AFTER SECOND MINISTER RESIGNS OVER SNC-LAVALIN Treasury Board president Jane Philpott resigned from cabinet Monday saying she's lost confidence in the way the government has dealt with criminal charges against Montreal engineering giant SNC Lavalin. It follows the resignation of former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould amid allegations the Prime Minister's Office improperly pressured her to stop a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. At a rally in Toronto last night Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn't repeat his message that no undue pressure was exerted. Rather, he adopted a more conciliatory tone saying the affair has "generated an important discussion." He also thanked Philpott for her service and praised her various accomplishments. ENERGY PROJECT REBATES FOR SMALL BUSINESS COMING Ottawa's plan to ease the carbon-price burden on small businesses will include rebate payments to cover some of the cost of making energy-efficiency upgrades. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna who kicked off a month-long carbon-price tour in Ottawa yesterday said the final details of the plan are being worked out with business associations. The federal carbon price of $20 per tonne of carbon dioxide will start being charged April 1 on fossil-fuel inputs in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick the four provinces without an equivalent provincial carbon price. SASKATCHEWAN PREMIER WANTS CARBON TAX DELAYED Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is asking Ottawa to hold off on imposing a carbon tax next month until the province's Court of Appeal has ruled on its constitutionality. Saskatchewan is challenging the federal government's ability to levy such a charge. It argues Ottawa's plan is unconstitutional because it doesn't respect provincial sovereignty and will not be evenly applied across all jurisdictions. Ottawa, however, argues it can impose the tax on April 1 because climate change is a national issue. MORE MONEY NEEDED FOR WOMEN'S CAUSES: OXFAM CANADA Oxfam Canada says the Trudeau government has enacted genuinely feminist policies, but it needs to back them up with more money if it wants to make a lasting difference. The charity has released its 2019 feminist scorecard ahead of International Women's Day on Friday. The scorecard assesses steps the government has taken over the past year to make meaningful progress toward gender equity. It says that overall it has made good progress in advancing its feminist agenda. However, the report stresses that more federal investments are needed for child care and to reduce gender-based violence. COERCED STERILIZATION A 'CRISIS': CHIEF An Alberta First Nations leader says ongoing concerns about coerced sterilization of Indigenous women is nothing short of a "crisis" and he wants to see a public inquiry into the allegations. Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam says the issue must also be part of reconciliation efforts, and he's crying out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for additional action. In December, the federal government proposed a federal-provincial-territorial working group to discuss the issue after the United Nations Committee Against Torture urged Canada to address it. B.C. GROUP GOES TO COURT OVER INMATE SEGREGATION Prisoners advocates are asking a Federal Court to intervene in the case of a 32-year-old Dene man who they say has spent most of his adult life in segregation and is at risk of committing suicide. Court documents show that convicted dangerous offender Joey Toutsaint has spent more than 2,000 days in segregation at different federal institutions. Prisoners' Legal Services recently filed for an injunction requesting he be transferred from the maximum-security Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert to the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon, so he can receive one-on-one therapy and access to cultural practices. OBAMA WARNS ABOUT POLITICS DRIVEN BY PASSION NOT FACTS Barack Obama says there is a danger in the United States and around the world with politics being driven by passions disconnected from facts. The former president spoke last night to a sold-out crowd at Winnipeg's Bell MTS Centre during the first Canadian stop of his "Conversation with President Barack Obama" tour. While never mentioning current U.S. President Donald Trump, Obama said he fears that if there's a major crisis, the response may not follow common sense or practicality. The 44th American president will speak in Calgary later today. BIRD NUMBERS NEAR NORMAL IN WATERTON COUNT An annual bird count in Alberta's Waterton Lakes National Park is providing some optimism. Researchers say it will take years before they're able to determine the overall impact a devastating wildfire in 2017 had on species in the park. But the bird count in December found a total of 21 bird species. Waterton Lakes ecosystem scientist Kim Pearson says that's pretty much on par with averages seen in the past. The massive wildfire closed the park for weeks and drastically changed the area's landscape. ALSO IN THE NEWS: Hearing in Halifax on whether the QuadrigaCX CCAA stay order should be extended another 30 days. Former prime minister Brian Mulroney speaks at an Ottawa conference looking at transformative policies of Canadian prime ministers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in discussion at Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Convention in Toronto. Justin Trudeau visits Canadian Tire in Regina to discuss Climate Action Incentive payments and addresses Liberal party fundraising event. A Conversation with former U.S. president Barack Obama at Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome. Barack Obama gives keynote speech at Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event. WINNIPEG - Barack Obama says there is a danger in the United States and around the world with politics being driven by passions disconnected from facts. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Former U.S. President Barack Obama and Michael Burns, CEO of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, shake hands at the Bell MTS Centre, in Winnipeg in a Monday, March 4, 2019, handout photo. Obama says there is a danger in the United States and around the world with politics being driven by passions disconnected from facts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Tinepublic, Dwayne Larson, *MANDATORY CREDIT* WINNIPEG - Barack Obama says there is a danger in the United States and around the world with politics being driven by passions disconnected from facts. "I think the danger that we have sometimes now in our politics in the United States, and what I'm seeing internationally, is us being driven by passions, and (we) are disconnected from facts, that in fact deliberately are shielded from facts and reason and logic," Obama said in Winnipeg on Monday evening. "And what is supported is a story of us being right and them being wrong." The former president spoke to a sold-out crowd of 13,500 at the Bell MTS Centre during the first Canadian stop of the "Conversation with President Barack Obama" tour on Monday evening. Obama reflected on entering office during the global economic crisis of 2007-08 and said he had great confidence that if the government made smart decisions relying on facts, reason, logic, evidence and science the country could largely recover. While never mentioning current U.S. President Donald Trump, Obama said he's worried about the response to a similar situation today. "If we had a crisis today, I am concerned about the at least the United States that we may not be able to figure something out in a common-sense, practical way." Trump has faced criticism for allegations of making false statements, including the size of the crowd at his inauguration, about a trade deficit with Canada and voter fraud. Most recently the president has faced backlash over declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. Over about an hour, Obama answered questions from Michael Burns, CEO of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, about topics as varied as his childhood, racism, his time in office and his relationship with former Vice President Joe Biden. He spoke about his wife, Michelle Obama, and her best-selling book, as well as his daughters, and weeping often as he becomes an "empty-nester." "One of the things that Michelle and I are proudest of during our presidency is we raised women who are kind and thoughtful and aware." Obama said speaking with young people and seeing the change they are pushing for gives him hope in his post-presidency work. He said he hopes to connect his foundation with that generation so it will become a "university for social change" as he enters the third act of his life. Obama also spoke about Justin Trudeau and former prime minister Stephen Harper. He said he was more politically aligned with Trudeau but worked successfully with both because the U.S. and Canada are like cousins and the countries are bound together culturally and economically. "Americans come up here when they get too frustrated with stuff," Obama said to generous applause. The 44th president went on to joke about numerous calls he received from both Canadian leaders about the lumber industry, adding he was spending less time "pouring over the lumber charts." "You had that whole Canadian thing where certain things are important to you that nobody else cares about," he said with a laugh. Many Winnipeggers who attended the event said it was important to listen to the former president, especially in the current global political climate. Fatima Demelo said she is worried about growing divisiveness, especially on social media. Obama is able to cross over different boundaries, she said, and find the things that connect people. "Hope is a powerful thing and I think he reminds of us that." REGINA - A scheduled visit by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Regina has been cancelled. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a Liberal Climate Action Rally in Toronto, Monday, March 4, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn REGINA - A scheduled visit by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Regina has been cancelled. Eleanore Catenaro, a spokeswoman for Trudeau, confirmed to The Canadian Press this morning that the prime minister is going to return to Ottawa for private meetings. His cancellation comes one day after Treasury Board president Jane Philpott resigned from cabinet amidst accusations of political interference in the SNC-Lavalin scandal. Trudeau was scheduled to appear at a Canadian Tire store to speak about climate incentive rebates. Reports were circulating on social media that Trudeau's visit was cancelled after Canadian Tire received complaints about the event, but a spokeswoman for the company said it was Trudeau who changed his schedule. The Liberal party says a fundraiser that was planned for the evening will be rescheduled. MONTREAL - Quebec Superior Court has authorized a class action lawsuit against two Jehovah's Witnesses entities alleging a culture of silence within the group led to the covering up of sexual abuse. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. MONTREAL - Quebec Superior Court has authorized a class action lawsuit against two Jehovah's Witnesses entities alleging a culture of silence within the group led to the covering up of sexual abuse. The action was approved for current or former Jehovah's Witnesses who allege they were sexually assaulted as minors in Quebec by either an elder of the religious group or a fellow member. Lisa Blais, a former follower of the religion, filed the motion in September 2017, alleging she was sexually assaulted by a member of the group when she was a child. The Feb. 27 ruling authorizing the lawsuit cites Blais' allegation that Jehovah's Witnesses leaders sought to discourage Blais from reporting her assailant to police because she would have risked tarnishing the image of Jehovah. "The plaintiff wants to sue the defendants for their failures regarding her protection and the dissuasion from reporting sexual assaults to police authorities, given the culture of silence present in the Jehovah's Witnesses community," Justice Chantal Corriveau wrote. Blais was expelled from the religious group in 1996. In a written statement, the Jehovah's Witnesses public information desk said the class action was authorized on the basis of unproven allegations. "We will consider our options for appeal but are certain if this matter proceeds to trial, the facts will clearly show Jehovahs Witnesses report allegations of abuse to the authorities, in line with the Youth Protection Act," the statement said. "The well-being of children is of utmost importance to Jehovah's Witnesses." The action seeks $150,000 in moral damages and $100,000 in punitive damages for each member of the class. It names the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, the religion's main legal entity, as well as the Canadian branch. The judge notes in her decision that the purpose of a class action is not to put a religion on trial. "The class action does not call into question the beliefs conveyed," she wrote. "However, it is possible to submit to the courts ways of doing things that may be faulty and cause harm to victims." Sarah Woods, a lawyer representing Blais, said she has been contacted by several other Jehovah's Witnesses but does not know how many people will ultimately be part of the class action. She also noted that the defendants have 30 days to appeal Corriveau's decision. "I already have a lot of people who raised their hands, who want to be witnesses, who want to tell their stories, who know how it works .... The allegations will have to be supported with evidence, with questioning and a trial," Woods said, adding that the process will take a few years. REGINA - Prisoners advocates are asking a Federal Court to intervene in the case of a Dene man from northern Saskatchewan who they say has spent most of his adult life in segregation and is at risk of committing suicide. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. REGINA - Prisoners advocates are asking a Federal Court to intervene in the case of a Dene man from northern Saskatchewan who they say has spent most of his adult life in segregation and is at risk of committing suicide. Joey Toutsaint, who is 32 and a convicted dangerous offender, has spent more than 2,000 days in segregation while at different federal institutions, say court documents filed last week in British Columbia. "I think that's just brutal," said Catherine Latimer, executive director of the John Howard Society of Canada. "Thats very cruel and inhumane treatment to keep someone in administrative segregation for extended periods of time like that." Prisoners' Legal Services, which provides legal aid to inmates, recently filed for an injunction asking that Toutsaint be transferred from the maximum-security Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert to the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon, so he can receive one-on-one therapy and access to cultural practices. Toutsaint filed a human rights complaint against the Correctional Service of Canada last May. "The purpose of the injunction really is to make sure he can stay alive until his human rights complaint can be resolved," said Nicole Kief with the B.C-based group. "Hes someone who has been thrown away." Toutsaint is serving an indeterminate sentence after being declared a dangerous offender in 2014. Convictions for robbery, threats and other offences led the hearing judge to note Toutsaint's "voluminous" violent criminal past. "Toutsaint's justice history is almost entirely composed of offences involving justice workers, mostly guards at the various correctional facilities, provincial court Judge Brent Klause wrote. He pointed out that Toutsaint chose to spend most of his time in segregation to decrease the chance of conflict with other inmates and staff. Latimer said its not uncommon for inmates to request segregation. "Its really the lesser of two evils," she said. The Correctional Service of Canada would not comment specifically on Toutsaints case, but spokeswoman Stephanie Stevenson did point to proposed legislation, tabled in October, to eliminate segregation. "CSC recognizes the need for the separation of inmates who cannot be maintained in a mainstream inmate population for security or other reasons and seeks to integrate evolving best practices into its policy development." Toutsaint is from the Black Lake Denesuline First Nation in Saskatchewan and speaks Dene. In a sworn affidavit filed as part of the injunction request, Toutsaint says he was raised by his grandfather who taught him traditional skills. Other court documents say Toutsaints father was incarcerated and his mother struggled with alcoholism. They say she was struck and killed by an impaired driver when Toutsaint was a teen. Toutsaint says in his affidavit that he has been at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary since last August and was placed in solitary confinement twice once after being accused of fighting with other prisoners and again for threatening to hurt himself. Toutsaint says he was eventually told he could return to a specific unit, but refused because he was afraid of gangs there. Toutsaints affidavit says he begun self-harming in 2006. "My body is covered in scars," the document says. "Ive come close to killing myself more than once. Because of that, I have spent a lot of time on suicide watch in observation cells." Latimer said its important to ensure people are protected, but added that inmates are entitled to health care. Prisoners can be transferred to a psychiatric hospital instead of being segregated. As of last week, Kief said, Toutsaint was being held in an observation cell, where he sleeps on a concrete slab and lights are kept on 24 hours a day. "Instead of dealing with the underlying trauma and helping him hes been locked up and thats only made things worse." In his affidavit, Toutsaint says he spent about nine months at the psychiatric centre in Saskatoon in 2016 and 2017 after a previous emergency visit. He says he was transferred out of the facility once because of fighting and attempted suicide. He was transferred out a second time because of security concerns after being attacked by other inmates. He recalls being able to attend a sweat ceremony while in therapy. "I remember helping cook for a sweat and chopping wood outside." REGINA - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is asking Ottawa to hold off on imposing a carbon tax next month until the province's Court of Appeal has ruled on its constitutionality. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/3/2019 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks during a pro-pipeline rally at IJACK Technologies Inc. near Moosomin, Sask., on Saturday February 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell REGINA - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is asking Ottawa to hold off on imposing a carbon tax next month until the province's Court of Appeal has ruled on its constitutionality. Saskatchewan is challenging the federal government's ability to levy such a charge. It argues Ottawa's plan is unconstitutional because it does not respect provincial sovereignty and will not be evenly applied across all jurisdictions. Ottawa argues it can impose the tax on April 1 because climate change is a national issue. Moe said Monday he has requested to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is expected to be in Saskatchewan this week. But Moe doesn't believe Trudeau's agenda will give him time for a sit-down. Besides support for farming, mining and manufacturing, Moe said he would also raise the issue of Bill C-69, the federal legislation that would overhaul energy project reviews, and the carbon tax with Trudeau. "I would ask again for the federal government to hold off and allow the court some time with respect to making their decision with the reference that we put in front of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal," he said. "This is the right thing to do." When asked whether the federal government would wait for a ruling from the court, Caroline Theriault, a spokeswoman with federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna's office, replied the government worked with provinces and territories for more than two years to put a price on pollution. "It was always our preference that provinces and territories put in place systems that worked best for them for example, Saskatchewan could have put in place a cap and trade system, or a carbon pricing system they designed themselves and used revenues to lower its PST," Theriault wrote. "Unfortunately, Saskatchewan did not put in place a system to ensure it was no longer free to pollute," she added. Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP leader, Ryan Meili, said Moe's request for a delay pending the court ruling is reasonable. The government said Monday that ratepayers can expect to see their monthly SaskPower and SaskEnergy bills rise as a result of the carbon tax. Starting April 1, it said the average residential customers will pay $2 extra a month for power and $9 for natural gas. Customers can expect to see these increases marked on their bills as coming from the carbon tax. Meili said adding this new line on customers' bills is a political move on the part of the government. Theriault noted a family of four in Saskatchewan will receive $609 this year when they file their taxes. She said that's eight out of 10 families who will be better off. OTTAWA - The head of SNC-Lavalin told the Canadian government it had to change its anti-corruption rules "as expeditiously as possible" in a 2017 letter to the minister in charge of procurement, just as her department was helping oversee public consultations on lighter punishments for corporate misconduct. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. SNC-Lavalin President and CEO Neil Bruce speaks to reporters following the company's annual general meeting in Montreal, Thursday, May 3, 2018. Bruce stressed the need for changes to Canada's anti-corruption measures "as expeditiously as possible" in a 2017 letter to the minister in charge of procurement, just as her department was helping oversee public consultations on lighter punishments for corporate misconduct. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes OTTAWA - The head of SNC-Lavalin told the Canadian government it had to change its anti-corruption rules "as expeditiously as possible" in a 2017 letter to the minister in charge of procurement, just as her department was helping oversee public consultations on lighter punishments for corporate misconduct. SNC-Lavalin CEO Neil Bruce wrote to Public Services Minister Carla Qualtrough on Oct. 13, 2017 and sent copies of his message to seven other senior cabinet ministers. Bruce also attached his company's official submission for the consultations, which were examining possible changes to the "integrity regime" and the potential creation of a plea-bargain-type tool known as a deferred-prosecution agreement or remediation agreement. Bruce's Montreal-based firm was charged in 2015 with corruption and fraud over allegations it resorted to bribery while pursuing business in Libya. If convicted, it could be barred from public contracts for 10 years under the federal integrity regime. The letter, obtained by The Canadian Press under access-to-information law, shows a high-level push for policy changes to help the engineering and construction giant avoid prosecution. SNC-Lavalin lobbied federal officials, including in the Prime Minister's Office, to put remediation agreements into the law. A few months after the public consultations in fall 2017, the Trudeau government included the Criminal Code amendment creating the agreements in last spring's 582-page omnibus budget bill. In his letter, Bruce asked Qualtrough and her staff to a meeting so he could answer questions about the company's submission, explain its governance improvements and share its plans to expand from its Canadian base. He argued that Canada needed a deferred-prosecution agreement option as well as "enhancements" to its integrity regime for government contractors to align with policies in places like the United States, United Kingdom and France. These are related but separate issues. Deferred-prosecution agreements, or DPAs, are plea-bargain type arrangements for companies that can show they have straightened up after behaving corruptly. The government's own integrity regime covers which suppliers Ottawa will do business with; it aims to keep public dollars away from bad actors. "The time is right to address especially the DPA as well as the (integrity regime)," Bruce wrote to Qualtrough. "But time is also of the essence." He warned that Canadian engineering and consulting firms didn't have a level playing field with their foreign competitors, operating in countries that had deferred-prosecution agreements in their laws when Canada didn't. From there, Bruce's letter underscored the urgency several more times. "SNC-Lavalin fully supports the need to take the time to conduct a credible, fair, open and transparent consultation process," he wrote. "However, Canada is clearly behind in terms of using all possible tools to deal as effectively as possible with corporate economic crime ... Accordingly, we urge the government of Canada to move forward as expeditiously as possible." An internal briefing note to Qualtrough about Bruce's letter recommended she decline his invitation to meet and discuss SNC-Lavalin's submission. Since the public consultations were being led by federal officials, the memo suggested that Barbara Glover, Public Services and Procurement's assistant deputy minister for integrity, meet with Bruce instead. Qualtrough agreed and signed off on a response letter to Bruce saying he should meet Glover. In that Oct. 31, 2017 letter, she thanked Bruce for his submissions and his participation in the consultation process. Last week, Qualtrough was asked during an appearance before a parliamentary committee whether SNC-Lavalin had been among the stakeholders that provided input during the public consultations. "I don't know the list of the 300 organizations offhand that participated in the consultation," she said in response to a Conservative MP's question. "Sorry, I don't mean to be difficult, but I can't recall offhand." Later in the hearing, one of her officials confirmed the company was indeed among the participants. The company and the remediation tool are now at the centre of a political storm that has walloped the Liberals. Even after remediation agreements were created last year, the director of public prosecutions decided not to invite SNC-Lavalin to negotiate one. Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet amid allegations that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his staffers and other senior officials improperly pressured her to stop a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. Trudeau had denied that he or his officials inappropriately leaned on Wilson-Raybould. Treasury Board president Jane Philpott handed in her resignation Monday. Philpott said she had lost confidence in the way the government has dealt with criminal charges against the company. Trudeau named Qualtrough as acting president of the Treasury Board, adding oversight of government spending and human resources to her duties. The federal government is still moving forward with changes to the integrity regime that could help beleaguered SNC-Lavalin. Last week at committee, Qualtrough said the updated integrity regime, if adopted, will still carry a potential ban from federal contracts of up to a decade, depending on factors such as the severity of the transgression but a draft of the new scheme released last fall shows there is no minimum ineligibility period. Qualtrough said the new policy will be finalized in four to six weeks and will cover a wider range of offences. OTTAWA - Justin Trudeau hunkered down in the Prime Minister's Office Wednesday as he awaited what Liberals hope will be pivotal testimony Wednesday from his former principal secretary. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/3/2019 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in an armchair discussion at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Convention in Toronto on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov OTTAWA - Justin Trudeau hunkered down in the Prime Minister's Office Wednesday as he awaited what Liberals hope will be pivotal testimony Wednesday from his former principal secretary. Liberals hope Gerald Butts will give them ammunition to fight back against accusations of political interference in the justice system. One day after losing a second cabinet minister in less than a month over the government's handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair, Trudeau cancelled planned events Tuesday in Regina to return to Ottawa for what his office called "private meetings" including with Canada's ambassador to Washington, David MacNaughton, a longtime political operative and adviser. He'll be huddled in private meetings again Wednesday when his longtime friend and most trusted aide gives his side of the SNC-Lavalin story to the House of Commons justice committee. The committee is also scheduled to hear a second time from the top public servant, Michael Wernick, and the deputy minister of justice, Nathalie Drouin, both of whom figured prominently in former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould's explosive testimony last week. She accused Trudeau, his senior staff, Wernick and Finance Minister Bill Morneau's office of inappropriately pressuring her to halt a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. Trudeau's urge to stay close to home came one day after Treasury Board president Jane Philpott quit cabinet, saying she no longer had confidence in the government's handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair. Her departure followed that of her close friend Wilson-Raybould a month earlier. After Wednesday's testimony, a spokesman for the prime minister said Trudeau and his team will reflect on "next steps." That is expected to include a statement from Trudeau possibly as early as Wednesday but more likely not until Friday or early next week offering his most comprehensive account yet of how the government handled the SNC-Lavalin matter and why. "We'll be listening carefully to the voices, testimonies, and opinions expressed," Cameron Ahmad said. "There will be more to say in the coming days and weeks as we continue to reflect on next steps." Since the furor erupted a month ago, Trudeau has offered only general denials of any wrongdoing. He has said he totally disagrees with Wilson-Raybould's characterization of events. He has insisted his government balanced the need to respect the independence of the judicial system with its concern about the potential loss of 9,000 jobs if the prosecution of the Montreal engineering giant went ahead. If it's convicted, SNC-Lavalin could be banned from federal contracts for 10 years. It appears Trudeau has been waiting for Butts to do the heavy lifting of directly contradicting Wilson-Raybould's version of events before weighing in more fully himself. Butts resigned from Trudeau's office last month, insisting neither he nor anyone else in the Prime Minister's Office had done anything wrong but saying he didn't want to be a distraction from the government's work. His letter of resignation suggested that he'd be freer to defend his reputation and presumably that of Trudeau himself and his other senior staff from outside the Prime Minister's Office. After Wilson-Raybould's testimony last week, Butts asked to appear before the justice committee, where he said he would "produce relevant documents." He is expected to back up his version of events with emails, text messages and other documentation, much as Wilson-Raybould did in her testimony. Wilson-Raybould testified last week that she was relentlessly pressured last fall to intervene with the director of public prosecutions to ensure a remediation agreement was negotiated with SNC-Lavalin. A remediation agreement is a kind of plea bargain that would force the company to pay stiff penalties but avoid a criminal conviction that could financially cripple it. As attorney general, Wilson-Raybould could legally have instructed the director of public prosecutions to negotiate one with SNC-Lavalin. Much of the controversy hinges on Wilson-Raybould's dual roles as attorney general (nominally a legal official with a responsibility only to the law) and as justice minister (a political executive who answered to the prime minister). She told the committee that she believes the pressure she faced was inappropriate but not illegal. Wilson-Raybould also accused Wernick, the country's top public servant with a duty to remain non-partisan, of issuing "veiled threats" in mid-December that she could lose her post as justice minister and attorney general if she didn't acquiesce. She was moved to the veterans-affairs portfolio in a small cabinet shuffle a month later a move she believed was punishment for her refusal to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case. Wernick, who previously testified that he believes no one improperly pressured Wilson-Raybould, is expected to address that accusation Wednesday. The owner of British betting shop chain Ladbrokes may move some of its computer servers, which facilitate its various online bingo, betting and gaming services, to Ireland as a continengency measure in case of Britain crashing out of the EU with no transition deal in place. GVC Holdings completed its near 4.6bn takeover of Ladbrokes-Coral 12 months ago. The acquisition bolstered an already busy portfolio of online gaming brands such as PartyCasino, Foxy Bingo and PartyPoker. The group is to keep its online headquarters in Gibraltar and has already made plans for staff living in Spain but working in Gibraltar if border crossing delays occur after Brexit. For legal and regulatory reasons, gambling operators providing services to EU customers must have businesses established and licensed in an EU member state. "Under the regulations of some EU countries, the servers hosting our online gambling platform need to be located in an EU member state," GVC said. "In order to satisfy these requirements, the group has implemented plans that involve operating those parts of our business which have customers in the EU under Malta online gambling licences, and locating servers hosting our online gambling platform in the Republic of Ireland," it said. The Irish move, however, is not expected to result in any new jobs being created here. "Our online businesses will continue to be headquartered in Gibraltar and these plans will not have a significant impact on the number of our employees in Gibraltar," it said. GVC reported an after-tax loss of 56.4m (65.4m) for 2018; up from a loss of 34.9m for 2017. Total revenues for the enlarged business came to 2.93bn; up from 790m a year earlier. GVC said underlying pre-tax profit rose from 151m to 434.6m. GVC said European net gaming revenue - which covers revenue from both online and in-shop betting - rose 16% last year, driven by what it called good volume growth. Over-the-counter wagers increased by 11%. The group's European retail business takes in its Eurobet division in Italy and its Ladbrokes shops in Belgium and Ireland. Overall revenue in Ireland increased by 10% last year. GVC also said that the cut to the maximum allowable betting stakes on in-shop fixed-odds betting terminals - or FOBTs - will result in the closure of up to 1,000 shops. The group said it expects the move to result in 135m in lost earnings for it this year. All of the Ladbrokes-Coral shop closures will be in the UK as FOBTs do not feature in Irish betting shops. Ladbrokes operates 141 shops in Ireland. GVC's shares were up by over 7% on the back of the results. The cut to the maximum stake FOBTs is likely to be implemented next month after several UK politicians called for curbs on the gaming machines, which have been widely blamed for allowing gamblers to rack up large losses in a short space of time. Ladbrokes rival Paddy Power-Betfair publishes 2018 annual results this morning, in which it is likely to update its own estimates on how much the FOBT law change may affect its profitability this year. Last year analysts warned that Paddy Power-Betfair earnings could take a 3%-6% hit from the UK Government imposing maximum betting restrictions on such gaming machines in British betting shops. Nile Rodgers & Chic are set to return to Dublin for a summer show at St Anne's Park. Having sold out Malahide Castle and the RDS last year, the disco legends are set to return to the capital for the June Bank Holiday, playing St Anne's Park on June 2. The show is set to feature a string of hits including Le Freak, Everybody Dance and Good Times. The band will be joined by special guests Kaiser Chiefs for the summer show. The indie-rock stars have been topping charts since 2005 with early hits like I Predict A Riot and Ruby right up to recent singles Parachute and Coming Home. Kaiser Chiefs are set to release new music this year. Tickets for Nile Rodgers & Chic go on sale on Friday, March 8, at 9am. Aer Lingus has pushed back the launch of a new route to Canada - a move that will likely affect hundreds of passengers. The airline was due to start flights from Dublin to Montreal in August but they now won't take off until the summer of 2020. There were confrontational scenes at a public information meeting in a Waterford town as anti-immigration activists were among people criticising plans to resettle Syrian refugees there. The meeting at Lismore Heritage Centre - at which gardai were present - followed the towns selection to participate in Community Sponsorship Ireland, a pilot project that seeks to encourage and support local communities to adopt and resettle one or two refugee families. Among those addressing the audience of around 160 people were David Stanton, Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality and Eibhlin Byrne, director of the Community Sponsorship Programme at the Department of Justice, as well as Zuhair Al Fakir, father of a Syrian family of three resettled in Dunshaughlin. Most of the objectors, who were dispersed among the crowd, are understood to have been from outside the town. They included a Dublin-based self-styled citizen journalist who promotes hard- and far-right figures and who recently sparked controversy when filming an anti-racism rally in Rooskey where a hotel earmarked for asylum seekers had twice been set on fire. There were calls for the self-styled citizen journalist to be ejected and claims he was filming the proceedings for a hard-right agenda. Several times he demanded Mr Stanton confirm or deny that there are Isis members in Direct Provision". A woman who said she was 'local' and a mother confronted Mr Stanton to complain that as an Irish woman she had not been welcomed into the community and was suffering substandard housing. Other unidentified individuals aired diverse grievances. One man insisted that our own people be looked after first. Another believed the Irish would be a minority in our own country amidst concern that Leo Varadkar intends to bring two million Syrians into Ireland. One individual cited no democracy in Ireland on foot of the jailing of Killarney anti-eviction campaigner Brian McCarthy. Ms Byrne said Lismores response to the hatred which was displayed this evening would be to make this a resounding success". She and her fellow guests received a standing ovation. Community Sponsorship Ireland is a collaborative venture between the Department of Justice and Equality, UNHCR, non-government organisations and the public. The public information meeting in Lismore today. Pic: Catherine Rotte-Murray Meanwhile, the country's biggest aid agencies have urged the Government to keep up its support for Syria's millions of refugees. Concern, Goal and Trocaire told an Oireachtas committee that while the nine-year war was largely over, areas where they worked still endured daily air strikes and it was unsafe for many displaced Syrians to return home while the majority had little or nothing to go home to. The EU and United Nations will jointly hold a conference in Brussels next week on supporting the future of Syria. A book of evidence has been served on a young Cork man accused of murdering his grandfather last July. Garda Martin Lawton served the book of evidence on Christopher OCallaghan today at Cork District Court. On the application of Sergeant Annmarie Twomey, Judge Olann Kelleher sent the case forward to the present sessions of the Central Criminal Court. Christopher OCallaghan of 15 Woodview, Pinecroft, Grange, Douglas, Cork, first appeared in court charged with murder one month ago. On that occasion, there could be no bail application as the district court does not have jurisdiction to grant bail on such a charge. However, Frank Buttimer, solicitor, indicated that the accused had since been granted bail at the High Court in Dublin. Judge Kelleher remanded OCallaghan on continuing bail as set by the High Court. The late Joseph OCallaghan, 66, was found at 8 Galweys Lane, Douglas, Cork, on July 2, 2018. The deceaseds grandson, Christopher OCallaghan was charged with his murder on that date. Garda Martin Lawton charged Christopher OCallaghan contrary to Common Law. The charge alleges that on July 2, 2018, at 8 Galweys Lane, Douglas, Cork, he did murder Joseph OCallaghan. The 22-year-old was cautioned that he did not have to say anything when charged but that anything he might say would be taken down in writing and could be given in evidence. He made no reply. Mr Buttimer applied to have free legal aid extended for the appointment of a barrister and senior counsel to represent the accused at the murder trial in the Central Criminal Court. Judge Kelleher granted that application. The judge also gave the accused the required alibi warning which relates to notices that must be given to the prosecution if a defendant intends to call witnesses stating the accused was elsewhere at the relevant time. A man helped to kick down a door and attack a couple in their home while searching for their daughter, a court has heard. Ben Merriman (aged 20) of Kenmore Heights, Greystones, Wicklow, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault, trespass and criminal damage at a house in Flemington Lane, Balbriggan, Dublin, on March 27, 2018. Garda John Delaney told prosecuting counsel that on the day in question Merriman and his co-accused approached the house shouting Where's Chloe? We're going to kill her. His co-accused hit the front door with a metal bar and smashed a living room window before they both succeeded in kicking the door down. They confronted Chloe's parents and demanded to know where she was. The mother told them she was upstairs, but after they failed to find her there Merriman spat in her face. The other man threatened to slice her from ear to ear. The other man then struck the father in the head with the metal bar and continued to strike him while he was on the ground, while Merriman kicked him. The other man said that if they did not find Chloe they would come back. Gda Delaney accepted that the other man was the main aggressor and had inflicted most of the injuries. He also accepted that Merriman was following his co-accused out of blind loyalty and that he had good reason to be fearful of him. Merriman has no previous convictions and has not come to garda attention since the incident. The court heard that the incident stemmed from the other man wanting to see his former partner and believed she would be at the house. Defence counsel said that his client unreservedly apologised and was deeply ashamed of his actions. Merriman has cut off all contact with the other man. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned the matter to November 5 next and ordered that Merriman keep the peace and be of good behaviour and follow all directions of the probation service until that date. The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed Denis OBriens appeal over statements made by two TDs in the Dail about his banking affairs. Any interference by the courts in how an Oireachtas committee had dealt with Mr OBriens complaint over the TDs actions is impermissible under the Constitution, the seven-judge court ruled. That was so because it would amount to an indirect and collateral interference by the courts with statements made in the Oireachtas which are protected by Article 15, which confers privilege on parliamentary speech, it said. The only practical consequence of a successful outcome for Mr OBrien in this appeal would be to direct a reconsideration by the Committee on Procedures and Privileges (CPP) of its decision on his complaint, the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Frank Clarke, noted. If that reconsideration lead to a different result, a court would have been, at least indirectly or collaterally, involved in dealing with statements made in the Houses, he said. Such a course of action is impermissible under the Constitution. A decision on liability for substantial costs of the case in the High and Supreme Court, which could exceed 1 million, will be made after the sides have had time to consider the judgment. When delivering the courts judgment today at NUI Galway, the Chief Justice said it had intended to deliver the judgment last week on the same day of its judgment on an appeal by former Rehab CEO Angela Kerins as both cases raised some similar issues. However, for reasons unconnected with the issues in both cases, the court had considered it was desirable to defer the judgment, he said. Mr OBriens lawyers had applied for a delay because his separate defamation case against the Sunday Business Post, which also raised issues about the privacy of his banking affairs, was still underway at the time of the Kerins judgment. Mr OBriens Supreme Court appeal arose from statements separately made in the Dail by Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy and Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty in May and June 2015. He complained those made pointless an injunction he had obtained against RTE some weeks earlier restraining it broadcasting details of his banking relationship with State-owned Irish Bank Resolution Corporation. He went to the High Court after the CPP rejected his complaints about the TDs actions. Catherine Murphy The High Courts Ms Justice Una N Raifeartaigh dismissed his case, brought against the CPP, the Dail and the State, for reasons including the reliefs sought were impermissible under the constitutional separation of powers and would have a chilling effect on the freedom of parliamentary speech. 'Appropriate' speech The core issue before the Supreme Court was whether the courts can intervene when an Oireachtas committee allegedly fails to obey its own rules. A correct application by the Oireachtas of its own rules concerning what is said in parliament would involve chilling inappropriate but not appropriate speech, it was argued on behalf of Mr OBrien. Giving the courts judgment, the Chief Justice said there were similarities but also important differences between this and the Kerins case. In the Kerins case, the court found her complaints over how the Dail Public Accounts Committee dealt with her were justiciable, meaning a court can consider them, and also held the PAC acted outside its remit. It has adjourned to later a decision on whether the PAC acted unlawfully. The Chief Justice said the judgment on Mr OBriens appeal related only to how his complaint was dealt with by the CPP. There may well be an argument the CPP was in error in some ways in which it dealt with the complaint, he said. While the CPP was clearly correct in saying it had no role in determining if anyone was in contempt of court as that would itself breach the separation of powers , there may well have been an issue, which the CPP did not address, whether it was appropriate for deputies to act in a way which might be said to have substantially deprived a citizen of the benefit of a court order protecting their right to privacy. It might also be said the CPP over-readily came to the view, without sufficient inquiry, those concerned has acted in good faith. The CPP, he stressed, has a significant margin of appreciation in deciding whether the constitutionally recognised principle of freedom of speech within the Oireachtas outweighed any other relevant considerations, he said. Pearse Doherty Even if it could be said the CPP reached an impermissible conclusion on the complaint, that would fall a very long way short of demonstrating the sort of egregious or persistent failure to vindicate the rights of a citizen which might allow the courts to intervene. A decision on whether the courts can intervene in such circumstances would have to be decided in an appropriate case, he stressed. Article 15 The court, in the Kerins judgment, had identified significant barriers to the justiciability of issues arising from matters which occur within the Houses of the Oireachtas. Article 15 of the Constitution confers significant privileges and immunities from legal action on the Houses and their members. By including those measures, the people undoubtedly created an area where any rights which may allegedly be infringed can only be protected by the Oireachtas and not by the courts, he said. The court confirmed its view expressed in Kerins that, included in the matters immune from review by the courts, are questions which relate indirectly or collaterally to utterances made in the Houses, he said. The challenge Mr OBrien sought to bring to the CPP decision involved, in substance, an indirect or collateral challenge to the utterances of the Deputies themselves, he said. Any exception to the general rule against non-justiciability could only apply in the case of either an egregious beach by the Oireachtas of its obligation to protect the rights of citizens in respect of matters which occurred within the Houses or a persistent failure to deal with matters in a way from which it might legitimately be inferred the Oireachtas did not intend to afford appropriate protection to citizens. Neither of those situations could be said to exist on the facts of this case, he said. The court would leave over to another case a decision on whether in fact such an exception exists, he added. Update: 10.30 - Reacting to the ruling, Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty said he was "over the moon" with the decision. Over the moon as Supreme Court dismisses Denis OBriens appeal about comments made in the #Dail by myself and @cathmurphytd Common sense prevails. Pearse Doherty (@PearseDoherty) March 5, 2019 Update: - Catherine Murphy said: "Whilst I am pleased that the courts have recognised the constitutional protections afforded to those of us who may find ourselves in the position of having to use parliamentary privilege for a matter of public interest, it is hugely incumbent on us, as elected representatives, to recognise that such privilege must only be exercised with great responsibility. "The public interest must always be to the fore and that is what has underpinned everything I have done to date." A judge has jailed a guilt-ridden sex offender for three-and-a-half years for the sexual abuse of a young girl over a four-year period. At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Gerald Keys imposed a six-year jail term suspending the final two-and-a-half years on the native of Barefield, Ennis, Co Clare, Johnny Galvin (aged 48) for the sexual abuse of the female who was aged 12 to 16 at the time. Judge Keys told ex-factory production supervisor, Mr Galvin of Ballinagaddy, Ennistymon, Co Clare, that he had abused the complainant for your own sexual gratification and you abused your position of trust and groomed her. Judge Keys said that other aggravating factors in the case included the circumstances in which offences occurred; the age gap; the effect the offences have had on the complainant and the serious breach of trust. In the case, Mr Galvin first confessed to the sexual abuse when he showed up at Ennis Garda Station in early October 2017 before any complaint was made against him. Mr Galvin also wrote a letter of apology to the complainant stating that he hopes she gets justice for what he did. In the letter read out at Ennis Circuit Court, he told the woman: I cannot undo the hurt you have suffered as a result of my abuse of you. Judge Keys said that Mr Galvin has done everything to minimise the distress on the complainant and he fully appreciates the devastating effect his abuse has had on the woman. Judge Keys said that Mr Galvin, in his letter of apology, commented on the complainants courage and hoped that she can now rebuild her life and that he is now willing to pay the price to society for his actions. Judge Keys said that Mr Galvin has no previous convictions, co-operated with Gardai, has a long work history, showed genuine remorse, made admissions and entered an early guilty plea. Judge Keys stated that Mr Galvin had apologised in writing and the risk of re-offending appears on its face to be low. Judge Keys said that Mr Galvin had worked at Daktronics, formerly Data Display in Ennistymon for 19 years and progressed to be a supervisor who was highly regarded by his employer. The judge said that Mr Galvin has lost his good name and is now a registered sex offender. When arraigned on the charges in October 2018, Mr Galvin cried as he repeated the word guilty 23 times in response to the counts of sex assault from September 1, 2006, to June 30, 2010. Mr Galvin was then remanded on bail pending sentence but voluntarily surrendered his bail later that month to go into custody and commence his prison term. Counsel for Mr Galvin, Michael Collins SC said: This is a very sad case and has devastated a number of families and a number of lives. In her victim impact statement, the woman - now aged 24 - said her anger has been out of control because of the abuse stating that she has broken her wrist three times, including one time punching a wall. The woman said that the abuse has resulted in excessive drinking and that she has suffered from breakdowns and panic attacks. She said: His actions have not only hurt me for years - they have devastated my family as well. She later added: Everyday, I am going to feel like the girl who let a man who she loved and trusted take advantage of her. "Every day, I am going to feel the pain, embarrassment and confusion as to why he did it and why I didnt stop it when I had the chance." Judge Keys backdated the sentence to last October when Mr Galvin first entered prison. A man who trapped and attacked a woman before beginning to masturbate in front of her has been jailed for five years. Chico Makamda (aged 36) with an address at Viking House, Coffee House Lane, The Quay, Waterford, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sexual assault, false imprisonment and robbery at Adare Lane, Dublin, on April 16, 2018. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to seven-and-a-half years for the offences of false imprisonment and robbery, but suspended the final two-and-a-half years for a period of two-and-a-half years on condition that he leave the country within 14 days of his release. Judge Greally also sentenced him to four years for the offence of sexual assault, which will run concurrently with the other sentences. She backdated the sentence to April 16, 2018, the day he first went into custody. Garda Ruth Finnegan told Elva Duffy BL, prosecuting, that in the early hours of the morning a woman in her early fifties was on her way home after a night out when she stopped in Adare Lane to relieve herself behind some bins. Makamda approached her and blocked her in beside the bins. He punched her three times in the stomach and she fell onto the ground, hitting her head on the concrete. He attempted to pull her jeans down and kept trying to lie on top of her while the woman tried to stop him. He then stood up, took out his penis and began masturbating. The woman managed to stand up and pull her jeans fully up. Makamda put his penis away but continued to block her from escaping. Makamda fled when another man arrived and said he would call the gardai. After he was gone the woman realised that her wallet and phone were missing from her handbag. Gda Finnegan agreed with Paul Carroll SC, defending, that a lot of what his client said in interview does not make a heap of sense. Makamda has 15 previous convictions, including for an offence of indecency and for the false imprisonment of a woman in a laneway. He is originally from Angola and has been in Ireland since 2009. Mr Carroll said his client had no connection with any family members and had effectively been homeless for some time. He asked the judge to take into consideration the fact that Makamda had a low range of cognitive ability, according to a psychiatric report. Judge Greally said it was clear from the victim impact report that the woman had been completely traumatised and that she now fears to go outside. She said each of the offences were aggravated by the impact they had on the victim and by the level of violence. She said she was taking into consideration his early guilty pleas, his admissions to gardai, his social isolation in Ireland and the difficulty that prisoners from outside the country face while imprisoned. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). The parents of a newborn who died on their wedding anniversary hope an inquest into their baby's death can help answer their questions. The newly married parents lost their first baby just six days after his birth at the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) in Dublin. Baby Henry John McMahon was born on September 18, 2017 but died just days later on his parents first wedding anniversary. Baby Henry John suffered from a congenital heart condition and his parents were alerted to this at an early stage. The parents said they were advised his condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome was operable and surgery carried a high success rates. They expected their baby to live a full life. The condition is rare and leaves the left side of the heart severely underdeveloped. Parents Simon and Sorcha McMahon, from Stillorgan, attended a preliminary hearing into their babys death at Dublin Coroners Court where a date was set for a full inquest. Speaking afterwards, the couple said they want to know why they lost their baby boy. We knew our baby boys life wasnt going to be without some challenges but we also knew that modern medicine could meet them. Simon and I never expected that his life would be so short and to have been so full of trauma and pain," Sorcha McMahon said, describing the delivery as "traumatic". Our darling baby boy Henry John died six days after his delivery, the day of our first wedding anniversary September 23, 2017. We just want answers now, as to how and why his life ended the way it did, Mrs McMahon said. Baby Henry McMahon Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins The couple and the Henry Johns grandfather attended the hearing before Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane along with their legal representatives. A list of witnesses has been drawn up and circulated to all parties involved. Witnesses include a number of nursing staff and midwives, doctors and pathologist Dr Michael McDermott. Consulted neuropathologist Dr Jane Cryan was added to the witness list at the request of the familys legal team. Dr Cryan contributed to Dr McDermotts autopsy report. Coroner Dr Cullinane allocated two dates in July for the full inquest hearing. I am allocating one and half days, possibly two, it is hard to judge but the case certainly requires more than one date, the coroner said. The hearing is scheduled to take place at Dublin Coroners Court on July 8 and 9 next. Update: The jiffy bag reportedly sent to Waterloo appears to have its sender's address as Bus Eireann, Dublin, but the company said gardai had not been in touch. "Bus Eireann are currently not aware of this and we have no further comment," a spokeswoman said. An Post identified the stamps as its "Love & Wedding" design for greeting cards, wedding invitations and thank you cards. Earlier: Gardai and UK police investigate reports explosive devices found in London were sent from Ireland Gardai are conducting a high-level security investigation after reports that at least one of the three explosive packages in London were sent from Ireland. Counter-terrorism police in London are investigating three packages containing explosives found at Heathrow Airport, London City Airport and Waterloo station. There were no injuries after one of the packages ignited. London Met said: small improvised explosive devices were found in the A4 postal bags. The Met's Counter Terrorism Command said it was treating it as a linked series of incidents. We're treating the incidents as a linked series & keeping an open mind regarding motives. Flights at Heathrow & City Airport have not been effected. Train services at Waterloo Station continue to operate. As a precaution, some DLR services were suspended but now fully operational Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 5, 2019 It has emerged that at least one of the packages was posted in Ireland, with a suspicion that all three were sent from here. It is believed at least one of them had an Irish post stamp on it. London Met contacted the Garda Security & Intelligence Section at Garda HQ and an investigation is underway. A Garda spokesman told the Irish Examiner: Gardai are assisting the London Met with inquiries in relation to the ongoing security incident in London." One man who was among staff outside the Network Rail office said he was the individual who found the package. Asked about the discovery, he said: "I'm sorry, I've been told I can't talk about it." Seemingly slightly shaken up, he joked with colleagues and expressed thanks when best wishes were extended. Sky News correspondent Alistair Bunkall posted a picture to Twitter which he claimed showed the packages sent to Heathrow airport and Waterloo station. The stamps appeared similar to some issued by the Irish postal service for Valentine's Day 2018, featuring a heart motif and the words "Love Eire N". One of the images showed a partially-burned package addressed to the airport. Photo of one of the suspect devices - this one sent to Heathrow. It caught fire: pic.twitter.com/keObgokRVH Alistair Bunkall (@AliBunkallSKY) March 5, 2019 "Photo of one of the suspect devices - this one sent to Heathrow. It caught fire," he tweeted. The source of the images was not immediately clear and PA was not able to verify their veracity. In a statement, Scotland Yard said: "The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command has launched an investigation after three suspicious packages were received at buildings in London today, Tuesday, 5 March. "The packages - all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags - have been assessed by specialist officers to be small improvised explosive devices. These devices, at this early stage of the investigation, appear capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened. "The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is treating the incidents as a linked series and is keeping an open mind regarding motives. "At approximately 9.55am the Met Police received a report of a suspicious package at The Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow. The package was opened by staff at the building, causing the device to initiate. This resulted in part of the package burning. "No one was injured. The building was evacuated as a precaution. Specialist officers attended and made the device safe. The building remains closed as enquiries continue. The building is not based at Heathrow Airport, and flights have not been affected by this incident. "At approximately 11.40am British Transport Police were called to reports of a suspicious package in the post room at Waterloo Station. The package was not opened. Specialist officers attended and made the device safe. No one was injured. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling: Police are investigating a small number of security alerts. If youre travelling and see anything suspicious, please report it to the police by calling 0800 789 321 or visit https://t.co/yYx5nnJtbT #ActionCountersTerrorism Department for Transport (@transportgovuk) March 5, 2019 "The station was not evacuated however cordons are in place at a small area outside the station on Cab Road. Train services are continuing to operate as normal. "At approximately 12.10pm police were called to a report of a suspicious package at offices at City Aviation House, Royal Docks, Newham. Staff were evacuated from the building as a precaution. The package was not opened and no one was injured. Specialist officers attended and made safe the device. The building has been reopened. "As a precaution, DLR services to London City Airport were suspended but are now fully operational. Flights to and from the airport have not been affected. "The Met Police has issued advice to transport hubs across London to be vigilant for and report suspicious packages to police. "No arrests have been made. "Enquiries are ongoing." British Transport Police said specialist teams were called to Waterloo at 11.20am after reports that a suspicious item was found in the post room. "Rail staff colleagues followed tested procedures when responding to this item and it is important to stress no passengers were put in harm's way," the force said. "Specialist units from BTP were quickly on scene and were supported by colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Service. A cordon remains in place on Cab Road, outside Waterloo station. "The Met are now leading the investigation into this incident and have confirmed that it is linked to two other incidents, one at London City Airport and one at The Compass Centre, Nelson Road Hounslow. BTP are actively supporting the Met in this investigation." The @metpoliceuk Counter Terrorism Command has launched an investigation after three suspicious packages were found at locations in London. Our thanks go to police, security, transport staff and all involved for their swift actions to keep our city safe.https://t.co/Ow7xxILfRs Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 5, 2019 London City Airport said in a statement: "We can confirm that City Aviation House has reopened and staff have returned safely, following the evacuation of approximately 100 staff at 12.15pm due to the discovery of a small improvised explosive device. "Specialist police officers dealt with the device, which did not affect flight operations. The airport terminal remained open throughout. Inquiries by the Metropolitan Police are ongoing." Aviation House is where a number of airport staff work and is a two-minute walk from the passenger terminal. The building was reopened shortly before 4pm. Flights were not affected but Docklands Light Railway services did not stop at the airport for around an hour during the investigation. Gardai have discovered a cannabis grow house in Carlow town. The grow house is in the Tullow Road area of the town and holds around 170 mature cannabis plants. The inside of the cannabis grow house in Carlow town. Pic: Garda Press Office. Officers also found a significant quantity of harvested plant material. They estimate the total value of the cannabis is 235,000. A man in his 30s has been arrested and has been detained at Carlow Garda Station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice Drug Trafficking Act. The inside of the cannabis grow house in Carlow town. Pic: Garda Press Office. The scene is being examined by Garda Scenes of Crime Examiners. The Government has insisted it has enough money to fund emergency mortgage help promised to more than 1,500 struggling families despite opposition warnings it is already at least 100m over-budget. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a spokesperson for Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy denied the scheme is struggling to cope with demand but admitted officials have asked the Central Bank to approve a "second tranche" of funds. At the launch in January 2018, Mr Murphy said under the new Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme people who have already been turned down by banks for mortgages could still be given the green light to buy a home. The scheme, which came with a 200m war chest, was open to any individual who earns less than 50,000 a year or any couple earning less than 75,000 a year. However, Freedom of Information Act documents published by RTE have shown the fund is already running out of money, with the Department of Housing's press office being informed of the crisis in late January. In a statement, a spokesperson for Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy insisted the scheme still has enough money to pay for the mortgage promises given to 1,500 people. The spokesperson confirmed 575 people have already drawn down loans on the back of the scheme, while 1,000 others have been approved. He said while the total approvals cost amounts to 310m it is, in reality, reduced to 248m when "duplicate" applications by one individual are taken into account, and that to date 104m has been drawn down and a further 96m is available. The spokesperson insisted that despite the internal FOI document showing the department's press office was told of the funding gap two months ago, "the funding provided to date is adequate for existing approvals". However opposition parties dismissed the Government denials the scheme has already ran out of money, with Fianna Fail housing spokesperson Darragh O'Brien warning the scheme is at least 100m in the red. "There are 1,500 people approved, and from what we can make out the scheme is already over-subscribed by 100m. "The key question is what is the value of the applications still being processed, because they don't have enough money to fund them," he said. Raising the concerns during the latest Dail leaders questions debate, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin accused Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of deliberately keeping the public in the dark over the situation after it emerged PR officers were told of the crisis in late January. He asked: "Why can't the minister and the Government just be honest with people on these issues? Why all the secrecy, why can't you guys not just be straight with people and upfront with people, instead of hoping people won't find out. We're all going through this charade while you guys just prance around the place." Mr Varadkar responded by insisting the Government is not hiding information from the public, and rejected claims money will not be available for people promised help. He said the Department of Finance and the Central Bank are reviewing the scheme's budget and will make a decision in the coming weeks on whether to increase its 200m funds. A 64-year-old man choking on a piece of steak ran next door to neighbours seeking help, an inquest heard. Edward Healy of Dromheath Avenue, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15, was struggling to breathe as he banged on his neighbour's front door on June 17, 2017. Aidan Burke, who is trained in first aid, answered the door and attempted the Heimlich manoeuvre in a bid to save Mr Healys life. It was around 7pm I heard banging on the front door. It was loud and kept going so I got out of the shower. Mr Healy was standing there holding his throat, struggling to breathe, Mr Burke said. Dublin Coroners Court heard Mr Healy had undergone surgery for neck cancer in 2008 and had a hernia removed in hospital the day before his death. Next door neighbour Liz Burke returned to the house to find Mr Healy at the front door looking distressed. He was grabbing his throat and trying to tell us he was choking. He was clearly choking, Mrs Burke said. She phoned an ambulance. The Burke's tried to calm Mr Healy as he started to panic. He became weak. We got him to sit on a chair. His breaths got more shallow and he was struggling to breathe, Mrs Burke said. Paramedics were called at 7.30pm and worked to save Mr Healys life at the scene. He was transferred to Connolly Hospital arriving at 8.31pm. A large piece of meat, measuring 6cm by 1.5cm was removed from his windpipe. However, resuscitation efforts failed and he was pronounced dead at 8.37pm. A post-mortem report gave the cause of death as asphyxia due to choking on a piece of meat. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned a verdict of accidental death. This can happen to anybody. One couldnt discount some connection between his original surgery (in 2008) since he complained of difficulty swallowing after. "A large piece of meat will not alter its shape or melt to open up the airway even a little to allow you to breathe. As oxygen levels go down, a person loses consciousness and the heart stops beating and that is what happened here, Dr Cullinane said. The coroner sympathised with the family noting the man had "come through a lot" in the form of cancer treatment and the removal of the hernia. This is something that happened out of the blue and despite being next door to good and immediate help, he still died. It is frightening to think how quickly this can happen, Dr Cullinane said. An Irishman who attacked a crew member on a flight back from the Conor McGregor fight in Las Vegas had taken an excessive dose of sleeping tablets, a court heard. Leroy Thomas Hyland took quadruple the recommended US dosage of a sleeping pill which he had never previously consumed during a flight from Los Angeles to Sydney on October 10 last year. The 26-year-old then woke up in a freaked-out state and believed that passengers were gang members and had stolen his wallet, passport and phone. Mr Hyland has pleaded guilty to three charges in relation to a disturbance on Delta Air Lines flight DL41 from Los Angeles to Sydney on October 10 last year. He pleaded guilty to behaving in an offensive and disorderly manner on an aircraft, common assault and assaulting/threatening with violence/intimidating aircraft crew. The 26-year-old appeared before Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on Tuesday where his lawyer said he took an adverse reaction to sleeping pills taken after an overseas catch-up trip to Las Vegas to watch the Conor McGregor fight. Mr Hyland ran out of the usual sleeping tablets he took for long-haul flights and purchased sleeping pills which a shop assistant suggested would really knock him out for the 14-hour flight from LA to Sydney. He initially took two pills but didnt feel much effect so he took a further two tablets which is quadruple the recommended US dosage, according to his lawyer. He then fell asleep but woke an hour later and the nightmare begins. Mr Hyland was in a freaked out state and believed other passengers were gang members and had robbed his belongings, the court heard. His lawyer said: This was the first time he had taken this type of sleeping pill and he had no prior knowledge of its effects. The Irishman had a blanket over his head to hide from those he believed were targeting him and a flight attendant said he was rambling about getting robbed. He believed the flight attendants were part of the group that had stolen his belongings telling them: "You are part of it; you are one of them." The court heard Mr Hyland was disorientated and told crew members: Someone is trying to steal my identity. I dont know who to trust. Mr Hylands lawyer said he was frightened by the situation in which he found himself and at one stage shouted: Help, help in a thick Irish accent which may not have been understood. A doctors report tendered to court concluded that Mr Hylands behaviour could have been caused by taking an excessive number of sleeping tablets. After the incident on-board, Mr Hyland was restrained for the remaining 10 hours of the flight and arrested when the plane landed at Sydney Airport where he appeared very confused and didnt seem to remember what had happened on the flight. 'Zero risk of re-offending' His girlfriend was concerned and took him to hospital that night and the court heard he wasnt right until 7am the next day. Mr Hylands lawyer told the court the 26-year-old works 60 hours a week as a sheet metal worker and the act was so out of left field, theres a low to zero risk of him re-offending. He said: This man is worthy of a second chance and asked the court not to jail him. He made a mistake and its not going to happen again, he added. He said it had always been Mr Hylands dream to live and work in Australia and he hoped to apply for permanent residency in the future and a criminal conviction put this dream at risk. The acting magistrate said she accepted that Mr Hyland was otherwise of good character and didnt take the tablets with the view that this would occur. But she found the offences were very serious and asked for a sentencing report to be prepared before she passes sentence. The case was adjourned until April 16 to allow for the preparation of this report. Mr Hyland was supported in court by his brother who travelled from Ireland to attend the hearing. His employer, his partner and a close friend all provided character references to the court. A victim impact statement from the US flight attendant who was attacked by Mr Hyland was also submitted to court. Met Eireann has admitted that the amount of snow that fell on Sunday took forecasters by surprise. It issued a yellow weather warning for Munster and Leinster for Sunday morning where it said rain may turn to snow in places. Two young men have been charged in connection with the death of a 19-year-old Irishman in America. Liam McGlinchey, from Buncrana, was found dead after a night out with friends while celebrating passing exams. Liam died as a result of alcohol poisoning after being left lying outside his grandmothers house in New York. Two men have now been charged with criminally negligent homicide. Samuel Heroux (21) of Cohoes and Isaiah DePiazza (19) of Foxwoods Drive, Clifton Park, were teenagers at the time of the incident. Both were arraigned in Saratoga County Court and sent to the Saratoga County Jail pending a bail application hearing. Liam's mother Helen Savastio has now appealed to young people to take care of each other. Ms Savastio said her family including husband Thomas McGlinchey, and their children Leo and Charlotte were 'emotionally drained' after they were informed of the arrests. It was like Liam had died all over again as we didnt have any of this when it first happened. It was all kept a secret, were still not sure why, but we were told at the time it was to protect the integrity of the case. So for 18 months we heard nothing. In a press release issued following the arrest, police said they were called on August 25, 2017, to a report of an unresponsive male in the driveway of a house on Rolling Brook Drive and police who responded found the teenager dead. An investigation revealed that Liam had been out the previous night with friends, including Heroux and DePiazza, drinking alcohol. After Liam became highly intoxicated, he had difficulty walking and began falling, his friends decided to return him home. Police said the two brought Liam to his home and left him on a grassy area outside the house, where he subsequently died. Ms Savastio said she could not understand why the two teenagers just left her son under the tree outside her mothers house. The message needs to get out there that, if you see someone in trouble, make sure they get home safely." Liam and his family moved back to Donegal shortly after his birth. Having spent some time back in the States, they moved back permanently in 2013 and was a former student of Scoil Mhuire in Buncrana. Ms Savastio added Its hard as my whole family is in America, but I do have a lot of support here locally. Friends are being very helpful. The most important message is that nobody else needs to lose a son or daughter. Make sure you look after your friends and be please be aware that you can die of consuming too much alcohol. The trial is expected to commence on July 29. Broadcaster Mark Cagney and actor Danny O'Carroll have both been named on the latest tax defaulters list. They are among 73 individuals who have made settlements totalling more than 12m. The largest settlement was made by a mobile phone repair shop in Moore Street in Dublin which paid more than 1.2m following a Revenue investigation. A charity shop in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, is also listed after making a payment of more than 104,000 for under-declaration of PAYE/PRSI and USC. There are 24 cases in which the settlement was not fully paid as of December 31, 2018. The amount unpaid as of that date is 5,398,219.44. Mr Cagney, who presents on Virgin Media Television, paid just over 37,000 in tax interest and penalties for under-declaration of tax and VAT. Five of today's settlements are for more than half a million euro, these include the Mrs Brown's Boys actor Danny O'Carroll who handed over more than 125,000 after an audit. In all, Revenue imposed 429,090 worth of fines in 178 cases, 34 involving the misuse of marked oil, 114 involving failure to file a tax return and one case of obstructing of a Revenue officer. Revenue carried out 1,120 audits and investigations In the three months up to December 31, 2018, which together with the settlement of 22,515 Risk Management Interventions yielded 1.3bn in tax, interest, and penalties. A nurse who intervened to save a bus driver who suffered a heart attack yesterday has recalled the moment the double decker on which she was a passenger was out of control heading towards Dublins busiest street. Aoife McGivney said she had her headphones in on the bus to work when she heard screaming and realised the vehicles was rolling through a red light on OConnell Bridge. She said the bus rolled over a bike, and while the cyclist fell away suffering only minor injuries, the passengers at the time thought the rider too had gone under the vehicle. There were cars brakingbesid, there were people jogging e the bus looking in at us. We were just like What do we do? We need to stop this bus, she said. Ms McGivney said she went to the front of the bus and was able to reach into the drivers cabin to take his foot off the accelerator. I was just shaking him, trying to move his legs to make sure they weren't on the pedals and eventually the bus just cut out when he wasn't touching any pedals, it was still rolling a little bit but slowed down and then just came to stop," she said. Then there were passengers on the inside trying to get out, and people on the outside trying to help us get out." She said they didn't know how to open the door. "I just said we need to get this man out onto flat ground, she told Ryan Tubridy on RTE Radio 1. I got my coat under his head, and we had him in the recovery position to monitor his breathing and his heart rate and then noticed that he had stopped both. We just started CPR compressions and I called for people to ring an ambulance and to get the AED [Automated External Defibrillator] machine. The ambulance was amazing. They got there so quick that by the time someone had run off to get the AED machine, the ambulance was there because we didn't know where the nearest one was. I went to get my coat back afterwards and the guards said we kept him alive until the ambulance got there. "We got him back and he was up talking, conscious, by the time he was gone to the hospital, she said. Ms McGivney said she was speaking out about the incident to raise awareness of the benefits of CPR training. Ryan's chatting to heroic nurse Aoife McGivney who saved the life of a bus driver who suffered a heart attack while driving through rush-hour traffic in Dublin yesterday @RTERadio1 #DublinBus #CPR pic.twitter.com/3tnWvx9R98 Ryan Tubridy Show (@RyanTubridyShow) March 5, 2019 It was a very, very scary situation to be in. Even if someone did have first aid training, it's so hard to be in that situation, to be aware and know when to recognize to start going into CPR, and that's the main reason I want to talk about all this, because I do want to promote it and how important it is to get your training and to actively recognize when someone is that sick and when it's time to intervene. People were amazing, stepping forward with their own training and it was great for me to be able to take a break from doing CPR and pass it on to someone else, she said. I'm so grateful to be able to have been able to be there for him and do that for him, she said. The humanitarian needs of 13 million Syrian refugees will be discussed by an Oireachtas committee today. It will hear from Non-Governmental Organisations who are working in the war-torn country as the crisis there continues. A pensioner has died following an accident at a farm in Liscarroll, Co Cork, this afternoon. The man in his 70s lost his life when he was erecting fencing. The Air Corps helicopter and the emergency services attended at the scene. He was taken to Cork University Hospital where a postmortem examination will be conducted. The Health Safety Authority (HSA) and gardai are due to carry out an investigation in relation to the incident. This is the second workplace/farming accident in Cork in a week. On February 26, Gardai and the HSA launched a probe following the death of a man in his 50s at a timber processing plant in Enniskeane, West Cork. The accident happened at GP Wood in Enniskeane when the man was struck when walking or standing behind a piece of machinery at the plant. It is understood the man had worked at the plant for several decades. Thirty-seven people were killed in workplace-related accidents in 2018 which was a drop of more than 20% on the previous year. Seventeen people died in farming accidents in Ireland in 2018. Up to 53% of such fatalities last year were associated with farm vehicles and machinery, while 29% arose due to incidents with livestock. Twenty-four people died in farming incidents in 2017. More than 200 people have lost their lives as a result of farm accidents over the last decade, 23 of whom were children. Being struck by a moving vehicle is the most frequent cause of farm deaths on Irish farms. A vehicle moving at fast walking pace covers about two metres per second, so particular vigilance is needed when they are operating. A university student has brought a High Court challenge over what she says is the wrongful inclusion of a criminal conviction against her on a disclosure issued by the Garda National Vetting Bureau. Kathleen Joyce, who is in her third year of studying for a degree in social studies at Trinity College Dublin, has brought proceedings over the disclosure which states she was convicted of theft and received an 18-week custodial sentence from a Welsh court in November 2017. Ms Joyce, of Mayeston Green, St Margaret's Road, Finglas, Dublin 11, says another person with the same name received the conviction and served the sentence at Stiles Prison in Manchester. She has appealed that finding. However, she has been unable to get the Garda National Vetting Bureau, through its formal dispute resolution process to confirm that she is not the person convicted in 2017 in Wales and correct the vetting disclosure. In judicial review proceedings against the Garda Commissioner and the National Vetting Bureau, Ms Joyce seeks an order directing the NVB to consider and determine the dispute process relevant to her previous convictions. Ms Joyce, represented by Feichin McDonagh SC, Brendan Hennessy Bl instructed by Rogers Law solicitors, told the Gardai that the matter before the Welsh court had nothing to do with her, and was committed by somebody else. Mr McDonagh said it was confirmed to his client that the Garda Pulse system shows the person convicted in Wales is somebody else. A picture attached to a record of the conviction clearly shows that his client and the person convicted are two different people, counsel said. Despite being told the matter is being considered by the Garda NVB, no progress has been made on her request since April 2018, counsel said. As part of her studies she is required to complete several work placements as part of her training, counsel said. Before she can commence those placements she must undergo a vetting procedure conducted by the Garda NVB, which is disclosed to the college and anybody which takes her on placement. She set out all her previous convictions in the vetting disclosure she submitted in September 2017 in accordance with the course she is studying for. Counsel told the court that his client received criminal convictions between 2006 and 2014 for offences including assault, handling stolen goods and intoxication in a public place. In the last five years, she has turned her life around, become drug and alcohol-free through counselling, commenced her undergraduate studies at TCD and has not committed any offences nor had any convictions against her since 2014. Counsel said Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor, Labour Party TD Jan O Sullivan and Roisin Shortall TD of the Social Democrats, have communicated with the Gardai seeking clarification and progress on the matter on Ms Joyce's behalf. Counsel said TCD had been supportive of Ms Joyce and the situation she has found herself in, however she cannot complete her course without doing the placements. Last year the college made an exception and allowed her to bypass the work placement requirement until the vetting issue was resolved. It was done on the understanding that the matter would be resolved before the next required placement due to commence this month, counsel said. However, counsel said that the college has advised her if the matter is not resolved in the next few weeks she would have to defer the year as she cannot complete the academic year without a placement. Permission to bring the action was granted on an ex parte basis by Mr Justice Seamus Noonan. The Judge made the matter returnable to a date later this month. A Leaving Cert student from Galway has appealed for help with her legal status so she can attend university. Sara Morais, who was born in Brazil and attends Gort Community School, has been living in the Galway town since 2006. Despite attending primary and secondary school there, she discovered that she would not be eligible to go to university because she is undocumented. Speaking on Adhmhaidin on RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta, the 19-year-old pleaded for help. My family and I came to Ireland in 2006 ... My parents didnt want to leave [Brazil], but they knew we could have a good life here ... My parents have been working here and paying tax for 12 years, just like everyone else," Sara said. "They do everything right and legally, but we still have no legal status ... I need answers. I want to know what we can do to change our situation." Sara revealed that as well as the pressure of the Leaving Cert, she is under additional pressure at home. "My mother is sick at the moment," she explained. She had a big operation at the beginning of the school year, and we found out that she has cancer. Sometimes, I have to miss school because I have to go to the doctor with her because she only has a little English. "I have to be with her to translate... so Im under pressure with everything this year." Olivia Fahy, Sara's Irish teacher, also spoke to RTERnaG and said that there are others in a similar position. "At the moment, there are eight pupils in this situation (like Sara's) in Leaving Cert year, and after the Leaving Cert they wont have a chance to go any further with their education and its a great pity. "As teachers here, were trying to highlight this problem. We want to find out what we can do for the pupils." Ms Fahy told the radio stations that it was unclear what the problem was with obtaining legal status. "Were not sure what the problem is, thats why were here this morning. We want to find out what we can do," said Ms Fahy. "Sara attended primary and secondary school and now theres a barrier in front of her. "We dont think it makes any sense that she cant get a place on a [third level] course here, because without a doubt shed be more valuable to the community with a qualification than without." Beidh Sara Morais a rugadh sa Bhrasail agus ata ag deanamh na hArdteiste i @GortCS1995 i mbliana ag cur sios duinn ar an bhfath nach bhfeadfaidh si freastal ar an gColaiste @RTERnaG pic.twitter.com/oj7XgeI4KE Adhmhaidin (@Adhmhaidin) March 5, 2019 "Sara is a very diligent student and this isnt her fault, and shes appealing ... if anybody can give her some answers shed be very happy to listen to them and to follow their advice to help her case." Responding to the interview on Twitter, the Immigrant Council of Ireland said: "We need a fairer system for young people who've spent most of their childhood in Ireland to access 3rd level. "It makes sense for Irish society as well as the young people ." Go Sara! We need a fairer system for young people who've spent most of their childhood in Ireland to access 3rd level. It makes sense for Irish society as well as the young people #CelebrateDiversity #RighttoEducation https://t.co/h8aoWFiDX7 Immigrant Council.ie (@immigrationIRL) March 5, 2019 The Department of Justice has been asked for comment. A 37-year-old woman has been found guilty of attempting to murder a civil servant by slashing her neck as she walked home from work in Dublin two years ago. Laura Kenna had argued that she was legally insane at the time and had attacked Fionnuala Burke in the context of delusions about death, vampires and cannibalism. Kenna, of no fixed abode, was charged with attempting to murder Ms Burke on Lower Drumcondra Road in the city on January 3, 2017, and of assault causing serious harm to her on the same occasion. She had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to both counts and went on trial at the Central Criminal Court. The trial heard that Ms Burke was working for the Department of Social Protection, and was walking home when she noticed a woman sitting on a wall outside a house. As Ms Burke approached, the woman, Laura Kenna, sprang up and pushed her back onto a grassy area. Kenna didnt say anything, but started to stab her. Ms Burke felt the short stab wounds and could also feel her face being slashed, before she felt a dramatic slash straight across her neck. Kenna then spoke, telling Ms Burke that shed let her go if she handed over her bag. The jury saw photographs of the large, deep cut across Ms Burkes neck. It had penetrated through muscle and cut through the thyroid gland. She was operated on and treated in intensive care after the attack. She also had other injuries to her face and body. Kenna later admitted to gardai: I sliced her like you would a goat. The main issue for the jury to consider was Kennas state of mind at the time; there was a conflict of opinion between the experts on this issue. A consultant psychiatrist engaged by the defence testified that the accused was suffering from a mental disorder at the time, and so was entitled to the special defence of not guilty by reason of insanity. Dr Stephen Monks of the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) told the jury that she was suffering from schizoaffective disorder, a chronic mental illness related to schizophrenia. He said she had carried out the frenzied and viscous attack on Ms Burke with the intention of killing in the context of delusions about death, vampires and cannibalism. She had a knife for the purpose of killing somebody, he added. He testified that she did not know the nature and quality of her actions and couldn't stop what she was doing. However, a consultant psychiatrist engaged by the State disagreed. Professor Harry Kennedy, also of the CMH, testified that she was not delusional at the time, but carried out the attack in anger and out of a sense of entitlement; she told gardai shed needed money. Prof Kennedy said her attack would not come under the definition of insanity. He said that she possessed callous and unemotional personality traits and had the ability to fabricate for her own interests. Shed told him that she had followed another woman that night but let her go, something he said indicated that she knew what she was doing in selecting her victim. Closing speeches Barristers for both sides delivered their closing speeches yesterday. Barry White SC, defending, reminded the jury that both doctors had agreed that Kenna had fit the criteria for the special insanity verdict when she had attacked another woman a few weeks before this attack. A jury in that case had later reached a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity on that charge. However, he pointed out that Prof Kennedy considered her to have a mental disorder after the Drumcondra attack, but not during it, and said the professor had Ms Kenna going from mad to bad to mad. Laura Kenna You heard from Dr Monks that this is highly improbable, he said. Anthony Sammon SC, prosecuting, reminded the jury that he had said at the outset that this would not be an easy case. I did not tell you that this was a retrial and that another jury had struggled with this, he said, referring to a previous jury failing to reach a verdict, something the defence had disclosed in this trial. That is now known to you and it endorses the statement I made that this is a difficult case, he said. He noted that there was no blood test that could establish a mental condition. One has to go through the torturous process that has been revealed to you in this case, he continued, referring to the doctors interviews with the accused and reviews of her history. He explained that the Oireachtas had decided that 12-citizen juries would have to answer the question of insanity. The six men and six women of the jury were told that the State had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Kenna had carried out the attack. However, the defence had to prove only on the balance of probabilities that she satisfied the special defence of not guilty by reason of insanity. Justice Tara Burns sent them out to begin considering their verdict yesterday afternoon. They had spent a total of two hours and 23 minutes deliberating before reaching their unanimous verdict of guilty on both counts. Justice Burns said she was extremely grateful to them for their work on what had been a particularly difficult case and exempted from jury service for 10 years. She adjourned sentencing until Monday March 25 for preparation of a victim impact statement. She also directed a report from Kennas treating doctor. Robbie Henshaw is progressing "more slowly than hoped" in his race against time to be fit for Ireland's match against France on Sunday. The Leinster back trained last Friday as he recovers from a dead leg, but an Ireland squad update today revealed he's continuing his rehab on a slower timescale this week. Ireland have taken the unusual step of delaying confirmation of their wider squad until Wednesday morning, with the team to be announced on Friday. Henshaw has not featured since Ireland's 32-20 opening-round defeat to England, where he was deployed at full-back for just the second time in his Test career. Joe Schmidt had hoped to have the former Connacht star fully fit to host the French, and has now handed the 25-year-old extra time to prove his readiness. Fly-half Joey Carbery is said to be progressing well through his hamstring rehab and will have his training load managed early this week. Last week, Schmidt said if Carbery can train on Wednesday and Friday, he'll be considered for the squad to play France. Back-row Dan Leavy will continue to increase his running volume outside of team training as he bids to make his comeback from a calf injury in the coming weeks. Andrew Conway has fully recovered from his cramp suffered after the win over Italy, while players in provincial action have reported no issues. The squad reassembled last night and trained today at Carton House. The squad will be confirmed tomorrow morning . France, meanwhile, named their team to travel to Dublin Read More: - Additional reporting PA Hillary Clinton has said she will not run for president in 2020, but has vowed she is "not going anywhere". The former US secretary of state, senator and first lady ruled out another campaign after losing the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has returned home after travelling two-and-a-half days by train from Vietnam, where his high-stakes nuclear summit with US President Donald Trump ended without any agreement. The summit broke down mainly because of disputes over the extent of sanctions relief the North could win in return for its nuclear disarmament steps. US attorney general William Barr will not recuse himself from overseeing Robert Mueller's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign, the Justice Department has said. Senior ethics officials advised Mr Barr against recusing himself from the special counsel's probe, spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. US Attorney General William Barr. Picture: EPA/Michael Reynolds "Consistent with that advice, General Barr has decided not to recuse," she said in a statement. During his confirmation hearing in January, Mr Barr sought to assuage concerns that he might disrupt or upend Mr Mueller's investigation as it reaches its final stages. Some Democrats had raised those concerns, citing a memo Mr Barr had sent to Justice Department and White House lawyers in which he criticised Mr Mueller's investigation for the way it was presumably looking into whether Mr Trump had obstructed justice. Mr Barr vowed to consult with ethics officials about whether he should recuse himself, but told senators the decision would ultimately be his to make under Justice Department guidelines. He also stated without hesitation that it was in the public interest for Mr Mueller to finish his investigation and that he wanted to release as much information as he could about Mr Mueller's investigation to Congress and the public. Under Justice Department guidelines, Mr Mueller will provide a confidential report to Mr Barr that explains his decisions to pursue or decline prosecutions. Mr Barr will then prepare his own report that would be released to Congress. He has said he intends to share some information with the public, but it is unclear whether Mr Mueller's actual report will ever be made public. Former FBI Director James Comey, whose firing is among the things being investigated by the special counsel's office, said in an op-ed in The Washington Post on Monday that "providing detailed information about a completed investigation of intense public interest has long been a part of Justice Department practice". "Every American should want a Justice Department guided first and always by the public interest," he wrote. Sometimes transparency is not a hard call. The president had assailed and ultimately pushed out his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from Mr Mueller's investigation because of Mr Sessions' work with the Trump campaign. The president named Matthew Whitaker, who was Mr Sessions' chief of staff, as acting attorney general in November. But Mr Whitaker came under fire after he declined to recuse himself from the Mueller investigation even though a top Justice Department ethics official advised him to step aside out of an "abundance of caution". At the meeting with Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, Culture Minister Weera Rojpojanarat explained that the event serves to build ties among ASEAN member states as well as dialogue partners. Weera noted that ASEAN countries have a shared heritage, with diverse traditions and cultures that make up the unique identity of each nation. He expressed his belief that these traditions and cultures are worth sharing and preserving for posterity. The event will see the participation of 10 countries, including Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, China and India. If you want a salutary example of the taxpayers money that can be wasted and the harm that can be done when governments yield to the temptation to prop up declining and, in this case, environmentally damaging industries, look no further than Melbournes water supply. Illustration: Andrew Dyson Credit: The industry in question is the tiny native-forest logging industry in Victorias Central Highlands. The value it adds to national production of goods and services is a mere $12 million a year (using figures for 2013-14). The industry's employment in the region was 430 to 660 people in 2012 though it would be less than that by now. Few of those jobs would be permanent, with the rest being people working for contractors, who could be deployed elsewhere. The chief executive of explosives manufacturer, Orica, Alberto Calderon, has called on the government to ensure domestic gas demand is met before allowing exports in order to safeguard the local industry. Speaking at the Australian Domestic Gas Outlook (ADGO) Conference on Tuesday, former BHP executive Mr Calderon, said manufacturing would not survive unless the government used a gas export cap to address domestic gas shortages and high prices. Orica chief Alberto Calderon says urgent action is needed to save manufacturing in the face of high gas prices. Credit:Bloomberg The government first threatened to pull the trigger on the Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism (ADGSM) - a proposed gas export cap - in 2017 and again in 2018 unless more domestic gas supplies were secured. Mr Calderon said the government needed to intervene again to save manufacturing by taking the ADGSM further. The long-term solution is relatively simple. The government needs to ensure that the domestic gas market is adequately supplied every year. Only the excess over this would receive export licences," Mr Calderon said. President Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed Tariff Man, is set to become the $US100 Billion Man. If the trends of the past year and economists' expectations hold true, trade data to be released on Wednesday will show the US's deficit in goods and services with the world topped $US600 billion ($847 billion) in 2018. That means Trump's presidency will have seen the US trade shortfall the main metric by which he judges countries to be winning or losing grow by more than $US100 billion. By his own measure of success, 'Tariff Man" Donald Trump has failed. Credit:Bloomberg Put another way, by Trump's own benchmark, the US is 20 per cent worse off than it was at the end of 2016, just before he took office. A member of the Nomads outlaw motorcycle gang has been charged after allegedly having sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl he met at a train station in Sydney's south-west. Police will allege in court the pair spoke at a railway station and while on the train, before the 27-year-old man led the girl to a home in Chester Hill and sexually assaulted her on February 14. Following inquiries, detectives attended a Chester Hill home in the early hours of February 28, where the man was arrested after a violent struggle. One officer broke their hand and another received leg injuries during the altercation, police said. The man was taken to Bankstown Police Station, where he was treated by paramedics for a head injury before being taken to hospital for further treatment. Police charged the man with having sexual intercourse with a child aged between 10 and 14, and resisting or hindering a police officer in execution of their duty. Brisbanes bus fleet will have $1.3 million worth of protective barriers installed on all 1200 buses to protect bus drivers from physical assault, spitting, and verbal disagreements with passengers. In 2017-2018 there were 12 physical assaults on bus drivers, down from 17 the year before, while drivers were also spat on, spat at, had drink bottles thrown at them, and were verbally abused by passengers. Brisbane's bus drivers have shared their feedback on three different safety barriers installed to protect them from assault and abuse. Credit:Alamy Stock Photo At the public and active transport committee on Tuesday morning, chairman Adrian Schrinner said the council had been trialling three different safety barriers over the past nine months. Cr Schrinner said the council was doing everything possible to select the right design to protect drivers. Melbourne City Council has voted to oppose the demolition of a key building in Federation Square in order to build an Apple megastore after receiving more than 1100 submissions from concerned Victorians. The State Government shocked Melbourne by announcing days before Christmas in 2017 that part of the citys civic square would be knocked down so Apple could build one of only five global flagship stores in the world. Federation Square management has applied for a waiver of heritage rules to demolish the Yarra building in order to construct the new building. A spokesman for Citizens for Melbourne, which has been coordinating the Our City, Our Square campaign, said on Tuesday night that more than 100,000 people had signed petitions opposing the Apple store and more than 1100 had provided submissions to the council. Principals at popular state schools are urging the Education Department to close a loophole that lets families move in and out of school zones to secure an enrolment. They claim some families are gaming the system by renting in-zone properties to obtain an enrolment and then moving back to the family home after 12 months. Brighton Seconday College principal Richard Minack says too many parents are gaming the system by moving in and out of school zones Credit:Jason South At some schools with strict enrolment boundaries as many as one in five students no longer live in the zone. McKinnon Secondary College principal Pitsa Binnion said the situation was exacerbating enrolment pressures at her sought-after school. People in the warning area are advised that they should seek alternative accommodation due to expected unpredictable severe fire weather. If the way is clear, leave now for a safer place Do not wait and see, leaving at the last minute is deadly If your plan is to stay and actively defend, do not rely on mains water pressure as it may be affected. If you have access to a water tank and plan to defend your home, start patrolling with your hose and put out spot fires If you cannot leave, you need to get ready to shelter in your home and actively defend it If you are not at home, it is too dangerous now to return Close all doors and windows and turn off evaporative air conditioners, but keep water running through the system if possible Mr Newman confirmed homes in the Shady Hills Estate were still under threat on Tuesday morning, and strong north-easterly winds were likely to cause extreme fire behaviour throughout the day. "We've got an east-north-east fluctuation in the wind with some complexities about interaction with the valley," he said. "There could be breakouts to the west along the river, or down in the south west corner of the fires ... parallel to the river." A bushfire emergency warning is in place for an area near Bullsbrook. Credit:DFES Currently about 90 hectares have been burnt, and emergency services have warned locals to keep an eye out for burning embers that are likely to be blown around their homes. Where to go Emergency services said the safest option for some Bullsbrook residents was to go stay with friends and family until the fire passed. Some residents also spent the night in a temporary evacuation centre set up by the Department of Communities at the Beechboro Community Hub, the Old Altone Park Recreation Centre, 332 Benara Road, Beechboro. The evacuation centre remains open but those who seek shelter are reminded no animals or alcohol is allowed. A community meeting will be held at 5pm at the Ethel Warren Bullsbrook Community Centre at 3 Maroubra Avenue, Bullsbrook. Community members who have remained in the emergency warning area can attend the meeting and will be permitted to return to their properties, subject to registering with a restricted access permit agent. The safest route to leave the area bounded by the alert is to head north via Taylor Road, left on Smith Road, left on Chittering Road to Great Northern Highway. What firefighters are doing "We have firefighters constructing earth breaks on the south west corner of the river using hand tools due to the lack of access for machinery and we have consolidation occurring around the remainder of the fire area," Mr Newman said about Tuesday's efforts. About 100 firefighters are on scene battling the blaze. Two water bombers, two helitaks and air intelligence have also been called in to help with the fire, with no reports of homes lost on Monday morning. WA Police, Western Power, St John Ambulance, State Emergency Service, Salvation Army, the Department of Communities and the City of Swan are all monitoring the scene. Closures Taylor Road and Clarkson Road, Taylor Road and Foaling Ridge and Ewing Road and Clenton Road have been closed. Vehicles will not be granted access to the area. Motorists are asked to avoid the area, reduce speed and drive carefully due to smoke. The Walyunga National Park is also closed. Restricted access permits Residents and business owners impacted by the fire can apply for a restricted access permit to enter designated areas. A restricted access permit issuing unit has been established at the Ethel Warren Bullsbrook Community Centre at 3 Maroubdra Avenue Bullsbrook. Please bring along valid identity documents including a driver's licence or passport, and proof of the affected address. Due to the ever changing conditions, the issuing of restricted access permits may temporarily stop and your patience is appreciated. Ongoing warnings A bushfire watch and act alert has been issued for people west of the Shady Hills Estate, west of the Avon River, north of Walyunga Road and east of Great Northern Highway in south eastern parts of Bullsbrook and north western parts of Walyunga National Park in the City of Swan. "There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is approaching in the area and conditions are changing," the alert reads. "You need to leave or get ready to actively defend." WHAT TO DO: If you are not prepared or you plan to leave, leave now if the way is clear. If you are well prepared and plan to actively defend your home, make final preparations now. If you are not at home, do not try to return as conditions in the area could be very dangerous. Close all doors and windows and turn off evaporative air conditioners, but keep water running through the system if possible. Houses in the Shady Hill Estate are under threat from the blaze. Credit:9 News Perth A bushfire advice alert has been issued for south western parts of Bullsbrook in the City of Swan. "There is no threat to lives or homes," the alert reads. "Although there is no immediate danger you need to be aware and keep up to date in case the situation changes." WHAT TO DO: Stay alert and monitor your surroundings. Watch for signs of a bushfire, especially smoke and flames. Close all doors and windows, and turn off evaporative air conditioners but keep water running through the system if possible. Read through your bushfire survival plan. If you do not have a plan decide what you will do if the situation gets worse. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang's Regular Press Conference on March 5, 2019 2019/03/05 Q: It is reported that the ROK and the US defense ministries announced their decision to end the annual springtime joint exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, which, according to their statement, reflects their desire to reduce tensions and support efforts toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a final, fully verified manner. What is China's comment? A: We have taken note of relevant reports. The political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue is currently at a critical stage. China commends and supports all positive measures conducive to easing tension and fostering mutual trust. We hope all parties concerned can continue to send goodwill signals, meet each other half way and make joint efforts to advance the dialogue process. Q: A question on the two Canadians detained in China. I'm just wondering if you have any information how was it logical that one Canadian speaking to another Canadian in China amounts to espionage or leaking of state secrets? A: According to released information, the relevant authorities provided key details on Canadian national Michael Kovrig's case, including how he violated Chinese laws by spying on and stealing state secrets and intelligence. I don't quite see how you find anything illogical with the case involving these two Canadians suspected of violating Chinese laws. As released by relevant authorities, important progress has been made in the investigation of Michael Kovrig's case, and case-handling authorities are still working on it in a law-based manner. Q: A bipartisan group of US lawmakers have complained to the Donald Trump Administration about its response to human rights abuses including that it had not followed through with imposing sanctions. Is China concerned that the US will impose sanctions on Chinese officials over Xinjiang and has it expressed those concerns to the US? A: For some time, certain individuals of certain countries have been playing up issues in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and leveling venomous attacks against the preventive counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures the Chinese government has taken to keep Xinjiang a stable and tranquil place where people of various ethnic groups live happily together. As I said, people with true insight of the international community and those who have visited this region for themselves have made objective and just statements. We hope the US individuals you mentioned will respect facts and stop such actions that smear other governments and sabotage China-US relations. You asked about the Chinese government's position. I would like to emphasize that the Chinese government will remain resolute in taking all measures conducive to improving the welfare of the Chinese people, including people of various ethnic groups living in Xinjiang. Q: Russian President Putin signed a decree yesterday to suspend Russia's obligations under the terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and said the hold would remain in place until the US ends its violations of the treaty or until it terminates. Do you have any comment? A: We have talked about our position on the INF Treaty many times. As an important bilateral treaty in the field of arms control and disarmament, the INF Treaty is of great significance to easing major-country relations, promoting international and regional peace, and maintaining global strategic balance and stability. We are indeed concerned that its nullification will have a negative impact on world peace and security. The Chinese side opposes the US withdrawal from the Treaty and urges the US and Russia to properly resolve differences through constructive dialogue and return to compliance with the Treaty at an early date. Ive always said I wouldnt go into politics. Dont wrestle with a pig, the saying goes, because you both get covered in mud and the pig loves it. But I am breaking that vow because our political system is broken. I have been a critic for too long: its time to throw my hat in the ring. Julian Burnside will run as the Greens candidate in the seat of Kooyong against Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Credit:Jason South Representative democracy depends on our parliamentarians actually representing us. Unfortunately, thats just not happening at the moment. Far too many of our elected representatives simply do not listen to the people who elected them: they listen instead to their big corporate donors. That, more than anything, is why I have decided to stand as a candidate for the Greens at the next federal election in the seat of Kooyong, even though it has been held by the Liberal Party (and its predecessors) since Federation. I understand that this may come as a surprise to people who have followed my public career. I have often said I would not go into politics, so why stand now? And I have often said I was not a member of any political party, so why run for the Greens? And why in Kooyong, where Ill have to face the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg? And most importantly, what will I do if I win? I think those questions are fair enough. A major oil and gas company wants Australian taxpayer money spent on overseas energy projects, stoking fears that a Morrison government plan to boost development in the Pacific is a smokescreen for fossil fuel investment. A government amendment to the operation of its export credit agency, the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, quietly passed Parliament's lower house with support from Labor last month. It is now being considered by a Senate committee. The changes would allow the corporation to make larger investments in overseas infrastructure, targeted to the Pacific region. Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Mark Coulton said the proposal would enable the corporation to fund essential overseas infrastructure such as energy, telecommunications and water projects, where it is commercially viable. He cited the potential construction of overseas LNG terminals to increase Australian energy exports. A turf war over the tendering of a new Headspace in suburban Melbourne has prompted federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to reexamine the process under which $1.45 billion worth of mental health services are being delivered nationally. Former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry has lashed out at a "lack of accountability" in the commissioning of services by Primary Health Networks after losing a bid for his mental youth health organisation Orygen to run a centre in Melton. Former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry says there needs to be more national oversight of Headspace tenders. Credit:Dan Peled Mr Hunt has ordered the taxpayer-funded contract, awarded last year to a consortium led by drug and alcohol treatment provider Odyssey House Victoria, be torn up and a new tender process launched, six months after Headspace Melton opened its doors. The move followed lobbying by Professor McGorry, who argues that Headspace's national office and Orygen should have more of a say in youth mental health commissioning decisions by the 31 Primary Health Networks set up by the government in 2015 to replace Labor's Medicare Locals. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ramped up his warnings of an economic downturn under a Labor government, declaring it the truth to tell voters of the risk of recession under the opposition's policies. Im saying the economy will be weaker under Labor thats exactly what Im saying, because theyre going to put $200 billion worth of taxes and take Australias industrial relations system back to the times when we had recessions in this country, Mr Morrison said at a business summit in Sydney. Im being very clear with Australians. No use on the other side going oh, I didnt really realise that it would have that impact. It will have that impact. Mr Morrison was careful when asked if he was actually saying Australia could go into recession under Labor, saying this came down to the scale of the impact of the Labor policies. Former prime minister Tony Abbott will hire up to 20 unpaid interns to work on his re-election campaign in Warringah in a clear sign of the enormous electoral pressure facing the 25-year political veteran. An advertisement posted on Mr Abbott's Battlelines website announces a snap four-day search for "dedicated and energetic people" to assist on the campaign over the next eight weeks. Former prime minister Tony Abbott with campaign volunteers in Manly in February. Credit:Jessica Hromas Dubbed the Battlelines Bootcamp, the internship promises to combine "best-practice campaign techniques with on the ground practical training". Mr Abbott revealed in January he would direct a Liberal Party social media campaign called Battlelines, which was also the title of his 2009 book. A third stop-work order has been issued on the Broadway Hotel to protect the heritage building from demolition. It comes after the Brisbane City Council last week issued an enforcement notice to the owner of the Woolloongabba hotel following a state government engineering report that confirmed it was structurally sound and capable of being repaired. Images of the derelict Broadway Hotel after the September 2018 fire. Credit:Jesse Harrison Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said the extension of the stop-work order prevented any demolition of the Broadway and gave more time for work to be carried out to secure the building. "This is the third stop order we have issued, and it ensures that the Broadway will not be demolished," she said. In the 2014 West African outbreak, which infected more than 11,000 people, the death of a prominent healer was a crucial "super-spreader event", linked to more than 300 cases. That healer, who lived in rural Sierra Leone, died after catching the virus from one of her patients. Hundreds of relatives and admirers came from many miles away for her funeral and helped wash her body, which was presumably teeming with virus. Items used by Muriisa, a herbalist who practices traditional medicine, in the hills of Kabale District, in western Uganda. Credit:The New York Times They then returned to their homes in Guinea and Liberia, helping ignite the worst Ebola epidemic in history. Muriisa discussed his practice with a reporter from The New York Times and visiting members of a Canadian medical charity, Bridge to Health. The Canadians were offering routine medical and dental care in nearby villages, not doing Ebola-related work. Nonetheless, their infectious disease specialist, Dr Sasan Hosseini-Moghaddam, made sure triage nurses were on the alert for the virus. Any patient with a fever who had visited Congo, or had contact with someone who did, should be isolated and not touched, Hosseini-Moghaddam told the nurses. Then the patients should be asked about diarrhoea, vomiting, joint pain, red eyes and difficulty breathing or swallowing all potential signs of Ebola. Of course, Muriisa has no way to do an Ebola test, or even one for malaria, which, when severe, can be confused with Ebola. Uganda's health ministry has not given him one of its brightly coloured posters illustrating Ebola symptoms that can be found tacked up at border posts and conventional clinics. His office is a thatched mud hut decorated with shields and antelope horns. It is at the top of a steep hill above a boat landing on a reed-choked shore so steep that his grandsons keep a dozen polished staffs stuck in the ground to help panting visitors climb it. To meet patients, he tops his normal attire a corduroy jacket and shorts with a cloak of what appears to be serval cat fur and a headpiece of black and white monkey hair. Local residents said the healer was correct that few Congolese ever visit Lake Bunyonyi, which is at an altitude of 6,500 feet and surrounded by farmers, crawfish-gatherers and lakeside resorts (including Idi Amin's former summer home). Lake Bunyonyi near Kabale in south-western Uganda, where millions turn to traditional healers. Credit:The New York Times Most Congolese who traverse the border are traders headed straight for Kampala, Uganda's capital, to buy goods for resale in Congo. Also, nurses stationed at the frontier are supposed to take temperatures and turn back anyone with a fever, and Ugandan bus lines have stopped serving the Congolese cities hit hardest by Ebola, Beni and Butembo, which are 200 miles to the north-west. But borders are permeable, and Africans who fall seriously ill may travel long distances to see the healer in their home villages, because they trust them. Healers can spend time with patients and speak their home dialects. Muriisa's first language is Rukiga (pronounced rue-CHEE-ga). Also, healers accept payment in the currencies of the poor: vegetables, alcohol, chickens and goats. Some very grateful patients, Muriisa said, have even given him a daughter. "She then becomes my daughter," he explained. "And maybe one of my sons will marry her." Herbalists are also trusted because some of their teas, ointments and powders genuinely do alleviate common ills such as allergies, nosebleeds, arthritis pain or toothache. And they sell potions to ward off curses such as lightning strikes or jealous neighbours, disasters for which Western medicine offers no remedies. (Muriisa is an herbalist, not an omufumu, who is paid to put curses on people, according to Innocent Tumusiingize, a local dentist who led the visit and translated. The two professions have parallels elsewhere; in southern Africa, for example, they are known as sangomas and nyangas.) Local people with HIV do come to him, Muriisa said sometimes right after getting a positive blood test at a clinic. He admitted that he could not cure AIDS but claimed to be able to slow it down to "make the virus drunk and weak" with a concoction made from the local omusikamoori tree. He does not discourage his patients from taking conventional HIV drugs. Some take them as well as his treatment, he said, but they rarely admit it. "They fear arrest," he said. "Because the government says herbs don't work and should not be used." He cannot cure cancer, he admitted, but he does treat snake bites. He also treats mental illness. Muriisa has no way to do an Ebola test, or even one for malaria, which, when severe, can be confused with Ebola. Credit:The New York Times Typically he conspires with the family of an emotionally disturbed person to knock him or her out with a few dark seeds from the rweziringa, or thorn apple, shrub. According to a plant reference book he keeps, it is Datura stramonium, known in the United States as jimsonweed, a powerfully toxic and hallucinogenic member of the nightshade family. "In that state, they say many things," he said. "And I can tell from their words whether it is demons or a curse making them ill, and I can decide how to treat them." For seriously ill patients, he has two tests to predict whether he can cure them. One requires balancing a small horn on a vertical stick; the other involves boiling a soda bottle full of green liquid to see if it changes colour. If both tests indicate the patient will die, Muriisa does not tell them, because it would be disheartening. Instead, he advises them to go to the local public hospital. His herbal knowledge came from his father, whose grave is just outside the hut and who was the local healer for decades until his death at age 92. But the spiritual aspect of his power, Muriisa explained, comes from an ancient African god named Kazoba Nyamahanga (which means "little sun god" in Rukiga). The Singaporean government is studying Australia's anti-foreign interference legislation as the country plans its own laws to stop external political meddling. Singapore's home affairs minister Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam said the penalties provided in Australia's law which include jail terms up to 20 years showed the seriousness of the problem globally. Kasiviswanatha Shanmugam, then Singapore's foreign minister, speaks with then Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop in 2015. Credit:AP "We are studying their experiences; we are studying what has happened to them and what they are doing to combat the threat," Mr Shanmugam said in a speech to the Singaporean Parliament last week. The Turnbull government passed sweeping foreign interference laws last year, creating a register of those working for foreign governments in Australia, strengthening anti-espionage provisions and tightening secrecy laws. Ramat Gan: A combative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally launched his election campaign Monday, local time, urging his supporters to rally around him because victory was no longer guaranteed amid his mounting legal woes. "We have to win," he told hundreds of members of his Likud party in a hotel just outside Tel Aviv. His supporters stood on chairs and cheered so loudly that the Prime Minister's words were barely audible. "Bibi, king of Israel," chanted the crowd, using Netanyahu's nickname in a twist on a Hebrew song about the biblical King David. Thousands more gathered to watch the Israeli leader speak on screens set up outside. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has formally launched his election campaign. Credit:AP With just 35 days to go before Israeli elections, Netanyahu is feeling the heat. Calls for his resignation have increased since Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit informed Netanyahu's legal team Thursday of plans to charge the Prime Minister with fraud, breach of trust and bribery in three criminal cases, pending a hearing in which he can present his defence. Netanyahu has maintained his innocence and described the legal cases against him as a left-wing plot. Washington: Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb said in a new podcast that he considers special counsel Robert Mueller to be "an American hero" and "a class act" and does not share President Donald Trump's oft-stated view that the probe of Russian election interference is a politically motivated "witch hunt". Cobb, who joined the White House shortly after Mueller's investigation began in 2017, departed in May last year as Trump and his surrogates took a more aggressive approach in trying to discredit the investigation. Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb says he thinks Trump has taken the wrong approach to the Russia probe. Credit:AP In an interview for the American Broadcasting Company podcast The Investigation, Cobb said he does not expect Mueller to show collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and that he disagrees with the strategy that Trump and others, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, have employed. "They have ratcheted up the public's concerns about the investigation and its legitimacy," Cobb said. "I object to that approach. But it's his choice. He's the President." Beauregard: Rescue crews using dogs and drones searched for victims amid splintered lumber and twisted metal Monday, local time, after the deadliest US tornado in nearly six years ripped through a rural Alabama community. At least 23 people were killed, some of them children. Dozens were missing in Lee County nearly a day after the tornado struck, according to the sheriff, who said that crews had combed the hardest-hit areas but that other places had yet to be searched. Matthew Schell looks for personal mementos by flashlight at dusk in the rubble of the house destroyed by a tornado. Credit:AP The winds Sunday afternoon obliterated numerous homes, leaving huge, jumbled piles of wood and household belongings. Some homes were reduced to concrete slabs. Debris was scattered across the countryside, with shredded metal hanging from the pine trees. "I'm not going to be surprised if we don't come up with some more deceased. Hopefully, we won't," coroner Bill Harris said. He said the dead included almost entire families and at least three children, aged 6, 9 and 10. Rio de Janeiro: Samba competition is getting political in Brazil, with one of Rio's top samba schools and other groups paying tribute to Marielle Franco, an activist for gays and Afro-Brazilian rights who was slain almost a year ago. Mangueira, one of the oldest samba schools in Rio, included the former city councilwoman in a parade honoring Brazil's hidden heroes, those that history books often forget or choose not to mention. Dancers from the Vai-Vai samba school pay homage to the slain councilwoman Marielle Franco during Carnival. Credit:AP Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, were shot to death in their car while driving in downtown Rio on March 14, 2018. The killings shocked Brazilians and set off a wave of national demonstrations, but police have never named suspects. Franco's partner, Monica Benicio, was expected to take part in the samba school's parade early Tuesday, local time, at Rio's Sambadrome. Latest News Westpac makes fourth rate hike in two months Thirty points across all longer-term rates for major lender Australian Broker parent buys out UK mortgage Now the world's largest independent mortgage news stable Sydney CBD will welcome a new resident bank over the coming weeks, as an award-winning lender moves its head office and signature branch to the city. Bank of Sydney has reached an agreement to purchase the prestigious 62 Pitt Street, a corner building located near Australia Square and Wynyard Station. The site will act as both Bank of Sydneys signature branch and its Australian head office following its impending move from the current location in the south end of the city. This move underlines our commitment to the Australian market and will cater to our future growth. A top-class CBD location will lift the banks profile and enhance our retail presence with access for all customers, said the banks head of third party distribution, Steve Sampson The move is the next step in the banks growth trajectory, ahead of its 20-year anniversary in 2021. The bank was named Money magazines best of the best 2017, 2018 and 2019 and has also been recognised by Canstar for its product value. This is a brand new acquisition and we are at this point negotiating to obtain access to the building for our operations as soon as possible. As the acquisition strategy is catering for future growth of the bank, we will be increasing our staff numbers accordingly and 62 Pitt Street allows us to do that, Sampson continued. And, as always Sampson says that brokers will be welcome to meet clients in the new space. Brokers are always welcome to our premises for customer contacts if that makes it easier and indeed some of our brokers do just that for city based customers. The new CBD location gives us great options to run events and training on a bigger scale with easy city access, he said. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC Brooklyns feeling the Bern again! Thousands of left-leaning locals packed Brooklyn Colleges East Quad on Saturday to watch borough son, Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, deliver the first rally of his recently announced 2020 presidential campaign, where he ascribed his self-described democratic-socialist values to his humble Kings County roots. I was born a few miles away from here on E. 26th Street and Kings Highway, and my family and I lived in a three-and-a-half-room, rent-controlled apartment, Sanders told the crowd. My experience as a child, living in a family that struggled economically, powerfully influenced my life and my values. The pol, who attended Brooklyn College for a year in 1959 after graduating from James Madison High School, made a laundry list of progressive promises including Medicare for all, a national $15 minimum wage, free enrollment at public colleges, outlawing for-profit prisons, and ending the so-called War on Drugs to his adoring supporters, occasionally pausing as chants of Bernie, Bernie, Bernie erupted from the audience. And throughout his speech, Sanders took every opportunity to distinguish his and his campaigns values from those of the countrys sitting commander-in-chief, whom he derided as a racist, sexist, homophobe, and called the most dangerous president in modern American history. I want to welcome you to a campaign which says loudly and clearly that the underlying principals of our government will not be greed, hatred, and lies; it will not be racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, and religious bigotry; it will not be tax breaks for billionaires, and efforts to throw millions off of the health care that they currently have, Sanders said. Campaign staffers estimated the rally drew some 13,000 Berners, and attendees waited for hours in lines that stretched down Bedford Avenue for a chance to hear the two-time presidential hopeful speak, according to one Brooklyn College student. The turnout was crazy, said Daniela Umana. I was in shock. But the wait was well worth it, according to another Sanders supporter from Prospect Heights, who praised the Independent politician for largely sticking to his long-time agenda of radical social and economic reform, even as many argue he must cater to more moderate voters to claim the Democratic Partys nomination after failing to do so in 2016. I was very glad that we did not see some new message coming through, said Robert Segal. He was spot on in 2016, and hes been saying the same thing for 37 years. If he suddenly changed his tack in an attempt to better navigate the electoral systems, I would be really disappointed. But he didnt. Sanders, who opened offices in Gowanus and Flatbush during his unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic Party line ahead of the last election, returned to Brooklyn College almost two years after delivering the schools 2017 commencement address, when he again criticized the 45th president, and received an honorary degree from the university roughly 58 years after he transferred from it to the University of Chicago. Reps for his campaign could not be immediately reached about whether or not the pol again plans to open offices in Brooklyn. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC It was something old, something new, something Borrowed and something green! Thats right, folks, this weeks new Brooklyn Paper Radio episode featured all of the above, as co-hosts Anthony Rotunno and Johnny Kunen talked their way through another news-packed show with guests who discussed the latest calls to split service on the beleaguered R train between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the first formal appearance of LGBTQ marchers in the Brooklyn St. Patricks Day Parade, and the Brooklyn Public Librarys forthcoming podcast, Borrowed, which the book lenders will debut this month. Reporter Julianne McShane joined the hosts to fill listeners in on locals concerns about a quartet of local politicians demand that officials with the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority again bifurcate interborough R-train service. The scheme which would stop Manhattan-bound R trains at Court Street, allowing weekday riders to freely transfer to 4 or 5 trains to continue their journeys, and weekend straphangers to ride to the distant isle along the N line over the Manhattan Bridge drew heat from some residents, one of whom called in to question just how many local opinions the electeds sought before putting the request in writing to authority bigwigs. I would want to know about this feedback some of them claim they are acting on, where it came from. It seems like many of us didnt know this was being considered, said Bay Ridgite Nancy Ford, who said the last time transit chiefs bifurcated R-train service, in the wake of superstorm Sandy, it added at least 15 minutes to her regular commutes to Manhattan. The show then turned from the subways to the streets, welcoming Irishman and LGBTQ advocate Brendan Fay to discuss Brooklyn St. Patricks Day Parade organizers historic decision to formally open the march to participants from those communities for the first time in its 44-year history. Fay, whom police arrested with seven others for parading without a permit after they tried to join the 1999 march through Park Slope, said it is about time that people who identify as Irish, and as LGBTQ, can celebrate those identities without fear of retribution. Parades are so important. I didnt appreciate their meaning back in Ireland, because we were Irish in our own country, but when you come to New York, every cultural community has its moment on the streets, he said. I am very moved to hear the news. Its going to be a great celebration. Finally, the hosts celebrated another borough first the March 12 debut of the local library systems inaugural audio-streaming series with one of the brains behind the Borrowed podcast, Krissa Corbett Cavouras, and beloved Arts Editor Bill Roundy. But to hear more about what to expect from the librarys podcast and Roundys expert picks on how to fill your free time this week youll have to tune in to ours. And dont forget to listen to the latest installment of Power Women, featuring a conversation between Victoria Schneps-Yunis and the president of the Queens-based Long Island City Partnership, Elizabeth Lusskin, when youre done! (Mirror) Theres no better place to cure the wintertime blues than in Florida. Making a visit to the states Bay Area on the Gulf Coast is just what you need for a change of pace, without a change in climate. Here we give our top 5 favorite reasons to visit the city of Tampa for a weekend getawayits a short distance for a road trip, or even a quick flight if you dont want the temptation of loading up on snacks from 711. Riverwalk First on the list is one of the citys most unique places, the Tampa Riverwalk. This 2.4-mile walk lines the Hillsborough River with museums, restaurants and sites to see. Sunrise and sunset are the best times to capture the beautiful views. Festivals and events take place here year round, like the notorious Gasparilla Pirate and Margarita Festivals. Just a peek at whats along the walk: the Florida Aquarium, Tampa History Museum, Tampa Museum of Art, Glazer Childrens Museum and Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. (Riverwalk is considered a wet zone with 10 locations that are permitted to sell adult beverages in specially designed cups to be enjoyed along the route!)Stephanie Fred, Public Relations for Visit Tampa Bay, shared her favorite activity at the Riverwalk. Taking an e-boat from the Tampa Convention Center Basin and boating up the Hillsborough River along The Tampa Riverwalk. This allows you to watch the people enjoying the Riverwalk while taking in all of the sites of the beautiful Tampa waterfront. Online: TheTampaRiverWalk.com The Epicurean The 137-room gem sits in Tampas trendy Hyde Park district of South Tampa, locally known as SoHo. The boutique property is in close proximity to the waterfront, surrounded by restaurants and the buzz of the citys nightlife. The atmosphere at the hotel is carefully put together, creating unique flavors just for the hotel and a decidedly particular focus on wine, food, art and culture. As part of the Autograph Collection of Marriott International, guests here can expect complimentary wireless Internet, flat-screen HDTVs, heavenly rain showerheads and locally crafted reclaimed wooden doors. Each room has a personal artisan pantry stocked with premium liquors, local craft beer, Perrier, a selection of San Pellegrino and five, half-bottle varietals with suggested pairings likeprosciutto, chocolateor sea salt caramels. The hotels restaurantElevage is helmed by James Beard Foundations 2014 Best Chef: South semi-finalistChef Chad Johnson, and features a menu with a mix of Southern hospitality and French techniques. For a unique hangout filled with local art, lounge in the hotels cozy, casual neighborhood Lobby Bar and check out the lovely view at the rooftop bar Edge. An even bigger draw for foodie travelers is the hotels reputed neighbor across the street, Berns Steak House. Online: EpicureanHotel.com Osteria Bar + Kitchen Located right in the heart of downtown, this Tampa delight is described as a rustic and refined approach, and Italian in spirit. As a collaborative creation by Top Chefs Fabio Viviani and local Nocturnal Group, patrons can look forward to exquisite homemade dishes, an extensive wine list and handcrafted cocktails. A few menu staples are the 12 oz. Kobe Meatball, Rigatoni in a Jar and semi-boneless roasted chicken. The restaurant recently debuted a new full lunch and weekend brunch menu, with delicious options like mustard crusted salmon; coccoli platter with puffed crispy dough, smoked prosciutto, stracchino cheese, truffled honey and herb oil; and burrata caprese panini with sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic glaze, basil and arugula. Online: OsteriaTampa.com Florida Aquarium A highlight on the Tampa Riverwalk is the Florida Aquarium. Besides giving guests a chance to get a close up look at Floridas (and the worlds) aquatic and terrestrial life, the aquarium also works to protect and conserve wildlife habitats. The Florida Aquarium spearheads research and rescue efforts focused onFloridas sea turtles, coral populations and sharks. A favorite activity of guests to the Aquarium include a special shark swima snorkel-like experience swimming in one of the aquariums tanks with more than 1,000 fish, including stingrays, barracudas, a sea turtle, and of course, sand tiger sharks! The swim is appropriate for anyone over the age of 9 and no scuba certification is required. (The aquarium does offer a certification-required shark dive as well.) Online: FLAquarium.org Hall on Franklin Another exciting must-stop on your trip to Tampa is a visit to the citys full-service collective eatery. Its Tampas first food hall and the first full-service one in the country. Housed in an 8,000-square-foot Tampa Heights building from 1922, which has had previous turns as both a Plymouth car dealership and a gay club, the open concept of this friendly neighborhood joint offers up several restaurant options, along with coffee and liquor bars all in a shared space. So whether youre craving a delectable spicy ahi tuna poke bowl, Mexican street food, pizza, pasta or good ol Southern fried chicken, you have your choice. And no, its not weird to order a dish from each if you want a little bit of everything! Hall on Franklin serves brunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a long happy hour from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and it turns into a lounge-like atmosphere with a live DJ on Fridays and Saturday evenings until 2 a.m. Online: thehallonfranklin.com Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Tony Lima, executive director of SAVE, will be honored by the upcoming Diversity Honors taking place 7 p.m. Saturday, March 30 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood. Diversity Honors is an annual collaboration between the Pride Center in Wilton Manors and the Harvey Milk Foundation. Im very humbled and honored by the Pride Center and Harvey Milk Foundation for celebrating my leadership and work in the community, Lima said. These are two organizations I respect very much. I think its important to recognize those of us who are working on behalf of equality and those of us making sure we all can all live prosperous and full lives as LGBTQ people. No other honorees have been announced yet via Diversity Honors website. This years emcee will be Jamie Guirola, a general assignment reporter for NBC 6. Some of last years honorees included Dolores Huerta, a leader of the Latino, Labor and Womens Civil Rights Movement; Dean Trantalis, Fort Lauderdale Mayor and LGBTQ Advocate; the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Gay-Straight Alliance; and David Richardson, a former Florida State Representative. Tickets are $250. Visit DiversityHonors.goodmanpr.com for more information. The $1 billion fund announced recently by three former Tata executives Mukund Rajan, Alan Rosling and Govind Sankaranarayanan in alliance with Quantum Advisors wants to invest in small- and mid-cap listed stocks. But this is only part of their strategy: They also want to play an active role in the companies in which they invest to ensure they comply with the objectives of the fund. On the other hand, KKR-backed Avendus Capital, which is raising a similar amount, wants to take minority stakes in the top 100 companies by market cap. It, too, will attempt to influence ... With the Indian Air Force (IAF) and army already having exchanged blows with the Pakistani military, Pakistan has now accused the of provocative actions against Pakistan. A statement on Tuesday claimed one of the latest submarines of the Indian Navy was detected on Monday, operating off Pakistan, and could have been easily engaged and destroyed had it not been Pakistans policy to exercise restraint in the face of Indian aggression and to give peace a chance to prevail. Pakistan claims this is the second time an Indian submarine has been detected in Pakistani waters, after an incident on November 14, 2016, when the caught submarine operating in Pakistani EEZ (exclusive economic zone). Soon after the Pakistani statement, a video emerged on social media, purporting to be of the detected Indian submarine. It quickly emerged this was a fake video, produced by a Pakistani television channel in 2015. International maritime law permits vessels from all countries, including warships, to operate freely in international waters, including in other countries EEZs, which extend 200 nautical miles from their coasts. A countrys territorial waters extend only 12 nautical miles from its coast; and, even in those waters, vessels from other countries enjoy the right to innocent passage. ALSO READ: Pak arrests 44 members of banned outfits, including Masood Azhar's brother From official Pakistani statements, it is evident that the Indian submarine never encroached into Pakistani territorial waters. The responded unapologetically on Tuesday, stating that it remains deployed as necessary to protect maritime interests. It said in an official statement: Over the past several days, we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The Indian Navy does not take cognizance of such propaganda. Our deployments remain undeterred. That suggests that Indian submarines will continue their peacetime routine of patrolling off the Pakistani coast, without entering territorial waters, but ready to sink Pakistani shipping at short notice if hostilities break out. We routinely send submarines for patrols along the Pakistani coast, as also into the South China Sea. Pakistan too sends submarines to patrol Indias western coast. And maritime patrol aircraft from both sides play a cat-and-mouse game, trying to detect and identify enemy submarines, says a former Indian submariner. ALSO READ: We don't count numbers, govt will disclose Balakot toll: IAF chief Dhanoa In this provocative game, Indian submarines enjoy a significant geographical advantage. Pakistani submarines cannot come too close to Indias western coast, where the water is very shallow, since the gradient of the continental shelf is low. In contrast, the water is deep until close to the Pakistani coast, permitting submarines to operate freely without the risk of scraping their hulls on a shallow ocean floor. India operates a fleet of 14 conventional submarines: nine Russian-origin Kilo-class boats, four German-origin HDW boats and one recently-commissioned Scorpene submarine, INS Kalvari, which the claims to have detected. Five more Scorpene submarines of the Kalvari-class are under construction and would all join service by 2021. In addition, India operates two nuclear powered submarines: the attack submarine, INS Chakra, and a nuclear ballistic missile submarine, INS Arihant. Pakistans navy operates eight submarines: five French-origin Agosta-90B and Agosta-70 boats and three Italian-origin Cosmos-class midget submarines. There is a joint venture with China to build at least six Yuan-class submarines in Pakistan, which will enter service between 2023-2028. With a total exposure of nearly Rs 2 trillion in the power sector alone, companies hoping for a verdict in their favour may have to face some disappointment, experts said. Value maximization is the main purpose of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and that has been upheld by the Supreme Court time and again via various judgments. If the petitioners limit themselves to this line of argument, ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The US will end up hurting its own domestic industry that relies on cheaper material and goods from India, as duty free access is cut off for Indian products. Exporters remained convinced that while loss of benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) scheme will squeeze margins and make competitiveness difficult, the overall impact will be minimal on the domestic industry. Indias exports to the US stood at $50.57 billion in 2017 with a GSP tariff advantage of only $190 million. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The Congress will not have an alliance with AAP and contest alone in Delhi in the coming Lok Sabha election, its state unit chief Sheila Dikshit said Tuesday. "We have unanimously decided that we will not have an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party and we will contest alone and will emerge stronger," Dikshit told reporters after a meeting of Delhi Congress leaders with party president Rahul Gandhi. She said Gandhi has agreed to the decision against allying with AAP for Lok Sabha polls due by May. "So, we will go all by ourselves in Lok Sabha polls and there will ... Editor's Note: Key West will re-open to visitors on Sunday, Oct. 1 and they need your support. Only a 3-hour drive from Miami surrounded by clear turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean on the left and the Gulf of Mexico on the right (or faster still by plane), Key West is just as much the gay destination as its ever been. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) - a pension scheme for the unorganised sector. Interacting with beneficiaries at Ahmedabad's Vastral, the Prime Minister said there are more than 40 crore people who can avail the benefits of this scheme. "This is a good scheme. If something happened to you, your family member can either take the money with interest or can join the scheme. Our government is working in such a way that you can live your life without worry," he said. Prime Minister Modi went on to say: "There are more than 40 crore people in the country including maids, farmers, those employed under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employee Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) who can avail the benefits of this scheme. This is our responsibility to tell people that this is your money and will be there even." "Some people may be telling you if you deposit money in the scheme, you will get nothing. But this is a scheme and you don't have to fear," he added. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and MoS (IC) Labour & Employment Santosh Gangwar were also present at the event. Speaking at the launch of PM-SYM, Gangwar said that more than 14.5 lakh unorganised workers have been enrolled so far. PM-SYM scheme was announced in the Interim Budget, notified by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. As many as 42 crore workers are estimated to be engaged in the unorganized sector of the country. The unorganised workers mostly engaged as home-based workers, street vendors, mid-day meal workers, head loaders, brick kiln workers, cobblers, rag pickers, domestic workers, washermen, rickshaw pullers, landless labourers, own account workers, agricultural workers, construction workers, beedi workers, handloom workers, leather workers, audio-visual workers and similar other occupations whose monthly income is Rs 15,000/ per month or less and belong to the entry age group of 18-40 years are eligible for the scheme. These people should not be covered under the New Pension Scheme (NPS), Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme or Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). Further, he/she should not be an income taxpayer. PM-SYM is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme on a 50:50 basis where prescribed age-specific contribution shall be made by the beneficiary and the matching contribution by the Central Government as per the chart. Under the PM-SYM, each subscriber shall receive a minimum assured pension of Rs 3000/- per month after attaining the age of 60 years. If a beneficiary has contributed regularly and died due to any cause (before age of 60 years), his/her spouse will be entitled to join and continue the scheme subsequently by payment of regular contribution or exit the scheme as per provisions of exit and withdrawal. "The scheme is very good. I thank you for thinking about us and giving us pension," said a beneficiary. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The air strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Balakot is not an India-Pakistan issue but a matter related to terrorism, India has told the world community, making it clear that there should be no mediation in it. Stating this here on Tuesday, sources added that India has received no offer of mediation from any country. Ever since India carried out the air strike on JeM terror camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on February 26, Pakistan has been desperately trying to rope in foreign countries to mediate. "No offer of mediation has come from any country. India has told the world community that it is not an India-Pakistan issue. It is an issue of terrorism," the sources said while referring to the air raids on JeM training camp that followed the ghastly February 14 attack carried out by the Pakistan-based outfit on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in which 40 security personnel were killed. The sources, while referring to the air raid, emphasised that India's focus is to fight against terror and that action in Balakot was to demonstrate that the country has the capacity to hit at terrorists. "India will not be deterred in its war against terrorism," they said. Expressing dissatisfaction over Pakistan's inaction against the terrorists targeting India, the sources said Pakistan is pretending to the world that it is acting on terror. "India wants to see action on the ground. Pakistan is trying to deflect the attention," they added. On the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the sources said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was compelled to free him due to immense diplomatic pressure at all levels. Varthaman was flying a MiG-21 Bison which was shot down while it was chasing transgressing Pakistani F-16 planes on February 27 and he landed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) where he was taken into captivity by the Pakistan Army. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major setback to Canadian Prime Miniter Justin Trudeau, another minister quit his Cabinet on Monday amidst allegation against the government for illegally trying to settle a criminal case against a Quebec-based company. Jane Philpott, who served as the indigenous affairs minister, in her resignation letter, accused Trudeau and his aides of pressurising the former Attorney General and Justice Minister Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavlin. SNC Lavlin has been accused of corruption cases in various countries including India, Bangladesh Canada and Mexico. In 2015, the Canadian authorities charged SNC-Lavalin with paying 47.7 million Canadian dollars in bribes to officials in Libya to win contracts there, and of defrauding the Libyan government of 129.8 million Canadian dollars. However, the defected ministers have claimed that the government is trying to protect SNC Lavlin through lobbying and illegal means, reported CNN. "It grieves me to resign from a portfolio where I was at work to deliver an important mandate. I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities, constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one's principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them," tweeted Philpott. Underling that the recent government actions have "shaken the federal government", Philpott, in her resignation letter wrote, "Unfortunately the evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former Attorney General to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC Lavalin, and the evidence as to the content of those efforts have raised serious concerns for me. Those concerns have been augmented by the views expressed by my constituents, it is untenable and other Canadian." . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A hair cutting saloon in Bengaluru is giving free Wing Commander Abhinandan like moustaches and hairstyle to its customer. Ever since Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman returned home on Friday from Pakistan, his swashbuckling gunslinger moustache and equally suave hairstyle have become the new fad among men across the country. Wing Commander Varthaman, flying a MiG -21 Bison fighter plane, was chasing Pakistani jets which transgressed into Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday and crossed over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) where his aircraft was shot down on March 27. He ejected safely and was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army when his parachute drifted and fell inside PoK. He was, however, released on March 1 by Pakistan via Attari-Wagah border after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, on February 28, announced the release of Abhinandan, calling it a "peace gesture".India however used diplomatic and military pressure to ensure that Pakistan releases Abhinandan unconditionally. "We want to see everybody's face like that of Abhinandan and we all are proud of our brave soldier. Till now 640 customers have come for getting their moustaches styled like Abhinandan," said Nanesh, the owner of the saloon. "I am feeling very happy that Abhinandan returned. We are here because soldiers like Abhinandan are there to protect us and guard our borders. After I had got my moustaches trimmed like him, everybody is looking at me with attention," said Tejas a customer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Alumni Association of Muzaffarpur's Langat Singh College has written to the college authorities demanding installation of a statue of CRPF inspector Pintu Kumar Singh, who lost his life in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district. The Association has also demanded to name a road after him inside the college premises. In the letter, the association wrote: "Shahid Pintu Kumar Singh was a student from the Chemistry division of Langat Singh College between the year 2002-2005. He stayed at the Dukes' Hostel in the college premises." "Pintu was associated with the NSS and was known to have a simple and humble nature among his friends and well-wishers," it added. Kumar was among the four security personnel, who succumbed to their injuries during the encounter with terrorists in Handwara town in Kupwara district on March 1. "At the time when the entire nation is grieving, the Langat Singh College stands in solidarity with the martyr's family members. Therefore, to honour his sacrifice, a statue should be built in front of the Dukes Hostel and a road inside the college premises named after Shahid Pintu Kumar Singh," it said. On March 3, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia to the "nearest dependent" of the slain CRPF Inspector from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. The Bihar government has already given Rs 11 lakh to the "nearest dependent" of the deceased CRPF Inspector. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Panda was suspended from the BJD for his "anti-party activities" in January last year. Later on May 28, 2018, Panda ended his over 18 years of association with BJD by quitting the party. "Earlier I used to be a member of BJD, it was an ally of the BJP from the day it was founded. In recent years the party has gone in a different direction and has stopped supporting policies which are in the nation's interest," said Baijayant Jay Panda while speaking exclusively to ANI. Panda said that under the BJD government the law and order have completely collapsed in the state. "Odisha has seen a dramatic drop in governance standards in the recent years. There is a very high rise in crime against women and children, high rise in corruption, under construction bridges keep on collapsing taking the toll on human lives," said Panda. "Industries in Odisha are being harassed, goons supported by the government are rampaging. Odisha is not able to attract investment or create jobs, law and order have broken down. Only BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah are capable of turning it around," said Panda. On the speculations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Odisha Panda said, if that were to be the party decision, people in Odisha would be over the top of their joy and enthusiasm. "Any Odiya and particularly the members of BJP would be very proud if Prime Minister were to contest from Odisha, but in the democratic party like BJP there is a process to everything and being a new member I don't want to get into speculations," said Panda. "I am just saying that if that were to be the party decision people in Odisha would be over the top with joy and enthusiasm, but this is the decision Prime Minister, party president and the party with all democratic processes have to take," said Panda. He said that India has taken a firm stand against the cross-border terrorism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "After 30 years of essentially wringing our hands against cross border terrorism, India has finally redefined the red lines and put clear dictum that we will not accept to bleed like this inflicted with thousand wounds," said Panda. He said that people of Odisha are angry with the BJD government and there is anti-incumbency against it. "There is 19 years of anti-incumbency and people are seething with anger against the government," he said. Panda said that there is a direct fight between BJP and BJD while Congress is at number three. "In last Panchayat elections, BJP had grown 10 times in Odisha. Congress is now left far behind at number three and there is a direct fight between BJD and BJP," said Panda. In his strong-worded resignation letter addressed to BJD chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Panda had stated that he was disappointed with the kind of being practised by the party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bharatiya Janata Party's website was allegedly hacked on Tuesday. This came to light after several social media users posted a grab of the website on Twitter. Moments after the news surfaced online, Divya Spandana, head of social media for Congress, took to Twitter, and said, "If you're not looking at the BJP website right now -- you're missing out." In addition, she also posted a screenshot of a meme featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In the video, Merkel was seen walking past the Prime Minister as he tried to shake hands with her. In February, just days after the Pulwama terror attack, the website of Chhattisgarh BJP was reportedly hacked and the photos of the Pakistan flag and Army were posted on the homepage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Central Committee of the CPI (M) has taken disciplinary action against its Maharashtra secretary, Narasayya Adam, suspending him from the membership of Central Committee for three months. The Central Committee informed that the decision is in the backdrop of Adam's speech at a public event in Solapur in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis which is against the party's image. "The Central Committee of the CPI (M) decided to suspend CC member and its Maharashtra secretary, Comrade Narasayya Adam, from the Central Committee for three months. This is a consequence of his speech at a public event in Solapur in the presence of the Prime Minister and state Chief Minister which hurt the Party's image," said the press release of the Central Committee of CPI (M). In the wake of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Central Committee has further decided that in the states where there is a direct contest is between the Congress and the BJP the CPI (M) will contest only one or two seats and will campaign generally for the defeat of the BJP. For West Bengal, the CPI (M) proposes no mutual contest in the present six sitting Lok Sabha seats, currently held by Congress and the Left Front. This is done by the CPI(M) to ensure the maximisation of the pooling of anti-BJP, anti-TMC votes. According to the Central Committee of CPI (M), in Tamil Nadu, discussions are on for seat sharing with the DMK. While in Maharashtra, discussions are on with the NCP for contesting Dindori or Palghar seats. In Bihar, talks are being held with the RJD for contesting Ujiarpur seat in Samastipur district. In Odisha, where simultaneous elections will be held, the CPI(M) will contest the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha and a few Assembly seats including its sitting seat Bonnai. Further, the Left Front is meeting on March 8 to finalise the other seats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sahibzada Noor Al Haq Qadri on Monday said that India has denied issuing visas to the Pakistani pilgrims, who wanted to attend the Urs celebration of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti. The celebration is slated to be held in Ajmer Sharif Dargah in India this month. Dawn quoted the Minister as saying that around 500 Pakistani pilgrims were supposed to leave for India on March 7. The remarks by the Minister has come amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and the series of airstrikes by both the neighbouring countries since the past few days. "India's extremist face has come forward," Qadri said in a statement adding that "India is held hostage by religious extremists." The Pakistani Minister further claimed that this is the second time consecutively when India has refused visas to Pakistani pilgrims. The previous year in March, India had reportedly refused to issue visas to 503 Pakistani pilgrims visiting the Urs celebration. However, only 190 of 400 visa requests had been approved by the Indian Embassy during the Urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia in New Delhi, he added. Qadri further noted that the Indian embassy in Islamabad had informed the ministry regarding the cancellation of visas of the pilgrims. The embassy is yet to return the passports of the visa applicants. Every year, around 500 Pakistani pilgrims attend the Urs celebration at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, considered to be one of the holiest Muslim shrines in India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday asserted that "India faces a far more serious version of state-sponsored terrorism than other countries". He highlighted the threats being faced by India in the Indo-Pacific region and said terrorists have been quickly evolving and the Indian security establishment has been continuously working to combat the new challenges. "The Indo-pacific region has witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in this part of the world have been spared by this cause. Global nature which terrorism has acquired in recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat," Lanba stated while speaking at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2019 in New Delhi. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (CNN) 'Rafiki', a movie premised on a love story between two women may be banned in Kenya, but it is receiving accolades from movie lovers abroad. Kenyan actress Samantha Mugatsia was named the best actress at Africa's biggest film festival for her lead role in the movie. Mugatsia, who played the lesbian character Kena, won the award at the Fespaco Film Festival in Burkina Faso on Saturday. Fespaco, the French acronym of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, is Africa's longest running film festival and it celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Rafiki which means "friend" in Swahili was banned last year by the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) for "promoting lesbianism." The ban was temporarily lifted by a Kenyan court after the film's director Wanuri Kahiu filed a lawsuit challenging the initial ruling. Kahiu's lawyers argued that banning the film violated her constitutional right to free speech and free expression as an artist. The court order allowed Kenyans watch the film for a week and made it eligible to be submitted for the Best Foreign Language film at this year's Academy Awards. According to the Academy's rules, a film must be shown in the country where it was produced for seven consecutive days to be eligible. The film also received support from other countries as festivals in the UK and Nigeria screened it. The movie made history as the first Kenyan movie to premiere at the Cannes film festival. (Movie still from 'Rafiki') Inspired by the 2007 Caine Prize short story winner "Jambula Tree" by Ugandan writer Monica Arac Nyeko, 'Rafiki' is the story of friendship and tender love that grows between two young women amidst family and political pressures, according to the film's promotional material. Kenya is a deeply conservative country where homosexuality is criminalized in the country's penal code and is punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Prompted by public uproar, the police arrested two men in 2015 and conducted forced anal examinations on them to prove they were gay. Last year, anal examinations were ruled unconstitutional by a Mombassa court of appeal. The court found that conducting forced anal examinations on people accused of same-sex relations is illegal, according to Human Rights Watch. The ruling reversed a 2016 High Court decision that had upheld the Kenyan authorities' use of forced anal exams on men suspected of being gay. A court in Kenya is expected to deliver a long-awaited ruling in May on whether to strike down colonial-era laws banning homosexuality in the east African nation. The board said 'Rafiki' had same-sex scenes and undertones which were not in the script initially submitted for approval. The director was asked to remove the scenes but she refused, KFCB said in a statement. The @InfoKfcb has banned the film "RAFIKI" due to its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law and dominant values of the Kenyans. #KFCBbansLesbianFilm Dr. @EzekielMutua @moscakenya @PresidentKE @WilliamsRuto @wanuri @NellyMuluka pic.twitter.com/9hBQOukHv3 KFCB (@InfoKfcb) April 27, 2018 The KFCB added that foreign sponsors who intend to introduce and normalize homosexuality in Kenya through movies should desist from such acts. "Kenya is a country with a culture, beliefs and shared values which must be respected," it said. "Hare-brained schemes by foreigners funding film producers in Kenya to promote homosexuality in the name of equality and inclusion will be exposed and strongly resisted," a spokesman for the board said. The government confirmed on Tuesday that the United States has given a 60-day withdrawal notice to India on the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) benefits, which amount to duty reduction of 190 million dollars a year. Since the review initiated by the United States in April 2018 on India's GSP benefits, both countries have been discussing various trade issues of bilateral interest for a suitable resolution on mutually acceptable terms. GSP benefits are envisaged to be non-reciprocal and non-discriminatory benefits extended by developed countries to developing countries. "In India's case, the GSP concessions extended by the United States amounted to duty reduction of only 190 million dollars per annum," said an official statement. "The United States had initiated the review on the basis of representations by the US medical devices and dairy industries, but subsequently included numerous other issues on a self-initiated basis." These issues related to market access for various agriculture and animal husbandry products, relaxation and easing of procedures related to issues like telecom testing and conformity assessment, and tariff reduction on ICT products. The US Department of Commerce engaged with various government departments concerned with these issues, and India was able to offer a very meaningful way forward on almost all the US requests. In a few instances, specific US requests were not found reasonable and doable in light of public welfare concerns and considering India's developing country status and its national interest. India was ready to address US concerns regarding medical devices in principle, by putting in place a suitable trade margin approach in a reasonable time-frame to balance concerns about fair pricing for the consumers and adequate remuneration for the suppliers. On the issue of dairy market access, India clarified that while its certification requirement, that the source animal had never been fed animal-derived blood meal, is non-negotiable (given the cultural and religious sentiment), the requested simplified dairy certification procedure could be considered without diluting this requirement. Acceptability of US market access requests related to products like alfalfa hay, cherries and pork was conveyed. On reduction of IT duties, India's duties are moderate and not import stopping. Any MFN duty reduction would almost entirely benefit third countries. Accordingly, India conveyed willingness to extend duty concessions on specific items in which there is a clear US interest. On telecom testing, India was willing to consider discussions for a mutual recognition agreement. Due to various initiatives resulting in enhanced purchase of US goods like oil and natural gas and coal, the US trade deficit with India has substantially reduced in calendar years 2017 and 2018. The reduction is estimated to be over 4 billion dollars in 2018, with further reduction expected in future years on account of factors like the growing demand for energy and civilian aircraft in India. This reduction has happened in the face of a rising overall US trade deficit, including with some other major economies. India is also a thriving market for US services and e-commerce companies like Amazon, Uber, Google and Facebook with billions of dollars of revenue. The issue of Indian tariffs being high has been raised from time to time. It is pertinent that India's tariffs are within its bound rates under WTO commitments, and are on the average well below these bound rates. India's trade-weighted average tariffs are 7.6 per cent, which is comparable with the most open developing economies and some developed economies. On developmental considerations, there may be a few tariff peaks which are true for almost all economies. India was agreeable to a very meaningful mutually acceptable package on the above lines to be agreed to at this time, while keeping remaining issues under discussion in the future, said the statement. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Monday said YSRCP President Jaganmohan Reddy is trying to create nuisance in the state by staying in Telangana and taking the support of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Taking to Twitter, Lokesh said, "Jagan Mohan Reddy need the salary as opposition leader in Andhra Pradesh and need protection from police and need votes from Andhra Pradesh public. But he doesn't believe the Andhra Pradesh doctors, police and public. Jagan is trying to create nuisance in Andhra Pradesh by staying in Telangana and taking the support of TRS party. The TRS party wants a weak Chief Minister in Andhra Pradesh so that they can be benefitted." "Once again it can be noticed that YS Jagan and CM KCR is on one side. The YSRCP leaders are reading the script given by KTR. YSRCP production with the direction of TRS party has stolen the data of TDP party's survey. YSRCP is also having a history of stealing data," Lokesh said. In a series of tweets, Lokesh said: "If any one's wallet goes missing in America will that individual files case in America or else in Hyderabad. The petition came that the data of Andhra Pradesh went missing, Lokesh questioned that they should minimum know that the case should be transferred to Andhra Pradesh from Hyderabad." Lokesh, on Sunday, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Reddy of targeting companies that offer IT services to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the state. The minister had also accused the Telangana Police of harassing the companies that have been said to be hired to curate the information whose complete rights are held by the party. Continuing his attack, Lokesh said that Prime Minister Modi and KCR are trying to benefit Reddy by allegedly employing devious means. "By employing devious means, Modi and KCR are trying to benefit YS Jagan. Remember Newton's 3rd Law? Dictator @narendramodi's direction, Factionist Jagan's overaction and Fascist KCR's plan of Action will get an equal and opposite reaction from the people!" he said. TDP president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday also alleged that whosoever speaks against Prime Minister Modi faces the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (I-T) raids. "Whosoever speaks against Prime Minister Modi faces I-T and ED raids. We will not be afraid of all these acts. We will fight for justice until we achieve it. I am speaking on behalf of 5 crore people. I will not tolerate any injustice to Telugus residing in any part of the world," he said. On March 2, the Cyberabad police conducted Raids on IT Grid India Private Limited, Madhapur for illegal access of personal information and sensitive data of individuals of Andhra Pradesh. Commissioner of Police Cyberabad, VC Sajjanar said Madhapur Police received a complaint from Thummala Lokeswara Reddy on March 2 alleging misuse of personal information and sensitive data of individuals by IT Grid India Pvt. Ltd. through 'Sevamitra Application'. After the Hyderabad Police raided the office of the mobile app developer, Chief Minister Naidu claimed that this was done after YSRCP leader Vijay Sai Reddy complained, and also accused the opposition of stealing data. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States Senators on Monday expressed their frustration over the lack of new information in the murder of the US-resident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, reports Al Jazeera. "It was a complete waste of time. I knew more than they did," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said after the meeting on the status of the investigation into Khashoggi's assassination. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy also said that the briefing had "zero" new information. "They (White House) don't want us to have a conversation about the intelligence. These folks had no new information," he added. Notably, the United State President Donald Trump administration has already missed a February deadline to file a final report to Congress on Khashoggi's death. Khashoggi was killed and his body was allegedly dismembered in October last year in Istanbul. Washington has long blamed Saudi's royal family, particularly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of orchestrating the scribe's killing that took place inside the Saudi Consulate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leader of Opposition in the Venezuelan National Assembly Juan Guaido, who was on a tour of the South American nations to gather support for his election campaign to topple the government of President Nicolas Maduro, returned to his country on Monday (local time). Guaido took to his official Twitter account saying, "We are back home, in the streets of Venezuela! 4Mar we returned to our country to mobilize with the Venezuelan people. We remain firm and determined on our route. At this moment there is nothing to celebrate, but there is much to work for." "We thank the Ambassadors of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, USA, Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Romania, who accompanied our arrival in Venezuela in a demonstration of the world's firm commitment to our democracy," Guaido added. The 35-year-old leader of the National Assembly took a tour the foreign countries defying a travel ban that was imposed upon him by the Supreme Court of Venezuela; breaching of the ban could have made him serve imprisonment of 30 years. A press statement released by the US Department of State upon Guaido's return to Venezuela read, "The United States applauds the people of Venezuela for their actions to create a peaceful democratic transition, and congratulates Interim President Juan Guaido on his successful diplomatic efforts in the region and safe return to Venezuela." "The United States and freedom-loving nations around the stand with Interim President Guaido, the National Assembly, and all democratic forces as they work to establish free and fair elections that will return democracy to Venezuela." "We also welcome news of Venezuelan military and security service personnel doing the right thing and recognising Interim President Juan Guaido," the Department added. In addition to this, Washington further urged the international community to unite and push for the end of Maduro's brutal regime and the peaceful restoration of democracy in Venezuela. The leader had crossed the border in order to secure aid for the people of his country that was blocked by the government of President Nicolas Maduro on the Colombian borders on February 22. Maduro had said that the Venezuelans are in no need of aid being sent by the United States and its allies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan became a target of intense criticisms by the senior member of his party (the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) following his castigating remarks on the Hindu community. Samaa news agency quoted the Information Minister during a press conference last month where he referred to the Hindus as "cow urine-drinking people" and said, "We are Muslims and we have a flag, the flag of Maula Ali's (AS) bravery, the flag of Hazrat Umar's valor (AS). You don't have that flag, it isn't in your hands." "What this flag has to do with anything is beside the point," the Minister added. "Don't operate under the delusion that you're seven times better than us. What we have, you can't have, you idol-worshippers," Chohan said in a video that went viral on the social media. The remarks by Chohan came amid reports of escalating tension between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans. In response to the attack on the minorities, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari condemned Chohan's statement saying, "No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country. Our Prime Minister's message is always of tolerance and respect and we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred." Reiterating the same, Prime Minister Imran Khan's Special Assistant on Political Affairs Naeemul Haque in his tweet said, "The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan the Punjab Info Minister demand strict action. PTI govt will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the government or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister." Finance Minister Asad Umar also remembered that the flag of Pakistan is not just green and it is not complete without the white which represents the minorities. "Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember Quaide Azam's whole struggle was for a country free of discrimination," Umar said. Columnist Mehr Tarar further took to Twitter demanding an "unconditional apology" from Chohan followed by his resignation. According to reports, at least 1.6 per cent of Pakistan's population is Hindu and Hinduism is the second largest religion followed in the country. The PTI government itself has at least seven Hindu members of the National Assembly and four minority members in the Punjab Assembly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's claims of shooting down an Indian Air Force Sukhoi Jet during the mid-air face-off between Indian Air Force and Pakistani Air Force jets on February 26th were rubbished by sources in the know here on Tuesday. The sources also rejected claims by the Pakistani government of an Indian submarine that had ventured into Pakistani waters on Monday as claimed by Pakistan media today. Spokesperson for Pakistan's armed forces Major General Asif Gafoor had initially claimed that two jets of the Indian air force were shot down and three Indian pilots were in Pakistani territory. However, this number was revised to one IAF jet down and one Indian pilot arrested. However, claims of the IAF Sukhoi jet shot down were amplified in Pakistani news outlets which continued without correction. Government sources here today rejected these claims. Multiple media outlets in Pakistan today were provided grainy footage of what the Pakistan Navy claimed was evidence of an Indian submarine entering Pakistani maritime territory. The Pakistani navy spokesman also said that their navy de-escalated a possible maritime confrontation with India. "In order to maintain peace, the Indian submarine was not targeted which is a reflection of Pakistan's desire for peace," read the Pakistani Navy statement as quoted by Pakistani news channel Geo News. When asked about this recent claim from the Pakistan military establishment, sources dismissed these reports as well and said that the media in Pakistan was indulging in fake news and was deluding their population by confusing them about possible Indian military actions. "If you compare the two videos that Pakistan is putting out (on Indian submarines)... they are identical. We (India) are not in their vicinity, Pakistan is doing this to divert attention," the source added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi on Tuesday said that Islamabad is examining the dossier given by New Delhi on the Pulwama attack and added that it will take action only if there is something "solid" in it. "It was only in the last couple of days that so-called dossier has been handed over to us by New Delhi. We are examining it, if it has something solid on which we need to act then we will act and if there is no solid evidence we cannot act," said Lodhi in a video posted by Radio Pakistan. This comes a day after Pakistani media claimed that the dossiers "contain no actionable evidence" on the basis of which its government could take action against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) or its chief Masood Azhar. New Delhi gave the dossiers to Islamabad after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan promised to act against JeM if "actionable evidence" was provided. JeM, which is based in Pakistan, had carried out a ghastly terror attack on a CRPF convoy on February 14 in Pulwama district of Kashmir, killing 40 security personnel. The terror outfit had claimed responsibility for it and issued the video of the suicide bomber. Speaking on Kashmir issue, she said, "The issue of Kashmir is there for last 70 years and it has to be addressed in its own right and its own manners because it will remain an issue that will lead to the repeated tensions between India and Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to take political advantage of the 'Pulwama' terror attack and its consequences. "When he says we are questioning Indian Army, who is questioning Army, Congress President was the first to tweet "I salute IAF". We are not questioning Indian military forces. Prime Minister is politicising Pulwama and its consequences. He is trying to take political advantage," said P Chidambaram. He was speaking at the launch of his book "Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India" at Mumbai on Monday. "Sometimes I do not understand what Prime Minister wants to say. Not a day has passed in the last 14 days when he hasn't made a political election speech in some part of India. He has used every speech to bash Congress and its leadership. Now that's politicisation," he said. Chidambaram's statement came at a time when opposition leaders are questioning the Balakot strike by Indian Air Force and are asking for its proof and number of exact casualties inflicted on terrorists. While speaking at an event in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that the terrorists will be hunted even if they hide deep underneath the Earth and asked his critics not to question the valour of the armed forces even if they are not willing to trust him. On the other hand amid questions over the Balakot air strike, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa on Monday said the fighter planes had hit the target given to them but he cannot give the number of casualties suffered as it is for the government to do so. India carried out the air strike in less than two weeks after the Jaish terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. JeM had claimed the responsibility of the attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korea's chief nuclear envoy Lee Do-hoon on Tuesday (local time) departed for Washington to hold discussions pertaining to North Korea, including efforts being made towards denuclearising the Korean peninsula. This comes shortly after the Hanoi Summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un came to an abrupt end. Lee, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, plans to meet with his American counterpart Stephen Biegun, and other US officials, reported Yonhap News Agency. Speaking to reporters shortly before his departure, Lee said that discussions would be held on the Hanoi summit as well as consultations on resuming North Korea-US dialogue. "In the process, (we) plan to analyze the outcome of the North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi, solidifying coordination between South Korea and the U.S., and consult on what to do going forward," Yonhap news agency quoted Lee as saying. Trump and Kim met in Hanoi on February 27 and 28 with hopes of signing a deal that sees Pyongyang stop missile testing and getting economic sanctions in return. However "no agreement was reached" as the summit was abruptly concluded, and a signing ceremony, as well as working lunch, was cancelled. Despite this, the US President tweeted that he had "very substantive negotiations" with Kim after the culmination of his visit to Vietnam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) StoreHippo, the leading SaaS e-commerce platform is all set to solidify its presence in the Middle East region. StoreHippo had been serving e-commerce clients in the region for quite some time now. In its latest round of expansion, it has forged strong partnerships with leading courier and banking partners to offer even more holistic services to a diversified range of e-commerce businesses in the region. The Middle East has witnessed a 1500% increase in e-commerce sales volume in the past decade. This growth has been aided by solid growth drivers like improvement in infrastructure, better internet connectivity and 90% of its population having access to smartphones. This backdrop necessitates a mobile-ready e-commerce solution for businesses that are planning to go online in the region. StoreHippo is very well placed to cater to this demand. With PWA at its core, online stores built on StoreHippo e-commerce platform have a distinct advantage. These stores look, feel and work like a mobile app and offer a very engaging and sticky experience to the customers. StoreHippo Giving an Edge to Middle East e-tailers with Special Partnerships and Integrations To bolster its e-commerce offering and related services, StoreHippo has come up with region-specific integrations for offering high-quality logistics and payment services. While Fetcher is integrated into the platform to ensure seamless logistics; payment gateway Teller, which specializes in Middle East payments, is incorporated to ensure multi-currency payments. StoreHippo has also partnered with ADIB (Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank) to offer e-commerce services to its clientele. This will be a mutual relationship where ADIB customers can get pre-integrated, high-quality turnkey e-commerce solution from StoreHippo. With the entire ecosystem, StoreHippo is poised to serve the growing e-commerce in the region. Designed for global audiences, StoreHippo has a host of other features that strike a chord with Middle East businesses: Support for Right to Left languages Comprehensive multilingual support for 100+ languages Full-featured mobile app to facilitate on the go Flexible platform that adapts to diverse models Multi-currency to facilitate payments from global customers Inbuilt multi-vendor functionality that can create niche marketplaces as well as horizontal marketplaces B2B features for enterprise businesses with a global presence Multiple-storefront functionality for businesses with a chain of stores Flexible frontend as well as backend for diverse business roles Auto-scaling infrastructure to support growing businesses "With B2C e-commerce sales doubling between 2015 to 2018, the e-tail battle in the Middle East is going to heat up rapidly. To cope up and stay ahead of such fierce competition, e-tailers need a technologically advanced solution. StoreHippo with its advanced technology, inherent flexibility and scalability gives a clear advantage to merchants over simple shopping cart solutions. StoreHippo can easily power a variety of enterprise e-commerce solutions as well as regular stores", said Rajiv Kumar, Founder & CEO of StoreHippo. StoreHippo has been powering e-commerce businesses successfully in the Middle East region for many years now. With the latest additions to its offerings, it holds a huge promise for e-commerce merchants across diverse segments. This story is provided by NewsVoir. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trot Insider has learned that longtime trainer/driver David Dewitt Dave Cameron, who relocated to Nova Scotia from Saskatchewan in 2018, has passed away at the age of 82. Cameron passed away on Thursday, February 28 at Dykeland Lodge, which is a care facility located in Windsor, NS. Cameron raced across Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta throughout his career with the horses, which spanned decades. Dave is survived by his wife of 38 years, Judy; his son, Shane Mattice; brother, William Cameron; sister, Dorothy Baum, as well as several nieces and nephews. As per his wishes, Dave's body has been donated to Dalhousie University Department of Medical Neuroscience. With his passing, Dave has left a big hole in the hearts of his family that will never be filled. He has gone to be with his mother and his first son may he rest in peace. There will be no funeral service, although a memorial service will be held in 2020 by Dalhousie University. A GoFundMe account has been set up to cover the bills related to Daves medical care. Any monies raised beyond the amount of the medical bills will be donated to charity. To visit the GoFundMe page, click here. To view Daves obituary on the Regina Leader-Post website, click here. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Dave Cameron. Two terrorists were killed and a civilian was injured after an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in Tral town of Jammu and Kashmir. The forces have recovered corpse of the terrorists. However, their identities and affiliations are yet to be ascertained. Incriminating material including arms and ammunition was also recovered from the encounter site. On Monday, a joint search operation was carried out by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and security forces in the area based on the intelligence received regarding the presence of terrorists in the area. "As the searches were going on, the search party was fired upon by the terrorists. The fire was retaliated leading to a gunfight," read a press release issued by the police. According to the Police, a case has been registered and the investigation is underway. The injured, identified as Farooq Ahmad Malik has been taken to the hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister VK Singh on Tuesday hit out at senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh for terming the ghastly Pulwama terror attack an "accident" and asked him whether the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was a terror incident or just an "accident". "With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh Ji, was Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident or a terror incident? Let him answer this first," VK Singh, who is Minister of State for External Affairs, told reporters here. Earlier today, Digvijaya Singh courted controversy after he termed the Pulwama attack an "accident" and said that "doubt" expressed in some foreign media reports over the February 26 IAF air strike is putting a question mark on the credibility of the Indian government. Singh, a former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, made the remarks while tweeting in Hindi. He said after the Pulwama "durghatna" (accident) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) strike, "sandeh" (doubt) is being expressed in some foreign media reports following which "vishwasniyata" (credibility) of the government is under question. In another tweet, Digvijaya Singh questioned the casualty claim in the air strike and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clear on the same. "Prime Minister, some ministers of your government say 300 terrorists killed, BJP president says 250 are killed, Yogi Adityanath says 400 people were killed and your minister SS Ahluwalia says that no one died. And you are silent about this issue. The country wants to know who is a liar in this," he said. The Congress leader's statement came at a time when many opposition leaders are raising questions on the Balakot strike by the IAF and are asking for proof and the exact casualty inflicted on terrorists. Last week, BJP president Amit Shah had claimed that over 250 terrorists were killed in the IAF air raid. On Shah's statement, VK Singh said that he did not give a "confirmed figure" and it was just an "estimate". "It's an estimate. He is not saying this is a confirmed figure. He is saying these many people might have died," the former Army Chief said. "The figure is of the attack on Balakot (in Pakistan). The attack was only at one place, nowhere else. The target was selected carefully, away from residential areas, to avoid civilian casualty," he added. India carried out the air strike in less than two weeks after the Jaish terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. JeM had claimed the responsibility of the attack. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Monday said the fighter planes had hit the target given to them but he cannot give the number of casualties suffered as it is for the government to do so. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Motors Ltd is quoting at Rs 193.25, up 7.18% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 44.23% in last one year as compared to a 6.51% spurt in NIFTY and a 20.42% spurt in the Nifty Auto index. Tata Motors Ltd is up for a third straight session in a row. The stock is quoting at Rs 193.25, up 7.18% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.49% on the day, quoting at 10916.95. The Sensex is at 36213.3, up 0.41%. Tata Motors Ltd has risen around 8.26% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Tata Motors Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 0.52% in last one month and is currently quoting at 8413.65, up 2.35% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 447.29 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 219.62 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark March futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 194.5, up 7.34% on the day. Tata Motors Ltd is down 44.23% in last one year as compared to a 6.51% spurt in NIFTY and a 20.42% spurt in the Nifty Auto index. The PE of the stock is 21.34 based on TTM earnings ending December 18. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 357.25, up 3.24% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 19.76% in last one year as compared to a 6.51% gain in NIFTY and a 10.38% gain in the Nifty Energy index. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd rose for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 357.25, up 3.24% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.49% on the day, quoting at 10916.95. The Sensex is at 36213.3, up 0.41%. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has added around 5.29% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has added around 2.61% in last one month and is currently quoting at 14857.85, up 0.9% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 36.05 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 48.34 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark March futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 358.7, up 3.02% on the day. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is down 19.76% in last one year as compared to a 6.51% gain in NIFTY and a 10.38% gain in the Nifty Energy index. The PE of the stock is 11.22 based on TTM earnings ending December 18. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Edelweiss Group announced that CDPQ Private Equity Asia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caisse de d et placement du Quec (CDPQ), one of North America's largest pension fund managers, has signed an agreement to invest over Rs 1800 crore (approximately US$250 million) in ECL Finance, the non-banking financial company (NBFC) arm of Edelweiss Group. The planned investment by CDPQ would contribute towards establishing a large and diversified credit platform in India. This proposed investment will close after customary regulatory approvals. Edelweiss Group has built a significant competitive position across businesses including the Credit segment. With a credit book of around Rs 30,000 crore (approximately US$4.2 billion) (Q3FY19) that is spread across wholesale and retail finance segments, the business has both robust size and scalability. The agreement with CDPQ will enable ECL Finance to capitalize on opportunities in the credit market and confirm the capability of the Group to capture opportunities in the NBFC space. It provides thrust to the business for technology and digital investments. This investment also ensures that ECL Finance has the requisite resources to maintain strong organic growth, as well as take advantage of any market consolidation opportunities. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cochin Shipyard gained 3.01% to Rs 374.55 at 10:55 IST on BSE after the company signed contracts with Utkarsh Advisory Services for construction and delivery of four bulk carriers. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 1 March 2019. Stock markets were closed yesterday, 4 March 2019 for a local holiday. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 52.03 points or 0.13% at 36,115.84 On the BSE, 7688 shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volumes of 5682 shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 378.50 and a low of Rs 370 so far during the day. Cochin Shipyard signed contracts with Utkarsh Advisory Services, Mumbai, (part of JSW group) for construction and delivery of four 8000 T Mini Bulk Carriers. The vessels will be built at the Cochin Shipyard yard at Kochi and are to be delivered within December 2020. Cochin Shipyard which commenced ship repair operations in the year 1982, is the leading ship repair yard in the country. It has vast experience in repairing varied type of vessels including defence vessels, tankers, oil rigs, passenger vessels and port crafts. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prescribes 24.5 lakh tonnes of white/refined sugar for domestic sale/dispatch The Central Government with a view to manage the situation of surplus production in the country and to stabilize the sugar prices with a view to clear cane price arrears of farmers has been implementing the Sugar Price (Control) Order, 2018 along with imposition of stock holding limits on sugar mills. In exercise of powers conferred by section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955) read with clause 4 and 5 of the Sugar (Control) Order, 1966 and Order of the Government of India vide S.O. No.2347 (E) dated 07 June 2018, the Central Government has been issuing stock holding order for every month since June 2018, inter-alia, indicating therein the mill-wise quantity of white/ refined sugar prescribed for domestic sale/despatch for that particular month. In the monthly stock holding limit order for the month of March 2019 issued on 28 February 2019, 24.5 lakh tones of white/refined sugar has been prescribed for domestic sale/dispatch. This increase is attributable to various factors. There is a pattern of high sales/dispatches around this time of the year; during February 2018 sales/dispatch of sugar were at 23.54 lakh tonnes. Besides, sugar industry has recently been advised to go for advance booking of sugar sales to bulk consumers. It is also to be noted that the Government has only recently increased the minimum selling price of sugar (MSP) from Rs. 29 to Rs 31 /kg. The said increase is to provide an opportunity to mills to realise maximum revenue from sales at enhanced MSP to improve their liquidity to clear cane price arrears of farmers. With the Sugar Price (Control) Order, 2018 being in vogue, sugar mills cannot sell their sugar at ex-mill price which is below MSP and any violation of the same would attract severe penal action under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Hence, any apprehension about excess allocation of sugar for domestic sale under the stock holding limit order for the month of March 2019 is unwarranted. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 246.15, up 5.78% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 32.67% in last one year as compared to a 6.51% spurt in NIFTY and a 10.38% spurt in the Nifty Energy index. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd gained for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 246.15, up 5.78% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.49% on the day, quoting at 10916.95. The Sensex is at 36213.3, up 0.41%. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd has risen around 5.24% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 2.61% in last one month and is currently quoting at 14857.85, up 0.9% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 61.32 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 44.34 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark March futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 246.45, up 5.23% on the day. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is down 32.67% in last one year as compared to a 6.51% spurt in NIFTY and a 10.38% spurt in the Nifty Energy index. The PE of the stock is 7.38 based on TTM earnings ending December 18. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scheme will assure a monthly pension of Rs 3000 for the enrolled unorganized sector workers during their old age The Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana at Vastral in Gujarat on 05 March 2019. He also distributed the PM-SYM pension cards to select beneficiaries. Over two crore workers at three lakh Common Service Centers across the country witnessed the launch event through video conference Terming it as a historic day, the Prime Minister dedicated PM-SYM Yojana to the forty two crore strong unorganized sector workers in the country. He said that the scheme will assure a monthly pension of Rs 3000 for the enrolled unorganized sector workers during their old age. It is for the first time since independence that such a scheme is envisaged for the crores of workers engaged in the informal sector, PM added. The Prime Minister explained in detail about the benefits of PM-SYM. A contribution of equal amount as that of the beneficiary will be made by the Union Government, PM said. He appealed to the informal sector workers earning less than Rs.15000 per month to enroll as beneficiaries in the nearby Common Service Centre. Assuring that there would not be any hassles with the enrollment process, Modi told the gathering that only a form needs to be filled with Aadhar number and bank details. The cost incurred by the Common Service Centre for enrolling a beneficiary will be borne by the Union Government. This is the miracle of Digital India, PM said. The Prime Minister appealed to citizens to help and enroll in PM-SYM, those working in the unorganized sector, whether it is in one's house or in the neighborhood. He said that such actions by the affluent class will greatly benefit the poor. He added that respecting dignity of labour will take the nation forward. The Prime Minister said that the various schemes initiated by the Union Government like Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Saubhagya Yojana, and Swacch Bharat specifically target those working in unorganized sector. He also mentioned about the initiatives taken the government for the empowerment of women and girl children in the country. The PM-SYM along with the health coverage provided under 'Ayushman Bharat' and life & disability coverage provided under 'Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana' and 'Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, will ensure comprehensive social security coverage for the workers in the unorganized sector at their old age. Reiterating his strong stance against corruption, PM said that his Government is committed to eliminating middlemen and corruption. He added that the Prime Minister is always on alert. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FM says government committed to keep the Growth Momentum High The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley said that the Government is committed to facilitate trade and industry in the country so that the momentum of the growth continues to move-up. He asked the captains of Indian industry to comply with the recent recommendations of the GST Council with regard to reduction of rates of various items and pass on the benefits to the consumers at large. The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was speaking with a delegation of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) who called on him in his office in New Delhi today. The Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley said that the process of reforms in case of direct and indirect taxes will continue in order to facilitate and further expedite the process of ease of doing business in the country. He said that Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) has brought a change in the credit culture in the country and is helping the Banking Sector in making fast recoveries. The Finance Minister said that GST is now on the track and is in process of fast settling down. The Finance Minster said that the thrust of the Government is to lower the tax rate and increase the tax base and keep the revenue collections moving-up. He said that the indirect tax collections will further increase in future. The Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley further said that India continues to be the sweet spot as far as the Foreign Direct Investment is concerned and is the fastest growing economy in the world. He concluded that the Government is committed to keep this growth momentum high and inclusive to ensure that the benefits of growth reaches to all sections of the society especially to the vulnerable and weaker sections. Earlier, Sandip Somany, President, FICCI presented a copy of the FICCI publication- 'enda for Growth and Shared Prosperity'- to the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley. Sandip Somany thanked the Union Finance Minister for the Government's decision to introduce the Direct Income Support scheme for Small and Marginal Farmers during the Interim Budget 2019-20. FICCI President also congratulated the Finance Minister for the decisive action taken on many economic fronts including Landmark Reforms like Introduction of GST and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Act among others. President, FICCI requested the Finance Minister to consider lowering of the Corporate Tax Rate to 25% for all companies irrespective of their turnover. A rationalization of the Corporate Tax Rate would make the Indian Corporate Sector globally competitive. The point on further consolidation of the Banking Sector and the need for divestment of Government Shareholding in some of the banks was also discussed. Another related point was the need to have Development Finance Institutions in the country to be able to provide long term finance for growth of the industrial and infrastructure sectors. The importance of the NBFC sector was highlighted and members drew attention to growth in the consumer durables and real estate sector, much of which was supported by the NBFC sector. In this context it was mentioned that while the liquidity situation in the market had improved, some more steps were needed to restore the situation to complete normalcy. Discussions were also held on the need to take all possible steps to improve employment generation in the economy. President, FICCI urged the Finance Minister to reintroduce investment allowance linking it with employment generation. A request was also made to extend the Phased Manufacturing Program to other sectors where the country is largely dependent on imports. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Talk about a heavenly view. Shining among the clouds hovering over a seaside town in Italy, a man captured what appeared to be Jesus Christ illuminated in the sky, arms spread out wide during sunset. Jesus Christ illuminated in the sky, arms spread out wide during sunset in Italy. Picture by Alfredo Lo Brutto The now-viral image, taken on March 1, shows golden sun rays beaming down over the Tyrrhenian Sea near the western coast of Italy, seeming to take the shape of the religious figure through a break in the clouds. Sharing the unique image on his Facebook page, he called the photo, Il Cristo di luce nel mare di Agropoli, which translates to The Christ of Light in the Sea of Agropoli. As soon as I saw that luminous image, I felt a great need to take it and share it. I immediately recognized her as the image of Christ the Redeemer, with open arms, as if he wanted to bless the whole city of Agropoli, explains Alfredo Lo Brutto an adds: When I took this one, I instantly felt like I wanted other people to see it because it was so beautiful. Lo Brutto captured the photo at the Piazza Sanseverino in his hometown of Agropoli, a small town near Italys scenic Amalfi Coast about an hour and a half drive south of Pompeii. The image of sunlight bearing Jesus Christs resemblance has been making the rounds across social media, attracting news coverage from all over the world from those in awe of the sight, which made its appearance in the days before the beginning of Lent, the 40-day Catholic holy period leading up to Easter. Follow us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER. Share your thoughts in our DISCUSSION FORUMS. Donate through Paypal. Please and thank you [Facebook, DailyMail, Accuweather] By Top Employers Institute Tata Consultancy Services has been recognised as a Top Employer in the Middle East for the fourth consecutive year by the Top Employers lnstitute, which independently assesses and certifies companies across the world. TCS was also recognized as the Number One Top Employer in the United Arab Emirates, and achieved Top Employer status in SaudiArabia and Qatar. This recognition was achieved due to TCS' exceptional workplace policies, culture and continued investments in its employees across all regions. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vedanta Ltd is quoting at Rs 175.9, up 1.41% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 43.88% in last one year as compared to a 6.51% gain in NIFTY and a 21.71% gain in the Nifty Metal index. Vedanta Ltd rose for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 175.9, up 1.41% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.49% on the day, quoting at 10916.95. The Sensex is at 36213.3, up 0.41%. Vedanta Ltd has added around 7.42% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Metal index of which Vedanta Ltd is a constituent, has added around 5.48% in last one month and is currently quoting at 2922.7, up 2.24% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 51.88 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 148.4 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark March futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 174.15, up 1.04% on the day. Vedanta Ltd is down 43.88% in last one year as compared to a 6.51% gain in NIFTY and a 21.71% gain in the Nifty Metal index. The PE of the stock is 9.11 based on TTM earnings ending December 18. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid growing cases of cyber attacks around the world, a new report from US-based Verizon Enterprise Solutions has revealed that 20 per cent of cybersecurity incidents and 15 per cent of the data breaches in 2018 originated from people within the organisation. Insiders have advantages over external actors seeking to circumvent security as people within the organisation enjoy trust and privileges as well as knowledge of organizational policies, processes and procedures, said the Verizon Insider Threat Report. "Cyber threats do not just originate from external sources, and to fight cybercrime in its entirety we also need to focus on the threats that lie within an organisation's walls," Bryan Sartin, Executive Director Security Professional Services, Verizon, said in a statement on Tuesday. The report highlighted that organisations need to pay particular attention to the types of insider threats that they can face. These threats can arise both from careless workers and also from those who were recruited, solicited or bribed by external parties to exfiltrate data. Employees or partners with access to corporate assets who use existing privileges to access information for personal gain can also be responsible for such threats. Moreover, business partners who compromise security through negligence, misuse or malicious access to or use of an asset may also give rise to security threat, the report said. Verizon Enterprise Solutions (VES), a leading provider of IT, communications, security and network solutions to enterprises and governments around the world, is a division of US telecom carrier Verizon Communications Inc. --IANS gb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four Nigerian nationals were arrested from Greater Noida for cheating people on matrimonial websites through fake profiles created with photos and details collected from Facebook and Instagram accounts, police said on Tuesday. Raymond, 28, Osas Clifford, 28, Kareem Ridwan, 27 and Melody, 21 were staying illegally in Greater Noida. They were arrested on Monday when police raided a flat in Pari Chowk on a tip-off. "The gang members contacted people on matrimonial websites. After winning their trust, they took money from them on the pretext of custom clearance of parcels and gifts," DCP Anyesh Roy said. Last week, a woman from Pune approached the Delhi Police Cyber Cell alleging she had been duped of Rs 24,000 by an organised gang of cheaters, Roy added. "The victim said she had come across the profile of one 'Tiwari Pandit' on a matrimonial website and they started talking to each other. After a while, the accused asked the woman collect his luggage from customs as he lived abroad," the DCP said. "The victim then got a call from a woman claiming to be Customs and Excise Department official, who asked her to deposit Rs 24,000 in a bank account for requisite custom clearance for the luggage. "The victim paid the amount but suspected something fishy when voice on the phone asked her to deposit more money," the officer said, adding the police is looking other members of the gang. --IANS sp/rtp/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu on Tuesday announced that an aircraft components manufacturing hub would be set up in Maharashtra's coastal Konkan region and would boost employment opportunities for the local youth. Besides, he said that youth of both sexes will be specially trained for getting suitable jobs in the aviation sector, including the planned aircraft components hub, while inaugurating the Sindhudurg Airport at Chipi - the region's first - with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. With an estimated requirement of around 2,300 new aircraft in the next few years, the aviation sector would emerge as a key employer and help create lakhs of new jobs in this region, which will soon have another airport in adjoining Ratnagiri, Prabhu said. Regular commercial flights under the UDAN 3.1 scheme, for which bids have been invited, are expected to be launched soon from Sindhudurg's Chipi Airport, while a memorandum of understanding was signed for the Ratnagiri Airport, he added. "We are fully committed to start air operations from Ratnagiri at the earliest. Bids under UDAN 3.1 have already been invited for flights on Ratnagiri-Mumbai sector. Both these airports will boost the tourism and agricultural economies of Konkan," he said. Additionally, the government also plans to launch seaplane flights in the Konkan region to boost air connectivity to all the big and small towns in the coastal strip, said Prabhu, who hails from the Konkan. The Sindhudurg Airport, the 14th in Maharashtra, is expected to give a huge fillip to tourism and allied economic sectors, with flights initially from Mumbai, Pune and Nashik after successful trials were conducted in September 2018. "The Konkan region has a long and magnificent coastline blessed with abundant greenery and dazzling beaches, natural beauty with ancient temples, historical forts and other tourist attractions. With the Sindhudurg Airport, connectivity to northern Karnataka, western Maharashtra and Goa in south would get a boost," said an official. Built at a total cost of around Rs 520 crore, the new airport would be able to handle 400 passengers per hour and an annual estimated capacity of over a million passengers. The runway length - 2500 by 45 metres - is suited for operating A-320 and B-737 aircraft. Earlier the Airport Authority of India and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation signed an understanding to reactivate the Ratnagiri Airport, which is currently used for defence purposes only, to launch commercial flight operations under the UDAN scheme. While the AAI will provide all support for activation including Communication, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) services, the MIDC will provide the infrastructure for handling aircraft and passengers, constructing a passenger terminal, apron and taxiway for commencing operations under the Regional Connectivity Scheme. Among other things, the Maharashtra government plans to start a fishing centre and a horticulture cargo hub in Sindhudurg while Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation will acquire submarines for Rs 65 crore to launch adventure tourism here. --IANS qn/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board on Tuesday signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 21,0000 crore with various companies. The MoUs were signed in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, APEDB Chief Executive Officer J. Krishna Kishore and representatives of different companies. These MoUs would fructify into the investment potential of Rs 21,000 crore and generate direct employment of around 57,000 and indirect employment of around 1,65,000, said APEDB, which is responsible for sustainable economic growth through trade, investments, partnerships and collaborations. Under one of the MoUs, Maruti Ispat & Energy Private Ltd will set up MS Steel and Alloy Steel Manufacturing plant at Kurnool with an investment of Rs 1,227 crore. Telugu Pharmaceutical & Chemicals Association propose to set up a cluster of MSME pharma companies in Prakasam with an investment of Rs 9,000 crore. This is expected to generate direct employment for 45,000 people and indirect employment to 1.50 lakh. Hewlett Packard India (HP), APEDB and the AP Innovation Society are collaborating to set up a state of art centre of excellence centred around latest technologies such as additive manufacturing. ZTT India Private Ltd will invest Rs 700 crore in optical fibre cable manufacturing at Sri City with an investment of Rs 1,600 crore, while Avanze Inventive Private Ltd will invest Rs 1,800 crore for a unit to manufacture lithium ion batteries. According to APEDB, a private company is intending to establish a LNG terminal and LCNG fuel stations across 20 locations with an investment of Rs 4,800 crore. --IANS ms/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Balakot air strike against a militant training camp in Pakistan and the blitzkrieg that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah launched in its aftermath has drastically changed the narrative in the past few days in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh ahead of the general elections due in April-May. And so, as the BJP leaves no stone unturned to capitalise on the developments, some times even going overboard, the leadership of the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) was "indeed rattled at the developments and had been stunned by the decisive political go ahead" in ordering the air strikes an insider told IANS. "The party very well understood that the air strikes are being seen as a positive by the public at large so we huddled to change our offensive on the Prime Minister" a close aide of party chief Akhilesh Yadav averred. Quite calculatedly, the party is neither questioning the air strikes nor doubting the claims of the government that it did inflict a body blow to the JeM terror network. It has, however, begun to question the both Modi and the BJP going ahead with its own functions and engagements. Harish Chandra Srivastava, a spokesman for the state unit of the BJP, says this was the proverbial "khisiyani billi khambha noche (when you are embarrassed you run for cover) as the opposition is jittery at the growing popularity of the Prime Minister. Mayawati, whose BSP is in a poll alliance with the SP and who never missed an opportunity to castigate the Prime Minister, has lauded the IAF action but with a rider: It should have been done earlier. A former minister in the BSP government between 2007-2012, on condition of anonymity said that 'behen ji' has been struggling ever since with the changed narrative and was at a party meeting seeking feedback on the air strikes from the ground workers and is reworking her strategy for the Lok Sabha polls. Realising that even the slightest of mistake or an insinuation on the air strikes or military action ordered by Modi could put to rest their chances, both the BSP and the SP have hence decided to decry the Prime Minister on many issues but to "try and avoid detailed questioning on the offensive against terror groups". Straw polls are a clear indication of this. Punters had been giving upwards of 40 of the state's 80 seats to the SP-BSP and just about 30 to the BJP. Post the air strikes, the BJP has climbed to 40 seats but this is nowhere near the 71 seats it held in the outgoing Lok Sabha. The Congress, which went into celebratory mode with the political debut of Priyanka Gandhi as the General Secretary for Eastern UP, has also reworked its strategy. While Rahul Gandhi is attacking Modi for trying to usurp the credit of the brave defence forces, his sister is staying quiet, working backroom and assimilating people from other parties into the Grand Old Party. "She will not launch a direct attack on the PM on this issue for now. Apparently, she realises, the emotiveness of the issue and is watchful of what the maut-ka-saudagar jibe (of her mother Sonia Gandhi against Modi) did in Gujarat," a close aide of Priyanka said. (Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in) --IANS md/vm/am (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The day-long Bharat bandh called by Dalit and Tribal groups on Tuesday demanding forest rights for adivasis and job security for ad hoc teachers, and protesting the anti-reservation policy of the central government, evoked a mixed response in Bihar. Police said normal life was affected as rail and road services were disrupted in different parts of the state, though senior state officials said "elaborate security arrangements had been made". Thousands of members of Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Tribal outfits, including the Bhim Army, descended on streets since early morning blocking road and rail traffic. Several arterial roads were blocked and over a dozen long-route trains were halted at Ara, Jehanabad, Patna, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Begusarai railway stations. Clashes between the protesters and the police were reported from Bhojpur, Madhepura, Jehanabad and Arwal. In Bhagalpur, the protesters clashed with local shopkeepers trying to forcibly shut markets. Leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Left parties, which are supporting the shutdown, also took to streets to protest the University Grants Commission's new 13-point roster system that will drastically reduce jobs for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes. The new system replaces the 200-point roster system, in which the entire university was taken as a unit for reservation and recruitment. Under the new 13-point roster system, each department is taken as a unit for implementing recruitment and reservation policy for teachers. They were also demanding an ordinance over the now-stayed Supreme Court order directing eviction of over 10 lakh families of Adivasis and other forest dwellers from forest lands across 16 states. The apex court had on February 13 ordered eviction of tribals in unauthorised possession of forest land. On February 28, however, it put the order on hold. In Patna, senior RJD leaders and party workers staged a protest march and dharna. "The Narendra Modi government's decision to abolish the 13-point roster and approve 10 per cent quota to the EWS in the general category is not in line with the principle of affirmative action prescribed in the Constitution. The RSS is hell bent upon scrapping reservation for SC/ST & OBCs," said RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. --IANS ik/rtp/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP is set to rejig its slogan for the Lok Sabha elections from "Namumkin ab mumkin hai" (impossible is possible now) to "Modi hai to mumkin hai" (Everything is possible if Modi is there), sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Tuesday. The BJP is planning to build its poll plank around "nationalism" for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the wake of the Balakot air strike by the Indian Air Force and the subsequent safe return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan's captivity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had coined the slogan "Modi hai to mumkin hai" at a rally in Rajasthan's Tonk on February 23. Sources in the BJP said the attractive slogan was drawing public attention. "'Namumkin ab mumkin hai' was a good choice, but we were looking for a better alternative with a Modi-centric slogan. 'Modi hai to mumkin hai' fits the bill," said an informed source in the BJP. Sources in the BJP also said that Prasoon Joshi, lyricist and chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), has been asked to prepare a theme song with patriotic fervour for the party. Joshi had penned the BJP's theme song for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls titled "Main desh nahi mitne dunga", which was sung by Sukhwinder Singh. At recent events of the BJP, a number of hoardings carrying images of Narendra Modi, along with soldiers of the armed forces, were seen with the slogan "Modi hai to mumkin hai." The BJP had earlier decided on "Namumkin ab mumkin hai" as its poll tagline for the 2019 general elections. The party is already running a media campaign with the slogans "Namumkin ab mumkin hai" and "Abki baar, phir Modi sarkar." In 2014, BJP's poll slogan "Abki baar, Modi sarkar" had caught the imagination of the common voters. The slogan was created by Ajay Singh, SpiceJet promoter and former officer on special duty (OSD) to the late Pramod Mahajan. The BJP is also running different campaigns with slogans such as "Saaf niyat, sahi vikaas" and "Kaho dil se, NaMo phir se," among others. --IANS bns/arm/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union government is all set to bring an ordinance to restore the 200-point roster system of reservation mechanism for faculties in universities. Informed sources said that the Union Cabinet meeting -- probably the last of the Narendra Modi government -- may take up the issue on March 7. The Election Commission is likely to announce the poll dates on March 9. Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar also hinted that the government could give its nod to the ordinance in the wake of countrywide agitation over the issue. "Some groups have decided to agitate. I would like to assure them that they need not agitate...the government will do justice. We will bring the 200-point reservation roster... How we will do it will be clear within two days," Javadekar told reporters. Under the new 13-point roster system, which replaced the 200-point roster, each department is taken as a unit for implementing recruitment and reservation policy for teachers. Under the earlier system, the entire university was taken as a unit for reservation and recruitment. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had in February wrote to Javadekar urging him to restore the "200-point roster system". Political parties in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar took to streets to protest the University Grants Commission (UGC)'s present 13-point roster system, saying it is slashing jobs for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes. In the last Budget Session, Javadekar had assured the Lok Sabha that the Centre is committed to reservation and will bring an ordinance, if needed. --IANS bns/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Researchers are thinking about social collapse and how to prepare for it. How to adapt to the end of the world! A home damaged by Hurricane Maria stands abandoned in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 17, 2018. PHOTOGRAPHER: XAVIER GARCIA/BLOOMBERG At the end of 2016, before Puerto Ricos power grid collapsed, wildfires reached the Arctic, and a large swath of North Carolina was submerged under floodwaters, Jonathan Gosling published an academic paper asking what might have seemed like a shrill question: How should we prepare for the consequences of planetary climate catastrophe? If some of the more extreme scenarios of ecocrisis turn out to be accurate, we in the West will be forced to confront such transformations, wrote Gosling, an anthropologist whod just retired from the University of Exeter in England. Almost two years later, as the U.S. stumbles through a second consecutive season of record hurricanes and fires, more academics are approaching questions once reserved for doomsday cults. Can modern society prepare for a world in which global warming threatens large-scale social, economic, and political upheaval? What are the policy and social implications of rapid, and mostly unpleasant, climate disruption? Those researchers, who are generally more pessimistic about the pace of climate change than most academics, are advocating for a series of changes in infrastructure, agriculture and land-use management, international relations, and our expectations about life to help manage the effects of crisis-level changes in weather patterns. A hog farm is surrounded by floodwater in New Bern, N.C., on Sept. 21, 2018.PHOTOGRAPHER: ALEX WROBLEWSKI/BLOOMBERG In the language of climate change, adaptation refers to ways to blunt the immediate effects of extreme weather, such as building seawalls, conserving drinking water, updating building codes, and helping more people get disaster insurance. The costs are enormous: The U.S. government is considering a 5-mile, $20 billion seawall to protect New York City against storm surges, while Louisiana wants to spend $50 billion to save parts of its shorelinefrom sinking. Poorer countries could require $500 billion a year to adapt, according to the United Nations. But some researchers are going further, calling for what some call the deep adaptation agenda. For Gosling, that means not only rapid decarbonization and storm-resistant infrastructure, but also building water and communications systems that wont fail if the power grid collapses and searching for ways to safeguard the food supply by protecting pollinating insects. Propelling the movement are signs that the problem is worsening at an accelerating rate. In an article this summer in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 climate scientists from around the world argued that the planet may be much closer than previously realized to locking in what they call a hothouse trajectory warming of 4C or 5C (7F or 9F), with serious challenges for the viability of human societies. Jem Bendell, a professor at the University of Cumbria who popularized the term deep adaptation, calls it a mix of physical changes pulling back from the coast, closing climate-exposed industrial facilities, planning for food rationing, letting landscapes return to their natural state with cultural shifts, including giving up expectations for certain types of consumption and learning to rely more on the people around us. The evidence before us suggests that we are set for disruptive and uncontrollable levels of climate change, bringing starvation, destruction, migration, disease and war, he wrote in a paper he posted on his blog in July after an academic journal refused to publish it. We need to appreciate what kind of adaptation is possible. It might be tempting to dismiss Bendell and Gosling as outliers. But theyre not alone in writing about the possibility of massive political and social shocks from climate change and the need to start preparing for those shocks. Since posting his paper, Bendell says hes been contacted by more academics investigating the same questions. A LinkedIn group titled Deep Adaptation includes professors, government scientists, and investors. A man collects firewood on a dried up-dam in Indonesias West Java province on Sept. 15, 2018.PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDREW LOTULUNG/GETTY IMAGES William Clark, a Harvard professor and former MacArthur Fellow who edited the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper, is among those who worry about what might come next. We are right on the bloody edge, he says. Clark argues that in addition to quickly and dramatically cutting emissions, society should pursue a new scale of adaptation work. Rather than simply asking people to water their lawns less often, for example, governments need to consider large-scale, decades-long infrastructure projects, such as transporting water to increasingly arid regions and moving cities away from the ocean. This is not your grandfathers adaptation, he says. Diana Liverman, a professor at the University of Arizona School of Geography and Development and one of the authors of this summers paper, says adapting will mean relocation or completely different infrastructure and crops. She cites last years book New York 2140, in which the science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson imagines the city surviving under 50 feet of water, as the extreme end of adaptation. Relocating large numbers of homes away from the coast is perhaps the most expensive item on that list. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has spent $2.8 billion since 1989 to buy 40,000 homes in areas particularly prone to flooding, giving their owners the chance to move somewhere safer. But if seas rose 3 feet, more than 4 million Americans would have to move, according to a 2016 study in the journal Nature: Climate Change. The governments going to have to spend more money to help relocate people, says Rob Moore, a policy expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council who specializes in flooding. The alternative, he says, is a completely unplanned migration of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people in this country. A wildfire burns in Karbole, Sweden, on July 15, 2018.PHOTOGRAPHER: MATS ANDERSSON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Cameron Harrington, a professor of international relations at Durham University in England and co-author of the 2017 book Security in the Anthropocene, says adapting to widespread disruption will require governments to avoid viewing climate change primarily as a security threat. Instead, Harrington says, countries must find new ways to manage problems that cross borders for example, by sharing increasingly scarce freshwater resources. We cant raise border walls high enough to prevent the effects of climate change, he says. There are even more pessimistic takes. Guy McPherson, a professor emeritus of natural resources at the University of Arizona, contends climate change will cause civilization to collapse not long after the summer Arctic ice cover disappears. He argues that could happen as early as next year, sending global temperatures abruptly higher and causing widespread food and fuel shortages within a year. Many academics are considerably less dire in their predictions. Jesse Keenan, who teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and advises state governments on climate adaptation, says warnings about social collapse are overblown. I think for much of the world, we will pick up the pieces, Keenan says. But he adds that the prospect of climate-induced human extinction has only recently become a widespread topic of academic discourse. Even mainstream researchers concede theres room for concern about the effects of accelerating change on social stability. Solomon Hsiang, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley who studies the interplay between the environment and society, says its too soon to predict the pace of global warming. But he warns that society could struggle to cope with rapid shifts in the climate. If they are indeed dramatic and fast, there exists substantial evidence that many human systems, including food production and social stability more broadly, will be sharply and adversely affected, Hsiang says. For Bendell, the question of when climate change might shake the Western social order is less important than beginning to talk about how to prepare for it. He acknowledges that his premise shares something with the survivalist movement, which is likewise built on the belief that some sort of social collapse is coming. But he says deep adaptation is different: It looks for ways to mitigate the damage of that collapse. The discussion Im inviting is about collective responses to reduce harm, he says, rather than how a few people could tough it out to survive longer than others. Follow us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER. Share your thoughts in our DISCUSSION FORUMS. Donate through Paypal. Please and thank you [Bloomberg] YSR Congress party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had no moral right to continue in office in the wake of data theft scandal. "Naidu has lost the moral right to continue in office" as his government provided confidential residents' data to two private companies through the 'Sevamitra' app they had developed for ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), said the leader of opposition popularly known as Jagan. "When the company concerned was raided, Naidu started singing the tune of Andhra businessmen being targeted, forgetting that what his government and IT Grids have done is a breach of data, which even the Supreme Court has objected to," Jagan said while addressing Samara Sankharavam meeting in Nellore. He alleged besides IT Grids, Bluefrogs of Visakhapatnam was engaged in the data harvesting and personal information of all residents of the state was procured and stored in the servers of the two companies, which were now being used for political gains. "How the confidential data was linked to the private companies is a matter of criminal intent," Jagan said, alleging heads of the two companies are close to Chandrababu Naidu and his son and IT minister Nara Lokesh. The names of non-supporters of the TDP were being deleted and the TDP, with the connivance of the two private companies, was tampering with the voter list by adding and deleting names from other states, he said. Jagan said their fight was not only against the TDP but also against bogus pollsters, biased media, money power and unethical practices. He alleged the Chief Minister has been misusing official machinery to collect information and use them to his advantage. The leader of opposition asked booth level workers to be alert and in touch with each and every household and ensure that their names are there in the voter list. --IANS ms/pg/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a blow to the opposition's bid to forge a grand alliance, the Congress on Tuesday ruled out aligning with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Lok Sabha elections. The move prompted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to allege a "secret Congress-BJP understanding". The decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Congress unit led by its chief Sheila Dikshit and Congress President Rahul Gandhi at his residence here. "Congress has unanimously taken a decision that there will be no alliance with AAP. The decision was taken in Rahul Gandhi's presence and it is final," Dikshit said after the meeting. While the Delhi unit was firm on not tying up with the AAP from the beginning, the central leadership had been exploring the possibility of an understanding harping on the need for all opposition parties to put up a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The AAP on March 2 declared candidates for six of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, claiming that the Congress has already said "no" to the alliance. AAP chief Kejriwal took to Twitter on Tuesday to express his anguish over the Congress' move. "At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi-Shah duo, Congress is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote," said Kejriwal. "Rumours (are) that Congress has some secret understanding with BJP. Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance," he added. Even during the February 13 opposition parties' meet in which they had resolved to have a pre-poll pact to defeat the BJP, the Congress had appeared to keep its options open about tying up with the AAP. A day later Kejriwal claimed that the Congress had "almost" said no for an alliance with the AAP. The BJP had swept Delhi in 2014 winning all the seven seats. --IANS and/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi Court on Tuesday directed Tihar Jail authorities to shift British national Christian Michel, the middleman accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, from high-security ward to the normal cell meant for undertrials and provide him basic facilities as per prison rules. Additional Sessions Judge Arvind Kumar directed Tihar Jail officials to shift Michel to Jail No. 1, 3 or 4 which are meant for keeping undertrials. The court was hearing Michel's application seeking shifting from high-security prison to a normal cell. Michel's advocates Aljo K. Joseph and Vishnu Sankar told the court that Michel was shifted to the high-security cell "at the behest of external pressure". The court observed that Michel cannot be kept in Jail No. 2 which is meant to keep convicts and said that unconvicted criminal prisoner needs to be kept separate from those who have been convicted. The court also asked jail authorities to make necessary assessment regarding any threat to the accused. However, Special Public Prosecutor D.P. Singh and Public Prosecutor N.K. Matta opposed the plea and said that the allegations were "mischievous and looked down upon Indian jails". The prosecutors also told the court that Michel has filed the application in an attempt to keep the instant case in news and to gain publicity. Michel was extradited to India on December 4, 2018 from the United Arab Emirates. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed charge sheets in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case naming Michel and others as accused. --IANS akk/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) here on Tuesday issued a notice to the Divisional Commissioner (Revenue) in the Delhi government, seeking complete ban on sale of acid in the city. Its unregulated sale has been the major cause for continued acid attacks on women, DCW said. The notice comes amid DCW Chief Swati Maliwal's 13-day long 'Mahila Suraksha Padyatra' across the city to create awareness on women's safety. Citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the notice states there have been 20 incidents of acid attack in Delhi, the third highest after West Bengal and UP. The DCW has initiated proceedings under Code of Civil Procedure and sought an action-taken report in the matter within 10 days. The DCW had in 2016 recommended a ban on acid sale. The commission claimed it has given employment to nine acid attack victims under various programmes over the past three years. "The commission has been blessed to appoint nine acid attack survivors. Their energy and passion for social causes is infectious and the DCW has benefited tremendously through their efforts. I urge all state governments to employ them," Maliwal said. The 'Mahila Suraksha Padyatra', which entered its 10th day on Tuesday also saw acid attack survivors participating. --IANS som/rtp/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday came down heavily on state's Chief Mnister Mamata Banerjee for questioning the success of the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s Balakot air strike and compared her Trinamool Congress with terror outfits like Al Qaeda. Accusing the Trinamool Congress supremo of talking like Pakistani leaders, he said that a politician like Banerjee is enough to cause more harm to the nation than Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. "When the entire nation is wants the Pulwama terror strike avenged by our armed forces, our Chief Minister (Banerjee) is asking for evidence of the air strike and questioning why Pakistan was attacked. She is also singing the tune of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan," Ghosh said at the state BJP headquarters here. "I think people like Imran Khan are not needed to harm India, Mamata Banerjee alone is enough. When a party like Trinamool Congress is operating here, what is the need of terrorist outfits like SIMI, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen or Al Qaeda to attack?" he said. Ghosh said the people of Bengal and the rest of the country would give Banerjee and other opposition leaders a "befitting reply" for questioning the Army and claimed that the 2019 general election would mark the end of "anti-national politics" within the country. "Pakistan PM Imran Khan is complaining that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi is not talking to him. Here, Banerjee and some opposition leaders are also saying the same thing. We are stunned to see that they are speaking Pakistan's language," he said. "Pakistan gave us enough proof of the damage inflicted by the IAF, but here some politicians are asking for evidence from the Army. The new India will not tolerate this. The 2019 election will be a milestone in stopping anti-national within the country," he said. Quoting a report of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), Ghosh said nearly 300 mobile phones were found active in the area of Balakot where the IAF strike happened, which shows that there were close to 300 people in the training camp. --IANS mgr/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Election Commission team headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora will meet key political party representatives, besides senior police and district chiefs on Tuesday to assess the Jammu and Kashmir situation ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Arora and the two poll commissioners, Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, will meet representatives from seven national and three regional parties here and understand their views on the situation in the state. On the first day of the two-day assessment on Monday, almost all national and regional party leaders who met the panel in Srinagar have favoured simultaneous conduct of assembly and general elections. Arora and the poll team will also meet 10 district commissioners (DCs) and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) of Jammu division, besides various nodal officers to obtain their views on elections to be held. Ahead of a press conference scheduled before they leave for Delhi, the Commission will also meet Chief Secretary, B.V.R. Subrahmanyam and Director General of Police Dilbag Singh to get an overall on the security and deployments of additional Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel needed for smooth conduct of the elections. --IANS sq/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The story of an Indian diplomat's efforts to repatriate an Indian woman, Uzma Ahmed from Pakistan where she was allegedly forced and duped into marrying against her choice, is now set to make it to the big screen. Movie Studioz, led by Sameer Dixit, Jatish Varma, Girish Johar and Kewal Garg, is making the film based on the real life story of J.P. Singh, India's former Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad, who helped Ahmed's return to her homeland in 2017. The script is by Ritesh Shah, who has earlier penned dialogues and screenplay for films like "Kahaani", "Pink", "Airlift" and "Raid". The makers met Singh in February for his inputs for the film, which will also feature a character based on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who supported Ahmed's rescue. "After meeting J.P. Singh, we understood how the Indian government values each citizen's life. He told us how Sushmaji was completely involved and personally monitoring the mission to rescue the girl," Dixit said in a statement. Johar told IANS: "It's a very fascinating tale of how things unfurled in Uzma's life. And all this was possible due to one man, J.P. Singh. He is not only our film's hero but also the true national hero who played a key role in getting Uzma back to her motherland with the help of Sushma Swarajji on behalf of the government." According to Ahmed, she met a Pakistani man, Tahir Ali, in Malaysia and then went on to meet him in Pakistan where she got to know that he has four children from his previous marriage. She was then reportedly forced to marry him and was sexually assaulted. She managed to approach the Indian High Commission for help. Ahmed was brought back to India on May 25, 2017, through government intervention. --IANS rb/in/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first phase of Saudi Arabia's long awaited purchase of an advanced US missile defence system has been finalised with the formal awarding of a contract, the media reported on Tuesday. On Monday, Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract for Phase I "long lead items" of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile defence system, to include early engineering development, test equipment, key personnel and initial training development, CNN quoted a Pentagon statement as saying. The Defence Department said the first phase of the contract will cost $945,900,000. The State Department had previously estimated the cost of the entire THAAD sale to be $15 billion. President Donald Trump included the THAAD purchase in his list of proposed $110 billion in arm sales that he touted during his 2017 meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The list was a memorandum of intent to fulfil nearly $110 billion in arms sales over the next 10 years. However, despite the administration's touting of the agreement, the majority of the $110 billion package was not finalised at the time of it being announced and it has taken months for progress on the sale to be made. In October 2017, the State Department notified Congress that it had approved the possible sale of the THAAD system to Riyadh, saying that the move "furthers US national security and foreign policy interests, and supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of Iranian and other regional threats". --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Google is paying more to women employees than men in the "Level 4 Software Engineer" category, according to an internal study. According to a report in Forbes on Monday, men in this category were paid extra compensation to make reparations for the gender bias against them. Google has faced accusations of gender bias against women at workplace in the past. "To correct for what Google deemed gender bias, it provided $9.7 million in adjustments to 10,677 Googlers (an average of $908 per person)," the report mentioned. This is a big jump from 2017 when Google paid $270,000 to 228 employees. The search giant's annual pay audit analyses employees' compensation equity based on market rate for their job, location, level, performance rating, as well as factors like race and gender. The study included nearly 91 per cent of the Google employees. --IANS na/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, after being captured by the Pakistan Army, did not leave an opportunity to take a jibe at them. Bruised and bleeding as locals beat him up after his MiG-21 Bison fighter jet was shot down during a dogfight near the Line of Control (LoC) on February 27, Varthaman made a sarcastic comment on the Pakistan Army in a new video that has surfaced on social media. In the video filmed inside a jeep, a soldier asked the blindfolded Abhinandan his views about the Pakistani army. Abhinandan replied: "I hold the Pak army in very high regard and I was hoping there would be a Pak army officer would get me I know the Pakistani army is also of soldiers that is why the first question I asked you was 'are you from the regular army'? The comment proved that the Wing Commander was neither down nor out during the Pakistani captivity for over 60 hours before he walked back home through the Zero Line at the Wagah-Attari joint check-post and was received by senior IAF and security officers on March 1. Dressed in a blue coat, grey trousers and white shirt, he was received by senior Border Security Force officers at Zero Line that marks the India-Pakistan land border. --IANS na/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" will open in theatres in India on March 21, the same day as Akshay Kumar-starrer "Kesari". Universal Pictures International and DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World", which is the third instalment of the "How to Train Your Dragon" series, will release in India in over 1000 screens in 2D, 3D and IMAX in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, read a statement. The story of the series began as an unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon. Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, Hiccup has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they've known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. Series director Dean DeBlois has returned for "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World". The film has voice-overs by actors Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett and Kit Harrington, among others. --IANS nn/rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) HP Inc India on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh government to build a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for 3D printing in the state. For the CoE for Additive Manufacturing (AM), powered by HP's 3D printing technology, the pact was inked with the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS) and the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB). "We believe HP's cutting-edge 3D printing technology will fuel innovation in manufacturing and help upskill young professionals to make them ready for Industry 4.0 in the state," Sumeer Chandra, Managing Director, HP Inc India, said in a statement. HP India will be the key knowledge provider for this initiative. The CoE would be equipped with 3D printers that can handle short run production and functional prototyping. APIS would provide infrastructural support and enable necessary certifications and accreditations while APEDB will drive and encourage the usage of the CoE by government departments, defence and public sector enterprises. The 3D printing centre would give small and medium businesses (SMBs) and start-ups in Andhra Pradesh an opportunity to learn more about the benefits of Additive Manufacturing. "Manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh has great potential as a lot of demand is slated to come from domestic consumption. Andhra Pradesh's impetus in automotive, electronics and aerospace makes technologies like 3D printing market-ready," said J. Krishna Kishore, CEO, APEDB. HP introduced its Jet Fusion 4200 3D Printing solutions -- capable of printing functional parts 10 times faster, at half the cost -- in India last year. In January, HP launched Jet Fusion 300/500 series of colour 3D printers to enable manufacturers to produce engineering-grade, functional parts in full colour, black or white. --IANS na/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Calling himself "Mazdoor No 1", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi MaanDhan (PM-SYM), a pension scheme for workers in the unorganized sectors. The government claims that over 42 crore workers in the country will benefit from this scheme which will give a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 after the age 60 years. Announcing the national launch of the scheme at a public meeting in Vastral here, Modi said: "Till now over 14.5 lakh workers have been registered with this scheme. Over 42 crore workers in the unorganized sector will benefit from this scheme. "After independence, this is the first time such a scheme is being brought. Earlier nobody ever thought of the unorganized sector despite chanting slogans like 'Garibi Hatao' but it is your 'Mazdoor number 1' who has brought you this scheme," Modi declared. The beneficiaries will have to get themselves registered to the Common Service Centres in their areas. Anybody who is between 18 and 40 years and earning a salary of less than Rs 15,000 a month in unorganized sector can register. After registration, the beneficiaries will chose a specific amount between ranging between Rs 55 and Rs 200 which will have to be deposited in the scheme per month. An equal amount will be deposited by the central government. After reaching 60 years, the beneficiaries will start earning at least Rs 3,000 per month. "I have always said that dignity of labour should be practiced in our country as a culture. In all the central government institutions we have ensured 42 per cent rise in minimum wages. Earlier there were some schemes, but the middleman used to benefit. But now your 'Chaukidar' is alert, so the middleman's shops are being shut and so they are shouting 'Modi hatao'," the Prime Minister said. "Yeh Maha Milawat (Mega adulteration of opposition Alliance) are busy in striking out Modi while Modi is busy striking out terrorism," Modi told the enthusiastic crowd, referring to the air strikes on terror camps in Balakot in Pakistan. The Prime Minister has been in Ahmedabad since Monday for a series of inaugural and dedication programmes. Later, Modi attended religious ceremonies related to the world's first temple of Annapurna Mata, deity of Leuva Patel denomination of Patidars, at Adalaj near Gandhinagar, a day after he laid the foundation stone of the Rs 1,000 crore of Maa Temple Complex of Kadva Patels. --IANS desai/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Japan court on Tuesday granted ousted Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn a $9 million bail in a case of financial misconduct and after spending more than three months in a jail here. The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday said that Ghosn, also the former head of Renault, could be released from detention on the bail as early as Tuesday, reports The Japan Times. Prosecutors, however, were expected to appeal the decision. The former high-flying executive's legal team submitted a request for bail for the third time with the Tokyo court on February 28. The 64-year-old Brazilian-born French auto executive, accused of understating his income and aggravated breach of trust, was arrested on November 19, 2018, and has been held at the Tokyo Detention House since. All previous requests for bail had been denied, with prosecutors filing fresh charges against him. Ghosn has denied all the charges levelled against him. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Umesh Jadhav, Karnataka's "rebel" Congress MLA who resigned from the state Assembly, fell prey to the BJP's 'Operation Kamala', party leader Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday. "The circumstantial evidence clearly suggests that he (Jadhav) has fallen for #OperationKamala (referring to alleged poaching attempts by the BJP)," the former Chief Minister said in a series of tweets. "People are saying that he has sold himself for money and power. If true, it is shameful on his part," he added. Jadhav, a two-time MLA from Chincholi constituency in Kalaburagi district, submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar on Monday without any explanation. Hours later, G. Madhusudhan, the state spokesman for the Bharatiya Janata Party, told IANS that Jadhav would join the right-wing party on Wednesday at Kalaburagi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi would address a massive rally. The Speaker is yet to accept Jadhav's resignation. "We had already petitioned to disqualify four MLAs, including Jadhav, as per anti-defection law for involving in anti-party activities. Resignation cannot be accepted without deciding our petition. Let us leave it to the speaker to decide," Siddaramaiah said in another tweet on Tuesday. Jadhav's resignation came in the wake of the southern state's ruling coalition partners Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress and the opposition BJP trading charges of poaching each others' legislators since January. --IANS bha/ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed a series of reforms to ensure the future of the European Union. In an opinion piece being published around Europe, he calls for the creation of an agency to protect the bloc against cyber-attacks, the BBC reported on Tuesday. Ahead of May's European elections, he advocates a ban on foreign powers financing European political parties. And he suggests the British people were not properly informed before voting to leave the EU. Macron set out his proposals for a "European renaissance" in an open letter addressed directly to the "citizens of Europe", which was published in newspapers in all 28 EU member states. In his letter, Macron says the EU as an institution needs a major shake-up if it is to stop member states "retreating into nationalism" -- a direct reference to Brexit. "Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future?" he asks, using the UK's withdrawal from the union as an example of the EU being in crisis. "Who spoke to them about losing access to the EU market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the border?" He describes the EU as "not just an economic market" but a "project", before going on to set out his "roadmap for the EU". In his open letter to Europe, Macron proposes the creation of several new bodies that would oversee change within the EU. They are: European Agency for the Protection of Democracies, to protect against cyber attacks, the spread of fake news, and to ban foreign powers from funding European political parties European Council for Internal Security, which would comprise a Europe-wide border force agency and asylum office, and a European security council that would have "the UK on board". An EU minimum wage, which would be "appropriate to each country" and negotiated collectively on an annual basis, and a guarantee that EU citizens would get "the same pay for the same work". European Climate Bank, which would finance the EU's transition to his suggested environmental targets, "zero carbon by 2050 and pesticides halved by 2025". A European food safety force, to "improve our food controls" and protect them from the "lobby threat" with "independent scientific assessment of substances hazardous to the environment and health". A Conference for Europe, which Macron wants the EU to set up by the end of this year, so that changes can be proposed and approved by representatives from EU institutions and member states. --IANS pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Matua community matriarch Binapani Devi, popularly known as 'Boroma', was on Tuesday put on ventilator support at the state-run SSKM Hospital here after her condition became "extremely critical", hospital authorities said. She was initially admitted to JNM Hospital in Nadia district's Kalyani on February 28 following shortness of breath and fever. Boroma was shifted to the SSKM on Sunday after her condition deteriorated. "Boroma's condition is extremely critical. She has been put to ventilation since 5 a.m. today. She is suffering from multi-organ failure," Raghunath Misra, Medical Superintendent of SSKM Hospital told IANS. "She was suffering from high fever when she was brought here on Sunday which later turned into pneumonia. She already had pre-existing problems like COPD and mild diabetes. "As her age is more than 100 years, multiple organs are failing. The overall condition is very grave," he said. Matua Mahasangh, a primarily low-caste Hindu refugee community from Bangladesh, are considered to be Bengal's second most influential Scheduled Caste community. The community commands over 70 lakh votes in various southern districts and plays a sizeable role in determining the electoral fortunes in at least 74 of the state's 294 Assembly seats. The Matuas, led by Boroma who shares a good rapport with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, acted as a big political force behind the Trinamool Congress' win in the 2011 and 2016 Assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met her on February 2 during his visit to North 24 Parganas district's Thakurnagar. --IANS mgr/in/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Mexican-American woman has attracted about 70,000 followers on her social media accounts, which she created in support of President Donald Trump as he was "a needed leader to end the destruction of the US". Paloma Zuniga, who has dual US-Mexican citizenship, is considered an "influencer" by the Republican Party and therefore has been an invited as a guest at numerous events such as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held last week here, reports Efe news. "I am against the way they are destroying the US and I've been watching it for 12 years. I was already realising what the country has been doing for a long time, so when Trump said he was running for President, I thought: 'Finally, someone who also sees it and now speaks about it'," Zuniga said. She has over 60,000 followers on Facebook and several thousand more on Instagram and Twitter, a YouTube channel and a personal website where she spreads her "conspiracy theories" about who is "destroying" the US, a phenomenon she attributes to "Hispanics". "They are taking over places like California where they do not speak English!" She said after claiming that "cities no longer work as designed. We Hispanics arrived and trampled the principles and values of the United States and we don't care". Zuniga has said that the Latino community does not respect the US because "they think it's a business zone where Americans are stupid and they can take advantage of them". She was born in Mexico City and emigrated legally to the US at the age of eight when her mother became a widow and married an American. As an adult, she decided to return to Mexico because "it's cheaper" and she has business there, several houses and takes care of "many dogs". Zuniga has claimed that major media networks in Mexico and the US - such as Televisa, The New York Times and The Washington Post - are against her, but at the same time that helps her boost her platforms. He popularity among political activists at CPAC was such that, without hesitation, she repeatedly dared to interrupt any conversation to greet and pass on her contact card, which is illustrated with a photograph of her posing on the side of a portion of the US-Mexico border wall that has already been built. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of playing over the IAF air strike in Balakot to draw political mileage. Addressing a press conference here, Gehlot said Modi should answer the queries raised by senior Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Kapil Sibal, and reveal the exact figures of the terrorists killed in the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike on February 26. Gehlot also raised doubts over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah's claims that over 250 terrorists were killed after the IAF bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camp in Balakot. "From where did Shah get the information? Even Union Minister Giriraj Singh claimed that 300 terrorists were neutralised. It's time the Prime Minister comes out with the right numbers in this context," Gehlot said. The Chief Minister also accused Modi of degrading the level of language used in the political discourse only to reap electoral benefits. The double meaning comments made by the Prime Mister does not suit a person of his stature, Gehlot said. Modi should remember that he is the Prime Minister of the country and not of the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he said. Hitting back at Gehlot, BJP state unit President Madanlal Saini said: "Gehlot has joined the league of Congress leaders who are doubting the valour of the IAF by questioning the air strike in Pakistan." --IANS arc/arm/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French fashion house Chanel paid tribute to Karl Lagerfeld, its late creative director, at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday. The Autumn-Winter 2019 show, which was attended by the likes of Kristen Stewart, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer, started with a minute of silence, reports cnn.com. Then, Lagerfeld's voice echoed through the venue, musing about how he renewed Chanel's desirability, and sharing early memories of his time at the brand. An illustrated card left on each seat at the show featured a drawing of Lagerfeld with Chanel founder Coco Chanel, with the words "The beat goes on..." written above their heads. Lagerfeld, who died on February 19 at the age of 85, had served as artistic director of Chanel since 1983. The new collection was designed in collaboration with Lagerfeld's successor, Virginie Viard. Actresses Penelope Cruz and Cara Delevingne, a former model, walked on the runway as part of the show. In the end, there was a tearful, extended standing ovation, as models walked down the runway to David Bowie's "Heroes". No one emerged from backstage to give a final bow. --IANS nn/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in the beach village of Calangute in Goa have arrested a 23-year-old woman from Mumbai for a bomb hoax at a local restaurant on Tuesday. Rangoli Patel, a resident of Malad West in Mumbai, was holidaying in Goa when she and a friend had an argument with the waiter of a restaurant, police inspector Jivba Dalvi told reporters here. Police said she later went and made a hoax call claiming there was a bomb in the restaurant. The restaurant had to be hurriedly evacuated "creating panic among the public and the management, Dalvi said. "The quick reaction team of the Anti-Terrorist Squad was also called to the spot. Their search of the premises revealed that the call was a hoax," the official said, adding that the caller was identified based on her subscriber details and a search of the area surrounding the hotel. "The accused has disclosed that she had made a hoax call to make the restaurant management suffer losses," Dalvi said. The accused has been booked under sections 182 (false information), 505(1)(b) (incite to commit offence) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. --IANS maya/rtp/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the Modi government will not compromise on India's security and the recent Indian Air Force (IAF) air strikes in Pakistan were a testimony of its commitment to the country. "We will not let the sacrifice of its 40 martyrs go in vain. We won't forgive anyone who tries to destabilise India. Our Prime Minister has recently said that we are going to destroy the terrorists' camps as and when necessary," Singh said addressing a rally in Assam's Dhubri district. "Security is the top priority of our government. If there is no security, there cannot be development. Since our government came to power, there is a visible change in the country's security scenario, particularly in India's Northeast," said Singh. "Our government is firm. We are not going to compromise on the security of the country. We are not worried if our government stays or not, the country must be secure," he said. Attacking the Opposition for questioning the number of casualties in the IAF bombings in Balakot, Singh said: "This is not the way to do They are asking our forces how many terrorist were killed in the IAF strikes. The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) has said that 300 mobile phones were active in the area when the strikes were carried out. Now count for yourself whether the users of those phones were humans, trees or plants." " should be done for nation-building and not on such issues," he added. Singh pointed out that during the last five years, the Indian economy had grown from being the sixth largest to the ninth largest in the world. "It will be among the top three economies of the world by 2028," he added. He also said that the Modi government is committed to implementing in letter and spirit the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, and that there will be no compromise on protecting the ethnic and cultural identities of the people of the Northeast. Clause 6 of the Assam Accord envisages that appropriate constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people. --IANS ah/rtp/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Continuing his attack on Telangana's TRS government over the alleged data theft case, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said there was no protection to data assets in Hyderabad. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president said the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government with its "childish" acts was damaging the brand image of Hyderabad. "In such a situation who will store data in Hyderabad," asked Naidu during a video conference with TDP leaders. He was reacting to a data theft case booked by the Telangana Police against IT Grids, a company engaged by TDP. The Hyderabad-based firm is accused of having access to sensitive data of 3.5 crore voters of Andhra Pradesh and misusing it to help TDP identify 'anti-TDP' voters and delete their names from the electoral rolls. Naidu reiterated that the data pertains to the TDP, and not the government as is being claimed by the Telangana Police. He alleged that TRS had hatched a conspiracy and was stealing the TDP data to help the YSR Congress in the coming elections. Noting that the TDP had built the data over the last 24 years, he said the party would not keep quiet if its data assets were stolen. He alleged that out of sheer arrogance of power, the TRS was crossing all limits to interfere in a matter not related to Telangana. The TRS wanted to see a "feudal kingdom" in Andhra Pradesh and was helping the YSR Congress to realise this, Naidu added. He also said that the names of eligible voters were being deleted from the rolls as some people were misusing Form 7 to submit online applications to further their vested interests. He warned that the government would deal firmly with those indulging in cyber crimes. --IANS ms/in/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The battle for power in Andhra Pradesh is being fought not just in that state but beyond its borders in neighboring Telangana. Ahead of simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh, the two Telugu states are locked in what is being described by many as a "data war'. With the Telangana Police booking a case of data theft against an IT company providing services to Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a war of words has broken out between the two state governments. While police claimed that the Hyderabad-based company misused personal data of Andhra Pradesh citizens to help the TDP identify 'anti-TDP' voters for deletion, the TDP termed it as a conspiracy by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government to help the opposition YSR Congress party. After the TRS' landslide victory in the Telangana Assembly election in December, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had vowed to 'return the gift' to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart, N. Chandrababu Naidu. KCR, as Rao is popularly known, was furious over the TDP chief's campaign in Telangana along with his new ally, the Congress. As the TDP could win just two seats in Telangana and one of the two MLAs recently defected to the TRS, KCR has almost achieved his goal of politically eliminating TDP in Telangana. He, however, wants to settle the scores with Naidu by taking the fight to his home turf. KCR and his son and TRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao had declared that they will visit Andhra Pradesh to campaign against TDP and support main opposition YSR Congress. Just as KCR made Naidu's participation in Telangana poll campaign an issue to play the Telangana sentiment card, there was a possibility of Naidu using KCR's campaign to his advantage by making it an issue of Andhra self-respect. Hinting that they have dropped the plan to campaign in Andhra, Rama Rao last week remarked that Naidu would lose even without their campaigning. He predicted that YSR Congress leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy will become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. This is not the first time that the two state governments are on a collision course. The relations between them were strained ever since formation of Telangana state with the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. The first major showdown was seen in June 2015 when then TDP legislator of Telangana A. Revanth Reddy was caught red-handed offering Rs 50 lakh in cash to nominated legislator Elvis Stephenson belonging to TRS to make him vote for a TDP candidate in the legislative council election. An audio-tape of Naidu's purported telephonic conversation with Stephenson also surfaced. The cash-for-vote scam added to the acrimony between the two governments functioning in Hyderabad. KCR launched a scathing attack on Naidu and accused him of plotting to topple his government. A few weeks later Naidu shifted base to Vijayawada along with the state secretariat, the seat of governance. Though Hyderabad was declared common capital for 10 years, Naidu decided to shift early to oversee construction of the new state capital, Amaravati. KCR later attended the foundation stone laying ceremony of Amaravati and the two Chief Ministers shared the dais on a couple of occasions to express their readiness to work together to resolve outstanding issues. The fresh round of battle began during Telangana elections when Naidu joined hands with the Congress after burying his 35-year-old rivalry with the party. Campaigning aggressively in and around Hyderabad, Naidu recalled the role he played in the city's development as IT hub as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh and tried to woo the voters belonging to Andhra Pradesh but settled in Hyderabad. The case booked against IT Grids Pvt Ltd for illegal access to confidential data relating to 3.5 crore voters of Andhra Pradesh has sparked the latest row with Naidu questioning Telangana's locus standi to book a case in a matter relating to data of other state and Telangana defending the action with the argument that cases are booked where an offence has occurred. (Mohammed Shafeeq can be reached at m.shafeeq@ians.in) --IANS ms/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The opposition's desire to put up a united front against the BJP suffered a blow on Tuesday after the Congress refused to tie up with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi and a miffed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal vowed to defeat the "unholy Congress-BJP alliance". With this, Delhi is set to see a triangular contest for Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats, all of which were won by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014 and where the AAP finished second in all places. The Congress decision, putting to rest all speculation of a possible tie up, was arrived at a meeting of its Delhi unit led by former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had with party President Rahul Gandhi at his residence here. "Congress has unanimously taken a decision that there will be no alliance with AAP. The decision was taken in Rahul Gandhi's presence and it is final," Dikshit said later. While the Delhi unit was firm on not aligning with the AAP from the beginning, the central leadership had been exploring the possibility of an understanding, harping on the need for all opposition parties to put up a united front against the BJP. Besides Rahul Gandhi, Congress in-charge of Delhi P.C. Chacko had been a votary of the tie up and had been trying to get Dikshit on board arguing that an alliance was likely to consolidate the anti-BJP vote. However, according to informed sources, Dikshit stood her ground and was able to convince Gandhi not to go for an understanding with the AAP, claiming that the anti-incumbency against the Kejriwal government will adversely affect the Congress. Dikshit also pointed out that the AAP had already declared candidates for six of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. Among those present at the meeting were Congress Secretary Kuljit Singh Nagra and Delhi unit working Presidents Haroon Yusuf and Rajesh Lilothia and former President Ajay Maken. Maken is known to be bitterly opposed to the AAP. Reacting strongly to the development, Kejriwal accused the Congress of having a "secret understanding" with the BJP. "At a time when the whole country wants to defeat (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi-Amit Shah duo, Congress is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote," said Kejriwal. "Rumours (are) that Congress has some secret understanding with BJP. Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance," he said. Speaking in the same vein, AAP Minister Gopal Rai too accused the Congress of "unofficially helping" the BJP. "Congress has been speaking the language of BJP for some time. AAP feels the way the BJP has helped the Congress win in Punjab, the Congress is unofficially helping the BJP win Delhi now," Rai told the media here. The Congress snub to the AAP is being perceived as a blow to the larger opposition's bid to put up a united front against the BJP and Modi. Even during the February 13 opposition parties' meet in which they had resolved to have a pre-poll pact to defeat the BJP, the Congress had appeared to keep its options open about tying up with the AAP. A day later, Kejriwal claimed that the Congress had almost said 'no' for an alliance with the AAP. At the height of the Modi wave, the BJP got 46 per cent of Lok Sabha votes in Delhi in 2014 while the AAP, which was not in power then, earned nearly 33 per cent. The Congress, despite having ruled Delhi for 15 long years, polled around 15 per cent and did not retain any seat. In the later Assembly elections, the AAP won a staggering 67 of the 70 seats and the BJP picked up the remaining three. The Congress was wiped out. --IANS and/mr/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pakistan government has issued an order to streamline a process for the implementation of sanctions against individuals and entities of all banned outfits as designated by the UN Security Council, the Foreign Office announced. The UN Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019, has been issued in accordance with the provisions of Pakistan's UN Security Council (UNSC) Act, 1948. Interpreting the order, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said it means that the government has taken over the control of all proscribed outfits operating in the country. "(From now onwards), all kinds of assets and properties of all (banned) organisations will be in the government's control," the spokesperson told Dawn news. He added that the government will also seize the charity wings and ambulances of such outfits. "The objective of the (order) is to streamline the procedure for implementation of Security Council Sanctions against designated individuals and entities," Faisal said. Also on Monday, a high-level meeting was held at the Interior Ministry to discuss the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP). The Ministry has directed all provincial governments to "speed up" action against banned organisations. The developments come a day after reports emerged of a decisive crackdown to be imminently launched by the government against extremist and militant organisations in the country, Dawn news said. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government had taken a firm decision that there would be stern action against all militant groups. But he refused to give any timeline for the operation against militant groups. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Punjab's Information Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan of the ruling PTI was sacked on Tuesday over his derogatory remarks against the Hindu community which drew intense criticism from members of his party and social media users. While Dawn News quoted Shahbaz Gill, the spokesperson for Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, as saying that Chohan resigned, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tweeted that he was "removed" and added that "bashing someone's faith should not be a part of any narrative". Chohan's easing out followed reports that Prime Minister Imran Khan had himself taken serious notice of his remarks, although those reports were denied by the party, according to Dawn. At an event in Lahore on February 24, Chohan referred to the Hindu community as "cow urine-drinking people". "We are Muslims and we have a flag, the flag of Maula Ali's bravery, the flag of Hazrat Umar's valour. You (Hindus) don't have that flag, it isn't in your hands," he had said. "Don't operate under the delusion that you're seven times better than us. What we have, you can't have, you idol worshippers," he said. As a video clip of the derisive remarks went viral on Monday, Twitterati on Tuesday using the hashtag "#SackFayazChohan" asked the government to remove him from his post. Following the criticism from the PTI for his insensitivity towards the Hindus, a minority in Pakistan, the Minister apologized and said his comments were directed only at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian media. "I was referring to Narendra Modi, RAW and Indian media," he said on Samaa TV's programme Naya Din on Tuesday. "The remarks weren't meant for any person in Pakistan. My message was for Indians. "I didn't demean any religion. The things I said are a part of Hindutva. I said things that are a part of their religion," he added. Khan termed Chohan's remarks as "inappropriate" and said: "We will not tolerate remarks against any minority community." The Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Political Affairs, Naeemul Haque, in a tweet said the PTI government "will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the government or from anyone". Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal also took to Twitter, saying: "Pakistan proudly owns the white in the flag as much as the green, values contributions of the Hindu community and honours them as our own." Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari on Monday was unequivocal in her condemnation of her fellow PTI member's remarks. "No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country" Finance Minister Asad Umar said: "Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember the flag of Pakistan is not just green... it is not complete without the white which represents the minorities." --IANS soni/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a ban on the airing of Indian content on local television channels. The top court set aside an earlier ruling by the Lahore High Court (LHC) and reinstated a 2016 policy of the federal government banning the transmission of Indian content on local television channels, Geo News reported. A counsel of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) appeared in the apex court as a three-judge bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmad heard the case. "On October 19, 2016, PEMRA imposed a complete ban on airing Indian content on local television channels," the counsel for the regulatory authority said. However, in 2017, the LHC lifted the ban as the federal government had no objections regarding the same, according to the official. Later, PEMRA challenged the High Court's decision in the top court. The authority's counsel also claimed that "Indian content had zero viewership on local television channels". After hearing the PEMRA counsel's arguments, the apex court set aside the LHC order and reinstated the federal government's October 2016 policy as per which Indian content cannot be aired on local television channels Late last month, the LHC was moved to put a complete ban on trade, exhibition and selling of Indian films in Pakistan to reciprocate a ban on Pakistani artists working in Bollywood amid tensions between the two neighbours. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said here on Tuesday that trade and investment is one of the main focuses of his government's foreign policy and he wants to further promote it to attract foreign investment. At a meeting with the Pakistani business community, Khan said that after coming to power last year, his government had overcome the challenge of stabilizing the economy and the next focus was to promote economic growth in the country, reports Xinhua news agency. There was positive vibe regarding improvement of Pakistani economy in the international community, and the positive sentiment was needed to be capitalized for bringing more foreign investment in the country, Khan said. He was addressing a meeting aimed at facilitating business community to strengthen Pakistan's industrial sector. The Prime Minister also said that the government was working on a comprehensive plan to encourage non-tax payers and informal sectors to join the documented economy and sought recommendations from the business community to bring more people under the tax net. Participants from the business community expressed confidence in the policies of the government and the steps being taken to reduce the cost of doing business in the country. --IANS mr/soni (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Polish President Andrzej Duda and Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak have kick-started a series of events marking the 20th anniversary of Poland's NATO membership. "It's a great joy to be a part of this most important military alliance in the world and at the same time part of the free world," Duda said on Monday in the city of Zagan, where he visited Polish and American troops located in the country, Xinhua reported. Poland officially joined NATO in 1999. In 2016, during a NATO summit in Warsaw, it was decided that NATO troops as well as command structures of both NATO and the US army would be located in Poland. The Polish military is an important contributor to NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) on the eastern and southern flank and to NATO's tailored Forward Presence (tFP). Poland plays a special role in the eFP initiative: it is one of the host countries, it delegates troops to one of the eFP groups, and it hosts a multinational division headquarters in the city of Elblag, which has the task of coordinating the activities of all eFP groups. --IANS pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Congress President Rahul Gandhi extended support to Dalit and tribal groups observing a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday demanding the Modi government to promulgate an ordinances to provide forest rights to tribals and job security for ad-hoc teachers. In a tweet, Gandhi blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his "false promises" for putting Dalits and tribals in distress and compelling them to hit the streets in protest. "Our tribal and Dalit brothers and sisters are in distress. There have been constant attacks on their rights to forest and life. They are in distress as their rights to forests are being snatched and Constitutional provisions of reservations tampered with," said Gandhi. Supported by several opposition parties including the Left, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress, the Dalits and tribals protested against the University Grants Commission's new 13-point roster system that will reduce jobs for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes. Gandhi in February wrote to Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar urging him to restore the "200-point roster system" of reservation mechanism for faculties in universities. Under the new 13-point roster system, each department is taken as a unit for implementing recruitment and reservation policy for teachers. Under the earlier system, the entire university was taken as a unit for reservation and recruitment. The organisations are also demanding an ordinance over the now stayed Supreme Court order directing eviction of more than 10 lakh families of Adivasis and other forest dwellers from forest lands across 16 states. The apex court on February 13 had ordered eviction of tribals in unauthorized possession of forest land but on February 28 put the order on hold. --IANS and/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday urged Lt Governor Anil Baijal to "rise above narrow politics" and do justice to students and Guest Teachers of the city's government schools. "It is with deep anguish that I write to you as your inaction has not only brought thousands of Guest Teachers to the streets but also the entire Government School system on a verge of collapse," he said. Sisodia said the matter of appointment of teachers, hiring new permanent or Guest Teachers, creating new posts, continuing or discontinuing the services of guest or contract teachers are been taken by the Central Government in the name of Service matter. "As Minister of Delhi, the students and teachers look towards me for effective functioning of the school system. But it is unfortunate that in last two years, you have not considered even once to discuss the issues concerning the Guest Teachers with me. "Your lack of owning up the responsibility is not only impacting the of lakhs of children in the schools of Delhi Government but also the life, livelihood and dignity of thousands of Guest Teachers." He said 22,000 Guest Teachers, who are on the streets now, constitute 38 per cent of all teachers currently posted in the schools of Delhi government. Since March 1, 2019, the schools are functioning without the services of these teachers at a time when annual exams are going on in the schools including the board exams of Class 10 and 12, he added. "This is the month when apart from exams, teachers are required to check the answer sheets, prepare results, share it with students and their parents and get ready for the next academic session starting from April 1. And you expect that the remaining 62 per cent teachers would be able to do it on their own." Guest Teachers are those who have been working on contract and are not permanent employees. The Delhi government wants to continue with their services. Sisodia said that from April 1, the new Academic Session will commence and without these Guest Teachers the schools will not be able to meet the educational requirement of its about 15 lakh children. He also informed the LG that these 22,000 Guest teachers were inducted following an open and transparent process in accordance with the provision of the Constitution of India. "The Directorate of Education has been availing their services continuously over the last so many years. The government has also invested in strengthening their capacities by involving them in regular training. Their qualification and experience is an asset to our students and it is with their support that the schools of Delhi have been performing better than the private schools for last few years. "But when it comes to treating them with dignity and giving them their dues, they are ignored and left to fend for themselves." He added: "I urge you to rise above narrow politics and do justice to students and teachers." --IANS nks/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Tuesday formally announced their alliance for the Lok Sabha election, with the RLD getting three seats to contest in western Uttar Pradesh. The SP, which has already sewed up an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has left three seats for the RLD, headed by former Union Minister Ajit Singh. The RLD's primary support base is known to exist in the Jat community. Ajit Singh's son Jayant Chowdhary told the media at the SP headquarters here that his party will ensure that voters rally behind the SP-BSP-RLD alliance across the state. "We will focus on all the 80 seats," he added. Asked if there was a rethink on including the Congress in the 'Mahagathbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh, SP chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said the issue did not hold any water as the party was already a part of their alliance. "We have left two seats - Amethi and Rae Bareli - for the Congress. Thus they are a part of our alliance and I have been saying this all the time," he said. Asked if he would change his allies after the election, Jayant Chowdhary answered in the negative. He said this question should be put to the BJP. "I am happy to be associated with the SP as here I find the freedom to express myself," he said. The SP will contest 37 seats, the BSP 38, the RLD three while two seats have been left for the Congress, making it a total of 80 Lok Sabha seats. --IANS md/mr/nir/pg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pakistan Supreme Court has rejected a request moved on behalf of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for an early hearing of his appeal against last month's Islamabad High Court (IHC) order of turning down his plea seeking bail on medical grounds in a corruption case. Sharif was on December 24, 2018, sentenced to seven years in prison by an anti-corruption court in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case for owning a steel factory abroad without disclosing its ownership. On March 1, senior counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed had filed the appeal before the Supreme Court on behalf of Sharif, asking the apex court to grant him bail after suspending the execution of the December 24, 2018 sentence, reports Dawn news. But the Supreme Court registrar office on Monday returned the application for early hearing on the grounds that no special treatment could be accorded and the routine procedure would be followed to take up the matter. In his appeal, Sharif argues that he retains the right to have his medical treatment conducted by the practitioner of his own choice despite his conviction and consequent imprisonment in jail. The IHC in its February 25 order had held that none of the medical reports about Sharif's condition suggested that his continued incarceration would in any way be detrimental to his life, adding he had been hospitalised time and again since January whenever he made complaints about his indisposition. But Sharif's appeal contended that the IHC order was in violation of his fundamental right to life. The anti-corruption court judge had last year imposed hefty fines on Sharif after ruling that Al-Azizia Steel Mills -- a Saudi Arabian firm carrying the name of his son -- belonged to the three-time Premier and that he was unable to demonstrate how the project was funded. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Swedish music streaming platform Spotify, which made its debut in India last week, has garnered over one million users, the company said on Tuesday. "One week since its launch, Spotify now has more than one million Indian users, across both its Free and Premium tiers," a company spokesperson told IANS. Throwing a big competition to music streaming services like Gaana, Saavn, Apple Music and Amazon Music, Spotify arrived in India last week with all-new features, including for regional music. Spotify is offering more than four crore songs and 300 crore playlists for music fans in the country. It had briefly hit a hurdle when the music label, WMG, filed for an injunction in the Bombay High Court over licensing rights. The Spotify app -- now available on mobile, desktop and tablet -- is free to download and users need to spend Rs 119 a month to upgrade to Spotify Premium. Spotify's music recommendation engine can be tuned to Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu For the first time on Spotify Free, smartphone users in India can play every song on demand. --IANS na/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A factory producing spurious Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) in dry Manipur's Thoubal district was busted and a woman, alleged to be the kingpin of the racket, arrested, police said on Tuesday. Superintendent of Police S. Ibomcha said the woman was identified as Rosy Changamayum, 25. In the raid on Monday night, police said that over 1,600 bottles of spurious Old Monk rum, some empty liquor bottles, many ingredients - some of which are yet to be identified - and other material were seized. An FIR was registered on Tuesday and the seized materials handed over to the Food Safety Standard and Enforcement Wing for identification. The raid came after some persons had recently died after consuming spurious liquor. Though there have been reports of manufacturing spurious IMFL, this is for the first time that an illegal factory was busted and any accused arrested. The Manipur government had declared the state dry in 1990, while the outlawed Revolutionary People's Front had imposed total prohibition in Manipur from January 1, 1991. From this day, all 64 liquor shops and three bonded warehouses were closed. Those roadside shop owners who continued sell liquor were punished by the insurgents, usually being shot in the knee. Ibomcha said that such raids shall continue since there are bootleggers everywhere selling country liquor and IMFL in Thoubal district. Police say that a huge number of IMFL bottles are also brought to the state daily basis from neighbouring Assam and Meghalaya where there are many licenced foreign liquor shops. --IANS il/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Sri Lankan Police on Tuesday recovered a "rare" diamond worth an estimated $27 million from a suspect who had allegedly stolen it from a gem merchant in Pannipitiya, on the outskirts of Colombo in 2018. The suspect was caught from Panadura town with the diamond and other precious gem stones in his possession, Xinhua news agency reported. A police spokesperson told the news agency that the diamond was stolen in November when a group of thieves, disguised as police officers, forcibly entered the residence of a gem merchant under the instructions of a drug kingpin. Further investigations were ongoing to arrest the remaining perpetrators, officials said. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Telangana Police on Tuesday intensified investigations into data theft allegations against IT Grids India Pvt Ltd, with four teams on the lookout for its Chief Executive Officer D. Ashok. Cyberabad police officers investigating the case conducted further searches at the office of the IT firm in Madhapur, the IT hub here. Police sources said Ashok, the main suspect, is suspected to be in Andhra Pradesh. Cyberabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar's had asked Ashok on Monday to surrender along with the data and other material. However, he did not appear before the investigators. A case against IT Grids, which provides IT services to Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), was filed on March 2 at Madhapur police station following a complaint by whistleblower T. Lokeswara Reddy. The complainant alleged that the company used confidential data for 'Sevamitra', an app for TDP cadres for voter profiling, so that 'anti-TDP' voters can be deleted from voter list. Sajjanar said they were investigating how the company got illegal access to private data of citizens of Andhra Pradesh. Police had seized electronic gadgets, hard discs, mobile phones, documents and other material from their office. A notice has been issued to Amazon Web Services for production of database relating to application and other data. "We are also writing to UIDAI and Election Commission for more details," the police officer said. Meanwhile, the two states continue to spar over the case. TDP and Telangana's ruling party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) traded allegations against each other. The TDP government argued that Telangana Police have no power to investigate a case relating to Andhra Pradesh data while TRS defended the action against IT Grids saying the complaint was lodged in Hyderabad and the company was also based in the city. TRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao on Tuesday took to Twitter to launch a fresh attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. "As per reports, there is enough evidence that a private organisation got hold of confidential data of 3.5 crore AP citizens without any consent of citizens. Is that why AP CM is getting jittery when Telangana Police are investigating the data theft case?," asked Rama Rao. "By obstructing Telangana Police and filing false petitions in courts, AP CM is only indirectly confirming his role in leaking personal information of crores of AP citizens to a private organisation," said the TRS leader. --IANS ms/pg/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian member of the terror group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) was arrested in Tripura on Tuesday, a top police official said. "Nazir Shaikh, 25, was arrested in western Tripura. He is involved in many terror activities in both Bangladesh and India," Director General of Police Akhil Kumar Shukla told the media. Shaikh, a resident of West Bengal's Murshidabad district and expert in making IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), would be produced in court on Wednesday. Shukla said that the National Investigation Agency would also be informed of the arrest. He said that top police and intelligence officials are now interrogating Shaikh but refused to reveal other details in the interest of the investigation. Shukla said that the JMB, banned in both Bangladesh and India, conducted simultaneous explosion in 63 districts in Bangladesh in 2005. "Nazir Shaikh was involved in the blasts in Bodh Gaya in January last year. He is involved in various terror activities in India. We would try to find out all possible angles about Shaikh's arrival in Tripura ahead of the Lok Sabha elections," he said. At the time of the explosion at Bodh Gaya, Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, along with several Buddhist pilgrims, was camping to participate in the month-long Kalachakra puja. The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police had arrested a few JMB terrorists and collaborators in West Bengal during the past few years. --IANS sc/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China-US economic and trade consultations demand joint efforts by both sides, Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan said on Tuesday. "In the economic and trade talks, both sides should make joint efforts to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries," Zhong said at a "passage interview" for ministers after the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's national legislature. The consultations followed the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, which were agreed by the leaders of both sides, he was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. The 90 days of consultations achieved important progress, with breakthroughs made in some fields, which should be cherished, Zhong said. US President Donald Trump had last month expressed optimism about the prospects for a trade agreement with China after he delayed a scheduled increase in tariffs on Chinese imports. Trump said he was delaying an increase from 10 per cent to 25 per cent in the tariffs his administration levied earlier on roughly $200 million in Chinese products. The hike was set to take effect from March 1. He added that plans were underway for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping where he expected to formalize a trade pact. The US sold $130 billion in goods and services to China in 2017, while US imports from the Asian giant totalled $506 billion. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hundreds of Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and tribal outfits halted rail and road traffic across Bihar on Tuesday as they joined a nation-wide call for shutdown demanding the Centre to promulgate ordinances to secure forest rights to Advasis, job security for ad hoc teachers and protest the anti-reservation policy of the central government. The protesters stopped over a dozen long-route trains in Ara, Jehanabad, Patna, Darbganga, Bhagalpur, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, and Begusarai railway stations. Various important arterial roads were blocked as the groups protested against University Grants Commission's new 13-point roster system that will reduce jobs for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes. The tribals were protesting a Supreme Court order evicting more than 10 lakh families of Adivasis and other forest-dwellers from forest lands across 16 states. The shutdown is supported by the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, Hindustani Awam Morcha, Left parties and other opposition members. "The state administration has made elaborate security arrangements in view of the shutdown," said a senior government official. --IANS ik/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Downplaying the likely effects of the US withdrawal of benefits for Indian exports under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme, Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan has said the decision will not have any major impact on overall Indian exports to the US as the concessions availed under the scheme were "minimal". Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Wadhawan said: "Total GSP benefits availed by India under the GSP programme were to the tune of $190 million on a trade $5.6 billion. So, the benefits both in an absolute sense, and as a percentage of the trade involved, are very minimal and moderate." US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he was ending India's trade concessions under the GSP programme accusing New Delhi of not providing Washington "equitable and reasonable access" to its markets. Trump, who is on a mission to expand market access abroad and end US trade deficits, made the announcement in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence in his capacity as the Senate President. The US Trade Representative's Office (USTR) said that the preferences will end in 60 days after the notification to the Congress and the Indian government. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) sources said the government will continue to talk to the US during the 60-day period. They said that efforts were being made to find a reasonable package and said the problem was not systemic. Noting that there were a number of areas where India was willing to show flexibility, they said that it did not meet the US requirement. There were genuine cultural concerns such as in case of dairy products, they said, adding that it was second year when US imports have grown. The Commerce Secretary also said the US went ahead with the withdrawal of benefits despite the Indian government working out on an "extensive, reasonable, meaningful package which covered almost all the US concerns". "Of course there were some additional requests beyond that, which could not be accepted at this time," he said. --IANS rrb-ps/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A US judge has rejected a request that he should speed up consideration of a lawsuit filed on behalf of an American-born woman who joined the Islamic State (IS) terror group in 2014 and is now stranded in a refugee camp in Syria with her son. On Monday, Judge Reggie Walton of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, also suggested that he took a positive view of legal arguments that Hoda Muthana may be an American citizen, contrary to the government's declaration that she wasn't one, The New York Times reported. At age 19, Muthana travelled to Syria to join the IS. Five years later, Muthana has now said that she regrets what she did and wants to return to the US. In response, President Donald Trump's administration said she was not a citizen and would not be allowed back. The State Department had cancelled her passport in 2016 under former President Barack Obama's administration. Last month, Muthana's father Ahmed Ali Muthana, a former diplomat from Yemen, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to prevent what he called an "unlawful attempt" by the US government to rescind his daughter's citizenship. Following Monday's ruling, Charlie Swift, a lawyer hired by Ahmed Ali Muthana, said that Hoda Muthana and her 18-month-old son were in danger because IS members now see her as a heretic. He said that Trump's intention to withdraw troops from Syria means the window of opportunity for the American government to get her out may be closing. He emphasised that she would likely be prosecuted if she returns. Last month, Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama, said Hoda Muthana should return to the US and be prosecuted. Americans who joined the IS or were arrested as they tried to travel to Syria, have been routinely charged and convicted of providing material support to terrorism. --IANS ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eight Islamic State (IS) militants have been killed in an international coalition airstrike in Iraq, officials said. In coordination with Iraq's joint operations command, US-led coalition fighter jets pounded an IS hideout in the desert of Kubeisa in Anbar province, Iraq's Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Monday. According to the statement, a total of eight IS militants were killed in the airstrike and their hideout was destroyed, along with destroying explosive belts and homemade bombs, Xinhua news agency reported. The US-led international coalition was formed to support the Iraqi forces in its war against the extremist militant group after the latter took control of large swathes of territories in northern and western Iraq in June 2014. --IANS rs/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The argument continues... If you thought the battle over rasogollais over, think again. More than a year after the sweet got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag of Banglar Rasogolla, the Odisha Small Industries Corporation (OSIC) has filed a rectification petition demanding that the GI tag of the sweet be changed to Jagannath Rasgulla. The GI registry is set to hear the issue in April and has asked the OSIC to submit documents to support its claims in two months. If it fails to do so, the rectification petition will be dismissed. West Bengal and Odisha have been ... Pune resident Vandana Saxena Poria was supposed to fly from Mumbai to Bangkok on Tuesday, with a connecting flight to Australia. The Mumbai-Bangkok flight was on an Indian carrier, which sent a message to Poria that her flight had been cancelled. She called up the airline but couldnt speak to an executive despite being put on hold for 60 minutes. She reached out to the online travel agent, and the international airway that would take her from Bangkok to Australia. Both washed their hands off with the plea that it was the Indian carriers responsibility. Eventually, she got ... Two local militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen have been killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said Tuesday. An anti-insurgency operation was launched in the Tral area of Pulwama on Monday night following a brief exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces, a police spokesperson said. The official said in the ensuing gun battle that lasted nearly 12 hours, two local militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit were killed. "The slain ultras have been identified as Adfar Fayaz Parray, resident of Gulshanpora in Tral, and Irfan Ahmad Rather, resident of Shariefabad in Tral," he said. The spokesperson said arms, ammunition and other incriminating materials were recovered from the encounter site. He said a civilian, identified as Farooq Ahmad Malik, was hit by a stray bullet some distance from the encounter site, and added that Malik was undergoing treatment and his condition was stable. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The two alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad militants arrested from Deoband in Saharanpur last month have confessed to recruiting several youths in their terror outfit, said ATS officials Tuesday. The duo, Kulgam resident Shahnawaz Teli and Aquib Ahmad Malik from Pulwama made this confession during their custodial interrogation by Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad sleuths, they said. The two were remanded in judicial custody Tuesday by an an anti-terror court here and sent to Lucknow jail at the end of their police custody, they said. During investigation, the ATS found evidence of their links with several dreaded terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen, sources said. During the probe, it was also revealed that a dreaded JeM militant often visited them in Deoband, the sources said. Important information about their activities was found through data extraction of their Whatsapp group chat, the ATS sources said, adding the sleuths are examining the antecedents of some persons whose names cropped up as duo's contacts during probe. The sources said the ATS would get in touch with the youths who had been contacted by the duo for recruitment as JeM militants and take further actions as per law. When arrested, Teli and Malik, both in their early twenties, were residing in Deoband posing as students without taking admission. ATS had been tipped off about them by an alert student after which they were put under surveillance and later arrested, sources said. The two were found in possession of a .32 bore pistol with some live cartridges, besides several incriminating documents, including 'jehadi' chats, videos and photos, at the time of their arrest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Twenty one years after four nuns were raped by 26 persons in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh, a 45-year-old absconding accused in the case has been nabbed, police said Tuesday. Kalu Limji was arrested from Aamba village in the district Monday, a police official said. In September 1998, the accused, mostly tribals, raped the nuns at the Priti Sharan Mission at Naupara village in the predominantly tribal district. Nauapara is 25 km from the district headquarters. Of the 26 accused, 24 were arrested immediately after the incident, police said. Nine were awarded life imprisonment by a local court, while 13 others were acquitted. Limji was one of the two absconding accused and was arrested at Aamba village under Kalidevi police station after a tip-off," Jhabua district Superintendent of Police Vineet Jain told reporters. Limji earlier worked as a labourer in neighbouring Gujarat, the police official said. Police personnel in plain clothes posed as district level officers and after reaching the village began enquiring about the number of 'pucca' houses there and if there was a toilet facility in each house, Jain said. "When Limji arrived there on a motorcycle, someone called him to ask if he wanted to become beneficiary of the government scheme. As soon as he came there, police arrested him," he said. The other accused Bachchu is still absconding, he added. The nuns - three of them were aged between 20 and 25 while the fourth was over 30 - had come from Tamil Nadu to set up Priti Sharan and had made the village their home. The then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, who visited Jhabua soon after the incident, had insinuated that the gang-rape was a conspiracy by Hindu organisations against the minority Christian community. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three drug peddlers were arrested within two days and 1.2 kg of cannabis was recovered from them, the Ghaziabad Police said on Tuesday. Superintendent of Police (Rural) Neeraj Kumar Jadoun said during routine checking on Loni border on Tuesday, a motorcycle was intercepted at Indrapuri chowk. The the riders were frisked and 1.2 kg cannabis along with a country made pistol was recovered from their possession, the officer said. Both Arif and Asif were arrested and booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he added. Two days ago, another peddler-- Sumit alias Rinku was nabbed by the Masuri town police near Dasna peripheral expressway flyover and one kg cannabis was recovered from him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Police's crime branch has arrested four foreign nationals, including two Nigerians, from Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida area for allegedly cheating people by posting fake matrimonial profiles, officials said. Raymond (28) and Melody (21) from Nigeria, and Kareem Ridwan (27) and Osas Clifford (28) have been arrested. They were staying at Greater Noida, police said. The arrests were made following a complaint from a woman in Pune. The woman said she came across the matrimonial profile of Tiwari Pandit on a site and they started speaking to each other, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Cyber, Anyesh Roy, said. Police said after gaining her trust, Pandit told her that he lived abroad and he would send his bag to her which he would collect later, police said. Later, she got a call from a woman, who claimed to be from the Customs and Excise Department. The caller asked her to deposit Rs 24,000 in a bank account for clearance of the luggage, which she did, Roy said. However, when more money was asked from her, she got suspicious and lodged a complaint. She realised that she was duped, the officer said During investigation, police got a tip-off that the accused persons would be present at a flat in Greater Noida to meet their accomplices, Roy said. Police raided the flat and apprehended two brothers Raymond and Melody, Roy said, adding later, two more accused persons were also arrested from Greater Noida. Three laptops and 11 mobile phones were recovered from their possession, police said. It was also found that they were in possession of expired visas and two fake passports. During interrogation, the accused persons disclosed that they got the idea to fool people from the webistes and social media, the DCP said. They used to make fake profiles on matrimonial sites by collecting information and photos from Facebook and Instagram. Then they cheated people by posting fake profiles, Roy said. Raymond and Melody came to India from Nigeria and were doing some garment export work. They could not pursue their work due to financial crisis and later started duping people through various web portals, Roy added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five banks, including ICICI, Yes Bank and Canara Bank, on Tuesday faced a total penalty of Rs 10 crore from the Reserve Bank for non-compliance with various directions. Bank of Baroda, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank and Canara Bank have been penalised by the central bank for not complying with directions on global transaction messaging software Swift, according to regulatory filings by the lenders. Allahabad Bank was fined for non-compliance of directions with regard to Nostro accounts. A Nostro account is an account that a bank holds in a foreign currency in another bank. According to the regulatory filings, state-owned lender Bank of Baroda was fined Rs 4 crore, while Canara Bank and Allahabad Bank faced a fine of Rs 2 crore each. The amount of penalty is not material considering the size of the bank, and necessary measures for compliance with the said RBI directions have been taken, Allahabad Bank said in its regulatory filing. ICICI Bank was slapped with a fine of Rs 1 crore for delay in compliance with directions related to Swift, the lender informed the bourses. Yes Bank in a BSE filing said that a penalty of Rs 1 crore was imposed on it by RBI for non-compliance to directions on Swift. The RBI has directed lenders to strictly adhere to directions on the Swift system as Punjab National Bank was hit a massive Rs 14,000 crore fraud due to the misuse of the technology platform. On Monday, six public and private sectors lenders were penalised with a collective fine of Rs 17 crore for delay in implementation of directions with regard to Swift operations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sixty of the 277 vehicles gutted in a fire at the Aero India event at the Yelahanka Air Force station on the penultimate day of the air show on February 23 were beyond recognition, Home Minister M B Patil said Tuesday. The Minister said he had askedofficials to clear the insurance settlement amount to those affected at the earliest, as a measure of some relief to them. He said a total of 277 vehicles were affected in the incident, of which 251 were completely burnt and 26, partially burnt. "Out of the 251 completely burnt, 60 are beyond recognition, with no engine or chassis number," Patil said. Speaking to reporters here, he said the government wanted the settlement to be paid at the earliest. "It was an unfortunate incident. At least if we settle their insurance amount, there will be some kind of relief. We will have to do this as our duty. Patil said he would be reviewing the insurance settlement and the 251 completely gutted vehicles would get 100 per cent insurance. The government would look into it case by case and try to provide assistance to cab drivers, if a cab drivers if any among affected had no insurance, on humanitarian grounds, as their life will be dependent on those vehicles. A major fire broke out at the parking area of the Aero India event at Yelahanka Air Force station on the penultimate day of the air show on February 23, gutting about 277 vehicles, mostly cars. No casualties were reported in the incident and the parking area was far away from the air force station. A help desk was set up by the state government under DCP (Law and Order) to help those who had lost their vehicles in the fire to get certificates for facilitating insurance claim. "Investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Defence Ministry, as it took place under their limits," Patil said. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the fire. Officials had earlier said the probable cause of the mishap was fire from an overheated silencer of one of the parked cars, which,accentuated by strong winds,spread quickly. Patil said the Oriental Insurance Company had settled insurance amounts of 10 of the 11 affected vehicles that were insured with them and handed over cheques to some vehicle owners. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Tuesday alleged that names of eight lakh TDP voters have been deleted from the electoral rolls even as the ruling party and the main opposition YSR Congress engaged in a virtual war of words over the contentious issue. State Chief Electoral Officer Gopala Krishna Dwivedi, however, maintained that they had permitted the authorities concerned to delete only 40,000 voters in 74 assembly constituencies and only 10,000 have been deleted so far. The Chief Minister said in a tweet: "A person from Bihar is acting as consultant for the YSRCP. Eight lakh TDP votes have been removed. They used Form-7 for the purpose. Looks like they may even remove my vote tomorrow." CEO Dwivedi, however, said six lakh applications in Form-7 seeking deletion of voters have to be examined. "We have received bogus applications but voters have not been deleted. Voters need not panic based on rumours. The Election Commission so far permitted removal of only 40,000 votes," Dwivedi said. He said several duplicate votes and names of deceased people were found in the electoral rolls and were accordingly removed. Addressing a party rally in Nellore this evening, the YSRC chief said they had been requesting the Election Commission to remove bogus voters from the electoral rolls and include genuine ones. "But Chandrababu is finding fault with us for this, whereas he is resorting to devious things like enrolment of bogus voters and deletion of genuine ones," Jagan said. The slugfest between the Telegu Desam Party and YSRC continued in the backdrop of a case filed in Hyderabad over alleged theft of sensitive government data, including the electoral rolls, through a private IT firm. The IT firm is engaged in providing various technological services to the TDP, including creation of a mobile application SevaMitra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eight trains were cancelled and 24 were diverted on Tuesday as farmers continued their protest on the Amritsar-Delhi rail track in Jandiala here. A large number of farmers, under the banner of Kisaan Majdoor Sangharsh Committee, resorted to blockade of rail track on March 4 in support of their several demands, including full loan waiver, stopping auction of land and arrest of farmers, payment of sugarcane crop with 15 per cent interest. The protest was being led by committee president Satnam Singh Pannu at Devidaspura, around 22 kilometers from Amritsar. Pannu alleged that farmers were being harassed and humiliated by banks and other financial institutions for their failure to repay loans. He claimed that the farmers were not being paid sufficient dues of their yield. The protest led to termination of eight trains, including New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express, and diversions of 24 trains, officials said. Nearly six trains which were scheduled to depart from Amritsar now would depart from Beas, Ludhiana, Phagwara and Umbala, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday claimed there are "rumours" that the Congress has a "secret understanding" with the BJP and asserted that his Aam Aadmi Party is ready to fight the "unholy alliance". Kejriwal's comments came in response to the Congress' announcement that it will not form an alliance with the AAP in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi-Shah duo, Cong is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote. Rumours r that Cong has some secret understanding wid BJP," he tweeted. "Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance," he added. Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit announced on Tuesday that they will not form an alliance with AAP in the national capital for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "A unanimous decision has been taken that there will be no alliance in Delhi," Dikshit said. The announcement by the former Delhi chief minister came following a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on Tuesday protested in Delhi University's north campus, accusing DU's vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi of avoiding meeting the elected student representatives. The RSS-affiliated outfit said Delhi University Students' Union office-bearers have been trying to get an appointment with Tyagi over issues such as "one course, one fee" for post-graduate courses, centralised entry to hostels and accessibility in campus for specially-abled students. DUSU president Shakti Singh said, "The vice-chancellor has to end this dictatorial attitude of not listening to the problems of students. It is very unfortunate the way the problems of students are not being paid heed to." The ABVP members took out a march from the Arts Faculty to the Vishwavidyalaya metro station against the vice-chancellor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday congratulated ministers, officials and sanitation workers for making the Kumbh Mela -- the world's largest gathering of religious pilgrims -- a successful event. The chief minister also announced an award -- Kumbh Seva Medal -- for security personnel deployed at the event which was held here from January 14 to March 4. "More than 24 crore people have taken the holy dip in the Sangam till now. The Kumbh held at Prayagraj (the new name for Allahabad) will always be remembered for many reasons across the globe, especially for innovations used for cleanliness," Adityanath said. He said this was the first time that event had a logo with a tagline -- Sarvasiddhiprad Kumbh. Moreover, for the first time, "over 6,000 organisations participated in the Kumbh Mela", the chief minister said. He said to honour the tradition and culture of India, representatives of 193 countries attended the event. The chief minister said that "a lot more things have happened in this Kumbh Mela for the first time like more than 3,000 Non Resident Indians took the holy dip in Sangam." Devotees also got an opportunity for the first time to see the Akshay Vat after 450 years, he said Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Adityanath said that under his guidance the Kumbh Mela has made its presence felt globally. "For the first time, with the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UNESCO recognised Kumbh as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity," he said. Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik also spoke on this occasion, and congratulated the chief minister for the successful Kumbh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Christian Michel, arrested in the Rs 3,600-crore chopper deal, alleged before a on Tuesday that CBI had asked him in to implicate certain persons in the case, failing which he would face problems in jail. The threat to him was given before he was extradited to New Delhi, he said. Michel made the allegations through his lawyer before the court while opposing Tihar Jail authorities' move to shift him to a high security cell in isolation. The Tihar jail authorities submitted that there was threat perception against Michel after the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed by Jaish-e-Muhammed outfit in a suicide attack. Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed the jail superintendent to shift Michel, who is currently lodged in jail number 2, to some other cell in the jail. Michel was arrested by the on December 22 after his extradition from CBI's special public prosecutor, D P Singh, denied the allegations, saying the submissions were "farther from the truth". During the hearing, Michel's lawyer Aljo K Joseph said, "CBI officials met him in and he was told that if he does not name certain persons in the case and give desired confessions, he will face problem in the jail. That's what going on. In the name of security, he is being isolated and his freedom is further going to be curtailed." The CBI, however, denied the allegation. "These allegations are farther from the truth. Everyday they are making new allegations. They only want to scandalised the things. They have also made false and frivolous allegations like he had to go for open defecation which are false and giving bad name to the country. They have made a joke of this court. "The foreigners who are to come from outside the country, are taking these grounds that facilities in Indian jails are not good enough. Trying to scandalised the court by allegations of open defecation etc.," the CBI counsel told the court. In his submissions, jail superintendent Joginder S Sehrawat told the court that the accused was in a high security cell and the facilities were the best. "He can be shifted to some other ward if he want, but those are already overcrowded. There was threat apprehension after Pulwama attack. Foreigners were given special care so that no harm is caused to them," he said, adding that the accused was 'high profile'. He also submitted that jail numbers 1, 3 and 4 were also high security jails and they were for undertrials while jail number 2 was for convicts. After recording the submissions, the court said, "Shift him in 1, 3 or 4 jail number. All the facilities provided to other jail prisoners be provided to him. If he is kept in high security, there should be some reasoning." "Jail authorities shall make necessary assessment regarding any threat to the accused and shall take decision accordingly to keep him in a suitable cell," the court said. The court had on February 28 lashed out at the jail authorities for failing to justify shifting of Michel to a high security cell in isolation, saying it will start an inquiry if it did not get a proper response. It said the accused had been lodged in jail for over 70 days and what had happened suddenly due to which he was shifted to the high security ward. Michel had moved the plea claiming that he has been kept in solitary confinement in the prison and was not allowed to interact with co-prisoners. The plea had sought direction to the authorities to treat Michel at par with other inmates and provide basic facilities during his judicial custody and to shift him from high security prison to a normal cell. It said when Michel asked for reasons for his "solitary confinement", the jail authorities told him it was the "decision from the top" and there was "serious threat" to his life. On January 5, he was sent to judicial custody in connection with a money-laundering case being probed by Later, he was arrested by the CBI and is lodged in judicial custody in a CBI case related to the chopper deal scam. Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the scam by and the The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. Air Marshal P P Bapat visited the Air Force Administrative College (AFAC) here and reviewed upcoming infrastructure projects. Bapat, who is the Air Officer-in-charge (Administration), Air Headquarters in New Delhi and the Commodore Commandant of the college, was here on a two-day visit which concluded Tuesday, an official release said. He visited important areas of training, including the air force school, and interacted with the staff. The Air Marshal reviewed the upcoming infrastructural projects and showed interest in the history of the AFAC while going around its museum and the historical cell, the release said. On his arrival at the AFAC Monday, the air marshal was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour, it added. According to the IAF, the aim of the college is to impart advanced training to the officers in various branches of the IAF and perfect their knowledge and skill so as to enable them handle their duties independently in their respective branches. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has collaborated with Zoom Video Communications to launch unified communications solution for businesses. The collaboration aims to offer businesses "enhanced agility with ability to connect employees over video, audio and web over range of devices from any location across the world", Airtel said in a statement. "Bharti Airtel has teamed up with Zoom Video Communications, Inc., a modern enterprise video-first unified communications service, to launch India's first high-quality unified communications service offering, an integrated and secure platform for high-definition (HD) audio, video and web conferencing," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India will have "all options" available in case there is another cross-border terror attack, government sources asserted on Tuesday while maintaining that New Delhi's counter-terror strikes in Balakot were intended to demonstrate the "capacity and will" to act against terror network in Pakistan. They said the action against the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot was "over" and emphasised that India's aim is to force Pakistan to take "demonstrable" action against terror groups operating from their soil. The highly-placed sources, however, refused to give number of human casualties in the air strikes by IAF jets last week even though there has been a raging debate on the issue. Briefing reporters last week on the Balakot strike, the External Affairs Ministry had said "a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated", while the government sources said 350 terrorists were killed. Later, BJP president Amit Shah put the toll at 250. Amidst media reports suggesting minimal damage during these air strikes, opposition parties have been clamouring for clarity. Sources said India has shared with the US the evidence of use of F16 fighter jet by Pakistan during retaliatory aerial combat a day after the Balakot strike and was confident that the US is investigating the matter. "Our efforts in the coming days will be to see that there is demonstrable action on the part of Pakistan to deal with terror infrastructure there. If this a 'naya' Pakistan with a 'naya soch' (new thought process), we expect to see 'naya' action on the ground. Not simply words", a top government source said, referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's much publicised 'Naya Pakistan' slogan. The source said the Pakistani government's objective, at the moment, is simply to pretend to the international community that it is taking steps. "We will not allow them to do this. Our effort and focus is to reach out to all members of the UN Security Council to explain to Pakistan's ploy", the source added. Sources also observed that Pakistan has gone to all countries seeking mediation to defuse the standoff with India but no country has heeded to their request. A number of world leaders have spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the assessment is that there is "solid support and understanding" of India's position, sources said, adding sufficient pressure was put on Islamabad to release Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman immediately. "No country has offered any mediation in the matter. We have made it clear that this is not an India-Pakistan issue. This is an issue of terrorism," said a source. Sources also dubbed as a "total lie" the Pakistan's claim that it has shot down an Indian Sukhoi 30 fighter jet during the aerial dogfight on February 27. They said India believes Islamabad's strategy is to keep its public in a heightened state of fear so that they do not ask awkward questions. On reports in Pakistan about minimal impact of India's strike on JeM camp in Balakot, sources said if there is no damage then why Pakistani media is not being taken to the site of the operation. Referring to the interviews given by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to CNN and the BBC, sources said it has emerged from these interactions that there are people in Pakistani government who not only know where UN-proscribed JeM chief Masood Azhar is, but are also in touch with him. In one of the interviews, the journalist described Azhar as the chief of the JeM and there was no denial to this by the Pakistan foreign minister which is significant from the point of view of efforts to list him as global terrorists by the UN, sources added. Earlier, Islamabad had suggested that Azhar is no longer the chief of JeM and is a religious teacher. If Azhar gets banned by the UN, Pakistan will get into a difficult situation as he has been residing there as per the Pakistan foreign minister's admission. Sources had said on Monday the Indian Air Force has kept all its bases in Western sector on maximum alert after the Balakot strike on February 26. India's air strike, which the government had called a "non-military" action, followed a terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir on February 14, in which 40 personnel were killed. JeM had taken the responsibility for the attack. On Organisation of Islamic Countries passing a resolution on Kashmir even after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended its pleanary in Abu Dhabi last week, sources said anti-India resolutions were tabled by Pakistan and the practice of the grouping has been to adopt all resolutions without a debate. They said efforts to stop Pakistan to move a resolution would have given it veto on India's participation at the meeting of the grouping. Meanwhile, in Islamabad Pakistani Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi announced arrest of Masood Azhar's son and brother along with 42 other members of the banned militant outfits, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil. Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan said Hammad Azhar and Mufti Abdur Rauf were among those arrested on Tuesday. Hammad is the son of Masood Azhar while Rauf is his brother. Khan said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Rauf and Hammad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister V K Singh said Tuesday BJP president Amit Shah's "more than 250" casualty figure after the air strike on a Jaish camp in Pakistan was based on his "ashanka" (suspicion) on the basis of intelligence gathered about people in the buildings hit by the IAF. "Whenever such attacks take place, no witness is present on the ground. He cannot be present on the ground. You make an estimate on your intelligence gathering, which you have done earlier," the Minister of State for External Affairs said. "Your intelligence is that these are the number of buildings. So many buildings have been hit. It's an estimate," Singh said on the figure given in the aftermath of the Balakot air strike. "He (Amit Shah) is saying it is ashanka (suspected to have been killed). Let us take it as ashanka," he told reporters when asked how can the BJP president give the number of 250 casualties. Singh trashed the Congress demand for evidence on the air strike and the number of casualties as "waste of time" and insisted military operations were a serious matter and not a "game of marbles". The minister said no proof is given about action by the forces and asked whether anybody had got proof during wars since 1947. Some opposition parties on Monday latched on to Shah's claim of 250 casualties in the Indian Air Force's strike to ask how he got such top-secret information. The government has said a "very large number" of terrorists were killed in the preemptive air strike against Jaish-e-Mohammad camp on Feb 26. On the varying casualty figures, Singh told reporters, "One way is to go there and count and come back. Secondly, what the information you have, you can assess it (figure) and that number is told to the people. Exact figure will be known only when you are there. "This is not a game of marbles. This is a serious matter. Any action by the forces, no proof is given," he asserted. Asked about his reaction on Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh describing the February 14 Pulwama terror attack an "accident", the former Army chief said, "With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijay Singh, whether Rajiv Gandhi's killing was a terror act or an accident?" Lauding the Modi government, Singh said the air strike on terror training camps inside Pakistan showed the decision-making strength of India. "We have never taken such a decision since 1947, going deep inside (striking in Pakistan), which is a big decision. It showed India's state of mind in the fight against terrorism. A big decisive turn has come and has come under a leadership," he said. The MoS, who is here to interact with different sections of people to include their desires and thoughts in BJP's poll manifesto, dismissed Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Digvijay Singh's demand for evidence on the number of dead as "valueless and waste of time". Sibal on Monday cited international media claiming there was no proof of militant losses at Balakot and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must answer. To a query on PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti making a jibe at Air India's 'Jai Hind' order, the former Army chief said he never trusted the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister as he knew her when he was posted in Srinagar and Avantipur in 2004 and 2006. "Neither believe her nor take her seriously," Singh said. An official advisory of the national carrier on Monday said Air India crew will have to say "Jai Hind" after every flight announcement "with much fervour". Reacting on the news, Mufti Tuesday tweeted, "Little surprise that with general elections around the corner, the josh of patriotism hasn't even spared the skies." Citing how America was 'united' when al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed, Singh said, "Such unison produces the required impact as the enemy will try not to talk in unison. So, we want that the entire country should be united. "I felt the whole country was united (post Pulwama and Balakot air strike). Later on, some discordant views emerged, may be because elections are approaching," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP's preparations for the coming Lok Sabha elections would get a boost in Telangana with party Chief Amit Shah scheduled to address a meeting of activists at Nizamabad on Wednesday. Shah will attend the cluster meeting of BJP functionaries from Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Medak (Lok Sabha constituencies), BJP MLC N Ramachander Rao told PTI Tuesday. The party has divided the Lok Sabha constituencies in the state into different clusters. Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Smriti Irani were among BJP's national leaders who addressed the cluster meetings organised earlier in the state. Shah's visit is expected to gear up the party workers for the Lok Sabha elections following BJP's drubbing in the December 7 Assembly elections when it won just one seat of the total of 119. The TRS had swept the polls, winning 88 seats. State BJP President K Laxman had said that though the people in Telangana voted for TRS in the assembly polls, they would like to see Narendra Modi as Prime Minister once again in the national interest. On TRS working president K T Rama Rao's comments that TRS would ensure a better deal for Telangana by winning 16 Lok Sabha seats (of the total 17; leaving Hyderabad held by AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi), Laxman had said people of Telangana know that TRS cannot get the Prime Minister's post even if it wins not just 16, but 20 Lok Sabha seats. BJP has already announced that it would contest all the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana on its own. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Algerians on Monday dismissed President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's promise to quit early if re-elected for a fifth time in April and eyed fresh protests to push him from office. The ailing leader, who suffered a stroke in 2013, vowed in a letter read out on state television late Sunday to organise a "national conference" that would set a date for further polls which he would not contest. "I pledge not to be a candidate in that election which will ensure I am succeeded in undeniable conditions of serenity, freedom and transparency," the letter read. "I listened and heard the cry from the hearts of protesters and in particular, the thousands of young people who questioned me about the future of our homeland," it said. His message -- followed by the formal submission of his candidacy for the April 18 poll by his campaign manager Abdelghani Zaalane -- failed to win hearts as new protests hit the capital and other cities. In central Algiers, hundreds of mostly young demonstrators rallied peacefully overnight and into the early hours of Monday as a helicopter buzzed overhead and police deployed gradually across the city. Protests were reported in several cities around the country Monday. In third city Constantine, lawyers announced an indefinite strike and a local journalist told AFP that 1,000 people took to the streets. In downtown Algiers, dozens of high school students were quickly surrounded by police when they tried to protest and undergraduates at a university in the city boycotted campus. Students at several universities told AFP they were weighing up staging a walkout and protests on Tuesday. Residents of the capital said they were gearing up for demonstrations Friday, the main day for protests so far, as they dismissed Bouteflika's promises as an "insult". Bouteflika "thinks we're idiots. We said no (to him). And 'we' are a people 42-million strong," said Karim, a 22-year-old unemployed man who declined to give his surname. Mohammed, a 69-year-old retiree, insisted he was ready to take part in his "first ever" demonstration on Friday. "They want us to believe that he (Bouteflika) is the Messiah, a prophet, that there is no one else who can save this country," he said. Bouteflika's allies tried to sell his decision to a sceptical public. The leader "listened attentively to the Algerian people as he committed to meeting their main demand, namely to change the system", said his National Liberation Front (FLN) party. Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia's National Rally for Democracy insisted Bouteflika had made "an exhaustive response to the demands of the citizens" and hoped their would now be a return to "calm". But newspapers channelled the widespread fury. The Al-Watan daily said Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term showed "contempt" for the tens of thousands of Algerians who have taken to the streets since February 22 calling for him to resign. Liberte newspaper said Bouteflika's promises to serve a shorter term were merely a "manoeuvre" to placate the people "until he takes charge again". The head of state, who has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke nearly six years ago, has been in Switzerland since February 24 for what the presidency has described as "routine medical tests". There were no legal requirements for him to submit his candidacy in person and it was handed in just before a midnight deadline Sunday. Campaign manager Zaalane said Bouteflika -- who has ruled since 1999 -- had the backing of 19,700 national and local elected representatives and of 5.86 million voters. Their signed affidavits of support were brought Sunday night to the Constitutional Council -- where presidential bids are formally lodged -- by the truckloads. Hours earlier, students demonstrating in central Algiers chanted "Bouteflika go away" and police fired water cannon to prevent some from reaching the Constitutional Council. Similar rallies took place in several cities across the oil-rich North African country and as far as France and Montreal in Canada. Protesters in Algeria have been mobilised by calls on social media, as many young people struggle to find jobs in a country where half the population is under 30. Bouteflika was the eighth candidate to be registered Sunday for the April poll. The others included retired general Ali Ghediri -- an independent who was the first to announce he would run and has promised change, but whose popularity remains unknown. Bouteflika's former prime minister and key rival Ali Benflis announced Sunday he would not run, describing the upcoming election as no longer relevant because it was void of real competition. The council has until March 14 to accept or reject the presidential bids. The foreign ministry in France -- Algeria's former colonial master -- said Monday it was "up to the Algerian people to choose their leaders and decide their future". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Tuesday claimed no government data had been stolen as it took a "very serious" view of a senior Telangana police official's remarks on the alleged data theft through a mobile app of the ruling Telugu Desam Party. It decided to explore options for legal action against Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar over his comments on the investigation into the case at a press conference in Hyderabad Monday, state Information and Public Relations Minister Kalava Srinivasulu said. While Sajjanar had said preliminary investigation into the case revealed the company got "illegal" access to the data, the AP Cabinet maintained that no data had been stolen. They (Telangana government) are trying to portray the victim as the accused. This is atrocious and malafide. There is no theft of data. The Telangana government, its police system and some officers within it are acting in an illegal manner, the Andhra Pradesh Minister alleged. An official should not speak like this against another (state) government. His remarks and behavior could cause friction between two governments. We are treating his remarks against our government very seriously, he said. Srinivasulu was briefing the media on the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here. If someone oversteps his brief as per Constitution, there is scope for legal action. Everyone has a limited role under the Constitution. How our future course of action should be and how we should expose them has been discussed in the Cabinet meeting. We will disclose the details soon, he added. The TDP government would utilise all options available under the law, the Minister said. The Cyberabad police had on Saturday registered a case against Hyderabad-based IT Grids India Pvt Ltd the company and conducted searches at its office here based on a complaint by a data analyst that TDP cadre were using "Seva Mitra" app for collecting data of Andhra Pradesh voters and "advancing their party's electoral prospects". Srinivasulu accused the Telangana government of trying to steal data and pass it on to a rival political party, in an oblique reference to the YSR Congress party. Naidu had Monday alleged a cyber conspiracy to help the YSR Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and KCR (Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao were helping Jaganmohan Reddy of YSR Congress in executing this 'cyber conspiracy', he had alleged in his teleconference with TDP party leaders. "It is atrocious to steal our data and give it to our rivals," he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday visited the Indo-Pak border in western sector of Rajasthan and took stock of the situation. Gen Rawat was briefed about the operational preparedness by the Army officers in the western sector, defence sources said. He also gave them necessary directions and asked them to remain alert and vigilant. Four districts of Rajasthan -- Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer -- share more than 1,000 km-long border with Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) General Officer Commanding of strategic Fire & Fury Corps Lt General Y K Joshi visited the forward locations in Siachen glacier in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir to review the security situation and operational preparedness, a defence spokesman said Tuesday. "Lt Gen Joshi visited forward locations in the Siachen sector on March 4, 2019 (Monday). He reviewed the security situation and was briefed on the operational preparedness being maintained in the sector," the spokesman said. Lt Gen Joshi interacted with the troops deployed on the highest battlefield in the world, in extreme weather and highly challenging terrain conditions for maintaining the sanctity of Indian borders, he said. "Lt Gen Joshi appreciated and complimented the troops for their high morale and commitment even in these difficult circumstances and urged them to uphold the highest standards of professionalism of the Indian Army," the spokesman added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Wednesday will have a crucial hearing on Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya to decide whether the politically sensitive case can be adjudicated through mediation. The top court on February 26 had said it would pass an order on March 6 on whether to refer the matter to a court-appointed mediator. A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had asked the contesting parties to explore the possibility of amicably settling the decades old dispute through mediation, saying it may help in "healing relations". Even if there is "one per cent chance" of settling the dispute amicably, the parties should go for mediation, the bench, also comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer, had observed. The suggestion for mediation was mooted by Justice Bobde, during the hearing when both the Hindu and the Muslim sides were sparring over the veracity of documents related to the case which were translated by the Uttar Pradesh government and filed with the apex court registry. "We are considering it (mediation) very seriously. You all (parties) have used the word that this matter is not adversarial. We would like to give a chance to mediation even if there is one per cent chance," the bench had said. "We would like to know your (both parties) views on it. We do not want any third party to make a comment to jeopardise the entire process," the bench had said. While some of the Muslim parties agreed to the court's suggestion on mediation, some Hindu bodies including the Ram Lalla Virajman opposed it, saying several such attempts have failed in the past. "Do you seriously think that the entire dispute for so many years is for property? We can only decide property rights but we are considering the possibility of healing relations," the bench had said. The bench, which posted the main matter for hearing after eight weeks and directed its registry to provide translated copies of documents to the parties within six weeks to check their veracity, said it wanted to explore the possibility of mediation to utilise the time till the next date of hearing. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian security agencies were unmoved by reports of arrest of 44 members of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan, with officials saying the terrorists were not arrested under the anti-terrorism laws but have only been taken in "preventive detention for investigation". Similar actions by the neighbouring country against leaders of the proscribed outfits in the past turned out to be farce as those who were taken into custody were let off soon on different pretexts. The 44 members of the JeM, including its founder Masood Azhar's brother Mufti Abdul Raoof, were said to have been taken in "preventive detention for investigation" and have not been arrested under Pakistan's anti-terrorism law, a security official said. There is every possibility that the detention could also be an attempt by the Pakistan Army to provide security to these terrorists, given the "fear psychosis" that has gripped Pakistan in the past few days following the Indian Air Force strike at Balakot, the official said. The assessment of the security agencies came in view of the fact that founders of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba -- Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed respectively -- were detained several times in the past, mostly under laws that provide for detention for apprehension of "breach of peace". Azhar and Saeed have never been prosecuted under the Pakistan's Anti Terrorism Act, 1997, another official said. According to the reports received from Pakistan, the action against JeM came in order to implement the National Action Plan of Pakistan, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating from its soil. A high-level meeting was held in Pakistan's Ministry of Interior on Monday and it was attended by representatives of all provincial governments of that country. "It was decided to speed up action against all proscribed organisations. In compliance, 44 under-observation members of the proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation. "These actions will continue as per the decisions taken in the National Security Committee while reviewing the National Action Plan," an official quoted the order of the Pakistan government. Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi said at a press conference in Islamabad that Raoof and Hamad Azhar are among 44 people arrested during the crackdown. Afridi said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Raoof and Azhar. The crackdown on banned groups came amid tensions with India following a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. India handed over a dossier to Pakistan to take action against the JeM, as pressure mounted on Islamabad to take action against individual and organisation listed by the UN Security Council as terrorists. The minister, however, said the action was not taken due to any pressure. He said action would be taken against all proscribed organisations under the National Action Plan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Tuesday the Indian Air Force strike that destroyed a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot area was "not a military action" as there was no civilian casualty. She also said Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had not given any casualty figure in his media briefing after the air strike and only gave a statement which is the government's "position". Gokhale has said the non-military and preemptive strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp killed a "very large number" of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders. Sitharaman's remarks come amid some Opposition leader demanding evidence about the number of terrorists killed in the air strike. The IAF, which carried out the strike on February 26, said on Monday that government would provide details on the casualty figures as the Air Force only sees if a target has been hit or not. On Tuesday, the defence minister said, "There was no need to analyse more on Balakot strike" as she declined to link the air strike on terror camp with the coming Lok Sabha election. "After Pulwama attack, we were waiting patiently for days... When we got information the terrorist attacks were originating from that region (Pakistan), without military action, we carried out the strike pointedly," she told reporters here on the sidelines of the launch of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PMSYM), a pension scheme. "Civilians in the vicinity or surrounding areas were not affected in any way, so we have been saying the strike we carried out after Pulwama suicide bombing was not a military action," she added. On February 14, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based JeM group rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel. Sitharaman said Pakistan has failed to take action against terror groups despite India providing details of terrorist training camps. "Pakistan has been informed about terrorist camps, with proof, by the present (NDA) and previous UPA government. But they neither took action, nor did they remove the terrorist training camps." "Pakistan has been denying this globally, saying it was also a victim of terrorism," she said. On peace talks proposed by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Sitharaman said, "We have always been telling that India will be ready to hold talks only if they act against terrorism." Earlier, she distributed the first 10 identity cards to the beneficiaries of PMSYM, marking the launch of the scheme. Around 20,000 beneficiaries from Tamil Nadu would be joining the pension scheme Monday, out of 72 lakh unorganised sector workers. Appealing to the state government to increase the number of Common Service Centres and 'Amma' e-seva centres in the state, Sitharaman said PMSYM along with similar schemes of the state government would fetch Rs 4,000 pension to the beneficiaries. Unorganised sector workers up to 40 years of age can subscribe to PMSYM, which entails a minimum monthly pension of Rs 3,000 to them from 60 years of age. The scheme, announced in the Budget for 2019-20, is targeted at unorganised sector workers with a monthly income of up to Rs 15,000. It mandates a monthly contribution of Rs 55 for an 18-year-old worker with equal contribution from the Centre. The worker joining the scheme at the age of 40 years would contribute Rs 200, while workers at the age of 29 years would pay Rs 100. Normal life was thrown out of gear in the Valley on Tuesday due to a strike called by the traders' community to protest against the extension of central laws to Jammu and Kashmir and the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir. Shops and other business establishments remained closed in Kashmir due to the strike called by the Jammu and Kashmir Socio Economic Coordination Committee (JKSECC), officials said. Public transport remained off the roads but some private vehicles were seen plying in the city and elsewhere in the valley, they said. The JKSECC call for a complete shutdown in the entire Kashmir valley, Pirpanchal region and the Chenab valley was supported by most of the trade bodies. In a statement, the JKSECC, an amalgam of bodies representing various trades, said the extension of central laws and the ban on Jamaat was done in an illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic manner. The committee expressed strong resentment against the extension of central law to the state at a time when no elected government is in place. "The governor of the state needs to introspect about his representative character and understand that he does not represent people of the state but the Centre as its nominated agent and has no moral, ethical, legal and constitutional right to accord any concurrence to the extension of central laws to the state," the statement read. The Union government had on February 28 given its nod to the promulgation of an ordinance for giving reservation benefits to SCs and STs in Jammu and Kashmir by amending a clause of the contentious Article 370, which gives special status to the state. The Centre had on the same day imposed a ban on separatist group Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for alleged anti-national and subversive activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Europe's financial system faces "potential risks" to its stability arising from a no-deal Brexit, the Bank of England warned Tuesday, as it extended its weekly lending facilities to include euros. With just 24 days to go until Britain is set to leave the European Union, the BoE said businesses and households across Britain and the EU were vulnerable. The BoE said it had activated a swap line with the European Central Bank, which will provide euros in exchange for British pounds. Brussels and London are furiously trying to steer away from a dreaded "no-deal" divorce that could wreak havoc on global markets. The BoE warned Tuesday that "some disruption to cross-border services is possible and, in the absence of other actions by EU authorities, some potential risks to financial stability remain. "Although these would primarily affect EU households and businesses, they could also be expected to spill back to the UK in ways that cannot be fully anticipated and mitigated," it added in a statement. The British central bank made the remarks in minutes from its Financial Policy Committee (FPC) meeting that was held on February 26. The BoE also said it was further stepping up its lending facilities for commercial banks over the next few months. A week after the bank said it would increase the frequency of existing market-wide sterling cash loans from monthly to weekly, the BoE on Tuesday added that this would be extended to euros. "The FPC welcomes the recent Bank decision to increase the frequency of the Bank's sterling liquidity operations and to initiate a new weekly Liquidity Facility in Euros (LiFE), alongside the existing weekly dollar lending facility," it said. The European Central Bank said in a separate statement that the BoE's euro facility was a "prudent and precautionary step" aimed at supporting the smooth functioning of markets that serve households and businesses. Eurozone central banks would also be ready to lend British pounds to commercial lenders in the single currency zone, the ECB said. Bank of England governor Mark Carney last week said that such liquidity measures were "part of normal contingency planning" and that commercial banks were functioning well. The central bank carried out the same measure ahead of and following Britain's referendum on leaving the EU in June 2016. This helps banks and the wider financial industry keep ticking over during periods of market turbulence. Similar lending was also carried out in 2008 during the global financial crisis. Britain is on course to leave the EU on March 29, although there has been increasing talk of a possible delay. Ahead of Brexit, authorities in Britain, including the Bank of England, have also agreed with the United States to maintain how multi-trillion-dollar financial transactions are carried out between the two countries. The agreement concerns trades of derivatives -- securities whose value is based on an asset such as currencies, stocks and commodities. The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier meets Britain's negotiating team on Tuesday as both sides seek a breakthrough. The sitdown comes after Barnier said on Saturday that the EU was ready to give London further guarantees to help push a troubled divorce deal through British parliament. Barnier also suggested European leaders would be amenable to a short "technical" delay in Britain's departure from the EU, in order to give parliament time to formally ratify a final divorce deal. His small overture to Britain has raised hopes that both sides can find a solution, including to the so-called "backstop" plan for the Irish border, a major sticking point for pro-Brexit MPs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bird Group Tuesday said it is looking to open three luxury hotels under its brand 'Roseate Hotels and Resorts' in India and Middle East in next 3 to 4 years and is considering acquisitions for future expansion. The group currently has six properties with three of them in India including the recently launched Roseate Ganges in Rishikesh and three in the United Kingdom. "We have a firm pipeline of three luxury and upscale properties in Jaipur, Goa and the middle east. The property in middle east is slated to open in 2019," Bird Group Executive Director Ankur Bhatia told PTI. Work on Goa and Jaipur properties will also begin this year and "we expect both properties to be operational in the next 3-4 years," he added. The company is also looking at organic as well as global acquisitions to expand its presence and portfolio, Bhatia said. "We are also exploring management prospects in India and international markets like Europe, Middle East besides the UK, where we already have an established presence," he added. On the recently launched property in Rishikesh, Bhatia said: "This all villa retreat offers a unique luxurious stay experience on the banks of the Ganges and fills the gap of much needed luxury retreat in the Himalayan region." Core business of Bird Group include travel technology, aviation services, hospitality, retail and education. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Tuesday accused the BJD government of "stalling" many Central projects in Odisha including the long awaited medical college built here at a cost of Rs 500 crore. "Odisha Government is obstructing operationalisation of the medical college built by Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd in the say way it has been scuttling many other people-oriented Central projects," Pradhan claimed. The Petroleum and Natural Gas minister was speaking after inaugurating the academic block of the medical college and hospital in this coal town though the state Government is yet to give its clearance to the institute. Pradhan also laid foundation stone for a cancer unit in the medical college and hospital (MCH) which is yet to be made operational. Coming down heavily at the BJD government, Pradhan alleged that though the building of the medical college and hospital was ready over six months ago, but Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik "has laid hurdles in making the institute functional." Noting that the medical college and hospital has not been given clearance by the Odisha government though application for the same was made long ago, he claimed as per norms, the state is required to recommend to the Centre for permission to start the medical college. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP, which is backing the NPP-led Democratic Alliance government in Meghalaya, on Tuesday announced that it will go alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and field candidates on the two Parliamentary seats--Tura and Shillong. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by BJP general secretary in-charge of North East, Ajay Jamuwal and attended by state party's leaders and workers here. "We have decided in principle to contest the Lok Sabha elections from both the parliamentary seats in Meghalaya," BJP state leader and cabinet minister AL Hek told reporters. Hek said the election committee will be constituted soon for inviting application from aspiring candidates for the two seats. According to BJP minister, a delegation of the state party will also be meeting the national president Amit Shah to inform him about the Tuesday's decision. He said that so far around four-five candidates have already approached the party for tickets, but the decision on the matter will be taken by the state election committee. The announcement came after the MDA partners failed to decide consensus candidate on both the constituencies, Hek said. The UDP, the leading regional party supporting the MDA government, had announced its general secretary Jemino Mawthoh as the candidate. However, other regional parties like the HSPDP, PDF and the KHNAM are yet to make public if they support the idea or not. "We are confident to win both the seats. The BJP was having only two MPs in 1984 but now it is the biggest party in the country," he said, while reacting to a query on poor performance of the party in the 2018 Assembly polls. BJP state president Shibun Lyngdoh said that the party earlier thought of supporting and had waited for the MDA to propose the consensus candidates but nothing happened till Tuesday. Facing tough questions from natives on Citizenship Amendment Bill and the beef ban politics, the BJP did not field candidates in the February 27 tribal council elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP MLAs Tuesday demanded a high-level probe into the posting of officers in the Delhi government's Trade and Taxes department during the period when the services department was under the AAP dispensation. The BJP leaders submitted a memorandum in this regard to Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal at the Raj Niwas. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta along with BJP legislators OP Sharma, MS Sirsa and Jagdish Pradhan met the L-G. They alleged that a "large number" of "corrupt" officers were given posting in the sensitive Trade and Taxes Department during the 18-month period, from February 14, 2015, to August 4, 2016, when the services department was under the Arvind Kejriwal-led government. Eighteen "corrupt" senior officers of the government's "liking" were posted to the department, they alleged in their memorandum. Of these, nine officers were posted by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and nine officers, by the then Secretary, Services, Rajender Kumar, at the behest of Chief Minister Kejriwal, they claimed. Gupta said the Kejriwal government had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court. The court had then passed an order on August 4, 2016, that the L-G was the competent authority in the matter of services, he said. There is a need to screen all postings of officers made between February 14, 2015 and August 4, 2016, to bring out how many more such vested postings and transfers were made by Kejriwal government, Gupta said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Tuesday said that his government has worked for the prosperity all sections of society in the last four years,. He said this while addressing workers from the unorganized sector at a state-level function of the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan Yojna (PM-SYM). "The state government has worked for prosperity of people belonging to all sections, including poor and labourers, by ensuring them the benefit of various schemes and programmes," Khattar said. On thes occasion, the chief minister also gave registration letters and incentive money of Rs 5,100 each to the first 10 workers registered under the PM-SYM scheme. Over 300 central and state government schemes are being run for the welfare for the poor, he said. The Haryana government has set up Antyodaya Saral Kendras and Atal Seva Kendras at villages to make schemes of various departments available under one roof, Khattar said. He announced that the premium amount of Rs 55 to Rs 200 per month under the PM-SYM scheme would be borne by the state government from June. The amount of premium under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana will also be borne by the state government in the future, Khattar said. The chief minister said unique identity card of each family is being prepared in the state to ensure that eligible families get the benefit of various schemes in a transparent manner. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police lobbed teargas shells and cane-charged BJP workers after they clashed with Congress men to oppose the foundation laying ceremony of a 1,000-bed hospital in medical college campus by former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, an official said. Scindia was scheduled to lay the foundation of the hospital, but BJP workers led by Morena MP Anoop Mishra, reached the venue before his arrival. They opposed the event saying the foundation was laid in 2009 by the then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Congress MLA Munnalal Goyal and his supporters also reached the spot at the same time. But they were prevented by the BJP men, which resulted in a clash between them, a police official said. "Police fired teargas shells and cane-charged the protesting BJP workers. But the situation is under control," Gwalior collector Bharat Yadav said. "The BJP workers were arrested and kept in a temporary confinement," Gwalior SP, Navneet Bhasin said. Later, Scindia laid the foundation stone for the 1,000-bed hospital to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore. Speaking on the BJP's protest, Scindia said two BJP chief ministers- Babulal Gaur and Chouhan - had laid the foundation stone in 2005 and 2009 respectively just to get their names carved on the cornerstone. Only 200-bed hospital can be constructed on the land that was allotted by them for the purpose. "On January 25 this year, only the newly-formed Congress government allotted nine hectares of land for the construction of the 1,000-bed hospital. The officials were given the target to complete the work in 30 months," Scindia said. After the construction of this hospital, people of 20 districts will be benefited, he said. State Medical Education Minister Dr Vijaylaxmi Sadho also spoke on the occasion. A proposal will be tabled in the state cabinet to name the hospital after late Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia, she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram Tuesday accused the BJP of politicising the IAF air strike in Pakistan's Balakot and said it was "throwing about numbers" on the casualties without any confirmation. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah had on Sunday claimed at an event in Ahmedabad that 250 terrorists were killed in the Indian Air Force (IAF) operation. The Congress is not questioning the armed forces but the ruling BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "politicising" issue, Chidambaram said. The Congress had condemned the Pulwama attack and the government's response of an air strike in Balakot was "praise-worthy". Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was among the first to salute the IAF, he said. "So, the Indian Air Force struck a target and the Air Chief says I achieved my objective of striking the target. No question. I accept it. I salute the Indian Air Force Chief. I accept it and I accept his word. Until then, there was no division or debate in this country," he said. The debate started when "people started throwing about numbers" on the casualties caused by the air strike, Chidambaram said at an interactive meeting on 'Saving the idea of India' organised by Manthan, a forum for public discourse. "It is the numbers which have stirred a controversy," he said, adding that the first figure was "thrown" at a private briefing without any attribution and then another number appeared on TV channels. The former finance minister alleged that the different figures were given by various ministers of the government and BJP president. "Why did you have to throw up a number. All you had to say was there was an attack on the CRPF convoy and Indian Air Force retaliated. We have struck our target and we have returned unscathed. Matter is over. You try to politicise it by these numbers and these numbers are boomeranging on the government," Chidambaram said. Talking about his book, a collection of columns, he said they deal with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the "decline" in economy and "undermining of institutions". "If you read the four columns on Jammu and Kashmir, only last year, a year before I said to the Manthan audience, I fear that we have nearly lost Kashmir. If you read the four columns in this compilation, you will come to the conclusion that we have lost Kashmir," he said. During the talk, Chidambaram alleged that every institution was being undermined by the current dispensation and even the Cabinet had become irrelevant. "The demonetisation decision was taken without a cabinet paper, cabinet note," he said. Alleging that an atmosphere of fear was prevailing in the country, he said the idea of India, of being a multi-cultural society needs to be saved. The country's economy is weaker after five years, he said and also talked about the alleged weakening of the Reserve Bank of India. "Investment is negative. Credit is negative. Savings (have) declined. Exports are negative," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura, said Tuesday it would go it alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Mangal Debbarma, the spokesperson of the party, said the decision to field candidates in the two Lok Sabha seats in the state was taken on March 3, following the IPFT central committee meeting here. "When BJP national president Amit Shah visited Agartala on January 5, we submitted a memorandum to him, demanding that the IPFT be allowed to field candidate in East Tripura constituency, reserved for Scheduled Tribe. He told us that he would get back to us on the matter, but never did," Debbarma, who is also the assistant general secretary of the party, told reporters. As Shah did not respond to the IPFT request, the party was compelled to take this decision, he said. A five-member committee has been formed with IPFT president NC Debbarma as the chairman to select candidates for the two seats and discuss the modalities of election campaign, he added. BJP spokesperson Ashok Sinha, when asked about his reaction to the IPFT move, said every political party has the freedom to make a choice. "It is up to the IPFT to decide what it wants to do for the Lok Sabha polls. Every political party is free to take its own decision. However, when it comes to the BJP, such decisions are taken by the senior leaders in Delhi," Sinha added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hitting out at the BJP for allegedly politicising the air strike in Pakistan, the Trinamool Congress Tuesday said it was trying to replace the Ashoka emblem on the uniform of armed forces with party logo. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should stop taking credit for the preemptive strike on terror camps in Pakistan as armed forces belong to India, not to the saffron party, Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Derek O'Brien said. "The BJP is shamelessly trying to replace the Ashok Stambh (emblem) on the armed forces' uniform, with their party logo. Not a single opposition leader has politicised the airstrike, it was just the BJP who did it. "The armed forces are India's pride. We are always with them, but we will oppose the incumbent government, whose expiry date is over," O'Brien, who is also the TMC parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha, said. BJP national president Amit Shah said on Saturday that those who did not have courage to avenge the killing of soldiers, when in power, were raising doubts on the recent air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed camps for "cheap politics" and their statements have made Pakistan happy. Two days before Shah's assertion, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had demanded evidence of the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike. She also said that the opposition parties wanted to know the details of the operation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hackers broke into the website of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday and defaced it before it was taken offline. No hacking group has claimed responsibility for the breach. The BJP has not issued any official statement. Screen shots of the site's home page, which went viral on social media, showed abusive messages and a GIF of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Some of the posts were from about 11 am. The site -- www.bjp.org -- was soon taken offline and a message on its home screen said it will be back up soon. "We'll be back soon! Sorry for the inconvenience but we're performing some maintenance at the moment. we'll be back online shortly!" the message read. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A court here has dropped the sedition charge against 38 people accused of violence in Bulandshahr in which a police inspector and a civilian were killed, their lawyer claimed on Tuesday. A total of 38 people, including local BJP and Bajrang Dal leaders, were arrested for the violence that broke out in Siyana tehsil of Bulandshahr on December 3, leading to the killing of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and villager Sumit Singh. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the case and it filed a charge sheet in the court of the chief judicial magistrate on March 2, almost three months after the incident. The court took cognisance of the report on Tuesday. "During the argument, the court pointed out that the police does not have a requisite permission for pressing IPC section 124A (sedition) against the accused," defence lawyer Bruno Bhushan said. "The police needs to have permission from the Centre or the state government if charging anyone with sedition, the lawyer claimed. Bhushan, also a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), cited Section 196 in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)-- prosecution for offences against the state and criminal conspiracy to commit such offence-- to argue that a court cannot take cognizance of a sedition charge without the police having approval of the government. The police, however, maintained no charge had been dropped and they were awaiting permission from the state government. "We are awaiting permission... no charge (sedition) has been dropped, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Bulandshahr City, Atul Kumar Srivastava told PTI. Circle Officer, Siyana, Raghvendra Mishra said: "We have already requested for permission (for pressing sedition charge) and the approval at times takes time because the agency concerned also conducts its inspections before granting permission." After the December 3 violence, an FIR was lodged at the Siyana Police Station against around 80 people, including 27 named and 50-60 unidentified, for murder, murder attempt, rioting, sedition, damaging public property, among other charges. Those arrested include Bajrang Dal's Bulandhshar unit convenor Yogesh Raj, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha's Siyana unit head Shikhar Agarwal, Army jawan Jeetender Malik, and Kalua, who first attacked the inspector, surrounded by five to six men. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra cabinet Tuesday granted its approval for setting up of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the proposed Purandar international airport in Pune. The Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC) has been appointed as the nodal agency for implementing the project, while the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) will be a major stakeholder in the SPV. The CIDCO will hold 51 per cent stake in the SPV, while MADC's stake will be around 19 per cent. The remaining 30 per cent will be divided between the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). Pune district collector has been given the responsibility of acquiring land for the project, giving compensation and rehabilitating the project affected people. The cabinet also gave its nod to implement the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations to full-time teachers and equivalent staff of the government, aided colleges, deemed universities under the University Grants Commission (UGC). The decision will benefit over 26,000 teachers across. It will add a burden of Rs 2,100 crore on the state exchequer, a statement issued here said. The Seventh Pay Commission payscale will be given with a retrospective effect starting from January 2016 along with the arrears, it added. The cabinet approved Rs 2,100 crore from the state treasury, while Rs 1,300 crore will be the Centre's share. The cabinet also gave a go-ahead to give a pay hike to teachers and to those who hold posts equivalent to that of teachers, from unaided universities, law universities and affiliated colleges, government colleges, science institute and grant-in-aid universities. The cabinet also approved the implementation of the UGC recommendations over revised educational qualification and eligibility. The cabinet also gave its nod to the proposal to rename Solapur University as 'Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur Vidyapeeth', in an apparent bid to woo the Dhangar community ahead of the polls. Since the last several years, the community has been demanding that the university be named after Ahilyadevi Holkar. The ordinance of the decision will be issued soon, that will be applicable for six months. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Calcutta High Court Tuesday extended by eight weeks protection from arrest to BJP leader Mukul Roy in connection with the killing of a Trinamool Congress MLA. Hearing an anticipatory bail prayer by Roy, who was booked for conspiracy in the killing of Krishnaganj MLA Satyajit Biswas, the court directed that conditions imposed on Roy in the earlier order, including a bar on his entering Nadia district, would continue. On February 13, when Roy's application was moved before it, the court refused to grant anticipatory bail "at this stage" to the BJP leader, "keeping in mind the gravity of the crime", but granted protection to him from arrest till March 7. Appearing for the state, public prosecutor Saswata Mukherjee Tuesday submitted a progress report in sealed cover before the court and sought time to make its presentation against Roy's prayer since some phone calls are being analysed by the investigators. Roy's counsels P S Patwari and Phiroze Edulji submitted that with the general elections to be held in a few months, the politician be allowed to enter Nadia district. Hearing both the parties, the division bench comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and M Mandal extended protection to Roy from arrest for eight weeks and fixed his application for hearing again on April 24. The court observed that it appears that investigation is in progress and certain forensic reports are awaited. It said there should be balancing between the requirements of investigation and liberty of the petitioner and as such Roy would not be allowed to enter Nadia district, within the jurisdiction of which the murder took place on February 9. Roy had moved the anticipatory bail prayer before the high court after being named in an FIR as a conspirator in the killing of the MLA. Biswas was shot dead inside a Saraswati puja marquee on February 9 near his house at Krishnaganj in Nadia district. Three other accused persons named in the FIR have been arrested. Roy, once a very influential leader of the TMC and a close aide of party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, joined the BJP in November 2017 following differences with her. Directing the police not to arrest Roy till March 7, the division bench had observed during the earlier hearing that Roy's liberty "ought not be eclipsed since he is an opposition party leader, but his movement needs to be restricted in view of his political clout to ensure confidence in the investigation". The court had also directed Roy to cooperate with the probe and be available for questioning, as and when necessary, on a day's notice. The investigators were directed to place a progress report before it by the next date of hearing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Canadian Budget Minister Jane Philpott resigned Monday, saying she no longer had confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, which is embroiled in a major political crisis. "I have been considering the events that have shaken the federal government in recent weeks and after serious reflection, I have concluded that I must resign as a member of Cabinet," Philpott said on Twitter. "The solemn principles at stake are the independence and integrity of our justice system... Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised." Philpott is said to be close to ex-justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, who triggered the crisis for Trudeau's Liberal government by accusing senior officials of attempting to head off the fraud prosecution of engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. The surprise announcement from Philpott, who also served as Treasury Board president, adds another layer of complexity for Trudeau. Last week, the opposition called for Trudeau's resignation and for launching a federal investigation to look into Wilson-Raybould's claims during her February testimony at the House of Commons Justice Committee. Wilson-Raybould said that Trudeau, one of his ministers and close advisors applied "inappropriate" pressure on her, including "veiled threats", to intervene in a criminal prosecution. She said that from September to December 2018, officials "hounded" her to ask prosecutors to settle the case out of court. SNC-Lavalin was charged in 2015 with corruption for allegedly bribing officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011 to secure government contracts during former strongman Moamer Kadhafi's reign. Wilson-Raybould refused, and the trial is set to proceed. Canada's first indigenous attorney general, she was shuffled to veterans affairs in January, and a month later, resigned from cabinet. Days later, Trudeau's long-time friend and top advisor Gerry Butts also quit. Trudeau said he "completely disagrees" with his former attorney general's characterisation of events, insisting that he and his team were rightly looking to safeguard up to 9,000 Canadian jobs, including in his own Quebec electoral district -- which Wilson-Raybould referred to as improper "partisan political considerations". Trudeau has insisted that he made clear to his former attorney general that the "decision around SNC-Lavalin was Wilson-Raybould's and hers alone to make". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Canada's institutional fund manager CDPQ will invest Rs 1,800 crore in a non-banking financial company of Edelweiss group. CDPQ Private Equity Asia Pte, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDPQ, and Edelweisss Group signed an agreement for the investment of Rs 1,800 crore (USD 250 million) in ECL Finance Ltd (ECL Finance), Edelweiss said in statement Tuesday. CDPQ will partner in the long-term strategy to build a strong credit portfolio, with an increasing focus on the retail segment, it said. "The planned investment by CDPQ would contribute towards establishing a large and diversified credit platform in India. This proposed investment will close after customary regulatory approvals," said the statement. The agreement with CDPQ will enable ECL Finance to capitalise on opportunities in the credit market and confirm the capability of the group to capture opportunities in the NBFC space. This investment also ensures that ECL Finance has the requisite resources to maintain strong organic growth, as well as take advantage of any market consolidation opportunities, it added. "Credit penetration in India will be the key to advancing India's economic gains, driven by long-term trends in democratisation of credit, rising household incomes and increased consumption. I expect this partnership to deliver tremendous value towards deepening the market," said Rashesh Shah, chairman and chief executive officer of Edelweiss Group. Edelweiss Group said it has built a significant competitive position across businesses including the credit segment with a credit book of around Rs 30,000 crore that is spread across wholesale and retail finance segments, the business has both robust size and scalability. Michael Sabia, president and CEO of CDPQ, said this new investment capitalises on solid growth in the financing demand from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and residential sectors, both of which being key drivers in sustaining India's future growth. The CDPQ partnership with the Edelweiss Group began in 2016 with a significant investment in Edelweiss ARC, India's largest asset reconstruction company, the company said further. Deepak Mittal, MD & CEO of ECL Finance said: "Credit has been our strength and we are well positioned to capitalise on the India opportunity. Our competitive edge will come from investments in the direct technology platform and next generation data analytics as we scale across SME, affordable housing, agri-loans and rural finance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The central government has on Friday approved in-principle Uttarakhand government's proposal seeking Rs 3,340 crorefor implementing the integrated co-operative development project in the state. The approval was given by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, when Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and state cooperative minister Dhan Singh Rawat met him in New Delhi, an official release here said. Rawat said the implementation of integrated co-operative development project will improve the economy of farmers in Uttarakhand and help prevent migrations from remote hill areas by promoting farming, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries and related activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre is ready with an ordinance to restore the 200-point roster system for appointment of teachers in institutions of higher learning, doing away with the 13-point roster that has led to much resentment among the SCs, STs and OBCs, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan claimed Tuesday. Paswan also said the ordinance would be promulgated soon and the same was delayed on account of injunctions by the Supreme Court, which had restrained the government from coming up with any such measure until the Centre's Special Leave Petition on the matter was decided. "The apex court came out with its judgement on our SLP challenging the 13-point roster towards the end of January. The government has since been busy with the crisis that has followed the Pulwama terror attack. But the ordinance is ready and it will be promulgated soon," Paswan told reporters here. The ordinance, whereby the 200-point roster would be restored, would benefit not only the SC, STs and the OBCs but also the economically weaker sections among the unreserved category who have been provided with 10 per cent quota by the Narendra Modi government, Paswan added. Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), a constituent of the NDA in Bihar besides Paswan's LJP, flayed the opposition parties for calling a nation-wide bandh in protest against the 13-point roster for political ends. "The Centre had made its stand clear in the Rajya Sabha. Also, our national president Nitish Kumar has spoken to the Union HRD minister on the issue and the latter assured him that an ordinance restoring the 200-point roster would be promulgated within a few days. In such a backdrop, the opposition's support to the 'Bharat bandh' is purely for political ends," JD(U) national general secretary RCP Singh told reporters. Singh also underscored that the JD(U) had made a strong pitch for restoring the 200-point roster at its national executive meeting here on Monday and accused the previous Congress-led UPA government at the Centre of having done away with quotas in many centres of excellence in the name of running super-specialty courses. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Chinese man has been arrested by customs officials at the Delhi airport for allegedly trying to smuggle out anti-cancer medicine worth Rs 1.23 crore, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday. The accused was intercepted when he was proceeding to depart to Kunming in China on Sunday. "A detailed examination of hand baggage and check-in baggages of the passenger resulted in the recovery of schedule H medicines valued at Rs 1.23 crore," the customs department said in the statement. The medicine were kept in the four check-in -baggages of the passenger, it said. Official sources said the medicine were meant for cancer treatment. Schedule H medicine cannot be sold without a doctor's prescription. The Chinese man has been arrested and the medicine were seized. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IT major Cognizant Tuesday said it has acquired Meritsoft, a privately-held financial software company based in Dublin, Ireland. Meritsoft, which offers solutions for post-trade processing, counts five of the world's eight leading investment banks among its clients, Cognizant said in a statement. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Sean Middleton, president at Cognizant Accelerator said banking and financial services is one of the largest industries that Cognizant serves. "Meritsoft brings proven automation expertise in case management, regulatory compliance, payment and settlement of claims, and tax and brokerage cash flows to help our clients in transforming their businesses for the digital era," he added. By becoming part of Cognizant, Meritsoft will have access to Cognizant's knowledge, resources and scale to accelerate growth as it continues to innovate on its FINBOS platform for post-trade solutions, Meritsoft co-founder and CEO Kerril Burke said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kerala Government Tuesday constituted a commission to prepare guidelines to identify beneficiaries in the economically backward among the forward communities, who are to come under the ambit of reservation. Briefing reporters after the cabinet meething, Chief Minister Pinaryi Vijayan said the two member commission, to be headed by retired district judge K Sasidharan Nair, has been asked to submmit its recommendations in three months. "The commission has been asked to submit its report in three months and we want to implement it in a speedy manner", he said. The ruling Left front, in its manifesto, had made it clear that it would intervene to help the economically weaker persons in the forward communities, Vijayan said. The Centre has also made it clear in its notification that state governments need to prepare necessary guidelines to ensure the benefits of reservation reach the economically weaker sections in the forward communites. "To ensure that the financially weak in the forward communities get the benefits of reservation, the cabinet today decided to constitute a commission to chalk out guidelines to identify the beneficiaries". The LDF government had in 2017 decided to provide reservation to economically backward sections in forward communities in appointments to five Devaswom boards. The cabinet also decided to to follow the 2018-19 Abkari policy for foreign liquour and toddy in the 2019-20 fiscal as well. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A delegation of Congress MLAs Tuesday met Haryana Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya and urged him not to give assent to the Punjab Land Preservation (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2019. The delegation was led by former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and it included senior Congress leaders Karan Singh Dalal, Geeta Bhukkal, Phool Chand Mullana, among others. "We urged the governor to return the bill and not give his assent. Seeking his immediate intervention, we also urged him to order a high-level probe so that those who stand to gain due to the amendment to the act are exposed," Hooda told reporters here. "We apprised the governor that even the top environmentalists have expressed fear that if Aravalis forest cover is tinkered with, it can play havoc with the of Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad. These cities are already facing pollution problem and can become gas chambers," he said. On February 27, the Haryana Assembly had passed amendments to the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), opening up thousands of acres of land to real estate and other non-forest activity that were protected under it for over a century. The Congress delegation also sought dismissal of the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government, alleging that it "neither cares for the environment, nor respects the courts". Two days after the bill was passed, the Supreme Court came down heavily on the Haryana government for passing amendments to the act which allows construction in Aravalli hills, saying the step will destroy the forest and this cannot be permitted. The bench asked the state not to take any further action on the law and termed it "shocking" that the Haryana government has taken this step despite being told earlier by the apex court not to do so. The Punjab Land Preservation Act was enacted by then Punjab government in 1900 and it provided for conservation of subsoil water and prevention of erosion in areas found to be subject to erosion or likely to become liable to erosion. "We told the governor that there is a big scam involved here. With the passage of the amended bill, builders and land sharks stand to profit a great deal due to the changed act. A probe can dig out the truth in this regard," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Tuesday accused the Congress of "lowering the morale and prestige" of the forces by seeking evidence of the air strike carried out by the Indian Air Force on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan. Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that senior Congress leaders were speaking the "language of Pakistan". The Congress, in turn, has criticised the BJP leadership for spreading "false propaganda" over the February 26 air strike in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The opposition party has questioned the basis for BJP president Amit Shah's claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the strike and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his government was not giving out the details of casualties. "They are not speaking in isolation. They have the blessings of (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi and (UPA chairperson) Sonia Gandhi," Prasad said, naming senior Congress leaders P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and Digvijaya Singh. No foreign country has sought evidence of the air strike, the BJP leader said, adding that Congress leaders do not believe in Indian media reports. By seeking proof, he said, the Congress was "lowering the morals and prestige" of the security forces. Prasad also attacked West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. "Mamata ji, you have seen struggle. What is wrong with you?" One week on, there is no clarity on the number of terrorists killed in the strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot. On the day of the strike, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said a "very large number of terrorists" were killed in Balakot. On Monday, IAF chief B S Dhanoa said the Air Force does not count human casualties and it is for the government to provide details on the death toll. Government sources had said up to 350 terrorists were killed, BJP president Amit Shah later put the toll at 250 and some media reports indicated the damage was minimal. But there has been no official statement on the number of casualties. Congress spokesperson R P N Singh on Monday counter-accused the BJP and its leaders of spreading misinformation and "false propaganda" over the air strike ahead of elections and said the people of the country would give them a fitting reply. "It is extremely shocking and tragic that the prime minister of this country is pointing fingers at opposition parties for questioning the Army or the Air Force," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Accusing the Congress of trying to lower the morale of security forces for "petty political gains", the BJP on Tuesday said comments by the opposition party's leaders on the Balakot air strike are part of a "conspiracy" that has the blessings of Rahul Gandhi. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad seized on Congress leader Digvijay Singh's tweet, terming the Pulwama terror attack a "durghatna" (accident), to mount a stinging attack on the opposition party and allege that its senior leaders are speaking the language of Pakistan. The Congress, in turn, accused the BJP of politicising the armed forces and said it was spreading "false propaganda" over the February 26 air strike in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Prasad also referred to comments of Congress' former ministers Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram to claim they do not trust the Indian Army and the Air Force. No foreign country has sought evidence of the air strike, the BJP leader said, adding that Congress leaders do not believe in Indian media reports. "It is part of a design with blessings of (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi and (UPA chairperson) Sonia Gandhi. Let the country ask them questions," the Union minister said. He also asked the Congress not to "reduce the morale, courage and prestige of our forces" for "petty extraneous political gains". Singh had tweeted earlier in the day, "Doubts are being raised in some international media following the 'air strike' after the Pulwama accident. This is also raising questions on our government's credibility." Later, trolled for referring to the February 14 attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed in Pulwama as an accident, Singh tweeted again, saying there should be no doubt the incident was an act of terrorism. Hitting out at the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, Prasad said the Madhya Pradesh chief minister had alleged a RSS hand in the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 and also questioned the killing of suspected terrorists in an encounter in Delhi's Batla House the same year. He told reporters that leaders like Singh and Sibal are "repeat offenders". "Is this part of a conspiracy because whatever they (Congress leaders) are saying is being shown in Pakistan media. The comments of Congress spokespersons are headline in Pakistan," Prasad said. He said Sibal never sought proof when a "rogue element" raised questions at a London press conference on Indian electoral processes but is seeking evidence of the air strike. Sibal was present at a press conference where a masked self-proclaimed cyber expert claimed electronic voting machines can be hacked, an allegation rejected by the Election Commission. Prasad also attacked Chidambaram for asking who had made the claim of 300-350 terrorists being killed in Balakot when neither the Air Force not the External Affairs ministry gave out any figure. The BJP leader said even Pakistan admitted that Indian Air Force struck inside its territory and that "there is voluminous contemporaneous evidence available that entire attack was very effective and caused extensive damage to terrorist network". Prasad cited reports, including one that spoke about presence of many ambulances on the site in Balakot, originating from Pakistan to assert that the air strike hit terror camps. His colleague Prakash Javadekar lashed out at the Congress for "rubbishing the armed forces' claims and questioning their strength". "It does not happen in any democracy that trust is not placed in the Army. Only the Congress can commit such a sin," he said. On the day of the strike, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said a "very large number of terrorists" were killed in Balakot. On Monday, IAF chief B S Dhanoa said the Air Force does not count human casualties and it is for the government to provide details on the death toll. Though government sources said up to 350 terrorists were killed and BJP president Amit Shah put the toll at 250, there has been no official statement on the number of casualties. Prasad also attacked West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. "Mamata ji, you are a product of struggle. What is wrong with you," he asked, saying she should not insult the martyrdom of soldiers. Asked about Shah's claim that over 250 terrorists were killed, he said the party chief would have gone by "estimation" and added that the real casualty can be even bigger. The Congress on Monday had asked what was the basis for Shah's claim and why was Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his government not giving details of casualties. Prasad, however, also claimed his party would not speculate on it and referred to the Air Force's stand that it is for the government to give out the details. Refusing to be drawn into controversy over Digvijay Singh's remarks, former defence minister and Congress leader A K Antony told reporters, "Don't politicise the armed forces. Don't bring the military in the I request the BJP president, I request the prime minister don't politicise the Army. As a former defence minister, I am telling them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress lawmaker from Gujarat Bhagvan Barad has been disqualified as an MLA following his conviction in an illegal mining case, state Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi said on Tuesday. A court in Gir-Somnath district last Friday awarded Barad a jail term of two years and nine months in a 24-year-old case of illegal mining. The 60-year-old Congress leader won from Talala seat in Gir-Somnath in the 2017 Assembly polls. "Barad has been disqualified as MLA. The chief electoral officer and the election commissioner have been informed about it. He is no longer an MLA," Trivedi told reporters in Gandhinagar. The state legal department earlier sent a certified copy of the court order to the Gujarat Assembly so that action could be taken against him, he said. Barad was disqualified as per notifications of the Election Commission and the Supreme Court order pertaining to conviction of a lawmaker in a case, Trivedi said. The apex court last year said a lawmaker, whose conviction in a criminal case has not been stayed by an appellate court, would stand disqualified from the membership of the House. The court in Gir-Somnath pronounced Barad guilty under Indian Penal Code Section 379 (theft) and also imposed a fine of Rs 2,500 on him. He was accused of stealing limestone worth Rs 2.83 crore through illegal mining on a government land in Sutrapada. The material was then sold to a local chemical factory, as per the FIR lodged against him against him in 1995. Barad has challenged his conviction in the Gujarat High Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress will not have an alliance with AAP and contest alone in Delhi in the coming Lok Sabha election, its state unit chief Sheila Dikshit said Tuesday. "We have unanimously decided that we will not have an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party and we will contest alone and will emerge stronger," Dikshit told reporters after a meeting of Delhi Congress leaders with party president Rahul Gandhi. She said Gandhi has agreed to the decision against allying with AAP for Lok Sabha polls due by May. "So, we will go all by ourselves in Lok Sabha polls and there will certainly be no cooperation with AAP," Dikshit stressed. Party sources said Gandhi told Congress leaders during a two-hour meeting he would go by the majority decision and give preference to strengthen the organisation. Gandhi told them if Congress has to fight alone, he was ready and would not be cowed down by anyone, they said. Gandhi then asked for everyone's opinion and the majority favoured no tie-up with AAP, the sources said. Dikshit said work is going on for selection of candidates and sources said that a meeting of the party's screening committee would be held in a day or two to decide the candidates. The AAP has declared candidates on six of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. Shortly after the announcement, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal accused the Congress of having a "secret understanding" with the BJP and described it as an "unholy alliance". "At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi-Shah duo, Congress is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote. Rumours are that Congress has some secret understanding with BJP. Delhi is ready to fight against Congress-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance," he tweeted. AAP leader and Delhi minister Gopal Rai accused the Congress of "unofficially helping" the BJP in Delhi and in some other states. He said when the country wants the opposition to field a single candidate against the BJP "the Congress's final decision indicates it is unofficially helping the BJP". "Going by the action of the Congress, it seems it has an unofficial alliance with BJP. "Congress has been speaking the language of BJP for some time. AAP feels the way the BJP has helped the Congress win in Punjab, the Congress is unofficially helping the BJP win Delhi now," Rai said at a press conference. Gandhi's two-hour meeting with top Delhi Congress leaders was held at his residence. Ten Congress leaders led by Delhi unit chief Sheila Dikshit met Gandhi and conveyed their majority decision of "no alliance with AAP to him. Among those present during the meeting were AICC general secretary in-charge of Delhi P C Chacko, AICC secretary Kuljit Singh Nagra and Delhi unit working presidents Haroon Yusuf and Rajesh Lilothia, besides five former presidents of Delhi Congress Dikshit, Ajay Maken, JP Aggarwal, Arvinder Singh Lovely, Subhash Chopra, and former Speaker Yoganand Shastry. Dikshit said Congress will try to win all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and the decision has been taken keeping in view the party's interests. She said the aim of every leader and worker is to strengthen the party, especially when the assembly elections were due in a few months. Incidently, Chacko and Maken favoured alliance to defeat BJP, but a majority of leaders were against it. They said Kejriwal was an "unreliable ally" and "a bigger enemy" of the party and the Congress must focus on upcoming assembly elections in the state slated later this year. The decision is being viewed as a "setback" to the opposition unity ahead of Lok Sabha election, as opposition leaders are seeking strategic alliances in states to unitedly defeat the BJP by ensuring that there is no division of anti-BJP votes. Chacko, the sources said, told the meeting that he was in favour of an alliance to defeat the BJP and by not having an alliance, there would be division of votes and BJP would benefit from it. However, most state leaders felt that the Congress must go alone to survive and win the upcoming state assembly polls. The AAP had suggested a formula of three seats each for AAP and Congress and leaving one seat for an independent candidate, which sources say was Yashwant Sinha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress is likely to hold the meeting of its highest decision-making body in Ahmedabad on March 12, party sources said Tuesday, days after it was postponed in the wake of deteriorating security situation between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terrorist attack. The meeting of the Congress Working Committee was previously scheduled for Feb 28 in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat. But the opposition party decided to postpone it after the Pulwama attack on Feb 26 in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed and the Indian Air Force's strike on Jaish training camp in Pakistan a day later. Party sources said now the meeting will be held on March 12 in Ahmedabad. After the meeting in the morning, the Congress leadership, including party president Rahul Gandhi, will address a public meeting in Ahmedabad, they said. The party top brass was expected to attend the CWC meeting. This will be the first poll rally that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would attend, days after her foray in active as Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The CWC would discuss the current political scenario and review the progress for the coming general election. The party's strategy for 2019 polls and its campaign roadmap are likely to be finalised at the meeting ahead of the announcement of the general election, expected in the coming days. The last CWC meet in Gujarat was held 58 years ago, a party leader said. Priyanka Gandhi's brother and party president Rahul Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi will be present at the rally in Ahmedabad, a BJP stronghold. The "Sankalp Rally" is being perceived by Congress leaders as a major morale booster to the party in the state where it has been out of power for almost three decades. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday accused the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh of having no concern for farmers as the state had not sent a list of eligible beneficiaries for the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. In the interim Budget 2019-20, the Central government announced the PM-KISAN scheme under which Rs 6,000 per year will be given in three instalments to 12 crore small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares. The first tranche of Rs 2,000 was disbursed online to over 1 crore farmers by the prime minister on February 24. "Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, the first instalment (of Rs 2,000) has already reached the bank accounts of several crore farmers. But I am pained to say not a single farmer from Madhya Pradesh is included in it because the government sitting in Bhopal has no concern for farmers," he said. "The state government has not yet send us the list of beneficiary farmers (for the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana)," Modi said at a BJP 'Vijay Sankalp' rally here. Hitting out at the Kamal Nath government, he said the state government felt it would "lose face (unki naak kat jayegi)" if farmers from Madhya Pradesh get benefits from a scheme run by the Centre. But this state government should first look into the mirror to see if its "naak (prestige)" has been saved, he told the crowd. Modi also targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi for claiming during the November 2018 state assembly poll campaign that his party would waive farm loans within 10 days of coming to power, or would change its chief minister in case the 10-day deadline was not adhered to. "The Congress has tried to fool the people as farm loans have not been completely waived (even after the 10-day promise). But the party's chief minister is yet to be changed," Modi said. Taking a swipe at the previous UPA government, Modi said, "The then UPA government, after laying the foundation stone for the Indore-Dahod rail line, had forgotten it. But our government is now completing it." He claimed the condition of Madhya Pradesh had deteriorated under the Congress, which came to power after 15 years of BJP rule. "After the change of power, the Congress culture too has come back. Those who were hungry for 15 years (being out of power) have targeted (government resources) together," Modi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot said Tuesday the party will contest all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the upcoming elections. "Selection of nominees is in the final stage and a lot will be clear after the screening committee meeting on March 8 in New Delhi," Pilot told reporters. He said the selection of candidate would be done on the basis of feedback of party workers, hard work and winnability. The party is of the opinion to find nominees other than the family members of leaders, sitting MPs and MLAs and those who lost elections in the past. However, the choice of party workers and people and winnability of the candidates would be considered, he added. He said the Congress has been contesting on all seats in the state and will do so this time as well to secure a win in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. A panel of three candidates will be sent to the party's central committee to finalise the names, he said. Pilot attacked the incumbent BJP-led government at the Centre, saying the Congress is contesting the election to defeat the "forces that have weakened and hollowed democratic institutions in the past five years". "So, it is an important election for us," he said. The BJP won all 25 seats in Rajasthan in the 2014 general elections. On the Indian Air Force air strike at a Jaish terror camp in Balakot of Pakistan, Pilot said the action on terrorist facility was a matter of pride for India and "it is not right to raise question on valour of the security forces". Citing BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa's statement that India's preemptive air strike on a terror camp in Pakistan has created a wave in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pilot said, "It is not appropriate on the part of a few BJP leaders who are trying to do on security forces' action". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Datamatics Global Services Ltd. (DGSL), a global IT & BPM company, today announced that it has won IBM Asia Pacific Excellence Award at the IBM PartnerWorld at Think conference in San Francisco, CA. IBM's Excellence Award recognizes a select number of IBM Business Partners who have demonstrated business excellence in delivering IBM-based solutions that are driving exceptional client experiences and business growth. Datamatics was named one of the 20 IBM Asia Pacific Excellence Award winners. The company was selected based on set performance criteria established by IBM's Asia Pacific Excellence Award. The award acknowledges Datamatics' exceptional work in driving business value and industry success across Asia Pacific. Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Hitendra Shinde, Senior Vice President - Sales, Datamatics Global Services Ltd., said, "We are honoured to receive the Top Transformation Business Partner award as it showcases our alignment with IBM's portfolio of solutions. We are taking our partnership with IBM to the next level in 2019. We have embarked on deeper engagement with IBM for 2019." About Datamatics Global Services Datamatics (BSE: 532528 | NSE: DATAMATICS) provides Intelligent Solutions for data driven businesses to increase productivity and enhance customer experience. The company's portfolio of service offerings spans across Information Technology Services, Business Process Management, Engineering Services and Big Data & Analytics all powered by Artificial Intelligence. It has established products in Robotics Process Automation, Advanced Analytics, Business Intelligence and Automated Fare Collection. Datamatics services over 500 customers globally across Banking & Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, International Organizations and Media & Publishing. Headquartered in Mumbai, the Company has presence across 4 continents with major delivery centers in the USA, India and Philippines with an employee base of 10,000. To know more about Datamatics, visit http://www.datamatics.comSafe HarbourSome of the statements in this update that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include our financial and growth projections as well as statements concerning our plans, strategies, intentions and beliefs concerning our business and the markets in which we operate. These statements are based on information currently available to us, and we assume no obligation to update these statements as circumstances change. There are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, the level of market demand for our services, the highly-competitive market for the types of services that we offer, market conditions that could cause our customers to reduce their spending for our services, our ability to create, acquire and build new businesses and to grow our existing businesses, our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, currency fluctuations and market conditions in India and elsewhere around the world, and other risks not specifically mentioned herein but those that are common to industry. Source: Datamatics Global Services Ltd. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : DBS Bank Indiais looking to hire around 1,000 more technology engineers for its technology centre 'DBS Asia Hub 2' here over the next 24 months, a top official said here Tuesday. The DBS Group had established a technology hub DBS Asia Hub 2 in Hyderabad in 2016, the group's largest technology and operations hub outside of Singapore. The Singaporean lender is the largest foreign bank to become a fully-owned local subsidiary. "The hub has about 2,000 engineers building smartest solutions, 1,200 software engineers and developers work with DBS and about 800 who work with partners and build our technology products. We expect to grow it to 3,000 over the next 24 months," DBS Bank India chief executive Surojit Shome told reporters after launching its first branch in Hyderabad. He said they expect the bank's balance sheet to grow by three times in the next five years from the current Rs 50,000 crore. The bank invested (capital) Rs 7,700 crore for its banking business in India and Rs 1,800 crore was invested in 2018. DBS Bank Indiacurrently operates in 12 cities and intends to establish over 100 customer touchpoints-a combination of branches and kiosks--across 25 cities in the next 12-18 months and invest Rs 125 crore to Rs 150 crore on the network expansion. "Roughly about half of what we develop (digital solutions) is developed in the second technology centre (DBS Asia Hub 2) in Hyderabad. We expect to employ around 1,000 more technology engineers and people with software skills as we build new solutions," he said. DBS Asia Hub 2-Head Mohit Kapoor said the recruitment drive is already on and hiring is done through different channels, including hackathon. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Commission for Women has issued a notice to Divisional Commissioner of Revenue, seeking a complete ban on sale of acid in the national capital, which it said has become a major cause of concern. Citing data from National Crime Record Bureau, the notice says there have been 20 incidence of acid attacks in Delhi, the third highest after West Bengal and UP. Concerned over the heinous crime and taking into consideration the ban on acid sale declared by the Supreme Court in July 2013, the DCW has issued a notice to Divisional Commissioner of Revenue of Delhi, seeking a complete ban on sale of acid in the city. DCW Chief Swati Maliwal has sought an action taken report on the matter within ten days. Maliwal also met some acid attack survivors on the tenth day of her 13-day-long Mahila Suraksha Padyatra (women safety march). "We are victims of acid attack, but also victims of mental and physical trauma, police cases, court cases and social isolation... please do not isolate us, we are as much a part of society as you are. I don't hide my face, why should I? I haven't done anything wrong. The person who threw acid on me should hide his face," said an acid attack survivor who met Maliwal. Another acid attack survivor said there should be strict laws to punish those who throw acid. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Democratic lawmakers on Monday launched their most ambitious investigation yet into alleged obstruction of justice and abuse of office by Donald Trump, targeting dozens of individuals in the president's inner circle. With controversies swirling around Trump, the powerful House Judiciary Committee's chairman sent strongly worded letters to family members of the president -- including sons Don Jr and Eric -- as well as political confidantes and related entities. The letters demanded documents that could shed light on possible wrongdoing by the administration and Trump himself. Son-in-law Jared Kushner and the Trump Organization's long-time chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, were among the 81 people and organisations, such as the National Rifle Association, that received letters from the panel's Democratic chairman Jerry Nadler. They also include White House ex-aides Steve Bannon and Hope Hicks, current Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow, former attorney general Jeff Sessions and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The request is the most serious overt ramp-up of investigations into Trump since Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in early January, and seeks to uncover whether Trump or his administration has participated in obstruction of justice or public corruption -- potentially impeachable offences. "This is a critical time for our nation and we have a responsibility to investigate these matters and hold hearings for the public to have all the facts," Nadler said in a statement. "Over the last several years, President Trump has evaded accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical and constitutional rules and norms," he added. "Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress." Trump himself swatted away the probe as a "political hoax," but said he would cooperate with it. "I cooperate all the time with everybody," he said at a White House event. He later hardened his reaction, tweeting that any effort by Democrats to probe new avenues of possible wrongdoing "will never work". Nadler has given the recipients of his requests two weeks to respond. Conspicuously absent among his 81 targets is the president's eldest daughter Ivanka Trump, who is a senior White House advisor and is married to Kushner. The chairmen of three other House panels also joined the fray Monday, demanding the White House produce details of communications between Trump and Putin, after reports that such information was destroyed or hidden in the aftermath of their 2017 Helsinki summit. The US intelligence community has concluded that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election and that Putin ordered the influence campaign as a way to help elect Trump. The US president has repeatedly cast doubt on the findings. Nadler's broad investigation is focussed on Trump's business dealings and obstruction of justice allegations, along with possible Russian collusion. It also will address accusations of campaign finance law violations and potential violations of the US Constitution's ban on foreign emoluments. Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, in an explosive congressional testimony last week, implicated the president in illegal activities, including a scheme shortly before the 2016 election to pay hush money to two women who say they had affairs with Trump. One of the women reportedly received the payoffs through American Media Inc, a company run by a long-time Trump ally, David Pecker. Pecker and AMI both received letters from Nadler demanding information about their involvement. Letters to other key players include requests for information on the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower attended by Kushner, Trump Jr, now-jailed former campaign manager Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer reportedly close to the Kremlin, and documents surrounding the termination of FBI director James Comey. The expansive new probe suggests the potential for laying the groundwork for possible impeachment proceedings against Trump. But Democratic congressional leaders, including Nadler and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have been reticent about pushing for the president's impeachment. Nadler told ABC on Sunday that such action would be "a long way down the road". But in the same interview, he said "it's very clear that the president obstructed justice". In addition to the NRA, Nadler also sought documents from the White House, the Trump Organization, Trump's charity, the FBI and Cambridge Analytica, a data company that worked with the Trump campaign and has been investigated by Congress in connection with Russia's election interference efforts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangladeshi authorities on Tuesday barred Indian writer-activist Arundhati Roy for a second time from holding a discussion to be hosted by a government critic as police withdrew the permission for the venue. The organisers of the talk title 'Utmost Everything' were informed at 10 pm on Monday that permission for the Booker Prize winning author's talk at the Krishibid Institute Auditorium, one of the venues of the photography exhibition Chobi Mela, was cancelled due to "unavoidable circumstances". No further details were provided, the Chobi Mela Secretariat said in a statement. The venue for the talk, scheduled for Tuesday evening, was later shifted to Midas Centre in the Bangladesh capital, it said in its email statement. The invited guests were asked to join the function at 5.30 pm but as they started arriving the venue, MIDAS staff informed them the programme was cancelled. "MIDAS authorities just told us they could not allow us to stage the event due to lack of police clearance, said Shahidul Alam, an anti-government activist known for his serious criticism against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government. Roy's session was to be moderated by Alam, a photojournalist and festival director. The activist-teacher was behind bars for over 100 days last year for expressing solidarity with students protesting Dhaka's dismal road safety infrastructure. This is the 10th edition of Chobi Mela, touted to be one of the most prestigious photography festivals in Asia. It features 33 exhibitions with works from 44 artists from 21 countries. The festival that began on February 28 this year has the spotlight on the production, compilation, reminiscence, physical existence and social responsibility of archives in a global context, the Chobi Mela statement said. "Chobi Mela has and will continue to be about bringing people together and, more importantly, bringing them to Bangladesh," Alam, who is currently out on bail, said. The festival is scheduled to continue till March 9. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Dhaka Metropolitan Police has revoked writer-activist Arundhati Roy's talk at a venue of the photography exhibition Chobi Mela and it will now be held in another place, the organisers said on Tuesday. The organisers were informed at 10 pm on Monday that permission for Roy's talk at the Krishibid Institute Auditorium, one of the venues of the exhibition, was cancelled due to "unavoidable circumstances". No further details were provided, the Chobi Mela Secretariat said in a statement. The talk, scheduled for Tuesday evening, would now be held at the Midas Centre in the Bangladesh capital, it said in its email statement. "It's happening. At another venue," the Booker Prize winning author told PTI from Dhaka. Roy's session titled, 'Utmost Everything', will be moderated by Bangladesh photojournalist and festival director Shahidul Alam. The activist-teacher was behind bars for over 100 days last year for expressing solidarity with students protesting Dhaka's dismal road safety infrastructure. According to a notice on the festival's website, the entire session will be recorded and the video will be made publicly available. It will, however, not be live-streamed. "Arundhati has specifically requested that there be no live-streaming," the notice reads. While old registrations will continue to be valid, visitors have been requested to not make "unreasonable requests", "bring bags" or "other large items". "There will be no signings and no Q&A or selfies," the website said. This is the 10th edition of Chobi Mela, touted to be one of the most prestigious photography festivals in Asia. It features 33 exhibitions with works from 44 artists from 21 countries. The festival that began on February 28 this year has the spotlight on the production, compilation, reminiscence, physical existence and social responsibility of archives in a global context, the Chobi Mela statement said. "Chobi Mela has and will continue to be about bringing people together and, more importantly, bringing them to Bangladesh," Alam, who is currently out on bail, said. The festival is scheduled to continue till March 9. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Tuesday announced that it would contest from 20 seats in Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha elections, with the M K Stalin-led party finalising its seat-sharing agreements with all of its allies -- a total eight of them. The DMK's announcement virtually closes the door on Vijayakanth's DMDK, which is yet to forge an alliance though the ruling AIADMK is positive about aligning with the actor-politician's party. The had earlier wooed the DMDK for an alliance. president M K Stalin said his party has concluded the seat-sharing agreement with all of its allies and that the process of identifying the constituencies to allot to them would start from Thursday. After allocating seats to its allies, including the Congress, the "DMK will now contest from 20 seats" in the state, Stalin said after firming up an electoral pact with the last of his ally, Vaiko-led MDMK, on Tuesday. The DMK will lead a rainbow coalition comprising of the Congress, CPI(M), CPI, MDMK, VCK, IUML, KMDK and IJK. The has been allotted the lion's share of seats among the DMK's allies, with the grand old party receiving nine seats in the state, besides the lone Puducherry segment. The two Left parties, besides the VCK, have been given two seats each. The DMK has allotted one seat each to the MDMK, IJK, IUML and the KMDK. It has also allotted the MDMK one Rajya Sabha seat, the election for which is scheduled for June. On the concluding day of his party's alliance talks, Stalin firmed up the seat-sharing pact with CPI(M) state secretary K Balakrishnan and VCK's Vaiko. The parties have also expressed their support to the DMK for the bypolls to 21 Assembly seats in the state, which have been lying vacant for sometime now. Currently, the DMK has a total strength of 88 in the 234-member Assembly. While 18 seats fell vacant following the upholding the disqualification of AIADMK MLAs for revolting against Chief Minister K Palaniswami in 2017, Tiruvarur and Tirupparankundram segments await bypolls due to the death of sitting legislators, former DMK chief M Karunanidhi and A K Bose of AIADMK, respectively. Hosur, represented by former AIADMK minister P Balakrishna Reddy, was declared vacant recently after he resigned following a special court sentencing him to three years' rigorous imprisonment in a two-decade-old riot case. On the other side, the AIADMK has stitched up an alliance with the BJP, PMK and the Puthiya Neethi Katchi, while being positive about a prospective poll-pact with the DMDK also, which is likely to take a call on the matter soon. The DMK on Tuesday clinched a seat-sharing deal with the CPI(M) and allotted two seats to the Left party for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The pact was confirmed following talks between Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M K Stalin and Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary K Balakrishnan at the DMK headquarters here, a party release said. Balakrishnan told reporters that his party had informed the DMK about the wish-list of constituencies and further talks would be held on the matter. "As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, our party will wholeheartedly participate in the alliance led by DMK. Our intention is to defeat the BJP-AIADMK combine in Tamil Nadu and there is no difference of opinion in that (among constituents)," the Left leader said. On the participation of the CPI(M) in rallies by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the state, Balakrishnan indicated they would attend them. The DMK, in its bid to lead a rainbow alliance, has already signed electoral arrangements with the Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK), Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). It is continuing talks with the Vaiko-led Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK). There are a total of 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state, besides one in neighbouring Puducherry. Asked about the party's stand on bypolls to 21 Assembly seats that have been lying vacant in the state, Balakrishnan said it had already been decided that the CPI(M) would support the DMK. While 18 seats are lying vacant following the court upholding the disqualification of AIADMK MLAs for revolting against the chief minister in 2017, Tiruvarur and Tirupparankundram segments await bypolls due to the death of sitting legislators, former DMK chief M Karunanidhi and AK Bose of AIADMK, respectively. Hosur, represented by former AIADMK minister Balakrishna Reddy, was declared vacant recently after he resigned following a special court sentencing him to three years' rigorous imprisonment in a two-decade-old riot case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Tuesday issued a notice to private firm Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd (NTBCL) on a plea filed by Noida authority challenging the ongoing arbitral proceedings between them on collection of toll on the DND flyway connecting Delhi and Noida. The Noida authority has filed an interim application in a pending appeal filed by NTBCL, which was running the DND flyway, in the apex court against the Allahabad High Court's order. The high court had asked NTBCL to stop collecting toll from commuters plying on the DND flyway. The Noida authority has said the apex court was seized of the NTBCL appeal and in the meanwhile, simultaneous arbitration proceedings were being conducted which should be stayed. The apex court is hearing the appeal of NTBCL and the arbitration is also going on, senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Noida authority, said, adding that there cannot be simultaneous proceedings and moreover, "nothing is due on the Noida authority". "Issue notice. Reply to the I A (interim application), if any, may be filed within a week. Rejoinder to the reply, if any, may be filed within next one week thereafter. List the matter after two weeks," a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said. The apex court had refused to stay the high court's order and had also directed the CAG to conduct the audit to ascertain the claim of NTBCL that it needed to continue collecting the toll to recover the dues. Prior to this, the court had agreed to hear the appeal of NTBCL challenging Allahabad High Court's order asking it to stop collecting toll from commuters plying on the DND flyway. The high court, in October 2016, had ruled that there will be no toll collected henceforth from those using the 9.2 km-long, eight-lane Delhi-Noida Direct flyway. The order was passed as the high court allowed a PIL by the Federation of Noida Residents' Welfare Association. The PIL, filed in 2012, had challenged the "levy and collection of toll in the name of user fee by Noida Toll Bridge Company". In an over 100-page judgment, the high court had held, "the user fee which is being levied/realised is not supported by the legal provisions relied upon by the Concessionaire (Noida Toll Bridge Company), Infrastructure Leaning and Financial Services (promoter and developer of the project) and the Noida Authority." It had said that the "right to levy and collect user fee from the commuters as conferred upon the Concessionaire under the concession agreement suffers from excessive delegation and is contrary to the provisions UP Industrial Development Act". It had noted that "the Concessionaire, according to their own financial statements, has recovered Rs 810.18 crore (approx) from toll income from the date of commencement of the project till March 31, 2014 and after deduction of operation and maintenance expenses and corporate income tax, the surplus was Rs 578.80 crore (computed before interest, depreciation, and lease rental received by the Concessionaire)". "They have further realised user fee/toll two-and-a-half years thereafter between April 1, 2014 and September 30, 2016 which, as per the collection of user fee in the year 2013-14 would work out to an additional sum of Rs 300 crore (approx). "We are, therefore, more than satisfied that the Concessionaire cannot now recover the user fees from the users/commuters of the Noida Toll Bridge the DND Flyover," the high court had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police Tuesday detained a doctor from Aurangabad district of Maharashtra for allegedly providing financial assistance to the ISIS suspects who were arrested in January this year by the ATS. The doctor was taken into custody in the wee hours from Khuldabad, around 26 kms from here, a police officer said while refusing to disclose any additional information. More information will come out during interrogation of the doctor, he said. Ahead of Republic Day, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested nine people from Thane and Aurangabad and detained a juvenile for their alleged links with terror outfit ISIS. They were booked under Indian Penal Code's Section 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Bombay Police Act. The ATS had said that the accused were plotting mass attacks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader and former defence minister A K Antony Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of sacrificing national interests and urged him to not politicise the armed forces. He refused to be drawn into any controversy over his party colleague Digivijay Singh's remarks terming the Pulwama terrorist attack an "accident" and said the security forces were still fighting at the borders. Singh sparked a controversy when he referred to the Pulwama attack on Twitter as a "durghatana" (accident). He, however, reviewed it to "terror attack" after being trolled on social media. Antony also said that BJP president Amit Shah should not be the person giving out operational details of actions taken by the armed forces. "Even now our soldiers died, that details only Army and CRPF can explain, not BJP spokesman or BJP president. It is very very unfortunate. "Don't politicise the armed forces. Don't bring the military into I request the BJP president, I request the prime minister, don't politicise the Army. As a former defence minister, I am telling them," he told reporters. Shah has claimed that "more than 250 terrorists" were killed in the Balakot air strike. The government has so far said the air strike killed a "very large number" of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders. The IAF, which carried out the strike on February 26, said on Monday that government would provide details on the casualty figures as the Air Force only sees if a target has been hit or not. Demanding answers from the prime minister for signing onto the Rafale jet deal "without examining the recommendation" of the committee appointed by him during the UPA rule to look into the Indo-French agreement, Antony said, "Prime Minister sacrificed our national interest, according to me. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A drone was sighted flying over a Naval station here following which an investigation has been launched, police said Tuesday. The Naval personnel found the drone flying over the INS Adyar campus, in the heart of the city, around 9 PM Monday, police said. The Navy Tuesday filed a complaint with the police seeking an investigation into the incident. "An investigation is on," the police said without divulging further information. The incident comes at a time when key installations, including airports across the country, are on high alert following the recent Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF jawans in Jammu and Kashmir and airstrikes by India on terrorist camps in Pakistan. Two Pakistani drones had been shot down by the Indian Air Force in Rajasthan and Gujarat along the Indo-Pak border in the paste one week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday said Pakistan used to return beheaded bodies of Indian jawans earlier, but now it had to release a captured Indian Air Force pilot "within 48 hours". "See the change now. Within 48 hours, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was released and he is among us," Shah said while addressing a party workers at a meeting here. Indian Air Force also went inside Pakistan and demolished terror camps proving the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the Pulwama terror attack, Shah said. Attacking Congress president Rahul Gandhi, he said the UPA-2 government gave only Rs 55,253 crore to Jharkhand, while the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has provided Rs 3.13 lakh to the state, besides taking up other developmental projects in the state. Shah said, "For 10 years, the UPA government was in power (at the Centre). I would like to ask, what did you give to Jharkhand. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Tamil Nadu will host the eighth edition of the International Engineering Sourcing Show here from March 14, with the theme being 'Smart Engineering.' The three day event is being organised by the Engineering Export Promotion Council, sponsored by the Commerce and Industries Ministry. Uttar Pradesh will be 'Partner state' for the event. "This year Smart Engineering is the theme which showcases India as a Global Hub for manufacturing and technology", EEPC said in a statement. EEPC India senior vice-chairman Mahesh K Desai said that over 400 participants would participate in the event, of which 130 would be from Tamil Nadu and 40 from other nations, including Malaysia, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. "EEPC India has chosen -- Subcontracting, Industrial and Electrical Machinery, Future Factory and Innovation and Technology as four broad sub-theme in IESS VIII", Desai said. The other two additions at the event were how to use ayurvedic science by employing technology and role of design in increasing productivity and competency, he said. Tamil Nadu MSME secretary Dharmendra Pratap Yadav advocated a slew of export promotion measures, particularly in the MSME sector, following inclusion of merchant exporters. "Chennai is the most relevant venue, dubbed as the Detroit of Asia, accounting for 35 per cent India's auto-component production and 70 per cent of India's overall exports of passenger vehicles", Yadav said. EEPC India regional director C H Nadiger said engineering exports was the largest commodity exports, accounting for 25 per cent of total exports. "In 2017-18, engineering exports accounted for USD 76.2 billion. Currently, major markets are USA and EU which account for over 30 per cent of exports", Nadiger said. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Heavy Industry and National Institute of Design were also expected to take part in the event. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Tokyo court on Tuesday unexpectedly granted bail to former auto industry titan Carlos Ghosn, who has spent more than three months in a detention cell. It was the latest twist in a case that has gripped Japan and the business world since the tycoon's shock arrest on November 19 over suspicions of financial misconduct. An appeal by prosecutors against the decision to grant Ghosn bail was thrown out late Tuesday, according to the Jiji agency. The 64-year-old Ghosn's lead lawyer Junichiro Hironaka suggested to Japanese media he could be freed Wednesday, once his defence team has raised bail which was set at one billion yen (USD 9 million). The former head of Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and Renault faces three charges -- two involving alleged under-reporting of his salary and a third over a complex scheme in which Ghosn allegedly sought to transfer his losses to Nissan's books. Further claims of financial misconduct have been levelled against him and prosecutors may yet slap him with additional allegations to keep him in detention. Ghosn again insisted his innocence in a statement released early Wednesday, saying he would "strongly" defend himself against the "unfounded" charges. "I am boundlessly grateful to my family and friends for backing me through this terrible ordeal," he added in the statement released by his lawyers in Paris. Under his bail terms, Ghosn is banned from leaving Japan and must adhere to conditions aimed at preventing him from fleeing or destroying evidence. The shock decision came a day after Hironaka, who Ghosn hired just last month in a shake-up of his defence team, told reporters he had filed a "convincing" application for bail that contained fresh elements. Hironaka, who has a reputation for securing acquittals for high-profile clients in a country where almost all court cases end in conviction, offered greater surveillance of Ghosn and a limit on his electronic communications. The court has previously said Ghosn's continued detention was justified because he posed a flight risk and could seek to tamper with evidence. It had already rejected two official bail bids and other attempts to win freedom. However, his prolonged stay behind bars has come under fire internationally and from rights groups. Speaking to AFP and French daily Les Echos in January -- his only interview with foreign media so far -- Ghosn himself said that his continued detention "would not be normal in any other democracy". "Why am I being punished before being found guilty?" Ghosn asked. Under Japanese law, prosecutors can hold a suspect for up to 22 days while they investigate an allegation, and then can apply for repeated one-month stretches of pre-trial detention for each charge eventually levelled. That means prosecutors could effectively prevent Ghosn from leaving detention despite Tuesday's bail decision if they level new allegations against him, restarting the 22-day detention clock. In a shake-up of his legal team last month, Ghosn replaced a former prosecutor known as "the breaker" with Hironaka, who has earned the nickname "the acquitter" for his court record and the "razor" for his mental sharpness. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Hironaka had vowed a "completely new legal strategy" to obtain his client's release. "I think the content of the lawyer's application changed the situation," said Japanese lawyer Nobuo Gohara. Nissan declined to comment on the bail decision, saying it was a matter for courts and prosecutors. However, it said that an internal probe had "uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct" and that "further discoveries related to Ghosn's misconduct continue to emerge". "The company's focus is firmly on addressing weaknesses in governance that failed to prevent this misconduct," it added in a statement. A towering figure once revered in Japan for turning around Nissan's fortunes, Ghosn also forged a successful alliance between Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and France's Renault. But his attempts to deepen the alliance caused resentment in some quarters, and Ghosn has claimed the allegations against him are part of a "plot" by opponents of greater integration between the three firms. Given the number of people involved in the complex case and their wide geographical spread, Hironaka said the case would run over a "very long time span". However, he said prosecutors had begun handing over some of their evidence prior to a potential trial. Ghosn's family lawyer told French LCI television that his release would end a "cruel and brutal" time in custody for the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Exports of certain leather goods, including handbags and accessories, to the US would get impacted due to the duty benefit withdrawal by America under its GSP programme, CLE said Tuesday. Council for Leather Exports (CLE) Chairman P R Aqeel Ahmed said import duty in the range of 6 to 9 per cent would be invoked on these leather goods. "This is an unfortunate event. Withdrawal of duty benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme of the US will impact our exports to the US," Aqeel said. He said Indian leather products would not be able to compete with items from Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia. GSP, the largest and oldest US trade preference programme, is designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Formula 1 is implementing "contingency plans" to deal with the consequences of Brexit, including possibly basing more material on mainland Europe, its chief executive Chase Carey said Tuesday. Several F1 teams have warned that Britain's departure from the European Union, especially if it comes without a withdrawal agreement, will create logistical nightmares for an industry that relies on international staff and specialised goods moving in and out of Britain. Mercedes team CEO Toto Wolff said Brexit could trigger "the mother of all messes" for his Northamptonshire-based team. Six of the 10 teams who took part in the 2019 grand prix series are based in Britain. Carey told reporters at the Geneva International Motor Show that F1 was trying to make plans despite the uncertainty surrounding the timing and nature of Brexit. "We are making contingency plans for trying to make sure we are prepared to deal with the issues that possibly arise that would make getting people and things in and out of the UK more difficult," Carey said. He added that he considered complications surrounding the movement of goods more problematic than possible visa issues for international staffers with British-based teams. Currently, F1 supports teams by transferring goods predominately from Britain to various European sites. "We bring them in and out of the UK now. We obviously can bring them in and out of somewhere else," Carey said. Some F1 teams have suggested that teams based on the continent would have an advantage if new rules complicated the import of products into Britain, especially since teams typically work on tight deadlines. Carey declined to comment on "speculation" about competitive imbalance. "We don't know what is going to happen anymore than anyone else," he said. Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29 but Prime Minister Theresa May's divorce deal has not yet been approved by parliament, raising the prospect of Brexit being delayed. The alternative is Britain leaving on time without an agreement, a doomsday option both sides would like to avoid. EU and UK officials were trying to negotiate a compromise in Brussels on Tuesday that could win parliamentary support. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thane police Tuesday claimed to have busted a fake degree racket allegedly being operated by a Nagpur-based management and engineering institute, and booked its founder-director and other staff members, an official said. According to police, the Indian Institute of Management and Engineering located in Nagpur, was offering bogus degrees to students and others in lieu of money. The founder-director of the institute identified as Nayeem, its manager Pallavi Chavan and some other staff members have been booked in this connection, police said. "The institute has been in operation since years. It would give fake degree certificates to students and others in lieu of money. It would issue certificates of BBA (bachelor of business administration), MBA in production management, diploma in mechanical engineering and BTech, and other degrees," Thane police spokesperson Sukhada Narkar said. The beneficiaries used to get the mark sheets and degree certificates as per their requirements, she said. The Crime Branch of Thane police, which was probing a case of fake pharmacy certificates involving a Thane-based institute, came across the bogus certificates issued by the Nagpur institute and initiated a separate investigation into it, Narkar said. Manpada police station in Dombivli has booked the accused under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document), Narkar said, adding that nobody has been arrested so far. According to police, fake certificates would enable the beneficiaries to get jobs in private as well as public sector. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For Mahindra group, from whose stable electric luxury supercar Battista is being rolled out, the path to mass adoption of electric vehicles will be through fleet such as Ola, according to the group's Chairman Anand Mahindra. At present electric vehicles (EVs) are out of reach of price sensitive buyers, specially in India, but the usage of such vehicles by fleet operators will help in achieving economies of scale in the industry and ultimately help in reaching personal mobility, Mahindra told PTI here in an interview. Speaking at the sidelines of the 89th Geneva International Motor Show, he also said the group is also working on how to bring its GenZe electric scooters to India as it would be "too expensive" for the market there currently. "Right now the break even for electric cars applies more to cars that are used much more. The more you use the electric cars the better your payback," he said. Welcoming the Rs 10,000 crore FAME II scheme under which four-wheeler electric vehicles will get subsidy only for fleet operators and commercial purposes, Mahindra said, "What the government has done is spot on." He, however, added, "Whether they (government) had done it or not we had decided to focus on fleet anyway." When fleets start using EVs, economies of scale is created in the industry as the cost of these vehicles come down when more people buy them, he said. Moreover, when people start using these cars seeing companies like Uber, Ola using it, people get accustomed to it and thus helping in popularisation of EVs, Mahindra added. "Fleets are the best way to familiarise people to speed up adoption. So in some point, if see all these charts converge that's the time that people will start using it for personal mobility. Mahindra will be ready (for it) with some options which are both affordable and exciting," he said. In the past, Mahindra had tied up with app-based cab aggregator Ola in partnership with the Indian government to build India's first electric mass mobility ecosystem in Nagpur. When asked about the group's electric two-wheeler programme, Mahindra said,"We make GenZe e-scooters overseas (in the US). It is too expensive for India but we have some thoughts." He further said, "The e-scooters will come to Europe first. So GenZe may even be marketed by under Peugeot which we own in Europe. So the question is how to bring it to India, we are working on it." Bullish on the segment, Mahindra said, "Electric two-wheelers are going to be a big movement, shared fleets as well as personal mobility...the biggest trend in the world is going to be kick scooters, next biggest trend is e-bikes and e-scooters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper announced his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday, the second governor and 14th candidate to join the field seeking to take on Republican Donald Trump in 2020. In a video announcing his candidacy, the 67-year-old Hickenlooper said he is seeking the White House "because we're facing a crisis that threatens everything we stand for". "I've proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver," he said. A former geologist and self-described "nerd", Hickenlooper went into after earning a fortune opening up a string of brewpubs in Denver, Colorado's largest city, and other towns. A political moderate, Hickenlooper took aim at Trump in his campaign launch video: "As a skinny kid with Coke bottle glasses and a funny last name, I've stood up to my fair share of bullies," he said. Hickenlooper served as mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011 and as governor of Colorado from 2011 to January 2019. He oversaw Colorado's economic boom during his tenure as governor, which was also marked by devastating wildfires, floods and a mass shooting at a movie theatre that left 12 people dead. Colorado passed tough gun-control legislation following the 2012 shooting and the state also moved to legalise marijuana while Hickenlooper was in office. A former chair of the National Governors Association, Hickenlooper is well-known in Democratic leadership circles, but not to the larger public outside his home state. Speaking on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday, Hickenlooper said the United States is suffering from a "crisis of division". "I think it's probably the worst period of division that we've had in this country since the Civil War," he said. "Ultimately, I'm running for president because I believe that not only can I beat Donald Trump, but that I am the person that can bring people together on the other side and actually get stuff done." Others who have announced bids to become the Democratic nominee are US senators Bernie Sanders, 77, Kamala Harris, 54, Elizabeth Warren, 69, Cory Booker, 49, Amy Klobuchar, 58, and Kirsten Gillibrand, 52. Also running are Washington state governor Jay Inslee, 68, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, 37, of Hawaii, former Maryland congressman John Delaney, 55, Obama-era housing secretary Julian Castro, 44, of Texas, and South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg, 37, who would be the first openly gay nominee of a major party. Two non-politicians are also in the race -- Andrew Yang, 44, a technology executive, and Marianne Williamson, a 66-year-old self-help author. And several other potential candidates are waiting in the wings, including former vice president Joe Biden, 76, former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, 46, and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, 66. There has also been speculation that former Obama attorney general Eric Holder may run, but he said Monday that he would not be a candidate. "Though I will not run for president in 2020, I will continue to fight for the future of our country," Holder said in an opinion piece in The Washington Post. He declined to endorse a particular candidate, but said the Democrats have a "host of good options". Four former US governors have become president since 1976. Democrat Jimmy Carter, a former governor of Georgia, was elected to the White House in 1976 and was followed by former California governor Ronald Reagan, a Republican, in 1980. Former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton, a Democrat, won the 1992 presidential election and was succeeded by former Texas governor George W Bush, a Republican. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil Tuesday said the statement issued by the state General Administration Department (GAD) on the mega-recruitment drive was inappropriately framed, due to which the government had to face criticism. "The high court, while hearing a plea opposing quota to Maratha community in education and government jobs, asked the government to complete the recruitment process, but not to issue appointment letters (till it gives its verdict). But the GAD, in its statement only said that appointment letters won't be issued," Patil told reporters. "The GAD statement was inappropriately framed and we had to face the wrath of people," he said. He said that the GAD statement should have mentioned that the recruitment process would continue, although appointment letters would not be issued till the Bombay High Court gives its verdict on the petition opposing reservation to the Maratha community. The opposition Congress and NCP had earlier accused the government of betrayal, saying that the GAD statement mentions that no appointment letters would be issued. On November 30, 2018, the Maharashtra Legislature had passed a bill proposing 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs for the Marathas, a declared socially and educationally backward class by the government. The reservation was given on the basis of the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) report on the social and economic conditions of the influential community. However, the decision was challenged in the high court and hearing into the plea is still on. The state government had told the court that 72,000 vacant seats in various departments need to be filled urgently. The court then asked the government to complete the recruitment process, like issuing advertisements, conducting examination and interviews, but not to issue appointment letters till the verdict is out. "However, the message was not communicated to the people appropriately. The GAD statement gave a wrong message. Due to it, the government's intention was questioned by the supporters of the Maratha reservation," the PWD minister said. On being asked when the recruitment process would get over, he said, "By May end, the verdict will be out and recruitment for 72,000 posts will also be completed." Talking about the measures taken by the government for the Maratha community so far, Patil said, "We already have received 54,000 letter of intent for seeking loan to start a business under the state arm Annasaheb Patil Development Corporation for Economically Backward." "Out of it, 2,800 people from the Maratha community have already received Rs 10 lakh (each) as loan from the corporation. The state government is the guarantee for the loan as well as interest on it," the cabinet minister said. "The state has also decided to provide financial aid to 125 students, who aspire to crack the UPSC exam and study in Delhi. The state would be spending Rs 4.33 lakh per student under the scheme," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A class 8 girl of a government-run residential high school died in a hospital in Mayurbhanj district hours after she vomited and complained of stomach pain, police said Tuesday. Family members of the student lodged an FIR accusing the school authorities of negligence. The girl was first admitted to Rasgovindpur hospital following vomiting and stomach pain in the school at Mandia on Monday evening. She was later shifted to the PRM Medical College and Hospital at Baripada where she died after midnight, police said. Demanding compensation to the family of the deceased, activists of the BJP and the JMM staged demonstration near the district Collector's office here with the body of girl. The protest was withdrawn after Additional SP Jayram Satpathy and Additional District Welfare Officer Mina Ketan Mangraj talked with the agitators. The district administration announced Rs 50,000 for cremation of the girl and Rs 2 lakh compensation to her family besides promising action in any lapse was found on the part of the school after inquiry, said an official. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday said the government does not have the number of Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists killed in the IAF strike in Pakistan's Balakot and attacked those questioning its veracity, insisting people who do that are indulging in over the valour of the armed forces. He said the number of fatalities at the JeM terror training camp will be known some day. Singh, however, claimed that the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) has informed the security establishment about the presence of around 300 "active" mobile phones at the training camp site before the IAF bombing. Charging the opposition with doing over the "valour and sacrifice" of defence personnel, the minister advised the Congress, which been demanding proof of the retaliatory assault and casualties in the aftermath of the Pulwama suicide bombing that left 40 CRPF men dead, to go to Pakistan and count the bodies if they indeed wanted to ascertain the number of fatalities. "Some leaders of other political parties are asking us questions about how many terrorists were killed in the IAF strike. Some day, it will be known that how many were killed. Leaders in Pakistan know in their hearts how many perished in the IAF attack," Singh told a public gathering after inaugurating an electronic border guarding project of the BSF on the Indo-Bangladesh border here. He mocked the opposition over its demand for the number of fatalities, wondering why its leaders were asking "kitne mare, kitne mare?" (how many were killed?)" "Should our Air Force personnel count the bodies after the attack -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...? What is this joke," he asked. The home minister referred to Indian Air Force chief B S Dhanoa's media interaction on Monday where he said the force does not count bodies and is concerned only about whether the target was hit. Sidestepping a raging debate on the number of casualties in the Balakot strike, Dhanoa had said it was for the government to provide details of the terrorists. Singh noted that the NTRO, the technical surveillance organisation of the government, had said that 300 mobile phones were active at the scene of Balakot bombing before the IAF action. "Now, imagine how many were killed. We do not need to tell this number. I would like to ask if these mobile phones were used by trees or people were there. Now will you (Congress and other opposition parties) not believe the NTRO also? Strange questions are being asked." He said should not be done only to form a government but to build the country. "If my Congress friends feel that they should be told about the number of terrorists killed, then they should go to Pakistan and count the dead," Singh said. He said the prime minister took a firm decision after coming to know of the Pulwama attack. "Our government is firm that the one who looks at us with an evil eye or tries to destabilise us, we will not forgive them. Enough is enough. The prime minister yesterday said that we will eliminate terror bases even if these are in hell. We cannot allow anybody to play with the lives of our people," he said. Asserting that the Modi government was committed to the safety and security of the people, he said the country should be proud of the defence forces. For the BJP, the country is infinitely more important than winning elections, he said, targeting those accusing the Modi government of trying to score political brownie points over the Pulwama attack and the IAF's retributive assault in Balakot. Peace, he said, was a prerequisite for progress. Singh paid tributes to Maneswar Basumatary, a CRPF jawan from Assam killed in the Pulwama attack, and others who perished with him, and led the gathering in chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' four times, with clenched fists thrusting into the sky. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Over 500 gm of gold and foreign currency totalling Rs 18.10 lakh have been seized from three passengers at the Mangaluru International Airport, customs authorities said Tuesday. The arrest of the three passengers and the seizure were made in separate incidents on Monday, they said In the first incident, a Dubai-bound passenger was found carrying US dollars, Euro, Omani riyals and Kuwaiti dinar, all valued at Rs 18.10 lakh, between clothes in his luggage, a customs press release said. In the second incident, a passenger who arrived by an Air India flight from Dubai was having 232.62 gm of 24-carat gold worth Rs 7.68 lakh that was hidden in a round plate coated with silver and kept inside a cooker. In the third incident, 317.36 gm of 24-carat gold in the form of dust was concealed in the rectum of a passenger who also arrived from Dubai, the press release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The has promised to lower rate to 25 per cent for all companies once Goods and Services (GST) mop-up improves, President Sandip Somany said Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after meeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Somany said the discussions revolved around a wide range of issues, including taxation, job creation and boosting industrial output. "He (Jaitley) has promised that as the revenue collections from go up over a period of time, he will rationalise the taxes for the rest of the corporate sector over the next few years," Somany said. In the 2015-16 budget, the had announced that the rate would be gradually lowered to 25 per cent from 30 per cent over the next four years and exemptions available to companies would be phased out. In the budget 2017, the had reduced the rate to 25 per cent for companies whose turnover was less than Rs 50 crore in the financial year 2015-16. This benefitted 96 per cent of the total companies filing tax returns. The government in the next budget of 2018-19 extended the reduced of 25 per cent to companies with a turnover of up to Rs 250 crore, a move which benefited the micro, small and medium enterprises. After this, out of about 7 lakh companies filing returns, about 7,000 companies which file returns of income and whose turnover is above Rs 250 crores remains in 30 per cent slab. With regard to US decision to withdraw duty benefits on Indian products under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme, Somany said it will make Indian industry less competitive. "I'm sure government will take appropriate action and there will be a dialogue between the two governments to make sure that this is not withdrawn in case of India, Somany added. US President has said he intends to end the preferential trade status granted to India and Turkey, asserting that New Delhi has failed to assure America of "equitable and reasonable" access to its markets, an announcement that could be seen as a major setback to bilateral trade ties. The Union and the Maharashtra governments' views on rape victims are "outdated and violative of constitutional principles", the three death row convicts in the Shakti Mills gangrape case Tuesday told the Bombay High Court. The argument was made by advocate Yug Chaudhry, the counsel representing Vijay Jadhav, Mohammad Kasim Bengali and Mohammad Salim Ansari, who were sentenced to death by a sessions court in April 2014 for raping a photojournalist in Shakti Mills on August 22, 2013. The three have challenged the law under which they were awarded the death sentence by the sessions court in 2014. Chaudhry was responding to a previous argument made by the government counsels, whereby, they had justified the provision under Section 376 (E) of the Indian Penal Code for death sentence for a repeat rape offender by saying that the rape was a graver offence than murder. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh and Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, who represented the Union and the state in the case respectively, had told the bench previously that the offence of rape, even when non-homicidal, deserved to be treated as the gravest offence, for rape was not just a physical attack, but it "destroyed the victim's soul, her personality," and often, rendered the rest of her life "meaningless". "Such a view that considers dishonour graver than death is outdated and violative of the constitutional principles that guarantee every citizen a right to equality and a life of dignity," Chaudhry argued. He argued that if the above was the rationale behind introducing Section 376 (E) -- the section challenged by convicts -- then the same must raise questions on the Constitutional validity of the section itself. Chaudhry also questioned the Union government's submission that the amendment to the rape laws were made in the aftermath of the December 16 gang rape case in New Delhi when there was much anger among the public and hence, the need for more stringent rape laws was felt. "Can the legislature let public perception and the public's will dictate the laws?" Chaudhry asked. He was making the concluding arguments in the case. Earlier, the Union and the state governments had concluded their arguments saying all provisions, including Section 376 (E), that were brought into effect through the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2013 were in consonance with legal and Constitutional principles. All parties in the case concluded their arguments on Tuesday. A bench of Justices B P Dharamadhikari and Revati Mohite-Dere, which had been conducting the final hearing on the three writ petitions since last month, has now reserved its verdict on the pleas. The verdict on these three pleas will have a direct bearing on the state's petition seeking confirmation of the death sentence awarded to the three men by the sessions court. The confirmation plea is pending hearing before another bench of the high court. The amended law has been challenged by the three convicts. The sessions court awarded them the death penalty as they were also convicted for raping a telephone operator in July 2013. The trials in both the cases were held simultaneously and the conviction was handed out the same day. The sentences were awarded to the convicts within a period of two weeks from each other. The sessions court first pronounced the punishment in the telephone operator case, sentencing the convicts to life imprisonment. It subsequently allowed a prosecution plea to charge the convicts under Section 376 (E) and awarded the death penalty to three out of the five convicts in the case. The three, however, challenged the death sentence and the constitutional validity of Section 376 (E). Their counsel in HC, advocate Chaudhry, has argued that the first conviction ought to be secured before the second offence was committed for Section 376 (E) to be applicable in a case. The amicus curiae (law officer appointed by court to assist it in a case), advocate Abad Ponda, too had told the HC while Section 376 (E) was constitutionally valid, in his opinion, an accused must be seen as a repeat offender and be awarded the death sentence only if the second offence was committed after he was convicted for the first offence of rape. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US decision to withdraw duty benefits under its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme will have a marginal impact on few domestic sectors such as processed food, leather, plastic, and engineering goods, exporters body FIEO said Tuesday. Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ganesh Kumar Gupta said that as these sectors were availing higher GSP benefits, the government should look into providing fiscal support to these segments. "The government should look into providing fiscal support to such sectors so that exporters reduce their export prices factoring in the fiscal support with a view that the landed price of such products remain more or less what was under the GSP regime," he said in a statement. The other sectors that were enjoying the duty benefits include building material and tiles; hand tools (spanners, wrenches, drilling equipments); engineering goods such as spark ignition, turbines and pipes, parts of generators, cycles; made-ups (pillow and cushion covers); and women's woven dresses, he said. Removal of these duty concessions would make these products relatively uncompetitive in terms of prices in the US market as compared to the same products being exported by other developing countries. "India was getting tariff preference on 5,111 tariff lines (or products) out of 18,770 tariff lines in the US. However, on only 2,165 tariff lines, the tariff advantage was 4 per cent or more. "While we hope that the exporters would be able to absorb the duty loss where it is 2-3 per cent, we need to provide fiscal support to those products where GSP tariff advantage was significant particularly in the labour-intensive sector," he added. However, Gupta added that the benefit withdrawal by the US would have "marginal" impact on India's exports to the US. "GSP has been given on non-reciprocal basis yet the US has linked it with market access and tariff reduction which is against the basic tenets of GSP," he said. He also said that since India is predominantly exporting intermediate and semi-manufactured goods to the US under the GSP, the same has helped in cost-effectiveness and price-competitiveness of American downstream industry. "Therefore, the GSP withdrawal will also impact the competitiveness of many manufacturing sectors and will hit the consumers at the same time," he said adding that the import price of most of the chemical products, which constituted a large chunk of India's exports, is expected to increase by about 5 per cent. The withdrawal of the benefits will also hit the import diversification strategy of the US where it is keen to replace China as the main supplier to other developing countries, Gupta said. He added that India's exports to the US will remain unaffected despite withdrawal. Commenting on the development, industry body Ficci said it would make the Indian industry less competitive. "I am sure the government would take appropriate action and there will be dialogue between the two governments to make sure that this is not withdrawn in case of India," Ficci President Sandip Somany said. US President Donald Trump has said he intends to end the preferential trade status granted to India and Turkey, asserting that New Delhi has failed to assure America of "equitable and reasonable" access to its markets, an announcement that could be seen as a major setback to bilateral trade ties. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) will invest over USD 4 billion in setting up a mega petrochemical complex in Odisha, the state government said Tuesday dubbing the proposal as India's largest domestic investment plan. Odisha's High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA), headed by state chief minister Naveen Patnaik, has approved a proposal submitted by HPL to set up an integrated refinery with aromatics complex for production of Paraxylene and Purified Terephthalic Acid at a total investment of Rs 28,700 crore (USD 4.05 billion), as per an official statement. The refinery will be set up near Subarnarekha Port in Balasore district, the statement by Odisha government said. The investment proposal was submitted by the Bengal-based company on March 1, 2019. "The land requirement for the project is 2,000 acre which will be recommended for allotment post assessment by the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (IPICOL)," it said. The port, being built by Tata Steel in association with the state government, witnessed the foundation stone laying ceremony last month. The port is expected to be built at an investment of Rs 5,000 crore and will create employment opportunities for 12,000 people. "The first phase of the Haldia Petrochemicals' project approved today is expected to be operationalised within five years of allotment of land," the statement said. PTA is used in polyester fibres and polyethene terephthalate (PET). These products are used by several medium and small scale enterprises to make garments, food packaging applications etc. "Considering the large population base and high GDP growth rate of Odisha and the country overall, the demand for these products is likely to be huge. It is worth considering that entire eastern India and nearby countries like Bangladesh are dependent on sourcing polyester fibres from the western part of India to meet the clothing demand of the region. "Therefore, it is envisaged that setting up PTA unit will trigger investment in these products and will catalyse the growth of further downstream processing units along the value chain, driving economic growth of the region. "Since the total polyester chain starting from spinning to garments is a labour-intensive process, it is estimated that direct and indirect employment generation potential of the project is about one lakh people," the statement said. In addition to HPL, the HLCA also approved a proposal of state-owned Indian Oil Corporation for setting up a polyester products manufacturing unit of 3,00,000 tonne per annum capacity at the textiles park coming up at Bhadrak district at an investment of Rs 1,970.52 crore. The project will create employment opportunities for 209 people and is expected to be implemented within four years of land allotment. The HLCA also approved two proposals of Rungta Mines -- Rs 1,677.98 crore expansion of its sponge iron plant to 0.53 million tonne a year integrated steel plant at Karakolha in Keonjhar district and a Rs 1,848.69 crore proposal for setting up an integrated steel plant of similar capacity at Karakhendra in Keonjhar district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Hamid", a film about an eight-year-old Kashmiri boy's search for his missing father, will now open in theatres on March 15. The makers of the movie last month postponed the film's release in the wake of Pulwama terror attack. It was earlier supposed to be released on March 1. Director Aijaz Khan said he hopes the film heals people in the time of ongoing crisis. "The nation was going through a state of grief and turmoil and we wanted to be one with the people of our country. 'Hamid' is above all a film about peace, love and most importantly about healing each other. We hope that 'Hamid' helps in spreading this very important message of love and redemption in these conflicted times," Khan said in a statement. Siddharth Anand Kumar VP Films and TV Saregama India and Producer at Yoodlee Films added now is the time that "perhaps the film will be better understood, and perhaps more relevant, with its narrative that calls for peace and closure." In the film, Hamid learns that the number 786 is God's number and he decides to try and reach out to Him. Using his father's old mobile phone, after various combinations, he finally manages to connect to Abhay, a hard-knuckled CRPF soldier, who he believes, is the God he is looking for. Hamid and Abhay torn apart by politics and bound by a sense of loss, unknowingly and unintentionally, find a way to complete each other's life, against the rampant violence in Kashmir. Talha Arshad Reshi features in the title role with Vikas Kumar as Abhay. It also stars Rasika Duggal and Sumit Kaul. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Haryana government Tuesday unveiled a new excise policy for 2019-20, targeting revenue mobilisation of Rs 7,500 crore from liquor against Rs 6,300 crore for current fiscal. Under the new excisepolicy, the government gave nod for approving the receipt of applications and grant of licences through department's portal as part of its ease of doing business initiatives. Emphasizing its commitment to environment protection, at least 20 per cent of the liquor will be sold in glass bottles. The Policy alsoenables liquor manufacturers to market Indian Made Foreign Liquor in tetrapacks (biodegradable) of 180 ml, called Nips. To provide qualitycountry liquor to the consumers at lower rates, thepolicy allowed the launch of superior 65 degree proof country liquor called "Metro Liquor" to be distilled and marketed by the State based distilleries. "The policy fulfills the expectations of the armed forces by lowering excise duty on Rum sold through Canteen Stores Department canteens in the State byRs 61 per proof litre," the release said. To ensure that there is no manufacture and supply ofillicit/smuggled liquor, 350 police personnel would be deputed in theDepartment exclusively for this purpose. The excise policy was approved at a meeting of state cabinet here, which met under the chairmanship of chief minister M L Khattar, an official release said. With a view to moulding the consumption from strong to mild liquor, the State has allowed micro breweries to opt for a licencewithout seeking a mandatory license for hard liquor. The policy also permitted the establishment of state of the art outlets called 'Avant-garde' in malls and licensed shopping areas in Gurugram, Faridabad andPanchkula "to enhance the marketing experience of all the consumers". The policy also rationalizes excise duty on IMFL, country liquor and beer to maximise revenue and to simultaneously promote the industry asa whole. To cater to the growing demand, the annual mandatory liftingquota for country liquor and IMFL has been marginally raised from 10 to10.5 Crore Proof Litre and from 6 to 6.5 Crore Proof Litre respectively. The excise policy provides forstringent norms of sale for bars and restaurants, particularly in townslike Bhiwani, Kaithal,Hisar, Jind and Fatehabad to ensure that licensesare not misused for sale of bottled liquor. Tofacilitate individuals to keep enhanced stock of liquor throughhis life time for self consumption at home, the licence for this purpose (L50) has been made more affordable and it would now be possibletoobtain this license online through the department's portal. Liquor will not be sold in 57 Panchayats which passed a resolutionto that effect in the prescribed time.Liquor will also not besold in theholy cities of Thanesar MC limit and Pehowa. Disposal of expired orconfiscated beer will also be carried out under an environment friendly manner through the Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) of the breweries. In another decision, the cabinet gaveapproval to a proposal of Transport Department for rationalisation of rates of motor vehicle tax. Similarly, for goods vehicle, the Motor Vehicle Tax slabs have been further rationalised as per Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) (in tonnes). The cabinet also gave its approval to a proposal of the Transport Department for rationalisation of rates of tax on the stage carriages operated by any State Transport Undertaking of Haryana as City Bus Service and for educational Institutions. The buses of educational institutions registered outside the State will be required to pay 20 per cent more tax than the tax paid by the buses registered within the State. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 3 kg hashish worth over Rs 15 crore was seized from a Maldivian national at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on Tuesday, a customs official said here. The passenger had landed here Monday and was about to fly back to Maldives by an IndiGo flight this morning when he was nabbed, the official said. The airport security personnel grew suspicious over a bag the passenger was carrying. A dog squad, pressed into service, confirmed the presence of the narcotic hidden in a false cavity in the bag, customs commissioner Sumit Kumar said in a press release. "We are withholding the name of the Maldivian as the follow up probe may get hampered," Kumar said. Following the directions of the commissioner, the case was handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for investigation and the accused taken into custody, the release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Weeks after the Pulwama attack, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday warned that there are reports about terrorists being trained to carry out operations through the sea. Addressing a gathering of global experts at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue here, Lanba said the Pulwama attack was perpetrated by extremists that were "aided by a State" that seeks to destabilise India. "We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea," he said. The 26/11 attack was carried out by 10 sea-borne terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who hijacked an Indian fishing trawler to reach Mumbai and unleash mayhem. The Navy chief said this part of the world had witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in the region had been spared. The global nature that terrorism has acquired in the recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat, Lanba said. India, however, faces a "far more serious" version of "state-sponsored" terrorism, he said. "We recently saw the horrific scale of the extremist attack in Jammu and Kashmir about three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a State that seeks to destabilise India," the Navy chief said without naming Pakistan. On February 14, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. ALSO READ: Off target "We have seen how quickly terror groups evolve across the globe. A particular brand of terror can well become a global problem in near future," Lanba warned. The Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace, he said, noting that "it is imperative that the global community works in concert to contain and eliminate terrorism in all its forms". Lanba also emphasised the importance of the Indo-Pacific Region. "There is a renewed focus of the world on the seas. This is principally due to the geoeconomic and geopolitical significance of the maritime domain." India is a martime nation and, recently, there has been increasing attention to harness potential of the maritime domain for the country's growth and regional development, he said. This event seeks to "identify and conceptualise challenges and opportunities that lie in the waters, and evolve strategy for mutual benefits of all stakeholders," Lanba said. "It is widely accepted that (the) Indo-Pacific Region has been growing in geopolitical significance in recent years due to economic, political and other reasons," he said. Lanba underlined the region's ancient and historical link with India and its significance for the country. : HP Inc India Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS) and Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) to build a Center of Excellence for additive manufacturing, powered by HPs 3D printing echnology. HP Managing Director Sumeer Chandra signed the MoU with AP CEO J K Kishore in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, a company release said here. The Centre of Excellence (CoE) is part of the state governments effort to accelerate adoption of 3D printing in various industry sectors like automotive, aerospace, defence, consumer goods, healthcare, apparel and construction. It will be equipped with HPs cutting-edge 3D printers that can handle short run production and functional prototyping. HP will be the key knowledge provider for this initiative and bring in its global 3D printing expertise to support various training programs that will be conducted at the CoE. Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS) will provide infrastructural support and enable necessary certifications and accreditations, the release said after the ceremony in the state Secretariat here. HP Managing Director Sumeer Chandra said on the occasion the 3D printing technology could fuel innovation in manufacturing and help young professionals upgrade their skills. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- IIM Udaipur's PGP Batch 2018-20 completed their week-long immersion in the rural and tribal regions of Rajasthan and worked closely with local NGOs to understand the challenges faced by those at the bottom of the pyramid. During the immersion, students undertook assignments on unsafe behaviour in rural areas, assessment of government's Ujjwala Yojana and common property resources. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/791394/IIMU_Logo.jpg ) Students prepared for the immersion by taking a course on the Indian Social and Political Environment. Following the course, the class was divided into five-member teams and each worked with an NGO for a week. For the immersion, IIM Udaipur partnered with multiple NGOs including Seva Mandir, Manjari Foundation, Jatan Sansthan, Gandhi Manav Kalyan Society and Ajeevika Bureau. These grassroots organizations worked as liaison and host for the students. Students conducted door-to-door surveys, focus group discussions and informal interviews in the villages. IIM Udaipur is strategically located in the southern part of Rajasthan, which is surrounded by tribal villages. This region performs extremely poorly on the human development index, with 85% tribal population in the belt. The rural immersion program allowed students to increase their sensitivity to rural issues through direct experiential learning. "The best part of the rural immersion was meeting the women self-help groups in the village. We got to learn a lot from their ethical and transparent practices," said Akash Singhal, student (PGP 2018-19). Another student, Bhini Yadav (PGP 2018-19) added, "As managers, we need to factor in what impact our decisions will have on real people and real lives." "IIMU's rural immersion course, which has been part of our flagship PGP program since inception, reflects our commitment to create responsible leaders by providing values-based and to make a meaningful contribution to the region. We believe that it is essential for future managers or entrepreneurs to have a good understanding of the social and political realities of the country," added Janat Shah, Director, IIM Udaipur. About Indian Institute of Management Udaipur (IIMU) Indian Institute of Mangement Udaipur officially opened in 2011 as part of the network of IIMs which have established a global reputation as premium management institutions over the course of more than 50 years. IIM Udaipur operates from a 300-acre campus in the Balicha area of Udaipur with state of the art classrooms and other facilities. It offers the two-year PGP program which grants an MBA degree; the 15-month PGPX program which offers dual degrees in global supply chain management in partnership with Purdue University; and the Fellow Program in Management which offers a PhD in four areas. According to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), IIM Udaipur is ranked 13th in the Management category and 1st among the new IIMs. IIMU is currently ranked 3rd in India for research in the field of management according to the methodology used by UT Dallas which tracks publications in the leading global journals. IIMU is the youngest institution in the country to receive accreditation from AACSB. Website - https://www.iimu.ac. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tasked with cleaning up of mammoth financial mess at embattled IL&FS, its government-appointed board has charged 14 former directors of group firm Financial Services Ltd (IFIN) of facilitating money laundering, sanctioning loans in violation of rules and causing "huge financial stress and losses" to the company. In show-cause notices issued to the 14 former directors, the new management has charged them of having "sanctioned loans deceptively to external and group with sole objective to infringe RBI guidelines of excessive exposure of IFIN to intra-group " They have also been accused of extending loans for "criminal intent of falsification of repayment by a number of borrowers, including some entities associated with large corporate groups. The notices, dated February 27, have asked former directors to reply within seven days upon receipt as to why departmental and legal actions should not be taken against them for their "misconduct, dereliction of duties, gross negligence and acts of conspiracy and getting unlawful gains for oneself and others." Officials said no reply has been received from any of the 14 noticees and the board is set to follow up the notices with stern action, which may include filing of cases. When contacted, (Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd) spokesperson Sharad Goel declined to comment. The notices follow an extensive special audit ordered by the new board and conducted by Grant Thornton of crisis-hit Group, which identified numerous financial irregularities in deals with financial implications of over Rs 13,000 crore. IL&FS Group, which operates at least 24 direct subsidiaries, 135 indirect subsidiaries, six joint ventures and four associate companies, is sitting on debt of Rs 94,000 crore and landed in a major controversy last year following multiple defaults, prompting the government to supercede its board. The audit report has identified at least 29 instances where loans disbursed to borrowers appeared to have been utilised by their group to repay the existing debt obligations with IL&FS Financial Services Limited (IFIN). LIC is the single largest shareholder with over 25 per cent stake in IL&FS and Japan's Orix Corp owns a little over 23 per cent. IL&FS Employees Welfare Trust holds 12 per cent in the company. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, HDFC and Central Bank of India hold 12.56 per cent, 9.02 per cent and 7.67 per cent, respectively, in the cash-strapped company. SBI has the lowest stake, at around 7 per cent, in the company. In the show-cause notice, former IFIN directors have been accused of sanctioning loans worth thousands of crores to certain entities by "overlooking negative assessment by the credit risk assessment group" and without recording any cogent justification, despite having full knowledge that the assets of the borrower entities were stressed. Besides, loans given to several entities were written off, the notice said, while charging the former directors of being "prima facie responsible for causing financial stress and losses to the company by acting in a malafide manner". In some cases, the notices have alleged, the former directors were responsible for sanctioning loans without any security or with inadequate collaterals. The former directors have also been charged of "facilitating money laundering" by some entities who diverted the loan amount to individual accounts of directors of the borrower company, including those from the IL&FS group itself. As such individuals were allowed to go scot-free, it showed "conspiracy in loan sanctioning," the notice said. The former directors have also been accused of facilitating some external agencies, including contractors of ITNL (IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd), to become lenders and earn as an intermediary. In some cases, the directors were instrumental in deceptively creating "senior lenders' rights" in favour of such intermediaries after default of ITNL had already taken place, the notice has said. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday said illegal immigrants will not be treated inhumanly and the government will speak to the neighbouring country to find a way out to handle the issue. Singh said the government will not treat anyone coming to India, whether legally or illegally, in an inhuman manner as it is not part of Indian culture. "For those coming to India illegally, we will talk to the neighbouring country and see what can be done humanly. We do not do inhuman treatment to anyone," he said addressing the public after inaugurating a border project by the BSF, without naming the country. Hinting his support to the contentious citizenship bill, he said all people coming to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh due to religious persecution will be treated with "human behaviour". The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by Lok Sabha on January 8 but was not tabled in Rajya Sabha, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India even if they do not possess any document. Singh said the ancient Indian saints considered all its neighbours as family with the mantra 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family). Talking about the inland security scenario, the home minister said the NDA government gave special focus in this aspect after coming to power. He said the government is open to talks with anyone if they have demands or grievances, but will not forgive if they take arms. "The country should be safe. Only then development can happen. India was at 9th position five years ago in the top 10 world economy, but now we have reached 6th position. In this fiscal, we are going to reach the 5th position," Singh claimed. He said even the Islamic countries are recognising India's progress and inviting "an Indian minister for the first time" by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is a testimony to that. Referring to the UPA tenure, the senior BJP leader said nobody can level any corruption charge against the NDA governments of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi. He also praised Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for running a "corruption-free" government. The BJP-led government believes that the country cannot develop without developing the Northeast, but still some are creating controversies over small issues, Singh said. "The Clause 6 (of Assam Accord) will give safeguard to identity, language, heritage and culture. We have formed a high-level committee under Mr Bezbaruah. We are waiting for his report. I will not lie. My media friends, if I lie, write that I lied. I will apologise," he added. The existence of the nine-member high-level committee formed by the Centre for implementation of Assam Accord's Clause 6 is in a lurch with Chairman M P Bezbaruah deciding to withdraw from it in January. Four other members also decided not to be a part of this committee in protest of the citizenship bill - a representative of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), eminent litterateurs Nagen Saikia and Rong Bong Terang along with educationist Mukunda Rajbongshi. Singh also promised to give ST status to six communities of Moran, Muttock, Sootea, Tai-Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea-Tribes, but without affecting the existing ST tribes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) has been conveyed the message that if it doesn't improve, it knows the consequences it will have to face, said, addressing a rally in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. gave a befitting reply to the by entering the den of terrorists in Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra said Tuesday. " gave a befitting reply to by entering den of terrorists. We have told them (Pakistan), if they don't improve, they know what will happen to them," he said. Hitting out at the opposition parties for seeking proof of the Indian Air Force's action on Jaish-e-Mohammed's terror camp last week, said the air strike happened in Pakistan, but "some of those sitting in were hit by it". Taking a swipe at attempts to cobble up a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) against the BJP, Modi said the opposition leaders are doing 'mahamilavat' (high adulteration) in Pakistan's favour. "These 'mahamilavati' persons have become poster boys of by terming it as an ambassador of peace. They are misleading people of the country and trying to demoralise our armed forces by asking for proofs of the IAF air strike," Modi said. Without naming senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, he said a leader termed the as an "accident" and dubbed slain al-Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden as an "ambassador of peace". India has given proof to the US about the use of F-16 fighters and AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile by Pakistan during its unsuccessful aerial raid targeting four Indian military installations on February 27, official sources said Tuesday. They said India was confident that Washington was carrying out a thorough investigation into use of the US-manufactured fighter as well as the missile onboard it in the offensive operation against India. As part of the purchasing agreement, the US had put restrictions, the US had reportedly barred Pakistan from using the F-16s against any third country and it was only allowed to operate the fighter in self defence and for anti-terror missions. The Indian Air Force on February 28 displayed parts of an AMRAAM missile as evidence to "conclusively" prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir. It said Pakistan does not have any other fighters capable of firing an AMRAAM missile. Pakistan has categorically said that no F-16 fighter jets were used in the aerial combat against India. The US State Department has said that America is seeking more information from Pakistan on the potential misuse of American-made F-16 fighter jets by it against India in violation of the end-user agreement. After the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force tried to target Indian military installation in Kashmir but was thwarted by the IAF which lost a MiG-21 while its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured. He was handed over to India on Friday. AMRAAM missiles allow a fighter pilot to target an enemy aircraft that is beyond visual range, in day or night, and in all-weather conditions. They have an autonomous guidance capability, which allows the pilot to manoeuvre immediately after the missile's launch. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India is reaching out to China and other 14 member countries of the UN Security Council to designate as a global terrorist Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a fresh move has been made to ban him by the world body, official sources said. The US, Britain and France have moved a proposal at the United Nations Security Council last week to designate the chief of the JeM, which has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. The sources said any UNSC member country can seek clarification on the proposal till March 13 following which the process to listing will commence. "We are reaching out to all the 15 UNSC member countries both in New Delhi as well as in their respective capitals. We will leave no stone unturned to get support of all member countries," said a source. Azhar's listing by the UNSC will subject him to global travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo. It is the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist. In 2009, India unsuccessfully moved a proposal to designate Azhar. In 2016 again, India moved the proposal with the P3 - the US, the United Kingdom and France in the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar. In 2017, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again. However, on all occasions, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, blocked India's proposal from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee. Sources said listing of Azhar as global terrorist by the UNSC will send a huge political signal to Pakistan that it must dismantle the terror infrastructure in its territory. Meanwhile, sources said Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale postponed a scheduled visit to Iran and China following the escalation in Indo-Pak ties. Gokhale was to travel to Tehran on March 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Defence Ministry Tuesday trashed Pakistan's claim of shooting down a Sukhoi-30 aircraft of the IAF during an aerial combat last week, saying the claim appeared to be a cover up for loss of a Pakistani jet during the dogfight. The Pakistani Air Force carried out an unsuccessful aerial combat on February 27 as a retaliation to India's strike at a major terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group in Pakistan's Balakot. Sharing details of Pakistan Air Force's aerial combat, the ministry said all the Sukhoi-30 aircraft deployed to check Pakistani jets landed back safely. "False claim by Pakistan of shooting down a Su-30, appears to be a cover up for loss of its own aircraft," the ministry said. Pakistan downed a MiG 21 aircraft of the IAF while India shot down an F-16 jet of the Pakistan Air Force during the dogfight. Pakistan had claimed that it downed two fighter jets of India during the dogfight. "Build up of PAF aircraft on their side of LoC was noticed in time and additional aircraft were scrambled to tackle the adversary. In their attempt to attack our ground targets, PAF aircraft were engaged effectively," the Ministry said. "From IAF side, Mirage-2000, Su-30 and MiG-21 Bison aircraft were involved in the engagement and PAF aircraft were forced to withdraw in a hurry, which is also evident from large missed distances of the weapons dropped by them," it said. The ministry said, during combat, use of F-16 by Pakistan and multiple launches of AMRAAM missiles were "conclusively observed". The US had barred Pakistan from using the F-16s against any third country and it was only allowed to operate the fighter in self defence and for anti-terror missions. "Prompt and correct tactical action by Su-30 aircraft, in response to AMRAAM launch, defeated the missile. Parts of the missile fell in area East of Rajouri in J&K, injuring a civilian on ground," the defence ministry said. The IAF on February 28 displayed parts of the AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence at a press briefing. The JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. India struck JeM's training facility to avenge the Pulwama attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The restaurant group owned by Britain's Indian-origin "chicken king", Ranjit Singh Boparan, is set to shut down 27 of its outlets as part of a deal to save the wider brands due to over-supply of restaurants in the sector and a softening of consumer demand. The Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) unveiled plans this week to close around a third of the branches of Giraffe and Ed's Easy Diner restaurant chains this week, affecting an estimated 300 workers. "We have been examining options for the two brands for some time and the CVA [Company Voluntary Arrangement] is the only option to protect the company, said BRG chief executive Tom Crowley. "The combination of increasing costs and over-supply of restaurants in the sector and a softening of consumer demand have all contributed to the challenges both these brands face," he said. The CVA process involves support from landlords and other creditors as part of arrangements to save the wider business. Boparan is referred to as chicken king as the founder of the 2 Sisters Food Group, one of the UK's largest poultry supply businesses in the West Midlands region of England. His BRG restaurant business owns a series of popular restaurant brands, including fish and chips chain Harry Ramsden. The company acquired Giraffe in June 2016, before buying Ed's Diner out of administration months later. The company said while sales had improved since BRG bought the chains, some branches remained unprofitable. Britain's restaurant chains are battling a mix of increasing costs and consumer caution, resulting in a number of outlets facing closure over the past year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 32-year-old Indian-origin woman dentist has been missing from Sydney's busiest area, prompting police to launch a search operation, according to a media report. Preethi Reddy was last seen on CCTV waiting in line at McDonald's in George Street about 2.15am on Sunday. A New South Wales (NSW) Police spokeswoman described Reddy's disappearance as "out of character" and said there were serious concerns of her welfare. Her work colleagues said they were "terrified" and had been unable to sleep since her disappearance. "It's devastating, and this is completely out of character," dental assistant Chelsea Holmes of Glenbrook Dental Surgery was quoted as saying by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "We got a call on Monday asking if she had turned up to work and now we are just hoping and none of us have been able to sleep. "I spoke to her last Thursday and it was 'see you next week' and completely normal," she said adding "Now I am just praying she will be found," Holmes said. The NSW police said they were appealing for information in relation to her whereabouts. Reddy attended a dental convention at St Leonards at the weekend, and last spoke with her family about 11am on Sunday, saying she planned to head home after having a late breakfast in Sydney, according to the police. She was reported missing to Nepean Police Area Command later that night after she failed to arrive home, police added. She was captured on CCTV inside the restaurant and appeared to leave alone a short time later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The marriage of a 23-year-old Indian groom with a Pakistani bride scheduled to be held later this week has been deferred due to the lingering tension between the two countries following the IAF's air strike on a Jaish terror facility at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Mahendra Singh of Khejad ka Par village here was to marry Chagan Kanwar of Sinoi village in Amarkot district of Sindh province in Pakistan on March 8. The groom and his family members were to take a train to Pakistan on March 2 itself, but the tickets had to be cancelled amid the lingering Indo-Pak-tension. "Considering the tension between India and Pakistan, the family decided to call off the marriage for now and cancelled the train tickets. My Pakistani in-laws too agreed to the decision. The family is waiting for the situation to normalise, said Mahendra. He said six family members had got visa for Pakistan for three months in January after lot of hitches and preparations were on for the wedding ceremony for which even the invitation cards had been distributed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday inaugurated an advanced electronic surveillance system along the 61-km India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri district of Assam to tackle cross-border crimes and provide respite to BSF personnel from round-the-clock patrolling. Addressing a press meet here, Singh said the new project, under Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS), will equip the unfenced areas along the riverine border with sensors, enabling the troops to take prompt action against intrusion. "The BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) project will cover the entire span of river Brahmaputra in Dhubri with data network generated by microwave communication, OFC cables, day and night surveillance cameras and intrusion-detection system," the Union minister said after inaugurating the project. These modern gadgets provide feeds to the BSF control rooms along the border and enable the paramilitary force's quick reaction teams to thwart any possibility of illegal border crossing and crimes. Noting that the Border Security Force (BSF) is responsible for safeguarding of the 4,096-km-long international border with Bangladesh, he said, "At places, where it is not possible to erect a border fence due to the geographical barriers, this BOLD-QIT will prove effective. "The implementation of this project will not just help the BSF crack a whip on cross-border crimes, but provide respite to the troops from round-the-clock human surveillance," he said. The 61-Km border in Dhubri district, where river Brahmaputra enters Bangladesh, comprises vast stretches of sand bank and innumerable river channels, making vigilance a daunting task for the BSF, especially during the rainy season. Talking about a border project in West Bengal, the Union home minister said, "The state government there had assured us about a year back that it would acquire land. But that has not happened so far and work got delayed," he said. Singh also said he inaugurated two smart fencing pilot projects, spanning five kilometers each, on India-Pakistan border in September last year. Asked if the facility will be extended along the entire India-Bangladesh border, Singh said, "It will take time, but a system such as BOLD-QIT system should be adopted along the Indo-Bangla border as well as the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir." To a query on National Register of Citizens, the draft of which was published last year, the Union minister said work was underway. "Work on updating the NRC is progressing well. The register will be published on July 31," Singh added. In January 2018, the information and technology wing of the BSF undertook project BOLD-QIT and completed it in record time with the technical support of various manufacturers and suppliers. "The riverine section of Indo-Bangladesh border in Dhubri is considered to be highly porous where movement of illegal immigrants and smuggling of arms, ammunition and other goods are very common. The smart fencing will solve the problem to a great extent," a Home Ministry official said Monday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An ultraconservative Iranian newspaper called Tuesday for the expulsion of French diplomats from the country, accusing France of expelling an Iranian diplomat on the basis of a "ludicrous accusation". The Kayhan daily demanded that the Iranian foreign ministry reciprocate "the insolent and vile behaviour of France in accusing and expelling our diplomat from its soil." The newspaper, considered to be the mouthpiece of ultraconservatives in Iran, reported in October that an Iranian diplomat had been expelled by France without saying why. Neither the Iranian nor the French foreign ministries have denied or confirmed the report. On Tuesday the paper reported in a front-page article that the diplomat had been expelled on the basis of the "ludicrous accusation of attempting to attack a meeting of the terrorist cult of hypocrites in Paris." It was referring to the People's Mujahedin Organisation, an opposition group in exile that aims to overthrow the Islamic republic in Iran. Kayhan also blamed France for the arrest of another Iranian diplomat by Germany in July 2018 on suspicion of involvement in the alleged plot to bomb an Iranian opposition rally outside Paris the previous month. The diplomat, normally based in Vienna, was extradited to Belgium for prosecution. Kayhan, Iran's second-oldest daily in circulation, is state owned and its managing director and editor in chief Hossein Shariatmadari was personally appointed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 1993. Its demand came a day after Iran expelled two Dutch diplomats in retaliation for the Netherlands' expulsion of two Iranian embassy staff in June 2018. According to the Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok, the Iranian diplomats had been expelled "due to strong indications from (Dutch intelligence) that Iran has been involved in the liquidations on Dutch territory of two Dutch people of Iranian origin." Kayhan has consistently been opposed to the policy of detente with Western powers pursued by moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. It has ceaselessly attacked the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and cited US President Donald Trump's decision to quit the accord as an example of the futility of dealing with Western powers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor-director Ben Affleck has opened up about his battle with alcoholism, saying dealing with the problem is a "part of my life". In an interview with US Today, the 46-year-old actor was asked about getting his life back on track after his recent trip to a rehabilitation centre. "It doesn't really bother me to talk about alcoholism and being an alcoholic. It's a part of my life. It's something that I deal with. It doesn't have to sort of subsume my whole identity and be everything, but it is something that you know you have to work at," Affleck said. "I feel like I had a problem and I really want to address it, and I take some pride in that... It's about yourself, your life, your family, and you know people, we encounter these kinds of hurdles and we have to deal with them," he added. Affleck, who has three children with former wife actor Jennifer Garner, said he hopes he is being a "good dad". "I certainly try very hard. I'm lucky they've got a great mom, and she helps out a great deal with making sure that we co-parent in as good a way as possible... Dads are so important to kids and it's our responsibility to be there for them, to be present, to be mindful, to be attentive, to be part of their lives, to be as in it as moms. "That's really the central preoccupation in my life, you know, the focus of my life is what I love doing. It's what makes me happy and the rest of the stuff kind of follows," he added. The actor was promoting his upcoming film "Triple Frontier", which releases on Netflix this month. The movie, directed by JC Chandor, also features Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the continuing uncertainty about JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda's choice of constituency for the coming Lok Sabha electrions, there is growing demand within the party that he contest fromMysore-Kodagu seat. "...Deve Gowda has himself said Prajwal will contest from Hassan and Nikhil will contest from Mandya. We want Deve Gowda to contest from Mysuru.. We have said this earlier also in public meeting," Mysuru district in-charge Minister and JD(S) leader G T Deve Gowda said. Prajwal and Nikhil are Deve Gowda's grandsons. Speaking to reporters, the minister said, the former prime minister had an affectionate relationship with the people of Mysuru, who have recognised the developments in the irrigation sector in the region ushered in by him. "If there is alliance between Congress and JD(S), H D Deve Gowda should be candidate that's the wish of the people," he said adding there was no other name, and "we have requested him," the Minister said. Demand for the JDS supremo to contest from Mysore-Kodagu constituency resurfaced, with him indicating Sundaythat Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamys son Nikhil Kumaraswamy was likely to be the candidate from Mandya. There were reports earlier that the veteran leader will contest from Mandya, a long time bastion of the party, after deciding to vacate his current constituency Hassan to other grandson Prajewal Revanna, son of minister H D Revanna. Asked whether there was still doubts about alliance with Congress, the Minister said, it would be clear only on the day when the seat sharing for the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies was announced. He said Congress too was seeking to field its candidate from Mysore-Kodagu, currently held by BJP's Pratap Simha. It remains to be seen, whether Congress, especially its legislature party leader Siddaramaiah, will be ready to concede it to JDS as the constituency was his home turf. The coordination committee that met on Monday to decide on seat sharing could not arrive at a consensus, and it is now expected to be finalised by the high command of the two parties-- Congress President Rahul Gandhi and H D Deve Gowda. The seat sharing is likely to be a major test for the two parties, which share power in the state. JDS has demanded 12 out of the total of 28 seats. Asked about him contesting the Lok Sabha polls, the JDS chief, citing health reasons and that age was catching up, had earlier said he has "not decided yet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's brother was among 44 members of the banned militant outfits arrested by authorities in Pakistan, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil. Mufti Abdur Rauf, brother of Azhar, and Hammad Azhar are 44 people arrested during the crackdown, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi said at a press conference here. He said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Mufti Abdur Rauf and Hammad Azhar. The crackdown on banned groups came amid tensions with India following a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. India handed over a dossier to Pakistan to take action against the JeM, as pressure mounted on Islamabad to take action against individual and organisation listed by the UN Security Council as terrorists. The minister, however, said the action was not taken due to any pressure. He said the action would be taken against all the proscribed organisations under the National Action Plan. He said the crackdown will continue for two weeks and actions against the arrested members will be taken on the basis of evidence. The minister said that his government's policy is that Pakistan's soil will not be allowed for terror activities against any one. The move came a day after Pakistan on Monday promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for the implementation of the UN sanctions against individuals and organisations. Interpreting the order, Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said the order means that the government has taken over the control of assets and properties of all banned outfits operating in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's son and brother were among 44 members of the banned militant outfits arrested by authorities in Pakistan on Tuesday, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil. "We have taken 44 people in custody as part of crackdown on militant groups," Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi said at a press conference here. Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan said Hammad Azhar and Mufti Abdur Rauf were among those arrested on Tuesday. Hammad is the son of Masood Azhar while Rauf is his brother. Khan said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Rauf and Hammad. "It does not mean that action is being taken against only those individuals who are mentioned in the dossier," he added. The crackdown came amid tensions with India following a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. India last week handed over the dossier to Pakistan to take action against the JeM, as pressure mounted on Islamabad to take action against individual and organisation listed by the UN Security Council as terrorists. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi last week admitted that the JeM chief is in Pakistan and is "very unwell", but said the government can act against him only if India presents "solid" and "inalienable" evidence that can stand in a court of law. "He is in Pakistan, according to my information. He is unwell to the extent that he can't leave his house, because he's really unwell," Qureshi told CNN in an interview. Afridi, however, said the action was not taken due to any pressure. "This is our own initiative...We won't allow the use of our soil against any country," he said. Interior Secretary Khan said the action would be taken against all the proscribed organisations under the Action Plan, which was formulated after an attack on an army school in Peshawar in 2014 that killed nearly 150 people, mostly children. "This is across the board - we don't want to give the impression that we are against one organisation," he said. He said the crackdown will continue for two weeks and actions against the arrested members will be taken on the basis of evidence. Responding to a question, Khan said Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation would be banned within 24 hours. On February 21, Pakistan government had announced that it had banned the JuD and FIF. However, according to the website of the Counter Authority (NCTA), which was updated on Monday, JuD and FIF are still under watch list. Meanwhile, the interior ministry said in a statement that a high-level meeting was held on March 4 to implement Action Plan (NAP). The ministry also said that actions against extremists will continue, as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee (NSC). The move came a day after Pakistan on Monday promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for the implementation of the UN sanctions against individuals and organisations. Interpreting the order, Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said the order means that the government has taken over the control of assets and properties of all banned outfits operating in the country. The US last month asked Pakistan to "freeze without delay" the funds and other financial assets of the UNSC-designated terrorist networks and their leaders. Pakistan is also under pressure from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to deliver on its commitments to curb terror financing. The FATF in June last year placed Pakistan onto its watch list in a bid to push the country to halt support for militant groups. In June 2018, Pakistan made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG to strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of AML/CFT regime and to address its strategic counter- financing-related deficiencies by implementing a 10-point action plan to accomplish these objectives. The successful implementation of the action plan and its physical verification by the APG will lead the FATF to clear Pakistan out of its grey list or else move into the black list by September 2019. Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's son and brother were among 44 members of the banned militant outfits taken into "preventive detention", Pakistan said Tuesday, amid mounting pressure from the global community on it to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil. "It was decided (at a meeting) to speed up action against all proscribed groups. In compliance, 44 under observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Adbul Raoof and Hamad Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation," the interior ministry said in a statement. Later at a press conference here, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi confirmed that 44 people have been taken into custody as part of crackdown on militant groups. Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan said Hamad Azhar and Mufti Abdul Raoof were among those detained. Hamad is the son of Masood Azhar while Raoof is his brother. Khan said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Raoof and Hamad. "It does not mean that action is being taken against only those individuals who are mentioned in the dossier," he added. The crackdown came amid tensions with India following a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. India last week handed over the dossier to Pakistan to take action against the JeM, as pressure mounted on Islamabad to take action against individual and organisation listed by the UN Security Council as terrorists. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi last week admitted that the JeM chief is in Pakistan and is "very unwell", but said the government can act against him only if India presents "solid" and "inalienable" evidence that can stand in a court of law. "He is in Pakistan, according to my information. He is unwell to the extent that he can't leave his house, because he's really unwell," Qureshi told CNN in an interview. Afridi, however, said the action was not taken due to any pressure. "This is our own initiative...We won't allow the use of our soil against any country," he said. Interior Secretary Khan said the action would be taken against all the proscribed organisations under the National Action Plan, which was formulated after an attack on an army school in Peshawar in 2014 that killed nearly 150 people, mostly children. "This is across the board - we don't want to give the impression that we are against one organisation," he said. He said the crackdown will continue for two weeks and actions against the arrested members will be taken on the basis of evidence. Responding to a question, Khan said Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation would be banned within 24 hours. On February 21, Pakistan government had announced that it had banned the JuD and FIF. However, according to the website of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NCTA), which was updated on Monday, JuD and FIF are still under watch list. The interior ministry statement also said that a high-level meeting was held on March 4 to implement National Action Plan (NAP). It said that actions against extremists will continue, as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee (NSC). The move came a day after Pakistan on Monday promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for the implementation of the UN sanctions against individuals and organisations. Interpreting the order, Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said the order means that the government has taken over the control of assets and properties of all banned outfits operating in the country. The US last month asked Pakistan to "freeze without delay" the funds and other financial assets of the UNSC-designated terrorist networks and their leaders. Pakistan is also under pressure from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to deliver on its commitments to curb terror financing. The FATF in June last year placed Pakistan onto its watch list in a bid to push the country to halt support for militant groups. In June 2018, Pakistan made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG to strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism AML/CFT regime and to address its strategic counter-terrorism financing-related deficiencies by implementing a 10-point action plan to accomplish these objectives. The successful implementation of the action plan and its physical verification by the APG will lead the FATF to clear Pakistan out of its grey list or else move into the black list by September 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jadavpur University Vice Chancellor Prof Suranjan Das Tuesday refused to comment on the holding of students' union election in the varsity. Das who was on leave after he was heckled during a protest by students on February 19 and hospitalised for two days, resumed his duties on Tuesday and held discussion with teachers and students union representatives on academic issues. Das told reporters he has nothing new to comment when asked about his views on holding students' union polls at the earliest as demanded by the Arts Faculty Students' Union (AFSU), Science Faculty Students Union (SFSU) and Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU). "I don't have anything to comment on this issue today," he said Pro-VC Pradip Kumar Ghosh had on February 25 sent a letter to the Higher department requesting it to facilitate a tripartite discussion among the university, students and the higher department on the issue of students' union polls. The VC had earlier maintained the JU cannot take any decision on its own about holding the students union polls and any decision on this issue can only be taken by the government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Apollo Hospitals Tuesday alleged in the Madras High Court that the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission, probing the death of late chief minister Jayalalithaa, was prejudiced against it. Resuming submissions before a bench comprising Justice R Subbiah and Justice Krishnan Ramasamy on the hospital's petition opposing the panel going into medical treatment given to Jayalalitthaa, senior counsel P S Raman also claimed that confidential documents had been leaked to the media. He referred to reports regarding the Rs 1.17 crore food bill, part of the bill raised for hospitalisation of Jayalalithaa, and alleged it was released to the media by the Commission Secretary. The counsel further said the commission had summoned the senior most doctors of the hospital who had treated Jayalalithaa to appear before it giving just one day's time despite them having prior appointments with the patients. When the doctors did not appear before it, the commission began issuing letters to the chairman and managing director and directors of the hospital asking them to ensure the presence of the doctors. Counsel said the letter also mentioned that the hospital had received several crore of rupees for the treatment which, he claimed, showed the prejudice of the commission. On the food bill, he said it allegedly sought to create an impression among the people that it was the food bill of Jayalalithaa alone. On the contrary, he said, the bill included the cost of food served to several secretaries of the government department, servants and aides of Jayalalithaa and 200 policemen on duty at the hospital for a period of 75 days during her hospitalisation in 2016. The counsel referred to the commission's submission that the hospital had not done anything and that it had also failed to do an angiogram which might have prolonged the life of Jayalalithaa. Referring to the commission's counter, he claimed that paragraph after paragraph it had sought to find fault with the hospital and had even said that had an angiogram been done, the life of Jayalalithaa may have been prolonged. Jayalalithaa died on December 5, 2016, over two months after being treated for various complications, including infection, since September 22. The state government had set up the inquiry commission headed by retired high court judge A Arumughaswamy to look into the circumstances leading to the death of the late AIADMK supremo citing doubts expressed by various people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday sought support of women voters in the Lok Sabha election on the issue of full statehood for the national capital. In an audio message, Kejriwal said police will be under the control of elected chief minister if Delhi becomes a full state and then the force will have to listen. "Like we have improved the government schools and hospitals, I am telling you when Delhi will be a full state, the law and order of the city will be such that even if you step out of your home at 11 pm in the night, nobody will even dare to look at you," he said. In the past, the BJP and the Congress said they would provide full statehood for Delhi, but they "deceived" the people of the city, Kejriwal alleged. "The Aam Aadmi Party is your own party, please vote for the AAP this time. This time we will ensure that Delhi becomes a full state so that you feel safe, secure and truly independent here," he said. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling AAP is planning to start a door-to-door campaign from March 10 for full statehood for Delhi. It has already constituted 1,000 teams for the door-to-door campaign and make people aware of the statehood issue, they said. Kejriwal had also decided to sit on indefinite hunger strike from March 1, demanding statehood for Delhi, but later postponed it in view of the sensitive Indo-Pak situation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kerala cabinet Tuesday gave its nod to avail Rs 3,500 crore loan from the World Bank towards the state's rebuilding efforts after it was devastated last year by the worst deluge there in a century. A detailed UN report had earlier stated that Kerala would need Rs 31,000 crore for rebuilding, post the August floods. The Disaster Needs Assessment report, prepared by a UN team, was submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in October last year. On the basis of the report, the state government had prepared a Rebuild Kerala initiative, as part of which the World Bank's first development loan of about Rs 3,500 crore received the cabinet nod Tuesday. The loan would be in the ratio of 70:30. When the World Bank provides the Rs 3500 crore loan, the state will be able to utilise projects worth over Rs 5,000 crore for its development, a government press release said. A high-power committee headed by the state chief secretary has been entrusted the task of coordinating the work to make available the loan by June-July this year. The state cabinet also decided to allocate Rs 7.94 crore from the Chief Minister's relief fund to the Ockhi fund for purchasing 120 FRP (fibre-reinforced plastic) boats for fishermen who lost their livelihood during the Ockhi cyclone that hit the Kerala coast. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : In an effort to woo more travellers from America,Kerala Tourism showcased its signature assets before leading stakeholders of the travel and tourism industry and held trade meets in major cities of the USA. New Jersey, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles were the four American cities where Kerala Tourism held trade meets during February, a Kerala Tourism press release said. "USA is the second largest market for Kerala Tourism after Europe. The four trade meets conducted there were part of a concerted campaign to tap the full potential of the American travel market. The campaign was aimed at tapping the premium segment of travellers from USA," Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said in a release. "We also wanted to send out a strong message to American travellers and prominent stakeholders of travel and hospitality industry in that country that Kerala has fully overcome the impact of last year's floods and is ready to receive the guests with an array of new products and fascinating destinations," he added. Tourism Secretary Rani George, who led the trade meets, said Kerala may be a long-haul destination, but its 'touristy charm' has remained undiminished for travellers from America. There has been a consistent uptick in the number of U.S travellers visiting Kerala. In 2018, the number of tourists from USA visiting Gods Own Country was pegged at 96,522 compared to 75,773 in 2015. The number of total international arrivals to Kerala in 2018 was 10,96,407. This was the fourth trade meet of Kerala Tourism in USA aimed at attracting high-spender tourists from that country. Rani George said the trade meets generated a very positive and good response. Kerala Tourism unveiled new destinations and tourism products at meetings with tour operators to woo U.S travellers and make them aware of magnificent holiday options in the state. The chief guests at the trade meets in USA were Shatrughna Sinha, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of India in New Jersey; Neeta Bhushan, Consul General in Chicago; Dr Anupam Ray, Consul General, Houston; and Rohit Rathish , Deputy Consul General, San Francisco. India Tourism also joined in all the trade meets and extended their unconditional support. As part of the trade meets 'Go Kerala Contest' was conducted, where Air India provided two airline tickets per city to the winners for a FAM trip to Kerala. Kerala Tourism has chalked out a series of trade meets in international markets in a bid to substantially increase footfalls to the state. Earlier this year, it had held trade meets in Rome, Vienna, Zurich and Prague. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kumbh Mela, the world's largest gathering of religious pilgrims, served as the meeting ground for pro-independence forces during the British rule, with intelligence agencies keeping a hawk's eye on such gatherings. An excerpt from a British-era communication by the Director, Central Intelligence (dated February 2, 1920) displayed at an archival exhibition at the Allahabad Museum here states that the Mela played a crucial role during the freedom struggle. It talks about a memorial adopted in a meeting held at Allahabad during the Kumbh Mela, 1918, stating, "The memorial supported the Congress League scheme of political reforms and made demands such as: "Panchayats to be immediately established in villages to decide civil suits up to Rs 500 and all non-cognizable criminal cases...Introduction of permanent settlement with full transferable and heritable rights...Enhancement of revenue and rent to be subject to enactment of the Imperial Council...Curtailment of zamindar's privilege and Revision of law of ejectment for non-payment of rent," the secret letter dated February 17, 1918 says. The exhibition shows many archival documents relating to the Kumbh Mela available in the custody of the National Archives of India. The excerpt also states, "The memorial was adopted by a meeting of 300 delegates and 2,000 visitors held at Allahabad in 1918 during the Kumbh Mela, which is much frequented by cultivators. This meeting also agreed on the foundation of UP Peasants Association which among other objects, proposed to check the growing antagonism between zamindars and tenants and to further mutual trust and cordiality between the rulers and the ruled.""...In support of this organisation, appeals for funds have been issued and collection of money made, those reported having been made in Calcutta. "In one such appeal by Madan Mohan Malviya in June 1919 and widely circulated, it was stated that the Association had 450 branches with 3,500 members in different villages and tehsils of the Punjab, United Provinces and Bihar and Orissa. Throughout 1919, meetings were reported from several districts of United Provinces. These reports may be quoted to illustrate the spirit of the organisers," the excerpt added. Another confidential letter on display from chief secretary of United Provinces S P O'Donnell to SR Hignell (secretary to the Government of India, Home Department), while reporting about the situation at Kumbh Mela says, "The attendance at the Kumbh Mela rose rapidly at the 11th(February) Somwati Amawas approached. "On the Ekadhashi, a million persons are said to have been present, and the numbers were probably considerably higher on the Somwati Amawas," it says. The letter goes on to mention that "one case of cholera is reported and a few cases in which choleraic symptoms were present; but there has been fortunately no serious outbreak; and all the internal arrangements have worked smoothly". "The Magistrate took great trouble to keep politics out of the mela, and was apparently successful in his efforts," it added. The Kumbh draws tens of millions of pilgrims from across the globe over the course of approximately 55 days to bathe at the Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. About the 2019 congregation, Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand had said on Monday that over 22 crore people have so far taken the holy dip. Such is the rush of pilgrims that the entire Kumbh Mela area has been demarcated into nine zones and 20 sectors to be manned by 20,000 police personnel, 6,000 homeguard jawans, 80 companies of central force and 20 companies of PAC, according to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kundan Gold Refinery Tuesday announced its foray into jewellery segment with an investment Rs 60 crore and launch of a new brand. The company launched its new brand 'Zeya by Kundan' in collaboration with Swarovski and the jewellery collection is priced from Rs 2,000 onwards. "The company has invested a sum of Rs 60 crore in its current expansion and plans to invest more in the same," Kundan Gold Refinery said in a statement. The new brand will be first of its kind hand-crafted gold jewellery adorned with cubic Zirconia from Swarovski. "We are glad to progress towards this major expansion in our business. This is a major milestone for us. ...With the launch of Zeya, we are aiming a newer segment of audience which is young and versatile," Kundan Group Director Vidit Garg said. He said the company will also launch a new refinery near Delhi with the latest well-equipped and advanced technology machines. The refinery will be in operation by the end of the year. Kundan Gold Refinery is one of the largest private gold refineries in the country. It is also a major importer of gold and silver. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The parents of Sandeep Wathar, a lecturer in an engineering college in Vijayapura are yet to overcome the shock after their son was forced to kneel down and apologise for his alleged 'anti-India' Facebook post by some ABVP members. Condemning the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of pre-emptive airstrikes on the terror beds inside Pakistan, Wathar had hailed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for his gesture of returning captured wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman. Using certain derogatory words in his Facebook post on Saturday, he condemned the right wing groups for their war mongering. Picking up his post, members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad had stormed the Dr P G Halakatti Engineering College, run by Bijapur Lingayat Development Education Society, where he teaches. The activists made Wathar kneel down for his 'anti-India' post on a social media platform at Vijayapura and forced him to seek an apology with folded hands and head down. "A few of them were my students. I have forgotten their names. I don't know what objection they had with my post. They did not understand the content of my subject and forced me to seek an apology and delete my post," Wathar told PTI. While he claimed that he was unnerved by the ABVP action, his parents were rattled. "They were in tears and did not speak or eat for the whole day," said Wathar. Based on Wathar's complaint, police have registered a case against the ABVP members. "Those who created a ruckus in the college, we have registered a case against them," Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Prakash Nikam told PTI. Since the accused were booked under bailable offences, nobody has been arrested, Nikam added. The institution where Wathar teaches is headed by home minister M B Patil. The lecturer said the management had not objected to his post. Flying a MIG 21 Bison, Abhinandan had engaged in a dogfight with an F16 jet of the Pakistan Air Force. In the course of the dogfight, his plane too was hit, but he ejected safely and was caught by the Pakistan authorities. As a "goodwill gesture", Pakistan released Abhinandan to de-escalate tension post-IAF's retaliatory attack targetting the terror camps in the neighbouring country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday accused LG Anil Baijal of not "owning up" his responsibility on the issue of regularisation of guest teachers and alleged that the delay in decision-making has impacted the of lakhs of children. In a letter to Baijal, Sisodia, who holds the portfolio, said the LG not discussing the issues of guest teachers has brought the government school system on the verge of collapse. Sisodia's letter came against the backdrop of protests by guest teachers in the national capital. The government has convened an emergency cabinet meeting Wednesday on the issue. As many as 25,000 teachers are staring at uncertainty after their contracts ended on Feb 28. They have not yet been informed whether their services have been terminated or their contracts will be renewed. The Delhi government had passed a bill to regularise the employment of around 15,000 guest teachers (working on contractual basis) in government-run schools in October 2017. "It is unfortunate that in last two years, you have not considered even once to discuss the issues concerning the guest teachers with me," Sisodia wrote. "The immediate consequence is that while exams are going on in schools, I do not know how many teachers will turn up in school tomorrow. Your lack of owning up the responsibility is not only impacting the of lakhs of children in the schools of Delhi government but also the life, livelihood and dignity of thousands of guest teachers," he added. The Delhi High Court had directed that guest teachers would continue in their services till Feb 28 or till the time regular teachers were appointed. It gave the direction during the hearing of a plea filed by an NGO against the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board over the appointment of permanent teachers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- The International Women's Day weekend 2019, promises to be exciting for women in Bangalore who wish to embark on a career and wellness journey, enabling them to lead a healthy, wealthy, happy and meaningful life. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/822614/Life_and_Money_Logo.jpg ) (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/830874/women_financial_advisers_network_Logo.jpg ) Life & Money in collaboration with The Garrett Planning Network USA, welcomes women audience to The Women Financial Advisers Network Roadshows. 1st Roadshow: Caters to an audience of primarily young women, keen to return to a flexi option career after a sabbatical. Date: March 09, 2019 Venue: Elita Promenade Clubhouse, J P Nagar Time: 10 AM - 1 PM 2nd Roadshow: Caters to tenured professional women across finance and corporate spectrums; women who are seeking alternate careers and those looking to giving back to the community. Date: March 11, 2019 Venue: 91 SpringBoard, George Thangaiah Complex, 80 Feet Road, Indiranagar Time: 10 AM - 1 PM *Both events will welcome interested women on a first come, first served basis. Pre-registrations by invite only, are currently in progress. In these roadshows, Life & Money, an innovative, holistic, digital platform with a vision to empower Indians to lead a 'rich' and 'balanced' life, and Garrett Planning Network, whose mission is to make competent, objective, financial advice accessible to all, are collaborating to launch an exclusive 'The Women Financial Advisers Network' , a first-of-its-kind in India. The collaboration, a result of the long term friendship between Sheryl Garrett, recently recognized as an Icon by Investment News, and Partha Iyengar , Co-founder and CEO of Life & Money is expected to revolutionize the field of financial planning and investment advice by introducing the fee-only hourly practice model and is positioned to open up new possibilities for both, women financial advisers and their clients. What to expect? The Women Financial Advisers Network (WFAN) is targeting to bridge the workforce gender gap in India which is currently at a low of 24% and also prepare women for the future where one of the top ten career options by 2022 will be Financial Planners and Advisers (Source: The World Economic forum's Future of jobs report 2018) The objectives of the roadshows are to help attendees: Recognize/identify their driving values and reflect on how one can use these values to guide key life decisions. Understand how the Network would actively support them in becoming competent financial planners and achieving financial independence. Discover how to align with one's core values to lead a balanced and meaningful life. Assess how the Network would continue to nurture them to grow and thrive personally and professionally. Appraise whether 'Is it worth investing my time, effort and money to rebuild my career through The Women Financial Advisers Network?' More about Life & Money Enabling and empowering women to be self-worthy and lead healthy, wealthy, happy and meaningful lives in sync with their personal and financial goals is not new to Life & Money. The seeding for this program began in 2015 and showed promising results when Life & Money successfully completed their first ever, crowd funded Women's Project focused on Financial Wellness for Young Women in Semi-Rural Region in 2016. Five hundred undergraduate women from the rural farming background learned, probably for the very first time, 'how to' progress towards realizing their dreams and aspirations, to be financially independent, plan the spending: saving to meet their life goals and other finance and wellness topics through Life & Money's carefully curated process and discussion oriented workshops. It was liberating for the young women to know that they had choices whereby they would not have to depend on their parents or their husbands, to enjoy a 'rich' and 'balanced' life - that they are worthy and capable of doing it themselves and in turn, being of significant assistance to their families and communities. While the rigor around educating a million rural and semi-urban women in India around financial independence by 2020 continues, Life & Money is focusing on urban women too and has chosen Mumbai and Bangalore to start The Women Financial Advisers Network in India. To know more about the Financial Women Advisers Network, please see the brochure. About Life & Money Life & Money is a Pioneering Digital Platform with a vision to empower Indians to lead a 'Rich' and 'Balanced Life'. Our new initiative of launching the Women Financial Advisers Network in collaboration with the Garrett Planning Network, USA is the first step towards achieving it. Quick Facts: 2009 - Launched as Accretus Solutions India LLP, serving the HNI clients. 2010 - Launched the Financial Wellness Programs for millennials in corporations and colleges in India. 2011 - Launched the Holistic Financial Wellness Programs covering the qualitative aspects of 'Life'. 2013 - Rebranded as 'Life & Money' and reached out to consumers and financial advisers with our unique Holistic Financial Wellness Programs for consumers and 'Life Planning' training programs for Advisers in India. Till date, reached out to more than 4000 participants involving over 100 experiential learning workshops. The success of the program for consumers was significant behavioural change among greater number of participants. The success of the program for Financial Advisers was getting invited to do workshops across the length and breadth of the country. This was primarily through the word of mouth and testimonials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra cabinet Tuesday granted in-principle approval for setting up two more 660 MW coal-based supercritical units at the Koradi Thermal Power Station. The state cabinet also approved the raising of equity capital to the extent of 20 per cent of the cost of the project once it gets the go-ahead from Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC). The project would be developed in phases with the work on the first unit of 660 MW scheduled to be completed in 45 months. The second unit is expected to be completed in 51 months from the date of commencement of work. State-run Maharashtra State Generation Company (Mahagenco) is likely to raise funds partly by debt, which is to the extent of 80 per cent of the cost, and partly through equity to fund the project. Currently, four old units of 115 MW each are shut and there are plans to dismantle them and build new facilities there. Energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule emphasised the need for the project saying power demand was growing due to industrialisation and the development of infrastructure in the state. As per statistics, demand for electricity had peaked up to 25000 MW, which is the highest so far, and it is expected to grow to 27000 MW by 2023-24. "Today the state is free of load shedding as we have a surplus. However, to ensure uninterrupted power supply in future as well, it is important to scale up capacity," he said. Considering the current demand, the state is likely to face a deficit of over 2000 MW by 2023-24, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A woman was Tuesday arrested for allegedly beating up her three-year-old son and sending video clips of it to her former husband in order to increase maintenance money, police said. The woman, a resident of Mumbra in Maharashtra's Thane district, was arrested under section 75 (cruelty to child) of The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, after her former husband, Faizam Shabbir Khan, filed a complaint, Senior Inspector M S Kad of Mumbra police station said. "The couple were married for four years. Khan divorced the accused some months ago and was sending her Rs 6,000 as maintenance. She wanted this amount increased so used to harass Khan by sending him video clips of the child being beaten up, including one on February 28," he said. After the February 28 video went viral on social media, Khan filed a complaint, the official added. He said the child was medically examined and will be produced before juvenile court tomorrow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Malaysia has become a member of the International Criminal Court, a minister said Tuesday, in a boost for the beleaguered institution at a time it faces growing criticism. The ICC is the world's only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling. But the tribunal in Tuknuhe Hague has come under fire over high-profile acquittals, while Burundi became the first country to quit the court in 2017 and the Philippines has announced its intention to withdraw. Malaysia's new reform-minded government, which came to power last year, had vowed to join the ICC, and human resources minister M Kula Segaran confirmed the country signed the tribunal's founding treaty Monday. Malaysia becomes the 124th member of the court since its establishment in 2002. "By joining the ICC, Kuala Lumpur can now play an important role in issues related to crimes against humanity," Segaran, who has long championed Malaysia becoming a member, told AFP. Foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah signed the ICC founding treaty after Malaysia's cabinet approved the move, the foreign ministry confirmed in a statement late Monday. The ICC suffered a major setback in January when judges acquitted former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo over a wave of post-electoral violence, raising fresh questions about whether the court is fit for purpose. Burundi's decision to withdraw came after the ICC chief prosecutor launched a preliminary probe in 2016 into possible crimes against humanity in the central African nation during a political crisis. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gave notice in March last year he was pulling out of the tribunal's founding treaty after the court launched an investigation into his government's deadly drug war. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Tripura Police Tuesday detained a man for his alleged links with the Jamat-ul Mujahidden Bangladesh (JuMB), Director General of Police (DGP) A K Shukla said. The DGP told reporters that the man identified as Nazir Sheikh took training in making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and was an expert. He is also involved with many people in India and has terror links, Shukla said. Sheikh is a resident of Murshidabad district of West Bengal and was detained from West Tripura district. The DGP said during the visit of the Dalai Lama at Bodh Gaya on January 19, 2018, three IEDs were recovered from there and the explosives were linked to the Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. Details on how the terrorist was detained was not disclosed by the state police chief. "I can only say that he was detained on the basis of intelligence inputs from a place in West Tripura district. Interrogation has started," the DGP said. The Tripura Police, during investigation of drug smuggling cases, has found that the terrorists have links with drug peddlers, Shukla said. Police is investigating if any important person was being targeted by Sheikh, he said. "Lok Sabha election is coming nearer and movement of VIPs during the time is frequent, so we are also investigating if he was targeting any VIP," he said. The DGP said the matter has been brought to the notice of the National Investigation Agency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh Tuesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision for the welfare of the people particularly the needy. Modi has started many new schemes like the Ayushman Bharat health scheme, the Ujjwala scheme, homes for all for the welfare of the people, Singh said here. The chief minister claimed that the BJP government at the Centre under Modi will win the coming Lok Sabha elections. He said the whole world is with India in its fight against terrorism due to the active foreign policy followed by Modi government. The chief minister Tuesday launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana (PM-SYM) pension scheme for workers of the unorganised sector in the state. He also inaugurated 19 projects worth Rs 39.58 crore and laid foundation of 28 projects amounting to 184.45 crore. Singh said which government which will complete two years on March 15 has started a number of schemes for the welfare of the people of the state including those living in rural areas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Matriarch of the Matua community, Binapani Devi, popularly known as 'Boro Ma', passed away at a state run hospital Tuesday evening after prolonged illness, a hospital official said. Binapani Devi, 100, was on ventilator support at the SSKM Hospital here since Sunday and breathed her last at 8.52 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the death of the matriarch of the Matuas, a scheduled caste community and significant political force in the state. Boro Ma was suffering from high fever, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and mild diabetes, the official said. "She was in an 'extremely critical' condition, since last night. Her fever turned to pneumonia. Her lungs were infected. We tried our level best. Age was definitely a factor," he said. Banerjee, who shared a very cordial relation with Boro Ma described her demise as "a personal loss". "I have received support from her. It's a big loss to the Matua community. My condolences to her family and my brothers and sisters of the Matua community at this moment of grief," Banerjee told reporters at the SSKM. "She will be accorded state-funeral with gun salute. We are proud to have conferred the Banga Bibhusan on her. May her soul rest in peace," the chief minister said. Banga Bibhusan is the highest civilian award of the West Bengal government. Matua votes were considered a major factor in the Trinamool Congress' win in the 2011 and 2016 Assembly polls. Mamata Bala Thakur, a member of Boro Ma's family, is a Trinamool Congress MP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Boro Ma this February during his visit to Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district where he addressed a rally. Thakurnagar is the headquarters of the Matua Mahasangh, the organisation of the the community. In a tweet, Modi said, "Boro Ma Binapani Thakur was an icon of our times. A source of great strength and inspiration for several people, Boro Ma's rich ideals will continue to influence generations. Her emphasis on social justice and harmony will never be forgotten." "I will always cherish the interaction I had with her. We stand in solidarity with the Matua community in this hour of sadness," he said on the micro-blogging site. Modi also posted a photograph of his meeting with Boro Ma. The Matuas originally hail from erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and began migrating to West Bengal at the beginning of the 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution. With an estimated population of 30 lakh in the state, Matuas can influence results in at least five Lok Sabha seats in North and South 24 Parganas districts. However, many of them are claimed to have still not got Indian citizenship. In a statement, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi expressed his deep grief at the demise of Boro Ma and extended his heart-felt condolences to her family members and large number of followers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Tuesday welcomed the sacking of a provincial minister in Pakistan for his anti-Hindu remarks but lamented that similar bigotry in India was being ignored. "His comments were repugnant. But at least he got sacked. Here ministers garland lynchers and the more anti - Muslim and communal you are the higher your rise will be in terms of status & power," the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader tweeted. Pakistan's Punjab province government on Tuesday sacked its Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan over his anti-Hindu remarks. Prime Minister Imran Khan took serious notice of Chohan's remarks and directed Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to remove him forthwith, party sources said. Reacting to the sacking, Abdullah said, in India, a Governor of a state is not even reprimanded for his public call to boycott and ostracise Kashmiri Muslims. "In Pakistan a state minister is sacked for his remarks against Hindus. In India a state Governor isn't even reprimanded for his public call to boycott & ostracise all Kashmiri muslims," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister tweeted. "We like to compare ourselves to Pakistan so compare this fact as well," Abdullah said. At a press conference last month, the Pakistan minister was quoted by Samaa agency, referring to the Hindus as "cow urine-drinking people". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The political fight over casualty numbers in the IAF strike on a terror camp in Pakistan grew bitter Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the opposition "poster boys" of Pakistan and Home Minister Rajnath Singh suggesting that Congress leaders go there to know the number of terrorists killed. As the debate on the extent of fatalties inflicted raged, Singh also said the number of terrorists killed in the air strike by Indian Air Force (IAF) on the training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) in Balakot on February 26 would be known "today or tomorrow". The Congress for its part urged Modi not to politicise the armed forces with its leader and former Defence Minister A K Antony asserting that BJP president Amit Shah is not the man who should be giving out operational details of the action by the IAF. Shah earlier claimed "over 250" terrorists were killed in the strike on the biggest training camp of JeM in Pakistan. Asked about this claim at separate conferences, Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and V K Singh said it is an 'estimate' by the BJP chief. At a time when the security forces were still fighting at the borders, the BJP president was giving out operational details of the action by the armed forces, which was very unfortunate, Antony told reporters in Delhi. "Even now our soldiers died, that details only Army and CRPF can explain, not BJP spokesman or BJP president. It is very very unfortunate. "Don't politicise the armed forces. Don't bring the military in the I request the BJP president, I request the prime minister don't politicise the Army. As a former defence minister, I am telling them," he said. Congress on Monday asked what was the basis for Shah's claim and why was Modi or his government not giving the details of casualties. Key BJP ally Shiv Sena also joined the opposition in saying that India's citizens have the right to know about the casualties in the air strike and that revealing such information would not lower the morale of armed forces. Calling the opposition as 'poster boys' of Pakistan for seeking proof of IAF's action, Modi said the air strike happened in the neighbouring country, but "some of those sitting in India were hit by it". "People world over feel that we have done the right thing by replying to Pulwana terror attack," he added. Taking a swipe at attempts to cobble up a 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) against the BJP, Modi said the opposition leaders are doing 'mahamilavat' (high adulteration) in Pakistan's favour. "These 'mahamilavati' persons have become poster boys of Pakistan....They are misleading people of the country and trying to demoralise our armed forces by asking for proofs of the IAF air strike," Modi told a rally in Dhar in Madhya Pradesh. Without naming senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, he said a leader termed the Pulwama attack as an "accident" and dubbed slain al-Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden as an "ambassador of peace". At another event, Modi said the opposition wants to dislodge him. "They (opposition) want to strike Modi, but I want to strike on terror," Modi said. "They want to remove this 'chowkidar' but I want to fight poverty," he added. Modi was speaking after launching a pension scheme for the unorganised sector in Ahmedabad. Union minister V K Singh said the terrorist casualty figure of over 250 given by Shah was based on his 'ashanka' (an estimate) formed on the basis of intelligence gathered about people housed in the buildings which were hit. "It's an estimate. He (Amit Shah) is saying it is 'ashanka' (an estimate on the number of killed). Let us take it as 'ashanka'," he told reporters in Ranchi when asked how can Shah give out a figure of 250 casualties. On the varying casualty figures in the Balakot strikes, Singh said,"One way is to go there and count and come back. Secondly, what the information you have, you can assess it (figure) and that number is told to the people. Exact figure will be known only when you are there. "This is not a game of marbles. This is a serious matter. Any action by the forces, no proof is given," the minister of state for external affairs said. On the day of the strike, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said a "very large number of terrorists" were killed in Balakot. On Monday, IAF chief B S Dhanoa said the Air Force does not count human casualties and it is for the government to provide details on the death toll. Charging the opposition with doing over the strike, Rajnath Singh claimed that the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) system had informed about presence of around 300 active mobile phones at the site before the air strike by India. "The NTRO, which has an authentic system, said that 300 mobile phones were active (at the Balakot site). Were these mobile phones used by the trees? Now will you (opposition) not believe the NTRO also?" Singh said at a public rally after inaugurating a border project by the BSF in Dhutri in Assam. "If my Congress friends feel that the numbers should be given to them, then I would like to say that if you want to go to Pakistan, then go, count and ask people there that how many were killed by our Air Force jawans," Singh said "Some leaders of the other political parties are asking how many terrorists were killed in the IAF strike. Today or tomorrow, it will be known. Pakistan and their leaders' heart know how many were killed." He took a dig at the opposition for questioning the number of terrorists killed and said the parties were up to, "kitne mare, kitne mare?" (how many died?)"Should our Air Force go and count the bodies after the attack -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...? What is this joke?" he questioned. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Chennai that the Indian Foreign Secretary had not given any casualty figure at his media briefing after the air strike and only gave a statement which is the government's "position". At the BJP briefing in Delhi, senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused the Congress of trying to lower the morale of security forces for "purely petty political gains", as he cited comments of leaders of the opposition party on the air strike to allege that these are a part of a "conspiracy" with "blessings" of their president Rahul Gandhi. He also seized on Digvijay Singh's tweet, terming the Pulwama terror attack an "accident", to mount a stinging attack on the opposition party to say its senior leaders are speaking the language of Pakistan. Singh had tweeted earlier in the day, "Doubts are being raised in some international media following the "air strike" after the Pulwama accident. This is also raising questions on our government's credibility." Later, trolled for referring to the attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed as an accident, Singh tweeted again, saying there should be not doubt that the incident was an act of terrorism. Asked about Shah's claim that over 250 terrorists were killed, Prasad said the party chief would have gone by "estimation". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A murder case accused, who was out on bail, was shot dead by an unidentified person in suburban Kurla on Tuesday, a police official said. Janu Pawar alias Billa was on Halav bridge in Kurla area in the morning when the assailant fired at him and fled, he said. Pawar received two bullet injuries. He was rushed to the civic-run Sion Hospital where doctors declared him dead before admission, he said. The killing was suspected to be a fallout of some personal enmity, the official said. One person was detained in connection with the incident and an investigation was underway, he said. The deceased was earlier granted bail in a murder case, the official said, adding several criminal cases were registered against him in Mumbai. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CBI on Tuesday told the court that most of the victims in Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case were minors. The Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for the agency told the court that the victims' ossification test, done to determine age, has shown that except for one or two, all of them were under 18 years of age. Along with the reports of the ossification test, the agency also submitted in court other medical records of the victims. The apex court had on February 7 ordered that the shelter home sexual assault case be transferred from Bihar to a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court at Saket district court complex here, which would conclude the trial within six months by holding preferably "day-to-day" hearing. Several girls were allegedly raped and sexually abused at an NGO-run shelter home in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. The issue had come to light following a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). The counsel appearing for Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the sexual assault case and accused Shaista Parveen alias Madhu, Vicky and Hema, addressed arguments on the point of charge. The counsel appearing for Thakur said that the only allegation against him was that he was the de-facto owner of the shelter home, which he wasn't as it was being run by an NGO. "There is allegation against the shelter home. The shelter home is not a private entity. It is a government constituted organisation. I cannot be the de facto owner," Thakur's counsel said. To this, the judge asked, "Whose property is it? Who is the owner of the property?" "NGO is the owner of the property," answered the counsel. However, he said that he will face trial in whatever sections the court charges him with. He also said that he be provided with the names and details of victims. "I am entitled. I will not disclose it anywhere," the counsel said. However, the agency protested saying it was not possible to disclose the identity of victims. The court directed both the parties to find relevant judgments related to POCSO Act which says accused is entitled to seek identity of the victims. "If there is any judgment, we will follow it. If not, then I will have to decide. I will consider this," the court said. Earlier the CBI had told the court that charges of rape, kidnapping and causing hurt were made out against Thakur and that several victims had given testimonies against him. The agency had told the court that statements of 33 victims have been recorded and most of them have testified against Thakur, besides revealing that he used to bring people from outside for raping the girls. The counsel appearing for accused Hema alleged that the CBI has done a copy- paste job of framing the set of people with all charges in every individual case. To this the agency said that five girls have spoken against accused Neha, three against Manju, 16 against Meenu and Hema. "There are no general allegation, everything is segregated," the agency said. The counsel appearing for an accused Manju Devi said that there are two women with the name Manju in the case, one who is a cook and the other who is a counsellor. To this the CBI said that the case has been made out against the counsellor as the girls had testified against her saying she used to threaten them against speaking out about the incidents happening inside the shelter home. The court fixed March 6 as the next date for advancing arguments. During the previous hearing, arguments on the charges were addressed by the counsel for accused Indu, Meena and Neha -- the caretakers of the victims who allegedly drugged the girls making them fall asleep, and two state social welfare department officials -- Ravi Raushan and Rosy Rani. In the Muzaffarpur shelter home case, an FIR was lodged on May 31, 2018 against 11 people following the TISS report. On the TISS report, the apex court had said it raised grave concern about 17 shelter homes in Bihar and the CBI must look into all of them. Of these, the Muzaffarpur case was already being looked into by the CBI. The probe was later taken over by the CBI and so far, 17 people have been arrested. The amicus curiae had also told the court that there were 1,028 shelter homes across India where instances of sexual and physical abuse have been reported. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Empathy and sympathy have no place in matters of discipline in defence forces as a nation should have a fighting force of morally upright, effective and righteous officers, the Delhi High Court has said while upholding the termination of a flight cadet with the Indian Air Force for theft of Rs 5,000. Honesty and integrity are the hallmark of armed forces and during the training period, the flight cadets are tested not only for their professional competence but also for these attributes, it said. "...an act of theft is an indication of their moral fibre and such cadets cannot be considered suitable to be commissioned in the Forces," said a bench of justices G S Sistani and Jyoti Singh. The court was hearing a petition by a flight cadet who was terminated by IAF in December 2016 for stealing the debit card of a colleague and withdrawing Rs 5,000 from his bank account. He refused to accept his act initially, but later he admitted the mistake after realising that the CCTV footage would reveal his action. In a recent order, the bench dismissed his petition and upheld the termination saying that "having looked through the files, we find no fault with decision making process and therefore, we find no reason to interfere with the punishment imposed by the respondents (authorities)". The court said it needed no emphasis that being a pilot he would be entrusted with "flying Air Crafts", would have "access to sensitive data" relating to Air Force stations, equipments etc. and therefore, "virtues like honesty and integrity become extremely important". The court had earlier directed the authorities to re-examine the proceedings of the initial Training Review Board (TRB), under certain parameters laid down by the court. After reassessing the TRB proceedings, the authorities came to the conclusion that the cadet lacked the basic Officer Like Quality (OLQ) and was not suitable to be commissioned. "Needless to say, only the respondents have the expertise to decide as to who is suitable or not to be commissioned, and this court is not equipped to take such a decision on their behalf. It is a settled law that in a judicial review this Court can only interfere in the decision-making process and not substitute its own decision for the decision of the Government. "Empathy and sympathy can have no place in matters of discipline in the Forces," the bench said. The board had concluded that in cases of offences or acts of indiscipline like theft or fraud which are serious acts of misconduct and depict lack of officer like quality, termination of training is ordinarily the norm. The court said Air Force order (AFO) showed that acts of theft, fraud and forgery are considered as "highest level of indiscipline" and since these are indicators of lack of OLQ, penalty of termination of training is provided for. It upheld the punishment of termination of training of the cadet saying the authorities have acted as per the provision of the AFO. The bench said the cadet's submission that there was nothing adverse against him either during his tenure in Sainik School or the NDA Academy and the theft case was a stand-alone aberration, was appealing at the first blush, but cannot be a ground to condone the act of theft committed by him. "While we would refrain from commenting on the conduct, it would be relevant to state that if at the slightest opportunity the petitioner had succumbed to stealing, the respondents are not wrong in arguing that he lacked Officer Like Quality," it said. The court observed that a cadet to be recruited to the Armed Force must be worthy of confidence and should be a person of utmost rectitude, impeccable character and integrity. "It is very important for a country to have a fighting force comprising of morally upright, effective, righteous officers. They are expected to provide security to the nation and its people and therefore, the training academies have to ensure that ethical, upright and principled people find their way into the Forces. It is thus imperative that only those who are worthy of the confidence and trust are drawn into the forces," it remarked. The court agreed with the authorities that three years of training in NDA, where ethos of the Armed Forces are engrained into the cadet, also had no effect on the cadet. "Discipline and officer like quality are the heart and soul of any armed force personnel and any relaxation in the standard of discipline and integrity can prove disastrous for the nation. Respondents are right that if the petitioner is given a lenient treatment, it would set a wrong precedent for future cadets and officers, which the Armed Forces can never afford," it held. It added that the purpose of specialised training in the Air Force Academy was to adjudge the professional competence of the cadet as well as his overall suitability before he was commissioned as an officer in the Indian Air Force. At this stage, therefore, officer like qualities have to be adjudged and in a case like this, where a cadet lacks the basic OLQs the decision to terminate him cannot be termed as wrong, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of the elections, the BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation Tuesday launched a campaign, seeking to cure free-of-cost all people suffering from cataract who are living in areas falling under its jurisdiction, officials said. The programme was launched from ward 98 by BJP's national vice president Shyam Jaju. North Delhi Mayor Adesh Gupta said, as part of this programme, field workers of NDMC's health department will visit houses to find out cataract cases in the area. This will be actively supported by area councillors, RWAs and NGOs, he said. "The patients would not have to bear any cost from their end, from diagnosis to surgery, follow-up and provision of spectacles. It would be done free of cost," the NDMC said in a statement. This is a "unique programme" in which the political wing, executive wing of the NDMC, RWAs and NGOs are joining hands to address the issue. This will be implemented through an integrated approach by all wings of the health department -- public health, hospital administration and Ayush department, it said. Officials said, corporate houses will financially contribute to this campaign through corporate social responsibility (CSR). "After identification of cases, testing will be done at polyclinics of the NDMC and all cases which would need surgery, will be operated at hospitals like Hindu Rao Hopsital, Raje Babu TB Institute or Kasturba Hospital," the statement said. The program will be replicated in other wards, officials said, adding it will be conducted throughout the year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scientists have explained why some Antarctic icebergs are emerald green in colour rather than the normal blue, potentially solving a decades-long scientific mystery. The researchers at the University of Washington in the US noted that pure ice is blue because ice absorbs more red light than blue light. Most icebergs appear white or blue when floating in seawater, but since the early 1900s explorers and sailors have reported seeing peculiar green icebergs around certain parts of Antarctica. The new study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, suggests that iron oxides in rock dust from Antarctica's mainland are turning some icebergs green. The team formulated the new theory after Australian researchers discovered large amounts of iron in East Antarctica's Amery Ice Shelf. Iron is a key nutrient for phytoplankton, microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food web. However, iron is scarce in many areas of the ocean. If experiments prove the new theory right, it would mean green icebergs are ferrying precious iron from Antarctica's mainland to the open sea when they break off, providing this key nutrient to the organisms that support nearly all marine life. "It's like taking a package to the post office. The iceberg can deliver this iron out into the ocean far away, and then melt and deliver it to the phytoplankton that can use it as a nutrient," said Stephen Warren, a glaciologist at the University of Washington. "We always thought green icebergs were just an exotic curiosity, but now we think they may actually be important," Warren said. He started studying the phenomenon on an Australian expedition in 1988, when he took a core sample from a green iceberg near the Amery Ice Shelf on the coast of East Antarctica. The green ice he saw was a deep emerald hue much darker and clearer than that of normal icebergs -- a signal to scientists that green ice might be different from regular iceberg ice. "When we climbed up on that iceberg, the most amazing thing was actually not the colour but rather the clarity. This ice had no bubbles. It was obvious that it was not ordinary glacier ice," Warren said. When the researchers analysed that iceberg and other green icebergs sampled by Australian expeditions in the 1980s, they found the green parts were made of marine ice and not glacier ice. They suspected an impurity in the ocean water underneath the Amery Ice Shelf was turning some marine ice green. Their first thought was that dissolved organic carbon, microscopic particles of long-dead marine plants and animals, was getting trapped in the ice as the water froze to the underside of the ice shelf. Dissolved organic carbon is yellow, so if pure ice is blue, the addition of yellow particles could turn the ice green, according to Warren. However, when researchers sampled icebergs on a subsequent expedition in 1996, they found green marine ice had the same amount of organic material as blue marine ice, so something else had to be responsible for the green colour. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the BJP's charge that Congress was lowering morale of the armed forces by seeking proof on Balakot air strike, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam Tuesday said no political party was questioning bravery of soldiers but "politicisation" of the operation by the ruling party. He also attacked BJP chief Amit Shah over his claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the February 26 air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohamed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan. "No one is questioning the valour or bravery of our armed forces who have shown the exemplary courage in the past as well. We are only criticising and objecting the way some BJP leaders are politicising it (the air strike)," the Mumbai Congress president said. Nirupam said the Congress wanted clarification from government over casualties of terrorists in the operation because BJP leaders are coming up with different figures. Meanwhile, in a separate development, Nirupam met disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha here Tuesday. Responding to a query on this meeting, Nirupam said it was only a "courtesy" call. "Sinha is like an elder brother to me and I wanted to meet him since long," he said. Nirupam claimed several leaders of BJP are fed up with the working style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and are set to join the Congress. He also lashed out at BJP's Mumbai North Central MP Poonam Mahajan over her remarks on Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Addressing a rally here on Monday, Mahajan had criticised Gandhi over his announcement that Congress would provide tenements measuring 500 sq ft to each family of slum-dwellers in Mumbai, if voted to power in the coming elections. Mahajan reportedly termed Gandhi as a political leader with the intellect of a child. The BJP MP also said that she would change her name and look for another profession, if Gandhi could tell the difference between a square foot, a square metre and a square inch. Meanwhile, Nirupam attacked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the "slow pace" of probe into the Cidco "land scam". Nirupam had claimed last year that 24 acres of City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) land in Navi Mumbai's Kharghar had been transferred to a private builder at throwaway price by allegedly duping eight project-affected families of Koyna Dam. Nirupam Tuesday wrote a letter to the CM questioning the delay in investigation. "Despite the CM promising a judicial probe, his government has failed to present the report within promised period. On August 21, 2018, Fadnavis promised a judicial probe on the floor of the Assembly stating that a report will be released within three months. However, it has been eight months now and we are still awaiting the report," Nirupam told reporters. Underlining the "delay", he said justice (retired) Kishor Rohi of the Bombay HC had declined to probe the case on the health ground in the past, and "Justice (retd) R C Chavan who replaced Justice Rohi has not even started working on the case". He claimed Justice Chavan was given a three-month extension by the government on January 4. In his letter, Nirupam sought to know from the CM the reason behind the controversial plot of land still in possession of the private builder. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India chose to act as the "judge, jury and executioner" by attacking Pakistan after the Pulwama terrror attack, Pakistan's envoy to the US has said as he claimed that there is no "organised presence" of any terrorist group in his country. Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, sparking nation-wide outrage. After the attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. "Clearly India chose to act as judge, jury, and executioner. It followed up on this aggression by making ridiculous claims of having hit a so-called terrorist camp inside Pakistan and killing over 300 militants. These claims as you know, have been thoroughly debunked by neutral observers as well as by elements within India," ambassador Asad Majeed Khan claimed. Khan's remarks came as the US and other major powers mounted pressure on Islamabad to rein in terror groups operating on its soil. Responding to a question on the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, the new Pakistani ambassador told a Washington audience on Monday that the two nuclear-armed neighbours returned "from the brink at least for now". "I think, the situation is serious," he said. Appearing before the US Institute of Peace, a Congress-funded think-tank, Khan alleged that there was a "marked escalation on the line of control" as soon as pilot Abhinandan was released by Pakistan and handed over to India on Friday. While he reiterated that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement that the only way forward was dialogue and engagement, he gave no clear answer to India's concerns, which are supported by the international community, that Pakistan needs to take action against terrorist groups and end terror safe havens. "There is no organised presence of any terrorist group in Pakistan," Khan claimed. He accused India for the current crisis, claiming that such terrorism could be a result of actions by "rogue elements". "If you basically take a position that you are going to do this, this, this, this, if this, this, this happened, you are essentially leaving the entire situation hostage to one, two or a couple of individuals who may be rogue elements acting on their own, trying to basically, create a war like situation," he said. Khan said that within minutes of Pulwama incident, India spoke about incontrovertible evidence. "That evidence should have been presented," he said. Within minutes, the Indian government and the media went into an overdrive whipping up "war hysteria" against Pakistan, he alleged. "India paid no attention to the available evidence, all of which pointed to the indigenous origin of the attack," he said. While rejecting the Indian allegations, Prime Minister Khan offered India investigation and dialogue and promise to take action against anyone involved in the attack if India could provide credible and actionable intelligence, he said. Ambassador Khan claimed that on February 27, Pakistan struck six times inside Kashmir purposefully avoiding civilian casualties. "However, when two Indian aircraft violated our space, they were shot down. Our sole objective was to demonstrate that we had the right, will and capability to act in our self-defense. "We also made it clear that we do not wish to further escalate and are ready to give dialogue a chance to resolve issues like a responsible and mature democratic nation," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Juan Corona, who gained the nickname "The Machete Murderer" for hacking to death dozens of migrant farm labourers in California in the early 1970s, has died. He was 85. Corona died Monday at an undisclosed hospital, Vicky Waters of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reported. He had been serving a life sentence in state prison. A labor contractor who hired thousands of fruit and vegetable workers for Northern California farmers, Corona killed 25 of them, according to authorities who arrested him in 1971. The bodies were buried in shallow graves on farms and orchards along the Feather River north of Sacramento. Most had been brutally hacked to death and dismembered, possibly with a machete or meat cleaver. One was shot in the head. "It was a gruesome manner of killing. He hacked these people to death," Sutter County District Attorney Amanda Hopper told The Associated Press after attending the last of Corona's eight unsuccessful parole hearings in 2016. He was arrested after a peach farmer who had contracted with him for hired pickers became suspicious upon finding a hole that had been freshly dug, then filled in. Authorities found the body of a man whose head had been cleaved open and his torso riddled with stab wounds. Nine more bodies were recovered in another orchard five days later, along with receipts made out to Corona, who was immediately arrested. When authorities searched his truck and house they found a machete, axe, meat cleaver and post-hole digger among other items. They also recovered a ledger containing the names of dozens of labourers Corona had found jobs for, including eight of the victims. He was convicted of 25 counts of murder in 1973, the most until John Wayne Gacy of Chicago was convicted of 33 in 1980. An appeals court overturned Corona's conviction in 1978, ruling he had received incompetent representation from his attorney who called no rebuttal witnesses to the state's 119 prosecution witnesses. He remained incarcerated while he went on trial again, this time with a new attorney who argued it was actually Corona's late brother who, driven by rage, committed the murders. Corona was again convicted on all 25 counts. The evidence presented at his trials was circumstantial and why Corona committed the killings has remained largely a mystery. He testified at his second trial, denying he killed anyone, but prosecutors said he admitted the crimes at a 2011 parole hearing, adding that they were justified because the victims were "winos" who had trespassed. At his final parole hearing in 2016 Corona said he couldn't recall killing anyone. Juan Corona was born in the Mexican state of Jalisco on February 7, 1934, and followed his older brothers to the United States in 1950 to pick crops in California. According to an academic study by Virginia's Radford University that was titled "The Machete Murderer," Corona originally crossed the border illegally, but after returning to Mexico some years later he came back in 1956 with a green card and remained as a legal resident. Family members and others said he was traumatised by a deadly flood that struck Northern California in the mid-1950s. Soon after he reported seeing the ghosts of those killed. He was committed to an Auburn, California, mental hospital where he would undergo numerous shock treatments. By the mid-1960s he had become a successful labour contractor, but complained to friends and acquaintances that he often still felt unwell. Corona was divorced while in prison and information on survivors was not immediately available. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Tuesday said the number of terrorists killed in the air strike by on the training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan's Balakot would be known "today or tomorrow". He claimed that Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) system had informed about presence of around 300 active at the site before the air strike by India. Charging the opposition of doing politics over the strike, the Home Minister suggested the Congress to go to and count the bodies if they want to know how many terrorists were killed. "Some leaders of the other political parties are asking how many terrorists were killed in the strike. Today or tomorrow, it will be known. and their leaders' heart know how many were killed," Singh said while addressing the public after inaugurating a border project by the BSF. He took a dig at the opposition for questioning the number of terrorists killed and said the parties were up to, "kitne mare, kitne mare?" (how many died?) "Should our Air Force go and count the bodies after the attack -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...? What is this joke?" he questioned. "The NTRO, which has an authentic system, said that 300 were active (at the Balakot site). Were these used by the trees? Now will you (opposition) not believe the NTRO also?" Singh said. He said politics should not be done only to form government, but it should be done to build the country. "If my Congress friends feel that the numbers should be informed to them, then I would like to say that it you want to go to Pakistan, then go, count and ask people there that how many were killed by our Air Force jawans," Singh said. :Electric vehicle manufacturer Olectra-BYD announced it hasdeployed over 100 electric buses on Indian roads, including 40 launched here Tuesday. Olectra-BYD now has 108 electric buses, the largest fleet across the four states of Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala and now Telangana, a company release said. With the induction of 40 electric buses of 12-Meter length, Olectra has enabled Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) to deploy the largest fleet of electric buses by any State Transport Utility in the country, it said. The buses were launched from Miyapur depot here in the presence of TSRTC Managing Director Sunil Sharma and Liu Xueliang, Managing Director BYD India and BYD Asia Pacific and N K Rawal, Managing Director - Olectra, and other senior officials, it said. These buses will ferry people to the Hyderabad International Airport from various locations in the city. On an average there are 10 trips (one side) being made at the points daily where the buses would be deployed and ferry around 4.7 lakh passengers on a monthly basis, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opposition parties in Arunachal Pradesh Tuesday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Pema Khandu over the violence in the capital complex on the permanent residence certificate (PRC) issue in which three persons were killed and many injured. Opposition parties meeting was convened here under the chairmanship of former chief minister Gegong Apang, who recently joined the Janata Dal (Secular). The meeting was also attended by Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Takam Sanjoy, National Peoples Party (NPP) legislature party leader Tanga Byaling and Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) president Kahfa Bengia. Sanjoy told media persons that the meeting constituted an all-party coordination committee (APCC) with him as convener and decided that a 15-member delegation would meet state governor soon to submit a memorandum. "Ouster of Khandu will be focal point and the governor should dismiss his government in case of his failure to do so, institute a commission of inquiry headed by either a sitting high court judge or retired chief justice and declare Risso Tari, Viki Ruja and Tsering Wangdi who were killed in firing for PRC as martyrs," Sanjoy said. He said "the ruling government has lost its right to be on chair for creating the rampage by approving to grant PRC to non-Arunachalees living in the state ... without realising the sentiment of the masses." North East in-charge of JDS Okon Daggang, Congress Legislature Party Leader (CLP) Takam Pario, Congress MLA Mario Tado, PPA secretary general Kaling Jerang also attended the meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pakistan Navy Tuesday claimed it had thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter the country's territorial waters. The report comes after tensions flared up between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. Pakistan Navy also shared a footage with the media, which it said was "actual". The image showed that footage was made at 2035 hours on March 4. "The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a spokesperson said in a statement. The Indian submarine was not deliberately targeted by the Pakistan to give peace a chance, the spokesperson said. "The Indian submarine was not targeted keeping in view Pakistan's policy of peace," the official said, adding that India must learn from this incident and "move towards peace". "The Pakistan Navy is always ready to guard its territorial waters and is capable of responding to any kind of aggression with full force," the navy said. The naval forces claimed it was the second attempt since November 2016 that naval forces have caught the Indian Navy trying to enter the country's territorial waters. Earlier in 2016, the Pakistan Navy successfully repelled an Indian submarine from entering the country's territorial waters, the report said. After the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was handed over to India on Friday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation were formally paced in the list of banned organisations on Tuesday, a day after the Indian media reported that the two outfits continue to be only on the watchlist. According to Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Authority (NCTA) list, which was updated on Tuesday, JuD and FIF were among 70 organisations proscribed by the Ministry of Interior under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. "This list is updated as of 05th March, 2019 and prepared by NACTA based on the Notifications issued by Ministry of Interior," said a note at the bottom of the list. The development comes a day after Indian media reported that the two organisations continue to be only in the list of groups under watch. On February 21, government had announced that it had banned the JuD and FIF, amid intense global pressure to rein in the militant groups following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF jawans. However, in the NCTA list, which was earlier updated on Monday, JuD and FIF were under watch by the Ministry of Interior. Both JuD and FIF were placed on the watch list in January 2017. The government on Monday also put out another order saying it has frozen assets of all UN designated organisations like JuD, FIF. According to officials, JuD's network includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance service. The two groups have about 50,000 volunteers and hundreds of other paid workers. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It had been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014. The US Department of the Treasury has designated its chief Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice. Saeed was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008. He was released from house arrest in in November 2017. The NCTA has so far declared 70 terrorist organisations as banned and a sizeable number of these organisations are based in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The on Tuesday dismissed as "false propaganda" Pakistan's claim that it had thwarted an attempt by an Indian to enter the country's territorial waters. In a statement, the Pakistan claimed in Islamabad that it used specialised skills to ward off the Indian from entering Pakistani waters. "We have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The does not take cognizance of such propaganda. Our deployments remain undeterred," the said. In a brief statement, it said the Indian Navy remains deployed as necessary to protect maritime interests. The claim by came in the midst of the latest flare-up between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. "The used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a spokesperson of said. "The Indian was not targeted keeping in view Pakistan's policy of peace," the official said, adding that India must learn from this incident and "move towards peace". "The Pakistan Navy is always ready to guard its territorial waters and is capable of responding to any kind of aggression with full force," he said. After the attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, tried to target Indian military installation in but was thwarted by the which lost a while its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured. He was handed over to India on Friday. Pakistan's Punjab province Information and Culture Minister was on Tuesday asked to resign over his anti-Hindu remarks that invited intense criticism by senior party leaders and the minority community, according to a media report. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar summoned Chohan at the CM House and asked him to tender his resignation, Geo TV reported, quoting sources. "The Punjab Chief Minister sought an explanation from Chohan regarding his anti-Hindu remarks," the sources said. "There were complaints against Chohan earlier as well owing to which he was sent warnings," the sources further said. Earlier in the day, Chohan apologised for his remarks following intense criticism from senior members of his Tehreek-e-Insaf party's government and social media users. "I was addressing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian armed forces and their media not the Hindu community in Pakistan," he said. "I apologise if my remarks hurt the Hindu community in Pakistan," Chohan said. "My remarks were in no way directed at Pakistan's Hindu community." He had come under severe criticism from senior members of his party, ministers and social media users with #SackFayazChohan trending on Twitter for his controversial remarks while addressing a gathering on February 24 in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. Pakistan's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal filed on behalf of ousted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for an early hearing of his petition seeking bail on medical grounds and to have his sentence suspended in the Al-Azizia corruption case. The apex court said on Monday that the case against the Islamabad High Court's verdict will be heard when its turn comes. Sharif, 69, was on December 24 last year sentenced to seven years in prison by an anti-corruption court in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case for owning a steel factory abroad without disclosing its ownership. On Friday, senior counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed filed an appeal before the Supreme Court on behalf of the former premier, asking the apex court to grant him bail after suspending the seven-year sentence, the Dawn newspaper reported. But the Supreme Court Registrar Office returned the application for early hearing on the grounds that no special treatment could be accorded and the routine procedure would be followed to take up the matter, it said. Sharif had filed an appeal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to suspend his sentence in the Al-Azizia case until the final verdict on his appeal is announced. However, the court rejected his plea on February 25. He had requested bail on the grounds that his health was deteriorating in jail. The IHC in its order had held that none of the medical reports about Sharif's condition suggested that his continued incarceration would in any way be detrimental to his life, adding that he had been hospitalised time and again since January whenever he made complaints about his indisposition. Sharif has challenged this verdict in the Supreme Court and filed a separate petition for a quick hearing on March 6. His appeal contends that the IHC order was in violation of his fundamental right to life as guaranteed by the Constitution. The former premier is currently incarcerated at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore where he is serving the seven-year sentence. Sharif resigned as Pakistan prime minister in 2017 after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against the beleaguered leader and his children over the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif has denied any wrongdoing and says the charges are political motivated. His supporters believe the real reason he was convicted was because he had fallen out with the country's powerful army. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan on Tuesday informed India that its delegation will visit New Delhi on March 14 to discuss a draft agreement on the Kartarpur corridor, a positive development that could help ease tensions between the two neighbours. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal, who is also the Director General South Asia & SAARC, invited India's acting High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia at the ministry of foreign affairs to convey the decision, according to a statement. "The Pakistan delegation will visit New Delhi on 14 March 2019, followed by the return visit of the Indian delegation to Islamabad on 28 March 2019, to discuss the draft Agreement on Kartarpur Corridor," the statement said. Faisal informed the Indian envoy that Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood, will be returning to New Delhi after the completion of consultations in Islamabad. He also conveyed that Pakistan was committed to continue weekly contact at the Military Operations Directorates level. The positive development came as Pakistan launched a crackdown against banned outfits including Jaish-e-Mohammed. JeM chief Masood Azhar's son Hammad Azhar and brother Mufti Abdur Rauf were among 44 members of the banned militant outfits detained by authorities in Pakistan on Tuesday, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil. India and Pakistan have agreed to open up a special border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, the first Gurdwara, was established by Guru Nanak Dev in 1522, where he is said to have died. The corridor will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday underlined marked changes in India's response to terrorism from across the border, saying earlier Pakistan used to return beheaded bodies of jawans, but now they had to release a captured IAF pilot "within 48 hours". "Earlier, the Pakistani forces used to give beheaded jawans body to India...See the change now, within 48 hours, Wing Commander Abhinandan was released and he is among us," Shah said while addressing party workers at a rally here. Indian Air Force also went inside Pakistan and demolished terror training camps of Jaish-e-Mohammed following the Pulwama attack, proving the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah said. The BJP president said earlier terrorists used to explode bomb in some parts of the country and run away, but now, befitting reply is given to every such terror incidents. Beheading of two Indian jawans by Pakistani troops in 2013 had drawn nationwide outrage. It was a chilling reminder of the brutal attack on Captain Saurabh Kalia and his team by Pakistani troops in Kaksar sector of Kargil during the 1999 conflict. The BJP president came down heavily on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, asking what his party gave to Jharkhand in the ten years of the UPA rule at the Centre. "Rahul baba comes to Jharkhand and pleads to the people to form government of gathbandhan (alliance)," he said, adding that the "the people have not given any less number of opportunities to you (Rahul Gandhi)". Shah's dig on Gandhi came four days after the Congress president's rally in Ranchi, where he had attacked the Narendra Modi government for "stealing money from Indian Air Force and putting it in the pocket of businessman Anil Ambani". "For ten years UPA government was in power (at the Centre). I would like to ask, what did you give to Jharkhand," Shah said. "While the UPA-2 government gave only Rs 55,253 crore, the BJP-led government (at the Centre) has given 3.13 lakh crore to Jharkhand, besides other developmental projects," the BJP chief said, reeling out comparative figures. Listing out the developmental works done in Jharkhand under the present regime, Shah said it was possible because people had given majority to both the governments at the Centre and in the state. Shah also hit out at the opposition alliance and sought to know about its leader. "Those who are coming in the name of alliance, just tell us who is the leader of the gathbandhan (alliance)... Should they say it or not," Shah quipped. "They do not have policies, leaders, principles and have come together only for lust of power," Shah said. Asking voters whether such an alliance could eradicate poverty, give the country its honour and keep it secured, Shah said only Modi could do all of these. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A soldier was injured Tuesday as Pakistan again violated ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked mortar shelling and firing of small arms on forward posts and villages at two places along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The unprovoked firing from across the border took place in Nowshera sector in Rajouri district and Krishna Ghati in Poonch district, prompting effective retaliation by the Indian Army, a defence spokesman said. Official sources said a sepoy, guarding a forward post in Kalal area of Nowshera sector, suffered a bullet injury in the firing from across the border and was subsequently admitted to a hospital. The defence spokesman said Pakistani troopers first targeted forward posts and villages in Nowshera around 11:30 am and the cross-border skirmishes continued for some time. Pakistani army also initiated shelling with mortars and small arms in Krishna Ghati sector around 6pm, the spokesman said. He said the Indian Army retaliated strongly but the casualties on the Pakistani side could not be known immediately. There has been a spurt in ceasefire violation by Pakistan after India's air strike at Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist camp in Balakot on February 26 in a preemptive action following the February 14 suicide bombing in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Four civilians, including three members of a family, were killed and several others injured in over 60 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC last week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee Tuesday said those candidates who have qualified in the School Service Commission (SSC) examination and have the requisite qualification will get call for interview in due course. After meeting the representatives of the SSC candidates at his office, Chatterjee told reporters, "I listened to what they said. They need not feel scared." "Those having requisite qualifications will certainly be called for interview in due course of time," the minister said adding he has asked the West Bengal School Service Commission to give him a detailed report on the issue. Asked about the threat by a section of SSC candidates to continue their sit-in near Kolkata Press Club, which began on last Thursday, Chatterjee shot back, "Let them do whatever they wish." The agitating SSC candidates, who alleged not being recruited as teachers in classes 9-12 despite having the requisite qualifications, first met the minister on March 2. They had vowed to continue the stir unless there was some concrete assurances about filling up some vacancies. About Tuesday's agitation by a group of teachers of Shishu Shiksha Kendras (SSK) for regularisation of their service and higher pay scales, the minister said, "The government is sympathetic to their issue." The SSKs, in panchayat areas, had been set up to impart to children not having access to any existing primary school, "I will bring to the notice of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee both SSC and SSK issues. But one thing you must take note of those associated with SSKs are not formal teachers," Chatterjee said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Patiala-based property dealer, who was kidnapped last month near Rajpura, has been rescued from Uttar Pradesh following an encounter between police and abductors on Tuesday, an official said. Sampooran Singh has been safely rescued from the custody of kidnappers in Uttar Pradesh, said Punjab Police Inspector General (Patiala Range) A S Rai. In a joint operation, a 17-member team led by Patiala Superintendent of Police (D) Harmeet Singh Hundal and the Uttar Pradesh Police nabbed five people after an encounter. The accused were identified as Subhash, Bunty (residents of Patiala), Irshad and Nadeem and Bhana (residents of UP). During the encounter, Bhana sustained injuries, the official said. The operation was carried out at their hideouts in Kalsi village of Saharanpur district in UP, he said. Sampooran Singh, a resident of Chamaru village in Patiala, had gone missing from his car on February 28. His son had lodged a complaint with police that some unknown persons had called him up, saying his father had met with an accident near Tepla village, Shambhu border in Rajpura. When his son reached the place, Sampooran Singh's car was found abandoned. Police registered a case of kidnapping against unknown persons, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As he completed 19 years in the office, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday claimed his government had fulfilled the promises made to the people of Odisha before the 2014 elections. Patnaik said this while presiding over the Council of Ministers meeting at the state secretariat which was for the first time telecast live on television channels. Assembly elections in Odisha would be held along with the Lok Sabha elections. "The four-and-half crore people of Odisha is my family. We have fulfilled promises made to the people before the 2014 elections and will continue to do so in future also," Patnaik said. He claimed that his government had met the aspirations of women, youth, slum dwellers, farmers and different categories of people. While reviewing performance of his government, Patnaik highlighted the newly-launched Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (Kalia) scheme. During the last 60 days, financial assistance to the tune of Rs 1,600 crore has been disbursed to more than 32 lakh small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers through direct benefit transfer. Patnaik also transferred the financial assistance to another 4.8 lakh beneficiaries of Kalia scheme to their bank accounts. The second instalment of Rs 5,000 each will be released on April 1 on Utkal Divas. The chief minister recalled that he had held the Council of Ministers meeting on the first day his government came to power for the fourth time on May, 2014. Then, the poll manifesto of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), was accepted as the state government's agenda for the next five years. Patnaik for the first time had taken oath of the office as the chief minister on March 5, 2000. He has been elected thrice after that in 2004, 2009 and 2014. March 5, the birth anniversary of legendary Biju Patnaik, is observed as Panchayati Diwas. The ruling party has been named after Biju Patnaik. Naveen Patnaik is the younger son of Biju Patnaik. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The lawyer representing disgraced Australian Cardinal George Pell insisted Tuesday he had not quit the cleric's legal team, denying media reports of his resignation. "I have not quit," high profile barrister Robert Richter told AFP, adding that local media reports to the contrary were false. "I have not quit or left anything." Earlier Richter -- who has an enviable record of courtroom victories -- told The Age newspaper that he was too emotionally involved to continue to represent Pell. The 77-year-old former Vatican number three is currently awaiting sentencing for a conviction of sexually assaulting two choirboys in the 1990s. Richter told The Age that Pell would be "better served by someone more detached" as he did not have "sufficient objectivity at this stage." "I think the man is an innocent man and he's been convicted. It's not a common experience."With the case heading for appeal, Richter had been expected to play a less public role in Pell's legal defence. Richter declined to comment further to AFP on his status in Pell's defence team. Pell, who become the most senior Catholic clergyman to be found guilty of child sex abuse when he was convicted in December, maintains his innocence. Richter has been representing the Cardinal since the 2017. But he has recently come under fire, issuing an apology last week after he angered abuse survivors by arguing that even if Pell had committed the crimes, they were no more than a "plain vanilla sexual penetration case". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) has informed the Delhi High Court that the performance of guests teachers, who are working with the Directorate of Education, was "substandard" in the examination conducted to fill the large number of vacancies in government schools. The board said that out of 21,135 guest teachers who appeared in the examination, 16,383 candidates "failed to get even minimum passing marks". The DSSSB, in an affidavit filed in a pending contempt petition by an NGO, said it was making all efforts to provide regular teachers to the Delhi government's Directorate of (DoE) before the commencement of the next academic session of 2019-20. "The performance of the serving guest teachers in DoE who appeared in the examination against the vacancies... has been observed to be substandard. "Out of 21,135 guest teachers appeared in the examination of various post codes..., 16,383 candidates failed to get even minimum passing marks," the board said in its affidavit. It said keeping in mind these facts, it is for the DoE to take a view on continuation or otherwise of the guest teachers, especially who did not even secure the minimum pass marks in the exam. The matter would be taken up for hearing by Justice Vinod Goel on March 29. NGO Social Jurist, through advocate Ashok Agarwal, has alleged deliberate omission in compliance of the high court's December 2001 order directing the DSSSB to ensure zero vacancy of teachers in Delhi government schools on the commencement of each academic year. Agarwal claimed that the board was deliberately delaying the appointment of regular teachers under the influence of politicians due to which students are made to suffer. The DSSSB said more than 7.5 lakh candidates had appeared in the examination to 9,556 vacant posts of teachers in Delhi government schools conducted during July to November 2018. It added that 1.15 lakh candidates had taken the test conducted for 5,906 vacancies of teachers in MCD schools. Earlier, a division bench of the high court had pulled up the Delhi government for insisting to regularise guest teachers in government schools. It had said if guest teachers were competent, they would pass the exam conducted for recruiting regular teachers. The bench had said that the appointment of over 9,000 teachers was hanging due to the dispute between the LG and the Delhi government over the fate of guest teachers. A single judge, on December 11, 2017, had stayed the DSSSB notice withdrawing the process of appointment of over 8,914 teachers for the government schools. It had asked the authorities to issue a fresh advertisement calling for applications from eligible candidates by the end of December 2017. The court's order had come on an application of the NGO seeking a stay on the DSSSB order withdrawing a notice on appointment of the teachers in government-run schools and alleging that the board's August 24, 2017 notice was "illegal and contemptuous in nature". The plea had said that after a high court order of April 11, 2017, the DSSSB issued a vacancy notice on August 7, 2017, inviting applications from candidates for 8,914 teaching posts in the DoE and for 5,906 teaching posts in the municipal corporation schools. It alleged that the DSSSB, without informing or seeking permission from the court, had on August 24, 2017, "abruptly withdrawn the advertisement" regarding the vacancies in the Delhi government-run schools. Agreeing with the NGO's contention, the court had put on hold the operation of the August 24, 2017 notice of the DSSSB and had directed it to proceed with advertising afresh for recruiting teachers to the Delhi government schools. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States is more likely to be involved in a "shooting war" in the disputed South China Sea than the Philippines but the latter would be embroiled in such a conflict just the same because of its 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty with Washington, the Philippine defence chief said Tuesday. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the treaty needed to be re-examined to clear ambiguities that could cause chaos and confusion during a crisis. He cited China's aggressive seizure in the mid-1990s of a Philippine-claimed reef, saying "The US did not stop it." The Philippine proposal for the treaty's review was among the key topics when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with President Rodrigo Duterte and other officials during an overnight visit to Manila last week. The treaty behind one of the longest-standing security alliances in Asia calls on the US and the Philippines to come to each other's defence against an external attack. In the past, the Philippines has tried to clarify whether the treaty would apply if its forces come under attack in a disputed region like the South China Sea, where it has been locked in tense territorial conflicts with China and four other governments. Pompeo assured the Philippines during his visit that America will come to its defence if its forces, aircraft or ships come under armed attack in the South China Sea, in the first such public US assurance in recent memory. The top American diplomat assured that the US is committed to ensuring the South China Sea remains open to all kinds of navigation and that "China does not pose a threat" of closing the disputed sea lanes. Lorenzana said US forces, which have stepped up so-called freedom of navigation patrols in the strategic waterway, would more likely end up getting involved in an armed conflict than the Philippines, which he foresees would not engage any country in a war in the contested territories. "The United States, with the increased and frequent passage of its naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea, is more likely to be involved in a shooting war," Lorenzana said in a statement, using the Philippine name for the South China Sea. "In such a case and on the basis of the Mutual Defence Treaty, the Philippines will be automatically involved," Lorenzana said. "It is not the lack of reassurance that worries me. It is being involved in a war that we do not seek and do not want," Lorenzana said. The long-seething territorial disputes are a key irritant between Washington and Beijing, which has turned several disputed barren reefs into islands with runways and other military facilities. The US has declared that the peaceful resolution of the disputes and freedom of navigation and overflight in the contested areas are in the US national interest. Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Tuesday the defence department was checking a report that Chinese vessels have been blocking Filipino fishermen from approaching sandbars near Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, which is called Pag-asa by Filipinos, in the disputed waters. Philippine officials have said China has deployed surveillance ships and fishing flotillas off three newly emerged sandbars called Sandy Cay near Thitu since 2017 to prevent the Philippines from occupying them. In addition to China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims in the strategic waters. US Navy ships have sailed close to Chinese-occupied islands to assert freedom of navigation, provoking angry protests from China and tense moments between the rival naval forces. Lorenzana said Tuesday that the treaty would have been reviewed as far back as 1992, when huge US military bases were closed in the country and the Philippines lost its security umbrella. A few years after American forces left, the Chinese began their aggressive actions in Mischief Reef "not an armed attack but it was aggression just the same. The US did not stop it," Lorenzana said. Lorenzana was referring to the Philippine-claimed reef, which China seized around 1995 in the Spratlys, the most hotly contested territory in the busy South China Sea. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NCP chief Sharad Pawar Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making "irresponsible" statements on the Balakot air strike and said it did not behove the PM's stature. The Indian Air Force (IAF), after the Pulawam Terror attack, carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The BJP leadership is making "immature" statements on the February 26 air strike by the IAF, Pawar said addressing reporters after holding a meeting with NCP workers here. "The prime minister is making irresponsible statements in connection with the air strike. While we are saying that the issue should not be politicised, the PM is going places and giving statements that the Opposition is politicising the issue," the former Union minister said. Pawar said, "Modi is giving statements like 'he will do this and he will do that', which I feel do not suit the stature of prime minister". Such statements are not good for the country, he said. Amid BJP's charge that Opposition parties are lowering morale of the armed forces by questioning the veracity of the air strike, the NCP chief said he never raised any question over the air force's action. "I have always said that I have 100 per cent faith in the capabilities of our armed forces. They will never hesitate to give their lives to protect our country," he added. Pawar said he had made it clear in the all-party meeting held in the wake of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that this issue should not be politicised."I remain firm on my stand," he added. Responding to a question about BJP chief Amit Shah's claim of 250 terrorists were killed in the air strike, Pawar said it was an "immature" statement. "I have worked in the defence ministry for some years and I know it very well that people outside the ministry never get such figures. However, the way such numbers are being presented, I feel that these leaders are showing immaturity which is not good for our country," he said. PM Modi's recent statement that the presence of Rafale fighters would have given greater firepower to the IAF during the February 26 aerial engagement with Pakistan, was "uncalled for", Pawar said. "While I completely agree that if Rafale (aircraft) is there with the air force, it would have been better for us, however, that does not mean that air force has lesser capabilities. "Today, we have MiG, we also have Sukhoi (aircraft) which is equally capable. Therefore, there was no need on the part of the prime minister to make such statement," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former defence minister A K Antony on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of sacrificing national interests and urged him "not to politicise" the armed forces. The Congress leader also accused the prime minister of "ignoring" the report of a committee that had said there were irregularities in the selection of L-1 in the Rafale deal and had called for its withdrawal. At a time when the security forces were still fighting at the borders, the BJP president was giving out operational details of the armed forces action, which was very unfortunate, Antony said. "Even now our soldiers died, that details only Army and CRPF can explain, not BJP spokesman or BJP president. It is very very unfortunate. "Don't politicise the armed forces. Don't bring the military in the I request the BJP president, I request the prime minister don't politicise the Army. As a former defence minister, I am telling them," he told reporters "No other leader but our prime minister is touring the country and is spreading misinformation. Yesterday, he has gone to the extent of saying Congress compromised the national security, accused Congress of delaying the Rafale deal for commission," he said. The former defence minister accused the prime minister of ignoring the report of the committee instituted by him to look into alleged irregularities pointed out by Subramanian Swamy and Yashwant Sinha, who was then in the BJP. After the complaint of Swamy and Sinha, and some members of the Contract Negotiating Committee, "a committee of experts found irregularity in the process of L-1. So, they categorically recommended that this must be withdrawn," he alleged,. "Why didn't the government go through the recommendation of the committee appointed by the previous UPA Government to look into the irregularities alleged by Subramanian Swamy and Yashwant Sinha and three CNC Members. He can reject it, he can accept it but he should explain to the nation why he has ignored the report?" he asked. Accusing the Prime Minister of giving concessions to the French vendor, Antony said he must answer these questions. "This is high time for the Prime Minister to answer my questions purely on the basis of the CAG Report. He should answer why without examining the recommendation of the Committee, ignoring that, why he went to France to enter this agreement and get all these concessions to the French Government. In fact, the Prime Minister sacrificed our national interest, according to me," he alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police have lodged a case after a complaint was filed by a graveyard committee here alleging an illegal temple has been set up on a land being used as a burial ground, officials said Tuesday. Officials said the temple is illegal and police have deployed security personnel at the spot in South Joynagar area of Agartala, the capital city of BJP-ruled Tripura. Tahar Miah, secretary of the South Joynagar Kabarstan Suraksha Committee, said the temporary Shiva temple was built there on the eve of Maha Shivaratri to grab the land used as a graveyard by the minority community for the last 70 years. "We have sought help from the police to ensure that our burial spot is not affected, since any ownership otherwise could not be proved in the court of law. We want the entire land to be handed over to us," said Miah, who lodged the complaint on Monday. Pradip Das, a local, claimed before a group of visiting journalists that a part of the land belonged to him and "forced burial" had started there around 25 years ago with the help of CPI(M), the then ruling party. Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Sadar, Ajay Kumar Das said one person has claimed that the land belonged to him but could not produce any document to prove it. "A temple made of bamboo and cloth was built on the land. Some people started worshipping a deity of Lord Shiva there. The structure is illegal. The area is a burial ground. We have deployed security personnel to avoid any untoward incident," Das said. The graveyard committee secretary said the land is owned by one Abdul Ahad Miah of the area. Pradip Das, however, claimed he owned 5,184 sq ft of the around 11,000 sq ft land. He said the remaining portion belonged to Abdul Ahad Miah. However, he admitted that he does not have any mutation paper. Tahar Miah said Das had moved three courts including the Tripura High Court to prove entitlement of the land but failed each time. Das had challenged in the high court a verdict of the West Tripura Additional District Judge who turned down his entitlement plea. Justice Subhashish Talapatra of the High Court of Tripura on November 11, 2017, said, "The appeal does not have any merit and accordingly it is dismissed at this stage." The high court order was made available to the media. Pradip Das said, "I have made an announcement to donate a piece of my land to set up a temple. Forced burials were done here for almost 25 years. There is not a single minority family in our locality. But CPI(M) leaders backed members of the minority community and burials started by force. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A senior advocate, assisting the apex court as an amicus curiae in a matter related to administration of Jagannath temple in Puri, Tuesday filed in the Supreme Court a "detailed report" after his recent visit to the shrine. The top court is dealing with a petition which has highlighted the difficulties faced by the devotees at the Jagannath temple and their alleged harassment and exploitation by the 'sevaks' (staff). Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who was earlier asked by the top court to visit the temple to assess the ground realities there, told a bench of justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer that he has given details of his interaction with the temple management committee, 'sewaks' and others in his report. "I am filing my report. I have made a detailed report. This is required to be gone into," he told the bench, adding that he would assist the court on the basis of his report. The counsel appearing for Odisha said that the report filed by the amicus should be given to them also. The bench said the report be given to advocates appearing for all the parties in the case. The court also said that parties can file their response on the report within four weeks and posted the matter for hearing on April 2. On February 5, the counsel appearing for Odisha had told the top court that the amicus should visit the temple to take stock of the situation there. When asked about it, Kumar had told the court that he would visit the shrine on February 22 and 23 and file a report before the court. Kumar had earlier told the court that one of the major issues at the temple was lack of proper crowd management and absence of queue system for devotees. However, Odisha's counsel had said it was not easy to have a "typical queue system" for the devotees at the shrine, as its architecture was different. Puri's District Judge had earlier given a report to the apex court which had raised the issue of alleged harassment of devotees by the 'sevaks' (staffs) of the temple. In July last year, the top court had directed the Jagannath temple management to consider allowing every visitor, irrespective of faith, to offer prayers to the deity. However, it had said that it would be subject to regulatory measures regarding dress code and giving an appropriate declaration. It had directed the Centre to constitute a committee to look into the issues raised by the district judge of Puri regarding alleged exploitation of devotees, abolishment of hereditary 'sevaks' and appointment of 'sevaks' in the temple. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AICC president Rahul Gandhi is expected to announce the modalities of the party's electoral promise of minimum income guarantee scheme at a meeting to be addressed by him here on March 9. The meeting, billed as a major event of booth level Congress workers in Telangana, would be held at 4 PM at Pahadi Sharif under the Chevella Lok Sabha constituency, party sources said Tuesday. Gandhi had announced in January that his party would ensure "minimum income guarantee" for every poor person in the country if it is voted to power in the coming Lok Sabha polls. He would announce the modalities of the proposed scheme at the meeting, the sources said. AICC incharge for party affairs in Telangana R C Khuntia, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and other leaders Tuesday inspected venue of the meeting, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President Rahul Gandhi will host ambassadors of G20 countries on Wednesday at a hotel here. According to sources, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and other senior Congress leaders will also attend the lunch. Senior Congress leader and former minister Anand Sharma has been coordinating with the ambassadors and heads of missions of G20 countries for the lunch. It was earlier slated for February 15 but had to be cancelled in view of the dastardly terror attack on February 14 in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district that killed 40 CRPF personnel. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Reserve Bank has imposed a fine of Rs 2 crore on Allahabad Bank for non-compliance of directions with regard to Nostro accounts, the state-owned lender said Tuesday. A Nostro account is an account that a bank holds in a foreign currency in another bank. Private sector lender ICICI Bank too has been slapped with a fine of Rs 1 crore for delay in compliance with directions related to global messaging software Swift. Allahabad Bank was fined for non-compliance of RBI directions dated February 20, 2018 pertaining to reconciliation of Nostro on real time basis with immediate effect, as per a BSE filing. According to RBI directions, banks have to interpret real time as T+1 for Nostro debits and T+5 for Nostro credits. The amount of penalty is not material considering the size of the bank, and necessary measures for compliance with the said RBI directions have been taken, Allahabad Bank added. In a separate filing to exchanges, ICICI Bank said: "The Banking Regulation Act, 1949, levied an aggregate penalty of Rs 10 million vide its order dated February 25, 2019. The penalty has been levied for delay in compliance with RBI's directives on 'Time-bound implementation and strengthening of Swift related controls." Yes Bank also informed Tuesday about a fine of Rs 1 crore for non-compliance of directions on Swift. Stock of Allahabad Bank was trading 4.10 per cent up at Rs 52 on BSE; ICICI Bank was at Rs 362.45, up 2.53 per cent. Yes Bank was trading down 0.21 per cent at Rs 236.90. On Monday, a number of private as well as public sector banks informed about penalties levied on them by RBI for failing to comply with Swift software operating requirements. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) German prosecutors have formally charged a Russian Islamist and acquaintance of Berlin Christmas market attacker Anis Amri with plotting an explosives attack, prosecutors said Tuesday. The suspect, identified as Magomed-Ali C., 31, had planned an attack with Tunisian Amri, who went on to kill 12 people in his 2016 truck rampage at the market, and French jihadist Clement Baur. Magomed-Ali C. -- who according to site Zeit Online hails from the Russian Caucasus republic of Dagestan -- had allegedly kept TATP, a volatile explosive dubbed "mother of Satan", in a Berlin flat in October 2016. The Russian national was arrested in August 2018 and formally charged on February 25 this year with preparing a serious act of subversive violence, prosecutors said in a statement. His joint plan with Baur, who has been jailed in France, had allegedly been to carry out "an Islamist attack in Germany to kill or maim as many people as possible" in order "to create a climate of fear and uncertainty". The Russian -- who had come to Germany as an asylum seeker in 2011, already a militant Islamist -- is believed to have first met Baur in Belgium in 2013. By 2015, Magomed-Ali C. allegedly wanted to join the Islamic State group in Syria but was barred from leaving Germany after police in June alerted the immigration department. He then planned to launch an attack within Germany and in July 2015 asked Baur to come to Berlin to help him. The two met Amri that year in Berlin's Fussilet 33 mosque, which was later shuttered by authorities as a suspected meeting place for radical Islamists. The two temporarily broke off contact with Amri when the Tunisian drew heightened police attention in February 2016. C. and Baur then either procured or produced the TATP in October 2016 and kept it in the Berlin flat, prosecutors charge. Another police action, on October 26, 2016, however interrupted their planning and led Baur to flee for France. Amri in December committed the market attack and was killed days later by an Italian police officer. Baur and another suspect were arrested in Marseille on April 18, 2017 accused of plotting an attack shortly before French elections. French police found an IS flag, a loaded Uzi sub-machine gun, two pistols, a homemade grenade and TATP in an apartment. Zeit Online reported that German police never found the TATP in the Berlin flat, and that prosecutors had based their charge primarily on tapped phone calls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six death-row convicts were acquitted on Tuesday by the Supreme Court which re-visited its 10-year-old decision in a case of murder of five persons and rape of a woman and her daughter and held that the jailed men were wrongly implicated. Deprecating the manner in which the police conducted the probe in the matter, the court directed the Maharashtra government to take disciplinary action against officials whose "lapses" allowed the real culprits to go scot free. In its judgement delivered on Tuesday, a three-judge bench headed by Justice A K Sikrialso directed the state government to pay Rs five lakh each to the six accused, who were lodged in jail since 2003, and asked the sessions court to ensure that the amount is used for their rehabilitation. In 2009, a two-judge bench of the apex court had allowed Maharasthra's appeal and awarded death penalty to three accused, who were earlier sentenced to life term by the Bombay High Court, and had also upheld the capital punishment given to other three. Initially, the six accused were awarded death sentence by the trial court after which they had approached the high court. The high court, while deciding their appeals, had affirmed the death sentence awarded to three out of the six accused. It had commuted to life term the capital punishment given to the other three accused by the trial court. After the apex court's 2009 verdict, the top court had allowed the convicts plea to be heard afresh and delivered its verdict on Tuesday. The court "strongly deprecated" the conduct of investigating agency in probing the case and held that due to lapses in not conducting investigation properly, the real culprits have "gone out of the clutches of law and got scot free". The bench, also comprising justices S Abdul Nazeer and M R Shah, directed the chief secretary of Maharashtra to enquire into the matter and take departmental action against erring police officials, who are still in service, for their "sheer negligence and culpable lapses". Ankush Maruti Shinde, Rajya Appa Shinde, Ambadas Laxman Shinde, Raju Mhasu Shinde, Bapu Appa Shinde and Surya alias Suresh were accused of committing five murders and raping a woman (who survived) and her 15-year-old daughter (who died) in June 2003. The apex court, in its judgement, observed that "murder and rape is indeed a reprehensive act and every perpetrator should be punished". "The conviction and sentence imposed by the High Court cannot be sustained. The prosecution has failed to prove the case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. Therefore, we have no other alternative, but to acquit the accused for the offences for which they are convicted," it said. "We direct the Chief Secretary, Home Department, State of Maharashtra to look into the matter and identify such erring officers/officials responsible for failure of a prosecution case, on account of sheer negligence or because of culpable lapses, real culprits are out of the clutches of law and because of whose lapses the case has resulted into acquittal in a case where five persons were killed brutally and one lady was subjected to even rape," the bench said. "Therefore, we direct the Chief Secretary, Home Department, State of Maharashtra to enquire into the matter and take departmental action against those erring officers/officials, if those officers/officials are still in service. The instant direction shall be given effect to within a period three months from today," it said. It also said that because of such lapses and in not conducting the investigation insofar as those four persons who were identified by the surviving woman in 2003, the real culprits have gone out of the clutches of the law. The apex court said there was a serious lapse on the part of the investigating agency, which has affected the fair investigation and fair trial, and it was of the opinion that the same was violative of fundamental rights of the accused under the Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Tuesday sought response from the Centre on a fresh plea challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna issued notice on the plea filed by Assam State Jamiat Ulama E Hind and ordered its tagging with similar pending petition of "Nagarikatwa Aain Songsudhan Birodhi Mancha" (Forum Against Citizenship Act Amendment Bill). "Issue notice. Tag with Writ Petition ... ," the bench said. The apex court had on February 27 issued notice on the plea filed by Forum Against Citizenship Act Amendment Bill which had sought to declare the Passport (Entry into India) Amendment Rules, 2015 and the Foreigners (Amendment) Order as "discriminatory, arbitrary and illegal". Prior to this, it had decided to keep the plea pending saying that it would be taken up "only after the Citizenship Act Amendment Bill, consideration of which is now stated to be pending before the Rajya Sabha, reaches its finality". The bill has been cleared by the Lok Sabha and it would now be presented in the Upper House of Parliament. Passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, the bill provides for according Indian citizenship to the Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who fled religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, after six years of residence in India instead of the 12 years currently, even if they do not possess any document. It also seeks to provide relief to the persecuted migrants who have come through the western borders to states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, the home minister had said. The PIL of Forum Against Citizenship Act Amendment Bill has opposed the bill on the ground that it had introduced religion as a new principle into the citizenship law and termed it as "communally motivated humanitarianism". "Never before has religion been specifically identified in the citizenship law as a ground for distinguishing between citizens and non-citizens. It has introduced religion as a new principle into the citizenship law and can be conveniently branded as 'communally motivated humanitarianism'. "The illegal immigrants who are to be granted the benefit of this legislation are to qualify for citizenship only on the basis of religion, a requirement that goes against one of the basic tenets of the Indian Constitution, secularism," it said. It further claimed that the "direct and inevitable" effect of the bill would be the dilution of the Assam Accord inked in 1985, which presently made anyone entering Assam from Bangladesh after March 24, 1971 an "illegal immigrant". "The amendment defeats the purpose of the accord and opens the floodgates to more illegal immigration and consequently, increases claims on diminishing resources. The transformation of migrants, hitherto perceived as illegal encroachers, into legitimate citizens cannot be justified," it said. The plea further claimed that the bill had the potential to "derail and nullify" the gains made by updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. "Many persons, who could not otherwise establish their claims and were therefore excluded from the draft NRC published recently, can now take shelter under this and subsequently, become legitimate Indian citizens at the cost of the indigenous people of Assam," it said. The petition further alleged that Assam had repeatedly witnessed ethnic clashes and violence, which were arising out of existential threat perceptions, fear of being reduced to minority in one's own homeland and giving up territories to foreigners and imposition of foreign or alien culture. The PIL sought directions to the Centre, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Assam government to declare the Passport (Entry into India) Amendment Rules, 2015 and the Foreigners (Amendment) Order as "discriminatory, arbitrary and illegal". It further sought directions to the Centre to constitute a National Immigration Commission or any other appropriate body to frame a National Immigration Policy and a National Refugee Policy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Tuesday referred to a three-judge bench a plea challenging the Constitutional validity of provisions in matrimonial laws empowering courts to ask estranged spouses to "cohabit" and "take part in sexual intercourse". The plea said that these laws treat women as "chattel" and are violative of fundamental rights including the right to privacy. Ojaswa Pathak and Mayank Gupta, the students of Gujarat Law University at Gandhinagar, have challenged the validity of section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA), Section 22 of the Special Marriage Act (SMA) and certain provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC). They empower courts to pass a decree of restitution of conjugal rights to an estranged couple. "List the matter next week before a three-Judge bench," a bench comprising Ranjan Gopoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said after hearing brief arguments from senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the students. The plea referred to the nine-judge verdict that held privacy as one of the fundamental rights and assailed the legal provisions of the HMA and the SMA, saying that they force mostly unwilling women to cohabit with their estranged husbands. "Courts in have understood 'Conjugal rights' to have two key ingredients: cohabitation and sexual intercourse. "Under the legal scheme in India, a spouse is entitled to a decree directing his other spouse to cohabit and take part in sexual intercourse. He or she is also entitled to coercive measures in the form of attachment of property in case the spouses wilfully disobeys the decree of restitution," the plea said. The legal framework is "facially neutral" and places a "disproportionate burden on women", the plea said, adding that it is "based on feudal English law which regarded a woman as 'chattel' of his husband". "The remedy of restitution of conjugal rights was not recognized by any of the personal law systems of The same has its origins in feudal English Law, which at that time considered a wife to be the chattel of the husband. The United Kingdom itself has abolished the remedy of restitution of conjugal rights in 1970," the plea said. It is steeped in a patriarchal gender stereotype and is violative of Article 15(1) (prohibition of discrimination on the ground of gender etc) of the Constitution, it said. The provisions were also violative of the rights to privacy, individual autonomy and dignity of individuals guaranteed under Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution, it said. "The provisions for restitution of conjugal rights are facially neutral in as much as they allow both the husband and the wife to move court. However, in effect, they are deeply discriminatory towards women. The direct and inevitable effect of the provision has to be seen in light of the deeply unequal familial power structures that prevail within Indian society," said the petition. Asserting that the right to cohabit was an intimate personal choice, the plea said that the provision requiring a person to cohabit with another against their will are violative of the Right to Privacy of an individual. "The right to cohabit or take part in sexual intercourse with another is an intimate personal choice. These continue to exist in each individual - man or woman even after marriage. The scheme for restitution of conjugal rights is violative of the same in as much as it allows a man/woman to take coercive measures (in the form of attachment of property) against his/her spouse who is unwilling to have a conjugal relationship," the petition said. The plea said that the validity of a law has to be tested according to the changing times. "One of the objects for including Section 9 in the Hindu Marriage Act is that a wife can claim periodic payments from her husband who was unwilling to comply with a decree of conjugal rights and that this justification no longer holds good in light of the provision for maintenance under under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure," the plea said. It also sought reconsideration of the 1984 apex court verdict by which it had set aside the Andhra Pradesh High Court's decision quashing section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act. Nineteen people, including Shiv Sena corporators Manohar Madhvi and his son Karan, were arrested for allegedly damaging NCP MLA Sandeep Naik's car in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, police said Tuesday. The arrests were in connection with a scuffle that broke out on Friday between Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party workers over the inauguration of a wedding hall built by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation in Madhvi's civic ward in Airoli, police said. Sena and NCP workers clashed after the NMMC mayor, who belongs to the NCP, proceeded with the inauguration ceremony in the absence of local Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Rajan Vichare, an official said. The move incensed Sena workers and Madhvi allegedly threatened MLA Naik, who is the son of former Maharashtra minister Ganesh Naik, while some of them vandalised the latter's car, police said. Cross complaints have been filed by both groups and 12 Sena functionaries, including Madhvi and his son Karan, also a corporator, and seven NCP workers have been arrested, Sanjay Godse, Senior Police Inspector of Rabale police station said. They were produced in court on Tuesday and granted bail, Godse said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Tuesday expressed displeasure over a lawyer's reference of noted jurist Fali S Nariman in his contention to buttress that sons and daughters of judges were awarded the designation of senior advocates, and said such an argument was akin to inviting contempt action. The apex court got annoyed as the counsel tried to make reference of the views of senior advocate Fali S Nariman on the issue. "Why did you take the name of Fali S Nariman. Do you think you can get away? What did he get to do with the matter? We are warning you, we are going to issue contempt notice to you," a bench comprising Justices R F Nariman and Vineet Saran told advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, who was arguing for a lawyers body, 'National Lawyers' Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reforms'. The advocate tried to get out of the ire of the bench by telling he did not mention the name of any senior advocate. This further infuriated Justice Nariman who said "the whole courtroom heard you take his name". Some of the lawyers in the courtroom too replied in affirmative to the bench suggestion that the lawyer did refer to the name of the senior advocate. Justice R F Nariman is the son of the noted jurist, Fali S Nariman. The bench orally asked the court master to record everything that the counsel argued. Nedumpara submitted that the provision for giving the senior advocate designations was violative of the right to equality and discriminatory as sone sons of judges were being priority. The lawyers body has challenged validity of Section 16(2) of the Advocates Act, 1961, which stated there should be two classes of advocates. He submitted that the advocates who have 30 or 35 years of practice and have crossed 60 years of age should be declared as senior advocates. The argument did not impressed the bench, which said: "So, you think it should be given as bounty." Before reserving its verdict, the bench warned Nedumpara against taking any names when he make submissions about the legal profession. "You think you can get away by saying whatever you want, to whomsoever you choose and none of us will take any action against you? We will show you. You took his name, that is bad enough. What has he got to do with this matter, you tell us.," the bench said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian bowlers delivered in a heart-stopping climax to fashion a narrow eight-run victory against Australia in the second ODI after skipper Virat Kohli conjured up a resolute hundred in testing conditions, here Tuesday. Pacer Vijay Shankar scalped the last two Australian batsmen in the final over in which Australia needed to score 11 runs for a series-levelling win. Handing the ball to medium pacer Shankar at the make-or-break situation was a bold decision by skipper Kohli, who had the option of employing Kedar Jadhav as well. Chasing 251, Australia were 240 for eight when Shankar got rid of dangerous Marcus Stoinins (52) in the very first ball of the 50th over and castled Adam Zampa in the third ball to trigger celebrations in the Indian camp. Before that, pacer Jasprit Bumrah (2/19), who is ever-reliable in death overs, dismissed Nathan Coulter-Nile and Pat Cummins in space of three balls in the 46th over and conceded just one run in the 48th over, playing a crucial role in India's win after the spinners had choked the Australians in the middle overs. It was Stoinis who had kept the visitors in hunt as he resisted the unrelenting Indian attack with aplomb and added 47-runs for the sixth wicket with Alex Carey (22). Kohli's 40th ODI century steered India to a competitive 250 after a middle-order collapse on a dry surface at the VCA stadium but it proved to be just enough in the end as India earned the win with just three balls to spare. India now lead the five-match series 2-0 with third match slated for Friday in Ranchi. The Indian skipper was in good touch and played some delightful drives whenever the ball was pitched up. In conditions which tested the fitness of each and every player, Kohli struck only 10 boundaries and ran a lot of singles and twos in his 116-run knock. He was at the crease till the start of the 48th over, facing 120 balls in an innings which will rank among one of his top ODI knocks in recent times. Australia were off to a fluent start with openers Aaron Finch (37) and Usman Khawaja (38) adding 83 runs at a decent pace but the spinners led by Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav (3/54) not only put the brakes on run-rate but also hurt the visitors by taking wickets intermittently. Kuldeep broke the opening stand by trapping Finch and later sent back dangerous Glenn Maxwell (4) and Carey while Jadhav and Jadeja accounted for Khawaja and Shaun Marsh respectively. Stoinis and Carey took the Aussie chase deep with their dogged batting but Kuldeep turned the tide in India's favour by dismissing the latter. After the first innings, it was clear that spinners will shape the outcome of the match and Kuldeep along with Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav did strangulate the Australian innings. Between overs 13 and 33 the Indian bowlers conceded just one boundary. Kuldeep, who was the most impressive bowler on show, was taken to cleaners by the two Aussies who creamed off 15 runs in the 43rd over to ease some pressure. The two batsmen showed tremendous grit under pressure but Kuldeep provided the much-needed breakthrough by castling Carey, who dragged it on his stumps. Earlier, Kohli steadily build the Indian innings even as he saw the fall of colleagues Shikhar Dhawan (21) and Ambati Rayudu (18). Dhawan looked in good touch as he too hit some crushing boundaries before being trapped by part-timer Maxwell. Rayudu struggled to rotate strike as the ball was not coming on to the bat and was eventually adjudged leg before off Lyon. Kohli got a good ally in Vijay Shankar (46 off 41) with whom he added 81 runs for the fourth wicket but the latter was unfortunately run out when he backed up too far at the non-striker's end to a Kohli straight drive. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa then got rid of Kedar Jadhav (11) and M S Dhoni (0) off successive balls but Kohli held one end up. He completed his hundred by cutting one from Nathan Coulter-Nile to the square boundary. The innings approaching the end, acceleration was required but Ravindra Jadeja could only manage 21 off 40 balls and was soon removed by Cummins. Kohli was finally dismissed while trying to pull Pat Cummins. Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah too perished in a jiffy and India could not even bat for full 50 overs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lanka's government allocated money to build toilets in over a quarter million homes Tuesday, under an ambitious project to flush out the practice of "open defecation" within a year. Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera told parliament the government will spend 4,000 million rupees ($22 million) to build toilets for people living in over 260,000 private homes. "It is appalling that so many of our people do not have access to basic hygiene," Samaraweera said while unveiling the national budget for 2019. "Our aim is to ensure that by the end of the year, all homes in Sri Lanka will have toilets." The latest official figures show that nearly 15 percent of the 21 million population have no access to toilets and classified as "open defecators," or those using the open environment to relieve themselves. Samaraweera said public conveniences at bus and railway stations were filthy and unusable, and the government would unveil a plan to ensure clean toilets with the participation of the private cleaning companies. In some major cities, railway stations have set up toilets only for the use of foreign tourists. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lanka Tuesday sharply raised taxes on alcohol, tobacco and gambling to pay for public sector salary increases and subsidised loans for small businesses in an election year. Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera introduced a $50 entry tax on a handful of casinos while doubling taxes from the gaming industry. Hefty increases were slapped on cigarettes and alcohol. Taxes on popular small Japanese cars were increased by a minimum of 20 per cent, while Samaraweera also introduced a new carbon tax on all categories of vehicles except electric cars. However, the minister announced a minimum 2,500 rupee ($15) monthly salary increase for the 1.5 million public sector employees, as well as raising pensions. He also announced a raft of special subsidised loans to start small businesses and cheap housing loans for newlywed couples. The populist moves come ahead of presidential elections due later this year. A power struggle between President Maithripala Sirisena and his estranged Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe dealt a severe blow to the economy in the last quarter of last year, Samaraweera said. Sirisena unexpectedly sacked his prime minister in October and called fresh elections, triggering a two month power struggle that was only ended after the Supreme Court ruled that the president had violated the constitution. The crisis led to three credit downgrades for Sri Lanka, making international borrowing more expensive for the island. "The resulting loss in confidence spiralled into a wave of capital flight from our debt and equity markets -- bleeding a billion dollars within those 52 days from our hard-earned foreign reserves," Samaraweera told parliament. However, he said the economy was now on the mend. Last week, the International Monetary Fund revived a $1.5 billion bailout for Sri Lanka that was suspended in October following the power struggle. Because of the political crisis, the economy grew by just 3.0 percent last year, the slowest expansion in 17 years, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The IMF said it expected Sri Lanka's growth to improve to 3.5 per cent in 2019. Samaraweera said the budget deficit for calendar 2019 was estimated at 4.4 percent of GDP, down from 5.3 percent last year. Official figures show that Sri Lanka will have to repay a record $5.9 billion in foreign loans in 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ministry of Defence Tuesday said it has taken steps to ensure implementation of permanent commissioning of women officers in the armed forces, in line with the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15 last year, the PM had announced that women officers recruited under the short service commission in the armed forces will have the option of taking up permanent commission, which he described as a "gift" to the "brave daughters". "The Ministry of Defence has taken steps to ensure implementation of announcement made by the Prime Minister on August 15, 2018 regarding grant of permanent commission to women officers in the armed forces," the ministry said in a statement. In so far the Indian Air Force (IAF) is concerned, "all branches, including that of fighter pilots, are now open for women officers," it said. "In Indian Navy all non-sea going branches/cadre/specialisation have been opened for induction of women officers through Short Service Commission. In addition to education, law and naval constructor branch/cadre, women SSC officers have been made eligible for grant of permanent commission in the naval armament branch, at par with male officers," the statement said. The proposal for induction of "three new training ships" for the Navy is underway, the ministry also said in the statement. "This will provide the requisite infrastructure for training of both men and women officers. Indian Navy will start inducting women in all branches, once the training ships are in place," it said. Women officers will be granted permanent commission in the Indian Army in "all the ten branches" where women are inducted for Short Service Commission, the statement said. "So, besides the existing two streams of Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps, now permanent commission will be granted in Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordinance Corps and Intelligence also to women officers. "SSC women officers will give their option for permanent commission before completion of four years of Commissioned Service, and they will exercise option for grant of permanent commission and their choice of specialisation," it added. SSC women officers will be considered for grant of permanent commission "based on suitability, merit etc and will be employed in various staff appointment," the statement said. Modi in his speech on the occasion of the 72nd Independence Day had said, "I want to give a good to our brave daughters. Women officers who have been appointed through the short service commission in the armed forces will get permanent commission through a transparent process. It is a gift for them." Under SSC, officers are allowed tenures ranging from five to 14 years of services. Permanent commission allows them to serve till the age of retirement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Describing the ongoing talks with the in as an "incredibly complicated" negotiation, US Secretary of State has hoped that there is sufficient progress in the deliberations for him to travel in the next couple of weeks to move it further. The was trying to "find pockets" where there was "sufficient agreement" that everyone could begin to move forward, Pompeo told a farmers' gathering in Iowa on Monday, at a time when Special US Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and his team was holding talks with the in Qatar's capital. "I have a team on the ground right now trying to negotiate with the terrorists in Afghanistan, trying to find a way to achieve an Afghanistan that's not at war, that's not engaged in violence, that doesn't present a threat to the of America, that will respect the fundamental basic rights for every Afghan citizen -- women, children -- across the full spectrum," he said. Pompeo was responding to a question from farmers after his address at the "Future Farmers of America" event in Iowa. "That is a complicated problem, and if you add in the regional players -- Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Russia, all who have an interest in Afghanistan -- it's an incredibly complicated negotiation," he asserted. At the same time, he said Khalilzad, who was leading American efforts in this regard, was on the ground, trying to "find pockets where there's sufficient agreement that everyone can begin to move forward, take all the various complex pieces and bring them together" to hopefully get an agreement. Pompeo said the Afghan agreement would be "based on fundamental understandings about different interests and incentives" that the parties had so that this agreement would hold and stay. "In this case, if we could do this, if we could pull off a resolution in Afghanistan, boy, the good that we could do for the world. I hope Khalilzad makes progress," he said. "I am hoping he (Khalilzad) makes enough progress and I can travel there in a couple weeks and help move it along a little bit myself," Pompeo said. Tata Motors Tuesday unveiled four products, including premium hatchback Altroz and a concept version of small SUV H2X, at the Geneva Motor show here. The company took curtains off an electric version of Altroz hatchback as well, which it plans to launch next year. The company also showcased a second SUV from its OMEGA platform called the Buzzard Geneva edition, a seven-seater SUV. The name of the vehicle is yet to be finalised for the Indian market. It also revealed Buzzard Sport (known as Harrier in India) during the unveiling here, which was attended by Tata Group Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata and Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran. All the products are based on the company's optimal modular efficient global advanced (OMEGA) and agile light advanced architecture (ALFA), which are expected to hit road over the next two years. "All these global products are based on the two new architecture strategy. We are confident that they will be game changers in their own spheres and will successfully reiterate our commitment to offer aspirational products," Tata Motors MD and CEO Guenter Butschek told reporters here at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show. While the Altroz and its EV version are based on ALFA platform, Buzzard comes pinned on OMEGA architecture. The company plans to launch the product in next financial year. The Altroz, which will be launched later this year, will come with both petrol and diesel engine options. "This architecture also has the ability to evolve into a range of modern, exciting vehicles in a short development cycle," the company said. Flexible solutions in the architecture also make it capable of handling connected, hybrid car offerings in the future, it added. The H2X Concept showcases the company's future design direction, Tata Motors said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Tuesday used the air strike analogy to underscore his will to take on terrorism emanating from Speaking after launching a for the unorganised sector, Modi said the wants to dislodge him. "They (opposition) want to strike Modi, but I want to strike on terror," Modi said. "They want to remove this 'chowkidar but I want to fight poverty," he added. "The honesty of your 'chowkidar' is troubling those in That is the reason they are saying Modi hatao, (remove Modi) while I am saying that I want to fight poverty and dishonesty. I am standing firm due to your support, Modi said. Taking potshots at the attempts to cobble up a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) against the BJP, Modi said the parties are forming a 'mahamilavat' (highly adulterated) combine to remove him. "But I am working to safeguard the interest of workers and farmers. I am also working to provide security, he said. Modi, who launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana pension scheme, targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi over poverty, saying only those oblivious to sleeping hungry at night can think that it is a "state of mind". For some, poverty is just an opportunity to click photos, Modi said, sharpening his attack on the Congress chief. "This scheme is aimed at the uplift of the section of society which has been ignored and left at the mercy of God. They (Congress) gave slogans of garibi hatao (end poverty). Some projected themselves as a messiah of workers. But during their tenure they did not launch such a scheme, he said. "They ruled the country for 55 years and collected votes in the name of poor," he said. "They thought that poverty is a mental state. See how is this neta who says that there is nothing like poverty but a mental state," Modi said, targeting the Congress president. "For them, poverty is just an opportunity to click pictures. Only those oblivious to sleeping hungry even for one night can think that it is a state of mind, Modi said, in an obvious reference to Gandhi's 2013 statement that poverty is a state of mind. "What they could not do in 55 years, this 'chaiwala' did in 55 months by bringing such a scheme," Modi said. The communists got the opportunity to form a government in many states but could not bring such a for the unorganised workers, Modi said. Such a scheme has been launched for the first time for unorganised sector workers in India, he said. "This scheme has been launched by our government as a tribute to the unorganised sector workers, who can earn some money till their body is fit but are worried about what will happen to them when they get old, Modi said. Under this scheme, unorganised workers will get a pension of Rs 3000. I am told that over 14 lakh workers have been enrolled under the scheme, Modi said. Hitting out at Congress and Trinamool Congress leaders for seeking evidence of the air strikes by the IAF on a terror camp in Pakistan, BJP MLA in Telangana T Raja Singh has said they should go to the neighbouring country and try to count the casualties. The MLA, whose comments in the past have often triggered controversies, named Congress president Rahul Gandhi, party leader Digvijaya Singh and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee as being among those who had expressed doubts over the recent strikes. "... and these people ask that we want proof... So, we will collect Rs 100 each and get tickets for these four people ... who have doubts on our forces to go to Pakistan," he said adding they can count the bodies of the dead. It was wrong to do over national interests, he said addressing a gathering here on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri Monday night. "It is the brave forces who conducted the strikes to counter terrorism and not Modi ji," he said. There is no clarity on the number of terrorists killed in the pre-dawn strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot even a week after. Congress had questioned the basis for BJP president Amit Shah's claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three teachers were arrested Tuesday in connection with missing OMR sheets of 108 students who had written the matriculation examination from a government-run school in Malkangiri district, officials said. Five persons, including four teachers and a peon, were also suspended in connection with the disappearance of the OMR sheets from SSD High School at Padia, they said. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), U C Nayak said three teachers were arrested for conspiring and taking away the OMR answer sheets from the room of the head master of SSD High School on Saturday. Those arrested were identified as Jalandhar Behera, Head Master of Nabin Chandra High School, Gothanpally, Nodal Observer Sandip Kumar Sahu and Deputy Centre Superintendent of SSD High School, he said. Students of Nabin Chandra High School were appearing for the examination at SSD High School. Behera was angry as students of his school were not allowed to copy and cheat and he conspired with others to teach the head master of SSD high school a lesson by stealing the OMR sheets, the ASP said. Behera and another teacher of his school, Prabhakar Padhi, were suspended, District Officer (DEO) Ramesh Chandra Sethi said. Similarly, Head Master of SSD High School Bidyut Kumar Patra, teacher of his school Satrughna Swain and peon S P Sethi have also been placed under suspension, District Welfare Officer (DWO), P K Panda said. The matter came to light after the authorities of SSD High School lodged a complaint at Padia police station on Sunday, police said. The complaint said the optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets of 108 students, who appeared for Mathematics exam on Saturday, have gone missing from the school premises. Thereafter, a police team led by the ASP visited the school to conduct a thorough probe into the incident. The development comes after images of Mathematics question paper of the ongoing matriculation examination surfaced on social media on Saturday, prompting the state government to suspend three teachers in Kalahandi district. Earlier, the question papers of Odia, Hindi and English subjects went viral on social media, putting the BSE, Odisha, in a tight spot. The matriculation examinations began on February 22 and would conclude on March 8. The Board of Secondary had earlier suspended 10 persons, including four examination centre superintendents, for their alleged role in spreading images of questions on social media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Tuesday accused the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal of unleashing atrocities during motorbike rallies held across the state on Sunday as part of the saffron party's public outreach programme. Over 3,500 party workers have been detained for taking part in the 'Sankalp Yatra' motor cycle rallies, he said. An unspecified number of BJP workers and policemen were injured in clashes in several districts of the state Sunday after the authorities prevented the rallies saying they had not been granted permission because of the ongoing school board examinations. Addressing a press meet here, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, "The TMC government has throttled all democratic principles and traditions by preventing our rallies in recent times. The incidents happened during the Sankalp Yatra rallies is the most recent example." The Sankalp Yatra bike rally is part of the BJP's countrywide pre-poll exercise to establish contact with the people. Ghosh claimed that around 60-70 BJP activists were injured in the attack by the TMC's goons and policemen as party workers were "peacefully" bringing out the rallies in different parts of state on March 3. "This shows the frustration and desperation of the TMC and how scared they have become of the BJP," he said. Asked about report of a farmer's death in the state on Monday, Ghosh said, "The state government wants to suppress the unnatural death of a farmer. It wants to pass off the suicide of a farmer as due to ailments. It does not want to face the truth." He claimed that 5 lakh metric tonnes of potato remained unsold in the state, but the TMC government is doing nothing to address the issue and help the potato growers. To a question about reports of WBCS officers to be given flats by the government, Ghosh said, "The decision had been made two years back, but the government is announcing it only now, just before the elections." "We have nothing against WBCS officers getting some benefits, but what about the teachers and government employees? What about the DA of government employees?," he asked. BJP's Mahila Morcha president Locket Chatterjee, who was present at the press meet, said a rally will be taken out on March 8, the International Women's day, demanding "an end to the atrocities on women in West Bengal." "Family members of those killed in political violence will be felicitated on that day," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of the general elections, central trade unions Tuesday adopted a 15-point charter of demand, which include minimum monthly pension of Rs 6,000, scrapping fixed term employment, abolishing contract labour system and stopping of PSUs disinvestment. As many as 10 central trade unions adopted the new 15-point charter, retaining its earlier 12-points at a workers convention here, a statement said. According to the statement, the adopted charter of demand will be placed in the electoral process. The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in May and announcement in this regard is expected by next week. AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur addressing the convention said that the Charter should be used against the Modi government. The speakers, including Ashok Singh of INTUC, Harbhajan Singh Sidhu of HMS, Tapan Sen of CITU, Satyavan Singh of AIUTUC and G Devarajan of TUCC, stressed that the incumbent government has failed on all promises by which it came to power. The convention is meant to keep in clear focus the issues of toiling people, and not allow the pro-corporate forces to cheat them again in the name of whipped up non-issues, the statement said. While reiterating the long standing 12-point charter, the unions further expanded it to include various other sectoral demands. In their first demand, the unions urged to fix national minimum wage as per the recommendations of 15th Indian Labour Conference and the Supreme Court judgement in the Raptakos & Brett case. The unions also demanded to abolish Contract Labour system which strictly implement equal wage and benefits to contract workers doing the same job as permanent workers. They said that the minimum support price for the produce of the farmers should be provided as per the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission and public procurement system should be strengthened. The unions also sought loan waiver for farmers and Institutional credit for the small and marginal growers. They called for a comprehensive legislation covering social security and working conditions for all workers, including agricultural workers. The unions urged the government to check unemployment on war footing and assure minimum pension of Rs 6,000 per month as well as indexed pension to all. They also demanded to recognise workers employed in different government schemes and immediate revocation of 'fixed term employment'. The unions suggested the government to stop disinvestment/ strategic sale of public sector undertakings and give revival package to the important PSUs in public interest. Their 15-point charter expect the government to scrap NPS (national pension scheme) and restore the old pension scheme (which was dearness relief linked for government employees). They also urged the government to stop anti-worker and pro-employer amendments to the labour laws and codifications, and ensure strict implementation of the existing labour laws. The government should implement paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, maternity benefit and creche facilities for women workers, they demanded. The unions want strict measures to stop the inhuman practice of manual scavenging and compensation, as per the Supreme Court judgment, to the families of workers who die while cleaning sewers. The charter also seeks protection of street vendors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A truck carrying liquor Tuesday rolled down into a river along Jammu-Srinagar national highway as authorities regulated the traffic to clear heavy vehicles carrying essential commodities to Kashmir valley, officials said. The ill-fated truck, carrying the Canteen Stores Department liquor, met the accident near Jaiswal bridge in Ramban district when its driver lost control over the vehicle which rolled down into the Chenab river, the officials said. They said the fate of the driver was not known immediately and a massive rescue operation has been launched to locate him. Only stranded trucks were allowed Tuesday to move from Jammu to Srinagar on the 270-km highway, the only road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, to overcome the shortage of essential commodities in the Valley due to frequent closure of the road over the past two months owing to intermittent snowfall and rains. "The traffic movement was disrupted on the highway this morning due to a landslide at Salad near Kharpora between Ramban and Banihal. The traffic on the highway, however, remained mostly unaffected as authorities immediately cleared the highway of the debris and restored the traffic within two hours," a traffic department official said. He said a decision on the movement of vehicles on the highway would be taken tomorrow after all the stranded Srinagar-bound vehicles cross the Jawahar Tunnel - the gateway to Kashmir besides reviewing the status of the road. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump has announced plans to scrap the preferential trade treatment for India, claiming that New Delhi has failed to assure the US of "equitable and reasonable" access to its markets, a move India said will not have a "significant impact" on its exports to America. The move to end the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for India and Turkey is the latest push by the Trump administration to redress what it considers to be unfair trading relationships with other countries like China. Trump has pledged to reduce US trade deficits, and has repeatedly called out India for high tariffs. On Monday, President Trump notified Congress in letters of his "intent to terminate" trade benefits for both countries under the GSP eligibility criteria. Under the United States GSP programme, nearly 2,000 products including auto components and textile materials can enter the US duty-free if the beneficiary developing countries meet the eligibility criteria established by Congress. India was the largest beneficiary of the programme in 2017 with USD 5.7 billion in imports to the US given duty-free status and Turkey the fifth largest with USD 1.7 billion in covered imports, according to a Congressional Research Service report issued in January. In a letter to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Trump said he was determined that New Delhi had "not assured" the US that it would "provide equitable and reasonable access" to the markets of India. "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the Government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Trump said. "I will continue to assess whether the Government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the GSP eligibility criteria," Trump said in his letter. In New Delhi, Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan, while reacting to the US move, said India exports goods worth USD 5.6 billion under the GSP, and the duty benefit is only USD 190 million annually. India mainly exports raw materials and intermediate goods such as organic chemicals to the US, he said. "GSP withdrawal will not have a significant impact on India's exports to the US," he told journalists. He said "the benefits in absolute sense and a percentage of trade involved are very minimal and moderate". The US Trade Representative's Office has said that removing India from the GSP programme would not take effect for at least 60 days after notifications to Congress and the Indian government, and it will be enacted by a presidential proclamation. As many as 3,700 products get GSP benefits but India export only 1,900 items such as chemicals and engineering under that concession which was introduced in 1976 by America. President Trump, who has vowed to reduce US trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs. At a White House conference on October 1, Trump described India as a "tariff king". On Saturday, while addressing a four-day annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, he again accused India of being a "high tariff nation" and threatened to impose "a reciprocal tax" to match the heavy duties that New Delhi imposes on goods imported from the US. The GSP criteria include, among others, respecting arbitral awards in favour of US citizens or corporations, combatting child labour, respecting internationally recognised worker rights, providing adequate and effective intellectual property protection and providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access. Countries can also be graduated from the GSP programme, depending on factors related to economic development. In a separate letter to congressional leaders, Trump also informed the Congress of his intent to terminate the GSP beneficiary designation of Turkey. Trump's letter to Pelosi, experts said, could be seen as a major setback to India-US bilateral relationship, in particular in the trade sector. In a separate statement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said India's termination from GSP followed its failure to provide the US with assurances that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors. The Trump administration had launched an eligibility review of India's compliance with the GSP market access criterion in April 2018. "India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce. Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion," the USTR said. On further course of action, Commerce Secretary Wadhawan said issues remained open for discussion in the future as nothing goes off the table. Given the ongoing situation on the trade front, "I do not think any knee-jerk reactions would be warranted" from the Indian side, he said. On the concerns being raised by the US on "high tariffs" in India, he said that "we do not agree with that at all. Our tariffs are very consistent with the bound rates that we are entitled to in the World Trade Organisation". Reacting to the Trump administration's move, the US-India Business Council urged it to continue the GSP benefits for India. Despite a number of serious bilateral trade issues, both countries have gained from trade under the GSP programme, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President on Monday denied that he ordered an end to major US-South Korean military exercises as a concession to North Korea's totalitarian leader The previously annual, large-scale manoeuvers -- meant to keep troops ready in case of conflict with -- were shelved shortly after Trump's summit last week with Kim in Hanoi. Trump denied there was any link. "The military drills, or war games as I call them, were never even discussed in my mtg w/ Kim Jong Un," he tweeted. "I made that decision long ago because it costs the U.S. far too much money to have those 'games', especially since we are not reimbursed for the tremendous cost!" he said in the tweet. There are close to 30,000 US troops stationed in South Korea, and their annual drills with tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers have angered North Korea, which claims they are rehearsals for invasion. While Trump has ruled out withdrawing US troops, he has repeatedly complained about the cost of the exercises, describing them at a press conference in Hanoi as "very, very expensive". Trump's summit with Kim ended with no progress toward Washington's goal of getting the isolated country to give up its nuclear weapons. Two men have been arrested for allegedly posing as clean up marshals of the Mumbai civic body and extorting Rs 5000 from a pedestrian in Malabar Hill area, police said Tuesday. The incident took place on February 28 when three men, claiming to be clean-up marshals, caught hold of Anant More, a resident of posh Malabar Hill area for allegedly spitting on road. The trio asked More to pay fine for littering, which he refused, a police official said. An argument ensued among them, following which the trio threatened More that they would take him to police station, he said. In a bid to force More to cough up money, the crooks told him that he would be jailed for six months and made to pay Rs 25,000 towards fine if taken to police, the official said. Scared by the threat, More pleaded with the trio to settle the matter and paid them Rs 5000, which he was going to deposit in bank, he said. Later, on advice of a pedestrian, who witnessed the entire incident, More approached Malabar Hill police station and filed a case of extortion. Subsequently, police arrested Sameer Jadhav (37) and Sujeet Madhav (39), both residents of Sewri in south Mumbai, he said, adding that their accomplice is yet to be traced. A local court remanded them in custody till March 9. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) appoints clean-up marshals to ensure that people are not indulged in littering. The marshals can fine people for littering. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Suspicious packages were found on Tuesday near London's major transport hubs of Heathrow Airport, Waterloo station and London City Airport, prompting Britain's counterterrorism police to launch an investigation. The packages all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags - have been assessed by specialist officers to be small improvised explosive devices. These devices, at this early stage of the investigation, appear capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened, the Metropolitan Police said. Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command said it has launched an investigatio. "The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is treating the incidents as a linked series and is keeping an open mind regarding motives, the statement said. The Met Police has issued advice to transport hubs across London to be vigilant for and report suspicious packages to police, after all three packages were found near major transport hubs of Heathrow Airport, Waterloo station and London City Airport. At approximately 09:55hrs local time, the Met Police received a report of a suspicious package at the Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow, near Heathrow Airport. The package was opened by staff at the building, causing the device to initiate. This resulted in part of the package burning. No one was injured and the building was evacuated as a precaution. The met Police said that specialist officers attended and made the device safe. The building remains closed as enquiries continue. However, no flights were affected by the incident. Then at approximately 11.40hrs, British Transport Police were called to reports of a suspicious package in the post room at Waterloo Station. The package was not opened. Specialist officers attended and made the device safe to ensure no one was injured. The station was not evacuated however cordons are in place at a small area outside the station on Cab Road. Train services are continuing to operate as normal. A third incident occurred at approximately 12.10hrs, when police were called to a report of a suspicious package at offices at City Aviation House in east London, near City Airport. Staff were evacuated from the building as a precaution while specialist officers neutralised the package. The building has since reopened. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A UK male patient's HIV has become "undetectable" following a stem cell transplant -- in only the second such case of its kind in the world, scientists led by an Indian-origin researcher reported Tuesday in a case study published in the journal Nature. The patient, who has not been named, was diagnosed with HIV in 2003 and advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2012. He had chemotherapy to treat the Hodgkin's cancer and, in addition, stem cells were implanted into the patient from a donor resistant to HIV, leading to both his cancer and HIV going into remission. The patient, who was being treated for cancer, has now been in remission from HIV for 18 months and is no longer taking HIV drugs, the BBC reported. "By achieving remission in a second patient using a similar approach, we have shown that the Berlin patient was not an anomaly and that it really was the treatment approaches that eliminated HIV in these two people," said lead study author Professor Ravindra Gupta, from the University College London (UCL) in the UK. Ten years ago, another patient in Berlin, Germany, received a bone-marrow transplant from a donor with natural immunity to the virus. Both patients were treated with stem cell transplants from donors who carried a rare genetic mutation, known as CCR5-delta 32, that made them resistant to HIV. However, researchers cautioned that it is too early to say the patient is "cured" of HIV. Timothy Brown, said to be the first person to "beat" HIV/Aids, was given two transplants and total body irradiation (radiotherapy) for leukaemia - a much more aggressive treatment. Researchers from the UCL, Imperial College London, Cambridge and Oxford Universities were all involved in the case, the report said. Professor Eduardo Olavarria, also involved in the research, from Imperial College London, said the success of stem cell transplantation offered hope that new strategies could be developed to tackle the virus. "The treatment is not appropriate as a standard HIV treatment because of the toxicity of chemotherapy, which in this case was required to treat the lymphoma," he added. CCR5 is the most commonly used receptor by HIV-1 - the virus strain of HIV that dominates around the world - to enter cells. However, a very small number of people who are resistant to HIV have two mutated copies of the CCR5 receptor. This means the virus cannot penetrate cells in the body that it normally infects. The London patient received stem cells from a donor with this specific genetic mutation, which made him resistant to HIV as well. But a reservoir of cells carrying HIV can still remain in the body, in a resting state, for many years. The UK researchers say it may be possible to use gene therapy to target the CCR5 receptor in people with HIV, now they know the Berlin patient's recovery was not a one-off. Gupta added that the method used is not appropriate for all patients but offers hope for new treatment strategies, including gene therapies. He and his colleagues will continue to monitor the man's condition, as it is still too early to say that he has been cured of HIV, CNN reported. Almost one million people die annually from HIV-related causes. Treatment for HIV involves medications that suppress the virus, known as antiretroviral therapy, which people with HIV need to take for their entire lives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain's Brexit negotiators returned to Brussels on Tuesday vowing to "get a deal over the line" as they seek European Union support to break the deadlock in London as this month's divorce deadline looms. UK attorney general Geoffrey Cox and Brexit minister Stephen Barclay began talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, an EU official told AFP amid conciliatory signals from both sides. Barnier said Saturday the European Union was ready to give further guarantees to help the Brexit deal it struck with Prime Minister Theresa May in November get through the British parliament. Barnier also suggested European leaders would be amenable to a short "technical" delay in Britain's departure from the bloc scheduled for March 29, to give parliament time to formally ratify a final accord. "We are determined to get a deal over the line and deliver on Brexit," Barclay tweeted as he and Cox, the government's top lawyer, departed for Brussels. Barnier's small overture to Britain has raised some hopes that both sides can find a solution, including to the so-called "backstop" plan for the Irish border, a major sticking point for pro-Brexit MPs. The two sides are at a "critical point" in these negotiations, a spokeswoman for May said on Tuesday. Cox's presence is seen as central to the meeting, as he will ultimately offer a legal opinion on the Brexit deal and the Irish backstop that could determine whether key lawmakers will approve the withdrawal agreement. The EU sees the backstop as an insurance policy to keep open the border between EU member Ireland and British Northern Ireland -- and to preserve the island's peace process. Earlier advice by Cox, warning that the backstop could keep Britain tied permanently to an EU customs union, was viewed as a contributing factor in the massive defeat of May's deal by MPs in January. EU leaders insist the legally binding withdrawal agreement will not be reopened, and talks in Brussels are focused on drafting a separate document to placate doubters in London. Also raising hopes are the softening positions of several hardline Brexit supporters in May's Conservative party who have dropped their demand that changes to the backstop be made in the withdrawal treaty itself. But most of them continue to press for a time limit or exit clause to the backstop. They have also set up their own team of lawyers to scrutinise anything that Cox brings back from Brussels. British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt told BBC radio on Tuesday his government is getting "reasonably positive" signals from officials in EU capitals who he says are starting to realise the deal can pass parliament. Hunt said avoiding an indefinite backstop was the crucial issue, when asked whether London was sticking to either a time limit or a unilateral exit mechanism from the backstop. He added: "How we get there is something we are prepared to be flexible about". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump, who once described India as the "tariff king", has said that he intends to end the preferential trade treatment to India and Turkey, asserting that New Delhi has failed to assure America of "equitable and reasonable" access to its markets, a move that could be seen as a major setback to bilateral ties. The move is the latest push by the Trump administration to redress what it considers to be unfair trading relationships with other countries like China. Trump has pledged to reduce US trade deficits, and has repeatedly called out India for high tariffs. On Monday, President Trump notified Congress in letters of his "intent to terminate" trade benefits for both countries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility criteria. Under the United States GSP programme, nearly 2,000 products including auto components and textile materials can enter the US duty-free if the beneficiary developing countries meet the eligibility criteria established by Congress. India was the largest beneficiary of the programme in 2017 with USD 5.7 billion in imports to the US given duty-free status and Turkey the fifth largest with USD 1.7 billion in covered imports, according to a Congressional Research Service report issued in January. In a letter to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Trump said he was determined that New Delhi had "not assured" the US that it would "provide equitable and reasonable access" to the markets of India. "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the Government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Trump said in the letter to congressional leaders. "I will continue to assess whether the Government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility criteria," Trump said in his letter, a copy of which was released to the press. Trump, who has vowed to reduce US trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs. At a White House conference on October 1, the US President described India as a "tariff king" as he reiterated his allegations that New Delhi has a high tariff rate on various American products. On Saturday, while addressing a four-day annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, he again accused India of being a "high tariff nation" and threatened to impose "a reciprocal tax" to match the heavy duties that New Delhi imposes on goods imported from the US. The GSP criteria include, among others, respecting arbitral awards in favour of US citizens or corporations, combatting child labour, respecting internationally recognised worker rights, providing adequate and effective intellectual property protection and providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access. Countries can also be graduated from the GSP programme, depending on factors related to economic development. In New Delhi, Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said India exports goods worth USD 5.6 billion under the GSP, and the duty benefit is only USD 190 million annually. India mainly exports raw materials and intermediate goods such as organic chemicals to the US, he said. "GSP withdrawal will not have a significant impact on India's exports to the US," the secretary told journalists. In a separate letter, Trump also informed the Congress of his intent to terminate the GSP beneficiary designation of Turkey. Trump's letter to Pelosi could be seen as a major setback to India-US bilateral relationship, in particular in the arena of trade and economy. In a separate statement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said India's termination from GSP followed its failure to provide the US with assurances that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors. Turkey's termination from GSP followed a finding that it was sufficiently economically developed and should no longer benefit from preferential market access to the US market, the statement said. "By statute, these changes may not take effect until at least 60 days after the notifications to Congress and the governments of India and Turkey, and will be enacted by a Presidential Proclamation," the USTR said. The Trump administration had launched an eligibility review of India's compliance with the GSP market access criterion in April 2018. "India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce. Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion," the USTR said. The US had designated Turkey as a GSP beneficiary developing country in 1975. Reacting to the Trump administration's move, the US-India Business Council urged it to continue the GSP benefits for India. Despite a number of serious bilateral trade issues, both India and the US have gained from trade under the GSP programme, it said. USIBC is in the process of collecting more information from both governments on next steps, including any possible reactions by India, the council said in a late night policy alert. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US science envoy for space Major General Charles Frank Bolden Jr will arrive here tomorrow on a three-day visit to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in space. During the visit, he will engage with scientists from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and others in the space technology community in Bengaluru, as well as government officials, academics, and civil society, according to a statement released by the US embassy in Delhi. While in New Delhi on March 8, Bolden will participate in a roundtable on the 'Future of International Space Cooperation: Human Space Flight - Opportunities and Challenges' at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), as well as a roundtable on space and space commercialization at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the statement said. The statement said the visit aims to further strengthen the cooperation of the two countries in space. Bolden, a former astronaut, recently retired from service as the twelfth Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Republican-led US Senate is set to reject the national emergency Donald Trump declared to build his Mexico border wall, likely forcing the US president's first veto, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday. The House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats, passed the so-called resolution of disapproval and sent it to the Senate, which is expected to vote in the coming weeks. Senate Republicans have a 53-47 advantage. But four of them have now announced they will vote with Democrats to block Trump, who is seeking to bypass Congress to unlock funds for construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border that he insists will reduce illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Several other Republicans, while stopping short of announcing they would vote against Trump, have expressed deep concerns about his move, arguing it is a blatant attempt to expand executive authority. With Senator Rand Paul this weekend becoming the fourth Republican on board, the resolution of disapproval is now likely to be sent to Trump's desk, forcing the president into the tricky position of vetoing the measure and acting in clear opposition to Congress. Each chamber would then need to deliver two-thirds majorities to override Trump's veto -- an exceedingly high hurdle. "I think what is clear in the Senate is there will be enough votes to pass the resolution of disapproval, which will then be vetoed by the president and then in all likelihood the veto will be upheld in the House," McConnell told reporters in Kentucky. "I was one of those hoping the president would not take the national emergency route," McConnell said, although he backed Trump when he announced his plan. The Senate leader acknowledged concern that a future Democratic president might use Trump's precedent-setting action as a rationale for declaring national emergencies to bypass Congress on issues such as climate change, healthcare or gun control. "That's one reason I argued -- obviously without success -- to the president that he not take this route. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States is trying to find a common ground between India and Pakistan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said, describing Kashmir as a long-standing battle between the two South Asian neighbours. Pompeo cited the India-Pak dispute and the Israeli conflict as recent examples of America's negotiating diplomatic skills, about which he was asked at the "Future Farmers of America" event in Iowa on Monday. "How do you try to find a common ground, negotiate on behalf of the United States?," the top American diplomat was asked. "So if you take a look at the most complex problems -- what's a good example? The debate to try to figure out how to get Middle East peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, or in the news recently, the longstanding battle in Kashmir between the Indians and the Pakistanis. The work that we do as diplomats is to try and find places where there's common ground," Pompeo told farmers. "There are places where there's -- you all do this too in your everyday life. There are clearly things that are different. In some cases, you see value sets that are different. In some cases, there are territorial disputes. In some cases, the arguments arise out of faith. Sometimes they're fighting over resources, right, not just land, but wealth, whether that's oil underground or natural gas or water, whatever it may be," he said. America's effort, he said, was to figure out the places where there was a real overlap. "And then it is to convince those -- sometimes we're in the middle of it, sometimes we're just trying to help bring resolution to a problem or to reduce violence in a particular conflict -- it's to make the case that nobody's going to get everything," he said. "This is -- was my joke at the beginning -- in that indeed each party's going to have to accept something less than perfection, something that frankly they think they deserve and just not going to end up with, but convince them that over some extended period of time, that the outcome that everyone's looking for -- if they can find a way to work together to achieve it -- will deliver better outcomes for each of them. May not be perfection, but it will be better," Pompeo said, offering an insight into his diplomatic negotiating skills. The ABA-Leica Subadult Wheatears Ride Again; Heres How to Help! Each March, teams from around the world assemble in the Negev Desert of Israel for one of the worlds greatest birding competitions: a big day to see as many species of possible in 24 hours within the confines of Southern Israel. This epic game fittingly named Champions of the Flyway will take the players from barren deserts hiding sandgrouse and wheatears, to salt pans swarming with shorebirds, to lush kibbutzim, respite for migrants and vagrants alike. Sandwiched between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Arabian and Sahara Deserts, Southern Israel acts as a funnel for birds moving from Africa to Europe and Central Asia, and has made a name for itself as one of the worlds great migration hotspots. However, this event is much more than an exercise in recreational listing and an opportunity to see amazing bird species. No, the competition is in fact mainly conservation oriented. Each team works hard in the weeks leading up to the race to raise funds for a particular bird conservation NGO. Historically, this has always focused on ending bird poaching in the Mediterranean Basin, a serious issue with up to 25 million birds slaughtered each year. However, for the 2019 race, the organisers have decided that there is another Old World conservation crisis that is so serious that it requires immediate action. That cause is the illegal poaching of vultures in Africas Rift Valley, and money this year is being donated to Nature Kenya (the BirdLife partner in the country). Harmless scavengers, vultures are tragic collateral damage in the clash between humans and the natural world. As farmers increasingly come into contact with large carnivores such as lions and leopards, they commonly resort to putting out poisoned cattle carcasses to kill the perceived threat to their livestock. Unfortunately, these carcasses attract vultures too which are killed by the dozens. A single poisoned cow can directly kill up to 150 vultures and many more tangentially due to feeding on carcasses of hyenas, jackals, and other scavengers that were killed by the poison. The statistics are bleak. Four African vulture species are listed as critically endangered with another three as endangered. The consequences are just as dire. Without vultures as scavengers, there has been an uptick in the spread of disease. This is most noticeable in India where rabies rates have peaked as vulture populations have crashed, with the inevitable result that India is now the country with the highest incidence of rabies in the world. But its not all doom and gloom for the beautiful vultures of Africa. Nature Kenya is doing some incredible work to reverse these trends. Their most essential initiative is the creation of rapid response teams to deal with poisoning. These teams will arrive on the site of reported poisoned carcasses, remove them, remove any vulture carcasses that have already accumulated, and give veterinary treatment to sick birds. This approach has been extremely effective, with a BirdLife International article just a few weeks ago reporting of hundreds of vultures saved by a rapid response to a hyena carcass. Nature Kenya focuses on long-term solutions to the crisis too with efforts to educate local communities about the danger of poisoning and to spread awareness about the vultures plight. This is absolutely essential since, so long as communities continue to utilize poison, the vultures will continue to die. Last year, I organised the first ever young birder team from the Western Hemisphere to compete in Champions of the Flyway. Dubbed the ABA-Leica Subadult Wheatears, this group of four passionate college students set out with drive and enthusiasm into uncharted waters. The opportunity to represent not only the community of birders at the ABA, but the young birder community specifically was an incredible one and we hoped that our experiences would help inspire future generations. When all was said and done, we raised over $5,000 for last years causeBirdLife Serbia and BirdLife Croatia had an incredible time in Israel, saw 147 species on the big day, and came away determined to do more and better next year (Editors Note: Get in inside look at last years Champions of the Flyway on the American Birding Podcast). This is where you come in. Weve set an ambitious goal of $10,000 (twice last years goal) and are set on reaching it. The team has put in a ton of effort giving talks at bird clubs, crafting social media pushes, harassing friends and family for every last cent, brainstorming creative fundraising solutions, organising logistics, and everything else that goes into planning an effort like this. Already weve raised $3,000, and are aiming for more. If you can spare any amount from $10 to $10,000 it will go directly to Nature Kenya and will have a direct, meaningful impact on conserving Africas imperiled vultures to halt their slide to extinction. As a bonus, youll also be supporting a group of talented, driven young people in our effort to make a difference and make sure that the young birders of the future still have vultures to appreciate. If you want to learn more about Champions of the Flyway, vulture conservation, and our efforts, visit the Champions of the Flyway website and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where we will be posting regular updates, especially during race week in Israel. The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Hitting out at the BJP for allegedly politicising the air strike in Pakistan, the Trinamool Congress Tuesday accused it of trying to replace the Ashoka emblem on the uniform of the armed forces with the saffron party's symbol. The saffron party, in a counter allegation, said the ruling party in the state is echoing Pakistan by casting doubts on the preemptive attack on the terror camps. Last week, TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had sought evidence of the air strike, stating that opposition parties wanted to know the details of the Indian Air Force (IAF) operation. Trinamool Congress (TMC) national spokesperson Derek O'Brien, in a statement, said Tuesday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should stop taking credit for the preemptive strike on terror camps in Pakistan as the armed forces belong to India and not to the saffron party. "The BJP is shamelessly and trying to replace the Ashok Stambh (emblem) on the armed forces' uniform, with their party logo. Not a single opposition leader has politicised the air strike, it was just the BJP that did it. "The armed forces are India's pride. We are always with them, but we will oppose the incumbent government, whose expiry date is over," O'Brien, who is also the TMC's parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha, said. BJP national president Amit Shah had said on Saturday that those who did not have courage to avenge the killing of soldiers, when in power, were raising doubts on the recent air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camps for "cheap politics" and their statements made Pakistan happy. The BJP's state unit president, Dilip Ghosh, claimed that the TMC was harming interests of the nation by raising questions on the IAF operation. "Mamata Banerjee has expressed doubt over the casualty figure in the Balakot air strike, and so did Pakistan. We don't need Pakistan to harm the interests of the country, the TMC is capable of doing the job," Ghosh said at a press meet here. The BJP leader also took a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, asserting that the opposition leaders enjoy more popularity in Pakistan than India. "The people of the country will give a resounding reply in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to those who are betraying the country," he maintained. Asked about West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi's comment on the air strike, flaying those who have expressed skepticism on its success, Ghosh said he did not take names, but clearly suggested that negative remarks against the armed forces were not welcome. To another query on the casualty figure in the Balakot air strike, he said, "More than counting the bodies, what is more important is the fact that India has given a befitting reply for the Pulwama attack on its jawans." On February 14, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel was attacked by a suicide bomber in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the death of 40 jawans. Twelve days later, IAF jets crossed the Line of Control in Kashmir and pounded JeM training camps in Pakistan. On Monday, IAF chief B S Dhanoa declined to comment on the death toll in the pre-emptive strike, saying it was for the government to provide details on the number of terrorists killed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar Tuesday claimed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has stalled enrolment of workers under the Centre's new pension scheme for unorganised sector. The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana, aimed at providing a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 to unorganised workers, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday. Speaking at the launch event, Gangwar said the scheme was being launched across the country through over two lakh common service centres, where unorganised workers can get themselves enrolled. "Every state is participating in the scheme with great enthusiasm. Though we set a target of enrolling 11.5 lakh workers on the national launch day, over 14.5 lakh have already registered," said the minister of state (independent charge) for labour and employment. "It seems the West Bengal government is not concerned about the workers' welfare. All our (enrolment) centres in West Bengal are shut today. This is very unfortunate. No one plays politics with workers," the minister said. When the prime minister is working hard for people, the West Bengal government should also think about workers, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday tried to put BJP president Amit Shah on the dock over his claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the Indian air strikes in Pakistan, asking him why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "silent" over it. "BJP chief Amit Shah is arduously making claim that IAF strike had killed over 250 terrorists in Pakistan but why his guru PM Modi who is always keen to take credit for everything is silent over it? Terrorists killed is good news, but what is the secret behind deep silence of PM over it?," Mayawati posted on Twitter. At an event in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Shah had said the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot last Tuesday "killed more than 250 terrorists". Mayawati also hit out at the economic policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, saying that benefits of economic growth not reaching to most of the poor, labourer, farmers of 130-crore population of country was a "matter of serious concern". "...what will be Modi Govt reply & jumlebazi (rhetoric) over slowdown in farm and manufacturing pushing GDP growth to a low of 6.6%...?" she added. The will provide a $250-million loan for the Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) to help women in rural households develop viable enterprises for farm and non-farm products. An agreement in this regard was signed between the and the Government of India on Monday. "A key focus of the project will be to promote women-owned and women-led farm and non-farm enterprises across value chains; enable them to build businesses that help them access finance, markets and networks; and generate employment," Wold Bank said in a statement. NRETP is an additional financing to the $500-million Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP) approved by the in July 2011. The $250 million loan has a 5-year grace period, and a final maturity of 20 years. The NRLP, which is currently being implemented across 13 states, 162 districts and 575 blocks, has so far mobilised more than 8.8 million women from poor rural households into 7.5 lakh self-help groups (SHGs). These SHGs have been further federated into 48,700 village organisations and 2,900 cluster or gram panchayat-level federations. While the 13 states will continue to be supported under the new project signed on Tuesday, 125 new districts will be added from within these states, the release said. Since its launch in 2011, the Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) has mobilised 50 million poor rural women into self-help groups and their higher-level federations. According to the release, these groups have leveraged nearly $30 billion from commercial banks. The World Bank further said the NERTP would support enterprise development programmes for rural poor women and youth by creating a platform to access finance including start-up financing options to build their individual and/or collectively owned and managed enterprises. The other key component of the project includes developing financial products using digital financial services to help small producer collectives scale-up and engage with the market. It will also support youth skills development, in coordination with the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana. Peer-to-peer learning across states and across communities was a successful strategy under the NRLP and will also continue to be used in this project. "The project will continue to give technical assistance, skills building and investment support to strengthen women-owned and women-led producer collectives diversify into high value farm and non-farm commodities such as commercial crops and livestock products, and fisheries," it added. LIC Housing Finance Monday said it has partnered with India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) to offer special loan scheme, under which borrowers can repay the amount till the age of 75 years. Under the new partnership, IMGC will provide LICHFL with mortgage guarantee which is a kind of financial product that compensates financial institutions for losses that may arise from a default on a mortgage loan, LICHFL said in a release. This strategic tie-up will help the LICHFL to accommodate more home loan borrowers, increase market penetration besides combating NPAs, it said. "It will also help LICHFL accommodate more home loan buyers, improve eligibility criteria, extend repayment period and ease restrictions on profile of applicants, who face rejection related to work profile, work place, credit history amongst other reasons which may be unspecified by lending institutions," it said. Speaking about the tie-up, Vinay Sah, MD & CEO, LICHFL said the partnership with IMGC will help add more home loan borrowers and mitigate risk across lending categories. "We will also be able to tap into the large segment of employees working in SMEs, MSMEs, small entities and self-employed individuals who have so far been out of the ambit of prospective home loan borrowers. Through this LIC HFL would support the vision of Housing for All by 2022 of the Government of India," Sah said. Mahesh Misra, CEO, IMGC said: "IMGC and LICHFL teams have worked closely to design customised products that are aligned to LICHFL's end user segment and calibrated expansion strategy. With the back-up of IMGC's, LICHFL will be in a position to offer extended loan tenure for borrowers till the attainment of age of 75 years. This will help increase in loan quantum and reduce the burden of monthly EMIs for borrowers, Misra said. The Reserve Bank of India Tuesday slapped Rs 1 crore fine on Yes Bank for non-compliance of directions on Swift messaging software. The private sector lender in a regulatory filing said, "The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has levied an aggregate penalty of Rs 10 million (Rs 1 crore) on the bank for non-compliance of regulatory directions observed during assessment of implementation of SWIFT-related operational controls." Swift is a global messaging software used for transactions by financial entities. The fine comes in the backdrop of the massive Rs 14,000 crore fraud at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) owing to the misuse of this messaging software. Also Read: Why YES Bank share price rose over 3% in trade today Post the PNB fraud last year, the RBI has been tough on banks to tighten all kinds of transactions. The central bank Monday had slapped a total monetary fine of Rs 8 crore on three banks- Karnataka Bank, United Bank of India and Karur Vysya Bank for not complying with the directions on Swift messaging software. Earlier on Saturday, four banks - SBI, Union Bank of India, Dena Bank and IDBI - had informed exchanges about monetary penalty slapped on them by the RBI for non-compliance with various directions. Fine of Rs 3 crore was imposed on Union Bank, Rs 2 crore on Dena Bank, and Rs 1 crore each on IDBI and the SBI. Also Read: Disclosure of nil divergence in line with RBI guidelines, says YES Bank (With inputs from agency) Budget carrier SpiceJet Tuesday announced connecting Hyderabad with Colombo along with the launch of 11 other new direct flights on domestic routes from March 31 onwards. The Hyderabad-Colombo route, the first by any domestic carrier, will commence from April 15 and operate on all days except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, SpiceJet said in a release. "Our new flight to Colombo reinforces our commitment to strengthening the network between India and Sri Lanka. We see tremendous potential in this sector for both leisure and business travelers," said Shilpa Bhatia, chief sales and revenue officer, SpiceJet. With the launch of its services between Hyderabad and Colombo, SpiceJet will connect the Sri Lankan capital with three direct flights from India, the release said. It currently connects the city with single daily frequencies from Chennai and Madurai each. Expanding its footprint on the regional connectivity scheme Udan routes, SpiceJet will launch services on six new flights on the Kishangarh-Ahmedabad, Lakhimpur-Guwahati and Jaipur-Amritsar routes, it said. These routes were awarded to the airline under the third round of the Udan scheme. At present, SpiceJet operates 23 flights under Udan scheme. The Gurugram-based airline will also launch four new daily direct flights connecting Chennai with Patna and Surat to penetrate further in the southern market, it said. SpiceJet will deploy its regional jet Bombardier Q-400 to cater to Udan routes while flights on Hyderabad-Colombo and domestic routes will be operated by Boeing 737-800, as per the release. SpiceJet sees huge demand to and from Kishangarh and Lakhimpur and has therefore augmented connectivity from these cities, it said adding currently Kishangarh and Lakhimpur are connected with Delhi and Kolkata, respectively. Also Read: IndiGo announces 3-day sale ahead of Holi, offers flight tickets starting Rs 899 Online restaurant guide and food ordering firm Zomato will sell its UAE food delivery business to Germany-headquartered Delivery Hero Group for about USD 172 million (nearly Rs 1,220 crore), one of the company's largest shareholders Info Edge said Monday. The Gurugram-based firm has also raised around USD 105 million in the ongoing round of funding, Info Edge said in a filing on the BSE. "As a result, upon closing, our shareholding in Zomato will be 26.38 per cent on a fully converted and diluted basis," it added. As part of the transaction, Zomato Media Pvt Ltd has entered into an agreement to sell its UAE food delivery business to Delivery Hero Group through its fully owned subsidiary Talabat Middle East Services Company LLC. The consideration for the transaction is about USD 172 million, it added. "Zomato and Delivery Hero will enter into services agreements (on the) basis (of) which Zomato will continue to run the said business on its own platform," it added. Zomato continues to own and run its other businesses such as Ad Sales, Gold, etc, in the country, Info Edge added. In a separate statement, Delivery Hero Group said it would participate in Zomato's latest funding round by investing USD 50 million into Zomato's global business to become a Top 10 shareholder and also enter into a material operational partnership agreement. "Zomato has built a successful food delivery business in the UAE and India on the back of its restaurant search and discovery app and website. The acquisition will allow us to further improve our service to customers in the UAE," Delivery Hero CEO Niklas stberg said. Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal said the company is looking "forward to learning from their (Delivery Hero's) global experience to help us strengthen our fast growing India food delivery business". In the regulatory filing, Info Edge further said, "In addition, Zomato has concluded its ongoing funding round with an additional second tranche of about USD 105 million." The new investors in this round include Delivery Hero and Glade Brook Capital, it added. "Including the USD 210 million fund raise intimated in October 2018, the total amount of equity capital raised in this round of financing amounts to about USO 315 million," Info Edge said. Also read: Swiggy, Zomato to delist hundreds of restaurants without FSSAI licence Also read: After Swiggy, Zomato to raise $400 million at $2-billion valuation from existing investors Several Adivasi groups have called for a nationwide bandh on Tuesday including Adivasi Adhikar Andolan, All India Ambedkar Mahasabha and Samvidhan Bachao Sangarsh Samiti. The protest includes member from Bahujan organisations as well. In Delhi, the protest began from Mandi House and will end at the Parliamentary Street. Adivasis in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and other states in the Northeast have also joined to call for a Bharat Bandh. Why are the Adivasi and Dalit groups protesting? On February 13, the Supreme Court of India ordered a forced eviction of more than 10 lakh tribes and forest dwellers across 16 states in India. Several wildlife organisation and NGOs promoting the interest of animal rights had demanded state governments to evict forest dwellers whose claims over traditional forestlands under Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, or, the Forest Rights Act (FRA), had been rejected. However on February 28, the apex court had put a stay on its order after the government's plea. Last week, the apex court asked the states to submit details on how the tribes' claims of their land would be decided and how the competent authorities can pass the final rejection orders. What are the demands of the Adivasi, Dalit groups? The Adivasis have asked Centre to promulgate an ordinance to protect their forest rights. The Adivasis groups have also tabled the demand for the inclusion of SC, STs and other backward communities in the government establish Indian Judicial Services under Article 312 of the Constitution. The Bahujan group has demanded to nullify the 13-point roaster system in appointment in colleges, universities and government organisations. The United Grant Comission (UGC)'s new 13-point roster system, introduced this year in March, means that jobs for SC, STs and otherbackward communities would reduce. The protest day Over 10 protesters in Bihar belonging to All India Student Association were detained by the police while stopping a train. Moreover, a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) activists stopped the Janshabadi Express going to Ranchi by firing on the railway track near Jehanabad Station. Members of Bhim Army are also agitating on the Patna-Ranchi National Highway 31 in Nawada. Shops near major roads are expected to remain closed on Tuesday. What do ministers have to say? While addressing the media, Union Minister of HRD Prakash Javdekar appealed to the protesters to stop agitation and promised that they "will be given justice". Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar: We have a system of 200 point roster where university is regarded as one unit but the court decided against it & directed for departmental roster. We never agreed to this position so, we filed a review petition that also stands dismissed now. pic.twitter.com/yoCEbwlru4 - ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 #5MarchBharatBandh We don't want assurance but want justice on d issue of eviction of 10 lakh tribals & similarly on d 13 point roster system in d Universities issue. This Govt is not alert, positive & pro active for social justice. To awake this Govt I support d Bharat bandh. - SHARAD YADAV (@SharadYadavMP) March 4, 2019 13 . , , , , . - Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 5, 2019 "We don't want assurance but want justice on the issue of eviction of 10 lakh tribals & similarly on one 13 point roster system in d Universities issue," said Loktantrik Janata Dal founder Sharad Yadav.Akhilesh Yadav has condemned the 13-point roster system and called it an anti-reservation policy by the BJP government. India is now the second largest consumer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the world, with LPG consumption in the country posting an average growth of 8.4%. And a lot of the credit goes to the government's push to provide clean cooking fuel to every household through the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). As on February 1, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) had released more than 6.31 crore LPG connections under the scheme. In fact, a record 4.07 crore new LPG connections were added in the current fiscal year alone, a jump of 45% over 2017-18, The Business Standard reported. Moreover, the three state-owned oil marketing companies - Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) - have collectively set a target of adding 42.5 million customers by the end of this month. On the flip side, the mushrooming number of beneficiaries - up 77% since March 2015 - under the scheme is increasing the Centre's subsidy burden. Under the PMUY scheme, the government provides a subsidy of Rs 1,600 to state-owned fuel retailers for every free LPG gas connection that they give to poor households. ALSO READ: Cooking gas price up by Rs 2.08, non-subsidised rate hiked by Rs 42.50 per cylinder The LPG subsidy during the first nine months of the current fiscal is reportedly already 23% higher than last year's figure - the Modi government shelled out Rs 25,700-crore subsidy over April-December 2018. The Budget for 2019-20 had, however, provided only Rs 20,283 crore in the Revised Estimates for FY19. Furthermore, the government expects the LPG subsidy to rise over 62% to Rs 32,989 crore for 2019-2020. A part of this is expected to be rolled over from the current year. Last week, IOC hiked LPG price by Rs 2.08 per cylinder and non-subsidised gas by Rs 42.50 per bottle, after three straight monthly reduction in rates totally around Rs 13. A 14.2-kg subsidised LPG cylinder now costs Rs 495.61 in Delhi while a non-subsidised one costs Rs 701.50. Those with family income of below Rs 10 lakh get subsidy for 12 cylinders. For March, subsidy on LPG cylinders is Rs 206 in Delhi. "With the number of consumers rising exponentially, it is time the government should consider further rationalising LPG subsidy," an industry expert told the daily. ALSO READ: Modern and light, this is the new designer LPG cylinder coming to your home The latest Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) data reveals that total LPG consumption recorded a growth of 11.1% during January 2019 and a cumulative growth of 5.7% for the April-January period. "PSU OMCs together have 25.21 crore active LPG customers in the domestic category which are being served by 22,654 LPG distributors. The LPG coverage of the country, estimated on the basis of active domestic connections and estimated households as on January 1, 2019, is around 89.9%," read its LPG Profile report. To cater to the increased customer base, 3,030 LPG dealerships were reportedly added this year, compared to 724 in 2017-18. In January 2019, the northern region bagged the highest share in total LPG consumption (32.8%), followed by the southern region and western region at 27.2% and 22.9%, respectively. The eastern region and the northeast continue to lag behind at 19% and a miniscule 2%, respectively. Of the total number of consumers, around 242.7 million are reportedly covered under the direct benefit transfer of LPG Scheme (DBTL), or PAHAL. While speaking at the Asia LPG Summit last month Oil Secretary MM Kutty had claimed that as per the ministry's projections and forecasts, LPG consumption in India is expected to grow 34% to 30.3 million tonnes by 2025 and 40.6 million tonnes by 2040. Edited by Sushmita Choudhury Agarawal with PTI inputs ALSO READ: One Nation One Card: PM Modi launches card that can be used to pay for bus travel, toll, parking, shopping ALSO READ: RBI levies Rs 1 crore penalty on Yes Bank for non-compliance of instructions related to Swift Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday lambasted senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh for calling the Pulwama attack on CRPF troopers an 'accident'. Speaking at a rally in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh the Prime Minister said, "Party which ruled our country for decades is now questioning ability of our brave forces, especially a leader from MP. Today he said Pulwama terror attack is an accident. This is their mentality, he is the same person who gave Pakistan a clean chit during 26/11." The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, tweeted the remarks in Hindi. Terming the Pulwama terror attack as an "accident', Singh demanded evidence of the Indian Air Force's (IAF) strike in Pakistan's Balakot. In his tweet, the Congress leader said that the foreign media reports over the IAF 'Air Strike' has led to a trust deficit being created on the credibility of the Indian government. Also Read: PM Modi launches pension scheme PM Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana in Ahmedabad Singh also praised Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan for releasing IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman amidst heightened tensions between the neighbouring countries. He said, Singh said, "I also congratulate the honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan for showing us a new way of being a good neighbour and returned the brave Indian Air Force officer to us." The Congress leader in the past also has courted controversies by making contentious statements. Singh had questioned the reliability of Delhi Police's evidence it presented in the Batala house encounter and had spoken in favour of UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed. The Congress leader in 2017 addressed Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) as India-occupied Kashmir, but later retracted saying the state is an integral part of India. PM Modi said, "India has made it clear to the terrorists and their heads that they have no option but to mend their ways, failing which India has already proved to them what can be done with them." Indian Air Force is reportedly running trials to mount and fire Spice-2000 smart bombs from Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets. As of now, Mirage 2000 jets are the only aircraft in the Indian Air Force fleet that are compatible with these Israeli smart bombs. The Su-30 jets are the primary fighters of the service and accompanied the Mirage 2000 jets during the air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed locations in the Balakot, Pakistan. India had acquired 200 units of Spice-2000 smart bombs from Israel a few years ago. Reports suggest that initial trials have already been carried out with Sukhoi Su-30s targeting ground targets using these bombs. "We have successfully carried out trials of the Spice-2000 bombs on the Su-30 aircraft and the successful integration would mean that a large fleet of the Indian Air Force would be able to drop these munitions," top Air Force sources told India Today. ALSO READ: Mirage-2000 vs F-16 Falcon: Which is a better fighter jet? The Spice bombs are precision guided bombs fitted with a GPS guidance kit for accurately launching air droppable unguided bombs. The IAF reportedly dropped six of them on terrorist training camps run by Jaish-e-Mohammed near Balakot town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Once the Spice-2000 smart bombs are integrated with the Sukhoi Su-30 jets, it will be a major upgrade for the Indian Air Force as a major part of its fleet will be able to launch these smart bombs. The IAF dropped these bombs during its air strike against Jaish-e-Mohammed training grounds on Pakistan soil last week to contain the damage to its intended target, the terror camps. ALSO READ: Fishbed vs Falcon: Why the ancient MiG-21's F-16 kill is no fluke Based on intelligence input, Indian Air Force had scrambled Mirage 2000 jets, armed with Spice-2000 smart bombs, last week to launch non-military attacks on terrorist training camps run by Jaish in Balakot. The jets had dropped their payload targeting crucial sections of these camps, keeping the damage contained within the intended radius. The Supreme Court may refer the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case to court-monitored mediation for an amicable resolution on Tuesday. Hearing the matter last on February 26, the five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had advocated an amicable resolution to the Ram Mandir case through mediation. The apex court in its observation had favoured peaceful dialogue to solve the contentious issue. Justice S A Bobde had proposed the suggestion while hearing the case. "We are considering the possibility of healing relations between two communities. We, as a court, can only decide the property issue." Justice SA Bobde said. Also Read: Supreme Court adjourns Ayodhya dispute case hearing to January 29 The five-judge constitution bench comprises Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice SA Bobde, Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S Abdul Nazeer. Meanwhile, the lawyers of the Hindu parties had opposed the idea of mediation saying that such attempts had failed in the past, while the Muslim parties' lawyers voted for the negotiations if a regular hearing on the matter goes on simultaneously. The petition challenging the 2010 judgment by Allahabad High Court has been pending for almost nine years. The court had ordered to equally divide the 2.77 acres of the disputed land in Ayodhya. Also Read: PM Modi to inaugurate new Delhi Metro stretch from Dilshad Garden, launch civilian flights from Hindon airbase on March 8 Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, has been detained in Pakistan. Hammad Azhar, son of Masood Azhar has also been taken into custody by Pakistani authorities, the Dawn reported. Both of them are among the 44 under-observation individuals put under preventive detention for further investigation into their affiliation with outfits banned in the nation. New Delhi had mentioned the names of Mufti Abdul Rauf and Hammad Azhar in the dossier shared recently with Islamabad. However, declaring the arrests in a press briefing, Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi said that the arrests were not due to any external pressure, but was in accordance to decisions taken by a high-level committee regarding National Action Plan (NAP). In its meeting yesterday, the panel had decided to ramp up action against proscribed organisations. Both Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and Hammad Azhar have been put in preventive detention for investigation. Afridi said that they will be released if no evidence is brought up against them. The action against under-observation individuals from banned outfits will continue for two weeks as per decisions taken by National Security Committee (NSC), while reviewing NAP. Notably, earlier reports suggest that Asghar indicated towards a suicide attack in India during a rally in Karachi nine days before the Pulwama terror attack. He had even mentioned the name of Ghazi Rashid, the mastermind behind the attack who was later killed by Indian armed forces during an encounter. Asghar, the operational head of Jaish-e-Mohammed, is the younger brother of outfit's chief Masood Azhar and reportedly lives with him in Bahawalpur. He has been charge sheeted by several Indian investigative agencies for his role in several acts of terror against India. He is believed to be involved in the hijacking of Indian Airline flight IC 814 in 1999 to force the release of Masood Azhar from India's prison. ALSO READ: All options open for India, if Pakistan carries out another terror strike: Sources ALSO READ: Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is alive: Pakistani media Pakistan Navy has claimed that it detected an Indian submarine trying to enter Pakistani waters and thwarted the attempt. The development comes as tensions between the nuclear powers are running high after a suicide attack in Pulwama and India's aerial strike in retaliation against terror camps on Pakistani soil. A Pakistan Navy spokesperson stated that the Indian submarine was not deliberately targeted in accordance to the government's emphasis on peace. The Pakistan Navy also released a video which it claims is the actual footage of the intercepted Indian submarine. The infrared footage shows a periscope and radio antenna of a submarine above the water surface, whereas the rest of the vessel remains submerged. The timestamp on the footage shows that it was recorded around 08:35 pm on March 4, 2019. ALSO READ: 'If we plan to hit the target, we hit the target': IAF dismisses Pakistan's claim of bombs landing in jungle The authenticity of the video could not be ascertained yet. However, Pakistan has not disclosed the exact location where its navy encountered the alleged Indian submarine. The Pakistan Navy claimed this is the second time since 2016 that it has detected and stopped Indian Navy's attempts to enter its territorial waters. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy dismissed Pakistan's claim that it had thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter the country's territorial waters as "false propaganda". "We have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The Indian Navy does not take cognizance of such propaganda. Our deployments remain undeterred," the Indian Navy said. Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba has disclosed that there are reports of terrorists being trained to carry out various operations in the country, including through the medium of sea. The 26/11 terrorists attacks saw Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives enter Mumbai via the sea and launch coordinated attacks across the city, including shooting and bombing. ALSO READ: Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba says they have reports of terrorists trained to carry out operations through sea Definitions done, let us get to substance. For early humans the tribe was their society - their state, markets, and community rolled into one. It was where all activities were conducted, including the rearing of children, the production, and exchange of food and goods, and the succour of the ill and the elderly. The tribal chief or elders laid down the law and enforced it, and commanded the tribe's warriors in defense of their lands. Over time, as we will see in Part I of the book, both markets and the state separated from the community. Trade with more distant communities through markets allowed everyone to specialise in what they were relatively good at, making everyone more prosperous. The state, aggregating the power and resources of the many communities within it, not only regulated markets but also enforced the law within its political boundaries, while defending the realm against aggressors. Markets and the state have not only separated themselves from the community in recent times but have also steadily encroached on activities that strengthened bonds within the traditional community. Consider some functions the community no longer performs. In frontier communities, neighbours used to help deliver babies; today most women check into a hospital when they feel the onset of childbirth. They naturally prefer the specialist's expertise much more than they value their neighbour's friendly but amateurish helping hand. On a more mundane level, we used to offer to take our elderly neighbour shopping because she did not have a car. Today, she orders her groceries online. Similarly, the community used to pitch in to rebuild a household's home if it caught fire; today the household collects its fire insurance payment and hires a professional builder. Indeed, given the building codes in most developed countries, it is unlikely that a home reconstructed by neighbours would be legal. Also Read: Audio-Technica launches ATH-M50xBT wireless over-the-ear headphone The community still plays a number of important roles in society. It anchors the individual in real human networks and gives them a sense of identity; our presence in the world is verified by our impact on people around us. By allowing us to participate in local governance structures such as parent- teacher associations, school boards, library boards, and neighbourhood oversight committees, as well as local mayoral or ward elections, our community gives us a sense of self- determination, a sense of direct control over our lives, even while making local public services work better for us. Importantly, despite the existence of formal structures such as public schooling, a government safety net, and commercial insurance, the goodness of neighbours is still useful in filling in gaps. When a neighbouring engineer tutors our son in mathematics in her spare time, or the neighbourhood comes together in a recession to collect food and clothing for needy households, the community is helping out where formal structures are inadequate. Given the continuing importance of the community, healthy modern communities try to compensate for the encroachment of markets and the state with other activities that strengthen community ties, such as social gatherings and neighbourhood associations. Economists Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren attempt to quantify the economic impact of growing up in a better community.3 They examine the incomes of children whose parents moved from one neighbourhood into another in the United States when the child was young. Specifically, consider neighbourhood Better and neighbourhood Worse. Correcting for parental income, the average incomes of children of long time residents when they become adults is one percentile higher in the national income distribution in neighbourhood Better than it is in neighbourhood Worse. Chetty and Hendren find that a child whose parents move from neighbourhood Worse to Better will have an adult income that is, on average, 0.04 percentile points higher for every childhood year it spends in Better. In other words, if the child's parents move when it is born and they stay till it is twenty, the child's income as an adult will have made up 80 per cent of the difference between the average incomes in the two neighbourhoods. Their study suggests that a child benefits enormously by moving to a community where children are more successful (at least as measured by their future income). Communities matter! Perhaps more than any outside influence other than the parents we are born to, the community we grow up in influences our economic prospects. Importantly, Chetty and Hendren's finding applies for a single child moving - movement is not a recipe for the development of an entire poor community. Instead, the poor community has to find ways to develop in situ, while holding on to its best and brightest. It is a challenge we will address in the book. There are other virtues to a healthy community. Local community government acts as a shield against the policies of the federal government, thus protecting minorities against a possible tyranny of the majority, and serving as a check on federal power. Sanctuary communities in the United States and Europe have resisted cooperating with national immigration authorities in identifying and deporting undocumented immigrants. Under the previous US presidential administration, communities in the state of Arizona resisted in the opposite direction, ignoring the federal government while implementing stern penalties on undocumented immigration. Although no country can function if every community picks and chooses the laws they will obey, we will see that some decentralisation in legislative powers to the community can be beneficial, especially if there are large differences in opinion between communities. A critical function the community plays in modern market democracies is to serve as a training ground for aspiring politicians - recall that Barack Obama was a community organiser - with the community itself constituting a readymade structure for political mobilisation. Furthermore, it is community- based movements against corruption and cronyism that time and again prevent the leviathan of the state from getting too comfortable with the behemoth of big business. Indeed, as we will see in the book, healthy communities are essential for sustaining vibrant market democracies. This is perhaps why authoritarian movements like fascism and communism try to replace community consciousness with nationalist or proletarian consciousness. In sum, the proximate community is still relevant today, even in cosmopolitan cities where ties of kinship and ethnicity are limited, and even in individualistic societies like those of the United States and Western Europe. Once we understand that the community matters, then it becomes clear why it is not enough for a country to experience strong economic growth - the professional economist's favourite measure of economic performance. How that growth is distributed across communities in the country also matters immensely. People who value staying in their community are not very mobile. Since they cannot move to work where growth occurs, they need economic growth in their own community. If we care about the community, we need to care about the geographic distribution of growth. What then is the source of today's problems? In one word, imbalance! When the three pillars of society are appropriately balanced, society has the best chance of providing for the well- being of its people. The modern state provides physical security, as it always has, but also tries to ensure fairness in economic outcomes, which democracy demands. To do this, the state sets limits on the markets while also ensuring they offer people a level playing field. It also has to make sure that most people have the ability to participate on equal terms in the market, and are buffered against its fluctuations. The competitive markets ensure that those who succeed in it are efficient and produce the maximum output with the resources available. The successful have both wealth and some independence from the state, thus they have the ability to check arbitrary actions by the state. Finally, the people in industrial democracies, engaged in their communities and thereby organised socially and politically, maintain the necessary separation between markets and the state. By doing this they enable sufficient political and economic competition that the economy does not descend into cronyism or authoritarianism. Society suffers when any of the pillars weakens or strengthens overly relative to the others. Too weak the markets and society becomes unproductive, too weak a community and society tends toward crony capitalism, too weak the state and society turns fearful and apathetic. Conversely, too much market and society becomes inequitable, too much community and society becomes static, and too much state and society becomes authoritarian. A balance is essential! Details: Title: The Third Pillar - How Markets and the State Leave the Community Behind Author: Raghuram Rajan Publisher: HarperCollins India Imprint: Harper Business Pages: 434 Cost: Rs 799 Also Read: Reliance Infrastructure wins Rs 648 crore contract from AAI, share jumps 6% Also Read: IAF to arm Sukhoi Su-30s with Spice-2000 bombs used to destroy JeM camps in Balakot air strike The Tata Motors share price rose in early trade today after investment advisory firm Macquarie assigned outperform rating to the stock. Tata Motors' UK arm Jaguar Land Rover posted its best February sales ever in the US, which also helped the stock in trade today. Tata Motors share price rose 8.75% to 198 compared to the previous close of 180.10 on BSE. Tata Motors share opened at 183.95 level and hit an intra day low of 181.50 on BSE. Tata Motors share price has risen 13% since the beginning of this year and lost 44% during the last one year.Tata Motors share was the top gainer on Sensex Nifty today. On Nifty, the stock rose 10.01% to 198.35 level in trade today. Tata Motors share has gained 10.24% during the last three days. Tata Motors share turnover rose to Rs 50.02 crore with 26.24 lakh shares changing hands on BSE. 16 of 38 brokerages rate Tata Motors "buy" or 'outperform', 18 "hold" and three "underperform" and one "sell", according to analysts' recommendations tracked by Reuters. The Tata Motors share price is trading below its 50-day and 200 day moving average of 173 and 195 respectively. Maruti, Honda Cars, Mahindra report sales growth in February Macquarie has given a target price of Rs 260 on the Tata Motors stock citing an increase in average incentives due to a rise in incentives on jaguar models. The brokerage expects JLR's cost reduction plans to yield positive results in 2019. The upgrade in the stock price comes amid falling sales for the Indian auto behemoth. In the US, Jaguar Land Rover total February sales reached 11,616 units, a 29 percent increase from 9,013 units in February 2018. Jaguar sales zoomed to 3,465 units, a 59 percent increase from 2,185 units in February 2018. Tata Motors share price rises 54% in just 15 sessions; time to buy or hold the stock? Sales for Land Rover brand were the best ever, up 19 percent for the year. Land Rover clocked its best ever February sales with 8,151 units, an increase of 19 percent from 6,828 in February 2018. Meanwhile, at home, Tata Motors reported a three percent decline in domestic sales to 57,221 units in February 2019 as compared with 58,993 units in the same month last year. The company's passenger vehicle sales in the domestic market increased two per cent to 18,110 units last month, compared with 17,771 units in the year-ago period. The company said its commercial vehicle (CV) sales in the domestic market stood at 39,111 units in February, down five per cent from 41,222 units in the same month of 2018. 2019 Tata Hexa launched at Rs 14.38 lakh; check out features, availability On the other hand, Nomura has given a neutral rating to the stock with a target price of Rs 187. The brokerage has factored in 12% decline in global wholesales for JLR in February and 10% decline in overall JLR volumes in FY 19. It said ramp-up for I-Pace, launch of new Evoque can help volumes in FY20. However, the brokerage does not expect re-rating for the stock, given tough market conditions in China. Meanwhile, the firm has denied any plan to sell stake in its ailing UK arm Jaguar Land Rover. "There is no truth to the rumours that Tata Motors is looking to divest its stake in JLR and we would not like to comment further on any market speculation," the firm said in a filing. "There is no truth to the rumours that Tata Motors is looking to divest its stake in JLR and we would not like to comment further on any market speculation." Edited by Aseem Thapliyal Tata Motors has unveiled Altroz, a premium hatchback, at the 2019 Geneva motor show. Based on the new Alfa (Agile Light Flexible Advanced) modular architecture and Impact 2.0 styling, Altroz, a name inspired from the bird 'Albatross', will go head to head with the likes of the Maruti Baleno and the Hyundai Elite i20 in the Indian market. Other than the usual diesel and petrol variants, Tata Motors also plans to launch the electric variant called Altroz EV later in the year. The Tata Altroz is the production version of the 45X concept that made its debut at the Auto Expo 2018 in New Delhi. ALSO READ:New Tata Harrier 2019 launched in India: Prices start at Rs 12.69 lakh, variants explained, how to book online Announcing the name of the vehicle, Mr Mayank Pareek - President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors said, "We are extremely elated to announce the name of our upcoming model, which will redefine the premium hatchback segment for the industry. With superlative design elements and a versatile architecture, the Tata ALTROZ is the perfect amalgamation of futuristic design, advanced technology, class leading connectivity, thrilling performance and smart packaging. We are excited to introduce this product to our customers and are gearing up for its commercial launch in mid - 2019. With Turnaround 2.0 now in full swing, we aim to continue winning sustainably in the PV segment through such timely product interventions". The exteriors of the Altroz are stunning complete with a slimmer grille right at the front. Just like the Harrier, the headlamps of the Altroz are placed above the front bumpers. Looking from the side, one cannot help but notice the muscular character lines running across the car's length. The pillar-mounted door handles leads to smaller rear window. The Altroz EV comes with LED headlamps that sit below the grille and could have a real world driving range of 150-200 kilometers. Insides of Altroz look stylish and in-line with the exterior body language. The spacious car would have various high-end features such as touchscreen infotainment system, a semi-digital instrument cluster and T-shaped central console. Under the hood, Tata Altroz is powered by the Nexon engine which is 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol and 1.5-litre turbo-diesel generating 100PS along with the 140Nm of torque. The Tata Altroz will have a 6-speed manual transmission. There might also be an AMT variant in the lineup. Edited By: Udit Verma ALSO READ: Tata Harrier named official car for IPL 2019; to feature in Trophy Tour across multiple cities ALSO READ:Mahindra XUV300 launched at starting price of Rs 7.90 lakh; check images, features The Reserve Bank of India Tuesday imposed a total monetary fine of Rs 6 crore on two public sector banks for non-compliance of directions on Swift messaging software. The central bank has slapped a Rs 4 crore penalty on Bank of Baroda, while it levied a fine of Rs 2 crore on Canara Bank for delayed implementation of the Swift related operational controls. "The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed an aggregate penalty of Rs 2 crore on the bank, for non-compliance and contravention with the directions issued in RBI Circular dated February 20, 2018 on 'Time-bound implementation and strengthening of SWIFT- related operational controls'," Canara Bank said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. Swift is the global messaging software used for transactions by the financial entities. The RBI had asked banks to take time-bound measures to strengthen internal controls to avoid fraud transaction. Also Read: Reserve Bank of India to infuse Rs 12,500 crore through Open Market Operations Bank of Baroda in a filing to the exchange said, "The Reserve Bank of India in exercise of powers conferred under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, has imposed a penalty of Rs 4 crore on the bank for non-compliance of RBI directives for time bound implementation and strengthening of Swift related operational controls." It is to be noted that the huge Rs 14,000 crore fraud at the Punjab National Bank was a case of misuse of this messsaging software. Post the PNB fraud, which came to light in February 2018, the RBI has been tough on banks to tighten all kinds transactions. Earlier today, the apex bank slapped Rs 1 crore fine on private sector lender Yes Bank for non-compliance of directions on Swift. On Monday, the RBI had slapped a total monetary fine of Rs 8 crore on three banks- Karnataka Bank, United Bank of India and Karur Vysya Bank for not complying with the directions related to Swift. Earlier on Saturday, four banks - State Bank of India (SBI), Union Bank of India, Dena Bank and IDBI - had informed exchanges about monetary penalty slapped on them by the RBI for non-compliance with various directions. Fine of Rs 3 crore was imposed on Union Bank, Rs 2 crore on Dena Bank, and Rs 1 crore each on IDBI and the SBI. Also Read: RBI levies Rs 1 crore penalty on Yes Bank for non-compliance of instructions related to Swift Edited by Chitranjan Kumar The latest returns from the exchequer (general government items only) ran a deficit of 1.2bn in the year to February, compared with a deficit of 701m during the same period in 2018. This was still slightly ahead of government expectations. Goodbody Stockbrokers say the deterioration is a result of strong growth in both current (+8% yoy) and capital spending (+15% yoy) at the start of the year. Tax revenues (+4% yoy) grew at a respectable pace. Voted current spending grew by 8% yoy in Jan/Feb. Among the main categories of spending, the strongest growth was in education and skills (+14% yoy), with current spending on health up by 6% yoy. These are strong rates of growth but may have been influenced by changes instituted at the beginning of the year around pay. Current spending was modestly behind expectations. Voted capital spending rose by 15% yoy in the opening two months but was also lower than expectations. Tax revenues were 1% lower than expectations in the first two months, despite growing by 4% yoy. The big underperformers were income tax (5% behind expectations, +4% yoy) and VAT (4% behind expectations, +5% yoy). This was offset by another outperformance from corporation tax. According to Goodbody Stockbrokers, "It is too early in the year to be making firm conclusions on full-year outturn, but we do know that the government has become less fiscally prudent over recent years, allowing expenditure growth to tick up. The outcome of Brexit will of course play a major role in this years outcome. Ireland would be in a much better position to implement counter-cyclical policies if more prudence was exercised in recent years." Source: www.businessworld.ie The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. Irish Ferries officially launched the all-new W.B Yeats ferry last week which is 195m in length and capable of transporting 300 cars and 165 trucks. Guests attended the official launch of the W.B Yeats to experience first-hand the cruise-ferry with multiple industry award nominations. Next week on Thursday March 14th the ferry will make the first of up to four departures per week from Dublin to France. Departing directly from Dublin Port, the sailing will take approximately 18 hours, with guests invited to enjoy the luxury of space and sea views, free WiFi, a choice of movies in the cinemas, the chance to shop the bestselling brands, or to simply unwinding in the many bars and restaurants on-board. Setting sail at 16.00 on the days of departure, passengers will arrive in Cherbourg at 11.00 local time, relaxed and ready for adventure after a comfortable nights sleep and a leisurely breakfast. W.B. Yeats is the first new build ferry to be nominated for two industry leading Shippax awards, as well as a Ferry Shipping Summit Award. The W.B. Yeats has been fitted with next generation engineering systems and is the first new build passenger ferryinstalled with the latest in emissions scrubber technology to reduce harmful air emissions, as well as a Ballast Water Treatment System designed to protect the marine environment. On board, energy efficient LED lighting systems have been installed throughout and recyclable materials are replacing plastics like straws and lids on-board. Speaking at the launch, Managing Director of Irish Ferries, Andrew Sheen said, "We are delighted to welcome guests on board the W.B. Yeats this afternoon. While this spectacular ship is already in service on the Irish Sea, we are very excited to get her started on the Dublin to Cherbourg crossing which will strengthen our tourism and trading links with France, one of Europes most popular holiday destinations." Source: www.businessworld.ie China Is Currently Holding 1,600 Teslas at Customs By Wei Yiyang, Huang Shulun, Zhao Runhua / Mar 05, 2019 08:11 PM / Business & Tech Hopefully youre not waiting on a shipment of Teslas. Shanghai Customs is currently holding 1,600 of the brands Model 3 cars, after some of the vehicles lacked product labels that would make them legal on the Chinese market. Some of the vehicles had no Chinese labels on brake fluid tanks, while some demonstrated a real motor capacity that differed from the one on the label, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC). As a result, GAC issued a notice forbidding companies from selling any Tesla Model 3 already in China, for the purpose of further inspection. Any additional Tesla models entering China will also be rigorously checked. Tesla pointed the blame at incorrect settings on its printers and workers poor operation. The company is now working with the Chinese government to look for solutions. GAC has invited two third-party institutions to evaluate possible remedies. Related: Tesla Charges Up Shanghai Unit comment Walking around Lake Tuggeranong on Monday it was clearly evident that the massive algae bloom infecting the lake was getting worse. Not only is the colour of the lake "almost like a green enamel paint" (comment by University of Canberra ecologist Ross Thompson in "Bloomin' trouble down south", March 2) due to the bloom, but the northern end of the lake is now also covered by a thick white scum. Those few water birds actually swimming in the polluted water were clearly having trouble making headway.I couldn't help but think that the bloom has been contributed to (caused?) by the failure of the ACT government to regularly clean the sullage trap and grate at the northern end of the lake, where Village Creek runs into it. It hasn't been cleaned for many months. As a result of the grate being clogged, all the detritus that is carried down the creek when it rains is not trapped by the grate as it is supposed to be, but flows straight over the top and into the lake thus polluting it. The ACT government should take a leaf out of its own book. It is currently building a whole lot of filtration ponds around Canberra. On the fences surrounding such works are signs saying something like "only fresh water down the stormwater drains". The ACT government needs to do more to ensure only clean water enters Lake Tuggeranong via Village Creek. Regular cleaning of the grate and sullage trap where the creek enters the lake would be a good start. Don Sephton, Greenway Frank Jotze ("Canberra's future commute", Public Sector Informant, March 5, p.12) suggests that substandard footpaths should be reported to the ACT government. Presumably he has not had to do this, yet.If he had, he would realise that this is a futile action. The TCCS staff are most accommodating and will come round and mark the area with white arrows. If particularly hazardous, minor treatment will occur, such as grinding down raised edges to minimise the trip hazard. Full repair will occur after the item has been placed in the queue and adequate funding is eventually supplied. This could be the budget two or three years later, if you are lucky.In the meantime, contractors will come to the neighbourhood to do repairs to areas listed earlier but cannot do other obvious repairs nearby because they are not in the contract. Truly efficient. The ACT government sanctimoniously promotes active travel which involves walking along these dangerous footpaths. The bus service proposed to start this year is based on the premise that people will walk up to 800 metres to catch a bus. The government conveniently ignores the reality that many existing footpaths are dangerous due to neglect. After all, they have more important priorities, like spending a fortune on Civic infrastructure to enable revenue-generating towers under the mantra of densification. Robyn Coghlan, Hawker I wonder why the ACT government does not want any Christian influence in our public schools through the work of school chaplains? It never ceases to concern me, ACT Labor politicians drive past homeless children and men every day along Northbourne Avenue and elsewhere or begging in shopping centres in Canberra and do nothing to help them. Or help the other 1785 homeless children, women and men in the ACT, the second highest number of homeless people in Australia after the Northern Territory. Contrary to the indifference of the ACT government, the beautiful little Anglican, heritage Church of St John's at Reid has a truly compassionate program called St John's Care. Here, anyone in need of help such as free food, clothes, bedclothes, outdoor sleeping equipment, bus fares home, help with bills, counselling and advice on where to get help does that work, like other Christian organisations rescuing young and older people in need. One of the saddest stories I read in their weekly newsletter recently was of a teenage boy who became homeless after leaving his dysfunctional family. He died aged 15. If all the kids having troubles at school were rescued before it was too late and had the same compassionate help of school chaplains, St John's and other Christian organisations give, these young people could be saved from being homeless and dying on the streets. Penelope Upward, O'Connor The Canberra Gambling Reform Alliance (Letters, February 28) has taken issue with my assertion that DrCharles Livingstone is an anti-gambling advocate whose shortcomings as a gambling expert were highlighted in a recent Federal Court case. For the benefit of your readers, Her Honour Justice Debbie Mortimer found: "Dr Livingstone has no capacity because he has, candidly, disclosed that he is an advocate for the cause of the applicant ... I add I have no reason to believe Dr Livingstone would even consider attempting to proffer the declarations of independence required, or the acknowledgments of the need for independence ... His opposition to gambling as a lawful activity is made clear in his affidavit." Canberrans can make up their own mind about the independence of Dr Livingstone when it comes to gambling, but I think clubs have every right to raise concerns when Dr Livingstone is cited as an independent expert on gambling. That is clearly not the view of the Federal Court of Australia. Gwyn Rees, chief executive ClubsACT, Barton I write re: your editorial "Mr Fluffy Inquiry must proceed" (March 5, p14). The comparison between the immediate government instigation of an inquiry into the horrific 2003 bushfires and the complete lack of action over Mr Fluffy is valid. Mr Fluffy will ultimately be linked to as many, if not more, deaths than the bushfires. It has devastated many more lives. The Canberra community deserves to know why, since 1968, successive governments (Commonwealth and ACT) have ignored all warnings of the dangers associated with loose-fill asbestos. The simple fact is that they have many more years to wait as there is evidence to suggest blocks are not being properly remediated and we know mesothelioma might not present for 30 to 50 years. Given about $300 million of the $1 billion they borrowed will not have to be spent apparently, the government could spend some of that money to establish an inquiry. Or perhaps they don't want to know the truth. Felicity Prideaux, Murrumbateman I write as a a former president of Residents Rally for Canberra Inc, which got four seats in the original (1989) ACT Legislative Assembly. Rally was always doomed in our stupid left-versus-right party-political set-up, even withthe creative if complicated"modified dHondt"electoral system ("Thirty years ago history was made", March 4, p6). Firstly, it wasnt long before one Rally assembly member left the party, and sat on his own. The remaining Rally parliamentary members eventually formed an alliance with a major opposition party, irking a lot of the Rally grassroots membership. The other "major" party in our stultifying two-party system had been governing in minority (earlier sort of supported by the Rally). The Rally was wiped out at the following election. However, the defector got back in, after forming a "party" with his own name in its title (considered an opportunistic, misleading, and even illegal, device by many), but he then joined with the above-mentioned major opposition party, to form "government". Naturally, many parliamentary party members may have contrary views on their own partys policies, reflecting the community at large. The rigid party political system continues to drag us backwards at all levels of government, and is becoming more and more destructive of democracy. Regardless of organisational and policy-formulation difficulties, that system should go, if were to move forward and solve the huge problems facing us (climate change, energy, water, transport, property development, population, health, education, communications, asylum seekers, etc). Jack Kershaw, Kambah So some government ministers are "very disappointed" and choose to berate Glencore for capping its coal production at current levels citing climate change risks. ("Very disappointed: Ministers berate coal miner over climate change commitment", canberratimes.com.au, February 21). What a pity that the ministers should feel this way. And what right do they have to berate a private company simply because their views may differ? Glencores decision is nothing to do with "latte sipping greenies" but rather was one made in the interest of the company, its investors and shareholders while taking environmental and social issues into consideration. It is my view that the company has taken a responsible approach while positioning itself for a lower carbon future. Glencores action is a challenge to the current government which now needs to break out of its "ideological straitjacket", act in a more enlightened way and also position itself for the lower carbon future which is now inevitable. If it takes "latte sippers" or others to move things along, so be it that will not be a bad thing. I am not a latte sipper I much prefer tea but it seems clear to me that the community and some private companies are now well ahead of the government on these issues. It is time for the government to step up to the plate and follow the lead being shown by industry. The development of a coherent long-term energy and climate change policy aimed at net-zero emissions by about 2050 would be a good start. Darryl Fallow, Stirling My son has suffered anxiety and depression from the age of 13, but for a long time he kept it under control.He was an honest and hard-working high achiever with his own successful and very highly regarded business. Unfortunately his mental state took a bad turn due to his enormous workload and his depression and anxiety resurfaced. This started his spiral downward into drug use where he was self-medicating to numb the pressures of life and escape reality. For the past three years his life he has been in and out of jail with misdemeanours and drug-related offences. This has made his life a revolving door. He has been made to look like a monster that he is not. Not all addicts are criminal-minded. Even Blind Freddy can see the current system is a failure. The system does discriminate against and victimise drug users. He was court-ordered to a rehab facility, and really wanted to go, with a place offering him a bed twice. Instead the system went against that and kept him in jail. How is this justice? His biggest offence is being an addict. Instead of helping my son and many like him, the system sets them up to fail. This could be you or one of yours one day. Addiction has no name or a postcode. If you are rich and famous it is classed as a mental health issue and you go straight to rehab. But if youre poor you go straight tojail. This is a broken system that really needs to be fixed. S. Black, Queanbeyan, NSW My only complaint about Nicky Isons otherwise excellent article ("Coalition pretending to care about climate", February 26, p19) was that it failed to really call the Coalitions climate and energy policy for what it is: utterly, profoundly inadequate. The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that came out last October on 1.5 degree warming, said we are likely to exceed 1.5 degrees in about a decade. ] It said there is no carbon budget (we cannot emit any more carbon) for 1.5 degrees without including negative emissions (measures to draw carbon from the air). Even if the pathetic Paris targets of the Coalition are reached, in a canter or not, if all other countries did as little, it would lead to 3 to 4 degrees warming. Yet anything beyond 2 degrees will see global economic meltdown on top of widespread environmental collapse. Scientists have now agreed that they have reached the "gold standard" of proof that current warming is man-made, so it is time for all climate denialists to come to the party and implement strong policies on climate change. Jenny Goldie, Cooma REVOKE APPOINTMENTS With barely two months to go the Morrison government has appointed Liberal Senator David Bushby and veteran Liberal Patricia Forsythe to plum diplomatic jobs in Chicago and Wellington. Neither has any obvious qualifications for positions normally occupied by senior officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In the likely event of a change of government, the Labor Party should include in its election promises the prompt cancellation of these appointments. Chris Smith, Kingston THE TRUTH IS ... Dont Pyne for me, Australia; I never left you ... Peter Baskett, Murrumbateman, NSW FACIAL EQUALS RACIAL? I would like to register my protest regarding possible racial and offensive connotations that may occur from any balloon colouring, whether it be white, pink, yellow, dark brown, light brown, red or rainbow. If its facial, its racial. Colin Whittaker, Torrens HORSING ABOUT Thank goodness Black Caviar has been retired as no doubt she would have to be banned from racing in the ACT. Ann Darbyshire, Hughes POLITICAL KARMA Good to see that the main people that tried to destroy the Australian Liberal Party are now out of it. Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop were the two main protagonists in the outing of sitting prime minister Tony Abbott, who had steered the Liberals to an overwhelming majority over the Labor Party. What comes around, goes around. Ian Pilsner, Weston KEEP IT SIMPLE How long before the Western Sydney International Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, is shortened to the Badgery Bird. Gail McAlpine, Griffith CATTLE CONUNDRUM What irony! The ABC TV headline on Monday stated "Livestock to benefit from FTA with Indonesia". As reported in the ABCs own Four Corners program, these cattle will be shipped over to endure terrible cruelty before finally having their throats cut while fully conscious. What sort of "benefit" is that? J. Sever, Higgins WORLD SUFFERING Gods and religions were invented thousands of years ago to control local populations. The world has been suffering ever since. B. Middleton, Fisher BISHOPS LEGACY Julie Bishop served the Liberal Party well and was a good foreign minister. On any other subject she was a policy vacuum. As for beating Bill Shorten at the next election, it is debatable as to whether she could beat him at tiddlywinks. Mark Sproat, Lyons Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message eld, not as an attached le. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610. Keep your letter to 250 or fewer words. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published). /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/b9394421-0e18-400f-84fe-5de2b505344a/r0_180_1440_994_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, crime There were dramatic scenes in a Canberra court on Tuesday when a woman was led away to the cells after an outburst and she claimed she would stop being violent if people stopped provoking her. The 34-year-old Lyneham woman, who the court has heard suffers from a number of mental health issues, was charged with two assaults, two thefts and causing grievous bodily harm. The most serious charge relates to an incident at the Dickson Woolworths, where she allegedly pushed an 82-year-old woman, who fell and required emergency surgery for a broken hip. She also assaulted two other women, one of whom she slapped and the other she punched, and she pleaded guilty to both assaults. The woman also pleaded guilty to stealing a black dress and a necklace, despite telling the court "it was junk anyway". She also questioned how she could be charged with the other theft as she had given the stolen items - a handbag, coin purse, bank card and keys - back to the woman she stole them from. However, she also pleaded guilty to the offence. During her time in court, the woman was agitated and closely guarded by corrections officers. She cried, uncontrollably at times, banged the table and swore loudly. At one stage she said she no longer wanted to be represented by her defence lawyer and when she found out she would not be getting bail on Tuesday she became considerably distressed. She yelled at Magistrate Bernadette Boss that the elderly woman in Woolworths had run at her, which had caused her to allegedly push her. "If they don't provoke it [violence], they don't get it," the woman said. The woman's mother made an impassioned plea to the magistrate, that her daughter needed help and that this was a cycle of behaviour that needed to be addressed. "We've only got each other in this world," her mother said. Dr Boss eventually asked for the woman to be returned to the cells as she would not calm down and told the mother that anything she wanted to say should be directed to her daughter's solicitor. However, Dr Boss also clearly held concern for the time it was taking for the matters to be finalised, not wanting the woman to be held in detention longer than was necessary. "We can't just lock people up indefinitely, that's just not right," Dr Boss said. But she also held concerns for the safety of the community, considering the woman's charges for assault. Dr Boss accepted a psychiatrist's report that she was fit to plead to the charges. The matter will return to court later this month. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/be262e8d-e725-420e-a359-42234d1bef8d/r0_52_999_616_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news Off-the-plan buyers have been stung with bills for hundreds of dollars due to new laws that were supposed to improve housing affordability. Empty properties in Canberra began to incur land tax from July 1 last year, a policy designed to stop landlords sitting on vacant property, thus freeing up housing in an increasingly tight market. Before, only rented properties attracted land tax, while homes that were the owner's principal place of residence were exempt from the charge. But since the tax was rolled out to all vacant properties, buyers and developers alike have been stung with unforeseen charges. Solicitor David Claxton said one of his clients received a bill for $500 - an entire quarter's land tax - because their certificate of occupancy came through in late September and they settled on October 11. "The reason they had to pay was because it was vacant the first 10 days of the quarter, which they had no control over and it wasn't law when they entered into the contract," Mr Claxton said. "That buyer has no way of influencing when a matter settles. All of those contracts expressed that settlement will occur within 14 days of the registration of the units' plan. As far as I'm concerned, this is nothing more than a money grab from the government." He said there were 200 buyers in that complex affected by the changes, and the government had thus far refused to waive the charge. "If you average that out for $500 each unit, that's a $100,000 windfall for the government and those owners get absolutely nothing for it," Mr Claxton said. In another "even worse" case, Mr Claxton said his client's unit plan was registered on December 17, which meant they had to settle by January 31 "when everything is closed". They ended up settling on January 9, but were hit with an entire quarter's land tax as well - $440. Mr Claxton said the government should introduce apportionment for land tax, so people are charged an amount proportional to the period the property is vacant. "What is the justification for charging an owner an entire quarter of land tax when the liability exists by virtue of 10 days non-occupancy? What is the rationale for that? Nobody in the government can seem to give us an answer," Mr Claxton said. For developers, there used to be a two-year exemption from land tax which gave them time to build, sell and settle properties. That exemption was abolished when the new laws came in. Master Builders Association ACT chief executive Michael Hopkins said his members were "surprised" when they started receiving bills in November last year, and the association was working with the government to try and find a solution. "We will be calling for the type of exemptions that existed previously to be reinstated. We do believe this charge was an unintended consequence of recent changes," Mr Hopkins said. An ACT government spokeswoman said the ACT Revenue Office was monitoring the implementation of the land tax changes and "will work with stakeholders to ensure its effectiveness, and manage and clarify issues that arise". She suggested that in certain circumstances builders would be better off, as the legislation created a new exemption that applied for land that was unfit for occupation, but without the time limit. "This can be of greater benefit to builders and developers. A parcel could be exempt for more than two years, before a certificate of occupancy is issued. Further, the exemption is no longer limited to builders and developers who are corporations," she said. However Greens crossbencher Caroline Le Couteur acknowledged the legislation had come with some "unintended consequences". "The Greens intend to raise this issue with the government to ensure that it can also be rectified in some way with the current revenue protection bill that is addressing other unintended consequences," Ms Le Couteur said. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/e6a4ba43-f5d8-4270-8a34-5d2d804093df/r0_93_2000_1223_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news It's not unusual to see government job ads include a line about what security clearance the successful applicant will need. It's just as likely it will take months to be granted that clearance even a year or more. Analysts, investigators, anything with intelligence in the title these are all jobs for which candidates might expect to fill out lengthy forms about themselves and their pasts. But does this story about cleaners at a major regulator help explain why the security-clearance system is so strained? It starts with a reported spike in the number of non-citizens and those without fully checked backgrounds granted clearances. The agencies involved explained this by blaming mostly reporting errors. A recent government report showed just one agency was responsible for most of the increase in clearances given to non-Australians in 2016-17. A different agency was responsible for most of an even-larger increase in the number of clearances given to people whose pasts (going back at least 12 months) could not be verified by vetting. The agencies weren't named in the report, nor would the Attorney-General's Department name them when The Canberra Times asked. However, an answer to a Senate estimates question revealed the latter agency was the Defence Department. Defence mistakenly reported the total number of its employees who had been granted waivers in order to get a security clearance, instead of the number of waivers granted that year. So that explained that sudden increase. The other agency, which was responsible for the high number of non-citizens granted clearances, was the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. ASIC had also reported its total number of waivers, instead of new waivers granted that year. So, again, there was not a significant increase over one year. Asked why the agency had a high number of non-Australian employees with clearances, ASIC gave two reasons: IT specialists and cleaners. In IT, international specialist expertise was needed and 11 new specialists were recruited that year who required waivers for their clearances to be approved. "A number of complex IT projects were under way that required unique skills sets. Almost all applications used by ASIC are propriety products developed in the international space and require personnel with lengthy experience in their operation," an ASIC spokeswoman said. The other explanation, covering most non-citizens given security clearances, was that they were cleaners. "ASIC granted waivers to a number of cleaners, maintenance people, et cetera [who] did not have access to our systems or classified information. That approach has since been reviewed and changed," she said. ASIC confirmed it had 120 eligibility waivers in place for non-Australian citizens in 2016-17, with only 17 of those relating to staff. The other 103 related to contractors and other contingent workers. "It should be noted that many of the waiver holders did not have access to the ASIC IT network or external agency information as such did not require a security clearance," the spokeswoman said. It may seem unreasonable that cleaners and maintenance contractors need clearances provided by the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency. But, in recent years, the number of clearances processed by the agency has increased markedly, with many agencies requiring more and more people to have their backgrounds checked. Since reporting the information to the Attorney-General's Department, ASIC was one of several agencies subject to an Auditor-General's investigation of how it managed its security clearances. While that report found ASIC had plans, policies and procedures in place for personnel security, it also found it didn't have adequate controls and quality-assurance mechanisms for ensuring personnel have appropriate clearances. It also found ASIC hadn't properly complied with the protective security policy framework on eligibility waivers, and the regulator agreed to several audit recommendations, including to update its policies. It wasn't the only agency to receive such criticisms. Cleaners and maintenance staff who don't need to access IT systems no longer require security clearances, but the ASIC spokeswoman said "they do, however, undergo probity checks commensurate to the type of access they require". So, should cleaners and maintenance staff in government agencies have security clearances? ASIC once thought so, but now does not. Perhaps this is the start of turning the demand around the other way on security clearances, with agencies considering just what are the necessary steps to make sure staff are properly vetted before stepping foot in the building. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/6d555b94-d4bc-4a80-b0cd-202f32bec0a9/r0_1209_1328_1959_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg By Trend The next auction of the Azerbaijani State Committee on Property Issues will be held on April 2, 2019, Trend reports referring to the committee on March 4. Thus, 85 state properties, including 23 joint-stock companies, 29 small state-owned enterprises, 17 non-residential areas, eight unfinished buildings and eight vehicles will be put up for auction. The joint-stock companies are located in Baku, Yevlakh, Aghjabadi and other cities and districts. Seven of the non-residential areas that can be used as offices are in Baku, four - in Sumgait, three - in Ganja, the rest - in Agdash, Dashkasan and Barda. Among the vehicles which will be put up for auction are BMW, Nissan, Rexton cars at the prices ranging from 400 manats to 14,000 manats. (1.7 AZN = 1 USD on March 4) Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. By Trend The European Union and Azerbaijan will continue talks on the new partnership agreement in March, Trend learned from the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan. We can confirm that the EU-Azerbaijan Cooperation Committee took place in Brussels on 27-28 February in presence of Azerbaijans Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev and EEAS Director Luc Devigne, said the EU Delegation. Talks on the new agreement will continue in March. The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan in November 2016. The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today. The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan. The new agreement envisages the compliance of Azerbaijans legislation and procedures with the EUs most important international trade norms and standards, which should lead to the improvement of Azerbaijani goods access to the EU markets. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to get her Brexit deal rewritten in Brussels to make it acceptable to Parliament. Since her deal was defeated by a massive 230 votes on Jan 15, May has made a succession of compromises, yet has still not nailed down a text she can sell to the House of Commons. The biggest problem for many members of Parliament is the so-called backstop plan for the Irish border, which the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox says could trap Britain inside EU trade rules indefinitely. But unlike the British side the EU is showing no signs of backing down. These are the concessions May has made so far: Jan. 28: Faced with another huge Tory rebellion, May agrees to support senior Tory Graham Bradys plan to rip up her Brexit deal and scrap the Irish border backstop. The backstop must be replaced with alternative arrangements for ensuring theres no hard border between the U.K. and Ireland. Jan. 29: May agrees to engage with the Malthouse Compromise which sets out the kind of alternative arrangements that could apply at the border. The Commons votes to back the Brady plan, which May welcomes as a clear sign that Parliament has now finally said what it wants from a revised exit deal. Feb. 5: May backs away from the Brady plan, saying she only wants to change the backstop, not scrap it. Im not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that doesnt contain that insurance policy for the future, May said on a visit to Belfast. What Parliament has said is that there should be changes made to the backstop. Feb. 12: May suggests there are three ways to get the changes Parliament wants: First, the backstop could be replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, she tells Parliament. Second, there could be a legally binding time limit to the existing backstop. Or third, there could be a legally binding unilateral exit clause to the backstop. Given both sides agree we do not ever want to use the backstop, and that if we did it would be temporary, we believe it is reasonable to ask for legally binding changes to this effect. Feb. 20: U.K. officials conclude the Malthouse Compromise, relying on alternative arrangements such as the use of technology to avoid a hard border, is no longer a serious contender for resolving the dispute. May later says the Malthouse plan can be looked at in the future, but requires too much work to take forward now. Feb. 24: On a trip to Egypt, May delays a planned vote on her deal, promising to hold it by March 12 at the latest. March 4: The Daily Telegraph reports that May has abandoned her call for a time limit or a unilateral exit mechanism. Officials dont deny this. One official says the U.K. is now hoping to find a way for the U.K. to leave the backstop, if trade talks with the EU on a permanent future relationship irretrievably break down. Theres no mention of a time limit, or an unrestricted right for Britain to leave the backstop when it chooses to do so. Read more: U.K. Ministers Head to Brussels in Quest for Elusive Brexit Deal Attached Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Photo: Google Street View The Riviere-des-Prairies detention centreT Two men have been arrested on suspicion of flying a drone near an east-end Montreal jail. Prison guards saw the drone flying near the Riviere-des-Prairies detention centre at around 1 a.m. today and called Montreal police, who arrested the suspects in a nearby wooded area. The men, aged 38 and 42, were found carrying a drone and a package containing at least one cell phone and a battery. Provincial police, who have taken over the investigation, say the prison is being searched in order to determine whether any drugs or other items were successfully dropped before the arrest. Sgt. Daniel Thibodeau says it's common to see drones flying near detention facilities, but police are rarely able to make arrests. The two suspects were questioned and released. The drone was seized, but authorities have not yet decided what charges the men will face. Photo: The Canadian Press Actor Kevin Spacey departs from district court after arraignment on a charge of indecent assault and battery in Nantucket, Mass. Attorneys for Kevin Spacey are heading back to court in the case accusing the disgraced actor of groping an 18-year-old man at a Massachusetts bar in 2016. A pretrial hearing is set for Monday in the Nantucket District Court. The judge has said that Spacey is not required to attend, but must be available by phone. The 59-year-old former "House of Cards" star pleaded not guilty in January to felony indecent assault and battery. His lawyers filed motions last week seeking the accuser's cellphone, surveillance footage from the bar and other records. They've called the accusations "patently false." Spacey is accused of sexually assaulting the son of a former Boston TV anchor on the resort island of Nantucket. It's the first criminal case brought against Spacey after several sexual misconduct allegations crippled his career in 2017. Photo: CTV News Police in Winnipeg say a 17-year-old has died after he was attacked during a random home invasion. They say the boy's parents were out and he was home with his grandmother when the break-in happened on Sunday night. The teen called 911 and when officers arrived they found him being attacked with a weapon. Police say officers fired at the attacker, and both he and the teen were rushed to hospital. The youth died of his injuries and the 29-year-old suspect remains in critical condition. Police have identified the victim as Jaime Adao and say it appears he did not know his attacker. Police say charges are pending against the suspect. By Trend President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a decree on the creation of a new modern administrative center for the countrys Ahal Region, Trend reports referring to the published decree. The construction of what essentially is an entire city is a significant event in the life of this region, as the president was quoted in the report of the local Altyn Asyr TV channel. The concept of this large-scale project implies, along with construction, the formation of more favorable economic, social and other prerequisites for the further development of the new administrative center. As per the presidential decree, the city is to be built in the territory of Ahal Regions Gokdepe District in 2 stages, up to (and including) the year 2022, in accordance with the master plan developed by the Ministry of Construction and Architecture of the country. Originally, the capital city of Ashgabat was the administrative center of the Ahal Region. Later, Ashgabat was reorganized into a separate administrative unit, and the city of Anew in the Akbugday District became the center of the region instead. LafargeHolcim's Ravena plant to fight for waste tyre burning 05 March 2019 LafargeHolcim has urged local residents near to its Ravena cement plant to defeat a new law that would prevent the cement company from burning tyres. Last week the company took out a full-page advertisement in the local paper to promote its cause. A new proposal would prevent the burning of waste tyres. Drafted last summer, the new measure plans to set the strictest national limits on tyre burning and emissions of dioxins and furans, mercury, SO x and NO x . The Ravena plant's current air pollution permit for its new kiln, built in 2017, allows the facility to burn natural gas, coal, petcoke or fuel oil. LafargeHolcim spokesman Jocelyn Gerst said: "Though we are permitted by [December] to use tyre derived fuels, building such a facility would take some time to put in place." Last Autumn, the state of New York took out a three-year contract to collect and dispose of waste tyres across the state. The US$4.7m contract with Carver Construction Inc gave control of 600,000 waste tyres from 29 sites. These tyres were being shredded and shipped to the Seneca Meadows landfill site in Seneca County. A 2006 state permit would have enabled Lafarge to burn up to 4.8m tyres annually in its old kiln, but the permit expired in 2018. Published under The UAE government has allocated Dh1 billion ($272 million) for infrastructure projects in the northern emirate of Fujairah as part of the 2017-2021 five-year plan being implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development on the eastern coast. The announcement was made during the visit of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to Fujairah and Khor Fakkan. Sheikh Mohammed also approved the allocation of Dh400 million to build a residential complex in Khor Fakkan as part of the same plan. This will be executed by the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme. The UAE Prime Minister affirmed that the country's development efforts cover the entire country as part of a clear plan to meet the requirements of the coming phase. "All the regions of the UAE are important and have great development potential. Infrastructure projects are key to the nations development and prosperity," stated Sheikh Mohammed. "Healthcare and education projects are vital to improving the quality of life of our communities, and we strive to provide the best facilities to our citizens," he noted. "Our development efforts will be the same across the country, because the vision is the same and the land is the same," he added. Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied by Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future; and Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development and chairman of the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme. He also visited the Dh50 million court project in Khor Fakkan, which spans an area of 16,500 sq m and later reviewed the renovation and maintenance of Hamad bin Abdullah Road in Fujairah. The road project, being implemented at a cost of Dh200 million, will be ready by the first half of 2020. Minister of Infrastructure Development briefed Sheikh Mohammed on the progress of the Dh170-million Maliha Road Renovation and Development project and the plan to connect it with Phase One. The project is set for completion this December.-TradeArabia News Service Students aged 19-25 from Saudi Arabia will be eligible to apply for two Rhodes Scholarships offered by the Rhodes Trust in partnership with Muhammad Alagil, when annual applications open in May. The launch of the Saudi Arabia Scholarship last year was part of a wider geographic expansion programme of the Rhodes Scholarship aimed at ensuring that the worlds diversity is reflected at Rhodes House by strengthening the reach of the Scholarship around the world. The Class of 2019 Rhodes Scholars will in fact be the most geographically diverse in the Trusts 116-year history, with Scholars selected from new Rhodes constituencies including Saudi Arabia. Education is one of the core elements of Vision 2030, the Kingdoms ambitious blueprint for the future. The Rhodes Scholarship in Saudi Arabia will enable students across the Kingdom to fully develop their skills and knowledge in the fields that will help Saudi Arabia achieve its goals under Vision 2030. The Rhodes Scholarships include all university and college fees for two years, an annual stipend, and travel expenses to the University of Oxford before the start of the programme and a return ticket following the course of study. The selection process will conclude by the end of 2019 and the selected Scholars will arrive in Oxford in October 2020. The Rhodes Trust the preeminent international scholarship programme established at the University of Oxford in 1903 selects creative young leaders with a commitment to serving others. In the 116 years since the establishment of the Rhodes Scholarships, the Trust has formed a community of extraordinary people who share a history of enriching their communities, pioneering in their chosen fields, and applying the knowledge and experience acquired as Scholars to the betterment of society. TradeArabia News Service Dubai-based Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), a DP World Company and the Middle Easts largest economic free trade zone, won the coveted Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Innovation Award. The award is a Dubai Chamber of Commerce initiative to recognise companies that are leaders in innovation and who contribute to the development of the nations economy. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and chairman & chief executive of Emirates Airline & Group presented the award to Ahmad Al Haddad, Chief operating officer, Parks and Zones DP World, UAE Region. Jafzas consideration for the award comes from the free zones longstanding track record of many firsts, including being the first free zone in the Middle East, the first free zone to launch an e-services portal, and the only free zone to win the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Award for Best M-Government Service Award. Jafza is also noted for the quality of its services and was recognised as the Best Free Zone for Large Companies in 2017 by fDi Magazine. The companys leading position among Dubais free zones is underscored by its contributions to the emirates economy, accounting for over 70 per cent of total free zone trade value and 97 per cent of total trade volume in 2017. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group chairman and CEO of DP World said: Jebel Ali Free Zone is honoured to win the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Innovation Award and we would like to thank the Dubai Government for recognising our achievements over the past three decades. Jafza has always strived towards being an industry leader that can serve as an example for other businesses in the UAE and help raise standards for the sector across the board. Innovation has always been a core part of our business strategy, and we continually develop customised services and solutions that cater to our customers requirements. Through innovation, we seek to support the governments efforts to establish Dubai as a global trade hub through economic diversification reaffirm our commitment to these goals and support our society by bringing increased economic prosperity. The free zone is expected to experience high levels of growth with Expo 2020 fast approaching, which will boost Dubais economy. In turn, Jebel Ali Free Zone and Jebel Ali Port have together become a key growth engine for Dubai, contributing to 33.4 per cent of Dubais total GDP in 2017, and 14.9 per cent of the UAEs non-oil GDP. Jafza also accounts for 23.9 per cent of Dubais total FDI inflow, making it the largest source of foreign direct investment into the city. The port and free zone also serve as major sources of employment, accounting for 16.2 per cent of Dubais total workforce. TradeArabia News Service Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who contributed to an overhaul of Denver Public Schools, announced Monday that hes joining the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential field. As mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011, Hickenlooper helped start the Denver Scholarship Foundation, which provides grants to needy high school students in the Mile High City. He also encouraged now-Sen. Michael Bennet, his chief of staff at the time, to take over Denver schools. Bennet worked to close struggling schools, expand charters, and enact performance pay for teachers who moved student test scores. (That performance pay program later became a sticking point in the Denver teacher strike). As governor in 2015, Hickenlooper signed a bill affirming families rights to opt out of standardized testing, but said he would not eliminate testing in 9th grade. And in 2011, in his first year as governor, he proposed a $322 million cut to school funding. Theres nothing Ive ever grappled with as long and hard as that, Hickenlooper said at the time, according to Chalkbeat. He also tried to enact tax increases to benefit schools, but voters rejected the move. And as governor, he pushed to improve access to workforce education, including internships and certificate programs. Hickenlooper responded to the 2012 massacre at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., which left 12 dead, by calling for new gun restrictions. And in 2018 he told NPR, If you were trying to harm this country, what better thing could you do than to create a context where kids were too scared to go to school, or, when they got to school, they were too scared to learn? Want more on the education records of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates? Weve got your cheat sheet right here. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper speaks during the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss ways to stabilize health insurance markets, during a 2017 hearing in Washington. (Jose Luis Magana/AP-File) Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Dubai-based Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), a company of DP World and one of the worlds leading free trade zones, recently celebrated the graduation of its second batch of students from its Tumoohi training programme. Tumoohi, which means My Ambition, is a training initiative designed to help young and talented Emiratis develop the skills necessary for todays office environment by providing hands-on workplace experience through apprenticeships. This year saw 35 Emiratis apprenticed to 11 major firms. The programme has garnered widespread support from the public and private sectors as seen by the large number of organisations that have offered their support to it in varying capacities. Among them are three strategic partners: The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Zayed University and the Higher Colleges of Technology. Another 40organisations have either signed or pledged to sign with Tumoohi by offering placement opportunities for apprentices from a wide variety of sectors. The event will see numerous multinational corporations such as ABB, Maersk, Imdaad, Red Events, and Eros signing agreements. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group chairman and CEO, DP World, said: DP World is dedicated to supporting the UAE government in its goals to bring about employment growth for talented young Emiratis, and we seek to emulate successful initiatives like Emiratisation. Our focus is to provide platforms that cater to a variety of skillsets and competency for the youth through collaboration with numerous organisations and entities. Our 20XEL programme, which provides high level management training to handpick Emiratis at some of the worlds most prestigious institutions, such as the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, is proof of how successful this approach can be. Similarly, Tumoohi is an initiative that lays the foundations for a new future of Emirati society, where we see an increasing number of youth taking up leadership roles in the private sector. Our aim is to further develop their talent and give them a platform to showcase their abilities to the fullest. Through Tumoohi, we curate the next generation of industry leaders who understand our work ethic and values. Mohammed Al Muallem, CEO and managing director, DP World, UAE Region said: Tumoohi is our way of keeping our promise to help identify and nurture local talent that will become future leaders that drive forward trade and commerce in the UAE. Jafza believes that there is a need for more Emiratis to attain leadership positions in the corporate sector, and through this programme, we seek to provide them with needed work experience that is vital to develop an understanding of the workings of their industry. Through collaboration with universities, government, multinational companies and other key partners, we aim to give Emirati talent the tools to be future innovators and leaders and help them reach their full potential. Manal AlBayat, chief community engagement officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: At Expo 2020 Dubai, we are proud to support the Tumoohi programme because we believe in the power of our nations young people and the importance of providing them with the right opportunities to learn and grow. The skills and experiences that todays graduates have gained over the last nine months are the foundations upon which they can build a successful career and will enable them to represent the talent and potential of our region as we prepare to welcome 190 countries and millions of visitors in 2020. Tumoohi was started in 2016, and currently offers placement opportunities in a range of fields, including law, industrial manufacturing, logistics, FMCG, oil and gas, automotive and healthcare. Participating organisations include leading multinationals such as Expo 2020 Dubai, Al Tamimi & Co., Naffco, and Danube, and has seen a 116 per cent increase in companies contributing to the programme in 2018.- TradeArabia News Service The Junior League of Chattanoogas first annual Soiree for the Schools fundraising event will be held from 7-10 p.m. Saturday, March 30 at the Chattanooga Public Library, 1001 Broad St. The evenings events will feature complimentary beer and wine, heavy hors d'oeuvres, a live band, dancing and silent auction. Tickets are $60 and may be purchased at the event or online at the Junior Leagues website www.jlchatt.com The money raised at the event will support the Junior Leagues A League of Learners initiative, which is focused on fostering lifelong learners in the Chattanooga community.This includes the Leagues Adopt-A-Teacher program, in which League members partner with new teachers in HCDE Opportunity Zone elementary schools to provide them support through their first year of teaching, as well as the Mini-Grants and Kids in the Kitchen programs.JLC President Nicole (Bambi) Watson stated, The Junior League of Chattanooga is excited to host Soiree for the Schools to benefit Hamilton County schools, teachers and children. And the Chattanooga Public Library is the perfect setting for an event that benefits JLCs A League of Learners initiative that is focused on fostering lifelong learners in the the Chattanooga community. Its going to be a great night filled with fun, while supporting a great cause. The Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Program announces that it has granted accreditation status to the Signal Mountain Police Department. They were awarded this achievement during the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police meeting held in Franklin, Tn. on Feb. 6.To achieve accreditation with TLEA, an agency voluntarily submits to a three-year process of enhancing the agencys professionalism and effectiveness utilizing 160 law enforcement standards and participating in a thorough on-site assessment.The standards evaluate an agencys policies which address a variety of areas including organizational, operational and budget management practices. The program is intended to encourage cooperation, recognize professional standing, develop professional services and ensure public safety throughout the State of Tennessee. The TLEA program is a valuable and cost effective way to enhance overall agency effectiveness and professionalism.The Signal Mountain Police Department successfully accomplished TLEA accreditation by meeting criteria that measured the professionalism, organizational and overall readiness in law enforcement policy and procedures. The standard of excellence that is met through this process is to be admired. We are proud to recognize the hard work of the Signal Mountain Police Department, its staff and community leaders, stated TACP President Randy Evans.The entire department has worked diligently for three years to obtain this prestigious award. I am extremely proud of all of our officers and support staff stated Mike Williams, Signal Mountain chief of police. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released its annual LDS Charities report. LDS Charities is the humanitarian arm of the Church. Last year, LDS Charities worked with more than 1,900 partners and assisted with 2,885 projects in 141 countries. Local members of the Church in the greater Chattanooga area contributed via donations and volunteer hours. Projects included responding to floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and typhoons at home and abroad. LDS Charities provided food security assistance, maternal and newborn care, clean water and sanitation, immunization, wheelchairs, and more. Since 1985, LDS Charities has provided over $2.2 billion in assistance worldwide, including cash, commodities and in-kind donations in 197 countries and territories, the Church states. The full report can be viewed at https://www.ldscharities.org/pages/2018-lds-charities-annual-report The report represents how small offerings can make a big impact. Funding comes from members and friends of the Church who give of their means in whatever way they can. None of the funding comes from government grants or large corporate donations. Additionally, one hundred percent of donations to LDS Charities go to projects dedicated to humanitarian aid efforts. Overhead costs are fully paid by the Church. LDS Charities gives assistance without regard to race, religious affiliation or nationality. The purpose of the organization is to relieve suffering to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, to visit the sick and afflicted, to mourn with those who mourn. In essence, our purpose is to do as Jesus would do to go about doing good. As reported by the Church, more than one million workdays of labor are contributed each year by volunteers in support of welfare initiatives. The Chattanooga Stake of the Church is pleased to be a small part of this enormous effort to advance good across the globe. Local Church members have participated in clean-up efforts in response to hurricanes and tornados in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, and beyond. To learn more about LDS Charities, please visit at https://www.ldscharities.org. To participate in the upcoming Womens Day of Service on Saturday, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chattanooga, please join us at 9:30 a.m. at 3067 Ooltewah-Ringgold Road, or register at lds.regfox.com/dayofservice. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee delivered his first State of the State address and presented budget priorities to a joint session of the General Assembly in the House Chamber on Monday night in Nashville. Governor. Lee proposed "a strong, conservative budget with a record-breaking deposit to the Rainy Day Fund that will lift the state savings account to a historic high $1.1 billion. The proposed budget does not take on any long-term debt and manages to cut more than $40 million in costs without compromising services". The proposed budget is available on the Department of Finance & Administration website. In addition to previously announced education initiatives including the Governors Investment in Vocational and Technical Education (GIVE), the Future Workforce Initiative and measures to improve school safety, Governor Lee announced the following plans for public education: A $71 million pay raise for teachers across Tennessee and investment in professional development programming. A three-year pilot program to provide support services for high school students in Tennessees 15 distressed counties. Establish the Governors Civics Instructional Seal to support and recognize those schools that prioritize teaching our nations history and civic values. Providing approximately $175 million in new funding to support teachers and students in our traditional public schools. As we consider expanding options in this state, we must re-double our efforts to make sure that public schools in Tennessee are well-resourced and that Tennessee teachers and principals are the best and most celebrated in the business, said GovernorLee. Officials said, "School choice is a key theme in the governor's first year agenda with proposals for both doubling public charter schools and establishing a new education savings accounts program. More students in Tennessee will have access to high-quality education through: "Statewide Charter School Authorizer and Increased Facilities Funding and Access Doubling the amount of facility funding available to public charter schools and providing new criteria for access to public facilities. Establishing an independent state authorizer to approve high-quality charter schools. Empowering the State Board of Education to develop authorizer standards that ensure only high-quality schools are authorized. "The Tennessee Education Savings Account Provides approximately $7,300 to eligible, participating students. Eligibility limited to low-income students in districts with three or more schools ranked in the bottom 10% of schools. Currently includes Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Jackson-Madison, Shelby and the Achievement School District. Establishes a new school improvement grant fund for LEAs included in the program during the first three years. The local education agency (LEA) will be disbursed grant funds in the amount equal to what local students receive in their education savings account. Gov. Lee is recommending $25 million in this budget as an initial payment towards this grant fund with additional funding to be added in subsequent years. Enrollment will be limited to 5,000 students in its initial year. The cap will increase by 2,500 students per year if the cap is met. Only authorized providers and schools will be eligible to participate in the program, with the Department of Education having the authority to remove poor-performing providers and schools. Strong accountability measures are in place to ensure that education savings account funds only go to Department of Education approved expenses." Governor Lee also outlined additional plans to improve public safety through a smart approach to crime. As Ive said many times, the punishment for violent crime must be swift and severe, but we must also get better at helping those who will be released prepare to re-enter society and not re-enter prison, he said. In addition to previous announcements regarding education opportunity within prisons, Governor Lee outlined the following initiatives to supplement efforts: Establishing the Criminal Justice Reinvestment Task Force to make communities safer by reducing recidivism through proposed legislative and budgetary changes. Launching the Volunteer Mentorship Initiative to partner incarcerated individuals who are working toward obtaining higher education with a mentor. Increasing funding to the Electronic Monitoring Indigency fund to use GPS monitoring of low-risk, non-violent individuals instead of incarceration. Governor Lee further outlined plans for modernizing health care and improving the affordability of services. We will work with patients, providers, and payers to establish Tennessee as a world-class health care market for our people using transparency and competition, he said. Key health care provisions include: Launch the Health Care Modernization Task Force to bring the private sector, policy makers and communities together to develop reforms and improve the value of care for all Tennesseans. Crack down on expensive Medicaid fraud by expanding the states Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with an additional 24 positions dedicated to identifying fraud and waste. Serve thousands of additional vulnerable Tennesseans by investing an additional $11 million into the Behavioral Health Safety Net and Regional Mental Institutes. Increasing, by as much as $8.6 million, funding for graduate medical education at Tennessees medical schools and critical incentive programs that provide financial support to resident physicians who commit to living and working in our rural communities. Finally, Governor Lee announced plans to establish the Governors Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to leverage the non-profit community and reduce the size of government. Many of our people can be found at non-profits in this state who are doing, with excellence, jobs that government cannot or should not do, said Lee. So, to help protect taxpayer dollars and to engage some of our under-utilized citizens, one announcement I am particularly excited to make is the Governors Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives. Governor Bill Lee gave his first state of the state speech on Monday, March 4, 2019, from our state Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee. A highly anticipated address, it focused heavily on education issues including career and technical education initiatives, increased funding for school safety programs, and expansion of various school choice initiatives. Since the beginning of his campaign, one of Governor Lees biggest priorities has been workforce development through expanding and strengthening career and technical education programs.As expected, he spoke more in-depth about his proposed Governor's Investment in Vocational Education Initiative (GIVE) and how it fits into his administrations proposed budget. Governor Lee sees this as an opportunity to help students develop the practical skills that help them perform in project-based environments, learn to work with others, and grow the discipline needed for success in a competitive workplace. It facilitates new partnerships between industry and our schools, and a more concrete connection between labor and education, which is a direction that the federal government has taken the past few years. The state will also expand and improve offerings in STEM, and CTE is a major priority. We applaud those investments in education.TEACHER COMPENSATIONWe are pleased that Governor Lee is fully funding the Basic Education Program and recommending $71 million for a well-deserved 2.5% pay raise for teachers. Compensation is the key to recruitment and retention of our educators. Our teacher compensation model needs to be competitive nationally. There is currently pending legislation from the administration that would require school districts to report to the department of education and the BEP review committee how they have implemented increased funding from the state for instructional wages and salaries, intended by legislators for teacher raises. This is a positive development. Governor Lee is sending a message to educators that he recognizes and appreciates their efforts and will work to see they are fairly compensated for their efforts.TESTINGPolicymakers and stakeholders have been waiting on a message from the governor about how he plans to improve our assessment system, to ensure that our metrics are empowering and informing, not inhibiting quality instruction, while providing accurate feedback for educators, parents, and students. The Governor talked about the frustration around the administration of the state test, and he has charged the Commissioner with the procurement process. Going forward, he stated that his focus will be on executing a testing regimen that is trustworthy, helpful, and on time. However, he did not address other adjustments to testing, like a pilot project that allowed some districts to use the ACT, ACT Aspire, or SAT Suites as a means of assessment or flexibility in high performing districts to use alternative evaluations.SCHOOL SAFETYSchool safety is also a high priority for the Governor. The proposed School Safety Grant program includes $40 million aimed at addressing the need for an SRO in every school. This includes an increase in current recurring expenditures and a one-time infusion of an additional $20 million. The program will prioritize the approximately 500 schools that do not currently have an SRO. While there is a local match requirement, schools may include the costs of current safety measures in that calculation. For schools who already have SROs, there will be an application process for them to request grant funds for other safety-related initiatives as outlined in the proposed legislation.School safety has been a high priority for Professional Educators of Tennessee, according to the executive director of the organization JC Bowman. The organization conducted a statewide assessment on safety in 2018. Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond and Bowman also conducted a well-publicized School Safety Town Hall in Hamilton County in 2018.One of the highest priorities we can have in American society is the safety and protection of children - and the men and women who teach them, according to Bowman. He added, we think this is a very positive step in keeping our schools safe and reducing school violence.Helping students with mental health issues is another important component of school safety especially children who have experienced physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect. Professional Educators of Tennessee has advocated for an increase in school counselors, whose work with students in this area of concern is of equal concern as their work helping student prepare to be college and career ready. The TN Department of Education launched a Trauma-Informed Schools initiative last fall to designate schools that have undergone training on how to create a school environment that both helps students and empowers teachers in their daily interactions with students. The program trains adults in the school to recognize and respond to those who have been affected by traumatic stress and includes training on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). We must make every school a safer place for all of our children.CHARTER SCHOOLSIf a charter school is effective, then facility dollars may be a good investment. However, if a charter school fails to deliver on its promise of a quality education then the investment is a waste. Public schools are likely to also want to secure facility funding. We look forward to this debate and likely discussion. The state will eventually need to address facility growth in rapidly growing communities.ED SAVINGS ACCOUNTSFor the most part, school choice is already available to upper-class families through residential mobility. However, low-income and middle-income parents/guardians have been subjected to limited choices for their children. This proposal by the Governor on Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) will allow parents in the most under-performing school districts to use a portion of state education money in a way that fits with what they believe that their children need. ESAs will most certainly be the most problematic piece for the Governor to pass and enact. The Tennessee Education Savings Account will provide approximately $7,300 to eligible, participating students. Eligibility is limited to low-income students in districts with three or more schools ranked in the bottom 10% of schools. This currently includes Metro-Nashville Public Schools, Hamilton County, Knox County, Jackson-Madison County, Shelby County, and the Achievement School District.They will likely pose capacity limitations for low socio-economic parents, said Executive Director JC Bowman. By targeting districts that are lower performing, Governor Lee may be able to pass it through the Tennessee General Assembly. Nevertheless, ESAs do not guarantee improved school effectiveness or outcomes, better parental involvement, and certainly no increased systemic investments in public education. A positive to Lees ESA plan is that it will invest at least $25 million new dollars in public schools in the first year to fill the gap when a student transfers to another school. However, we have concerns regarding the implementation of the plan as presented, as well as future expansion.CONCLUSIONThere was much to like in Governor Lees State of the State. The debate over ESAs will likely be the most contentious and draw the most debate. A fully funded Basic Education Program (BEP), recommending $71 million and a 2.5% pay raise for teachers is much needed. We had hoped he would address other issues like school finance and discuss the possibilities of a school funding formula to reflect changing 21st century needs. However, in general, we think most Tennesseans will react positively to the speech by Governor Lee. Those on the right will certainly love the attention to civics and character formation, as well as on curriculum in which he pledged to "root out" the influence of Common Core in our state. Those on the left will like increased funding for school safety programs going to SROs. He laid out a fairly ambitious agenda; it is now the Tennessee General Assemblys turn to vote their opinion.*********JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the association are properly cited. The French defence procurement agency DGA (Direction generale de larmement) has awarded the Rifan 2.1 contract to an industrial consortium headed by Airbus and also comprising the Naval Group and Rohde & Schwarz. This contract was signed for a maximum duration of eight years and up to a maximum amount of 150 million ($170.03 million), said a statement from the company. The contract covers work to maintain and adapt the existing IP network for the French naval forces, Rifan 2 (Reseau IP de la Force Aeronavale etape 2), to the needs of the Navy in the coming years, to integrate new ships and remedy hardware and software obsolescence, it said. It will also enable the future front-line frigates of the FDI (fregates de defense et dintervention) programme and the future replenishment tankers of the BRF (batiment ravitailleur de forces) programme to be integrated into the Rifan 2 network, it added. The network adaptations will involve both its central architecture and an update of the cybersecurity incident monitoring and detection system. A total of 63 ships are equipped with the Rifan 2 network, ranging from aircraft carriers and frigates to support ships, patrol craft based overseas and submarines. The purpose of the programme is to equip French naval forces with a truly secure broadband network. It is designed for exchanges of data of various classification levels, ranging from Unclassified to Secret, between ships at sea and on-shore command centres. The network transmits data from applications specific to the coordination of carrier group operations and those dedicated to the daily and logistical management of life on board, such as those between information systems of theatre chiefs of staff on board a vessel for the duration of an operation. The various vessels are equipped to meet their respective connectivity requirements. The system is capable of combining several communication streams in order to optimise the use of the transmission capacity available at sea, which is, by nature, limited. It utilises satellite connections, such as Comcept or Syracuse, and also radio communication systems allowing all-IP (Internet Protocol) exchanges between ships, with a range of several dozen nautical miles. Rifan 2 also provides overall network management and cybersecurity incident monitoring capability. This monitoring can take place both from an on-shore management and control centre and also locally on board the ships, thus providing the crews with a degree of independence so that they can make best use of the network according to the operational situation, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Here is the latest jail booking report from Hamilton County: BLOMBERG, KANDACE DAWN 3655 CUMMINGS HWY ROOM 2 CHATTANOOGA, 37419 Age at Arrest: 23 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA SIMPLE POSSESSION OF METH SIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA --- BROWN, ORVILLE LAMONT 701 HAVEN HILLS DR EAST RIDGE, 37412 Age at Arrest: 47 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga ASSAULT VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF --- BRYANT, VERNON LAMAR 1201 GROVE STREET CT CHATTANOOGA, 37402 Age at Arrest: 50 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga CRIMINAL TRESPASSING --- CLARK, RICHARD BRENT 48 HALLS VALLEY SPUR TRION, 30753 Age at Arrest: 34 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OVER $1000) --- CLAY, DEMOND R 6907 MAHLON DR HARRISON, 37341 Age at Arrest: 19 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga EVADING ARREST POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA FOR RESALE POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA --- COE, ANTOINE LAMONTIE 1506 E 16TH CHATTANOOGA, 37406 Age at Arrest: 42 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OVER 1000) VIOLATION OF PROBATION (EVADING ARREST) FAILURE TO APPEAR --- COLEMAN, JAMIE ANN 225 DOLORES DR HIXSON, 37343 Age at Arrest: 42 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) --- DESRAVINES, JESSE 245 NW 101 ST MIAMI, 33150 Age at Arrest: 33 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE --- ELSEA, ALISHA LYNN 11381 RAILROAD ST SODDY DAISY, 37379 Age at Arrest: 32 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) --- HERNANDEZ, MANDY RENEE 628 EAST GARDEN FARM ROAD ROSSVILLE, 30741 Age at Arrest: 41 years old Arresting Agency: VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY) --- JONES, THOMAS WAYNE 1400 W 54TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37409 Age at Arrest: 26 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County FAILURE TO APPEAR --- JORDAN, JACOB ANTHONY 1721 SEQUOYAH RD SODDY DAISY, 37379 Age at Arrest: 20 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA FOR RESALE POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA REGISTRATION, IMPROPER DISPLAY OF PLATES --- LANGSTON, MADISON ASHLEE 61 RIDGEWOOD CIR CHICAMAUGA, 30707 Age at Arrest: 22 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED S --- LEE, JASON MICHAEL 1150 EAST ELMWOOD CHATTANOOGA, 37405 Age at Arrest: 44 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County SEAT BELT LAW VIOLATION DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY --- LEWIS, ZACKERY JAMES 3285 GENEAL LN CHATTANOOGA, 37406 Age at Arrest: 22 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF --- LUTTRELL, BRADLEY KYLE 10021 LOVELL RD SODDY DAISY, 37379 Age at Arrest: 25 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAM --- MANSEL, CHASTITY BROOKE 4904 13TH AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37404 Age at Arrest: 30 years old Arresting Agency: East Ridge PUBLIC INTOXICATION POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA --- MCKINLEY, TRAVIS VANNESS 8426 OAK DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37421 Age at Arrest: 49 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT --- MILLS, DOMINIQUE CORTREL 30 WILLOW LN LA FAYETTE, 30728 Age at Arrest: 27 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga DRIVING LEFT OF CENTER LINE DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE --- MOORER, KYREE DION 899 ARLINGTON AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37406 Age at Arrest: 22 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga MARIJUANA FOR RESALE POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA --- PARKER, EDWARD LEBRON 1017 N LARCHMONT AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37411 Age at Arrest: 51 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) --- PRYOR, SYLVESTER 3922 MARIGOLD DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37421 Age at Arrest: 45 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) --- REYNOLDS, MYRON T 2121 CLEVELAND AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37404 Age at Arrest: 23 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga DOMESTIC ASSAULT CONTRABAND IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS --- SHORT, ROBERT LEE 162 SPARROW DRIVE TRENTON, 30752 Age at Arrest: 29 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County THEFT OF PROPERTY --- TURNER, JAMES RYAN 515 JONES LN CHICKAMAUGA, 30707 Age at Arrest: 26 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County VIOLATION OF ORDER OF PROTECTION --- WILLIAMS, CORDELL LAWAUN 3210 6TH AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37407 Age at Arrest: 30 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County THEFT OF PROPERTY THEFT OF PROPERTY --- WOODS, FONTELLA ANDREA 2904 EAST 37TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37404 Age at Arrest: 53 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County SECOND DEGREE MURDER --- WYATT, SHAUN LEANARD 4809 ARROWHEAD TRL CHATTANOOGA, 37411 Age at Arrest: 38 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga AGGRAVATED ASSAULT DOMESTIC Here are the mug shots: BLOMBERG, KANDACE DAWN Age at Arrest: 23 Date of Birth: 11/30/1995 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA SIMPLE POSSESSION OF METH SIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA BROWN, ORVILLE LAMONT Age at Arrest: 47 Date of Birth: 09/01/1971 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): ASSAULT VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF CLARK, RICHARD BRENT Age at Arrest: 34 Date of Birth: 05/09/1984 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OVER $1000) COE, ANTOINE LAMONTIE Age at Arrest: 42 Date of Birth: 06/24/1976 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OVER 1000) VIOLATION OF PROBATION (EVADING ARREST) FAILURE TO APPEAR ELSEA, ALISHA LYNN Age at Arrest: 32 Date of Birth: 08/03/1986 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) FLERL, AMANDA LEANN Age at Arrest: 34 Date of Birth: 06/26/1984 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF ORDER OF PROTECTION OR RESTRAINING OR HERNANDEZ, MANDY RENEE Age at Arrest: 41 Date of Birth: 02/15/1978 Arresting Agency: Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY) JONES, THOMAS WAYNE Age at Arrest: 26 Date of Birth: 09/07/1992 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): FAILURE TO APPEAR LANGSTON, MADISON ASHLEE Age at Arrest: 22 Date of Birth: 04/09/1996 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED S LEE, JASON MICHAEL Age at Arrest: 44 Date of Birth: 08/21/1974 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): SEAT BELT LAW VIOLATION DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LEWIS, ZACKERY JAMES Age at Arrest: 22 Date of Birth: 09/07/1996 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF LUTTRELL, BRADLEY KYLE Age at Arrest: 25 Date of Birth: 10/18/1993 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAM MANSEL, CHASTITY BROOKE Age at Arrest: 30 Date of Birth: 02/11/1989 Arresting Agency: East Ridge Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): PUBLIC INTOXICATION POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA MCKINLEY, TRAVIS VANNESS Age at Arrest: 49 Date of Birth: 12/01/1969 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT PARKER, EDWARD LEBRON Age at Arrest: 51 Date of Birth: 06/10/1967 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) PRYOR, SYLVESTER Age at Arrest: 45 Date of Birth: 09/15/1973 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s) REYNOLDS, MYRON T Age at Arrest: 23 Date of Birth: 03/04/1996 Arresting Agency: Chattanooga Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): DOMESTIC ASSAULT CONTRABAND IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS SHORT, ROBERT LEE Age at Arrest: 29 Date of Birth: 06/20/1989 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): THEFT OF PROPERTY TURNER, JAMES RYAN Age at Arrest: 26 Date of Birth: 10/04/1992 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DOMESTIC ASSAULT) VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DOMESTIC ASSAULT) WILLIAMS, CORDELL LAWAUN Age at Arrest: 30 Date of Birth: 07/13/1988 Arresting Agency: Hamilton County Last Date of Arrest: 03/04/2019 Charge(s): LOTTERY FRAUD -THEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE) UND THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER $1,000 Officials with the Tennessee Medical Association commended Governor Lee after his State of the State address on Monday. Matthew L. Mancini, MD, FACS, Knoxville surgeon and TMA President, said, "Governor Lee TMA has long advocated for increasing graduate medical education funding in Tennessee. The amount of dollars we allocate for physician training has stayed essentially the same for 30 years while the cost and demand has steadily increased. We applaud Governor Lee for recognizing the importance of GME to improve healthcare access and quality, particularly in primary care and rural, underserved areas of the state, and for making a firm commitment in the state budget. The additional funding is a good start to help us stop exporting physicians to other states. "Healthcare remains a top priority and concern for many Tennesseans and we have a lot of issues to work on, including several the governor addressed in his speech, like expanding healthcare coverage, investing in technology, and continuing to fight the opioid epidemic without over-regulating the practice of medicine or obstructing patients from effective pain management. "Tennessees physicians look forward to working with the Lee Administration in the pursuit of high-quality, affordable healthcare for all Tennesseans." Hamilton County Schools recognized businesses, community organizations and faith-based organizations for their commitment to public education and contributions to children at the Partners In Education breakfast last Friday at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The event was sponsored by Unum and Fund for Excellence, and more than 300 gathered for the recognition. Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson spoke to the partners from across the district and shared how community partners have "positively impacted the district and the importance of continuing to engage the community in the promise for tomorrow for all children in Hamilton County Schools." The attendees also heard from three members of the Leadership Hamilton County Schools Class of 2019: Troy Brand, Orchard Park Seventh-Day Adventist Church; Kristen Pavlik McCallie, Childrens Advocacy Center and Joshua Sneideman, Learning Blade. "The group of community stakeholders has experienced Hamilton County Schools this year through regular school visits and discussions about both the successes and challenges of supporting students," officials said. We know for kids to succeed they have to be happy, they have to be safe and they have to have safe, nurturing adults in their life, said Ms. McCallie. We all need to rally behind whats happening in this school district and make sure that everyone is part of this conversation. We have a good thing here, said Mr. Brand, Talk to educators or visit a school to see what is happening, because I see the glimmer and burning desire to teach in the eyes of our teachers. "In addition to continuing the conversation about how the community and schools can work together, the event honored and recognized each partnership involved in our schools because all partnerships are vital to the success of our schools and the children we serve. Hamilton County Schools recognized eight community partners with a 2019 Outstanding Partner Award," officials said. 2019 Outstanding Partner Award recipients and comments from Hamilton County school officials: First Cumberland Presbyterian Bridge Chattanooga Program is a partner that is consistently present at Dalewood Middle School and takes the time to develop relationships with the students and community. They eat lunch with the students several times during the week and work with the school to develop and implement projects while providing support to the school in handling the logistics. In addition to the Bridge program, First Cumberland Presbyterian also helps families in need by providing resources like furniture, food, and clothing. The church also supports staff by providing lunch, adventures and lending a helping hand to make the school a happy place for students. Big Brothers Big Sisters Chattanooga is an organization that recognizes the importance of change and adaptation. With the successful launch of Beyond School Walls and First Bigs in Blue, this organization thinks of new ways to deliver their program to serve children better. While following a national model, they continue to adjust what mentorship looks like here in Chattanooga and how it is done to meet the needs of students. As a corporate partner, Unum goes far beyond financial contributions or volunteer hours. Unum serves as an active partner in providing support to public education by financially supporting not just the schools, but organizations that serve schools, families, and students. They also support efforts through student and teacher mentorships, providing meeting and event space, and even helping coordinate major events. East Brainerd Church of Christs Snack Pack Program serves almost 2,000 students each weekend from more than 14 schools. It can be embarrassing for a child or even an adult to let others know they may be experiencing hunger, said Tonya Turman, parent volunteer coordinator at Orchard Knob Middle School. The snack pack program allows any of our students the opportunity to take home a bag without feeling embarrassed. Huddle House local owner, Gregg Hansen, is a local business owner who volunteers with several schools - but not by himself - he always brings along another community business partner. The visits help his business colleagues learn more about and see the needs in schools. Hansen also uses his business to donate food to school events that engage families as well as for teacher celebrations. Northside Neighborhood House has served the North Shore community since 1924. In the last decade, Northside Neighborhood House began exploring, with Red Bank High school and both city and district leadership, how to better serve school-age children and their families. By bringing their support expertise to a partnership with Red Bank High School, NNH was able to open the districts first community school. This model of providing wrap-around support through the school building has expanded to Hixson Middle and Red Bank Middle. Northside Neighborhood House continues to work alongside district and county leadership to codify the Hamilton County way of doing community schools and to bring this model of service to schools they partner with as well as schools outside of their footprint. Last year, Greenspaces provided schools with electric car kits that student groups were able to build themselves. The hands-on learning activity provided students with unique STEM opportunity. The project also excited and engaged teachers. The electric car construction culminated in a race of their student-built electric cars at the Chattanooga Green Prix. This year, Greenspaces provided 30 schools with electric car kits and to provide professional development for the teachers along with providing a monetary stipend for the extra time the teachers spent with students working on the cars after the school day. The organization is also working to identify programming that can support families in workforce development. TN Suicide Prevention Networks Amy Dolinky was instrumental in assisting Hamilton County Schools with developing a protocol for suicide prevention. She provided support and served as a thought partner with district staff to develop the current protocol. Social-emotional wellbeing is an important focus of the district, and through this partnership, our ability to provide this support to our students and staff was strengthened. Representatives from the organization could not attend the event. Chattanooga State Community College and the Tennessee Arts Commission have joined together to co-sponsor the Unheard-of//Ensemble concert on Monday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. The Ensemble is also giving a Masterclass earlier in the day at 2 p.m. Both events will be held in the Humanities Theatre are free and open to the public. About the musicians: Ford Fourqurean (clarinet), Matheus Souza (violin), Issei Herr (cello), and Daniel Anastasio (piano) form the core of Unheard-of//Ensemble, a contemporary chamber ensemble dedicated to the development and performance of new music by living composers. With over 40 works written for them and guest performances across the United States visiting Manhattan School of Music, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Georgia State University, University of Tennessee (Knoxville and Chattanooga), along with performances ranging from Carnegie Hall to Spectrum and DIY spaces, Unheard-of has built a reputation for "scintillating and evocative" performances as well as "an enviable cache of new pieces" (Steve Smith, National Sawdust Log). Ford Fourqurean strives to bring together communities through contemporary music. He is in demand as both a freelancer and as a guest artist and clinician at universities and institutions throughout the United States. He serves as artistic director of Unheard-of//Ensemble along with many other projects connecting contemporary music with wider audiences. Ford regularly performs across New York City at venues ranging from National Sawdust, Carnegie Halls Weill Recital Hall, Rockwood Music Hall, and Spectrum to DIY spaces and house concerts. During the 2018-19 season, he will perform and present guest artist lectures with Unheard-of//Ensemble as part of their second Midwest and Southern Tours, and also tour the Midwest with Tenth Intervention and Paul Pinto in performances of Peter Maxwell Daviess Eight Songs for a Mad King. Matheus Souza is a Brazilian violinist, instructor and conductor with an eclectic musical background. His early interest in Brazilian popular music, also known as Choro, gave him tools to go beyond the strict classical training imposed in most violinists. Mr. Souza had the privilege to collaborate with masters of the genre, such as Joel Nascimento, Jaime Vignoli, Luiz Otavio Braga, and Oscar Bolao. In addition to his training in Brazilian music, Mr. Souza participated in music festivals including the Varna International Music Festival, and the Campos do Jordao Winter Festival, where he collaborated with world-renowned artists such as Kurt Masur, Alex Klein, and Antonio Meneses. Mr. Souza received a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music, where he collaborated with illustrious figures including Krzysztof Penderecki, Peter Oundjian, Robert Mealy, and Peter Frankl. Upon graduation, Mr. Souza was the first recipient of the Malcolm L. Mitchell and Donald M. Roberts Class of 1957 award for his excellence in teaching and conducting in the Music in Schools program. Cellist Issei Herr is committed to a diverse array of music both old and new, with a repertoire that ranges from the music of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Babbitt to works by Schubert, Schumann, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky. Past highlights include concerts in Mexico and New York with violinist Rolf Schulte featuring the music of Milton Babbitt, recital programs centered on the works of Robert Schumann, and a recording of the complete cello suites of Johann Sebastian Bach. An advocate for the music of our time, Issei has worked closely with composers such as Mario Davidovsky and Kaija Saariaho, and has premiered works by Eric Nathan, Roberto Sierra, and Kenji Sakai, among others. In 2016, he performed the New York premiere of Dmitri Yanov-Yanovskys Hearing Solution with Joel Sachs and the New Juilliard Ensemble. He has performed as a member of the Orchestra of the League of Composers, AXIOM, and the New Juilliard Ensemble, working with musicians such as Thomas Ades, Daniel Barenboim, David Fulmer, Louis Karchin, Fred Lerdahl, Vasco Mendonca, Jeffrey Milarsky, Shulamit Ran, Chou Wen-chung, and Du Yun. Daniel Anastasio is a soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue who combines an intellectual curiosity with technical prowess and emotional sensitivity (Rivard Report). His performance of Beethovens Piano Concerto no. 3, conducted by Leon Fleisher with the Ithaca College Chamber Orchestra, was the highlight to everyones ears, if the full-house of standing ovation were any indication (ECM reviews). Anastasio was a concerto competition finalist at Stony Brook University and Juilliard, where he won the Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship. He received fellowships to Music Academy of the West, Kneisel Hall, Tanglewood Music Center and Yellow Barn Music Festival. Anastasio is a member of Bridge Arts Ensemble, an outreach program that brings classical music to New York area public schools. He is also the co-founder and pianist for Unheard-of, an ensemble dedicated to commissioning composers and premiering their works, as well as Agarita, a piano quartet dedicated to nourishing the arts community in San Antonio, Tx. through multidisciplinary collaboration, educational community engagement, and free, adventurous programming. With his wife Erika Dohi, Anastasio also co-directs blueprints piano series in Manhattan. He currently serves as full-time faculty at San Antonio College. For more information about this event, call 423-697-2460. Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III today urged the U.S. Senate to enact the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, legislation to curb illegal robocalls and spoofing. A coalition of 54 attorneys general, led by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald and Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, sent a letter to the U. S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation supporting the TRACED Act. The legislation is sponsored by Senators John Thune and Ed Markey. In their letter, the attorneys general state that the TRACED Act enables states, federal regulators and telecom providers to take steps to combat these illegal calls. The legislation will require voice service providers to participate in a call authentication framework to help block unwanted calls and creates an interagency working group to take additional actions to reduce robocalls and hold telemarketers and robocallers accountable. More than 48 billion robocalls were made in 2018, making them the number one source of consumer complaints to the FTC and the FCC and resulting in millions in consumer losses. The state attorneys general work to enforce do-not-call laws and protect consumers in their states from being harassed and scammed by robocalls. Click here for a copy of the letter. Georgia Northwestern Technical College officials are tentatively set to begin moving into their new expansion on the Whitfield Murray Campus by May. Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) teachers from Dalton Public Schools toured the new facility that is expected to host its first full semester of classes this fall. "This year, the new facility will offer programs that will help train the future workforce of Northwest Georgia," officials said. "Industry in the region has expressed a need for programs such as chemical technology, engineering technology, precision machining and manufacturing, computer information systems technology, industrial systems technology, supply chain management and logistics and diesel mechanic technology. After breaking ground on the project in Dalton a little more than a year and a half ago, the 80,000-square foot facility on the WMC will soon be ready for the next steps. Workers will begin installing furniture, information technology resources, audio-visual resources and program equipment. The college held its first classes at the WMC in 2010 within the walls of the Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy facility. By 2016, GNTC had its own building on the property as well. The WMC student body grew to more than 1,000 students in the 2016-17 school year. GNTC now has six campuses across Northwest Georgia. Students can attend courses either online or on the Catoosa County Campus, Floyd County Campus, Gordon County Campus, Polk County Campus, Walker County Campus or Whitfield Murray Campus. Day and evening courses are offered throughout the year. Danielle Staub | Getty Images/Bryan Bedder Things seem to be happening quickly in Danielle Staubs love life. She finalized her divorce, then days later got engaged to Oliver Maier. After that they reportedly postponed their wedding, but are they still together? Here is everything you need to know. Danielle Staub and Oliver Maier got engaged while on a trip Staub and Maier took a big step after six weeks of dating. They reportedly met through a mutual friend, who he was dating. The couple gave an interview and Staub said it wasnt love at first sight between them. I quite frankly couldnt stand him when I first met him, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star told People. Hes so strong-willed, and at first, I read that as rude, and arrogant and entitled. It wasnt until I got to know him that I saw the other side. Maier talked about being the one pursuing the relationship. People dont like to take a risk, but I took a risk, he revealed. Danielles one of the smartest people Ive met. People have preconceived notions about her from reality TV, but shes a smart woman. And I was instantly attracted to that. It was first reported that Maier was also a Duke of Provence. In the interview, he claimed his family owned 15 vineyards and two castles in the South of France. They were reportedly planning to get married on March 4 The couple was reportedly going to make things official shortly after getting engaged. Their plan was to get married by the justice of the peace on March 4, and have Teresa Giudice as their witness. According to People, they planned on living in New York City and buy Staubs home for her daughters. Most likely well be spending a lot of time in France, she told People. Well be going to castles and all that, and living in Paris for a certain amount of months out of the year. Are their plans of marrying and traveling already over days after the news broke that they were engaged? They reportedly broke up and Maiers title might not matter Staub and Maier didnt get married on March 4 and there were sources that gave a few reasons why. It seems like things were moving too fast. Danielle and Oliver are temporarily postponing their wedding but are still very much engaged, a source told E! News. Danielle is going to spend a few days with her daughters recognizing this all happened very fast. Her children have always been her number one priority and that will never change. Now Us Weekly is reporting that they have broken their engagement. A source claimed that Staub and Maier went shopping for an engagement ring over the weekend, but didnt buy one. It was also previously reported that Maier is a duke, but that title might not hold much weight. Hes a descendant of the duke from around 700 years ago, an insider told Page Six. The lineage doesnt exist anymore. The title is pointless. Its unknown why the couple reportedly broken their engagement, and they have yet to officially confirm it. Read more: RHONJ: The Real Reason Danielle Staub Married Marty Caffrey Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook Despite rumors of a royal feud, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markles relationship appears to be stronger than ever, as new reports claim the Duchess of Cambridge plans to host a second baby shower for her sister-in-law in March. Following her lavish, $200,000 baby shower in New York City last month, Meghan Markle (and Baby Sussex) might get the royal treatment all over again this time on behalf of aunt-to-be, Kate Middleton. Meghan Markles baby shower Kate Middleton might host a second celebration for Meghan Markles first born. | Samir Hussein/WireImage The Duchess of Sussexs New York City baby shower might have broken royal protocol, but the queen doesnt seem bothered by it. At least, thats what we gather after reports of another baby shower surfaced. There is still going to be some sort of private baby-centric even for Meghans U.K. people, and Kate will host, a royal insider dished to Us Weekly. Heres what we know about the alleged party. It wont be as traditional as her first celebration Meghan Markles second baby shower most likely wont be as upscale or traditional as her first shower. After all, baby showers arent really a thing in the royal family. Not sure if its a total baby shower, but you could probably call it that, Us Weeklys source explained. That said, Kate Middleton comes from a party planning background (her parents own a party decor business!) so the celebration will, without a doubt, be spectacular. Kate Middleton could throw a special luncheon for the mother-to-be. | Karwai Tang/WireImage The royal family is notorious for teas and luncheons, so its likely that, if Kate Middleton is throwing a second shower for the Duchess of Sussex, she is planning something a little more casual and in the afternoon for tea time. Does Meghan Markle have a baby registry? The Duchess of Sussex might have been spoiled by friends at her New York City baby shower, but she likely wont have the same experience in the United Kingdom. Royals already view the whole baby shower tradition as somewhat tacky and think that it is inappropriate to register for gifts when they can afford to go out and by their baby goods themselves. Who is invited to Meghan Markles second baby shower? A few important people including Doria Ragland were absent from Meghan Markles baby shower in New York City. Could they be in attendance this time around? Us Weeklys source confirms that her glam people and other relatives will be there. Doria Ragland has plans for an extended United Kingdom stay this spring. And, if her trip aligns with Kate Middletons plans, she very well could join her daughter in celebration of her first grandbaby. In addition to Doria Ragland, some members of the family might attend (including Princess Eugenie, who Meghan Markle has a close relationship with). Will the queen attend? Baby showers might not be a thing in the royal family but, that doesnt mean the queen wont attend one. Kensington Palace has yet to confirm reports of a second baby shower for the Duchess of Sussex, let alone whether or not the queen will join in on her granddaughter-in-laws celebration. However, if reports are true, we cant see why not! The queen is reportedly fond of Meghan Markle and looking forward to another great-grandchild. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! The jury is still out on whether or not Prince Harry and Meghan Markle know their babys gender. But, one thing is for certain: Royal family fans wont find out whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are having a boy or girl until the little royal-to-bes spring arrival. And, they might have to wait even longer to find out what the new parents will name their firstborn. How will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle choose a baby name? Find out, ahead. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have to follow royal name rules.| Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markles baby name Everyone wants to know: What will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle call their first child? And, now, with Meghan Markles due date fast approaching, the bets are on. If the Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcome a baby girl this spring and, many believe they will the parents-to-be could decide on a handful of family names. People reported in November 2018, that many placed bets on Elizabeth, Alice, and Victoria (all of which tied for the top contender). However, new reports from Express, reveal that Diana and Victoria are now in the lead. Should Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcome a little prince this spring (reports suggest they are and that the duchess allegedly revealed the news to her friends at her baby shower), the duke and duchess have a list of options as well. The royal baby name predictions for a boy are Albert, Arthur, and Alexander, according to Peoples early reports. However, Cosmopolitan reports that Philip is also in the running, in honor of Prince Harrys almost 98-year-old grandfather and Baby Sussexs great-grandfather. Regardless of what names they decide on, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a big decision to make one that they are not allowed to make alone. How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will choose their babys name As far as we know, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might already know what they plan to call their firstborn (or, at the very least, have an idea). However, one very important thing has to happen before they make it official upon Baby Sussexs arrival. How will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry choose their babys name? First, they will need to meet with the queen. Like most anything in the royal family, there are a set of guidelines that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex must follow when they name their family one of which requires the queens approval. Even if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in love with a name which will most likely be a family name they must run it by Her Majesty first. Should the queen have a different opinion, the duke and duchess will seriously consider her name suggestions. However, they arent required to name their baby based on the queens suggestion (though her opinion does matter). Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might consider advice from Prince Charles before landing on a name. As the future monarch and their babys grandfather the Prince of Waless opinion is also important to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In addition to the queen and future king, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might have a little fun with their name selections and draw inspiration from how Prince William and Kate Middleton named Prince George. When they were pregnant with their firstborn, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge placed pieces of paper with names on the floor and had their dog, Lupo sniff them out. Lupo stopped on George and the rest is history. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are very close to their fur babies and might choose the same technique as their brother and sister-in-law. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Prince William and Kate Middleton are pros at royal tours and speaking engagements but they started out as two college kids who were dating. See a complete timeline of their relationship ahead. They meet in college Prince William and Kate Middleton both attended the prestigious St. Andrews University in Scotland. They majored in geography and art history respectively, according to Pop Sugar. ST ANDEWS, SCOTLAND JUNE 23: (NO SALES) In this Handout Image provided by Clarence House www.officialroyalwedding2011.org, Kate Middleton and Prince William on the day of their graduation ceremony at St Andrews University in St Andrews on June 23, 2005 in Scotland. (Photo by the Middleton Family/Clarence House via GettyImages) In 2002, Hello! reported that Prince William was sharing an apartment with fellow students, one of them a 20-year-old brunette, according to Elle. Three years later they graduate together. Their relationship goes public In 2004, a year before graduating from St. Andrews University, Williams relationship with Middleton goes public. While on a ski trip, the two are photographed kissing. They adjust to post-grad life After college, Middleton and William went separate ways while still maintaining their relationship. Middleton went to London to work for her parents company, Party Pieces, and later the fashion brand, Jigsaw. Meanwhile, William started military training at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England. In 2007, Middleton meets Williams family and is seen attending royal events such as the wedding of Williams stepsister, Laura Parker Bowles. They briefly break up The same year from March to July, William and Middleton break up. During that time, Middleton is known to go out on the town with friends and be pictured in the paper. Middleton later reflected on the breakup, saying, I think I at the time wasnt very happy about it, but actually, it made me a stronger personYou find out things about yourself that maybe you hadnt realized. Or I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when youre younger. I really valued that time for me as well although I didnt think it at the time, looking back on it. Middleton moves to Wales Now back together, Middleton moves to Wales in 2010 to be with William while he trains to become a search and rescue pilot for the British Royal Air Force. William proposes In October 2010, while on safari in Kenya, William proposes to Middleton. They make the news official in November 2010 when Middleton wears a now-famous blue Issa dress to match her sapphire engagement ring that was Princess Dianas. They get married Middleton and Prince William get married in April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Their titles become the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. LONDON, ENGLAND APRIL 29: Their Royal Highnesses Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge wave on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding. (Photo by John Stillwell-WPA Pool/Getty Images) One month after tying the knot, they dive headfirst into big royal duties, like welcoming President and First Lady Obama to Buckingham Palace. Before this, their first royal engagement was christening a lifeboat in February 2011. The summer after their wedding, they embark on their first royal tour to the U.S. and Canada. William and Middleton get a dog Part of settling down is getting a place together, which William and Middleton did. They got a permanent residence in Wales where they spent most of 2012 getting adjusted to married life. They adopted a dog together, an English Cocker Spaniel named Lupo. They announce pregnancy Middleton is hospitalized with morning sickness, which led to the announcement that she and William were expecting a baby. At the time Middleton wasnt even three months along. Prince George is born In July 2013, Kate and William welcome their first child, Prince George. He accompanies them on a royal tour to Australia, the same tour Prince William took as a baby. In the fall of 2014, Middleton is hospitalized with morning sickness during her second pregnancy. She and William share the news earlier than they wouldve liked. They get a family home In December 2014, they make a new home for themselves and their growing family at the queens Sandringham estate. They also keep an apartment at Kensington Palace when they have to go to London. In May 2015, they welcome their second child, Princess Charlotte. She becomes the fourth in line to the British throne. Britains Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Britains Prince George of Cambridge hold hands with their father, Britains Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, as Britains Prince Louis of Cambridge is carried by his mother, Britains Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge after his christening service at the Chapel Royal, St Jamess Palace, London on July 9, 2018. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) In August 2017, its revealed that Middleton and William are expecting their third child. Middleton suffers terrible morning sickness again and has to cancel engagements. Prince Louis is born on April 23, 2018. Prince William and Middleton will be celebrating their eighth wedding anniversary on April 29, 2019. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has announced the launch of the 'Iata Diversity & Inclusion Awards to recognise and encourage industry excellence. Three categories of leadership in gender diversity and inclusion will be awarded: Inspirational Role Model Award: Will be presented to a female (30+) who holds a senior position within the industry and who has had a significant impact on the aviation agenda through her strong contribution to business delivery, as well as her ongoing support of the gender diversity agenda. Open to all female participants in the aviation industry. High Flyer Award: Designed to recognise one of aviations under-30 female contributors who has started to develop her career and thought leadership in the industry through her inspirational work. Open to all under-30 female participants in the aviation industry. Diversity and Inclusion Team Award: Designed to recognise an airline that has seen a tangible change in their diversity as a result of the work it has been doing in diversity and inclusion. Open to all Iata member airlines. Nominations for the awards are open on the Iata website from February 26 to March 31. They will be judged by an international and independent panel of experts. The first of these annual awards will be presented at Iatas 75th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit to be held in Seoul, South Korea, from June 1-3. Aviation is the business of freedom. The essence of aviation is building a global community by connecting people, businesses and cultures across great distances. Ten million people work in the aviation industry to make this happen. It is important that this workforce reflects the amazing diversity and inclusion that it fosters in our society. By launching these awards, we want to recognise and celebrate the great work that is being done to take the industry into the future, said Alexandre de Juniac, Iatas director general and CEO. - TradeArabia News Service Everyone remembers the Jonas Brothers from the early 2000s. Nick, Joe, and Kevin had their faces plastered on the walls of teenagers all over the globe, and the world mourned their 2013 breakup. Many may also remember their adorable little brother, Frankie Jonas. Dubbed the Bonus Jonas, Frankie is considerably younger than his older brothers. Nick, the youngest of the older brothers is eight years older than Frankie. Frankie, in all his childlike adorableness, often posed for images with his older siblings and he has always been their number one fan. He still is, as is evident in a video he posted dancing to his brothers new song Sucker. But little Frankie Jonas isnt a little kid anymore. He recently turned eighteen, and has been pursuing his own career. So, fans want to know what is the fourth Jonas brother up to? Will he join the band now? Way back when, a lot of fans fell in love with Frankie Jonas and wondered why he didnt join his brothers band, too. But at the time, he was just a little too young. As of now, Frankie has just turned eighteen. Nick is now 26, Joe is 29, and Kevin is 31. This is a pretty large age gap. But now that Frankie is an adult, too, fans have begun wondering if hell join the Jonas Brothers band. Unfortunately, it doesnt appear to be that way. The Jonas Brothers reunion is, so far, slotted to be just the original three brothers. But that doesnt mean Frankie Jonas hasnt been pursuing his own career and having a life of his own. Frankie Jonas has also dabbled in music Frankie has followed in his brothers footsteps and made a career for himself in music. He is currently working with a young new artist named Alli Haber. Frankie is co-writing her songs and producing her music. Under the name Mephisto, Frankie is hoping to help produce more new young talent in the future. He also does some deejaying, in addition to his production and songwriting pursuits. Frankie Jonas has done a little acting Many fans will remember that the youngest Jonas brother made recurring appearances in the Disney television show Jonas with his older brothers. But this isnt all of the acting the young man has done. He has several other acting credits to his name. The first of these was voicing a character in the English version of Ponyo. Other acting credits include appearances in Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, The Reef 2: High Tide, and Spooky Buddies. These appearances began when he was just a young child, during his brothers hay day. School is also a priority Just because he has extremely famous older brothers and has already started a career for himself doesnt meant that Frankie Jonas is skimping when it comes to an education. The Bonus Jonas brother is currently enrolled at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. It isnt revealed, however, what he has planned to major in. Typical teenage boy hobbies Frankie Jonas doesnt appear to have allowed fame to go to his head. A look at his Instagram shows the world a very typical teenage boy. Besides music, it also appears that Frankie is into skateboarding, Samurai Swords, and snowboarding. There are a lot of pictures with both his friends and (of course) family. In addition to pictures with his brothers and their respective wives, there are also a lot of pictures of him doting on his two young nieces (Kevins children). Frankie seems to be a wonderful uncle to the tiny Jonas girls. Imagine a day when your grocery cart will scan and weigh items, alert you to sales, suggest items based on what youve already chosen, and help locate products in the store. It will then scan your credit card to check out. Heres an even-easier fantasy: You could download a free app, scan a QR code at the stores entrance, grab items off the shelves, then exit through the turnstiles. By the time youre halfway to your car, youll receive a receipt in the app. Sounds like science fiction? Its actually just science. The Wall Street Journal tells us that AI-powered shopping is already here and coming to stores nationwide this year. Will a robot drive your next taxi? Heres another fiction-to-fact story: According to Bloomberg Businessweek, robot-driven taxis will soon make travel in a driverless cab much cheaper than owning our own car. Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are making personal car ownership less attractive as well. FedEx is testing autonomous delivery robotsthat will bring products from Pizza Hut, Walmart, Walgreens, and other companies to your door. AutoZone, Lowes, and Target have also signed on to the program. An adjunct professor at Stanford School of Medicine has developed an AI-assisted mental health platform. Woebot offers flexibility for patients by being available at any hour of the day. This virtual counselor also offers anonymity that might free patients worried about how their therapist is evaluating them. And an unmanned space capsule has docked at the International Space Station. The SpaceX vessel is carrying a data-collecting test dummy named Ripley, which will monitor how traveling in the craft may affect humans in the future. The deadliest animal in history Humans can do amazing things. However, we are still finite people living in a fallen world. I just finished reading No Beast So Fierce by Dane Huckelbridge. The subtitle tells the tale: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Animal in History. A Bengal tiger was shot in the mouth by a hunter in 1900 but survived. Its injury rendered it unable to catch its normal prey, so it began hunting people. Over the next seven years, the tiger killed and ate more than four hundred people in Nepal and India. A hunter retained by the British government was finally able to kill it in 1907. Why was the Bengal tiger able to hunt humans so effectively for so long? As Huckelbridge notes, such tigers can run nearly three times faster than humans. Their bite is stronger than that of a great white shark. A single blow from their paw can decapitate a human. And they are smart, often outwitting their prey by imitating their sounds and tracking them into places where they are susceptible to attack. Tigers are not the only predators humans should fear. Mosquitoes, snakes, dogs, and tapeworms are among the animals that kill the most people worldwide. Luke Perry and Job However, if youre like most of us, youre not really afraid of Bengal tigers, mosquitoes, and tapeworms today. Our technological advances can lead us to think we are immune from mortality. If we had been living in the jungles of Nepal a century ago, the perilous nature of life would have been far more obvious to us. Even a generation ago, we would have lived in fear of polio or smallpox. But Scripture is still true: It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Science can improve our lives, but it cannot prevent our deaths. Janice Freeman, one of the most popular contestants on The Voice two years ago, died last Saturday from pneumonia and a blood clot. She was thirty-three years old. Pedestrian deaths have reached their highest level since 1990. A helicopter crashed in Kenya last Sunday, killing four American tourists and its Kenyan pilot. And television star Luke Perry died yesterday after suffering a massive stroke. Job complained that his prosperity passed away like a cloud (Job 30:15). So will ours, one day. Defeating the devil Satan wants lost people to ignore their mortality until its too late. For the devil, the safest road to Hell is the gradual onethe gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts (C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters). He wants those who reject their need for Jesus to realize they are wrong only when they stand before the Lord in judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10). The devil employs a similar strategy with Christians. He wants us to ignore the eternal peril of the non-believers we know. And he wants us to put off preparing for heaven until we arrive there. Our response should be to use the temporal to serve the eternal. How? Now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2 One: Pray urgently by name for the lost people we know, then do all we can to help them trust in Jesus. Now is the day of salvation because tomorrow is promised to no one (2 Corinthians 6:2). Two: Use our material resources and cultural influence to serve eternal souls. Such compassion echoes in heaven (Revelation 14:13) and imitates the One who came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). How Chip and Joanna Gaines helped a homeless church Church Under the Bridge is one of my favorite ministries anywhere. In 1992, Jimmy and Janet Dorrell began meeting with homeless people under the Interstate 35 bridge in Waco. Their ministry has become one of the most inclusive, transformative churches I have ever seen. Then, ironically, construction to widen the highway at their location rendered their ministry homeless. In stepped Chip and Joanna Gaines to offer the church free use of the lawn at their Magnolia Market at the Silos. The couple joined two hundred members of the congregation for worship last Sunday. The churchs website now welcomes everyone to Church Under the Bridge at the Silos. How will you use your temporary possessions to serve eternal souls today? The Dorrells and Gaineses have very different stories, but both show us what God can do with our influence when we surrender it to him. How will you use your temporary possessions to serve eternal souls today? For more from the Denison Forum, please visit www.denisonforum.org. The Daily Article Podcast is Here! Click to Listen Publication Date: March 5, 2019 Photo Courtesy: Joanna Gaines Facebook Twenty-one states said Monday they are suing the Trump administration to block a new rule that prohibits federal money from going toward family planning clinics that perform abortions or refer patients for abortions The new rule was announced in February and requires family planning clinics to have a clear financial and physical separation from abortion providers. Planned Parenthood, the nations largest abortion provider, presumably would be impacted the most. Supporters of the new run called it the protect life rule. Opponents dubbed it a gag rule. The attorneys general of New York and Oregon announced one suit involving a total of 20 states and the District of Columbia. California filed a separate suit against the rule. At issue is what is known as Title X funding. What this new rule means is that providers who receive Title X funding will have to decide whether they will refuse the funding or cave to the requirements of this new rule. Neither is a good or fair option for women and families who often have no other access to medical care, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said. Joining New York and Oregon in the suit are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. The pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, though, said the new rule is needed. For years abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood, which ends the lives of more than 332,000 unborn children a year, have treated the Title X program like their own multimillion-dollar slush fund, said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. Now, Planned Parenthoods allies are running to court to ensure taxpayers are forced to continue filling the coffers of the abortion industry. Title X funding, Dannenfelser added, is not being slashed. Contrary to pro-abortion misinformation, the Protect Life Rule does not cut Title X funding by a single dime it simply enforces the existing statute that draws a bright line of separation between abortion and family planning, she said. President Trump and [Health and Human Services] Secretary [Alex] Azar acted on the will of the American people by disentangling taxpayers from the big abortion industry. Similar regulations have already been upheld by the Supreme Court and we are confident the Trump administration will prevail. Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com. Photo courtesy: John Mark Smith/Unsplash The United States closed the doors on its consulate in East Jerusalem Monday. The consulate acted as the de facto embassy to the Palestinians, but now most of its work will be carried out from the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. Also, Consul General Karen Sasahara, who has been acting as what many describe as the de facto ambassador to the Palestinians, will be leaving Jerusalem. Critics see this as another move from the Trump Administration signaling that they want to pursue a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but State Department spokesman Robert Palladino tried to preempt concerns about a policy shift in his statement announcing the closure. This decision was driven by our global efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our diplomatic engagements and operations. It does not signal a change of U.S. policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip. Palestinian officials interpreted the decision differently. On official, Saeb Erekat, said it was the final nail in the coffin for the United States role as key peacemaker in the region. Critics also said that closing the consulate will make it more difficult for U.S. diplomats in the region to understand developments in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. They also say that it sends the message that the United States is seeking a one-state solution to the conflict over territorial disputes in Jerusalem. The Trump Administration is intent on leaving no room for doubt about its hostility towards the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights, as well as its abject disregard for international law and its obligations under the law. Palladinos statement also addressed many of the concerns expressed by those upset by the move. He said that the United States continues to take no position on final status issues, including boundaries or borders. He also said the boundaries of Israel will be the subject of negotiations between the interested parties. The Trump Administration has taken several steps over the last year that many interpret as favoring Israel over the Palestinians. It recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital and moved the embassy there. It shut down the Palestinian mission in Washington, cut funding to the United Nations agency that gives aid to Palestinian refugees, and reduced funding for humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. The Administration argued that they undertook these measures because Palestinian leaders have been hesitant to take part in peace negotiations with Israel. President Trumps son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, said last month that the United States would announce its peace plan for the region after Israels elections in April. Scott Slayton writes at One Degree to Another. Photo courtesy: Anton Mislawsky/Unsplash Counseling recommended for Bill Hybels, changes for Willow Creek after sexual misconduct investigation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An independent group convened to investigate sexual misconduct allegations against Bill Hybels, founder of the Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago, called them credible and recommended counseling for him as well as a raft of changes to improve the organizational culture at the church and Willow Creek Association, rebranded as the Global Leadership Network. The recommendations were among 15 suggestions as well as a list of conclusive points made by the Independent Advisory Group in a 17-page report released by the churchs new elder board on Thursday. Our desire is to move forward into this new season with transparency, acknowledging that truth coming to light can oftentimes be difficult and painful, the board said in a statement released with the report. The report, which paints Hybels as a flawed, hard to contain, charismatic leader, comes 10 months after his premature resignation from the multicampus megachurch on April 10, 2018. Bill Hybels verbally and emotionally intimidated both male and female employees. Over multiple decades, the Willow Creek Community Church boards were unable to provide effective oversight of Bill Hybels, the four-member IAG concluded on Feb. 26, six months after the group first convened last August. Hybels was forced to resign as lead pastor at Willow Creek Community Church after an extensive investigation published by the Chicago Tribune in March 2018 detailed a pattern of sexual misconduct allegations. Hybels denied a number of the allegations, including a consensual affair with a married woman who retracted her claims. The Tribune report also alleged a pattern of behavior against Hybels that includes suggestive comments, extended hugs, an unwanted kiss, and invitations to some female staffers to hotel rooms. Initial investigations commissioned by the church could not substantiate the allegations and the church's leadership staunchly defended Hybels. In an about-face after the scandal snowballed into a national story, Pam Orr, former chair of the church's elder board, apologized to Hybels' accusers and said after listening to some of them, "we do not believe the stories were all lies." The group of investigators that conducted extensive interviews included: Jo Anne Lyon, general superintendent emerita of The Wesleyan Church, Indianapolis, Indiana; Margaret Diddams, provost of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois; Gary Walter, past president of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Chicago; and Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals in Washington D.C. The group concluded that the collective testimony of Hybels victims is credible. The credibility of the allegations is not based on any one accusation or accuser but on the collective testimony and context of the allegations. The credibility of the allegations would have been sufficient for Willow Creek Community Church to initiate disciplinary action if Bill Hybels had continued as pastor of the church, they said. In reviewing the allegations against Hybels, the IAG suggested that the church should not take further action against him since he is retired and is no longer a pastor or employee of Willow Creek Community Church and the church no longer has disciplinary jurisdiction or authority. The investigators also noted that even though Hybels leadership flaws negatively affected his ministry at Willow Creek and the WCA, his work also resulted in blessings. While there may be negative residual effects in the corporate culture of WCCC and the WCA, the corporate culture issues were primarily related to the presence and leadership of their shared founder and are not necessarily pervasive in the future of the church and association, the IAG noted while laying the dysfunction in the two ministries on Hybels shoulders. Some may choose to discount or discredit the past blessings of God on Willow Creek Community Church, the Willow Creek Association, pastoral leadership, past elders and Bill Hybels because of specific words and actions in 2018 and before. Mistakes and sins should not be denied or forgotten but neither should Gods blessings and the faithfulness of Gods people, the group urged. Hybels benefits from a legally binding retirement agreement initiated in 2012 with the Willow Creek Community Church that will conclude in 2020, the report revealed. The IAG recommended that he return any possible financial resources that were provided to him by the church or the WCA to support his ministry after his retirement agreement has ended. He was also urged to seek independent counsel at his discretion to address his failings highlighted in the report. The counsel sought should be outside of WCCC and the WCA. This should be at his discretion, with his initiative and at the time he chooses, the IAG said. The group further suggested that Willow Creek design and make available a reconciliation process to provide hope and healing for broken relationships. The church was also encouraged to create criteria to provide financial assistance for counseling or other resources for women and men who were directly harmed by their interactions with Hybels. It was also suggested that Willow Creek should maintain a third-party off-site hotline to report misconduct with reports going to the elders or a designated committee of the elders and to a staff department designated by the elders, among other things. In their statement on the report Thursday, Willow Creeks elder board noted that every effort was made to ensure that the investigation was truly independent. None of the four members of the IAG worked for or had formal ties to Willow Creek Community Church or the WCA. The IAG did not seek direction or opinions from Willow Creek Community Church or the WCA in this process. The expenses for the work of the IAG were funded by an external anonymous donor, and IAG members were not compensated for their time. Their work was truly independent, the elders said. As a new Elder Board, we ask for your prayers and patience as we process this report and prepare appropriate responses and actions. We commit to honor and respect the work of the IAG and the entirety of their report, the elders continued. While we cannot change the events of the past, we grieve what has happened, ask for forgiveness, and commit ourselves to pursuing healing and reconciliation. Responding to the release of the report Thursday, the WCA also noted in a statement that they were grateful for the work of the IAG and would be reviewing the recommendations over the next few days. We receive and accept the conclusions and counsel shared with humility, and with a desire to live into the next steps outlined in the report. We regret the pain that has been caused by past mistakes and believe these directives and information can offer a way forward that allows for acknowledgement, amends and healing, the organization said. Our plan is to spend the next few days in reflection, processing and prayer on the recommendations included in the report in order to determine appropriate next steps and direction that we will communicate to our staff, partners and broader community, the statement added. Gospel for Asia settles class-action lawsuit, maintains it did 'not act fraudulently' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Gospel for Asia, one of the largest international ministries, has reached a $37 million settlement to a class-action lawsuit that accuses the nonprofit of mishandling hundreds of millions in donations designated to be used in the mission field worldwide. The ministry, founded by K.P. Yohannan over 40 years ago, was accused in the lawsuit filed in 2015 of racketeering, fraud, and financial mismanagement. Among other concerns, Yohannan and his associates were accused of using donations earmarked for charitable purposes within its mission fields to build personal residences and a headquarters in Texas. The organization has throughout the yearslong legal battle maintained that it didnt fraudulently use funds. GFA has labeled the claims false. Nonetheless, GFA was expelled from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and the National Religious Broadcasters after financial accountability concerns were voiced. On Thursday, GFA announced that the class-action lawsuit that has threatened the ministrys survival will soon come to a close. The lawsuit is being resolved through a settlement agreement between the parties, according to the preliminary approval application filed in federal court. According to GFA, the settlement procedure was ordered by the court in an attempt to satisfy the plaintiffs concerns before the scheduled trial. Although GFA will ultimately pay $37 million as part of a settlement fund, some of which will have to be raised over the course of the next year, GFA stresses that the settlement is not an acknowledgment of guilt. Additionally, the settlement does not admit any liability or wrongdoing whatsoever. The agreement reads in part that [GFAs] position is that the evidence demonstrates (i) all funds designated to the field were sent to the field and used for ministry purposes; and (ii) no Individual Defendant, as defined herein, received any improper personal gain or enrichment from or related to donated funds. The language of the agreement seems to refute a claim reported in the media last year that as little as 13 percent of donations to GFA make it to the mission field. The settlement states: The parties also mutually stipulate that all donations designated for use in the field were ultimately sent to the field. For three long years, our ministry wondered more often than Id like to admit if we would survive this ordeal, Yohannan said in a statement. We are so incredibly thankful for the prayers and the ongoing support of our many faithful friends and partners. We look today toward the future with optimism in our hearts being confident of this one thing: that He who began a good work in [us] will continue to perfect it. Johnnie Moore, the founder of the evangelical public relations firm The KAIROS Company, said as an acting spokesperson that GFA did not act fraudulently" and that "all the donations they received made it to the field. And one of the big four auditing companies is managing the analyzing and accounting of donations to the field. The agreement to settle was, in part, precipitated by a concern that the ministry could continue to bear the weight of defending itself," Moore, who also serves on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. He added that the agreement equates to GFA essentially refunding donations. "Class action lawsuits are enormous burdens for large, for-profit companies," Moore stated. "So one needs just to imagine the weight of an action like this against a not-for-profit organization. The good news is that the lessons learned from this burdensome series of events will make the ministry stronger. The settlement agreement stipulates that approximately 200,000 GFA donors will be eligible to receive a portion of the agreed upon settlement. The ministry hopes that those who receive these funds will simply turn around and donate the same amount of money to another worthwhile ministry, Moore explained. Their desire is only for the Lords work to be done. Also as part of the settlement negotiation, GFA proposed offering a seat on the board of directors to one of the plaintiffs that brought the lawsuit against the organization. GFA also retained one of the big four accounting firms to objectively analyze the flow of GFA donations to the mission field. Additionally, GFA is undergoing annual audits and will continue to undergo annual audits conducted by the CPA firm Payne, White and Schmutz. And separate annual audits by Payne of GFA have come back clean. GFA will also seek to regain membership with accrediting bodies and associations that it lost. If Gospel for Asia seeks to reapply for membership in National Religious Broadcasters, we will evaluate all relevant information, including the settlement agreement, to determine if the organization is in compliance with our financial accountability standards, NRB executive vice president and chief operating officer Troy Miller told CP in a statement. CP reached out to ECFA for comment for this article. A response is pending. In September 2015, ECFA sent GFA a letter highlighting 17 concerns with how GFA conducts its financial affairs. Moore told CP that GFA was well on its way to satisfying many of those concerns listed by ECFA prior to the litigation and has continued in those efforts throughout. "The legal case has further prepared them to complete that process," Moore explained. "The organization is confident it can meet the criteria necessary for membership again in accrediting bodies like the NRB, once they choose to pursue it." Among the concerns highlighted by ECFA was the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars in excess cash was being held in GFA partner field accounts in India. ECFA also criticized how delayed GFA was in sending donated funds to the mission fields. The level of urgency communicated in GFA donor appeals contrasted with reserves held by foreign field partners and delays in sending funds to the field, the ECFA letter explains. Another concern ECFA had was over the fact that GFAs foreign field partners were completely independent organizations. Therefore, GFA could not exercise any direct control over field partners. ECFA criticized GFA for using nearly $20 million in donations that were restricted to field use to build a new headquarters in Wills Point, Texas. The funds were gifted to GFA by GFA India. However, the funds gifted by GFA India were originally received by GFA to be used exclusively in the mission field. ECFA also voiced concerned about GFAs use of trip participants to carry hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the U.S. into India without reporting it to the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally, GFA did not have a foreign grant process in place to oversee the use of funds, according to ECFA. But in 2015, GFA instituted a new foreign grant process that was developed with the assistance of a new audit firm. Thus far, all audits have come back clean. Husband and wife co-pastors are trending, but scholars dispute whether its biblical Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Its been some seven years now since Pastor Marty Anderson and his wife Robin have been serving together as co-pastors of Commonwealth Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, and everything, he says, has been copacetic. Its equal, he recently told The Christian Post about the power-sharing leadership structure between him and his wife. We also have a church council that helps lead the church as well. So when we have different ideas about the church, its not just us. We dont have authority over the whole church. Our church is made up of a lot of leaders and a lot of leaders have to input and this Baptist church makes all the decisions for itself. They make the decisions of what pastors they want to have. They make the decision of how much we are going to budget. We give them direction and we help them and if we disagree on something we take it to our church council and we all work at it, he said. Marty doesnt see himself as having any greater authority over Robin when it comes to leadership of the church and she likewise has no authority over him at the progressive Baptist church. Neither one of us has authority over each other. Were more like a team, he said. I dont have authority over her. I dont make her cover her head. I dont make her be silent and she doesnt expect, demand anything from me. A few months ago, John Gray of Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina, who is listed with his wife Aventer as senior pastors on the churchs website called her a covering. I married a woman two sizes too big. I have to grow into Aventer. Shes a coat. I still cant fit her. Shes bigger than me and shes had to cover me while I grow up. I gotta grow into her. Shes a covering, not a lid. Because if a man marries a lid shell stop your dream. But if you marrying a covering, shell push you to your destiny. Let me tell you something, my wife has endured more pain birthing me than both of our children. She has sacrificed these last eight years, uncovering the painful areas of my manhood and covering the areas that could have exposed me, he said in an interview on Sister Circle last fall. While husband and wife co-pastoring teams like the Andersons and the Grays have been trending slowly at least over the last decade as a viable form of church leadership, theology experts dispute whether the model is supported by Scripture. Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Jason K. Allen, a Southern Baptist who is also a professor of preaching and pastoral ministry, argues that the Bible does not support that model of church leadership. You typically see that co-pastor set-up in more charismatic churches. In the SBC, you really never see the co-pastor setup when the co-pastor means that the wife would be preaching as well as exercising some sort of leadership, directional authority with the congregation, he told CP. Pastors wives, he said, are more likely to be functioning as an extension of the pastors work in areas such as hospital visits, discipling women and working as counselors. He said the confessional statement of the SBC, which is the largest Protestant denomination in America, encompassing more than 45,000 churches, speaks to the office of the pastor or the lead elder being reserved to qualified men only. And that voice, that conviction, is taken explicitly from Scripture in places like I Timothy 3: 1-7, Titus 1: 6-9, he said. These two essential New Testament passages he said, speak the most clearly about who qualifies as a pastor or elder. Its not a point that any man is qualified and any woman is not qualified to be a pastor. Rather, the Apostle Paul goes to great lengths, spelling out the qualifications not just being a man but a one woman man, not just being a man whos only been married one time but a man whose heart and life is devoted only to his wife. Theres a whole list of character qualifications there, he said. If you were to ask me in short why the Southern Baptists do not have husband and wife co-pastors its because the Southern Baptists believe (according to Scripture) that the office of the pastor, of a senior pastor, of an elder is reserved for qualified men only, he said. Churches that use a co-pastoring model that lifts wives up to act as leaders are acting contrary to Scripture, he argued. I would say churches that do that are taking a step beyond what Scripture permits, what Scripture calls us to and theyre choosing to operate in a way that is contrary to I Timothy 3, Allen said. He pointed out that more progressive denominations are not looking toward the New Testament for specific words of instruction that defines who is a minister. He also noted that some would note that Pauls advice against women in leadership was a first century cultural expectation. He argued, however, that the guidance isnt limited to the first century and that Paul himself roots his argument not in the first century but in the creative order of Genesis 1 and 2. Thats where Paul takes his argument in I Timothy 2. He takes it back to Genesis and to the creative order. People often misunderstand what evangelicals, Southern Baptists do and practice. Sometimes that leads to stereotypes and caricatures. The Bible believes in honoring women. The Southern Baptist Convention believes in honoring women. We have women in a whole host of roles. Im president of a seminary. A significant portion of our student body is female. About 1/3 of our student body is females preparing for positions in ministry. But that step to be elder or to be pastor or co-pastor he could not support. We dont mandate what they can or cannot do after they graduate, Allen noted. Female students at the seminary, he said, are informed about what they can expect in Southern Baptist and other evangelical churches. Wed be doing a disservice to our students if we said come study, spend a bunch of money on your degree and be ready to pastor a church when you graduate. Wed be misrepresenting to our female students what they should expect after graduation, he said. Most of the female students he knows at the seminary, he said, are studying to be missionaries, counselors or other ministry roles within the confines of their understanding of Scripture. They are not really studying for that pastoral leadership role, Allen said. The Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, professor of Christian Ethics at the Howard University School of Divinity and senior pastor of the Third Street Church of God in Washington, D.C., challenged Allens argument that the Bible doesnt support women in pastoral roles by pointing to the example of first century Christian husband and wife missionary couple, Aquila and Priscilla. They were a clergy couple that worked alongside Paul the Apostle. And the Bible says Aquila and Priscilla, they were together, they had the same vocation as Paul. Paul spoke very highly of them. When Apollos came preaching, he was a little erroneous in his preaching. It was Priscilla who pulled him aside and corrected him, mentored him and shepherded him to a better way of preaching, Sanders said. The office of pastor is biblical, pastor is a shepherd. Not all the ways that we identify pastors, elevate pastors, employ pastors are biblical but the concept of a shepherd who teaches and nurtures the flock, thats what a pastor is. A pastor, in my view, is not necessarily male or female. It is just a person who has the gift and the charisma, if you will, and the authority of the congregation to do that work of shepherding, she argued. She noted, however, that in many black churches, the idea of the pastors wife being referred to as first lady has complicated the true leadership roles that women can play in churches. A woman, she argued, should not be treated as a pastor simply because she is married to one. The complication is how we deal with marriage and ministry. And [in] many of our black churches, we have developed this notion of first lady. And so the wife of the pastor is the first lady of the church. But first lady nomenclature comes from the White House. The president of the United States always has a wife, at least historically Somehow in the black church we decided that we wanted to give a title to the wife of the pastor we call first lady. I think co-pastor sometimes is just an evolution of that, [saying] OK, were going to give her a higher title, make her the co-pastor. Heres my problem: if that woman is called to ministry and has the gift and the equipping to be a shepherd, there is no problem. But if she just has that position earned through the pastor then I see it in the same light as I see the first lady. Its just something from the culture and people approve of it, and its a category that they want to identify with, Sanders said. I would prefer that the co-pastor be authorized or ordained, credentialed, trained, equipped and given her assignment on the merits that she brings to the leadership position and not just by virtue of being the pastors wife." She strongly opposed the Southern Baptist interpretation of women in leadership. I disagree with the whole Southern Baptist system on women in leadership. I think that your gender does not determine your eligibility to be a pastor. I believe if you are a co-pastor its because you are qualified to be a pastor whether youre married or not and not just by virtue of the fact that you are married, that qualifies you to be a co-pastor; I dont agree with that, she said. Anderson argued that the SBCs interpretation of women in leadership is driven by their literal interpretation of the Bible, noting that it isnt a rule book. The Southern Baptists read the Bible literally, and it has commandments but its not a rule book. Its a book of faith and there are many stories of women, who have had the faith and followed Jesus, and have ministered to others, Anderson said. Even Jesus whole ministry was really financed with women. Ive always looked at the Bible as where there is timeless information, then there is timed constructed information and a lot of that is cultural. Titus and Timothy, Paul was just telling Timothy this is how it has worked. Its not saying that we dont believe that women cant be, that homosexuals cant be. We are an open and affirming church and we believe that everybody is loved by God and is worthy of being loved by God, and is worthy to minister to people. And thats Baptist principles right there, is called the Saints of believers. We believe that everybody has a responsibility to be a minister in Baptist churches, Anderson said. Robin and I, we work together. She has a perspective about God that I do not have so we believe that this can only benefit us. It cant hurt us. It doesnt mean that Gods gonna like send us to hell or anything. We look at the Bible as a book of faith, not as a bunch of rules, he said. Southern Baptist Churches, there are no women pastors and the wives are there and their role is to support the ministry of the pastor. That is not what were about. Robin ministers to different people in our congregation than I do because some people are more drawn to Robin than myself, and then the other people come to me for pastoral care, spiritual guidance and I totally support everything she does but we both have the same roles and we support each other in those roles, Anderson noted. Despite the growing trend of husband and wife co-pastors and women in more leadership roles in some churches, Allen argues that he doesnt see the SBC shifting their position on women in leadership in the next 20-30 years. The church in every generation, every age faces a challenge of how we engage the culture, how do we impact the culture, how do we influence the culture without the culture influencing us. Thats a perennial challenge. I dont think the SBC is going to turn inside out over the next 20 years over this gender issue because we are so clearly defined confessionally, he said. I do think churches, denominations that dont know what they believe, they will be more secular more open to female pastors. He noted, however, that churches that become more secular are dying pretty rapidly. I dont think the antidote to secularization is to be more secular for the church. I think the churchs responsibility is to be prophetic, look to Scripture, to be gracious, humble and loving to our neighbors and be a loving but truthful witness to our neighbors. I think thats more of a winning combination, he said. Scammers posing as pastors: Churches nationwide issue urgent warning Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Scams in which local pastors are impersonated in order to trick their congregants out of hundreds of dollars has permeated communities across the nation. Scammers impersonating trusted pastors have fooled a number of victims nationwide. As churches are speaking out about the trend, one state government is warning that the scammers may be using information available on church websites to get a leg up on tricking faithful churchgoers. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a consumer alert on Friday regarding persons who allege to be pastors and priests who text or email members of various churches asking them to buy gift cards that will benefit a charitable cause. The warning from Paxton comes as several churches in his state and other states have been targetted by the scam. According to a press release from Paxtons office, a number of Texans have received deceptive texts from people pretending to be pastors of their churches. The scammers request that the recipients of the texts buy gift cards and send them the access codes. Although the scammers claim gift cards are needed to give to cancer patients, the scammers tell the victims that they can not physically pick up the gift card and that the purchaser will be reimbursed if they send access codes through text or email after purchasing. The Texas attorney generals office believes that scammers are using information found on churches website or in churches online bulletins to trick members of the church. All Texans should be aware of unsolicited calls and texts from scammers impersonating leaders in their Church, Paxton said in a statement. This is a dirty trick criminals are using to make a quick buck at the expense of people of faith. In North Carolina, a similar scam has penetrated the inboxes of churchgoers in several congregations. In Greenville, one churchgoer was tricked out $500. In Gaston County, at least one member of Venture Church was scammed out of $300. According to WITN, the initial email that parishioners received by someone they thought was their pastor asked them for a very important favor. After the congregant responds, a second email from the imposter pastor reads: "I urgently need to get a Google Play gift card for a cancer patient that I promised her as a birthday gift, but I can't do this right now. Can you get it from any store around you? I'll make sure it's refunded tomorrow. While some scammers have asked for Google Play gift cards, others have asked for iTunes gift cards. Pastor Chris Hopkins of Reimage Church in Winterville was one of the pastors that scammers impersonated. "You know people look for people with a heart to give, and so I guess churches are a pretty prime target for something like this," Hopkins told WITN. Ignite Pastor Jason Lineberger told the news outlet that his congregants who were initially fooled by the scam realized something fishy was up when the scammer impersonating the pastor asked for even more money after they had already received the gift card. [T]hey realized this is weird, this is not right and they called our offices," Lineberger explained. In the Birmingham, Alabama area, at least five churches there were targeted. Jason McCrory, the administrator at Bluff Park United Methodist Church, told ABC33/40 that this type of scam is not all that new for his congregation as these types of scams come in waves. "We thought it had died down, but starting here at the beginning of the year, they've come back in full force, with new tactics somewhat, McCrory was quoted as saying. In the past, they'd come pretending to be a pastor and reach out to the staff members inside of the church. The Catholic Diocese of Rochester in Western, New York says that about a dozen of its priests have been impersonated by scammers. A 73-year-old woman in the diocese says she bought about $500 worth of iTunes gift cards that she thought would go to a cancer patient. After sending the scammer the code for the gift card, she was asked for more gift cards to help another sick friend, according to WHAM. At least four Catholic Churches in Omaha, Nebraska were also targeted. "It's someone who obviously knows that parishioners will come to the assistance of their pastor," Tim McNeil, chancellor of the archdiocese, told KETV. "So, they're taking advantage of that emotion and that affection and that relationship." In Lexington, Kentucky, Pastor Matt Falco of Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church is warning his congregants to be more careful before giving to someone online. A number of his congregants received an email from a scammer pretending to be him. In North Carolina, Hopkins warned that most churches have established methods for members to give to the church, such as giving checks during Sunday services and donating through the churchs website. It is rare to see a church ask for a donation through personal email. If you are going to give to your church the ways to do that are the ways your church communicates to you on a regular basis," Hopkins said. "If they have something set up on their website, online or in a dedicated app, that you can use. Or just by giving by being here on Sunday morning. Really those are the best ways." Churches that have been targeted have instructed congregants to call and verify donations before giving to a suspicious person online. I think everyone should be aware of any email, text or phone call, Chris Mintz, associate pastor at Venture Church in Dallas, North Carolina, told The Gaston Gazette. They should always double check and try to verify what theyre going to send their money to. Cold case detective: I'm a Christian because of 'data', not 'because it works for me' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A detective and former atheist who specializes in dealing with cold cases professed that he's a Christian because of the data in the Bible and not because it works for me. J. Warner Wallace, a former homicide cold case detective and senior fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, gave a presentation Saturday as part of an apologetics conference held at Lakes Free Church in Lindstrom, Minnesota. After describing the various arguments in favor of the reliability of the Gospels from a cold case detective's perspective, Wallace told those gathered that it was the evidence that directed him to Christianity rather than hitting a personal low. When you ask me why are you a Christian? I try to be careful about this. Im not a Christian because it works for me. Im not. Im a Christian because of all this data, he said, pointing to a slide that outlined his earlier points. Wallace described how various methods connected to cold case investigations could be used to vindicate the Bible. These included analyzing the witness testimonies of the Gospel writers and the extent to which they changed over time. Or in this case, the lack of change of the Gospel accounts over the years. I didnt have something that I was trying to fix when I became a Christian. I had a great life before becoming a Christian. I know a lot of people have transformation stories. I get that. But I wasnt drinking and carousing and beating my wife and then Jesus cleaned up my life. That was not my story. He went on to explain that he and his wife, Susie, were married in 1979 and were together for 18 years before either of them converted. They've been wedded 22 more years since then. If you ask Susie which of those two brackets was easier, she will always tell you the first 18 was easier, Wallace said. Why? Because its easy to throw the dart against the wall and just go draw the bullseye wherever the dart lands. And that was our life the first 18 years. Now the target is pre-drawn and its a high standard. Wallace also talked about how important it was to have a relationship of some kind with the people he's trying to reach with his arguments, saying that it's about truth in the context of relationship. Im not just going to bang this out on Twitter and expect you to go oh, Im changed now. Its a relationship, continued Wallace. Wallace was the author of multiple books, most notably Cold Case Christianity, in which he uses the methodology of a cold case detective to argue that the Gospel accounts of Jesus life are valid. Tim Barnett of Stand to Reason, another speaker at the apologetics conference, gave a speech on Friday evening about why evil exists in the world. Its not surprising that the problem of evil has produced more atheists and skeptics and agnostics probably than any other challenge, said Barnett. The problem of evil remains a question on the minds of many people, including Christians. Were not to asking questions like why so much evil in the world? Barnett added that, if anything, the existence of evil vindicates the argument that there is a God, as it points to a higher moral law, which would have required a moral lawgiver. This echoes what is commonly known as the Moral argument for the existence of God, which Got Questions noted had a basis when looking at the human race. In support of the moral argument, we see that even the most remote tribes who have been cut off from the rest of civilization observe a moral code similar to everyone else's, stated the website. Although differences certainly exist in civil matters, virtues like bravery and loyalty and vices like greed and cowardice are universal. If man were responsible for that code, it would differ as much as every other thing that man has invented. Barnett told the conference attendees that many atheists try to make these moral arguments against God, all the while they need God to make their case. Im not saying you cant know right and wrong, good and evil, my argument is that you cant ground it. You have no basis for your morality, continued Barnett. Atheists can know objective morality while denying theres a God, the Author of morality. But there would be no morality, objective morality, in the first place to know unless God exists. Oman budget carrier SalamAir has launched non-stop flights from Muscat to Alexandria, Egypt. The first direct flight landed in Borg El Arab International Airport on 20:15 local time on March 2, marking the airlines first destination in Egypt. SalamAir OV527, operated by an Airbus A320neo, departed Muscat International Airport following a special celebration ceremony commemorating the debut of this route. The ceremony was attended by Mohammed Ahmed Fahmi Ghoneim, ambassador of Egypt to Oman, alongside Captain Mohamed Ahmed, chief executive officer of SalamAir, and other dignitaries. The inaugural flight was also welcomed in Alexandria by Egyptian officials and dignitaries. Celebrating the first direct flight between both cities, SalamAir also held a special event in Alexandria with the participation of tourism and travel partners, as well as a host of local aviation industry representatives. Ghoneim said: Connecting Alexandria with Muscat will further grow and strengthen the longstanding and historical relationship between Oman and Egypt. We have enjoyed generations of fruitful collaboration on a multitude of fronts whether political, social, cultural and of course trade between both our countries. This move provides convenience for the Egyptian community living in Oman and travelling back and forth to Egypt, while we also look forward to welcoming Omani tourists to enjoy Egypts well-known charm and hospitality. Captain Mohamed Ahmed said: The inaugural flight to the historical Mediterranean city of Alexandria is another step forward in our strategy to offer travellers convenience, flexibility and reliability in their travel experience. We are the first Omani carrier to fly directly to Alexandria, our second destination in Africa after Khartoum. This new route will allow travellers the opportunity to either fly directly to Muscat or beyond to any of our growing network of destinations in the region. We promise them competitive prices and consistent levels of customer service on board our top of the line fleet of A320neo aircraft. Starting March 2, SalamAir will operate direct flights to Alexandria three times a week and daily flights starting May 1. Flights will depart from Muscat at 20:35 and arrive in Alexandria at 23:45. Return flights will depart Alexandria at 00:30, arriving in Muscat at 06:55. Return tickets to Alexandria are now available at special promotional fares. - TradeArabia News Service Colorado drops case against Christian baker Jack Phillips for refusing to make transgender cake Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Colorado has announced they are dropping their litigation against Christian baker Jack Phillips for his refusing on religious grounds to make a transgender cake. Soon after receiving a favorable ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court last year on whether he could refuse to make a same-sex wedding cake, Phillips again found himself in legal trouble for refusing to make a cake celebrating a gender transition. In an announcement released Tuesday, the state office explained that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission will voluntarily drop its case against Phillips; in return, Phillips will end his federal lawsuit against the state. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose office was representing the commission, said in a statement on Tuesday that both sides agreed it was not in anyones best interest to move forward with these cases. The larger constitutional issues might well be decided down the road, but these cases will not be the vehicle for resolving them, stated Weiser. Equal justice for all will continue to be a core value that we will uphold as we enforce our states and nations civil rights laws. Kristen Waggoner, the Alliance Defending Freedom attorney who argued on behalf of Phillips before the Supreme Court, said in a statement that she considered the mutual dropping of cases to be great news for everyone. The state of Colorado is dismissing its case against Jack, stopping its six and a half years of hostility toward him for his beliefs, stated Waggoner. Tolerance and respect for good-faith differences of opinion are essential in a diverse society like ours. They enable us to peacefully coexist with each [other]. Last June, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission that Colorado violated Phillips First Amendment rights when the state punished him for refusing to bake a custom cake for the wedding of Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig in 2012. "When the Colorado Civil Rights Commission considered this case, it did not do so with the religious neutrality that the Constitution requires," wrote then Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy for the majority. "Given all these considerations, it is proper to hold that whatever the outcome of some future controversy involving facts similar to these, the Commission's actions here violated the Free Exercise Clause; and its order must be set aside." Last year, a Colorado lawyer requested that Phillips make a cake celebrating a gender transition, with the exterior of the cake meant to be blue while the interior would be pink. Phillips also got requests to make cakes celebrating Satan, marijuana, and sexually explicit imagery, with some of these requests reportedly also coming from the lawyer. Phillips sued the commission and the state of Colorado when the former argued that the bakers refusal to make the gender transition cake was discriminatory. In January, Judge Wiley Y. Daniel of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado issued an order allowing Phillips suit to continue. Firefighters praise God after not 1 Bible is burned in fire that destroyed church Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Members of the Coal City Fire Department in West Virginia acknowledged Gods power Sunday after a devastating fire burned down a local church but failed to destroy any of the Bibles inside. Picture this, a building so hot that at one point in time, firefighters had to back out. In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes. Not a single Bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!! Not a single firefighter was hurt! Prayers for the pastor and the congregation today, the fire department wrote in a post on Facebook about the fire that destroyed the Freedom Ministries Church early Sunday morning. Firefighters say they were dispatched to the scene of the fire in Grandview, West Virginia at about 12:58 a.m. on Sunday to assist the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department. Though odds were against us, God was not, the department said. The Christian Post reached out to Freedom Ministries for comment on the fire Tuesday but officials did not immediately respond. In a statement on Facebook, shared along with a photo of what appears to be smoke billowing from the burning church, the ministry vowed to rebuild. We have a heavy heart this morning, our church had a fire last night. We will have to rebuild but we will be OK. We will fight the enemy and not let him hold us down. We are coming back from Shabbach be at the church at 6-6:15 p.m. Please join us in prayer. We want to rally together and pray for Pastor Phil and Candice, the statement said. in the midst of the smoke you can see Jesus. He was there with us! FREEDOM MINISTRIES IS UNDONE WE ARE NOT FINISH!!! The post from the Coal City Fire Department has since gone viral prompting more than 3,000 comments and nearly 40,000 shares on Facebook. Out of every structure fire I have responded to in the past 20 years, not one Bible has burned, they might have smoke damage or charred around the edges but you could still read every page. We gave the owners back a lot of Bibles over the years. It just goes to show that God's word is more powerful than the devil's fire and fury no matter how hot it gets. God was watching over all you guys last night, and every fire call yall go on, wrote Dean Vandall in the most popular comment on the post which had attracted nearly 7,000 reactions as of Tuesday morning. Erin Hoover, who has worked as a volunteer firefighter, said she, too, has had a similar experience with a Bible in a major fire. I was a responding vol. firefighter on 9/11 to Flight 93 in Shanksville, Somerset County. We were walking in the woods yelling for survivors, and looking for the wreckage, when we got on scene. We found wallets and papers, blowing in the wind that were charred and burnt. Unreadable. We did, however, find a Bible. Untouched. Completely readable. I dont talk much about responding that day, but felt compelled to share my story too. I have PTSD from that call. But youre right. God is with us on those bad calls, those bad days. You just have to look up, she noted in the second most popular comment on the post. Justice Kavanaugh raises concern over NJ Supreme Court decision excluding churches from preservation grants Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh argued in an opinion Monday that a decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court last year that barred churches from participating in grant programs for historic preservation is in serious tension with this Courts religious equality precedents. The petitioners here argue that the States exclusion of religious buildingsbecause they are religiousfrom Morris Countys historic preservation program constitutes unconstitutional discrimination against religion in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, Kavanaugh wrote. The New Jersey Supreme Court concluded that the States discrimination did not violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments. In my view, the decision of the New Jersey Supreme Court is in serious tension with this Courts religious equality precedents, he argued. At some point, this Court will need to decide whether governments that distribute historic preservation funds may deny funds to religious organizations simply because the organizations are religious. Kavanaughs opinion, which was joined by Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch, came even as he sided with his colleagues on the bench to not hear the case on whether Morris County in New Jersey could allow churches to participate in grant programs for historic preservation. He argued that the Supreme Courts decision not to hear the case was appropriate because the factual details of the Morris County program are not entirely clear. He also noted that the law still needs development on the question of whether governments may exclude religious organizations from general historic preservation grants programs. The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled last April that the use of taxpayer dollars to fund church repair projects that support religious activities is unconstitutional, even for historic preservation. The decision came after a longstanding legal battle between the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Wisconsin-based atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation. Through its taxpayer-funded historic preservation trust fund, Morris County had granted $4.6 million to a dozen churches, the oldest of which dates back to 1740, that used the money to repair stained glass windows with religious imagery, slate roofs, building towers and ventilation systems, according to NJ.com. Since at least 2015, the FFRF has sued to stop Morris County freeholders from awarding grants to historic churches for restoration or repairs by arguing that it violates Article I, paragraph three of the state constitution that reads, in part: "Nor shall any person be obliged to pay tithes, taxes or other rates for building or repairing any church or churches, place or places of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry, contrary to what he believes to be right or has deliberately and voluntarily engaged to perform." In a statement Monday, the FFRF celebrated the Supreme Courts decision to not hear the case. This is a big triumph for the rights of hardworking New Jersey folks, FFRF Co-President Dan Barker said. The Supreme Court made the right call in refusing to jettison the basic tenets of our Constitution. The organization pushed back against the two reasons offered in the opinion by Kavanaugh, Alito and Gorsuch for turning down the case by arguing that they mischaracterized it. First, they stated that the courts refusal to hear the case was appropriate because the factual details of the Morris County program are not entirely clear. However, the facts of this case are actually clear and have never been in dispute, the FFRF said. The organization also argued that the New Jersey Supreme Courts decision did not require discrimination against religious organizations. In fact, Morris County provides funds to church-owned secular historic buildings and even to historic churches that are not in use as houses of worship. Such funding was neither challenged by FFRF nor prohibited by the New Jersey Supreme Court, the group said. The U.S. Supreme Court decision will save New Jersey taxpayers many millions of dollars and protects the religious liberty of all New Jersey residents. Becket, a religious liberty law firm which represented Morris County, has argued that historic preservation serves a secular purpose. Time does not discriminate, said Diana Verm, legal counsel at Becket, earlier. It takes its toll on all our historic structures, secular and religious alike. "The county should not be forced to discriminate by favoring secular sites in its preservation efforts. Sunday school teacher's husband, stepdaughter arrested for her murder, made up panhandler attack: police Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Months after the husband and stepdaughter of beloved Sunday school teacher and professional engineer Jacquelyn Smith claimed she was fatally stabbed by a panhandler, Baltimore police announced Sunday that they have arrested the father-daughter duo for the crime. Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the late Sunday School teachers widower, Keith Smith, 52, and his daughter, Valeria Smith, 28, were arrested by Texas State Police, near the U.S.-Mexico border while trying to flee the country earlier on Sunday, the Baltimore Sun reported. The information and evidence points it wasnt a panhandler, Harrison said. People take advantage of Baltimore. We want to make sure the truth comes out and justice is done. It was previously reported that at about 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2018, Keith Smith and his late wife, who both taught adult Christian education classes at Helping Hands Ministries in Churchville, were driving home with Valeria, after a celebrating her 28th birthday. The father-daughter duo claimed while they were at a stop sign in the Johnston Square neighborhood of East Baltimore, Jacquelyn Smith, according to her husband who was driving, saw a woman standing on the side of the road, with what looked like a baby in a blanket and a cardboard sign that said, "Help me feed my baby, God bless." Smith, who was an electrical engineer at Aberdeen Proving Ground at the time of her death, asked her husband to pull over and she rolled down the window and handed the woman $10. It was drizzling, it was cold, wet and my wife, like any normal person, felt sorry for the baby, which turned out not to even be a baby," Keith Smith told ABC News. "It must have been like a stuffed animal or something wrapped in a blanket. From where we were, it looked like a baby and we thought it was a baby." The grieving husband said he had seen a man standing next to the panhandling woman but did not realize they were being set up. "As she was handing her the money, the guy came to say 'Thank you,' and the woman was saying 'God bless you. God bless you,'" Smith recalled. "While we're looking at her saying 'God bless you' and my wife was handing her the money, he came over to the car and said 'Thank you' and then he started stabbing my wife and snatched her necklace off and ran." Jacquelyn Smith, who was 54 at the time of the attack, died in a local hospital but her death drew national attention and sparked a conversation about the dangers of being a Good Samaritan. People like billionaire media mogul Oprah Winfrey raised concern about the attack. This story struck my heart. Ive done this a 1k times. But will think twice before ever doing again. To J.S. family I hope her death gets people woke to change! Winfrey tweeted on Wednesday. Ive done this to (sic) and I have gotten out the car to run across the street to help... my prayers for strength for him & her family, rapper and record producer Missy Elliot replied to the tweet. On Sunday, however, Harrison said Keith Smith and his daughter have been charged with first-degree murder. Several members of Jacquelyn Smiths family, like her brother Marcel Trisvan of Havre de Grace, told the Baltimore Sun that the family had doubted the initial account of his sisters death from the beginning. I already know its Keith, he said. Trisvan explained that even though police did not give them any information, detectives had been increasingly asking about his sisters relationship with her husband. All the questioning has been specific to Keith. That kind of sums it right there, he said. It never made sense. I told [detectives] from the very beginning there are no suspects out there. Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby said the Smiths exploited the city and its violence. Often times, we have these negative depictions of our city and its rather unfortunate when people take advantages of these negative perceptions, she said at the news conference, according to the Sun. Mayor Catherine Pugh also expressed her disappointment with the alleged actions of the Smiths. Like everyone in our city, state and across this nation, we mourned the senseless killing of Jacquelyn Smith. To now learn that family members staged this brutal killing is beyond belief and represents a double tragedy, Pugh said in a statement Sunday. They were responsible for taking Jacquelyn's life with unconscionable cruelty and contrived to do so in our city under the guise of random violence, exploiting the legitimate fears of our residents. UK opens first transgender-only prison unit for men in women's prison Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A womens prison near London will open what has been referred to as Europes first prison unit exclusively for men who identify as women. Three trans-identified prisoners who've legally changed their gender will be the first residents of the new wing at Downview womens prison in Surrey, where they will not have access to any other inmates. The unit will have 15 single cells and one cell with two beds. The new unit is big enough to house about 20 prisoners. The new unit comes in light of reported sexual assaults in womens prisons at the hands of men which has forced the government to review its policies allowing trans-identified inmates to serve in womens prisons. Prisoner safety is our biggest concern and any decisions we take will seek to best manage the risks posed by each offender, a British Ministry of Justice spokesperson said in a statement. According to The Sunday Times, the new unit will be housed inside a building that was previously named after Victorian-era feminist Josephine Butler. "The wider management of transgender offenders is a highly sensitive issue which poses unique and complex challenges and we are determined to get it right, the Ministry of Justice spokesperson added. Andrea Albutt, the president of the Prison Governors Association, told the newspaper that the unit's success depends on how effectively female prisoners can be protected. The outlet reports that about 50 percent of the British trans-identified prison population are sex offenders. 'They're going to have to have some kinds of safeguards to make sure that a Karen White event doesn't happen again, Albutt is quoted as saying. That is the number one priority. White is a 52-year-old trans-identified biological male who was imprisoned for raping women. Born to the name Stephen Wood, White was moved to a womens prison after identifying as a woman. Within a week of being moved to a womens prison, White sexually assaulted female inmates. White is accused of using a transgender persona to get access to vulnerable women. White was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes. Whites actions sparked a review of the prison guidelines that called for trans-identified prisoners to experience the system in the gender in which they identify. New guidelines will be published shortly to ensure that [the policy] continues to strike the right balance between ensuring that all female prisoners are kept safe [and] that transgender prisoners have their rights respected, Justice Minister Ed Argar said earlier this month. Last year, the Ministry of Justice stated that at least one-third of prisons in England and Wales housed at least one transgender inmate. According to the data, 15 jails had at least one transgender prisoner, 18 had at least two to four, and 11 had at least five. The Prison and Probation Ombudsman reports that about one-fifth of women who died in prison over the last two years were actually men who identified as women. As Yahoo reports, six people who self-identified as women died in custody between 2016 and 2018. Male inmates who identify as a female can be at risk inside mens prisons. In the United States, one trans-identified prisoner claimed to have been sexually and physically attacked inside four Illinois mens prisons. The inmate was eventually moved to a womens prison as a result. In 2016, a trans-identified inmate in Doncaster, England, committed suicide inside a mens prison following complaints of bullying. According to reports, transgender-only units are not expected to become a trend in prisons across the U.K. because the Downview was created to deal with the unique risks that the three inmates who will live there have to deal with. The U.K. government has also reviewed transgender policies in other areas. On Monday, it was announced that the U.K. National Health Service is reviewing policies that would allow transgender patients to be cared for in womens wards so long as they have legally changed their gender. The British government also launched an investigation into why there has been a 4,000 percent increase in children seeking to transition to the opposite sex in the last 10 years. UK school program promoting LGBT lifestyle to 4-y-o kids shut down after Muslim parents protest Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A primary school that taught students as young as 4 about LGBT lifestyles has stopped the lessons after hundreds of children were kept home by their parents to protest what they described as the aggressive promotion of homosexuality. The Guardian reports that Parkfield community school in Saltley, Birmingham, U.K., organized a program aimed at children aged 4-11 titled No Outsiders which taught that families look different, in an effort to teach young students about homosexuality. In the program, students read books with titles such as Mommy, Mama and Me and King & King stories about same-sex relationships and marriages. But after 600 children were taken out of classes at the school, where the majority of its students follow Islam, the school announced it had decided to suspend the program. In a letter to parents, the school said: Up to the end of this term, we will not be delivering any No Outsiders lessons in our long-term year curriculum plan, as this half term has already been blocked for religious education. Equality assemblies will continue as normal and our welcoming No Outsiders ethos will be there for all. The program was created by assistant headteacher Andrew Moffat, who said the pro-tolerance plan was essential to preparing children for modern Britain. Moffat, who is gay, was awarded an MBE for his work in equality education and is also in the running for a major international teaching award, according to The Guardian. He resigned from a previous teaching post at another school after Christian parents complained about his LGBT-affirming curriculum, the Daily Mail reports. Last month, Parkfield community school received a letter with over 400 signatures from parents, mostly Muslim, calling for the program to be pulled. When the school refused to comply, parents protested outside the building and eventually pulled their children from classes. The Alum Rock Community Forum, representing parents in the majority Muslim suburb, said children were being kept home as a result of the school undermining parental rights and aggressively promoting homosexuality. Dialogue, petitioning and protests by parents have been repeated and arrogantly ignored. Our children, our choice work with parents not against them, the forum told Birmingham Live. Father Abdul Ma told the Sun newspaper: This is a brainwash. We bring our children here so they can later work as a solicitor or a teacher, not to be taught about being gay or a lesbian. Fatima Shah, a mother of students at the school, told the BBC that what was being taught is not age-appropriate, as promoting homosexuality in the classroom was confusing children. Children are coming home, girls are asking whether it is true they can be boys, boys as young as 4 asking whether it is true we can be girls. There is no need for it, she said. We are not a bunch of homophobic mothers, she told The Guardian. We just feel that some of these lessons are inappropriate. Some of the themes being discussed are very adult and complex and the children are getting confused. They need to be allowed to be children rather than having to constantly think about equalities and rights. The classes will reportedly be postponed until at least the Easter break is over and after parents have been consulted. The decision didnt sit well with everyone: Humanists UK, which promotes sex education in schools, called the schools decision to pull the program deeply worrying, arguing that it is vital that all young people, some of whom will be LGBT themselves, grow up with age-appropriate information as to the facts of life and the virtue of tolerance. Recently, the U.K. Department of Education announced all state schools will be required to teach children about relationships and sex education, including LGBT issues, from September 2020. Under the new guidelines, head teachers can overrule parents who want to opt their children out of sex education classes. The guidance also tells teachers to encourage students to question their religious beliefs about homosexuality. Questions to ask children include: Can people of the same sex love one another? Is this OK? What are the different kinds of families and partnerships? What do the words lesbian and gay mean? In a statement, Colin Hart, chairman of the Coalition for Marriage, called the lessons completely unacceptable. No one objects to the government trying to make children safer online by teaching them about internet trolls and about the dangers of social media, however, the plan to downgrade marriage and sideline parents whilst doing it is completely unacceptable, he said. The Department for Education is sidelining traditional marriage, the most stable form of relationship for raising children and forcing them to learn about every other form of relationship under the sun, even when it is not age-appropriate. The law should encourage traditional marriage, not undermine it. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Fifty years ago, when he was a student at Cambridge, John Lennox found himself seated next to a Nobel Prize winner at a formal dinner. Lennox decided to make the most of the opportunity and so he asked the Nobel Laureate if and how his scientific work had shaped his worldview, including his opinion on the existence of God. The conversation didnt go well. The gentleman made it clear he wasnt comfortable with Lennoxs questions. Not only that, he asked to speak with Lennox privately, where he asked Lennox if he really wanted a career in science. Lennox replied, Yes. Well then, the Nobel Laureate replied, You must give up this childish faith in God. If you do not, then it will cripple you intellectually, and you will suffer by comparison with your peers. You simply will not make it. In a typical British understatement, Lennox called the exchange, a remarkable situation. I am happy to report that, both to his credit and for our benefit, John Lennox didnt follow the advice. Instead, since then, Lennox, who is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford, has written dozens of books and engaged in countless debates arguing for the compatibility of faith and science, the debt modern sciences owes to Christianity, and the reasonableness of theism and Christianity in particular. His debate partners include a veritable Whos Who? of New Atheism: Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, Lawrence Krauss, and the late Christopher Hitchens, to name but a few. In his latest book, Can Science Explain Everything? Lennox makes a compelling case against what is known as scientism, the ideology that insists that science is or should be the sole criterion by which society should know what is true and good. Part of scientisms conceit that Lennox calls out is the idea that science is objective and unbiased, whereas things like religion and art arent. The answer to everything worth knowing is akin to answering the question, Does water expand at 39 degrees Fahrenheit? A simple experiment with a glass of water, a marker, and a properly-functioning refrigerator will confirm the answer is yes. But as Lennox explains to readers, very few of lifes questions can be answered so simply and definitively. More to the point, the kind of scientists who argue otherwise do so from a position of what I, not Lennox, might call arrogant ignorance. Lennox quotes another Nobel Laureate, physicist Richard Feynman, who said: Outside his or her field, the scientist is just as dumb as the next guy. Another Nobel Laureate, Baron Rees, said much the same about his friend Stephen Hawkings pronouncements on philosophy and religion. He once told the Guardian newspaper, I know Stephen Hawking well enough to know that he has read little philosophy and less theology, so I dont think his views [on those subjects] should be taken with any special weight. These are only two examples of Lennoxs ability to help ordinary believers in their efforts to go, to borrow the title from another of his books, Against the Flow. There is a strong case to be made for why faith and science are more than compatible, and in his new book, Lennox makes that case in a well-written, easy-to-grasp, and short way. All of this is why Im thrilled that John Lennox will join us at the upcoming Wilberforce Weekend in May. Not only that, but in a very special edition of Socrates in the City, the Colson Center will feature a special conversation between Eric Metaxas and John Lennox at the Museum of the Bible. This will take place Thursday May 16, the night before the Wilberforce Weekend begins. I hope you will think about joining us. Come to WilberforceWeekend.org to find out more. And in return for your donation this month to the Colson Center, well send you John Lennoxs latest book, Can Science Explain Everything? In a strange way, Im grateful for the attempted bullying of the young John Lennox by that Nobel Laureate. Without it, we may all have been deprived of his invaluable contribution to Christian apologetics. Read Can Science Explain Everything? and benefit from Lennoxs fifty years of insight and experience. Come to BreakPoint.org to make your donation and request a copy. Resources Wilberforce Weekend 2019 information and registration Can Science Explain Everything? . . . with your donation to BreakPoint and the Colson Center, John C. Lennox, The Good Book Company, 2019 Originally posted at Breakpoint. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment On Sunday morning, September 9, 1973, I asked Jesus Christ to forgive my sins and become my Savior and Lord. But when I finished praying, nothing happened. I saw no lights. I felt no weight lift from my shoulders. My first thought was, Is that all there is to it? And my intellectual questions about God didnt evaporate. I still wondered about creation and science, world religions, why God allows evil and suffering. And so I doubted for many months whether my salvation and faith were real. Was I alone? The renowned historian Will Durant mailed questionnaires about the meaning of life to a number of famous people. After reading their answers, he published them in a chapter he titled, An Anthology of Doubt. Who hasnt contributed to that topic? What do we do when we doubt our salvation or our faith or our God? How can we help someone else deal with their doubts? Know what you can know Start with his promise: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13). A literal translation would be, We can actually and with full assurance know intellectually and personally that we have eternal life. This phrase does not mean that we gradually grow into assurance, but that we can possess here and now a present certainty of the life we have already received in Jesus. But heres the catch: first we must believe in the name of the Son of God. Believe means more than intellectual assentit is the biblical word for personal trust and commitment. I can assent to the fact that an airplane will fly me from Dallas to Atlanta, but I must get on board before it can. No surgeon can operate on the basis of intellectual assentwe must submit to the procedure. If you have, you can claim the biblical fact that you have eternal life, present tense, right now. You are already immortal. Jesus promised, Whoever lives and believes in me will never die (John 11:26). We simply step from time into eternity, from this life to the next. Nowhere does the Bible say how it feels to become the child of God, because our feelings can depend on the pizza we had for supper or the weather outside the window. No circumstances or events can guarantee our salvation. It takes as much faith to believe I am a Christian today as it did to become one more than thirty years ago. I still havent seen God, or proven my salvation in a test tube. If I had, I could question the reality and veracity of what I saw or thought. So could you. Either the Bible is true or it is false. Either God keeps his word or he does not. He promises that if you believe in the name of the Son of God, you have eternal life this moment. You cannot lose your salvation, for you are already the immortal child of God. This is the fact of Gods word. What about falling from grace? Those who believe that it is possible to trust in Christ and then choose to lose our salvation are quick to quote Hebrews 6:4-6. These interpreters assume that the text speaks of people who have experienced a genuine conversion, then fall away (v. 6). They typically believe that such a person needs another salvation experience. But others disagree. Some believe that the writer is stating a hypothetical case: if genuine Christians fall away, then it is impossible for them to be brought back to repentance (vs. 4, 6). Not that they can, in fact, fall from salvation, but if they could, they could not be saved again. Note that if the text deals with a Christian who actually falls from faith, it teaches that the person has no chance to be saved again (Arminian beliefs to the contrary). Others (myself among them) believe that the writer is speaking not of a Christian but of someone who considers the faith, perhaps even joining a church, but then rejects Christ. If such a person persists in unbelief, he cannot then be saved. If a person claims that he once trusted Christ but does so no more, I would believe that he was never a genuine Christian. The biblical teaching that a genuine Christian is forever the child of God (cf. John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17) seems too clear for me to allow this difficult text to convince me otherwise. But the practical consequence is the same: my Arminian friend believes the person has fallen from the faith; I think he was never a believer; we both want him to come to Christ. Conclusion Expect to face doubts about your salvation. The stronger your faith, the more likely you will be subjected to such attacks, intended by the enemy to paralyze and cripple your faith and prevent your service to God. The stronger your faith, the greater a threat you are to the enemy. Doubts sometimes come not because our faith is weak, but because it is strong. If you know you have made Christ your Lord but still face doubts about your salvation, try my favorite prayer in the Bible. After a father pleads with Jesus to heal his demon-possessed boy, Jesus says, Everything is possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23). And the father exclaims, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! (v. 24). You can pray that prayer today, and Jesus will hear you and help you. Remember that you are Gods child. My sons will always be my sons, no matter how they feel or what they do, because they were born that way. Have you been born again? Originally posted at Denison Forum. Have Christians got Jeremiah 29:11 all wrong? Jeremiah 29:11 has become the most popular verse on social media, according to a recent analysis. In the version known by many Christians, it says: 'I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' However, G-d is not prophesying in English. He is actually speaking in Hebrew around 2,500 years ago to a Jewish prophet of exile from Israel called Jeremiah, speaking to the Jewish people in Babylonian exile. Here is a more accurate rendition of the original, bearing in mind Hebrew grammar and syntax, context, history, Jewish commentaries and what we know about Jeremiah. My own explanations are in square brackets. 'For I [in contrast to the false prophets] know the thoughts that I am thinking about you,' says the Lord, 'thoughts of peace and not towards evil, to give you closure and hope' ['closure' here could be 'something to hang on to', but doesn't mean this literally]. So what does Jeremiah really mean in chapter 29:11? How do we go about interpreting G-d's Hebrew word through His Jewish prophets? A necessary condition for any Bible interpreter absolutely essential in fact is to know Hebrew as taught by people who are immersed in Judaism. In the past too many university teachers of Hebrew in this country have come from a classical public school background of Greek and Latin. They were taught to treat the Hebrew Bible as the dead letter of a dead deity that had now been replaced by the living Christian deity. In addition, and tragically so for those of us who have been involved in clergy training for over 40 years, part of the contemporary mutation of Christian replacement theology is that Christians continue to regard themselves as the new people of G-d. So a scholarly and reverential approach to the word of G-d, steeped in knowledge of Hebrew and related subjects, is nowadays often replaced by the latest vernacular sound-bite which makes people feel good. But although Hebrew is essential as a starting point, it is not a sufficient condition for understanding the Bible. Apart from knowledge of Hebrew, love for the Jewish Bible is also a prerequisite a mixture of awe and intimacy and an understanding of G-d's everlasting covenant with the Jewish people, through good times and bad. So here is a lesson in biblical exegesis. The personal pronoun 'I' is not necessary but only used for emphasis. It is there to contrast the false prophets of previous verses with G-d Himself. A reasonable interpretation could be: 'Don't listen to the false prophets. Only I, your very own G-d of the Jewish people, actually knows what I am doing and why.' Next, there is no word for 'plan' in the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew word used means 'thoughts' no more and no less. 'Prosper' is also a flight of fancy. 'Thoughts of peace and not towards evil'. 'To give you closure and a hope', that is 'something positive to hang on to while you are in exile in Babylon.' So here is an interpretation based on the Hebrew and the context: 'Your present exile in Babylon, resulting from your constant breaking off your covenant with Me, will not necessarily lead to despair. It is not meant for your harm but for your benefit. Hopefully, having returned to Me in spirit by enduring exile in diaspora, you will one day be ready to leave exile, return to Israel and rebuild the Temple. But this will be only the start.' Jeremiah does not talk about plans or prosperity. He talks exclusively of thoughts. But what do G-d's thoughts entail? In Isaiah 55:8, G-d states: 'My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways'. And then comes a call to repentance. Isaiah is regarded as less pessimistic than Jeremiah (who is also the author of Lamentations) and Isaiah's passage is read in synagogues during every Jewish fast day. It is famous. This passage immediately springs to mind when reading the Jeremiah passage on 'thoughts'. We simply do not know G-d's thoughts, so how can we talk about G-d's plans, projects or intentions to prosper the average Christian who isn't conversant with Hebrew, may have scant regard for Judaism and is simply looking for a spiritual 'high'? On the other hand, the Bible is supposed to be written in 'the language of man', that is, in human language. So we can very humbly try and explain G-d's 'thoughts' by analogy. Let me attempt to do this now. Some years ago a senior Anglican bishop wrote asking me to pray for him during his upcoming pilgrimage to Jerusalem. I hesitated. It seemed to many of us that the church had broken its covenant with the Jewish people, its promise to safeguard and cherish us and protect us from harm as a miniscule minority in their midst. On the contrary, many church people, it appeared, were ignoring the tiny Jewish communities in their midst and placating all those who would destroy us. So, as I felt betrayed by the much larger religion, what should I do? Prayer wasn't an option in this situation. And in any case Jewish prayer is not the same as Christian prayer. So I wrote back to my correspondent and stated that I would 'hold' him 'in my thoughts'. In other words, I wasn't going to give him a plan, a Jerusalem pilgrimage itinerary that is, suggest he miss out all the normal anti-Israel hotspots and instead visit the Jerusalem Forest, enjoy a Shabbat meal with a Jewish family, walk down George Eliot street, Jerusalem's most elegant (in honour of England's most pro-Israel, and probably greatest novelist), and generally acknowledge that Jerusalem is Judaism's capital city. I knew that in present circumstances any specific plans or projects I suggested would fall on deaf ears. But his letter was by way of a peace offering, so I was happy to hold him in my thoughts, which meant that I would hope that by appreciating that I had responded at all, he would, during his pilgrimage and thereafter, embrace paths of peace towards the Jewish people and desist from further thoughts and actions of evil towards us. And, if we were very lucky, he might even, on his return, do something positive for the Jewish people to make up for the past. And this restored relationship would hopefully lead to closure on the past relationship between church people and the Jewish people and open up a better relationship in the future. But that would have to be ongoing, with many stumbling blocks in the way, and not at all a smooth passage. And it is the church who would have to plan out the itinerary for this and not the Jews, who were the offended party. That is what I thought about a representative of a group who had constantly betrayed us. What I was offering was not any sort of bribe or reward, but simply openness for a restored relationship. Bearing in mind that G-d's thoughts are not our thoughts, this is the best I can do. After a lifetime of immersion in Bible and commentaries and a career as a translator and interpreter of some of our most revered Bible scholars, I can only approach the Biblical text with scholarship, awe and intimacy. Interpretation is in itself a holy task and should always be approached in fear and trembling, together with anticipation and joy. But, you might ask, where does this leave the Christian who might feel excluded from this explanation? If Jeremiah is speaking about exile and return to the specific Jewish generation exiled in Babylon, what can the average Christian actually glean from such a text? I hope to be touching on this question in another article. Dr Irene Lancaster is a Jewish academic, author and translator who has established university courses on Jewish history, Jewish studies and the Hebrew Bible. Parliamentarians call on Britain to double places for vulnerable refugees Christian Aid has welcomed a parliamentary report that says the UK should double the number of places it offers to vulnerable refugees and review its policy on allowing asylum seekers to work. The International Development Committee, which monitors the work of the Department for International Development (DfID), published its report Forced Displacement in Africa: 'Anchors not Walls' today. It says that DfID's work in Africa is 'undermined by the approach to refugees and asylum seekers at home'. 'The UK must do more to help alleviate the burden placed on some of the poorest nations in the world. The work of DFID to provide support on the ground is welcome but there is a lack of willingness to host refugees that should be rectified. It is not a choice between one or the other,' it says. It recommends doubling the number of places from 5,000 to 10,000 a year, reserving a quarter for refugees from sub-Saharan Africa. In 2017-18 only 448 refugees came to the UK from that region; 'this is not enough', the report says. It also says the UK should encourage African governments to support the rights of internally displaced persons in Africa. Its findings were welcomed by Christian Aid, whose humanitarian policy and advocacy adviser Deborah Hyams told Christian Today: 'There are so many populations around the world who are displaced for years at a time, and for whom permanent resettlement is the only option. Parliament today adds its voice to many others calling for the UK to expand its resettlement schemes so we can give more people a chance to rebuild their lives in safety. 'The scale of the need is huge. Even if the government increases its resettlement places to 10,000 annually, as the report recommends, this pales in comparison to the refugee populations hosted by many African countries. The UK can and must do more.' Committee chair Stephen Twigg MP said that in some African nations refugees had been given the same access to markets, health facilities and schools as their host communities. 'This is, however, not an easy option for host countries. While we recognise the great improvements that the right to work and right to movement can bring, it can be unpopular and costly in nations where livelihoods are scarce and incomes low. 'That is why it is so important that the UK behaves at home as it is asking some of the world's poorest nations to do. We should not be asking nations to house and employ refugees when the numbers we take in are so small, and the employment freedoms limited. That is why we have called on the Government to raise the number of vulnerable refugees the UK takes in per year from 5,000 to 10,000, of which 2,500 should be dedicated for Sub-Saharan Africa.' He added that the committee had 'significant concerns about the Government's continued engagement with Sudan and Libya on migration and displacement. The brutality of the conditions of Libyan detention camps are well documented, as are human rights abuses in Sudan. The Government's work in these areas' risks undermining its commitment to human rights and its ability to protect some of the world's most vulnerable people.' By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: The government may have banned Jamaat-e-Islami for allegedly being in touch with militant organisations, but the immediate effect of this ban is being felt by children attending schools that are said to be run by the socio-religious organisation. According to reports, at least 20 schools run by Jammats education wing Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT) have been seized by the authorities in various districts of the state. However, FAT has maintained that it has no affiliation with JeI. Sources said that at least 350 schools are currently being run by the Trust with over 10,000 teachers and over one lakh students. While talking to TwoCircles.net. FAT Chairman Mohammad Maqbool said most of the students are either orphans or students belonging to poor families. The trust, he said, is imparting education to children without any biases. I want to make it clear that we have no affiliation with Jamaat-e-Islami J&K. We dont know why we are being targeted, he said adding that the Government must consider the future of thousands of children and teachers. Support TwoCircles A teacher working with FAT from Shopian district of South Kashmir said a FAT-run school in his district has over 3000 children. I can tell you there must about one lakh students enrolled in FAT-run schools throughout the state. said the teacher who wished to not be named fearing detention. The parents of those wards who are enrolled in the schools run by FAT are anxious about the future of their kids. My two kids were enrolled in a FAT-run school since it was sealed by the authorities yesterday, I dont know what to do know, said Mushtaq Ahmad of Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir. My children were receiving top-class educationapart from that they would get good religious and moral education, he said. The government is forcing our kids to become militants, he added. An alumnus of FAT while talking to TwoCircle.net, said banning the JeIs educational institutions in the J&K can be disastrous for the downtrodden section of the society as thousands of students education is at stake and hundreds of teachers would lose their source of income. This authoritarian and totalitarian decision to deprive the students right to educate is highly condemnable and unfortunate. It is high time that the government should examine her decision otherwise it would bring serious negative ramifications, said Irshad Ahmad, an alumnus and now a PhD scholar. Following the ban, the alumni of the schools run by FAT have penned an open letter to the government of India and the J&K government demanding the schools be spared from the ban. The letter, a copy of which was received by TwoCircle.net, is signed by the former students spread across the world, including leading universities like Harvard University. Giving detailed background of the Trust, it said these schools were detached from the JeI so as to remain apolitical, charitable and social welfare organisation under FAT. Presently, Falah-E-Aam Trust runs over 350 schools across the state of Jammu and Kashmir, with an enrolment of over 1,00,000 students and 10,000 staff members, said the signed letter circulated on social media. It listed FATs objectives including providing succour to poor and needy irrespective of religion, colour, creed and assistance in the education of poor and needy students. The schools have produced legislators, jurists, doctors, engineers, teachers, and administrative officers and its pass outs have a massive contribution in good governance in Jammu and Kashmir. Closure of schools associated with the FAT will not only challenge the right to good education of tens of thousands in J&K, but it will also lead to massive tensions on the ground. It is lethal for a government to ban institutions for a political agenda. Education must not be made causality for political vendetta, it added. US high court turns away religious rights case over church grants The US Supreme Court on Monday bypassed a chance to further expand the ability of religious entities to receive public funding, leaving in place a lower court ruling that blocked a New Jersey county from giving historic preservation grants to churches. The justices opted not to hear appeals of the ruling by New Jersey's top court that Morris County violated a state constitutional ban on using public funds to repair places of worship when it gave millions of dollars to 12 churches under its grant programme for local historic preservation projects. The dispute could have given the justices an opportunity to build on a major 2017 Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to more taxpayer funds going to religious institutions. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, appointed to the court last year by President Donald Trump, urged his fellow justices to take up a future case that raises similar issues, though he agreed with the decision not to take up the New Jersey dispute because of a lack of clarity about certain matters. 'Barring religious organizations because they are religious from a general historic preservation grants programme is pure discrimination against religion,' Kavanaugh wrote in a statement, joined by conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch. Morris County and a dozen county churches that received $4.6 million in historic preservation grants had asked the justices to overturn the state court's ruling against them. A group that promotes secularism, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and a local resident who is a member of the group sued in 2015 challenging the northern New Jersey county's policy of giving grant money to churches. The Supreme Court in 2017 sided with a Missouri church that had been denied state funds under a programmeme to make playgrounds safer because the state's constitution prohibited spending public money 'directly or indirectly, in aid of any church'. Trinity Lutheran had sought state money to install a recycled rubber surface on its playground. The New Jersey dispute pitted two provisions of the Constitution's First Amendment against each other: the guarantee of the free exercise of religion and the Establishment Clause, which requires the separation of church and state. Dotted with historic sites from the 18th century American Revolutionary War against Britain, Morris County is located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of New York City and is home to churches reflecting hundreds of years of US history and many architectural styles. New Jersey's top court last year found that the programme violated the state's constitution, which forbids taxes for 'repairing any church or churches, place or places of worship', since some of the funds would be used to restore buildings so that they could continue as active places of worship. The county and the churches said the programme served a secular purpose to preserve historically significant structures and that excluding them would amount to religious discrimination. The US Supreme Court heard arguments in another case touching on religion last week. The justices signaled a willingness to let a 40-foot-tall cross-shaped war memorial stay on public land in Maryland despite a legal challenge that called it an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. A ruling is due by the end of June. Sixty years too late for would-be escapees, a series of remarkable buildings and tunnels have been located under the prison yard of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. A study published in "Near Surface Geophysics" details the steps archaeologists took to confirm the long-time suspicions of historians: that when Alcatraz prison was built in the early 20th century, it was constructed over the Civil War-era military fortification. "These remains are so well preserved, and so close to the surface," study author Timothy de Smet, an archaeologist at Binghampton University, told PBS. "They weren't erased from the island they're right beneath your feet." So as not to disturb the land by digging, archaeologists used ground-penetrating radar and terrestrial laser scans in conjunction with historical maps and photographs. Below the prison recreation yard, they found fully buried structures, underground ammunition magazines and tunnels. Historians believe when the prison was built, workers elected to simply build over existing structures, rather than take the time and money to demolish them. Alcatraz first came to the attention of the U.S. government after wresting control of California from Mexico in the 1840s. Because of its position in the middle of San Francisco Bay, it was viewed with interest as a military fortification. The island's natural topography was also appealing; the rock faces were used to create natural defenses. Brick buildings were constructed to house up to 200 soldiers and enough provisions to withstand a four-month siege. By 1860, it was already being transformed into a prison. During the Civil War, Fort Alcatraz was the official military prison for the West Coast. In 1910, a new cell block was created for military prisoners. Two decades later, the Federal Bureau of Prisons took over operation of the facility. In August 1934, the first federal prisoners deemed by the media to be the worst of the worst began arriving. The last prisoner left in 1963. While time has ground on above, the buried buildings have rested below, untouched. Archaeologists are now planning more study to discover what else lies just below the surface. WASHINGTON - Increasing violence in Mexico could imperil oil and gas development there, the credit ratings agency Moody's warned in a new report Tuesday. Analysts warned not only that oil companies faced the risk of robbery and violence against its staff in Mexico but crime syndicates illegally tapping into pipelines, stealing valuable oil and potentially leaving companies liable for explosions from the damaged infrastructure. Break out the love beads and patchouli, Flower Child is opening in The Woodlands. Flower Child, the healthy fast-casual concept that opened in Houston last year, is ready to spread its message of culinary peace (its motto is "healthy food for a happy world") when it opens March 6 at 1900 Lake Woodland Dr in the Woodlands. The first Flower Child, one of the many brands from Arizona-based Fox Restaurant Concepts, opened in September in Houston's Uptown Park. Tickets for Southern Smokes Spring this season's week-long version of the popular Southern Smoke festival are now on sale with a fleshed-out lineup of chefs and special dinners that might very well be the hottest dinner tickets in town. From April 14 to 18, Southern Smoke Spring will highlight meat, meat and more meat with one day devoted to Citywide Steak Night sponsored by 44 Farms with nearly two dozen restaurants participating. But foodies will be clamoring to get seats at the special dinners that Southern Smoke founder Chris Shepherd has lined up. Tickets can be purchased at southernsmoke.org and all proceeds will go to the Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Fund, established after Hurricane Harvey to assist those in the food and beverage industry experiencing a financial crisis. To date, more than 150 people nationwide have received financial assistance from the emergency relief fund. Since its inception, Southern Smoke has raised $1.3 million for charitable giving. BBQ STATE OF MIND PODCAST: The experts weigh in on barbecue and wine Here are the full week's worth of events for Southern Smoke: Steak with Aaron Franklin at Georgia James: James Beard Award-winning barbecue king Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue in Austin joins his James Beard Award-winning friend Chris Shepherd at Shepherd's chic new steakhouse. The ultimate steak dinner coincides with the publication of Franklin's new cookbook, "Franklin Steak." Each Guest will get a signed copy of the cookbook with dinner. Date: April 14. Tickets: $350 per person. Place: Georgia James, 1100 Westheimer. Time: 6:30 p.m. Dinner with Jamie Malone: The chef/owner of The Grand Cafe and Eastside Restaurant in Minneapolis, Malone has been friends with Shepherd since they were both name as Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2013. A James Beard Award finalist, Malone will create a dinner of classic French cuisine with her own modern twist. Date: April 15. Tickets: $200 per person. Place: UB Preserv, 1609 Westheimer. Time: 6:30 p.m. Citywide Steak Night: Sponsored by 44 Farms, which is donating the meat, steak night will take place at about two dozen local restaurants with proceeds going to the foundation. Houston restaurants include Quattro at the Four Seasons, Xochi, Huynh, Indianola, The Original Ninfa's on Navigation, Beaver's West, Cafe Annie, Coltivare, Sonoma in the Heights, Brennan's of Houston, Georgia James, Goodnight Charlie's, The Hay Merchant, Hugo's, One fifth Mediterranean, The Pass and Provisions, UB Preserv, Uchi, and Kata Robata. In The Woodlands Tris and The Kitchen will participate, as will Refuge Bourbon and Steak in Tomball. Date: March 16 and 17. Tickets: Contact restaurant to make reservation. Time: 5 to 10 p.m. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Discovering the joys of my Dutch oven Bar Takeover with Dave Arnold: The owner of Existing Conditions in New York, known for timeless cocktails merged with cutting edge science will take over UB Preserv for an evening of libations-laced hospitality. Date: April 17. Tickets: None needed; walk-ins welcome. Place: UB Preserv, 1609 Westheimer. Time: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Spring Finale Dinner with Jamie Bissonnette and Chris Cosentino: Bissonnette, the James Beard Award-winning chef at Coppa, Toro and Little Donkey in Boston teams up with Cosentino, owner of Cockscomb in San Francisco and Jackrabbit in Portland, Ore., for a special dinner at Shepherd's One Fifth Mediterranean. It's both chef's first time in Houston. Expect an epic meal. Date: April 18. Tickets: $250. Place: One Fifth Mediterranean, 1658 Westheimer. Time: 6:30 p.m. Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture. The trial for man accused of leading a Bellaire Police Department officer on a chase which ultimately resulted in the death of the officer was scheduled to begin Tuesday, March 5. Dante Moore, 30, allegedly led Bellaire Officer Anthony Marco Zarate on a chase about 1:30 p.m. July 12, 2016. Zarate had completed a routine traffic stop near Meyerland Plaza when employees of the Target in the shopping center flagged him down and reported a theft, police said at the time. Zarate tried to pull over the suspects in the plaza parking lot but the two people in the car allegedly took off. Moore, who was reportedly with his twin brother, is believed to have led a chase in a residential area along the 8500 block of Ferris. RELATED: Suspect linked to Bellaire officer's death charged with murder, records show While in pursuit, Zarate, 52, lost control of his motorcycle and slammed into the trailer of a landscaping crew. He was rushed to Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Moore surrendered to authorities a day after the wreck. He was initially charged with murder. He is currently facing a charge of evading arrest or detention-death or seriously bodily injury. The charge is a second-degree felony, according to the Texas Penal Code. A second-degree felony includes a penalty of two to 20 years in prison and a possible fine up to $10,000. His brother, who was a passenger in the vehicle, plead guilty to misdemeanor evading and was sentenced to 340 days in county jail. Moore has previously been convicted of felony offenses in Harris County three times, including a previous charge of evading arrest and burglary, according to Harris County District Clerk records. Motions to suppress previous statements and a motion in limine to exclude certain testimony have been submitted by Moores attorney. He is being represented by Houston attorney Danny K. Easterling. The case is being handled in Maria T Jacksons 339th Criminal Court. rkent@hcnonline.com Most school board meetings open with a celebrations moment that honors the successes of students and faculty. At the February meeting of the Dayton ISD school board, however, it was the board and administration that was honored for their participation and accomplishments. Board President Thomas Payne and Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Hector Herrera were presented some small gifts and a plaque commemorating their participation in the Center for Safe and Secure Schools. Gayla Rawlinson Maynard, director for the Center for Grants Development, specifically thanked Herrera for his participation with the Center. Developed at the request of local superintendents in the spring of 1999 to advance safe and secure environments for learning and teaching, the Center for Safe and Secure Schools is a leader in the development of increased safety and security strategies in school environments for students and educators. This role was reinforced on August 31, 2005 when the Texas Education Agency asked the Center to coordinate school relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina with state, county and local disaster recovery officials and agencies. Since Dayton ISD boundaries stretch from Liberty County into Harris County, the district is able to participate in the many services and initiatives from Harris County Department of Education, including the Center for Safe and Secure Schools. According to HCDEs website, the Center focuses on the emergency management cycle including: prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. These efforts take shape through utilizing six key components that include criteria for standards and promising practices; emergency management planning and operations; communications, coordination and business continuity; training and certification programs; assessments, reviews and audits; safe and secure learning and teaching environment; and table-top exercises for the school districts. Those plans are implemented daily on the campuses of Dayton ISD through the leadership of Herrera and his team who work to make the DISD campuses the safest places children can be. Evolving state and federal laws also require schools to be prepared with emergency operations planning that may save the lives of students and faculty depending on the nature of the emergency. HCDE provides a multitude of services to the 25-plus districts across Harris County. Maynard told the board of trustees that 76 educators from the district received professional development through the teaching and learning center. The HCDE also serviced 79 DISD students and 103 teachers and educators through the Occupational and Physical Therapy Services division. Maynard praised the relationship between the two educational organizations and projected a continued collaboration with the district that will accommodate and impact the students of Dayton ISD and the local community. dtaylor@hcnonline.com Text and video by Atul Anand, TwoCircles.net On February 28, 2019, Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA) at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi organized a talk following the recent Supreme Court order which rejected more than 20 lakh land claims by Adivasi families. The court asked different states to evict them from their land. Around one crore Adivasis are feared to be affected by this decision. The talk Implications of Forest Rights Act and Recent Supreme Court Judgement: Beyond Settler Time had activist & scholar Abhay Flavian Xaxa and Delhi University faculty Neetisha Xalxo as speakers. Neetisha Xalxo has done work on Jharkhands folk songs. During her talk, Ms. Xalxo brings Adivasi literary traditions from Jharkhand to discuss the issue. She said that through her work she wanted to explore whether Adivasi women had different issues than mainstream women issues or are there are any similarities. She found that Hindi literature had different aesthetics than Adivasi folk traditions. She says, Hindi literature sees women as weak and emphasizes their physical attributes. There is an Adivasi folk song that portrays women as strong as wild boar. She particularly talked about Adivasi folk songs that mention the forest. Another folk song from Jharkhand sings about Adivasis being stopped by a new administration from picking up Mahua in the forest. She pointed out that Mahua is picked up and not plucked from its tree by the Adivasis. So, the accusation against the Adivasis that they have caused destruction to the forest is baseless, she said. She also added that Adivasis in India cant be identified as a homogenized identity. Support TwoCircles Elaborating environmental and sustainability issues Ms. Xalxo said, Adivasis not only strive to protect the forest but also the next generation of people. The people in the cities are already buying drinking water. If we wish to carry oxygen cylinders with us then in the name of modernity and development we could accept de-forestation. Ms. Xalxo also mentioned other kinds of attacks on the Adivasis such as the 13-point roster system which hasnt been taken back yet. She pointed out that there are new notifications for recruitment from Indian universities which have no reserved seats for the Scheduled Tribe. Neetisha Xalxo appealed that people, irrespective of their background, should come together to fight against these issues. We shouldnt think that this is an issue only limited to the Adivasis and the forest dwellers and wouldnt affect the rest of us, she said. Joint Adivasi Yuva Forum, Bhartiya Adivasi Manch and various other organizations had called for a protest march in New Delhi on Saturday, March 2, 2019. There is a call for a nation-wide strike on March 5, 2019, for demanding actions on the issue of Forest Rights, the 13-point roster system and different issues concerning the people of the country. West Side Shrine Club / West Side Shrine Club The West Side Shrine Club encourages everyone to participate in IHOP National Pancake Day on March 12 to raise money for the Shriners Hospital for Children. Katy Mayor Chuck Brawner read a proclamation at the Feb. 25 Katy City Council meeting proclaiming March 12 as IHOP National Pancake Day in the city of Katy. The proclamation encourages All citizens to change the life of a child by eating pancakes and donating generously to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Doing good never tasted so good. Houston-born Joel Osteen is 56 years old today. The Lakewood Church pastor, author and televangelist was born in Houston March 5, 1963. He was raised in this city and attended Humble High School before a stint at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. Internationally, Osteen is best known for his televised sermons, which have amassed a whopping 7 million average viewers per week and more than 20 million per month. Each episode airs in more than 100 countries. Osteen also hosts a show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel 128. ONLY ON HoustonChronicle.com: Joel Osteen and the making of a megachurch Dubbed "The Smiling Preacher," Osteen also reaches audiences via his 10 books. Multiple titles have claimed the No. 1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller list. Locally, he is a an esteemed Houston pastor who draws a weekly Sunday crowd of roughly 45,000 people at Lakewood Church. However, Osteen's success is not without controversy. During the Hurricane Harvey floods, he came under scrutiny for not allowing flooded-out locals into Lakewood Church until after much of the floodwaters had receded. LAKEWOOD: Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church answers why it isn't open as a shelter for Harvey flooding victims He told the public at the time that the megachurch had also flooded and that he thought it posed a security risk. Eventually, Lakewood opened its doors as a shelter and donation center. In August of last year, Osteen and his wife, Victoria, were honored by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner for helping affected locals regain their footing and for rehabbing flood-ravaged homes. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. Autumn Nicholas hard work as a student and athlete has paid off. This summer, she plans to begin college and her military career at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. The Houston Christian High School senior said she was surprised and humbled by the news that she had received an appointment. I was very shocked and very grateful. I didnt realize how hard it was to get into the Naval Academy until I read some statistics online, and I was like Oh my gosh, she said. I didnt have the best SAT score, and my GPA was like top on the radar. So I thought it was very, very humbling that I got into the Naval Academy. Nicholas had never really considered going into the military until last year when a couple of her teachers and Jan Pearson, HCHS director of counseling and college guidance, urged her to stop by the Naval Academys college fair booth to hear about all the opportunities the school offered. It is a process, and it does start in your junior year. Some kids will know that they are interested in that kind of an education as early as ninth or 10th grade, Pearson said. By 11th grade, they know enough about their academic ability and testing ability to know if its even worth pursuing in terms of what is it possible because it is so selective. Following that college fair conversation, Nicholas signed up to attend the academys Summer Seminar. Once she started the simulated speed trials of running, obstacle courses, swimming, pushups, wet and sandy trials and other vigorous activities, Nicholas was hooked and knew she wanted to spend her college years in Annapolis. She thought, This is so fun. I think it would be a great experience to go here and be a leader. Nicholas also enjoyed how time spent with her peers began to forge friendships and bonds. I was super nervous about Summer Seminar because I thought I wasnt going to make that many friends and I had to stay with the same girls for five days, but youre going through the same thing as everyone else and youre being with them constantly, Nicholas said. So the thing you have to do is become close to them. Pearson has been working directly with Nicholas for the last two years but had been aware of her potential even before that. I knew what a strong student she was, strong athlete. [She] just has ethics and character that are very admirable, Pearson said. Nicholas reports for Induction Day on June 27. She said she is most excited about the challenge ahead of her. I think itd be so cool to push myself to those mental, physical limits and see how far I can go and then go past that. I think it would be great to become a leader, greater than my other classmates who are going to civilian colleges, she said. In its 21 years of educating students, Houston Christian High School has received 22 military academy appointments for its students. Several former military men work on the schools staff and provide a leadership program that well prepares students for attending a military college. It has the highest respect of everyone on our campus. I say we fully support the academies and what they stand for, the education component that kids get there, in addition to the career, Pearson said. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com Legislation which could result in a $5,000 pay raise has unanimously passed the full Texas Senate and will next head to the Texas House of Representatives for consideration. Senate Bill 3 passed on Monday. It was the first bill passed in the Senate this legislative session. I congratulate Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, and the Texas Senate for unanimously passing this critical legislation to provide a $5,000 across-the-board pay raise for Texas teachers, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a news release Monday evening. Our productive economy has given us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accomplish school finance reform and the nearly $4 billion investment to increase teacher pay across-the-board is the first step in accomplishing that goal. Senate Bill 3, along with Senate Bill 4, school finance reform and Senate Bill 12, the Retired Teachers Security Act, will help us recruit and retain the best teachers in our public schools, which is key to improving student outcomes. Getting qualified teachers and retaining them are paramount to student success. During my years on the Senate Education Committee, including as chairman in the 2013 session, before I became lieutenant governor, I reviewed a great deal of research on how to improve student outcomes in public schools, Patrick said. All the data points to the same thing aside from a parent, nothing has more impact on the future success of a child than a teacher. I am very proud that Senate Bill 3 is the first bill the Texas Senate has passed this legislative session. Starting with the 2019-20 school year in August, public school teachers would get a bump in pay by $5,000, according to Senate Bill 3. The legislation was approved by the Senate Finance Committee on Monday, Feb. 25. In the daily Senate Journal, Bill co-author Sen. Jose Rodriguez said, While this pay raise will not solve all of the issues and inequities in our public school system, it is an important step in the right direction. Also, as the first bill to be considered and voted out of the Texas Senate, it shows we are focused on the priorities that are important to all Texans across the state rather than the partisan, divisive issues that characterized much of the 2017 legislative sessions. All 31 senators voted in favor of the legislation. We need to provide this salary in order to retain our teachers in our classrooms, and to attract new teachers to the profession, said Nelson, Committee Chair and bill author, following her committees passage of the bill. Weve got to make sure we attract the best and the brightest, and weve got to keep them. The Texas Education Agency reports that the current minimum a full-time public school teacher may be paid is $28,080 for a 10-month contract in the first year of teaching. That would be equivalent to $13.50 per hour assuming a 40-hour work week over 52 weeks. A teacher with 20 years or more experience is currently paid a minimum of $45,510. However, according to State Education Commissioner Mike Morath the most teachers in Texas are paid between $50,000 and $60,000 annually, including additional duty pay above base salary. The average teacher starts out at $47,500 per year. According to the news release, the proposed Senate budget has $3.7 billion set aside to pay for the salary increase, but that price tag will go up a little more after it was changed to ensure the state covers increased pension costs. Teacher retirement benefits are based on an average of the five highest-paid years in an educators career, a statewide increase like the one proposed would increase the total cost of teacher pensions by about $240 million per year over the next two years. According to figures posted on their individual websites, salaries for area school districts include: Katy ISD pays new teachers with a bachelors degree and no experience a minimum of $53,000. A teacher with 20 years of experience earns a minimum of $61,830. Spring Branch ISD pays new teachers with a bachelors degree and no experience a minimum of $54,000. A teacher with 20 years of experience earns a minimum of $62,150. Fort Bend ISD pays new teachers with a bachelors degree and no experience a minimum of $53,000. A teacher with 20 years of experience earns a minimum of $63,000. Stafford MSD pays new teachers with a bachelors degree and no experience a minimum of $51,000. A teacher with 20 years of experience earns a minimum of $60,600. Lamar CISD pays new teachers with a bachelors degree and no experience a minimum of $54,500. A teacher with 20 years of experience earns a minimum of $63,750. Houston ISD pays new teachers with a bachelors degree and no experience a minimum of $52,530. A teacher with 20 years of experience earns a minimum of $59,956. Needville ISD pays new teachers with a bachelors degree and no experience a minimum of $50,500. A teacher with 20 years of experience earns a minimum of $62,100. Cypress Fairbanks ISD pays new teachers with a bachelors degree and no experience a minimum of $54,000. A teacher with 20 years of experience earns a minimum of $64,658. The bill moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. rkent@hcnonline.com Michael Minasi, Photographer / Michael Minasi Authorities are investigating the shooting death of a Kingwood-area teen found in a ditch in Porter on Sunday morning after being reported missing. Tristan Maddux, 18, was reported missing to the Houston Police Department on Saturday. His body was recovered by Montgomery County Sheriffs Office deputies at around 9:50 a.m. in the 18800 block of Hill Road after receiving a report of a body in a ditch. Investigators with CSI, the sheriffs homicide unit and the Texas Rangers determined Maddux was shot and left there. Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Jason Dunn ordered an autopsy, according to a sheriffs office press release. Barely 24 hours after its opening, the newest fire station in the city of Katy was put to use when firefighters responded to an emergency call in record time. Fire Station No. 2 opened Saturday, March 2, with fanfare from the community. Located at 25420 Bell Patna Drive in Katy, near Katy Mills Mall, the fire station is situated in a busy area. "The area near Katy Mills Mall has many high occupancy and target hazards such as hotels and is the optimal location for deployment of resources during major flooding," said Fire Chief Russell Wilson in a news release. After the grand opening Saturday morning, the station started taking calls at noon the same day. On Sunday, March 3, personnel at the new fire station were put to the test. According to a news release, at 6:33 p.m. station personnel were dispatched following a 911 call at the nearby Homewood Suites pool. It took 47 seconds for the fire department to arrive at the hotel and assess the situation. "Upon arrival at 6:34 p.m., firefighters and EMS immediately performed CPR and was able to revive the child," according to the news release. Personnel responding to the call included Quint 2's Officer Trey Lee, Harry Haynes, Julio Garcia and Rolondo De Leon; and Medic 2's Michael Ondruch and Christian Kugler. "Because a personnel changeover was taking place at the time, Taylor Kunicki was at the station, but did not have an assigned position," Wilson said. "When he heard the dispatch, he physically ran from the station to the location and assisted on the call along with the rest of the crew. "This, along with dispatch doing an excellent job of talking the father through life support measures, provided a positive outcome." Mayor Chuck Brawner lauded the efforts of the fire station personnel. "Our goal in building Station No. 2 was to provide improved response time south of I-10," Brawner said. "Within 30 hours of opening, due to the location of the station and the excellent training of our personnel, a 3-year old's life was saved. If this call had been dispatched out of Fire Station No. 1, it could have been a completely different outcome; therefore, I think we have already achieved our goal. "We are so proud of all of our first responders, but especially today." The child was taken to Texas Children's West and was listed in stable condition. For more information on the city of Katy, visit www.cityofkaty.com. rkent@hcnonline.com The Galveston District-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is examining a list of potential flood control measures that might be pursued as part of a Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study. And the community will have an opportunity to be part of the process later this spring, according to Sheri Willey, deputy chief of project management of the Galveston District-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She spoke to a group of more than 100 at the Feb. 26 meeting of Barker Flood Prevention, a nonprofit advocacy group formed last year, at Kingsland Baptist Church. The Corps is revisiting existing Buffalo Bayou studies because conditions have changed, said Willey. The Harris Count Flood Control District is the agencys nonfederal sponsor for the study, which Willey said will be 100 percent federally funded. The purpose of the $6 million feasibility study is flood risk management, she said. According to Willeys presentation, the study scope will address residual risks associated with flood risk impacts to structures in the pool area upstream of both reservoirs and downstream along Buffalo Bayou. Potential flood risk management measures include an additional reservoir/dam, increased reservoir storage capacity, improved outlet discharge capacity, improved inflow and outflow discharge channels and changes to the dam operation plan. Officials are working to schedule scoping public meetings in April, said Willey that will allow the community to give us your input. The Corps will identify problems and offer solutions that it has come up with. Tell us if there is something else we should consider, she said. The three-year study began last October, she said, and more information and details will be available closer to the April meetings. Visit www.facebook.com/GalvestonDistrict or www.swg.usace.army.mil for updates. The bipartisan budget Act 2018 approved in February included funds for post-hurricane relief for Harvey, Irma and Maria, said Willey. Of the $10.4 billion, the Galveston District-USACE received $4.5 billion. We got a big chunk of money to help recovery from Harvey, she said. Willey also address flood-risk management for Greens Bayou, Addicks & Barker dams, Brays Bayou, White Oak Bayou, Hunting Bayou, Sims Bayou, Clear Creek and the Brazos River-Fort Bend County. In response to an audience question, she said, We do not have a project in Cypress Creek right now. To several questions raised about Corps operations, Willey said she did not have information to respond. Work to install new outlet structures at the Addicks and Barker dams is 62 percent complete, she said. The project, which started before Hurricane Harvey after an inspection of the dams revealed needed repairs, should be completed in April 2020. The three-year Brazos River-Fort Bend County feasibility study is intended to reduce or mitigate erosion losses, to reduce the impact of increased flood risks and provide protection benefits for the public and infrastructure. Options could include levees and shoreline stabilization features, she added. The corps also is involved in a three-year Houston Regional Watershed Assessment, which Willey said will look at all 22 watersheds, how they interact and if needs exist that require additional study. The Corps of Engineers does what Congress tells us to do. We get authorization and funding from Congress, said Willey. karen.zurawski@chron.com courtesy of the Conroe Police Department The Conroe Police Department is looking to identify a man seen breaking into a vehicle in February. The suspect is wanted for the burglary of multiple vehicles where weapons were taken, among other items. Culinary skills of 10 Houston-area chefs will be showcased at the Third Annual Chef Fest noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 10, at Harvest Green. The food festival at the Harvest Green Village Farm, 8939 Harlem Road in Richmond, will demonstrate the interrelationship of local agriculture and commercial kitchens to create innovative food. There are as many different types of farm-to-table relationships as there are cuisines, said Scott Snodgrass, co-owner of Agmenity, the Houston-based company responsible for organizing Chef Fest. Chefs regularly reach out to farmers asking them to grow new crops or harvest a crop differently. Farmers get to expose chefs to their own favorite crops and even parts of plants that are often considered waste. Among the chefs dishing out bites to the crowd will be: Richard Knight: A leader in the Houston culinary scene, Richard Knight opened internationally famous Feast. He is a James Beard Southwest Semi-Finalist. This spring, he will open Atlas Diner within the Bravery food hall. Paul Lewis: British-born, Paul Lewis has a culinary career that spans four-star restaurants in England, Ireland and the United States. He is the executive chef for Vinnys, Indianola and Miss Carousel in Houston. Evelyn Garcia: Chopped Champion Evelyn Garcia is the founder of Doyennes Dinner, a woman creative collective supper club, and is the chef and owner of Pop-Up Factory. She also is the Chef in Residence at The Decatur Bar. Dawn Burrell: The Executive Chef of modern Southern restaurant Kulture in downtown Houston, Dawn Burrell can usually be found at the local farmers market sourcing ingredients for her global comfort food. Patrick Feges: Patrick Feges is a self-taught pitmaster and graduate of the Texas Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu in Austin. He opened Feges BBQ with his wife Erin Smith in March 2018. Sky Hanka: Referring to herself as Culinary Wildflower, integrative chef Sky Hanka offers a conscious and restorative herbal approach to cooking. She works at educational farm, Blackwood Land Institute. Tony Luhrman: The chef and owner of the award-winning El Topo food truck, Luhrman is committed to hand made food, seasonal produce, and responsibly sourced meat. Jonny Rhodes: After training at high-profile restaurants across Houston, Jonny Rhodes found success with Jensen Chronicles a pop-up restaurant serving serious southern African American-inspired eats. He recently launched Restaurant Indigo. Alvin Schultz: MasterChef finalist Alvin Schultz brings his innovative approach to flavors and food to Mind Body Fuel where he has created a meal subscription plan that helps clients achieve overall better wellness. Jane Wild: Baker extraordinaire Jane Wild is known for the award-winning Jane and John Dough Bakery in Tomball. She currently leads the culinary team at Dunlavy Kitchen. General tickets including all food and five drink tickets for adults 21 and over are $95 for adults, $30 for children ages 5 to 16 and free for ages 4 and under. A VIP experience is available for $130 and includes access to on-site parking, a unique dessert experience and a private lounge with a bar serving premium cocktails. A portion of the proceeds benefits Ill Have What Shes Having whose mission is to support women's health initiatives. Visit www.cheffesthouston.com for information. As Fort Bend County Judge KP George brought his Countywide Listening Tour to Precinct 3 on Feb. 28, he learned that residents are concerned about flood mitigation and dispatching by the sheriffs office. About 100 residents came to Parkway Fellowship Church, 27043 FM 1093 in Richmond, as part of the judges second tour. The tour included Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Kelly Crow, Precinct 3 Constable Wayne Thompson, Sheriff Troy Nels and other department heads who gave brief introductions and helped answer audience concerns and questions. Flood mitigation Victims of Hurricane Harvey wanted to know what the county is doing about flood mitigation. The countys response to Hurricane Harvey, said George, is the reason he said he reorganized the Office of Emergency Management. Effective Feb. 12, the department now is called the Fort Bend County Homeland Security & Emergency Management office. Mark Flathouse, who had served as fire marshal, is the emergency management coordinator as the county combines the fire marshals office with homeland security. Meyers said he supported the reorganization. During his campaign for judge, George wrote that During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, we witnessed many of our countys citizens suffer due to a poor emergency management system. That needs to change. People need to know when to get out of their homes when there is a flood. Proper communication needs to be delivered at the right time with the right information. Emergency shelters need to be prearranged well in advance for disaster events. At the Feb. 28 meeting , George said, A combined department will do a better job. He said the reorganization will save the county $250,000 and result in better response times and communication. We are working to make it better for our residents. People should know in advance where they need to go to be safe. Flathouse said he is working with other agencies since his appointment and will be busy before hurricane season to continue to improve communication and prepare the county. We need a game plan for the next hurricane season. Meyers said Fort Bend County applied by the Jan. 31 deadline for federal grants from the Texas Department of Emergency Management for funding of flood mitigation. County Commissioner Court minutes show officials applied for grants for five areas in the county including $40 million for the Bessies Creek Detention Basin and $80 million for the Jones Creek Detention Basin. The commissioner said he has approached state officials about the possibility of state funds providing the 25 percent local match. Other options include the county providing funds or the creation of voter-approved special districts which would call a bond election to raise the matching dollars. The county also is looking into the impact of the recalculation for a 100-year event by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Meyers said the NOAA standard now is 12 inches in a 24-hour period. NOAA has determined that it should be 16 inches in a 24-hour period. Some people not in the flood plain will be in the flood plain then, he said. The change also could impact premiums for flood insurance, he said. Sheriff dispatch The Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office prior to Jan. 1 dispatched the closest deputy to a service call in unincorporated areas. A procedural chance now has dispatchers first call sheriffs deputies. One man from the audience who raised concerns about safety since the change received applause from those around him. Other speakers raised the fact that a number of subdivisions have contracts with the constables office and pay extra for patrols and security. Meyers said 20 subdivisions in Precinct 3 have contract deputies. Saying he was concerned about the safety and security of Fort Bend residents, Nels said a lot of emotion and misinformation are connected to the dispatching change. Since the change, he said response times have improved. He asked for six months before evaluating the change to see where the situation is at. I believe we will continue to improve service in Fort Bend County. Thompson said he had asked the sheriffs department to return to the former system but had received no response. According to Thompson, 95 percent of Precinct 3 is unincorporated. Meyers said, I hope the sheriff goes back to dispatching the officer closest to the call. George told audience members that they would receive answers to their questions. Were looking into it and were looking for a solution. A Feb. 11 post on on the Fort Bend County Sheriffs Facebook page about the procedural change drew more than 150 comments, not all of them positive. Other topics Residents also raised questions or concerns about other topics. Animal Control: The county said it is open to ideas on how to further lower the number of animals at Fort Bend County Animal Services that are euthanized and said progress is being made. Online voter registration: Meyers said he opposes allowing people to register to vote online until measures can be implemented to protect and safeguard the integrity of the voting process. Revenue Caps: In response to a resident question about revenue caps, Meyers said that county commissioners adopted a resolution opposing efforts in the Texas Legislature to impose revenue or appraisal caps upon Texas counties. The resolution adopted in January also asked the Legislature to address school funding and replace the property tax burden. At the meeting, Meyers explained that the county collects about 15 percent of the total property tax revenue in the county. Over the years the state has increased mandates for the county but not provided funding for them, he said. Since the county cant control funding for the mandates, it opposes the revenue cap, he said. County assistance districts: A resident asked how county assistance districts benefit residents. The districts are created by voters and use sales tax collected within their boundaries for local projects. Meyers said those sales tax dollars have paid for roads and funded patrol officer positions as well as a library and parks. AUSTIN The Texas House unveiled today a $9 billion multifaceted plan to reform how the state funds schools and charges property taxes a proposal complete with a full-day pre-K program and merit raises for teachers marking the beginning of a complicated negotiation between the two chambers on how to achieve the Legislatures signature goals this year. House Bill 3 increases per-student education spending by $890 a year to $6,030 and boosts how much money the state pays school districts for low-income students and those in dual language programs for students who struggle to speak English. The plan also establishes a full-day pre-K program for children from low-income families and incentivizes school districts to extend the school year by as many as 30 days to ensure students are reading on grade level by third grade. If we dont do this, were failing our kids. Were failing our kids, said the bills architect, State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, who is chairman of the House Public Education Committee. Huberty, a former school board member, said he expects many conversations with the Texas Senate, which unanimously passed a $3.9 billion school funding bill on Monday that calls for $5,000 across-the-board raises for teachers and librarians. The House plan calls for merit raises, with school districts deciding how they are awarded. At least 80 members of the House signed up to support it in less than two hours on Tuesday. Related: Texas Senate passes $5,000 raises for teachers, librarians House Speaker Dennis Bonnen called the bill thoughtful, thorough and a meaningful investment in the lives of students and teachers. The House will not kick the can down the road on this issue, he said. The plan also lowers school property tax rates by 4 cents. The measure reduces recapture, also known as the Robin Hood program that siphons money from property-wealthy school districts, like Houston Independent School District, to school districts with less property tax revenue. The move will reduce recapture payments by more than 38 percent this biennium, according to House documents. The plan would reduce some property tax rates. For example, Houston ISD currently charges a $1.04 maintenance and operations tax rate, which would drop to $1.00 under the plan saving the owner of a $200,000 home $80 a year. The school district is on track to pay $304 million in recapture payments, but that would drop to $34 million, according to the House Public Education Committee. Lawmakers have vowed to prioritize school finance reform and tamping down skyrocketing property taxes. The 186-page bill is the result of a year-long effort by a specialty commission to devise ways to improve how Texas funds schools. The proposal pulls from much of the commissions 2018 report that also found students struggled to read on grade-level in middle school and many students were unprepared for college-level work. An Humble man pleaded guilty Tuesday to murdering his wife three years ago, strangling her before dumping her body in a Louisiana waterway. Jonathan Allee, 31, struck a plea deal that will send him to prison for 35 years, angering more than a dozen of the wifes family members and friends present at court. The family, clad in purple for domestic violence awareness, said they cant imagine Allee out free after what he did to his wife, Elizabeth Ferrell. I cant express what this sentencing today means to all of us, Ferrells best friend, Melissa Bell, said in a victim impact statement. Jonathan spent years abusing Elizabeth before eventually killing her and tossing her body away like a piece of trash. The possibility of a violent and calculated monster walking amongst innocent people after any amount of time served will never feel like justice. FATAL CRASH: Lyft driver in coma as investigators, lawyers probe bars for link to deadly wreck After the plea, Allees attorney said that his client hopes the family gets some closure. He acknowledged the familys upset with the result, but said his client wasnt pleased with the outcome either. In my experience as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, what I have found is if neither side is happy, its probably a fair result, attorney Dorian C. Cotlar said. A fisherman found Ferrells body on April 23, 2016. She was nude and partially submerged in the Whiskey Bay waterway in Iberville Parish, north of Interstate 10, authorities said. Ferrell, who was 28, had been strangled. She also had blunt force trauma to the head. Allee originally told authorities that he last saw her four days before she was found, when he dropped her off at work. He later changed his story and told police that hed last seen her on April 21. His wife was missing after he came home that day, he said. He also claimed he hadn't been to Louisiana in years. Friends and family told police of a long history of domestic abuse inflicted on Ferrell. Allee had threatened to kill his wife before, especially if she tried to leave him with their two daughters, a friend said. Police eventually found surveillance cameras showing Ferrells car going eastbound on I-10 and then returning westbound on April 22, 2016, close to where her body was found. Their 5-year-old daughter told authorities that Allee had taken her and her 1-year-old sister on a road trip. Sometime during the trip, Allee stopped the car in the middle of the road and got something from the back of the vehicle, but the daughter couldnt tell what it was. God only knows how this will impact (their daughter) in the future when she figures out why he stopped on that bridge, Ferrells cousin, Daphne Hesse, said on Tuesday. He told his daughters at some point that theyd been on the trip for about eight hours. At another point, he told them they were turning around because he couldnt find their destination, according to court documents. They left during the day and returned back home at night. Harris County authorities arrested Allee on a warrant in late April, and he was extradited to Iberville Parish in June 2016. He was charged there, but the case was eventually moved back to the Houston area because authorities determined that Allee killed his wife at their home in Humble, court records show. An inmate at the Harris County Jail told police that Allee admitted to strangling his wife and stomping on her neck before dumping her body in Louisiana. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. Want to get away to Hawaii? Houstonians wishing to take advantage of Southwest Airlines' newest route from California to Hawaii can book now. But you better do it fast if you want a low fare. Real fast. The Dallas-based airline announced Monday that it will begin flights from California to Hawaii starting March 17. Tickets went on sale Monday, although all flights from California to Hawaii appear booked as of noon. A news release from Southwest Airlines listed flights from Oakland or San Jose to Honolulu or Kahului as low as $49. But those fares appear to have sold out quickly. While the airline doesn't offer direct service from Hobby Airport to Hawaii (and we don't expect they ever will), Chron.com found a series of flights between April 27 and May 6 for about $561. That costs, however, does not include two overnight stays in Oakland during layovers on both flights. By comparison, a Delta Airlines flight on the same date from Houston to Hawaii with layovers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport would cost about $639, according to Expedia.com. The cheapest non-stop flight from Houston to Hawaii on those dates is with United Airline for $744. Southwest's flight from California will fly out of Oakland and San Jose, with other airports in San Diego and Sacramento coming later this year. Although tickets are getting booked fast, (the $561 deal found by Chron.com is probably gone by the time you're reading this), Southwest Airlines is expected to announce more flights from California to Hawaii on March 14. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message A onetime Pasadena City Council member running for his former District A seat in the May 4 election and the incumbent he is challenging have sharply differing views on what impact each has made on that community and the city. Ornaldo Ybarra, who served on the Pasadena City Council for eight years before leaving office because of term limits in 2017, is running against Felipe Villarreal, who is seeking his second term. Villarreal, 45, a deputy constable for the Harris County Precinct 2 Constables Office, said his primary focus over the last two years has been to work to get District A as many resources as possible, contending that the district has been neglected for a number of years before his term began. Ive gotten more done in the last two years than Ybarra had his entire time in office, Villarreal said. He cited infrastructure problems such as bad roadways and problems with drainage and flooding. Ive learned where we can adjust money to get these resources into these communities, Villarreal said. We need to better increase the quality of life in these communities. Ybarra, 40, a Pearland Police Department lieutenant, said Villarreal has taken credit for some of the work Ybarra and his staff laid out. For instance, Ybarra said that he worked with the administration of former Mayor Johnny Isbell to identify the funding for an improvement project for Richey Street. Ybarra said that while he was no longer in office when the council voted on the project, the groundwork was already in place before he left. Villarreal refuted Ybarras claim, stating the Richey Street work was a joint project between the city and Harris County, funded through $6 million contributions by each. Ybarra had nothing to do with that, Villarreal said. He said Mayor Jeff Wagner, who was elected in 2017 to replace the term-limited Isbell, has been responsive when approached with suggestions on how to improve District A, specifically its roadways. When I was running for office, I had some constituents bring up the lack of sidewalks on Jackson Street leading to Memorial Park, Villarreal said. I brought that to the mayors attention, and we were able to install three blocks of sidewalk that were not there before. Villarreal said that when he called Wagner to complain about about 20 lights that were out at Memorial Park, the mayor got the problem resolved almost immediately. Villarreal said his goal is to continuing to work on the infrastructure of District A, repairing as many streets as he can and alleviating flooding risks. We cant do everything in two years; so were still going to focus on getting these neighborhoods back in shape, he said. As for Ybarra, he said he plans on bringing leadership to City Council. When I was on City Council, I was a leader, said Ybarra, a lifelong District A resident. Over an eight-year span, I was mayor pro tem twice, which means I was elected by my peers, by my fellow council members, to serve in that capacity. Ybarra takes credit for improvements to roads around District A including Southmore Avenue, West Lane and Shaver, Main, Spooner and Witter streets. Over those eight years we served, we did close to $100 million worth of projects in District A, Ybarra said. He questioned the way City Council has been spending taxpayers money and lamented an increase in the property tax rate and in garbage and utility charges. Theres been reckless spending at City Hall, Ybarra said. Im proud to say that in the eight years I was there, we did none of that. We need good fiscal members up there on the council who are going to take care of other peoples money, and I dont believe we currently have that. Ybarra noted that Villarreal voted to increase the property tax rate, which is something Ybarra wants to cut if elected. Villareal joined the mayor and five others on the eight-member council in October to increase the tax rate by 4 cents to 61.5 cents per $100 valuation. Supporters of the move said that the increase was needed to cover rising costs. I plan on reducing that (property) tax rate and garbage rate, Ybarra said. I dont know what the amount is, by my commitment to the people is reduce the property tax rate the next fiscal year. To do this, he plans on making cuts and reducing salaries whatever we must do to be fiscally responsible, he said. Ybarra, who has worked with the Pearland Police Department for 13 years, aims to work to reduce what he said was an increasing crime rate in if elected. A lot of the community out here feels unsafe, he said. Theres more robberies, burglaries and vehicle break-ins. For me, its a public safety issue. Ybarra decried what he sees as a lack of leadership of the council. (Villarreal) has probably said less than 100 words at the meetings in the two years hes been a council member, Ybarra said. The people that disagree and ask questions are the people that actually study the material, Ybarra said. If you study the material and ask questions, youre going to make good decisions. There are council members who dont disagree with anything. Villarreal said that his approach leads to results. Im the type of person that if there are issues to sit down and talk about them and not attack each other personally, Villarreal said. Were all trying to drive toward the same goal, which is to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Pasadena. District A spans from just north of Texas 225, south to West Ellaine and Southmore avenues. In April 2018, workers at the site of Fort Bend ISDs James Reese Career and Technical Center made a discovery of human remains buried on the site. Lots of remains. When the initial investigation was completed, the district announced the buried remains represented 95 people buried on the site of a former prison. The remains are believed to be former prisoners. They were part of a convict-leasing system wherein inmates were contracted to perform cheap labor across the state. In 2018, the discovery of an unmarked burial ground at the former Imperial State Prison Farm site in Sugar Land drew national attention to an abhorrent chapter in history, State Rep. Ron Reynolds said in a news release. Archaeologists at the site found the skeletal remains of 95 victims of the convict leasing system, which was used after the Civil War to replicate the oppression that existed under slavery. Although the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited involuntary servitude, it created an exemption for people convicted of crimes. Southern states, including Texas, took advantage by enacting Black Codes, laws that applied only to African Americans, who could be prosecuted criminally for such offenses as loitering, breaking curfew, or not carrying proof of employment. Related: Fort Bend ISD to drop legal action, leaving human remains on site On Tuesday, Feb. 12, Fort Bend commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the county attorney to negotiate an agreement with the Fort Bend Independent School District that could lead to a memorial and cemetery honoring 95 African-American remains. Fort Bend ISD in turn agreed to negotiate. Then on Thursday, Feb. 21, Fort Bend ISD announced that it would halt its legal actions and avoid construction on a site. The decision all but ensures that the remains will stay in their longtime resting place as activists sought for months. Now in the Texas Legislature, Reynolds has issued multiple bills House Bills 2036, 2428 and 2430; House Concurrent Resolutions 51 and 55; and House Joint Resolution 87 to bring light to the convict leasing system. Related: Agreement possible concerning 95 remains in Sugar Land This bold slew of legislation is designed to replace the confederate monument in the capitol with a plaque to honor the victims of convict leasing, to commission a study to determine the legacy of convict leasing, to establish a museum to educate the public on the history of convict leasing, and to administer $95 million in reparations to the descendants of the 95 victims of the convict leasing system discovered in Sugar Land, Reynolds said in a news release. HB 2036 relates to issuance of permits for the analysis of human remains recovered on state archeological landmarks. HB 2428 relates to the burial of convict leasing victims and the establishment of a convict leasing victims memorial museum. HB 2430 relates to requirements in a suit for the removal of human remains from a cemetery. HJR 87 proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the payment of reparations to the next of kin of certain victims of the state's convict leasing system. HCR 51 would create a joint interim committee to study the legacy of convict leasing in Texas. HCR 55 would direct the State Preservation Board to initiate steps to provide for the replacement of the Children of the Confederacy plaque with a plaque to honor victims of the state's convict leasing system. The prisoners in the convict leasing system were used in many industries. According to Reynolds, The state of Texas leased prisoners as cheap labor to private railways, mines, and agricultural operations, including the sugar plantations along the Brazos River. While receiving no pay, convicts often endured conditions even more brutal than slavery, given that contractors had no financial interest in their well-being. Reynolds said more than 3,500 prisoners died between 1866 and 1912, when the legislature outlawed convict leasing. While the state and employers profited, the families and communities of victims suffered damage that spanned generations, Reynolds said. A full understanding of the convict leasing system and its after effects is vital to addressing issues that continue to plague society today, including mass incarceration, convict labor, prison privatization, and entrenched poverty. Reynolds represents Texas House District 27, which encompasses Fort Bend County. Reporter Brooke A. Lewis contributed to this report. rkent@hcnonline.com Divas of The Woodlands, get ready to dance. Dance company DivaDance is now hosting sessions in The Woodlands but, dancing with DivaDance isnt like other choreography classes, Houston franchise owner Angie Lawrence said. Its not marketed as a cardio or workout class though the benefits of exercise are still a big part of it but as a way to foster a sense of community and empower women while getting out and doing something fun. You do get some good cardio benefits, but you dont go in with that mindset, Lawrence said. Its about feeling like youre a part of something or you have somewhere to go where youre accepted. Its important, founder and CEO Jami Stigliano said, for women (and the men that choose to dance there) to have a space where they feel welcome and completely comfortable in their own skin. Stigliano began teach dance lessons to her friends in 2003 while living in New York City, after attending a hip hop class aimed at aspiring Broadway dancers. She became disillusioned, she said, with the atmosphere in the class. You shouldnt feel that way when you do something you love, Stigliano said. In 2016, the University of Texas graduate began franchising the concept, using her professional and alumni network to open a DivaDance class in Austin, eventually franchising it to studios in New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Charleston and Philadelphia. What sets it apart, Lawrence said, is the judgment-free, stress-free environment where the dancers thrive. Lawrence comes from a dance background, she said, but its important to note that the classes are open to anyone who wants it, for whatever reason. Its easy to feel disconnected in society today, she said. But, dance is timeless, and its a good way to keep away from the mental health struggles that have come up more recently. Originally from Conroe, Lawrence lived overseas with her family for more than a decade before returning to Montgomery County, where she found out about Stiglianos concept at the same time that she was looking for a way to get into dancing again. It was a new chapter a new beginning and I needed to do something bigger than me, Lawrence said. I found (Stigliano) and her ship and wanted to get on board quick. The company forgoes traditional storefront studios, opting instead to rent space in existing dance studios in their markets. In Houston, DivaDance hosts classes at the Hunter Dance Center in the Heights, the Jewish Community Center on South Braeswood Boulevard, the Dance Vault in Magnolia and in The Woodlands at Dance Dynamics in Spring and The Woodlands Dance Center. I wanted to make sure that we not only had this in The Woodlands, but in Houston as well, Lawrence said. Each session begins with ice breakers and a warm-up. Then, the dancers and instructors get to work learning a dance and performing it for each other. No one is interested in what the person next to them is doing, Lawrence said. In dance, its just you and the music. mrincon@chron.com Through the ashes came an unexpected miracle at a West Virginia church. Just before 1 a.m. Sunday, a massive fire erupted at the Freedom Ministries Church in Grandview, about 75 miles southeast of Charleston, the Coal City Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post. "Picture this, a building so hot that at one point in time, firefighters had to back out," the department wrote. "In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes." COMMENTARY: Do you believe in miracles? Remarkably, though, the department said several Bibles and crosses survived the blaze. The department said none of its firefighters were injured. "It just goes to show that God's word is more powerful than the devil's fire and fury no matter how hot it gets," one commenter wrote. By Guest Blogger Sasha Jones While most states require students to study civics in some sort of capacity, just eight mandate a yearlong civics or government class as a graduation requirement, according to a 2018 50-state survey by Education Week. But that number may soon grow as a flurry of civics education bills inch through state legislatures this year and other states move to expand or implement civic education requirements already in place. Education Weeks survey last year found three statesWashington, Nevada and Pennsylvaniathat are already on board to begin expanding their civics requirements as soon as this year. Seven other states are set to consider civics education bills introduced since the new year began. Although the way that civics is covered in schoolsand what is included varies from state to state, the most common approach is the Joe Foss Institutes Civics Education Initiative, which calls for high school students to pass the 100-question test required to acquire U.S. citizenship. With a 38 to 31 vote, the South Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill in that would require high school students to take that test, and score at least a 70 percent, to graduate. Although the Senate has since deferred the bill, if it passes, testing would start in the 2019-20 school year. Indiana lawmakers have introduced a similar bill in their Senate, which would make the civics exam a requirement starting in the 2020-21 school year if its approved. Although Tennessee already requires that students take a civics exam, a new bill is calling for the exam to be expanded from 25-50 questions to 100. Additionally, students would have to answer 75 percentinstead of 70 percentof the questions correctly to graduate. Some states are going beyond the citizenship test to implement legislation that could potentially affect more specific curriculum changes. In Minnesota, state representatives have drafted legislation that would require juniors or seniors to take a for-credit civics class as part of the three-and-a-half social studies credits they are currently required to earn in high schools. Although the state already requires that students take a 50-question civics test, the exam is not currently a graduation requirement. The Minnesota Department of Education will, however, use data from the current exam to assess students civics knowledge. A bill that would add civic responsibility to middle and high school curricula in North Carolina is currently working through the states House of Representatives. While it is uncertain what the final requirements would consist of, the bill says that instruction would focus on respect for school personnel, responsibility for school safety, service to others, and good citizenship. In Nebraska, a bill to change the name and provisions related to the Committee on Americanism to the Committee on American Civics would also shape education as the new committee would review and approve social studies curricula to stress civics and government. The current proposed bill also states that the curriculum would incorporate multicultural education. Additionally, California has stated its intent to enact future legislation related to civics education in a February assembly bill . (The state already requires students to take a one-semester civics and government class in order to graduate from high school.) On the federal level, Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Angus King (I-Maine), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) introduced the Constitution Education Is Valuable in Community Schools (CIVICS) Act of 2019 to Congress, which would aim to improve the quality of student achievement in, and teaching of, American history, civics, government, or geography in elementary and secondary schools, as well as educate students about the history and principles of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Photo courtesy of Getty. A potential Syrian regime attack to take back the northern Idlib Province will likely push jihadists into Turkey, analysts told The Media Line, Jerusalem Post states in its article FIGHTING IN NORTHERN SYRIA COULD PUSH JIHADISTS INTO TURKEY. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has links to al-Qai'da and is the successor to al-Nusra, strengthened its control over most of Idlib in January, making an offensive by Damascus likely. Gareth Jenkins, a long-time Turkey analyst and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Security and Development Policy, told The Media Line that many fighters would enter Turkey in such an eventuality. They will almost certainly include some members of HTS, Jenkins said, although he qualified that they are unlikely to launch attacks in Turkey anytime soon. While Ankara has significantly tightened up the border with Syria since 2017, there are still ways to come back into Turkey. Aaron Stein, Director of the Middle East Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said that fighters returning is something the Turkish government will need to keep an eye on. Theres always reportsthat there are still smuggling networks that you can get through these places and you can wiggle your way through [Syrian Democratic Forces] territory into essentially what is Turkish-held territory, he said. The Turkish state news agency reported last week that police detained a senior ISIS suspect of Syrian nationality in western Turkey. Last April, the state news agency said authorities arrested four high-level ISIS suspects, including one believed to have close ties with leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Turkish government increased its monitoring of ISIS in 2017 after a series of attacks, learning more about the group's logistics, its members and connections to other networks, according to Dogu Eroglu, who wrote a book on ISIS in Turkey and is an investigative journalist with the Medyascope outlet. Eroglu told The Media Line that as attacks against ISIS in Syria intensified around 2015, most of the organization's Turkish citizens were able to return home. While they are unlikely to perpetrate local attacks now, Eroglu too believes that "doesnt mean they arent going to become huge liabilities in the future." Another vulnerability is the millions of Syrians in Turkey who fled the war. In this chaotic atmosphere, I think some of the fighters going back to their final destinations through Turkey might have slipped [through] but that is something very hard for the government to prevent, Eroglu said. He added that surveillance at airports and bus stations where police check people's identities has led to some suspects on the watch list being apprehended. However, Jenkins warned, if the Syrian war comes to an end then radicalized individuals may focus their efforts on Europe since they cannot fight elsewhere. Turkish authorities have likely looked out for single males on one-way tickets coming in, Stein said, and they would probably look at those leaving as well. Indeed, analysts told The Media Line that the risk of a lone wolf attack by an extremist already in Europe is probably greater than terrorism being carried out by jihadists returning to Turkey. Ahmet S. Yayla, an Assistant Professor at DeSales University in Pennsylvania and a former counter-terrorism police chief in Turkey, told The Media Line that he believes 8,000-10,000 Turks joined ISIS and al-Qai'da-linked groups in Syria. He said that law enforcement has focused on the border, including along the Aegean Sea, and are looking into organized crime groups that are helping smuggle people out of the country. The intelligence [service] can figure out who is trying to leave, Yayla said, although he contended that much of these efforts would focus on perceived political opponents attempting to flee Ankara's post-coup crackdown. A central question, then, is how governments will define what constitutes a jihadist as opposed to a sympathizer that has not helped conduct attacks. Stein said that in the case of Turkey, the distinction is blurrier due to its classification of the Syrian Democratic Forces as a terrorist group. The SDF is holding thousands of these people, they are sitting in open air camps. What are you going to with them?, Stein asked. There will be a jail break, it will eventually happen. The U.S. will again recognize the EUs representation in Washington as equal to national ambassadors, after its diplomatic status was downgraded last year. Politico reports in its article US bumps EU diplomatic status back up after downgrade that the U.S. State Department said Monday that effective immediately, it will recognize the European Unions representation in Washington as equivalent to that of a bilateral mission in the Diplomatic Corps Order of Precedence. Last October the Trump administration had reversed an Obama-era change and started ranking the EUs ambassador to Washington the same as envoys from international organizations, who fall into a secondary category on the protocol list. The downgrade came amid a low point in transatlantic relations and led to confusion among European officials, as well as outcry from Democrats in the U.S. Congress and members of the European Parliament. The EU said at the time it had not been alerted to the change; however, there is no formal mechanism for communicating such adjustments. The State Department announced the reinstatement of the missions former status in a statement welcoming the EUs new ambassador to Washington, Stavros Lambrinidis, whose predecessor left as part of the regular rotation of diplomats. Without providing a reason for the prior downgrade, U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland said in the statement that the EU "is a uniquely important organization, and one of Americas most valuable partners in ensuring global security and prosperity. Europes security and success are inextricably linked to that of the United States, and this level of engagement and cooperation should be recognized appropriately in all settings, he added. The 'Economic and Investment Cooperation of Azerbaijan and Russia: New Points of Growth' video conference with Baku was held in Moscow yesterday. On the sidelines of the event, scientist of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies of the RAS Institute of Economics Artem Pylin told Vestnik Kavkaza about Russian-Azerbaijani economic contacts. - Artyom Gennadievich, what are current points of reference of Russian-Azerbaijani economic cooperation? - At present, we have seen an improvement in trade terms for Azerbaijan due to the faster growth of food supplies - vegetables and fruits - which partly replace the market lost by the EU after the introduction of Russian counter-sanctions. As for Russian supplies to Azerbaijan, there have been certain changes associated with a decrease in volumes, due to the restructuring of the Azerbaijani economy and the development of import-substituting industries in agriculture (in particular, wheat cultivation) and industry (automobile assembly plants), as well as pharmaceuticals, chemical industry and building materials - before this all these goods were supplied to Azerbaijan by Russia. In this regard, the question of how to increase Russian supplies to the Azerbaijani market is more relevant than ever. One of the options is creating joint assembly plants for deliveries to third countries - Iran, Turkey, Vietnam, the countries of Southeast Asia, that is, those which need traditional engineering products due to rapid economic growth, in which both Russia and Azerbaijan are strong. The second option is everything related to digital transformation. Both the Azerbaijani and Russian governments are paying special attention to the digital economy development, corresponding state programs have been adopted. Here it is important to coordinate the interaction, in particular, in applying best practices and guidelines for digitizing public administration services and developing joint platforms. We have very good companies - Yandex, Mail.ru Group, Kaspersky Lab - that could interact with relevant partners in Azerbaijan. The third option is cooperation in the service industry. At the international level, trade in traditional goods either stagnates or shrinks due to the growing number of protectionist actions, which is why trade in services is the most promising type of trade in the 21st century. This also applies to trade in transport services through the realization of the transit potential of the two countries, as well as tourism and humanitarian cooperation. Azerbaijan is investing heavily in the development of tourism and the growth of the regions, in this sense it becomes even more attractive travel destination for Russian tourists. Of course, it is also necessary to think about how Russia and Azerbaijan will interact in the global gas market and the global oil market. In our view, Russian gas, which will go to Europe via the Turkish Stream, and Azerbaijani gas, which will be supplied via the Southern Gas Corridor, cannot be direct competitors since the end user are different countries. We know that Azerbaijani gas will mainly go to Italy, while Russian gas will go via the Turkish Stream to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. These are different markets, and there can be no direct intersection between us. Therefore, the issue is our engagement, cooperation within the framework of Turkish hubs. - How are possible ways to promote economic cooperation in the Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran triangle? - In the Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran format, the main joint project is the International NorthSouth Transport Corridor, whose potential is very large. Successful implementation of this project will significantly increase mutual trade and trade with third countries, because the insufficient development of checkpoints and insufficient equipment of cross-border infrastructure are barriers in the mutual trade of any neighboring state. It is necessary that the movement of goods and commodities was sufficiently rapid, which requires appropriate investments in modernization. In addition to the NorthSouth Transport Corridor, another promising area of cooperation is the creation of Russian-Azerbaijani assembly facilities in Iran, since Iran has a rather strong economy, with good potential for traditional industries. This also applies to the automotive industry, the chemical industry and refining - that are in demand on the Iranian market. - How do you assess the presence of Azerbaijani agricultural products in the Russian market and Azerbaijan's efforts to promote its products in Russia? "According to statistics, Azerbaijan's fruit and vegetable exports have been growing for two years in a row, and it's not just about the supply of certain types of vegetables and fruits, but also about commercial agricultural production. Wine, potato and textile exports to Russia are very promising. With the creation of powerful agro-complexes, Azerbaijan is confidently entering the Russian market. An important element of strengthening Azerbaijani products in our market could be the creation of a commodity distribution network, small shops under the Made in Azerbaijan brand, which would sell textiles or wine. So, entry of new products to Russia's market would be more efficient, because it is quite difficult to get into large supermarkets. Setting up such small shops, especially in the Russian regions, could significantly increase trade. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies will host the first International Cyber Security Week on March 11-15 in Baku. The event aims to boost the national cyber security capacity-building and increase awareness in the field of cyber security. The week will feature a series of events, including a national research workshop, Regional Internet Governance Forum, Hackathon competition, and a cyber security solutions workshop, AzerTAc reported. The United States needs to return to compliance with its commitments under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said. "China strongly opposes the United States withdrawal from that treaty. We believe that Russia and the US should resolve disagreements as soon as possible and return to [compliance with] the accord," the diplomat said at a press briefing. According to Lu Kang, Moscows and Washingtons decision to quit the deal will have an adverse effect on global security, TASS reported. Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree suspending Russias compliance with the INF Treaty until the U.S. addresses the violation of obligations under the Treaty or until the Treaty is terminated. On February 1, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of Washingtons obligations under the INF starting February 2. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that Washington is determined to withdraw from the treaty in six months' time unless Russia returns to "real and verifiable" compliance. On February 2, Putin announced that Moscow was likewise suspending the agreement. He handed down instructions to refrain from initiating talks with Washington on the issue and stressed that the US needed to show willingness for an equal and substantive dialogue. Georgia's Interior Ministry said that it is continuing to actively cooperate with the law enforcement agencies of European countries. The republic's Interior Ministry reported that 137 Georgian citizens involved in grave crimes have been detained during the raids, nine of them were criminal bosses. "Starting from 2018 up to now, 20 large-scale special operations have been conducted with the cooperation of French, Greek, Spanish and Polish colleagues," Agenda.ge cited the ministry as saying. A state lawmaker from Houston has filed a budget amendment aiming to close a scandal-plagued North Texas juvenile prison. The move comes roughly days after a pair of Houston Chronicle reports on the ongoing chaos and chronic understaffing at the Gainesville State School, where officers and inmates reported repeated outbursts of gang-related violence, "hits" on guards, fights and vandalism. The budget rider proposed on Friday by Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, would have the Texas Juvenile Justice Department stop sending teens to the facility as of September, and order officials to formulate a comprehensive closure plan by March 2020 with the goal to shutter the unit by September of next year. "This unit has similar problems to the other four TJJD units, but the number of problems and the scope of the incidents has gotten to a critical point," Wu said Tuesday. "And if we don't act now, then when?" An agency spokesman said officials hadn't yet discussed the amendment with its author and felt it would be premature to comment. READ MORE: Gangs, lack of guards spark teen riot at understaffed Texas juvenile prison The Gainesville facility has a history of significant problems, including a 2017 sex abuse scandal in which multiple officers were arrested for having or trying to have sex with teenage inmates. Since then, multiple officers have been terminated for everything from failing drug tests to punching youth, and last month local police arrested a guard who allegedly assaulted her boyfriend the facility's security chief during a Super Bowl party in on-campus officer housing just outside the unit's fence. And, though the inmate population is the lowest it's been in years, the use of force and deployment of pepper spray spiked last year, according to state data. By November, youth-on-youth assaults had more than doubled from the prior year, up to 82, while the use of restraints rose from 76 to 142, and pepper spray uses also more than doubled. In mid-2018, an ombudsman report described the increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults as "attributable to gang activity and youth vying for leadership positions within the various gang factions." During a site visit over the summer, oversight officials saw kids openly using gang signs and handshakes. Then in the fall, on-campus tensions between Crips and Bloods finally boiled over into a six-day mass disturbance that eventually spread across most of the sprawling campus 60 miles outside of Dallas, according to state records. Driven by boredom, gang tension and a desire to protest, up to 40 teens blew dust into the smoke detector to unlock the dorm doors, then got out and started running around the campus, destroying property and assaulting staff and each other in a "major campus-wide disruption" according to reports from the Office of the Independent Ombudsman. Though the outbursts recurred over the six-day period, they were not continuous the entire time, officials stressed. One staffer described the facility as the "Wild West," while the state oversight office wrote that inmates and officers saw it as a "gang war" that lasted far longer than the six-day disturbance that started in November. "The Crips are currently considered to be 'on top,'" the ombudsman wrote in a December review first reported on last month in the Chronicle. "The Pirus have also become involved. There is currently a vying for rank within the Crips. The issues are likely not over and target date(s) for continued disruptions are possibly (sic) during the holidays." Some teens were allegedly putting "hits" on the staff, ordering targeted assaults on guards, according to the report. But in its written response, the agency described the problem differently. "We do not have a 'gang war,' but we do have a gang issue which may represent itself in a myriad of ways," agency officials wrote. "Facility administration will continue to work with staff to properly identify the issues so that the term is not misused." READ MORE: Out of control: Report on juvenile prison gang war draws lawmakers attention After the six-day disturbance, the facility went into a restrictive lockdown, during which some kids said they'd been shackled at night to use the restroom - though agency officials clarified that practice ended once the smoke detectors were fixed. Two youth told oversight officials they'd been forced to defecate in empty food trays because they weren't allowed out to use the bathroom. One teen said he'd been pepper sprayed "for no reason." In the fallout, four top prison officials lost their jobs and weeks later, the agency shut down the unit's new equine therapy program. Last month, the agency disputed the Chronicle's description of the six-day outburst as a riot and emphasized that they consistently maintained control of the rural facility. "There simply was no ongoing six-day riot," Texas Juvenile Justice Department Executive Director Camille Cain said in a statement. "To be clear, there were a series of disturbances over the course of several evenings involving youth activating fire alarms in an effort to exit the dorms and cause disruptions." Lawmakers who reviewed the reports of oversight officials begged to differ. "It's an out-of-control place and quite frankly the leadership knows it," state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, told the Chronicle last month. "They have for months known that Gainesville is a danger to the youth, the staff and the community." Though the senate dean said he planned to tackle the problem with an "urgent" committee meeting, on Tuesday he questioned the idea of outright closing Gainesville given the lack of staff at the other four juvenile lock-ups. "The agency is so dysfunctional that they tell me that if they close Gainesville, they have nowhere to put the kids because they're so understaffed in other locations," he said Tuesday. "I can't endanger the other campuses." Wu acknowledged the the concerns, but reiterated the need to act. "Staffing is a serious concern - I don't doubt that in the least bit," he said. "But there's always concerns; it's TJJD. There is nothing about TJJD that is not concerning - but that should not stop us from moving forward with something that is positive in the long-run." The closure amendment would order the agency to try to figure out a way to move some of the kids elsewhere to avoid overcrowding the remaining lock-ups. "In developing the plan the Juvenile Justice Department shall work with treatment staff, experts in trauma-informed care, youth case managers, mental health staff, and an advocate for youth with disabilities to engage in a careful case review of youth in Gainesville and the remaining facilities to determine whether any youth can be moved to alternative settings, either in contract placements, or their home communities," the rider reads. And, Wu added, Texas has "some of the brightest people" working on the issue. "I'm confident we can figure out how to move 150 kids." Despite 10 minutes of coaxing and pleading, Alphonse the Flemish Giant rabbit refused to wear his dinosaur costume. He tried lunging out of 15-year-old Jacob Dotsons arms. He thumped his back legs and shook his head when the teen tried to slip the green outfit over his body. He only began to calm down when Jacob held him like a baby. Are you ready to be an adult now? Jacob asked as he placed Alphonse back on a white folding table. He was not. The 15-pound bunny tried to bolt before Jacob scooped him up again. Alphonse was one of 94 rabbits to compete in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeos Youth Breeding Rabbit and Cavy Costume Contest on Monday, filling the back of NRG Arena with hand-sewn outfits and bright displays. The costumes have become more elaborate since the contests inception about five years ago, said Kenneth Willis, the chairman of the Rabbit Committee. The first year, only five rabbits and owners participated. But, much like rabbits themselves, their numbers grew exponentially. Last year, more than 60 rabbits entered. It just continues to grow. So when are we going to stop? Were not, Willis said. If I have to fill the whole arena up, if I have to make double rows or triple rows in here for the kids to do this, I will. Some animals wore doll hats as they wiggled their noses. Others fluttered their ears when their owners slipped fabric over their heads. School-aged children stroked the back of their bunnies heads to keep them from hopping off the display tables. Caroline Hughes used pink food dye and a spray bottle to turn her bunny, Maxwell, pink. A small paper drum sat in front of him with the word Energizer scrawled across the front. The 16-year-old didnt have much time to prepare, dying Maxwell and creating a yarn cap for her other rabbit, Freddy, at 6:30 a.m. Monday. I dress them up and dye them all the time, especially for Easter, Hughes said. I thought this sounded like fun. Perhaps no rabbits were as intricately dressed as Miyley Lockharts. The 11-year-old spent at least four hours making display stands for her critters Honeybunny and Elsa. Honeybunny was surrounded by paper cacti, pinatas, maracas and flags, and he wore a thick mustache that moved every time his nose twitched. Elsa sat inches away, covered in plastic beads and perched on a tiny Mardi Gras float covered in masks and feathers. You could barely see Elsas face beneath her tufts of white fur. Miyley knew she wanted to go overboard this year after seeing the stiff competition last year. Her efforts paid off - she won first place for most elaborate costumes. I was worried, especially when I found out there were different categories, Miyley said. This is such a big step forward compared to last year. Jacob Dotson wasnt as lucky. Just after the judges shuffled by, Alphonse snapped through a strap he used to keep the dinosaur costume together. Despite lots of petting and encouragement, the 7-month-old rabbit refused to be dressed. I thought you were happy, Jacob mumbled. Do you want me to pick you up again? The teen lifted the mammoth bunny to his chest as he picked up the tattered remains of his costume. shelby.webb@chron.com twitter.com/shelbywebb Lawyers for the brother of a comatose Lyft driver from Afghanistan have asked for the preservation of evidence at two bars that may be linked to an alcohol-fueled wreck that killed his passenger and left him critically injured. The 29-year-old driver, Ezatullah Safi, who served as a translator to the U.S. Army, was hospitalized Friday morning after another motorist was alleged to have hit him after downing tequila shots at an east Harris County bar, according to authorities. Hes on a ventilator in a coma, lawyer Muhammad Aziz said Monday at court. The prognosis is not good. Hes still completely incapacitated. Aziz said Safi is a father of two children, ages 3 and 5. His wife is nine months pregnant with their third child. The family of four immigrated to the U.S. last year, he said. Safis parents in Afghanistan have not yet been told of the March 1 crash. EARLIER: Driver in deadly Lyft crash admits to taking tequila shots before driving, prosecutors say Safi was taking his passenger, Billy Satterfield, 40, home from the airport after a business trip when another motorist, identified as 21-year-old Erik De Leon, struck him and another vehicle around 1 a.m. near Galveston Road and Pineloch Drive, according to authorities. De Leon has since been charged with intoxication assault and intoxication manslaughter in Satterfields death. The injunction to preserve records was filed against the Bombshells restaurant on Gulf Freeway and the Studio 80 night club on Nasa Parkway, both of which are near the crash site. The bars have the same owner and operator, said Sean Teare, head of the Harris County District Attorneys Office Vehicular Crimes Division. Investigators are sifting through hours of surveillance footage from both businesses to pinpoint where De Leon was drinking in the hours before the wreck. Authorities are looking at both bars because De Leon told police after the crash that he had been drinking at a Bombshells on Nasa Parkway. According to Teare, the establishment at Nasa Parkway is no longer the chain eatery. It was rebranded as Studio 80. Everyone still calls it Bombshells and it still looks like Bombshells, Teare said. There may be reason to believe he might be incorrect. Teare said Bombshells has been cooperating with the investigation. A spokesman for the restaurants did not return a phone call. The civil motion filed on behalf of Safirs brother, Neamatullah Safi, asks that receipts, surveillance footage and cell phone records from bartenders at each business not be destroyed in the event of a lawsuit. Judge Jaclanel McFarland, of the 133rd Civil Court, granted the injunction against the bars. A hearing on March 15 will address the injunction. A review of surveillance video will determine if employees at either Bombshells or Studio 80 were responsible for over serving De Leon. If that happened, the workers could face criminal charges. As of last week, 42 people, among them bartenders and owners of Houston area bars, have been arrested during a year-long task force into after hours establishments and liquor violations. The task force has prompted five injunctions to be filed against local establishments, including one against the Gulf Freeway Bombshells after five people were arrested for alcohol-related crimes, officials said. The restaurant has complied with the injunction. A motorcyclist was taken to a hospital in critical condition Monday night after crashing into the back end of a flatbed truck on Interstate 69 in the Eastex area, authorities said. The crash was reported around 9 p.m. near Crosstimbers. Audio recovered from doomed Atlas Air cargo flight indicates the pilots may have lost control of the Boeing 767 aircraft before it plunged into Trinity Bay, federal investigators said. A cockpit recording fished from the muddy wreckage of Flight 3591 captured the final moments of Capts. Ricky Blakely and Sean Archuleta and First Officer Conrad Aska during a Feb. 23 contract flight from Miami to Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport with cargo from Amazon and the U.S. Postal Service. The three crew members were 40 miles away from their destination and in contact with air traffic control with plans to land at runway 26L. The pilots then made communications "consistent with a loss control of the aircraft," according to the National Transportation Safety Board's initial review. The recording stopped 18 seconds later, according to a NTSB news release. It took about 30 seconds for the plane to plunge 11,750 feet and nose dive into the bay near Anahuac in Chambers County. It was not known if the end of the recording signified the moment of impact. It is possible for cockpit voice recorders to stop working when the engines shut off, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said. The investigation into the cockpit audio continues, although engineers noted it was difficult to understand the crew members because of the poor quality of the audio. A copy of the two-hour-long recording was not available. "The quality of the audio is poor," the statement read. "There are times during the recording when the content of the crew discussion is difficult to determine. At other times the content can be determined using advanced audio filtering." Investigators expect to release a transcript of the final transmissions in at least a week, officials said. Search crews were unable to find black boxes containing the cockpit recorder and flight data until about a week after the crash. A layer of mud in the shallow waters made it difficult for divers to hear the pings both devices were emitting. The audio was recovered Friday, while a black box containing flight data was pulled from the crash site on Sunday afternoon. The second mud-caked device arrived at a Washington D.C. lab just before midnight with a hard drive containing data from final flight and 16 others inside. The drive was "disassembled, cleaned and dried" and the data downloaded Monday, according to investigators. The data accounted for the plane's functions, altitude and other measures for 54 hours in flight. Former Houston politician and Army veteran Tom Bass, who served more than a decade as Precinct 1 Harris County Commissioner, has died. He was 92. Rodney Ellis, who currently serves in the commissioners seat Bass once held, announced his predecessors death Monday night in a news release. The statement did not say when Bass died. His public service as a state legislator and then commissioner blazed a path for younger politicians to follow including in the areas of civil rights and voting rights for disenfranchised people, Ellis said. Bass was born on January 11, 1927. He joined the Army and later the Army Reserves after graduating from the University of St. Thomas. He rose to the ranks of colonel. He was elected to a decade-long tenure with the Texas Houston of Representatives that ended when he was elected to the Commissioners Court in 1972. FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Look back on the history of Houston in our weekly archive dive He left office in December 1984 after opting out of a re-election bid. His replacement was El Franco Lee, who ran unopposed and became the first minority to be elected to the Commissioners Court. The following year Bass was named adjunct professor and chairman of University of Thomas Department of Political Science. Tom Bass Regional Park, which is south of Sam Houston Tollway along Clear Creek, was named for the former commissioner. He is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Mary Ann, and their children. If NASA wants to get its human spaceflight program back on track, former Johnson Space Center Director George Abbey says the U.S. needs to redouble its education efforts. "If you're going to be successful, you have to have the people with the background and education is part of it," Abbey said Monday. "This nation has a major problem with education and we need to address it." Abbey spoke at an event Monday night discussing a new biography about him, "The Astronaut Maker: How One Mysterious Engineer Ran Human Spaceflight for a Generation," by Michael Cassutt. Cassutt was also in attendance. Abbey, a Seattle native, started working at NASA in 1964, five years before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped foot on the moon in 1969. It was an exciting time, Abbey told the Houston Chronicle before the event Monday, and it was suspenseful every step of the way. But NASA was able to achieve President John F. Kennedy's goal of landing on the moon before 1970 because it had great leaders who knew their stuff. "We were blessed with great leadership," Abbey said. "Leaders don't just happen; they come up and learn from their mentors." Since that time, NASA has struggled to keep up that strong level of leadership. And Abbey would know: he worked on Skylab, America's first space station, for example, and the Space Shuttle program, which launched humans into low Earth orbit for 30 years. He eventually became director of flight operations in 1976, where he was in charge of managing the flight crew and flight control activities for all human spaceflight missions. Abbey oversaw selecting the astronaut classes between 1978 and 1987, was involved in the development of the International Space Station and was named director of the Houston center in 1996. He held this position until 2001. Cassutt called him "the most powerful individual in human spaceflight, before or since." But Abbey laughs at that characterization. He sees his career differently. "A lot of things just ended up happening," Abbey said. Abbey is now the senior fellow in space policy at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Looking back on his nearly 40-year career with NASA, Abbey said he's frustrated: NASA isn't spending its money wisely, he added, and that's hurting the country's human spaceflight program. Space Shuttle should not have been canceled so soon, he said, and he doesn't understand why NASA is building three different capsules: Orion, the spacecraft being built to take humans back to the moon for the first time since 1972, and the two commercial crew vehicles being built by Boeing and SpaceX to take humans to the International Space Station. "The capsules are like the ones we flew back in the 1960s, but they're not as good as the ones we flew to moon and yet we're building three of them," Abbey said. "I don't know why we need three." He also thinks the Lunar Orbital-Platform Gateway, a mini-space station NASA plans to build orbiting the moon, is a waste of time. "God gave us a space station and its called the moon," he said. "Don't build a space station to orbit a space station. And we don't have the moeny to do it." Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian President Bashar Assad's trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said. "The ministry of foreign affairs did not have information at any level (about the trip) and this lack of information was maintained until the end of the trip," ISNA cited Qassemi as saying. "One of the reasons for the resignation of Dr. Zarif was this type of lack of coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs," he said. "And as it has been announced before, the resignation of the honourable minister was not a private and individual issue and the goal and intent of that was a positive effort to return the ministry of foreign affairs and the diplomatic system of the country to its main place," the spokesman added. Iranian President Hassan Rohani rejected Zarif's resignation last week. No one was injured when a NASA airplane failed to get airborne Tuesday at Ellington Field, space agency officials confirmed. The plane, a high altitude research aircraft known as a WB-57, had a not-yet-identified malfunction on the runway, said Kelly Humphries, spokesman for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Two people were onboard the aircraft but neither were injured, Humphries said. "The plane was in the process of taking off but was not considered airborne," he said. "We're just happy that no one was hurt." NASA plans to investigate the incident. Johnson is home to the space agency's WB-57 High Altitude Research Program and three of these planes are located at Ellington Field. WB-57 planes -- capable of flying at 60,000 feet for about 6.5 hours carrying 8,800 pounds -- began flying research missions in the 1970s. The planes can be used to study earth science, cosmic dust collection and ground mapping, as well as provide support for rocket launches. Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. Beto ORourke has not announced if he is running for president, but hes continuing to release policy statements that have the feel of a presidential platform. Two weeks after releasing a series of positions on immigration, ORourke on Monday released a five-step plan for addressing a school to prison pipeline that he said has put too many people of color behind bars for marijuana and other nonviolent drug crimes. One-third of that prison population is there for nonviolent drug crimes, and though we know that people of all races use illegal drugs at roughly the same rate, some are being locked away for it more than others, ORourke said. Many have called this part of the New Jim Crow, and for good reason. FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Beto ORourke or Joe Biden would make Texas tight in 2020, poll shows The top item on his list is ending a federal prohibition on marijuana and expunging the records of people who have been locked up for possessing it. First, we need to end the failed war on drugs that has long been a war on people, waged on some people over other people, ORourke said. Its an issue other candidates already running for president have signed onto. Just last week, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., filed The Marijuana Justice Act that also calls for ending the prohibition on marijuana and expunging records. That bill has already picked up co-sponsors such as Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, Bernie Sanders I-Vt, Kamala Harris, D-Calif, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. All of those co-sponsors are also running for president. ORourkes platform also calls for ending cash bail systems, eliminating the use of private prison companies in criminal justice, ending mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for nonviolent drug offenses, and creating strong rehabilitation services and counseling to help people transition from prison back to society. More Information Beto O'Rourke's criminal justice plan 1. End the federal prohibition on marijuana and expunge the records of those who were locked away for possessing it. 2. End the current system of cash bail that punishes people for being poor. 3. Eliminate private, for-profit prisons from our justice system. 4. End the use of mandatory minimum sentencing for nonviolent drug offenses. 5. Provide meaningful reentry to help people who have been incarcerated resume their lives and contribute to their full potential. See More Collapse At the end of the day, this is about ensuring that every single one of us can live to our full potential and contribute to our maximum capacity, ORourke said. Giving low-level offenders a second chance no matter the color of their skin or the economic status they hold can create opportunity for all of us. ORourke has long been an advocate for changing marijuana laws. In 2009, while serving on the El Paso city council, ORourke called for ending the prohibition against marijuana and other drugs. He called the War on Drugs an abject failure. He both filed bills in Congress and supported others reforming marijuana laws. And on the campaign trail against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, he frequently called for ending federal laws on marijuana possession. The winds of change are rising in Texas, and they smell like pot. On Monday, the House of Representatives Criminal Jurisprudence Committee held the first hearing of the legislative session for a marijuana-related bill, one of three dozen pieces of legislation that would loosen anti-marijuana laws in Texas. House Bill 63 by Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in Texas, instead imposing a civil fine of up to $250 with no jail time or criminal record. On many, many levels, the current law is not sound policy, Moody told the Express-News. The punishment doesnt fit the crime and we need a different way of doing things in Texas. Current law imposes a Class B misdemeanor, which includes up to 180 days in jail, for low-level possession of marijuana. Under the bill, people could still be charged with a Class C misdemeanor with no jail time if caught with the drug three times. Moody has been pushing since 2015 on the issue. His bill is just one of almost 40 bills that address a range of issues from medical marijuana to criminal justice reform. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The vast majority of Texans want to see marijuana laws reformed in one way or another, and were finally seeing lawmakers really reflecting that in the legislation theyre introducing and signing on to, said Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy. Texas law enforcement officers are among the biggest opponents of H.B. 63 and other legalization efforts. They say loosening the law will promote marijuana use in the state, and lead to more people addicted to more serious drugs. Not all marijuana smokers are drug addicts, but all drug addicts start with marijuana, testified Terence Holway, a sergeant with the Plano Police Department. Im a firm believer that marijuana is a gateway drug. But at least one prominent Republican foe in years past has reconsidered. Advocates for legalization are optimistic after Gov. Greg Abbott said during a gubernatorial debate he would consider dropping the penalty for low-level possession from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class C misdemeanor, with no jail time. Also in its most recent party platform, the Republican Party of Texas approved a plank in support of making possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana a civil offense rather than a criminal offense. Moody credits the momentum behind cannabis reform to advocates who have been urging the Legislature to implement more lax laws for a number of years. That energy and enthusiasm about creating good policy translates to support in the building, Moody said. Their tireless efforts allowed us to put this forward first in 2015 and now step into a space thats ready to be stepped into. Because of all the work that has been done over the past four years, it has put us in a position to step into that space. Following a lengthy hearing, the bill was eventually left pending in committee, as legislators need to wait 90 days before taking votes on bills in committee that arent emergency items. This is a very solid fix to the criminal justice piece of the puzzle, Moody said. I certainly think there are other avenues we can go down, but this is one that I think would be a good public policy change. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that he is eager for better ties with NATO. "Belarus should seek relations with NATO based on mutual respect that would help strengthen our country's security," the Belarusian leader said at a government session in Minsk. "We should not look at them like at our enemies," Lukashenko stressed. He recalled that three states bordering Belarus are members of the NATO. "And Ukraine is craving to join it. This is a certain challenge and a breeding ground for confrontation, especially amid pleas and plans strengthen military presence," BelTA cited Lukashenko as saying. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has expressed concern over the "unhealthy situation" at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), including with respect to the appointment of the next secretary general of this organization. "In view of the global developments, the importance of this organization is of no doubt," he noted. "But now the organization is caught in some unhealthy situation. Take, for example, the routine issue of appointment of the secretary general," BelTA cited him as saying. The Belarusian President stressed that politico-military cooperation within the framework of the CSTO is important to Belarus. Manitoba holds fifth expression of interest draw of 2019 Manitoba holds fifth expression of interest draw of 2019 Express Entry candidates among 403 people invited in March 1 draw Manitoba holds fifth expression of interest draw of 2019 Express Entry candidates among 403 people invited in March 1 draw Manitoba holds fifth expression of interest draw of 2019 Express Entry candidates among 403 people invited in March 1 draw CIC News Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A The province of Manitoba held its third Expression of Interest draw in less than three weeks on March 1, inviting 403 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence. The invitations brought the number issued so far this year by the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) to 2,267. Those invited had an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile registered with the MPNP under its Skilled Worker Overseas, Skilled Worker in Manitoba or International Education stream. Submitting an EOI profile is the first required step for anyone who would like to be considered for a nomination from Manitoba through any of these streams. This includes individuals who already have a profile registered under the federal Express Entry system. Find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool EOI profiles are awarded a score based on factors that include education, work experience, language proficiency and established connections to Manitoba and the highest-ranked candidates are issued a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA) through regular invitation rounds. Express Entry candidates were among a group of 216 Skilled Workers Overseas candidates who received LAAs in the March 1 draw. Express Entry candidates who received an LAA were required to have a valid Express Entry ID and job-seeker validation code and at least six months of recent work experience in a profession on Manitobas In-Demand Occupations List. Express Entry candidates who apply for and receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Express Entry ranking score, effectively assuring an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw. Another subset of Skilled Workers Overseas candidates who received invitations on March 1 had the following credentials: a close relative residing in Manitoba or past education or work experience in Manitoba; at least six months of recent experience in an occupation on Manitobas In-demand Occupations list; and a minimum language proficiency in English or French of CLB/NCLC 5 unless the work experience is primarily in a regulated occupation, in which case the requirement is a minimum of CLB/NCLC 7, or a compulsory trade, in which case the minimum is CLB/NCLC 6. The lowest-ranked candidate among this group of Skilled Workers Overseas candidates had an EOI score of 565. Another 41 Skilled Worker Overseas candidates were issued LAAs through a Strategic Recruitment Initiative in the March 1 draw. These initiatives can include overseas recruitment missions conducted by the MPNP. The lowest-ranked candidate among this group had an EOI score of 621. Skilled Workers in Manitoba and International Education Stream The MPNP also issued 126 invitations to Skilled Workers in Manitoba candidates with scores as low as 566 in the March 1 draw. The Skilled Workers in Manitoba Stream is for eligible qualified temporary foreign workers and international student graduates who are currently working in Manitoba and have been offered a permanent job with their Manitoba employer. An additional 20 invitations went to International Education Stream candidates. This stream provides faster pathways to permanent residence for international graduates of Manitoba post-secondary institutions who have skills required by employers in the province. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2019 CICNews All Rights Reserved Termen Extins: Terre des hommes Moldova este in cautarea unui /unei consultant/e sau a unei echipe de consultanti, care va elabora un program de instruire pentru adolescenti in domeniul dezvoltarii competentei digitale French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking about Brexit, said Europe now faces its worst crisis since the Second World War. "Never, since the World War II, has Europe been as essential. Yet never has Europe been in so much danger," Macron wrote in a column for French newspaper Le Parisien The French leader said Britains departure from the EU was a symbol of the problems plaguing the bloc. "It symbolises the crisis of a Europe that has failed to respond to its peoples need for protection from the major shocks of the modern world. It also symbolises the European trap," he wrote. France's president claimed "lies" and "irresponsibility" triggered the UKs move to leave. "Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? Who spoke to them about losing access to the EU market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the border?" the Guardian cited him as saying. "Retreating into nationalism offers nothing; it is rejection without an alternative. And this is the trap that threatens the whole of Europe: the anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything," the French leader stressed. On the morning of October 1, 1975, I was taking my turn at the cooperative nursery school my son attended when the pressmenthe workers who ran the physical pressesstruck at The Washington Post. They did not go peacefully. Infamously, and painfully, they set presses on fire in the basement of the Post building and beat up a foreman. The Post would make the most of this, and it would divide and almost destroy the union to which I belonged, the Newspaper Guild. Recently, Ive observed a resurgence of interest in union organizing among young journalists who, amid rounds of unexpected layoffs, are feeling suddenly vulnerable. The newfound enthusiasm for solidarity against management is a welcome development, after decades in which many self-important journalists derided such activism as beneath them and unnecessary. But there is a growing recognition now, that solidarity almost forever is not adequate in the face of hedge funds eviscerating newspapers and online news moguls facing economic headwinds. Typically, bosses seek to portray unions as a third party interfering in the cordial, mutually beneficial relations between management and laboran outside force. When members arent paying attention and dont think they need to, that may be the case. This is what happened at the Post more than 40 years ago. Fresh off the glory road that led us to Watergate and the resignation of a president, we were suddenly internally imperiled. Smug in the newsroom, we paid little attention to the union-management battles raging in the floors below, where the printers and pressmen toiled. Our own local leadership (of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, Local 35) was in the loop. But the 800 editorial and commercial employees the Guild represented at the Post werent. ICYMI: We tested paywalls at NYTimes, WSJ & WaPo and more. All of them were pretty leaky, except one. So, uninformed and in shock, Guild members met that October afternoon at the historic Metropolitan AME Church, around the corner from the Post. The unit voted overwhelmingly to cross the picket line and continue working. We would be the only one of several unions at the Post to do so during the pressmens strike. Our refusal to honor the picket line may have doomed their strike from the start. But we had already withheld our excellence minus a picket line the year before, so that the printers could continue working without jeopardizing their lifetime job guarantees. The paper published, our absence barely noted by readers and advertisers, and, after 14 days, defeated and humiliated, we went back to work. Sign up for CJR 's daily email A union, I was to learn, is only as good as its members and the time and effort they invest to ensure it represents their interests. At the Post, we had a union security clause, which meant that eight of ten covered employees had to belong or pay dues. In one sense, that made the union strong. On the other hand, it allowed union leadership to become remote from those it represented, and vice versa. When the pressmen struck and the craft unions supported them, our local presumed that Guild-represented employees would, too. There may have been good reasons to show solidarity with the pressmen and honor their lines. But the angry mandate from our local leadership to stay out, coupled with the violent start to the pressmens strike, dominated our debates. In that first meeting, I voted to cross. A second vote a few days later brought the same result. This time, deciding our long-term interests were better served by joining the strike, I switched sides, voting to honor the picket lines. But I felt bound by the unit majority and not by local commands. A few of us inside the newsroom published leaflets in support of the strikers. Other newsroom employees chose to honor the picket line. With growing pressure from within and without, my Guild unit scheduled a third, critical vote, which was much closer but ultimately yielded the same outcome. Again, I sided with the strikers. In December, Katharine Graham, the Posts publisher, delivered her final offer, which she fully expected the pressmen would refuse. They did. Things got ugly. A pressmans picket sign declared Phil Shot the Wrong Graham, a reference to the suicide of Katharine Grahams husband that had propelled her into the publishers post. Graham proceeded to hire replacement workers. Then, the pressmens union busted, one of its members ended his life. Our local, meanwhile, had filed charges against Guild members, including me, who had continued to work. Hastily, we hired lawyers to defend us. The international guild, fearing the loss of its then-flagship Washington Post unit, defended the accused, and the National Labor Relations Board dismissed the charges. RELATED: A law firm in the trenches against media unions In the wake of all this conflict, our Guild contract lapsed, hundreds quit the union, and an independent union arose to challenge Guild representation. I found myself embattled on two fronts, fighting against our local, but for the Guild, and against what we perceived as an upstart company union. Bitterness reigned. The Guild prevailed in the representation election, but it was a Pyrrhic victory. Without the union security provided for in our lapsed contract, nobody had to join or rejoin or pay dues. The shrunken unit was in shambles and still at war with most of the locals other units, which had supported the pressmen, and with our distant local leadership, including a charismatic chief administrative officer who had been forced to step down but whose replacement was also unacceptable. Through the wreckage, I somehow emerged, somewhat reluctantly, in 1978 as the chairperson of the Post Guild Unit. Our contract had expired in the spring of 1976, and, despite retaining union representation, we were struggling to survive. The company had ceased to observe past practices, such as the automatic deduction from paychecks of union duesthe lifeblood of the organization. For new and returning members, we had to hand-collect dues. A comment from Executive Editor Ben Bradlee inspired a button, Be Union Chic, as did a note from management saying that it couldnt abide a newsroom full of unmanageable free spirits. We were down but not out. I reasoned, Lets at least have some fun. Our antics included a Washington Post Guild Unit Film Festival (W.P. G.U.F.F.) and a rally in front of the building with bluegrass music and a telegram from actor Ed Asner, whod played the crusty newspaper editor Lou Grant in a popular television series. Morton Mintz, a legendary investigative reporter, wrote a three-part series of bulletins titled The Fruits of Your Labor, a deep dive into company finances. Slowly but surely, resigned members started to rejoin, and I would tout by name the new and returning members in my weekly bulletins. If Israels Begin and Egypts Sadat could reach a peace agreement, wrote Pentagon reporter George Wilson, inspired by our efforts to join after 11 years with the Post, then surely the Post and Guild could resolve their differences. Washington Journalism Review hailed the Guilds Lazarus-like resurrection. Yet, despite our efforts, negotiations dragged on. Hoping to break the impasse, Donald Graham (Katharines son, then executive vice-president and publisher heir apparent) and I had several sidebar meetingsbreakfast at the historic Mayflower Hotel, dinner at the Roma, a neighborhood restaurant, on upper Connecticut Avenue NW. Our tentative agreement called for a five-year contract, non-contractual raises rolled into the pay scales, a form of union security and dues checkoff. I was bargaining with the approval of my committee and our chief negotiator, international rep Bill Blatz, an old union warhorse who subscribed to the Samuel Gompers philosophy: What does labor want? We want more I was feeling optimistic. But Blatz objected and the bargaining committee rejected the deal. Today, the Guild Unit at the Post is facing much less agreeable management in Jeff Bezos. But unit leadership became increasingly frustrated with Blatz, whom some members felt was more concerned with the internationals institutional interests than with ours. We demanded a new chief bargainer and settled a contract, in 1979, for far less than Graham and I had agreed to the year before. Preceding the digital revolution in the news business, this was certainly a pivotal moment in the industryfor both labor as losers and management as winners. Today, the Guild Unit at the Post is facing much less agreeable management in Jeff Bezos, whose representatives demanded many more concessions than the paper had under the Graham family. Yet the local, now in friendlier hands, continues to file grievances on behalf of unfairly treated employees and to attempt to improve wages and working conditions. If we had been paying attention before the pressmens strike in the 1970s, Im convinced the Guild at the Post today would be dealing with a stronger hand. Thats the hard-learned lesson I hope the new generation of journalist union activists will take to heart. So, welcome aboard, workers of Vice, Vox Media, New York magazine, The New Republic, Slate, the Onion, Group Nine Media, and Refinery29. You may think of yourselves as professionals, and of course do strive to maintain high professional standards. But, in the world of economic realities, you are commodities. You are workers. Wear that label with pride. Or, as I used to write at the end of my union bulletins: Join the Guild. You cant afford not to. RELATED: Five union members from across the Rust Belt reflect on eroding faith in the media Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Eugene L. Meyer is a former longtime Washington Post reporter and editor and an author. He is the editor of the quarterly B'nai B'rith Magazine. His most recent book is Five for Freedom: The African American Soldiers in John Brown's Army. On August 12, 2017, Susan Bros daughter was killed. Heather Heyer, 32, was part of a group of activists peacefully protesting the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, when a young neo-Nazi intentionally drove into the crowd, killing her and injuring dozens of others. The event reverberated across the country, alerting many to the extent of white nationalisms presence and the state-sanctioned violence in its name. President Trump was widely condemned for failing to denounce the rallys organizers. In the days after, Bro, 62, a former government secretary and schoolteacher, became the subject of intense press attention, which she faced head-on. Bro has since taken up her daughters activism work, giving interviews and making public appearances. She is careful to redirect focus from Heyers death to what she considers to be the more important matter at hand: the nations continuing legacy of racial violence and injustice. RELATED: Podcast: I knew the press was coming, Charlottesville victims mother says In televised interviews, Bro appears tireless and clear-eyed, her voice resolute. When I spoke to her, in early January, I found her true to form. She was on her first day back to work after a month-long break to attend the homicide trial of James Alex Fields Jr., the driver of the car. (He was convicted of first-degree murder, along with nine other charges, and a jury recommended a sentence of life plus 419 years in prison.) Bro spoke to me via video chat from the office of her nonprofit, the Heather Heyer Foundation, which aims to provide $10,000 in scholarships this year to students dedicated to progressive social change. The walls of the room, which were painted in soft shades of rose and robins-egg blue, displayed painted portraits of Heyer alongside awards for Bro and the foundation. CJR What was it like for you being the subject of intense news coverage on the day of Heathers death, in a traumatic moment? What was your experience of being approached by the press? Susan Bro It started at seven oclock the next morning. They knocked on my door at home. I live in a single-wide trailer in the middle of nowhere and they descended en masse on that little trailer park. The neighbors tolerated it, thankfully, but it was quite overwhelming. We had friends who had to stand at the door. We always have a curtain hanging on our back door because weve had problems with the electricity bill being high, and that actually acted well as a stage curtain to keep people separated until it was their turn. Sign up for CJR 's daily email CJR How many journalists were approaching you at once? SB It was constant, between press and politicians, and family and friends calling. But mostly press and politicians. More press than politicians. They were calling my family, my friends. My phone was engulfed. Someone was always on door duty to handle the press. It would end at nine oclock at night. Even when my best friend, Cathy and I had to go to Fredericksburg to find clothing for me to wear to the funeral, and for Heathers stepdad to wear, the phone rang constantly. CJR What kinds of things were journalists saying? SB Everybody was asking the same thing. What happened. Who was your daughter. What can you tell us about what happened. What happened. What happened. How did she die. How did I find out. Yadda yadda. I must have told that story five million times by now. But I tried to be cooperative because I really felt like this was the only time that people would be coming at me. So I would tell it, tell it truthfully, and make sure that the story didnt spin off into some wild thing. I thought I would grit my teeth, get through it, and after the funeral everybody would go away. It was a lot of just putting one foot in front of the other. ICYMI: The outrageous editorial by a Charlottesville daily that preceded violence CJR Did you view talking to reporters as exhausting but necessary or was it unpleasant? SB Ive been a teacher for a lot of years so Im used to repeating stuff. It felt like I was in rote mode. You ask a question, heres my standard answer. It was to be endured knowing it was short term. I felt like people were just trying to do their job. The main thing for me was to keep the message accurate. Heather was not Antifa, she was not being violent. The police assured me she was with a peaceful group. CJR Which journalists earned your trust most completely or most quickly? SB Ellie Silverman from The Washington Post. CJR And what did she do? SB Honestly, she reminded me of one of my bridesmaids. Which is ironic, because I havent seen that woman in probably forty years. She was very respectful in her questions. A man from NBC came and talked to me very respectfully for a long time. Some people are kind of impatient, tell me this tell me that, but if they took the time to get to know me that was a little better. Someone from ABC spent a bit of time getting to know metook me and a friend out to dinner, had breakfast with us while we watched the morning interview on TV. We talked over hair tips and things. I still stay in touch with the journalist from NBC. Hell ask me about news questions. The ABC journalist, I text her from time to time to say, Hows it going? Hows your mom? The journalist from CNN and I talk occasionally happy birthday, hows it going. Some people I would consider at least a little bit of a friend, knowing that they also would gladly get a news story if they could. CJR What about the content of the news stories? SB I think people did a decent job. I dont think anyone did a hack job on the story. This is the problem that I have: I will love what the journalists do, and we will talk in depth about politics, life, love, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But the editor immediately chops it down to her daughter died, shes doing this foundation, and, gee, she misses her daughter. No shit, Sherlock. Lets get on with it. Why am I doing this? The focus has been on Heather to the exclusion of the issues. Nationally and internationally that still seems to happen. August 12, 2017, as I told reporters, is but a part of a whole picture, actually a pretty small part. While it was a wake-up call for a lot of Americans, the racial issues that Heather was there to support have gone on for centuries, and are still largely unchanged. In some ways theyre worse than they were a year and a half ago. CJR Who else should journalists be talking to? SB Other activists. Other victims. The huge focus was on Heather. Now, admittedly, some of the other victims didnt want to come forwardrefused even to testify in courtbecause they dont want the attention. But, go, give them a chance. The world acted like Heather was the only victim. And she wasby farnot. There were over 40 people who were physically injured that day, and there were far more who I think had PTSD from having been there. CJR Yes, the press has a tendency to make martyrs of victims because its a story with an easy hero. ICYMI: A copyeditor was looking at early Charlottesville images. While doing so, he made a big realization. SB Right, and at first I didnt catch that so I wasnt pushing that aside as much as I needed to. I was still reeling, honestly, for the first six months. Ive tried to change that narrative somewhat since then. Its not that Heather wasnt a martyr, but thats not the real point. Theres no value in just having a martyr. Youve got to look at why they were there and what they were doing. What happened with the Guardian and the Daily Beast is that the reporter and I spent a great deal of time talking over the fuller picture, the rounded picture, but the editor was really not interested in that. Theyre looking for what they think the public wants to hear, trying to find that quick and easy story, the easily digested story, and that doesnt serve anyone well. CJR In the year and a half since Heathers deathup through the end of 2018, which brought the trial of James Fieldshas press coverage evolved? Have reporters heard you? Have they responded to what you are telling them? SB Not entirely. It depends on where theyre from. I did one interview for Swedish media that was trying to inform readers of the dangers of white nationalism and white supremacy. It didnt work. The white supremacists were still elected. Japan has visited me on three separate occasions. They tried to give a well-rounded picture in the sense of also talking to white supremacists. Some activists say that they will refuse to talk to anyone who also gives airtime to white supremacists. I thought it was a good thing [to hear from them]. I did want to share with you the experience of another person besides myself. A woman I met at the Anti-Defamation Leagues Kay Family Awards this past November was the founder of the Trail of Dreams March [one of four undocumented students who walked from Miami to Washington, DC, advocating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program]. She was the only woman. Everywhere the marchers went reporters would ask the guys the tough questions, the political questions, the statistical questions, and the only thing they ever asked her was, How does it feel to be the only woman on the march? These were always male reporters. When they got to Atlanta, a female reporter asked her that question, and she told me that she just blew up. The guys from that point on made sure that she was with them when they were being interviewed, and they would redirect questions to her. Were still battling stereotypes here. CJR Do you feel like youre perceived more as a mother than as an activist? SB Yes, definitely. Im an activist because Im a mother. Journalists somewhat incredulously ask, Were you an activist before? The answer is yes and no. I was a government employee, so my activism was subterfuge. Before I was a government secretary I was a schoolteacher. So again, youre not allowed to be political. But I was very much an activist. Ive been a feminist since first grade. So, yes, I have always been an activist, I will continue to be an activist. I have just now been given a platform because my daughter was killed. CJR Has the press helped your activism work, or does it hinder it? SB It actually has helped. Thats another reason I continue to allow interviews. Its given me a larger platform. CJR What do you think the press can do better? SB Its the editors I have issues with. The press asks the right questions, the press gives me the opportunity to say what I want. What comes out is not always the same thing. CJR Do you think the problem is that editors are coming in with a preconceived idea of what the story is? SB Very much. Its almost, like, why bother having them ask the question because you already know what you want to say. People also make assumptions about me based on look. They assume, as reporters did that day, that because I live in a trailer, because Im short, fat, white-haired, Im probably uneducated, Im probably vindictive. Honestly I think one reason they kept coming back was that I was not at all what they expected. CJR During the James Fields trial, some of the headlines about you were to the effect of, Susan Bro has a message for Donald Trump. I wonder if thats something where, when you see it, you think that thats deliberately provocative, or if you actually did want to get that message out there. SB No, thats deliberately provocative. I would have gone off on them had I seen it. The local press did not do that. Im not allowed to go off on Donald Trump. My son is in the military reserves, and thats his commander-in-chief. I have gone off on the press before about doing that. CJR Are you aware that theres some footage of the Charlottesville riot and a tribute to Heather at the end of the recent Spike Lee movie, BlacKkKlansman? Did you give your permission for that? SB Yes and no. They approached us about getting some childhood pictures of Heather. In exchange for a donation to the foundation we allowed them access to three or four pictures. Spike called me at home and asked if he could use footage of the car. I asked, For what purpose? He said, To show that the Klan is still active. I said, I guess. I assumed he would also ask everyone else involved. He did not. He did go buy rights to the footage from the photographer, but local activists took it as I sold that footage without their permission, and I had nothing to do with that. CJR Do you think the story that is out there about Heather and yourself has done right by you? SB I have no idea whats out there. CJR Why dont you read it? SB Im too busy. People say, I saw you on CNN. Oh really? When was it? It was such and such time. Well I was at work. Or I was at dinner. I have become a public commodity and less of a person to a lot of the press. At first everyone would send a link. Then that went by the wayside. People dont send me links anymore. Word probably got out too that I will get pretty pissed if you get it wrong. So theyre probably, like, we dont want to tell her. CJR Is there anything else you want to tell me? SB They really overplay the stories so much that everyones eyerolling, particularly on the local level. When Im out in public I dont catch it so much. People stop and hug me and say, Weve been keeping up. I live in a small, small town, not in Charlottesville, and even the pizza delivery guy said that newspaper sales really picked up during the trial. Because hes also the newspaper guy. But you can play a story so often that people become deaf to it. Thats a concern to me. Heather would be absolutely livid that people were still focusing on her. She was not attention-seeking. I am not attention-seeking, despite what some people would insist. They think, because I allow the press access, I am seeking it. But there is a difference. I will allow my name to be associated with projects that I believe in. I havent made a dime off of any of the projects that Ive done. Im not allowing it to be used for every real estate event. (Like my crafts page!; Buy my Avon!; Dont you want to sell jewelry for me?) No, Im not doing all that crap. My name has some clout, but only for activism. That door is now open and Im going to keep a toe in that door. I dont want the attention. But I dont want the platform to go away, either. ICYMI: Why the Left Cant Stand The New York Times Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Camille Bromley is a story editor at the Columbia Journalism Review. The push for assignment of benefits (AOB) reform in the 2019 Florida legislative session is in full swing, and the insurance industry and consumer advocates have pulled out all the stops to emphasize their contention that abuse of a policyholder benefit has led to a full-blown insurance crisis in the state. Whether their efforts will be enough this year after six years of failed reform attempts remains to be seen. Lawmakers are weighing legislative options, but a bill backed by the industry has already stalled in the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee. The industry isnt giving up on reforming the states costly assignment of benefits (AOB) system; its the industrys top issue in the 2019 session. We remain hopeful of the process and that members of the [Florida] Senate and House will work through the various issues that have been raised and will land on a piece of legislation that will be helpful for consumers and that actually address these issues, said Michael Carlson, president of the Personal Insurance Federation of Florida (PIFF), which represents personal lines insurers in the state. The AOB problem in Florida stems from unlicensed water remediation and roofing contractors who have homeowners sign over their insurance policy rights in exchange for repairs to their homes. The contractors, typically working with an attorney, file inflated or fake claims, and then pursue lawsuits against insurers when those claims are disputed or denied. Floridas one-way attorney fee statute, which the insurance industry, consumer advocates and the states insurance regulator agree is driving the AOB abuse, leaves insurers footing the bill for the inflated claims and the attorney fees if the insurer is found to have underpaid the claim by any amount. After six or seven years of this campaign to make changes and having looked at this issue from several different vantage points and a lot of data the industry has concluded this is an attorney fee-driven cottage industry, said Carlson. The current remedy supported by the industry and Floridas insurance regulator was introduced by Florida Senator Doug Broxson, who chairs the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee. Senate Bill 122 would continue to allow policyholders and beneficiaries to recover attorney fees under Floridas one-way attorney fee statute but would prohibit assignees from obtaining attorney fees. In several meetings of the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee before the start of session, lawmakers saw AOB litigation and rate data from Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier and heard stories from homeowners who were victimized by AOB scammers. They also listened to testimony by contractors who maintain that there is no pressing need for AOBs. The explanation that contractors have to obtain an AOB [and] they have to sue the insurance company in order to get paid does not seem to be reflected in the insurance complaint information we have available to us, Altmaier told the committee on Jan. 22. Altmaier said he supports SB 122 to control attorney fees that are the number one driver of AOB abuse, which in turn is driving up rates and reducing coverage for consumers. Many people will tell you this is an issue between insurance companies and trial attorneys [but] at the end of the day this is really an issue that impacts Floridas insurance consumers and at the moment its impacting Floridas insurance consumers in adverse ways, he said. He noted 70 percent of the litigated claims Citizens Property Insurance Corp. experienced in 2018 had an AOB associated with them. It appears based on this information that the purpose of obtaining an AOB is for certain individuals in our marketplace is to obtain the benefit of one-way attorney fees and enter into litigation with our insurance companies, he said. Citizens, the state-run insurer of last resort, has borne the brunt of the AOB abuse. CEO Barry Gilway warned the committee that the issue is worsening statewide. It was primarily a south Florida problem until 2015 to 2016, but now its exploding across the state, he said. Gilway said the 8.2 percent rate increase Citizens requested for 2019 is far below what the insurers actual rate indication is because of costly AOB litigation. The insurer cannot request rate increases of more than 10 percent statewide because of the statutorily required glide path. Whats extremely important to understand is that while the increase we filed was 8.2 percent, the actual rate need all driven by litigation is 25.2 percent thats what we need, he said. Altmaier underscored the ramifications of the problem if it continues to be left unchecked. Rate increases are the best-case scenario consumers can hope for without resolution to this issue. We are hearing from many insurance company executives who claim the rate increases they receive are not enough to continue offering their products in our state, Altmaier said. Bill Status Despite the testimony and agreement by lawmakers that something needs to be done, SB122 was tabled at the Feb. 11 committee meeting after several committee members expressed concern over the bill, with one referring to it as a nuclear option. Sen. Jeff Brandes, a committee member who supports the legislation, successfully moved to postpone the bill with the hope that lawmakers could come to a consensus on how to move forward. There is no perfect bill to resolve [AOB] this is a great attempt. We should support this bill. We should continue to hone and refine and work on this bill, he said. He emphasized to his fellow lawmakers that he believes something has to be done this year. What we are hearing is this is a pandemic that is slowly spreading across this state. This is not sustainable, he said. Broxson said SB122 was the 18th bill filed since 2013 with 15 different banking and insurance chairs hearing the issue and zero legislation addressing the issue passed to date. We are going to deal with this issue this session if we have to spend every committee meeting to vet this problem were not going to hurry through this, he told the committee at its first meeting Jan. 22. We have got to own this issue once and for all. SB122 was not heard by the Senate Banking & Insurance committees meeting on Feb. 19 but was added to its March 4 agenda. So, Will 2019 be the Year? The industry says it is not giving up on reform. Despite the setback in [the Senate Banking & Insurance] committee, I think we have still have a better than even chance in getting meaningful reform passed this year, said Carlson. Logan McFaddin, Southeast regional manager of industry trade group APCIA, said there is frustration among the industry about what exactly lawmakers need to hear to make reform happen because the clear data from the states regulator, victim stories and contractor expertise are just not resonating with current legislators. For some reason its falling on deaf ears for certain legislators. I think thats the most frustrating thing its like what else can we bring to the table thats really going to be telling enough to change their mind? Its hard to put your finger on it to try to come to some sort of solution and strategy, she said. However, she said there is plenty of time during the 60-day session to find a compromise. Im not ready to throw in the towel yet. And I dont think the majority of the insurance industry is either, she said. Theres the possibility that reform options that have been considered during past sessions could be again this year, but the consensus among all stakeholders is that any reform must address the one-way attorney fee statute. The current one-way attorney fee statute incentivizes abuse and excessive litigation. OIR recommends narrowing the current one-way attorney fees statute relating to litigation involving an AOB agreement to disincentivize AOB abuse, while maintaining consumer protections, Commissioner Altmaier said in an e-mail to Insurance Journal. Altmaier said OIR will remain a vocal proponent of measures that increase consumer protection within the use of AOB agreements, monitor any legislation aimed at curbing AOB abuse and continue the fight to hold consumers harmless. We greatly appreciate Senator Broxsons leadership on this issue and believe that the one-way attorney fee provision addressed in SB 122 should remain a central part of ongoing discussions, he said. Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis, who oversees the Department of Financial Services, will also continue the fight, telling lawmakers Jan. 22 that doing nothing this year is not an option. My job is to make sure we keep attention and pressure on this issue and that something gets done this legislative session because doing nothing is disrespectful, dishonorable to the citizens we serve because ultimately all that is going to do is drive up rates right now if we do nothing its going to drive up rates, he said. In the meantime, Altmaier said agent communication with OIR, carriers and their customers is essential to stemming the abuse, particularly in the aftermath of major catastrophes like Hurricane Michael. We ask that agents continue communicating with OIR and DFS to express any concerns they may have so those concerns can be addressed as soon as possible, he said. Through our combined efforts, communication lines can be strengthened, and consumers can be better served and protected. Related: CLEVELAND, Ohio City Council on Monday gave its approval to a spending plan Mayor Frank Jackson has said will pay for quality city services even if there is a downturn in the economy. Councils vote was the second of three that are required. The final vote will take place March 25. But Mondays vote signals the end of budget debates. The citys charter requires the budget be left unchanged for 15 days before the final vote and it must take place before April 1. In hearings held the last two weeks City Council went through the plan nearly line-by-line, questioning all department heads. Ultimately, the council sought a handful of additions to the mayors plan before Mondays vote. They included: $75,000 for each of the citys 17 wards (a total of $1.275 million) to pay for emergency home repairs for senior citizens. $75,000 per ward for small capital-improvement projects such as minor park improvements or street projects done at the discretion of members of council. About $400,000 to bolster the budget for summer grass cutting on abandoned property. The total should allow for an additional cutting (a fourth) citywide. The budget includes about $11.5 million for street paving work. Additional money is expected to be included in the citys capital improvement budget, which will be taken up over the next several weeks. Last year the city spent about $12 million total on side streets. This is the second year that City Council has added money for senior citizens who need home repairs. The city, though, still has not spent last years allocation. Last year we spent the majority of the year setting up the infrastructure for the program, Council President Kevin Kelley said. By the time that was done, the construction season had closed. But the city has taken applications for the program since then. Mary McNamara, director of Clevelands Department of Aging, told council during budget hearings that all of the slots for work in each ward were filled with many applicants to spare. Kelley said Monday that the hope is to spend that money as well as the new allotment in 2019. The budget projects about $689.4 million in city revenues for the year, starting with $43 million carried into 2019 from the 2018 budget. The spending plan anticipates keeping that $43 million cushion intact in case there is an economic downturn. Total spending would amount to about $645.8 million. Including self-supporting enterprise funds such as airport operations, the water department and Cleveland Public Power, the overall budget is about $1.8 billion. CLEVELAND, Ohio City Council voted Monday to establish a program that would team with nonprofit neighborhood agencies to check on the quality of homes and help Clevelanders make repairs. The move added about $1.8 million to Mayor Frank Jacksons spending plan for the year. The money will be used to: Hire nonprofit organizations such as community development corporations to inspect and evaluate properties with an eye toward housing-code violations. Offer paint and supplies to help homeowners make repairs. Provide four workers in the citys Community Development Department to help coordinate the program. The idea is to use the workers from the neighborhood organizations to identify problems such as worn roofs or gutters, plumbing issues or peeling paint and then provide advice and assistance to those who voluntarily want to fix housing-code violations, Councilman Tony Brancatelli said. The checks would be less formal than if city inspectors with badges did the inspections, he said. It really is an effort to push voluntary compliance, Brancatelli said. When we had the program before we really saw a lot of voluntary compliance. The city partnered with CDCs on a similar code-enforcement program about 10 years ago and paid for the work using grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But that program ended after the federal government changed the rules for those grants and they no longer could be spent on the program. The inspections are less intimidating than those conducted by housing inspectors because the people doing these checks dont have the ability to write citations, City Council President Kevin Kelley said. They also could help address lead issues in older Cleveland houses. While this wont solve the lead issue, its a step toward having the conversation, Kelley said. Mondays vote was the second of three that City Council must take to approve the budget. The final vote will be held March 25. After that, City Council will work with Jacksons Community Development Department to work out the parameters of the program. BRUNSWICK, Ohio -- St. Ambrose Catholic School is one of only 18 schools across the United States to be recognized by The Partnership for 21st Century Learning as a 21st Century Learning Exemplar. The Partnership for 21st Century Learning recognized the 18 early learning centers, K12 schools, school districts and other school programs for outstanding practices in equipping learners with the necessary skills and knowledge for success in high school, college, career and life, according to Karen Garza, president and CEO of Battelle for Kids. The Partnership for 21st Century Learnings members and partners have promoted 21st Century learning since 2002 and joined Battelle for Kids in 2018, according to a press release. Formed in 2001, Battelle for Kids is a national not-for-profit organization committed to collaborating with school systems and communities to advance 21st century learning in early learning, K-12 schools and school programs. Since 2013, P21s 21st Century Learning Exemplar Program has been identifying and elevating examples of quality 21st century learning. Each year, innovative education models are showcased to help other educators do better for every student, Garza said. A recognition ceremony is scheduled to be held in April in Washington, D.C., where 21st Century Learning Exemplars, P21 and Battelle for Kids will share insights and updates via the Twitter hashtag #P21Exemplar. St. Ambrose Pastor Bob Stec called the P21 designation an affirmation of the schools overall vision. The P21 designation is a strong affirmation of the vision of our school, the dedication of our faculty and staff and school advisory board, Stec said in a Feb. 15 press release announcing the P21 designation. It also is one more expression of our desire to be everything for every student, every day at Saint Ambrose School and Littlest Angels Preschool. St. Ambrose School Principal Lisa Cinadr said she and her staff are honored and proud to be designated as a P21 Exemplar. This is an affirmation of the innovative work being accomplished by our preschool through grade eight faculty and compels us to do even more for our students, Cinadr said. Our use of researched best practices provides rigor and challenge in our faith-filled environment and truly supports the mission and vision of providing everything for every child every day (so that they) receive the knowledge and skills needed for their success in work and life. St. Ambrose School Technology Director Amy Morgan said that working at a P21 school is an invigorating experience. We as educators are able to provide a one-of-a-kind education to our students and one that will carry them through to the next level, Morgan said. STEM Accelerated Coding has worked with St. Ambrose School to provide computer science, GIS and makerspace solutions that help solve real-world problems within the community. It has been a rewarding experience offering internships, CCP courses and collaborative grants through NASA and NOAA. St. Ambrose, along with Early Learning Goddard School in Broadview Heights, were the only two P21-designated schools in Ohio this year. Other honored schools are in California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas and Mississippi. Please take a moment and click here to help the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, a cleveland.com partner. Every dollar you give buys four meals for the hungry. School advocates hope that a proposal under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission to tap into a largely unused portion of broadband spectrum will boost students access to high-speed internet connectivity. The FCC is considering an array of ideas that it says will overhaul and rationalize outdated regulations for how the spectrum is governed, so that it could be put to better use and promote next-generation wireless broadband use. The ideas floated by the commissionin a notice put out for public comment last yearinclude changing how spectrum licenses are assigned by the FCC, and allowing auctions of unused spectrum. The proposal also seeks to free up the Educational Broadband Services 2.5 GHz frequency band for commercial broadband services in rural areas. This frequency band, the largest band of contiguous spectrum below 3 GHz, is meant to serve primarily an educational purpose. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel argues that the agencys proposalput forward in a notice of proposed rulemakinghas the potential to help alleviate the homework gap, or the inability of many students to access reliable web connections away from school. But skeptics, including some commercial internet providers, predict that some changes to the policy could undermine businesses that are already providing broadband to educational institutions. In too many cases, this little-known public resource is underutilized or has been leased out to commercial interests unrelated to education, Rosenworcel said in a statement. So it has not fully lived up to what the FCC imagined when it set aside this slice of airwaves for educational opportunity. In its notice of proposed rulemaking , the FCC said it will consider whether to create open local priority filing windows so that existing educational entities could get unused spectrum; and it will weigh the merits of using an incentive auction. The incentive auction that Rosenworcel, a Democrat, supports would theoretically allow schools bring their EBS licenses to the FCC, be paid what theyre worth, and have their licenses repackaged and resold to wireless companies. The resulting revenue, which would theoretically amount to more than a billion dollars nationwide, could be put towards expanding internet access throughout the country, especially in rural areas where internet access is often sparse, according to backers of the plan. The original purpose of the EBS spectrum, originally known as the Instructional Television Fixed Service, or ITFS, was to assist in delivering instructional television to schools and other educational institutions. It was first authorized in 1963 and was largely unused before the FCC permitted schools and school districts to lease excess capacity for commercial use. In 1995 , the FCC suspended the processing of EBS applications and the agency has only opened filing windows for applications twice since then. In 2004, the FCC updated and renamed the ITFS, reimagining it for educational broadband as opposed to instructional television. With the new proposal, which Rosenworcel has described as long overdue, the hope is to allow for more transparency and flexibility in the framework for licensing the EBS spectrum. Katherine Messier, the director of development at North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation , opposes the incentive auction. In a discussion at the National Press Club last month, she said that approximately 90 percent of EBS spectrum licenses are currently leased to commercial entities. Messier said that it is a misconception to think that just because licensees are leasing their spectrum that its not being put to use. The public-private partnerships that come out of leasing your spectrum has wins for the commercial side, she said. Messier is managing director of Mobile Beacon , a nonprofit that provides broadband to educational organizations across the nation. The organization currently serves over 920 schools, 970 libraries, and over 6,600 nonprofit organization, Messier told Education Week. She said that Mobile Beacons internet service, capped at $10 per month, is more affordable than typical commercial rates. Peter Pitsch, a former associate general counsel at Intel who is now a consultant for the company, spoke in support of the FCCs proposal at the event last month. The flexibility thats being proposed and the auction thats being proposed would both increase the value of the current licenses, which would be good for the current holders of EBS licenses. Revenues from the auction could support schools, he added. Proposed changes to the EBS spectrum would need to be approved by a majority on the five-member, Republican-led FCC. One of the Republicans on the commission, Michael ORielly, said he supported the FCCs review of the spectrum policy, which he said was clearly not being used for its intended purpose. What started out in the early 1980s as an opportunity for educational institutions to provide instructional materials, while leasing some unused spectrum, has morphed over time into something quite different -- a broadband play for commercial wireless providers, ORielly said in a statement last year. Of roughly 2,190 active EBS licenses today, it is estimated that 2,000 of those licenses are leased largely to commercial entities, ORielly pointed out. While this is not necessarily problematic, we should stop pretending that this issue is about interactive school television channels or other educational purposes, he said. ORielly also said hes wary of the FCC repeating past mistakes through its creation of new local priority filing windows to allow organizations to apply to use the spectrum.The problem occurs if the FCC issues new licenses for free or on the cheap, which then -- consistent with EBS tradition -- could be immediately leased or flipped to commercial providers, he said. Currently, the EBS spectrum is not only largely unused, but also unknown. Most educators in school districts are unaware of the option unless they were handed a license by the FCC before the mid-1990s when the agency stopped doing so. There have been efforts since then, though, to expand its use across the nation in ways that will benefit K-12 schools. In September 2008, 11 education groups , including the National Association of State Boards of Education, International Society for Technology in Education, and the Consortium for School Networking, filed documents petitioning the FCC to give educators access to portions of the EBS spectrum that were not utilized. If the incentive auction proposal does not get approved in the end, Rosenworcel hopes that the FCC will continue to try to close the homework gap through the FCCs E-rate program , though she said there are limits to that programs ability to correct the problem. Having reliable internet connectivity at school is not sufficient, she said during the National Press Club discussion. Youre going to need some sort of home access to have a fair shot at success when it comes to your education. See also: The 'Illegality of Economic and Other Activities in and with Regard to Territories Under Military Occupation: Third-Party Obligations and Implications for Conflict Resolution International Conference is being held in Baku. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said on its sidelines that illegal economic and other activities in the occupied territories is a very important problem for the world community. The minister noted that Armenians are artificially changing the demographic landscape in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. "The Armenian government has announced the resettlement of Syrian Armenians, he pointed out, stressing that it is a "violation of a number of international conventions." In addition, Mammadyarov said that there are foreign companies illegally operating in some regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia. "For example, the Swiss watchmaking company Franck Muller. There is also a factory there. We have managed to achieve the ceasing of the illegal activities of this company," the diplomat said. Countries should not allow their companies to violate international law, Mammadyarov stressed. STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- City Council has introduced an ordinance that would prohibit residents younger than 18 from buying, possessing or using electronic smoking devices or e-cigarettes. The ordinance would also ban the sale of e-cigarettes or vaping products to minors. E-cigarettes use a battery to warm a liquid, which often contains nicotine, creating a vapor inhaled by the user. On Monday night (March 4), council placed the ordinance on first reading. The proposed legislation is similar to an Ohio law that already prohibits the use of cigarettes, tobacco products and alternative nicotine devices, including e-cigarettes, by those younger than 18. However, Councilwoman Kelly Kosek, who is co-sponsoring the Strongsville ordinance, said the citys legislation goes further. In addition to regulating nicotine products and devices, it would prohibit the use of non-nicotine products and devices by minors. They may not be vaping nicotine, but it could lead to that, Kosek told cleveland.com Tuesday. Also, if a police officer sees a minor vaping, they dont know if its nicotine. This ordinance would allow officers to stop them from vaping immediately, without questioning whether its nicotine. According to the Center on Addiction, chemicals other than nicotine found in e-cigarette liquids, flavorings and aerosols arent safe and can cause lung cancer and heart disease. In November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it would take steps to limit the sale of flavored e-cigarettes to youths, in stores and online, after reporting that vaping among high school pupils nationwide had increased by 78 percent. The FDA said 3.6 million high school and middle school students were vaping. Cameron Ryba, superintendent of Strongsville City Schools, acknowledged Monday that the district is concerned about e-cigarette usage among high school and middle school pupils. He said the district has reached out to parents about the issue. We have had police and guest speakers talking with our students about the legal and medical issues that go along with (e-cigarette) usage, Ryba said in an email to cleveland.com. We have increased our discipline measures regarding usage on school property. Other communities are discussing how to regulate electronic smoking devices. In January, North Olmsted City Council passed an ordinance banning the use of e-cigarettes by those younger than 18. In 2017, North Royalton City Council approved legislation that prohibits the use of electronic smoking devices on all city-owned properties. Nationally, in Stevens Point, Wisc., the City Council there banned minors from purchasing and possessing all vaping products, including those without nicotine. Educating youth Strongsville Police Chief Mark Fender said the city already bans cigarette smoking by minors. Children caught smoking are cited and sent to juvenile court. Fender said the use of e-cigarettes by young people is on the rise in Strongsville. To get ahead of it, we thought it was necessary to make adjustments in our ordinance, Fender told cleveland.com Monday. Under the proposed legislation, first-time offenders could be fined up to $100 and repeat offenders could have to pay higher fines. They would not face jail time. In addition, the ordinance would require offenders to attend a youth smoking education program or other smoking treatment program approved by the court, if one is available. Were in the process of developing the educational component, Fender said. Our D.A.R.E. officer (who works with children) will attend a conference where they will discuss it. We have already sent officers out to get education. The proposed ordinance also requires offenders to perform 10 to 30 hours of community service. Repeat offenders would have their drivers license, or temporary or probationary drivers license, suspended for 30 days. As for those selling or distributing e-cigarette products to minors, whether in person or on the internet, they would face fines of up to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for repeat offenses. The ordinance would provide exceptions. For example, if a minor is working at a retail store that sells electronic smoking devices, the minor can handle the devices in the process of making a sale to an adult. Also, if a minor is working with police on an investigation into whether certain stores are illegally selling electronic smoking devices to those younger than 18, the minor would be allowed to handle the devices. CLEVELAND, Ohio The monitoring team overseeing Cleveland polices reform efforts said in a report Tuesday that the city finds itself "on the cusp of a major turning point. More than three years after Cleveland began work under a settlement it reached with the Justice Department, the city has finished a series of important policies. While some of the results of the new policies are promising, monitor Matthew Barge and his team note in their new semiannual report that the city has to transition from creating new policies to ensuring that officers follow them. This is the point at which paper must be transformed into sustained, ongoing practice through the completion of training, the day-to-day efforts of the Divisions personnel, and the ongoing work of CDP supervisors and command staff to ensure adherence to new expectations, the report says. (You can read the full report here or at the bottom of this story.) The report is the first comprehensive update the monitoring team has given since August. Since then, the city finished work on key plans on community policing, recruitment and hiring and staffing. Police officials, however, still have work to do in other sections, such as new policies for Internal Affairs, investigating and reviewing instances where officers used force and collecting data to show whether the city is in compliance with the consent decree, the report states. Officers must also be trained on several new and forthcoming policies, according to the monitor. With all the work that remains, it again appears unlikely that the city will be able to complete everything it agreed to do in five years, the minimum amount of time called for in the agreement. Police Chief Calvin Williams said in August that his goal was to complete all the reforms by Dec. 31, 2020. That also seems unlikely, given that the consent decree requires the city to show substantial and effective compliance for two years after all the policies are put into place. The words of policies and plans will need to be translated into action across time and interactions on the streets of Cleveland, the monitor wrote Tuesday. Williams, in a hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. on Tuesday afternoon, said the police department remains committed and definitely wants to make this work. Unlike last time, though, the chief did not present a definitive timetable on how long it would take to complete the work. Oliver said he would like the monitor, city and Justice Department to assess what the city must still accomplish and how long it may take. Here are a few takeaways from the report. This is not a comprehensive list, but rather updates on items that were not extensively addressed by cleveland.com in the past few months. Use of force down, along with crime The numbers of police officers who used force in 2018 was 29 percent lower than in 2017, the monitoring team said. During the same time period, the number of major crimes in every category except rape dropped, as did the number of injuries sustained by officers and suspects. The numbers were a source of pride for the city and monitoring team in the last semiannual report, when the monitor first reported a drop in use of force and crime following the citys implementation of its new policies at the beginning of 2018. That pride was also evident in Tuesdays report. While the city still has work to do, the implementation of the use of force policies in 2018 marked a year when the public, officers, and even the subjects of use of force in Cleveland were, in aggregate, safer than they were in the preceding year, the monitor wrote. Taking a jab at critics who said reform efforts would place officers in danger, the report says that "this indicates, quite encouragingly, that officers are not less safe as a result of the revised force policies. The report notes the comparison between the two years is not perfect. Officials did not track the number of times officers pointed their weapons, which is considered low-level force under the new policies, until 2018. As a result, the monitoring team excluded those numbers from its comparison. Barge says his team will audit incidents where officers used force to evaluate whether the officers complied with the departments policy. In the next few months, the city will also hone policies that dictate how supervisors and review boards determine whether force was justified in certain instances, according to the report. Accountability In the past year, the city worked on policies for Internal Affairs, as the unit did not have in place the types of rigorous, codified procedures for conducting its investigations and performing its duties that analogous units in similarly-situated departments have prior to the consent decree, the report says. The city is expected to finish those policies in the next six months. The monitoring team also plans to conduct audits to ensure the investigations IA conducts are up to par. That said, the report notes that IA is woefully understaffed and no significant improvements are not possible until it receives more investigative sergeants who can conduct quality probes. As for the Office of Professional Standards, which investigates citizen complaints against officers and has been the subject of criticism by the monitor, the report notes commendable progress, but says the office must still address a number of issues. The City and OPS Administrator will need to continue to exert significant time, energy, and resources to make OPS into a functional and credible oversight agency, the report states. It says OPS investigators have been able to keep its ongoing caseload to an average of 75 open cases at a time while an outside company continues its work on looking at backlog of cases that dogged the office for years. That company, Hillard Heintze, has 144 cases left to complete, Cleveland Chief Counsel Gary Singletary said at Tuesdays hearing. OPS Director Roger Smith has conducted weekly training sessions for investigators in the hopes of improving the quality of its cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Heyer said the office has improved since Smiths hiring last year. The monitoring team says it intends to evaluate the cases in the near future and hopes to see significant improvements. Community Police Commission The report says the Cleveland Community Police Commission gave good feedback on a series of policies the city worked on in 2018. However, it still has work to do to try to restore public confidence following a rocky year, according to the monitor. All of its staffers, save for Executive Director Jason Goodrick, resigned, and three of them filed suit against Goodrick for sexual harassment, creating a poor work environment and ignoring concerns raised about sexual harassment in the building where the commissions office is located. A July report by the citys human resources director found no evidence that any commission employee violated city policy and the employees later dropped their lawsuit. But the report painted a picture of a dysfunctional work environment fueled by close relationships and animosity among co-workers. Since then, the positions vacated by the former staffers remain unfilled. A consultant hired by the city issued a report in December that catalogued issues with 13-member commission, along with a set of recommendations on how to help the commission operate more smoothly. The monitor also says the commission is approaching a period of transition. It was created in 2015 and all its members are serving 4-year terms that expire this year. In addition, its primary purpose in the past few years has been to solicit and give feedback on police department policies that officials rewrote. With most of those policies completed or close to it, the commission will have to consider how it operates and what it intends to do in the future, according to the report. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio The driver of an SUV that drove into the Cuyahoga River early Monday returned to the scene in Clevelands Flats later in the day to tell authorities that no one else was inside the vehicle when it went into the water, police said. The driver told authorities he went home early Monday after crashing his car into the river near the intersection of Riverbed Street and Elm Avenue, which is just north of the Center Street Swing Bridge. He returned to the scene Monday afternoon, Cleveland police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. The man was not arrested, but will likely be charged with traffic offenses and could face criminal charges, Ciaccia said. Cleveland Fire Department crews searched for the SUV for most of the day Monday, but left the scene about 4:30 p.m. without pulling it from the water. The fire department has not provided any additional information about the search. The CFD located the SUV in the water on Monday afternoon, but the driver was responsible for calling a salvage crew to pull it from the river, Ciaccia said. The salvage crew was at the scene Monday evening to recover the SUV. A video shared on Instagram shows the SUV partially submerged in the water. It also shows a man climbing up a ladder that leads into the river, but its unclear whether the man was driving the SUV. Ciaccia could not say whether the man seen in the video is the same man who identified himself as the driver of the SUV on Monday. A witness reported about 3 a.m. that the SUV went into the water and sank. Crews initially searched the river overnight, but called off the search until daylight. Cleveland Fire Department crews returned to the scene just after 10 a.m. They began lowering equipment into the water just after 10:30 a.m., and began pulling debris from the water minutes later. A CFD boat arrived at the scene about 11:15 a.m. and remained on scene for most of the day. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted in the initial search but was not at the scene during the day Monday, because the incident was not believed to be a search-and-rescue operation, an agency spokesman said. To comment on this story, visit Mondays crime and courts comments page. Thank you for publishing John Kerrys op-ed, Donald Trumps climate denial panel needs to be disbanded. Kerry quotes George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, 27 retired military officers, current Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, and Trumps former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, all delivering the same message: climate change is a national security problem. It is time for Republicans and Democrats to come together to solve this problem. Surprisingly, there is a bipartisan climate solution being discussed in Congress now. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 763) will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 90 percent by 2050, while boosting the economy and creating jobs. It will improve the health of Americans. It will put money in the pockets of low and middle-income Americans. The bill is revenue neutral and has bipartisan support, giving it a realistic chance of becoming law. Heeding 30 years of warnings from Republicans, Democrats, military officers and intelligence officials, this bill will also make our country and world a safer place. You can read more at energyinnovationact.org. I urge readers to call their members of Congress and ask them to enact this legislation, for the safety and well-being of current and future generations. John Sabin, Oberlin U.S. humanitarian aid to Venezuela is sitting on the Columbian border because Venezuelan President Maduro has ordered the closure of the border crossings, citing serious and illegal threats. Indeed, last week Trump announced to Maduro and to the world that US military action is an option. That certainly sounds serious. It also sounds illegal, unless one sovereign nation somehow has the right to use military force to control the internal affairs of another sovereign nation. Perhaps Trump can re-deploy to the Columbia/Venezuela border a few thousand of our soldiers presently stationed on our Mexican border. Rather than help refugees desperately trying to escape abject poverty and violence, our military was dispatched to the border to address a serious and illegal threat to our Country: the Latin American murders, rapists and drug dealers. Does Trump understand Venezuelans are also Latin Americans? Perhaps he believes they are Norwegians. Michael Reidy, Middleburg Heights LEE COUNTY, Florida An Aurora, Ohio, police officer has been released from jail after he was arrested Saturday, accused of pointing a gun at another motorist during a road-rage incident. Joseph LaPerna, 48, posted $6,500 bond on Monday in Lee County, Fla., the News-Press reports. He is charged with aggravated assault and improper use of a gun. Florida Highway Patrol troopers tell NBC 2 was driving south on Interstate 75 in a 2018 Chevrolet when he got into a confrontation with a male and female in a 2018 Toyota Corolla. Troopers say LaPerna is accused of brandishing a Glock handgun at the male and female. LaPerna was later stopped and arrested by troopers and Collier County deputies in Naples, Fla., winknews.com reports. This is not LaPernas first road-rage incident, the News-Press reports. He was fired from the Aurora Police Department in 2006 after getting involved in a road dispute with an Aurora resident, reports say. An arbitrator overruled the firing and LaPerna returned to his job. He has been cited for at least five disciplinary issues since 2004, the News-Press reports, including insubordination and rude and discourteous behavior toward a resident. The News-Press reports LaPerna has been lauded for pulling a woman from a fire in 2013, although the woman later died. He also has been honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Aurora police Chief Brian Byard says LaPerna, who has been with the department for more than 20 years, has been placed on paid administrative leave as in the Florida incident is investigated. To comment on this story, visit Mondays crime and courts comments page. CLEVELAND, Ohio Nonstop from Cleveland to Dublin? Not yet, anyway. A representative from Aer Lingus was in Cleveland this week to discuss possible nonstop service between Cleveland Hopkins and Ireland. But a decision about any new flights isnt likely for several months, according to sources, and service wouldnt begin until 2020. The Aer Lingus representative met separately Monday with airport staff and members of the business community. Conversations between airlines and airports are not uncommon, but they usually take place in private. This visit took a very public turn when someone likely a member of the business community bought several billboards near the airport welcoming Aer Lingus to Cleveland. The billboards, which were taken down Monday, were misinterpreted by some travelers, who assumed that Aer Lingus had already made a decision to start flying from Cleveland. That is not the case. Just spotted by the airport. pic.twitter.com/xvXiybtb9d SgtBarone (@Sgt_Barone) March 3, 2019 Aer Lingus is, however, scouting for new North American cities to start flying to, likely in 2020. In an interview with the Irish Times last week, Aer Lingus CEO Sean Doyle said the airline has an extensive evaluation process going on now, as it looks for new destinations. Were evaluating north of 15 [routes] at the moment, and that will increase with the range capability of the technology thats coming our way, he told the newspaper. Dublin-based Aer Lingus is in growth mode, adding new Airbus narrow-body aircraft capable of serving several additional North American destinations. The airline uses Dublin as a hub, connecting travelers to cities throughout Europe. The carrier currently flies to 11 destinations in the United States, with a 12th, Minneapolis-St. Paul, starting this summer. One benefit of flying through Dublin: the airport is a U.S. pre-clearance facility, where travelers go through U.S. Customs before flying back to the United States. A crimp in the carriers growth plans, however, was revealed this week: Aer Lingus announced Monday that new service to Montreal, initially planned for summer 2019, would be postponed until 2020, due to delays in aircraft deliveries. In addition, service to several U.S. cities, including Minneapolis, will have reduced frequencies this summer. Aer Lingus did not respond to a request for comment from The Plain Dealer. A spokeswoman for Cleveland Hopkins also declined comment. Local travel agent Patricia Hollywood, an Ireland native, was excited about the possibility of nonstop service between Cleveland and Dublin. It would be great if we did get that flight, even if just two or three times a week, said Hollywood, the owner of the Travel Connection in Aurora. Wed be delighted. She knows, however, the airline needs more than leisure travelers to make a transatlantic flight work. One local company that would certainly benefit: manufacturing giant Eaton, with North American headquarters in Beachwood and international headquarters in Dublin. Said Gina D. Goodwin, Eatons senior manager of corporate communications: Like other multi-national companies, Eaton is very interested in efforts to bring airlines offering nonstop transatlantic service to our area. Were not aware of any new transatlantic service at this time. But, if opportunities arise, were happy to work with the Greater Cleveland Partnership on such efforts. Asked about the Greater Cleveland Partnerships participation in conversations with Aer Lingus this week, John Luteran, vice president of finance, sent this response: Sorry, GCP never comments on any discussions it may or may not be having with private investors. If Aer Lingus begins flying from Cleveland, it would be the third European-based carrier to launch service from Hopkins in recent years. Last year, Icelandair and Wow Air, both based in Iceland, started flying from Cleveland to Reykjavik, connecting travelers to dozens of destinations in Europe. Wow, facing financial trouble, has since pulled out of Cleveland and several other markets. Icelandair is set to restart seasonal service from Cleveland in May. Rotunda Rumblings Back to the future: Gov. Mike DeWines first State of the State address on Tuesday will likely be a marked departure from the speeches given by predecessor John Kasich, according to cleveland.coms Jeremy Pelzer. Unlike Kasichs off-the-cuff, prime-time speeches, DeWine is expected to give a more traditional speech that focuses (among other things) on childrens programs and a gas tax hike. Where to watch: Check cleveland.com for live video of DeWines State of the State, which is set to begin at noon. Down memory lane: The Columbus Dispatch is out with a photo gallery of DeWine throughout the years as the governor prepares for his speech. Since we know youre wondering, the answer is yes, there is a photo of DeWine when he was six years old. Re-orders: DeWine signed two executive orders on Monday -- one requiring state executive branch employees to abide by the states ethics policy, and the other prohibiting state agencies from using services from outside the United States. Both orders are similar to ones issued by Kasich when he took office in 2011. On board: The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, the states largest, supports increasing the gas tax but it wants a funding increase beyond Gov. Mike DeWines proposed $7 million yearly boost in the form of federal transportation fund, cleveland.coms Laura Hancock reports. Hancock reported Monday that some transit advocates are pushing the state to use the gas tax on mass transportation. Coming Tuesday: At 5:30 p.m., the Ohio House Finance Committee is meeting and expected to begin amending the transportation budget bill, which could be advanced out of the committee Wednesday and sent to the House floor. With friends like these: Count Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder in the list of people not fully embracing DeWines proposal for an 18-cents-a-gallon hike in the gas tax. Householder told Fox 19 in Cincinnati that the state only needed a 10-to-12-cent tax increase, joining GOP Senate President Larry Obhof in publicly questioning the governors recommendation. Reid instructions carefully: Former Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid confirmed to Politico hes talked with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown about the 2020 presidential race. Nevada is one of the first four states in the nation to vote in the primary elections and Reid, even after his retirement, holds significant influence over Democratic politics there. 20 Answers: The conservative National Review played Did You Know? with Brown in a Monday. Titled Twenty Things You Didnt Know About Sherrod Brown, many of the items are less than flattering, though probably familiar to readers in Ohio. Unexpected connection: Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke Perry died of a stroke Tuesday at age 52. But what you might not know is that Perry, a Mansfield native, was delivered by Browns father, Dr. Charles Gailey Brown. In a statement, Brown said Perry who campaigned for him in 2006 represented what makes our state great generosity, humility, and a fighting spirit. Will he or wont he? Republican Ohio U.S. Sen. Rob Portman still hasnt decided whether hell vote to reject President Donald Trumps border emergency declaration, according to cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton. The measure to override Trumps declaration, which passed the House last week, has support from four GOP senators, enough to clear the Senate. One little thing: Former U.S. Senate hopeful and Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld announced over the weekend that he and his wife, Sarah, were expecting a baby boy. As he noted in the announcement, that means one more person to argue whether Skyline Chili is actually chili. Bankrupt? Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, is thinking about filing for bankruptcy in part because of the more than 1,000 lawsuits theyre facing, per Reuters. Those lawsuits are consolidated in Ohio federal court. As cleveland.coms Eric Heisig explains, a bankruptcy filing could mean significant delays and complications for thousands of lawsuits accusing the company of significantly contributing to a wave of opioid-addicted deaths that ravaged communities in every corner of the country. Gerrymandering on trial: The lawsuit by a voting rights groups arguing Ohios partisan gerrymandered congressional districts should be redrawn started Monday in Cincinnati. Attorneys for the groups argued that Republicans sought to lock in their 12-4 majority in the congressional delegation. Attorneys for Republicans argued the map was the result of a deal between both parties and that the congressional majority was a result of the state trending red. Runner up: Ohio came in second last year in an effort to attract Apples new $1 billion campus, reports Mark Williams for the Columbus Dispatch. The tidbit appeared in JobsOhios most recent annual report. Austin, Texas came in first. Pass the Barr: Former Never-Trumper and Attorney General Dave Yost visited Washington yesterday as part of a group of state attorneys general. Yost and the group heard from newly confirmed U.S. Attorney General William Barr. Full Disclosure Five things we learned from the Feb. 20 financial disclosure from state Rep. Adam Holmes, a Muskingum County Republican who was selected to replace state Sen. Brian Hill. 1. Holmes reported earning $10,000 to $24,999 in farm income, $50,000 to $99,999 in military retirement pay and $100,000 or more as CEO of Frueh Enterprises Inc. 2. Along with being CEO of Frueh Enterprises, Holmes is also a consultant for FruhQuip, a rigging and machinery moving company; president of Frueh Easpointe LLC; and president of Spark 560, a business consulting firm. 3. At some point in 2018, he reported owing at least $1,000 to Lincoln Automotive Financial Services. 4. He reported significant investments, including more than 70 stocks, mutual funds, ETFs and bank deposit programs. 5. The stocks he owns include Amazon, Coca Cola, GlaxoSmithKline, Walt Disney, Merck, Netflix, Pfizer, Procter and Gamble, Schlumberger, Starbucks, Union Pacific and Verizon. On The Move Gina Russo, a Franklin County assistant prosecutor, has been named to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. She is replacing Judge Laurel Beatty Blunt, who was elected to the Tenth District Court of Appeals. Alfonso J. Jess Gonzalez, a magistrate for the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, has been appointed to the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas. He is replacing Judge David A. DApolito, who was elected to the Seventh District Court of Appeals. JP Morgan, a Canfield attorney, has been named to the Mahoning County Court. Hes replacing Judge David A. DApolito, who was elected to the Seventh District Court of Appeals. Will Petrik has joined Policy Matters Ohio as a budget researcher. The 2018 Columbus City Council candidate previously worked as state director of Advocates for Ohios Future and for the Juvenile Justice Coalition. Straight From The Source I love ABBA. I cant listen to it without being happy. It drives Sherrod crazy. -Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Kent State instructor Connie Schultz, who is married to Brown, in a heartfelt, gonzo-style profile written by Valerie Royzman, editor-in-chief of the Kent Stater. Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. COLUMBUS, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines first State of the State speech on Tuesday earned high marks from Democratic and Republican state lawmakers alike. Democrats seemed almost surprised to hear DeWine, a Republican, call for increased spending on infrastructure, public-health programs, addiction treatment and early-childhood education. Republicans and Democrats said it compared favorably with what theyd come to expect from former Republican Gov. John Kasich. Richmond Heights Sen. Kenny Yuko, the Democratic leader in the state senate, said of DeWines speech: Ive been waiting to hear a speech like that for a long time. Euclid Rep. Kent Smith, the number-three ranking Democrat in the House, said of the the speech, It was a great change from what Im used to. And Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, a Democrat with a growing statewide profile, told the Columbus Dispatch: Any time a Republican governor gives a Democratic state of the state, were in strange times." But leaders from both parties said they wanted more details on DeWines proposals and how he plans to pay for them. And some Democrats were disappointed about what was left out of the speech, including increased public transportation funding, higher-education investments and General Motors recent closure of its plant in Lordstown. Republicans praised DeWines overall thrust of his speech. Chagrin Falls Sen. Matt Dolan, a Republican, said: My initial thoughts were returning the speech to the Statehouse wasnt the only return to normalcy. I think that speech, if you were a local government official, was a weight being lifted off your shoulder. All of a sudden, you have a partner back in Columbus who understands your problems. Dolan also praised DeWine for calling for the creation of a fund to direct additional funding to Lake Erie. DeWine didnt share a price tag for the fund, which he called H2 Ohio but said it would be not inexpensive. But Dolan, who introduced a lake-protection bill that will be used as the vehicle for the fund, said the proof will be in the details, since DeWine didnt share how the fund would be paid for or how much it would cost. Dolan, who chairs the influential Senate finance committee that will eventually sign off on DeWines budget, also raised concern about state revenues, which have lagged estimates in recent months. The path he wants us on, I support. Whether or not I can fully fund everything he talked about today, that remains to be seen, Dolan said. The conservative Buckeye Institute, a Columbus think tank that has long called for the state to cut its costs, issued a statement raising concern about DeWines proposal. We dont know what the numbers are yet, said Greg Lawson, a Buckeye Institute research fellow. But it looks like its going to be expensive, so of course we have a concern with how thats going to be paid for. Senate President Larry Obhof, a Medina Republican, said: We appreciate his long-term view of the issues, and particularly his focusing on some of the key investments that can be made to protect the most vulnerable among us. But asked about DeWines pressing for an 18-cent increase in the state gas tax to pay for road-and-bridge infrastructure, Obhof remained noncommittal, saying the issue will be worked out through the state legislative process. Republican House Speaker Larry Householder said Republican House members want to balance coming up with enough funding with not harming the states economy. We understand there needs to be additional revenue. We dont know how much yet, Householder said. Democrats were broadly supportive of the policy items DeWine spelled out, but also called for greater investment in public transportation and higher education. Akron Rep. Emilia Sykes, the top Democrat in the House, said she expects House Democrats will be involved with the process to eventually develop DeWines ideas into law. Democrats, despite being in the minority in the House, believe their leverage has increased since they in January helped elect Householder as speaker, ending a long-standing fight within the GOP. One thing we know is that they need at least 50 votes to pass this here in the House. And what weve learned and what weve experienced is that the Republican caucus needs us more now than theyve ever needed us before, Sykes said. I think theres an understanding that you cant just legislate from one side of the aisle, and expect to get the right result for all Ohioans." Sykes also criticized DeWine for not mentioning the closure of the GM plant in Lordstown. The governor said all the right things, but the people at home need results, not just talk, she said. Yuko said hes optimistic, but said addressing the things DeWine highlighted in his speech wont happen without a serious commitment. We talked about the lead paint issue. Weve got to have money, folks. This stuff doesnt come cheap, Yuko said. The state political parties weighed in on DeWines speech too. In a statement, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Jane Timken said DeWine laid out his plan for addressing tough issues like the opioid crisis and infant mortality. With Gov. DeWine leading our great state, we have faith that we will lead Ohio forward, Timken said. Ohio Democrats sent a fundraising email on Tuesday afternoon referencing the speech with the subject line Nice words. In the email, Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Kirstin Alvanitakis said the problems DeWine pledged to fix have gotten worse during the last eight years of total Republican control of the state government. How are we going to create more good-paying jobs? How are we going to make sure our kids schools have the resources they need? Unclear, because DeWines speech didnt give a concrete plan for some of the biggest issues facing Ohioans. It was all just words, she said. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Retired Oberlin teacher Janet Garrett - who tried three times to unseat Rep. Jim Jordan from the congressional seat hes held for more than a decade - has launched a new political action committee dedicated to unseating the Champaign County Republican. Garrett released a statement that said shes not planning to run against Jordan again, but founded The Jordan Watch PAC to "transform our remarkable grassroots fundraising into an organization that can help recruit Jim Jordans next opponent, and also work to expose Jims radical ideology to the people he is supposed to represent. She said his performance last week questioning Donald Trumps former attorney, Michael Cohen, before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform was very disturbing" and made him the laughing stock of the nation. While Jordans combativeness at the hearing was roasted on Saturday Night Live, conservatives at events like the Conservative Political Action Conference applauded his questioning, saying Jordan was speaking for all of us. Were in this for the long haul, said a statement from Garretts former campaign manager, Zach Stepp, who is the PACs executive director. Jim Jordan may be able to win in OH-4 as its currently drawn, but we know that this district wont exist forever," he added, referring to efforts to make Ohios congressional redistricting process more fair. Representatives for Jordan did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the newly formed PAC. The Jordan Watch hasnt filed any paperwork at the Federal Election Commission, and records indicate its website domain was registered shortly after Garrett obtained less than 35 percent of the vote in Novembers election. Stepp subsequently said the PAC files its FEC paperwork under the name Ohio CD-04 Watch. It had $240 in the bank at the end of 2018. Suspending Russia's compliance with the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (the INF Treaty) was a response to the U.S. decision to withdraw from the treaty, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the Luxemburger Wort newspaper. "Everyone will feel more at ease when all U.S. nuclear weapons return to U.S. territory, and infrastructure in Europe which allows to store, service and deploy those weapons, will be eliminated," Medvedev told the Luxemburger Wort newspaper ahead of his visit to Luxembourg. Medvedev recalled that the United States, not Russia, decided to withdraw from the fundamental treaty in the sphere of global security - the International Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. "This is why the Russian president signed, as a reciprocal measure, a decree on suspending membership in the INF Treaty until the U.S. eliminates their own violations," TASS cited Medvedev as saying. "We are not threatening anyone, and we are definitely not going to attack anyone or fight with anyone," Medvedev said. "Any attempts at nuclear blackmailing, in our opinion, exacerbate international tensions," the PM added. Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree suspending Russias compliance with the INF Treaty until the U.S. addresses the violation of obligations under the Treaty or until the Treaty is terminated. On February 1, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of Washingtons obligations under the INF starting February 2. The deputy head of the Council of the Russian Diplomats Association, Andrey Baklanov, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, said that from now on, Russia's response to Washingtons actions will be more tough than it has been up to now. At the same time, he stressed that it's not just about relations with the United States, but also with NATO as a whole. At the same time, he said that the actions of the United States had crossed a certain psychological line, after which Russia would begin to retaliate against all Washington's actions. The diplomat noted that the destruction of the arms control system could potentially lead to armed conflict. "We need to take such steps that would affect the degree of vulnerability of the U.S. territory and the degree of vulnerability of the U.S. from a counterstrike from our country. Because this decision is legal in nature and could never go anywhere. But this is another signal that more serious military-political actions could follow," Andrey Baklanov concluded. The President of the National Strategy Institute, Mikhail Remizov, said that Moscow's response was 100% expected by Washington. "Just because it was a symmetrical response. The Americans are quite ready for the consequences, in terms of understanding the consequences of their exit from the INF Treaty, in terms of the development of the corresponding systems in Russia," he explained. According to the expert, suspending the agreement could lead to the destruction of the existing arms control system. "Since the non-proliferation regime was initially linked to the arms control and the program for compulsory phased disarmament, it will also have a bad effect on the non-proliferation regime. Another point is the increase in tensions in Europe and East Asia, where the likelihood of deployment of such systems increases. First of all, in East Asia," the president of the National Strategy Institute warned. He added that Moscow's suspension of the INF Treaty would hardly force Washington to change its strategy. "In this case, it is an absolutely predictable reciprocal measure, which does not contain any novelty for the region," Mikhail Remizov concluded. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ohios Rob Portman wants the U.S. Senate to put its own spin on a House-passed resolution that would overturn President Trumps declaration of a national emergency to obtain funding to build a wall on the nations southern border. Im trying to come up with an alternative way to deal with this, Portman told reporters on Tuesday. Ill make a decision next week, of course, when the issue comes before us, but Im trying to get a result here. I know some in the media are very eager to see an immediate decision, but thats not the way I look at this." Portman, a Republican, says he supports Trumps border security plan and wants to help him achieve it. But he wants it done in a way that doesnt lead to setting a bad precedent and having some of the funds be tied up in court. With that in mind, Portman says hes seeking to change the wording of the House-passed resolution, to include language that would ensure the national emergency process is not being abused and to clarify that there is money from sources like drug seizures that Trump could use for the border wall. One way to handle this is to clarify that so theres no need to go to an emergency, said Portman. And were looking at other ideas as well. The House of Representatives voted largely along party lines last week to override Trumps declaration of a national emergency along the border, with all the states Democrats supporting the measure and all its Republicans in opposition. The measure has enough Republican support to pass in the U.S. Senate, as Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky have said theyll vote for it. So has Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. But Trump says he will veto the measure and it does not have enough support in either legislative body for an override. House votes to cancel Trumps national emergency on the border; Sen. Rob Portman undecided on issue Robert Mueller Tom Williams | CQ Roll Call | Getty Images U.S. Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from oversight of the ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, a Justice Department spokeswoman said Monday night. Barr's decision not to recuse himself follows guidance from "senior career ethics officials" at the Justice Department, the spokeswoman said. It also contrasts with the decision by his predecessor as attorney general, Jeff Sessions, to recuse himself from the Mueller probe. The special counsel is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, possible collusion by the campaign of President Donald Trump, possible obstruction of justice by Trump, and other issues. Trump denies any wrongdoing. Following General Barr's confirmation, senior career ethics officials advised that General Barr should not recuse himself from the Special Counsel's investigation. Consistent with that advice, General Barr has decided not to recuse. Justice Department spokeswoman Last year, while working as a lawyer in private practice, Barr sent the Justice Department an unsolicited memo that criticized Mueller's investigation into possible obstruction by Trump as "fatally misconceived." Barr, who previously served as attorney general under President H.W. Bush, was sworn in as Trump's second attorney general on Feb. 14. "Following General Barr's confirmation, senior career ethics officials advised that General Barr should not recuse himself from the Special Counsel's investigation," the Justice spokeswoman said. "Consistent with that advice, General Barr has decided not to recuse." During his confirmation hearings, Barr had said that if Justice ethics officials urged him to recuse from overseeing the Mueller investigation, but he disagreed with their recommendation, he would not follow it. But Barr also said he "absolutely" would guarantee that Mueller would not be fired as special counsel without good cause. He also said it would "unimaginable" for the former FBI director Mueller to do anything that would warrant termination. Sessions had recused himself from overseeing probes related to Russian election interference because of his own contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States during the election while supporting Trump as a U.S. senator from Alabama. Sessions' recusal, combined with the firing of FBI Director James Comey by Trump in early 2017, set in motion the appointment of Mueller as special counsel by Sessions' deputy, Rod Rosenstein that year. Trump raged against Sessions Russian President Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with President and Chairman of the VTB Bank Management Board Andrei Kostin to discuss the banks performance last year, mortgage lending and housing construction financing, according to the Kremlin website. "The year 2018 was quite successful for the VTB Group. Our net profits calculated under Russian Accounting Standards increased by 130% to 231 billion rubles. According to International Financial Reporting Standards, they grew by 50% to 180 billion rubles," Kostin said at the meeting. He added that VTB's corporate loans portfolio increased by 15% over the year and reached 8.4 trillion rubles. SME loans were growing especially rapidly; the growth was 20%. "Overall, our performance last year was satisfactory. We hope to keep up this positive trend this year," the VTB head added. California's high-speed rail agency on Monday asked the Trump administration to reconsider its plans to pull funding from the state's bullet train project. It also warned that any "clawback" of federal funds already spent "would be disastrous." Last month, President Donald Trump called for California to return $3.5 billion in federal funds for the high-speed rail line planned between the San Francisco and Los Angeles. The U.S. Department of Transportation followed by announcing its intention to cancel $929 million in grant funds awarded previously but not yet paid out. "Gov. [Gavin] Newsom's recent public expression of support for delivering high-speed rail in California does not constitute a fundamental change in the purpose of the overall project for which federal funding was awarded," Brian Kelly, CEO of the California High Speed Rail Authority said in a letter dated March 4 to Federal Railroad Administration head Ronald Batory. The Department of Transportation said late Monday that the Federal Railroad Administration had received the California High Speed Rail Authority's response and is reviewing the statement. Construction is underway on the first leg of the bullet train, a 119-mile section in the state's Central Valley. More than $6 billion has already been spent on the California high-speed rail project. Newsom at his first state of the state address on Feb. 12 announced a reeling in of the state's high-speed rail project, saying the current plan "would cost too much and take too long." He added, "There simply isn't a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to L.A." "In fact, the Governor described a pragmatic approach to using the funding now committed to this project to get high-speed trains on the ground in California as soon as possible by completing an early high-speed rail link operating in the Central Valley between Merced and Bakersfield," Kelly's letter stated. The California rail official also said the state plans to continue its regional project in the north and south while also finishing required environmental clearances on segments from San Francisco to Southern California. The California rail agency claims that it already met the government's statutory deadline required for spending more than $2.5 billion in federal funds for the high-speed rail project. In addition, Kelly said it "would be unwarranted, unprecedented, and harmful to the project and to the people of the Central Valley, the State of California, and the nation" for the administration to terminate the 2010 agreement for about $929 million in federal funds for the rail system. "Moreover, any 'clawback' of federal funds already expended on this project would be disastrous policy," Kelly said. A business plan released in early 2018 by the state rail agency warned the cost of the 500-mile system could approach nearly $100 billion. Hayman Capital Management founder Kyle Bass thinks any trade deal with China must include enforcement mechanisms against intellectual property theft for the U.S. to truly benefit from it. "Over the last decade, they've stolen $2-to-$3 trillion in IP from us. The U.S.' No. 1 asset, in my view, is our ingenuity, our intellectual property, our ability to innovate," Bass told CNBC's Brian Sullivan in an interview that aired Tuesday on "Worldwide Exchange." "That's our game, and they're stealing our game from us. It's really important for this new agreement to be measurable and punishable." China and the U.S. are in the "final stages" of working out a trade deal, sources told CNBC. However, The New York Times reported Sunday that any deal would do little to address key structural changes in China that the U.S. has been seeking. These changes include a way to enforce intellectual property of U.S. products in China. "We have a golden opportunity today for a global reset in our relationship with China," Bass said. "Our real issue is forced technology transfers, it's intellectual property theft, it's subversive industrial policies that circumvent WTO rules. It's basically the way the Chinese lie, cheat and steal their way through our economy." Investors across the globe have been cheering the apparent progress in trade talks between the two countries. The has risen more than 11 percent this year. In China, the Shanghai Composite has surged more than 20 percent, rebounding from a sharp sell-off in 2018. But Bass is skeptical about the sharp run-up in Chinese equities. "Can the Chinese run up their stock market? Absolutely. Domestically, they control the price, they control the printing press, they control the police, they control the narrative," he said. "The Chinese print more money than any other country has ever printed, in gross terms, in world history. Since 2001, they've printed roughly $30 trillion worth of RMB." "Why would you invest in a country where there is no rule of law?" added Bass, claiming that Western investors would have no standing if a Chinese company were to go bankrupt. Chinese stocks should be considered tracking stocks not ownership in a piece of the company, he argued. Bass also said "the ultimate arbiter" for China will be its foreign exchange reserves and how its currency performs against those around the world. This is because China makes it nearly impossible for investors to bet against the country's domestic companies. "The economics between our two nations are very, very different. At some point in time, the world is going to see the emperor has no clothes." Correction: This story has been updated to reflect Bass said China has printed roughly $30 trillion worth of RMB, not billion. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. When President Donald Trump praised the record number of women in Congress at his State of the Union address, female lawmakers, many clad in white to honor the suffrage movement, applauded, danced and high-fived. They had reason to celebrate. Women upended the political landscape in the 2018 midterm election. They ran in record numbers and won a historic number of House and Senate seats 102 women now serve in the House, 23.5 percent of the 435 total seats. But despite historic wins and the building momentum behind several high-profile female candidates for the 2020 presidential election the U.S. lags far behind other countries on women representation in government. In fact, it ranks 75th out of 193 countries, according to recent data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an advocacy group that tracks rankings. This year's historic percentage of women-held Congressional seats doesn't even meet the global average of 24.1 percent representation. The Inter-Parliamentary Union list ranks countries based on the percentage of women in a lower or single House, whose powers are more comparable across countries. Women in the U.S. Senate are not considered as part of the ranking, since upper houses tend to vary in terms of function and structure. "There's room for improvement. We're currently on a path toward incremental change in terms of women's representation parity in another 100 or 200 years," Erin Cassese, a professor of political science at the University of Delaware, told CNBC Make It. "But these comparisons show us that there are other paths to parity, and help us think more broadly about obstacles to women's political inclusion." Only three countries boast a female majority in government. Rwanda tops the list, with women holding 61.4 percent of parliament seats, followed by Cuba (53.2 percent) and Bolivia (53.1 percent). The remaining top countries are Latin American, Caribbean, African and European: Mexico (48.2 percent), Grenada (46.7 percent), Nicaragua (45.7 percent), Costa Rica (45.6 percent), Namibia (46.2 percent), South Africa (42.7 percent) and Sweden (46.1 percent). The U.S. also lagged far behind other Western democracies, including France (39.6 percent), Britain (32 percent) and Germany (0.7 percent,) which respectively ranked 14, 38, and 47 on the list. The rankings compare countries with vastly different political and economic systems, so context is important for making comparisons. Unlike the U.S., some countries have passed legislation to directly address under-representation. Over half of all countries have now implemented some type of gender quota to their parliaments, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Mona Lena Krook, a professor of political science at Rutgers University, said that while the widespread adoption of gender quotas is a primary reason for growth across the globe, the U.S. has used other means to elect more women. "The U.S. doesn't have quotas, but the reason we see an increase in women representation is related. If there's a concrete strategy to increase representation, we see a jump," Krook told CNBC Make It. "In the U.S., that strategy has been fundraising, which has a lot to do with disparities. The other has been identifying and training women to run for office." Though average representation of women in parliament has increased steadily the past few years, the goal of having women's representation in politics reflect representation in the world population is far from being achieved. At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, according to the World Economic Forum, and the gap in political participation won't close for another 99 years. Graphic by CNBC's John Schoen. Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! Don't miss: When firms disclose wages the pay gap narrowsbut not because women get paid more Nancy Pelosi unveils the Paycheck Fairness Act in effort to close the gender wage gap Hertz Global Holdings stock plummeted Tuesday after longtime activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed he has trimmed his stake, selling off roughly five million shares. In a regulatory filing late Monday, Icahn reported ownership of 24.3 million shares of the rental car company, that represents 28.9 percent of its outstanding equity. That's down from a previously reported stake of 29.3 million shares, or about 35 percent of Hertz. Hertz shares tumbled 12 percent Tuesday morning following news of Icahn's move. Before today, Hertz stock was up more than 46 percent this year alone. That follows a 38 percent loss in 2018. Hertz is just one of many investments for Icahn, whom over the years has made a fortune by buying into companies and advocating for change in management, operations or both. His original investment in Hertz in 2014 came amid a string of accounting errors that required the company to restate its financial results for a number of years. Overall, the investment has proved a rare miss for Icahn. Though Icahn initially thought the stock was undervalued when he made his 2014 investment, its price is down almost 90 percent in the years since. Icahn's 24.3 million shares in the rental-car company are now worth about $485 million, according to CNBC calculations. That's down from a high of about $1.3 billion at the end of 2014, when he held less than half as many shares. That reflects a loss of about $814 million. The billionaire investor stepped in at the time to help reshape the management team and has long been Hertz's largest shareholder. Icahn has overseen the introduction of two Hertz chief executive officers since his initial investment and has successfully won board seats at the company while building his position. Hertz said in 2016 that then-CEO John Tague would retire a little more than two years after he landed the role with support from Icahn and be replaced by Kathryn Marinello. She lauded the company's fourth-quarter earnings results last week, when Hertz reported a narrow-than-expected loss per share and better-than-anticipates sales. "We finished 2018 strong, delivering improvements in rental price, volume, utilization and fleet costs for the full year as a result of targeted strategies, disciplined execution and well-placed investments," Marinello said in last week's press release. "We have tremendous momentum as we move into 2019 and will focus on continued revenue growth as well as productivity to drive margin expansion." An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner seen landing at London Heathrow Airport. Air India, the government-owned national carrier for India, has instructed its cabin crew members to end every inflight announcement with the phrase "Jai Hind," which translates to "hail the motherland." In a memo issued by director of operations Captain Amitabh Singh on Tuesday, crew were instructed that they were all required to comply "with immediate effect." The directive instructed crew members to make the declaration "after a slight pause and with much fervour." Air India, which has failed to turn a profit since 2007, was mocked on social media over the memo. Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, speaks to a group of Amazon employees that are veterans during an Amazon Veterans Day celebration on Monday, November 12, 2018. Amazon will receive 15 percent of any increase in the amount of hotel taxes Arlington County, Virginia, receives provided the company meets certain occupancy goals, according to the newly released draft agreement for its second headquarters location there. The county released the draft in preparation for a county board meeting on March 16, when the agreement will come to a vote. Amazon has faced local opposition in the area, albeit not as loud as that in New York's Long Island City neighborhood in Queens, which eventually drove the company to abandon its HQ2 plans there. Opposition has mainly centered around performance-based incentives offered to the company, which in Arlington's case amount to about $573 million from the state and local government, including a $23 million cash grant paid over 15 years from the county based on expected increases in hotel tax revenue to the area, according to Amazon's initial disclosure of the incentives. The draft agreement sheds light on the concessions Arlington made to Amazon to lure its business and 25,000 jobs to the area. Under the agreement, Amazon would receive 15 percent of any additional revenue the county receives from its "transient occupancy tax," or taxes on hotels and other lodgings, compared with its baseline, provided it increases the total square footage of its facilities to certain levels. This assumes tourism in Arlington will increase with Amazon's move to the area, and compares increased revenue from visitors with a baseline calculated as the average revenues for the tax from the previous three fiscal years. Amazon is expected to meet 90 percent of the following targets by each of the following deadlines in order to receive the payments: The company will need to have 64,000 square feet of office space by the end of July 2020 in order to receive the first payout that August. The following year, it is expected to hold 252,800 square feet of office space to receive the incentive. And it must have over 5.5 million square feet of office space by July 2034 to qualify. The agreement also requires Arlington to set aside a portion of funds from incremental real property tax revenues in the area to fund specific projects in the area Amazon will occupy. If Amazon fulfills at least 90 percent of its facility targets, a portion of the increased tax revenue from the county's specified fund will be set aside for these projects, which were not spelled out in the agreement, between the county's fiscal years 2022 and 2031. The agreement also gives Amazon the chance to shield information from the public, though it requires it to acknowledge the county will adhere to Virginia's Freedom of Information Act, which is often used by journalists to illuminate information in the public sector. The county will give Amazon up to two business days of the request "to allow Amazon to take such steps as it deems appropriate with regard to the requested disclosure of records." Amazon declined to comment on the proposed agreement. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Watch: How Amazon could shake up the retail sector with its grocery stores Apple's iPhone glass supplier Corning is working on a new flexible product as competitors roll out foldable phones using plastic, Wired reported. Corning confirmed to CNBC it's working on the flexible glass product. The move hints at possible ambitions at Apple to create a foldable phone that's more durable than the plastic polymer-based models recently announced by Samsung and Huawei. Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in March 2018 a foldable iPhone could come as early as 2020 for Apple, saying the company was already working with its Asian partners on the device. So far, the foldable phone market is untested and expensive, with Samsung's Galaxy Fold debuting at $1,980 and Huawei's Mate X debuting around $2,600. But phone makers are still racing to get their own versions on display, with Motorola reportedly planning to bring back the iconic Razr as a foldable device, The Wall Street Journal reported. But even those testing plastic-based screens acknowledge the inherent problems in the material, despite being more flexible than glass. Pedestrians pass the U.S. Capitol. Getty Images Business advocacy groups are going on the offensive against a financial transaction tax that's been proposed by Democrats as a way to curtail high-frequency trading and reduce the budget deficit. Groups from the political arm of the influential Koch network to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are already gearing up for a battle with Democrats over their proposals to enact a 0.1 percent tax on securities transactions. Measures were introduced in both chambers of Congress on Tuesday by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. The idea is co-sponsored by more than a dozen lawmakers, including freshman firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The tax proposal is one of several by Democrats that target the wealthy. Ocasio-Cortez has called for a 70 percent marginal tax rate on income over $10 million. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is running for president in 2020, backs the idea of a wealth tax of 2 percent on households with more than $50 million in assets and 3 percent on households worth $1 billion or more. Among groups attacking the financial transactions tax proposal is Modern Markets Initiative, or MMI, which advocates for high-frequency trading. "The proposed financial transaction tax poses a threat to the very Main Street investors that the sponsors of this bill are aiming to protect," said MMI CEO Kirsten Wegner. "Particularly, pension funds, which millions of Americans rely on as a main source of income after retirement, will suffer as a result of this tax." A spokeswoman for MMI confirmed the group would be lobbying against the proposal. A person familiar with the upcoming lobbying efforts pointed to a study published in 2017 that shows the negative effects a financial transaction tax can have on pension funds. This person also said the group will be pushing out more data proving how the tax could hurt the average stockholder. The political network backed by billionaire Charles Koch is also speaking out against the legislation. In a statement first given to CNBC, a spokesman for Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, slammed lawmakers' efforts to create more taxes. "Real growth and lasting economic security comes when people and businesses are free to invest their earnings into their families, communities, and job creation," said Bill Riggs, a spokesman for AFP. "We cannot tax and spend our way into prosperity. Washington should be looking for ways to rein in reckless spending and eliminate corporate welfare, not reach back into the pockets of hardworking Americans to keep funding it." China must be prepared for a "tough struggle" as the country faces a "grave and more complicated environment," Premier Li Keqiang said at the opening of the annual National People's Congress on Tuesday, the country's annual parliamentary meeting. "We must be fully prepared for a tough struggle," Li told a delegation of nearly 3,000 representatives. "The difficulties we face must not be underestimated, our confidence must not be weakened, and the energy we bring to our work must not be allowed to wane." This year's meeting comes amid tariff tensions with the U.S. China's largest trading partner which have placed immense pressure on China's economy and financial markets. In prepared remarks, according to an official English handout, Li warned that there will be greater risks ahead for the world's second largest economy. "A full analysis of developments in and outside China shows that in pursuing development this year, we will face a graver and more complicated environment as well as risks and challenges, foreseeable and otherwise, that are greater in number and size," Li said. Growth target lowered The gathering of delegates from different strata of Chinese society is typically ceremonial in nature. The real power in the country lies in the Communist Party and its Politburo Standing Committee, headed right now by President Xi Jinping. But announcements made during the congress can shed some light on government policy. Beijing also announced it expects the economy to grow at a slower pace in 2019 than last year. Li said the official economic growth target this year will be 6.0 to 6.5 percent, in line with many economists' expectations. Last year, the Chinese economy grew at its slowest pace since 1990, expanding by 6.6 percent in 2018. "Against the backdrop of mounting downward pressure on the economy, the policies and measures we adopt should ensure stable expectations, stable growth and structural adjustments," Li said. "In working to forestall and control risks, we need to get the pace and intensity right." Beijing's economic target range was "sensible" and reflected the "maturity" of Chinese officials, said Tai Hui, Asia Pacific chief market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. "It reflects top officials' maturity in accepting that China needs to stabilize growth in a sustainable manner, instead of a rush of liquidity to the economy, as we saw in previous downturns," Hui said in a note on Tuesday. "They need to strike a balance between boosting economic activity and not restart another debt-fuelled boom." "Onshore investors should take the latest growth target positively, since it would (be) unrealistic to expect 2019 to be stronger than 2018 considering global headwinds and some structural challenges in the Chinese economy that are being addressed in the latest NPC," Hui added. Commitment to trade Li also warned at the congress meeting that the trade war with the U.S. has had a negative impact on business activities in China. Trade tensions with the U.S. escalated last year after President Donald Trump announced additional tariffs on $250 billion worth of goods from China, and Beijing countered with its own duties on $110 billion worth of U.S. goods. But in signs that tensions from the tariff battle could soon ease, sources tell CNBC that the U.S. and China are currently in the "final stages" of a trade deal that could end this month. During Tuesday's address, the Chinese premier reiterated Beijing's commitment to "safeguarding economic globalization" and pledged to promote China-U.S. trade negotiations while advancing negotiations on other trade agreements. "We faithfully honor our commitments and are resolute in safeguarding our lawful rights and interests," he added. Critics have noted Beijing has been slow to act on many commitments it made when it joined the WTO in 2001. Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) waves to the press as he walks with US President Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, April 7, 2017. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images Turkish security forces arrested 45 suspects, including serving soldiers, for their suspected links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a security source said. Earlier, the Chief Public Prosecutors Office in Ankara issued arrest warrants for 64 people. The warrants for 30 people, including 19 serving officers, were issued for their links to FETO network nested in the Turkish Air Forces. The prosecutor office issued arrest warrants for remaining 34 suspects on charges of being a member of an armed terrorist organization. The police continue operations to arrest the remains suspects, Anadolu agency reported. According to Ankara, the FETO orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016. Stocks in Europe were slightly lower on Tuesday afternoon, as investors monitored various political developments across the globe. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was down around 0.2 percent during afternoon deals, with most sectors in negative territory. Autos and industrials were among the worst performing sectors as China cut its growth targets to a 30-year low. Telecoms were the clear outperformer, up by 0.7 percent. The sector was pushed higher by news that Vodafone is to raise about 4 billion euros by issuing mandatory convertible bonds, Reuters reported. Vodafone was up by 1.8 percent. Looking at other individual stocks, the German chemical company Evonik rose to the top of the index, up by 5.4 percent.This followed an earnings report where the company announced a unit sale to boost shares. At the other end of the index, Eurofins fell 11 percent. The Luxembourg-based firm said it will reduce its investment in mergers and acquisitions in the coming years to boost its margins. The Austrian bank Raiffeisen sank to the bottom of the index after being named in a money-laundering scandal, Reuters reported. There was more negative news in the retail space. Debenhams said Tuesday it will not be able to deliver the profits forecast just two months ago. The warning sent shares down by 8 percent. Investors were also closely monitoring the Chinese annual parliamentary meeting where Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that there will be greater risks ahead for the economy and Beijing must be prepared. He lowered the country's GDP (gross domestic product) forecast for 2019 to between 6 and 6.5 percent. Meanwhile, trade talks between the U.S. and China remain on the radar for investors. Sources told CNBC Monday that these negotiations are in the "final stages" and a summit at the end of the month in Mar-a-Lago might take place if a deal is reached. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks opened slightly lower on Tuesday as investors awaited an update from the trade talks and focused on China's weak data. Exxon Mobil and Chevron on Tuesday said they both plan to surge oil and natural gas output from America's top shale field in the coming years, a strategy that the energy giants say will yield significant returns. As early as 2024, Exxon believes it can increase output from the Permian Basin to 1 million barrels per day of oil equivalent, a measure that blends crude oil and gas production. That represents an 80 -percent increase, the company said in a news release a day ahead of its meeting with investors. Meanwhile, Chevron aims to more than double its oil and gas output to 900,000 boepd by the end of 2023. Chevron sees Permian production hitting 600,000 boepd by the end of next year, the company said at its meeting with analysts on Tuesday. The Permian is the epicenter of the U.S. shale boom, which has made the nation the world's top producer of oil and natural gas. Drillers in the region underlying western Texas and southeastern New Mexico use advanced techniques like hydraulic fracturing to coax oil and gas from shale rock formations. Once the domain of independent frackers, the shale drilling process is being industrialized by large international oil companies. The oil majors are stitching together large swaths of land and drilling multiple horizontal wells from a single location, making the expensive method more efficient. "The big thing that I think has changed is the shale game has become a scale game, and so people that can do things at large scale and bring the capabilities to bear that a company like Chevron has are the ones that really can take this to the next level," Chevron Chairman and CEO Michael Wirth told CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Tuesday. Chevron's output from the Permian hit 377,000 boepd last quarter, an 84 percent increase from a year ago. The company says it plans $19 to $22 billion in capital spending per year from 2021 to 2023. "Our message to our investors was it's a good time to be Chevron. Our portfolio is stronger than it's ever been, and you don't have to look any further than the Permian to see that," Wirth said. "We're delivering strong production with low risk and disciplined spending, which leaves plenty of money to be returned to shareholders." Exxon's Permian production surged 93 percent in the final quarter of 2018 from the year-ago period. "We're increasingly confident about our Permian growth strategy due to our unique development plans," Neil Chapman, senior vice president at Exxon, said in a statement. "We will leverage our large, contiguous acreage position, our improved understanding of the resource and the full range of ExxonMobil's capabilities in executing major projects." The Volkswagen T-Cross model stands on a lifting platform in a car tower on the Volkswagen factory premises. picture alliance | picture alliance | Getty Images Alongside seismic structural shifts taking place in the car industry including electrification and autonomous vehicles, German carmakers say that the potential for punitive U.S. tariffs on European car and part imports are casting a large shadow over the industry. CEOs at the Geneva Motor Show told CNBC that geopolitical tensions and the threat of trade wars were the biggest unknown facing the industry right now. "It is a critical situation for us," Herbert Diess, the CEO of VW Group, which comprises Porsche, Audi and Seat among other brands, told CNBC Tuesday. "Mostly, our premium brands here in Germany are depending on the import market of the U.S. Audi and Porsche have significant market share there, so this is a threat," he said. Free trade, and trade wars, became something of a buzzword last year after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on, at first, solar cells and some washing machines from China, and then on steel and aluminum imports. China retaliated in kind, quickly leading to a tit-for-tat escalation in billions of dollars' worth of tariffs on one another's imports. Trade negotiations are currently taking place between China and the U.S. with sources telling CNBC on Monday that a trade deal could be reached later this month. Europe wasn't left unscathed by Trump's trade tirade and in August 2018, he announced he would put a 25 percent tariff on every car import from the EU, much to the dismay of European leaders and carmakers. So far, however, the tariffs have not been imposed and U.S. and EU officials are meeting Wednesday and Thursday this week to discuss ways to avert them. Speaking to CNBC's Annette Weisbach in Geneva, chief executives of some of the world's largest automakers said free trade defined as international trade that is left to its natural course without tariffs, quotas or other restrictions was under threat and the outcome uncertain. "We are for free world trade, but in the end (it) depends on politics. We have a very true fanbase in the U.S. so we will see what will happen," Oliver Blume, the CEO of Porsche, told CNBC Monday. Meanwhile, the BMW CEO said that the auto industry created wealth, investment and jobs and that it could do this thanks to free trade policies. "Our business model is clearly based on free trade and we have shown and demonstrated by our biggest plant in South Carolina that export-business and free trade business creates wealth and jobs and high investment. And the answer to the current situation is flexibility," Harald Kruger told CNBC Monday. Tariffs 'not a threat' Audi Chairman Bram Schot struck a more upbeat tone, saying he didn't see the potential for tariffs on European cars as something to worry about. "I don't see them as a threat, I see it as a challenge, we are transforming the business and it's one of the things we have to cope with, so I don't see that as a big issue," he told CNBC's Annette Weisbach Monday. Schot was concerned about a slowdown in car sales in China, however, noting that "the only thing we're concerned about is what's happening in China, we see some sluggish markets at the beginning of the year." Those in the smaller niche, luxury car market are also concerned. "That economic uncertainty is worrying," the CEO of U.K.-based luxury carmaker McLaren Automotive said, which foresees production of only 5,000 high-end luxury cars this year. "Political and economic uncertainty are the things that challenge us most," Mike Flewitt told CNBC Tuesday. Goldman Sachs is warning that this year's commodity price rally may be running out of steam, so investors should tread carefully and monitor data before going long oil and metals. Commodities have bounced 12 percent this year after a steep sell-off in the final months of 2018. At this point, Goldman analysts say fundamental supply and demand will have to drive further gains and they're not yet sure whether the figures will underwrite a further rally. Goldman acknowledges that the market has moved past temporary drags like the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown, while China is embarking on a more expansionist policy. But the bank is still preaching caution. "While this looks like it would point to even more upside for commodities, we believe that commodities have now reached a level where they are no longer signicantly undervalued relative to their current fundamentals," the investment bank's commodity analysts said in a research note Monday. "The risk-reward of being outright long commodities is therefore less compelling now compared to a few months ago, and we recommend a neutral portfolio position in commodities." In the oil market, Goldman believes demand is holding up despite gloomy forecasts. On the supply side, the bank says Saudi Arabia is taking a "shock and awe" approach to cutting output, while production in Venezuela and Iran is bound to fall further as the two OPEC members remain under U.S. sanctions. That could push Brent crude oil futures toward $70-$75 in the near term, but Goldman sees prices slipping in the second half of 2019 on an anticipated increase in output from OPEC countries and U.S. drillers. Dan Niles, founding partner at AlphaOne Capital Partners, just started shorting Netflix, he told CNBC on Tuesday. "Netflix was actually one of our best profit generators last year on the short side. A lot of this is timing ... we weren't short on Netflix on Dec. 24. We just put this on very, very recently," Niles said on "Squawk on the Street." Shares of the media-streaming giant have roared back more than 50 percent from their 52-week low, hit on Dec. 24, and have returned more than 31 percent year to date. But Netflix is faced with more competition this year as Comcast, Warner Bros., Apple and Disney are all slated to join the streaming war, Niles pointed out. "The problem this year is that you've got Apple coming into streaming and you've got other big players like Disney. They are going to have a lot more competition, and don't forget Netflix still burns $3 billion in cash flow every year. And you've got Comcast coming next year and WarnerMedia coming later this year," Niles said. The manager also revealed that he's net short in his hedge fund, as he sees the market comeback overdone. That means he has more bets that stocks will fall than that they will rise. "The market has clearly gone oversold. You look at some of the economic data still coming out. It's not necessarily back bullish, so it doesn't make sense for the market to rip up as much as it has," he added. 's monster rally has notched the best two-month start of a year since 1991, but many on Wall Street have said the rally is not fundamentally driven. Niles said he's also shorting Apple and he holds long positions on Alibaba and Baidu. "Apple ... we are back to being short that. We had actually gotten ... long that, believe it or not, in early January for a bounce, which it did," Niles said. Ren Zhengfei, founder and chief executive officer of Huawei Technologies, left, speaks during an interview at the company's headquarters in Shenzhen, China, in January. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images Huawei would have no choice but to hand over network data to the Chinese government if Beijing asked for it, because of espionage and national security laws in the country, experts told CNBC. Major governments including the United States, Japan and Australia have blocked the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker from providing hardware for next-generation mobile networks known as 5G. The U.S. has said Huawei equipment could provide backdoors for the Chinese government into American networks a claim the company has repeatedly denied. Australia did not cite specific countries or companies, but last year it gave guidance to domestic carriers saying that "the involvement of vendors who are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law, may risk failure by the carrier to adequately protect a 5G network from unauthorized access or interference." There is no way Huawei can resist any order from the (People's Republic of China) Government or the Chinese Communist Party to do its bidding in any context, commercial or otherwise. Jerome Cohen NYU professor, adjunct senior fellow at Council on Foreign Relations The Australian government is highlighting a concern on the top of minds of several governments China's wide-ranging internet laws, which require tech firms to help Beijing with vaguely-defined "intelligence work," meaning companies could be forced to hand over network data whether they want to or not. Two pieces of legislation are of particular concern to governments the 2017 National Intelligence Law and the 2014 Counter-Espionage Law. Article 7 of the first law states that "any organization or citizen shall support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work in accordance with the law," adding that the the state "protects" any individual and organization that aids it. And it appears that organizations and individuals don't have a choice when it comes to helping the government. The 2014 Counter-Espionage law says that "when the state security organ investigates and understands the situation of espionage and collects relevant evidence, the relevant organizations and individuals shall provide it truthfully and may not refuse." Huawei: We 'will not build backdoors' The company strenuously contends that it will not hand over customer data, and Huawei told CNBC that it has never been asked to do so. Huawei's billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei and other senior executives "have stated unambiguously that Huawei will not build backdoors or hand over customer data. It doesn't get much clearer than that," a Huawei spokesperson said. "We have never been required to do so, they have stated. We are not going to speculate on future possible scenarios beyond repeating the reassurances of Huawei's most senior management." In an interview last month with CBS News, Huawei's Ren said the company would never help China spy on the United States even if required by law. "We never participate in espionage, and we do not allow any of our employees to do any act like that. And we absolutely never install backdoors. Even if we were required by Chinese law, we would firmly reject that," Ren told the American television network. Sources within China contacted by CNBC declined to comment. But experts from outside the country suggested it would be near-impossible for Huawei to reject a request for data from Beijing. "There is no way Huawei can resist any order from the [People's Republic of China] Government or the Chinese Communist Party to do its bidding in any context, commercial or otherwise. Huawei would have to turn over all requested data and perform whatever other surveillance activities are required," Jerome Cohen, a New York University law professor and Council on Foreign Relations adjunct senior fellow, told CNBC by email. "Not only is this mandated by existing legislation but, more important, also by political reality and the organizational structure and operation of the Party-State's economy. The Party is embedded in Huawei and controls it," said Cohen, who as a practicing attorney represented corporate clients in China and elsewhere in Asia. The relationship between Huawei and the government has been questioned because of Ren's past as a former soldier in the People's Liberation Army and a current Communist Party member. In a question and answer session with international media in January, Ren said that his relationship with China's ruling party would not stop him from refusing any request from them for user data. "I don't see close connection between my personal political belief and our business actions we are going to take as a business entity," Ren said. In the same session, Ren said that he "would rather shut Huawei down than do anything that would damage the interests of our customers in order to seek our own gains." The idea of fighting a request of this nature in the courts is not realistic. In truth the law only confirms what has long been true that one must submit to the Party if called upon. Martin Thorley University of Nottingham The problem for Huawei is that there does not appear to be legal recourse if Beijing comes knocking. "The idea of fighting a request of this nature in the courts is not realistic. In truth the law only confirms what has long been true that one must submit to the Party if called upon. Added to this, a company of Huawei's size, working in what is considered a sensitive sector, simply cannot succeed in China without extensive links to the Party," Martin Thorley, an expert on international engagement with China at U.K.-based University of Nottingham, told CNBC by email. "For anyone at Huawei to oppose a serious request from the Party would require bravery bordering on recklessness what do you do when your adversary is the police, the media, the judiciary and the government?" he added. China: Don't 'take anything out of context' China's government addressed the National Intelligence Law during a press conference on Monday. "According to China's National Intelligence Law, organizations and citizens have the obligation to support, assist and cooperate with national intelligence work. At the same time it also explicitly stipulates that intelligence work should be conducted according to law and in a way that respects and protects human rights and the lawful rights of individuals and organizations," government spokesperson Zhang Yesui said, urging people to "not take anything out of context." Some U.S. government officials have been playing up the so-called security risk associated with products of certain Chinese companies and linking it with Chinese national intelligence law. This kind of behavior is interference into economic activities by political means and it is against WTO rules. Zhang Yesui China government spokesperson Zhang was responding to reporters' questions ahead of China's National People's Congress, a big annual event where Beijing formally announces major policy elements such as economic growth targets. The comments were made in Mandarin and translated into English by an official translator. "Some U.S. government officials have been playing up the so-called security risk associated with products of certain Chinese companies and linking it with Chinese national intelligence law," Zhang said. "This kind of behavior is interference into economic activities by political means and it is against WTO (World Trade Organization) rules. And it disrupts international market order that is built on fair competition. This is a typical double standards (sic). It is neither fair nor ethical." Many of China's largest tech companies have flourished over the last decade within the country in the absence of foreign competition. China has for years blocked some of America's largest internet giants on claims that those U.S. companies pose national security risks. China 5G dominance The battle between the U.S. and Huawei is bigger than worries over national security risks, according to geopolitical analysts. It's about who has control of the critical infrastructure that runs 5G. The new network will not only support super-fast mobile internet but it will be the backbone behind other technology like driverless cars. Huawei has indeed said that it would refuse any Chinese government request to facilitate espionage. But such a statement simply cannot be taken at face value. Nigel Inkster senior adviser, International Institute for Strategic Studies Hiring more women and abolishing discriminatory laws would significantly boost the world economy, according to Christine Lagarde. In a recent interview with The Guardian, the head of the International Monetary Fund argues that countries ranked in the bottom 50 percent for gender equality such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon would experience economic gains of as much as 35 percent. New IMF research shows that the new skills and productivity levels that women introduce to the workforce yields higher economic benefits than previously thought. Hiring more women leads to "higher growth, a reduction in inequality, an improvement in the strength of the economy and a more diversified, export-focused country," Lagarde said. "Things are changing. There was a time when women in the economy, women in employment, women in finance were not seen as macro-critical. That's no longer the case," she told The Guardian. The new IMF study shows that a greater number of women on bank boards is associated with higher financial resilience and stability within the industry. However, less than one fifth of bank board members and only 2 percent of bank CEOs worldwide are women. "What we have observed is that when there are more women the banks' capital buffers are larger, the number of non-performing loans is smaller and the risk indices are lower," Lagard said. "It is not causality but it is a strong correlation." She added that more advanced countries would also benefit from empowerment initiatives, citing the 16 percent gender pay gap among the richest countries within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, an economic think tank. "In the advanced countries, I would say Austria which is changing its tax laws, and Japan, which has put its money where its mouth is and increased the budget for childcare facilities so that women can take jobs without feeling guilty," she said. A recent World Bank study that shows 88 percent of countries have restrictions against women in the workplace embedded in their legislation. Furthermore, 59 countries have no laws prohibiting sexual harassment in the workforce and 18 countries still require women to have permission from their husband to get a job. But there has been some progress. Although the proportion of countries with discriminatory laws remains stagnant, the study showed that over the past two years, 65 countries passed a total of 87 legal reforms to increase women's economic opportunities. Lagarde said the IMF is currently pressuring countries to implement policies to empower women, such as improving road infrastructure in India to help women get to work. She added that the IMF is addressing its own "teeny tiny" pay gap. Across all countries, Lagarde said that men too have a responsibility to empower women and combat gender discrimination. "Being a feminist is not something that is reserved to women. I know many men who are feminists, who help and struggle to make sure there is no discrimination," said Lagarde. Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! Don't miss: The gender pay gap has worsened at some big firms in the UK and isn't likely close soon Investor confidence is the biggest problem that Italy is facing, the country's finance minister told Class-CNBC Monday. The euro zone's third largest economy has struggled to convince investors that it is on a sustainable fiscal path. Since the anti-establishment government came into power last June, concerns have risen about Italy's ability to repay its debts. This is because the coalition government has increased public spending and Rome is already dealing with the second highest debt pile in the euro area at about 130 percent of debt- to-GDP. These concerns have been mirrored into rising yields on Italian government debt the higher the yield, the riskier the investment is perceived. For instance, the yield on the 10-year Italian paper peaked last May from below 2 percent to about 3 percent in a matter of days, on the back of the possibility that two anti-establishment parties were about to take power. The same yield is now trading at about 2.7 percent still one of the highest in the euro area. "I think investor confidence is Italy's biggest problem. But confidence can be restored," Giovanni Tria, Italy's finance minister told CNBC. "I see a lot of international appreciation for Italy's industrial system and for our economy. We need to boost our own domestic morale even in the shot-term, but I think that our basis is very strong," Tria, who is a technocrat and not a member of any of the coalition parties, said. Data from the Ifo Institute showed last month that investor sentiment in the 19 member region dropped to its lowest level in more than four years. Out of eight euro zone countries analyzed, Italy registered the weakest level of economic climate. The numbers point to a tough ride ahead for Italy, especially after Rome fell into recession in the last quarter of 2018. A delegate reacts while standing in front of the Great Hall of the People ahead of the opening of the Second Session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Amid worries over China's economy, one expert tells CNBC that the slowdown in the world's second-largest economy is "entirely natural." In fact, J.P. Morgan Asset Management's Alexander Treves told CNBC there's a bright spot for investors: the ability to invest in Chinese companies. "I think we need to get used to a world in which ... the GDP growth we see from China isn't the sort of growth that we used to see 10 or 15 years ago," Alexander Treves, investment specialist in emerging markets and Asia-Pacific equities at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, told CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Tuesday. China announced at a closely watched annual meeting of its parliament that the country's economic growth target for 2019 would be set between 6.0 and 6.5 percent in 2019. That's lower than last year's 6.6 percent expansion, which was also its slowest pace since 1990. "That's entirely natural as any economy develops," Treves said. "What we care more about as equity investors is the quality of the growth, so the sustainability and this has been a consistent policy theme over the last couple of years." He has pleaded not guilty in the case, where he is accused of making false statements about his alleged contacts with WikiLeaks in connection with a purported effort to have that document-release group disclose material hacked from Democrats by Russian agents. If Jackson decides that Stone has disobeyed her gag order, she could revoke his $250,000 signature release bond and order him held without bail until his trial on charges of lying to Congress and witness tampering. Jackson rejected Stone's request that she "clarify" that her gag order on him does not apply to his new book. The judge also chastised Stone's lawyers for misrepresenting the status of the book, which they now admit is already on sale, despite having told the judge last Friday that its publication was "imminent." "It does not matter when the defendant may have first formulated the opinions expressed, or when he first put them into words: he may no longer share his views on these particular subjects with the world," Jackson wrote about Stone, a longtime Republican operative and friend of President Donald Trump. Judge Amy Berman Jackson, in a court filing, wrote that there "is no question that the order prohibited and continues to prohibit the defendant from making any public statements, using any medium, concerning the investigation." A federal judge on Tuesday blasted Roger Stone over his new book that criticizes special counsel Robert Mueller, and she demanded Stone explain his efforts to comply with a gag order strictly barring him from bad-mouthing Mueller. Jackson only recently had learned that the self-described "dirty trickster" Stone was on the verge of publishing the book, "The Myth of Russian Collusion," which takes shots at Mueller. Stone's online presence appears to have been recently scrubbed of many of his prior attacks on the special counsel. Two websites used by Stone whoframedrogerstone.com and stonezone.com have been deleted in recent days. Both sites solicited money for Stone's legal defense fund, and both took shots at Mueller. The special counsel is probing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion by the Trump campaign with that meddling. The judge's awareness of the book came only after her Feb. 21 order prohibiting Stone from making any comments that criticize Mueller or the case against him. Jackson's gagging of Stone came after he posted an image on Instagram showing her face next to the crosshair of a rifle's scope. Jackson noted last week that Stone's lawyers had not told her about the forthcoming book when she held the hearing Feb. 21 on the gag order. In the book, Stone writes: "I now find myself on Crooked Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's hit list because I have advised Donald Trump for the past forty years. I am being targeted not because I committed a crime, but because the Deep State liberals want to silence me and pressure me to testify against my good friend." In her new order Tuesday, Jackson demanded that Stone's lawyers by next Monday file a status report in federal court in Washington, D.C., "detailing his efforts to come into compliance with the Court's rulings." She also wants Stone's lawyer to produce records related to his book deal and its schedule for release, the exact date the book first became available, when he learned the book had been printed, and other details about the book. Neither Stone's lawyers nor a special counsel spokesman immediately responded to CNBC's request for comment. Jackson seemed to suggest that Stone might have to withdraw the book from publication when she warned Stone that "any costs or consequences that will be occasioned by [the judge's] clear reiteration of this clear requirement" to comply with the gag order "are ... solely attributable to the defendant." The judge noted that Stone "deliberately waited until public sales [of the book] were not only 'imminent,' but apparently, ongoing, to inform the Court of the publication effort that had been underway for weeks." Jackson's order came a day after Mueller informed her that Stone had posted on Instagram an image of his face under the words "Who framed Roger Stone." The special counsel's filing cited a CNBC story on that Instagram post which raised the question of whether the image violated the gag order on Stone barring him from criticizing the prosecution's case. Mueller took no position on whether Stone's post had violated the gag order. Stone deleted the image shortly after CNBC asked his lawyer about it. On Tuesday, Jackson wrote, "The fact that the order exists at all is entirely the fault of the defendant." "He used his public platform in an incendiary and threatening manner," she wrote, referring to the image of the crosshair next to her face. U.S. President Donald Trump extended for one year sanctions introduced earlier against Russia in Executive Orders linked to the crisis in Ukraine, according to the official notice of the White House released yesterday. "The actions and policies addressed in these Executive Orders continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States," the notice signed by Trump says. The regime of national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 is extended for one year, according to the notice. Sanctions affected the range of Russian individuals, including officials, businessmen and several companies, as well as leaders of proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples Republics. Michael Cohen, former trusted aide and lawyer to President Donald Trump, testifies before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on Wednesday February 27, 2019. An attorney for Michael Cohen raised the idea of a pardon with President Donald Trump's lawyers after federal authorities raided Cohen's residence and office in April, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the talks. Congress is now investigating those conversations, documents requested by the House Judiciary Committee revealed on Monday, the Journal said. The pardon discussions happened as Cohen's attorney at that time, Stephen Ryan, was working with Trump's lawyers to determine whether documents seized by the FBI during the April raid were protected by attorney-client privilege, sources told the Journal. The report comes days after Cohen told lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week that he never asked for a pardon from Trump, and that he would not accept one. The Journal article noted there was no evidence that Cohen himself asked for a pardon or was aware of the alleged pardon discussions. Trump's lawyers including Jay Sekulow, Rudy Giuliani and Joanna Hendon dismissed the idea of a pardon at the time, the sources said, according to the Journal. But the paper also reported that Giuliani left open the possibility of an eventual presidential pardon. Ryan also approached attorneys for the Trump Organization, the president's company, about a pardon, the Journal reported. Ryan no longer represents Cohen in the criminal case. If a pardon was not an option, Ryan left the impression that his client Cohen might flip and cooperate with investigators from the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office, the paper added. Ryan and a spokesperson for Giuliani did not return CNBC's requests for comment. A spokeswoman for Cohen told CNBC in an email, "Mr. Cohen stands by his testimony before the House Oversight Committee." In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight charges, including two campaign finance violations for arranging hush money payments during the 2016 campaign to two women porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal who alleged they had sexual trysts with Trump a decade earlier. Trump has denied the affairs. Cohen also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress. He will report to prison May 6, when he is slated to begin a three-year sentence. Read the full Journal article here. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 31, 2018 in New York City. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful the United States would send a delegation to North Korea in the coming weeks, after talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended with no agreement. The leaders' second summit in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi collapsed last week without any agreement or immediate plan for a third meeting between them, or their delegations. "I am hopeful, although I have no commitment yet, that we will be back at it, that I'll have a team in Pyongyang in the next couple weeks," Pompeo told the Iowa Farm Bureau. "I'm continuing to work to find those places where there's a shared interest." The two sides gave different reasons for the abrupt end in last week's talks about denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. Trump told reporters on Thursday that North Korea wanted all of the sanctions lifted in their entirety. But North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho disputed that claim during a midnight news conference, saying North Korea had asked only for a partial lifting of the sanctions in exchange for dismantling its main nuclear site at Yongbyon. "We've been engaged in the fundamental proposition of trying to convince Chairman Kim, who is 35 years old, that the historic strategy which said that, absent nuclear weapons, North Korea will fall, that the government will fall, that it was their only way of achieving security for their country. And they trust that. They're confident that that will protect them," Pompeo said on Monday. The public entrance to Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York. New York state regulators have issued a subpoena to the insurance brokerage Aon for President Donald Trump's company as part of a large probe into the Trump Organization's business practices. The nine-page subpoena to Aon was issued by the New York Department of Financial Services late Monday evening, according to a source familiar with the case, who spoke to CNBC on the condition of anonymity. The demand for documents came five days after Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that Trump himself had inflated company assets for insurance purposes. "We can confirm that we received a subpoena from the New York State Department of Financial Services and, as is our policy, we intend to cooperate with all regulatory bodies," Aon said in a statement. "We do not comment on specific client matters." The DFS probe is a civil investigation. However, any evidence of criminal activity discovered by the department can be referred to state prosecutors. The Audi Q4 e-tron concept is presented at the Geneva Motor Show on the first press day. The 89th Geneva Motor Show starts on 7 March and lasts until 17 March. The transition towards the electrification of vehicles is a challenge for car industry and whoever manages it best will succeed, the CEO of German automaker Volkswagen Group told CNBC Tuesday. "We are really getting into a transition period of the automotive industry and, reading between the lines of all the communications our competitors are doing, it will be tough times because we have to invest in new technology, not only electric drive trends but autonomous driving, connectivity," Herbert Diess, chief executive of Volkswagen, told CNBC's Annette Weisbach at the Geneva Motor Show. "So, this period of the next five to ten years will be very tough for all our competitors," he said, adding: "I think the company that manages this transition best will succeed." Volkswagen showcased an all-electric dune buggy at the Swiss car show on Monday and announced last November that it will spend 44 billion euros ($50 billion) on new plants, electric cars, autonomous driving and mobility services between 2019 and 2023. VW has also said it is looking to partner with other manufacturers on electric vehicles in a bid to lower development and production costs. Tweet: Earlier this year, VW and Ford announced a plan to build commercial vans and medium-sized pickup trucks together as early as 2022. They also announced plans to work together on autonomous vehicle research. VW Group is one of the world's largest automakers and comprises twelve brands including VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche. In the last few years the company has had to deal with the fallout of the diesel emissions cheating scandal, and more recently has faced the threat of U.S. tariffs on European car imports and car parts. EU and U.S. officials are due to hold trade talks on Wednesday with Europe keen to avert the threat to its car industry. German-listed shares of Volkswagen have fallen 5 percent in the last six months reflecting investor concerns. Diess said that all automakers were seeing their shares trading at a discount and said this was because of the transition taking place in the industry. Diess believed VW had the best chance of success in the transition towards electric vehicles but conceded that the group should be more efficient. "We think we have the best story, we have to explain it probably a bit better maybe and for sure it's also about efficiency, we have still a lot of synergies in the group, it's big with all the different brands, but that takes time. But I think we're on the right way and I think once the market understands our story the share price will go up," he said. The technology that keeps smartphones working is going liquid-cooled. It may come as a surprise to find out that these pocket-sized devices that can take photos, browse the internet and make calls are dependent on networks of "base stations." These base stations use antennas to send and receive radio waves. This is important because, without the flow of radio waves, mobile communications wouldn't work. Fan systems are usually used to keep base stations cool, but in Finland technology business Nokia has developed a station that is cooled using liquid instead. "Traditionally, base stations have been cooled by air," Nokia Networks' Harry Kuosa told CNBC's Sustainable Energy. "This Nokia innovation is now using liquid as a coolant," Kuosa added, explaining that liquids were more effective than air at transferring heat from a base station. This, Kuosa explained, meant that cooling systems such as air conditioning and fan units were not required, cutting energy consumption by about 30 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent. In December 2018 Nokia announced that, together with businesses Elisa and Efore, it had "commercially deployed a liquid-cooled base station" in a Helsinki apartment building. Nokia said that heat from the base station had been redirected in order to heat the building, helping to cut energy costs in the process. Looking at the bigger picture, connected and smart devices could have a big role to play in the future of energy efficiency. "I think the first thing that we're going to see is virtual reality glasses," Steve Evans, director of research in industrial sustainability at the University of Cambridge's Institute of Manufacturing, told CNBC. "Instead of your children using them to play games we're going to be able to look in our factories and see energy flowing everywhere," he added. "We'll know if that energy is being used to add value and if that energy is not adding value, we have to do something about it." Digital bank Chime has tripled its valuation, officially passing the $1 billion-mark this week. The San Francisco-based company announced a $200 million Series D financing round that brings its new valuation to $1.5 billion. Investors were led by DST Global, which also participated in earlier fundraising rounds, and new investors Coatue, General Atlantic, Iconiq Capital and Dragoneer Investment Group, Chime said Tuesday. "There's pent-up demand for more consumer-friendly banking services," Chime CEO Chris Britt told CNBC. "We think there's a better way to do this that's actually aligned with the best interests of our members." The online-only bank lets customers deposit and save money on its platform and spend using a no-fee debit card. Chime earns revenue from debit card transaction fees paid by merchants. Accounts are FDIC-insured through a partnership with Bancorp Bank. The partnership model is an increasingly popular setup for financial technology start-ups that don't have their own bank charters. The digital-first approach and promise of zero fees has helped Chime attract roughly 200,000 users per month, the company said. Chime said it now has more than 3 million bank accounts, up from 1 million last summer. So-called challenger banks are an increasingly popular option for consumers who don't want traditional branch-based banking options. These upstart banks often cite the competitive advantage of building their companies on modern technology with a lower cost structure than traditional banks. Since they're only online, they also avoid costs associated with maintaining branches. Papa John's reached a settlement agreement with its founder John Schnatter, signaling an end to the acrimonious public battle between the pizza chain and its former chairman. The company said it would cooperate with Schnatter to identify a mutually acceptable independent director, who would not be affiliated with activist hedge fund Starboard Value or Schnatter, according to a Tuesday regulatory filing. Early last month, Papa John's accepted a $200 million investment from Starboard in return for a nearly 10 percent stake, while also naming the hedge fund's Chief Executive Jeffrey Smith as its chairman. Smith is credited with turning around Olive Garden's parent company Darden Restaurants. The embattled pizza chain rejected a similar competing offer from Schnatter, who said in an SEC filing at the time that he was evaluating legal remedies. "I'm happy that we were able to enter into this agreement and allow the new leadership being implemented by Jeff Smith and Starboard to help Papa John's regain its strength and market position," Schnatter said in a statement to CNBC. Schnatter, who holds a roughly 31 percent stake in the company, would resign from the board if the independent director is appointed before the 2019 annual stockholder meeting, slated for April, Papa John's said. Otherwise, his term would expire at the meeting, and the terms of the settlement require that he withdraw his nomination for re-election. For his part, Schnatter has agreed to dismiss two lawsuits that he filed against the company he founded in a bid to regain control after his ouster last summer. He resigned as chairman in July after reports he had used a racial slur on a media training conference call. In December of 2017, he stepped down as CEO following criticism for comments he made on the quarterly conference call with analysts about the NFL's leadership. At that time, Papa John's was the official sponsor of the football league. The public relations crises led to a sharp decline in North America sales for the company, which saw same-store sales in the region plunge 7.3 percent in 2018. Papa John's, which is forecasting lagging sales in the first half of 2019, blamed the negative publicity for its weak performance. Last year, it spent $5.8 million on reimaging costs, which included removing Schnatter's image from its marketing materials and pizza boxes. Reuters contributed to this reporting. A new Pininfarina SpA Battista luxury hypercar sits on display on the opening day of the 89th Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. An Italian specialist carmaker unveiled an all-electric car that it claims can reach 180 miles per hour (mph) in less time than an F-16 jet. Automobili Pininfarina debuted its Battista "hypercar" at the Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday. A hypercar is a term used by auto watchers to describe the very top fraction of so-called supercars. Its makers say the Battista can produce 1,900 brake horsepower (bhp), spread across four separate motors which power each wheel. This reportedly makes it the most powerful road car ever produced. By comparison, a BMW 5 Series 530, priced at around $50,000, has a tenth of the engine power at 190 bhp. In terms of acceleration, the Pininfarina Battista has been described as the fastest street-legal car, hitting 62 mph (100 kmh) in less than two seconds. Tweet 1 Speaking at the Munich show, Automobili Pininfarina CEO Michael Perschke said for safety reasons a restricted engine version, with a top speed of 350 kmh (217 mph), would be released first. "This car is 0-300 (kmh) faster than an F-16 ... So the car will be released with a 350 kilometers (per hour) top speed and then beyond that there will a special track package." One hundred and fifty of the cars will be built and available to drive in 2020. Each have been priced at around $2.2 million. Perschke said the firm wanted to be completely sold out after the 2019 Pebble Beach car show in August this year. "We have around about 40 percent of global production already reserved and, in the U.S., it is closer to 70 percent," he said. Automobili Pininfarina, which is owned by Indian multinational conglomerate Mahindra Group and based in Germany, said the battery will grant around 280 miles on a single charge. WATCH: Uber unveiled its flying taxi prototype, which looks like a giant drone Renault's new CEO told CNBC that there is no "question mark" hanging over his firm's alliance with Japanese firms Nissan and Mitsubishi. The partnership was plunged into crisis in November when former Nissan chairman and Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn was arrested in Japan following allegations of financial misconduct. It transpired that Nissan executives had been helping Japanese prosecutors with evidence. On Tuesday, and after more than three months of detention, Ghosn was granted bail. A Tokyo court approved his release, having denied two previous requests, on the condition he agrees to video surveillance. Now his replacement at Renault, Thierry Bollore, has told CNBC that over the last month the company had spent a large amount of time working with its Japanese partners to re-establish trust. Speaking at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday, Bollore said the future of the auto alliance was not under threat. "It is not at all a question mark. We need more alliance, we need better alliance. This is independent of events," he told CNBC's Annette Weisbach, before claiming that all three firms were now looking to deepen their cooperation with each other. "We need to permanently make the alliance progress with our three companies, and make sure we can deliver better together," Bollore said. U.S. President Donald Trump plans to end preferential trade status for India, under a scheme which allows certain products to enter the U.S. duty-free. "In the four and a half decades since Turkey's designation as a GSP beneficiary developing country, Turkey's economy has grown and diversified," Trump wrote in a letter to Congress, adding Washington "remains committed to fair and reciprocal trade with Turkey". "An increase in Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, declining poverty rates, and export diversification, by trading partner and by sector, are evidence of Turkey's higher level of economic development," the letter says. "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Trump stressed. The preferential trade treatment brought India an annual actual benefit of just $190 million, Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said. "Discussions are on with the United States, and given cordial and strong ties, (we are) keeping retaliatory tariffs out of it," Reuters cited him as saying. The U.S. Trade Representatives Office said removing India from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme would not take effect for at least 60 days after the notifications, and would be done through a presidential proclamation. Annual Indian exports to the United States are close to $80 billion, but those covered by the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) are worth just $5.6 billion. Turkey ranked fifth with an estimated $1.66 billion in applicable imports. Reviews website Trustpilot said Tuesday that it has raised $55 million in a funding round aimed at fueling growth. The investment was led by Sunley House, a subsidiary of buyout-focused private equity firm Advent International. Existing shareholders Vitruvian Partners, Draper Esprit, Index Ventures and Northzone also contributed. Trustpilot didn't disclose its valuation, but the latest cash injection lifts the company's total funding bar its initial seed round to $173 million. The firm hired Morgan Stanley as an advisor to the deal. Copenhagen, Denmark-headquartered Trustpilot lets people post reviews of their experiences with a range of services from pet sitters to utility providers. It makes revenue from selling software-as-a-service to companies that pay to display their review scores online and gain insights from the ratings data. A European rival to well-known U.S.-listed firms like Yelp and TripAdvisor, Trustpilot has been the subject of much speculation in recent months over whether it will seek an initial public offering. A Sky News report last year said Trustpilot's latest funding exercise would be treated as a precursor to a stock market listing. An IPO would mean Trustpilot joining the ranks of Europe's newly listed tech companies. Last year saw the likes of music streaming service Spotify, financial technology firm Adyen and cybersecurity group Avast list their shares on the public markets. But Trustpilot said there are no plans at this stage of a flotation, although the firm believes it could be an attractive IPO candidate in the future. The investment "gives the company flexibility for the future," Trustpilot Chief Financial Officer Hanno Damm told CNBC ahead of the announcement. "There are no plans to exit via an IPO or via other means at this time." Two websites used by President Donald Trump's longtime friend Roger Stone to raise funds for his defense against criminal charges lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller and in civil cases have been deleted. At least one of those deletions apparently occurred after CNBC reported Sunday that the Republican operative might have violated the terms of his judicial gag order by posting an image on his Instagram account asking "Who framed Roger Stone." Another of Stone's websites, which itself was titled whoframedrogerstone.com, has also been deleted. The possible gag-order violation was noted to the judge in his case Monday by Mueller, who has charged Stone in Washington, D.C., federal court with lying to Congress, witness tampering and other crimes. If Judge Amy Berman Jackson finds that Stone broke the gag order, she could revoke his $250,000 signature release bond and send him to jail pending trial. Last year, Jackson jailed Stone's former lobbying partner and ex-Trump campaign boss Paul Manafort after he tried to tamper with a witness in the criminal case against him. On Feb. 21, Jackson barred Stone from criticizing Mueller's team or the case against him. She imposed that gag order after Stone posted an image on Instagram showing Jackson's face next to a rifle scope crosshair. Stone, who has pleaded not guilty in his case, has several websites set up in his name. One, stonezone.com, was operating as of late Sunday, according to data from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, which regularly scrapes images of websites. But on Tuesday, visitors to that page were greeted by a message saying, "This page isn't working. www.stonezone.com is currently unable to handle this request. HTTP ERROR 500." The other site, whoframedrogerstone.com, was operating as of Feb. 6, according to the Wayback Machine. It is not clear when that site was pulled down. But visitors to that address on Tuesday saw the message: "403 - Forbidden Error. You are not allowed to access this address. If the error persists, please contact the website webmaster." Stone on Sunday deleted the "Who framed Roger Stone" image from a series of other rotating images on his Instagram story shortly after CNBC sent an email to his lawyer asking about it. In a court filing to Jackson on Monday, Mueller cited CNBC's story detailing the Instagram post by Stone but did not ask the judge to rule that Stone broke her gag order. Another Stone website, stonecoldtruth.com, remained online Tuesday, as does stonedefensefund.com. Both of those active sites contain links for visitors to donate to his legal defense, as does Stone's active Facebook page. However, Stone has significantly changed the language on one of his remaining legal fundraising sites, apparently to comply with the gag order. Stone's site stonedefensefund.com previously had said that "despite a lack of evidence of Russian Collusion, Wikileaks collaboration or any other illegal activity in the 2016 election, long time Trump advisor Roger Stone has been targeted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller." "Mueller seeks to criminalize normal political activities by Roger Stone while ignoring the blatantly illegal activities of the Clinton campaign and the Obama NSA,DOJ and FBI," that site said. Stonedefensefund.com has since changed that section to say: "Mrs. Stone and I want to thank so many of you for your thoughts and prayers. it is a very challenging and difficult time for us. I need your help to clear my name." When CNBC emailed Stone on Tuesday to ask about the two deleted sites, Stone replied with an email that had no words in it. Michael Caputo, a New York Republican operative who has remained involved in Stone's legal-defense fundraising, told CNBC that he has not spoken to Stone since his arrest in January and that he did not know why the two sites were deleted. Stone's lawyers did not reply to a request for comment. A spokesman for Mueller declined to comment. Mueller claims Stone lied to Congress about his alleged effort to get the document-disclosure advocacy group WikiLeaks to release emails hacked by Russian agents from Democrats, including Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, during the 2016 presidential campaign. Stone is alleged to have been in contact with top-ranking Trump campaign officials about efforts to leak damaging information about Clinton. A Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system. Sergei Malgavko | TASS via Getty Images WASHINGTON The United States should not follow through with a multi-billion dollar weapons sale of F-35 jets to Turkey, if Ankara takes delivery of an advanced Russian missile system, the top U.S. military commander for Europe told Congress on Tuesday. "My best military advice would be that we don't then follow through with the F-35, flying it or working with allies that are working with Russian systems, particularly air defense systems," Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, head of U.S. European Command, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I would hope that they [Turkey] would reconsider this one decision on the S-400," Scaparrotti said, adding that there could be potential consequences, namely, no future foreign military sales between Washington and Ankara. In 2017, Ankara signed an agreement with Moscow for the S-400 missile system, a deal reportedly worth $2.5 billion. All the while, Turkey has helped finance America's most expensive weapons system, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. In short, these two big ticket weapons systems, the S-400 and the F-35, can be used against each other. An F-35 fighter jet is seen as Turkey takes delivery of its first F-35 fighter jet with a ceremony in Forth Worth, Texas, USA on June 21, 2018. Two such planes destined for Turkey are yet to leave American soil. Atilgan Ozdil | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The Russian-made S-400 missile system, which is equipped with eight launchers and 32 missiles, is capable of targeting stealth warplanes like the F-35 fighter. In September, CNBC learned that Turkey began construction of a site for the Russian missile system despite warnings from the United States to not buy the platform, according to a source with firsthand knowledge of an intelligence report. The assessment, published in August, included satellite imagery of a concrete launch facility as well as bunkers, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The new construction fits the pattern for Russia's S-400 surface-to-air missile system, the source indicated. Meanwhile, the State Department has discussed opportunities for Ankara to buy U.S.-made missile defense system. In December, State approved a $3.5 billion sale to Turkey in December for Raytheon's Patriot system. U.S. Soldiers talk after a routine inspection of a Patriot missile battery at a Turkish military base in Gaziantep, Turkey. Department of Defense photo With increasing talk of job disruption and automation, it's important to think about the skills that will be most in demand in the future. Microsoft, in its latest research, defined those as digital skills, analytical abilities and continuous learning capabilities. In particular, the tasks that require strong analytic abilities will call for a creative approach, explained Kevin Wo, Microsoft's managing director for Singapore. "I think there's a need for them to learn about skills around design thinking," Wo said of employees. "Design thinking" is a term for a particular method of problem solving, which dictates that individuals should try and get into a customer's shoes to generate practical, user-friendly solutions. That could mean creating a new technology or product, such as Apple's iPhone. But the strategy can and should also be applied to other job functions, design thinking specialist Kasia Miaskiewicz told CNBC Make It. "You can apply it anywhere," said Miaskiewicz, a director at UBS Evolve, the Swiss bank's center for design thinking and innovation. "As long as there is a user, a recipient and there always is there's always an opportunity to apply design thinking." Speaking at a recent careers conference in Singapore, Miaskiewicz said the strategy can be broken down into four key steps. The Dallas-based airline sued the union last week, alleging it is encouraging members to purposefully write up minor maintenance issues to keep jets out of service in order to gain leverage in contract talks, which began more than six years ago. The mechanics union denies the allegations. The mechanics rejected a new contract offer in September, saying the proposed pay increase came up short. Canceled flights and out-of-service jets amid a feud with the mechanics' union is costing Southwest Airlines millions of dollars a week, the airline's CEO Gary Kelly said Tuesday. The airline declared an "operational emergency" at several maintenance bases last month, telling scheduled mechanics to show up at work or risk termination. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents some 2,400 Southwest mechanics, said in a statement that its technicians are obligated by law to "protect everyone who steps on that aircraft and there is zero evidence presented of a non-legitimate discrepancy" by the mechanics. More Southwest flights have been canceled since mid-February compared with competitors. The airline has said it usually plans to have about 20 planes out of service for unexpected maintenance issues but that number has doubled. On Tuesday, 89 Southwest flights were canceled, about 2 percent of its schedule, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. In comparison, JetBlue had 12 canceled flights and United had eight. "Customers are harmed. Our employees suffer through reduced profit sharing," Kelly said at a transportation conference hosted by J.P. Morgan Chase. A spokesman for the airline declined to provide a more specific estimate of how much Southwest is losing from the issue. Analysts expect Southwest to post revenue of about $5.3 billion this quarter. Kelly's comments come a day after Southwest started selling flights to Hawaii from California, after the airline received federal approval last month to operate longer, over-water routes with its Boeing 737s. Kelly later said in an interview with CNBC's Closing Bell on Tuesday that the planes are also able to fly from North America to the United Kingdom but said that destinations there are not currently among the airline's plans. The airline is interested in developing so-called code shares with other airlines, which would allow Southwest to fly one segment of a route and be able to sell tickets on another leg that is operated by another carrier, in order to widen its route network. Anti-Russian sanctions have no educational effect, but losses from them are sustained by all players on the international market, including European countries, Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. Medvedev recalled that the sanctions were initially introduced "against the backdrop of complications in relations between Russia and the West, when the U.S. and several European countries supported an armed coup in Kiev in February 2014." "What was the main goal of those sanctions? To undermine our economy. As you can see, this attempt failed. Current sanctions only slow down the development of relations with European partners, and everybody sustains losses from this," he said in an interview with the Luxemburger Wort newspaper ahead of his visit to Luxembourg. The PM reminded that Moscow was forced to introduce reciprocal restrictions and they are ready to lift these restrictions immediately, as soon as the other side makes a first step. "The European Union follows the U.S., like it has been enchanted, and continues to extend its sanctions year after year," he added. "I can say with confidence that the EU has been and remains an important trade and economic partner for us. Despite existing difficulties and persistent U.S. attempts to slow down the development of our relations, I am sure that there are no objective obstacles for constructive cooperation between Russia and the EU," he said. "We have so many historical, cultural, economic and geographical ties that there is only one path for them, and that is a path of cooperation," TASS cited Medvedev as saying. Yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump extended for one year sanctions introduced earlier against Russia in Executive Orders linked to the crisis in Ukraine. "The actions and policies addressed in these Executive Orders continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. The regime of national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 is extended for one year," the notice signed by Trump says. The senior research fellow at the European Research Centre of the International Relations Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Olenchenko, answering a question from the corespondent of Vestnik Kavkaza of whether Russia has adapted to the EU sanctions pressure, he stressed that certain adaptation processes were underway in the EU as well. "If we take April 2014 as the starting point, when the sanctions regime was imposed, at that time there was a certain structure of economic relations between Russia and the European Union, which included foreign trade, mutual investments and logistics. And when sanctions were imposed by the EU, Russia retaliated. This could not but affect the structure of economic exchange. Naturally, it caused a decline in foreign trade, a reduction in investment communication," the expert said. According to him, Russia and the European Union had to switch to a different relationship mode. "The share of the European Union in all these points has been cut. For the EU, it meant that the Russian market was narrowed and to some extent closed for them. For us, possibilities of acquiring some goods, receiving and borrowing money, communications in the EU countries were narrowed, Accordingly, we began to build up our further economic activities considering this circumstance. Therefore, we proceed from the fact that Russia needs other partners, other contacts and other development directions," the senior research fellow at the European Research Centre of the International Relations Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences stressed. Olenchenko noted that the essence of what is happening is the struggle between ideology and economy. "Unfortunately, politicians which are currently in power in the European Union believe that ideology is important. It is not their own, it was imposed on them by the United States. And the point is that the U.S. would like to establish some rules of conduct everywhere and make Russia unconditionally follow them," the expert said. He explained that it is not known how long it will take for the West to "realize" the futility of such a regime. "Probably, it is a difficult process for the West to recognize that what they have been doing for the last five years is erroneous. Of course, it requires courage and political will. Or just new politicians are needed," Vladimir Olenchenko concluded. A spokesman for Barrack told CNBC in an email that the investor "will fully cooperate with the Committee's important work as he has with all government inquiries." Tom Barrack, a personal friend of Donald Trump who chaired the president's inaugural committee, said he would cooperate with the House Judiciary Committee's requests to hand over documents as part of a sweeping probe into Trump's dealings. Barrack was among 81 individuals and entities asked to submit documents as part of Chairman Jerry Nadler's wide-ranging investigation into Trump, his family and his affairs. These individuals also include current Trump campaign chairman Brad Parscale, Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and the president's elder sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. They have been asked to provide the documents by March 18. Barrack, founder of private equity real estate firm Colony Capital, has been asked to hand over documentation as it pertains to numerous issues involving the president, including foreign governments "discussing, offering, or providing, or being solicited to discuss, offer, or provide, any present or emolument of any kind," to Trump's inaugural committee. The inaugural committee has been reportedly under investigation by Manhattan prosecutors about how the fund raised and spent a record $100 million. Trump has denounced Nadler, of New York, and other Democratic investigations into his past dealings, which include his work as the head of the Trump Organization. He has denied wrongdoing, and has accused Democrats of using the probes to distract from other issues. The committee has stepped up its investigations after former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen testified last week in front of three different committees on Capitol Hill. Tweet: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a conference with federal, state and local veterans leaders in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building November 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. Trump's comment came one day after the president sounded a much more conciliatory note, telling reporters Monday, "I cooperate all the time, with everybody." "President Obama, from what they tell me, was under a similar kind of a thing, didn't get one letter. They didn't do anything. They didn't get one letter of the request, many requests were made, they didn't get a letter," he said. Speaking at a White House event, Trump cited what he said was the Obama administration's approach to handling document requests related to congressional investigations. President Donald Trump on Tuesday appeared to suggest that the White House may refuse to comply with a slew of requests for documents sent this week by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. The White House has yet to issue a formal response to Nadler's requests. But Trump's shift from a cooperative stance to a more confrontational one accelerated in the past 24 hours, beginning with a series of tweets late Monday and early Tuesday, and culminating in his remarks Tuesday afternoon. Earlier in the day Tuesday, Trump tweeted that the broadening investigation into his administration represents, "The greatest overreach in the history of our Country. The Dems are obstructing justice and will not get anything done. A big, fat, fishing expedition desperately in search of a crime, when in fact the real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done!" It's unclear what Trump meant by Democrats "obstructing justice," but he later repeated the idea that any legislative progress would be effectively paralyzed if Democrats pursued the investigative avenues they have already opened up. "Instead of doing infrastructure, instead of doing healthcare, instead of doing so many things that they should be doing, they want to play games," Trump said. "It's too bad, because I'd rather see them do legislation. We negotiated out legislation with so many things that we agreed on, like infrastructure, but they want to focus on nonsense." On Monday, Nadler issued formal document requests to 81 Trump administration officials, entities and associates, including two of Trump's sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as well as Trump's family owned real estate company, his 2016 campaign, his presidential transition and his inaugural committee. Early signs indicate that several of the private individuals included on the list intend to cooperate with the committee, including Tom Barrack, Trump's longtime friend and chair of the inaugural committee. It was unclear what particular "thing" Trump was talking about when he referred to Congress not getting "one letter" from Obama, and White House did not immediately respond to a request from CNBC to clarify the president's remarks. One possibility could be that Trump was referring to the Obama administration's assertion of Executive Privilege in 2012, when it refused to turn over documents to the House Oversight Committee, which was investigating the Justice Department's flawed "Fast and Furious" gunrunning operation. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay (R) and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox (L) leave following the weekly cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street on March 5, 2019 in London, England. Government Ministers continue to seek legally-binding changes to Theresa May's Brexit deal in order to get backing from MPs when they vote on the deal in Parliament next week. The U.K. is trying to find a legal way around the thorny issue of the "Irish backstop" and, if it does, Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal could be much more attractive to British lawmakers. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox returned to Brussels Tuesday for talks with the EU's top Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on this contentious issue that has largely prevented a Brexit deal from being agreed by Parliament. The backstop, a measure of last resort designed to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland if the U.K. and EU can't strike a trade deal post-Brexit, has always been one of the main obstacles to British MPs approving the Brexit deal. The backstop would mean that the U.K. would be aligned to EU custom rules until a future trade relationship is agreed, but many politicians don't like the fact that it has an indefinite nature and requires the EU's permission to end. Less than a month until the U.K. is due to leave the EU, on March 29, Barclay and Cox are in Brussels hoping that that EU might agree legal changes to the backstop in the current Brexit deal, known formally as the Withdrawal Agreement. If Cox is able to secure a route for the U.K. to leave the backstop without the EU's approval, it could prompt euroskeptics in May's Conservative Party that belong to the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) to support her deal when lawmakers vote on March 12 on whether to approve or reject it. A previous vote in January led to a resounding rejection of May's withdrawal agreement. The ERG has reportedly set up a panel of lawyers ready to scrutinize any agreement that Cox can get from Brussels. For Cox's part, he denies a report in the Daily Telegraph newspaper Tuesday that he had given up hope of trying to get the EU to agree a time limit to the backstop. Tweet: But analysts are not convinced Cox will get much out of the EU, which has consistently refused to budge over the Brexit deal. "Cox has been focused on winning a mechanism for the U.K. to exit the backstop. But it may stop short of a unilateral escape clause, by relying on an arbitration mechanism overseen by an independent panel. That would not play well with euroskeptics, as the EU would likely insist on a role for the European Court of Justice," Mujtaba Rahman, director of Europe at Eurasia Group, said in a note Monday. "However, leaders of the European Research Group (ERG) who previously demanded the backstop's removal now say that 'ends matter more than means' although many MPs still demand an end date, either 2021 or the next scheduled general election in 2022," he added. Concerns over the backstop were largely to blame for May's Brexit deal being thrown out in the first "meaningful vote" by Parliament in January. As such, efforts have been made to get changes to the wording surrounding it. MPs are due to vote on the Brexit deal again next Tuesday. If they reject it again, they will then have to chance to vote on whether they want to leave the EU without a deal. If they reject that option, as expected, MPs will then vote on whether to delay the U.K.'s departure. If Cox and Barclay cannot get legal assurances on the backstop, it's likely that a majority of U.K. MPs will reject the deal as it stands, and will then vote for a delay to Brexit to see if further changes can be made to the deal before a final departure date. Some analysts believe that euroskeptics could be encouraged to vote for May's deal next week for fear of Brexit being delayed or halted altogether, however. Sterling is expected to get a big boost if May's deal is approved. Michael Cohen, former attorney to President Donald Trump testifies before the House Oversight Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on Wednesday February 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. Michael Cohen is going to jail for lying to Congress. Still, voters are more likely to trust President Donald Trump's former lawyer than the president himself, according to a poll released Tuesday. Following Cohen's explosive testimony to Congress last week, 50 percent of voters say they believe Cohen more than Trump, a Quinnipiac University poll found. Only 35 percent responded that they believe the president more. An overwhelming 86 percent of Democrats say they are more likely to trust Cohen, while 51 percent of independents agree. Only Republicans about 79 percent of them say they believe the president more. Appearing before the House Oversight Committee, Cohen exhibited a check Trump wrote reimbursing the lawyer for hush money payments he made to women who alleged affairs with the president before the 2016 election, among other documents. Cohen called Trump a "racist," a "con man" and a "cheat." Cohen will start a three-year jail sentence in May. Last year, he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, financial crimes and campaign violations related to the hush money payments. Cohen admitted to lying about a proposal to build a Trump Tower in Russia. Overall, 58 percent of voters including 60 percent of independents say they think Congress "should do more to investigate" Cohen's "claims about President Trump's unethical and illegal behavior." Thirty-five percent do not think Congress should take more steps to probe his allegations. Voters have overwhelmingly negative views about the president's character, the poll found: Sixty-four percent of respondents think Trump committed crimes before he became president, while only 24 percent believe he did not. Only 30 percent of voters say Trump is honest, versus 65 percent who say he is not. A mere 20 percent of respondents think Trump is more honest than most previous presidents, while 50 percent consider him less honest. Twenty-eight percent of respondents believe he is about as honest as his predecessors. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the poll findings. Federal prosecutors have said Cohen committed felonies "in coordination with and at the direction" of Trump. The telephone poll surveyed 1,120 voters nationwide and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. [The stream is scheduled to start at 1:45 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] President Donald Trump on Tuesday was slated to sign an executive order creating a "national roadmap to empower veterans and end veteran suicide," according to the White House. Veteran Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie will lead a "cabinet-level task force" to combat veteran suicide with state and federal resources, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a senior administration official. The signing is set to take place in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. President Donald Trump welcomes the 2018 Football Division I FCS North Dakota State Bison in the Diplomatic Room of the White House on March 4, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images) President Donald Trump on Tuesday tore into a sweeping new investigation launched by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, accusing them of committing "the real crime" and calling them "stone cold CRAZY" for sending letters to "innocent people to harass them." The president's denunciation came hours after the White House blasted the probe as "disgraceful and abusive" and accused Democrats of trying to "distract from their radical agenda" of "killing babies after they're born," among other inaccurate claims. Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., announced Monday that the House committee had sent letters requesting documents to 81 people and entities related to the president. A spokesman for the Judiciary Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the latest comments from Trump and the White House. The wide-ranging probe into alleged obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power targets figures in the White House, the Justice Department, the Trump Organization and the Trump campaign, among others. Letters were sent to two of the president's sons, former campaign officials, current and former White House officials, organizations including WikiLeaks and figures who have already pleaded guilty to charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing Russia probe. The White House confirmed Monday morning that it had received a letter from the committee. That evening, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a lengthy statement slamming the "disgraceful and abusive investigation into tired, false allegations already investigated by the Special Counsel and committees in both Chambers of Congress." "Chairman Nadler and his fellow Democrats have embarked on this fishing expedition because they are terrified that their two-year false narrative of 'Russia collusion' is crumbling," Sanders said. A slew of reports in recent weeks suggest Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, including possible collusion with the Trump campaign, could soon be drawing to a close. NBC News reported in February that a final report from Mueller, if publicly released, may not contain the bombshell revelations many critics of Trump have come to expect, owing to Justice Department rules. "Their intimidation and abuse of American citizens is shameful," Sanders continued. "Democrats are harassing the President to distract from their radical agenda of making America a socialist country, killing babies after they're born, and pushing a 'green new deal' that would destroy jobs and bankrupt America." Trump has increasingly made abortion a central focus of his rhetoric in speeches and on social media, framing himself as a pro-life champion and accusing Democrats of supporting late-term abortions. The "Green New Deal," pushed by freshman Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, proposes radical changes to U.S. environmental, economic and health-care policy. It has been broadly panned by conservatives as costly and unrealistic. Sanders' statement added: "The American people deserve a Congress that works with the President to address serious issues like immigration, healthcare, and infrastructure. The Democrats are more interested in pathetic political games and catering to a radical, leftist base than on producing results for our citizens. The Democrats are not after the truth, they are after the President." On Tuesday morning, Trump heaped more invective on the Democrats. "Now that they realize the only Collusion with Russia was done by Crooked Hillary Clinton & the Democrats, Nadler, [House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam] Schiff and the Dem heads of the Committees have gone stone cold CRAZY," Trump tweeted. "81 letter sent to innocent people to harass them. They won't get ANYTHING done for our Country!" Trump wrote. Trump TWEET Now that they realize the only Collusion with Russia was done by Crooked Hillary Clinton & the Democrats, Nadler, Schiff and the Dem heads of the Committees have gone stone cold CRAZY. 81 letter sent to innocent people to harass them. They won't get ANYTHING done for our Country! He followed up with tweets that claimed the probe was "the greatest overreach in the history of our Country" and "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT." TRUMP TWEET 2 TRUMP TWEET 3 The Democrat-led House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees on Monday also asked White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney for documents and interviews with anyone who could discuss Trump's meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That letter follows reports that Trump tried to conceal the content of those conversations from the public, and even from members of his own administration. Whether it's her democratic socialist views, her age or her red lipstick, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez isn't like any other member of congress. And that's on purpose. "I know when I was growing up, I didn't see any women like me in positions of leadership," Ocasio-Cortez, who is 29 and of Puerto Rican descent, told Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani in February. "And so when you're only seeing white dudes just like, running the world, you think you need to act like a white dude to run the world." "The problem is that mold wasn't made for you," Ocasio-Cortez said. "And so even if you try the hardest at being that, you will not be as good as someone who is just that already." "That's why I've tried really hard to authentically be myself while I'm here in this moment and in this position, because I want to show other people that there are other ways of being powerful in the world," Ocasio-Cortez told Saujani and an audience of young women of color who are coders at the New York Hall of Science. For Ocasio-Cortez, being her authentic self includes everything from advocating for controversial ideas, like the Green New Deal, to wearing red lips "in a place where there aren't too many red lips," she told NowThis. In January, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that her lipstick and signature hoop earrings are inspired by Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Supreme Court, who like congresswoman, is from the Bronx, New York. TWEET Sotomayor was reportedly advised to wear neutral-colored nail polish to her confirmation hearings to avoid scrutiny, which she did. However she purposefully wore her signature red nail polish to a White House celebration of her appointment, according to Latina magazine, as well as red and black semi-hoop earrings, "a beloved accessory among Latinas across America," according to the magazine. "Next time someone tells Bronx girls to take off their hoops, they can just say they're dressing like a Congresswoman," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. For Ocasio-Cortez, doing things her way is "really thrilling even though it can feel like you' re breaking a rule sometimes," she told NowThis. "There were so few other people that I felt looked like me or had lived my path, and doing what I was doing, I felt like I had to carve out a way of doing this on my own that was authentically me," she said. "It's been scary and it's been exciting." At the Girls Who Code event, Ocasio-Cortez said that being your authentic self has an impact on others and the future. "One way that we can really change leadership is by being ourselves as we are," Ocasio-Cortez said to Saujani. "Because whether you're 15 or whether you're 50 or whether you're 100 years old, there's always people looking at you to try and figure out how to navigate their life." Don't miss: 28-year-old Bill Gates wasn't worried about burning out younghere's why Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! 1 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask takes part in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 2 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, performers wearing a traditional carnival masks play accordions during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 3 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, spectators gather to watch a traditional carnival mask festival during the Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 4 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask takes part in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 5 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask looks through a window in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 6 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a girl runs past two performers wearing a traditional carnival mask during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 7 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a woman smiles posing with performers wearing a traditional carnival for a photo during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 8 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, woodcarver Saulius Tamulis works on a new mask during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 9 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask looks through a window during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 10 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, Traditional carnival masks made by woodcarver Saulius Tamulis are on display during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 11 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask takes part in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 12 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, A performer wearing a traditional carnival mask, center, flirts with the participants of Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 13 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, performers dressed like newlyweds take part in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 14 / 15 In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, performers wearing a traditional carnival mask, one of them in an old Soviet police uniform, center, dance during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) 1 / 11 ICICI Bank: The bank on Monday said it has acquired a 9.9 percent stake in non-banking finance company Kisan Finance for cash consideration of Rs 17.82 crore. (Image: Reuters) 2 / 11 Central Bank of India: The PSU bank put up for sale four stressed accounts, including Bhushan Power & Steel and Essar Steel India, to recover dues of Rs 3,321 crore. (Picture: Reuters) 3 / 11 Kotak Mahindra Bank: The bank on Monday announced a tie-up with C2FO for risk-free solution to manage working capital more efficiently. (Image: Reuters) 4 / 11 Tata group firm Voltas expects its home appliances business to capture at least 20 percent market share in the next five-seven years. (stock image) 5 / 11 Power Grid Corporation raised $228.55 million for a power project, RBI data showed. (stock image) 6 / 11 Union Bank, Dena Bank, IDBI Bank and SBI Bank: The Reserve Bank has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 3 crore on Union Bank, Rs 2 crore on Dena Bank, and Rs 1 crore each on IDBI Bank and the SBI Bank, for non-compliance with various directions, regulatory filings said on Saturday. (Image: Reuters) 7 / 11 Larsen & Toubro Infotech: L&T's subsidiary on Monday said it has completed the acquisition of Germany's Nielsen+Partner (N+P) along with identified subsidiaries. (Image: Reuters) 8 / 11 BHEL: State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd Monday said the company is setting up a network of solar-based electric vehicle chargers on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway. (Image: Reuters) 9 / 11 Reliance Industries: RIL-arm Reliance Industrial Investments has entered into agreements to acquire logistics services platform Grab and software firm C-Square Info Solutions. (Image: Reuters) 10 / 11 Spicejet: The airline plans to aggressively expand its international networks to fly out of the low fare and high fuel price operating environment. (Image: Reuters) The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Bharathaa Arts to bring to life a bygone era with Ula, part of Esplanade's Raga series Singapore-based classical dance studio Bharathaa Arts is set to present the latest dance production, Ula - A Literary Exploration of Womanhood, as part of Esplanades Raga series this month. Under the tutelage of Ms Suganthi Kumaraguru and Ms Jeyanthi Balasubramaniam, widely known as the Kesavan sisters, the studio is set to delight Singapore culture lovers with their performance. Ula is a genre of devotional Tamil literature that dates back to the Pallava period (275 CE to 897 CE). Photo courtesy: Esplanade Over the years as our culture evolved we kept playing with ideas to make Bharatanatyam more relatable to the current generation, without losing the essence of our mythical stories and traditions. And as everyone can relate to the perennial emotion of love, we felt this production, though rooted in a traditional setting, would allow our viewers to relate to them on a personal level, Ms Jeyanthi, the creative director and guru, Bharathaa Arts, said. Ula is a genre of devotional Tamil literature that dates back to the Pallava period (275 CE to 897 CE), focused on the veneration of a deity during a temple procession and expressed through the eyes of women. In this production at the Esplanade Theatre Studio on March 22-23, Bharathaa Arts dance production is based on Chokkanadar Ula, which depicts seven images of Lord Shiva in different ornaments and riding a series of vahana (chariots). Each image corresponds to a stage of womanhood. Under the tutelage of Ms Suganthi Kumaraguru (right) and Ms Jeyanthi Balasubramaniam, widely known as the Kesavan sisters, the studio is set to delight Singapore culture lovers with their performance. Photo courtesy: Bharathaa Arts Originally choreographed by Anjana Anand, this restaging features female dancers of different ages reviving the beautiful ancient literature through Bharatanatyam, with music by Bhagavatulu Seetarama Sarma. Ula is a throwback to a time where the temple was the cultural centre of poetry, music and dance, a statement from Esplanade said. Dancers: Ambigai Uthaman, Ashwini Krishnan, Brinda Balasubramaniam, Deva Priya Appan, Harshenee Baskar, Kalpana Rajendran, Lekshna Balasubramaniam, Neharika Srinivasan, Nithyasree Nadeson, Nithyakalyani Alagappan, Padmaja Anand, Sangeeta Nedumaran, Sai Smrithi Muthukumar, Subiksha Raman and Su.Shuruthi Connected to India (C to I) caught up with the gurus and creative directors of Bharathaa Arts. Heres what Ms Jeyanthi has to say about the upcoming performance. C to I: What are the origins of Ula?* Jeyanthi Balasubramaniam: Tamil literature has a genre known as Ula literature. This literature dates back to the Pallava period and the poetry describes Lord Shiva on a procession. Hindu temples have a custom of decorating the idol and taking Him around the locality surrounding the temple. This tradition continued as part of the royal courts practice of bringing the king out with his entourage into the city to meet the people. In this production, Lord Shiva with his majestic stature goes on the procession with his consort accompanied by musical instruments and an entourage of sages, Gods, and Goddesses. All eyes are on Shiva during the procession, especially the womens, who stand mesmerized in front of him. In Tamil literature, the seven stages of a woman are described as Pedumai, Pedhumbai, Mangai, Madandhai, Arivai, Therivai, and Perilam Penn, and they range from the ages of 6 to 40 and see the Lord according to their seven different stages of youth and fall in love with him. Their emotions range accordingly from seeing the Lord as a playmate to a lover, and subsequently to one who gives her the ultimate spiritual guidance in her symbolic quest of the soul for the Ultimate; Tat Tvam Asi. The stages of the lotus is a metaphor for the heart which blossoms from a bud to a fully bloomed flower in this eternal quest. C to I: Bharathaa Arts are presenting Chokkandra Ula, why did you choose this over others? Jeyanthi Balasubramaniam: The chosen Ula, Chokkanadar Ula' of Madurai, is a particularly interesting work as it explores the seven different stages of love and admiration of women towards the Lord, just by watching Him from afar. Over the years, as our culture evolved we kept playing with ideas to make Bharatanatyam more relatable to the current generation, without losing the essence of our mythical stories and traditions. And as everyone can relate to the perennial emotion of love, we felt this production, though rooted in a traditional setting, would allow our viewers to relate to them on a personal level. The quest first began when my students, sister, and I were chatting about life in general, and we realised that they were preoccupied with so many gripping questions particularly about love and relationships - Why shouldnt their dance reflect this?, we thought and asked our students to think of their personal stories and emotions and portray it through this production. Hence, for us, one of the effective ways we thought of was by weaving personal stories of the performers themselves, by placing the relatable/relevant age groups in the different stages of this production. Where they could relate to and manifest the emotions of love and desire both from their personal experiences and the level of maturity theyre at this point in their lives. We have a wonderful and committed team that has been working hard to learn their parts and perform them impeccably, says Ms Jeyanthi. Photo courtesy: Esplanade C to I: What can the audience expect to see in Chokkandra Ula? Jeyanthi Balasubramaniam: Ula gives a visual scope for dance and allows for variety in group choreography. Each scene will feature a girl of the specified age. Ula allows for Bharatanatyam compositions to be woven in as the dancers who accompanied the procession in those days would stop at every street corner and perform traditional compositions like the mallari, kautvam and thillana. Reviving the beautiful Ula literature through Bharatanatyam is one way of preserving and popularising ancient Tamil poetry. It also brings to life a bygone era where music and dance was a part of people's lives through the temple as a cultural centre. The spiritual/religious setting and the juxtaposing of human emotions makes the 'Ula' a work which appeals both visually and poetically. C to I: The production features artists of different ages, is that a challenge? Considering it takes many years to master Bharatnatyam? How do you overcome the challenge? Jeyanthi Balasubramaniam: I felt that the biggest challenge was trying to get everyone together for rehearsals. With school, work, and family commitments, it was not always possible to get the entire team together. However, the dancers were very accommodating and efficient, practiced regularly at home and ensured that at the very least their weekend schedules matched with the rehearsal timings. This made it easy for us as directors to run the rehearsals smoothly. With regard to the youngest artist of the team, Shruti, credit also goes to her Mother, who is also an experienced dancer, for helping to manage her school and after school tution schedule with the dance classes, as well as helping to train her at home. Bharatanatyam is not a dance form that takes many years to master; it is a beautiful art form that takes a lifetime to even understand. Therefore, it does not matter whether the student is a beginner or an advanced student. What matters most of that the dancer understands what she is portraying and expressing to the audience. Regarding this, we have a wonderful and committed team that has been working hard to learn their parts and perform them impeccably. Tickets for the show are available here. The ERG warns it will not be bounced into accepting a deal with no time for scrutiny ConservativeHomes Goodman is sceptical of the panel Daily Telegraph Towns Fund under further attack The Times The cash will be split over several years Daily Mail No amount of money will ever be enough for the loony left The Sun Says Proper reform would be better than a bung Daily Telegraph Leader Cox makes a last ditch bid to save the deal FT Rogers says May did not understand the EU when she triggered Article 50 The Guardian Tory Brexiteers told Theresa May last night not to ambush them with a last-minute legal deal with Brussels on the Irish backstop and expect them to vote in favour of it next week. Leaders of the hardline European Research Group (ERG) said after a meeting yesterday that they expected to see details of any agreement struck between Geoffrey Cox and EU negotiators well before next Tuesdays meaningful vote in the Commons. They added that they would back a compromise only if they had the time to consider it in good time to form a judgment in advance of a vote, adding: Our primary objective is a proper analysis. The ERG and Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the DUP, have set up a committee of Brexiteer MPs with legal backgrounds to examine concessions won by the attorney-general. The group includes staunch opponents of the withdrawal agreement such as Sir Bill Cash. The Times Opinion >Today: Henry Newmans column: Get real, Eurosceptics. Your choice is Mays Deal or no Brexit at all. >Yesterday: Johnson leads the ConservativeHome survey leadership race This month Boris was the favourite in a poll from Conservative Home, which has him on 24 per cent of the vote 319 votes. Ex-Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab was second but miles behind him on 12 per cent. And Michael Gove was third on ten per cent. The numbers are slightly down on last month, where he was up an extra two percentage points. The news comes after The Sun revealed that the Boris Johnson Amber Rudd alliance for a dream ticket to No10 is under threat because of Brexit infighting. And sources said that Ms Rudd is looking to back another big candidate, political commentator James Forsyth revealed. The Sun >Today: ToryDiary: Leadsom climbs to the top spot in our Cabinet League Table >Yesterday: Ministers and police chiefs fight over responsibility for the surge in knife crime The families of the latest teenage stab victims girl scout Jodie Chesney and private school pupil Yousef Makki, both 17 yesterday told of their horror and devastation. In an impassioned Commons statement, Jodies constituency MP Julia Lopez, a Tory backbencher, warned that the public was losing faith in the Governments ability to keep the streets safe. Her Labour colleague Stella Creasy, whose east London seat has been blighted by knife killings, joined her call for urgent action. She told Home Secretary Sajid Javid: The taskforces, the consultations, the more reports, it isnt working. This is an emergency that requires an emergency response. Daily Mail State schools ask parents for donations to their budgets State schools are asking parents to donate hundreds of pounds a year to pay for salaries, buy textbooks and equipment and repair leaking buildings, a Times investigation has revealed. Grammars, comprehensives and primaries are increasingly relying on families to pay for essentials and in one case have asked for up to 1,200 per child each year. Others do not specify amounts but are receiving 100,000 a year, some using campaigns that allow donors to choose what to buy. School funding was debated in parliament yesterday after a petition on budget cuts, started by head teachers, garnered more than 100,000 signatures. Growing numbers of schools are adopting a four and a half day week to save money, with one saying it would charge parents for their children to stay in school on Friday afternoons. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said last year that, between 2009-10 and 2017-18, school spending per pupil in England fell by about 8 per cent. The Times Donations via direct debit The Times This is no way to deliver a world-class education system The Times Leader Average council tax bill to rise 75.60 The Sun Primary school drops trans rights classes after boycott The Times Trans activists are winning the debate but losing the public Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph Hammond faces economic challenge in forthcoming Spring Statement Rudd scraps repeated tests for disabled pensioners to receive payments The UK economy appears to be suffering from an acute bout of split personality disorder. In most months for the last year, records for employment rates have been smashed and public borrowing has fallen. Simultaneously, economic growth has been noticeable for its weakness, business investment has fallen every quarter for the past year and economic sentiment is dropping rapidly. The dichotomy in British economic indicators will give the chancellor an odd narrative for his spring statement on March 13. He will have to admit that most data look worse, while at the same time celebrating another multibillion-pound windfall in tax receipts which will again improve the outlook for the public finances. With these contradictory forecasts, the chancellors message is likely to be an extension of what he has been using since before Octobers Budget. Chris Giles, FT Disabled pensioners will no longer have to go through repeated tests to get their benefits, Amber Rudd will announce. The Work and Pensions Secretary will say that 270,000 Brits will benefit from not having to have their personal independence payments reviewed. The DWP has faced a storm of criticism amid claims elderly people with chronic illnesses have been put under the stress of regular checks even though their condition is very unlikely to improve. Under current rules, a pensioner on PIP has to undergo regular checks either annually or every three years depending on the severity of their condition. But under this change, officials will accepts their word that their condition has not changed and just carry out a light touch review via letter every decade or so. Ms Rudd says she wanted to stamp out the unnecessary experience for older people who have worked hard all their lives and paid into the benefits system. The Sun MPs want pink tax on womens products banned The Sun Macron: My plan for a European renaissance It might surprise you, but we have seen a remarkable fall in CO2 emissions Daniel Hannan, The Sun Tax cars in proportion to the pollution they create Neil Parish and Lilian Greenwood, The Times Orbans risky dance with Brussels continues FT Allen claims TIG is in talks with three Tory MPs Europe is not a second-tier power. Europe in its entirety is a vanguard: it has always defined the standards of progress. In this, it needs to drive forward a project of convergence rather than competition: Europe, where social security was created, needs to introduce a social shield for all workers, guaranteeing the same pay for the same work, and an EU minimum wage, appropriate to each country, negotiated collectively every year. Getting back on track also means spearheading the environmental cause. Will we be able to look our children in the eye if we do not also clear our climate debt? The EU needs to set its target zero carbon by 2050 and pesticides halved by 2025 and adapt its policies accordingly with such measures as a European Climate Bank to finance the ecological transition, a European food safety force to improve our food controls and, to counter the lobby threat, independent scientific assessment of substances hazardous to the environment and health. This imperative needs to guide all our action: from the Central Bank to the European commission, from the European budget to the Investment Plan for Europe, all our institutions need to have the climate as their mandate. Emmanuel Macron, The Guardian She hinted that the number was big enough to cost Theresa May her wafer-thin working majority of eight. Ms Allen told ITV: We have more [potential defectors] than we could take in. Were having to stem the enthusiasm there. Two or three more would be as much as we could manage I think [to avoid destabilising the Conservatives]. The comment come as leaders of The Independent Group (TIG) prepare for exploratory talks with the Electoral Commission tomorrow to step up plans to become a fully fledged political party. Separately Labour began moves to boot ex-Labour MPs among TIG such as Luciana Berger off their seats in cross-party select committees. The Sun Splits are a symptom of diverging extremes; can the trend be stopped? William Hague, Daily Telegraph Falconer will have the right to search historic emails in his Labour anti-semitism investigation Watson criticised for starting paedophile conspiracy moral panic with no basis Lord Falconer of Thoroton has been told that he can trawl through old Labour emails relating to antisemitism cases as he prepares to make the final decision on whether to carry out a review on behalf of the party. It came as MPs again rounded on Jennie Formby, the general secretary, over the handling of antisemitism cases and allegations of interference by the leaders office in another difficult meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Lord Falconer, a former lord chancellor, will decide in the next couple of days whether to formally accept the role leading the partys inquiry into antisemitism. He is understood to have been promised access to historic emails, including those held on backup servers. The Times Tom Watson, Labours deputy leader, started a moral panic when he made claims in parliament about a Westminster establishment paedophile ring, a public inquiry was told yesterday Geoffrey Robertson QC, representing Harvey Proctor, the former Conservative MP, said that his client was anxious that the inquiry examine his position as a victim of false accusations of sexual abuse accusations by liars and fantasists. He added: The moral panic started by Tom Watson about a Westminster paedophile ring had no basis, it was smoke without fire. Mr Robertson said that MPs and others who fuelled rumours about the abuse scandal should have used a modicum of intelligence. He added that they should now apologise for making claims that caused anguish to those wrongly accused. The Times When can we have an inquiry into Watsons behaviour? Richard Littlejohn, Daily Mail >Yesterday: LeftWatch: When decencys last best hope is Tom Watson, something might have gone a bit wrong Russian ambassador to Washington warns of nuclear arms crisis Russias ambassador to the US has warned that arms control is in crisis and claimed that some politicians and generals in Washington were beginning to think in terms of winning a nuclear conflict. Anatoly Antonov was speaking on the day Vladimir Putin followed Donald Trumps example in suspending participation in the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, which is due to expire entirely in August unless there is an 11th-hour effort to save it. That would leave the 2010 New Start treaty as the last constraint left on the US and Russian nuclear arsenals, and that agreement is due to expire in 2021. Moscow has signaled its willingness to extend New Start, but the Trump administration has said it has not yet made up its mind on the issue. The situation in strategic stability as well as in arms control is very bad. We are in crisis, Antonov said. The Guardian News in Brief Cllr Andrew Wood is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Tower Hamlets Council and a councillor for Canary Wharf Ward. What should the relationship be between religion and government in the UK especially at a local level? In Tower Hamlets, this is a live issue as the Council is helping some religious groups with opportunities at the expense of the wider community. Tower Hamlets Council last year agreed to lease some land it owns to a mosque group; the site is currently occupied by portacabins used as a mosque. The mosque group sought a 99-year lease in order to allow the construction of a permanent mosque on the site. The lease is for 402,250, even though the Council value the site at 1.2 million. As the site is four minutes walk to a DLR station and twenty minutes walk to Canary Wharf, it may be worth much more. When this decision went to the Cabinet of Tower Hamlets Council, I asked how many homes could be built on the site instead of a mosque. (The land is currently held for housing purposes.) The answer was sixteen homes. The Council has its own residential development company and a target for building 2,000 Council homes. I also asked how many homes could be built with a community centre or mosque built on the ground floor and homes above it as a compromise, to which the answer was twelve homes. So why was this not done? Well, the mosque wanted a bigger facility which meant that only four homes could be built above the site and this was not economic. As a result of this decision, the Council is foregoing either a large sum of money or sixteen affordable homes which wont now be built on Council owned land. It fails both the value for money test and the needs of 19,000 people on the housing waiting list. This is a common occurrence in Tower Hamlets. Mellish Street in my ward, Canary Wharf, has a similar set of council owned portacabins mainly used as a mosque. The Council propose to build a new free-standing community centre for the mosque group in the car park, then knock down the portacabins to build new housing. The scheme originally proposed to build a community centre at the ground floor with new housing above it, but that proposal disappeared even though it could have delivered more housing. The site will only deliver 35 per cent affordable housing, despite the land being publicly owned. It should, therefore, be delivering 50 per cent affordable housing according to the Councils own policies, but the suspicion must be that the cost of building the mosque means that the site can only deliver 35 per cent affordable homes. Another example is Turin Street, where council officers agreed in late 2016 to convert a council building into homeless accommodation. The decision was suspended, as a local mosque group wanted to use it as temporary space while their own mosque was rebuilt. But that temporary use has now been extended to at least August 2019. In places like Blackwall Reach and the Burdett estate, new large purpose-built mosques have been appearing on what used to be publicly owned land. It is not entirely clear who paid for them, but the suspicion is that the cost was borne in part by the public through a reduction in the delivery of new affordable homes. Why would the Council agree to this? It is because in the battle between Lutfur Rahman and mainstream Labour, being able to deliver prayer space is perceived to be a vote winner. If you visit the website of the Lansbury mosque group, you will see pictures of Labour (and only Labour) politicians on the site. They know very well who to thank for this generous gesture by the Mayor. This article was in fact delayed by a by-election in Lansbury on the 7th February, won by Labour. Is this activity not illegal? When I asked, the Divisional Director of Legal Services at Tower Hamlets Council confirmed that there is no national legislation or guidance that restricts a local authority from disposing of property for faith use. Only in the USA has the separation of church and state been established as a legal principle, thanks to Thomas Jefferson. But what we urgently need is some national guidance on this matter. Can publicly owned land be used for faith purposes? Can land be disposed of at below market value to faith groups? Can Councils or housing associations build buildings whose main use is for faith use? Does owning a lease on a community space entitle you to the delivery of a purpose-built mosque as has happened at Blackwall Reach and Burdett Estate? What rules then apply? Can they have segregated male and female entrances as has happened briefly at Mellish Street? All of this is unclear, allowing local councils to decide for themselves, but it also allows politicians to make politically expedient decisions on a subject which should not be politicised. And there is increasing evidence that the Muslim community are opposed to the politicisation of their prayer space; they do not like their religious facilities being used for political advantage. Muslims need places to pray. Local government should be assisting them and any other groups that need help in finding space, whether that is for ballet lessons or for Muslim prayer. The National Planning Policy Framework paragraph 92 does say local planning authorities should plan positively for the provision and use of shared spaces, community facilities (such as .. places of worship), but that does not mean that local government should be supplying that space for only one group. They should instead be providing truly multi-purpose community space which can be used for judo on a Tuesday night, Jumuah prayer on a Friday, tango lessons on a Saturday, and Christian prayer on a Sunday, as already happens locally. We also need to consider the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, and look at having a stricter separation between church and state, at least at the local level. Michael Josem is a marketing & communications professional. He is a resident of the Isle of Man who formerly worked for members of the Liberal Party in the Australian Parliament. Today, the legitimacy of parliaments to make laws comes not from their divine rights but, rather, from the consent of the governed. The Westminster Parliament has a legitimacy to make laws for the UK, because the people of the UK give their consent through a free and fair democratic process. The US congress has a similar legitimacy just as the parliaments of Canada, Australia, France and elsewhere do. They have a right and duty to make laws for their own people but not for others. This principle should not be controversial in 2019. In a bygone era, parliaments (most obviously Westminster, but other European parliaments, too) did not accept such constraints on their power. In colonial times, Westminster created laws for its overseas colonies of North America, Australasia, Africa and elsewhere. This practice substantially ended in the twentieth century, because our civilisation recognised that the parliament of one people has no moral right to rule over another people. The United Kingdom was a key leader in recognising that its parliamentary children should be allowed to mature and make their own decisions. Despite the obvious moral illegitimacy of one parliament making laws for another people, there is today a group of Westminster MPs who appear to recognise no such constraint on their power. Led by Andrew Mitchell and Margaret Hodge, these neo-colonialists are seeking to change company regulation in the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man and Channel Islands without the consent of the peoples who live there. With the support of much of Labour and the minor parties, they appear to have been able to construct a parliamentary majority to amend the Governments Financial Services Bill to impose these new rules upon the Crown Dependencies. A vote has been postponed but is none the less likely to happen. There are good arguments in favour of the legislation that they propose, and good arguments against it, too. But those arguments should not be heard in Westminster, because Westminster has no moral legitimacy to force its rule upon the Crown Dependencies on this issue. The people of the Crown Dependencies do not vote in Westminster elections, and so their view is not represented Westminster. Because the people of the Crown Dependencies have no say in Westminster, there is no legitimacy for Westminster to say what happens in the Crown Dependencies. Of course there are some areas in which Westminster can legitimately legislate for the Crown Dependencies. The governments of the Crown Dependencies have consented to various British regulatory and legislative instruments over the years. Most obviously, this includes assenting to Westminster administering foreign affairs and defence. Similarly, with the consent of the Crown Dependencies, Westminster legislated earlier this year to form a post-Brexit Customs Union with the Isle of Man (despite unhelpful, troublemaking votes from f the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats to oppose this move). This empowerment of Westminster to make trade deals on behalf of the Isle of Man with foreign nations was legitimate because it has the approval of the Manx people, as represented by our own democratically elected government at Tynwald. The modern political world is witnessing many challenges to established norms of behaviour mostly from the executives of various countries. While it is unusual to see a legislature break its own behavioural norms, these are clearly interesting times. Rather than try to expand their jurisdiction in an undemocratic manner, Westminster MPs should continue to have some humility about the moral limits to their powers. Today, the public is demanding more than ever before that political office holders should recognise that they are servants of their people. In that vein, Westminster MPs should remember that they are the representatives of the British people, not their rulers and when it comes to the Isle of Man, Westminster MPs are neither their rulers nor their representatives. These Westminster neo-colonialists should stop trying to leverage ancient suzerainties to achieve their short-term political goals. MPs supporting this move covet the power to rule over the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, despite never being elected by the people of the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. If they want to make laws for the Isle of Man, they are welcome to seek election to the Manx parliament at Tynwald. Their legislative power grab will only be legitimate if they have nothing less than the approval of the Manx people. Henry Newman is Director of Open Europe. Brexiteers wake up! Eurosceptics wake up! Conservatives wake up! The Brexit options have changed. But the furious circular debate in Britain has not caught up. Smell the coffee, face the facts and bite the bullet. Fast. Time is slipping away. Within the next week, Parliament will have another chance to vote on Theresa Mays exit deal. If its rejected, again, then Brexit itself will be increasingly at risk. The outcome is likely a softer exit or even no Brexit at all. Some critics suggest that the deal cant get any worse, or couldnt be any softer. This is ludicrous. If you dont like being in a customs territory with the EU, which the backstop would require, try the Single Market. Yes, the backstop if we got there would mean keeping the stock of EU goods rules (at least in Northern Ireland). But it would also give us freedom to regulate our wider economy and turn off the tap for new EU rules. Single Market membership, or as its re-branded Common Market 2.0, would mean letting the EU set rules on employment, environmental protections and for the whole of our services industry. Even Mark Carney (hardly famous for his pro-Brexit proselytising) argues we cant be a rule taker on financial services. UK taxpayers shouldnt have to underwrite the balance sheets of our banks, but look to Europe to determine the rules. There is now little prospect of a No Deal at the end of March. And the possibility of a very long delay to Brexit is growing. The first rule of politics according to Lyndon B Johnson is that its practitioners need to be able to count. Nothing is more fundamental. If you cant win a vote, you can have all the lofty ideal visions you like, but they wont come to much. And while it remains true that the default is still No Deal on March 29, the reality is we now know that the Government will first put that to the Commons and seek an extension at Parliaments behest. The EU will reluctantly grant such an extension. What Brussels and EU member states such as France are desperate to avoid is a situation in which the UK repeatedly requests rolling extensions of Article 50 kicking the can a bit further down the road each time. So Brussels is now looking at a 21-month extension (something that I warned in a recent ConHome column was favoured by some in France). EU sources are now suggesting that this could replace the transition and allow time to negotiate the future relationship (so potentially avoiding the need for a backstop). Of course we would have no guarantees about what the deal at the end of that time would be. This new Brussels demarche should raise serious alarms. You dont have to be a total cynic to think that the EU is looking to a long extension to allow time for politics to shift in the UK. That is, to let pro-Remain voices regroup as a political force. And they are not mistaken in seeing a path to a new referendum. A few MPs are already complaining that the mandate from nearly three years ago is in danger of expiring. By the end of 2020, we would be almost five years since the referendum. Some Eurosceptics imagine that a delay to Article 50 would allow them to prepare for a managed No Deal in 21 months. Martin Howe was advocating something similar just yesterday on this site. Yet this risks chasing a mirage and forgets Lyndon Johnsons fundamental rule, as above. Changing the leadership of the party wont shift this basic problem, and could instead exacerbate it. The inescapable fact is the Conservatives have no outright majority. The profound implications of this still seems not to have registered fully all around Westminster and in local Conservative Associations. Brussels sees it clearly. One senior source said to me recently that the single biggest mistake Theresa May has made (in a hotly contested field) was losing her majority in the 2017 general election. In a flash, back in June 2017, Brussels could see her authority melt away. The ability really to threaten to walk away was severely reduced, and in the immediate aftermath of that election David Davis accepted the phasing of the talks setting the path to agreeing a backstop. Our position is now if anything even more vulnerable. Although TIG has medium-term potential to do more damage to Labour, the Conservatives have also taken a hit. Defections mean that the Governments majority, with the DUP, is wafer-thin. Lose four more MPs and its gone. Of course its offensive and wrong to say that the Tory party is run by extremists for extremists. But that doesnt mean the accusation is not damaging. And having more former MPs running around repeating that is hardly a good look. All this means that the possibility of a general election is rising. No one should be blithe about the risks that poses. While TIG could help the Conservatives in 2022, at this point it has no infrastructure, no candidates and no national support base. And the public are growing tired of arguing about Brexit even dedicated leavers cant understand why it hasnt been sorted yet (I can see their point). The last thing anyone wants is another election, especially one to discuss more Brexit. And of course many Conservative MPs would rather Theresa May didnt lead the party into a snap election (as 117 reminded her in last years leadership challenge). So a general election offers no certain path. And yet the Governments hold over power is just wafer-thin. A few more defections and theres no prospect of a stable Tory administration. If that doesnt result in a general election, it could instead lead to a cross-party administration, backing a softer Brexit. Backbench MPs of both main parties are currently considering precisely how to bring a government of national unity into power, bypassing Eurosceptics on one side and Corbynites on the other. This would be a disaster for conservatism. So, yes, the current deal is far from perfect. Mays Government has made a Dogs Brexit of things. But the alternatives are far worse. Now we are approaching the crunch point, an event horizon beyond which the prospect of a decent, but not perfect, Brexit deal will slip away. Shortly after the defeated coup against May in December last year, a senior Eurosceptic ex-Cabinet minister remarked that he would now have to vote for her deal as it was the hardest Brexit on the table. That reading is still true. If the first rule of politics really is the ability to count, the fundamental challenge of politics is the requirement to decide between choices all of which are (to use a euphemism) sub-optimal. Thats the decision which MPs now face: back Mays imperfect Brexit deal or risk losing Brexit altogether, with all the public wrath that would inevitably entail. So if Geoffrey Cox can bring back a sharper backstop exit mechanism from Brussels, plus reassurances for Stormont, MPs should reluctantly give him the benefit of the doubt, even if he cant quite secure everything for which some had hoped. Leadsom climbs to the top spot in our Cabinet League Table Its that time again the monthly Cabinet League Table. Whos up and whos down? It was only a few days ago that I wrote about my fear that a sudden upsurge in public and media concern about violent crime could lead to demand for toughness overwhelming the concept of effectiveness in law and order policy. In a sense, its the rights form of virtue-signalling, prioritising ones intent be hard above actual results, just as parts of the left do for economic policy, prioritising a display of envy above what actually generates the most growth. The specific policy I mentioned as being at risk was David Gaukes review of short prison sentences, which currently have a disastrously high reoffending rate. I wrote that: Gaukes argument is reasoned and reasonable, but it could find itself overwhelmed if a particularly heinous crime, or a particularly bad string of crimes, grabs the publics attention. That appears to have happened over the weekend even more quickly than I had guessed. The horrific killings of two teenagers have propelled the issue to the top of the news agenda, with the Mail and the Mirror splashing today with the question how many more?, accompanied by photos of the 27 teenagers stabbed to death in the last year. It is a grim reminder of the human cost of a crisis which is occupying the fears of millions of parents around the country. Such an appalling problem deserves to be on everyones minds, of course, and should compel politicians, police chiefs, and policymakers to reconsider whether their approach is really working. However, the risk I noted, of the demand to do something overtaking the importance of doing something effective, is all-too real. It will in time affect Gaukes prison reforms, Im sure. But the immediate targets appear to be stop and search, and police funding. On stop and search, calling for more is an easy and instantly popular headline. Everybody knows what the term means, and it is a straightforward tactic to imagine. However, there is a fantasy doing the rounds in which stop and search has been ended. It has not there are still hundreds of thousands of uses of the power every year. Rather, Theresa Mays reforms as Home Secretary saw the tactic limited to a more targeted, suspicion-based power, and introduced new transparency measures about how and why it was used. The result, as Full Fact lay out here, is that while the number of stop and searches is down, the proportion which produce arrests or generate other useful findings is drastically up ie the power is better-targeted than when it was simply used in a blanket way. Changing that back comes with obvious costs. More police time would be used on stopping and searching people who are not carrying anything and who would not be arrested as a result, which seems a dubious use of limited police resources. And that means more innocent people caught up in such tactics, which has negative effects in itself. On police funding, no doubt there are extra things that could be done with more money. There always are, in every public service. It is simple and clear to call for more police officers (a policy the Labour Party is promoting, even while its mayor of London opted not to do so in the capital), but again I wonder if this really amounts to a proper insight into the crisis that is facing us. As soon as austerity began, there were claims that it would directly spark a rise in crime and yet the correlation did not appear in practice. Even now, nine years into austerity (of a sort) Ive yet to hear a convincing explanation of why it would be that after a lag of several years, some but only some types of crime are suddenly on the rise. And at the same time as police forces and the Police Federation tell us there isnt enough money to fight violent crime, there is a steady stream of reports that various forces find the time to ring people up to tick them off about controversial tweets that are not even illegal. That doesnt seem to fit with the message, somehow. It may of course be that a change in tactics or increases in spending could have some effect on the knife crime surge. But if we are interested primarily in what works, not in simply demonstrating our toughness, then we ought to be more inquiring of the evidence, and to look more closely at what is going on. For example, the Home Offices own internal analysis argues that violent crime is rising because an oversupply of drugs has collapsed the profit margins of organised criminals, leading them to fight more viciously for territory and customers. And yet where is the discussion, by serious Conservative politicians, of taking any of the drugs market out of the hands of organised crime through decriminalisation? To take another example, we can all see that this has become a crisis not just of violence but increasingly of violence involving children, often as offenders as well as victims. There are various vacuous laments by rote that youth club funding could somehow fix that a position which is simultaneously patronising of the innocent majority and naive about the guilty minority (as Charlotte Gill argues in todays Telegraph). But only rarely is there open discussion of the role played, or not played, by the families of teenagers who are going out armed onto the streets. Do they not know? Do they know but not care? Do they know and care but feel afraid or unwilling to turn in their own kids? Maybe finding out, and working out how to change that, would be a good start. Or we could just act tough and hope it works. Whichever you prefer. Buckle up, folks. The online travel agency business is about to experience some possible turbulence. Anyone whos surfed the web looking for vacation ideas knows all too well that theres plenty of companies waiting for the consumers mouse-click to go in their favor. Airlines, hotels, bed and breakfasts, cruise lines, automobile rental companies, and others are at each others throats trying to lure their share of the nearly 600 million consumers who book some sort of travel-related aspect online. Why? Because the grass is very green on the travel playing field. Expedia -- which owns Hotels.com, Orbitz, CheapTickets, Travelocity, Hotwire and others -- pulled in $11 billion in 2018. Bookings.com -- the umbrella for Kayak, Priceline, and others -- also posted $11 billion last year. Now, the most feared elephant in any online business room -- Google -- has entered the vacation rental fray. On Wednesday, the company announced that it, too, is launching a platform where consumers can see and book vacation rentals as part of Google Hotel Search. You can narrow your search with price and amenity filters, plus browse photos, read reviews and see rates and availability of the vacation rental property, wrote Pratip Banerji, Googles Travel Product Manager. Here we go! It's game-on in the alternative accommodations market, Dennis Schaal, the executive editor at travel news and research site Skift told ConsumerAffairs. Google will certainly be on the rise in the sector, and because of its footprint, could definitely take market share away from Airbnb, which is apparently seeing its growth already slow in some of its biggest markets. If Schaal is right, Googles entrance will either make Airbnb stronger or force it to find a vacation rental pocket that Google doesnt have its hand in, yet. Nonetheless, the goal of taking market share away from Airbnb can have a handsome payoff for Google. Since Airbnb started up some 10 years ago, its notched 500 million guest arrivals and a market valuation of over $30 billion. Going for the win-win If youre asking if Airbnb will take a hit, wont others in the sector like HomeAway and VRBO take one, too? Yes and no. Google knows it could be foolhardy to take this on solo, so its setting its sights on being a friendly elephant in the room by taking the aggregator route, where it will partner with other travel planning stalwarts like Expedia, HomeAway, Hotels.com, NextPax, RedAwning, Rentals United, TripAdvisor, and VRBO. As they say, a rising tide lifts all boats. Google will make a tidy commission off of getting consumers to those sites and, in turn, those sites will presumably be happy about cutting Google in on the action for doing that. Plus, on the marketing end, Googles partners arent really losing much, if anything. When a traveler clicks Book, theyre transported to the travel partners page to complete their transaction, and all property information and bookings are provided and done by those travel partners. Schaal says not to rush to judgment on Airbnbs place in the food chain. Although Airbnb isn't participating yet in Google's new vacation rentals' offering, Airbnb certainly could choose to participate in the future, bidding for placement like (Googles other partners) in Google's vacation rentals' product, he said. Preparing for a shakeout A shift this seismic will certainly produce changes and adjustments consumers will notice when making travel plans. Expedia, for another, also had a big announcement on Wednesday. Its VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) brand rolled out two sizeable changes. One is that the company wants to now be known as Vrbo -- as if its ver-boh. The second is a new collaborative tool that allows travelers to create their own Trip Boards to like and save their favorite properties in one place. This will let consumers share travel plans with others in their travel group, ask for feedback, and vote on the ones they like best. Seems like a smart move. According to Vrbo data, 86 percent of U.S. travelers ask others for advice when planning a trip. With app push notifications, each person can choose to be notified about votes or comments right away, making it easier and faster to choose the best place for everyone, the company said in a news release. Virtual tours are another way technology helps Vrbo customers find a perfect match. Currently,15,000 360-degree virtual walkthroughs bring homes to life for travelers before they book, with more tours quickly being added. Schaal predicts consumers might also see some movement from Booking.com as it maneuvers the playing field, trying to maintain its connection with 1,334,878 active properties in 225 countries. Don't count out Booking.com in this discussion of Google versus Airbnb, he said. Booking.com is a very capable company and offers nearly as many alternative accommodations as Airbnb although Booking.com, which is the dominant online travel agency player in Europe, often gets left out of the conversation. You will be hearing a lot more about Booking.com in this sector. 60% Website ecoches.es uses latest and advanced technologies. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 229 bytes (0.22 kb uncompressed) and 176 bytes (0.17 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-12-06, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. 71% Website gemstor.ru uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 12323 bytes (12.03 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2020-11-07, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. 100% Website infoastronomy.org uses latest and advanced technologies. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. 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This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-10-28, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. (This is the second post in a four-part series. You can see Part One here .) The new question-of-the-week is: What are your suggestions for people applying for their first teaching job? Part One included recommendations from Valerie Ruckes, Sanee Bell, Dr. PJ Caposey, Candace Hines, Mary Cathryn D. Ricker, and Rinard Pugh. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with Valerie, Sanee, PJ, and Candace on my BAM! Radio Show . You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here. Todays guests are Marquitta Mitchell, Luis Javier Penton Herrera, Susan Lafond, Julia Thompson, Joe Mullikin, and Sean Ruday. Response From Marquitta Mitchell Marquitta Mitchell is a teacher-leader at West Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C., and she will be entering her 2nd year as a Hope Street Group fellow. She has two bachelor degrees from North Carolina State University and a master of arts in English from National University. She has been an educator in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district for 12 years: 5 Tips to Land Your First Teaching Job Youve submitted the application for your first teaching job and youre preparing for the interview! Be a standout with these four practical tips: #1 Lead with Passion While it may be cliche, it has to be true if you want a job teaching students. True passion results in a positive attitude, optimistic spirit, and persevering nature. Your interviewers will be looking to see if youre pumped about trying new things and tackling the challenges ahead of you. Make it obvious that your passion is in the right place. Talk about your methods for supporting students and keep the focus off of personal success. Refrain from discussing your desire to make money, secure employment, start fresh, or climb the professional ladder. While you may have aspirations of your own, your passion for education must shine through. #2 Make Time for Reflection As a new teacher, you will not do everything perfectly. Even veteran teachers make mistakes! You will have have dozens of students under your care, so you will have to maneuver carefully and learn as you go. The ability to self-reflect is a necessity for educators. At the end of my busy day, I sit at my desk and review every decision I made. What words of encouragement did I fail to say? Which students didnt get the support they needed? In interviews, my assistant principal often asks candidates about a time they received feedback and what they did in response. Just know that as a teacher, you wont always receive feedback or have someone to tell you what to say or do differently. Your interviewers will be looking to hire someone who can do that thinking for themselves and show up ready to do things better than they did the day before. #3 Dress the Part Far too many times, I have interviewed candidates and was immediately turned off by their appearance. You dont have to wear a three-piece suit to make a good impression, but your dress says so much about you before you even speak. A wrinkled outfit and messy appearance show that you may not pay attention to detail or time constraints. Dressing too casually, in leggings, shorts, or sweats tells people that you dont take this work seriously, which could cause an administrator to question your professionalism going forward. Finally, remember that you are working with students, so articles of clothing should be appropriate for the workplacenot too short or revealing. Teaching is a profession, so professional attire is a must! #4 Know the Students & the Data As a new teacher, you will want to get to know your studentstheir hobbies, pet peeves, and goalsbut those wont tell you the full story. Educators also spend time looking at students data to see what their test scores reveal about their knowledge, work ethic, and skills. Sometimes teachers can be too data-focused, only seeing the numbers instead of the students. Other teachers dont pay attention to the data at allfocusing only on their students happiness. An effective teacher will try to find a balance between the two, and it will show in the classrooms culture. In your interview, provide specific procedures you will put in place, like having frequent, individualized data conversations with students to talk to them about their performance. Relate their test scores and the work you assign to their postsecondary goals. Help them figure out what they can do differently, and ask how you can help. As a teacher, it will be your job to nurture your students while helping them learn new things and reach new heights. Response From Luis Javier Penton Herrera Luis Javier Penton Herrera, Ph.D., is currently a high school English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher, and he is also an adjunct professor in TESOL, Spanish, writing, and education at different colleges and universities. He is serving on the Maryland Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (MDTESOL) board of directors as its 1st vice president. His research focuses on bilingual education, Spanish, ESL/ESOL, literacy studies, and Hispanic pedagogues: Applying for your first teaching job can be a stressful and enigmatic process. There are many factors that you cannot control, such as the grade, content level, and even school where you will teach. To make this process easier, my five recommendations to consider when applying for your first year of teaching are: Learn about the culture and leadership at that school/institution . The top/leadership impacts the daily modus operandi of the institution and is the one that directly shapes the school culture and motivation of teachers. Your first year of teaching will mark your career as an educator. Make sure you equip yourself with enough information about the school/institution you are applying to before you devote your first year of teaching to them. Remember that, for many new teachers, what they experience during their first year of teaching will decide whether or not they stay in the field. If at all possible, substitute at that school/institution before applying. Substitute teachers have the opportunity to experience firsthand the reality of the school/institution. There is no better way to learn about student behavior, the administrators, teachers, and resources available in the school than substituting. If possible, substitute more than once to get an overall well-rounded experience of what to expect when working as a teacher for that school/institution. When substituting, ask students about how they feel in school and what they like the most about that particular institution; students often answer to these types of questions with candor. The idea of networking is all about making connections and making you feel like you are not alone in the world during your first year of teaching. The truth is that your first year of teaching will be challenging because you are learning about your students, your institution, the curriculum, and how to better teach your classes. All of these experiences could prove to be alienating if you do not have anyone to reach out to inside and outside of your school. In your first year of teaching, network with colleagues, become involved in local/state organizations to meet people with your same interests, attend networking events, and build a web of collegial support to lift you up emotionally in your tough teaching days and guide you professionally when you need an academic advise. Do not close the door to other opportunities too soon. During your first year of teaching, you will be more than likely very anxious to secure a job and/or teaching contract. The administrators interviewing you at different schools know this and, if they are very desperate to fill in teaching positions, they do their best to get you a contract from human resources as soon as possible. My recommendation is to stop yourself from jumping to the very first opportunity that comes to you; at least give yourself the chance of interviewing at two or three different institutions before you commit yourself to one school. Even veteran teachers are all still learning. During your first year of teaching, there will be lots of information that you will have to learn (acronyms used in your school county, how to proctor standardized tests, Standard Learning Objectives, observations, etc.). All of this information can (and is!) truly overwhelming. My advice to you is to not worry. I continue to learn every year that even veteran teachers are still learning. Every year something changes or something new comes up. Just enjoy your new experiences and take them in for what they are, new knowledge; after all, we became educators to teach and continue learning. Similar to many educators, my first year of teaching was very challenging, and I almost changed careers because of that experience. However, if I would have read these five recommendations, I would have done things a little differently. It is my hope that, after reading my suggestions, you feel more prepared about your first year of teaching and what you should expect from it. Best of luck! Response From Susan Lafond Susan Lafond, a national-board-certified Teacher in English as a New Language (EAYA ENL), has 20 years of combined experience teaching ESL and foreign language. As an assistant in Educational Services with New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), she focuses on regulations and educational issues related to English-learners (ELs) and ENL/Bilingual programs, as well as creating and organizing professional development across the state on ELs. Susan has been serving on the AFT National English Language Learner Educator Cadre since 2004 and is an expert practitioner and adviser to Colorin Colorado: My advice for people applying to their first teaching job is to get their ducks in order. This includes reviewing your resume and cover letter to eliminate any grammar and spelling errors. Your first impression is made on paper, and there are no do-overs! Ask multiple people to read them and give you feedback. A well-written resume or cover letter will increase your chance of getting past the door for a face-to-face interview. Another duck to address is to critically scrutinize your social-media footprint . What is out there on you on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. (e.g. pictures from parties, links, graphics, pages you Like or Follow, tweets) or that you are tagged in on other peoples pages that could work against you? Check your privacy settings of who sees your posts and can share them and consider cleaning house by starting new accounts . Before the Interview If you have been asked to come in for an interview, there is still work to be done when it comes to preparing for this opportunity. Before you go, do some research on the district where you are applying. Use your networking skills to identify people who currently work there. Pick their brains, as they will have the true understanding of the district from the inside. Go on the districts website, find out what the districts initiatives are, and incorporate some of that phrasing in your responses to their questions. Anticipate or ask others for potential questions you might be asked and carefully craft your responses. Again, ask for feedback from veteran teachers. You can expect the following topics to make an appearance one way or another: Working on a team (may include co-teaching) Instructional strategies Knowledge of state and English-Language Proficiency standards Testing students (familiarity with mandated process and exams, formative assessment) Parent engagement and student advocacy Challenges and strengthsRemember you want to sell yourself. Share what you have to offer, such as special skills or extracurricular activities you do after school. During the Interview You will want to prepare your own questions ahead of time and bring them with you along with a copy of your resume, credentials/certification, references, and a notepad. Jot down notes at the interview. If anything, it gives you a chance to gather your thoughts and be deliberate and strategic with your response rather than speaking too quickly or ... um ... hesitating while ... uh ... you think. Answer questions honestly since you dont want to mislead interviewers. If you dont have certain knowledge, skills, or experience, let them know you would be eager to learn. We all know that an interview is stressful, so be positive and remember to smile! Questions you may want to ask at the interview: What will my teaching schedule look like? What kinds of classes or periods will my schedule include? Will I be working in multiple buildings? What are the next steps after this interview, and when do you anticipate making your final decision for this position? After the Interview In order to not be forgotten and to leave a positive memory of you, send a thank-you note within two business days to the lead interviewer. Reiterate your interest in the position and working at that school. Now is the time to add anything you forgot to say due to nervousness. For more ideas, check out the article I wrote, How to Prepare for an ESL Job Interview . Response From Julia Thompson Julia Thompson is currently a teacher trainer for the Bureau of Research and Development. She is also the author of several books for teachers including The First-Year Teachers Survival Guide, Fourth Edition. Thompson offers practical advice for teachers at her website, www.juliagthompson.com , her blog, www. juliagthompson.blogspot.com , and on Twitter @TeacherAdvice: Applying for a first teaching job is one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking events in any educators professional life. Eager anticipation combined with the anxiety of wanting to perform well can prove daunting to even the most confident potential educator. With just a bit of effort and preparation, though, you can successfully manage this. Here are a few tips for making that memorable time of your life as productive and stress-free as possible. Be flexible about your grade placement or the ability level of the students you would like to teach. Even though as a student-teacher you may have worked with only a certain grade level or type of student, be open-minded and willing to try other teaching positions if you are certified to do so. Few educators teach only one grade level or type of student during their careers. Be willing to explore new areas and let that willingness be evident during the interview. Present yourself as a team player. Schools are communities within communities, and being able to work well with a diverse faculty and staff is a definite asset in todays education job market. Dress professionally for the interview. Even if the other people present for the interview are in their Casual Friday attire, you show respect for the profession and for yourself when you dress up for an interview. Your effort to dress professionally will be noted favorably. Be sure to be thoroughly prepared for the interview itself. There is a wealth of interview advice waiting for you online. Use a search term such as interview questions for teachers to see potential questions that you may be asked. Also, find out as much as you can about the school district and the specific school where you are applying so that your responses and reactions are insightful and knowledgeable. Be prepared to let your strengths as an educator shine. While you may lack experience, you have appealing qualities such as enthusiasm, a sense of humor, being unafraid to ask for help, a willingness to work hard, and an enjoyment and appreciation of students. While you dont want to come across as arrogant, it is OK to let interviewers see that you have lots to offer in lieu of experience. If you have been asked to submit a portfolio of your work, be sure that your portfolio presents you as a serious professional. The work should be well-organized, neat, and obviously of high quality. The same goes for any writing samples or other work that you may have to submit. Have some questions prepared just in case you have a chance to ask them. Here is where the research youve done about the school or the district can help. Formulate questions that cover real concerns that you may have such as Is the staff friendly to new teachers? What are the qualities of the best teachers in the school? What can I do to fit in and be an asset to the school right away? After the interview, be sure to write a thank-you note or email immediately. While it is tough to be the interviewee, it is also hard and time-consuming to be on an interview panel. A thank-you note is a courteous recognition of that effort by the people who interviewed you. Finally, its OK to be nervous. If you find yourself being very nervous, take three deep breaths right before the interview. Interviewers may not look favorably on candidates who are too cocky or sure of themselves, but they will be understanding of sincere candidates who are not as at ease. Being prepared by doing research in advance of the interview will go a long way to settling your anxiety. Response From Joe Mullikin Joe Mullikin is an award-winning educator, consultant, and speaker. He currently serves as the principal at Highland Elementary School in northwest Illinois. You can find Joe on twitter as @joemullikin86: Chances are if youre looking for your first teaching job, youve already Googled the entire top 10 lists of things to do. As I sat down to write this, I actually thought about what my top 10 list might be, but as I thought about the feedback Ive given to candidates over the past couple years, I came back to one thing. Stage the house. If youve tried to sell a house, bought a house, or watched HGTV lately, you know exactly what I am talking about. The likelihood of selling an empty house, no matter how nice it is, is lower than if you stage it. Simply put, people must be able to envision themselves living in, or in this case with, what it is that they are buying. Oftentimes when it comes to first interviews and first jobs, I find that aspiring educators come in with all of the right answers. Theyve been so entrenched in current research, best practice, and educational theory that there arent many questions they dont have an answer to. The problem is that oftentimes they are selling an empty house. Ive also read many of those books and know what the answer is, but the classroom isnt a textbook. Every year, every classroom is a new culture within itself. Each building has its own culture. Having all of the right answers oftentimes doesnt communicate what is most important. When youre applying and interviewing, it is important to stage the house. What will it be like to teach with you? How will you interact with students? What will you do to build relationships with staff? Much like selling a house, when you see furniture in the living room, its a lot easier to picture where you will put yours. When you interview, its important to bring that same mentality. For me there are a few key things to do to do this well. Be yourself: At the end of the day, you should be looking for a school that you are a good fit for and a school that is a good fit for you. You have strengths, passions, and should have an individual vision for the future of education. Make sure that shines through and make sure that you will have the opportunity to grow that light wherever youre hired. Do your homework : Staging the house is as much about providing examples as it is about knowing your market. Before you apply for a job and interview, you should do your homework. Learn what that district stands for. Does their mission align with yours? How will your strengths and passions support the demographic of students and families? How will your strengths support initiatives theyve taken on? You wouldnt buy a house without learning about the neighborhood; do your homework. Have specific examples : I cant stress this enough: Dont just answer questions with philosophy, answer them with specific examples. I didnt say they had to be your examples, though. Talk with veteran teachers, reflect on your student-teaching, and reflect on your clinical experiences and think of specific examples. Stage the house. At the end of the day, people have to be able to picture you in the classroom in order to hire you. Providing specific examples of how you will act or behave, or have behaved, in situations allows this to happen. Articulate your strengths, passions, and vision for education. Having all of the right answers might not get you the job. Stage the house. Response From Sean Ruday Sean Ruday is an associate professor of English education at Longwood University and a former classroom teacher. He has written eight books on teaching, all published by Routledge Eye on Education, including The First-Year English Teachers Guidebook: Strategies for Success, published in 2018. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanRuday and find his professional website at www.seanruday.weebly.com : As an educator of preservice teachers, I field a lot of questions from my students about getting a first teaching job. When preservice teachers ask me for advice about the job hunt, I emphasize the importance of ensuring that a particular school is the right fit for them. The most important part of the job-search process, I tell my students, is finding a school that aligns with your values as an educator and will give you the support you need to grow as a teacher. To achieve this goal, I recommend that prospective teachers ask themselves an important question: What do I value as an educator, and how do those values align with this schools beliefs? Different schools that preservice teachers interview with will have different values, missions, and instructional practices. Sometimes these are clearly stated on the schools website or can be easily discerned from an introductory conversation with an administrator, but at other times, they can be much subtler and best determined by interviewing with school staff, visiting the building, and observing classes. For example, if you value students having a great deal of choice in their work, ask about this topic in your interview and try to find examples of it in the schools instruction: Take a look at student work hanging on the bulletin board and consider if it contains evidence of choice in the students assignments. Try to visit a class and look for additional evidence of this topic. Similarly, if you place a high priority on collaboration between teachers, look for evidence of this in the school: Ask if teachers of the same grade level and/or subject plan together, how the instructional decisions are made, and who makes those decisions. If you are interested in incorporating technology into your instruction, ask what kinds of technological resources the school has, how teachers typically use those resources to enhance student learning, and what kinds of professional development is offered to help teachers integrate technological into their teaching. Its tempting as a new teacher to take the first job offer you receivethe job hunt is stressful, and its tempting to want to end the process as quickly as possible. However, looking carefully at how a schools values align with your own will go a long way toward your success and happiness in your new position, allowing you to thrive in your teaching career! Thanks to Marquitta, Luis, Susan, Julia, Joe, and Sean for their contributions. Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post. Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if its selected or if youd prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind. You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo . Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. Its titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching . Just a reminder;you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first seven years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesnt include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Please review our list of best credit cards , or use our CardMatch tool to find cards matched to your needs. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. If your idea of a dream vacation includes flying to a tropical location for a low price, youre in luck: Southwest Airlines has officially begun selling tickets to Hawaii. With flights starting at just $49 one-way, passengers can depart from Oakland or San Jose, California and arrive in Honolulu or Kahului, Hawaii beginning March 17. The low fare is part of a two-day launch sale that ends at 11:59 pm PST on March 5, 2019. Launching additional routes According to Southwests website, more routes will be added in the coming months, including inter-island flights between Honolulu and Kahului on April 28. As part of the sale, one-way inter-island flights are available for as low as $29 through March 5. See additional upcoming routes and launch dates below: Flights from Oakland (OAK): Nonstop service to Oahu (HNL) starts March 17 Nonstop service to Maui (OGG) starts April 7 Connecting service to Kona (KOA) starts May 12 Flights from San Jose (SJC): Nonstop service to Oahu (HNL) starts May 5 Connecting service to Kona (KOA) starts May 12 Nonstop service to Maui (OGG) starts May 26 Flights from Los Angeles (LAX): Connecting service to Oahu (HNL) starts March 24 Connecting service to Maui (OGG) starts April 28 Flights from Orange County (SNA): Connecting service to Oahu (HNL) starts March 24 Connecting service to Maui (OGG) starts April 28 Flights from Long Beach (LGB): Connecting service to Oahu (HNL) starts March 24 Connecting service to Maui (OGG) starts April 28 Flights from Burbank (BUR): Connecting service to Oahu (HNL) starts March 24 Connecting service to Maui (OGG) starts April 28 Flights from San Diego (SAN): Connecting service to Oahu (HNL) starts March 24 Connecting service to Maui (OGG) starts April 28 If your flight isnt originating in California, you can view additional connecting markets here. Use your points to fly If you are a Southwest Rapid Rewards member, you may choose to redeem your points for flights to Hawaii instead of paying cash. Southwest has three fare tiers: Wanna Get Away, Anytime and Business Select with Wanna Get Away fares offering the best value. For example, we estimate each Rapid Rewards point to be worth 1.6 cents when redeemed for Wanna Get Away fare. By contrast, points are worth approximately 1.1 cents each when redeemed for an Anytime fare, and 0.9 cent when redeemed for Business Select fare. This means that you can book the $49 one-way ticket from California to Hawaii for as low as 3,063 points and $5.60 in taxes and fees. Best way to earn a large influx of points Southwest offers a variety of ways to earn Rapid Rewards points. By becoming a Rapid Rewards members, you can earn points when you fly with Southwest Airlines, stay at a partner hotel, dine at participating restaurants and shop through the Rapid Rewards shopping portal. However, the best way to earn a large influx of points in a short period of time is to sign up for a Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, a Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card or a Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card. In addition to giving you 2 points per dollar on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases and 1 point per dollar on everything else, each card offers 40,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in the first three months of card membership. When redeemed for airfare, the 40,000-point bonus can be worth more than $640 which can translate to several one-way flights to Hawaii. Average point value Value of 40,000-point sign-up bonus Wanna Get Away fare 1.6 cents $640 Anytime fare 1.1 cents $440 Business Select fare 0.9 cent $360 To book a flight to Hawaii, or to view fares and schedules, visit Southwest.com/Hawaii. As many will have seen in the press, the First Circuit has said that PROMESA's Oversight Board was appointed in violation of the Appointments Clause. In short, while PROMESA allowed President Obama to appoint members of the Board without Senate confirmation, the Court says such confirmation was required. The Board has decided to appeal to the Supreme Court, and the First Circuit's decision is on hold for 90 days. But what happens in 90 days? In short, chaos. The title III "bankruptcy" cases for Puerto Rico and its affiliates are all run by the Board. Without the Board, the cases would seem to grind to a halt. If they remain that way for an extended period of time and who really thinks this Congress and this President are going to get their act together in 90 days? the District Court may have little choice but to dismiss the cases. The appeal was brought by old-friend Aurelius. They presumably assume that they will get better treatment outside of title III. But is that right? Maybe Congress will decide to enact a streamlined insolvency process for Puerto Rico, one that "cuts to the chase." After all, even the current President (hardly a friend to the Commonwealth) once suggested it might be necessary to simply cancel Puerto Rico's debt. Congress has a lot of power under the Bankruptcy Clause and perhaps even more under the Territories Clause. Be careful what you wish for, and all that. Dear Roger, Who are Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39 and what do they have to do with the last days? Sincerely, Christopher Dear Christopher, I would be delighted to give you some thoughts regarding Gog and Magog. Let me begin by spelling out several caveats. First: God has not chosen to give us all of the details regarding the end times. Second: as we read about Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39, we discover that understanding the biblical material is quite difficult. Im going to do my best to synthesize these biblical teachings as simple as possible. Third: I have used modern names for the territories involved. When were talking about Gog and Magog were talking about a leader in the land of Russia. Note that 500 years from now, if Christ delays, Gog and Magog from the North (Russia) will have another name that fits another time. Fourth: the main reason that God encourages us to study prophecy is to lay a foundation for holy living. We need to have our lives cleaned up and ready when the trumpet sounds. Fifth: Live as if Christ is coming back in the next 10 minutes. Plan as if hes not coming for another thousand years. Many wonder if Russia will have any part to play in the last days? The answer is a resounding yes. We find the answer in Ezekiel 38-39. Identifying God, Magog, and the Kings of the North and South Ezekiel 38:1-2: The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were all sons of Japheth, who was one of the three sons of Noah. Jepheth and his family migrated to the area of modern-day Russia (Genesis 10:2-3). Gog is a person who rules over the land of Magog (Russia). Magog means the "Prince of Rosh." (Gog) Rosh is the old root word for the land of Russia. God informs Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38:15, "You will come from your place in the far North (the Hebrew word means "the uttermost part of the North." What's north of Jerusalem? Moscow. What is north Russia? Nothing. Meshech is the old name for the capital of Western Russia, which is known today as Moscow. Tubal is identified as a city in Siberia. Gog (Russia) is the King of the North. The King of the South is an Arab-African coalition. Ezekiel 38:5-6 identifies the rest of the nations that are dragged into battle between Gog and Magog, versus the Kings of the South:Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets,also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troopsthe many nations with you. Persia is a reference to modern-day Iran. Cush describes present-day Ethiopia and the black nations of Central Africa. Put and Libya are located in northern Africa. Gomer is the people who settled in Germany. Beth Togarmah is Asia Minor and Turkey. Note: these nations will basically align with Russia in battles against the King of the South and later on the Antichrist. Sometime before the beginning of the seven-year tribulation, the King of the South (an African-Arab coalition described in Daniel 11) moves to invade Israel. The African-Arab coalition initially has the upper hand, but is ultimately defeated by the King of the North (Russia). After a short time of peace, seeing an opportunity to enhance their domination, Gog and Magog (Russia and its Leader) proceed with their own invasion of Israel. However, God has no intention of allowing Russia to take over the land of Israel. The Antichrist intercepts Gog and Magog and defeats them. Note that two battles are described here, separated by at least 2,500 years. Gog and Magog in the Bible Ezekiel 38-39 is what is known in biblical hermeneutics (interpretation) as a double fulfillment. The first battle is the maneuverings of the nations during Ezekiels time. The events of the first battle foreshadow the second battle describing the same movements predicted by Ezekiel which will occur in the latter days just before the seven-year tribulation begins. Speaking with hyperbole (a literary tool that exaggerates to make a point) God describes the devastating events of the battle between Magog, Gog and the Antichrist. Ezekiel 38:1-4: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of[ Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army . . . Ezekiel 38:17-22: At that time this is what will happen in that day. When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused. In my zeal and fiery wrath, . . . I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. Ezekiel 38:22-39:11: I will pour down torrents of rain, hail stones, and burning sulfur on him and on his troops. . . The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the piece of the field, every creature, and all the people in the face of the earth will tremble at his presence. . . I will pour out torrents of rain, hail stones, and burning sulfur on him and on his troops . . . On that day, I give will give Gog the burial place in the Valley of those who travel east toward the sea it will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Haman Gog. And We see in these verses what seems to describe a nuclear holocaust. Fire and brimstone fall from the sky. The earth shakes. The faces of the invading soldiers melt like hot wax. It takes Israel seven years to decontaminate the land. The burial of radiation contaminated men and women injures even more. Thousands of invading soldiers lie unburied. God sends the birds of the air to pluck the flesh right off their bodies (Ezekiel 38:14 and 39:1-7. This sounds just like the grisly feast of God in Revelation 19 at the Battle of Armageddon. Again, this passage is a double fulfillment. From Ezekiels day until the coming of the Romans in 70 A.D. Israel was decimated by nation after nation thus fulfilling Ezekiels prophecy regarding the future decimation of Israel. Then, we recognize that the above passages parallel the book of Revelation and the horrors of Armageddon. Now we understand that these passages are no longer hyperbole. This is the second fulfillment of Ezekiels prophecy. The previously mentioned passages are literal words which describe the horrible events of the last days While Russia is destroyed by the Antichrist just before the seven-year tribulation begins, Gog and Magog will rearm and take part in the war of Armageddon. As a result of the war between the King of the North and the Antichrist, Israel is open to signing a seven-year-peace treaty with the Antichrist to protect them from other invasions. After three and half years the Antichrist breaks the peace treaty by invading Israel and all the horrors of the book of Revelation break forth over the earth. During the last days, God brings the armies of the Antichrist, Russia, the Middle East, the Arab-African coalition and China together in the Valley of Megiddo for the Battle of Armageddon. As Jesus returns he laughs at his enemies (Psalm 2). At the Second Coming Jesus enters the fray and destroys the forces of the Antichrist, the King of the East and the king of the North as recorded in Zachariah14:12-13: This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another. For hundreds of years, students of Bible prophecy have wondered what kind of plague could produce such instant ravaging of humans? Until the advent of the atomic bomb, such a thing was not humanly possible. But now, everything Zechariah predicted can come true instantly in a thermonuclear exchange! By the way, at the Second Coming, the nonbelieving Jews of Israel will see the nail prints in Jesus hands, feet and side and realize that they crucified their Messiah. It will break their hearts. Many Jews will turn to Christ. Zechariah 12:10: And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit] of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. During that time God the Father invites anyone willing to come to Christ to Kiss the Son which is the Old Testament way of saying, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Many Jews will to the Christ. The Two Suppers of God at the End of Time Revelation 19:17-18: And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small. The Wedding Supper of the Lamb is described in Revelation 19:9: Then the angel said to me, Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! This is the marriage feast when Jesus, as the Bridegroom, takes His church for his Bride. It is a tremendous time of fellowship and praise. There is a word picture here and we all have a choice. We can enjoy the supper with Jesus or we can be the supper. Revelation chapters 20 through 22 wrap up the story with the destruction of Satan and his followers, the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, and the new Heaven and the new Earth. By the way, people often ask does the United States fit in prophecy? The United States is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. However, there is a reference in Revelation to an eagle which protects Israel during the last times. Of course, the eagle is a symbol for the United States. Revelation 12-14: The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpents reach. Of course, the United States has always been a friend and supporter of Israel. By Gods grace, we will stand by their side. If we ever turn against Israel we will suffer the same fate as the Antichrist and his forces. Well, Christopher, I hope this gives you some insight into Gog and Magog and to the extra material that I shared beyond your question that you may find helpful. May God bless you in your studies of the Book of Revelation and please remember that God promises a blessing for those who read it often. Love, Roger Editor's Note: Pastor Roger Barrier's "Ask Roger" column regularly appears at Preach It, Teach It. Every week at Crosswalk, Dr. Barrier puts nearly 40 years of experience in the pastorate to work answering questions of doctrine or practice for laypeople, or giving advice on church leadership issues. Email him your questions at roger@preachitteachit.org. Dr. Roger Barrier retired as senior teaching pastor from Casas Church in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to being an author and sought-after conference speaker, Roger has mentored or taught thousands of pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders worldwide. Casas Church, where Roger served throughout his thirty-five-year career, is a megachurch known for a well-integrated, multi-generational ministry. The value of including new generations is deeply ingrained throughout Casas to help the church move strongly right through the twenty-first century and beyond. Dr. Barrier holds degrees from Baylor University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Golden Gate Seminary in Greek, religion, theology, and pastoral care. His popular book, Listening to the Voice of God, published by Bethany House, is in its second printing and is available in Thai and Portuguese. His latest work is, Got Guts? Get Godly! Pray the Prayer God Guarantees to Answer, from Xulon Press. Roger can be found blogging at Preach It, Teach It, the pastoral teaching site founded with his wife, Dr. Julie Barrier. Photo Credit: GettyImages/Zeferli Oceanwide Expeditions has officially launched its Arctic 2020 expedition cruise program, unveiling its full range of itineraries in Svalbard, Greenland, and Northern Norway, the company said. Included in these itineraries are possible landing sites, potential wildlife encounters, and the many exciting and exploratory activities the company offers in the worlds wildest and northernmost wildernesses aboard the new Hondius. The Arctic program for 2020 visits the Spitsbergen area of Svalbard, eastern Greenland and the shores of Northern Norway. Depending on the location visited, passengers can enjoy such invigorating activities as kayaking, hiking, ski mountaineering, snowshoeing, scuba diving, photo workshops, and the many special activities offered to passengers of the Hondius, among which are engaging and informative workshops on a wide range of polar subjects, the company said. Hurtigrutens Loften is celebrating 55 years today since the ship launched service from Bergen in 1964. During these 55 years, the ship has sailed approx. 4.3 million nautical miles or 8 million kilometers. According to Hurtigruten, the original Burmeister & Wain main engine has passed a record 325,000 operating hours. Built by Akers Mek. Verksted in Oslo, the Lofoten was delivered to Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab VDS on Feb. 27, 1964. The ship has had different owners and there have been different funnel logos during these years, but the Lofoten has mainly been part of the coastal service between Bergen and Kirkenes all these years. Today the ship belongs to Hurtigruten, and to emphasize her history, sails with the original VDS funnel logo as the companys first ship, the D/S Vesteraalen, had in 1893. BRIDGEPORT Infowars host Alex Jones, who is being sued for calling the Sandy Hook shooting a hoax, has hired a controversial Connecticut lawyer to defend him. I was aware he wanted to hire another lawyer and now Im in the case, confirmed New Haven lawyer Norman Pattis. Im looking forward to the fight, there is a lot to talk about in the case. Pattis replaces Jones original lawyer, Jay Wolman. Jones is being sued in Superior Court in Bridgeport by the parents and family of some of the 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School killed in a mass shooting in 2012 by Adam Lanza. In his former television, show Jones claimed the shooting was staged by paid actors who faked the childrens deaths. A well-known figure in the states legal community, Pattis is no stranger to controversy. He represented Anna Gristina, called the Manhattan madam, known for running a high-profile prostitution ring that allegedly attracted clients such as actor Charlie Sheen, among others. His biography lists accomplishments in civil rights cases and says he represents people who face powerful foes. Earlier this year, Pattis was condemned by the NAACP for posting a photograph depicting three white-hooded beer cans around a brown beer bottle hanging by the neck from a refrigerator rack on his Facebook page. The caption read Ku Klux Coors. But he also represented members of the Bridgeport Board of Education after the elected board was disbanded under former Mayor Bill Finch. Pattis successfully argued before the state Supreme Court to have the elected board reinstated. Pattis said that at this point he is still wading through all the paper filed by the Sandy Hook families law firm, Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder. Although his first action as Jones lawyer was to withdraw a motion to move the case to eastern Connecticut. A change of venue in Connecticut is almost never granted, Pattis explained. I didnt want to waste more paper. BRIDGEPORT - Terrell Big Baby Evans shed no tears Tuesday when he pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his best friend while trying to shoot someone else. But the victims family were sobbing when they learned Evans was just facing 15 years in prison. I think he should go to jail for life, Kyree Kennedys father, Kiri Langston, told Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin. The 23-year-old Evans, of Marigold Avenue, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, carrying a pistol without a permit, criminal possession of a firearm and violation of probation as he was about to go to trial. Under the plea bargain, the judge told Evans he is facing 15 years in prison followed by a period of probation when he is sentenced May 3. Evans is accused of accidentally shooting his friend, 22-year-old Kennedy, of Success Avenue, in the head while the two were in the midst of doing a drive-by shooting on May 2, 2017. Kennedy was found slumped over in the drivers seat of his car shortly before midnight on Read Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said witnesses told them Evans had gone for a ride with Kennedy to Read Street to shoot up a car that belonged to a person Kennedy had an ongoing feud with. As they approached the target car, police said Evans began firing from the front passenger seat across Kennedy and out the drivers side window. But at one point Kennedy turned his head and one of Evans shots struck him instead, police said. During a subsequent interview, police said Evans told Lt. Christopher LaMaine that he had nothing to do with the shooting and was asleep in his grandmothers house at the time. However, police said the grandmother later told them she had not seen Evans that night. BRIDGEPORT More than 100 police officers stood on the Boston Avenue green Tuesday morning to pay their respects to Sgt. Mark Belinkie, who killed himself last weekend. Officers stood in two lines, facing each other, during the short ceremony. Police cars lined the green, with traffic backed up both eastbound and westbound on Boston Avenue. WASHINGTON Former Attorney General George Jepsen to Connecticut towns: drop your opioid lawsuits. Before leaving office in January, Jepsen led a coalition of 36 attorneys general who were investigating the role of the nations opioid manufacturers and the major distributors of the narcotics in the nations opioid epidemic. Although a multi-state lawsuit has not been filed yet, the attorneys general hope their efforts result in a settlement, in the billions of dollars, that would allow their states to implement new prevention and treatment programs. But Jepsen said the proliferation of lawsuits by counties, cities and towns complicate the legal process making it much harder for the state-led eort to convince the industry to agree to a comprehensive settlement. In a Sunday op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Jepsen said to resolve this logjam, attorneys general should structure state-centric deals under which localities can benet if they drop their lawsuits. Several Connecticut towns that have filed opioid lawsuits, including Waterbury and Hartford, did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comments on Jepsens idea. New Haven, New Britain, Naugatuck, Southbury, Woodbury, Fairfield, Beacon Falls, Milford, Oxford, West Haven, North Haven, Thomaston, East Hartford, Southington, Newtown, Shelton and Tolland have also filed opioid suits. In Washington, D.C. on Monday to attend a conference of attorneys general, Jepsen told the CT Mirror that the companies named in the roughly 2,000 lawsuits filed by counties, cities and towns across the nation are not going to settle unless they achieve a global settlement. Purdue Pharma, Endo Pharmaceutical, and Janssen Pharmaceutical are among the drug companies named in the lawsuits. Reuters on Monday reported that Stamford-based Purdue is considering filing for bankruptcy to limit its potential role in the nations deadly opioid epidemic. Purdue Pharma has no debt, but is the maker of OxyContin and two other opioid drugs. The company has been accused of promoting its narcotics as safe even though company officials knew they were dangerously addictive. Counties and municipalities are also suing major drug distributors, like McKesson and Cardinal Health, claiming they shipped alarming quantities of narcotics without reporting to the authorities. Its frustrating when people desperately need treatment. Its frustrating that the possibility of a global settlement is being stymied by all of these lawsuits, Jepsen said. A state judge in January dismissed opioid lawsuits filed by Connecticut cities and towns, saying they had no standing to sue. Appeals of this decision are expected. And other Connecticut towns are pursuing lawsuits in federal court. Jepsen said the attorneys general wont have an easy road making their cases in court, either. Many observers compare the opioid cases to the 1998 national tobacco settlement, in which cigarette makers have paid more than $126 billion to the states. There are complicating dierences, he said . Opioids have legitimate medical uses and were marketed primarily to doctors, while tobacco companies pitched consumers directly. Jepsen is now an attorney in private practice and restricted from taking part in any opioid lawsuit. Although hes no longer involved in the multi-state investigation - that job has been left to his successor, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong - Jepsen said he has a personal and continuing interest in the issue. Ive always been interested in public policy and this is the public health crisis of our time, Jepsen said. Besides its involvement in the multi-state investigation, the state of Connecticut has independently filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and officers of the company, including several members of the Sackler family that owns the company. BRIDGEPORT It was a controversial project, but the new natural gas-fired power plant rising on the harbor is already having a positive impact on the citys budget. PSEGs plant is being credited for an increase in Bridgeports grand list the total value of all taxable real estate, commercial equipment and cars. Anytime the grand list is growing, it shows strength of development and people investing money into a municipality, said state Rep. Steve Stafstrom, who, a few years ago while still a City Council member, helped craft the citys budget. It could also lead to a dip in Bridgeports tax or mill rate, one of the highest in Connecticut. But there are some caveats to both of the above positives. As of this same time last year, the grand list was $6.039 billion. The list finalized Friday by the tax assessor is $6.353 billion. Mayor Joe Ganim late Monday credited the healthy 5 percent growth to a large increase in commercial-industrial property values, a significant portion of which can be attributed to the nearly complete natural gas power plant. That is caveat one. Municipalities want grand list growth, but in Bridgeports current case, a lot of that increase has to do with one big project that began under Ganims predecessor, Bill Finch, and continued under the current administration. The fact its gone up is positive, said former City Councilman Scott Burns, who used to run the councils budget committee. Its not like we hit a home run, here. The PSEG plant will replace the antiquated coal-fired facility next door, scheduled for retirement in 2021. The deal the company struck with the city was not universally celebrated: Some environmentalists would rather PSEG have left town completely. But neither Finch nor Ganim, who defeated Finch in 2015s Democratic primary, wanted the company to take its tax payments with it. Stafstrom, who lives in one of the highest taxed neighborhoods, Black Rock, said, Potentially if the grand list has increased by enough, and city spending has stayed roughly the same, then the mill rate can be deceased and result in the same amount of revenue for the city. In other words, a possible tax cut. Bridgeports tax or mill rate has been more than 54 mills since 2016. Since then, Ganim and the council have passed no-tax-increase budgets, and that is not anticipated to change this year given the mayor and council members face re-election. But there was no mention of a tax decrease in Ganims statement on Monday. We will continue to be prudent with taxpayer dollars as we work through the challenges of balancing operational finances as well as fulfilling pension obligations and dealing with past decreases in state funding, Ganim said. In lieu of a tax cut, Stafstrom said, the grand list increase gives the mayor and council some more flexibility as they prepare to begin work on the 2019-20 budget in April. Although the mill rate can stay the same, if the grand list is higher, that means more revenue for the city, he said. All things being equal, either taxes can be cut or more money can be spent on public services education, or police services or investments in economic development. Burns, also a Black Rock resident, said he would be very surprised if the current administration cut taxes. Theres always increasing costs, Burns said. Even if PSEG is shouldering most of the current grand list growth, Burns said he remains optimistic about the citys economic future given other development that is in the pipeline. People see Bridgeport as a place where you can invest (in) vacant lots, old properties, Burns said. HARTFORD A bill that would prohibit the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products, electronic nicotine delivery systems, and vapor products to people under the age of 21 received strong support during a public hearing Monday. If Connecticut passed the bill, it would join a number of cities, including New York City, Chicago, Cleveland, Albany, and two cities in Kansas, as well as in the states of Massachusetts, California, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, and Oregon in raising the age from 18 to 21 for the purchase of tobacco and vaping products. In Connecticut, several municipalities are ahead of the state on taking the initiative of raising the age to 21 for tobacco products including the cities of Hartford and Bridgeport which have enacted such laws in the past few months. Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, said that raising the age for tobacco and vaping is perhaps one of the more important bills in front of this committee and the legislature this session. Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Commissioner Miriam Delphin-Rittmon supports the legislation. The use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and vapor products has increased significantly over the past few years, Delphin-Rittmon said in written testimony. The Department of Public Health 2017 Youth Tobacco Survey indicates ENDS use has more than doubled by Connecticut high school students from 7.2 percent use in 2015 to 14.7 percent use in 2017. Delphin-Rittmon added: Studies show nicotine has a detrimental effect the adolescent brain altering normal development that will impact that person for the rest of his or her life. Ninety percent of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18 years old. During Mondays public hearings, Rep. Mary Mushinksy, D-Wallingford, and professionals who work with teenage children in Wallingford, urged the committee to get behind the bill. More News FDA commissioner to warn Weston students about vaping Frankly, Id prefer the age be raised to 25, which is end of brain development time period, Mushinsky told the committee. But any age raising, Mushinsky said, would be a positive step forward. Ken Welch, co-founder of the Coalition for a Better Wallingford, said the committee needed to take strong action stating that vaping in schools had reached epidemic proportions and school officials are at a loss in trying to control it. Welch said the Wallingford group he founded, after his step-daughter died from a drug overdose in 2012, works with town departments, police, and school officials on the issues of substance abuse by young people. He told the committee that the state needs to send a message to try and help towns and schools curtail the vaping by young people. They (school officials) are changing dress codes, they are putting monitors in bathrooms, they are shutting down bathrooms, Welch said. This is out of control. Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, wondered even if the legislature raised the age whether that action in and of itself would be enough to stem the vaping epidemic. They are using it right in the classroom, it is that discreet, Candelora said, adding that many of the teens vaping in schools are as young as 14 years old. The Wallingford officials agreed with Candelora but also suggested that one strategy that could help would be to include a tax hike on all vaping products to discourage use. Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, R-Prospect, said she understood and didnt disagree with the idea of legislating against those under 21 from being able to smoke, but found it a little difficult to square that with the fact that young people under the age of 21 could be prohibited from smoking but could still enlist in the armed forces and be sent to a foreign country to fight and smoke while theyre doing that. We send kids over to all these countries and they are able to smoke, she said. With the situations they find themselves in, its probably a stress reliever. Then, Zupkus said, they come back to Connecticut and if this law is passed and they are under the age of 21 they wouldnt be able to smoke. Also testifying in favor of the initiative was Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull. Seagull warned that if the bills language remained as written that her department would be in charge of enforcing the legislation and that it would take more resources. There are currently 33 manufacturer registrations and 1,196 dealer registrations in Connecticut, Seagull testified. Because HB 7200 would vastly expand our regulatory scope with regard to these entities, we would need additional administrative, investigatory, and legal staff as well as other resources to implement this proposal. Gov. Ned Lamont proposed raising the age as part of his two-year budget. It will cost Connecticut $5.8 million in revenue in the first year and $5.5 million in the second year of the budget. Secondly, Lamont is also proposing a 75 percent wholesale tax on electronic cigarette liquids. BRIDGEPORT State Sen. Marilyn Moore, D-Bridgeport, on Tuesday called on city officials to make public the investigative report on the 2017 Colorado Avenue party bust up. There is no excuse for this. Two officers have committed suicide, Latinos civil rights were violated and the city attorney is sitting on an FOIA request from the Connecticut Post, said Moore who recently announced she is a candidate for mayor. Mayor Joe Ganim told Hearst Connecticut Media late Tuesday that the report would be available Wednesday morning. Following a two-year investigation, the city Office of Internal Affairs issued a 408-page report which Chief Armando Perez confirmed cites 17 police officers for violating Police Department regulations. Multiple sources said the violations include lying on official sworn police reports regarding the incident. Hearst Connecticut Media requested either a copy or to read the report in early January, but the city has not yet complied with the FOI request. On Oct. 21, 2017, officers responded to a noise complaint about a backyard party. Forty-five officers ended up being called to the scene. One party participant, Carmelo Mendez, filed a complaint that he was punched and kicked by officers while handcuffed. He provided video he claims supports his allegations. Two officers who were investigated by OIA later committed suicide including Sgt. Mark Belinkie who killed himself at his Milford home on Saturday. There has been no link established between the officers suicides and the investigation. Perez said Belinkie previously told him he was concerned about the OIA investigation. There is no reason for the city to continue to sit on this report. ... the victims are waiting in limbo, the level of distrust that the public has with the Police Department grow -- and yet the city attorney says they are not releasing the report. Why? Moore said in a statement. Release the report today. End the secrecy surrounding this incident and let healing process begin. Once again, we see the city attorneys office ignore state law concerning Freedom of Information. The Internal Affairs report is the publics information not the City Attorneys private information. Release the report today, Moore stated. STAMFORD Under the eyes of a sign-waving crowd and a plastic skeleton and after a fraught debate city legislators late Monday voted to put Hartford on notice. Stamford doesnt want highway tolls. Members of the Board of Representatives approved, 26-9 with two abstentions, a Resolution Opposing Tolls in Connecticut. The board does not have the power to prevent tolls, but members hope the resolution serves as a message to state legislators and Gov. Ned Lamont, who has proposed a plan to charge motorists for using state highways. Hartford is addicted to Stamford money they dont have the best interests of this city at heart, said Rep. Steve Kolenberg, R-16, who headed the resolution effort. We need to tell Hartford think about this before you do it. The debate, however, began before representatives entered Legislative Chambers. Among the largely anti-toll crowd was a handful of supporters from Greenwich, including a man wearing a T-shirt that read, Smart tolling is smart for CT, and carrying a sign saying tolls reduce rush-hour traffic delays and costs to residents, and eliminate the need for road widening. Stamford residents disagreed. Maybe people in Greenwich can afford to pay tolls, Bob Katchko said. We cant afford tolls in Stamford. Someone brought a plastic skeleton dressed in red, the color of No Tolls CT, a Stamford group leading a statewide opposition effort. A sign tied to the skeletons hands said CT tolls are a brain-dead idea. Kolenberg said a number of representatives got calls during the day from the office of state Sen. Alexandra Bergstein, D-36th, of Greenwich, whose district includes North Stamford, urging them to reject the resolution. Bergstein proposed one of the toll bills now before the state Legislature and has been holding town meetings to boost support for tolls. For a while there it looked like the vote could go either way, Kolenberg said. Rep. David Watkins, R-1, was among those who opposed the resolution, saying Stamford is not single-minded on the issue. The board oversimplifies by purporting to represent the views of 130,000 residents, Watkins said during the debate. Rep. Tom Pendell, D-15, said 90 percent of his constituents support tolls because they want better roads and less congestion. We have to be open-minded, Pendell said. We dont know the details yet. Kolenberg said toll proposals include implementing congestion pricing, which hikes fees during rush hour. The pricing method does not successfully reduce traffic, he said, using as an example Interstate 66 outside of Washington, D.C., where, he said, congestion pricing has resulted in an 8:30 a.m. charge of more than $46. There is so much congestion on this road that the price has hit almost $50, he said. Tolls do not reduce congestion. Kolenberg said a study shows tolls will hurt Connecticut drivers more than those from out of state. Sixty to 70 percent of the people using the roads live here, so thats who will pay tolls, he said. It disproportionately hurts state residents, who already pay gasoline tax, sales tax when they buy a car, municipal car taxes, even a tax when they get their car washed. Lamont has said state residents would get a discount under his proposal. But Rep. Eric Morson, D-13, said he could not support an anti-toll resolution until he knows how many electronic gantries will be installed where, what the fees will be, and whether tolls will drive traffic onto city streets. Roads and bridges need significant work, Morson said, and its better to pay tolls than pay a higher income tax or sales tax. Representatives questioned a proposal that would create a 13-member Transportation Finance Authority made up of elected officials and gubernatorial appointees. The authority would have broad powers that would include setting toll prices, approving projects and issuing bonds. Rep. Bradley Michelson, R-1, said he doesnt understand why residents would send toll revenue to the state Department of Transportation, which ranked last in an annual highway study by the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank. The most recent study found that Connecticut has the highest administrative costs per mile in the U.S. $99,400, compared with an average of $10,900, Michelson said. I would consider tolls if we had an efficient government, Michelson said. Fix the organization first and then we can give you more money. Rep. J.R. McMullen, R-18, said creating a transportation authority is not the solution. We are creating another bureaucracy to work around the broken bureaucracy we already have, McMullen said. Some representatives are unhappy with Lamont, who reversed a position he took while running for governor last year, when he said he wanted to toll only trucks. Other representatives said the infrastructure must be repaired to improve transportation and boost the states economy, and tolls are the best way. Its a use fee, Morson said. Most who opposed the resolution said its because they dont know enough yet about how tolls would be implemented, including whether prices would be adjusted for in-state commuters, out-of-state trucks and low-income residents. Proposed bills are set for a Wednesday public hearing in Hartford. Stamford resident Patrick Sasser, who founded No Tolls CT, said opposition is gaining traction statewide, with more than 50,000 signatures on an online petition. Besides Stamford, Enfield and Sherman have passed no-tolls resolutions and a number of other towns are considering them, including Trumbull, Danbury, Wallingford and Cromwell, Sasser said. This resolution sends a loud, clear message to lawmakers in Hartford that the second-largest city in the state sees issues with implementing tolls, Sasser said. acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296. A Wisconsin teenager faces two felony charges after he reportedly admitted to putting sedatives in his stepfather's drinks. WISC reports Tyler Rabenhorst-Malone, 16, was charged with placing foreign objects in edibles and second-degree recklessly endangering safety, according to court records. The boy's mother and stepdad reportedly discovered in April 2018 that a box of oxytocin containing rompun (Xylazine) which is given to cows during the delivery of calves, was missing from their Lima barn. In January 2018, the stepfather had gone to the hospital with a droopy face, slurred speech, heavy breathing and was stumbling, officials said. Doctors advised it was probably from stress, lack of sleep and energy drinks, but when it happened again a couple of months later, the stepfather began to suspect Rabenhorst-Malone could be behind it. According to a complaint, liquid saved from several of the stepdads drinks and syringes he found tested positive for the cattle sedative. In February, Rabenhorst-Malone admitted to putting the drug in his stepdads drink because he thought it was funny but said he didn't want to hurt him, according to the complaint. Running a profitable and legal cannabis dispensary is entirely possible but not at all easy. The regulatory labrynth is tough to navigate, startup costs are usually significant, the taxes are brutal and the competition is fierce. Building a successful cannabis business means understanding, before you even get started, the many ways this industry is unique. Here are seven facts to recognize before starting a cannabis dispensary in 2019. 1. The market is massive and will only get bigger. Normal business considerations are very different when youre working in the legal weed industry. But past these difficulties is a brand new industry filled with opportunity for entrepreneurs. Specifically, heres are some statistics about the industry: Today, there are only eight dispensaries open in Massachusetts, which is predicted to become a $1.8 billion dollar industry. In other words, opening a cannabis dispensary is a more appealing business idea than ever before. Related: 9 Totally Normal Business Considerations That Are Completely Different in the Cannabis Industry 2. Obtaining a license is competitive and costly. The first step when opening a cannabis dispensary is applying for a business license. This is a complex, expensive and state-specific process (and often city or county specific, too). License costs vary between states but often reach six figures, not including renewal and application fees. Applying for a license by no means guarantees that you will receive one. Despite high costs, dispensary licenses are hard to come by. Typically, states are concerning about overwhelming the market and roll out licenses gradually. 3. Its Difficult (but not impossible) to access bank services. Dont expect to qualify for a business loan if youre opening a cannabis dispensary. According to government data, 375 banks and 111 credit unions worldwide offer services to weed businesses. However, this typically means cannabis businesses can open bank accounts, not access loans. Due to federal laws, banks are still reluctant to provide services to cannabis businesses because they could technically be guilty of money laundering. When they do, the business in question has to share a lot of financial information with them, which requires extra work on both sides. Though it is possible to get a cannabis bank account, that will in almost all cases be the only role a bank will play in your business. Funding will be entirely up to you. Related: Your Cannabis Company Can Get a Bank Account but Not Easily 4. Taxes are very high. Paying taxes is a hassle no matter the industry but paying cannabis dispensary taxes is another process entirely. For businesses that do not have bank accounts, this means paying your taxes in cash, which is a hassle for you and the IRS. And whether or not you obtain a bank account for your cannabis dispensary, youll have to pay higher taxes than virtually any other industry. This is a result of federal Tax Code 280E. It prevents all plant-touching businesses -- companies that deal directly with the plant, rather than with accessories and ancillary services -- from deducting business expenses and using tax credits. Equipment, rent, insurance, advertising cannabis dispensaries cannot deduct any of these expenses. This brings the average taxes paid by a weed business to around 70 percent. Related: Study Warns Sky-High Marijuana Taxes Drive Consumers Back to the Black Market 5. Well trained employees will distinguish your cannabis dispensary. Very few people working in legal weed has any formal education in cannabis, and since the industry is so young few prospective employees have any experience at all. For employers, this means that it will be difficult to find qualified employees. One study found that dispensary staff is only trained for sales, not for providing medical advice. But this potential obstacle also presents an opportunity. For many customers, the biggest value in going to a dispensary is learning which products are best suited for a specific condition or effect. There is a demand for weed knowledge. A cannabis dispensary can set itself apart by creating an in-depth training program that sets its employees apart from the rest. Related: Survey Finds Dispensary Staff Are Well Trained for Sales but Not for Medical Advice 6. Funding will have to be personal or VC. Because weed businesses do not have access to banking, funding can be a significant hurdle to getting started. Your first option is to self-fund, but starting a cannabis dispensary is a slow and expensive process. Not only do you have to be able to afford all startup costs, but acquiring a license and permits takes a lot of time. For many businesses, this means paying rent without being able to turn a profit for months, if not years. There is an increasing number of private investment options opening up. Funding for cannabis businesses can also be found through family, friends or a Series A round. Alternatively, some weed companies seek financial support from cannabis hedge funds, celebrities, business incubators and family offices. Related: Where to Find Funding for a Cannabis Business 7. Supply chain management is complex. Starting a legal cannabis dispensary entails following strict laws and health and safety rules. The weed industry is a lot like food and beverages: to legally sell your products, you need strict supply chain management and have to be able to prove that youre in compliance with all regulations. For that reason, the cannabis industry is redefining supply chain management. But unlike the food and beverages industry, the industry doesnt have access to a workforce specifically trained for it yet. And protocol for health and safety varies from state to state and is subject to change. Sure, starting a cannabis dispensary is a big undertaking, but a potentially lucrative one. Make no mistake: Starting a cannabis dispensary is a complicated, expensive and arduous process. That isnt to say that it cant be a rewarding and lucrative venture. In 2019, the market is poised to see further growth with New York cannabis legalization among others and the maturation of older markets. As a result, demand for well-run cannabis dispensaries that can stay in compliance with laws and regulations will only increase. Related: 7 Facts About Starting a Cannabis Dispensary in 2019 California's National Guard Targets Outlaw Pot Growers - Legal Growers Just Hope They Don't Miss Wisconsin Governor Backs Effort to Decriminalize Marijuana Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved The following are recent arrests released by the Bridgeport Police Department on Mar. 5, 2019. Feb. 28 A 32-year-old Seaview Avenue man was charged with possession with the intent to sell. A 20-year-old Webster Avenue man was charged with illegal transfer of a pistol, stealing a firearm, and criminal possession of a firearm. A 19-year-old Main Street man was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, interfering with an officer, and violating a condition of release. A 21-year-old Washington Avenue woman was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, and third-degree assault. A 36-year-old Seaview Avenue man was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, interfering with an emergency call, and second-degree threatening. Mar. 1 A 29-year-old Chopsey Hill Road man was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon and second-degree breach of peace A 31-year-old Whitey Avenue woman was charged with risk of injury to a child. Mar. 2 A 29-year-old Harlem Avenue man was charged with assault of an elderly victim or other, risk of injury a child, and disorderly conduct. Mar. 3 A 37-year-old Yarrington Court woman was charged with second-degree stalking, simple trespass, and disorderly conduct. A 38-year-old Williams Street man was charged with third-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace. A 54-year-old Poplar Street man was charged with first-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault, second-degree unlawful restraint, and risk of injury to a child. A 28-year-old Armstrong Place man was charged with first-degree assault and breach of peace. A 29-year-old Calhoun Avenue woman was charged with first-degree assault and breach of peace. A 38-year-old Atlantic Street woman was charged with possession of a controlled substance, risk of injury to a child, and disorderly conduct. As of January 2019, Hearst Connecticut Media does not include names in online police blotters. While marketing tactics abound for fueling growth for startups and big-name brands alike, many entrepreneurs ultimately succeed or fail based almost entirely on their skills and personality. Related: Why Emotional Intelligence Is Crucial for Success (Infographic) This doesnt refer just to industry knowledge. Instead, business is built on relationships -- especially in the startup world. To succeed, entrepreneurs must also hone their emotional intelligence, or EQ. Psychology Today defines EQ as the ability to identify and manage ones own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. And people steeped in it understand how to control their emotions in a way that enhances, rather than detracts from, their problem-solving abilities. In fact, a test of workplace skills by TalentSmart determined that, "Emotional intelligence is the strongest predictor of performance, explaining a full 58 percent of success in all types of jobs. Self-awareness improves decision-making. A key element of emotional intelligence is self-awareness, in other words being consistently aware of your feelings so you can keep them under control and understand how they affect you in your day-to-day work. In a phone conversation, Daniel Puder, founder and CEO of My Life My Power Institute, highlighted just how important it is to manage ones own emotions. Any time you lose control of your emotions, youre going to make a mistake," he said. "Ive seen this both in my [management marketing analytics] career and in my nonprofit work. When you let an emotional reaction cloud your decision-making process, your perception is distorted. As a result, you make mistakes you wouldnt otherwise make. What Puder referred to was a scenario in which when a setback occurs, someone with high emotional intelligence is accountable for his or her feelings and finds appropriate ways to express any frustration felt. An EQ individual understands that while you cant control everything that affects your business, your reaction will impact what comes next. Someone with high emotional intelligence won't be distraught by an early entrepreneurial failure. Instead, he or she will actively look for ways to bounce back. Com Mirza, who today runs a nine-figure company, notably failed with his first eight companies and lost millions of dollars in investments. Writing for Entrepreneur, he explained, I stopped getting angry and frustrated; I started getting proactive and resourceful. I stopped doing business haphazardly; I started building an efficient, accurate system to take back control of my life. This emotionally intelligent approach helped Mirza turn things around and launch a successful business. Self-awareness also helps you avoid impulsive decision-making. Though we entrepreneurs are generally more willing to take risks than the average person, any decision should still be seen as a calculated risk. By not letting extreme positive or negative emotions cloud your judgment, you can take a step back, look at the bigger picture and make a more rational decision. Strong EQ also breeds optimism and resiliency, vital traits for navigating the ups and downs that come with running a business. Ive found that learning to control my own emotions helps me avoid slipping into an unproductive funk when problems arise, allowing me to instead search for meaningful solutions. This more innovative approach helps me find the solutions that keep me in business. Of course, there is a difference between managing your emotions and suppressing them. As Anton Chumak Andryakov wrote for Entrepreneur, No matter what the emotion is, you must remember to keep it balanced, authentic to you and the situation, and you must be proactive and not reactive with it. Dont be a robot; and go show some emotion. Expressing feelings appropriately is a key part of emotional intelligence -- especially when you interact with others. Learn to understand others better. Social awareness and relationship management are crucial outward-facing components of emotional intelligence, especially in terms of customer relationships. Business conversations, after all, are key to networking and closing sales. Of course, such conversations are truly effective only when you understand the pain points of the person you are speaking with. Being genuine and honest in your conversations -- admitting, for example, when you dont know the answer -- may seem like basic tips, but they are essential for building rapport and empathy with sales prospects. When you display empathy, customers will open up to you, becoming more willing to share their experiences. As a result, youll gain key insights, allowing you to fine-tune your sales pitch or better adapt your products and services to meet customers' needs. With these key elements in place, higher sales results are sure to follow. A great example of this is JetBlues Flight Etiquette videos. Though humorous in nature, these videos show that the brand understands the inconveniences that occur when other passengers arent courteous. By empathizing with customers pain points, JetBlue gets its desired messages across while bolstering its brand image as a customer-service oriented business. Social awareness and relationship management also come into play when you're building your companys team. Emotional intelligence helps you establish a positive culture that encourages employees to give their best effort. Related: How Emotional Intelligence Can Improve Your Productivity By keeping your cool when things go wrong and always treating team members with respect, you foster loyalty and reduce employee turnover. A Deloitte study described by the Huffington Post found that the costs associated with losing a single employee can exceed twice that individuals annual salary. In contrast, a study by Initiative One Leadership Institute described by Entrepreneur found that workers are "400 percent less likely to leave a job if they have a high EQ manager. Big savings result when you improve your EQ. Emotional intelligence is just as crucial for managing and retaining remote employees. As Rebecca Knight wrote in an article for the Harvard Business Review, Managers must put in extra effort to cultivate a positive team dynamic and ensure remote workers feel connected to other colleagues Concentrate on what you and your direct reports have in common -- organizational goals and objectives, for example. Then, use consistent communication and positive reinforcement to enhance the team dynamic. Making the change. As with any other skill, emotional intelligence isnt something that comes naturally to everyone. Thats okay. Practicing key EQ attributes and learning to take a proactive role in controlling your emotional state will help you improve these crucial skills over time. Related: 4 Reasons Emotional Intelligence Gives Women an Upper Hand as Negotiators Though you may not notice an immediate change to your bottom line, controlling your emotions and working to better empathize with others will ultimately guide your business efforts in the right direction. Related: How to Say 'No' to Anyone Without Feeling Guilty Why More 'Emotional Intelligence' Means More Money for Entrepreneurs Most Scholars Agree Emotional Intelligence Is the Key to Productivity Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved CultNews101.com: news, links, resources. Cults101.org: resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics. CultMediation.com: offers resources designed to help thoughtful families and friends understand and respond to the complexity of a loved ones cult involvement. Intervention101.com: to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement. CultRecovery101.com: assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice. STORY LINK GBP to JPY Exchange Rate Slides on Fresh Brexit Jitters and Safe Haven Demand GBP Exchange Rates Pressured by Fresh Brexit Jitters and UK Services Report JPY Exchange Rates Sturdy on Safe Haven Demand GBP/JPY Exchange Rate Forecast: Investors Anticipate Japanese Growth Report Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: A brief rise in Pound demand on soft Brexit hopes yesterday was short-lived, as the British Pound to Japanese Yen (GBP/JPY) exchange rate tumbled today in reaction to the latest Brexit uncertainties, as well as stronger market demand for safe haven currencies. Investors are now anticipating further Brexit news, as well as Japanese data due later in the week.Its been a busy week for GBP/JPY, as after opening last week at the level of 144.48 the pair saw a significant weekly gain of over three Yen, closing the week at the level of 147.85. GBP/JPY was unable to hold last Fridays 2019 high of 148.48, and this week so far has tumbled on fresh market demand for safe haven currencies.GBP/JPY touched this weeks low of 146.66 earlier today, but at the time of writing was trending close to the level of 147.02.Despite the latest UK services PMI stats coming in stronger than expected and avoiding the forecast contraction, the data still left investors concerned about Britains slow Q1 2019 growth.Concerns that there was not enough domestic support for UK Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit deal only left Sterling even less appealing.Yesterday, demand for the Pound saw a limited boost as speculation rose that critics of UK Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit deal, notably those within her Conservative Party, were softening their stances.The news briefly bolstered hopes that Prime Minister May could bolster enough support for her deal to pass it through Parliament and secure a soft Brexit during next weeks meaningful vote.However, todays Brexit news saw that optimism quickly dissipate.John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor of Britains opposition Labour Party, said that not many Labour MPs would be willing to vote in favour of the Prime Ministers Brexit plan during next weeks Parliament vote.As a result, hopes that the deal would find enough support to pass weakened, and the Pound tumbled in reaction.On top of the latest Brexit jitters, demand for the Pound was also weakened by further signs of weakness in Britains economy. While the latest UK services PMI actually beat forecasts and printed at 51.3, the data still concerned analysts.This was because the data was still close to stagnation, and indicated that Britains economy may have been stagnant throughout Q1.The Japanese Yen saw stronger demand today, after mixed performance last week and on Monday, thanks to the latest market shift in risk-sentiment and the latest Japanese data.During the Asian session, China confirmed that it was cutting its growth forecasts for the nation. Amid the confirmation that the worlds second biggest economy was slowing, investors were more hesitant to take risks.As a result of the fresh risk aversion, investors found safe haven currencies like the Japanese Yen more appealing.Safe havens typically benefit during times of market uncertainty.Demand for the Japanese Yen was further bolstered today by Japans February services PMI stats from Nikkei, which printed higher than analysts predicted.Japans services PMI improved from 51.6 to 52.3 rather than the expected 52.1.There wont be much in the way of more UK data this week, meaning the Pound will continue to be driven by Brexit speculation and development.Influential Japanese data due later in the week could influence the Pound to Japanese Yen (GBP/JPY) exchange rate as well though, starting with a speech from the Bank of Japans (BoJ) Harada on Wednesday.Japans latest coincident index and leading economic index stats will be published on Thursday, but the weeks biggest news will be Japans growth results due for publication on Friday.Japans final Q4 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate is forecast to have recovered from contraction. The quarterly figure is expected to rise from -0.7% to 0.4%, with the annual figure expected to climb from -2.6% to 1.8%.Other Japanese data that could influence GBP/JPY towards the end of the week includes Japanese household spending and current account stats.Of course, as the Yen has benefitted from safe haven demand this week, shifts in market risk-sentiment could also influence the Pound to Japanese Yen exchange rate. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound Yen Forecasts For Subscribers Boys basketball preview: Who's primed to make deep playoff runs? A look ahead to the 2021-22 high school boys basketball season in Somerset County. The top 10 ranked players are also featured. Fracking may put Pennsylvania communities at greater risk for skin, genital, and urinary diseases, according to new research. The study, which will be published in the March issue of the journal Public Health, looked at hospital records in Pennsylvania's 67 counties from 2003-2014. Researchers found that the more fracking wells were in a county, the more hospitalizations the county saw for genital and urinary problems like urinary tract infections, kidney infections, and kidney stones. Fracking, another name for hydraulic fracturing, is a process of extracting oil and gas from the Earth by drilling deep wells and injecting liquid at high pressure. "It's important point to keep in mind that hospitalizations are for acute illness or serious exacerbations of chronic illness," Alina Denham, a PhD Candidate in Health Services Research and Policy at the University of Rochester and lead author of the study, told EHN. "So if we see strong associations with hospitalizations, it's likely that additional cases of mild symptoms for the same illnesses have been addressed at home or in an outpatient setting, or not addressed at all." Credit: Pixabay The researchers observed a similar link between fracking wells and hospitalizations for skin issues like rashes caused by cellulitis and abscesses. But while the link between fracking and genital and urinary issues was clear, the many illnesses that could fall under the category of skin-related issues in hospital diagnosis codes (everything from acne and eczema to diaper rash and ulcers) make the study's findings about skin-related issues less definitive. However, "we do know from formal complaints to the Pennsylvania Department of Health related to fracking activities that these symptoms exist," Denham, said, noting that about 200 individuals filed formal complaints documenting health impacts they thought could be related to fracking from 2011 to 2014, and 40 percent of those included skin problems. The researchers compared yearly hospitalization rates for each county with the number of new fracking wells drilled, the total number of wells, and the density of wells by land area for each county by year. Pennsylvania accounted for 19 percent of total U.S. marketed natural gas production and produced more natural gas than any other state except Texas in 2017. A majority of the natural gas produced in the state comes from the Marcellus Shale in the southwestern part of the state. After correcting for demographic factors like race and income, Denham and her colleagues found that as the number of new wells and the well density in a county increased over time, there was a corresponding increase in hospitalization rates for kidney infections, kidney stones, and urinary tract infections, particularly in women ages 20-64. "[Genital and urinary] diseases are "not something that comes to mind first when we think of the potential impacts of fracking," Denham said. "We were thinking we'd see respiratory or cardiovascular issues, so our findings were surprising." The researchers were also surprised to learn that these issues mostly affected adult women, rather than children and the elderly, who are generally more vulnerable to environmental health impacts. In general, women are more susceptible to urinary tract infections than men, which can lead to kidney infections and kidney stones if left untreated. Credit: Pixabay Denham added that a number of other studies, including some that looked at outpatient data rather than hospitalization data, have found links between cardiovascular and respiratory issues like asthma and the air pollution caused by fracking. Living within a few miles of wells likely makes people more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution, and the study notes that aggregating data at the county-level rather than zipcode likely makes those effects difficult to observe. While the study didn't investigate why this link between hospitalization rates for skin, genital, and urinary illnesses and fracking exists, the researchers have a few theories. "There's a growing body of literature on associations between drilling activity and risky sexual behaviors, so it's possible that the increase in genitourinary hospitalizations could be related to that rather than directly linked to drilling activity," Elaine Hill, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester and co-author of the study, told EHN. They've also hypothesized that the disruption to bacteria deep in the Earth that's caused by fracking, or chemical exposures in drinking water could play a role, Hill said, but they haven't found any strong toxicology or clinical literature to back that up. "In terms of skin-related issues," she added, "there's toxicology literature that suggests close to 50 percent of chemicals used in drilling could have a dermatological effect." More research is needed, Hill said, "but in the meantime, it's important for people who live in these communities to make themselves aware and make their physicians aware that they live near drilling operations so the healthcare system can respond if there is widespread risk." Ethos is a nationally recognized, award-winning independent student publication. Our mission is to elevate the voices of marginalized people who are underrepresented in the media landscape, and to write in-depth, human-focused stories about the issues affecting them. We also strive to support our diverse student staff and to help them find future success. Ethos produces a quarterly free print magazine full of well-reported and powerful feature stories, innovative photography, creative illustrations and eye-catching design. On our website, we also produce compelling written and multimedia stories. Ethos is part of Emerald Media Group, a non-profit organization thats fully independent of the University of Oregon. Students maintain complete editorial control over Ethos, and work tirelessly to produce the magazine. Since our inception as Korean Ducks Magazine in 2005, weve worked hard to share a multicultural spirit with our readership. We embrace diversity in our stories, in our student staff and in our readers. We want every part of the magazine to reflect the diversity of our world. The 13th National People's Congress, the top legislature, holds a news conference in Beijing on March 4, 2019. [Photo by Kuang Linhua/chinadaily.com.cn] China's defense expenditure is for the protection of the nation's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and does not pose any threat to other countries, according to Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the second session of the 13th National People's Congress. Zhang said at a news conference on Monday in Beijing that China always sticks to the path of peaceful development and follows policies that are purely defensive in nature. "To judge whether a country poses threat to other nations, the key lies in its foreign and defense policies rather than the increase in its defense budget," he said. He made the remarks in response to a question on China's perspective change to its defense budget this year. Zhang said a reasonable and moderate rise in military expenditure is to meet the need of safeguarding national security and facilitating military reform with Chinese characteristics. "Starting in 2016, the increases in our defense budget have been staying inside single digits each year, as opposed to double-digit rises in the five consecutive years before that year," the spokesman said. "Compared with other countries, our defense spending in 2018 accounted for about 1.3 percent of our GDP for that year, while some developed nations maintained a 2-plus percent proportion." China raised its defense budget by 8.1 percent in the fiscal year of 2018. By Lyu Desheng and Li Shurui Cover of the pre-movie advert "Homeland and Borders" BEIJING, Mar. 4 (ChinaMil) -- The everyday life of soldiers are also touching without aircraft, tanks or fire. A public service clip, "Homeland and Borders", filmed by the Chinese military has been showing on more than 10,000 movie theaters nationwide as a pre-movie advert since March 1. The 45-seconds promo is based on a video of the same title released by the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in late 2018. The video clip tells the stories of border troops guarding sentry posts such as Shenxian Bay, Heweitan and Hongqilafu, and showcases their devotion and determination to secure national border and defend homeland. According to sources from the PLA, the cinema ad of "Homeland and Borders" is a brand-new attempt aiming to implement the important indication of Chinese President Xi Jinping to "make serving in the military honorable in public." This video shows the life of service members from different aspects and perspectives, as part of efforts to send a positive message to the people that the meaning of youth is linked not only with immediate comforts and happiness, but also with your country and national security." The full short film was shown on the regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defense of the PRC on December 27 last year, and was simultaneously released on WeChat, Weibo, and other network platforms. The people who devote their youth to protect our national security are worthy of our love and admiration." "Pay tribute to the Chinese soldiers who are defending our homeland. They are the most beloved people"... Chinese netizens have expressed their recognition of the video clip on the internet. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse finally got under way yesterday, a mere six and a half years after self-appointed Nonce Finder General Tom Watson set the ball rolling. In the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal, Watson seized the opportunity to smear senior Conservatives as paedophiles and worse. Hiding behind parliamentary privilege, he claimed a child sex ring dating back to the 1980s reached all the way to No 10. Watson alleged that there had been a high-level cover-up to protect top Tories guilty of abusing children. At the height of the hysteria, the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, decided to set up a full-scale, far-reaching public inquiry into Paedos In High Places, encompassing not just Westminster, but also the Church, the NHS and the BBC. Yet even before the inquiry started hiring staff, most of the allegations had already been shown to be without any foundation whatsoever. By then, though, the reputations of men such as former Prime Minister Edward Heath, former Home Secretary Leon Brittan, and the ex-head of the Armed Forces, Lord Bramall, had been comprehensively trashed. Most of those accused were Conservatives, the majority of them already deceased. Labour peer Greville Janner found himself in the frame, too, for crimes allegedly committed 50 years earlier. He was ruled unfit to stand trial, and a civil case against his estate collapsed when his so-called victims withdrew their complaints. Tom Watson alleged there was a high-level cover-up to protect Conservative MPs of abusing children Im not going to revisit the gory details, but in this, as in every other case, no evidence of guilt was uncovered by police. The Met knew several months before Brittan died that he was innocent of a rape allegation made against him by a mentally-ill Labour activist known only as Jane. Disgracefully, however, Mother Theresas tame Plod, Bernard Hyphen-Howe, waited a further nine months after Brittans death to confirm there was no substance to it. Everyone was considered guilty until proven innocent from Grocer Heath to blameless disc jockeys and TV personalities. The Old Bill resorted to appealing for victims to come forward, promising they would be believed whether or not there was any hard evidence. British justice was turned on its head. Former Prime Minister Edward Heath has been accused of child abuse but no evidence has been found to support the allegations Homes were raided and ransacked by police, families harassed and lives ruined on the word of fantasists, liars and gold-diggers, encouraged by politically-motivated smearmongers like Watson and indulged by careerist coppers like Hyphen-Howe. As Home Secretary, Theresa May could have put a stop to this lunacy. Instead, she chose to legitimise it, by announcing the public inquiry which lumbered into action yesterday. From the off, this inquiry has been compromised and dogged by controversy. Since it was set up, it has lost three chairmen and any number of senior counsel for a variety of reasons. At one stage, Mrs May parachuted in a judge from New Zealand, Dame Lowell Goddard, paying her 500,000 a year. She lasted about ten minutes before heading home. Goddards resignation, in August 2016, came almost a year after I called on Mrs May, in this column, to abandon the inquiry, which would cost us a small fortune and was destined to end in tears. Heres an edited taste of what I wrote back then: This knee-jerk inquiry was a fiasco before it started. Goodness knows when it will eventually get under way. The most optimistic view is that it will run to at least 2020 at the earliest. As Home Secretary, Theresa May could have put a stop to this lunacy At a conservative estimate, reckon on it presenting us with a final bill somewhere in the region of 120 million, plus VAT and one for yourself. Theresa May should call a halt to this farce right now and cut our losses before the whole thing gets completely out of hand. (Naturally, I never expected her to take any notice of me. If she valued my advice, wed already be free of the EU, without having to pay them 39 billion for the privilege, or getting our knickers in a twist about the ludicrous Irish backstop.) Needless to say, May ploughed on with typical bovine obstinacy, regardless of how much it will cost. My early estimates now seem way off beam. The inquiry has already racked up bills of 60 million and its only just begun in earnest. Panel members are on 565 a day, theres a resident psychologist on 450 a day. For the Rumpoles, its always trebles all round. Yesterday, there were 13 thats right, thirteen different barristers on parade. And that was just Day One. As for this winding up in 2020, dream on. Thats only nine months away. These interminable blab-fests have a habit of lasting for ever, and then some. This one could run and run to the Year 2525, if Man is still alive. But the real scandal isnt even the amount of time and taxpayers money this circus will consume. The first month of evidence will consist of little more than rehashing a series of allegations which have already been proven false. And no cross-examination of witnesses will be allowed. So the families of those falsely accused will have to suffer all over again. The inquiry has even written to Leon Brittans widow warning that she is likely to be upset by the re-examination of allegations against her late husband. This is monstrous. Why the hell should Lady Brittan have to listen to this filth? Shes already received 100,000 damages from the Met for the way in which they mishandled the investigation and put her through unnecessary distress. Why drag it up all over again? If we must have an inquiry, then why not have one into the behaviour and motivation of Tom Watson and his cohorts in that bogus news agency, which did so much to disseminate these false stories. Let Hyphen-Howe explain why he spent millions of pounds investigating lurid allegations made by unreliable witnesses, promising that they would be believed regardless. He even set up a high-profile VIP murder inquiry without any evidence that anyone had actually been murdered. The Yard seemed to be taking its marching orders direct from Watson. Let Hyphen-Howe explain, too, why the Met carried out its investigations in such a heavy-handed fashion. And why he was unwilling to clear Leon Brittans name, when he knew he was innocent, and apologise to his widow. Let Mother Theresa explain why she authorised this carnival of muck-raking, when the justification for it had already evaporated. After six and a half years, nothing credible has ever been unearthed to support any of these allegations. So why should we expect any to emerge now? These are the kind of questions that surely need to be addressed. Yet today, the new slimline Watson is being acclaimed as the moderate face of Labour and spoken of as the next leader of his party. Presumably, that would put him in pole position to become Labours next Prime Minister. Hyphen-Howe has been elevated to the House of Lords, and fancies himself as a minor TV personality, while the men falsely accused during this deranged witch-hunt and their families are being put through the wringer all over again. Meanwhile, Jimmy Savile remains dead. Brussels negotiators are playing hardball with Theresa May but it's clear European investors do not believe Brexit will have a wholly negative impact on Britain A visitor from Mars tuning into events in Britain in recent months would rightly be shocked by the political paralysis in Westminster, the calamitous state of the motor industry, and the mortal damage to immediate business confidence caused by Brexit uncertainty. Yet while there clearly are difficulties, the nation is selling itself short if it believes that this is the only story. One doesnt have to be a swivel-eyed Brexiteer to recognise that if one looks over the horizon, beyond Brexit, there is much about Britain to inspire confidence in the future. Not least the fact that it is still the most favoured nation among the 28 states of the European Union for direct investment from overseas. What makes this even more remarkable is that many of those keeping faith in Britain are state-directed sovereign wealth funds, run, owned and managed by foreign countries. The worlds largest sovereign wealth fund, Norway worth around 740bn as a result of the countrys oil and gas revenues recently announced it would continue to invest, and even increase investment, in Britain over the next three decades. If ever there was a morale boost in these uncertain times, this is it. In addition, even as Brussels negotiators are playing hardball with the May government and warning of the calamity of no deal, its clear that European investors do not believe Brexit will have a wholly negative impact on Britain. New data this week shows that in the past 12 months, EU businesses ploughed a staggering 23.9bn into the UK in the shape of property deals, corporate acquisitions and buying stakes in UK firms. The data, collected by an offshoot of the credit rating agency Standard & Poors, shows there were 553 separate purchases of assets and that investment was up from 16.3bn on the previous 12 months and 10.5bn in the same period of 2016-17. Overall, European businesses have more than doubled the sums they have invested in Britain in the last three years which is hardly a vote of no confidence. Neither sovereign wealth funds nor, for that matter, firms based in EU countries have any political reason to be part of a Project Cheer, boosting the UK simply to make the public feel better about our momentous decision to leave the European Union. Even though a German carnival mocks Theresa May's negotiation attempts, EU businesses ploughed a staggering 23.9bn into the UK in the past 12 months All of the bodies involved are hard-nosed investors and they clearly have faith in the long-term stability of Britains democracy, the tremendous value to be found from investing in prime UK real estate (especially in the City of London), the excellent long-term returns to be gained from shares in Britains privatised utilities, and the pre-eminence of research and innovation in the UK. How ironic that this message of confidence in a post-Brexit future is being voiced not by our squabbling and largely Remain-supporting political class but by overseas investors such as Norways fund talking with their wallets. Norway, like the UK, has been an enormous beneficiary of the munificence of the North Sea in yielding oil and natural gas, which are still the bedrock of our energy supplies, despite the drive to be more green. But whereas the UK allowed the free market to decide where the returns from the North Sea went higher shares prices and dividends from oil companies boosted private pension funds, and the HMRC took its share to help finance the NHS and other public services Norway directed the vast majority into the sovereign wealth fund which since 1990 has accumulated some 750 bn of assets for future generations. Britain has been a destination of choice for Norways wealth fund ever since its inception and the country holds stakes worth an astonishing 62bn around 8 per cent of its total investments in some of Britains biggest enterprises. These include HSBC, which is the nations most profitable and global bank, the largest oil company, BP, and UK government debt. There is no greater compliment any foreign state can pay than to invest in the bonds, known in the UK as gilt edged stock, issued by another country. Far from being deterred by the turbulence caused by Brexit, funds like Norways believe it presents an opportunity because it has had an impact on asset prices in the UK. Shares in Britains key FTSE100 companies have lagged behind those of their overseas counterparts. This is despite the fact that firms ranging from Johnnie Walker spirits company Diageo to British Airways owner International Airlines Group are still punching hugely above their weight in world terms. The continued success of the City makes its skyscrapers a source of constant attraction for overseas investors, from the Gulf states to greater China. Indeed, Britain is now the number one favoured location for investment by Beijing, which has put money into projects ranging from Hinkley Point, the new nuclear plant in Somerset, to Heathrow Airport. Brexit or not, Britain remains a major target for corporate and sovereign investors. My own conversations with those in charge of investment funds have revealed that a bigger worry than Brexit is the possibility of a government led by Jeremy Corbyn and his anointed Chancellor John McDonnell rushing to take valuable privately held assets, such as the water companies, back into public ownership. Certainly, Brexit may have affected domestic business investment, but it has had little impact on how other countries view this nation. A bigger worry than Brexit for big firms is a government run by Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in 2017 the value of direct foreign investment in the UK rose by 149bn. Our vibrant financial services sector, a pioneer in developing financial technology, pulled in an astonishing 385bn, up 19.5 per cent from 2016 the year of the referendum. Among the sovereign wealth funds, along with Norway and China, those most attracted to the UK are the Gulf states of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The Qataris are in charge of the redevelopment of one of the most totemic buildings in central London, the former American Embassy in Grosvenor Square. They are also the biggest owner of shares in grocer J Sainsbury, with 22 per cent of the stock, and in one of the pillars of the City, the London Stock Exchange, where it is the biggest shareholder with a 10.3 per cent stake. It is hardly surprising the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has enjoyed accompanying the Queen in the parade down the racecourse at Royal Ascot. There is little doubt sovereign investment funds from around the world, as well as some wealthy individual investors such as Hong Kongs richest man, Li Ka-shing, the owner, among other things, of the nations busiest port at Felixstowe, see Britain as the bargain basement of the world. The 15 per cent devaluation of the pound since the referendum, together with the weakness of share prices, is a magnet for investors willing to look to the long term. There is an obsession among many UK and American investors about judging investments in shares and other assets by what is likely to happen over the next three months, let alone the next three or even 30 years. How reassuring it is to know Britain has friends out there confident enough to ignore those who wail about impending disaster because of Brexit and instead see a land of opportunity. This is the moment an aspiring makeup artist broke down in tears after getting the nod of approval from her industry idol. Retail assistant Paige is taking part in Stacey Dooley's Glow Up, a competition to find Britain's most talented young makeup artist. The 20-year-old confessed her mother, who comes from a 'traditional' African background, wanted Paige to follow a more conventional career trajectory, studying law or medicine like her siblings. She told cameras: 'My mum had a vision for me to become either a doctor or a lawyer. My older siblings are all doctors and lawyers. 'I wanted to follow my dream instead of other people's dreams. Winning this competition will show my family that you don't need to go to uni to achieve greatness. I want to make something of myself.' Presenter Stacey Dooley with judges Val Garland (Global Make-Up Director for LOreal Paris), right and Dominic Skinner (Global Senior Artist for MAC), left Happy tears: Aspiring makeup artist Paige breaks down during Stacey Dooley's Glow Up, a competition to find Britain's most talented young makeup artist She added: When you have an opportunity like this you grab it with both hands. This is going to be life-changing.' While the competition is still in its early stages, Paige has already impressed judges Val Garland (Global Make-Up Director for LOreal Paris) and Dominic Skinner (Global Senior Artist for MAC) with her handiwork. The first episode, which airs on Wednesday, sees ten contestants compete to have their work featured in fashion magazine Marie Claire. Each participant created a 'rebel' inspired look on a randomly allocated model, which were presented to judges in a close-up shot. Judges didn't hold back when it came to their critiques, admitting they were 'underwhelmed' with some of the entries, but were blown away by Paige's offering. Paige's purple smoky eye look, pictured, wowed the judges. Each participant created a 'rebel' inspired look on a randomly allocated model, which then were presented to judges An emotional Paige told cameras: 'My mum had a vision for me to become either a doctor or a lawyer. My older siblings are all doctors and lawyers' Pressure: Paige confessed her mother, who comes from a 'traditional' African background, wanted her to follow a more conventional career trajectory, studying law or medicine Paige has already impressed judges Val Garland (Global Make-Up Director for LOreal Paris, right) and Dominic Skinner (Global Senior Artist for MAC, left) with her handiwork 'There's something quite haunting about the lip and the brow,' said Dominic, while Val heaped praise on Paige's work - forcing the shop worker to break down in tears. Announced last year, the elimination series will see ten contestants live and work together as they compete to win a contract assisting some of the world's biggest make-up artists. With different creative briefs each week, they will need to impress Val, Dominic and expert guest judges from worlds such as fashion and film, in order to make it to the final. Retail assistant Paige, pictured, is taking part in Stacey Dooley's Glow Up, a competition to find Britain's most talented young makeup artist. She wowed judges in the first stage of the contest Host Stacey Dooley, pictured, recently responded to criticism that her latest presenting gig was 'trivial' compared to her investigative reporting in places like Iraq The Glow Up contestants. The elimination series will see participants live and work together as they compete to win a contract assisting some of the world's biggest make-up artists Host Stacey Dooley this week responded to criticism that her latest presenting gig was 'trivial' compared to her investigative reporting in places like Iraq. She told the Mail on Sunday's YOU magazine that after some of her more grim programmes, it seemed really important to me to be at home and enjoy some escapism. And responding to the backlash, she said: Its painfully predictable. There are always people who are desperate to put you in your one camp and never let you leave. The idea that you could be interested in the Yazidi community and also in lipstick blows peoples minds. Its a really short-sighted, Stone Age attitude its boring, actually. Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star will be available on BBC Three from 10am on Wednesday An Australian mother-of-two has shared how she overhauled her medicine cabinet and transformed it into a perfectly organised space. Steph Pase of Just Another Mummy Blog said it begins with disposing of anything that is out of date and recommended using clear tubs with labels for easy access. She also recommends keeping items used often at eye level and suggests only buying containers and tubs once the decluttering process has been completed. An Australian mother-of-two has shared how she overhauled her medicine cabinet and transformed it into a perfectly organised space De-clutter: Steph recommends disposing of any expired medication first, before purchasing storage tubs 1. Dispose of anything out of date Steph, 27, recommends using the RUM website [Return Unwanted Medicine] to dispose of any medications. 'Anyone can return their medicines to any community pharmacy anytime, for safe collection and disposal,' Steph told FEMAIL. 'They safely dispose these medicines by high temperature incineration.' Savvy: In order to make labels stand out, Steph uses clear tubs, black text and white contact paper behind What are the biggest mistakes people make? * Buying tubs or containers before you have thrown out what you don't need * Not measuring the space before purchasing tubs and containers Source: Steph Pase Advertisement 2. Divide into categories Steph used five large tubs and two small containers to make access to home medical care a breeze. The blogger suggests using categories such as 'daily tablets', 'pain relief', 'scripts' and 'cold and flu' as a guideline, when determining what to store where. 3. Find the right storage solutions for your space Steph recommends using large tubs, baskets and boxes, if you have a large storage area, or plastic drawers and smaller containers if you're limited. For her home, Steph utilises clear plastic tubs with black text, and white contact paper behind to ensure the labels stand out. 'The biggest error is buying tubs or containers before you've de-cluttered and decided what you want to do,' Steph said. 'Be sure to de-clutter, get rid of any expired medications and then take a look at your space.' 'Make sure you always measure your space also, as there is nothing worse than buying storage that doesn't fit.' Be specific: Steph says to get specific with labels, and create categories such as 'cold and flu, 'allergies', 'first aid' and 'topical' How do you simplify the process? * Look at it task by task instead of the bigger picture * Set a small task each day to make the process more enjoyable * It's not about having the perfect storage area, it's about feeling happy and calm in your own home * Once a proper system is in place, there is no up-keep * Good organisation should make less work for you in the future Source: Steph Pase Advertisement 4. Ensure the space is functional 'You don't want to be having to reach up high to grab your daily tablets, when you can have them at eye-level,' Steph said. Any vitamins, daily tablets, and cold and flu tablets, are kept at eye-level in Steph's cabinet, for easy access. Measure: Steph recommends going for plastic drawers if you have limited space, and larger tubs if there's room to move Dangerous substances and medications should also be stored up high to ensure they're out of reach from children. 5. Be specific with labels Steph recommends being specific when it comes to labelling tubs and containers. Suggested categories include allergies, cough, asthma, kids medication, first aid, sore throat, pain relief, wellness, bandages and dressings. At the end of the day, Steph says that the process should be enjoyable. 'It's not about having the perfect storage solution, it's about feeling happy and calm in your home,' she said. 'You don't want to feel like a slave in your house, but rather try to enjoy it. 'Once a proper system is in place, there is no up-keep. The whole point of organising is creating less work for you in the future.' Blush is a crucial component of most women's beauty routines but not all products are formulated the same. So to take the guess work out of buying blush, Australian cosmetics chain Mecca has revealed the top five selling blushes on their website - and they don't break the bank. The products range from a $38 'balm-like' creation designed for a 'dewy' finish to a $46 formula described as 'universally flattering'. To take the guess work out of buying a new blush Mecca has revealed the top five selling blushes on their website 1. NARS Blush - $46 Mecca's number one seller is the classic NARS blush Mecca's number one seller is the classic NARS blush, created originally by Francois Nars whose empire was built off of it. One of the most iconic blush products of all time is this brands shade Orgasm, which was created in 1999. 'Its stayed at peak popularity for the last 20 years, being reinterpreted in other NARS products and formulas,' the site reads. 'The appeal of the peachy shade, other than the amusingly risque name, is that its universally flattering.' Customers that don't like the shade don't have to miss out as there are 27 other ones to choose from. People seem to love the formulas blendable texture and buildable intensity. Customers that don't like the shade don't have to miss out as there are 27 other ones to choose from (pictured wearing NARS Orgasm) 2. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush - $61 The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder delivers natural and radiant colour to cheeks The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder is a cult favourite due to the glow that it bestows to the skin. It has been designed to deliver natural and radiant colour to cheeks, adding depth and dimension to the complexion. The blush utilises the same luminescent technology as the brands finishing powder and, according to Mecca, the shade Mood Exposure is one of the most popular. 'The soft mauve falls between a blush and a bronzer, making it perfect for subtle face-shaping rather than a pop of colour,' they said. 'The best! I adore this product! Such an amazing colour and long wearing!' An online review reads. The blush utilises the same luminescent technology as the brands finishing powder and, according to Mecca, the shade Mood Exposure is one of the most popular (pictured wearing Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Exposure) 3. NARS Liquid Blush - $46 The formula of this liquid range has been described as 'silk-like' Although powdered blush is most people's go-to they should reach for a liquid one if they want to achieve the dewiest skin possible. Although this range from NARS is smaller the fan favourites, such as Orgasm, are there. The formula has been described as 'silk-like' which allows it to glide onto skin with ease and it provides a lasting glow. 'Artists like to work the colour under a light layer of foundation to create a natural flush,' it says on the site. It is recommended that beauty lovers wear it over powder if they're after high-impact colour or alone for a more subtle look. Although powdered blush is most people's go-to they should reach for a liquid one if they won't to achieve the dewiest skin possible (pictured wearing NARS Liquid Blush) 4. Too Faced Love Flush Blush - $40 This Too Faced blush is known for its buttery soft and intensely pigmented formula The cute love heart shaped packaging and embossed rabbits aren't the only reasons Too Faced's Love Flush Blush is on the best sellers list. It is known for its buttery soft and intensely pigmented formula that adds a pop of colour to the cheeks. As well as this it is a fade-proof and smudge proof formula that enables long-wearing capabilities while feeling weightless on the skin. 'I bought this about a week ago and instantly fell in love. It so pigmented with a hint of shimmer, a little goes a long way,' one happy customer said. 'The staying power is amazing and it doesn't emphasise my pores. Great purchase. Will definitely repurchase.' It is also fade-proof, smudge proof and enables long-wearing capabilities while feeling weightless on the skin (pictured wearing Too Faced's Love Flush Blush) 5. Stila Convertible Colour - $38 The compact delivers a sheer glow to cheeks and warmth to the lips This blush from Stila is another that has a legion of fans thanks to the fact that it is an all-in-one blush and lipstick. The compact delivers a sheer glow to cheeks and warmth to the lips for a radiant complexion. 'The balm-like formula makes it ideal for dry and mature skin because it wont collect in fine lines and its easier to make look more natural than powder,' it reads on the website. The compact contains a mirror, making it ideal for on-the-go touch ups. 'Im on my third pot of convertible colour, and am so happy with the product. Its smooth and creamy, with a great coverage that looks dewy without any of the sparkly iridescence that a lot of blushes seem to have,' one online review reads. A teen who splashed 20k on one week's holiday struggles to feed a family-of-four for 10 on tonight's episode of Rich kids Go Skint. Psychology student Shaira, 19, from Switzerland, is the daughter of wealthy university academics and spends thousands of pounds on designer clothes, bags, jewellery and expensive holidays. In the show, she moves in with Paul and Tara, from Northampton and their two children Seb and Riva for a week and discovers the difficulties of living on a budget of 2,000 a month. For Shaira, who attended one of the most expensive private schools in the world, where tuition costs a whopping 100,000 a year, it's a stark contrast from her usual lifestyle. Shaira (right), 19, from Switzerland, is used to spending her parents' money on designer clothes and expensive getaways in 5 stars hotels. She spends the week with Paul and Tara (left) in this week's Rich Kids Go Skint In shocking scenes, Shaira reveals she never had to support herself with a part-time job, as her parents pay for everything. They give her 1,000 for 'food and luxury,' and the teen has access to their bank accounts in case of 'fashion emergencies.' Shaira is a fan of expensive clothing and sometime uses her parents' card for 'fashion emergencies. The psychology student at Manchester Uni used to attend one of the most expensive boarding school in the world, where a year's tuition cost 100,000 The young woman has a taste for designer clothes and accessories and forks out for 7,000 necklaces and a myriad of 500 coats whenever one catches her eye. Shaira, who proudly showcases her Louis Vuitton weekend bag, which came to a staggering 1,290, admits she wants to learn about the struggle others might face. Shaira spends the week living with the family-of-four and attempts to shop for a roast dinner on a budget of just 10 World's apart: The University student struggles to adapt at first and describes the life of the family as 'bleak'. But it's not long before she bonds with mother-of-two, Tara Shaira's family own four properties - one house in Durham, which has 12 rooms and nine bedrooms, two properties in Switzerland and another in Texas. But the Manchester university student doesn't have the leisure to stay at home too often - as she's usually too busy travelling and going on up to six holidays a year. Shaira will spend more than 1,000 on designer bags and 7,000 on jewelry but the young woman said she learned a lot from her time with Paul, Tara and their children 'When we go on holiday it ranges from one to two months,' Shaira says, adding the family usually stay in five star hotels. And even Shaira's best friend Ren thinks she'll struggle to adapt to the life her 'skint' hosts live. 'She's used to spending a lot of money, but I think it will be good for her as well, to see that you can live on a smaller budget,' he says. Meanwhile, plasterer Paul and stay-at-home mother Tara spend most of their monthly allowance caring for their two young children. While Shaira's family have four properties, including a nine bedroom house in Durham, she compares the spare room in Paul and Tara's house to her cleaner's quarters From 20,000 holidays to 10 food shops, Sharai said she learned a lot from her stay with Paul and Tara and regularly keeps in touch with the couple Tara says the couple, who've been married four years, spend 750 on childcare a month, around 400 on their mortgage and another 400 on their utilities. The rest goes to food and essentials - leaving just 450 to feed four mouths a month. Paul is self-employed and doesn't have a set income, which causes him great stress. He handles all of the family's repairs and worries about not having enough money to cover unexpected bills. Shaira's parents give her about 1,000 for food and luxury expenses. The student prefers takeaways to home-cooking. She throws herself in this week's challenge of shopping for a roast dinner with only 10 On top of their usual monthly expenses, the couple also have to keep an eye on their car insurance and service. At first, big spender Shaira is shocked by her hosts' 'bleak' way of life. But the biggest shock comes when Tara hears she spent 20,000 on her most recent holiday - which is two years of Paul's salary. Mother Tara is reduced to tears hearing about Shaira's excessive wealth, saying she is stunned by what the 19 year old's life is like Shaira ends up getting along well with the family, and soon goes fishing with the trio - in high heels 'I do feel embarrassed that's how much we spend on something like that when it could probably feed a whole family for six months,' Shaira says. And the divide proves too big for Tara, who's reduced to tears. 'You hear what she spends and what our life could be like. It's not a personal attack at all, it's just hearing of that level of wealth,' says the sobbing mother-of-two. The two parties end up learning from each other and Shaira even agrees to go fishing - in her high heels. As well as going fishing with the couple, the youngster helps out with household chores and babysits the children Towards the end of the programme, Shaira surprises the couple with a glamping trip and presents the family with a heartfelt thank you card On another occasion the young student gets her hands dirty working at home repairs with Paul, and even develops a few blisters along the way. But the biggest challenge comes when she has to shop for a roast dinner with only 10 - although the student manages to serve some peas, cauliflower and chicken. The daughter of wealthy academics is still in touch with Paul and Tara and is currently designing custom dresses for Tara and baby girl Riva. The three should meet for a fitting soon When Shaira opens up about her life in boarding school and bullying, Tara and Paul realise that her money comes with pressure and its own pitfalls. Shaira surprises the couple with a 'glam camping trip,' custom dresses from her clothing lines for Tara and Riva, along with a heartfelt thank you card. The rich student said the experience really shaped her and she keeps in regular contact with the family. Rich Kids Go Skint airs on Tuesdays at 9pm on 5Star Elegant racegoers are used to dressing to impress for the Royal Ascot. And now visitors to the high-profile racing event will have a wider choice of garb, as organisers say they are free to choose a gender dress code they 'feel most comfortable' with. Under the changes, women will be allowed to dress like men and vice versa as long as they stick to the rules. The rules for dressing in the exclusive event vary depending on which enclosure attendees are visiting: the exclusive Royal Enclosure tends to have the strictest dress code Jumpsuits and trouser suits are permitted in Queen Anne's Enclosure, but must be below the knee (pictured, a Karen Millen jumpsuit) The policy is part of a diversity drive to be more 'inclusive' for transgender race fans, the Daily Telegraph reported. However, it is not yet known how many women will turn up to the event in top hats, which has become a recent trend amongst celebrities. Last year, supermodel and film star Cara Delevingne bucked convention by arriving at Princess Eugenie's wedding in a top hat and elegant black suit by Emporio Armani. The 26-year-old who appeared to breach the wedding dress code said she had opted for that style because it made her feel 'more comfortable'. In the Village Enclosure one shoulder dresses, strapless tops and bardot-style tops are not permitted This year's Royal Enclosure dress code says 'Gentleman' must wear black or grey morning dress with a waist coat and tie. 'Ladies' are not allowed to wear strapless and off-the-shoulder dresses, while mid-riffs have to be covered and fascinators are also banned. Men and women will be 'asked to comply with the dress code in which they feel most comfortable', the newspaper claimed. The move was praised by respected transgender figures last night. Meanwhile, there is a formal dress code for the Windsor Enclosure for the first time, with hats or fascinators a requirement Britain's first transgender jockey Victoria Smith said it was 'really positive' that racing was 'starting to become more accepting of difference'. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, she said: 'I think racing is really starting to become more accepting of difference, so any changes that help really are welcome. 'If someone identifies as a woman, they should be allowed to wear ladies' clothes, as long as they stick to the rules.' Last year, supermodel and film star Cara Delevingne bucked convention by arriving at Princess Eugenie's wedding in a top hat and elegant black suit by Emporio Armani The exclusive Royal Enclosure, which is often described as 'the heart' of the event, has always had tight rules. How To Dress Well For Ascot Royal Enclosure Dresses and skirts should fall above the knee or longer Dresses and tops should have straps of one inch or greater Jumpsuits are welcome, but should fall below the knee Trouser suits welcome, but should be full length and of matching colour Headpieces must have a solid base of four inches or more Queen Anne Enclosure Strapless dresses or tops are not permitted A hat, headpiece or fascinator should be worn at all times Trouser suits must be full length, jumpsuits should fall below the knee, shorts are not permitted Village Enclosure One shoulder dresses, strapless tops and bardot are nor permitted A hat, headpiece or fascinator must be worn at all times Trouser suits are welcome, they should be of full length and matching colour Jumpsuits are permitted but should be below the knee Windsor Enclosure Dress for a formal occasion, with a hat or fascinator Advertisement In previous years, it has insisted attendees cover their midriffs and avoid wearing fascinators and that still stands. While in previous years there has been no official style guide for the Windsor Enclosure, except to dress for a formal occasion, now female attendees are requested to wear fascinators, like those in the rest of the enclosures. Royal Ascot has put in place strict dress codes since the early 19th century . The race gathering's famously strict clothing rules hark back to sartorial trailblazer Beau Brummell, who dictated the dress for men in the Royal Enclosure at the turn of the 19th century and was fond of cleaning his shoes with champagne. Two years ago, the event broke with convention by allowing racegoers to wear jumpsuits in the Royal Enclosure for the first time. Organisers also announced they would try to draw in a new breed of visitors by putting on a 'party atmosphere' and a 'more vibrant feel'. No major changes have been made to this to this year's dress code, which allows women to only wear jumpsuits below the knee as opposed to ankle length. Meanwhile, no changes have been made to rules for 'Gentlemen'. Juliet Slot, commercial director of Ascot, said: 'Fashion and style are an important part of the Royal Ascot experience for all of our customers.' This year's Royal Ascot takes place from June 18th to 22nd. Anna Wintour has revealed her thoughts on the Kardashians' sense of style style and admitted she has a special appreciation for Kim's new 'minimal' wardrobe. The Vogue editor-in-chief, 69, sat down for the publication's weekly videos entitled Go Ask Anna where readers on the street can ask the fashion guru any question on their minds. One fan asked Wintour her thoughts on the Kardashian family's style. To that, she responded, 'You have to admire how they have created an empire obviously through their personalities and the creative genius of their mother.' Revealed: Anna Wintour, 69, spoke candidly about what she thought about the Kardashian family and their style in an interview with Vogue Change: Wintour, pictured with Kim Kardashian in 2015, said she personally admires 'the way [Kim's] become a little bit more minimal' Fan? The Vogue editrix put Kim on the cover of the magazine in 2014 (left), and has also featured her sister Kendall Jenner, who received high praise from Wintour Her high praise of Kardashian-Jenner matriarch Kris, 63, will no doubt come as a surprise to some after it was reported back in 2013 that Anna had actually banned the mother-of-six from attending the Met Gala in an attempt to clamp down on the number of reality stars in attendance. Less surprising however are Wintour's personal thoughts on the Kardashians' very public lifestyles, with the Vogue editrix admitting: 'I cannot possibly understand or fathom living so much in the public eye, but obviously it works.' After praising Kris, Wintour then went on to heap praise specifically on Kim Kardashian West, 38, whose style has notably changed since marrying rapper and clothing designer Kanye West, 41. 'Kim, of all of them, I feel has possibly changed the most,' Wintour said during the video. 'I personally admire the way shes become a little bit more minimal in the way that shes dressing and a little bit more covered.' The couple appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine in 2014 for the first time after the birth of their daughter North West, who is now five years old. Wintour has also been spotted often at the front row of fashion shows seated alongside Kim and Kanye. During the video interview, she admitted the person Vogue has worked with the most from the high-profiled family was Kendall Jenner, 22. The supermodel started in modeling at the young age of 14 and has since appeared on many Vogue covers and pages. 'People thought that she wouldnt last, and I give [Kendall] a lot of credit for persevering in her highly successful modeling career,' Wintour said. 'Shes very open and very direct in the way that she talks about how she just wants to be a model, that she enjoys being a model, that she has worked hard at it... and I hope that she continues.' Passionate: Besides speaking about the Kardashians, Wintour also reflected on the legging trend and what people should wear to a job interview Proud: 'People thought that she wouldnt last, and I give [Kendall] a lot of credit for persevering in her highly successful modeling career,' Wintour said, pictured at New York Fashion Week High praise: Wintour confessed Kendall, pictured together in 2014, reminded her of supermodel Linda Evangelista because of her commitment to the job Wintour then ended the praise by mentioning how Kendall reminds her of another supermodel who is regarded as one of the most influential of her time. 'She reminds me of in many ways of Linda Evangelista, who always was happy being a model,' Wintour said. Big change: Kim (pictured with North West) was who Wintour thought changed the most in terms of her style Her response about the Kardashian family comes as a surprise as the fashion mogul exuded nothing but praise for the family, but none of her responses really answered the reader's question of Wintour's thought on their style. Besides speaking about the Kardashian family, Wintour also addressed her thoughts on leggings and what people should wear to an interview. 'Well this is not the first time in fashion weve celebrated leggings,' she revealed. 'We saw them happen I think first in the 80sI tend to think they look best in black. Im sure theyll be back again in another 20 years.' Someone off-screen during the video then mentioned a time in 1993 when Wintour was seen wearing a pair of pink leggings to an outing. This, Wintour admitted, was not a look she wanted people to remember. 'That was a mistake,' she candidly said. As for interview outfits, Wintour advised people to choose clothing that best represented who they are as a person. 'Sometimes you feel theyre wearing clothes they had just bought that morning, or maybe the night before, and not something in any way suits their personality and who they are,' she said. 'You have to dress for yourself. I think it doesnt do yourself a service to fake it.' Hong Kong: Retail sales value up 7.1% The value of total retail sales in January, provisionally estimated at $48.1 billion, rose 7.1% on the same month in 2018, the Census & Statistics Department announced today. After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the volume of total retail sales increased 6.9% year-on-year. The sales value of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts went up 4.7%. This was followed by sales of medicines and cosmetics (+12.9%); wearing apparel (+2.4%); commodities in department stores (+15.1%); commodities in supermarkets (+8.6%); food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco (+13%); other consumer goods not elsewhere classified (+13.4%); motor vehicles and parts (+9%); footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (+21%); furniture and fixtures (+8.2%); books, newspapers, stationery and gifts (+1.5%); Chinese drugs and herbs (+7.9%); and optical shops (+2.1%). The sales value of electrical goods and other consumer durable goods not elsewhere classified fell 11%, followed by sales of fuels (-1%). Retail sales increased notably in January over a year earlier, partly lifted by the earlier arrival of the Lunar New Year this year and partly by the surge in visitor arrivals that month. While full employment in the local labour market and the sustained expansion in inbound tourism should provide support to the retail sales business, consumption sentiment will be affected by the unsteady external environment. This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Perhaps unsurprising when you consider that 43% of dog owners admit to doing no research on costs before getting their pup. And 35% of dog owners said they found the expense of ownership to be challenge. To reduce some of the leg-work for those thinking of getting a dog, Admiral has created a handy tool which calculates all the essential and potential costs involved in owning a dog. As part of the UK-wide investigation, the provider has researched the costs associated with owning the top 50 dog breeds in the UK, looking at everything from the cost of food, vaccinations, flea and worm treatment to dog walkers, kennels doggy day care and grooming. Cost of pet tech and treats have also been investigated to find out just how much dog owners have to pay out to keep their pets happy and healthy. As well as factoring in the essential costs such as insurance, food and medical treatment there are other expenses to consider which can soon add to the price tag of your dog. Walkies! According to Admiral research, the average dog walker in the UK charges 11.88 for an hours walk with rates varying from 9 in Leeds, to 16 in West London. One in five dog owners have used a dog walker before, with a third of those using dog walking services at least once a week, while a quarter use them 2-3 times a week meaning some dog owners pay out over 1853 a year for dog walking services alone. And owners in full time work could expect to pay more than 3,000 a year for a whole week of walkies. Top 5 most expensive places in the UK for dog walking services Meanwhile, a quarter of dog owners say they have put their dog into doggy daycare while they are out of the house, and of those, a quarter of them use it at least 1-2 times a week. The average price for a full day in doggy day care in the UK is 21.76, meaning those who use the service twice a week could be forking out 2,263 a year. Pampered pooches When it comes dog grooming, its recommended that their coats are looked after between 4-13 times a year depending on the breed, and costs vary according to size and coat type. For example, a Labrador is recommended to be groomed every 8-12 weeks, at an average of 42 a time, but costs across the country vary considerably. In Exeter, for example it would cost an average of 31 each time, but in Oxford the average cost is 51. Meanwhile, almost 60% of dog owners make sure their pet has a coat to keep them warm and clean. Of those, two in five owners spend between 25 and 50 a year on making sure their dog is well-dressed. Pet-Tech There are now more ways than ever to keep track of your pet when youre out of the house. A quarter of dog owners admit to having a camera in place to keep an eye on their dog when theyre not around, and while a third of them spend between 25-30 buying the technology, 20% admit to spending more than 100 on the device. While half of dog owners rely on family or friends to look after their dog when on holiday, a quarter use dog kennels to keep their pet safe while away. The average cost for one night in a dog kennel in the UK is 17 adding an extra 119 onto the cost of your one-week holiday. Sian Humphreys, Head of Pet Insurance at Admiral said: Buying a dog is a big commitment so its important to do your research beforehand. Not only to see if the dog you want is the right fit for your lifestyle and circumstances, but also to help you see how being a dog owner will impact your finances. There are some costs you can prepare and budget for, but things like vet bills can soon add up if youre not prepared and dont have the right insurance in place. Check out Admirals handy calculator to find out the cost of owning a dog where you are A chef who approaches people in supermarkets to find out what's in their trolleys has discovered unexpectedly heartwarming stories in the process. Margie Nomura, from London, has met a man who was whizzing to pick up urgent supplies for his girlfriend who had just gone into labour, and Brian, 79, who bought her to tears when he revealed he was buying his late wife's favourite lavender tealights. The chef, who also host the hit 'Desert Island Dishes podcast' has racked up more than 26,000 followers on Instagram with her supermarket snaps and tales and counts stars such as Davina McCall and Joe Wicks as fans. She told Femail: 'I've had incredible chats with complete strangers in the middle of the frozen food aisle, hugged a stranger as we both cried when he told me about the loss of his wife, and rushed around the supermarket with an expectant dad as he was on his way to the delivery room. Margie Nomura, from London approaches strangers in the supermarket to find out what's in their baskets. Brian, 79, told Margie he recently lost his wife, but still buys her favourite lavender tealights to put on every night Brian told Margie he makes a 'mean lamb stew' that his five grandchildren and two great grandchildren love. Pictured right, his shopping, containing the ingredients for the lamb stew and the lavender tealights his late wife loved One of the people she met was 79-year-old Brian, who recently lost his wife but still stocks up on her lavender tealights to put on every night as they were her favourite. He told Margie he makes a 'mean lamb stew' that his five grandchildren and two great grandchildren love. She also met Tayshan, who was darting around Tesco as quickly as possible as his girlfriend had just gone into labour. Tayshan picked up snacks, coconut water and flowers - and told Margie he was excited about becoming a dad again, and his three-year-old was excited to become a babysitter. Margie Nomura, from London, asks fellow food shoppers what they're buying, and has discovered some heart-warming stories in the process Tayshan, was darting around Tesco as quickly as possible, picking up snacks and coconut water, as his girlfriend had just gone into labour with their second child Tayshan picked up snacks, coconut water and flowers - and told Margie he was excited about becoming a dad for the second time Another shopper, Laura, told Margie she will only ever buy something if it has a reduced price yellow sticker on it, saying this is her 'way of life now'. The civil servant said she's been doing it for about five years, and has become a 'much better cook because she's used ingredients and eaten food she wouldn't have picked up otherwise'. Laura added that she's 'passionate about the alarming amount of food waste that happens in this country' and that she now only spends 40 a month on food shopping, which Margie described as 'pretty incredible'. Margie also met Christine, an 83-year-old buying the ingredients to make an egg custard for breakfast, because 'life's too short not to! Christine's shopping basket, containing the ingredients for her custard John won the hearts of Margie's Instagram followers when he told her he was buying chocolate and wine for his girlfriend. In the hope of cheering her up, he bought her two bars of Lindt and a bottle of wine, as well as ramen, which is her favourite. One shopper told Margie she was experiencing 'culture shock' as it was the first time in a British supermarket. Monica, an American just arrived in the UK, questioned where the supersized item were, and found it odd that eggs weren't kept in the fridge. She also asked Margie why Brits call pulp in orange juice 'juicy bits'?!'. John won the hearts of Margie's Instagram followers when he told her he was buying chocolate and wine for his stressed out girlfriend In the hope to cheer his girlfriend up, Margie caught John buying wo bars of Lindt and a bottle of wine, as well as ramen, which is her favourite One fan favourite was Christine, an 83-year-old planning to make an egg custard, which she told Margie she will eat for breakfast, because 'life's too short not to'. An Instagram user commenting on Christine's photo said: 'I wish there were more 83-and-a-half-year-olds on Instagram.' Another wrote: 'Love this! Life's too short not to!' 'I think one of the biggest surprises for me has been just how nice everyone has been - I've only had one person say no to being featured,' Margie said. 'The best thing about food is that it's never just about the food. Talking about food means sharing stories and events that happen in your life, and that's what makes it far more revealing than you might at first think. Laura, told Margie she will only ever buy something if it has a reduced price yellow sticker on it, saying this is her 'way of life now' Laura's shopping basket contains only reduced items meaning she only spends 40 on food a month 'Peeking into other people's trolleys at the supermarket is something we all - at least I hope it's not just me - do when we are at the shops, so I like the idea of turning it into a game' she continued. 'You have a look at the shopping, see what they are buying and then swipe across to see who the trolley belongs to and to read a little about them'. Speaking of her success, which has even sprouted copycat accounts, she said: 'We're all just human, we all need to shop for our food but usually we just do it on autopilot never taking notice of other shopper and what might be going on in their life. Monica, an American just arrived in the UK, said she experienced a 'culture shock' in UK supermarkets Monica questioned where the supersized item were, and found it odd that eggs weren't kept in the fridge 'It's almost like a Sliding Doors type scenario so many different lives and timelines passing by each other without ever realising and it's been really fun to document some of those stories.' And her fans agree, commenting on the 'Supermarker Snoop' trend, one said: ' Love this, was just asking my boyfriend last night if he looked at people's trolleys to try and work out their life and he thought I was odd!' Another wrote: 'I do this ALL THE TIME!! Love seeing what people buy, sometimes I strike up a conversation with someone and ask if that brand of whatever is good etc I've received the best ever tips in line at the supermarket!' With cement floors, brown brickwork and huge industrial-sized windows, this property looks like any regular old warehouse. But once you step through the doors of the former electrical sub-station, you'll be surprised to find a luxury four-bedroom home fit for any family looking to settle in Sydney's inner city. Up for rent for $2,300 per week, the amazing warehouse conversion has been transformed into a spectacular two-level property, located in the heart of Pyrmont. And the stunning interior renovations sets the modern home apart from just about every other property on the rental market. With cement floors, brown brickwork and huge industrial-sized windows, this Sydney property looks like any other old warehouse Once you step through the doors of the former sub-station, you'll be surprised to find a home with a library bookshelf (far left) fit for any family looking to settle in Sydney's inner city The incredible warehouse conversion features 'high-end furnishings', two levels of 'sheer luxury', entrance with library, contemporary kitchen, and two bathrooms. Described as 'unique', the abundant light-filled property comes complete with alarm, air conditioning, automatic blinds, plenty of storage space and built-in wardrobes. Located just minutes away from the CBD, China Town and Fish Markets. 'Pyrmont is the area to be looking in if you want to ride the next wave of warehouse living,' the advertisement read. The property features four spacious bedrooms with built-in wardrobes - main with a bath tub The warehouse conversion features 'high-end furnishings', two levels of 'sheer luxury' The contemporary kitchen comes complete with a double oven, with concrete bench tops The main bedroom features a sleek bathroom, with a tub for anyone looking to rewind after a long day at work 'Undergoing a complete transformation formerly a sub-station, this now desirable home is drenched in natural light, abundance of space and is finished to the highest of standards. 'All Conveniently placed in the heart of Pyrmont, it is no more than a pleasant stroll to cafes, restaurants, regular transport and harbourside parklands.' The property, advertised on rent.com.au, is available for rent now. A 21-year-old CEO has revealed how he went from being homeless and living on the streets with 'heroin addicts' to managing a company worth $1.3million in just four years. At the age of 17, Melbourne-based Harry Sanders dropped out of school and found himself homeless and alone. 'It was terrible... to be honest I didn't think it would be as bad as it was,' he said. 'Every youth homeless shelter I approached rejected me and the only one that took me placed me in a share house with heroin addicts who would punch the wall at night and scream abuse.' A 21-year-old CEO has revealed how he went from being homeless and living on the streets with 'heroin addicts' to managing a company worth $1.3million in just four years Harry became homeless not too long after he founded StudioHawk in 2015 - a search engine optimisation (SEO) agency which aims to increase traffic to a business website. He quickly found out that starting a business alone was a lonelier and more difficult task than he had expected. His family struggled to support him, and his business dream had eaten up every dollar he had. After getting assigned by housing authorities to live with heroin junkies, Harry was living on the streets of Melbourne and couch surfing when friends would let him. 'Being homeless at 17 was terrible. To be honest I didn't think it would be as bad as it was,' he said He was homeless for six months during this period and would go from friend's house to friend's house until he ran out of places to stay. I ended up staying under a bridge for a few days getting leftover food from the likes of Bakers Delight. 'Stranded, and not wanting to go back to another housing agency, I ended up staying under a bridge for a few days getting leftover food from the likes of Bakers Delight,' he said. 'Once I had hit that rock bottom it was almost good in a way as I knew the only place to go from there was up. 'I worked ridiculous weeks, cold calling, hustling, literally just anything I could to get those first clients in the door, because I knew that I could do great work for them, I just had to get them in the door first.' It was a rollercoaster of events that had led Harry to this moment, struggling to make ends meet. 'Once I had hit that rock bottom it was almost good in a way as I knew the only place to go from there was up,' he said Harry became homeless not too long after he founded SEO agency StudioHawk in 2015 (pictured is his first office) At the age of 14, an SEO agency destroyed Harry's father's boat licensing business. While watching his father continually work to keep his business afloat and his mother attempt to keep their household together, Harry witnessed his parents' marriage collapse under the strain of financial hardship. However, a spark inside of him was not willing to let his family fall apart. Young Harry became determined to learn everything there was to know about SEO to help his father's business overcome the brink of bankruptcy. It was a rollercoaster of events that had led Harry to this moment, struggling to make ends meet 'Stranded, and not wanting to go back to another housing agency, I ended up staying under a bridge for a few days getting leftover food from the likes of Bakers Delight,' he said With so much focus on helping his parents, school became an obstacle. Harry was much more concerned reading about SEO and practising his newfound skills. 'For months, I spent my free time learning, performing tests, and practising, without any apparent benefits,' Sanders said. He persisted even when his father started losing hope when their efforts didn't produce results. But one day, his dad's business phone began to ring and wouldn't stop. The family boat licensing business had more clients than ever due to Harry's new knack for SEO. While watching his father continually work to keep his business afloat and his mother attempt to keep their household together, Harry witnessed his parents' marriage collapse under the strain of financial hardship With so much focus on helping his parents, school became an obstacle. Harry was much more concerned reading about SEO and practising his newfound skills Not too long after, Harry's phone began to ring as well. The young, self-taught man had become an expert in a skill that not many had, and he attracted the attention of his industry. As a junior in high school, he was offered multiple jobs, and by 16, he was managing a company's entire search division. In his final years of school, Harry was only attending 30 per cent of the time. He eventually dropped out, and temporarily struggled to find places to sleep. Although his life has been tumultuous this is what drove him to push himself further and slowly over time he started to pick up freelance SEO work. As a junior in high school, he was offered multiple jobs, and by 16, he was managing a company's entire search division 'The first year was a real struggle. I was on my own, and I had no idea the journey I chose to embark on,' Harry explained. 'It was a very daunting and lonely experience, but it helped me grow and taught me a lot about myself. 'The high points of life aren't as great if you haven't experienced the low.' As time went on, Harry's sacrifices and persistence began to pay off. Potential clients turned into paying clients, and the word about his talents spread. Last year, he gained 100 new clients, including large enterprises such as Officeworks which pushed his success to a new level. As time went on, Harry's sacrifices and persistence began to pay off. Potential clients turned into paying clients, and the word about his talents spread Harry now has a team of 10 employees and his company's annual projected revenue is $1.3 million. Harry knows what it's like to hit rock bottom and how to make your way to the top. 'I had to give up a lot to get where I am, but my sacrifices have built this amazing business,' he said. 'It fills my heart enough seeing my incredible team, clients, and everything we have built through blood, sweat and tears.' He has gone on to become one of Australia's most successful young entrepreneurs and is the youngest board member of the AWIA (Australian Web Industry Association). He is also the youngest to ever win SEMRush's Young Search Professional awardeven while showing up to the event with stitches in his head from a recent car accident. He has gone on to become one of Australia's most successful young entrepreneurs and is the youngest board member of the AWIA Harry was unfortunately hit by a car right before he was meant to receive an award in Sydney What are Harry's tips for success? 1. Sacrifice - Harry was forced to skip going to classes at uni and going to parties with mates because he dropped out of high school and never went to uni, and instead jumped into the business world early on. 2. Accept your struggles as your path to success - He understands now that the struggles and adversity he has faced has brought him to where he is today. 3. Honesty is always #1 - 'Transparency is our biggest underlying value. Sometimes this means falling on our sword when we make mistakes, but businesses respect a company that takes responsibility,' he said. 4. Lay it all out on the table - Harry's generosity and willingness to take risks has paid off. 'Putting everything I have into what I do is what keeps me on top. I never stop giving, and I have been given so much in return,' he said. 5. Never lose sight of how far you've come - He never gets too caught up in his success because he's seen the struggle and knows how fortunate he is to be so successful today. Advertisement Harry had been hit by a car when he was crossing the street and ended up in hospital two days before the awards in Sydney. 'I had every excuse not to go but that kind of attitude gets you nowhere,' he explained. He is also a current finalist for the Dell Young Hero Entrepreneur of the Year, B2B Business of the Year, and the Rising Star Award. For the year ahead, Harry plans for his agency, StudioHawk, to expand to London in August and intends to double its Melbourne team size this year. 'I turned my life around by sheer determination, and embraced change,' he said. 'Honestly the biggest thing that made the change for me was just saying yes. 'Putting up my hand to do things, scary things that I didn't want to do but did because I knew they were good for the business. Take every good opportunity you can! 'The biggest difference between those who are successful and those who aren't isn't intelligence, it's people's willing to just start and fail along the way.' A number of Australian companies have been praised for their outstanding customer service in a new survey of more than 50,000 consumers. Roy Morgan recently held its Customer Satisfaction Awards of 2018 and named 14 different winners across retail categories including supermarkets, department stores and coffee shops. Kmart, Myer, Ikea and Bunnings Warehouse were among the retailers that have offered the highest level of customer satisfaction over the past 12 months. Kmart has been awarded the Discount Department Store of the Year 2018 by Roy Morgan While Bunnings took out the Hardware Store of the Year for back-to-back victories (file stock) Australian retail winners for 2018 Discount Department Store of the Year: Kmart Supermarket of the Year: Foodland Hardware Store of the Year: Bunnings Warehouse Coffee Shop of the Year: Donut King Clothing Store of the Year: Rockmans Sports Store of the Year: Rebel Quick Service Restaurant of the Year: Fasta Pasta Discount Variety Store of the Year: The Reject Shop Furniture/Electrical Store of the Year: Ikea Department Store of the Year: Myer Auto Store of the Year: Autobarn Liquor Store of the Year: Dan Murphy's Shoe Store of the Year: Williams Chemist/Pharmacy of the Year: Discount Drug Stores Source: Roy Morgan Advertisement Grocery chain Foodland, based primarily in South Australia, stands out ahead of all the leading supermarket stores for a second year in a row. The independent supermarket chain - owned by IGA - astonishingly edged out Aldi, Woolworths and Coles for customer satisfaction. How does Roy Morgan research Customer Satisfaction? Roy Morgan Research collects customer satisfaction ratings from ongoing Single Source surveys in Australia, New Zealand & Indonesia (Over 50,000 consumers and 12,000 business decision-makers annually). This data is used to determine the monthly and annual winners of the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards. The winner for the calendar year is the organisation that achieves the most months with a number one ranking. Advertisement For a fourth straight year, Myer was named the Department Store of the Year, while Bunnings took out the Hardware Store of the Year for back-to-back victories. The Reject Shop confirmed its dominance in the field as the Discount Variety Store of the Year for the seventh year running - from 2012 to 2018. Iconic Swedish furniture giant Ikea enjoyed the customer satisfaction spotlight for the first time after taking out the Furniture/Electrical Store of the Year. Coffee Shop of the Year went to franchise Donut King, while Dan Murphy's took home the Liquor Store of the Year. Small business also took the lead, including Discount Drug Stores being named Chemist/Pharmacy of the Year and Adelaide-based chain Fasta Pasta leads Quick Service Restaurant of the Year. Grocery chain Foodland, based primarily in South Australia, stands out ahead of all the leading supermarket stores for a second year in a row Dan Murphy's took home the Liquor Store of the Year while Myer was named the Department Store of the Year Roy Morgan's CEO Michele Levine said the retail industry has faced significant challenges with the likes of online shopping giant Amazon transforming the way Australians shop for products. '[But] a high level of customer service is a sure fire way for more specialised retailers to thrive in this challenging environment,' she explained. 'The 14 winners of the retail categories at the awards have all provided unmatched levels of customer satisfaction in their chosen categories setting a benchmark for competitors to strive to match. 'Businesses such as Myer, Bunnings, Rebel, Foodland and The Reject Shop have built on existing high levels of customer satisfaction to win consecutive awards in their categories while particular plaudits must go to first time winners Discount Drug Stores, Ikea and Kmart.' Iconic Swedish furniture giant Ikea enjoyed the customer satisfaction spotlight for the first time after taking out the Furniture/Electrical Store of the Year Coffee Shop of the Year went to Australian franchise Donut King, according to Roy Morgan Ms Levine said many predict 2019 will be a challenging year for retail as the decline in home prices leaves some consumers with fewer dollars to spend in retailers. 'By recognising the importance of customer satisfaction in locking in repeat business and invaluable word-of-mouth recommendations our 14 retail winners have gained a leg-up on the competition through their own hard work,' she said. 'Congratulations to all of you for not losing sight of the importance of the consumer amid the economic and political uncertainty and industry-wide disruption we all face.' The birth is said to only be a matter of weeks away now, but the odds are already stacked in favour of the the Duke and Duchess naming their baby after Princess Diana. Meghan, 37. and Prince Harry have yet to disclose the gender of their baby, but bookies William Hill has revealed that the favourite baby name is currently Diana, with odds of 10/1. The gesture would be a tribute to his late mum, Princess Diana, who passed away when Harry was just 12-years-old. Other favourites include Alice and Victoria for a girl and Arthur or Edward for a boy. Meghan and Prince Harry have yet to disclose the gender of their baby, but bookies William Hill have revealed that the favourite name is Diana, with odds of 10/1. Pictured: The couple in Rabat, Morocco during the whirlwind royal tour in late February If the couple named their newborn Diana - the gesture would be a tribute to his late mum, Princess Diana (pictured in Bosnia in 1997), who passed away when Harry was just 12-years-old If the Duke and Duchess did name their newborn after his late mother they would be following on from Prince William and Kate Middleton, who gave Princess Charlotte the name Diana as a middle name. Other names which have come out popular for the Duke and Duchesses newborn are Alice, which is currently second if she gives birth to a girl, with odds of 12/1, Victoria at 14/1, while Alexandra is also said to be a favourite at 16/1. As the gender of the baby remains a secret, others are hoping they will nail it by choosing a boy's name. The name Arthur is currently the favourite at 12/1 if the couple have a boy, while Edward and James have also been popular at 16/1. Will it be a boy or a girl? People have been betting on baby names for Harry and Meghan's baby Meghan and Harry have been busy in the weeks leading up to the birth, with the couple flying to Morocco last week for a babymoon According to bookies, they have had more bets on the name of Prince Harry and Meghan's baby than they did when Kate was pregnant with Prince George. Royal baby name betting Diana: 8/1 Victoria: 8-1 Phillip: 12-1 Albert: 12-1 Alice: 12-1 Alfred: 25-1 Frances: 25-1 James: 14-1 Arthur: 16-1 Elizabeth: 16-1 Grace: 20-1 Alexandra: 20-1 Edward: 25-1 Advertisement Rupert Hill, of William Hill, said: 'Royal baby betting has never been more popular and the public clearly love Harry and Meghan. 'At this stage we think turnover will be higher for the Sussex baby than it was for Prince George.' He added: 'The killer blow for the bookies is for the baby to be a girl and for them to choose to call her Diana.' Prince Harry previously admitted publicly he had never' spoken enough to his brother or anyone else about the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales. Meghan and Harry have been busy in the weeks leading up to the birth, with the couple flying to Morocco last week for a royal tour, while Meghan was in New York for her baby shower the week before. Fans have been left cringing after an awkward romantic encounter on last night's UK premiere of The Bachelor. The British version of the popular US dating show debuted on Channel 5 last night, and saw contestant Lois demand a kiss from Alex within seconds of meeting him. Lois, a business owner from Hertfordshire, explained that she wanted to 'start with a spark' before pulling the bachelor in for a passionate embrace. While he agreed to the kiss, poor Alex couldn't help but wince midway through, saying afterwards: 'Wow, that was pretty forward of you'. The awkwardness continued further when Alex later confided to cameras that he regretted kissing his 31-year-old date. Scroll down for video Lois, a business owner from Hertfordshire, said she didn't have any talent and kissed Alex instead. The personal trainer later had a quick conversation about the kiss 'I'm really regretting kissing her,' he said. 'I should have said no. I didn't want her to feel rejected.' The moment had viewers cringing on Twitter, where many shared their thoughts on Lois and her 'forward' kiss. Lois clearly had no regrets about her dramatic entrance and even bragged about 'using tongues' to the other women on the show. 'I think I put him in a little bit of shock,' she said, speaking to the rest of the women vying for his attention. As Lois sat with her competitors, she revealed: 'I literally just walked in and kissed the bachelor. I didn't have a talent to give, so I kissed him.' Business owner Lois, 32, didn't lose any time and kissed Alex within seconds of meeting him on last night's Bachelor premiere. The personal trainer winced and said he regretted the kiss, saying he 'didn't want her to feel rejected.' Lois was axed at the end of this week''s episode Fellow contestants were thrown when Lois came in saying 'I literally just walked in and kissed the bachelor,' and asked whether she used tongue. She replied saying that she did Later on in the episode, Alex pulled Lois to the side to discuss the kiss, describing it as 'a huge compliment, but not my style.' 'That girl kissing him is wild,' wrote one Twitter user. 'What was she thinking?' Even Mark Wright, who's hosting both the US and UK versions of the dating show, couldn't resist tweeting about the interaction. 'Omg! I know what happens and I'm still watching between my fingers,' he wrote. Lois looks emotional during a conversation with Alex. Alex immediately said he regretted kissing Lois, but said he didn't want her to feel rejected - later booting her off the show Barber from Scotland, Tara, had people cringe when she rapped as her talent during the premiere of the UK Bachelor. The young woman made waves - and ruffled some feathers 'This is so painfully awkward,' cringed another fan who wrote they had 'never cringed so hard' in their life. Another fan said the Bachelor's UK version was 'cringe personified.' Many commented with 'face palm' and 'cringe' emojis to communicate just how uncomfortable they found the romantic encounter. Lois was ultimately axed at the end of the episode along with fellow contestant Chloe. Sobbing, the businesswoman refused to say goodbye to Alex and stormed off in dramatic style. Viewers were shocked by Lois' forward move, but they also commented it was probably a bad idea. Another user claimed to be on the brink of death watching Lois confidently kiss Alex But Lois was not the only contestant who left people cringing last night. Tara, 21, a barber from Scotland, made sure to make her mark as she performed a self-penned rap for the 6'6" hunk which convinced the Bachelor, but not Twitter. One contestant who managed to convince Alex was single mother Abbey, a personal assistant and Boutique owner from London. Abbey won the show's first red rose, and Alex praised her for for feeling able to leave her son in order to come onto the show. The Bachelor UK airs every day on Channel 5 at 10pm Fans have praised Olivia Colman's 'delightfully evil' performance as hit drama Fleabag finally returned for its second series on Monday night. Oscar winner Colman plays 'Godmother' to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's eponymous character in the cult BBC show, and had fans glued to their screens during Monday night's series debut. The episode focused on a fraught family dinner to celebrate the engagement of Fleabag's father to Godmother, during which Colman's character took a number of thinly-veiled swipes at her future stepdaughters. In one passive-aggressive exchange, the artist declares she is painting a portrait of the two sisters for her husband-to-be and will need to enlist them for 'a couple of sittings'. Last night's episode focused on a fraught family dinner to celebrate the engagement of Fleabag's father (left) to Godmother (right), which ended in disaster 'Delightfully evil': Olivia Colman plays 'Godmother' to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's eponymous character in the BBC drama Fleabag, which returned to screens on Monday night Asked why she couldn't simply paint their likeness from photographs, she replies: 'The lighting's not good enough, and if you're not photogenic then it does you no favours. 'And besides the only photos there are are from when you two were children and you look like a boy,' she added, looking at Fleabag. Fans delighted at Colman's star turn, branding her 'delightfully evil' and 'monstrous'. But they were equally delighted by the arrival of a new character, a 'hot swearing priest' played by Andrew Scott. The cigarette-smoking, tequila-drinking Catholic clergyman could signal a new love interest for Fleabag and Waller-Bridge has hinted that he will urge her to reconsider her self-destructive tendencies as the series progresses. Speaking about his character, Scott told HuffPost UK: 'I think we were both very, very interested in representing a priest that isn't just a stereotypical idea of what we see as a priest now as millennials, because it's very easy to just dismiss the priesthood or dismiss people who are religious. New love interest? Fans were equally delighted by the arrival of a new character, a 'hot swearing priest' played by Andrew Scott (left) who drank and smoked Andrew Scott as 'Priest'. The cigarette-smoking, tequila-drinking clergyman signals a new love interest for Fleabag and encourages her to reconsider her self-destructive tendencies Fans delighted at Colman's star turn, branding her 'delightfully evil' and 'monstrous' as Phoebe Waller-Bridge's hit series Fleabag returned to screens - also swooning over the 'hot priest' 'What we wanted was to create a chemistry, no matter what type of chemistry it was, we wanted these characters to have an extraordinary kind of connection.' Delighted fans declared Monday 'Fleabag day' as the cult drama written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge returned to screens this week after almost three years. The series follows Fleabag, a struggling millennial who runs a failing guinea pig cafe, constantly locks horns with her family and jumps from one dysfunctional relationship to the next. Its debut series, Olivia Colman as Fleabag's passive-aggressive 'Godmother', scooped three BAFTA nominations (of which Waller-Bridge won Best Female Performance) with critics hailing it as a 'scathingly funny' portrayal of life as a single woman. Fleabag, pictured in last night's episode, is a struggling millennial who runs a failing guinea pig cafe, constantly locks horns with her family and jumps from one relationship to the next Waller-Bridge with co-star Andrew Scott. The new season sees Fleabag, whose real name is not revealed, attempting to ditch booze in favour of a healthy lifestyle and turning to religion The final episode of season one, which aired in August 2016, ended with Fleabag, still haunted by the suicide of her best friend, falling out with her sister whose husband had made a pass at her. The new season sees Fleabag, whose real name is not revealed, attempting to ditch booze in favour of a healthy lifestyle and turning to religion as she attempts to navigate the highs and lows of adulthood. Speaking about her character this week, Waller-Bridge, 33, told BBC News: 'She's really been trying hard to eat avocados and go jogging and live a good, quiet life. 'There's still something inside of her that's roaring and a great sadness as well. She's been rejected by everybody who loves her, so she's deeply lonely.' She added: 'Sexual candour is how Fleabag controls her environment and conversations. It's a very empowering way to distract from her inner pain.' Fleabag finds God: Phoebe Waller-Bridge's character strikes up an unlikely friendship with a priest in series two. The dark comedy's second series debuts on BBC One tonight A dinner scene in Fleabag series two. The 'deeply lonely' titular character, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge appeared to have destroyed relationships with those closest to her in series one Sian Clifford as Fleabag's sister Claire, left, will return to screens for series two where fans will finally find out whether the pair were able to repair their fraught relationship The series stars Olivia Colman as Fleabag's passive-aggressive godmother/ stepmother. Colman recently scooped a Best Actress Oscar for her role in The Favourite Explaining how season two came to fruition, Waller-Bridge said: 'I was really convinced I wasn't going to do a second series and felt I had a lot of artistic integrity in saying that. 'But a couple of ideas popped into my head that I got excited by and I thought, 'oh, go on then. 'The real bedrock of it was tied up with the idea of religion. I was starting to write jokes about perspectives on the Christian faith and Catholicism, and that bled into the show. Excitement: Fans struggled to contain their enthusiasm as Fleabag returned to BBC Three on Monday morning. But most will have to wait until it is screened on BBC One later tonight 'Once Andrew said yes, the story really started to take over in my imagination. I liked the idea of Fleabag meeting her match in someone with the same intelligence and wit she has who leads a completely different life.' It will see the return of Oscar winner Colman, Sian Clifford as Fleabag's sister Claire and Bill Paterson as their father. New additions to the cast include Kristin Scott Thomas and Fiona Shaw, who also stars in Waller Bridge's hit crime thriller Killing Eve. Fleabag continues on Monday BBC One and is available on BBC Three now Queen Maxima looked as radiant as ever as she attended a financial event in the Netherlands today. The 47-year-old royal stunned in her grey and gold ensemble for the 10th anniversary Qredits-Microfinanciering symposium in De Rijtuigenloods in Amersfoort Maxima's dress boasted a charcoal upper body section, with 3/4 length sleeves, while the lower section detail was much more intricate. The skirt detail featured baroque patterned detail in a gold print, while the nipped-in waistline highlighted Maxima's slender frame and the knee-length dress showed off her toned legs. Queen Maxima of Netherlands looked radiant in her gold and grey knee-length dress as she attended the 10th anniversary of Qredits-Microfinanciering symposium Maxima entertained audiences with her speech at the celebratory event and she proudly took to the stage to speak out about the organisation earlier today Maxima added the extra touch of glamour to her look as she sported a pair of unmissable diamond drop down earrings for the event Maxima - whose full name is Maxima Zorreguieta Cerruti - kept her accessories to a minimum, as she opted for black pointed toe heels and a black clutch bag. The mother-of-three - who has daughters Princess Catharina-Amalia, 15, Princess Alexia, 13, and Princess Ariane, 11, with husband Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands - added the extra touch of glamour with her jewellery. Qredits is a non-profit credit organisation that has provided 15,000 business loans to entrepreneurs in the past 10 years. Finance is of particular interest to Maxima who worked in the industry prior to her marriage to King Willem-Alexander. Maxima beamed with joy as she waved to onlookers and guests when she attended the 10th anniversary of Qredit today Maxima showed off her toned legs in the vibrant dress as she stepped out of the carin her black court shoes Maxima let her bold outfit do the talking as she paired her look with a simple pair of black court shoes and a black clutch bag for the occasion Maxima's dress featured gold baroque lace detail, which gave onlookers a closer look of her grey underlayer. The design cinched in at her waist to show off her slender frame The royal completed her look with pearl and diamond drop down earrings, as well as a watch and bracelet, which had heart-shaped links. Maxima made sure her earrings were on full display at the event as she sleeked her blonde locks back. While Maxima opted for smokey eye make-up and a berry-coloured lipstick to top it off. Maxima opted for a smokey eye make up look for the occasion but opted for a more natural berry shade of lipstick Maxima was all smiles as she made her way to the stage to present at the anniversay bash today in front of a large audience Maxima smiled with joy as she left the event after having given a speech on stage to the audience who flocked to celebrate the milestone Maxima greeted guests who waited to see the royal, and the star bent down to pose for a picture with a family at the event She was pictured addressing the crowds with a smile on her face as she entertained the audience. Maxima's appearance at the celebratory event came shortly after she enjoyed a family ski holiday in Leech, Austria. The royal family has holidayed in Lech every year since the end of the Second World War. It was a favourite with Princess Diana, while King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan are also regulars on the slopes. Princess Caroline of Monaco has a chalet in Zurs and visits every February with her daughter Princess Alexandra of Hanover. The wives of Windsor cut two very different figures today as they attended a reception to honour Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Kate and Meghan, both 37, donned their finery at a glittering party to celebrate 50 years since their father-in-law was invested as the Prince of Wales. The Duchess of Sussex, who is around eight months pregnant, dressed her blossoming baby bump in a stylish brocade dress embellished with a metallic floral pattern. She was overheard joking about her growing baby bump, telling Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns she looked 'rather different' to the last time he saw her, adding: 'We're nearly there'. Meghan teamed the flattering silver number with an 895 Amanda Wakeley coat, 205 Wilbur & Gussie oyster silk clutch, 525 Paul Andrew pumps and 215 Maison Birks gold bar earrings. Known for playing it sartorially safe, the Duchess of Cambridge opted for a custom made pale blue gown that looked almost identical to a Beulah dress she wore on a visit to Kuala Lumpur in 2012. Meghan with Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace today. The Duchess of Sussex, who is between seven and eight months pregnant, dressed her baby bump in a stylish brocade mini Classic Kate: The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a custom made pale blue gown that looked almost identical to a Beulah dress she wore on a visit to Kuala Lumpur in 2012 Kate's chiffon ensemble, which fell to just above the ankle, featured a delicate buttoned bodice and voluminous puffed sleeves. She sported a similar look in Northern Ireland last week, donning a 1,590 Missoni wrap dress during a visit to Belfast's Empire Music Hall. Today's event, hosted by the Queen, will celebrate a range of Welsh charities, organisations and businesses. Among the guests will be leading figures in Welsh and UK public life, as well as representatives from Charles' Welsh charities and patronages, including The Princes Trust Cymru, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and the BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales. The Archbishop of Canterbury will also be in attendance to give a speech to mark the anniversary. Meghan was pictured wearing a recycled 895 Amanda Wakeley coat with a floral embellished dress as she joined Harry for a reception at Buckingham Palace thrown by the Queen The Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked in good spirits, and Harry appeared to be drinking water as they mingled with VIP guests at the event at Buckingham Palace today Brushing aside ongoing rumours of a rift, the Duchess of Sussex looked elegant at Buckingham Palace today as she joined Prince Harry, 34, to mark Prince Charles' 50 years of service (pictured speaking to Simon Weston and Alun Cairns) The Duchess of Cambridge speaks with guests at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales The Duchess of Cambridge looked stylish in a mint-coloured blouse dress featuring ruffled sleeves and a button-up collar, teaming the frock with suede nude heels Kate wore a similar dress for a visit to Kuala Lumpur in 2012 (pictured making a short visit to the Assyakirin Mosque with Prince William as part of the Diamond Jubilee Tour) Kate's dress looked almost identical to a Beulah number she wore on a visit to Kuala Lumpur in 2012. She also wore a similar gown on a visit to Belfast last week (pictured) The Investiture Regalia worn by The Prince of Wales in 1969 will be on display, including the Investiture Coronet, Sword, Ring and Rod, as well as the Letters Patent for the creation of Charles, Duke of Cornwall as Prince of Wales in 1958. The reception will culminate with a musical performance in the ballroom by students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, of which The Prince of Wales is Patron. The performance will include a new piece written for the anniversary by Welsh composer Paul Mealor, inspired by the legend of the Lady of Llyn y Fan, a mountain lake near The Prince of Waless Welsh home, Llwynywermod in Carmarthenshire. Prince Charles was created The Prince of Wales aged 9 on July 26th 1958 and was formally invested with the title by Her Majesty The Queen on July 1st 1969 at Caernarfon Castle. The Prime Minister matched the Queen in purple as she curtsied to Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace today. Pairing a smart suit with her signature kitten heel in a bold leopard print, Theresa May joined the royal family to mark the 50th anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales. The Queen opted for a polka dot silk skirt in purple and lilac tones with a darker jacket and smiled as she took the hand of Mrs May while she curtsied. Theresa May matched the Queen as both leading women opted for purple ensembles at Buckingham Palace today. They looked happy as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles' investiture A day at the Palace would be a welcome break for Ms May, who has been battling Tory infighting and rising knife crime with the deadline to leave the EU fast approaching, and no deal yet negotiated. Putting her woes aside, the former Home Secretary paired a chunky necklace and matching gold bracelet she mingled with Britain's senior royals. The Cambridges and the Sussexes, joined the Prime Minister to toast Prince Charles becoming the Prince of Wales 50 years ago. It is the first time the two Duchesses have been pictured together since attending the annual church service at Sandringham on Christmas Day. Kate, 37, and Meghan, also 37, attended a reception in the White Drawing room at Buckingham Palace thrown by the Queen to mark the 50th anniversary of her son Charles' investiture as Prince of Wales. Ms May looked relaxed as she joined senior royals as the palace during a break from preparing for Brexit, which is only 24 days away. She paired the purple suit with chunky jewels Charles, 70, was created the Prince of Wales at the age of nine, on July 26 1958, and was formally invested with the title at Caernarfon Castle by the Queen on July 1st 1969. The investiture regalia he wore that day was on display at the celebration. Meghan cut a graceful figure in a recycled 895 Amanda Wakeley coat teamed with a floral embellished dress as she stood alongside Harry, 34, during the celebrations on Tuesday, joined by Kate and Prince William, 36. The Prime Minister appeared unphased from mounting pressure from Brexit hardliners as she mingled with senior royals at the palace today, as MPs prepare to vote on her deal Meanwhile the Duchess of Cambridge looked stylish in a mint-coloured blouse dress featuring ruffled sleeves and a button-up collar, which she teamed with suede nude heels. Seemingly unphased by pressure from Brexit hardliners, Ms May looked relaxed while she toasted Prince Charles' half-a-century service to the Commonwealth. This morning Brexit hardliners demanded May orders her ministers and MPs to vote yes to no deal next week if the Attorney General fails to win backstop concessions. The Queen hosted for the event for Prince Charles (both front centre), as his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (centre), and his sons Prince William and Harry (back) and their wives Kate, Duchess of Cambridge (left) and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (right) joined him Meghan cut a graceful figure in a recycled 895 Amanda Wakeley coat teamed with a floral embellished dress (left) while Kate looked stylish in a mint-coloured blouse dress featuring ruffled sleeves and a button-up collar, which she teamed with suede nude heels (right) They fear the Prime Minister could instead order Tories to vote against no deal or give a free vote - either way taking a no deal Brexit off the table. Expectation is mounting Mrs May could make a last-minute trip to Brussels on Sunday ahead of a new 'meaningful vote' to approve her deal next Tuesday. The PM has promised if her deal has not been backed by then, MPs will have a vote on whether to accept no deal next Wednesday, March 13. Both Mr. Grogan and Mr. Howett will be based in Dublin and report to Chris Lay, CEO of Marsh UK & Ireland. A Marsh veteran of 28 years, Mr. Grogan has served in numerous senior leadership roles, and was appointed Chairman of Marsh Ireland in September 2018. He was previously CEO of Marshs Corporate Division in the UK & Ireland, which provides risk management advice, insurance brokerage and claims advocacy services to mid-size and large organisations. Mr. Howett has been with JLT since 1983, serving in a succession of senior positions before being appointed to his current role in 1995. Previously he worked in the audit and tax departments of PwC. He has also served as a Council Member of Brokers Ireland, the countrys leading representative body for insurance brokers. Mr. Grogan said: Marsh is committed to providing our clients with a high-quality and seamless service. By strengthening our Irish operations, we will ensure we have the resources and talents required to support our clients as they navigate an increasingly complex risk landscape. I look forward to working with Pat and the highly-regarded JLT team. Mr. Howett added: This is an exciting time for the teams at both Marsh and JLT. The combined organisation will lead the market in providing exceptional client service and risk and insurance expertise. Queen Letizia of Spain looked sharp in a fitted grey dress today for a conference at the Duques de Pastrana Palace in Madrid. The Spanish royal, 46, wore the stylish checked number at an event to mark World Rare Disease Day where she gave a speech and presented awards. The fitted frock with an asymmetrical neckline complimented her figure, and was nipped in at the waist with a thin black belt. The former journalist is one of the directors of the Spanish Federation of Rare Diseases (FEDER), and was attending today's event to support the cause. Scroll down for video Queen Letizia of Spain looked smart as she wore a grey chequered dress to an event at the Duques de Pastrana Palace in Madrid today Queen Letizia (fourth right) in Mafrid today. Looking happy as winners took to the stage she applauded them all as they gathered for a photo call with their awards Queen Letizia a the Duques de Pastrana Palace on Tuesday. Wearing her hair down, styled straight she wore smoky eye make up and a light brown lip as she attended the event International Rare Disease Day, in February, is a day where patients and organisations all over the world hold awareness-raising activities for rare diseases. On 28th February this year, EURORDIS coordinated the 12th international Rare Disease Day. As one of the directors of FEDER Queen Letizia she was there to celebrate the day in February and talk to those who were involved. Letizia looked happy as she arrived and at the Duques de Pastrana Palace, pairing her dress with classic black stilettos and a black clutch. Letizia on stage. The Spanish royal delivered a speech during an event held on occasion of the World Rare Disease Day in Madrid The former journalist is one of the directors of the Spanish Federation of Rare Diseases (FEDER), attending the event to support the cause The Spanish royal then took to the stage to give an expressive speech, in her capacity as one of the directors of FEDER. Wearing her hair down, styled straight she wore smoky eye make up and a light brown lip as she then handed out awards. Looking happy as winners took to the stage she applauded them all as they gathered for a photo call. Letizia opted for a stylish check frock at the Duques de Pastrana Palace in Madrid today. The fitted dress complimented her figure, and was nipped in at the waist with a thin black belt Letizia looked happy as she arrived and at the Duques de Pastrana Palace on Tuesday, pairing her dress with classic black stilettos and a black clutch FEDER, who operate across Spain, Latin America and Europe, hope to increase visibility of rare diseases and help those suffering by defending their rights. They help people who have contracted a disease that less than five people per 10,000 have. There are more than three million people that fit the bill in Spain alone. Last week the Queen welcomed the Peruvian president to Spain with an opulent state banquet. Queen Letizia of Spain at the Duques de Pastrana Palace in Madrid today. Last week the Queen welcomed the Peruvian president to Spain with an opulent state banquet Queen Letizia took to the stage as she attended the Rare Diseases World Day event at Duques de Pastrana Palace in the Spanish capital on Tuesday Letizia in Madrid today. Last week Spain's royal couple donned their finery for an evening with President Martin Vizcarra and his wife Maribel Diaz at the Royal Palace The festivities continued throughout the week when King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia hosted another reception in their guest's honour. Spain's royal couple donned their finery for an evening with President Martin Vizcarra and his wife Maribel Diaz at the Royal Palace. Accompanying her husband, Letizia dazzled in a pale purple bodycon dress festooned with silver sequins in the shape of stars and snowflakes. It was a happy family occasion for the royals today as senior family members were pictured together for the first time in 2019 at a Buckingham Palace reception. The Queen was joined by Prince Charles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception celebrating Charles' 50 years as Prince of Wales. The monarch, who brought a splash of colour to the exclusive party in a vibrant purple blazer and dazzling brooch, was accompanied by her eldest son as her family entered the White Drawing Room. But her husband Prince Philip, 97, who retired from public life in 2017 was notably absent from the family occasion. Happy families! Queen Elizabeth II was joined by the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales (above) The Queen, who teamed a lilac polka dot dress with her trademark Launer London bag, was followed by mother-to-be Meghan, who dressed her blossoming baby bump in a stylish brocade dress embellished with a metallic floral pattern. She cut an elegant figure by completing her look with a recycled 895 Amanda Wakeley coat. Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cambridge looked stylish in a pastel-green blouse dress featuring ruffled sleeves and a button-up collar, which she paired with her go-to nude heels. Prime Minister Theresa May was also among the guests at the event honouring Charles's contribution to the national life of Wales over the decades, and was photographed curtsying to the monarch. Mother-to-be Meghan linked arms with her husband Prince Harry (above) as they engaged in conversation at the exclusive event Kate donned a mint-green button up chiffon dress as she attended the reception and listened intently to other guests While the royal family all gathered for the exclusive party earlier today, Prince Philip was noticeably absent. Above, pictured of February 14 Charles was created the Prince of Wales at the age of nine, on July 26 1958, and was formally invested with the title at Caernarfon Castle by the Queen on July 1 1969. The investiture regalia he wore was on display, including the coronet, sword, ring and rod, as well as the Letters Patent for the creation of Charles as Prince of Wales in 1958. Today marked the first occasion Meghan and Kate have been seen together at a public engagement this year. Queen Elizabeth II greeted Prime Minister Theresa May as she arrived to attend a reception to mark the 50th Anniversary of the investiture of The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace Back in December, the pair were greeted by adoring crowds as they made their way to St Mary Magdalene Church, a short walk from Sandringham House on the Royal Family's Norfolk estate back on December 25. Prince William, 36, and Harry, 34, also joined their wives as they put on a united front amid rumours of a 'rift' between the two couples - but again, Prince Philip was nowhere to be seen. And it seemed like any mounting tensions were well and truly behind the Duchesses as they appeared to be all smiles as they engaged in conversation with other guests. Khloe Kardashian fell prey to a bitter backlash on Instagram yet again as her fans called her out for overly-editing her photos, while pointing out some very odd elements in a recent post that they claimed were proof of failed Photoshopping. One recent image under fire shows Khloe, 34, climbing up a staircase while wearing a fitted, long-sleeved sheer bodysuit. The reality star is looking back over her shoulder at the camera while showing off her famous curves in the sparkly number. But while some praised the saucy snap, critics were quick to accuse the reality star of editing her figure in the photo, pointing out that her head appears far too large for her thin frame and suggesting that the poor proportions are the result of bad editing. Saucy: Fans attacked Khloe Kardashian on Instagram Monday after she posted this image, with critics accusing her of slimming down her body, making her head look enormous as a result Voluptuous: The 34-year-old showcased every curve in the tight, sheer bodysuit, however Instagram followers insisted her body had been edited to look smaller, particularly her thighs Annoyed: Critics thought the images were heavily edited because of how the size of Khloe's head differed from the rest of her body. They also thought her thighs appeared too thin Shamed: A majority of the criticism stated Khloe's thighs appearing too small for the rest of her body in the images compared to her booty Difference? Khloe has actually been pictured in the outfit before in images shared by her sisters Kourtney and Kendall (left), in which her body looked a bit more evenly-proportioned 'Honeyyy your head and hair make up your entire body!!! Who let you post this?' one commenter asked after Khloe shared the picture. Another critic wrote: 'OK honestly I love her but am I the only one that sees that her butt and her head are way too big for that body.' The purple sparkly bodysuit Khloe wore in the image was paired with nude heels as she modeled her newly cut bop while ascending the staircase. Khloe also kept it simple with her caption by using two star emojis. Khloe received praise from Bravo's Andy Cohen on the post, who wrote: 'Can I borrow that outfit please?' Heiress Paris Hilton also commented on the picture by calling Khloe 'so hot' in the bodysuit while family friend Larsa Pippen left a couple fire emojis next to the picture. The reality star even received praise from Caitlyn Jenner even though the pair have previously fought after the divorce with Kris Jenner. Caitlyn commented on how sparkly the bodysuit was worn by Khloe. Khloe was first spotted in the bodysuit last week when she posed for pictures with sisters Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian. In the images posted then, her body appeared more evenly proportioned compared to the latest shots. It appears the most recent shots shared from Khloe come from the same night. A majority of criticism from the latest pictures, though, are from people who thought Khloe's thighs looked too thin for her body frame and her head appeared too large. Clever: One critic joked it appeared Khloe's thighs are 'sold separately' because of the difference in size between the two Criticism: People accused Khloe of editing her pictures to portray a different body image Not a fan: The picture posted on Monday received an influx of critical comments about how Khloe's body looked Sister, sister: Khloe was first spotted in the sheer bodysuit when she posed with Kourtney and Kendall last week for fun photos that were also posted on Instagram Sultry: In the pictures, which were taken by the girls' hairstylist Jen Atkin and shared by both Kendall and Kourtney, Khloe's body appears more natural in terms of its proportions 'Thighs sold separately,' one person wrote while another fan commented, 'Girl your thighs don't match, and I'm not trying to be shady just trying to let you know what the world sees.' Hard work: Khloe, pictured in February, has been very vocal about how much hard work she puts in to staying trim and toned Meanwhile, another fan shamed Khloe by saying she looked like she had a 'bobble head' based on the proportions of the image. 'Are y'all venturing into bobble heads now?' The fan questioned on the picture. Accusatory comments of Photoshopping photos or over-editing is not anything new for a member of the Kardashian family. Last month, Khloe experienced backlash on her Good American denim brand's Instagram page when the company posted a picture of the influencer wearing a pair of pink jeans. The image showed Khloe lounging in a crop top and jeans on a reflective surface, which showed two versions of the mother-of-one. The reflection showed Khloe's waist larger and more proportioned to her natural body than how her actual body was pictured. 'A little crop goes a long way,' the Good American post's caption read while advertising cropped skinny jeans. 'Theres a reason why our cropped skinny jeans are best sellers, shop this shape-enhancing style in sizes 00-24 now on goodamerican.com.' In the photo, Khloe wore pink skinny jeans from Good American with a cropped ankle, along with a long-sleeved and high-necked crop top and white stilettos. The star's midriff was exposed as it rested on the reflective surface. Her body's reflection then showed in the floor, which prompted people to believe it looked dissimilar from Khloe's body pictured. Fail: Last month, people accused Khloe of a different 'Photoshop fail' for one campaign image Good American used, noting that her body looked larger in her reflection Oops: Many users pointed out that Khloe's body in the shot was a much smaller size than the reflection in the shiny floor beneath her, suggesting it was down to a blatant editing fail False advertising: The post, which was shared on the Instagram of Khloe's brand, Good American, received a lot of backlash in the comments Unimpressed: Comments poured into the post with people saying both Khloe's face and waist appeared altered for the campaign picture Her body appeared leaner compared to the reflection image. But that was not the only editing viewers spotted. Comments poured into the post with critics calling it a 'Photoshop fail' and accusing the brand of editing both Khloe's face and waist. 'Shame on you! Accept yourself the way you are and stop fooling people! Photoshop fail!' one Instagrammer wrote. 'Talk about NOSE JOB.... Koko whyyy??' said another, pointing out that Khloe's nose and face appeared narrower than usual. People were in agreement that the reflection did not match the waist shown on Khloe. 'If you Photoshop her body maybe Photoshop her reflection, too,' one commenter wrote on the post. The comments kept flooding onto the post with people calling it a 'fail' and claiming the picture didn't look anything like Khloe. 'I love Khloe but, who is that? That does not look like her,' a fan wrote. Khloe has not addressed either of the Photoshopping critiques publicly. A set of adorable twins hilariously wreaked havoc during their parent's television interview today, throwing snacks and running around the studio. Tabitha and Ben Rean from Warwick were being interviewed by Kay Burley about a medical condition which meant their daughters nearly died in the womb. But the three adults became distracted as Isla and Jemima threw snacks on to the ground, wriggled on their father's lap and ended up running around the studio. The couple admitted they are a handful, but said they would love to have more children. The twins ran around the Sky News studio, while their parents tried to concentrate on the discussing the serious topic of the condition which almost killed them. With the couple trying to continue the interview, the twins were distracted, wriggling off their laps and running off camera. While Kay Burley asked their parents what challenges they face, the twins wandered off to explore the Sky News studio. Isla and Jemima were diagnosed with a rare condition that meant there was an imbalance in their blood. Tabitha and Ben Rean from Warwick were being interviewed by Kay Burley about a medical condition which meant their daughters nearly died in the womb, but the boisterous twins were more interested in making mischief The curious youngsters were eager to explore the studio while their parents gave an interview to Kay Burley Keeping Kay on her toes! The presenter was eventually forced to get up from her seat and chase after the twins as they ran around the set Without surgery, the girls had a 5 per cent chance of surviving, and with it it was just 50 per cent. Tabitha explained:'When you have identical twins that share the same placenta,. You're meant to have an ultrasound scan at 16 weeks and then every 2 weeks after that. 'Unfortunately my 16 week scan was missed, and we didn't end up having a scan till 17 plus five days.' The twins' father Ben says that the sonographer was taking a long time to do the scan, and they were taking to a room where they were told that the twins had twin to twin transfusion syndrome. Hands full! Dad Ben tried to join in a conversation with Kay about Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, but the youngsters were determined not to make it easy for him Dad Ben clings onto baby Isla, who is the older of the twins by 10 minutes, as he described the girls as 'a handful' What is twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome? TTTS affects identical twins who share a placenta (monochorionic). The risk is higher for MCDA twins, but it can occur in MCMA twins too. Its caused by abnormal connecting blood vessels in the twins' placenta. This results in an imbalanced blood flow from one twin (known as the donor) to the other (recipient), leaving one baby with a greater blood volume than the other. TTTS affects 10-15% of monochorionic twins and can have serious consequences. You'll need to discuss your individual case with your doctor, as what works in one TTTS pregnancy may not be appropriate in another. Source: NHS Advertisement A doctor indicated that there was an imbalance in amniotic fluids which indicated that the the girls may have Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. Tabitha was rushed up to hospital on the Friday, and met the surgeon the Sunday. She had Twin to Twin transfusion surgery, which involves laser inflation surgery and amnioreduction surgery, on the Monday morning at 18 weeks pregnant. Mother Tabitha explains that not having the surgery just wasn't an option for the couple, as they were dedicated to saving their little girls. They had to have a scan 20 minutes after the surgery, 48 hours afterward and two weeks afterward to check that there were still two heartbreaks. Father Ben explains that while there are hospitals in London that are able to perform the surgeries, Birmingham Women's hospital perform the majority of the surgeries for Ireland, Scotland and most of England. The young parents said they would love to have more children, describing their twins as 'a bundle of joy' Birmingham women's hospital have roughly one surgery a week. In an additional traumatic moment for Tabitha, she had to have an emergency C-section to deliver the twins prematurely at 29 weeks. They were in hospital for six weeks after birth in order to gain weight. While the presenter tries to interview Ben and Tabitha on this serious topic, the adorable twins wiggle about on Ben's knees, fight over treats and wail 'mama'. The young parents described them as 'a bundle of joy' and 'amazing little girls', insisting that the twins were a handful, they would love to have more children. They are about to become parents for the first time, but it seems baby number two is already on Prince Harry's mind. The Duke of Sussex was overheard joking about having a second child as he and Meghan chatted to guests at a reception in honour of his father at Buckingham Palace today. Falklands veteran Simon Weston, 57, who suffered severe burns and has since become known for his charity work, spoke at length to the couple about their baby plans. He said: 'We also joked about Wales defeating England in the Six Nations rugby. I also warned him and the duchess it serves him right as they will be getting plenty of sleepless nights when the baby is born. 'He said if they have any more than two it will serve him right,' Simon added. Joking about their baby fans, Meghan joined Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace today as the couple chatted to veteran Simon Weston, second right and Welsh secretary Alun Cairns, right Wales secured a 21 to 13 victory over England in the Six Nations last month at the Principality Stadium (pictured), and Prince Harry joked about their defeat with a Palace guest today Wales secured a 21 to 13 victory over England in the Six Nations last month at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff. Meghan recently let slip to a well-wisher her first child is due 'at the end of April or early May' during a visit to Birkenhead. Speaking at Buckingham Palace today, Mr. Weston, President of charity DEBRA, said he and the duke talked about wound healing and a new laser treatment to deal with scar tissue. He added, 'It was wonderful to be invited to these celebrations to mark 50 years since the Prince of Wales' investiture. 'I was seven years old at the time so I've got a lot to thank him for - such as the day off school and the jelly and ice-cream at the street party. I watched it at my grandmother's house in our village called Nelson.' Happy families! Queen Elizabeth II was joined by the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the 50th anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales (above) The Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked in good spirits, and Harry appeared to be drinking water as they mingled with VIP guests at the event at Buckingham Palace today Meghan with Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace today. The Duchess of Sussex, who is between seven and eight months pregnant, dressed her baby bump in a stylish brocade mini Meghan was pictured wearing a recycled 895 Amanda Wakeley coat with a floral embellished dress as she joined Harry for a reception at Buckingham Palace thrown by the Queen The Duchess of Sussex was pictured looking down at her bump as she met Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns, who congratulated her on her pregnancy, as they mingled at the reception. 'I look rather different than the last time you saw me', she joked gesturing at her bump. 'Yes it's sweet, we're nearly there', Meghan added. Today's event, hosted by the Queen, celebrated a range of Welsh charities, organisations and businesses. Among the guests were leading figures in Welsh and UK public life, as well as representatives from Charles' Welsh charities and patronages. These include The Princes Trust Cymru, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and the BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales. The Archbishop of Canterbury was also in attendance to give a speech to mark the anniversary. A woman whose doctor suggested a rhinoplasty for her snoring has revealed that after two plastic surgeries she is left with a 'dinosaur' nose. Jennifer, 40, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, shares her story on Wednesday night's episode of the E! reality series Botched, explaining that she lives in fear that the cartilage in her nose is going to tear through the skin. 'My nose looks like a dinosaur head. It's got all these ridges and bumps,' she explains. 'It looks exactly like the head of a Brachiosaurus.' Scroll down for video Nightmare: Jennifer, 40, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, fears the cartilage in her nose is going to tear through the skin Hard to handle: She insists her 'nose looks like a dinosaur head' after having two botched rhinoplasties. The second procedure was done to fix her first nose job without success Jennifer says that growing up she was a 'typical Midwestern, outdoorsy kid' who played softball and went camping. 'When we would travel a lot, my family would poke fun at me because I had a horrible snoring problem,' she explains. 'Nobody wanted to share the room in the camper with me 'cause they knew they were going to be up all night listening to me snore like a trucker.' Jennifer's snoring got so unbearable that she consulted with an otolaryngologist, a physician who specializes in the treatment of diseases and disorders of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT). Say what? Growing up, her family would make fun of her loud snoring, and she consulted with an ear, nose, and throat doctor who suggested a rhinoplasty Yikes: Jennifer felt a 'really hard, pea-sized bump' in her nose after the surgery, and her doctor offered to fix it for free if she would go under the knife without anesthesia The doctor suggested that she get a rhinoplasty, which she wasn't expecting. Over it: She says the pain was so 'unbearable' she had to beg the doctor to stop 'I was like, "Well, wait, what? Is that an option?" I can breathe and I can get rid of this gigantic triangle on my face,' she recalls. A few months after her surgery, Jennifer felt a 'really hard, pea-sized bump' on the top of her nose. 'The doctor informed me he would be willing to fix it no charge if I were to not go under anesthesia,' she reveals, admitting she agreed to the procedure without realizing how painful it would be. 'It was just unbearable,' she says. 'I was literally shaking and crying and he was getting very annoyed that I couldn't sit still and I couldn't handle the pain. 'Then, when he was actually filing the bone, it just sounded and felt, just, terrifying. I told the surgeon, "I can't do this anymore. Stop. I don't care what it costs. I will pay for the anesthesia. I cannot do this."' Heartbreak: After the procedure, Jennifer learned that her son Jack had Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, an extremely rare genetic condition Tough times: The rare genetic condition causes severe developmental delay and autism-like symptoms. Jennifer put fixing her nose on the back burner as she focused on her family After the procedure, Jennifer learned that her son Jack had Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, an extremely rare genetic condition. 'Jack was the 227th person in the world ever diagnosed with this syndrome,' she explains. 'It causes severe developmental delay and autism-like symptoms. 'They basically told us, "Your son is never going to go to college, and he's not going to get married, and he's going to live at home with you for the rest of his life."' Jennifer says her nose was not something she could deal with at the time because she was focusing on her family. Unbelievable: Jennifer eventually had a second surgery, but six months later, the bump reappeared Struggle: The mom now fears the cartilage in her nose is going to poke through her skin However, once things got settled at home, she decided to have a second surgery to fix her nose. 'After about six months the bump was still there, and I started to notice that shape of the tip of my nose was changing,' she says. 'It seems like there is a battle between the skin and the cartilage,' she adds. 'I don't want to fear that my cartilage is going to poke through my skin, and I am going to have to have emergency surgery.' It was like a mirror image as the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in a custom-made pale green gown at Buckingham Palace earlier today. The stunning dress, which she wore to mark her father-in-law's 50th anniversary as the Prince of Wales, looked almost identical to one she donned just last week. Kate, 37, opted for the sparkly 1,590 Missoni metallic-knit wrap dress when she arrived at Belfast's Empire Music Hall during a surprise visit to Northern Ireland. But the mint-green colour, and same cinched in waist and A-Line skirt has made it easy for comparisons to be drawn between the two. Seeing double! The Duchess's custom-made dress, worn today (right) bears a striking similarity to the gown she donned in Belfast last week (left) During the tour of Northern Ireland, Kate paired her glittery ensemble with signature Gianvito suede stilettos, which cost 505, and a nude Mulberry clutch - which she placed on the bar as she pulled pints with her husband, Prince William. And it was like seeing double today as she made her way through the Palace in a blouse dress featuring ruffled sleeves and a button-up collar, which she similarly teamed with suede nude heels. And it's not the first time Kate has repeated replica outfits. The dress today is strikingly similar to a Beulah London outfit she donned on a visit to Kuala Lumpur back in 2012 - which again featured chiffon puff sleeves. At the time, Kate, then a newly-wed, drew comparisons to the late Princess Diana, who appeared in an almost identical outfit on a visit to an Egyptian mosque during a tour of Egypt in 1992. The Duchess's dress today (right) bore a striking resemblance to one to a Beulah London dress she wore on a visit to Kuala Lumpur in 2012 (left) Kate, 37, (far left) and the Duchess of Sussex, also 37, (far right) attended a reception in the White Drawing room at Buckingham Palace thrown by the Queen (front centre) to mark the 50th anniversary of her son Charles' (front centre) investiture as Prince of Wales. His wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (back centre), and sons Prince William and Harry (back centre) were also in attendance Meanwhile, Kate's appearance in Northern Ireland last week also drew comparisons to an Erdem dress she wore during a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the launch of the UK-India Year of Culture two years ago. Speaking of Kate's love for sticking to an old favourite, stylist Lisa Talbot notes: 'Kate has developed a signature style and that's reflected in the shapes that she chooses from all her favourite designers and brands. ' 'These shapes suit the elegant style she is trying to to achieve for her role within royalty. A style she has been developing over the years.' 'The styles of the Missoni and Erdem dresses encapsulate Kates body shape, defining her shoulders. The full length floaty style of the skirts also soften Kates look.' Kate's appearance in Northern Ireland last week, pictured, drew comparisons to an earlier look which she wore during a reception at the Palace two years ago The dress looked similar to the Erdem metallic dress she wore at a Buckingham Palace reception for the launch of the UK-India Year of Culture two years ago Kate is a massive Alexandra Mcqueen fan. Kate wore a Powder Pink Pleated Peplum Dress by the brand (left) in 2014 when she was on a royal tour in Australia, while she also wore a similar red style (left) in 2012 Kate wore a baby blue Mulberry coat on a visit on Northern Ireland, the coat which fell just below her knee and featured a cape detail. It looked very similar to the Alexandra McQueen coat that she wore in 2014, while on a royal visit to the Blenheim War Memorial But it's not unusual for Kate to stick to her firm favourites, as she often opts for similar peplum suits, tailored dresses and chiffon gowns for formal occasions. Kate is a devoted Alexandra McQueen fan, and wore a powder-pink pleated number for a 2014 royal tour in Australia. She was also seen in a red Alexandra McQueen dress, in an almost identical style, in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee UK Tour. The Duchess also loves a Peplum suit and has been seen wearing them in different styles. In 2016 she wore a belted suit with a collar, and while at the Queen's Jubilee tour in 2012 she donned a dark green version, which again was belted. 'Kate has a symmetrical, hour glass body shape,' Lisa adds. 'To define this body shape emphasis must be placed on the shoulders, necklines, waist and hips which is what she does by using fitted garments.' Spot the difference: The Duchess also loves a peplum suit and has been seen wearing them in different styles. In 2016 she wore a belted suit with a collar (left), while at the Queen's jubilee tour in 2012 she wore one in dark green, which again was belted but had a softer neckline Kate wore a Emilia Wickstead dress to an event in London last October (left) that looked similar to an Amanda Wakeley number worn the same month (right). Stylist Lisa Talbot said: 'Kate has developed a signature style and that's reflected in the shapes that she chooses' Heading to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras this year and hoping to get your hands on some beads... without flashing anyone? Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has revelers covered: The fried chicken chain is giving out Mardi Gras beads this year, exclusively at its Canal Street restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana. And their very special beads combine both fashion and function, with a takeout box fastened at the end of each necklace. Yum! Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is giving out special Mardi Gras beads today only at the chain's Canal Street restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana French Quarter, here we come! The beads have a takeout box fastened to the end, which is big enough to fit a snack box of food perfect for eating and holding a drink at the same time The Popeyes Mardi Gras Beadbox features two strings of beads in purple and green but with a twist. At the bottom of the necklace is a sturdy Popeyes takeout box, which is the perfect size to fit any of the chain's snack box orders. This way, those celebrating the raucous holiday can both eat their food and hold their drink while walking down the street and from bar to bar. This is especially useful in New Orleans, which is one of the few places in the country where it is legal to carry an open container of alcohol. It's a time-honored tradition for partiers to carry their drinks around the French Quarter all year, but especially during Mardi Gras. The special beads will only be available today, March 5, in honor of the holiday. Par-tay! Revelers at Mardi Gras in New Orleans wear colorful beaded necklaces Lots of fun! Mardi Gras' history goes way back in New Orleans, and has been celebrated there since the 1730s Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is a Christian holiday known for its parties and parades, marking the last day of Carnival season before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. It's also known as Shrove Tuesday and Pancake Day in different parts of the world. Mardi Gras' history goes way back in New Orleans. In 1699, the French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived in Louisiana, naming a spot 60 miles south of New Orleans 'Pointe du Mardi Gras.' The holiday was celebrated in New Orleans starting in the 1730s, not long after the city was established in 1718. The celebrations have changed over time, starting with fancy galas and turning into parades by the 1830s. These days, the parades start at the beginning of Carnival season in January, and culminate in a long weekend of revelry that on Fat Tuesday itself. Women will be urged to book the five-minute test which could save their life as part of a major awareness drive for cervical cancer. The NHS is launching its first national cervical cancer campaign - called Cervical Screening Saves Lives - today amid the worst screening levels in 20 years. Almost a third of women aged 25 to 49 have missed their latest smear test and in some surgeries three quarters have not had it. Experts say have attributed the fall to fear and embarrassment as well as a lack of convenient GP appointments. Support: The campaign, which will run for six weeks, is being overseen by Public Health England and endorsed by Christine Lampard (pictured) presenter of ITVs Loose Women The campaign centres on a 30-second TV advert with a stark warning that the illness is claiming the lives of two women every day. It explains how the procedure can prevent the cancer from developing by flagging up harmful cells which can then be removed. The campaign, which will run for six weeks, is being overseen by Public Health England and endorsed by Christine Lampard, presenter of ITVs Loose Women. Professor Anne Mackie, director of screening programmes at Public Health England said: The decline in numbers getting screened for cervical cancer is a major concern as it means millions of women are missing out on a potentially life-saving test. Two women die every day in England from cervical cancer, yet it is one of the most preventable cancers if caught early. She added: We want to see a future generation free of cervical cancer but we will only achieve our vision if women take up their screening invitations. This is a simple test which takes just five minutes and could save your life. Its just not worth ignoring. Message: The campaign centres on a 30-second TV advert with a stark warning that the illness is claiming the lives of two women every day Did you know? Figures published by NHS Digital in November showed that just 71 per cent of women had attended their latest screening, the lowest rate since 1997 Screening uptake: Rates spiked ten years ago following the death of reality TV star Jade Goody, on 22 March 2009. She had missed numerous appointments despite warnings. WHAT IS A SMEAR TEST? A smear test detects abnormal cells on the cervix, which is the entrance to the uterus from the vagina. Removing these cells can prevent cervical cancer. Most test results come back clear, however, one in 20 women show abnormal changes to the cells of their cervix. Being screened regularly means any abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix can be identified at an early stage and, if necessary, destroyed to stop cancer developing. Cervical cancer most commonly affects sexually-active women aged between 30 and 45. In the UK, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme invites women aged 25-to-49 for a smear every three years, those aged 50 to 60 every five years, and women over 65 if they have not been screened since 50 or have previously had abnormal results. Women must be registered with a GP to be invited for a test. Advertisement There are 3,000 new cases of cervical cancer in the UK each year and 1,000 deaths. Risk factors include smoking, having multiple sexual partners and a prolonged use of the contraceptive pill. Screening is offered every three years for women aged 25 to 49 then every five years until the age of 65. Figures published by NHS Digital in November showed that just 71 per cent of women had attended their latest screening, the lowest rate since 1997. Amongst the 25 to 49 age group the uptake was just 69 per cent and at some GP surgeries it is around 25 per cent. Screening uptake rates spiked ten years ago following the death of reality TV star Jade Goody, on 22 March 2009. The 27-year-old had missed numerous smear test appointments despite having a history of abnormal results. But the national uptake has since plummeted again and rates are particularly low in London and other large cities. Experts say women are put off by the uncomfortable procedure or unwilling to take time off from work. Many surgeries only offer appointments during office hours and some have very limited slots on one day a week. Steve Brine, Public Health Minister said: It is a tragedy that women are needlessly dying of cancer when a simple test can identify any risks early on. 'We hope this new campaign - the first of its kind in this country - will save lives and I am delighted to see it launch today. The proportion of eligible women who have been screened for early signs of cervical cancer within the past five years has fallen from 82 per cent in 1997 when records began to 75.5 per cent in 2018. Experts called the drop 'frustating', 'worrying' and 'disappointing' A Washington boy battling cancer has been effectively quarantined - having to miss a month of school and unable to go on play dates - because he can't be vaccinated to protect himself against the state's measles outbreak, his mother says. Kai Bonneau, five, of Vancouver, has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer, for more than half of his life. Until Kai finishes his final chemotherapy treatment, he can't receive any vaccines because his immune system is compromised. His mother, Jessica Finchel, told KATU News the fear of her son possibly catching measles is so strong that he has already had to miss a month of school and the family doesn't go to any public places. This comes as Washington confirmed more measles cases, bringing the total up to 71, most of which are unvaccinated children. Kai Bonneau, five (left and right), of Vancouver, has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer, for more than half his life. He can't receive any vaccines until he finishes his last chemotherapy treatment Cancer patients are immunosuppressed due to the chemotherapy drugs they're taking. Additionally, vaccines need an immune system response to work, which may not be possible during cancer treatment. Pictured: Kai, left, with his mother, Jessica Finchel 'He doesn't go to public places, he doesn't go to playdates, he doesn't go to people's houses, we don't go out to eat, he doesn't go to the store,' Fichtel told KATU News. Almost every patient undergoing chemotherapy becomes immunosuppressed. According to Natural Medicine Journal, chemotherapy drugs kill rapidly dividing cells and can't tell the difference between cancer cells and other cells that divide quickly. Immune system cells are rapidly dividing cells and, therefore, are often targeted by chemotherapy drugs. Therefore, if a cancer patient gets a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection, their immune system is weaker and less likely to be able to fight it off. Additionally, vaccines need an immune system response to work, which may not be possible during cancer treatment, according to the American Cancer Society. Kai's cancer, ALL, is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature white blood cells called lymphocytes. They crowd out normal white blood cells, causing the body to have a harder time fighting infections. According to St Jude Children's Research Hospital, ALL is the most common type of childhood cancer. Approximately 98 percent of children go into remission within weeks of starting treatment and about 90 percent of those children Kai is currently undergoing chemotherapy and can't be vaccinated - which is a problem because there is an outbreak of measles in his home state. Officials in Clark County have identified 70 confirmed cases and one case has been confirmed in King County, which is where Seattle is located. Sixty-one cases are in those who are unvaccinated. Fifty-one are in children aged 10 or younger. Kai's mother says he has already had to miss a month of school and the family doesn't bring him to any public places. She hit back at anti-vaxxers for putting her son's life at risk. Pictured, left and right: Kai with his father A measles outbreak driven by anti-vaxxers has hit Washington hard. There are 71 confirmed cases in the state, and most of them are unvaccinated children Experts say the Portland-area and southwest Washington have become a 'hotspot' of the anti-vaccine movement, which has been driving this outbreak. The measles vaccine is about 97 percent effective. But those who are unvaccinated have a 90 percent chance of catching measles if they breathe the virus in, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fitchel told KATU News that her son already missed a month of preschool in January due to fears that he'd contract measles. She says she and her husband live in constant fear, which is why they don't often leave the house. 'For us, it's been pretty oppressive,' Fitchel told the station. 'He doesn't know much. We do a good job of sheltering him, but it's been hard. And there's an ordinate amount of fear that goes with that.' In a Facebook post last month, Fitchel says she doesn't believe that parents who choose not to vaccinate don't love their kids, but says she's angry that her son's life is at risk because of it. 'I'm angry...at the ignorant and selfish folks who don't, or shall I say WON'T vaccinate,' she wrote. 'This is way past the "my kid won't play with your kid" protection factor. It is now to the "your negligence could put lives at risk" phase. This scares me, and it is [an] unnecessary risk!' So far this year, 206 cases of measles have been confirmed in 11 states, hitting New York and the Pacific Northwest the hardest. That means more measles cases have been counted in the first two months of this year than in all of 2017. Kris Austin, leader of the Peoples Alliance was on the CBC's New Brunswick Political Panel recently, to argue for the privatization of liquor and cannabis sales. According to him, reduction of the overhead cost for liquor and cannabis distribution would enable the government to spend less and still make money from selling those products by revising the sales taxes. He also argued that this would boost efficiency, increase revenue and create jobs. Austins proposal was met with intense pushback from opposition parties. Liberal MLA Roger Melanson and Green MLA Kevin Arseneau contended that the revenue coming from NB Liquor and Cannabis NB is already secure, and the government puts this money back into the province's education and health systems. Arseneau further argued that privatization in Alberta has led to in lower revenue for the government "and an increase in social harms," Melanson countered this, saying that even though Alberta has a privatized distribution of liquor and cannabis, its government is still responsible for regulations and procurement. He said it was wrong for Austin to assume that what may work for Alberta will work for New Brunswick. "It's not apple to apple in terms of revenue being generated," he said. Even though no Progressive Conservative government representative was available to participate in the panel, Austin claims hes brought up the topic of privatization with the government. "We've certainly pushed the file with government," Austin said. The Conversation, highlights five key factors that need to be considered before a city can privatize pot sales. Namely, availability, pricing, the government/health communitys perspective on recreational marijuana use, education and quality control. Availability A key advantage to having marijuana readily available is the fact that when legal marijuana is easier to access, the likelihood that people choose it over black market weed is higher. On the down side, the increased availability of the product would typically lead to higher consumption. It is unclear whether thats the governments goal; nevertheless, higher availability generally has this effect. Pricing The article states that, the most important driver of black market sales for a particular product is the price gap between legal (or authorized) products and those that are available on the black market. When the gap is large, black markets generally flourish. The government perspective The governments perspective towards any regulated product is usually seen on how much tax is placed on the product. For instance, cigarettes and alcohol have very high taxes placed on them. However, the level of taxation on recreational cannabis is lower than other regulated products. This could mean that the government is not discouraging the consumption as it does with tobacco or alcohol. Education There is a lot of focus on the business and retail aspects of legalization and the issue of education almost seems like an afterthought. With a product like cannabis that has significant physical and psychological effects, the public needs to be better educated about its consumption. Quality control The marijuana industry should be subject to similar quality checks as the pharmaceutical industry, manufacturer validation and manufacturer monitoring, which would be more efficient and effective through a tightly controlled distribution system. A mother's body erupted in painful burn-like rashes after she suffered an allergic reaction to vaping. Lisa Santiago-Griggs, from Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, was released this morning from hospital after being admitted on Sunday. She claims a reaction to propylene glycol, an ingredient in the e-liquid, left her feeling like she was 'on fire'. The 42-year-old has now shared shocking images of her 'unbearable' side effects. It is unclear if she went into anaphylactic shock. Lisa Santiago-Griggs, from Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, was this morning released from hospital after being admitted on Sunday (pictured today, left and as normal, right) At around 2am Sunday morning, Ms Santiago-Griggs woke with an itch. By 4.30am she was 'completely covered' in a painful rash Ms Santiago-Griggs took several anti-histamine tablets to fight the rash but they didn't work Speaking from her hospital bed, where she was on a drip, Ms Santiago-Griggs said: 'These aren't pretty pictures and I'm not body confident. 'But I feel these need to be seen, to understand how bad a reaction can be. I felt like I was on fire from the inside out. 'It was unbearable and it affected by internal organs, like my heart rate, blood pressure and lungs.' Ms Santiago-Griggs broke her back four years ago and had been taking CBD oil tablets to help cope with the pain ever since. She revealed that she vaped for the first time on Saturday. She tried a raspberry sorbet flavoured vape. At around 2am Sunday morning, Ms Santiago-Griggs woke with an itch. By 4.30am she was 'completely covered' in a painful rash. She went straight to Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Ms Santiago-Griggs said: 'It was starting to blister, and getting serious She said: 'I've never had an allergic reaction to anything before - this was horrible. 'It was a covering my body, very painful, and it felt like my skin was burning from underneath, burning up from the inside.' Ms Santiago-Griggs took several anti-histamine tablets to fight the rash but they had no effect. She went straight to Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Ms Santiago-Griggs said: 'It was starting to blister, and getting serious. 'They took me straight in and I've been here ever since. They are treating me with steroids and I'm on a drip. 'I have to stay in until it's calmed down and they can work out exactly what is going on. I am 100 per cent convinced it was the vape.' She added: 'It's not like I've been out doing anything else. It was the first time I'd ever had a vape and I didn't realise it can cause this kind of reaction. Ms Santiago-Griggs is now calling for a change in law which would require anyone trying a vape for the first time to be tested for allergies She said: 'I've never had an allergic reaction to anything before - this was horrible. It was a covering my body, very painful, and it felt like my skin was burning from underneath, burning up from the inside' 'Doing a bit of research, I've found that this has been known, but they don't tell you. Most people aren't aware.' Ms Santiago-Griggs is now calling for a change in law which would require anyone trying a vape for the first time to be tested for allergies. Her reaction is thought to be down to propylene glycol, an ingredient in the e-liquid She said: 'I'd never vaped or even smoked before so it was new to me. They just sold it to me and sent me on my way without any advice of the possible side-effects. She wants vape shops to agree to only sell a full vape to someone after they have tested it and waited 24 hours. Ms Santiago-Griggs added: 'They do exactly this in the hairdressers to check you won't have an allergic reaction to a new hair product. 'So why can't they do this for vapes? 'I appreciate it works for some and not everyone will have an allergic reaction from vapes, but it is more common than you think - a quick Google search will tell you. 'But it appears serious allergic reactions like mine due to the product being ingested can't be treated quickly. I've had 50 hours with no sleep now. 'I'm sure the pictures will get picked apart, but my main concern is getting my story out there.' She added: 'People need to share this to make stockists advise the customer to sample the product then come back and buy the next day and purchase if no reaction. 'You could be in the percentage allergic to an organic product, mixed with fruity liquid called propylene glycol. 'This seems to be the most common one to cause the reaction.' An anti-ageing pill could be in the making after scientists found a way to double the lifespan of a worm. Switching off a gene believed to trigger the body's decline made roundworms live more than twice as long as usual in an experiment. And the same long-lived worms also gave birth to healthier, more fertile offspring suggesting the benefits would pass down through generations. Experts say finding the equivalent internal process in the human body could make the science apply to us, too. People could one day live longer with the help of gene-editing which can turn off the gene which causes ageing to damage the body, according to researchers (stock image) Researchers from the University of East Anglia stopped the function of a gene called DAF-2 in a group of Caenorhabditis elegans 1mm-long worms. By stopping this gene the scientists more than doubled the average life of the tiny creatures, which are found in soil. They believe this is because the chemical stimulated by that gene is one which controls growth while it necessary to help the animals reach maturity to be able to reproduce, it continues to age them without any benefits in later life. Reducing quantities of the chemical once the worm reached adulthood slowed down its life cycle, the study suggests, putting off the inevitable decline of its body. 'It is often thought we age because of a slow accumulation of unrepaired cellular damage in our bodies,' said Dr Alexei Maklakov, study co-author. 'And that ageing is the result of energy trade-offs between growth, reproduction and survival. 'But we now know that switching off the function of certain genes in adulthood can increase longevity without a reproduction cost. HOW WE ARE ATTRACTED TO PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR LIFESPANS Researchers have found people are unwittingly drawn to those with a similar life expectancy to them. And, according to experts at the University of Edinburgh, humans also seem to unconsciously select mates who share similar risks of illnesses such as high blood pressure or heart disease. This, they say, could help explain why long-term couples often suffer from the same ailments in later years and can have similar life spans. Scientists examined data from the UK Biobank a major study of genes and lifestyle factors linked to health which involves more than half a million people. The similarities are greater than would be expected by chance, experts said, suggesting people inadvertently choose a mate who shares the same disease risks as themselves. Given that many ailments are not visible when people choose their partners, experts say the surprising finding is most likely a result of choosing a mate with shared lifestyle factors that are genetically linked to disease. The research was published in the journal Heredity. Advertisement 'An emerging new theory is the genes that age us are programmed to make us grow and reproduce in early life, but when their function "runs-on" unabated in later life it starts causing problems. 'If this is true, then we should be able to stay younger for longer by reducing high levels of gene signalling or "shutting down" these genes in later life.' The key to keeping a creature alive for longer, Dr Maklakov's team suggests, is turning off the ageing gene at the right time. When past research has managed to lengthen the lives of worms, they also destroyed the animals' ability to have children an unacceptable trade-off. But the worms in this study in fact had healthier children, suggesting human lives could be safely extended by manipulating their genes in the same way. The worms used in the study have an average life span of three weeks, with some living for six weeks or more in the experiment their genes are 80 per cent the same as humans'. Dr Maklakov added: 'Ageing can result from accumulation of unrepaired damage with age. 'However, it can also result simply from suboptimal regulation of gene expression in late-life. 'Understanding the importance of these two processes is important both for our understanding of the evolution of ageing, and for the applied programmes aimed at lifespan extension. 'We want to establish which of the two processes is more prevalent across the tree of life.' The research was published in the journal Evolution Letters. A devastated mother has urged young women to demand smear tests - after her own daughter died from cervical cancer aged just 25 years old. Emma Fisk begged for a screening after suffering a string of symptoms in 2013, but was refused because she was considered too young to be at risk. It was only when she was later diagnosed with colitis - an inflammation to the inner lining of the colon - that she was finally referred for a smear test by her gastroenterologist. Unfortunately, when she was eventually diagnosed stage 2b neuroendocrine carcinoma, it was too late. Now, her mother, Adele Willis, 52, of Ackworth, West Yorkshire, has publicly lifted the lid on her grief to save others from a similar fate. Tragic: Emma Fisk died in June 2015, just two months after marrying husband Daniel Now, her mother, Adele Willis, 52, of Ackworth, West Yorkshire, has publicly lifted the lid on her grief to save others from a similar fate 'She rang me after leaving the hospital, as the doctor had told her it might be cancer. She was in tears, and kept saying, "Mum, Im only 24",' Mrs Willis told The Sun. Six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed, which caused her to lose her hair. But she successfully finished the course and, initially, the prognosis looked good. However, doctors later noticed that the cancer had spread - and was terminal. 'The news brought the whole family to their knees. We were devastated,' Mrs Willis added. 'She passed away as I held her hand. Losing Emma has left a void and pain I cannot explain.' Today, she wants others to be checked-out. Mrs Willis said: 'If you are under 25 and have symptoms, see a GP and demand one. Dont take no for an answer.' Ignored: Emma Fisk begged for a screening after suffering a string of symptoms in 2013, but was refused because she was considered too young to be at risk She lives on: Mrs Fisk's family have now all pulled together and started the Team Emma Campaign, which encourages other young women to get tested WHAT IS HPV? THE INFECTION LINKED TO 99% OF CERVICAL CANCER AND 91% OF ANAL CANCER CASES Up to eight out of 10 people will be infected with HPV in their lives Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the name for a group of viruses that affect your skin and the moist membranes lining your body. Spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex and skin-to-skin contact between genitals, it is extremely common. Up to eight out of 10 people will be infected with the virus at some point in their lives. There are more than 100 types of HPV. Around 30 of which can affect the genital area. Genital HPV infections are common and highly contagious. Many people never show symptoms, as they can arise years after infection, and the majority of cases go away without treatment. It can lead to genital warts, and is also known to cause cervical cancer by creating an abnormal tissue growth. Annually, an average of 38,000 cases of HPV-related cancers are diagnosed in the US, 3,100 cases of cervical cancer in the UK and around 2,000 other cancers in men. HPV can also cause cancers of the throat, neck, tongue, tonsils, vulva, vagina, penis or anus. It can take years for cancer to develop. Advertisement 'If girls were called up for smears earlier, from the ages of 18, then our beautiful Emma might still be here with us today,' Mrs Willis told MailOnline in 2015. 'She was fit and healthy and slim - she didn't smoke or take drugs or drink. She was the model daughter. She loved everyone and they loved her. She was such a beautiful person inside and out and we are so lost without her. '[Speaking about this] is a really painful thing to do, but we don't want other people to suffer like Emma.' The family have now all pulled together, to start the Team Emma Campaign and create a legacy for her. It comes as Public Health England has launched its own nationwide initiative to encourage more women to undergo the intimate exams amid the worst screening levels in 20 years. Almost a third of women aged 25 to 49 have missed their latest smear test and in some surgeries three quarters have not had it. Experts say have attributed the fall to fear and embarrassment as well as a lack of convenient GP appointments. Professor Anne Mackie, director of screening programmes at Public Health England said: The decline in numbers getting screened for cervical cancer is a major concern as it means millions of women are missing out on a potentially life-saving test. Two women die every day in England from cervical cancer, yet it is one of the most preventable cancers if caught early. She added: We want to see a future generation free of cervical cancer but we will only achieve our vision if women take up their screening invitations. 'This is a simple test which takes just five minutes and could save your life. Its just not worth ignoring. There are 3,000 new cases of cervical cancer in the UK each year and 1,000 deaths. Risk factors include smoking, having multiple sexual partners and a prolonged use of the contraceptive pill. Screening is offered every three years for women aged 25 to 49 then every five years until the age of 65. Fatal: Screening uptake rates spiked ten years ago following the death of reality TV star Jade Goody, on 22 March 2009 Figures published by NHS Digital in November showed that just 71 per cent of women had attended their latest screening, the lowest rate since 1997. Amongst the 25 to 49 age group the uptake was just 69 per cent and at some GP surgeries it is around 25 per cent. Screening uptake rates spiked ten years ago following the death of reality TV star Jade Goody, on 22 March 2009. The 27-year-old had missed numerous smear test appointments despite having a history of abnormal results. But the national uptake has since plummeted again and rates are particularly low in London and other large cities. If you have a sulky teenager at home, the answer might be to allow them a lie-in. Teenagers are less likely to feel unhappy and worry if they get just an hour more sleep in the morning. An extra hour in bed makes adolescents 25 per cent less likely to feel very nervous and tense and about a third less likely to worry about things, a study has found. It cuts their chances of often feeling unhappy, sad or depressed by eight per cent and reduces the odds of frequently feeling hopeless about the future. The research, based on more than 2,100 schoolchildren, concludes that teenagers' body clocks are thrown off by having to get up too early in the mornings, which may be bad for emotion regulation in the brain. Teenagers are less likely to feel unhappy and worry if they get just an hour more sleep in the morning, according to research The authors, led by Aaron Berger at the University of Minnesota, state: 'Although we know that adolescents require eight to 10 hours of sleep for optimal functioning, very few teens are able to get this much sleep on school nights. 'Improving sleep duration could potentially enhance mental wellbeing. Given that short sleep duration among adolescents is a population-wide issue, a public health approach is needed.' The NHS recommends that teenagers get nine hours of sleep a night, but teenagers' sleeping patterns shift later than those of young children and they are night owls at this age. Researchers say many teenagers struggle to fall asleep before 11pm or to wake before 8am, so that they suffer permanent 'jetlag'. The effect of this on the brain may affect other mental processes, like keeping negative emotions in check. HOW MUCH SLEEP SHOULD TEENAGERS GET? Children aged between six and 13 should get between nine and 11 hours sleep each night, according to The National Sleep Foundation. Whereas teenagers should ensure they get at least eight hours kip each night - but no more than 10. Scientific research has shown an array of damaging effects on children who don't get the recommended amount of sleep. While it is known a bad night's sleep can affect a teenager's ability to learn and concentrate, some studies have also shown it can raise the risk of obesity. Advertisement The study is based on questionnaires asking 2,133 young people when they went to bed and woke up on a typical week day. The same children were also asked how often they suffered six depressive symptoms. The results, published in the journal Sleep Health, show teenagers were 32 per cent less likely to often worry if they were allowed to sleep an hour later in the morning. They were 10 per cent less likely to often feel hopeless about the future, and saw a reduction in five out of six depressive symptoms. A lie-in only appeared not to help with motivation, as it left teenagers more often saying they were too tired to do activities. The findings mirror those of a similar study on more than 9,000 teenagers done by the same researchers in 2017, which also found children felt better after sleeping later and for longer. A lack of sleep has also been found to lower adolescents' self-esteem and give them a more negative outlook on life. Mr Berger said: 'Teens not only get less sleep as they get older, but they are also getting less sleep now than they were 20 years ago. 'Without support from schools and families, it may be difficult for teenagers to get the sleep they need for healthy emotional and physical development. 'Many studies have shown that starting schools later is a very effective way to allow teenagers to sleep longer.' Taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy could reduce a woman's risk of having a child with autism, a new study finds. Women who already have a child diagnosed with the developmental disorder have a higher risk of any future children having the same diagnosis. But researchers found that mothers who took prenatal vitamins during their first month of pregnancy slashed their younger children's risk of having autism by more than half. The team, from the University of California, Davis, says its findings are the first to show that genetic susceptibility for developing autism may be avoided by taking prenatal pills. A new study has found that not taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy could double the risk of autism in children from high-risk families (file image) Approximately one in 68 children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which includes autism as well as Asperger syndrome and other developmental disorders, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is more often diagnosed in boys than in girls by about five times. People with autism often have problems with social, emotional and communication skills. They might repeat certain behaviors and might not want change in their daily activities. A September 2011 study found that the recurrence risk of ASDs is believed to be between three and 10 percent. For the new study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, the team recruited participants from the Markers of Autism Risk in Babies: Learning Early Signs (MARBLES) study. MARBLES, run by UC Davis, looks at prenatal and postpartum biological and environmental factors that may lead to autism. Researchers evaluated more than 240 mothers who already had a child with an ASD. Their younger children were born between 2006 and 2015 and were tested for autism before their third birthday. About 96 percent of the women said they took prenatal vitamins throughout their pregnancies. However, just 36 percent began during the recommended period - six months before conception. The prevalence of autism among mothers who took prenatal vitamins during the first month of pregnancy was about 14 percent. It more than doubled when it came to children whose mothers didn't take vitamins in the first month at nearly 33 percent. Although the team is not sure why prenatal vitamins were found to lower the risk, it believes nutrients found in the pills - such as folic acid and iron - may play a role. 'We don't know for sure what nutrients make the difference,' lead author Dr Rebecca Schmidt, an assistant professor of public health sciences at the UC Davis MIND, told HealthDay. 'We do know that folic acid is really important for neural tube closure and that it plays a role in oxidative stress and mitochondrial function - a lot of important things.' The authors say that the study did not look at whether one type of vitamin was better than another for lowering autism risk. Dr Schmidt told HealthDay that the vitamins are likely not solely responsible for lowering the risk, but 'a prenatal vitamin might mitigate some of the risk that's already there'. She added: 'Women who are planning to have more kids, or if it's possible they might get pregnant, should talk to their doctor about getting a prescription for a prenatal vitamin.' Deaths from drugs, alcohol and suicide hit a record-high in 2017, according to new analyses of CDC data. In 2017, more than 150,000 Americans were killed by those three causes, double the number in 1999, the report by Trust for Americas Health (TFAH) and Well Being Trust (WBT) reveals. Despite claims of progress to combat depression, alcoholism, and addiction, the report shows we have barely made a dent. Rates rose again last year, up 6 percent from the year before. That increase is lower than the previous two years (which saw 11- and 7-percent rises respectively), but it is barely noticeable on a bleak graph laying bare the rate of lives still claimed by substances and torment. The increases in rates for suicides, drug deaths and alcohol deaths were not as sharp last year, but that was barely noticeable on this bleak graph laying bare the rate of lives still claimed by substances and torment Judging by this chart, there is some progress being made. Experts say more preventative work needs to be done, rather than focusing on treatment after the fact Suicide rates have rocketed among teens in the past decade, as this chart shows Today, 46.6 deaths per 100,000 are attributable to drugs, alcohol or suicide. Certain groups and regions are harder-hit than others. Men, and people aged 35-54, are more likely to die of those causes. Rates are highest in Virginia and New Mexico: in Virginia those causes are responsible for 99 deaths per 100,000; in New Mexico, 77. Texas and Mississippi have the lowest rates of death from alcohol, drugs, and suicide - with 31.5 and 34.1 deaths per 100,000 respectively. Suicide rates have soared 22 percent since 2008, and four percent between 2016 and 2017. Researchers documented a sharper rise in suicides among black and Latino teens than any other group, though it remains more common among white males in rural areas. Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl - up to 100 times stronger than heroin - continue to drive up drug overdose deaths. Today, the death toll from synthetic drugs alone is higher than it was for all drugs combined in 1999. And that is largely due to sharp rises in recent years. The rate of deaths from synthetic opioids shot up 10-fold between 2012 and 2017. Alcohol-related deaths - not including vehicle crashes while drunk or drunken violence - rose 38 percent in the past decade. Alcohol death rates from alcohol poisoning and alcohol-related diseases are most common among white men aged 55 to 74 in rural areas. Rates were fairly low for all three causes across the board in 1999 (pictured) As this map shows, New Mexico is one of the hardest-hit, with more than double the rate of deaths from all three causes than in its neighboring Texas Researchers say the bleak findings show a desperate need for measures to prevent drug abuse, depression and alcohol abuse, rather than treating people when they already have a problem. 'Deaths from the alcohol, drugs, and suicide are the end result of complicated and deep-seated problems in communities that require long-term initiatives and investments in a range of policies and programs,' the authors write. 'Policymakers should consider the full continuum of prevention in their work: from upstream strategies focused on reducing risk factors like poverty, racism, and social isolation; to prevention approaches that build resilience and coping-skills; to early identification of and assistance in offering substance misuse and crisis intervention; to harm reduction for individuals, and their families and communities, to reduce the likelihood of devastating consequences.' The Berlin patient, the first person ever permanently wiped of HIV, has welcomed the news that a second person has reached HIV remission. Timothy Ray Brown, who has been HIV-free for 12 years without medication, said he would like to meet the unidentified 'London patient', whose case was unveiled last night. He urged the man to go public because 'it's been very useful for science and for giving hope to HIV-positive people, to people living with HIV,' he told The Associated Press. For Brown, the first couple of years were 'surreal' and 'overwhelming', he told the New York Times in an email on Monday. 'I never thought that there would be a cure during my lifetime.' Now dedicates his life to working with HIV researchers and activists, a gratifying experience that he feels duty-bound to. 'I feel a sense of responsibility to help the doctors understand how it happened so they can develop the science,' he added. 'Berlin Patient' Timothy Ray Brown was successfully cured of the HIV virus 12 years ago Brown, a US man who was living in Germany at the time of his treatment in Berlin in 2007, has long been the only person to have reached remission. It happened after a stem cell transplant to treat his leukemia. His doctors decided to aim for donors with mutations that switch of the gene CCR5, making them HIV-resistant. Their gamble paid off: despite a relapse of his cancer, and a bout of graft-versus-host disease (with his own immune system fighting the incoming one), Brown was inadvertently cured of HIV, and he has been off anti-retroviral therapy ever since. His case sparked hope of a watershed moment that could eliminate the disease, but it soon became clear that may not be the case: every attempt after Brown failed, mostly ending in deaths. Experts - and Brown - began to fear it was a fluke. But last night, British researchers revealed that an unidentified man at Hammersmith Hospital in London has been HIV-free for 18 months without virus-suppressing drugs after a stem cell transplant to treat his Hodgkin's lymphoma. Speaking from an HIV conference in Seattle, Brown said he was stunned by the news, and he is excited to meet the London patient. HOW A STEM CELL TRANSPLANT CURED THE BERLIN PATIENT AND THE LONDON PATIENT The vast majority of humans carry the gene CCR5. In many ways, it is incredibly unhelpful. It affects our odds of surviving and recovering from a stroke, according to recent research. And it is the main access point for HIV to overtake our immune systems. But some people carry a mutations that prevents CCR5 from expressing itself, effectively blocking or eliminating the gene. Those few people in the world are called 'elite controllers' by HIV experts. They are naturally resistant to HIV. If the virus ever entered their body, they would naturally 'control' the virus as if they were taking the virus-suppressing drugs that HIV patients require. Both the Berlin patient and the London patient received stem cells donated from people with that crucial mutation. WHY HAS IT NEVER WORKED BEFORE? 'There are many reasons this hasn't worked,' Dr Janet Siliciano, a leading HIV researcher at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told DailyMail.com. 1. FINDING DONORS 'It's incredibly difficult to find HLA-matched bone marrow [i.e. someone with the same proteins in their blood as you],' Dr Siliciano said. 'It's even more difficult to find the CCR5 mutation.' 2. INEFFECTIVE TRANSPLANT LEADS TO CANCER RELAPSE Second, there is always a risk that the bone marrow won't 'take'. 'Sometimes you don't become fully "chimeric", meaning you still have a lot of your own cells.' That is one of the two most common reasons for previous attempts failing: their immune system is not fully replaced, then the cancer comes back and they can't survive it. 3. GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE: THE OLD IMMUNE SYSTEM ATTACKS THE NEW ONE The other most common reason this approach has failed is graft-versus-host disease. That is when the patient's immune system tries to attack the incoming, replacement immune system, causing a fatal reaction in most. 4. UNKNOWN QUANTITIES Interestingly, both the Berlin patient and the London patient experienced complications that are normally lethal in most other cases. And experts believe that those complications helped their cases. Timothy Ray Brown, the Berlin patient, had both - his cancer returned and he developed graft-versus-host disease, putting him in a coma and requiring a second bone marrow transplant. The London patient had one: he suffered graft-versus-host disease. Against the odds, they both survived, HIV-free. Some believe that, ironically, graft-versus-host disease might have helped both of them to further obliterate their HIV. But there is no way to control or replicate that safely. Advertisement Experts hailed the news as a 'milestone' in the fight against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, but warned that it does not change the reality much for the 37 million people living with HIV. Aside from HIV, both men were in the advanced stages of cancer - the Berlin patient with leukemia, the London patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma. For them, a life-threatening and complex stem cell transplant was a last-ditch attempt at survival. For most others, that is an unnecessarily dangerous and improbable option compared to taking a daily pill that suppresses their virus so that it is untransmittable, and allowing them to live a long and healthy life. Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the HIV/AIDS division at the National Institutes of Health, told DailyMail.com the report was 'elegant, important work' that 'fortifies the proof of concept' shown in the Berlin patient: that donor cells from someone who is HIV-resistant can wipe out a recipient's HIV if they survive the transplant. 'But it's completely non-practical from the standpoint for the broad array of people who want to get cured,' Dr Fauci added. 'If I have Hodgkin's disease or myeloid leukemia that's going to kill me anyway, and I need to have a stem cell transplant, and I also happen to have HIV, then this is very interesting. 'But this is not applicable to the millions of people who don't need a stem cell transplant.' Dr Janet Siliciano of Johns Hopkins, one of the leading researchers in how HIV hides in the body, agreed that the findings have limited impact in a real-world sense. But it shows that the first time wasn't a fluke - as so many feared when attempts to replicate the Berlin patient's treatment failed time and time again. 'I think it's very exciting,' Dr Siliciano told DailyMail.com. 'Now we know that it's not just the Berlin patient. Now we know that n=2.' The case, published online on Monday by the journal Nature, involved researchers at four UK universities: UCL, Imperial, Oxford and Cambridge. It will be presented on Tuesday at an HIV conference in Seattle. The patient was diagnosed with HIV in 2003. He started taking anti-retroviral therapy (or, ART, which are virus-suppressing drugs) to control the infection in 2012. Ever since 1996, when ART was discovered, it has been recommended as immediate treatment post-diagnosis. The researchers do not elaborate on why the London patient went nine years before starting on ART. He developed Hodgkin lymphoma that year. In 2016, he agreed to a stem cell transplant to treat the cancer. As with any other patient in his rather unique situation, his doctors hoped they could strike the perfect balance: find a donor with HIV-resistant genes that could wipe out his cancer and virus in one fell swoop. Most of us carry the gene CCR5. It is very unhelpful in many ways. It hampers our ability to survive strokes and recover from them, according to recent research. It is also the gene that HIV targets and uses as its access point to enter the immune system. A minority of people in the world carry a mutation of CCR5, which prevents it from expressing, essentially blocking the gene altogether. As a result, they are naturally resistant to HIV, earning them the name 'elite controllers' - because they naturally 'control' the virus as if they were on virus-suppressing medication. As with the Berlin patient, the London patient's doctors found a donor with a CCR5 mutation. About 1 percent of people descended from northern Europeans have inherited the mutation from both parents and are immune to most HIV. The donor had this double copy of the mutation. That was 'an improbable event,' said lead researcher Ravindra Gupta of University College London. 'That's why this has not been observed more frequently.' Usually, HIV patients expect to stay on daily pills for life to suppress the virus. When drugs are stopped, the virus roars back, usually in two to three weeks The transplant changed the London patient's immune system, giving him the donor's mutation and HIV resistance. The patient voluntarily stopped taking HIV drugs to see if the virus would come back - something doctors do not typically recommend because it hasn't worked since the Berlin patient. What's more, the Berlin patient's case was slightly different: he stopped taking his anti-retroviral therapy before his transplant. Out of caution, the London patient's doctors kept him on his drugs throughout. ART, taken daily, suppresses the virus to prevent a resurgence. After six months of daily medication, patients' viral loads are undetectable, and therefore untransmittable to anyone else. A few weeks off ART and most patients see their viral load skyrocket. But that was not the case for the London patient. Tests not only found no trace of R5 virus (the type associated with CCR5), but also no trace of X4 virus, a type of HIV associated with another gene entirely. Eighteen months later without drugs, he remains HIV-free. WHY HIV IS SO HARD TO CURE In 1995, researchers discovered why HIV manages to come back even when it seems to have been defeated. The virus buries part of itself in latent reservoirs of the body, lying dormant as 'back-up'. In 1996, it was discovered that anti-retroviral therapy (ART) could suppress the virus, and prevent it from resurging, if the medication was taken religiously. But once that blanket is lifted, the virus swiftly rebuilds itself. Despite decades of attempts, we still don't know how to get at those hidden parts of the virus. The most promising approach may well be a 'shock and kill' technique - awakening the virus out of its hiding place then blitzing it. But we don't yet know how to wake it up without harming the patient. Advertisement The authors were cautiously optimistic that the London patient's case was slightly less arduous than the Berlin patient's, and that that might be a sign of progress. Compared to Brown, the London patient had a less punishing form of chemotherapy to get ready for the transplant, didn't have radiation and had only a mild reaction to the transplant. Brown had to have a second stem cell transplant when his leukemia returned, along with extensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Dr Fauci wasn't sure - he saw the Berlin patient's relapse as unique to the cancer, rather than anything to do with HIV. As for those hailing the case evidence of a 'cure', Dr Fauci urged caution. He dubbed it 'remission' and said that we need to wait more time before declaring that this man is HIV-free. Others have gone this long without medication only to see it resurge. For example, the Mississippi child: a baby who contracted HIV from her mother, was on ART for 18 months, then went medication-free for two years and saw no resurgence of the virus, leading many to think she was cured. But the virus came back. There is also the Visconti cohort in France: 14 men who received ART very early on, and then stopped within three years, and even though the virus is still detectable in their cells, it is naturally controlled. The London and Berlin patients are different, because their entire immune systems were replaced by another. As for what we can glean from this development, time will tell. But Dr Siliciano sees it as the latest in a series of developments in the last couple of years - both lauded and controversial - that show there may be more breakthroughs yet. Indeed, CCR5 was the gene at the center of last year's controversy over the Chinese scientist who gene-edited twin girls to make them resistant to HIV. Dr He Jiankui used CRISPR gene-editing to eliminate CCR5, so that the girls, Lulu and Nana, were born CCR5-free, and did not inherit their father's HIV. 'All these studies of "cure" of "near-cure" cases have been very, very informative. Every single one of them has guided the field in how we think about approaches to eliminating the latent reservoir,' Dr Siliciano said. The latest case 'shows the cure of Timothy Brown (pictured) was not a fluke and can be recreated,' said Dr. Keith Jerome Dr Gero Hutter, the German doctor who treated Brown, called the new case 'great news' and 'one piece in the HIV cure puzzle.' British infectious diseases experts welcomed the news. Professor Aine McKnight, of the Queen Mary University of London, said: 'This is a highly significant study. 'After a ten year gap it provides important confirmation that the Berlin patient was not simply an anomaly.' Professor Graham Cooke, of Imperial College London, said: 'This second "London patient", whose HIV has been controlled following bone marrow transplantation, is encouraging. 'Other patients treated in a similar way since the "Berlin patient" have not seen similar results. 'This should encourage HIV patients needing bone marrow transplantation to consider a CCR5 negative donor if possible. 'If we can understand better why the procedure works in some patients and not others, we will be closer to our ultimate goal of curing HIV. 'At the moment the procedure still carries too much risk to be used in patients who are otherwise well, as daily tablet treatment for HIV is able to usually able to maintain patient's long-term health. Dr Andrew Freedman, of Cardiff University, said: 'This an interesting and potentially significant report of a second patient whose HIV infection has gone into remission after receiving a stem cell transplant as part of treatment for a haematological malignancy. 'As with the Berlin patient who remains free of all traces of the virus more than 10 years later, this patient received stem cells from a donor with a specific genetic mutation rendering them resistant to HIV. 'While this type of treatment is clearly not practical to treat the millions of people around the world living with HIV, reports such as these may help in the ultimate development of a cure for HIV. 'This is likely to be many years away and until then, the emphasis needs to remain on prompt diagnosis of HIV and initiation of life-long combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). 'cART is highly effective both in restoring near normal life expectancy and preventing onward transmission to others.' An Ohio teenager who defied his anti-vaxxer mother's wishes and got all his shots at 18 has testified before Congress about the dangerous spread of misinformation. Ethan Lindenberger, of Norwalk, appeared on Tuesday before the US Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor, and Pensions and discussed the fights he had with his mother, Jill Wheeler, over this decision to catch up on his vaccines. He explained that she regularly turned to anti-vaccine groups online and on social media that preyed on her fears that vaccines were dangerous. 'For my mother, her love, affection and care as a parent was used to push an agenda to create a false distress,' Lindenberger said during his testimony. 'These sources, which spread misinformation, should be the primary concern of the American people.' Ethan Lindenberger, 18 (pictured), of Norwalk, Ohio, who grew up in an anti-vaxxer household, testified before the US Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor, and Pensions on Tueday He explained that his mom turned to anti-vaccine groups online and on social media that preyed on her fears that vaccines were dangerous and said 'her love, affection and care as a parent was used to push an agenda to create a false distress' In December, he was vaccinated for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, the flu and HPV. His mother, Jill Wheeler (pictured, left, with Lindenberger), called the decision at the time 'insulting' and a 'slap in the face' At one point during the hearing, Senator Johnny Isakson (R - GA) asked if Lindenberger's mother got most of her information online. When Lindenberger replied that it was from both the internet and Facebook, Senator Isakson asked: 'Where do you get most of your information?' 'From not Facebook,' Lindenberger replied with a laugh. 'From the CDC, the World Health Organization, scientific journals, and also cited information from those organizations like the Institute of Medicine, trying my best to look at accredited sources.' The teenager reiterated that it's important to speak with people who have vaccine hesitancy and fears with compassion and understanding. 'Approaching this issue with the concern of education and addressing misinformation properly can cause change, as it did for me,' he told the panel. 'Although the debate around vaccines is not necessarily centered around information, and concerns for health and safety, this is why education is so important, and also why misinformation is so dangerous.' Lindenberger rose to fame after a now-viral Reddit post in November 2018, in which he criticized his parents for refusing to vaccinate him as a young child. His parents are both anti-vaxxers who believe that immunizations cause brain damage and autism. This is in spite of the fact that these claims have been debunked by countless scientists. Ohio is one of 17 states that allows non-medical exemptions for vaccines including 'conscientious objector' or 'philosophical/personal beliefs' - which Lindenberger argued against. 'I was pulled out of class every year and told that if I did not receive my shots, I wouldn't be able to attend my high school,' he wrote in his prepared testimony. 'But, every year, I was opted out of these immunizations and, because of current legislation, I was allowed to attend a public high school despite placing my classmates in danger of contracting multiple preventable diseases.' Lindenberger said it wasn't until he began speaking to his friends that he realized he was the only one who hadn't received several standard jabs including MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), chickenpox and polio. Lindenberger (left and right) says during the hearing he will be discussing topics including outbreaks of preventable diseases. His name appears on a list of five witnesses Last week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing during which heads of federal health agencies discussed the measles outbreak that has been spreading across the US. Pictured: Lindenberger (circled) with his mother and his six siblings. That's when he began to do his own research, reading scientific articles and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Washington Post reported that Lindenberger visited an Ohio Department of Heath office in Norwalk in December and received vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, the flu and HPV. His mother, Jill Wheeler, described the move to online science magazine Undark as 'insulting' and a 'slap in the face'. But in an interview with CBS This Morning, the mother-of-seven admitted she was proud of her son despite the fact that he defied her wishes. 'I'm very proud of him for standing for what he believes in, even if it is against what I believe. He's a good boy. He's a good kid,' she said. Lindenberger shared the news that he would be appearing before Congress in a YouTube video posted on Saturday, now viewed more than 10,000 times. He appeared alongside four experts including John Wiesman, Washington state's secretary of health, and Dr Jonathan McCullers, chair of the department of pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Vaccines have become a hot button issue over the last several weeks. Last week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing during which heads of federal health agencies discussed the measles outbreak that has been spreading across the US. So far, 206 cases of measles have been confirmed in 11 states, hitting New York and the Pacific Northwest the hardest. That means more measles cases have been counted in the first two months of this year than in all of 2017. At the hearing, Dr Anthony Fauci, infectious diseases chief at the National Institutes of Health, said the measles vaccine is highly effective and the fact that cases are on the rise 'is really unacceptable'. He believes the spreading of misinformation about jabs has left many parents vaccine hesitant and, therefore, have raised their child's risk of catching life-threatening diseases. 'Misinformation is an important problem,' Dr Fauci said, according to NBC News. 'The spread of misinformation that leads people to make poor choices, despite their well-meaning, is a major contributor to the problem we're discussing.' Anti-vaxxers were named one of the top threats to global health in 2019 by the World Health Organization (WHO). 'Vaccine hesitancy', as the WHO calls it, 'threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases.' Car insurance claims have started to fall as the Government steams ahead with its plans to reform compensation for road traffic accident victims, data shows. A Freedom of Information request by campaign group Access to Justice has revealed the number of claims fell eight per cent in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period last year, to 326,699. It comes as insurers reported record half year profits hitting a two-decade high level. Meanwhile, although car insurance premiums are dropping from their peak at the beginning of the year, the average amount paid by motorists is still higher than in most previous years on record. Motor insurance claims have continued their general downward trend into the first half of 2018 Government is set to pass a bill that will reduce the compensation payouts for whiplash victims Insurers claim the cost of motor insurance is greatly inflated by the number of fraudulent compensation claims, particularly whiplash claims, that they have to pay out on each year. The Government is currently gearing up to pass a bill, called the Civil Liability Bill, to put an end to what it sees as a compensation culture currently gripping Britain's motorists. One of the proposed changes is the introduction of a tariff system which would greatly reduce the damages paid out to people injured in car accidents, including whiplash victims. Currently a claimant with whiplash lasting up to three months can expect damages of around 1,800 on average. If the tariff system were to be put in place, this would drop to around 225 saving insurers around 1,600 a claim. The Government says this will reduce car insurance premiums by around 35 a year. The UK's biggest insurers - including Admiral, Direct Line and Aviva - have all signed a letter pledging to pass the savings onto customers. Poll Would you consider a black-box telematics car insurance policy if it saved you more than 89 a year? Yes No Would you consider a black-box telematics car insurance policy if it saved you more than 89 a year? Yes 640 votes No 2296 votes Now share your opinion The bill would also put an end to insurance companies settling claims directly with accident victims without medical evidence - known as pre-medical offers, and raise the small claims limit for minor road traffic accidents from 1,000 to 5,000. The reforms are expected to come into force in April 2020. Personal injury lawyer and spokesperson for Access to Justice, Andrew Twambley, said: 'Government ministers say there is no downwards trend in motor claims but they cannot ignore their own figures. 'The so-called whiplash epidemic is disappearing under their very eyes. 'Motor claims have fallen by 15 per cent overall since 2015, and the decline is accelerating. 'These figures prove that earlier law changes, tougher regulation and market forces are doing the government's job already.' Insurers however say the fall in claims is due to more personal injury lawyers leaving the sector into more lucrative areas, such as holiday sickness claims, which have seen a rise in recent years. The government says its reforms should reduce car insurance premiums by around 35 a year A spokesman for insurer trade body the Association of British Insurers said: 'The fall in personal injury claims registered with the government's Compensation Recovery Unit reflects fewer claimant lawyers dealing with these claims. 'The overall number and cost of all motor insurance claims is rising. In the first half of this year insurers paid out 4.3billion on all motor claims, compared to 4billion in the same period in 2017. 'Lower insurance costs can only be sustained if Parliament follow through and implements in full the Civil Liability Bill to fix our broken compensation system.' Japanese car giant Honda has accelerated plans to electrify its cars, pledging that every single vehicle sold in Britain and Europe will have some form of electrification by 2025. That ranges from cars that are pure electric to hybrids. The announcement came as Honda unveiled an all-electric hatchback - the firms flagship battery-powered car - blamed for the closure of of the companys UK factory in Swindon from 2021 with the loss of 3,500 direct jobs and thousands more with suppliers and support firms. Electric future: Every Honda sold in the UK from 2025 will have some form of electrification, be it hybrid or entirely zero-emissions Honda bosses said the move towards electrification - with electric car production concentrated in Japan and exported directly to Europe - meant it was no longer economically viable to keep the Swindon factory open. But in a deeply poignant twist it has also emerged that Honda bosses at Swindon were busy making preparations and investments to build the next generation of electric hybrid cars, just as top executives in Japan made the decision to pull the plug on the UK plant. Robot technology to build electrified cars was being delivered by boat ready for installation as the sudden closure announcement was made. The new technology for hybrid cars planned for 2021 would have been installed over the summer when the workers had scheduled for the assembly line to halt in order for the work to be carried out. Honda confirmed it had been in the process of installing new equipment at the Swindon plant before Japanese bosses pulled the plug. Honda announced last month that it would shut the Swindon plant in 2021, putting 3,500 UK jobs on the line Honda said the decision was made due to the switch to electric vehicle production, which will mainly take place in Japan The Honda-e hatchback has debuted the Geneva Motor Show this morning. It's the model being blamed for the closure of of the companys UK factory It said the UK arm was in the feasibility stages of new model allocation and had begun preparation to bid for the next generation of Civic'. It noted: The new Civic was to feature a petrol-electric hybrid within the model line-up. In order to prepare Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd for future models, installation of some equipment and changes to the layout of the plant had to take place before the model allocation was confirmed. 'This was due to the long lead time for ordering and installation of this equipment. The new all-electric Honda-e hatchback, revealed last week, marks the start of that switch in strategy that effectively killed off Swindon. The four seater urban electric runaround promises a range of 124 miles and a fast charge function that can replenish 80 per cent of its battery in just 30 minutes and making it ideal for commuting. The new battery-powered Honda-e has a range of 124 miles and will cost from around 30,000 Robot technology to build electrified cars in Swindon was being delivered by boat ready for installation before the sudden closure announcement was made Expect prices between 25,000 and 30,000 when it goes on sale later this year. It also features sporty rear wheel drive. One top Honda executive admitted: It would be fair to say that arrival of this new car - and what it represents in wider terms about electrification - sealed Swindons fate. Up to now Honda had set a target of two thirds of cars sold having some form of electrification. Today Honda announced a commitment to 'total electrification in Europe within six years announcing its ambition to make 100 per cent of its European automobile sales electrified by 2025. Announcing its intention, the firm said: This new ambition builds on the brands 2017 aim of two-thirds of its sales to be electrified by 2025, and places it firmly at the forefront of Hondas global electrification shift announced as part of its 2030 vision. Honda already sells electrified cars in the UK, in the shape of the new CR-V Hybrid SUV The Japanese brand said: Honda expects full hybrid technology to play a key role in meeting its aims of 100 per cent electrification by 2025' Tom Gardner, senior vice president of Honda Motor Europe, added: Since we made that first pledge in March 2017, the shift towards electrification has gathered pace considerably. Environmental challenges continue to drive demand for cleaner mobility. Technology marches on unrelenting and people are starting to shift their view of the car itself. Earlier this year Honda launched the all-new CR-V Hybrid. The firm added: Honda expects full hybrid technology to play a key role in meeting its aims of 100 per cent electrification by 2025. Honda also announced plans to improve electric car charging. Genetic engineering would allow companies to patent genes synthesized from cannabis, potentially unlocking billions of dollars in new investment and creating jobs, sayscannabis producers, biotech firms and drug companies, along with the law firms who represent them. The report, which is on CBC News, says the cannabis industry is about to undergo a dramatic acceleration in innovation. "Patenting a gene technically isn't any different from patenting anything else," said Erica Lowthers, a partner at Aird and McBurney, a Toronto law firm that advises cannabis companies. The process "encourages innovation" and investment by protecting intellectual property with a 20-year monopoly for new creations, she added. However, critics are worried about the possible negative effects of this genetic material obtained from cannabis. Critics also worry that patents on cannabis genes would allow a small group of private companies to control the building blocks of life itself. "Companies are using genetic sequences taken from natural cannabis strains, altering them and building a product that will eventually disrupt natural markets in cannabis," said Jim Thomas, a spokesperson for Val-David, Que.-based technology watchdog the ETC Group, quoted on CBC News. "Growers, farmers, breeders will become less and less relevant if these biotech companies take over the market," he said. He called the patenting "biopiracy" because it allowed corporations to privatize material from a crop cultivated by small farmers for generations. Hyasynth Biologicals laboratory in Montreal is one of the modern genetic engineering firms in Canada and the U.S., their scientists are working on this cutting edgedevelopment in the cannabis business. Hyasynth Bio signed a $10 million deal, with licensed cannabis producer Organigram last month for the large-scale production of cannabinoids, and it has two international patents pending. The scientists at Hyasynth Biologicals laboratory genetically modify fermented yeast to make copies of the DNA strands found in cannabis. The yeast serves as a small factory to produce cannabinoids in the lab.Scientists are trying to make the genetic material created from the yeast to exhibit specific properties. The researchers would slice and dice molecules found in cannabis plants, with hopes of creating new recreational products and medicines to treat pain, cancers, insomnia, epilepsy and a host of other health problems. Cannabis contains about 90 different chemicals most of which have barely been studied. Our strains of yeast have been specially designed to produce cannabinoids all on their own. There are no special chemicals or precursors that need to be added, just what the yeast needs to grow. Since we arent growing plants, there is no chance of any pesticide, contaminant or heavy metal getting into the product. The company says, on its official webpage. As for concerns of "biopiracy," brought up by critics, Hans Parmar a spokesperson for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, has said that, even though higher life forms, including cannabis plants themselves, cannot be patented in Canada, patent protection is, however, available for "genetically modified cannabis plant cells" and "novel isolated genes that produce cannabis active ingredients." Advertisement Bugatti has taken the wraps off its latest stealth-like creation - a one-of-a-kind hypercar that will cost the owner a whopping 11 million before tax, so around 11.4 million in the UK when you factor VAT. It's called the La Voiture Noire and is being touted by the slick French vehicle maker as the world's most expensive new car - but it is already sold. The all-black motor combines the thunderous performance of Bugatti's existing Chiron hypercar with the styling of the brand's legendary 1936 Type 57 AC Atlantic. The result is one of the most jaw-dropping creations on four wheels ever seen. World's most expensive new car: This is the Bugatti La Voiture Noire - a one-off super-stealth hypercar that costs a staggering 9.5million before tax - so around 11.4million with VAT La Voiture Noire - which translates to 'The Black Car' - has been built for one seriously wealthy Bugatti customer only, but also to celebrate the manufacturer's 110-year history. The svelte bodywork has been hand-crafted from carbon fibre, with micro-perforations punctured into the engine cover to ensure enough heat can be shifted away from the powerhouse motor parked in the middle of the chassis. The engine is the same eight-litre quad-turbo W16 that powers the current Chiron with almost mirrored outputs. Power and torque figures are 1,479bhp and 1,600Nm, with drive sent via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and all-wheel-drive system. The all-black motor incorporates styling features from the brand's legendary 1936 Type 57 AC Atlantic Bugatti has reworked La Voiture Noires chassis from the Chiron and dialled it into a comfy grand tourer rather than an ultra-stiff race car with indicators The dorsal fin on the 1938 model has been replicated with a single trim piece that runs almost from the tip of the grille to the rear spoiler Who's bought it? As is the case with almost all high-value one-off car purchases, the identity of the customer has not been disclosed by Bugatti. However, reports suggest La Voiture Noire has been sold to someone close the brand. Speculators claim the owner is former Volkswagen chairman, Ferdinand Piech, 81. It's also suggested that he was given a discount on the 16.7million price tag, inclusive of taxes. Bugatti says it won't be a like-for-like performance match for the Chiron, though. But that's not to say it'll be slow. Bear in mind the sister hypercar can hit 62mph from a standing start in just 2.4 seconds and is limited to 261mph. In terms of styling features, Bugatti says the extended nose section and distinctive C-pillars have been transferred over from the Type 57 classic. Also mirrored is the dorsal fin on the 1938 model. The design team has replicated this with a single trim piece that runs almost from the tip of the grille, over the bonnet and part of the windscreen, cleverly incorporating the window wiper. It goes on to split the roof and engine bay before tapering at the rear spoiler. Slide me Bugatti says the La Voiture Noire won't be quite as fast as the Chiron, despite the two sharing the same engine Designers have cleverly incorporated the windscreen wiper into the fin that slices through the middle of the 11.4m machine Round the back, the one-of-a-kind hypercar has a colossal rear diffuser, a single-strip brake light and six exhausts outlets. 'Every single component has been handcrafted and the carbon fibre body has a deep black gloss only interrupted by the ultrafine fibre structure. This is a material that has been handled perfectly,' explained Bugatti designer Etienne Salome. 'We worked long and hard on this design until was nothing that we could improve. For us, the coupe represents the perfect form with a perfect finish.' Round the back, the one-of-a-kind hypercar has a colossal rear diffuser, a single-strip brake light and six exhausts outlets Just one version will be made for a well-heeled buyer, who Bugatti refers to as an enthusiast. They must be if they're shelling out 11 million on a bespoke vehicle The 'standard' Chiron can hit 62mph from a standing start in just 2.4 seconds and is limited to 261mph There is no other car in the world with such an engine. It is not only extremely powerful but also beautiful to look at Stephan Winkelmann, Bugatti Stephan Winkelmann, president at Bugatti, described the machine as 'a feast of aesthetics'. 'This is not only an engine but the heart of the vehicle and a technical masterpiece,' he added. 'There is no other car in the world with such an engine. It is not only extremely powerful but also beautiful to look at.' And it's not just achingly pretty and staggeringly fast - it should also be more comfortable than ever. Stephan Winkelmann, president at Bugatti, described the machine as 'a feast of aesthetics' when the car was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday Bugatti has reworked La Voiture Noires chassis, dialling it into a comfy grand tourer rather than an ultra-stiff race car with indicators Full specs and details of the La Voiture Noire have yet to be revealed by Bugatti, though it's not expected to be on a par with Chiron (background right) Bugatti has reworked La Voiture Noires chassis from the Chiron and dialled it into a comfy grand tourer rather than an ultra-stiff race car with indicators. That means the suspension should have more forgiving dampers and the steering more electronically assisted than the heavy set-up in the Chiron. This isn't the first time Bugatti has modified its hypercar into a limited-run model. Last year it introduced the 4.5 million Divo - another Chiron special with a lowered top speed of 236mph with just 40 being produced. Full details, including acceleration times and top speeds, will be revealed at a later date. If you ever see someone driving Bugatti's La Voiture Noire you will have made a rare car spot indeed Styling features are totally unique to the La Voiture Noire, though ideas have been incorporated from the classic Bugatti. The six-exhaust outlet isn't one of those cues If you like the excitement of driving go-karts hell for leather youll love the forthcoming new electric Mini which hits UK showrooms next year. I should know. Ive just had an exclusive drive in one - charging around on the track and doing tighter slaloms through cones than an Olympic skier. Though I travelled to Germany to drive it - Mini is now part of Bavarias giant BMW Group - the three-door hatchback vehicle itself will be built in Britain at the Oxford factory from November this year ready for sale in early 2020. Thats providing there is a deal on Brexit, following dire threats by BMW bosses at the Geneva Motor Show to end production in Oxford and switch it to Holland or Germany if there isnt. The car that might not be built in Britain: Mini might pull production of the 2020 electric Mini from Oxford if there's a no-deal Brexit, but our man Ray Massey travelled to Germany months ahead of its arrival to test it The electric Minis road to market has been a long journey - with a few recharges along the way. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the original - a design penned by automotive genius Sir Alec Issigonis, who created the car that epitomised the Swinging Sixties. Plenty has changed in that time, including ownership of the iconic brand. German keepers BMW cannily clung onto Mini when they off-loaded of the rest of the Rover Group dubbed the English Patient because of the problems it caused them to the Phoenix Four of would-be saviours led by ex-Rover executive John Towers. BMW then created a new Mini for a new generation - bigger too - and began production at Rovers former Cowley factory in Oxford (which they also retained) from the following year. It proved a huge success - even if bosses are now threatening to pull operations after Brexit. Ray Massey put the near production-ready prototype through its paces at a test track This year is Mini's 60th anniversary. Commenced production of a full-electric model will be a huge part of the celebrations Mini first set out their electrification plans with a prototype Mini-E, a small fleet of which were tested on UK roads in 2008. I drove one at the time around Surrey. But more significantly, a small army of guinea-pig volunteer drivers drove one daily and kept a log, and the results were fed into what became the electric BMW i3 programme - as well as, to a lesser extent, the i8 supercar. It was pretty perky, but range was an issue. And there were only two seats at the front, and no boot for storage. The state of battery technology at the time simply meant that too much space was taken up storing a much smaller amount of power. So as a practical proposition for busy singletons, couples and small families, it had its challenges. Now things have moved on apace. In 2010, a small army of guinea-pig volunteer drivers drove one daily and kept a log The knowledge gained from the 2010 project were directly fed into the design of BMW's own electric model line-up - the i3 and i8 Mini also showed this Electric Concept at last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed as it geared up for the production cars arrival Up to now BMW has shown only its Mini Electric Concept - a prototype of the new fully electric model - which made its UK debut at last years Goodwood Festival of Speed. But the electric Mini I've been driving in Germany is the near production-ready version, though in a light camouflage. Minis Oxford factory, which employs 4,500 people building 223,000 new cars a year - of which 80 per cent are exported - will assemble the new electric Mini from next year, though the electric drive-train will be constructed in Germany. It had to fight hard for the privilege, beating off challenges from Germany and Holland (where BMW is claiming production could be shifted to entirely), with some within BMW wanting it to be built on the continent. Minis Oxford factory, which employs 4,500 people building 223,000 new cars a year - of which 80% are exported Getting behind the wheel: Ray Massey pictured with the heavily camouflaged pre-production electric Mini ahead of his exclusive road test 'It was whizzing silently though an assault course of cones and tight corners this the electric Mini really came into its own. Its fast, fun and fiendishly agile,' says Massey So whats it like to drive? A simple flick of a toggle switch to the lower dashboard fired it up. Put the lever into drive and away we go. I did not hold back. It has, as many electric vehicles do, pretty rapid acceleration as theres almost no delay in maximum power. But it was whizzing silently though an assault course of cones and tight corners this the electric Mini really came into its own. Its fast, fun and fiendishly agile. No exact figures on acceleration or top speed have been revealed as yet. But it certainly feels fast enough. Ray Massey says Mini has managed to retain the car's iconic go-kart-like handling characteristics The batteries powering the electric motor are stored in a T-shape configuration under the floor to aid the stiffness of the chassis and so increasing its manoeuvrability At 1.35 tonnes the electric Mini its about 120kg heavier than the equivalent petrol Cooper S, largely because of the weight of the batteries If I didnt know better, I'd not instinctively say this is an electric car'. Its a car. It just happens to run on batteries which are cunningly stored in a T-shape configuration under the floor to aid the stiffness of the chassis and so increasing its manoeuvrability. At 1.35 tonnes its about 120kg heavier than the equivalent petrol Mini Cooper S, largely because of the batteries. Thanks to the batteries layered into the floor, the electric Mini has a lower centre of gravity. This maks it feel more stable in fast corners The light disguise wraps will come off in July when the car gets its world premiere, most likely in the USA But it also has a lower centre of gravity which aids stability. And battery density - how much electrical charge bang you get for you bucks - has doubled in just six years. The light disguise wraps will come off in July when the car gets its world premiere, most likely in the USA though that is to be confirmed. It electric Mini, running on 16 inch and 17 inch wheels, will be priced similarly to the petrol-powered Mini Cooper S - which puts it at around 23,000, though that is likely to after a taxpayer-funded subsidy for electric vehicles. Prices for the car are expected to start from around 23,000 - on a par with the Cooper S model Charging to 80% battery capacity can take as little as 40 minutes, if you have access to a 50kW fast charger In terms of charging, the Mini boffins say a 50kW fast charger will cover 80 per cent of charge in just 40 minutes. A standard AC charger will take about three hours to reach the same 80 per cent level. And plugging it into the mains at home will take about 12 hours. Range anxiety remains an issue but Mini are pitching this car at urban commuters who will do around 25 miles a day. There's some confusion about the name, though 'Mini SE is a rubbish name', says Ray Massey. He wants the brand to stick to Mini Electric Bizarrely, the BMW Group marketing geniuses in Munich want to call the new electric Mini the Cooper SE, the E referring to its electric prowess. However, I understand this is meeting stiff resistance among the Mini folk back in Blighty who point out that this completely misses the point about its unique electric selling point and instead makes it sound like a bog-standard SE trim level more usually associated with Mercedes-Benz or a mundane saloon. Memo to Munich: SE is a rubbish name for a very clever car. Mini Electric sounds much better. As part of its electrification programme, Mini currently sells the plug-in hybrid Mini Countryman which is built under licence in Holland. I was visited by a representative of Guardian Legal of Peterborough on June 5 last year, who advised on a family trust. I wanted time to think about it, but the man said it would mean another journey for him, so I signed and paid 2,595 by Visa credit card. After receiving advice elsewhere, I decided to cancel. I sent the form by recorded delivery on June 12 well within the 14-day cancellation period specified in the contract and received confirmation of its receipt. Pressure tactics? One reader was left out of pocket after signing up for a family trust before quickly changing her mind After 40 days, I had not received a refund, so I phoned and was told there were no funds to reimburse me. He said he'd look into it and call back. Further attempts to get a refund have also failed. I am a pensioner and am being charged interest on the Visa card. I don't have the funds for this. S. S., Bedfordshire. Guardian Legal is a firm of paralegals which does not employ solicitors. Its internet site says its work includes wills and trusts. Personally, I think these things are too important to entrust to anyone who isn't a qualified solicitor. I spoke to Mike Carter of Guardian Legal, the man who made the sale. I raised the point you made about him telling you that delaying signing would involve a return journey. This, to my mind, constitutes pressure-selling. He denies the firm uses pressure-selling in any way. But the point stands that you asked for your money back in June and by February were still waiting. Mr Carter admitted that Guardian Legal is in financial difficulty. Staff numbers have been slashed and you are not alone in being owed money he said eight others are also waiting. He told me that he had started the process of applying for a Company Voluntary Arrangement in September. This is a legally binding agreement that allows a company to carry on trading so long as it repays a proportion of its debts to a fixed schedule. Mr Carter said that, under the terms, you would receive 60 per cent of your money back over five years though he said he aimed to pay it back faster. He argued that I should suggest you accept this arrangement. Having looked at his career on the LinkedIn website, I am not inspired with confidence nor do I see why you should accept only part of what you are owed. I decided the best route to getting your money back was via your Visa card. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes your bank jointly and severally liable when goods are broken, faulty or substandard, or not delivered on time or to sufficient quality. It also covers you if the company goes into administration. I called Lloyds on your behalf and it was magnificent. Having looked at what you supplied including evidence you had cancelled within the 14-day cooling-off period Lloyds has arranged a Section 75 refund. As a general warning, if someone wants to sell you something in your home, be very wary and never sign or pay if you feel pressured. You have YOUR say Every week, Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some responding to our article about how profit-hungry telecoms companies are charging customers up to 36 a year for paper bills: The Government needs to intervene and outlaw this practice. There will always be a percentage of the population who do not want to, or cannot, receive their bills by email. R. T., Woking. HMRC is now demanding that businesses do everything online. Not all small businesses use computers and not everyone feels comfortable on the internet. Technology doesn't always make life easier. C. S., Bristol. If you have broadband at your home anyway, you may as well go paperless. We are retired and live on a limited budget. We don't bank online, but we do all our utilities payments paperless it saves shredding all our bills. S. M., Brighton. I still have paper bills and bank statements sent to my home because they're necessary for confirming my identity. Many companies and authorities say that online printed statements are not acceptable. S. W., by email. My mother is 96 years old. She has broadband, but it's only for us to use when we visit. At her age, she will have nothing to do with the internet. It's disgraceful to penalise people who are in this kind of situation. M. R., Monmouth, Wales. When you buy something at the supermarket, you don't expect to be charged for the printed receipt. It should be the same with telephone bills. There should be a law to stop companies charging for them. J. S., Rotherham. I have always understood that companies reward customers who are environmentally friendly. I'm a pensioner and I had to pay for my computer. It's swings and roundabouts. I deserve a discount. S. F., Melbourne, Australia. I received my phone service from TalkTalk for nine years. However, before moving to a new provider, I noticed that over the past two to three years I have been charged for broadband that I do not have (I am 99 years old). I called several times to say that I did not have a computer, but nobody took any notice. G. F., London. TalkTalk tells me it has not provided a phone-only service for more than a decade, so the most basic package comes with broadband whether you want it or not. This affected you in August 2015, when you switched from a basic phone package to one called Simply Broadband with unlimited calls. You queried why broadband had been added. TalkTalk says the package was then explained to you. You called again in November 2016 to query this and were told by an agent that all TalkTalk packages include broadband. I asked the firm to go back over your bills to check you haven't been overcharged and it seems you have been on the cheapest service. Despite this, TalkTalk has made a 50 goodwill payment to apologise for not making things clearer when you called. There are a few cheap phone-only deals. BT Basic costs 5.10 a month and includes 1.50 worth of calls but it is available only to those on certain benefits. Those who don't qualify can pay 19.99 a month for the basic line rental, which includes weekend calls. Virgin Media's comparable price is 19. Sky charges 23.99 per month for evening and weekend calls. Straight to the point I switched to Together Energy in May and have been trying to get an up-to-date, accurate statement ever since. I've called three times and sent a formal letter of complaint. What more can I do? R. F., Oldham. Together Energy called you to apologise for the delay, which it says occurred following an upgrade to its IT system. It has now taken your meter readings and provided you with an accurate bill. Your account is 226.61 in credit and the supplier has added 30 as a gesture of goodwill. *** BT keeps telephoning me to say that my broadband will be disconnected tomorrow. It never is, and my bill is up to date. Is this a scam? J. F., by email. Yes, it is a scam. BT says it would never contact customers in this way and advises you request its free BT Call Protect service. This will block numbers it has identified as nuisance callers. You can set up a personal blacklist of numbers, too. *** My house sale is due to complete five weeks before the end of my mortgage term, which means I face a 5,000 early repayment fee. Will the bank waive this? S. I., by email. Any early repayment charges would have been laid out clearly in terms and conditions when you took out the mortgage. Lenders will sometimes waive these fees if you take your mortgage with you to a new property, but if you want to simply repay the loan, it is likely you will have to foot the bill. *** My wife and I paid in advance for two items of hold luggage when travelling to Madrid last year. But, when we arrived, check-in staff claimed we had purchased only one, so we had to pay an extra 56.06. I've been chasing Iberia for a refund for six months, but no one will respond to my emails, calls or the letter I paid 7.85 to send via recorded delivery. M. J., West Midlands. Iberia is not sure what happened, but thinks there may have been a problem with its website. It blames a change to its accounting system for the delay in issuing a refund. t has written to you to apologise and reimburse the fee, but will not refund the cost of the letter's postage, as it claims you could have complained online for free. I have found an old Alliance & Leicester savings passbook which shows a balance of 149 in 1989. I have been to Santander, which took over the A&L accounts, and it says it can't help as it goes back so far. S. C., Carlisle. Life would be much simpler if branch staff had access to the details head office teams do. It seems this was a children's account opened in your name but held in trust for you by your mother. It was closed (most likely by her) on December 12, 1997, with 205.66 being paid out. Santander says: 'We're sorry that the branch team could not help. This was due to the age of this account and, as he has no current holdings with us, it was hard to trace him on the system. 'These records would be kept by the back-office team.' Admiral, the Elephant and Confused.com owner, hailed an impressive jump in profits for the first half of the year, despite its home insurance arm being chilled by the Beast from the East. The Cardiff-based insurer thanked its motoring division for a 9 per cent hike in group pre-tax profits to 211million. Its car insurance unit saw customer numbers jump 14 per cent to 6.23 million, and enjoyed sales growth of 14 per cent to 1.66billion. The Admiral group also includes insurers Elephant and Confused.com The motoring performance offset a near 2million loss at the insurer's household division, which the group blamed on the unseasonably cold weather at the start of the year. 'The UK experienced two spells of unusually bad weather in the period which have adversely impacted the results of insurers including Admiral,' the firm said. In the same period last year, this unit generated a 1.6million profit. Admiral posted a strong rise in international dealings too - with customer numbers up 17 per cent year-on-year and surpassing the one million mark. Commenting on the interim results, boss David Stevens said: 'The core UK car insurance business continues to grow both in terms of profit and customer numbers. 'Early in 2018 we passed the four million mark for cars on cover. The car that hit the milestone was a Peugeot 108; our first 25 years ago was an Isuzu Piazza.' The progress means that around 10,000 staff will each get 1,800 in free shares under Admiral's employee share scheme. Shares jumped 4 per cent in early trading. Earlier this week, the firm's rival esure a unveiled a 1.2billion takeover by private equity firm Bain Capital. Brexit is driving a shift in shopping behaviour, research has found, with consumers holding back on non-essential spending and stockpiling food as the possibility of no-deal Brexit looms. According to the closely followed British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KMPG retail sales monitor, total retail sales grew by a 'sluggish' 0.5 per cent last month, compared with a 1.6 per cent rise recorded in February last year. BRC boss Helen Dickinson blamed the slowdown on 'uncertainty surrounding the UK's imminent exit from the European Union'. Retail sales slowed to 0.5 per cent last month, according to the BRC and KPMG 'While real incomes have started to rise over the past year, shoppers have been reluctant to spend this February, holding back growth. 'With consumers increasingly aware of the risk of a no-deal Brexit, it is likely that uncertainty has driven this cautious approach to retail spending,' she said. Shoppers are 'focusing on the essentials', added KPMG's Paul Martin, with the grocery sector faring much better than non-food retail categories such as fashion and furniture. Pubs, restaurants and hotels suffer too It's not just retailers seeing signs of a consumer slowdown. Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation's credit and debit card transactions, said that typically resilient pubs and restaurants saw 'unusually low' growth in February, up 7.4 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively year on year. Hotels saw spending shrink by 3.8 per cent too. Meanwhile, a survey by Kantar Worldpanel found that one in 10 shoppers have started stockpiling food to prepare for a no-deal Brexit, with a further 26 per cent considering doing so in the near future. This, Kantar said, has not been reflected in sales volumes yet, which nudged up a stable 1.2 per cent last month. Barclaycard research found that nearly a fifth of consumers - 18 per cent - are stockpiling essential food items in case of future shortages, while a third of are cutting back on discretionary spending, or shopping more at discount stores to make their money go further. Esme Harwood, director at Barclaycard, said uncertainty over Brexit appears to be driving a shift in behaviour. 'Discretionary expenditure has seen a considerable decline - spending at retailers continues to decrease, and even hotels, pubs and restaurants are feeling the impact of cutbacks,' she said. 'Not even Valentine's Day could boost sales in the stationery category,' KPMG's Martin added. According to Kantar Worldpanel, one in 10 shoppers are stockpiling for Brexit Of the UK's 'Big Four' supermarkets, Sainsbury's was the worst performer, Kantar said. The country's second biggest supermarket, which suffered a major set back last month in its plan to merge with Asda, has seen sales slide 1 per cent over the last 12 weeks and lost market share to discounters Alid and Lidl. Meanwhile, Aldi's sales were up 10 per cent, and Lidl's rose 5.4 per cent, taking their combined market share to 12.8 per cent. Tesco, Morrisons and Asda all lost market share to the German discounters. With shares languishing at nine-year lows and a 26billion debt pile, Vodafone had to get creative in its latest money-raising scheme. To fund its takeover of Liberty Global's European cable assets, the UK telecoms giant plans to issue 3.4billion of bonds that will convert to stock from 2021. After a fall of nearly 50 per cent in the past five years, that could have spelt trouble for its already-weak share price. To fund its takeover of Liberty Global's European cable assets, UK telecoms giant Vodafone plans to issue 3.4billion of bonds that will convert to stock from 2021 But Vodafone said it would cushion the impact by buying the stock back when the bonds mature. This will be funded, it said, by raising debt when its balance sheet is healthier. Nick Read, the company's boss, is hoping to seal the Liberty takeover as part of plans to make Vodafone Europe's biggest provider of broadband, cable and mobile services. But to fund the deal he has been forced to shelve pledges to keep growing the dividend and is moving to cut costs by sharing mobile network infrastructure with rivals. For now, investors seem pleased with his plan. Vodafone shares were up 2 per cent, or 2.62p, yesterday to 133.98p, making it one of the FTSE 100 top risers. The blue-chip index itself also finished in positive territory, rising 0.7 per cent, or 49.04 points, to 7183.43. Stock Watch - Scottish broadcaster STV has signed a deal with two media companies to provide programming for its new online video service. It comes after the firm launched advertising-free STV Player last week, with partners including Sky and Virgin. Yesterday the firm said Flame Distribution, behind Recipes That Rock and Grand Tours of Scotland, and The Pet Collective maker Jukin Media had both signed up as well. The news helped nudge shares 1.6 per cent, or 6p, up to 371p. It was a mixed day for Britain's top companies though, with tool hire firm Ashtead down despite reporting a 17 per cent rise in third-quarter earnings. The firm revealed profits of 240.9million for the three months to January 31, up from 194.3million a year previously, thanks to strong growth in the US and Canada. That was after sales surged 20 per cent higher to 1.1billion. But shares dipped 1.4 per cent, or 29p, to 2037p with analysts noting the pace of the company's growth was slowing. Hargreaves Lansdown's Nicholas Hyett added that a construction boom in America was being led by Donald Trump's 'erratic' administration, and called for the company to keep its debt under control in case there are sudden changes. 'It feels like it might be loosening the purse strings,' he said. 'We'd really rather debt stayed low for the time being.' Meanwhile, restructuring group Begbies Traynor said sales and profits grew in the first nine months of its financial year. In a trading update for the three months to January 31, the firm said it had secured a good flow of insolvency appointments and that its property consultancy arm was performing well. The company pointed to data from the Insolvency Service showing the number of firms in financial distress last year increased by 10 per cent to 16,090. Begbies said it had completed a takeover of Croft Transport Planning & Design in January and of KRE (North East) a Newcastle insolvency practice in February. Executive chairman Ric Traynor said: 'We have had a busy few months with a good third-quarter performance and the completion of recent acquisitions that further develop our core businesses.' But its stock dipped 0.5 per cent, or 0.3p, to 60.1p, in a sign shareholders were hoping for better news. On a relatively quiet day for the FTSE 250, the index edged 0.2 per cent higher, or 31.7 1points, to 19443.14. That came after aviation services provider BBA Aviation skidded 7.6 per cent, or 19.4p, down to 234.6p after its annual results. Investors were given no update on the sale of its engine repair and overhaul business, which has now been on the market since May 2018. Ted Baker, whose founder Ray Kelvin quit on Monday after allegations of misconduct, fell 2.7 per cent, or 54p, to 1928p. And grocer Marks and Spencer, which announced plans for an online food tie-up with Ocado last week, dipped 2.2 per cent, or 6.3p, to 276.8p. Job fear: Bob Diamond wanted to raise money privately to keep Barclays afloat Disgraced Barclays boss Bob Diamond looked for ways to save his job as the bank teetered on the brink in 2008, a court heard. Diamond, a senior investment banker at the time, wanted to raise money privately to keep it afloat. He was thought to be concerned about his future and that of chief executive John Varley if Barclays fund-raised publicly. Diamond reportedly told a meeting: 'This is about saving jobs mine and John's.' Richard Boath, a former Barclays executive on trial for fraud alongside Varley, claimed Diamond was against public fundraising efforts because it would have hurt his credibility. Boath, Varley and former colleagues Tom Kalaris and Roger Jenkins are accused of fraud over payments to Qatari investors. They deny the charges. Diamond is not accused of any wrongdoing. Service: Joe Williams of The Village Shop in Hook Norton For decades, The Village Shop in Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, was used by locals who wanted little more than a loaf of bread and a pint of milk. But then the convenience store's customers started complaining that they were increasingly unable to get their hands on another staple cash. So, three years ago, owner Joe Williams grabbed the chance to open a Post Office counter within the shop. Now, his store is a busy hub on which residents rely to pay in cheques, withdraw their pension or take out cash. Joe, 38, who has worked at the family business since he was 16 years old, spoke to Money Mail on the day that a major report reveals Britain's cash system is on the verge of collapse. The Access To Cash Review warns that unless ministers and regulators act to protect cash, it could disappear in just 15 years. This would leave millions of people particularly the elderly unable to access basic services. Like increasing numbers of small towns and villages across Britain, there is not a single bank branch or ATM where Joe lives in Hook Norton. The nearest banks are four miles away in Chipping Norton but even there, branches are starting to close. NatWest shut in 2018, following in the footsteps of HSBC in 2017. The last bank in Hook Norton, Barclays, closed around 20 years ago. For years, locals made do with the village Post Office, but that closed in 2015. It was replaced with a mobile Post Office service that visited until Joe's family launched their counter. The Village Shop has been in Joe's family for almost three decades. His parents, Tom, 69, and Gloria, 62, bought the store in 1989 and are now mostly retired. The shop, which sells everything from fresh fruit to lottery tickets, is open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and from 9am to 6pm on Sundays. To cope with the extra demand, Joe has employed extra staff 16 in total, with eight trained to man the Post Office. Businesses in rural areas can be heavily reliant on cash because poor broadband and mobile signal means card machines do not always work. Joe says his shop provides a service people depend on. 'Customers come to withdraw benefits and pensions and deposit cheques,' he adds. 'Some of our elderly customers don't want to bank online, so they come here to collect their whole pension in cash.' As well as helping his community thrive in an ATM and bank branch desert, Joe's Post Office counter is also good for business, by driving footfall. Britain's biggest bank Lloyds is, for the first time, running a scheme to pay small shopkeepers to offer customers cashback in areas where ATMs are disappearing The Williamses are paid commission by the Post Office for carrying out its services. But, while these bring customers through the door, the counter doesn't make a profit. 'We make around 14,000 or so a year from Post Office commission, but we have to pay our staff ourselves,' says Joe. Putting aside Post Office services, the shop has a gross turnover of about 1 million a year. Joe believes that banks have a 'moral responsibility' to provide alternatives if they remove branches and ATMs from villages. He adds: 'They also need to make sure people like me are effectively reimbursed for all the extra work we do. Last month, Money Mail revealed how Britain's biggest bank Lloyds is, for the first time, running a scheme to pay small shopkeepers to offer customers cashback in areas where ATMs are disappearing. It is hoped that the move will restore access to cash and boost footfall for struggling newsagents, greengrocers and butchers. Today's report says: 'Clearly, some communities will need the 24/7 access that ATMs offer, but for others, a convenience store offering cashback might work better. 'And it may be cheaper and more sustainable, as well as supporting local High Streets.' Joe says cash has an important social role in the village. 'I think some people who pay by cash also enjoy the interaction. Paying by contactless can be quite isolating, as you can just tap and go without making eye contact. 'We know some people just want to come in and have a chat.' And, as the only place in the village where locals can get cash, he keeps an eye on his customers especially if they're elderly. But Joe believes his village will never go entirely cashless. He adds: 'The customer should have the right to choose and some people will always prefer cash.' A Post Office spokesman says: 'We are committed to ensuring our postmasters receive appropriate remuneration for the vital services they offer their customers.' The Access To Cash Review suggested allowing customers to get cash delivered via the post ...or will we have to get cash in the post? In its report today, the Access To Cash Review has laid out a series of proposals it believes could help cash survive in the modern world. Under a proposed guarantee, any local community would be able to bid for better facilities, which would be funded by the banks. This might be an ATM if there isnt one within a certain distance or access to cashback from a local convenience store. Another suggested innovation is to allow customers to get cash delivered via the post. The report says: Many of us are used to ordering our foreign currency for holidays online and getting it delivered through the post. Some consumer groups suggested that allowing home delivery of cash would save many rural consumers from hours of travel. However, accessing cash is just one part of the problem, with increasing numbers of small businesses having to go cashless as a result of rising bank costs and branch closures. The report also suggests installing automated deposit machines in Post Offices, many of which already accept some cash over the counter. A number of ATMs in the UK already accept cash and cheque deposits but only from their own customers. One idea would be to share these facilities. Alternatively, shops could deposit cash in smart safes so they do not have to visit the bank as often. For those who still pay their bills using cash, another idea would be to make more of the PayPoint and Payzone services already offered in many local shops. These services help turn convenience stores into service hubs and help people pay bills in cash. They can also offer extra services such as parcel delivery and collection and making and receiving payments [such as cash from benefits or refunds from utilities including electricity bills]. All larger service providers should be encouraged to partner with services such as this if they dont accept cash directly. Separately, experts also recommend launching a locker facility similar to one already offered by Amazon. But, instead of collecting and dropping off parcels, you would pick up and leave cash. f.parker@dailymail.co.uk A man who shot himself twice in the head with a nail gun at a work is lucky to be alive. Carpenter Josh Ayres was working at a property in the Wide Bay area near Hervey Bay on Queensland's Fraser Coast on Thursday when he fell off a ladder while holding a nail gun. The 24-year-old managed to lodge two 30 millimetre nails into his skull and surgeons were forced to use a drill to remove the nails. Bianca Ginn, Mr Ayres partner, drove from Hervy Bay to Brisbane after finding out her boyfriend had been flown to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. Carpenter Josh Ayres (pictured, right) was working at a property in Queensland on Thursday when he fell while holding a nail gun The 24-year-old was flown to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital after he managed to lodge two 3cm nails into his skull 'He rang me from the hospital and said ''hey, I'm at the hospital''. I said ''why, what's happened?'' and he said ''I've got two nails in my head'',' Ms Ginn told the Courier Mail. Ms Ginn said her heart broke when she found out about the shocking work accident. She said her partner knew what had happened and that the adrenaline had kicked in and masked his pain. 'They put a little plate in and then they stitched him back up. I didn't really want to know the details. It's too gory for me. He said he wanted to keep the nails but I told him we're throwing them out,' she said. Despite Mr Ayres working as a carpenter for at least six years, Ms Ginn said she still worries about him every day he goes to work. Ms Ginn said her partner is recovering well from the horrific incident. 'He's pretty much 100 per cent. He's talking, he's got all his vision. They are just keeping him there to keep an eye on things. He's doing very well. He's very lucky,' she said. A Workplace Health and Safety spokesman told the Courier Mail that the incident was being investigated. The shattered father of two Aboriginal brothers who drowned in a river has said he is 'lost, broken and lonely' without his 'little soldiers.' Barak Austral, five, and Jhulio Sariago, three, wandered off from their back yard in Townsville last week. A witness saw them playing in the fast-flowing Ross River where their bodies were found the next morning. Tragic: Barak Austral (left), five, and Jhulio Sariago (right), three, were found dead in the Ross River near Cranbrook in Townsville just before 7am on Tuesday On Monday Jhilio's father and Barak's stepfather, Nathan Sariago, paid tribute to the boys at a traditional smoking ceremony on the banks of the river. Fighting back tears, he said: 'Daddy loves you and misses you every day. I'm lost without my little soldiers. I am devastated, I am broken, I am lonely without you. 'I can't play with you anymore. You both mean the world to me and would never be forgotten. Always remembered and always cherished, my baby sons. Barak Austral (left) and Jhulio Sariago (right) 'I will always remember the both of you and your cheeky, naughty little ways, and the characters you developed that made you the way you are. Daddy loves you.' He added: 'Their beaming beautiful faces will always be remembered forever. Blood always will be thicker than water. Not even death will separate our sons.' The boys' bodies will be flown to Darwin where their father is from. Up to 100 policemen, rescuers and residents joined a frantic search for the boys after they went missing from their home in the suburb of Cranbrook about 5.45pm on February 25. Their mother Leeann Eatts made a series of desperate posts to social media asking for help. 'Mum is missing you boys so much,' she posted to Facebook. 'My two babies have been missing since 5.45. I got eight police cars at my house and everyone on foot looking for them please keep a close eye out for them on the streets... they just walked off. Please help Townsville. 'I am so tired and empty.' When the bodies were found, the boys' aunt Ros Eatts said: 'Everyone's in shock and total devastation. I'm totally gutted. Leeann, the mum, is inconsolable.' The boys were seen alive for the last time in CCTV footage, with Barak wearing his school uniform (in red shirt on the right) A family spokesman said three crosses will be set up by the river because the family lost a seven-year-old relative in the same spot some years ago. Pictured: Tributes at the scene Ms Eatts described her sons as 'inseparable'. She said: 'They were nine days apart, Barak born on 17 May 2013 and Jhulio born 8 May 2015, and they died on the same day - Jhulio was born the day after my birthday,' she said. 'Jhulio was so smart - he knew everything. He was a good kid, so loveable, lovely little face and beautiful nature I'm going to miss them. 'I feel like I'm in a horror movie and I can't get out of it yet.' Remembering the boys, family spokesman Townsville Aboriginal academic and activist Gracelyn Smallwood said: 'They were happy little people like all three and five-year-old children. 'They're fearless and that's how they want to be remembered.' Senior Sergeant Ian Wilkie said a member of the public saw the boys swimming in the river and the deaths appeared to be the result of a 'tragic accident'. The boys' heartbroken mother Leeann Eatts (left) took to social media after the disappearance of her children Two young Aboriginal brothers Barak (left) and Jhulio (right) were found dead in a river after they went missing from their home An amber alert was issued by police on Monday after the boys went missing from their home in the suburb of Cranbrook about 5.30pm 'Where they'd been jumping in swimming, it's quite deep and it's got a steep bank and there are weeds and other debris in that area,' he said. 'They looked like they were having fun and it's turned to tragedy. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the family.' Senior Sergeant Wilkie said the boys were found next to each other, and the deaths have hit the community especially hard after the city was battered by floods. A GoFund Me page to raise money for the family read: 'The boys are from Darwin and I would love to be able to help bring them home with the support and love of our community so we can bring the boys home without putting the family behind. 'Sending my love and prayers to the family and friends of our boys.' Senior Sergeant Ian Wilkie said a member of the public saw the boys swimming in the river. Pictured: Residents lay tributes at the scene Intelligence services investigated 'increased' and 'unusual' activity at the Russian embassy in London in the days before and after the Novichok poisoning, the Press Association understands. MI5, MI6 and GCHQ looked into 'frantic comings and goings' at the building in Kensington in the days leading up to the moment former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia came into contact with the nerve agent and after they were found unconscious, according to a source. In the wake of the attack, which took place in Salisbury a year ago on Monday, the observations were 'deemed to be significant and of interest', it is understood. A security source told the Press Association: 'The intelligence agencies have been investigating unusual and increased activity at the Russian embassy in Kensington in the days leading up to and after the attack on the Skripals.' Yulia Skripal, the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal The source, who has knowledge of the investigation, said lines of inquiry included looking at movements described as 'frantic and unprecedented' which were observed at the time, adding: 'As would be expected, the UK security services have eyes on known and undeclared foreign intelligence operatives.' Britain has accused Russia of being behind the attack. Intelligence services continue to believe it was ordered at 'the highest level in the Russian state', the source said. Some two weeks after the attack, Prime Minister Theresa May kicked out 23 suspected Russian spies from the London embassy in the largest mass expulsion of diplomats since the Cold War. Both Mrs May and Home Secretary Sajid Javid claimed the Russian government had been involved, saying approval came from a senior level in Moscow. It is understood several Russians are being investigated over the attack. The source did not rule out the possibility of there being more suspects than those already named and said inquiries were 'not limited to the suspects already publicly declared.' In September, Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service said there was sufficient evidence to charge two Russians known by their aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov with offences including conspiracy to murder after they were caught on CCTV in Salisbury the day before the attack. They are accused of being members of the Russian military intelligence service the GRU. The CPS issued European arrest warrants for Alexander Petrov, left, and Ruslan Boshirov In February, high-ranking Russian military intelligence service officer Denis Sergeev was revealed as being reportedly in Britain during the attack. The 45-year-old member of the GRU, who uses the alias Sergei Fedotov, arrived 48 hours before the poisoning but it is unclear what role, if any, he played in the attack, the investigative website Bellingcat said. Detectives believe the Skripals first came into contact with the nerve agent when it was sprayed on the door handle of their home in Christie Miller Road, Salisbury. Mr Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter survived the attack, as did Wiltshire Police Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who came into contact with the poison when he searched their home. Dawn Sturgess, 44, who died after being exposed to the nerve agent via a perfume bottle But Dawn Sturgess, 44, fell ill in Amesbury months after the incident and died in hospital in July after coming into contact with a perfume bottle believed to have been used in the attack on the Skripals and then discarded. The specially adapted counterfeit Nina Ricci bottle which Ms Sturgess handled is thought to have contained the substance. Her partner Charlie Rowley was also exposed to the same nerve agent but was treated and discharged. The 45-year-old demanded justice on Friday as the city was declared 'safe' from Novichok after the decontamination process was completed. Mr Rowley said the case was still an 'open book' after counter-terrorism police re-issued an appeal for information about the perfume bottle, admitting they still do not know what happened to it between March 4 and when he said he found it on June 27. On Sunday, the 20-year-old son of Ms Sturgess, Ewan Hope, urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to hand over the men suspected of being responsible for her death. His grandparents previously called on the UK Government for answers. The contaminated counterfeit perfume box found by Charlie Rowley in June Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement with Mr Putin claiming the two suspects were civilians. During an interview the pair said they were tourists visiting Salisbury particularly its famous cathedral. A fortnight after the attack, the Russian embassy in the UK's official Twitter account posted a comment which said: 'In absence of evidence, we definitely need Poirot in Salisbury!' with an accompanying picture of actor David Suchet in costume as his famed character. Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko speaking at the embassy in London A week later, Russia's ambassador in London was ridiculed for claiming Britain was behind the attack. Following a press conference at the embassy, Alexander Yakovenko was said to have been called a Russian 'Comical Ali' by Conservative MPs, after Saddam Hussein's spokesman Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf who earned the nickname over his claims. The Home Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and GCHQ all declined to comment. The Russian Embassy did not respond when contacted. But in a document published on its website entitled Salisbury: Unanswered Questions, it reiterated its denial of any involvement in the attack, branding Ms Sturgess an 'innocent victim of political games'. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has returned to his homeland to renew his campaign to topple the government of President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido landed at the country's main airport, about 25 miles from the capital Caracas, and said in a tweet that he had successfully passed through immigration checks. 'We know the risks that we face, that's never stopped us,' the 35-year-old leader of Venezuela's National Assembly said as he moved through a crowd that included several Western ambassadors. The U.S. and about 50 other countries have recognized him as Venezuela's legitimate leader, arguing that last year's re-election of Maduro was illegitimate because popular opposition candidates were barred from running. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has returned to Venezuela to challenge Maduro seen here on Monday addressing a rally Other countries have argued that the re-election of Nicolas Maduro was illegitimate because popular opposition candidates were barred from running Guaido has declared himself interim president of Venezuela (seen gesturing on Monday during a rally in Caracas) 'The regime must understand, the dictatorship must understand that we're stronger than ever. We'll continue protesting, we'll continue mobilizing,' said Guaido, who had ignored an official ban on foreign travel to leave Venezuela, first for Colombia and then elsewhere in Latin America. He has called for nationwide demonstrations coinciding with his arrival. Thousands of supporters heeded the call, gathering at a Caracas plaza and in other locations around the country. Guaido, who has declared himself interim president of Venezuela, said the goal of his return is to intensify internal pressure on Maduro. Besides Colombia, Mr Guaido visited Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador over the past week. All are countries that support his campaign against Maduro. Thousands of protesters gather in Caracas. Guaido called for nationwide demonstrations to coincide with his arrival Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, greets supporters on Monday A supporter of Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan Guaido, takes to the streets to protest U.S. national security adviser John Bolton tweeted that threats or action by Maduro's government against Guaido 'will be met with a strong and significant response from the United States and the international community'. Maduro has said he is the target of a US-backed coup plot after the Trump administration joined dozens of other countries in recognizing Guaido as the rightful president of a nation in the midst of a political and humanitarian crisis. Venezuela's vice president Delcy Rodriguez did not directly address a question about whether Guaido faces arrest during a recent interview with Russian state-owned TV channel RT, but she left open the possibility, saying he had broken the law and is 'a Venezuelan who conspires with foreign governments to overthrow a constitutional government'. Maduro speaks in March 2018 as he touches a stack of the country's cryptocurrency, the Petro. President Trump banned U.S. purchases of the Petro as part of a campaign to pressure the government of Maduro. Guaido shares a moment with his wife Fabiana Rosales as he speaks to supporters during a rally demanding the resignation of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Maduro has urged Venezuelans to enjoy the carnival season slated for Monday and Tuesday, even though many people do not have the resources to travel to beaches and other holiday spots. On Sunday he tweeted that Venezuelans nationwide were enjoying the carnival 'in peace and happiness'. An undated photograph of Hoda Muthana, who left the United States to join the Islamic State group in Syria A US judge on Monday rejected a request for expedited treatment of the case of an Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State group in Syria and is seeking to return to the United States. The Trump administration has declared that Hoda Muthana, 24, is not an American citizen and has barred her from coming home. Ahmed Ali Muthana, Muthana's father, filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to affirm that his daughter has US nationality and to let her return along with her toddler son, whose father was a Tunisian jihadist killed in battle. Judge Reggie Walton sided with the government and denied a request for expedited consideration of Muthana's case. Walton said there was no proof there would be 'irreparable harm' if her case is handled in a normal -- rather than an expedited -- fashion. Arguing in court on Muthana's behalf, attorney Charles Swift said the normal process could take months and 'conditions are not secure and safe in the refugee camp' where the young woman is currently being held by US-allied Kurdish fighters. Charles Swift, attorney for Hoda Muthana, an American-born woman who joined the Islamic State group in Syria is seeking to allow her return to the United States President Trump tweeted last month about the woman's case not to allow her back to the U.S. 'She could be recaptured, killed or lose the ability to come back,' Swift told the court. Scott Stewart, a Justice Department lawyer, countered that there is 'no indication she's facing any immediate harm.' 'The situation of Hoda Muthana is a result of her leaving the US and joining a terrorist organization in Syria,' Stewart said. Swift expressed disappointment with the judge's ruling but said he was hopeful that the court would eventually find that Muthana 'is in fact a US citizen.' Mothana has already given several interviews including NBC and ABC which her family claim have now put her life at even greaer risk Muthana has said that she regrets joining the Islamic State group and is willing to face prosecution in the United States over her incendiary propaganda on behalf of the extremists. It is extremely difficult for the United States to strip a person of citizenship, a step taken by Britain in the case of homegrown jihadists. The brewing legal battle hinges on a murky timeline of bureaucratic paperwork in 1994 when Muthana was born and her father left a position at Yemen's mission to the United Nations. The US Constitution grants citizenship to everyone born in the country -- with the exception of children of diplomats, as they are not under US jurisdiction. Muthana has had a child in the time she has been away from the U.S. - he is now 18 months old In the lawsuit, Ahmed Ali Muthana said he was asked by Yemen to surrender his diplomatic identity card on June 2, 1994 as the Arab country descended into one of its civil wars. Hoda Muthana was born in New Jersey on October 28 of that year and the family later settled in Hoover, Alabama, a prosperous suburb of Birmingham. The State Department initially questioned Hoda Muthana's right to citizenship when her father sought a passport for her as a child because US records showed he had been a diplomat until February 1995, the lawsuit said. But it said the State Department accepted a letter from the US mission to the United Nations that affirmed that he had ended his position before his daughter's birth and granted her a passport. Muthana went to Syria in 2014 when IS was carrying out a grisly campaign of beheadings and mass rape and turned to social media to praise the killings of Westerners. Trump tweeted last month that Muthana would not be allowed back even though he is pushing other Western countries to bring back hundreds of jihadists for prosecution. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated on Monday in an interview with WOC Radio that Muthana would not be allowed to return. 'She's a terrorist, and we shouldn't bring back foreign terrorists to the United States of America,' Pompeo said. 'It's not the right thing to do.' A federal judge and two attorneys in North Carolina issued apologies on Monday for posing with a Confederate flag in college yearbook photos from the 1980s. U.S. District Court Judge Frank Whitney stood in front of the flag in a 1982 Wake Forest University picture with the school's Kappa Alpha fraternity chapter. Two years later, fellow Kappa Alpha members J. McLain Wallace Jr. and Murray C. 'Tripp' Greason III, who are both now lawyers, together joined their frat brothers in their own yearbook picture with the racist symbol. 'I should have known in college that the Confederate battle flag is a hurtful and painful symbol, and I regret that I did not fully understand then what I do today. I apologize for perpetuating racism and the hurt that has caused others,' Wallace told reporters Monday. U.S. District Judge Frank Whitney apologized Monday for taking a picture with the Confederate flag while he was in college in the 1980s Whitney (pictured right lamp post) and other members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity chapter at Wake Forest University pose in a 1982 photo Attorneys J. McLain Wallace Jr. (left) and Murray C. 'Tripp' Greason III appeared in a 1984 Wallace Jr. and Greason III both appeared in this 1984 Kappa Alpha yearbook photo at Wake Forest University in North Carolina Whitney recently told the Triad City Beat he also wishes he hadn't appeared in the photo. 'Do I know today that its insensitive? Yes,' he said. 'I totally regret it.' Kappa Alpha has a history of celebrating traditions of the Old South and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, according to the News & Record. The fraternity's Wake forest chapter has been criticized for hanging the Confederate flag around campus and at its parties. In 2014, Kappa Alpha hosted a 'dress like a black person' party, on campus that was shut down. Greason noted the frat's old customs in his statement while acknowledging his decision to appear in a yearbook photo with the rebel flag. 'I just showed up because it was picture day,' he said. 'I cant tell you that I knew it (the Confederate flag) was going to be there. I cant tell you that I was surprised that it was there. It was part of the (fraternitys) culture.' Wake Forest Dean of Admissions Martha Allman apologized in February after a 1980s yearbook photo she took with a Confederate flag resurfaced Whitney, Wallace, and Greason's apologies came on the heels of Wake Forest Dean of Admissions Martha Allman's. The university administrator expressed her own regrets last week for apologized for a 1982 Howler yearbook photo showing her and members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity standing in front of a Confederate flag. Her office's associate dean Kevin Pittard is also pictured with a Confederate Flag in a yearbook photos from 1983 and 1984. 'I made a mistake that hurt and angered others, and I should have known better, Pittard said last week. 'I know that, in my years in the admissions office, I have worked steadily to increase the diversity of our community and I will continue to do so.' Wake Forest spokeswoman Katie Neal said university officials are 'fully committed to working with our students, faculty and staff toward a more inclusive campus community,' declining to comment further on the matter. Kappa Alpha banned Confederate flag displays back in 2001, according to national spokesman Jesse Lyons, who said additional Civil War theme restricting were added in 2010 and 2016. A leading Cabinet minister in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government resigned Monday, becoming the second minister to step down over a scandal that has shaken the government in an election year. Treasury Board president Jane Philpott, considered a star minister, said in a resignation letter that it was 'untenable' for her to continue in the Cabinet because she lost confidence and could not defend the government. Philpott's friend, former Attorney General and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, testified last week that Trudeau and senior members of his government inappropriately tried to pressure her to avoid prosecution of a major Canadian engineering company in a case involving allegations of corruption in Libya. Wilson-Raybould resigned from Cabinet last month after being demoted to veteran affairs minister the month before. Treasury Board president Jane Philpott (left), considered a star minister in Justin Trudeau's cabinet, resigned on Monday Philpott's friend, former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould (above), testified last week that Trudeau and senior members of his government inappropriately tried to pressure her to avoid prosecution of a major Canadian engineering company The scandal has rocked Trudeau's government. Gerald Butts, his closest adviser and best friend, also resigned last month and is scheduled to testify Wednesday before a Parliament justice committee in Trudeau's defense. 'I know Philpott has felt this way for some time. And while I am disappointed, I understand her decision to step down. I want to thank her for her service,' Trudeau said at a campaign-style event. Trudeau said he takes the concerns very seriously and said the matter has generated an important discussion. 'But at the same time, we need to keep in mind the bigger picture,' Trudeau said. Trudeau has acknowledged raising the issue with Wilson-Raybould, but has said that was appropriate. 'I have concluded that I must resign as a member of Cabinet,' Philpott wrote. 'Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised.' Philpott, a physician, is a former minister of health and minister of indigenous services and was widely viewed as of one of Trudeau's most competent Cabinet ministers. 'The evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former Attorney General to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin, and the evidence as to the content of those efforts have raised serious concerns for me,' Philpott wrote. 'I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities and constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one's principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them.' Philpott said she would continue as a Parliament member for Trudeau's Liberal Party. Wilson-Raybould said the same last week but declined to say she had confidence in Trudeau. Gerald Butts (left), the prime minister's closest adviser and best friend, also resigned last month and is scheduled to testify Wednesday before a Parliament justice committee in Trudeau's defense. Trudeau is seen right in this March 9, 2015 file photo Trudeau said earlier Monday he was still deciding whether Wilson-Raybould could remain a member of his party in Parliament. Trudeau thanked Philpott for her service in a short statement that said he would have more to say later in Toronto. The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, said at a news conference that Philpott's resignation demonstrates 'a government in total chaos' and called again for Trudeau to resign and for a police investigation of the affair. Wilson-Raybould testified last week she was pressured to instruct the director of public prosecutions to negotiate a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin. The agreement would have allowed the company to pay reparations but avoid a criminal trial on charges of corruption and bribery. But Wilson-Raybould said the pressure was not illegal and said she was not instructed to interfere. If convicted criminally, the Montreal-based company would be banned from receiving any federal government business for a decade. SNC-Lavalin is an economic force in Canada, with 9,000 employees in the country and about 50,000 worldwide. 'This is a spectacular blow to the government,' said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. 'It has become rare that ministers resign on principle in Canada. And now we've had two in such a short time. It reveals deep division in the Cabinet about how to deal with Jody Wilson-Raybould.' He said he thinks that most ministers and Liberal lawmakers want to kick her out of the party and that Philpott does not agree with them. A man walks past the SNC-Lavalin headquarters in Montreal, Canada on Thursday. SNC-Lavalin is an engineering firm that is suspected of corrupt dealings in Libya Wiseman said the last time he can recall something like this was in 1963 when three Cabinet ministers resigned over then Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's opposition to the stationing of American nuclear weapons on Canadian soil. 'This blow won't bring down the government, and Trudeau, like Diefenbaker, will survive and fight back,' Wiseman said. Robert Bothwell, a professor at the University of Toronto, said the resignations speak to Trudeau's failure to connect with his own troops. 'His failure to give a vigorous but reasoned response at the beginning of this pseudo-scandal allowed it to grow into Godzilla,' Bothwell said. Bothwell said Trudeau is not like his father, the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who swept to office in 1968 on a wave of support dubbed 'Trudeaumania' and governed for most of the next two decades. 'Previous prime ministers benefited from experience and seniority, or respect, or fear, or just the feeling that they knew the way better than anybody else. Trudeau the father had all these attributes,' Bothwell said. A man who allegedly played a role in importing ice worth $106million into Australia has fallen off the police radar - despite wearing an electronic monitoring device. Xu Lin, 29, was one of four people arrested in January 2016 for allegedly trying to import methamphetamine and its drug precursor ephedrine into Australia. Australian Federal Police discovered the drugs, which were hidden in bar stools and small packets of soup mix, in three freight containers that arrived from China. Xu Lin, 29, (pictured) was one of four people arrested in January 2016 for allegedly trying to import methamphetamine and its drug precursor ephedrine into Australia Australian Federal Police discovered the drugs, which were hidden in bar stools and small packets of soup mix (pictured), in three freight containers that arrived from China Lin was arrested at Narwee, in Sydney's southwest, on January 21, 2016, and charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug. He was subsequently bailed under very strict conditions, which included wearing an electronic monitoring device, with a surety of more than $1million. As part of his bail conditions, he was supposed to report to Campsie Police Station, but vanished between May 6 and May 15, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. The device Lin was wearing is designed to send a message to a central monitoring system if its wearer commits a violation, which then notifies relevant authorities. The alerts are not monitored by humans but rather a computer, and its alleged a number of emails had been sent to an AFP email addresses before Lin went missing. Several violation emails were allegedly sent to an AFP officer who was on leave at the time, which suggested the messages weren't seen for a number of days. Global security firm Attenti has supplied the devices for 25 years, but Lin's disappearance has raised questions about the efficacy of the technology used. Attenti's regional vice president David Tombs disputed the claims, saying in the case of Mr Lin, the electronic monitoring device worked as it should under the design. Lin (pictured) was arrested at Narwee, in Sydney's southwest, on January 21, 2016, and charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug He said the system automatically reports violations as they occur in the form of alerts via the designated contact email address provided to Attenti by AFP. 'Attenti has no control, or knowledge of, what actions the AFP took in relation to any alerts,' Mr Tombs said. The vice president also confirmed the company had given evidence to an enquiry by the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions. Prosecutor for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Karthikeyan Kanagasabapathy said Lin's case provides evidence of the device's shortcomings. During a cross-examination of Attenti's business development manager for Australia Philipp Schluter, Mr Kanagasabapathy described areas where the device could fail. The drugs (pictured) seized by the AFP had a potential street value of more than $100 million Some of the drugs (pictured) that were found in the stools, which were transported to Australia from China One flaw in the technology was how the wearer could potentially remove the tracker if they were in an area 'without a signal' such as a car park or a basement, he said. Mr Schluter also confirmed if the wearer removed the device in an area without cellular signal, no automated message would be sent to the related authority. According to the publication, NSW Police have also previously reported concerns regarding the capability of the Attenti monitoring devices. An AFP spokesman declined to comment on the Attenti device, but confirmed it has undertaken a number of enquiries in an attempt to locate Mr Lin. 'The AFP obtained a warrant for his arrest for breaching his bail conditions on 28 May, 2018. The warrant will enable his arrest anywhere in Australia,' the AFP spokesperson said. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Attenti for comment. Older and younger workers are struggling to get work in Australia even though the national unemployment rate is at a historic low of just five per cent. Caryn Hearsch, a 62-year-old former medical receptionist, has been out of work for seven years and has been rejected by employers 743 times. The Melbourne grandmother believes her age has been a major factor. 'Some employers feel us older workers don't have today's experience,' she told Daily Mail Australia. Ms Hearsch said she had tried without success to find work at Aldi, Bunnings and as a teaching assistant. 'They missed out on a good worker,' she told 7News. 'Someone who's not going to get pregnant, who's not going to ring in sick every day.' She is not alone, with 18-year-old Perth nursing student Chloe Elphick among the 11.2 per cent of Australians younger than 25 who can't find a job. Chloe Elphick hails from Perth's north-west, where the youth unemployment rate stands at 16.7 per cent, the tenth highest in Australia Ms Elphick has been knocked back 40 times from retail and hospitality jobs since November. 'You have got to start somewhere but without experience it's hard to get a job,' she told The West Australian. 'I did a barista's course but it didn't help because they said I needed one year experience.' Between them, Ms Hearsch and Ms Elphick have applied for 783 jobs without receiving an offer of employment. Ms Hearsch said she struggles to live on the $565 a fortnight Newstart allowance as she pays off a mortgage and has called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher to 'wake up and realise you cannot live on these benefits'. 'Pensioners have worked all their lives paid taxes and now have to make ridiculous choices between food and medicine food and bills,' she told Daily Mail Australia. Caryn Hearsch (pictured), a 62-year-old former medical receptionist from Melbourne, has been out of work for seven years and been rejected by employers 743 times 'No one should have to make these choices in Australia. 'I want the ministers to stop and think for one minute how they would feel going home to no food or telling the family they were going to lose their home.' Australia's national unemployment rate remained a five per cent in January, which is low by historic standards and half the level of 1991 when the economy was last in recession. The national youth unemployment, however, is more than double that at 11.2 per cent. At the other end of the age spectrum 18-year-old Perth nursing student Chloe Elphick (pictured) has been knocked back 40 times by employers since November It is even higher in pockets of Australia, with a rate of 16.7 per cent in Perth's north-western suburbs by the beach, which is the tenth highest in Australia. Despite the area being relatively affluent, the youth jobless rate there was even higher than regional Western Australia's Wheat Belt region, where 15.9 per cent of young people couldn't get work. Western Australia's unemployment rate of 6.8 per cent is significantly higher than the national average of five per cent and is the second highest in Australia, after Tasmania's seven per cent. The Brotherhood of St Laurence, an Anglican Church charity, estimated Western Australia was home to 34,900 unemployed young people, aged 15 to 24, in December 2018. The charity's report, Smashing The Avocado Debate, found youth unemployment across Australia was now at the highest level since the early 2000s, despite 28 years of uninterrupted economic growth. Youth unemployment wasn't confined to regional areas, with pockets of Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne also home to young people struggling to find work 'In recent years the avocado has acquired a mythical status in what passes for the public debate about Australia's young people: it is a popular motif that has come to represent the alleged excesses of an emerging generation,' it said. 'Young people, according to this line of prosecution by stereotype, are entitled, pampered by parents and overindulging to their detriment in their usage of both social media and various permutations of an overpriced brunch food item. 'How simplistic.' Outback Queensland had Australia's highest youth unemployment rate of 25.7 per cent, with one in four people under 25 unable to get a job. The New South Wales mid-north coast was also a youth unemployment hot spot, with 23.3 per cent of young people in Coffs Harbour and Grafton unable to secure work. The Wide Bay region north of Brisbane, which takes in Hervey Bay, had a youth unemployment rate of 19.8 per cent. Capital cities weren't immune either with youth unemployment standing at 18.8 per cent in the Moreton Bay region of northern Brisbane. Melbourne's west had a youth jobless rate of 15.5 per cent. President Donald Trump thinks 'Fox and Friends' host Steve Doocy is over-the-top busting through a Trump-devised loyalty rating scale for on-air talent at the conservative-leaning network. Trump's ratings of the conservative cable network's on-air personalities were revealed in a deep-dive New Yorker article about the close and often symbiotic relationship between Trump and the conservative network. Trump, who has known Fox executive chairman Rupert Murdoch for years and has been a regular on Fox call-in shows. He started making weekly appearances on the morning 'Fox & Friends' back in 2011, and put the air time to good use during his presidential campaign. OFF THE CHARTS: Donald Trump talks with 'FOX & Friends' host Steve Doocy at FOX Studios on December 6, 2011 in New York City. Trump reportedly gives Doocy a 12 out of 10 on a loyalty scale that he has created, the New Yorker reports Trump has even created a scale where he rates journalists and hosts, according to the report, which claims he has told confidants about it. Prime-time host Sean Hannity, the highest paid star on Fox, is said to earn a 10 on the president's 10-point scale. 'Special Report' host Bret Baier, who has a reputation as a straight-shooting interviewer, earned a six. Doocy, who joins panel that digs through political news each weekday morning, is so 'adoring that Trump gives him a 12,' according to the report. Fox & Friends has been a favorite venue for Trump throughout his presidency, and he has name-checked the program numerous times on Twitter. PERFECT 10: Trump gives a 10 out of 10 to Fox host Sean Hannity. Here Trump listens as Sean Hannity from Fox News speaks at a campaign rally on the eve of the U.S. mid-term elections at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri an appearance that drew criticism President Donald Trump greets talk show host Sean Hannity at a Make America Great Again rally in Cape Girardeau, Missouri on November 5, 2018 Trump gives 'Special Report' host Bret Baier, who has a reputation as a straight-shooting journalist, a 6 out of 10 Baier tweeted following an interview with Trump that the candidate told him he would win the Rust Belt Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent, The Washington Post via Getty Images, Judy Woodruff, Anchor and Managing Editor, PBS NewsHour and Bret Baier, Chief Political Anchor, Fox News, participate in a discussion during the Washington Post Live event: Americans and the Media: Sorting Fact From Fake News Trump famously clashed with then-Fox host Megyn Kelly at a presidential debate in Iowa in 2015 During an April 2018 call-in, he blasted Special Counsel Robert Mueller, said former FBI Director James Comey is 'guilty of crimes,' and appeared to threaten to intervene with the Justice Department. 'Our Justice Department, which I try to stay away from, which at some point I won't,' Trump said as he fumed about the Russia probe and 'my Justice Department.' Trump's venting went on for so long that Doocy told him: 'Mr. President, we're running out of time.' Mystery surrounds the disappearance of an entrepreneur who was last seen over a week ago leaving a rented apartment in his red Nissan Skyline. Businessman Denver Chance, 43, told friends he was 'just popping out and would be back soon' when he left his Auckland flat at 3.30pm on February 24, police said. The health and fitness addict left in his red 2008 Nissan Skyline, which was eerily spotted 47 minutes later on CCTV travelling on a motorway south of Auckland. It was the last time he was seen. New Zealand man Denver Chance, 43, has been missing since February 24 Mr Chance's broken mother Paula McGregor said her son's disappearance was 'very out of character'. 'We're in touch all the time, we're very close,' she told RNZ. 'It's just a mystery. It's a nightmare actually,' she told RNZ. Mr Chance works as the Australian distributor for motorcycle clothing company Resurgence Gear and is the founder of puzzle game company Colossal Games. The missing man is the Australian distributor and operations manager for motorcycle clothing company Resurgence Gear, as well as the founder of puzzle game company Colossal Games. Chance left his rented apartment at 3:30pm and told friends he was 'just popping out and would be back soon'. Above is the last time his distinct red Skyline was spotted His red 2008 Nissan Skyline car was spotted on the Southern Motorway near Drury, south of Auckland at 4:17pm. Police are confident he was driving the car Detective Senior Sergeant Megan Goldie said police are keeping an open mind about his disappearance 'We are hoping his disappearance can be explained, and we want to find him safe and well. But we acknowledge, that the more time goes on, the more likely it is that something may have happened to him,' she said. Det Sen Sgt Goldie said Mr Chance had not contacted his family within the past week. Mr Chance was last seen driving his 2008 Nissan Skyline and took no personal items with him 'From what we know of Denver Chance, it's very out of character for him not to be in touch with his family and close friends,' Sgt Gunnie said. 'His family have described him as a very loved and well-liked man, who's always happy, really into health and fitness and is an entrepreneur with quite a few business ventures on the go. 'His family are extremely upset and concerned about him, as anyone would be if they hadn't heard from their loved one or knew where they were for such a time, especially when they are usually in contact,' she said. New Zealand Police also confirmed he has had not used his bank card or made any phone calls since his disappearance. Police also said he had a relatively clean criminal record with the exception of a 'minor incident' and has no history of mental illness. His family described him as a happy healthy person who was really into health and fitness and runs several businesses Senator Pauline Hanson has slammed the Scott Morrison government for not immediately approving a visa for right-wing firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos. The One Nation leader said she has contacted Minister for Immigration David Coleman through letters, texts and phone calls - urging the government to grant Yiannopoulos a visiting visa ahead of his second Australian tour. 'You may not agree with everything that they say as long as they don't go out there and advocate violence,' Ms Hanson told on Sky News Australia on Tuesday. 'If you actually want to stop someone. Stop the protesters with their violence.' Milo Yiannopoulos (pictured) had initially planned a speaking tour to Australia with far-right commentator Ann Coulter in December but was cancelled 'due to unforeseen circumstances' The conservative provocateur and anti-feminist had initially planned a speaking tour to Australia with far-right commentator Ann Coulter in December but was cancelled 'due to unforeseen circumstances'. Outraged ticket-holders who demanded a refund, were instead offered to attend the 'Deplorables' speaking tour with Yiannopoulos, convicted criminal Tommy Robinson and self-described 'western chauvinist' Gavin McInnes. The Deplorables tour was rescheduled to February 2019 but has been cancelled for the second time because the visa applications were still being considered by government authorities. Ms Hanson claims Mr Coleman had told her he would have an answer regarding Yiannopoulos' visa by Monday when she contacted him on Friday. 'I rang him on the Monday. Still haven't heard anything,' she said. 'They're trying to keep me at bay and they still wouldn't make an answer.' 'I think that is weak. I think it's gutless. He has no reason for keeping Milo not coming into the country or Tommy Robinson.' Convicted criminal Tommy Robinson (pictured) is awaiting the approval of his visa application in a joined speaking tour with Yiannopoulos Ms Hanson claims Mr Coleman had told her he'd have an answer regarding Yiannopoulos' visa by Monday when she contacted him on Friday Yiannopoulos' Sydney speaking tour in 2017 attracted about 100 protestors who chanted 'f*** off Nazi', which led to seven arrests Robinson was jailed for endangering the trial of a group of sex attackers last year, then freed when his conviction was quashed on appeal. Mr McInnes' visa was refused, with the denial being appealed. Yiannopoulos' is known for his commentaries mocking left-wing political correctness and feminists. His Sydney speaking tour in 2017 attracted about 100 protestors who chanted 'f*** off Nazi', which led to seven arrests. His Melbourne leg of the tour was even more violent, with police forced to use sticks to keep the demonstrators at bay. Ms Hanson has blamed protesters for being the ones who instigate violence. A statement from the Immigration Department to Yiannopoulos warned it is likely to deny him entry because there was a 'risk' he would 'incite discord in the Australian community or in a segment of that community'. The letter outlined the protests at his Sydney and Melbourne events as one reason for his likely ban, the Herald Sun reported. 'You were issued a bill of $50,00 by Victoria Police for the cost of your policing event,' the letter read. Senator Hanson has blamed protesters for being the ones who instigate and advocate violence 'They're the ones that should be stopped but they're reluctant to do it because the police are told not to do anything about them,' she said. 'I blame state governments and I blame local authorities.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment. A mother and her boyfriend have been arrested in Argentina over the rape and murder of her four-year-old daughter after they claimed the girl drowned in their swimming pool. Bianca Xiomara Godoy was rushed to a hospital near Buenos Aires on Friday night but doctors were unable to revive the little girl. Her mother Viviana Beatriz Roldan, 25, and boyfriend Federico Sebastian Espinoza, 23, told hospital staff that they found Bianca unresponsive in a swimming pool at their home. Four-year-old Bianca Xiomara Godoy was rushed to a hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Friday night but doctors were unable to revive the little girl Police started investigating after doctors reported that Bianca had severe injuries that indicated longstanding abuse. Bianca's body had visible marks, possibly caused by a belt and buckle, and she had abrasions on her throat and bruises on her face. It also appeared that Bianca had been restrained by her ankles and wrists. Police also said the little girl also had internal anal injuries that indicated she had been raped. Investigators questioned both Roldan and Espinoza about the little girl's death. Following an investigation into her cause of death, police said they believed Bianca suffered a violent blow to her head while she was eating, which may have caused her to choke. Her mother Viviana Beatriz Roldan, 25, and boyfriend Federico Sebastian Espinoza, 23, have been arrested over the little girl's murder and rape Police started investigating after doctors reported that Bianca had severe injuries that indicated longstanding abuse. She had visible marks and bruises on her body and had internal anal injuries that indicated she had been raped Her mother Viviana Beatriz Roldan, 25, and boyfriend Federico Sebastian Espinoza, 23, told hospital staff that they found Bianca unresponsive in a swimming pool at their home A local policeman told Argentinian news outlet InfoCanuelas that there were no words to describe the abuse. 'What they did has no name. I still have not dared to see the photos of the body... because seeing such a thing is difficult to bear,' he said. Roldan's sister Micaela Ibanez told Argentinian news outlet Cronica that their family had not seen Bianca since the girl's mother had started dating Espinoza a year ago. She said Bianca's biological father had been trying to get custody of the girl. 'Viviana completely changed since she started to date Federico almost a year and a half ago. Before then we saw each other all the time but he wouldn't let her see anybody in the family and blocked us all out,' Ibanez said. Ibanez also claimed that Espinoza also beat her sister and forced her to sell drugs. A mother has been slammed for allowing her toddler to steer a car to KFC. The woman filmed the youngster sitting on a male driver's lap and posted the clip to her Instagram story with the caption 'Drove me to KFC'. The three-year-old who not wearing a seatbelt, was recorded veering across lanes in Whangarei, in New Zealand's North Island. The footage was posted on the mother's Instagram story captioned 'Drove me to KFC' The toddler is seen driving across multiple lanes with the man only briefly taking back control to pull the car back into the correct lane 'I just think it's so brainless and stupid and not cool at all,' an anonymous source told NewsHub. The toddler is seen driving across multiple lanes with the man only briefly taking back control to pull the car back into the correct lane. He then hands control back to the child. New Zealand police told the publication that this sort of behaviour is reckless and could have led to a serious accident. 'Wearing your seatbelt and making sure your children are properly restrained will keep you and your children safe, as even a low-speed impact can cause to great deal of harm to an unrestrained child,' a spokesperson said. 'Keeping children restrained at all times when they are travelling in a vehicle also reduces the risk of the driver getting distracted, which could potentially pose a risk to the safety of other road users.' A skinny dipper who went missing from Sydney's Bondi Beach and sparked a major search has been found walking the streets in the nude. The English tourist, 25, went for a dip at the world-famous beach along with three other friends at 3.50am on Tuesday. When the group of beachgoers came out of the surf, they noticed their friend wasn't with them. A skinny dipper that went missing from a popular Sydney beach and sparked a major search was found naked and walking the streets moments later (stock image) His clothes and personal belongings were still sitting on the sand. The concerned friends alerted police and a major search was launched. Local police joined rank with NSW Ambulance helicopter, Surf Rescue NSW and Water Police as they feared for the worst. Though in an unexpected turn of events, police were alerted to a naked man walking along Military Road in North Bondi at 4.40am. The man was given a jacket and paramedics assessed him for injuries as a precaution. He was promptly reunited with his friends and clothes. A tornado which tore through parts of Alabama, killing at least 23 people, was so powerful it ripped a billboard from its display and carried it 20 miles into a different state. The billboard, which initially stood atop a pole just north of Smiths Station, Alabama, was torn from its spot and sent airborne. The huge sign was then carried 20 miles from U.S. Route 280, landing in Harris County, Georgia. The billboard is an advertisement for the Lee County Flea Market. The image above shows a billboard that was ripped from its pole in Lee County, Alabama on Sunday and sent airborne some 20 miles until it landed in a yard in Harris County, Georgia The billboard is an advertisement for a local flea market in Lee County, Alabama A Facebook account belonging to the flea market posted a message on Monday, saying: Our sign on the billboard located at Buckwild Saloon landed intact in Hamilton, Georgia in a friends yard. The billboard is seen above before the tornado hit on Sunday The map above shows the distance between Smiths Station, Alabama and Hamilton, Georgia A Facebook account belonging to the flea market posted a message on Monday, saying: Our sign on the billboard located at Buckwild Saloon landed intact in Hamilton, Georgia in a friends yard. The friend wrote on Facebook that they were amazed how a sign that size could travel that distance with only minimal damage caused. Lee County is recovering from the damage caused by tornadoes over the weekend. Residents and rescue teams on Monday sifted through the splintered remnants of homes torn apart by a string of tornadoes that killed at least 23 people, including three children, in the deadliest burst of twisters to hit the U.S. since 2013. The tornadoes, spawned by a late-winter 'supercell' thunderstorm, ripped through Lee County on Sunday with cyclonic winds of up to 170 miles per hour, at step four of the six-step Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale of tornado strength. Mobile homes were tossed on their sides and ripped open, their contents strewn over a ravaged landscape littered with debris and gnarled, uprooted trees. In some places, shreds of houses hung from the limbs of the few trees left standing. 'It looks almost as if someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. There are slabs where homes formerly stood, debris everywhere, trees are snapped,' Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told a morning news conference. At least three twisters struck the area, in eastern Alabama near the Georgia border, within a few hours on Sunday afternoon. The worst of the damage and all of the known fatalities occurred in and around the tiny community of Beauregard, about 10 miles southeast of Auburn, said Chris Darden, chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Birmingham. Rescuers in Alabama resumed search operations on Monday morning after at least two tornadoes killed 23 people, uprooted trees and caused 'catastrophic' damage to countless buildings and roads. A man is seen surveying the damage at his home Devastating images show the extent of the destruction caused by an F4 tornado that tore through Beauregard on Sunday Family members can be seen consoling each other outside their damaged mobile home in Beauregard on Monday The remains of a home that was torn from its foundation are seen scattered across a wooded area several dozen feet away Besides one EF-4 tornado, storm trackers have confirmed two smaller twisters classified as EF-1, each of which packed winds of up to 110 mph, according to Darden. 'Well be examining more areas tomorrow,' he said. In addition to 23 confirmed deaths, more than 50 people were reported injured, authorities said, marking the greatest loss of life from a tornado since an EF-5 storm tore through Moore, Oklahoma, in May 2013, killing 24 people and injuring 375 others. Three of the dead were children, ages 6, 9 and 10, County Coroner Bill Harris said at an afternoon news conference. Family members identified two of the young victims. An initial canvass of the stricken area turned up no additional bodies, but Jones left open the possibility that more victims could be found once the search was completed. Darden said in an interview that 'a few people' remained unaccounted for, though he said he did not know the precise number. All the dead were in the Beauregard area, he said. All but six of the victims were identified, and investigators think they know the identities of the others, Harris said. Citizens of Europe, If I am taking the liberty of addressing you directly, it is not only in the name of the history and values that unite us. It is because time is of the essence. In a few weeks' time, the European elections will be decisive for the future of our continent. Never, since the Second World War, has Europe been as essential. Yet never has Europe been in so much danger. Brexit stands as the symbol of that. It symbolises the crisis of Europe, which has failed to respond to its peoples' needs for protection from the major shocks of the modern world. It also symbolises the European trap. The trap is not being part of the European Union. The trap is in the lie and the irresponsibility that can destroy it. Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? Who spoke to them about losing access to the European market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the former border? Nationalist retrenchment offers nothing; it is rejection without an alternative. And this trap threatens the whole of Europe: the anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything. We have to stand firm, proud and lucid, in the face of this manipulation and say first of all what Europe is. It is a historic success: the reconciliation of a devastated continent in an unprecedented project of peace, prosperity and freedom. We should never forget that. And this project continues to protect us today. What country can act on its own in the face of aggressive strategies by the major powers? Who can claim to be sovereign, on their own, in the face of the digital giants? How would we resist the crises of financial capitalism without the euro, which is a force for the entire European Union? Europe is also those thousands of projects daily that have changed the face of our regions: the school refurbished, the road built, and the long-awaited arrival of high-speed Internet access. This struggle is a daily commitment, because Europe, like peace, can never be taken for granted. I tirelessly pursue it in the name of France to take Europe forward and defend its model. We have shown that what we were told was unattainable, the creation of a European defence capability and the protection of social rights, was in fact possible. Yet we need to do more and sooner, because there is the other trap: the trap of the status quo and resignation. Faced with the major crises in the world, citizens so often ask us, 'Where is Europe? What is Europe doing?' It has become a soulless market in their eyes. Yet Europe is not just a market. It is a project. A market is useful, but it should not detract from the need for borders that protect and values that unite. The nationalists are misguided when they claim to defend our identity by withdrawing from Europe, because it is the European civilisation that unites, frees and protects us. But those who would change nothing are also misguided, because they deny the fears felt by our peoples, the doubts that undermine our democracies. We are at a pivotal moment for our continent, a moment when together we need to politically and culturally reinvent the shape of our civilisation in a changing world. It is the moment for European renewal. Hence, resisting the temptation of isolation and divisions, I propose we build this renewal together around three ambitions: freedom, protection and progress. Emmanuel Macron (pictured) has taken aim at Brexit in an open letter The European model is based on the freedom of man and the diversity of opinions and creation. Our first freedom is democratic freedom: the freedom to choose our leaders as foreign powers seek to influence our vote at each election. I propose creating a European Agency for the Protection of Democracies, which will provide each Member State with European experts to protect their election process against cyber attacks and manipulation. In this same spirit of independence, we should also ban the funding of European political parties by foreign powers. We should have European rules banish all incitements to hate and violence from the Internet, since respect for the individual is the bedrock of our civilisation of dignity. Founded on internal reconciliation, the European Union has forgotten to look at the realities of the world. Yet no community can create a sense of belonging if it does not have bounds that it protects. The boundary is freedom in security. We therefore need to rethink the Schengen area: all those who want to be part of it should comply with obligations of responsibility (stringent border controls) and solidarity (one asylum policy with the same acceptance and refusal rules). We will need a common border force and a European asylum office, strict control obligations and European solidarity to which each country will contribute under the authority of a European Council for Internal Security. On the issue of migration, I believe in a Europe that protects both its values and its borders. The same standards should apply to defence. Substantial progress has been made in the last two years, but we need to set a clear course: a treaty on defence and security should define our fundamental obligations in association with NATO and our European allies: increased defence spending, a truly operational mutual defence clause, and the European Security Council with the United Kingdom on board to prepare our collective decisions. Our borders also need to guarantee fair competition. What power in the world would accept continued trade with those who respect none of their rules? We cannot suffer in silence. We need to reform our competition policy and reshape our trade policy with penalties or a ban in Europe on businesses that compromise our strategic interests and fundamental values such as environmental standards, data protection and fair payment of taxes; and the adoption of European preference in strategic industries and our public procurement, as our American and Chinese competitors do. Europe is not a second-rank power. Europe in its entirety is a vanguard: it has always defined the standards of progress. In this, it needs to drive forward a project of convergence rather than competition: Europe, where social security was created, needs to introduce a social shield for all workers, east to west and north to south, guaranteeing the same pay in the same workplace, and a minimum European wage appropriate to each country and discussed collectively every year. Getting back on track with progress also concerns spearheading the ecological cause. Will we be able to look our children in the eye if we do not also clear our climate debt? The European Union needs to set its target zero carbon by 2050 and pesticides halved by 2025 and adapt its policies accordingly with such measures as a European Climate Bank to finance the ecological transition, a European food safety force to improve our food controls and, to counter the lobby threat, independent scientific assessment of substances hazardous to the environment and health. This imperative needs to guide all our action: from the Central Bank to the European Commission, from the European budget to the Investment Plan for Europe, all our institutions need to have the climate as their mandate. Emmanuel Macron and Theresa May at a summit in Canada in June 2018 Progress and freedom are about being able to live from your work: Europe needs to look ahead to create jobs. This is why it needs not only to regulate the digital giants by putting in place European supervision of the major platforms (prompt penalties for unfair competition, transparent algorithms, etc.), but also to finance innovation by giving the new European Innovation Council a budget on a par with the United States in order to spearhead new technological breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence. A world-oriented Europe needs to look towards Africa, with which we should enter into a covenant for the future, taking the same road and ambitiously and non-defensively supporting African development with such measures as investment, academic partnerships and education for girls. Freedom, protection and progress. We need to build European renewal on these pillars. We cannot let nationalists without solutions exploit the people's anger. We cannot sleepwalk through a diminished Europe. We cannot become ensconced in business as usual and wishful thinking. European humanism demands action. And everywhere, the people are standing up to be part of that change. So by the end of the year, let's set up, with the representatives of the European institutions and the Member States, a Conference for Europe in order to propose all the changes our political project needs, with an open mind, even to amending the treaties. This conference will need to engage with citizens' panels and hear academics, business and labour representatives, and religious and spiritual leaders. It will define a roadmap for the European Union that translates these key priorities into concrete actions. There will be disagreement, but is it better to have a static Europe or a Europe that advances, sometimes at different paces, and that is open to all? In this Europe, the peoples will really take back control of their future. In this Europe, the United Kingdom, I am sure, will find its true place. Citizens of Europe, the Brexit impasse is a lesson for us all. We need to escape this trap and make the upcoming elections and our project meaningful. It is for you to decide whether Europe and the values of progress that it embodies are to be more than just a passing episode in history. This is the choice I propose: to chart together the road to European renewal. Emmanuel Macron A watchdog group claims in a new Federal Elections Commission complaint that the top aide to Rep. Alexanadria Ocasio-Cortez funneled $1 million in contributions from a PAC he controlled to his own companies. The aide, chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti, set up the Brand New Congress PAC as a way to collect contributions to boost new members of Congress. PACs face disclosure requirements beyond what a company would be required to reveal about how funds get spent. Watchdog group National Legal and Policy Center's Government Integrity Project, which previously had researchers investigating longtime New York Rep. Charles Rangel a senior lawmaker like the one Ocasio-Cortez knocked off in a primary named both the lawmaker and her top aide in the complaint. Rep. Alexanadria Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti set up the Brand New Congress PAC as a way to collect contributions to boost new members of Congress A watchdog group claims in a new Federal Elections Commission complaint that the top aide to AOC funneled $1 million in contributions from a PAC he controlled to his own companies Chakrabarti's campaigns raised $3.3 million and diverted more than $1 million to his companies, the Washington Examiner reported. He helped found both Brand New Congress PAC and Justice Democrats, with the goal of bringing new and progressive members like Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described Democratic socialist, to Congress. After starting Brand New Congress, he formed a Delaware-based LLC, Brand New Campaign LLC. Shifting the funds avoided detailed disclosure requirements of itemized expenses. "None of that makes any sense," former FEC lawyer Adav Noti of the Campaign Legal Center told the publication. "I can't even begin to disentangle that. They're either confused or they're trying to conceal something." Chakrabarti's campaigns raised $3.3 million and diverted more than $1 million to his companies, the Washington Examiner reported Brand New Congress congratulated AOC after she was elected to in November 2018 Ocasio-Cortez responded to the Washington Times Monday saying: 'Hes not on my payroll. They were not working for me and they are two separate entities here.' She added: This is the difference between an LLC and a PAC.' Ocasio-Cortez's campaign also paid the LLC for 'strategic consulting.' Chakrabarti, 33, is a Harvard-educated tech millionaire. The complaint argues that the arrangement was illegal and skirted a $5,000 PAC contribution requirement. Ocasio-Cortez's office didn't immediately respond to a request for additional comment. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has backed down on impeachment talk related to President Donald Trump, saying she will defer to Democrat party leadership on the issue. The freshman Congresswoman also emphasized on Monday that she was not putting pressure on her party leadership to impeach the President. 'I've always been very clear that I'm supportive and how I would vote in terms of impeachment. I understand that leadership may want to build a stronger case and subpoena more records or figure out what's happening, perhaps in the Mueller investigation,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'I defer to the chair. I defer to party leadership. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she will defer talk of impeaching President Donald Trump to Democrat party leadership despite calling for him to impeached in the past 'I certainly believe there's been enough misconduct happening out of this office that would be unbecoming of any president.' The progressive lawmaker has previously been vocal on wanting to impeach Trump and has made it known how she would vote if it came to it. She told CNN last year that she believed 'we have the grounds to do it'. 'Ultimately, I think that what we need to kind of focus on is ensuring that when people break the law, potentially break the law, that we have to hold everyone accountable and that no person is above that law,' she said at the time. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed talk of impeachment just last week following testimony from Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen. The progressive lawmaker has previously been vocal on wanting to impeach Trump and has made it known how she would vote if it came to it Pelosi said she wanted to see more evidence of presidential wrongdoing before making a decision. Ocasio-Cortez, who made the impeachment comments during a press conference at her congressional office in New York, also spoke about wanting to remain focused on aspects of the Russia investigation that apply to her Oversight committee. 'You hear the president say 'no collusion, no collusion, no collusion, right?' she said. 'He's always talking about the focus on the relationship between his campaign and Russia which is, the scope of that investigation is under the House Intelligence Committee as well as several other investigatory bodies. 'So, while he's talking collusion, collusion, collusion - I think, in Oversight, we should be talking about taxes, taxes, taxes and his bank account, bank account, his bank account his financial statement, statement, statement. 'That's where I think actually some of the most troubling practices are with direct relevance to the American people under the scope of oversight.' A simplistic text message scam promising unsuspecting Australians hundreds of thousands of dollars in inheritance money is making the rounds. Messages from someone using the moniker 'F. Chu' say the recipient has an unclaimed inheritance cheque under their surname. To receive the money, the scammer says all the beneficiary needs to do is send an email to a suspicious-looking address. But once they make contact, victims are pressed for more information, including their bank details. A simplistic scam telling Australians they have an 'unclaimed inheritance' is making the rounds The text itself - plagued with grammatical errors - encourages people to email 'fchu123@yandex.com' for more details on how to receive their money. Those reporting the text message say once you reach out to the 'suspicious' email address, they're met with requests for 'verification'. The person on the other end of the email then asks for details including a home address and banking details. The messages were first reported last May, but have re-emerged over the weekend. Those who reported the texts say they're usually sent late at night, speculating the scammer could be capitalising on the victim being tired and more susceptible. Yandex, the server the message encourages victims to send an email to, is an internet-based company operating out of Russia. Those who respond the suspicious text are encouraged to give out further details, including their banking information (stock image used) Nearly two-thirds of all scams are conducted through text messaging. Pictured are examples of other scams Australians have received in recent weeks Spotting a fraudulant inheritance scam isn't difficult, according to the federal government's anti-scam body. As is the case with this scam, first contact between a victim and the scammer is usually online or over text. The scammer will pose as a lawyer or banker, offering exuberant amounts of money from a distant relative or wealthy individual. In order to claim the money, however, the scammers will request a small fee. These fees eventually build until they become thousands of dollars. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, more than 300 cases of inheritance scams have been reported so far in 2019, with nearly two-thirds starting through text messages. They encourages people to be vigilant when approached by strangers online or through texts and to never give out personal details. The adorable moment a koala made friends with two horses on an Aussie farm has been caught on camera. A video of the unlikely meeting shows the curious koala lazing in a paddock at Coomera, Queensland, before receiving a warm welcome from the horses on Saturday morning. While the exact reason why the koala ended up in the paddock remains unclear, the furry critter showed no sign of distress when he was approached by the first horse. A koala and horse (pictured) have proved best friends come in all shapes and sizes after striking up an unlikely bond on an Aussie farm Babysitter Alma Mendo, 35, who feared for the koala's safety, captured the video of the three animals getting acquainted with each other. In the video, the curious horse appears to give the little koala a sniff and a gentle nudge as if almost encouraging him to make his way back to safety and shelter. But the koala seems content just sitting and interacting with the palomino horse, before a second bay horse also comes over to greet the intruder. Alma, originally from Mexico but now based in Brisbane, said: 'At first I was worried when the horse got close that he might hurt him, but they seemed so friendly. 'At first the horse was definitely thinking "who is this little guy in our backyard?" 'But as soon as they came up it was so gentle, the koala even gave him a kiss.' The region's koala population has recently taken a huge blow due to a Queensland Government bid to relocate the Aussie icon's habitat to make way for urban developments. The loss of trees makes the rare encounter all the more remarkable. Whether the little koala was recently orphaned, or had simply lost his way home, it appears the paternal instinct of the horses kicked in at the right time. Alma said: 'I was so lucky I got to see this. 'This is the true beauty of nature. I still can't believe how wonderful the wildlife is here!' A beloved 80-year-old crocodile has been shot dead and left floating in a river. The saltwater crocodile, known as Bismarck or Hugo, had for decades been a major tourist attraction in Cardwell, a tropical coastal town in Far North Queensland. Fisherman Ryan Moody spotted the 4.5-metre reptile and took to social media, slamming the 'bogan' gunman for shooting it in the back of the head. Scroll down for video The crocodile, named Bismarck, is well known to those in the Far North Queensland town of Cardwell 'Well Cardwell say goodbye to one of your biggest tourist attractions,' he said. 'This croc was never a threat to humans. He just loved a feed of turtles. 'Just hope the big aggressive one from across the channel don't move in to claim his girlfriends as that croc is aggressive. 'Amazing how humans can just make situations become more dangerous through acts of pure stupidity. 'I'd like to thank the bogan that has done that, I wonder if he'd like it if I came round and jumped on his head for an hour with my fists, probably not.' Bismarck was first discovered dead on Thursday by a member of the public who reported it to the Department of Environment and Science. Sergeant Stephen Gillinder said police were investigating the death , but had not yet been able to confirm if the crocodile had been shot or died of natural causes. 'If it is the local croc that has been lost, it would be a bit of a loss to the community as it was a bit of a tourist attraction for the area. 'They are an apex predator but this one didnt show any signs of aggression to humans. Bismarck was spotted late last year feeding on a carcass that had washed up on to the beach Sergeant Gillinder was also concerned about the removal of the dominant crocodile. 'It is such a fragile ecosystem, you get an apex predator at the top and they keep things in check but you just dont know who youre going to get next. 'Depending on the class of the animal if they are endangered or protected, the penalties can be severe,' he said. The Department of Environment and Science said they were also investigating the alleged shooting of the animal. Under the Nature Conservation Act it is a crime to deliberately interfere, harm, or kill crocodiles without authorisation with a maximum penalty of $29,373.75. The Department is encouraging anyone with information to contact them on the CrocWatch hotline on 1300 130 372. A primary school has been forced to abandon anti-homophobia lessons following protests from Muslim parents. Parkfield School in Birmingham has said it will ditch the No Outsiders classes until after Easter while a consultation takes place with parents. The schools assistant head, Andrew Moffat, created the lessons to promote tolerance of same-sex couples and other minorities. The children involved in the exodus represent about 80 per cent of the school's entire enrolment, which is 98 per cent Muslim However, strict religious parents said they objected because homosexuality is against their religion, while others said children were too young to learn about such matters. On Friday, the parent campaigners said about 600 Muslim children, aged between four and 11, were withdrawn from the school for the day in protest. Mr Moffat, who is himself gay, has also been threatened and the school was daubed in graffiti as the row escalated in recent weeks. At one protest parents held signs that read say no to promoting of homosexuality and LGBT ways of life to our children, stop exploiting childrens innocence, and education not indoctrination. The school's children joined the campaign against lessons on LGBT lifestyles at a protest last month Parents kept their children out of lessons for the first hour of the day in last month's protest The school yesterday confirmed in a letter to parents that the lessons would be suspended for several months and religious education would be taught instead. It said: Up to the end of this term, we will not be delivering any No Outsiders lessons in our long term year curriculum plan, as this half term has already been blocked for religious education (RE). Equality assemblies will continue as normal and our welcoming No Outsiders ethos will be there for all. Mr Moffat, who is currently shortlisted for the Global Teacher Prize, resigned from another primary school - Chilwell Croft academy, also in Birmingham - after a similar dispute with Muslim parents. An estimated 600 Muslim children have been pulled out of Parkfield Community School in protest against lessons about homosexuality and gender Police were called to the protest outside the primary school in the Saltley area of Birmingham His No Outsiders programme has been shared online so that other schools can replicate it. Books being read by the pupils include Mommy, Mama and Me, and King & King - stories about same-sex relationships and marriages. In a letter to the parents, the trustee board of Excelsior Multi Academy Trust, which runs the school, confirmed that the lessons will now be stopped until the end of the term. The decision was reached after a meeting between Andrew Warren, the regional schools commissioner for the West Midlands, parents, the trust, and Liam Byrne, the local Labour MP. Parents' anger is aimed at the school's assistant head Andrew Moffat (pictured), who created the 'No Outsiders' lessons in 2015 to help fight discrimination and promote equality Protester Mariam Ahmed, whose four-year-old daughter attends the school, organised a petition against the No Outsiders project The school started its programme four years ago and says it should welcome people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender The letter said: The discussions were a helpful first step and identified the key issues that are concerning parents, including the ethos, the books, the age appropriateness, the lessons and the assemblies. The agreed outcome of the meeting was the need to have a discussion with the school community about the No Outsiders curriculum and how it should be delivered. It comes after Mr Byrne spoke about the row in a Commons debate on a petition over parents rights to withdraw children from such lessons. From 2020, all primary schools will be encouraged to teach gay and transgender issues as part of compulsory relationships education - and parents will not be allowed to withdraw their children. Parents said teaching about LGBT equality at the school is an exploitation of child innocence Some of the parents said they were not against homosexuality, but accused the teacher of promoting 'personal beliefs' Organiser Amir Ahmed uses a loud speaker to address the crowd of more than 300 people Mr Byrne said: There has been a breakdown of trust between parents and teachers [at Parkfield] which is completely unacceptable. On the one hand we have very angry parents. On the other, we have teachers that have felt very intimidated and we had a graffiti attack on the school this morning. Both absolutely unacceptable. Mr Byrne said that while he applauded Mr Moffats efforts, he will be fighting for parents rights for their views to be heard, the right for their role to be respected and the right for choice to be protected. However, Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted, has praised the programme and said all children should be taught some families have two mummies or two daddies. Parents and children demonstrate outside the Parkfield Community School in Birmingham Bali holidaymakers and visitors to the Sydney Opera House are among thousands urged to look out for measles symptoms after a young woman and infant contracted the disease. In one case, a woman aged in her 20s developed the measles rash after arriving in Sydney from Bali on Qantas flight QF44 about 6.30am on February 21. Health officials are advising those on the flight, in the Sydney international terminal and visitors to the Opera House later that day to remain on the lookout for measles signs and symptoms until March 16. Bali holidaymakers and visitors to the Sydney Opera House are among hundreds urged to look out for measles symptoms after a young woman and infant contracted the disease (stock image) A Sydney baby - too young to receive their routine measles vaccine - also developed the disease after arriving home from the Philippines. While infectious, the infant visited Macquarie Shopping Centre on February 26 and March 2, My Health Macquarie on March 1 and 2 and Northern Beaches Hospital on March 3. Those who were in the same places at the same times should look out for symptoms until March 21. The two new cases take the number of people infectious with the highly contagious disease in the state since Christmas to 19, New South Wales Health said on Monday. Measles symptoms include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed by a red, blotchy rash on the head and neck that spreads to the rest of the body. 'If you develop symptoms please call ahead to your GP so you do not wait in the waiting room with other patients,' NSW Health communicable diseases branch director Vicky Sheppeard said in a statement on Monday. Australia is currently at high risk of importing measles due to outbreaks of the disease in southeast Asia. A teenage girl attending her first rave died after taking a single 10 ecstasy tablet so strong its potency made her death 'almost inevitable', an inquest heard. Toxicology tests showed Faye Allen, 17, had more than twice the average lethal dose of ecstasy in her system when she died after attending the Don't Let Your Daddy Know rave in Manchester in May 2016. The inquest at South Manchester Coroner's Court yesterday also heard private medical staff at the club waited may have waited as long as three hours to call an ambulance for the teen, despite her being in obvious medical distress. Miss Allen had used fake ID to attend her first ever rave, at the 3,500 capacity Victoria Warehouse on a Bank Holiday. The 'smiley, loving and funny' student from Liverpool was given the pink number-eight-shaped tablet by her boyfriend Connor Aden, 19, who was jailed last year for supplying the Class A drugs. Faye Allen, 17, from Liverpool, died after taking a super-strong ecstasy tablet at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, on May 2 2016 Post-mortem analysis found more than twice the average lethal dose of ecstasy in her system, which toxicologist Dr Julie Evans explained was 'at the upper end' of what she had seen in fatalities. Dr Evans told the inquest: 'At that level fatality is almost always inevitable.' Miss Allen suffered heart failure after taking the pill and was taken to a makeshift medical area at the venue. Despite her having a racing heart rate and going into 'spasm', medical staff failed to immediately ring an ambulance, the inquest heard. Staff gave the court conflicting versions of how long they waited before dialing 999, with estimates ranging from at 25 minutes to three-and-a-half hours. By the time an ambulance was called at 4.30am, Miss Allen's jugular vein could be seen beating through her neck and she died shortly after arriving at hospital. Only one member of the venue's medical team, provided by private firm North East Rescue and Medical Services, was a qualified paramedic. Faye Allen and boyfriend Connor Aden. Aden was jailed for eight months for his role in supplying the fatal pill Faye Allen had a pulse of 190 after taking the pill Three young 'first responders' with minor qualifications were among the six staff working in a portable cabin, the inquest heard. The three first responders claimed they did not have the responsibility to call an ambulance, adding that there was an issue with mobile phone signals inside the venue. Matthew Oates, who had a Level 2 BTEC certificate in First Response, said Miss Allen was brought to the medical area in a portable cabin at around 1am. The court heard the 17-year-old was shaking and went into 'spasm', before being moved to a bed. She waited on a trolley before Grant Holland, who was acting as an 'ambulance technician' at the event, called an ambulance at 4.33am. Mr Holland said: 'At first she appeared drunk and I was not overly concerned, but without more observations I could not make a decision (about calling an ambulance). 'She had a high temperature, I took her pulse it was at 190. When I got her onto the bed her blood pressure was 50 over 30, you could just about hear it. The pink figure-of-eight pills, known as 'Mastercards' seized by police 'She was very pale and you could actually see the jugular vein on her neck beating.' Mark Rose, the only qualified paramedic in the team, said he suspected other team members had wanted him to 'look her over' before dialling 999. He added: 'Being a sole paramedic in those circumstances is challenging.' Miss Allen's boyfriend Connor Aden bought three ecstasy tablets for 30 from drug dealer Oliver Garside, Manchester Crown Court heard last year. The pair admitted supplying Class A drugs and Garside was jailed for two years and four months, while Aden received an eight month sentence. In a warning to clubbers at the time, officers said the small, pink, figure of eight- shaped tablets, which had 'white or red dots' and the word Mastercard printed across them, might contain 'up to double the dose of MDMA (the active ingredient) expected in ecstasy tablets'. At the time of her death, Miss Allen was studying childcare at college. She wanted to work with disabled children because she had a disabled brother. Following Faye Allen's death, Connor Aden's father told the Manchester Evening News: 'She had never been to a rave or nightclub before. This was the first time. 'They are a couple of young lovers who have gone to a club. Faye took a pill for the first time and disaster has struck. 'The whole family are absolutely devastated. We don't know how we are going to look after each other. 'Faye was her mother's best friend and she doted on her brother and sister and her boyfriend. 'She loved to look after her disabled brother and her younger sister. She was such a smiley and warm, loving girl.' Ms Allen's death was the third tragedy to hit the family, after her mother Maxine lost both Faye's brother Jordon, and Faye's sister Neve, to cot death within weeks of each other in 2004. A November 2004 inquest found Jordon, 23 months, and Neve, 18 weeks, died of natural causes. Ms Allen's inquest continues. Hard-pressed families face average council tax increases of 76 next month. The typical bill will rise by 4.5 per cent in April, according to a survey of English councils. It means a Band D household will pay an average of 1,747.19 in 2019/20 up from 1,671.44 the year before. That is the second highest council tax increase in the past decade, surpassed only by last years rise of 81. Council tax is set to rise 4.5 per cent in April meaning hard-pressed families will face an increase of 76 a year Millions of families will face even higher increases. Average bills for the most expensive Band H houses will soar by 151. Across the country, 96 per cent of local authorities are putting up their council tax, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) found. Percentage rises are highest in London, where the average family will see bills rise 5.1 per cent up 71. In terms of the amount paid, the North East comes off worst. Average bills will go up by more than 85, or 4.8 per cent. The lowest rises are in the East of England 4.1 per cent or 70. Much of the impetus for the increases comes from police forces. Almost all local police and crime commissioners have added 24 to the council tax bill up from last years 12 maximum. Rob Whiteman, chief executive of CIPFA, said: The extent of the rises are a reflection of the incredible fiscal pressure faced by local authorities and police. 'Without a bolder vision from Government, the future of these services is increasingly being put at risk. The most expensive Band H houses will face a hike of 151, with 96 per cent of local authorities raising their council tax Despite the Governments announcement that austerity is ending, for local authorities this is clearly not the case. Long term they remain in an unsustainable position. Ministers need to make radical decisions to secure the future of public services. Council tax is regressive, and increasingly divorced from the reality of property values. They will not be sufficient to meet rising demand for services such as adult and childrens social care. The huge increases have occurred because ministers have relaxed rules on the amount bills can go up by without a local referendum. Most councils can put up bills by 3 per cent without a public vote. Local authorities that run social care services can add a further 2 per cent.Police and parish council bills go on top. CIPFAs survey is based on 312 respondents from England almost all local councils. Of these 301, or 96 per cent, are raising council tax. Four in five local authorities are imposing their maximum allowable increase of 3 per cent without triggering a referendum. Robert Palmer, of pressure group Tax Justice UK, said: These new figures show how local councils are picking up the tab for Government cuts. He added: Since 2010, councils have had their money slashed, with the poorest areas hit hardest, and council tax is rising to fill the gap. People want to see their bins collected and potholes fixed. They also want their council to provide decent care for older relatives and friends. Clearly the system isnt working and needs reform. John OConnell, of the TaxPayers Alliance campaign group, added: Councils always claim they are cut to the bone, but there are still numerous examples of wasteful spending and inefficiencies that need to be addressed. The Local Government Association warned that the rises will still not provide enough money for Englands broken care system. Richard Watts, chairman of its resources board, said: Adult social care provides vital support to millions of people every day but is at breaking point. A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: Councils, not central government, are responsible for managing their own resources. Taxpayers can veto excessive increases via a local referendum. A mysterious loud 'boom' rocked parts of central Missouri on Monday leaving authorities and concerned residents scratching their head as to what caused it. However, the mystery was later solved as Boeing came forward and said it was testing a military aircraft in the area at the time. 'We performed a functional check on a military aircraft on March 4, 2019 between 10.20 and 11.30 am. Central,' a statement from Boeing said, as reported by KOMU. 'The flight was for a customer and required by contract.' The statement did not elaborate on what type of aircraft had caused the noise nor did it use the term 'sonic boom.' Earlier in the day a number of people had speculated that an aircraft was the source of the mysterious sound. The 'boom' was heard in a geographically large area and as far as Mexico, Missouri, which is about 40 miles from Columbia Boeing later came forward and said it was testing a military aircraft in the area at the time Residents posted on Twitter where they had heard the 'boom' and to question what had caused the strange noise There was widespread speculation as to what had caused the 'boom' Dispatchers started answering 'numerous' 911 calls from concerned residents reporting a 'boom' before 11 a.m. Tom Hurley, deputy director of the Boone County Office of Emergency Management, told ABC 17 KMIZ that calls were received from a geographically diverse area but no incidents could be found in Boone County. The Columbia Police Department tweeted just after 11:30 a.m. that it was 'aware of the loud 'boom' in the Columbia area.' Police and other agencies were investigating the noise, the tweet said. The Columbia Police Department tweeted just after 11:30 a.m. that it was 'aware of the loud 'boom' in the Columbia area' 'Numerous' 911 calls were made by concerned residents reporting the 'boom' Some residents also said their homes and possessions shook in the aftermath of the 'boom' The 'boom' was heard in a geographically large area and as far as Mexico, Missouri, which is about 40 miles from Columbia. Some residents also said their homes and possessions shook in the aftermath of the 'boom,' according to the Missourian although Columbia police said Monday lunchtime no damage was reported. Others took to Twitter to say where they had heard the 'boom' and to question what had caused the strange noise. 'A loud boom was just felt by myself, in Mexico MO, and simultaneously by a friend of mine in Hallsville MO while we were talking on the phone,' a Twitter user, called Harlequin wrote just before 11 a.m. 'We're 40 miles apart. Explosion Missouri sonic boom.' The former chief of staff to the embattled ex-boss of National Australia Bank has been arrested for alleged corruption. Rosemary Rogers, who resigned after nine years at NAB in December, is accused of accepting $6.6million in bribes from events company The Human Group. In return, Rogers would allegedly agree to sign off the company's inflated expenses claims to NAB, forcing the bank to pay more money than was actually owed. NAB was allegedly defrauded of $40million over four years. Rosemary Rogers (pictured), who resigned after nine years at NAB in December, is accused of defrauding the bank of $500,000 to fund a lavish family holiday overseas Rogers, who has $7.5million worth of assets, flew from her home in Melbourne on Tuesday to voluntarily attend an interview at the AFP headquarters in Sydney. Police confirmed today that a 43-year-old woman has been arrested and will be charged. Rogers was granted conditional bail after appearing via audio-visual link at Central Local Court on Tuesday afternoon. The matter is next scheduled for Central Local Court on March 19. Former NAB executive Rosemary Rogers (pictured) was released on bail from the Sydney Police Centre on Tuesday night Rosemary Rogers (pictured) is accused of accepting bribes during her time with NAB It comes after Human Group director Helen Rosamond was arrested at her home in Potts Point, Sydney on Friday and charged with 56 counts of bribery for her alleged involvement in the same corruption scandal. The relationship between Human Group and NAB dates back 12 years with contracts worth $118 million. Rosamond allegedly forked out more than $6.6 million in bribes to maintain a relationship between her training company and NAB. Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith on Friday said the 'corporate corruption' involved 'senior executives'. He said at the time he wouldn't rule out further charges being laid. The total amount involved in the alleged fraud is some $40 million. The criminal behaviour occurred between 2013 and 2017, Mr Smith said. In November, Rogers had her assets frozen by police investigating her. The Human Group director Helen Rosamond (pictured) was arrested at her home in Potts Point, Sydney on Friday and charged with 56 counts of bribery The assets reportedly include a $6.2million property portfolio, two speed boats, a Range Rover and a cheque for $1million. The freezing order was imposed by the NSW and Victoria supreme courts on November 30, court documents seen by Daily Mail Australia show. Mrs Rogers, who lives with her husband Anthony, built up her property portfolio between 2013 and 2017, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The portfolio includes a sprawling rural house in Bellbrae, Victoria which she bought for $1million in 2013. She also owns a four-bedroom family home in Williamstown, Victoria and a two-luxury apartment worth $700,000 in the same city, according to the publication. The fourth property that has been frozen is reportedly a flat in the Melbourne suburb of Cremorne, near NAB's offices. Other assets frozen reportedly include a 2016 Range Rover, a 2016 Chaparral Sunesta motorboat and an Anglapro Sniper motorboat. The Williamstown home was raided in 2018 as part of an ongoing police investigation which has not brought any arrests or charges. The banker's frozen empire: NAB chief of staff's $7.5million assets Four-bedroom family home at 40 Power Street in Williamstown, Victoria, bought for $3,800,000 on January 10, 2018 Sprawling property at 7 Cunningham Drive, Bellrae, bought for $995,000 on December 6, 2013 Two-bedroom luxury flat at 47 Nelson Place, Williamstown bought for $701,300 on June 19, 2017 Large flat at 140 Swann Street, Cremorne in Melbourne bought for $735,000 on May 19, 2015 2016 Range Rover with an estimated price of $150,000 (stock image; not actual) 2016 Chaparral 224 Sunesta motorboat with estimated price of $75,000 (stock image; not actual) 2017 Anglapro Sniper motorboat with estimated price of $35,000 (stock image; not actual) 2015 Mackay Boat Trailer with estimated price of $5,000 Cheque for $1million Total: $7,496,300 Source: Sydney Morning Herald Advertisement An NAB spokesman said a whistleblower had first reported Roger's alleged fraud. 'NAB responded and acted immediately on CEO Andrew Thorburn's direction, investigated matters and reported them to police,' he said. 'If the alleged fraud is proven, it represents a most serious breach of trust by a former employee. 'We continue to cooperate fully with police, who have asked us to provide no further comment on the alleged fraud and the investigation.' The matter is next listed for directions in court on 18 March. NAB was singled out in the banking royal commission's report release last month. The fourth property that has been frozen is reportedly a flat (pictured) in the Melbourne suburb of Cremorne, near NAB's offices The Williamstown home (pictured) was raided in 2018 as part of an ongoing police investigation which has not brought any charges The portfolio includes a sprawling rural house (pictured) in Bellbrae, Victoria which she bought for $1million in 2013 Commissioner Kenneth Hayne's report revealed greed and misconduct in the Australian financial sector at the expense of consumers and businesses. 'NAB also stands apart from the other three major banks,' Mr Hayne wrote. 'Having heard from both the CEO, Mr [Andrew] Thorburn, and the chair, Dr [Ken] Henry, I am not as confident as I would wish to be that the lessons of the past have been learned.' There is no suggestion Mr Thorburn or Dr Henry did anything wrong or were aware of the alleged fraud. Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from overseeing the special counsel's Russia probe after consulting with senior ethics officials, the Justice Department said Monday. The officials advised Barr against recusal from Robert Mueller's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. 'Consistent with that advice, General Barr has decided not to recuse,' Kupec said in a statement. U.S. Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 election is almost complete During his confirmation hearing in January, Barr sought to assuage concerns that he might disrupt or upend Mueller's investigation as it reaches its final stages. Some Democrats had raised those concerns, citing a memo Barr had sent to Justice Department and White House lawyers in which he criticized Mueller's investigation for the way it was presumably looking into whether Trump had obstructed justice. Barr downplayed the memo during his confirmation hearing, saying it was narrowly focused and shouldn't be read that he has prejudged the investigation. Barr vowed during the hearing to consult with ethics officials about whether he should recuse himself, but told senators the decision would ultimately be his to make under Justice Department guidelines. Barr also stated without hesitation that it was in the public interest for Mueller to finish his investigation and that he wanted to release as much information as he can about Mueller's investigation to Congress and the public. Attorney General William Barr has said he will allow Mueller to finish his inquiry and would make as many of its findings public as he can Under Justice Department guidelines, Mueller will provide a confidential report to Barr that explains his decisions to pursue or decline prosecutions. Barr will then prepare his own report that would be released to Congress. He has said he intends to share some information with the public, though it's unclear whether Mueller's actual report will ever be made public. Former FBI Director James Comey, whose firing is among the things being investigated by the special counsel's office, said in an op-ed in The Washington Post on Monday that 'providing detailed information about a completed investigation of intense public interest has long been a part of Justice Department practice.' 'Every American should want a Justice Department guided first and always by the public interest,' Comey wrote. 'Sometimes transparency is not a hard call.' Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from overseeing the Mueller probe and was constantly mocked by President Trump for having done so The president had assailed and ultimately pushed out his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from Mueller's investigation because of Sessions' work with the Trump campaign. The president named Matthew Whitaker, who was Sessions' chief of staff, as acting attorney general in November. But Whitaker came under fire after he declined to recuse himself from the Mueller investigation even though a top Justice Department ethics official advised him to step aside out of an 'abundance of caution.' Before joining the Justice Department, Whitaker had made critical comments about Mueller's investigation, including once opining about a scenario in which Trump could fire Sessions and then appoint an acting attorney general who could stifle the funding of Mueller's probe. Hobart restaurants could be fined up to $1,300 if they use plastic after the city becomes the first in Australia to ban single-use plastics. There were cheers and claps from the public when Hobart City Council approved a bylaw that bans plastic straws, cups, utensils and takeaway containers. The $1,300 fine applies if a business is prosecuted but council officers can issue an $326 infringement notice instead. Hobart will be the first Australian city to completely ban single-use plastic products. A $1,300 fine applies if a business is prosecuted for using plastic items The ban will come into effect later this year or early 2020 after a 21-day public consultation. Councillor Ben Harvey passed the bylaw and made an amendment to delay fines until December 2020 to give businesses time to adjust. 'Once single-use plastics are out of the waste stream in Hobart then we can say we have achieved something,' he said. Plastic straws, utensils, containers and cups will all be banned under a new bylaw passed by the Hobart City Council. There were cheers and claps from the public gallery as it passed Tasmanian Small Business Council chief executive Robert Mallett said 'the intent is good but the execution is woeful'. 'You would have thought they'd have the public consultation before passing the bylaw,' he said. He said the Hobart City Council's 'grandstanding' will lead to Hobart businesses bordering on other councils being put at a disadvantage. Mr Mallett said this could have been avoided if Tasmania's 28 other councils and the state government were consulted before the Hobart bylaw was passed. 'Tasmania has a green reputation so this is very significant for Tasmania's brand and its future,' Environment Tasmania Phillip Cocker said Environment Tasmania director Phillip Cocker said 'it's a very good step for the city'. 'Tasmania has a green reputation so this is very significant for Tasmania's brand and its future,' he said. 'A lot of businesses have gone plastic-free already.' The Hobart City Council plans to lobby the state government to make the whole of Tasmania go single-use plastic free. By Lizzie Smith For Dailymail.com Luke Perry's many celebrity friends and co-stars have paid tribute after the 'kind' Beverly Hills, 90210 star died at the age of 52. Perry suffered a massive stroke at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, on Wednesday, and was rushed to hospital, where he remained under observation until his death on Monday. Ian Ziering, who starred opposite Luke for ten years on their iconic 90s high school show, wrote: 'Dearest Luke, I will forever bask in the loving memories we've shared over the last thirty years. 'May your journey forward be enriched by the magnificent souls who have passed before you, just like you have done here, for those you leave behind.' Likewise, Molly Ringwald, who played Luke's onscreen wife on the hit show Riverdale, wrote on Twitter: 'My heart is broken. I will miss you so much Luke Perry. Sending all my love to your family. #LukePerry' Devastated: Luke Perry's Beverly Hills 90210 co-star Ian Ziering paid tribute In their youth: The two worked together for ten years on Aaron Spelling's hit show 'Heart broken': Beverly Hills 90210 star Gabrielle Carteris paid tribute to her co-star Molly and her co-stars on the hit show took a break from filming on Monday, with the set shutting down as news broke of their loss. Lili Reinhart, who also stars in the show, shared her devastation on Twitter: 'I'm finding it hard to grasp that he will no longer be around to give long hugs and share his wisdom and kindness with all of us. I'm thinking of his family. His children. I pray for them to heal and find peace in this devastating loss.' She then tweeted: 'I just cant believe it.' RIverdale included executive producers Greg Berlanti, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Sarah Schechter shared a statement to social media. 'We are deeply saddened to learn today about the passing of Luke Perry. A beloved member of the Riverdale, Warner Bros. and CW family, Luke was everything you would hope he would be: an incredibly caring, consummate professional with a giant heart, and a true friend to all. 'A father figure and mentor to the shows young cast, Luke was incredibly generous, and he infused the set with love and kindness. Our thoughts are with Lukes family during this most difficult time.' Schechter later wrote, 'I loved Luke Perry. Truly the nicest, most humble actor Ive ever worked with. He loved & respected everyone equally, both on set and off. HE REALLY WAS THAT NICE. A true gentleman, a blue collar actor who loved people & storytelling a ton but he loved his kids more than anything.' Luke Perry's Riverdale co-star Molly Ringwald tweets 'my heart is broken' as celebrity friends pay tribute to Beverly Hills, 90210 star Onscreen wife: Molly played Luke's other half on the hit show Riverdale 'Joyful and vibrant': The writers on Luke's show Riverdale paid tribute 'HE REALLY WAS THAT NICE': Luke's Riverdale producer states it plainly Luke's Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star, Gabrielle Carteris, wrote: 'Dearest Luke- I am so heart broken and at a loss for words. You my friend were a mighty soul and have left your mark. My love and prayers to the family and all who loved you. RIP.' Another of his co-stars on the iconic show, Jennie Garth, told People magazine: 'My heart is broken. He meant so much to so many. Such a very special person. I share my deep sadness with his family and all who loved him. Such a terrible loss.' Joss Whedon, who wrote the 1992 Buffy The Vampire Slayer film in which Luke starred, shared his memories of the first time the two met. 'The first time I met Luke Perry we talked about what kind of movie we wanted Buffy to be. I asked if he'd ever seen Near Dark and he gave me a look of HOW DARE YOU SIR and I knew we'd get along. Funny, committed, and always gracious. He shouldn't be gone.' Leonardo DiCpario wrote: Luke Perry was a kindhearted and incredibly talented artist.' Leonardo Dicaprio worked with Luke on Quentin Tarantino's upcoming movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which also stars Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. He wrote: 'Luke Perry was a kindhearted and incredibly talented artist. It was an honor to be able to work with him. 'My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his loved ones.' Patricia Arquette, whose late sister was a close friend of the actor, shared a throwback picture of Alexis and Luke, back when Alexis was still known by her birth name of Robert. The two were friends for more than 30 years. The actress shared a heartfelt tribute to Luke, who himself gave a tearful tribute to Alexis following her death in 2016. Wrote Patricia: 'Luke Perry - Irreplaceable beautiful and kind human being, incredible friend, generous actor and adoring father to Jack and Sophie and loving partner to Madison we are all heartbroken. You are the love and you are the light.' Patricia Arquette shared a photo of Luke and her sister Alexis, known as Robert at the time; the two were close friends of 30 years, with Luke sharing a tearful tribute to Alexis after her death Donnie Wahlberg wrote 'Rest Luke the way you always treated me (and anyone I ever introduced you to, no matter how much they screamed and squealed with joy and excitement) in peace. #RIPLukePerry' Actor Donnie Wahlberg shared his memories of Luke, writing: 'Rest Luke the way you always treated me (and anyone I ever introduced you to, no matter how much they screamed and squealed with joy and excitement) in peace. #RIPLukePerry' I, Robot star Peter Shinkoda, wrote: 'This is a travesty. Saw him a month ago healthy and vibrant in Vancouver. RIP #LukePerry. You were a f'n cool dude. #90210 #Riverdale'. Ryan Seacrest credited Luke with inspiring his career in showbusiness. 'Luke Perry was a great actor and truly one of a kind,' he tweeted. 'Watching him on 90210 was one of the reasons why I wanted to move to LA. Thinking of his family and friends on and off the set. Rest in peace.' 'Praying': Another fan was Olivia Munn, who described Luke as 'my 1st crush' Helpful: The actress shared the signs of stroke, to educate her fans 'You were lovely!' Rosario Dawson said she told Luke he was her 'teen crush' Twin Peaks veteran Madchen Amick found a fellow professional in Luke. 'We shared our showbiz war stories' Another fan was Olivia Munn, who described Luke as 'my 1st crush'. Sharing an educational image, detailing the signs of a stroke, she wrote: 'Luke Perry was my 1st crush. Eh, more like obsession (I wore pins w his face on them to school) I used to dream of making it to LA just to meet him. I never got to, but I've always heard he was a really great person. Praying for his family & kids.... Rest in love.' She wasn't alone in admitting to having feelings for the young Luke. Actress Rosario Dawson, wrote: 'Luke Perry. My teen crush. I'm glad I got to tell you. Sheepishly red faced and all. You were lovely and you gave great hugs. Grateful to witness and experience your kindness and warmth.Blessings to your family.' Madchen Amick, one of Luke's Riverdale co-stars, posted a heartfelt remembrance to Twitter. 'I'm absolutely heartbroken of the news that we lost someone so incredibly special. Luke had become a dear friend. We laughed. We cried. We shared our showbiz war stories. We shared how proud we are as parents. I knew that he was always there for me no matter what. I'm so thankful for the time that we had together. He was an incredibly loving and generous man. My thoughts and prayers are with his family right now. I will love you forever Luke.' Joss Whedon, who wrote the 1992 Buffy The Vampire Slayer film in which Luke starred, wrote: 'Funny, committed, and always gracious. He shouldn't be gone.' Devastated: Kirsty Swanson worked with Luke on the Buffy movie Ryan Seacrest paid tribute, saying Luke inspired him Super fan: NSYNC's Joey Fatone shared an image of himself wearing a Beverly Hills, 90210 shirt and posing with Luke 'Shocked': Vivica A Fox shared her memories of 'nice' Luke Poet: Charlie Sheen shared thoughtful words in tribute to his friend 'This is not how it's supposed to happen': Sarah Michelle Gellar pays tribute Paying tribute was Sarah Michelle Gellar, who wrote: 'My entire high school experience was shaped by Brenda and Dylan. Now I have to hold my dear friend @theshando hand, while she mourns the loss of #lukeperry This is not how it's supposed to happen. I hope his family knows many lives he touched. 'I chose. I chose you. I want you. I've always wanted you' - my favorite quote.' NSYNC's Joey Fatone shared an image of himself wearing a Beverly Hills, 90210 shirt and posing with Luke. 'RIP Luke Perry,' he wrote. 'Prob one of the cooler photos I took when I was wearing my BH 90210 shirt ... you will be missed.' Luke's friend Charlie Sheen wrote a thoughtful poem, writing: 'You made every situation better'. Actress Selma Blair called Luke 'One of the kindest men I had ever met'. Talk show Busy Philipps called the death heartbreaking, sharing a photo of the late actor. Chris Nassif, who was Luke Perry's agent during his time on the show Beverly Hills, 90210, said in a statement: 'Luke will be missed, a friend gone way too soon. It seems like yesterday that I was Luke's agent negotiating his role on 'Beverly Hills, 90210'. I would like to express my condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.' Selma Blair called Luke 'One of the kindest men I had ever met' 'Beyond shocked': Party of Five star Scott Wolf called Luke 'such a good one' Talk show Busy Philipps called the death heartbreaking, sharing a photo of the late actor Actress Marlee Matlin shared an old photo, writing that the death was 'so shocking' Shock: Michael Rosenbaum wrote: 'Are you kidding me? So Sad.' Tributes: Hie fellow celebs were quick to share their sadness at the sudden death of the star Emoji time: John Stamos shared broken heart icons 'So sad': Like many, LeAnn described Luke as 'kind' Frozen actor Josh Gad was first to tweet after the sad news was revealed, expressing his shock. 'Heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking. RIP #LukePerry,' he wrote. In a statement, his publicist said on Monday: '[Luke] was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiance Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends. 'The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time.' The actor is survived by son Jack, 21, and daughter Sophie, 18, from his marriage to Minnie. It was announced on the same day Perry was hospitalized that Fox would be reviving 90210 with most of the original cast. 'So sad and sudden': Andy Cohen shared his memories of Luke appearing on WWHL Horrified: Journalist Katie Couric said she was 'thinking of' Luke's family 'One of the coolest dudes': A teen icon, Perry inspired a generation 'This is a travesty': I, Robot star Peter Shinkoda wrote 'This is a travesty. Saw him a month ago healthy and vibrant in Vancouver. RIP #LukePerry. You were a f'n cool dude' Tribute: Frozen actor Josh Gad was first to tweet after the sad news was revealed, expressing his shock 'Condolences' William Shatner shared his thoughts on the death Well known: Alison Sweeney called the death 'tragic' Perry got his start with a 10 episode stint on the popular series Another World, but shot to fame in the early 1990s thanks to his role on 90210. That show ran for 10 seasons beginning in 1990 and still lives on in reruns, with Perry filming 199 episodes. He played the show's leading man, the handsome loner Dylan McKay, alongside co-stars Jennie Garth, Jason Priestley and Tori Spelling. At the same time, he also appeared in a number of films, including the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Fifth Element and Scorchers. Saddened: David Hasselhoff paid tribute to his 'good friend' Luke Perry 'Thoughts and prayers': Catherine Zeta Jones shared a picture of the actor as a young man 'So sad!' Modern Family star Sarah Hyland's thoughts He was also an accomplished voice actor, filming episodes for animated series including Mortal Kombat, The Simpsons, Johnny Bravo, The Incredible Hulk and more. In the wake of 90210 he appeared on a number of TV shows, including Oz, Windfall and John From Cincinatti, but none that reached the heights of 90210. He had starred on the CW series Riverdale up until his death, and had recently filmed a role in Quentin Tarantino's latest film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood alongside Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie.In addition to his acting career, Perry had been an advocate for colon cancer testing after discovering he had precancerous growths during a 2015 colonoscopy. Christine Elise, who played Emily Valentine on 90210, shared her deep shock: 'I have no words' Modern Family's Julie Bowen called a Law And Order: SVU episode with Luke 'a pleasure and a privilege' Radio personality Jillian Barberie said Luke and Jason Priestley 'were a dynamic duo and hilarious together off camera' Christine Elise, who played Emily Valentine on 90210, shared her deep shock. 'With the heaviest of hearts, I am stunned and devastated to tell you that Luke passed away. I am still in shock and I have no words beyond saying he was a truly kind gentleman. He will be mourned and missed by everyone who knew him and the millions who love him. RIP, dearie Luke. Your time here was far too short.' Modern Family's Julie Bowen revealed she met Luke while filming an episode of Law And Order: SVU, a 'rite of passage for any actor.' 'Doing it with Luke Perry was a pleasure and a privilege. What a gentleman. He will be missed,' she wrote. Actress and radio personality Jillian Barberie recounted her first acting job on Beverly Hills 90210. 'My very first acting job was a scene with Jason Priestley and I remember he and #LukePerry making me laugh and calming my nerves on 90210. They were a dynamic duo and hilarious together off camera. Still cant believe this news,' she wrote. From his Riverdale co-star Marisola Nichols: 'I don't have any words now. Maybe I will later' Lana Parilla played Luke's wife on the short-lived Windfall: 'I'm gutted by the loss of such a beautiful soul' Riverdale's Asha Bromfield thanked him for 'being a ray of light for me and so many' Nathalie Boltt, who played a Riverdale villain, wrote, 'He was a fine, fine father and my friend' Another Riverdale co-star, Marisol Nichols, shared a photo of her and Luke together, writing, 'I don't have any words now. Maybe I will later.' Lana Parrilla, who starred opposite Luke on the short-lived NBC series Windfall, remembered their time working together. 'I cannot day enough good things about Luke. I had the pleasure to work w him playing his TV wife & remained friends throughout the yrs. He was such a kind, considerate, loving, generous, talented, caring man. Im gutted by the loss of such a beautiful soul. RIP' Riverdale actress Asha Bromfield wrote, 'Woke up this morning a ball of tears. Luke Perry was the kindest, warmest, most loving human being. He always went out of his way to make me feel safe, heard and seen in his presence. I love you so much Luke. Thank you for being a ray of light for me and so many .' Riverdale villain Nathalie Boltt shared the positive environment her late co-star created, writing, 'Luke made people feel safe and valued and welcome. Luke made us laugh. He certainly made me laugh. He was gracious, kind; a gentleman. But most of all he was a fine, fine father and my friend. Thank you, Luke. We miss you. Stay close.' The papers and archives of the late Labour heavyweight Tony Benn (pictured in 2010) have been gifted to the British Library The papers and archives of the late Labour heavyweight Tony Benn have been gifted to the British Library in a donation which will save the family 210,000 in inheritance tax. The collection, which includes hundreds of thousands of files and recordings, has been given to the nation in lieu of the tax money. In 1983 Benn and his fellow Labour candidates stood on a manifesto which promised that 'capital taxes will be used to reduce the huge inequalities in inherited wealth'. But the donation under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme means the family will pay the tax in the form of 'important cultural, scientific or historic objects and archives'. Recordings of every public utterance he made from 1974 to 2004 - on around 4,000 cassettes - are contained in the archive. The left-winger died in 2014 at the age of 88. Personal papers, categorised as the '101 files', include early correspondence between Mr Benn and his wife Caroline, as well as letters from former prime ministers Clement Attlee and Harold Wilson. He also kept 33 boxes of letters classed as 'funny, obscene, threatening and abusive' from his career. Some of his famous pipes, as well as the scissors he used to cut the ribbon for Concorde, form part of the collection. The recordings reveal that Benn was convinced his telephone was being tapped during the Wilson government years. The late former cabinet minister speculated that the KGB, MI5 or the CIA could have been behind the interception in an audio diary in 1975, when he was industry secretary. In the self-recorded entry, he recalled how his son Joshua was able to hear through the radio him playing down the phone a recording of a speech he was due to give - leading him to believe there was a transmitter bug in his room. A selection of pamphlets from Tony Benn's career which are part of the collection donated to the British library Film rushes which belong to the Tony Benn collection. It is being donated to the British Library in lieu of 210,000 in inheritance tax Tony Ben with then-Labour leader Neil Kinnock at the Labour conference in Blackpool in 1984 'As I was sitting listening myself, Carol came down and beckoned me away and so I went upstairs and discovered that Joshua was picking up my telephone call to Frances on his radio,' Mr Benn said. 'So obviously there is a transmitter bug in my room - whether put here by the CIA, by MI5 or by the Post Office or KGB I do not know - but it was absolute confirmation because Joshua picked it up on his portable radio that wasn't plugged in at all to the electrical system. 'It is a very interesting confirmation of what I have long suspected - that my phone is tapped.' Mr Benn was born in 1925 as Anthony Wedgwood Benn into a political dynasty which included two grandfathers who sat in the Commons and a father who was first a Liberal and then a Labour MP. His decision to give up the title Viscount Stansgate, which he inherited on his father's death in 1960, led to the Peerage Act of 1963, allowing the renunciation of hereditary titles. A selection of Tony Benn's diaries, seen here from the 1930s and 1940s, which are part of the collection of hundreds of thousands of files Cassette recorders containing preserved versions of every public utterance Benn made between 1974 and 2004 Tony Benn's Peerage Act Warrant of Renunciation from 1963. His decision to give up his hereditary peerage led to a change in the law He was seen as a modernising technocrat when he entered government, but was an unusual example of a politician who became more left-wing as he grew older, crediting the change to his experience in government of seeing progressive reforms blocked by the establishment. Rachel Foss, head of contemporary archives and manuscripts at the British Library, said the archive was an 'extraordinarily wide-ranging and rich resource for historians and researchers and is a great gift to the nation'. She added: 'The Benn Archive will be hugely valuable for current and future generations of researchers into post-war British politics and society, into the Labour Party and the labour movement, as well as into the long and influential career of Tony Benn himself. 'It is a very substantial addition to the British Library's growing collections of contemporary archives in the field of politics, campaigning and activism. 'We look forward to making it available through our Reading Rooms at St Pancras and to working with partners to facilitate engagement with the archive across a wide range of audiences.' Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans and head of the Chaldean Catholic Church. ( AFP) Baghdad -- Card Louis Raphael Sako, is proposing a 'National Covenant' as a common basis for all of the country's groups, Shias, Sunnis, Christians, founded on sovereignty, security and economy, to overcome the divisions, violence and extremism that have stained Iraq with blood. The Chaldean primate's message was published on the Chaldean patriarchate website and sent to AsiaNews for wider circulation. In it, the cardinal says that the country's problems can be solved only from within, starting with a document that will serve as a "pledge" by all the parties involved to create a state "based on citizenship, law and institutions". Here is Patriarch Sako's message. I put forward to your Excellency a national proposal entitled "National Covenant" that may help us getting out of the current crises. The focus is on certain important "red lines" such as sovereignty, security and economy that should protect our homeland and its' unity. As I am so enthusiastic about the revival of Iraq "the Cradle of Civilization", I call upon the three presidencies to organize a "round-table" meeting, where political and parliamentary alliances gather for a civil and responsible dialogue, which will lead to reconciliation; forgiveness; and understanding, away from regional and international tensions, differences and shattering. Especially that the current ministerial cabinet is not complete yet and people are still waiting to be provided with services (electricity, water... etc.). Certainly, the solution should be internal, means Iraqis should solve their own problems. It is possible to do that, based on the good will, and when we rely on a "National Covenant" founded on: sovereignty, security, economy, the interest of the nation and its unity. Such document will serve as a "pledge" for all parties, enabling them to build, in a sound manner, a state of, citizenship, law and institutions, away from quotas (sectarianism) and disputes over power and money. It is also important to eliminate extremism that weakens the state; stops its' progress; violates the dignity of citizens; and delays the availability of services. Iraqis of all ethnicities and religions will definitely "derive" from this document: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and solidarity. Ultimately, they will stand firm and steadfast, facing all those who may offend them. National unity does not mean, at all, the removal of differences of view that are natural, but it helps people to accept each other and live in harmony. This way, we will be able to keep up with the rest of the civilized world. I hope that your Excellency will share this idea with the Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Leader. Good Morning America Anchor Robin Roberts spoke about her interview with Jessie Smollett that took place last month Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts has spoken out about her infamous interview with Empire star Jussie Smollett, claiming she was in a 'no-win situation', no matter what questions she asked him. The interview which aired on February 14 saw Smollett give further details about an attack that he suffered while out early one morning on the streets of Chicago. But just a few days after the interview with Roberts, Smollett's story unraveled as it emerged he likely made the whole things up and was charged with felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report claiming he was the victim of a hate-crime attack in the city. Roberts, 58, told an audience in Brooklyn on Monday that she tried to be as neutral as possible in her questioning of Smollett, but knew that it was a tricky line to follow. 'I'm a black gay woman, he's a black gay man,' she said as she spoke about the pressure she felt to represent the LGBT community. The Good Morning America host said that her identity as a gay woman of color would play into the public's perception of how she handled the Empire actor who is also gay Jussie Smollett showed up two-and-half-hours late for his ABC interview with Robin Roberts last week which raised suspicion on set. He then wept throughout their conversation and angrily denied making up that he had been attacked 'He's saying that there's a hate crime, so if I'm too hard, then my LGBT community is going to say, 'You don't believe a brother,' if I'm too light on him, it's like, 'Oh, because you are in the community, you're giving him a pass.'' 'It was a no-win situation for me,' she explained. 'I pride myself in being fair, I know how much work went into being balanced about what had happened and to challenge him on certain things,' she said. 'I'll be completely honest, I was like I don't know if I want to do the interview or not,' the GMA host said during a Q&A session, as reported by Page Six. 'I said, 'I don't want to sit down with him if he's going to 'lawyer up', and then I was told, "He wants to speak with you," [because] he was outraged by people making assumptions about whether it had happened or not.' Roberts spoke out about feeling like she was in a 'no-win situation' when it came to interviewing the actor and musician who was arrested on felony charges on February 21 for falsifying a police report Roberts told the crowd that she was hesitant to do the interview because she thought Smollett would 'lawyer up' but that she decided to go with it because he wanted to speak with her SMOLLETT'S GMA REMARKS 'You do such a disservice when you lie about stuff like this.' 'He says, 'This MAGA country n****!' and punches me right in the face. So I punch his a** back. We end up tussling by the stairs, fighting, fighting, fighting...and then it just stopped.' 'I looked down and I noticed a rope around my neck and I started screaming, 'There's a f****** rope around me neck!' 'It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim or a Mexican or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me a lot more. That says a lot about the place that we are at in the country right now.' 'I want a little gay boy who might watch this to see that I fought the f*** back. They ran off,' I didn't.' 'I still want to believe there's something called justice.' 'I've heard that it was a date gone bad which I so resent that narrative. I'm not going to go out to get a tuna sandwich and a salad to meet somebody. That's ridiculous and offensive. 'They called me a f****t. I don't need to add anything like that. I don't need to make MAGA hat the cherry on the top of some racist sundae.' 'I will never be the man that this did not happen to... I am forever changed. Advertisement Roberts was also told that during the interview she would be allowed to challenge him on 'red flags' and various discrepancies in his story. 'They said, "He wants to say things that he has not said" and I'm like, "As a journalist, as a newsperson, this is newsworthy, he's going to go on record for the first time, yes I'll do the interview,''' she explained. But things didn't get off to a great start with Smollett arriving two-and-a-half hours late for the interview. 'I sit down with him, and I don't know what he's going to say,' she said at the event, as reported by the New York Post. 'Following up about how he couldn't believe people didn't believe him, well I go, 'You're out 2 o'clock in the morning, you're getting a sandwich, and you won't give up your phone.'' Two days later it emerged that two Nigerian brothers alleged they had been paid by the Smollett to stage the attack. 'People are looking at the interview through the eyes of 'How did you not know?'' Roberts said. 'I did the interview 48 hours before then. Had I had that information or [knew] what the brothers were alleging, heck yeah, I would have asked him about that.' She noted that since Smollett was considered by police as a victim and not a suspect at the time of the interview, but questions surrounding his cooperation with their probe were growing as sources within the Chicago Police Department leaked more and more information about the case. 'It was one of the most challenging interviews I've ever had to do,' she said. After the interview was wrapped up, a number of ABC staffers said they were skeptical of Smollett's story. Roberts said the developments in the case were a 'setback for race relations, homophobia, MAGA supporters the fingers were pointed at them.' It appears their hunch may have been correct. A week after the brothers came forward to shed details on how the attack was orchestrated, Smollett turned himself in to police. Some staffers within the network say he 'took advantage' of Roberts and used her as he wept and protested his innocence. Others say she did her job perfectly and was in total control. 'I cannot think of another case where there's this anger on so many sides, and you can understand why there would be,' she added, later saying the interview was 'difficult' to watch back. Staffers at ABC say she did nothing wrong and could not have helped the 'bad optics' which now surround their interview because, at the time, police were still officially calling Smollett a victim and not a suspect. Their interview was the first time Smollett had answered questions about the case publicly 'It was an interview everyone wanted. There's not really a spirit of regret about the Jussie interview. Jussie Smollett is shown in his mugshot on Thursday morning 'And no one feels that Robin got duped. 'Taken advantage of, yes, but not duped.' 'She did her job as a journalist and conducted an incredibly newsworthy interview,' one production source said. Within a few hours of Smollett's interview being aired, Chicago Police Department announced it had identified the two men in the surveillance video that had been circulated for weeks beforehand. The two men are Abel and Ola Osundairo who were picked up by officers as they returned to Chicago on February 13 from Nigeria. During the interview, Smollett reacted to suspicion over his cooperation with the police investigation by insisting he was telling the truth. 'You do such a disservice when you lie about this kind of stuff,' he said. Elsewhere he described himself 'fighting the f*** back' when he was jumped, screaming as he realized there was a noose around his neck and then calling the police with his 60-year-old friend Frank Gatson. He blamed the fact that he was being doubted on the political climate and said: 'The camera, facing north, how is that my issue? It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim or a Mexican or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me a lot more.' He also raised his voice when asked by Roberts about the fact people were suspicious he had gone out in subzero temperatures at 2am to get a salad from Subway. 'Subway is open for 24 hours. People kill me when they say stuff like that because Subway is open 24 hours for a reason so that when you're hungry at night and you ain't got no food, you go to Subway!' he said. Choking back tears, he explained when asked why it took so long for him to contact the authorities: 'There is a level of pride there. 'We live in a society where as a gay man you are considered somehow to be weak and I am not weak. I am not weak and we as a people are not weak.' Smollett's lawyers insist he is innocent and say he has been treated unfairly by the police and the prosecutor's office. His next court appearance is on March 14. Jerome Corsi has retracted his InfoWars story that murdered Seth Rich was involved in leaking Democratic National Committee emails to WikiLeaks. Corsi, an associate of Roger Stone, apologized for spreading the conspiracy theory and was forced to admit he relied 'upon inaccurate information' when he made the allegations against the DNC staffer and his brother Aaron. Rich, 27, was killed in July 2016 in what Washington police believe was a random robbery attempt. Since then, conservative author Corsi, 72, and some other conservative pundits have alleged without evidence a link between Rich and the DNC emails that were published by WikiLeaks in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Scroll down for video Jerome Corsi has retracted an article he wrote last year that made allegations about a Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich who was killed in 2016. Rich was killed in July 2016 in what Washington police believe was a random robbery attempt The U.S. intelligence community has said those emails were hacked by Russian operatives, and law enforcement has not suggested any connection at all between Rich's killing and the stolen communications. Jerome Corsi said on his website that he had relied 'upon inaccurate information' when he alleged last year that Seth Rich and his brother were involved in downloading and leaking DNC emails to WikiLeaks. Corsi acknowledged that he did not have 'independent factual knowledge' for the allegation and had instead relied on a Washington Times article that has since been retracted. 'It was not Dr. Corsi's intent to rely upon inaccurate information, or to cause any suffering to Mr. Rich's family. To that end, Dr. Corsi retracts the article and apologizes to the Rich family,' Corsi wrote. The article was published last March by InfoWars, where Corsi had worked as the Washington bureau chief. Jerome Corsi said on his website that he had relied 'upon inaccurate information' when he alleged last year that Seth Rich and his brother were involved in leaking DNC emails Conspiracy theorist Corsi is an associate of Roger Stone. The former campaign adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump is pictured leaving a U.S. district courthouse last month Conspiracy theorist Corsi is an associate of Roger Stone, a confidant to President Donald Trump who was indicted in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation on charges that he lied about his pursuit of the hacked emails. Corsi last year said he had rejected a plea offer from Mueller's team that would have required him to admit intentionally lying to investigators. In a statement a lawyer for Aaron Rich told CNN the retraction was an 'important step toward obtaining justice' for the family. They added: 'We will continue to litigate our defamation claims against conspiracy theorists who refuse to retract & apologize for similar false statements.' Corsi was revealed to be the Person No. 1 cited in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's indictment of Stone. Stone, a former Trump campaign official with longtime ties to the president, was indicted with five counts of lying to Congress, one count of obstruction of an official proceeding, and one count of witness tampering all related to Wikileaks dump of stolen emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign in the 2016 election. Corsi's role in Mueller's investigation revolves around the possibility that he was an intermediary between Stone and WikiLeaks. The indictment says Stone directed 'Person No. 1 to get information from WikiLeaks about their plans to leak' the emails stolen from Clinton's campaign. In January Corsi denied he had any direct contact with Wikileaks. Ministers faced a furious backlash from MPs last night after they blocked attempts to impose financial transparency rules on Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. A cross-party group of MPs was threatening to force the Crown Dependencies to abandon secret ownership of companies registered there. Led by former Tory Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell and Labours Dame Margaret Hodge, the rebellion had enough votes to overturn Theresa Mays narrow majority in the Commons. Jersey is one of the three Crown Dependencies that would have been affected by the legislation, the others being Guernsey and the Isle of Man. The islands count as separate jurisdictions with their own democratically elected governments, and so are known to have connections with money laundering and tax evasion It would have forced anyone to declare publicly if they owned 25 per cent of any company based on one of the islands. But Ministers pulled the Financial Services Bill at the last minute in a move to avoid defeat. Mr Mitchell, the former international development secretary, said the amendment would have combatted money laundering and tax evasion. He also demanded to know why previous attempts by Parliament to enforce tax transparency in British Overseas Territories had been delayed. Downing Street indicated the bill had been pulled so Ministers could study the constitutional implications for the Crown Dependencies affected. A spokesman said the Crown Dependencies were committed to global tax transparency standards, but added: Crown Dependencies are separate jurisdictions with their own democratically elected governments. They are responsible for their own fiscal matters. Given the beneficial ownership amendments were tabled on Thursday, it is only right that their implications are given proper and thorough consideration. The chief ministers of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man (pictured) have warned of a major constitutional clash with the UK if the law is passed. The law would have forced anyone to declare publicly if they owned 25 per cent of any company based on one of the islands. The chief ministers of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man have warned of a major constitutional clash with the UK if the law is passed. They argue that the law would be inoperable and argue they already have robust arrangements for information sharing - and say it is wrong for laws to be imposed without their consent. But Mr Mitchell said: This amendment is an important continuation of the G8 agenda on transparency and openness to combat money laundering and tax evasion. In the face of certain defeat the Government have pulled the business for today, but the business will return and so will this important amendment. Parliament decided last year that the British Overseas Territories should adopt open registers of beneficial ownership and so now should all members of the British family. Dame Margaret said the decision to pull the Bill was a blatant deliberate and arrogant snub of this Parliament. Labour Treasury spokesman Jonathan Reynolds said: This has nakedly been pulled to prevent the Government being defeated. A Government without a Commons majority is in office but not in power. How long can this go on? Alarming footage has captured a driver using his mobile phone and writing on a notepad while behind the wheel of a busy bus. Concerned passenger Abbie Laidlaw filmed the driver during her commute from Auckland to New Lynn in New Zealand on Monday afternoon. In the video, the bus driver was seen holding a notepad and pen in one hand and his phone in the other. Alarming footage has captured a driver using his mobile phone and writing on his notepad while behind the steering wheel of a busy bus 'They have people's lives in their hands, it's not something to take lightly,' Ms Laidlaw told NZ Herald. The driver used his left forearm to control the steering wheel as his hands rested in the centre and he scribbled on the notepad. 'As we were leaving [the bus stop] he answered his phone, then put his phone down. Then five minutes later he answered it again and started taking notes of whatever they were saying [on the line],' Ms Laidlaw said. The frustrated commuter went on to say another concerned passenger approached the driver as they were getting off the bus. Though once the doors to the bus were closed and the vehicle was off again, the driver only 'mumbled' in response. Ms Laidlaw slammed the driver for not only breaking the law, but also placing the lives of passengers at risk. 'Why did my bus take 1 hour 20 to get from Town to New Lynn when is usually takes 40 minutes?,' she asked on social media. 'Maybe because the bus driver decided that hed rather talk on his phone and write some poetry instead of drive.' Ms Laidlaw has since taken her complaint to Auckland Transport, which said it was chasing up the matter. 'Quite simply this behaviour is totally unacceptable and in breach of the road rules,' an organisation spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. Concerned passenger Abbie Laidlaw (pictured) filmed the driver during her commute from Auckland to New Lynn in New Zealand on Monday afternoon In the video, the bus driver was seen holding a notepad and pen in one hand and his phone in the other 'The operator of this service is NZ Bus. We have asked NZ Bus for an urgent investigation into the incident.' Users on social media have joined rank with Ms Laidlaw to level criticism at the behaviour - an all too common sight for some. 'Ive seen bus drivers on the phone all the time, eating, rummaging through bags ect. Ive even seen one bus driver actually just casually scrolling though FB,' one user said. 'Its actually crazy that they and AT (Auckland Transport) think its okay. Not only is it unprofessional (imagine if a lawyer just starting talking on the phone in the middle of a court case or a bank telling scrolling Facebook while processing your money) but its also lots of other peoples lives your putting in danger just for something so small.' Daily Mail Australia reached out to NZ Bus for comment. The wife and two teenage stepsons of a Malaysian company CEO who was found dead in his bedroom have been charged with murder. The death of Nazrin Hassan last June was initially blamed on his cellphone exploding. Investigators later suspected foul play after traces of petrol were found at the scene. The death of Nazrin Hassan last June was initially blamed on his cellphone exploding. He is pictured with his wife Samirah who has been charged with his murder along with his two sons Despite the objection of his wife, Samirah Muzaffar, the body of the Cradle Fund Sendirian Berhad boss was exhumed for a second autopsy. Following the autopsy Samirah and her two sons from her first marriage, aged 13 and 16, who cannot be identified, were charged. An Indonesian woman who is at large and believed to be the couple's former maid, has also been charged with murder in her absence. The three gave no plea in a lower court, and the case will be transferred to the High Court. The two women face the death sentence if convicted. But it is not thought the teenagers will face it. Malaysia's government has said it plans to abolish capital punishment for crimes and has put all death sentences on hold. Cradle Fund Sendirian Berhad, is a government-owned venture capital firm that provides seed money to tech startups. Mr Hassan recieved a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B hons) from the University of Buckingham in 1994. He also completed his Master of Laws in 1997 at King's College London. He was also a committee member of the United Kingdom Executive Council for Malaysian Students (UKEC). Nazrin was appointed CEO of Cradle Fund in October 2007. Advertisement The moment a wayward pet caused a stampede of dozens of deer including several fully-grown stags in a London park has been cpatured by a photographer. The animals were chased across Richmond Park in southwest London by a dog before crossing back across one of the park's waterways and straight towards the lens of the lucky snapper. The unnamed photographer was capturing the park's famous red and fallow deer from a distance when suddenly he saw them moving at speed. Bucks startled by the appearance of the pet launched themselves into the water creating a spectacular splashing scene The animals moved as a group towards the photographer to escape the marauding pet, placing him in the perfect spot The lucky snapper was able to capture the speed and energy of the deer as they ran past his lens leaving the dog in their wake He realised the animals were stampeding after fleeing from a dog off the lead, which was chasing them. Eventually the wild animals gathered in a protective group and the dog could no longer worry them and the stampede ran out of steam. The photographer said: 'The dog chased the deer across the river, then it was chasing them in circles. Deer in the distance start to move as the large brown dog (circled) heads in their direction across the grass they graze As the dog picks up speed the panic among the deer increases and they run fast into the gloom of Richmond Park, as one buck trots into the water towards the camera 'Luckily, then the group came together so the dog couldn't pick off a single one. 'I wasn't expecting the deer to circle back and come back across the river.' The 630 red and fallow deer of the park, which is a national Nature Reserve, have been roaming freely since 1637. The deer have played a major role in the park's history and have shaped the landscape too. Its grassland is dependent on grazing by the herds and the parkland trees have a distinctive 'browse line' as the deer eat all the leaves and twigs growing below about 1.5 metres. Nine of the animals entered the water in a group and picked up speed as they ran from the dog in the London parkland The bucks were joined by others as the animals sought refuge in safety in numbers having fled the grassland they graze Deer grazing also prevents tree seedlings from growing, keeping the grassland open. During the autumn breeding season the bucks roar, bark, and clash antlers as they compete for the attentions of the females. The young are born between May and July and are hidden by their mothers in the bracken and long grass. Simon Richards, Park Manager at Richmond Park said: 'These pictures clearly show distressed deer trying to flee from an out of control dog. Incidents such as these are very traumatic for the deer and can result in fatalities as they may flee across park roads to escape. 'We take the welfare of our deer very seriously. Our message is clear; if you cannot control your dog then ensure it is on a lead and always keep your distance from deer. Otherwise owners may face prosecution.' The top three selling cars in Australia are all utes for only the second time in motoring history. The Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and the newly-released Mitsubishi Triton dominated the sales charts in February. Thai-built models held the top spots, marking only the second time in Australian motoring history that utes have been the three bestsellers. The story was very different for small hatchbacks with sales of the Toyota Corolla, once Australia's best-selling car, diving by more than a third as buyers also turned away from the Mazda3 and Hyundai i30. Australia's top three selling cars are utes for only the second time in motoring history (the Toyota Hilux pictured held the top spot in February) With utes in vogue, sales of the Mitsubishi Triton surged by an astonishing 66.6 per cent in February, compared with the same month in 2018, only weeks after a new model was released in Australia, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data showed. It also took out the third spot on the Australia for the first time since June 2018, when utes were Australia's top three sellers for the first time ever. Mitsubishi had a particularly good month, with sales of the ASX SUV more than doubling from 902 to 2,122, or a massive 135.2 per cent in one year. Not all SUVs were as popular, with sales of the Toyota RAV4 diving by 11 per cent as showrooms clear out existing stock to make room for an all-new model. Sales of the Mitsubishi Triton (pictured) surged by an astonishing 66.6 per cent in February, compared with the same month in 2018, only weeks after a new model was released in Australia. It held the third spot last month Utes were Australia's top-three selling cars in February, as they were in June 2018 (pictured is a Ford Ranger Raptor) Toyota also had a particularly shocking month with the Corolla, as sales dived by more than a third, or 36.7 per cent compared with February 2018, even though the model was only released in August last year. The Corolla was Australia's bestselling car from 2012 to 2015. Automotive bestsellers 1. Toyota Hilux up 0.1% to 4,431 2. Ford Ranger down 4.7% to 3,377 3. Mitsubishi Triton up 66.6% to 3,155 4. Mazda3 down 9.5% to 2,655 5. Mazda CX-5 up 7.6% to 2,357 6. Mitsubishi ASX up 135.5% to 2,122 7. Toyota Corolla down 36.7% to 2,070 8. Hyundai i30 down 11.6% to 1,929 9. Toyota LandCruiser up 0.9% to 1,804 10. Toyota RAV4 down 11% to 1,639 Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries VFacts sales data for February 2019 compared with February 2018 Advertisement In December, Toyota issued a recall notice about the Continuously Variable Transmission's faulty torque converter, warning a 'manufacturing error' could cause the blades to detach. Hyundai also had a harder time selling hatchbacks, with i30 sales plummeting by 11.6 per cent in a year. Mazda3 sales also tumbled, falling by an annual pace of 9.5 per cent in February despite run-out discounts as some buyers wait for an all-new model to arrive at dealers later this year. Mazda had more luck with the CX-5 SUV, with sales rising by 7.6 per cent to 2,357, putting it less than 300 sales behind the Mazda3. Australia's vehicle sales tally of 87,102 for February was 9.3 per cent weaker compared with the same month last year. Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber blamed falling house prices in Sydney and Melbourne for making consumers more reluctant to buy a car. 'Given the current challenging economic conditions, including a downturn in the housing market, the automotive industry is not surprised by the slower start to the year,' he said. A school principal has been cleared of any wrongdoing by police after he was caught on camera dragging a student by the arm across a school playground. Steve Warner stood down as principal of Manor Lakes P-12 College in Wyndham Vale, Melbourne, after the video was shared on social media and left some people outraged. Victoria Police are no longer investigating the January 31 incident and have ruled that Mr Warner committed no criminal offence. Police are no longer investigating a video which shows principal Steve Warner (pictured) dragging a student by the arm The case has now been dropped by police and has been reassigned to the Department of Education and Training (DET). A DET spokesperson said they will continue the investigations and are 'committed to ensuring it is over in the coming weeks.' 'An independent investigation into this matter is currently under way.' 'In accordance with established processes, the principal will not be at the school while the investigation is being conducted.' The boy's sister Bianca Moore said he had to move to another school after the incident. She told Daily Mail Australia: 'He suffers from ADHD and anxiety and obviously starting at a new school has upset him, he was having a tantrum.' 'I believe he was asked to share something to the class as it was their first day he didn't want to and became upset.' 'The principal was called to remove him which is fair enough, I agree with that. But the fact he was dragged by his arm and now has bruising from this shows how rough the principal was,' Ms Moore said. The video which was posted on social media outraged people. The case has been reassigned to Department of Education and Training It is understood that Mr Warner has been reassigned to work in a regional education office while the investigation is underway. Education Minister James Merlino said the video left him 'appalled and concerned.' However 14,878 people have signed a petition to reinstate Mr Warner as principal of Manor Lakes. The ex-wife of the 'Kiwi jihadist' who left New Zealand to join ISIS in Syria described her former husband as a 'very soft man' who 'needed love'. Mark Taylor's former partner revealed he was an 'unstable character' who was addicted to playing a war video game, in a never-before published interview with Stuff. Taylor, 42, joined the Islamic State in 2014, but was widely mocked as the 'bumbling Kiwi Jihadi' after accidentally revealing his location in a social media post in 2017. The Indonesian woman, who was not named, spoke to the publication via email in the wake of his defection in 2014. She revealed Taylor had bemoaned the fact that he was branded an 'idiot' by the media and lost confidence as a result. 'Step by step he got back his self confident (sic) here. He needs love. He is very soft man in heart. Sensitive person. Easy to trust stranger,' she said. She described herself as a 'happy person' while he was a loner. The ex-partner of the 'Kiwi jihadist' Mark Taylor (pictured) revealed he had an 'unstable character' and was addicted to playing a war video game, in a never-before published interview Taylor (pictured) was revealed to have fled the Islamic State in December before being surrendering and is now in a Kurdish jail The woman said the two got together after Taylor had been searching for a Muslim wife, but admitted they often argued over his obsession with war games, which seemed to inspire his decision to join the terrorist organisation. 'He played game every day in long hours. He promised to change but finally he can't. We keep arguing every day about his bad habit and he was unhappy with me being hard on him about it,' she added. 'He wants to get a better financial for family. Then he changed his mind to go to Syria to fight like a battle game that he used to play mostly every day. He contacted me after 3 months and says he missed me much finally.' She also said Taylor was 'stupid' for allegedly burning his own passport after a 'criminal' tried to take it. Taylor eventually fled the Islamic State in December 2018 before surrendering in Northern Syria and has been revealed to be in a Kurdish jail. In his first interview since he was captured, he told ABC's Middle East correspondent Adam Harvey that one of his regrets was never being able to afford a Yazidi slave because a 'decent one' was too expensive. He also claimed he never fought for ISIS and only acted as a guard during his five-years with the terror group on the border between the Islamic State's territory and that controlled by the Syrian Government. The woman, who was not named, revealed Taylor had bemoaned the fact that he was branded an 'idiot' by the media and lost confidence as a result 'To buy a slave, you're looking at least $4000 American to buy an older woman, at least past 50-years-old,' he told ABC. 'And to buy a decent one, at least (USD) $10,000 or $20,000.' ISIS took thousands of Yazidi women and girls hostage as sex slaves during their reign of terror. Taylor told the ABC he would be surprised if New Zealand refused to take him back. The nation doesn't have the same duel citizenship laws as Australia or Britain, who are able to revoke a person's citizenship so long as it doesn't leave them stateless. He said upon his return to his home country, he would expect to serve time in prison. Taylor said he was 'in a pickle' in the weeks before he left Syria. 'There was no food, no money, basic services were pretty much collapsed. I was in a pickle myself and had to make a final decision, which was to leave,' Taylor told ABC. 'That was a hard decision to call, because people were telling me 'you can't leave, you came here for the sake of Allah, you came here to die'.' In 2015, the US Government declared Taylor a global terrorist. He had encouraged attacks in Australia and New Zealand, including releasing a YouTube video in which he told followers to 'stab a few police officers, soldiers on Anzac Day'. Taylor has lived in Australia sporadically over the course of the past 25 years. He spent time in and out of prison in the Middle East, including a 50-day stint in an IS jail for tweeting with his location attached. Forgetting to disable the geo-tagging feature on his Twitter, Taylor took to the social media platform to ask for doctors and dentists to join him in 2014. A series of 45 tweets send from the handle @M_Taylor_Kiwi were saved by the Canadian based social media jihad monitor Ibrabo. Taylor got in trouble with Islamic State officials for posting tweets with the location on Julie Bishop has appeared to criticise former Prime Minister Tony Abbott for making himself Minister for Women in 2013. Abbott received scathing criticism from women's activists when he appointed himself to the role with West Australian senator Michaelia Cash as minister assisting. Ms Bishop, who was the only female in the cabinet at the time, said the moment highlighted for her how behind Australia was in terms of gender equality in politics. Julie Bishop has appeared to criticise her former boss Tony Abbott (pictured together during the Generation One breakfast at Parliament House in Canberra in 2013) for making himself Minister for Women in 2013 Speaking at the Frankly Women Leadership Forum in Hobart on Tuesday to celebrate International Women's Day, she said: 'Back in 2006 I was appointed to cabinet as the minister for education, science and training and as the minister for women's issues. 'I was asked constantly by men, only men, "why isn't there a minister for men's issues?" 'I thought the answer so self-evident that it didn't require a response. Fast forward to 2013 when I was back in cabinet as the deputy leader of the Liberal party and the minister for foreign affairs. 'I was the only woman in that 19-member cabinet so prime minister Tony Abbott appointed himself the minister for women's issues. 'Some seven years on I thought it was quite clear that we have some way to go in addressing the issues of gender equality and stagnation.' Abbott (pictured with Bishop in 2014) made himself Minister for Women in attempt to attract the support of female voters. Abbott made himself Minister for Women in attempt to attract the support of female voters. He said he made the decision so that women's issues could be taken seriously and overseen by the highest level of government. But his time in the role was not without controversy. In 2014, Abbott was ridiculed for saying that repealing the carbon tax was his greatest achievement as Minister for Women. Asked what his greatest achievement in the role was, Mr Abbott told the Nine Network: 'Well, you know, it's very important to do the right thing by families and households and, as many of us know, women are particularly focused on the household budget and the repeal of the carbon tax means a $550-a-year benefit for the average family.' It comes after Julie Bishop announced her resignation in February, just six months after being humiliatingly defeated in a Liberal Party leadership ballot to become Prime Minister. Julie Bishop (pictured) has announced she is quitting politics and will not run at the next election 'I will not recontest the seat of Curtin at the next election,' the former Liberal deputy leader and foreign minister told Parliament. In a short House of Representatives speech, the 62-year-old former corporate lawyer said she was proud to have served 'my beloved Liberal Party, my state of Western Australia, and my country.' She is retiring from her ultra-safe Perth electorate of Curtin, after receiving just 11 votes in the Liberal Party leadership ballot to succeed Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister. Ms Bishop - who was the Liberal Party's deputy leader from 2007 to 2018 under Brendan Nelson, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull - went to the backbench in August 2018, and was seated next to renegade former Liberal MP Julia Banks. Despite losing the support of her moderate faction last year to become the third Liberal Prime Minister since 2013, she was optimistic about the Coalition's chances of winning the 2019 election. The 62-year-old former corporate lawyer told the House of Representatives she was proud to have served 'my beloved Liberal Party, my state of Western Australia, and my country' When resigning, Ms Bishop hugged a former cabinet colleague Kelly O'Dwyer (right), who is also retiring at the next election, and walked out of Parliament Ms Bishop's resignation had been expected since she lost the Liberal Party leadership race on August 24, in a three-way contest with Mr Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. None of her West Australian colleagues supported her as 85 Liberal MPs cast their vote. She has been an MP since 1998, and was Australia's first female foreign minister and deputy Liberal leader. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, whose Labor Party is favoured to win the upcoming May election, hinted Ms Bishop could be given a diplomatic post if he were Prime Minister. 'I hope that whatever she chooses to do in the future that she contemplates some form of public service,' he said. Mr Turnbull also gave a gushing tribute to the woman who served as his Liberal Party deputy twice, in 2008 and 2009 and again from 2015 to last year. Julie Bishop (pictured in 2013) had served as Liberal Party deputy leader from 2007 to 2018 but went to the backbench in August last year after losing a leadership ballot resoundingly 'You have been our finest foreign minister - eloquent, elegant and always courageous advancing our national interest in these challenging times,' he said. Ms Bishop, who grew up in the Adelaide Hills, moved to Perth during the 1980s and was later the managing partner of corporate law firm Clayton Utz. The divorced former senior cabinet minister is in a relationship with David Panton, an entrepreneur from Melbourne who has two daughters. West Australian Greens senator Jordon Steele-John suggested she had delayed her retirement from politics to thwart right-wing Liberal ministers from seeking a safer seat in Perth as the Liberal Party faces big swings against it at the upcoming election. 'It's taken Julie Bishop a while to find a replacement that's not Christian Porter or Mathias Cormann,' he said. Kurdish YPG Group Oppress Assyrians in Syria: Activist Stockholm -- Despite the continued killing of Assyrian Christians in Syria, journalists, writers and politicians continue to promote the YPG/PKK terror group, an Assyrian activist said Monday. "The YPG is killing Assyrians, many journalists and activists are blind and deaf in front of the truth, they don't want to see behind the scene," Caroline Envia Khamo, who lives in Sweden, said in an article she wrote for the country's national broadcaster SVT in Stockholm. "Many of our people, like the Assyrian leader David Jendo who questioned the method of the YPG, were killed and tortured after being kidnapped," Khamo said, noting that the terrorists were committing arbitrary killings, and confiscating property and lands of the Assyrians. She recounted how Assyrian schools that did not accept the Kurdish language education system were attacked by the YPG/PKK: "Unfortunately, it is impossible to read these events in the Swedish media, such as the killing of Assyrians by the YPG and the oppression their schools are exposed to." Khamo noted that various international organizations had reported on demographic changes in the region perpetrated by the YPG/PKK, touching upon a report on Assyrians under YPG/PKK rule. "Many attacks on Assyrians were revealed [in the report]. Unfortunately, many politicians and journalists in Sweden didn't see these reports and fell under the fake spell of those who promote the YPG," she said. "As a Swedish Assyrian, I expect to see a condemnation against the YPG terrorists' administration from Swedish politicians," Khamo added. Washington Beef, LLC, is recalling over 30,000 pounds of its ground beef chubs products after fears they might be contaminated with 'hard plastic and metal.' The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service put out the recall, listing the 'Service Health Risk,' as 'High.' The products in question are ground beef chubs produced on December 27, 2018 that have a use or freeze by date of 01/20/2019. They were sold nationwide. One of the products that is subject to recall, a full list is available on the USDA FSIS website Headquarters of Washington Beef LLC at 201 Elmwood Road, Toppenish, Washington The possible contamination affects several products including 'St Helens 100% ground beef' and 'Double R Ranch Course Ground Beef Chubs.' The full list can be found on the USDA FSIS website. There's concerns customers might have the products in their freezers. The ground beef chubs that are being recalled have the number 'EST. 235' inside the USDA mark of inspection. Washington Beef's products are sold nationwide including their St. Helens ground beef chubs There's concerns customers might have contaminated products in their freezers Washington Beef, LLC, based in Toppenish, Washington, was alerted to the problem after a customer complained to the company on February 28. The nature of the customer's complaint isn't known. Consumers who have bought the beef products are urged not to eat them but to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. To date there have been no confirmed reports of any illnesses or reaction due to the consumption of the products, according to the USDA. Advertisement Dramatic aerial photographs show the scale of the destruction left behind by massive tornadoes that ripped through communities of mobile homes in Alabama on Sunday. Roofs were torn off homes, debris was scattered all around, and communities looked from above as if they had been hit by a bomb. Rescue crews using dogs and drones searched for victims amid splintered lumber and twisted metal on Monday after the deadliest U.S. tornado in nearly six years ripped through a rural Alabama community. At least 23 people were killed, some of them children. Dozens were missing in Lee County nearly a day after the twister struck, according to the sheriff, who said that crews had combed the hardest-hit areas but that other places had yet to be searched. The scale of the devastation caused by tornadoes which blasted through communities in Lee County, Alabama on Monday is seen in the photo above The aerial photo above shows debris from the destruction caused by tornadoes that killed at least 23 people in Lee County, Alabama on Sunday Communities of mobile homes were destroyed as tornadoes packing 170mph winds ripped through the area on Sunday The winds Sunday afternoon obliterated numerous homes, leaving huge, jumbled piles of wood and household belongings. Some homes were reduced to concrete slabs. Debris was scattered across the countryside, with shredded metal hanging from the pine trees. 'Im not going to be surprised if we dont come up with some more deceased. Hopefully we wont,' Coroner Bill Harris said. He said the dead included almost entire families and at least three children, ages 6, 9 and 10. A post on the Lee-Scott Academys Facebook page said fourth-grader Taylor Thornton was among those killed. On the day after the disaster, volunteers used chain saws to clear paths for emergency workers. Neighbors and friends helped one another find some of their belongings in the ruins. Carol Dean found her wedding dress among the wreckage of her mobile home. She also found a Fathers Day note to her husband reading, 'Daddy, I love you to pieces.' But the storm took her 53-year-old husband. She said David Wayne Dean was at home Sunday afternoon and had texted a friend to beware when the tornado hit. 'He didnt make it out,' she said. Dean said she rushed home from her job at Walmart when she couldnt reach her husband on the phone. She pushed her way past sheriffs deputies who tried to keep her out of the damaged area. Her children had found David Deans body in a neighbors yard. 'Our son found him,' Dean said between sobs Monday. 'He was done and gone before we got to him. My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up.' After the storm, Dean rushed home from work in time to say goodbye to the husband others called Roaddog, for his love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. She pushed past sheriffs deputies who tried to keep people from the area and went to where her husbands body lay. 'They took me down to him,' Dean said, 'and I got to spend a little time with him before they took him away.' At the R&D Grocery, rattled residents asked one another if they were OK. This home appears to have been ripped from its foundation by the fierce tornadoes which rolled through the area on Sunday The home is seen above from a different angle in this aerial shot. The winds Sunday afternoon obliterated numerous homes, leaving huge, jumbled piles of wood and household belongings Authorities are using drones and rescue dogs in an attempt to search for possible survivors under the rubble Some homes were reduced to concrete slabs. Debris was scattered across the countryside, with shredded metal hanging from the pine trees Authorities expect to find more bodies and the death toll to rise as search and rescue efforts continue The aerial photograph above shows damage to at least four homes as well as uprooted trees in Lee County On the day after the disaster, volunteers used chain saws to clear paths for emergency workers. Neighbors and friends helped one another find some of their belongings in the ruins Satellite trucks from news media organizations are seen parked on the side of the road as debris is scattered all about on Monday in Lee County The National Weather Service said one and possibly two tornadoes struck the area, with a powerful EF-4 twister with winds estimated at 170 mph blamed for most of the destruction The remains of five homes are seen above as debris is scattered all about in Lee County, Alabama on Monday And a big banner that read '#BEAUREGARDSTRONG' was hung on a fence at Beauregard High School. The National Weather Service said one and possibly two tornadoes struck the area, with a powerful EF-4 twister with winds estimated at 170 mph blamed for most of the destruction. It carved a path nearly a mile wide and 24 miles long, said meteorologist Chris Darden. Darden said the 'monster tornado' was the deadliest twister to hit the U.S. since May 2013, when an EF-5 killed 24 people in Moore, Oklahoma. 'It looks like someone almost just took a giant knife and scraped the ground,' Sheriff Jay Jones said. County Emergency Management Director Kathy Carson said she was 'pretty sure' that tornado sirens in Beauregard sounded warnings but that authorities were busy with the search-and-rescue and had not yet looked into the question. Crews searching door-to-door used dogs as well as drones that can detect heat from a body. 'Were basically using everything we can get our hands on,' the sheriff said. President Donald Trump tweeted that he told the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give Alabama 'the A Plus treatment.' Carol Dean found her wedding dress among the wreckage of her mobile home. But the storm took her 53-year-old husband, David Wayne Dean Carol Dean holds up her wedding photo to show family members after finding it in the rubble of the home she shared with her husband The photo is seen next to a pile of personal items near what was left of the couple's home in Beauregard, Alabama on Monday Carol Dean (right) cries while embraced by Megan Anderson and her 18-month-old daughter Madilyn, as Dean sifts through the debris of the home she shared with her husband Carol Dean is embraced by her son, David Theo Dean, near the rubble of the home she shared with her husband and David's father, David Wayne Dean Carol Dean and her son, David Theo Dean, embrace on Monday. 'He was my wedding gift,' Carol Dean says of her late husband Carol Dean holds a Father's Day note to her husband, David Wayne Dean, which she pulled out of the rubble. The note was written to David Wayne Dean by his daughter Dean was known affectionately by his friends as 'Roaddog Daddy' because of his love for Harley Davidson motorcycles. He is seen left and right with his wife The twister was part of a powerful storm system that slashed its way across the Deep South, spawning numerous tornado warnings in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. 'All we could do is just hold on for life and pray,' said Jonathan Clardy, who huddled with his family inside their Beauregard trailer as the tornado ripped the roof off. 'Its a blessing from God that me and my younguns are alive.' Beauregard, named for a Confederate general, is an unincorporated community of roughly 10,000 people near the Georgia state line. The community is in the same county as Auburn University and has a few small stores, two schools and a volunteer fire department dotting the main highway. 'Everybody in Beauregard is a real close-knit family,' Clardy said. 'Everybody knows everybody around here. Everybody is heartbroken.' Julie Morrison and her daughter-in-law picked through the remnants of Morrisons home, looking for keys and a wallet. They managed to salvage the couples safe, her husbands motorcycle boots and her embossed Bible. Morrison said she and her husband took shelter in the bathtub as the twister lifted their house off the ground and swept it into the woods. 'We knew we were flying because it picked the house up,' Morrison said, figuring that the showers fiberglass enclosure helped them survive. She said her son-in-law later dug them out. Along one hard-hit country road, giant pieces of metal from a farm building dangled from pine branches 20 feet in the air, making loud creaking sounds as the wind blew. For an entire mile down the road, pines were snapped in half. A mobile home crushed by two trees marked the end of the path of destruction. Granadas Baker retrieves personal items from his home after a tornado caused extensive damage to a neighborhood a day earlier in Beauregard Storm damage litters trees on Lee County Road 11 near the intersection of Lee County Road 39 on Monday in Beauregard This photo shows tangled wreckage of a cell tower left by US-280 in Smiths Station, Alabama on Monday Emergency personnel clear storm damage on Lee County Road 11 near the intersection of Lee County Road 39 The twister was part of a powerful storm system that slashed its way across the Deep South, spawning numerous tornado warnings in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida Lawanda Anderson holds her 18-month-old granddaughter, Madilyn, as family members sift through the debris of the home belonging to David Wayne Dean A damaged home sits along a road lined with downed trees the day after a tornado hit Beauregard on Monday Dorothy Gubich, left, helps Carol Dean sift through the rubble of the home she shared with her husband A toy truck is seen amongst the debris left behind by a tornado in Beauregard, Alabama on Monday A red Ford truck is crushed underneath downed trees after a tornado ripped through the area in Beauregard, Alabama on Monday What was once a community of homes in Lee County, Alabama has now been reduced to rubble and debris Shaun Capps sifts through the rubble of his parents' home and the house where he grew up the day after a tornado hit Beauregard on Monday Trey Capps looks over the rubble of his parents' home and the house where he grew up in Beauregard, Alabama on Monday A television news reporter stands in the distance of a debris field the day after a tornado hit Beauregard on Monday An early March tornado outbreak in the Alabama-Mississippi area is not unusual, tornado experts said. The weather services Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, posted forecasts for higher tornado activity in the region on Thursday, three days before the disaster. University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd said government forecasters 'were all over it.' An EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, in May 2011 killed 158 people. And an outbreak of tornadoes in the Southeast a month before that left an estimated 316 people dead, including at least 250 in Alabama. Earlier on Monday, a six-year-old boy and ten-year-old girl were identified as two of the 23 people killed by the tornadoes. Armando Hernandez, known as AJ, became separated from his mother in Beauregard when a tornado struck and was later found dead. His mother, Kayla Melton, had earlier appealed for information on his whereabouts on Facebook, writing: 'Please look for my baby he's 6 years old his name is Armando Hernandez he goes by AJ last seen on lee road 38. Anyone in the area please help me find him please!!!!!' His death was later confirmed by friends and family on social media. Relative Tina Melton wrote on Facebook: 'Little AJ didn't make it. He was found but he didn't survive... He was always eager to give hugs and loved his family. They are headed to the children's hospital with his brother. They also lost their home in the tornado with all belongings. Fly high AJ. You have your wings!' A GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his funeral costs has raised more than $1,100 as of Monday afternoon. A second victim was identified as Beauregard fourth grader Taylor Thornton, the daughter of Ashley and David Thornton. A description on her GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $23,000 for her funeral costs, says: 'Taylor was an amazing example of a child of God. She brought so much joy to all that knew her. She was loved dearly and will forever be missed. 'Our hearts are mourning with you Ashley and David. You raised an amazing daughter that fulfilled her purpose on this earth and it now with her creator. This community loves you both, and baby McCrae so much and will continue to walk through this by your side.' Six-year-old Armando Hernandez (left) and ten-year-old Taylor Thornton have been identified as two of the 23 people who were killed by the tornadoes that hit Alabama and Georgia on Sunday. Both youngsters were from Beauregard, a small community in Lee County, Alabama, where the worst tornado damage was reported A GoFundMe campaign set up for Taylor Thornton has raised more than $23,000 as of Monday afternoon. The description on the site says: 'Taylor was an amazing example of a child of God. She brought so much joy to all that knew her. She was loved dearly and will forever be missed.' The youngster is pictured with her parents, Ashley and David Thornton Felicia Renee Woodall (right) and her boyfriend, Ryan Pence, were confirmed to have been two of the 23 people killed The couple was reported missing since 3pm on Sunday. Their deaths were confirmed on Facebook Another fatality has been identified as Vicki Braswell, 69, who was killed when the wall of her mobile home collapsed on her as she and her family sought shelter Braswell (rear center) is pictured with family members in a Facebook memorial post by daughter-in-law Shannon Rush Rescue crews in the ravaged community of Lee County are continuing to search through the rubble for victims of Sunday's deadly tornado, the worst to hit the US since 2013. A man is seen surveying the damage at his home on Monday This aerial photo shows the extensive damage caused by the Beauregard tornado. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said rescue crews have canvassed areas with the worst damage, but the search is ongoing and the death toll could rise Friends in eastern Alabama are helping tornado survivors retrieve belongings from the wreckage of their homes Lee County Coroner Brian Harris confirmed at least 23 people had died, including three children aged six, nine and ten. At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Harris said that 17 of the victims have been identified and their families will be notified later in the day. Two more victims who have been identified as Felicia Renee Woodall and her boyfriend, Ryan Pence, KFDX-TV reported. A Facebook post indicated that they had been missing since 3pm on Sunday. According to the post, they have been confirmed two of the 23 dead. The six remaining victims will be identified via fingerprints. Harris said that they are all suspected to be persons who were reported missing. Another fatality has been identified as Vicki Braswell, 69, according to USA Today. Braswell was killed when the wall of her mobile home collapsed on her as she and her family sought shelter at 2888 Lee Road, one of the hardest-hit areas. Braswell, her daughter and granddaughter hid underneath a mattress in their home as other family members huddled nearby. 'We heard it coming but by the time we knew what it was, it hit us. Thats when all hell broke loose,' said Braswells son-in-law, Steve Whatley, 36. 'It picked us up and dumped us back down 50 feet away.' Whatleys wife is being treated at a hospital for a number of injuries. Jordan Miller, 17, a family friend, freed the trapped women by cutting the wall apart with a chainsaw. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said rescue crews have canvassed areas with the worst damage, but the search is ongoing and the death toll could rise. Devastating images show the extent of the destruction caused by an F4 tornado that tore through Beauregard on Sunday Family members can be seen consoling each other outside their damaged mobile home in Beauregard on Monday The remains of a home that was torn from its foundation are seen scattered across a wooded area several dozen feet away Debris from a friend's home stands in the background as Ashley Griggs wipes dirt from a photo of what it used to look like Hundreds of volunteers from across Alabama arrived in Lee County on Monday to help repair damage from the tornado National Weather Service spokesman Chris Darden announced that the tornado had been upgraded from an F3 to an F4 on the Fujita scale as preliminary assessments indicated that winds reached up to 170mph. The tornado was the deadliest to hit the US since 2013, when an F5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, killed 24 people. Darden said the twister left a path of destruction 24 miles long and nearly a mile wide along Alabama Highway 51 in Lee County, about 60 miles east of the state capital in Montgomery. Sheriff Jones said of the damage: 'It looks almost like someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. 'There are slabs where homes formerly stood. Whole forested areas, trees are just snapped and lying on the ground.' Darden said the NWS is assessing at least two other tornado paths from F1 twisters in Macon County and Barbour County. He said the Macon County twister appeared to cross paths with the one in Lee County. At least a dozen tornadoes were reported in the southeastern US on Sunday afternoon as a massive storm system tore across parts of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, leaving more than 40,000 people without power. Darden noted that the NWS had begun issuing tornado warnings 72 hours early on Thursday morning. Volunteers from the community worked to clear debris from an area affected by the F4 tornado on Sunday afternoon Beauregard resident Julie Morrison looks through a mountain of debris at her destroyed home on Lee County Road 63 Brittney Downs surveys the damage at a family member's property where a home was completely obliterated by the tornado A home with broken windows and part of its roof torn off stands among splintered trees snapped by the devastating winds Buildings were razed, trees uprooted and power lines torn down by winds clocking in at up to 170mph Debris is seen strewn across the interior of the Buck Wild Saloon in Smiths Station, Alabama, after the storms blew through Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones (above) told reporters on Monday morning that the death toll is expected to rise as the search resumes. He said emergency crews are committed to finding everyone reported missing or possibly trapped in the rubble A search and rescue team made up of law enforcement and volunteers is seen Monday morning in Beauregard President Trump reacted to the tornado reports on Twitter First Daughter Ivanka Trump also tweeted about the storms At the Monday afternoon press conference, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey thanked state and federal emergency response teams for their support thus far. She described how President Donald Trump called her in the morning to extend his condolences and ask if there was anything he could do to help. Trump announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was on the ground in Alabama in a tweet on Monday morning, writing: 'FEMA has been told directly by me to give the A Plus treatment to the Great State of Alabama and the wonderful people who have been so devastated by the Tornadoes. '@GovIvey, one of the best in our Country, has been so informed. She is working closely with FEMA (and me!).' The president first reacted to reports of the tornadoes on Sunday night, writing on Twitter that his thoughts and prayers were with all those affected. 'To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe,' he wrote. 'Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!' His daughter Ivanka later wrote on Twitter: 'Keeping all affected by the tornados in Georgia and Alabama in our prayers.' A tornado is seen in Dothan, Alabama, on Sunday. At least 23 people have been killed by the tornadoes that hit the state Homes were completely destroyed in Talbotton, Georgia, and the death toll is feared to climb after a deadly tornado One Twitter user shared this photo of her grandmother's house in in Pine Mountain, Georgia, after a tornado hit Jack Tibbs, mayor of Eufaula, Alabama, shared photos of an airport on Facebook, writing: 'Eufaula was hit by a pretty strong tornado. Fortunately, we have had no injuries reported. The Eufaula airport and northern industrial park were hit pretty hard' Mayor Tibbs said Lieutenant Ethan Parrish and Engineer Corey Crozier of the Eufaula Fire Department were inside the station when the tornado hit, so they took shelter in a bathroom A Eufaula Fire Department engine is seen buried under rubble in this image shared by Mayor Tibbs on Facebook An aerial view shows trees snapped like toothpicks after a 'catastrophic' tornado roared through Talbotton, Georgia First responders attempt to search for survivors in Georgia after a deadly tornado ripped through the area A vehicle is pictured under downed trees along Lee Road 11 in Beauregard, Alabama, on Sunday Powerful winds ripped the roof off of the Buck Wild Saloon located on US Highway 280, east of Smiths Station, Alabama Dozens of emergency responders were called in to assist in Lee County amid reports of at least 40 people injured in Beauregard and surrounding areas. 'We've got about 150 first responders out there,' Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, told The Associated Press. 'They are doing a phenomenal job. Sadly, we know that we have two known confirmed fatalities and many, many injuries.' Radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2pm Sunday, according to meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the National Weather Service's Birmingham office. The destruction was captured in harrowing photographs that show roofs ripped off of buildings, toppled trees with their roots torn from the ground and debris littered across miles. An emotional video shows 72-year-old Beauregard resident Earnestine Reese sitting in the ruble of her home after it was destroyed along with her daughter's trailer. Reese suffered a broken hip and was scheduled to go in for surgery this morning. She can be heard in the video talking to her grandson, who is away at college, via FaceTime and telling him to thank God for sparing her life. 'I thank the Lord. You tell God: "Thank you God." You hear me? You hear me? Tell God thank you. Tell God thank you,' she tells him. Reese' niece Delrico Eiland shared the video on Facebook. AP spoke to another resident, Dax Leandro, who was helping clean up his friend's mom's property, where two structures were obliterated, including the family's house. Leandro sifted through debris scattered in surrounding trees looking for valuables. He said some people who were inside the house ended up 'hundreds of yards away' beneath rubble but survived. An emotional video shows 72-year-old Beauregard resident Earnestine Reese sitting in the ruble of her home after it was destroyed along with her daughter's trailer. Reese, who suffered a broken hip and was scheduled to go in for surgery Monday morning, can be heard in the video thanking God for sparing her life A fallen cell tower lies across US Route 280 highway in Lee County, Alabama, outside the town of Smiths Station The roof of a house in Beauregard can be seen lying on the ground after being completely torn off by a tornado A piece of sheet metal torn off a structure by 165mph winds can be seen wrapped around a tree in Beauregard The roof of the Buckwild Saloon is seen ripped clean off after a tornado touched down in eastern Alabama on Sunday In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 80 miles south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency. Televised broadcast news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches. 'The last check I had was between six and eight injuries,' Erenheim said in a phone interview. 'From what I understand it was minor injuries, though one fellow did say his leg might be broken.' She said searches of damaged homes and structures in that area had turned up no serious injuries or deaths. Beauregard resident Scott Fillmer posted this photo of a large tree ripped from the ground lying in the middle of a road The National Weather service shared these images, writing: 'TORNADO EMERGENCY for southern Lee & northern Russell Counties! Large & EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO ON THE GROUND near Dupree, moving East. PLEASE TAKE SHELTER NOW if you live between Dupree & Smiths Station!!' Henry Wilson of the Peach County Emergency Management Agency near Macon in central Georgia said a barn had been destroyed and trees and power poles had been snapped, leaving many in the area without power. Authorities said a tornado was confirmed by radar in the Florida Panhandle late Sunday afternoon. A portion of Interstate 10 on the Florida Panhandle was blocked in one direction in Walton County in the aftermath, said Don Harrigan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. 'There's a squall line moving through the area,' Harrigan told AP. 'And when you have a mature line of storms moving into an area where low level winds are very strong, you tend to have tornadoes developing. It's a favorable environment for tornados.' The threat of severe weather was expected to continue until late Sunday. A tornado watch was in effect for much of eastern Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. The tornado watch also covered a large area of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston and Columbia. In Lexington County, South Carolina, about 150 people hunkered down together at the Red Bank Baptist Church to wait out the storms. The State reported that children sang 'Jesus Loves Me' during a regular Sunday night service before the group had to move from the sanctuary to a long hall during the storm, which knocked a column down in the front of the building and damaged another. Derrec Becker with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said no deaths or serious injuries have been reported in the state because of the storms, but about 8,000 people lost power. A view of a tornado seen in the distance beyond a truck stop in Warner Robins, Georgia, on Sunday An extremely lucky goat has managed to survive despite raging bushfires burning down the entire farm around him. Aaron Pinxt shared a photo of the goat near Bunyip in south-eastern Victoria on Tuesday. The animal was seen surrounded by scorched earth and barren land after fire ripped through its home. Already tens of thousands of hectares of land have been destroyed and scores of houses razed to the ground as 40 active fires continue to burn. An extremely lucky goat (pictured) has managed to survive despite raging bushfires burning down the entire farm around him Already thousands of hectares of land have been destroyed and scores of houses razed to the ground as 40 active fires continue to burn At least 11 properties have been destroyed - nine in Bunyip and two in Yinnar - as fires burn throughout Victoria Mr Pinxt said the animal was the 'luckiest goat in the Bunyip fires'. He said he came across the goat tied to a fence at a property on Sunday. 'He'd been surrounded by fire throughout the day, yet the one square metre patch of dirt and grass he was standing on didn't burn,' Mr Pinxt posted to Facebook. 'We checked him over for injuries of which he had none, blacked out the hot burnt grass around him, before finding a drum and filling it with fresh water from our truck for him to drink. 'Hopefully that water will keep him going until his owners are allowed back home. Everything around this guy was burnt, yet somehow this guy survived without a scratch.' Mr Pinxt's photo was shared more than 1000 times on Facebook, and has attracted hundreds of comments since it was shared on Tuesday. At least 11 properties have been destroyed - nine in Bunyip and two in Yinnar - as fires burn throughout Victoria. An emergency warning was issued for the Dargo bushfire burning in the state's east on Tuesday. The Bunyip State Park continues to burn out of control with two watch and act alerts imposed in the area More damage is expected to be discovered as residents are slowly allowed back in some parts of the fire-affected areas Pictured: Spotfire on the Bunyip side of the Princes Highway in Victoria More damage is expected to be discovered as residents are slowly allowed back in to some parts of the fire-affected areas. The Princes Freeway has reopened with residents allowed to get through to fire-ravaged areas near Bunyip State Park. Though some local roads remain closed, such as Bessie Creek and Fogarty roads. Fire authorities have counted as many as 11 lightning strikes overnight that sparked numerous spotfires throughout the Gippsland area. All emergency warnings have been downgraded to watch-and-act, with six currently in place Fire authorities have counted as many as 11 lightning strikes overnight that sparked numerous spotfires throughout the Gippsland area Though these were in unpopulated areas and quickly brought under control. A watch and alert remains in place for three fires near Dargo in the state's east. Two blazes north-west of Dargo continue to move towards each other. Two watch and act alerts remain in place for a 17,000 hectare fire east of Licola. Fire breaks are currently being built around private properties in a bid to protect them from the raging blazes. Communities around Valencia Creek, south-east of the fire near Licola are on high alert. A trendy Bondi bar frequented by Sydney's star set is being pursued for almost $100,000 in debts. Upper East Side opened in 2017 and quickly became popular on the Bondi scene as social media influencers flocked to take photos beneath the bar's fairylight-lit roof. Home and Away star Sam Frost and Instagram models such as Madi Edwards, and Bianca and Yasmin Wilshin were among the regulars customers. But while painting a picture of affluence on social media, the venue ran up debts of $95,606 to eight businesses who had provided food, alcohol and services since it opened. The businesses pursing the bar included Roxy Jacenko's prominent PR firm Sweaty Betty, which was owed $10,102. Despite being ordered by a court to pay up, Upper East Side's owner Ussi Da Silva was yet to settle the debts - which included an outstanding bill of $37,000 from a labour hire company. Since opening in 2017 the bar has become popular among reality TV stars such as Sam Frost (back row, second from right) Roxy Jacenko (pictured) and her firm PR Sweaty Betty provided services for Upper East Side. Lawyers are due back in court on Friday to pursue Mr Da Silva for unpaid invoices of $10,102 ASIC documents seen by Daily Mail Australia listed some of the companies who had outstanding debts owed to them by Mr Da Silva's business. The biggest outstanding debt was $36,745 owed to consultancy firm JRM Hospitality. It was understood JRM was engaged by the bar to employ staff after a number of chefs and other staff walked off the job suddenly in mid-2017. Ms Jacenko's firm was employed to promote the popular bar, but their invoices went unpaid and the matter was due to be heard in Waverley Local Court on Friday. 'The matter before the court is in relation to monies owed to Sweaty Betty PR,' Ms Jacenko said in a statement. While the PR maven had the finances to employ a legal team to fight her battle, many of the small businesses left out of pocket by Mr Da Silva can not. Among them were several liquor and wine companies who provided alcohol to the bar but never had their invoices paid. $11,880 is owed to Gateway Liquor, while small wine distributor Vintage and Vine was out of pocket $8,790. ASIC documents seen by Daily Mail Australia reveal Mr Da Silva (pictured) owes $95,606 to a number of Sydney-based businesses Upper East Side became popular on the Bondi scene with social media influencers wanting to take photos beneath the bar's fairy light lit roof (pictured), but WHO UPPER EAST SIDE OWES: * Design Collaborative: $6,530 * Foodlink Australia Pty Ltd: $10,471 * Vintage & Vine Pty Ltd: $8,790 * Sweaty Betty PR: $10,102 * JRM Hospitality (Sydney): $36,745 * Comida Pty Ltd: $3,230 * Simon Johnson Quality Foods: $6,558 * Gateway Liquor Pty Ltd: $11,880 Advertisement The owner of Vintage and Vine said that constant calls and emails to Mr Da Silva and Upper East Side had gone unanswered, and the bills remained unpaid. 'We always request that for a new client, they pre-pay their first three invoices, which these guys did,' Mr Burkitt said. 'But since then they haven't paid a single one. They had three orders in late 2017 and early 2018, all of which went unpaid. 'We sent emails and made phone calls, but nothing. It's very hard for a small business like ours to essentially just see that money go down the drain. 'It's very clear what has happened here. He's come into the restaurant game and very quickly realised Bondi isn't so easy.' Mr Burkitt said that in order to recoup the almost $9,000 they are owed they need to sell more than $100,000 worth of wine. Also out of pocket is Simon Osborn, the owner of Rocks Brewing Company in Alexandria, who is owed approximately $1300. Many of the business owners owed money by Mr Da Silva (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia they repeatedly called and emailed him without response Instagram models like Madi Edwards (left) and former Love Island star Cassidy McGill (right) are among the stars regularly in attendance at the restaurant Former Miss Universe Australia winner Laura Dundovic (pictured) poses for a photo outside Upper East Side He said after debt collectors failed to get back his money he wrote it off, and taking Mr Da Silva to court was likely to cost him more than he was owed. 'I've spoken with this company four or five times in the last few months and I was promised every time that I would see the money,' Mr Osborn said. 'I even went out there to visit them and pointed out that our cider and beer was on their shelves and they promised again that I would be paid, but nothing has been. 'We're just a small business and for me to pay lawyers is going to mean that we end up spending more than the $1300 we are owed. 'It's a constant battle for us because we've been kicked out of the pubs by the giants and so we're left to deal with restaurants and bars - and on occasions they are run by crooks.' Only one company, Redfern-based wine provider Enoteca, has been reimbursed the $3,230 they were owed. Mr Da Silva (pictured) did not return Daily Mail Australia's requests for comment on Tuesday Enoteca owner Andreas Puhar said it took eight long months of constant calling and letters from lawyers before they were paid. 'We'd call weekly and email fortnightly with a reminder that of their overdue account, but we never got a response.' Mr Puhar said. 'They always give us excuses like: "The girl that deals with this is away on leave", or "she is just out at the minute", or "they've quit". 'It wasn't until we got in the lawyers to chase them that we finally got it back. It was just criminal they way they treated us and the other businesses.' Mr Da Silva did not return Daily Mail Australia's requests for comment on Tuesday. JAMES COMEY Clinton is furious that Comey, then the FBI director, publicly revealed the re-opening of the secret email server investigation just before election day - and has said so time after time after time. THE FBI Comey's entire organization does not escape her wrath. 'The FBI wasn't the Federal Bureau of Ifs or Innuendoes. Its job was to find out the facts,' she writes in What Happened. VLADIMIR PUTIN 'There's no doubt in my mind that Putin wanted me to lose and wanted Trump to win,' she told USA Today in September last year while promoting What Happened. It was hardly a new theme. As early as December the New York Times obtained audio in which she told her donors: 'Putin publicly blamed me for the outpouring of outrage by his own people, and that is the direct line between what he said back then and what he did in this election.' THE RUSSIANS Putin's entire apparatus gets a name-check. In May she told the Codecon convention how '1,000 Russian agents' had filled Facebook with 'fake news'. She told NPR 'my path toward November was being disrupted with Russians'. WIKILEAKS The 'transparency website' is consistently ranked along with Comey by Clinton at the top of her blame list. She told NPR : 'Unfortunately the Comey letter, aided to great measure by the Russian WikiLeaks, raised all those doubts again.' And she writes of its founder Julian Assange in What Happened: 'In my view, Assange is a hypocrite who deserves to be held accountable for his actions.' LOW INFORMATION VOTERS 'You put yourself in the position of a low information voter, and all of a sudden your Facebook feed, your Twitter account is saying, "Oh my gosh, Hillary Clinton is running a child trafficking operation in Washington with John Podesta.",' she told the Codecon convention in May. 'Well you don't believe it but this has been such an unbelievable election, you kind of go, 'Oh maybe I better look into that.'' THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE 'We have an electoral college problem. It's an anachronism,' she told Vox. ANTI-AMERICAN FORCES 'I think it's important that we learn the real lessons from this last campaign because the forces that we are up against are not just interested in influencing our elections and our politics, they're going after our economy and they're going after our unity as a nation,' she told Codecon in May. 'What is hard for people to really accept - although now after the election there's greater understanding - is that there are forces in our country - put the Russians to one side - who have been fighting rear guard actions for as long as I've been alive because my life coincided with the Civil Rights movement, with the women's rights movement, with anti-war protesting, with the impeachment. EVERYONE WHO ASSUMED SHE WOULD WIN 'I was the victim of a very broad assumption that I was going to win,' she told the Codecon convention. BAD POLLING NUMBERS Clinton says polls in key states did not serve her. 'I think polling is going to have to undergo some revisions in how they actually measure people,' she told the Codecon convention. 'How they reach people. The best assessments as of right now are that the polling was not that inaccurate, but it was predominantly national polling and I won nationally.' BARACK OBAMA Clinton has two beefs with Obama: one of them being that he won two terms. Clinton says that succeeding an incumbent is almost impossible for a Democrat. 'No non-incumbent Democrat had run successfully to succeed another two-termer since Vice President Martin Van Buren won in 1836,' she writes in What Happened. But she also says his response to the Russian campaign of interference wasn't enough. 'I do wonder sometimes about what would have happened if President Obama had made a televised address to the nation in the fall of 2016 warning that our democracy was under attack,' she writes in What Happened. WHITE WOMEN 'I believe absent Comey, I might've picked up 1 or 2 points among white women,' she told Vox in September. 'White woman... are really quite politically dependent on their view of their own security and their own position in society what works and doesn't work for them.' 'What happened in my election is I was on the way to winning white women until former director of the FBI Jim Comey dropped that very ill-advised letter on Oct. the 28th and my numbers just went down,' she said in a March 2018 speech in India. 'All of a sudden white women who were going to vote for me, and frankly standing up to the men in their lives and the men in their work places were being told, "She's going to jail, you don't want to vote for her. It's going to be terrible you can't vote for that." It stopped my momentum and it decreased my vote enough. Because I was ahead and I was winning and I thought I had fought my way back. ' THE NEW YORK TIMES The newspaper was blamed as early as May at the Codecon conference in Rancho Palos Verde, California. She singled out its managing editor Dean Baquet - the paper's most senior editor - and said of coverage of her email issue under his direction: 'They covered it like it was Pearl Harbor.' JOE BIDEN Biden could have run against her and didn't. But Clinton writes: 'Joe Biden said the Democratic Party in 2016 'did not talk about what it always stood forand that was how to maintain a burgeoning middle class.' 'I find this fairly remarkable, considering that Joe himself campaigned for me all over the Midwest and talked plenty about the middle class.' BERNIE SANDERS 'His attacks caused lasting damage, making it harder to unify progressives in the general election and paving the way for Trump's 'Crooked Hillary' campaign,' she writes in What Happened. 'I don't know if that bothered Bernie or not.' BERNIE BROS 'Some of his supporters, the so-called Bernie Bros, took to harassing my supporters online. It got ugly and more than a little sexist,' she writes in What Happened. PEOPLE WANTING CHANGE 'I thought, at end of day, people would say, look, we do want change, and we want the right kind of change, and we want change that is realistic and is going to make difference in my life and my family's life and my paycheck,' she told Vox. 'That's what I was offering. And I didn't in any way want to feed into this, not just radical political argument that was being made on other side, but very negative cultural argument about who we are as Americans.' MISOGYNISTS Asked by CNN's Christine Amanpour at the Women for Women International event in new York in May if misogyny was to blame she said: 'Yes, I do think it played a role.' TELEVISION EXECUTIVES 'When you have a presidential campaign and the total number of minutes on TV news, which is still how most people get their information, covering all of our policies, climate change, anything else was 32 minutes, I don't blame voters,' she told The View. 'They don't get a broad base of information to make decision on. The more outrageous you are, the more inflammatory you are, the higher the ratings are.' NETFLIX Hillary does not do Netflix and chill - or if she does, she doesn't find it very relaxing. 'Eight of the top 10 political documentaries on Netflix were screeds against President Obama and me,' she claimed at the Codecon convention. FACEBOOK 'If you look at Facebook the vast majority of the news items posted were fake. They were connected to as we now know the 1,000 Russian agents who were involved in delivering those messages,' she told Codecon. TWITTER Usually mentioned in the same breath as Facebook, the micro-blogging site is seen by Clinton as one of the reasons for her loss. She told the Codecon convention in may that Trump had a method in his tweets. 'They want to influence your reality. That to me is what we're up against, and we can't let that go unanswered,' she said. CONTENT FARMS IN MACEDONIA 'Through content farms, through an enormous investment in falsehoods, fake news, call it what you will - lies, that's a good word too - the other side was using content that was flat out false,' she told the Codecon convention in May. 'They were conveying this weaponized information and the content of it, and they were running, y'know there's all these stories, about y'know, and you know I've seen them now, and you sit there and it looks like you know sort of low level CNN operation, or a fake newspaper.' CAMPAIGN FINANCE 'You had Citizens United come to its full fruition.' she told Codecon in May. 'So unaccountable money flowing in against me, against other Democrats, in a way that we hadn't seen and then attached to this weaponized information war. THE MEDIA 'American journalists who eagerly and uncritically repeated whatever WikiLeaks dished out during the campaign could learn from the responsible way the French press handled the hack of Macron,' she writes in What Happened. Now-president Macron had a massive tranche of his emails hacked and released shortly before the French voted. Many outlets did not report on their contents. STEVE BANNON AND BREITBART 'Provided the untrue stories,' she told the Codecon convention in May. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY 'I set up my campaign and we have our own data operation. I get the nomination. So I'm now the nominee of the Democratic Party. I inherit nothing from the Democratic Party,' Clinton said told the Codecon convention in May. 'I mean, it was bankrupt. It was on the verge of insolvency. Its data was mediocre to poor, nonexistent, wrong. I had to inject money into it.' THE REPUBLICAN PARTY The Republicans were far better prepared for a campaign than the Democrats she claimed, when it came to money and data, telling the Codecon convention: 'So Trump becomes the nominee and he is basically handed this tried and true, effective foundation.' CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA The data-targeting firm ultimately owned by Robert Mercer, the billionaire Breitbart backer, and his family, is said to have targeted voters to drive them away from Clinton. 'They ultimately added something and I think again we'd better understand that. The Mercers did not invest all that money for their own amusement,' she told the Codecon convention. WOMEN PROTESTERS The massive demonstrations in Washington and other cities in the wake of the election were organized as an immediate response to Clinton's shock defeat. But that did not stop Clinton from writing in What Happened: 'I couldn't help but ask where those feelings of solidarity, outrage and passion had been during the election.' MATT LAUER The NBC Today show anchor quizzed both candidates at a 'commander-in-chief forum' on board Intrepid in New York. But Clinton - who went first in the back-to-back interviews, complained about Lauer focusing on her secret server and whether it raised questions over her trustworthiness. 'Lauer had turned what should have been a serious discussion into a pointless ambush. What a waste of time,' she writes in What Happened. She later delighted in his firing for sexual misconduct, saying in December: 'Every day I believe more in karma.' WHITE VOTERS 'White voters have been fleeing the Democratic party ever since Lyndon Johnson predicted they would,' she told Vox. DEMOCRATIC DOCUMENTARY MAKERS 'We're not making the documentaries that we're going to get onto Netflix,' she told Codecon. She was asked by the interviewer: 'This is because Hollywood isn't liberal enough?' 'No, it's because Democrats aren't putting their money there,' she replied. BENGHAZI INVESTIGATORS The attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in the Libyan city of Benghazi on September 11, 2012, happened when Clinton was Secretary of State. It claimed four American lives, and was the focus of intense investigation by Congress. Clinton told the Today show: 'Take the Benghazi tragedy - you know, I have one of the top Republicans, Kevin McCarthy, admitting we're going to take that tragedy - because, you know, we've lost people, unfortunately, going back to the Reagan administration, if you talk about recent times, in diplomatic attacks. 'But boy, it was turned into a political football. And it was aimed at undermining my credibility, my record, my accomplishments.' VOTER SUPPRESSION Suppressing her voters was named by Clinton as one of the major factors in her defeat in her interview on the Today show when she rattled off her laundry list. 'What was at work here?' she said. 'In addition to the mistakes that I made, which I recount in the book, what about endemic sexism and misogyny, not just in politics but in our society, what about the unprecedented action of the FBI director, what about the interference of an adversary nation, what about voter suppression?' It was a return to a theme - she suggested it was a problem in Wisconsin in an interview in May with New York magazine. 'I would have won had I not been subjected to the unprecedented attacks by Comey and the Russians, aided and abetted by the suppression of the vote, particularly in Wisconsin,' she said. 'Republicans learned that if you suppress votes you win.' MITCH McCONNELL The Senate majority leader is accused of stopping the Obama administration from revealing what Clinton says the Russians were up to, helping tip the balance against her because he did not want a third successive Democratic term in the White House. 'Mitch McConnell, in what I think of as a not only unpatriotic but despicable act of partisan politics, made it clear that if the Obama Administration spoke publicly about what they knew [on Russia], he would accuse them of partisan politics, of trying to tip the balance toward me,' she told the New Yorker. THE SUPREME COURT Clinton claims the Supreme Court watered down the Voting Rights Act at the Codecon convention. 'You had effective suppression of votes,' she said. 'I was in the senate when we voted 98-0 under a Republican president, George W Bush, to extend the Voting Rights Act and the Supreme Court says 'oh we don't need it any more' , throws it out, and Republican governors and legislatures began doing everything they could to suppress the votes.' Clinton appears to be referring to Second 4(b) of the Act being ruled unconstitutional by the court in 2013, because it relied on out of date data which meant it was not in line with the 15th Amendment. FATHERS, HUSBANDS, BOYFRIENDS, AND MALE BOSSES Clinton says that James Comey's actions in re-opening the FBI investigation allowed men to influence their wives or girlfriends. 'Women will have no empathy for you because they will be under tremendous pressure - and I'm talking principally about white women - they will be under tremendous pressure from fathers, and husbands, and boyfriends and male employers, not to vote for 'the girl',' she told NPR. THE INVISIBLE STATE Named by her confidante Lanny Davis as the reason she lost at a reading of his book while Hillary nodded along in approval. PIZZAGATE The claim that members of the Democratic party and particularly the Clinton campaign were running a pedophile child trafficking ring out of the basement of a Washington D.C. pizza restaurant first surfaced before the 2016 election. She told an address to a women-only club in New York in April 2018: 'It spread like wildfire. You look and that and think, that's ridiculous. But you have no idea how many people will believe things that are presented as news.' 'MANY FUNNY THINGS' Clinton said in September 2019 that 'many funny things' including Russian interference helped Trump win. A gay man who claims he was abruptly kicked out of an Uber due to his sexuality has revealed the 'disgusting and disgraceful' abuse he received after sharing his story. The driver of the ride-share told Ryan Ottey to get out of his car mid-fare through Sydney on Sunday when he saw him kiss his friend on the forehead in the backseat. Mr Ottey shared footage of the confrontation with the driver, who repeatedly said: 'Not in my car, I don't want to take you anymore.' Now, he has revealed the extent of the abuse he has received from trolls online, many of which sided with the driver. Scroll down for video Ryan Ottey (pictured) says he was inundated with abuse after sharing the story of how he was kicked out of an Uber for being gay Messages branding Mr Ottey as an 'AIDS spreader' and 'alphabet soup gang' (a reference to the LGBT community) Mr Ottey told Daily Mail Australia he shared the video to raise awareness about what he had experienced, saying he was particularly upset the discrimination came the day after Sydney celebrated Mardi Gras. 'I definitely wasn't expecting the backlash from people who agree with what the driver did,' he said. 'People have direct messaged me telling me we deserved it, posted online calling us "AIDS spreaders", "alphabet soup victims", "no one should have to tolerate those fruits".' 'It's just such a strong reminder that there are so many still in our country that do not accept the LGBTQI community and wish us ill harm. 'And that is so hurtful, especially when the weekend just past was all about acceptance and love.' Mr Ottey says many people messaging him are saying the driver is free to kick people out of his car, as it is his property. Mr Ottey (right) and his friend Aaron Brown (left) were kicked out of an Uber on Sunday However, Uber has a strict anti-discrimination policy that covers sexual preference. A spokesperson for the ride-sharing service told Daily Mail Australia they would not tolerate any form of discrimination and were investigating the incident. 'Our community guidelines expressly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and make it clear to driver-partners this behaviour can result in them losing access to the Uber app,' the spokesman said. In contrast to the abuse he has received, Mr Ottey said, was one Uber driver who told him he'd be more than welcome in his car. A driver named Michael messaged him privately, telling him he was 'sorry and embarrassed' on behalf of his fellow Uber drivers. Posing from the driver's seat of his own car, Michael gave a thumbs-up with rainbow flags and mirror balls flanking him. 'You and your friend would have been more than welcome in my fabulous Uber,' he wrote. 'Sorry you had a s**t experience ... it sucks.' Another driver reached out to Mr Ottey to say he was embarrassed on behalf of his peers Mr Ottey said he was completely blindsided by the discrimination and says it has made him more cautious when using ride-sharing services. 'Yesterday when we got in a cab, Aaron went to hold my hand and I pulled it away instinctively just because I was worried about what the driver would say or think. 'I just want the message of tolerance to be promoted. 'You don't have to agree with someone's lifestyle, but you certainly can't act discriminatory because of it.' Fears are growing for three Melbourne children after they went missing nearly a week ago. Khiara Meredith, 15, her brother Dion, 13, and their younger sister Jamison seven, were last seen on Songlark Crescent, in Werribee, on February 27. Police believe the children are with their parents Zoe Mates and Jesse Meredith but have expressed concerns for their welfare. Officers have released images of them in hope that witnesses will come forward with information. Khiara, 15, is described as 170cm tall and is of solid build with shoulder length blonde hair Khiara is described as 170cm tall and is of solid build with shoulder length blonde hair. Dion is described as 166cm tall and is of solid build with short brown hair and may be wearing reading glasses. Jamison is described as 150cm tall and is of solid build with long brown hair. Anyone who sees the children or has information on their whereabouts are urged to contact Werribee Police Station on 03 9742 9444. Dion, 13, is described as 166cm tall and is of solid build with short brown hair and may be wearing reading glasses Plummeting property prices, huge household debt, and China's shrinking demand will send Australia's economy into 'Armageddon', experts have warned. High-profile tech entrepreneur, Freelancer chief executive Matt Barrie, claimed Australia was too reliant on China and the housing market was about to go off a cliff. The crowdsourcing website owner predicted fallout from the banking royal commission would be the catalyst. Plummeting property prices, huge household debt, and China's shrinking demand will send Australia's economy into 'Armageddon', Mr Barrie warned. This would lead to 'populist policies' that would hurt house prices which combined with China's economy coming 'off the boil' would put Australia in a 'world of hurt'. 'Every indicator is blinking red. It's a house of cards,' he told the Australian Financial Review. 'We should never have let the property bubble get this big. People can't afford the homes and wages haven't kept up.' Former Liberal Party financial adviser John Adams agreed with the dire assessment, warning of looming 'economic Armageddon'. He said Australia, and the world, was 'drenched in debt' which lenders were struggling to hang on to in a worsening economy. Sydney's house values have fallen by 14.6 per cent since peaking in July 2017, and was home to seven of Australia's 10 worst performing metropolitan markets in February 'Many Australians will see their so-called wealth evaporate and many will suffer significant financial losses,' he told News Corp. How the predicted 'bloodbath' could spell economic doom Stage 1: Prices fall after several years of rising real estate values and spiralling mortgage debt. Stage 2: Small number of property developers cancel projects as prices fall. Stage 3: Property prices fall to levels that start worrying home owners. Stage 4: Recession starts and panic sets in, causing residential construction to cease. Borrowers default and unemployment rises. Stage 5: Property prices stagnate at a new low but ordinary Australians have trouble getting credit, despite the government bailing out the banks. The rich and private funds buy homes at rock-bottom prices, leading to a slow rebound. Source: LF Economics Let The Bloodbath Begin report, February 2019 Advertisement 'The day of reckoning resulting from the biggest debt bubble in Australian history is fast approaching.' Mr Adams cited a report by the International Monetary Fund claiming Australia's high property prices and household debt made it 'extremely vulnerable to a catastrophic economic crisis'. However, AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver wasn't as gloomy, saying though growth would reduce, Australia would avoid a recession. Those most likely to suffer would be anyone who bought at the top of the property boom in Sydney and Melbourne, who faced value falls of 25 per cent. 'Unless unemployment goes up dramatically, it's not going to turn into a generalised crash,' he said. In contrast to Mr Barrie and Mr Adams, he saw China's economy picking up later this year and next year. However, Dr Oliver described China's trade relationship with Australia as 'critically important', and that it would be a 'major problem' if anything went wrong with it. House prices fell last month in every mainland capital city with Australia's real estate downturn the worst on record 'If there's a double whammy shock: suppose you have a housing slump and then a little way into that you get a slump in the global economy, or China hits our export earnings, then it would tip over into recession,' he told Daily Mail Australia. China bought $13.1 billion worth of Australian coal in the 2017/18 financial year, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade data showed. Australian house rules Sydney, down 10.9% to $902,786 Melbourne, down 10.6% to $740,425 Brisbane, up 0.1% to $540,750 Adelaide, up 0.9% to $464,584 Perth, down 5.3% to $465,120 Hobart, up 7% to $494,810 Darwin, up 2.3% to $502,023 Canberra, up 4.3% to $668,469 Source: CoreLogic detached median house prices in year to January 31 Advertisement China is also Australia's biggest two-way trading partner, and accounted for 24 per cent of total trade in 2017 as part of a $183billion-a-year trade relationship. In 2017, Australia's education exports added up to $30.8 billion, with demand from Chinese international students worth 32.5 per cent of that. The Reserve Bank last month publicly acknowledged house price falls would affect consumption levels and could push up unemployment, with the minutes of its February board meeting warning of a hit to economic growth. Australia has not suffered a recession since the June quarter of 1991. Drug kingpin Tony Mokbel could sue the government after he was allegedly brutally attacked in a jailhouse attack, legal experts say. The 53-year-old was allegedly stabbed three times by two inmates with a homemade knife in the exercise yard of Victoria's Barwon Prison on February 11. Following the alleged altercation, the gangland figure was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious but stable condition. He is slowly recovering from his injuries and has been moved to a secure hospital ward, the Herald Sun reported. Mokbel, who bled from the chest and mouth, could be entitled to thousands of dollars from Victorian taxpayers if it is proven Corrections Victoria failed to protect him under their duty of care. Drug kingpin Tony Mokbel (pictured) could sue the government for after he was allegedly brutally stabbed in a jailhouse attack, legal experts say The 53-year-old was allegedly stabbed three times by two inmates with a homemade knife in the exercise yard of Victoria's Barwon Prison on February 11 (pictured) Maurice Blackburn Lawyers principal Dimi Ioannou said a legal team would need to prove prison authorities had knowledge that Mokbel could have possibly been in danger. 'They need to show that they were aware of a potential threat to his safety and then show they breached their duty of care by not protecting him from the threat,' Ms Ioannou said. 'You then need to show that there was a permanent injury from the incident, which there was.' She said Maurice Blackburn Lawyers had previously launched similar legal action for other prisoners, which always ended in a 'negotiated settlement'. The gangland figure was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital (pictured) Ms Ioannou said the inquiries into Mokbel's alleged bashing should be made public so there is trust in the process. Mokbel's case is being headed by New South Wales Supreme Court judge David Ipp and former Queensland corrections commissioner Mark Rallings. The Herald Sun understands the drug lord denied an offer to move into a protective unit the day before the attack after a discussion among prison authorities. Joshua Reimer of Johnstone & Reimer Lawyers said section 54 of the Victims of Crime Assistance Act, which obligates the Tribunal to consider the victim's background and character, made it difficult for high-level offenders to win at the Victims of Crime Assistant Tribunal. But Mr Reimer said low-level offenders in prison have had successful compensation claims granted in the past. Two men have already been charged in relation to the alleged attack. Corrections Victoria said Mr Mokbel's alleged assault was being investigated by Victoria police in an independent review. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Arizona says four border activists have agreed to pay $280 each under a plea agreement that dismisses criminal charges against them. An office spokesman says the agreement covers volunteers with the humanitarian group No More Deaths: Caitlin Persis Deighan, Zoe E. Anderson, Logan Thomas Hollarsmith and Rebecca Kate Grossman-Richeimer. The four pleaded guilty on Monday to civil violations on the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in Ajo, Arizona. They entered the wilderness area without a permit to leave water and food for migrants crossing the broiling desert. Activists with the group No More Deaths have been leaving water in Arizona's Sonoran desert for migrants attempting to make the dangerous illegal crossing (file photo) A separate set of four volunteers with the same group were fined last week in a similar case: Natalie Hoffman, Oona Holcomb, Madeline Huse and Zaachila Orozco U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported an influx of illegal crossings in the Ajo sector, including a large group of more than 100 Central Americans apprehended on Monday. Border infrastructure in the area consists mostly of waist-high vehicle barriers and sensors. The rugged terrain is one of the primary deterrents to illegal crossing. 'To effect an illegal entry within the Ajo area of responsibility, illegal aliens are often committing to several days in the remote desert, with little to offer in relief,' CBP said in a description of the sector. 'Rough, rocky terrain, flat desert covered in cactus and brush, and numerous mountainous regions are predominant in the area and make travel, even in accessible areas, difficult,' the agency said. No More Deaths activists Natalie Hoffman, Oona Holcomb, Madeline Huse and Zaachila Orozco are seen together above. The were fined in a similar case last week Migrants are seen in a file photo attempting to cross the border through the Sonoran desert in Arizona, a perilous journey through rugged terrain The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted the investigation into the activists. 'Today might be a victory for No More Deaths, but people continue to die and disappear every day in the desert,' said Hollarsmith in a statement. 'Our hearts remain with the families of the disappeared. As long as border policy funnels migrants into the most remote corridors of the desert, the need for a humanitarian response will continue,' Hollarsmith continued. A separate set of four volunteers with the same group were fined last week in a similar case: Natalie Hoffman, Oona Holcomb, Madeline Huse and Zaachila Orozco. Another volunteer with the group, Scott Warren, continues to await trial both on misdemeanor charges and felony charges. In a joint statement, the various defendants said that the U.S. government had illegally occupied Native American land and 'ravaged Central America.' 'Furthermore, this government has considered slavery and genocide as legal for hundreds of years,' the statement said. 'The real crime is the government's deliberate policy to use 'death as a deterrent' at the US/Mexico border.' A Tokyo court on Tuesday granted ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn bail in a shock decision that could see the auto tycoon freed after more than three months of detention. The court set the bail at one billion yen ($9million), but prosecutors are likely to appeal the decision and could even file additional allegations against Ghosn to keep him from leaving detention. It was the latest twist in a case that has kept Japan and the business world gripped since the tycoon's shock arrest on November 19 over suspicions of financial misconduct. Ghosn stands accused of moving $15 million of personal losses to the car company's accounts. Mitsubishi Motors executives ousted the 64-year-old as chairman in November following his arrest for alleged financial misconduct amid suggestions he under-reported his salary by as much as $71 million. Prosecutors are looking into allegations he conspired with another executive, American Greg Kelly, to understate his income by around $44 million between June 2011 and June 2015. The court has previously said Ghosn's continued detention was justified because he posed a flight risk and could seek to tamper with evidence. Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan, has been granted bail by a Tokyo court in a shock decision Ghosn and his lawyers have argued that neither of those is the case, and he even offered to wear a tracking bracelet and hire guards to monitor his whereabouts, pledging to stay in Japan. The surprise decision came after Ghosn's new lead defense lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters he had filed a 'convincing' application for bail that contained fresh elements. Hironaka, who has a reputation for securing acquittals for high-profile clients in a country where almost all court cases end in conviction, offered greater surveillance of Ghosn and a limit on his electronic communications to win bail. But the court had previously shown no inclination to end the lengthy pre-trial detention, which has drawn some criticism internationally and from rights groups. Prosecutors have defended his detention while they investigate three charges of financial misconduct, two involving alleged under-reporting of his salary and a third over a complex scheme in which Ghosn allegedly sought to transfer his losses to Nissan's books. And they are likely to appeal the bail decision, though the courts have previously ruled against the prosecutors when they sought to extend Ghosn's detention as allegations against him were being investigated. Under Japanese law, prosecutors can hold a suspect for up to 22 days while they investigate an allegation, and then can apply for repeated one-month stretches of pre-trial detention for each charge that is eventually levelled. That means prosecutors could effectively prevent Ghosn from leaving detention despite today's bail decision if they level new allegations against him, starting the 22-day detention clock. On Monday, Ghosn's family said in a statement they would appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The family slammed Japan for its 'medieval rules', in a statement read out by a lawyer representing Ghosn's wife Carole, who has previously described her husband's detention conditions as 'deplorable'. The tycoon has denied all the allegations against him, and in an interview with AFP he slammed his continued detention. Ghosn allegedly moved $15 million of personal losses to the car company's accounts 'Why am I being punished before being found guilty?' Ghosn asked, speaking to AFP and the Les Echos daily in January from his detention center. The refusal to grant him bail 'would not be normal in any other democracy,' he said. Ghosn's new lawyer Hironaka, who has earned the nickname 'the acquitter' for his court record and the 'razor' for his mental sharpness, vowed a 'completely new legal strategy' to obtain his client's release. Hironaka has also taken aim at Nissan, raising questions as to why the Japanese firm brought a case to prosecutors over incidents that allegedly took place more than 10 years ago. A towering figure once revered in Japan for turning around Nissan's fortunes, Ghosn also forged a successful alliance between Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and France's Renault. But his attempts to deepen the alliance caused resentment in some quarters, and Ghosn has claimed the allegations against him are part of a 'plot' by opponents of greater integration between the three firms. Given the number of people involved in the complex case and their wide geographical spread, Hironaka said the case would run over a 'very long time span'. However, he said prosecutors had begun handing over some of their evidence prior to a potential trial. A woman accused of paying to have her ex-husband murdered was so angry at being ripped off by the hired hitman she smashed a pair of audio tour headphones, a court has heard. Theresa Dalton, from the Gold Coast, is on trial for attempting to order the murder of Malcolm Stewart in early 2010 some three years after their 24-year marriage broke down. Her then-boyfriend Anthony Werner testified on Tuesday he and Dalton had travelled to Tasmania when the hit was to be carried out. A woman accused of paying to have her ex-husband murdered was so angry at being ripped off by the hired hitman that she smashed a pair of audio tour headphones, a court has heard (pictured with Theresa Dalton leaving the Supreme Court of Queensland building in Brisbane) Prosecutors believe Theresa Dalton (right) wanted her ex-husband dead because she feared he would take a block of land gifted to them by her parents When it became apparent his friend Matthew Neels was not going through with Mr Stewart's murder, despite taking Dalton's $20,000, Werner said she became 'very angry'. 'We actually went on an audio tour of Port Arthur and I had headphones on most of the time so I didn't have to listen to her,' Werner told the Supreme Court of Queensland in Brisbane. '(Dalton) was very angry. She threw her headphones and broke them. 'It wasn't very pleasant.' Neels agreed to kill Mr Stewart for $40,000 after Dalton allegedly badgered Werner to ask him when she heard he was 'sleazy', the court heard. Theresa Dalton (pictured), from the Gold Coast, is on trial for attempting to order the murder of her ex-husband in early 2010 some three years after their 24-year marriage broke down Prosecutors believe Dalton wanted her ex-husband Malcolm Stewart (pictured) dead because she feared he would take a block of land gifted to them by her parents. He was paid half the amount in a bag in a car park at Burleigh Heads, on the Gold Coast, and given a photo of Mr Stewart and a note with his address, Werner said. Prosecutors believe Dalton wanted her ex-husband dead because she feared he would take a block of land gifted to them by her parents. 'She kept going on and on and on about getting rid of Malcolm. Eventually I did ring him (Neels) to get her off my back,' Werner said. 'I said I have a friend who has a problem with somebody and wants to get rid of them and asked him if he could help her. 'He agreed immediately.' But Neels didn't go through with the plan. A court has heard that Theresa Dalton (pictured right) was so angry at being ripped off by the hitman she allegedly hired to kill her ex-husband that she smashed a pair headphones Ms Dalton's defence barrister Greg McGuire (pictured) suggested his client's ex-husband Malcolm Stewart made allegations of threats in a bid to get a bigger share of their $3million of assets in their divorce Instead he went home to NSW after claiming he had been scared off by a photo sent to him of him and Werner together, Werner said. 'I told her there wasn't a photograph and that he'd taken the money and run away with it,' he said. 'There's nothing you can do about it.' Mr Stewart also gave evidence on Tuesday, detailing their 'extremely hostile' marriage which included multiple death threats by her including to cut his throat. Theresa Dalton (right) is on trial accused of being involved in ordering a hit on her ex-husband Malcolm Stewart in 2010. The trial continues '(She said) I'm going to mentally destroy you and I'm going to financially destroy you and I'm going to have you killed,' Mr Stewart testified. 'It never stopped. It was a nightmare.' He denied defence barrister Greg McGuire's suggestion he had made the allegations of the threats to get a bigger share of their $3 million of assets in their divorce. The trial continues. Ben Carson has plans to leave his post as Secretary for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at the end of President Trump's first term and return to the private sector. Republican Carson made the announcement in an interview with Newsmax TV on Monday where he said the move was 'likely.' 'I would be interested in returning to the private sector because I think you have just as much influence, maybe more, there,' he said. President Donald Trump listens to remarks by Carson before signing an Executive Order establishing the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council at the White House in Washington on December 12, 2018 Carson was appointed to the post by President Donald Trump following his failed presidential bid in 2016. The appointment was widely questioned at the time as Carson had no experience in housing policy. The pediatric neurosurgeon attracted early criticism in the role after emails showed Carson and his wife ordered a $31,000 dining room set to redecorate his office, as reported by the New York Post. The ordering of the set was subsequently canceled. In the interview with Newsmax TV Carson said he would 'certainly finish out' his term. Carson and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio trade pens after signing a new agreement for the New York City Housing Authority on January 31 In April 2018 as HUD secretary, Carson put forward ambitious plans to change federal housing subsidies, which would see an increase in the rent of tenants receiving federal housing assistance. At the end of January Carson signed an agreement with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio intended to correct mismanagement of the NYCH and announcing a new federal monitor for the citys public housing authority. His comments about stepping down from the role presume a second term is on the cards for Trump. An Alabama man whose family home was ravaged by a deadly tornado discovered his father's body as he searched through the twisted wreckage where the house once stood. David Wayne Dean, 53, was one of the 23 people killed when an F-4 tornado ripped through the town of Beauregard, Alabama, on Sunday afternoon. His wife, Carol Dean, picked through the rubble at her home, pulling out her wedding dress and a Father's Day note to her husband that read: 'Daddy, I love you to pieces.' She said between sobs: 'He was done and gone before we got to him. My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up.' It was her 34-year-old son, David Theo Dean, who found the beloved father and husband'd body in the neighbor's yard on the other side of an embankment. Scroll down for video David Theo Dean, 34, discovered his father's body as he surveyed the damage to their family home after a deadly tornado ripped through Beauregard, Alabama, on Sunday. He is seen embracing his mother, Carol Dean, in front of a mountain of wreckage Carol Dean holds up a photo from her wedding to David Wayne Dean, 53, after finding it in the rubble of their home. Her husband was one of 23 people killed when the tornado struck Carol Dean had been at work when the storm rolled through. Her husband David Wayne was at home, and didn't make it out before the tornado obliterated the house and countless others Carol Dean cries while embraced by Megan Anderson and her 18-month-old daughter Madilyn. She said through sobs: 'My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up' Beloved father and husband David Wayne Dean is seen above in an undated photo Carol Dean was on the clock at Walmart while her husband was home in Beauregard on Sunday afternoon. As forecasters warned stormy weather was heading toward the Alabama-Georgia line, she said, David Wayne Dean sent a text message cautioning a friend to keep up with the weather on the news. Then the storm hit, and the 53-year-old didn't make it out. After the storm passed, Carol Dean rushed home from work in time to say goodbye to her husband, a man others called 'Roaddog' for his love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. She pushed past sheriff's deputies who tried to keep people from the area and went to where her husband's body lay. 'They took me down to him, and I got to spend a little time with him before they took him away,' she said. The couple had been together for decades but only got married three years ago. 'He was my wedding gift,' Dean said of her husband. 'He was one in a million. He'd send me flowers to work just to let me know he loved me. He'd send me some of the biggest strawberries in the world. I'm not going to be the same.' Carol Dean said of her husband: 'He was one in a million... I'm not going to be the same' A crumpled wedding photo of Carol Dean and David Wayne Dean sits in a pile of personal items Friends helped the Deans sift through the rubble where their home used to stand on Monday Carol Dean found a Father's Day card for her husband that says: 'Daddy I love you to pieces' The tornado that struck the Beauregard carved a path of destruction nearly a mile wide The tornado that struck the area where the Deans lived packed winds estimated at 170 mph and carved a path of destruction nearly a mile wide. Mobile homes tucked among tall pine trees were swept from their bases and smashed into unrecognizable piles of rubble. Toys, clothes, insulation, water heaters and pieces of metal were scattered across the hillsides where once towering pines were snapped in half. On Monday, the storm's toll stood at 23 people dead in this rural community in Lee County. According to the sheriff, dozens remained missing after the deadliest US tornado in nearly six years. Rescue crews using dogs and drones searched for victims amid splintered lumber and twisted metal. At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Lee County Coroner Brian Harris confirmed at least 23 people had died, including almost entire families and three children aged six, nine and ten. Harris said that 17 of the victims have been identified and their families will be notified later in the day. The six remaining victims will be identified via fingerprints. Harris said that they are all suspected to be persons who were reported missing. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said rescue crews have canvassed areas with the worst damage, but the search is ongoing and the death toll could rise. Most of the deceased were found within one square mile. 'I'm not going to be surprised if we don't come up with some more deceased. Hopefully we won't,' Harris told reporters. A post on the Lee-Scott Academy's Facebook page identified fourth-grader Taylor Thornton as being among those killed. She was 10 years old. Family members identified another young victim as six-year-old Armando Hernandez, known as AJ. Six-year-old Armando Hernandez (left) and ten-year-old Taylor Thornton were identified as two of the 23 people who were killed by a tornado that hit Beauregard, Alabama, on Sunday This aerial photo shows damage caused by Sunday's powerful tornado in Beauregard Debris from a home litters a yard the day after a tornado blew it off its foundation An unincorporated community of roughly 10,000 people near the Georgia state line, Beauregard is in the same county as Auburn University. The community has a few small stores, two schools and a volunteer fire department dotting the main highway. On the day after the disaster, volunteers used chain saws to clear paths for emergency workers. Neighbors and friends helped one another sift among the ruins. Julie Morrison and her daughter-in-law picked through the remnants of Morrison's home, looking for keys and a wallet. They managed to salvage the couple's safe, her husband's motorcycle boots and her embossed Bible. Morrison said she and her husband took shelter in the bathtub - her husband jumping in at the last minute - as the twister lifted their house off its foundation and swept it into the woods. 'We knew we were flying because it picked the house up,' Morrison said, figuring that the shower's fiberglass enclosure helped them survive. Rescue crews in the ravaged community of Lee County are continuing to search through the rubble for victims of Sunday's deadly tornado, the worst to hit the US since 2013. A man is seen surveying the damage at his home on Monday Julie Morrison looks through the debris of her destroyed home on Lee County Road 63 Brittney Downs stands among the wreckage of a family member's obliterated home First responders walk through a neighborhood heavily damaged by the tornado on Monday National Weather Service spokesman Chris Darden said the main tornado that hit Beauregard has been rated as an F4 on the Fujita scale as preliminary assessments indicated that winds reached up to 170mph. The tornado was the deadliest to hit the US since 2013, when an F5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, killed 24 people. Darden said the 'monster' twister left a path of destruction 24 miles long and nearly a mile wide along Alabama Highway 51 in Lee County, about 60 miles east of the state capital in Montgomery. Sheriff Jones said of the damage: 'It looks almost like someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. 'There are slabs where homes formerly stood. Whole forested areas, trees are just snapped and lying on the ground.' Darden said the NWS is assessing at least two other tornado paths from F1 twisters in Macon County and Barbour County. He said the Macon County twister appeared to cross paths with the one in Lee County. Darden noted that the NWS had begun issuing tornado warnings 72 hours early on Thursday morning. County Emergency Management Director Kathy Carson said she was 'pretty sure' tornado sirens in Beauregard sounded warnings. But authorities were busy with the search-and-rescue and had not yet looked into the question. At least a dozen tornadoes were reported in the Deep South on Sunday afternoon as a massive storm system tore across parts of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, leaving more than 40,000 people without power. An early March tornado outbreak in the Alabama-Mississippi area is not unusual, tornado experts said. The weather service's Storm Prediction Center posted forecasts for higher tornado activity in the region Thursday, three days before the disaster. University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd said government forecasters 'were all over it.' Danny Allen helps recover belongings while sifting through the debris of a friend's home Ashley Griggs (right) helps Joey Roush (left) search what's left of his mother's home Debris from a friend's home stands in the background as Ashley Griggs wipes dirt from a photo of what it used to look like The Cook Islands is considering replacing its colonial-era name to something that 'reflects its Polynesian culture', rather than honouring British explorer James Cook. The tiny Pacific nation, which was named after Captain Cook in 1835, is made up of 15 islands about 2,000 miles northeast of New Zealand with a population of 17,500. The government set up a committee in January to find a new indigenous name for the islands. The Cook Islands - named after British explorer James Cook - is considering replacing its colonial-era name to something that 'reflects its Polynesian culture' The tiny Pacific nation is made up of 15 islands about 2,000 miles northeast of New Zealand with a population of 17,500. Who was Captain James Cook? James Cook was an 18th century explorer and captain of the Royal Navy. He was born on 27 October 1728 in a small village near Middlesbrough in Yorkshire. Cook joined the British merchant navy as a teenager and enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1755. He fought in the Seven Years' War in North America between 1756 1763, where he mapped the waters during conflict. The explorer mapped much of the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec, which brought him to the attention of the Royal Society. From there he was commissioned in 1766 as commander of HM Bark Endeavour for the first of three Pacific voyages. It was on these trips that he made detailed maps of the Pacific, New Zealand and Australia after becoming the first European to explore them. Cook's discoveries radically changed western perceptions of world geography. Advertisement It's now in the process of evaluating 60 proposed names submitted by the public. Initially the idea was to have the indigenous moniker feature alongside the existing Cook Islands name, in the same way that its larger neighbour is sometimes known as Aotearoa-New Zealand. But committee chairman Danny Mataroa said on Monday that once discussions began it became apparent there was support for dropping the Cook Islands name altogether in favour of one in the local language, known as Cook Islands Maori. 'When the committee members, which include Cook Islands historians and people with deep traditional knowledge, met we decided it was time we change the name of the country,' he said. Mataroa said the new name should reflect the country's heritage, its people and its strong Christian belief. Deputy Prime Minister Mark Brown backed the move, but said there was still a long way to go before the nation changed its name. 'I'm quite happy to look at a traditional name for our country which more reflects the true Polynesian nature of our island nation,' he told Radio New Zealand. It is not the first time the issue has surfaced, with a 1994 referendum to change the name to Avaiki Nui resoundingly defeated. The Cook Islands were a British protectorate from 1888 until 1900, when they came under New Zealand's jurisdiction. The Cooks gained independence in 1965 but maintains close ties to Wellington, which takes responsibility for the Cooks' external affairs and allows its citizens to live and work in New Zealand. Dancers from the Cook Islands perform during a ceremony in the capital, Avarua A man has been charged with murder after a missing 11-year-old girl was found strangled to death near his Alabama home. Christopher Wayne Madison, 33, is being held without bond after his arrest on a capital murder charge in the death of Amberly Alexis Barnett. Amberly's body was found on Saturday in a wooded area about 200 yards behind Madison's home in Collinsville. Initial reports show Amberly had been strangled to death. Christopher Wayne Madison, 33, is being held without bond after his arrest on a capital murder charge in the death of Amberly Alexis Barnett in Collinsville, Alabama Courtesy of WHNT Authorities say the girl vanished on Friday at 6pm after last being seen at her aunt's house. Madison lives next door to Amberly's aunt. He was taken into custody over the weekend on a drug related offence before being charged with murder when Amberly's body was recovered. 'I said my heart was shattered a few days ago. My heart is still shattered,' DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said of the tragic discovery. He did not divulge any specific details about Amberly's death or Madison's alleged involvement. Amberly's body was found on Saturday in a wooded area about 200 yards behind Madison's home in Collinsville. Initial reports show Amberly had been strangled to death Amberly's mother posted a frantic message on Facebook after her daughter disappeared on Friday, saying someone had taken the girl from her aunt's home 'The road to justice for this sweet, innocent little girl is too important to release anything to jeopardize this investigation,' he said. Amberly's mother posted a frantic message on Facebook after her daughter disappeared on Friday, saying someone had taken the girl from her aunt's home. 'Her phone was left behind and my baby takes it everywhere. Nothing in her phone indicated she was planning to leave!' her mother Jonie wrote. 'Amberly is the type to not do anything that she will get in trouble. She would not have ran away or make plans to go off somewhere. 'A green SUV was seen leaving the driveway!' Madison is being held without bond following his arrest. It wasn't immediately clear if Madison had a lawyer who could comment. Prosecutors are considering appealing the decision to quash a notorious ISIS sympathiser's sentence for bashing a prison officer. Bassam Hamzy, 39, who was jailed for the 1998 murder of a teenager outside a Sydney nightclub, successfully appealed a 20-month sentence extension last month for attacking a Goulburn Supermax prison officer in 2017. A New South Wales District Court judge said Hamzy had been wrongly punished for the attack on a police officer. Prosecutors are considering appealing the decision to quash a notorious ISIS sympathiser's (pictured) sentence for bashing a prison officer Acting Judge Geoffrey Graham told the court the dual penalty of losing jail privileges and having his sentence extended 'constituted an extreme case of oppression', Daily Mail Australia revealed. But NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman has now told 2GB he has 'serious concern' for the sentence's implications. He said the Director of Public Prosecutions was considering 'whether an appeal would have reasonable prospects of success'. Bassam Hamzy, 39, (pictured) who was jailed for the 1998 murder of a teenager outside a Sydney nightclub, successfully appealed a 20-month sentence extension last month for attacking a Goulburn Supermax prison officer in 2017 Acting Judge Geoffrey Graham said the dual penalty of losing jail privileges at Australia's highest security jail (pictured) and having his sentence extended 'constituted an extreme case of oppression', Daily Mail Australia revealed But NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman has said he has 'serious concern' for the sentence's implications 'This individual is one of the most despicable offenders to come before a NSW court, a point amply illustrated by the severe sentences imposed upon him for heinous crimes including murder,' Mr Speakman said in a statement. Hamzy was sentenced to 21 years in jail for shooting dead the 18-year-old boy. In 2007, he received an extra 15 years for his involvement as the leader of criminal gang Brothers 4 Life, which he ran from inside Goulburn, Australia's highest security jail. Just weeks after Judge Graham quashed the additional sentence, it emerged two inmates allegedly attacked two Goulburn prison guards on Monday. Terrorist Milad Bin Ahmad-Shah Al-Ahmadzai and convicted terror plotter Tamim Khaja have been moved into segregations after allegedly carrying out the attack. Hamzy, who can not apply for release from prison until 2035, represented himself in his appeal after studying the appropriate legislation behind bars. Hamzy (pictured) gives cameras the thumbs up as he walks out of court flanked by supporters in the late-1990s He argued the 'parallel punishment' he received through his sentencing and the loss of privileges was an 'extreme injustice'. 'If an inmate is punished externally he is not to be charged internally your honour,' he told the court in November last year. 'It is not for the commissioner to create a parallel punishment system - the Behaviour Management Plan (BPM) - by simply giving it another name.' Acting Judge Graham said the way prisoners were punished within the four walls of the Goulburn Supermax (highlighted on the map), as well as in the courts 'constituted an extreme case of oppression' The court heard that at about 9.40am on Wednesday, August 30, 2017, Hamzy was in handcuffs being led back to his cell by two prison officers after making a phone call. Hamzy claims that as they walked one of the guards made a threatening comment to him, suggesting his safety inside the prison was at risk. Despite being restrained, Hamzy 'shaped up' to the officer and assaulted him before the two officers led the inmate back to his cell. The following day Hamzy was charged by police over the attack, which was caught on CCTV. THE PRISON PRIVILEGES BASSAM HAMZY LOST FOR HIS ATTACK ON A GUARD: PRIVILEGE: - Telephone calls - Visits - Inmate associations - Exercise out of cell - Money transactions - Buy up food - Activities/buy ups - Recreational materials - Books/newspapers - Clothing - Employment - Educational materials - Religious materials - Other property BEFORE: Up to 2 per week Contact visit a fortnight One inmate at any time Minimum two hours $100 per week Up to $50 Approved items Cards in cell Up to 3 items at once CSNSW* issued clothing NIL NIL Approved items Maximum 20 photos NOW: Up to 1 per week Box visit a fortnight Loss of privilege Minimum one hour $100 per week Up to $40 Loss of privilege Loss of privilege Up to 1 item at once CSNSW issued clothing NIL NIL Approved items Maximum 5 photos *CSNSW - Corrective Services New South Wales Advertisement But less than 48 hours later, he also had his prison privileges reduced to the lowest level under the prison's Behaviour Management Plan (BMP) for high-risk inmates. This meant he lost access to a toasted sandwich maker, kettle and playing cards in his cell, was only allowed one hour in fresh air each day and was kept separate to all other inmates. He was however allowed to maintain his access to a prayer mat and religious material. Acting Judge Graham agreed with the inmate in overturning the NSW Local Court's sentence on Thursday. He said the way Goulburn Supermax punished prisoners within their own four walls, as well as in the courts, 'constituted an extreme case of oppression'. 'The appellant (Hamzy) has been subjected to what he describes as a 'compounding injustice' after the decision to regress him on the Behaviour Management Plan,' he said. Hamzy was sentenced to 21 years jail for shooting dead an 18-year-old boy outside a Sydney nightclub in 1998. In 2007 he received an extra 15 years for his involvement as the leader of criminal gang Brothers 4 Life, which he ran from inside Goulburn Supermax (pictured) Inside one of the austere cells at the High Risk Management Correctional Centre at Goulburn, which is 197km south-west of Sydney. All inmates in 'Supermax' sleep just one to a cell 'It's a breach of the statuatory regime set up to govern the way correctional facilities operate.' Acting Judge Graham granted Hamzy a stay in proceedings and set aside the added jail time he received from the local court in 2018. Judge Graham also praised the way the infamous inmate had represented himself in court, comments which drew a smile from Hamzy. In court to support his son - who was appearing via audio visual link - was his father Khaled, who told Daily Mail Australia outside court the decision was a 'great result'. However, the victory may be short lived for Hamzy, with a similar argument currently being heard in the Supreme Court in relation to another matter of his. 'The Supreme Court may find I'm wrong on matters of fact or law... we'll see what happens,' Acting Judge Graham warned. The defence lawyer for disgraced Cardinal George Pell has denied claims that he has stood down from the case. Criminal barrister Robert Richter QC has denied media reports he exited his client's legal team because he'd too emotionally involved after expressing anger at the 'preverse' guilty verdict. 'It is false to say I quit the legal team, I don't quit,' Mr Richter told the Herald Sun. Cardinal Pell, 77, is currently in custody awaiting sentencing after he was convicted of five counts of sexually assaulting two choir boys in St Patrick's Cathedral in the 1990s. Robert Richter (pictured) has stood down from defending Cardinal George Pell Cardinal Pell's solicitor Paul Galbally added Mr Richter was still a vital adviser to the defence. 'You can be reassured Robert hasn't quit the team,' he told The Australian. 'He's a key part of the team and Robert never quit the team.' Mr Richter had earlier told Fairfax Media he doesn't have the 'sufficient objectivity at this stage' to represent Cardinal Pell, who has denied the charges and has launched an appeal against the conviction. 'I think the man is an innocent man and he's been convicted. It's not a common experience,' Mr Richter said. Cardinal Pell was found guilty in December but the verdict was only made public last week when the court lifted a suppression order. Mr Richter has developed a close bond with Cardinal Pell since he began representing him when he was charged in 2017. His shock resignation comes a week after the veteran barrister sparked outrage in court when he tried to argue his client's offences was 'no more than a plain vanilla sexual penetration case'. He later apologised for his choice of words. Cardinal George Pell (pictured) has been found guilty of five counts of sexually assaulting two choir boys in the 1990s 'In seeking to mitigate sentence, I used a wholly inappropriate phrase for which I apologize profusely to all who interpreted it in a way it was never intended,' Mr Richter said. 'It was in no way meant to belittle or minimize the suffering and hurt of victims of sex abuse, and in retrospect I can see why it caused great offense to many.I hope my apology is accepted as sincerely as it is meant and I will never repeat such carelessness in my choice of words which might offend.' It was recently announced Sydney barrister Bret Walker SC would lead the case through the appeal process,where Mr Richter initially flagged he would remain on the defence team. Robert Richter (pictured) says he doesn't have the 'sufficient objectivity at this stage' to represent Cardinal Pell The appeal against Pell's conviction will be made on three points, according to documents lodged with the Court of Appeal. 'The verdicts are unreasonable and cannot be supported, having regard to the evidence, because on the whole of the evidence, including unchallenged exculpatory evidence from more than 20 crown witnesses, it was not open to the jury to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt on the word of the complainant alone,' the appeal filed by Mr Richter reads. Pell is due to be sentenced next week. Acclaimed Australian writer, journalist and war historian Les Carlyon has died. The two time Walkley award winner died after a bout of pneumonia, aged 77. Carlyon had an illustrious career in the Australian media industry, revered for his coverage of historical events, including the Port Arthur massacre, Princess Diana's death and the 50th anniversary of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Acclaimed Australian writer, journalist and war historian Les Carlyon has died, aged 77 He famously authored Gallipoli, a detailed account of the Allied forces campaign during the First World War in 2001. The book garnered critical and commercial success, and went on to be the basis of the Australian 2015 TV miniseries of the same name. He went on to write a second historical novel, The Great War, shining a light on the work of Australians on the Western Front in France and Belgium during the same war. Carlyon spent time as the editor of Australian media publication The Age, as well as the editor-in-chief of The Herald Sun. The two time Walkley award winner died after a bout of pneumonia, aged 77 Carlyon was born in rural Victoria in 1942, but moved into the city as a young man to pursue his career in the media at The Sun. By age 21, the budding writer had been lured to an opposition paper and by 33 he was an editor. Due to ill health, he was forced to step away from the position. Journalist Jennifer Byrne described him as a mentor who 'showed by doing, by being the best writer on the paper.' '[He was a] lean stripe of a man built like one of the racehorses he loved who took a bunch of know-nothing cadets and showed us how to become journalists. More to come. Leading food manufacturer Peter Bouchier has recalled one of its products An urgent recall has been issued on a popular food item widely sold in IGA supermarkets and Foodworks stores across Australia. Peter Bouchier, who has produced butcher style meat in Victoria since the 1980s, issued a recall of their 500 gram Thai chicken stir fry this week amid fears the product could contain peanuts. The in-demand dish was removed from shelves across Victoria after the undeclared allergen was discovered soon after the product was delivered to supermarkets. The Peter Bouchier free range Thai chicken stir fry (pictured) has been recalled from a host of stores in Victoria amid fears it could contain peanuts The Peter Bouchier style Thai chicken dish has been urgently recalled (stock image) Customers who shop at Malvern IGA, Danny's IGA Malvern, Gumtree South Yarra, Middle Park and Albert Park and Lorne Foodworks could have picked up the contaminated product, which has a use by date of Saturday, March 9. Customers who have a peanut allergy or intolerance may have a reaction if the product is consumed. Consumers are highly encouraged not to eat the product, with full refunds available from the place of purchase. The 500g Thai chicken stir fry retails for $19.98. Daily Mail Australia reached out to Peter Bouchier for comment. Sur les reseaux sociaux, les proches de Luke Perry, decede ce lundi 4 mars des suites d'un AVC, lui ont rendu hommage en postant des messages emouvants... CBS Paramount Network Television Apres la disparition de Luke Perry ce lundi 4 mars des suites d'un AVC a l'age de 52 ans, le tout Hollywood a inonde les reseaux sociaux de larmes et de temoignages emouvants pour lui rendre hommage. Tout au long de sa carriere, l'eternel Dylan de Beverly Hills et papa d'Archie dans Riverdale, a visiblement marque ceux qui l'ont cotoye par sa gentillesse et sa douceur. Certains de ses collegues de Beverly Hills, evidemment bouleverses, ont rapidement reagi, tandis que d'autres n'en ont apparemment pas encore eu la force. Dearest Luke, I will forever bask in the loving memories we've shared over the last thirty years. May your journey forward be enriched by the magnificent souls who have passed before you, just like you have done here, for those you leave behind. Ian Ziering (@IanZiering) March 4, 2019 Dearest Luke- I am so heart broken and at a loss for words. You my friend were a mighty soul and have left your mark. My love and prayers to the family and all who loved you. RIP Gabrielle Carteris (@TheGabrielle_C) March 4, 2019 As a young girl from Hamilton Ontario coming onto the biggest show in the world mid stream, Luke welcomed me from day one. My heart breaks. #lukeperry #90210 pic.twitter.com/8QA4SEipqB kathleen robertson (@kathleenrobert7) March 4, 2019 Le createur de Riverdale ainsi que les producteurs et les acteurs se sont exprimes a leur tour : So heartbroken about Luke. He was a father, brother, friend, and mentor. Each night before he had to shoot a scene, hed call me and wed talk about...everything. I will miss those calls. And my heart goes out to all his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/2GaFkV2mI7 RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) March 4, 2019 pic.twitter.com/EDWIGmDfgH Warner Bros. TV (@warnerbrostv) March 4, 2019 My heart is broken. I will miss you so much Luke Perry. Sending all my love to your family. #LukePerry Molly Ringwald (@MollyRingwald) March 4, 2019 Im finding it hard to grasp that he will no longer be around to give long hugs and share his wisdom and kindness with all of us. Im thinking of his family. His children. I pray for them to heal and find peace in this devastating loss. Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) March 4, 2019 Im totally heartbroken. Luke took me under his wing the day I was cast and made me feel like I belonged. He was the most generous, wise soul with unmatched kindness. He treated everyone with love and joy. We had so much fun. Praying for his family. Casey Cott (@CaseyCott) March 5, 2019 De nombreuses personnalites du cinema et de la television ont publie des hommages : Luke Perry - Irreplaceable beautiful and kind human being, incredible friend, generous actor and adoring father to Jack and Sophie and loving partner to Madison we are all heartbroken. You are the love and you are the light. pic.twitter.com/X3ycTvmXsb Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) March 4, 2019 Luke Perry was a kindhearted and incredibly talented artist. It was an honor to be able to work with him. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his loved ones. Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) March 4, 2019 L.P. you made every situation better, my man. your elegance your wit your charm and your giant heart, inspired and enchanted so many of us, on countless occasions, with brilliant aplomb. R.I.P good sir. i am truly honored to have known you all of these years. Charlie Sheen (@charliesheen) March 4, 2019 L.P. you made every situation better, my man. your elegance your wit your charm and your giant heart, inspired and enchanted so many of us, on countless occasions, with brilliant aplomb. R.I.P good sir. i am truly honored to have known you all of these years. Charlie Sheen (@charliesheen) March 4, 2019 The first time I met Luke Perry we talked about what kind of movie we wanted Buffy to be. I asked if hed ever seen Near Dark and he gave me a look of HOW DARE YOU SIR and I knew wed get along. Funny, committed, and always gracious. He shouldnt be gone. Joss Whedon (@joss) March 4, 2019 Crushed. Luke Perry was truly a great guy. Warm, kind, generous and hard working. We met very young, I witnessed the grace with which he became a pop icon & parent. Hes been an awesome example of how to stay decent in a swirl of crazy. Love to his family https://t.co/bGlTX8mNbB Seth Green (@SethGreen) March 4, 2019 Luke Perry. My teen crush. Im glad I got to tell you. Sheepishly red faced and all. You were lovely and you gave great hugs. Grateful to witness and experience your kindness and warmth. #RestInPeace love. Blessings to your family. Rosario Dawson (@rosariodawson) March 4, 2019 Luke Perry dead at 52? Oh man, that's so wrong and so sad. Condolences to family, friends, and fans all over this round world. :-( Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 4, 2019 The hapless couple caught on camera desperately chasing a Royal Caribbean cruise ship as it sailed without them has revealed that crewmembers mocked them as they were left behind on the dock. Honeymooners Maria Gonzalez Roesch and Alessandro Di Palma ended up stranded when they arrived just minutes after their ship Symphony of the Seas left Nassau, Bahamas, on February 15. Mrs Gonzalez Roesch, a famous TV actress in their home country of Costa Rica, has spoken of the 'nightmare' moment they realised the ship was leaving without them - with their money and passports on board. Maria Gonzalez Roesch and Alessandro Di Palma, from Costa Rica, had been enjoying their honeymoon on the seven-day Royal Caribbean cruise ship when it left without them Mrs Gonzalez Roesch has revealed that crew members mocked them as they were left behind on the dock 'There was a platform with two crew members and they were mad with us,' the 26-year-old told The Sun. 'We started yelling to them "please, please let us on the cruise is still here". 'But the guys said "you are not going to be so lucky and we are closing the doors and leaving". She told the news website they had started to panic once they realised their passport, visas, and credit cards remained onboard the ship. However these were retrieved by a smaller boat which had been guiding the large ship out of the harbour. A person from a neighboring ship caught the couple on camera waving frantically as the Symphony of the Seas left them behind on February 15 Costa Rican actress Maria Gonzalez Roesch and her newlywed husband Alessandro Di Palma (pictured) have been revealed as the hapless couple left stranded on Nassau, Bahamas. They are pictured here in what appear to be the same outfits they were wearing in the video Mrs Gonzalez Roesch later took to Instagram to joke about the mistake, saying the trip was 'vacay goals' Video of the newlyweds desperately chasing after the cruise ship went viral, and the actress later took to Instagram to reveal to her followers that it was her in the clip. She shared several screenshots of articles about the video, joking that they were 'vacay goals' and complaining that the video had gone viral. She later explained that the cruise had left each port at 5.30pm, but had changed the itinerary on the sixth night of the seven-day cruise. Mrs Gonzalez Roesch added that six other passengers had made the same mistake and were also stranded as the boat headed back to Miami. The pair married in late January.Mrs Gonzalez Roesch said that six other passengers had also ended up stranded She explained on Instagram that the cruise had left each port at 5.30pm, but had changed the itinerary on the sixth night of the seven-day cruise. The couple were stranded at the last port of call on the seven-day Caribbean cruise The pair had been enjoying their honeymoon after marrying in late January. According to a person who shot the video from the deck of the nearby Norwegian Bliss, the all-aboard call came at 3.30pm. At 4.15pm, workers began removing the gangway and closing the hatch. About five minutes later, the clueless couple showed up, arms laden with shopping bags from their excursion on shore. At first frantic and waving, the couple quickly sink into dejection as the ship's propellers begin to churn the water. Other passengers on the Symphony of the Seas can be seen looking on complacently from their balconies as the ship pulls away from the stranded couple. Mrs Gonzalez Roesch and her husband are seen speaking to several dockworkers as the ship pulls away. Forlorn, the couple walk down the pier as the ship pulls away, looking across the water after it. One-way plane tickets from Nassau to Miami run about $180 apiece. The racing world has been left devastated by the confirmation that leading Australian jockey Ty Angland has been left a quadriplegic after suffering spinal injuries in a race fall in Hong Kong. The father-of-three was speared head first into the grass when his mount Go Beauty Go stumbled coming out of the barrier for a race at Hong Kong's Sha Tin racecourse on November 25. The 29-year-old, who was diagnosed with a spinal fracture, a dislocated spine and a spinal chord injury, has undergone multiple surgeries in the hope of avoiding life in a wheelchair. However, the worst news was confirmed on Tuesday. Leading Australian jockey Tye Angland (pictured) has been left a quadriplegic after suffering spinal injuries in a freak accident in Hong Kong three months ago Father-of-three Tye Angland (left with wife Erin and daughter Lexi) was speared head first into the grass after the starting gun fired at Hong Kong's Sha Tin racecourse on November 25 The 29-year-old (pictured left with wife Erin), who was diagnosed with a spinal fracture, a dislocated spine and a spinal chord injury, has undergone multiple surgeries but it has now revealed his injuries cannot be repaired 'Tye has some movement in his arms but is unable to walk,' a spokesman for the Australian Jockeys' Association said on behalf of the Angland family. 'The family are currently working with a range of stakeholders in terms of co-ordinating and financing Tye's ongoing care and the family's long-term needs.' 'His wife Erin, and the couple's three children Alexis, Addison and Rylan continue to be amazed by the support they have received and wish to say thank you to everyone who has reached out to them.' He was receiving ongoing treatment in the Royal Rehabilitation Centre in Sydney. David Payne, trainer of Ace High who Angland rode to two Group One victories including the Victorian Derby in 2017, was deeply affected by the news. 'He's such a young man with children - it leaves a big hole,' Payne told the Daily Telegraph. 'I remember using him to ride my horses when he was just a young boy. 'He was always very obliging and hes a lovely bloke. You wouldnt meet a nicer person than Tye. 'I just hope things can turn around and he can improve. Hopefully they can help him with advancements in medicine.' 'Tye (pictured far-right) has some movement in his arms but is unable to walk,' a spokesman for the Australian Jockeys' Association said on behalf of the Angland family Payne added the tragic accident showed the inherent perils associated with the jockey profession. Sam Phillips, who was the strapper for Trapeze Artist which Angland rode to three Group One victories, said the news was 'completely heart-breaking'. 'Life can just be so cruel,' he said. 'Thoughts and best wishes with Erin and their three beautiful kids.' Angland's wife has been by his side throughout the recovery process and the racing world has rallied around the jockey's young family. Following the accident, Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys said Angland was universally respected by his peers. Leading Kiwi racing breeder Raffles Racing has been among those in the racing community offering their support - praising the father as a 'true gentleman and professional both inside and out'. He and his wife (left and right) lost their twin baby girls Billie and Harlow during childbirth in 2014 His wife has been by his side throughout the recovery process and the racing world has rallied around the jockey's young family (Angland pictured on a raceday at Rosehill in August of last year) The talented jockey is a self-professed family man who has previously said the best part of his day is spent at home, rather than the track. 'As much as I love racing and riding, it is not my life,' he told The Daily Telegraph in 2014. 'I quickly forget if I've had a bad day at the races when Lexi (now his eldest daughter) comes up and gives me a kiss and a cuddle,' he said. The prolific jockey has already experienced loss in recent years. He and his wife lost their twin baby girls Billie and Harlow during childbirth in 2014. The 29-year-old, who remained conscious but motionless after he fell from his mount Go Beauty Go in November, has ridden 995 winners over his career. Eleven of those victories are at the elite Group One level. His victory in 2017 Coolmore Classic at Sydney's Rosehill Racecourse is among his best accomplishments in recent years. Southerners are more sociable and have seven more friends than people in the North, according to a study. People living in the south of the country are more extroverted, with as many as 30 close friends on average, compared to 23 for Northerners. Southerners are also more likely to say that the best moments in their life are spent with friends and family, with 85 per cent agreeing life is better when in the company of others. However almost a quarter (20 per cent) of northerners prefer their own company. Southerners are more sociable and have seven more friends than people in the North, according to a study (stock image) And people in the south are more likely to claim that having friends is the most important thing in their lives, with 28 per cent saying a life without chums would be unbearable, compared to under a quarter (23 per cent) of northerners. The study, by Foxy Bingo, also found that southerners are more likely to admit they'd struggle without their mates. And those in the south are less likely to let their mates down than their northern counterparts, with seven per cent of southerners admitting to cancelling on pals, compared to one in ten of those who live in the north. Looking at the nation as a whole, the study revealed that the average Brit has 24 pals. People living in the south of the country are more extroverted, with as many as 30 close friends on average, compared to 23 for Northerners. Pictured: The Angel of the North, Gateshead Men tend to have a wider circle, with 27 mates each compared to 22 for women. And despite the fact we meet our friends three times a week on average, only half of Britons (52 per cent) are happy with the number of chums they have. Almost six out of 10 (57 per cent) communicate with their friends face to face, 53 per cent said they use messaging apps and 44 per cent talk on the phone. Despite only 12 per cent of those surveyed saying they enjoy using social media, it is the primary form of communication for more than half (54 per cent) of respondents. Almost eight out of 10 (79 per cent) think friendship is much easier in modern times because of the many ways to stay in touch. Only 46 per cent of people would prefer to talk to their friends face to face, a figure that goes up to 60 per cent in those aged 60 or over. The study of almost 2,000 Brits across the UK, also found that more than half (59 per cent) have online friends they have never met in real life before. Still, more than three quarters of Brits (77 per cent) think life would be harder if they had no pals, a proportion that goes up to 85 per cent for those between 16 and 29. In fact, 85 per cent believe friendship is more important now, what with the pressures of modern life and 84 per cent added that the best moments of their lives were with their mates. Kim Mills, Sponsorship & Partnerships Manager at Foxy Bingo said: 'At Foxy Bingo, we're all about our vibrant and friendly online community. 'We wanted to take a closer look at modern British friendships, and it's so interesting to see the regional spread in terms of friendship group sizes, and how people value their friends. 'It's no surprise to see that so many of our friendships are played out online these days, our online chat is more popular than ever and we like to think our online community feel at home with Foxy Bingo.' The research also found that a third (39 per cent) of people have friends they barely see in person, but they would still consider a close companion, while more than a quarter (26 per cent) said life without pals would be unbearable. Nearly a third believed they could count on their friends for absolutely anything, 24 per cent added that their pals mean everything to them and more than a fifth (22 per cent) think their friends know them better than anyone in their lives. One in ten (nine per cent) believe friends to be more important than family, and seven per cent would rather be with their best friend than their partner. On the other hand, a quarter said they had been betrayed by a friend and 11 per cent said there was no one they truly trust, and 16 per cent worried that their mates didn't really like them. And seven per cent added that they have a frenemy, someone who they secretly dislike, and eight per cent confused they are competitive with the people they call friends. A Sydney mother was arrested for drunk driving only two weeks after she was caught drug driving after celebrating her birthday. Rachel Lee Potter, 34, pleaded guilty to both charges of driving with an illicit drug in her system and low range drink driving in the Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday, The Daily Telegraph reported. Potter was caught with cannabis and methamphetamine in her system during a roadside drug test in Caringbah, south of Sydney, on October 6. She was pulled over again 12 days later for a roadside breath test in Cronulla and returned a BAL reading of 0.055. Potter pleaded guilty to driving with an illicit drug in her system and low range drink driving in the Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday (stock image) Her lawyer told the court Potter was on her way to the local shop in her pyjamas to purchase bread for the following day's lunches. 'The accused stated that she had consumed three shots of tequila with her first drink consumed at 6.30pm and the last at 8.10pm,' the agreed upon police facts states. 'The accused emitted a moderate odour of intoxicating liquor, was periodically emotional and had pale skin and watery, bloodshot eyes.' Potter was fined $300 and had her license disqualified for three months. According to data released by the NSW Centre for Road Safety, drink driving is a factor in more than 20 percent of all fatal crashes across NSW and results in the deaths of nearly 100 people every year. 'The majority of drink drivers in fatal crashes across NSW are male (87%) and aged under 40 (73%). Most of these drivers crash in their local area,' the report states. A firefighter who died from a brain tumor has been given a final escort through the hospital by his colleagues and pregnant wife on his way to donate his organs. Cody Mooney was given the emotional send off by his fellow firefighters, dozens of family, friends and hospital staff through Littleton Adventist Hospital in Colorado. The 31-year-old's final salute saw two firefighters dressed in their full ceremonial uniform walk ahead of the hospital bed carrying Mooney's body as staff and colleagues saluted their comrade. His wife, Emily, who is expecting their fifth child later this month, held onto the side of his bed as he was taken through the hospital halls. Mooney suddenly passed away from a brain tumor, which was discovered on his brainstem in 2017, on Saturday night. Cody Mooney was given a guard of honor by colleagues, staff and family, including his pregnant wife Emily (left) through the halls of Littleton Adventist Hospital in Colorado Mooney's body was lead by two colleagues on his final journey to the the operating theater to donate his organs At the back of the possession was surgeons and doctors, followed Mooney's body to the operating theater. Video footage of his heart-wrenching final journey went viral on social media after his firehouse posted the clip online. South Metro Fire Rescue in Denver tweeted: 'Saving lives even after his last breath, firefighter Cody Mooney was honored by family, friends fellow firefighters and hospital staff @LittletonHosp tonight while being escorted to donate organs after losing his courages [sic] fight against an aggressive brain tumor. Emily Mooney with husband Cody and children Willow, Barrett, Weston, and Georgia 'At the young age of only 31 years old, Cody was taken from this world too soon. Firefighter Mooney leaves behind a beautiful family including his wife (who is expecting their fifth child in just a few weeks), as well as their other four children.' Mooney was reportedly first diagnosed with a tumor growing on his brainstem in June 2017, and underwent his first surgery two weeks ago but suffered complications and lost his battle with the aggressive cancer. Mooney was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor on his brainstem in 2017 and had his first surely two weeks ago Mooney died suddenly on Saturday night after losing his battle with brain cancer. Pictured at his Denver firehouse with his wife Emily Kevin Mooney, Cody's father, told CBS Denver that his son 'made us all better people by what he did and how he lived'. He added: 'He was the kind of guy, where if you showed up, he was your friend from the moment you met him. 'He would do this for anybody else. He would be there if you needed it. He gave his heart, he always gave his heart.' In a post on GoFundMe his family said surgery was not an immediate option as the risk was over 60 per cent for a post-op deficit due to the location o f the tumor. Sam Phelps, a fellow firefighter and close friend told the station: 'The amount of people we've seen coming through the hospital is a testament to his character and who he was. He was the sole provider for his family.' A Thai multi-millionaire farm owner is promising 240,000 - as well as his entire estate - to the man who marries his 26-year-old daughter. Arnon Rodthong, 58, who owns a prosperous durian fruit farm in Chumphon province, southern Thailand, has taken the matter of his daughter Karnsita's future into his own hands. In his bizarre 'offer', Mr Rodthong highlights that his daughter, who helps him run the family business, speaks fluent English and Chinese and is a virgin. Comes with a dowry: Karnsita Rodthong, 26, is being offered up to prospective husbands by her own father Bizarre: Arnon Rodthong, 58, promises ten million Thai baht (240,000) and his prosperous durian fruit farm in southern Thailand to the man who marries his daughter In some parts of Thailand, custom dictates that a man should pay a dowry for his future wife, but Mr Rodthong says he would waive this 'fee'. Instead he'll give his future son-in-law ten million Thai baht (240,000), as well as his sprawling durian farm, valued at several million pounds. Mr Rodthong says there are no restrictions on what nationality the successful 'husband' should be - as long as they 'work hard and make Karnsita happy'. He said: 'I want someone to take care of my business and make it last. I don't want a person with a bachelor's, or master's or philosopher's degree. 'I want a diligent man. I just want someone with a hard-working attitude. That's all.' Despite having several other children of his own, including sons who would traditionally inherit the business, he adds: 'As soon as I have an in-law, I will give up all my assets to him.' Mr Rodthong describes his daughter as a multilingual graduate - speaking Thai, Chinese and English - but also highlights her 'virginity' Show me the money: The 58-year-old millionaire farmer poses with wads of cash Heiress: The 26-year-old helps her father on the family's multi-million pound durian farm Mr Rodthong's durian farm processes some 50 tonnes of the fruit every day, and is the biggest in the region. The wealthy Buddhist - who loves gold amulets - also owns property and land across the region. Since making his controversial 'offer' on social media, Mr Rodthong and his daughter have had plenty of responses of various kinds. Miss Rodthong said that she was overwhelmed with the attention from her father's post and confirmed that she is 'still single'. But she hinted that her future boyfriend might have a struggle pocketing the money from her father, because she would 'like to use it herself for plastic surgery in Korea'. She added: 'I first found out about my father's post when my friend's showed me. I was surprised but I can see the funny side to it, too. 'It is true that I am still single. If I have to get married with someone, I only want him to be a diligent and good person who loves his family.' Former FBI director James Comey has urged Robert Mueller's report into alleged Russian collusion to be 'transparent'. His comments come after Attorney General William Barr said he would try to be as transparent as possible in the amount of Mueller's findings are made public. Barr announced he will not recuse himself from overseeing the special counsel's Russia probe and said he will abiding by the Justice Departments 'long-standing tradition of protecting the privacy rights of the innocent'. But Comey emphasized the need for transparency as it is 'especially important where polarized politics and baseless attacks challenge law enforcement's credibility'. Writing in the Washington Post the ex-FBI director added: 'Providing detailed information about a completed investigation of intense public interest has long been a part of Justice Department practice. Former FBI Director James Comey said the Justice Department should be 'transparent' in releasing details of the Russia probe Comey said more details of Robert Mueller's (pictured) report into alleged Russian collusion could be released than the public realized 'In critical matters of national importance, a straightforward report of what facts have been learned and how judgment has been exercised may be the only way to advance the public interest.' Comey, who over saw the investigation into Hillary Clinton e-mail, said Republicans were wrong to try and block the full release of Mueller's finding into alleged Russian involvement in Trump's 2016 campaign. He also said the Democrats were wrong to battle against the DOJ's transparency of his investigation into Clinton's emails that same year. Comey wrote: 'The decision to decline prosecution [of Clinton] would have been far less credible without those details [released by the DOJ], causing lasting damage to the departments reservoir of trust with the American people. Democrats were wrong about transparency then.' On the need for disclosure on the Russia Probe, Comey said it was in of 'greater public interest' if a 'foreign adversary to damage our democracy'. Comey added: 'It is hard to imagine a case of greater public interest than one focused on the efforts of a foreign adversary to damage our democracy, and in which the president of the United States is a subject. A new probe into President Trump was launched yesterday that would look into alleged 'abuses of power' and obstruction of justice U.S. Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling 'I don't know all the considerations that will go into deciding precisely what to say about the completion of the special counsel's work and when to say it. 'It's always important to consider guidelines and routines. But don't listen to those who tell you transparency is impossible. 'Every American should want a Justice Department guided first and always by the public interest. Sometimes transparency is not a hard call.' Comey added that he believed previous high-profile cases meant the Justice Department can share vital information with the public. He cited the killing of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 and the data from the IRS targeting tea party groups in 2015 as examples of the DOJ releasing such findings. The 2014 case of Jose Padilla, an American citizen captured in the Chicago and held by a presidential order as an enemy combatant in a Navy brig for plotting a 'dirty' bomb attack on the United States, was used by Comey. This was, said the former deputy attorney general, also used as a case where the DOJ spoke up, despite no charges being filed against Padilla. House Judiciary Committee led by Democrat Jerrold Nadler (right) wrote to 81 people, groups, companies and agencies linked to President Trump (left) as it probes what Nadler calls possible 'abuses of power' by the president Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands ahead of their bilateral summit in Helsinki, Finland, in July last year Comey said: 'These cases represent the way the Justice Department has always approached its mission - speak only in prosecuted cases, unless the public really needs to know.' Democrats launched a sweeping new probe of Trump on Monday, with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler sending out 81 document requests to the president's family, companies and associates linked to him. A panel will be beginning the probe into possible obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power. The broad investigation could be setting the stage for an impeachment effort, although Democratic leaders have pledged to investigate all avenues and review special counsel Robert Mueller's upcoming report before trying any drastic action. The aggressive investigation that threatens to shadow the president through the 2020 election season with potentially damaging inquiries into his White House, campaign and family businesses. Targets include his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, disgraced former lawyer Michael Cohen and former adviser Roger Stone, who is awaiting trial. Trump's former White House counsel, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former press aide Hope Hicks, and National Enquirer boss David Pecker, have also reportedly been sent document requests. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Well we could be about to find out. That is because a bodybuilder nicknamed the Brazilian Hulk has seemingly accepted a challenge to fight the man known as the Iranian Hulk. Romario dos Santos Alves, 29, threatened to 'tear off' 27-year-old Sajad Gharibi's head in an Instagram video after the Iranian threw down the gauntlet to anyone who was willing to step into the ring with him. Romario dos Santos Alves, 29, a bodybuilder known as the Brazilian Hulk, agreed to take on Iranian Hulk Sajad Gharibi, 27, in a video posted to social media Santos Alves, who used to inject himself with oil to get bigger muscles, initially backed away from the challenge but now appears keen The bodybuilder challenged Gharibi to come down from his current 178kg weight to 120kg for the fight, adding: 'I will tear your head off' Posting on his Instagram account back in January, Gharibi wrote: 'Be brave and Invite me to fight, rather than hiding behind your sponsors. 'I am ready to fight you, show me what you've got to say in the ring.' That was followed by an interview with UOL Esporte where he raised the prospect of fighting someone trained in Brazilian ju-jitsu. Fans were immediately drawn to the prospect of Gharibi fighting Santos Alves because of the sheer size of the men - Gharibi weighs a staggering 178kg while Santos Alves weighs around 104kg. While Santos Alves was initially not keen, describing the Iranian as 'scary' and saying he didn't believe in violence, he seems to be changing his mind. In a video posted to social media on Sunday, Santos Alves said: 'I'm going to go up to 120, and I'll give you a little message, Iranian Hulk, who's challenging me: 'I'll go up to 120 and you'll go down to 120. I'll rip your head off.' The video has since disappeared from his social media but was captured by UOL. Gharibi has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media thanks to his insane size and strength The Iranian has been looking for opponents from around the world to fight, and at one stage was slated to take on Britain's Martin Ford Gharibi was interviewed by Brazilian media saying he would like to take on an MMA fighter before fans put together the match with Santos Alves The huge Iranian reportedly weighs 175kg (27.6 stone) at present. Meanwhile, the Brazilian, who is 5'8", started training seriously in 2009 and currently weighs 104kg (16.4 stone). According to local media, he nearly lost an arm in 2013 due to synthol oil injections which caused a severe reaction. The use of injected oil to enhance muscle appearance is common among bodybuilders despite the fact that synthol can cause pulmonary embolisms, nerve damage, infections and the formation of oil-filled ulcers in the muscle. Since his problems of five years ago, the Brazilian Hulk has reportedly changed his lifestyle and now trains healthily. Sajad has challenged many opponents to fights on social media, such as British bodybuilder Martyn Ford. Ford, dubbed 'the scariest man in the world', signed up to Polish MMA league KSW and appeared ready to take on Sajad, but the fight never materialised. A bizarre anti-Labor political flyer delivered to voters' mailboxes just two months out from the federal election has sparked outrage in a Sydney suburb. Written in Chinese, the flyer urging people not to vote Labor 'if you want to protect family value and future' or 'if you do not want your children become homosexuality' was distributed to homes this week in Hurstville in Sydney's south. An incorrect translation of the flyer's slogans into English also discourages people from voting for the party 'if you do not want the children have 63 genders' or 'if you do not want your children to learn how to sponke their monkeys (sic).' This anti-Labor flyer has re-emerged in Hurstville letterboxes lead up to the federal election A photo of the controversial flyer was posted on Reddit on Wednesday, which sent the social media platform into meltdown with more than 100 comments within three hours. 'Wow imagine these being the most pressing matters that determine your vote. Not like, uh, infrastructure or renewable energy or something,' one person commented. Another added: 'Disappointing to see human efforts and resources wasted in creating and spreading this kind of thing.' Others believed the flyer was unauthorised and dismissed it as junk mail. The same flyer was part of this anti-Labor pamphlet distributed across Sydney in 2017 It's unknown whether a political party was responsible for the flyer, or whether it was authorised by the Australian Electoral Commission. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Australian Electoral Commission for comment. It's not the first time the flyer has emerged during a political campaign. The controversial flyer was distributed in Hurstville (pictured) in Sydney's south, where more than one third of residents were born in China, according to the 2016 Census A photo of the flyer posted on Reddit garnered more than 100 comments within three hours The same flyer appeared in homophobic pamphlets distributed in Sydney's south, south-west and inner-west during the September 2017 local council elections in the lead up to the nationwide postal survey on same-sex marriage, Fairfax Media reported. NSW Labor described the flyer at the time as false and highly offensive. Hurstville has a large Chinese-speaking community and is part of the federal seat of Banks, which is held by immigration minister David Coleman. More than one third of Hurstville's 29,822 residents were born in China, according to the 2016 Census. NSW voters will head to polls later this month for the March 23 state election before they return to the polling booth in May for the federal election. Good Morning Britain's weatherman interrupted a panel discussion on knife crime today to give his passionate views on the subject as someone who had 'grown up in the communities' experiencing a wave of violence. Police Federation Chairman John Apter was being interviewed by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid when he urged the importance of building more prisons to lock up offenders who had carried knives. Alex Beresford interrupted him to say: Prison doesnt work though, Im sorry. Ive grown up in some of these communities you are talking about and prison is not a deterrent. Some of these boys dont fear prison, if we dont change the environment we wont change anything. This has been happening for years, years, and its not always in the media.' Alex Beresford interrupted a comment by Police Federation chairman John Apter by saying: 'Prison doesn't work' Mr Beresford is married to Natalie Beresford, with whom he shares a young son, and recently appeared as a contestant on Dancing On Ice Later today he tweeted about the exchange, posting a link to a video of him speaking with the comment: 'I feel so strongly about this' The presenter also gave his opinion on the idea that what was needed to tackle the menace of knife crime was more police officers. Yes, policing is one thing, but if you dont change these boys environment,' he said. 'All of you guys have benefited from the environment youve grown up in, this work environment, Ive benefitted from it too. But if you dont show these boys a different environment you wont change anything. Mr Beresford, 38, grew up in Eastville, an inner-city suburb of Bristol, where he attended Riding High School, which is now known as Winterbourne Academy. He started his TV career as an autocue operative at ITV News West Country in August 2004 before retraining as a weather presenter. He is married to Natalie Beresford, with whom he shares a young son, and recently appeared as a contestant on Dancing On Ice. Mr Beresford runs a Diversity School Tour Project where he visits inner-city schools to talk about working in the media. Later today he tweeted about the exchange, posting a link to a video of him speaking with the comment: 'I feel so strongly about this.' Earlier on in the GMB discussion, Mr Apter made the point that two-thirds of offenders caught carrying a knife for a second time are avoiding prison. 'Build more prisons, we need to have consequences,' he said. Another photo from Mr Beresford's Instagram page Mr Beresford runs a Diversity School Tour Project where he visits inner-city schools to talk about working in the media. He is pictured with his wife He started his TV career as an autocue operative at ITV News West Country in August 2004 before retraining as a weather presenter The Police Federation's John Apter (left) made the point that two-thirds of offenders caught carrying a knife for a second time are avoiding prison'. Pictured on the right: A message Mr Beresford posted thanking for people's comments about his intervention The debate (pictured) followed a wave of knife-related murders, including those of Jodie Chesney and Yousef Makki, both 17, in recent days Twenty people including Jaden Moodie, who was just 14 have been murdered in London in the first three months of 2019 Jodie Chesney (pictured right) was stabbed to death in a random attack last Friday. She is pictured with her sister Lucy and one of their grandmothers The debate follows a wave of knife-related murders, including those of Jodie Chesney and Yousef Makki, both 17, in recent days. This morning, Britain's most senior police officer did not rule out using the Army to help quell the violence. Yousef Makki, 17, died of stab wounds on Saturday night. He wanted to be a heart surgeon On LBC this morning, Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick was asked about the link between drug use and stabbings in London. She said there was misery throughout the drug supply trail and a direct link between substance abuse and violence after 20 people have been killed in the capital in just three months. Ms Dick was also asked if 'middle-class dinner parties' who 'order in' cocaine but do not have to deal with the threat of knife crime have 'blood on their hands'. She said: 'I think anybody who is not seriously mentally ill, seriously addicted, who is seeking 'recreational' drugs, particularly class A drugs, yes, I think that is a good way to put it, I do.' Today, Prime Minister Theresa May told Cabinet the murders of Jodie and Yousef were 'absolutely appalling crimes', adding that her thoughts and sympathies were with the teenagers' families and friends. She ordered the Home Office to urgently to coordinate a series of ministerial meetings and engagements on knife crime. Met Police chief 'could call in the ARMY' to tackle knife epidemic Cressida Dick Britain's most senior police officer has accused middle-class cocaine users of having blood on their hands as the capital's knife crime epidemic continues and said she did not rule out using the Army to help quell the violence. On LBC this morning, Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick was asked about the link between drug use and stabbings in London. She said there was misery throughout the drug supply trail and a direct link between substance abuse and violence after 20 people have been killed in the capital in just three months. After teenage girl scout Jodie Chesney, 17, was stabbed on Friday in Romford and Yousef Makki, 17, was also killed the following evening, presenter Nick Ferrari this morning quizzed the commissioner on the root causes of knife crime. He asked her if 'middle-class dinner parties' who 'order in' cocaine but do not have to deal with the threat of knife crime have 'blood on their hands'. Advertisement Mrs May told Cabinet she wanted the meetings to accelerate the work central government is doing in support of local authorities and police. Home Secretary Sajid Javid is meeting with chief constables in high knife crime areas including London, Liverpool and South Wales tomorrow morning. Mrs May was yesterday criticised by police chiefs for suggesting there was 'no correlation' between a decline in the number of officers and the upsurge of knife-related violence. The Met is trying to recruit 3,000 officers, 1,500 of which are new posts. This will still leave the force below the numbers it had in 2013/14. Following the commissioner's remarks this morning, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan blamed soaring knife crime cuts to police, youth and mental health services and schools. He told Sky News: 'We need much more resources from the Government to invest in preventative services and policing.' He added: 'We have fewer police in London now in 2019 than at any time since 2003 - our population has grown by a million and a half since 2003. 'Also when it comes to youth services, over the last eight years dozens and dozens of youth centres have closed down, hundreds of youth workers have lost their jobs, thousands of young people who used to have youth centres to go to [now] haven't.' Boost our stop and search powers, says police chief Stop-and-search powers must be bolstered to combat the country's stabbing crisis, a senior police officer has claimed. Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, has called for emergency section 60 powers to help stem bloodshed. The powers have been introduced by West Midlands Police after three teenagers died in just 11 days. He told the Daily Telegraph the force has taken dozens of blades off streets since the order was enforced. Under current stop-and-search laws, police are allowed to search a suspect if they have 'reasonable grounds' that the person is carrying a weapon, drugs or stolen property. Such justification might be that they have witnessed the suspect putting the knife into a pocket. However emergency section 60 powers can be enforced in a set location, such as a town or city, which removes the 'reasonable grounds' criteria. The tactic divides politicians, amid fears that it unfairly targets ethnic minorities, most notably young black men. The sentiment was echoed by Stu Berry, chairman of the Police Federation in Manchester, where officers are investigating the stabbing of Yousef Makki, 17. Advertisement Reacting to Cressida Dick's comments on LBC stating there is a link between decreased police numbers and rising violent crime, Chuka Umunna of The Independent Group tweeted: 'It is absurd for the Prime Minister to suggest that having more police will not help reduce the violence on the streets. 'She insults people's intelligence with this nonsense.' Former Conservative MP Anna Soubry, now with The Independent Group, said 'of course there's a link' between policing numbers and crime. She tweeted: 'We need quality cops to prevent & investigate crime. 'As a former criminal barrister gang/serious violence/knife crime is complicated & won't be solved simply by recruiting more police but it's part of the solution.' Asked if the PM agreed with Ms Dick about the link between police numbers and knife crime, Mrs Mays spokesman said: The point the PM was making yesterday was this is a complex area and we need to be addressing issues in all these areas. That means yes, of course, making sure that police have the powers and the resources that they need but at the same time making sure that we are taking action whether that is on early intervention, tackling gang culture and grooming of young people, addressing challenges posed by drugs and county lines. He added: Spending on police and the numbers of officers is currently increasing. How many more? The 27 teenagers who were ALL stabbed to death in the past year as MPs and police row over how to halt bloodbath on Britain's streets By Ian Drury and Rebecca Camber for the Daily Mail Ministers and police chiefs clashed last night over whether a surge in knife deaths is linked to tumbling officer numbers. The families of the latest teenage stab victims girl scout Jodie Chesney and private school pupil Yousef Makki, both 17 yesterday told of their horror and devastation. In an impassioned Commons statement, Jodie's constituency MP Julia Lopez, a Tory backbencher, warned that the public was losing faith in the Government's ability to keep the streets safe. From left to right: Sami Sidhom, 18, Jodie Chesney, 17, Yousef Makki, 17 Lyndon Davis, 18, Keelan Wilson, 15, Abdi Ali, 17 Her Labour colleague Stella Creasy, whose east London seat has been blighted by knife killings, joined her call for urgent action. She told Home Secretary Sajid Javid: 'The taskforces, the consultations, the more reports, it isn't working. This is an emergency that requires an emergency response.' Over the past 12 months, 27 under-19s have been stabbed to death. There were 285 knife killings in all the highest toll since the Second World War. Israel Ogunsola, 18, Ethan Nedd-Bruce, 18, Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17 John Ogunjobi, 16, Jay Hughes, 15, Hazrat Umar, 18 Twenty people including Jaden Moodie, who was just 14 have been murdered in London in the first three months of 2019. Official figures show that in the year to September, 'Wild West Britain' suffered 110 knife crimes a day including attacks with deadly 'zombie' weapons fashioned with serrated blades. Theresa May, who spent six years at the Home Office, which oversees the police, yesterday claimed it was a mistake to link the knife epidemic with police cuts, insisting there was 'no direct correlation'. Jordan Douherty, 15, Katrina Makunova, 17, Jamie Brown, 17 Latwaan Griffiths, 18, Ozell Pemberton, 16, Jay Sewell, 18 Ministers pointed out that in the early 2000s, when serious violent crimes were at their highest, police numbers were rising. But senior police officers and opposition MPs said the Government's austerity drive was among the reasons for the spiralling bloodshed. Ex-Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe said an extra 20,000 officers were needed. Jaden Moodie, 14, Danny Gee-Jamieson, 16, Nedim Bilgin, 17 Sidali Mohamed, 16, Hazrat Umar, 18, Connor Brown, 18 That would almost make up for the decline in numbers in the past decade from around 143,700 to 122,400. Jodie, a popular A-level pupil who had recently been invited to Downing Street with her scout group, was killed in an unprovoked attack as she sat with her boyfriend and three friends listening to music in a park in east London on Friday evening. Her family yesterday appealed to her killer to have the 'decency' to hand himself in. Yousef, a pupil at Manchester Grammar School who had dreams of becoming a heart surgeon, was murdered in the affluent Cheshire village of Hale Barns on Saturday. His family, from Burnage in Manchester, said: 'We are absolutely devastated and cannot believe that our son has gone. This senseless loss has affected the whole community.' Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested on suspicion of his murder. Mrs May rejected the link to falling officer numbers when answering questions from reporters in Salisbury yesterday. Louis-Ryan Menezes, 17, Samuel Baker, 15, Aron Warren, 18 She said: 'There's no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers. 'What matters is how we ensure that police are responding to these criminal acts when they take place, that people are brought to justice. 'But what also matters is, as a Government, that we look at the issues which underpin, that underlie, this use of knives and that we act on those. 'Why it is that so many young people are carrying knives?' Experts have warned that youths carry blades for status and protection, and are increasingly desensitised to the realities and dangers. Flowers near the scene yesterday in Harold Hill, East London, where Jodie was fatally stabbed But Mrs May's remarks will anger those who say cuts to police and youth services are a key factor. The National Audit Office has said that since 2010-11, police funding has fallen 19 per cent in real terms to 12.3billion a year. The Prime Minister also reduced stop and search while at the Home Office. Police chiefs blame an increase in stabbings and gang violence on the move. Graham McNulty, Met deputy assistant commissioner, said: 'I can't magic officers out of thin air, but we are lucky that we have got officers who are professional and committed and want to make a difference at the moment.' He said an increased police presence in London had allowed officers to conduct 2,500 stop-and-searches in the past three days alone. Policing minister Nick Hurd said an extra 460million was being invested to recruit 2,500 more officers nationwide. But Lord Hogan-Howe said: 'When are they going to be here? 'Even if you press the button today and, I would argue, get the 20,000 back, you're not going to get them tomorrow. You've got to recruit them, you've got to train them.' Dr Brendan Sweeney (pictured above) has been allowed to keep his NHS job A doctor who attacked police during a violent struggle in a bistro after a cocaine and alcohol binge that 'blew his socks off' is to keep his job. Dr Brendan Sweeney was arrested after he hurled foul mouth abuse and gritted his teeth whilst white powder could be seen on his nose. Onlookers at the restaurant were said to be 'visibly shocked and shaken' as the 35-year-old fought with officers and protested 'I'm not drunk', before kicking the door of a police van as he was escorted outside. Sweeney, who will get to keep his job after being hailed an 'asset' to the NHS, admitted to being 'pished' after he was taken to a police station. It is said that he had knocked back up to six pints of beer before agreeing to get 'f...ked up' on drugs with a woman he met earlier in another bar. Officers found four snap bags in the medic's pocket containing cocaine, ketamine and benzo tranquilizers which the Sweeney claimed had 'blown his socks off'. At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, Sweeney who worked in the psychiatric department at Tameside Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester faced being struck off for misconduct - but he was allowed to continue his career at the same hospital after his professional work was hailed as 'exemplary' by colleagues who said he was 'well regarded' by other healthcare professionals. Dr Brendan Sweeney (pictured above leaving his hearing in Manchester) was described as an 'exemplary' doctor by colleagues The incident occurred at 8pm on October 30 2017 after police were called to the Blue Pig bar and restaurant near Manchester's fashionable Northern Quarter District where Sweeney, originally from Glasgow, had been out with friends. Lawyer for the General Medical Council, Simon Vaughan told the Manchester hearing: 'Officers had received a report of a male being aggressive to staff and customers and on their arrival there, they discovered Dr Sweeney had lost control and was acting in an abusive manner. 'They said his eyes were glazed over, he was shouting and slurring his words, and he was swearing at staff members. Dr Brendan Sweeney (above) had kicked a police van door and had physically and verbally abused police officers 'He was approached by officers because of his behaviour but when they tried to interact with him he turned his abuse towards them. They described his behaviour towards them as aggressive and going on a foul-mouthed rant in front of other members of the public.' Mr Vaughan added that there had been 20-30 members of the public around to witness the incident itself. 'Officers were informed by bar staff that they believed he had drunk five to six pints of beer and they had been making reference to the fact he had taken drugs. On closer inspection of Dr Sweeney, they found white powder stuck to the septum area of his nose. 'Officers physically intervened by taking hold of his arms in an effort to calm Dr Sweeney down but unfortunately that didn't help as he attempted to pull himself from their grasp. They noted he had gritted teeth and he was breathing heavily. 'They were concerned he was going to become more aggressive so officers continued with their intervention which result in him being handcuffed and placed in a police van but the verbal and physical abuse continued.' Mr Vaughan said that officers had told how Sweeney had kicked the van door and had been unable to sit still whilst in the van. Sweeney works in the psychiatric department at Tameside Hospital (pictured above) in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester 'He was taken to Longsight police station where he was searched and four snap bags of white powder were found on his person. 'Dr Sweeney was asked what they were and he confirmed there were two bags of cocaine, two bags of ketamine and a strip of five diazepam tablets. ' A police summary of the incident which was read to the hearing said: 'The defendant stated he had been drinking in Manchester and Leeds and was 'pished'. 'He states he met a female in a bar and she asked him if he wanted to get 'f..ked up' to which he agreed. He stated she left the pub and returned a few moments later with the drugs. They both took some cocaine and it 'blew his socks off'. 'He states he was not working at the time and maybe got a little too intoxicated. He stated it was the first time he had taken drugs but didn't remember anything from taking the cocaine until he woke up in a police cell the morning after. 'The defendant admitted to possessing all of the controlled drugs. He stated the cocaine and ketamine were to get high and the 'Benzos' were to bring him back down on the following day.' In February 2018, Sweeney admitted possessing controlled drugs of class and conditionally discharged by Manchester magistrates for 18 months. He was ordered to pay 105 in costs. At his disciplinary hearing which was held largely in private, Sweeney admitted wrongdoing, telling the tribunal: 'It was a stupid mistake. That day was the worst day of my life.' In a character reference, a colleague known as Dr D said: 'He is full of regret and apologies and is insightful of what he had done to himself, thus risking the prospect of continuing his current employment.' A second senior doctor known as Dr A said Sweeney was now employed in a fixed term NHS contract adding: 'There are no concerns with respect to Dr Sweeney's clinical performance. He is flexible, competent, hard-working and reliable. 'Any initial concerns I had upon learning of Dr Sweeney's arrest were alleviated upon speaking with him face-to-face and observing his openness and remorse in discussing the matter. I consider him an asset to the hospital and the NHS and I hope Dr Sweeney will progress in his career and become a consultant.' Ordering Sweeney to work under a range of conditions for two years, panel chairman Mr Richard Tutt said: 'The Tribunal was impressed by the level of support that Dr Sweeney has received in his workplace and considers that this is likely to be indicative of the level of regard in which he is held by his colleagues who know him well. 'It has been some 14 months since the incident and there has been no repeat of such behaviour since then. A period of conditional registration would be proportionate and appropriate for the protection of patients and would be in the public interest. 'The Tribunal did not consider that a period of suspension was necessary and considered such a measure would be disproportionate and counterproductive. Dr Sweeney is described as an asset to the NHS.' A row of bibles and a cross were left miraculously intact after a devastating inferno ripped through a church in West Virginia. Coal City Fire Department rushed to the Freedom Ministries Church in Grandview at around 1am on Sunday. The blaze was so ferocious that the firefighters were forced back on one occasion. Coal City Fire Department firefighters shared the miraculous bibles on Facebook after the fire started at around 1am on Sunday More than a dozen bibles survived the inferno despite firefighters having to retreat from the powerful blaze at one point The contents of the church appeared burnt to cinders, save for around a dozen pristine bibles which were discovered underneath the rubble. A crucifix on the wall remained intact Furthermore, a crucifix on the wall was left totally unscathed. The fire department wrote on Facebook: 'Though odds were against us, God was not. 'Picture this, a building so hot that at one point in time, firefighters had to back out. In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes. 'Not a single bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!! Not a single firefighter was hurt! 'Prayers for the pastor and the congregation today.' Christians have responded in awe on Facebook at the power of God and thanked him for what they believe was a miracle. The Freedom Ministries Church in Grandview, West Virginia where teams are still investigating the cause of the fire Barbara Mitchell wrote: 'He said heaven and earth shall pass away but his word will always stand there it.' Jennifer White replied to the fire department: 'We had a fire in a loft above our garage growing up. We had a picture of Jesus on a wall where the fire started. Everything was on fire. But the picture of Jesus never caught on fire. God is so good.' The cause of the fire is not yet known and still under investigation, CBS reported. Stop-and-search powers must be reintroduced in Britain to combat the country's stabbing crisis, a senior police officer has claimed. Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, has called for emergency section 60 powers to be rolled out across the country. He said that the use of the temporary order, which allows police officers to search suspects without needing 'reasonable grounds', would help stem the bloodshed. The controversial powers have been introduced by West Midlands Police after three teenagers died in just 11 days. The force says that it has taken dozens of blades off the streets since the order was enforced last week. Scroll down for video Victims: The knife crime epidemic has been thrown into renewed focus this week by the killings of two 17-year-olds, Jodie Chesney (left) and Yousef Makki (right) Flowers were laid in memory of Ms Chesney in the London suburb of Harold Hill near Romford Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, has called for emergency section 60 powers to be rolled out across the country Under current stop-and-search laws, police are allowed to search a suspect if the have 'reasonable grounds' that the person is carrying a weapon, drugs or stolen property. Such justification might be that they have witnessed the suspect putting the knife into a pocket. However emergency section 60 powers can be enforced in a set location, such as a town or city, which removes the 'reasonable grounds' criteria. The tactic divides politicians, amid fears that it unfairly targets ethnic minorities, most notably young black men. How stop-and-search powers have changed As Home Secretary Mrs May introduced changes in 2014 which meant police are only allowed to stop people when there is 'reasonable grounds for suspicion'. And it warned that where officers misuse the powers they would face disciplinary action. She introduced the measures amid widespread anger to the power, particularly among the black and ethnic minority population, who said it was used disproportionately against them. In the years following the reforms stop and search fell to their lowest level since the power was introduced 17 years ago. But violent crime has risen - sparking calls for the power to be taken up again. Under current stop-and-search laws, police are allowed to search a suspect if the have 'reasonable grounds' that the person is carrying a weapon, drugs or stolen property. Such justification might be that they have witnessed the suspect putting the knife into a pocket. However emergency section 60 powers can be enforced in a set location, such as a town or city, which removes the 'reasonable grounds' criteria. Advertisement Mr Cooke said the impact of such powers had been 'tangible' in Birmingham, with officers feeling 'the operation is paying dividends across the city'. He told the Daily Telegraph: 'Arrests are up, and dangerous weapons have been removed from the streets 'For too long, police have been absent from the streets in any numbers, and this has encouraged a sense of licence among those carrying knives. 'Instead of all the responsibility dodging, the Government should take inspiration from Birmingham's successes in recent days, and get behind a national strategy that puts more bobbies on the beat and empowers them to make robust use of stop-and-search powers. 'If it fails to do so, our young people will continue to die.' The sentiment was echoed by Stu Berry, chairman of the Police Federation in Manchester, where officers are investigating the stabbing of Yousef Makki, 17. He told the newspaper the cause and effect was 'not difficult to understand', adding that 'stop-and-search is at an all-time low and knife crime is at an all-time high'. Theresa May, while serving as Home Secretary, led an overhaul of stop-and-search powers in 2014 amid accusations the tactic was being overused by officers. However police chiefs now blame the increase in violence on those reforms, as well as cuts that have seen funding fall 19 per cent in real terms to 12.3billion a year. Graham McNulty, Met deputy assistant commissioner, said: 'I can't magic officers out of thin air, but we are lucky that we have got officers who are professional and committed and want to make a difference at the moment.' He said an increased police presence in London had allowed officers to conduct 2,500 stop-and-searches in the past three days alone. Bright Akinlele, 22, (left) was stabbed to death in Euston two weeks ago. Glendon Spence, 23, (right) was also stabbed to death two weeks ago 'Blood on their hands!': Met Police chief Cressida Dick blames middle-class cocaine-users for knife epidemic - and admits there IS a link between violent crime and cut in officers Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick Britain's most senior police officer has accused middle-class cocaine users of having blood on their hands as the capital's knife crime epidemic continues. On LBC this morning, Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick was asked about the link between drug use and stabbings in London. She said there was misery throughout the drug supply trail and a direct link between substance abuse and violence. Presenter Nick Ferrari asked her if 'middle-class dinner parties' who 'order in' cocaine but do not have to deal with the threat of knife crime have 'blood on their hands'. Ms Dick said: 'I think anybody who is not seriously mentally ill, seriously addicted, who is seeking "recreational" drugs, particularly class A drugs, yes, I think that is a good way to put it, I do.' The police chief said a message needs to be sent to people of 'all backgrounds' as imports of the Class A drug have increased and more are using it. She also discussed policing cuts in recent years and said the number of officers on the street has an impact on the amount of knife crime. 'I agree that there is some link between violent crime on the streets obviously and police numbers, of course there is and everybody would see that,' she said. The Met is currently trying to recruit 3,000 officers, 1,500 of which are new posts. This will still leave the force below the numbers it had in 2013/14. John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, criticised proposals to reduce the number of people going to prison for short sentences. 'Despite the rhetoric you hear from politicians about being tough on those who carry knives, two thirds of those who are convicted dont face prison,' he told ITVs Good Morning Britain. 'We have a justice secretary who is saying we need to scrap shorter sentences because the prisons are full. My argument is build more prisons. We need to have a consequence. 'We need better engagement with young people in this country. Thats at the youth groups, the education system, the social services and so on. Its a multi-functional approach that we need. Its not just the police. But some people will need punishment.' Mr Ferrari also asked the commissioner whether she would consider bringing the Army in to assist in the fight against knife crime, given their apparent availability to assist in searches and other operations. Ms Dick said that she does not rule out the possibility but that she would find it hard to see how she could 'usefully call on' the military to help on London's streets. A senior Jewish Labour MP has blasted Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism, accusing him of failing to show 'zero tolerance' if the offenders are his 'mates'. Dame Margaret Hodge fired a broadside at the embattled party leader, questioning whether he had 'misled' her or been misled himself about the extent of his team's involvement in cases. Dame Margaret posted a letter to the party leader on Twitter today in which she said he assured her in a meeting last week that his office played 'no part in the complaints process'. But this was contradicted by a whistleblower account story in the Observer newspaper on Sunday which revealed that senior Labour members last year opposed recommendations to suspend several party activists accused of anti-Semitism. Margaret Hodge said that either Jeremy Corbyn had misled her on the handling of anti-Semitism complaints against Labour party members or had been misled himself by senior officials Mr Corbyn is facing a mounting revolt among MPs over the leadership's handling of claims of anti-Semitism against hard-left members of the party The Barking MP, who has a history of clashes with Mr Corbyn, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We discussed how the complaints were handled and he gave me absolute, copper-bottomed undertakings that there was no interference in the complaints process by his inner circle, by his top team.' But she claimed 'lots of them' had been involved in decisions and lowering the sanctions applied, adding: 'What is so awful about this is that Jeremy always proclaims zero tolerance of anti-Semitism. 'When it comes to the actual cases, if they are his mates he doesn't demonstrate zero tolerance.' She added on Twitter: 'Last week Corbyn reassured me categorically that his office never intervened in anti-Ssemitism complaints. 'Whistleblower account clearly shows Corbyn's office have intervened. Either Corbyn has intentionally misled me or his staff have misled him.' The row is the latest front to open up in Labour's bitter internal conflict over allegations of anti-Semitism within the party. Dame Margaret posted a letter to Mr Corbyn on her Twitter account on Tuesday in which she questioned whether he had misled her in a meeting last wee to discuss anti-Semitism Shadow minister: I've had PANIC button installed at home after threats from Corbyn supporters Angela Rayner mildly praised Tony Blair on Sunday, leading to a barrage of criticism from left-wing activists Shadow cabinet minister Angela Rayner has revealed she has had panic buttons installed in her house after receiving threats from people claiming to be Corbyn supporters. Ms Rayner came under attack on social media over the weekend after tweeting praise for a TV interview by Tony Blair and saying that 'all shades of red' should be welcome in Labour. Her comment sparked a wave of abuse under the hashtag ResignRayner, prompting her to say on Facebook that 'we have a problem with some on the left that cannot disagree respectfully'. The shadow education secretary added: 'It was only a couple of weeks ago someone claiming to be a Jeremy supporter was arrested for making threats to rape and murder me on social media. 'My house has panic buttons fitted. My colleague was assassinated doing her job that I do week in week out. Jeremy was attacked this weekend. We have to stop the personal attacks and be kinder to each other.' Advertisement Chris Williamson, the Derby North MP and a close friend and ally of Mr Williamson, was suspended pending an investigation last week after his suggestion that the party had been 'too apologetic' about anti-Semitism claims sparked widespread fury among parliamentarians. Dame Margaret's intervention follows a stormy meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday night. Some Labour MPs reacted angrily to the appointment of a staff member from Mr Corbyn's office to the party unit dealing with complaints of anti-Semitism. Following the weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) at Westminster, MPs expressed concern that the move of Laura Murray - the daughter of long-standing Corbyn aide Andrew Murray - undermined the independence of the whole process. Labour would not comment on the appointment, although a party source confirmed two junior staff members had been released from their roles in another part of the organisation to provide 'administrative support on an interim basis' to the complaints team. Labour insisted procedures had improved under new general secretary Jennie Formby. A party spokesman said: 'Since becoming general secretary, Jennie Formby has made procedures for dealing with complaints about anti-Semitism more robust. 'Staff who work on disciplinary matters have always led on investigations and recommendations on individual cases. 'Any suggestion that staff in the Leader's Office overturned recommendations on individual cases is categorically untrue.' Distressing footage shows a father and daughter biting and slapping police as they are arrested after a brawl at a 30th birthday party. The clip, filmed on a bodycam, shows officers scrambling to control Ian Brewis, 55, and his daughter Chloe following celebrations in Wallsend in North Tyneside on December 8. Police desperately try to handcuff the pair as they lie on the floor and scream expletive-ridden rants. The pair attack officers during the violent struggle with the father punching one three times in the head. Ian Brewster, 55, is restrained on the floor as officers scrambling to control him after a party in Wallsend in North Tyneside His daughter bites and slaps an officer before she lies on the ground drunkenly sobbing. At one point, Mr Brewis shouts: 'I'm not even p***ed, I've been drinking shandy.' But the officer trying to control the chaos replies: 'It must have been strong shandy.' The 55-year-old then tries to apologise to the policeman who has just suffered three blows. But the officer, who is out of breath from the tussle, says: 'At this point in time, your apology means nothing. 'I've come to do a job - I don't come to be treated like a punchbag.' North Tyneside Magistrates' Court heard the 55-year-old hit the officer three times. Police try to handcuff the father who punches one three times in the head during violent attack Ian Brewster and his daughter Chloe, of Cheviot Mount in Byker, pictured outside North Tyneside Magistrates' Court Both father and daughter, of Cheviot Mount in Byker, have been ordered to do unpaid work and compensate the officers after admitting assaulting an emergency worker. At the first hearing, their solicitor accused the officers of being 'very, very heavy handed'. But prosecuting, Iain Jordan, told the hearing that the clip showed the 'real drama and real fear' faced by officers that night. The party had been a 'friendly do' which turned violent at the end when Ms Brewster got in a row with a cousin's new girlfriend over a handbag, the court previously heard. Ms Brewster, who battles alopecia, was punched by a male relative which knocked her wig off her head. Her father sprung into action and 'squared up' to a male by headbutting him before turning on police. Father and daughter outside court. They have been ordered to do unpaid work and compensate the officers after admitting assault At sentencing, it was said that Ms Brewster, who works at Northumbria University, hasn't been back to her job since the crime came to light. Solicitor Jack Lovell, mitigating, said the incident had led to a lot of social media attention and she had been off work due to anxiety. Explaining why the father got involved, Mr Lovell said he jumped into action after seeing the wig come off his daughter. He said: 'After seeing what has happened to his daughter things have escalated. 'He accepts that this is not something he should have got involved in.' It emerged Mr Brewster's son was also reprimanded for his role in the incident and received a fixed penalty notice for being drunk and disorderly. Magistrates sentenced Ian to 250 hours of unpaid work and his daughter to 60 hours, both reduced due to their guilty pleas. Commissioner Cressida Dick (pictured on LBC this morning) agreed that middle-class cocaine users have 'blood on their hands' Britain's most senior police officer has accused middle-class cocaine users of having blood on their hands as the capital's knife crime epidemic continues and said she did not rule out using the Army to help quell the violence. On LBC this morning, Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick was asked about the link between drug use and stabbings in London. She said there was misery throughout the drug supply trail and a direct link between substance abuse and violence after 20 people have been killed in the capital in just three months. After teenage girl scout Jodie Chesney, 17, was stabbed on Friday in Romford and Yousef Makki, 17, was also killed the following evening, presenter Nick Ferrari this morning quizzed the commissioner on the root causes of knife crime. He asked her if 'middle-class dinner parties' who 'order in' cocaine but do not have to deal with the threat of knife crime have 'blood on their hands'. Nick Ferrari (left) today asked Cressida Dick about the link between recreational drug use and crime and she agreed middle-class users of Class A substances have 'blood on their hands' Ms Dick said: 'I think anybody who is not seriously mentally ill, seriously addicted, who is seeking 'recreational' drugs, particularly class A drugs, yes, I think that is a good way to put it, I do.' Prime Minister Theresa May today told Cabinet the murders of Jodie and Yousef were 'absolutely appalling crimes', adding that her 'thoughts and sympathies' were with the teenagers' families and friends. She ordered the Home Office to urgently to coordinate a series of ministerial meetings and engagements on knife crime. Over the past 12 months, 27 under-19s have been stabbed to death. There were 285 knife killings in all the highest toll since the Second World War. And in the year to September, the UK suffered 110 knife crimes a day including attacks with serrated blades. In the capital alone there have been 20 fatal stabbings since the start of 2019, with the map pictured below showing the location and names of the victims. Twenty people including Jaden Moodie, who was just 14 have been murdered in London in the first three months of 2019 'Bring back stop and search', says police leader Stop-and-search powers must be reintroduced to combat the country's stabbing crisis, a senior police officer has claimed. Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, has called for emergency section 60 powers to help stem bloodshed. The powers have been introduced by West Midlands Police after three teenagers died in just 11 days. He told the Daily Telegraph the force has taken dozens of blades off streets since the order was enforced. Under current stop-and-search laws, police are allowed to search a suspect if they have 'reasonable grounds' that the person is carrying a weapon, drugs or stolen property. Such justification might be that they have witnessed the suspect putting the knife into a pocket. However emergency section 60 powers can be enforced in a set location, such as a town or city, which removes the 'reasonable grounds' criteria. The tactic divides politicians, amid fears that it unfairly targets ethnic minorities, most notably young black men. The sentiment was echoed by Stu Berry, chairman of the Police Federation in Manchester, where officers are investigating the stabbing of Yousef Makki, 17. Graham McNulty, Met deputy assistant commissioner, said: n increased police presence in London had allowed officers to conduct 2,500 stop-and-searches in the past three days alone. Advertisement Mr Ferrari also asked the commissioner whether she would consider bringing the Army in to assist in the fight against knife crime, given their apparent availability to assist in searches and other operations. Ms Dick said that she does not rule out the possibility but that she would find it hard to see how she could 'usefully call on' the military to help on London's streets. The police chief said a message needs to be sent to people of 'all backgrounds' as imports of the Class A drug have increased and more are using it. She also discussed policing cuts in recent years and said the number of officers on the street has an impact on the amount of knife crime. 'I agree that there is some link between violent crime on the streets obviously and police numbers, of course there is and everybody would see that,' she said. The Met is trying to recruit 3,000 officers, 1,500 of which are new posts. This will still leave the force below the numbers it had in 2013/14. Following the commissioner's remarks this morning, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan blamed soaring knife crime cuts to police, youth and mental health services and schools. He told Sky News: 'We need much more resources from the Government to invest in preventative services and policing.' He added: 'We have fewer police in London now in 2019 than at any time since 2003 - our population has grown by a million and a half since 2003. 'Also when it comes to youth services, over the last eight years dozens and dozens of youth centres have closed down, hundreds of youth workers have lost their jobs, thousands of young people who used to have youth centres to go to [now] haven't.' The commissioner (pictured on LBC this morning) admitted that police cuts are linked to knife crime in the capital Prime Minister calls Home Office knife crime meetings Prime Minister Theresa May told Cabinet the murders of Jodie Chesney and Yousef Makki were 'absolutely appalling crimes', adding that her thoughts and sympathies were with the teenagers' families and friends. She ordered the Home Office to urgently to coordinate a series of ministerial meetings and engagements on knife crime. Mrs May told Cabinet she wanted the meetings to accelerate the work central government is doing in support of local authorities and police. Home Secretary Sajid Javid is meeting with chief constables in high knife crime areas including London, Liverpool and South Wales tomorrow morning. Asked if the PM agreed with Ms Dick about the link between police numbers and knife crime, Mrs Mays spokesman said: The point the PM was making yesterday was this is a complex area and we need to be addressing issues in all these areas. That means yes, of course, making sure that police have the powers and the resources that they need but at the same time making sure that we are taking action whether that is on early intervention, tackling gang culture and grooming of young people, addressing challenges posed by drugs and county lines. He added: Spending on police and the numbers of officers is currently increasing. Advertisement Reacting to Cressida Dick's comments on LBC stating there is a link between decreased police numbers and rising violent crime, Chuka Umunna of The Independent Group tweeted: 'It is absurd for the Prime Minister to suggest that having more police will not help reduce the violence on the streets. 'She insults people's intelligence with this nonsense.' Former Conservative MP Anna Soubry, now with The Independent Group, said 'of course there's a link' between policing numbers and crime. She tweeted: 'We need quality cops to prevent & investigate crime. 'As a former criminal barrister gang/serious violence/knife crime is complicated & won't be solved simply by recruiting more police but it's part of the solution.' This morning's interview sparked anger online, with some Twitter users blaming police cuts for surging knife crime and others blaming societal ills. John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, criticised proposals to reduce the number of people going to prison for short sentences. 'Despite the rhetoric you hear from politicians about being tough on those who carry knives, two thirds of those who are convicted don't face prison,' he told ITV's Good Morning Britain. 'We have a justice secretary who is saying we need to scrap shorter sentences because the prisons are full. 'My argument is build more prisons. We need to have a consequence. 'We need better engagement with young people in this country. That's at the youth groups, the education system, the social services and so on. 'It's a multi-functional approach that we need. It's not just the police. But some people will need punishment.' How many more? The 27 teenagers who were ALL stabbed to death in the past year as MPs and police row over how to halt bloodbath on Britain's streets By Ian Drury and Rebecca Camber for the Daily Mail Ministers and police chiefs clashed last night over whether a surge in knife deaths is linked to tumbling officer numbers. The families of the latest teenage stab victims girl scout Jodie Chesney and private school pupil Yousef Makki, both 17 yesterday told of their horror and devastation. In an impassioned Commons statement, Jodie's constituency MP Julia Lopez, a Tory backbencher, warned that the public was losing faith in the Government's ability to keep the streets safe. From left to right: Sami Sidhom, 18, Jodie Chesney, 17, Yousef Makki, 17 Lyndon Davis, 18, Keelan Wilson, 15, Abdi Ali, 17 Her Labour colleague Stella Creasy, whose east London seat has been blighted by knife killings, joined her call for urgent action. She told Home Secretary Sajid Javid: 'The taskforces, the consultations, the more reports, it isn't working. This is an emergency that requires an emergency response.' Over the past 12 months, 27 under-19s have been stabbed to death. There were 285 knife killings in all the highest toll since the Second World War. Israel Ogunsola, 18, Ethan Nedd-Bruce, 18, Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17 John Ogunjobi, 16, Jay Hughes, 15, Hazrat Umar, 18 Twenty people including Jaden Moodie, who was just 14 have been murdered in London in the first three months of 2019. Official figures show that in the year to September, 'Wild West Britain' suffered 110 knife crimes a day including attacks with deadly 'zombie' weapons fashioned with serrated blades. Theresa May, who spent six years at the Home Office, which oversees the police, yesterday claimed it was a mistake to link the knife epidemic with police cuts, insisting there was 'no direct correlation'. Jordan Douherty, 15, Katrina Makunova, 17, Jamie Brown, 17 Latwaan Griffiths, 18, Ozell Pemberton, 16, Jay Sewell, 18 Ministers pointed out that in the early 2000s, when serious violent crimes were at their highest, police numbers were rising. But senior police officers and opposition MPs said the Government's austerity drive was among the reasons for the spiralling bloodshed. Ex-Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe said an extra 20,000 officers were needed. Jaden Moodie, 14, Danny Gee-Jamieson, 16, Nedim Bilgin, 17 Sidali Mohamed, 16, Hazrat Umar, 18, Connor Brown, 18 That would almost make up for the decline in numbers in the past decade from around 143,700 to 122,400. Jodie, a popular A-level pupil who had recently been invited to Downing Street with her scout group, was killed in an unprovoked attack as she sat with her boyfriend and three friends listening to music in a park in east London on Friday evening. Her family yesterday appealed to her killer to have the 'decency' to hand himself in. Yousef, a pupil at Manchester Grammar School who had dreams of becoming a heart surgeon, was murdered in the affluent Cheshire village of Hale Barns on Saturday. His family, from Burnage in Manchester, said: 'We are absolutely devastated and cannot believe that our son has gone. This senseless loss has affected the whole community.' Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested on suspicion of his murder. Mrs May rejected the link to falling officer numbers when answering questions from reporters in Salisbury yesterday. Louis-Ryan Menezes, 17, Samuel Baker, 15, Aron Warren, 18 She said: 'There's no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers. 'What matters is how we ensure that police are responding to these criminal acts when they take place, that people are brought to justice. 'But what also matters is, as a Government, that we look at the issues which underpin, that underlie, this use of knives and that we act on those. 'Why it is that so many young people are carrying knives?' Experts have warned that youths carry blades for status and protection, and are increasingly desensitised to the realities and dangers. Flowers near the scene yesterday in Harold Hill, East London, where Jodie was fatally stabbed But Mrs May's remarks will anger those who say cuts to police and youth services are a key factor. The National Audit Office has said that since 2010-11, police funding has fallen 19 per cent in real terms to 12.3billion a year. The Prime Minister also reduced stop and search while at the Home Office. Police chiefs blame an increase in stabbings and gang violence on the move. Graham McNulty, Met deputy assistant commissioner, said: 'I can't magic officers out of thin air, but we are lucky that we have got officers who are professional and committed and want to make a difference at the moment.' He said an increased police presence in London had allowed officers to conduct 2,500 stop-and-searches in the past three days alone. Policing minister Nick Hurd said an extra 460million was being invested to recruit 2,500 more officers nationwide. But Lord Hogan-Howe said: 'When are they going to be here? 'Even if you press the button today and, I would argue, get the 20,000 back, you're not going to get them tomorrow. You've got to recruit them, you've got to train them.' Google have given raises to thousands after finding men were being paid less than women in 2018. The tech giant revealed in a blog post that an internal review discovered inequality in more than one area, including male software engineers getting less than women. The blog post opens by stating the obvious: 'Compensation should be based on what you do, not who you are.' But the company - who last year year faced a class-action lawsuit from women over the gender pay gap - have revealed they underpaid men. Google's headquarters in Manhattan, New York - the company has been plagued by claims of pay inequality by women and a male-dominated culture Google's CEO Sundar Pichai announced 'We have not always gotten everything right' in an email to employees in the wake of protests over sexual misconduct by senior eompoyees Lauren Barbato, Lead Analyst for Pay Equity, writes: 'The 2018 analysis flagged one particularly large job code (Level 4 Software Engineer) for adjustments. 'Within this job code, men were flagged for adjustments because they received less discretionary funds than women.' Their equity analysis is built to ensure there are no discrepancies between racial and gender categories. Barbato writes that their adjustments for the last year meant a $9.7million adjustment for a total of 10,667 employees. It did not explain all of those discrepancies or who suffered by them. In October last year a group of women took Google to court in California over the gender pay gap. It was reported at the time that more than 8,000 current and former employees had been affected by the discrepancy. Last fall there were mass walkouts at Google offices across the globe over accusations of sexual harassment by senior employees. Workers protest against Google's handling of sexual misconduct allegations at the company's Mountain View, California, headquarters in November 2018 Thousands of high-paid tech engineers left work in protest of the male-dominated culture which had allegedly enabled abuse. An email sent to employees by CEO Sundar Pichai said: 'Google's leaders and I have heard your feedback and have been moved by the stories you've shared.' He continued: 'We recognize that we have not always gotten everything right in the past and we are sincerely sorry for that. It's clear we need to make some changes.' A Japanese man was horrified to discover his sex toy was being used as a vase on an altar containing his grandmother's ashes. Twitter user @koniy0805 noticed the stripey bright red device with fresh flowers poking out the top while visiting his parents to pay respect to his grandmother who passed last year. The grandson later found out that his grandfather had taken a pair of pliers and torn a hole in the top of the device to fit the flowers in. A Japanese man was horrified to discover his Tenga sex toy being used as a vase by his grandmother's ashes His grandfather had used pliers to cut a hole in the top of the bright red, stripey masturbatory aid to fit the flowers inside @koniy0805 said the Tenga, Japans most popular masturbatory aid, was a humorous leaving gift from his work colleagues. The grandson joked on Twitter: 'Of course, if Tengas came with a large opening at the tip, they would be extremely messy to use for their original purpose.' Coincidentally, company Tenga previously offered a Tenga vase as a promotional tie-in on social media. Coincidentally, company Tenga previously offered a Tenga vase as a promotional tie-in on social media Twitter users suggested the grandfather may have read the word 'Tenga' printed on the side, and assumed it was just the Japanese word tenga meaning 'grace' or 'elegance'. @koniy0805 revealed he has since gotten rid of the makeshift vase - but was too embarrassed to tell his grandfather what it really was. Brexit hardliners today demanded Theresa May orders her ministers and MPs to vote yes to no deal next week if the Attorney General fails to win backstop concessions. They fear the Prime Minister could instead order Tories to vote against no deal or give a free vote - either way taking a no deal Brexit off the table. Amid a scramble to save the deal Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is flying back to Brussels today, alongside Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, for further talks with EU negotiator Michel Barnier about the Irish border plans will work. Downing Street played down claims the Prime Minister is set to follow imminently, warning there is 'still a lot of work to do' on ensuring the protocol cannot last forever. Expectation is mounting Mrs May could make a last-minute trip to Brussels on Sunday ahead of a new 'meaningful vote' to approve her deal next Tuesday. The PM has promised if her deal has not been backed by then, MPs will have a vote on whether to accept no deal next Wednesday, March 13. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chairman of the European Research Group of Tory MPs, told the Telegraph: 'The Government must whip for Government policy and manifesto commitments. No deal is specifically referred to in the manifesto.' In other developments today, Robert Goodwill was appointed to replace George Eustice at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Mr Eustice quit last week over the threat of delaying Brexit, vowing to vote for no deal. Brexit hardliners have demanded Theresa May (pictured today at Buckingham Palace) orders her ministers and MPs to vote yes to no deal next week if the Attorney General fails to win backstop concessions Theresa May's legal chief, Attorney General Geoffrey, Cox arriving at 10 Downing Street for the weekly Cabinet meeting today. He is due to head to Brussels this afternoon for more talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier Brexiteers argue that keeping that disruptive and potentially damaging option on the table is vital to ensure she can get the best possible deal with the European Union. But more moderate MPs have warned that they would act to stop a no-deal Brexit, with Ministers threatening to resign to prevent it from happening. And former party leader Iain Duncan Smith added: 'It is crystal clear that the Government has to keep no deal on the table and whip against an extension. 'That's what she has said for two years. She has to oppose anyone trying to take it off the table and to reject an extension. 'That will make the EU sit up and understand that we are serious. It won't give anything until these votes are done.' Meanwhile the ERG is reported to want 48 hours to study Mrs May's deal, with Mr Rees-Mogg's deputy Mark Francois telling the Sun: 'Any attempt to bounce the Commons is likely to backfire spectacularly.' Mrs May's spokesman refused to address questions about how Tory MPs would be whipped in a no deal vote today. The Prime Minister told Cabinet today Mr Cox and Mr Barclay were continuing to seek 'legally binding changes to the backstop that will allow MPs to support the meaningful vote'. In other developments today, Chancellor Philip Hammond urged MPs to back the deal next week to unlock a wave of new investment in the UK. After Independent Group former minister Chris Leslie raised concerns about the impact of a 'disastrous' Brexit on the UK's new technology sector, Mr Hammond replied: 'My view is that we have a huge amount of pent-up investment that has not gone ahead over the last two-and-a-half years because of uncertainty. 'Once we can provide clarity to British business about our future and we do that by supporting the deal that the Prime Minister will be bringing forward next week, we will unleash that investment and we will allow Britain to achieve its rightful potential as one of the world's leading technology powers.' Home Secretary Sajid Javid arriving for the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, where next week's Brexit votes are set to dominate the debate around the table Brexiteer International Trade Secretary Penny Mordaunt (left), Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd and Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who are both Remainers, arriving at Number 10 this morning. Chris Grayling in Downing Street this morning, the day after opposition MPs accused him of going 'into hiding' after avoiding a Commons' grilling over a botched no-deal Brexit ferry deal Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, warned Theresa May to keep the option of no-deal Brexit on the table in the March 13 vote and to whip MPs against an extension in a separate vote the following day German carnivalgoers showed their opinion of Brexit during the annual Rose Monday parade in Duesseldorf, Germany, on Monday Meanwhile Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt said Europe's leaders were 'prepared to be reasonable' as Prime Minister Theresa May presses for concessions that will persuade MPs to back her Brexit deal. Mr Hunt, who has been part of a diplomatic push in capital cities around the European Union, said: 'I think the signals we are getting are reasonably positive. I don't want to overstate them because I still think there's a lot of work to do, but I think they do understand that we are being sincere. 'I think that they are beginning to realise that we can get a majority in Parliament because they are seeing the signals coming from the people who voted against the deal before who are saying, crucially, that they are prepared to be reasonable about how we get to that position that we can't legally be trapped in the backstop.' Mr Cox has reportedly dropped attempts to secure either a time limit or a unilateral exit mechanism from the backstop in the face of entrenched opposition from the EU. Asked whether they were still the UK's demands, Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the crucial issue was avoiding an indefinite backstop and 'how we get there is something we are prepared to be flexible about'. That could mean a role for a 'fair arbitration mechanism', he said. Mr Cox had earlier poured cold water on the claims about his demands being dropped, describing then as 'misunderstood fag ends dressed up as facts'. A lesbian couple has featured on the cover of the Women's Institute magazine for the first time. Becky and Cathy Townsend, from Felmingham, Norfolk, front the March edition of the publication which is sent to all 215,000 members. The issue focuses on how the WI has played a role in five love stories - including Becky and Cathy. Becky, a personal tutor at Specialist Education Services, said: 'I met Cathy at a women's dance class and we got together five years ago. Becky and Cathy Townsend, from Norfolk, feature on the March edition of Women's Institute magazine (pictured). It is the first time a lesbian couple has been on the front cover of the magazine sent to all 215,000 WI members The couple got married on August 11 and their WI chair and one of the committee members were guests Becky met Cathy on April 30, 2009, and announced they were in a relationship on Facebook four years later on April 2, 2013. They entered a domestic partnership on September 15, 2013 but got engaged on May 23, 2015 It took them just six months after meeting to decide they were ready to get married but did not publicise it until a weekend trip to Cambridge in 2015 - where they got engaged on a punt on the River Cam 'It only took six months after that for us to decide we were solid enough to get married. 'We didn't announce it until a weekend trip to Cambridge in 2015 where we got properly engaged on a punt on the River Cam. 'That same weekend, we found ourselves watching a play about the WI centenary. 'We learnt so much about all the good work the WI had done over the years, such as campaigning for votes for women, and we were just fascinated. For the wedding, the couple spent months making placemats, origami flowers and invitations 'When we got home we pootled along to join Aylsham WI, Norfolk Federation, and we were so welcomed - they were all absolutely lovely. 'We're definitely the youngest people in the room, but none of what our WI does is just for retired people.' The pair got married on August 11 and their WI chair and one of the committee members were guests. They enlisted the help of their fellow WI members belonging to Aylsham WI, Norfolk Federation, to help knit and crochet 600 bunting flags for their big day. And the couple spent months making placemats, hundreds of origami flowers, invitations, orders of service and party favours in a bid to embody the WI spirit. Becky said: 'I love that we made everything for the wedding day ourselves, it was all done the way the WI would do it.' In 2012, the organisation rejected an advert for the magazine from same-sex marriage opponents Coalition For Marriage, branding it 'potentially offensive.' General Secretary Melissa Green said the organisation was very proud to feature the couple on the cover. She said: 'This is the first time that WI Life has featured a same-sex couple on the front cover, and we are incredibly proud of what it represents and how positive the feedback has been from WI members. 'The WI is an inclusive, supportive and progressive organisation for all women, and anyone living their life as a woman, with a diverse and incredible membership of approximately 215,000 members in 6,300 WIs. 'The WI welcomes and celebrates all women, as well as offering a space where they can be themselves surrounded by other supportive women. 'The WI today truly represents a cross section of women in society, and one of the aspects that WI members cherish is the opportunity to meet a diverse range of women. 'The WI was founded on democratic ideals over 100 years ago, and this commitment to equality is still central to our ethos today. 'We are committed to ensuring that every person who comes to the WI feels a part of it and a sense of belonging, with equal access to all opportunities on a local and national level.' Passengers on a plane from Beijing to Los Angeles were ordered to immediately evacuate amid fears it would 'explode' after a dramatic emergency landing in sub-Arctic Russia. The cabin was said to be full of 'screams and panic' over a suspected fire in the baggage hold on the Air China Boeing 777. Footage shows the 188 passengers coming down emergency chutes in the Arctic Chukotka region of Russia - many with rough landings on the tarmac. The cabin of a plane from Beijing to Los Angeles is full of 'screams and panic' over a suspected fire in the baggage hold on the Air China Boeing 777 Earlier it was reported that the alarm system suggested a blaze in the baggage hold. The Chinese crew immediately sought a landing in the nearest airport, Anadyr One passenger posted online: 'When the flight attendant opens the door she yells: "Drop everything, evacuate immediately. The plane will explode". 'The cabin is full of screams and panic and the flight attendant is doing her best to maintain order.' The passenger said there was terror on the flight as it made the emergency landing in Anadyr - capital of Chukotka - Russia's easternmost town where the temperature was reported as -4F (-20C). Pictures show the 188 passengers coming down emergency chutes in the Arctic Chukotka region of Russia Many of the passengers had rough landings on the tarmac when evacuating Some pictures showed terror-stricken passengers rushing across the snow covered ground to escape One video showed terror-stricken passengers rushing to escape. Earlier it was reported that the alarm system suggested a blaze in the baggage hold. The Chinese crew immediately sought a landing in the nearest airport, Anadyr. The 188 passengers plus crew used emergency chutes to safely exit the plane in Anadyr, where Roman Abramovich was once Chukotka region governor. The plane was en route from Beijing to Los Angeles when the warning alarms sounded leading to 'deep concern' on the flight deck. Pictures showed passengers huddling on the tarmac and later lying on the floor in the small airport terminal in Anadyr, population 15,500 Russian officials said in the end there was 'no confirmation' of fire on the aircraft The 188 passengers plus crew used emergency chutes to safely exit the plane in Anadyr, where Roman Abramovich was once Chukotka region governor Russian sources said there was 'no confirmation' of a fire but a back-up plane has been sent from the Chinese capital to pick up the stranded passengers amid concerns of faults on the original plane. 'The passengers had planned dinner in Hollywood but instead founded themselves stuck on the floor in one of the bleakest towns in the world,' said one comment. Pictures showed passengers huddling on the tarmac and later lying on the floor in the small airport terminal in Anadyr, population 15,500. An air safety official said: 'The evacuation of passengers was carried out by inflatable chutes.' Deputy Governor Leonid Nikolayev said: 'All passengers were accommodated in the international flight zone and the airport VIP-hall. They are provided with food and drink. There are doctors on the spot.' No injuries were reported. Professor Grayling (pictured outside the High Court) has won 20,000 in libel damages from Peter North after he tweeted that the academic had child porn videos A philosopher and outspoken critic of Brexit has won 20,000 in damages after a former Ukip candidate accused him of having a hard drive full of child porn. Professor Anthony Grayling CBE was 'distressed and enraged' after discovering a tweet by Peter North saying he kept hoards of vile videos. The May 2018 post said: 'I'd bet good money that AC Grayling has a hard drive full of underage botty sex videos.' Former Oxford don Grayling, who appeared on BBC's This Week criticising a British exit from the European Union, has sued Mr North for libel. Mr North has been described as 'a prolific writer in support of the UK leaving the European Union'. He failed to file a defence and, in a hearing at the High Court in London, Judge Richard Spearman QC awarded Professor Grayling 20,000 for the 'particularly pernicious' libel. 'In my view, that's a figure which should provide vindication for him,' he said. 'It must be clearly stated that there is no truth in the allegation against him.' Professor Grayling - a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature - has also been chairman of the Booker Prize panel and regularly contributes to debates on social and public policy. He is one of the most vocal critics of Brexit and clashed over the subject with presenter Andrew Neil during an episode of This Week in June last year. In one tweet he said that if Brexit was stopped, 'it will have been a nasty, temporary hiccup, soon forgotten'. Mr North, a pro-Brexit writer and founding member of The Leave Alliance, posted the comment on Twitter, where he had nearly 8,000 followers, in May last year and left it online for six days. During that time, one user responded: 'You just accused Grayling of owning child porn, perhaps it's time to take a break before you ruin a life - his or your own.' Peter North (pictured) posted a vile, untrue tweet suggesting the Professor Grayling had child porn on his hard drive Prof Grayling was dumbstruck when he was alerted to Mr North's tweet by other Twitter users, the High Court heard. 'I was both appalled and astonished when I read what he had said about me,' he said. The baseless 'allegation of paedophilia' left him feeling 'distressed, enraged and simply incredulous'. What made it worse was that Professor Grayling regularly visits schools to talk to pupils about the study of humanities, the court heard. His barrister, Richard Munden, said: 'Allegations of paedophilia, including of possessing and storing child pornography, are undoubtedly some of the most serious allegations that can be levelled at anyone in the modern age. 'The allegation is all the more damaging in respect of those who work with young people, and who regularly visit schools to talk to schoolchildren about their futures - as does Professor Grayling.' Prof Grayling had felt the tweet was so insulting 'he could not simply ignore it'. He explained after the court hearing that his case was partly driven by 'a wish to put a marker down that social media should not be used in this incredibly irresponsible way'. The judge made a permanent order barring Mr North from repeating the libel and directed he should pay Professor Grayling's legal costs. 'Mr North's conduct was extraordinary from first to last,' the judge added. 'He certainly seems entirely unrepentant and has offered no apology.' A machete-wielding rapist who attacked a pregnant woman in South Africa was hacked to death by her husband. The attack happened when the rapist broke into a house in Tongaat, north of Durban, shortly before 11am on Monday. Emergency workers said the man - who was armed with a long-handled machete called a panga - then attempted to rape a woman who was five months pregnant. A husband who heard his pregnant wife being attacked by a machete-wielding rapist in South Africa grabbed the blade and hacked the man to death with it (pictured) But the woman's screams were heard by her husband who came running into help her from a nearby bedroom. Emergency workers said the rapist entered holding a machete but the husband managed to get hold of it and kill him with it He grabbed the machete and hacked the attacker in the head and arms with it, Times Live reports. The attacker bled to death. Staff for Reaction Unit SA, a private emergency response organisation, were called to the scene around 11am and found the attacker's body along with the machete. Company spokesman Prem Balram said: 'Upon arrival the suspect was found lying outside the home bleeding excessively from injuries to his head and arms.' Police were later called and arrested the husband while they investigate. President Trump has condemned Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's controversial comments about Israel as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended her freshman colleague. Minnesota Rep. Omar has come under fire for raising the issue of powerful pro-Israel lobby groups in Washington. Donald Trump has backed leading Democrats censure of the congresswoman's comments, which have been labelled as anti-Semitic by some Republicans. At a public event in Washington last week Omar said she wanted to discuss 'the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country'. The Muslim lawmaker, who came to America in 1991 as a Somali child refugee, then said supporting Israel was not a pre-requisite for serving in Congress. Ilhan Omar has come under fire for criticizing the influence of of pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington President Trump called her comments a 'dark day for Israel' as he backed leading Democrats censure of Omar's comments She then tweeted on Sunday: 'I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee,' Omar tweeted. In the past she has claimed that Israel's relationship with the US was 'all about the Benjamins', which drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. New York Congresswoman Nita Lowey said she was 'saddened that Rep. Omar continues to mischaracterize support for Israel' in a tweet on Sunday. President Trump called her comments a 'dark day for Israel' as it was announced Speaker Nancy Pelosi received a petition from a number of Jewish groups, including the National Council for Young Israel, calling for the removal of Omar from a committee. He wrote on Twitter last night: 'Representative Ilhan Omar is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel. Jewish groups have just sent a petition to Speaker Pelosi asking her to remove Omar from Foreign Relations Committee. A dark day for Israel!' Omar faced increasing backlash after suggesting Republican support for Israel is fueled by donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a prominent pro-Israel group. Trump tweeted last night that Speaker Nancy Pelosi received a petition from Jewish groups such as the National Council for Young Israel, calling for the removal of Omar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly defended her Democrat colleague over criticism for her comments on Israel Democrat Rep. Vargas wrote on Twitter on Monday: 'It is disturbing that Rep. Omar continues to perpetuate hurtful anti-Semitic stereotypes that misrepresent our Jewish community. Additionally, questioning support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is unacceptable. 'Israel has and remains a stalwart ally of the United States because of our countries' shared interests and values. I condemn her remarks and believe she should apologize for her offensive comments.' Ocasio-Cortez has rushed to Omar's defense several times over the past few weeks and criticizing President Trump who called for her resignation even after she issued an apology for her earlier 'Benjamins' comments. The 29-year-old mixed-up the Afghanistan and Iraq wars when she responded to the criticism on Rep. Omar and compared it to shifting attitudes to U.S, involvement in foreign conflicts. Omar turned up the heat in her own tweets, saying she shouldn't have to have 'allegiance' to a foreign country, referring to Israel She wrote: 'I remember a time when it was 'unacceptable' to question the Iraq War. All of Congress was wrong, including both GOP & Dem Party, and led my generation into a disastrous + wrong war that virtually all would come to regret, except for the one member who stood up: Barbara Lee.' Correcting her mistake, the congresswoman added: 'Afghanistan War* my apologies (But honestly we shouldn't have been in either, and we should end the AUMF now while we're at it).' Responding to Vargas, Ocasio-Cortez aked why it was 'unacceptable' to question U.S. foreign policy. She wrote: 'I'm curious if Rep. Vargas will further explain his stance here that it's unacceptable to even *question* US foreign policy. 'Plenty of Dem members have asserted that discussion + debate on this issue is fair and merited.' Rep. Omar faced increasing backlash after suggesting Republican support for Israel is fueled by donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Eliot Engel, called Omar's comments a 'vile anti-Semitic slur' and said she should apologize The 29-year-old New York congresswoman added on Twitter, criticizing Trump: 'Unlike this President, Rep. @IlhanMN demonstrated a capacity to acknowledge pain & apologize, use the opportunity to learn abt history of antisemitism,+grow from it while clarifying her stance.' House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Eliot Engel, a Jewish New Yorker, said on Friday that Omar should apologize for her 'vile anti-Semitic slur', which was said to have fed into the stereotype of Jews first allegiances being to Israel rather than the U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is beginning to face pressure to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, largely from Jewish advocacy groups such as AIPAC. Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt wrote to Pelosi that she should 'give the entire Congress an opportunity, through a House resolution, to voice its rejection of her latest slur and make clear that no matter what may divide the 435 members of the House of Representatives, they are united in condemning anti-Semitism.' Omar has herself faced racism during her short time in Congress, most recently in the form of a poster in the West Virginia statehouse linking her to 9/11. The head of Vladimir Putin's armed forces has said Russia has to create a 'threat of unacceptable damage' against their Western enemies to prevent the United States from attacking them. General Valery Gerasimov has accused the US of trying to destabilise Russia by covertly backing street protests and dissidents, after which - he claims - Washington is planning to launch military strikes against key infrastructure. Putin's military chief made the comments during his annual strategy speech to Moscow's top military brass last week. 'Forced': General Valery Gerasimov claimed Russia had been 'forced' to create a threat against Western nations because the US is planning to attack them According to The Times, he said: 'The policy of our Western partners forces us to respond to the threat by creating a threat.' Describing what he claimed to be a new Pentagon strategy called 'Trojan Horse', he said Washington is using 'the protest potential of the fifth column [traitors/enemy collaborators]' to destabilise Russia. He then said the US's next step would be to carry out simultaneous military strikes against Russia's most important 'facilities'. The details of his speech emerged a day after President Putin suspended Russia's participation in a nuclear arms treaty the Trump administration had already decided to leave. In a decree, Putin suspended Russia's obligations under the terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty and said hold would remain in place 'until the U.S. ends its violations of the treaty or until it terminates.' The U.S. gave notice of its intention to withdraw from the INF a month ago, setting the stage for it to terminate in six months unless Moscow returns to compliance. Russia has denied any breaches, and accused the U.S. of violating the pact. General Gerasimov, pictured left with President Vladimir Putin, claimed the US is trying to destabilise Russia by backing street protests by 'the fifth column' after which they would carry out simultaneous military strikes against Russia's most important 'facilities' The U.S. has accused Russia of developing and deploying a cruise missile that violates provisions of the pact that ban production, testing and deployment of land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,410 miles). The move also reflected President Donald Trump's administration's view that the treaty was an obstacle to efforts needed to counter intermediate-range missiles deployed by China, which isn't part of the treaty. Russia has charged that the U.S. has breached the pact by deploying missile defense facilities in eastern Europe that could fire cruise missiles instead of interceptors - a claim rejected by the U.S. The collapse of the INF Treaty has stoked fears of a replay of a Cold War-era Europe missile crisis, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union both deployed intermediate-range missiles on the continent during the 1980s. Such weapons take less time to reach their targets compared to intercontinental ballistic missiles. Their deployment was seen as particularly destabilizing, leaving no time for decision-makers and raising the likelihood of a global nuclear conflict over a false launch warning. Doctors treating an epileptic man in east China were shocked to find six electrodes embedded in the skull of the patient. It turns out the man had an operation to drill six holes into his skull to place the small pieces of metal in his head when he was four years old following advice from an underground surgeon, according to Chinese reports. The man told reporters that the 'treatment' did not improve his condition and he 'felt cheated'. Doctors treating an epileptic man in Hefei city, east China's Anhui province were shocked to find six electrodes embedded in the skull of the patient It turns out the man had an operation to drill six holes into his skull to place the small pieces of metal in his head when he was four years old following advice from an underground surgeon The man was admitted to hospital in Hefei, Anhui province on Friday for treatment after a seizure, according to video news site Pear. An X-ray scan revealed the embedded metal chips, prompting doctors to immediately extract them in an operation. 'A total of six holes were drilled into the skull of the patient. It was a very bizarre operation,' Dr Qian Ruobing told reporters. 'Then six electrodes, each about the size of a button cell, were placed in the skull,' he added. The man was told by an underground surgeon years ago that the electrodes can 'lead' the electrical signals out of the brain during a seizure and can cure his epilepsy Six electrodes, each about the size of a button cell, were placed into the skull of the patient 'The patient believed that the electrodes can "lead" the electrical signals out of the brain during a seizure and can cure his epilepsy,' Dr Qian said. A seizure happens when there is a sudden burst of intense electrical activity in the brain, which causes a disruption to the way it works. The father, named Fu Shaohong, told reporters that he saw the commercial for the underground surgeon on television. 'I called the doctor and he said the treatment has an 80 per cent chance of success,' Fu said. 'At the time, I was really happy to hear that and believed him.' The patient's father said the underground doctor told him the 'treatment' has an 80 per cent chance of success 'It didn't work at all,' the patient told reporters in his hospital bed. 'I felt cheated by the doctor' 'It didn't work at all,' the patient told reporters in his hospital bed after the removal surgery. 'I felt cheated by the doctor.' China has vowed to step up its fight against 'irregularities' in the health sector after a series of high-profile scandals in the industry in recent months, state media reported in January. In December, police arrested the founder of Quanjian Nature Medicine Technology, a traditional Chinese medicine firm, amid allegations of fraudulent practice following the death of a seven-year-old girl who had used the company's products as part of her cancer treatment. Market regulators are also investigating local branches of Infinitus, a multi-billion-yuan Chinese company, after it was accused of selling products that damaged a child's heart. A doctor failed to detect sepsis in a baby who later died after she used her 'own judgement' rather than a sepsis screening tool, an inquest heard. Tragic Marcie Tadman, whose family have today released photographs of the two-year-old, was taken to hospital after he father noticed she was suffering from rattling 'raspy breathing'. Medics reassured James, 40, that she had a simple chest infection which could easily be treated with antibiotics. But she died 24 hours later in December 2017 of disseminated Group A streptococcal infections including sepsis and pneumonia. Tragic Marcie Tadman, whose family have today released photographs of the two-year-old, was taken to hospital after he father noticed she was suffering from rattling 'raspy breathing'. A doctor who examined Marcie shortly after she was admitted to hospital told the inquest at Avon Coroner's Court in Bristol that she did not screen Marcie for sepsis. Dr Claire Verey who worked in the emergency department at Bath's Royal United Hospital at the time, said she did not use a sepsis screening tool. Wiping away tears, she told an inquest Avon Coroner's Court in Bristol: 'My diagnosis was based purely on the Marcie I saw in front of me. 'In my mind, Marcie Tadman was definitely an unwell child in front of me. 'I reconciled all the observations I had in front of me with bacterial pneumonia. This is my only explanation for not doing all the sepsis tests. A doctor who examined Marcie (pictured) shortly after she was admitted to hospital told the inquest at Avon Coroner's Court in Bristol that she did not screen Marcie for sepsis. 'I cannot fully explain why sepsis didn't pop up in my head. It's just I genuinely felt that all the signs pointed to pneumonia. 'Rather than using the screening tool I used my own judgement looking at Marcie as she was in front of me. 'I apologise wholeheartedly for what happened to Marcie.' And Dr Verey told the inquest that, had Marcie been screened for sepsis, she should have been given IV antibiotics sooner, as sepsis guidelines dictate. She said: 'It can be very difficult to decide whether or not someone has sepsis. Sepsis is still quite rare in children. 'Putting a drip into an adult is a relatively easy thing to do, but getting a drip into a child is not so straightforward. 'I know that thought crossed my mind at the time, and meant that I maybe didn't get a drip in to start giving antibiotics perhaps as quickly as the sepsis guidelines dictated.' She added: 'The sepsis screening tool is designed to be quite a blunt tool, and it will pick up a lot of children who are far less ill than Marcie was and who maybe don't need the full screening. 'Therefore rather than using the tool I used my judgement looking at Marcie as she was in front of me, and maybe that's why she didn't get the treatment.' The inquest heard that Mr Tadman had initially raised concern for his daughter with out-of-hours GP Dr Victoria Jacobs on Saturday, December 2, 2017. Marcie Tadman was taken to the Royal United Hospital in Bath after she was diagnosed with pneumonia In a phonecall between Mr Tadman and Dr Jacobs, he told her that Marcie had been unwell with a cough for 'two or three days', but that her cold and cough had worsened. The worried father said Marcie was 'coughing up phlegm' and that her 'chest sounded rattly', and that she had been running a fever of 39 degrees C. Dr Jacobs had a consultation with Marcie later that day which she said lasted just under 20 minutes. She said: 'Her dad told me he had been worried about her breathing overnight. He said it was very noisy, rapid and laboured. 'I examined her chest, and found that there was lots of transmitted upper airway noises. The top of her chest was very noisy to listen to. What is sepsis? Sepsis occurs when the body reacts to an infection by attacking its own organs and tissues. Some 44,000 people die from sepsis every year in the UK. Worldwide, someone dies from the condition every 3.5 seconds. Sepsis has similar symptoms to flu, gastroenteritis and a chest infection. These include: S lurred speech or confusion lurred speech or confusion E xtreme shivering or muscle pain xtreme shivering or muscle pain P assing no urine in a day assing no urine in a day S evere breathlessness evere breathlessness I t feels like you are dying t feels like you are dying S kin mottled or discoloured Symptoms in children are: Fast breathing Fits or convulsions Mottled, bluish or pale skin Rashes that do not fade when pressed Lethargy Feeling abnormally cold Under fives may be vomiting repeatedly, not feeding or not urinating for 12 hours. Anyone can develop sepsis but it is most common in people who have recently had surgery, have a urinary catheter or have stayed in hospital for a long time. Other at-risk people include those with weak immune systems, chemotherapy patients, pregnant women, the elderly and the very young. Treatment varies depending on the site of the infection but involves antibiotics, IV fluids and oxygen, if necessary. Source: UK Sepsis Trust and NHS Choices Advertisement 'There was no wheezing, no rattling noises. She seemed quite settled. Her fever had also come down from 39 to 37.5, and she was eating and drinking a little bit. 'I made the decision that Marcie was suffering from an upper respiratory tract infection. 'I remember weighing Marcie and advising on paracetamol and ibuprofen doses based on her weight.' Dr Jacobs admitted that she had not recorded Marcie's respiratory rate, and added: 'I'm very regretful that I did not make my documentation clearer. 'This is something I have since hugely reflected on.' But Mr Tadman said her condition worsened over the weekend. He said that, on Sunday, December 3, Marcie 'continued coughing regularly throughout the day and night'. At 5.55am on Monday, December 4, he took her to A&E, but claimed when he arrived staff 'did not seem very urgent.' In a statement he said: 'Doctors and nurses kept coming in and out throughout the day, and they all said there was nothing to worry about. 'They said we'd be back home in two days. They told me not to worry.' He said that, once at the hospital, he was told that Marcie had a 'simple' chest infection, which could be easily treated in 24-48 hours with a course of antibiotics. But when Mr Tadman's mother arrived at midday to allow him to go home and change his clothes, he said the antibiotics had still not been given - six hours after they arrived at the hospital. And he said that the last hour and a half of Marcie's life was 'most definitely the worst time of my life so far'. He said that he and Marcie had fallen asleep late in the evening on December 4 - but he was awoken around 2am by a heart monitor alarm going off beside Marcie's bed. He said: 'I was a bit annoyed as the nurses told me they would keep an eye on her. Then I remember the consultant, Mr Webb, coming in and saying, 'Why is this child still here and not in ICU?'. 'I panicked a bit and asked 'Why the hell should she be in ICU?' 'As they started to move her, Marcie looked at me, looked straight into my eyes, and took one big breath. 'Then she seemed to turn off as she exhaled and went limp.' He said medics began to attempt to resuscitate Marcie, but by 5.59am she was pronounced dead. He added: 'I just couldn't get my head around how this happened when all day we were told she was going to be fine. I was in shock.' Dr Verey said to Marcie's family at the inquest: 'There's definitely lessons been learnt. 'Paediatric sepsis is a difficult area, but it's getting far better trained. 'You have to be more cautious with everything you do with a child, which is why making a diagnosis of sepsis can be so much more difficult. 'At the time I examined Marcie, the onus was more on finding an infection. But now, the onus is much more along the line of, 'Does this child have sepsis?', Dr Verey said. The inquest continues. A massive 40metre catamaran dubbed 'The Beast' will be launched in New Zealand on Thursday. Spanning 39.5m long and 12m wide, the monster boat was built for local philanthropist and renowned jeweller Michael Hill. Designed by Profab Engineering in Palmerston North, the imposing vessel can house up to 22 people. 'The Beast' (pictured) took engineers almost two years to build in New Zealand The Beast, owned by jeweller Michael Hill, will be docked at Foxton, in New Zealand's north, for the next fortnight Carl Ferguson, Profab's owner, told the New Zealand Herald it took 22 months to build the large boat. 'We then shipped it in three bits ... and over the last three weeks we have put it back together; the interior has been done inside the wiring, hydraulics, water and services,' he said. 'It can go pretty much anywhere in the world but Antarctica.' When the gigantic vessel is at capacity, it holds 76,000 litres of fuel and 14,000 litres of water. Foxton, a small town in New Zealand's Manawatu-Wanganui region, has already proven to be a popular docking venue. 'It is a big thing for Foxton - with the number of people it has drawn in just to have a look,' Ferguson said. 'As you can imagine it is not the normal thing to come to a small country town and see a big boat sitting on the grass by the water. It creates a lot of interest,' Mr Ferguson said. Ferguson said the vessel will be based in Foxton for the next fortnight before moving onto Wellington. The imposing vessel can house up to 22 people and can travel 'pretty much anywhere' besides Antarctica A mother-of-six who drove for more than 15 minutes with her four-year-old son on top of her car has been fined and banned from driving for three months. Erica Shadforth made headlines in January after shocking footage emerged showing her son on her car's roof wearing just a nappy as she drove through Perth's eastern suburbs. The mother, 36, had driven at speeds of up to 100km/h while the young child was clinging to the car during the 13km journey between Camillo and Piara Waters. Erica Shadforth (pictured) made headlines in January after shocking footage emerged showing her son on her car's roof wearing just a nappy as she drove through Perth's eastern suburbs Prosecutors said Shadforth placed the child in the driver's seat before going back inside her home, ABC News reported. But when she returned, the four-year-old had moved and she presumed he was in the back seat, the court heard. But in fact he had climbed out of the car and onto the roof. Appearing at Armadale Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Shadforth pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failing to ensure a child was properly restrained. The mother, who the court heard was under 'significant stress' at the time of the incident, had not noticed other motorists trying to alert her to what was unfolding. Witnesses said they saw the boy lose his grip, before the mother stopped at a junction and put the boy back inside the car. She was pulled over by police at a petrol station in Harrisdale. Shadforth's lawyer Andy Matthews said the mother was looking after her six children alone because her husband was working in Broome. He said his client had now tried to prevent such an occurrence happening again, by putting him in the back of the vehicle where he could not escape. She was living in Perth so the four-year-old, who has learning disabilities, could access medical appointments, PerthNow reported. Shadforth made headlines in January after shocking footage emerged showing her son on her car's roof (pictured) wearing just a nappy as she drove through Perth's eastern suburbs Magistrate Steven Malley said Ms Shadforth's offences were 'just mind-boggling' and said the severity of the penalty was a necessary deterrent to others. 'Seeing something like a four-year-old sitting on top of a vehicle is probably something that will stick in you memory for a long time,' the magistrate said. 'When you leave children in the car, you come back and count heads,' he told the mother. Recreational cannabis use could become legal in New South Wales under a radical new plan by the Greens. The party has vowed to introduce a private members bill to legalise, regulate and licence cannabis within the first 100 days of parliament after the March 23 state election. If passed, the bill will allow cannabis users to grow up to six plants at home for personal use and consume the drug wherever it's legal to smoke tobacco. The NSW Greens have unveiled a radical new plan to legalise, regulate and licence cannabis They will also be able to buy cannabis at retail stores if they're over the age of 18 and can produce identification. 'It makes no sense to treat the consumption of cannabis as a crime,' Greens MP David Shoebridge said in a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia. 'We are wasting millions each year and missing out on licencing revenues that the state desperately needs. It's time we stopped taking such a backward approach to a drug that over one-third of Australians have used. We regulate and licence alcohol at a state level and it's about time we did the same for cannabis.' 'It makes no sense to treat the consumption of cannabis as a crime,' Greens MP David Shoebridge (pictured) said The Greens will also move for a parliamentary inquiry into the legislation and the establishment of the NSW Cannabis Agency. It's estimated their proposed plan will generate $200 million a year in additional revenue for the NSW government, which the Greens want invested into schools, hospitals and drug and alcohol treatment programs, particularly in regional and rural NSW. The party proposes $25 million also will be allocated to prevention and harm reduction programs in NSW high schools. Cannabis users to grow up to six plants at home for their personal use under a private bill proposed by the NSW Greens (stock image) 'No one is saying that cannabis is without any harmful effects, however making it illegal does not magically make it safer, in fact it does the opposite,' Mr Shoebridge said. 'By making cannabis legal consumers can be certain of the concentration and quality of the product they are using, can be assured it meets minimum health standards and can be given accurate information about its likely effects.' There has been a divisive reaction on social media to the news. 'It's about time, but this requires some public education on the true effects of prohibition to get through the wall of assumptions in association to mental health,' man posted on the NSW Greens Facebook page. The legalisation of cannabis (stock image) could generate up to $200 million a year in revenue for the NSW government, according to the NSW Greens Another added: 'I fear the 'legalisation' in Australia will only turn profits of an existing industry over to big business and make it less affordable in the process. I am hopeful but not confident in any thing beyond that.' Legal cannabis is available in Spain, Uruguay, Canada and nine US states. 'Each year thousands of people needlessly come into contact with police and the courts for using a drug that's legal in many other places around the world,' Mr Shoebridge posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday night. 'It's time for a commonsense approach that would generate revenue that we can spend on harm minimisation and prevention as well as public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, parks and libraries.' Disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya pictured arriving at The Royal Courts of Justice this morning. She was refused permission for a full appeal by three leading judges A disgraced ex-Labour MP is facing the end of her political career today, just hours after she lost an appeal to overturn her conviction for perverting the course of justice. Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow announced today he will ensure a recall petition is launched in the Peterborough constituency for Fiona Onasanya. If it gets enough support, a vote will be triggered and a vote will be held. On Tuesday, the ex-Labour MP lost a challenge against her conviction for perverting the course of justice at the Sourt of Appeal. Ms Onasanya was expelled from the Labour Party after being found guilty in December last year. The 35-year-old solicitor was jailed for three months in January but was released after serving one month behind bars. Representing herself, Onasanya told the court: 'The charge against me was perverting the course of justice. 'I said from the outset, and I still maintain my innocence, that I did not do that.' But she was refused permission for a full appeal by three leading judges. She insisted her case included unreliable witnesses and media influence on the court. It was claimed media coverage of the trail had assumed guilt, but the judge rejected Onasanya's grounds of appeal again. The MP argued mistakes had been made at trial and media coverage had 'excluded the facts' from the first case. Judge Leveson said: 'The judge told 12 people in that trial 'do not - do not - do not access any media sites. 'It must be understood that those who break reporting restrictions will be brought to account. However, the jury in the case was not discharged. 'It is abundantly clear - there is no putative basis for challenging the conviction. There was no error on behalf of the judge. 'In conclusion, this applicant was tried fairly by a jury. The judge's directions of law were clear and respected. 'It is tragic that she had ruined a promising political career. This application is refused.' At the trial in January jurors at the Old Bailey were told that Onasanya colluded with her brother Festus after her car was clocked speeding at 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney, near Peterborough, in July 2017. She was sent a notice of intended prosecution to fill out, but it was sent back naming the guilty driver as Aleks Antipow, an acquaintance of her brother, who was away visiting his parents in Russia. Fiona Onasanya,who was jailed for lying to police blamed the media for her being convicted Festus Onasanya, 34, from Cambridge, was jailed for 10 months after he admitted three counts of perverting the course of justice over speeding, including the July 24 incident. Rejecting Onasanya's appeal bid, Sir Brian Leveson said: 'In conclusion, this applicant was tried fairly by a jury, who rejected her evidence on oath. 'There was no error of law in the approach of the judge, whose directions... were clear and accurate, nor was there any other irregularity with the trial. 'It is a tragedy that she has damaged, probably irreparably, a promising political career, but there is absolutely no basis for challenging her conviction.' Speaking outside court after her appeal was dismissed, Ms Onasanya said: 'I'm not going to comment at the moment.' Disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya leaves The Royal Courts of Justice in London, after losing a challenge against her conviction for perverting the course of justice on Tuesday People gather to protest outside the office of jailed MP Fiona Onasanya in Peterborough where she faces losing her seat A Labour spokesman told MailOnline: 'Labour has consistently called on Fiona Onasanya to stand down as an MP ever since she was found guilty last December. 'Her refusal to do so continues to let the voters of Peterborough down. She must now do the decent thing and go. 'If she refuses to stand down, Labour will actively support local residents in their efforts to trigger a by-election through a recall petition. 'Peterborough Labour Party has already selected an excellent local candidate in Lisa Forbes and we are already campaigning. 'The people of Peterborough voted for a Labour MP, and that's what they deserve. They need a Labour MP who'll stand up for this great city against this shambolic Tory Government and Council.' Festus Onasanya tired to help his sister to dodge speeding tickets Sentencing Onasanya, Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said: 'You have not simply let yourself down, you have let down those who look to you for inspiration, your party, your profession and Parliament.' Onasanya took the marginal seat with a majority of just 607 from Conservative Stewart Jackson at the 2017 election. Under parliamentary rules, a recall petition can force a by-election if signed by more than 10% of the electorate in the Cambridgeshire seat. Speaking ahead of her sentencing, a Labour Party spokesman said she had 'let the voters of Peterborough down' and should have resigned when she was convicted. The Labour Party is among those to have called for the resignation of Onasanya, but she will continue to represent Peterborough as an Independent. This is because her jail term did not meet the 12-month minimum for an instant dismissal. A by-election can be triggered if a recall petition is signed by 10% of the electorate in the Cambridgeshire constituency and this process was on hold pending the outcome of her conviction appeal. The appeal bid was heard by Sir Brian Leveson, Mr Justice William Davis and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb. Advertisement The lack of trees found in the desert hasn't stopped these birds from building enormous nests. These extraordinary photographs illustrate a series of giant nests built on telephone poles and road signs, which can house up to 500 birds. The incredible haystack-looking nests were captured in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa's Northern Cape province and are built by sociable weaver birds, who live in large colonies. The intricate homes even have separate breeding and roosting chambers and are insulated so the sociable weavers can escape the 104F (40C) heat during the day. Miraculously, the nests can reach up to 13 feet in height and can weigh over a ton - despite the birds only coming in at 5.5 inches in length on average. Steve Toon, 56, and his wife Ann, 60, of Tarset, Northumberland, photographed the impressive nests and said they were 'fascinated and awestruck' by the huge structures. An extraordinary photograph illustrates an enormous nests built on a telephone pole and which can house up to 500 birds Incredible haystack-looking nests, which are built by sociable weaver birds, are captured by photographers in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa's Northern Cape province The intricate homes has separate breeding and roosting holes (pictured ) and is insulated so the sociable weavers can escape the 104F (40C) heat during the day The birds build their nests with pieces of dry grass. Sociable weavers only come in at 5.5 inches in length on average but their nests can reach up to 13 feet in height and can weigh over a ton A sociable weaver next sits on top of a road sign. These structures allow the birds to colonise areas they would otherwise avoid due to a lack of trees Multiple telephone poles in a row are used as platforms for nests, home to hundreds of sociable weavers, who stay in large colonies A telephone pole and the wire in between them are used by the birds to set up camp, with each nest taking on a vastly different shape Homes don't grow on trees: Faced with a sparse landscape and little chance of shelter in the desert, weaver birds make these huge nests which can be used by birds for 100 years The male weaver birds build the nests using grass and twigs and they demonstrate their skills to attract a mate Distressing footage shows an out-of-control Boxer dog chasing and attacking a terrified seal pup. The clip shows the young seal snapping back at the dog while struggling to get back into the sea in Redcar, North Yorkshire. A woman can be heard shouting her dog's name as it menacingly barks and nips at the animal's body. But the canine repeatedly ignores orders as dog walkers film it on their mobile phones and fail to intervene. A boxer dog chases a terrified seal pup which tries to escape by running into the sea in Redcar, North Yorkshire It is thought the seal escaped without serious injury but the owner has been slammed after allowing the boxer dog to chase the distressed young seal. British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who posted the video, branded it a 'great example of what dog owners should not do.' A spokesman said: 'The pup is clearly panicking and is trying to escape into the sea here while a dog is allowed by its owner to continue attacking it despite repeated pleas from the person filming it. 'We had one of our volunteer medics on the way already to check on the poor pup, but unfortunately it had gone back out to sea before they arrived just minutes later. 'We always advise anyone who finds a pup hauled out to keep well back and give it space to avoid disturbing it. 'Seals haul out to rest, sleep and digest food, but pups in particular may also be exhausted, ill or injured and just simply need to be left alone.' The dog menacingly barks and nips at the seal's body which snaps back at the canine The organisation stressed that dogs should be kept on the lead at all times if seal pups are spotted. The spokesman added: 'Sadly these incidents are happening all too frequently, and seem to be on the rise. 'We would please urge everyone to help us raise awareness of this specific problem and our advice here to try to prevent this from happening as often as it already does.' The video has attracted thousands of comments on social media with many criticising the dog owner. One social media user said: 'Can you imagine the screaming hysteria from the owner of the dog if mother seal had swum up and tackled dog. 'Not dog's fault but might have taught owner not to be so irresponsible.' Another wrote: If you can not control your dog keep it on the lead or don't have a dog! Hope the seal was OK.' One added: 'Always keep your dog on a lead where wildlife is concerned.' A factory worker in central China has died after her colleague accidentally scooped her up in a digger and dumped her in a sand processor. Horrifying footage of the incident shows the forewoman at a factory in Yidu, Hubei province standing in the digger's blind spot as the operator drove the vehicle towards a pile of sand. She is seen falling backwards into the bucket after the vehicle collided with her. The oblivious driver then proceeded to fill it with a large pile of sand, burying the woman. Horrifying footage of the incident shows the forewoman at a factory in Yidu, Hubei province standing in the digger's blind spot as the operator drove the vehicle towards a pile of sand The woman is seen falling backwards into the bucket after the vehicle collided with her. The oblivious driver then proceeded to fill it with a large pile of sand, burying the woman The local government has confirmed that the victim died of suffocation in the incident on February 24, according to Global Times citing a report by Beijing News. After filling the bucket with sand, the operator then turned the digger to deposit the pile in a processor. Workers were filmed scrambling to the woman's aid but they could not reach her in time. The operator had been distracted by his phone and did not see the woman standing in front of the vehicle, according to a report by HK01. The driver then filled the digger's bucket with sand, burying the woman in it After filling the bucket with sand, the operator turned the digger to deposit it in a processor A statement by the Yidu city government confirmed that the woman had died of suffocation and authorities are now investigating the case, according to the report. In recent years, China has been ramping up efforts in reducing the number of job-related fatalities attributed to lax regulations, corruption and poor monitoring. Deaths caused by workplace accidents in the country fell 12.1 per cent to 38,000 in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to Reuters, while fines for work safety violations rose 58 per cent in the year to around 3.3 billion yuan (374 million). In February, 21 people were killed and 29 others were injured after a shuttle vehicle lost control and crashed into the side of a tunnel in a lead, zinc and silver mine in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. An investigation revealed that the company had illegally bought the vehicle online, implying that it did not undergo safety checks. The mining firm had also erroneously used the vehicle underground when it was only meant for ground transport. ISIS supporters are being urged to 'be the expected wolf' and launch lone attacks on Western targets, monitoring groups claim. Propaganda posters published by ISIS-linked media organisations appear to encourage attacks, including one depicting a man walking through an airport dragging a suitcase with the terror group's logo on. Another shows a jihadist fighter holding the black-and-white flag of ISIS as he looks out over a demolished cityscape with the caption: 'You see it far away and we see it nearby.' Scare tactics: Poster published by ISIS-supporting media show a man waking through an airport dragging an ISIS suitcase behind him Supporters of the Islamist terror network have been known to release similar posters in the past, often using images of major Western cities such as New York and London, as part of their scare tactics. They are often shared on encrypted messaging apps such as Telegram, to 'inspire' extremists to carry out terror attacks. This follows a report from last week that desperate ISIS-linked media groups are trying to push for 'online jihad' as the terrorists are now all but extinguished in Syria and Iraq. The Al-Haq Foundation posted a poster of a hooded figure using a laptop alongside the logos of social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, to encourage posting terror-supporting content online, PJ Media reports. This poster appears to try to 'inspire' ISIS fighters to launch lone wolf attacks Another shows a jihadist fighter holding the black-and-white flag of ISIS as he looks out over a demolished cityscape with the caption: 'You see it far away and we see it nearby' As ISIS's loss of its final territory in Syria is imminent, the future of the jihadist group is unclear. A UN report published last month claimed ISIS has a secret war chest of up to $300 million (230 million) which could be used to sustain its operations and fund new attacks on the West. The terror group is assessed to have 'bulk-stored' some of the money in its stronghold area, while the rest has been smuggled abroad or invested in legitimate businesses. This is the terrifying moment a pensioner tries to disarm an armed carjacker before being shot in the stomach. The 72-year-old man was ambushed on his front drive in Welkom, South Africa, by a lone gunman who stepped out from behind a tree brandishing a firearm. He is seen on CCTV aiming the weapon at the pensioner and ordering him out of his car before the white-haired gentleman appears to try and reason with his attacker. Scroll down for video The 72-year-old man was ambushed on his front drive in Welkom, South Africa, by a lone gunman (pictured) who stepped out from behind a tree brandishing a firearm He is seen on CCTV aiming the weapon at the pensioner and ordering him out of his car before the white haired gentleman appears to try and reason with his attacker The gunman circles round towards the drivers' door keeping the weapon aimed at the 4x4 owner but suddenly the elderly man lunges forward to grab the pistol. A gunshot is heard going off and the gunman steps over the pensioner who has collapsed onto the driveway and gets behind the wheel and starts the vehicle. As he reverses down the drive way the pensioner can be seen trying to get back to his feet as the hijacker makes his escape in the car. A gunshot is heard going off and the gunman steps over the pensioner who has collapsed onto the driveway and gets behind the wheel and starts the vehicle. The pensioner can be seen trying to get back to his feet as the hijacker makes his escape in the car The victim was rushed to hospital where he is stable and said to be recovering well. Welkom police spokesperson Constable Kethabile Mofokeng told News24 a case of hijacking had been opened and said that the vehicle had been recovered later that day. She said: 'A 72-year-old man was shot by an unknown person while exiting his residential home and we can confirm a case of hijacking has been registered' Beleaguered Chris Grayling was greeted by MPs with a mocking shout of 'ahoy there' as he finally faced questioning over a controversial 33million payout to settle a Eurotunnel lawsuit over no-deal Brexit ferries. The embarrassed Transport Secretary finally made it to the Commons five days after the Government announced the deal with the Channel Tunnel operator over contracts worth 108million to import vital supplies. He came to Parliament after a last-minute debate on the saga was arranged today and was met with the nautical shout - believed to have been made by Labour's Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff. But his appearance at the Dispatch Box came after he had refused to resign over the seven-figure use of taxpayers money and tried to pin the blame on other Cabinet ministers. After being accosted by reporters as he arrived in Downing Street today for the weekly Cabinet meeting he claimed the decision had been taken 'collectively' by ministers on Department of Health advice and branded it 'sensible'. Asked if he felt under pressure to resign, he said: 'I will carry on serving the Prime Minister as long as she wants me to.' Press Association Parliamentary Editor Richard Wheeler was among those present when Mr Grayling was nautically welcomed to the Commons toda Mr Grayling was widely criticised yesterday after he failed to appear before MPs to answer an urgent question on the huge payment to the Channel Tunnel operator, with Labour calling him an 'international embarrassment'. Instead Health Secretary Matt Hancock faced the grilling, leading to claims he was there as a 'human shield'. The Prime Minister has come under increasing pressure from the opposition to remove Mr Grayling but Downing Street has said she has 'full confidence' in him. Mr Grayling told reporters today: 'The decision that we took last week was taken by the Department of Health to protect drugs supplies to the UK in a no-deal in the same way as these contracts were let in the first place, after a discussion and a decision by a Cabinet committee because we had to prepare for all eventualities,' he said. 'We are still working for a deal, we don't want to leave without a deal, but we have to be ready for all eventualities. 'This was a sensible part of contingency planning to make sure that we had all resources that we needed, all the medical supplies that we needed for the NHS. 'That is why the Cabinet took the decision that it did. That is why we collectively last week decided, however regrettable the Eurotunnel court action was, that we had to take a decision to protect the interests of the country in the circumstances of a no-deal Brexit. And that is the right thing to do.' Labour branded Chris Grayling an 'international embarassment' over his handling of contracts for ferry companies in the event of a no-deal Brexit The plan was designed to ease pressure on shipping capacity at nearby Dover if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal next month Labour's shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald tore into him, branding him a 'departmental wrecking ball' who had wasted more than 2 billion of taxpayers money during his Governmental career and should resign. Mr McDonald said: 'Almost every decision he made as Secretary of State for Justice was damaging and eventually reversed at significant cost to the taxpayer. 'As Transport Secretary, he's repeatedly thrown our transport networks into chaos, wasting obscene amounts of public money.' Mr McDonald added: 'Research into the total cost of the Secretary of State's mistakes both in his current role and at the Department for Justice has found that he's cost the taxpayer 2.27 billion. 'That money could have paid for the annual salaries of 118,000 nurses, 94,000 secondary school teachers. Instead, it's been squandered.' Mr Hancock appeared on behalf of the Government yesterday to defend its decision to settle the action over the award of Brexit contracts to ferry firms, including one which had no ships, although failed to launch a personal defence of his Cabinet colleague. When he was asked directly where Mr Grayling was, Mr Hancock replied: 'The Transport Secretary is working hard on making sure we improve the transport system.' It was announced last week that Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, would no longer challenge the Department for Transport's decision to award deals worth 108 million to Seaborne Freight, DFDS and Brittany Ferries to lay on additional crossings to ports other than Dover in the case of a no-deal Brexit. Mr Grayling's catalogue of controversies gained international recognition in a New York Times article questioning how he survives. Today he told MPs in the Commons he accepted there was a 'legal risk' linked to the Government's approach to the ferry contracts but believed it was one worth taking given the need to guarantee medicine supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit. 'We knew in accelerating the procurement process there was a legal risk. That's been highlighted in the NAO report. 'However, it was my judgment and the judgment of my accounting officer and the judgment of those who vetted the plan across government that this was a risk we should take given the need to ensure that we had a supply of drugs into the country in the event of a no-deal Brexit.' Health Secretary Matt Hancock arriving at Downing Street for Cabinet today. He would come face-to-face with Chris Grayling in the meeting the day after standing in for him to answer questions from furious MPs about the Brexit ferry payout Mr Grayling, urged by Labour MP Peter Kyle to apologise for his decision, replied: 'I very much regret the fact we were taken to court - it was a risk that we acknowledged was there but I stand by the decision to make sure that we could guarantee the supply of drugs to the NHS in the event of a no-deal Brexit.' But McDonald added: 'What he is laying bare today is that advice he received, he's acted in contravention of that advice and he has lost. 'What we're asking for is not an absence of preparation for contingencies, what we're asking for is a modicum of competence and he's singularly failed.' Ceon Broughton arrives at Winchester Crown Court on February 28. He was jailed for more than eight years for manslaughter and supplying Class A drugs The rapper who gave Holby City actor John Michie's daughter a 'bumped up' dose of party drug 2C-P and filmed her as she died today launched an appeal against his manslaughter conviction. Ceon Broughton gave Louella Fletcher-Michie, 24, the powdered class A substance while at Bestival music festival, with the pair leaving the official grounds and going off into woodland together. As tragic Louella suffered a horrifying reaction to the drug, hitting herself, screaming like a 'wild animal' and even trying to eat thorns, Broughton, 30, laughed and filmed her suffering. During the trial, his barrister Stephen Kamlish QC argued that jurors could not be certain Louella could have been saved or that Broughton had even supplied the drug. The grime star was jailed for eight and a half years. Mr Kamlish today confirmed they will be appealing his convictions for manslaughter and supplying class A drugs. He said a file is now being prepared for a judge to look at and rule whether it should go before the Court of Appeal. As he was sentenced last week, Broughton, who refused to give evidence during the trial, finally apologised to his girlfriend's family, through Mr Kamlish. He said: 'I am sorry I did not do more to save Louella. Sorry for the suffering I have caused to everyone who loved her and I want to make things right.' During a four week trial at Winchester Crown Court, Hants, jurors heard Broughton failed to seek help for his girlfriend, despite her father Mr Michie, 62, and mother Carol, 68, pleading with him to do so. Tragically, despite her parents making the 130-mile dash from their north London home to Bestival, at Lulworth Castle, Dorset, on September 10, 2017, Louella could not be saved. Louella's body was discovered by security guard Craig Welsh an hour into what would have been her 25th birthday. Ceon Broughton (left), 30, had been on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of being responsible for the death of his girlfriend Miss Fletcher-Michie (right) Louella Fletcher-Michie, the daughter of Holby City actor John Michie died hours short of her 25th birthday after taking drugs In the hours leading up to her death, after giving her the 2-CP at Bestival, the musician filmed his girlfriend when she was hallucinating before recording images of her corpse on his phone, jurors were told in court. She initially had a 90 per cent chance of recovery. But jurors were told that instead of phoning 999, Broughton stayed in a secluded wooded area at Bestival. Her family listened in shock as prosecutors told how he documented her decline and mental distress in a disturbing series of videos and photos which lasted hours. Louella even called her parents and made 'wild' noises which prompted them to drive to the festival and seek help. However, security was initially unable to find them. Broughton avoided going for help because 'didn't want to be arrested' because while on a suspended sentence, the court was told. Miss Fletcher-Michie's father John Michie said outside Winchester Crown Court: 'Regardless of the outcome of this harrowing trial, there are never going to be any winners' His girlfriend was dead by the time he eventually emerged from the trees and alerted festival staff to her condition. Mobile phone footage showed the couple playing around with some fairy lights inside a tent at the festival before she became ill. A voice is heard to say 'Festival fairy Louella' followed by Miss Fletcher-Michie, smiling, saying 'Pixie love' while a third person held the camera-phone. Separate images show Miss Fletcher-Michie walking with Broughton, captured by CCTV, at the festival two years ago. Former Taggart and Coronation Street star Mr Michie said every night he has the 'trauma' of seeing images in his head of his daughter suffering. Fighting back tears, he said: 'I wake every morning to face life starting again without Louella, our daughter, our sister, our friend. Our family now broken. 'It makes no sense, our beautiful Louella should still be with us on any measure of humanity. 'There will be no more yoga, no more running round the outside of Arsenal's stadium, no more family fun and life. Our lives have forever been diminished. 'She was wise beyond her years and trusting - perhaps too trusting. 'I go to bed each night with the trauma of the image of her crying out to her father and mother, sister and brother to help her, but there was only one person who could help. 'Losing her has made me want to move away from our home, to stop having to pass her room, due to the gut wrenching pain which those who have lost a child or loved one will understand.' After sentencing he said they all got a life sentence. Speaking outside court, an emotional Mr Michie said: 'Regardless of the outcome of this harrowing trial, there are never going to be any winners. 'Our life sentence began on what would have been Louella's 25th birthday. Ceon's life sentence is knowing he did not help Louella to live.' Broughton, of Enfield, north London, was convicted of Louella's manslaughter and supplying class A drugs. The rapper, who has worked with stars including Skepta and Wiley, admitted two further counts of supplying 2C-P to Louella and a friend at Glastonbury festival earlier in 2017. Advertisement A two-day downpour is set to batter parts of Britain from tonight with forecasters issuing severe weather warnings in the south west. More than two inches of rain is expected to fall overnight in some places, with the Met Office declaring that heavy downpours will trigger some flooding and difficult driving conditions from 6pm until 9am tomorrow morning. South-west of England and south Wales have been warned of a hellish commute during the Wednesday early rush hour, with forecasts for strong winds raising fears of similar travel disruption brought on by Storm Freya last week. Meanwhile, flood alerts have been put in place in Cornwall and Devon, with authorities warning that 'interruption to power supplies and other services' is possible, as was flooding of some homes. The Met Office warned that conditions would be very unsettled across the country in the aftermath of Freya, as a band of low pressure moves northwards and brings heavy rain, wind and hill snow. More than two inches of rain is expected to fall overnight in some places, with the Met Office declaring that heavy downpours will trigger some flooding and difficult driving conditions from 6pm until 9am tomorrow morning South-west of England and south Wales have been warned of a hellish commute during the Wednesday early rush hour, with forecasts for strong winds raising fears of similar travel disruption brought on by Storm Freya last week Showers are expected to break out throughout the week, with Thursday and Friday experiencing strong gusts, before conditions improve heading in to the weekend. The Met Office said in a statement: 'Rain will affect much of south Wales and southwest England from late Tuesday afternoon, overnight into Wednesday morning before clearing. '20-30mm of rain is likely to fall quite widely whilst over the higher ground of south Wales and southwest England, such as the Brecon Beacons and Dartmoor 40-50mm is expected, with most exposed sites perhaps seeing 60mm. 'Strong winds are also expected perhaps enhancing impacts in places.' A business class traveler held up his flight for five hours after having an absurd fit of rage because there were no gluten free or vegetarian meals on-board. The male passenger reportedly became inconsolable when he found out there were no more fish meals available on the Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Toronto on Saturday. A witness who asked to remain anonymous told Canada's CTV that although he did not appear intoxicated, the man became verbally abusive and began swearing at cabin crew, saying he could not eat meat or gluten. A man caused a five-hour delay after he was ejected from an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Toronto on Saturday after he became furious that there were no more fish meals available (file image) The man became verbally abusive to the cabin crew and said he could not eat gluten or meat according to other passengers (file image) 'He was very belligerent, very rude to the flight attendant. The flight attendant was very polite, she offered him several choices,' the witness told CTV. 'He was very calm and was like, "If I don't get fish, there will be a problem. One way or another, I will get my fish, either you serve it to me or I will serve it to myself".' The witness said the incident began when the plane was on the tarmac waiting to take off, and the flight attendants were taking meal requests from business class passengers. But because of the commotion, the pilot was forced to return to the gate while the passenger was removed from the aircraft. The plane was forced to return to the gate at Vancouver Airport (pictured) and a new crew had to be brought in because the original members of staff had surpassed the working hours limit following the delay The pilot then explained to the passengers that because of an earlier delay coupled with the passenger incident the original crew members had surpassed the airline's working hours limit and a new cohort would have to be brought in. The Toronto-bound flight had been scheduled to depart at 2pm but was pushed back until 7.30pm. CTV News spoke to two other passengers on the flight who corroborated with the witness, while others aired their grievances on Twitter. 'Stranded for Five hours @yvrairport because some jerk on #ac118 needed to be deplaned at last minute for disruptive behaviour. Thanks A**hole. I loved getting home at 4am,' wrote one user. A 19-year-old man was allegedly set upon by a woman after he asked her and her partner to keep their noise down on a train. Footage shows the woman allegedly throttle the teenager over the head, before getting dragged away in the opposite direction. The teen and his friends were travelling on the Wynyard to Hornsby train in Sydney early Sunday morning when the alleged incident took place, The Daily Telegraph reported. Police have since charged a 30-year-old woman from Hamlyn Terrace, on the Central Coast, with assault causing actual bodily harm. A 30-year-old man was also charged with two counts of assault. In the footage, a shirtless man was seen doubling back into the group of teenagers after the alleged assault had taken place, threatening the boys with more drama. 'Are you right man? Where did she hit you, do I need to get a paramedic?' a friend of the boy who was allegedly glassed could be heard saying after he saw blood spatterings on the train carriage floor. A 19-year-old man (pictured) was allegedly set upon by a woman after he asked her and her partner to keep their noise down on a train Paramedics treated the boy at Hornsby station at 12:30am before taking him to a nearby hospital, where he needed 10 stitches to close the deep gash. He was also allegedly punched in the face, leaving him with a broken nose and shattered teeth. The boy's mother claims the couple moved into the group's train carriage and proceeded to have a loud argument. After a short while, the boy asked them to keep the noise levels down, prompting the alleged attack. The woman was formally refused bail and is expected to appear in court next month. Jacquelyn Smith, 54, was killed in December last year in Baltimore, Maryland The mother of a woman who was stabbed to death in December allegedly by her husband and stepdaughter has said she knew their story that she'd been killed by a panhandler was 'phony'. Jacquelyn Smith, 54, was killed in December last year in Baltimore, Maryland. Her husband Keith told police that she was attacked by a panhandler who lunged at her after she rolled down her passenger seat window in their car to give her $10. Keith said his daughter, Valeria Smith, 28, was also in the car and that the three of the them were coming home from dinner. He drove her to the hospital but she was pronounced dead. Keith was previously arrested for robbing a bank three times in 1999 and 2000. He told police when they arrested him that he was struggling to pay his bills after being laid off as a FedEx driver because he had too many points on his license. He also said that he was struggling to raise his daughter alone and that he needed money for HIV treatment which he had been recently diagnosed with. On Monday, they were charged with Jacquelyn's murder and for lying to the police. Police arrested them near the border in Texas and say they were planning on fleeing the country. Investigators have not yet suggested what their motive might be for the alleged killing. On Tuesday, Jacquelyn's mother Anna Trisvane reacted to news of their arrests with relief. She said their story did not add up from the beginning because her daughter was a cautious woman who would not have given money to a person in the street in the way Keith claimed she had. Keith Smith, 52,and his daughter Valeria Smith, 28, were charged with murder Jacquelyn's mother Anna Trisvane (right) says she was suspicious of her son-in-law from the beginning 'It was all phony. I knew it was not real. I suspected that he had something to do with it,' she told WBALTV. Keith told officers that the female panhandler was pretending to hold a baby and that she were holding up a sign asking for money for food. He claimed his goodhearted wife was so touched that she asked him to stop the car and let her roll down the window to help her, something her mother says has always sounded unlikely to her. 'She was too cautious. She doesn't like things like that. 'She would have said to herself, "No that's phony,"' Trisvane said. Jacquelyn and her husband had been married less than five years. Her mother said she had never met his daughter and went two years without seeing her not long before her death. 'She was a good, good person. She liked everybody. She was just a good persona and she believed in God a lot,' she said. Jacquelyn and her husband had been married less than five years. Her mother had never met his daughter Keith and his daughter are shown after Jacquelyn's funeral. Police have not yet suggested their alleged motive for killing her Keith claimed his wife had her necklace snatched from her neck and her purse stolen by the beggar The last time she spoke to her daughter's husband was at her funeral where she told him: 'I gave you a beautiful daughter and you let her die like that, I know she didn't deserve to die the way she died.' Keith told police that when his wife rolled down her window to give the beggar some money, a man appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her necklace and purse, stabbed her repeatedly then fled. He said he and his wife had been dancing to their wedding song, John Legend's 'All of Me', hours earlier and played the part of a grieving husband. He spoke to news crews outside his wife's funeral and consoled his own daughter who wept in front of the cameras. 'They took my wife's life. I hope it was worth it because you're going to answer to that one day,' he said in one interview. Radio stations in Quebec have stopped playing Michael Jackson songs after child sex abuse allegations resurfaced against the King of Pop. HBO's documentary Leaving Neverland aired for the first time on Sunday after it was screened at the Sundance Film Festival to rapturous applause. The documentary features claims from Wade Robson and James Safechuck who allege that Jackson abused them when they were seven and ten respectively. A spokeswoman for the owner of three Montreal stations - Francophone CKOI and Rythme and English-language The Beat - told CTV: 'We are attentive to listeners' comments, and last night's documentary created reactions.' Michael Jackson with Wade Robson who claims in HBO's Leaving Neverland that Jackson abused him from the age seven Christine Dicare, director of marketing and communications, added that the decision would apply to 23 radio stations across Quebec affecting over five million listeners. The bombshell four-hour documentary, directed by Dan Reed, was first screened at Sundance in January, with television rights having been scooped up by HBO and Britain's Channel 4 before the annual festival. Jackson and his accuser James Safechuck in 1988 The abuse alleged in the film was so appalling there were counselors on hand for traumatized viewers. Since airing, the film has sparked backlash and outrage among Jackson fans and the King of Pop's estate. Jackson's estate slammed the abuse claims and sent a 10-page letter to HBO executives to discredit Robson and Safechuck's accounts in the documentary and try to have it pulled before it was aired. The estate released a statement last month calling the film 'yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson'. 'Wade Robson and James Safechuck have both testified under oath that Michael never did anything inappropriate toward them. 'This so called "documentary" is just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations. 'Its baffling why any credible filmmaker would involve himself with this project,' the statement added. A man has been charged with indecently assaulting a teenage nightclub reveller as police reveal they fear other men have been attacked in the same area. Detectives believe at least 20 men have been recently drugged, abducted and sexually assaulted in and around Perth's nightclub district in Claremont. The investigation was sparked after a 19-year-old man reported to police he had been attacked after leaving The Avenue at Club Bayview in Claremont, Perth, in January. Police fear at least 20 men may have been drugged, abducted and sexually assaulted in and around the Perth nightclub district after a young man left The Avenue (pictured) before being drugged and abused Evidence given by the young man led police to an Armadale home where they found videos and images showing other alleged victims who may have been drugged while out drinking (file photo) He told police he left the club at 1am before waking up hours later and 12km away in a stranger's car. He told officers he awoke to a man was sexually abusing him. When the 19-year-old questioned the man about what had occurred, he reportedly said he was just trying to get him home safely. After reporting the alleged incident, police used GPS from the young man's phone and CCTV footage to track down the car in question, Perth Now reported. The registration of the car led police to a home in Armadale, where they allegedly discovered 'at least' 20 videos and a handful of photos that appear to show other victims of abuse. Following police inquires a 41-year-old man was charged with two counts of indecent assault relating to the alleged abuse of the 19-year-old man after he left the Claremont night spot (pictured) A full investigation has been launched by Western Australia Police after discovering the alleged videos and they have said any men who think they may have been a victim to come forward Police said it looked like all the men are aged in their 20s or early 30s. Following police inquires, a 41-year-old man was charged with two counts of indecent assault relating to the alleged abuse of the 19-year-old man. He will remain in custody until his court date later this month. A spokesperson for the nightclub told Perth Now they were 'shocked' and 'saddened' by the news and would provide any assistance police required. A brutal 'serial killer' who 'hated women from childhood' is accused of committing 11 murders in three countries to avenge his wife 'cheating on him'. Bakhtiyor Matyakubov, 45, raped most of his victims either before or after killing them, it is alleged. In one case, he decapitated a victim then had sex with her headless corpse, say police. Bakhtiyor Matyakubov, 45, has been sentenced to life in Ukraine for three murders but is now facing a trial in Moscow over the deaths of five women Among his victims was Yulia Lebezhina (on her wedding day), 26, a sex shop saleswoman who he stabbed 20 times in Moscow, according to Russian prosecutors. He then stole money and an artificial vagina toy from the shop where Mrs Lebezhina (pictured) worked, it is alleged Matyakubov has been sentenced to life in Ukraine for three murders and is now facing a trial in Moscow over the deaths of five women, says the country's Investigative Committee. Among his victims was Yulia Lebezhina, 26, a sex shop saleswoman who he stabbed 20 times, according to Russian prosecutors. He then stole money and an artificial vagina toy from the shop, it is alleged. Later he is due to be extradited to his native Uzbekistan where he is accused of killing three women. Police say this CCTV footage shows Matyakubov fleeing after killing Mrs Lebezhina He is accused of killing and raping Natalia Yelkina (pictured), 34, after returning to Russia following a murder spree in Ukraine In a Moscow park, he killed and raped hitchhiker Yulia Antipova, 36, whose body was not found for three years, it is alleged. In early 2015 he also killed Elmira Gusenko, 40, in another park. On a trip to Ukraine he raped and killed three women in ten days, according to the verdict of a Kiev court. One of his victims was a 77-year-old woman. A police video from Kiev shows him explaining to police how he killed a victim and left her body. He also attacked and robbed a flower seller who survived. By April, 4 2015, he was back in Russia where he is accused of killing and raping Natalia Yelkina, 34, allege prosecutors. Police Major-General Alexander Tereshchuk said during his interrogation they 'established that he had a hatred of women since childhood' Four days later came his suspected attack in the Dzhaga-Dzhaga sex shop. Evidence includes chilling CCTV footage of this brutal killing. He then fled back to Ukraine where he was detained while drinking beer in a cafe. Police Major-General Alexander Tereshchuk said: 'During his interrogation it was established that he had a hatred of women since childhood.' He told arresting officers: 'If you had not detained me, I would have committed another murder. I planned a murder tonight, and I would not stop.' The Kiev police chief said that they had contacted Uzbekistan colleagues and were told of his alleged crimes in his native country. The unemployed man was married - and has a son aged 21 - but became convinced his wife had cheated on him, which motivated him to carry out his hideous crimes He was accused of 'brutally killing a woman with a knife, cutting off her head, and then raping her,' he said. The unemployed man was married - and has a son aged 21 - but became convinced his wife had cheated on him, said police, according to Mash online news. This was seen as 'the main motive of his murders'. Russian police earlier said they suspected the 'maniac' had committed more killings. Concerns have risen for the welfare of a 19-year-old Japanese musician who disappeared mid-way through a tour of the UK with his world-famous drumming group. Sho Teshigawara was last seen at Dorking train station at 6.30pm - two hours before an 8pm performance was booked for his group the Yamato Drummers. The Yamato drummers are a group of dozens of Japanese performers who use their whole bodies to hit a Japanese taiko drum made from a large 400 year-old tree. At the time of his disappearance, Sho Teshigawara was seen wearing a dark jacket and green khaki trousers and was carrying a blue rucksack The group, from Nara Prefecture in Japan, have been invited to perform in 54 countries around the world. And they were set to perform at 8pm at the G Live Festival in Guildford, Surrey, when Sho failed to appear. The teenager speaks very little English and is not believed to have had much money when he was reported missing. He was last seen at Dorking train station in Surrey at 6.30pm on February 28, the same day as the G Live Festival performance. The 19-year-old was last seen at Dorking train station at 6.30pm on February 28, the evening the Yamato drummers were set to perform at he G Live Festival in Guildford And it is thought he may have been planning to take a train to Victoria to travel to the Peacock Theatre, Holborn, where the group were set to perform from March 12. The band were set to perform in High Wycombe and Birmingham over the weekend, as well as in Middlesbrough and Sunderland later this week. Holborns Peacock Theatre is to be the final tour destination for 17 days between March 12 and March 31. The group, from Nara Prefecture in Japan, have been invited to perform in 54 countries around the world The Yamato drummers are a group of dozens of Japanese performers who use their whole bodies to hit a Japanese taiko drum made from a large 400 year-old tree at the start of their performance At the time of his disappearance, Mr Teshigawara was seen wearing a dark jacket and green khaki trousers and was carrying a blue rucksack. A spokesman for Surrey Police said: 'We are appealing for help to find a musician who has not been seen since February 28. 'Nineteen-year-old Sho Teshigawara from Japan has been touring the UK with group Yamato Drummers since January. 'Sho was last seen by his bandmates at G Live in Guildford around 2pm last Thursday, February 28. 'Sho speaks very little English and is not believed to have much money with him and officers and his family are becoming increasingly concerned for his safety. 'Sho was last seen wearing a dark jacket and green khaki trousers and was carrying a blue rucksack. If you have seen Sho, or if you were travelling on the 6.37pm train from Dorking to London Victoria, please get in touch as a matter of urgency.' Everett Simpson, 41, abducted a young mother and her son from a shopping mall parking lot and brought them to a motel where he violently raped Celia Roessler A woman who was allegedly abducted and raped in front of her son has filed a lawsuit against a treatment center who let the suspect escape. Celia Roessler, 23, was leaving a shopping mall with her son, four, in New Hampshire and was buckling him into his car seat when she says she was elbowed and shoved into the passenger seat by the male suspect. Everett Simpson, 41, who is from Vermont, then allegedly drove the mother and son to a remote location in Vermont on January 5. He forced Roessler to pay for a room in a motel where he is accused of raping her in front of her son. The lawsuit, which is also against the state of Vermont, claims that Simpson had aggressively controlled Roessler by grabbing and pulling her hair and that her son had repeatedly wet himself during their ordeal. Simpson then took Celia's driver's license, wrote down her address and told her that if she contacted police, he would come back and kill her. He then left the room, stole Celia's Kia Forte and fled the scene. Roessler then waited five minutes to ensure the victim had left before calling police. The lawsuit alleges Valley Vista (pictured) was ordered to notify police if he left the facility, but this wasnt done until 90 minutes after he fled Simpson then drove to Pennsylvania where he was arrested after crashing a second car that police say he stole. Simpson, 41, has been charged with rape, kidnapping, car theft and fleeing justice. He was already facing criminal charges from a September arrest for car theft and violently assaulting a police officer. He was released from a Vermont correctional facility on January 3 - two days before the alleged rape - when his bail was reduced from $20,000 to $3,000, on condition he attend Valley Vista treatment center - a private, non-locked down facility. Valley Vista was ordered to notify police if he left the facility, which the lawsuit alleges wasnt done until 90 minutes after he fled. Simpson's criminal history includes multiple felony charges, child cruelty, stalking, escaping from authorities and violating probation and court orders. The lawsuit states that Vermont and Valley Vista 'grossly breached their duties as it took Valley Vista at least an hour and a half to realize and /or choose to notify Vermont State Police department that he had left their facility.' According to the lawsuit, Vermont correctional facility and Valley Vista 'knew Mr Simpson posed a serious flight risk and risk of harm to others, including the specific risks of evading authorities, motor vehicle theft and committing felony assault.' The lawsuit states: 'Not only has this young family been subjected to physical, psychological and emotional trauma, they were also thrown into an immediate financial and logistical crisis. 'Celia and her son feared for their live through this whole ordeal. But for Celia's brave and selfless actions, plaintiffs would have likely been killed.' In a statement obtained by the Boston Herald, Roessler said: 'The past couple months have not been easy, but the most important thing is we made it out alive and my son was not physically harmed. 'I have decided to speak out today because I have nothing to hide from or be ashamed of. She said she 'hopes something good can come of this lawsuit so that something like this never happens again.' Anthony Carr, Roesslers attorney, said the state and Valley Vista did not respond to his effort to negotiate over Roesslers claims. She subsequently went ahead with the suit. Vermont officials and Valley Vista did not immediately respond to Herald requests for comment. 'Obviously this is as bad of a situation a mother could find herself in. Our job is to see how it could have been preventable.' A lawyer representing disgraced former Trump attorney Michael Cohen approached White House lawyers about the possibility of a pardon last year, and the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani didn't dismiss the idea. After the FBI seized documents from Cohen's home, office and hotel room, his lawyer Stephen M. Ryan asked at least five different Trump attorneys about whether Cohen might be off the hook. Jay Sekulow and Joanna Hendon dismissed the idea, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. But Rudy Giuliani, Trump's famously free-wheeling lawyer, said the concept could win the president's support in the future. Disgraced former Trump attorney Michael Cohen is going to prison for three years in May, but his lawyers asked White House legal counsels about a presidential pardon last year President Trump has almost certainly dismissed the idea of pardoning Cohen, who turned on him and accused him of committing crimes while in office Trump's free-wheeling personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani left the door open last year to a possible future pardon for Cohen, according to The Wall Street Journal Giuliani said Tuesday that when people approach him about pardons from the president, 'I always give the same answer which is, "The president is not going to consider any pardons at this time and nobody should think that he is." Whatever happens in the future, that is his prerogative.' The topic came up while Ryan and attorneys for the president were working side-by-side to determine which of the documents in the FBI's possession would be subject to attorney-client privilege. Ryan left the impression in separate discussions with Trump Organization attorneys Alan Futerfas and Alan Garten that promise of a pardon would keep Cohen from cooperating with New York-based federal prosecutors. Cohen lawyer Stephen Ryan (left) asked White House lawyers about clemency for his client last year while they were all sifting through Cohen's documents to see what might be subject to attorney-client privilege Cohen pleaded guilty to eight separate federal crimes last year, drawing a three-year prison sentence that he will begin serving in May. He was also disbarred last week as he prepared to testify in a tense House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing. He insisted during his testimony that he had no interest in presidential clemency. 'I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from Mr. Trump,' he said then. He didn't mention anything attorneys might have done or said on his behalf. A Cohen spokeswoman told the Journal that he 'stands by' that statement. A 61-year-old registered sex offender was allegedly caught hiding in the back of a school bus full of kindergarteners returning from a field trip. Michael Charles Friedrichs was arrested and released following the incident in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Thursday as investigations continue. He pleaded guilty to fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2011 related to masturbating on a public school bus near multiple children. Friedrichs was also convicted in 2004 of engaging in sexual conduct and contact with two 15 year old male victims, one of whom was the son of a woman he had once dated, TwinCities.com reported. He is a Level 3 sex offender in the state of Minnesota, meaning he is considered to be at the highest risk to re-offend. He was released from prison in April, and had completed his required period of supervision, according to Minnesota Department of Corrections records. Registered sex offender Michael Charles Friedrichs, 61 (pictured), was caught hiding in the back of a school bus full of kindergarteners in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Thursday. In 2011, Friedrichs pleaded guilty to fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct related to masturbating on a public school bus near multiple children Friedrichs was allegedly spotted in the back of a school bus full of St. Paul Public School kindergarteners who were returning from a field trip to the Walker Art Center, parent chaperone Maggie Zimmerman said. St. Paul Public Schools spokesperson Kevin Burns said video captured Friedrichs prying open the doors to enter the empty bus, before the Chelsea Heights Elementary School students boarded after a visit to the art center in Minneapolis. The driver was not yet on board the bus at that time. Zimmerman said that 'parents are horrified and helpless,' while expressing her concern with a criminal justice system that would allow Friedrichs the opportunity to offend again. 'In my mind, this whole thing highlights a system that sets people loose again over and over, continually endangering children in the community,' Zimmerman said. Video captured Friedrichs prying open the doors to enter the empty bus before the Chelsea Heights Elementary School (shown) students boarded after a visit to an art center in Minneapolis. The driver was not yet on board the bus at that time Police reports did not indicate any lewd acts in the presence of or any contact with students, St. Paul Police Department Public Information Officer Steve Linders said. According to Zimmerman, there were 26 children and four adults on the bus when the teacher of her daughter's kindergarten class noticed Friedrichs in the back seat, while driving along Interstate 94. 'I didnt initially see anyone when I looked back, but then saw a head peek up over the seats and pop back down again,' Zimmerman said. 'The bus driver radioed dispatch about an unidentified person on the bus. She had him move to a front seat so she could watch him. The man asked to be let off the bus a couple of times along the way, but the driver did not let him.' 'At no time were students unsupervised by teachers and chaperones,' Principal Jill Gebeke told parents of kindergartners on the bus, in a written statement. 'SPPS has also informed its school bus contractors about the incident to reinforce our required safety protocols. When a driver enters or exits a bus, they must walk through to verify that the bus is empty and ready for its next route.' Friedrichs has a history of being found on unoccupied school buses, dating back to at least 1996 when he was found on board one in a Rosemount bus storage lot. In 2004, he was found again on an unoccupied school bus which was parked at a zoo in Minnesota, Apple Valley police said. Authorities in 2011 said investigations led to Friedrichs admitting he had masturbated on unoccupied schools buses. On Thursday, Friedrichs told authorities that he had gotten on the wrong bus after having arrived on a different bus from the Southdale Center in Edina. He was taken into custody at the elementary school on suspicion of a registration violation, but was released from Ramsey County jail on Saturday when it was determined by the St. Paul Police Department's sex crimes unit that the case would be handled by Minneapolis police, as that is where Friedrichs is registered as a sex offender. 'I want to see this man both charged for this incident and, ultimately, committed as a sexual predator,' Zimmerman said. 'I cant guess how many buses he may have gotten on and off of without being caught. Or how many other buses he may board in the near future. His conviction record suggests that prison has not rehabilitated him and that he will continue to do this as long as he is free.' A man has been charged over the alleged abduction and carjacking of a young woman on the Gold Coast. The 26-year-old was on the phone to her mother when she was allegedly forced into her car by a stranger at a shopping centre car park in Robina at around 5pm on Monday. Police allege the man demanded the woman drive north on the M1 motorway while covering her face and pulling her hair to try to stop her from screaming. They located the woman safe and well a short time later near Exit 66 at Gaven after the alleged attacker fled into bushland. A man, 47, has since been charged over the alleged abduction and carjacking of a young woman (pictured is her car) which ended on the M1 on Monday night. He will appear in court on Wednesday A man was taken into custody after he attended Mudgeeraba Police Station on Tuesday night following a public appeal for help. A 47-year-old Mudgeeraba man has since been charged with one count each of kidnapping, unlawful entry of a vehicle and assault. He was remanded in custody overnight to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday. The young woman (pictured in blue) who was allegedly carjacked in a Robina shopping centre car park was on the phone to her mother at the time The woman was not physically injured during the alleged incident. She was pictured at the scene dressed in a forensic suit before she was taken away for DNA testing, Seven News reported. Gold Coast detectives said the woman's mother helped officers save her from the alleged ordeal. 'Bluetooth has kicked in and the mother could hear the conversation and what was going on in the vehicle, so she had the foresight to call police,' Detective Inspector Brendan Smith told reporters on Tuesday. Police allege the man demanded the woman drive north on the M1 motorway 'Police could then actually ring the victim's phone and speak to the offender, and negotiate with him to let her pull over.' Police are also investigating an similar alleged car-jacking incident that occurred later on Monday in Robina. Det Insp Smith warned drivers not to pick up hitchhikers and to be aware of their own safety. 'If you get into your vehicle, lock the doors,' he said. An undiscovered masterpiece by English classical composer Edward Elgar has been heard for the first time in 100 years after being found tucked away inside an autograph book. The 'andante' melody from 1924 was penned on musical manuscript paper and signed by the great composer who was responsible for some of the most iconic classic music to ever come from England. Believed to be scored for a string quartet, experts believe the tune could also be a brief overture for a more comprehensive piece. It was discovered tucked away inside an autograph book owned by a charity fundraiser who died in 1983 and is believed to not have been heard aloud for nearly 100 years. This piece of music (pictured above) by Sir Edward Elgar which is thought to be an undiscovered melody never previously heard has come to light The sheet music was discovered tucked away inside an autograph book (pictured above) owned by a charity fundraiser who died in 1983 The manuscript will feature in Richard Winterton's Library Sale at The Lichfield Auction Centre, Staffordshire, on March 26. Auctioneer Richard Winterton, who stars in BBC's Bargain Hunt and Dickinson's Real Deal, said: 'Elgar is widely regarded as one of this country's greatest ever composers. 'There can't be many people who don't know some of his music, even if they aren't necessarily aware that he wrote it. Sir Edward Elgar (pictured above) was an English classical composer and died in 1934 'Unfolding this musical manuscript tucked away inside an autograph book - which was already loaded with impressive signatures - I could not believe what I was seeing. Not only is it signed and dated by Elgar but there are several lines of complicated musical notation. It was clearly a short melody, written down yet never played. 'Perhaps never heard aloud for almost 100 years.' The autograph book, which is bulging with impressive signatures and dates back to 1923, was owned collected by Lydia Tabb, a matron at Barnardo's, during her time fundraising for the charity. It contains approximately 69 signatures including five Prime Ministers - Herbert Henry Asquith, David Lloyd George, Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald and Winston Churchill - as well as four important authors, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, HG Wells, Sir JM Barrie and Rudyard Kipling. Other signatures in the book include those of Charlie Chaplin, the future King George VI and many important figures from the First World War including Marshal Ferdinand Foch, the supreme Allied Commander during WW1, and Field Marshal Earl Haig. Relatively little is known about Lydia, who was born in 1897 and died in 1983, other than that she worked tirelessly for Barnado's and at one point travelled to Australia on behalf of the charity. Music by Edward Elgar had previously been valued on the Antiques road Show for 100,00 The fundraiser, whose maiden name was Probyn before she married Herbert Edward Tabb in 1939, previously had links to Surrey before moving to Gravelly Hill, Birmingham. Lydia's great nieces Linda Brewer and Jane Coombs remember visiting her as children. Linda said: 'My dad would mow the lawn while we would sit with her eating sandwiches and watching the wrestling. 'But I don't remember her ever mentioning the autograph book or the Elgar manuscript. 'It's a bit of a mystery as to how Lydia compiled the signatures of so many famous and influential people and we would love to find out more.' Sir Edward William Elgar, who was born in 1857 and died in 1934, is regarded as one of England's greatest composers, with many of his compositions featuring in classical concert repertoires all over the world. Orchestral works such as the Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance marches sit among his best-known compositions alongside two symphonies and concertos for violin and cello. This is while his more recent works have been used in various adverts. In December 2001 Pomp And Circumstance March Number 3 was used in a Sainsbury's advert, while Carling used 'Nimrod' in one of their 2007 campaigns. Police in an Oklahoma City suburb say a 19-year-old murder suspect told his younger brother that he shot dead their parents because they were communicating with him telepathically and were Satan worshipers. According to an affidavit released on Tuesday, Michael Elijah Walker's 17-year-old brother called police at 2.30am on Monday after waking up to his mother's screams and the sound of gunshots. The teen told officers that his 19-year-old brother said everything would be OK and that he would bury their parents' bodies. Investigators said that Michael Logan Walker, 50, and his wife, 44-year-old Rachel Walker, were shot several times inside their home in the 2600 block of North Bryant Avenue, and that their son Michael apparently reloaded his gun during the attack. The father was a long-time drummer in the Oklahoma rock band Aranda, as well as at Life Church and other group and institutions, including South Western Christian University. Michael Elijah Walker, 19 (left), of Oklahoma, faces two first-degree murder charges in shooting deaths of his parents, Michael Logan Walker, 50, and Rachel Walker, 44 (right) The Walkers were found riddled with bullets inside their home in Edmond, Oklahoma, early Monday morning For 15 years, Michael Walker was a drummer in the Oklahoma rock band Aranda, whose other members paid tribute to him Monday night The Edmond Police Department has released the 911 call reporting the fatal shooting, on which the couple's younger son is heard breathing heavily and speaking with evident difficulty, as reported by KFOR. 'He is my brother and he shot my parents,' the 17-year-old tells an emergency dispatcher, referring to Michael Elijah. 'He shot your parents? Where are they?' the call center operator asks. 'My father is in his room on the floor, and my mom is by the front door on the floor,' the boy replies. Michael Elijah's 17-year-old brother (pictured left with his face obscured) called 911 Monday morning to report his parents' shooting. He pointed a finger of blame at his sibling (right) Michael Sr and Rachel (2nd and 3rd from left) had been married for nearly 20 years. The woman also has a daughter from a previous relationship, Ashten (2nd right) 'Okay, are they breathing?' asks the operator. 'I do not believe they are,' the caller says. When police officers arrived at the family's home, the 19-year-old suspect was still inside with a gun. The cops used a PA system to talk Michael Elijah into exiting the home, as KTUL reported. Once outside, he was arrested without incident and taken to the Oklahoma County Jail, where he was booked on two counts of first-degree murder. Both his mother and father were pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Michael was shot in the head, face and torso, His wife was also shot multiple times in the upper torso. Police recovered a Glock 9mm handgun, believed to be the murder weapon, inside the house. When interviewed by detectives, the suspect said he shot his parents during an early-morning argument about satanism, according to the affidavit. Michael Elijah said his father tackled him on the bed, prompting him to grab his gun that was next to him and shoot him. The 19-year-old said he also opened fire on his mother as she attempted to flee. When asked if he would do it again, the victims' son allegedly said he would and that he believed he did the right thing, the affidavit stated. Rachel and Michael Walker are survived by their two sons, and the wife's eldest daughter from a previous relationship, Ashten Belle West, who revealed in a heartbreaking Facebook message that her 19-year-old step-brother is schizophrenic. Friends and fellow musicians remembered Michael 'Mike' Walker for his humor and spirituality Michael and Rachel would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in May 'Mental illness is real.. and its devastating,' West wrote. 'He was not and has not been in the right state of mind for a few years now. I will ALWAYS love him no matter what. He is a victim as well.' West, who is currently pregnant with her first child, lamented that her beloved mother and stepfather will never get to meet her son. 'They were so so excited to be grandparents,' the mom-to-be said. 'I was so excited to experience this with them. For my mom and dad to hold my son for the first time when he's born.. for Christmases, for birthdays, for a life with them in it. 'I miss them and I know I always will, for the rest of my life. Every single day. They were both so beautiful, and both so so loved. I just cant believe this is real.' Rachel and Michael would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in May. Many of the musician's friends took to social media to mourn his and his wife's untimely and violent deaths. 'Today we lost our band mate, our brother, and our best friend,' the band Aranda posted on its official Facebook page. 'For over 15 years Mike Walker toured the country with us impacting countless lives everywhere he went. 'His sense of humor was endearing. He made everything from playing drums to making people fall in love with him effortless. He was so easy going but for those that knew him well there was an intense spiritual depth behind the man.' Children from more affluent backgrounds are carrying knives as gang culture becomes more mainstream, experts have warned. The shocking knife murders of two teenagers this weekend has shone a light on the plague of knife attacks hitting Britain and the young age of many of the victims. Charities now fear youngsters are becoming 'desensitised' to ultra-violence and the carrying of weapons is becoming more commonplace in small towns and cities. Luke Watson, head of urban youth charity XLP, told the Daily Telegraph: 'Gang culture used to be very much a subculture but now it is very much the mainstream. 'The clothing, the music and the language are all consumed by people from a wide range of backgrounds.' XLP have called for more youth workers and children's services to try to stem the rising tide. Gang violence and the carrying of knives is becoming more mainstream among teenagers Stats show the problem is now nationwide and affects rural areas as well as inner cities Home Office stats show knife attacks are no longer confined to the big cities and are increasing in more rural areas. The number of knife crimes has more than doubled in Kent and West Yorkshire in the last seven years, while those in Hertfordshire have increased by 89% and those in Leicestershire rose by 85% over the same period. Girl scout Jodie Chesney and private school pupil Yousef Makki, both 17, became the latest victims of the carnage this weekend. Jodie, a popular A-level pupil who had recently been invited to Downing Street with her scout group, was killed in an unprovoked attack as she sat with her boyfriend and three friends listening to music in a park in east London on Friday evening. Her family yesterday appealed to her killer to have the 'decency' to hand himself in. Yousef, a pupil at Manchester Grammar School who had dreams of becoming a heart surgeon, was murdered in the affluent Cheshire village of Hale Barns on Saturday. His family, from Burnage in Manchester, said: 'We are absolutely devastated and cannot believe that our son has gone. This senseless loss has affected the whole community.' Jodie Chesney, 17, and Yousef Makki, 17, became the latest victim of knife attacks this weekend Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested on suspicion of his murder. Theresa May rejected the link to falling officer numbers when answering questions from reporters in Salisbury yesterday. She said: 'There's no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers. 'What matters is how we ensure that police are responding to these criminal acts when they take place, that people are brought to justice. But what also matters is, as a Government, that we look at the issues which underpin, that underlie, this use of knives and that we act on those. Why it is that so many young people are carrying knives?' Britain's most senior police officer, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, clashed with the Prime Minister on the issue today, insisting there is 'obviously' a connection between reductions in officer numbers and street violence. The number of police officers in England and Wales has dropped by more than 20,000 since 2010, and levels of violent crime have risen in recent years. Theresa May was jolted into action on knife crime today after she was mocked for saying Britain's knife crime epidemic was not linked to dwindling police numbers. She changed course after Britain's top police officer, Cressida Dick, said there was 'obviously' a link Speaking in the wake of a slew of fatal knife attacks on teenagers in the capital and elsewhere, Ms Dick said: 'If you went back in history, you would see examples of when police officer numbers have gone down and crime has not necessarily risen at the same rate and in the same way. 'But I think that what we all agree on is that, in the last few years, police officer numbers have gone down a lot, there's been a lot of other cuts in public services, there has been more demand for policing and therefore there must be something, and I have consistently said that. 'I agree that there is some link between violent crime on the streets obviously and police numbers, of course there is and everybody would see that.' John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, said the Prime Minister was 'delusional', while former Met Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe called for 20,000 officers to be recruited and demanded that ministers 'get a grip on the crisis'. Chuka Umunna, of The Independent Group, also hit back, saying on Twitter: 'It is absurd for the Prime Minister to suggest that having more police will not help reduce the violence on the streets. She insults people's intelligence with this nonsense.' Kylie Jenner is officially the youngest self-made billionaire of all time, snatching the title from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Jenner, 21, was finally given the title after months of speculation on Tuesday by Forbes as it unveiled its annual billionaires list. At 21, she is both the youngest self-made billionaire and the youngest billionaire on Forbes' 'young billionaires' list. Jenner has amassed a personal net worth of $1billion through her wildly successful range of make-up, Kylie Cosmetics. Kylie Jenner is officially the youngest self-made billionaire of all time, snatching the title from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg She overtakes Zuckerberg, who was 23 when he made his first billion 11 years ago in 2008. Now, he is the eighth richest person in the world with a fortune of $62.3billion. Jenner is the youngest in her famous, reality TV family and the first to hit the billion dollar landmark. She was surprised by the success of her cosmetics company which was only founded in 2015 but is now worth an estimated $900million. Jenner, who owns a 100 per cent stake in it, has separate income from endorsements and her family's reality TV show. She also owns an impressive portfolio of real estate. That's a nice pat on the back Kylie Jenner on becoming the world's youngest self-made billionaire 'I didnt expect anything. I did not foresee the future. But [the recognition] feels really good. 'Thats a nice pat on the back,' Jenner told Forbes. She credits her success to her enormous social media following which ensured her customer base before she made her first product. 'Its the power of social media. I had such a strong reach before I was able to start anything,' she said, adding that she sees the company going 'very far'. 'I see [Kylie Cosmetics] going very far. I work really hard,' she said. Her mother Kris would not rule out that she may sell the company in the future. 'Its always something that were willing to explore,' she said. Only two of the star's sisters congratulated her success. Kendall, her closest in age, posted on Twitter and Instagram in support of her whereas Kim tweeted her pride. Only two of Kylie's famous sisters congratulated her on social media Jenner was also congratulated by her boyfriend and the father of her child, Travis Scott Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (left) was the youngest self-made billionaire when in 2008 when he was 23. Also on this year's list is Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel (right with his wife Miranda Kerr). At 28, he has a fortune of $2.1billion and is the richest of the young, self-made billionaires Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos remains the richest man in the world with an estimated fortune of $131billion. When his divorce to his wife MacKenzie is finalized, he will likely be knocked from the top spot Miss Jenner is able to keep so much of the profits because she has tiny overheads, outsourcing production and employing just seven full-time staff. As an added bonus in her ultra-competitive family, Miss Jenner is now estimated to be worth almost three times as much as her more famous sister Kim Kardashian West. The latter also has a make-up business but has to scrape by with a net worth Forbes puts at $350million. Along with the rest of their photogenic family, the sisters have worked tirelessly to monetise their fame despite critics complaining they are simply famous for being famous. The family matriarch Kris Jenner has kept a shrewd eye over her six childrens burgeoning fortunes, as well as their public relations. She charges a 10 per cent management fee from all of them. Kylie, who has a daughter with her rapper boyfriend Travis Scott, claimed she never expected to become so rich. I didnt expect anything. I did not foresee the future, she told Forbes. But [the recognition] feels really good. Thats a nice pat on the back. Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos remains the richest man in the world with an estimated fortune of $131billion. When his divorce to his wife MacKenzie is finalized, he will likely be knocked from the top spot. Donald Trump is the 715th richest person in the world with a net worth of $3.1billion Also on the list of young billionaires is Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel. At 28, he has amassed a fortune of$2.1billion. He, Jenner and John Collison, 28, are the only self-made billionaires on the young list this year. Collison is the founder of the Irish payment company Stripe. He is worth $2.1billion. Sisters Alexandra and Katharina Andresen, aged 22 and 23, are also on the list. The Norweigan sisters are heiresses to their father's holding company, Ferd S, and they each now have a personal fortune of $1.4billion. Seven of the 10 richest people in the world are American. All are men. The richest woman in the world is Francoise Bettencourt Meyers who, along with her family, has a fortune of $49.3billion. They own a 33 percent stake in L'Oreal. Donald Trump is the first billionaire president of the United States. He is the 715th richest person in the world with a net worth of $3.1billion. Tesla founder Elon Musk is the 40th wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $22.3billion. However, it wasnt all good news for the mega-rich, as the combined net worth of this years 2,153 billionaires fell from around 6.9trillion ($9.1tn) to 6.6trillion ($8.7tn). Forbes says there are simply fewer billionaires around than last year as economists fret about a looming global slump. The list included 52 British entries, led by the Hinduja brothers, Srichand and Gopichand, who control the Hinduja Group conglomerate, with a net worth of 12.9billion ($16.9bn). Behind them, ranked as the wealthiest single individual in the UK, is Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder of the chemical company Ineos, and worth 9.2billion ($12.1bn). With 607 billionaires, the US has more than any other country. A midwife murdered her music teacher husband and left him with 68 injuries at their heavily bloodstained home, a court heard. Hannegret Donnelly, 54, admitted striking Christopher Donnelly, 55, with a rolling-pin at their house in Berryfields, Buckinghamshire. The mother-of-four called police twelve hours after Mr Donnelly died of bronchial pneumonia on the bathroom floor on March 31. Mr Donnelly, a biochemistry graduate, had his entire family in the house, the jury were told. Prosecutor Eloise Marshall QC told Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court: 'In the last year of his life Mr Donnelly was subjected to repeated serious domestic abuse.' Kingston-Upon-Thames Crown Court heard Hannegret Donnelly, 54, killed her husband Christopher Donnelly, 55, on March 30 She said the victim had 68 visible injuries, plus numerous other fractures. She added: 'The majority of the injuries were caused by blunt force trauma, mostly to the head, neck, shoulders and back. 'The Crown's case is Mrs Donnelly murdered her husband by repeatedly inflicting injuries on him that resulted in his poor health and eventual death.' The court heard paramedics felt the Christian family - who had become increasingly isolated - were strangely detached from Mr Donnelly's death. Ms Marshall said: 'They noticed his head was covered in multiple wounds, gashes, about twenty in all.' The defendant told the paramedics they happened two weeks earlier. She said: 'I did hit him over the head with a rolling pin after a falling out. 'Christopher wouldn't have wanted to go to the hospital. He doesn't like doctors.' Old blood stains from Mr Donnelly were found on the walls and ceiling by the front door, as well as the hallway, staircase, dining-room, kitchen, bathroom, radiators, furniture, window blinds and wall tiles. Mr Donnelly was described as a 'talented musician' who studied at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama and played the saxophone and clarinet. He met German-born Hannegret in 1992 and the couple's four children are aged between fourteen and twenty-two. Prosecuting Eloise Marshall QC said the victim had 68 visible injuries, plus numerous other fractures. She added: 'The majority of the injuries were caused by blunt force trauma, mostly to the head, neck, shoulders and back' 'Their household was a complex and strange one and even though they seemed a conventional family over the years they withdrew from life outside and the children were home taught,' Ms Marshall said. Family members described the defendant as 'controlling', with the couple having 'lost a grip on reality' and talking about 'living in end times.' When Mrs Donnelly was asked by the 999 operator why she waited so long to raise the alarm, she replied: 'We wanted to grieve.' Paramedics arrived at the cluttered home and felt a strange atmosphere, Ms Marshall said. 'The defendant did not appear panicked or distressed.' They noted Mr Donnelly's nose was flat, with a large wound across the top and his face and ears were deformed. The jury were told the blood stains were consistent with more than one strike from a blunt object. Mrs Donnelly had repeated her rolling pin story to police but said it happened months previously. Mr Marshall said: 'She told the police she hit him with the rolling pin in self-defence, adding: 'I had to defend my corner somehow. 'Even if violence occurred in 2015 as she said, it is minimal compared to the injuries she inflicted on her husband. 'He appears never to have retaliated when she inflicted these injuries.' Police found Mrs Donnelly's diary which included an entry in January 2018 which translated as: 'I didn't let him go to the toilet.' Ms Marshall added: 'This exhibits the control she had over Mr Donnelly.' Mrs Donnelly has pleaded not guilty to murdering her husband on March 30 and inflicting grievous bodily harm, with intent, between March 30, 2016 and March 30, 2018. The trial continues and is expected to last three weeks. Advertisement From the ruins of a Syrian city to the intimacy of veiled women praying by candlelight, these are just some of the 60 breathtaking images selected as finalists in Smithsonian Magazine's 16th Annual Photo Contest. Smithsonian Magazine editors received more than 48,000 submissions from 207 different countries and territories between March 27 to November 30 2018. Photographers were invited to submit images under six categories: 'Natural World,' 'The American Experience,' 'Travel,' 'People,' 'Altered Images' and 'Mobile' and readers are given the opportunity to browse the finalists and vote for their favorite image until 5pm March 29, 2019. Eight winners will be announced on April 2, 2019; the same day the 17th Annual Photo Contest will begin accepting submissions for next year. Below is a selection of the dazzling images vying to take home the Grand Prize in this year's contest. Tengger Shaman at Sunrise: A shaman watches the sunrise from Mount Bromo in East Java, Indonesia Giddyup, Partner: A lava lizard hitches a ride atop a marine iguana on Fernandina Island, Galapagos. 'Witnessing the mutualistic relationship between the two reptiles was truly magical,' said photographer Carla Rhodes Road to Ruin: Photographer Christian Werner captures the large swaths of the Homs, Syria that were completely destroyed. Nevertheless, some residents have begun rebuilding their homes, using vehicle wrecks for roadblocks A Former Child Soldier Is Released From the Army: Photographer Stefanie Glinski captures the innocence of a former child soldier being released in Yambio, South Sudan as part of a joint initiative to return children to their families. About 900 children were released, but it is estimated that over 19,000 children have been recruited into the armed forces during South Sudan's brutal civil war that started in 2013 The Damsel in Distress: A woman performs Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form, in the chaotic streets of Mumbai, India The Impassable: The Ofrufoss waterfall in Iceland is an impenetrable part of the Nyrri-Ofra river that flows into Eldgja, or the Canyon of Fire Fish Farm: Zay Yar Lin captures a lone fisherman at work in a large fish farm in Xiapu, Fujian Province, China Welcome to Iceland: Geothermal vents in Hveradalir, Kerlingarfjoll release plumes of steam against the barren, copper hued mountains where two hikers meet in the morning light. Photographer Andro Loria says 'The first time I hiked in Iceland was four years ago, and the highlands were the most beautiful place I saw, so I could not wait to come back' Hungry Fox: Patrizia Ricci was in Wapusk National Park in Canada looking for polar bear cubs when she noticed this Arctic Fox crossing a frozen lake and headed in her direction carrying something red and half its size in its mouth. She said: 'When it got closer, my guide explained to me that Arctic foxes are scavengers and often steal parts of wolves' kills, in this case a big piece of caribou' Matador: Simon Hjortek from Falun, Sweden represents a collection of thoughts and the mystery of the human brain with his photo submission Believe: Armenian women pray in Yerevan, Armenia. 'I was visiting an ancient Armenian church, and I was struck by their white veils contrasting with the darkness of the place,' said photographer Pier Luiqi Dodi Monster Steam Pillars: A monster-like factory in Tacoma, Washington becomes a symbol of energy consumption Carrying: Young boys in Trapani, Italy assist in carrying heavy floats bearing sculptures that depict scenes from the Passion of Christ during the day-long Misteri di Trapani procession on Good Friday GRVTY2 No.4: 'Imagine, dream, bend and break the rules. My photo series GRVTY2 tries to see the world in an unexpected way. Places you see every day, either by traveling or on a screen, are turned into something else,' says photographer Daniel Garay of his deconstructed Arc de Triomphe The pregnant wife of a radicalised inmate who helped her husband stab two officers during a 'conjugal visit' to a French prison was shot dead by anti-terrorist police on Tuesday. Michael Chiolo, 27, and his wife had locked themselves inside the 'family facility' of the high security Alencon-Conde-sur-Sarthe prison in Normandy, after he attacked two guards while shouting 'Alluhu Akbar' Arabic for 'God is the Greatest'. The couple launched a ten-hour standoff from inside the room, after which police moved in and shot and injured them both, fatally wounding the unnamed woman. Michael Chiolo, 27, launched an Islamist terrorist attack from inside the Alencon-Conde-sur-Sarthe prison in Normandy, and he attacked two guards with a knife his pregnant wife is thought to have smuggled in for him during a conjugal visit Army and police officers near the high security Alencon-Conde-sur-Sarthe facility, where Chiolo, 27, and his wife locked themselves inside the 'family facility' and launched a ten hour standoff with police A handcuffed person is escorted by security forces at the penitentiary center in northwestern France after the standoff ended and Chiolo's wife was shot dead Despite being described by a judge as a 'psychopath' before being handed a 30-year-sentence in 2014 for murdering a Holocaust survivor, Chiolo had been granted regular family visits. Describing today's original drama, French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said: 'The terrorist nature of this attack isn't in doubt. 'The anti-terrorist section of the public prosecutor's office of Paris is involved in the incident, which is ongoing.' Ms Belloubet said the inmate's wife 'feigned illness' at around 9.45am, leading to two prison officers arriving in a room in the family unit, which is designed to give couples privacy during visiting hours. Chiolo slashed out with his knife, wounding one man in the chest, and the other in the back and face. Both have since been treated, and neither is in a life-threatening condition. 'It was truly a murder attempt. There was blood everywhere. The family-visiting unit was a battle scene,' said prison staff representative Alassanne Sall, from the Force Ouvriere trade union, told AFP. An army helicopter was scrambled to the high-security complex in Conde-sur-Sarthe in Normandy An army soldier wearing a balaclava walks back to his helicopter after French justices declared the attack a terrorist incident Chiolo, a Muslim convert who had become radicalised in prison, was serving a 30-year-sentence for killing an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor during a robbery The Paris state prosecutor said witness accounts suggest Chiolo 'wanted to avenge' Cheriff Chekatt, the Islamist terrorist who was shot dead by police after killing five people and wounding 11 at a Christmas market in the eastern French city of Strasbourg in December. '(He) said he wanted to avenge Cherif Chekatt,' prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters. 'He said he was wearing an explosive belt and threatened to use it.' The belt turned out to be fake. Chiolo's wife is thought to have smuggled a ceramic knife into the prison, and there were also fears that explosives may also have been made available to her husband. As she was pregnant it is unlikely that she would have been searched as rigorously as other visitors when she went to see her husband. After the attack, the couple remained in the family unit, and at around 6pm anti-terrorist police stormed their locked room. 'There were explosions, and gun shots, and then the husband was wounded but arrested,' said a prison source. 'His wife died from gunfire wounds, however.' Chiolo was serving a 30-year sentence for kidnapping leading to a death, armed robbery and condoning terrorism. An emergency medical helicopter lands near the the Penitentiary center of Alencon Police in protective vests scan a car park outside the prison where Chiolo, who married his wife from inside the prison, attacked two guards His wife, thought to have smuggled in the knife for him, 'feigned illness' at around 9.45am yesterday, luring the prison officers to the room after which they got stabbed In 2012, Chiolo, later branded a 'psychopath' by a judge, and two others killed Holocaust survivor Roger Tarall, 89, during a burglary at Montigny-les-Metz, close to the German border in eastern France. Mr Tarall had been arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Dachau during the Second World War, but survived the notorious camp near Munich. 'Mr Tarall was threatened with a shotgun and then tied up with wires and blankets,' said a source close to the case. 'He died from asphyxiation.' The source added: 'Chiolo was caught soon afterwards after boasting about the murder to a girlfriend.' During his time in prison he converted to Islam and was radicalised, his lawyer Pauline Brion said. Ms Brion, who described her client as 'intelligent' and 'educated' said he met his partner while in prison and that he intended to marry her. 'He had written to someone after converting (to Islam) for them to find him a wife,' the lawyer told AFP. While serving time Chiolo had another year added to his sentence for for asking fellow inmates to 'reenact' the November 2015 ISIS terror attack on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris. 'After Paris, I would have carried on in other parts of the country,' he reportedly told another inmate, according to prison staff. A sniffer dog can be seen outside the entrance to the prison - after fears Chiolo's wife had managed to smuggle explosives into the facility A sniffer dog is held on a leash at the gate to the prison to detect any insidious contraband Policemen and prison guards at the entrance to the complex where the couple launched a ten-hour standoff from inside the 'family room', after which police moved in and shot and injured them both, fatally wounding the unnamed woman But despite having been identified as an extremist, Chiolo was not housed in a secure wing for radicalised inmates which was opened in September, she added. Chiolo was 'not easy to handle and so a very close eye was kept on him,' the minister added. The first 'jihadist attack' launched from within a prison in France took place in September 2016, according to prison authorities. A Moroccan, jailed for attempting to travel to Syria to join jihadists, attacked two guards with a knife at a prison in Osny, northwest of Paris, saying he was acting on behalf of the Islamic State. Then in January 2018, a German Islamist extremist, Christian Ganczarski, jailed for helping organise an attack against a synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, wounded three prison guards in a knife attack at Vendin-le-Vieil, northern France, prompting staff to demand better safety and working conditions. Ms Dynamite's London rapper brother Akala has criticised the idea that more police and tougher sentences are enough to beat knife crime - blaming the epidemic on a lack of education and poverty. Akala, who is also an author, said gang violence was 'not new' but had existed for 150 to 200 years, and suggested that a 'moral panic' was pushing politicians towards the wrong solutions. 'The social indicators of that violence have remained identical,' he told Channel 4 News. 'Those are poverty, domestic abuse and a lack of education, particularly expulsion from school.' "Every generation pretends gang crime is a new problem." Rapper and author Akala says the social indicators of violence have "remained identical for almost 200 years". pic.twitter.com/aJO1raMFnn Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) March 4, 2019 Victims: The knife crime epidemic has been thrown into renewed focus this week by the killings of two 17-year-olds, Jodie Chesney (left) and Yousef Makki (right) Flowers were laid in memory of Ms Chesney in the London suburb of Harold Hill near Romford Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, has called for emergency section 60 powers to be rolled out across the country Akala pointed to statistics showing that half of inmates in British prisons had been expelled from school, versus around one percent of the outside population. He cited similar figures for children in young offenders' institutions. The rapper also rejected the idea that race was a factor in knife crime. 'There are 1.2million black people in London, in a bad year about 50 of them will kill someone, that's less than 0.004% of the black population,' he said. 'Therefore anyone who thinks blackness is a sufficient common denominator for violent crime clearly doesn't understand what a common denominator for violent crime clearly doesn't know what a common denominator is. 'Racial explanations are a way out for the powers that be.' It comes amid a major row sparked by Theresa May's insistence there was 'no direct correlation' between the rise in stabbing cases and police cuts. Jeremy Corbyn said on Monday that Mrs May 'must start listening' to police over the impact of cutting 21,000 officers. He added: 'You cannot keep people safe on the cheap.' Earlier today as a senior officer urged the government to reintroduce stop-and-search powers to combat the stabbing crisis. Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, has called for emergency section 60 powers to be rolled out across the country. He said that the use of the temporary order, which allows police officers to search suspects without needing 'reasonable grounds', would help stem the bloodshed. How stop-and-search powers have changed As Home Secretary Mrs May introduced changes in 2014 which meant police are only allowed to stop people when there is 'reasonable grounds for suspicion'. And it warned that where officers misuse the powers they would face disciplinary action. She introduced the measures amid widespread anger to the power, particularly among the black and ethnic minority population, who said it was used disproportionately against them. In the years following the reforms stop and search fell to their lowest level since the power was introduced 17 years ago. But violent crime has risen - sparking calls for the power to be taken up again. Under current stop-and-search laws, police are allowed to search a suspect if the have 'reasonable grounds' that the person is carrying a weapon, drugs or stolen property. Such justification might be that they have witnessed the suspect putting the knife into a pocket. However emergency section 60 powers can be enforced in a set location, such as a town or city, which removes the 'reasonable grounds' criteria. Advertisement The controversial powers have been introduced by West Midlands Police after three teenagers died in just 11 days. The force says that it has taken dozens of blades off the streets since the order was enforced last week. Under current stop-and-search laws, police are allowed to search a suspect if they have 'reasonable grounds' that the person is carrying a weapon, drugs or stolen property. Such justification might be that they have witnessed the suspect putting the knife into a pocket. However emergency section 60 powers can be enforced in a set location, such as a town or city, which removes the 'reasonable grounds' criteria. The tactic divides politicians, amid fears that it unfairly targets ethnic minorities, most notably young black men. Mr Cooke said the impact of such powers had been 'tangible' in Birmingham, with officers feeling 'the operation is paying dividends across the city'. He told the Daily Telegraph: 'Arrests are up, and dangerous weapons have been removed from the streets 'For too long, police have been absent from the streets in any numbers, and this has encouraged a sense of licence among those carrying knives. 'Instead of all the responsibility dodging, the Government should take inspiration from Birmingham's successes in recent days, and get behind a national strategy that puts more bobbies on the beat and empowers them to make robust use of stop-and-search powers. 'If it fails to do so, our young people will continue to die.' The sentiment was echoed by Stu Berry, chairman of the Police Federation in Manchester, where officers are investigating the stabbing of Yousef Makki, 17. He told the newspaper the cause and effect was 'not difficult to understand', adding that 'stop-and-search is at an all-time low and knife crime is at an all-time high'. Theresa May, while serving as Home Secretary, led an overhaul of stop-and-search powers in 2014 amid accusations the tactic was being overused by officers. However police chiefs now blame the increase in violence on those reforms, as well as cuts that have seen funding fall 19 per cent in real terms to 12.3billion a year. Graham McNulty, Met deputy assistant commissioner, said: 'I can't magic officers out of thin air, but we are lucky that we have got officers who are professional and committed and want to make a difference at the moment.' He said an increased police presence in London had allowed officers to conduct 2,500 stop-and-searches in the past three days alone. Bright Akinlele, 22, (left) was stabbed to death in Euston two weeks ago. Glendon Spence, 23, (right) was also stabbed to death two weeks ago Akala on Channel 4 News (left) and Ms Dynamite in concert in Warwick in 2011 'Blood on their hands!': Met Police chief Cressida Dick blames middle-class cocaine-users for knife epidemic - and admits there IS a link between violent crime and cut in officers Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick Britain's most senior police officer has accused middle-class cocaine users of having blood on their hands as the capital's knife crime epidemic continues. On LBC this morning, Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick was asked about the link between drug use and stabbings in London. She said there was misery throughout the drug supply trail and a direct link between substance abuse and violence. Presenter Nick Ferrari asked her if 'middle-class dinner parties' who 'order in' cocaine but do not have to deal with the threat of knife crime have 'blood on their hands'. Ms Dick said: 'I think anybody who is not seriously mentally ill, seriously addicted, who is seeking 'recreational' drugs, particularly class A drugs, yes, I think that is a good way to put it, I do.' The police chief said a message needs to be sent to people of 'all backgrounds' as imports of the Class A drug have increased and more are using it. She also discussed policing cuts in recent years and said the number of officers on the street has an impact on the amount of knife crime. 'I agree that there is some link between violent crime on the streets obviously and police numbers, of course there is and everybody would see that,' she said. The Met is currently trying to recruit 3,000 officers, 1,500 of which are new posts. This will still leave the force below the numbers it had in 2013/14. John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, criticised proposals to reduce the number of people going to prison for short sentences. 'Despite the rhetoric you hear from politicians about being tough on those who carry knives, two thirds of those who are convicted don't face prison,' he told ITV's Good Morning Britain. 'We have a justice secretary who is saying we need to scrap shorter sentences because the prisons are full. My argument is build more prisons. We need to have a consequence. 'We need better engagement with young people in this country. That's at the youth groups, the education system, the social services and so on. It's a multi-functional approach that we need. It's not just the police. But some people will need punishment.' Mr Ferrari also asked the commissioner whether she would consider bringing the Army in to assist in the fight against knife crime, given their apparent availability to assist in searches and other operations. Ms Dick said that she does not rule out the possibility but that she would find it hard to see how she could 'usefully call on' the military to help on London's streets. A Polish man who spent years unsuccessfully hunting for a mythical 'Nazi gold train' supposedly laden with looted art, has finally had some luck after discovering two dozen priceless renaissance portraits during a renovation. Piotr Koper had been renovating the walls of an old palace near from Walbrzych in southwest Poland, when he came across the stunning portraits hidden behind plaster. Mr Koper made headlines around the world in 2015, when he, along with a fellow explorer, claimed to have found the site of the legendary 'Nazi gold train' - and a year later were proven wrong. Struck gold: Piotr Koper had been renovating the walls of an old palace near from Walbrzych in southwest Poland, when he came across the stunning portraits hidden behind plaster Amazing find: In total, he has found 24 priceless renaissance wall portraits, which are believed to be over 500 years old The handyman and part-time explorer has finally 'struck gold' after uncovering the 24 huge wall paintings this week. 'When we pulled away the plaster we saw a delicate strip of painting underneath. We pulled away some more and we discovered a whole line of well-preserved paintings,' he told local news portal thefirstnews.com. 'We managed to uncover the paintings without damaging them, which is a great success.' He added: 'The first well-preserved portrait made on the wall surprised everyone. It was an accidental discovery, we didn't expect to find such a rarity.' So far, the discovery in the palace in the village of Struga, in the region of Silesia, has revealed around 24 wall portraits, of which only ten have been completely uncovered and identified. One side of the room has images of medieval rulers from the region of Silesia, and on the other side there are images of four Roman emperors Finally some luck: Mr Koper made headlines around the world in 2015, when he claimed to have found the site of the legendary 'Nazi gold train' - and a year later were proven wrong One side of the room has images of medieval rulers from the region of Silesia, and on the other side there are images of four Roman emperors. Krzysztof Wieczorek, the owner of the palace, said: 'The title Holy Roman Emperor was also used by the medieval rulers of Bohemia and Silesia, hence the presence of the ancient Roman rulers. 'Each of these huge paintings was made about four metres (13ft) above the ground. 'The oval shows the ruler and around the painting information about his main titles, such as emperor, king, ruler of Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia and emperor. 'In the lower part is information about the time of his reign and death, and at the top his official maxim at that time.' Way back when: The artwork is thought to hail from the 16th century Because the paintings depict Ferdinand I Habsburg, Holy Emperor from 1558-1564, it is possible to date the artwork to the 16th century. But he stressed that Mr Koper was likely to find more. He said: 'The discovery was completely surprising, as we believed that only the ballroom contained remnants of frescoes destroyed by rain when there was no roof over the palace. 'Our goal was only to save the Baroque dome, which is the only one in the world painted in the Renaissance style. Piotr's discovery surpasses even this. 'There are many more things to discover. Underneath the line of portraits there is an area 150 square meters under which there are also paintings. However, we don't know anything about them.' A female behavioral therapist has been found guilty of raping and sexually abusing a 13-year-old autistic boy in her care after searching '15 years younger boyfriend' on her cellphone. Abigail Minjung Kim, 28, was convicted by a jury in Oregon after her young victim told the court he had 'humped' Kim multiple times. He also said they were boyfriend and girlfriend who kissed and hugged and on their last day together they had sex, Oregon Live reports. Kim was found guilty of first-degree rape, second-degree sodomy and six counts of first-degree sexual abuse at Multnomah County Circuit Court on Monday. The court heard how she searched for '15 years younger boyfriend', 'How to deal with an autistic boyfriend', 'Can a minor be charged with sexual harassment' and 'legal proof of child sexual abuse in the absence of physical evidence'. Oregon behavioral therapist Abigail Minjung Kim has been found guilty of raping and sexually abusing a 13-year-old autistic boy in her care after her young victim said they 'humped' The Korean immigrant reportedly showed little emotion as the verdict was read out and looked straight ahead. Her defense lawyer Adam Dean had said the 95-pound woman had been attacked by the boy. He said she was scared to report the incidents. But prosecutor Melissa Marrero said Kim had an 'inappropriate, intentional, voluntary relationship' with the boy who was barely 13. The abuse is said to have happened in October and November 2017 during visits to his home where she often met with the boy in his room. Marrero said: 'He was particularly vulnerable because of his disability. She knew exactly what his needs were and she exploited those. The boy's mother - unaware of the abuse - asked for a new therapist. Kim then said she had been attacked by her victim. Marrero said until then she had been asking to work more hours with the boy. Kim - who was fired from her job in the fall of 2017 - will be sentenced in May. Rep. Maxine Waters is doubling down on her call for impeaching President Trump after fellow party members fired off a barrage of requests for information from Trump associates. Waters, who Trump has repeatedly ridiculed on the campaign trail for her calls to investigate him, went after the president for many of the same areas being probed by the Judiciary Committee, including the firing of FBI Director James Comey and alleged obstruction of justice. The California Democrat called it an 'obstruction of justice reality show' in one tweet. 'Firing Comey, sending coded messages to Manafort & others that he has the power to pardon; lying abt Trump Tower meeting; threatening Cohen's in-laws; attempting to destroy Mueller. What more do we need to know? Impeachment is the only answer,' Waters concluded. 'Impeachment is the only answer,' Rep. Maxine Waters tweeted Her public push Waters has nearly 1 million Twitter followers comes as Democratic leaders continue to try to caution members about impeachment talk before Special Counsel Robert Mueller has issued his report. They have had limited success. Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib apologized for causing a 'distraction' when she was captured on video saying it was time to 'impeach the mother******' in reference to Trump after her swearing-in. But Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerold Nadler, who has been among those trying to keep Trump probes in sequence, said Sunday that the president had committed obstruction of justice. Waters chairs the House Financial Services Committee. President Trump regularly ridiculed Waters on the campaign trail Waters referenced an 'obstruction of justice reality show' and said impeachment is the 'only answer' He fired off letters Monday to 81 Trump entities, associates, and family members seeing documents as part of a wide-ranging probe. Waters also penned a tweet for the 'faint of heart.' For the faint of heart, who've been waiting for every "t" to be crossed and every "i" to be dotted, now is the time to demonstrate your patriotism. Support impeachment!' she wrote. She also referenced figures in the Mueller probe, including former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort, longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, former security advisor Mike Flynn, former foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos, and Roger Stone. Stone has been indicted, while the others have either been convicted or pleaded guilty to federal crimes. 'Hey Manafort, Cohen, Flynn, Gates, Papadopoulos, & Stone, its truth telling time, and the truth will free your heart and soul -- but no guarantees freedom from prison time,' Waters taunted. Trump attacked the Mueller probe in a CPAC speech, claiming people were coming after him with 'bull****' She also brought up a report that Trump personally intervened to get son-in-law Jared Kushner a security clearance despite flags raised by career officials. 'Lying Trump, so you said you did nothing to force security clearance for Kushner, huh? Who do you think will believe that lie? Must give you credit. You are the boldest, most daring liar I've ever heard of. A pox on all your houses,' she wrote. Trump on Monday trashed the probe as a 'hoax' and repeated his denial, saying there was 'no collusion.' 'Trump, you have screamed no collusion and no obstruction of justice so many times, trying to influence others, that I think you really believe your own lies. Just stop it. No honesty. No truth. No trust. No patriotism,' Waters wrote. One thief thought he struck gold when he found an unlocked truck in a sleepy California neighborhood. But the young man only realized he had been caught on camera after he was captured rifling through the truck with a flashlight in the middle of the night. The thief looked straight at the car's Owl dashcam, a security camera that instantly sends footage and alerts straight to its owner's phone. Unfortunately, owner Mark Linneman was fast asleep when the notification came through that the thief had targeted his Chevrolet Silverado, parked in the driveway of his Modesto home. A young thief was caught staring directly into a dashcam before stealing a $600 amplifier from a car in Modesto, California 'My phone did get an alert, but I was asleep,' Linneman told Fox 40. 'I had just gone to sleep, so I didn't hear it.' But the dashcam captured the thief, who was wearing a black cap and sweatshirt, as he searched through the truck with a flashlight. At one point the thief can be seen opening the center console between the driver and passenger seat, rifling through papers and taking things out. He then gets into the driver's seat, shuts the door, and looks directly at the dashcam before realizing he's just been caught on camera. The young man only realized he had been caught on camera long after he was captured rifling through the truck with a flashlight in the middle of the night The dashcam captured the thief, who was wearing a black cap and sweatshirt, as he searched through the truck with a flashlight The thief then covers the camera before stealing Linneman's $600 amplifier. He remains at large and no arrests have been made. 'I work hard for my stuff, and for someone to come and take that, it's wrong,' Linneman said. 'They need to know that they're doing wrong. They're going to get caught.' Linneman said he felt 'violated' after learning that the thief had been inside his car. The thief looked straight at the Owl dashcam (pictured), a security video that instantly sends footage and alerts straight to its owner's phone The thief remains at large and no arrests have been made. He is seen here going through the truck's center console Mark Linneman (pictured) was already fast asleep when he was notified that a thief had targeted his Chevrolet Silverado, parked in the driveway of his Modesto home 'If I didn't have a camera, I wouldn't even have known,' he added. The thief went through all three of the cars in Linneman's driveway, as well as his neighbor's vehicle. 'We never have any break-ins or problems on this street, it's a really nice neighborhood,' Linneman said. 'So for someone to come through here and do that, it hurts.' This is the $600 amplifier that the thief stole from Linneman's truck in the middle of the night The thief went through all three of the cars in Linneman's driveway (pictured), as well as his neighbor's vehicle Linneman said he will now be double checking to make sure that his doors are locked. 'I'm just going to be aware that there are thieves out there,' he said. 'Don't get too comfortable in your own neighborhood, even if you know it's a nice neighborhood.' 'There's other people that come from out of town or from a next neighborhood over that are looking to do harm.' The new Independent Group held talks with the elections watchdog today on becoming a full-blown political party. Chuka Umunna said the group was meeting officials at the Electoral Commission as it developed from being a group of defectors. After the talks he said the goal was to be a fully-fledged party able to contest the next general election which is due in 2022 - but many in Westminster think it could come sooner. Mr Umunna, the MP for Streatham, was one of 11 politicians to desert their parties last month to set up the new group. He has been made 'spokesman' for the group but not so far its formal leader. Chuka Umunna (pictured right in Westminster last week) said the group was meeting officials at the Electoral Commission as it developed from being a group of defectors Of the talks, Mr Umunna said: 'We have been advised on the timeframe, but no specific timeframe has been given. You have to ensure that you have all the correct documents, a constitution, etc, that you submit and then you have to decide on your name, your emblem and all those types of matters. 'We are two-and-a-half weeks out from having left the old establishment, we want to create something new and we want to do it properly.' He played down the prospect of the group being ready to stand candidates at May's local elections. 'One step at a time,' he said. 'We have just been given a lot of information, we want to make sure we do things in the right way. 'In terms of decisions on local elections or any other elections in the immediate next few months, we will make decisions about those. 'But we are clear that when a general election comes, people want an alternative. We have been advised that the only way that you can actually deliver that is by being a registered political party so you can be on the ballot paper. That is our goal.' Eight Labour MPs were followed by three Tories in quitting their parties to form a new centrist grouping in potentially the most significant realignment in British politics in a generation. It is the biggest split in either party since the SDP walked out of Labour in 1981. Members have said they are united by a shared 'non-tribal' belief in 'progressive' values combined with deep unhappiness at the directions their former parties had taken, particularly on Brexit. Among the ex-Labour MPs there was also anger at what they said was the failure of the party leadership to deal with the spread of anti-Semitism in the party. The group quit two of the traditional political parties saying they wanted to give the nation something fresh and counter the stale status quo. Eight Labour MPs were followed by three Tories in quitting their parties to form a new centrist grouping in potentially the most significant realignment in British politics in a generation But there was a very traditional look to the surroundings as MPs who sensationally quit in fury at their former parties' respective political directions held their first meeting last week. TIG chose the plush, wood-panelled surroundings of One Great George Street, a conference venue within a stone's throw of Parliament, for their debut get-together. It came a week after seven Labour politicians decided they had finally had enough of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and launched a centrist breakaway from what had been their political home for decades over Brexit and inaction over anti-Semitism. Luton South's Gavin Shuker will take on the role of 'convener' for the Independent Group after a unanimous vote - but ruled out becoming its full time leader. A Canadian jury has found a man guilty of manslaughter for killing another man with a single punch in a Starbucks. Lawrence Alvin Sharpe, 41, was convicted on Saturday in connection with the July 2017 death of Michael Page-Vincelli, 22, in Burnaby, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. The same jury acquitted Sharpe's girlfriend, 36-year-old Oldouz Pournouruz, of provoking the attack, after the court heard that she had goaded Sharpe to beat up Page-Vincelli after her own dispute with the man. The incident unfolded in the parking lot of a shopping center, where Pournouruz and Page-Vincelli got into a verbal dispute while her boyfriend ran inside a bank. Lawrence Alvin Sharpe, 41, is seen leaving court last month with his girlfriend Oldouz Pournouruz, who claimed the victim had called her a 'dirty immigrant' Michael Page-Vincelli, 22, died after Sharpe sucker punched him in a Starbucks over a dispute the victim had with Sharpe's girlfriend moments earlier Witnesses said they saw Page-Vincelli and Pournouruz shouting at each other, reportedly after he took issue with her after she tossed a cigarette butt on the ground. Pournouruz claimed that Page-Vincelli called her a 'dirty immigrant' and told her to return to her home country before flicking his own lit cigarette at her. The court heard that Page-Vincelli walked away from the argument and went into a nearby Starbucks, while Pournouruz ran inside the bank to tell Sharp of the dispute. Surveillance video evidence from inside the coffee shop shows the couple walking into the Starbucks, where Pournouruz appears to point at Page-Vincelli. Sharpe is seen sucker punching the 22-year-old, who falls backwards. As he fell, Page-Vincelli struck his head on the ground or possibly a counter, fracturing his skull. He was rushed to a hospital, but later died of his injuries. The Starbucks where the altercation occurred is seen. Page-Vincelli had a dispute with Sharpe's girlfriend in the parking lot, where she said he called her a 'dirty immigrant' Sharpe claimed that he had only punched Page-Vincelli in self-defense, as the younger man was advancing toward him, but the jury found that the video evidence contradicted that claim. Steffany Page, the victim's mom, told the Vancouver Sun that she was unhappy that Pournouruz was acquitted. 'At the end of the day, my son is gone,' she said, adding that she didn't feel justice was done. She said she expects Sharpe may get a few years in jail and that felt 'that's not fair for us.' Sharpe is currently free on bond until his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for May 1. Tourists are banned from walking Italy's famous Cinque Terre coastline in flip-flops and could be fined up to 2,000 if they break the law. The decision has been made after mountain rescue units complained of hikers who get caught out with inappropriate footwear on the craggy terrain in Liguria. Bosses at the picturesque national park will crack down on those who do not heed their advice with fines starting at 40 and rising to 2,000. The stunning coastline of Cinque Terre is a centuries old collection of villages along the Italian Riviera Tourists flock to the craggy terrain in the summer months, but authorities are sick of dealing with those ill-equipped to deal with the land The sum used to penalise offenders will be defined by the trouble they have caused to rescue workers, The Telegraph reported. 'We are adopting a measure together with the forestry and the mayors', Patrizio Scarpellini, director of the Cinque Terre park told TGCOM24, 'it will be a gradual introduction, first with information and then with sanctions.' The crackdown comes as the tourist season is set to come into full swing next month with thousands flocking to Cinque Terre. Last year Club Alpino Italiano - a hiking club who volunteer on the mountain - said they had to rush to help a German family trapped on the craggy peaks with a pram. La Spezia in Liguaria, part of Cinque Terre, at sunset during the summer - coastal paths around the town are as treacherous as they are gorgeous Boats head out into the Mediterranean on a sunny afternoon on the Italian Riviera The club's head Maurizio Cattani told TGCOM24, 'These are alpine paths, tourists cannot come in slippers and without water - we need caution. Cruise ships bring tourists from across the world, as do trains which run round the stunning coastal path. There has been debate in recent years over whether to close off certain paths as the footfall could be damaging the unique environment. A student believed to be attempting suicide by jumping from a third-floor balcony at a Mexican University survived after she landed on a quick-thinking teenager on the ground who tried to catch her. The incident took place at the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon in the city of Monterrey in north-eastern Mexico and was filmed by several students. In the multi-angle footage, a 16-year-old girl is seen sitting the ledge of a balcony wall. Two friends suddenly appear to try and pull her back over, but she falls from the ledge. The 16-year-old student hanging from the ledge as her friends tried to pull her back to safety at the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon in Mexico The girl's sweater eventually comes off and she falls to the ground below, hitting another balcony on the way down Although the two girls initially manage to catch her by her sweater, it then comes off and the young woman falls, hitting the balcony on the floor below before landing on a male student on ground level. Both the female student and the boy who arrived in an attempt to to catch her are seen lying on the ground in the video. According to local media, the girl suffered a hip fracture while the male student sustained minor injuries. They were rushed to hospital, but both are reportedly out of danger. Both students are seen lying on the ground after the boy softened the girl's fall and in doing so saved her life The male student who softened the girl's fall was taken to hospital and suffered non-life-threatening injuries Campus director Jose Antonio Pagaza said: 'Several students who were in the corridor tried to help the girl and held onto her sweater, but it came off and she fell. 'A boy in class observed what was going on from the window, and in a great act of courage he went out to try to catch her. 'When the girl fell, the student cushioned the impact and that is what saved her life.' Students claimed that the girl had been threatening to commit suicide but police are investigating and have not commented on the matter. Campus director Jose Antonio Pagaza said: 'A boy in class observed what was going on from the window, and in a great act of courage he went out to try to catch her' President Trump and his daughter Ivanka each donated thousands of dollars to Kamala Harris' attorney general re-election campaign, it has been revealed. Sen. Kamala Harris, who represents California, ran for re-election as the state's Attorney General four years ago. The Trump family handed a total of $8,000 to her campaign coffers between 2011 and 2014. During her first term as attorney general Trump gave Harris $5,000, then he donated a further $1,000 in 2013, before his daughter, Ivanka, wrote a check for $2,000 in 2014. Before becoming a senator and announcing her bid to run for president for 2020, Harris was elected as California's attorney general in 2010. Sen. Kamala Harris denied using any of the Trump family money donated between 2011 and 2014 to her attorney general election campaign Donald Trump personally donated $6,000 to Kamal Harris' attorney general campaign in 2011 and 2013 Javier Panzar of the L.A. Times reported Trump donated to Harris' campaign as well as the campaigns of Democrat California Governors, Gavin Newsom, in 2009 in which he gave $2,500 and Jerry Brown in 2006, $3,500 for his attorney general. Trump also donated $12,000 to Arnold Schwarzenegger's California governor campaign in 2006. But Ian Sams, a spokesman for Harris, said she did not use Trump's money and instead donated $6,000 in 2015 to a charity that works for Central American's civil rights, the Sacramento Bee reports. Last July the White House's official Twitter account accused Harris of 'supporting the animals of MS-13'. In an interview with The Root last month said she views President Trump as a racist. She cited his comments on the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, a report from last year that the president referred to some African nations as s***hole countries, and his descriptions of immigrants in her reasoning. Ivanka Trump wrote a check for $2,000 in 2014 for Kamala Harris' re-election for California attorney general Harris said: 'When you talk about him calling African countries s***hole countries, when you talk about him referring to immigrants as rapists and murderers, I don't think you can reach any other conclusion.' She was critical of Trump's response to the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, when the president noted there 'very fine people' on both sides of the issue, but she had stopped short of branding him a racist. In his May 2016 presidential campaign rally he called undocumented Mexican immigrants 'rapists', 'murderers' and 'criminal'. Trump has repeatedly defended himself against the allegation he's racist. Democrats launched a sweeping new probe of Trump on Monday, with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler sending out 81 document requests to the president's family, companies and associates linked to him. A panel will be beginning the probe into possible obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power. Luke Perry's daughter cut short a charity trip to Africa and rushed home to be by her ailing father's side in his final hours. The star's 18-year-old daughter, Sophie, abruptly ended her six-month trip doing charity work in Malawi and came home as soon as she learned her father had a stroke last Wednesday. The distraught teen arrived just in time to join her brother, mother, wider family and friends by Perry's bedside before the Beverly Hills 90210 star passed away on Monday morning. Just hours before her 52-year-old father suffered the stroke that led to his death, Sophie posted a picture of a dirt road in Malawi where she had been doing charity work. Breaking her silence on Tuesday, Sophie shared a photo of herself and her father, writing: 'I'm not really sure what to say or do in this situation, it's something you aren't ever given a lesson on how to handle, especially when it's all happening in the public eye. 'So bare with me and know that I am grateful for all the love. Just, being grateful quietly.' Luke Perry's daughter Sophie, 18, abruptly ended her six-month trip and came home as soon as she learned her actor father had a stroke last Wednesday. Breaking her silence on Tuesday, Sophie shared a photo of herself and her father on Instagram, writing: 'I'm not really sure what to say or do in this situation, it's something you aren't ever given a lesson on how to handle' She added in her post: 'So bare with me and know that I am grateful for all the love. Just, being grateful quietly.' Pictured: Sophie with her father before heading to her prom last year The rest of her post reads: 'A lot has happened in this past week for me. Everything is happening so fast. I made it back from Malawi just in time to be here with my family. 'And in the past 24 hours I have received an overwhelming amount of love and support. 'I cannot individually respond to the hundreds of beautiful and heartfelt messages, but I see them, and appreciate you all for sending positivity to my family and I.' The distraught teen arrived just in time to join her brother, mother, wider family and friends by Perry's bedside before the Beverly Hills 90210 star passed away on Monday morning A day before Perry's hospitalization, his 21-year-old son Jack posted a photo to his Instagram promoting his upcoming wrestling match, which was set for last Friday. Perry had been seen in recent years cheering on his son and taking photos of him at matches. A close friend of Perry told DailyMailTV: 'Luke was really proud of both his son and his daughter. [Sophie] was actually in Africa helping children and had to rush home quite suddenly.' In September Sophie, who lived in Dowagiac, Michigan, posted a video describing her charity work for non-profit One World Center, and asked for fundraising help for her trip. 'I'm in a group of eight people, seven of us are going to Africa and one of us is going to Brazil,' she said. 'We're going to be there for six months, and we're going to be working on community development projects. These can range from teaching teachers, building schools, helping with agriculture, providing water purification, all types of good stuff.' Just hours before her 52-year-old father suffered the stroke that led to his death, Sophie posted a picture of a dirt road in Malawi where she had been doing charity work (pictured) 'It's been a month and Malawi has gifted me with so so much joy, beauty, and malaria. Wouldn't trade it,' she wrote in her Instagram post on Wednesday A day before Perry's hospitalization, his 21-year-old son Jack (pictured) posted a photo to his Instagram promoting his upcoming wrestling match which was set for last Friday Perry had been seen supporting his son at matches in recent years, cheering him on and taking photos Perry's publicist, Arnold Robinson, said in a statement that the actor was 'surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends,' when he died on Monday morning after suffering a massive stroke. 'The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning,' Robinson wrote. DailyMail.com unearthed a video interview of Perry speaking of his excitement at a possible 90210 reboot in April 2017. He expressed that he was excited about the show possibly returning with his former cast members and he good-naturedly rejected the idea that he would return to his sex symbol status. A close friend of Perry told DailyMail.com: 'Luke was really proud of both his son and his daughter. She was actually in Africa helping children and had to rush home quite suddenly.' Pictured: Sophie making a fundraising video for her charity trip In an unearthed a video, Perry speaks of his excitement of a possible 90210 reunion in April 2017. The Riverdale actor had just signed on to come back to the show just before his stroke, a source told DailyMail.com The news of his hospitalization last Wednesday came shortly after Fox announced that 90210 was returning for a reboot starring the series' original cast members Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green and Tori Spelling. Perry was also set to return to the show that made him a star with his character Dylan McKay in a surprise appearance that was already being plotted, having agreed to come back just before his stroke, a source told DailyMail.com. Speaking on the red carpet at an awards show in Los Angeles in 2017, Perry was accompanied by fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer, who was at his side when he died, along with his children, siblings and mother. Perry said: 'I am excited and enough time has gone by, and it was something Aaron Spelling wanted to do while he was alive. 'To get back together with all these guys I would love it.' The family of a tragic mum who committed suicide after her benefits were stopped have received a full apology from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). An inquest heard Jodey Whiting's benefits were stopped because she missed a health assessment - despite her never seeing the appointment letter. The mother-of-nine and grandmother-of-ten took her own life in February 2017, but the DWP continued to send her letters and even left a voicemail on her phone three months after her death. Jodey, 42, had been plagued with ill health and the DWP were made aware of those issues by the Citizen's Advice Bureau a week before she took her own life. Her health issues, which included a brain cyst and curved spine, meant she took 23 tablets a day and she could barely make it through the front door of her Stockton home due to crippling pain. Jodey's family blamed pressure from the DWP for her death at an inquest into her death in May 2017. Jody's mum Joy Dove is pictured with Jody's daughter Emma Bell. They are fighting to ensure no other family goes through what they did The mother-of-nine, 42, had her payouts cut despite being in constant pain. Pictured: Jody Whiting with her children The ICE found 'service failures' from the DWP after she died, including the letter confirming her benefits had been cut. Jodey's mum Joy Dove took her case to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE), who ruled the 'blunt and insensitive' DWP should apologise and pay 10,000 to her family for repeatedly breaking its own rules amid 'multiple failings'. That apology letter has now arrived at Joy's Norton home - with the DWP accepting it should have responded to correspondence from Jodey and her family before her death, and taking responsibility for the 'unacceptable' calls and letters it sent after she died. Joy said she was pleased the DWP had finally accepted its wrongdoing - but would not stop in her fight for justice. 'I want to take them to court now, I want them to be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter,' said Joy. 'It has taken two years to get the DWP to admit what they did. They killed my daughter and I don't want this to happen to anyone else, so things need to change.' The DWP apology letter to Jodey Whiting's mum in full The letter in full, signed by Emma Haddad, the director of working age benefits at the Department of Work and Pensions headquarters in London, said: 'I am writing to offer my sincere condolences on the death of your daughter Jodey. Daughter Leah Bell, 19, grandmother Joy Dove, 63, daughter Emma Bell, 23, niece Demi Wathen, 19, and daughter Chloey Bell, 17 are all campaigning for justice for Jodey 'I realise this has been a hugely sad and difficult time for you and Jodey's children. We have received the report from the Independent Case Examiner who has investigated and upheld your complaind. 'I am sorry that we did not fully investigate your concerns and disappointed that you had to take your complaint to the Independent Case Examiner's Office. 'I can only repeat my apologies that despite being informed of Jodey's death we failed to update our computer system. This resulted in unnecessary letters being sent and telephone calls being made, including a voicemail on Jodey's telephone in May 2017, some three months after being notified of her death. This is clearly unacceptable and must have been hugely upsetting for the family. 'And when Jodey did not attend the appointment for her work capability assessment in connection with her Employment Support Allowance (ESA) claim we should have attempted further contact with Jodey before closing her claim. 'We do have guidance in place to try to safeguard customers and regrettably our procedures were not followed. I am also clear that we should have replied to all correspondence received from Jodey including those sent on her behalf and I am sorry that we failed to address all the issues raised. Given these issues I would have expected a full investigation to have taken place and this did not happen until you contacted the Independent Case Examiner. 'The standard we aim for in our customer service was clearly not achieved when addressing Jodey's ESA benefit claim. As recommended by the Independent Case Examiner, a special payment of 10,000 to acknowledge our errors was made. An inquest heard Jodey Whiting's benefits were stopped because she missed a health assessment - despite her never seeing the appointment letter 'Once again, I hope that you will accept my deepest apologies on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.' Joy said she was in contact with the Inquest: Truth, Justice and Accountability charity and is looking at taking legal advice to bring the DWP to court. The case examiner found the department repeatedly failed to apologise for its shortcomings, with the DWP failing FIVE times to follow its own safeguarding rules 'It is clear that Jodey was vulnerable, had been suffering from severe mental health issues and had said she was suicidal,' reads the report. 'I find it extremely disappointing that in investigating the complaints (Joy) raised, we have seen that DWP have either failed to investigate, or failed to acknowledge, the extent of events in Jodey's case.' Joy has also started a 'Justice for Jodey' petition, with the aim of persuading the DWP to look again at how it handles benefit claims, which has been signed 5,500 times. She has also launched a Facebook group with the same name, in which people have shared their stories of problems with the DWP. You can sign it here: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/justice-for-jodey Advertisement As tax season approaches, the state where you live could be the difference between a refund and a big bill from the government but how much you make also figures into the equation, according to a new report. Experts at Wallethub.com used data from The Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy to calculate the proportion of income that rich vs. poor residents in each state pay toward taxes. Researchers defined rich people as those making $150,000, while the poor are those with a $25,000 annual income. Their analysis included property, sales, and state and local taxes which is important because different states have very different ways of collecting revenue. For example, nine states dont have an income tax, while four states dont charge sales tax. In addition, 13 states get the bulk of their tax revenue through sales tax. The report revealed that poor Americans pay a larger share of their income on taxes than the wealthy do in 38 states. However, rich Americans typically pay a higher dollar amount in taxes compared to their low-income counterparts. For poor Americans, Delaware is the best state come tax time, with taxes there amounting to 5.24 percent of a $25,000 income. The state ranks tenth-best for wealthy residents, with taxes on a $150,000 salary coming to 6.88 percent. The state has zero sales tax and $855 in property tax collections per capita, according a separate report by the Tax Foundation. Scroll down for full breakdown of taxes on the average income in each state This map illustrates the tax burden in each state for people making $150,000 a year. Numbers reflect the percentage of that income that goes toward a combined tax burden from state and local, property and sales tax. The darker purple colors reflect a higher tax rate, while the lighter shades indicate a lower rate This map illustrates the tax burden in each state for people making $25000 a year. Numbers reflect the percentage of that income that goes toward a combined tax burden from state and local, property and sales tax. The darker green colors reflect a higher tax rate, while the blue shades indicate a lower burden Alaska was the second-best state for poor people, with a 5.87 percent tax on low-income residents. The income-tax-free state was also the best state for the rich, with taxes amounting to 3.01 percent of income there. Alaska also has no sales tax, and per capita property tax collections total $2,001. Montana came in third place for poor Americans, with 6.77 percent in cumulative taxes on low-income residents. The state ranked twelfth for rich people, with taxes there amounting to 7.28 percent of a $150,000 income. Montana has no sales tax, and collects $1,509 per capita in property taxes. Utah ranked fourth for poor residents, with a 7.63 cumulative tax on people with a $25,000 income. However the state which has a flat income tax fell to 19th place for rich people with taxes amounting to 7.93 percent of a high income there. The state collects $976 per capita in property taxes. South Carolina came in fifth place for poor Americans (7.99 percent) and ranked 20th among the rich (7.94 percent). The state collects $1,130 per capita in property taxes. Meanwhile, Washington State was the worst for low-income people, with a 14.59 percent cumulative tax rate on a $25,000 income largely due to its lack of an income tax and reliance on sales tax. It ranked 13th for the rich, with a 7.32 percent rate. The state collects $1,409 per capita in property taxes. Illinois was the second-worst for the poor, with taxes amounting to 8.81 percent of their income. Illinois, which has a flat tax rate, also ranked third-worst for rich Americans, with an 11.01 percent rate of taxation. Hawaii followed, with a 13.18 percent cumulative tax rate for poor residents. Hawaii also ranked sixth-worse for the rich (10.34 percent). The state collects $1,070 per capita in property taxes. Pennsylvania, which has a flat income tax, came in fourth-worst for the poor, with a 12.06 cumulative tax rate higher than the 9.62 percent cumulative tax on the rich. The states where taxpayers give more to the federal government than they get back Most taxpayers can count on their state getting more back from the federal government than its residents pay out in taxes but 10 states are losing out. Each state's residents pay federal taxes, but 40 states get more back than they paid for through federal government expenditures which can include Social Security payments to individuals, contracts for local governments, wages for federal workers and sub-contracting work. The balance can add up to major economic activity for the majority of states that get bigger returns on their residents' tax dollars, according to a new report by the SUNY Rockefeller Institute of Government. However some states particularly those with very high earners actually lose out in the equation as billions of dollars go back and forth between the state and federal governments, according to the Rockefeller Institute, an Albany, New York-based think tank. Those states (and their deficits) are: Connecticut ($4,000); New Jersey ($2,368); Massachusetts ($2,343); New York ($1,791); North Dakota ($720); Illinois ($363); New Hampshire ($234); Washington ($185); Nebraska ($164); and Colorado ($95). Overall, the federal government is running a net negative balance of payments to states a major factor contributing to the national deficit of roughly $1 trillion this year. Ultimately that means the 10 states that are losing out on a federal-state surplus are the only ones that aren't contributing in this way to the federal deficit. Advertisement Indiana ranked fifth-worst for the poor, with an 11.82 percent rate of tax on a $25,000 income, compared to the 8.01 percent rate on the rich. At the other end of the spectrum, Nevada came in second-best for the rich after Alaska, with a 4.31 percent cumulative tax rate on salaries of $150,000. Nevada, which has no income tax, ranked seventh-best for the poor, with an 8.62 percent cumulative rate on a $25,000 income. Wyoming followed, in third place for the rich with a 5.03 percent cumulative tax rate, compared to the 8.92 percent rate for low-income residents. The state has no income tax and collects a high $2,347 per capita in in property tax. In fourth place was Tennessee, with a low 5.11 percent cumulative tax rate on the wealthy, compared to a 9.45 percent rate on the low-income population. The state has no income tax and collects $863 per capita in property taxes. Income tax-free Florida rounds out the top five for the wealthy, with cumulative taxes amounting to 5.45 percent of a $150,000 salary. By comparison, poor Floridians have a 9.68 percent tax burden. New York is the worst state to be rich, with a 12.48 percent cumulative tax on that population, compared to an 11.61 percent tax burden on the poor. It has the highest income tax collections per capita, at $2,345. Connecticut followed, with an 11.13 percent tax burden on the rich, compared to a 10.64 tax burden on the poor. The state has the third-highest income tax collections per capita, at $2,106. After Illinois, Maryland ranked fourth-worst for the rich, with 10.73 percent of a $150,000 salary going to taxes. The state has a lower 9.65 percent tax burden on the poor. Vermont rounds out the top five worst states for the rich, with a 10.62 percent cumulative tax rate on the rich, compared to the 8.81 percent burden on the poor. Breakdown of Taxes in Each State The bloodstained body of an Irishman was discovered on Monday evening after he was hit with a frying pan and stabbed in the stomach before having his throat slashed, police say. Brian Patrick OReilly, 50, who worked as an IT technician for Singapore-based firm First Lookout Marketing, was found in his flat in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, where he reportedly moved only two weeks ago for his job. A property agent discovered the body of Mr O'Reilly, whose hands and feet were tied up, along with a cryptic handwritten note which police believe was left by his killer. Brian Patrick OReilly, 50, who worked as an IT technician for Singapore-based firm First Lookout Marketing, was found in his flat in George Town, Penang, Malaysia The message was written on a page which appeared to be torn from the popular self-help book The Subtle Art Of Not Giving a F***. It read: 'I respected the Police & Still Do But Justice Sometimes has to be Gained. I Hate you Mafia Kiling Scamers, I Love My Girl.' Officers have launched a murder investigation and said they believe Mr O'Reilly was killed in a revenge attack after allegedly tricking the suspect's younger sibling out of some money with a scamming syndicate, the Sun Daily reported. George Town police chief Che Zaimani Che Awang said: 'A check of the mans home found a safe in one of the rooms had been ransacked and there were signs of a struggle.' A property agent discovered the body of Mr O'Reilly, whose hands and feet were tied up, along with a cryptic handwritten note which police believe was left by his killer A property manager sent by Mr OReilly's employer to check his living conditions and fix the air-conditioning in the Irishman's office had been failing to get hold of the IT technician since Saturday. When the property agent first knocked on the door, a man described as fair-skinned answered, informing the manager that Mr O'Reilly was unable to be seen as he was unwell. But when the property agent returned Monday evening with a locksmith, Mr O'Reilly's bloodstained body was discovered in the master bedroom. The condominium unit at Bangunan MBF along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah where Brian Patrick O'Reilly was found CCTV footage shows Mr O'Reilly entering his building's lift with three other men on Friday evening, with all four leaving the property a few minutes later. In the early hours of Saturday morning, a man - believed to be the suspect -registered to enter the unit before leaving the building in an Audi at around 12pm. 'The deceased is believed to have been dead for less than 24 hours before he was found,' Mr Che Zaimani told The Straits Times. Officers have conducted a forensic investigation at the scene, lifting fingerprints and DNA samples. A postmortem was due to be carried out Tuesday. No arrests have been made so far and the case is being investigated for murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code. A spokesperson for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: 'The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of the case and stands ready to provide consular assistance.' A California mother on probation for child abuse has been accused of killing her three-year-old daughter. Miriam Sandoval Montano, 37, was arrested last Wednesday after Fontana police officers responding to a call about a medical emergency arrived to find her daughter wasn't breathing and her face was turning blue, according to a news release. They attempted to revive the three-year-old until paramedics arrived and transported her to a hospital. Montano was arrested on suspicion of murder, and held on $1million bail. The child's father, 34-year-old Richard Rojo, was also arrested and booked on suspicion of felony child endangerment. The girl died in the hospital four days later on Sunday. The cause of death has not been released. Miriam Sandoval Montano, 37, (left) has been charged with murder in the death of her three-year-old daughter in Fontana, California. She was arrested last week after police responding to a call about a medical emergency found her daughter wasn't breathing and her face was turning blue, according to a news release. The toddler died in the hospital four days later on Sunday. Her father, Richard Rojo, 34, (right) was arrested for felony child endangerment After her daughter's death, Montana was charged with murder and is being held without bail. The mother is currently on felony probation for child abuse in connection with a 2015 incident involving the same daughter. Rojo is being held on $50,000 bail at the Adelanto Detention Center. Other children living at the home have since been removed and placed in the care of Children and Family Services. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is back tracking on her opposition to Amazon building its second headquarters in New York and would likely support it if the process is done with community input, her top aide revealed. 'We welcome a process, we welcome having a community process, but I don't know where the talks are at at this stage,' Saikat Chakrabarti, Ocasio-Cortez chief of staff, told Bloomberg Television. 'What she was vocal about was the process by which it happened, the deal,' Chakrabarti said. 'Amazon is the company that chose to step away from the negotiating table.' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is back tracking on her opposition to Amazon building its headquarters in New York Ocasio-Cortez had opposed Amazon's plans to open a second headquarters in New York and celebrated when they announced they would not move there after all The remarkable change in gears comes after the congresswoman was heavily criticized for her opposition to the deal, which would have brought an estimated 25,000 jobs to the area. Amazon cited her opposition as part of the reason they changed their mind about building in Queens, a billboard went in Times Square offering a mocking 'thanks' to Ocasio-Cortez for her opposition while members of both parties criticized her for helping kill the deal. Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest member of Congress and a self-described socialist, celebrated when Amazon announced it would not be building a second headquarters in Queens, near her congressional district. 'Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon's corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world,' she tweeted at the decision. But she also came under fire from both Democrats and Republicans when she argued the $3 billion in tax breaks offered to Amazon to build a second headquarters in Queens, New York, would be better spent hiring teachers and fixing the city's crumbling subway system. She responded to that criticism defensively with a prolonged twitter ranted, which consisted of a thread of seven tweets that repeatedly defended her mental prowess on the issue and ended on a whimsical note with a shrugging girl emoji. Amazon deal detailed New York offered Amazon almost $3 billion in subsidies to build its second headquarters in Queens. Specifically, the online retailer would have received $897 million from the citys Relocation and Employment Assistance Program (REAP) and $386 million from the Industrial & Commercial Abatement Program (ICAP), according to Curbed NYs analysis of the deal. Both of those are tax credits - if Amazon reached 25,000 new jobs, it would not have to pay that amount in tax. The company would also net an additional $505 million in a capital grant - which is actual cash - and $1.2 billion in Excelsior credits if its job creation goals were met. That brought the total amount of public funds in the form of expenditure and tax credits to $2.988 billion - or to put it another way - $48,000 per job. In return, officials predicted Amazon would generate $27.5 billion in state and city tax revenue over 25 years. This is based on the assumption that after the company started hiring in 2019, it would create 25,000 jobs over the next decade at an average salary of $150,000. Additionally, state officials predicted the building of Amazons 4 million square feet campus would create 1,300 construction jobs and 107,000 in total direct and indirect jobs. Amazon also agreed to allocate $5 million for workforce development and to host job training sessions and job fairs . The company also agreed to build a new school with as many as 600 seats on its campus, along with a tech startup incubator. Advertisement Ocasio-Cortez had long been a strong opponent to Amazon's plans, citing rent hikes and local displacement - as seen around the tech firm's headquarters in Seattle - as grounds for why New York City should reject the company's proposal. Amazon pushed the blame back on her and other opponents, saying they had created a hostile 'environment' for the company. Speaking out about the withdrawal earlier this month, Amazon's head of policy communications, Jodi Seth, pointed blame at Ocasio-Cortez and her anti-Amazon rhetoric. 'If you talk to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, it's 'Never Amazon,'' she said. Amazon's sprawling 8 million square feet campus was projected to bring an estimated 25,000 jobs to the area, with the city dangling a $3 billion tax break as collateral. The plan was announced last November and would have created over $10 billion in revenue over the next 20 years. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the city lost a golden opportunity to be 'an emerging center for tech' and previously said the Amazon move was 'an extraordinary economic win not just for Queens and New York City, but for the entire region, from Long Island to Albany's nanotech center.' Mayor Bill De Blasio released a statement on Thursday as well, but placed the blame on Amazon for 'throwing away' the opportunity rather than blaming politicians. 'You have to be tough to make it in New York City. We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world,' de Blasio said in the statement. 'Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity. We have the best talent in the world and every day we are growing a stronger and fairer economy for everyone. If Amazon can't recognize what that's worth, its competitors will,' he added. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with her Chief of Staff Saikat Chakrabarti on Capitol Hill She originally celebrated when Amazon announced they would not be coming to Queens after all Trolled in Times Square: This billboard was put up in the center of New York city to attack Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Ocasio-Cortez had long been a strong opponent to Amazon's plans, citing rent hikes and local displacement as her reasoning Amazon announced its cancelled plans earlier this month in a statement saying, 'We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion - we love New York.' 'For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. 'While polls show that 70 percent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.' The online retail giant announced its plans back in November to build the complex in Queens as one of two new headquarters. The other is planned for northern Virginia. Nashville, Tennessee was a finalist that was awarded a consolation prize of a 5,000-employee location. Amazon said on Thursday it did not plan to re-open the yearlong search that drew 238 proposals from cities across North America. 'We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada,' the company said A resolution terminating President Donald Trump's national emergency is gaining GOP support and will assuredly pass the upper chamber, a leading Republican senator says. Rand Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky, said Monday evening that at least ten Republicans are planning to cross the aisle when the resolution that passed in the House comes for a vote in the United States Senate. 'I think there will be 10 Republican "no" votes. Possibly more,' he told reporters. 'Governments that begin to be run by emergencies, really bad things can happen.' A resolution terminating President Donald Trump 's national emergency is gaining GOP support and will assuredly pass the upper chamber, a leading Republican senator says Paul was the fourth GOP senator to say he would defy the president's border emergency on the grounds that Trump action that many lawmakers believe was beyond the powers granted to him by Congress. Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis announced their plans to vote 'no' on the emergency last week. Other senators have suggested that Trump exceeded his authority without committing themselves one way or the other to a position on the resolution. Sen. Mitch McConnell predicted Monday that the legislation would pass and be vetoed and there would not be enough Democratic support to override it. The resolution is expected to come to the floor before the next congressional recess in mid-March. A White House official told DailyMail.com on Tuesday evening that staff have been meeting with lawmakers who have raised legal concerns. They have also made Department of Justice officials available to address wavering lawmakers' concerns about Trump's use of executive authority to reprogram funds to build his border wall. Vice President Mike Pence attended the Senate Republican luncheon last Tuesday, and DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen represented the administration today. Pence was in Arizona at the time, touring a Drug Enforcement Agency facility. He challenged Republicans to back the president up on the national emergency suggested the White House would lump them in with Democrats the administration says are against border security if they don't course correct. 'The truth is after the President declared a national emergency, some in Congress are trying to stop the president from exercising his legal authority to address what is a real crisis at the southern border. Were grateful for the support that we received in the House of Representatives,' he said. 'But the majority still passed a bill disapproving. The Presidents declaration now goes to the United States Senate.' Pence declared: 'Any vote against the Presidents national emergency is a vote against border security. 'And we call on every member of the Senate-and your Senators here in AZ- to stand for border security and stand with President Trump. And uphold the Presidents call for a national emergency and additional resources to secure our border.' Several reliable Republicans in the Senate suggested last week to DailyMail.com that they were uncomfortable with the expansion of executive authority dating back to Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration, although they did not explicitly say they'd vote for the Democratic bill that would effectively curb it. 'I am very worried, prudential, about the slippery slope that could occur ... emboldening future presidents to implement radical policies, contrary to law and contrary to the Constitution,' Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas conservative, told a group of reporters. Sen. Lamar Alexander suggested on the floor of the Senate that Trump issue a course correction. 'I want to make a respectful suggestion and that is that President Trump ask his lawyers to take a second look at existing funding authority that the president has,' he said. The president warned in an interview with Sean Hannity on 'Fox News' that Republicans who vote against border security measures are risking their political careers. 'I think that really its a very dangerous thing for people to be voting against border security,' he said. 'I really think that Republicans that vote against border security and the wall, I think you know, Ive been okay at predicting things, I think they put themselves at great jeopardy.' Trump did not threaten lawmakers outright in the interview from Vietnam where he was holding a nuclear summit at the time. And he hasn't returned to the subject since on social media. Alexander is retiring at the end of his current term and has little to lose by participating in a rebellion against Trump. Republicans who do have to seek reelection have said they want to see what funds he's proposing to tap into within the Department of Defense. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate GOP leadership team, said more than once that the larger issue is that Congress has delegated its authority to the White House in hundreds of instances and this is just one example. I think we need to have a bigger conversation about the separation of powers, and whether we want to delegate all this authority to the next president, as well as this president,' he declared. President Trump is likely to issue the first veto of his presidency in response to the legislation. 'Oh, well be fighting,' he told Hannity after the Fox host made note of the 13 GOP defections in the House. In the Senate, members of the president's party appeared ready to reject his national emergency, as well, with Paul putting the final strike on the list. He claimed Monday to reporters that a quiet rebellion was growing in the party, when it comes to executive authority. The White House did not have a comment Tuesday on the senator's assertions. Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis announced their plans to vote 'no' on the emergency last week Cruz told DailyMail.com last week had spoken to the president about the issue and 'time will tell' whether the White House will be able to swing enough Republican lawmakers to sustain a veto. Cornyn, the GOP's vote counter until earlier this year, suggested that Democratic lawmakers would not be able to muster enough support to cancel it. Even with ten GOP votes, the legislation would be well under the 66 votes, or two-thirds majority, it would take to override a veto in the Senate. Assuming all 47 Democrats vote to stop the resolution, plus ten Republicans, that would leave those opposing it nine votes shy of what is needed. Paul did not say who the senators he had in mind were outside of himself and the other three who have been vocal about their opposition, and his office did not respond to a request for clarification on Tuesday morning. He made the comments to reporters after he announced his position at a Kentucky dinner over the weekend. 'I can't vote to give extra-Constitutional powers to the president,' Paul told a crowd of Republicans at the Southern Kentucky Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday night, according to the Bowling Green Daily News. He said: 'I can't vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasn't been appropriated by Congress,' he said. 'We may want more money for border security, but Congress didn't authorize it. If we take away those checks and balances, it's a dangerous thing.' President Trump has threatened to veto a resolution that would take away his use of emergency powers to build his border wall; it would be the first veto of his presidency GOP Sen. Rand Paul (left) said Saturday night he could not support the president's move, joining Sen. Thom Tilis (right), who has said the same Democrats have used the GOP's own arguments against executive authority against them as they mounted a case against Trump's national emergency. 'This isn't about the border. This is about the constitution of the United States,' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week before her chamber took a vote. The resolution passed the House 245-182 last Tuesday, with 13 Republicans joining Democrats in their support. That number is short of the 290 votes that would be needed to override a veto, but it did move the measure to the Senate. House Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (above), voted to block the president's move to build his border wall on Tuesday night The congressional battle is the latest chapter in a long-running war between Trump and Democrats over border security, immigration policy and the border wall that Trump has pledged to build since becoming a presidential candidate. He originally promised that Mexico would pay for it, but after Mexico refused, he asked U.S. taxpayers to foot the bill for the project, which Democrats call unneeded and ineffective. In his first two years in office, Trump's Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress, which under the U.S. Constitution holds the national purse strings, but lawmakers failed to provide the funding Trump wanted for his border barrier. When Congress, with the House now controlled by Democrats, refused in recent weeks to provide the money he wants, Trump declared an emergency and vowed to divert funds toward the wall from accounts already committed by Congress for other purposes. That set up a test of the constitutional separation of powers between Congress and the presidency that will likely lead to a court challenge after lawmakers deal with the resolution. A coalition of 16 U.S. states led by California has already sued Trump and top members of his administration in an attempt to block his emergency declaration. Trump declared the emergency after Congress declined his request for $5.7 billion to help build the wall. Congress this month appropriated $1.37 billion for building border barriers following a battle with Trump, which included a 35-day partial government shutdown - the longest in U.S. history - when agency funding lapsed on Dec. 22. A judge this morning rejected an effort from Chelsea Manning to quash a subpoena demanding that she testify before a grand jury in an apparent investigation of WikiLeaks and its founder. But Manning said after the hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, that she will continue her legal efforts to avoid giving testimony. 'I'm going to be back here tomorrow' to continue fighting the subpoena, Manning said as she left the courthouse. Tuesday's hearing before US District Judge Claude Hilton was closed to the public, and prosecutors at the hearing, including US Attorney Zach Terwilliger, made no comments afterward. Chelsea Manning addresses the media outside federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, Tuesday, after a judge rejected her effort to quash a grand jury subpoena to testify in an apparent investigation of WikiLeaks Manning (pictured in March 2018) said she will continue her legal efforts to avoid giving testimony, calling grand juries 'terrible' In a brief statement after the hearing, Manning confirmed that the judge rejected her motion to quash the subpoena as well as efforts to open the hearing to the public. She said she opposes the grand-jury system as a matter of principle. 'Grand juries are terrible, to say the least,' Manning said, noting the rules prohibit her lawyers from accompanying her during her testimony and other rules she said bend the process to suit prosecutors' whims. 'The idea that there is such a thing as an independent grand jury is long gone.' Last year, prosecutors accidentally revealed that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is facing unspecified, sealed criminal charges Manning - who had about a dozen supporters at the courthouse carrying signs that read 'Solidarity with Chelsea' and 'defend Grand Jury Resistance' - said she does not know why her testimony is being sought. 'I just know there were an awful lot of government lawyers there' at the hearing, she said. Prosecutors in Alexandria have long been investigating WikiLeaks. Manning served seven years of a 35-year military sentence for leaking a trove of military and diplomatic documents to the anti-secrecy website founded by Julian Assange before then-President Barack Obama commuted her sentence. Last year, prosecutors in Alexandria inadvertently disclosed that Assange is facing unspecified, sealed criminal charges in the district. WikiLeaks has emerged as an important part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential election, as investigators focus on whether President Donald Trump's campaign knew Russian hackers were going to provide emails to WikiLeaks stolen from Democratic organizations, including presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign. But the Alexandria prosecutors' investigation of WikiLeaks predates 2016, so there's no obvious link between the efforts to subpoena Manning and WikiLeaks' role in disseminating the hacked emails. Manning served seven years of a 35-year military sentence for leaking a trove of military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks The WikiLeaks scandal In May 2010, Chelsea Manning reached out to hacker Adrian Lamo revealing she was the source who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of classified US government documents Manning, a US Army soldier stationed in Iraq, had access to top-secret US data including Iraq war logs, video footage and diplomatic cables Before contacting Lamo, Manning had reached out to the WikiLeaks website after it published thousands of pager messages from 9/11 Manning handed over more than 700,000 classified US documents, videos and diplomatic cables. In April 2010, WikiLeaks posted a video of Iraqi civilians and journalists being killed by US helicopter gunship some time in July 2007 The website also published Iraq war logs that revealed the US failed to investigate hundreds of reports of abuse, torture, rape and murder by Iraqi police and soldiers. The logs also revealed that more than 15,000 civilians in Iraq died in unknown incidents A video showing a US helicopter strike on civilians and reporters in Baghdad was also released to WikiLeaks Roughly seven days after Lamo was contacted by Manning, he reached out to the FBI to give them copies of his online conversations with the soldier Manning was arrested on May 29 in Kuwait and on June 5 she was charged with leaking classified information Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison but only served seven after former President Barack Obama granted her clemency allowing her to be released last year The leak was the biggest breach of classified data in the history of the US The leaked information led to outlets such as The Guardian and The New York Times publishing a series of reports on the Afghan war detailing civilian deaths, torture, executions and war crimes that the US ignored Advertisement Assange has been staying in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012 under a grant of asylum and has long expressed fear of a US prosecution. In January, a federal judge rejected a request by the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press to unseal the criminal charges against Assange, ruling that the advocates have no proof the WikiLeaks founder has actually been charged. Criminal charges typically remain secret and under seal until a defendant has been arrested to prevent a target from fleeing prosecution or destroying evidence. Lawyers for the free-press foundation said that rationale for secrecy no longer exists given the inadvertent disclosure and the fact that Assange has long assumed he has been charged. A mass brawl broke out at a Chinese buffet in an argument over crab legs, with one woman emerging covered in blood. The group of around ten people could be seen remonstrating with each other as punches and slaps rained down at the Queens Buffet in New York. One woman was led away from the group by a friend, but then darted round to get back into the melee. As she launched into the group, a crowd rushed towards the counter and multiple arms could be been flying through the air and hitting people on the head. The footage of the brawl was shared on Facebook, showing a group of people arguing at the bar (right) before the row erupted into violence Slaps could be heard on the footage as the group of around ten people started hitting each other. As the various fighters grappled with each other, two women tumbled to the floor and other members of the group continued to slap and push. One woman carrying a plate who was not involved in the scrap, quickly ran to the side to avoid the warring diners. A woman filming the fight and live streaming it on Facebook, started by addressing the camera and showing a group of people shouting over by a Chinese buffet counter. As a group of people went over to see what is going on the crowd built around the counter. Voices were getting raised even louder as the disagreement intensified, the shocking footage showed. The woman said as the fight broke out: 'Listen y'all I had to come out here to let ya'll see this, I'm in a buffet and they're fighting over crab legs, look at this. Can you believe it?' As she slowly walked towards the scene, the woman added: 'I just want ya'll to see this craziness for crab legs, this is nuts.' As she got closer to the crowd a group of people could be seen swinging punches. She added: 'Are you for real, oh s***, crab legs yo. Look at this yo, share this m***** f*****. We are in the buffet in Queens, it's crazy. A woman walks over to see what is happening (left) as people shout at the bar (right) in an argument which turned violent 'I've never seen such ignorance in my life, over food, oh my God this is crazy. This is the juiciest movie I have ever watched, unbelievable. Now we can't even go up and get another plate.' As the huge scuffle broke into smaller fights, two women could be seen swinging meaty punches at each other as they moved to the side. The sound of metal kitchen utensils could be heard clattering to the ground and a 'wet floor' sign was left lying across the floor. A woman adjusted her top as she left the chaos and the brawlers started moving away from the scene. But another fight then broke out on the other side of the buffet counter as the sound of smashing returned to the restaurant. The fight eventually broke up as the aggressors left the eatery. Addressing the camera the woman filming said: 'You can't make this up, at all. I can't believe it. John Chapman (left) and Chequita Jenkins (right) of Alabama were also in a crab leg-related incident when they were reportedly using service tongs like fencing swords at the Meteor Buffet restaurant in Huntsville last month 'This is getting real, I think this is going outside. No more crab legs or somebody's going to get killed, it's that serious.' The woman recording the incident, who was at the restaurant in Queens with her three children, said 'she's even got a bloody neck', as one of the fighters walked outside. She added: 'The woman walked outside all bloody, they're all probably outside. They're mad people. Some of them ran out of here and ate for free.' Only last month a similar incident in Alabama saw two people were arrested after a dispute over crab legs ended in a brawl. John Chapman and Chequita Jenkins were reportedly using service tongs like fencing swords at the Meteor Buffet restaurant in Huntsville before being broken up by a police officer in the queue. An MS-13 gang member has been arrested along with five other people during a massive drugs raid in Arizona. The bust, carried out by Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Scottsdale police officers on Friday, involved the search of four homes in the city of Mesa, just east of Phoenix. Officials found weapons, ammunition and border armor as well as two kilograms of cocaine and around 1,000 pills believed to be fentanyl. They also uncovered $28,000 in cash. Officials conducted a raid on four homes in Mesa, near Arizona's capital Phoenix on Monday and arrested six people, including one who confessed to being a MS-13 member While in police custody, Jose Gonzalez-Ramos reportedly confessed to being part of the notorious MS-13 gang. The others men arrested were Yasary Bejarano, Luis Adrian Gonzalez Perez, Carlos Daniel Pineda Martinez, Jorge Marin Cuevas and John Hernandez Vera, according to officials. The bust, which involved the search of four homes, was carried out by Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Scottsdale police officers They all now face a host of charges including narcotic drug possession, money laundering, possession of weapons and conducting an illegal enterprise. 'The safety and protection of American citizens by targeting drug traffickers, violent gang members and other criminal organizations is our highest priority,' Fox news quoted DEA special agent Doug Coleman said. A month after taking office, President Donald Trump furnished a Valentine's Day reimbursement to his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen constituting the first payment for the 'hush' agreement with porn star Stormy Daniels, Cohen's lawyer says. The check constitutes two months' worth of payments for what Cohen testified was reimbursement for his own $130,000 payment to Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump. Cohen provided two checks last week to the House Oversight Committee as part of his bombshell testimony. The latest check, which lawyer Cohen lawyer Michael Monico revealed to MSNBC, was the first time Trump paid his fixer, who negotiated a non-disclosure agreement with the porn star, for the unusual arrangement. A $75,000 check from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust was made out to Michael Cohen and dated 2/14/17 New claims: Trump - who signed an executive order creating a new taskforce on suicide among veterans Tuesday - did not sign the $70,000 check revealed by Michael Cohen's legal team The check is from the Donald J. Trust Revocable Trust, the entity Trump set up following his election as a way to separate himself from his business empire. Of the two checks Cohen provided last week, one was made out from Trump's personal checking account, another from the trust. According to Cohen, it was signed by the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., and Trump Organization Allen Weisselberg. Cohen testified that at Trump's direction, he and Wiesselberg made an arrangement for reimbursement for the funds, which Cohen paid weeks before the election. Michael Cohen and his lawyer have produced checks they say constitute the reimbursement he got from President Trump for his $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump Cohen says the check was to reimburse him for 'hush' payments to Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors laid out the arrangement in a court document for Cohen's guilty plea His lawyer Michael Monico has produced an additional check from a Trump trust to Cohen Monaco told MSNBC's Ari Melber, 'When Michael Cohen went to see the president for the first time in the White House in February of 2017 and the president, as you may recall his testimony, that he looked at all the lovely art. And the president was proud of the whole scene and it was very awesome as Mr. Cohen said. The president said to Michael at that time, 'You will be getting the two checks soon.' He continued: 'The two checks meaning the two $35,000 checks. Because as you may recall, Allen Weisselberg said that instead of paying the entire [money] in one lump sum, he wanted to pay it over the course of a year, $35,000 even each month.. 'And so, this check, the $70,000 check, which is signed, according to my client, signed by Allen Weisselberg and Donald Trump, Jr., that this check was the first check.' The Donald Trump Jr.-signed check was dated in March 2017, and was drawn on a family Trust; A Trump Organization official told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that Trump Jr. was unaware when he signed it that it was part of a repayment plan for Cohen's hush-money outlay Cohen has provided members of Congress with two checks, one signed by the president and the other by his son Donald Jr, which he says was reimbursement for payments meant to keep Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal quiet; President Trump's check was written after he had been president for more than a half-year Donald Trump Jr. signed a check dated Feb. 14th, 2017 to Michael Cohen. The following year, he took heat for a Tweet that promoted a teddy bear in a bathrobe for sale at the Trump Store During an explosive hearing last week, Cohen produced a pair of $35,000 checks he cashed as partial reimbursement of the 'hush money' he paid to Daniels, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford. Dated in March and August of 2017, each was made out for $35,000. One, which bears Trump's signature, comes from what Cohen said was his personal checking account. Another bears signatures that resemble those Cohen's lawyer say are Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr. The two men are among 81 individuals and entities that the House Judiciary hit with document requests Monday. During Cohen's hearing, California Rep. Ro Khanna called the checks the 'smoking gun,' and asked whether they were part of a 'criminal conspiracy.' He asked Cohen whether Trump directed his son and Weisselberg to make payments to him 'as part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud,' asking: 'Is that your testimony today?' Cohen responded: 'Yes.' Valentine's Day 2017 may have been an awkward time in the White House, with new details of the Stormy Daniels saga still emerging. First Lady Melania Trump exchanged cards that day with children at the National Institutes of Health, wearing a $2,995 Calvin Klein coat. It wasn't clear if she had plans with Trump that day, who had lunch with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, the grand mufti for the religious group which represents Russia's Muslim community The chairman of the Russian Council of Muftis has predicted that almost a third of the country will be Muslim within 15 years. Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, the grand mufti for the religious group which represents Russia's Muslim community, claimed a record-number of Muslims attended mosques in the capital to celebrate Eid al-Adha last year. Speaking at a conference in Moscow, he insisted that the more than 320,000-strong show of those performing their prayers for the festival in the city was an indicator of the rising number of Muslims in the country. 'According to the predictions of experts, 30 per cent of Russia's population will consist of Muslims after 15 years,' Gainutdin said. Russia's Muslim-majority regions are known to have the highest birth rates, including republics in the North Caucasus and the republic of Tatarstan, according to The Moscow Times. Along with the high birth rate among Muslim families, another reason for the apparent increase is the arrival of individuals from Central Asia, the country's grand mufti added. Cities such as Moscow (pictured, file photo), St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg, are said to house the majority of Muslims in the country Appearing at a forum hosted by the State Duma on Monday, he added that the changing demographics mean 'dozens' of new mosques will need to be built in Russia's largest cities. Cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg, are said to house the majority of Muslims in the country. It is unclear how many Muslims currently call Russia home, with estimates ranging from between 14million and 25million people. This is between 10 to 14 per cent of the country's total population in 2018. Malik Evans (pictured), 23, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly stealing a car from a restaurant and crashing it nearby New Jersey police said footprints in the snow led them from a crashed stolen car to the man suspected of stealing the vehicle. Hackensack Police Capt Peter Busciglio said 23-year-old Malik Evans was arrested on Saturday morning. Police said the delivery car was stolen from the Pollos Mario restaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey, just after 7.30am. Delivery driver, Luis Campoverde, told police that he had left the keys in the ignition, the doors unlocked and the car running when Evans allegedly made off with the vehicle. Campoverde said he jumped into another company car and chased after the suspect. According to NorthJersey.com, after stealing the car, Evans crashed it a short time later. Evans, who is believed to be homeless, then fled the scene on foot. Once police arrived to the scene, Campoverde was able to point them in the direction that the suspect fled. Following the fresh footprints in the snow, police found Evans hiding in between a storage bin. Evans is charged with the theft of the motor vehicle and resisting arrest. The suspect has been released on a summons and no court date has been scheduled. Delivery driver, Luis Campoverde, told police that he had left the keys in the ignition when Evans allegedly made off with the car. Following the fresh footprints (pictured) in the snow, police found Evans hiding in between a storage bin Advertisement First lady Melania Trump revealed on Tuesday what she tells the Trumps' 12-year-old son Barron about the dangers of drugs. 'I teach him, I try to explain how drugs are dangerous and how they will mess up your head, mess up your body and nothing positive comes of it,' she said at a town hall meeting in Las Vegas on the opioid crisis. Host Eric Bolling, a former Fox News star who lost his son to an opioid overdose, asked her at what age parents should warn their kids about the dangers of drugs. 'I think eight. Nowadays the children are so smart and the life is so fast and they have access to everything,' she said. 'We need to teach them at very early age how bad drugs are.' First lady Melania Trump said she talks to her son Barron about the dangers of drugs She said at her town hall meeting that more awareness is needed on opioid issue Entertainer Wayne Newton, third from left, attended the town hall with his wife Kathleen Barron Trump with his parents - President Trump and Melania Trump - in February as they cross the White House lawn On stage: Melania Trump spoke in Las Vegas at a town hall hosted by Eric Bolling, the former Fox News host whose son Eric Jr. died of a drug overdose in 2017 Tour: Melania Trump's appearance on stage with Eric Bolling was the concluding event in a two-day tour designed to highlight her Be Best tour Loss: Eric Bolling's son, Eric Jr. , died of an opioid overdose in 2017. He was 19. The University of Colorado died from a combination of cocaine and fentanyl. His father later said that his son had purchased a 'street Xanax' but that unknowingly, it was laced with the opioid Message: Melania Turmp praised Eric Bolling and his wife Adrienne, who was in the audience, for their attempts to highlight the dangers of drugs in the wake of the death of their only son Smiling: Melania Trump appeared happy to be taking part in the opioid-focused event First lady Melania Trump challenged the media to give the opioid crisis 'the same amount of coverage that you do to idle gossip or trivial stories.' Bolling's son Eric Jr. was a University of Colorado student who died in 2017, aged just 19, of a drug overdose. He had fentanyl and cocaine which his father has said came from a 'street Xanax' which he had bought. His overdose was unintended, police said. Overdose deaths from opioids have quadrupled in the last two decades and combating the issue is one of the pillars of the first lady's signature Be Best campaign She also repeated President Donald Trump's argument that drugs are coming in from the Southern border, which he has used to argue for his border wall - although she did not. 'We need to make sure that no drugs are coming to our country. They are coming south through our border. They are also coming through China. They are very dangerous,' she said. 'We need to stop that.' The first lady then challenged the media to give the opioid crisis 'the same amount of coverage that you do to idle gossip or trivial stories' at her town hall meeting on Tuesday. 'I'd also like to take a moment to challenge the media to cover this very real issue as often as possible,' she said at the International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino. 'In 2017, we lost at least 72,000 Americans to overdoses - that's 197 lost American lives per day - more than 8 lost lives per hour. I challenge the press to devote as much time to the lives lost - and the potential lives that could be saved - by dedicating the same amount of coverage that you do to idle gossip or trivial stories,' she said. Melania Trump has often expressed frustration with the media's coverage of her clothing, a common complaint among first ladies. 'I wish the media would talk about more and educate more especially the children,' she said. 'They do it but I think not enough.' 'Just for example we are here talking about it and I think it should be on every media on the front page of every news paper. I think that every person would follow,' she added. The First Lady used the end of the town hall to pivot from lecturing on why the media should cover less 'gossip' to spilling on her own work on the White House's interior decoration, disclosing that she has just renovated the bowling alley 'and it looks beautiful', and that she was trying to bowl more as a consequence. It is unclear which alley she was referring to. The White House itself has a single lane bowling alley under the North Portico and the wider White House compound has a two-lane bowling alley in the basement of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB). The North Portico lane was installed by Richard Nixon, while the EEOB's were transferred from the West Wing in 1955, having been first installed in what is now the Situation Room in 1947 for Harry Truman. She also told Bolling in a question and answer session that her family's favorite meal was 'maybe spaghetti.' The First Lady wore a $940 Max Mara coat and Dior belt for the event. Leaving the stage she was escorted out by Oleksandra Ruffin, 37, a former Miss Ukraine whose husband Phil, 83, owns the Treasure Island resort in Las Vegas. Ruffin co-owns the Trump Las Vegas Hotel with the president. Final steps: Melania Trump wore a $3,195 Calvin Klein coat on top of her $940 Max Mara dress as she went from her car to her Air Force jet Back to Washington: The First Lady boarded her Air Force flight to Joint Base Andrews at the end of the three-state 'Be Best' tour In Sin City: The First Lady's motorcade went from the Las Vegas town hall to McCarran International Airport Closely guarded: Melania Trump ends her three-state, two-day Be Best tour White House bowling: The White House compound has a two-lane bowling alley in the basement of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building which is named for Truman, who first installed its lanes under the West Wing. They were moved to the current location in 1955. It is unclear if this is the alley which Melania Trump has redecorated Under the White House: The First Family has access to a single bowling lane beneath the North Portico which was installed by Richard Nixon. It is unclear if this is the alley which Melania Trump has redecorated Melania Trump wrapped up her two-day, three-state tour promoting her Be Best campaign with a town hall on the opioid crisis in Las Vegas She arrived in Las Vegas Monday night to hold a town hall on Tuesday on the opioid crisis The first lady's town hall was held in the same Las Vegas theater where Elvis Presley (left) made music history and where Barry Manilow (right) currently sings The town hall in Las Vegas is the last stop for the first lady in her first over night domestic tour promoting her signature initiative. The International Theater at Westgate Las Vegas appeared to be about half full. President Donald Trump promoted the town hall with a tweet: 'Our great First Lady (@FLOTUS) will be doing a LIVE show TODAY at 1:00 PM PT with the terrific @EricBolling at the @WestgateVegas Resort. She's on her #BeBest Tour, helping address the #OpioidCrisis. Free admission for the first 1,500 people!,' he wrote. Tuesday's town hall marked the first time during the two-day, three-state tour where the focus will be her. She gave remarks and answered questions at town hall unlike her previous stops where she met with students and tech officials and they did most of the talking. Conservative political commentator Eric Bolling hosted Tuesday's town hall. Bolling and Adrienne Bolling lost their son, 19-year-old Eric Chase Bolling, to an accidental opioid overdose in 2017. Westgate Resorts founder, president and CEO, David Siegel and his wife Jackie Siegel joined the town hall meeting later to discuss their daughter Victoria 'Rikki' Siegel, who died in 2015 from a drug overdose when she was 18. The couple spoke about their new book on her life: 'Victoria's Voice: Our Daughter's Dying Wish to Share Her Diary and Save Lives.' The Siegel family gained national attention when they were featured in the 2012 documentary 'Queen of Versailles.' Newton and the Siegels arrived to the town hall early to check out the venue. They took their seats in the front row. The Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr., the administrator of Liberty University, also attended. As did an Elvis impersonator. The first lady's town hall, part of her signature Be Best initiative, was held on a stage full of local music history: the International Theater at Westgate Las Vegas. Legendary entertainer Wayne Newton, the longtime Las Vegas star, headlined the theater from 1987 to 1993, and joined the first lady's town hall meeting. Elvis Presley performed a total of 636 shows at the hotel from 1969 to 1976, with every show sold out. Since 2018, the theater has hosted Barry Manilow's residency show, The Hits Come Home. The Westgate Las Vegas was previously known as the Las Vegas Hilton, until Westgate Resorts purchased it in 2014. It was the largest in the world during the 1980s and its 1,700 seat theater was opened with a performance by Barbra Streisand in 1969. The town hall meeting was the last event of Melania Trump's two-day, three-state tour promoting her signature Be Best campaign and its three pillars: the well-being of children, online safety, and opioid abuse. The venues combined her campaign issues with visits to organizations that have partnered with her Be Best campaign. Bolling has courted the White House on the opioid issue, which he has become a national voice on in the wake of his son's death. The first lady met with Microsoft executives at its Innovation and Policy Center in Washington D.C. in July. Her first stop focused on children, who she designed the Be Best campaign to benefit. At the Dove School of Discovery in Tulsa, Okla., on Monday the first lady reminded children of the importance of being kind and doing their homework. She visited with school kids who were learning about team work and over coming obstacles in addition to the typical school lessons of math, science, reading and writing. Westgate Resorts founder, president and CEO, David Siegel and his wife Jackie Siegel were at the town hall to talk about their daughter's death from a drug overdose Melania Trump watches 6th graders in Tulsa, Okla., do a science experiment Melania Trump reminded second graders of the importance of doing their homework 'It's a very important - team work,' she said during a classroom visit. 'It's very important to get along in groups.' 'We always need to be kind and show love, correct?' she said a group of second graders. And when one young girl noted she was not a fan of homework, the first lady told her: 'You wished you didn't have homework? Well everyone wished that but it's important.' She reminded the kids homework helped them get smarter. Her second stop of the day was with the tech giant Microsoft, at its main campus in Redmond, Washington, where she learned about online safety and parental controls. Dave McCarthy, the General Manager of Microsoft Games, showed the first lady the control options available for parents for their children's X-box. He mentioned that his daughter's Xbox name has the name the princess in it and she'd love that he told the first lady that. 'The whole world knows,' Melania Trump laughed when he gave the online moniker. She also learned about a devise that allows those with disabilities to use computers and play games easier. 'Children can play, everyone can play together,' the first lady said. Her Monday and Tuesday trip marked the first over night domestic trip for Melania Trump where the focus was on her Be Best campaign and not an event with her husband. Dave McCarthy, the General Manager of Microsoft Games, showed the first lady the control options available for parents for their children's X-box Melania boarded a government jet on Monday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland en route to Tulsa, Okla., to begin a two-day, three-state swing to promote her Be Best campaign Melania Trump has promoted her Be Best campaign in the Washington D.C. area and on day trips including an October trip to a children's hospital in Philadelphia. She has also made day trips to the U.S.-Mexico border to visit migrant children separated from their parents under her husband's immigration policy. She also made a four-day trip to Africa last year, her first solo overnight trip as first lady. The Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Tuesday's Las Vegas town hall will stream on all its websites Broadcast Group stations. This is the first lady's second town hall with Bolling on the opioid crisis. Her first was at Liberty University in Virginia on Nov. 28, 2018. At that event, she defended her controversial red Christmas trees at the White House as 'fantastic' and says son Barron is not on social media yet. Melania Trump was asked by Bolling about what she talks about with her 12-year-old son Barron when it comes to drug addiction. 'I always tell him drugs can be very dangerous and mess up your mind and body,' she said. 'And to love yourself more than you love drugs.' Melania Trump's first town hall on the opioid crisis was in November at Liberty University 12-year-old Barron has previously been spotted using a cellphone, however Melania said in November he doesn't have social media, because he's currently too interested in sports She also said her son, who was spotted carrying his mobile phone onto Air Force One when he left Mar-a-Lago with his parents at the end of his Thanksgiving break, has no social media accounts. 'He doesn't have a social media yet. He's not interested in it. He's all into sports. He's a great athlete,' she said. 'I teach him to be responsible and treat all people with respect and kindness,' she added. 'That is very important to me.' Melania also said she knew she would be criticized when she made anti-bullying one of her initiatives with some critics pointing out one of the biggest offenders is her husband. President Trump often uses his twitter account to attack his political enemies. 'I knew that I would be criticized but I would do what is right for the next generation,' the first lady said. 'Sometimes you need to fight back, I'm sorry,' she added. Dashcam footage has revealed the moment that a driver accidentally hit a police officer and sent him flying as he chased a shoplifting suspect on foot. Officer Greg Wertman, 35, remains in hospital in a serious condition after being struck by the SUV as he pursued the suspect through traffic in Boynton Beach, Florida on Wednesday. Suspect Ryan Lamar Moody, 24, was apprehended a short time later by other officers. 'This incident is another example of how dangerous the policing profession is,' Boynton Beach Police Chief Michael Gregoy said on Monday, the Sun-Sentinel reports. The officer was chasing Ryan Lamar Moody, 24, (left) who was later arrested along with his alleged accomplice Elyshia M. Wilson (right) for trying to steal $1,200 in baby accessories Officer Greg Wertman, 35, was running across traffic when an SUV was unable to brake in time The incident occurred while Wertman was responding to the Kohl's store at 1901 N. Congress Avenue. Store employees said they spotted Moody and an alleged accomplice, 23-year-old Elyshia M. Wilson, stealing $1,200 worth of baby products. When Moody saw police detaining Wilson, he made a break for it, according to the police report. In the commotion, Wilson also escaped and fled as cops focused on capturing Moody, police said. Moody was apprehended after a chase and Wilson surrendered to police the following day. The woman who struck Wertman in her SUV was 'very shaken up,' the police chief said. She is unlikely to be charged with a crime, he said. The driver of the SUV was 'very shaken up' after striking Wetman, the police chief said The impact sent Wertman flying, and he remains hospitalized in serious condition this week In a statement, Wertman's family thanked the community for their support, and said that fellow officers hadn't left his side since he was hospitalized. 'We look forward to the day Greg can return to work with his brothers and sisters in blue. We know he does too,' the statement said. Wilson was charged with grand theft and remains behind bars at the Palm Beach County Detention Center pending bail of $25,000. Moody was charged with grand theft and resisting arrest. He posted bail of $3,000 and was released on Thursday. Booking records show that Moody was arrested again on Friday in Palm Springs where he was charged with shoplifting. He has since posted bail of $1,000 and has been released. A North Dakota man has been transferred to an out-of-state prison as he serves a life sentence for conspiring to kidnap a baby that his girlfriend had cut from their neighbor's body. A spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed Monday that William Hoehn was transferred to an undisclosed prison 'for protective management purposes.' Hoehn was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the August 2017 death of 22-year-old Savanna Greywind, who was eight months pregnant. However he was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to charges of conspiring to commit kidnapping and lying to police about what happened to Greywind. William Hoehn, 33, has been transferred to an out-of-state prison as he serves a life sentence for conspiring to kidnap a baby that his girlfriend had cut from their neighbor's body Savanna Greywind (left and right) was eight months pregnant and living next door to Crews and Hoehn when she was murdered in Fargo, North Dakota His former girlfriend Brooke Crews admitted that she sliced Greywind's baby from her womb and is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole. Police found the baby alive in the couple's apartment. Greywind's body was found in the Red River. Hoehn was facing a maximum of 20 years in prison for kidnapping the baby, but a judge determined he was a 'dangerous offender' and he was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. He was moved from the North Dakota State Penitentiary in Bismarck to an undisclosed prison in another state for 'protective management purposes that are related to the nature of his crime,' the Department of Corrections told Valley News Live. Hoehn had previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to commit kidnapping and lying to police Hoehn's ex-girlfriend Brooke Crews (pictured) is currently serving life in prison for murdering Greywind and then cutting her baby out of her womb Linster could not disclose Hoehn's exact location. She also could also not comment if Hoehn had or had not been injured while at the ND Penitentiary. It is unclear if there was a specific threat made against Hoehn. However many law enforcement and correction officers believed Hoehn would be killed in prison, Valley News Live reported. Hoehn's ex-girlfriend Brooke Crews is currently serving life in prison for murdering Greywind and then cutting her baby out of her womb. In September 2018, Hoehn testified that he thought Crews had given birth to their baby when he came home in August 2007 and heard the sound of a newborn crying. 'It wasn't a wail, it wasn't like a cry or nothing,' Fox News reports he said about hearing a child when he came home in August 2017. 'It was a distinct baby sound. I remember feeling elated and I thought, "Oh my god, she had the baby when I was at work".' Hoehn's ex-girlfriend Brooke Crews testified that he pressured her to get a baby and had wanted to save their relationship which she described as 'rocky' Inmate Jennifer Robinson is in the same jail as Brooke Crews and said Crews confessed to her she strangled Greywind and cut the baby out within a matter of minutes He said his then-partner told him she didn't know what had come over her and she couldn't explain the situation. Hoehn, 33, said his expression dropped when he noticed the gruesome surroundings and saw Greywind, their nextdoor neighbor, dead on the floor. He added that Greywind had lips like 'she had had a piece of blue candy' and pale skin, Inforum.com reports. Hoehn said as he questioned Crews on what happened, she told him that she had 'went and got' Greywind. Hoehn told the courtroom that when he asked his then-girlfriend if she had lied about being pregnant, she said: 'I think so'. Greywind (above) was eight months pregnant Inmate Jennifer Robinson also testified on Thursday and told jurors Hoehn was not involved in the murder. Crews testified earlier that she cut the baby girl from Greywind and then Hoehn tied a rope around Greywind's neck after he arrived home. He denied that's what happened, and Robinson, who is incarcerated at the same New England prison as Crews, corroborated his story. According to Robinson, Crews confessed to her that she 'choked Savanna with a rope, drug her into the bathroom,' and cut her baby out of her womb within a matter of minutes. Crews denied that claim but the judge denied a motion by prosecutors to exclude Robinson's testimony. Cass County prosecutor Leah Viste pointed out conflicting stories that Hoehn told police after he and Crews were arrested. Hoehn acknowledged that, but when Viste suggested that Hoehn and Crews would do anything for each other, Hoehn said there were 'boundaries'. Hoehn said his former girlfriend is responsible and that her claim he put a rope around the victim's neck is wrong. He testified that the rope was around Greywind's neck when he entered the bathroom of their apartment. When Hoehn's attorney asked him whether Greywind was breathing, Hoehn said he didn't think so. Hoehn earlier pleaded guilty to helping Crews cover up the crime. This undated evidence photo shows a rope in connection with the killing last year Crews told the court a couple of days earlier that she lied to Hoehn saying she was pregnant in order to save their relationship, which she described as rocky, violent and fueled by booze and drugs. After a breakup in December 2016, Crews went so far as to email him a phony positive pregnancy test and sonogram photo. In early August, Hoehn told Crews he didn't believe she was pregnant and said she needed 'to produce a baby.' Crews said she believed this was 'an ultimatum'. 'I took that to mean I better have a baby, no matter how it happened,' Crews said. Greywind's boyfriend Ashston Matheny is seen with their daughter Haisley Jo, who survived the ordeal of being cut from the womb and is being raised by him now Greywind lived next door to the couple, and Crews said that Hoehn remarked on how pregnant she was - a remark Crews said she interpreted as a signal that they should take Greywind's baby. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy, Dr. Victor Froloff, testified on Monday that he isn't sure whether Greywind died from blood loss or strangulation. The baby, a girl named Haisley Jo, is healthy and being raised by Greywind's boyfriend. Multiple people have been injured after the Norwegian Escape cruise ship was bombarded by 'sudden, extreme gusts of wind, estimated at 100 knots'. Norwegian Cruise shared a Twitter post stating that the wind caused the ship to tilt to the port (left) side on Sunday, right before midnight. 'Several injuries were reported and those guests and crew received immediate attention or are being treated by the ship's medical staff,' the cruise line said in a Monday tweet. 'There was no damage to the ship; she remains fully operational and continues her scheduled itinerary.' One hundred knots is approximately 115mph. Scroll down for video People on the cruise shared updates about their predicament, with some sharing photos and videos of the inside of the ship Chairs and tables fell all over each other and were shoved to one side 'Several injuries were reported and those guests and crew received immediate attention or are being treated by the ship's medical staff,' the cruise line said in a Monday tweet . 'There was no damage to the ship; she remains fully operational and continues her scheduled itinerary' The ship had just started its seven-night journey from New York City and was headed to Port Canaveral, Florida, before heading going to the Bahamas. On Twitter, the cruise line continued: 'She is currently headed to Port Canaveral for an anticipated early arrival on March 5. Neither the current itinerary, nor the next sailing are expected to be impacted. People on the cruise shared updates about their predicament, with some sharing photos and videos of the inside of the ship. A gift-shop is left in shambles after all the commotion with the wind and the ship Patterson said that he was thankful for the staff's response, adding that even performers rushed to assist anyone who needed help On Twitter, the cruise line continued: 'She is currently headed to Port Canaveral for an anticipated early arrival on March 5. Neither the current itinerary, nor the next sailing are expected to be impacted. Norwegian Cruise shared in a Twitter post stating that the wind caused the ship to tilt to the port (left) side on Sunday, right before midnight 'The scariest s**t just happened on this cruise,' said user @GVelez. 'Chairs, tables, glass, people went flying to one side of the ship @CruiseNorwegian.' AJ Black stated: 'Honestly, @CruiseNorwegian, the gust of wind that threw all of the shattered glass all over my bed and floor is all on mother nature, but where my pro-rated premium plus discount for all the bottled water I was going to drink tonight? #norwegianescape #nclescape.' Michael Patterson, a makeup artist based in New York City, shared photos and videos from the wild moment on both his Instagram and Twitter. Michael Patterson, a makeup artist based in New York City, shared photos and videos from the wild moment on both his Instagram and Twitter 'The @CruiseNorwegian Escape was hit be a 100+ knot gust last night,' said Patterson. 'The ship tilted and damage was everywhere. Crazy!' Patterson explained that he, his boyfriend and his boyfriend's family had been enjoying the dueling pianos when the ship began tilting. 'It was a little rocky from the storm but the ship started tilting to the side,' he explained to the Dailymail.com. 'My boyfriend worked for Norwegian a couple of years ago so we could tell that something was wrong.' Michael Patterson, a makeup artist based in New York City, shared photos and videos from the wild moment on both his Instagram and Twitter Patterson says he, his boyfriend and his boyfriend's brother huddled up into formation around the boyfriend's parents and worked to get them to safety. He knew to get to the middle of the ship and worked with the family to get the in approximately 45 seconds. 'It was like walking up a huge incline, 10 minutes of this tilting and it was only really two minutes' he added. 'I didn't know what was happening. You would look out of one window and see water and waves straight down. You would look through the other side and just see rain.' Patterson and the family maneuvered around tables, chairs and broken glasses and had to dodge artwork that 'was coming off the walls.' His group escaped the chaos, unscathed, but Patterson needed to walk and clear his anxiety. 'There were people bleeding on the carpet from their feet, having panic attacks and crying as people tried to calm them down,' said Patterson. He continued: 'There were people on stretchers being brought in from the staff. We even saw people fall over but we had been in survival mode.' Patterson did share that he was thankful for the staff's response, adding that even performers rushed to assist anyone who needed help. Patterson and the family maneuvered around tables, chairs and broken glasses and had to dodge artwork that 'was coming off the walls' The makeup artist said that people were cutting themselves from all the glass that had fallen on the ground Jewelry display mannequins fell over and jewelry pieces were flung around this case 'Cruise Director Alvin was right in the center of the ship keeping everything calm and organized,' he added. 'And there was no damages.' The makeup artist did share his concern for people who could have fallen overboard, adding that there were several calls for people to return to their rooms. He said: They can't really do a roll call. I'm hoping no one went overboard. The way that the ship tilted, it's really possible. Even stages were damaged during the commotion as seen by the curtains hanging off It is unknown how much glass was destroyed when the wind hit the boat But Patterson did appear to look at the situation with optimism, sharing that he would still book with Norwegian even though his boyfriend's family was shook. 'It was a scary moment but it makes you realize what you have in life,' added the man, who was enjoying his time at Disney World in Florida before continuing on his cruise. The Norwegian Escape was built in 2015 and has a guest capacity of 4,266, according to their website. There are approximately 1,733 staff on-board. Lounge seats sit in the corner of a barroom but do not appear to be damaged Bar stools are pushed under tables as drink bins lay on the ground A jury in West Virginia has returned a nearly $17 million verdict after a woman was injured when staffers tried to detain a shoplifter in Walmart. Jurors in Wood County issued the $16.9 million verdict Monday - awarding the victim $10 million for general damages and $6.5 million for past and future medical expenses. Diane Ankrom now lives with an ileostomy for waste removal after intestine damage in the incident, and she is fed using a special procedure to ensure she gets enough nutrients. She has needed multiple surgeries and 20 hospital admissions. Scroll down for video Lawyers say Walmart didn't follow its own policy in handling the shoplifter (file image) A lawyer for 53-year-old said employees tried to detain the shoplifter when he ran into her shopping cart, in which she was pushing her granddaughter. Ankrom fell to the ground with the cart falling on top of her and throwing her granddaughter out. The lawyers say she suffered internal injuries that required surgeries but it may not have happened if the employees made a different decision. They said Walmart didn't follow its own policy in handling the shoplifter, bringing the man who stole gloves back into the South Parkerburg store after retrieving the item, because he was a 'flight risk'. Ankrom's lawyer said they persisted in dragging him back into the store despite him resisting and attempting to flee, which ultimately put his client at risk. 'It was demonstrated that they not only failed to follow industry-best practices with respect to the detention of shoplifters, but also failed to follow their own written policies,' MetroNews reported Jamie Bordas, who works with Bordas & Bordaw Law Firm, said. After a five-day trial and two hours of deliberation, the jury found Walmart 30 percent responsible and the shoplifter 70 percent, though it's unclear how the money will be split. West Virginia Legislature currently states each defendant can only be liable for compensation proportionate to their percentage of fault. However that was not the law when the incident took place four years ago. A spokesman for Walmart, the largest private employer in West Virginia, says they are sympathetic to Ankrom's injuries but believe the shoplifter is responsible. He says they are evaluating post-trial options. 'We are sympathetic to Ms. Ankrom and what she experienced in our store. However, we strongly believe our associates did nothing wrong and followed company policy,' a spokesperson said in a statement. 'The jury's verdict is not supported by the evidence as we believe the actions of the shoplifter were the sole cause of Ms. Ankrom's injuries.' However, the plaintiff's attorney said the verdict in the case where Pittsburgh law firm Cipriani and Werner defended Walmart was appropriate. 'She's got a lifetime of care and a lifetime of consequences as a result of Walmart's conduct,' Bordas continued. 'We hope that this sends a message to corporations that it's important to put safety over profits.' He added: 'We believe that there's a very strong possibility that Mrs. Ankrom will be able to collect the entire verdict from Walmart and, if not the entire verdict, certainly a significant part of it.' Yvonne Longmire, 58, was arrested Friday on several charges, including identity theft A Georgia woman has been accused of trying to scam her disabled son out of $200,000 in trust fund money but she won't tell police his location. Yvonne Longmire, 58, was arrested Friday on several charges, including identity theft. The Lawrenceville woman is accused of using 23-year-old Marcus Ford to pose as her missing son, Lee Earnest, 20, in court in attempt to gain control of his trust fund. Ford was arrested in Arizona and is awaiting extradition to Georgia. It was discovered that in December 2018, Longmire 'fraudulently presented' Ford as her son to a Probate Court and a physician, a Gwinnett County police statement reads. They were able to convince the court and physician that Lee no longer had as severe a case of mental disability and no longer needed a conservator over his trust fund. Ford allegedly pretended to be Lee, gave a false testimony and fraudulently obtained documents to support their scam. 'The false testimony relinquished $200,000 to Yvonne and Maurice, however, before the money could be withdrawn, the former conservator attorney and his paralegal became suspicious of Lees identity,' the statement continued. It was during that time that lawyers realized that no one had physically seen Lee in several years. The statement says he has now been declared a ward of the state. Authorities have attempted to have in person contact without success. However, Longmire and her attorney have told police that Lee is 'okay'. But they still have not revealed his location. The Lawrenceville woman is accused of using 23-year-old Marcus Ford (left) to pose as her missing son, Lee Earnest (right), 20, in court in attempt to gain control of his $200,000 trust fund 'Gwinnett Police need the publics help in locating a missing disabled person,' police said. Longmire has been charged with perjury, forgery, identity theft, theft by deception, criminal solicitation, and exploitation of an at-risk adult. She is being held at the Gwinnett County Detention Center with no bond. If anyone has information on the exact whereabouts of Lee Earnest Longmire they are encouraged to call GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit Advertisement Seven members of one family and four children aged six, eight, nine and ten, are among the 23 people killed by a tornado that ravaged a small community in eastern Alabama. The Lee County Coroner's office revealed the names of the victims on Tuesday afternoon as residents of Beauregard are still taking stock of everything they lost when a twister tore through on Sunday in what was the worst tornado disaster in the US since 2013. The death toll has stood still at 23, with victims countywide ranging in age from six to 89. All of the deceased have been identified. Coroner Brian Harris said all but two of the victims were found outside their homes, with some of the bodies found two to three lots away from where they were when the storm hit. All of them died from multiple blunt force injuries, both internal and external. Some had to be identified using family photos. The list of victims below will be updated as more information becomes available. ARMANDO HERNANDEZ, SIX Armando Hernandez, known as AJ, became separated from his mother in Beauregard when a tornado struck and was later found dead. His mother, Kayla Melton, had earlier appealed for information on his whereabouts on Facebook, writing: 'Please look for my baby he's 6 years old his name is Armando Hernandez he goes by AJ last seen on lee road 38. Anyone in the area please help me find him please!!!!!' His death was later confirmed by friends and family on social media. Relative Tina Melton wrote on Facebook: 'Little AJ didn't make it. He was found but he didn't survive... He was always eager to give hugs and loved his family. They are headed to the children's hospital with his brother. They also lost their home in the tornado with all belongings. Fly high AJ. You have your wings!' A GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his funeral costs has raised more than $1,100 as of Monday afternoon. Six-year-old Armando Hernandez was the youngest of the 23 people killed by the Beauregard tornado. He had reportedly been hiding in a closet when winds tore down his home TAYLOR THORNTON, TEN A second victim was identified as Beauregard fourth grader Taylor Thornton, the daughter of Ashley and David Thornton. A description on her GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $23,000 for her funeral costs, says: 'Taylor was an amazing example of a child of God. She brought so much joy to all that knew her. She was loved dearly and will forever be missed. 'Our hearts are mourning with you Ashley and David. You raised an amazing daughter that fulfilled her purpose on this earth and it now with her creator. This community loves you both, and baby McCrae so much and will continue to walk through this by your side.' On Tuesday morning, more than a dozen people attended a prayer gathering in front of crosses outside Lee-Scott Academy to honor Taylor and the 22 others killed. Lee-Scott Head of School Stan Cox described the ten-year-old as friendly, positive and creative. Taylor Thornton, a ten-year-old in fourth grade at Lee-Scott Academy, was among the dead A GoFundMe campaign set up for Taylor Thornton has raised more than $23,000 as of Monday afternoon. The description on the site says: 'Taylor was an amazing example of a child of God. She brought so much joy to all that knew her. She was loved dearly and will forever be missed.' The youngster is pictured with her parents, Ashley and David Thornton DAVID WAYNE DEAN, 53 David Wayne Dean, 53, was at home when the tornado struck on Sunday afternoon. His wife, Carol Dean, said her husband had sent a text message cautioning a friend to keep up with the weather on the news, but he himself didn't make it out in time. His body was found in the neighbor's yard on the other side of an embankment by his son David Theo Dean, 34. After the storm passed, Carol Dean, who was on the clock at Walmart that afternoon, rushed home from work in time to say goodbye to her husband, a man others called 'Roaddog' for his love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. She pushed past sheriff's deputies who tried to keep people from the area and went to where her husband's body lay. 'They took me down to him, and I got to spend a little time with him before they took him away,' she said. Carol Dean surveyed the wreckage where her home used to stand on Monday, picking through the rubble and pulling out her wedding dress and a Father's Day note to her husband that read: 'Daddy, I love you to pieces.' She said between sobs: 'He was done and gone before we got to him. My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up.' The couple had been together for decades but only got married three years ago. 'He was my wedding gift,' Dean said of her husband. 'He was one in a million. He'd send me flowers to work just to let me know he loved me. He'd send me some of the biggest strawberries in the world. I'm not going to be the same.' Beloved father and husband David Wayne Dean, 53, is seen above in an undated photo David Theo Dean, 34, discovered his father's body as he surveyed the damage to their family home after a deadly tornado ripped through Beauregard, Alabama, on Sunday. He is seen embracing his mother, Carol Dean, in front of the wreckage Carol Dean holds up a photo from her wedding to David Wayne Dean, 53, after finding it in the rubble of their home RYAN PENCE AND FELICIA WOODALL, BOTH 22 Ryan Pence and Felicia Woodall, both 22, had been dating since December 2016. Their deaths were confirmed in a Facebook post by Woodall's aunt, Angela Pentzer Scott, who wrote: 'I woke up thinking this had to be a bad dream. I woke up thinking this doesnt happen to real people. I woke up thinking this is only what you read about on the news. 'I woke up looking at my newsfeed and seeing the overwhelming amount of love for my beautiful niece Felicia and her love Ryan. 'We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and requests for ways to help. At this time may I just say thank you in behalf of our families. 'We still ask that you respect to their time to mourn. They have been blessed with an incredible amount of friends and family. They just need time to hold one another. They do express their love and appreciation for all of you who have reached out to them. 'Details are still emerging and plans to be made are a work in progress. We will keep you posted as they come about. 'If you pray, pray specifically for comfort. Pray that my nieces parents can get through today. Pray that the images that they have witnessed will be shadowed instead with the cherished beautiful images of my incredible niece. 'We thank each and everyone of you for your kind words and love. 'The pain is indescribable, the grief is unsurmountable but all I know is that love from our Creator and your prayers, outreach and love will see us through this.' Lovebirds Ryan Pence and Felicia Woodall, both 22, (above) were killed in the tornado, Woodall's aunt revealed on Facebook Pence and Woodall had been together since December 2016, according to their social media pages VICKI BRASWELL, 69 Vicki Braswell, 69, was killed when the wall of her daughter's mobile home collapsed on her after the structure was ripped from its foundation and turned upside down. Braswell, her daughter Remy Whatley and her granddaughters Peyton and Mackenzie had taken shelter beneath a mattress when the storm hit. 'We heard it coming but by the time we knew what it was, it hit us. Thats when all hell broke loose,' Braswells son-in-law, Steve Whatley, told USA Today. 'It picked us up and dumped us back down 50 feet away.' Remy Whatley was hospitalized with multiple injuries. A GoFundMe campaign set up for Braswell's family has raised more than $8,700 as of Tuesday afternoon. Vicki Braswell, 69, was killed when her daughter's mobile home was ripped from its foundation and turned upside down STENSON, TATE, ROBINSON FAMILIES, AGED 38 to 86 Seven of the people killed were from a family united by marriage, the Stenson, Tate and Robinson families. They are: Eric Jamal Stenson, 38, Florel Tate Stenson, 63, Henry Lewis Stenson, 65, James Henry Tate, 86, Maggie Delight Robinson, 57, Raymond Robinson Jr, 63, and Tresia Robinson, 62. Photographs and information on the families has not yet been released. The remaining victims, whose photos have not yet surfaced, are below: Charlotte Ann Miller, 59 Emmanuiel Jones, 53 Irma Gomez-Moran, 41 Jimmy Lee Jones, 89 Jonathan Marquez Bowen, nine Mamie Roberts Koon, 68 Marshall Lynn Grimes, 59 Mary Louise Jones, 83 Mykala Waldon, eight Sheila Creech, 59 Authorities say there are still seven or eight people reported missing. The death toll could rise as the search is ongoing, but Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said rescue crews were done combing through the two-square-mile area with the most extensive damage. Rescue crews in the ravaged community of Lee County are continuing to search through the rubble for victims of Sunday's deadly tornado, the worst to hit the US since 2013. A man is seen surveying the damage at his home on Monday This aerial photo shows the extensive damage caused by the Beauregard tornado. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said rescue crews have canvassed areas with the worst damage, but the search is ongoing and the death toll could rise Friends in eastern Alabama are helping tornado survivors retrieve belongings from the wreckage of their homes Family members can be seen consoling each other outside their damaged mobile home in Beauregard on Monday The remains of a home that was torn from its foundation are seen scattered across a wooded area several dozen feet away Stacey Worsley, 32, the mother of tragic Toby Nye stole the cash when 'blinded by panic, worry and fear', her sister said. She is pictured arriving at Leeds Crown Court The family of mother who stole 100,000 raised for her six-year-old son's rare cancer treatment have defend her actions. Stacey Worsley, 32, admitted defrauding Toby Nye's fund to pay for her gambling habit at Leeds Crown Court yesterday. Worsley used it to fund her gambling habit when 'blinded by panic, worry and fear', her sister Becky Worsley Cash said. Toby died after Leeds United and the club's fans helped raise the cash for his treatment. Worsley pleaded guilty to fraud when she appeared at Leeds Crown Court - less than two months after the death of Toby. Mrs Cash defended Stacey's actions in a Facebook post this morning. She said: 'Don't know if this is the right thing to do but I can't sit back and say nothing. 'She [Stacey] honestly believed she could win the money we needed for his treatment, this was before Leeds were on board. 'She was blinded by panic, worry and fear, she 100 per cent knows she has done wrong but please put yourself in her shoes for one second, she was petrified she would lose her son and in the process ended up addicted to gambling whilst frantically trying to win back what she lost. 'She's devastated that she has brought shame on the family. But no one knew you're not allowed to gamble whilst crowd funding she honestly didn't realise she was doing anything wrong!' She added: 'I won't be replying to any comments I'll be focusing all my energy on my sister who cared for our baby boy perfectly, she made a mistake...none of us are perfect! 'Please bear in mind she has just lost her child, and allow us all to continue to grieve x' Toby, pictured with his mother, was diagnosed with rare cancer neuroblastoma on his fourth birthday in January 2017 and died of a brain tumour on January 12, 2019 Worsley, who declined to comment when approached after the hearing, abused her position as a trustee of the fund to spend the money on gambling, the court heard. West Yorkshire Police has confirmed that all of the money has been recovered and that Worsley's offending did not affect Toby's treatment. Toby was diagnosed with rare cancer neuroblastoma on his fourth birthday in January 2017 and died of a brain tumour on January 12, 2019. The youngster's family launched an appeal to raise 200,000 to pay for therapy which was not available on the NHS. The fundraising target was achieved with huge support from Leeds United. Tragically he was then diagnosed with a brain tumour and died on January 12, 2019. Worsley, 32, of Osmondthorpe, Leeds, pleaded guilty after the fraud charge was put to her by the court clerk. The youngster's family launched an appeal to raise 200,000 to pay for therapy which was not available on the NHS Prosecutor Phillip Adams said Worsley had pleaded guilty to the offence on the basis that she had illegally obtained a lower figure of 100,000. The basis of plea has been accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service. Prosecutor Phillip Adams said Worsley had pleaded guilty to the offence on the basis that she had illegally obtained a lower figure of 100,000. Worsley is pictured at Leeds United The case was adjourned for a probation service report. Worsley was granted bail and will be sentenced on March 29. A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: 'As part of the investigation, police have secured the return of all of the money involved with a view to the majority being used to support an identical local good cause, which is yet to be decided on, and an amount being redistributed to identified key donors. 'At no point did the fraud affect the child's medical treatment, which was funded separately.' A spokesperson for Leeds United said: 'We can confirm that all money raised by supporters, players and staff of Leeds Untied during our Toby Nye campaign was ring-fenced by the club and used to pay for Toby's treatment.' New details have emerged about a helicopter crash that killed four Americans on an island in Kenya's Lake Turkana. California natives Anders Asher Jesiah Burke, Brandon Howe Stapper, 34, Kyle John Forti, 30, and David Baker, 48, died late Sunday in the crash at Central Island National Park, along with their helicopter pilot. The victims were part of a group of nine friends - including Stapper's brother Brett and his girlfriend Gehane Ribeyre, Burke's girlfriend Emeri Callahan and two others who have not been identified - staying at a campsite in Lobolo Camp in the town of Lodwar. On Sunday, they hired two helicopters to fly to the lake's Central Island to drink cocktails and watch the sun set, according to NBC News. As daylight dwindled the weather began to worsen at around 6.30pm, so the group decided to hold off on heading back to camp until the wind died down. By 8pm the sky was completely dark and the conditions had only gotten worse. Rather than get stuck on the island overnight, the group decided to make the 15-minute flight back to the campsite. Burke, Stapper, Forti and Baker piled into one helicopter piloted by Mario Magonga, and the four other friends piled into the other with the second pilot. They took off at around 8.30pm, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and a few minutes later, one of them disappeared. Scroll down for video New details have emerged regarding a helicopter crash that left four Americans dead by Lake Turkana in Kenya on Sunday night. Victims Anders Asher Jesiah Burke, Brandon Howe Stapper, David Baker and Kyle John Forti, all California natives, are pictured clockwise from top left The burned remains of the crashed helicopter (above) were found hours after it disappeared. All five people onboard, including the pilot, were killed. The cause of the crash remains unclear After the other helicopter landed, the passengers alerted Brandon Stapper's brother, who hadn't gone with them on the island trip. 'They were aware they lost contact, but weren't sure it had crashed,' Brett Stapper told NBC News of the missing helicopter. 'They called me, saying they needed search and rescue. There was nothing around. All they had was a sat phone.' Brett Stapper contacted his well-connected friends who got the Kenyan military to mobilize a search for the aircraft. By 3am Monday, rescuers had located the wreckage and confirmed that all five passengers were killed. 'We were hoping for survivors,' Brett Stapper said. The helicopter was trying to land on Central Island, in the middle of Lake Turkana, around 8.30pm on Sunday when the helicopter crashed, according to reports Burke and his girlfriend Emeri Callahan are seen with a helicopter in a photo shared to Instagram last month. Burke was a serial entrepreneur who had traveled to the Kenya last year and fallen in love with it so much that he wanted to share it with others The group's trip to Kenya was planned by Burke, a San Diego native and serial entrepreneur who had traveled to the county last year and fallen in love with it so much that he wanted to share it with others. Burke decided to set up his own tour company offering 'ultimate experiences' for people like him who loved to travel. His first experience would be helicopter safaris across Kenya. He bought a share in a camping lodge near Lake Turkana and began forming relationships with locals, including the owners of the helicopter tour company that they flew with on Sunday. Burke then enticed his closest friends to come try out the experience he had dreamt up. That's how Kyle Forti, Brandon and Brett Stapper, David Baker, Gehane Ribeyre, Emeri Callahan, and two others, who have not yet been identified, ended up at Lake Turkana. Brett Stapper did his tour with Burke on Friday morning. 'You just get in and take off and start flying,' he recalled. 'You just fly and every 15 minutes or so you just get out on a volcano you'll stop, on a riverbed you'll stop and go and talk with a local tribe that probably have not had a lot of interaction with the modern world. 'You're flying over a river and the pilot's like: "Oh, crocodile!" and he stops and he starts wrestling with crocodiles. I'm like: "How do you learn to do that?" He's like: "I don't know, you just do it. I've been doing it for 30 years. It's what I do. I wrestle crocodiles. It's normal."' In a statement to NBC News, Burke's family said: 'He passed as he lived, in an extraordinary way, watching the sunset, surrounded by people he loved, in his favorite place in the world' In a statement to NBC News, Burke's family said: 'He lived with fearless courage and a passion for experiencing all of lifes adventures. 'He passed as he lived, in an extraordinary way, watching the sunset, surrounded by people he loved, in his favorite place in the world.' Burke was an entrepreneur who ran two companies based in San Diego - The Bricks Agency, which did creative and branding work for firms, and Campaign Services Group, a political campaign firm. During his time with Campaign Services Group, Asher worked with Tim Donnelly, a former Republican representative, and Brian Jones, who still represents a large part of San Diego county. In 2012 he was fined $400 for failing to file statements of economic interests, online records show. Both of his companies now appear to be defunct. Burke ran two companies - a branding agency and a political consulting firm. He often traveled, and his social media shows him in exotic locations (pictured in Bali with his partner) Brandon Stapper was also an entrepreneur but worked in the design sector, starting a printing company after moving to San Diego from Michigan as a young man. He founded two other design companies before starting up his own private equity firm called Crown Grown to acquire and improve businesses. 'He was my best friend,' Brett Stapper told NBC of his brother. 'It's kind of just been him and I for 18 years now. We do everything together. We used to talk every hour of the day, basically.' He described Brandon as 'the core of the community', saying that his death would leave 'a huge hold in all of San Diego'. Stapper was a fellow entrepreneur in the graphic design sector, who also ran an equity firm. He traveled frequently (pictured in Barcelona with his partner) Kyle Forti was a married father-of-one who was originally from Claremont, California, but moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he co-founded a political consulting firm called D/CO. His mother Ann Forti told NBC: 'He had the greatest soul and he had the greatest love for humanity. This wasn't an ordinary man.' He and his wife, Hope Forti, were expecting their second child. Hope wrote in a Facebook post that he would have wanted to be remembered 'primarily as a husband and father'. Kyle Forti was a married father-of-one who was born in California but moved to Colorado where he founded a political consulting firm (pictured with his wife) David Baker was also an entrepreneur from Coronado, California. The city's mayor, Richard Bailey, said of Baker: 'Dave was an amazing family man, businessman and adventurer. 'He had an infectious laugh and made friends wherever he went. Dave lived life to the fullest.' The fifth victim, Captain Mario Magonga (above), was the personal pilot of Kenya's deputy president William Ruto The fifth victim, Captain Mario Magonga, was the personal pilot of Kenya's deputy president William Ruto. Magonga is described on his Facebook page as a pilot of exceptional experience and skill, having been trained in the Kenya Defense Forces. He worked for tour company Tropic Air Kenya until 2015 when he left to join KIDL Helicopters, based in the capital Nairobi. Speaking to NTV, his cousin described him as 'one of the best helicopter pilots that money could buy' and said he was cleared to fly high-profile guests, such as Ruto. The exact cause of Sunday's crash remains unclear. It came less than a month after three Americans were among five who died in a plane crash in the west of the country. Former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke told supporters on Monday that he favors decriminalizing marijuana in every corner of America. 'We should end the federal prohibition on marijuana and expunge the records of those who were locked away for possessing it, ensuring that they can get work, finish their education, contribute to the greatness of this country,' O'Rourke said in a fundraising email. It's unclear what he's fundraising for. The 2018 U.S. Senate candidate who failed to unseat Republican Ted Cruz hasn't entered the 2020 presidential race; he could also challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn for the other Texas seat in the upper chamber of Congress. O'Rourke said last week that he had made a decision, but didn't announce what he has chosen to do. Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, who lost a 2018 U.S. Senate race to Ted Cruz, wants marijuana legalization in every state O'Rourke said in a fundraising email on Monday that pot possession convictions should all be tossed and records expunged for nonviolent offenders The onetime El Paso, Texas city councilman has called for a dramatic overhaul of marijuana policies before. He said during an October town hall event that the federal government should 'end the prohibition on marijuana and effectively control and regulate its sale, and make sure those who need it for medicinal purposes are able to obtain it through a prescription from their doctor.' That's already the policy in 33 states and the District of Columbia, where medicinal marijuana use is permitted by law. The drug is fully illegal in the other 17 states, including O'Rourke's native Texas. Possession of up to two ounces of weed in the Lone Star State is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. People sentenced for smoking pot, O'Rourke said, are disproportionately people of color. O'Rourke could run for president next year, or challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn instead The onetime El Paso, Texas city councilman says black and Hispanic men are jailed disproportionately for drug crimes and more likely to be too poor to post bail while they await their trials He blasted what he called a 'school-to-prison pipeline' that jails black adults and makes their children more likely to be expelled or suspended from school. 'One in four black children have had a parent in the criminal justice system, compared to just four percent of white children, he wrote. About one-third of the nation's prison population, according to O'Rourke, is behind bars for non-violent drug crimes. And they are disproportionately non-white 'though we know that people of all races use illegal drugs at roughly the same rate.' 'Many have called this part of the New Jim Crow, and for good reason,' he added. Pot generation: O'Rourke is known as a free-spirited millennial who showed off his skateboarding skills in a campaign video last year O'Rourke said in his fundraising email that he supports ending the cash bail system for nonviolent drug offenders, which 'punishes poor people for being poor.' The potential presidential candidate lodged his opposition to President Donald Trump's border wall by livestreaming his teeth-cleaning because the dental hygienist was a Hispanic immigrant He claimed that between 500 and 600 jailed people in Harris County, which includes Houston, are nonviolent and not a flight risk,. but are being kept in custody until their trials because they can't afford bail. O'Rourke isn't the first politician to suggest permanently erasing Americans' nonviolent criminal drug convictions. Last week New Jersey Democratic Sen. Corey Booker introduced legislation that would do just that. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren quickly signed on as co-sponsors. All five are declared presidential candidates. 'Giving low-level offenders a second chance no matter the color of their skin or the economic status they hold can create opportunity for all of us,' O'Rourke said Monday. The British 'booze cruise' is back. With just 23 days to go until Brexit, nervous shoppers are dashing across the Channel to stock up on cut-price French wines. Businesses based in Calais say their sales have shot up by as much as half in the past month as bargain-hunters seek savings of 3 per bottle on average. Author Giles Milton is pictured shopping for alcohol in a French supermarket in Boulogne in 2004. The 'booze cruise' phenomenon first took off in the 1990s It comes after figures revealed one in 10 shoppers also claimed to be stockpiling supplies of food in case the UK leaves the European Union without a deal. Majestic Wine, a UK-based chain which has two shops in Calais, said the rush to stock up on drink was down to 'growing uncertainty over our future relationship with the Continent'. Savvy shoppers who load up their car with the cheaper wines, beers and ciders on offer in northern France can save as much as 1,200, the firm claims. Bargains include Moet champagne selling for 28.99, 11 less than in the UK, Chateau de Pennautier 2015 Cabardes selling for just 7.49 compared to 11.99 and Chablis Elodie Dupres 2016 selling for 11.99 instead of 16.99. Majestic said it even pays for shoppers to make the channel crossing if they pre-order their wines. A car boot filled with wine, beer and cheese at the Calais ferry port to return to Dover in 2006 Joshua Lincoln, the firm's managing director, added: 'It's couples getting ready for their summer wedding, it's day trippers from the Scottish Highlands taking on a mammoth trek. 'It's not necessarily people buying as much as they can, as cheaply as they can. 'These are wine lovers spending the same as they would in the UK, and getting considerably better bottles for it.' Majestic said sales at its Calais shops have surged 49 per cent in the past month, the best performance ever outside of the busy Christmas period. The 'booze cruise' phenomenon first took off in the 1990s, when British families would make the journey to Calais to snap up bargains or stop on the way back from their holidays. Even supermarket giants Tesco and Sainsbury's got in on the act, opening branches on the other side of the channel - including this one in Calais, pictured in 2004 It saw cavernous warehouses stacked high with cases of wine - with some bottles as cheap as 1 - spring up across the port city. Even supermarket giants Tesco and Sainsbury's got in on the act, opening branches on the other side of the channel, but the craze faded when they started selling cheap alcohol from their UK stores and the pound lost its strength against the euro. However, in the booze cruise's heyday, some French stores relied on British shoppers for as much as 95pc of their custom. One of the most famous stores was the Eastenders cash and carry, run by former London market trader Dave West, dubbed 'king of the booze cruise'. The entrepreneur, known for his bright pink suits, later sold off his drinks empire and ran the Hey Jo nightclub in Mayfair. He died in 2014 after being stabbed by his son, David West Jr, following a drunken argument. An Ohio mother accused of convincing her then 10-year-old adoptive son to shoot his father dead has accepted a plea deal after winning the right to a new trial. Judith Hawkey, 52, had been scheduled to go on trial this week in the mysterious 2003 shooting death of her husband. But instead, she entered an Alford plea to involuntary manslaughter and child endangering charges. The plea means she did not admit guilt, but acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence to convict her. Last week a judge sentenced her to 10 years in prison, including the more than five she already has served. Defiance County Prosecutor Morris Murray said Tuesday that he agreed to the plea deal because he wanted to make sure his office secured a conviction tying Hawkey to her husband's death. 'We felt strongly she was definitely involved and had a substantial influence over the child,' he said. 'There was no question this was not an accidental shooting.' Judith Hawkey had been scheduled to go on trial this week over the shooting death of her husband. Instead, she entered an Alford plea to involuntary manslaughter and child endangering charges Corey Breininger told a former teacher, and then investigators, that Hawkey persuaded him to kill his father because he was dying and to make it look like an accident Several factors, including the appeals court ruling, would have made getting a second conviction more difficult, he said. In 2016 a state appeals court ordered a second trial for Hawkey because it said testimony shouldn't have been allowed from three witnesses. The appeals court judges said there was enough evidence for a conviction at Hawkey's first trial, but they also called the case a not overwhelming one - saying everything originated from her adopted son, Corey Breininger. It was the son who came home from elementary school in 2003 and fired the shot that killed his father, Robert Breininger, at their house outside Defiance, near the Indiana state line. The shooting initially was ruled an accident and stayed that way for nearly a decade until Corey Breininger told a former teacher, and then investigators, that Hawkey persuaded him to kill his father because he was dying and to make it look like an accident. What isn't in dispute is that Corey came home from school in autumn 2003 and fired the shot that killed his father after Hawkey had left their house outside Defiance, near the Indiana state line. Corey Breininger, left, was never charged in the case. A jury convicted his adoptive mom Judith Hawkey, right, of aggravated murder and insurance fraud in 2013 Corey told first responders he was talking with his dad when the gun went off. He said he tried CPR, but paramedics saw no blood on him. Nine years later, Corey, told the same investigator a new story. Hawkey had told him, he said, that his 34-year-old father had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and wanted to be killed so the family would have money. Corey said she told him where to find the gun and how to call 911 when it was over. Corey Breininger was never charged in the case. A jury convicted Hawkey of aggravated murder and insurance fraud in 2013 and she was sentenced to life in prison. Authorities had concluded that Hawkey used the boy to kill her husband and collect a $500,000 insurance payout, noting later that she had started the paperwork the day after the shooting. But Hawkey's attorneys argued there were many inconsistencies in Corey Breininger's story. Among the issues raised was that he told an investigator that Hawkey had beaten him for years and that she had tried to kill him several times. Hawkey's former defense attorney said that a social worker who visited the house before the shooting saw no signs of abuse and that medical records did not back up those claims. Before Hawkey was sentenced in 2013, she said Corey Breininger shot his father because they had decided to send him to a military school and he didn't want to go. 'He made up the whole story,' she said then. 'I will be back for another time because I did not do this.' Hawkey's attorney declined to comment. Corey posted on Facebook that he had been 'ready to fight' her again, adding: 'I already made the promise that as long as I had a breathe I would fight to keep her behind bars.' Britons who want to watch free porn online may have to prove their age using their passport in as little as eight weeks. In a move intended to help prevent children accessing inappropriate material online, UK websites which comprise of more than one third pornographic material will have to age-check their users. Even free-to-access sites will be locked down behind a non-pornographic landing page and many of the country's most popular sites have signed up to the AgeID system, which requires users to verify their age via an official form of ID such as a driver's license or passport. The start date of the scheme, introduced in the 2017 Digital Economy Act, has been put back several times but is scheduled to come into force in April 2019. The new law is set to come into effect from April and users will have to prove their age to browse porn Free porn websites including pornhub and youporn have signed up to the scheme AgeID spokesman James Clark explained to The Metro: 'When a user first visits a site protected by AgeID, a landing page will appear with a prompt for the user to verify their age before they can access the site.' 'Each website will create their own non-pornographic landing page for this purpose.' When someone first clicks on a site, they'll be asked to register with AgeID and verify their age using a Mobile SMS, credit card, passport, or driving licence. Users will then be able to use their AgeID username or password to access all porn sites that use AgeID though some may use different age verification systems. Clark said: 'It is a one-time verification, with a simple single sign-on for future access. If a user verifies on one AgeID protected site, they will not need to perform this verification again on any other site carrying AgeID.' The AgeID network will allow users who have provided their passport, driving licence, or other form of ID, to access multiple sites which use the same verification app Those who don't want to use the AgeID system will be able to access porn sites using a voucher available in high street shops, which users can link to an app known as Portes. Through Portes, they can then login to sites without having to hand over their email address. Mr Clark said: 'The PortesCard is available to purchase from selected high street retailers and any of the UK's 29,000 PayPoint outlets as a voucher. The new law is intended to prevent youngster accessing inappropriate material 'Once a card or voucher is purchased, its unique validation code must be activated via the Portes app within 24 hours before expiring. 'Once the user has been verified, they will automatically be granted access to all sites using AgeID.' Each PortesCard will cost 4.99 for use on a single device, or 8.99 for use across multiple devices. Sites face fines of up to 250,000 or a blanket block by UK internet service providers if they do not comply with the rules. Regulators will be also able to block porn websites if they fail to show that they are denying access to under-18s. Polish butcher Pawel Relowicz, 24, was arrested five days after Libby Squire went missing following a drunken night out on January 31 then released pending further enquiries. Police investigating the disappearance of 21-year-old student Libby Squire are making a fresh search of the Polish butcher's home who was arrested on suspicion of her abduction. Pawel Relowicz, 24, was arrested on suspicion of abduction five days after Libby went missing following a drunken night out on January 31 then released pending further enquiries. His home in Hull, East Yorkshire, around half a mile from where the student was last spotted, was searched by police for a number of days last month before the entrance was closed off. Since 10am today, forensics and detectives from Humberside Police have once again been seen going in and out of the terraced property carrying evidence bags. Libby was last seen on Friday, February 1, at 12.09am. She was on a bench at the junction of Beverley Road and Haworth Street. A Humberside Police spokesman said: 'Today's search forms part of an ongoing investigation. 'For operational reasons we won't be confirming anymore details at this point.' In a statement last week a police spokesman said Libby's disappearance remains 'unexplained' but that their investigation is 'ongoing'. Two vehicles remain outside the house while the search is ongoing. He was held on suspicion of the abduction of the student and had been quizzed for the maximum amount of time before charges had to be brought or he be released. He was later charged with unrelated crimes of voyeurism, outraging public decency and burglary. Humberside Police say Relowicz, who works in a bacon factory, remains 'under investigation'. Miss Squire was last seen sitting on a bench in a drunken state shortly before midnight on January 31. A police officer seen carrying bags out of Relowicz's home during a search of the property last month Libby had been on a night out with friends to the Welly Club but had been turned away for appearing too drunk. She was last seen sitting on a bench in a drunken state shortly before midnight on January 31. Grainy film from a camera near the area where Miss Squire was last seen shows a man smoking by a car. Later another figure opens the passenger door and 'someone or something' is put inside. The smoker then gets in the car and drives off. Police say the clip obtained by ITV News is among hundreds of hours of footage being investigated by officers. The EEOC accused restaurant owner Chris Christakos of creating and encouraging 'a work environment in which 'unwelcome and sexually charged comments' were made A Florida restaurant has been ordered to pay damages to a female worker who was told to 'dress sexy' and be 'date-ready' for work. Christinis Ristorante Italiano has settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and agreed to pay $80,000. The case was taken on behalf of a former employee, who local media reports named as as Jameslyn Marcisz. In a statement, the EEOC accused restaurant owner Chris Christakos, also known as Chris Christini, of creating and encouraging 'a work environment in which unwelcome and sexually charged comments' were made towards Marcisz. The married mother-of-two was asked to go on dates, described to restaurant patrons as single and available to date them. It also states that she was subjected to sexual innuendo, was told to dress "sexy" and "date-ready." The culture that persisted in the restaurant allowed for the repeated propositioning of the female bartender, the EEOC said. Marcisz was employed at the restaurant, which is located on Orlando's Restaurant Row, from August 2015 to March 2017. The Orlando Sentinel reported that she was also 'trapped behind the bar against her will.' When she complained about the harassment, Marcisz said that she was fired thereafter by Christini and told to 'get the f**k out of [his] restaurant,' the newspaper reported. A lawyer for Christinis said in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel that the restaurant still denies the allegations. A lawyer for Christinis, located on Orlando's Restaurant Row, said that the restaurant still denies the allegations and that it 'does not tolerate sexual harassment' The statement claimed that the restaurant 'does not tolerate sexual harassment in the restaurant and does not retaliate against any employees, including those who report harassment.' 'Although Christinis has strong defenses to the claims, the matter was resolved to avoid further cost of litigation,' said the statement from attorney Alison K. Thomas. 'This resolution is in no way an admission of liability by Christinis.' Christini and his employees will be required to undergo mandatory anti-harassment training as part of the settlement. The restaurant must also provide a written anti-harassment policy to its employees that must also include discussion of how social media could also be a place of workplace harassment. Christini and his employees at the restaurant will be required to undergo mandatory anti-harassment training To ensure that Christini's complies with its obligations, it must submit to a confidential, anonymous workplace climate survey to be provided to the EEOC. Christini's was also ordered to provide a positive written job reference for the bartender. Robert E. Weisberg, regional attorney for the EEOC's Miami District said: 'Consistent with the Commission's long-time commitment to eradicating sexual discrimination in the workplace, the EEOC will continue to file lawsuits to remedy sexual harassment and to ensure that employees are not retaliated against for complaining about it.' Michael Farrell, director of the EEOC's Miami District, added: 'Federal law is abundantly clear that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. 'Employers who ignore anti-discrimination laws should be on notice that they do so at their own peril.' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is denying any violation in campaign finance law after a conservative watchdog group filed a complaint charging that her top aide funneled $1 million in contributions from a PAC he controlled to his own companies. 'There is no violation,' the first-term lawmaker told Fox News as she arrived in Washington, D.C. for a day when votes in the House are scheduled. She also denied that the Federal Election complaint, filed against her and her chief of staff, connected her to 'dark money' in her campaign. 'No, no,' she responded. Ocasio-Cortez responded after the National Legal and Policy Center's Government Integrity Project filed an FEC complaint saying her top aide shifted the funds in what it argued could have been a bid to avoid disclosure. The aide, chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti, set up the Brand New Congress PAC as a way to collect contributions to boost new members of Congress. Rep. Alexanadria Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti set up the Brand New Congress PAC as a way to collect contributions to boost new members of Congress PACs face disclosure requirements beyond what a company would be required to reveal about how funds get spent. Chakrabarti tweeted about the unusual arrangement in response to media reports Monday. 'We were doing something totally new, which meant a new setup. So, we were transparent about it from the start,' he said. Conservative watchdog group National Legal and Policy Center, which previously had researchers investigating longtime New York Rep. Charles Rangel a senior lawmaker like the one Ocasio-Cortez knocked off in a primary in her Queens district named both Ocasio-Cortez and her top aide in the complaint. A watchdog group claims in a new Federal Elections Commission complaint that the top aide to AOC funneled $1 million in contributions from a PAC he controlled to his own companies Chakrabarti's campaigns raised $3.3 million and diverted more than $1 million to his companies, the Washington Examiner reported. He helped found both Brand New Congress PAC and Justice Democrats, with the goal of bringing new and progressive members like Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described Democratic socialist, to Congress. After starting Brand New Congress, he formed a Delaware-based LLC, Brand New Campaign LLC. Shifting the funds avoided detailed disclosure requirements of itemized expenses. 'None of that makes any sense,' former FEC lawyer Adav Noti of the Campaign Legal Center told the publication. 'I can't even begin to disentangle that. They're either confused or they're trying to conceal something.' Chakrabarti's campaigns raised $3.3 million and diverted more than $1 million to his companies, the Washington Examiner reported Brand New Congress congratulated AOC after she was elected to in November 2018 Ocasio-Cortez responded to the Washington Times Monday saying: 'He's not on my payroll. They were not working for me and they are two separate entities here.' She added: 'This is the difference between an LLC and a PAC.' Ocasio-Cortez's campaign also paid the LLC for 'strategic consulting.' Justice Democrats responded to questions about the arrangement in a May 2018 post titled: 'When I look at the FEC report for Justice Democrats in 2017, why are there so many expenditures to 'Brand New Congress'? The statement says organizers, including Chakrabarti, concluded 'this PAC would be necessary to do the work of policy development and candidate recruiting. So we created Brand New Congress as a PAC. But actually running the campaigns -- meaning doing direct work for campaigns -- is not something a PAC can do for a candidate for free.' For that reason, they set up an LLC that served as the vehicle to pay staff and bill campaigns for services. The goal was 'to essentially run the full campaigns' and act as a vendor. Chakrabarti, 33, is a Harvard-educated tech millionaire. The complaint argues that the arrangement was illegal and skirted a $5,000 PAC contribution requirement. As Mardi Gras celebrations fill the streets of New Orleans, one scientist has proposed making the festival more eco-friendly by replacing plastic beads with ones made from algae. Louisiana State University Department of Biological Sciences Professor Naohiro Kato has patent applications pending for the process of making biodegradable beads from the aquatic organisms. 'I believe we can change and do better. We have great resources to make our Mardi Gras celebrations more sustainable and to protect our environment and health,' Kato said in a statement. Mardi Gras beads, thrown into the crowds by parading krewes on Fat Tuesday, add tens of thousands of pounds of plastic waste into the environment every year. Members of the Krewe Of Saint Anne march down Royal Street Mardi Gras Day on Tuesday in New Orleans. A scientist has a proposal to make the festival more eco-friendly Louisiana State University Department of Biological Sciences Professor Naohiro Kato poses with examples of his biodegradable beads and doubloons made from algae Kato stumbled across his biodegradable alternative accidentally, after one of his lab assistants botched his assignment. 'My student was supposed to come into the lab three nights in a row to move our test tube samples of algae from the centrifuge to the freezer, but one night he forgot,' Kato said. The next morning, Kato found a large glob of algae in the centrifuge accumulating oils, one of the ingredients used for bioplastic production. After experimentation, Kato found that a gallon of microalgae culture could produce a few biodegradable beads. The scientist's biggest hurdle is the high cost of his eco-friendly bead alternative. Algae cultures grown in LSU biologist Naohiro Kato's lab. Microscopic algae, or microalgae, can be used to make nutraceuticals and biodegradable Mardi Gras beads These biodegradable Mardi Gras beads and doubloons developed by Kato could help prevent tens of thousands of pounds of plastic from entering the environment every Mardi Gras Kato estimates that it will cost about $40,000 to produce the first batch of 3,000 biodegradable bead necklaces, or about $13 per necklace. That is about ten times the cost of traditional plastic beads. Kato claims a second batch could be produced for $1 or less per necklace, and has been raising money from grants and angel investors. Meanwhile, Kato hopes another market for his algae products could offset the costs of making biodegradable beads. From the diatoms he has grown, Kato has been able to extract an antioxidant called fucoxanthin, which is highly sought in the nutritional supplement industry. Every year, beads add tens of thousands of pounds to the environment after Mardi Gras. Seen above is debris left behind at Mardi Gras last year Kato claims that he can sell about one pound of the powered form of fucoxanthin for roughly $50,000. The by-product after extracting fucoxanthin includes other proteins from the algae that would be used to make the biodegradable beads. Kato said he is in discussion with a nutraceutical company and awaiting a contract in order to begin production of biodegradable Mardi Gras beads. LSU Professor in Composites and Engineered Wood Products Qinglin Wu is also working on developing a variation of beads made with wood fiber, which also could be used to make Mardi Gras throws more environmentally friendly. Tashan Gallagher, 31, attacked a six-month-old baby girl and a two-year-old boy before sharing footage of the abuse with a US-based paedophile network A baby rapist who posted child abuse images onto the internet to join a sick paedophile group has been caged for 15 years after being recognised in the films because of his trainers. Tashan Gallagher, 31, attacked a six-month-old baby girl and sexually assaulted a two-year-old baby boy, posting the horrific footage on the encrypted social media app Telegram. Sentencing Gallagher to 15 years imprisonment at Bolton Crown Court, Judge Timothy Stead said the 'breach of trust had been in the vilest possible manner'. The judge added: 'Choosing words to describe the nature of this vile offending are wholly inadequate'. Gallagher was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and was made to sign the sex offenders register for life In 2017 Gallagher filmed his attacks on the children four times and uploaded them to Telegram. He did so because he wanted to join a private paedophile discussion group which had a condition new members must post brand new abuse images. In October last year American intelligence services shared information with the National Crime Agency. The intelligence related to video files being shared on Dropbox and Gallagher was arrested within 24 hours. Officers searched his house and found the pair of Nike Air Max trainers he wore in one of the abuse videos and the mobile phone he used to record and upload the footage. Further research of social media showed Gallagher wearing the training shoes. During his interview in custody, Gallagher said he had been looking at indecent images of children online for around two-and-a-half years. He denied having a sexual interest in children and said he did it because he got gratification from engaging with other men who did. Bolton Crown Court heard Gallagher admitted one charge of rape, four counts of sexual assault, five charges of making indecent photographs and two counts of distributing an indecent image of a child and two counts of possession of indecent images Detectives were able to track down Gallagher because he was wearing a distinctive pair of Nike Air running shoes, file photograph Graham Ellis, who was in charge of the investigation said: 'Tashan Gallagher has been convicted of some truly incomprehensible, horrific crimes. 'His escalation of offending is very frightening; going from viewing abuse images to sexually abusing children, recording it and posting it online so he could join a private group. 'These forums incite offenders to increase their offending and are at the epicentre of online child sexual abuse. 'Gallagher represents where law enforcement needs to be, targeting the highest risk, most dangerous offenders using covert and specialist capabilities as required. 'The NCA will continue to work with our partners, at home and abroad, to ensure those who abuse children are brought to justice'. Gallagher, of Leigh, Greater Manchester, admitted one charge of rape, four counts of sexual assault, five charges of making indecent photographs, two counts of distributing an indecent image of a child and two counts of possession of indecent images. Two Mississippi girls, aged 12 and 14, stabbed and shot to death their own mother in self-defense, according to a defense lawyer for the teenager. Ericka Hall was found lying drenched in blood by the family's mobile home in Magnolia in January. She had been stabbed multiple times and shot once in the chest with a small-caliber handgun inside the home before staggering outside. Ericka's daughter, fourteen-year-old Amariyona Hall, is now being held on adult murder charges. Her 12-year-old sister is charged as a juvenile. A defense lawyer has suggested the two girls killed their mother in self-defense and that sheriff's deputies may have questioned them improperly. Lawyer Greg Malta spoke Tuesday following a preliminary hearing for the 14-year-old. Ericka Hall, left, was found dead by the family's mobile home in Magnolia in January. Daughter Amariyona Hall, right, was arrested and charged with murder as an adult A judge found enough evidence to send the case to a grand jury, but lowered the teenager's bail to $100,000. She remains jailed for now. An investigator says the girls confessed to planning the killing in advance. Hall's sister found her shot and stabbed outside her house near Magnolia. Relatives say Ericka Hall called deputies days earlier after one of her daughters tried to run over her with a vehicle. The day she died she had been stabbed multiple times and shot once in the chest with a small-caliber handgun inside the home before staggering outside. 'She was stabbed in the back. The knife was still in her back,' Robin Coney, the victim's aunt, told WLBT. Hall is pictured with her one-year-old daughter in a Facebook photo. Her eldest daughter is 16 Family members say Hall was stabbed in the back and shot with her own gun inside the home (above) before she staggered outside and collapsed by her car Coney said Hall got in an argument with the two girls on Friday night. And deputies heard that the girls had also tried to run her over with the family car earlier in the week, The Enterprise Journal reported. Under Mississippi law, children 13 and older accused of certain crimes are automatically charged as adults. Judges can later transfer cases to youth court. Hall, who worked poultry producer Sanderson Farms, also had two other daughters, aged 16 and one. NRL legend Mark Geyer found his daughter in tears after she was falsely accused of being in a sex tape with players. Geyer, 51, has hired lawyers after rumours spread that Montanna, 22, appeared in an explicit video allegedly filmed by Panthers player Tyrone May. May has been charged with filming without consent over the video which shows a man having sex with a woman and putting his hand around her throat. Penrith Panthers legend Mark Geyer has vowed to take down Facebook trolls who falsely claimed his daughter (pictured together) was involved in a sex tape Geyer, 51, has hired lawyers after false claims spread that Montanna (pictured), 22, was the woman in an explicit video allegedly filmed by Panthers player Tyrone May Geyer, who played for the Panthers in two spells in the late 1980s and late 90s, said he found out about the false rumours while at home with his daughter on Monday. 'She had 1,000 friend requests on Instagram because they think it's her in the sex tape,' Geyer told the Daily Telegraph. 'She came down hysterical. I asked her what's wrong and she showed me.' Geyer then went on the NRL memes page and demanded to speak to the administrator in a furious comment. 'Can someone tell me where/who runs this page, and where they operate (sic) of??? NOW!!,' Geyer wrote. He later deleted the comment but said in a statement he has hired lawyers to clear his daughter's name. 'These f***ers who live in anonymity have gotten away with too much for too long,' Geyer said of internet trolls. Daily Mail Australia has contacted NRL Memes for comment. On Tuesday May (pictured), 22, was arrested and charged with filming and sharing sex tapes with two women without their knowledge Penrith Panthers legend Mark Geyer has has sought legal advice over false allegations made on social media that his daughter (pictured together) was involved in a sex tape Geyer on Tuesday released a statement through Triple M confirming he had consulted with lawyers. 'I have today engaged Brydens Lawyers to act on behalf of my daughter, Montanna, for the purpose of taking action against those who have published false and defamatory material which has caused incredible distress for my family,' he said. 'On the advice of the solicitors, I do not propose to make any further comment.' On Tuesday May, 22, was arrested and charged with filming and sharing sex tapes with two women without their knowledge. New South Wales Police say they were told the sex itself was consensual, but they were unaware they were being filmed. May was charged with two counts of recording intimate image without consent, and two counts of disseminate image without consent. He was granted conditional bail and will reappear in court in May. It comes a day after he was seen in the comment section of a Facebook page (pictured) which claimed his daughter Montanna was involved Harrowing new details have emerged concerning the final months in the life of a 14-year-old Georgia girl who was found buried in her family's yard last year, including allegations that she was starved and kept in a dog cage. Mary Crocker's father, Elwyn Crocker Sr, his wife, brother-in-law, mother-in-law and mother-in-laws boyfriend last month were charged with felony murder stemming from the girl's death, as well as cruelty to children. During a hearing in Effingham County Superior Court on Tuesday, a detective testified that the 14-year-old Mary was kept in a cage that was positioned in the kitchen of her family's double wide trailer outside Savannah. A Georgia investigator said in court Tuesday Mary Crocker, 14, (left) was kept in a cage and starved before her death in October 2018. Her body was found buried alongside the corpse of her brother, Elwyn Jr, 16 (right), in December The deceased siblings' 11-year-old special-needs half-brother (pictured with the family, bottom right), has been placed in foster care Police acting on a tip found Mary and Elwyn interred in muddy soil on their family's property in Guyton, Georgia (pictured) As a result of her prolonged confinement, the girl's gaunt body contorted to fit the small enclosure until her joints became swollen, reported WSB-TV. Sheriff's investigator Abby Brown told the court that all five family members charged in Mary's death took part in abusing the girl. According to Brown's testimony, the emaciated child was beaten, starved and given foul-smelling food as punishment for refusing to do house chores, failing to exercise and stealing food. Mary died back in October 2018, but her body was not found until December, when police acting on an anonymous tip went to the family's property in Guyton and discovered the 14-year-old's body buried in a muddy soil in the backyard. On Tuesday, bond was denied for Mary's biological father, Elwyn Crocker Sr (left), and his brother-in-law, Mark Wright (right) Elwyn Sr allegedly told authorities it was his wife, Candice Crocker (pictured), who directed him to abuse his daughter Candice's mother, Kim Wright (left), and the mother's boyfriend, Roy Prater (right), remained jailed without bond on Tuesday Also unearthed during the search was the corpse of Mary's older brother, Elwyn Crocker Jr, 14, who hadn't been seen since November 2016. Authorities said the deceased boy was also apparently abused, but so far, none of the relatives has been charged in connection to his death. The Crockers' youngest child, an 11-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, has been placed in foster care in the wake of his father and stepmother's arrests, as Savannah Morning News reported. Tuesday's hearing ended with two of the five suspects, Crocker Sr, 50, and his brother-in-law, 31-year-old Mark Wright, being denied bond and having their cases turned over to a grand jury, according to a WSAV report. According to investigators, Crocker Sr has admitted to abusing his daughter, but claimed that he was acting on the orders of his wife, Candice, and her mother, Kim Wright. Meanwhile, Mark Wrights attorney said the man maintains his innocence. Candice Crocker, 33, Kim Wright, 50, and Kim's boyfriend, Roy Prater, 55, remained jailed without bond on Tuesday. Both Mary and Elwyn Jr were last enrolled at schools in the county during their sixth-grade year. Mary last attended school during the 2017-2018 year, whereas her borther last attended in 2014 before being withdrawn. It's believed that a number of reports of potential abuse towards the children had previously been filed to the Georgia Department of Family and Children services. The Crockers (left) and their three relatives allegedly beat Mary (pictured as a child on Santa's lap), gave her foul-smelling food and abused her as punishment for failing to do chores and stealing food Local police previously said they were familiar with the family's troubled past. In 2012 and 2013, Elwyn Sr and Candice Crocker took mandatory counseling and parenting classes with Georgia Child Services following allegations Jr had been abused. According to counsellors, Crocker seemed an 'apathetic father', telling them the state only required him to 'feed, clothe and give shelter' to his children - nothing more. Elwyn Jr had also allegedly been beaten by his step-uncle, Mark Wright, in June 2012. Wright was later found to have backhanded the child after a Goodwill worker spotted a bruise on Jr's face and called police. A classmate and neighbor of the would-be 16-year-old also told school counselors how she'd witnessed Jr's step-grandmother, Kim Wright, whip him for more than an hour with a belt. It's unknown whether the boy was alive when the allegation was made in March 2017. The White House punched back at congressional Democrats in the latest exchange over oversight, refusing a request for administration documents about the internal battle over Jared Kushner's security clearance. White House lawyers blasted 'unprecedented and extraordinarily intrusive demands' in the congressional request for information, and called the area of deciding who gets a clearance one of the administration's 'prerogatives.' House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings of Maryland has begun probing the issuance of White House security clearances, and ramped up his requests following a New York Times report that President Trump intervened on behalf of son-in-law Jared Kushner's clearances. The White House is digging in after the House Oversight and Reform Committee sought documents relating to security clearances Counsel to the president Pat Cipollone denied an initial request for documents stating flatly that deciding security clearances is among the Executive Branch's 'constitutional prerogatives.' 'Although we are prepared to continue negotiations in good faith, the Committee seeks unilateral concessions without any offer of accommodation on its part, and then complains that the White House has refused to simply turn over everything the Committee inappropriately seeks,' Cippoene vented in his letter, dated March 4. 'These actions suggest that the Committee is not interested in proper oversight, but rather seeks information that it knows cannot be provided consistent with applicable law,' he said going after the panel's motivations in another escalation. SUPPORT AT THE TOP: The New York Times reported the CIA and other agency officials had recommended Kushner not get the high level clearance, but Trump ordered his chief of staff to make it happen anyway Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, blasted the White House for failing to turn over requested documents 'We will not concede the Executive's constitutional prerogatives or allow the Committee to jeopardize the individual privacy rights of current and former Executive Branch employees,' he said. He also pushed back on Cummings's legal citations, saying his committee 'has failed to point to any authority establishing a legitimate legislative purpose for the Committee's unprecedented and extraordinarily intrusive demands- including the demand to examine the entire investigative files of numerous individuals whom the President has chosen as his senior advisors. 'As I have explained in multiple previous letters, it is clearly established as a matter of law that the decision to grant or deny a security clearance is a discretionary function that belongs exclusively to the Executive Branch,' he wrote. Counsel to the president Pat Cipollone Cummings released his own statement in response to the White House's refusal to give his committee what it wants. 'The White House appears to be arguing that Congress has no authority to examine decisions by the Executive Branch that impact our national securityeven when the Presidents former National Security Advisor has pleaded guilty to lying about his contacts with foreign government officials,' Cummings said. 'There is a key difference between a president who exercises his authority under the Constitution and a president who overrules career experts and his top advisors to benefit his family members and then conceals his actions from the American people,' he continued. Cummings added: 'The White Houses argument defies the Constitutional separation of powers, decades of precedent before this Committee, and just plain common-sense. The White House security clearance system is broken, and it needs both congressional oversight and legislative reform. I will be consulting with Members of the Committee to determine our next steps. The White House letter attacked 'mischaracterizations' by the committee It cited the panel for making 'irrelevant' citations Cipollone cited the 'accommodation process' he said was required Cummings also brought up former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, who assumed his post after failing to disclose Russia contacts, and who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe. 'The White House appears to be arguing that Congress has no authority to examine decisions by the Executive Branch that impact our national securityeven when the Presidents former National Security Advisor has pleaded guilty to lying about his contacts with foreign government officials,' wrote Cummings. 'There is a key difference between a president who exercises his authority under the Constitution and a president who overrules career experts and his top advisors to benefit his family members and then conceals his actions from the American people.defies the Constitutional separation of powers,' he said. In the case of Kushner, former White House chief of staff wrote a memo that Trump 'ordered' him to overrule officials and grant Kushner's clearances. The CIA and other agency officials had recommended Kushner not get the high level clearance he was seeking, according to the New York Times report. Former White House counsel Don McGahn also wrote that he was against granting the top secret clearance. However a family friend to the McCann's has called them 'spurious allegations' He claimed it would have been difficult for an intruder to enter the apartment A family friend to Kate McCann has slammed claims made by a top superintendent that the story around her disappearance raises 'red flags'. In a podcast by 9 News, retired superintendent Peter MacLeod cast doubt on the logistics of an abductor theory and said it would have been 'difficult' for a kidnapper to have entered the Praia da Luz apartment as three-year-old Madeleine slept. However a friend of the family refuted the 'spurious allegations' and the suggestion that Madeleine's parents, from Rothley, Leicestershire, had anything to do with her kidnapping. The former police chief's comments came during any interview with Australian journalist Mark Saunokonoko. A family friend to Kate and Gerry McCann has slammed claims made by top superintendent Peter MacLeod The former police officer said it would have been 'difficult' for a kidnapper to have entered the Praia da Luz apartment in a podcast titled 'Maddie' During the podcast, titled Maddie, the retired police chief said: 'The window is only an absolutely maximum 50cm wide, in reality 46 wide, and it's already a metre off the ground. 'I had a look at that and my shoulders are wider than that little window. So although you could climb in sideways you certainly can't jump in if you are a normal sized person. 'I frankly do not think it's possible. It would be difficult enough to get yourself in. You'd have to grab hold of windows, grab hold of things. 'Then you've got to pick up a child without waking it up without waking the other two children. I do not think it can be done, or let me put it another way, I do not see how anyone could do it.' Madeleine McCann was taken from her Praia da Luz, Portugal, apartment in May of 2007 The toddler had been sleeping in the apartment with her siblings as her parents dined in a nearby tapas bar The police officer's claims will form part of a podcast that draws from experts in the field and those who were directly involved in the case in 2007. However a friend to the McCann family told the Sun Online: 'Spurious allegations discussing what might have and might not have happened that night have been made umpteen times. 'Anybody can do a podcast, it doesnt mean its right, and one spouting off about what they did and subsequently said is something quite frankly they will ignore. What would he know?' Following their daughter's disappearance in May of 2007, parents Kate and Gerry McCann, who had been dining in a nearby tapas restaurant as their children slept at their apartment, were questioned by the Portuguese authorities. However they were soon found to be innocent and have since continued their long battle in trying to find their missing daughter, vowing to never give up hope in finding her. The new podcast comes as Scotland Yard ask the Home Office for another year of funding in the search for Madeleine McCann. More than 11million has so far been spent on trying to find Madeleine in Operation Grange. In a statement last year the Home Office had said: 'We have received and are considering a request from the Metropolitan Police Service to extend funding for Operation Grange until the end of March 2019. 'The Home Office maintains an ongoing dialogue with the MPS regarding.' The podcast can be heard here: https://omny.fm/shows/maddie A mayor believed she was the victim of a hate crime after finding a 'sticky, yellow substance' on her car which later turned out to be pollen. Police investigated the claims made by Lamar Mayor Darnell Byrd McPherson, who reported that someone sprayed her 2017 Symphony Silver Hyundai Elantra Sport with a residue outside their home on February 7. The Mayor of the South Carolina town also claimed her husbands soft-top 1998 Buick Roadmaster had been sprayed with a substance which 'got in all of the grooves' of the gray sedan. Newsweek reported that McPherson had returned to her home and claimed her husband "went out to the car to get some things out of the garage. He says, "Somebody's painted your car!."' Lamar Mayor Darnell Byrd McPherson believed she was the victim of a hate crime after discovering a yellow, sticky substance on the hood of her car McPherson asked police to investigate after a sticky substance was found on her car. An incident report later concluded that the material was pollen It was a 'grainy substance' like industrial spray foam used to patch concrete and 'looked like little pebbles', McPherson said. In a statement to WPDE-TV before police investigated the incident, the mayor said: 'During the 70s, crosses were burned in the yard of our home when my mother was involved with the civil rights movement. 'Again, we are grateful the person or persons did not try to take our lives but the culprits will be identified and prosecuted. 'Love conquers hate and my husband and I refuse to be intimidated by those who perpetrated this act of vandalism which I classify as an act of hatred.' However an incident report obtained by Newsweek claimed the Mayor and her husband streaked a finger over the tarnished parts surfacing the car. She told the magazine that the couple 'realized it was not paint and that the substance could be removed with a finger; similar to pollen.' She also claimed that there were no words or symbols drawn on the cars. 'To me that was the message,' she said. McPherson believed someone sprayed her 2017 Symphony Silver Hyundai Elantra Sport with a residue and did the same to her husband's car outside their home The cars were parked in the street near the end of the couple's driveway, a block and a half from Lamars downtown. McPherson claimed that there was no possible motives for a person or people targeting her. 'I have a good reputation,' she told the magazine. 'I have never been subjected to something like this. 'It was something; it was just unnerving to me.' Darlington County Sheriffs Office Lieutenant Robby Kilgo explained that an investigation was opened to determine what the substance was on both cars. Mayor Darnell Byrd McPherson claimed her and her husband's car was targeted 'We found it to be pollen,' Kilgo explained in an interview with Newsweek. 'There was no reason for us to collect a sample. The report that was taken included details of an examination by two sheriff's officials (a sergeant and a deputy) 'immediately came to the conclusion that the substance had a yellowish tint to it and that it's a type of powder similar to pollen.' Kilgo explained that once the mayor was convinced she had been attacked, the local agency referred the matter to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division or SLED. 'Due the suspicion from her of it being a hate crime, we couldnt say no,' he said. The report added that the mayor also had "a possible suspect in mind at the time" of the incident. A SLED spokeswoman informed Newsweek that a decision was made against launching a probe. 'We reviewed the incident report, but we did not open a formal investigation,' she said. Floyd Russell Galloway Jr, 32, was charged with first-degree murder Monday in Michigan A convicted sex offender has been charged with the murder of a woman who is presumed dead after disappearing in 2016. On Monday, Floyd Russell Galloway Jr, 32, was charged with first-degree murder of 28-year-old Danielle Stislicki in Southfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Stislicki was last seen leaving her job at MetLife on December 2, 2016. Her body has never been found. She failed to meet a friend as planned later that night, and her Jeep was found the following day at her apartment complex. Her purse was inside the vehicle, with all of her credit cards. Galloway has long been a suspect in the case, and was a security guard at the office complex where Stislicki worked. Danielle Stislicki, 28, was last seen leaving her job at MetLife in Southfield, Michigan on December 2, 2016. Her body has never been found The day after she disappeared, Stislicki's Jeep Renegade (above) was found parked outside of her apartment complex, with her purse and all her credit cards inside In 2017, police seized a mattress from Galloway's home as evidence after he was arrested in a separate sex attack on a jogger in a nearby park. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the murder charge against Galloway at a press conference on Tuesday. 'This young woman had everything to live for,' said Nessel, according to WXYZ-TV. 'Her disappearance more than two years ago has left a hole in her family and they deserve justice. The Farmington Hills Police Department has gone to extraordinary lengths to uncover every piece of evidence available. That evidence is compelling,' Nessel said. Stislicki was described by friends and family as an outgoing woman who was a friend to all Stislicki's family welcomed the news, and thanked investigators and prosecutors for not giving up on the case. 'We are very grateful that the Attorney General's office is taking charge of Danielle's case,' said the Stislicki family in statement. 'Moving forward with the evidence that has been gathered, we feel our daughter Danielle Ann Stislicki will receive the justice she deserves,' the statement added. Police now know that two months before Stislicki disappeared, Galloway tried to kidnap and rape a female jogger at a park in nearby Livonia. Galloway was convicted of abducting another woman in Hines Park (pictured) in Livonia Galloway was arrested for that abduction in July 2017, when police also named him as a person of interest in Stislicki's disappearance and presumed death. He eventually pleaded guilty in the jogger case, but police continued to build evidence connecting him to the Stislicki case. Galloway is currently serving 18 to 35 years in prison for kidnapping, assault and attempted rape. Prison records show he is assigned to the Alger Correctional Facility on the Upper Peninsula. Galloway is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday in 47th District Court in Farmington Hills. Gardai have recovered the decapitated head of an 800-year-old mummy that was stolen from a church in Dublin. The head of The Crusader was taken from a crypt in St Michan's Church last month. The crime was discovered when a guide went to open the church for visitors. Gardai have recovered the skull of an 800-year-old crusader which was stolen from the crypt of a Dublin church last month. Officers received a tip off which will allow the skull to be returned to St Michan's Church Thieves stole the head of an 800-year-old crusader from a church in Dublin The head of 'The Crusader' was removed from a crypt in St Michan's Church (pictured) The vault was badly damaged and several of the mummies, including the 400-year-old remains of a nun, had been desecrated. The Crusader's body was turned over and his head removed. Officers from Bridewell garda station said they recovered the head of The Crusader on Tuesday and another skull that had been taken over the weekend of February 24. A garda spokesman said: 'The items were recovered as a result of information that came into the possession of the investigating gardai. 'The National Museum of Ireland are acting in an advisory capacity. 'An Garda Siochana would like to thank the public for their assistance in the investigation, which remains ongoing.' The Archbishop of Dublin Michael Jackson had described his outrage at the incident last month. 'I am shocked that someone would target this ancient burial place and desecrate the remains of those lying within it,' he said. 'Not only have these individuals desecrated the sacred crypt but they have destroyed these historic mummies which have been preserved in St Michan's for hundreds of years.' The Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson, expressed sadness and outrage at the incident. 'I am shocked that someone would target this ancient burial place and desecrate the remains of those lying within it,' he said. 'Not only have these individuals desecrated the sacred crypt but they have destroyed these historic mummies which have been preserved in St Michan's for hundreds of years. The unnamed body is believed to be that of a man who fought in the Crusades - religious wars sanctioned by the Church in the medieval era. Because of his impressive height, the Crusader's legs were broken and folded to fit his remains inside a coffin in the St Michan's crypt. The church - founded in 1095 - is a popular tourist attraction in the Irish capital and the vaults receive about 28,000 visitors a year. According to local lore, during a visit to the vault author Bram Stoker found inspiration for his gothic vampire horror 'Dracula'. A solid steel internal gate was taken during the raid and there are fears the remains will disintegrate in the open air since conditions in the crypt keep them preserved. Archdeacon David Pierpoint said he has been left 'upset and disappointed' that the church has been targeted again after the crypt was vandalised in 1996. Ministers were warned yesterday they face a watered-down Brexit if the Prime Minister's deal is blocked in the Commons. Chief Whip Julian Smith told the Cabinet that MPs will take the opportunity to seize control and push the UK into a permanent customs union. Theresa May has repeatedly warned that such an arrangement would prevent Britain from striking trade deals around the world. Chief Whip Julian Smith said the PM could be forced against her will into a softer Brexit if Tory rebels fail to get behind her Withdrawal Agreement next week But Mr Smith said the PM could be forced against her will into a softer Brexit if Tory rebels fail to get behind her Withdrawal Agreement next week. According to a Cabinet source, he warned ministers: 'If the vote does not go through next week that means delay and a customs union. 'Parliament will try to force the Government into a customs union by taking control of the order paper and having indicative votes. So the choice is the Prime Minister's deal or a customs union.' MPs have been promised a second 'meaningful vote' on the Brexit deal on Tuesday or earlier. If Mrs May's deal is not passed, there will be a vote on leaving the EU without a deal on Wednesday, with a further ballot on whether to delay Brexit beyond the scheduled date of March 29 the following day. A senior minister yesterday warned that even if the Withdrawal Agreement is passed next week, a delay to Brexit is now 'inevitable' because there will not be enough time to pass all the legislation required. The politician warned the EU could potentially demand the 39billion divorce bill is paid upfront as a condition for agreeing an extension. The minister added: 'It's inevitable there would have to be a technical extension of a couple of months. A month probably wouldn't be enough to get the legislation through. That is accepted in government, there is no way around it.' Such an extension, which would need to be agreed by all 27 remaining member states, could involve EU countries 'attaching conditions' on issues such as the status of Gibraltar, or demanding a lump sum of cash in return. Theresa May has repeatedly warned that such an arrangement would prevent Britain from striking trade deals around the world The Cabinet source added: 'They could ask for the whole 39billion upfront for the transition period. 'Imagine how that would go down in the Tory Party. If the ERG [the European Research Group of Eurosceptic MPs] don't vote for this deal, they risk it all slipping away.' Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and attorney-general Geoffrey Cox held talks in Brussels yesterday in a renewed effort to secure changes to the Northern Ireland backstop ahead of next week's vote. Several Tory Eurosceptics who helped deliver a crushing defeat to Mrs May's deal in January have signalled they will support it. But the DUP's Brexit spokesman, Sammy Wilson, yesterday claimed it was 'wishful thinking' that it would pass second time round. He told TalkRadio he believed it was 'very unlikely' that Mr Barclay and Mr Cox 'will come back with anything that will satisfy Parliament'. Whitehall sources yesterday said changes to the deal may not be agreed with Brussels until next Monday, the eve of the expected vote. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested Mrs May is considering granting Tory MPs a free vote on a No Deal Brexit next week in an apparent bid to avert mass ministerial resignations. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Mrs May was weighing up the move, even though it could lead to criticism that she is too weak to impose a collective policy on such a crucial issue. Babies who are fed formula and solids in the first four months are twice as likely to become obese as a child, research shows. New Western Sydney University (WSU) research has revealed the first few months of life are crucial when it comes to reducing the risk of childhood obesity later on. WSU Transitional Health Research Institute lead researcher Haider Mannan told The Daily Telegraph the first four months should be off limits when it comes to formula. New Western Sydney University research has revealed the first few months of life are crucial when it comes to reducing the risk of childhood obesity later on (stock image) 'We recommend continued exclusive breastfeeding for four to six months and not over six months as it may result in mothers exclusively breastfeeding, for example, for nine months which is not recommended based on latest research,' Dr Mannan said. Dr Mannan said in order to complete the study, the team of researchers collected data from 346 infants over a 10-year period. He said the data showed introducing baby formula was commonplace in parts of southwest Sydney, which has the highest rates of childhood obesity in Australia. Dr Mannan said about 82 per cent of mothers included in the study reported giving their babies either formula or solids within the first four months. World Health Organisation guidelines recommends exclusive breastfeeding for a child's first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. 'Thereafter, they (babies) should be given nutritious complementary foods and continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond,' the organisation's website states. New research shows introducing baby formula is commonplace in parts of southwest Sydney, which has the highest rates of childhood obesity in Australia (stock image) The Australian Department of Health states on their website breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from type 1 diabetes and have better cognitive development. Jessica Nash, 34, from Connells Point in southern Sydney, said she chose to breastfeed her baby Marlowe for practicality and convenience. 'You're aware of all the recommendations but for me it was more a case of that's what works,' Ms Nash told the publication. Ms Nash said given she has another child to care for, breastfeeding makes life easier, but now that Marlowe is six month's old she is going to start her on solids based on her pediatricians advice. 'She's showing all the signs of being ready,' she said. One of the deans at Rider University in New Jersey has resigned after the campus banned Chic-Fil-A from opening on its private campus due to its perceived 'opposition to the the LGBTQ+ community.' College of Business dean Cynthia Newman resigned on February 14 after requesting the school apologize for disparaging language used about the corporate values of the restaurant, and the school failing to do so. Dan Cathy, the Chief Operating Officer of the family-owned fast food restaurant, came under fire in 2012 for saying the chain did not support marriage equality for non-heterosexual people because the company believed in 'the biblical definition of the family unit.' The private university removed Chic-Fil-A as an option despite it being highly favored among the 5,400 person private school student body. Scroll down for video New Jersey's Rider University College of Business dean Cynthia Newman (left) has resigned over the school's refusal to apologize over language pertaining to Chic-Fil-A's 'corporate values.' In 2012, Dan Cathy (right), the Chief Operating Officer of the family-owned fast food restaurant, said the chain did not support marriage equality for non-heterosexual people because the company believed in 'the biblical definition of the family unit' In an initial statement, Rider University said in November, 'Chick-fil-A was removed as one of the options based on the company's record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ+ community.' Newman told Campus Reform, which a media organization run by conservative training group The Leadership Institute, that the school added that Chic-Fil-A 'wasn't going to be considered because their corporate values had not progressed enough to be in line with Rider's values.' Newman said, 'I felt like I had been punched in the stomach when I read that statement.' She added: 'I'm a very committed Christian and Chick-fil-A's values - their corporate purpose statement is to glorify God and to be faithful stewards of all that's entrusted to them and to have a positive influence on everyone who comes into contact with them - and I would say that that mirrors my personal beliefs perfectly. And so I really felt it very personally.' The school did not issue an apology after banning the fast food restaurant for, according to Newman, having 'corporate values [that] had not progressed enough to be in line with Rider's values' Newman said, 'I felt like I had been punched in the stomach when I read that statement.' She added: 'I'm a very committed Christian and Chick-fil-A's values - their corporate purpose statement is to glorify God and to be faithful stewards of all that's entrusted to them and to have a positive influence on everyone who comes into contact with them - and I would say that that mirrors my personal beliefs perfectly. And so I really felt it very personally.' A file photo of a Chic-Fil-A restaurant is shown Newman said she spoke with leadership at the university and asked them to take back the language that she found offensive, but when the university failed to do so, she had no choice but to resign. 'I asked directly if they would please issue an apology for the offense in the statement that they made to the campus community,' she said. In a second statement, Newman said there was no apology from the school, but there was a list of talking points 'to reaffirm the university's commitment to inclusion, the university's commitment to being an open place where all people are welcome.' 'I couldn't in good conscience adhere to those,' Newman said. 'To say that we should respond by saying the university seeks to produce individuals that are responsible citizens, for example, well the implication is that people who adhere to values that are similar to Chic-Fil-A's are not responsible citizens.' 'No one group's opinions, values, beliefs, should be elevated over anyone's else's,' she added. 'We should be able to respectfully disagree...we shouldn't be putting down one person's values because they don't align with our personal values.' 'No one group's opinions, values, beliefs, should be elevated over anyone's else's... We should be able to respectfully disagree...we shouldn't be putting down one person's values because they don't align with our personal values,' Newman (pictured) told Campus Reform, which is a media organization run by conservative training group The Leadership Institute When Chic-Fil-A's legal team initially learned of the ban, they responded with the following statement: 'Rider Universitys survey was recently brought to our attention, and while we respect the Universitys decision, this news story represents a good opportunity to clarify misperceptions about our brand,' the company's representatives said. 'Chick-fil-A is a restaurant company focused on food, service and hospitality, and our restaurants and licensed locations on college campuses welcome everyone. We have no policy of discrimination against any group, and we do not have a political or social agenda. 'More than 120,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs represent the Chick-fil-A brand.' The restaurant has remained closed on Sundays since its inception in 1946 to allow for founder Truett Cathy and his employees to 'set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose - a practice we uphold today,' according to the company website. Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday that he will not run for president in 2020, ending a political guessing game that had the potential to upend the Democratic field and make the White House sweat. The 77-year-old former New York City mayor, one of the richest men in the world, announced his decision not to join the crowded Democratic field in a Bloomberg News editorial on Tuesday. But his aides have said in recent weeks that he is prepared to spend as much as $500 million about 1 per cent of his estimated $50 billion fortune to make sure Donald Trump is a one-term president. Bloomberg flirted with a presidential run before, but as an independent. He re-registered as a Democrat last fall after six years as a Republicans and 11 as an independent. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday that he won't run for president next year, ending a political guessing game whose outcome could have shaped the race President Trump said last year that Bloomberg would be 'easy' to beat and he hoped he got in the race Bloomberg spent recent months courting primary voters as a political centrist. But as an older white man with strong ties to Wall Street, he likely would have struggled to win over the Democratic Party's energized liberal base that's increasingly embracing diversity. The New Yorker spent in excess of $100 million on his last mayoral election and boosted Democrats with more than $110 million in spending during the 2018 midterms. Bloomberg is expected to play a similarly active role in the 2020 election from the outside. His team has been preparing a massive data-driven effort to help defeat President Donald Trump. But his name won't appear on the ballot. Instead, he said Tuesday that he will launch a 'grassroots effort' to move America 'as quickly as possible away from oil and gas and toward a 100 percent clean energy economy.' Bloomberg's 'Beyond Carbon' project, he said, is more pragmatic than congressional liberals' 'Green New Deal.' 'At the heart of Beyond Carbon is the conviction that, as the science has made clear, every year matters,' he wrote. 'The idea of a Green New Deal first suggested by the columnist Tom Friedman more than a decade ago stands no chance of passage in the Senate over the next two years. But Mother Nature does not wait on our political calendar, and neither can we.' The United Nations appointed Bloomber its first special envoy for cities and climate change in 2014, asking him to work with city governments worldwide to combat global warming. He has ripped Trump as a 'climate denier' for pulling the United States out of the Paris Agreement. The president said last year that he wanted to see Bloomberg enter the race as a Democrat, predicting that the rest of the field would 'eat him up.' Bloomberg changed his party registration in October, switching from independent back to Democrat. He was a life-long Democrat until 2001 when he ran as a Republican during his first mayoral election. Bloomberg left the GOP behind in 2007 to become an independent, serving three terms as New York's mayor. Bloomberg is already assembling a sophisticated data effort to help Democrats in 2020 'I think he'd be so easy,' Trump said then. 'You know, you have a lot of people running. I'm hearing names that are shockingly bad.' Bloomberg wrote Tuesday that Trump 'is a threat to our country' and declared that he could beat Trump in a head-to-head contest, but ultimately decided not to try. He also criticized Republicans in Congress for 'failing to fulfill their constitutional duty to hold the president accountable.' 'Its essential that we nominate a Democrat who will be in the strongest position to defeat Donald Trump and bring our country back together,' he added. '[E]very day when I read the news, I grow more frustrated by the incompetence in the Oval Office,' Bloomberg wrote. 'I know we can do better as a country. And I believe I would defeat Donald Trump in a general election. But I am clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination in such a crowded field.' It's unclear which Democratic horse Bloomberg is inclined to back, but he has been openly critical of California Sen. Kamala Harris. Bloomberg has slammed Kamala Harris's support for 'Green New Deal' legislation, saying it would bankrupt the United States He said in January that the 'Medicare For All' proposal she backs, a plan to abolish private health insurance in favor of a government-run system, would bankrupt the United States. 'You could never afford that. Youre talking about trillions of dollars,' Bloomberg told reporters in New Hampshire, where the first Demorcatic primary election will be held next year. 'I think you can have "Medicare for all" for people that are uncovered, but to replace the entire private system where companies provide health care for their employees would bankrupt us for a very long time,' he warned. The billionaire has also come down hard on Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO who is toying with a presidential run as an independent. Third-party White House campaigns tend to peel votes away from major-party candidates, splitting the support from one side in a way that benefits the other. 'Given the strong pull of partisanship and the realities of the electoral college system, there is no way an independent can win,' Bloomberg said in January. 'In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the President. That's a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can't afford to run it now,' he added. Grammar school student Yousef Makki (pictured) died in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, on Saturday night A 17-year-old boy has been charged with stabbing grammar school student Yousef Makki to death in Greater Manchester. The teenage suspect is accused of killing the aspiring surgeon, also 17, in Hale Barns on Saturday night. He also faces a charge of possessing a bladed article. Another boy, also aged 17, has been charged with assisting an offender and possession of a bladed article. The two defendants remain in custody and will appear before Manchester Youth Court on Wednesday. The boys cannot be named for legal reasons. Yousef, a pupil at the private Manchester Grammar School, was found dead in the village of Hale Barns near Altrincham on Saturday night. He died in hospital after police responded to reports that the teenager had been stabbed. Yousef is thought to have received a scholarship to attend the private school, where fees are in excess of 12,000 a year. The teenager lived in Burnage with his mother Deborah, 54, and 15-year-old brother Mazen, while his father Ghaleb is thought to be Lebanese. Those with homes near the Cheshire village where he died include a string of sports stars and classical singer Russell Watson. Detective Superintendent Phil Reade, head of the Greater Manchester Police major incident team, called the case 'incredibly tragic'. 'Yousef's family has understandably been left devastated by his death and the thoughts of the entire team remain with them at this difficult time,' he said. Hale Barns is administratively in Greater Manchester but was historically considered part of Cheshire. Tributes: People walk past flowers which were laid for the teenager outside Manchester Grammar School on Tuesday Yousef (pictured), a pupil at the private Manchester Grammar School, was found dead in the village of Hale Barns on Saturday Yousef's death comes amid a renewed focus on knife crime in the UK. Theresa May was been slammed by the Police Federation chairman after claiming there was no direct correlation between the rise in knife crime and police cuts which began when she was Home Secretary. The police union boss called her 'delusional' and said she was 'steadfastly refusing to acknowledge what is plain for everyone else to see'. Speaking during a visit to Salisbury to mark a year since the Novichok attacks, Mrs May said there was 'no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers'. She went on: 'What matters is how we ensure that police are responding to these criminal acts when they take place, that people are brought to justice. 'But what also matters is, as a Government, that we look at the issues which underpin, that underlie, this use of knives and that we act on those.' The drunken antics of a British tourist has cost Australian taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. The anonymous visitor from Buckinghamshire, England, sparked a massive search early on Tuesday morning when he vanished from Sydney's Bondi Beach. His travel companions, fearful he had drowned during a skinny dipping session in the moonlit swell, called Triple-0 at about 4am. But after a swarm of police, paramedics and an ambulance helicopter scoured the beach, the tourist was found walking naked and alone on a nearby street. The British skinny dipper who drunkenly went missing from Bondi Beach (pictured) has been branded an 'idiot' The cost to send the helicopter containing a critical care paramedic and a trio of life saving crews totaled about $30,000, The Daily Telegraph reports. When he was eventually found by frantic rescue teams, the naked tourist laughed off the mishap, asking: 'What's all the fuss about? I only went skinny dipping.' The tourist, 25, had been out drinking with friends at the Coogee Bay Hotel late into Tuesday morning before they wandered to the beach. He told police he had been caught in a rip and was fortunate not to be swept out to sea, but a friend called him a 'd**khead' and said he lied to shift the blame. The cost to send out a rescue helicopter (pictured) and crews of police, ambulance and life savers reportedly cost Australian taxpayers at least $30,000 Shadow Emergency Services and Police minister Guy Zangari slammed the 25-year-old as an 'idiot'. He believes the cost of the rescue should come out of the tourist's pocket. 'The idiot put resources that could have deployed elsewhere out of action he should be made the pay the cost. That'll teach him to keep his todger in his pants.' Inspector Adam Pearce of New South Wales Police said the tourist was slowly waking up to the magnitude of his actions. He confirmed the large-scale operation cost a 'large amount of resources', but the expenditure was necessary precaution to ensure he was safe. The skinny dipper and his three friends were last seen heading back to their delux accommodation in Vaucluse. The Duchess of Sussex has entered the post-Brexit trade deal row over chlorine-washed chicken from America. Californian-born Meghan yesterday expressed her clear unease about industrial US food systems and how badly wrong the US food systems are. But she praised her father-in-law Prince Charles at the Buckingham Palace reception in his honour for championing sustainable agriculture. The Duchess of Sussex entered the post-Brexit trade deal row over chlorine-washed chicken from America by expressing her unease about industrial US food systems and how badly wrong the US food systems are Meghan, a self-confessed foodie, is expecting her first child with her husband Prince Harry next month. Last week the US government said it is seeking comprehensive market access for farm produce currently restricted by EU rules if Britain wants to secure a trade deal after Brexit. This includes hormone-fed beef, GM crops and chicken washed with chlorine and water to kill bugs. British farmers fear they could be undercut by cheap US imports and see a drastic lowering in animal welfare standards. Meghan, 37, (pictured at the fiftieth anniversary of the Investiture of the Prince of Wales) praised Prince Charles for his championing sustainable agriculture The Duchess voiced her concerns to Patrick Holden, who is the founding director of the Sustainable Food Trust and a long-time associate of the prince Meghan, 37, was speaking to Patrick Holden, who is the founding director of the Sustainable Food Trust and a long-time associate of the prince. Afterwards he said: The duchess is very well aware of how industrial US food systems have become, and the need to make a change. There was a lot of conversation about badly wrong the US food systems are, and how we need to act. Kensington Palace declined to expand on the duchesss remarks. Brussels last night sought to reassure Britain that temporary means temporary when it comes to the Irish border backstop. Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox, the UK top law officer, held late-night talks over dinner inside the EU Commission with the blocs chief negotiator Michel Barnier. He stayed overnight, although no further discussions are scheduled for today. Ahead of his arrival, Irelands foreign affairs minister, Simon Coveney, revealed that the discussions have been building on extra reassurances published late last year and were focused on ensuring the backstop can never become more than a temporary arrangement. Speaking in Dublin, he said: We want to ensure that the backstop is a temporary arrangement. We have been building on documents published in December and building on timelines. Irelands foreign affairs minister, Simon Coveney, revealed that the discussions were focused on ensuring the backstop can never become more than a temporary arrangement Were in the space of trying to provide clarity that temporary means temporary. Its too early to be optimistic. My understanding is the negotiations have been difficult. Arriving in Brussels yesterday afternoon Mr Cox was asked if he still had hope a deal which satisfies both sides could be struck. He said: There is always hope. There are reasonable conversations going on. He refused to go into further detail but added: We are having very constructive dialogue at the moment. EU sources said the UK was for the first time expected to present a formal text setting out what it is seeking at last nights meeting, with only a week left before another Commons vote on Theresa Mays deal. Mrs May has been demanding changes to the backstop - designed to prevent a hard border emerging in Ireland - which would ensure it cannot lock the UK into a customs union with the EU indefinitely. She has insisted that an end date or unilateral exit clause are possible, but Brussels has repeatedly rejected both options. Mr Cox gave legal advice late last year warning that the backstop could endure indefinitely, leading to Mrs Mays Brexit deal suffering a crushing defeat in the Commons in January. Conservative Eurosceptics are calling for a legally-binding exit mechanism that will offer a clear and unconditional route out of the backstop if trade talks fail in future. They will assess whatever Mr Cox brings back before deciding on how to vote on the PMs Brexit deal next week in the Commons. Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox, the UK top law officer, held late-night talks over dinner inside the EU Commission with the blocs chief negotiator Michel Barnier EU sources say the negotiations are focused on new legal assurances surrounding the arbitration system which will allow either side to terminate the backstop. How alternative arrangements which replace the need for the backstop could be reached have also been discussed. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, who was also present at last nights dinner, was also expected to raise concerns about the rights of British expats in the event of a No Deal Brexit. It came after he sent Mr Barnier a letter spelling out Government worries over healthcare cover for Britons abroad in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal. The Commons last week unanimously backed seeking a joint UK-EU commitment to fulfil the section of the Withdrawal Treaty securing EU citizens rights in the UK, and vice versa, whatever the outcome of talks. But Brussels rejected it the following day, insisting that it will not negotiate mini-deals while talks are ongoing. In his letter, Mr Barclay said the government had particular concerns over healthcare in relation to vulnerable citizens on the Continent and called for an agreement to ensure they are safeguarded in all scenarios. If MPs vote in favour of the Brexit deal next week, citizens rights covering issues such as healthcare and social security will be guaranteed. But in a No Deal scenario it is for each member state to announce what protections they will give in these areas. The developments came as EU Council chief Donald Tusk claimed anti-European forces meddled in the 2016 Brexit referendum to help the Leave vote get over the line. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels with the Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, he said he agreed with claims earlier made by French president Emmanuel Macron that the EU should be alert to dark external influences. Mr Tusk, a fierce Vladimir Putin critic, said: There are external anti-European forces, which are seeking - openly or secretly - to influence the democratic choices of Europeans, as was the case with Brexit and a number of election campaigns across Europe. And it may again be the case with the European elections in May. Derek Hatton (pictured in 2016) is the former deputy leader of Liverpool City Council Labour let Derek Hatton rejoin after its general secretary discussed the case with Jeremy Corbyn, it emerged last night. Jennie Formby overruled an official who urged her to block the former Militant leader's bid to rejoin Labour 34 years after he was expelled. Leaked emails showed she said she would 'discuss with LOTO' standing for Leader of the Opposition, Mr Corbyn. A panel of Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) later gave Mr Hatton provisional membership. But that was suspended after it emerged he sent a tweet blaming Jews for Israeli policy. The news came as Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge called on Lord Falconer to reject Mr Corbyn's invitation to take charge of Labour's disciplinary processes. She claimed the peer was not independent enough for the role. It was revealed last night that Mr Hatton, the ex-deputy leader of Liverpool City Council, partied with three members of Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet a week after his suspension on February 20. He posed for a photo with Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson at a fundraiser. Leaked emails showed Jennie Formby (right) would 'discuss with LOTO' standing for Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn (centre, at the Labour Party conference in Brighton in 2015) Speeches were given by Dan Carden, Labour's acting international development spokesman, Baroness Chakrabarti, the shadow Attorney-General, and Richard Burgon, the shadow Lord Chancellor. Miss Formby was alerted to Mr Hatton's application by a senior member of Labour's complaints department, the PoliticsHome website reported. Jewish group is urged not to quit Jeremy Corbyn made a last-ditch bid last night to stop a group of Jewish Labour members from splitting. The Jewish Labour Movement, which has been affiliated to the party for 99 years, meets in London tonight to ask members if they want to leave. In a letter, Mr Corbyn wrote: 'I want to express my sincere hope that the JLM will decide to continue a relationship that has been fundamental to the history of our party. Anti-Semitism is a scourge that, to my great regret, does exist within our party. 'I recognise the enormous distress caused to the Jewish community... when anti-Semitic sentiments are repeated by members of our party.' Advertisement He told her that because of the potential political backlash, she should reject it. But after being assured that Mr Hatton, a hardliner expelled in 1985 for belonging to Militant the Trotskyite group that took over Liverpool council in 1983 before Labour banned it, had done nothing to warrant a fresh expulsion, she agreed to speak to Mr Corbyn about the case. In an email to her on April 30 last year, the Labour official said: 'My strong advice would be that you... reject this membership application.' Miss Formby replied: 'I'll discuss with LOTO and get back to you.' A Labour source said she behaved appropriately, adding: 'The matter was referred to the relevant NEC committee.' Meanwhile, Dame Margaret urged Lord Falconer not to become surveillance commissioner in charge of Labour discipline. She said he was not independent, having 'bombarded' her with messages last year urging her to say sorry to Mr Corbyn for accusing him of being anti-Semitic. Lord Falconer said: 'I am shocked she thought I was trying to pressurise her into apologising for calling Jeremy Corbyn an anti-Semite. I was trying to urge the party to drop their complaint against her.' Kyle Davis, 18, smiles for a selfie outside Birmingham Magistrates' Court yesterday A suspected drug dealer with a history of carrying a blade dodged jail yesterday. Kyle Davis, 18, was given a suspended sentence despite being caught with cocaine and a knife his second weapons offence. The case, which comes amid mounting fury at the number of teenage stab victims, will fuel concerns about soft justice for knife offenders. Davis laughed as he swaggered out of Birmingham magistrates court, taking a selfie on his phone to record his glee at escaping prison. Only a few miles away three teenagers had lost their lives in 12 days of carnage that police leaders described as a national emergency. In London, two boys aged 15 one caught with a hooked knife and the other with two hidden blades were let off with youth rehabilitation orders yesterday. As campaigners condemned the lenient sentences and politicians and police chiefs squabbled over how to deal with the crisis: Home Secretary Sajid Javid demanded more money for police and wider use of stop-and-search powers during a charged Cabinet meeting; Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick rejected Theresa Mays claim that there was no link between officer numbers and crime levels; The family of girl scout Jodie Chesney, 17, who was murdered in east London, called for tougher sentences; The Lebanese aunt of public schoolboy Yousef Makki, 17, who was killed in a leafy Cheshire village, told of her disbelief at his death; Boris Johnson said thugs carrying killer knives must understand they risked time in jail; Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson offered the support of the military to help police tackle knife crime. Today, Mr Johnson savages Theresa Mays record as home secretary in an article for the Daily Mail, saying her reforms on stop and search turned out to be a very grave mistake. Jodie Chesney, 17, left, was murdered in a knife attack in East London, while public school boy Yousef Ghaleb Makki, right, was stabbed to death in Hale Barns, Cheshire, last Saturday The former Cabinet minister, who met Jodie in 2016, says thugs must be taught it is not cool to carry a knife. The Mail attended a number of magistrates and youth courts yesterday and saw a string of knife offenders escape jail. Davis was spared a custodial punishment despite sentencing guidelines dictating repeat knife offenders should face a minimum six-month sentence and a maximum of four years. He had been caught carrying a knife at school at the age of 14, for which he received a police caution. Yousef, 17, was stabbed in Hale Barns (pictured on Sunday) and died a short time later There have been 20 murders in London in 2019 so far, plus another on a London-bound train Last September the teenager from Erdington in Birmingham was stopped by officers who suspected he was dealing drugs. Davis fled but was captured with a lock knife, five bags of cannabis and three wraps of cocaine. He admitted possessing the knife and drugs and received a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years after obtaining a reference from a charity called Bringing Hope. Sean Evans, the chairman of the bench, told him: We believe you have the character to change and we want to give you that opportunity. Alison Cope, right, lost her son Joshua, left, to a stabbing in Birmingham in 2013. She was outraged that Davis received a suspended sentence after admitting carrying a blade Natasha Bournes, defending, claimed the aspiring electrical engineer was trying drugs for the first time. Davis was told to carry out 280 hours of unpaid work and 40 days of rehabilitation. He must also pay 300 in costs. After the hearing, his lawyer told the Mail: A suspended sentence can be more onerous than a custodial sentence of six months because now he is going to have this hanging over him for two years. But the sentence provoked fury from knife campaigners. Alison Cope, 45, who campaigns against knife crime after her son Joshua Ribero was stabbed to death, said: No wonder hes laughing and smiling. 'The courts are showing, yet again, that when it comes to the crunch the consequences of carrying a knife arent what the authorities are making out. Jodie was attacked near a play park in Harold Hill, East London - pictured on Sunday The Government say they are making a massive deal about knife crime. But are they really? Police and the CPS will have worked hard to get this case to court and the magistrates have just gone, Dont worry about it, off you go. The case follows the fatal stabbings of three teenagers, which led to West Midlands police and crime commissioner David Jamieson declaring a national emergency. Ministry of Justice figures show that 18 per cent of repeat knife offenders are not jailed, and a further 19 per cent escape immediate custody by getting a suspended sentence. At Highbury Corner youth court in north London yesterday a 16-year-old thug, who had previously been caught with a knife and convicted of attempted robbery, was given a year-long rehabilitation order for brandishing a Rambo knife at a man in the street. At Ealing magistrates court in west London, a 15-year-old boy caught with two blades was handed a 24-month youth rehabilitation order. The court was told the convicted thief had been groomed to sell drugs for a gang. The French army were drafted in to patrol the port of Calais and inspect vehicles as before they made their way to Britain yesterday. In an unusual show of force, soldiers with rifles were seen checking every car - including passengers' suitcases - before boarding the Eurotunnel to Folkestone. The stringent checks only worsened already long delays and traffic jams snarling up for miles caused by customs staff striking for a second day. It is understood employees are working to rule in order to show 'what will happen' when the UK is expected to leave the EU later this month. But as lorries came to a standstill outside the terminals, there were reports that migrants were attempting to take advantage of the chaos and trying to sneak aboard while they waited. The French army were drafted in to patrol the port of Calais and inspect vehicles as before they made their way to Britain yesterday (pictured) In an unusual show of force, soldiers with rifles were seen checking every car - including passengers' suitcases - before boarding the Eurotunnel to Folkestone An estimated 500 migrants remain in camps near the terminals and are said to be becoming more desperate to get across the Channel before Brexit. Last Saturday, it appeared many were resorting to new tactics when up to a hundred stormed the Calais ferry port and clambered aboard the DFDS Seaways ship as it docked. At the Eurotunnel yesterday, a passenger told how heavily-armed soldiers had walked over to every car before thoroughly searching the boot and going through people's suitcases. Drivers were held up for around 30 minutes before having to go through the same rigmarole with customs staff, he said. Eurostar played down warnings that No Deal could lead to mile-long queues at London's St Pancras International. Chief executive Mike Cooper told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a leaked Department for Transport report predicting No Deal chaos for Eurostar passengers was 'misleading.' Advertisement He added: 'I've got a season pass for the Eurotunnel and go through the Eurotunnel regularly. Normally it just takes a couple of minutes - this time it took about half an hour. 'I can see why the customs officers took ages with the work-to-rule, but why the soldiers? They were really laying it on thick. In all my time going through I've never seen that.' It is the second day of strike action at the French port as custom officers worked to rule - carrying out tighter checks on both cars and lorries heading to Britain. However, the head of the French customs insisted the country would be ready for Brexit on March 29 and there wouldn't be similarly long queues in reality. The stringent checks only worsened already long delays and traffic jams snarling up for miles caused by customs staff striking for a second day It is understood employees are working to rule in order to show 'what will happen' when the UK is expected to leave the EU later this month. Pictured: the queues on Monday But as Lorries came to a standstill outside the terminals, there were reports that migrants were attempting to take advantage of the chaos and trying to sneak aboard while they waited. Pictured: the queues on Monday Earlier this week it was claimed that migrants had been taking advantage of fewer riot police guarding the port - after being diverted to the 'yellow vest' protests elsewhere. Yesterday, Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-France Regional Council, said: 'We must not let our guard down now and security at the port needs to be reinforced.' He added: 'What we must see is that Brexit or no Brexit, gilet jaunes or no gilet jaunes, the government must maintain the same level of policing and order. 'This is just not happening. We don't want to see this escalate into another drama with confrontations. There aren't enough police out there now to stop this happening.' Gilles Debove, Calais police union spokesman, said: 'Brexit is fast approaching and, pertinently, they know that border checks will get tougher. They want to speed up their passage and get public opinion behind them. 'The situation is - we're managing it as well as you could hope given what's happened before - but at the moment its holding up. We're standing up and no longer putting up with a situation like we had before.' President Trump will travel to Alabama on Friday to view the wreckage, he announced, after a tornado ripped through the state, killing 23 people, including small children. Trump said Monday that he had directed federal emergency managers 'to give the A Plus treatment to the Great State of Alabama and the wonderful people who have been so devastated by the Tornadoes' that injured 90 people. 'It's been a tragic situation,' Trump said at a White House event on Tuesday. 'But a lot of good work is being done. I'm in constant touch with the governor and also the governor of Georgia.' President Trump will travel to Alabama on Friday to view the wreckage, he announced, after a tornado ripped through the state, killing 23 people, including small children The youngest victim was 6, the oldest 89. One extended family lost seven members. The 23 people killed in the nation's deadliest tornado in nearly six years came into focus Tuesday with the release of their names by coroner. They included 6-year-old Armando Hernandez Jr., known as 'AJ,' torn from his father's arms two days after singing in his first-grade class musical; 10-year-old Taylor Thornton, who loved horses and was visiting a friend's home when the twister struck; and Jimmy Lee Jones, 89, who perished along with his wife of six decades, Mary Louise, and one of their sons. 'Just keep those families in your prayers,' Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said, two days after the disaster. The search for victims, pets and belongings in and around the devastated rural community of Beauregard continued amid the din of beeping heavy machinery and whining chain saws. But Sheriff Jay Jones said the list of the missing had shrunk from dozens to just seven or eight. 'We've got piles of rubble that we are searching just to make sure,' said Opelika Fire Chief Byron Prather Jr. 'We don't think we'll find nobody there, but we don't want to leave any stone unturned.' Carol Dean, right, cries while embraced by Megan Anderson and her 18-month-old daughter Madilyn, as Dean sifts through the debris of the home she shared with her husband, David Wayne Dean, who died when a tornado destroyed the house in Beauregard Kayla Causey sifts through the debris on Tuesday, March 5 while helping her mother retrieve personal items after a tornado destroyed her home in Beauregard, Alabama 'He was my wedding gift,' said Dean of her husband whom she married three years ago. 'He was one in a million. He'd send me flowers to work just to let me know he loved me. He'd send me some of the biggest strawberries in the world. I'm not going to be the same' Four children were killed, ages 6, 8, 9 and 10. Prather said the mother of 6-year-old AJ rushed to the scene Sunday in distress. 'She just said her child was swept from the father's arms,' Prather said. 'A mother's love for her child. How do you tell a mom that she can't go look for her child? She went and tried to find her child, like everybody else.' Jackie Jones said she and her siblings rushed to her parents' house after the storm passed and nobody answered the phone. 'They usually answer on the first ring,' she said. The siblings found the home reduced to its foundation. One of their two brothers who lived at the house survived and was taken to a hospital. But Jimmy Lee and Mary Louise Jones, married for more than 60 years, had died along with their 53-year-old son Emmanuel. The body of David Wayne Dean, 53, was found by his son in a neighbor's yard after the twister demolished his mobile home. He was known as 'Roaddog' because of his love for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. 'He was done and gone before we got to him,' said his sobbing widow, Carol Dean, who was at work at Walmart when the storm hit. 'My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up.' The tornado was an EF4 with winds estimated at 170 mph (274 kph) and carved a path of destruction up to nine-tenths of a mile (1.4 kilometers) wide in Alabama, scraping up the earth in a phenomenon known as 'ground rowing,' the National Weather Service said. It traveled a remarkable 70 miles or so through Alabama and Georgia, where it caused more damage. Debris is scattered after a tornado blew a home off its foundation in Beauregard Ninety people were injured in the Beauregard area, authorities said. Most have been released from the hospital. President Donald Trump said he will visit Alabama on Friday to see the damage. 'It's been a tragic situation, but a lot of good work is being done,' he said at the White House. Along the two-lane country road where some of the victims died, firefighters used heavy machinery to overturn pieces of houses that were blown into a gulley. A car sat atop the remains of one house. A red-brick foundation was all that was left at another lot. The search took its toll around Beauregard, an unincorporated area of roughly 10,000 people near the Georgia line. Church chaplain Ike Mathews walked down a road lined with broken trees and debris as he went to check on members of his congregation and emergency workers. 'Yesterday I talked to some team members who had found bodies. They're hurting. The community is torn up. They started crying talking about it,' said Mathews, an associate pastor at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church. Danny Allen helps recover belongings while sifting through the debris of a friend's home destroyed by a tornado in Beauregard Ashley Griggs, right, helps Joey Roush, left sift through what's left of his mother's home after it was destroyed by the tornado Danny Allen recovers a family photo while sifting through the debris of a friend's home Many of the people living in the area are senior citizens who moved to the country after retiring from textile mills or an old magnetic-tape manufacturing plant that closed years ago, Mathews said. 'They start with a mobile home and hope they can build a house someday. They invest in their homes, and they have a sense of legacy. It's something to leave their kids and grandkids,' he said. It was the deadliest tornado to hit the U.S. since May 2013, when an EF5 twister killed 24 people in Moore, Oklahoma. Government teams surveying storm damage confirmed that at least 20 tornadoes struck on Sunday in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Cindy Sanford said one of her neighbors in Beauregard died in the storm, and another neighbor remained missing Tuesday. 'I pray to God that they find her,' Sanford said as picked through remains of her home, which tumbled in the wind and is now scattered across neighbors' land. Sanford said she left home with her 5-year-old grandson about five minutes before the storm struck after she got a feeling it was unsafe. 'It was God,' she said. 'And then I heard the siren.' Lord Falconer (pictured in 2016) served as Lord Chancellor in Tony Blairs government When Lord Falconer offered himself as a self-styled witchfinder general to oversee Labours handling of anti-Semitism cases, the party leadership finally seemed to be getting a grip of the issue. One of the biggest beasts in the Labour jungle, Falconer served as Lord Chancellor in Tony Blairs government. As a young lawyer he shared a flat with Blair, who remains a close friend, and he has pledged that Labours discredited complaints procedure will be bathed in light if he becomes the partys anti-Semitism Tsar. But even before hes taken the job discussions are still under way as to the likely resources available and what it would entail his proposed appointment has degenerated into a shambles which has yet again called into question Jeremy Corbyns leadership and integrity. The senior Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, who has endured horrific abuse about her Jewish heritage from hard-Left Corbyn supporters, yesterday denounced Falconer and any role he might play in curbing anti-Semitism in Labours ranks. Even though Falconer was a friend of her late husband Henry, a High Court judge, Hodge claimed the former Lord Chancellor had bullied her and even asked her to apologise to Corbyn after she had accused the Labour leader to his face of being anti-Semitic and racist. As a young lawyer, Lord Falconer shared a flat with Tony Blair (pictured last July), who remains a close friend She went on to accuse Corbyn of deliberately misleading her when they met last week after he gave her a copper-bottomed undertaking that his office had not interfered to reduce sanctions against those accused of anti-Semitism. Either Corbyn has intentionally misled me or his staff have misled him, she asserted. The meeting last week was her first conversation with Corbyn since last summer, when she made her hard-hitting accusations against him. The Labour leadership responded by threatening her with disciplinary proceedings, but backed down after protests from her fellow MPs. Behind the scenes, Falconer, she now claims, was acting as a stooge for Corbyns office. Last summer when action was being taken by the Labour party against me, I was absolutely bombarded by telephone calls from Charlie Falconer, she explained this week. They were not about the rights and wrongs of the case. They were about trying to force me to give an apology. Charlie Falconer was an old friend of my husbands, she said, but what I cant do is allow that personal relationship to cloud my judgment as to whether or not hes the right person. If Falconer takes the anti-Semitism job within the party, Hodge and other Labour MPs have warned it will trigger a row similar to that when human rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti conducted a report into anti-Semitism for Corbyn. Shortly after the report was published in 2016 and widely condemned as a whitewash Corbyn made her a Labour peer. The Board of Deputies of British Jews was appalled by her elevation, saying it compromised the independence of her inquiry. Wes Streeting a Labour MP, added: With one Lords appointment, Corbyn has undermined the remaining credibility of his anti-Semitism inquiry. Now Hodge is just as withering about Falconer: Hes not independent, she said. We need somebody from outside the Labour Party otherwise this becomes a Chakrabarti fiasco. A chastened Falconer insisted he had been trying to help Hodge, not bully her: I was urging the Labour Party to drop the proceedings against her, he said. I was discussing whether her lawyers could agree to a form of words with Labours lawyers. I regard Margaret as a friend. I am so sorry that she thought I pressed too hard. Charles Falconer, 67, has long been chosen to smooth over difficulties in the Labour party Emollient barrister Charles Falconer, 67, has long been chosen to smooth over difficulties in the Labour party, for he is the ultimate political crony. He was a childhood friend of Tony Blair, and the two men later shared a London flat in the early days of their legal careers. His earnings as a lawyer were reputed to be around 500,000 a year, but just before the 1997 election he turned seriously to politics when he tried to become selected as Labours parliamentary candidate in Dudley East. But he was rejected by the selection panel after he refused to withdraw his four children from fee-paying schools. Even so, as soon as Labour came to power in 1997, he was made a peer by his old chum Blair and won a place in the Cabinet. Falconers real value to Blair was to use his silky skills as a lawyer and political fixer to bail him out over the Iraq War. After the conflict it emerged that Attorney General Lord Goldsmith who initially warned Blair the war could be illegal changed his mind after a secret No 10 meeting where Falconer was present. Falconer later denied any wrongdoing. Falconer also played a key role following the death of Ministry of Defence weapons expert Dr David Kelly after he was revealed as the source of reports claiming No 10 sexed up its dossier on Saddam Husseins weapons of mass destruction. Falconer was said to have helped select Lord Hutton to lead an inquiry into Dr Kellys death but the 2003 Hutton Inquiry was dismissed as a whitewash by many critics. But when Blair had gone and the political winds changed, Falconer changed with them. Along with other Blairites, he backed David Miliband for the Labour leadership in 2010. Yet, Falconer became a surprise addition to Ed Milibands shadow cabinet, advising him on how to prepare for government. And although most Blairites resigned from their frontbench posts when Corbyn became leader in 2015, Falconer served as shadow justice secretary. He lasted a year before resigning with 11 other shadow ministers in a failed coup. In the last few months, however, he has re-emerged as a Corbyn loyalist, and at one point it looked like he was going back in the shadow cabinet. So is Falconer, who is not Jewish, likely to be an independent voice if he does fill Labours anti-Semitism role? In the last few days he has professed horror that the party has not been able to show it is dealing with anti-Semitism properly. And he is certainly aware of the criticism concerning his independence. Some people might feel that I might pull some punches because Im a Labour member, he said. I understand that. People feel that the leadership may interfere in cases. Hodge is in no doubt about the interference she said emails she has seen showed a whole number of his [Corbyns] top team, not just one person, lots of them, are involved in decisions around individual complaints. She added: What they do is interfere and lower the sanctions so people arent suspended, they are just given a warning letter. What is so awful about this is that Jeremy always proclaims zero tolerance of anti-Semitism. When it comes to the actual cases, if they are his mates he doesnt demonstrate zero tolerance. Will Falconer blow with the political wind again to keep in with Corbyn or will he finally treat the very serious accusations made by his old friend Henry Hodges widow with the gravity they deserve? Its a question that could determine whether the cancer of anti-Semitism at the heart of the Labour party is ever torn out. Texas authorities say they have made an arrest in the 1986 rape and murder of an 83-year-old woman. Dovie Dykes was found dead in her San Angelo home by her niece on July 11, 1986. Investigators determined that Dykes was raped. During the assault, she suffered an irregular heartbeat, which was listed as the official cause of death by the medical examiner. For 32 years, authorities were unable to track down a suspect, but DNA evidence has led investigators to Adolfo Gonzales, 61, of Lewisville, Texas, San Angelo Live reported. Dovie Dykes, 83, was raped and murdered inside her San Angelo, Texas home in 1986 The house where Dykes died is seen in the above file photo. Police say DNA evidence has led them to a suspect Gonzales was arrested at his home on Monday. He was booked into Denton County Jail, where he is awaiting extradition to Tom Green County. Bond has been set at $500,000. Police said he has been charged with first degree felony murder. Detectives from the San Angelo Police Department are seen outside Dykes' home shortly after her death in 1986 The breakthrough came after a detective in the San Angelo Police Department used DNA evidence found at the crime scene and entered it into a national database. The sample matched that of Gonzales, who had a previous federal conviction and thus had his DNA in the database. Police said that Gonzales had previously lived across the street from Dykes at the time she was murdered. 'This case sends a loud and clear message that we will never forget the victims and their family, and we will continue to work diligently on the remaining cold cases that we have,' SAPD Chief Frank Carter said. A man has been arrested in Leicester in connection with the murder of Jodie Chesney, who was stabbed in a park in east London on Friday. The 17-year-old Explorer Scout was murdered in a random and unprovoked attack as she sat with her boyfriend and three other friends in a park in Harold Hill. The arrest came after police received a tip-off the suspects travelled to the east Midlands - nearly 115 miles away - following the brutal stabbing. The man, whose age has not been given, has been taken back to London for interview. A man has been arrested in Leicester in connection with the murder of Jodie Chesney (pictured), who was stabbed in a park in east London last week. Image undated A man arrested in Leicester is thought to have travelled more than 100 miles away from London to Leicester Police said the killer and an accomplice were spotted watching the five friends, who were socialising on Friday evening in a playground in Harold Hill. The duo left but returned at 9.30pm wearing balaclavas and one of them, described by the Metropolitan Police as a young black male, stabbed Jodie once in the back, all without saying a word. The pair then ran off in the direction of Romford Road. Friends from Havering Sixth Form College said Jodie had no enemies and suggested she could be the victim of mistaken identity. Eddie Coyle, her 18-year-old boyfriend, screamed for help as his girlfriend lay bleeding with the knife lodged in her back. She was pronounced dead an hour later. Detective Chief Superintendent Shabnam Chaudhri, who is leading the police response to the murder in the local community, said on Monday afternoon: 'We still don't have any idea (why Jodie was attacked).' She said investigators were 'focusing totally' on a witness appeal to try and track down the suspects. Police have asked anyone who may have CCTV or dash cam footage between 7pm and 11pm on March 1. Ms Chaudhri refused to speculate on whether the attack could have been some form of gang initiation. She said the Met's Violent Crime Taskforce had been deployed in the Havering area as well as on additional patrols in the boroughs of Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and Havering. A post-mortem carried out on Sunday established that the cause of Jodie's death was trauma and haemorrhage, and police released a photograph of the teenager on the same day. Jodie was a Girl Scout and school friends said students at Havering College would be wearing purple next Friday in honour of Jodie and her Barking & Dagenham scout troop colours. She posted a photograph on Instagram with fellow scouts at 10 Downing Street on Remembrance Day last year, with the caption: 'I'm basically famous now this was such a good opportunity and so much fun.' It came as two teenagers were charged over a fatal stabbing attack on Yousef Makki in Hale Barns in Trafford on Saturday night. Last night Greater Manchester Police said a 17-year-old boy had been charged with Yousef's murder. He has also been charged with possession of a bladed article. A second 17-year-old boy has been charged with assisting an offender and possession of a bladed article. The boys, neither of whom can be named due to their age, were kept in custody overnight to appear before youth court in Manchester this morning. The scene of the crime in Romford on Sunday where Jodie Chesney was knifed to death. Forensic police officers search the park as flowers and lanterns are left nearby Twenty people including Jaden Moodie, who was just 14 have been murdered in London in the first three months of 2019 The family of Ms Chesney are among those to back tougher sentences to tackle the knife crime crisis. Relative Karen Chesney appealed on Facebook for support for a petition calling for a 10-year jail term for knife possession and 25 years for using a knife. On Tuesday afternoon, the Parliament petition had been signed more than 33,000 times. A total of 100,000 signatures are required before a petition can be considered for debate by MPs. Britain's most senior police officer, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, clashed with the Prime Minister on the issue, insisting there is 'obviously' a connection between reductions in officer numbers and street violence. She also refused to rule out calling in the Army to help. Police officer numbers in England and Wales have dropped by more than 20,000 since 2010, while levels of violent crime have risen in recent years, and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the military would be 'ready to help' play a part in tackling knife crime. Ms Dick told LBC: 'If you went back in history, you would see examples of when police officer numbers have gone down and crime has not necessarily risen at the same rate and in the same way. 'But I think that what we all agree on is that, in the last few years, police officer numbers have gone down a lot, there's been a lot of other cuts in public services, there has been more demand for policing and therefore there must be something, and I have consistently said that. 'I'm basically famous now': The innocent caption Jodie Chesney posted on the day she visited 10 Downing Street months before she was brutally stabbed in the back in a park in Romford 'I agree that there is some link between violent crime on the streets obviously and police numbers, of course there is and everybody would see that.' Asked if he thought the British military could help play a part in tackling knife crime, Mr Williamson told the Press Association the armed forces and Ministry of Defence 'always stands ready to help any government department'. Mr Williamson said they have had no requests for assistance but 'would always be ready to respond'. 'As we look at all of this, obviously our thoughts and prayers are with those family and friends of those who have lost someone,' he said. 'I know that the Home Secretary is looking very closely at how he can ensure that everything is done to tackle this problem at the moment.' At a Cabinet meeting on the issue of knife crime on Tuesday, Mrs May said the killings of Jodie and Yousef last week were 'absolutely appalling' and told ministers her thoughts and sympathies were with the teenagers' families. Her official spokesman said she had tasked the Home Office with co-ordinating an urgent series of Cabinet-level ministerial meetings and engagements to accelerate the work Government is doing to support local councils and police. Mrs May said the problem would require 'a whole-of-Government effort, in conjunction with the police, the wider public sector and local communities'. Meetings will take place 'as soon as possible' and were being treated as 'a priority' by the PM, said her spokesman. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Tuesday evening: 'Since 2010, we've seen 21,000 police officers taken off our streets and 760 youth centres closed. 'We've experienced the tearing of the social fabric of our communities. 'The Prime Minister says there is no link between cuts to our police and soaring levels of violent crime. 'She needs to listen to grieving families, police chiefs across the country and her own Home Secretary, and the communities decimated by cuts. 'Young people shouldn't pay the price for austerity with their lives.' Jodie's grandmother Debbie Chesney wrote on Facebook on Monday: 'This is a nightmare as you can imagine. I just hope that they catch the boy who did it' Police figures show violent crime rose by nearly a fifth in the year to September 2018, intensifying the debate over whether the increase is linked to falling officer numbers. Chairwoman of the National Police Chiefs' Council Sara Thornton, who will attend Wednesday's meeting, and Labour former minister Vernon Coaker called for the issue to be treated as 'a national emergency'. Several MPs, including a former Home Office minister, have called for the Government to convene a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee. Home Secretary Sajid Javid will today meet police chiefs amid claims of a national knife crime emergency. Senior officers from seven of the forces most affected by violent crime - the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, South Wales, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire - will attend Wednesday's meeting. Mr Javid is reported to have demanded the Treasury for more money to tackle the issue. Fourteen Conservative Party members have been suspended after posting Islamophobic or racist comments on social media, it emerged yesterday. The remarks were found on a pro-Jacob Rees-Mogg Facebook group, including calls for Muslims to be 'turfed out of public office', for the Government to 'get rid of all mosques' and calling Muslim Home Secretary Sajid Javid a 'Trojan horse'. Theresa May was accused of 'burying her head in the sand' over 'institutional Islamophobia' in the party by former Tory chairman Baroness Warsi. Former minister Baroness Warsi criticised the Conservative Party's failure to address the issue She said yesterday that the Prime Minister had 'failed to tackle the problem head on'. The peer spoke out after council candidate Peter Lamb, who had been suspended over controversial comments about Muslims, was reinstated by his local Tory party in Harlow, Essex. Theresa May (pictured at 10 Downing Street yesterday) was accused of 'burying her head in the sand' over 'institutional Islamophobia' Mr Lamb had posted incendiary messages on Twitter in 2015 such as: 'Islam [was] like alcoholism... the first step to recovery is admit you have a problem.' He was reinstated before 2018 council elections after apologising. Baroness Warsi said: '[Mrs May] doesn't listen, she fails to acknowledge when there is a problem. 'It's probably symptomatic of the way in which her leadership has dealt with other matters.' Party sources said Mr Lamb had quit the party yesterday over the row. In response to the 14 member suspensions reported by Buzzfeed, a party spokesman said: 'This Facebook group is in no way affiliated with the Conservative Party... however, we have identified some party members and they have been immediately suspended.' Baroness Warsi warned that the party's failure to address the issue within its ranks risked damaging Conservative chances at the next election. Lady Warsi, who was the first Muslim woman to have a seat at the Cabinet table, said there was a 'deep-rooted problem' in the party and Theresa May had failed to act. Mr Lamb was due to stand in Harlow, Essex, in May's local elections despite having been disciplined in 2017. In 2015, he tweeted: 'Islam like alcoholism [sic]. The first step to recovery is admit you have a problem.' Later in the same year, he tweeted: 'Turkey buys oil from ISIS. Muslims sticking together.' He said: 'I deeply regret my remarks on social media. At no point did I intend to cause any offence to the Muslim community. I have reflected on my comments and decided that I should step down as a local election candidate and resign (from) the Conservative party with immediate effect.' The remarks were found on a pro-Jacob Rees-Mogg Facebook group A Conservative spokesman said: 'Mr. Lamb was investigated and suspended by his local association back in 2017. He has subsequently resigned from the party. 'Discrimination or abuse of any kind is wrong and will not be tolerated. 'When CCHQ have been made aware of cases we have acted swiftly and decisively, suspending or expelling those involved and launching an immediate investigation under our party's code of conduct.' But Lady Warsi dismissed claims the Tories were acting to address the problem. She told BBC Radio 4's World at One: 'We have a deep-rooted problem of anti-Muslim comments, Islamophobic comments, racist comments that have been made right from the top - from MPs through to councillors, council candidates, members, linked groups.' She said she had previously suggested an internal inquiry to deal with the issue, but added: 'I think it has now gone beyond that and we need an independent inquiry.' Lady Warsi, who was the first Muslim woman to have a seat at the Cabinet table, said there was a 'deep-rooted problem' in the party and Theresa May had failed to act. She went on: 'We cannot have a situation where a mainstream political party is sending out a message in the way it is acting that certain parts of our country, certain communities in our country, certain citizens in our country, are simply not welcome in our party and therefore are creating this environment in which, sadly, I think we will feel the impact at the next election.' Lady Warsi urged Tory chief executive and treasurer Sir Mick Davis to act, claiming Mrs May and party chairman Brandon Lewis 'have failed'. Fiyaz Mughal of Tell MAMA, which monitors Islamaphobia, said he met Mr Lewis seven months ago, and he was genuinely committed to tackling hate. 'However, I had made clear that unless affected associations were not supported, provided with training and their systems and processes of weeding out people with hateful views strengthened, then these problems would continue,' he said. 'I impressed on him that some of us within Tell MAMA would even volunteer our time on a personal basis and this was never taken up. 'This problem is not going away unless there is transparency in the process of addressing anti-Muslim hate and where an independent group of people can conduct the activities mentioned on an urgent basis.' Comments included calls for Muslims to be 'turfed out of public office', for the Government to 'get rid of all mosques' and calling Muslim Home Secretary Sajid Javid (pictured) a 'Trojan horse' Matthew McGregor, campaigns director of advocacy group Hope not Hate, said: 'The Tory's Islamophobia problem is denial heaped upon wilful blindness. Enough. Suspending a few bad apples won't cure the rot that seems to have set deep within the party's membership. 'We salute Lady Warsi for her courage in calling out the problem: it's now up to Brandon Lewis to move up a gear and launch a full independent inquiry. The problem won't be wished away or disappear until and unless that happens.' Lady Warsi has also accused Mr Javid of pandering to those on the right of the party. Lady Warsi said there was 'no doubt' Mr Javid is a leadership contender. She told BBC Two's Newsnight: 'There's no doubt he's playing to a specific kind audience and appealing to that. 'But he should read what these people are saying because however much he dog whistles, however much he panders to the right of our party, sadly the right of our party believe he's far too Muslim to be the leader of the party. 'And therefore I think it's important for us all, as colleagues, people who believe in the centre ground of politics, not to pander to this kind of politics.' Mr Javid has come under fire in recent weeks over his decision to strip Islamic State bride Shamima Begum of her British citizenship, with the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn branding it a 'very extreme manoeuvre'. A man who allegedly got into a young woman's car, hit her in the face and forced her to drive him 20km in a horrifying kidnapping was reportedly released from prison just a week before. The 47-year-old man, who has not been named, allegedly followed a woman, 26, as she walked to her car at a busy shopping centre car park in Robina on the Gold Coast on Monday afternoon. When the woman, who was on the phone to her mother, got into the driving seat, the man got into the passenger seat causing her to scream for help, police allege. The young woman (pictured in a blue forensic suit after the ordeal) who was allegedly carjacked in a Robina shopping centre car park was on the phone to her mother at the time The man (pictured after the kidnapping) allegedly hit the woman in the face to silence her and forced her to drive him north on the M1 motorway while pulling her hair and covering her mouth The man allegedly hit the woman in the face to silence her and forced her to drive him north on the M1 motorway while pulling her hair and covering her mouth. The woman's mother heard her daughter's screams over the phone and called police. A police negotiator rang the young woman's phone and spoke to the alleged kidnapper, persuading him to let the woman pull over after driving for 20km. The man fled into bushland but was later caught on mobile phone footage getting into a car which took him back to Robina. Police are trying to find out who drove him and what he said during the return journey. A man, 47, has been charged over the alleged abduction and carjacking of a young woman (pictured is her car) which ended on the M1 on Monday night The alleged kidnapper's son reportedly saw him on the news following a public appeal for help. The man's ex-wife then drove him to Mudgeeraba Police Station on Tuesday night. He had been released from prison last week, according to 9News. The 47-year-old has been charged with one count each of kidnapping, unlawful entry of a vehicle and assault. He was remanded in custody overnight to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday. The woman was not physically injured. She was pictured at the scene dressed in a forensic suit before she was taken away for DNA testing, Seven News reported. Police allege the man demanded the woman drive north on the M1 motorway Gold Coast detectives said the woman's mother helped officers save her from the alleged ordeal. 'Bluetooth has kicked in and the mother could hear the conversation and what was going on in the vehicle, so she had the foresight to call police,' Detective Inspector Brendan Smith told reporters on Tuesday. 'Police could then actually ring the victim's phone and speak to the offender, and negotiate with him to let her pull over.' The alleged kidnapper is due to face court on Wednesday. Authorities in New York have subpoenaed the insurance brokerage firm that did business with the Trump Organization, following testimony by Michael Cohen that the company 'inflated' its balance sheet. The subpoena issued by the state's Department of Financial Services seeks information on insurance broker Aon and its communications with President Trump and the Trump Organization, the New York Times reported. The investigatory move comes days after longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified in Congress that Trump routinely boosted the value of his holdings in an effort to get better deals. State regulators are seeking insurance documents following Michael Cohen's testimony that the Trump Organization inflated its worth Cohen furnished three years' worth of financial statements, including one he said was provided to Deutsche Bank as part of Trump's effort to secure financing to buy the Buffalo Bills. That document showed a jump of $4 billion in Trump's stated net worth from 2012 to 2013, while he was seeking the loan. Cohen also described an additional reason for the stated boost in assets and value of holdings. 'Another was when we were dealing later on with insurance companies we would provide them with these copies so that they would understand that the premium, which is based sometimes upon the individual's ability to pay, would be reduced,' Cohen testified. President Trump says Democrats have gone 'crazy' with their requests for documents Trump has diminished the work Cohen did for him as his longtime lawyer The nine-page subpoena went to insurance broker Aon, the New York Times reported House investigators have zeroed in on Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg At another point he stated: 'I believe these numbers are inflated,' the former fixer said of the valuations generally. According to the Times report, the subpoena ran nine pages long and was served on Monday by the New York State Department of Financial Services, which is under the direction of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The revelation comes a day after the House Judiciary fired off requests for information to 81 individuals and entities tied to Trump. Included in the group is Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, who Cohen testified helped work out the scheme where he was reimbursed for his $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump. Company executives Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump also received document requests, as did Trump's longtime assistant Rhona Graff. An Aon spokeswoman told the paper the firm wouldn't comment on company matters. If you baulk at the prices in your local coffee shop, then this brew will certainly keep you up at night. At 15 a cup, the star item at Le Cafe Alain Ducasse may seem steep, but its owners hope coffee connoisseurs will take the hit for what they claim is the 'perfect' blend. The London cafe has described the coffee as 'one of the best in the world', with notes of bergamot orange, cocoa nibs, grape, red berries and honey. Alain Ducasse poses with a cup of coffee. His London cafe has described the coffee as 'one of the best in the world' Another reason for the high price is that the beans are exported from a smallholding in war-torn Yemen through military checkpoints. The grower only produces 13 kilos a year at present. Olivier Fellous, the cafe's general manager, told the Evening Standard: 'We're offering an expensive coffee for sure and we know not everyone can afford it. 'The first reason is the taste. Chef Ducasse says it's perfect, there's nothing wrong with this coffee. The coffee has notes of bergamot orange, cocoa nibs, grape, red berries and honey 'The second is it's very challenging to bring here because it grows 2,300 metres above sea level. The owners only harvest 13 kilos a year.' The cafe, which opened in King's Cross in January, is owned by three-Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse, best known for his kitchen at Mayfair's Dorchester hotel. The 15 price tag has already divided customers. While Sarah Rotheram, 45, described the flavours as 'incredible', Jen Schlecter, 30, said: 'It is crazy. If it's made to a fair-trade agreement then great, but I would still think twice about spending 15 on a cup of coffee.' President Donald Trump fulfilled a dying man's wish on Tuesday evening by giving him an encouraging phone call. Jay Barrett, of West Haven, Connecticut, is terminally ill with cystic fibrosis and has just six months to live but was able to cross off his bucket list wish of contacting the president on Tuesday. The 44-year-old is currently in palliative care after he left a hospital last weekend. With help from his sister West Haven City Councilwoman Bridgette Hoskie, who hails herself as a '100 percent Democrat', and the internet, his bucket list reached Washington and caught the attention of the president. Jay Barrett of New Haven, Connecticut, had his bucket list wish of speaking to President Donald Trump come true on Tuesday. Barrett has cystic fibrosis and is supposed to have only six months left to live On Monday he was surprised with a phone call by Eric Trump and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regional chief Lynne Patton, and just when he thought things couldn't get better, he got a call from the man in office himself. On Tuesday Trump called Barret and in touching video of their phone conversation the president is heard telling him 'you look handsome to me'. 'Alright Jay, You look handsome to me. I just saw a picture of you,' Donald Trump says at the start of the clip which Hoskie posted on Facebook. Barrett gushes with joy and says 'Oh, you're giving me kind honors. I look like s**t.' Trump laughed and asked 'How are you doing? How is it going Jay? ... You're a champ. You're fighting it right?' 'That's what the Irish do, right?' Barrett replied. The president greeted Barrett saying: 'Alright Jay, You look handsome to me' and invited him to a rally where he'll sit front and center the next time Trump is in the New Haven area Barrett's wish came true after his sister Bridgette Hoskie (right) took to social media to raise awareness about his plea to meet the president 'Yeah that's what the Irish do, you better believe it,' Trump echoed. Barrett considered himself as an Independent for most of his life and voted for President Barack Obama in 2008 but upset with the Affordable Care Act turned red in the following election. He said he fell in love with Trump's style at the launch of his campaign and became a Republican as a result of his policies. Speaking to Trump he proclaimed his dedication to his administration. 'Mr. President, through thick and thin, you know there's been a lot of thicks, and there's been a lot of thins, I support you,' Barrett said. 'Trump responded saying: 'I wish you could come to a rally. I wish you could come. I know you like that stuff and I wish you could...It sounds like you have a great sister, Jay.' Can't believe it! Barrett took to Facebook to gush about the dream phone call where Trump said: 'You're my kind of man, Jay. ... I'm very proud of you' The day prior he received a special call from Eric Trump and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regional chief Lynne Patton Barrett pictured right with his niece. He says he plans to go to Washington D.C. soon with the hopes of meeting the president in person 'If you could pencil me in, I'll find a way to get there,' Barrett swiftly responded. Trump promised that when he hosts a rally nearby New Haven, Barrett will not just be invited, but will be honored with a spot front row and center. Barrett told the president his original bucket list goal was to come to D.C. and meet the president in person. He added that he was planning on coming to D.C. 'between now and my expiration date.' 'You're my kind of man, Jay. ... I'm very proud of you. I'll talk to you again, Jay, OK? You keep that fight going. We both fight,' Trump said. Trump said that he wrote a note to Barrett that he sent on to his sister. 'You just hang tough. We'll be talking from 10 years from now too,' Trump assured. Barrett responded saying: 'I plan on voting for you in 2020' to which the president responded, 'you better'. Home Secretary Sajid Javid, pictured outside 10 Downing Street in London yesterday Sajid Javid yesterday demanded extra money for police forces and wider use of stop and search to combat the surge in knife violence. In a major intervention at Cabinet, the Home Secretary launched an impassioned plea for millions of pounds so forces can put more officers back 'on the beat'. And he urged the Prime Minister to sign off proposed new powers to make it easier for police to stop and search those suspected of carrying blades. Sources said Mr Javid and Mrs May had a 'lively' exchange as she defended changes she made as home secretary which resulted in sharp falls in the use of stop and search. Attempting to get on the front foot over the issue after a spate of horrific crimes, Mrs May ordered an urgent set of ministerial meetings to address action against knife crime. But she was contradicted by Britain's most senior police officer over her rejection of the link between police numbers and the rise in violent crime. On Monday, Mrs May insisted there was 'was no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers'. But yesterday Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick rejected that claim. In an interview with LBC, Miss Dick said: 'In the last few years, police officer numbers have gone down a lot, there's been a lot of other cuts in public services, there has been more demand for policing. 'I agree that there is some link between violent crime on the streets obviously and police numbers, of course there is and everybody would see that.' Her comments will put huge pressure on No10 and Chancellor Philip Hammond to prioritise police funding in the coming months. Mr Javid is agitating for more money despite increases in the police precept the amount added to council tax to pay for local forces which will boost funding by nearly a billion pounds this year. That is the biggest increase in police funding since 2010. His allies hope for an immediate funding boost in Mr Hammond's Spring Statement next week, and to secure a sustained increase in this year's Spending Review, which will decide future budgets for departments. Opening Cabinet yesterday, Mrs May said the killings of teenagers Jodie Chesney and Yousef Makki at the weekend were 'absolutely appalling' and told Ministers her thoughts and sympathies were with their families. The Prime Minister has now asked the Home Office to co-ordinate an urgent series of Cabinet-level ministerial meetings in the coming days. Mrs May said the problem would require 'a whole-of-Government effort, in conjunction with the police, the wider public sector and local communities'. But Mr Javid complained that current funding levels for the police 'don't go anywhere near far enough'. He said a police presence on the streets gave confidence to communities and put off criminals. A man goes through a knife arch today that has been set up by Metropolitan Police officers on Walker's Court in London, between Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Circus Tube stations There have been sharp falls in officer numbers by more than 20,000 since 2010. Meanwhile, violent crime rose by nearly a fifth in the year to September 2018, according to police figures, and the increase in knife killings has been particularly pronounced. In the last year alone, 27 under-19s have been stabbed to death, and there have been 285 knife killings in all the highest level since the Second World War. Mr Javid also argued that officers do not feel they can use stop and search powers and need political backing to do so. But Mrs May defended her approach when she was home secretary, arguing her reforms stopped the police carrying out illegal searches. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told LBC, Miss Dick admitted there is 'some link between violent crime on the streets obviously and police numbers' Last night officers were seen using a metal-detecting arch in Soho, London, in a bid to catch anyone carrying a concealed weapon. Miss Dick also yesterday refused to rule out calling in the Army to help restore order to the streets of London, although she said she found it 'hard to imagine' she would want to do so. 'I think we all need to work together on this and if there are things that the military would offer for us then of course I would think about it, not to carry out policing functions but other supplementary functions,' the Scotland Yard Commissioner said. Last night Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the armed forces 'always stand ready to help any Government department' but that his department had not had any requests for assistance. 'Obviously our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those who have lost someone,' he said. The Prime Minister said the killings of teenagers Jodie Chesney (left) and Yousef Makki (right) at the weekend were 'absolutely appalling' 'I know that the Home Secretary is looking very closely at how he can ensure that everything is done to tackle this problem at the moment.' Treasury sources said there had been no formal requests for more money from the Home Office. Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan accused the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary of crying 'crocodile tears' over knife crime. Mr Javid will meet police chiefs today to discuss knife crime. Among those attending will be senior officers from seven forces most affected by violent crime the Met, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, South Wales, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. Chris Watts' four-year-old daughter walked in on him trying to dispose of his wife Shanann's body, and told her 'mommy's sick', according to a lawyer for the family. Steven Lambert, the lawyer for Shanann's mother, appeared on The Dr Phil Show to share the information. Lambert said on Tuesday that Shanann's husband Chris Watts killed his wife and their unborn child after admitting he was having an affair with another woman. He said when his daughter Bella, four, walked in after the murder, he said: 'mommy is sick and we need to take her to hospital to make her better'. Watts later smothered daughter Celeste, three, and Bella according to Lambert. Scroll down for videos Breaking it down: Dr Phil (above on his show Tuesday) spoke with the attorney for Shanann Watts' family on Tuesday, who shared information about the deaths of Shanann, Celeste and Bella Watts Family unit: Steven Lambert said that Watts strangled Shanann after revealing he had an affair, smothered Celeste with her favorite blanket and killed Bella last (l to r: Shanann, Bella and Celeste) Watts agreed to a plea deal that speared him the death penalty but put him behind bars for three life sentences. But authorities do not believe he has ever given a truthful account of what happened that night. He was interviewed again about the deaths by agents from the FBI and CBI as well as a member of the Frederick Police Department last month. And on the Dr Phil Show, Lambert claims that the girls may have been alive when Watts way driving to dump the bodies. This is despite the fact that Watts' vehicle was captured by a neighbor's surveillance camera on the morning of the murders, and there is no sign of the children. Final resting place: 'He walks over and takes Cece's favorite blanket and smothers her. At that point, Bella says: "Please, daddy, do not do to me what you just did to Cece,"' said Lambert (Celeste, Bella and Shanann's grave above) 'The night in question Shanann came home. She and Chris had got into a fight. They made up. They were getting along really well,' said Lambert. 'Later on, they got into a fight again. In that fight he essentially confessed to having an affair, that he wanted a divorce. That it was pretty much over between them, and she had said something to the effect of, "well you're not going to see the kids again."' Lambert then added: 'As a consequence of that conversation he strangled her to death.' He also says that Bella witnessed the aftermath of the killing, as Watts was wrapping her mother's body in a blanket. He says: 'She's four... she was quite smart and knew something was up. What he said was 'mommy is sick and we need to take her to hospital to make her better'.' Lambert suggested that Celeste and Bella were not murdered until they arrived at the site where authorities eventually found their bodies. 'He walks over and takes Cece's favorite blanket and smothers her to death. 'At that point, Bella says: "Please, daddy, do not do to me what you just did to Cece,"' said Lambert. He added: 'And then he killed Bella.' 'Personally, I think the worst for those girls - it's a 45 minute drive, if he did load them onto the floorboards, like we have been led to believe,' said Lambert. 'Obviously the question becomes how much were Bella and Cece aware of what might have been happening in those 45 minutes on that drive to where their bodies were placed?' DailyMail.com attempted to see if the CBI or FBI might be able to confirm any of these claims, but neither agency responded to request for comment. Watts spoke with agents from the FBI and CBI as well as a member of the Frederick Police Department on February 18, though what exactly was said during that meeting has not yet been shared with the public. But Shanann's parents, the Rzuceks, have been briefed on what Watts said. The details will be released on March 7, and now many are speculating as to what it could mean for the case and if it might bring some closure following the tragic deaths of Shanann, Bella and Celeste. The interview was conducted at the Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, where Watts was transferred back in December. Behind bars: The details of that interview will be released on March 7 along with audio from the meeting Caught: Watts told authorities that he murdered Shanann after watching her strangle their daughters Bella and Celeste in a fit of rage (Watts watching himself load the bodies into his truck on a neighbor's surveillance camera) Recovery: He then dumped the bodies of Celeste and Bella into oil tanks and buried Shanann in a shallow grave (officials removing the bodies of Celeste and Bella) It is unclear however if he is still there, or if he may have leveraged his interview with authorities to be moved to another facility. Authorities do not believe that Watts ever gave a factual account of what happened the night of the murders. He only confessed to murdering his wife Shanann, claiming he did this in an act of rage after she murdered their two young daughters. Watts had claimed he saw the couple's daughter Bella dead in her bed and Shanann in the process of strangling Celeste on the baby monitor. Local police and the FBI did not believe that, and ultimately charged the father with three counts of first-degree murder after deliberation, two counts of first-degree murder of a child under the age of 12 and by a person in a position of trust, three counts of tampering with a deceased human body and one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy. James Cook was an 18th century explorer and captain of the Royal Navy. He was born on 27 October 1728 in a small village near Middlesbrough in Yorkshire. Cook joined the British merchant navy as a teenager and enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1755. He fought in the Seven Years' War in North America between 1756 1763, where he mapped the waters during conflict. The explorer mapped much of the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec, which brought him to the attention of the Royal Society. From there he was commissioned in 1766 as commander of HM Bark Endeavour for the first of three Pacific voyages. It was on these trips that he made detailed maps of the Pacific, New Zealand and Australia after becoming the first European to explore them. Cook's discoveries radically changed western perceptions of world geography. Hull has been named as the flood capital of Britain for the second year running. An average of 7.5 per cent of properties in the East Yorkshire city have flooded previously, according to analysis of 1.25million home insurance quotes from 2018. It is followed by Carlisle, Cumbria, at 3.5 per cent and Lancaster, Lancashire at 2.7 per cent. The report on the most flood-prone locations, published by MoneySupermarket, found that 0.7 per cent of homes in Britain, on average, have flooded previously. Hull in East Yorkshire is named as the flood capital of Britain for the second year running The figures come after the latest bout of extreme weather hit the country this week, with Storm Freya seeing winds reaching 80mph. And flood alerts have been put in place in Cornwall and Devon, with authorities warning that 'interruption to power supplies and other services' is possible, along with flooding of some homes. Also in the top 10 places in Britain are Gloucester and Llandudno in Wales, with 2.7 per cent and 1.9 per cent homes hit respectively. With the exception of Hull and Llandudno, the top 10 locations all saw an increase in the percentage of homes that had flooded previously between 2017 and 2018. This can be attributed partly to last year's 'Beast from the East', which brought 21cm of snow, compared to only 8cm in February 2017, according to the analysis. When that melted floods ensured. It found that the least-likely areas of the country to flood was Crewe, Cheshire, with only 0.1 per cent of homes affected by water damage previously. An average of 7.5% of houses in Hull have flooded previously (pictured North Cave, near Hull) With the exception of Hull and Llandudno in Wales, the top 10 locations all saw an increase in the percentage of homes that had flooded previously between 2017 and 2018 With home insurance increasing by 18.5 per cent following a flood claim, many people fail to take basic precautions to maintain and protect their home. The research found that only 34 per cent of people are aware that by failing to insulate their plumbing, they may not be entitled to a full payout in the event of water damage. At the same time, people do not realise that failing to turn off the water taps, not clearing excess snow and ice from guttering and drains, and failing to maximise loft and wall insulation - at 29 per cent, 26 per cent and 17 per cent respectively - can be taken into considering by insurers in the event of a claim. Tom Flack, of MoneySupermarket, said: 'Our data shows that home insurance premiums jump by almost a fifth after a claim, meaning that the extreme weather forecast for this week could end up costing people a lot of money. 'As well as taking basic steps to protect and maintain your home against the elements, if you do live in an area prone to flooding, it's important to consider what you can do to minimise the risk of damage to your possessions. 'Claims can also impact your insurance in the long term, as it is likely insurers will increase premiums in proven high risk areas. 'So taking precautions to avoid a claim will not only help keep a lid on your premium, but should also give you cheaper options next time you shop around to renew your policy.' (ANSA) - Brussels, March 5 - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday hailed Italy for its involvement in the alliance's missions while at the same time calling for an increase in the country's defence spending. "I praise Italy and Spain for their contributions to the missions, but they must spend more," Stoltenberg said ahead of the publication of his annual report on March 14. He said that Italy has "started to move in the right direction" with regards to the target of devoting 2% of GDP to defence spending but added that "there is still a long way to go". Life gets more enjoyable as time goes on, say scientists who found that older people report greater levels of happiness than their younger counterparts. A study on emotional perception found that, as we get older, we stop noticing when people around us are angry - a feature also found in children. We also get better at picking up on when someone is happy, making the world a more pleasant place in our experience than it may actually be. Middle aged people are the least happy, experts found, reporting higher levels of fear and anger. The study is one of the largest of its kind to examine how people detect changes in social cues and how our emotions intensify or diminish as we get older. Scroll down for video Older people report greater happiness levels leading researchers to believe that life gets more pleasant as time goes on, according to scientists. A study on emotion perception suggests that we stop noticing when people are around us are angry as we get older (stock image) Researchers from Harvard University quizzed 10,000 British people ranging from 10 to 85 using an online test. Experts looked at how participants of different ages perceived anger, fear and happiness. Participants were shown images of faces, presented in pairs, and were asked 'Which face is more angry?,' 'Which face is more happy?,' or 'Which face is more fearful?' Professor Laura Germine, from Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, told The Times: 'We perceive anger and fear less and less, and happiness just as much [as we age]. So, over time, people may just view everything more positively.' The results showed that we have several distinct phases of life. During childhood, the ability to perceive emotions rises, with our reaction to anger strongest during adolescence. Sensitivity to negative emotions like anger become heightened during early to mid-adolescence. Professor Germine added: 'Think of being 13 and how awful it is. Thirteen-year-olds can be really mean to each other'. How we perceived all three emotions reached a peak at around the age of 30. After that, our ability to distinguish fine changes between fear and anger diminish. Experts looked at how participants of different ages perceived anger, fear and happiness. During childhood, the ability to perceive emotions rises, with our reaction to anger strongest when we're teenagers because we are gaining the ability to detect changes in social disapproval It was found that while our sensitivity to negative emotions decline, our perception of positive emotions do not. 'It's well established that there is an age-related decline in the ability to decode emotion cues, in general, but here we see very little decline in the ability to detect differences in happiness,' said Professor Germine. She said that it is not clear why this might be. It could be because of declining cognition, or even declining vision. Neither explanation fits with what happens to happiness perception, however, which appears to become stronger. The study says that the results show that humans view social situations more positively as we grow older, because we are better at ignoring angry people. 'What's remarkable is that we see declines in many visual perceptual abilities as we get older, but here we did not see such declines in the perception of happiness,' Professor Germine said. 'These findings fit well with other research showing that older adults tend to have more positive emotions and a positive outlook.' The full findings of the research were published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. China has created a purpose-built facility in the country's arid desert to mimic the landscape and living conditions on Mars - and it's opening it up to tourists. The country's space agency, CNSA, hopes to open it to research organisations and adventure-seekers to complete challenging tasks that astronauts on Mars will face. Up to 60 people can be housed in the facility, built from containers and designed to resemble Martian accommodation, but no prices have yet been announced. It cost approximately 17 million ($22.3 million) to build and is found in the city of Mang'ai in the arid Qaidam Basin - believed to be the one of the closest analogues to the Martian surface on Earth. Chinese officials told state-run media that the development will help in its goal to send a probe to the planet next year. Scroll down for video Up to 60 people can be housed in the establishment (pictured) which is built from containers and designed to resemble Martian accommodation. It cost approximately 17 million to build and is found in the city of Mang'ai in the arid Qaidam Basin Chinese officials told state-run media that the development will help in its goal to send a probe to the red planet next year Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, told a congregation of people at the opening of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), that the space agency is now focusing on Mars. According to the Global Times, Mr Wu said: 'Over the past 60 years, we've made a lot of achievements, but there is still a large distance from the world space powers. We must speed up our pace. 'Next year, we will launch a Mars probe, which will orbit around the Mars, land on it and probe it.' China successfully achieved a world first when it placed the lander and rover Chang'e-4 and Yutu-2 on the far side of the moon at the start of this year. It is also hoping to return to the lunar surface next year and bring samples back from the moon to the surface of Earth. This will make it only the third nation - after the US and Russia - to accomplish such a feat. The facility is in the city of Mang'ai in the arid Qaidam Basin, believed to be the one of the closest analogue to the Martian surface on Earth The 574,039 square feet (53,330 square metre) facility was built to tap into the growing interest in China's space exploration following its enormous success with the Chang'e-4 mission China's space agency, CNSA, hopes to open the Mars Camp to both research organisations and adventure-seeking tourists who want to learn more about our celestial neighbour China successfully achieved a world first when it placed the lander and rover Chang'e-4 (pictured) and Yutu-2 on the far side of the moon at the start of this year Yutu-2 (pictured) is performing scientific experiments on the moon and CNSA says it hopes send another probe there next year which will bring samples of the surface back to Earth The 574,039 square feet (53,330 square meter) facility was built to tap into the growing interest in China's space exploration following its enormous success with the Chang'e-4 mission. Mang'ai and the Qaidam Basin in western China is a brutal environment which replicates, to some degree, the conditions on Mars. However, it fails to mimic some of the red planet's most extreme conditions. Jiao Weixin, a space science professor at Peking University, said it is 'extremely difficult to simulate Mars due to its special natural features and hostile environment -- low air pressure, strong radiation and frequent sandstorms, as well as vast differences in geography.' Scientists plan to unpick the mysteries of the ocean by creating a detailed map of Earth's sea floor to scour the abyss for hidden mountains, craters and shipwrecks. Scientists leading the $3billion 'Seabed 2030' project say just nine per cent of the world's sea beds have been mapped in high definition currently. That means we know more about the surface of other planet's than we do the depths of our own world. Scroll down for video The majority of Earth's surface is covered with water (71 per cent) but less than one fifth (around 18 per cent) of the ocean floor has been mapped at all. Half of this used high-resolution imagery. Seabed 2030 is hoping to fix this lack of data by the end of 2030. The location of underwater mountains (pictured) would then be reliably known 'If you go to the deep water, to the deep sea, right up in the centre of the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, you actually could miss entire mountains,' team member Geoffroy Lamarche told ABC. In 2005, a US nuclear submarine, the USS San Francisco, collided with an undetected underwater hill near Guam at full speed at a depth of about 500 feet (160 metres). It injured 98 crew members and one died from injuries sustained in the crash. The front of the submarine was so badly damaged it struggled to complete the ascent. The majority of Earth's surface is covered with water (71 per cent) but less than one fifth (around 18 per cent) of the ocean floor has been mapped at all. Half of this used high-resolution imagery. The UN-backed project is urging countries and companies to pool data to create a map of the entire ocean floor which will be freely accessible to all. 'We obviously need a lot of cooperation from different parties - individuals as well as private companies,' said Mao Hasebe, project coordinator at the Nippon Foundation, a Japanese philanthropic organisation supporting the initiative. 'We think it's ambitious, but we don't think it's impossible,' Ms Hasebe said. The project launched in 2017 and is expected to cost about 2.3 billion ($3 billion). So far, the biggest data contributors to Seabed 2030 have been companies - in particular Dutch energy prospector Fugro and deep-sea mapping firm Ocean Infinity. Both were involved in the search for the Malaysian airliner MH370, which disappeared in 2014. Scientists leading the ambitious 'Seabed 2030' project say it could reveal the presence of hidden mountains (pictured), trenches and even wreckage of ships and planes In 2005, a US nuclear submarine, the USS San Francisco (pictured), collided with an undetected underwater hill at full speed at a depth of about 500 feet (160 metres). The front of the submarine was so badly damaged it struggled to complete the ascent High-tech multibeam echosounders transmit a fan of acoustic beams from a ship, which ping back depending on the depth and topography of the ocean floor. That creates data points, which can be converted into a map. 'With advanced sonar technology it really is like seeing. I think we've come out of the era of being the blind man with the stick,' said Robert Larter, a marine geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey. 'We can survey much more efficiently - and, not only that, but in much greater detail,' he said, adding that the work was painstaking. 'The ocean's a big place!' he said. Some parts of the oceans - the east coast of the United States, areas around Japan, New Zealand and Ireland - are relatively well mapped, experts said. Others, including the West African coast or that off the Caribbean, remain largely blank. Oral-B has built a smart toothbrush that hopes to use artificial intelligence to improve the hygiene of its users. The brush connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone app and uses artificial intelligence and a combination of sensors to know where you are brushing and how to improve your technique. Dubbed the Genius X, it can provide customers with precise data as to which teeth are being neglected and when you are pushing down too hard. Prototypes were unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and pricing has yet to be announced. Scroll down for video Dubbed the Genius X (pictured), it can provide customers with precise data as to which teeth are being neglected and when you are pushing down too hard and what regions of the mouth have been missed It was featured at the technology showcase alongside a range of developments in 5G and foldable phones. MailOnline got the opportunity to get hands on with the device and its accompanying app. The gyroscopes and accelerometers inside the toothbrush allow it to detect subtle changes in the toothbrushes location. 'Every patient is unique, that is why we are looking for solutions that adapt to the individual. Oral-B gives patients an excellent and personalised brushing experience, without having to change the way they brush to achieve their best oral health result. 'This makes it a real breakthrough', says Professor Ralf Rossler from the University for Digital Technologies in Dentistry and Medicine in Luxembourg. Its predecessor, the Genius, required a mount to be fitted to the mirror and needed the user to record their motions. This clunky approach has now been replace with a more streamlined and easier to use option which means the phone need not even be in the same room. Oral-B's app allows for a the user to keep track of their brushing habits, scores their hygiene and even allows users to win awards thoughts in-built gameification. Many attempts to gameify tedious daily chores have fallen short of the mark - either in appeal, aesthetics or through software limitations. MailOnline had the opportunity to trial it, however, and found it smooth and intuitive - likely a draw for the customers who will be buying the expensive bit of dental kit. MailOnline got the opportunity to get hands on with the device and its accompanying app. The gyroscopes and accelerometers inside the toothbrush allow it to detect subtle changes in the toothbrushes location and where has been missed or brushed too firmly (pictured) At its MWC booth in Barcelona Oral-B revealed a concept smart mirror (pictured) which, it emphasised, is not a prototype or a vision of its future. However, it does offer an intriguing glimpse into what pursing this technology could offer No pricing has been released ahead of a global roll-out later this year but the original Genius retailed in excess of 200 ($260). Despite the hefty cost that comes with the smart brushes, the market for ever more complex appliances remains rich. Oral-B revealed more than six million of the Genius toothbrushes have been sold and says it plans to continue creating ever more intelligent brushes. The firm has been involved in a bevy of research which found oral care is directly linked to the well-being of the person as a whole. It is hoping to expand on this in future and be able to track and measure their saliva for telltale markers of physical health. At its MWC booth in Barcelona Oral-B revealed a concept smart mirror which, it emphasised, is not a prototype or a vision of its future. However, it does offer an intriguing glimpse into what pursing this technology could offer. It poses the possibility that biometric scans, doctors information and saliva analysis may one day be rolled into one interactive tool to improve our general health. The world's oldest-known tattoo kit has been discovered and it includes tools made from human bones, scientists have confirmed. Multi-pronged tattoo combs that look similar to some modern tattoo artists' tools were found in Tonga, in the Southern Pacific Ocean. The kit dates back 2,700 years and pushes the dawn of human tattooing to the start of the Polynesian culture. It could help answer the question of whether tattooing was imported from other cultures, or was native to Oceania. The world's oldest-known tattooist's kit has tools (pictured) made from human bones, scientists have confirmed. The kit has been confirmed to be 2,700 years old by carbon dating. It is the first time that tattoo tools have been 'minutely' examined by a research project The archaeological finds were made on Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga, in 1963. The current research, headed by Griffith University in Australia, was the first to 'minutely' study and date the kit using radiocarbon techniques. All four of the tattooing tools are made from bone two from a large seabird and two from large mammals. Professor Geoffrey Clark, from The Australian National University (ANU) School of Culture, History & Language, who worked on the project, said: 'As there were no other mammals of that size on the island at the time, and human bone is known to be a preferred material for making tattooing combs, we believe they are most likely made from human bone.' Dr Michelle Langley, from Griffith's Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, worked with Professor Clark, added: 'The discovery of early tattooing implements is exceptionally rare. 'So, to find an entire kit is phenomenal. We very rarely find a whole kit of any type of tools in the archaeological record. 'These artefacts show that the modern tattooist toolkit - one-piece narrow combs, haft, mallet, carbon pigment, mortar, pestle, and ink-holding vessel - were in use 2700 years ago in West Polynesia. 'The kit most likely belonged to one tattoo artist. One tool was broken and it looks like it was being repaired, so perhaps the kit was accidentally left behind or was too broken to bother salvaging. Perhaps the tattooist was given a new set. 'The actual tool itself the comb shape and the way it's used hasn't changed much, and that's why this find is so interesting. These ancient tools continue to be used today.' Polynesia is a an area in Oceania, which is made up of than a thousand islands found throughout the central and southern Pacific Ocean. Fragments of the bone kit were zoomed in and analysed by scientists. Experts say the kit is thought to have belonged to one tattoo artist. One tool was broken and has signs of repair The ink pot originally discovered with the tools in 1963, is now missing, but would have made the find the oldest complete tattooing kit to be discovered anywhere in the world. The entire toolkit was initially feared to have been destroyed during the 2003 Canberra bush fires. While the tattooing combs were found safe and unharmed, the ink pot has not been recovered. All four of the tattooing tools are made from bone two from a large seabird and two from large mammals. Experts say there were no other mammals of adequate size so the mammalian bones must have come from humans Professor Clark said the discovery sheds further light on the long-running debate about where the Polynesian style tattooing first developed. 'These bone tattoo combs are a very specific type of technology found across Oceania. 'The question has always been were these tools introduced to the Pacific through migration, or were they developed in Polynesia where we know tattooing has a very prominent role in society and spread from there. 'This discovery pushes back the date of Polynesian tattooing right back to the beginnings of Polynesian cultures around 2,700 years ago.' 'Tattooing combs like these are important for making the complex linear designs famous in Oceania. 'These combs are more complex than the obsidian stone flakes used in places like New Guinea 3500 years ago - these Oceanic combs are part of a multi-component tool which required more effort to make and maintain. 'The ink, which we found embedded in the bones, would have been charcoal or plant-based.' The archaeological finds were made on Tongatapu in 1963. Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga, a Polynesian archipelago in Polynesia made up of 169 islands The oldest evidence for tattooed skin goes back more than 5000 years to the age of mummies in Egypt and the Italian iceman Otzi, but the tattooing tools in these places are largely unknown. Dr Langley said it was not known when comb tattooing first began in the Pacific, with questions around whether the practice arrived during the maritime migration of the Lapita people, who dispersed from the north and colonised the Pacific islands about 3500 years ago. 'Lapita people are known for their intricately decorated ceramics which are similar to tattooed designs, but we don't know when the tattooing of human skin began, and whether it came with their arrival or if it started after they colonised the Pacific islands,' she said. 'Tattooing is very important in the Pacific. When Christian missionaries came through and banned tattooing on certain islands, people would travel to other islands to get their tattoos as they represented important aspects of their beliefs and traditions. The article, Ancient tattooing in Polynesia, has been published in the Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology (JICA). Israel's pioneering lunar lander has sent its first selfie back home from more than 22,000 miles away. SpaceIL shared the incredible image on Twitter, showing Beresheet's view of Earth as it continues its two month journey to the moon. The privately-funded craft launched from Cape Canaveral last month atop a Falcon 9 rocket, and is expected to arrive at its destination in April. Its name is Hebrew for Genesis, or 'In The Beginning.' Scroll down for video A handout picture released by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on March 5, 2019, shows a picture taken by the camera of the Beresheet spacecraft 'At a distance of 37,000 km from Earth, #Beresheet's selfie camera took a picture of #Earth,' SpaceIL tweeted on Tuesday. 'Australia can be clearly seen! This photo was taken during a slow spin of the #spacecraft & for the first time see the #Israeli flag & text, "am yisrael chai."' The phrase translates to 'long live the nation of Israel,' according to The Jerusalem Post. The image showing part of the Beresheet spacecraft with Earth in the background was beamed to mission control in Yehud, Israel, the project's lead partners said in a statement. The partners, NGO SpaceIL and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, launched the unmanned craft on February 22. The 585-kilogram (1,290-pound) craft took off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the private US-based SpaceX company of entrepreneur Elon Musk. The trip is scheduled to last seven weeks, with the Beresheet due to touch down on April 11. So far, only Russia, the United States and China have made the 384,000-kilometre (239,000-mile) journey and landed on the moon. The Israeli mission comes amid renewed global interest in the moon, 50 years after American astronauts first walked on its surface. Above, the SpaceIL lunar module. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries launched the lunar lander on a SpaceX Falcon rocket on Feb. 21, 2019, from Cape Canaveral China's Chang'e-4 made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon on January 3, after a probe sent by Beijing made a lunar landing elsewhere in 2013. For Israel, the landing itself is the main mission, but the spacecraft also carries a scientific instrument to measure the lunar magnetic field, which will help understanding of the moon's formation. It also carries a 'time capsule' loaded with digital files containing a Bible, children's drawings, Israeli songs, memories of a Holocaust survivor and the blue-and-white Israeli flag. After China earlier this year, and now Israel, India hopes to become the fifth lunar country in the spring with its Chandrayaan-2 mission. It aims to put a craft with a rover onto the moon's surface to collect data. The image showing part of the Beresheet spacecraft with Earth in the background was beamed to mission control in Yehud, Israel -- 37,600 kilometres (23,360 miles) away, the project's lead partners said in a statement Japan plans to send a small lunar lander, called SLIM, to study a volcanic area around 2020-2021. As for the Americans, who have not been back to the moon since 1972, a return is now the official policy of NASA, according to guidelines issued by President Donald Trump in 2017. NASA, which has installed equipment on Beresheet to upload its signals from the moon, says it is inviting private sector bids to build and launch the US probes. The US space agency plans to build a small space station, dubbed Gateway, in the moon's orbit by 2026, and envisages a manned mission to Mars in the following decade. Advertisement Archaeologists have stumbled upon an 'untouched' ritual cave on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula that could hold the key to unraveling the fall of the Maya Empire. At the ruins of the ancient city Chichen Itza, the team found roughly 200 ceramic vessels left as offerings more than 1,000 years ago. And remarkably, it seems they've remained undisturbed since. The National Institute of Anthropology and History said the vessels appear to date back to around A.D. 1000 and contain bone fragments and burnt offering materials that are being analyzed. Archaeologist Guillermo de Anda stands next to pre-columbian artifacts in a cave at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. Mexican archaeologists say they have found offerings of about 200 ceramic vessels in nearly untouched condition. The National Institute of Anthropology and History says the vessels appear to date back to around 1,000 A.D Archaeologist Guillermo de Anda said exploration of the cave began in 2018 after local Maya residents told experts about it. It turned out the cave had been discovered, but apparently not fully explored, by locals about 50 years earlier. They told an archaeologist about it then, but he ordered it sealed - perhaps to protect it - and only issued a brief report that was essentially forgotten in government archives. The 155 ceramic braziers and incense burners found by the experts bear the likeness of Tlaloc, the rain god of central Mexico. The Mayas also had their own rain god, Chaac, and may have imported Tlaloc from other pre-Hispanic cultures. There were also clay boxes and other vessels. The team plans to leave all the objects in the cave. Archaeologists have stumbled upon an 'untouched' ritual cave on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula that could hold the key to unraveling the fall of the Maya Empire. Above, pre-columbian artifacts sit in a cave at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza Archaeologist Guillermo de Anda said exploration of the cave began in 2018 after local Maya residents told experts about it. It turned out the cave had been discovered, but apparently not fully explored, by locals about 50 years earlier De Anda said ancient Mayas had to crawl on their bellies through the extremely narrow cave to deposit the offerings inside a few larger, higher chambers. The offerings were apparently meant to ask for rain. The cave, called Balamku, is about 1.7 miles (2.75 kilometers) east of the main pyramid of Kukulkan, also known as El Castillo, 'The Castle.' De Anda and his team are exploring Chichen Itza to establish the routes and sites of its underground water system. A series of sinkhole lakes known as cenotes are visible on the surface of the Chichen Itza site, but there are other, undiscovered water sites beneath the pyramids, patios and temples. The 155 ceramic braziers and incense burners found by the experts bear the likeness of Tlaloc, the rain god of central Mexico. The Mayas also had their own rain god, Chaac, and may have imported Tlaloc from other pre-Hispanic cultures The National Institute of Anthropology and History said the vessels appear to date back to around A.D. 1000 and contain bone fragments and burnt offering materials that are being analyzed Water was always central to Chichen Itza, whose very name means 'at the mouth of the well of the Water Wizards' in Maya. De Anda said experts have crawled a few hundred meters (yards) into the cave, which in places is just 16 inches (40 centimeters) tall, in hopes of finding the connection to a cenote cave believed to lie under the pyramid of Kukulkan. 'Let's hope this leads us there,' De Anda said. 'That is part of the reason why we are entering these sites, to find a connection to the cenote under the Castillo.' Advertisement For real high-flyers, this super-nimble private jet might pique interest. The HondaJet Elite - which costs from $5.25 million (3.98 million) and is now being delivered to customers globally - features an elegant pointed nose that was inspired by a pair of designer high heels. The plane's 12-foot-long cabin features a kitchen area complete with a coffee maker, four plush leather seats, veneered tables and a private toilet. So guests can stay connected, there is built-in Wi-Fi. Scroll down for video The HondaJet Elite - which costs from $5.25 million (3.98 million) and is now being delivered to customers - features an elegant pointed nose that was inspired by a pair of designer high heels The plane's 12-foot-long cabin features, a kitchen area complete with a coffee maker, four plush leather seats, veneered tables and a private toilet. So guests can stay connected, there is built-in Wi-Fi In the cockpit, there are two more seats along with a range of state-of-the-art gadgets. The plane is merely started by a push button and there are touch screen monitors There is also a belt attached to the toilet, so that an extra seat can be added. In the cockpit, there are two more seats along with a range of state-of-the-art gadgets. The plane is merely started by a push button and there are touch screen monitors. On the technical front, the HondaJet Elite is the furthest-flying aircraft in its category, with a range of 1,653 miles. It is can also achieve an impressive top speed of 486mph and a maximum cruising altitude of 43,000ft - which is faster and higher than any other private jet of the same size. Kotaro Chiba, who was the first customer in Japan to take a delivery of the HondaJet Elite in late December, applauded its 'quietness, powerfulness, smoothness, safety, and stability'. There is a belt attached to the plane's toilet, so that an extra seat can be added The Elite, which was unveiled in May last year, is an updated version of the twin-engine Honda HA-420 HondaJet which entered production in 2015. Above, the galley area features a refrigerator and coffee maker He added: 'Above all, the beauty of this aircraft is outstanding. When light jets become widely used, the entire country of Japan will become like one metropolitan area, which will accelerate new economic activities. ' The Elite, which was unveiled in May last year, is an updated version of the twin-engine Honda HA-420 HondaJet which entered production in 2015. Customers can chose from three colours, designed to 'increase ramp appeal and turn heads', including 'ice blue', 'monarch orange' and 'ruby red'. The plane design process was led by Michimasa Fujino, the CEO of Honda Aircraft Company which is based out of North Carolina. He sketched the design more than two decades ago before his idea finally became reality and the plane's tapered nose was apparently inspired by a pair of Salvatore Ferragamo-designed heeled shoes Fujino spotted at an airport duty free store. He is known for his acting and directing prowess. But it seems Joel Edgerton is stepping up his style game after attending a slew of fashion events in recent weeks with his Vogue editor girlfriend, Christine Centenera. The 44-year-old Australian actor was seen on his way to the Prada Party on Sunday, as part of the Paris Fashion Week festivities. From grungy actor to man of style! Actor Joel Edgerton has been attending a slew of parties during fashion week in Europe this month. The 44-year-old actor, who is currently dating Vogue editor Christine Centenera, was seen on his way to the Prada Party in Paris on Sunday He cut a stylish figure in navy trousers with a speckled jacket and a woollen coat. The Great Gatsby star teamed the look with white sneakers, maroon socks and a blue cap. Meanwhile, last week he was seen front row at the Prada fashion show during Milan Fashion Week. Suits you: Meanwhile, last week he was seen front row at the Prada fashion show during Milan Fashion Week Front and centre: Joel cut a dapper figure in a tailored grey suit teamed with a unique herringbone patterned shirt Joel cut a dapper figure in a tailored grey suit teamed with a unique herringbone patterned shirt. The Boy Erased director also attended the Victoria Beckham show during London Fashion Week, earlier this month. He donned another stylish ensemble; a white button down shirt under a blue sweater, a thick navy coat, grey trousers, sneakers, and he accessorised with a beige cap and leather gloves that he held in his hands. Sartorially savvy: The Boy Erased director also attended the Victoria Beckham show during London Fashion Week, earlier this month Fashionable pair: He then enjoyed the Erdem London Fashion Week dinner alongside his fashion powerhouse partner Christine, who turned heads in a bold yellow coat with a cropped top and a long fitted skirt He then enjoyed the Erdem London Fashion Week dinner alongside his fashion powerhouse partner Christine, who turned heads in a bold yellow coat with a cropped top and a long fitted skirt. The Zero Dark Thirty actor looked slick in a tailored suit with a jumper and with his navy wool coat. At the International Woolmark Prize, held days before the Erdem dinner, Joel looked handsome in a long beige coat, a white T-shirt, denim jeans and white sneakers. He's got style: At the International Woolmark Prize, held days before the Erdem dinner, Joel looked handsome in a long beige coat, a white T-shirt, denim jeans and white sneakers Trendy: Before flying to Europe ahead of fashion week, Joel opted for an trendy outfit for the opening of Christine's clothing concept store Wardrobe.NYC, in New York Joel and Christine debuted their romance at the GQ Australia's Man of the Year awards in Sydney, back in November. Over the years, Joel has opted for grungy yet stylish outfits, favouring blazers, slim fitting pants and leather jackets. Jimmy Fallon lost it at Wildlife Warrior Robert Irwin during a hot mic segment on The Tonight Show last month. And now Robert has revealed that the heated row was 'all scripted' during an interview with 15 minutes of Fame at Melbourne Airport last month. The 15-year-old, who is the son of the late Steve Irwin, said: 'Oh, it was all scripted beforehand. Jimmy's usually not that angry and neither am I.' 'He's usually not that angry and neither am I!' Robert Irwin (pictured) revealed his heated backstage row with Jimmy Fallon was 'scripted' The young conversationalist added: 'It was a lot of fun!' Last month, the comedian lost it at Robert during a confrontation backstage, right before the Australian star treated viewers to another animal segment on the late night talk show. 'G'day Jimmy, how are you going? Good to see you!' Robert said as he greeted Jimmy backstage. 'Great. Yeah, I'm in the middle of the show right,' Jimmy said in a gruff manner. Robert replied: 'I'm sorry to bother you but I want everything to be perfect for the anniversary. So, I've got these two animals that I'm thinking about closing with tonight.' 'I've got Wally, the American alligator. He is beautiful. The perfect finale. He's amazing,' Robert said as he held up the reptile in his hands. 'Or, I've got this gorgeous Albino python...just amazing,' Robert said as Chandler walked in holding the snake. Faux outrage! US late night talk show host, Jimmy Fallon, 44, lost it at Australian wildlife warrior, Robert (right) backstage during a hot mic segment on The Tonight Show last month 'So which one?' Robert asked Jimmy, who looked less-than-impressed by the question. 'That's why I am here?' Jimmy curtly remarked before adding: 'To pick an alligator or snake? Who cares!' Robert, who was clearly unimpressed by Jimmy's apathy launched into a spiel about his life's work, sharing: 'I've devoted my life to these animals. My whole family have. We love them.' The animal lover then went for the juggler and called Jimmy a 'very bad person.' Stormed off! The fuming late night show host then turned on his heels and stormed off towards the stage 'What if I said who cares about one of your little knock-knock jokes, huh? What if I crapped all over your career! Would that upset you?' Robert fired back at the host. Jimmy replied: 'Your career? Robert you're 15 years old. Your career is playing fortnight and popping b**ers.' The pair continued to throw playful jabs at one another until Robert declared to Jimmy: 'You're lucky I'm here.' To which Jimmy sharply remarked: 'Put some pants on, it's February!' The fuming late night show host then turned on his heels and stormed off towards the stage. Seconds later, Jimmy was informed by his producers that the entire ordeal with Robert had been captured on tape. However soon after the pair were seen laughing off the mock-argument as they sat down for Robert's 'anniversary' animal segment on the popular late night program. He has reportedly made a serious accusation of 'domestic violence' in an ongoing dispute with his New York City neighbours. But Justin Theroux seemed to be escaping his troubles by taking off for Paris, France on Sunday, where he was seen arriving in high spirits. The actor, 47, donned a woolly olive knee-length coat over a black bomber jacket and blue t-shirt as he touched down at Charles De Gaulle airport, this weekend. Dapper: Justin Theroux, 47, appeared in high spirits after arriving in Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, France on Sunday Wearing dark grey skinny jeans, he completed his look with black shoes and a pair of shades. Later, the film star switched outfits while out and about in the French capital, wearing a cream top over a grey hoodie. Justin has left behind plenty of drama in New York after recently becoming involved in a dispute with his neighbours who live in an apartment below him, according to Page Six. The Leftovers star said in documents submitted to a Manhattan civil court that he's seen and heard alarming things coming from his downstairs neighbours - an attorney named Norman Resnicow and his wife Barbara - that point to domestic violence. Style: The actor donned a woolly olive knee-length coat over a black bomber jacket and blue t-shirt Fashion: Later, the film star switched outfits while out and about in the French capital, wearing a cream top over a grey hoodie 'Because my apartment is directly above the Resnicows' apartment, I have had the misfortune over the years of personally overhearing Mr. Resnicow frequently scream at and berate Mrs. Resnicow, with some of those instances resulting in calls to 911,' The Girl on the Train actor said. Justin told the court he contacted the authorities Feb. 10 after hearing Mr Resnicow shouting at his wife. Building officials subsequently witnessed Barbara with a black eye days later, the actor said. He said: 'Although I cannot know for certain that Mrs. Resnicow's injury stems from the Sunday night altercation 2 days earlier. 'I am bringing this to the Court's attention because, by all outward appearances, earlier attempts to go through the police have not been effective.' Travel: Wearing dark grey skinny jeans, he completed his look with black shoes and a pair of shades Both of the Resnicows deny his accusations in their court statements with Barbara claiming she tripped and fell on a sidewalk. 'This resulted in a bruise below my left eye,' she said - two days before Justin initially contacted police, in addition to text messages communicating the news to her husband. 'On the preceding Friday, February 8, while returning to my office from the gym at lunchtime, I tripped and hit the side of my face on the sidewalk while admiring a cute toddler,' she said in court documents. In demand: While making his way through the airport, Justin was happy to stop and sign autographs for fans Barbara has 'never feared for [her] safety while alone with Norman' and believes the domestic violence allegations are 'Theroux's attempt to gain an advantage' in the renovation rift. Norman said that he often has to raise his voice so his wife can hear him, as she has hearing problems. Justin and his lawyer Eric Sherman 'owe Norman Resnicow an apology,' Resnicow's lawyer Peter Levine said in the response. Justin, who appeared in last year's Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex, has been in litigation with Resnicow for years, filing a harassment suit in 2017 about renovations he was making to his home, according to the paper. He has previously accused Resnicow of trespassing and spying on him as they fight over 40-square feet of decking. Married At First Sight has been nothing short of a ratings juggernaut this year, thanks to the show's titillating storylines of wife-swapping and betrayal. But despite MAFS' raging popularity, it's clear that many fans would rather watch from afar than appear on the show themselves. This became abundantly clear on Monday when Nine announced that applications are open for singles to audition for a spot on the 2020 season. 'I'd rather be shot at first sight, thanks though!' Fans have mercilessly mocked Channel Nine after MAFS announced applications are open for its 2020 season on Monday It wasn't long before swarms of fans took to social media to mercilessly mock MAFS over it's casting announcement. Many fans shared comical responses to the call-out, with one posting on Facebook: 'I'd rather be shot at first sight, thanks though.' 'Would rather run naked down Bourke Street for a few hours than appear on this train wreck!' another viewer agreed on Twitter. That's a no! It wasn't long before swarms of fans took to social media to mercilessly mock MAFS over it's casting announcement Meanwhile, other viewers reflected on the fact that MAFS' application calls for genuine singles searching for love - something that doesn't sit with the fact that many participants have previously been outed as paid actors. 'Maybe try NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) next time. You'll get better actors,' one bemused fan Tweeted. 'I thought only actors could apply!' another Twitter user laughed. 'Maybe try NIDA next time. You'll get better actors': other viewers reflected on the fact that MAFS' application calls for genuine singles searching for love - something that doesn't sit with the fact that many participants have previously been outed as paid actors Other unimpressed viewers remarked on the show's trend of casting people with a very specific body-shapes and aesthetic enhancements. 'Are you taking anyone over a size 8????? Do only skinny good looking people deserve to find love? Why dont you actually do a REALity show!' one raged on Facebook. 'Sorry I'm too normal, thoughtful, respectful of others & don't have Botox or a ducks beak to be accepted on MAFS,' huffed another Facebook fan. 'Forget the young model types': Other unimpressed viewers remarked on the show's trend of casting people with a very specific body-shapes and aesthetic enhancements Some even encouraged MAFS to open it's horizons to accepting participants of an older generation rather than 'young model types'. Among the more skeptical responses are those questioning whether the audition call-out is actually a publicity stunt to convince the masses that participants are genuine members of the public and not paid actors. Despite this, some fans of the show have advertised their excitement at the prospect of starring on the show, including The Bachelor's Elora Tahiti. Just a stunt? Among the more skeptical responses are those questioning whether the audition call-out is actually a publicity stunt to convince the masses that participants are genuine members of the public and not paid actors 'Maybe they'll find me one': Despite this, some fans of the show have advertised their excitement at the prospect of starring on the show, including The Bachelor's Elora Tahiti 'Maybe they'll find me one', remarked the Tahitian beauty, tagging fellow Bachelor star Megan Marx in an Instagram comment. According to the official MAFS casting call-out, producers are looking for both men and women of all ages and backgrounds. 'This is not a competition and there is no cash prize up for grabs. Instead, you could walk away with the most valuable prize of all true love,' the application describes. What are the MAFS conditions of applying? 1. Over 25 years old the day you submit the application. 2. You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident for at least 2 years to participate. 3. You must be single and genuinely looking for love. 4. Provide proof of identity. 5. Be honest on the application. 6. Agree to terms and conditions 7. Be available for filming between August and December 2019. Advertisement She's months away from a TV acting debut in Season 2 of Sky Atlantic's Riviera. But Poppy Delevingne was back in model mode when she attended an exclusive fashion dinner during Paris Fashion Week. The 32-year-old oozed elegance in a little black minidress that she layered up with a belted trench coat for a classic, yet stylish evening look. Parisian chic: Poppy Delevingne was spotted arriving for a party at Paris Fashion Week on Monday night Poppy displayed her endless legs in her thigh-skimming party dress, worn with dainty black strappy heels. The model opted to forgo a handbag, carrying her phone in her hand instead and looking engrossed while arriving at the party. Her platinum hair was pinned away into an elegant braid to reveal her pretty model features. Effortlessly chic: Poppy covered up a leggy minidress with a camel-coloured trench coat Party girl: The 32-year-old checked in on her phone as she arrived at the venue With Paris Fashion Week is about to come to a close, fashionista Poppy has plenty to look forward to in the months ahead. The style star, who's been married to James Cook since 2014, is due to appear in the new series of Riviera in two months' time. Poppy will play Daphne, the socialite daughter of Lady Cassandra, who will come into the fold from the very start of Series 2. Flawless: The model showed off her pretty features with her hair pinned off her face Leggy look: In towering stilettos, Poppy walked with confidence In the drama, widower Georgina Clios (Julia Stiles) is desperate to discover more about the mysterious death of her billionaire husband Constantine. However, she learns that she actually never knew anything about him at all. Poppy's part in the popular thriller, which picked up an audience of 23million back in 2017, follows her success in films such as Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Legend Of The Sword. She also starred alongside Antonio Banderas and Clemence Poesy in 2017 biographical drama Genius. Candice Swanepoel showed off her supermodel credentials as she partied in Salvador, Brazil over the weekend for Bahian Carnival. The 30-year-old South African Victoria's Secret Angel hid her signature blonde hair under a black bob wig redolent of a 1920s flapper. Flashing her figure in a barely-there jeweled top, she showed off her legs in a pair of torn denim shorts and rounded off the look with black shoes and a matching purse. On the town: Candice Swanepoel showed off her supermodel credentials as she partied in Salvador, Brazil over the weekend for Bahian Carnival Candice and Brazilian model Hermann Nicoli share two sons - Anacan, two, and Ariel, nine months - but are rumored to have ended their engagement. The couple were reportedly together for 12 years before their purported split last year, and it was during their romance that Candice picked up Portuguese. On Monday, she posted an Instagram photo of herself on the back of a motorcycle taxi and thanked the city: 'Fui. Obrigada Salvador!' What a look: The 30-year-old South African Victoria's Secret Angel hid her signature blonde hair under a black bob wig redolent of a 1920s flapper Looking fab: Flashing her figure in a barely-there jeweled top, she showed off her legs in a pair of torn denim shorts and rounded off the look with black shoes and a matching purse Bahian Carnival is a six-day festival ending with the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, and is famous for a type of concert on a parade float known as a trio eletrico. Candice has been busy work-wise lately at various Fashion Weeks, walking in such shows as Versace in Milan and Prabal Gurung in New York. She told British Vogue in 2017 that in the wake of new motherhood 'I cant watch movies, or even commercials, where kids are in any kind of danger now.' History: Candice and Brazilian model Hermann Nicoli share two sons - Anacan, two, and Ariel, nine months - but are rumored to have ended their engagement When little Anacan was still an infant, he was already co-starring with his mother in a Gap photo-shoot, resulting in what Candice confided was 'definitely a different dynamic on set to what Im used to!' Shared she: 'Hes actually so good and I think weve taken so many pictures of him since he was born that hes actually quite used to the camera.' Candice explained: 'It was a definite shift because I was thinking about him instead of myself. It wasnt long after I arrived back in New York so I hadnt really seen anyone yet, so it was lovely to be back on set with other mums and babies.' Radio presenter Jackie O announced her split from husband-of-15-years Lee Henderson in October 2018. And it seems the KIIS FM star, 44, has undergone a significant style transformation since finding herself single again. In the months after separating from Lee, Jackie has shared some uncharacteristically racy images of herself to Instagram - much to the surprise of her longtime fans. From skimpy swimsuits to THAT Mardi Gras outfit: Jackie O has embraced a sexy new look after splitting with her husband Lee Henderson. Left: Jackie attending the Mardi Gras on March 2, and right: Jackie at the Uber x Red Cross Farewell Fashion Show on May 31, 2018 Some of Jackie's more eyebrow-raising photos show her modelling sexy swimwear at the beach. Jackie's new look is even more surprising considering that she once had a reputation for wearing frumpy, loose-fitting clothes that concealed her figure. Over the weekend, she unveiled her incredible Mardi Gras outfit, featuring a skimpy sequin leotard, matching beaded blazer and no trousers. Feeling confident: Jackie's new look is even more surprising considering that she once had a reputation for wearing frumpy, loose-fitting clothes that concealed her figure. Left: Jackie in Fiji on December 17, 2018, and right: Jackie in Sydney on August 16, 2009 Living her best life! Jackie looked sensational in her sequinned ensemble as she partied with her colleague Kyle Sandilands (right) at the Mardi Gras in Sydney over the weekend Jackie's Instagram follows went into overdrive, praising her glamorous style and youthful complexion in the comments section. It comes after the mother-of-one revealed on Monday's Kyle and Jackie O Show that she had been propositioned by men on Instagram who were 'sliding into her DMs'. One individual, who claimed to be a virgin 'like Matt from MAFS', said that he 'wanted Jackie to be [his] first'. Heartbreak diet? In August 2018, just two months before announcing her split from Lee, Jackie revealed she had lost an impressive 10kg in just six months. Left: Jackie in Fiji on December 17, 2018, and right: Jackie at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards on October 10, 2015 She won't be single for long! It comes after Jackie revealed on Monday's Kyle and Jackie O Show that she had been propositioned by men on Instagram who were 'sliding into her DMs' Blondes DO have more fun! In January this year, Jackie stunned fans with this saucy photo of herself posing with Sophie Monk on a girls' holiday Another man asked, rather bluntly, if Jackie 'gives h**d'. In August 2018, just two months before announcing her split from Lee, Jackie revealed she had lost an impressive 10kg in just six months. Speaking about her slim-down on air, she said her secret to weight loss was following a limited diet and skipping breakfast. Oscar winner Julianne Moore was beaming as she headed inside Manhattan's Ed Sullivan Theater for an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday. The natural redhead easily defied her 58 years in a black pantsuit over a matching asymmetric top and sexy spiked stilettos selected by stylist Leslie Fremar. Hairstylist Ryan Trygstad coiffed the newly-discovered distant cousin of Marisa Tomei's tidy top-bun and make-up artist Hung Vanngo brightened up her alabaster complexion. Fierce after 50! Oscar winner Julianne Moore was beaming as she headed inside Manhattan's Ed Sullivan Theater for an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday Julianne (born Julie Anne Smith) has been busy promoting her new movie Gloria Bell, and she's also scheduled to hit up ABC morning show Live with Kelly and Ryan on Tuesday. Moore will be joined on the CBS program by musical performer Bebe Rexha as well as Ronan Boyle and the Bridges of Riddles author Thomas Lennon. In a 'fowl' mood: After taping the show, the Bel Canto actress emerged in a multi-color ostrich feathered mini-dress and nude stilettos. The Boston University grad just revealed that she doesn't think we as a society have to tiptoe around being middle-aged anymore. Werrrk! The natural redhead easily defied her 58 years in a black pantsuit over a matching asymmetric top and sexy spiked stilettos selected by stylist Leslie Fremar Babe! Hairstylist Ryan Trygstad coiffed the newly-discovered distant cousin of Marisa Tomei's tidy top-bun and make-up artist Hung Vanngo brightened up her alabaster complexion Talk show circuit: Julianne (born Julie Anne Smith) has been busy promoting her new movie Gloria Bell, and she's also scheduled to hit up Live with Kelly and Ryan on Tuesday 'I don't think we should anymore. I think we devalue ourselves by doing that,' Julianne told CBS News Sunday Morning. 'We know that everywhere you are in your life, it's interesting to you. So why shouldn't it be compelling to the rest of the world, too?' Moore is very proud of her 'wonderful kids' - son Caleb, 21; and daughter Liv, turning 17 next month - with her second husband Bart Freundlich. Tonight! Moore will be joined on the CBS program by musical performer Bebe Rexha (R) as well as Ronan Boyle and the Bridges of Riddles author Thomas Lennon In a 'fowl' mood: After taping the show, the Bel Canto actress emerged in a multi-color ostrich feathered mini-dress and nude stilettos 'I think we devalue ourselves by doing that': The Boston University grad just revealed that she doesn't think we as a society have to tiptoe around being middle-aged anymore 'I wouldn't have been able to do it if I didn't have a partner like Bart,' the Freckleface Strawberry author gushed. The 49-year-old filmmaker recently directed his wife of 15 years as well as Michelle Williams and Billy Crudup in the upcoming drama After the Wedding. But first, Julianne plays a 'free-spirited 50-something woman seeking love at LA dance clubs' in Gloria Bell, which hits LA/NYC theaters this Friday and UK theaters on June 7. Family hike: Julianne is very proud of her 'wonderful kids' - son Caleb, 21; and daughter Liv, turning 17 next month - with her second husband Bart Freundlich (pictured January 2) Moore gushed: 'I wouldn't have been able to do it if I didn't have a partner like Bart' (pictured November 21) 'This is a movie about the enormity of personal experience,' Moore explained. 'I generally [play characters] that people don't see. So, she's not always the person that you would consider to be at the center of the story.' Sebastian Lelio's critically-lauded romantic-drama also features Sean Astin, John Turturro, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Michael Cera, Holland Taylor, Brad Garrett, and Rita Wilson. Hitting LA/NYC theaters this Friday! The Freckleface Strawberry author plays a 'free-spirited 50-something woman seeking love at LA dance clubs' in Gloria Bell Scheana Shay and Brandi Glanville have well and truly moved on from their long-running feud. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia this week, the Vanderpump Rules star confirmed that she's still on great terms with Brandi - and insisted that Bravo should bring her back as a full time cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. 'Whether she's getting along with the girls or not, she's reality TV gold, she's born for this,' the 33-year-old gushed. 'I would love to see her back on the show': Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay told Daily Mail Australia that she wants Brandi Glanville back on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills 'I would love to see her back on the show,' she continued. 'As far as an entertaining television show goes, Brandi needs to be back on.' The brunette said she couldn't wait to see Brandi's upcoming cameo on the show's current season, but warned her to play nice with ex-BFF Lisa Vanderpump. 'I don't ever want to see anyone give Lisa a hard time,' she said. 'She is one of the most amazing women in my life and I have nothing but love and respect for her.' 'As far as an entertaining television show goes, Brandi needs to be back on,' gushed Scheana (pictured: Brandi Glanville) 'I don't ever want to see anyone give Lisa a hard time': Scheana said that she doesn't want to see Brandi feud with her ex-BFF Lisa Vanderpump (pictured) on RHOBH While Brandi is due to have a small guest spot on the current season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she hasn't been a full time cast member since season five in 2015. Scheana and Brandi's former feud dates back to Brandi's marriage to ex-husband Eddie Cibrian. Eddie famously cheated on the 44-year-old reality star with multiple women throughout their marriage, including with Scheana. Flashback: Scheana and Brandi's former feud dates back to Scheana's affair with Brandi's ex-husband, Eddie Cibrian (pictured with Brandi in 2002) While Scheana has always insisted that she didn't know that Eddie was married during their time together, it didn't stop Brandi from taking a dislike to her. The pair had a memorable confrontation during season of four of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, discussing the details of Eddie's infidelity over a tense lunch. 'I was the mother of his children, I was his wife, I was his everything - you were the other woman,' Brandi said through tears. Best friends! Scheana and Brandi patched things up in early 2017 and have been good friends ever since The pair eventually patched things up in early 2017 and have been on good terms ever since. They now share the same podcast producer, Will Sterling, and Scheana credits Brandi for getting her to join the celebrity shout-out app Cameo. A new episode of Vanderpump Rules is available each Tuesday on Foxtel and hayu, same day as the U.S. Kat Von D added a pop of color to her all-black ensemble with her baby son Leafar on Monday while out for lunch in West Hollywood, California. The 36-year-old tattoo artist wore a black coat along with matching sweater, leggings and shoes. She accessorized with large black sunglasses and had her jet black hair down in soft curls. Lunch date: Kat Von D was spotted with her baby boy Leafar on Monday while out for lunch in West Hollywood, California Kat carried her 13-week-old baby son Leafar who was dressed in a black and white horizontally striped sweater along with a bright orange beanie with animal ears. The LA Ink star and husband Rafael Reyes, 43, welcomed their son Leafar Von Drachenberg Reyes on November 29 at their Los Angeles home. Kat and Rafael got married in February 2018 during a private ceremony and announced in May that they were expecting their first child together. They held a wedding ceremony last June for family and friends. Orange hat: The 13-week-old baby boy added a pop of color with his orange beanie Cute couple: The 36-year-old tattoo artist is shown last October with husband Rafael Reyes in Beverly Hills, California Rafael also has an adult daughter born in 1994 from a previous relationship. Kat revealed in January that she suffered two miscarriages before giving birth to Leafar. She made the revelation on Instagram while offering support to a follower who also had miscarried. Bundled up: Kat shared a photo of herself and Rafael cuddling up last November Adorable baby: Leafar was shown on Instagram on Sunday with a cat Rafael and Kat first met in 2016 when he asked her to appear in a music video for one of his songs. Kat was previously married to tattoo artist Oliver Peck, 47, from 2003 to 2007 and dated Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx, 60, from 2008 to 2010. She was previously engaged to West Coast Choppers star Jesse James, 49, and Canadian music producer Joel Zimmerman, 38, known professionally as Deadmau5. Kat also dated former 44-year-old Jackass star Steve-O, real name Stephen Gilchrist Glover, in 2015. Hollywood has been in mourning this week following the death of Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke Perry aged 52. And on Tuesday, Australian comedian Em Rusciano posted a heartwarming tribute to the actor, who died days after suffering a massive stroke. Em shared a throwback photo of Luke from his early career to Instagram, revealing in the caption she once had a crush on the teen heartthrob. 'You meant a lot to many people at the most confusing time of their lives': Em Rusciano has paid tribute to Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke Perry after he died aged 52. Pictured in May 2018 'As someone who was a teenager in the '90s he was very important to me, I'm pretty sure I owned every Smash Hit and Dolly magazine he was ever in and stuck those posters on every square inch of my bedroom walls,' she wrote. 'Well, him and Jason Priestly. I had a thing for both of them. My mum banned me from watching 90210 because she said it gave me a bad attitude, so I had to watch it in secret on a tiny portable TV I'd saved up to buy without her knowing. 'My own daughter had come to know him in recent times from Riverdale, it was nice to see his brooding face again.' Gone too soon: Luke (pictured recently) was rushed to hospital near his Sherman Oaks, California home last week after suffering a massive stroke. He died on Monday Touching: Em shared a throwback photo of Luke from his early career to Instagram, revealing in the caption (above) that she once had a crush on the teen heartthrob Em concluded her post by referencing Luke's 90210 character, writing: 'So vale Luke Perry, aka Dylan McKay, you meant a lot to many at the most confusing time of their lives.' Luke, who most recently starred on Riverdale, was rushed to hospital near his Sherman Oaks, California home last week after suffering a massive stroke. He died on Monday. The actor is survived by his son Jack, 21, and daughter Sophie, 18, from his marriage to ex-wife Rachel Minnie Sharp. Heartbreaking: The actor is survived by his son Jack, 21, and daughter Sophie, 18, from his marriage to ex-wife Rachel Minnie Sharp. Pictured on March 25, 2018 'He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiance Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, stepfather Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends,' said the actor's publicist in a statement. 'The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time.' He had recently filmed a role in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, which also stars Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. She's been enjoying the local sights and sounds during her Chinese business trip this month. And Roxy Jacenko, 38, has appeared in another playful snap from her travels, this time shared to Instagram by her husband Oliver Curtis. On Tuesday, Oli, who is joining his PR guru wife for the getaway, took to Instagram with a photo of Roxy sitting across from him at the airport while wearing a surgical face mask. Trying a new look? Roxy Jacenko, 38, playfully posed in a surgical mask as she waited for a flight in China with husband Oliver Curtis on Tuesday 'Y tho,' the former investment banker jokingly wrote in the image. When approached for comment, Roxy explained to Daily Mail Australia: 'I have picked up a shocking cough - weve done 4 cites in 2 days and still have one more to go - just landed in Guangzhou and will then head to Hong Kong tonight.' 'I had to cover my face so I dont infect the whole plane (and him) in order to keep moving to get everything done on the schedule,' she added. Whirlwind trip: So far the couple's jammed packed trip has included a visit to Shanghai, where they then boarded a speed train to Yiwu Tight schedule: The pair attended a 45-minute meeting before returning to Shanghai Up in the air! Roxy and Oliver's latest trip has been to Xiamen So far the couple's jammed packed trip has included a visit to Shanghai, where they then boarded a speed train to Yiwu where they attended a 45 minute meeting before returning back to Shanghai. Roxy and Oliver's also stopped by Xiamen, and while there she spotted a motorbike on display. She used the vehicle as a prop to help show off her vintage Harley Davidson tee while posing on it. 'Couldn't resist!' After arriving in Xiamen, she spotted a motorbike and used it as a photo opportunity to flaunt her vintage Harley Davidson tee while posing on it Day at the races: Before travelling to mainland China, Roxy and Oliver stopped over in bustling Hong Kong and enjoyed a day at the famed Hong Kong Jockey Club with their good friend, jeweller Nicholas Haywood (centre) 'Couldn't resist - got the vintage @stylehub tee and then found the bike to match,' she wrote in the caption of the Instagram post, before revealing their next destination was city of Guangzhou. Before travelling to mainland China, the couple stopped over in bustling Hong Kong. They enjoyed a day at the famed Hong Kong Jockey Club with their good friend, jeweller Nicholas Haywood. Sparkling! Nicholas created the stunning 10-carat diamond engagement ring Oliver re-proposed to Roxy with, back in 2017 after his release from prison for serving a year for insider trading Nicholas created the stunning 10-carat diamond engagement ring Oliver re-proposed to Roxy with. But back in September, Roxy reaffirmed their marriage was rock solid. 'We learnt a lot about life during that time. It was a very testing and very challenging time,' she told Daily Mail Australia 'I really realised how wonderful a father he is, how dedicated to his family he is, and he's always had my back,' she said. The couple, who married in 2012, share two children - Pixie, seven, and Hunter, four. MADRID - Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria in 2011, tens of thousands of people have gone missing after being detained, tortured, or kidnapped by the Syrian government. A much smaller number have suffered the same at the hands of some groups within the armed opposition. Many of those that have been 'disappeared' are political activists, human rights defenders, journalists, doctors, healthcare sector workers, or humanitarian aid workers. The exhibition ''10's of 1000's' is dedicated to them and will be inaugurated on Wednesday at Madrid's Casa Araba, organized by Amnesty International. It will run through April 21 and will be preceded by a round table discussion that will be taken part in by the Syrian activists Fadwa Mahmoud and Leen Hashem and the photographer and video-journalist Ricardo Garcia, in the presence of Casa Araba general director Pedro Martinez-Avial and the director of the Spanish branch of Amnesty International, Esteban Beltran. Activist as well as mother and wife of the 'desaparecidos' Maher Tahan and Aziz al Khayyr, Fadwa Mahmoud is the co-founder of the group 'Families for Freedom', which over the past 8 years has brought together the family members of many of those forcibly disappeared in order to try to find out what happened to their loved ones. An attempt that has not yet been successful. The personal belongings of some of the victims are put on display in the exhibition, as well as poems by former detainees, portraits by imprisoned artists, and a reconstruction of conversations in code by a group of activists. Brie Larson pulled out the stops for her late-night chic look when she swung by Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a taping on Monday. The 29-year-old Oscar winner was seen arriving at the El Capital in Hollywood while wearing a black and silver striped Azzaro jumpsuit. Letting her blonde hair down, she accentuated her features with makeup and added a dapper touch with a black St. John tuxedo jacket. She also wore a pair of handsome Sophia Webster flats. Publicity rounds: Brie Larson pulled out the stops for her late-night chic look when she swung by Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a taping on Monday There was a swirl of rumors this January that her engagement to Phantom Planet frontman Alex Greenwald has ended after over two years. 'They have taken a step back from their engagement for the time being but they remain close,' gossiped an insider to People magazine. Brie has entered the massive stable of film stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Captain Marvel, which is slated to bow on Friday. Carol Danvers, Brie's role and the alter ego of the superhero, debuted in the comic books in 1968 and is one of many people who have been Captain Marvel. Glitz: The 29-year-old Oscar winner was seen arriving at the El Capital in Hollywood while wearing a black and silver striped Azzaro jumpsuit Looking fab: Letting her blonde hair down, she accentuated her features with makeup and added a dapper touch with a black St. John tuxedo jacket The film's leading lady has been doing the talk show rounds in support of her new movie, including a memorable turn on The Jonathan Ross Show. She appeared alongside her Marvel co-star Samuel L. Jackson on the British TV program, where they spoofed the Oscars performance of Shallow. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performed the number at the Academy Awards last month and set online tongues wagging about their chemistry. The social media chatter included rumors of an affair that eventually became so persistent that Gaga had to deny them on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week. Word on the street: There was a swirl of rumors this January that her engagement to Phantom Planet frontman Alex Greenwald has ended after over two years Busy lady: Brie has entered the massive stable of film stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Captain Marvel, which is slated to bow on Friday When she won the best song Oscar for Shallow with her co-writers Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt, Gaga was true to form and burst into tears. As she told the viewers: 'It's not about winning, but it's about not giving up,' Jennifer Hudson nodded encouragingly along in the audience and mouthed: 'Yes.' The number comes from last year's film A Star Is Born, which Bradley made his directorial debut with as well as starring in opposite Gaga. This latest version of A Star Is Born is now the third remake of the original 1937 melodrama, which starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. Backdrop: Carol Danvers, Brie's role and the alter ego of the superhero, debuted in the comic books in 1968 and is one of many people who have been Captain Marvel Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David was spotted greeting two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn on the Brentwood set of his hit HBO series on Monday. The 58-year-old acting veteran lit up a cigarette as he chatted with the 71-year-old comedian, who was directing him in a scene for the 10-episode 10th season. Sean may have cut his teeth doing comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982, but he normally sticks to ultra-serious, bordering on pretentious fare these days. Handshake: Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David (R) was spotted greeting two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn (L) on the Brentwood set of his hit HBO series on Monday The Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff author was unshaven and sported an unusual brown on top, white on the sides haircut. Penn was dressed down in a shearling-collared tan cowboy coat over a grey T-shirt, blue jeans, and grey cowboy boots. The El Chapo interviewer warmly greeted two-time Oscar nominee Jonah Hill, who was rocking bleached hair and a Misfits T-shirt as he mingled with the cast and crew on the sidewalk. Curiously, a big-haired gentleman resembling a young Larry David was clad in a very similar outfit as Sean. Premiering this fall! The 58-year-old acting veteran lit up a cigarette as he chatted with the 71-year-old comedian, who was directing him in a scene for the 10-episode 10th season Lighter gig: Sean may have cut his teeth doing comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982, but he normally sticks to ultra-serious, bordering on pretentious fare these days Rolled out of bed: The Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff author was unshaven and sported an unusual brown on top, white on the sides haircut Twice-divorced father-of-two: Penn was dressed down in a shearling-collared tan cowboy coat over a grey T-shirt, blue jeans, and grey cowboy boots Just two months ago, the distant cousin of Senator Bernie Sanders had helped Penn raise an impressive $3.5M at his ninth annual Haiti Relief Organization Gala in Los Angeles. David and his team also did some shooting at Izzy's Deli from 8pm-9pm in Santa Monica, according to eagle-eyed actress Sarah Scheffer, who shared a telling Instagram snap. On January 30, the Seinfeld co-creator's onscreen best friend Jeff Garlin shared a behind-the-scenes snap of him shooting a scene with the hilarious Susie Essman. Bring it in! The El Chapo interviewer warmly greeted Jonah Hill, who was rocking bleached hair and a Misfits T-shirt as he mingled with the cast and crew on the sidewalk Double take: Curiously, a big-haired gentleman resembling a young Larry David was clad in a very similar outfit as Sean Chatting: Just two months ago, the distant cousin of Senator Bernie Sanders had helped Penn raise an impressive $3.5M at his ninth annual Haiti Relief Organization Gala in Los Angeles 'Closed for filming': David and his team also shot at Izzy's Deli from 8pm-9pm in Santa Monica, according to eagle-eyed actress Sarah Scheffer, who shared a telling Instagram snap Production on season 10 began in October, and HBO shared a November 9 teaser of Larry's other onscreen best friend J.B Smoove crashing a scene with David and Garlin. That same month, the two-time Emmy winner's onscreen ex-wife Cheryl Hines directed him in an episode, apparently involving a litter of Gordon Setter puppies. Bob Einstein - who played Marty Funkhouser in Curb - passed away January 2 at age 76, but fans can likely catch a final performance from the Emmy winner this season. 'Im working': On January 30, the Seinfeld co-creator's onscreen best friend Jeff Garlin shared a behind-the-scenes snap of him shooting a scene with the hilarious Susie Essman (M) Production on season 10 began in October: HBO shared a November 9 teaser of Larry's other onscreen best friend J.B Smoove (L) crashing a scene with David and Garlin (R) 'I've got my hands full': That same month, the two-time Emmy winner's onscreen ex-wife Cheryl Hines directed him in an episode, apparently involving a litter of Gordon Setter puppies 'We're all in a state of shock': Bob Einstein - who played Marty Funkhouser in Curb - passed away January 2 at age 76, but fans can likely catch a final performance from the Emmy winner this season 'Never have I seen an actor enjoy a role the way Bob did,' Larry - who boasts a $900M fortune - wrote in a statement to Deadline. 'It was an amazing, unforgettable experience knowing and working with him. There was no one like him, as he told us again and again. Were all in a state of shock.' As for Sean, his career has taken a hit with the cancellation of his Hulu series The First, as well as his 2016 flick The Professor and the Madman still having no release date. Kyle Sandilands couldn't resist poking fun at Jackie 'O' Henderson's single status during a radio interview with Samantha Armytage on Tuesday. The 42-year-old Sunrise host was appearing on KIIS FM's Kyle & Jackie O show when the conversation soon turned to Jackie's personal life. Kyle, 47, seemed determined to tell Samantha all about his 44-year-old co-host's relationship history since she announced her split from her husband of 15 years, Lee Henderson, in October last year. Scroll down for video Flying solo: Kyle Sandilands jokingly called Jackie 'O' Henderson 'desperate' after she admitted she didn't have a type when it came to men on their KIIS FM radio show on Tuesday While Samantha remained silent on the topic, Kyle told her that Jackie was single and looking to get back into a relationship. He continued, saying she likes 'rough' looking workmen, but he thought she'd be better suited to a businessman. Despite his critique though, Jackie said she doesn't have a particular type when it comes to the sort of men she's attracted to. After teasingly telling her she sounded 'desperate', Kyle said any man Jackie dates in the future would have to go through him first. Talking romance: Kyle Sandilands (left) couldn't resist poking fun at Jackie 'O' Henderson's (right) single status during a radio interview with Samantha Armytage (centre) on Tuesday Kyle said he has a 'stringent rules test' possible suitors interested in his co-host would have to pass. And when Jackie said she was concerned no man would be able to pass his test, Kyle admitted he preferred his longtime friend to be single, claiming he enjoyed being able to tease her. 'The last thing I want to hear is, "Oh, we went on this dreamy date..." Vomit. Not interested,' he confessed. On the prowl: Discussing his co-host's love life, Kyle announced Jackie was single and looking to get back into a relationship. He continued, saying she likes 'rough' looking workmen Pictured: Jackie and Kyle celebrating Sydney's Mardi Gras on Saturday The way they were: Jackie announced her split from her husband of 15 years, Lee Henderson (left), in October last year. The former couple share an eight-year-old daughter, Kitty (centre) When Jackie said he should just want her to be happy, Kyle told her he thought she was destined to be single. 'Happiness is being alone for you. You've tried it twice before since I've known you, both times it didn't work,' he added. In addition to Lee, Jackie was previously married to fellow radio host Phil O'Neil, 55, better known by his nickname 'Ugly Phil'. She's been making movies since 1992's The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. And Julianne Moore remains one of the most prolific actresses working in Hollywood. On Monday night, the 58-year-old attended a special screening in New York City of her latest theatrical release Gloria Bell. Dazzling: Julianne Moore looked fabulous in a sleeveless multi-colored ostrich feather dress at a special screening of her new movie Gloria Bell in New York City Monday night Moore looked incredible as she posed on the red carpet in a sleeveless multi-colored ostrich feather dress. She wore her famous red hair piled high on top of her head and stepped out bare-legged in nude sandal heels. Gloria Bell is a romantic drama from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio which is based on his Spanish-language film Gloria released in 2013. Lovely: The actress, 58, wore her famous red hair piled high on top of her head New film: Gloria Bell, which opens in theatres Friday, is a romantic drama from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio which is based on his Spanish-language film Gloria released in 2013 Moore stars as 'a free-spirited divorcee who spends her days at a straight-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles.' On a night out she meets Arnold, played by John Turturro, and has to face both 'the joys and complications of embarking on a new romance', according to the film's official website. Fun role: Moore stars as 'a free-spirited divorcee who spends her days at a straight-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles' Romantic drama: On a night out Moore's character meets Arnold, played by John Turturro, pictured, and has to face both 'the joys and complications of embarking on a new romance' Reunited: Moore posed for photos with director Lelio Group shot: Lelio, Moore and Turturro were also joined on the red carpet by German actress Barbara Sukowa who is also in the film In an interview this past weekend with CBS News, the Still Alice Oscar winner described the film as 'an exploration of a woman's life. It's a way to take a lens to an ordinary woman's life, to really see who she is, and to watch her in all the minutia of her day.' The drama is about watching her character 'interact with the people that she loves and she cares about,' Moore explained. 'This is a movie about the enormity of personal experience.' On the guest list: Model Toni Garrn, left, and actress Gretchen Mol, right, showed up to see the movie Night out: Real Housewives Of New York stars Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps were also on hand On trend: Lesseps, 53, wore a black jumpsuit with fur trim, left, while Morgan, 55, opted for a monochrome patterned long-sleeved mini dress with black tights and ankle boots, right Red carpet ready: RHONY castmember Tinsley Mortimer arrived wearing a black frock with semi sheer sleeves VIPs: Orange Is The New Black actress Alysia Reiner, left, fashion designer Nicole Miller, center, and Sting's producer wife Trudie Styler, right, all had invitations Famous face: Veteran actress Celia Weston, 67, paired a plush purple jacket with a blue blouse and patterned silk scarf Filmmaker: Actor, producer and director Bob Balaban, 73, also showed up to support the movie In the spotlight: Moore, Turturro and Sukowa took the stage before the screening to greet the audience The screening was attended by Real Housewives Of New York stars Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan and Tinsley Mortimer. Also on the guest list was model Toni Garrn, actress Gretchen Mol and fashion designer Nicole Miller. On hand, too, was Sting's producer wife Trudie Styler, Orange Is The New Black actress Alysia Reiner, Bob Balaban and Celia Weston. Dynamic duo: Julianne and John Turturro posed for a cute snap at the event Working relationship: The two shared a laugh together at the gala Dynamic duo: The two definitely seemed to have a good rapport Dapper: John looked handsome in his suit On-the-town: Luann looked stunning in her fur number Relaxed: She posed with Nicole Miller (left) Just us: Nicole caught up with Helen Lee at the gala Pretty in pink: Cynthia Rowley sported a hot punk top as she enjoyed a beverage in a martini glass Bottoms up: She happily posed with her pink drink She's the former Australia's Next Top Model winner known for her curvy figure. And Tahnee Atkinson, 27, showed off her enviable assets during a trip to Sydney's Bondi Beach on Monday. The brunette revealed a generous glimpse of cleavage in a plunging maroon bikini from her own swimwear line Kenni & Kai. Taking the plunge! Tahnee Atkinson flaunted her ample cleavage in a skimpy bikini at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Monday Her slender waist, shapely legs and bronzed complexion were also on display in the stylish two-piece. Going makeup-free for the outing, Tahnee looked stunning as she stepped from the rocky shore into the pristine ocean. She was joined by Matt Burt-Allen, a male model, who wore a pair of white boardshorts. Her own best advertisement! The brunette wore a design from her own bikini range Kenni & Kai Fun in the sun! She was joined at the beach by Matt Burt-Allen (right), who a male model Natural beauty! Going makeup-free for the outing, Tahnee looked stunning as she stepped from the rocky shore into the pristine ocean The two pals appeared to share a friendly conversation as they soaked up the sun together. Later on, they enjoyed a moment of blissful silence while gazing out at the sunny horizon. As the day wore on, Tahnee and Matt decided to cool off by going for another swim. A model friendship! The two pals appeared to share a friendly conversation as they soaked up the sun together Peaceful: Later on, they enjoyed a moment of blissful silence while gazing out at the sunny horizon Sizzling: As the day wore on, Tahnee and Matt decided to cool off by going for another swim Avoiding a wardrobe malfunction! At one stage, Tahnee was seen adjusting her bikini top The sighting comes after Tahnee spoke bravely about body image and why women should embrace their curves. 'It is important to embrace your shape, whether you have a bigger bust like me or no bust,' she told The Daily Telegraph last year. 'I am known for my curves,' she added. Forgot your sunglasses? The Bras N Things model squinted due to the blazing sun Bronzed beauty! Tahnee showed off her bronzed complexion in the stylish bikini Getting candid: Despite being regarded as one of Australia's most striking models, the runway star has previously battled with body insecurities Despite being regarded as one of Australia's most striking models, the runway star has previously battled with body insecurities. In 2015, she confessed: 'I was quite late to get boobs and I kept getting bigger and bigger. Being a DD scared me. 'I used to wear smaller bras because I refused to believe I was a DD and now, I've learnt it's all about having the right fit.' Tahnee won the fifth cycle of Australia's Next Top Model in 2009. Busty: In 2015, Tahnee confessed: 'I was quite late to get boobs and I kept getting bigger and bigger. Being a DD scared me' She usually interviews Hollywood heavyweights, but Renee Bargh was the one turning heads on Monday. The Extra TV host stood out from the crowd in a unique canary yellow dress at the Captain Marvel premiere in LA. The 32-year-old caught the eye in the unusual gown, which featured a tight bodice that fanned out into a mermaid hem at the knee. Unique: Extra co-host Renee Bargh, 32, wore a dazzling figure-hugging canary yellow at the Captain Marvel premiere in Los Angeles The dress was complimented by a white round-necked blouse which billowed out in the sleeves before buttoning in at the wrist. Finishing off the ensemble, Renee wore a pair of statement black leather boots. The former Channel V host spoke with Brie Larson, 29, who stars as the first female lead in a Marvel film. Business as usual: The former Channel V host seemed at ease chatting to Brie Larson, 29, (pictured left) who stars as the first female lead in a Marvel film Renee seemed at ease chatting to the up-and-coming Hollywood star as the pair discussed the film's upcoming release. The Queenslander wore a minimal makeup palette, consisting of nude lipstick and lightly smokey eyes and wore her blonde hair in a messy low ponytail. She shared a photo on Instagram before arriving at the event, captioning the photo: 'Hustle hard. En route to the Captain Marvel premiere.' En route: Renee shared a photo on Instagram before arriving at the event, captioning the photo: 'Hustle hard. En route to the Captain Marvel premiere' The star-studded event welcomed the film's cast, including Jude Law as Walter Lawson, aka Mar-Vell, Lashanna Lynch as Maria Rambeau, Gemma Chan as Minn-Erva. Also joining the red carpet were returning Marvel stars Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson. Captain Marvel will be released across the world in early March. Lala Kent admitted that her millionaire fiance Randall Emmett bought her a car after having sex on their first date during Monday's episode of Vanderpump Rules. The 28-year-old actress had ended the previous episode tearfully insisting she had split from the 47-year-old Hollywood producer. But she admitted the split lasted just '17 hours' then opened up with graphic details about how they met and had sex on the first date. First date: Lala Kent revealed to Stassi Schroeder that she had sex on her first date with Randall Emmett and he bought her a car afterward on Monday's episode of Vanderpump Rules 'I let him hit it the first night and we were inseparable,' she said. 'He would send me just really expensive gifts. 'The first night we banged I got a car the next day. He was like, "Do you want a Range Rover?" and I was like, 'Yeah."' She made the confession during a pampering session with Stassi Schroeder, 30, who asked: 'Is your vagina just made of sparkles?' Totally shocked: Stassi was shocked as Lala shared her sex stories Stassi joked later to camera: 'I've had guys call me an Uber the next morning and I thought that was nice.' Lala further shocked Stassi when she gave graphic details about their role-playing sex life. 'I'll put a wig on and have him meet me at the bar. I'll be named Tiffany and I'll do anything to get in a movie like, give blow jobs,' she revealed. Graphic details: Lala also gave graphic details about their role-playing sex life Wig romps: The 28-year-old reality star revealed that she puts on wigs and pretends to be an aspiring actress for her producer boyfriend Randall 'When Randall starts laughing and asking questions I'll be like, "Does Daddy want to play with Lala's a**hole?" Does Daddy want Lala to play with your a**hole?"' she added, with Stassi cracking up. She also told Stassi that she first met Rand when he came to SUR for a meeting about The Row, the horror movie she eventually starred in and was preparing to go to the premiere during the same episode. 'He sent his assistant up to ask me if I was an actress. I told him to go to my Instagram account,' she said, with a shot of the homepage image of her naked from behind. Restaurant meeting: Lala also shared that Randall first saw her while she was working at SUR as a hostess 'The next day I got a phone call saying I had an audition. I auditioned for it, we went out ... and I let him hit it the first night and we were inseparable.' Some of the others had made light of their relationship when told Lala and Randall split, no matter how briefly. 'Oh, 78-year-old fat, boring Hollywood producer breaks up with 26-year-old wannabe actress. Oh no way, I'm really surprised that didn't last,' James Kennedy laughed. Going strong: Randall and Lala were mocked for their 17-hour breakup Good one: James Kennedy laughed at the idea of them breaking up Jax Taylor, meanwhile, said with shock horror: 'She's gonna have to fly commercial what's she gonna do?' When Lala revealed they were back together after '17 hours,' she also said proudly: 'I got my Gucci slides back.' Stassi, meanwhile, said she was 'so f***ing nervous' to finally meet boyfriend Beau Clark's mom, Isa, joking: 'The sweat from my boobs are sweating.' Getting nervous: Lisa Vanderpump listened as Stassi admitted she was nervous about meeting her boyfriend Beau's mother She was soon in tears of joy, however, when Beau said when they all met: 'She's the first girl that I've said, "Oh, this is my best friend."' When he left for a bathroom break, Stassi told Isa: 'I love him very much. I was really scared to meet you because it matters that much more.' 'Thank you,' the mom replied. 'I love him and I'm very happy he's with you. He really loves you. He really loves you.' Best friend: Beau claimed that Stassi was his best friend Candid conversation: Stassi had a candid conversation with Isa about her son Beau Beau had joked about how he was going to record the women's chat and actually did so, playing it back during a confessional. 'I really hope that it's not freaky when I say I hope you're my future mother-in-law,' Stassi was heard saying. 'I love Beau so much. So f***ing much. And you are a huge part of the reason he is the way that he is.' Isa replied: 'Are you kidding me? I love that. I feel the same way Stassi. Thank you for loving my son like that.' Tears flowing: Stassi got emotional talking about her love for Beau However the first meeting day ended less well when Beau's mom went to Kristen Doute's house for a complimentary relationships' advice session and it instead ended in angry fighting. Kristen had already fought with Katie Maloney-Schwartz, 31, over what she thought were her 'bitchy' remarks about Kristen's boyfriend Brian Carter. 'Wake up. I love you. You're not happy,' Katie had told her. 'You don't sleep in the same bed, you don't have sex, he's mean to you all the time,' she said. Free session: Isa gave a free session on relationship to the group When Kristen replied that he was 'not your f***ing boyfriend,' Katie replied: 'Thank God he's not my boyfriend because I wouldn't stand for that s***.' Carter then confronted them at their house, suggesting the other women were to blame for their relationship woes. 'When she comes home after meeting you we get in arguments because y'all are very nasty,' he insisted. Bedroom talk: Stassi and Katie Maloney-Schwartz confronted Carter in his bedroom about his relationship with Kristen Pointing finger: Carter blamed Katie and Stassi for coming between him and Kristen Kristen said in a confessional: 'If I ever get married it's going to be to Carter. 'I'm getting old and I don't want to be miserable and alone so I really need the support of your friends. Tom Sandoval, 35, finally confronted girlfriend Ariana Madix, 33, over their conflicting views on kids as they discussed buying a house. Tom said they need to 'make sure they have enough bedrooms,' telling her: I would at some point want to have kids. Whether it's adopt or whatever.' Support system: Kristen admitted that she was looking to her friends for support He had previously admitted children was 'a deal-breaker for me with Ariana.' Ariana admitted she zoned-out from the conversation, and said later: 'There's two things I know for sure: I don't want to have kids, and I really, really want people to stop asking me over and over if I want to have kids. 'Stay the f*** out of my uterus.' Admitting it was 'never an easy subject to bring up with Ariana,' Tom insisted in a confessional; 'It's very fair for me to ask these questions because we are planning our future together.' Baby talk: Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix had a tough talk about starting a family together He told Jax that it was a 'hard no' and that 'the giving birth part freaks her out.' 'It's not something I can do. But if I could do it, I would f***ing do it,' he insisted of giving birth, begging the boys not t mention the idea of children to Ariana. Instead, Jax had an awkward conversation with her about how Tom just wanted to discuss baby plans before they moved into a house. New house: Ariana said that she would buy the house off Tom if he wanted children without her 'I'm buying that f***ing house, and if he wants to leave he can buy me out and I'll stay there,' Ariana told Jax. Tom was equally defiant when they confronted each other again later, saying: 'It's something I want so badly. If you don't want to be involved I will take care of the child, but if you do, that's great. 'I'll give you the choice: Do you want to stay with me while I do this or do you not? It will be on you.' Vanderpump Rules returns on Bravo next Monday. It looks like it's all over for Jessika Power and Mick Gould on Married At First Sight. During Tuesday's 'home stay' episode, the beauty, 26, raged at her 'husband' over several derogatory remarks he had made about her family off camera. Still reeling from the comments later on, Jessika stormed off set while breaking down in tears - with a producer and camera crew desperately following her. 'I hate him': MAFS' Jessika Power (left) raged at her 'husband' Mick Gould (right) for calling her father a 'drunk' and slamming her brother... before storming off set in tears and removing her wedding ring on Tuesday night's explosive episode 'Last night Mick made comments about my family and how they were acting at our wedding - and it really upset me,' said Jessika, while introducing the spat. 'Mick said my father was quite rude to some people and called him a drunk, he then called my brother a "f**k head". 'I mean, like, they're difficult at times but that's my family - I love them. I'm very disappointed and disgusted in him.' Hurtful night: During Tuesday's 'home stay' episode, the beauty, 26, raged at her 'husband' over several derogatory remarks he had made about her family off camera. Still reeling from the comments later on, Jessika stormed off set while breaking down in tears The Queensland farmer did not deny the claims, explaining that her family were 'basically just acting like t***s' at the wedding and he was just 'being honest'. The pair later attempted to move on from the drama, visiting Mick's close friend Broxy for some drinks on his front porch. However, as Broxy attempted to make conversation with Jessika while Mick fetched some more drinks, the beauty stormed off set and away from the cameras. 'I can't do this now... I can't be fake on camera,' explained Jessika, as a producer could be heard asking, 'what's going on?'' 'At the wedding your dad was drunk and your brother was a f*** head': Mick did not apologise for his comments while defending himself, as they visited his friend Broxy for drinks 'I can't do this now... I can't be fake on camera': Still emotional, Jessika then stormed off set with a producer following her inside, leaving Broxy (pictured) alone on his porch Mick and Jessika could then be heard engaging in a heated spat in Broxy's kitchen, while the confused local sipped his tin of XXXX alone. 'You don't talk like that about somebody else's family, it's f***ing disgusting and it has really upset me. The sad thing is I genuinely liked you... up until that,' raged Jessika. 'This paints me a picture of what you're really like as a person. You're f***ing disgusting and you're rank.' Speaking to producers, Jessika added: 'I want nothing to do with him - I hate him.' 'I want nothing to do with him - I hate him': Jessika broke down in tears while speaking with a producer in Broxy's bathroom 'You're f***ing disgusting and rank': Jessika did not have any nice things to say about Mick Attempting to defend his comments, Mick later told the blonde: 'At the wedding your dad was drunk and your brother was a f*** head.' However, Jessika chose to remove her wedding ring as Mick then stormed off. Casting doubt on the future of their 'marriage', a preview for Wednesday's dinner party revealed Mick and Jessika arriving separately. She recently admitted that she has her sights set on meeting local reality TV star, Justin Lacko. And on Tuesday, Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay played tourist during her trip to Sydney, visiting the Wild list Zoo in the city. The brunette beauty, 33, flaunted her trim figure, opting for a racy sheer netted crop top and bike shorts. Playing tourist! Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay flaunted her trim figure as she visited a Sydney zoo on Tuesday Underneath the sheer blouse, she wore a camo print bralette. She teamed the look with a pair of Timberland boots and designer sunglasses. The American reality star had her long locks out and over her shoulders, and was made up with natural-looking makeup. Casual but cool: The brunette beauty, 33, flaunted her trim figure, opting for a racy sheer netted crop top and bike shorts Scheana appeared to be relaxed during the outing, smiling and carrying a bag of souvenirs from the trip. This week the stunner told The Daily Telegraph that she's been sending messages to Australian Love Island and I'm A Celebrity star, Justin, 28. She told the publication that she'd noticed the Chadwick model, who hails from Melbourne, on social media and asked to meet him later that evening. She's got her sights on him! This week the stunner told The Daily Telegraph that she's been sending messages to Australian Love Island and I'm A Celebrity star, Justin, 28 'We've been DMing (direct messaging), he's this really hot Australian guy who's on reality shows,' she told the publication. Scheana added that while Justin was unavailable for a date, he may meet with her when she is back in America. 'He said he was getting on a flight back to Melbourne but he said he was maybe going to be in the States soon. Reason to come back.' Justin told the publication that the pair had a 'Sliding Doors moment' when Justin saw the brunette disembark from an elevator. If you've got it! The beauty may have have had Justin on her mind when she took to Instagram on Monday to share a photo of herself at Sydney's Bondi Beach The beauty may have have had Justin on her mind when she took to Instagram on Monday to share a photo of herself at Sydney's Bondi Beach. She captioned that photo, in which she's wearing a skimpy orange swimsuit: 'I'm not coming back... Au'. Late last year, Scheana confirmed she was single following her split with Rob Valletta at the beginning of 2018. A new episode of Vanderpump Rules is available each Tuesday on Foxtel and hayu, same day as the U.S. A video of Married At First Sight star Nic Jovanovic, 28, engaged in a sex act is being circulated online, but he claims he has no idea how it was leaked. On Tuesday, the TV groom expressed regret over making an 'unfortunate' comment about 'marriage' in the intimate video. Speaking to Western Australia's Hit Network's Heidi, Xavier & Ryan, Nic said: 'We don't know how it got out. It's not a nice situation.' 'The other party involved is pretty upset about things': Married At First Sight's Nic Jovanovic expresses regret over his 'SEX TAPE scandal' and claims he doesn't know how it was leaked Firstly, Nic cleared up the buzz around the video to the radio hosts, clarifying, 'It's not a sex tape, that's for sure! And I want to make it clear it was from a few years ago.' The electrician went on to say, 'There was a comment made in it that was said, but it was referring to the other party that was going through a divorce and it was a really really unfortunate thing to say.' He said the clip was with someone who had recently been divorced, adding, 'I made a comment saying it was tough being married. It was not a sort of joking thing and the other party that's involved is pretty upset about things and I'm pretty upset too.' 'It's not a sex tape, that's for sure!' Nic made sure to clarify that the video was filmed 'a few years ago' and involved someone who had been recently divorced 'I'm pretty upset about it': The electrician went on to say that a comment he made about marriage in the clip has hurt other parties involved, and in turn has upset him too Nic's TV 'wife' Cyrell Paule, 29, told Woman's Day's MAFS Confessional podcast last week that people had sent her the explicit footage via social media. 'I'm getting DM'd [direct messaged] right now a sex video of his,' she claimed. Cyrell alleged that the video was not 'from the show' and originally 'came from someone in Perth'. 'I'm getting DM'd right now': NIc's TV wife Cyrell Paule claimed people had sent her the intimate footage of Nic via social media ( Pictured on Wednesday's episode) When asked if the man in the video was 'definitely Nic', Cyrell asked her interviewer: 'Do you wanna watch it with me right now?' Interestingly, when Cyrell began talking about Nic's tape in the podcast, another voice (not Nic's) could be heard interrupting in the background. She hesitated at that moment, perhaps after being told by someone to stop talking. Channel Nine declined to comment on Thursday, saying it was a 'private matter'. Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine TEL AVIV - Jewish communities have expressed outrage for images from the Belgian city of Aalst, near Brussels, where Carnival was celebrated on Sunday, Israeli public television reports. The Carnival parade included chariots with ''grotesque images'' of Orthodox Jews who were represented with large papier-mache sculptures and with actors. According to eye witnesses, there were bags of money on the chariots. The images, according to the broadcaster, recalled the ''pages of Der Sturmer'', the anti-Semitic weekly published in Nazi Germany. Some Jewish organizations have already protested for the Carnival parade in Aalst. The Israeli television reported that since 2010 Unesco has advised attending this annual event. In a statement to Israeli radio Channel 7, the chief rabbi of Belgium, Avraham Gigi, said that those ''horrid images reminded us of Europe's darkest history''. ''The worst is that this embarrassing Carnival is funded by Unesco: instead of promoting tolerance and respect, that organization now promotes anti-Semitic ideas of hatred and incitement to racism''. The rabbi added that the anti-Semitism is on the rise in Belgium and in other European countries, which concerns Jewish communities. Married At First Sight 'groom' Bronson Norrish, 35, ended his relationship with Ines Basic, 28, after an onslaught of verbal abuse and an on-air affair. And it appears the Perth entrepreneur is now getting the last laugh after he spent the day at a gun range, cheekily referencing the infamous reality TV franchise on which he starred. The muscly former stripper uploaded a video of the incident to Instagram on Tuesday with the caption: 'When you need cheering up so the boys take you shooting.' Who was the target?! Former MAFS groom Bronson Norrish (pictured) enjoyed a 'boys day' at a gun range on Tuesday and laughed gleefully as he shot two rounds from a rifle. Bronson, 35, ended his relationship with Ines Basic, 28, after an onslaught of verbal abuse and an on-air affair He followed up the post with the hashtags 'boys day', 'MAFS' and 'no animals were harmed'. Fans were quick to comment on the video, with many asking if Bronson was in fact targeting his 'ex-wife' Ines. 'For Ines?' one person asked. 'Who's face is on the target?' asked another. The muscly former stripper uploaded a video of the incident to Instagram on Tuesday with the caption: 'When you need cheering up so the boys take you shooting' Pot shots! He followed up the post with the hashtags 'boys day', 'MAFS' and 'no animals were harmed' Others were more focused on Bronson's muscular assets, with one woman noting: 'Guns... the arms, not the rifle.' Oh the cheek! Fans were quick to comment on the video, with many asking if Bronson was in fact targeting his 'ex-wife' Ines Basic. 'For Ines?' one person asked. 'Who's face is on the target?' asked another Bronson has recently been the subject of rumours that he may be capitalising on his MAFS storyline off the show, even hiring a talent agent. 'He's already met with celebrity management companies and is about to sign with one and get an agent,' an insider told New Idea last month. 'They're conjuring up a whole marketing strategy based around him being the victim and he's already started building his brand away from the show with a fan page on Facebook,' they said. Moving on! It was recently revealed that the former stripper began 'dating' Perth-based pole dancer, Melissa Dobson (pictured), after filming MAFS last year They added: 'There's some serious money to be made from being humiliated on national TV [by doing] personal appearances in clubs [and] brand endorsements.' Former MAFS 'bride' Scarlett Cooper, 31, also accused Bronson of using the reality show as a platform to promote his boat business, Party Boat Charters. It was recently revealed that the former stripper began 'dating' Perth-based pole dancer, Melissa Dobson, after filming the show last year. The couple enjoyed a romantic holiday to Bali but due to contractual restrictions attached to his appearance on MAFS, Bronson said he was unable to say anything more. Married at First Sight continues Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine Advertisement She stars as Captain Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first-ever standalone film centered on a female superhero. And on Monday night, Brie Larson made quite the entrance as she arrived for the film's premiere in Hollywood. The 29-year-old actress looked incredible in a custom Rodarte gold gown that featured white and silver embroidered stars, the signature emblem of Captain Marvel. Wow factor: Captain Marvel star Brie Larson made quite the entrance as she arrived for the film's premiere in Hollywood on Monday night The sleeveless gown had a low-cut neckline that showcased her cleavage and a train that fanned out behind her on the red carpet. The sparkly stars were on a sheer overlay that covered the silky dress. The designer outfit fastened at the waist also revealed Larson's stunning legs as she stepped out in strappy heels. Stunning: The 29-year-old actress looked incredible in a custom Rodarte gold gown that featured white and silver embroidered stars, the signature emblem of Captain Marvel Spotlight: The designer outfit fastened at the waist also revealed Larson's stunning legs as she stepped out in strappy heels. It also had a train that fanned out behind her on the red carpet Big night: The pretty blonde beamed happily as she posed for photos with dangly star earrings Captain Marvel is set in the 1990s and 'follows the journey of (fighter pilot) Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universes most powerful heroes.' 'While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom,' according to the movie's official website. A lot of female fans of the comic book superhero showed up dressed as Captain Marvel and reacted with excitement as Larson posed for photos with them as they waited outside the theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Their hero: A lot of female fans of the comic book superhero showed up dressed as Captain Marvel and reacted with excitement as Larson posed for photos with them Origin story: Captain Marvel is set in the 1990s and 'follows the journey of (fighter pilot) Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universes most powerful heroes' Huge event: A section of Hollywood Boulevard was shut down to accommodate all the media that wanted to cover the star-studded premiere Larson was joined at the premiere by her co-stars Samuel L. Jackson and Gemma Chan. Jackson, 70, plays Nick Fury in the MCU. True to form, the veteran actor put on a dapper display in a dark blue pinstripe suit with blue silk tie. He sported his trademark flat cap and walked the red carpet in a pair of blue suede shoes. So cool: Samuel L. Jackson, 70, plays Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and co-stars with Larson in Captain Marvel Natty: The veteran actor put on a dapper display in a dark blue pinstripe suit with blue silk tie. He sported his trademark flat cap and walked the red carpet in a pair of blue suede shoes Say cheese: Jackson posed for selfies with fans Action role: Gemma Chan stars as villain and blue-skinned Kree warrior Minn-Erva in the movie On trend: The British actress, 36, looked incredible in Ralph & Russo Spring 2019 couture Headliners: Larson and Chan were definitely the center of attention Gemma Chan stars as villain and blue-skinned Kree warrior Minn-Erva in the movie. The British actress, 36, looked incredible in Ralph & Russo Spring 2019 couture. She enjoyed a red carpet reunion with her fellow antagonist Lee Pace who stars as Ronan. Pace, 39, made his first appearance as the character in 2014's Guardians Of The Galaxy. Happy to see you: Chan enjoyed a red carpet reunion with her fellow antagonist Lee Pace who stars as Ronan MCU role: Pace, 39, made his first appearance as Ronan in 2014's Guardians Of The Galaxy Gracious: The 6ft5in actor who wore a tan suit, took a selfie with the Captain Marvel-dressed fans Baddie: Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn, 49, who plays high-ranking Skrull official Talos, opted for a grey pinstripe suit and black tie Child actress Mckenna Grace plays Larson's character as a young girl. The 12-year-old looked grown-up in a sleeveless gown with sparkly silver and gold bodice and a coffee-colored full-lenth tiered tulle skirt. She got a warm greeting and a hug from Larson as they met up outside the movie theatre. Big moment: Mckenna Grace, 12, plays Larson's character as a young girl. She looked grown-up in a sleeveless gown with sparkly silver and gold bodice and coffee-colored tiered tulle skirt Sweet: Mckenna got a warm greeting and a hug from Larson as they met up outside the movie theatre Pretty: British actress Lashana Lynch, 31, who is also in the cast, looked lovely in a figure-hugging white embroidered full-length dress Clark Gregg reprises his Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D character Agent Phil Coulson in Captain Marvel. The actor, 56, was accompanied to the premiere by his wife Jennifer Grey, 58, and their daughter Stella, 17. The Dirty Dancing star looked great in a neon low-cut dress and black fake fur stole. Family night: Clark Gregg reprises his Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D character Agent Phil Coulson in Captain Marvel. The actor, 56, was accompanied by wife Jennifer Grey and daughter Stella, 17 Poised: Dirty Dancing star Grey looked great in a neon low-cut dress and black fake fur stole Stunners: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D co-stars Chloe Bennet and Elizabeth Henstridge glammed it up for the red carpet, posing together for photos Leggy look: Ming-Na Wen, 55, also from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, showed off her legs in a black dress with asymmetrical hem and black heels Eye-catching: Guardians of the Galaxy star Pom Klementieff stood out from the crowd in a bright green wraparound dress. The 32-year-old added embellished silver sandal heels Joining the stars at the event were plenty of celebrity guests. Hitmaker Halsey showed up in a revealing ensemble of black leather jacket over black lace bra and tiny black leather shorts. The singer, 24, sported dark red dyed hair and wore black high heels. Canadian singer and songwriter Grimes made quite an impression in a long-sleeved red wet-look bodysuit worn with a black halter full-length dress with see-through bodice. Dared to bare: Hitmaker Halsey showed up in a revealing ensemble of black leather jacket over black lace bra and tiny black leather shorts Rockin' it: The singer, 24, sported dark red dyed hair and wore black high heels Statement: Canadian singer-songwriter Grimes made quite an impression in a long-sleeved red wet-look bodysuit worn with a black halter full-length dress with see-through bodice Relaxed: Musician Gavin Rossdale, 53, was nattily attired in a black shirt with green detailing and black trousers and boots Avengers star Don Cheadle, 54, turned out to support the movie and he was accompanied by his partner Bridgid Coulter. Also at the screening was Sean Gunn, who plays Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Several Disney Channel teen stars put in an appearance including Sadie Stanley, star of Kim Possible, Meg Donnelly from Zombies and Peyton Elizabeth Lee from Andi Mack. Other child stars walking the red carpet were Ian Chen from ABC's Fresh Off The Boat and Miles Brown from Black-ish. Couple goals: Avengers star Don Cheadle, 54, turned out to support the movie and he was accompanied by his partner Bridgid Coulter Part of the Marvel universe: Also at the screening was Sean Gunn, who plays Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies Bright: British plus-size model Iskra Lawrence, 28, wore a vibrant ensemble of orange and black top and wide-legged red trousers Several Disney Channel teen stars put in an appearance including from l-r: Sadie Stanley, star of Kim Possible, Meg Donnelly from Zombies, who wore Kelly NG Couture, and Peyton Elizabeth Lee from Andi Mack Bragging rights: Sterling K. Brown from NBC's This Is Us, brought along his son Andrew to see the superhero movie Sitcom stars: Other child actors walking the red carpet were Ian Chen, 12, from ABC's Fresh Off The Boat, left, and Miles Brown, 14, from ABC's Black-ish, right Having fun: Lashana Lynch beamed with happiness as she posed with (L-R) Abby Ryder Fortson, Rune Temte and Akira Akbar Thunderbirds are go! Lashana posed with Air Force Thunderbirds during the Los Angeles World Premiere Exciting: (L-R) Director/writer Anna Boden and actor Ben Mendelsohn and Chloe Bennet and Jennifer Grey enjoyed the premiere of the highly-anticipated Marvel film Having a blast: Samuel L. Jackson and Chadwick Boseman clasped hands as they posed for a photo (L) while Lee Pace and Pom Klementief (centre) and director Taika Waititi and actress Ming-Na Wen looked in good spirits Shannen Doherty expressed her grief following the death of her Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Luke Perry Monday. 'I am in shock,' the 46-year-old actress told People Monday. 'Heartbroken. Devastated by the loss of my friend. I have so many memories with Luke that make me smile and that are forever imprinted on my heart and mind ... I will miss him everyday. Every minute. Every second.' Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh opposite Perry's Dylan McKay on the 90s Fox hit, praised her longtime co-star as 'a smart, quiet, humble and complex man with a heart of gold and never-ending well of integrity and love' in remembering him to the publication. Scroll below for video The latest: Shannen Doherty, 46, expressed her grief following the death of her Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Luke Perry at 52 on Monday. She was snapped at an event in Culver City, California on Sunday Perry's death came days after he suffered a massive stroke last Wednesday, his publicist Arnold Robinson said, noting the actor's family and friends were by his side in his final moments. She noted how Perry was a positive presence for her amid her years-long cancer battle after years of silence. 'Luke reached out to me during my cancer journey and we picked right back up, albeit older and wiser, but that connection remained in tact,' said Doherty, who underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation en route to being declared cancer-free in April of 2017. She opened up about their time on the teen drama, which Perry was on from 1990-95, later returning for the show's final seasons in 1998-2000. Out and about: The actress was snapped Sunday at The Compassion Project's 2nd Annual Fundraising Gala Sunny days: The duo played on-again, off-again boyfriend and girlfriend Brenda Walsh and Dylan McKay on the series 'There is a special kind of love one has for each other when you are experiencing the journey we did on 90210 and of course life in general,' she said. While neither was linked to the upcoming reboot of the series, she said that she and Perry, who was on The CW's Riverdale in recent years, had been 'working on show ideas' to reunite in front of the camera. 'We wanted to work with each other again,' she said, 'and create something special and meaningful for our fans at this stage in our lives.' Formal: The relationship between Brenda and Dylan was a key storyline throughout the series What could have been: The TV stars recently chatted about working together again, according to Doherty She opened up about a recent meeting they had, saying 'a couple of weeks ago in February, Luke and I met up for lunch. ''He chose the restaurant based on who would allow his dog. I walked in and there he was, smiling, with his dog Penny and her bed under the booth, happy as can be. I will never forget - and will miss - Luke looking at me with that smile of his saying Shan.' She noted how he 'loved his family' and 'how proud he was' of his kids, son Jack, 21, and daughter Sophie, 18. Beyond 90210, Perry left behind more than 35 years of credits in movies and TV, where he also had memorable runs on shows such as Oz, John from Cincinnati and Body of Proof. His film career included roles in movies such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 8 Seconds and The Fifth Element. Doherty admitted she is 'struggling' to cope with the sudden death Perry in a Tuesday Instagram post. The actress shared a photo of herself with the 90s heartthrob, along with a heartfelt caption. 'Yesterday morning I got a phone call that devastated me,' the post began. It was just another workday for Emily Ratajkowski. The 27-year-old model and actress was seen leaving a studio in Hollywood on Monday with a jacket to protect against the chilly weather. The Gone Girl star was the subject of a New York Post report on Saturday that alleged her 31-year-old multimillionaire husband, Sebastian Bear-McClard, has been living in a New York City Loft rent-free since 2017. Bundled up: The 27-year-old model and actress was seen leaving a studio in Hollywood on Monday with a jacket to protect against the chilly weather The 5ft7in brunette beauty exited the studio in a flowing blue and white button up shirt as she clutched a drink. She had on a pair of loose, dark blue jeans and salmon colored Nike trainers. Her lustrous locks were parted down the middle and fluttered in the breeze. Emily wore a pair of hoop earrings and had a camel-colored blazer draped over her arm for added warmth. Casual look: The 5ft7in brunette beauty exited the studio in a flowing blue and white button up shirt as she clutched a drink. She had on a pair of loose, dark blue jeans and salmon colored Nike trainers Though Emily was working on the West Coast, she was the subject of controversy back in New York City. A Saturday report in the New York Post alleged that her husband, filmmaker Sebastian Bear-McClard, owed over $120,000 in rent. The filmmaker, who's valued at close to $12 million, has subletted a loft at 49 Bleecker Street since 2013. Bear-McClard's lease expired in 2017, but he never vacated the premises. It's unclear if he and Emily currently live in the unit, or if he's been renting it out to others while skipping out on his own $4,900 a month rent. Grifter alert: Though Emily was working on the West Coast, she was the subject of controversy back in New York City. A Saturday report in the New York Post alleged that her husband, 31-year-old filmmaker Sebastian Bear-McClard, owed over $120,000 in rent; pictured in 2018 Not paying: Bear-McClard's lease expired in 2017, but he never vacated the premises. It's unclear if he and Emily currently live in the unit, or if he's been renting it out to others while skipping out on his own $4,900 a month rent; pictured in 2018 Loophole: The wealthy squatter is a beneficiary of a 1980s-era law that was designed to prevented artists who had rented lofts in New York City from being evicted The wealthy squatter is a beneficiary of a 1980s-era law that was designed to prevented artists who had rented lofts in New York City from being evicted. Buildings lacking a certificate of occupancy or up-to-date safety features couldn't evict tenants. Bear-McClard's building lacks the certificate. The number of buildings under the purview of the Loft Law was increased in 2010, and hundreds more could potentially be added. 'Mr. McClard is fighting to save his home, which he has lived in for years,' his attorney, Michael Kozek, told the Post. 'Hes an artist. Born and raised New Yorker and a child of artists who themselves fought to save their homes, including under the Loft Law.' Glamorous: On February 23, Emily posted a topless photo in which she flashed her massive engagement ring while covering herself in honor of her one-year wedding anniversary Having a bash: That night, she and her husband spent the night at Brooklyn's Villain, where they were pictured with Josh Ostrovsky, AKA The Fat Jew On February 23, Emily posted a topless photo in which she flashed her massive engagement ring while covering herself in honor of her one-year wedding anniversary. That night, she and her husband spent the night at Brooklyn's Villain, where they were pictured with Josh Ostrovsky, AKA The Fat Jew. This Monday, the Blurred Lines dancer posted an adorable photo of herself as a child to her Instagram Stories. She captioned it: 'LOL.' Following their taping on The Late Late Show with James Corden on Monday afternoon, The Jonas Brothers and Sophie Turner grabbed some dinner. Kevin Jonas, 31, Joe Jonas, 29 and Nick Jonas, 26, were spotted leaving celebrity hot-spot Craig's in West Hollywood, California. The brothers and Joe's finacee, Sophie Turner, 23, were all smiles while leaving Craig's, smiling and waving to fans as they left the restaurant. Family dinner: Joe Jonas and fiancee Sophie Turner leave Craig's after a dinner with Joe's brothers Kevin and Nick After dinner: Kevin Jonas, 31, Joe Jonas, 29 and Nick Jonas, 26, were spotted leaving celebrity hot-spot Craig's in West Hollywood, California Joe Jonas was wearing an olive green sweater which has seen some better days, with plenty of holes in it, under a forest green coat with black pants and shoes. Turner was wearing a faded black retro Snoop Doggy Dogg t-shirt with dark blue jeans and camouflage shoes with sunglasses perched atop her head and a Laval bag. Nick Jonas opted for a camouflage zip-up sweatshirt under a grey sport coat and matching grey pants with white shoes. Peace: Kevin flashed a peace sign to fans upon leaving the restaurant Earthy: Kevin went with an Earth tones look with a brown and black sweater, two-tone brown coat and black pants and black shoes Kevin, who flashed a peace sign to fans upon leaving the restaurant, went with an Earth tones look with a brown and black sweater, two-tone brown coat and black pants and black shoes. The Jonas Brothers are promoting their new song, Sucker, which marked their first return to the pop charts as a group since 2013. The song debuted at #28 on the singles charts, according to Billboard, with the music video already garnering more than 45 million views on YouTube since debuting on Thursday. New song: The Jonas Brothers are promoting their new song, Sucker, which marked their first return to the pop charts as a group since 2013 New video: The song debuted at #28 on the singles charts, according to Billboard , with the music video already garnering more than 45 million views on YouTube since debuting on Thursday The music video brought all of their significant others in on the fun, with Turner, Nick's new bride Priyanka Chopra and Kevin's wife of nine years Danielle. For fans hoping for more Jonas Brothers music, they revealed on a radio interview with Elvis Duran that they have a lot more music coming soon. 'We've got a lot of songs we've recorded,' Joe Jonas began. 'When we started to figure out what the sound was gonna be like, balancing Nick's sound, and to be honest, Kevin bringing so much heart into this, it's been incredible.' Dinner party: The music video brought all of their significant others in on the fun, with Turner, Nick's new bride Priyanka Chopra and Kevin's wife of nine years Danielle Stepping out: For fans hoping for more Jonas Brothers music, they revealed on a radio interview with Elvis Duran that they have a lot more music coming soon 'I mean, his stories and his family and everything he's got going on now, it was really important to be able to blend the three,' Joe continued. 'We have probably 30, 40 songs recorded, that we can't wait to release,' Joe continued. 'I think in the next few months, you're gonna hear more.' The Jonas Brothers split up as a group in 2013, after what was described as a 'deep rift' over creative differences within the group. Family time: 'I mean, his stories and his family and everything he's got going on now, it was really important to be able to blend the three,' Joe continued She plays Minn-Erva in the new Captain Marvel flick alongside leading lady Brie Larson. And Gemma Chan was putting on a stylish display when she walked the red carpet at the film's Hollywood premiere, hosted at the El Capitan Theatre on Monday night. The Crazy Rich Asians star, 36, showed off her flair for fashion in a dramatic caped jumpsuit as she arrived at the venue. Striking: Gemma Chan was putting on a stylish display when she walked the red carpet at the Captain Marvel Hollywood premiere, hosted at the El Capitan Theatre on Monday night Gemma looked incredible in the one-shouldered number, boasting a draped, asymmetric bodice with a flowing train. The quirky number featured statement trousers with blue, pink and purple tassels which caught the light as she moved. The British stunner rounded off her look with a coordinating pair of pointed metallic heels. Quirky and cool: The Crazy Rich Asians star, 36, showed off her flair for fashion in a dramatic caped jumpsuit as she arrived at the venue Wow: Gemma looked incredible in the one-shouldered number, boasting a draped, asymmetric bodice with a flowing train Commanding attention: All eyes were on the British star as she arrived at the venue Gemma's beauty look was created by celebrity make-up artist Monika Blunder, who revealed that the actress actually requested a purple eye for the event. 'I wanted to create a strong makeup look that reflected her role in the movie and one that complimented all the vibrant colors in her dress,' she explained. 'The final look was a strong, bold purple eye that was also chic and wearable.' Monika used products from Cle de Peau Beaute to create the look, which started with the beauty pro applying the brand's Le Serum and Intensive Fortifying Emulsion with a face roller 'to make sure the skin was hydrated and plump'. Gemma's complexion was then evened out and perfected with The Foundation, and the Concealer. Then came that vibrant purple eye, which was created using the Eye Shadow Quad #308, while the Perfect Last Mascara helped to add drama and intensity to the overall look. Brie plays Carol Danvers in the franchise, an Air Force pilot who becomes imbued with incredible powers after an explosion. Danvers becomes an integral figure in the brewing war between two alien races, the Kree and the Skrulls, in the first Marvel movie set in the 1990s. Larson leads a cast that also includes Jude Law as Walter Lawson, a.k.a. Mar-Vell, Lashanna Lynch as Maria Rambeau, plus returning Marvel stars Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson. Stylish: The quirky number featured statement trousers with blue, pink and purple tassels which caught the light as she moved Superhero style: Gemma plays Minn-Erva in the new Captain Marvel flick Putting her best foot forward: The Humans star took centre stage due to her stylish look On making Marvel's first female-led movie, co-director Anna Boden told MailOnline at the premiere: 'This was an awesome experience making this film for Marvel, having someone who I really believe in playing this character and who inspired me everyday. 'Now being able to bring it into the world, and let go of it, first of all means we get to stop working on it and take a big long nap, [but] also have other people see [which] is great.' The movie will hit UK and US cinemas on March 8. Catching up: Gemma was seen chatting to leading lady Brie Larson on the red carpet She is enjoying a new romance with talent manager and songwriter Philip Payne. However Iskra Lawrence appeared to be flying solo on Monday evening, as she attended the Captain Marvel premiere in LA. The model, 28, certainly commanded attention as she took to the red carpet wearing a vibrant colour block two-piece, in bright orange and pink. Iskra Lawrence appeared to be flying solo without her new beau Philip Payne on Monday evening, as she attended the Captain Marvel premiere in LA Iskra's high-necked top was cinched around her slim waist with a pink belt, accentuating her sensational curves as she posed for snaps as the event. She teamed her colourful top with a pair of wide-legged trousers and inching out from underneath the garment were some pointed stilettos. The body positivity activist swept her blonde locks up into a sleek bun, while framing her pretty features with a few strands of her golden tresses. Bold: The model, 28, certainly commanded attention as she took to the red carpet wearing a vibrant colour block two-piece, in bright orange and pink. And her hoop earrings were by Stella & Dot Sensational: Iskra's high-necked top was cinched around her slim waist with a pink belt, accentuating her sensational curves as she posed for snaps as the event And her hoop earrings were by Stella & Dot. Iskra added a further pop of colour to her ensemble with a bright pink lip, while adding winged eye-liner to and a touch of blush to finish her make-up look. The star appeared in high spirits after recently announcing her relationship with her beau Phillip, who she was spotted holding hands with in December last year. The Aerie role model shared a snap of the pair bonding over their shared love of cake on her Instagram page on Wednesday, as she pined for her beau and told him she 'missed' him. Work it: She teamed her colourful top with a pair of wide-legged trousers and inching out from underneath the garment were some pointed stilettos 'It makes us both happy': Iskra and Philip bonded over their shared love of CAKE as she pined for her beau in sweet post after the 'best weekend' indulging on treats Captain Marvel is set in the 1990s and 'follows the journey of (fighter pilot) Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universes most powerful heroes.' 'While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom,' according to the movie's official website. A lot of female fans of the comic book superhero showed up dressed as Captain Marvel, as the film standalone film centered on a female superhero based in the Marvel universe. Sleek: The body positivity activist swept her blonde locks up into a sleek bun, while framing her pretty features with a few strands of her golden tresses Iskra has done her own fair share of work towards female empowerment, and really speaks at Ted Talks and posts online about feeling confidence from within. During a recent interview with Grazia magazine Iskra revealed that it took her a long time to realise that she had her own value and that happiness came from within. She said: 'My whole life changed when I became confident, for sure.' Discussing how to she felt before this point, she said: 'When I was more insecure and had body image issues I very much thought I had to wear things that were flattering all the time. 'My sole aim was to look slimmer. It felt like I was just dressing for my insecurity or the validation of other people or these beauty ideals.' However she know has a much more straight-forward approach and when she is met with negativity she either laughs it or block, deletes and ignores it. Chanel's creative director Karl Lagerfeld passed away from pancreatic cancer last month at the age of 85. The late fashion icon's supermodel muses including Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell were paying their respects on Tuesday, attending the Chanel show to celebrate the designer's final Autumn/Winter 2019 collection. Claudia and Naomi, both 48, put on brave faces as they arrived at the spectacular Grand Palais in Paris, going arm-in-arm as they prepared for the highly-anticipated event. Model muses: Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell were paying their respects to the late Karl Lagerfeld on Tuesday, attending the Chanel show to celebrate the designer's final Autumn/Winter 2019 collection Claudia looked lovely in a cream knit teamed with scarlet culottes, knotted at the waist in a black bow. She completed her look with a classic Chanel bag, coordinating leather boots, a chunky necklace and some chic shades. Naomi opted for a classic Chanel tweed with a twist, matching her gold cuffs and collar to her quirky hat and knee-high boots. Original supermodels: The iconic duo were two of Karl's biggest inspirations in the 90s Iconic duo: They have credited the late fashion mogul for helping make them household names Heading out: Claudia and Naomi, both 48, put on brave faces as they arrived at the spectacular Grand Palais in Paris She served up some serious attitude as she arrived at the Alpine-themed show, a nod to Karl's childhood in Hamburg. The fashion extravaganza was prefaced with a sombre one minute's silence, before Cara Delevingne opened the show. The iconic duo were two of Karl's biggest inspirations in the 90s, and have credited the late fashion mogul for helping make them household names. Centre stage: Naomi served up some serious attitude as she arrived at the Alpine-themed show, a nod to Karl's childhood in Hamburg Simple yet chic: Claudia looked lovely in a cream knit teamed with scarlet culottes, knotted at the waist in a black bow Posing together: Claudia joined forces with Italian actress Monica Bellucci at the PFW show Making an impression: The pair were dressed head-to-toe in the luxury brand for the occasion Following Karl's death, Claudia paid tribute to the late designer, who she credits with 'turning her into a supermodel'. She wrote on Instagram: 'Karl was my magic dust, he transformed me from a shy German girl into a supermodel. 'He taught me about fashion, style and survival in the fashion business. What Warhol was to art, he was to fashion; he is irreplaceable. FROW favourite: Paying their respects to the late designer were Clemence Poesy, Monica Bellucci, her new boyfriend Nicolas Lefebvre, Naomi, Laura Bailey, Claudia and Liu Wen (from left to right) Leading the way: One of Karl's more recent muses, 26-year-old Cara Delevingne, was chosen to open the show Stunning: The Grand Palais was transformed into a snowy Alpine village as a tribute to Karl's childhood Heading out: Claudia flashed a smile as she left her hotel earlier in the day 'He is the only person who could make black and white colourful! I will be eternally grateful to him.' Meanwhile, Naomi thanked the late fashion designer for 'taking the chance' on her when she was just 16 years old. She wrote: '.. too many memories to write... I THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU !!! 'For taking the chance on 16 year old girl from South London and opening my eyes. May you Rest with Highest...' Muse: Following Karl's death, Claudia paid tribute to the late designer, who she credits with 'turning her into a supermodel' (pictured together in 1995) Advertisement The fashion world lost an icon when Karl Lagerfeld passed away on February 19, aged 85, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. And Chanel muses Cara Delevingne, 26, Penelope Cruz, 44, and Kaia Gerber, 17, paraded down a snowy runway as his final collection was shown at the Grand Palais in Paris with an alpine-themed show. Cara opened the presentation and looked incredible wearing a white checked jumpsuit which had a plunging neckline and a belt which cinched the fabric in at the waist. Chanel muses: (L-R) Cara Delevingne, Kaia Gerber and Penelope Cruz paraded down a snowy runway as Karl Lagerfeld's final collection was honoured at the Grand Palais with a spectacular alpine-themed Paris Fashion Week show on Tuesday There for one another: Cara comforted a crying model as they opened the show together on what must have been an incredibly emotional day Stunning: Actress Kristen Stewart, 28, was not pictured on the runway, but she pulled out all the stops, wearing a plunging quilted one-piece, suitable for the slopes and covered in the famous Chanel logo She placed her hands in a praying motion before throwing her arms up as she danced down the runway for her late good friend. She then comforted a crying model as they walked alongside one another in the snow. Cara completed her fashion forward look with a matching top hat and threw a hounds-tooth overcoat with a giant statement necklace. Actress Penelope wore a fluffy white skirt and matching top for a very angelic walk down the runway, while holding a white rose in her hand in tribute to Karl. Fitting: Guests had been instructed not to wear heels, (although most did) because of the snow which filled the venue - the perfect tribute to Karl, who was born in Hamburg, at a castle outside of Salzburg, Austria Memories: Kaia wore a white mini dress which was embellished with flowers at the top section and had a furry skirt detail. She looked beautiful as she walked down the runway clapping for him A nice touch: The models followed Kaia as she led the applause on the day while looking sartorially stunning Sent from above: Penelope looked flawless in her crisp white ensemble, wearing a feather in her hair Iconic: Those in the audience scrambled to capture the magical moment on their cameras Kaia wore a white mini dress which was embellished with flowers at the top section and had a furry skirt detail. She looked beautiful as she walked down the runway clapping for him. Actress Kristen Stewart, 28, was not pictured on the runway, but she pulled out all the stops, wearing a plunging quilted one-piece, suitable for the slopes and covered in the famous Chanel logo. She wore Mary Jane heels and perched a pair of red sunglasses on the end of her nose as she posed for photographers while honouring Karl and later took to the FROW with singer, Janelle Monae, 33. Dancing to his tune: Cara put a brave spin on things as she danced her way through the snow Follow my lead: Cara stuck her tongue out as she span another model around in a fun display Fun: Models added pops of colour to the snowy scenes with pops of caramel, pink and blue walking down the runway Hands in her pockets: Cara had all eyes on her as she strutted her stuff in her incredible ensemble Footprints in the snow: Penelope (second from right) walked alongside three other stunning models, who were all dressed in white Very tough time: Models were overcome with sadness as they showcased Karl's final designs Guests had been instructed not to wear heels because of the snow which filled the venue - the perfect tribute to Karl, who was born in Hamburg, at a castle outside of Salzburg, Austria. An official statement published after his death and posted on Instagram said: 'The House of KARL LAGERFELD shares, with deep emotion and sadness, the passing of its creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, on February 19, 2019, in Paris, France. Virginie Viard, 57, Karl's longtime collaborator for over 30 years and director of Chanel's Fashion Creation Studio has taken over at the creative helm of the brand. You can go your own way: The brand has come a long way since Karl reinvented it in the 80s That's one way to keep warm: Models wore moon boots and padded jackets with striped dresses and the traditional Chanel bag got a final twist with a shearling detail All white: The scene had alpine lodges built and trees planted which were sprayed with snow All the colours: Pink, teals and blues made an appearance in cosy looking fabrics with a sports luxe vibe Who needs a red carpet? Sweaters, sheer fabrics and ski related attire were some of the key themes The German-born artistic director for Chanel had appeared increasingly frail in recent months, and had did not come out to take a bow at Chanel's couture show in Paris in January. At the time, the company had attributed to him being 'too tired'. 'He hadn't gone on about his illness, but battled it very bravely,' said one source. 'Karl was very proud of his fitness and healthy living, so the pancreatic cancer came as a huge shock.' Mother figure: Cara kept a watchful eye over the models as guests took photos of every moment Turning to them: Cara managed to hold back her own tears, while the rest of the models struggled Remembering him: Karl Lagerfeld with Kendall Jenner and Cara during the Chanel A/W show back in March 2015 Tears: There was a one minute's silence held for Karl, which was broken by the sound of Karl's voice which was played on a tannoy, (pictured Julia Restoin Roitfeld and her mother, former Vogue France editor-in-chief, Carine Roitfeld) Symbolic: Virginie Viard, Karl's longtime collaborator for over 30 years, has taken over at the creative helm and made her first appearance at the end of the catwalk There was a one minute's silence for Karl, during which the models appeared in a line at the top of the set, to pay their respects. This was broken by the sound of Karl's voice which was played on a tannoy. French art director and model Julia Restoin Roitfeld and her mother, former editor-in-chief of Vogue France editor Carine Roitfeld were pictured in tears during the period of silence. Supermodels Naomi Campbell, 48, and Claudia Schiffer, also 48, walked to their seats in the front row linking arms with one another. Naomi wore gold boots and a matching hat, with her boucle jacket sporting a matching collar, while Claudia wore red trousers and a white jumper, sporting a quilted bag. They're a fan: Actresses Alma Jodorowsky, left, and Marion Cotillard, second from right, applaud the Chanel ready to wear Fall-Winter 2019-2020 collection She's got the look: Giving a nod to her celebrity status, Twilight star Kristen wore a pair of red framed red lens sunglasses A-list FROW: Kristen was seated next to singer Janelle Monae in prime seats Signature look: Kristen styled her cropped peroxide blonde locks into a texture sweptback hairdo, she added a slick of make-up His golden girls: Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer, both 48, were watching from the front row, (left) - Claudia also caught up with actress Monica Bellucci, 54, (right) Claudia also caught up with actress Monica Bellucci, 54, who looked sensational in a monochrome belted coat and dark sunglasses. She made a rare appearance with her artist boyfriend Nicolas Lefebvre. French actress and Chanel muse Marion Cotillard, 43, was typically chic in a gorgeous monochrome dress and suede boots while singer Janelle Monae, 33, rocked colour with her rainbow layered dress and enviable arm candy. Actress Ellie Bamber, 22, wore a tabard style dress and thigh-high boots, which had gold graffiti scrawled all over them. Her dress had delicate blue beadwork around the neckline. The fash-pack: (L-R) Clemence Poesy, Monica Bellucci, her boyfriend Nicolas Lefebvre, Naomi Campbell, Laura Bailey, Claudia Schiffer, and guests Sadness: There were tears from model and music producer Caroline de Maigret, as Naomi and Claudia comforted her Taking a moment: Model Clemence Poesy put her head in her hands as she was overcome with grief Fancy seeing you here: Actress Monica made a rare appearance with her artist boyfriend Nicolas Chic: Claudia wore red cropped trousers with a white jumper and wore slouchy black boots Giggles: Naomi and Claudia made one another laugh as they prepared to take to their seats Superstar: Naomi looked like a vision in her ensemble as she applauded along with the rest of the FROW Model Laura Bailey, 46, was dressed in snowy white and wore matching white lace-up shoes - she carried a bright red Chanel logo bag in her hand. And Cara had her biggest fans in the front row as girlfriend Ashley Benson and sister Poppy led the a-list arrivals at the designer showcase. Pretty Little Liars star Ashley, who has been inseparable from Cara since they met in 2018 on the set of movie Her Smell, looked proud as she left her hotel in a blue satin jacket closely followed by Cara's older sister Poppy. FROW regulars: French actress and Chanel muse Marion Cotillard was typically chic in a gorgeous monochrome dress and suede boots while singer Janelle Monae rocked colour with her rainbow layered dress and enviable arm candy A moment of reflection: Kristen appeared to have lots on her mind as she glanced at the catwalk Careful in the snow: Model Lara Stone must have been cold in her T-shirt dress and strappy sandals I can't stand the rain: A man held an umbrella over Kristen's head as she made her way into the Grand Palais Making an appearance: Of course Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour paid tribute in an incredible pink suit Ashley, 29, rocked her wrap jacket with chain detail, teaming the statement piece with leather leggings and chic heels. She accessorised with a jewel-encrusted shoulder bag and Chanel earrings, adding to the nineties vibe with backcombed locks and dark eyeliner. Poppy coordinated with Ashley in her own leather look, pairing thigh-high boots with a black jacket and topped off with statement shades. Her girls: Cara had her biggest fans in the front row on Tuesday, as girlfriend Ashley Benson, (left) and sister Poppy, (right) led the a-list arrivals Chic: Pretty Little Liars star Ashley (centre), who has been inseparable from Cara since they met in 2018 on the set of movie Her Smell, looked proud as she left her hotel in a blue satin jacket closely followed by Cara's older sister Poppy What a look: Ellie Bamber was pictured wearing gold graffiti-inspired boots and a matching tabard dress Girls, girls, girls: Ellie Bamber and Elisa Sednaoui (second from left and second from right) waited patiently Model behaviour: Laura Bailey was dressed in snowy white and wore matching white lace-up shoes Relaxed style: Penelope nailed a casual ensemble as she later left Cocktail Chanel at La Reserve hotel in a contrast sweater and baggy jeans High spirits: Despite a hectic schedule the beauty greeted waiting fans with a huge smile as she signed autographs She has been filming her latest BBC drama The Trial Of Christine Keeler. And during a break from filming, Ellie Bamber joined the fashion elite as she headed to the Chanel AW 19 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday morning. The actress, 22, stepped out in a sensational embellished Chanel top which was emblazoned with doodle-style drawings in gold pen, as she left the Le Bristol Hotel. Work it: Ellie Bamber joined the fashion elite as she headed to the Chanel AW 19 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday morning The neckline and sleeves of Ellie's top were adorned with an array of blue and gold beads, offering a dazzling jewelled effect. She slipped her svelte legs into a pair of skin-tight black leggings, while donning a pair of thigh-high boots in the same decorative pattern as her top. Ellie also added a padded bag, complete with chain strap and a brushed gold leather, to her decadent ensemble. Sensational: The actress, 22, stepped out in a sensational embellished Chanel top which was emblazoned with doodle-style drawings in gold pen, as she left the Le Bristol Hotel She accessorised with a pair of mirrored shades, while opting for a pallet of blush tones to complete her make-up look. Despite her recent split from Richard, 32, the Les Miserables actress worked the camera from different angles, and even flashed a hint of a smile. The pair recently hit headlines recently when they went their separate ways with a source saying that the split has come as a huge blow to the pair, but they believe the decision is in their best interests. Golden girl: The neckline and sleeves of Ellie's top were adorned with an array of blue and gold beads, offering a dazzling jewelled effect They told The Sun: They were arguing almost daily towards the end and, despite considering couples therapy, it became evident there were far too many issues that could not be fixed. Richard is the toast of Hollywood at the moment, and understandably wants to let his hair down. Ellie is a bit quieter, and wants to focus purely on her work. It felt like their day-to-day lives were increasingly becoming worlds apart.' Winter wonderland: She slipped her svelte legs into a pair of skin-tight black leggings, while donning a pair of thigh-high boots in the same decorative pattern as her top FROW: Ellie sat on the front row alongside ,Elisa Sednaoui in their incredible Chanel designs They continued that Richard and Ellie were never apart during the early days of their relationship, which meant that families became close too, therefore those close to them are also devastated by the break up. The pair are apparently trying to remain amicable following the split in a bid to stay friends. The fashion world lost an icon when Karl Lagerfeld passed away on February 19, aged 85, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Muses: Chanel muses Cara Delevingne , 26, Penelope Cruz, 44, and Kaia Gerber, 17, paraded down a snowy runway as his final collection was shown at the Grand Palais in Paris with an alpine-themed show Chanel muses Cara Delevingne, 26, Penelope Cruz, 44, and Kaia Gerber, 17, paraded down a snowy runway as his final collection was shown at the Grand Palais in Paris with an alpine-themed show. Guests had been instructed not to wear heels because of the snow which filled the venue - the perfect tribute to Karl, who was born in Hamburg, at a castle outside of Salzburg, Austria. There was a one minute's silence for Karl, during which the models appeared in a line at the top of the set, to pay their respects. This was broken by the sound of Karl's voice which was played on a tannoy. Beautiful scene: Guests had been instructed not to wear heels because of the snow which filled the venue - the perfect tribute to Karl, who was born in Hamburg, at a castle outside of Salzburg, Austria ISTANBUL - Turkish armed forces and Kurdish YPG militia exchanged fire in northern Syria, the Turkish defense ministry said Tuesday. According to the ministry, its army responded to fire from the area of Tal Rifaat against the north-western Syrian region of Afrin. The area has been under Turkish control for over a year, since a military operation to take the zone from Kurdish militia. No victims have been reported so far. She has been storming the catwalk, modelling for Off-White, Isabel Marant and Bella during a hectic Paris Fashion Week. And Gigi Hadid continued to showcase her fashion prowess off the runway as she left her five-star hotel, Le Royal Monceau to jet out of the capital on Tuesday. The model, 23, cut a vibrant figure in a wool rainbow-coloured coat from Ports 1961 as she headed to the airport to catch a flight back to New York. Model of the moment: Gigi Hadid continued to showcase her fashion prowess off the runway as she left her five-star hotel, Le Royal Monceau to jet out of Paris on Tuesday Gigi paired the multi-coloured coat with rolled-up light-wash denim jeans and a black pashmina. She toted a tan handbag in the crook of her arm and covered her tired eyes with a pair of oversized black shades. Styling her brunette tresses in crimped waves and showcased her natural beauty with a minimal make-up look and glossy lip. Fashion maven: The model, 23, cut a vibrant figure in a wool rainbow-coloured coat from Ports 1961 as she headed to the airport to catch a flight back to New York Stylish display: Gigi paired the multi-coloured coat with rolled-up light-wash denim jeans and a black pashmina Gigi and her sister Bella have been working tirelessly for the last four weeks, from runway shows to fashion dinners, fittings and parties. Their last joint appearance was on the Off-White catwalk, while Gigi has since walked for Isabel Marant and Bella has also appeared at the Redemption show. But for a change, Gigi enjoyed a front row seat at the action for last week's Tommy Hilfiger AW19 show. Feeling exhausted: She toted a tan handbag in the crook of her arm and covered her tired eyes with a pair of oversized black shades Gigi stormed the catwalk, modelling for Off-White, Isabel Marant and Bella during a hectic Paris Fashion Week (pictured at the Isabel Marant show last week) Despite regularly representing the brand with her own Tommy x Gigi collection, this time Gigi was allowed to observe. She watched as actress Zendaya stepped into her shoes, by curating the Tommy x Zendaya collection. 'Huge love and congratulations to @zendaya,' she wrote on Instagram, in celebration. 'And to my whole @tommyhilfiger design team/family on an amazing collection and epic Parisian night!!' And outside the realms of fashion, Gigi's love life has once again come into the spotlight. Her rumoured 'ex' boyfriend Zayn Malik curiously tweeted the words 'love you' and tagged her Twitter handle on Saturday and it didn't escape many people's attention. According the UsWeekly, the on-again, off-again couple had split in January but the latest declaration of love indicates otherwise. She revealed her heart shattered on discovering Karl Lagerfeld had died in recent weeks. And Lara Stone made a fashionable arrival at the German-born designer's final swan song as his last-ever collection was presented with a spectacular alpine-themed Chanel showcase at the Grand Palais at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday. The Dutch born beauty, 35, flaunted her supermodel legs in a navy Chanel minidress with the designer's logo emblazoned across the chest and hem of the design. Model arrival: Lara Stone showed off her supermodel figure in a Chanel minidress at snow-themed Paris Fashion Week show in tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld Despite the runway and setting being steeped in snow, the beautiful blonde was a slave to style when she tottered out in gold heels. Lara, who was married to David Walliams for five years from 2010-2015, ferried her must-have items in her woven basket-inspired Chanel handbag. The mother who shares her five-year-old son Alfred and dog Bert with her ex made the perfect model arrival with her loose golden locks framing her face. Muses Cara Delevingne, Penelope Cruz and Kaia Gerber marched in a sensational procession on the snowy runway for Karl Lagerfeld's final collection. Fashion faux pas? Despite the runway and setting being steeped in snow, the beautiful blonde was a slave to style when she tottered out in gold heels Suicide Squad star Cara's girlfriend Ashley and her older sister Poppy were there to support her on the catwalk from the front row. Kristen Stewart, who was cherry-picked by late Karl as a model muse for the iconic French fashion house five years ago, also made an appearance at the show. Chanel designer and creative director Karl Lagerfeld died in February aged 85 from pancreatic cancer. Lara rushed to social media to pay tribute to the late designer following the news of his death as she posted a picture of the two of them with a broken heart emoji. Cute chic: Lara, who was married to David Walliams for five years from 2010-2015, ferried her must-have items in her woven basket-inspired Chanel handbag In February, she was spotted looking cosy with her London property developer beau David Grievson at an event. Lara met London based Grievson through friends and was then seen with him at Chanels Paris Fashion Week presentation in March of last year. A source told The Sun at the time: Lara and David are really in love, their relationship has moved faster than expected but they seem completely besotted.' Her relationship with the businessman is thought be her first serious relationship since she divorced her comedian husband. A host of D-list reality stars mingled with fashion's elite on Tuesday night. Married At First Sight's Martha Kalifatidis, Jessika Power's 'hot brother' Rhyce and Nadia Stamp invaded the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival on Tuesday. They posed on the red carpet alongside models, Montana Cox and Jesinta Campbell, and Neighbours star, Jodi Anasta. D-list reality stars meet fashion's elite: Married At First Sight's Martha Kalifatidis attended the Melbourne Fashion Festival on Tuesday evening Martha, 30, made sure she stood out in a striking white power-suit for the occasion. She showed off her cleavage in the plunging blazer teamed with matching billowing pants. She stunned with a neutral make-up look and styled her silky chestnut tresses in loose waves. Co-star Jessika Power's 'hot brother' Rhyce also made an appearance, posing with former MAFS' star Nadia Stamp. Looking good! Co-star Jessika Power's 'hot brother' Rhyce (L) also made an appearance at the event - posing beside former MAFS' star Nadia Stamp (R) Flaunting his tattoos, Rhyce wore a white shirt, navy blue pants and white sneakers. Nadia meanwhile opted for a high-neck black blouse adorned with a stylish neck bow. She teamed up the look with flared pants, strappy black heels and a clutch by Moschino. Dapper: Flaunting his tattoos, Rhyce wore a white shirt, navy blue pants and stylish white sneakers Chic: Nadia opted for this high-neck black blouse that was adorned with a neck bow and teamed up the look with flared pants, strappy black heels and a clutch by Moschino Among the more A-list stars that attended he event was Jesinta Franklin, who opted for a fashion forward boilersuit. The blonde beauty, 27, styled the attire with a mini black bag and Manolo Blanhik forest green pumps. She styled her pixie cut in 'piecey' layers to create a textured effect. All eyes on her! Among the stars that attended was WAG Jesinta Franklin, who opted for this loose-fitting white boilersuit Cute: The blonde beauty, 27, styled her pixie cut in 'piecey' layers to create a textured effect Visage: Jesinta's makeup consisted of nude lipstick, defined eye brows and a hint of bronze eye shadow Jesinta's makeup consisted of nude lipstick, defined eye brows and a hint of bronze eye shadow. Actress Jodi Gordon, 34, stunned in a diaphanous floral dress that featured a silk belt cinched in at the waist. She enhanced her flawless visage with contoured makeup and a smokey eye for a touch of nighttime glam. Sophisticated: Actress Jodi Gordon, 34, took the red carpet by storm in this diaphanous floral dress that featured a silk belt at the waist and teamed with strappy stilettos Gorgeous: She enhanced her flawless visage with contoured makeup and a smokey eye for a touch of night time glam Meanwhile, AFL WAG Jessie Murphy sizzled in a hot pink blazer dress, complete with a transparent fuchsia belt. Adding a quirky touch, the blonde bombshell carried a transparent clutch and slipped on perspex mules for the occasion. She opted for coral-toned makeup and pulled her silky locks back into a high ponytail. She's a goddess! Meanwhile, AFL WAG Jessie Murphy sizzled in this hot pink blazer dress, complete with a transparent fuchsia belt Best foot forward! Jessie posed beside stylist Lana Wilkinson, who looked sensational in a multicoloured sweater and black leather skirt Jessie posed beside stylist Lana Wilkinson, who looked sensational in a multicoloured sweater and black leather skirt. Model Montana Cox, 25, made an appearance in a black suit featuring a plunging black blazer and fitted pants, complete with a slit at the ankle. Looking fabulous in monochrome was E! Australia host Ksenija Lukich, who opted for a grey checkered top and a matching mini skirt. Beauty in black: Model Montana Cox, 25, made an appearance in a black suit featuring a plunging black blazer and fitted pants, complete with a slit at the ankle Hot to trot! Looking fabulous in monochrome was E! Australia host Ksenija Lukich, who opted for a grey checkered top and a matching mini skirt It's all in the details! She accessorised the look with black pumps, a mini bag personalised with her initials and silver hoop studs The 29-year-old accessorised the look with black pumps, a mini bag personalised with her initials and silver hoop studs. Mother-of-four Lindy Rama Ellis, 40, looked casual cool in a quirky denim ensemble complete with diamond-encrusted boots. Meanwhile, her ex-husband Olympic swimmer Michael Klim, 41, looked handsome in a navy blue shirt and white blazer as he posed beside girlfriend Desiree Deravi, who looked fabulous in a floral jumpsuit. Rhinestone cowgirl! Mother-of-four Lindy Rama Ellis, 40, looked casual cool in a quirky denim ensemble complete with diamond-encrusted boots That's awkward! Meanwhile, her ex-husband Olympic swimmer Michael Klim, 41, looked handsome in a navy blue shirt and white blazer as he posed beside girlfriend Desiree Deravi, who looked fabulous in a floral jumpsuit Another familiar face at the event was TV personality and actress Lorinska Merrington, who flaunted her baby bump in a fitted knit dress by Fendi. She accessorised with a clutch by Yves Saint Laurent and opted for a pair of comfortable high-top black boots. Australian journalist Jennifer Hansen radiated in a navy blue jumpsuit that was adorned with red flowers all over. Yummy mummy!Another familiar face at the event was TV personality and actress Lorinska Merrington, who flaunted her baby bump in a fitted knit dress by Fendi Stylish: She accessorised with a clutch by Yves Saint Lauren Elegant: Australian journalist Jennifer Hansen radiated in a navy blue jumpsuit that was adorned with red flowers all over She dressed up the look with a nude handbag and matching open-toe heels. Posing up a storm, former Miss Tourism Australia Sarah Czarnuch, who flaunted her trim pins in a thigh-skimming black number. Featuring a velvet print with eye-catching pearl detailing, the gorgeous blonde completed the look with towering black pumps and a wet-look hairstyle. They have recently adopted a pair of Maltipoo puppies together, seen out with them on a loved-up stroll on Monday. And Ant McPartlin and his girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett added another canine companion to their troupe on Tuesday, as Ant's Labrador Hurley joined them for a jaunt in the sunshine. The presenter, 43, and his former PA, 42, appeared in great spirits as they hit the park in London with the trio of pooches - which now include pups Milo and Bumble. Family of five: Ant McPartlin and his girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett took their puppies Milo and Bumble out for a walk on Tuesday - bringing Ant's older dog, Hurley, along for the jaunt Wrapping up against the chilly climes of the English capital, the BGT host donned a padded navy coat, jeans and boots, adding a flat cap to the look and a pair of shades. Meanwhile, Anne-Marie opted for comfort as she rocked a khaki jacket,black leggings and wellington boots. She also accessorised with sunglasses and wore her blonde tresses loosely around her shoulders. Ant, who is embroiled in a dog custody battle against ex-wife Lisa Armstrong over Hurley, walked his older pet alongside him on his lead. Out for a walk: The presenter, 43, and his former PA, 42, appeared in great spirits as they hit the park in London with the trio of pooches - which now include pups Milo and Bumble He and Anne-Marie carried Milo and Bumble - which are crosses between Maltese terriers and a poodles - as they headed through the park and to a waiting car to complete their stroll. Maltipoos typically cost 1,000 each - with the couple gatting them a few weeks ago. Their recent holiday to Abu Dhabi was the couple's third since they got together last year, but their first with Anne-Marie's children. Preparing to fly back to Heathrow, the group waited for the flight, with an insider telling MailOnline: 'He was laughing with the kids and with his girlfriend. He smiled at passersby. They looked really happy and comfortable and he hugged the older girl.' Ant and Anne-Marie went public with their romance last year and have since looked incredibly loved-up at every turn, with their holiday being the next step. Off they trot: Wrapping up against the chilly climes of the English capital, the BGT host donned a padded navy coat, jeans and boots, adding a flat cap to the look and a pair of shades Casual: Meanwhile, Anne-Marie opted for comfort as she rocked a khaki jacket,black leggings and wellington boots Ant previously credited girlfriend Anne-Marie for 'saving his life', after battling addiction, a drink-drive conviction and divorce. The former PA has been throwing her support behind Ant, travelling around the UK while he films for the upcoming series of BGT. His return to BGT for auditions has firmly marked his return to TV since last year's troubles. After first seeking rehab treatment for his addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol in 2017, Ant then pleaded guilty to drink-driving in April last year after being involved in a three-car collision. The series of incidents led to the star checking in for rehab treatment, while he also stepped away from his co-presenting gigs with sidekick Declan Donnelly. Radiant: She also accessorised with sunglasses and wore her blonde tresses loosely around her shoulders Fresh from the sun: They recently returned from their first family getaway together, enjoying some quality time with her two daughters in holiday hotspot Abu Dhabi Ant has credited Anne-Marie for guiding him on the straight and narrow, telling The Sun On Sunday: 'Shes a beautiful soul. Were very happy. Im in the best place Ive been in my life, to be honest with you. Its great.' Ant's romance Anne-Marie was revealed in June of last year. And makeup artist Lisa soon hinted of betrayal on Anne-Marie's part when she tweeted soon after their relationship was revealed: 'Yeah My Friend and OUR Pa who I let into OUR home?' He was quick to back Anne-Marie by noting people 'had to be careful' when it came to judging the relationship of others. New addition: Ant, who is embroiled in a dog custody battle against ex-wife Lisa Armstrong over Hurley, is said to have bought Milo and Bumble - which are a cross between a Maltese terrier and a poodle and typically cost 1,000 each - a few weeks ago Complimenting his girlfriend yet again, the Geordie added: 'She is the most wonderful true woman. And the way we are and when people see us together theyll see how honest and kind and happy we make each other.' Speaking of ex Lisa, who he was married to for 12 years, Ant admitted they 'don't talk' and 'haven't for a while.' During the interview, he also hinted at not agreeing with the way make-up artist Lisa, 41, handled their break-up, following her slew of 'liked' tweets regarding their failed romance and personal issues. James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has confirmed that the new film won't be called Shatterhand after the working titled of the spy franchise was let slip. The American film producer, 58, revealed that the name wasn't being used as the movie's actual title when she autographed a logo designed by a fan of the films. Above the Shatterhand emblem she scribbled 'It's not', with an arrow pointing down towards the supposed title of the latest film in the series. Bond, James Bond: James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has confirmed that the new film won't be called Shatterhand after the working titled of the spy franchise was let slip The film is speculated to be a remake of George Lazenby's On Her Majesty's Secret Service by screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. The plot sees Bond as he hunts down Ernst Starvo Blofeld in the Swiss Alps, which lead to suggestions from fans that Christoph Waltz would be returning as the character after he played the part in Spectre. Lea Seydoux is also apparently going to star in the next film, fans have commented that she may meet her death in a similar fashion to Tracy Bond, the only Bond girl to marry James in the films. It's NOT Shatterhand: The American film producer, 58, revealed that the name wasn't being used as the movie's actual title when she autographed a logo designed by a fan of the films The potential title, Shatterhand, was first noticed in Production Weekly which had listed the film's working title as Shatterhand and noted that shooting is due to commence on April 6 later this year, reports The Guardian. However fans were quick to offer their opinion on Shatterhand, with many suggesting that they weren't keen on the name for a number of reasons. Some social media users joked that the name for the film was 'ridiculous', and compared it to previous title's such as Octopussy. Filming: The potential title was first noticed in Production Weekly which had listed the film's working title as Shatterhand and noted that shooting is due to commence on April 6 later this year, reports The Guardian 'Terrible': Fans were quick to offer their opinion on Shatterhand, with many suggesting that they weren't keen on the name for a number of reasons Another outrageous film title it was compared to was Goldfinger, with one user saying it was just as ridiculous however he have had time to get used to the 1960s Sean Connery classic. One user said: 'To be fair, Shatterhand is probably not much worse a title than Goldfinger, it's just we've had 50 years for Goldfinger to bed in. And it doesn't include the word 'Shat'. Another quipped: 'Octopussy was a ridiculous title for a Bond film. Shatterhand: Hold my beer.' A third Twitter user suggested that Shatterhand was a rushed, last minute idea, saying: 'Excited for new @007 film 'Shatterhand', it's title - I can only assume - dreamed up by a frantic producer five minutes before the pitch meeting.' Calling it a day: Danny Boyle reportedly quit as director of the new James Bond film because bosses would not let him kill off the iconic secret agent (pictured in 2015) Elsewhere, Danny Boyle has reportedly quit as director of the new James Bond film because bosses would not let him kill off the iconic secret agent. The filmmaker, 62, is said to have wanted 007 to die in the arms of returning Bond girl Lea Seydoux in the 25th Bond film, which was thought to have the working title of Shatterhand. A source told the Daily Star: 'Boyle thought that killing 007 would be a brilliant way to pave to introduce a new Bond.' Plan: The filmmaker, 62, is said to have wanted 007 to die in the arms of returning Bond girl Lea Seydoux in the 25th Bond film (pictured in 2018) However, they allege that Bond producer Barbara and actor Daniel Craig were not impressed with the idea. They said: 'When the dust settled there was push back from Barbara and Daniel. 'The feeling was that the audience should be left guessing as to the plight of their man.' True Detective's Cary Fukunaga will direct the film, due for release in 2020. Jessica Marais put her acting career on hold last year in order to focus on her health and well-being. And the Love Child star, 34, looked in relaxed spirits on Tuesday as she soaked up the sun at Clovelly Beach, Sydney with her boyfriend Jake Holly. The couple, who celebrated their one-year anniversary in December, made the most of the warm weather by going for an ocean swim. The future looks bright! A bikini-clad Jessica Marais (left) enjoyed a beach day in Sydney with her boyfriend Jake Holly (right) on Tuesday Jessica, who is known for her roles in The Wrong Girl and Packed to the Rafters, showed off her athletic figure as she strolled across the beach in a black bikini. The mother-of-one styled her naturally blonde hair loosely under a straw hat and accessorised with a pair of round sunglasses. Meanwhile, photographer Jake swept his long, dark hair away from his face and wore a pair of tropical patterned boardshorts. Soaking up the sun: Jessica, who is known for her roles in The Wrong Girl and Packed to the Rafters, showed off her athletic figure in a black cut-out bikini Handsome chap: Meanwhile, photographer Jake swept his long, dark hair away from his face and wore a pair of tropical patterned boardshorts The beach sighting comes after Jessica's announcement that she would be stepping away from acting for the time being. In a statement to 9Honey in September 2018, her manager announced: 'Jessica has decided to step away from acting for the remainder of [the year] to focus on her health and spend time with her family. 'She is disappointed that she will not be a part of the Bad Mothers production with such an incredible cast and team behind it, but knows that it is important to take time out to maintain ongoing balance and well-being.' Self-care: The beach sighting comes after Jessica's announcement that she would be stepping away from acting for the time being Prioritising her health: In a statement in September 2018, her manager announced: 'Jessica has decided to step away from acting for the remainder of [the year] to focus on her health and spend time with her family' Jessica was unable to attend the Logies in July last year because she was receiving treatment for 'urgent' issues at a mental health facility in Bronte. But despite her past difficulties, it seems the award-winning actress is doing much better these days - much to the relief of her fans. If you, or someone you know, needs support please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au Professional help: Jessica was unable to attend the Logies in July last year because she was receiving treatment for 'urgent' issues at a mental health facility in Bronte He never fails to impress when it comes to his wardrobe. And actor Ben Mendelsohn looked dapper while attending the premiere of Marvel Studios 'Captain Marvel' held at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday. Flashing a smile, the 49-year-old looked incredibly handsome in a pinstripe grey suit. Well-suited! Actor Ben Mendelsohn (pictured), 49, cut a suave figure in a tailored pinstripe ensemble at the Captain Marvel premiere in Hollywood on Monday, while attending the premiere of Marvel Studios 'Captain Marvel' held at the El Capitan Theatre Featuring a quirky blazer and matching suit pants, Ben also opted for a stark white button-up shirt, fastened with a black tie. He teamed the stylish ensemble with a pair of black dress shoes and patterned pocket square. The appearance comes after Ben, who has won multiple awards for his acting talents, claimed he'll never be as good as the actresses he works with. Dapper turnout: Flashing a smile, the 49-year-old looked handsome in a pinstripe grey suit complete with this stark white button-up shirt and black tie 'Women are almost always better actors,' the Robin Hood star told the Weekend Australian last year in November. 'They have an easier time playing scales of emotion, they're able to play them with greater ease than their male counterparts.' He added: 'I see a lot more when I watch women!' Best known for his his roles in blockbuster films, including The Dark Knight Rises and Star Wars: Rogue One, the Melbourne actor was once forced to work low-paying jobs to pay the bills just 10 years ago. 'They have an easier time playing scales of emotion': And the appearance comes after Ben, who has won multiple awards for his acting talents, claimed he'll never be as good as the actresses he works with. Pictured in New York City in November, 2018 In a startling admission, the star previously admitted he washed dishes at a restaurant in Sydney's Bondi and was also employed at a Brumby's Bakery during a career slump, according to the Herald Sun. Reflecting on his incredible reversal of fortune since then, Ben said: 'It's been extraordinary. But that's what has been very sweet about it - you don't expect that in this business.' He added: 'I still drive around and look back on a lot of years where things were leaner. I am still happily spun out by it.' She's the glamorous starlet who rarely puts a foot out of line when it comes to fashion. And on Tuesday, Australian actress Phoebe Tonkin didn't disappoint as she attended the Chanel Show during Paris Fashion Week. The 29-year-old dressed to impress in a black turtle neck that she paired with a high-waisted textured skirt. Scroll down for video Oh la la! The Vampire Diaries star Phoebe Tonkin (pictured) cut an elegant figure in a monochrome ensemble as she attended the Chanel Show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday. The glamorous starlet rarely puts a foot out of line when it comes to fashion Phoebe finished off her elegant look with sheer black stockings and a pair of black patent-leather heels. Showing off her flawless visage, The Vampire Diaries star kept her makeup to a minimal, adding a pale pink lipstick to her perfect pout. She kept her chocolate tresses in a low messy bun and parted her hair to the side. So chic! The 29-year-old dressed to impress in a black turtle neck that she paired with a high-waisted textured skirt Tribute: It comes after the Australian actress paid tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld It comes after the Australian actress paid tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld. Taking to Instagram earlier in the month, she shared a throwback photo of the famous designer. 'A true artist till the end. Rest In Peace,' the caption read. 'A true artist till the end. Rest In Peace #karllagerfeld I am so grateful to be have been witness to your beautifully visceral, bright, magical imagination and part of the world you created, even in a small way. What a remarkable life. xx,' Phoebe wrote about Karl (pictured) She added: 'I am so grateful to be have been witness to your beautifully visceral, bright, magical imagination and part of the world you created, even in a small way. What a remarkable life. xx.' Meanwhile, Phoebe has been making headlines in recent weeks thanks to her standout role in the new upcoming drama series Bloom. Set in a small country town after a devastating flood kills five people, Bloom tells the story of a plant that emerges in the aftermath, with the ability to restore youth. In the series, Phoebe and co-star Jacki Weaver, 71, play young and old versions of the same character - an Alzheimer's sufferer named Gwen Reed, who gets a second chance at youth from a magical plant. Phoebe previously gushed over the role while speaking to Daily Mail Australia, describing the experience as 'really unique'. 'It's kind of an actor's dream to portray all those things, and to work with some of the most incredible actors that Australia has,' she said. 'I feel incredibly grateful. It was just a great experience.' Acclaimed US film director John Curran was at the helm of the Stan Original Series, which was funded by Screen Australia and Stan. She is a muse of Louis Vuitton fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquiere. So it's no wonder Jennifer Connelly was jetting of to Paris Fashion Week ahead of the show with her husband Paul Bettany in tow on Tuesday. The actor, 47, led the way through the JFK airport terminal with his love, 48, following behind him as they made a beeline for Paris. Fun fashion: Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany made a beeline for Paris Fashion Week ahead of Louis Vuitton show as they jetted out of JFK airport in New York City on Tuesday He's Just Not That into You star Jennifer dressed all-in-black, with a nude handbag slung over her shoulder and her Louis Vuitton suitcase in tow. The actress brushed her raven coloured tresses in a straight style and she added her geek chic glasses to her casual airport attire. Paul cut a trendy figure in a plaid jacket which dressed up his pair of jeans when he was spotted meandering through the airport terminal with his ladylove. Travelling through the terminal: He's Just Not That into You star Jennifer dressed all-in-black, with a nude handbag slung over her shoulder and her Louis Vuitton suitcase in tow It is no surprise Jennifer was flying over to France for the Louis Vuitton show as she has been a muse of the fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquiere for many years. The designer has dressed the American born beauty for more than a decade and a friendship between the pair has naturally flourished. Paul proved his love to his wife, whom he met on the set of 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind, as he accompanied her on the trip to Paris Fashion Week. Strength to strength: Paul proved his love to his wife, whom he met on the set of 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind, as he accompanied her on the trip to Paris Fashion Week (2018, Cannes) The couple have been together a long time, having tied the knot in a private ceremony in Scotland in 2003. They raise their two children together 15-year-old son Stellan Bettany and seven-year-old Agnes Lark. Jennifer also has an older son Kai Dugan, 21, whom she shares with former flame David Dugan. Her character Villanelle funds her love for designer clothes by charging high fees to assassinate her targets in the crime thriller, Killing Eve. And Jodie Comer channelled the Russian femme fatale's flair for fashion as she attended the Miu Miu show at the Palais d'Iena in Paris on Tuesday. The actress, 25, prowled outside in a black velvet embellished ensemble and graphic eyeliner before heading to her front row seat to watch the Autumn/Winter 19/20 collection debut. Jodie Comer channelled Killing Eve's Villanelle's flair for fashion as she attended the Miu Miu show at the Palais d'Iena in Paris on Tuesday Giving her character's deathly stare to the cameras, Jodie looked the epitome of style in the black velvet zip-up top, which was embellished with cats and tailored suit trousers. She paired the look with silver embellished satin pumps and wore her blonde hair slicked back in a sophisticated chignon. The Liverpudlian actress complemented her slicked-back hairstyle with black winged eye-liner, blush-swept cheeks and a pink lip. The actress, 25, prowled outside in a black velvet embellished ensemble and graphic eyeliner before heading to her front row seat to watch the A/W 19/20 collection debut Style icon: Jodie even gave the character's deathly stare as she posed for cameras (left) as she embodied Villanelle's passion for fashion (right) American Vogue called Killing Eve 'the most fashionable show on TV', with outfits particularly those worn by Villanelle better suited to a high-end catwalk than blood-spattered murder scenes. Villanelle is based in Paris, and charges high fees for ruthlessly slaughtering people, to fund her love of clothes. In series one, she wore a bubblegum-pink tutu-style dress with Balenciaga boots to meet her employer in Paris, donned a brocade Dries Van Noten suit to carry out a hit in a Berlin club and stabbe a man in the eye in Tuscany using a vintage hairpin but not before checking with him who designed his silk throw. Fashion maven: Jodie looked the epitome of style in the black velvet zip-up top and tailored suit trousers Sartorially-savvy: She paired the look with silver embellished satin pumps and wore her blonde hair slicked back in a sophisticated chignon Striking: The Liverpudlian actress complemented her slicked-back hairstyle with black winged eye-liner, blush-swept cheeks and a pink lip Bafta-winning Brit Phoebe de Gaye, who was also behind Jodie's costumes on The White Princess, is responsible for her wardrobe and bought much of the clothes in the summer sale. Speaking to Vogue about the inspiration behind the famous pink ensemble, she said: 'What it said in the script is she's wearing a big poufy dress. I think Phoebe Waller-Bridge [the show's creator], had, perhaps, something more classic in mind. 'I thought Molly Goddard's stuff was just perfect for it because it has that subversive streak. In that scene, her minder takes her to the psychoanalyst to see if she's losing her edge. It's like she's sticking two fingers up and saying, 'Okay, I'm going to dress like a little girl and act like a mad little girl.' 'I thought that would be great to use with the color and the mixture of the extremely feminine, almost to the slightly perverse point, with those boots, which are a good mix.' Albania: fresh protests, tear gas in front of Parliament Police cordon off area, anti-riot officers deployed (ANSAmed) - TIRANA, MARCH 5 - A protest in front of Parliament in Tirana on Tuesday turned violent with firecrackers, tear gas and tires set on fire as the center-right Albanian opposition gathered to ask for the resignation of Socialist Premier Edi Rama. Hundreds of police officers surrounded the building of the National Assembly where a hearing only attended by MPs from the ruling coalition was ongoing. The opposition two weeks ago gave up the mandate of its lawmakers. Police have cordoned off the main entrance of Parliament and anti-riot officers are lined up behind them.(ANSAmed). She is in the midst of promoting her new comedy drama Gloria Bell. And on Tuesday, Julianne Moore was spotted in the midst of her promotional tour for the film in New York City. The 58-year-old actress stood out in her purple trousers with a matching hued knit sweater on top as she left Good Morning America's studios. Absolutely gorgeous: Julianne Moore was spotted in the midst of her promotional tour for the film in New York City on Tuesday morning The movie star flaunted her svelte form in her high-waisted bottoms - in a bright purple tone. Julianne layered a high-neck number with mini cut-out elements along the torso and shoulders - in the same color. The screen star rounded out her chic ensemble with black boots, adding matching sunglasses. Julianne finished off her chic bold look with her diamond wedding ring and sparkling studs. Fancy: The 58-year-old actress stood out in her purple trousers with a matching hued knit sweater on top as she left Good Morning America's studios Beautiful: The movie star flaunted her svelte form in her high-waisted bottoms - in a bright purple tone Julianne wore her red hair loose, opting for a deep side part; she painted her pout a pink glossy hue with a touch of rosy blush on her cheekbones. One day earlier, Julianne attended a special screening of Gloria Bell at the Museum of Modern Art in the Big Apple. The actress chose a feathered cream, white and brown mini dress, featuring a high neck. Wow factor: One day earlier, Julianne attended a special screening of Gloria Bell at the Museum of Modern Art She paired the textured dress with pulled back tresses and pink lipstick with pink smokey eye makeup. In the film Gloria Bell, Julianne plays the title character, alongside John Turturro, Michael Cera, Brad Garrett, Rita Wilson and Holland Taylor. The comedy drama, directed by Sebastian Lelio, is a reimagining of his 2013 movie called Gloria. It is set to hit theaters on March 8. Flawless: The actress chose a feathered cream, white and brown mini dress, featuring a high neck; pictured Monday night She is going to be reprising her role of mother-of-twins and domestic abuse victim Celeste in the second series of edgy drama Big Little Lies. Yet Nicole Kidman, 51, played a very different part when she shot sun-drenched scenes for an advertising campaign in a little village of Catania, in Sicily on Monday. Among the idyllic Italian backdrop in the thick of the forest, the award-winning actress gazed longingly at the ripe orange when she posed for the shoot. One to watch: Nicole Kidman, 51, looked glam as she styled her golden mane in bouncy locks for filming an advert in Sicily, Italy on Monday Nicole looked glam as she preened her golden mane in bouncy waves while she filmed the bright scenes under the sun. She has kept up with her ever-busy acting schedule, having filmed three huge movies last year: Aquaman, Boy Erased and Destroyer. Fans have been eagerly awaiting her return to the stilettos of Celeste for the Big Little Lies follow-up series, complete with its star-studded cast list. The Top of the Lake actress even managed to get her Hollywood star pal Meryl Streep on board for the second season. Fabulous: Nicole looked glam as she preened her golden mane in bouncy waves while she filmed the bright scenes under the sun Meryl transforms into the mum of the late husband of Celeste, known as Perry and played by Alexander Skarsgard in the first season. Jaws dropped when Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz) pushed abusive Perry (Skarsgard) down the school steps after he launched another violent attack on his wife (Kidman). The mothers, who became firm friends in the series, kept the secret between them as they covered the murder. In the second season, Meryl's character will come to visit the women to investigate the suspicious circumstances of her son's death. Late last year, Nicole enthused she hoped telling stories like Big Little Lies could keep the 'conversation' about domestic abuse alive. Good together: Nicole shares her two youngest daughters Sunday and Faith with her current husband Keith whom she married in 2006 She told The Guardian: 'I do believe, and I hope, we can elicit change through the stories we tell and the way we tell them. Lets keep the conversation alive.' When Nicole isn't busy with her acting, she is attending to her mothering duties with her four children: Connor and Isabella Cruise as well as Sunday and Faith Urban. The mother shares her one adopted son and her eldest daughter with her ex-husband Tom Cruise; the couple were married from 1990 and 2001. Nicole shares her two youngest daughters Sunday and Faith with her current husband Keith whom she married in 2006. Her heart was 'broken' following the news that 90210 star Luke Perry died on Monday at the age of 52 following a stroke. And Jennie Garth seemed downcast as she left a restaurant in Los Angeles with husband Dave Abrams by her side. The 46-year-old actress wore a black-and-white snakeskin skirt with a fuzzy beige sweater for the night out after the sudden loss of her friend. Sad: Jennie Garth seemed downcast as she left a restaurant in Los Angeles with husband Dave Abrams by her side Garth kept warm in a massive camel-colored coat worn with a black shirt as she left a Mexican restaurant hand-in-hand with her beau. Jennie kept her platinum blonde hair tied up into a messy bun and seemed to be relatively makeup-free. Dave, a restaurateur and former actor, wore a blue button down shirt and matching jeans with bright red Nike trainers. 'My heart is broken,' she told People upon hearing the news of Luke's shocking death. 'He meant so much to so many. Such a very special person. I share my deep sadness with his family and all who loved him. Such a terrible loss.' Staying strong: The 46-year-old actress wore a black-and-white snakeskin skirt with a fuzzy beige sweater for the night out after the sudden loss of her friend Head up: Garth kept warm in a massive camel-colored coat worn with a black shirt as she left a Mexican restaurant hand-in-hand with her beau Perry suffered a stroke at his Sherman Oaks, California home less than one week ago and was rushed to the hospital, where he remained until his death on Monday. Jennie and Luke rose to fame on the hit Aaron Spelling drama which focused on the lives of teenagers in the posh zip code of 90210, Beverly Hills. She portrayed spoiled Kelly Taylor for the show's entire 10-season, 10-year run, while Perry played angsty Dylan McKay for six seasons and returned as a special guest for the final two seasons. Their characters fall in and out of love throughout the years and eventually had a son together, named Sammy. Downcast: Jennie kept her platinum blonde hair tied up into a messy bun and seemed to be relatively makeup-free 'My heart is broken,' she told People upon hearing the news of Luke's shocking death. 'He meant so much to so many. Such a very special person' A revival of the show was confirmed just one week ago with Jason Priestley, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green and Tori Spelling confirmed to return for six episodes ordered by Fox. While Jennie mourns the loss of her friend, her relationship with Dave seems to be stronger than ever. He recently pulled papers in an LA County courthouse requesting their divorce proceedings be dismissed. Too soon: Luke Perry suffered a stroke at his home in Sherman Oaks less than one week ago and was rushed to the hospital, where he remained until his death on Monday; seen in October The couple were married in July 2015 at her Los Olivos home, but he had filed documents requesting a legal separation for 'irreconcilable differences' in April 2018 with the date of the split stated as August 29, 2017, according to The Blast. At the time, the pair revealed they were taking some time apart to work on their marriage but insisted they had no plans to legally split. Sources told US Weekly that 'they are still trying to make it work, but they haven't been living together. They love each other, but like every marriage, it takes work. Jennie is taking the time to focus on her girls and herself.' Jennie, 46, has daughters Luca, 21, Lola, 16, and Fiona, 12, with her ex-husband, Twilight actor Peter Facinelli. Samantha 'Sammi Sweetheart' Giancola is ready to tie the knot. The Jersey Shore alum announced her engagement to boyfriend Christian Biscardi on Tuesday after dating for two years. 'Im completely overwhelmed with happiness,' the 31-year-old wrote alongside an Instagram photo of Christian proposing on one knee. Happy news! Samantha 'Sammi Sweetheart' Giancola announced her engagement to boyfriend Christian Biscardi on Tuesday after dating for two years 'Yesterday was the best day of my life! I get to marry my other half, best friend and soulmate. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you. I love you!!' The brunette beauty revealed she was dating Christian in August 2017. And Sammi recently decided not to join the MTV reality show reboot Jersey Shore: Family Vacation saying she was focusing on he 'businesses and relationship'. 'I have chosen not to join the show this season because I am at a completely different place in my life right now focusing on my businesses and relationship,' she wrote on Instagram. Bliss: 'Im completely overwhelmed with happiness,' the 31-year-old wrote alongside an Instagram photo of Christian proposing on one knee 'I am not the same person as I was when I was 22. At 31, I am currently extremely happy in every aspect of my life and want to avoid potentially TOXIC SITUATIONS.' She may have been referring to her rocky romance with Jersey Shore costar Ronnie Ortiz-Magro. Sammi and Ronnie dating on/off for several years including their time on the show from 2009 to 2012. They attempted to rekindle their relationship after the show ended to no avail. Ronnie has recently been on/off with his baby's mama Jen Harley. 'I will forever be grateful to 'Jersey Shore' and everything it has brought to me! I've just decided to live my life for me these days,' Sammi added on Instagram. Congrats to Sammi and Christian! She juggles her multi-million pound brand with her hectic family life. And Victoria Beckham continued her style icon status as she arrived in Paris for Fashion Week on Tuesday, a day after celebrating her son Brooklyn's 20th birthday. The designer, 44, cut a sophisticated figure as she stepped out in navy dress and red thigh-high boots from her eponymous brand. Sartorially-savvy: Victoria Beckham continued her style icon status as she arrived in Paris for Fashion Week on Tuesday, a day after celebrating her son Brooklyn's 20th birthday Victoria looked like she meant business as she strutted out of her hotel in the French capital in the chic blue midi dress, which sheathed her svelte physique. The former Spice Girl showcased her sartorial flair for fashion by shrugging a camel coat over her shoulders and clashing the navy dress with bold red open-toe boots. Donning a pair of her signature shades, Victoria clutched onto her tiger print bag and phone as she made her way to her chauffeur driven car. Style queen: The designer, 44, cut a sophisticated figure as she stepped out in navy dress and red thigh-high boots from her eponymous brand Stunning: Victoria looked like she meant business as she left her hotel in the French capital in the chic blue midi dress, which sheathed her svelte physique The mother-of-four flashed a coy smile as she made her way down the steps of her five-star hotel, no doubt delighted to be in the stunning French capital for fashion week. Her trip to Paris comes a day after Victoria celebrated her eldest son Brooklyn's 20th birthday. Both the fashion designer and husband David took to their Instagram accounts to share adorable childhood shots as Brooklyn said goodbye to his teens. David told his army of followers that he 'couldn't be prouder' of his boy as he posted a photograph of him and baby Brooklyn during his days playing for Manchester United. Milestone: Her trip to Paris comes a day after Victoria celebrated her eldest son Brooklyn's 20th birthday Victoria also took to social media to wish her son a happy birthday, where she stated how proud she was of her first-born. Alongside a photo of Brooklyn as a toddler, she wrote: 'Happy Birthday @brooklynbeckham x I cant believe you are 20 today! 'I couldnt be prouder of the man you have become, you really are everything to us all, we love you more than you could ever know, kisses and happy happy birthday xxxx.' She later shared an image of her posing with a grown-up Brooklyn, writing: 'Cant believe he is 20 today!!!!! Special day for all the Beckhams today!! X kisses.' Brooklyn later gave fans a glimpse of his birthday celebrations, uploading a snap of donuts and a sweet dessert onto Instagram stories. Bethenny Frankel's nasty custody battle with her ex Jason Hoppy raged on in court on Tuesday. Frankel and her ex are in dispute over their eight-year-old daughter Bryn, with the former Real Housewives Of New York star hoping to win 'decision-making power'. On Tuesday, the second day of the hearing at Manhattan Supreme Court heard from forensic psychologist Dr Alan Ravitz, who under cross-examination from Hoppy's lawyer said that the 48-year-old's actions had left Frankel 'emotionally damaged'. Back to court: Bethenny Frankel, 48, was spotted entering the Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday Drama: Hoppy (pictured) followed up with: 'You need to understand you're a mother first,' and added that it was 'unfortunate that Frankel was their daughter's role model' 'When you talk about domestic violence when the parties don't live together anymore, I don't know if you would call that domestic violence, but certainly threatening,' said the psychologist, who first worked with Bryn in 2013 and again in 2018. However Dr Ravitz also said that in his judgement the schoolgirl was 'thriving' and despite his 'emotionally violent' treatment of Frankel, Hoppy had proved himself a 'doting father'. According to Radar, the psychologist said that as a result of this he judged it in Bryn's best interest that the custody arrangement did not change. 'If the schedule changed and the custody agreement changes, then Bryn, she can do worse. It will require an adaptation on her part of schedule, she is going to have to adapt to the changes and we don't know if her adaptation [will] be successful. But it could definitely get worse for her.' Calm: The Skinny Girl mogul looked calm and collected as she prepared to continue her nasty custody battle with her ex Jason Hoppy over their eight-year-old daughter Bryn Composed: Looking every inch composed, Frankel wore a sophisticated maroon dress as she made her way through the New York building Also in court on Tuesday, Dr Ravitz said 'who the hell knows' when questioned by Hoppy's lawyer about whether Frankel's fame was bad for their only child. 'I don't know that Bryn being exposed to publicity is necessarily a bad thing,' he said, according to Page Six. 'I don't think there's any data to suggest that it's good or bad as a general kind of principle.' Earlier, 48-year-old Skinny Girl mogul Frankel looked calm and collected as she entered the Manhattan Supreme Court along with her 41-year-old beau Paul Bernon. Looking every inch composed, Frankel wore a sophisticated maroon dress as she made her way through the New York building. Bitter: The first day of the trial revealed a bitter text exchange between Frankel and Hoppy The previous opening day of the custody trial revealed the bitter text exchanges between Frankel and Hoppy, according to Page Six. During an argument about Frankel posting pictures of Bryn to Snapchat, Hoppy texted: 'Think of the example your setting for her you're perceived as a mean girl#zerof**ks.' He also accused Frankel of planting 'fake engagements' in the press during the same exchange. 'Fyi, this 'mean girl's' ratings are way up. And provides for you, Bryn, and pays your rent,' Frankel fired back. 'You're welcome to hire a parenting lawyer,' she added. Hoppy followed up with: 'You need to understand you're a mother first,' and added that it was 'unfortunate that Frankle was their daughter's role model'. Not to be outdone, Frankel clapped back: 'Thank god, you're the example of a deadbeat man who needs a woman to support him.' Not the one: After Hopppy accused Frankel of a 'mean girl' persona, Frankel clapped back: 'Fyi, this 'mean girl's' ratings are way up. And provides for you, bryn, and pays your rent.' Ouch: Not to be outdone, Frankel clapped back: 'Thank god, you're the example of a deadbeat man who needs a woman to support him' Frankel also accused her ex of manhandling their daughter and abusing Frankel's dog, according to Page Six. '[He was] physically pulling the child away from Ms Frankel, leaving negative articles out about Ms Frankel, [and] doesn't flush the toilet,' Frankel's attorney Allan Mayefsky said. And her attorney said, '[He] locked up Cookie (Frankel's late dog), in a storage closet and wouldn't reveal her whereabouts for hours.' Hoppy's attorney countered that her claims were false and the former couple are 'doing a great job' co-parenting. 'The idea the relationship between the parties is so broken is not true,' his attorney Robert Wallack said. Support: And the Real Housewives Of New York star brought along her 41-year-old beau Paul Bernon for support as they were spotted together in the hall outside the courtroom New love: Frankel and Bernon went public with their romance in October and enjoyed a vacation together in the Dominican Republic in December Frankel and Hopper married in March 2010, two months before their child was born. They split in 2012 and finalized the divorce in 2016. The court case comes nearly two years after Hoppy was arrested for harassing Frankel, stemming from an incident outside of the little girl's school. People reported in January 2017 that 'Hoppy was charged with one count of harassment in the second degree, one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree, and one count of stalking in the fourth degree.' Two months later, Hoppy rejected a plea offer and was arraigned on additional charges in June 2017 which included 'one count of stalking in the third degree and another count of stalking in the fourth degree Meanwhile, Frankel and Bernon went public with their romance in October and enjoyed a vacation together in the Dominican Republic in December. Paul is a film producer from Boston and is dad to two children with his ex-wife. She's never one to shy away from showing off her style. And Sienna Miller looked sensational as she attended the Louis Vuitton show for Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday in a picture perfect ensemble. The actress, 37, flaunted her physique in a lemon check coat cinched at the waist to highlight her slim figure. Stylish: Sienna Miller looked sensational as she attended the Louis Vuitton show for Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday in a picture-perfect ensemble. Under the coat she gave a peak of her lacy black minidress which just about covered her thighs. She clad her long legs in a pair of platform black heels while toting a mini Louis Vuitton bucket bag on one arm. The blonde beauty left her locks in natural waves as she grinned broadly for waiting cameras. Pretty: The actress, 37, flaunted her physique in a yellow check coat cinched at the waist to highlight her slim figure Racy: Under the coat she gave a peak of her lacy black minidress which just about covered her thighs Finishing touches: She clad her long legs in a pair of platform black heels while toting a mini Louis Vuitton bucket bag on one arm And on Monday the Factory Girl star touched down in the French capital with her art gallery owner boyfriend Lucas Zwirner, 27. Whilst it's not known exactly when Sienna and Lucas began dating, he was the star's date when she attended her actor ex fiance Tom Sturridge's birthday party. Sienna and Tom co-parent daughter Marlowe, six, and have remained on great terms since their split over three years ago. Showstopper: The blonde beauty left her locks in natural waves as she grinned broadly for waiting cameras Pals: The mother-of-one later enjoyed the show from the front row with pal Mark Ronson Duo: Mark, 43, went lowkey for the show in a black duffel coat and jeans tucked into his trainers Last year, Sienna gushed to Harper's Bazaar magazine that Tom was her 'best friend in the entire world' - and that while they don't share a property, they often stay together to spend mutual time with their little girl. Admitting their close bond has not broken since they cut romantic ties in the summer of 2015 after four years together, she explained: 'We still love each other... 'I think in a break-up somebody has to be a little bit cruel in order for it to be traditional, but its not been acrimonious in a way where you would choose to not be around that person.' Advertisement Kim Kardashian ensured that all eyes were on her as she headed to Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, donning a leopard print ensemble worth $10,000 to exit her hotel in France. The much-loved reality TV star, 38, stood out in a full-body jumpsuit of the daring print, teamed with matching gloves and brogue shoes as she left the Ritz Hotel. Kim's outing comes more than two years after she was robbed at gunpoint while staying in Paris with her family, as thieves broke into her hotel room and stole over $10 million of jewellery. Bold: Kim Kardashian ensured that all eyes were on her as she headed to Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, donning a leopard print ensemble worth $10,000 to exit her hotel in France Highlighting her statement curves, Kim looked amazing as she donned the tight jumpsuit covered in the loud design, teaming it with a matching trench coat - both from the 1991 Alaia collection. The mother-of-three was seen heading to Fashion Week for the show's final day, closing out the Autumn/Winter 2019 season in spectacular fashion. Kim teamed her ensemble with matching platform boots in the same print - priced at $2,060 in the current season - and hid her hands with matching printed gloves. Dressed up: The much-loved reality TV star, 38, stood out in a full-body jumpsuit of the daring print, teamed with matching gloves and brogue shoes as she left the Ritz Hotel Dressed to impress: Kim kept her glossy raven tresses styled into a side-swept look, Kim finished her statement ensemble with narrow-framed black sunglasses I'm here! Kim was certainly difficult to miss as she was led out of the hotel by a large number of security guards Hard to miss: The mother-of-three still managed to flaunt her legendary curves in the tight printed one-piece and cover-up, teamed with the matching heeled boots Styling her raven tresses into a glossy side-swept style, Kim finished her look with narrow-framed black sunglasses, peering precariously above them as she headed to the fashion showcase. Ahead of her appearance at the fashion event, Kim took to Twitter to post a series of snaps of her look, while referencing both the brand of her look the 1995 cult film Clueless. Captioning the post: 'You don't understand... this is an Alaia,' the post paid homage to the film's scene when Alicia Silverstone's Cher Horowitz is mugged. Funny: Ahead of her appearance at the fashion event, Kim took to Twitter to post a series of snaps of her look, while referencing both the outfit's brand and the 1995 cult film Clueless Iconic: She captioned the post: 'You don't understand... this is an Alaia' Supported: Kim even kept her hands covered with matching gloves as she headed into the city Glammed up: The gorgeous star was difficult to miss as she headed into the city, ahead of her presumed Fashion Week appearance Kim's outing was not the first time she has returned to Paris after her horrific ordeal in late 2016, when she was robbed at gunpoint by a gang of thieves. The star was robbed by five armed men wearing ski masks and clothes with police markings. At around 3am, the robbers entered the building after the concierge let them in. Handcuffed and at gunpoint, he then led them to the starlet's flat. Kim reportedly 'begged for her life' and told the gunmen she had children at home when two of them entered her room and held the gun to her head. The men stole a jewellery box worth 6 million ($6.7 million/ 5.24 million) and a ring worth 4 million ($4.5 million/ 3.5 million), prompting fears that the valuables were personal ones, and not just jewellery Kim was borrowing for fashion week. She looks great! Kim's outing was not the first time she has returned to Paris after her horrific ordeal in late 2016, when she was robbed at gunpoint by a gang of thieves Determined: The star previously returned to Paris in June 2018, after admitting she wanted to fall in love with Paris again Proud: After her prior trip Kim said that she would never rule out returning to France for a longer stint Big purchase? Upon heading into town Kim was seen perusing the aisles of a designer boutique in her statement look Selfie time! Kim was also seen perusing her phone inside the store, as she made some purchases on her outing Beaming: Kim looked to be in good spirits as she stood inside the shop, glancing at her phone Following the ordeal Kim immediately flew back to the US by private jet, and did not return to France in June 2018, to attend Paris Fashion Week's Spring/Summer 2018 Louis Vuitton Show. On Keeping Up With The Kardashians Kim spoke candidly about her decision to return to the city, saying: 'I have so many special memories in Paris. I hope that this trip will just be so good that I can start to remember all the magical things about Paris and why Kanye and I fell in love with it.' The fashion icon also said that she was nervous upon first arriving at the Fashion Show, but upon completing her trip said she would head back to France for a longer visit. Taut: Kim was certainly difficult to miss as she headed to Paris Fashion Week, as the Autumn/Winter 2019 season reached its conclusion Happy: Heading out of the hotel Kim was seen embracing a little girl, though still towered over her in the staggering heels Smile! Later in the evening Kim was also seen posing for selfies with a fan outside the Fendi restaurant in Paris Pout it out: She was seen showcasing her best pout with an excited pout, as she posed for the selfie with a fan Time to go: After her low-key dinner, Kim was seen leaving the Fendi restaurant to make her way back to the hotel Dramatic: Kim's amazing outfit was difficult to miss as she stepped out and about in Paris Low-key: Cara Delevingne was also putting on a casual display as she donned head-to-toe Chanel en route to the fashion show, stepping out with girlfriend Ashley Benson United: The two stars attempted to keep their distance, after putting on a loved-up display at the Chanel show At ease: Meanwhile Jaden Smith was clad in complete Louis Vuitton as he headed out of the Ritz Hotel BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Ariana DeBose got the biggest break of her career while she was having a manicure, when Steven Spielberg rang to ask if she wanted to be in his film of West Side Story. She's never been afraid to say yes to love. And Danielle Staub wanted to 'clear the rumors' of a reported split with fiance Olivier Maier as she took to Instagram late Monday night. The 56-year-old reality television star planted a kiss on her beau's cheek before the pair traded 'I love you's', one day after sources told US Weekly that the couple had called it quits on their six-week relationship. Love on the brain: Danielle Staub wanted to 'clear the rumors' of a reported split with fiance Olivier Maier as she took to Instagram late Monday night Danielle wore a black turtleneck top and turned the camera on to record a video leaning against Maier. 'To clear the rumors that he and I are not together,' she said before smiling for the clip. 'Here I am with my love.' She turned back to kiss her fiance's cheek, with a quick 'I love you' from Olivier, who seemed to have little interest in recording. Danielle may be trying to catch some downtime with her fiance after a whirlwind week announcing her 21st engagement to the managing director of private equity firm Speyside Equity. Forever: The 56-year-old reality television star planted a kiss on her beau's cheek before the pair traded 'I love you's', one day after sources told US Weekly that the couple had called it quits on their six-week relationship She was set to marry the Duke of Provence in New York on Monday, but had a change of heart and postponed the nuptials. Staub told TMZ that she decided to slow things down after getting 'push back' from her daughters Jillian and Christine, but the couple still went through with wedding ring shopping at Van Cleef & Arpels on Saturday. While her daughters questioned their soon-to-be step-father, Danielle didn't hesitate to tell a TMZ photographer that 'Yes, he is the one.' That same day the star showed off her fantastic five-carat ruby engagement ring to People. Not so fast: Staub told TMZ that she decided to slow things down after getting 'push back' from her daughters Jillian and Christine, but the couple still went through with wedding ring shopping at Van Cleef & Arpels on Saturday; seen Feb. 8 Surprise: Two days ago Danielle Staub has confirmed to People that she is getting married again, after new beau Olivier Maier proposed during a romantic getaway in St. Barth Wasting no time: If the couple follows through with a wedding, it will be the fourth marriage - and 21st engagement - for the Bravo reality star and the second for Maier Danielle confirmed to People on Thursday that her new beau proposed during a romantic getaway to St. Barth last week. 'I'm madly in love,' Staub told People. 'I'm feeling elated and excited for the next stage of my life. I'm going to marry the man of my possible dreams and hopefully I'll spend the rest of my life in bliss.' The couple had planned to return to the US to exchange vows before a Justice of the Peace at a ceremony in front of friends including Real Housewives of New Jersey co-star Teresa Giudice. If the couple follows through with a wedding, it will be the fourth marriage - and 21st engagement - for the Bravo reality star and the second for Maier. Moving on: Staub only finalized her divorce from third husband Marty Caffrey on Feb. 21 after a turbulent nine-month marriage; seen in May Hint: Staub seemed to suggest something was up with this swimsuit Instagram post on Wednesday in which she declared she'd found happiness in St. Barth They met last October when Maier was dating a friend of Staub's, with a romantic relationship sparking earlier this month. 'I quite frankly couldn't stand him when I first met him,' she told People. 'He's so strong-willed, and at first, I read that as rude, and arrogant and entitled. It wasn't until I got to know him that I saw the other side.' For his part, though, Maier insists he knew straightaway he wanted to be with the three-time divorcee. 'Danielle's one of the smartest people I've met,' he said. 'People have preconceived notions about her from reality TV, but she's a smart woman. And I was instantly attracted to that.' Life moves fast! Danielle Staub's ex Marty Caffrey (above in 2017) reacted to new his ex was set to marry again, just days after finalizing their divorce. He suggested she might have ulterior motives for rushing down the aisle And though the romance certainly reads like a fairy tale, Danielle's newly minted ex Martin Caffrey told TMZ he was wary of her reasons for walking down the aisle again so soon. 'I don't know what the urgency is [but] I suspect it's tied to the house,' he said in a video while referring to the part of their agreement which stipulates she purchase their $2million New Jersey home. Though Caffrey said he was 'surprised' by news that Staub was tying the knot with new beau Olivier Maier he admitted that his ex does have a flair for the dramatic. 'I was very surprised but knowing Danielle as well as I know her, she's capable of the shock value, so this is her shock value,' he said. 'I don't know what the urgency is [but] I suspect it's tied to the house.' Staub has two daughters from her second marriage to Thomas Staub which lasted from from 1993 to 2007 while Maier is reported to be the father of a 12-year-old daughter whom he shares with his ex-wife. Witness: The couple had planned to return to the US to exchange vows before a Justice of the Peace at a ceremony in front of friends including Real Housewives of New Jersey co-star Teresa Giudice; seen on Feb. 8 with Teresa's daughter Audrina PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron has written a letter addressing the over 500 million European citizens and proposing to ''chart together the road to European Renaissance''. He also announced a series of concrete proposals for the continent's future, including rethinking the Schengen area. In a letter first published yesterday on Twitter in all of the Union's languages, the president wrote: ''Citizens of Europe, if I am taking the liberty of addressing you directly, it is not only in the name of the history and values that unite us. It is because time is of the essence''. ''Never, since the Second World War, has Europe been as essential. Yet never has Europe been in so much danger'', the president wrote. The letter was divided into three main paragraphs - ''Defend our freedom''; ''Protect our continent''; ''Recover the spirit of progress''. Macron started with the example of Brexit, saying it ''symbolizes the crisis of Europe, which has failed to respond to its peoples' needs for protection from the major shocks of the modern world''. But it also represents the ''lie'' and ''irresponsibility'' that can destroy it. ''Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? Who spoke to them about losing access to the European market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the former border?'', Macron questioned rhetorically. ''Nationalist retrenchment offers nothing; it is rejection without an alternative. And this trap threatens the whole of Europe: the anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything''. He then outlined a series of proposals for Europe's renewal, from the total revision of Schengen to ensure security as well as freedom, to the creation of a European Security Council including Great Britain for a common defense, as well as a ban on foreign funding for European political parties. In the open letter to Europeans, which will be published on Tuesday by newspapers in the 28 EU countries including Great Britain, the 41-year-old president advocated renewal ahead of the May 26 European elections. Detractors called it a dramatization of the situation, which they said in 2017 enabled the then-candidate of En Marche to conquer the presidency in national elections against Marine Le Pen. After dropping in surveys amid protests by the so-called 'yellow vest' movement, the president is now reconquering ground and hopes to gain momentum with the EU vote and give new impulse to his crisis-torn mandate. Translated into 24 European languages, the letter also proposed the creation of a ''European Climate Bank'' and a pact for Africa's development. Macron launched the idea of a major conference for European reforms by the end of the year. ''Everywhere, the people are standing up to be part'' of change, he wrote. ''So by the end of the year, let's set up, with the representatives of the European institutions and the Member States, a Conference for Europe in order to propose all the changes our political project needs, with an open mind, even to amending the treaties''. He concluded by addressing European citizens to say that ''this is the choice I propose: to chart together the road to European Renaissance''. She triumphed at the Oscars for her role as Queen Anne in the critically lauded film The Favourite. And Olivia Colman enjoyed a Broadchurch reunion with her co-star David Tennant as they attended the Up Next fundraising gala held at the National Theatre, London on Tuesday. The actress, 45, showed off her stylish side in a black silk blazer over a white blouse complete with a bow at the front both by Giorgio Armani. Stepping out: Olivia Colman attended the Up Next fundraising gala held at the National Theatre, London on Tuesday She added a pair of wide-leg bottoms also by Giorgio Armani to her look for a unique take on the classic trouser suit. The Iron Lady star completed her look with a pair of black stilettos while toting her belongings in a chic black clutch bag. Olivia looked regal as she styled her cropped locks in a subtle side parting while adding geometric style earrings. Glamour: The actress, 45, showed off her stylish side in a black silk blazer over a white blouse complete with a bow at the front by Giorgio Armani Pals: Also at the event was her Broadchurch co-star David Tennant who channelled his Scottish heritage Stylish: She added a pair of wide-leg bottoms to her look for a unique take on the classic trouser suit Picture perfect: Olivia looked regal as she styled her cropped locks in a subtle side parting while adding geometric style earrings While David, 47, channelled his Scottish roots in a tartan kilt with a chunky gold belt and leather sporran. He clad his torso in a black blazer and white shirt which he left open at the collar. David paired his traditional ensemble with long white socks and chunky combat boots. Olivia was the toast of Hollywood when she was awarded Best Actress in a Leading Role at this year's Academy Awards for The Favourite. Fashion: The Iron Lady star completed her look with a pair of black stilettos while toting her belongings in a chic black clutch bag Honoured: The event marks Olivia's first public outing since her stellar win at the Oscars last month Dazzling: Olivia was sure to be in great spirits following her success at the Academy Awards Heritage: David, 47, channelled his Scottish roots in a tartan kilt with a chunky gold belt and leather sporran Dream team: The former co-stars were in good spirits as they posed for photos together What a team: The pair posed up a storm during the night's lavish event The star's speech was laden with emotion as she paid tribute to her many aides and supports however she tickled audiences when she made a crass gesture after being told to speed up. She was up against Glenn Close for The Wife, Yalitza Aparicio for Roma, Lady Gaga for A Star is Born and Melissa McCarthy of Can You Ever Forgive Me?, she said: 'It's genuinely quite stressful. This is hilarious. I got an Oscar'. In the heartwarming speech, she graciously gave a nod to her colleagues: 'I have to thank lots of people. Pals: Also at the fundraising event were Lenny Henry (L) and Charles Dance (R) who looked dapper in their contrast suits Good cause: Irish actor Stephen Mangan exuded style in his three-piece suit complete with patent leather shoes Head turning: Actress Lesley Manville made sure all eyes were on her in a red number with cinch detailing at the waist At home: Stage star Kate O'Flynn (L) and Lisa Burger, Executive Director of the National Theatre (R) sported unique numbers Queen of fashion: Former BAFTA winner Cate Blanchett showed off her colourful side in a snakeskin printed blazer and green trousers Bright: The Australian star, 49, showed off her brunette locks which was styled in large waves to highlight her limegreen blouse 'Yorgos [Lanthimos], my best director and the best film with Emma [Stone] and Rachel [Weisz], the two loveliest women to fall in love with and go to work with every day. You can imagine it wasn't a hardship.' Olivia was stunned as she beat out the category favourite Glenn, who was widely expected to win her first Oscar for her role in The Wife - after a record seven unsuccessful nominations. She gazed at Glenn in the audience and said: 'You've been my idol for so long and this is not how I wanted it to be.' She gave birth to her third daughter less than two weeks ago. And Teen Mom OG's Catelynn Lowell revealed the first photos of her adorable baby girl Vaeda Luma being cradled by big sister Novalee in a heartwarming Instagram post shared on Tuesday morning. The 26-year-old reality television star wrote that she's 'so blessed' to be their mother as husband Tyler shared a black-and-white image holding his new daughter. Family: Teen Mom OG's Catelynn Lowell revealed the first photos of her adorable baby girl Vaeda Luma being cradled by big sister Novalee in a heartwarming Instagram post shared on Tuesday morning 'The love I have for these girls is SO unbelievably HUGE!! Im so blessed to be the mommy to them,' she wrote. Her four-year-old daughter wore a white shirt with a pink patch and 'big sister' embroidered above her monogrammed initials. Vaeda stayed warm wrapped up in her sister's arm wearing a matching white onesie with 'little sister' etched across in pale pink lettering. Dad: Tyler joined in on the announcements as he shared a black-and-white image holding his new daughter 'So excited to finally share the FIRST PHOTOS of Vaeda Luma! & thank you to everyone who has supported our family from the beginning,' Tyler wrote on Instagram. 'Its an honor to share these photos with you!' Catelynn gave birth to her third daughter on Thursday, Feb. 21, with Tyler sharing the news that 'she's here and I'm in love' before US Weekly confirmed the little girl was named Vaeda Luma. Tyler showed off a board from the hospital room with 'healthy Mom & baby' written across the description and she was welcomed into the world at 9:24 a.m. weighing in at six pounds, four ounces. Proud parents: Catelynn Lowell gave birth to her third daughter with husband Tyler Baltierra on Feb. 21; seen in August Congrats! The 27-year-old proud father took to Instagram to share in the news that 'she's here and I'm in love' before US Weekly confirmed the little girl was named Vaeda Luma She was listed at nearly 20 inches long with a University of Michigan logo prominently displayed on the board. Catelynn and Tyler shared in their baby news on Teen Mom after she suffered multiple miscarriages leading up to her pregnancy. They were featured on the original season of 16 and Pregnant where they made the difficult decision to place their daughter into adoption just days after she was born. The couple were ridiculed for their decision by friends and family, but both have shared through the years that adoption was 'one of the BEST things' they could have done for the little girl they named Carly. Grown up: Catelynn and Tyler were featured on the original season of 16 and Pregnant where they made the difficult decision to place their daughter into adoption just days after she was born; seen in 2015 Tough: The couple were ridiculed for their decision by friends and family, but both have shared through the years on Teen Mom that adoption was 'one of the BEST things' they could have done for the little girl they named Carly; seen on Teen Mom 'I can't believe that 9 years ago Tyler and I were waiting to go to the hospital to make one of the hardest decisions of our lives . . . but it ended up being one of the BEST things we could have done for her,' Catelynn wrote on Instagram in May. 'Carly we love you so much and are so proud of you! #birthdaygirl #adoptionjourney.' In addition to being adoption advocates, Catelynn has endured mental health challenges on and off the show. She credited her miscarriages to a relapse in suicidal thoughts and entered a rehab facility in 2017, but quickly returned to treatment just a few months later to handle post traumatic stress disorder and childhood trauma. The couple- who also have four-year-old daughter Novalee - were married in front of their Teen Mom friends on Aug. 22, 2015. She is one of the muses for Louis Vuitton fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquiere. So it's no wonder that Jennifer Connelly was on hand to support the star-studded Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday. The actress, 48, showcased her eccentric sense of style as she made a stylish entrance at the event with her husband Paul Bettany, 47. Striking ensemble: Jennifer Connelly showcased her eccentric sense of style in clashing prints as she joined husband Paul Bettany at Louis Vuitton Paris Fashion Week Show on Tuesday Jennifer was sure to turn heads as she paired baggy leather trousers, which she wore with clashing scarlet print dress and jumper. The Labyrinth star wore her raven locks in a sleek, straight style, with one side of her hair pulled back behind her ears for a dramatic flair. She completed her look by keeping her personal items in a chic green and white handbag, which she wrapped around her waist. While Paul put on a dapper display as he donned a sleek, black biker jacket over a dark top that he paired with matching trousers and shoes. Stunning: The Labyrinth star wore her raven locks in a sleek, straight style, with one side of her hair pulled back behind her ears for a dramatic flair Finishing touches: Jennifer completed her look by keeping her personal items in a chic green and white handbag, which she wrapped around her waist It is no surprise Jennifer was flying over to France for the Louis Vuitton show as she has been a muse of the fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquiere for many years. The designer has dressed the American born beauty for more than a decade and a friendship between the pair has naturally flourished. Paul proved his support for his wife, whom he met on the set of 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind, as he accompanied her on the trip to Paris Fashion Week. Supportive: It is no surprise Jennifer was flying over to France for the Louis Vuitton show as she has been a muse of the fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquiere for many years The couple have been together a long time, having tied the knot in a private ceremony in Scotland in 2003. They raise their two children together 15-year-old son Stellan Bettany and seven-year-old Agnes Lark. Jennifer also has an older son Kai Dugan, 21, whom she shares with former flame David Dugan. Gal pals: Jennifer posed up a storm alongside Emma Stone on the front row She is a talented actress who is a regular on the fashion week circuit. And Emma Roberts showed off her eccentric sense of style as she arrived at the Louis Vuitton Paris Fashion Week showcase on Tuesday. The American Horror Story actress, 28, certainly caught the eye in eye-watering, clashing floral and zebra print garments as she posed up a storm. Eye-catching: Emma Roberts showed off her eccentric sense of style as she arrived at the Louis Vuitton Paris Fashion Week showcase on Tuesday The brunette beauty slipped on an optical illusion printed jumpsuit which swathed her slender frame. Upping the style ante, she layered a satin green, orange and fuchsia coat over her shoulders, completing the quirky display. The Scream 4 star boosted her height with black lacy ankle boots. Her tresses were styled sleek and straight while her pretty features were enhanced with smoky shadow and a slick of rose lipstick. Edgy: The American Horror Story actress, 28, certainly caught the eye in eye-watering, clashing floral and zebra print garments as she posed up a storm Eye-watering: Upping the style ante, she layered a satin green, orange and fuchsia coat over her shoulders, completing the quirky display Radiant: Her tresses were styled sleek and straight while her pretty features were enhanced with smoky shadow and a slick of rose lipstick Emma currently has two projects in the works for 2019. The Wild Child star will appear in Paradise Hills, a fantasty film that tells of a boarding school that morphs disobedient girls into whatever their surroundings want them to be. The movie, premiering later this month, co-stars Eiza Gonzalez, Milla Jovovich and Awkwafina. In May, Emma's voice can be heard in the animated film, UglyDolls. The flick will feature and all-star cast, including Janelle Monae, Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton, Pitbull and more musical talent. Meanwhile, Emma recently discussed filming the Coven/Murder House crossover Apocalypse, which was well received by fans of the franchise. The star admitted she was spooked filming scenes at Outpost 3, the bunker where Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson) and her girls made a welcome reappearance. 'The creepiest and the worst is shooting the exterior of the bunker,' Emma told Variety. 'When we shot there, its dead in the middle of nowhere and they put all this fake fog out there to make it look spookier. She is an double Oscar-winning actress who has just wrapped up a busy awards season. And Cate Blanchett oozed retro glamour as she attended the Up Next Gala held at the National Theatre, South Bank, London on Tuesday. The Blue Jasmine actress, 49, looked polished in a chartreuse high-necked silk blouse teamed with a golden snakeskin print leather blazer. Leather lady: Cate Blanchett oozed retro glamour as she attended the Up Next Gala held at the National Theatre, South Bank, London on Tuesday She paired this with emerald green PVC bootcut trousers, with the ensemble completed by scarlet stilettos. Her newly dyed brunette bob was styled in soft waves while a radiant dusting of make-up enhanced the star's stunning features. The star joined her husband Andrew Upton, who she wed in 1997, at the event, with the parents of four holding hands as they made their way inside. Meanwhile, two-time Oscar winner Cate has become the latest Hollywood celebrity to switch to TV, signing on to star in the new FX limited series, Mrs America. Glow: The Blue Jasmine actress, 49, looked polished in a chartreuse high-necked silk blouse teamed with a golden snakeskin print leather blazer Brunette beauty: She paired this with emerald green PVC bootcut trousers, with the ensemble completed by scarlet stilettos Created and written by 'Mad Men' co-producer Dahvi Waller, the nine-episode series will feature Blanchett as conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, who led the fight against the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The ERA is a proposed amendment to the US Constitution stating that equal rights may not be denied on the basis of one's sex. The amendment was passed by the US Congress in 1972 but failed to win the backing of enough states. Blanchett joins other Hollywood A-listers who have made the jump to television in recent years, including Meryl Streep, Tom Hardy and Julia Roberts. Chloe Grace Moretz was making a bold statement in geometric printed trousers on Tuesday night, as she avoided a nasty run-in with ex Brooklyn Beckham at Paris Fashion Week. The Hollywood star, 22, stood out in a dramatic frilled blouse and the contrasting trousers, as she arrived for the Louis Vuitton show in the French city. Chloe and Brooklyn had dated on and off between 2014 and 2018, but it was confirmed they had split for good after Brooklyn was spotted kissing Playboy model Lexi Wood. Glam: Chloe Grace Moretz was making a bold statement in geometric printed trousers on Tuesday night, as she arrived at the Louis Vuitton show for Paris Fashion Week As she arrived for the fashion event, Chloe looked sensational in the blouse with flared white sleeves, teamed with a black cropped bomber jacket along with the statement black trousers. The Carrie star's bottoms rocked a rainbow feathered print, as she accessorised the outfit with a matching white clutch bag and black pointed-toe heeled boots. Adding to the brightly coloured ensemble, Chloe sported green eyeliner and her blonde tresses loosely curled for the occasion. Upon arriving at the event Chloe sat front row for the Louis Vuitton show, where she was joined by Willow Smith, Laura Harrier, Naomi Scott and Emma Roberts. Chic: The Hollywood star, 22, stood out in a dramatic frilled blouse and the contrasting trousers, as she arrived for the Louis Vuitton show in the French city Stayed away: Chloe managed to avoid running into Brooklyn, who was seen at the Lacoste show (here with Kate Mara) Luckily she managed to avoid running into ex Brooklyn, who was spotted at the Lacoste Paris Fashion Week show. The couple split in 2018 after a four-year on-off romance, but little has been revealed on why the couple called it quits. It is not known when or why she and Brooklyn split, and there is nothing to imply he was unfaithful. Chloe and Brooklyn first met at Paris Fashion Week in 2014, and briefly dated during the Brit's summer in LA with his family. Big event: Rocking bright green eye shadow, Chloe was joined at the event by Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere After a year of swirling speculation, things went quiet between the two and Brooklyn went on to date French model Sonia Ben Ammar in 2015. The pair then reconciled in April 2016 before the distance proved too much - with the actress based in LA and he in London - and they split once again five months later. However, the duo rekindled their romance in September 2017, when Brooklyn moved to the Big Apple to study photography at Parsons School of Design. Yet, it seems Brooklyn has now moved on with Lexi - who boasts 87,000 Instagram followers, and has graced the pages of Vogue Japan, Galore, Cosmopolitan Russia and Playboy. Danny DeVito took a nasty tumble as he walked onstage at a Dumbo press conference on Tuesday. The 74-year-old tripped over and went down hard at the event in Mexico City, on March 5, landing on his front on the raised platform. Putting his hands out to break his fall, the veteran actor then lay on his front, as aides rushed to help. Danny DeVito, 74, takes a nasty tumble onstage at Dumbo press conference... but comes up smiling in Mexico City on Tuesday Looks painful: The veteran tripped over and went down hard Help is at hand: Aides rushed to help Back up: The actor got back to his feet, in front of the room of press Starring role: The Taxi actor stars as circus ringmaster Max Medici in the soon-to-be-released Tim Burton live-action remake of the 1941 classic animation After his initial shock, DeVito then raised a smile for the assorted members of the press DeVito then got back up with the help of two of the attendees, who ran to assist as he struggled back to his feet. The actor suffers from the genetic Fairbank's Disease, which affects bone growth, and is responsible for his short stature. After his initial shock, DeVito raised a smile for the assorted members of the press. Apparently uninjured, the Oscar nominee then bravely carried on with his planned press conference to promote the new version of Walt Disney's Dumbo. What a trouper: After his initial shock, DeVito raised a smile and carried on as normal Big role: The Taxi actor stars as circus ringmaster Max Medici in the soon-to-be-released Tim Burton live-action remake of the 1941 classic animation Good natured: Danny even saw the funny side of the accident, having avoided injury The Taxi actor stars as circus ringmaster Max Medici in the soon-to-be-released Tim Burton live-action remake of the 1941 classic animation. The trailer opens with him welcoming fans to the Medici Family Circus, along with shots of the massive circus itself. Medici tells the crowd that his circus is, 'where anything can happen and miracles happen'. The film also stars Michael Keaton, Eva Green, and Colin Farrell. DeVito has said he was charmed by the film's 'never-give-up' tone. He said: 'It's very, very positive. Hopeful. Almost a never-give-up kind of thing. 'In life, you see all the different things that infiltrate the good things in life. Things that surprise you come out of nowhere. Like when you think you're making a move with someone who maybe is duplicitous. 'In terms of a younger person, or an older person, by now you guys must have learned this already, I hope, but the idea is that you can't always believe what somebody tells you. 'Sometimes it messes up all your hopes and dreams. But if you all stick together, possibly you could get out of it and there'll be a happy ending. And dreams do come true.' Dumbo is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on March 29, 2019. Luke Perry's will left all the actor's assets to his kids Jack, 21, and Sophie, 18. The Beverly Hills, 90210 star -who passed away on Monday- 'left everything to his two children' reported Radar Online on Tuesday. This despite the fact Perry was engaged to a woman named Wendy Madison Bauer when the 52-year-old passed away following a stroke. Tragedy: Luke Perry's will left all the actor's assets to his kids Jack, 21, and Sophie, 18. Seen here in 2006 The gossip site also reported the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actor was surrounded by both children and his fiancee at the time of his death. Also by Luke's bedside were his ex-wife (and mother of his children) Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry and sister Amy Coder. Luke never regained consciousness following a stroke last Wednesday, before passing away on Monday, according to People. Beneficiary: The Beverly Hills, 90210 star -who passed away on Monday- 'left everything to his two children' reported Radar Online on Tuesday Performer: Perry's son Jack is a professional wrestler who performs under the stage name 'Jungle Boy' Nate McCoy. Seen here in 2017 Perry's daughter Sophie hurried back to be by her father's side before the actor's shock death. The teen was in Africa working on 'community development' when her father suffered a stroke last Wednesday, according to her social media. A close friend of Perry told DailyMailTV: 'Luke was really proud of both his son and his daughter. [Sophie] was actually in Africa helping children and had to rush home quite suddenly.' His girl: Luke Perry's daughter Sophie hurried back to be by her father's side before the actor's shock death on Monday The teenage daughter of Perry and actress Rachel Sharp posted several pictures of her trip to Malawi since arriving in the East African country in January. In an Instagram story posted last year, Sophie described the purpose of her trip as being for 'community development projects' with tasks ranging from 'teaching teachers' to 'water purification'. However her trip appeared to have been cut short by her 52-year-old dad's sudden illness. Sophie's last post was dated the day of Luke's stroke and read, 'Its been a month and Malawi has gifted me with so so much joy, beauty, and malaria.' 'Wouldnt trade it [HEART EMOJIS]'. Beautiful: The teen was in Africa working on 'community development' when her father suffered a stroke last Wednesday, according to her social media Luke is also survived by son Jack, 21, who along with Sophie he shared with ex-wife Rachel 'Minnie' Sharp. Following the tragic news tributes have been flooding in from Luke's 90210 costars as well as countless other celebrities and fans sharing stories of the actor's kindness and humble demeanor over the years. 'The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning,' his agent Arnold Robinson said in a statement. Luke was hospitalized on February 27, the same day Fox announced it was rebooting 90210, featuring six of the original stars including Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling. Good dad: Luke is also survived by son Jack, 21, who along with Sophie he shared with ex-wife Rachel 'Minnie' Sharp. Seen here with Sophie in 2006 She beat out the competition to be crowned the champion of The Apprentice, winning a 250,000 investment from Lord Alan Sugar for her swimwear business. And Sian Gabbidon celebrated her successes as she launched her swimwear line, Sian Marie, with beau Clint Gordon by her side at Sheesh restaurant, Chigwell on Tuesday. The businesswoman, 26, teased her braless assets in a plunging black jumpsuit, which featured racy lace-up detail along the decolletage. Smitten: Sian Gabbidon celebrated her successes as she launched her swimwear line, Sian Marie, with beau Clint Gordon by her side at Sheesh, Chigwell on Tuesday The racy outfit flowed into clinging cycle shorts adorned with feather trim, which showcased the star's lean legs, in strappy stiletto sandals. Her raven locks were styled sleek and straight while her pretty features were enhanced with fluttery lashes and scarlet lipstick. Her hunky beau looked stylish in a clashing print shirt and black chinos, paired with leather loafers. Sian recently gushed about her other half, who she has been dating for more than eight years, in an exclusive interview with Mailonline. Busty: The businesswoman, 26, teased her braless assets in a plunging black jumpsuit, which featured racy lace-up detail along the decolletage PDA: The racy outfit flowed into clinging cycle shorts, which showcased the star's lean legs, in strappy stiletto sandals Eye-popping: Reunited: Sian posed up with her business partner and mogul Lord Sugar and some scantily-clad women She said: 'He's been amazing. He has been my rock throughout this whole process. 'The hardest part of The Apprentice was being away from my family and my boyfriend for that long.' The pair have shared loved up snaps with each other on social media in the past and also enjoyed a romantic trip to Miami together over Christmas after Sian's win. When it comes to who she would like to see wearing her new collection, the Leeds native is hoping the Kardashian clan will don her designs. She said: 'Realistically, looking at social media and followings, you have to look at people like the Kardashians. They are so powerful. 'Whether you love them or hate them, theyre powerful. I think Ill crack the UK first and the possibilities are endless really. USA Brazil, places like that.' Sian will be looking at stars closer to home first and hopes to see Love Island stars and TOWIE cast members hitting the beach in her collection. She said: 'The Love Island girls, the TOWIE girls. Im friends with some of them. This years Love Island, Im going to look at who is going in there. 'I want them to like wearing them and not be paid to wear them. From my past thats how its worked. Ive never paid anyone to wear them.' While reality TV stars are certainly on her radar, Sian insisted she's done with the genre since winning The Apprentice. 'Im done with that now,' she said. 'Im focusing on the business.' Support: Lord Sugar was delighted to be reunited with his latest business protegee Cindy Crawford showed off her natural, effervescent good looks as she rested for a nap with her dog, wearing little to no makeup in a picture she posted to Instagram on Monday. The impressive 53-year-old cuddled up with her furry friend before taking a mid-day nap. The Vogue cover girl's face was washed clean of any makeup, highlighting her natural, ravishing beauty. Makeup free: Cindy Crawford posted a makeup free selfie revealing her natural beauty in a new Instagram posted on Monday It appears as though the legendary supermodel's beauty brand has been keeping Cindy's skin glowing. Her new Revive & Brighten Eye Masque Gels from her Meaningful Beauty line have Cindy's complexion clear and bright. Other products, like her skin brightening sunscreen and filling cream can be found on Cindy's website. The model laid back on a pillow as she joked about learning some napping tips from her dog. Her long dark hair spread out as she relaxed in a sweater. Not only was her skin glistening, but her eyelashes looked bold and long as well. Cindy said: 'Im not getting younger. So I want to celebrate who I am today,' she told Porter Edit this month This dazzling shot was posted just days after Cindy broke the internet with her sexy photo shoot for Porter Edit. The well-known model posed braless under a safari-style shirt for a new shoot. Speaking to NET-A-PORTERs PorterEdit, she said: 'I look back at some of my old Playboy pictures and I think, "Why wasnt I walking around naked all the time?" 'Im not getting younger. So I want to celebrate who I am today.' Cindy posed for two Playboy spreads (from 1988 and 1998), which saw her naked for legendary photographer Herb Ritts. She has enjoyed a 30-year career in the industry and Cindy is happily married to her husband of 21-years Rande Gerber; they are parents to Kaia, 17 and Presley, 21. Cindy also said that while her fame has surely given Kaia 'some advantages,' it hasn't opened as many doors as people might think. No shortcuts: Cindy said her status did not give Kaia as much help as people assume, 'it hasn't opened as many doors as people might think'; seen in late February in Paris She noted: 'Kaia had some advantages. She is my daughter and people know that. 'But when people say that I bought her a cover of a magazine, I think, if I was going to buy a cover for someone, it would be me! 'If I could get someone into a fashion show, I would be getting it for myself.' A vision: Kaia is angelic in all white as she walked the runway to celebrate the life of the late Karl Lagerfeld in Paris on Tuesday Kaia proved she can do just fine for herself though as she just walked down the runway for Karl Lagerfeld's final collection. Joining other Chanel muses like Cara Delevingne, 26 and Penelope Cruz, 44, Kaia paraded down a snowy runway at the Grand Palais in Paris in remembrance of the designer. Kaia wore a white mini dress made out of feathers on the skirt and studded with flower shaped gems on the top. China will strengthen intellectual property (IP) protection across the board, improve the system of punitive compensation for IP infringements, and promote invention and creation and their industrial application, says a government work report. [File Photo: VCG] The report was delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the second annual session of the 13th National People's Congress that opened in Beijing Tuesday. She sent fans wild over her 'hot dad' when he joined her at the BRIT Awards last month. And Dua Lipa once again caused a frenzy as she posted an Instagram picture on Tuesday to wish her dad Dukagjin a happy 50th birthday with a hilarious snap of the duo. In the picture Dua, 23, and her dad showed off their playful sides as they donned quirky pink wigs with the songstress joking about how good Dukagjin looks even in the headgear: 'Happy 50th Birthday Dad. 50 has never looked so good... even in a pink wig. Family: Dua Lipa, 23, once again caused a frenzy as she posted an Instagram picture on Tuesday to wish her dad Dukagjin a happy 50th birthday with a hilarious snap of the duo 'Thank you for always being our rock, for always being a phonecall away, for coming to see me with mum when im on tour even if just for a kiss and cuddle when im homesick, for making us laugh everytime were unwell and bed bound to every roadtrip or drive to school soundtracked by the Stereophonics. 'You are a light in our life... words are never enough to show how much we love you, so ill try and tell you in person later. Te dua xxxx @dukagjinlipa @anesalipa @rinalipa @gjinlipa'. As the adorable snap racked up the likes, fans took to the comment section to drool over the former musician: 'You dad is so gorgeous'. Pair: Dua joked about how good her dad looks in the snap after previously sending fans crazy with images of him at the BRIT Awards in February 'DILF': Hunky Dukagjin Lipa (centre), something of a rock star in his native Kosovo, turned heads at the 02 Arena in London Praise: As the adorable snap racked up the likes, fans took to the comment section to drool over the former musician: 'You dad is so gorgeous' Another added: '50 has never looked so good'. With a third stating: 'What a FUN PIC! What beautiful people'. The outpour comes as Dua sent fans wild in February with a string of family snaps when they attended the BRITs. Hunky Dukagjin, something of a rock star in his native Kosovo, turned heads at the 02 Arena and even had host Jack Whitehall gushing over his 'silver fox' looks. Everyone wants a piece: During the ceremony Jack Whitehall drew laughs by begging Dukagjin to swap places with his own father Smoulder: And it wasn't just the funnyman who noticed his smouldering presence at the Brit Awards table, as dozens flocked to social media to purr over the Kosovar Albanian's good looks Jack drew laughs by begging Dukagjin to swap places with his own father, although the proud parent was happy for the attention to remain on his award winning daughter Dua, who snapped up the Best Single prize for One Kiss. And it wasn't just the funnyman who noticed his smouldering presence at the Brit Awards table, as dozens flocked to social media to purr over the Kosovar Albanian's good looks. The discovery of the 'DILF' also prompted a hurried trawl through his social media for fans who found Dukagjin's personal Instagram account - which reached 178,000 followers in the aftermath of the award show. The former musician founded his own music festival in his native land, in a bid to change any lingering false perceptions of Kosovo as being war torn and unwelcoming. She's in a New York state of mind. And Hilary Duff took a break from her challenging filming schedule to show off a flawless face of makeup to her 11million followers on Tuesday afternoon. The 31-year-old actress captioned the image 'sparkle city' before cuddling up with her four-month-old daughter Banks after a long day of work on the Younger set. The right stuff: Hilary Duff took a break from her challenging filming schedule to show off a flawless face of makeup to her 11million followers on Tuesday afternoon Hilary looked stunning in the glowing selfie with makeup credited to artist Anette Lian-Williams. The Emmy Award-winning artist likely used NudeStix to create Duff's dewy glow as Hilary regularly boasts about the vegan and cruelty-free products on Instagram. Her honey-hued tendrils were perfectly coiffed into loose curls and tended to by Adam Cummins. She made sure to sneak in a few cuddles with her sweet baby girl Banks as the pair posed for a quick photo op. Mommy and me: The 31-year-old actress captioned the image 'sparkle city' before cuddling up with her four-month-old daughter Banks after a long day of work on the Younger set 'Crazy lady in the streets,' she wrote across the Instagram story as peeks of a stunning Givenchy gown peered from underneath 'Coming home to this squish,' she captioned the photo as she smiled wearing a cozy camel-colored sweater while Banks was lounging in a pink outfit with black polka dots on her sleeves. Duff shared a photo bundled up in a gorgeous pink coat between filming scenes of her hit TV Land show, which will soon be on the Paramount Network. 'Crazy lady in the streets,' she wrote across the Instagram story as peeks of a stunning Givenchy gown peered from underneath. Banks has never been too far from her mother's side while Duff films the sixth season of the Darren Star romantic comedy in New York. Best friends: Banks has never been too far from her side while Duff films the sixth season of the Darren Star romantic comedy in New York Boyfriend Matthew Koma is holding down the fort back at home in Los Angeles between gigs with his band Winnetka Bowling League, while Hilary maintains a healthy co-parenting relationship with ex Mike Comrie for their son Luca, six. After a host of minor roles in the late '90s, she became a household name by landing the leading role in Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire in 2001. Leading off the success of the television show with books, dolls and video games, The Lizzie McGuire movie made it to the silver screen in 2003, the same year she worked alongside Frankie Muniz in Agent Cody Banks and also released her second studio album. Her incredible career also includes philanthropy work, a trilogy of successful novels and design work which includes a collaborative eyewear line. Family: Boyfriend Matthew Koma is holding down the fort back at home in Los Angeles between gigs with his band Winnetka Bowling League, while Hilary maintains a healthy co-parenting relationship with ex Mike Comrie for their son Luca, six; seen on Instagram A man who says he was molested by George Pell when he was a boy in the 1970s will file a lawsuit against the disgraced cardinal in the Supreme Court in Melbourne, the Herald Sun reports. The suit to be lodged on Monday names Pell, the trustees of Nazareth House, (formerly St Joseph's), the State of Victoria and the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The 50-year-old man was a resident in St Joseph's Boys Home in Ballarat from February 1974 to 1978 and says he was abused by Pell during that period. He was a complainant against Pell in a second trial over allegations Pell indecently assaulted boys in Ballarat in the 1970s. The case was abandoned by prosecutors after a court deemed vital evidence inadmissible; with the man saying he was left devastated by the decision. "It took a lot of courage and soul searching to be prepared to tell my story, accusing one of the most senior Catholics in the world of serious criminal offences, and eventually I was ready to have my day in court," he told the Herald Sun. "But when I was told they had withdrawn the case I felt empty, and that an injustice had occurred." The man's lawyer Lee Flanagan said at least three other witnesses would testify they suffered similar abuse at the hands of the cardinal. "There was a fourth witness, but he died after charges were laid against Pell. We may seek to tender his statement into evidence in this case," Mr Flanagan told the paper. A Melbourne jury in December found Pell guilty of five charges of abuse against two choirboys in the 1990s but the verdict was only made public on February 26 after months of procedural secrecy and the abandonment of the second trial. More gold was mined in Australia during 2018 on an annual basis than ever before, according to analyst Surbiton Associates, with indications production across the country is still on the increase. A record 317 tonnes of gold was dug up last year, exceeding the previous high of 314.5 tonnes reached in 1997, according to the Melbourne-based mining consultancy. "It took 21 years to break the old calendar year record and the outlook for the near term looks positive but of course there can always be surprises," Surbiton Associates director Sandra Close said. The largest producer in 2018 was Newcrest's NSW Cadia Valley mine, located 250km west of Sydney, which extracted 750,000 ounces of the yellow metal while Newcrest's West Australian operation in Boddington followed with 710,000 ounces. Dr Close said gold production totalled 81 tonnes in the December 2018 quarter, the third consecutive quarter where it exceeded 80 tonnes, following a lower output of 74 tonnes in the first quarter "due to wet weather and production problems at some operations". Gold Fields and Gold Road's Gruyere joint venture in Western Australia is expected to start mid-year, Dr Close added, with production scheduled to ramp up to about 300,000 ounces, or 10 tonnes, annually at full capacity. "Not only did we have record gold production for the 2018 year and near record quarterly production but the gold price in Australian dollars also hit an all-time record of $A1,876 per ounce on 20 February this year," she said. Spot gold was trading at $US1,293.19 on Monday morning. Scott Morrison has heaped praise on US President Donald Trump for trying to strike a deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to denuclearise the Korean peninsula. After the two leaders failed to reach an agreement during a two-day summit in Vietnam last week, the prime minister said achieving denuclearisation in North Korea was a difficult task. "His determination to keep pressing forward - there will be frustrations - but I really commend his heartfelt commitment to try and make some progress in this area," Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney on Monday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the government won't seek to amend the so-called "medevac" bill when parliament resumes next month. Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers teamed up in the last sitting to secure the passage of laws which make it easier for asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru to get medical treatment. The government said the passage of the bill forced it to reopen the Christmas Island detention facility at a cost of more than $1 billion. Labor has questioned why the facility needs to be reopened, given it has very limited medical facilities, and asked why amendments were not brought to parliament if the government had such major concerns. Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney on Monday there was no form of the medevac bill which the government would support. "The only thing I would seek to do is repeal it in its entirety and the Australian people will have the opportunity to talk about that at the next election," he said. The social media accounts of a woman who vanished from western Sydney have been updated since her disappearance two months ago but police are still investigating whether she met with foul play Samah Baker was last seen by a friend after being dropped to her Parramatta home in the early hours of Friday, January 4. Police, who are treating the 30-year-old's disappearance as suspicious, on Monday released CCTV footage of her in a hotel two days before she went missing. Ms Baker is seen wearing a peach-orange coloured dress and a black and white spotted shirt in the vision, which have not been found during searches of her home. "It's been an agonising two months for Samah's family as it is a long time to not see or hear from her," Parramatta Police area commander Superintendent Julie Boon said in a statement. "It's very unusual for her not to contact her family for such a long period of time, and there were no known plans of her to leave her home or Sydney." Ms Boon said the woman's social media accounts had been updated since she was last seen, but investigators were still treating her disappearance as suspicious. Some South Australian motorists are driving "like they're invincible" with police expressing growing concern at the state's high road toll for 2019. So far this year 19 people have died on SA's roads compared to 10 at the same time last year, with speed identified as a factor in a significant number. "We know that the faster you go, the faster you hit," Inspector Amit Sareen said on Monday. "And some motorists seem to drive like they are invincible when contained inside a motor vehicle." Inspector Sareen said seven of the deaths were motorcyclists and in five cases the riders collided with fixed objects. "The biggest risk factor for motorbike riders is themselves and the choices they make, not other road users," he said. In a bid to reduce further deaths, police on Monday launched Operation Safe Speed, a four-day campaign targeting speeding. Inspector Sareen said it was important for motorists to remember that with every fatal crash a "ripple of pain" flowed through the families and the wider community. "So today I simply ask for everyone to play their part in road safety by making good choices and slowing down," he said. A 50-year-old rideshare driver has been charged with raping a woman in Sydney's west. NSW Police say the man picked up the 30-year-old woman outside a Rouse Hill licensed premises late on Saturday night and drove her to Marsden Park where he sexually assaulted her. It's alleged the man then drove her home to Penrith and she reported the incident on Sunday. The driver was arrested at Granville and charged with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent. He will appear at Parramatta Local Court on Monday. Almost four months after their life-changing separation surgery, Bhutanese twins Nima and Dawa are due to make their first public outing. The 19-month-old girls are heading to Melbourne's Government House on Tuesday to help celebrate the 20th-anniversary of the Children First Foundation, which helped organise the once-conjoined siblings' delicate medical procedure. Since being released from hospital in late November, Nima and Dawa have been living with their mother at the foundation's property on Melbourne's outskirts, building strength for their trip home, which could happen any day. Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion has been accused of "mucking around" by withholding the rollout of $550 million in federal funds for housing in remote indigenous communities. Senator Scullion last week said he was considering other options rather than just handing the money over, because the Northern Territory Government had not kept its promise of last April by matching the $550 million housing spend over a decade in its budget. The NT Government is dealing with a budget crisis, including record deficit and debt levels and is borrowing to cover daily operations. The federal government agreed in April to give the Northern Territory $550 million over five years for remote housing, which would be matched by the NT government but negotiations have broken down. The NT government's Housing Department was found last week to have breached its tenancy agreement, when Aboriginal residents from the remote Santa Teresa community won compensation after suing over the squalid state of their houses, in which repairs were not dealt with. However the issues dated back to previous CLP and Labor governments. NT Attorney-General Natasha Fyles said if Senator Scullion was concerned about how the federal money would be spent he could put parameters in place to ensure it was accounted for. "We know that in the Northern Territory to overcome particularly Indigenous disadvantage we need to address housing," Ms Fyles told reporters. "When people don't have secure safe housing, it has such a flow-on impact: they can't attend school, they clog up our health system. "So we need the federal government and we need Senator Scullion to step up, to stop mucking around and to sign off on the remote housing deal so that we can continue the work that we've put in place through Territory government funds to solve these long-term issues." Ms Fyles was speaking outside John Stokes Square, a Darwin public housing area notorious for anti-social behaviour which will be bulldozed in May to make way for new public housing and a 24-hour police station. More than 30 residents will be forced out of their homes to new housing. Senator Scullion has accused the NT Government of letting Aboriginal communities down by squandering federal money meant for housing and said he was in discussions with Aboriginal land councils about making them responsible instead. "Do we have another approach, we have the capacity to have a partnership with another group and that is certainly possible, it is a live option," he said. South Australian police have not recommended Attorney-General Vickie Chapman be prosecuted over potentially breaching anti-corruption laws, Premier Steven Marshall says. SA's director of public prosecutions is looking into whether Ms Chapman broke the law when she revealed details of a secret investigation by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption in September. The matter was referred to the DPP after a police inquiry with the director engaging outside counsel to consider the material to avoid any potential conflict of interest. Mr Marshall says it's important for that process to continue, but says he's been told by Police Commissioner Grant Stevens that there was no recommendation that Ms Chapman be prosecuted. "Those that are asserting that there is some prosecution pending, is just false and misleading," the premier told reporters on Monday. "I asked the commissioner, was there a recommendation made for prosecution, and the answer was no." But Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said it was "highly inappropriate" for the premier to have spoken to the police commissioner about the case. He previously described the referral to the DPP as an "unprecedented crisis" and called on Ms Chapman to step down while the investigation was underway. Mr Marshall said if Mr Stevens was in any way uncomfortable with his inquiry, he could have declined to answer. "There is nothing untoward about asking where a process is sitting," he said. "It is ludicrous to suggest that a premier can't ask a police commissioner a question of process. "The reality is the police have concluded their work, they've gathered that body of evidence and provided it to the DPP as they should." A "bumbling" Kiwi ISIS recruit captured in Syria will struggle to return home and could face potential jail time if he does, New Zealand's government says. Mark Taylor was placed on a United States terror watchlist after he "used social media, including appearing in a 2015 ISIS propaganda video, to encourage terrorist attacks in Australia and New Zealand", according to the US State Department. He had been in Syria with the Islamic State group since 2014. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday confirmed Taylor was being detained by the Syrian Democratic Forces. The ABC earlier reported he had fled Islamic State in December over worsening conditions and surrendered himself. "There was no food, no money, basic services were pretty much collapsed," he said. Ardern told reporters New Zealand's lack of diplomatic representation in Syria meant the government's ability to help him get back home was "severely limited". "He would need to make his own way to where New Zealand has consular representation," she said. "We've made very clear in travel advice: do not travel to Syria, because if you do, we cannot help you return." Turkey is New Zealand's nearest diplomatic station. While declining to comment on specifics, Ardern said Taylor would face legal consequences if he managed to return and that security provisions to protect the public had been put in place. "[He] has associated himself with a designated terrorist organisation. New Zealand has laws in place to deal with those circumstances." As he is not a citizen elsewhere, New Zealand's government cannot revoke Taylor's citizenship but New Zealand law includes penalties of imprisonment for certain terrorism-related offences. He was dubbed the "bumbling jihadi" by media after a bragging tweet inadvertently revealed his location in Syria in 2014. The 42-year-old told the ABC he had spent 50 days in an ISIS prison over the incident. He also said he had only been deployed as a guard and in detail lamented that he had been unable to afford a slave while with the organisation. "I would have liked to have one, but I never got to," he said. "They range in price from $US4000 up to $US50,000, and I didn't have that kind of money just to throw around myself." The head of New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service spy agency last month said there were a "small but concerning" number of Kiwis still in Syria. Authorities have declined to confirm an exact figure but it has been speculated to be about five or fewer. A man shot in the face in Melbourne's west a week ago remains on life support, prosecutors have told a court where two men appeared charged with attempted murder. Police on Monday asked for extra time in Melbourne Magistrates Court to put together a brief of evidence against Mark Dixon, 30, and Jack Harvey, 26, who were arrested on February 27 over the shooting in Point Cook six days earlier. The prosecutor said the prognosis of the victim, who remains in an induced coma and on life support, is unclear and the outcome could mean different charges for Dixon and Harvey. A woman who was raped at gunpoint by a masked man in a secluded Victorian car park in 1983 says she felt helpless during the terrifying crime, which changed her life forever. But the victim, who was 18 at the time, now feels a weight off her shoulders because her attacker has finally been caught and she can "take the power back". She is one of several victims of killer James Dobbie, who shot a man dead, raped two young women and tied up their boyfriends in three "horrifyingly violent" incidents in 1980 and 1983. Dobbie, now 65, targeted lovers at the secluded Police Paddocks Reserve in Rowville, wielding a sawn-off, double-barrelled shotgun as he approached their cars in a balaclava. With rope and tape, he tied up the young women and their boyfriends before raping the helpless women while threatening them with the firearm. In the third attack, Rodney Mitchell was shot in the armpit and died after lurching at Dobbie's gun. Dobbie fled to Cape Tribulation in Queensland after the shooting and his crimes remained unsolved for 35 years. But an anonymous Crime Stoppers call in 2018 led to Dobbie's arrest and he has since pleaded guilty to murder, aggravated rape, false imprisonment and other charges. "They were horrifyingly violent," Supreme Court Justice John Champion said of the rapes as Dobbie faced a pre-sentence hearing on Monday. "The victims were immobilised, and there was a high degree of horror, humiliation and violence." One victim said she was a "shy" girl on a date with a new boyfriend when they were suddenly attacked. "We were on an adventure that quickly came crashing down around us," she said in a statement on Monday. "Was this a bad dream? No, it was real." She was "under his control" and crippled by fear as Dobbie bound her wrists, pulled her hair, tore her clothes and raped her, causing terrible pain. "My shirt being ripped sent shivers down my spine and even today the sound of material being ripped has the same effect," she said. "I ask myself often. What have I done to deserve this? Nothing. Absolutely nothing." She said she won't ever forget the look of "guilt" on her mother's face as they sat in the hospital after the rape all those years ago. But the victim, now also a mother, said she has learned to live with what happened and feels "pure relief". "I am very happy to be alive," she said. "Today is a day to seek justice for what was done and it gives me the opportunity to take the power back." Pioneering pilot Nancy-Bird Walton is an "absolutely inspiring choice" as the name for western Sydney's new airport, according to Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Known as the "Angel of the Outback", Ms Walton took her pilot's licence at the age of 18 in 1933, bought her own plane and set off on a tour of regional NSW. She began transporting the sick from isolated regions around the country, helped set up the Royal Far West Children's Health Scheme and was an early pilot for the Royal Flying Doctors' Service. "Nancy-Bird Walton was a pioneer not just for women but for anybody," Ms Berejiklian said at the site of the airport in Badgerys Creek on Monday. "She helped set up the flying doctors, she did things which nobody else did, male or female." Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it's fitting that having recognised her mentor Charles Kingsford Smith at Sydney Airport, "we now recognise Australia's greatest female aviation pioneer." Western Sydney International, to be also known as the Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, is due to open in 2026. Ms Walton's family say they are "extremely excited and thrilled, and it's just a huge honour" for their mother and grandmother. Born in Kew on the NSW mid north coast in 1915, Ms Walton was taught to fly by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and became the youngest woman in the Commonwealth to hold a commercial pilot's licence. She was awarded the Order of Australia in 1990 and died in 2009 aged 93. The new airport is taking shape, Ms Berejiklian said, and so is the airport city around it. The premier on Monday announced a new agribusiness precinct which will contribute 2500 direct jobs and support up to 12,000 more. The precinct will link directly to the Sydney Markets, which will have a base at the airport. High-tech farming and glasshouses will create fresh produce and handle incoming products from NSW farms for global export, which will allow food produced in the state to be flown directly from farms to the world around the clock. Will a proposed $6.4 billion metro rail line slash travel times from Sydney's west to the CBD? The Statement "Metro West will more than double the existing rail capacity between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD. This crucial project will reduce the journey ... to around 20 minutes, with trains running every two minutes." NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian promises that if she's re-elected work will start next year on a fast new $6.4 billion Metro West rail line from Sydney's west to the city. The Analysis The NSW government has promised voters in western Sydney a new train line that will cut their city commute to 20 minutes. [1] AAP FactCheck has examined the Premier's claims that the new metro line will "more than double" current capacity and cut the journey to "around 20 minutes" with trains running "every two minutes". AAP FactCheck found the Premier's claims to be somewhat false but they contained more than one element of truth. There is no reference to the Premier's 20-minute Parramatta to Sydney CBD journey claim, or any specific journey times, in the Sydney Metro West Project Overview document dated March 2018. [2] The project document states: "Currently, the fastest trip between Parramatta and Wynyard takes between 31 and 33 minutes on the [existing] T1 Western Line. Sydney Metro West will deliver a significantly faster journey time." [2] [Page 19] This is supported by the NSW government's trip planner website which shows the fastest morning peak hour rail journey from Parramatta to Sydney's CBD Wynyard station on the existing network takes 31 minutes. [3] A spokesman for the Premier told AAP FactCheck "20 minutes is an aim" and the government would not know until the final business case was completed what the exact travel time from Parramatta to the city would be. NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance's spokesperson said the 20-minute journey was the government's "target". "It's not a pipedream, it's doable," the spokesperson told AAP FactCheck. Regarding the Premier's claim Metro West will "more than double the existing rail capacity between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD" the Metro West project document states it will "effectively double" capacity. [2] [Page 11] It further states the existing T1 Western line which services Parramatta moves around 40,000 commuters during peak hour. The new Metro West line will move more than 40,000 people an hour [2] [Pages 11 & 13]. These combined figures show the existing T1 Western line and the new Metro West line will more than double capacity. The Premier's claim that trains on the new line will run every two minutes is at odds with the project overview document. While the project overview reiterates the Premier's claim the network has the capacity to run trains every two minutes in each direction, it states the new line will run trains every four minutes during peak times and every 10 minutes in the off peak [2] [Pages 3, 5, 30, 41]. The Sydney Metro website, which details the greater Sydney Metro scheme, also says trains will leave every four minutes on the proposed Metro West line. [4]. Running trains on the new line every four minutes is also a lesser service than that currently offered on the existing line between Parramatta and Sydney's CBD. Trip planner shows trains leave every three minutes during peak times from Parramatta and every 15 minutes during off peak on the existing line. [3] AAP FactCheck concludes only one of the Premier's three claims are true. Her claim the proposed new line will double capacity is correct. The claim the new line will take 20 minutes is an aim. The Premier's final claim the new line will run trains every two minutes differs with the project overview. The Verdict Somewhat false - Somewhat false, but there is more than one element of truth. The References 1: 'Construction of Sydney Metro West railway fast-tracked'. By Edward Boyd. March 3, 2019. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/construction-of-sydney-metro-west-railway-fasttracked/news-story/66c472c4adfa34fecfb1fd011dffddb8 2: 'Sydney Metro West Project overview', NSW Government, March 2018. Pages 3, 5, 11, 13, 19, 30, 41. https://www.sydneymetro.info/sites/default/files/document-library/Sydney-Metro-West-Project-Overview-March-2018.pdf 3: 'Transport NSW Trip Planner', Transport for NSW. https://transportnsw.info/ 4: 'Sydney Metro', NSW Government. https://www.sydneymetro.info/ The NSW premier says her deputy, John Barilaro, should be commended for revealing he'll step down as leader of the Nationals before the 2023 election. Mr Barilaro will serve a third term if he holds on to Monaro on March 23 but will then step down as party leader before the subsequent election which he won't contest, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Monday. Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday noted even a week was "a long time in politics". "I'll take four years any day. I think the state would be fortunate to have (Mr Barilaro) for another four years," the Liberal leader told reporters. "I credit John Barilaro for his honesty. He has said to the people of NSW that I will give you four more years. "You have to say it like it is, and if you believe something and you know something, you should articulate that." The premier said there was no question of Mr Barilaro stepping down as leader and deputy premier before this month's election. Ms Berejiklian also promised she'd remain in the top job "as long as the people of NSW want me". "I love the job, it is a privilege to represent eight million citizens in the best place on earth and I don't take the responsibly lightly and do I want to continue in this role. You betcha." A man has died at the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney. Australian Border Force did not release details of the male detainee's death on Monday but said the matter had been referred to the NSW coroner and other "appropriate agencies". Refugee advocate Ian Rintoul said the man was found about 6pm. A Sierra Leone man died in unsuspicious circumstances in the same facility on January 25. NSW police said its officers were on site but it was a matter for federal authorities. Australian Federal Police has been contacted for comment. Public hospitals will have to consistently offer abortion services as part of commonwealth funding agreements under a federal Labor government. If it wins the upcoming election, the party would also build a new Tasmanian reproductive health hub so women don't have to travel interstate for abortions and other medical care. And it would look at making sure the contraceptive pill, long-acting removable contraceptives, and medical terminations are more widely available to Australian women. Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said every Australian woman should be able to access health services in the place and time they need them. At the moment, there is a patchwork of service provision, with some women turned away from public hospitals when they need to end a pregnancy and then not being able to access or afford to go to a private clinic, or having to travel hundreds of kilometres for care. "Choosing to terminate a pregnancy is difficult enough," Ms Plibersek said on Wednesday. "Forcing a woman to travel long distances or interstate to access surgical services can dramatically increase the emotional and financial burden. "We wouldn't accept someone having to travel that far for a hip replacement or a broken bone. Women deserve better." Small hospitals wouldn't have to offer surgical abortions if it was beyond their capacity, but the Commonwealth would use its funding deals with states to make it clear it expects the service to be widely provided. Labor would also establish an online community to support doctors providing medical terminations using RU486, and review the Medicare rebate associated with this service. At the moment, only about 1500 of Australia's 35,000 GPs are registered to prescribe the drug and it costs women about $600 for the appointments and tests needed, Labor says. A new national telephone referral service will give women access to reliable information about safe, credentialed providers of termination services. Ms Plibersek said the changes will particularly help women in country areas. The party would look at ways to improve access to contraception, including examining New Zealand's arrangements to allow doctors to give three-year prescriptions for the contraceptive pill. It would also make sure cost isn't behind the slow uptake in Australia of long-acting removable contraceptives such as Implanon or interuterine devices (IUDs). Labor would work with state governments to decriminalise abortion across the country, instead of having the existing mixture of laws that vary between jurisdictions. LABOR'S POLICY TO SUPPORT WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS * Review the Medicare rebate for long-acting removable contraceptives. * Therapeutic Goods Administration to advise on options to improve access to the contraceptive pill, including three-year prescriptions. * Review the Medicare rebate associated with medical terminations (RU486) to address access and affordability issues. * Fund an online community of practice for doctors to receive peer support, advice and connections with pharmacists and other service providers regarding providing medical terminations. * Include an expectation for termination services to be provided consistently in public hospitals in commonwealth-state hospital funding agreements. * Establish a new Tasmanian Reproductive Health Hub. * Fund a national telephone referral service linking women to safe, credentialed providers of termination services. * Progress the decriminalisation of abortion across Australia. * Restore funding to the Australian Women's Health Network. The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary has welcomed record numbers of orphaned chimps, victims of the relentless expansion of human activities Sierra Leone has chosen the chimpanzee as its new national symbol as part of efforts to protect the endangered species and rebrand the country as a sustainable tourist destination. The Western chimpanzee is now the "national animal of Sierra Leone", Agriculture Minister Joseph Ndanema announced at a ceremony honouring renowned British primatologist Jane Goodall late Thursday. "We share 98 percent of human genes with chimpanzees, we are all apes," said Goodall, 84, who helped set up the country's only chimpanzee sanctuary in the 1990s. "Every single human being needs to make a difference on the environment to avoid the greatest danger of our future," said the UN Messenger of Peace. Western chimpanzees are the only critically endangered chimp subspecies. They have already been wiped out in Burkina Faso, Benin, Gambia -- and possibly Togo too. According to The American Journal of Primatology, their population plunged more than 80 percent between 1990 and 2014. Sierra Leone is home to about 10 percent of the estimated 55,000 still living in the wild. Poachers hunt them for their meat, farmers shoot them to protect their crops, and increasingly their habitat is being surrendered to urban development and forestry. In addition, the deadly Ebola virus has wiped out tens of thousands of the wild apes. Over the past 12 months, the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary -- set high in the hills on the outskirts of the capital Freetown -- has welcomed a record 11 orphaned chimps, as well 90 primates. "We urge the government to unite all stakeholders to protect the only sanctuary in the country from deforestation, and human activities for the future generation," Tacugama's director Bala Amarasekaran said Thursday at the ceremony. According to the government, two other sanctuaries will be opened soon. Sierra Leone banks on wildlife conservation to help rekindle its tourism industry nearly two decades after the end of the civil war, which claimed some 120,000 lives. "We are going to rebrand Sierra Leone as a tourism destination with chimps," Tourism Minister Memunatu Pratt said. Arabian mare Karen is one of dozens of Arabian horses from all over Syria recovering from the impact of conflict A shadow of her former self after years of war, 11-year-old Arabian mare Karen stands quietly as a Syrian vet gently pushes a syringe into her pale grey neck. "Karen used to be the beauty queen of all horses," says the vet, Ahmad Sharida. But inside her stable near Damascus today, her hips jut out viciously from her overgrown speckled coat. Weak and withdrawn, Karen is unable to even whinny. After almost eight years of war, she is one of dozens of Arabian horses from all over Syria recovering from the physical and psychological trauma of the fighting. Prized for their beauty, endurance and speed, Arabian purebreds are one of the oldest horse breeds in the world. In Syria, Bedouins have bred them in the north of the country for centuries, seeking to maintain the purity of the local bloodlines. Before the conflict, Sharida had proudly watched Karen grow from a long-legged foal into a graceful equine beauty. "I know her very well. I was the one who brought her out of her mother's belly," says the vet, a stethoscope hanging around his neck. Horse trainer Jihad Ghazal (R) says horses are very sensitive and that "the sounds they hear greatly affect them" But he lost sight of Karen after she was stolen from her stable in Eastern Ghouta in 2012, the same year rebels overran the region northeast of Damascus. The area suffered five years of regime bombardment, as well as food and medicine shortages under a crippling siege, before Russia-backed government forces took it back last year. Sharida had long fled his home region but returned to search for missing Arabian horses and immediately recognised Karen when he found her in October. "I was so shocked," says the 51-year-old vet. "She was all skin and bones, and could barely stand up." - 'Kidnapped and killed' - Like all other horses he found, she was frail and sick after years of being surrounded by fighting, not enough food, and no medical attention. Syria's war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Of the 8,500 horses that Syria registered with the World Arabian Horse Organization in 2011, it has lost 3,000 in the war And it has taken a toll on the country's equine population too. "Horses have greatly suffered, just like us all," says Mohammed Ghaith al-Shaib, head of the state's Arabian Horse Office. "They've also been displaced, kidnapped and killed." Of the 8,500 horses that Syria registered with the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) in 2011, it has lost 3,000 in the war, he says. But the conflict in Syria has turned around in recent years, and after a series of victories against rebels and jihadists, President Bashar al-Assad's regime is now in control of almost two-thirds of the country. Having returned to one region after another, the Damascus authorities are now trying to protect the country's Arabian purebreds. Karen (L) is now cared for at a state-run stables west of Damascus Since 2014, WAHO has recognised 2,400 new Syrian foals as Arabian, after samples from their manes were sent off for DNA testing in Germany, Shaib says. Horses rescued from retaken areas are being looked after at a state-run stables west of the capital, Damascus. - A daughter? - At the stables in Dimas, staff are paying special attention to Karen's recovery. She hails from the Hadbaa strain of Arabian purebreds, so called after their long eyelashes and mane. But after years of war, she is the only known female survivor of a rare Syrian branch of that family. After nearly eight years of war, Karen is the only known female survivor of a rare Syrian branch of the Hadbaa strain of Arabian purebreds "The Hadbaa Enzahi Fawaeira were already at risk of dying out before the war," says Shaib. But "today, it's only Karen". Arabian mares are often seen as more precious than their male counterparts, as they carry the bloodline from one generation to the next. Once Karen has regained her health, her carers hope to artificially inseminate her so that she can give birth to a daughter. To maintain her bloodline, a Syrian purebred should father that female foal -- but he does not need to come from the same strain. Karen is just one of many Arabian horses all over Syria recovering from conflict. - 'Greatly affected' - In the adjacent hippodrome, trainer Jihad Ghazal watches a student trot around the red-earth arena on a horse with a shiny brown coat. Arabian mares are often seen as more precious than their male counterparts, as they carry the bloodline from one generation to the next Nejm -- "star" in Arabic -- spent the war in Damascus, a city which has remained relatively sheltered from the conflict. But the mare was one of the luckier ones, says Ghazal, who is full of anecdotes about the suffering of her kind. "Horses are very sensitive, and the sounds they hear greatly affect them," says the 40 year-old, wearing jeans and trainers. During the war, an alleged Israeli strike hit Dimas, traumatising pregnant mares, for example. "For a year afterwards, foals were born paralysed or dead because their mother had been so terrified," he says. In 2016, a horse was so shocked by a blast that, within hours, he had killed himself. "He banged his head against metal until he died." Palestinians in Gaza have for months sporadically launched balloons with incendiary and explosive devices at southern Israel Israel's military said its air force struck a Hamas target in the north of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, in response to "explosive devices" that were sent towards the Jewish state. "Today, explosive devices were hurled from the Gaza Strip at Israels border fence," the Israeli army said on Twitter. The army said one of its aircraft targeted a Hamas military post in response. The reported strike came after a Hamas security source said Sunday Israeli aircraft had struck its observation points elsewhere in the Gaza Strip late Saturday. Those strikes -- east of Al-Bureij in the central Gaza Strip and east of Rafah in the south of the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave -- did not wound anyone, the Hamas security source said. The strikes occurred after a "cluster of balloons carrying an explosive device was launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory," the Israeli army said in a statement. "No injuries or damage were reported," it said. Palestinians in Gaza have for months sporadically launched balloons with incendiary and explosive devices at southern Israel in parallel with weekly protests and clashes taking place at the border fence. At least 251 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since March 2018, the majority shot during the weekly border protests and others hit by tank fire or air strikes in response to violence from Gaza. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. Hundreds of people, including some of the relatives of those onboard, gathered at a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall Sunday to mark the anniversary of the jet's disappearance Malaysia is open to restarting the hunt for Flight MH370 if firms come forward with credible leads and concrete proposals, the transport minister said Sunday, five years on from the plane's disappearance. The Malaysia Airlines jet vanished in March 2014 with 239 people -- mostly from China -- on board, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. No sign of it was found in a 120,000-square kilometre (46,000-square mile) Indian Ocean search zone and the Australian-led hunt, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January 2017. US exploration firm Ocean Infinity mounted a fresh hunt on a "no find, no fee basis" last year for several months, using hi-tech drones to scour the seabed, but did not locate the plane. Grace Subathirai Nathan, daughter of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 passenger Anne Daisy, shows debris believed to be from the ill-fated flight at a November 2018 press conference in Putrajaya Hundreds of people, including some of the relatives of those onboard, gathered at a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall Sunday to mark the anniversary of the jet's disappearance. Only a few fragments of MH370 have been found, all of them on western Indian Ocean shores. Two of those pieces were put on display Sunday for the first time at the memorial. There is no new search planned, but Transport Minister Anthony Loke said at the event that the government was open to hearing proposals to resume the hunt. "If there are any credible leads and any specific proposals, especially from Ocean Infinity, we are more than willing to look at it," he said. Jacquita Gonzales, whose husband Patrick Gomes was a crew member on the flight, said there was "no closure until the plane is found, until we exactly know what happened to the aircraft and our loved ones on board. "It gets tougher every year, because we are all expecting some answers." In a long-awaited final report into the tragedy released in July last year, the official investigation team pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually. But they failed to come up with any firm conclusions, leaving families of those onboard angry and disappointed. Algerians march with a national flag during a protest rally against the ailing president's bid for a fifth term in power, in the northeastern city of Annaba Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika pledged Sunday not to serve a full term if re-elected at April polls after huge protests against the bid to extend his 20 years in power. The ailing leader, who suffered a stroke in 2013, vowed in a letter read out on state television to organise a "national conference" that would set a date for early polls which he would not contest. "I pledge not to be a candidate in that election which will ensure I am succeeded in undeniable conditions of serenity, freedom and transparency," the letter read. "I listened and heard the cry from the hearts of protesters and in particular the thousands of young people who questioned me about the future of our homeland", it said. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013 Bouteflika's bid to placate demonstrators came after tens of thousands of Algerians took to the streets against his bid for a fifth term in office in the biggest challenge to the authorities in years. Just after the announcement his campaign director formally submitted his candidacy for the April 18 poll ahead of a midnight (2300 GMT) Sunday deadline. Following that move a fresh demonstration erupted in central Algiers, and elsewhere in the country, with several hundred young people marching in the streets still opposed to Bouteflika's candidacy. Bouteflika remains in Switzerland where he has been for a week undergoing what the presidency describes as "routine medical tests", but there was no legal requirement for him to submit his candidacy in person. The veteran leader uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since his stroke. - Students protest - Hundreds of students staged new demonstrations against the president on Sunday in Algiers and other cities, two days after the tens of thousands of protesters thronged the country. Protesters hold placards against the Algerian president's bid for a fifth term at a demonstration in the French city of Marseille Chanting "Bouteflika go away", the students rallied near the main city centre campus of the University of Algiers, which was cordoned off by police, AFP journalists said, while others demonstrated at other campuses. Police fired water cannon to prevent protesters from reaching the Constitutional Council, where presidential bids were formally lodged, security sources said. Rallies inside and outside campuses in the northeastern city of Annaba also drew hundreds chanting anti-Bouteflika slogans, a local journalist said on condition of anonymity. The TSA news website reported other protests in Algeria's second and third cities, Oran and Constantine. Bouteflika's announcement in February that he would seek another five-year term despite his failing health has unleashed pent-up frustrations in the North African country. The presidency has not detailed when he will return from the Geneva hospital. Algerians demonstrate against Bouteflika's bid for re-election in the northern city of Annaba on Sunday On Saturday, Bouteflika sacked his campaign manager Abdelmalek Sellal, a former premier who successfully oversaw the president's past three re-election bids, state media said, without giving a reason. Sellal was replaced by Transport Minister Abdelghani Zaalane. Alongside Bouteflika, several other candidates have registered, including prominent retired general Ali Ghediri, who was the first to announce he would run and has promised change. A Sunday editorial in El-Moudjahid newspaper, a government mouthpiece, said protesters would be "disappointed" in their campaign to force Bouteflika to pull out of the April election. - Tear gas and stones - On Friday, clashes erupted between police and protesters in Algiers as tens of thousands of people took to the streets. Riot police used tear gas and batons to keep some protesters from marching on the Government Palace which houses the prime minister's office. According to a police toll, 56 police officers and seven demonstrators were hurt and 45 alleged stone-throwers were arrested in Algiers. Protests have also shaken Algeria's second city of Oran Bouteflika has been in power since 1999, initially gaining respect from many for his role in ending a civil war that officials say killed nearly 200,000 people. Authorities have warned that the protests risk dragging Algeria into instability, comparing the rallies to those that sparked Syria's ongoing war. Protesters have been mobilised by calls on social media, as many young Algerians struggle to find jobs in a country where half the population is under 30. In France, Algeria's former colonial power, several thousand people on Sunday joined anti-Bouteflika rallies in Paris, Marseilles and other cities. "Out out," shouted crowds in the Place de la Republique, central Paris, where protesters waved placards and some wrapped themselves in Algerian flags. The crisis in Cameroon's anglophone western regions has claimed the lives of at least 500 civilians and more than 200 police and soldiers, the International Crisis Group says A Nigerian court has condemned as "illegal and unconstitutional" the arrest and deportation of Cameroonian separatists who had applied for asylum in Nigeria, the lawyers representing them said Sunday. In January 2018, Nigeria arrested and deported 47 anglophone separatists who had fled Cameroon following a crackdown by the authorities. The move was denounced by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, which said most of them had filed asylum claims and accused Nigeria of breaching international agreements. "Justice Chikere declared the arrest and detention of the 12 applicants illegal," said a statement from Nigerian law firm Falana & Falana, referring to a ruling issued this week in the capital Abuja. "Consequently, Justice Chikere declared the deportation of the applicants illegal and unconstitutional, awarded (compensation) to each of them and ordered the federal government to ensure that they are brought back to Nigeria forthwith." Among the 12 claimants was separatist leader Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, president of the self-declared "Republic of Ambazonia", who was arrested along with his supporters on January 9 by Nigerian intelligence agents. The group was sent back to Cameroon on January 26, and Ayuk Tabe was put on trial for "terrorism" in December at a military court in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital. At the hearing, defence lawyer Femi Fakana argued that the arrest and detention of refugees and asylum seekers constituted a breach of Nigeria's constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. The judge agreed, saying the expulsion of the group was in "utter violation" of legal obligations which ban Nigeria "from expelling or deporting refugees" from the country. And he ordered the government to ensure they were brought back to Nigeria, and that their fundamental rights be respected. Since their deportation, the 47 have been held in secret at a high-security facility at police headquarters in Yaounde. Clashes between the armed forces and separatists take place almost daily in the two Anglophone regions on the western flank of Cameroon, where resentment at perceived marginalisation by the French-speaking majority boiled over into an armed uprising in late 2016, prompting a harsh government crackdown. Palestinians get ready to board a bus at the Rafah border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on March 3, 2019 as they make their way to Saudi Arabia for the Muslim umra pilgrimage Some 800 Palestinians crossed Sunda from the Gaza Strip into Egypt on their initial stage of a pilgrimage to Mecca, the first time since 2014 Egyptian authorities have granted visas for such a trip. The pilgrims left at around dawn and were to be met by buses on the Egyptian side to bring them to Cairo's airport, from where they would fly to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, said a Palestinian official at the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip. Fifteen Gazans among the 800 were not authorised to cross, according to a Palestinian security official at Rafah, without providing the reasons. Security sources on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing confirmed it was the first such permission for the Muslim umrah pilgrimage since the start of Egyptian military operations in northern Sinai in 2014. Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca that can be completed throughout the year, as opposed to the annual hajj pilgrimage. Around 2,500 pilgrims are authorised annually to leave Gaza via Egypt for the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that Muslims must undertake at least once in their lifetime. Since the overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, Egypt has faced a jihadist insurgency in North Sinai. Last year, Egypt's military launched a major offensive against the Sinai jihadists, though Cairo has for years considered the entire area a security priority. Gaza, run by Islamist movement Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade for more than a decade. Gaza militants and Israel have fought three wars since 2008. The Rafah crossing with Egypt is the only one out of Gaza not controlled by Israel. It had been largely closed in recent years, but was reopened some 10 months ago. Around 300 travellers use it daily in either direction, according to figures dating to December provided by the Gisha NGO, which monitors the blockade on Gaza. Hisham Geneina was head of Egypt's Central Auditing Organisation until he was sacked for allegedly exaggerating the cost of corruption An Egyptian court on Sunday upheld a five-year prison sentence for the country's former anti-corruption chief, found guilty of insulting the military, legal sources said. A military court rejected Hisham Geneina's appeal and confirmed his sentence, a judicial source said, over comments made in an interview with the news website HuffPost Arabi. Geneina was head of Egypt's Central Auditing Organisation until he was sacked by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2016 for allegedly exaggerating the cost of corruption. He subsequently became a top aide to former military chief of staff Sami Anan, who planned to challenge Sisi in presidential polls but was arrested. Geneina claimed Anan held documents on "political events and crises that Egyptian society has passed through" since the 2011 uprising. He said the documents could be released if Anan -- who remains in jail -- was harmed. Following the interview, Geneina was detained in February 2018 and sentenced last April to five years in prison for "spreading news that harms the armed forces". Sunday's ruling "could be challenged before a higher military court," Geneina's lawyer Ali Taha said. Moataz Wadnan, the journalist who conducted the interview, was also detained but has not yet been put on trial, according to rights lawyer Negad al-Borai. Without any serious challenger at the ballot box, Sisi won a second four-year term last March with 97 percent of the vote. Egypt's parliament, packed with Sisi supporters, is seeking to institute constitutional amendments that would extend his rule beyond 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow on February 27, 2019 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel and Russia are to form a joint team to examine the withdrawal of foreign forces from Syria. Israel is seeking the removal of Iranian forces and has vowed to keep its main enemy from entrenching itself militarily in the neighbouring country. Netanyahu met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Moscow to discuss Iran's presence in Syria. "I made it unequivocally clear that Israel will not allow the military entrenchment of Iran in Syria, and I also made it unequivocally clear that we would continue to take military action against it," Netanyahu told his cabinet. "President Putin and I also agreed on a common goal: the withdrawal of foreign forces that arrived in Syria after the outbreak of the civil war. We agreed to establish a joint team to advance this goal, together with other elements." Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria against what it says are Iranian and Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah targets and has established a hotline to avoid accidential clashes with Russia. Iran, Russia and Tehran-backed Hezbollah support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country's civil war that broke out in 2011. But a friendly fire incident during one of those strikes in September damaged Israel's relations with Russia. Wednesday's talks were the first extended face-to-face meeting between Netanyahu and Putin since the incident, which saw Syria's air defence systems shoot down a Russian plane by mistake during an Israeli strike, killing 15 Russian troops. Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was in the port city of Aden on Sunday British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt held talks with his Yemeni counterpart in government-held Aden on Sunday, in the first visit by a western foreign minister to the war-torn country in years. "I am here because this is really the last chance for peace," Hunt said from Aden, in a video uploaded to his Twitter account. Hunt held talks with Yemen's top diplomat Khaled al-Yamani on the conflict and "international efforts to bring peace to Yemen", state news agency Saba said. They discussed an agreement on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange between the warring sides, brokered by the United Nations at talks in Sweden in December, Saba said. On Friday, Hunt tweeted a picture with Mohammed Abdelsalam, head of the rebel delegation to the UN talks, saying the two had met in the Gulf state of Oman to discuss the implementation of the Sweden agreements. Britain has resisted pressure to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which along with the UAE leads a pro-government alliance in Yemen battling Iran-backed Huthi rebels. The coalition has been blacklisted for the killing and maiming of children by the UN, while both sides in the conflict stand accused of failing to protect civilians. Since the Saudi-led alliance intervened four years ago some 10,000 people have been killed, according to the World Health Organization, although rights groups say the figure could be five times higher. Millions more are at risk of starvation, according to the UN which says Yemen is the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Hunt's visit to Aden comes a day after he met with Yemen's embattled president Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in Saudi Arabia, where he has lived in self-imposed exile since 2015. While in the kingdom Hunt also held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf and Adel al-Jubeir, state minister for foreign affairs, on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the fate of jailed Saudi women activists. The killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi insider-turned-critic, at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate last October sparked global uproar and amplified calls to end arms exports to Riyadh. Saudi Arabia on Friday announced that a group of women activists will face trial after nearly a year in detention, during which they have allegedly faced torture and sexual harassment. Nigerian pipelines are prone to accidents and are sometimes pierced by people who refine the oil themselves to sell on the market A major Nigerian oil pipeline has exploded, local police said Sunday, forcing nearby residents to flee and raising suspicions of possible sabotage. The Nembe Creek Trunk pipeline runs from an oil terminal in Bonny to the state of Bayelsa with capacity of 150,000 barrels per day. The explosion happened on Friday. "We have not been officially briefed on the incident, but it occurred," Bayelsa State Police spokesman Asinim Butswat told AFP. "No lives were lost as a result of the explosion and we can't confirm if it was an attack by militants or an equipment failure unless the people managing the facility go there" to determine the cause, he said. OPEC member Nigeria is Africa's biggest producer of crude oil. Ndiana-Abasi Mathew, a public relations official for Aiteo, the company that manages the pipeline, confirmed the incident in a text message on Saturday. "There is no official statement at the moment but I can gladly inform you that the fire has been contained and no lives were lost," Mathew said. Oyinkro Jasper, a local chief from Kalablomi, one of the affected communities, said the blast forced hundreds of residents to flee as it caused "a huge inferno" along the pipeline, which ran through six communities. Nigerian pipelines are prone to accidents and are sometimes pierced by people who refine the oil themselves to sell on the informal market. The explosion could also be the result of a criminal act after the re-election of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. During his first mandate, a group called The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) had claimed several attacks on oil infrastructure. In February, the NDA warned that "strike teams are active and gallantly waiting to receive instructions from the high command to cripple the Nigerian economy again" if Buhari won the election. Organisers say thousands turned out for the protest in Paris Thousands of people marched in Paris and other French cities Sunday to protest Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid to stand for a fifth term in office. The demonstrations coincide with large-scale rallies in Algeria to denounce the ailing president's bid to hang on to power. Bouteflika, 82, uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. He flew to Switzerland a week ago for what his office described as "routine medical checks". Around 1,000 people protested in Marseille, home to large numbers of Algerian immigrants Organisers said 10,000 demonstrators from Algeria's large diaspora gathered in the Place de la Republique, in central Paris. Police put the numbers at 6,000. Many waved their national flag or wore it over their shoulders, shouting, "out, out", an AFP journalist at the scene witnessed. Organisers said about 1,000 turned out in the Mediterranean port of Marseille in the south, and a few hundred in the southwest city of Toulouse. Although Bouteflika has been increasingly frail since suffering a stroke in 2013, he was re-elected for his fourth term in 2014. Elections for a new president are due to take place on April 18. Bouteflika, 82, who uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, flew to Switzerland a week ago for what his office described as 'routine medical checks' "No to the mandate of shame, 20 years is enough," proclaimed one placard in Paris, referring to Bouteflika's intention to stand in the April 18 elections after 20 years in power. Since gaining independence from France in 1962, "Algeria has been run by the same group of men, the same system," 62-year-old Abderrahmane Hamirouche told AFP. "Algeria is ruined while it's a country that potentially could be rich. What is there left for future generations?" the IT specialist asked. Nadia Tamzali, a 62-year-old Franco-Algerian doctor, criticised the country's lack of free speech and dominance by the military. Algeria, a former French colony, won its independence in 1962 "They have killed our culture -- nearly all the cinemas have disappeared," she said. "We want the 40 thieves to go. They have gone too far," said a 54-year-old Algerian who gave his name as Asri. "We aren't opposed to the president, but he is unconscious, he doesn't exist anymore, his generals and those close to him are doing what they will behind his back," said Asri, who has lived in France for 31 years. Algeria, a former French colony, won independence in 1962. The memorial stone marking the site of Strasbourg's Old Synagogue was removed from its plinth by vandals on Friday night Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Sunday the vandalism of a memorial marking the site of Strasbourg's Old Synagogue, a place of worship destroyed by the Nazis in World War II. "A monument to a synagogue that was burned by the Nazis was vandalised" in the eastern French city, he said at the start of a cabinet meeting. The vandalism of the memorial stone is "another shocking anti-Semitic incident", Netanyahu said, after graves in a Jewish cemetery were discovered to have been daubed with swastikas in the nearby village of Quatzenheim on February 19. The large black marble slab was knocked off its plinth overnight Friday to Saturday. "I strongly condemn all manifestations of anti-Semitism, and I call upon all leaders of enlightened countries to join in the systematic and continuous denunciation of anti-Semitism," Netanyahu said. A surge in anti-Semitic acts and hate speech has sparked concern in France. A visitor near the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem Jordan on Sunday accused Israeli authorities of barring top Palestinian Muslim officials from Al-Aqsa mosque in annexed east Jerusalem. Sheikh Abdel Azim Salhab, head of the Waqf religious authority that runs the site in the disputed city, has been barred for 40 days and his deputy for four months. Two other religious officials have been detained, Firas al-Dibs, spokesman for the Waqf which answers to Jordan as custodian of Al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina, told AFP. Israeli police, contacted by AFP, had no immediate comment on the reports. Jordan's minister for religious affairs, Abdel Nasser Abu-Bassal, quoted by state news agency Petra, accused Israel of "a new escalation aimed at impeding Waqf's work in Jerusalem and intimidating its members". Scuffles have broken out between worshippers and Israeli police around Al-Aqsa since late February over access to a side building in the compound closed by Israel since 2003. The site is located in the Old City of east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community. Egypt announced the completion of a project to save 2,000-year old catacombs in Alexandria from rising water Egypt on Sunday announced the completion of a project to save famed 2,000-year old catacombs in the costal city of Alexandria from rising waters. The Kom al-Shoqafa location, considered by archaeologists to be the largest Greco-Roman burial site in Egypt, has been threatened by water since its discovery in 1900. The catacombs, which were in use from the first to the fourth century AD, are renowned for funerary architecture blending ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art. The catacombs, which were in use from the first to the fourth century AD, are renowned for funerary architecture blending ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art The rising water prompted Egypt to launch a massive drainage project supported by the United States Agency for International (USAID) in 2017. Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani told reporters at the site that the programme had helped "end a problem threatening the area for more than 100 years". Thomas Nichols, an engineer involved in the project, called it "a unique programme where we blended archaeology and civil engineering together". Egypt has in recent years sought to promote archaeological discoveries across the country in a bid to revive tourism hit by the turmoil that followed its 2011 uprising. Jerry Nadler, pictured at the US Capitol on February 25, 2019, says he believes President Donald Trump has obstructed justice US lawmakers will demand documents from Donald Trump's eldest son and a lifelong business associate as part of a wide-ranging investigation into alleged abuses of office by the president, a leading Democrat said Sunday. US House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler told ABC political show "This Week" that Donald Trump Jr. and Allen Weisselberg, the sole trustees of The Trump Organization, were among 60 people and entities being targeted by the probe. The New York congressman said the requests would go out on Monday "to begin investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power" by the Republican president. Trump's campaign is being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for alleged collusion with Russia to influence the 2016 election, and for possible obstruction of that probe. Many observers believe, however, his biggest legal exposure will come with the various federal and state-level investigations into his finances and the running of his charity foundation and business. Trump came out fighting, posting on Twitter that two years of "presidential Harassment" since he took office had proven nothing but Democratic lawbreaking. "I am an innocent man being persecuted by some very bad, conflicted & corrupt people in a Witch Hunt that is illegal & should never have been allowed to start," he tweeted. Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen testified on Capitol Hill Wednesday that authorities in New York were probing crimes allegedly involving the president beyond those that have been made public. Nadler said it was "very clear" that Trump had obstructed justice, by repeatedly calling the Mueller probe a "witch hunt" and by trying to halt an investigation into his first national security advisor Mike Flynn, who subsequently admitted lying to the FBI over Russian contacts. Trump set off a political firestorm by firing FBI chief James Comey on May 2017 -- and then admitting to NBC he had taken the decision after becoming frustrated with the Russia probe. - 'Proper investigations' - US President Donald Trump, pictured in Hanoi on February 28, 2019, set off a political firestorm by firing FBI chief James Comey Nadler, like Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has been reticent about pushing for the president's impeachment, and told ABC such action would be "a long way down the road." Trump was implicated by Cohen in numerous crimes as the president's former fixer gave evidence to the House Oversight Committee Wednesday, accusing his old boss of being "a racist," "conman" and "cheat." Cohen, who has been convicted of lying to Congress, said Trump knew ahead of time that WikiLeaks would release material damaging to election rival Hillary Clinton, which turned out to be emails stolen by Russian spies. He added that he believed Trump knew in advance about a June 9, 2016 meeting between campaign chiefs and a Russian lawyer touting dirt on Clinton. Cohen pleaded guilty last year to violating campaign finance laws when he paid off adult film star Stormy Daniels to stay quiet before the 2016 election about an affair Cohen said she had with Trump. Cohen said Trump ordered the hush payment. He also alleged that the Trump Organization regularly and illegally inflated the value of its assets to obtain bank loans, and accused his former boss of misusing charity funds. "What we learned from the Cohen testimony is that he directly implicated the president in -- in various crimes, both while seeking the office of president and while in the White House," Nadler said on "This Week." "We don't have the facts yet. But we're going to initiate proper investigations." This video grab taken from the NASA/SpaceX webcast transmission on March 3, 2019, shows a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket docked with the International Space Station (ISS) during the Demo-1 mission The demonstration mission of SpaceX's new Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked Sunday on the International Space Station, passing a key test before it can begin taking US astronauts into space. The docking of the capsule, which has only a dummy on board, was concluded at 1051 GMT, nearly 250 miles (400 kilometers) over the surface of the Earth, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a live broadcast of the mission. A little over two hours later, the space station's three crew members -- American Anne McClain, Canadian David Saint-Jacques and Russian Oleg Kononenko -- opened the hatch of the space capsule and, for the first time, penetrated its interior in space. There they found the dummy, Ripley, strapped to a seat, and an untethered plush toy in the form of the blue planet, which SpaceX had jokingly placed there as a "super high-tech zero-g indicator." "Welcome to the new era in spaceflight," McClain said from inside Dragon. Saint-Jacques tweeted about the experience monitoring Crew Dragon's "first-ever approach and docking" to the space station, hailing it as "the dawn of a new era in human spaceflight!" NASA chief Jim Bridenstine tweeted his congratulations on "this historic achievement," which brings the United States a big step closer to its goal of again flying astronauts into space on American rockets. This video grab taken from the SpaceX webcast transmission on March 3, 2019, shows a dummy named Ripley aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on board after the opening of the hatch during the Demo-1 mission NASA has relied on Russia to ferry its astronauts to the space station since the end of the US space shuttle program in 2011 after a 30-year run. The capsule, also called Dragon or Dragon 2, approached the space station very gradually, carefully synchronizing its speed and trajectory. Contact appeared to be made very slowly, but in actuality both spacecraft were orbiting the Earth at more than 27,000 kilometers per hour. From blast-off at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday to contact Sunday, the flight took 27 hours. Dragon will detach itself from the space station next Friday and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, its descent slowed by four parachutes. The mission is a dress rehearsal, without anyone on board, for Dragon's first manned mission, which should take place this year. The test run sought to demonstrate that the vehicle is reliable and safe, so that NASA can resume manned flights from US soil this year. - 'NASA 'rocking' again' - SpaceX's Dragon capsule docked on the International Space Station 27 hours after its launch from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida Founded by billionaire Elon Musk, SpaceX has made the trip to the ISS a dozen times since 2012, but only to bring cargo to the station. Transporting people is a more complex task, requiring seats, a pressurized cabin with breathable air, temperature regulation and emergency escape systems. In 2014, the US space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing to take over the task of ferrying astronauts to the space station. In SpaceX's case, NASA has agreed to pay $2.6 billion for six round trips. The switch from NASA owning spacecraft to paying private firms for a service was initiated under former president Barack Obama -- but due to development delays, has come to fruition under US President Donald Trump. "We've got NASA 'rocking' again. Great activity and success. Congrats to SPACEX and all!" Trump tweeted Saturday evening. - Return to the Moon - The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Since 2017, one of NASA's official missions has been to return to the Moon. Congress has been generous with the space agency, providing overall funding of $21.5 billion in the 2019 budget. Bridenstine has explained that NASA wants to reduce costs in low orbit to devote resources to getting back to the Moon and assembling a small space station in lunar orbit in the 2020s. "As a country, we're looking forward to being one customer of many customers, in a robust commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit, so that we can drive down costs and increase access in ways that historically have not been possible," he said Saturday following Dragon's launch. But Musk has admitted that marketing travel in the Dragon capsule is not a priority -- and he is more interested in distant exploration of the solar system. At the post-launch press conference on Saturday, he reiterated his dream for a permanent Moon base -- and sending people to Mars. Musk has already locked in his first private customer to fly around the Moon: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. But it won't happen before 2023 at the earliest -- with the rocket, far more powerful than that used for the Dragon mission, still in development. Smoke billows from the Islamic State group's last holdout of Baghuz in the eastern Syria as US-backed fighters battle to crush its "caliphate" The rattle of guns, bomb blasts and black smoke -- a deluge of fire is being unleashed on the Islamic State's last Syrian stronghold by Kurdish-led and international forces. "Watch out, it's coming!" Kurdish commander Hagit Qamishlo shouts to AFP journalists, from the terrace of a house that overlooks the battlefield some 800 metres away. A few minutes later, a low growl announces the arrival of a plane from the US-led coalition. It hits one of the jihadist positions, the explosion sending a shockwave juddering through the landscape and reducing several houses to dust in the IS-held sliver of Baghouz village. "Well played! That was a jihadist sniper position", Qamishlo relays into his walkie talkie. He then asks fellow Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) units on the ground if they have coordinates for other enemy positions to feed to the coalition. The jihadists' patch of territory -- a bombed out cluster of buildings next to tents that for weeks allowed fighters to hide among civilians -- is down to 700 square metres. It is just a tiny fraction of the "caliphate" Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in 2014 that sprawled across swathes of both Syria and neighbouring Iraq. An hour earlier, a coalition air strike targeting another jihadist position hit an underground ammunition store. It triggered an enormous and extended explosion, accompanied by a series of fireballs that were celebrated by Kurdish and Arab SDF fighters. - 'The most radical' - A two-week suspension of operations by the SDF -- motivated by concerns about the use of civilians as human shields by IS -- had given the jihadists respite. The offensive resumed on Friday evening, with the holdout forces resisting. "They are completely encircled," another SDF commander, Sefqan, tells AFP. "But they have planted mines along all the roads (and) in the houses," he says. Several mines seriously wounded SDF fighters in the early hours of the assault. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces had paused their offensive on the last Islamic State group holdout in Syria to allow civilians to flee After a short night-time interval, the fighting -- SDF artillery and mortar fire, countered by the jihadists' smaller projectiles, sniper fire and mines -- resumed early Sunday. IS had "also booby trapped cars, but they have not had the time to use them against us because we have neutralised them with drone strikes", Sefqan adds. SDF commanders have repeated for several weeks that the end is near for IS. It may take another "four or five days or so" to finally prevail, they now say -- depending on how many diehards remain in the way. "With the tunnels that they dug, we don't know how many of them there are," Sefqan admits. Fellow commander Qamishlo says Iraqis figure are among the remaining hardcore, but foreigners are more numerous, including Russians, Turks, Tunisians, Central Asians and at least seven from France. During the two-week humanitarian window, more than 10,000 people vacated Baghouz for SDF-held territory, including many wives and children of jihadists that IS allowed to leave. But other wives and offspring of IS fighters remain in the group's besieged and bombarded tunnels. "Those that have stayed are there to fight or blow themselves up -- they are the most radical", insists Qamishlo. General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is meeting his Russian counterpart in Vienna for talks on Syria The US and Russian military chiefs are to meet Monday in Vienna to discuss operations in Syria, where the US has decided to leave a residual force to protect its Kurdish allies. General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will represent the US side in the meeting with General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, said Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs. "The two military leaders will discuss the deconfliction of coalition and Russian operations in Syria, plus exchange views on the state of US-Russia military relations and the current international security situation in Europe and other key topics," Ryder said. Since Russia's entry into the Syria conflict in 2015, Moscow and Washington have worked out their respective areas of operations against the Islamic State group, warning each other of planned air operations to avoid contact. Issues between the US and Russian militaries also include tensions over nuclear forces in Europe, with the US renouncing the 1986 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, citing Russian noncompliance. The treaty eliminated short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and missile launchers from Europe. Despite the conflict in Syria and the rising bilateral tensions, the military chiefs have kept open a channel of communications. In August 2018, Russia sent a confidential letter, which leaked, containing proposals for cooperation to assure Syria's reconstruction and the return of refugees. US President Donald Trump decided in December to withdraw US troops from northeastern Syria, where they had fought alongside Kurdish forces against IS, but he has since agreed to leave behind a residual force of about 200 US troops. Washington is currently negotiating with Western allies in the anti-IS coalition on an international force that would train security forces capable of stabilizing parts of Syria. US officials say IS is on the verge of losing its last bit of territory in Syria. Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder, has filed suit against Canadian authorities Chinese telecoms giant Huawei's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, has filed suit against Canadian authorities for violating her constitutional rights when she was arrested in Vancouver, her lawyers said Sunday. As she suffered "serious breaches of her constitutional rights," she is "seeking damages for misfeasance in public office and false imprisonment" when detained at Vancouver International Airport on December 1, attorneys Howard Mickelson and Allan Doolittle said in a statement. The 47-year-old businesswoman was changing planes in Vancouver when she was detained at Washington's request on suspicion of violating US sanctions on Iran -- sparking arrests of Canadians in China that were seen as retaliatory. Her lawyers charge impropriety in the conditions under which Meng was interrogated for three hours by the customs officers, officially as part of a routine inspection, before being served with her official arrest. During those three hours, the customs officers searched her phones and computers as well as her luggage, in violation of her rights, the lawyers said. The complaint was lodged Friday, the same day that Canadian justice officially launched Meng Wanzhou's extradition process to the United States. The US Justice Department accuses Huawei and its chief financial officer of circumventing US sanctions against Iran, but also, via two affiliates, stealing trade secrets from US telecommunications group T-Mobile. The daughter of Huawei's founder, Meng was released on parole in mid-December in Vancouver, where she owns two residences, on a bond deposit of C$10 million ($6.6 million), wearing an electronic bracelet and handing over her passports. She is scheduled to appear before a Vancouver judge next Wednesday "to confirm that a writ of court has been issued and to schedule a date for the extradition hearing," the Canadian court has explained. The extradition procedure can take months or even years because of the many appeal possibilities. China is furious over the US charges against Meng, saying they are the product of "strong political motivations" and an attempt to undermine its flagship telecoms company. Huawei has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. A tornado cut a swath of destruction through the US state of Alabama, killing 14 people, according to local officials A tornado killed 14 people and caused "catastrophic" damage in the southern US state of Alabama on Sunday, local officials said. "At this time, we have 14 confirmed fatalities," Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said in a video posted on Facebook by a journalist from a local CBS affiliate. Other people have been hospitalized, some with "very serious injuries," while the search was still ongoing for more who are missing, he said. Lee County coroner Bill Harris confirmed the death toll: "We've got 14 people dead at this time and I expect that number to go higher," he told MSNBC. "There are some children involved," Harris said. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Birmingham, Alabama tweeted that it could confirm at least eight deaths in Lee County and added that the toll was likely to rise, saying that there were "many injured & still missing." Jones described the damage caused by the storm as "catastrophic, based on the destruction of homes that we've seen." The swath of destruction left by the storm was a quarter mile (0.4 kilometers) wide and stretched for the "several miles that it traveled on the ground," according to Jones. - Wrecked houses, downed trees - Still and video images showed trees that had been snapped in two, debris-strewn roads and wrecked houses in the wake of the storm. More than 5,000 people were left without power in Lee County, according to electricity outage tracker PowerOutage.US. The NWS had issued a tornado warning for areas including Lee County earlier on Sunday, calling on residents to: "TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows." NWS Birmingham tweeted the "all clear" several hours later and urged people to "stay out of damaged areas so first responders can do their job." While Jones referred to a single storm, CNN reported that two tornadoes had hit Lee County in quick succession, some of "at least a dozen" is said tore through Alabama and the neighboring state of Georgia on Sunday. NWS Birmingham appeared to confirm that there were multiple twisters in the area, tweeting that the "first tornado to impact Lee County today was at least an EF-3 & at least 1/2 mi wide." The EF-3 designation -- on a scale of 0 to 5 -- means the tornado had winds of 136 to 165 miles (218 to 266 kilometers) per hour. The multi-billion-dollar trade deal between Indonesia and Australia was signed after months of diplomatic tension Indonesia and Australia on Monday signed a long-awaited trade deal after months of diplomatic tension over Canberra's contentious plan to move its embassy to Jerusalem. Indonesian trade minister Enggartiasto Lukita and his Australian counterpart Simon Birmingham wrapped up the multi-billion-dollar agreement in Jakarta, some nine years after negotiations first started. The pact will include improved access for Australian cattle and sheep farmers to Indonesia's 260 million people, while Australian universities, health providers and miners will also benefit from easier entry to Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Greater access to the Australian market is expected to spur Indonesia's automotive and textile industries, and boost exports of timber, electronics and medicinal goods. Bilateral trade was worth US$11.7 billion in 2017, but Indonesia is only Australia's 13th-largest trading partner and the economic relationship has been viewed as underdone. Both ministers touted the deal as indicative of deepening ties between the two countries, which have occasionally butted heads on foreign policy issues, including Australia's hardline policy on asylum seekers. Birmingham said the deal marked a "new chapter of cooperation" between the two neighbours. "The signing of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement brings our two nations closer together than ever before," Birmingham told reporters. Lukita said the signing had the potential to transform the economy of both countries. "Today is definitely the brightest moment of the Indonesia-Australia relationship," he said. The agreement will eventually see the elimination of all Australian trade tariffs, while 94 percent of Indonesian duties will be gradually eliminated The deal has been in negotiation since 2010 and was expected to be signed before the end of last year, but it stalled when Prime Minister Scott Morrison proposed the relocation of Australia's embassy to Jerusalem. Morrison first floated the shift in October, ahead of a critical by-election in a Sydney suburb with a sizeable Jewish population. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, was angered by the proposal. Both Israel and the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital. Most nations have avoided moving embassies there to prevent inflaming peace talks on the city's final status -- until President Donald Trump unilaterally moved the US embassy early last year. In December, Morrison formally recognised west Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but said the contentious embassy shift from Tel Aviv will not occur until a peace settlement is achieved. The Australian PM stood by his decision despite outcry from neighbouring Muslim countries. Indonesia in response simply said it had noted the decision. - Tariffs gone - The agreement will eventually see the elimination of all Australian trade tariffs, while 94 percent of Indonesian duties will be gradually eliminated. Australian investment in Indonesia totalled $597 million in 2018, but that is expected to increase under the new deal, which also included provisions for greater protection of foreign direct investment. "Indonesia is a good market for Australia because of the large population (and) the increasing movement of the middle class," economist Kresnayana Yahya, from Surabaya's ITS university, told AFP. The less developed eastern reaches of Indonesia could significantly benefit from Australian investment, he added. The trade deal also comes just ahead of national polls in which Indonesian President Joko Widodo is pushing his economic record in the battle for re-election. Australia suffered its hottest summer on record from December through February Homes have gone up in flames and skies turned blood red as nearly 1,000 firefighters battle dozens of out-of-control blazes in southern Australia in the wake of the nation's warmest summer on record. A days-long heatwave sent temperatures soaring towards 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) over the weekend, with bushfires raging across Victoria state forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. A lightning strike late last week sparked southeast Victoria's most severe at Bunyip State Park, which has burnt more than 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) so far. Aerial footage of the destruction showed tall trees engulfed by bright red flames and the smouldering, blackened wreckage of buildings. At least nine structures, including homes, have so far been damaged in the infernos, officials said. A local winemaker spoke of his heartache as he watched his vineyard destroyed by a raging fire on television. "I saw our wine cellar door, restaurant and the house next to our Airbnb cottage explode on TV. That's how we found out," Andrew Clarke, who fled his home on Saturday with his family, told The Age newspaper. Australia bush fire "We've lost everything. We've lost our livelihood. I planted that winery myself and put the first vines in back in 1979." Victoria's emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp said the crisis was not over, even as cooler conditions came to the aid of exhausted firefighters on Monday. "We're not out of the woods yet," he said. Australia suffered its hottest summer on record from December through February, while forecasts show the southern autumn -- which formally started on Friday -- will continue to be drier and warmer than average. "The heat we saw this summer was unprecedented," weather bureau climatologist Lynette Bettio said Friday. "While the final numbers are yet to be analysed, we know it will be the warmest on record for Australia as a whole, and many individual locations will have broken summer heat records as well." New Zealander Mark Taylor said he spent five years with Islamic State but fled in December and surrendered to Kurdish forces because conditions had become unbearable A New Zealander dubbed "the bumbling jihadi" can expect little help from his homeland after being captured in Syria by forces fighting the Islamic State group, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned Monday. Mark Taylor, 42, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he spent five years with Islamic State but fled in December and surrendered to Kurdish forces because conditions had become unbearable. "There was no food, no money, basic services were pretty much collapsed," he said from a Kurdish prison. "I was in a pickle myself and had to make a final decision, which was to leave." Taylor earned his derogatory nickname in 2015 after sending out a series of pro-IS tweets but forgetting to turn off the geo-tagging function, giving away his location. He told the ABC the bungle earned him 50 days in an IS prison. He also burned his New Zealand passport in a propaganda video and urged extremists in Australia and New Zealand to "commence operations". Prime Minister Ardern ruled out stripping Taylor of his New Zealand citizenship because he is not a dual citizen and so has no alternative. "We of course follow our obligations in international law regarding ensuring we do not deem anyone stateless," she said. But she also said New Zealand could offer Taylor no consular assistance because it had no diplomats where he is being held and only knew what had been gleaned from media reports. "We have no connection with the forces detaining him, so it's difficult for us to provide information," she said, adding that Taylor would likely have to contact New Zealand officials in Turkey if he hoped to eventually return home. Justice Minister Andrew Little said if that happened, Taylor could probably expect to face charges under anti-terror laws. "It is very clear what happens when you transgress the provisions of that legislation... there's a range of penalties, including imprisonment," he said. Ardern said New Zealand was not obliged to give Taylor legal representation if he was charged overseas, nor did it have to pay his way home. Ardern refused to say how serious a threat Taylor would represent if he went back home but said "contingency planning" had been made to ensure New Zealanders were safe from returning jihadis. She also declined to comment on details of Taylor's ABC interview, in which he insisted he was not an IS fighter and lamented the fact he had been "too poor" to afford a Yazidi slave while with the extremist group. "I wouldn't want to be drawn on those comments because I do not want to be seen to jeopardise any potential case in the future," she said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has adopted a dovish approach to Pyongyang and brokered the US-North Korea talks process South Korea President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged the US and North Korea to quickly resume denuclearisation talks after their Hanoi summit last week ended without a deal. Moon, who has adopted a dovish approach to Pyongyang and brokered the US-North Korea talks process, urged his officials to find out what exactly had gone awry at the high-stakes meeting, and predicted a deal would ultimately be reached. "We hope that both countries will continue their dialogue and that their leaders meet again quickly to reach an agreement that was held off this time," Moon said during a security meeting in Seoul. "While I believe the North-US talks will produce an agreement in the end, I ask officials to work hard for the resumption of working-level talks between the US and the North as it is not favourable to have a long absence or stalemate in talks." The second meeting between US President Donald Trump and the North's Kim Jong Un broke up in disarray Thursday in the Vietnamese capital, without even a joint statement. Trump said at a press conference after the summit that the North Koreans had wanted sanctions against Pyongyang "lifted in their entirety". According to a senior US official, Pyongyang in return offered only to close down "a portion of the Yongbyon complex", a sprawling site covering multiple nuclear facilities -- and the North is believed to have other uranium enrichment plants. North Korea rebuffed the claims, saying it had only wanted some measures eased, and that its proposal to close "all the nuclear production facilities" at Yongbyon was its best and final offer. "I ask that we find out the exact gap between the two sides that led to a no-deal at the Hanoi summit and explore ways to narrow down that gap," Moon said. The UN atomic watchdog said Monday there were indications that Yongbyon's reported centrifuge enrichment facility had been in use as recently as the end of February. "However, without access, the Agency cannot confirm the nature and purpose of these activities," said International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano in Vienna. The IAEA uses methods including satellite imagery to monitor North Korea's nuclear programme. About 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Pyongyang, Yongbyon is home to the country's first nuclear reactor, and is the only known source of plutonium for the North's weapons programme. Yongbyon is not believed to be the North's only uranium enrichment facility and closing it down would not in and of itself signal an end to the country's atomic programme. However, Moon said that if all Yongbyon facilities were "terminated in entirety, it should be considered the North's denuclearisation has entered an irreversible stage". The Yongbyon site is "the foundation of North Korean nuclear facilities", he added. The Jerusalem consulate had served as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians since the Oslo accords of the 1990s The United States downgraded its diplomatic mission to the Palestinians on Monday, the latest in a series of steps by President Donald Trump's White House Palestinian leaders say is aimed at wiping out their cause. The move, following a decision announced in October, closes the US Jerusalem consulate general that had acted independently and served as a de-facto embassy to the Palestinians since the Oslo accords of the 1990s. It will be merged with the US embassy to Israel, where a new Palestinian affairs unit will operate. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the move will not constitute a change in policy and is intended to improve "efficiency and effectiveness". The State Department said Monday that "the administration remains fully committed to efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace that offers a brighter future to Israel and the Palestinians". But the change means Washington's relations with the Palestinians will now fall under the authority of US ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who has been a supporter of Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians view him -- along with Trump's administration -- as blatantly biased in favour of Israel. Palestinian leaders froze contact with the White House after Trump's 2017 decision recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and castigated the consulate closure. Saeb Erekat, Palestine Liberation Organisation secretary general, called the closure "the last nail in the coffin of the US administration's role in peacemaking". Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said "the Trump administration is intent on leaving no room for doubt about its hostility towards the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights as well as its abject disregard for international law and its obligations under the law". Israeli officials had not commented on the move on Monday. - 'Ultimate deal' - President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem broke with decades of international consensus that the status of the city must first be decided upon through negotiations by Israel and the Palestinians The State Department has not confirmed reports that the consul general's residence in Jerusalem will eventually become the home for the US ambassador as part of the embassy's move to the disputed city, which occurred last May. Located near Jerusalem's Old City, it has been the home of the consul general since 1912, while the US permanent diplomatic presence in the city was established in 1857. Trump, who is expected to release his long-awaited peace plan in the coming months, has also cut more than $500 million in Palestinian aid in a bid to force Palestinian leaders to negotiate. Palestinian leaders call it an attempt to blackmail them into accepting a plan that they believe will destroy their hopes for independent statehood. Trump's decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem broke with decades of international consensus that the status of the city must first be decided upon through negotiations by Israel and the Palestinians. Israel occupied mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. It sees the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians view the eastern sector -- where key holy sites for Christians, Muslims and Jews are located -- as the capital of their future state. The consulate closure comes amid growing warnings over diminishing possibilities for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli settlement construction approvals in the West Bank on land the Palestinians consider part of their future state has accelerated since Trump took office. Trump has been far less critical of settlement construction than Barack Obama's White House. The White House is expected to unveil its plan for what Trump calls the "ultimate deal" -- Israeli-Palestinian peace -- sometime after Israel's April 9 elections. US officials pledge that the plan will be fair despite Palestinians' dismissal of such claims. While Palestinians point to Israeli policies such as settlement building and its continuing occupation as gradually destroying the two-state solution, Israel argues it has no partner for peace and points to Palestinian violence. Early Monday, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians who carried out a car-ramming attack in the occupied West Bank, injuring a soldier and a policeman. Felix Dorfin was arrested after arriving at Lombok island's airport in September A French man faces execution under Indonesia's strict drug laws after he was caught using a false-bottomed suitcase to smuggle narcotics into the Southeast Asian nation, an official said Monday. Prosecutors have accused Felix Dorfin of trafficking four kilogrammes (8.8 pounds) of cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines. The 35-year-old from Benthune in northern France was arrested after arriving at Lombok island's airport from Singapore in September. "We are charging him with drug possession, carrying drugs to Indonesia from abroad, and trafficking drugs," lead prosecutor Ginung Pratidina told the court. He faced a potential death sentence if convicted, Pratidina added. Dorfin was read the charges with the aid of an English translator. The Frenchman escaped from jail in late January by sawing through bars on the second floor window of the prison and rappelling to freedom with a sarong. He spent nearly two weeks on the run before he was captured again in a forest in North Lombok. Police said Dorfin tried to bribe officers to let him go. A female police officer was arrested for allegedly helping Dorfin escape from jail in exchange for Rp 14.5 million (around $1,000). Indonesia has some of the world's strictest drug laws -- including death penalty sentences for drug traffickers. It has executed several foreign drug smugglers in the past including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, which sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Indonesia has not executed anyone since 2016, but a number of foreigners are still on death row. Serge Atlaoui, a convicted French drug smuggler, has been on death row since 2007, while British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford has been on death row since 2013. China's first domestically manufactured aircraft carrier, known as 'Type 001A', has been put through sea trials in recent months China announced Tuesday a 7.5 percent increase in military spending in 2019, lower than last year as the country faces an economic slowdown, but still likely to make Asian neighbours nervous. It it working to provide the two million-strong People's Liberation Army (PLA) with state-of-the-art hardware, spending heavily on stealth warplanes, aircraft carriers and other weaponry. Beijing has also stepped up its rhetoric against any independence movements in self-ruled Taiwan and continues to assert its vast territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea and East China Sea. The government will spend 1.19 trillion yuan ($177.6 billion) on defence in 2019, after it increased its outlay by 8.1 percent to 1.11 trillion yuan in 2018, according to a government report presented at the start of the annual meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC). Boasting the world's largest army, China's military spending is second only to the United States, which budgeted $716 billion for defence in 2019. Beijing has not posted double-digit spending increases since 2015. The Communist-led government will make "further efforts to ensure the political loyalty of the armed forces," Premier Li Keqiang said in a speech to the nearly 3,000 members of parliament, stressing the "absolute party leadership" over the military. Li said the government will "strengthen military training under combat conditions, and firmly protect China's sovereignty, security, and development interests." The lower spending increase comes as the country's economy is slowing, with the government setting a lower growth target of 6.0-6.5 percent. "China's military expenditure is coordinated with annual Chinese GDP growth," said James Char, a military expert at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. "China has other national priorities and an over-militarised national economy can deprive the government of much-needed resources, as what had happened to the former USSR," Char said. Chart showing China's official annual defence budget - No threat? - Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has vowed to turn the PLA into a "world class" military by mid-century, has repeatedly called on the army to be combat-ready. "In Taiwan, you can legitimately worry about the Chinese budget increases, because they coincide with a more aggressive posture towards Taipei," said Barthelemy Courmont, Asia researcher at the Institute for Strategic and Foreign Relations in Paris. China also faces competing claims in the South China Sea from Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. Beijing also has territorial dispute with historic rival Japan in the East China Sea. But NPC spokesman Zhang Yesui said Monday China's military spending "doesn't pose a threat to other countries" and is aimed at maintaining sovereignty and security. - High-tech PLA - The Communist Party has focussed on catching up with technology used by armed forces in the United States and western Europe. Premier Li said China will "speed up efforts to make innovations in defence-related science and technology." China has built a second aircraft carrier -- its first domestically manufactured one -- and has put it through sea trials in recent months as it prepares to put it into operation. The spending plan presented at the NPC comes as Beijing steps up its rhetoric against any independence movements in self-ruled Taiwan and continues to assert its vast territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea Beijing is also building new generation destroyer vessels, fighter jets and ballistic missiles, while research is ongoing for the development of electromagnetic railguns and anti-satellite lasers. Authorities, experts and state media say the PLA needs to improve the pay and living conditions of its troops. Efforts to professionalise the army and make it ready for warfare require more military exercises, which mean more spending on munitions and fuel. While Beijing's military spending lags behind the US, it still far surpasses that of other nations -- in 2018, China spent more than twice as much as the third biggest spender, Saudi Arabia ($82.9 billion), and even more than Russia ($63.1 billion) and India ($57.9 billion), according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Jonathan Neman is a researcher at Expo, which put out a booklet aimed at countering Holocaust denial after 90 of the 100 teachers it surveyed in 2016 said their students believed such conspiracy theories They grew up in Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia and can place Israel on a map, but many young refugees in Sweden have never heard of the Holocaust. Their first contact with Jewish history in Europe is often in the classroom and sometimes from the teachers themselves. "One of my teachers was harassed by other students. He's Jewish and they made fun of him all of the time," says Nergis Resne, a 19-year-old born in Sweden to Turkish-Macedonian parents. She has since joined the group Young People Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia founded by Siavosh Derakhti in Malmo, Sweden's third-biggest city where one in three inhabitants was born abroad. Organisations and a foundation started by Stieg Larsson, the late author of the best-selling "Millennium" crime trilogy, are taking on the challenge of helping students and teachers fight against anti-Semitism. Despite online threats against him, Derakhti, 27, organises seminars in schools, group talks and study visits to former concentration camps to raise young people's awareness of the horrors of the mass killing of Jews during World War II and the need for peaceful co-existence. A display at The Living History Forum, whose aim is to foster understanding by appealing to people's compassion and touching their hearts, rather than giving lessons in morality "Some of them come from dictatorships, from warzones brimming with anti-Semitic, homophobic and misogynist beliefs," explains Derakhti, originally from Iran, who in 2013 won the first Raoul Wallenberg Prize in honour of the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in the war. Educators say their job is made more difficult by the vast amount of prejudice, fake news and conspiracy theories circulating on social networks. "The most popular is without a doubt YouTube, where the radical far-right propaganda and the propaganda from radical Islam occasionally overlap," says Jonathan Leman, a researcher at the Larsson-founded Expo foundation. Expo put together a booklet after 90 of the 100 teachers it surveyed in 2016 said their students believed conspiracy theories including that the Holocaust either never happened or not the way it's told in history books. - The imam and the rabbi - "Last year I had a wonderful exchange with three young Muslim girls about Anne Frank," said Ingrid Lomfors, who heads The Living History Forum. "They walked through the exhibit, and then at the end two of them told me they identified with her" A stone's throw from Expo, in Stockholm's Old Town, Ingrid Lomfors welcomes thousands of students each year to the Living History Forum museum. Here the aim is to foster understanding by appealing to people's compassion and touching their hearts, rather than giving lessons in morality. "Last year I had a wonderful exchange with three young Muslim girls about Anne Frank," the Jewish girl in Amsterdam who wrote a diary before she died in a concentration camp, says Lomfors. "They knew nothing about Anne Frank. They walked through the exhibit, and then at the end two of them told me they identified with her, because of the isolation, the constant threats, the persecution, not knowing if they'd be alive the next day." In Malmo, imam Salahuddin Barakat and rabbi Moshe-David HaCohen have together founded the Amanah project aimed at building bridges between their two communities through festivals, workshops and lectures. The challenge is rendered even more difficult by urban segregation, with large numbers of immigrant youths concentrated in the same neighbourhoods and schools. - Swedes see anti-Semitism growing - According to the most recent report by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention in 2016, three percent of crimes of religious, ethnic, political or sexual nature had an anti-Semitic character, in a country of 10 million people that is home to 15,000 to 20,000 Jews. Young migrants from Syria and the Palestinian territories were convicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at a synagogue in Gothenburg in December 2017. No one was injured in the attack In one such case, young migrants from Syria and the Palestinian territories were convicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at a synagogue in Gothenburg in December 2017. No one was injured in the attack. In 2016, anti-Muslim crimes were more than twice as common as anti-Semitic ones, at seven percent. Mosques and migrant housing centres were the targets of numerous attacks. Police have not seen any significant rise in the number of anti-Semitic crimes reported since 2014, even though Sweden has taken in 400,000 migrants since then, more than any other European country per capita. Sweden does not include ethnicity in its crime statistics. Last year 35 police reports of anti-Semitic crimes were filed in Malmo, a number seen as stable but in all likelihood below the actual number, suggests Malmo police official Zandra Brodd. Meanwhile three out of four Swedes believe anti-Semitism has grown in the past five years -- the highest proportion in the European Union -- according to a Eurobarometer study published by the European Commission in December. "Many (Jews) choose to keep a low profile in public. They may for example hide a Star of David pendant inside their shirt or take off their kippah as soon as they leave the synagogue," says a spokesman for Malmo's Jewish community, Fredrik Sieradzki. In January, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven pledged to allocate more funding so more youths can visit Holocaust memorial sites in Europe, and Sweden will host an international genocide conference in 2020. US President Donald Trump faces growing pressure from Democratic investigations, as well as cracks in Republican loyalty President Donald Trump branded Democratic opponents "crazy" and guilty of overreach Tuesday in a fevered response to a huge new probe of his alleged crimes. In a burst of early morning tweets, the president said the House Judiciary Committee investigation launched Monday was "the greatest overreach in the history of our Country." "The real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done!" he said. Another tweet labelled Democratic leaders "stone cold CRAZY." "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!" said another. Trump's exclamation mark -- and capital letter -- laden outbursts indicated a rising temperature in a White House under assault from multiple directions. Democrats, who took control of the House of Representatives last November, suspect Trump of a slew of potentially impeachable offenses, including obstruction of justice and abuse of office. The powerful judiciary committee is demanding information from 81 Trump-connected individuals and entities, including his sons. The new front opened just as Trump braces for the results of an independent probe into his dealings with Russia by special prosecutor Robert Mueller. Rumors that Mueller is close to ending his two-year investigation have set Washington on edge. Debate over whether the prosecutor's findings should be made immediately public is already underway, with Democrats warning that attempts at a cover-up by the White House could lead them to subpoena Mueller to testify. - Republicans waver - Trump's response to the pressure has been consistent with his longtime playbook: to insult accusers, admit no weakness, and rely on backing from his ultra-loyal political base. Polls show that the president's support among Republican voters remains strong, even if Democratic voters are just as convinced in opposition. However, cracks in Republican support at the top echelons of the party have appeared. A section of the fence on the US border with Mexico as seen from Tijuana, Mexico When the Democratic majority in the House voted to overturn Trump's controversial use of emergency powers to force funding for US-Mexico border wall construction, that was expected. However, four Republican senators have broken ranks this week to join their Democratic opponents in the upper house, meaning the motion can pass there too. Trump will likely be able to brush aside that rebuke by using the first veto of his presidency. However, the fact that he has lost the guaranteed backing of his party in the Senate could point to trouble ahead. - 2020 election link - In Trump's combative vision of politics, the looming probes are not all bad news. The White House is already framing the Democratic onslaught as symptomatic of leftist radicalism supposedly threatening the country. Trump has made the specter of far-left socialism a growing part of his 2020 reelection campaign, even claiming that Democrats want to replicate the violent chaos underway in Venezuela. Democrats support policies that would be "killing babies after they're born" and "destroy jobs and bankrupt America," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said "Democrats are harassing the president to distract from their radical agenda of making America a socialist country, killing babies after they're born, and pushing a 'green new deal' that would destroy jobs and bankrupt America," Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said late Monday. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that Democratic probes were pure politicking. "Basically they've started the campaign," he said, adding that voters would see through this. "The people understand it. When they've looked at it they just say 'presidential harassment.'" Trump's other main angle of attack has been to dismiss the validity of the Mueller probe, which he has repeatedly dubbed a "witch hunt" and "phony" in hopes of reducing its credibility. He called it a "hoax" again on Tuesday. But in an indication that the president's rhetorical bombshells risk misfiring, former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb went public Tuesday with a surprising defense of Mueller, calling him an "American hero." "I don't feel the investigation is a witch hunt," Cobb told ABC News podcast "The Investigation." A poll by Quinnipiac University found that 64 percent of Americans believe that Trump committed crimes before winning the presidency, although there was an even split over whether they thought any were committed afterward. Fifty-nine percent of Americans do not back the opening of impeachment proceedings, though 58 percent do support congressional probes into allegations of wrongdoing, the poll found. BEIJING (AP) - In an unusual step, China's ceremonial legislature is due to endorse a law meant to help end a bruising tariff war with Washington by discouraging officials from pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. The battle with China's biggest trading partner is overshadowing the National People's Congress, the country's highest-profile event of the year. It brings 3,000-plus delegates to the ornate Great Hall of the People in Beijing for two weeks of speeches, meetings with senior leaders and political ritual to endorse the ruling Communist Party's economic and social welfare plans. A gathering of noncommunist groups held at the same time brightens Beijing's drab winter, drawing tech billionaires, movie stars and ethnic minorities in distinctive traditional dress. That gives President Xi Jinping's government a platform for advertising changes aimed at ending the fight with President Donald Trump that has disrupted trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment. The technology measure is part of a proposed law on foreign investment that aims to address complaints by Washington, Europe and other trading partners that China's system is rigged against foreign companies. Trump cited complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology when he slapped punitive tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese imports in July. Europe, Japan and other trading partners disapprove of the tariff hikes but echo U.S. complaints. In this Feb. 22, 2019, photo, a port worker works among one of the first batches of Tesla Model 3 electric cars to be delivered to China at a port in Shanghai. In an unusual step, China's ceremonial legislature is due to endorse a law meant to help end a bruising tariff war with Washington by discouraging officials from pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. (Chinatopix via AP) China has balked at changing its strategy for nurturing technologies that American officials worry might challenge U.S. industrial dominance. But communist leaders face pressure to reach a settlement after economic growth sagged to a three-decade low of 6.6 percent last year. On the domestic front, companies and investors are hoping officials announce details of how Beijing will carry out promises to curb the dominance of state industry and support entrepreneurs who generate much of China's new jobs and wealth. They are looking for details of a promised cut of up to 1.3 trillion yuan ($200 billion) in value-added and other taxes. The congress opens Tuesday with an annual "work report" on government plans by Premier Li Keqiang, the No. 2 ruling party leader behind Xi and China's top economic official. State media have cited other potential topics including revising China's patent law - another source of foreign complaints - and measures to encourage foreign investment in agriculture and technology and developing free-trade zones. Chinese officials deny Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over trade secrets and technology. But they are trying to mollify Trump and other governments by promising better legal protections. "I think the (American and European) complaints have been reflected in the revision of the law," said Citigroup economist Li-Gang Liu. Under the proposed law, officials would be barred from using "administrative methods to force technology transfers." The chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, Tim Stratford, called the measure a "step forward." But business groups say they need to see how it will be enforced. It was unclear whether the vaguely worded measure would appease Trump. The American Embassy in Beijing said it had no comment. Companies have been disappointed in the past after "hearing positive words," said Stratford, a former deputy U.S. trade representative. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said the law's "vague language" gives regulators too much discretion. The focus on "administrative methods" would leave officials free to use other pressure tactics, it said. The state press has cited other potential topics including revising China's patent law - another source of foreign complaints - and measures to encourage foreign investment in agriculture and technology and developing free-trade zones. FILE - In this March 19, 2018, file photo, delegates look at their ballots during a plenary session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. In an unusual step, China's ceremonial legislature is due to endorse a law meant to help end a bruising tariff war with Washington by discouraging officials from pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) In this March 1, 2019, photo, people look at a display with photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping at an exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of China's Reform and Opening Up Movement at the National Museum in Beijing. In an unusual step, China's ceremonial legislature is due to endorse a law meant to help end a bruising tariff war with Washington by discouraging officials from pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) In this March 1, 2019, photo, a woman holds a Chinese flag as she poses in front of a model of China's domestically-made C919 passenger jet at an exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of China's Reform and Opening Up Movement at the National Museum in Beijing. In an unusual step, China's ceremonial legislature is due to endorse a law meant to help end a bruising tariff war with Washington by discouraging officials from pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) At least 14 dead on day of tornadoes, severe storms in South BEAUREGARD, Ala. (AP) - An apparent tornado roared into southeast Alabama and killed at least 14 people and injured several others Sunday, part of a severe storm system that destroyed homes, snapped trees and unleashed other tornadoes around the Southeast. "I can confirm 14 fatalities," Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told The Associated Press on the scene in Beauregard, the area of apparently greatest destruction. He told reporters that children were among the dead and that some people are still believed missing and that a search and rescue operation was ongoing in that community about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Montgomery, Alabama's capital city. "Unfortunately we believe that number is going to go up," Jones said of the fatalities. He said the apparent twister traveled straight down a key local artery in Beauregard and that the path of damage and destruction appeared at least a half mile wide. He said single-family homes and mobile homes were destroyed. He had told reporters earlier that several people were taken to hospitals, some with "very serious injuries." Dozens of emergency responders rushed to join search and rescue efforts in hard-hit Lee County after what forecasters said they think was a large tornado touched down Sunday afternoon, unleashed by a powerful storm system that also slashed its way across parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, said meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham, Alabama, office of the National Weather Service. ___ Brother of man killed by police wants Calif. to prosecute SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The brother of a black man shot to death by police said Sunday he wants to see the officers who fired the fatal bullets held accountable Stevante Clark called on California's attorney general to prosecute them after the local district attorney declined to do so. He told reporters his family was devastated, first by his brother Stephon's killing last March as he held a cellphone, and again Saturday when Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced the officers would not be charged. "Our lives are suffering, our hearts are shattered, my family is in agony ever since the callous murder of my brother in my grandmother's backyard," the soft-spoken Clark told a news conference attended by his family and friends. "I would like for the attorney general to prosecute the officers," he added. "I want justice and accountability." Earlier Sunday the family's attorney, Ben Crump, said on the Rev. Al Sharpton's MSNBC program that state Attorney General Xavier Becerra is expected to release the findings of his own investigation into the shooting on March 18. ___ Senate seems to have votes to reject Trump's wall move WASHINGTON (AP) - Opponents of President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border appear to have enough Senate votes to reject his move, now that Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky has said he can't go along with the White House. The House has voted to derail the action, and if the Senate follows later this month, the measure would go to Trump for his promised veto. Three other Republican senators have announced they'll vote "no" - Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Paul makes it four, and assuming that all 47 Democrats and their independent allies go against Trump, that would give opponents 51 votes - just past the majority needed. Congress is unlikely to have the votes to override. "I can't vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasn't been appropriated by Congress," Paul said at a GOP dinner Saturday night at Western Kentucky University, according to the Bowling Green (Ky.) Daily News. ___ AP FACT CHECK: Trump's epic speech is laced with fabrication WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump uttered a dizzying number of false statements in his epically long weekend speech, to an audience that didn't seem to mind at all. He got the unemployment rate wrong. He misstated his winning margin in the election. He reprised some of his most frequently told fictions and dusted off old ones, even going back to the size of his inauguration crowd. A look at some of his words in his two-hour-plus speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday: UNEMPLOYMENT TRUMP: "We're down to 3.7 percent unemployment, the lowest number in a long time." ___ House to query 60 Trump officials in obstruction probe WASHINGTON (AP) - Declaring it's "very clear" President Donald Trump obstructed justice, the chairman of the House committee that would be in charge of impeachment says the panel is requesting documents Monday from more than 60 people from Trump's administration, family and business as part of a rapidly expanding Russia investigation. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said the House Judiciary Committee wants to review documents from the Justice Department, the president's son Donald Trump Jr. and Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg. Former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former White House counsel Don McGahn also are likely targets, he said. "We are going to initiate investigations into abuses of power, into corruption and into obstruction of justice," Nadler said. "We will do everything we can to get that evidence." Asked if he believed Trump obstructed justice, Nadler said, "Yes, I do." Nadler isn't calling the inquiry an impeachment investigation but said House Democrats, now in the majority, are simply doing "our job to protect the rule of law" after Republicans during the first two years of Trump's term were "shielding the president from any proper accountability." ___ On Selma anniversary, Booker calls for new fight for justice SELMA, Ala. (AP) - Thunder rolling above Brown Chapel AME Church, Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker warned Sunday of a looming threat to American democracy and called for protecting the legacy of the civil rights movement with love and action. "It's time for us to defend the dream," Booker said in a keynote speech at Brown Chapel, which two generations ago was the starting point of a peaceful demonstration in support of voting rights that ended in beatings on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The infamous "Bloody Sunday" on March 7, 1965, galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act that year. "It's time that we dare to dream again in America. That is what it takes to make America great. It is up to us to do the work that makes the dream real," said Booker, a New Jersey senator and one of three White House hopefuls who participated in events commemorating the march. Saying America faces challenges, Booker said: "People want to make it just about the people in the highest offices of the land. . People who traffic in hatred, people in office that defend Nazis or white supremacists, people that point fingers and forget the lessons of King. What we must repent for are not just the vitriolic words and actions of bad people, but the appalling silence and inaction of good people." Also visiting Selma on Sunday were Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Joining them was Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee in 2016. Booker and Brown, along with Clinton and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, marched with dozens of others Sunday afternoon to Edmund Pettus Bridge. Sanders had left for a campaign event in Chicago. ___ Xi firmly in charge as China turns to legislative season BEIJING (AP) - A year since removing any legal barrier to remaining China's leader for life, Xi Jinping appears firmly in charge, despite a slowing economy, an ongoing trade war with the U.S. and rumbles of discontent over his concentration of power. The Chinese president and head of the ruling Communist Party wields more authority than any leader since Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s and looms large over the annual legislative session that starts Tuesday. Since assuming the party helm in 2012, Xi has eliminated rival factions, gutted civil society and brought the party under his firm control through a wide-ranging anti-corruption campaign and the opening of party committees in private businesses and foreign companies. Which is not to say Xi is resting on his achievements. Instead, with the economy's go-go years firmly in the past, he is warning of increasing headwinds the party faces. Xi, who gives few news conferences and whose public addresses are limited to a handful of special occasions, told senior party officials last month that "global sources of turmoil and risks have increased and the external environment is complicated and grim." ___ US closes Jerusalem consulate, demoting Palestinian mission JERUSALEM (AP) - The United States has officially shuttered its consulate in Jerusalem, downgrading the status of its main diplomatic mission to the Palestinians by folding it into the U.S. Embassy to Israel. For decades, the consulate functioned as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians. Now, that outreach will be handled by a Palestinian affairs unit, under the command of the embassy. The symbolic shift hands authority over U.S. diplomatic channels with the West Bank and Gaza to ambassador David Friedman, a longtime supporter and fundraiser for the West Bank settler movement and fierce critic of the Palestinian leadership. The announcement from the State Department came early Monday in Jerusalem, the merger effective that day. "This decision was driven by our global efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our diplomatic engagements and operations," State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement. "It does not signal a change of U.S. policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip." ___ US-built capsule with a dummy aboard docks at space station CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A sleek new American-built capsule with just a test dummy aboard docked smoothly with the International Space Station on Sunday, bringing the U.S. a big step closer to getting back in the business of launching astronauts. The white, bullet-shaped Dragon capsule, developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX company under contract to NASA, closed in on the orbiting station nearly 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean and, flying autonomously, linked up on its own, without the help of the robotic arm normally used to guide spacecraft into position. Dragon's arrival marked the first time in eight years that an American-made spacecraft capable of carrying humans has flown to the space station. If this six-day test flight goes well, a Dragon capsule could take two NASA astronauts to the orbiting outpost this summer. "A new generation of space flight starts now with the arrival of @SpaceX's Crew Dragon to the @Space_Station," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted. "Congratulations to all for this historic achievement getting us closer to flying American Astronauts on American rockets." ___ IS fighters put up fierce resistance to defend last pocket BAGHOUZ, Syria (AP) - Islamic State militants are desperately fighting to hang on to the last tiny piece of territory they hold on the riverside in eastern Syria, deploying snipers, guided missiles and surprise tunnel attacks. The resistance prompted a fierce pounding Sunday by the U.S-led coalition and its ground allies in their final push to end the extremist group's territorial hold. Rings of black smoke billowed over the besieged speck of land still controlled by the group in the village of Baghouz, after airstrikes hit several targets. Mortar rounds from a hill overlooking a tent encampment where the militants are still holed up rang into the night. The U.S.-backed force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces resumed an offensive to recapture the area in Baghouz on Friday night, after a two-week pause to allow for the evacuation of civilians from the area. Retaking the sliver of land would be a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to end IS' self-proclaimed Islamic caliphate that once straddled vast territory across Syria and Iraq. The group continues to be a threat, however, with sleeper cells in scattered desert pockets along the porous border between the two countries. TALLINN, Estonia (AP) - A center-right party that held the prime minister's office in Estonia for over a decade won the Baltic country's general election Sunday, while a far-right populist party emerged as a big winner despite snubs from traditional power-brokers. Preliminary returns from a completed ballot count showed the opposition Reform Party received 28.8 percent of the vote, making it the top vote-getter. The party, which supports low taxes and minimal government involvement, held the premiership in Estonia from 2005-2016 The senior partner in the current coalition government, Prime Minister Juri Ratas' Center Party, garnered 23.1 percent of the vote. The anti-immigration Estonian Conservative People's Party, known as EKRE, came in third with 17.8 percent. The rival Reform and Center parties, the two main political groupings since Estonia regained independence amid the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, shared an election goal of keeping EKRE from making inroads. The euroskeptic party, led by father and son Mart and Martin Helme, won 8.1 percent of the vote and seven parliament seats in the 2015 election. An 18 percent showing translates to 19 seats in the 101-seat Riigikogu. Martin Helme, who leads EKRE's faction in parliament, said he sees the party's gains as part of a trend in Europe and other parts of the world. Chairwoman of the Reform Party Kaja Kallas speaks at her party headquarters after a parliamentary elections in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Estonians are voting in a parliamentary election Sunday in the small Baltic nation in a ballot where Prime Minister Juri Ratas and his Center Party are pitted against the center-right opposition Reform Party and where populists are seen making inroads. (AP Photo/Raul Mee) "I think Estonia is no different than almost all other countries in Europe, where there's a serious public demand for political parties who will stand up against the globalist agenda and the ever-increasing movement of power from (EU) member states to Brussels." Only five parties passed the 5 percent threshold of support needed to be in parliament. The two leading parties ruled out forming a coalition with EKRE as a partner, saying populists have no place in the Estonian government. EKRE chairman Mart Helme said he had not given up on the idea. "Yes, of course we would like to be in the coalition because every party wants to carry out its promises and program," Helme told The Associated Press at the party's election event in Tallinn's Old Town. Estonia has a population of 1.3 million, and nearly 1 million voters were eligible to elect parliament representatives to four-year terms. Election officials said preliminary figures put Sunday's turnout at 63.1 percent, slightly lower than in 2015. Campaigning mostly focused on social and economic issues, including taxes. Center campaigned mainly on public benefits, such as increasing pensions and better support for young families. Reform focused on job creation and improving the climate for businesses. As prime minister, Ratas, 40, has led a coalition government made up of his Center Party, the Social Democrats and the conservative Fatherland since November 2016. His government replaced a Reform government that lost a confidence vote. The junior partners in the ruling coalition had a weak showing Sunday with both losing seats. Ratas' government substantially increased excise duties on alcohol, partly on health grounds. The Baltic nation has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related deaths in Europe. Center and its coalition partners also reformed Estonia's flat income tax system, a cornerstone of the economy. The Reform Party held the prime minister's post continuously from 2005-2016. Its internal divisions led to the party changing leaders several times in recent years. Its current head, Kaja Kallas, became the party's first female leader last year. She is the daughter of Siim Kallas, one of the Reform Party's creators and a former prime minister. Kallas, a lawyer and a former European Parliament lawmaker, said Ratas' Cabinet "has totally messed (up) the tax system.excise duties, income tax system and people are really annoyed by this." All parties, including the EKRE, agree that NATO and the EU are the cornerstones of Estonia's security and foreign policy. About 26 percent of Estonians cast votes online by a Feb. 27 deadline. Electronic voting pioneer Estonia was the first country in the world to use online balloting for a national election in 2005. No online voting took place on election day. ___ Mstyslav Chernov and Philipp-Moritz Jenne contributed to this report. In this photo taken on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, Chairman of the Estonian Conservative People's Party (EKRE) Martin Helme speaks at his party's campaign meeting in Parnu, Estonia. Nearly a million people are eligible to vote Sunday, March 3, 2019 to choose Estonia's 101-seat Riigikogu legislature, where the outgoing prime minister and his Center Party is pitted against the center-right opposition Reform Party. (AP Photo/Raul Mee) FILE - In this file photo taken on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit in Brussels. Nearly a million people are eligible to vote Sunday, March 3, 2019 to choose Estonia's 101-seat Riigikogu legislature, where the outgoing prime minister and his Center Party is pitted against the center-right opposition Reform Party. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File) An election commission employee helps a woman to cast her ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary elections in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Estonians are voting in a parliamentary election Sunday in the small Baltic nation in a ballot where Prime Minister Juri Ratas and his Center Party are pitted against the center-right opposition Reform Party and where populists are seen making inroads. (AP Photo/Raul Mee) Voters feel their ballots at a polling station during a parliamentary elections in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Estonians are voting in a parliamentary election Sunday in the small Baltic nation in a ballot where Prime Minister Juri Ratas and his Center Party are pitted against the center-right opposition Reform Party and where populists are seen making inroads. (AP Photo/Raul Mee) Chairwoman of the Reform Party Kaja Kallas arrives at a polling station during a parliamentary elections in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Estonians are voting in a parliamentary election Sunday in the small Baltic nation in a ballot where Prime Minister Juri Ratas and his Center Party are pitted against the center-right opposition Reform Party and where populists are seen making inroads. (AP Photo/Raul Mee) An election commission employee helps a woman with her child to cast a ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary elections in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Estonians are voting in a parliamentary election Sunday in the small Baltic nation in a ballot where Prime Minister Juri Ratas and his Center Party are pitted against the center-right opposition Reform Party and where populists are seen making inroads. (AP Photo/Raul Mee) Chairwoman of the Reform Party Kaja Kallas prepares to cast her ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary elections in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Estonians are voting in a parliamentary election Sunday in the small Baltic nation in a ballot where Prime Minister Juri Ratas and his Center Party are pitted against the center-right opposition Reform Party and where populists are seen making inroads. (AP Photo/Raul Mee) MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Residents near the disputed boundary in the divided Kashmir region on Sunday experienced their first lull since a dangerous escalation between Pakistan and India erupted last week, bringing the two nuclear-armed rivals close to war. Many villagers used the calm in Pakistani-held Kashmir to leave their homes in the Chakoti area along the so-called Line of Control - the demarcation line that divides the troubled Himalayan region into an Indian and a Pakistani sector - and move to safety. Nazakat Hussain said his family and others lack underground shelters and had to leave. He said cold weather and snow, along with cross-border shooting, prevented them from leaving earlier. Pakistani government official Moazzam Zafar said some 200 families have already taken shelter in three large government buildings in the territory. Zafar said the authorities were providing warm clothing, bedding, food and medicines, and would establish more shelters. At least eight civilians and two soldiers have been killed in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir since tensions soared following India's airstrike last Tuesday inside Pakistan. India said the strike targeted militants behind a Feb. 14 suicide bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed more than 40 Indian troops. Pakistan retaliated, shooting down a fighter jet on Wednesday and detaining its pilot, who was returned to India on Friday. India, in turn, on Saturday handed over the body of a Pakistani civilian prisoner beaten to death by inmates in a jail in India last week. The man, Skahir Ullah, was buried Sunday in his home village of Sialkot in Punjab province. Members of the civil society group, Citizens of Lahore, participate in a candlelit vigil against war, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Residents near the disputed boundary in divided Kashmir region said Sunday it was quiet overnight, their first lull since a dangerous escalation between Pakistan and India erupted last week bringing the two nuclear-armed rivals close to full-out war. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary) Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan practically since their independence from British rule in 1947. The two countries each claim Kashmir in its entirety and have fought two of the three wars between them over it. The rivals struck a cease-fire deal in 2003 but regularly trade cross-border fire. On Sunday, British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke by phone with Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, welcoming the return of the captured Indian pilot and reduction in tensions. But she also urged Khan to crack down on terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, according to a Downing Street statement. "The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups, in support of global efforts to combat terrorism," the statement said. ___ Associated Press writers Zarar Khan in Islamabad and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report. A stranded Indian passenger takes care of her child at Lahore railway station while waiting for the resumption of train to travel to India, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 3, 2019. A Pakistani Cabinet minister says a key train service between Pakistan and neighboring India will resume on Monday, a sign on easing tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals. The train service, known as Samjhauta Express, was suspended by Pakistani authorities this past week, stranding people on both sides. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia's transport minister said Sunday that the government is open to new proposals from U.S. technology firm Ocean Infinity or any other companies to resume the hunt for Flight 370, as families of passengers marked the fifth anniversary of the jet's mysterious disappearance. Ocean Infinity mounted a "no cure, no fee" search for the plane in the southern Indian Ocean in January 2018 that ended in May without any clue on where it could have crashed. But the company's CEO, Oliver Plunkett, said in a video shown at the public remembrance event at a mall near Kuala Lumpur that the company hopes to resume the hunt with better technology it obtained in the past year. The Ocean Infinity mission came a year after an official search by Malaysia, Australia and China ended in futility. Plunkett said his company has better technology now after successfully locating an Argentinian submarine in November, a year after it went missing. He said the firm is still reviewing all possible data on Flight 370 and thinking about how it can revive its failed mission. "We haven't given up hope. ... We hope we can continue the search in due course," Plunkett said. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said it's been frustrating that the two searches failed to produce any clues and that he "welcomes credible leads and also concrete proposals to resume the search." Norazlinda Ayub, left, and Intan Maizura Othaman, wife of an air crew member of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, embrace each other during the Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Five years ago, Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, had gone missing the day before while over the South China Sea with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Annice Lyn) He told reporters later Sunday that the government is "waiting for specific proposals, in particular from Ocean Infinity." He brushed off suggestions of offering rewards to find the plane, but said the government is willing to discuss proposals from any companies prepared to resume the search. "There must be a proposal from a specific company ... we cannot just be out there without credible leads. That's the most practical thing to do," Loke said. The plane vanished with 239 people on board on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Confirmed debris that washed ashore in the western Indian Ocean helped narrow the search area where Ocean Infinity focused, but it failed to uncover any evidence. A Malaysian-led independent investigation report released last July showed lapses in the government's response and raised the possibility of "intervention by a third party." Investigators, however, said the cause of the disappearance cannot be determined until the wreckage and the plane's black boxes are found. The report reiterated Malaysia's assertion that the plane was deliberately diverted and flown for over seven hours after severing communications. But it said there was no evidence of abnormal behavior or stress in the two pilots that could lead them to hijack the plane. All the other passengers were also cleared by police and had no pilot training. Voice 370, a support group for next-of-kin, expressed hope that the new government that won a general election in May last year will do more to encourage search missions and seek new clues. The group's spokeswoman, Grace Nathan, urged the government to set aside up to $70 million - the amount it agreed to pay Ocean Infinity had it found the plane - to encourage exploration companies to take on "no cure, no fee" missions so that Flight 370's passengers will not have died in vain. "It is a wound that cannot heal" if there is no closure, Nathan said. Another family member, K.S. Narendran of India, said the burden is on Malaysia's government to be proactive and not wait for credible evidence to fall on its lap. He said there has been no government effort to find more debris on African beaches and Indian Ocean islands, where scattered pieces of the Boeing 777 have been found. Two of three pieces of debris confirmed to be from the plane were on public display for the first time at the remembrance event, where family members lit candles and sang songs in tribute to their loved ones. Relatives and supporters wore light blue T-shirts that read, "It's not history, it's the future. Fly safely," as they reminded the government that the mystery must be solved to ensure aviation safety. A family member of a passenger of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, holds a candle during the Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Five years ago, Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, had gone missing the day before while over the South China Sea with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Annice Lyn) A family member of a passenger of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, lights up a candle during the Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Five years ago, Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, had gone missing the day before while over the South China Sea with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Annice Lyn) A girl has her face painted with a missing plane during a Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Five years ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, had gone missing the day before while over the South China Sea with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) A man writes a condolence message during a Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Five years ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, had gone missing the day before while over the South China Sea with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) A volunteer gives out balloons printed with MH370 during a Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Five years ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, had gone missing the day before while over the South China Sea with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) A journalist takes a photo of a condolence message board during a Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Five years ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, had gone missing the day before while over the South China Sea with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) BAGHOUZ, Syria (AP) - Islamic State militants are desperately fighting to hang on to the last tiny piece of territory they hold on the riverside in eastern Syria, deploying snipers, guided missiles and surprise tunnel attacks. The resistance prompted a fierce pounding Sunday by the U.S-led coalition and its ground allies in their final push to end the extremist group's territorial hold. Rings of black smoke billowed over the besieged speck of land still controlled by the group in the village of Baghouz, after airstrikes hit several targets. Mortar rounds from a hill overlooking a tent encampment where the militants are still holed up rang into the night. The U.S.-backed force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces resumed an offensive to recapture the area in Baghouz on Friday night, after a two-week pause to allow for the evacuation of civilians from the area. Retaking the sliver of land would be a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to end IS' self-proclaimed Islamic caliphate that once straddled vast territory across Syria and Iraq. The group continues to be a threat, however, with sleeper cells in scattered desert pockets along the porous border between the two countries. SDF commanders estimate that hundreds of fighters remain in Baghouz, taking cover in tunnels and trenches. Columns of black smoke billow from the last small piece of territory held by Islamic State militants as U.S. backed fighters pounded the area with artillery fire and occasional airstrikes in Baghouz, Syria, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) A senior SDF commander described the militants as "rats" but acknowledged that they're still fighting to the bitter end. Commander Akeed, who leads one of the main fronts in the last battle against IS, said the militants are sticking to their trademark techniques, carrying out swift attacks without aiming to hold ground but laying the area with mines to increase casualties. They also deploy "inghimasiyoun," a term that the group uses to refer to infiltrators who enter areas behind their enemies' lines, in a bid to take hostages. Early Sunday, one of Akeed's units came under attack from a group of 10 IS militants, including four women who emerged from a tunnel but were met with fire. At least two militants died but the rest escaped, he said. "They have said they will engage and won't leave," Akeed told The Associated Press from his position, hundreds of meters from a very noisy front line. "They are strong enemies but they are besieged from three fronts. What could they do? Attack to prove themselves." What appears to be a major weapons depot was targeted Saturday in the opening salvo of a ground assault on the tent encampment and parts of the villages still in IS hands. On Sunday, airstrikes continued to hit the depot, as fire raged for more than 24 hours and ignited ammunition flew in the air. Other airstrikes hit another mortar depot on the other edge of the tent encampment, which days ago was full of residents before they were evacuated ahead of the military assault. A third hit a building where a sniper was taking cover. Sefqan, another SDF commander who leads a special forces unit that advanced into Baghouz Saturday night, said the targeted weapon depot appeared to be a major one for the militants. He said the airstrikes continued to target the two-floor depot to keep the militants away from whatever remains there. SDF fighters tightened the noose on the militants Saturday, advancing from two fronts, and cutting off their access to the river that abuts their last territory from two sides. Mustafa Bali, the SDF spokesman, said coalition airstrikes destroyed several car bombs during the past two days of battle in Baghouz. In a tweet, he said three car bombs that were trying to hit SDF positions were destroyed. President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser, John Bolton, described the territory IS holds as an "insignificant piece of real estate." Asked in an interview with CNN whether IS has been defeated in "100 percent of the land" in Syria, as Trump had asserted earlier this week, he said: "It will happen very, very soon." The global fight against the Islamic State group is one conflict in a country that has been at civil war for nearly eight years. Near the northwestern province of Idlib, a Syrian jihadist group linked to al-Qaida killed 21 Syrian soldiers and allied militiamen, in one of the most serious violations of a months-old truce in the area, according to activists and a Syria war monitor. Sunday's attack by Ansar al-Tawhid fighters was carried out in the village of Massasneh in the north of Hama province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A statement by the Syrian Foreign Ministry confirmed the attack, saying "terrorist groups" launched a pre-planned attack on armed forces stationed along the main road of Massasneh, killing and wounding a number of soldiers. "Syria confirms the full readiness and integrity of the Syrian army in dealing with these crimes and violations," the statement added. ___ Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus contributed to this report. A U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter watches black smoke billow from the last small piece of territory held by Islamic State militants as U.S. backed fighters pounded the area with artillery fire and occasional airstrikes in Baghouz, Syria, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) In this Saturday, March 2, 2019, photo, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) monitor fighting from a rooftop position in Baghouz, Syria. Columns of black smoke billowed Sunday from the last small piece of territory held by Islamic State militants as U.S. backed fighters pounded the area with artillery fire and occasional airstrikes shook the ground.(AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) In this Saturday, March 2, 2019, photo, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) monitor fighting from a rooftop position in Baghouz, Syria. Columns of black smoke billowed Sunday from the last small piece of territory held by Islamic State militants as U.S. backed fighters pounded the area with artillery fire and occasional airstrikes shook the ground.(AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) Columns of black smoke billow from the last small piece of territory held by Islamic State militants as U.S. backed fighters pounded the area with artillery fire and occasional airstrikes in Baghouz, Syria, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) Columns of black smoke billow from the last small piece of territory held by Islamic State militants as U.S. backed fighters pounded the area with artillery fire and occasional airstrikes as seen from a Syrian Democratic Forces rooftop position in Baghouz, Syria, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A sleek new American-built capsule with just a test dummy aboard docked smoothly with the International Space Station on Sunday, bringing the U.S. a big step closer to getting back in the business of launching astronauts. The white, bullet-shaped Dragon capsule, developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX company under contract to NASA, closed in on the orbiting station nearly 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean and, flying autonomously, linked up on its own, without the help of the robotic arm normally used to guide spacecraft into position. Dragon's arrival marked the first time in eight years that an American-made spacecraft capable of carrying humans has flown to the space station. If this six-day test flight goes well, a Dragon capsule could take two NASA astronauts to the orbiting outpost this summer. "A new generation of space flight starts now with the arrival of @SpaceX's Crew Dragon to the @Space_Station," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted. "Congratulations to all for this historic achievement getting us closer to flying American Astronauts on American rockets." Ever since NASA retired the space shuttle in 2011, the U.S. has been hitching rides to and from the space station aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft. In the meantime, NASA is paying two companies - SpaceX and Boeing - to build and operate America's next generation of rocket ships. In this photo provided by SpaceX, the SpaceX team in Hawthorne, Calif., watches as the SpaceX Crew Dragon docks with the International Space Station's Harmony module, Sunday, March 3, 2019. SpaceX's new crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, acing its second milestone in just over a day. (NASA via AP) SpaceX's 27-foot-long (8-meter-long) capsule rocketed into orbit early Saturday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center with a mannequin strapped into one of its four seats in a dashing, white-and-black, form-fitting SpaceX spacesuit. The test dummy was nicknamed Ripley after the main character in the "Alien" movies. Ripley and the capsule are rigged with sensors to measure noise, vibration and stresses and monitor the life-support, propulsion and other critical systems. As the capsule closed in on the space station, its nose cap was wide open like a dragon's mouth to expose the docking mechanism. In a docking with a crew aboard, the capsule would likewise operate autonomously, though the astronauts might push a button or two and would be able to intervene if necessary. The three U.S., Canadian and Russian crew members aboard the space station watched the rendezvous via TV cameras. Within hours, the capsule's hatch swung open and the three astronauts floated inside to remove supplies and take air samples, wearing oxygen masks and hoods until they got the all-clear. Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques pronounced the docking flawless and called it "a beautiful thing to see." "Welcome to the new era in spaceflight," he said. Dragon will remain at the space station until Friday, when it will undock for an old-school, "Right Stuff"-style splashdown in the Atlantic, a few hundred miles off Florida. As part of Sunday's shakedown, the space station astronauts sent commands for Dragon to retreat and then move forward again, before the capsule closed in for good. SpaceX employees at company headquarters in Hawthorne, California, cheered the docking, then burst into applause again when the Dragon's latches were secured. The two astronauts set to fly aboard Dragon as early as July, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, witnessed the Florida liftoff, then rushed to Southern California to watch Sunday's maneuver. "Just super excited to see it," Behnken said minutes after the linkup. "Just one more milestone that gets us ready for our flight coming up here." Next up, though, is Boeing, which is looking to launch its Starliner capsule without a crew as early as April and with a crew possibly in August. SpaceX already has made 16 trips to the space station using cargo Dragons. The version designed for humans is slightly bigger and safer. It can carry as many as seven people and has three windows, emergency-abort engines that can pull the capsule to safety, and streamlined controls, with just 30 buttons and touch screens, compared with the space shuttle cockpit's 2,000 switches and circuit breakers. ___ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. In this photo provided by NASA, the SpaceX Crew Dragon is pictured about 20 meters (66 feet) away from the International Space Station's Harmony module, Sunday, March 3, 2019. SpaceX's new crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, acing its second milestone in just over a day. (NASA via AP) In this image taken from NASA Television, Sunday, March 3, 2019. SpaceX's new crew capsule approaches just before docking at the International Space Station Sunday, March 3, 2019. SpaceX's new crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station, acing its second milestone in just over a day. No one was aboard the Dragon capsule launched Saturday on its first test flight, only an instrumented dummy. (NASA TV via AP) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a demo Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off from pad 39A on an uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, March 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) In this image taken from NASA Television, Sunday, March 3, 2019, a live screen shows docking scene of SpaceX's new crew capsule and the International Space Station Sunday, March 3, 2019. SpaceX's new crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station, acing its second milestone in just over a day. No one was aboard the Dragon capsule launched Saturday on its first test flight, only an instrumented dummy. (NASA TV via AP) SELMA, Ala. (AP) - Thunder rolling above Brown Chapel AME Church, Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker warned Sunday of a looming threat to American democracy and called for protecting the legacy of the civil rights movement with love and action. "It's time for us to defend the dream," Booker said in a keynote speech at Brown Chapel, which two generations ago was the starting point of a peaceful demonstration in support of voting rights that ended in beatings on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The infamous "Bloody Sunday" on March 7, 1965, galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act that year. "It's time that we dare to dream again in America. That is what it takes to make America great. It is up to us to do the work that makes the dream real," said Booker, a New Jersey senator and one of three White House hopefuls who participated in events commemorating the march. Saying America faces challenges, Booker said: "People want to make it just about the people in the highest offices of the land. . People who traffic in hatred, people in office that defend Nazis or white supremacists, people that point fingers and forget the lessons of King. What we must repent for are not just the vitriolic words and actions of bad people, but the appalling silence and inaction of good people." Also visiting Selma on Sunday were Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Joining them was Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee in 2016. Booker and Brown, along with Clinton and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, marched with dozens of others Sunday afternoon to Edmund Pettus Bridge. Sanders had left for a campaign event in Chicago. The throng of marchers had set out from the church and sang freedom songs under a stormy sky as they headed to that sacred spot over the Alabama River to commemorate the peaceful protesters who were met with tear gas and clubs wielded by state troopers. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., third from left, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson march to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge Sunday, March 3, 2019, during the Bloody Sunday commemoration in Selma, Ala. The infamous "Bloody Sunday" on March 7, 1965, galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act that year. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) This year's commemoration came in the early days of a Democratic presidential primary campaign that has focused heavily on issues of race. Several candidates have called President Donald Trump a racist, while others have voiced support for the idea of reparations for the descendants of enslaved black Americans. Booker and Sanders have already announced their campaigns. Brown is still considering a White House bid. The three gathered for a unity breakfast in Selma to pay homage to its civil rights legacy and highlight how the movement shaped their personal narratives. For the New Jersey senator, much of the day felt personal. In Brown Chapel he sat next to Jackson, for whom he cast his first ballot as an 18-year-old during Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign. He later marched to the bridge alongside Jackson, their arms locked together. In his speech, Booker linked the 1965 Selma demonstration to the lawyer who volunteered to help his family buy a home in a white neighborhood after they were discriminated against and repeatedly denied. "I would not be here if it wasn't for marchers on a bridge who inspired a man a thousand miles away in New Jersey," he said. "The dream is under attack. You honor history by emulating it, by us recommitting ourselves to it." Brown, currently on a "Dignity of Work" tour inspired by King, returned to Selma for the fifth time. He frequently draws connections between civil rights and worker's rights. A former secretary of state in Ohio, Brown also has a reputation as a leader on expanding voter participation. "We need to understand what happened here and we need to talk about it so we keep fighting on these issues," Brown told reporters at the breakfast. "It's clear we make progress and then we fall back because of Republican attacks on voting rights." Claiming that the Georgia governor election was stolen from Democrat Stacey Abrams, Brown said: "It's not just a Southern issue, of course. In the north we see all kinds of changes in voting laws. We see suppression of the vote in 2016, purging of voters in my state in a big way. This fight continues. It's become personal in many ways because voting rights are so important to our country." Sanders attended the 1963 March on Washington, which featured the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. Sanders has highlighted his civil rights and activist background as a young man at the University of Chicago. He is working to strengthen his relationship with black voters, with whom he struggled to connect in the 2016 Democratic primary that Clinton won. Appearing at Chicago's Navy Pier, Sanders on Sunday night recalled his work with the campus chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, protesting discrimination and housing segregation. He led one of the first sit-ins in the North and was arrested at a demonstration against segregation in Chicago schools in 1963. Sanders said while the Chicago activism was significant at the time, it didn't compare to what was happening in the South. "We were protesting," he told a rally of thousands. "They were putting their lives on the line, and some were getting killed." "I must say that it is incomprehensible to me that, in the year 2019, we continue to have a president, a Supreme Court and Republican governors who still are trying to deny people of color and poor people the right to vote," he said. "The reason I tell you all of this is because my activities here in Chicago taught me a very important lesson," he said. "And that is that whether it is the struggle is against racism, or sexism, or homophobia, or corporate greed, or environmental devastation, or war and militarism or religious bigotry - real change never takes place from the top on down. It always takes place from the bottom on up when people, at the grassroots level, stand up and fight back." In Selma, Clinton told those at Brown Chapel that the absence of crucial parts of the Voting Rights Act contributed to her 2016 loss to Trump. The Supreme Court in 2013 struck down a part of the law that required the Justice Department to scrutinize states with a history of racial discrimination in voting. Clinton said "it makes a really big difference" and warned of the need for continued vigilance about voter suppression heading into the 2020 election. The backdrop of Selma provides a spotlight on voting rights. Advocates say the gains achieved as a result of "Bloody Sunday" have been threatened in recent years, particularly by the 2013 Supreme Court decision. Voter suppression emerged as a key issue in the 2018 midterm elections in states such as Georgia and North Carolina, where a Republican congressional candidate was accused of rigging the contest there through absentee ballots. House Democrats signaled they plan to make ballot access a priority in the new Congress, introducing legislation aimed at protecting voting rights in 2020 and beyond. ___ Whack is The Associated Press' national writer on race and ethnicity. Follow her work on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/emarvelous Demonstrators lie on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in support of voting rights Sunday, March 3, 2019, during the Bloody Sunday commemoration in Selma, Ala. The infamous "Bloody Sunday" on March 7, 1965, galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act that year. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks during a commemorative service Sunday, March 3, 2019, at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala. Several Democratic White House hopefuls are visiting one of America's seminal civil rights sites to pay homage to that legacy and highlight their own connections to the movement. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) Demonstrators lie on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in support of voting rights Sunday, March 3, 2019, during the Bloody Sunday commemoration in Selma, Ala. The infamous "Bloody Sunday" on March 7, 1965, galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act that year. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, far left, and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, far right, D-N.J., participate in a commemorative service marking the anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Several Democratic White House hopefuls are visiting one of America's seminal civil rights sites to pay homage to that legacy and highlight their own connections to the movement. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) - Algeria's ailing president said Sunday that if he wins a fifth term in April, he would promote political changes that his critics have demanded and call an early presidential election in which he would not run. In a written message to the nation, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said if he is re-elected April 18, he would organize a public referendum on a new Constitution and respond to an opposition demand for an independent electoral commission. The longtime leader also vowed to immediately call a "national conference" to set a date and prepare for another presidential election. Bouteflika's decision to run next month has prompted rare, massive protests in recent days. "I have heard the pleas of protesters and especially thousands of young people who asked about our nation's future," he wrote in his public message. Bouteflika was first elected in 1999. Questions about his fitness for office have grown since he suffered a stroke in 2013 and remained largely out of public view during his fourth term. He turned 82 on Saturday and underwent medical checks in Switzerland last week. Neither the government nor news media reported if he was back in Algeria. A demonstrator holds up a placard that reads, "Bouteflika go away" during a protest to denounce President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Algeria's Constitutional Council has been placed under high security as President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term is due to be formally submitted. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) Although the president's office earlier had said Bouteflika intended to run again, his candidacy wasn't formal until Sunday. Bouteflika's campaign chief, Abdelghani Zaalane, filed the president's candidacy papers Sunday at the Constitutional Council in Algiers, the country's capital. Hundreds of students took to the streets to denounce the new bid. About 10 vans transported Bouteflika's documents to the building, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. Elevated security measures were in place in Algeria's capital and especially around the Constitutional Council. Sunday was the deadline for candidates to the April 18 presidential election to file their documents. Images of students marching and chanting anti-government slogans appeared on social media. In France, thousands of people from the European country's Algerian community also rallied Sunday in Paris and in the southern city of Marseille to oppose Bouteflika remaining in office. Bouteflika's major opponent during the 2004 and 2014 presidential elections, former Prime Minister Ali Benflis, announced Sunday that he would not challenge the incumbent this year. Benflis said central committee of his party, Talaie El Houriat, Arabic for "Vanguard of Freedoms"), decided not to field a candidate so as "not to serve as a pretext for the candidacy of the sick president." The head of the moderate Islamist party MSP, Abderrazak Makri, also has ruled out running. Demonstrators stage a protest to denounce President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Algeria's Constitutional Council has been placed under high security as President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term is due to be formally submitted. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) Demonstrators stage a protest to denounce President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Algeria's Constitutional Council has been placed under high security as President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term is due to be formally submitted. Sign in the background reads, "no to a 5th term." (AP Photo/Claude Paris) Demonstrators stage a protest to denounce President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Algeria's Constitutional Council has been placed under high security as President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term is due to be formally submitted. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) WASHINGTON (AP) - Emboldened by their new majority, Democrats are undertaking several broad new investigations into President Donald Trump and setting the stage for a post-Robert Mueller world. Whether the special counsel's final Russia report is damning of the president or not, Democrats in charge of a half-dozen House committees are planning to flood the administration with document requests, calls for testimony and even subpoenas if necessary. The investigations reach far beyond Mueller's focus of Russian interference and collusion in the 2016 campaign. The Democratic efforts increased this past week after Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, appeared before two House committees and a Senate committee. In his public testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Cohen called the president a "con man" and a "cheat" and gave Democrats several new leads for inquiry. The stepped-up oversight could eventually lead to, or even serve in place of, impeachment proceedings. While many liberal members of the Democratic caucus think impeachment is warranted, Democratic leaders have been cautious, saying they first want to investigate. A look at the status of some of the House investigations: HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 file photo, House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Elijah Cummings, D-Md., right, speaks as he gives closing remarks with Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the ranking member, at left, as the hearing for Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, at the House Oversight and Reform Committee concludes, on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Cummings, said afterward that he wanted to call in several people mentioned repeatedly by Cohen. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) The committee is reopening and expanding an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election that the Republican majority closed last year. At that time, Republicans said, over Democratic objections, that there was no evidence to show that Trump's campaign colluded or conspired with Russia. The top Democrat on the committee then, California Rep. Adam Schiff, said Republicans had prematurely closed the matter without interviewing key witnesses and demanding important documents. Schiff is now chairman, and last month he announced a broad new investigation looking not only at Russian interference but also at Trump's foreign financial interests. Schiff said the investigation will include "the scope and scale" of Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election, the "extent of any links and/or coordination" between Russians and Trump's associates, whether foreign actors have sought to hold leverage over Trump or his family and associates, and whether anyone has sought to obstruct any of the relevant investigations. The committee interviewed Cohen in private on Thursday and will finish the interview this coming Wednesday. After Cohen left, Schiff announced that the committee will hold an open hearing later this month with Felix Sater, a Russia-born executive who worked with Cohen on an ultimately unsuccessful deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Schiff said told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that there are "any number of witnesses that can shed light on whether America's national security is compromised because the president has been pursuing financial interests with the Russians." ___ HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND REFORM COMMITTEE This committee was in the spotlight when Cohen testified publicly last Wednesday. The chairman, Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, said afterward that he wanted to call in several people mentioned repeatedly by Cohen. That could include Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg and possibly two of Trump's children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump. The committee's jurisdiction touches on all parts of government. On Friday, Cummings demanded that the White House turn over documents by Monday related to security clearances after The New York Times reported that the president ordered officials to grant his son-in-law Jared Kushner's clearance over the objections of security officials. Last Tuesday, the committee voted to subpoena administration officials over family separations at the southern border. The committee is also looking into other conflict of interest issues within the administration, including at Trump's hotel in Washington, and into prescription drug prices. ____ HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE The House Judiciary Committee would be in charge of impeachment, but the chairman, New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, first wants to examine Mueller's report, whenever it comes out. Nadler has helped lead the charge to pressure the Justice Department to release the full report to the public. On Sunday, Nadler announced that the committee will request documents Monday from more than 60 people from President Donald Trump's administration, family and business as it begins investigations. He said that would include officials from the Justice Department, Weisselberg of the Trump Organization and Donald Trump Jr. Nadler said on ABC's "This Week" that lawmakers would send the letters "to begin investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power." The committee has also called in the former acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, and plans to question him again in the coming weeks. Whitaker is a close Trump ally who had criticized the Mueller report before he was appointed. William Barr has since been confirmed as attorney general. ____ HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE The chairman, Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, is expected to eventually try to obtain Trump's tax returns, which the president has refused to release. But for now, Neal is taking it slow. The law says the treasury chief "shall furnish" the requested information to members of the committee for them to examine behind closed doors. But reality is more complicated, and the request could end up in a lengthy court battle between Congress and the administration. Last month, Neal held a hearing in which experts discussed the authority under current law for Neal to make a request for any tax returns to the treasury secretary. The hearing also examined proposals to compel presidents and presidential candidates to make years of their tax returns public. ____ HOUSE FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE The committee's head, California Rep. Maxine Waters, has focused on Deutsche Bank, the German asset management firm that has loaned Trump's real estate organization millions of dollars over the years. She said this past week that the bank is cooperating with requests for documents. The committee is working with Schiff, who along with Waters has said he wants to investigate whether Russians used laundered money for transactions with the Trump Organization. Trump's businesses have benefited from Russian investment over the years, and Schiff has said he wants to know whether "this is the leverage that the Russians have" over Trump. Waters said she is also interested in looking at Trump's embattled charitable foundation that is shutting down after agreeing to a court-supervised process and at White House budget director Mick Mulvaney's tenure at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She has said Mulvaney may be called to testify. ____ HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE The chairman, New York Rep. Eliot Engel, is also working with Schiff and his committee to review Trump's encounters with and connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including a private meeting between the two in Helsinki last year. Trump would not disclose the full details of what was said in their meeting. The two committees have worked with House lawyers to figure out the appropriate way to investigate that meeting. That could include getting information from a translator who attended. Engel has said that the committee will hold hearings "on the mysteries swirling around Trump's bizarre relationship with Putin and his cronies, and how those dark dealings affect our national security." The committee is also looking at the administration's policy toward Saudi Arabia and response to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 8, 2019 file photo, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., questions Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker as he appears before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Emboldened by their new majority, Democrats are undertaking several broad new investigations into President Donald Trump and setting the stage for a post-Robert Mueller world. Nadler has helped lead the charge to pressure the Justice Department to release the full report by Mueller to the public. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 file photo, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, talks to reporters after a day of interviewing Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democrats are undertaking several broad new investigations into President Trump and setting the stage for a post-Robert Mueller world. Schiff, said Republicans had prematurely closed the matter of Russian interference in the 2016 election without interviewing key witnesses and demanding important documents. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2018 file photo, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., ranking member of the Committee on Financial Services, walks through the basement of the Capitol as she leaves a Democratic Caucus meeting, in Washington. The committee is working with California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, who along with Waters has said he wants to investigate whether Russians used laundered money for transactions with the Trump Organization. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018 file photo, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, addresses an audience during a gathering of business leaders at a meeting of the New England Council at a hotel, in Boston. Chairman Neal is expected to eventually try to obtain Donald Trump's tax returns, which the president has refused to release. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) LONDON (AP) - The Dutch man who married a British teenager after she ran away to join the Islamic State group says he wants to return home to the Netherlands with Shamima Begum and their newborn son. Yago Riedijk, 27, told the BBC from a Kurdish-run detention center that he met Begum within days of her arrival in Syria when she was 15. He said in an interview aired Sunday that the marriage was "her own choice." When asked if marrying a 15-year-old was appropriate, he said: "To be honest, when my friend came and said there was a girl who was interested in marriage, I wasn't that interested because of her age, but I accepted the offer anyway." Riedijk says that while he fought for IS, he now rejects the group and tried to leave it. Begum fled east London with two other friends to travel to Syria to marry IS fighters in 2015 at a time when the group's online recruitment program lured many impressionable young people to its self-proclaimed caliphate. Begum, now 19, resurfaced at a refugee camp in Syria and recently told reporters she wanted to come home. But her apparent lack of remorse has triggered criticism in Britain and the family has expressed its own shock at her lack of repentance. FILE - This is a Monday Feb. 23, 2015 file handout image of a three image combo of stills taken from CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police Kadiza Sultana, left, Shamima Begum, centre and and Amira Abase going through security at Gatwick airport, before they caught their flight to Turkey. The Dutch man who married a British teenager after she ran away to join the Islamic State group says he wants to return home to the Netherlands with Shamima Begum and their newborn son. Yago Riedijk tells the BBC in an interview aired Sunday, March 3, 2019 from a Kurdish-run detention center that he met Begum within days of her arrival in Syria when she was 15. (Metropolitan Police via AP, file) Home Secretary Sajid Javid has revoked her citizenship - even while saying he wouldn't make a decision that would render a person stateless. Her family has insisted she isn't a dual citizen. The case will be argued in the courts. Although it's unclear if Begum has committed a crime, her comments - and those of her husband - throw into sharp relief larger questions about how Western societies will deal with others who joined IS, but want to return to their home countries now that the extremist group is on the verge of collapse. The Netherlands has declined to comment on individual cases. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip resumed a minor pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, known as the "umrah," on Sunday after nearly five years of an Egyptian ban. The first convoy of 800 Palestinians passed into Egypt through Gaza's Rafah crossing. Airplanes will carry the Palestinians from the Egyptian capital to Mecca, Islam's holiest city. "It's an incredible feeling, thank God for that. We have waited for this moment since 2014," said Fathia Abu Eita, a passenger on the Cairo-bound bus. Egypt halted the umrah program for Gazans in 2015 over instability in the northern Sinai that borders the Palestinian enclave, but still allowed transit for the main hajj pilgrimage. Egypt largely sealed off its border with Gaza when the Hamas militant group forcibly wrested control from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority in a 2007, after winning legislative elections a year earlier. As Cairo's relations improved with Hamas, Egypt started reopening the border more regularly last summer, in part pressured by Hamas' violent demonstrations against the crippling Egyptian-Israeli blockade. Over the past few years, Egypt's military has ratcheted up its battle against Islamist militants in the northern Sinai. Hamas has also restricted the movement of militants on its side of the border, helping to pacify the restive region and paving the way for the resumption of the umrah. CORRECTION: IT IS THE UMRA, OR MINOR PILGRIMAGE, NOT THE HAJJ - A Palestinian Muslim pilgrim waits for a bus en route to the Rafah border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt before leaving for the umrah, or minor pilgrimage, to the holy city of Mecca, in Gaza City, Saturday, March 2, 2019. Gazan residents resumed the umrah pilgrimage, that can be undertaken at any time of the year, after nearly five years of an Egyptian ban. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Palestinian officials said Egypt and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority had reached an agreement to permit the pilgrimage. CORRECTION: IT IS THE UMRA, OR MINOR PILGRIMAGE, NOT THE HAJJ - A Palestinian Muslim pilgrim hugs a relative before leaving for the umrah, or minor pilgrimage, to the holy city of Mecca, while waiting for a bus en route to Rafah border between Gaza Strip and Egypt, in Gaza City, Saturday, March 2, 2019. Gazan residents resumed the umrah pilgrimage, that can be undertaken at any time of the year, after nearly five years of an Egyptian ban. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) CAIRO (AP) - An Egyptian military appeals court on Sunday upheld a five-year sentence against the country's former auditor for disseminating false news about the military, his lawyer said. Hesham Genena can still challenge the ruling a final time at Egypt's highest military court of appeals, added Ali Taha. Genena was arrested in February last year following incendiary comments in which he claimed that the former chief-of-staff, Sami Annan, was in possession of documents incriminating the country's leadership. He said the documents were kept abroad. He was sentenced to five years in prison in April for insulting the armed forces. Annan himself was arrested in January shortly after he announced his intention to challenge President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in last year's election, which the president won with 97 percent of the vote. Genena led Egypt's top watchdog agency until el-Sissi fired him in 2016 following an investigation that concluded he had misled the public on the scale of government corruption. Genena said corruption had cost the country billions of dollars in 2015 alone. He later said he was misquoted. Genena had long been the target of criticism from pro-government media, well-connected businessmen and senior officials since he was appointed in 2012, but his massive corruption expose sparked a particular furor, with media branding him a traitor and closet supporter of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. FILE -- In this April 16, 2014 file photo, Hesham Genena, then head of Egypt's oversight body, poses for a portrait in front of pictures of his predecessors at his office in Cairo, Egypt. Ali Taha, an Egyptian lawyer, said Sunday, March 3, 2019, that a military appeals court has upheld a five-year sentence against Genena, the country's former auditor for disseminating false news against the military. Genena can still challenge the ruling a final time at Egypt's highest military court of appeals. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File) Egypt under el-Sissi has waged a massive crackdown on dissent since the 2013 overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi after mass protests against his one-year divisive rule. Authorities have since jailed thousands of Islamists as well as several prominent secular activists. Unauthorized protests are banned, and hundreds of websites, including those of independent media and rights groups, have been blocked. Most critics in the media have also been silenced and freedoms won by the 2011 uprising were rolled back. Authorities have also placed draconian restrictions on demonstrations and the work of rights groups. CAIRO (AP) - Egypt's top Muslim cleric has stirred up controversy after saying that polygamy is an "injustice" for women, but stopped short of calling for a ban on the practice. "Those who say that marriage must be polygamous are all wrong. We have to read the (Quranic) verse in full, said Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Al-Azhar's Grand Imam. He said that monogamy was the rule and polygamy a restricted exception. It is restricted in Islam and requires fairness and "if there is not fairness it is forbidden to have more than one wife," he said. Al-Tayeb said the practice came from "a lack of understanding of the Quran and the tradition of the Prophet" and it is "often an injustice to women and children." The Grand Imam also called for a broader revamp of how women's issues are addressed. "Women represent half of society. If we don't care for them it's like walking on one foot only," he said. His comments, aired Friday on state TV, sparked a heated debate on social media, with some siding with scholars calling for a ban on the practice and others mostly Salfi people encoring men to marry more than one woman. FILE - In this Aug. 8, 2011 file photo, Ahmed al-Tayeb, Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Egypt's top Muslim cleric, meets with Egyptian presidential candidate Mohamed El Baradei, in Cairo, Egypt. Al-Tayeb has stirred up controversy after saying that polygamy is an "injustice" for women. His comments, aired Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, on state TV said "those who say that marriage must be polygamous are all wrong." He said polygamy is restricted in Islam and requires fairness. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File) Egypt's National Council for Women welcomed al-Tayeb's comments. "Islam honors women, treats them fairly and gives them numerous rights which didn't exist before," said Maya Morsi, the council's chairwoman. Some users however argued that polygamy is good for women. "Polygamy is the social solution for (female) celibacy which has been horribly exacerbated," wrote Sameh Hamouda, a cleric from Alexandria, in a Facebook post. Al-Azhar sought on Saturday to clarify the comments, saying that al-Tayeb wasn't calling for a ban on polygamy. Islam allows men to take up to four wives on the condition that they're treated equally. Though polygamy is legal in most Arab and Islamic countries, the practice is uncommon. Regionally, polygamy is banned in Tunisia and Turkey, and for Arab Muslims in Israel. In Egypt, the husband must disclose his current marriage, or marriages, if he hopes to marry more. Also, the first wife has the right to request a divorce within one year of learning of a second marriage if she objects to it. In May 2018, lawmaker Abla el-Hawari drafted a bill to jail men who remarry without informing their current wife, or wives, in attempts to restrict and regulate polygamy in the most Arab populous country. NEW YORK (AP) - A debate over whether New York City should make a pioneering move to require paid vacation has both sides saying: Give me a break. Mayor Bill de Blasio wants New York to become the first place in the 50 states to make private businesses provide time off with pay . He casts the idea, which is awaiting City Council action, as a next frontier in workers' rights. His plan resonates with people like Barbara Vasquez, a former Manhattan retail worker who says she's struggled with health problems that exhausted any sick leave she accrued as a part-timer. The 25-year-old likes working and needed the money, but she said she quit after a little over a year to nurture her health. "Paid vacations would have helped," said Vasquez. "I actually think I would have been a much better employee because I wouldn't have been so burned out." But some city-based small business owners say paid vacation would pile on pressures after minimum wage increases and a paid sick leave requirement in recent years. Under the Democratic mayor's proposal, most businesses would have to give full-time workers at least 10 paid vacation days a year, pro-rated for part-timers, besides sick time. In this Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019 photo, Dawn Casale, founder of One Girl Cookies, poses for photos in her shop in the Dumbo neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York. Mayor Bill de Blasio wants New York to become the first place in the 50 states to make private businesses provide time off with pay. Employees at Casale's bakery get paid time off after five years, or if they're managers; others can arrange unpaid vacation, she said. "I would love to be able to provide vacation time to my employees ... but the reality of it is not whether or not we want to give it - it's whether we can give it," said Casale. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) "I would love to be able to provide vacation time to my employees ... but the reality of it is not whether or not we want to give it - it's whether we can give it," says Dawn Casale, the founder of One Girl Cookies, a Brooklyn bakery with three retail shops and about 40 employees. They get paid time off after five years, or if they're managers; others can arrange unpaid vacation, she said. Casale says she's not against the mayor's proposal but feels the city needs to help small businesses make ends meet, perhaps by helping them negotiate health insurance as a group. "You can't weather every storm," says Casale, who said she stopped searching for a fourth location because she doesn't find the city conducive to expanding her business. Many countries require paid vacation, as does the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. But labor law experts aren't aware of any similar laws within U.S. states. Still, about three-quarters of private-sector workers had the benefit as of 2017 , the latest federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Federal employees and most state and local government workers also get paid time off. An estimated 500,000 full- and part-time workers in New York City shops, restaurants and other businesses don't, city officials estimate. "They miss parent-teacher conferences, they miss school plays, they miss weddings, they miss family occasions, they miss funerals," de Blasio said in January. And "sometimes people just need a break," the mayor said. "You ever hear the phrase 'mental health day?'" Proposals for a paid vacation law have been floated in the Democrat-dominated City Council for five years, and Speaker Corey Johnson says he supports the concept. He said he's reviewing the mayor's plan, which would apply to all businesses with five or more employees, and monitoring a different version that's been introduced in the council. Eleven states and dozens of cities have passed paid sick leave laws in the last 13 years, though several other states blocked them. Advocates see paid vacation as a logical next step. "We shouldn't have to argue that people have more than one reason that they need time," said Ellen Bravo, director of Family Values @ Work, a national network of paid sick leave campaigns. They've pitched sick days partly as a public-health benefit: curbing contagion by encouraging ailing people to stay home. De Blasio acknowledged vacation doesn't have the same impact on the population at large. But he says it's "not a healthy society" when half a million New Yorkers can't take a personal day without taking a financial hit. Andrew Rigie says what's not healthy is the business climate for some members of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, an industry group he runs. Many restaurants have told the alliance they plan to cut jobs or workers' hours this year because of minimum wage hikes - they vary by business size and other factors - let alone any potential paid vacation requirement, Rigie says. "We're concerned that there may not be the types of opportunity that there have been for people" in a field traditionally accessible to immigrants, students and others, he said. The mayor questions the argument that paid vacations will cost jobs overall. He notes that similar arguments were made about the 2014 sick-leave law, but employment grew. The total number of jobs in New York City was up 11.8 percent over the five years that ended in December, compared to 9.4 percent in the nation as a whole. Vasquez, meanwhile, is feeling better and job-hunting with some help from the Retail Action Project, a workers' advocacy group. She says if she someday got a job with paid days off, she wouldn't use them lightly. "For me, vacations would be more for my health," she says. TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - Hundreds of workers at four General Motors plants slated to close by January are facing a painful choice: Take the company's offer to work at another factory - possibly hundreds of miles away - even if that means leaving behind their families, their homes and everything they've built. Or stay and risk losing their high-paying jobs. The automaker says nearly all of its blue-collar U.S. workers with jobs in jeopardy have work waiting for them. Many from the targeted factories in Michigan, Ohio and Maryland already have voluntarily transferred to plants in the Midwest and South, not wanting to take a chance. Others are still agonizing over the decision, unsure whether to sell their homes or hang onto hopes that their plants might reopen. The automaker says the changes announced in November are needed to cut costs and put money into new vehicles. The plant closings still must be negotiated with the union, giving workers a sliver of hope. ___ A CHESS MATCH FILE - In this Nov. 27, 2018, file photo, a banner depicting the Chevrolet Cruze model vehicle is displayed at the General Motors' Lordstown plant, in Lordstown, Ohio. GM employees in Lordstown and other factories in Michigan and Maryland that are targeted to close within a year say moving will force them to leave behind relatives, even their children, in some cases. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) Anthony Sarigianopoulos has put in 25 years at GM's plant in Lordstown, Ohio, where the last Chevrolet Cruze will roll off the assembly line sometime later this month. He has two sons in elementary school and an ex-wife he gets along with, and his parents are just down the street in the Youngstown suburb where he grew up. Sarigianopoulos, who checks and fixes cars at the end of the line, knows he is fortunate to have a shot at a job even if it's somewhere else - unlike most of the 8,000 white-collar employees GM is laying off and those who are losing jobs at the automaker's nearby parts suppliers. But he also doesn't want to move and miss out on ballgames and school concerts, knowing that his boys will be almost out of high school by the time he retires. Volunteering to leave now for another plant would also mean he couldn't come back if Lordstown reopened. But if he is forced to transfer once the plant closes, the option to return would still be open under his union contract. "That's part of the chess match," he said. So Sarigianopoulos, 48, filled a notebook with charts and graphs outlining the pros and cons of transferring. What he has decided for now - unless he's forced to transfer - is to stay and hope the plant will get a new vehicle to build. ___ CAR RIDE AWAY Andrea Repasky didn't have much of a choice. Even if it meant saying goodbye to her elderly parents, a niece she loves dearly, her favorite pizza place and her mom's wedding soup. She had to keep her job because she is a breast cancer survivor and runs the risk of the disease coming back. "I couldn't afford to let my health benefits run out," she said. So the 42-year-old team leader at the plant volunteered to leave the Youngstown area for a new job in Indiana, allowing her to stay closer to home instead of being shipped to a plant in Tennessee or Texas. "That was my goal, to be a car ride away if something, God forbid, happened to my family," she said. Repasky has been working for just over a month at GM's truck plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she shares an apartment with a friend who also transferred there. While she desperately misses her family and everything about her hometown, she said her decision was easier because she isn't married and has no children. Some coworkers moved without their children so that the youngsters could stay behind and finish the school year. "I cry when I think about it," Repasky said. "How do they explain to their kids that Mommy or Daddy is leaving and they'll see you on the weekends?" ___ SOMBER STUDENTS Tiffany Davis feels the stress of it all both at home and at the lone elementary school in Lordstown where she teaches fifth grade. The students know they will be saying goodbye to some of their classmates in a few months. That includes three out of the 18 in her class. "They aren't the spunky, lighthearted crew they were at the beginning of the year," said Davis, 35. She and her husband, who has worked on the GM assembly line 17 years, talk almost every night about what to do next. "It has taken over our lives, but how couldn't it?" Davis said. "It's draining, it's exhausting. No matter what decision we make, we're worried it will be the wrong thing." The couple decided not to take a transfer for now. But they are selling their house and moving with their two children into her mother-in-law's attic so they won't be paying for two homes if they are forced to go. They also canceled a summer vacation and cut out cable TV and pizza nights on Friday. "We're uprooting our entire lives right now because we don't have any answers," she said. "We know that no matter happens we will have to follow GM." ___ THE RIGHT DECISION Nearly two decades after founding the New Beginnings Outreach Ministries in Youngstown, Ohio, Melvin Trent stood before about 150 members of his church in early February and told them he was leaving. His wife, an engineer with GM, was being sent to its SUV plant in Arlington, Texas. "You could hear people crying throughout the congregation. One person said, 'It feels like when my mother died,'" he said. "For some, I've been the only pastor they've known." His wife already has moved, and he will join her after their son graduates from high school in May. "We've never been apart like this," he said. Trent, 55, who retired after 35 years with the automaker, said it was a "no-brainer" to accept the relocation but not an easy decision. "The first thing I did was go to the church, and I cried like a baby because I was leaving something I birthed and something I loved," he said. "But it was the right decision for our family." He added: "I'm leaving not my natural family but my church family." ___ Associated Press writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed. FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2018, file photo, snow covers the perimeter of the General Motors' Lordstown plant, in Lordstown, Ohio. GM employees in Lordstown and other factories in Michigan and Maryland that are targeted to close within a year say moving will force them to leave behind relatives, even their children, in some cases. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2010, file photo, an auto worker takes a picture of the first Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan to come off the assembly line at a ceremony inside the GM factory in Lordstown, Ohio. GM employees in Lordstown and other factories in Michigan and Maryland that are targeted to close within a year say moving will force them to leave behind relatives, even their children, in some cases. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File) In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, photo, Anthony Sarigianopoulos trains children and young adults at the Sluggers of Ohio gym in Youngstown, Ohio. Sarigianopoulos has put in 25 years at GM's plant in Lordstown, Ohio, where the last Chevrolet Cruze will roll off the assembly line soon. Sarigianopoulos, who checks and fixes cars at the end of the line, knows he is fortunate to have a shot at a job even if it's somewhere else, unlike most of the 8,000 white-collar employees GM is laying off and those who are losing jobs at the automaker's nearby parts suppliers. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, photo, Anthony Sarigianopoulos trains children and young adults at the Sluggers of Ohio gym, in Youngstown, Ohio. Sarigianopoulos, who checks and fixes cars at the end of the line, knows he is fortunate to have a shot at a job even if it's somewhere else, unlike most of the 8,000 white-collar employees GM is laying off and those who are losing jobs at the automaker's nearby parts suppliers. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, photo, Anthony Sarigianopoulos trains children and young adults at the Sluggers of Ohio gym, in Youngstown, Ohio. Sarigianopoulos, who checks and fixes cars at the end of the line, knows he is fortunate to have a shot at a job even if it's somewhere else, unlike most of the 8,000 white-collar employees GM is laying off and those who are losing jobs at the automaker's nearby parts suppliers. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) Pastor Melvin Trent, left, prays with a parishioner during a service at the New Beginnings Outreach Ministries, Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Youngstown, Ohio. Trent stood before about 150 members of his church in early February and told them he was leaving. His wife, an engineer with GM, was being sent to its SUV plant in Arlington, Texas. Trent, 55, who retired after 35 years with the automaker, said it was a "no-brainer" to accept the relocation but not an easy decision. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) ROME (AP) - The center-left governor of Rome's region was chosen in a primary Sunday to lead Italy's struggling Democratic Party and its bid to reverse slumping popularity. The party said Sunday night that Nicola Zingaretti, Lazio governor, won 65 percent to 70 percent of the more than 1.5 million ballots cast in a daylong primary. A complete tally wasn't immediately available. Zingaretti had the backing of several former center-left premiers, including Paolo Gentiloni and Romano Prodi. The party lost its five-year-old hold on government in 2018 national elections and has suffered from years of leadership infighting. As the new party secretary, Zingaretti will need to devise a strategy to woo back voters who defected to the populist 5-Star Movement, now Parliament's largest party. The Democrats are currently Parliament's largest opposition force. While governing for the first time, the 5-Star Movement's own leadership has seen internal divisions over policy. Opinion polls indicate the movement has been eclipsed in popularity by its partner in the governing coalition, the right-wing League. Democrats hope to capitalize on the populist government's failure to revive the economy and refusal to let migrants who are rescued at sea by humanitarian groups disembark in Italy. Democratic Party National Secretary candidate and current President of the Lazio Region Nicola Zingaretti casts his ballot in the vote for the primary elections of the Democratic Party, in Rome, Sunday, March 3 2019. (Angelo Carconi/ANSA via AP) On the eve of the Democratic Party primary, tens of thousands of people rallied against racism in Milan, Italy's financial capital. Many Italians fear intolerance and hatred or being fueled by the anti-migrant rhetoric of League leader Matteo Salvini, who serves as interior minister in the coalition government, and other public officials. Zingaretti's opponents were Maurizio Martina, a former agriculture minister, and Roberto Giachetti, a prominent Rome Democrat. This version corrects spelling to Martina. People line up to vote for a new Democratic Party secretary at a Democratic Party (PD) gazebo, in Rome, Sunday, March 3 2019. (Angelo Carconi/ANSA via AP) Former Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni casts his ballot in the vote for the primary elections of the Democratic Party, in Rome, Sunday, March 3 2019. (Angelo Carconi/ANSA via AP) People line up to cast their ballots to elect the new leader of the Italian Democratic Party, in Rome, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Rank-and-file Democrats in Italy were voting in a primary for a new leader, as the party tries to reverse slumping popularity. The balloting Sunday comes exactly a year after the badly squabbling Democratic Party leadership lost their hold on the government in national elections. (Angelo Carconi/ANSA via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has been to Europe, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Mexican border as part of his bid to land the job permanently. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was one of just two top advisers to join President Donald Trump for dinner with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. As acting environmental chief, Andrew Wheeler spent months advancing proposals to ease emission limits for power plants, cars, and oil and gas facilities before Trump nominated him to lead the agency for the long term. Trump opened his third year in office with a Cabinet that included an outsize number of secretaries and other advisers with "acting" in front of their titles, including the attorney general. Trump doesn't seem to mind, and the temporary job status has not kept these officials from diving into their jobs, representing the United States around the world and conducting business alongside the president. But good-government experts and others say it's important to install permanent people in top jobs to maintain stability. "Actings are not long-termers," said Paul Light, a federal government expert. Trump has had an acting defense secretary, chief of staff, budget director and ambassador to the United Nations since the beginning of the year. The Senate last week confirmed Wheeler to lead the Environmental Protection Agency after he spent seven months in an interim role, and Trump has nominated acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to head that department, where he's been serving in an interim role since December. William Barr is the new attorney general, after the post was filled for three months by Matthew Whitaker in an acting capacity. Trump says placeholder officials give him more "flexibility." But flexibility for what? Neither Trump nor the White House has fully explained. "My 'actings' are doing really great," Trump said earlier this year. "David (Bernhardt) is doing great at Interior. Mick Mulvaney is doing great as chief of staff. But I sort of like 'acting.' It gives me more flexibility. Do you understand that? I like 'acting.' So we have a few that are 'acting.' We have a great, great Cabinet." FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2019, file photo President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, in Washington, with from left, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, acting Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan. William Barr's confirmation as President Donald Trump's second attorney general cut the roster of "acting" Cabinet secretaries and White House officials by one, but some say too many "actings" are still on the job, most visibly at the Defense Department. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) He recently told a TV interviewer: "It's easier to make moves when they're acting." Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, which advocates for more efficiency in government, said having too many acting leaders creates "unbelievable uncertainty." Stier said people seek government employment not just to serve the president but to work for specific leaders. "People coming in might not know who their boss will be," he said. Turnover at the top can also make it harder to fill second- and third-string jobs. Trump is also known to quickly turn on aides he once praised, which has contributed to high levels of turnover inside the White House and throughout the government. Two years into his four-year term, Trump is already on his third national security adviser and third White House chief of staff. Several Cabinet secretary slots, including at the State, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs departments, also turned over in Trump's first two years. And it isn't just the top jobs Trump has had difficulty filling. Some second- and third-tier jobs are also vacant, including the deputy secretary positions at the Homeland Security and Housing and Urban Development departments. Trump has left scores of other positions throughout government unfilled in favor of a leaner bureaucracy. He has signaled that he is in no rush to replace his "acting" secretaries, perhaps viewing them as more inclined to support him, especially if they hope to land the jobs permanently. "Given how quickly Trump sours on the people who work for him, this approach gives him flexibility to decide how long he wants these officials around," said Chris Lu, who was the White House Cabinet secretary under President Barack Obama. "It also keeps people on their toes and ensures loyalty." Light, a professor at New York University's school of public service, said the law limits the amount of time an "acting" official can serve to about seven months. He said it gives presidents flexibility to get someone into a job quickly and also replace that official quickly with a Senate-confirmed candidate, rather than hold jobs open for indefinite periods of time. Light added that "actings" often aren't viewed as having the same level of authority as a Cabinet secretary who has been approved by the Senate. Shanahan, who was the deputy defense secretary, has had the "acting" job since Jan. 1. It remains unclear whether Trump will nominate Shanahan to succeed Jim Mattis, who resigned over policy disagreements with Trump, or ultimately pick another candidate. That leaves the Pentagon with an acting secretary for just the third time in its history, and for the first time since 1989. Trump has publicly praised Shanahan, who used a recent Oval Office appearance to return the compliment. As Trump prepared to sign papers directing the Pentagon to create a new military branch dedicated to space, a Trump idea that Shanahan supports, the president yielded the floor to Shanahan. "This is a historic moment," he told Trump. ___ AP National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report. ___ Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House national security adviser on Sunday described President Donald Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a success despite the lack of an agreement providing for verifiable dismantling of the North's nuclear sites. John Bolton, in three television interviews, tried to make the case that Trump advanced America's national security interests by rejecting a bad agreement while working to persuade Kim to take "the big deal that really could make a difference for North Korea." The U.S. and North Korea have offered contradictory accounts of why last week's summit in Vietnam broke down, though both pointed to American sanctions as a sticking point. However, in a tweet Sunday night, Trump offered another possibility. He appeared to cast criticism at Democrats for holding a congressional hearing with his former lawyer Michael Cohen while he was in sensitive negotiations overseas. "For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the "walk." Never done when a president is overseas. Shame!" Trump tweeted. In new show appearances, Bolton said the leaders left on good terms and that Trump made an important point to North Korea and other countries that negotiate with him. FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi. Trump said he walked away from his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because Kim demanded the U.S. lift all of its sanctions, a claim that North Korea's delegation called a rare news conference in the middle of the night to deny. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File) "He's not desperate for a deal, not with North Korea, not with anybody if it's contrary to American national interests," Bolton said. Bolton also sought to explain Trump's comments about taking Kim's word about Otto Warmbier, the American college student who was held prisoner in North Korea, then sent home in a vegetative state. Trump said he didn't believe Kim knew about or would have allowed what happened to Warmbier. "He tells me that he didn't know about it, and I will take him at his word," Trump said at a news conference last week. Bolton said Trump's "got a difficult line to walk to" in negotiating with North Korea. "It doesn't mean that he accepts it as reality. It means that he accepts that's what Kim Jong Un said," Bolton said. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., a close Trump ally, broke with the president. "I think Kim knew what happened, which was wrong," McCarthy said. Some have been critical for Trump letting Kim stand with him on the world stage given North Korea's poor human rights record. Kim will be able to portray himself to his people and supporters as the charismatic head of a nuclear-armed power, not an international pariah that starves its citizens so it can build weapons. But Bolton said that Trump's view is that he "gave nothing away." Asked whether that was his view, too, Bolton replied: "The president's view is he gave nothing away. That's what matters, not my view." Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, summarized the summit as a "spectacular failure" made all the worse by Trump's comments on "murder of an American citizen, Otto Warmbier." "This is, I think, the result of a president who is not prepared for these kind of negotiations, a staff that is not well-prepared and that is essentially flying by the seat of its pants, and it has real-world consequences," Schiff said. "Those reactors continue to spin on, producing more material that can threaten us and our allies," said Schiff, D-Calif. Bolton said Trump has "turned traditional diplomacy on its head, and after all in the case of North Korea, why not? Traditional diplomacy has failed in the last three administrations." An example of that non-traditional diplomacy was formally unveiled Sunday when South Korea and the U.S. announced they would not conduct massive springtime military drills and were replacing them with smaller exercises. They described it as an effort to support diplomacy aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. "The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed," Trump tweeted Sunday. "That was my position long before I became President. Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!" Bolton spoke on "Fox News Sunday," CNN's "State of the Union" and CBS's "Face the Nation." McCarthy was on ABC's "This Week," and Schiff was on CBS. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019, in Hanoi. At front right is Kim Yong Chol, a North Korean senior ruling party official and former intelligence chief. At left is national security adviser John Bolton. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - What do you do if you share a name with one of the most prominent defendants in the special counsel's investigation into Russia? Paul Manafort's daughter decided to change her name . Leaders of New Britain, Connecticut, considered renaming Paul Manafort Drive, a street named after his father. At Manafort Brothers Inc., a family-owned New England construction firm, they are defending the Manafort name and legacy while distancing themselves from their cousin, Trump's former campaign chairman who was recently blasted by prosecutors for years of lies and lawbreaking. The Manafort name has been a familiar one in New England politics and business for decades, creating a predicament for the family as the 69-year-old former attorney is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. Manafort Brothers is one of New England's best known construction companies. Its name pops up alongside highways, at hotel construction sites and on heavy equipment used to dig holes or tear down buildings. After 9/11, Manafort Brothers helped remove what was left of the World Trade Center buildings. A recent press release touting Manafort Brothers' 100th anniversary boasts that the company "is still led by the strong moral and business ethics of the Manafort family," a line that raises eyebrows among some who have followed the family history. In this April 4, 2018 file photo, Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, leaves the federal courthouse in Washington. Members of the Manafort family who run the Connecticut-based Manafort Brothers Inc. construction company are defending their family name while distancing themselves from Paul Manafort Jr., who is facing sentencing this month for financial crimes and illegal lobbying. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) The company says Paul Manafort's criminal issues have nothing to do with the firm and that business has not been affected by the prosecution. Paul Manafort has never worked at the company and has no ownership in it, according to President Jim Manafort Jr. "I could almost count on one hand how many times somebody has asked me what the relationship is," he said. Manafort was convicted of tax and bank fraud charges in Virginia, where he'll be sentenced Thursday. He's set to be sentenced again March 13 in Washington after pleading guilty to illegally lobbying on behalf of Ukrainian political interests. In a sentencing memo in the Washington case, prosecutors accused Manafort of brazen violations of the law, including witness tampering and perjury even after being indicted. Manafort, 69, asked for leniency but faces decades in prison. Paul's grandfather, James, founded the construction business as a demolition firm - New Britain House Wrecking Company - after coming to the U.S. from Italy in the early 1900s. The family says its original name in Italy was Manaforte, which translates to strong hand. Paul Manafort's father, Paul Sr., later took over the company with three of his brothers. Paul Sr. was a Republican mayor of the old mill town of New Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, then appointed to jobs in state and federal government. Articles from the New Britain Herald and The Hartford Courant between the 1960s and 1980s detail a complicated legacy for Paul Sr., who was linked to numerous scandals, some involving the family business. After his name emerged in the investigation of a job-fixing scheme, he acknowledged to the Courant that he had a colorful political career. "I'm good copy," Paul Sr. told the paper in 1980, the same year his son founded the Washington lobbying firm Black, Manafort and Stone. Paul Sr. was eventually charged with two counts of perjury, which he denied and which were ultimately dropped. He died in 2013. These days, Manafort Brothers employs 700 people, Jim Manafort said. It is based in Plainville, Connecticut, with offices in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. When a fight emerged last year in New Britain over an effort to rename Paul Manafort Drive, eight Manaforts wrote a letter on Manafort Brothers letterhead opposing the change. They called Paul Sr. a family patriarch and said he had helped build the company and its "sterling reputation." They distanced Paul Jr.'s actions from the legacy of his father, calling them "wholly unrelated." The Republican mayor, Erin Stewart, ultimately vetoed a resolution by the Common Council to change the street name to Ebenezer D.C. Bassett Way, after the first African-American to graduate from what is now Central Connecticut State University. The company has had some more recent trouble with the law. In 2014, it agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine and implement internal reforms to settle federal criminal and civil investigations into allegations that it lied about using a minority subcontractor on a $40 million highway project in Connecticut. Jim Manafort said the company doesn't believe it intentionally did anything wrong. "There were some policies that were questionable. In the end, we had to settle it because it didn't make sense to keep arguing over it," he said. He highlighted the family's good works through a foundation that distributes more than $100,000 annually to the community, and said they are proud of the name and their accomplishments. Pat Karwoski, 77, a New Britain native and retired nurse who fought to change the street name, said when she sees the Manafort Brothers name, it embarrasses her. She said it seems to her that some family members have done good philanthropic work, but its assertion that it's known for morals and ethics is not true. "They may all be good people, but they cannot deny what their history is," she said. Customers appeared unfazed by the connection. The developers of a hotel in downtown Providence where Manafort Brothers recently worked as a subcontractor said they were happy with their work. "As long as their price came in good and they give you quality," said developer Joe Paolino, a former Democratic mayor of Providence and ambassador to Malta under President Bill Clinton. "That's what I care about in business." Manafort's daughter, Jessica, wants nothing to do with the family name. A Hollywood director, she changed her name to Jess Bond last year, telling the New York Post she sought the change "to separate myself and my work from a public perception that has nothing to do with the person that I am." The credits for her most recent project, a romantic thriller called "Rosy," make no mention of the name Manafort. ___ Collins reported form New Britain and Plainville, Connecticut. This Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 photo, shows the headquarters of Manafort Brothers Inc., in Plainville, Conn. Members of the Manafort family who run the Connecticut-based construction company are defending their family name while distancing themselves from Paul Manafort Jr., the former campaign manager for President Donald Trump who is facing sentencing this month for financial crimes and illegal lobbying. (AP Photo/Dave Collins) In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 photo, a piece of heavy construction equipment from Manafort Brothers, Inc., sits idle at a construction site in Providence, R.I. Members of the Manafort family who run the Connecticut-based construction company are defending their family name while distancing themselves from Paul Manafort Jr., the former campaign manager for President Donald Trump who is facing sentencing this month for financial crimes and illegal lobbying. (AP Photo/Michelle R. Smith) In this Feb. 28, 2019 photo, employees work at the headquarters of Manafort Brothers Inc., in Plainville, Conn. Members of the Manafort family who run the Connecticut-based construction company are defending their family name while distancing themselves from Paul Manafort Jr., the former campaign manager for President Donald Trump who is facing sentencing this month for financial crimes and illegal lobbying. (AP Photo/Dave Collins) CAIRO (AP) - Britain's foreign secretary is waring of a collapse of peace deals in Yemen, saying that "we are now in the last chance saloon." Jeremy Hunt made his comments on Sunday during a visit to the southern city of Aden, the first to Yemen by a Western foreign minister since the start of the conflict in 2015. He says the peace process in Yemen "could be dead within weeks if we do not see both sides sticking to their commitments in Stockholm." Yemen's internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels agreed to a cease-fire in Hodeida in December, as well as a prisoner exchange that has yet to take place. Both sides have traded accusations of hindering the deals. Yemen has been embroiled in a stalemated war since March 2015. WILLOW, Alaska (AP) - Joar Leifseth Ulsom may not be flashy or brash, but he has sled cred. The quiet, unassuming 32-year-old defending champion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race leads the field of 52 mushers hoping to be the first to reach Alaska's western coast after a thousand-mile (1,600-kilometer) trek across the wilderness. Most of the contestants are Americans, but the lineup also features international mushers: two from Norway, including Ulsom; four from Canada; and one each from Sweden and France. Their quest officially began Sunday when the mushers took off from a frozen lake about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Anchorage. A ceremonial start designed to be a fan-friendly experience was held Saturday in downtown Anchorage. The winner is expected in Nome, an old Gold Rush town on Alaska's Bering Sea coast, in about nine days. The Iditarod seems to go in streaks. Lance Mackey in 2007 won his first of four straight before health problems began to set in. Two years after Mackey's run, the Seavey legacy took hold, with mushers Mitch and his son, Dallas, combining to win the next six races. Defending champion Joar Leifseth Ulsom is greeted by local fan Ole Andersson during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Ulsom broke the Seaveys' string last year. If that came as a shock to anyone, they weren't paying attention to his career. His worst Iditarod finish was seventh place in 2013, his rookie year. Since then, he's had two sixth place finishes and a couple of fourths. It's all part of his strategy. "Basically since I came to Alaska, I kind of had a good plan," he said. He tweaks it little by little every year, but he hasn't made any wholesale changes to his training now that he's the defending champion. What has changed for the musher living in Willow, Alaska's dog-mushing capital, was the instant fame his victor status granted him, not only in Alaska but in his Norway. "It's definitely been a bigger deal winning the race than I thought it was going to be," he said. Ulsom traveled to Norway twice last summer for dog symposiums where his victory was celebrated alongside those of other winter athletes. Norway won the most medals at last year's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. There is "definitely a lot of pride in Norway from the Olympics and for me winning the race because mushing, I think, is second to Alaska in popularity," he said. "It's a big deal in Norway, and they have some good races over there." But he promises it hasn't changed him or gone to his head. "It was a lot of fun, and people are excited and stuff, but nothing crazy," he said. "I'm still just a normal goofball." One of Norway's big sled dog races is the Finnmarkslopet, which starts about a week after the Iditarod. Ulsom said it draws mushers from across Europe, but for the second year in a row, it has one of the top American mushers. Four-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey took his team to Norway last year in protest after Iditarod officials said some of his dogs tested positive in 2017 for an opioid painkiller, an allegation he adamantly denied. New members were later placed on the Iditarod's governing board, and they reversed the decision, clearing Seavey of any wrongdoing. Yet Seavey chose to race again this year in Norway, telling The Associated Press he had unfinished business there after placing third last year. He said he would eventually return to the Alaska race. The Iditarod has suffered other recent setbacks, many related to the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals pressuring national sponsors to drop the race. When national sponsors drop out, smaller Alaska-based companies fill the void, but the race has been hurt financially. The winning musher will earn about $50,000 and a new pickup, the same as last year. But it's down about $20,000 from the winner's purse in 2017. The total purse this year is again $500,000 - about $250,000 below the 2017 purse. Ulsom calls the PETA activism "kind of ridiculous when you start looking into it," adding that mushers take "exceptional" care of the dogs and use them for what they're meant to be used for. "These dogs have it in them that they want to run, and so that's what they're bred and meant do, and they love it," he said. Iditarod rookie Richie Beattie, left, looks ahead as he greets a fan on the trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) FILE - In this March 14, 2018, file photo, Joar Leifseth Ulsom, of Norway is interviewed after winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska. Alaska's famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race kicks off this weekend. Defending champion Ulsom and 51 other mushers officially begin the competitive portion of the Iditarod race on Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Willow, north of Anchorage. The race across Alaska's wilderness will take about nine days before the winner reaches the famed burled arch in downtown Nome. (AP Photo/Diana Haecker, File) Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protest prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Past Iditarod champion Mitch Seavey signs an autograph for fan Rick Kelly prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race defending champion Joar Ulsom, of Norway, talks to fans before the ceremonial start of this year's race Saturday, March 2, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. Ulsom and 51 other mushers will officially start the race Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen Iditarod rookie Richie Beattie greets fans on the trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod musher Mishi Konno runs his team along the trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Rookie Victoria Hardwick's team leads the way through cheering fans during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Defending champion Joar Lefseth Ulsom runs his team down Fourth Ave during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Defending Iditarod champion Joar Lefseth Ulsom, of Norway, greets fans on the trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod musher Ryan Redington, left, loses his assistant as he rounds a turn during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod musher Ed Hopkins visits while team dog Dougall peers out of his truck box prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod veteran Aliy Zirkle runs down her team down Fourth Ave. during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser runs down Fourth Ave. during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) FILE - In this March 3, 2018, file photo, Eagle River, Alaska musher Tom Schonberger's lead dogs trot along Fourth Avenue during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska. The world's foremost sled dog race kicks off its 47th running this weekend on Saturday, March 2, 2019, as organizers and competitors strive to push past a punishing two years for the image of the sport. Some of the drama has been resolved for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen, File) Anchorage residents, from left, Waino Salo, Lorene Grant and Richard Zeigler pose in front a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protest prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) A native dance group performs prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) FILE - In this March 2, 2014, file photo, musher Nathan Schroeder drives his dog team down the trail just after the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Willow, Alaska. The world's foremost sled dog race kicks off its 47th running this weekend on Saturday, March 2, 2019, as organizers and competitors strive to push past a punishing two years for the image of the sport. Some of the drama has been resolved for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. (Bob Hallinen/Anchorage Daily News via AP, File) FILE - In this March 3, 2018, file photo, Anchorage resident Terry Fischer, with his Alaskan Husky Litho, happens into the People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) protest prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska. The world's foremost sled dog race kicks off its 47th running this weekend on Saturday, March 2, 2019, as organizers and competitors strive to push past a punishing two years for the image of the sport. Some of the drama has been resolved for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen, File) FILE - In this March 3, 2018, file photo, defending Iditarod champion Mitch Seavey rounds a turn during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska. The world's foremost sled dog race kicks off its 47th running this weekend as organizers and competitors strive to push past a punishing two years for the image of the sport. Some of the drama has been resolved for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen, File) CARTER LAKE, Iowa (AP) - Some 150 years after suffering the loss of its homeland at the hands of the U.S. government, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is celebrating a triumph with the opening of a casino intended to secure a stream of revenue for the long-struggling tribe. The only thing standing in its way? An effort by governments in Iowa and Nebraska that seeks to strip it of the casino. "It's the same fight, all these years after it began," said Ponca Tribal Chairman Larry Wright. The $10 million Prairie Flower Casino opened in November with 200 slot-style machines after the National Indian Gaming Commission approved the tribe's casino license a year earlier, some 10 years after the tribe began its effort to open the casino. It's far from a novelty in the area: Three much larger casinos are just a few miles away, also in western Iowa. Yet the casino's location is central to the opposition to it, including lawsuits from the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and the states of Iowa and Nebraska. Unlike most other tribal casinos, the Prairie Flower wasn't built on a reservation. The Ponca Tribe - forced in the 1870s by the U.S. government to leave its homeland along the Missouri River in Nebraska River - has no reservation. The U.S. government terminated the tribe in the 1960s and took its remaining land as part of a policy that sought to abolish reservations and assimilate Native Americans into mainstream American society. The tribe regained its federal recognition in 1990, and most of its 4,500 members are spread over 15 counties in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. Its casino sits on a 5-acre (2-hectare) lot that the tribe bought 20 years ago in Carter Lake, the only Iowa city on the western side of the Missouri River, which otherwise separates Nebraska and Iowa. Carter Lake had originally been on the east side of the river, but thanks to shifting and flooding in the late 1800s, it's now surrounded by the city of Omaha - the largest city in Nebraska, whose constitution expressly forbids casinos. In this Feb. 14, 2019 photo, patrons play the slot-style machines at the Ponca Tribe's Prairie Flower Casino in Carter Lake, Iowa. Some 150 years after suffering the loss of tribal lands and near-extinction at the hands of the U.S. government, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is celebrating a triumph with the opening of a casino intended to secure a stream of revenue for the long-struggling tribe, but is fighting to keep it open in the face of lawsuits by officials in Nebraska and Iowa. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) "The practical result," Nebraska's lawsuit states, "is that Carter Lake is accessible only by traveling through Nebraska, and more specially, through Omaha, which is Nebraska's most populous and densely populated metropolitan area." The Prairie Flower is essentially in the heart of Omaha, just blocks from the city's downtown and a mile (1.6 kilometers) from its airport. The lawsuits fault the National Indian Gaming Commission's decision to license the Prairie Flower, saying the tribe misrepresented its intentions when it initially announced plans for a health center on the lot. But the underlying opposition in Iowa isn't hard to track: It comes down to money and a perceived tug-of-war for patrons such as Helen Syfie, 73, of Omaha, who recently stopped in to play the slots at the Prairie Flower. She said she "couldn't wait" for the Carter Lake casino to open, but she also said she'll still cross the river to go to the Council Bluffs casinos. "There's plenty of business to go around," she said. "All of them have their own advantages. I really don't think it's going to take anything away from the Council Bluffs casinos." Iowa officials aren't convinced. State and local officials don't want to give up any share of the millions in taxes, fees and endowment funds Council Bluffs' three casinos produce. In 2017, that public money came to nearly $95 million, according to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, and a large chunk comes from Nebraska residents. A 2013 study ordered by the commission found Nebraska residents spent nearly $327 million at Iowa casinos, one-quarter of revenues for the state. "Our early estimates are that the state of Iowa could lose $30 million in state gaming tax revenue, and we could lose another million in taxes and fees a year locally," said Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsch. "Council Bluffs casinos could, eventually, stand to lose 350 jobs." Pat Loontjer, director of anti-gambling nonprofit Gambling With The Good Life, is among those in Omaha fighting to see the Ponca casino shut down. "The cost to the state will be in the millions when you consider the bankruptcies, embezzlements, increased crime and families torn apart by gambling addiction," she said. Wright, the tribe chairman, noted that about 80 of the casino's 100 employees are not tribe members. He also said the tribe is paying $750,000 annually to Carter Lake to offset any safety and infrastructure costs to the city. "We feel confident in our position," he said. "Regardless to people's opposition to gaming as a whole, it's doing exactly what it was intended to do: Improve support for our services and our people." Syfie said she hopes the tribe is allowed to keep the casino. "They worked so long to get it," she said. "Now they're having to work to keep it." In this Feb. 14, 2019 photo, slot-style machines are seen beyond the entrance door to the Ponca Tribe's Prairie Flower Casino in Carter Lake, Iowa. Some 150 years after suffering the loss of tribal lands and near-extinction at the hands of the U.S. government, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is celebrating a triumph with the opening of a casino intended to secure a stream of revenue for the long-struggling tribe, but is fighting to keep it open in the face of lawsuits by officials in Nebraska and Iowa. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) In this Feb. 14, 2019, a vehicle is parked outside the Ponca Tribe's Prairie Flower Casino in Carter Lake, Iowa. Some 150 years after suffering the loss of tribal lands and near-extinction at the hands of the U.S. government, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is celebrating a triumph with the opening of a casino intended to secure a stream of revenue for the long-struggling tribe, but is fighting to keep it open in the face of lawsuits by officials in Nebraska and Iowa. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) In this Feb. 14, 2019 photo, Terry Christensen of Carter Lake, Iowa, center, plays the slots at the Ponca Tribe's Prairie Flower Casino in Carter Lake, Iowa. Some 150 years after suffering the loss of tribal lands and near-extinction at the hands of the U.S. government, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is celebrating a triumph with the opening of a casino intended to secure a stream of revenue for the long-struggling tribe, but is fighting to keep it open in the face of lawsuits by officials in Nebraska and Iowa. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - More than seven months after residents first noticed a fire at an illegal dumping site in northwest Arkansas, it's still smoldering, sending noxious smoke throughout the town and seeping into homes, with costs to extinguish the fire estimated at tens of millions of dollars. Chris Nelson, 40, lives with his wife and 4-year-old son in a house that's a little more than 1000 feet (305 meters) from the shuttered dumping site. He said his family has experienced a persistent cough since the blaze started, his wife has been diagnosed with bronchitis and his son has been on multiple rounds of antibiotics. "I'm a veteran and this is probably one of the worst, most stressful situations to live in," Nelson said. "It's been hell." The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality have been monitoring the air around the site, and most of the readings have come back at "good" or "moderate" levels. But one EPA reading in December came back with an "unhealthy" level, prompting the Arkansas Department of Health to issue a health alert, warning residents to "avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors," including "running, playing or yardwork." The fire burning at least 70 feet (21 meters) underground in this community of about 28,500 people some 170 miles (2.74 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock has raised questions about how and why the dump operated without a state license for several years. No one is sure how the underground fire started at the illegal dumping site in the northwest Arkansas community of Bella Vista, though city officials suspect a small brush fire ignited debris below ground. At least two lawsuits have been filed against former and current owners of the 4.75-acre (1.9-hectare) plot of land, as well as the Bella Vista Property Owners Association, which shuttered the dump in 2016 before the owner sold it to a tree trimming and disposal service early last year. The association began leasing the site in January 2004 from the storage company that owned it. The association allowed residents to dispose of brush, wood and other organic materials in it. The state says the site never should have been operating as a dump of any kind. But state inspectors and contractors say it's clear non-organic items such as car batteries, wiring, swimming pool liners were dumped there at some point, complicating efforts to put out the blaze and clean up the mess. FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2019 file photo, staff from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality install a meteorological station to record wind speed and direction at the former stump dump site in Bella Vista, Ark. The underground fire at the illegal dumping site in northwest Arkansas has been smoldering for at least seven months, sending noxious smoke throughout the community, with costs to extinguish it estimated in the tens of millions. The fire, which started in July is beneath dozens of feet of waste and dirt in a former dump intended for tree limbs and stumps. (Ben Goff/The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File) The original owners and the current owners did not return messages for comment. The Bella Vista Property Owners Association declined to answer questions about legality of the site. After the association closed the dump in 2016, it was capped with soil and vegetation, said Kim Carlson, director of marketing for the association. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality said it could not answer questions about why the dump stayed open after an inspector went to the site in 2008 in response to a complaint that cement mixer drums from Bella Vista's developer had been dumped there. The mixers were removed, according to local news reports. Last July, residents began to notice what they thought was a brush fire and reported the smoke to the state. Inspectors visited the site in early August and the Department of Environmental Quality sent warning letters to the current and former owners. But the state and federal government didn't start monitoring air quality until November, after frustrated residents began to complain of respiratory problems and fears of decreased property values. Kelly Strain, 56, lives less than 800 feet (244 meters) from the edge of the shuttered dumping site. He said the fire initially produced smoke that smelled like wood burning in a campfire. But within a few months, that changed. "The smell started to be pungent, toxic smelling. Really disgusting," he said. "If you were outside and the wind was coming this way, you actually had to get back inside." State officials and contractors in January began preparation for cleanup. Extinguishing the blaze is more complicated than just dumping water on it, said department spokeswoman Donnally Davis. Air pockets and various vents are interspersed between layers of dumped material compacted under dirt and more waste. Even flooding the site could leave small fires burning. Plus runoff could contaminate a nearby lake or seep into the groundwater. The exact cost to put out the fire and get rid of the waste is unknown. Davis said estimates so far have ranged from $15 million to $37 million. State lawmakers are considering a $20 million appropriation to help. State Sen. Jim Hendren, a Republican whose district includes Bella Vista, said he anticipates the bill will "move fairly quickly" through the Legislature. U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, all Republicans, wrote a letter Tuesday to the EPA asking for "any and all options from which the state may receive financial assistance." Meanwhile, residents are growing weary. "People need help," Nelson said. "It's been going on for seven months and it doesn't look like there's an end in sight any time soon." In this Friday, March 1, 2019 photo provided by Apex Visual Solutions smoke rises from an underground fire at an illegal dumping site in Bella Vista, Ark. The fire, which started in July, is beneath dozens of feet of waste and dirt in a former dump intended for tree limbs and stumps. It has been smoldering for at least seven months, sending noxious smoke throughout the community, with costs to extinguish it estimated in the tens of millions. (C. Nelson/Apex Visual Solutions via AP) This March 1, 2019 photo provided by Apex Visual Solutions shows an underground fire at an illegal dumping site in Bella Vista, Ark. The fire, which started in July, is beneath dozens of feet of waste and dirt in a former dump intended for tree limbs and stumps. It has been smoldering for at least seven months, sending noxious smoke throughout the community, with costs to extinguish it estimated in the tens of millions. (C. Nelson/Apex Visual Solutions via AP) In this Friday, March 1, 2019 photo provided by Apex Visual Solutions smoke rises from an underground fire at an illegal dumping site in Bella Vista, Ark. The fire, which started in July, is beneath dozens of feet of waste and dirt in a former dump intended for tree limbs and stumps. It has been smoldering for at least seven months, sending noxious smoke throughout the community, with costs to extinguish it estimated in the tens of millions. (C. Nelson/Apex Visual Solutions via AP) NEW YORK (AP) - States across the Northeast are preparing for a snowstorm that could disrupt Monday morning commutes. A winter storm warning is in effect until 7 a.m. Monday in New York City, the lower Hudson Valley, northeastern New Jersey, and southwest and coastal Connecticut. The storm dropped several inches of snow on the Midwest and is expected to layer 5 to 8 inches (13 to 20 centimeters) on much of the Northeast, with northern New England anticipating up to 10 inches. The Federal Aviation Administration was reporting delays at Newark International Airport in New Jersey averaging 2 hours as of Sunday evening. Philadelphia International Airport was experiencing delays of just under an hour, the administration reported. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency for all 21 counties, where the National Weather Service is predicting 4 to 8 inches (13 to 20 centimeters) of snow. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio says schools will be closed Monday and alternate side parking has been suspended Monday and Tuesday. Many other schools in the Northeast have canceled classes. "We are advising all New Yorkers to avoid all unnecessary travel and stay off the roads. If you must travel, use mass transit," New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito said. In Pennsylvania, forecasters warned that travel "could be very difficult" with snowfall rates of up to an inch an hour between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Sunday. Forecasters expected as much as 7 inches (18 centimeters) in parts of Lancaster and York counties with 3 to 6 inches elsewhere in parts of central and northeastern Pennsylvania, and several inches in western Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania Turnpike announced restrictions on commercial vehicles. Mark Foley loads up his car on Sunday, March 3, 2019, after staying at his nephew's house over the weekend to enjoy the Mardi Gras festivities in St. Louis, Mo. "This is the second year in a row," Foley said referencing the snow following last year's Mardi Gras parade in St Louis. The National Weather Service is predicting two to four inches of snow with wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour through Sunday in the St. Louis area. (Colter Peterson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) Up to 8 inches (15 centimeters) of snow had fallen in parts of far western Kansas by Sunday morning. But most areas of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois that were within the path of the storm had gotten no more than a few inches of snow. Forecasters warned that the Midwest could see bitter cold after the storm, as an arctic air mass moves into the central U.S. The National Weather Service said wind chills could drop below minus-20 (-28 Celsius) in eastern Nebraska on Monday morning. Johnson & Johnson, the world's biggest maker of health care products, wants to prevent people from getting sick - or at least stop diseases before they cause harm. Its "World Without Disease" initiative and related projects aim to prevent or cure diseases such as lung and blood cancers and juvenile diabetes. They're run by the New Brunswick, New Jersey, company's head of external innovation, Dr. William Hait, who also oversees augmenting in-house research by licensing science and technology from other companies - or buying them. Hait discussed this recently with The Associated Press. Answers have been edited for clarity and length. Q: What led you to start World Without Disease? A: The origins began from my experience as a medical oncologist taking care of patients, then moving into the pharmaceutical business. Patients asked, "What could I have done to prevent this?" I wanted to see if there were disease processes that could be interrupted. Q: What were the goals? In this undated image provided by Johnson & Johnson Dr. William Hait poses for a photo. Hait, head of external research at health giant Johnson & Johnson, aims for a 'World Without Disease' with projects to prevent diseases, cure them early on. (Johnson & Johnson via AP) A: We wanted to focus on prevention, intercepting the disease-causing process, or diagnosing the disease so early that it could be cured. Q: How do you decide which conditions to pursue? A: It has to be a serious disease. You have to be able to define a population at very high risk, and the underlying biology. Then you have to have an intervention, say a drug, that you suspect would be not only effective, but safe, because remember these people don't have a disease. Q: The first project involves "smoldering myeloma." This condition precedes a type of blood cancer, multiple myeloma, that your drug Darzalex treats. Why pursue this? How's it going? A: We had a precursor where patients are at very high risk (for a fatal cancer) and would be willing to be in a clinical trial, and we had a very good drug in Darzalex. It's still in clinical trials, but so far, so good. Q: Another project involves trying to prevent Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes. J&J and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation are partnering, and Finland's government may participate. Why greenlight this? A: You can predict with some certainty which children will go on to develop Type 1 diabetes by the antibodies in their blood. There are certain countries like Finland where the incidence of Type 1 diabetes is so high that children are actually tested. We had a drug that had the potential to be effective, Simponi. We think it's going pretty well. In a year or so, we should get the data. Q: J&J recently announced plans to buy Auris Health, which makes a flexible robotic bronchoscope that snakes deep into lungs to reach small nodules. How does that fit with your project to prevent or cure lung cancer? A: It can help diagnose those lesions now, but ultimately our goal is to be able to treat those lesions. Lung cancer is fatal most of the time because it's diagnosed too late. But if you can diagnose it early, it's almost always curable. Q: How do you decide when to give up on testing an experimental treatment? A: We define the next decision point. It's usually the outcome of an experiment. If the drug doesn't exceed that target, then we stop testing it. Q: What made this initiative right for J&J? A: Not too many companies have the breadth to do this. We have devices, pharmaceuticals, consumer health. If we could get to a point where fewer people die of lung cancer or myeloma, that's a huge reward. It will happen. I just can't tell you when. ___ Follow Linda A. Johnson at https://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma SELMA, Ala. (AP) - The Latest on Democratic presidential hopefuls at events commemorating the 54th anniversary of the civil rights march on Selma, Alabama, known as "Bloody Sunday" (all times local): 8:35 p.m. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is recalling his start in the civil rights movement at the University of Chicago in the early 1960s, but says there's still more work to do. The U.S. senator from Vermont and democratic socialist spoke Sunday night at Chicago's Navy Pier. Earlier Sunday he joined other 2020 hopefuls and civil rights leaders in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 1965 march for voting rights that came to be known as "Bloody Sunday." Sanders was active in the campus chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality at the University of Chicago, protesting discrimination and housing segregation. Sanders says that while the Chicago activism was significant it didn't compare to what was happening in the South. He says it's "incomprehensible" that people of color and poor people still fight for voting rights. Supporters arrive for Sen. Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign event at Navy Pier in Chicago, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Over the next several weeks, Sanders will travel to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, and California. He will then return to Burlington, Vermont, for the official launch of his campaign. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) ___ 2:25 p.m. Sen. Cory Booker delivered a fiery address on Sunday to hundreds commemorating the civil rights march that came to be known as "Bloody Sunday." Booker told the crowd at Brown Chapel AME Church that the anniversary was a time to recommit to the fight for justice in America. "It's time for us to defend the dream," the Democrat said. "It's time that we dare to dream again in America. That is what it takes to make America great. It is up to us to do the work that makes the dream real." Booker delivered keynote remarks at the church, the starting point of the 1965 march. Democrats Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who is also considering a 2020 run, and 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also attended the service. ___ 12:50 p.m. Hillary Clinton has told a crowd a historic black church in Selma, Alabama, that the absence of crucial parts in the Voting Rights Act contributed to her 2016 defeat to Donald Trump. The Supreme Court in 2013 struck down a part of the law that required the Justice Department to scrutinize states with a history of racial discrimination in voting. Congress has yet to address the issue. She said "it makes a really big difference." Clinton warned the audience at Brown Chapel of the need for continued vigilance about voter suppression heading into the 2020 election. Clinton is in Selma to mark the 54th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," the civil rights march that galvanized support for passage of the Voting Rights Act. ___ 12:05 p.m. Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson says that what he calls "schemes to suppress" voting rights "are very real, very alive" today. Jackson and several White House hopefuls are among the many people gathered in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 54th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday." That's the civil rights march that turned so violent, it galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who's considering a run for president, says purging voter rolls, redistricting "and just changing the rules subtly" are among the ways the right to vote is stripped away. He says "this fight continues. It's become personal in many ways because voting rights are so important to our country." ___ 11:15 a.m. Sherrod Brown says the Democratic presidential hopefuls "respect" each other - and he's contrasting that with the bickering among the Republicans who ran in 2016. The Ohio senator was on a plane ride to Alabama was two senators already in the 2020 race, Corey Booker of New Jersey and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. They're marking the 54th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" civil rights march. Brown says the three "have respect for each other and like each other." He describes the 2016 Republican candidates as "a bunch of people that took shots at each other, didn't clearly like each other." Brown says he'll decide by month's end whether he's going to join the crop of Democrats running for president. ___ 7:20 a.m. Several Democratic White House hopefuls are visiting one of America's seminal civil rights sites to pay homage to that legacy and highlight their own connections to the movement. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who already are in the 2020 race, and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who could soon join them, plan to participate in ceremonies marking the anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Alabama. On March 7, 1965, peaceful demonstrators were beaten back by Alabama troopers as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It was a moment that galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year. This year's commemoration comes in the early days of a Democratic primary that's focused heavily on issues of race. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks during a commemorative service Sunday, March 3, 2019, at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala. Several Democratic White House hopefuls are visiting one of America's seminal civil rights sites to pay homage to that legacy and highlight their own connections to the movement. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks during a commemorative service marking the anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Several Democratic White House hopefuls are visiting one of America's seminal civil rights sites to pay homage to that legacy and highlight their own connections to the movement. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a commemorative service marking the anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Several Democratic White House hopefuls are visiting one of America's seminal civil rights sites to pay homage to that legacy and highlight their own connections to the movement. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, speaks to reporters during the Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Selma, Ala. Several Democratic White House hopefuls are visiting one of America's seminal civil rights sites to pay homage to that legacy and highlight their own connections to the movement. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) SAO PAULO (AP) - Brazilian mining Giant Vale SA says chief executive officer Fabio Schvartsman and three other senior executives have stepped down in the wake of a mining dam collapse that killed at least 186 people. The mine owned by Vale burst Jan. 25 in the town of Brumadinho. Vale said in a Saturday night statement that its board of directors had immediately accepted the resignation requests tendered by the four executives after prosecutors recommended their removal. Besides Schvartsman, Gerd Peter Poppinga, Lucio Flavio Gallon Cavalli and Silmar Magalhaes Silva also stepped down. Vale appointed its executive director of base metals, Eduardo de Salles Bartolomeo as interim CEO. EUREKA, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on two sisters who went missing from their home Friday (all times local): 11:50 a.m. Authorities say two young sisters missing from their Northern California home for since Friday have been found alive. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal says 8-year-old Leia Carrico and 5-year-old Caroline Carrico were found "safe and sound" Sunday morning. He says the girls were uninjured and "in good spirts." He called their recovery "an absolute miracle." The sisters had last been seen around 2:30 p.m. Friday outside their home in Benbow, a small community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento. This undated photo provided by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office shows Leia Carrico, 8, left, and her sister Caroline Carrico, 5, as they seek the public's help in locating them. More than 100 law enforcement personnel are searching for the two young sisters who've been missing from their Northern California home since Friday, March 1, 2019, last seen around 2:30 p.m. Friday outside their home in Benbow, a small community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento. (Humboldt County Sheriff's Office via AP) More than 100 police and rescue personnel were searching for them, including the National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard. They used helicopters and tracking dogs. ___ 10 a.m. More than 100 law enforcement officers are searching for two young sisters who've been missing from their Northern California home since Friday. Eight-year-old Leia Carrico and 5-year-old Caroline Carrico were last seen around 2:30 p.m. outside their home in Benbow, a small community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento. Humboldt County sheriff's spokeswoman Samantha Karges said Sunday that the girls have not been found despite extensive search efforts. Sheriff William Honsal says the girls went missing after their mother said they could not go out for a walk. He described the search area as vast, rugged and rural and the conditions as cold and sporadically rainy. The National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard are helping in the search, which includes the use of helicopters and dogs. This undated photo provided by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office shows Leia Carrico, 8, left, and her sister Caroline Carrico, 5, as they seek the public's help in locating them. More than 100 law enforcement personnel are searching for the two young sisters who've been missing from their Northern California home since Friday, March 1, 2019, last seen around 2:30 p.m. Friday outside their home in Benbow, a small community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento. (Humboldt County Sheriff's Office via AP) BEAUREGARD, Ala. (AP) - At least two people were killed by a possible tornado in Alabama on Sunday as severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trail of destruction amid weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, authorities said. Dozens of emergency responders were called in to assist in Lee County, Alabama, after what appeared to be a large tornado struck Sunday afternoon as part of a powerful storm system raking the Southeast. At least two people two people died and many others were injured in the small community of Beauregard, said Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency. "We've got about 150 first responders out there," Smith told The Associated Press by phone. "They are doing a phenomenal job. Sadly, we know that we have two known confirmed fatalities and many, many injuries." Multiple homes were destroyed or damaged in Beauregard, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Montgomery, Smith said. She had no further details in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told Al.com on Sunday evening that he expected the number of dead to rise in the hard-hit area as emergency responders combed through the wreckage and debris. He did not immediately return phone messages from The Associated Press. "We've still got people being pulled out of rubble," Harris said. "We're going to be here all night." This photo provided by Greg Martin shows a funnel cloud in Byron, Ga., Sunday, March 3, 2019. The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a series of tornado warnings stretching from Phenix City, Alabama, near the Georgia state line to Macon, Georgia, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the east. (Greg Martin via AP) No deaths had been reported Sunday evening from storm-damaged Alabama counties outside Lee County, said Gregory Robinson, spokesman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. But he said crews were still surveying damage in several counties in the southwestern part of the state. Radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, said meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham, Alabama, office of the National Weather Service. Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the powerful storm system raced across the region. In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency. Televised broadcast news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches. "The last check I had was between six and eight injuries," Ereheim said in a phone interview. "From what I understand it was minor injuries, though one fellow did say his leg might be broken." She said searches of damaged homes and structures had turned up no serious injuries or deaths. Henry Wilson of the Peach County Emergency Management Agency near Macon in central Georgia said a barn had been destroyed and trees and power poles had been snapped, leaving many in the area without power. Authorities said a tornado was confirmed by radar in the Florida Panhandle late Sunday afternoon. A portion of Interstate 10 on the Florida Panhandle was blocked in one direction for a time in Walton County in the aftermath, said Don Harrigan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. "There's a squall line moving through the area," Harrigan told AP. "And when you have a mature line of storms moving into an area where low level winds are very strong, you tend to have tornadoes developing. It's a favorable environment for tornados." The threat of severe weather was expected to continue until late Sunday. A tornado watch was in effect for much of eastern Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. The tornado watch also covered a large area of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston and Columbia. ___ Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, Bill Cormier in Atlanta, and Ryan Kryska in New York contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (AP) - The family of a dual Saudi-U.S. citizen imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for more than a year are claiming that he has been subjected to routine torture and is on the verge of an emotional breakdown. After months of quietly trying to secure his release, the family of Dr. Walid Fitaihi is now seeking to publicly pressure both the Saudi government and the Trump administration on the issue. "There is an American citizen being tortured in a Saudi prison," said Howard Cooper, a lawyer working with the Fitaihi family. "He has been not only psychologically tortured but physically tortured and he can't hold out much longer." In seeking to publicize the issue, Cooper and the Fitaihi family will have to contend with the extremely tight public relationship between President Donald Trump and powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, popularly referred to as MBS. Fitaihi gained his American citizenship while studying and working in the U.S. for years. He received undergraduate and medical degrees from George Washington University and a master's in public health from Harvard, said Cooper a Boston-based attorney who has known Fitaihi for more than 10 years. He returned to Saudi Arabia in 2006 to help found a hospital built by his family and also became a popular motivational speaker on television. In November 2017, Fitaihi was one of about 200 prominent Saudis detained in a mass roundup and held prisoner in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton hotel. FILE - In this March 20, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. The family of a dual Saudi-U.S. citizen imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for more than a year are claiming that he has been subjected to routine torture and is on the verge of an emotional breakdown. In seeking to publicize the issue, the family will have to contend with the extremely tight public relationship between Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman, popularly referred to as MBS. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) The Saudi government described the mass arrests as a crackdown on corruption; critics, however, decried it as a move to consolidate power by Prince Mohammed and claimed the detainees were being tortured. Most of those detainees were eventually released after agreeing to pay massive financial penalties, but Fitaihi and a small handful of others were instead transferred to a prison in Riyadh. Cooper said Fitaihi was recently moved to a different prison in the coastal city of Jeddah and that he was now in the prison hospital after suffering "an emotional breakdown" after months of physical and psychological torture. Trumps relationship with Saudi Arabia has already been tested by last year's grisly murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Trump however stood firmly by Prince Mohammed; in the face of widespread international skepticism, Trump repeatedly backed the official Saudi explanation that the murder was a rogue operation that took place without the crown prince's knowledge. Despite the Kashoggi controversy, the relationship remains strong and the Trump administration continues to depend on Prince Mohammed as a key regional ally. Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner met with Prince Mohammed last week to discuss Kushner's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. National Security Adviser John Bolton was briefly asked about Fitaihi's case during a Sunday interview on CNN's "State of the Union." Bolton said he knew only that American diplomats had recently met with him in prison. "Beyond that, we don't really have any additional information at this point," Bolton said. In response to an Associated Press query, the State Department released a statement confirming that U.S. diplomatic representatives have met with Fitaihi and have "raised his case" with the Saudi government. "We take all allegations of abuse and torture extremely seriously. We urge the Government of Saudi Arabia, and all governments, to ensure fair trial guarantees, freedom from arbitrary and extrajudicial detention, transparency, and rule of law," the statement said. "We also call on the Government of Saudi Arabia, and all governments, to treat prisoners and detainees humanely, and to ensure that allegations of abuse are investigated quickly and thoroughly." The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. The Latest on Deep South storms (all times local): 6:20 p.m. An Alabama coroner says he expects the number of deaths from a possible tornado to rise as search crews comb through rubble and debris. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told Al.com on Sunday evening that two people are confirmed dead in Beauregard, Alabama, but he expects more bodies to be found. Harris says: "We've still got people being pulled out of rubble. We're going to be here all night." Alabama Emergency Management Agency spokesman Gregory Robinson says no deaths have been reported in the state beyond Lee County, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Montgomery. But Robinson says teams are still assessing damage in several Alabama counties. This photo provided by Greg Martin shows a funnel cloud in Byron, Ga., Sunday, March 3, 2019. The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a series of tornado warnings stretching from Phenix City, Alabama, near the Georgia state line to Macon, Georgia, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the east. (Greg Martin via AP) Weather officials say an outbreak of tornadoes occurred Sunday afternoon across a wide area of the Southeast as severe storms crossed the region. ___ 6:10 p.m. The National Weather Service says it has confirmed a tornado by radar that has toppled trees in a Florida Panhandle county, halting traffic on a stretch of Interstate 10 in one direction because of debris. Meteorologist Don Harrigan with the Tallahassee office of the weather service tells The Associated Press that the tornado hit about 5:45 p.m. Sunday in Walton County in the DeFuniak Springs area. He says radar shows debris was lofted into the air and he was getting reports of trees down in Walton County and eastbound traffic disrupted at Mile Marker 83 on I-10 in the area. He says the Tallahassee office confirmed other tornadoes on radar in Geneva County in southeast Alabama, just across the line from north Florida. And he says another radar-confirmed tornado was detected in Henry County, Alabama, moving into a neighboring county. Harrigan says a squall line moving across the Southeast is entering an area of strong, low-level winds that is conducive to forming tornadoes. He says the threat of more tornadoes will continue for several hours as the storm system races toward the Atlantic seaboard. ____ 4:30 p.m. An emergency management official says two people are confirmed dead and there are many injuries in a southeast Alabama community hit by an apparent tornado that destroyed several homes. Spokeswoman Rita Smith with the Lee County Emergency Management Agency says she wasn't authorized to release further details of thee deaths, but says they occurred along with numerous injuries in the community of Beauregard, Alabama. Authorities reported what appeared to be a large tornado struck Sunday afternoon. "We've got about 150 first responders out there," Smith told The Associated Press by phone. "They are doing a phenomenal job. Sadly, we know that we have two known confirmed fatalities and many, many injuries." She says multiple homes have been destroyed or damaged in Beauregard, a community about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Montgomery, the state capital. Meteorlogist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham, Alabama, office of the National Weather Service says radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday. Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama and Georgia on Sunday as a severe storm system churned across the Deep South. ___ 3 p.m. A National Weather Service meteorologist says there are reports of "significant" damage from a possible tornado in southeast Alabama near the Georgia state line. Meteorologist Meredith Wyatt said video and radar showed a possible tornado hitting near Smith's Station, Alabama, on Sunday afternoon. Wyatt said she had no immediate reports of serious injuries. The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a series of tornado warnings stretching from Phenix City, Alabama, near the Georgia state line to Macon, Georgia, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the east. The threat of severe weather was expected to continue until late Sunday. A tornado watch was in effect for much of Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. The tornado watch also covers a large area of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston and Columbia. WILLOW, Alaska (AP) - The Latest on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska (all times local): 2:30 p.m. The world's most famous sled dog race is underway in Alaska. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race started Sunday afternoon in Willow, Alaska, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Anchorage. Mushers leave the start line in two-minute intervals. The first musher out on the thousand-mile (1,600-kilometer) trail to the finish line in Nome was Anja Radano. There are 52 mushers total in the international field, which includes four Canadians, two Norwegians including the defending champion and one musher each from Sweden and France. Defending champion Joar Leifseth Ulsom is greeted by local fan Ole Andersson during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Mushers will guide their dog teams over two mountain ranges, untamed wilderness, the Yukon River and the dangerous, wind-whipped Bering Sea coast. The winner is expected under the famous burled arch finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast, in about nine days. ___ 8:30 a.m. Joar Leifseth Ulsom may not be flashy or brash, but he has sled cred. The quiet, unassuming 32-year-old defending champion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race leads the field of 52 mushers hoping to be the first to reach Alaska's western coast after a thousand-mile (1,600-kilometer) trek across the Alaska wilderness. The lineup includes four Canadians, two Norwegians including Ulsom and one musher each from Sweden and France. That quest officially begins Sunday as the mushers take off from a frozen lake about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Anchorage. The winner is expected in Nome, an old Gold Rush town on Alaska's Bering Sea coast, in about nine days. Iditarod rookie Richie Beattie, left, looks ahead as he greets a fan on the trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) FILE - In this March 14, 2018, file photo, Joar Leifseth Ulsom, of Norway is interviewed after winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska. Alaska's famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race kicks off this weekend. Defending champion Ulsom and 51 other mushers officially begin the competitive portion of the Iditarod race on Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Willow, north of Anchorage. The race across Alaska's wilderness will take about nine days before the winner reaches the famed burled arch in downtown Nome. (AP Photo/Diana Haecker, File) Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protest prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Past Iditarod champion Mitch Seavey signs an autograph for fan Rick Kelly prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race defending champion Joar Ulsom, of Norway, talks to fans before the ceremonial start of this year's race Saturday, March 2, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. Ulsom and 51 other mushers will officially start the race Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen Iditarod rookie Richie Beattie greets fans on the trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod musher Mishi Konno runs his team along the trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Rookie Victoria Hardwick's team leads the way through cheering fans during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Defending champion Joar Lefseth Ulsom runs his team down Fourth Ave during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Defending Iditarod champion Joar Lefseth Ulsom, of Norway, greets fans on the trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod musher Ryan Redington, left, loses his assistant as he rounds a turn during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod musher Ed Hopkins visits while team dog Dougall peers out of his truck box prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Iditarod veteran Aliy Zirkle runs down her team down Fourth Ave. during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser runs down Fourth Ave. during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) FILE - In this March 3, 2018, file photo, Eagle River, Alaska musher Tom Schonberger's lead dogs trot along Fourth Avenue during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska. The world's foremost sled dog race kicks off its 47th running this weekend on Saturday, March 2, 2019, as organizers and competitors strive to push past a punishing two years for the image of the sport. Some of the drama has been resolved for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen, File) Anchorage residents, from left, Waino Salo, Lorene Grant and Richard Zeigler pose in front a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protest prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) A native dance group performs prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) FILE - In this March 2, 2014, file photo, musher Nathan Schroeder drives his dog team down the trail just after the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Willow, Alaska. The world's foremost sled dog race kicks off its 47th running this weekend on Saturday, March 2, 2019, as organizers and competitors strive to push past a punishing two years for the image of the sport. Some of the drama has been resolved for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. (Bob Hallinen/Anchorage Daily News via AP, File) FILE - In this March 3, 2018, file photo, Anchorage resident Terry Fischer, with his Alaskan Husky Litho, happens into the People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) protest prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska. The world's foremost sled dog race kicks off its 47th running this weekend on Saturday, March 2, 2019, as organizers and competitors strive to push past a punishing two years for the image of the sport. Some of the drama has been resolved for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen, File) FILE - In this March 3, 2018, file photo, defending Iditarod champion Mitch Seavey rounds a turn during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska. The world's foremost sled dog race kicks off its 47th running this weekend as organizers and competitors strive to push past a punishing two years for the image of the sport. Some of the drama has been resolved for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen, File) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on the decision by a prosecutor not to charge the police officers who shot an unarmed black man last year (all times local): 4:20 p.m. The brother of a California man shot to death by police says he still hopes the officers who fired the fatal bullets can be held accountable. Stevante Clark told reporters Sunday that his family was devastated, first by his brother Stephon's killing last March as he held a cellphone in his grandparents' yard, and again Saturday when Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced the officers would not be charged. Schubert says evidence shows the officers had reason to believe that Clark, 22, was holding a gun. "The district attorney shouldn't be trusted," Clark's soft-spoken brother told a news conference, adding "justice was denied." Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Clark's comments followed Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) He added the family is preparing to hold a legacy weekend celebration of his brother's life beginning March 15 and ending on March 18, the anniversary of Stephon Clark's death. Family attorney Ben Crump says California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is expected to release the findings of his own investigation into the shooting on March 18. ___ 3:45 p.m. The attorney for the family of a black man shot to death by police as he held a cellphone says his clients are hoping an investigation by California's attorney general will come to a different conclusion than that of local prosecutors who cleared the officers of any charges. Attorney Ben Crump said Sunday on the Rev. Al Sharpton's MSNBC show that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is expected to release the results of his own investigation into the March 18, 2018, shooting of Stephon Clark later this month. He didn't indicate how that might affect the case. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced Saturday that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet would not be charged. The officers have said they thought Clark, 22, was holding a gun when they confronted him in his grandparents' yard. They had been looking for a vandalism suspect. ___ 12:40 p.m. Relatives of a black man fatally shot by police officers while holding a cellphone say they will press their "pursuit of justice" after prosecutors in California declined to bring charges against the officers. Stephon Clark's family reacted with anger and dismay to Saturday's announcement. They scheduled a Sunday afternoon news conference with members of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network to discuss what they will do next. Family members accused prosecutors in Sacramento of unfairly blaming Clark, 22, for his death by revealing the personal troubles he'd been going through in the days before. The mother of his children had recently brought a domestic violence complaint against him. Officers pursuing a vandalism suspect say they thought Clark was holding a gun when they confronted him. It was his phone. Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Clark's comments followed Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Clark's comments follow Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Accompanying Clark are his brother Jhailen Clark, left, National Action Network representative Margaret Fortune, and Tecoy Porter Sr., pastor at the Genesis Church. Clark's comments followed Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Standing behind Clark are National Action Network representative Margaret Fortune, left, Clark's uncle Curtis Gordon, and Tecoy Porter Sr., pastor at the Genesis Church. Clark's comments followed Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Representing a group called "Answer Coalition," Jamier Sale, of Sacramento, Calif., right, leads a crowd of about 50 people in chants in front of Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Sunday, March 3, 2019. The mall closed today in anticipation of potential disruptions following yesterday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year will not be charged for the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Dominique Harrell stands in solidarity as she joins other protesters staging a sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to charge officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Protesters stage a sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to charge officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Protesters stage a sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to charge officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Sacramento Police officers escort protesters from the Arden Fair Mall after they staged an overnight sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to charge officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Salena Manni, the fiancee of Stephon Clark, who was shot and killed by Sacramento police in 2018, cries as she discusses the decision to not file charges against the two officers involved, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, March 2, 2019. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet did not break any laws when they shot Clark after the 22-year-old vandalism suspect ran from them into his grandparents' backyard. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Salena Manni, the fiancee of Stephon Clark, who was shot and killed by Sacramento police in 2018, wipes tears from her eyes as she discusses the decision to not file charges against the two officers involved, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, March 2, 2019. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet did not break any laws when they shot Clark after the 22-year-old vandalism suspect ran from them into his grandparents' backyard. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert points out the location where Stephon Clark was shot and killed by Sacramento police officers in 2018, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, March 2, 2019. Schubert said that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet did not break any laws when they shot Stephon Clark after the 22-year-old vandalism suspect ran from them into his grandparents' backyard. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) The Latest on Deep South storms (all times local): 2:00 a.m. A sheriff says the death toll is now at 23 from a large tornado that devastated an Alabama community. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told WRBL-TV that "Unfortunately our toll, as far as fatalities, does stand at 23 at the current time," adding that two people are in intensive care. Jones told The Associated Press late Sunday evening that children are among the dead. He says it's possible the death toll could continue to rise, but authorities are pausing search efforts overnight because conditions are too dangerous in the dark due to massive amounts of debris. Jones said "the devastation is incredible" and that rescue teams will resume their work at first light Monday. People walk amid debris in Lee County, Ala., after what appeared to be a tornado struck in the area Sunday, March 3, 2019. Severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trail of destruction amid weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, authorities said. (WKRG-TV via AP) ___ 10:25 p.m. The National Weather Service says a tornado with at least an F3 rating and a track at least half a mile (.8 kilometers) wide caused the deadly destruction in Alabama. Meteorologist Chris Darden in Alabama traveled to the scene and confirmed at least F3 damage in extreme southern areas of Lee County, according to a special weather statement issued Sunday evening. The so-called Fujita scale measures wind speed and the corresponding destructive power of a tornado. Although the statement did not give exact wind estimates, F3 storms typically are gauged at wind speeds of between 158-206 mph (254-331 kilometers per hour). The weather service says it also determined there was another storm track nearby in Lee County that also will be studied by a team of experts on Monday. It cautions that the information is preliminary and likely to be updated later. ___ 10:20 p.m. A sheriff says the death toll is now at 22 from a large tornado that devastated an Alabama community. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told The Associated Press late Sunday evening that children are among the dead. He says it's possible the death toll could continue to rise, but authorities are pausing search efforts overnight because conditions are too dangerous in the dark due to massive amounts of debris. Jones says search and rescue teams will resume their work at first light Monday. He added that some single-family homes are wiped clean to a slab and that drone aircraft with heat-seeking equipment had flown over the rubble in search of any who might be still trapped. Earlier, Jone said there were also injuries but he had no count of how many or the severity of those injuries. The storm was one of several tornadoes in an outbreak that sprung up from a severe weather front that lashed the Southeast on Sunday. ____ 10:15 p.m. President Donald Trump has tweeted to Alabama residents to be safe in the wake of deadly storms, including a powerful tornado that has claimed several lives in that Southern state. Trump wrote in the tweet Sunday evening: "To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming." His tweet concluded: "To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!" ____ 10 p.m. Authorities in southwest Georgia are searching door to door in darkened neighborhoods after a possible tornado touched down in the rural city of Cairo. Cairo City Manager Chris Addleton said office and commercial buildings in the downtown had windows blown out and metal roofs torn off by the storm Sunday evening. He said some residents reported being stuck inside homes that were damaged or had trees on them. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries in the community, 33 miles (about 50 kilometers) north of the Florida capital of Tallahassee. Electricity was out. Addleton said the full extent of the damage likely wouldn't be known until daylight. The National Weather Service Weather says an outbreak of tornadoes swept a wide area of the Deep South on Sunday as severe storms crossed the region. ___ 8:30 p.m. A coroner in southeast Alabama says he expects the death toll to rise to at least 20 from a tornado in hard-hit Lee County. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told The Associated Press that he has called in help from elsewhere around the state because there were more bodies than his four-person office can handle. Says Harris of the victims in the hard-hit county: "I'd say at least 20 or more." Earlier Harris told A.Com that "we've still got people being pulled out of rubble." The coroner added: "We're going to be here all night." Authorities say several tornadoes or possible tornadoes were unleashed by a vast storm system that raked several states in the Southeast on Sunday. ____ 7:30 p.m. Authorities are blocking traffic to some of the most heavily damaged areas in an Alabama county where the sheriff says at least 14 people are confirmed dead. Patrol vehicles from the Lee County Sheriff's Office could be seen by an Associated Press reporter as the vehicles blocked Highway 51 into downtown Beauregard. Closer to the devastation, emergency vehicles including ambulances, with lights flashes, were scattered all around. One trained canine had been brought into the area to help the operations. The area was dark and electricity appeared to be knocked out in many places late Sunday. Pieces of metal debris and tree branches littered the roadside. It was not raining after the storms rolled eastward into Georgia and toward the Carolinas. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told media outlets Sunday that at least 14 deaths had been confirmed in the county and some others are reported missing. ___ 7 p.m. An Alabama sheriff says at least 14 people are dead amid "catastrophic" damage from a possible tornado and others are missing as crews search through wreckage and debris. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told WRBL-TV on Sunday that damage in his community followed a path several miles (kilometers) long and appeared up to a fourth of a mile (.4 kilometers) wide. Jones said: "I can say that at this time we have 14 confirmed fatalities. And again, the search continues. We still have some people that are reported missing." He didn't elaborate on the exact number of those missing. He adds that several people have been taken to hospitals, "some of them with very serious injuries." Weather officials say an outbreak of tornadoes occurred Sunday afternoon across a wide area of the Southeast as severe storms crossed the region. ___ 6:20 p.m. An Alabama coroner says he expects the number of deaths from a possible tornado to rise as search crews comb through rubble and debris. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told Al.com on Sunday evening that two people are confirmed dead in Beauregard, Alabama, but he expects more bodies to be found. Harris says: "We've still got people being pulled out of rubble. We're going to be here all night." Alabama Emergency Management Agency spokesman Gregory Robinson says no deaths have been reported in the state beyond Lee County, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Montgomery. But Robinson says teams are still assessing damage in several Alabama counties. Weather officials say an outbreak of tornadoes occurred Sunday afternoon across a wide area of the Southeast as severe storms crossed the region. ___ 6:10 p.m. The National Weather Service says it has confirmed a tornado by radar that has toppled trees in a Florida Panhandle county, halting traffic on a stretch of Interstate 10 in one direction because of debris. Meteorologist Don Harrigan with the Tallahassee office of the weather service tells The Associated Press that the tornado hit about 5:45 p.m. Sunday in Walton County in the DeFuniak Springs area. He says radar shows debris was lofted into the air and he was getting reports of trees down in Walton County and eastbound traffic disrupted at Mile Marker 83 on I-10 in the area. He says the Tallahassee office confirmed other tornadoes on radar in Geneva County in southeast Alabama, just across the line from north Florida. And he says another radar-confirmed tornado was detected in Henry County, Alabama, moving into a neighboring county. Harrigan says a squall line moving across the Southeast is entering an area of strong, low-level winds that is conducive to forming tornadoes. He says the threat of more tornadoes will continue for several hours as the storm system races toward the Atlantic seaboard. ____ 4:30 p.m. An emergency management official says two people are confirmed dead and there are many injuries in a southeast Alabama community hit by an apparent tornado that destroyed several homes. Spokeswoman Rita Smith with the Lee County Emergency Management Agency says she wasn't authorized to release further details of thee deaths, but says they occurred along with numerous injuries in the community of Beauregard, Alabama. Authorities reported what appeared to be a large tornado struck Sunday afternoon. "We've got about 150 first responders out there," Smith told The Associated Press by phone. "They are doing a phenomenal job. Sadly, we know that we have two known confirmed fatalities and many, many injuries." She says multiple homes have been destroyed or damaged in Beauregard, a community about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Montgomery, the state capital. Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama and Georgia on Sunday as a severe storm system churned across the Deep South. ___ 3 p.m. A National Weather Service meteorologist says there are reports of "significant" damage from a possible tornado in southeast Alabama near the Georgia state line. Meteorologist Meredith Wyatt said video and radar showed a possible tornado hitting near Smiths Station, Alabama, on Sunday afternoon. Wyatt said she had no immediate reports of serious injuries. The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a series of tornado warnings stretching from Phenix City, Alabama, near the Georgia state line to Macon, Georgia, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the east. The threat of severe weather was expected to continue until late Sunday. A tornado watch was in effect for much of Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. The tornado watch also covers a large area of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston and Columbia. This photo shows debris in Lee County, Ala., after what appeared to be a tornado struck in the area Sunday, March 3, 2019. Severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trail of destruction amid weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, authorities said. (WKRG-TV via AP) A fallen cell tower lies across U.S. Route 280 highway in Lee County, Ala., in the Smiths Station community after what appeared to be a tornado struck in the area Sunday, March 3, 2019. Severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trail of destruction amid weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, authorities said. (Mike Haskey/Ledger-Enquirer via AP) Emergency responders work in the scene amid debris in Lee County, Ala., after what appeared to be a tornado struck in the area Sunday, March 3, 2019. Severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trail of destruction amid weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, authorities said. (WKRG-TV via AP) This photo provided by Greg Martin shows a funnel cloud in Byron, Ga., Sunday, March 3, 2019. The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a series of tornado warnings stretching from Phenix City, Alabama, near the Georgia state line to Macon, Georgia, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the east. (Greg Martin via AP) This photo shows some damage at the Buck Wild Saloon, located on U.S. Highway 280, east of Smiths Station, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2019, after a powerful storm system passed through the area. (Kara Coleman Fields/Opelika-Auburn News via AP) BEAUREGARD, Ala. (AP) - A tornado roared into southeast Alabama and killed at least 23 people and injured several others Sunday, part of a severe storm system that caused catastrophic damage and unleashed other tornadoes around the Southeast. "Unfortunately our toll, as far as fatalities, does stand at 23 at the current time," Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told WRBL-TV of the death toll. He added that two people were in intensive care. Drones flying overheard equipped with heat-seeking devices had scanned the area for survivors but the dangerous conditions halted the search late Sunday, Jones said. "The devastation is incredible," he said. An intense ground search would resume Monday morning. Jones said the twister traveled straight down a county road in the rural community of Beauregard and that the path of damage and destruction appeared at least a half mile wide. He said single-family homes and mobile homes were destroyed, adding some homes were reduced to slabs. He had told reporters earlier that several people were taken to hospitals, some with "very serious injuries." Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told The Associated Press that he had to call in help from the state, because there were more bodies than his four-person office can handle. The National Weather Service confirmed late Sunday a tornado with at least an F3 rating and a track at least half a mile (.8 kilometers) wide caused the deadly destruction in Alabama. Although the statement did not give exact wind estimates, F3 storms typically are gauged at wind speeds of between 158-206 mph (254-331 kilometers per hour). Emergency responders work in the scene amid debris in Lee County, Ala., after what appeared to be a tornado struck in the area Sunday, March 3, 2019. Severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trail of destruction amid weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, authorities said. (WKRG-TV via AP) Dozens of emergency responders rushed to join search and rescue efforts in hard-hit Lee County after what forecasters said they think was a large tornado touched down Sunday afternoon, unleashed by a powerful storm system that also slashed its way across parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2 p.m. on Sunday, said meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham office of the National Weather Service. "It appears it stayed on the ground for at least a mile and maybe longer," Jones told the AP. After nightfall Sunday, the rain had stopped and pieces of metal debris and tree branches littered roadways in Beauregard. Two sheriff's vehicles blocked reporters and others from reaching the worst-hit area. Power appeared to be out in many places. President Donald Trump tweeted late Sunday, "To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. ... To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!" Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders had quickly jumped in to efforts to search the debris after the storm struck in Beauregard. At least one trained canine could be seen with search crews as numerous ambulances and emergency vehicles, lights flashing, converged on the area. No deaths had been reported Sunday evening from storm-damaged Alabama counties outside Lee County, said Gregory Robinson, spokesman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. But he said crews were still surveying damage in several counties in the southwestern part of the state. Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the powerful storm system raced across the region. Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar alone and would send teams out early Monday to assess those and other storms. In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency. Televised broadcast news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches. "The last check I had was between six and eight injuries," Erenheim said in a phone interview. "From what I understand it was minor injuries, though one fellow did say his leg might be broken." She said searches of damaged homes and structures had turned up no serious injuries or deaths there. Henry Wilson of the Peach County Emergency Management Agency near Macon in central Georgia said a barn had been destroyed and trees and power poles had been snapped, leaving many in the area without power. Authorities in southwest Georgia are searching door-to-door in darkened neighborhoods after a possible tornado touched down in the rural city of Cairo, about 33 miles (53 kilometers) north of Tallahassee, Florida, on Sunday evening. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries. Authorities said a tornado was confirmed by radar in the Florida Panhandle late Sunday afternoon. A portion of Interstate 10 on the Panhandle was blocked in one direction for a time in Walton County in the aftermath, said Don Harrigan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. "There's a squall line moving through the area," Harrigan told AP. "And when you have a mature line of storms moving into an area where low level winds are very strong, you tend to have tornadoes developing. It's a favorable environment for tornados." The threat of severe weather continued into the late-night hours. A tornado watch was in effect for much of eastern Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. The tornado watch also covered a large area of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston and Columbia. ___ Associated Press writers Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, Bill Cormier in Atlanta, and Ryan Kryska in New York contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the twister traveled down a county road in the rural community of Beauregard, not a main artery. People walk amid debris in Lee County, Ala., after what appeared to be a tornado struck in the area Sunday, March 3, 2019. Severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trail of destruction amid weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, authorities said. (WKRG-TV via AP) This photo shows debris in Lee County, Ala., after what appeared to be a tornado struck in the area Sunday, March 3, 2019. Severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trail of destruction amid weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, authorities said. (WKRG-TV via AP) This photo shows some damage at the Buck Wild Saloon, located on U.S. Highway 280, east of Smiths Station, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2019, after a powerful storm system passed through the area. (Kara Coleman Fields/Opelika-Auburn News via AP) A vehicle is caught under downed trees along Lee Road 11 in Beauregard, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2019, after a powerful storm system passed through the area. (Kara Coleman Fields/Opelika-Auburn News via AP) A fallen cell tower lies across U.S. Route 280 highway in Lee County, Ala., in the Smiths Station community after what appeared to be a tornado struck in the area Sunday, March 3, 2019. Severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trail of destruction amid weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, authorities said. (Mike Haskey/Ledger-Enquirer via AP) Emergency personnel work the staging area at Sanford Middle School in Beauregard, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2019, after tornados ravaged the area, causing multiple fatalities. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) Emergency personnel work the staging area at Sanford Middle School in Beauregard, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2019, after tornados ravaged the area, causing multiple fatalities. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The brother of a black man shot to death by police said Sunday he wants to see the officers who fired the fatal bullets held accountable Stevante Clark called on California's attorney general to prosecute them after the local district attorney declined to do so. He told reporters his family was devastated, first by his brother Stephon's killing last March as he held a cellphone, and again Saturday when Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced the officers would not be charged. "Our lives are suffering, our hearts are shattered, my family is in agony ever since the callous murder of my brother in my grandmother's backyard," the soft-spoken Clark told a news conference attended by his family and friends. "I would like for the attorney general to prosecute the officers," he added. "I want justice and accountability." Earlier Sunday the family's attorney, Ben Crump, said on the Rev. Al Sharpton's MSNBC program that state Attorney General Xavier Becerra is expected to release the findings of his own investigation into the shooting on March 18. That's the anniversary of Clark's death, and Crump said he anticipates a large protest at the state Capitol that day. There have been several in Sacramento since the shooting. Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Clark's comments followed Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) In announcing that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet would not be charged, Schubert said prosecutors who reviewed video footage and other evidence determined they were telling the truth when they said they thought the cellphone Stephon Clark was holding was a gun. Schubert also said physical evidence revealed Clark was the vandalism suspect they were looking for who had just broken three vehicle windows and an elderly man's sliding glass patio door before climbing a fence to reach his grandparents' backyard. She said the 22-year-old had been going through a troubled time in the days leading up to the shooting. The mother of his two children had recently filed a domestic abuse complaint against him that could have put him in jail, Schubert said, adding he'd been researching suicide websites. Among them, she said, were those that suggested using a tranquilizer that was found in his body. His brother complained that revealing that information was an attempt to blame his brother for getting killed. "No matter what he did on the 16th and the 17th doesn't determine what happened on the 18th," he said. "All of these things are irrelevant." "Stephon, it was like he was killed again," he continued. "Literally she ran his name through the dirt." Schubert, who called the shooting a tragedy, repeatedly apologized for raising the personal details during her hour-long presentation on Saturday. "I can't tell ultimately what was going on in his mind," she said. "He was in a state of despair and he was impaired, and that may have affected his judgment." Stevante Clark said his family plans to mark the upcoming anniversary of his brother's death with a weekend honoring his life that will begin on March 15 and conclude on March 18. He called on the community to remain peaceful. "Everything that's peaceful that's done, we support it," he said, adding the family's ultimate goal is to change laws to limit police shootings and to hold police departments more accountable. Police officials and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg have said that since the shooting the department has increased training, limited foot pursuits like those in the Clark case and committed to quickly releasing videos of officer-involved shootings. Clark said he appreciates all of that. "But at the end of the day Stephon is not here with us," he said. Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Clark's comments followed Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Clark's comments follow Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Accompanying Clark are his brother Jhailen Clark, left, National Action Network representative Margaret Fortune, and Tecoy Porter Sr., pastor at the Genesis Church. Clark's comments followed Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Stevante Clark, the brother of Stephon Clark who was killed by police last year, speaks during a news conference at the Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Standing behind Clark are National Action Network representative Margaret Fortune, left, Clark's uncle Curtis Gordon, and Tecoy Porter Sr., pastor at the Genesis Church. Clark's comments followed Saturday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged in the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Representing a group called "Answer Coalition," Jamier Sale, of Sacramento, Calif., right, leads a crowd of about 50 people in chants in front of Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Sunday, March 3, 2019. The mall closed today in anticipation of potential disruptions following yesterday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year will not be charged for the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Shopper Maria Barajas, of Fresno, Calif., peers into the entrance door to the Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Sunday, March 3, 2019. The mall closed Sunday in anticipation of potential disruptions following yesterday's announcement by Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert that the two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year will not be charged for the shooting. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) Police officers escort protesters in a sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, from the inside of the Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to charge officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Dominique Harrell stands in solidarity as she joins other protesters staging a sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to charge officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Protesters stage a sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to charge officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Protesters stage a sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to charge officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Sacramento Police officers escort protesters from the Arden Fair Mall after they staged an overnight sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to charge officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Jayshawn Yancey, left, and Dominique Harrell stand with protesters in an overnight sit-in for Stephon Clark, who was killed by police, at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 3, 2019, following the Sacramento District Attorney's decision not to arrest officers involved in last year's shooting of Clark. (Lezlie Sterling/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Salena Manni, the fiancee of Stephon Clark, who was shot and killed by Sacramento police in 2018, wipes tears from her eyes as she discusses the decision to not file charges against the two officers involved, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, March 2, 2019. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet did not break any laws when they shot Clark after the 22-year-old vandalism suspect ran from them into his grandparents' backyard. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Salena Manni, the fiancee of Stephon Clark, who was shot and killed by Sacramento police in 2018, cries as she discusses the decision to not file charges against the two officers involved, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, March 2, 2019. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet did not break any laws when they shot Clark after the 22-year-old vandalism suspect ran from them into his grandparents' backyard. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Salena Manni, the fiancee of Stephon Clark, who was shot and killed by Sacramento police in 2018, kisses the couple's youngest son, Cairo, 2, during a news conference to discuss the decision to not file charges against the two officers involved, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, March 2, 2019. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet did not break any laws when they shot Clark after the 22-year-old vandalism suspect ran from them into his grandparents' backyard. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert points out the location where Stephon Clark was shot and killed by Sacramento police officers in 2018, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, March 2, 2019. Schubert said that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet did not break any laws when they shot Stephon Clark after the 22-year-old vandalism suspect ran from them into his grandparents' backyard. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia and Australia signed a free trade agreement Monday that will eliminate many tariffs, allow Australian-owned hospitals to operate in the giant Southeast Asian country and increase work visas for young Indonesians. Trade ministers from the two countries signed the agreement, negotiations for which first began in 2010, at a Jakarta hotel with Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla looking on. It is subject to ratification in both countries. Indonesian Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita said Indonesia would complete ratification by the end of this year. Annual trade between Australia and Indonesia in goods and services is valued at $11.6 billion. Though neighbors, their trade is relatively small, with Indonesia's exports to Australia just 1.5 percent of its total exports. Indonesia, with 260 million people, is forecast to be one of the world's biggest economies by 2030. Australian Minister of Trade Simon Birmingham said the agreement "will take Australian and Indonesian relations to a new plane, one in which our economic and trade relations will be much deeper, stronger and richer for both our nations." Major details of the agreement were announced by Australia in September after leaders of the two countries said negotiations had been completed. The text of the agreement is expected to be released after the signing. Australia Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham, left, and Indonesia Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita, right, shake hands during an Indonesia-Australia Cepa signing ceremony and Business forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Australia says 99 percent of its exports to Indonesia by value will be tariff-free or have improved preferential access by 2020, up from 85 percent under an existing trade agreement between Australia, New Zealand and 10 Southeast Asian countries. Indonesian exports to Australia will face no tariffs, but it already enjoys substantially tariff-free access to the Australian market under the Southeast Asia agreement. The Australia-Indonesia agreement will allow Australian companies to have majority ownership of investments in various industries in Indonesia, including health care, telecommunications, energy, mining and aged care. Separately, Indonesia is considering allowing foreign companies to invest in higher education, which along with hospitals is an area the country is lagging far behind international standards. Australia's live cattle exports are set to increase under the agreement, with tariffs to be eliminated and the number of animals exported to Indonesia allowed to increase 4 percent a year until reaching 700,000. Australian working holiday visas for young Indonesians will be increased to 6,000 a year from the current 1,000 over six years. Australia Trade Minister Simon Birmingham, left, and Indonesia Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita pose for photographers during a signing ceremony and business forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, March 4, 2019. Indonesia and Australia are signing a free trade agreement that will eliminate many tariffs, allow Australian-owned hospitals to be set up in the giant Southeast Asian country and increase work visas for young Indonesians. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham, left, and Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita attend a signing ceremony and business forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, March 4, 2019. Indonesia and Australia are signing a free trade agreement that will eliminate many tariffs, allow Australian-owned hospitals to be set up in the giant Southeast Asian country and increase work visas for young Indonesians. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A New Zealand man who joined the Islamic State group has been captured in Syria and told journalists he regrets not being able to afford a slave and expects to return home. Mark Taylor is among a half-dozen or so New Zealanders thought to have joined the militant group. He remains a citizen, but New Zealand officials say his detention abroad and apparent lack of travel documents are obstacles to his return and he may face legal consequences for his actions. Known by the Twitter handle "Kiwi Jihadi," Taylor notoriously forgot to turn off Twitter's geotagging function in 2014, alerting outsiders to the location of Islamic State fighters. Taylor told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from a Kurdish prison that after five years with the Islamic State, he fled in December and surrendered to Kurdish forces because life had become unbearable. He said there was no food or money and basic services had collapsed. Taylor said he wasn't a fighter and instead worked for the group as a guard on the border between the Islamic State and Syrian government forces. He said he was jailed three times by Islamic State, including once for 50 days over the geotagging incident. He said he witnessed beheadings and executions. In this image made from video taken March 3, 2019, captured Islamic State soldier New Zealander Mark Taylor is led through prison grounds in Qamishli, Syria. Taylor, among a half-dozen New Zealanders thought to have who joined the Islamic State group, has been captured in Syria says he regrets not being able to afford a slave and expects to return home. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP) "They had a lady they took out of a truck and shot her in the back of the head," Taylor told the ABC. "There was a big crowd gathering around. I asked, 'What's going on?' but no one answered." Taylor said he regretted not being able to afford a Yazidi slave. The Islamic State took thousands of Yazidi women and girls as sex slaves, viewing female members of the religious minority as heretics worthy of subjugation and rape. "To buy a slave, you're looking at least $4,000 American to buy an older woman, at least past 50 years old," he told ABC. "And to buy a decent one, at least (US) $10,000 or $20,000." Taylor said he got stuck being married to two Syrian women, and that neither relationship worked out. He told the ABC that he would be surprised if New Zealand did not take him back, although he expected he'd be spending a couple of years in jail back home. "I'm sorry for causing too much trouble and being a bit hot-headed and flamboyant in my approach . I don't know if I can go back to New Zealand, but at the end of the day it's really something I have to live with for the rest of my life." Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern said Monday that Taylor's actions in joining Islamic State and traveling to Syria created potential legal consequences for him if he does manage to return. She said New Zealand had plans in place for any Islamic State fighters that might return. "The safety of New Zealand and New Zealanders is our priority," she said. In 2015, Taylor posted a video calling on Islamic State supporters in New Zealand and Australia to commit terrorist acts at home, "even if it means you have to stab a few police officers or soldiers." The Department of Internal Affairs said Taylor does not appear to have a valid New Zealand passport or travel documents, and Ardern noted that obtaining the documents "in his current situation will be difficult to do." But, she added, Taylor remained a New Zealand citizen and had rights under international law. Before he left New Zealand, Taylor, who is in his mid-40s, told television network TV3 that he had been lonely his whole life, and that he'd been used and abused by people. Taylor, who also goes by the names Muhammad Daniel and Abu Abdul-Rahman, acknowledged listening to the sermons of the late U.S.-born al-Qaida preacher Anwar al-Awlaki. In 2015, New Zealand mosque elder Mustafa Farouk told The Associated Press that when Taylor arrived in Hamilton, they allowed him to park the old truck he lived in near the mosque and offered to find him accommodation and mental-health services. But he said Taylor wanted to remain independent and declined their offers. If Taylor had radical thoughts, Farouk said, he kept them to himself. "The only thing he ever talked about was wanting to get married," Farouk told the AP. "He didn't seem like he could pose any danger to anyone at all. More that he might need someone to look after him, really." NEW YORK (AP) - Did you hear what happened when Bill Gates walked into a bar? Everybody there immediately became millionaires - on average. That joke about a very rich man is an old one among statisticians. So why did Peter Smibert use it to explain a revolution in biology? Because it shows averages can be misleading. And Smibert, of the New York Genome Center, says that includes when scientists are trying to understand the basic unit of life, the cell. Until recently, trying to study key traits of cells from people and other animals often meant analyzing bulk samples of tissue, producing a mushed-up average of results from many cell types. It was like trying to learn about a banana by studying a strawberry-blueberry-orange-banana smoothie. In recent years, however, scientists have developed techniques that let them directly study the DNA codes, the activity of genes and other traits of individual cells. The approach has become widely adopted, revealing details about the body that couldn't be shown before. And it has opened the door to pursuing an audacious goal: listing every cell type in the human body. "Single-cell analysis is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of our biology and health," Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, declared recently. A scientist at the NY Genome Center in New York demonstrates equipment used in single-cell RNA analysis on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. Until recently, trying to study key traits of cells from people and other animals often meant analyzing bulk samples of tissue, producing an average of results from many cell types. But scientists have developed techniques that let them directly study the DNA codes, and its chemical cousin RNA, the activity of genes and other traits of individual cells. (AP Photo/Malcolm Ritter) In fact, the journal Science named the techniques that allow single-cell tracking of gene activity over time in developing organisms and organs as its "breakthrough of the year" for 2018. Its announcement declared, "The single-cell revolution is just starting." A SLEW OF DISCOVERIES Even complicated animals like us are really just massive communities of cells, each taking on a particular role and working with its neighbors. An average adult human has 37 trillion or so of them, and they're surprisingly varied: the inner lining of the colon, for example, has more than 50 kinds of cells. It was just five years ago that methods for decoding of DNA and its chemical cousin RNA from individual cells became broadly accessible, according to the journal Nature Methods. New techniques are still being developed to pry more and more secrets out of individual cells. The single-cell approach is leading to a slew of discoveries. In just the past year, for example: - Scientists closely tracked gene activity within fish and frog embryos, a step toward the longstanding goal of understanding how a single fertilized egg can produce an animal. One study compiled results from more than 92,000 zebrafish embryonic cells. - Other researchers revealed details of the physical connection between pregnant women and the fetus, giving potential clues for understanding some causes of stillbirth. - A study found a pattern of gene activity in some melanoma cells that let them resist immunotherapy, the practice of unleashing the body's immune system on cancer. That might lead to finding a way to render those cells vulnerable. And a pair of other studies may affect research into cystic fibrosis, the genetic disease that causes lung infections and limits breathing ability. Scientists have long known that the disease stems from a faulty version of protein called CFTR. The studies identified a type of rare cell in the airway that makes large amounts of CFTR, surpassing earlier but only dimly understood indications that such cells existed. The discovery offers great potential for guiding the development of new treatments, said Dr. William Skach, senior vice president of research affairs for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Single-cell techniques will be important in studying them further for coming up with new therapies, he said. (Two co-authors of one paper are from the foundation). At the MD Anderson Cancer Center of the University of Texas, Nicholas Navin uses single-cell DNA studies to reveal different patterns of mutations in various cells of a single tumor. That lets him reconstruct when and where those mutations appeared as the tumor evolved from benign cells. And he can identify cells that contain combinations of mutations that make them the most lethal. Someday, such research should indicate what treatments to use for particular patients, or which patients have the highest risk of the disease progressing, he says. It might also allow doctors to check how well their treatments are working against a cancer over time. A decade or two from now, it might let doctors detect cancers very early by picking up and analyzing the DNA of rare cells in blood tests, he says. MAPPING ALL THE CELLS Meanwhile, the ability to produce single-cell results for hundreds of thousands of cells at a time has opened the door to a huge effort to catalog every cell type in the human body. More than 1,000 scientists from 57 countries have joined the Human Cell Atlas Consortium , which estimates it will eventually profile at least 10 billion cells found in both healthy and sick people. Why do this? It's a natural follow to the big project that catalogued all the human genes, says co-organizer Aviv Regev, a biology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and researcher at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. (Her salary is paid by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also supports The Associated Press Health & Science Department.) The gene map led to identifying thousands of genetic variants that raise or lower the risk of many diseases. But to turn that into therapies, scientists have to know in which cells those variants act, she said. And to run down those cells in the human body, "we have to map all of them." Some cells are rarer than others, but these can be just as critical for a functioning body as their more plentiful neighbors, she said. She hopes for a first draft of the cell atlas in about five years, focused on certain organs and tissues of the body. To finish the job might take about a decade, she figures. Regev won't hazard a guess about how many cell types will be found for the entire human body. "This is not going to cure all disease immediately," she said, but "it is a critical stepping stone." ___ This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Researcher Peter Smibert at the NY Genome Center in New York demonstrates a step in single-cell RNA analysis on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. Until recently, trying to study key traits of cells from people and other animals often meant analyzing bulk samples of tissue, producing an average of results from many cell types. But scientists have developed techniques that let them directly study the DNA codes, and its chemical cousin RNA, the activity of genes and other traits of individual cells. (AP Photo/Malcolm Ritter) BEIJING (AP) - A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer who recently completed a two-year prison sentence on national security charges has returned to his parents' home in central China after he briefly went missing upon his scheduled release. Jiang Tianyong defended politically sensitive individuals including blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng and followers of the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual group. The 47-year-old former lawyer video-chatted with his wife, Jin Bianling, and their 16-year-old daughter Saturday, Jin said on Twitter over the weekend. She and their daughter live in Los Angeles. "I cried, he teared up too!" she said. "I see that Tianyong has gotten thinner, and his face is a bit darker." She added, "He says right now he is still not free." Jiang was permitted to go to his parents' residence in Henan province two days after he was initially released and escorted elsewhere by police, Jin said. FILE - In this May 2, 2012, file photo, Human rights activist Jiang Tianyong speaks to journalists outside a hospital after his failed attempt to see a Chinese activist who is believed to be seeking treatment in Beijing, China. The wife of Jiang who recently completed a two-year prison sentence on national security charges says he has now returned to his parents' home in central China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File) Jiang's sister and father had gone to meet him Thursday upon his release, but were only allowed to see him briefly with state security agents present. Jiang, his sister and father then became unreachable for two days, Jin told The Associated Press last week, saying she feared that they had all been taken into police custody. It wasn't immediately clear where the three were during those two days. China increasingly places rights defenders and those it considers dissidents under various types of extra-legal detention even after they have served their sentences. Prior to Jiang's arrest in 2016, he had worked to publicize the plight of lawyers arrested in a sweeping crackdown on legal advocates that began in July 2015. He was forced to stop practicing law in 2009, after authorities refused to renew his legal license. Jiang was sentenced in 2017 to two years in prison for inciting subversion of state power, a vague charge often levied against human rights activists. Prosecutors accused Jiang of using social media platforms to denigrate the government and judicial authorities and said he fabricated a claim that another lawyer had allegedly been tortured in custody. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea has proposed semiofficial three-way talks with the United States and North Korea as it struggles to put nuclear diplomacy back on track after the collapse of a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The proposal for the talks came during a National Security Council meeting on Monday led by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who said it was Seoul's "outmost priority" to prevent nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea from derailing. At the meeting in Seoul's presidential palace, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the proposed talks, which could include civilian experts from the U.S. and South Korea, would help settle differences over how much sanctions relief Washington should provide North Korea in exchange for nuclear disarmament steps. Last week's meeting between Trump and Kim in Vietnam broke down over what the Americans said were North Korea's excessive demands for sanctions relief in exchange for a limited offer to shut down its aging main nuclear complex in Yongbyon. North Korea reportedly has other sites producing weapons-grade uranium hidden around the country. Kang said the core issue is determining what disarmament steps North Korea could be persuaded to take in exchange for sanctions relief. Moon lobbied hard for the revival of nuclear diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea following elevated tensions in 2017 over North Korea's missile and nuclear tests and Trump's threats to bring "fire and fury" on the North. Some experts say the breakdown of the Trump-Kim talks in Vietnam raised further doubts about Moon's claim that Kim is genuinely interested in dealing away his nuclear weapons and about Moon's role as mediator. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, presides over a meeting of the National Security Council at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 4, 2019. Moon said Seoul will actively try to get the nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang quickly back on track. (Bae Jae-man/Yonhap via AP) "We hope that both countries will continue their dialogue and that their leaders meet again quickly to reach an agreement that was held off this time," Moon said at Monday's meeting, which was also attended by the prime minister, spy chief and ministers of defense and inter-Korean affairs. "In the process, our role has become important once again," Moon said. "While I believe the United States-North Korea negotiations will eventually reach an agreement, it's never desirable for a vacuum in dialogue or stalemate to be prolonged," he said, urging South Korean officials to find ways for the U.S. and North Korea to narrow their differences. Moon said South Korea will continue to push ahead with engagement with North Korea within the boundaries of U.S.-led international sanctions against the North. Moon has prioritized stabilizing bilateral relations with North Korea amid the larger nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea, saying inter-Korean reconciliation will drive progress in nuclear talks. But his call for partial sanctions relief to encourage nuclear disarmament steps by North Korea has caused disagreements with Washington, which does not want to give up what it sees as its main leverage with the North. Moon's government plans to hold discussions with the United States over the possibility of restarting operations at a joint Korean factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong and tours by South Koreans to the North's Diamond Mountain resort. These projects provided much-needed cash to North Korea before the South shut them down during past periods of tensions. While Moon's spokesman said South Korea will see if there's any possible way to restart the projects under the "framework" of current U.N. and U.S. sanctions, experts say that would be impossible. The U.N. Security Council has so far restricted sanctions exemptions to non-commercial infrastructure projects and would likely need to pass an entirely new resolution on North Korea for inter-Korean economic activities to resume, which is difficult to imagine until Kim takes deeper steps toward completely and verifiably relinquishing his nuclear weapons, said Lim Soo-ho, an analyst at the Seoul-based Institute for National Security. Under U.S. laws, Trump would need to go through an involved process to soften U.S. unilateral sanctions against the North, which would put South Korean companies doing business in the North under the threat of U.S. boycotts. Moon helped set up the first summit between Trump and Kim last June in Singapore, where they issued a vague aspirational statement about a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, without describing how or when it would occur. Moon said the collapse of the second Trump-Kim summit was "very regrettable," but the talks were still meaningful because they included specific discussions of disarmament steps, sanctions and the possible establishment of liaison offices. Washington and Seoul announced on Sunday that they will eliminate massive annual springtime military drills and replace them with smaller exercises, in what they called an effort to support diplomacy with North Korea. On Monday, their militaries began a new computer-simulated exercise dubbed "Dong Maeng," or "Alliance," which runs until next Tuesday. Some analysts say the conversion to smaller exercises and simulations will weaken the allies' military readiness when North Korea has yet to take real steps toward disarmament. JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli military said a Palestinian vehicle targeted Israeli soldiers on a highway in the West Bank before dawn on Monday, prompting troops to open fire, killing two Palestinians inside. An Israeli officer and border policeman were injured when the Palestinian car rammed into a group of Israeli troops, running them over on a road outside a village near the city of Ramallah, the military said. The officer was seriously injured and hospitalized. A third Palestinian inside the car was wounded and taken into custody, it said. Later Monday, another military statement said an initial inquiry "indicates that the incident was a terror attack," adding that the Palestinian suspects had also thrown firebombs at a nearby highway earlier in the night. A Palestinian official disputed that account. Khaldoun al-Deek, the mayor of the Palestinian village of Nima near where the incident occurred, told The Associated Press that it took place at a sharp curve in the road, leading him to "believe it was a road accident, not a ramming attack." The Palestinian health ministry identified the two killed Palestinians as Amir Daraj and Yusuf Anqawi, both 20 years old and residents of villages near Ramallah. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, addressing journalists in the Gaza Strip on Monday, praised the two slain Palestinians, referring to them as "heroes." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to expedite the demolition of the suspected Palestinian attackers' homes. Israel demolishes Palestinian attackers' homes as a policy aimed at deterring future attacks. "We are determined to continue our vigorous struggle against the murderers and against terrorism," Netanyahu said during a meeting with visiting Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi. Since 2015, Palestinians have killed over 50 Israelis in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks, and Israeli forces have killed more than 260 Palestinians in that same period. Israel has described most of the Palestinians killed as attackers, but occasional clashes between protesters and soldiers have also turned deadly. ___ Associated Press writers Fares Akram in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, and Mohammad Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report. MEDAN, Indonesia (AP) - Environmentalists lost a court challenge Monday to a Chinese-backed dam in Indonesia that will rip through the habitat of the most critically endangered orangutan species. The state administrative court in North Sumatra's capital, Medan, ruled that construction can continue despite critics of the 510-megawatt hydro dam providing evidence that its environmental impact assessment was deeply flawed. Experts say the dam will flood and in other ways alter the habitat of an orangutan species numbering only about 800 primates and likely make it impossible to take a crucial step toward ensuring the species survives - reconnecting fragmented forests the primates are spread across. Scientists announced the discovery of a third orangutan species, Pongo tapanuliensis, in November after DNA analysis and field study revealed unique characteristics. The population, with frizzier hair and distinctively long calls for the males, was previously believed to be Sumatran orangutans, also critically endangered. Without special protection, it's in danger of rapid extinction, scientists say. The species is found only in the Batang Toru forest, where the dam will be built. Announcing the decision of a three-judge panel, presiding Judge Jimmy C. Pardede said the witnesses and facts presented by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, the country's largest environmental group, in its case against the North Sumatra provincial government were irrelevant. In this Friday, March 1, 2019, activists display posters near an orangutan mural during a protest against the construction of a Chinese-backed dam that they claimed will rip through the habitat of the most critically endangered orangutan species in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. A state administrative court in North Sumatra's capital, Medan, ruled that the construction can continue despite critics of the 510-megawatt hydro dam providing evidence that its environmental impact assessment was deeply flawed. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara) The group, known by its Indonesian acronym Walhi, said it would appeal. "We will take all available legal channels," said Dana Prima Tarigan, the group's executive director for North Sumatra. The group said the judges considered the case from a narrow administrative perspective and ignored its environmental and conservation dimensions. China's state-owned Sinohydro is building the dam, which is reportedly financed by Chinese loans. Critics of the project say it's part of China's "Belt and Road" plans to carpet Asia with Chinese-financed infrastructure and extend its economic and political influence. Anti-dam campaigners and groups in favor of the project held small protests in Batang Toru and outside the Chinse Consulate in Medan over the past week. Presiding judge Jimmy C. Paraded, center, announces the decision of a three-judge on environmental activists' legal challenge against the construction of a Chinese-backed dam that they claimed will rip through the habitat of the most critically endangered orangutan species, at the administrative court in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, March 4, 2019. The court ruled that the construction can continue despite critics of the 510-megawatt hydro dam providing evidence that its environmental impact assessment was deeply flawed. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara) In this Friday, March 1, 2019, an activist in an orangutan suit stands on a roadside during a protest against the construction of a Chinese-backed dam that they claimed will rip through the habitat of the most critically endangered orangutan species in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. A state administrative court in North Sumatra's capital, Medan, ruled that the construction can continue despite critics of the 510-megawatt hydro dam providing evidence that its environmental impact assessment was deeply flawed. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara) LONDON (AP) - British police have charged a man after opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn was hit by an egg. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was assaulted while visiting a mosque in his London constituency on Sunday. A man was arrested at the scene after allegedly smacking the egg onto the left-wing politician's head while shouting "When you vote you get what you vote for." The Metropolitan Police force said Monday that 31-year-old John Murphy was charged with assault by beating. He is due to appear in court Tuesday. Britain's divisive decision to leave the European Union has raised the temperature in politics, with lawmakers complaining of an increasing level of abuse and threats. In 2016, Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was stabbed and shot to death by an attacker shouting far-right slogans. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's supreme leader has cautioned the country's government not to pin its hopes on Europe as Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers founders under U.S. pressure. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's website quoted him on Monday as saying the landmark 2015 nuclear deal "could not fix our economic problems." Khamenei's comments come as the U.N. nuclear watchdog was expected to again announce that Iran is complying with the nuclear deal, which saw it limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The U.S. and the European Union disagree over several issues, including Iran. President Donald Trump pulled America out of the nuclear deal last year and re-imposed U.S. sanctions to pressure Tehran. Recently, France, Germany and Britain created a special trading arrangement to circumvent U.S. sanctions. ___ This story has been corrected to fix spelling of Khamenei's name. HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Zimbabwe's youngest lawmaker faces a subversion charge for allegedly asking constituents to support anti-government protests crushed by the military in January. Joanna Mamombe, a 25-year-old opposition member, faces 20 years in prison if convicted. She spent the weekend in detention in the capital, Harare. She is among dozens of opposition officials, labor leaders and activists arrested following the protests over a sharp rise in gasoline prices and deteriorating economic conditions. Pastor Evan Mawarire and labor leaders Japhet Moyo and Peter Mutasa also have been charged with subversion. Police say over 1,000 people were arrested. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has accused Western countries of engineering the protests to oust his government. The U.S Embassy last week said that "harassment and targeted arrests of civil society leaders damage Zimbabwe's reputation and economic future." ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece said Monday it is planning to issue a 10-year bond, in its second test of financial market confidence in the country since it officially exited its international bailouts in August. The Public Debt Management Agency said the issue, which comes on the heels of a credit upgrade, would be launched "in the near future" subject to market conditions. In January, Greece raised 2.5 billion euros ($2.85 billion) through a healthily oversubscribed five-year bond. Although the country has a cash buffer of more than 26 billion euros, which would keep it going for a couple of years without issuing new debt, the government is keen to gradually normalize its access to capital markets through bond sales. Greece last issued a 10-year bond in 2010, shortly before the country's first bailout. The debt management agency has said it plans to issue 5-7 billion euros in benchmark bonds this year. The timing also seems good to raise money: the yield on Greece's 10-year bond was 3.6 percent on Monday, the lowest in over a decade. People walk outside the Zappeion conference hall in central Athens, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. The Zappeion was used as the main fencing hall in the first modern Olympic games in 1896 and later as the Olympic Village.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) The announcement of the 10-year issue follows Friday's two-notch upgrade of Greece's credit rating by Moody's ratings agency, from B3 to B1 with a stable outlook. Although that is still well below investment grade, the upgrade offers a boost to market confidence. Moody's cited the country's progress with economic reforms, strong fiscal performance and improved public debt sustainability following a relief package by European creditors last summer. "While progress has been halting at times, with targets delayed or missed, the reform momentum appears to be increasingly entrenched, with good prospects for further progress and low risk of reversal," Moody's said. The agency added that the reforms are "slowly starting to bear fruit in the economy," with a boost in exports, better competitiveness and employment growth. The left-wing government came to power four years ago pledging to end bailout-linked austerity cuts and reforms. But Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras abruptly backtracked months later when it became clear that this would force the country into a catastrophic exit from the European currency club and, potentially, the European Union. Moody's said the risk of "a material reversal" of reforms already implemented was low, whatever the outcome of parliamentary elections expected by October this year. "The most politically painful measures have already been enacted, with the economy finally showing signs of recovery, reducing the incentives for any future government to jeopardize the hard-won gains," it said. Opinion polls show that Greece's conservative, main opposition New Democracy party would easily win the national election, but it is unclear whether it would gain a large enough majority to govern alone. MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine authorities said Monday that they found more than 1,500 live turtles stuffed inside luggage at Manila's airport. The various types of turtles were found Sunday inside four pieces of left-behind luggage of a Filipino passenger arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong, Customs officials said in a statement. The 1,529 turtles were turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit, the statement said. Convictions for the illegal trading of wildlife are punishable by a prison sentence of up to two years and a fine of up to 200,000 pesos ($3,861). In 2018, Philippine authorities turned over to the DENR a total of 560 wildlife and endangered species, including 250 geckos and 254 corals smuggled through air parcels, baggage and shipments, according to the statement. In this March 3, 2019, handout photo provided by the Bureau of Customs Public Information Office, duct taped turtles are presented to reporters in Manila, Philippines. Philippine authorities said that they found more than 1,500 live exotic turtles stuffed inside luggage at Manila's airport. The various types of turtles were found Sunday inside four pieces of left-behind luggage of a Filipino passenger arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong, Customs officials said in a statement. (Bureau of Customs via AP) In this March 3, 2019, handout photo provided by the Bureau of Customs Public Information Office, turtles are piled inside a box as they are presented to reporters in Manila, Philippines. Philippine authorities said that they found more than 1,500 live exotic turtles stuffed inside luggage at Manila's airport. The various types of turtles were found Sunday inside four pieces of left-behind luggage of a Filipino passenger arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong, Customs officials said in a statement. (Bureau of Customs via AP) In this March 3, 2019, handout photo provided by the Bureau of Customs Public Information Office, duct taped turtles can be seen inside luggage as they are presented to reporters in Manila, Philippines. Philippine authorities said that they found more than 1,500 live exotic turtles stuffed inside luggage at Manila's airport. The various types of turtles were found Sunday inside four pieces of left-behind luggage of a Filipino passenger arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong, Customs officials said in a statement. (Bureau of Customs via AP) In this March 3, 2019, handout photo provided by the Bureau of Customs Public Information Office, duct-taped turtles are mixed inside luggage as they are presented to reporters in Manila, Philippines. Philippine authorities said that they found more than 1,500 live exotic turtles stuffed inside luggage at Manila's airport. The various types of turtles were found Sunday inside four pieces of left-behind luggage of a Filipino passenger arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong, Customs officials said in a statement. (Bureau of Customs via AP) Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. POWERFUL TORNADO STRIKES ALABAMA The F3 twister packing at least 150 mph winds kills at least 23 people, leveling single-family homes and mobile homes in the rural southeast Alabama town of Beauregard. 2. HOUSE PREPARES TO EXPAND OBSTRUCTION PROBE The chairman of the House committee that would be in charge of impeachment says the panel is requesting documents from more than 60 people from Trump's administration, family and business. 3. XI FIRMLY IN CHARGE AS CHINA TURNS TO LEGISLATIVE SEASON This photo provided by James Lally shows a funnel-shaped cloud on I-10 near Marianna, Fla., Sunday, March 3, 2019. Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the powerful storm system raced across the region. (James Lally via AP) The Chinese president wields his expanding influence despite a slowing economy, a trade war with the U.S. and rumbles of discontent over his concentration of power. 4. 'IT'S PURE HELL' The Florida Panhandle county hardest hit by Hurricane Michael in October is still experiencing a housing crisis with Bay County officials saying that 7,800 people are still homeless. 5. TRUMP SAYS COHEN HEARING MAY HAVE HURT NORTH KOREA RESULTS Trump criticized Democrats for holding the congressional hearing with his former personal attorney while he was in sensitive negotiations with Kim Jong Un. 6. WHERE ADVANCES IN CELL RESEARCH HAVE LED Scientists can now zero in on individual cells to examine their DNA or the gene activity, leading to an ambitious plan to determine every type of cell in the human body. 7. DEATH OF 'HOOD CNN' PIONEER EXPOSES GANGLAND REPORTING RISKS The killing of Zack Stoner in a new genre of news in which videographers interview street gangs and rappers in high-crime areas unnerves other gangland reporters nationwide. 8. BILL CLINTON HAS 2020 ADVICE; FEW CANDIDATES ARE SEEKING IT The former U.S. president is taking meetings with some Democrats running for the White House, but the early front-runners and the women have stayed away. 9. WHAT YAZIDI WOMEN FEAR Those who escaped captivity from the Islamic State group say they worry hundreds of other women are still missing - and may never return home. 10. SPIELBERG'S PUSH AGAINST NETFLIX STRIKES RANKLES SOME The Oscar-winning director's push against Netflix at the Academy Awards hits a cultural nerve and reignites the streaming versus theatrical debate. Stuffed animals sit outside a boarded up housing development damaged from Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Of all areas on the Florida Panhandle affected by Michael, Bay County with 183,000 residents was the hardest hit: Officials said almost three-quarters of its 68,000 households were impacted in some way. (AP Photo/David Goldman) China-U.S. economic and trade consultations demand joint efforts by both sides, said China's Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan Tuesday. [File photo: VCG] "In the economic and trade talks, both sides should make joint efforts to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries," Zhong said at a "passage interview" for ministers after the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's national legislature. The consultations have followed the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, which are agreed by the leaders of both sides, he said. The 90 days of consultations have achieved important progress, with breakthroughs made in some fields, which should be cherished, Zhong said. RUMSISKES, Lithuania (AP) - A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend. Chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase winter away. After a long and dark winter, people in this Baltic country wanted to make the cold season go away by wearing colorful masks and dressing up, singing loudly and eating pancakes with toppings. Onlooker Lukas Kazlauskas, a 43-year-old teacher, came with his family "to have fun and burn down More" - a giant doll symbolizing winter - and dance around the fire. The centuries-old Ash Wednesday festivities, rooted in pagan and Christianity traditions, took place Sunday in Lithuania, a nation of nearly 3 million inhabitants sandwiched between Belarus, Latvia, Poland and Russia's Kaliningrad exclave. In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask takes part in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, performers wearing a traditional carnival masks play accordions during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, spectators gather to watch a traditional carnival mask festival during the Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask takes part in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask looks through a window in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a girl runs past two performers wearing a traditional carnival mask during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a woman smiles posing with performers wearing a traditional carnival for a photo during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, woodcarver Saulius Tamulis works on a new mask during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask looks through a window during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, Traditional carnival masks made by woodcarver Saulius Tamulis are on display during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, a performer wearing a traditional carnival mask takes part in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, A performer wearing a traditional carnival mask, center, flirts with the participants of Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, performers dressed like newlyweds take part in Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) In this photo taken on Saturday, March 2, 2019, performers wearing a traditional carnival mask, one of them in an old Soviet police uniform, center, dance during Shrovetide celebrations, in Rumsiskes village, some 89 kilometers (56 miles) north of Vilnius, Lithuania. A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend, as chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase the long and dark winter away. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) ISLAMABAD (AP) - The Latest on the latest escalation between Pakistan and India (all times local): 5:10 p.m. Pakistan's Interior Ministry says authorities have arrested dozens of suspects, including the brother of the leader of the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammad group that India has blamed for the Feb. 14 suicide bombing in Indian Kashmir that killed 40 troops. That bombing last month triggered a dangerous escalation that last week pushed Pakistan and India close to an all-out war over Kashmir. In Tuesday's statement, the ministry says 44 suspects were arrested, including prominent members of the outlawed militant group. Among those arrested was Mufti Abdul Rauf, the brother of the group's leader, Masood Azhar. The ministry says the brother was among suspects listed in a file on the February bombing that India gave to Pakistan over the weekend. Kashmir is split between Pakistan and India and is claimed by both in its entirety. Pakistani protesters beat an effigy of Indian prime minister during a rally in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, March 4, 2019. A key train service with neighboring India resumed and schools in Pakistani Kashmir opened Monday in another sign of easing tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals since a major escalation last week over the disputed Kashmir region. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan) ___ 1:45 p.m. Pakistan's navy says it spotted and warned an Indian submarine approaching its territorial waters in the Arabian Sea not to attempt an incursion. The navy said in a statement Tuesday that the Indian submarine wasn't targeted, "keeping in view Pakistan's policy of peace" under which Islamabad wants to de-escalate tensions with New Delhi. A navy official says the warning was "communicated" to the submarine during Monday's encounter. The submarine then moved away. He didn't elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity to talk to reporters. Tension escalated after India last week launched an airstrike inside Pakistan, claiming it targeted militants behind a Feb. 14 bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 40 Indian troops. Pakistan retaliated by downing two Indian fighter jets and capturing a pilot who was later handed back. OUTSIDE BAGHOUZ, Syria (AP) - The Latest on developments in Syria with the push on the last patch of territory held by the Islamic State group (all times local): 6:30 p.m. Russia's Defense Ministry has accused the U.S. military of keeping tens of thousands of people in a refugee camp in southern Syria against their will. The ministry said Tuesday that the U.S. military has prevented 35,000 Syrians from leaving the Rukban camp. It charged that the U.S.-affiliated rebels extort money from those who want to leave . The ministry released satellite images of the camp, arguing that they prove that conditions in the camp are miserable. Russia has repeatedly accused the U.S. of failing to provide proper living conditions in Rukban, home to about 40,000 people. Food and medicine deliveries to the camp have often failed due to poor security. A member of U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) watches a wounded man climb off of a truck after being evacuated out of the last territory held by Islamic State militants, outside Baghouz, Syria, Monday, March 4, 2019. Hundreds of people including IS fighters evacuated their last foothold in eastern Syria hours after U.S.-backed Syrian fighters said they were forced to slow their advance because the extremists are using civilians as human shields.(AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) The Russian military said the Syrian government last week sent a convoy to evacuate the camp, but the U.S. refused to let it through. ___ 2:50 p.m. The wife of a French militant who had joined the Islamic State group says her husband, Jean-Michel Clain, has died of his wounds in Syria. The woman, who only identified herself as Dorothee, said on Tuesday that she does not want to go back to France and wants "France to leave me alone." She spoke to The Associated Press at a screening area after leaving the village of Baghouz, the last sliver of land still in the hands of IS militants. The 38-year-old woman describes the situation in Baghouz as a "horror film." She says her husband joined IS along with his older brother, Fabien Clain, one of Europe's most-wanted members of the extremist group. Fabien Clain was killed in a strike by the U.S.-led military coalition in Syria in February. Dorothee says her husband was also wounded in the same airstrike and died of his wounds two days ago. ___ 11 a.m. A spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian forces fighting the Islamic State group says thousands of people, including militants, have left the last area held by the extremists in Syria. Mustafa Bali tweeted that about 3,000 came out of the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria on Monday through a humanitarian corridor established by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for those who want to leave or surrender. Bali says among those who left was a large number of IS fighters who "surrendered to our forces." The evacuations came as the U.S. backed forces slowed down their latest push on Baghouz, which resumed last week, to allow civilians to leave the tiny enclave. It's unclear how many IS militants and civilians remain inside, but the number is likely in the hundreds. People sit in a truck after being evacuated out of the last territory held by Islamic State militants, outside Baghouz, Syria, Monday, March 4, 2019. Hundreds of people including IS fighters evacuated their last foothold in eastern Syria hours after U.S.-backed Syrian fighters said they were forced to slow their advance because the extremists are using civilians as human shields.(AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) move women and children into a truck after being evacuated out of the last territory held by Islamic State militants, outside Baghouz, Syria, Monday, March 4, 2019. Hundreds of people including IS fighters evacuated their last foothold in eastern Syria hours after U.S.-backed Syrian fighters said they were forced to slow their advance because the extremists are using civilians as human shields.(AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - The Swedish military says one of its fast assault crafts crashed into a quay in the Stockholm archipelago during a drill, injuring at least seven people. Sweden's Armed Forces say two people with suspected head injuries were flown by helicopter to hospitals, but their injuries are not life-threatening. The others were more lightly injured. In its Tuesday statement, the military said the accident occurred during a landing exercise when the assault craft ran into the quay. The CB90-class fast assault craft, armed with machine guns and a grenade launcher, can carry 18 people. BEAUREGARD, Ala. (AP) - The youngest victim was 6, the oldest 89. One extended family lost seven members. The 23 people killed in the nation's deadliest tornado in nearly six years came into focus Tuesday with the release of their names by coroner. They included 6-year-old Armando Hernandez Jr., known as "AJ," torn from his father's arms two days after singing in his first-grade class musical; 10-year-old Taylor Thornton, who loved horses and was visiting a friend's home when the twister struck; and David Wayne Dean, 53, nicknamed "Roaddog" because of his love for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. "Just keep those families in your prayers," Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said, two days after the disaster. The search for victims, pets and belongings in and around the devastated rural community of Beauregard continued amid the din of beeping heavy machinery and whining chain saws. But Sheriff Jay Jones said the list of the missing had shrunk from dozens to just seven or eight. "We've got piles of rubble that we are searching just to make sure," said Opelika Fire Chief Byron Prather Jr. "We don't think we'll find nobody there, but we don't want to leave any stone unturned." Kayla Causey sifts through the debris while helping her mother retrieve personal items after a tornado destroyed her home in Beauregard, Ala., Tuesday, March 5, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Four children were killed, ages 6, 8, 9 and 10. Prather said the mother of 6-year-old AJ rushed to the scene Sunday in distress. "She just said her child was swept from the father's arms," Prather said. "A mother's love for her child. How do you tell a mom that she can't go look for her child? She went and tried to find her child, like everybody else." Dean's body was found by his son in a neighbor's yard after the twister demolished his mobile home. "He was done and gone before we got to him," said his sobbing widow, Carol Dean, who was at work at Walmart when the storm hit. "My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up." The tornado was an EF4 with winds estimated at 170 mph (274 kph) and carved a path of destruction up to nine-tenths of a mile (1.4 kilometers) wide in Alabama, scraping up the earth in a phenomenon known as "ground rowing," the National Weather Service said. It traveled a remarkable 70 miles or so through Alabama and Georgia, where it caused more damage. Ninety people were injured in the Beauregard area, authorities said. Most have been released from the hospital. President Donald Trump said he will visit Alabama on Friday to see the damage. "It's been a tragic situation, but a lot of good work is being done," he said at the White House. Along the two-lane country road where some of the victims died, firefighters used heavy machinery to overturn pieces of houses that were blown into a gulley. A car sat atop the remains of one house. A red-brick foundation was all that was left at another lot. The search took its toll around Beauregard, an unincorporated area of roughly 10,000 people near the Georgia line. Church chaplain Ike Mathews walked down a road lined with broken trees and debris as he went to check on members of his congregation and emergency workers. "Yesterday I talked to some team members who had found bodies. They're hurting. The community is torn up. They started crying talking about it," said Mathews, an associate pastor at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church. Many of the people living in the area are senior citizens who moved to the country after retiring from textile mills or an old magnetic-tape manufacturing plant that closed years ago, Mathews said. "They start with a mobile home and hope they can build a house someday. They invest in their homes, and they have a sense of legacy. It's something to leave their kids and grandkids," he said. It was the deadliest tornado to hit the U.S. since May 2013, when an EF5 twister killed 24 people in Moore, Oklahoma. Government teams surveying storm damage confirmed that at least 20 tornadoes struck on Sunday in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Cindy Sanford said one of her neighbors in Beauregard died in the storm, and another neighbor remained missing Tuesday. "I pray to God that they find her," Sanford said as picked through remains of her home, which tumbled in the wind and is now scattered across neighbors' land. Sanford said she left home with her 5-year-old grandson about five minutes before the storm struck after she got a feeling it was unsafe. "It was God," she said. "And then I heard the siren." ___ Associated Press writers Jeff Martin in Atlanta and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the coroner now says the oldest victim was 89, not 93. Debris is scattered after a tornado blew a home off its foundation in Beauregard, Ala., Tuesday, March 5, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Carol Dean, right, cries while embraced by Megan Anderson and her 18-month-old daughter Madilyn, as Dean sifts through the debris of the home she shared with her husband, David Wayne Dean, who died when a tornado destroyed the house in Beauregard, Ala., Monday, March 4, 2019. "He was my wedding gift," said Dean of her husband whom she married three years ago. "He was one in a million. He'd send me flowers to work just to let me know he loved me. He'd send me some of the biggest strawberries in the world. I'm not going to be the same." (AP Photo/David Goldman) Debris sits on the side of a road in a neighborhood devastated by a tornado in Beauregard, Ala., Tuesday, March 5, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman) ADDED SHARED WITH-Carol Dean, right, is embraced by David Theo Dean as they sift through the debris of the home Carol shared with her husband and David's father, David Wayne Dean, who died when a tornado destroyed the house in Beauregard, Ala., Monday, March 4, 2019. "He was my wedding gift," said Dean of her husband whom she married three years ago. "He was one in a million. He'd send me flowers to work just to let me know he loved me. He'd send me some of the biggest strawberries in the world. I'm not going to be the same." (AP Photo/David Goldman) Danny Allen helps recover belongings while sifting through the debris of a friend's home destroyed by a tornado in Beauregard, Ala., Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Debris from a home litters a yard the day after a tornado blew it off its foundation, lower right, in Beauregard, Ala., Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Ashley Griggs, right, helps Joey Roush, left sift through what's left of his mother's home after it was destroyed by a tornado in Beauregard, Ala., Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Danny Allen recovers a family photo while sifting through the debris of a friend's home destroyed by a tornado in Beauregard, Ala., Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Danny Allen helps recover belongings while sifting through the debris of a friend's home destroyed by a tornado in Beauregard, Ala., Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Shamima Begums Dutch husband says he wants to return to the Netherlands with her and their newborn son. Islamic Sate fighter Yago Riedijk, 27, is being held in a Kurdish-run detention centre in northern Syria. His wife, who is 19 and has had three children, is reportedly living in a refugee camp near the Iraqi border. Shamima Begum now wants to return to the UK (Met Police/PA) Ms Begum was 15 when she ran away from her home in east London to join IS in 2015. They married before she had turned 16 and Riedijk was 23. The pair are said to have fled Baghouz, the groups last foothold in eastern Syria, as its territory collapsed in recent months. Riedijk, who is said to have rejected IS, was found in the detention centre by the BBC. Asked if he thought marrying a girl of that age was acceptable, he said: To be honest, when my friend came and said there was a girl who was interested in marriage, I wasnt that interested because of her age, but I accepted the offer anyway. We sat down and she seemed in a good state of mind. It was her own choice, she was the one who asked to look for a partner for her. Then I was invited and yeah, she was very young and it might have been better for her to wait a bit. But she didnt, she chose to get married and I chose to marry her. Ms Begum, who said she wants to return to the UK, has been stripped of her British citizenship. If bets on the royal baby prove correct, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have a baby girl and name her Diana. Punters are already taking more of a gamble on Harry and Meghans impending arrival than on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges first child, Prince George. Harry and Meghan are looking forward to the arrival of their first child (Yui Mok/PA) According to bookmaker William Hill, the turnover for Harry and Meghans baby who will be seventh in line to the throne is up 80% compared with the run-up to the birth of future king George. Most bets are placed immediately before a royal youngsters arrival, but bookies expect the trend to continue. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave the Lindo Wing with Prince George (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Rupert Hill, of William Hill, said: Royal baby betting has never been more popular and the public clearly love Harry and Meghan. At this stage we think turnover will be higher for the Sussex baby than it was for Prince George. He added: The killer blow for the bookies is for the baby to be a girl and for them to choose to call her Diana. William Hill has the arrival of a girl at odds of 8/11 and a boy at 1/1, while the name Diana after Harrys late mother Diana, Princess of Wales is 10/1, followed by Alice at 12/1, Victoria 14/1 and Alexandra and Elizabeth at 16/1. For a boy, William Hills favourite is Arthur at 12/1, followed by Edward, James and Philip all at 16/1 and Alexander at 20/1. Outside odds include Albus after Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter books at 500/1, or Ginger in tribute to Harrys red hair, also at 500/1. Paddy Power is facing a big payout if the couple have a girl and call her Diana. Amy Jones, of Paddy Power, said: We have seen continued support for Diana and it will be a five-figure pay-out for Paddy Power if that is the chosen name. Currently the 8/1 favourite, it has remained the favourite since we started taking bets on it. Bookmakers also fear that Meghan will give birth to two babies instead of one. Jones added: Our biggest loser across all markets is Meghan to give birth to twins in 2019. We opened the price up at 33/1 back in October, and its now as short as 2/1, and still continues to see support. So well be very nervous if this one lands. The Duchess of Sussex with her hand over her bump (Yui Mok/PA) The babys weight is also the subject of speculation, with between 7lb and 7lb 15oz, and 8lb and 8lb 15oz the joint favourites at 2/1 with Paddy Power. Odds that Meghan will give birth to a 10lb-plus baby are 16/1. Harry was 6lb 14oz when he was born on September 15 1984. Prince Louis of Cambridge weighed 8lb 7oz heavier than both George, who was 8lb 6oz, and Princess Charlotte, who was 8lb 3oz. But the heaviest royal baby in recent years is Zara and Mike Tindalls youngest daughter Lena, who weighed 9lb 3oz when she was born in June 2018. The average weight of a baby in the UK is around 7lb 7oz. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has signalled Labour will whip its MPs to back a bid for a new Brexit referendum. Labour divisions on the issue were thrown into sharp focus as former minister Caroline Flint estimated up to 70 of the partys MPs are opposed to a second national EU withdrawal poll. Mr McDonnell told Sky News Sophy Ridge on Sunday: Normally we will whip and that will be decided in the normal way by the chief whip and the shadow cabinet and the party overall. I think on an issue as this we would see a whip but also youve got to respect peoples views and their constituency interests as well, and the whipping arrangement will be determined in discussion in due course. I just say this and I think itll be for MPs right the way across the House in all parties now that theyve got to look to the long-term interests of the country, theyve got to protect peoples jobs, theyve got to protect the economy, otherwise well never be forgiven in the future. Ms Flint appealed for the party leadership to allow a free vote and also urged colleagues to back an improved Brexit deal given the 2017 election promise to respect the 2016 referendum result. The MP told Sky News: My appeal to John McDonnell, to Jeremy Corbyn, to Keir Starmer, is allow MPs to have a free vote on an improved deal. So those MPs who want a second referendum can vote for that but those of us who want to keep our promises to our electorate can also keep faith with those people and vote for an improved deal. Ms Flint also said: I think there is something like 60 or 70 Labour MPs who feel as strongly as I do against a second referendum. She added if there was a free vote among Labour MPs then tens, twenties, thirties would vote for an improved offer. MPs have been told by Prime Minister Theresa May they will have a meaningful vote on her Brexit plans by March 12, and Labour is expected to use the occasion to put down an amendment on a second referendum. The PM said that if her deal is rejected, MPs will be able to vote on whether the UK can leave the EU in a no-deal scenario, and if that is rejected, the Commons can decide on whether to extend Article 50 and delay Brexit. In a message to Labour MPs on Brexit, former prime minister Tony Blair told BBC1s Andrew Marr Show: Vote against the deal, use an extension to come to a conclusion hard versus soft or back to the people. I think youll get to another referendum when people understand that a hard Brexit is going to be deeply economically painful for the country and a soft Brexit means we just become a rule-taker. Its in those circumstances that I think you mobilise a majority in Parliament to say the sensible thing in these circumstances is to put it back to the people, or pass her deal subject to a confirmatory referendum. Asked if delaying departure from the EU beyond March 29 would be going back on a promise, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox told BBC1s The Andrew Marr Show: It would be very unfortunate were that to happen. But, if we have no option, in order to deliver a smooth Brexit, then so be it. Sir Graham Brady is hopeful of a breakthrough on the backstop (Victoria Jones/PA) The comments came after Mrs May was given a Brexit boost as key Tories signalled swinging behind her stance in exchange for movement on the Northern Irish backstop. Chairman of the highly influential 1922 Committee of backbench Tories Sir Graham Brady expressed optimism that a breakthrough on the backstop was close. The hardline European Research Group (ERG) of Tory MPs led by Jacob Rees-Mogg also indicated a more conciliatory tone on the issue. The ERG has drawn up three tests the Government must pass to win backing. "If there's a choice between no deal and an improved deal then we should seriously consider an improved deal" says Labour MP Caroline Flint. #Ridge Follow Sunday politics live: https://t.co/XxaMhMIGg7 pic.twitter.com/IWci3Hd135 Trevor Phillips on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) March 3, 2019 ERG member Charlie Elphicke told the BBC any changes Attorney General Geoffrey Cox brings back from Brussels will be judged against the tests by the group. Mr Elphicke said changes need to be legally binding and at treaty level, the language must not just simply reiterate the temporary nature of the backstop, and there needs to be a clear and unconditional route out of the arrangement. The MP said: We do need to just get that small change, which is that there should be an end date to that backstop and then, I think, we can move forward. The ERG stance has been drawn up in conjunction with the DUP, according to the Sunday Times. Dr Fox said he hoped the ERG move was a genuine attempt to map out ground where we can have common territory in the run up to the vote before March 12. Many Brexiteers have expressed opposition to the backstop as it would leave the UK obeying EU customs rules if no wider trade deal is agreed after a transition period. The family of a beautiful, lovely and quirky 17-year-old girl who was stabbed to death in an east London park have appealed for witnesses to come forward with information about the attack. Jodie Chesney was pronounced dead just over an hour after police were called to the park, near St Neots Road in Harold Hill, at about 9.25pm on Friday. In a statement to ITV News on Sunday, her uncle, Dave Chesney, said we are all devastated. He added: This was a totally random and unprovoked attack on a beautiful, lovely and quirky young girl with her whole life in front of her. Mr Chesney said Jodie was the daughter of his youngest brother Pete, adding: We value your support and prayers at this time especially for our brother Pete, his wife Jo and Jodies sister Lucy. Also for the friends that were with her at the time. Posting on Facebook on Saturday, Jodies grandmother Debbie Chesney said too many young people were having their lives cut short by needless violence. She called for anyone with information into the attack on her youngest granddaughter to contact the police. Ms Chesney added: This was our youngest granddaughter. How have we come to this point where kids cant have a walk in a park without suffering an unprovoked attack? If anyone knows anything about this please contact the police with information. We dont want anyone else to go through what our family is suffering right now. Police officers search near the scene (Victoria Jones/PA) This has to stop, there are too many young people having their lives cut short by needless violence. No arrests have been made. In the latest incident, a mother-of-three who tried to help the teenage girl in the park was shocked by the amount of blood, her husband said. Paul Farenden, 54, said his 49-year-old wife Teresa had rushed to the scene near their home to see if she could help after she heard screaming. A police forensic officer at the scene near St Neots Road (Victoria Jones/PA) He added: My wife asked if everything was alright and one of the boys said no, my girlfriend has been stabbed. She put her in the recovery position and waited for the ambulance to turn up. I think she tried to resuscitate her. She thought it was all over then and it would be alright. But Mr Farenden said: She was shocked with the amount of blood there. People place flowers near the scene (Victoria Jones/PA) Acting Detective Chief Superintendent John Ross, of the east area command unit, said Jodies death was a tragedy, adding that police would do everything possible to identify and bring to justice the person or persons responsible. Neighbours said young people often hang out in the park, and if they are too loud they are usually moved on without any trouble. A small group of people cried and hugged each other after leaving flowers at the cordon with the message: We love you forever in our hearts. Another message attached to a floral tribute said: You are so strong. We will always remember you. The park, which has a playground at its centre and is known locally as Amys Park, has been cordoned off with police tape and is being guarded by officers for the forensic investigation. Councillors Paul McGeary and Tele Lawal (Helen William/PA) Councillor Paul McGeary, who represents the Gooshays ward where the incident occurred, arrived with fellow councillor Tele Lawal to lay flowers at the scene. Mr McGeary spoke of his shock and horror that the killing had happened in the semi-rural outer London borough. He said: This is not something that happens here and I am just completely surprised. Ms Lawal said the park, which she herself used to play in, was not an area where you will frequently see violence like this. The 22-year-old added: It is going to shock our community but it just shows the strain that is happening with young people, with our police and the resources we need in our community to tackle violence like this. Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 020 8345 3775, tweet @MetCC or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A woman has been charged with the murder of a three-month-old baby girl, Scotland Yard said. Police were called by the ambulance service at around midday on Saturday to a home in London after it was reported that a baby was unresponsive. The baby was rushed from the scene in Croydon, in the south of the city, to hospital, but despite the efforts of police and medical staff she was pronounced dead just over an hour later. A 40-year-old woman was charged over the death. Woman charged with murder of baby in Croydon https://t.co/RBnwwfaXXI pic.twitter.com/aIX4eLQmI0 Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 3, 2019 The babys family have been informed and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course. This was the 20th homicide in London so far this year. A 40-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of a baby girl in Croydon (PA) The woman, who is from West Croydon, will appear at Bromley Magistrates Court on Monday. Police ask anyone with information about the death to call 0208 785 8099 or Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111. Sir Michael Palin has paid tribute to an inspirational mountaineering pioneer as the pair star in a new film. The actor met Hamish MacInnes while searching for filming locations in Scotland for Monty Python and the Holy Grail. A former mountain rescue head, Mr MacInnes, 88, has scaled peaks worldwide and invented life-saving equipment, including a mountain rescue stretcher used globally. The Scottish mountaineer helped set up a rope bridge in Glencoe for the Monty Python team, which became the famed Bridge of Death in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Now, a very different film has brought the long-term friends together again documentary Final Ascent, which charts Mr MacInnes piecing his life back together from his own books and films after being sectioned in 2014 with delirium related to dementia. Final Ascent UK premiere (l-r) director Robbie Fraser, Hamish MacInnes, Sir Michael Palin (GFF/PA) Speaking at the films UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival, Sir Michael said: Ive had a good working life with Hamish, hes inspirational really. Hes unlike anyone else I know and he has qualities unlike anybody else I know. After his illness a few years back its so great to see him not just back on form but better than ever, almost. He added: In Glencoe, Hamish was helping us with certain structural problems like who would build the Bridge of Death over this terrifying gorge. Hamish found the place, built the bridge and ended up throwing the bodies of people who into the Gorge of Eternal Peril he was the head of mountain rescue and he was throwing bodies into a gorge. This was before CGI and special effects and we had the real thing thanks to Hamish. Hamish MacInnes, Sir Michael Palin and Robbie Fraser have joined us on the red carpet at #GFF19 for the UK premiere of Final Ascent! #ThePerfectMovieMix pic.twitter.com/1MOQWnKM7w Glasgow Film Festival (@glasgowfilmfest) March 3, 2019 Thankfully the ropes didnt break, Mr MacInnes joked. He revealed how Sir Michael, 75, relied on his mountaineering expertise even calling from the Himalayas for directions. Mr MacInnes said: I was in the workshop back home and I got a call and he had a satellite phone and he was in the Himalayas and he asked me how far is it to Concordia thats a plateau right on K2 and I said well its not that far. He got up there with a film crew and got the most amazing footage. Sir Michael added: I rang Hamish from the heart of the Karakorum mountains: I can see K2 how do I get there?' Director Robbie Fraser, from Glasgow, said Mr MacInnes has probably saved thousands of lives through his rescues, equipment innovations and writing the mountain rescue bible, the International Mountain Rescue Handbook. A search party looking for a British climber missing on the worlds ninth highest mountain has been unable to reach the peak due to heavy snow. Tom Ballard, who was born in Derbyshire and later moved to the Highlands, was climbing Nanga Parbat in Pakistan with Italian Daniele Nardi when they lost contact a week ago. Tensions over Kashmir and bad weather hit plans to search the 8,126m (26,660ft) peak, nicknamed the Killer Mountain. A Spanish search party has been unable to reach the base camp due to heavy snow, AP reports. Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said Basque mountaineer Alex Txikon and his three colleagues could not reach the base at Nanga Parbat and will try again on Monday. Weather permitting, drone flights will take place on Monday morning, the Italian ambassador to Pakistan tweeted. The two climbers are missing on the worlds ninth highest mountain (Sandy Allen/PA) Stefano Pontecorvo said the rescue team plans to fly to base camp then. Snowing again on #NangaParbat. @AlexTxikon will attempt first drone flight tomorrow morning weather permitting. Rescue team currently in Skardu and will fly to BC #NangaParbat early tomorrow morning. pic.twitter.com/Wsl9Jly9gk Stefano Pontecorvo (@pontecorvoste) March 3, 2019 Earlier, Mr Pontecorvo said both the missing men are tough guys, adding: We hope for a miracle and just try our best to find them. Initial search plans on Thursday were prevented when Pakistan closed its air space after it shot down two Indian military planes. Snow, clouds and low visibility forced proposed searches on Friday and Saturday to be called off. Mr Ballard moved to Scotland in the same year his mother, Alison Hargreaves, died on K2 when she was 33, months after becoming the first woman to conquer Everest unaided. A man is in hospital with a serious head injury after he was hit by a car in Fife. The 56-year-old pedestrian was on Hayfield Road in Kirkcaldy when he was struck by a silver Audi A4 at about 12.50am on Sunday. Police and ambulance crews went to the scene and the man was taken to the towns Victoria Hospital, where he is said to be in a critical condition. Sergeant Ewan Pearce, of Glenrothes road policing unit, said: Im appealing for anyone who may have seen what happened either from driving or walking through the area. I would also ask drivers to check their dash cam footage if they were on Hayfield Road at that time in case it picked up the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 230 of March 3. A spate of teenagers being stabbed to death across the country has led the Home Secretary to call for an end to the senseless violence. Sajid Javid said the Home Office was taking action to tackle crime, including meeting police chiefs to discuss what more can be done. His comments on Sunday came in the wake of a number of teenagers being stabbed to death across the country, including a 17-year-old girl in London and a boy, also aged 17, in a village near Manchester. Sajid Javid will chair the second chief constables round table on Wednesday (Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire) Mr Javid said: Young people are being murdered across the country and it cant go on. Were taking action on many fronts and Ill be meeting police chiefs this week to hear what more can be done. It is vital that we unite to stop this senseless violence. The Home Office said Mr Javid will chair the second chief constables round table on Wednesday, aimed at sharing experience and policing strategies for tackling violent crime. A 17-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in the village of Hale Barns, near Altrincham, on Saturday night was named by police as Yousef Ghaleb Makki. His death follows the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney in an east London park on Friday night in what her family branded a totally random and unprovoked attack. Jodie was the 18th homicide in the capital in 2019, a total that now stands at 20. Their deaths follow three teenagers dying in knife attacks in two weeks in Birmingham, leading to West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson branding it a national emergency. Hazrat Umar, 17, was killed in Bordesley Green on Monday; Abdullah Muhammad, 16, died in Small Heath the previous week, and seven days earlier Sidali Mohamed, 16, was stabbed outside a college in Highgate. Devastated by the fatal stabbing of a 17 year-old girl in Havering. My thoughts are with her loved ones. It fills me with anger that violent criminals are targeting young Londoners with their whole lives before them. I encourage anyone with information to contact the police. https://t.co/Ipzivn0qFK Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 2, 2019 London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted on Saturday of his upset at the death of Jodie. He added: Devastated by the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old girl in Havering. My thoughts are with her loved ones. It fills me with anger that violent criminals are targeting young Londoners with their whole lives before them. I encourage anyone with information to contact the police. Mr Khan set up a violent crime reduction unit last year in a bid to prevent the spread of violent crime in London. The Home Office said it set out a range of actions to tackle violent crime in October including a 200 million youth endowment fund; consulting on a on new legal duty to underpin a public health approach to tackling serious violence, and an independent review of drug misuse. It said an extra 970 million in police funding is proposed in the funding settlement for 2019-20 and added that the offensive weapons bill currently before Parliament will introduce new offences to tackle knife crime and acid attacks. The Home Office also said the serious violence taskforce, chaired by the Home Secretary and including other ministers, MPs, police leaders and the London Mayor, meets regularly to oversee and drive delivery of the serious violence strategy. The strategy, published last year, focuses on steering young people away from a life of crime, while continuing to promote a strong law enforcement response, it added. This includes the 22 million early intervention youth fund a new 3.6 million National Police Chiefs Council/National Crime Agency led National County Lines Coordination Centre on 21 September 2018. A man has been arrested after Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was egged during a visit to a north London mosque. The attacker was overheard to say when you vote you get what you vote for and is thought to be a pro-Brexit protester. The Metropolitan Police said a 41-year-old man was quickly detained by officers on suspicion of assault. Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn at the mosque (Victoria Jones/PA) Mr Corbyn was unharmed and continued with his planned programme of constituency events, the Press Association understands. The attack happened while he and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott were visiting the Finsbury Park Mosque and Muslim Welfare House in his constituency. It was part of the national Visit My Mosque Day where 250 mosques throw open their doors to welcome guests and non-Muslims. It is believed the alleged attacker was one of these visitors, was not a regular guest there, and had been waiting inside the building. Jeremy Corbyn at the Finsbury Park Mosque in his north London constituency as part of Visit My Mosque Day (Victoria Jones/PA Wire) It is believed that Mr Corbyn had been sitting and chatting with community leaders in a friendly atmosphere when a man came from behind and smacked him over the head with an egg. The attacker was quickly surrounded by people in the room and police called. He was overheard to say: When you vote you get what you vote for. I believe in peace. I believe in voting. Mr Corbyn is believed to have left with a police escort at around 6.30pm. Every year Muslim communities across the country open their doors to people of all faiths and none on #VisitMyMosque Day. It's a fantastic opportunity to build understanding across communities and educate ourselves about our diverse communities. Let's build bridges not walls. pic.twitter.com/ZSyNMoGjad Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) March 3, 2019 He later tweeted, without mentioning the egging: Every year Muslim communities across the country open their doors to people of all faiths and none on #VisitMyMosque Day. Its a fantastic opportunity to build understanding across communities and educate ourselves about our diverse communities. Lets build bridges not walls. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: On Sunday, March 3 at around 3:52pm an egg was thrown at a Member of Parliament. The alleged attacker is in custody at a north London police station, the spokesman added. The incident happened in Seven Sisters Road, and a marked police van with uniformed officers could later be seen in the driveway of the centre. Labour MP Jess Phillips tweeted: Acts of violence against politicians, loses your argument, lessens your cause and demeans our democracy. Its also just horrid. Dont do it. If you dont agree with him raise your voice not your fists. Jeremy &every other representative deserves better than how febrile thing are Visit My Mosque day is facilitated by the Muslim Council of Britain, began in 2015 with about 20 participating mosques, and this year over 250 took part all around the UK. Jayde Russell, former interfaith co-ordinator for Regents Park Mosque in London, said: I would get asked questions about whether Islam promotes terrorism sometimes it hurts because you see how these stereotypes impact some individuals and wider society. Thats why Im so passionate about speaking out and challenging the status quo such as through mosque open days. The chairman of the committee in charge of impeachment has said it is very clear US President Donald Trump obstructed justice. Jerrold Nadler said the House of Representative panel will request documents from more than 60 people from Mr Trumps administration, family and business as part of a rapidly expanding Russia investigation. He said the House Judiciary Committee wants to review documents from the Justice Department, the presidents son Donald Trump Jr and Trump Organisation chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg. Former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former White House counsel Don McGahn also are likely targets, he said. We are going to initiate investigations into abuses of power, into corruption and into obstruction of justice, Mr Nadler said. We will do everything we can to get that evidence. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (Andrew Harnik/AP) Asked if he believed Trump obstructed justice, Mr Nadler said: Yes, I do. Mr Nadler is not calling the inquiry an impeachment investigation but said House Democrats, now in the majority, are simply doing our job to protect the rule of law after Republicans during the first two years of Mr Trumps term were shielding the president from any proper accountability. Were far from making decisions about impeachment, he said. In a tweet on Sunday, Mr Trump blasted anew the Russia investigation, calling it a partisan probe unfairly aimed at discrediting his win in the 2016 presidential election. He said: I am an innocent man being persecuted by some very bad, conflicted & corrupt people in a Witch Hunt that is illegal & should never have been allowed to start And only because I won the Election! Newly empowered House Democrats are flexing their strength with blossoming investigations. Half a dozen House committees are now probing alleged coordination between Trump associates and Russias efforts to sway the 2016 election, Mr Trumps tax returns and possible conflicts of interest involving the Trump family business and policy-making. The House oversight committee, for instance, has set a Monday deadline for the White House to turn over documents related to security clearances after The New York Times reported that the president ordered officials to grant his son-in-law Jared Kushners clearance over the objections of national security officials. Mr Nadlers added lines of inquiry also come as special counsel Robert Mueller is believed to be wrapping up his work into possible questions of Trump campaign collusion and obstruction in the Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election. He said his committee will seek to review the Mueller report but stressed the investigation goes far beyond collusion. Mr Nadler pointed to what he considered several instances of obstruction of justice by the president, including the 1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a witch hunt' as well Trumps abrupt firing of FBI director James Comey in 2017. According to Mr Comey, Mr Trump had encouraged the then-FBI director to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump has denied he told Comey to end the Flynn probe. Its very clear that the president obstructed justice, Mr Nadler said. Eleven suspected migrants have been detained at a Kent lorry park on the same day as 100 people were reported to have stormed the port of Calais. Kent Police responded to reports of the nine men and two women at the lorry park in Waterbrook Avenue, Ashford, on Saturday morning. A Home Office spokesman said that the group, who were handed over to immigration officials, said they were Eritrean and their cases would be progressed in line with UK immigration rules. The incident at Calais on Saturday evening caused delays to ferries arriving from Dover and departing from France with the port being closed for about an hour. One traveller, Matt Perry, wrote on Twitter: Currently sat on a P&O ferry outside Calais as captain say its closed due to over 100 immigrants storming the port. French media reported that 100 migrants broke into the dock area with many managing to get on board the Danish-operated DFDS Calais Seaways ferry with 63 people being arrested. A group of migrants has been detained (Joe Giddens/PA) #Calais : 2eme tentative dintrusion en 48h. Il faut renforcer nos forces de lordre a la veille dun #Brexit quutilisent les passeurs pour promouvoir leur trafic. La justice doit prononcer des sanctions exemplaires pour ceux qui sintroduisent illegalement dans les ports. Xavier Bertrand (@xavierbertrand) March 3, 2019 President of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand posted on social media: We need to strengthen our security forces on the eve of #Brexit that the smugglers use to promote their traffic. Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, posted on Twitter: How were migrants able to storm a DFDS ferry at Calais? Thoughts with the crew who must have had a frightening experience. Seems a very worrying security lapse at the Port of Calais. Important to know how on earth this could happen. Scots actor Tam Dean Burn has suffered an alleged assault in Edinburghs Old Town. The 60-year-old was allegedly attacked outside the Scottish Poetry Library, near the Royal Mile, on Saturday afternoon as he was leaving an event at the venue. The actor, who has appeared in series such as Outlander and Fortitude, has tweeted that he is ok and he is believed to be recovering at home. A 42-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident, which happened around 4pm. The library said the incident happened following a tribute event for Scottish poet Tom Leonard, who died in December at the age of 74. Emergency services attended and Mr Burn received some treatment inside the premises. Tam Dean Burn is believed to be recovering at home (Yui Mok/PA) Take care bud x Irvine Welsh (@IrvineWelsh) March 2, 2019 A number of people, including well-known figures in the arts world, have taken to social media to wish him well. Author Ian Rankin tweeted: Wishing @tamdeanburn a speedy and full recovery. Irvine Welsh wrote: Take care bud x. Mr Burn thanked people in a tweet and added: All ok xx. Asif Khan, director of the Scottish Poetry Library, has praised the courage and composure of staff and volunteers at the venue. He said: The incident occurred outside the library after our tribute event for Tom Leonard. Tam was treated for his injuries in the library. I should like to thank the emergency services for their professionalism and compassion. A police spokesman said: About 4pm on Saturday March 2, officers in Edinburgh responded to a report of a 60-year-old man having been assaulted in Crichtons Close, Edinburgh. A 42-year-old man has been arrested in connection with this incident. Islamic State militants are desperately fighting to hang on to the last tiny piece of territory they hold on the riverside in eastern Syria, deploying snipers, guided missiles and surprise tunnel attacks. The resistance prompted a fierce pounding Sunday by the US-led coalition and its ground allies in the final push to end the extremist groups territorial hold. Rings of black smoke billowed over the besieged speck of land still controlled by the group in the village of Baghouz after air strikes hit several targets. Mortar rounds from a hill overlooking a tent encampment where the militants are still holed up rang into the night. The US-backed force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) resumed an offensive to recapture the area in Baghouz on Friday night after a two-week pause to allow for the evacuation of civilians from the area. Retaking the sliver of land would be a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to end the extremist groups self-proclaimed Islamic caliphate that once straddled vast territory across Syria and Iraq. Columns of black smoke rise from the last small piece of territory held by Islamic State militants as US-backed fighters pound the area (Sarah El-Deeb/AP) It continues to be a threat, however, with sleeper cells in scattered desert pockets along the porous border between the two countries. SDF commanders estimate hundreds of fighters remain in Baghouz, taking cover in tunnels and trenches. A senior SDF commander described the militants as rats but acknowledged they are fighting to the bitter end. Commander Akeed, who leads one of the main fronts in the last battle against IS, said the militants are sticking to their trademark techniques, carrying out swift attacks without aiming to hold ground but laying the area with mines to increase casualties. They also deploy inghimasiyoun, a term the group uses to refer to infiltrators who enter areas behind their enemies lines in a bid to take hostages. Early on Sunday, one of Akeeds units came under attack from a group of 10 IS militants, including four women who emerged from a tunnel but were met with fire. At least two militants died but the rest escaped, he said. They have said they will engage and wont leave, Akeed told The Associated Press from his position, hundreds of metres from a very noisy frontline. They are strong enemies but they are besieged from three fronts. What could they do? Attack to prove themselves. What appears to be a major weapons depot was targeted on Saturday in the opening salvo of a ground assault on the tent encampment and parts of the villages still in IS hands. On Sunday, air strikes continued to hit the depot as fire raged for more than 24 hours and ignited ammunition flew in the air. Other air strikes hit another mortar depot on the other edge of the tent encampment, which days ago was full of residents before they were evacuated ahead of the military assault. A third hit a building where a sniper was taking cover. Sefqan, another SDF commander who leads a special forces unit that advanced into Baghouz on Saturday night, said the targeted weapon depot appeared to be a major one for the militants. He said the air strikes continued to target the two-floor depot to keep the militants away from whatever remains there. SDF fighters tightened the noose on the militants on Saturday, advancing from two fronts and cutting off their access to the river that abuts their last territory from two sides. Several car bombs were destroyed by coalition airstrikes during the last two days of battle here in #Baghouz. 3 VBIEDS that were trying to hit our positions were destroyed by #SDF fighters. Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) March 3, 2019 Mustafa Bali, the SDF spokesman, said coalition air strikes destroyed several car bombs during the past two days of battle in Baghouz. In a tweet, he said three car bombs that were trying to hit SDF positions were destroyed. President Donald Trumps National Security Adviser, John Bolton, described the territory IS holds as an insignificant piece of real estate. Asked in an interview with CNN whether IS has been defeated in 100 percent of the land in Syria, as Mr Trump had asserted earlier this week, he said: It will happen very, very soon. A driver suspected of killing two people and injuring seven others in New Orleans told police I have a drinking problem, according to a police report. New Orleans police said Tashonty Toney, 32, was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and other charges after crashing his car on Saturday evening on a busy thoroughfare near the route of one of the citys largest Mardi Gras parades. Police spokesman Andy Cunningham said in a statement on Sunday morning that authorities are waiting for the results of a blood alcohol test but they believe the suspect was impaired. Nola.com/The Times-Picayune said a police incident report claimed Toney refused to take a field sobriety test and told officers he had struggled with alcohol. I have a drinking problem, the police report quoted Toney as saying. I should have gotten help, Im going to jail for a DWI. Toneys bond was set at 510,000 US dollars (385,000) by a magistrate commissioner on Sunday. He did not speak during the hearing and was represented by a public defender, the newspaper said. The public defenders office in New Orleans did not immediately return a phone message Sunday from The Associated Press. Mr Cunningham said Toney was the son of a New Orleans police officer and promised the departments investigation will be open and transparent. Saturday was Toneys birthday, the news release said. New Orleans Police examine damaged cars and bicycles in Esplanade Avenue (Michael DeMocker/NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune/AP) In addition to vehicular homicide, Toney was charged with seven counts of vehicular negligent injury, hit-and-run, and reckless operation, the police news release said. The crash happened along a multiple-block stretch of Esplanade Avenue, a leafy street that connects the citys biggest park with the French Quarter. The scene was close to the route of the Endymion parade, one of New Orleans largest Mardi Gras parades, which was held Saturday. New Orleans Emergency Medical Services spokesman Jonathan Fourcade said a man and a woman both believed to be about 30 were killed. Director Emily Nichols told WVUE-TV three of the five people brought to the hospital were in critical condition. GSP boosts the competitiveness of American manufacturers by lowering their costs. Kolkata: The Narendra Modi government may have succeeded diplomatically in getting the US on its side in its fight against the Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, but when it comes to trade and commerce, the Trump administration has made its intentions clear to end Indias preferential trade treatment under the generalized system of preferences (GSP), precisely the same time. The preferential trade treatment under GSP otherwise allows $5.6 billion worth of Indian exports to enter the US duty free. The Centre understandably downplayed the developments saying that the US government's move to withdraw duty concessions on certain products under the GSP will not have a significant impact on exports to America as the benefits were only about $190 million annually. And not just the government, but different trade bodies and analysts have also felt that the impact would be marginal or negligible. There is another school of thought, that thinks that GSP is beneficial to both countries and India should try and convince the US administration that discontinuation of GSP would be disadvantageous for the US trade and commerce also. Significantly, by statute, the changes may not take effect until at least 60 days after the notifications to Congress and the governments of India, and will be enacted by a Presidential Proclamation. So India still has 60 days time. Whatever may be the impact, analysts think that the removal of GSP indicates a tough trade position by the US, especially for countries like India who benefited much from the scheme. The US was insisting that India reduce its trade surplus. India is the 11th largest trade surplus country for the US and India enjoyed an annual trade surplus of $21 billion in 2017-18. Indias termination from GSP follows its failure to provide the United States with assurances that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in various sectors. The Centre is clearly putting up a brave front in the election year. The Union Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said, "The benefits in absolute sense and a percentage of trade involved are very minimal and moderate. Despite the fact that India was working on an extensive and reasonable trade package, the US has decided to go ahead with its decision to scrap the preferential trade benefit after 60 days. The package was covering all concerns related to bilateral trade with the US on sectors, including medical devices, dairy products and agricultural goods. India could not negotiate issues concerning interests of public healthcare. India exported goods worth $5.6 billion under GSP last year, but our total GSP benefits were to the tune of only $190 million, said Wadhawan. Sanjay Budhia, chairman, CII National Committee on Exports & Imports & Managing Director, Patton Group, on his part, said, The continuation of GSP would have been beneficial to both countries. GSP boosts the competitiveness of American manufacturers by lowering their costs. Approximately two-thirds of US imports under GSP are raw materials, components, or machinery and equipment used by US companies to manufacture goods in the United States for domestic consumption or for export. GSP also helps American consumers by eliminating duties on a variety of usually inexpensive consumer goods. These benefits are real and tangible. US importers enjoyed nearly $730 million in savings on import duties under the GSP programme in 2016. In 2017, GSP saved American companies $894 million in saved taxes. Hence continuation of GSP is beneficial to both countries and the India government should try and convince the US government that. While admitting that the GSP duty benefit withdrawal by the US would impact a few sectors only, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ganesh Kumar Gupta demanded that as these sectors were availing higher GSP benefits, the government should look into providing fiscal support to these segments. "The government should look into providing fiscal support to such sectors so that exporters reduce their export prices factoring in the fiscal support with a view that the landed price of such products remain more or less what was under the GSP regime," he said, adding that removal of these duty concessions would make these products relatively uncompetitive in terms of prices in the US market as compared to the same products being exported by other developing countries. Pursuant to the notification, the duty benefits would be under threat for about 2,000 products ranging from automotive components, industrial valves and textile materials etc. The duty benefits for India are in the range of $200mn, which is small as compared to total export of $50bn to the US in 2017. The US is pressurising each trading countries, which are having trade surplus with the US to re-negotiate the terms. This has been done with China and with other countries, now it is the turn of India. However, the India trade surplus with the US is around $28bn, which is very minuscule as compared to the trade surplus of countries like China, said Rajnath Yadav, Senior Research Analyst-Fundamental Research Desk, Choice Broking. (With Inputs from Ravi Ranjan Prasad in Mumbai) What is GSP? The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a US trade programme designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for up to 4,800 products from 129 designated beneficiary countries and territories. GSP was instituted on January 1, 1976, by the Trade Act of 1974. The GSP programme requires periodical reauthorisation in order to remain in effect. Any interested party may file a request that the GSP eligibility of any current GSP beneficiary be reviewed. For example, the GSP review of India announced in April 2018. Algerias ailing president has said if he wins a fifth term in April he will promote political changes demanded by critics and call an early presidential election in which he will not run. In a written message to the nation, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said if he is re-elected April 18, he will organise a public referendum on a new constitution and respond to an opposition demand for an independent electoral commission. Demonstrators are blasted with a police water cannon in Algiers during a protest to denounce President Abdelaziz Bouteflikas bid for a fifth term (Fateh Guidoum/AP) The long-time leader also vowed to immediately call a national conference to set a date and prepare for another presidential election. His decision to run next month has prompted rare, massive protests in recent days. I have heard the pleas of protesters and especially thousands of young people who asked about our nations future, he wrote in his public message. Mr Bouteflika was first elected in 1999. Questions about his fitness for office have grown since he suffered a stroke in 2013 and remained largely out of public view during his fourth term. He turned 82 on Saturday and underwent medical checks in Switzerland last week. Neither the government nor news media reported if he was back in Algeria. Police officers stand outside of the Constitutional Council building in Algiers (Fateh Guidoum/AP) Although the presidents office had said Mr Bouteflika intended to run again, his candidacy was not formal until Sunday. Mr Bouteflikas campaign chief, Abdelghani Zaalane, filed the presidents candidacy papers on Sunday at the Constitutional Council in Algiers, the countrys capital. Hundreds of students took to the streets to denounce the new bid. About 10 vans transported Mr Bouteflikas documents to the building, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. Elevated security measures were in place in Algerias capital and especially around the Constitutional Council. Sunday was the deadline for candidates to the April 18 presidential election to file their documents. Images of students marching and chanting anti-government slogans appeared on social media. Demonstrators stage a protest in Marseille, southern France, with a sign in the background saying `no to a 5th term (Claude Paris/AP) In France, thousands of people from the European countrys Algerian community also rallied on Sunday in Paris and in the southern city of Marseille to oppose Mr Bouteflika remaining in office. His major opponent during the 2004 and 2014 presidential elections, former Prime Minister Ali Benflis, announced on Sunday that he would not challenge the incumbent this year. Mr Benflis said the central committee of his party, Talaie El Houriat Arabic for Vanguard of Freedoms decided not to field a candidate so as not to serve as a pretext for the candidacy of the sick president. The head of the moderate Islamist party MSP, Abderrazak Makri, has also ruled out running. The number of people attending Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) hit a new high this year, according to organisers. Total admissions reached 42,224 for the 2019 outing of the festival, bosses have revealed. Organisers made the announcement as the curtain came down on this years GFF with the UK premiere of Beats, a new feature about rave culture in 1990s Scotland. GFF co-director Allison Gardner said: Were thrilled to have welcomed record audience numbers to our 15th edition of the festival. Glasgow Film Festival 2019 celebrates record audience numbers and announces winner of the 2019 @BenihanaUK Audience Award! Read the full story: https://t.co/SF10pWNvlJ #GFF19 pic.twitter.com/Pplu3pyCqV Glasgow Film Festival (@glasgowfilmfest) March 3, 2019 The event got under way on Wednesday February 20 with the red carpet UK premiere of Jonah Hills Mid90s. It hosted seven world premieres, more than 100 UK premieres and featured films from 54 countries. The UK premiere of Scottish rave drama Beats closed this years Glasgow Film Festival (Eoin Carey/GFF/PA) On Sunday, organisers also announced the winner of the Audience Award as Bafta-winning director Matt Pinders new feature documentary Harry Birrell: Films of Love and War. Narrated by Bodyguard star Richard Madden, the film uses the archives of Scottish amateur film-maker Birrell to present one mans view of the 20th century. Ms Gardner said: Im thrilled to have homegrown talent celebrated as our audiences voted Harry Birrell: Films of Love and War their winner of the Audience Award and hope audiences will enjoy it as it tours across Scotland as part of GFF On Tour later this year. Carina Birrell, producer of the film and Harrys granddaughter, said: Im absolutely delighted to win the Audience Award and to have had our world premiere at Glasgow Film Festival its been the perfect platform in every way. Harry built his own cinema in the 1950s to make sharing his films as joyful an experience for the audience as it was for the film-maker. He would have been truly thrilled having his work recognised and appreciated in this way. A man has been arrested at Manchester Airport on suspicion of murdering Belfast community worker Ian Ogle. The 32-year-old suspect is to be brought to Northern Ireland for questioning. Mr Ogle, 45, died after being stabbed 11 times shortly after praying with a pastor near his home on Cluan Place in east Belfast on January 27. The man was arrested at Manchester Airport(Peter Byrne/PA) On Sunday evening, PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Peter McKenna said: Following excellent partnership working with UK and international partners, the man was detained in Manchester Airport this evening. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder and will be conveyed to Northern Ireland to be questioned by Major Investigation Team detectives. At this time, I would also reiterate my appeal for witnesses to this horrific murder. Ian Ogle was subjected to a brutal attack. His skull was fractured and he was savagely stabbed 11 times in the back before being left to die on the street. His family deserve justice. One man has already been charged with Mr Ogles murder. Jonathan Brown, 33, of McArthur Court, Belfast, was remanded in custody last month after appearing before Belfast Magistrates Court. His solicitor said he denied planning, preparing and committing the offence. A 1.6 billion fund to boost run-down towns after Brexit is being launched by the Government. The move has been dubbed a Brexit bribe by political opponents who say it is aimed at trying to influence Labour MPs in Leave-supporting areas to back Prime Minister Theresa Mays Withdrawal Agreement in crunch Commons votes. Mrs May said: For too long in our country prosperity has been unfairly spread. Our economy has worked well for some places but we want it to work for all communities. Communities across the country voted for Brexit as an expression of their desire to see change that must be a change for the better, with more opportunity and greater control. These towns have a glorious heritage, huge potential and, with the right help, a bright future ahead of them. Theresa May said prosperity has not been evenly distributed throughout the country (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The Stronger Towns Fund, launched on Monday, will be targeted at places that have not shared in the proceeds of growth in the same way as more prosperous parts of the country, ministers said. Of the 1 billion being allocated using a needs-based formula, the North West gets 281 million, the West Midlands 212 million, Yorkshire and the Humber 197 million, the East Midlands 110 million, the North East 105 million, the South East 37 million, the South West 35 million, and the East of England 25 million. Another 600 million will be available through a bidding process to communities in any part of the country. The money will be aimed at creating new jobs, helping train local people and boosting economic activity. Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said: We have listened to people who are concerned by momentous changes to their communities and I am determined to provide the support they need to create a more prosperous future beyond Brexit. This major new fund builds on more than 9 billion in City and Growth Deals we have delivered since 2010 to help hard working people reach their full potential and to build an economy that works for everyone. I look forward to working closely with local leaders to take forward their encouraging proposals and to hear what more they propose to bring benefits to their communities. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell branded the initiative a desperate bribe. He said: This towns fund smacks of desperation from a Government reduced to bribing MPs to vote for their damaging flagship Brexit legislation. The reason our towns are struggling is because of a decade of cuts, including to council funding and a failure to invest in businesses and our communities. Labour pledged in 2017 that we will establish a network of regional development banks that will be dedicated to delivering the finance that our small businesses co-operatives and innovative projects need across the whole country. No Brexit bribery, stable investment where its most needed. The Independent Groups Brexit spokeswoman Anna Soubry said the move was a desperate measure to buy votes. Ms Soubry said: Voters will not be fooled especially those in areas which voted Leave and are now demanding a peoples vote because they know, whichever way you do it, Brexit will harm their futures. The Government said it is seeking to ensure towns across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will benefit from the new funding by building on the City and Growth Deals initiatives. A 25-year-old man is fighting for his life after a horrific attack, according to police. Scotland Yard said Dominic Alexander, of Enfield, north London, remains in a critical condition in hospital after he was found with stab injuries in Green Street in the early hours of Tuesday. Dominic Alexander (Metropolitan Police/PA) Police were called to reports of people fighting and found Mr Alexander. He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital. His family have been informed. Officers arrested three men aged 24, 26 and 27 at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and they have now been bailed to return on a date in late March. It is believed Mr Alexander was attacked after a dispute near the Sporting Green Public House at Central Parade in Enfield but police are keeping an open mind about the motive. Detective Chief Inspector John Massey said: We would also appeal for anyone who saw anything take place shortly after half past midnight on Monday night into Tuesday morning at or near to Central Parade, or saw any arguments earlier in the evening inside the Sporting Green pub, to come forward as soon as possible. This was a horrific attack on a young man who has been left with very serious injuries and is fighting for his life in hospital. If you know anything please contact us. A 1.6 billion package promised by Theresa May for run-down towns has been dismissed by opposition MPs as a pathetic attempt to win Labour support for her Brexit deal. The money, which will be spread over seven financial years to 2025-2026, is a desperate bribe, shadow chancellor John McDonnell claimed. But Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said the money would be transformative and was not conditional on support for the Prime Ministers Withdrawal Agreement. (PA Graphics) Mrs Mays efforts to make the deal more palatable to hardline Brexiteers have hit a setback, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has dropped attempts to secure key demands for a unilateral exit mechanism from the backstop or a time limit for it, according to the newspaper. The DUP and the Tory European Research Group (ERG) have made it clear they will not support the PMs Withdrawal Agreement in crunch Commons votes without such legally binding measures. I woke fuming. Tories have slashed many billions from budgets of poorest councils since 2010 & now they want us to feel grateful for the pittance they intend to dole out (in England only) over six years. It's corrupt, patronising, pathetic. All to appease the Brexit monster. Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) March 4, 2019 Launching the new 1.6 billion Stronger Towns Fund package, Mrs May said: For too long in our country prosperity has been unfairly spread. Communities across the country voted for Brexit as an expression of their desire to see change that must be a change for the better, with more opportunity and greater control. These towns have a glorious heritage, huge potential and, with the right help, a bright future ahead of them. Mr McDonnell branded the initiative a desperate bribe. He said: This Towns Fund smacks of desperation from a Government reduced to bribing MPs to vote for their damaging flagship Brexit legislation. But Mr Brokenshire told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that the money was not linked to getting the deal through. This funding is there regardless of the outcome, but obviously we want to see a deal happening, we believe that is what is in the best interests of our country. But there is no constitutionality in that sense. Labour MP for Stoke Central Gareth Snell said: The entire allocation for the West Midlands over four years is less than the total value of cuts faced by Stoke-on-Trent City Council alone over the same period. The entire allocation for the West Midlands over four years is LESS than the total value of cuts faced by Stoke-on-Trent City Council alone over the same period. This is a huge disappointment. https://t.co/6JZOVQ8nPq Gareth Snell (@gareth_snell) March 3, 2019 Luke Pollard, who represents Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, scorned the 35 million earmarked for towns in the South West, pointing out that it was around the same amount as the settlement agreed with Eurotunnel over the Brexit ferries shambles, adding: What a pathetic mess. Rhondda MP Chris Bryant said the money for English regions was corrupt, patronising, pathetic and all to appease the Brexit monster. Of the 1 billion being allocated using a needs-based formula, the North West gets 281 million, the West Midlands 212 million, Yorkshire and the Humber 197 million, the East Midlands 110 million, the North East 105 million, the South East 37 million, the South West 35 million, and the East of England 25 million. Another 600 million will be available through a bidding process to communities in any part of the country. Meanwhile, the Attorney General is set to return to Brussels this week for more talks on the backstop following the reports that he has abandoned key Brexiteer demands. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has reportedly abandoned key demands over the Brexit backstop (Jonathan Brady/PA) Asked about the Daily Telegraph report, Mr Brokenshire said: The Attorney General continues with his work to ensure that we get legally binding changes to ensure that we are not locked in the backstop. He said Mr Cos would be back to Brussels this week to continue the discussions to make sure that we can get those legal changes. The Attorney General is reported to be focusing on securing an enhanced arbitration mechanism that allows the UK or the EU to provide formal notice that the backstop should come to an end. But Brussels is said to be resisting demands for an independent arbitration panel, outside the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. The ERG has set out three tests by which they will judge Mr Coxs efforts to secure changes to the backstop. The group wants a legally binding, treaty level arrangement; the language must not just simply reiterate the temporary nature of the backstop; and there needs to be a clear and unconditional route out of the arrangement. DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said his party must see legally binding and treaty-level changes to the Withdrawal Agreement regarding the backstop in order to support it. He told BBC Radio 4s Westminster Hour: We need something which, whatever its legal form, has legal binding effect and which changes the current meaning of the Withdrawal Agreement. And which makes clear that it cannot be indefinite, and it cannot be a trap both for the United Kingdom generally and for Northern Ireland in particular. People unwittingly tend to choose a partner who is likely to have a similar life expectancy, according to new research. A genetic study found humans also unconsciously select mates who share similar risks of illnesses such as high blood pressure or heart disease. Experts say the findings help explain why long-term couples often suffer from the same ailments in later years and can have similar life expectancies. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh examined data from the UK Biobank a major study of genes and lifestyle factors linked to health that involves more than half a million people. The team looked at information from the parents of couples and found that even in-laws shared genetic risk factors for diseases and had a similar longevity. The similarities are greater than would be expected by chance, experts said, suggesting people inadvertently choose a mate who shares the same disease risks as themselves. Scientists studied a bank of data from more than 500,000 people (Anthony Devlin/PA) Given that many ailments are not visible when people choose their partners, experts say the surprising finding is most likely a result of choosing a mate with shared lifestyle factors that are genetically linked to disease. Joint risk behaviours such as smoking, or healthy behaviours like maintaining a healthy weight, are most likely to lead to shared diseases in later life and, ultimately, a similar life expectancy, experts believe. Professor Albert Tenesa, of the universitys MRC Human Genetics Unit, said: Our study suggests that humans tend to select partners for behavioural or physical traits that are genetically related to disease and longevity. Understanding what traits these are will require new and long-term studies that follow hundreds of thousands of couples from the moment they meet until later in life when they develop disease. The study has been published in the journal Heredity. MSPs have called for greater urgency for taking action on climate change in Scotland. A Scottish Parliament committee said new legislation proposing an improved emissions target puts the country at the forefront of global ambition on the issue. It would see a 10% increase in Scotlands current target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 80% of the 1990 level by 2050. In a report on the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill, Holyroods Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform committee said the Scottish Government needs to increase and accelerate action in the short-term, if targets are to be met. The new law would also bring in a tougher interim target of a 66% reduction by 2030. Among a series of recommendations, the report said the new legislation should stipulate what temperature the targets seek to achieve and suggested this limits global temperate change to 1.5C. A Holyrood committee has urged everyone to take action to tackle climate change (PA) The committee said the legislation should reflect the most ambitious targets to be set out in forthcoming advice from the UKs Committee on Climate Change (CCC), in light of the international Paris agreement in 2015, and recommends the Government gives an explanation if it acts contrary to the CCC advice, which has not happened in the past. Additional recommendations include further consideration to setting targets within the Bill for specific sectors, such as agriculture or housing, and more transparency on target setting. Specific policies to meet targets should have been an integral part of the legislation, the report said, and it criticised the Government for failing to provide costed measures. Committee convener Gillian Martin said: Our committee welcomes the introduction of the Climate Change Bill and the opportunity to examine how Scotland can take action on global warming. There is no precedent in human history for the speed and scale of change needed to tackle climate change and reduce harmful emissions. We want to see greater urgency and action across all parts of government, across the wider public and private sectors and by individuals, to deliver the transformational change needed to reach our targets. Weve all seen the catastrophic damage caused by climate change all around the world, and the threat this has on peoples lives, wildlife and our natural environment. Thats why weve called for the bill to reflect the most ambitious targets possible, to ensure future generations inherit a world that is healthy and sustainable. Caroline Rance, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland and member of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, welcomed the committees push for urgency. She said: MSPs must now use the parliamentary process to increase the 2030 target and lay out the concrete measures that will cut climate emissions from transport, housing and food production over the next ten years. A Scottish Government spokeswoman also welcomed the report and said it would be studied carefully and responded to in due course. She said: Our Bill contains the most ambitious statutory targets of any country in the world for 2020, 2030 and 2040, and will mean Scotland is carbon neutral by 2050. We want to go further and achieve net-zero emissions for all greenhouse gases as soon as possible. Well set a target date as soon as this can be done credibly and responsibly. We are currently awaiting advice from the UK Committee on Climate Change, which is due on 2 May. If the committee advise that we can now set even more ambitious targets, we will act on that. Retaining fishing quotas and supporting a discard ban in principle are two key aspects of a Scottish Government paper on the future of fisheries. Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing launched the discussion document and urged those in the industry to have their say on fisheries management in Scotland. The paper sets out the Scottish Governments vision for the future of fisheries, and priorities include ensuring the UK Government does not trade away access to Scottish waters and fishing opportunities. Scotland will continue to use fishing quotas as the main way to manage stock, the paper outlines, and these will be in the hands of active Scottish fishermen. New entrants to the industry would be encouraged through the creation of additional licences and quota. The document supports the principle of retaining a discard ban, but said this would be adapted to be more workable. It also calls on the UK Government to introduce new permits to secure sustainable labour for the fishing industry. Fergus Ewing launched the paper in Kirkwall, Orkney (PA) Launching the paper, Mr Ewing said: Brexit will inevitably bring changes in the way in which we manage our fisheries and also the relationships which we will have with our friends and colleagues from other seafaring nations. Whatever the future holds, Scotlands role as a world-leading fisheries nation, and as a responsible and sustainable manager of this important natural resource, will continue. This discussion paper will help us develop our approach to local management and partnership working that we already have in place. He called on interested parties to give their views, adding: The discussion paper isnt intended to provide all the answers, but rather act as a catalyst for us to move forward together, and develop ideas which can help deliver an inclusive, productive approach. Mr Ewing is meeting members of the local fishing community in Kirkwall, Orkney, on Monday in the first of a series of similar meetings across Scotland to seek views on a new fisheries management strategy for the country. Salisbury is ready to move on from the Novichok poisoning but residents are frustrated the perpetrators have not yet been brought to justice, it is claimed. Matthew Dean, the former leader of the city council who was in post at the time of the attack, said it was a source of frustration among members of the public that the suspects had not yet been caught. Speaking one year on from the attack on March 4 2018, he said the city was eager and ready to get back to normality. Prime Minister Theresa May hailed Monday as an important milestone for the city as it emerges from the shadow cast by the chemical attack. Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were targeted with the nerve agent and left seriously ill. Dawn Sturgess, who died after being exposed to nerve agent Novichok (Metropolitan Police/PA) Wiltshire Police Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey was also treated after coming into contact with the substance when he tried to help the pair. Charlie Rowley and his partner Dawn Sturgess, 44, fell ill in nearby Amesbury months after the incident. Ms Sturgess died in hospital in July after coming into contact with a perfume bottle believed to have been used in the attack on the Skripals and then discarded. Mr Deans comments come after Mr Rowley demanded answers. Speaking to ITV News on Friday, the 45-year-old said he wanted justice to be served and someone to pay for what theyve done. He said the case was an open book and nothing really has changed in the year, adding: Id like there to be answers rather than questions all the time. The parents of Ms Sturgess previously called on the Government for answers and justice. As the city was declared officially safe and fully decontaminated of Novichok after an extensive military clean-up, police re-issued an appeal for information as the investigation continues. Mrs May on Monday said that now the clean-up had been completed, Salisbury will once again be known for being a beautiful, welcoming English city and not for the events of last year. The Prime Minister praised the spirit of the people, and thanked everyone involved in the recovery effort. She added: Today is an important milestone for Salisbury as it emerges from the shadow cast by the use of chemical weapons on the streets of our country. Now, 12 months on, we see this historic city welcoming thousands of visitors and tourists as it plans for a positive and prosperous future. The fact Salisbury and the wider region has fought back so well from such a devastating and reckless incident is testament to the resolve, forbearance and positivity of the community. My thoughts today are very much with the victims, their friends and families, both in Salisbury, Amesbury and further afield. They have shown remarkable strength, resilience and fortitude in the last year and I have no doubt will continue to do so. Counter-terrorism police said they still do not know what happened to the container which held the deadly nerve agent a counterfeit bottle of Nina Ricci perfume between March 4 and when Mr Rowley said he found it on June 27. The Skripals house in Salisbury after the Novichok attack (Ben Birchall/PA) Salisbury MP John Glen said the attack was the most horrendous and bewildering event but he found residents were accepting of the challenges the investigation faces. Recalling the attack on the anniversary, Mr Glen told Press Association: As the hours and days unfolded from the original incident, it became even more complex for residents of the city to understand how and why this had happened. We were also trying to ensure sufficient support for businesses which were literally shut down as cordons were put up. He said the Prime Minister clearly setting out the evidence in September was very reassuring and comforting for residents. Mr Glen said he thinks the city is ready to get back to normal and everyone wants to put the matter behind them. He added: I have extreme sympathy for Dawn Sturgesss family. I think it will be very difficult to have anticipated how events could have happened. It was an unprecedented event. Im extremely sympathetic to how they feel about the loss of their daughter, which is a tragedy. India favours taking a broader view of their trade ties beyond the trade balance. The Trump Administration, which views bilateral trade balances as an indicator of the health of a trading relationship, has taken issue with the US trade deficit with India ($27 billion deficit in goods and services trade in 2017), and has criticised India for a range of unfair trading practices. India favours taking a broader view of their trade ties beyond the trade balance. The consequences of trade deficits are contested. Tariffs Bilateral tensions have become heightened over US and Indian tariff policies. On June 1, 2018, the United States began applying 25 per cent steel and 10 per cent aluminum tariffs under Section 232 of the Tariff Expansion Act of 1962. The tariff hikes apply to all countries; India did not receive an initial exception like some trading partners, nor negotiate an alternative quota arrangement. India supplied 2.6 per cent ($761 million) of US steel and 2.2 per cent ($382 million) of US aluminum in 2017. It notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of its plans to retaliate against the United States with tariffs on $1.4 billion of US goods (e.g., nuts, apples, steel, and motorcycles), but has deferred applying the tariffs until November 2, 2018, in hopes of a bilateral resolution. India also filed a WTO complaint against the US tariff increases, and joined related complaints lodged by other WTO members. In September, India announced plans to raise duties on non-essential goods (e.g., some precious stones, steel, and consumer electronics) from all countries to curb imports in order to support its depreciating rupee. This follows a pattern of tariff hikes by India in recent years (such as on cell phones and solar panels), as well as longstanding US concerns over Indias tariff regime. India has relatively high average tariff rates, especially in agriculture, and can raise its applied rates to bound rates without violating its WTO commitments, causing uncertainty for US exporters. GSP In April, the United States launched a review of Indias eligibility for Generalized System of Preferences, a US programme that gives duty-free tariff treatment to certain US imports from eligible developing countries to support their economic development. The review concerns Indias compliance with the GSP market access criterion and also relates to US medical and dairy industry market access petitions. Continued GSP eligibility is a top priority for India, GSPs top beneficiary. GSP accounted for 12 per cent ($5.6 billion) of US goods imports from India in 2017. Services The United States and India are competitive in certain services industries. Barriers to US firms market access include Indias limits on foreign ownership and local presence requirements. For India, a key issue is US temporary visa policies, which affect Indian nationals working in the United States. India is challenging US fees for worker visas in the WTO, and monitoring potential US action to revise the H-1B (professional worker) visa programme. India also continues to seek a totalization agreement to coordinate social security protection for workers who split their careers between the two countries. Agriculture Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers in India limit US agricultural exports. The US questions the scientific and risk-based justifications of such barriers. An ongoing issue is Indias purported compliance with a WTO decision against its ban on US poultry imports and live swine due to avian influenza concerns; the WTO held that Indias measures violated WTO SPS rules. Each side also sees the others agricultural support programmes as market-distorting; Indias view of its programmes from a food security lens complicates matters. Intellectual Property (IP) The two sides differ on how to balance IP protection to incentivise innovation and support other policy goals, such as access to medicines. Indias IP regime remains a top concern for the United States, which designated India again on its Special 301 Priority Watch List for 2017, based on such concerns as its treatment of patents, infringement rates, and protection of trade secrets. Localisation Trade Barriers The United States continues to press India on its forced localisation practices. Initiatives to grow Indias manufacturing base and support jobs include requirements for in-country data storage and local content for government procurement in some sectors. Investment India has made FDI reforms, such as raising foreign equity caps for insurance and defence, but barriers remain in multi-brand retail and others. Indias regulatory transparency and judicial infrastructure present challenges for US investors. Two-way US-Indian FDI are associated with US jobs and exports in a range of economic sectors, but US direct investment in India has prompted some concerns about offshoring. Defence Trade The two nations have signed defence contracts worth more than $15 billion since 2008, up from $500 million in all previous years combined. Major future sales are anticipated, including the potential direct commercial sale of Apache attack helicopters, as well as Guardian maritime drones and additional C-17 transport aircraft. India is eager for more technology-sharing and coproduction; recent reports indicate US and Indian interest in producing F-16 combat aircraft there. The US, meanwhile, urges more reforms in Indias defence offsets policy and higher FDI caps in its defense sector. Indias apparent intention to spend billions of dollars to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defence system may yet trigger US sanctions on India under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (P.L. 115-44). Source: US Congressional Research Service (Oct. 2018) The number of children and young people linked to murders and manslaughters using knives has risen by more than 75% over three years, an investigation has indicated. Channel 4s Dispatches found the number of police recorded offenders aged under 18 committing homicides using a knife or sharp instrument rose by 77% from 26 to 46 from 2016 to 2018. The analysis was based on Freedom of Information request responses from 29 out of 43 police forces about the age of offenders recorded as carrying out knife and sharp instrument offences. It also found that during this period the number of police recorded offenders aged under 18 committing rape and sexual assault with a knife rose from 24 to 33 and robbery with a knife increased from 656 to 999. The programme said a police recorded offender is where there is an offender linked to the crime resulting in an arrest, caution or community outcome. Dispatches also found there has been a 93% rise in the number of children aged 16 and under being treated for stab wounds in England. An analysis of NHS Digital data by the programme found the number of children aged 16 and under being treated for assaults by sharp objects rose from 180 to 347 between 2012-13 and 2017-18. Its said that 76 people were reportedly stabbed to death in the capital out of 306 across the UK as a whole last year, including 23 children. The programme, Britains Knife Crisis: Young, Armed And Dangerous, is fronted by former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe and airs at 8pm on Monday. One of the big challenges underpinning is the reality that for too many young people, particularly in our big cities, carrying a knife now feels normal. Lord Hogan-Howe, who retired from the Met in 2017, called for the appointment of a new knife crime tsar to get a grip on the crisis. He said: Its important to focus attention on the exploitation of children in socially deprived areas. We need to increase police numbers in these areas and reduce the drug supply into the UK and its distribution including by county lines. Something law enforcement and government have failed to do. I just dont see anybody getting a grip of this crisis. The government needs to appoint somebody who is going to lead it day after day. Call it a knife crime tsar if you like, but somebody who is going to make sure we get knives off the street and save lives. Lord Hogan-Howe also called for increased interception of Class A drugs, increasing police numbers by 20,000, improving technology and building trust in local communities as part of urgent measures to reduce knife crime. Policing minister Nick Hurd told the programme an extra 460 million is being invested in the police system this year which will be used to recruit at least 2,500 more officers. But Lord Hogan-Howe told ITVs Good Morning Britain the proposed number of new officers was too few. The programme is fronted by former Metropolitan Police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mr Hurd added: This is a massive challenge for our policing system and therefore a big priority for me as policing minister to make sure that our police system has the resources to invest in upgrading our technology. One of the big challenges underpinning is the reality that for too many young people, particularly in our big cities, carrying a knife now feels normal. The show also used undercover filming to capture a 17-year-old girl being allowed to buy the knives in Asda and B&M without being challenged her on her age or asking for ID. It being illegal to sell a knife with a blade longer than three inches to anyone under 18 but experts say girls are used by gangs to buy them, the programme said. B&M, which was fined 480,000 in September last year for selling knives to under-age children, told Dispatches it takes every precaution to prevent the sale of knives to under-age shoppers. The company said the checkout worker filmed by the show had received training on Challenge 25 in the previous 12 months and had therefore been suspended pending disciplinary action and further training. It added: We have had 104 test purchases in the last 12 months by Trading Standards for age restricted products, with a 100% pass rate. Asda told Dispatches it took its responsibility as a retailer very seriously, had strict processes around knife sales and regularly trained staff on its Challenge 25 policy. It added: On this occasion we got it wrong and have conducted a full investigation into what happened. Employers will not be able to use confidentiality agreements to stop workers from reporting crimes, harassment or discrimination to the police under toughened Government legal measures. The aim is to clamp down on abuse which in some cases has seen employers use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and confidentiality clauses to intimidate whistleblowers, hide harassment and discrimination incidents. The legal measures, described by Prime Minister Theresa May as a clear message that changes in the law are needed to back under-pressure workers, come after a critical spotlight was shone on retail guru Sir Philip Greens use of the legal tool. Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/PA) In giving workers protection for the first time from the threat of these agreements potentially being used to silence victims, Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst suggested it could also help prevent employees from being duped into signing gagging clauses which they were unaware of and help clarify their rights. The proposals include clarifying in law that confidentiality clauses cannot prevent people from speaking to the police and reporting a crime, or prevent the disclosure of information in any criminal proceedings. They call for a clear, written description of rights before anything is signed in confidentiality clauses in employment contracts or within a settlement agreement. It also extends the law so that it means a worker who signs up to a settlement agreement receives independent advice which must cover the limits of any confidentiality clauses, so they have all the relevant facts. The Telegraph has reported that five of Sir Philips employees signed NDAs to keep their complaints quiet, with one being paid more than 1 million. Sir Philip, 66, denied his behaviour was criminal or amounted to gross misconduct. Mrs May said: Sexual harassment is against the law and discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in the home, the workplace or in public. Over the past couple of years, we have seen brave individuals breaking silence on such behaviour, but too many are still facing the unethical misuse of non-disclosure agreements by their employers. Were sending a clear message that a change in the law is needed to ensure workers are able to come forward, be aware of their rights and receive the advice they need before signing up to them. Ms Tolhurst said: Many businesses use Non-Disclosure Agreements and other confidentiality agreements for legitimate business reasons, such as to protect confidential information. What is completely unacceptable is the misuse of these agreements to silence victims, and there is increasing evidence that this is becoming more widespread. Women and Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt (Victoria Jones/PA) By seeking to protect workplace rights, the UK Government, good employers and the public are showing they will not accept the disgusting behaviour involved in the sexual harassment and bullying of women at work, according to Women and Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt. Backing has also come from Acas chief executive Susan Clews, Equality & Human Rights Commission chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath, and former film mogul Harvey Weinsteins ex-assistant Zelda Perkins. Weinstein is fighting a series of sexual harassment complaints, which he denies. Ms Perkins said she hoped these steps will turn into larger strides of legislative change which will put an end to the powerful using the law as a tool of abuse. US President Donald Trump has raised the possibility that a congressional hearing Democrats arranged with his former personal lawyer may have contributed to the lack of results of his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Mr Trump left the summit in Vietnam with the North Korean leader last week without reaching an agreement. After sending out national security adviser John Bolton to the Sunday talk shows to describe the summit as a success, Mr Trump showed his frustration about the results by lashing out at Democrats. In a tweet on Sunday night, Mr Trump criticised Democrats for holding the congressional hearing with Michael Cohen while he was in sensitive negotiations overseas. For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the walk. Never done when a president is overseas. Shame! Mr Trump tweeted. As Mr Trump wrapped up his trip to the summit last week, he complained about why Democrats had to hold the hearing at the same time as his negotiations. Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un take a walk after a meeting in Hanoi (Evan Vucci/AP) He described it as a fake hearing and said having it in the middle of this very important summit was really a terrible thing. Mr Trump said they could have held it a few days later and had more time to prepare. During the House Oversight Committee hearing, Mr Cohen was harshly critical of his former boss, calling him a racist, con man and a cheat. Mr Bolton earlier on Sunday described the summit as a success despite the lack of an agreement providing for verifiable dismantling of the Norths nuclear sites. Mr Bolton, in three television interviews, tried to make the case that Mr Trump advanced Americas national security interests by rejecting a bad agreement while working to persuade Mr Kim to take the big deal that really could make a difference for North Korea. The US and North Korea have offered contradictory accounts of why last weeks summit in Vietnam broke down, though both pointed to American sanctions as a sticking point. In news show appearances, Mr Bolton said the leaders left on good terms and that Mr Trump made an important point to North Korea and other countries that negotiate with him. Hes not desperate for a deal, not with North Korea, not with anybody if its contrary to American national interests, Mr Bolton said. Up to 1,000 graduates will train as detectives in a new fast-track scheme designed to help tackle a severe shortage in police investigators. After completing an intensive 12-week training academy, successful applicants will spend a short time in a uniformed role before taking up an investigative posting. Overall, the programme lasts for two years, during which time the trainee detective constables will continue being assessed while working on cases. In 2017, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) concluded that a dearth of qualified detectives amounted to a national crisis. The watchdog raised concerns again last year, revealing there was a shortfall of 5,000 investigators across England and Wales. From Monday, a graduate with at least two years work experience can apply to be a trainee Detective Constable through the National Detective Programme, which is run by charity Police Now. Graduates will train as police detectives under a new scheme (Peter Byrne/PA) Initially, the scheme is seeking 90 candidates who will train in eight forces in England and Wales. Organisers are aiming to expand the initiative over the next five years, recruiting up to 1,000 new investigators. A separate Police Now programme has seen 640 graduates join neighbourhood policing teams as a Pc over the last four years. Police Now chief executive David Spencer said: Following on from our experience recruiting graduates into neighbourhood policing, we are working with our partner police forces to recruit, train and develop outstanding and diverse graduates into investigative detective roles. We look forward to bringing new people into the police service, to work alongside the brilliant detectives up and down the country who are already serving the most vulnerable in our society. The scheme was welcomed by South Wales Police chief constable Matt Jukes, who is the national lead for recruitment, retention and well-being of detectives. He said: Crime is changing and many police forces need to recruit more investigators, with an ever widening range of skills. Policing minister Nick Hurd said: Detectives are a vital part of the polices capability to investigate crime and bring perpetrators to justice. Police Now has a successful track record of bringing talented people into policing and working with forces to train and develop them, and I am delighted to support this scheme. A man hit a teenage girl repeatedly in the face before shoving her into a wall in an assault at Glasgow Queen Street station, police said. British Transport Police (BTP) officers are appealing for information following the incident, which happened at around 1pm on February 16. The girl, who was with three other children, was at platform eight in the station when the attack took place. Officers describe the suspect as being white with a heavy build and short dark hair. He is said to have been wearing a black jacket, with a grey jumper, lilac shirt and grey trousers. BTP have indicated they are keen to speak with anyone who witnessed the incident, and in particular, an individual who intervened. Labour activists are set to vote against the use of national assessments for primary one pupils when the party holds its Scottish conference later this week. Labour members will gather in Dundee for the event from Friday, with the controversial tests due to be debated on Saturday. The motion, which is expected to be backed by delegates brands the tests which pupils also sit in P4, P7 and S3 as deepy flawed, claiming that they do not usefully measure attainment or the attainment gap in our schools, but rather masks the Scottish Governments failures in education and the impact of cuts to teacher numbers, support staff and local authority budgets. Use of the tests for pupils in the first year of primary school is inappropriate, the motion adds, with Labour set to support scrapping them for P1 youngsters and reviewing their use in other years. The debate at the Labour conference comes after MSPs in the Scottish Parliament voted to halt the use of national assessments for P1s. While opposition parties defeated the Scottish Government on the issue in September, the result of the vote was not binding on ministers. Labour is expected to vote against P1 testing at its Scottish conference in Dundee (Barry Batchelor/PA) However, Labour will call on the government to return to using the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy to measure achievement amongst pupils. Party education spokesman Iain Gray said: Teachers do not want these tests, educationalists do not see the need for them, and Parliament voted to halt them at Primary 1 level. Labour delegates will have the opportunity this week to endorse the vote taken in the Scottish Parliament last year to scrap these tests for children in Primary 1. To help make our schools the best in the world, Labour would reintroduce the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy to ensure we have a clear idea of the condition of Scottish education. Scottish national standardised assessments (SNSA) were introduced for P1, P4, P7 and S3 pupils to help measure the attainment gap in schools, after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insisted closing it was her top priority. Education Secretary John Swinney told MSPs in February: Fundamentally, the approach that Im bringing to the education system is that I want to create a constantly improving education system that is my mantra. A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: The Scottish National Standardised assessments were specifically designed for the Scottish curriculum and provide teachers with standard, consistent and comparable information related to everyday learning. We have made clear that assessment has long been an important part of the improvement agenda, and teachers with experience of using the assessments have spoken of how useful they are as one of a range of ways to gauge a pupils progression. David Reedy was appointed in December to lead an independent review of P1 assessments. The outcome of that review will be published in May. The Prodigy star Keith Flint has been found dead at the age of 49. Police were called to his home in Essex early on Monday morning. Essex Police said a 49-year-old man had been found dead and that the death is not being treated as suspicious. The Prodigy performing on the Main Stage during Radio 1s Big Weekend (Yui Mok/PA) An Essex Police spokeswoman said: We were called to concerns for the welfare of a man at an address in Brook Hill, North End, just after 8.10am on Monday, March 4. We attended and, sadly, a 49-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner. The Prodigy enjoyed hits with their tracks Firestarter and Breathe and were known for their fusion of techno, breakbeat and acid house, forged in the UKs illegal rave scene, and their anti-establishment stance. An East of England Ambulance spokeswoman said: We were called at 8.08am with reports of a man who was unconscious in Brook Hill, Dunmow. We sent an ambulance officer, Essex and Herts Air Ambulance and one ambulance. Sadly a man in his forties died at the scene. Military helicopters have found no trace of two climbers missing on the worlds ninth highest mountain. Tom Ballard, whose mother died on K2, was climbing Nanga Parbat in Pakistan with Italian Daniele Nardi when they lost contact a week ago. Two military helicopters took off from the northern town of Skardu with four Spanish rescuers onboard on Monday. Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said that Spaniard Alex Txikon and three colleagues, including a physician, are joining Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara, who is already at base camp. Area around Camp 1 on Mummery Ridge, #NangaParbat this afternoon with dropping off @AlexTxikon and his team to start the search for @NardiDaniele and Tom Ballard. Ali Sadpara also there to assist the effort. We are all with you brave people. pic.twitter.com/fMFYiNmPbr Stefano Pontecorvo (@pontecorvoste) March 4, 2019 The helicopters found no trace of the climbers, however Mr Haidri hopes the improved weather will allow the rescue team to search during the day. He said: Its very difficult to survive in that condition and its a big challenge for a mountaineer to climb in winter. The scene part way along the Mazeno ridge in Pakistan with the summit of Nanga Parbat in the far distance (Sandy Allen/PA) Later on Monday he said: Unfortunately, no sign of climbers or a camp site was found during the aerial reconnaissance. Rescuers also plan to use a drone in their search efforts amid the harsh weather. Italian ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo tweeted that the team reached Camp 1 and was setting up necessary equipment to fly the drones as visibility was good. He tweeted a picture of a helicopter on the snow-covered ground, with the message: Area around Camp 1 on Mummery Ridge, #NangaParbat this afternoon with dropping off @AlexTxikon and his team to start the search for @NardiDaniele and Tom Ballard. Ali Sadpara also there to assist the effort. We are all with you brave people. Mr Ballard was born in Derbyshire but moved to the Scottish Highlands in 1995, the year his mother, Alison Hargreaves, died on K2 when she was 33, months after becoming the first woman to conquer Everest unaided. Friends of the climbers have raised more than 109,682 towards the search effort in two days through a GoFundMe page. The target of the fundraiser is 150,000 euros (128,500). A message on the page states: We are so grateful for everyone who has led these rescue efforts on the ground. The helicopter rescue operation costs roughly 50,000 euros (42,846) per day. Donations to help support these costs are graciously appreciated. Any unused donations will be donated to the schools of Pakistan where Daniele has regularly donated school materials and medicine on this and past expeditions. Despite being dubbed Killer Mountain because of its dangerous conditions, the summit of Nanga Parbat has long drawn climbers. Located in Pakistans Gilgit Baltistan area, it is the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 metres (26,660 feet). Nardi and Ballard set out on the climb on February 22, making it to the fourth base camp by the following day. The pair last made contact on February 24 from an elevation of around 6,300 metres (nearly 20,700 feet) on Nanga Parbat. Pakistan dispatched search helicopters last week despite the closure of its airspace amid tensions with neighbouring India over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Sadpara, who joined the search team, saw a snow-covered tent on Thursday. Nardis team had said in a Facebook post that traces of an avalanche were evident in the area. Nardi, 42, from near Rome, has attempted the Nanga Parbat summit in winter several times in the past. In 2015 Ballard became the first person ever to solo climb all six major north faces of the Alps in one winter. Amid tensions running high on both the sides of the border in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack and the Balakot air-strikes, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba has issued a serious warning of potential sea-driven attacks. This carries much significance. It also coincides with Pakistan claiming having stopped Indian Navy submarines from entering its waters. We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi including through the medium of the sea, Admiral Lanba has said. There are strong reasons why we cant afford to dismiss this as a pre-emptive warning or even a false alarm. If Pulwama was the result of a massive intel failure, the Navy chiefs warning should ensure we dont repeat the same mistake. Many analysts talk about an essential 'surprise' element in terror strikes which basically means that terrorists are not likely to repeat their mode of attack. This makes room for arguments like why there wouldn't be a repeat of 26/11. But we dont have any room for any miscalculations anymore. The 26/11 attackers traversed 433 nautical miles to reach Mumbai via Gujarat. (Photo: Google Map) The 1993 Mumbai blast made use of the sea route the RDX used in the serial explosions which killed 257 people in Mumbai in 1993 was smuggled in through a consignment via the sea route. After 15 years, the same model was repeated, partially though. In 2008, q0 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, including Ajmal Kasab, came to Mumbai from Karachi via the sea route, getting on an Indian boat from Gujarat. We all know what followed. In both these cases, the points where the terrorists landed were unattended. This should not come as a shocker. India being a peninsular country cant have fool-proof maritime security at every place and location, and this will always remain a challenge. According to reports, the Indian Coast Guard, which takes care of our maritime security, apart from the Navy, has carried out 347 operations based on various intelligence inputs in the last 10 years. An automatic identification system has been put in place, which enables security agencies to see all vessels at sea on one screen. 'Samundari jihad' is not a new term in global terror in the year 2000, 17 US Navy sailors were killed when Al Qaeda terrorists rammed a suicide boat into the USS Cole. Earlier this year, the MHA admitted knowledge of 'Samundari Jihad'. ( Source: MHA) Early this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha that they have intel inputs of Samundari Jihad Pakistan-based terror groups training their cadre for a via water strike. There were reports of Jaish-e-Mohammed also conducting deep-sea diving training at its Bahawalpur campus. The signs are there and the Navy chief has sounded an alarm in very good time. We must keep our preparedness at an all-time high. Also Read: From Doklam to Uri to Pulwama, India was caught off-guard. But preparedness is the only way to combat terrorism Now that the dust has settled and Wing Commander Abhinandan is back with us, its time to ponder over what we need to do to eliminate the three-decade-old insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Its fortunate that Abhinandan is home, without any disabling injury. However, we continue to lose our boys on a day-to-day basis in J&K. The casualty figures continue to mount as the likes of Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar live in luxury in elegant bungalows deep within the security envelope of Inter-Services Intelligence of the Pakistan armed forces. A brief recapitulation of certain aspects of the sequence of events, starting with the killing of 40 plus CRPF jawans in Pulwama, to the momentous exhilaration experienced by Indians when Abhinandan walked through the gates at Wagah borders, provides the necessary inputs in arriving at the multiple measures we need to initiate to stop our country bleeding from terrorism, any more. Though no official estimates of explosives used have as yet been possible and exact estimates are perhaps improbable the fact remains that the terrorists used a locally procured car that was fitted with enough explosives to blow a bus to smithereens. The explosives were definitely procured within the country and packaged in the body of the vehicle with great expertise. A detonating mechanism was strapped on for initiation on impact. Each of these acts required an expert touch. Further, a driver was found who was ready to be a 'Fedayeen' and transit to the promised heaven where droves of virgins would presumably be his reward. The bombing will have also involved reconnaissance along the convoy route, finding the most suitable area, information about road protection parties and their deployment. Let's accept the Pulwama terror attacks as an intelligence failure. (Source: IndiaToday.in) Our intelligence missed out on each of these activities and we were left (probably) facing a shortage of body bags at the end of the day! It was a huge intelligence failure, and until we accept it to be so, we will remain exposed to such acts. The exact time and place of attack may be difficult to arrive at, but the preparation of the vehicle would have called for a full-fledged garage facility and multiple factors with technical expertise in different areas. Post the incident, we have reacted with speed, precision and across the possible spectrum of response. In a harakiri of sorts, the Jaish-e-Mohammad owned responsibility for the Pulwama attack. The need to prove and pin responsibility on the perpetrator was no longer a challenge for us. Our diplomacy was in full swing with condemnation from across the world pouring in. Pakistan was blamed by a host of countries, either directly or contextually. The straw that broke the camels (read: Pakistans) back was perhaps the Organisation of Islamic Countries going ahead with its invitation to India for joining its meet, in spite of Pakistani protests and manoeuvres. India used the forum to state its case, with effect. We also withdrew the most favoured nation status, hitting the Pakistani business establishments that had benefited from it. Sushma Swaraj at Organisation of Islamic Countries: India used the forum to state its case, with effect. (Source: ANI) The separatists forum in J&K has been put in the dock. Its an act that had started some time back. The Pulwama incident provides the correct opportunity to treat them as inimical elements. Their security cover has been withdrawn. Hopefully, their movements will be restricted and they will be charged as per our laws for money laundering, inciting stone throwing and other violent activities. The National Investigation Agency will have to push the pace. If we achieved something really tangible through this risky option of striking terrorist bases in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan, it was establishing the credentials of our current leadership as being decisive and ready to opt for tough options. Surgical Strike 1 (the commando raids across the Line of Control that followed after the Uri massacre), the 70 days plus stand-off with the Chinese at Dokalam, and now Surgical Strike 2, have unwaveringly established the leaderships resolve of this country, as well as their appetite for risks. The fact of both the Surgical Strikes being conducted without a single casualty is a tribute to the professionalism of our forces. When required, they have been able to deliver the goods at the least cost. Their spectacular performance raised the morale of a country whose citizens were getting inured to the daily statistics of dead soldiers. Suddenly, the men who fight and die every other day in Kashmir became a part of our lives, with Abhinandan as their flag bearer. Through the experiences of Doklam, and both the Surgical Strikes we should have discerned by now how blurred is the line between peace and stability on one hand, and sudden adverse situations erupting, on the other. We were surprised in all three cases. To classify them as purely intelligence failures will be wrong. The most difficult part of an intelligence appreciation is reading the enemys intent. Its a difficult poser, and ambiguity about the possible course of action that the enemy will opt for could remain elusive in the future too. Rafale row: The armed forces equipment inventory needs to be upgraded. (Source: IndiaToday.in) Under the circumstances, the lesson that holds good is the requirement to maintain a high state of readiness of our forces. Only then can we either deter adventurism or react with adequate vigour to be decisive. Such a state requires the armed forces equipment inventory being upgraded. Our ammunition stock levels that had depleted to an alarming state were to be made up to 10 days reserves, sometime back. The progress made so far is not exactly known. However, we need to assess the minimum levels required and immediately go in for replenishments. As far as the outdated equipment and depleted holdings are concerned, the government will have to increase the outlay for the defence budget. Pakistans routine sabre rattling of the nuclear option also stands exposed. Though the Pakistani nuclear command authority supposedly met, obviously a nuclear option was not on the table. We have a huge scope for conventional options to be exercised with Pakistan unable to respond in the nuclear domain. We need to enhance our capability in exercising covert operations in Pakistan. During Gen VK Singhs tenure as the Army Chief, he raised the Technical Support Division. It had, in a short period of time, developed excellent capabilities. Our intelligence agencies need to be able to track and eliminate the likes of Dawood, Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed. Our capabilities need to include covert operations deep inside Pakistan. Possibly, our best response lies therein. Terrorism in J&K needs to be eliminated with due concern being observed for human rights. (Picture for representational purposes only) (Source: IndiaToday.in) Our diplomatic efforts have undoubtedly paid dividends, however, we have not yet been able to stop the flow of funds from Saudi Arabia, China and a few other Gulf countries Pakistans most benevolent donors. Should the Pakistanis be able to get the Taliban to continue negotiations with the Americans, they also might release funds they have held back. A more concerted effort needs to be directed at throttling the flow from abroad to Pakistans treasury. The focus also must encompass the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that already has Pakistan on its greylist, and also the International Monetary Fund (IMF). There are dozens of areas that need attention, however, the most important is setting our own house in order. Terrorism in J&K needs to be eliminated with due concern being observed for human rights. However, a stone thrower is no less a terrorist! Overground workers need to be booked. A sizeable percentage of compromised government officials in J&K need to be weeded out. The separatists have to be dealt with. The nodes that provide the infrastructure for manufacturing such major weapons as a car bomb, will need to be identified and neutralised. Also read: India must use every option to cripple Pakistans military-jihadi complex now Renowned Yogi and spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev aka Sadhguru has been an active voice in social and environmental issues. Mumbai: National award-winning director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra will host a special screening for spiritual leader Sadhguru in Coimbatore. Renowned Yogi and spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev, often referred as Sadhguru has been an active voice in social as well as environmental issues. As Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra gears up to present the socially relevant film Mere Pyare Prime Minister, the filmmaker decided to host a special screening for the spiritual leader and will be flying down to Coimbatore for the same. Touching upon two socially relevant and impactful issues of open defecation and rape, Mere Pyare Prime Minister presents the story of a young boy and his mother. The bond between a son and mother forming the crux of the story, the film traces the journey of Kanhu as he struggles to reach the Prime Minister as his mother met an ugly incident due to unavailability of toilets. Delivering a social message with an emotional storyline yet again, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who has earlier helmed Rang De Basanti, Delhi-6, amongst others is all set to present Mere Pyare Prime Minister. The film starring National award-winning actress Anjali Patil, Makarand Deshpande, Rasika Agashe, Sonia Albizuri and Nachiket Purnapatre brings together power-packed performances. The musical trio of Shankar Ehsan Loy joins hands for the music to the lyrics penned by Gulzar. Dr Jayantilal Gada (Pen) and PVR Cinemas present, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's directorial Mere Pyare Prime Minister is all set to release on 15th March 2019. As tension persists with Pakistan, India on Tuesday said it will have all options available in case there is another terror strike while maintaining that New Delhi will persist with its efforts to reach out to international community to put pressure on Islamabad to show concrete steps taken in dismantling terror infrastructure. Asserting this point here, official sources also said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has kept all its bases in Western sector on maximum alert after India carried out a strike on the biggest terrorist training camp of JeM in Pakistans Balakot on February 26. As regards to preparedness of the IAF, a SU-30 fighter jet on Monday shot down a Pakistani military drone in Bikaner sector of the India-Pakistan border. The drone was trying to gather intelligence from air about Indias military strength in Rajasthan when an air to air missile fired by the SU-30 brought it down. The drone fell on the Pakistani side after getting hit at about 11.30 am. It was the second unsuccessful attempt by Pakistan to use drones for spying in the last seven days. Besides its military preparedness, India has launched a fresh initiative to get Jaish-e Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar blacklisted by the UN Security Council. New Delhi is also approaching other countries outside UNSC to compel Pakistan to take concrete action against terror outfits operating from its soil. Sources said as parts of its effort India has shared with the US the evidence of use of F-16 fighter jet by Pakistan during retaliatory aerial combat and was confident that the US is investigating the matter. Since Balakot punitive strikes against terrorist camps by the IAF, India is trying to build maximum pressure on Pakistan on the issue of terrorism, they said. Pakistan has gone to all countries seeking mediation but there is greater understanding of Indias position, sources said, adding India has told the international community that it is not an India-Pakistan issue, but about terrorism. If JeM chief Azhar gets banned by the UN, Pakistan will get into a difficult situation as he has been residing there as per the Pakistan Foreign Ministers admission, said sources. Sources said on Monday the IAF has kept all its bases in Western sector on maximum alert after India carried out a strike on the biggest terrorist training camp of JeM in Pakistans Balakot on February 26. Pakistan had attempted to retaliate by unsuccessfully targeting a number of military installations in Rajouri sector the next day. In the ensuing aerial combat after some Pakistan fighter jets intruded into India, a jet each of two countries were downed and IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by the Pakistanis after his MIG-21 Bison was hit by Pakistans air defence. He ejected from the plane before it crashed and was taken prisoner in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). The Indian pilot was released two days later and returned to India on Friday night and now undergoing medical tests and debriefing by the IAF. Indias air strike which the government had termed a non-military action, followed a terror attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir on February 14, in which 40 personnel were killed. The JeM had claimed responsibility for the attack. New Delhi called the air strikes non-military as the targets were terrorists and their infrastructure and not military installations or assets. As tension persists with Pakistan, India on Tuesday said it will have all options available in case there is another terror strike while maintaining that New Delhi will persist with its efforts to reach out to international community to put pressure on Islamabad to show concrete steps taken in dismantling terror infrastructure. Asserting this point here, official sources also said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has kept all its bases in western sector on maximum alert after India carried out a strike on the biggest terrorist training camp of JeM in Pakistans Balakot on February 26. As to preparedness of the IAF, a SU-30 fighter jet on Monday shot down a Pakistani military drone in Bikaner sector of the India-Pakistan border. Indian origin British Parliamentarians are organising a function on April 13 at House of Lords to commemorate centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre amid indication that the British Government could offer a formal apology for the massacre of more than 1,600 persons. An email invitation sent by Loomba, Member of House of Lords, to Sanjay Dalmia, noted industrialist and former Rajya Sabha member, said the horrific event was debated in the House of Lords on February 19, 2019 to raise awareness. In this context I initiated the debate, supported by many members of the House of Lords, including Lord Desai, Lord Bilimoria, Baroness Verma, Lord Suri, Baroness Northover, Lord Alton, Earl of Sandwich, Lord Morgan, Lord Collins of Highbury and Lord Mawson. They wholeheartedly agreed that the British Government should tender an apology, the invite read. The noble Minister, Rt Hon Baroness Goldie summarised and agreed that it was a deeply shameful episode in British History. We should never forget what took place 100 years ago. The chair of the Foreign Affairs committee feels that this year may constitute an appropriate moment for her Majestys Government to formally apologise. The Foreign Secretary is currently reflecting on the situation. I can say that the views expressed in this debate are certainly noted and will be conveyed back to the department, said the email invite. In the email, Lord Loomba said he and Lord Desai had already written to British Prime Minister Theresa May, requesting for an apology for the dreadful act on Indians and the subsequent attempts for a cover-up. The Jallianwala Bagh Centenary Commemoration Committee (JBCCC) comprises distinguished people, including Balbir Singh Kakar (Chair), Ambassador Navtej Sarna, Virendra Sharma, MP, Lord and Lady Desai and Lord Loomba. We are inviting community leaders both from India and the UK to attend the event at the House of Lords and hope that after a century, especially on this very day, the British Government will tender an apology to close this unfortunate episode, said the email. The JBCCC is also organising an exhibition Punjab under Siege the Jallianwala Bagh Centenary with the help of Manchester Museum at different places at the cities of Manchester, Birmingham, London and Glasgow in April. Air pollution, both outside and inside homes, is a silent and prolific killer responsible for the premature death of seven million people each year, including 600,000 children, according to a UN expert on environment and human rights. David Boyd said that over six billion people, one-third of them children, are regularly inhaling air so polluted that it puts their life, health and well-being at risk. "Yet, this pandemic receives inadequate attention as these deaths are not as dramatic as those caused by other disasters or epidemics," Boyd, the UN Special Rapporteur on environment and human rights, told the Human Rights Council here Monday. "Every hour, 800 people are dying, many after years of suffering, from cancer, respiratory illnesses or heart disease directly caused by breathing polluted air," said Boyd, who is also an associate professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Boyd said that failing to ensure clean air constituted a violation of their fundamental right to a healthy environment, a right that is legally recognised by 155 countries and should be globally recognised. "People cannot avoid inhaling whatever contaminants are present in the air inside their homes or in their communities," the expert was quoted as saying in a UN statement. "Air pollutants are everywhere, largely caused by burning fossil fuels for electricity, transportation, and heating, as well as from industrial activities, poor waste management and agricultural practices," Boyd said. Women and children, who in many less wealthy countries spend a lot of time at home, are disproportionally affected by indoor air pollution caused by cooking, heating or lighting with solid fuels and kerosene. Boyd identified seven key steps that countries must take to ensure clean air and fulfil the right to a healthy environment. These include monitoring air quality and impacts on human health, assessing sources of air pollution; and making information publicly available, including public health advisories. "There are many examples of good practices, such as programmes in India and Indonesia that have helped millions of poor families switch to cleaner cooking technologies and States that are successfully eliminating the use of coal-fired power plants," said Boyd. "Many actions to ensure cleaner air can be designed to simultaneously reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, resulting in a double dividend," he said. A total of five mass extinctions occurred during the last 500 million history of the planet earth, when more than 75 per cent of existing life forms had gone extinct. Various causes have been ascribed for each of the five mass extinctions. The most recent, 5th mass extinction took place about 66 million years ago, when a huge meteorite with a radius of about 10 km crashed on the earth and made a crater with 180 km diameter and 20 km deep in the Yucatan village, Chicxulubin Mexico. The impact created a doomsday scenario. Superheated dust particles and steam filled the sky preventing sunlight to reach earth for decades killing plant life as they could not carry out photosynthesis. Many volcanoes around the earth became active and spewed lava. There were super-tsunamis drowning land animals and plants. The atmosphere of earth became unsuitable to support most of the existing life forms, leading to the extinction of dinosaurs. Can the 6th mass extinction occur in a similar manner and all of us would disappear before we figure out what hit us? Michael Rampino and Bruce Haggerty (1984) proposed the Shiva hypothesis (named after Lord Shiva, the Hindu God of destruction) based on an earlier paper of Napier and Clube (1979). According to this hypothesis, the earth experiences large impact events with comets every 30 million years when solar system crosses the plane of Milky Way galaxy. This causes gravitational disturbances in the cloud of comets (Oort cloud) surrounding the solar system and sends some of them hurling towards the inner solar system. These may be propelled to collide with the earth by the sling shot gravitational action of Jupiter (NASAs Voyager-1 and 2 used this effect to escape Suns gravity). Modelling studies suggest that an object of 1 km size, depending upon its speed and angle of approach is enough to wipe out the humanity according to Rampino, who gave the Shiva hypothesis. This could throw up enough pulverised rock to block the sun for months. The debris falling back on earth would cause wild fires increasing the surface temperature and killing everything living to death. The earth will then go through a process of cooling and a prolonged winter possibly creating new forms of life millions of years later. US-Congress in 1998 authorised NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to search for Near Earth Objects (NEO), known as Space Guard Survey to identify 90 per cent of NEOs with diameter of 1 km or more in the next 10 years. The agency achieved this goal by 2010 and submitted its report (Defending the Planet Earth; Near Earth objects, Surveys, Hazards and Mitigation Strategies, Summary National Research Council. 2010. Washington DC, The National Academic Press, doi: 10.17226/12842). Astronomers spotted about 15,000 objects in the earths neighbourhood, including hundreds of them more than 1 km across. None of them were currently in collision course with the earth. The second mandate given to NASA was to discover 90 per cent of NEOs with diameter of 140 meters or more by 2020. Since recent studies on impact of NEOs with diameter of 30-50 meters have been found to be highly destructive NASA was asked to detect as many of them as possible without compromising the earlier mandates. The best-known example of such an impact was of a 30-50 meter, meteorite, which exploded near Tunguska river in the Siberian wilderness of Russia in 1905. It devastated more than 2000 square kilometres of forest, but possibly with no human casualties in this sparsely populated region. In India, the Lonar Lake located in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra, diameter 1.8 km and depth 137 m, was formed, when a meteorite or comet coming at an angle of 35-40 degrees (Arif and coresearchers, 2011) and at a speed of 90,000 km/hr crashed on the site about 52,000 years ago (or earlier at about 570,000 years ago). The size of the meteorite, which dug up the lake is not known but probably less than 100 meters (if compared with the crater created by Chicxulub meteor). Mitigation: Mitigation refers to all means of defending the earth and its inhabitants from the possible impact of a NEO. The NEOs need to be characterised with respect to their orbit and physical properties to plan defence from their possible impact on earth. Technically NEOs may be considered as an asteroid or comet, whose orbit approaches earths orbit to within about one thirdaveragedistance of earth from the sun. These objects are potentially capable of colliding with earth in the next century. The survey of NEOs by NASA needs to be completed by 2020-2030, using space missions, ground- based telescopes, also the complementary radar system in Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and the Goldstone Solar System radar in California to accurately determine the orbit, size, shape, surface structure and other properties within their latitude coverage and detection range. Primarily four types of defences are proposed to be adopted. 1. Civil defence: This option is possible if the warning time is more than 1-2 years. 2. Slow push or slow pull methods: The orbit of the target object is to be changed so that it avoids collision with earth. This option will take decades to be effective and useful only for objects less than 100 meters in diameter. 3. Kinetic impactors: One or more space crafts with massive payloads will be sent to impact directly on the target either in the direction of motion or opposite to it. The effectiveness of this method will depend on the mass of the object and consequences of such impact. This method is proposed to be tested by a joint mission called AIDA (Asteroid impact and deflection assessment) by European Space Agency in collaboration with NASA on asteroid,Didymos, when it passes earth in October 2022. Didymos is a binary asteroid consisting of an 800-meter diameter main body and a 170-meter satellite revolving around it. NASA will send a space craft between December 2021 and May 2022 to deliberately crash it on the smaller body trying to dislodge it from its orbit. The accompanying European device HERA will record the effect of such impact. Over ground telescopes and other devices from USA will record the percentage of orbital deviation. The success of this experiment will validate if orbit of an asteroid moving on a collision course towards earth can be altered by a kinetic impactor. 4. Gravity Tractor: Still in conceptual stage, it consists of robotic probe, which flies with the space rock for months or years gradually nudging it off course by a slight gravitational tug. Gravity could be increased if the mass of robotic probe is higher. To avoid high cost of launching such probes from earth, NASA proposes to hijack one of the asteroidsand use it as a gravity tractor, said Lindley Johnson, program executive of NASAs NEOs observation program (March, 2014).NASA has identified about a dozen of candidates for asteroid capture mission. The space agency wants astronauts to visit redirected asteroids by 2025 as fixed by White House. 5. Nuclear explosion: This would be the last option but is the most powerful technique. This could be used for objects with a diameter of a few kilometres. The idea is to jolt the body and not blow it up, since that would cause more damage. While UN Outer Space Treaty (1967) bars sending nuclear weapons into space, scientists already have a good understanding of the technology. Planetary Defence Coordination office of NASA will decide when US will use such an option to prevent a potential impact of an asteroid with earth (Rosen, 2016). (Dr Mitra is a former Dean and Professor, OUAT. The article is based on several publications on the subject including the NRC report 2010. Email: gmmitra@gmail.com). Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat presented the allotment letters for homes of economically weaker section at Transport Nagar phase II to 221 beneficiaries selected through lottery. Congratulating the beneficiaries, the chief minister said that the lottery system was used to keep the selection process transparent. Asking them to shift to their new homes at the earliest, Rawat said that on this Holi he would also visit them in their new homes. He said, When the development of everyone is ensured, only then will all be able to take the nation forward. The new India envisioned by prime minister Narendra Modi will be free from poverty with homes for all along with drinking water and electricity supply. To ensure that the poor get the entire funds they are entitled to, Jan Dhan accounts were opened for them and the money is being transferred directly to their accounts. Now there is no middleman between the government and the poor. Further, Rs 6,000 is also being provided to farmers under Kisan Samman Nidhi. He further said that the government has started various schemes for the poor, labourers and farmers. What is needed is to ensure that the information about such scheme reaches the intended beneficiaries.The people also need to be aware themselves in order to benefit from the schemes, said the chief minister. Speaking on the occasion, the Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that the Central and State Governments have started various schemes for the benefit of the poor, farmers and general public. The Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) vice chairman Ashish Kumar Srivastav said that beneficiaries had been selecte through lottery in December 2018. After their verification by the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun, 221 persons have now been presented with allotment letters for homes constructed in Transport Nagar phase II. The total cost of each unit is about Rs nine lakh. In this, the MDDA has provided Rs three lakh as subsidy. Out of the remaining Rs six lakh, Rs 1.5 lakh was provided under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana by the Central Government while Rs one lakh was provided under Uttarakhand Jan Awas Yojana by the state government. As a result, the beneficiary will have to pay only Rs 3.5 lakh for the home. For this too, home loan facility has been arranged for through banks. Dehradun mayor Sunil Uniyal Gama, MLA Khajan Das, Garhwal commissioner BVRC Purushottam, officials concerned and public representatives were also present on the occasion. A day after parting ways with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Ferozepur MP Sher Singh Ghubaya on Tuesday joined the Congressbecoming the second sitting parliamentarian of the BJP-led NDA to join the grand old party in the last three days after BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh Savitri Bai Phule. With his joining, Ghubaya is a likely claimant of the party ticket for Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat for the ensuing elections. Though it is being claimed that Ghubaya has joined the Congress unconditionally, it has been learnt that the deal was struck after he was assured of getting the party ticket. However, the preliminary signals on tickets will be clear on March 10 when the first screening for the Punjab Congress candidates happens in Delhi. After more than two years of his hostility with the party, Ghubaya finally bid a final adieu to the Akali Dal. Earlier, he was expected to join the Congress on March 7 during the partys national president Rahul Gandhis rally at Moga. However, his hurried induction in the party has raised many eyebrows within the Congress circles. It is believed that Ghubayas induction a day after was done to keep any sort of controversy away. Many senior leaders have raised objection over Ghubayas induction, especially the possibility of giving him the party ticket. Moreover, many have also opposed his induction citing Ghubayas sleazy video that went viral ahead 2017 elections, a senior Congress leader told The Pioneer requesting anonymity. Notably, Ghubayas son Devinder Singh Ghubaya is Congress MLA from Fazilka after winning 2017 state assembly polls. Two-time MP, Ghubaya hails from the Rai Sikh community which is a dominant vote bank in Ferozepur constituency. He is a two-time MP from Ferozepur parliamentary seatfirst in 2009 and then in 2014. He has also been elected MLA twice from Jalalabad in 1997 and 2007, and later left the seat for Sukhbir. On the other hand, the Congress old guard and senior party leaders are not in favour of fielding a turncoat or anyone who had opposed the party in the past as its candidate while ignoring the workers. While making public his resignation from the SAD, Ghubaya had blamed the party president Sukhbir Badals wrong policies for resigning from the primary membership and all posts of the party. Hours later, the SAD issued a press note from its headquarters at Chandigarh saying that Sukbir has expelled Ghubaya from the primary membership of the party for his anti-party activities. While Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar who was the partys candidate in 2014 elections and is now sitting MP from Gurdaspur has already made clear his intention of seeking re-election from Gurdaspur, the state Cabinet Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi had claimed the party ticket from Ferozepur either for himself or his son Anumit Singh Hira Sodhi. Sodhi, who is MLA from Guru Har Sahai constituency which is a part of Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat, was also in race for the party ticket during previous general elections, but lost to Jakhar, who was given party ticket. Up in arms against the decision, Sodhi had revolted against the party in 2014 even indicating crossing over to SAD, while his son Anumit had given enough indications of entering the electoral field as an independent. But the party managed to pacify them later on. Screening committee of the All India Congress Committee assembled on Tuesday in New Delhi to evaluate and shortlist the bundle of names sent there for fanalisation. With this the party leading the coalition in the State for the Lok Sabha polls has also made the dust to settle for the seat sharing among its partners. Top sources in the party informed The Pioneer that the committee would report the names to the AICCs apex election panel within a week or 10 days. The screening committee met at 3.30 pm today where all the names forwarded from the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) were discussed and examined. Lastly three names for each seat would be sent to the election committee of the party for finalisation, said a senior party leader. The screening committee examined the names forwarded to it by the district level Congress committees which had compiled the candidatures coming to it. The list is quite long which has been sent to the committee by the district president through the PCC. Top three names would be evaluated by the AICCs selection panel within a week or fortnight, said the office bearer. It is also learnt that the Congress, after conducting the successful rally of its national president Rahul Gandhi in Ranchi, has gone ahead approving the seat sharing formula among the constituents of the grand alliance. The exercise is being considered important since the issue has emerged as bone of contention for the partners of the UPA in the State. It has been finalised that the JVM would settle for two seats namely Koderma and Godda. The JMM has already being offered four seats which are Rajmahal, Dumka, Giridih and Khunti. RJDs claim is yet to be settled and they have been told to choose between Chatra and Palamu. One of these including the six other would fall into the Congress kitty, said a top source into the party. Moreover the seat sharing formula has left parties like the RJD and the Left into quandary. At one hand they are sensing the urgency to gel together in order to handle the mighty and resurgent BJP but keeping their party cadres intact is also a challenge. We are trying to bargain and press hard for both the seats. We have substantial claims over those. Our preparations are in advanced stages at Palamu and Godda. Lets see what happens, said Jharkhand RJD president Annapurna Devi. The issue has snowballed in the State when the polls are not far away. Annapurna Devi despite being invited to share dais with the Congress national president on March 2, opted to skip it. Also, JMM executive president Hemant Soren sent a representative in the form of MLA Stephen Marandi. Soren is said to be unhappy with the Congress for not declaring in clear terms him as the face of the coalition in the State which is to undergo into Assembly elections from six months of the parliamentary polls. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday said the State Government is in the process of preparing family ID considering the nuclear family as a unit. Out of about 50 lakh families in the State, data of about 30 lakh families have so far been collected and the remaining data would also be collected within next 15 to 20 days, Manohar Lal said while presiding over the meeting of Chief Ministers Good Governance Associate (CMGGA) here. He said various schemes of the Government would be integrated with this data so that the eligible families get the benefit of various schemes and programmes in a transparent manner. This scheme is likely to be rolled out from June, 2019, he added. The Chief Minister said that the State Government has taken several steps for bringing about a systematic change in the system to make the life of people more convenient and to ensure that they get the benefit of various schemes and programmes online by sitting at home. Directions have been issued to enforce walk-in-closure in the departments and ensure that only online applications for various people centric services are received through the saral platform. All departments would be taken up for this purpose, he said. On the occasion, Chief Minister also released compilation of research paper for the year 2017-18 prepared by Chief Ministers Good Governance Associates (CMGGAs). While appreciating the CMGGAs for assisting the State Government in effective implementation of various projects at the grass root level, the Chief Minister said that projects undertaken by them especially Antyodaya SARAL, Saksham Haryana and Transport have yielded positive results. It was informed in the meeting that the Chief Minister has launched more than 485 schemes and services of 37 departments on Saral portal on the occasion of Good Governance Day on December 25. While for the delivery of schemes, people could apply at the Antyodaya Kendra , for services; they could apply at Saral Kendra established at 22 district headquarters. The Paradip Model Police arrested four dacoits while they were planning to burgle a house here late on Monday night. ASP Bishnu Charan Mishra told a Press conference that a patrolling team, acting on a tipoff, gheraoed six antisocial youths gathered near the municipality dumping yard at the Bhimabhoi colony. While the team led by IIC RK Samal managed to nab four of them; the rest two managed to flee from the spot. The arrestees were identified as Pyari Mahan Das alias Pintu (36) of Kutilogram under the Tritol PS, Ghungur alias Dipak Behera (30) of Bakipatana village under the Balikuda PS, Kachi Maity (35) of Bijayachandrapur village under the Paradip PS and Chittaranjan Sahoo (47) of Milisingh village under the Tritol PS. Police seized a pistol, three live ammos, a bill book, a chapad and an iron pipe from them. They all have many criminal and dacoity cases pending against them at different police stations. Later they were sent to Kujang jail. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), another central probe agency that is investigating the case, has already questioned Chanda Kochhar several times. New Delhi: The CBI is now preparing to examine former CEO of the ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar as part of its investigation into the alleged irregularitiesand corrupt practices in sanctioning a Rs 1,730-crore loan by the bank to the Videocon Group. Sources said, "The CBI will soon start interrogation of all accused, including former CEO of the ICICI Bank, in this case. The CBI sleuths are in touch with other central probe agencies who are investigating this case and questioning the accused". The Enforcement Directorate (ED), another central probe agency that is investigating the case, has already questioned Chanda Kochhar several times. The CBI recently booked Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and Videocon group MD Venugopal Dhoot for the alleged cheating and corruption in sanctioning loans to the company, which caused a loss of Rs 1,730 crore to the bank. Those who have been named as accused in the CBI's FIR include: Chanda Kochhar (former CEO, ICICI Bank), Deepak Kochhar (MD of Nupower Renewables Ltd, V N Dhoot (MD of Videocon group), Nupower Renewables Ltd. (NRL), Supreme Energy Pvt. Ltd. (SEPL), Videocon International Electronics Ltd (VIEL), Videocon Industries Ltd. (VIL), and others. The case has been registered under different sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry on the allegations that Rs 3,250 crore worth of loans were sanctioned by the bank to companies associated with the Videocon group in violation of the laid-down norms. Haryana Government on Tuesday approved amendments in provisions for granting furlough to prisoners, policy pertaining to surrender of licence and rationalisation of rates of tax on the stage carriages operated by any State Transport Undertaking. The decisions were taken during the State Cabinet meeting held under Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday. This was the third State Cabinet meeting in last 35 days, as the State Government is rushing to give nod to various policies and projects, before the model code of conduct kicks in for ensuing Lok Sabha polls. The Cabinet is likely to meet again on March 8 now to take decisions benefiting Government employees. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved amendment in Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 1988 for making special provisions for prisoners other than hardcore prisoners. Under the amendment, a convict other than a hardcore prisoner will be released on temporary basis or on furlough to attend marriage of his grand child or sibling, or death of his grandparent, parent, grandparent-in-law, sibling, spouse, child or grandchild under an Armed Police Escort for a period of 48 hours to be decided by the concerned Superintendent of Jail, said an official spokesman. Further, a convict other than a hardcore prisoner may be released on temporary basis to attend the marriage of his daughter for 96 hours and for the marriage of his son for 72 hours under an Armed Police Escort, to be decided by the concerned Superintendent of Jail. He will intimate with 24 hours the concerned District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police in this regard with full particulars of the hardcore prisoners being so released. Earlier, such a provision was not available to the convicted prisoners other than the hardcore prisoners in sub section 5A in the Act. However, now the Act has been amended to insert sub section 5B so as to remove this anomaly, the spokesman added. Policy for surrender of licence amended The State Government has given approval to amendment in policy pertaining to surrender of licence. As per the amendment, no third party rights should have been created in the colony. However, in case the same have been created then surrender of licence, partly or wholly, will be allowed with the consent of the allottees of the colony, which will be deemed as extinguishing of third party right to the extent of said part of the colony. The area over which such third party right stand created, should be in a compact block as defined in the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Rules, 1976. Further, if the third party right created area is scattered over the licenced area then, the coloniser has to submit consent of each individual allottees for making it in a compact block along with detailed scheme of the relocation within licenced area, the governments spokesman said. He said that the licences of the project which are considered under this policy for surrender of licence will require payment of outstanding renewal fee with interest up to date. All government dues including scrutiny fee, licence fee, conversion charges, IDC, qua the part of licenced area being surrendered, will be forfeited. The Cabinet has further approved that the licencee will have three options qua EDC when he or she applies for surrender of licence. Haryana rationalises rates of motor vehicle tax A proposal of Transport Department for rationalisation of rates of motor vehicle tax was approved. Accordingly, the motor vehicle tax for vehicles having GVW not exceeding 1.2 tonnes will be Rs 300, having GVW exceeding 1.2 tonnes but not exceeding six tonnes will be Rs 7,200, having GVW exceeding six tonnes but not exceeding 16.2 tonnes will be Rs 9,600, having GVW exceeding 16.2 tonnes but not exceeding 18.5 tonnes will be Rs 11,200, having GVW exceeding 18.5 tonnes but not exceeding 28 tonnes will be Rs 17,300 and having GVW exceeding 28 tonnes, the motor vehicle tax will be Rs 25,300. These taxes are per annum. The State Government also approved rationalisation of rates of tax on the stage carriages operated by any State Transport Undertaking of Haryana as City Bus Service and for Educational Institutions. Following this, the buses of educational institutions registered outside the state will be required to pay 20 per cent more tax than the tax paid by the buses registered within the State. Under the approved proposal, the rate of tax for stage carriage operated by any State Transport Undertaking of Haryana as City Bus Services will be Rs 1,000 per month. Similarly, the rate of tax for contract carriage used by educational institutions (ordinary) registered in the state, having six to 12 seats excluding driver will be Rs 5,000 per year, having 13 to 32 seats excluding driver Rs 8,000 per year and having 33 and above seats excluding driver Rs 10,000 per year. The rate of tax for contract carriages used by educational institutions (air-conditioned) registered in Haryana having six to 12 seats excluding driver will be Rs 12,000 per year, having 13 to 32 seats excluding driver will be Rs 20,000 per year and having 33 and above seats excluding driver will be Rs 30,000 per year. Other key decisions of the Cabinet Policy on Purchase of Land Voluntarily offered to Government for Developmental Projects (Second Amendment), 2019 approved. The Committee of Secretaries headed by Chief Secretary can take decision in purchasing land upto 20 per cent over and above the fair value (collector) rates and such cases need not go to high powered land purchase committee. Under the amendment made in Punjab Jail Service (Class II) Rules, 1963, 25 percent of the post of Deputy Superintendent Jail will be filled by direct recruitment and 75 per cent by promotion from amongst Assistant Superintendent Jail having at least seven years experience as such or by transfer or deputation of an officer already in the service of any State Government or the Government of India. The quota of 12.5 per cent to the Ministerial cadre has been dropped. Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday launched Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojna for the State which would provide assured monthly pension of Rs 3,000 to the workers working in the unorganised sector. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that this was a Central sector scheme for unorganized workers whose monthly income was Rs 15,000 or below and have Aadhar number and Jan Dhan or other bank account. He said that any one between the age group of 18 to 40 year would be covered under the scheme. It was a voluntary and contributory based scheme under which the subscriber would be paid an assured minimum monthly pension of Rs 3,000 from the age of 60 years onwards. The contribution under the scheme is to the extent of 50 percent by subscriber and 50 percent by the Government of India. Thakur said the scheme would go a long way in providing much needed financial support to the family of the workers. He said efforts were being made to develop Mandi as a tourist destination with a Shiv Dham at Mandi besides creating an artificial lake in Mandi town. MPP and Power Minister Anil Sharma said that till date the workers working in the unorganised sector were devoid of any pension and with the launch of this pension scheme they would be provided assured monthly income to them. Punjab CM condoles Neelam Mansinghs husbands death Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday expressed profound grief over the demise of Pushwinder Chowdhary (73), husband of noted theatre director Neelam Mansingh Chowdhary. Pushwinder, who passed away here at his residence on Monday evening, is survived by his wife and two sons, Angad and Kabir. Punjab Guv to inaugurate CII North India Business conference Chandigarh: The Confederation of Indian Industry will organise the North India Business Conference on March 7 at its northern region headquarters here. VP Singh Badnore, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator would inaugurate the conference. It is expected to host more than 400 participants representing Government, policy makers, and experts from different industry sectors. Online transfer policy for assistant district attorneys Chandigarh: Haryana Government has, for the first time, launched an online transfer drive of Assistant District Attorneys pertaining to Prosecution Department, Haryana. At present, 405 Assistant District Attorneys are working in the department and in first transfer drive, 158 Assistant District Attorneys have been compulsorily transferred who have completed their five years tenure at one place of posting. CGRF to listen to consumers grievances Panchkula: The chairman, Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum (CGRF) of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, along with the members of the Forum, would take the proceedings of the forum in the office of XEN OP Division Panchkula # 517-18, Power Colony Industrial area phase-II Panchkula to redress the grievances to hear the complaint of the consumers and to entertain new complaints from 12:30 am to 2:00 pm on March 8. The CGRF shall take all grievances/complaints of consumers like billing problem, voltage complaints, problems in metering, disconnection and reconnection of power supply, interruptions, failure of power supply, efficiency, safety, reliability, non compliance of Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission orders etc. SBI holds Numero YONO in Pkl Chandigarh: The team of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali emerged victorious at the regional rounds of Indias biggest inter-college quiz contest-Numero YONO held in Panchkula on March 2. IISER team bagged annual scholarship of Rs 2.16 lakh that witnessed participation of 198 teams from various colleges from the States of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh besides Chandigarh. The first runner up of this competition was NIT Kurukshatra that won annual scholarship of Rs 1.44 lakh whereas the second runner up, another team of IISER Mohali again received a onetime amount of Rs 12,000. Numero YONO-presented by State Bank of India, is conducted across all 17 cities where SBI Local Head Offices are located. Johnson & Johnsons Talc production started again Chandigarh: The production of Johnsons Baby Powder in its Baddi plant has begun after Government sanctioned testing reaffirmed that the product does not contain asbestos and is safe. In recent months, regulatory authorities from Singapore, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and Egypt have also reaffirmed the purity of Johnson & Johnsons talc. IIT Ropar students won smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2019 Ropar: IIT Ropar Computer Science and Engineering students won the first prize at the Smart India Hackathon 2019 software edition Grand Finale held on March 2 and 3 at Nagpur for the problem statement Media Plan under Ministry of Railways. India gave a befitting reply to the Pulwama attack by entering the den of terrorists in Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday. Pakistan has been conveyed the message that if it doesn't improve, it knows the consequences it will have to face, Modi said at a rally in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. "India gave a befitting reply to Pulwama attack by entering den of terrorists. We have told them (Pakistan), if they don't improve, they know what will happen to them," he said. Calling the opposition as 'poster boys' of Pakistan for seeking proof of Indian Air Force's action on Jaish-e- Mohammed's terror camp last week, Modi said the air strike happened in the neighbouring country, but "some of those sitting in India were hit by it". "Though the air strike took place in Pakistan, it has pained some people sitting in India," Modi said, adding, People world over feel that we have done the right thing by replying to Pulwana terror attack. Taking a swipe at attempts to cobble up a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) against the BJP, Modi said the opposition leaders are doing 'mahamilavat' (high adulteration) in Pakistan's favour. "These 'mahamilavati' persons have become poster boys of Pakistan by terming it as an ambassador of peace. They are misleading people of the country and trying to demoralise our armed forces by asking for proofs of the IAF air strike," Modi said. Without naming senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, he said a leader termed the Pulwama attack as an accident and dubbed slain al-Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden as an "ambassador of peace". "A leader close to the Congress' naamdar (Rahul Gandhi) family has termed the Pulwama attack a mere accident. He also considers Osama Bin Laden a shantidoot (ambassador of peace). He is the same person who gave Pakistan a clean chit after the (26/11) Mumbai terror attack and tried to mislead the investigation (into it)," Modi said. The liquor lovers in Haryana can soon expect to find their favourite brand of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in tetra packs across all the districts. For, the Manohar Lal Khattar led Haryana Government on Tuesday gave nod to its excise policy 2019-20 which enables liquor manufacturers to market IMFL in tetra packs (biodegradable) of 180 ML, technically called Nips. In a bid to please booze lovers and eyeing more revenue from liquor business in the next financial year, the State Government has announced a series of new initiatives in excise policy for 2019-20. Among this measures included launch of superior 65 degree proof country liquor called metro liquor to be distilled and marketed by the state based distilleries, lowering excise duty on Rum sold through CSD canteens and permitting the establishment of state of the art, Avant-garde' outlets in malls and licensed shopping areas in Gurugram, Faridabad and Panchkula to enhance the marketing experience of all the liquor consumers. Emphasising its commitment to environment protection, the governments policy has stated that at least 20 per cent of the liquor will be sold in glass bottles. The cabinet has approved the excise policy for 2019-20 with a projection of an all time high target of Rs 7,500 crore indicating a yearon-year growth of 19 per cent from this year's Rs 6,300 crore, said an official spokesman of Haryana Government. The excise policy emphasises the launch of Ease of Doing Business (EODB) initiatives involving application and grant of licenses online through the Department's portal. Time limits have been framed for each activity under the EODB. Also, the renewal of labels and permissions for exports will be automated. Disposal of expired or confiscated beer will also be carried out under an environment friendly manner through the Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) of the breweries, the spokesman said. To provide quality country liquor to the consumers at lower rates, the policy allows the launch of superior 65 degree proof country liquor called metro liquor to be distilled and marketed by the state based distilleries. It also fulfills the expectations of the armed forces by lowering excise duty on Rum sold through CSD Canteens in the state by Rs 61 per proof litre, he said. With a view to moulding the consumption from strong to mild liquor, the State Government has allowed micro breweries to opt for a license without seeking a mandatory license for hard liquor. The policy also permits the establishment of state of the art, Rs Avant-garde' outlets in Malls and licensed shopping areas in Gurugram, Faridabad and Panchkula to enhance the marketing experience of all the consumers. Giving details related to excise duty, the spokesman said that the excise policy has rationalized excise duty on IMFL, Country Liquor and Beer to maximise revenue and to simultaneously promote the industry as a whole. To cater to the growing demand, the annual mandatory lifting quota for country liquor and IMFL has been marginally raised from 10 to 10.5 crore proof litre and from 6 to 6.5 crore proof litre respectively. The policy also allows more suppliers in the imported foreign liquor to break the shackles of the monopolies while ensuring that revenue increase of the previous two years is further enhanced, he said. For quicker clearances and decision making in the department, district level officers have been delegated the authority of collector excise to a large extent. The retail zones have largely been retained of the same size with six vends located in each geographical position, the spokesman said. To facilitate individuals to keep enhanced stock of liquor through his life time for self consumption at home, the licence for this purpose (L50) has been made more affordable and it would now be possible to obtain this license online through the department's portal. In urban areas, besides the earlier two sub vends, two additional sub vends can be provided in every zone to ensure that no bootlegging takes place within the zone, he added. Apart from this, to facilitate potential licenses who want to bid higher than 25 per cent above reserve price of a zone, the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) has been rationalised to 15 per cent instead of 21 per cent. 57 panchayats say no to liquor Liquor will not be sold in 57 panchayats which passed a resolution to that effect in the prescribed time in Haryana. Apart from this, liquor will also not be sold in the holy cities of Thanesar MC limit and Pehowa. Liquor will also not be allowed to be sold in villages where Kanya Gurukul is functioning. In rural areas, villages with population exceeding 5000 will also be allowed an additional sub vend as well in the state. 350 police personnel to check supply of illicit liquor To keep a check on supply of illicit liquor in the state, the government has decided that 350 police personnel would be deputed in the Excise Department exclusively for this purpose. The excise policy also provides for stringent norms of sale for bars and restaurants, particularly in towns like Bhiwani, Kaithal, Hisar, Jind and Fatehabad to ensure that licenses are not mis-utilised for sale of bottled liquor in competition of legitimate L-2 and L-13 licensees. After making a frontal attack on Prime minister over not procuring a single Rafale fighter jet during National Democratic Alliance (NDA) five-year regime, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati fired a fresh salvo on Tuesday asking why Narendra Modi is silent over Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) president Amit Shahs claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the Indian airstrikes in Pakistan. BJP chief Amit Shah is arduously making claim that IAF strike had killed over 250 terrorists in Pakistan but why his guru PM Modi who is always keen to take credit for everything is silent over it? Terrorists killed is good news, but what is the secret behind deep silence of the PM over it? Mayawati posted on Twitter. At an event in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Shah had said the Indian Air Force (IAF) airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistans Balakot last Tuesday killed more than 250 terrorists. Mayawati also hit out at the economic policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, saying that benefits of economic growth were not reaching to most of the poor, labourer, farmers and that was a matter of serious concern. ...what will be Modi government reply and jumlebazi (rhetoric) over a slowdown in farm and manufacturing pushing GDP growth to a low of 6.6%? she added. The biggest flyover which remains under construction for the past so many years on Haridwar Dehradun National Highway near Haripur Kalan in Motichoor has now picked pace. The construction work has been started again and things are going on at war footing. Besides, the construction work of the flyover near Shankaracharya Chowk has gained pace. Once the construction work on both these flyovers is completed the people would get respite from the traffic jam which often occurs on these two locations, inconveniencing those commuting on the national highway. Notably, an agreement had been signed on January 23 with Uttar Pradesh State Setu Nigam Limited for the construction of the 15 km road stretch on the Haridwar- Dehradun National Highway. The project is worth Rs 350 crore which includes construction of flyovers and over and under bridges of the railways. The biggest benefit for the commuters from Haridwar to Dehradun will be that they would be spared the traffic jam when a train passes. The railway crossing remains closed for a long time when the train passes. We face the ordeal nearly daily. After the construction of the over bridge is completed we would get respite from the traffic pileup, said a commuter. It is a one -way railway track and during the daytime, several trains cross this area, resulting in closure of the railway tracks. Sources say that the flyover work now on near Singh Dwar, Sarai and Patanjali areas in Haridwar district would be completed in a year. Speaking to The Pioneer, the project director National Highway Authority of India, Pradeep Gosain said, The pending work of Haridwar -Dehradun highway has been restarted. The work is being monitored now and within the stipulated time, the work would be completed. Notably, the flyover which is being made in Haridwar over the escape channel of Ganga near to Shankaracharya Chowk is worth Rs 44 crore and it is likely to be completed in 18 months. At present, pillar construction work is going on. During the Kanwad mela and other festivals, this remains the most crowded and bustling crossing near Har Ki Paidi. Haridwar residents are happy with the flyover work having restarted. We hope that the last leg of the construction work would be completed soon. For the past many years, we have been facing problems. This time it should be completed without break. Once completed, it would save our time while commuting between the two cities, said a student of a college, Rashika who commutes daily from Haridwar to Dehradun. In a joint operation of Dhanbad police and Gujarat Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Tuesday arrested here a suspected Naxal from Jharkhand, who was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head. Based on a tip-off, a Dhanbad police and ATS team raided a factory on the outskirts of the city and arrested Sitaram Birbal Manjhi (45), native of Topchanchi block in Dhanbad district, SP(Gramin),Aman Kumar said. He was hiding in Gujarat for the last five years, the SP said. He is accused of carrying out a landmine blast in Dhanbad during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The Jharkhand government had declared a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head. Manjhi told the ATS that he joined Dhanbad-based Naxal group 'Krantikari Kisan Committee' in 2004 and was arrested in 2009 for attacking the Angarpathra railway police station, the SP said. He allegedly confessed that while out on bail he and his associates carried out a landmine blast to target a police vehicle during the 2014 polls. He then fled to Gujarat and was working as a labourer at a factory in Odhav area here. A year ago he joined another factory from where he was nabbed Wednesday. Manjhi would be handed over to Dhanbad Police, the police sources said. Retired Army Chief and Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh today said that in last four years a new ray of hope has developed among people that changes can be brought at government level. Highlighting the change in peoples mindset, Singh delivering a lecture as part of Desh Ki Baat Modiji Ki Saath at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi and Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Singh said, The government in last four years has initiated several schemes aiming to reach to people living at bottom of society, which has generated a ray of hope and aspirations among people. The country has never seen a leadership that talks about toilets, houses to all by 2020 and electricity to all from Red Fort. These schemes have generated a sense of hope and aspirations among the people. The Minister said that the present leadership has tried to address such issues (toilets, houses and electricity), which the successive governments in last seventy years have failed to provide to people. The minister also asked the management students whether they can see a change in government functioning in last four years to which many students positively responded. Giving an example of UNESCO recognizing Kumbh Mela as India intangible heritage, Singh said, Kumbh Mela deserving recognition as Indias intangible heritage is a step which establishes that country across the globe are giving importance to India. He said, Kumbh Mela getting UNESCO tag was not an easy affair. For this we had invited ambassadors and high commissioners from different embassies in Delhi to Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj (Allahabad). After the visit of ambassadors and high commissioners to Kumbh we had requested officials from these countries to send at least one representative from their country to Kumbh. Representatives from various countries on their visit to Kumbh Mela were glad to see the preparation which included both the leadership will and management in holding such a grand event. As the discussion was with management students, Singh who had donned army uniform for more than 40 years underlined difference between leadership and managerial skill a person should possess. Singh was delivering a lecture at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi and Administrative Training Institute (ATI) to students and bureaucrats respectively. Singh said, A person having leadership skills can convince other what you want to do, while managerial skill is managing a work or job. Singh also gave the examples of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, RSS ideologue and recent Bharat Ratna recipient Nanaji Deshmukh and Anna Hazare highlighting the leadership skill they possessed. At an hour long discussion-cum-interaction with students at IIM Ranchi, the external affairs minister also replied to students queries. The students asked the minister about recent air strikes in Balakot to Modi government strong action against terrorist groups operating in country. The Odisha Government has been advised to chalk out a time-bound action plan to revive the dairy sector, which has slowed down though there is huge potential in the State. While dairy sector growth at all India level is moving at a faster rate, its growth in Odisha has slowed down due to poor marketing and lower animal productivity. At the national level, dairy sector growth has been registered at 12.6 per cent, while in Odisha it is 3.7 per cent. The value output from dairy sector was about Rs 3,925 crore in 2013-14, which rose to Rs 4,069 crore in 2015-16. Pointing out the lacunae, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) advised the State Government to strengthen the marketing and management system of Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited (OMFED). The NDDB is the premier institution of the country, which strengthens farmer cooperatives in dairy sector and supports national policies favourable for growth of the sector. NDDB Chairman Dilip Rath has brought it to the notice of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urging for corrective steps to develop the dairy sector. Rath has said that with about 43 lakh marginal and small farmers collectively owning more than 85 per cent of the bovines in the State, dairying can become a sustainable source of income, if the farmers are linked with the organised milk processing sector through farmer centric organisations like dairy cooperatives. He advised that these could be supplemented with improving animal productivity through organised breeding, scientific feeding and healthcare measures. Rath has pointed out that there is total liquid milk demand of about 17 lakh liters per day in the State. However, the OMFED has only 24 per cent share in the total liquid milk demand in the State during 2017-18. The NDDB has pointed out that during 2017-18, the State had about 3,900 functional dairy cooperative societies which collectively procured about 5.10 lakh kg of milk per day, which declined to 4.19 lakh liters during December last. Despite having access to huge and growing urban market within the State and in proximity, the liquid milk sale has only been 4.10 lakh liters per day in 2017-18. Considering the large and growing milk market size of the State, there is huge scope for OMFED to increase its sale and this can be achieved by putting a strong marketing team and qualified and trained professionals for the job. The NDDB chief pointed out that some of the major factors contributing to the current status of dairy cooperative in Odisha have been absence of a fulltime CEO, poor governance, lack of qualified, trained and professional manpower and lack of autonomy in business decisions. Sources said Rath has offered NDDB support to the dairy cooperatives in Odisha as he belongs to the State and it is having huge potential. This is the third exchange between the two security advisers after the Pulwama attack. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval spoke to his US counterpart John Bolton and discussed the latest situation in the context of India-Pakistan relations. (Photo: File) New Delhi: National Security Adviser Ajit Doval spoke to his US counterpart John Bolton and discussed the latest situation in the context of India-Pakistan relations. This is the third exchange between the two security advisers after the Pulwama attack. In the aftermath of the dastardly terror attack, America had supported Indias right to self-defence. It was seen as strong support to India on the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan. In fact, the US had termed Indias air strike at the Balakot training camp of Pakistan as counter-terrorism actions. The US also worked relentlessly to ensure that tensions do not spiral out of control after Pakistan tried to carry air strikes in the Indian Territory which was thwarted by the Indian Air Force. US President Donald Trumps statement on the morning of 28th Feb that we are going to hear reasonably good news was taken as a sign that America and several other nations pressurised Pakistan to release the captured Indian Pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. India had also alleged that Pakistan used F-16s supplied by America in its retaliatory strike during which India's Mig-21 Bison had shot down a Pakistani F-16. While Pakistan denied that it had used F-16 against India, India presented parts of AMRAM missile recovered from east of Rajouri as a proof that Pakistan used F-16s. With the passage of contentious Punjab Land Preservation (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the State Assembly, the Manohar Lal Khattar Government in Haryana seems to have given much-needed ammunition to the opposition parties, ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. While the Haryana Government has been claiming that the amendment has been made in public interest and to strike a balance in regulating environment and development, it has ended up serving on a platter ammunition that the leaders of opposition parties are likely to make full use of in the hustings. The leaders of opposition partiesCongress, Indian National Lok Dal, Jannayak Janta Party and Aam Aadmi Partyhave termed the amendment in PLPA as a multi-crore scam and keeping alive the controversial issue, in a bid to dent the ruling BJPs reputation as it heads to Lok Sabha polls. Last week, Punjab Land Preservation (Haryana Amendment) Bill 2019 was passed in the State Assembly, amid sloganeering and walkout by the opposition. The amendment has opened up thousands of acres to real estate and other non-forest activity that were protected under the previous 119-year old PLPA. The Supreme Court had also come down heavily on the Haryana Government for passing amendments to the PLPA. The Apex Court had asked the State not to take any further action on the law and termed it shocking that the Haryana Government has taken this step despite being told earlier by the court not to do so. The opposition parties, meanwhile, have alleged that the amendment in PLPA is a multi-crore scam which will benefit the mining mafia and real estate developers. While the Opposition parties are yet to produce proof to substantiate its claims, the controversial issue is likely to resonate all through the election campaign. Upping the ante against the State Government, a delegation of Congress leaders, led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday, met Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya to request him not to give his assent to the amendment in the PLPA. Hooda was accompanied by MLAs Karan Dalal, Geeta Bhukkal, Lalit Nagar, Shakuntala Khatak among other senior Congress leaders. After the meeting, the two-time former Chief Minister Hooda, while talking to the mediapersons said the Congress has urged the Governor to return the Bill and not to give his assent to the amendment. The Congress has also urged him to order a high-level probe so that those who stand to gain due to the amendment to the Act are exposed. We have also demanded dismissal of the State Government as the amendment in PLPA is a multi-crore scam with real estate developers and mining mafia to be benefitted. This amendment Bill was passed on the last day of Budget Session of State Assembly even after vociferous protest by the Congress, Hooda said. He further said, The delegation also apprised the Governor about the recent directions of SC over the amendment in PLPA. Even the top environmentalists have expressed fear that if Aravalli forest cover is tinkered with, it can play havoc with the environment of Delhi NCR. The cities like Gurugram and Faridabad are already facing pollution problem and can become gas chambers. He added that the Governor has assured the party delegation to look into the issue. Hooda had earlier announced to revoke the amendments, when the Congress comes to power in Haryana. On the other hand, Jananayak Janta Party has also stepped up its diatribe against the Government and held protest in Faridabad over the issue of amendment in PLPA. The party has also warned of a statewide protest if the Government goes ahead with the amendment. A day before, Hisar MP and JJP leader Dusyant Chautala had said that his party is looking into, who all have purchased lands in the Aravallis recently. He had alleged that the Government wanted to extend benefit to its own people and hence used its majority for passing the PLPA amendment Bill in the Haryana Assembly. Following Supreme Courts observations on the issue, the main Opposition, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has been demanding Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattars resignation. Leader of opposition and INLDs senior leader Abhay Chautala have termed the amendment a brazen act by the Government to ignore the pleas and arguments of the INLD, other political parties and environmentalists. Some opposition party leaders alleged that they have come to learn during the campaign known as Jan Hastakshep that some names of the voters particularly from the minority community and the Scheduled Castes are missing from the voters list. They met the state chief electoral officer Saujanya and submitted a memorandum to her on Tuesday. Speaking of the matter, opposition leaders said that names of some genuine voters from Uttarakhand are not figuring in the voters list. We fear that their names have been struck off the electoral rolls with a motive to rob them of their right to cast vote. They are mostly from the Scheduled Cates and the minority community. It is thus very important that their names are included in the list. Besides, names of all the citizens above the age of 18 should be included in the electoral rolls, said a member. The members further said that representatives of parties or candidates distribute liquor among the voters during the time of the campaigning. It is harmful to democracy. So it is very important for the election commission to issue notification for a complete prohibition on the day the model code of conduct is enforced, said another leader. The leaders further said that the election commission must stop misuse of the government vehicles by the ruling party. Besides, the commission must ensure transparency during the election process, said another leader associated with the Jan Hastakshep campaign. The number of loot and dacoity cases is increasing in the mining area of Joda and Barbil in last few weeks. Criminals seem to have targeted mainly banks, ATMs and petrol pumps. While the police are still looking for the looters involved in the Allahabad Bank loot on February 15, in yet another challenge to them, four miscreants looted Rs 38,000 cash from a Reliance Petrol Pump at Serenda on last Monday midnight. The incident recorded on the CCTV footage shows how the miscreants entered the petrol pump at midnight barefoot and with faces covered. First three of them entered the sales room where the sales staff and the security guards were dozing. They were taken over at gunpoint and the looters walked away with the Rs 38,000 cash from the drawer after locking the staffers in the office. They also took away their cell phones. The Barbil police reached the spot after being informed but no one has been arrested so far. The security guard was beaten by the miscreants as he tried to oppose them. On February 25, some dacoits broke into the Bank of India, Kandara branch under Joda police limits and attempted to break the locker but failed. The incident had happened just after some miscreants broke into a SBI ATM in Joda town and took away Rs 27,000 cash from the machine the previous night i.e on February 24. After investigations, the Joda police held four accused in the SBI ATM loot. Chaotic scenes were witnessed near Saifia College after locals enraged over beating of shopkeepers started protest at road and demanded action against the traffic police personnel involved in the act. The whole incident was captured in a CCTV camera installed near the spot and which spread to fuel the protest and hundreds gathered to protest the beating by traffic police personnel. Incident which went out of proportion started after a mechanic Nasir was assaulted by six policemen who requested to lessen the penalty imposed to one of his customers who parked his two-wheeler near the shop. The road was blocked from Peer gate to Bhopal Talkies and massive traffic jams was witnessed in the area. The protesters were pacified after MLA Arif Masood intervened and assured of action to their demand. According to a shopkeeper Arif the victim Nasir Ullah Khan who runs an auto mobile mechanic shop in the area requested police personnel who arrive in police van to charge less penalty as it would deter customers to repair their vehicle in the area but the police personnel engaged in verbal spate and later assaulted Nasir brutally. Locals came out in protest of Nasir and shops were closed and huge number of people gathered blocking the road. Senior police officials have assured that action would be taken against the police personnel who were engaged in the act assaulting the shopkeeper. The protesters were raising demand of action against the police personnel involved. The protesters blocked the traffic movement causing difficulty for the commuters. Top leadership of the Congress in Chhattisgarh has apparently differed over induction of some JCC (J) leaders into the party fold. Senior Congress leader and Panchayat, Rural Development and Health Minister T.S. Singhdeo expressed his reservation over Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghels decision to induct five senior JCC (J) leaders on Tuesday into the Congress fold ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The JCC (J) leaders joined the Congress by taking primary membership of the grand old party in the presence of Baghel, who is also the Pradesh Congress president, on Tuesday at Marwahi, the bastion of former chief minister and JCC (J) chief Ajit Jogi. The leaders include JCC (J) candidates in the recently concluded assembly polls and former MLAs Siyaram Kaushik (Bilha), Chaitram Sahu (Bhatapara), Brajesh Sahu (Bilaspur), Chandrabhan Barmate (Mungeli) and Santosh Kaushik (Takhatpur). Singhdeo, however, had a note of caution against the move, saying it would impact the morale of the Congress workers. It would diminish the morale of the Congress workers as these leaders had fought against the Congress in the recently held polls, he said. He also made it clear that the newly-inducted leaders should not be in the forefront of the party. The new entrants should be the second rung leaders of the party while the Congress activists who devotedly struggled for the party in the recently concluded assembly polls should be in the frontline, he stated. Baghel, however, tried to downplay the rift.He said it was a home coming for the leaders and they were basically adherent of the Congress ideology.Their inclusion in the party-fold has been done after contemplating all pros and cons, he added. The urs of Mughal emperor Shahjahan will be observed at the historic Taj Mahal for three days from April 2 next. Entry into Taj Mahal will be free for visitors after noon on April 2 and 3 while it will be free for the entire day on April 4. Lakhs of devotees will throng the 17th century monument during the three-day event and will pay homage at the graves of Shahjahan and his wife Mumtaz, in whose memory the Taj Mahal was built. On the last day, a saptrangi chadar (multi-coloured bedsheet ) will be offered at the graves as part of a ritual. Sandalwood powder will be sprinkled on the grave too. The urs of the Mughal king Shahjahan is celebrated on the 25, 26 and 27th day of Rajab, which falls of April 2, 3 and 4. The Shahjahan urs committee will meet here on March 8 to decide on the arrangement and preparation to be made for the urs. Officials said that a notification was issued by the ASI on the urs of Shahjahan. The administration will prepare a fool proof strategy to ensure full security to devotees attending the urs. Odisha in-charge of the All India Congress Committee and Chhattisgarh Minister for Panchayat, Rural Development and Health T.S. Singhdeo will be touring the neighbouring state from Wednesday. He will be participating in the partys state election committee meeting in Odisha on Wednesday. Thereafter, he will leave for the national capital on Thursday to attend a meeting of the party high command. From New Delhi, he will accompany party president Rahul Gandhi on his tour to Odisha on Friday and will also participate in a public rally there. The terror suspects, arrested by ATS, admitted before interrogators that they were in the process of recruiting youths for Jaish-e-Mohammed. Their 10-day-long police custody remand ended on Tuesday after which they were sent to jail. Both the terror suspects, Shahnawaz Hasan Teli of Kulgam in Jammu and Kashmir and Aquib Ahmad Malik of Pulwama, were arrested by Anti-Terror Squad from a madarsa in Deoband in Saharanpur district on February 22 night. Both were staying in the madarsa hostel without enrolment and the police had recovered arms, chats suggesting jihad mission, videos, photographs and other objectionable items. On the next day, the ATS presented both in a court in Saharanpur and got transit remand. Later, they were presented before the special CJM court in Lucknow, who had granted permission to ATS to take the suspects on PCR. The suspects owned that they were in contact with dreaded terrorists working for Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul. They provided the interrogators the virtual number being used by terrorists and the ATS was doing a technical examination of the same. They provided evidence of the visit of a senior officer-bearers of Jaish-e-Mohammed to them and his visit to other places in UP. The interrogators extracted the data of BBM chat and WhatsApp GB chat during the PCR too. The interrogators succeeded in getting names of the some suspects and plans to interrogate them in the time to come. A workshop on how to prescribe non-invasive ventilation (NIV) to home and hospitalised patients was held on Tuesdaay. The workshop was organised by ResMed, a digital health company whose cloud-connectable devices help treat sleep apnea and other respiratory diseases in more than 120 countries. A number of physicians attended the workshop. This workshop covered both theoretical and hands-on learning on the application of Non-invasive ventilation in various respiratory diseases including acute hypercapinc respiratory failure, acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure. The symposium was kick started by Dr Milind Badla, MBBS, MD, DM, Bombay, followed by Dr Anil Agrawal, Senior Consultant, Curewell Hospital Indore, Dr Salil Bhargava, Head of Department, MGM Medical College, Dr Abhijeet Khandelwal, Chest Physician, Index Medical College Indore and moderated by Dr Vivek Joshi, ICU Head, Shalby Hospital Indore. All are experts in the field of Non Invasive ventilation. Dr Badla gave introduction to NIV Indications and Goals and shared the aspects of device, settings and interfaces, whereas Dr. Agrawal and Dr Bhargava discussed acute hypoxemic failure. In order to spur this application, for the patient benefit or end users, training was followed by experiential learning on NIV application, monitoring and troubleshooting by Dr.Khandelal along with rotational workshop and chronic care by Dr. Jaydeep Khalpada, Clinical Specialist, ResMed India. Further, Dr.Bhaskar Azad, Clinical Head, ResMed Academy, shared newer modes of NIV devices and interface. The workshop offered all the doctors from different specialty in the healthcare system a platform to learn, share and connect. The workshop brings together a multi-disciplinary audience from across the healthcare spectrum to share their experiences, ideas and break the conventional silos that exist in this field. The Samjhauta Express carrying some 150 passengers left Lahore railway station for India, Radio Pakistan reported. Passengers arrive by the Samjhauta Express in Attari on Monday. Pakistani authorities restored the Samjhauta Express services between Lahore and Delhi on Monday, days after the train was suspended due to tense bilateral ties. (Photo: PTI) Lahore: Pakistan on Monday restored the Samjhauta Express services between Lahore and Delhi, days after the train was suspended due to tense bilateral ties in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent aerial engagement between the air forces of the two countries. The train service was started on July 22, 1976 under the Shimla Agreement that settled the 1971 war between the two nations. The train departs on every Monday and Thursday from Lahore. The Samjhauta Express carrying some 150 passengers left Lahore railway station for India, Radio Pakistan reported. In New Delhi, Railways officials announced on Saturday that the two countries have agreed to operationalise services at their ends. India cancelled the operations on February 28. The train operates from Delhi on every Wednesday and Sunday. Pakistani authorities suspended the train service on February 28. The footfall of the train, which generally records an occupancy of around 70 per cent, had fallen drastically post the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed. Tensions escalated between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama attack by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting a JeM camp. CoreLogic, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides property information, insight, analytics, and data-enabled solutions in North America, Western Europe, and the Asia Pacific. 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Comp Ltd., Dornoch Medical Systems, Dornoch Medical Systems Inc., EBI Holdings LLC, EBI LLC, EBI Medical Systems LLC, EBI Patient Care Inc., ETEX Corporation, ETEX Holdings Inc., Electro-Biology LLC, Endius, Espanormed S.L., Etex, ExtraOrtho, Hakuho Company Ltd., IC Guided Surgery SRL, Implant Concierge LLC, Implant Innovations Holdings LLC, Implex, InnoVision Inc., Interpore Cross International LLC, JERDS Luxembourg Holding Sarl, Kirschner Medical Corporation, Knee Creations, LDR Brasil Comercio Importacao e Exportacao Ltda., LDR Holding, LDR Medical Hong Kong (branch), LDR Medical S.A.S., LVB Acquisition Inc., Lanx Puerto Rico LLC , Lanx Srl, Medical Compression Systems Inc., Medtech SA, Medtech SAS, Medtech Surgical GmbH, Medtech Surgical Inc., NORMED Medizin-Technik GmbH, ORTHOsoft ULC, Ortho Transmission, Orthopaedic Advantage LLC, Ospol Participacoes Ltda., Representaciones Zimmer Inc. S. de R.L. de C.V., Respondwell, SM Re Ltd., Scandimed Holding AB, Shanghai Biomet Business Consulting Co. Ltd., Synvasive Technology, Synvasive Technology Inc., ZB COOP C.V., ZB COOP LLC, ZB Cayman (Asia) Holding Ltd., ZB Cayman Island CBT 2 Ltd., ZB Dental India Private Limited, ZB EMEA 1 LP, ZB EMEA Finance UK 1 Ltd., ZB EMEA Finance UK 2 Ltd., ZB EMEA Finance UK 3 Ltd., ZB EMEA US UK LLC, ZB Hong Kong CBT 2 Ltd., ZB Hong Kong Holding Ltd., ZB Hong Kong Ltd., ZB Manufacturing LLC, ZB UK Group Holdings Limited, ZH2LX Barbados Branch (branch), Zfx, Zfx GmbH, Zfx Innovation GmbH, Zhejiang Biomet Medical Products Co. Ltd., Zimmer (Shanghai) Medical International Trading Co. Ltd., Zimmer Asia (HK) Ltd., Zimmer Australia Holding Pty. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Asel Alarabiya Limited Company, Zimmer Biomet Asia Holding B.V., Zimmer Biomet Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Austria GmbH, Zimmer Biomet BVBA, Zimmer Biomet CBT, Zimmer Biomet CBT 2, Zimmer Biomet CMF and Thoracic LLC, Zimmer Biomet Canada Inc., Zimmer Biomet Centroamerica SA, Zimmer Biomet Comp Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Denmark ApS, Zimmer Biomet Dental Canada Inc., Zimmer Biomet Dental K.K., Zimmer Biomet Deutschland GmbH, Zimmer Biomet Distribution LLC, Zimmer Biomet Finance Srl, Zimmer Biomet Finance US Holding Inc., Zimmer Biomet Finland Oy, Zimmer Biomet France Holdings SAS, Zimmer Biomet France SAS, Zimmer Biomet GK, Zimmer Biomet Global Holdings Switzerland GmbH, Zimmer Biomet Hellas SA, Zimmer Biomet Ireland Limited, Zimmer Biomet Italia Srl, Zimmer Biomet Korea Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Nederland B.V., Zimmer Biomet New Zealand Company, Zimmer Biomet Norway AS, Zimmer Biomet OUS Holdings AG, Zimmer Biomet Polska Sp. z.o.o, Zimmer Biomet Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Zimmer Biomet Pty. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Romania S.R.L., Zimmer Biomet South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Spain S.L., Zimmer Biomet Spine Inc., Zimmer Biomet Sweden AB, Zimmer Biomet Taiwan Co. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet UK Ltd., Zimmer Biomet US 2 Holding Inc., Zimmer CBT I Holding Inc., Zimmer CBT II Holding Inc., Zimmer CEP USA Holding Co., Zimmer CEP USA Inc., Zimmer CIS Ltd., Zimmer CV Inc., Zimmer Caribe LLC, Zimmer Cayman Islands Holding Co. Ltd., Zimmer Co-op Holdings LLC, Zimmer Colombia SAS, Zimmer Czech sro, Zimmer Dental (Shanghai) Medical Device Co. Ltd., Zimmer Dental Chile Spa, Zimmer Dental GmbH, Zimmer Dental Inc., Zimmer Dental Italy Srl, Zimmer Dental Ltd., Zimmer Dental SAS, Zimmer Finance Ireland, Zimmer France Manufacturing Sarl, Zimmer Germany Holdings GmbH, Zimmer GmbH, Zimmer GmbH Euro IP Branch (branch), Zimmer GmbH Winterthur Branch (branch), Zimmer Gulf FZ LLC, Zimmer Inc., Zimmer India Private Ltd., Zimmer International Logistics GmbH, Zimmer Investments LLC, Zimmer Knee Creations Inc., Zimmer Luxembourg II Sarl, Zimmer Luxembourg Sarl, Zimmer Manufacturing B.V., Zimmer Manufacturing B.V. (branch), Zimmer Medical Malaysia SDN BHD, Zimmer Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., Zimmer Orthobiologics Inc., Zimmer Orthopedics Manufacturing Limited, Zimmer Production Inc., Zimmer Pte. Ltd., Zimmer Slovakia sro, Zimmer Southeast Florida LLC, Zimmer Spine Next Inc., Zimmer Spine SAS, Zimmer Surgical, Zimmer Surgical Inc., Zimmer Surgical SA, Zimmer Switzerland Holdings LLC, Zimmer Switzerland Manufacturing GmbH, Zimmer Tibbi Cihazlar Sanayi ve Ticaret AS, Zimmer Trabecular Metal Technology Inc., Zimmer Trustee Ltd., Zimmer UK Limited, Zimmer US Inc., and Zimmer do Brasil Comercio Ltda.. The following companies are subsidiares of Amphenol: ARCAS Automotive Group (Luxco 1) S.a.r.l., AUXEL FTG, AUXEL FTG India Pvt Ltd., AUXEL FTG Shanghai Co., AUXEL S.A.S., Air LB International Development S.A., All Systems Broadband, Amphenol (Changzhou) Advanced Connector Co., Amphenol (Changzhou) Connector Systems Co., Amphenol (Changzhou) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Maryland), Amphenol (Ningde) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Qujing) Technology Co., Amphenol (Tianjin) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Xiamen) High Speed Cable Co., Amphenol Adronics, Amphenol Advanced Sensors Germany GmbH, Amphenol Advanced Sensors Puerto Rico, Amphenol Air LB GmbH, Amphenol Air LB North America Inc., Amphenol Air LB SAS, Amphenol Alden Products Company, Amphenol Alden Products Mexico, Amphenol Antenna Solutions, Amphenol Assemble Tech (Xiamen) Co., Amphenol Australia Pty Ltd, Amphenol Automotive Connection Systems (Changzhou) Co., Amphenol Bar-Tec, Amphenol Benelux B.V., Amphenol Borisch Technologies, Amphenol CNT (Xian) Technology Co. Ltd., Amphenol Cables On Demand Corp., Amphenol Canada Acquisition Corporation, Amphenol Canada Corp., Amphenol Comercial, Amphenol Commercial Interconnect Korea Co., Amphenol Commercial Products (Chengdu) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Commercial and Industrial UK, Amphenol ConneXus AB, Amphenol ConneXus Ou, Amphenol Custom Cable, Amphenol DC Electronics, Amphenol Daeshin Electronics and Precision Co., Amphenol EEC, Amphenol East Asia Electronic Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Amphenol East Asia Limited, Amphenol FCI, Amphenol FCI Asia Pte. Ltd., Amphenol FCI Connectors Singapore Pte. Ltd., Amphenol Fiber Optic Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Finland Oy, Amphenol France Acquisition SAS, Amphenol France SAS, Amphenol Germany GmbH, Amphenol Gesellschaft m.b.H., Amphenol Goldstar Electronic Systems (Baicheng) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Goldstar Electronic Systems (Yulin) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Holding UK, Amphenol Intercon Systems, Amphenol Interconnect India Private Limited, Amphenol Interconnect Products Corporation, Amphenol Interconnect South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Amphenol International Ltd., Amphenol Invotec Limited, Amphenol Italia S.r.l., Amphenol JET (Haiyan) Interconnect Technology Co., Amphenol Japan Ltd., Amphenol Kai-Jack (Shenzhen) Inc., Amphenol LTW Technology Co., Amphenol Limited, Amphenol MCP Korea Limited, Amphenol Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Amphenol Middle East Enterprises FZE, Amphenol Nelson Dunn Technologies, Amphenol Netherlands Holdings 1 B.V., Amphenol Netherlands Holdings 2 B.V., Amphenol Omniconnect India Private Limited, Amphenol Optimize Manufacturing Co., Amphenol Optimize Mexico S.A. de C.V., Amphenol PCD, Amphenol PCD (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Phitek Limited, Amphenol Printed Circuits, Amphenol Provens SAS, Amphenol RF Asia Limited, Amphenol Sensing Korea Company Limited, Amphenol Shouh Min Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Singapore Pte. Ltd., Amphenol Socapex SAS, Amphenol Sunpool (Liaoning) Automotive Electronics Co., Amphenol T&M Antennas, Amphenol TCS (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Amphenol TCS Ireland Limited, Amphenol TCS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Amphenol TFC Fios E Cabos do Brasil Ltda., Amphenol TFC MDE Participacoes Ltda., Amphenol TFC do Brasil Ltda., Amphenol Taiwan Corporation, Amphenol Technical Products International Co., Amphenol Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Technology (Zhuhai) Co., Amphenol Technology Macedonia Dooel Kocani, Amphenol Tecvox LLC, Amphenol Tel-Ad Ltd., Amphenol Thermometrics, Amphenol Thermometrics (UK) Limited, Amphenol Times Microwave Electronics (Shanghai) Limited, Amphenol Tuchel Electronics GmbH, Amphenol Tuchel Industrial GmbH, Amphenol Tunisia LLC, Amphenol USHoldco Inc., Amphenol-Borg Limited, Amphenol-Borg Pension Trustees Limited, Amphenol-TFC (Changzhou) Communication Equipment Co., Anytek Electronic Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, Anytek International (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Anytek International Co. Ltd., Anytek Technology Corporation Ltd, Asia Connector Services, Berg UK Ltd., Blueline Product Limited, C&S Antennas, C&S Antennas Limited, CSA Limited, Casco Automotive (Suzhou) Co., Casco Automotive Group, Casco Automotive Singapore Pte., Casco Automotive Tunisia S.a.r.l., Casco Holdings Co. Limited, Casco Holdings GmbH, Casco Imos Italia S.r.l., Casco Logistics GmbH, Casco Products Corporation, Casco Schoeller GmbH, Casco do Brasil Ltda., Cemm Thome Corporation, Cemm Thome SK, Cemm-Mex, Changzhou Amphenol Fuyang Communication Equipment Co., ContactServe (Proprietary) Limited, East Asia Connector Services, Edwin Deutgen Kunstofftechnik GmbH, Ehrlich Werkzeug & Geratebau GmbH, FCI Besancon SA, FCI Connectors (Shanghai) Ltd., FCI Connectors Canada, FCI Connectors Dongguan Ltd, FCI Connectors Hong Kong Limited, FCI Connectors Italia S.r.l., FCI Connectors Korea Ltd., FCI Connectors Malaysia Sdn Bhd, FCI Connectors Sweden A.B., FCI Connectors UK Ltd., FCI Deutschland GmbH, FCI Electronics Hungary Kft, FCI GBS India Private Limited, FCI Japan K.K., FCI Nantong Ltd, FCI OEN Connectors Limited, FCI PRC Limited, FCI Taiwan Limited, FCI USA LLC, FCIs-Hertogenbosch B.V., FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna, FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna GmbH & Co. KG, FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna Verwaltungs GmbH, Fiber Systems International, Filec Production SAS, Filec SAS, Friedrich Gohringer Elektrotechnik GmbH, GE - Advanced Sensors Business, Guangzhou Amphenol Electronics Co., Guangzhou Amphenol Sincere Flex Circuits Co., Guangzhou FEP Automotive Electric Co., Hangzhou Amphenol JET Interconnect Technology Co., Hangzhou Amphenol Phoenix Telecom Parts Co., Holland Electronics, Intelligente Sensorsysteme Dresden GmbH, Invotec Circuits Holdings Limited, Invotec Circuits Limited, Invotec Group Limited, Invotec Holdings Limited, Ionix Aerospace Limited, Ionix Holdings Limited, Ionix Systems Limited, Ionix Systems Ou, Jaybeam Limited, Jaybeam Wireless SAS, KE Elektronik GmbH, KE Ostrov Elektrik, KE Presov Elektrik, Konnektech, Kunshan Amphenol Zhengri Electronics Co., LPL Technologies Holding GmbH, LTW Technology (Samoa) Co., LTW Top Tech (Samoa) Co., Lectric SARL, Martec Limited, Mocorp Holding A/S, Nantong Docharm Amphenol Electronics Co., PROCOM, PT Casco SEA, PerLoga Personal und Logistik GmbH, Piezotech, Piher Sensors & Controls S.A., Piher Sensors And Controls, Precision Cable Manufacturing Corp. de Mexico, Procom A/S, Procom Antennas AB, Procom France SARL, Pyle-National Ltd., RSI International Limited, S.C.I. Palin, SEFEE SA, SGX Europe SP. z.o.o., SGX Sensortech (IS) Limited, SGX Sensortech China Holdco Limited, SGX Sensortech China Limited, SGX Sensortech GmbH, SGX Sensortech SA, SSI Control Technologies, STEMFI SA, SV Microwave, Shanghai Amphenol Airwave Communication Electronics Co., Shanghai Amphenol Electronics Technology Co., Shanghai Tecvox Trading Co., Shenyang Amphenol Sunpool Automotive Electronics Co., Sine Systems Corporation, Skymasts Antennas Ltd., Societe dEtudes et de Fabrications Electroniques et Electriques, Spectra Strip Limited, TCS Japan K.K., TFC South America S.A., Tecvox Europe S.r.l., Telect, Telect Mfg., Telect de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Teradyne Connection Systems, Thermometrics Mexico, Tianjin Amphenol KAE Co., Times Fiber Canada Limited, Times Fiber Communications, Times Microwave Systems, Times Wire and Cable Company, U-Jin Cable Industrial Co., Zhongshan Feisaide Electromechanical Co., and i2s-sensors. Baker Hughes, a GE company provides integrated oilfield products, services, and digital solutions worldwide. Its Oilfield Services segment offers drilling, wireline, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention services; and drilling and completions fluids, completions tools and systems, wellbore intervention tools and services, artificial lift systems, pressure pumping systems, and oilfield and industrial chemicals for integrated oil and natural gas, and oilfield service companies. The company's Oilfield Equipment segment designs and manufactures products and services, including pressure control equipment and services, subsea production systems and services, drilling equipment, and flexible pipeline systems; and onshore and offshore drilling and production systems, and equipment for floating production platforms, as well as provides a range of services related to onshore and offshore drilling activities. Its Turbomachinery & Process Solutions segment provides equipment and related services for mechanical-drive, compression, and power-generation applications across the oil and gas industry, as well as products and services to serve the downstream segments of industry. Its product portfolio includes drivers, compressors, and turnkey solutions; and pumps, valves, and compressed natural gas and small-scale liquefied natural gas solutions. This segment serves upstream, midstream, onshore and offshore, industrial, engineering, procurement, and construction companies. The company's Digital Solutions segment provides sensor-based measurement, non-destructive testing and inspection, turbine, generator and plant controls, and condition monitoring, as well as pipeline integrity solutions for a range of industries, including oil and gas, power generation, aerospace, metals, and transportation. It serves through direct and indirect channels. The company is based in Houston, Texas. Baker Hughes, a GE company is a subsidiary of General Electric Company. Read More Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides technical, professional, and construction services. The company's Aerospace, Technology, Environmental and Nuclear segment offers scientific, engineering, construction, nuclear, environmental, and technical support services to the aerospace, defense, technical, and automotive industries. Its Buildings, Infrastructure and Advanced Facilities segment develops/rehabilitates plans for highways, bridges, transit, tunnels, airports, railroads, intermodal facilities, and maritime or port projects; develops or rehabilitates critical water resource systems, water/wastewater conveyance systems, and flood defense projects; and provides engineering design, construction management, design build, and operations and maintenance. This segment also designs and constructs buildings; offers consulting, engineering, procurement, construction management, and delivery services for life sciences clients; and provides services relating to modular construction and other consulting and strategic planning services, as well as offers services in containment, barrier technology, locally controlled environments, building systems automation, off-the-site design, and fabrication of facility modules. The company's Energy, Chemicals and Resources segment offers services relating to onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities, processing facilities, gathering systems, and transmission pipelines and terminals; feasibility/economic studies, technology evaluation, conceptual engineering, front end loading, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and commissioning services; and engineering, procurement, and construction solutions. This segment also provides services, such as manufacturing complex, expansions, modifications, and management of plant relocations; construction management and field construction services; and services to operate and maintain facilities. The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Read More President Trump, who has vowed to reduce US trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs. Washington/New Delhi: President Donald Trump has announced plans to scrap the preferential trade treatment for India, claiming that New Delhi has failed to assure the US of equitable and reasonable access to its markets, a move India said will not have a significant impact on its exports to America. The move to end the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) for India and Turkey is the latest push by the Trump administration to redre-ss what it considers to be unfair trading relationships with other countr-ies like China. Mr Tru-mp has pledged to reduce US trade deficits, and has repeatedly called out India for high tariffs. On Monday, President Trump notified Congress in letters of his intent to terminate trade benefits for both countries under the GSP eligibility criteria. Under the United States GSP programme, nearly 2,000 products, including auto components and textile materials, can enter the US duty-free if the beneficiary developing countries meet the eligibility criteria established by Congress. India was the largest beneficiary of the programme in 2017 with $5.7 billion in imports to the US given duty-free status and Turkey the fifth largest with $1.7 billion in covered imports, according to a Congressional Research Service report issued in January. In a letter to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Mr Trump said he was determined that New Delhi had not assured the US that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India. I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the Government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India, Mr Trump said. I will continue to assess whether the Government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the GSP eligibility criteria, Mr Trump said in his letter. In New Delhi, commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan, while reacting to the US move, said India exports goods worth $5.6 billion under the GSP, and the duty benefit is only $190 million annually. India mainly exports raw materials and intermediate goods such as organic chemicals to the US, he said. GSP withdrawal will not have a significant impact on Indias exports to the US, he told journalists. He said the benefits in absolute sense and a percentage of trade involved are very minimal and moderate. The US Trade Representatives Office has said that removing India from the GSP programme would not take effect for at least 60 days after notifications to Congress and the Indian government, and it will be enacted by a presidential proclamation. As many as 3,700 products get GSP benefits but India export only 1,900 items such as chemicals and engineering under that concession which was introduced in 1976 by America. President Trump, who has vowed to reduce US trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs. At a White House news conference on October 1, Mr Trump described India as a tariff king. On Saturday, while addressing a four-day annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, he again accused India of being a high tariff nation and threatened to impose a reciprocal tax to match the heavy duties that New Delhi imposes on goods imported from the US. The GSP criteria include, among others, respecting arbitral awards in favour of US citizens or corporations, combating child labour, respecting internationally recognised worker rights, providing adequate and effective intellectual property protection and providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access. Countries can also be graduated from the GSP programme, depending on factors related to economic development. In a separate letter to congressional leaders, Mr Trump also informed the Congress of his intent to terminate the GSP beneficiary designation of Turkey. Mr Trumps letter to Ms Pelosi, experts said, could be seen as a major setback to India-US bilateral relationship, in particular in the trade sector. In a separate statement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said Indias termination from GSP followed its failure to provide the US with assurances that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors. The Trump administration had launched an eligibility review of Indias compliance with the GSP market access criterion in April 2018. India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce. Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion, the USTR said. On further course of action, commerce secretary Mr Wadhawan said issues remained open for discussion in the future as nothing goes off the table. Given the ongoing situation on the trade front, I do not think any knee-jerk reactions would be warranted from the Indian side, he said. On the concerns being raised by the US on high tariffs in India, he said that we do not agree with that at all. Our tariffs are very consistent with the bound rates that we are entitled to in the World Trade Organisation. Reacting to the Trump administrations move, the US-India Business Council urged it to continue the GSP benefits for India. Despite a number of serious bilateral trade issues, both countries have gained from trade under the GSP programme, it said. Reinsurance Group of America, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of traditional and non-traditional life and health reinsurance products. It operates through the following segments: U.S. and Latin America; Canada; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Asia Pacific; and Corporate and Other. The U.S. and Latin America segment markets individual and group life and health reinsurance to domestic clients for a variety of products through yearly renewable term agreements, coinsurance, and modified coinsurance. The Canada segment offers individual life reinsurance, and to a lesser extent creditor, group life and health, critical illness and disability reinsurance, through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements. The Europe, Middle East, and Africa segment serves individual and group life and health products through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements, reinsurance of critical illness coverage that provides a benefit in the event of the diagnosis of a pre-defined critical illness and underwritten annuities. The Asia Pacific segment comprises individual and group life and health reinsurance, critical illness coverage, disability, and superannuation thr Read More iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor Intl ETF's stock was trading at $21.72 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, INTF stock has increased by 34.9% and is now trading at $29.31. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF's stock was trading at $34.49 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, JHML stock has increased by 70.0% and is now trading at $58.64. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The Pakistani Air Force carried out an unsuccessful aerial combat on February 27 as a retaliation to Indias air strike at a terrorist training camp. IAF said that in the morning of February 27, Indian Air Defence system was on full alert. New Delhi: In a big achievement, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday revealed that Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft had spoofed a number of most advanced US long-range radar-guided air-to-air AMRAAM missiles fired at it by Pakistans F-16 on February 27. IAF said that Pakistan was falsely claiming that it had shot down India's Sukhoi Su-30 on February 27 which was involved in repelling Pakistan Air Force (PAF) attack on the country. False claim by Pakistan of shooting down a Su-30, appears to be a cover up for loss of its own aircraft (F-16), said a statement by Indian Air Force (IAF). All the Su-30 aircraft engaged in combat landed back safely, said the statement. The Pakistani Air Force carried out an unsuccessful aerial combat on February 27 as a retaliation to Indias air strike at a terrorist training camp. IAF said that in the morning of February 27, Indian Air Defence system was on full alert. Build up of PAF aircraft on their side of LoC was noticed in time and additional aircraft were scrambled to tackle the adversary, said the statement. From IAF side, Mirage-2000, Su-30 and MiG-21 Bison aircraft were involved in the engagement. PAF aircraft were forced to withdraw in a hurry, which is also evident from large missed distances of the weapons dropped by them, it said. During combat, use of F-16 by PAF and multiple launches of AMRAAM were conclusively observed. Prompt and correct tactical action by Su-30 aircraft, in response to AMRAAM launch, defeated the missile, it said. Parts of the missile fell in East of Rajouri, it added. Vesuvius plc provides engineering services and solutions principally to steel and foundry industries worldwide. It operates in two segments, Steel and Foundry. The company offers foundry consumables and equipment, including binders, coatings, feeding systems, filtration and gating systems, melt shop refractories, metallurgical and pouring control systems, die dressings and coatings, melt treatment products, crucibles, and ceramics for the iron, steel, and nonferrous foundries. It also provides nonferrous metals, such as primary and secondary aluminum, copper, and other metals and alloys; cement and lime solutions, iron ore pelletizing and calcination products, and grains and powders; and process heaters, FCC units, hydrogen reformers, boilers, coke calciners, and thermal oxidizers, as well as sulphur, ethylene, and ammonia plants. In addition, the company offers solutions for power generation and incineration; glass products comprising artistic, display, float, hollow, and optical glass; glass tempering, and reheat and forming products; and solutions for solar multi-crystal silicon ingots, thin film and cell processing, and feedstock. Further, it provides solutions for blast furnace stack repair; taphole clay, iron and slang runner, sampler and temperature, tilting runner, and torpedo ladle solutions; iron ladle solutions; lining, taphole system, bath agitation and tuyere system, electric arc furnace and BOF maintenance, and metallurgical sensor solutions; and ladle, ladle to tundish, and tundish solutions, as well as tundish to mold solutions for conventional slab, thin and slim slab, beam blank, flow control valve bloom or billet, and calibrated nozzle billet casters. Additionally, the company offers ingot casting solutions; and reheat furnace, steel hot forming, galvanized steel, and electrical and stainless steel solutions. Vesuvius plc was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More 15 minutes ago 3 Stocks to Buy and Hold for Retirement Buy and Hold Investing Can Set You Up For a Nice Retirement Its safe to say that stocks play a valuable role in investing for retirement, regardless of how close you are to the golden years. The equity markets can be one of the best tools for building wealth over time and growing a nest egg that will keep you comfortable late in life. Read Article American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at contact@marketbeat.com | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Christopher & Banks Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of private-brand women's apparel and accessories in the United States. The company designs and sells women's apparel and accessories to customers ranging in age from 40 and older. Its stores offer women's apparel consisting of casual clothing, everyday basics, wear-to-work, leisure/active wear, and sleepwear in missy, petite, and women sizes, as well as jewelry and accessories. As of December 4, 2018, the company operated 461 stores, including 314 MPW stores, 80 Outlet stores, 35 Christopher & Banks stores, and 32 stores in its women's plus size clothing division CJ Banks in 45 states. It also operates christopherandbanks.com, an e-commerce Website for its Christopher & Banks and CJ Banks brands. The company was formerly known as Braun's Fashions Corporation and changed its name to Christopher & Banks Corporation in July 2000. Christopher & Banks Corporation was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota. Read More Cantel Medical Corp. provides infection prevention and control products and services for the healthcare market. The company's Medical segment offers automated endoscope reprocessing systems; disinfectants and sterilants; detergents; leak testing and manual cleaning products; storage cabinets and transport systems; manual cleaning products; endoscope process tracking products; other consumables, accessories, and supplies for use in disinfect rigid endoscopes, flexible endoscopes, and other instrumentation; and technical maintenance services. Its Life Sciences segment provides dialysis water purification and bicarbonate mixing systems; hollow fiber filters, and other filtration and separation products; liquid disinfectants and cold sterilization products; dry fog products; room temperature sterilization equipment and services; and clean-room certification and decontamination services for the dialysis and other healthcare, research laboratories, food and beverage, and commercial industrial customers, as well as microbiological testing services. The company's Dental segment offers hand and powered dental instruments, instrument reprocessing and sterility assurance products, towels, bibs, tray liners, sponges, nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation equipment and related single-use disposable nasal masks, face masks, and shields. It also provides hand sanitizers, germicidal wipes, disinfectants, surface disinfectants, waterline treatment products, saliva ejectors, evacuator tips, plastic cups, prophy angles, and prophy paste. The company's Dialysis segment provides hemodialysis concentrates and other ancillary supplies; medical device reprocessing systems; and sterilants and disinfectants. The company sells its products through its direct distribution network in the United States; and directly or under various third-party distribution agreements internationally. Cantel Medical Corp. was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Little Falls, New Jersey. Read More Premier Li Keqiang admitted that China faced severe challenges caused by the growing pains of economic transformation, when delivering the government work report to the annual legislative session Tuesday. [File Photo: IC] "Looking back at the past year, we can see that our achievements did not come easily," said Li at the opening meeting of the second annual session of the 13th National People's Congress. "An interlacing of old and new issues and a combination of cyclical and structural problems brought changes in what was a generally stable economic performance, some of which caused concern," he continued. Li said that China also faced a profound change in its external environment in 2018. Setbacks in economic globalization, challenges to multilateralism, shocks in the international financial market, and especially the China-U.S. economic and trade frictions, had an adverse effect on the production and business operations of some companies as well as on market expectations, according to the premier. Moreover, China was facing a complicated terrain of increasing dilemmas, with multiple targets to attain, such as ensuring stable growth and preventing risks, as well as multiple tasks to complete, like promoting economic and social development. The country also had multiple relationships to handle, including that between short-term and long-term interests, while the difficulty of making policy choices and moving work forward increased markedly, Li said. The slain men have been identified by the police as Adfar Fayaz Parray and Irfan Ahmed Rather, both local residents. SRINAGAR: Two militants belonging to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit were killed in a firefight with the security forces in Tral area of Jammu and Kashmirs southern Pulwama district on Tuesday. The slain men have been identified by the police as Adfar Fayaz Parray and Irfan Ahmed Rather, both local residents. The police said that the duo was involved in conspiring and executing several attacks and was wanted by the law for their complicity in a series of crimes including attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities. The police also said that the fighting broke out during a cordon-and-search operation launched by the security forces at Reshipora in Tral town following credible input about the presence of militants in a private house of the area. As the searches were going on, the search party was fired upon by the terrorists. The fire was retaliated, leading to a gunfight, a police spokesman said in a statement here. The house in which the militants had been holed up was blasted by the security forces in their final assault, sources added. During the operation, a civilian identified as Farooq Ahmad Malik (45) was injured. Interior ministry secretary Azam Suleman Khan said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Raoof and Hamad. New Delhi/Islamabad: Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhars son and brother were among 44 members of the banned militant outfits taken into preventive detention, Pakistan said on Tuesday, an action that coincided with Indias assertion that it will have all options available in case there is another cross-border terror attack. Doubting Islamabads sincerity, Indian sources said that the Pakistani governments objective, at the moment, is simply to mislead the international community into believing that it is taking steps to counter terror. We will not allow them to do this. Our effort and focus is to reach out to all members of the UN Security Council to explain Pakistans ploy, a source added. Pakistani interior ministry said, It was decided (at a meeting) to speed up action against all proscribed groups. In compliance, 44 under observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Adbul Raoof and Hamad Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation. Hamad is the son of Masood Azhar while Raoof is his brother. Interior ministry secretary Azam Suleman Khan said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Raoof and Hamad. It does not mean that action is being taken against only those individuals who are mentioned in the dossier, he added, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Pakistan to rein in terror groups operating on its soil. He said that the Pakistani government has demanded evidence against the said individuals through the foreign office as action will be taken against them if evidence is found during investigations. In case we dont find any evidence against them we will release them, he said. The Pakistani official, however, claimed the action taken on Tuesday was under any pressure and claimed that action would be taken against all the proscribed organisations under the National Action Plan. Indian government sources said that New Delhi would not ease the maximum diplomatic pressure it has built on Pakistan until Islamabad takes concrete action against terrorists operating from its soil or territory controlled by it. Officials said that New Delhis counter-terror strikes in Balakot were intended to demonstrate the capacity and will to act against the terror network in Pakistan. They said the action against the JeM terrorist training camp in Balakot was over and emphasised that Indias aim is to force Pakistan to take demonstrable action against terror groups. Adding that the swift release of earlier-captured IAF pilot Wg. Cdr. Abhinandan Varthaman by Pakistan was the result of this pressure applied by India, an official said, In Naya (new) Pakistan, we want to see naya action. An official source said, If there is a subsequent terror attack, all options are there. The reference to all options is usually taken to mean that the military option will continue to be on the table if there is another major terror attack in India that has links to terrorists across the border. Referring to interviews given by Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to CNN and the BBC, sources said that it has emerged from these interactions that there are people in the Pakistani government who not only know where Azhar is, but are also in touch with him. India has also shared with the US pictures of debris of the F-16 Amraam missile used by a Pakistan Air Force F-16 against the IAF last week, with sources expressing confidence that Washington would investigating the matter amid reports that Islamabad had violated defence agreements with the US by using the missile in an offensive operation against India. The move came a day after Pakistan on Monday promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for the implementation of the UN sanctions against individuals and organisations. Pakistani foreign office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal had said that the order means that the government has taken over the control of assets and properties of all banned outfits operating in the country. The JeM had carried out the Pulwama suicide terror bombing in J&K on February 14 that killed over 40 CRPF personnel. After the terror strike, India had last week carried out airstrikes against JeM terror camps in Pakistan. Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Pakistani foreign ministry said, Pakistans high commissioner to India Sohail Mehmood will be returning to New Delhi, after completion of consultations in Islamabad. It said Pakistan is also committed to continued weekly contact at the military operations directorates level. There have been reports that the Jaish-e-Mohammed had trained its terrorists in sea operations. New Delhi: Indian Navy Chief Adm. Sunil Lanba warned Tuesday of a 26/11-type terrorist attack through the sea route. We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out attacks with varying modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea, the Navy Chief said. He said India faces a far more serious version of state-sponsored terrorism. You have all witnessed the horrific scale of the extremist attack in Jammu and Kashmir just three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a state which seeks to destabilise India, he said. The 26/11 attack was carried out by 10 seaborne terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba who had hijacked an Indian fishing trawler to reach Mumbai and unleash mayhem. Even in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, which killed over 250 people, more than 3,000 kg RDX for the blasts is said to have come through sea route, in dhows. It was offloaded at coastal villages in Maharashtra and then transported by road to warehouses in Mumbai and its suburbs. The terrorists involved in 26/11 entered Indian waters on a Pakistani boat Al Husain, and later forcibly entered the Indian trawler M.V. Kuber, sources said. The militants then beheaded the navigator of the Indian fishing trawler, Amarsingh Solanki, by slitting his throat. There have been reports that the Jaish-e-Mohammed had trained its terrorists in sea operations. We have seen how quickly terrorist groups evolve across the globe and this particular brand of terror may well become a global problem in the near future. The Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace, said the Navy Chief. He said it was imperative that the global community acts in concert to contain and eliminate terrorism, in all its forms. The Congress on the other hand is not willing to give anything more than nine seats of the total 28 in Karnataka to the JD(S). Bengaluru: Talks between coalition partners Congress and JD(S) on seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls have hit a road block with Mr Deve Gowdas party insisting on 12 seats and nothing less. The Congress on the other hand is not willing to give anything more than nine seats of the total 28 in Karnataka to the JD(S). Leaders of both parties decided to have another meeting this week before forwarding the candidates list to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda for the seal of approval. What could prove to be an obstacle is the JD(S) demand for seats like Chikballapur and Tumakuru, which were won by Congressmen Veerappa Moily and Muddahanumegowda respectively in 2014. We are moving in the right direction," Mr Siddaramaiah said after the coordination committee meeting. Chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali, KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao attended the meeting. JDS has put forth its demand with a list of candidates to contest for 12 seats. We have not given a final shape to it. We will give it in the coming days, Mr Siddaramaiah said. He added that the leaders were zeroing in on who can win and from where. Discussions have not been completed yet, but there was good progress, he said. There is pressure from within Congress not to cede too many seats to JD(S), especially the 10 seats where the party has sitting MPs. Sharing of seats from old Mysuru region is expected to be an acid test for both parties, as the JD(S) considers it as its bastion, and the Congress has its sitting members from most of the seats there. Speaking at the public meet, PM Modi slammed the opposition for questioning the ability of the Indian forces post aerial strike. Prime Minister Narendra Modi after concluding his two-day visit to Gujarat, marked his presence at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi after concluding his two-day visit to Gujarat, marked his presence at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Speaking at the public meeting, PM Modi slammed the opposition for questioning the ability of the Indian forces post aerial strike. Modi in a veiled attack to the Congress said, The party that ruled our country for decades is now questioning the ability of our brave forces, especially a leader from MP. Today, he said Pulwama terror attack is an accident. This is their mentality, he is the same person who gave Pakistan a clean chit during 26/11 attacks. Talking about the Indo-Pak situation, Modi said that India gave a befitting reply to the supporters of terror and terrorism and they have left with no option but to change. Earlier on Tuesday, Modi launched the Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana pension scheme for the unorganised sector in Ahmedabad. Post the launch, Modi at the rally here, again slammed the opposition at a rally which he said has come together only to target him. In the public address, PM Modi said that they are busy with strikes on him, while Modi is launching strikes on terror. The opposition wants to get rid of me. They want to remove Modi, I want to remove corruption. They want to strike Modi, I want to strike terrorism, said Modi. Opposition party leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav had asked for details of the air strike and its impact following skeptical reports by a section of the world media. Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Digvijaya Singh had also asked for evidence. Banerjee asked the Modi-led government that why not a single joint-meeting was called post the Indian Air Force's strike revealing its details? Moreover, the BJP's ally Shiv Sena in Maharashtra said on Tuesday that citizens have the ''right to know" about the casualties in the air strike. BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday said over 250 terrorists were killed in the airstrike carried out by the Indian Air Force on the "13th day of dastardly Pulwama Terror attack." RLD, which has a considerable support base in western Uttar Pradesh, is likely to contest Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, and Mathura. RLDs Jayant Chaudhary, Our workers will work hard to ensure the victory of the alliance on all seats in the state. (Photo: ANI) Lucknow: The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Tuesday officially joined Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) alliance in Uttar Pradesh. It will contest three Lok Sabha seats in the state. RLDs Jayant Chaudhary formally announced to join SP-BSP alliance at a press conference here in the presence of former Chief Minister and SP president Akhilesh Yadav. RLD, which has a considerable support base in western Uttar Pradesh, is likely to contest Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, and Mathura Lok Sabha seats. RLD is joining the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Our workers will work hard to ensure the victory of the alliance on all seats in the state. We will contest three seats in Uttar Pradesh, he said. In all, 80 Lok Sabha seats are at stake in Uttar Pradesh. SP-BSP alliance has left two seatsRae Bareli and Amethifor the Congress which are presently represented by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi respectively. As per the arrangement announced earlier, SP-BSP will contest 38 seats, while SP will try its luck on 37 seats. With three seats going to the RLD and two left for the Congress, the overall seat arrangement gets sealed in Uttar Pradesh as things stand today for the secular forces. In reply to a question, Yadav said: Congress is with us. It is a part of our alliance. Why do the media repeatedly ask if Congress will come with us or not? I have said in the past too that the Congress is a part of the grand alliance. It will contest two seats in alliance with us. However, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has already said that his party will fight the elections on all seats in the state with full capacity and will stick to its ideology. Rahul, while addressing a press conference in Dubai in January, had said that he has tremendous respect for the leaders of the two parties and they have the right to do what they want to do. SP-BSP and SP have every right to have an alliance. I think the Congress party has a tremendous amount to offer to the people of Uttar Pradesh. So, we will do our best as the Congress party and we will fight with full capacity to spread our ideology, Rahul said. "SP-BSP and SP have made a political decision. It is on us on how to strengthen the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh and we will fight with our full capacity, he had said. In a bid to galvanise the cadre and brighten the party's electoral prospects in Indias largest state, Rahul recently appointed Sonia Gandhi as a general secretary. She will look after the party affairs in eastern Uttar Pradesh, while Jyotiraditya Scindia will take care of party affairs in western UP as a general secretary. In 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party in UP by winning 21 seats. However, in 2014 the Congress tally reduced to two, while the SP-BSP could not even win a single seat. The official website of the BJP reportedly got hacked with the doctored content posted on the site on Tuesday. The access to the site was restricted, a message from the website admin said it will be back up soon. (Photo: screengrab of BJP's official website) New Delhi: The official website of the ruling government at the centre Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reportedly got hacked with the doctored content posted on the site on Tuesday. However, the party has not yet issued any official statement on the incident. The screenshots of the homepage of the party site soon started doing rounds on the internet. An obscene message and a meme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands with Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel were observed. Below the meme, a music video of Bohemian Rhapsody was seen. Later, the access to the site was restricted, a message from the website admin said it will be back up soon. Well be back soon! Sorry for the inconvenience but were performing some maintenance at the moment. Well be back online shortly! the message read. Taking the advantage of situation, Congress did not leave any stones unturned to mock the opposition party. Divya Spandana, head of social media for the party tweeted urging people to checkout the website of the BJP. Only a handful of leaders in the Congress feel that an alliance with the AAP would definitely pose a major challenge to the BJP. New Delhi: The Congress has taken a final call of not forging any alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi for the coming Lok Sabha elections. Former chief minister and Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit said Tuesday that the party had taken a unanimous decision of not forging any alliance with the AAP for the Lok Sabha polls. The was announced by Ms Dikshit after a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The Congress move not to stitch together any alliance with the AAP is a major bolt to the newbie party that had promised to support it in Goa and Gujarat where Mr Kejriwals outfit had contested seriously in the last Assembly polls but failed to make much impact. Hitting out at the Congress, Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal claimed there were rumours that the Congress has a secret understanding with the BJP and said his party was ready to fight the unholy alliance. At a time when the whole country wants to defeat the (Narendra) Modi-(Amit) Shah duo, the Congress is helping the BJP by splitting the anti-BJP vote. There are rumours Cong has some secret understanding with the BJP, Mr Kejriwal tweeted. Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance, he added. The AAP president had earlier made it clear that if his party and the Congress did not join hands for the Lok Sabha polls, this would definitely split anti-BJP votes in the city. To mount pressure on the Congress to forge an alliance, the AAP had even declared the names of candidates for six Lok Sabha seats. Delhi has seven Lok Sabha constituencies. After Ms Dikshits announcement, the AAP alleged that not just in Delhi, the Congress was helping the BJP in Uttar Pradesh against the SP-BSP alliance, and in West Bengal against Mamata Banerjee. Senior party leader Gopal Rai said the Congress was deliberately going against the mood of the nation. Today every Indian wants to defeat the BJP, except the Congress, he added. After the state leadership met their party chief, Ms Dikshit announced that a unanimous decision had been taken that there would be no alliance in Delhi. Among those present at the meeting was Congress Delhi in-charge P.C. Chacko, former PCC chiefs Ajay Maken, Subhash Chopra, Arvinder Singh Lovely and J.P. Aggarwal and former ministers Yoganand Shastri and Haroon Yusuf. The former CM said her party was reading to contest all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and the process of selecting candidates was on. At the time of its formation, many felt the AAP posed the greatest threat to the Congress, which was proved right when it ousted the Congress from power in 2013, and followed up with a complete wipeout in the 2015 polls. That year AAP won 67 of 70 Assembly seats, but the Congress failed to win even one. Ever since, the AAP has faced a decline in popularity and fortune. It lost to the Congress in the Punjab elections of March 2017, and a month later to the BJP in the Delhi municipal elections. Recently, the Congress was able to form governments in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Within the party, the confidence has grown that dalit and Muslim votes which had drifted away from the party were returning to its fold. Political experts say it is for this reason the state leadership doesnt want an alliance with the AAP. They believe giving it a lifeline at this time could be suicidal for the Congress and as in UP where it finds it tough to dislodge the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party now in Delhi too it may never return. Only a handful of leaders in the Congress feel that an alliance with the AAP would definitely pose a major challenge to the BJP. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, when Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity was at its peak, the BJP got 46 per cent votes, the AAP 33 per cent and the Congress 15 per cent. If the BJP retains its 2014 voteshare, the two parties will prove to be formidable if they come together, they believe. The three seats which the RLD would contest are Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar. SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav interacts with RLD vice-president Jayant Chaudhary as SP president Akhilesh Yadav looks on in Lucknow on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The contours of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in Uttar Pradesh became clear on Tuesday with the Rashtriya Lok Dal being allocated three seats and former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav declaring that Congress was very much part of the alliance. The three seats which the RLD would contest are Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar. As per the earlier announcement made by the SP and BSP, the former would contest 37 and the latter 38 seats out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Two seats the Gandhi family bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli had been left for the Congress. The three seats which had been left for others were Tuesday formally given to the RLD to contest. At a joint press conference with RLD leader Jayant Chowdhary in Lucknow, Mr Yadav who was fielding questions on the Congress said: Cong-ress is with us, it is a part of our alliance. Why do you (the media) repeatedly ask if Congress will co-me with us or not? I have said before also that Con-gress is part of the Mahagatbandhan, they will contest two seats in our alliance. Mr Yadav said that the alliance partners would jointly take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. Tho-ugh the SP-BSP alliance is considered to be a formidable one in UP and the same tie-up had won a ser-ies of by-elections in the state, the Congress has be-en seemingly unhappy at being given just two seats. Following the SP-BSP tie-up, Congress brought in Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia as general secretaries from UP East and West respectively. Besides rejuvenating the party workers, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has given the new-inducted general secretaries the task of preparing for the 2022 Assembly polls in UP. India is the 11th largest trade surplus country for the US and India enjoyed an annual trade surplus of $21 billion in 2017-18. Kolkata: The Narendra Modi government may have succeeded diplomatically in getting the US on its side in its fight against the Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, but when it comes to trade and commerce, the Trump administration has made its intentions clear to end Indias preferential trade treatment under the generalised system of preferences (GSP), precisely the same time. Significantly, by statute, the changes may not take effect until at least 60 days after the notifications to Congress and the governments of India, and will be enacted by a Presidential Proclamation. So India still has 60 days time. Whatever may be the impact, analysts think that the removal of GSP indicates a tough trade position by the US, especially for countries like India who benefited much from the scheme. The US was insisting that India reduce its trade surplus. India is the 11th largest trade surplus country for the US and India enjoyed an annual trade surplus of $21 billion in 2017-18. Indias termination from GSP follows its failure to provide the United States with assurances that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in various sectors. The Centre is clearly putting up a brave front in the election year. The Union Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said, "The benefits in absolute sense and a percentage of trade involved are very minimal and moderate. Despite the fact that India was working on an extensive and reasonable trade package, the US has decided to go ahead with its decision to scrap the preferential trade benefit after 60 days. The package was covering all concerns related to bilateral trade with the US on sectors, including medical devices, dairy products and agricultural goods. India could not negotiate issues concerning interests of public healthcare. India exported goods worth $5.6 billion under GSP last year, but our total GSP benefits were to the tune of only $190 million, said Wadhawan. Sanjay Budhia, chairman, CII National Committee on Exports & Imports & Managing Director, Patton Group, on his part, said, The continuation of GSP would have been beneficial to both countries. GSP boosts the competitiveness of American manufacturers by lowering their costs. Approximately two-thirds of US imports under GSP are raw materials, components, or machinery and equipment used by US companies to manufacture goods in the United States for domestic consumption or for export. GSP also helps American consumers by eliminating duties on a variety of usually inexpensive consumer goods. These benefits are real and tangible. US importers enjoyed nearly $730 million in savings on import duties under the GSP programme in 2016. In 2017, GSP saved American companies $894 million in saved taxes. Hence continuation of GSP is beneficial to both countries and the India government should try and convince the US government that. While admitting that the GSP duty benefit withdrawal by the US would impact a few sectors only, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ganesh Kumar Gupta demanded that as these sectors were availing higher GSP benefits, the government should look into providing fiscal support to these segments. "The government should look into providing fiscal support to such sectors so that exporters reduce their export prices factoring in the fiscal support with a view that the landed price of such products remain more or less what was under the GSP regime," he said, adding that removal of these duty concessions would make these products relatively uncompetitive in terms of prices in the US market as compared to the same products being exported by other developing countries. Pursuant to the notification, the duty benefits would be under threat for about 2,000 products ranging from automotive components, industrial valves and textile materials etc. The duty benefits for India are in the range of $200mn, which is small as compared to total export of $50bn to the US in 2017. The US is pressurising each trading countries, which are having trade surplus with the US to re-negotiate the terms, said Rajnath Yadav, of Choice Broking. The preferential trade treatment under GSP otherwise allows $5.6 billion worth of Indian exports to enter the US duty free. The Centre understandably downplayed the developments saying that the US governments move to withdraw duty concessions on certain products under the GSP will not have a significant impact on exports to America as the benefits were only about $190 million annually. And not just the government, but different trade bodies and analysts have also felt that the impact would be marginal or negligible. There is another school of thought, that thinks that GSP is beneficial to both countries and India should try and convince the US administration that discontinuation of GSP would be disadvantageous for the US trade and commerce also. Significantly, by statute, the changes may not take effect until at least 60 days after the notifications to Congress and the governments of India. (With Inputs from Ravi Ranjan Prasad in Mumbai) New Delhi: US President Donald Trumps attempt to pressure India on trade may be intended as a symbolic shot across New Delhis bow, but its inopportune timing threatens the broader political consequences. The Trump administration notified Congress on Monday that it wants to scrap trade concessions for India, the largest beneficiary of the so-called generalized system of preferences that impacts $5.7 billion worth of goods. The move affects just a fraction of Indias trade flows, yet it comes weeks before Indias national elections, and just as prime minister Narendra Modis government is trumpeting its foreign policy prowess and military strength following a stand-off with Pakistan. Both Trump and Modi likely hope to isolate thorny trade issues from their geopolitical ties as both countries position themselves in Asia against an increasingly assertive China. But even assuming the strategic alliance remains intact, the worlds two largest democracies are probably still headed for a bout of turbulence. Even if Modi doesnt want to raise the temperature, the discourse in this country has been that America needs India to balance China, said Harsh Pant, an international relations professor at Kings College London. And the question will be: Why is America doing this to India?" Needling India on trade will have a corrosive effect on Modis views of the US and fits a pattern of Trumps focus on narrow trade grievances at the expense of the broader strategic concerns, according to John Blaxland, head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University. Mumbai: National award-winning director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra will host a special screening for spiritual leader Sadhguru in Coimbatore. Renowned Yogi and spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev, often referred as Sadhguru has been an active voice in social as well as environmental issues. As Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra gears up to present the socially relevant film Mere Pyare Prime Minister, the filmmaker decided to host a special screening for the spiritual leader and will be flying down to Coimbatore for the same. Touching upon two socially relevant and impactful issues of open defecation and rape, Mere Pyare Prime Minister presents the story of a young boy and his mother. The bond between a son and mother forming the crux of the story, the film traces the journey of Kanhu as he struggles to reach the Prime Minister as his mother met an ugly incident due to unavailability of toilets. Delivering a social message with an emotional storyline yet again, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who has earlier helmed Rang De Basanti, Delhi-6, amongst others is all set to present Mere Pyare Prime Minister. The film starring National award-winning actress Anjali Patil, Makarand Deshpande, Rasika Agashe, Sonia Albizuri and Nachiket Purnapatre brings together power-packed performances. The musical trio of Shankar Ehsan Loy joins hands for the music to the lyrics penned by Gulzar. Dr Jayantilal Gada (Pen) and PVR Cinemas present, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's directorial Mere Pyare Prime Minister is all set to release on 15th March 2019. Mumbai: In a unique attempt, Mere Pyare Prime Minister teams up with a stationary brand Kokuyo Camlin and gives people a unique opportunity to make their voice heard by sharing their messages/grievance with the Prime Minister of India. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's upcoming social drama opts for an unique strategy. The film revolves around 8-year-old Kanhu who lives in a slum of Mumbai & writes a letter to the Prime Minister after an ugly incident happens with his mother. The stationery brand has joined hands with the makers of the film to initiate a campaign asking people to send messages to the Prime Minister via #PMKoChitthi. Starting from 5th March, the contest would accept entries on leading social platforms (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) in the form of letters, audio/video blogs, tweet or post as the makers wish to keep the contest as open and simple as possible. The only criteria is that the letters need to start with "Mere Pyare Prime Minister..." and should be posted on social media with #PMKoChitthi Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra would then pick the best entries which would not only be shared with Prime Minister's office but also receive movie tickets along with Kokuyo Camlin product hampers. The film starring Om Kanojiya, National award-winning actress Anjali Patil, Om Kanojiya, Adarsh Bharti, Prasad, Syna Anand, Niteesh Wadhwa, Atul Kulkarni, Makarand Deshpande, Rasika Agashe, Sonia Albizuri and Nachiket Purnapatre brings together power-packed performances. The music of the film is given by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and lyrics by Gulzar. Written by Manoj Mairta, Hussain Dalal and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Dr. Jayantilal Gada (Pen) and PVR Cinemas present, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's directorial Mere Pyare Prime Minister is all set to release on 15th March 2019. Darshan, who is fondly referred to as Challenging Star shines in this typical action thriller composed, and directed by debutant V Harikrishna and Kumar. Rating: Director: V. Harikrishna and P Kumar Cast: Darshan, Devaraj, Rashmika Mandanna, Tanya Hope, Thakur Anoop Singh, Ravishankar, Dattanna, Sadhu Kokila, Dhananjay. There are good films, and bad films. Yet, there is also another popular category that is essential for the film industry to survive. The FAN-tastic films, ones purely made to satisfy the expectations of die-hard fans of star actors. Yajamana fits into this genre perfectly as it is quite simply made to entertain Darshans fans. Many films like these leave no scope for logic, common sense and reality. Even an ordinary punch by the hero can easily beat the hell out of the most fierce and powerful person on Earth and beyond! Such films usually come with a one-man army fighting against multiple bad guys, defying all odds! Darshan, who is fondly referred to as Challenging Star shines in this typical action thriller composed, and directed by debutant V Harikrishna and Kumar. It orbits around Shivanandi played by Darshan, a small time local cooking oil brand owner who takes on a business tycoon. It kick-offs at a taluk centre where oil business is flourishing because of traditional methods of extracting cooking oil, and due to the local market which is guided by a set of principles governing the interest of both growers and owners. Along with oil, Yajamana is fried golden with a short love story, in which Rashmika as Kaveri is paired opposite Darshan and the rest of the film is garnished with comedy and loads of action in addition to challenging dialogues. There are a couple of melodious numbers and peppy songs to dance to along with Harikrishnas signature tone and tune. While the earlier Yajamana (2000) starring Vishnuvardhan was a classic family drama, high on emotions, and revolved around an elder brother who sacrifices everything for his younger ones, 2019s Yajamana is a through and through Darshan action show. Darshan fans can even overlook how a Mumbai court in the film functions in fluent Kannada where the lawyer and judge have conversations in Kannada! Despite these discrepancies, Yajamana does what it intends to do entertaining Challenging fans. Russia's Arctic plans add to polar bears' climate woes by preventing them from hunting seals. Russia: Last month's visit by roaming polar bears that put a Russian village on lockdown may be just the beginning. For as Moscow steps up its activity in the warming Arctic, conflict with the rare species is likely to increase. More than 50 bears approached Belyushya Guba, a village on the far northern Novaya Zemlya archipelago, in February. As many as 10 of them explored the streets and entered buildings. Local authorities declared a state of emergency for a week and appealed for help from Moscow. Photos of the incident went viral, with some observers blaming officials for ignoring a sprawling garbage dump nearby where the animals feasted on food waste. But polar bear experts say the main reason the Arctic predators came so close to humans was the late freezing of the sea. It was this that kept them from hunting seals and sent them looking for alternate food sources. And as Russia increases its footprint in the Arctic, pursuing energy projects, Northern Passage navigation and strategic military interests, experts expect more clashes between humans and bears. "Development in the Arctic will definitely increase conflict with humans, especially now that the polar bear is losing its life platform in several regions and coming ashore," said biologist Anatoly Kochnev, who has studied polar bears in the eastern Arctic since the 1980s. Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago of two islands between the Kara and Barents seas, is a good example of Moscow's new frontier that falls inside the polar bear habitat. Bears in the Barents Sea are seeing the fastest ice reduction of the species' range, having lost 20 weeks of ice a year over the last few decades, according to Polar Bears International. "Ice monitoring shows that previously, ice near Belushya Guba formed in December," said Ilya Mordvintsev from the Severtsov Institute in Moscow, who was in a group of scientists flown out to aid the village. "For thousands of years, they migrated this time of year to hunt seals. This year they came to the shore and there was no ice." Since the incident, ice has formed and the bears have left land to hunt, he said. "But it's impossible to rule out a repeat of the situation in the coming years." And as more humans come to Novaya Zemlya, the likelihood of human-bear conflict increases. A Soviet-era nuclear weapons testing site, Novaya Zemlya remains a restricted territory. But following a post-Soviet hiatus, the military has put up new buildings and an aerodrome. Moscow announced in 2014 that the Arctic was a strategic priority for its military. Kochnev in 2015 wrote an emotional blog post after a bear near a military construction site on Wrangel Island swallowed an explosive flare. He criticised the new base, and was fired from his job in a national park as a result. Current instructions regarding polar bears focus on how to ward them off, he said. But the priority should be fortifying facilities to prevent any contact. "Put yourself inside a cage and let the bears roam around," he said in advice to Arctic developers. "Constant use of icebreakers through ice where seals give birth affect populations of seals" which bears feed on. Putin last year ordered an increase in the capacity of the Northern Passage, touted as an alternate trade route to Asia, from the current 18 million tonnes to 80 million tonnes by 2024. After making her presence felt in Telugu and Tamil, she faced no problem in her debut venture in Kannada Vajrakaya as well. She walked her way into success, featuring in one of the most popular songs of 2015, No Problem sung by Tamil actor Dhanush featuring alongside Century Star Shivarajkumar. A peppy number which celebrates the beauty and height of a pretty girl, the song has garnered more than 10 million views on various social media sites till now. The actresss next film was John Seena directed by Simple Suni. Now, the model-turned-actress Shubra Aiyappa has signed her latest Kannada venture titled Ramana Avatara for which she will soon start shooting. She speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle on her new avatar and the heights of opportunity coming her way, and more. Though I featured in just a song, and a couple of scenes in Vajrakaya, it has brought me immense fame and recognition. It was as good as a full-fledged debut in Kannada. Later, I kept getting similar opportunities to portray similar glam doll roles where I was expected to just look glamorous. This is why I did not sign many of them. Eventually, John Seena directed by Simple Suni happened. It is ready, and for some reason, the release has been delayed. It has a great role that explores my full potential as an actress. I have also signed my next in Kannada film titled Ramana Avatara, and am thrilled about it, says Shubra Aiyappa. The actress does not want to take up movies just to add to her project list as it makes no sense to her. For me, the film and role has to be relevant and exciting. What I look for, is quality of a script, the team and other crucial factors like casting before taking up a project. Thus, despite several opportunities, I have worked in only one movie after Vajrakaya. In John Seena, I play a girls character which has dual shades, similar to playing a dual role. It has an interesting plot and the change in appearance of my character along with its personality is the reel deal for me as an artist, she shares, adding that unfortunately it is yet to release and once it does, the actress is confident that it will pave the way for more good roles rather than just being a glamour quotient on the silver screen. In Ramana Avatara, she shares the screen space with Rishi, Raj B Shetty, Danish Sait, Pranitha Subhash and another actress. Directed by Vikas and Vinay Pampapathi, (brothers), it is going to be a fun filled venture. She is also busy modelling, and recently shot for a prestigious annual calendar event. Shubra feel that modelling and films are two completely different worlds. As a model, the focus is on looking good and to make sure I can add value to my endorsements. However, movies are about adding value to a character with emotions. I am no more walking the ramp for shows, and if I do, it is when I get the invites as a show stopper, she says. Shubras height has sometimes become an issue but that does not stop her in any way. Yes, sometimes it is an issue. In fact, in Vajrakaya Shivanna who is way shorter than me celebrated my height in the song. I am different and it is the perspective on how one looks at it. However, if one looked at Deepika Padukone, and many more actresses who are taller, they have achieved success and that is the best way to look at their life, and not look at height as an issue. The manuscript for 'Dr Seuss's Horse Museum' was discovered in the late author's La Jolla, California, home 21 years after his death. (Photo: ANI) Washington: A new Dr Seuss book, titled 'Dr Seuss's Horse Museum,' is being released 28 years after the acclaimed author died. The book, which comes out in September, celebrates art and "how we all see the world in different ways," publisher Random House said in a statement, reported CNN. The book will feature reproductions of famous horse artwork by Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock and other artists, Random House said. Classic Dr Seuss characters, including the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch and Horton the Elephant will also be seen making cameos in the book. The manuscript for 'Dr Seuss's Horse Museum' was discovered in the late author's La Jolla, California, home 21 years after his death. Using Geisel's original sketches and taking inspiration from his past work, Australian illustrator Andrew Joyner completed the unfinished artwork. Were so excited to have Dr Seuss's Horse Museum to share with readers," said Susan Brandt, President of Dr Seuss Enterprises, LP adding, This new book will not only entertain as only Dr Seuss can, but is sure to inspire conversations about the countless ways we each view the world around us." Late freezing of the sea kept them from hunting seals and look for alternate food sources. (Photo: AFP) Russia: Last month's visit by roaming polar bears that put a Russian village on lockdown may be just the beginning. For as Moscow steps up its activity in the warming Arctic, conflict with the rare species is likely to increase. More than 50 bears approached Belyushya Guba, a village on the far northern Novaya Zemlya archipelago, in February. As many as 10 of them explored the streets and entered buildings. Local authorities declared a state of emergency for a week and appealed for help from Moscow. Photos of the incident went viral, with some observers blaming officials for ignoring a sprawling garbage dump nearby where the animals feasted on food waste. But polar bear experts say the main reason the Arctic predators came so close to humans was the late freezing of the sea. It was this that kept them from hunting seals and sent them looking for alternate food sources. And as Russia increases its footprint in the Arctic, pursuing energy projects, Northern Passage navigation and strategic military interests, experts expect more clashes between humans and bears. "Development in the Arctic will definitely increase conflict with humans, especially now that the polar bear is losing its life platform in several regions and coming ashore," said biologist Anatoly Kochnev, who has studied polar bears in the eastern Arctic since the 1980s. Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago of two islands between the Kara and Barents seas, is a good example of Moscow's new frontier that falls inside the polar bear habitat. Bears in the Barents Sea are seeing the fastest ice reduction of the species' range, having lost 20 weeks of ice a year over the last few decades, according to Polar Bears International. "Ice monitoring shows that previously, ice near Belushya Guba formed in December," said Ilya Mordvintsev from the Severtsov Institute in Moscow, who was in a group of scientists flown out to aid the village. "For thousands of years, they migrated this time of year to hunt seals. This year they came to the shore and there was no ice." Since the incident, ice has formed and the bears have left land to hunt, he said. "But it's impossible to rule out a repeat of the situation in the coming years." And as more humans come to Novaya Zemlya, the likelihood of human-bear conflict increases. A Soviet-era nuclear weapons testing site, Novaya Zemlya remains a restricted territory. But following a post-Soviet hiatus, the military has put up new buildings and an aerodrome. Moscow announced in 2014 that the Arctic was a strategic priority for its military. Kochnev in 2015 wrote an emotional blog post after a bear near a military construction site on Wrangel Island swallowed an explosive flare. He criticised the new base, and was fired from his job in a national park as a result. Model and actor Cara Delevingne in a creation of the Chanel ready to wear Fall-Winter 2019-2020 collection, presented in Paris on Tuesday. (Photo: AP) Paris: Chanel paid a classy tribute to Karl Lagerfeld Tuesday as it presented his final collection at the Grand Palais in Paris, the scene of some of the legendary designer's greatest triumphs. With fashionistas and Hollywood stars Kristen Stewart and Marion Cotillard in mourning black and Penelope Cruz on the runway, Chanel turned the Grand Palais into an Alpine wonderland for the show. The vast vaulted venue where the "Kaiser" loved to stage his mega-shows became a set worthy of Lagerfeld at his showman best, with a dozen chalets with smoking chimneys and drifts of springy artificial snow. The workaholic creator, one of the most prolific designers of the past century, died aged 85 on February 19, less than a month after missing a Chanel haute couture show at the Grand Palais. Chanel turned the Grand Palais into an Alpine wonderland for the show. (Photo: AP) The tribute began with models gathering on the steps of the grandest chalet to observe a minute's silence in honour of the German-born designer who led the iconic French house for nearly four decades. Then Lagerfeld's voice was played, with him recalling how Britain's Queen Elizabeth II said that arriving at Chanel was "like walking into a painting", something which could equally be said of the set of his final show. Lagerfeld's friends had insisted that the famously straight-talking creator would have detested a lachrymous display of grief. A few tears did fall at the end, however, when the models returned arm-in-arm to David Bowie's anthem "Heroes" and its rousing chorus "We can be heroes". Spanish actress Penelope Cruz valiantly tried to keep spirits up, smiling broadly as she walked with them in a snowflake feathered frou-frou dress carrying a single white camellia, Coco Chanel's favourite flower. Lagerfeld's successor Virginie Viard appeared for the briefest of bows at the end, with Chanel saying later that the collection was a joint effort between her and Lagerfeld, who had leaned heavily on her in his later years. The autumn winter line began with actress Cara Delevingne wearing a black and white hat and coat in an outsized houndstooth pattern with big bell bottom trousers, which were repeated throughout the collection. Actor Penelope Cruz valiantly smiled as she walked the runway, paying homage to Lagerfeld. (Photo: AFP) A series of rustic Alpine and Scandinavian pattern skirts and jumpers worn with shearling-edged climbing boots followed before a line of fuchsia-coloured ski jackets and streetwear segued into white evening wear. Little known to the general public, Lagerfeld called Viard his "right and left hand", and Chanel's owners moved swiftly last week to scotch rumours that her time as head of the house would only be temporary until they line up another big name. In a statement, the Wertheimer family confirmed their "confidence in the team that worked with Karl Lagerfeld for over 30 years". There is much speculation about whether his beloved fluffy white Birman cat, Choupette, will be present. (Photo: AFP) Paris: Karl Lagerfeld's final collection for Chanel will be presented in the Grand Palais in Paris on Tuesday, the scene of some of the legendary designer's greatest triumphs. The brand that he is most closely associated with is expected to stage a tribute to the workaholic creator, the most prolific of the past century. Lagerfeld died aged 85 on February 19, less than a month after missing a Chanel haute couture show at the vast venue in the centre of the French capital, saying he was "tired". Chanel said that "a farewell ceremony will take place at a later date" after the German-born designer's no-fuss cremation attended by only his closest friends and colleagues. But it is unclear whether Tuesday's show, on the last day of Paris fashion week, will be given over to a homage to the "Kaiser", who led the iconic French house for nearly four decades. Chanel can look to few precedents for handling the occasion. In the first Versace show after its founder Gianni Versace was murdered in 1997, his tearful sister Donatella was surrounded by supermodels on the catwalk to take the bow before a celebrity-packed front row that included Lagerfeld and fellow fashion legends Giorgio Armani, Miuccia Prada and Donna Karan. The high emotion of that occasion is unlikely to be replicated in Paris, with Lagerfeld's friends insistent that the famously dry wit would have hated a grandiose display of mourning. There is also much speculation about whether his beloved fluffy white Birman cat, Choupette, will be present. Lagerfeld is reported to have left a substantial slice of his estimated $200 million fortune to the cat, which is looked after by a bodyguard and two maids. Choupette is also something of a social media star, with a large Twitter following. The catwalk tributes to Lagerfeld began in Milan, where his final collection for Fendi, the Italian brand he had led since 1965, was shown only two days after his death. The Fendi family turned the show into a hasty memorial, showing a video of Lagerfeld at work with the screen flashing up the message "54 years together". They had earlier taken out full-page ads in international newspapers showing him on the terrace of Fendi's Rome headquarters under the headline: "Thank you Karl for the most beautiful journey." Despite several complaints filed by the residents of Vysarpadi, the community hall that has been hotspot for teens indulging in illegal activities, has no surveillance. (Representational Image) Chennai: The M.K.B. Nagar police have arrested a teenager and are searching for two other boys who gang-raped a 65-year-old woman by breaking into her house in Vyasarpadi, in the early hours of Tuesday. Police said the victim had been sleeping alone at home, when the trio, all aged 17 years and also her neighbours, barged into her house and committed the crime at knifepoint. The victim was identified as Lakshmi, resident of Sathya Moorthy Nagar, Vysarpadi, and a domestic worker. Before fleeing, the teenagers had threatened the bleeding woman not to disclose the incident to anybody. But, the woman informed her neighbours, and she was rushed to the Stanley government hospital where she is under treatment. A resident of Vysarpadi, Devi said, "A poorly maintained community hall in the locality was being used by youngsters and criminals alike as their den. Teenage boys in the area use the hall for illegal activities like drinking and peddling ganja. We have filed several complaints with the police and asked them to either close down the hall or provide security to the place, but our requests have been ignored." A case has been registered with the M.K.B Nagar All Women Police Station. On Tuesday, police arrested one of them and are questioning him. Based on his inputs, they have trying to nab the other two boys. The police said that as soon as Manu entered the pit, he began facing breathing problems due to the presence of various poisonous gases inside the pit. Within minutes, he collapsed and died. (Representational Image) Bengaluru: A 25-year-old daily wage worker died of asphyxiation while manually cleaning a sewage pit at an international school in Hongasandra in Begur police limits. The Begur police arrested the owners of the school, Raghavan, his wife Saroja and their son Kishore. The trio held the positions of principal, vice-principal and coordinator, the police said. While Saroja was released on bail, Raghavan and Kishore are sent to judicial custody. On Saturday, the deceased, Manu V., who was walking by the Jai Hind International School, asked the school management whether they could give him some work. The school officials asked him to clean the sewage pit and handed him over the necessary cleaning equipment. Manu, who was not equipped with safety gear, entered the sewage pit, while the management staff returned to the school. The police said that as soon as Manu entered the pit, he began facing breathing problems due to the presence of various poisonous gases inside the pit. Within minutes, he collapsed and died. The school management shifted Manu to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The police was informed about the incident following which they reached the spot and arrested the trio for engaging Manu in manual scavenging. The police booked the three under Section 304A (death due to negligence) of the IPC and under various sections of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. Manu, a resident of Hongasandra, is survived by his wife Nandini and five-year-old daughter. In the last 10 years, over 80 people engaged in manual scavenging have died in sewage pits in Bengaluru alone. Police had information about the presence of terrorists hiding in a house in Pulwama's Tral. (Photo: ANI | Twitter) Srinagar: Two terrorists were killed in an ongoing encounter operation that broke out between security forces and terrorists on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama. Police had information about the presence of terrorists hiding in a house in Pulwama's Tral. The target house has been razed to ground. Mobile internet services have been suspended in the town. 'There is no relationship between the airstrike and elections. It was based upon intelligence inputs on terrorist activities in Pakistan, to be unleashed against India. It was not a military action,' Sitharaman said. (Photo: ANI | Twitter) New Delhi: A day after BJP chief Amit Shah claimed over 250 terrorists were killed in Balakots air strike, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the government has already stated its position with a statement by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. Gokhale on February 26 had said it was a "non-military, pre-emptive air strikes". There is no relationship between the airstrike and elections. It was based upon intelligence inputs on terrorist activities in Pakistan, to be unleashed against India. It was not a military action, Sitharaman said. Defence Minister said Balakot air strike was not a 'military action' as there was no damage to civilians. "The foreign secretary gave the statement; that is the figure," Sitharaman added. However, the Foreign Secretary had not given any casualty figure. Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Monday said the Air Forces doesn't count the number of casualties and clarified that armed forces is not in a position to clarify how many people were inside. The opposition has been slamming the government led by PM Modi of politicising the air strike. The most impacted products will be raw materials and intermediary goods. (File Photo) New Delhi: The government of India said that Donald Trumps move to end preferential treatment will have very little impact. Under what is known as the Generalised System of Preferences or GSP, India enjoys duty-free entry for up to USD 5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States. Also Read: Donald Trump plans to end Indias preferential trade treatment Indias Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said that India felt it had come at a fairly reasonable stand balancing US aspirations with their own concerns which didnt quite work on their end. He said India now is looking at a non-GSP trade pact with America. There will surely not be any significant impact on our exports or any statistical edge to our competitors, Wadhwan said, adding that India charges tariffs well in line with standards set by The World Trade Organization. The only benefit arising out of this decision will be for goods and exports worth around 190 million dollars, moderate enough to the total volume of trade, the Commerce Secretary added. The most impacted products will be raw materials and intermediary goods across sectors, mainly organic chemicals. India considerably capped the pricing of medical devices such as knee caps and stents last year, reducing it to as much as 60 per cent. US services a majority of the Indian medical devices market and only recently domestic medical equipment makers have started to report higher sales after the price cap. We dont really agree that India is a high-tariff nation, Wadhawan said countering a statement made by Donald Trump a few months ago when he said that India is high-tariff country. Another government official requesting to not be named said that GSP is more symbolic to the strategic relationship, and not really in terms of the value. US tariffs are already low so the benefits to the industry will naturally be low, he told Reuters. In addition to this, United States had extra demands which could not be accepted. Due to this the talks stalled and it didnt end favourably, said the Commerce Secretary. "In April 2018, the US initiated a review of our GSP benefits, mainly on two industries medical devices and dairy. But then the US authorities added other issues such as market access, relaxation of various procedural requirements, testing requirements etc. So it became a fairly broad-based review covering a large number of trade issues." the ministry said. Inspite of this, he is still hopeful of further favourable talks with America and says everything is there to be considered. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 4) After dominating last year's survey, the Philippines slipped to fifth place in the global 'Women in Business' rankings for 2019. The latest report released by tax and advisory firm Grant Thornton International Ltd. revealed 37.46 percent of Filipinas hold senior leadership roles in the country. The data is down from the 46.58 percentage listed by the Philippines in 2018-- making it drop to the fifth spot. New Zealand was hailed as the country with the highest proportion of women in senior management positions at 43.90 percent, while Australia came in second with 41.94 percent. Nigeria and Botswana also made it to the top five of the global rankings, with the African nations listing 38.47 percent and 38.25 percent, respectively. The Philippines, however, still remained as the top Asian nation in the global survey besting Vietnam (36.94 percent) and Singapore (33.04). The country's percentage likewise still surpasses the Southeast Asian average of 28 percentage proportion of women in senior roles. Global data also bared that the most number of females in senior managerial positions work as Human Resources director (43 percent), followed by Chief Finance Officer (34 percent). 2019 also saw the highest overall percentage of women in senior management on record at 29 percent. "I know from my own personal experience that gender diversity leads to higher performance, a more inclusive culture, more balanced decisions. I believe a business that is not gender balanced is not going to be sustainable. The responsibility to build that inclusive culture is in the hands of us as leaders," said Grant Thornton International global CEO Peter Bodin. The survey was conducted last November and December 2018. Results were compiled from 4,900 interviews with female senior executives from all industry sectors in mid-market businesses of 35 countries. Mr Fadnavis on Monday gave a symbolic key to the flats to five people at a BJP event. Mumbai: The Congress has alleged that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis handed over the keys to flats that lacked amenities like water connections and power supply along with the occupation certificates (OCs) of their buildings to slum dwellers. Mr Fadnavis on Monday gave a symbolic key to the flats to five people at a BJP event. Senior Congress leader Naseem Khan said that just ahead of the elections, Mr Fadnavis was duping slum dwellers as the building had not been handed over to the nodal agency, the MMRDA. Mr Khan also demanded the suspension of Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) CEO Deepak Kapoor, who was present at the event. Citing the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Mr Khan said Mr Kapoor couldnt participate in the programme. Mr Khan demanded an audit of the building before shifting the people from Sandesh Nagar, Kranti Nagar and Jari Mari in Kurla. Meanwhile, MP Poonam Mahajan said, The OC for the houses where individuals have to be shifted have been received as of 2015. The lottery process for allocation of the houses will be completed in the next 20 days. The building have been handed over to MIAL and required renovation will be carried out within the next two months and physical possession will be given before the mon soon. Jamnagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday got Kochi in Kerala and Karachi in Pakistan mixed up in a slip of the tongue but quickly covered it up by saying that his mind these days is preoccupied with the neighbouring country. Extolling the virtues of the Ayushman Bharat health scheme, Modi said it allowed a resident of Jamnagar to avail treatment anywhere in the country, be it Kolkata or Karachi. Almost in the same breath, the PM set things right by telling the gathering he meant Kochi and not Karachi. Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, if a resident of Jamangar has gone to Bhopal and falls sick, he need not come back to Jamnagar for treatment. If he shows his (Ayushman Bharat) beneficiary card, he will get free treatment even in Kolkata and even in Karachi, Modi told a gathering in Jamnagar. He, however, added, Not Karachi but Kochi. Nowadays my mind is preoccupied with the thoughts of the neighbouring country. But that (air strike in Pakistan) was also necessary. Should that be done or not? he posed to the crowd which replied its assent with a round of applause. Modi was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a 750-bed annexe building of Guru Govind Singh Hospital in Jamnagar. Rathore tweeted, 'You believe international media over own Intelligence agencies? You seem happy when media quoted by you says no losses in strike?...and sir, for us you went to London to find evidence against EVMs, will you please also go to Balakot to check?' (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: Hitting out at Congress leader Kapil Sibal for his remarks on the February 26 IAF strike, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Monday asked him to go to Balakot in Pakistan to check after the latter cited foreign media reports on "no losses" in the operation. Amid the war of words between BJP and Congress on the air raid, Rathore tweeted, "You believe international media over own Intelligence agencies? You seem happy when media quoted by you says no losses in strike?...and sir, for us you went to London to find evidence against EVMs, will you please also go to Balakot to check?" He was quoting a tweet of Sibal in which the Congress leader had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicising terror. Sibal had tweeted, "Modiji, Is international media - New York Times, London based Jane's Information Group, Washinton Post, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Reuters reporting no proof of militant losses at Balakot pro-Pakistan? You are guilty of politicising terror?" Locking horns after Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief B S Dhanoa's remarks on Monday on the air strike, BJP had charged Congress with politicising the issue while the Opposition party sought the source of statements being made by BJP leaders with regards to the number of casualties at the Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot. Addressing the media, Dhanoa had said fighter pilots had hit the target given to them, adding that he could not give the number of casualties suffered as it is for the government to clarify. Earlier on Sunday, BJP chief Amit Shah, while addressing a rally in Ahmedabad, had claimed that 250 terrorists were killed in the air strike. India carried out the operation 12 days after 40 CRPF personnel were killed when a JeM suicide bomber attacked their convoy in Pulwama. Hours after the air raid on February 26, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had told the media that IAF fighter planes hit the largest militant camp of JeM at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, eliminating a large number of Jaish terrorists and training commanders. Bengaluru: A video footage of Congress leader and former MLA, Belur Gopalakrishna, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be killed, went viral on Tuesday, a day before his visit to Karnataka, deeply embarrassing the Congress. The controversial video was reportedly made on February 4 when Mr Gopalakrishna, who has a habit of making controversial remarks, was addressing a function organised by the Congress party in Shivamogga district. He is seen thundering, "Those who speak about Nathuram Godse, the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, should not be in this country. If you have guts, you kill Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi)." No sooner did the video go viral, then the BJP decided to lodge a criminal case against the Congress leader. Strongly condemning his comment, BJP MLC, Lehar Singh Siroya, shot off a letter to Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy urging him to hold a criminal investigation against Mr Gopalkrishna. "Belur Gopalakrishna, a Congress leader in an official party function calls for assassination of democratically elected PM Sri @narendramodi ji. Instigating for assassination of PM of a country is a nation threat & we urge @HMOIndia, @CPBlr to impose legal action immediately," the BJP tweeted. The party also asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to take action against Gopalakrishna. "Well @RahulGandhi we remember you saying you don't endorse hate politics but now that your own party leader has openly called for assassination of a democratically elected PM of this nation would act on him. If you don't act it clearly means you endorse his words," the party tweeted. The Congress, meanwhile, tried to distance itself from his statement with Deputy Chief Minister, Dr G. Parameshwara explaining that although the party had fundamental ideological differences with the Prime Minister, it would not tolerate such remarks. When asked about it, Gopalakrishna defended his remarks. He said, "I never said I will kill Modi. These people insulted the father of the nation, shot at his effigy and said that if Gandhi was alive today they would have shot him dead. "I only asked them (extreme right wing outfits) if they have the guts to shoot the prime minister," said Gopalakrishna, who has been a party hopper. Previously, he was in the BJP and jumped to the Congress after he was denied a ticket in the assembly election to contest from Sagar constituency last year. Before that he was in the JD(S). No hacking group has claimed responsibility for the breach. New Delhi: Hackers broke into the website of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday and defaced it after which it was taken offline. No hacking group has claimed responsibility for the breach. Screen shots of the websites home page, which went viral, showed abusive messages and a GIF of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. On search it was found that the bag was filled with cash of Rs 500 and Rs 2000 denominations, said a police officer. (Representational Image) Chennai: Unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 1.53 crore was seized from a man on bus by the NIB CID (Narcotics Intelligence Bureau) the Tiruvallur - Andhra Pradesh border on Tuesday morning. The passenger was taken into custody, police said. According to police, based on the specific inputs, the vehicle checking was intensified at the Arambakkam on the Chennai - Tiruttani highroad. The seizure was made by the city NIB CID (Narcotics Intelligence Bureau) from a 47-year old man from Hyderabad who was travelling to Chennai. On Monday at around 7 am, a private bus was checked wherin when a big trolley bag was foundkept inside the luggage space in the bus. On search it was found that the bag was filled with cash of Rs 500 and Rs 2000 denominations, said a police officer. Police said the man, of whom the bag belonged, was identified as O. Neeraj Gupta. Police said, Neeraj could not provide any supporting documentation to account for the cash, police said, adding the seized notes have been sent to the bank for verifying their genuineness after which further action would be taken. Neeraj was handed over to the Income Tax department officials for further enquiry. The total money valued to Rs 1.53 crore was seized from him. New Delhi: The Congress has taken a final call of not forging any alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi for the coming Lok Sabha elections. Former chief minister and Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit said on Tuesday after a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi that the party had taken a unanimous decision of not forging any alliance with the AAP for the Lok Sabha polls. The Congresss move not to stitch together any alliance with the AAP is a major bolt to the newbie party that had promised to support it in Goa and Gujarat where Mr Kejriwals outfit had contested seriously in the last Assembly polls but failed to make much impact. Hitting out at the Congress, Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal claimed there were rumours that the Congress has a secret understanding with the BJP and said his party was ready to fight the unholy alliance. At a time when the whole country wants to defeat the (Narendra) Modi-(Amit) Shah duo, the Congress is helping the BJP by splitting the anti-BJP vote. There are rumours Cong has some secret understanding with the BJP, Mr Kejriwal tweeted. Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance, he added. The AAP president had earlier made it clear that if his party and the Congress did not join hands for the Lok Sabha polls, this would definitely split anti-BJP votes in the city. New Delhi: Indian security agencies were unmoved by reports of arrest of 44 members of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan, with officials saying the terrorists were not arrested under the anti-terrorism laws but have only been taken in preventive detention for investigation. Similar actions by the neighbouring country against leaders of the proscribed outfits in the past turned out to be farce as those who were taken into custody were let off soon on different pretexts. The 44 members of the JeM, including its founder Masood Azhars brother Mufti Abdul Raoof, were said to have been taken in preventive detention for investigation and have not been arrested under Pakistans anti-terrorism law, a security official said. There is every possibility that the detention could also be an attempt by the Pakistan Army to provide security to these terrorists, given the fear psychosis that has gripped Pakistan in the past few days following the Indian Air Force strike at Balakot, the official said. The assessment of the security agencies came in view of the fact that founders of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed respectively were detained several times in the past, mostly under laws that provide for detention for apprehension of breach of peace. Azhar and Saeed have never been prosecuted under the Pakistan's Anti Terrorism Act, 1997, another official said. According to the reports received from Pakistan, the action against JeM came in order to implement the National Action Plan of Pakistan, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating from its soil. New Delhi: Indian Navy Chief Adm. Sunil Lanba warned Tuesday of a 26/11-type terrorist attack through the sea route. We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out attacks with varying modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea, the Navy Chief said. He said India faces a far more serious version of state-sponsored terrorism. You have all witnessed the horrific scale of the extremist attack in Jammu and Kashmir just three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a state which seeks to destabilise India, he said. The 26/11 attack was carried out by 10 seaborne terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba who had hijacked an Indian fishing trawler to reach Mumbai and unleash mayhem. Even in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, which killed over 250 people, more than 3,000 kg RDX for the blasts is said to have come through sea route, in dhows. It was offloaded at coastal villages in Maharashtra and then transported by road to warehouses in Mumbai and its suburbs. The terrorists involved in 26/11 entered Indian waters on a Pakistani boat Al Husain, and later forcibly entered the Indian trawler M.V. Kuber. The militants then beheaded the navigator of the Indian fishing trawler, Amarsingh Solanki. There have been reports that the Jaish-e-Mohammed had trained its terrorists in sea operations. We have seen how quickly terrorist groups evolve across the globe and this particular brand of terror may well become a global problem in the near future. The Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace, said the Navy Chief. He said it was imperative that the global community acts in concert to contain and eliminate terrorism, in all its forms. Meanwhile, a drone was sighted flying over the INS Adyar campus in Chennai around 9pm on Monday, police said. The Navy on Tuesday filed a complaint with the police seeking an investigation into the incident. An investigation is on, the police said without divulging further information. The incident comes at a time when key installations across the country, are on high alert following the recent Pulwama terror attack. Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will kick off the yearlong diamond jubilee celebrations at Santhigiri Ashram on Wednesday. The jubilee focuses on free food programme to more centres of the ashram, housing, aid for tribal people under K.R Narayanan endowment fund, community marriage and joint efforts with the government for post-flood reconstruction. Also planned is a self-help finance programme in all districts with the cooperation of financial institutions. Outstanding persons in different sectors will be honoured with Pranava Padma prize on March 25. O V Vijayan prize will be awarded to outstanding authors in different languages A weekly programme for children, Through Gurus path, will be held at all ashram branches. Efforts are to convert the ancestral home of the Gu-ru at Chandiroor in Alap-puzha into a national pilgrimage centre. Ashram centres will open in Malaysia, Japan, China, Russia, Nepal, Oman and Bulgaria. Santhigiri Ashram in Sri Lanka and extension of health care activities to Central Asian and Gulf countries have been planned. 250 people will get special skill development under Deen Dayal Upadh-yaya programme on a Central outlay of Rs 3.06L. Santhigiri Vidya Bhavan will organize Santhigiri fest, quiz and chess tournament with the help of CBSE schools in the state, besides a State-level kho kho tournament. Tourism circuit programmes with a Central of Rs 68 L include functions in New Delhi, Guwahati, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Mysore, Pondicherry, Goa, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Gujarat, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari. Santhigiri will popularize Indian systems of medicine across the globe. Karuna fresh water programme will be developed as a model for other states. On the anvil are biodiversity park, dairy for conventional cow breeds, skill development centre, Yoga institute, Santhigiri Global Ayush village and integrated multi-system hospital complex. Seminars, talk series, spiritual conclaves, medical camps, exhibitions, inter-religious meetings, youth rallies, art, culture and womens empowerment meetings will highlight 60 years of the ashram, founded by Karunakara Guru on August 30, 1957 at Varkala. Sufi saint Khuraishi Fakir, who inspired Karunakara Guru, inaugurated the ashram at Pothencode. According to sources, AAP has now offered two seats to Congress in Delhi and open for alliance in Punjab as well. Congress, however, is holding out for three seats. (Photo: File) New Delhi: After much drama over so-called talks on seat sharing in Delhi for the May elections, Congress state chief Sheila Dikshit brought the curtains down, claiming there has been a unanimous decision in the party to reject any offers for an alliance. Reports earlier suggested the Congress was interested in a pact with AAP, though the ruling party had already announced its candidates for six of the seven parliamentary seats in Delhi. Reports suggested the AAP was ready to give the Congress 2 seats one where there would be a friendly fight between joint candidates but the Congress wanted 3 seats. Talks must have fallen through which prompted Dikshit to reject an alliance deal. Congresss Ahmed Patel and AAPs Sanjay Singh were chief negotiators for the alliance formation. In a recent public meeting, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that he was tired of convincing the Congress for an alliance in general elections to defeat BJP. If there is an alliance, the BJP will lose all the seven Lok Sabha seats it currently has in Delhi," Kejriwal said at a recent rally. "I don't know what they have in their minds," he further said. In 2014 general elections, BJP won all seven seats of Delhi but AAP found tremendous support. In 2015 assembly elections, AAP won 67 of Delhis 70 seats, the Congress drew a blank. Name came up during grilling of accused, who were held from Thane, Aurangabad. Mumbai: Tuesday detained a doctor who allegedly funded the busted group. The investigators said that the doctor was detained from Khuldabad in Aurangabad district, questioned and later released. However, he has been instructed to not leave the district. The officials said that the doctors name came up during the interrogation of the IS suspects, which hinted towards receipt of monetary help from him. The officials grilled him for several hours and since he was not placed under arrest formally, he was allowed to go. He may be summoned again for questioning in the case. Nothing more can be revealed at this moment, said a police officer. Ahead of the Republic Day, the ATS had arrested nine IS suspects, including a juvenile, in January after conducting separate raids at Mumbra and Aurangabad. The ATS had learnt that the said suspects were likely to target events with heavy footfall by poisoning food and water supplies there. Among those arrested are two engineers, a pharmacist and the 17-year-old suspect, a college student of science stream. The arrested accused also includes the son of underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahims henchman Abdul Rashid Hussain alias Rashid Malabari. Malabari is one of the sharpshooters of the gang and the ATS is also probing a possible underworld link in the case. They were apprehended while being in the process of mixing and matching and conducting experiments in mini laboratories at their Mumbra and Aurangabad hideouts. Following their arrest, the ATS had seized suspicious liquid in a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and an unknown powder, which they were planning to mix to make the poison. Kejriwal tweeted, 'at a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi- Shah duo, Cong is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote.' (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday lashed out at Congress's decision to not forge an alliance in Delhi for 2019 Lok Sabha polls with his party. AAP has accused Congress of forming an unofficial alliance with BJP. "Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance," Arvind Kejriwal tweeted. At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi- Shah duo, Cong is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote. Rumours r that Cong has some secret understanding wid BJP. Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance. https://t.co/JUsYMjxCxy Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 5, 2019 He tweeted minutes after Sheila Dikshit announced that Congress will not come into alliance with AAP. The unanimous decision came after Congress president Rahul Gandhi held a two-hour meet with party's state leader at his home. Read: After talks fail over seats, Congress rejects any alliance with AAP in Delhi Earlier reports came that AAP and Congress are on negotiations over seat sharing in Delhi, where AAP was ready to give two seats but Congress was demanding three. Interestingly, the ruling party had already announced candidates for six of the seven parliamentary seats in Delhi and one seat was left for a independent candidate. Charging the opposition of doing politics over the strike, the Home Minister Rajnath Singh suggested the Congress to go to Pakistan and count the bodies if they want to know how many terrorists were killed. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the number of terrorists killed in the air strike by Indian Air Force on the training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pakistans Balakot would be known today or tomorrow. He claimed that the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) system had informed about the presence of around 300 active mobile phones at the site before the air strike by India. Charging the opposition of doing politics over the strike, the Home Minister suggested the Congress to go to Pakistan and count the bodies if they want to know how many terrorists were killed. Some leaders of the other political parties are asking how many terrorists were killed in the IAF strike. Today or tomorrow, it will be known. Pakistan and their leaders heart know how many were killed, Singh said while addressing the public after inaugurating a border project by the BSF. He took a dig at the opposition for questioning the number of terrorists killed and said the parties were up to, kitne mare, kitne mare? (how many died?) Should our Air Force go and count the bodies after the attack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...? What is this joke? he questioned. The NTRO, which has an authentic system, said that 300 mobile phones were active (at the Balakot site). Were these mobile phones used by the trees? Now will you (opposition) not believe the NTRO also? Singh said. He said politics should not be done only to form government, but it should be done to build the country. If my Congress friends feel that the numbers should be informed to them, then I would like to say that if you want to go to Pakistan, then go, count and ask people there that how many were killed by our Air Force jawans, Singh said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi after concluding his two-day visit to Gujarat, marked his presence at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi after concluding his two-day visit to Gujarat, marked his presence at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Speaking at the public meeting, PM Modi slammed the opposition for questioning the ability of the Indian forces post aerial strike. Modi in a veiled attack to the Congress said, The party that ruled our country for decades is now questioning the ability of our brave forces, especially a leader from MP. Today, he said Pulwama terror attack is an accident. This is their mentality, he is the same person who gave Pakistan a clean chit during 26/11 attacks. Talking about the Indo-Pak situation, Modi said that India gave a befitting reply to the supporters of terror and terrorism and they have left with no option but to change. Earlier on Tuesday, Modi launched the Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana pension scheme for the unorganised sector in Ahmedabad. Post the launch, Modi at the rally here, again slammed the opposition at a rally which he said has come together only to target him. In the public address, PM Modi said that they are busy with strikes on him, while Modi is launching strikes on terror. The opposition wants to get rid of me. They want to remove Modi, I want to remove corruption. They want to strike Modi, I want to strike terrorism, said Modi. Opposition party leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav had asked for details of the air strike and its impact following skeptical reports by a section of the world media. Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Digvijaya Singh had also asked for evidence. Banerjee asked the Modi-led government that why not a single joint-meeting was called post the Indian Air Force's strike revealing its details? Moreover, the BJP's ally Shiv Sena in Maharashtra said on Tuesday that citizens have the ''right to know" about the casualties in the air strike. BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday said over 250 terrorists were killed in the airstrike carried out by the Indian Air Force on the "13th day of dastardly Pulwama Terror attack." 'All thieves are now united against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while in Jalna, too, thieves have ganged up against me,' he added. (Photo: Facebook) Jalna, Maharashtra: A video has surfaced on social media purportedly showing Maharashtra BJP president and Jalna MP Raosaheb Danve telling a public meeting that he would give money in lieu of support to get elected again. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP is also heard saying "all thieves" have united against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and him. "I will give you money to support me in the election... My opponents do not have money.... Will you support me?" he was purportedly heard saying in the clip that surfaced on social media on March 2 when the public meeting was held. "All thieves are now united against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while in Jalna, too, thieves have ganged up against me," he added. Danve was not available for comment. Recently, local MLA and Shiv Sena minister Arjun Khotkar announced that he would contest against Raosaheb Danve to tame the "arrogance" of the BJP. Danve's statement against his opponents has come at a time when his party is trying to dissuade Arjun Khotkar from contesting against the state BJP chief. The Sena and the BJP last month announced a seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra assembly elections. The state polls are due in the second half of 2019. Senior BJP minister Subhash Deshmukh on Monday held a meeting with Khotkar and Danve to sort out differences between them. Not new to controversy, Raosaheb Danve had triggered a row in 2017 when he reportedly said farmers continued to complain despite the state government efforts. Raosaheb Danve has been winning the Jalna Lok Sabha seat since 1999. Representatives of the five entities testing autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh Aptiv, Argo AI, Aurora Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University, and Uber expressed their support for Pedutos measure. (Image: AP) Companies testing autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh will have to immediately report crashes resulting in any injuries as part of new guidelines announced Monday intended to boost public confidence in the testing after a deadly accident in Arizona last year. Karina Ricks, director of the citys Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, said the city was working on guidelines before the March 18 accident in Tempe when one of Ubers autonomous test vehicles hit and killed a pedestrian as she crossed a dark road outside the lines of a crosswalk. The Tempe incident raised the urgency for the guidelines, Ricks said. The Pittsburgh guidelines were included in an executive order signed by Mayor Bill Peduto. We dont want that situation to happen again, said Raj Rajkumar, professor, and co-director of the General Motors-Carnegie Mellon Vehicular Information Technology Collaborative Research Lab. Another accident would cause a social backlash, he said, adding that he hopes guidelines such as those adopted by Pittsburgh and the testing companies will help alleviate public concerns. This indicates that the city wants the technology to develop, to evolve, to measure, and they want to work with the companies and the university where the technology was born, he said. Representatives of the five entities testing autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh Aptiv, Argo AI, Aurora Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University, and Uber expressed their support for Pedutos measure. These five companies have 30 days to submit initial information, such as neighborhoods where they expect to conduct testing, hours, and safety and risk mitigation plans, Ricks said. Newcomers the city expects more companies to consider Pittsburgh as a testing ground must submit the information 10 days before the start of on-road testing. Under the guidelines, companies have three days to report crashes resulting in any damage. Pedutos order also calls for companies to provide more information to the city than the state currently requires, such as requiring each tester to report total miles, even when in manual mode. The companies will have to submit reports twice a year to the city, which will then issue summary reports to the public, Ricks said. We really want to find out is what you are doing. Let us understand how you are using our city streets, she said. Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who studies self-driving vehicles, said Pittsburgh is taking a step in the right direction. You cant be a partner if you have no power, Smith said. Its about trust. Are companies doing the right thing? Are they being transparent? Are they owning up to mistakes? The city, however, will not require testers to report every time the autonomous system is disengaged, which is a requirement in California. When drivers disengage the autonomous systems, they often may be doing it out of caution rather than due to a technological flaw, she said. It may actually be a positive sign of conservative safety procedures in the camp. Unfortunately, when you report disengagements to the lay public, it may (be) reinterpreted as substandard technology or that is not ready for testing on the public streets. When the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation gave its permission in December for Uber to resume road testing of autonomous vehicles, it required the ride-sharing service to have at least one human backup driver two if the company plans to go over 25 miles (40 kilometers) per hour in every autonomous vehicle. Ricks said all autonomous vehicles road-tested in Pittsburgh now have two human backup drivers, regardless of speed limits. Although completely driverless operations are many years away and there are many steps of growing pains to go through, Rajkumar said, continued road-testing is crucial. Peduto said his executive order calls for a partnership built on trust, understanding of mission and shared values. The city wants to work hand-in-hand with autonomous vehicle developers, he said. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Huaweis suit is likely to argue that the NDAA provision is a bill of attainder. (Photo: AP) Chinese telecoms Equipment Company Huawei plans to announce a lawsuit against the United States government on Thursday on grounds related to a defence bill, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Huawei is preparing to announce that it is suing the US government in a court in Texas by challenging addition to the US National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) signed last year, according to the source. The new NDAA act, which Beijing had condemned as targeting China, controlled US government contracts with Chinese companies including Huawei and strengthened the role of the panel that reviews foreign investment proposals. The New York Times first reported Huaweis planned legal move on Monday, citing two people familiar with the matter. Huawei declined to comment. It had invited Reuters and other international media to a press conference at its Shenzhen headquarters in China on Thursday. Such a move would be the latest in a series of responses from the Chinese company as Washington tries to persuade allies to ban Huawei from business alleging espionage risks. Huawei has repeatedly denied the claims. On Sunday, lawyers for Huaweis Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou sued the Canadian government, its border agency and federal police, alleging their client was detained, searched and interrogated for three hours in violation of her constitutional rights. That comes after Canada on Friday approved a hearing on a US extradition request for Meng on charges related to breaking Iran sanctions. The New York Times cited a source as saying Huaweis suit is likely to argue that the NDAA provision is a bill of attainder, or a legislative act that singles out a person or group for punishment without trial, according to the newspaper report. Canada arrested Meng in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, which has brought sweeping charges against her and Huawei that portray the company as a threat to US national security. The case has strained Canadas relations with China. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Washington: The United States is trying to find a common ground between India and Pakistan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said, describing Kashmir as a long-standing battle between the two South Asian neighbours. Pompeo cited the India-Pak dispute and the Israeli conflict as recent examples of America's negotiating diplomatic skills, about which he was asked at the "Future Farmers of America" event in Iowa on Monday. "How do you try to find a common ground, negotiate on behalf of the United States?," the top American diplomat was asked. "So if you take a look at the most complex problems -- what's a good example? The debate to try to figure out how to get Middle East peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, or in the news recently, the longstanding battle in Kashmir between the Indians and the Pakistanis. The work that we do as diplomats is to try and find places where there's common ground," Pompeo told farmers. "There are places where there's -- you all do this too in your everyday life. There are clearly things that are different. In some cases, you see value sets that are different. In some cases, there are territorial disputes. In some cases, the arguments arise out of faith. Sometimes they're fighting over resources, right, not just land, but wealth, whether that's oil underground or natural gas or water, whatever it may be," he said. America's effort, he said, was to figure out the places where there was a real overlap. "And then it is to convince those -- sometimes we're in the middle of it, sometimes we're just trying to help bring resolution to a problem or to reduce violence in a particular conflict -- it's to make the case that nobody's going to get everything," he said. "This is -- was my joke at the beginning -- in that indeed each party's going to have to accept something less than perfection, something that frankly they think they deserve and just not going to end up with, but convince them that over some extended period of time, that the outcome that everyone's looking for -- if they can find a way to work together to achieve it -- will deliver better outcomes for each of them. May not be perfection, but it will be better," Pompeo said, offering an insight into his diplomatic negotiating skills. To make matters worse India has 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities in the world. (Representational Image) New Delhi: According to a new study showing South-Asias battle with deteriorating air quality and the global climate accord, India accounts for having seven of the top 10 of the most polluted cities in the world. Gurgaon which is located in Indias capital New Delhi, is the most polluted city in the world, according to data released by IQ Air Visual and Greenpeace. Even though Gurgaon was able to better its pollution score from the previous year it still led the charts. Pakistans Faisalabad was the only non-Indian city in the top 5, with Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Bhiwadi making the cut. The index measures the presence of PM 2.5 which is a pollutant which can go deep in the lungs and bloodstream of a human being causing various respiratory and other lung diseases. The executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia said that these high pollution numbers can have enormous impacts on health and even our wallets. Along with the death toll arising with these pollution figures, there's an estimated cost of USD 225 billion in lost labour and trillions in medical costs. To make matters worse India has 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities in the world with China having 5, Pakistan with 2 and one in Bangladesh. The World Bank reckons as much as 8.5 per cent of Indias GDP is racked up in health care costs and productivity losses due to pollution. China made tremendous strides in its otherwise dismal showing in managing pollution figures, with as much as 12 per cent fall in average concentrations from the previous year. This should help President Xi Jinping in his National People's Congress meetings that start this week. Both patients underwent bone marrow transplants to treat blood cancers, receiving stem cells from donors with a genetic mutation present in less than one percent of Europeans that prevents HIV from taking hold. Paris: For just the second time ever a HIV patient is in sustained remission from the virus in what was hailed by experts on Tuesday as proof that the AIDS-causing condition could one day be curable. Ten years almost to the day since the first confirmed case of an HIV-infected person being rid of the deadly disease, a man known only as the London patient has shown no sign of the virus for nearly 19 months, doctors reported in the journal Nature. Both patients underwent bone marrow transplants to treat blood cancers, receiving stem cells from donors with a genetic mutation present in less than one percent of Europeans that prevents HIV from taking hold. It is a landmark. After 10 years of not being able to replicate (the first case), people were wondering if this was a fluke, said lead author Ravindra Gupta, a professor at the University of Cambridge. I think it is important to reaffirm that this is real and it can be done, Gupta said. The minister was quoted by Samaa news agency, during a press conference last month, where he referred to the Hindus as 'cow urine-drinking people'. (Photo: ANI) Islamabad: Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan became a target of intense criticism by senior members of his party, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf following his castigating remarks on the Hindus. The minister was quoted by Samaa news agency, during a press conference last month, where he referred to the Hindus as "cow urine-drinking people". "We are Muslims and we have a flag, the flag of Maula Alia's bravery, and flag of Hazrat Umara's valour. You don't have that flag; it isn't in your hands," the Minister was quoted. "Don't operate under the delusion that you are seven times better than us. What we have, you can't have, you idol-worshippers," Chohan said in a video that went viral on the social media. The remarks by Chohan came amid reports of escalating tension between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans. In response to the attack on the minorities, Minister for Human Rights, Shireen Mazari condemned Chohan's statement saying, "No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have also sacrificed for their country. Our Prime Minister's message is always of tolerance and respect and we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred." Reiterating the same, Prime Minister Imran Khan's Special Assistant on Political Affairs Naeemul Haque, in his tweet said, "The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan, the Punjab Minister demands strict action. PTI government will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the government or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister." Finance Minister Asad Umar also said that the flag of Pakistan is not just green and it is not complete without the white which represents the minorities. "Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember Quaide Azam's whole struggle was for a country free of discrimination," Umar said. Columnist Mehr Tarar further took to Twitter, demanding an "unconditional apology" from Chohan, followed by his resignation. According to reports, at least 1.6 per cent of Pakistan's population is Hindu and Hinduism is the second largest religion followed in the country. The PTI government itself has at least seven Hindu members of the National Assembly and four minority members in the Punjab Assembly. The unfortunate part is the political leadership's role in adding to the overall confusion. The Indian Air Force strike on Balakot has not turned out to be as complete a success as one would have hoped. This is largely because of two factors -- the ineptness of India's political leadership and Pakistani propaganda. The Pakistan government has successfully muddied facts surrounding the two issues related to the Balakot airstrike -- first, whether the intended target at Balakot was hit at all, and second, whether India lost the dogfight over Akhnoor. The Pakistani media fed by its military establishment reported that no terrorist infrastructure or camp at Balakot was hit by IAF Mirages that intruded deep into Pakistani territory. Going by the Pakistani account, only a few trees were hit. This narrative was picked up by the international media and some American commentators chipped in by claiming that satellite imagery did not show any significant damage in the area. The international media also lapped up the Pakistani claim that its air force had shot down two Indian fighters, one of which fell in its territory and the other in India. In truth, India lost only one fighter, a MiG-21. A few days later, the New York Times ran a story headlined: "After India Loses Dogfight to Pakistan, Questions Arise About Its 'Vintage' Military". Few reports were flattering of the IAF's remarkable achievements and there were few clarifications offered in the international media, while the domestic media followed a hyper nationalistic line, claiming the return of downed MiG-21 pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman a huge success. The unfortunate part is the political leadership's role in adding to the overall confusion. Instead of speaking in one, moderated voice, the overall effect was a cacophony of largely self-serving statements. The initial "leaks" by the political establishment in New Delhi suggested that 300 to 350 terrorists had been killed in the IAF airstrike on Balakot. Official statements however had not put a figure on the number of kills. India's foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale had merely stated "a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis were eliminated". This did not prevent BJP president Amit Shah from declaring at an election rally a few days later that "more than 250" terrorists were killed in that operation. How he arrived at the figure remains a mystery. If all this was not bad enough, another BJP minister, S.S. Ahluwalia, told reporters that the aim of the Indian Air Force strike in Pakistan's Balakot was not to cause "any human casualty" but to prove that India is capable of hitting deep inside enemy territory. What was this all about -- the world's first "peaceful airstrike"? A news agency reported that at another rally in Surat, BJP president Amit Shah said: "Earlier our jawans used to be beheaded and insulted, but today situation is such that when our jawan fell in Pakistan while shooting down an F-16, within 24 hours he was back. This change is because of Narendra Modi's will power." [ANI tweet of March 3, 2019] The unfortunate and rather blatant use of the military action for electoral advantage attracted the expected counter reaction from the Opposition but every dissenting voice was shouted down. Anyone doubting the efficacy of the airstrikes was dubbed anti-national and a friend of Pakistan. This kind of Orwellian rhetoric is unprecedented. And so is the level of ignorance -- a pilot is not a jawan. It was left to IAF's doughty chief, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, to clear the air. His press conference made two things very clear: first, that the intended targets at Balakot had indeed been hit; second, that the IAF might not have done as badly in the dogfight as portrayed by the Pakistani and Western media. He said: "I think they have lost an F-16 aircraft in that combat." The Pakistani disinformation about the IAF losing two planes appears to have been a deliberate ploy to hide the fact that their own frontline aircraft had been shot down by a MiG-21. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the pilot of the downed F-16 was lynched by his own countrymen. The Air Chief also made it clear that the IAF was in no position to estimate the number of deaths caused by its missiles in Balakot. Those informed about military matters must know that targets in today's air combat situations are rarely sighted visually by pilots but are pinpointed by highly accurate coordinates fed into computer guidance systems. Today's fighter pilot does not have to physically see the target to hit it. The idea that a few trees were hit is ludicrous. Besides, as the Air Chief pointed out, why would the Pakistanis risk a reaction to the strikes if it just hit a few trees? Reports from within Pakistan suggest that several Jaish-e-Mohammed commanders were indeed killed and the jihadi outfit has vowed vengeance. Though the Air Chief's press conference cleared many uncertainties, the damage was done. For no one reads the small print or the denials that follow a story. As far as the world and the Pakistani public were concerned, the Indian action was at best a partial success. This is not good. A military action to have its desired effect must be believed to have been effective and devastating. Instead we have drifted into a grey zone. The country to is divided into two camps - one that believes that we should "de-escalate" and open dialogue for a peaceful solution and the other that demands the shift in New Delhi's strategic stance be pushed to its logical conclusion through harder, more credible military action. While dialogue and peace are all very laudable, it has been proved time and again that they don't work against Pakistan's military establishment, which is essentially a Timurid entity that only understands the language of force. Diplomacy too will not work here as long as China remains loyal to its "all-weather friend" and the United States seeks Pakistani help in trying to wriggle out of Afghanistan. Overt and covert offensive actions are the only real alternatives left. The problem is that our political leadership chooses not to realise that any type of strike, surgical or otherwise, requires effective instruments, super sharp scalpels and not rusty old ones painted over with fake political chrome. Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday expressed anger on federal minister for water resources Faisal Vawda for having an unreasonable photo session along the Line of Control (LoC). God bless, you did not cross the LoC, the Prime Minister said while expressing distress on that publicity stunt in a meeting. Mr Vawda at the LoC took a photo session, and later uploaded photos on the social media. According to sources, the remarks came from the PM during a high-level meeting. Meanwhile, hundreds of families have been forced to go back to their homes and take shelter in government buildings or other safe places because of the Indian shelling along the LoC. Many camps have been set up to provide shelter to the families, according to districts administration and the state disaster management authority. The administration has confirmed that people from Samahani, Abba-spur, Hajeera, Chakothi, Khuiratta, Nakyal, Kotli, Fatehpur Thakyala, Khu-rsheedabad and other areas near the LoC had migrated to safer areas. Nakyal sector of Kotli district is said to be the worst hit sector. It was the first such incident since 2016, when Pakistan said it had pushed an Indian submarine away from Pakistani waters. Islamabad: Pakistan has prevented an Indian submarine from entering its waters, the navy said on Tuesday. The claim came as tensions continue to run high between the nuclear-armed foes. The development came days after a rare aerial dogfight between Pakistan and India over the disputed territory of Kashmir ignited fears of an all-out conflict, with world powers rushing to urge restraint. A naval spokesman said in a statement, The Indian submarine was not targeted in line with the governments policy of maintaining peace. It was the first such incident since 2016, when Pakistan said it had pushed an Indian submarine away from Pakistani waters. The spokesman did not give further details, including when or whe-re the submarine was detected. It was also not clear if they meant the 12 nautical mile (22 kilometre) territorial wate-rs limit or the broader 200 nautical mile (370 kilometre) exclusive economic zone. Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday once again warned about a possibility of a terror attack from the sea, similar to what happened in 26/11. We have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out attacks with varying modus operandi including through the medium of the sea, Admiral Lanba said at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue that began here with participants from 13 countries. The Navy chief is the second high-ranking official to warn about the threat of sea-borne terrorism in the recent past. In January, Hansraj Ahir, the minister of state in the ministry of home affairs, alerted about a similar threat. Available inputs indicate that the Pakistan-based terrorist groups continue to train their cadres for underwater strike capabilities in a bid to infiltrate them into India by sea/water ways. As per available inputs, the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation had exhorted its cadres for Samundari Jihad against India, Ahir told the Rajya Sabha on January 2. More than 10 years ago, India experienced one of its deadliest terror attacks in Mumbai in which 10 Pakistan-trained Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists reached the Maximum City by a fishing boat and wrecked havoc by killing nearly 200 people and destroying the iconic Taj hotel. Admiral Lanba said that India experienced a far more serious version of terrorism than the ones faced by other countries in the Indo-Pacific region. You have all witnessed the horrific scale of the extremist attack in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir just 3 weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a state which seeks to destabilise India, said India's senior most military officer referring to the Pulwama attack. Representatives of India's Quad partners Australia, the USA and Japan are among the 13 countries attending the Dialogue. Others on the table are Bangladesh, Canada, China, Indonesia, Israel, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. The Indo-Pacific Region has witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years, and few countries in this part of the world have been spared by this scourge. The global nature which terrorism has acquired in recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat, said Admiral Lanba, who chairs the Chief of Staff Committee. We have seen how quickly terrorist groups evolve across the globe and this particular brand of terror may well become a global problem in the near future. The Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace. It is imperative that the global community acts in concert to contain and eliminate terrorism, in all its forms, he observed while seeking the international community's support to end the scourge. FATF should take note of Islamabads duplicity and proceed to take disciplinary steps. Much is made of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans intention to bring about a naya, or new, Pakistan the slogan on which Mr Khan had gone into last years election in which he emerged victorious, with not a little help from the Army. Public figures in that country who favour peace and normalisation of ties with India believe this PM is of a mind to work for those goals. But there doesnt seem to be sufficient indication of this yet if his governments treatment of UN-outlawed terrorist outfits is any indication. On February 21, a week after the Pulwama terror strike, Pakistan announced it had proscribed Jamaat-ud-Dawa, linked to Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, which is responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008, and the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, its so-called charity arm. This has turned out to be bogus, and is apparently meant to hoodwink the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international body that tracks terror funding, which cautioned Islamabad that it hasnt done enough. According to a list of Pakistans National Counter-Terrorism Authority, updated as recently as March 4, JuD and FIF were not banned but merely placed on a watchlist. Facing heat from the world community after the Indian airstrike at Balakot, Mr Khans government has now applied the UN Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order against the outfits that should have been banned. On Tuesday, Pakistan arrested 44 individuals linked to terrorist outfits, including the brother and son of Jaish chief Masood Azhar. This is underwhelming. Watchlists and arrests are really nothing new. Subsequently, life goes on as usual. FATF should take note of Islamabads duplicity and proceed to take disciplinary steps. Foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale was careful in placing only limited facts on the record. This summer will be unusually hot. The rising temperature from what still is only the early round of campaigning is already becoming too much to bear. Weve seen bickering and bitterness before, but all boundaries are being crossed this time. The most unfortunate and dangerous fallout is the dragging of the armed forces into the political slugfest. The manner in which the debate over the Indian airstrikes across the border, Pakistans detention and subsequent release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman and the way the claims and counter-claims between India and Pakistan have unfolded is worrying, to say the least. We have an official account of what transpired in the non-military pre-emptive action launched by India on February 26. Foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale was careful in placing only limited facts on the record. He said: In an intelligence-led operation, India struck the biggest training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Balakot. In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated. This facility at Balakot was headed by Maulana Yousuf Azhar (alias Ustad Ghouri), the brother-in-law of Masood Azhar, the chief of JeM. Now, we have heard many spinoffs and variants of what actually happened on the ground. None of them are official accounts but they have served to create confusion and serve political ends. In this unfortunate game, the numbers of the terrorists reportedly killed on the Pakistani side are usually and conveniently rounded off to the next 50. Thus, we have heard over the past week, depending on who is speaking or reporting and on what occasion, that 200, 300 or even 350 terrorists were killed in the pre-emptive strikes launched by India in response to the gruesome suicide bombing of CRPF personnel in Pulwama. The 300-350 number has been reported by some media outlets and attributed to an unnamed government official. Reuters also added this counter-quote of a local driver to their account of what happened on the ground in Pakistan: No one died. Only some pine trees died; they were cut down. A crow also died. Minister of state S.S. Ahluwalia was right when he said over the weekend that no official count of the number of people eliminated has been cited by anyone on record. Strictly speaking, that is correct. But that statement by Mr Ahluwalia didnt hold for long. Soon enough, and as if to counter that statement, BJP president Amit Shah has claimed the strikes killed 250 terrorists. The Opposition parties are not to be left behind, and are seeking evidence of the damage that has been claimed to be inflicted on the Pakistani side. The genuineness or otherwise of these claims apart, and the propriety of discussing a serious policy action with deep ramifications in so frivolous a manner apart, these statements draw the armed forces into needless controversies. In the thick of what will be a bitterly fought election, this kind of tempo is prone to sliding down to the very bottom and causing deep harm to the nation, to Indias preparedness in the fight against terror and the way the nation is perceived and the support it receives in its diplomatic endeavours. The airstrikes undertaken at great risk to the Indian side are not a tool to aid the election campaign of any political party. The BJP is already under fire for using the strikes to score political points. The BJP president and the Prime Minister are both not averse to making this an election issue. Talking of this specific issue and the intelligence response to it is very different from talking in general of the security of the nation and the political positions of the BJP on terrorism or the handling of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The specific and the general are being happily and deliberately mixed up to pull support. This is disingenuous and forces a political divide on an issue where there is none. Added to it are voices like that of BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa, who has also claimed that many Pakistani terrorists were killed and gave credit to Narendra Modi for the safe return of Wing Commander Varthaman. He even counted the seats that all this would help the BJP win in Karnataka. In Delhi, BJP leader Manoj Tewari wore Army fatigues to an election rally in a brazen and naked attempt to cash in on the border tensions. The signals are clear. Party workers will take these messages to thousands of smaller rallies and a myriad of political activities as the campaign picks up. But the activation has been so blunt that voters are bound to see through the gimmick. The BJP will run the risk of losing the initial electoral high it thought it could drive because of the airstrikes. The Opposition has been steadfast and has raised some simple but important questions. If the BJP tries to sell the idea of the damage it inflicted on the terrorists, then the Opposition will be drawn to ask for proof of the damage. If the death of terrorists in an airstrike is political fodder, then the Opposition cannot be blamed for asking for the source of that information. This blatant politicisation of a dangerous conflict has to stop forthwith. The BJP can take the issue of security to the polls. But all political parties must be brought on board with the clear understanding that the cross-border strikes will not be discussed, that soldiers who died in battle will not become the subject of ugly political bickering and that all sides will agree on some basics that they can reiterate from their respective platforms. To that end, political parties must be offered an off-the-record briefing from the highest civilian and military levels on the issue. They must all agree not to discuss the specifics in election rallies. The one statement that all parties can and must agree on and repeat is simple, clear and clean it is that the nation stands as one in the fight against terror. What is missing from our political leadership today is that one line that said it well in Mrs Indira Gandhis statement on December 3, 1971, at the time of the Bangladesh conflict: In (our) resolve, the government is assured of the full and unflinching support of all political parties and every Indian citizen. SALT LAKE CITY Members of the U.S. House of Representatives indulged in a bit of mostly bipartisan unity Tuesday, throwing their support behind a gargantuan public lands bill with a host of deliverables for the nation. S47 is described by its supporters as the most significant piece of public lands conservation legislation in more than a decade and is actually about 100 bills cobbled together. It passed 363-62. "This is a good piece of legislation," said Rep. Ron Bishop, R-Utah, urging his colleagues' vote of support during comments on the House floor. Bishop added that the legislation solves local problems and its basis is "it puts people above government." The measure passed the Senate on Feb. 12 and now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature. Although it creates 1.3 million acres of new wilderness, Bishop said the bill does it the "right way" through an act of Congress and the federal estate across the country actually shrinks by nearly 18,000 acres. In Utah, federally controlled public land diminishes by 6,302 acres. Bishop and many of his colleagues said the bill solves parochial issues of deep local concern. Hyde Park, Cache County, gets 80 acres of federal land for water storage, and in Oregon, a wilderness study area boundary will be adjusted to allow for more active fire management for the vulnerable community of Crooked River Ranch. The bill establishes the Jurassic National Monument in Emery County, a new national conservation area, more active management at San Rafael Swell and expands Goblin Valley State Park. "After 20 years of outreach to a wide variety of stakeholders, I am excited to see the hard work of the Emery County commissioners, Emery County Public Lands Council, and other local leaders be nationally recognized, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, said in reaction to the vote. One of the most signficant achievements in the package lauded by multiple interests are the changes it proposes to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a decades-old program that gets its money from revenue derived from offshore oil and gas activity. The changes assure it will exist in perpetuity supporters worried about lapsed funding and guarantee the state and local portion will be funded at a minimum of 40 percent. Bishop said that local funding dwindled to 12 percent under the Barack Obama administration. Hunters and anglers also win with the measure, with all federal lands declared open to hunting and fishing unless otherwise specified. "This bill is a tribute to the power of collaborative stewardship where communities of place and interest come together to protect and preserve the places they live and the rivers they love to fish, said Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited. There is more work to follow, and our efforts to protect and restore the lands and waters that we cherish is never done, but today is a day to celebrate," Wood said. The praise was echoed by John Gilroy, director of U.S. Public Lands Conservation at the Pew Charitable Trusts. Congress has found common ground today by sending the president legislation sponsored by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle that will protect more wild places for Americans to hike, hunt, fish, paddle, camp and climb," he said. The bill's passage earned local praise from Scott Groene, executive director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. He noted its protection of more than 600,000 acres in a new conservation area in the San Rafael Swell. SALT LAKE CITY A bill banning doctors from performing pelvic examinations on anesthetized patients without their consent passed the Senate unanimously Monday and now goes the House. SB188, sponsored by Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, said the idea someone "could be treated like for lack of a better term, a lab rat, to do whatever inspections someone wants to do on them seems egregious. None of us would agree to it." McCay and other senators reacted to Deseret News and other reports of nonconsensual pelvic exams, a practice accepted for years as a way to train new doctors. "I was absolutely horrified that this is not only happening but it has been defended," Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said. "I understand doctors need to practice. I get that. But I think patients should consent to that." Weiler even suggested paying patients who do agree to the examinations. Sen. Deidre Henderson, R-Spanish Fork, said she "was really, really shocked to read this is a practice that actually happens in the United States and pretty appalled that we even need a bill addressing this issue." Henderson said when she delivered her second child in a hospital, she was asked repeatedly if students could "practice" on her and always gave her consent even though the situation was "awkward and uncomfortable." SALT LAKE CITY Can taxpayer money go toward repairs for historic churches? The Supreme Court won't answer that question at least not yet. Justices announced Monday they won't hear a case involving a historic preservation grant program in Morris County, New Jersey, which has excluded churches since April 2018. In their petition to the court, officials and churches in the area argued that this ban on religious applicants represents unlawful discrimination. "Excluding houses of worship from New Jersey's historic preservation program violates the First Amendment," Morris County officials claimed in their petition. The Supreme Court's decision allows the lower court ruling that led to the exclusion of churches to stand, but doesn't affect historic preservation programs elsewhere. It also delays the resolution of a growing debate over when religious organizations should have access to government funds. Some legal analysts say taxpayer money should never support religious activity, even indirectly. "Public funds should support buildings and programs that benefit all members of the community, not build or repair churches that are used primarily by members of one faith," said Richard B. Katskee, legal director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, in a statement released Monday. Others say the Constitution bans excluding religious groups from public grants simply because they're religious, pointing to a 2017 Supreme Court ruling that seems to support this view. "Time does not discriminate," said Diana Verm, legal counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented Morris County in its petition to the Supreme Court, in a statement. "It takes its toll on all our historic structures, secular and religious alike. The county should not be forced to discriminate by favoring secular sites in its preservation efforts." Rulings in related cases hold serious consequences for houses of worship nationwide, which are struggling with how to fund building upkeep amid declining membership. Some congregations have to relocate when they can't afford repairs to historic buildings and can't access public grant programs, as the Deseret News reported last year. These moves affect more than church members, the article noted. Neighborhoods lose historic charm and character when old churches are demolished and replaced with condos or office buildings. "Sacred buildings affect our orientation to society," said Julio Bermudez, director of the Sacred Space and Cultural Studies graduate concentration at the Catholic University of America School of Architecture and Planning, to the Deseret News last year. "Their presence and character lends us a sense of solemnity and respect." The Morris County, New Jersey, historic preservation program acknowledged the significance of religious buildings, according to its supporters. Churches were allowed to apply for grant funds alongside secular buildings like libraries. "From 2012 to 2015, Morris County, New Jersey, gave more than $4.6 million to 12 churches to fix facades, stained-glass windows and aging roofs under a historic preservation program limited to local government, charitable conservancies and religious institutions," The New York Times reported. Overall, more than $11 million in grant money was disbursed during this time period. The case that the Supreme Court could have heard originated in December 2015, when the Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a complaint about the historic preservation program. It argued that giving grant money to churches violates the New Jersey Constitution's "religious aid clause," which protects residents from paying taxes to religious organizations. Initially, a state court ruled in favor of Morris County officials, explaining that the New Jersey Constitution supports "benevolent neutrality" toward faith groups. "Excluding historical churches from receipt of reimbursements available to all historical buildings would be tantamount to impermissibly withholding general benefits to certain citizens on the basis of their religion," the ruling explained. But the New Jersey Supreme Court overturned that decision last year, stating that the grant program unlawfully entangles the government with religious activity. These grants sustain "the continued use of active houses of worship for religious services and finance repairs to religious imagery. In our judgement, those grants constitute an impermissible religious use of public funds," wrote Chief Justice Stuart Rabner on behalf of the New Jersey Supreme Court. The case involved competing interpretations of the Supreme Court's 2017 ruling in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, which dealt with a playground safety program. Justices said a religiously affiliated preschool should be eligible for the safety grant, since exclusion would represent religious discrimination. "The exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution," wrote Chief Justice John Roberts. Although the ruling included a footnote aimed at limiting its application, Becket and other religious freedom advocacy groups have used it to argue that religious organizations can't be left out of a variety of funding programs, including those governing the disbursement of federal disaster relief funds. At some point, this court will need to decide whether governments that distribute historic preservation funds may deny funds to religious organizations simply because the organizations are religious. Justice Brett Kavanaugh They wanted the Supreme Court to hear the Morris County case and clarify how to apply the Trinity Lutheran ruling moving forward. Hearing the case "would allow the court to clarify that the use of generally available government funds to repair or restore historic houses of worship is not a 'religious use' outside the scope of Trinity Lutheran," argued the Morris County officials' petition. In a statement accompanying the Supreme Court's order, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that while he agrees with the court's decision not to hear the case, the Supreme Court should act soon to address confusing funding laws. The Constitution and legal precedent does not support excluding religious organizations from public grant programs simply because they're religious, he argued. "At some point, this court will need to decide whether governments that distribute historic preservation funds may deny funds to religious organizations simply because the organizations are religious," Kavanaugh wrote. However, he added that confusion in the legal record over who is eligible for the Morris County historic preservation grants and the short period of time that's passed since the Trinity Lutheran decision make it an inopportune time for the Supreme Court to hear the case. "As always, a denial of certiorari does not imply agreement or disagreement with the decision of the relevant federal court of appeals or state supreme court," Kavanaugh wrote. His statement was joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch. SALT LAKE CITY After nearly an hour of sometimes emotional debate, the Senate gave initial approval to a hate crimes bill. The 19-9 vote for SB103 advances the bill to a final vote in the Senate, as soon as Tuesday. If the bill is approved then it goes to the House, but time is running out with the 45-day session ending March 14. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, said he had never felt more pressure than as the sponsor of legislation that has repeatedly failed over the years in the Utah Legislature. "This year, I know how many people are counting on us to stand up and make the hard decision and do the right thing. I feel the tremendous weight of all the communities," Thatcher said. He said he wished there was a way "to take politics out of the issue," but acknowledged there was not. Thatcher said the real question is whether "we step up as a state" to pass legislation that will protect all Utahns. The bill enhances the punishment for a crime when victims are targeted because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or a long list of other characteristics, including where they attended college. An attempt to amend SB103 to add creed and political beliefs was defeated. Sen. Kirk Cullimore, R-Draper, who made the motion, said people have been targeted for being conservatives or for wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap. Sen. Jake Anderegg, R-Lehi, also cited attacks against conservatives on social media in supporting the amendment, even though he said he "has been generally opposed to special protections for some." Anderegg, who voted against the bill, said "the reality is when were creating protected classes, we pick and choose" and that should includes "things you might not agree with. What's good for the goose has to be good for the gander." But Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, opposed the amendment because he said he didn't "want to put uncertainty" into the bill. The categories already listed, Hillyard said, already "includes what we're trying to get at." Cullimore and Hillyard were among 13 Republicans, including Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and other members of Senate leadership, who joined the six Democrats in the Senate in giving initial approval to the bill. Senate Minority Whip Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, referred to an incident where a man who allegedly said he was "here to kill a Mexican" before attacking three Hispanic men with a metal pole at a Salt Lake tire store last November. "I had to explain to my children they were safe. The irony was, I didnt feel safe myself. So this is something that affects everyone," said Escamilla, who was born in Mexico. "It really hit home. It hit home for my kids." She said Utah is a state that should not tolerate hate. Senate Minority Caucus Manager Derek Kitchen, D-Salt Lake City, the only openly gay member of the Legislature, said he's "a member of a community that happens to be targeted more frequently than others. Most of you likely are, as well." Kitchen said he's had to make peace with being called an anti-gay slur and having his life threatened. Recently, a gay pride flag flying at the restaurant he owns with his husband was vandalized. He said race or religion is often more targeted than sexual orientation, and thinking about that, "what comes to mind for me is my spouse, who happens to be not only from the Middle East, from the Muslim faith, but also happens to be LGBTQ as well." At the heart of hate crimes, Kitchen said, is that targeting someone because of who they are creates two victims the individual as well as the community they represent. Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, said he voted against what he called a "well-intentioned" bill because it could increase incarceration time, something lawmakers have opposed as part of a justice reform initiative. Thatcher, who left the Senate floor after the vote to tearfully kiss his wife, received a congratulatory hug later from Adams. Earlier in the session, Thatcher struggled to win over a majority of the Senate's GOP caucus to back a hearing for his bill. There was reluctance among Republicans to deal with the issue despite The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints indicating in January that it would not stand in the way of hate crimes legislation. During the debate, Thatcher pointed out what he called a "clarification" on the issue from the church as well as support from Gov. Gary Herbert and a majority of Utahns. EMERY, Emery County A woman died Friday in a house fire in Emery County. Firefighters from Emery, Ferron and Orangeville were called to a structure fire in the small town of Emery shortly after noon, according to a news release from the Emery County Sheriff's Office. After crews put out the blaze and deemed the home safe to enter, they found the body of Markette Eardley, 47, the release states. The fire is believed to have started in the master bedroom. Officials from Emery County Sheriff's Office and the Utah State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating, according to the release. Friends of the victim reacted to her death on social media. "Markette was an incredibly kind and loving person. Prayers go out to her sons and family," one woman wrote. "Ill miss your kindness and lifelong friendship my beautiful friend," a man wrote. SALT LAKE CITY Utah college presidents, higher education leaders and institutional boards of trustees met with lawmakers Monday to make a case for legislative initiatives intended to enhance access to college and help make it more affordable for needy students. The lunch, held in the Capitol rotunda, focused on two initiatives: the Utah College Advising Corps and the Access Utah Promise Scholarship Program. The advising corps, presently headquartered at the University of Utah, helps high school students make successful transitions to higher education under the guidance of "near peer" advisers who work in high schools. College advisers wearing buttons encouraging people to ask them about the program mingled in the room, answering questions. Margarita Arteaga Alcantara, a college access adviser at West Jordan High School, said the advising program guides underrepresented college students with all aspects of going to college such as admission requirements, financial aid, scholarships and encouraging students to see themselves as college students. "For me and my school, I feel like students really benefit from being able to identify with me ethnically and linguistically. So they feel comfortable speaking with me. Since I graduated (from high school) not that long ago, I can share my experience and they can feel a little bit more that college is realistic for them," she said. Sharing a personal story "is really what has the biggest impact on them, especially if they're first generation and they don't have anyone who has been in college in their family in the past, they don't really know what to expect," said Arteaga Alcantara, a 2016 graduate of the University of Utah. Kevin Enriquez, also a recent graduate of the U., works as a college adviser at Taylorsville High School. He said he wants to return to school to become a high school counselor, so working as an adviser helped steer him down a career path. Enriquez was guided by a college access adviser when he attended West High School. "He really looked out for me. He knew exactly what I wanted to do and what major I wanted to get into. He even got me a scholarship to go to that school," he said. "It really takes that one person to get to notice you and it goes on from there," he said. Higher education officials asked the Utah Legislature for $6 million in ongoing funds to further expand the program, which started with a dozen advisers, but an appropriations subcommittee has recommended $3 million. The Utah System of Higher Education has a goal of scaling the advising program statewide by the 2021-22 school year. Meanwhile, the Access Utah Promise Scholarship program, as proposed under HB260, would assist Utah students of limited means. They would pay no tuition or fees for four semesters to attend state colleges, universities and technical colleges. The scholarship would be limited to public institutions. "Philosophically, I can't go there, using state tax dollars in private institutions," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Derrin Owens, R-Fountain Green. "It's state tax dollars, I think should stay in the state system." The program is patterned after existing initiatives at Weber State University and Salt Lake Community College that cover costs of tuition and general student fees where federal financial aid falls short for low-income students who take full academic loads. The access scholarship would extend the effort statewide. Owens sought $30 million in ongoing state support but the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee recommended $20 million. Owens said he is optimistic of the bill's passage, which was unanimously supported by the House Education Committee and passed the Utah House on a 69-3 vote. SALT LAKE CITY A bill on parimutuel betting didn't even make it out of the starting gate on Monday after its own sponsor put it down by sending it back to languish in rules. The move by Sen. David Hinkins, R-Orangeville, on SB181effectively kills the bill and was made after the Utah League of Cities and Towns and the Stop Predatory Gambling Coalition voiced their objections. St. George Mayor Jon Pike, representing the league as well, said legalizing betting on horses could spur a "floodgate" of other forms of gambling on nearby Native American reservations. Gary Crane from the league echoed that sentiment. "It does open the gate to additional gambling," he said. Hinkins said parimutuel betting was not deemed in violation of the Utah constitutional prohibition on gambling in a state Supreme Court decision in the mid-1920s. Rather, justices said wagering on the outcome of horse racing was not "a game of chance," but instead dependent on the animal's performance. Hinkins, who races horses, said the activity would be a revenue generator for rural Utah counties rather than letting the economic gains trot out of state to Idaho and Wyoming where it is legal. The measure would have allowed voter-approved county-by-county parimutuel betting under a variety of regulations that include state audits, prohibitions of bribery and the establishment of a Breeders Award Account for development and promotion of the horse industry and breeding. Matt Bartlett, president of the Utah Horse Council, said the lack of parimutuel betting in Utah is driving horse owners to leave the state to participate in a competitive sport in which he suspects gambling is already happening around Utah. "Regulate it," he said. After the brief discussion, Hinkins made the motion to send his measure back to rules. It was voted on unanimously. SALT LAKE CITY After three voter initiatives passed in the 2018 Utah election, two of them were modified at the Legislative level. Monday the House passed three bills changing the voter initiative process and, according to some legislators, making it more difficult. HB145, sponsored by Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, passed with a 51-20 vote. The bill focuses on ensuring a voter knows what the initiative is before signing a petition and has the ability to take their name off. The bill also requires signatures to be submitted every 14 days and the list of those who have signed placed online. Thurston said he was asked to sign voter initiatives and not given correct information, including being told Proposition 3, which sought to expand Medicaid, would help place Mitt Romney on the ballot. He said it is already law that in order to sign a petition, Utahns are supposed to have read and understood the petition. "It makes it a fair issue to the voter that the voter knows what theyre signing," Thurston said. House Minority Caucus Manager Karen Kwan, D-Murray, voiced concerns that the requirement would place a penalty on those getting signatures, typically volunteers. She also said having names online could decrease the number of people signing, particularly those who sign to move the topic forward and not as an endorsement. Rep. LaWanna Lou Shurtliff, D-Ogden, also expressed concerns saying there is good in the bill, but she feels it expresses the Legislature doesn't want to hear from voters and doesn't want initiatives. HB133, sponsored by Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, delays the effective date of an initiative to the same date as bills passed during the general legislative session, or at the beginning of the year after the session if it involves a tax change. This bill passed with a 50-20 vote. "It would have been nice had we had some negotiation, transparency (and) ability to make changes in a transparent way," Daw said about the initiatives passed in the last election. Daw said the best lawmaking happens with a deliberative process. Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City, spoke against the bill saying the increase in ballot initiatives show the unwillingness of the Legislature to pass legislation that citizens support. HB195 passed with a 58-6 vote and no questions or comments on the floor aside from the sponsor, Rep. Steve Handy, R-Layton. This bill makes a few changes to the initiative process, including modifying the number of signatures from 10 percent of those who voted in the last presidential election, currently 113,000, to 8 percent of active voters, currently 115,000. The bill also moves the date packets are due to give time for verifying, developing language and any litigation. It allows challenges to the initiative to be submitted to any court instead of just the Utah Supreme Court and gives the lieutenant governor an opportunity to offer a countering opinion. "This is in no way about stifling the initiative process," Handy said. All three bills will now head to the Senate. Add the University of Pennsylvania and Baylor to the list of credible sources with data to back the wisdom of Utahs new .05 percent blood alcohol limit for drunken driving. A new study by researchers at those institutions has found that the new limit, which took effect last New Years Eve, does little to curtail the freedom to drink alcohol, but it does much to prevent death and mayhem. The studys authors said the new law does not target social drinking. Rather, it targets impaired driving. A person can still drink as much as they like, just not get behind the wheel, said co-author Stephanie Morain. She also urged other states to follow Utahs lead. Thats what happened nearly 40 years ago, when Utah was the first state to lower its legal limit to .08 percent. Congress spurred that shift along by threatening to withhold money from states that didnt comply with the new standard. Such action from Washington is unlikely to happen in todays political climate, but that doesnt mean other states shouldnt be convinced by the evidence. The new study looks at the law from an ethical analysis. In the public health ethics field, it is acceptable to restrict individual freedom in order to prevent harm to others, and the BAC .05 laws are a shining example of this philosophy, said Morain, an assistant professor in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. The study hardly stands alone in its endorsement of this new law. Other organizations behind it include the World Medical Association, American Medical Association, British Medical Association, European Commission, European Transport Safety Council, World Health Organization, Canadian Medical Association, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine and the National Transportation Safety Board. Figures from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration show that 2,017 people died nationwide in accidents involving drivers with blood alcohol contents of .01 percent to .07 percent in 2016. That ought to be convincing enough to those who say a .05 percent level is not dangerous. As a side note, this years Legislature is considering a bill that would increase the alcohol content of beer for sale at retail outlets in Utah. This would be a grave mistake, causing unwitting Utah drinkers to become inebriated faster and threatening the benefits from the new DUI law. Several other nations have adopted standards at .05 percent or lower, including much of Europe. Yet, for some reason, Americans seem intent on excusing the practice of drinking and driving. Utahs new law has faced withering criticism from opponents, most prominently the American Beverage Institute, which went so far as to buy ads in other states urging people not to visit Utah. The critics have few real arguments, other than flimsy notions about criminalizing responsible drinkers. They use virtually the exact same tactics that once were thrown against the .08 percent laws. These cant stand up to the mounting studies that show a .05 percent limit not only increases safety, it does little harm to personal freedom. China accused detained Canadian citizen Michael Kovrig of stealing state secrets. The telecom gear maker is also preparing a lawsuit against the US government over a law that restricts its market access. (Photo: AP) Chinas government and its leading smartphone maker, Huawei Technologies Ltd, stepped up pressure on Monday on the US and Canadian governments in a dispute over trade and telecoms technology that has ensnared Huaweis CFO, who faces US criminal charges. China on Monday accused detained Canadian citizen Michael Kovrig of stealing state secrets passed on to him from another detained Canadian, businessman Michael Spavor, in a move likely to increase tension between Ottawa and Beijing. The telecom gear maker is also preparing a lawsuit against the US government over a law that restricts its market access. It was the latest escalation of an unprecedented crisis for Huawei, the worlds largest telecommunications equipment maker and No. 2 manufacturer of smartphones, as Washington calls on governments around the world to stopUSing its gear, particularly in the next generation of telecommunication networks, known as 5G. Spavor, a business consultant with deep ties to Pyongyang, had been trying to drum up international interest in investing in North Korean economic projects. He and Kovrig, a former diplomat, were picked up in December, shortly after Canada arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who faces extradition to the United States. The Communist Partys Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission said Kovrig had often entered ChinaUSing an ordinary passport and business visas, stealing and spying on sensitive Chinese information and intelligence via a contact in China. We are obviously very concerned with this position that China has taken, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said about the accusations on Monday. Weve been engaging and standing up for the two Canadians who have been arbitrarily detained by China from the very beginning. Lawyers for Meng are suing the Canadian government, its border agency and federal police, alleging their client was detained, searched and interrogated for three hours in violation of her constitutional rights. Canada arrested Meng in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, which has charged her with bank and wire fraud to violate American sanctions against Iran by doing business through a subsidiary it tried to hide. In another escalation of the trans-Pacific dispute, Huawei plans to announce a lawsuit against the US government on Thursday on grounds related to a defense bill, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Huawei will challenge an addition to the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed last year, which controlled US government contracts with Chinese companies and strengthened the role of the panel that reviews foreign investment proposals. Beijing has condemned the NDAA act as targeting China. Trump last year signed the law that limits Huawei and ZTE Corps access to US government and military contracts. That is part of an all-out US effort to close the two companies access to not only the US market but major telecoms markets around the world where 5G networks are being designed and built. US lawmakers introduced bills earlier this year that would ban the sale of US chips or other components to Chinese telecommunications companies that violate US sanctions or export control laws. US officials have alleged Chinese telecom manufacturers are producing equipment that allows their government to spy onUSers abroad, including Western researchers working on leading-edge technologies. Beijing and the Chinese companies have repeatedly denied such allegations. Trump is considering declaring a national emergency that would bar US companies fromUSing telecommunications equipment made by Huawei and ZTE, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters in December. The Justice Department has also charged Huawei with stealing robotic technology from T-MobileUS Inc. Trump said in February he may or may not include Huawei and ZTE in the trade deal being negotiated with China. Trump told reporters at the White House that US officials were not talking about dropping charges against Huawei. Also on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he thought his country and China were on the cusp of a deal to end their trade war. Meng, who is out on bail, is due to appear in a Vancouver court on Wednesday, when a date will be set for her extradition hearing. Ottawa rejects Chinese calls to release Meng, saying it cannot interfere with the judiciary. The Canadian government approved her extradition proceedings on Friday. China, whose relations with Canada have deteriorated badly over the affair, denounced the decision and repeated previous demands for Mengs release. It could be years before Meng, the daughter of Huaweis founder, is sent to the United States since Canadas slow-moving justice system allows many decisions to be appealed. A final decision will likely come down to the federal justice minister, who will face the choice of angering the United States by rejecting the extradition bid, or China by accepting it. SALT LAKE CITY The Teacher and Student Success Act advanced to the House Monday by a vote of 7-4 by the House Education Committee. SB149, sponsored by Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, was part of the 2018 compromise between lawmakers and backers of the Our Schools Now citizen initiative. The bill creates a process for disbursing funds set aside at the end of the 2018 legislative session. Money will go directly to schools based on enrollment and at least 25 percent can be used for educator salaries, but very small schools can use more. The rest of the money is to be used by a plan created at the school level and approved by the local school board or charter school board that is intended to improve student achievement at the school level. While SB149 received the unanimous approval of the Senate Education Committee and passed unanimously in the Senate, committee members and members of the public alike questioned using standardized testing as a measurement of school improvement. Heidi Matthews, president of the Utah Education Association, urged lawmakers to add the funding for the act to the value of the weighted pupil unit instead appropriating it under the act. "You have options. Study this further. Don't move this bill forward until you are absolutely certain that it will bring the results we want for all of our students. Trust those of us closest to the students and instead, add this additional funding to the WPU, which provides the greatest local control and flexibility," Matthews said. According to the bill's fiscal note, $65.1 million placed in a restricted account by the 2018 Legislature will shift to the Minimum School Program to fund these efforts. The Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee also recommended a $35 million appropriations. Royce Van Tassell, executive director of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools, urged the committee to adopt the bill. "We appreciate, as charter schools, accountability and we appreciate flexibility. SB149 provides both of those. Perfect doesn't exist. There are things we need to improve our assessment system but this is a step forward," Van Tassell said. According to the bill, if a school does not demonstrate at least a 1 percent increase in the number of points earned on the statewide school accountability system, local school boards must work with the school's principal to modify the schools plans. No one will take money from schools that don't meet the threshold, Millner said, but school boards and administrators will recommend changing how the funding is being used. The organizations representing school boards and superintendents supported the legislation. The state accountability system, passed by lawmakers, considers many factors such as graduation rates, academic growth and student achievement, among others, Millner said. "This is about local control. This money is going directly to our school districts and our charter schools. It is allowing us to give money directly to the school level. This is not to be used for capital. It is not to be used for administration. It's really to be used in making a difference for our teachers our students at the school level," Millner said. The bill moves to the House for further consideration. SALT LAKE CITY While the days of the three R's driving education curriculum are long gone, Utah lawmakers are propelling a legislative proposal aiming to put computer science on par with other core public school study topics. And should legislators and the governor provide a final sign-off on the new Utah Computer Science Grant Act, a group of local tech founders are ready to back up the effort with a $5 million infusion of their own cash. Rep. John Knotwell, R-Herriman, sponsor of HB227, is hoping to seed the opt-in grant program, which would be available to all Utah school districts, with $7 million in funding with the goal of creating computer science education opportunities for all K-12 students in the state by 2022. His bill found unanimous support from the Senate Education Committee on Monday morning, and has yet to see a dissenting vote after passing through both a House committee review and vote of the full body. The bill is on the Senate's second reading calendar. Knotwell said a 2016 survey commissioned by Google and conducted by Gallup of 16,000 parents, students and educators showed the vast majority of respondents view computer science curriculum at the same level of importance as subjects such as math, science, history and English and want it taught in schools. Yet in Utah today, just more than half of our middle and high schools offer computer science," Knotwell said. "Demands for these courses exceed capacity. Its clear teachers are hungry to teach and students really want these courses. "HB227 aims to help." The bill outlines a K-12 initiative among government, industry and education partners to develop a statewide master plan for computer science. It will give schools an opportunity to apply for grants with the goal of implementing computer science by 2022. The money can be used for staff development, purchase of curriculum materials and other program support. Knotwell told the Deseret News following Monday's hearing that he's yet to hear "even a modicum" of negative response to the effort and said he was proud to have built a coalition of support that includes lawmakers, the State School Board, the local school board members association, the tech industry and the governor's office. He also noted the bill has 50 House co-sponsors. Aaron Skonnard, co-founder an CEO of Utah-based tech education platform Pluralsight, joined four other local tech industry leaders at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit earlier this year in announcing a pledge to match state funding, up to $5 million, to implement a state computer science program. On Monday, Skonnard told the Deseret News he was pleased to see lawmakers making a serious effort to address the dearth of computer science education options for Utah public school students. The speed at which HB227 is moving through the Legislature with unanimous votes and broad bipartisan support demonstrates the seriousness by which lawmakers are approaching this important issue, Skonnard said. Computer science is now a foundational literacy that is critical to preparing Utah students to succeed in our technology-driven world. "These funds, combined with the private funds I and others from Silicon Slopes are providing as wraparound funding to support the state strategic plan, will put us on course to fulfill Gov. Herberts goal of having computer science available to every Utah student by 2022. Knotwell's original proposal has been modified from an initial ask for $10 million in seed funding as well as making the State School Board, in conjunction with the board of Talent Ready Utah, the administrators of the grant program. Following the announcement of the tech founders' matching challenge in January, Skonnard said the private funding would be able to take an unencumbered and more innovative approach to turbocharging the computer science effort. "The way we think of it is theres a lot of bureaucracy in the way school money, education money is spent," Skonnard said. "Assume $10 million gets allocated there. Theres going to be a lot of strings attached to how that money is spent and how it goes to impact the change we want to see. "This money that were providing is meant to wrap around the government funding in a more innovative way to catalyze the things that need to be catalyzed, to incentivize the things need to be incentivized and to fill in the gaps of what that state money is not able to do because of the guardrails around it." Mary Nielson, representing the Utah School Boards Association, told the Senate committee on Monday there is a huge need for computer science education statewide. Nielson, who serves on the Juab School Board, said the rural district has a coding teacher at the junior high level. The class includes 13 girls, one of whom coded an app for a local restaurant. That young lady now is going into high school and we dont have anywhere for her to go," Nielson said. "This will be a tremendous benefit for her." Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, also spoke in support of the bill. This is important and fundamental if we want to get people into computer science and engineering," Milner said. "Providing them access to these experiences in the early grades and extending them through middle school or junior high school into high school is extremely important." On Tuesday, the Salt Lake Chamber hosted a press event at the Capitol to rally support for HB227. Chamber President/CEO Derek Miller said for students preparing for the job market of today, computer skills were no longer a sidebar qualification. "The purpose of today's event was to highlight how computer science is a skill that is not just useful but necessary in a broad array of professions and careers across a wide variety of industries, if not every industry," Miller said. "If you think about how the world has changed in just the last few decades, the skills that our students will need, computer science and an understanding of technology is at the top of that list." Dan Gelston, president of broadband communications at L3 Technologies, said even with top-notch postsecondary institutions across the state, more support was needed to provide K-12 students with tech learning opportunities. In order for our nation to maintain its technological superiority we must invest here at home in developing a highly skilled workforce, especially in STEM-related fields, Gelston said in a statement. We have a strong network of universities here in the state, but our nation and our state can and should do more to provide youth greater access to computer science training, as early as elementary school, and certainly during their middle and high schools years. Proponents of the bill have noted that the collective skill set of Utah's workforce is failing to match up with the high-paying opportunities being created by the state's burgeoning tech sector. As of January, the Utah Department of Workforce Services reported that almost 6,000 tech-centric job openings remained unfilled statewide, a figure that's been growing steadily for the past several years. Contributing: Marjorie Cortez TAYLORSVILLE An undercover drug bust led to the discovery of a couple of kilos of heroin, according to police. Ernesto Pintado-Medina, 40, was arrested and charged in federal court Thursday with felony drug distribution. Investigators believe he is living in the U.S. illegally, according to the charges filed in U.S. District Court, and he was deported to Mexico by the Department of Homeland Security in 2010 and 2014. On Feb. 28, undercover Unified police and Homeland Security officers arranged to meet Pintado-Medina for a drug deal, the charges state. They met him near 5400 South and Redwood Road to buy a few ounces of heroin, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. When he arrived, he was arrested. According to the charges, Pintado-Medina told police that in his home they would find several thousand dollars that he'd gotten from selling heroin. During a subsequent search of his home, 1314 E. Old Mission Road (7930 South), investigators found "approximately 2.5 kilos of field-tested positive heroin and approximately $6,800 in U.S. currency," the report states. Medina has been convicted of drug distribution in other states and has previously been deported for not being a legal U.S. citizen, according to the report. SALT LAKE CITY An Oregon man and his dog were found alive last Friday five days after his truck became stuck in deep snow. Now hes crediting Taco Bell Border Fire sauce for saving their lives. What happened Jeremy Taylor and his dog Ally were near Wake Butte, Oregon, on Sunday, Feb. 24, when his 2000 black Toyota 4Runner became stuck in deep snow on a Forest Service road about 180 miles south of Portland, according to USA Today. According to the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office, Taylor fell asleep and woke Monday to even more snow. Taylor attempted getting out of his car and walking with Ally, but the depth of the snow made it difficult, so they returned to the vehicle. Taylor and Ally were stuck in the vehicle for five days before a snowmobiler found them and a SnowCat arrived to evacuate the two, according to the Today Show. To survive, Taylor said he and Ally ate Taco Bell sauce packets and kept warm by periodically starting his vehicle. Taylor also cuddled with Allie to stay warm, according to the Today Show. "Jeremy and Ally were found to be in good condition but hungry after being stuck in the snow for five days," Sgt. William Bailey of the Deschutes Sheriffs Office said. Taylor took to Facebook to tell friends and family that he and Ally got lucky and were safe and alive. Taylor also commented that "Taco Bell fire sauce saves lives, according to the Today Show. Thank you everyone, I'm safe my Ally dog is safe. I really appreciate all the help. Got lucky, lets never do that again. I'll be in touch with everyone soon. Posted by Jeremy Taylor on Friday, March 1, 2019 Does Taco Bell sauce really save lives? Nutritionists say not really, at least not in this circumstance. Taco Bell Fire Sauce contains only about 2 percent of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin A, according to the Today Show, and zero calories, according to LiveStrong.com. NBC News health and nutrition editor Madelyn Fernstrom told Today, From a metabolic point of view, five days is not life-threatening for calories." Humans can live from three to eight weeks without food, Fernstrom said. She added, While 'hot' sauce sounds like it could somehow raise his body temperature, this is not true ... but these packets might have provided a mental boost for him, to maintain a positive attitude." Taco Bell plans on hooking Taylor up with some swag and goodies, including Taco Bell for a full year and all the Fire Sauce that comes with it, according to the Today Show. SALT LAKE CITY An American-born woman who joined the Islamic State four years ago is now disillusioned with jihadism and wants to return to the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, at the direction of President Donald Trump, announced Feb. 20 that Hoda Muthana will not be permitted back into the U.S. Muthana's case is unique because it is not clear whether she is an American citizen, but it has fueled a debate on whether other Americans who were formerly members of IS should be allowed to return home. This dilemma has taken on increased significance with the weakening of the caliphate and Trump's desire to pull American troops out of Syria, as IS strongholds collapse and some former IS members now want to return to the U.S. and other Western countries. So far, 16 Americans have made it back to U.S. soil, most "in handcuffs," Bennett Clifford, a research fellow for George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, told NPR. Who is Hoda Muthana? Muthana joined IS in 2014 when she was a 20-year-old college student at the University of Alabama, according to The New York Times. Twice-married to IS fighters who were killed in battle, Muthana is now living in a refugee camp in Syria with her 18-month-old son. Although she was born in New Jersey and raised in Alabama, officials say she is not an American citizen because her father was a Yemeni diplomat, and children born on U.S. soil to diplomats cannot claim birthright citizenship. Charlie Swift, director of the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America, told the Times that Muthana is technically a U.S. citizen because she was born a month after her father was discharged from his position as a diplomat to the United Nations. A consensus has not yet been reached on Muthanas citizenship status. Why does Muthanas case matter? According to the Times, Muthana is one of at least 13 Americans most of whom are women and children who have been detained in Syrian detention camps due to challenges to their citizenship status. Muthanas case is indicative of the unique dilemma women face when they attempt to return to their country of origin after joining a militant group. The majority of American men who have pledged allegiance to IS have been captured on the battlefield and repatriated back to the U.S. to face charges, the Times reported. Figuring out what to do with ISIS wives whose actions may be less measurable than those of men who are directly engaging in battle has proven complicated for both the U.S. and Europe. Clifford told NPR that women, in some cases, are able to draw on this narrative that since they were not fighting members of the group and relegated to either logistics or house management or other activities on behalf of the Islamic State that theyre less culpable for their actions. Although they may contribute to ISIS in different ways than men, Clifford said that these women arent any less complicit or culpable in what the Islamic State did. So far, around 300 Americans have either traveled or attempted to travel to Syria to join a variety of militant groups, including IS, according to a 2018 report from the Program on Extremism. Around 13 percent of American IS recruits are women, Clifford said. Should U.S. take them back? Some experts say that under international law, its illegal to leave a citizen stateless, which means nations have a duty to repatriate their citizens, Time reported. For example, if Muthana is found to not be a U.S. citizen or her U.S. citizenship is revoked, she will be stateless because she is not a Syrian national, according to The New York Times. Others argue that repatriating former members of ISIS can actually serve U.S. military interests. Bryant Neal Vinas, the first American to join Al Qaeda after the September 11 attacks and who was later repatriated, argued that taking back Americans who have joined militant groups is an opportunity to shore up national security and obtain valuable counterintelligence. In an opinion column published March 4 in The New York Times, Vinas wrote that former foreign fighters can provide the government with insider intelligence on how IS operates and where its leadership is located, as well as insight on why people become radicalized and seek to join militant groups in the first place. Repatriates can also educate youth and help them realize that the reality of fighting for IS is very different than how its presented in Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube videos, Vinas said. Vinas added that repatriation is also a way to hold former IS members accountable for their actions. If they really want to return home, he said, they need to be "willing to admit they made mistakes" and "ready to atone for them in prison." The United States can serve as an example for its allies bring back the Americans who joined the Islamic State and let the American legal system do its work, Vinas wrote. After they serve the appropriate penalty under law for their actions, the country might even end up with a new counterterrorism resource. After serving over eight years in federal prison, Vinas now works for Parallel Networks, a counterextremism nonprofit, showing that there is life after terrorism. A repatriation plea Others argue that repatriating former members of IS could be dangerous. This argument has been levied against Muthana, who in 2015 spread IS propaganda and posted tweets on a now-suspended Twitter account that encouraged violence against Americans, USA Today reported. Frank Brocato, the mayor of her hometown of Hoover, Alabama, told USA Today that she "posed a threat to Americans." "She's not welcome in Hoover as far as I'm concerned," city councilman John Lyda told USA Today. Some have voiced concerns that former members of IS could launch attacks in their countries of origin once repatriated, as well as radicalize others. Monitoring these former members "represents a huge burden for governments," Alexander Smith of NBC News argued. Even if prosecuted and jailed, former members of IS may be dangerous because they could radicalize other inmates, said Shiraz Maher, director of King's College London's International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence. Plus, he added, there's always the question of what should be done with them once they leave jail. In comparison to other Western democracies, the U.S. has strict laws for dealing with former members of militant groups and is more likely to prosecute them. Clifford told NPR that the U.S.'s material support statute "allows travel to join a foreign terrorist organization itself to be criminalized by prison sentences of 15 to 20 years. Very few other Western countries have statutes like that. And if they do, they carry lesser prison sentences." Other countries face concerns In a Feb. 16 tweet, Trump asked England, France, Germany and other European countries to "take back" over 800 of their citizens who were fighting for IS. The United States is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 ISIS fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial. The Caliphate is ready to fall. The alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them........ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2019 ....The U.S. does not want to watch as these ISIS fighters permeate Europe, which is where they are expected to go. We do so much, and spend so much - Time for others to step up and do the job that they are so capable of doing. We are pulling back after 100% Caliphate victory! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2019 This could be difficult to pull off, experts say. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told NBC News, "These people can come to Germany only if it is ensured that they can immediately be taken into custody." In order for German jihadists to be taken into custody, each person has to be extradited, their identities confirmed and evidence gathered against them that would stand the test of a European court, which would be extremely difficult, NBC News reported. French justice minister Nicole Belloubet said she would take back militants on a "case-by-case basis" rather than all at once, Time reported. France has lost more militants to IS than any other European country, and in the past refused to repatriate IS fighters or their wives. Britain said former militants could only return home if they were to obtain consular help in Turkey, but unofficially, the government "would rather they did not come back," NBC News security analyst Duncan Gardham said. Other European countries haven't clarified their stance on the issue or what will happen to their citizens who were formerly members of the caliphate remains unclear. According to a 2018 report from King's College London's International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, around 6,000 Western European nationals have joined IS, and about a third of them have already returned home. The Guardian reported that the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces currently have custody of hundreds of foreign IS members, as well as their wives and children. The Syrian Democratic Forces are currently fighting the vestiges of IS near the Iraqi border, and a spokesman for the group told the Guardian that if they came under attack the foreign detainees could potentially escape. He added that they would not intentionally release the foreign fighters, but eventually their countries of origin would need to take charge of them. AMERICAN FORK A Lehi resident who claimed he was joking when he said he was going to commit a school shooting is now facing charges that are no laughing matter. Benjamin Ryan Bailey was charged Friday with making a threat of violence, a third-degree felony, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, both class B misdemeanors. The case was transferred to 4th District Court in American Fork on Tuesday. According to charging documents, on Feb. 25 three weeks after turning 18 Bailey "sent a friend a Facebook message that he was going to shoot up a school. The defendant admitted sending the message but told officers that it was a joke." The friend contacted police and told officers, "The text contained a gun emoji and a crying face emoji," according to a Utah County Jail probable cause affidavit. Bailey attends Skyridge High School, the report states. Officers went to Bailey's house to question him. "When asked what the text said Benjamin would not answer directly but just said over and over that it was a joke. Benjamin later advised that the text said he was going to do a school shooting," Lehi police wrote in a the affidavit. Officers noted in the affidavit that Bailey has a history of depression and they were advised that Bailey "had been 'low' lately and was not in a good place," according to the report. Bailey has no prior criminal history, the report states. SALT LAKE CITY Members of the House Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to recommend a bill that would ban the practice of conversion therapy for gay teens in Utah. But advocates don't agree with the way conversion therapy is defined in the version of the bill that was approved. The approved version of the bill, proposed by Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, prohibits therapists from asserting that a client's sexual orientation need to change and from claiming their methods will result in "a complete and permanent" reversal. The bill also specifically prohibits treatment that causes physical pain, such as electric shock or aversion therapy. Gay rights advocates, including Equality Utah Executive Director Troy Williams, who helped draft the original bill, expressed concerns that the recommended substitute bill excludes efforts to change a child's gender identity from the definition of conversion therapy and also permits therapists to practice talk therapy with the purpose of changing a child's sexual orientation, as long as the therapist notifies the client that the methods are not guaranteed to be effective. Williams said the bill the committee recommended, "will not protect children from the harmful, damaging effects of conversion therapy." "In fact, the bill as it is constituted will actually provide a safe harbor for conversion therapists," Williams added. Eight representatives voted in favor of Lisonbee's substitute bill. Lisonbee announced that Gov. Gary Herbert's office also supports the version of the bill the committee approved. Four voted in opposition, including Rep. Craig Hall, R-West Valley City, chief sponsor of the bill. Rep. Brady Brammer, R-Highland, spoke in favor of the substitute bill, which he said clarifies the vagueness of other versions. He said the issues that accompany gender identity, including sex change procedures, are significantly different from issues surrounding sexual orientation and therefore, the two cannot be lumped together. Brammer said that instead of providing a broad definition, the bill outlines specific practices that cause harm, including promising a child their sexual orientation can be changed and abusive therapeutic techniques. "This may not be the perfect guide to the very best practice that could be out there," Brammer said. "However, the way our legislative framework works is not necessarily mandating that the perfect and best practice out there is performed. It's usually to try to say, don't do these things we know are harmful." More than 30 community members attended Tuesday's hearing to voice support or concern. Caleb, who asked that his last name be withheld, said sexual orientation "change therapy" helped him resolve unwanted same-sex attraction and depression that he feels stemmed from childhood sexual abuse. He attended the meeting with his wife. I believe this therapy saved my life. I know that for the sake of children who may be struggling with similar issues, that this could save their lives too. Caleb "My therapist never suggested I do anything to make me feel uncomfortable, punish myself or make me feel shame," said Caleb, who started therapy at age 18 but said he wishes he could have gone earlier. "I believe this therapy saved my life," Caleb said. "I know that for the sake of children who may be struggling with similar issues, that this could save their lives too." Arturo Fuentes, 35, of Provo, shared a different perspective. He said he underwent conversion therapy for a decade, starting in high school, and that efforts to alter his sexual orientation were ineffective and harmful. "I was a minor wanting (conversion therapy). That didn't make it right," Fuentes said. "I understand all these therapists mean well, but there are so many different approaches and methods to this. We cant be experimenting on children as to how to change something so complex." Trained mental health professionals also spoke out on both sides. Dr. Christy Kane, a licensed mental health counselor who practices in Salt Lake and Utah counties, said the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing already provides sufficient regulations. "I oppose this bill because I already feel that if we engage in inappropriate actions, there is a governing body of our license that could take action," Kane said. Theres 29 ways to kill a bill. Were not trying to kill this bill, and theres a reason for that. Rep. Brady Brammer, R-Highland Dr. Nanci Klein, director of professional affairs for the Utah Psychological Association, supports the original version of the bill but not the recommended substitute legislation. She said a definition of conversion therapy that focuses on a therapists' guarantee is "very narrow and limited." "There is already case law that defines a guarantee of change as fraud," Klein said. Before the committee voted to recommend the substitute bill, Brammer noted that despite some concerns with the bill's language, all committee members agreed certain conversion therapy practices are harmful and need to be addressed. "Theres 29 ways to kill a bill. Were not trying to kill this bill, and theres a reason for that," Brammer said. "There is a significant concern for suicide among youth dealing with sexual orientation issues." After the vote, Williams noted the bill can still be amended as it moves through the House and Senate. "We are going to keep fighting to protect kids," he said. A committee in the Kenyan National Assembly has refused to approve the merger of Airtel Kenya and Telkom Kenya until more information is revealed about the proposal. Claiming that the deal has all the hallmarks of a scandal where private individuals are buying off a public entity through the backdoor for a song, the committee has called on government agencies to provide further details about the merger. In 2014, the Public Investment Committee issued a report which made several suggestions for privatising and restructuring the finances of Telkom Kenya, and these appear to have been ignored. The committee is now seeking clarification on why this has occurred, with vice-chair and nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi saying that all those mentioned in the report and the implementing agencies had been asked to explain why the recommendations had not yet been implemented. Alongside Telkom Kenya itself, the agencies mentioned in the report include the Communications Authority of Kenya, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Ministry of ICT and the National Treasury. All of them have been summoned before the committee. The merger would create a new joint venture formed from Airtel Kenya and the mobile, enterprise and carrier service units of Telkom Kenya. It will allow the operators to compete more effectively against the dominant market leader Safaricom. The Model Y will be 10 percent bigger than Model 3 and thus, will evidently cost 10 percent more. The Tesla Model Y crossover SUV will be the companys fifth vehicle since 2003.(Photo: Tesla) USD 35,000-worth Tesla Model 3 is passe. Now, make way for the Model Y crossover SUV which is set to be revealed on March 14. Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to make the announcement, indicating the brand-new electric car will be unveiled at the companys design studio in Los Angeles. As Musk revealed in his series of tweets, the Model Y will be 10 percent bigger than Model 3 and thus, will evidently cost 10 percent more. It will have a less range for the same battery. The remaining specs and pricing will be announced at the event. Tesla will also be offering test rides of the Model Y. The Tesla Model Y crossover SUV will be the companys fifth vehicle since 2003. In addition to the Model Y, the first public Tesla V3.0 Supercharger Station will also go live on March 6th. The supercharger electric car charging stations will be able to charge cars at a rate of 350kW or more. Discussions with the three Indian brands - Micromax, Lava and Karbonn - are said to be in advanced stages, and Lava and Karbonn may team up to bid for the HTC brand licence. Highlights: HTC may return to Indian market It is reportedly holding talks with Lava, Micromax and Karbonn mobile Lava and Karbonn may jointly submit a bid to get HTC license Last year, HTC wrapped up its smartphone business from India, but now a report in The Economic Times has claimed that the Taiwanese smartphone brand may return to the Indian market with a new business strategy. Citing three industry experts, the report says that HTC is in talks with homegrown players Micromax, Lava and Karbonn to return to the country, and may earn a chunk of the pie, which is primarily shared by Chinese tech giants like Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo. The report says that HTC will earn royalty in return. The company now sells a few old models it had launched last year on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. One of the executives claimed that the discussions with the three Indian brands are in advanced stages, including the possibility of Lava and Karbonn teaming up to bid for the HTC brand licence. Under the deal, HTC may license its brand for smartphones, mobile accessories and tablets. One of the executives said that the association with HTC will help the Indian brands help both parties run in the Indian market. Since HTC used to operate in the Rs 10,000-plus segment, the brand will help the Indian smartphone makers re-enter this price segment, which is now the fastest-growing with intense competition among Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo and Vivo, one of the executives was quoted as saying. Citing an HTC spokesperson, The Economic Times reports that the company is looking at strategic options for Indian market. We will have more to announce at a later date, the person was quoted as saying. However, these Indian brands may face challenges to regain some market share because their hardware or software R&D capabilities are limited. The Rs 10,000-plus smartphone market is no more just about specification like earlier, but also about innovation, an executive said. According to Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi and Samsung led the market with 28 percent and 24 percent share in the calendar year 2018. They were followed by Vivo, Oppo and Micromax on third, fourth and fifth spots, with 10 percent, 8 percent and 5 percent share respectively. Lava and Karbonn were among the remaining brands that captured the 25 percent of the total market share in 2018. Related Read: 41 smartphone brands exit, 15 entered India in 2018: Report The Oppo F11 Pro will be launched at an event starting at 7PM in Mumbai. The smartphone's highlight is its 48MP primary sensor of the rear dual camera setup. Highlights: Oppo F11 Pro launching in India at 7 PM The phone has a 48MP sensor in the dual camera setup on the back The company will live stream the event on YouTube After weeks of leaks and teasers, Oppo will finally launch the F11 Pro smartphone in India. The company is hosting an event in Mumbai that is slated to commence at 7 PM tonight. The highlight of the phone is its 48MP primary camera - a component that has garnered lots of traction in the past few months. The phone will offer a full view screen design with a pop-up selfie camera mechanism, and a dual camera setup on the back. Although Oppo has already revealed some of the features through official teasers, all of its specs are yet to be known. Oppo F11 Pro Live Stream Oppo will live stream the event on its official YouTube channel. The live coverage should start at 7PM and we are embedding the video below to save you from the hassle of finding the stream. Digit will also be updating its social media handles from the event and bringing reports and exclusives on our website. Oppo F11 Pro expected specifications Oppo has already confirmed that the F11 Pro will feature a dual camera setup on the back. It features a 48MP primary sensor with an f/1.79 aperture. There is no word on the sensor maker, which means that the phone will either have a Sony IMX586 sensor or the Samsung GM1 sensor. The choice of sensor is likely to impact the price of the phone. The secondary camera in the rear camera setup has a 5MP sensor. As mentioned above, there will be a pop-up selfie shooter, however, its details are not known. Previously Oppo announced that the 48MP camera on the F11 Pro will be enhanced by Oppos Super Night Mode feature. The night mode combines the phones AI Engine and what Oppo calls Ultra-clear Engine and Colour Engine. According to the company, the phone also comes with AI-assisted stabilisation. A set of leaked photos on Weibo hinted that the phone could also come with an in-display fingerprint sensor. According to the leaked specs, the Oppo F11 Pro will sport a 6.5-inch AMOLED display and is expected to be the first phone to be powered by the MediaTek Helio P80 SoC. the phone may have 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage and is likely to come with a massive 4,500mAh battery with VOOC charging support. Related Read: Redmi Note 7 Pro with 48MP camera launched in India alongside Redmi Note 7: Price, Specs, and all you need to know Best Intel Laptops for eSports Gaming These laptops run on the latest Intel 11th gen processors, sporting Intel H45 based processors, aimed at giving a desktop-grade performance on laptops while retaining the portability element. Click here to know more Advertisements According to a new study, Gurugram which is located in Indias capital New Delhi, was the most polluted city in the world. To make matters worse India has 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities in the world. (Representational Image) New Delhi: According to a new study showing South-Asias battle with deteriorating air quality and the global climate accord, India accounts for having seven of the top 10 of the most polluted cities in the world. Gurgaon which is located in Indias capital New Delhi, is the most polluted city in the world, according to data released by IQ Air Visual and Greenpeace. Even though Gurgaon was able to better its pollution score from the previous year it still led the charts. Pakistans Faisalabad was the only non-Indian city in the top 5, with Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Bhiwadi making the cut. The index measures the presence of PM 2.5 which is a pollutant which can go deep in the lungs and bloodstream of a human being causing various respiratory and other lung diseases. The executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia said that these high pollution numbers can have enormous impacts on health and even our wallets. Along with the death toll arising with these pollution figures, there's an estimated cost of USD 225 billion in lost labour and trillions in medical costs. To make matters worse India has 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities in the world with China having 5, Pakistan with 2 and one in Bangladesh. The World Bank reckons as much as 8.5 per cent of Indias GDP is racked up in health care costs and productivity losses due to pollution. China made tremendous strides in its otherwise dismal showing in managing pollution figures, with as much as 12 per cent fall in average concentrations from the previous year. This should help President Xi Jinping in his National People's Congress meetings that start this week. Turkey is also part of the new round of commercial tariffs. The American president wants the cancellation of both countries from the preferential system that allows goods to enter the US without taxes. Last June Delhi responded to duties imposed on its steel and aluminum replicating duties on Washington products (almonds, walnuts and shrimp), without suffering any significant economic damage. Washington (AsiaNews / Agencies) - After the trade war between Beijing and Washington, which has had repercussions on all Asian economies and in Europe, US President Donald Trump now announces a new tariff war: this time, assets affected will be from India. In a letter sent yesterday to Nancy Pelosi, president of the US Congress House of Representatives, Trump writes that New Delhi had not assured the United States that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India. For this reason, he decided to stop the preferential program that allows Delhi's assets to enter the US without taxes. Trump has already given the US Trade Representative's Office (USTR) the right to cancel India from the list of countries benefiting from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. This program is aimed at developing countries that meet a set of requirements established by the Congress; among these, protection of intellectual property, fight against child labor, respect for international rules on workers' rights. India is the largest beneficiary of the system, created in the 1970s when Delhi's growth was around 3.5%. For its part, today the Delhi authorities reply that Trump's decision will not have major repercussions on the Indian economy. Commerce Secretary, Anup Wadhawan, said the revocation from the GSP program "will have a minimal impact [on the Indian export volume of] $ 190 million". Among other things, last June Delhi has already responded to the duties imposed on its steel and aluminum with tariffs on Washington products (almonds, walnuts and shrimps), without suffering any particular economic damage. One of the conditions for which the preferential trading system applies is that the beneficiary country should be a developing economy. This is why, according to Trump analysts, given that India is traveling at very high levels of growth (around 8%), it is no longer necessary for it to enjoy a facilitated trading system. According to the same criterion, namely that the economy is now "sufficiently developed", Washington has announced the exclusion of Turkey. According to the regulations of the USTR office, the effects of the change of status will come into force within 60 days. Subscriber content preview Saratoga Capital has filed early plans to develop a pair of residential buildings in Ballard. In two recent sales, in Ballard and Belltown, multifamily developer Saratoga Capital of Los Gatos, California, has furthered its presence in our market. Now it has filed preliminary plans for the two sites. . . . Subscriber content preview SEATTLE A Capitol Hill warehouse at 1120 12th Ave. has sold for $4.8 million, according to King County records. The seller was a family group that acquired the property in 1999 for $780,000. . . . Subscriber content preview SEATTLE An industrial property at 921-929 S. Harney St. in Georgetown has sold for $2.3 million, according to King County records. The seller was a family LLC that acquired the property in 2008 for $1.3 million. . . . Subscriber content preview SEATTLE The Footprint 1806 apartments, at 1806 23rd Ave., sold for almost $7.9 million, according to King County records. The seller was 1806 23rd Ave LLC, which acquired the land in 2012, then developed it. . . . The archbishop of Manila urges the faithful to "leave behind unnecessary bags and baggage on our Lenten journey with Jesus, adding that we start preparing to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem where He will show His love for God the Father and for us. Manila (AsiaNews) Card Luis Antonio G. Tagle (pictured), metropolitan archbishop of Manila and president of Caritas Internationalis, called on the faithful who are about to enter the period of Lent to travel light, like Jesus did on his way to Jerusalem. In his message for Ash Wednesday, the cardinal said that "almsgiving, fasting and prayer" are the steps to follow on the path to Easter. "Today, the first day of Lent, we start preparing to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem where He will show His love for God the Father and for us until the end. It is difficult to travel with heavy bags and baggage. Like Jesus, let us travel light." To this end, the cardinal urges Catholics to "share what we have with the poor through acts of justice and charity called almsgiving. "Let us take care of our health, our hungry neighbors and creation by restraining our appetite through fasting. Let us cast on the Lord our burdens in the spirit of faith and hope through prayer. Almsgiving, fasting and prayer will help us leave behind unnecessary bags and baggage on our Lenten journey with Jesus. Our Mother Mary will accompany us. A young social innovator group from the Loreto Secondary School is lobbying to have a nurse at the Little Angels School in Letterkenny. Little Angels school is a special school operating under the Department of Education and Skills. Those at the school are passionate about providing the best education for their pupils and making sure that they are engaged in meaningful learning activities, by providing access to a broad and balanced, age appropriate curriculum. Nurse needed A group of young people from the Loreto Secondary in the town have established a group called Friends of Conall, A Voice for All. They are lobbying for a nurse to be present in the Little Angels school. The group have decided to lobby for a nurse as Conall Shiels will be attending the school this September. Conall was born with with hydrocephalus, a condition that builds up in the ventricles of the brain. Conall, like many who attend the school has epilepsy. Other children have medical conditions too and in this regard there is a desire to have a nurse present at the school who could help should issues arise. Invaluable A statement from the Friends of Conall, A Voice for All' said: The peace of mind that the presence of a nurse would provide for parents and staff alike would be invaluable. Knowing that if something were to occur during a school day, there would be somebody there on hand who is qualified to deal with it and able to administer medication if it should be needed. Meanwhile, Conall's friends has set-up a campaign called High 5 for Conall. It is hoped that the proceeds from this campaign will help the family adapt their home which needs extensive renovations to help provide for Conall into the future. If you would like to support the family you can do so by going to the gofundme page. The Bishop of Raphoe has expressed his profound sorrow and shame at the abuse which Father Eugene Greene perpetrated on innocent children during his tenure in Donegal as a priest. In a statement of response by Bishop Alan McGuckian in relation to the former priest's death, he offered his support and said he would meet anyone who has suffered abuse. He said: "While at all times honouring the wish of those survivors who may not want to be contacted by the Church, I wish to offer my support and invitation to meet with anyone who has suffered abuse." Hurt The response says that news of the death of Eugene Greene has reopened the hurt of those whom he violated, their loving families and communities across the Diocese of Raphoe. Father Eugene Greene was jailed for 12 years at Donegal Circuit Court in 2000 when he pleaded guilty to 41 sample charges of sexual assault against 26 children in Donegal parishes between 1965 and 1982. He had been charged on over 100 counts. The trial heard that many of his victims were altar boys, who suffered repeated assault and buggery. Bishop Alan McGuckian said: "On behalf of the diocese I wish to express my profound sorrow and shame at the abuse which he perpetrated on innocent children." On 26 February, An Garda Siochana informed the diocese that Eugene Greene died last November in Cork. Until that contact from the Gardai, the diocese was not aware of his death. Bishop McGuckian said that since he left prison in 2008 the diocese has not known of his whereabouts. Greene was dismissed from the clerical state in November 2004. Once the diocese was made aware of Greenes death, they immediately advised Tusla, the child and family agency, of this information. Background A native of the Annagry parish, Greene served 10 years with the Kiltegan Fathers in Nigeria when he returned to Ireland in 1965. He then served in Scotland and Cork. In 1970 he was curate in Gaoth Dobhair, he later served in Killybegs, Lettermacaward, Gorthahork, Glenties, Kilmacrennan and Annagry. His abuse came to light when he reported a man for trying to blackmail him. In the subsequent investigation, the Garda uncovered the abuse. Louth man Pierce Martin undertook a mighty challenge during the month of February. He challenged himself to run 100 miles throughout the month in order to raise vital funds for Dublins Mater Hospital. Pierce is the Sales & Business Development Manager with Dundalk-based company Dromad Hire and with the help and support of the company he set about his challenge - something he had little or no previous experience of. It is the first time I have done anything like this, admits Pierce. I wouldnt be much of a 'runner' and it was a big personal challenge for me, but anything worth doing is seldom easy. I really wanted to help and enable financial support for the foundation so it can continue advancing care for every patient. Dromad Hires Managing Director Seamus Byrne praised Pierce for his approach to the challenge and was delighted the company could help make a difference, in some small way. Pierce only started running over the last few weeks, and we were keen to get involved in both supporting Pierce with his personal challenge and for the actual great cause itself. He added: "Funds raised through the Mater Foundation are used to purchase state-of-the-art equipment, enhance facilities and to ensure that all patients at the hospital are cared for in a restful, healing and comfortable environment and for us as a company we wanted to help make a difference. The Mater Hospital is home to, The National Cardiac Unit, National Heart and Lung Transplant Unit, National Spinal Injuries Unit, has the largest 24 hour On-Call Accident and Emergency Service and per year the hospital cares for a combined total of 315,500 patients from inpatient, day patient and outpatient admissions. (CNN) Carlos Ghosn has been granted bail after spending more than three months in a Japanese jail. Tokyo District Court on Tuesday said that Ghosn, the former leader of Nissan and Renault, could be released from detention on bail of 1 billion yen ($9 million). The auto executive is expected to go on trial later this year on charges he understated his income and abused his position by transferring personal investment losses to the Japanese carmaker. Ghosn denies all the charges. If found guilty, he could face as many as 15 years in prison. One of the most prominent figures in the global auto industry, Ghosn was arrested by Japanese prosecutors on November 19. He has since been ousted from his role as the head of Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors, which together form the world's largest auto-making alliance. His detention stunned the industry, strained the alliance and drew international attention to Japan's criminal justice system, in which authorities can keep suspects in detention for prolonged periods while building their case. Ghosn has repeatedly attempted to obtain bail previously without success. Japanese prosecutors, who have opposed all his bail applications, can still appeal the court's decision, making it unclear when Ghosn might be released. Ghosn has alleged that his spectacular downfall is the result of a plot against him by Nissan executives who opposed his plan to deepen the Japanese company's integration with Renault. A spokesman for Nissan on Tuesday declined to comment on the court's decision to grant bail to Ghosn. Nissan's own investigation into its former chairman and CEO has "uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct," the spokesman said, adding that "further discoveries related to Ghosn's misconduct continue to emerge." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn is granted bail after months in Japanese jail" by Mathias Hariyadi The St Joseph seminary in Tarakan and the Saint John XXIII seminary in Lawang are parties to the course. Passionist Sister Kristina Fransiska CP led the discussions. Knowledge and spiritual guidance guarantee the continuous respect of the body. Jakarta (AsiaNews) In the last week of February, 72 seminarians from the dioceses of Tanjung Selor (capital of North Kalimantan province) and Malang (East Java) took part in a sex education course. The latter is the initiative of the Paguyuban Gembala Utama (Association of the Good Shepherd, PGU), a NGO set up by alumni from the Mertoyudan, Garum and Bogor seminaries. Supported by the Komisi Seminar, the Commission for the seminaries of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (KWI), the PGO contributes to the training of aspiring priests and helps them meet the challenges of modern society. Across Indonesia, there are some 40 minor seminaries, 13 institutes where students attend the year of Spirituality (TOR) and 14 major seminaries, said Fr Joseph Kristanto Suratman PR, Komisi Seminari executive secretary. After months of meetings and exchanges, sex education was chosen by PGU members as one of the topics to discuss in seminaries. The St Joseph minor seminary in Tarakan, in the Diocese of Tanjung Selor, joined first the course, followed by the Saint John XXIIIs TOR in Lawang, Diocese of Malang. Some 31 seminarians took part in the meeting in Tarakan and 41 in Lawang. Passionist Sister Kristina Fransiska CP lead the discussions at both venues along with other speakers. The nun brought to the attention of the seminarians two fundamental aspects, which guarantee the constant respect for the human body, namely knowledge and the spiritual guide. We are called to treat our body with respect and responsibility, said the nun. "If you relate to your body this way, then you will have the same attitude towards your friends," the former law professor at the Catholic University Widya Karya in Malang told the students. Sharing her personal experience, she indicated how to avoid inappropriate temptations and attitudes. Benny and Yanda, a married couple from Malang, spoke to the future priests on how to focus the body's passion towards "positive aspects". The couple explained that in the priesthood, as in marriage, loyalty to the married person is "the most difficult challenge". At the same time, "Consecrated life is like the life of a couple: fidelity and obedience are essential". A family from Termonfeckin in Co Louth who were rumoured to have won the 2.5 million jackpot in The National Lottery have told The Irish Sun: "The rumours are worse than not winning." Rumours circulated last weekend that Termonfeckin woman Pauline Millar was the latest Louth Lotto winner and she was named in a number of newspapers on Saturday. However, Pauline's husband spoke to the Irish Sun today and strongly denied the rumours that they were the winner. The Louth man said that the rumors had started to cause issues for the family. Speaking to the Irish Sun he said: "I swear to Christ it wasnt us. Ill swear on anything you like that we didnt win. "Its absolute madness the last few days. Everyone in the area thinks it was us and Im telling you straight it wasnt. "Im inside working away right now and my wife is also at work. This is worse than having actually won it because everyone thinks we have, weve been besieged, its non stop. I honestly have no idea who won it but it wasnt us." The lucky shop that sold the golden ticket is Maddens Centra in Termonfeckin, near Drogheda in Co. Louth. The winning numbers were: 1, 3, 7, 27, 31, 44 and bonus number 19. Another Centra store, located in Dromiskin, Co. Louth, sold Friday nights 500,000 EuroMillions Plus top prize ticket. Owner of Centra in Termonfeckin, Ray Madden, said: This is absolutely fantastic news, people in Termonfeckin are buzzing with news of the Lotto jackpot win today. This is a very busy shop we have a staff of 38 and most of our customers are local. I am friendly with James Hallinan whose Centra shop in Dromiskin sold the EuroMillions Plus winning ticket on Friday night so Centra also has lots of celebrate! Legislation signed by President Higgins on Christmas Day 2018 banning zero-hour contracts came into effect from Monday, March 4. Zero-hour contracts will be banned in almost all circumstances and workers in casual and precarious jobs will have greater certainty around the length of their working week. The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 is one of the most important pieces of employment law in twenty years and is the result of a five-year campaign by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Welcoming the new law, ICTU General Secretary Patricia King said: Workers rights have been significantly improved thanks to the trade union movement successfully pushing for legal protection around the working hours of the lowest-paid and most vulnerable workers. She said: Zero-hour and low-hours contracts give employers complete discretion when it comes to working hours. Rogue bosses, taking full advantage of this, unashamedly use the threat of reduced hours to keep workers in-line and to punish workers for being unavailable. It is stressful, humiliating and makes it next to impossible for workers to plan ahead or to budget for their household expenses. The day-to-day reality of such working conditions for workers has no place in a modern, wealthy economy. This new law rightly puts an end this power-imbalance. There are four new rights for workers: 1. Workers are entitled to a written statement of their terms of employment within first five days. The act legally requires employers to provide workers with a written statement of their main conditions of employment within the first five days of being hired. The statement must include details of daily and weekly working hours, rate of pay and how pay is calculated. 2. ZeroHour contracts are banned in almost all circumstances. It had become practice for some employers to employ workers without guaranteeing them a set number of working hours. Under the act, employers will no longer be able to use such zero-hour contracts except in very limited circumstances, such as to provide cover in emergency situations or to cover short-term absences. 3.Workers are entitled to a minimum payment if their employer fails to provide them with work. Workers have the right to compensation from their employer if they turn up for work but are sent home without work. The minimum payment they are entitled to is 3 hours pay at the minimum wage rate, or 3 hours at the JLC rate if they work in a sector where an Employment Regulation Order is in force, such as security or contract cleaning. 4. Workers are entitled to be guaranteed hours of work that reflect their normal working week. Under the act, workers have the right to be placed on a weekly band of hours that accurately reflect their normal working hours. For example, if a workers contract guarantees 10 hours per week but for the last 12-month period the worker has worked an average 25 hours per week, they are entitled to be placed on a band of hours that guarantees them a minimum of 21 hours per week. Any worker denied their new rights under this legislation or victimised for asking for them, should contact a trade union who will assist them vindicate their rights. Union contact details can be found on www.ictu.ie by Vladimir Rozanskij Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity opened in 2006 for Russian, Bulgarian and Romanian communities in Pyongyang. The work of the Asian Orthodox Exarchate, based in Singapore. TPatriarchate of Moscow activities in Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, South and North Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. The importance of former Soviet friendships. Moscow (AsiaNews) - Moscow Orthodox Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) will visit North Korea at the invitation of President Kim Jong-un. The Patriarchal exarch for Southeast Asia, the 45-year-old metropolitan of Singapore Sergij (Chashin) revealed the news on March 3, meeting with journalists in Bangkok. He added "in Pyongyang they always welcome us very cordially, we carry out our service there and I am recognized as the legitimate bishop". The exarch recalled the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Pyongyang, opened years ago and built by decree of then North Korean executive Kim Jong-il as a symbol of Russian-Korean friendship. At the end of its construction, in August 2006, the church was solemnly consecrated by the then metropolitan of Smolensk Kirill, the current patriarch. "The last time I was in Pyongyang was November," Metropolitan Sergij continued, "and I celebrated the Divine Liturgy. I saw how authorities are well disposed towards the Russian Orthodox Church. Diplomats, and also the staff of the embassies of Bulgaria and Romania, pray in our Church. We have no problem in the running of our activities in Northern Korea ". Extending his gaze to other countries, Sergij noted that the life of the Orthodox is not so simple in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, "where legislation is very strict for religious organizations; in Vietnam, however, we have managed over the years to reach an understanding with the office for religious affairs. Now they know us and we are constantly in contact, we have obtained permission to open a community in the seaside town of Vung Tau; for now the parish is active in a private house, but with a stable priest ". The Russian projects in Vietnam now focus on Hanoi and the city of Ho-Chi-Minh, where there are many Russians. The hope is to send a a stable priest to Hanoi at Easter where the Russian embassy has obtained land in exchange for a similar plot in Moscow, on which the Vietnamese have opened a commercial and cultural center. The Russian project involves the construction of an Orthodox church in the center of Hanoi. In Thailand the archimandrite Oleg (Cherepanin) works as a representative of the patriarchy throughout the country. At the press conference he also explained the situation of the Russian parish of Laos: "Two years ago Bishop Mark came to Thailand, and we organized a meeting with the leadership of the Lao government party and the national housing fund. We have found them very willing, they have promised that they will register our Church, on condition that it is requested by Laotian citizens ". The negotiations in Laos will have to be resumed after a pause, the archimandrite explained, "but we think there will be no difficulties: the exarch will have to go to Laos and meet with the party leaders, to confirm the announced decisions. Many Laos leaders and officials have studied in the Soviet Union, and have maintained friendly relations with Russia. " The Asian Orthodox exarchate, based in Singapore, was established last December 28 by the Synod of the Patriarchate of Moscow, together with the metropolis for Western Europe. The activities of the Moscow Patriarchate in Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, South and North Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand refer to it. On 26 February the exarchate was divided into four dioceses: Singapore, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam-Philippines. The decision to form the exarchate officially depends on the successes of the Russian missions in the countries of Southeast Asia, with the opening of dozens of new parishes. At the same time, the structure has the task of taking care of the faithful in place of the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople, which claims assistance in all territories not traditionally Orthodox, but with which Moscow has broken off relations after the creation of the Ukrainian autocephalous Church . Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi, announced to ISNA agency. The missing invitation would have infuriated the head of diplomacy of the Islamic Republic. A move to restore a central role to the ministry in foreign policy. Teheran (AsiaNews / Agencies) Exclusion from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's visit to Tehran last week was behind the unexpected resignation - rejected by President Rouhani and later withdrawn - by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. According to the agency ISNA (Iranian Students' News Agency), the exclusion from the meeting would have infuriated the head of diplomacy, who decided to place the matter in the hands of the highest authorities of the Islamic Republic. The Iranian student news agency cited as its source Bahram Qassemi, Minister Zarif's spokesman. Last February 27, Hassan Rouhani rejected Zarifs resignation, reiterating statements of esteem for the moderate ally, long in the crosshairs of the fundamentalists and the religious wing for the opening of credit to the West. Zarif was one of the great architects of the 2015 nuclear agreement (JCPOA), has resigned, then disqualified by the current US administration, which has ordered the introduction of the harshest penalties history. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs - underlines Qassemi - did not receive any information at any level [about the trip] and this lack of information continued until the end of the visit". "One of the reasons - continues Isna - for the resignation of Zarif was this lack of coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As previously announced, the resignation [...] was not a private and individual matter and the goal [of the resignation] was to give a positive boost to return the central role of foreign policy to the ministry. " Absent Zarif, at the meeting last week between the ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the leader of Damascus was instead the commander of the Force Quds (a special unit of the Pasdaran) Qassem Soleimani, responsible for operations outside the borders with Iran . On the sidelines of the meeting, Soleimani himself made it clear that Zarif is still the main responsible for Iranian foreign policy and enjoys the full support of the supreme leader. Saudi laws against extremist violence are unacceptably wide and vague, and are aimed at anyone seen as harming the unity or stability of the kingdom. The methods of torture used include electrocution, flogging, whipping, and sexual assault. Riyadh (AsiaNews) Saudi Arabia is using its counter-terrorism legislation to silence activists, including women, in violation of international law guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression, United Nations human rights experts reported yesterday. In fact, the kingdoms public prosecutor has begun preparing the trials of detainees, identified by watchdog groups as womens rights activists. A panel event entitled Saudi Arabia - Time for Accountability was held on Monday on the side-lines of the United Nations Human Rights Council centred on repeated Saudi human rights violations. The Saudi counter-terrorism legislation and other regulations are unacceptably wide and unacceptably vague, said Fionnuala Ni Aolain, UN special rapporteur on protecting human rights whilst countering terrorism. It includes people who are engaged in promoting or inciting sit-ins, protests, meetings or group statements. Anyone who harms the unity or stability of the kingdom by any means, she said. These laws are used to directly attack and limit the rights of prominent human rights defenders, religious figures, writers, journalists, academics, civil activists and all of these groups have been targeted by this law, she added. Michel Forst, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, said he has been in touch with the Saudi government for the past year since its crackdown. Worrisome for me is the targeting of women human rights defenders, he explained, not just women involved in the right to drive movement, but also all kinds of women, with All arrests involved incommunicado detention at undisclosed locations. The UN complaint is just the latest in a long series of attacks on the so-called reforms promoted by 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as part of his Vision 2030 programme. The arrests of senior officials and business people last year, the crackdown on activists and critical voices, the war in Yemen with its civilian victims, children included, and the assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi cast a dark shadow on Saudi Arabia. NGOs and international organisations have zeroed in on the countrys anti-terrorist laws, which do not only concern security, but cover a much wider range of things, including individual rights. The activists in prison include lawyer Walid abu al-Kahir, poet and scholar Ashraf Fayadh and several women, like Loujain al-Hathloul and Israa al-Ghomgham. Some are leaders in campaigns for women's rights to drive and to end male guardianship, a practice that effectively places women under the control of their guardian (father, brother, husband). The methods of torture used include electrocution, flogging, sometimes whipping, and sexual assault. It is important to remember that while so many women for example now can drive, women who campaigned for driving are still in prison, said Omaima al-Najjar, a Saudi blogger living in exile. What is more, whilst women can finally vote or go to the cinemas, a lot of the activists who called for those reforms are still in prison. B2B Lead Generation Service Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more. Samsung held its annual Unpacked event in San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Wednesday, presenting fans with a new product lineup that includes three versions of its flagship Galaxy S10, plus the Galaxy S10 5G, the Galaxy Fold, and several new wearables. All of the devices have an edge-to-edge display that increases the amount of screen real estate available. The S10 Triumvirate It had been widely rumored well before the launch that Samsung "would adopt a similar strategy as Apple and launch three devices, with one being a cheaper model," noted Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, a senior analyst at Strategy Analytics. Samsung introduced the Galaxy S10, the Galaxy S10+ and the Galaxy S10e. The S10e is the inexpensive model. All three of the S10 devices have a triple rear camera system and a dual front camera system. The cameras and lenses are embedded into the screen, each floating in a sea of pixels. They have the world's first Infinity O-Display on AMOLED. "The quality of the screens is amazing," noted Ray Wang, principal analyst at Constellation Research. The S10 devices have the world's first ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, embedded directly beneath the screen at the base. Also, they can double as wireless chargers for Samsung wearables. "The cameras and the reverse charging were a hit. The camera software democratizes pro photography capabilities," Wang told TechNewsWorld. "Today marks a new beginning," D.J. Koh, head of Samsung's mobile communications division, told a packed audience. The new lineup "will launch the next decade of Galaxy." However, these three phones "have technologies that were in previous models," noted Ramon Llamas, a research director at IDC. "There's a lot of incremental improvements, and if that's setting the stage for the next 10 years, we have to be prepared for incremental improvements," he told TechNewsWorld. Pricing is set at US$900 for the Galaxy S10, $1,000 for the S10+ and $750 for the Galaxy S10e. All three will be available from March 8 in stores and online. Samsung will begin taking preorders Thursday. Sales of the Galaxy S series will be challenging, Llamas predicted, because of the price and people's reluctance to upgrade. Trotting Toward 5G The Galaxy S10 5G will be offered exclusively by Verizon Wireless in the United States. "So we're down to 150 million people here (Verizon's customer base) instead of 320 million," Llamas said. "How many of them have 5G in their local areas?" Meanwhile, Samsung is rolling out the Galaxy S10 5G with a number of carriers across Europe. Trouble is looming, though: There is no single worldwide 5G standard, and the U.S. and the EU have been battling over different implementations. The Galaxy Fold "Occasionally a new device is introduced that overcomes expectations and sets the industry on a new path," said Samsung's Koh. "A device like the Galaxy Fold." Galaxy Fold For the Fold, Samsung reinvented the display from the ground up, pioneered new technologies, and created new materials, among other things, Koh said. "The biggest surprise was the exceptionally great design of the foldable device," Strategy Analytics' Ukonaho told TechNewsWorld. "The Galaxy Fold defines a whole new category of smartphones," he said. "It will be the device every other vendor wants to beat." The Fold has a 4.6-inch cover (outside) with a QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED display. When it is unfolded to serve as a tablet, its two inside screens seamlessly conjoin to create a 7.3-inch HD+ Super AMOLED display. "We had to develop brand new ways to design, develop and manufacture" to make the Galaxy Fold, said Justin Denison, Samsung's senior vice president of product marketing. The company had to invent a new polymer layer and create a display roughly half as thin as the typical smartphone display, said Koh. "One of the biggest challenges was building the backbone of the device," Denison said. Samsung "developed a sophisticated fold system with hinges with multiple interlocking gears." Apps can switch seamlessly among the screens with Samsung's "App Continuity" feature. Users can open up to three active apps simultaneously. The Fold has a rear triple camera, one front camera and two inside cameras. It uses a state of the art 7nm 64-bit octa-core processor; it has 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. It supports Universal Flash Storage 3.0. Two batteries, one on each side of the Fold, offer a total of 4,380 mAH to power the device. Their power is combined into one source. The Fold is Fast Charging compatible on both wired and wireless. It runs Android 9.0 (Pie). The Galaxy Fold will be available from April 26, Denison said. It will be offered in an LTE and 5G versions. Pricing will begin at $1,980, depending on the region and carrier. "That's quite high, but we expected this because of its complex mechanics," Strategy Analytics Ukonaho remarked. "Most people were expecting it would come in at more than $2,000," noted Constellation's Wang. Samsung "is not the first to come out with a foldable phone," noted IDC's Llamas. "China's Royole FlexPai is, but Samsung gets credit for bringing this out into the mainstream." If you're a real heavy-duty hardcore multimedia consumer, this might be for you," he said, "but right now we're talking almost a niche device." 3 New Wearables Samsung debuted three new wearables: the Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Fit/Galaxy Fit e, and Galaxy Buds. Galaxy Wearables The smartwatch, activity tracker and cord-free earbuds are designed to accommodate a range of lifestyles, the company said. "Consumers are increasingly putting their overall well being at the center of their lifestyle decisions, and they're looking for wearables that make it easier to get active and stay balanced every day," said Koh. The Galaxy Watch Active offers blood pressure monitoring and stress management, as well as fitness tracking. Richard Adhikari has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2008. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, mobile technologies, CRM, databases, software development, mainframe and mid-range computing, and application development. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including Information Week and Computerworld. He is the author of two books on client/server technology. Email Richard. 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Lightning strikes last week were the immediate cause of the fires, Victoria emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp said, according to CNN. Two of the fires, at Bunyip and Yinnar South in West Gippsland, destroyed nine buildings, including homes, on Sunday, The Guardian reported. As of Monday, more than 2,000 firefighters were working to control the blazes. "This is a challenging time and it's going to be a very busy time for firefighters and emergency services across the state," Crisp said, according to CNN. The Bunyip State Forest fire, which has burned through more than 12,000 hectares (approximately 29,653 acres), is the priority for firefighters because it threatens the largest number of homes, The Guardian reported. The township of Tonimbuk inside Bunyip State Park was "all but wiped off the map" by the blaze, Network 10 journalist Candice Wyatt tweeted. One of the residents to suffer the impact of the fire was Andrew Clarke, owner of the Jinks Creek Winery, who lost the vineyard he had first started planting in 1979, Network 10 reported. "My vineyard is basically melted. I was meant to be picking my grapes yesterday, the first lot. That's about it, we've just lost everything," Clarke said, according to CNN. Firefighters are working to control the blazes before "gusty and erratic" winds are predicted to reach the area Wednesday. Cooler temperatures are also expected. However, accompanying thunderstorms could actually spark more fires, and the rain and snow predicted will not be enough to douse the fires, Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior forecaster Michael Efron told The Guardian. "Really these fires will be burning for some time until we get significant rainfall," he said. The bushfires continue a year of extreme weather for Australia, which began 2019 with a record-breaking heat wave. "This is the hottest start to autumn in 30 years, following the hottest summer on record," senior forecaster Tom Delamotte said in a statement reported by Network 10. Environment Minister Melissa Price blamed climate change for the weather extremes, including the bushfires. "There's no doubt that there's many people who have suffered over this summer. We talk about the Victorian bushfires; (in) my home state of Western Australia we've also got fires there," she told Sky News Tuesday, The Australian reported. "There's no doubt that climate change is having an impact on us. There's no denying that." BOM's State of the Climate 2018 report found that there had been a long-term increase in both extreme fire weather and the length of the fire season in most of Australia. By John R. Platt There's nothing disposable about the ideas presented in this month's new environmental books. The authors on March's list have pulled out all the stops, with several books about garbage and pollution, the perils of climate change, and the threats facing wildlife and endangered species. We even have a couple of novels that address environmental issues in thought-provoking ways. Check out the list below, where you'll find our picks for the 15 best eco-books of March 2019. Links are to publishers' or authors' websites, and you can also find any of these titles at your favorite bookseller or library. Garbage & Pollution: Throwaway Nation: The Ugly Truth About American Garbage by Jeff Dondero The world is awash in waste, and we really need to get off the runaway train of disposability. This book digs deep into the garbage pits of human society to reveal the enormity of the problem and what we can do to fix it. Landfill: Notes on Gull Watching and Trash Picking in the Anthropocene by Tim Dee You don't need to go all the way to Midway Atoll to find birds with stomachs full of trash. The same thing happens in cities around the world. Gulls make the most of the ready smorgasbords we've laid out for them in our landfills, and in some surprising ways they've actually thrived as a result. This book looks at the unlikely and unappealing results of this trashy symbiotic relationship. Clearing the Air: The Beginning and the End of Air Pollution by Tim Smedley The author, a sustainability journalist, trekked around the globe to some of the world's most polluted cities to find out how dirty air is killing people and what we can do about it. (Available in ebook format only, for now, with a print edition following in September.) Garbage: Follow the Path of Your Trash by Donna Latham, illustrated by Tom Casteel After learning about trash from the previous three books, here's one to help teach the next generation what they can do about the problem, complete with hands-on science activities for kids ages 9 to 12. (This is an updated version of Latham's award-winning earlier book, Garbage: Investigate What Happens When You Throw It Out.) Wildlife and Endangered Species: Return of the Wolf by Paula Wild Can wolves and human coexist? As Wild recounts, our two species have lived together for centuries, and in many ways our fates are intertwined. This book a thematic sequel to the author's earlier volume on cougars examines the history of wolves, their ecological roles and their relationships with other carnivores (including humans and dogs) to illustrate how we can keep both people and wolves on the landscape as our territories increasingly overlap. Genesis: The Deep Origin of Societies by Edward O. Wilson The famed biologist's latest book following up on his classic Half Earth examines what it means to be human by examining the evolutionary history of other species like naked mole rats and anchovies. Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us About Ourselves by Frans de Waal Advance warning: You just may get a bit teary reading these stories about the emotional lives of animals, including a dying chimpanzee matriarch whose photo graces the cover. Primate Research and Conservation in the Anthropocene edited by Alison M. Behie, Julie A. Teichroeb and Nicholas Malone Speaking of chimpanzees, primates are probably one of the most at-risk groups of species on the planet. This new book provides new research results about the threats primates face (including habitat loss, hunting and climate change) but it's not all dry academia. The authors of each chapter also discuss what motivates their conservation efforts and what strategies are helping. Overrun: Dispatches From the Asian Carp Crisis by Andrew Reeves The author, an environmental journalist, has been covering the story of invasive Asian carp for years. He now delivers a book-length examination of the problem and how humans have been forced to react to these troublesome new residents of North America's waterways. Drowned Under by Wendall Thomas A mystery novel about (among other things) an attempt to steal the world's last Tasmanian tiger. Agatha Christie never tackled a crime like that! Climate Change: There Is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years by Mike Berners-Lee One of the world's leading experts on carbon emissions addresses some tough questions in his new book and shows us how we can move forward in a practical, effective way. It's a book full of hard facts, important analysis, tough choices, positive inspiration and a surprising amount of humor. Green Buddhism: Practice and Compassionate Action in Uncertain Times by Stephanie Kaza A collection of essays by the well-known Buddhist ecologist, who offers guidance on compassion and sustainable living to help us in an age of extinction and climate change. Spaceship in the Desert: Energy, Climate Change and Urban Design in Abu Dhabi by Gokce Gunel As we look to the future of sustainable cities, we can learn a lot from the first attempt to create a zero-carbon metropolis. Masdar City in Abu Dhabi hasn't quite become the utopian example that it was intended to be when it was founded in 2006. That's because, Gunel writes, its designers embraced capitalism rather than question how the system caused the very problems they were trying to solve. Examining the recent history of this ongoing project may help us to set a clearer path forward. The Wall by John Lanchester A science-fiction novel about an island nation that has to wall itself off from rising seas and other threats caused by "the Change," including the political divides that tear us apart and cause us to build walls in the first place. A Fire Story by Brian Fies A harrowing memoir, in graphic-novel format, about the wildfire that raged through Northern California in 2017 and destroyed 6,200 homes including that of the author and his family. If you want to learn more about how climate change is affecting people now, this is a good place to start. Last but not least, check out Guernica magazine's special "Climate Fiction" issue for a few extra short stories which will roll out through the month of March. That's our list for this month, but there's plenty more to add to your reading lists. For dozens of additional recent eco-books, check out the "Revelator Reads" archive and come back in just a few weeks for next month's inspiring list. Reposted with permission from our media associate The Revelator. (Photo: LWF/ HKBP / Fernando Sihotang)Worship in an Indonesian Lutheran congregation in June 2104. A group of United Nations human rights experts has urged Indonesia's government to repeal its criminalization of blasphemy while the Lutheran World Federation has expressed concern at the politicization of religion in the Southeast Asian nation. At its 10-16 May assembly in Windhoek Namibia, the LWF issued a public statement on the recent sentencing of the former governor of Indonesia's capital city Jakarta, under the country's blasphemy law. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, who is a Christian in the mainly Islamic nation, had been sentenced to a two-year term of imprisonment by the North Jakarta District Court with reference to Indonesia's blasphemy law. The statement especially criticized the "mass mobilization of an unprecedented scale, which made it difficult for the judicial process to be impartial and free of political interests," and urged the Indonesian judiciary "to maintain its independence." The assembly of the LWF, the highest governing body of the Lutheran body urged Indonesian authorities to "review the blasphemy law," ensuring that constitutional rights are guaranteed to all citizens irrespective of their religious affiliation. It "appeals to citizens to uphold the Indonesian principle of 'pancasila,' which has guaranteed a society in which 'people of diverse religions, ethnic groups and cultures live together' for the benefit of all. Purnama was officially charged with "blasphemy" on Nov. 17, 2016 in relation to a Qur'anic verse he quoted during his gubernatorial election campaign. Recent targets of the blasphemy law in Indonesia included three former leaders of the Gafatar religious community noted U.N. the Special Rapporteurs on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, and on freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye; and the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred de Zayas. PENALIZING BLASPHEMY "Criminal laws that penalize blasphemy represent an unlawful restriction on freedom of expression, and disproportionately target persons belonging to religious minorities or traditional religions, non-believers and political dissidents," said the experts in a May 22 statement. "We urge the Government to overturn Mr. Purnama's sentence on appeal or to extend to him whatever form of clemency may be available under Indonesian law so that he may be released from prison immediately," the experts emphasized. Indonesia's government initiated the prosecution of Purnama following the pressure of a fatwa issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), as well as aggressive media campaigns and sometimes violent protests launched against him. "It is disappointing," the U.N. experts noted, "instead of speaking out against hate speech by the leaders of the protests, the Indonesian authorities appear to have appeased incitement to religious intolerance and discrimination." They said, "This case also illustrates that the existence of blasphemy law can be used to justify intolerance and hate speech. Blasphemy law is not compatible with a democratic society like Indonesia and it harms religious pluralism in the country." The experts said Purnama's blasphemy conviction and imprisonment "will undermine freedom of religion or belief and freedom of speech in Indonesia." For its part the LWF, which holds an assembly every six or seven years, said the churches in the 74-million strong body express "deep concern about the developments in Indonesia leading up to the court sentence." The Lutheran statement urged the Indonesian judiciary to maintain its independence. "Instead of reference to a religious judgement of a religious community, this judicial process needs to be based on public regulations, not religious regulations," it said. It said the Lutheran assembly is joining the many Christians, as well as leaders and people across different religions, "who are deeply worried about the way religion has been politicized in this process. "This is very detrimental to the goal of people of different religions in Indonesia living side-by-side in peace." The LWF noted that the Indonesian constitution guarantees freedom of religion or belief in Indonesia and states that every person is free to embrace the religion of their choice. They are free to worship according to their religion or belief and to choose their education and teaching, even as every person is entitled to freedom of belief and to express their thoughts and opinions in accordance with their conscience. (Reuters/Danish Siddiqui)Christian Indians protest against religious attacks. From the beginning of their independence from Britain, both Pakistan and India have promised to respect the rights of religious minorities, and recognize the equal citizenship of the believers of all faiths. The Catholic publication Crux says that after 70 years, both countries have struggled to fulfill that promise, but Christians living on the subcontinent take pride in their contributions to their societies. On August 25, 1947 British India became two different countries: India and Pakistan. India is a predominantly Hindu nation, while Pakistan is overwhelmingly a Muslim country, Nirmala Carvalho writes in Crux, "The awkwardness of their birth - with Muslim-majority Pakistan comprising Western and Eastern halves carved out of the Hindu-majority subcontinent - means their birthdays are celebrated on either side of midnight: August 14 in Pakistan, and August 15 in India. (East Pakistan became the independent Bangladesh after a short war in 1971, and observes its independence day on March 26.)" Carvalho notes that after independence, both countries had significant religious minorities/ Christians in Pakistan represent just two percent of the population in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation, and one gripped for the last 30 years by a rising tide of extremism. In Pakistan Christians are often poor and members of ethnic and linguistic minorities, "so they're doubly or triply at risk., and promised to respect the freedom to worship of their citizens." Speaking about the anniversary, Bishop Joseph Arshad of the Diocese of Faisalabad spoke to Crux about the words of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan/ Jinnah said, "You are free to go to your temple; You are free to go to your mosque or any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. To whatever religion, caste or faith to which you belong, there will be no discrimination or distinction. We are all citizens with equal rights." Arshad said he wanted to tell young Catholics of the nation to work together to build a society that honestly reflects those ideals, and to promote peace. "We are all equal citizens, and it is essential that our youth must work together for brotherhood and solidarity, justice and equality and work for religious tolerance and mutual respect," the bishop told Crux. "I strongly believe that together with one thought, we can achieve a prosperous, peaceful and an advanced country." However, Arshad said the presence of Christians in Pakistan is like the "salt of the earth and light to the world," despite the many challenges. "Pakistani Christians have played a significant role in the formation and development of the country," he said. "Our people stand firm in their faith and also foster a culture of dialogue with our Pakistani brothers and sisters of other faiths." The bishop said the path of inter religious dialogue is the only way to peaceful coexistence. Dominican Father James Channan, the Director of the Peace Center Lahore, said that Christians believe in the dream of Jinnah, which is a Pakistan where members of all faiths are equal citizens. "Our country is faced with both internal and external threats," Channan said. "Most of the people still remain poor and there is a great lack of security, basic health and shelter facilities. The extremism and fundamentalism is a great threat to our nation." The priest said one of the biggest problems is political instability and corruption in government. "In spite of all that, this day reminds us to play our full role for the development and prosperity of our country," Channan said. He said there were several interfaith conferences organized to celebrate Pakistan's independence, and churches across the country held prayer services and offered Masses for the country and its stability. RISING EXTREMISM IN INDIA Across the border, India has also been experiencing a rise in extremism, but promoted by Hindu nationalists. Since 2014, India has been ruled by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has strong links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a militant Hindu nationalist organization. Crux wrote that incidents of harassment have increased over the past few months, with various Christians being detained or arrested for "attempted conversion," and places of worship being vandalized. More recently, a spate of killings related to "cow vigilantism" have happened around the country. For India's Hindus cows are sacred and the slaughter of cows is illegal in most parts of India, although beef is often eaten by some Dalits (low-caste Hindus previously called "untouchables") and members of some religious minorities, such as Muslims and Christians. Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, the secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said despite this, India is a "very tolerant community" which has given space for the Catholic Church over the past 70 years. "Our hopes and aspirations for this country are that this tolerant spirit, peace and traditional harmony we have been enjoying, continue, so that we can continue contributing to nation-building and to the good of this country," he told Vatican Radio. "We also hope and pray that this country might go forward with inclusive development for all its people, taking in the poor, the marginalized, the tribals, the Dalits and the poor, with whom our hearts are always there as Catholics and as the Catholic Church," Mascarenhas said. (UN Photo/Amanda Voisard)Ahmed Shaheed, who was Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, briefs the press at UN Headquarters on 24 October 2013 at the United Nations in New York. GENEVA The world's nations must step up measures to protect freedom of religion or belief, a UN human rights expert says, citing concerns about the increasing use of anti-blasphemy laws and the imposition of draconian criminal penalties for expressing an opinion about religion. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, spoke at the Human Rights Council here on March 5, citing concerns about the increasing use of anti-blasphemy laws and the imposition of draconian criminal penalties for expressing an opinion about religion. "The increasing application of limits on freedom of expression, including new legal and extra-legal limitations by State and non-State actors, is having a concerning impact on freedom of religion or belief, globally," he said. "Freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression are closely interrelated and mutually reinforcing rights when exercised within the legal framework established by international human rights law. "Consequently, where we observe abuses of one right, we are likely to see the stage being set for abuses of the other," he said. In his report to the UN Human Rights Council, Shaheed presented examples of restrictions on freedom of expression, including public order measures, anti-blasphemy, anti-proselytizing and anti-apostasy laws, as well as policies to combat religious hatred and extremism. ASIA BIBI Among some of the cases he singled out: Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010. Bibi was reportedly accused of defiling the cup meant for her Muslim colleagues after drinking water from the vessel, on the grounds that as a Christian she was 'unclean' and forbidden to use the same utensils as Muslims. Ashraf Fayadh, Palestinian poet and artist, who was sentenced to death in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for apostasy in 2015, after which an appeals court commuted the sentence to eight years in prison and 800 lashes. He was accused of apostasy because he allegedly questioned religion and promoted atheism through his poetry. Mr. Fayadh remains a prisoner of conscience, detained for the mere peaceful expression of his opinion. "Pussy Riot", the Russian feminist punk rock protest group which briefly performed (and filmed itself performing) a song deemed critical of the authorities on 21 February 2012 in the restricted part where the altar is located in Moscow's largest Russian Orthodox Church. Members of the band were arrested and criminally charged with hooliganism. Adoption of an amendment to Nepal's penal code in 2017, which criminalizes 'hurting of religious sentiment" and religious conversion. Shaheed said that nearly 70 States have anti-blasphemy laws, with 30 States also carrying anti-apostasy laws. In some jurisdictions, either or both of these laws may provide for the use of the death penalty. "There has been a revival of anti-blasphemy and anti-apostasy laws, a proliferation of, and increasing reliance on, public order laws to limit expression deemed to be offensive to religious or belief communities," he said. This has come along with increasing investments in strategies that combat expression which incites persons to discrimination, hostility or violence against persons on the basis of religion or belief. The Special Rapporteur said that at the same time, he welcomed that some countries have recently repealed their former anti-blasphemy laws. Shaheed urged nations developing strategies to tackle the issues to be guided by international initiatives like the Rabat Plan of Action, which seek to operationalize States' obligations to respond to any promotion of religious hatred. He also stressed that the Beirut Declaration on "Faith for Rights" was a source of important guidance and inspiration for action. Since the beginning of the year, teachers have already gone on strike in Los Angeles, Denver, West Virginia, and Oakland, Calif. In three of those strikes, principals were charged with running their buildings while teachers were out on the picket line. In Los Angeles, they were expected to teach classes while juggling regular dutiesa job that already keeps most principals occupied for more than 60 hours a week, on average. The decision to keep schools open is putting principals in a bind. Many school leaders are former teachers and may strongly support their teachers calls for higher pay, more education funding, and additional counselors and social workers. But they have a duty to keep students safe and ensure that they are learning. I want to emphasize that the principals job, fundamentally, is to make sure children are safe and are educated, said Judith Perez, a retired principal in the Los Angeles school system and former president of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, which represents the districts principals and other administrators. And they have to have a positive environmentand that means supporting teachers. So, its challenging on all levels. They were really stressed by the circumstances and feeling very much alone and isolated in handling it. So given the demands on principals during these emergency situations and inherent tension between supporting their striking staff and upholding their duty to keep students safe and learning, what can districts do to make school leaders jobs more manageable during a strike? Close Schools, If Possible Ernest Logan, a former principal in New York City who now serves as president of the American Federation of School Administrators, said districts should close schools when teachers are striking if they are not safe and secure. Its a farce to tell the public that there will be meaningful instruction when the majority of the teaching staff is on the picket line and principals are expected to balance both administrative and classroom teaching duties, he said. Los Angeles Unified kept its schools open during a six-day strike in January. That prompted the principals union to ask the district to shut down schools two days into the strike. The union had gotten several complaints, including one from a principal who encountered expletives from picketing teachers while trying to enter the building. Other principals emailed about insufficient staff. Denver also kept schools open during a teachers strike last month. On the first day, a student at East High School sent a video to the Denver Post showing students dancing in the hallways, and students painted a chaotic scene to the paper. And Oakland schools stayed open during its first teacher strike in more than two decades, though the principals union urged the district to close schools. As the Oakland strike wore on into its sixth day late last week, only about six percent of students were showing up for school, according to local media accounts. The United Administrators of Oakland Schools expressed its support for teachers, and 75 principals signed a public letter backing their demands, including higher pay for teachers and more state education funding. More than two dozen principals boarded a bus to the state capitol in Sacramento the day before the start of the strike, to lobby legislators for more funding, including forgiving a $36 million state loan to the district dating back to 2003. Principals manned schools with fewer students in Oakland on the strikes first day. Principals union president Lauran Waters-Cherry, and executive director JoAnna Lougin, said in a statement that the district should abandon the notion that students can learn, and schools will function without professional teachers, and the supports of our counselors, psychologists, librarians, speech pathologists, social workers, early childhood and adult education teachers. Logan agreed. I believe that we should close schools, if its not a safe and secure environment, he said. All we are doing is babysitting those kids, thats what we are doing. There is no meaningful instruction going on. Be Transparent About Why Since meaningful instruction is not likely, districts should be honest with parents and the community about why they are keeping schools open: Because schools are often the only place where some children get two meals a day and a warm place to stay, Logan said. The question the public needs to ask, If we are not having instruction, then why did we have the schools open? Because there is a greater social need more so than education[al] need, he said. Districts also have a powerful incentive to remain open during strikes: millions of dollars are at stake. When schools are shut down, funding tied in part to average daily attendance is lost. Respond to Changing Dynamics Districts can think that they have dotted all their Is and crossed all their Ts as they prepare for the work stoppage, but very few things ever go according to plan. They must be able to respond in the moment to feedback from principals. While Los Angeles Unified hired 1,400 substitutes and sent 2,000 district administrators to help principals, the support staff members and substitutes were not evenly distributed. Some schools had too many administrators, while others did not have enough assistance, according to the local administrators union. Principals complained about the long work daysthey were arriving at school at 5:30 a.m. and leaving later than they normally would. Staff was stretched to the limit. The working conditions were untenable before the strike. The situation is now impossible. Learning is not happening. Schools should have been closed, one principal wrote to Juan Flecha, the president of the Los Angeles administrators union. The schools remained open for the duration of the strike. Keep Principals in the Loop As district representatives, principals are the main conduit of information from the central officeto students, parents, and the wider communityand they must walk a fine line in what they say, even when they are not always privy to the details of the negotiations. During a strike, they often have to reassure parents that schools are safe. But very often principals lack critical information that parents want to know, like how long the strike will last and when teachers will return to school. Union leaders suggested that because principals must maintain the trust of their parents and the community, they shouldnt be forced to parrot the central offices talking points. District officials must give principals accurate information, as much as is legally allowednot just talking pointsduring the strike. And those messages should be conveyed in writing to principals and given to them before teachers walk out. Perez said that a standing committee that sets guidelines for what principals need to know and do during a strike would go a long way to alleviate the anxiety and stress. Perez experienced two strikes during her career in Los Angeles, and she recalled that during the 1989 teachers strike, the district sent communications to school administrators that included tips on what to do in various situations and contacts to call in certain scenarios. I think what applies in LAUSD applies as much anywhere else there is a strike, where principals need to be clear on what is expected; what to communicate to parents; what to say to concerned community members; how to ensure the safety of the children and the staff members in the school; what they do if they have a question, whom do they call; how do they deal with an emergency, with questions and answers, Perez said. And that needs to be provided to them well in advance. Its simply because its just a different situation from what they do on a day-to-day basis. And they need to feel like they can manage it. Pay Principals for Their Extra Time If schools are open during strikes, principals must show up. They are barred from striking in many states, and they cant disobey a direct order from their superintendents without repercussions, Logan said. In many cases, principals do not have any recourse. They could file a grievance against the district for changing working conditions, but that may only lead to discord and does not address the underlying conditions that led teachers to walk out in the first place, Logan said. As such, principals should be paid for the extra work and additional hours they put in before and during the strikes, said Perez. Principals in Los Angeles reported spending weekends and nights before and during the strike to prepare lesson plans for classes they had to teach. The compensation will not be a significant sum of money, but its a sign of respect and appreciation for those who dealt with extremely tough situations on behalf of the district for no thanks or appreciation, Perez said. And that goes a bit in the direction of providing that recognition and support. Dont look now, but another tech billionaire is using his vast fortune to make a mark on K-12 education. The Ballmer Group, created by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie, has quietly committed more than a quarter-billion dollars to K-12-related organizations and projects over the last two years, according to an Education Week analysis. The flow of money includes more than $100 million granted to organizations working to improve opportunities for children and families in poverty, as well as a $59 million investment in a for-profit software company seeking to ease the flow of student data between K-12 school districts and nonprofits. These grants place the Ballmer Group among the larger funders in K-12 education, said Sarah Reckhow, an assistant professor of political science at Michigan State University who tracks philanthropic giving in education. They also reflect an approach to K-12 education that diverges in significant ways from those of other high-profile education funders from the technology sector, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Tracking the Money The Ballmer Group has quietly emerged as a major player in the world of education venture-philanthropy, committing more than $250 million to K-12 related efforts during 2017 and 2018. As a limited liability corporation, the group is free to make charitable donations and for-profit investmentsnone of which have to be publicly disclosed. Heres a sampling of the Ballmer Groups work, as identified by Education Week in press releases, media reports, and interviews: $60 million grant over six years to StriveTogether , a national nonprofit that supports partnerships among school systems, education service organizations, and other human-services groups grant over six years to , a national nonprofit that supports partnerships among school systems, education service organizations, and other human-services groups $59 million investment in for-profit company Social Solutions , to support development of software that facilitates greater datasharing between K-12 school districts and nonprofit and social-service organizations investment in for-profit company , to support development of software that facilitates greater datasharing between K-12 school districts and nonprofit and social-service organizations $30 million grant over 10 years to provide general operating support to BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) , a nonprofit summer learning provider grant over 10 years to provide general operating support to , a nonprofit summer learning provider $20 million grant to College Advising Corps , which helps low-income, first-generation students enroll in college by training college counselors grant to , which helps low-income, first-generation students enroll in college by training college counselors $16.5 million in two grants to the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools , an independent nonprofit working with the L.A. Unified school system on an in-district school transformation effort in two grants to the , an independent nonprofit working with the L.A. Unified school system on an in-district school transformation effort $16 million in grants in Southeast Michigan, including to City Year Detroit, Detroit Childrens Fund, Detroit Employment Solutions Corp., Community Education Commission, and the Education Trust Midwest in grants in Southeast Michigan, including to City Year Detroit, Detroit Childrens Fund, Detroit Employment Solutions Corp., Community Education Commission, and the Education Trust Midwest $15 million grant over five years to provide general operating support to Communities in Schools , a national nonprofit focused on drop-out prevention grant over five years to provide general operating support to , a national nonprofit focused on drop-out prevention $10 million grant over five years to Teach For America grant over five years to $10 million grant to Achievement Network , a nonprofit creating a Breakthrough Results Fund to support up to six school systems or charter management organizations with resources such as coaching, instructional tools, interim assessments, and professional learning grant to , a nonprofit creating a Breakthrough Results Fund to support up to six school systems or charter management organizations with resources such as coaching, instructional tools, interim assessments, and professional learning $10 million grant over five years to the Northside Achievement Zone in Minneapolis to continue the early-learning scholarship fund and antipoverty programs started with a federal Promise Neighborhood grant grant over five years to the in Minneapolis to continue the early-learning scholarship fund and antipoverty programs started with a federal Promise Neighborhood grant $5 million grant over five years to Genesys Works , a national nonprofit focused on youth employment and workforce development grant over five years to , a national nonprofit focused on youth employment and workforce development $2.25 million grant over two years to Teach For America Los Angeles grant over two years to Teach For America Los Angeles $1.5 million grant over two years to Teach For America Washington grant over two years to Teach For America Washington $1 million grant to the nonprofit group Reading Partners , which uses trained volunteers to support early literacy intervention programs inside schools grant to the nonprofit group , which uses trained volunteers to support early literacy intervention programs inside schools $750,000 grant over three years to Camino Nuevo Charter Academy , a California-based nonprofit charter school network grant over three years to , a California-based nonprofit charter school network $600,000 grant to the nonprofit Childrens Bureau of Southern California, which works to prevent and treat childhood abuse and neglect grant to the nonprofit of Southern California, which works to prevent and treat childhood abuse and neglect $600,000 grant over three years to Para Los Ninos , a nonprofit in LA that operates preschools and charter schools and provides mental health and social-service supports to families grant over three years to , a nonprofit in LA that operates preschools and charter schools and provides mental health and social-service supports to families $525,000 grant for general operating support to InnerCity Struggle , a nonprofit advocacy group involved in a coalition of organizations pushing for racial equity in school funding and other issues grant for general operating support to , a nonprofit advocacy group involved in a coalition of organizations pushing for racial equity in school funding and other issues $75,000 grant to support a partnership between Californias Pomona Unified School District and WINGS for Kids , a nonprofit that provides social-emotional learning supports in afterschool programs grant to support a partnership between Californias Pomona Unified School District and , a nonprofit that provides social-emotional learning supports in afterschool programs Undisclosed grant amount to a new $3 million philanthropic fund established by the Los Angeles Unified School District Yes, the Ballmers have given more than $10 million to Teach For America, plus millions more to a handful of charter school networks. They are also big believers in the power of data and technology. And like Zuckerberg, the couple has structured their philanthropic organization as a limited liability corporation, rather than a traditional foundation. That means they can use the Ballmer Group to pursue a mix of charitable donations, for-profit investments, and political activity, all with minimal transparency requirements. But to date, at least, the couple has not sought to fundamentally disrupt public education. They havent thrown their considerable fortune behind efforts to spread the adoption of personalized learning in K-12. And they havent focused on issues like academic standards and curricula. Instead, the Ballmer Groups known activity to date primarily reflects a wraparound approach to education, said Reckhow. It emphasizes the community context in which children grow up, and it relies heavily on people with extensive experience in the social-services field and deep roots in the communities where grants are being awarded. When you look at schools through a neighborhood lens, they look different, said Nina Revoyr, the executive director of the Ballmer Groups work in Los Angeles who previously worked for more than two decades in education and family mental health. The idea is that the community drives change, and people from multiple sectors [should] come together to push towards better outcomes. $2 Billion Fund Revoyr recalled the first time she met Connie and Steve Ballmer in 2016, when she was still working as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Childrens Institute Inc., a nonprofit supporting Los Angeles families dealing with challenges related to behavioral health and trauma. I drove them around the housing projects in Watts in my Subaru, Revoyr said of the Ballmers. They didnt have an entourage. They wanted to talk to people and meet folks who were affected by our services. Now worth an estimated $43 billion, Steve Ballmer got his start at Microsoft back in 1980, when he became the thirtieth employee hired by Bill Gates. By 1998, he was the companys president. Two years later, Ballmer replaced Gates as CEO. Upon retiring in 2014, Ballmer bought the NBAs Los Angeles Clippers. He and Connie, a former public-relations executive at Microsoft who is now a general partner at the youth-focused funding collaborative Blue Meridian Partners, established the Ballmer Group. To fund the initiative, the couple has contributed more than $2 billion to a donor-advised fund at Goldman Sachs. Their biggest known donation to date$60 million to a national nonprofit called StriveTogetherembodies the Ballmer Groups approach. StriveTogether focuses on reducing racial and economic inequality by bringing together school districts and groups providing services to children and families. The Ballmers grant aims to help the organization expand such partnerships and share what it learns with other youth-development organizations. We have witnessed the amazing power and possibility of intensive, inclusive community-based work, said Connie Balmer, who has worked for years on early-childhood issues in Washington state, in a statement released at the time. Increasing economic mobility for children and families stuck in intergenerational poverty is the overarching goal connecting all of the Ballmer Groups work, Revoyr said. That means a wide-angle focus on everything from workforce development to criminal justice reform to support for those who have experienced trauma. Funding is often provided for general operating support, to help established organizations scale up their operations. And while the Ballmers have a national agenda, they are focused most intently on three regions of the country: Detroit, where Steve grew up; Washington state, where the couple now lives; and Los Angeles County, where the Clippers are located. The Ballmer Groups K-12 work, Revoyr said, fits into that broader context. The organization does provide direct support to charter schools, including a $600,000 grant to a California-based nonprofit called Para Los Ninos that also operates preschools and provides mental health services. But the Ballmer Group has given much larger sums to outside-of-school groups providing educational support services, including a $30 million grant to a nonprofit summer-learning provider called Building Educated Leaders for Life. The Ballmers have also funded advocacy organizations, including a $525,000 grant to a nonprofit called InnerCity Struggle, which helped lead a successful campaign to change the way public education dollars are allocated in Los Angeles. In addition, Revoyr said, the Ballmer Group has given directly to efforts involving traditional K-12 districts. That includes a pair of grants totaling $16.5 million to the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, an independent nonprofit that is working with the L.A. Unified district to improve 18 low-performing schools while keeping them under district management. It doesnt always have to be about charters, Revoyr said. The vast majority of the kids we care about the most are in traditional public schools. Transparency Concerns Revoyr was quick to note that the Ballmer Groups strategy isnt reactive to some of the challenges faced by other large K-12 funders in recent years. The organization has worked in partnership with a number of other philanthropies, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Blue Meridian network, she said. Still, the Ballmers represent a leading example of a shift away from some of the biggest trends in edu-philanthropy over the past two decades, said David Callahan, the founder and editor of the digital news site Inside Philanthropy. For a long time, we had many philanthropists coming to education with a pretty narrow ed-reform agenda focused on schools and systems, Callahan said. What were seeing now is an important shift in the landscape, with more funders showing up and saying, OK, we buy the idea that poverty matters. Thats not to say everything about the Ballmer Group is different. Its perhaps no surprise that Steve Ballmera long-time tech executive and avowed data geek, in Callahans wordsis, like Gates and Zuckerberg before him, interested in building up the data infrastructure in and around the K-12 sector. The Ballmers have also gotten on board with the trend of merging charitable giving with venture-capital investments and calling it all philanthropy. Those elements of the couples approach are reflected in their hefty investment in Social Solutions Global, to help the for-profit company develop nonprofit case-management software that will be able to integrate with the student information systems used by most K-12 school districts. See Also: Kansas City Data-Sharing Effort Showcases Ballmer Groups Strategy We want to help raise the bar on the capabilities of software offered to social-service organizations, the Ballmers wrote in a joint op-ed about the investment published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy last August. Its capitalism being given a chance to advance the complex work of addressing poverty. By structuring the Ballmer Group as an LLC, the Ballmers have certainly given themselves more levers to pull in service of their goals, said Reckhow, the Michigan State professor. But they also seem to have embraced the notion that billionaires working to reshape public policy and service delivery dont need to be transparent about what theyre doing. That could lead to profound conflicts of interest. As with concerns leveled against the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, for example, its not hard to imagine the Ballmer Group providing campaign donations to a school board member who may ultimately be voting on contracts with a software company theyve invested in, or a nonprofit theyve helped fund. Officials from the Ballmer Group, however, told Education Week they would not commit to publicly disclose all the organizations grants, investments, lobbying work, or support for elected officials and campaigns. I dont love the trend, Reckhow said. It would be really nice if we could move towards the expectation that if youre going to work in this space, you share what youre doing and operate transparently. When West Virginia teachers walked out of their classrooms last month and swarmed the state Capitol in protest, it almost felt like deja vu. The two-day statewide strike was nearly a year to the day after teachers from the Mountain State staged their initial walkout over low payand lit the match for what became a wildfire of teacher activism. But this time, teachers demands were different, a reflection of the changing flavor of strikes nationwide. While last years teacher walkouts were focused primarily on stagnant wages and crumbling classrooms, the strike demands now are more far-reaching. Teachers are pushing back against education reform policies such as charter schools and performance-based pay. Theyre also fighting for social-justice initiatives like sanctuary protections for undocumented students. Although some experts say theres a risk of losing public support as teachers become more political in their demands, the strikes so far have retained community involvement and have all been relatively successful. Even as the protests move from red states to blue cities, there is still a coherent narrative in place: Teachers are underpaid, asked to do more with less, and fed up. See Also: Where Have There Been Teacher Strikes and Protests? (Map) These strikes are not independent and isolated efforts, said Rebecca Tarlau, an assistant professor of education and labor and employment relations at Pennsylvania State Universitys College of Education. Its a wave of different activists who are in conversation and connection and trying to transform their unions in really interesting and important ways, she said. So far this year, teachers in Los Angeles went on a six-day strike that ended with a host of union victories, including smaller class sizes, more support staff, and other socially minded initiatives, like legal support for immigrant students. Teachers in Denver went on a three-day strike last month over the districts performance-based compensation model. Then, West Virginia teachers walked out in protest of a bill that would have established charter schools in the state, along with up to 1,000 education savings accounts that allow certain parents to use public money to pay for private school. Teachers in Oakland, Calif., went on strike for two weeks in February over pay, class sizes, and the cash-strapped districts proposal to close schools. As the teacher-activism movement spreads, it emphasizes the point that teachers concerns are national and not simply a product of big-city unions, said Jeffrey Henig, the director of the politics and education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Now, he said, were seeing that played back in places like West Virginia, where the local actors without the strong historical unions ... are now breathing the fumes of national issues like privatization and school choice and are broadening their scope as a result. A Fight for Public Education In some ways, the strike in Oakland embodied what the movement has become, experts say. At the center of the contract dispute was the unions demand for a 12 percent pay raise. But Oakland Education Association President Keith Brown framed the strike as a fight for the soul of public education in the city. In addition to pushing for student supports, teachers are fighting against the proposed closures of up to 24 regular public schools and the growth of charter schools. No one thinks of the Oakland strike as a strike thats about salary, Tarlau said. It is part of the big picture: What is the future of our schools? What is the future of public education? Oakland teachers ultimately won an 11 percent pay raise, along with commitments from the district to hire more support staff and reduce class sizes. The president of the districts board of education also pledged to introduce resolutions calling for a pause on both school closures and charter school growth. Seeing teachers in California protest the growth of charter schools encouraged teachers in West Virginia to walk out again last month, said Jay ONeal, a teacher in Charleston who has been involved in organizing. And just as West Virginia activists shared strategies with others last year, they were learning from activists elsewhere this year. The national narrative has come full circle here now, ONeal said. Through it all, public support remained widespread in both of the states strikes, said Erin McHenry-Sorber, an assistant professor of higher education at West Virginia University. This time, teachers were protesting a bill that included a 5 percent pay raisea powerful narrative about teachers priorities. While they would like a pay raise and they need a pay raise, they were working to protect community schools, McHenry-Sorber said. In fact, the Denver strike was an outlier this year, in that it was mainly focused on teacher pay. Lois Weiner, a New York-based researcher and consultant on teachers union transformation, pointed out that according to district tallies, just over half the citys 5,000 teachers went on strike. When strikes are only about economic issues, they undercut the building of social support, she said. Meanwhile, West Virginia teachers have given their union leaders the power to call for another statewide labor action if legislators continue to pursue school choice measures. There might be a round two in other places, as well, that had a statewide protest last year. In Kentucky, several districts were forced to close one day last week as thousands of teachers participated in a sickout to protest a bill that would restructure the board that oversees the states teacher-pension system. And in Oklahoma, a grassroots Facebook group recently conducted a survey of its members to gauge their interest in continued activism after last years nine-day walkout for a pay raise and more school funding. Out of the nearly 2,200 educators who responded to the survey, about 55 percent said they would support another teacher walkout this year if there isnt an investment made to school funding. If the public was on board, 73 percent of educators would support a walkout. I think theres a chance there might be more mobilization and walkouts in places like Oklahoma where people felt for a moment what it was like to have power with their colleagues, said Penn States Tarlau. From what I can tell, they want to keep feeling that way. She has also heard conversations among activists about organizing a national teacher strike, or day of actionbut such a massive effort would take a lot of coordination and force, Tarlau said. We have all seen the haunting images. Migrants from Central America, men, women, and children on their journey north, alone or in caravans, seeking asylum at the border gate, held in jails or interned in camps. But most of the 244 million people worldwide living outside the country of their birth never make the headlines. They are parents and children, doctors, nurses, policemen, business owners, teachers, students, and neighbors, and they are central to the present and future civic life. In our country alone, it is becoming increasingly uncommon to find a city, town, or county in which immigrants do not play a role. Migration is an integral part of the story of the United States. Recent reports from the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League suggest that xenophobia and myths about immigration are on the rise, fueled by a 24-hour news cycle, partisan positioning, and misuse of social media. Misunderstandings about newcomers sow division, undermining our social, economic, and democratic prospects. Our schools are not immune to the turmoil. Twenty-six percent of school-age children in the United States today are either immigrants or the children of immigrants. Many such students feel especially vulnerable because of threatening immigration enforcement activities in nearby neighborhoods and the recognition that many educators feel ill-prepared to meet their needs. Committed educators nationwide have welcomed immigrant students into their schools, but their approaches have also been partial, leaving room for unintended harmful consequences. What is my responsibility in constructing welcoming and inclusive societies?" At Re-Imagining Migration, an organization created to ensure that young people grow up understanding migration as a shared human condition, we work with districts, schools, museums, and community organizations to prepare young people for the world and create inclusive and welcoming communities. We have noticed three blind spots that often challenge educational efforts: 1. Newcomer bias. When questions about immigration come up for schools, most eyes turn to the most visible cases of newcomers to our nation and neighborhoods. Complicating matters, many newcomers are often isolated by language, and their success is often solely gauged through their English proficiency, at the expense of developing their full human potential and civic identities. Making migration the sole domain of English-learners, rather than all immigrant-origin children and school faculty at large, exacerbates restrictive notions of who is part of we and who will remain a they for the foreseeable future. 2. Current events bias. In the current political climate, we have seen an increased focus on migration through the lens of current events. We keep hearing from our collaborators in the field that educators are looking for guidelines about how to address the migrant caravan, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (or DACA), or other current events. This eagerness to tackle real issues in class is progress toward making learning relevant to children and society. However, treating the experiences of migration solely as a matter of current events strips migrationone of our most basic human experiencesof its deeper historic and scientific contexts. As a species, humans have been on the move since we first walked on the planet. Those journeys make up our scientific record, our literature, and our histories, and they merit being treated in informed interdisciplinary ways. 3. Special project bias. In school curricula, migration is often covered ad hoc. Storytelling, mapping family origins, and civic-action projects are popular and valuable, whether they take place in an occasional English/language arts class or after school. Yet as long as these projects remain outside of the mainstream educational life of schools, they will remain disconnected from the academic outcomes on which schools are assessed. The study of migration raises fundamental questions about our shared human experience: Who are we? Where do we come from? Why do people leave their homes? What is the meaning of borders? Who is responsible for the people who straddle more than one nation? What is my responsibility in constructing welcoming and inclusive societies? Students can revisit these questions over time and across disciplines. Responding to changing demographics of our nations schools also requires teachers and educators to rethink our own biases and assumptions. Preparing our youth for a world of increasing and at times catastrophe-driven migratory flows will call for the renewed efforts of a broad range of educational and cultural institutions. This year, the first cohort of Re-Imagining Migration fellowsa select group of trained change agentsare leading pilot innovations in a range of educational learning spaces. In Charlotte, N.C., our fellows have revised a freshman language arts unit to explore migration through literature. In Washington, fellows at the National Gallery of Art are designing new teacher workshops to engage migration through the arts. And at the independent Washington International School, also in the nations capital, a fellows biology students are tracing human migration through genetic markers and historical events over time. Faced with the magnitude of human migration, such responses in classrooms, schools, districts, and museums are necessary to prepare young people to navigate a world on the move. If educators do not dedicate the attention required to develop a well-rounded approach to education about the experience of migration, we will leave a generation unprepared to take on the civic challenge of their lifetime. Just one of six new middle school science series is a good match to a set of national science standards, according to a review conducted by the nonprofit EdReports, which uses teams of teachers to vet learning materials. Amplifys Amplify Science was the sole curriculum to get top marks from the group. Reviewers also judged Houghton Mifflin Harcourts Science Dimensions to be partially aligned. But four other sets of learning materials did not meet expectationsand the publishers of those series are already claiming a faulty review process. In all, the review indicates that agreement over what materials truly embody the Next Generation Science Standards continues to be contested nearly six years after the expectations were unveiledand as teachers face growing pressure to alter their teaching and prepare students for the testing required under federal education law. The good news is the publishing community is really working hard to provide materials teachers can use, said David Evans, the executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, a membership organization for science educators. The more challenging part for the community is that its really hard to do. Complex Standards The NGSS were rolled out in 2013 and have since been adopted in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Even proponents acknowledge that the standards are complicated: Students must master science and engineering practices, such as analyzing and interpreting data. Theyre expected to recognize themes that cut across biology, earth science, and physics, such as how energy and matter flow into and out of systems. And all of that is layered on top of science content, including weather patterns, natural selection, and ecosystems. Publishers have struggled to figure out how to embody all those demands in their materials. EdReports, which is funded by several major philanthropies, has become an influential quality-control watchdog. As it has in the past, the group relied on a team of teachers to judge each series for alignment to standards using an in-house tool. Four series failed to make it beyond the first set of criteria, on overall design, generally because of problems in three major areas. One common issue was that the curricula didnt consistently embody all three dimensions of the standards: the practices, the crosscutting themes, and the disciplinary content. Another issue concerned how they presented phenomena. The standards indicate that scientific phenomena should undergird units, with each lesson helping students learn about the phenomena via the scientific practices and connecting knowledge using the crosscutting themes. (A phenomenon could be something like why, in dry weather, you get a shock when you shuffle rubber-soled shoes on a woolly carpet and touch a metal doorknob.) But some of the series used phenomena as illustrations within units, rather than as keystones. Finally, the materials had problems with assessment: Their tests didnt give teachers enough information to change their teaching, didnt measure all three dimensions, or didnt match lesson objectives. In an interview, Carolina Biological Supply Co. officials agreed that their series presentation of the crosscutting themes wasnt as explicit as it could be, and promised theyd change that in future versions. Publisher Responses David Heller, Carolinas director of curriculum and product development, also felt that the findings reflect how interpretations of the standards have evolved in the K-12 science field. In the early days of NGSS, curriculum writers knew that phenomena were supposed to target students questioning and thinking, but being so explicit about how [lessons] relate back wasnt as much an understood point, he said. Discovery Education officials claim the review process suffered from serious flaws. Their main dispute concerns how EdReports gauged a section of the Techbooks curriculum that gives teachers several choices of how to proceed. EdReports, they say, interpreted the whole section as optional, even though Discovery says it isnt. Overall, said Marty Creel, the publishers chief academic officer, the review doesnt reflect the current version of the Techbook. The reality in classrooms today is that teachers are pulling from materials all over the place, so to take a snapshot thats 10 months old we think is fundamentally unfair, he said. Weve been making a lot of improvements since, and the version they are now reporting on is not one we have actively going into classrooms. So were kind of scratching our heads about why youd put out a review on a version that basically no longer exists. EdReports officials said that they selected these series only after publishers assured them they wouldnt change radically and that they did keep up to date with additions. Its kind of a merry-go-round with some curricula that are digital and its hard to know when to jump on and off, said Eric Hirsch, the groups executive director. But we would have called off a review if we noticed the merry-go-round was starting to go around too fast. We also know that these materials will change, and thats why we stand ready to rereview. In separate statements, Teachers Curriculum Institute and HMH criticized the review as misguided and incomplete; HMH stated that the results reflected a philosophical difference with reviewers over how they interpreted the standards. Findings in Context The lackluster results could make marketing the products more difficult, challenging, and also potentially confusing for consumers, several publishers added. In the past, though, many publishers that have grumbled about EdReports reviews have altered them and resubmitted their productssometimes earning better scores. Educators have struggled to find resources to put the standards into action. Some districts, like Oakland, Calif., have written their own curriculum from scratch, but thats an investment of time and personnel that many smaller districts cant make. State reviews of learning materials offer insights, too, but typically cut few from their adoption lists: California approved all but five of the 34 science series it reviewed last fall. The NSTAs Evans views EdReports overall findings as part of a necessary, if uncomfortable transition. Publishers are no longer slapping stickers on old series and pretending theyre NGSS-aligned: all the companies new offerings made a good-faith effort to address the standards. But there are clearly more challenges on the horizon, he surmised. We should have curriculum materials in both elementary and high school that could meet the same kind of review standards. And thats tough, he said. Elementary because we dont spend a lot of time teaching science in elementary schools these days. And the challenge of developing three-dimensional kinds of instruction in high school is really quite significant, because we separate out disciplines, and NGSS is by its nature integrated. For district administrators, just how much does money talk when it comes to boosting test scores? Texas Republicans are in the thick of designing a statewide funding formula that could answer that question in a very big way. Under a proposal being prepared by legislative leaders, the state would set aside $800 million annually to reward districts that have various strong outcomes. In decades past, extra federal and state money across the nation has been distributed to districts that struggle academically. Texas is proposing to, in effect, flip that model on its head by spending more money on districts that meet certain state standards and less money on those that dont. We decided, right or wrong, that its better to provide financial rewards, or carrots, than to try to improve districts through our A-F accountability system, said Todd Williams, the CEO of The Commit Partnership, a Dallas-based advocacy group, who helped design the funding formula. I think that more money doesnt necessarily produce great results, but I think money invested strategically can have transformative results. (The state doesnt plan to get rid of its controversial A-F system.) Arizona and Ohio have similar outcomes-based incentive models. And a legislator in Arkansas last month proposed a bill that would punish schools with low reading scores by taking away money set aside for schools with high poverty rates. Risky Experiment? But critics in Texas say such an experiment would result in the state shoveling even more money toward already wealthy and academically successful districts, further punish impoverished and academically struggling districts, and give an incentive for superintendents to attempt to game the system. They point out that proficiency scores have a strong correlation with poverty and that boosting them requires a host of resources, including talented teachers, strong curricula, and wraparound services that can ameliorate the effects of poverty, all of which cost morenot lessmoney. A rewards-based system would ultimately exacerbate the divide between the haves and have-nots and force teachers to teach to the test, they say. Leave it to Texas, the birthplace of statewide testing, to double down on something that research shows does not work, said Noel Candelaria, the president of Texas State Teachers Association. Were just going to end up punishing poor districts for having low test scores and rewarding middle class and rich districts with better funding. Teachers plan to rally at the state capitol during their spring break next week to protest the measure, among other things. Fiscally conservative Texas Republicans, who control the state capital, rushed to replace the funding formula after the states supreme court decided in 2016 that, while the states spending was discriminatory and ineffective in boosting outcomes, it wasnt the courts role to decide how the legislature should spend K-12 dollars. Taxpayers have long complained about the way the state has captured money from property-rich districts and distributed it to property-poor districts, whats known as the Robin Hood effect. A statewide commission recommended in December that Texas spend much more than it has in the past on the states poor students, students with special needs, and English-language learners. It also recommended that the state kick in more income and sales tax revenue to offset local property tax revenue. But whats gotten the most attention in recent weeks is the proposal buried in the 165-page document that the state set aside incentive money for districts to raise test scores. While the recommendation deals only with 1 percent of the states budget, it could be a windfall for a district where a large portion of students meet statewide benchmarks. Under the proposal, districts would receive $1,450 more for every student achieving 3rd grade reading proficiency, an amount that would more than double if the student is low-income. Similarly, a district would receive $2,015 more for every high school student who goes on to enroll in college or the military or graduates with a industry-accepted certificate. That amount also would more than double if the student is low-income. Districts would be allowed to use the extra cash for, among other things, professional development, full-day pre-K, or personalized learning initiatives. Williams said that the project wouldnt result in wealthier districts ultimately receiving more money than impoverished districts, since the proposed funding formula would provide more money to districts serving at-risk students. Dallas Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, who has used a controversial $15 million teacher-pay-incentive program to boost test scores, said administrators would be responsive to a state model that offered them more cash for improving academic outcomes. While many of my colleagues are opposed to it, Im willing to take a look at it, he said. Part of our success is, weve changed how weve organized ourselves to make sure were more successful, and none of my employees got a raise until we could prove were moving the needle academically. In Arizona, state legislators three years ago decided to provide districts with up to $400 more per student in extra state funds for every student who met statewide benchmarks. That came after the state recalibrated its funding formula and replaced it with one that resulted in several tiny, wealthy suburban districts losing millions of dollars. A study by Anabel Aportela, the director of research for the Arizona School Boards Association, shows that most of that incentive money went to some of the states wealthiest districts. The incentive program, she said, never really resonated with district administrators since all the administrators know beforehand which districts will get the money at the end of the year. Politicians are assuming that folks are sitting back and waiting for the right set of incentives before they do their job, Aportela said. Educators are working very hard to serve these students. About 35 states use a similar outcomes-based funding formula for public universities. While such an approach is highly popular among politicians, said Kevin Dougherty, a researcher at Columbia Universitys Teachers College, it has yet to produce tangible outcomes in the higher education arena, according to several studies. In fact, many researchers point out that the approach has discouraged colleges from enrolling poor high school students who are less likely to complete college in six years, and has financially punished Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities institutions, whose purpose is to serve those students. Outcomes-based funding formulas are a way for the government to say to schools that were tough, were demanding and were not going to take excuses. This is still a potent rhetoric with the public. Houston, Mar 5 (efe-epa).- Elizabeth Romero, Small Business Central Division executive with Bank of America, said in an interview with EFE that Hispanic business owners are determined and not easily discouraged. "The Hispanic who has a small business is a fighter. He doesn't give up and she fights to achieve her dreams," she said. "They came to the US to be someone, for themselves and their families." Latino business people "seek a way to convert any obstacle into something positive," Romero said. "This year their businesses have grown much more than expected, which is a very big motivation for them, their employees, their families and their communities," she said. Bank of America presented Monday the results of its third annual Hispanic Small Business Owner Spotlight survey, which showed greater optimism among Latino entrepreneurs than among their non-Hispanic peers. To produce the report, GfK Social and Strategic Research surveyed 1,067 Hispanic and non-Hispanic small business owners between Aug. 30 and Oct. 16, 2018, and conducted 303 interviews among Hispanic entrepreneurs. The definition of small business used for the survey is firms with annual revenue in the range of $100,000 and $4.9 million employing anywhere from two to 99 people. The survey found that nearly nine in every 10 Latino owners plan to expand their businesses in the next 12 months, compared with 67 percent of non-Hispanics. Asked about the outlook for the next five years, 79 percent of Latinos said they expected to expand. The figure among non-Hispanics was 55 percent. Sixty-eight percent of Latino business owners said they expected their firms' financial situation to improve over the next 12 months, while 54 percent of non-Hispanics expressed that sentiment. Regarding the US economy as a whole, majorities of both Hispanics (59 percent) and non-Hispanics (55 percent) said they were counting on improvement. "There is a lot of confidence and optimism at the local and national level, though there are also concerns, such as the cost of health coverage, which has emerged in the last three years," Romero said. Besides health-care costs, cited by 70 percent of respondents,61 percent of business owners expressed worry about rising prices of basic goods and 60 percent said they feared potential economic disruption resulting from the trade policies of President Donald Trump. Romero said that Bank of America has "a lot of interest" in understanding the expectations and concerns of Hispanics, who make up 11 percent of the institution's small business clients. She pointed out that one third of BofA employees speak Spanish and that all of the bank's online content and the apps it offers to account holders are also available in Spanish. Spring warning for dog owners Dog owners are being warned to keep their pets under control ahead of the spring season. The police normally receives reports and investigates incidents of dogs worrying sheep around this time of the year. Officers say they don't have to attack the farm animals to kill them - sometimes just chasing them can prove fatal. Farmers are entitled to shoot any dog that they believe to be worrying their livestock under the Dogs Act of 1990. UK politicians can't legislate for our country insists MHK An MHK says members of the UK Parliament who tried to legislate for the Isle of Man have failed to understand and respect Manx independence. An amendment to the Financial Services Bill, backed by 40 MPs, wouldve forced the Crown Dependencies to take action on tax transparency, and make beneficial ownership registers public. However the bill was pulled by the UK government just hours before it was due to be debated. Dr Alex Allinson says those backing the amendment clearly dont understand the Isle of Mans parliamentary sovereignty, and need to focus on getting their own house in order. Hes praised the leadership of Chief Minister Howard Quayle, who was in London to pressure MPs and protect the Islands interests. Dr Allinson told Local Democracy Reporter Ewan Gawne that some MPs fundamentally dont understand the Islands unique constitutional position: Media Alex Allinson UK EU-Turkey meeting to be held in Brussels Association Council meeting between top Turkish diplomat and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini due on March 15. The EU-Turkey Association Council meeting will be held in Brussels on March 15, according to diplomatic sources on Tuesday. The meeting of Association Council the highest decision-making body between Turkey and the EU will take place after an interval of almost four years. The meeting, which is important for the continuation and diversification of the institutional dialogue with the EU, will be co-chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Johannes Hahn, the EUs Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, is also expected to attend the meeting. VISA LIBERALIZATION The regional issues and bilateral relations are expected to be extensively evaluated in the meeting. In this context, issues such as visa liberalization, updates on the Customs Union, the point reached in the EU accession process and the cooperation in the fight against terrorism are also expected to be addressed. The 53rd meeting of the EU-Turkey Association Council was held on May 18, 2015, in Brussels.The Turkey-EU Association Council was established in accordance with the Ankara Agreement, which entered into force on Dec. 1, 1964. Turkey applied for EU membership in 1987 and accession talks began in 2005. However, negotiations stalled in 2007 due to the objections of the Greek Cypriot administration on the divided island of Cyprus, as well as opposition from Germany and France. Europe needs reforms for renewal, says Macron French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday proposed a series of reforms within the European Union ahead of EU elections in May. The next elections to the European Parliament will be held between May 23 and 26. In an opinion piece across Europe, French President issued statements on the upcoming EU elections. In a few weeks time, the European elections will be decisive for the future of our continent," Macron wrote. "BREXIT SYMBOLIZES THE EUROPEAN TRAP" Never, since the Second World War, has Europe been as essential. Yet never has Europe been in so much danger," he said. Macron termed Brexit as the crisis of Europe which has failed to respond to its peoples needs for protection from the major shocks of the modern world. It also symbolizes the European trap. The trap is not being part of the European Union. The trap is in the lie and the irresponsibility that can destroy it. Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? he said. "FUNDING OF EU PARTIES BY FOREIGN POWERS SHOULD BE BANNED" Macron stressed the need to politically and culturally reinvent the shape of our civilization in a changing world. It is the moment for European renewal, he added. Resisting the temptation of isolation and divisions, I propose we build this renewal together around three ambitions: freedom, protection and progress. He proposed creating a European Agency for the Protection of Democracies which will provide each Member State with European experts to protect their election process against cyber attacks and manipulation. In this same spirit of independence, we should also ban the funding of European political parties by foreign powers. We should have European rules banish all incitements to hate and violence from the Internet since respect for the individual is the bedrock of our civilization of dignity, he stated. Foreign students hail Turkey for hosting refugees Turkey is showing the world how to care for refugees properly. Vanesa Suarez, a 21 year old Colombian student who has been studying journalism at Anadolu University in Eskisehir province under an exchange program, talked to Anadolu Agency following a seminar titled "News on refugees: Agenda setting and role of media in creating public opinion" organized as part of a European Union-funded project led by the International Labour Organization and Turkeys Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services.During her stay, Suarez said she has had the opportunity to observe how Turkey is handling the refugee crisis as a country hosting around 4 million. FOREING STUDENTS ARE PRAISING THE COUNTRY'S EFFORTS She said Colombia is dealing with a large number of refugees from Venezuela and praised Turkeys way of handling the crisis.Turkey did something good to show how to deal with refugees. In Colombia, we have sort of the same situation. This is why I am here. I want to learn. I think that this topic is really important because we are dealing with that, she said.Turkey is much more experienced with refugees. There is much more planning. It is a lot more organized. In Colombia, its such a new topic. They don't know so much. This is what is different.But there are many things in common. For example, the way the media portrays refugees and migrants is really similar, she added. Suarez said she had an unforgettable time in Cappadocia, located in Turkeys Anatolian region, which has been preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for its chimney rocks, hot air balloon trips, underground cities and boutique hotels carved into rocks.There are many things that are not even similar to Colombia. For example, Cappadocia, because there is nothing like Cappadocia, the story about that place. So these are my favorite things, and I think the real challenge in Turkey is language, because not all Turkish people know English. For me, it has been really complicated to communicate. But in general, I really like Turkey. Even if people can't communicate with me, they try, she added. "WE SHOULD FORGET POLITICS AND SHOW OUR HUMANITY" Another journalism student, 24 year old Palestinian Abdelkader Abd Elhalim, said he has been interested in refugee studies and visited refugee camps in Jordan with different organizations. When I came to Turkey I realized there is some kind of problem of connecting Turkish people with Syrian refugees. And there are also false stereotypes about refugees, a lot of wrong information being published on social media and even in the news, But these things can happen when a country is hosting huge numbers of refugees. For example, I've never faced a racist incident in Turkey. So we should forget politics and show our humanity, he added. THE SENSITIVITY OF THE TURKISH PEOPLE Abd Elhalim has been living in Turkey for three years and is getting more comfortable with speaking Turkish.I have visited more than 20 different cities in Turkey and loved each one of them. Every city has its own culture and food and that is the main reason I love Turkey, he said. He also said he had an unforgettable memory from his trip to the Black Sea region. While shopping with his family, someone asked where he was from. When Abd Elhalim and his family went to pay for the things he bought, the cashier said the man who was talking to him had paid for them.I heard a lot about Turkish hospitality, but this was the moment I really felt that. It was like a Welcome to Turkey moment for me. he added. India: We have only 10 days ammunition if war breaks out 68 percent of the armys equipment is so old, it is officially considered 'vintage' The New York Times said in its report that according to the Indian government estimates, if an intense war between Indian and Pakistan broke out, India could supply its troops with only 10 days of ammunition. 'VINTAGE' EQUIPMENT The report further claimed that 68 percent of Indian Armys equipment is so old which is officially considered vintage. Our troops lack modern equipment, but they have to conduct 21st-century military operations, said Gaurav Gogoi, the member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense. Recently, Pakistan-India skirmishes at the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary borders have been exacerbated, which even generated fears of the imminent full-fledged war between the two nuclear-armed countries. The escalation of the tension followed an Indian Air Force (IAF) strike on an alleged militant hideout in Pakistans northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which prompted Pakistan to retaliate with its airstrike on the Indian territory. The retaliation by Pakistan Air Force (PIA) ended up shooting down two Indian fighter jets and capturing of one IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan. Though later Pakistan graciously released the captive pilot as a peace gesture. The New York Times article also questioned the capability of the IAF, saying it was the first aerial engagement between the two countries in nearly five decades. Pakistan stops Indian submarine near its territorial wate Tension escalated after India last week launched an airstrike inside Pakistan. Pakistan retaliated by downing two Indian fighter jets. Pakistan's navy says it spotted and warned an Indian submarine approaching its territorial waters in the Arabian Sea not to attempt an incursion. SUBMARINE WAS DETERRED The navy said in a statement Tuesday that the Indian submarine wasn't targeted, "keeping in view Pakistan's policy of peace" under which Islamabad wants to de-escalate tensions with New Delhi. A spokesman for the Pak Navy said it was the second occasion since 2016 when it has detected an Indian submarine trying to enter Pakistani waters. The navy also released video of the submarine with the grainy black and white footage showing only what appeared to be a periscope above water. The timestamp on the video clip shows it began at 8.35 pm on Monday. "The Submarine was detected and localized in Pakistans maritime zone on 04 March 19. The submarine could have been easily engaged and destroyed had it not been Pakistans policy to exercise restraint in the face of Indian aggression and to give peace a chance to prevail," said the statement. Russia want EU guarantees on TurkStream project Dmitry Medvedev comments on gas pipeline after meeting with Bulgarian counterpart in Sofia. Russia needs guarantees from the European Commission before choosing Bulgaria as a route for the TurkStream natural gas pipeline project, the countrys prime minister told his Bulgarian counterpart Monday. I hope we will be able to talk about further concrete steps after the corresponding guarantees are issued, Russian news agency TASS cited Dmitry Medvedev as telling reporters after meeting with Boyko Borisov in Sofia.I mean not from the Bulgarian government, but when the European Commission provides reliable guarantees that this project will not collapse in the future and will not face any obstacles, he said, according to the agency. THE FIRST LINE WILL HAVE A CAPACITY OF 15.75 BILLION CUBIC METERS The TurkStream pipeline, which will carry Russian gas, will have a total throughput capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters and consist of two lines. The second line, which will have the same capacity, will provide gas to Europe via Turkey.The first line, comprising a 69-kilometer (43-mile) land section, is expected to be completed late this year, with first gas expected to flow shortly after. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced TurkStream in 2014 after dropping the South Stream gas project.Russia sought alternative routes for gas deliveries to bypass Ukraine, and out of this the TurkStream project evolved, opening up a new transit route for Russian gas and helping to meet Turkey's increasing gas demand. Turkish satellite operator to attend international expo Turksat to showcase products at Middle East's largest broadcasting exhibition CABSAT in Dubai on March 12-13. Turkish satellite operator company Turksat will attend Middle East's largest broadcasting exhibition in Dubai next week, according to a statement from the firm on Tuesday. CABSAT 2019, to be held on March 12-13, will gather a number of companies that provide services in the field of satellite communication and cable broadcasting. The Turksat 4B communication satellite will be displayed at the company's stand. The satellite is located at the 50 degree East orbital location and offers Ultra HD 8K (super hi-vision), the latest broadcasting technology available. The company will also showcase its SOTM (Satcom On The Move) antenna, which offers economic and uninterrupted communication services via satellite to mobile vehicles on land and sea. Turkish scientists to visit foreign bases in Antarctica Turkish team visits 9 foreign research bases, including Spain, Britain and Russia. Turkish scientists stationed in an Antarctic polar research base paid a visit on Monday to other countries research installations. As part of the Third National Antarctic Science Expedition, the Turkish team visited bases where scientists from Bulgaria, Ukraine, Britain, Chile, Spain, Poland, China, South Korea and Russia were conducting research. TURKEY AND BULGARIA ACHIEVED GREAT COOPERATION Dragomir Mateev, head of the Bulgarian base, told Anadolu Agency that Turkey and Bulgaria achieved great cooperation in polar research which they hoped would continue. Istanbul Technical University (ITU) professor Safak Altunkaynak said she would work two months in the Bulgarian base to investigate different types of volcanic rock. Earlier in February, a Turkish team traveled to Antarctica as part of the Third National Antarctic Science Expedition to spend 30 days, which is supported by the Turkish Presidency, the Industry and Technology Ministry, and ITUs Polar Research Center, along with other Turkish universities. In April 2016, the first-ever Turkish team of researchers -- including doctors, botanists, geologists, and oceanographers from seven universities -- traveled to Antarctica to study the impact of climate change. Antarctica, the coldest continent on earth, has served as a scientific research zone since the signing of a 1959 treaty. Ottawa, Mar. 5, 2019 - Two Canadian biologists are proposing a better way to assess the conservation value of old-growth forests in North America--using lichens, sensitive bioindicators of environmental change. Dr. Troy McMullin, lichenologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, and Dr. Yolanda Wiersma, landscape ecologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland, propose their lichen-focussed system in a paper published today in the Ecological Society of America journal, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. "We are presenting a paradigm shift for the way we assess forests and manage them," says McMullin. "How do we select the forests with highest conservation value? How do we decide what to protect and what to cut? Lichens are part of the answer." Old-growth forests, especially those in North America, are perceived to be rich in biodiversity, in addition to capturing aesthetic and spiritual values. These forests are usually defined by the age of the trees, with conservation and management practices developed accordingly. McMullin and Wiersma say this is an over-simplification, as it overlooks the importance of biodiversity in those habitats. "Forests with old trees in them are certainly awesome and important," says Wiersma. "However, forests change through time and something that is an older forest now may not always be a forest." The approach of the researchers lets them look at the presence of forests in the context of the broader landscape. "If we think of the landscape as a patchwork quilt of different types of forests of different ages, some of those patches of forest will stick around for a long time, while others might wink in and out over different time frames. Our approach lets us identify which patch has been a forest for the longest period of time, even if it's not the one with the oldest trees." McMullin and Wiersma argue that old trees are only a proxy for biodiversity in old-forest ecosystems and that biodiversity should be measured directly--with lichens as the ideal candidates. "The advantage of lichens as indicators for this biodiversity is that they don't go anywhere, you can study them anytime of the year, and they 'eat the air', which makes them one of the most sensitive organisms in the forest ," explains McMullin. Many old-growth forests have high sustained moisture and a high number of microhabitats suitable for certain species, which can't disperse easily. Having these forests in the landscape provides a refuge for the seeds and spores that helps with the continued preservation of this biodiversity. In their paper, McMullin and Wiersma propose that suites of lichens associated with known old-growth areas can be used to develop "an index of ecological continuity" for forests of interest. This scorecard of lichen species could then be used as a tool by conservation biologists and forest mangers--the more species that are old-growth dependent, then the higher the forest's conservation value. The scientists note that lichens are already being used to assess old-growth value and forest continuity in parts of Europe, less so in North America. As examples, they cite the studies of British botanist Dr. Francis Rose, who developed an index of about 30 lichens associated with Britain's Royal Forests or medieval parklands, which have been relatively untouched going back hundreds or even thousands of years. McMullin has also built on the work of Dr. Steven Selva at the University of Maine. Selva has documented that species of stubble lichens (the calicioids), which tend to be found predominantly in old-growth areas, can be good indicators of continuously forested lands in Acadian forests. So, what next? McMullin and Wiersma propose they can build on this knowledge to develop lists of appropriate lichen suites for forest types such as Carolinian, Boreal or Great Lakes-St. Lawrence. Next steps could include training those responsible for assessing the forests, offering access to the expertise of trained lichenologists, and taking advantage of new technologies such as DNA barcoding. Lichens 101 There are an estimated 2,500 species of lichens in Canada. Lichens are found on every continent and can grow in frigid polar regions, harsh deserts, as well as your backyard! A lichen is part fungus and part green alga or a cyanobacterium (sometimes both). Some lichens fix nitrogen for the soil and lichens play important roles in ecosystems: they are among the first colonizers of bare rock and prevent erosion by stabilizing soil, they provide food for animals, habitats for insects, and they can serve as monitors for air-pollution. The Canadian Museum of Nature houses the National Herbarium of Canada, which includes about 150,000 specimens of lichens. ### About the Canadian Museum of Nature The Canadian Museum of Nature is Canada's national museum of natural history and natural sciences. The museum provides evidence-based insights, inspiring experiences and meaningful engagement with nature's past, present and future. It achieves this through scientific research, a 14.6-million-specimen collection, education programs, signature and travelling exhibitions, and a dynamic web site, nature.ca. The museum houses the National Herbarium of Canada, which includes about 150,000 specimens of lichens. About Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland is a multi-campus, multidisciplinary university dedicated to creativity, innovation and excellence in teaching and learning, research, scholarship and public engagement. With campuses in St. John's and Corner Brook, Newfoundlandand Harlow, Essex, U.K., Memorial University welcomes students and scholars from all over the world, including more than 18,000 students from nearly 100 countries. Information for media: Dan Smythe Head, Media Relations Canadian Museum of Nature 613-566-4781; 613-698-9253 (cell) dsmythe@nature.ca Kelly Foss Communications Advisor, Faculty of Science Memorial University of Newfoundland 709-8642019; 709-699-3788 (cell) kfoss@mun.ca New York, NY--Feb 28 2019--Omri Weinstein, assistant professor of computer science at Columbia Engineering, has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his project, "Information Theoretic Methods in Data Structures." The five-year, $500,000 award is one of the NSF's most prestigious honors for faculty at or near the beginning of their careers. Weinstein, who joined Columbia Engineering in 2017, is interested in the interplay between information theory and data structures, and more broadly in applications of information theory to computational complexity and interactive computation. "I am very pleased to have been recognized by the NSF and to have its support for my research," said Weinstein. Data structures are the backbone of algorithm design and information retrieval, and underlie the performance of countless industrial-scale applications, from Cloud storage and machine learning, to internet routing and road navigation. As such, understanding what data structures can and cannot compute efficiently is a fundamental question in both theory and practice. This question is exacerbated by the proliferation of data being uploaded and analyzed on remote data-centers, challenging the traditional design of large-scale databases and storage algorithms. Weinstein's NSF project focuses on two primary themes. The first theme is developing new mathematical tools for proving unconditional lower bounds on the operational time and memory consumption of data structures, and the second is exploring the interplay between algorithmic information theory and data structures in large-scale storage applications. In particular, Weinstein hopes to develop space-efficient and I/O-efficient data structures for information retrieval, focusing on the tradeoff between compression and search over massive correlated datasets, such as genomic and financial databases. "With this NSF support, I hope to develop new techniques for better analyzing the operational time of static and dynamic data structures, and along the way, to discover new connections between data structures and other areas of complexity theory and mathematics (e.g., streaming, algebraic geometry, codes, and circuit lower bounds)," said Weinstein. Weinstein's new paradigm of "locally-decodable data compression," outlined in his project proposal, lays down the theoretical foundation for scaling up modern digital storage technology. ### Researchers forecast interactions between two owl species and the quality of their habitat in the Pacific Northwest Scientists are puzzling out how to address the declining numbers of northern spotted owls (NSO) in their Pacific Northwest forest habitat. A new study in the Ecological Society of America's journal Ecological Applications explores the reasons why spotted owls are losing a foothold in their habitat, forecasts future habitat conditions and species interactions, and suggests best management practices. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service first listed the species as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act in the late 20th century because years of over-logging left the owls' forest home degraded. The U.S Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Manangemnet began actively managing federal lands using the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan that focuses on preserving and increasing the acreage of the spotted owls' preferred mature forests habitat. While some restoration of the forest is occurring, there are other pressures affecting the forests like the 2002 Biscuit Fire that burned nearly 500,000 acres in southern Oregon and northern California. From the beginning of the implementation of the 1994 plan, managers expected owl populations to continue declining because regrowth and recovery of old forest is a slow process that occurs over decades. And yet, even with those projections, mangers and ecologists are surprised NSO populations are decreasing at a greater rate than anticipated. The reason? The northern spotted owls are not alone in their forests. Barred owls began to invade the northern portion of spotted owl's range about 50 years ago and existed in low numbers in 1994 when the Northwest Forest Plan went into effect. Unfortunately, barred owls are an invasive species and increase quickly in numbers. "We have known for some time that NSO are reliant on older forest as habitat, that recovering NSO would require recovering this habitat, and that this process of recovery would take many decades," says lead author Charles Yackulic of the U.S. Geological Survey. "Twenty-five years ago, however, we did not anticipate the increases in barred owl abundances would lead to a second major threat to NSO recovery." The invading barred owl competes with the spotted owl for prime nesting spots and hunting areas. The barred owl is winning the fight and may push the spotted owl to localized extinction in the region in the next few decades without managers intervening. The barred owl is changing the entire ecosystem, so other animals in the forest are losing along with the spotted owl. "NSO are only found in the Pacific Northwest and play a unique role in the food webs of intact forest in this region," explains Yackulic. "While barred owls serve some similar ecological functions, they eat a broader range of prey and there is evidence their invasion is leading to trophic cascades - unexpected declines in other members of the ecological communities because of differences in how NSO versus barred owls interact with food webs." In the paper, the researchers analyze the relative importance of habitat conditions and barred owl competition in past and future NSO territorial population dynamics in eleven study areas. They also forecast the future interactions between the two owl species under current management conditions and under scenarios with various levels of barred owl removal or changes in habitat. They find that recent wide-range declines in NSO occupancy are driven primarily by competition with increasing barred owl populations and removal of barred owls is an effective management option to prevent declines in the near future. But barred owl removal is not enough on its own, either. While barred owl removal could stabilize NSO populations in the short-term, forest regeneration can take 50 or more years. Maintaining or improving habitat conditions is an important factor in promoting spotted owl survival over longer periods and allows managers to be less reliant on barred owl removals in the future. In short, spotted owl populations survival may depend on managers' using a two-fold approach of removing barred owls in the short term and preserving the forests in the long run. The researchers project this combination results in a 95 percent probability that spotted owls will persist in these areas for 50 or more years - a best-case scenario. However, without either practice, if habitat conditions worsen and barred owls are not removed at all, spotted owls will be extinct from many of the study areas within decades. In the future, the researchers hope to understand how to effectively use barred owl removal methods, and where to prioritize them. They also want to identify if any habitat conditions can support both owl species. Who knows - there may be situations under which NSO can coexist with barred owls, and the two can manage to get along. ### Journal Yackulic, Charles, et al. 2019. "The past and future roles of competition and habitat in the range-wide occupancy dynamics of Northern Spotted Owls." Ecological Applications. DOI: 10.1002/eap.1861 Authors Charles B. Yackulic; USGS, Southwest Biological Science Center Larissa L. Bailey and Jeremy T. Rockweit; Colorado State University, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Katie M. Dugger; USGS, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State University Raymond J. Davis and Eric D. Forsman; USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory Alan B. Franklin; USDA/APHIS/WS, National Wildlife Research Center Steven H. Ackers, Lawrence S. Andrews, Christopher McCafferty, Stan G Sovern; Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University Lowell V. Diller and Keith A. Hamm; Green Diamond Resource Company Scott A. Gremel; National Park Service, Olympic National Park Dale R. Herter; Raedeke Associates Mark Higley; Hoopa Tribal Forestry Robert B. Horn; Bureau of Land Management Janice A. Reid; USDA Forest Service Author Contact: Charles Yackulic cyackulic@usgs.gov The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world's largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 9,000 member Society publishes five journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach, and education initiatives. The Society's Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at http://www.esa.org. 20 leading researchers have confirmed in a new study that the dingo is actually a unique, Australian species in its own right Since the arrival of British settlers over 230 years ago, most Australians have assumed dingoes are a breed of wild dog. But 20 leading researchers have confirmed in a new study that the dingo is actually a unique, Australian species in its own right. Following previous analyses of dingo skull and skin specimens to come to the same conclusion, these latest findings provide further evidence of specific characteristics that differentiate dingoes from domestic dogs, feral dogs, and other wild canids such as wolves. The finding that a dingo is a dingo, and not a dog, offers an opposing view compared to a another recent study that the Government of Western Australia used to justify its attempt to declare the dingo as 'non-fauna', which would have given more freedom to landowners to kill them anywhere without a license. Co-author Professor Corey Bradshaw of Flinders University in South Australia says the classification of dingoes has serious consequences for the fragile ecosystems they inhabit, and state governments are required to develop and implement management strategies for species considered native fauna. "In fact, dingoes play a vital ecological role in Australia by outcompeting and displacing noxious introduced predators like feral cats and foxes. When dingoes are left alone, there are fewer feral predators eating native marsupials, birds and lizards". "Dingoes can also increase profits for cattle graziers, because they target and eat kangaroos that otherwise compete with cattle for grass in semi-arid pasture lands,", says Professor Bradshaw. Lead author, Dr Bradley Smith from Central Queensland University, says the scientific status of the dingo has remained contentious, resulting in inconsistency in government policy. "The dingo has been geographically isolated from all other canids, and genetic mixing driven mainly by human interventions has only been occurring recently," Dr Smith says. "Further evidence in support of dingoes being considered a 'wild type' capable of surviving in the absence of human intervention and under natural selection is demonstrated by the consistent return of dog-dingo hybrids to a dingo-like canid throughout the Australian mainland and on several islands." "We have presented scientifically valid arguments to support the ongoing recognition of the dingo as a distinct species (Canis dingo), as was originally proposed by Meyer in 1793." Dr Smith says little evidence exists to support the notion that any canid species are interchangeable with dingoes, despite the fact that most canids can successfully interbreed. "There is no historical evidence of domestication once the dingo arrived in Australia, and the degree of domestication prior to arrival is uncertain and likely to be low, certainly compared to modern domestic dogs." "We show that dingoes have survived in Australia for thousands of years, subject to the rigours of natural selection, thriving in all terrestrial habitats, and largely in the absence of human intervention or aid. "The dingo is without doubt a native Australian species", concludes Professor Bradshaw. ### Incorporating the arts--rapping, dancing, drawing--into science lessons can help low-achieving students retain more knowledge and possibly help students of all ability levels be more creative in their learning, finds a new study by Johns Hopkins University. The findings were published on Feb. 7 in Trends in Neuroscience and Education and support broader arts integration in the classroom. "Our study provides more evidence that the arts are absolutely needed in schools. I hope the findings can assuage concerns that arts-based lessons won't be as effective in teaching essential skills," says Mariale Hardiman, vice dean of academic affairs for the School of Education at the Johns Hopkins University and the study's first author. While research already shows that the arts improve students' academic outcomes and memory, it remains unclear whether general exposure to the arts, adding arts to lesson plans, effective instruction, or a combination are responsible for these benefits, says Hardiman. "When we talk about learning, we have to discuss memory. Children forget much of what they learn and teachers often end up reteaching a lot of content from the previous year. Here we're asking, how exactly can we teach them correctly to begin with so they can remember more?" In this study, the research team sought to determine whether an arts-integrated curriculum had any direct effects on learning, specifically students' memory for science content. Throughout the 2013 school year, 350 students in 16 fifth grade classrooms across six Baltimore, Maryland schools took part in the study. Students were randomly assigned into one of two classroom pairs: astronomy and life science, or environmental science and chemistry. The experiment consisted of two sessions, each lasting three to four weeks, in which students first took either an arts-integrated class or a conventional class. In the second session, students received the opposite type of class; thus, all students experienced both types and all eleven teachers taught both types of classes. Examples of activities in the arts-integrated classes include rapping or sketching to learn vocabulary words, and designing collages to separate living and non-living things. These activities were matched in the conventional classrooms with standard activities such as reading paragraphs of texts with vocabulary words aloud in a group and completing worksheets. The research team analyzed students' content retention through pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests 10 weeks after the study ended, and found that students at a basic reading level retained an average 105 percent of the content long term, as demonstrated through the results of delayed post-testing. The researchers discovered that students remembered more in the delayed post-testing because they sang songs they had learned from their arts activities, which helped them remember content better in the long term, much like how catchy pop lyrics seem to get more and more ingrained in your brain over time. This addresses a key challenge and could be an additional tool to bridging the achievement gap for students who struggle most to read, says Hardiman, because most conventional curriculum requires students to read to learn; if students cannot read well, they cannot learn well. The research team also found that students who took a conventional session first remembered more science in the second, arts-integrated session and students who took an arts-integrated session first performed just as well in the second session. While not statistically significant, the researchers suggest the possibility of students applying the creative problem-solving skills they learned to their conventional lessons to enhance their learning. Looking forward, Hardiman hopes that educators and researchers will put their fully-developed intervention to use to expand on their study and improve understanding of arts integration in schools. "Our data suggests that traditional instruction seems to perpetuate the achievement gap for students performing at the lower levels of academic achievement. We also found that students at advanced levels of achievement didn't lose any learning from incorporating arts into classrooms, but potentially gained benefits such as engagement in learning and enhanced thinking dispositions. For these reasons, we would encourage educators to adopt integrating the arts into content instruction," says Hardiman. ### Other authors on this paper include Ranjini Mahinda JohnBull, Deborah T. Carran and Amy Shelton of Johns Hopkins University. Bottom Line: The American Diabetes Association recommends people with type 2 diabetes regularly do physical activity that is moderate to vigorous in intensity and reduce their time being sedentary. This was a randomized clinical trial of 300 physically inactive and sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes at three outpatient diabetes clinics in Rome, Italy. Researchers examined whether a behavioral intervention that included counseling sessions with diabetes and exercise specialists was more effective than standard care with general physician recommendations in producing a sustained increase in physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior. Authors: Giuseppe Pugliese, M.D., Ph.D., "La Sapienza" University, Rome, and coauthors (doi:10.1001/jama.2019.0922) Editor's Note: The article contains conflict of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc. # # # This full-text link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2726985?guestAccessKey=fa9f4042-ed37-414e-a564-ab00509c100c&utm_source=JAMA Network&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=030519 ### WASHINGTON -- The social and behavioral sciences (SBS) offer an essential contribution to the mission of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), a mission that requires an understanding of what human beings do, how, and why, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report -- A Decadal Survey of the Social and Behavioral Sciences: A Research Agenda for Advancing Intelligence Analysis -- recommends that the IC make sustained collaboration with researchers in the social and behavioral sciences a key priority as it develops research objectives for the coming decade. The report provides guidance for the development of a 10-year research agenda and identifies key opportunities for SBS research to strengthen intelligence analysis. The integration of SBS research will help the IC in taking advantage of technological advances that support intelligence analysis and in preparing for new risks from technologically based activities and communications around the world. Targeted, interdisciplinary research offers the potential for stronger intelligence assessments, tools and technologies optimally designed for human use and human-machine interaction, and optimal readiness to confront evolving security threats. To capitalize on the benefits of SBS research, the IC may need to alter procedures and ways of doing business that have been in place for a long time so it can develop a systematic approach to fostering SBS research and integrating the conduct of such research and the application of its findings into intelligence analysis. Additionally, ethical issues may arise at all stages of the research process, and standards with respect to some issues - particularly those concerning the use of large-scale digital datasets -- are developing and are also context-sensitive. Effective collaboration between the IC and the research community will require careful attention to ethical issues and professional standards and customs within both the research community and the IC throughout the processes of research, design, and implementation of new tools and methods. Researchers from many SBS disciplines have benefitted from opportunities to work with the IC and conduct research on myriad topics related to intelligence collection. The decadal survey -- the first conducted in this context -- highlights ways to promote interdisciplinary collaboration so that the insights and ideas of SBS researchers are fully integrated with the needs and objectives of the IC. ### The study -- undertaken by the Committee on a Decadal Survey of Social and Behavioral Sciences for Applications to National Security -- was sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The National Academies are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln. Contact: Kacey Templin, Media Relations Officer Office of News and Public Information 202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu Follow us: Twitter @theNASEM Instagram @thenasem Facebook @NationalAcademies New HIV infections declined by 30 percent in southern African communities where health workers conducted house-to-house voluntary HIV testing, referred people who tested positive to begin HIV treatment according to local guidelines, and offered other proven HIV prevention measures to those who tested negative. Local guidelines evolved during the study from offering HIV treatment based on immune health to offering immediate treatment for all. Surprisingly, the investigators found that new HIV infections did not decline in communities where those who tested positive were offered immediate treatment throughout the study. Analyses are under way to try to explain this puzzling outcome. These results from the large clinical trial called "Population Effects of Antiretroviral Therapy to Reduce HIV Transmission" (PopART), or HPTN 071, were announced today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle. The findings also will be presented Wednesday as an oral abstract at the conference. "The results of the PopART study suggest that conducting population-wide, home-based HIV testing and offering treatment to those diagnosed with HIV could help control the epidemic in certain settings," said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. "These findings indicate that a universal test-and-treat strategy could be an important addition to our toolbox of proven HIV prevention modalities." The goal of PopART was to learn whether conducting HIV testing throughout a population and promptly offering treatment to all who test positive would achieve a high level of community-wide HIV suppression, thereby reducing the rate of new infections in the population. NIAID sponsored and co-funded PopART, which was funded primarily by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), administered by the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy in the U.S. Department of State. Leading the study were Richard Hayes, M.Sc., D.Sc., F.Med.Sci., professor of epidemiology and international health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; and Sarah J. Fidler, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., professor of HIV medicine at Imperial College London. The PopART study took place from 2013 to 2018 in 21 urban and peri-urban communities in South Africa and Zambia. Each community had an average of roughly 50,000 residents for a total study population of about 1 million. The communities were clustered into seven groups of three--"triplets"--matched by geographical location and estimated HIV prevalence. The communities in each triplet were assigned at random to one of three study groups. The first group received annual house-to-house voluntary HIV testing and counseling, linkage to care for those who tested positive and the opportunity to immediately begin treatment, and the offer of a suite of proven HIV prevention measures to those who tested negative. The second group received the same services as the first, except treatment was offered according to national guidelines. The third group served as a control and received HIV prevention and testing services according to the local standard of care as well as HIV treatment according to national guidelines. At the beginning of the trial, the national guidelines for HIV treatment in Zambia and South Africa specified that people living with HIV should start antiretroviral therapy (ART) when their CD4+ T cell count--a measure of immune health--had declined to 350 cells per microliter. That threshold was raised to 500 cells/L in 2014. Then in 2016, the countries recommended that everyone diagnosed with HIV begin ART immediately, regardless of CD4+ T-cell count. Consequently, the first and second groups of communities in the PopART study received the same intervention during the last two years of the trial. To measure the impact of the PopART interventions, the investigators recruited a random sample of 48,300 adults ages 18 to 44 years from the overall study population, including roughly 2,300 adults from each community. Members of the study team visited these participants, called the "population cohort," at the start of the trial and then once a year for three years to collect data through a questionnaire and blood testing, including a test for HIV infection. Between the first and third years of the study, 553 new HIV infections occurred in the population cohort during nearly 40,000 person-years of follow up for an incidence rate of 1.4 infections per 100 person-years (p-y). Investigators found that HIV incidence was 7 percent lower in group 1 than in the control group (1.5/100 p-y versus 1.6/100 p-y), but this difference was not statistically significant. In contrast, investigators found that HIV incidence was 30 percent lower in group 2 than in the control group (1.1/100 p-y versus 1.6/100 p-y), and this difference was highly statistically significant and consistent across all seven matched triplets. Among those members of the population cohort who tested positive for HIV by the second year of the study, the investigators determined the proportion who had an undetectable level of virus in their blood. Viral suppression was achieved by 72 percent of these study participants in group 1, 68 percent in group 2 and 60 percent in the control group. "We found very strong evidence of an effect in the group that received treatment according to national guidelines, said Dr. Hayes. "The absence of a clear reduction in HIV incidence in the group that received the most intensive HIV prevention intervention is surprising and inconsistent with the group's rate of viral suppression. Further analyses of qualitative and quantitative data from the study communities may help us better understand this unexpected result." The study data include information on mobility and migration as well as findings from an ongoing study of the genetic evolution of circulating HIV strains in the study population. "The HPTN 071 (PopART) study, the largest HIV prevention study conducted to date, highlights the importance of conducting large-scale studies that aim to measure the impact of an integrated prevention strategy," said Wafaa El-Sadr, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.A. Dr. El -Sadr is co-principal investigator of the NIH-funded HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) and professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University. "Achieving HIV epidemic control will require the integration of various evidence-based interventions tailored to the needs of specific populations," she added. The PopART study was conducted by HPTN investigators in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London, the Zambia AIDS-Related Tuberculosis Project and the Desmond Tutu TB Centre of South Africa. HIV care and treatment were provided by government health services in the study communities with support from PEPFAR under the direction of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to PEPFAR and NIAID, study funders included the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health, both part of NIH. ### For more information about the PopART clinical trial, please search ClinicalTrials.gov using study identifier NCT01900977. This study was supported by NIAID grants UM1AI068613-07, UM1AI068617-07 and UM1AI068619-07. Reference: R Hayes et al. Impact of universal testing and treatment in Zambia and South Africa: HPTN 071 (PopART). Oral presentation at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), Seattle. Presented March 6, 2019. NIAID conducts and supports research--at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide--to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website. About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov. First of two Volvo Electric buses will soon begin trials at the NTU Smart Campus before being extended to public roads Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Volvo Buses have launched the world's first full size, autonomous electric bus today. The single-deck Volvo Electric bus is 12 metres long and has a full capacity close to 80 passengers. This is a key milestone in NTU and Volvo's development programme under the university's partnership with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to develop and conduct autonomous vehicle bus trials for fixed route and scheduled services, which was announced in October 2016. The Volvo 7900 Electric bus is equipped with numerous sensors and navigation controls managed by a comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) system. Ensuring maximum safety and reliability, the AI system is also protected with industry-leading cybersecurity measures to prevent unwanted cyber intrusions. The Volvo bus is the first of two that has undergone preliminary rounds of rigorous testing at the Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research of Autonomous vehicles at NTU (CETRAN). Plans are in place to test the bus at NTU and to subsequently extend the route beyond the NTU campus. NTU President Professor Subra Suresh, said, "This fully autonomous electric bus will play a role in shaping the future of public transportation that is safe, efficient, reliable and comfortable for all commuters. It will soon be tested on the NTU Smart Campus, which has been home to a number of innovations as a living testbed for technologies that impact the human condition and the quality of life. "This research project not only involves cutting-edge science, technology and AI, but is also an excellent example of close partnership among academia, industry and government agencies in translating basic research into products and services for the benefit of Singapore and beyond. And we have a top team of local and international partners in this multi-disciplinary collaboration." The electric bus has 36 seats and provides a quiet operation with zero emissions. It also requires 80 per cent less energy than an equivalent sized diesel bus. This is Volvo's first fully autonomous and electric bus in public transportation anywhere in the world. For this trial of a full size single deck bus, Volvo has chosen NTU Singapore as its global partner. Hakan Agnevall, President Volvo Buses, said, "We are very proud to be showcasing our electric bus featuring autonomous driving technology. It represents a key milestone for the industry and is an important step towards our vision for a cleaner, safer and smarter city. The journey towards full autonomy is undoubtedly a complex one, and our valued partnership with the NTU and LTA is critical in realizing this vision, as is our commitment to applying a safety-first approach." The NTU and Volvo partnership is part of the collaboration between the University and LTA under NTU's living lab platform. The platform assesses technology maturity and road-worthiness, including the certification of technologies for deployment on public roads. Lam Wee Shann, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Land Transport Authority, said, "The launch of the autonomous bus for on-road trials marks an important milestone in the joint project between LTA and NTU Singapore to develop autonomous buses for fixed routes and scheduled services. It is in line with Singapore's vision of deploying autonomous vehicles to improve accessibility and connectivity for commuters. We will continue to work closely with NTU to facilitate the safe and robust testing of the autonomous vehicles." The bus is undergoing rigorous tests at CETRAN. Jointly set up by NTU, LTA and JTC, CETRAN is a centre dedicated to research and testing of autonomous vehicles. It replicates various elements of Singapore's urban road condition, such as traffic signals, multiple bus stops and pedestrian crossings, and tropical conditions such as driving through heavy rain and partially flooded roads. Operated by NTU scientists, CETRAN is located on the NTU Smart Campus in the Jurong Innovation District. Advanced sensors and AI technology protected with cybersecurity measures The bus comes with a Volvo Autonomous Research Platform software that is connected to key controls such as its navigation system, as well as multiple sensors. This includes light detection and ranging sensors (LIDARS), stereo-vision cameras that capture images in 3D, and an advanced global navigation satellite system that uses real-time kinematics. This is like any global positioning system (GPS), but uses multiple data sources to give pin-point location accuracy of up to one centimetre. The system is also hooked up to an "inertial management unit", which acts like a two-in-one gyroscope and accelerometer, measuring the lateral and angular rate of the bus. This will improve its navigation when going over uneven terrain and around sharp bends, ensuring a smoother ride. These sensors and GPS platforms will be managed by a comprehensive AI system that was developed by NTU researchers. It not only operates the various sensors and GPS systems on the bus, but also enables it to navigate autonomously through dense traffic and tropical weather conditions. The AI system is protected with industry-leading cybersecurity and firewall measures to prevent unwanted intrusions for maximum safety and reliability. Multi-industry collaboration with partners As part of the public trials, Singapore's public transport operator SMRT will play a key role in determining the roadworthiness of autonomous vehicles on public roads. While plans are in place to test the first bus on the NTU campus, a second autonomous 12-metre Volvo 7900 Electric bus will undergo tests at a bus depot managed by SMRT. It will provide a real-world environment to assess the vehicle's ability to autonomously navigate into vehicle washing bays and park safely at charging areas. Mr. Tan Kian Heong, Managing Director, Buses & Roads Services and Senior Vice President, Human Resources, said, "SMRT is pleased to support the research and development of these eco-friendly autonomous electric buses. As part of the Autonomous Electric Bus trial, we will leverage on our expertise in operations and maintenance of buses, and work closely with our partners to test the command and control system required to operate a fleet of autonomous vehicles. This will help us to stay future-ready with the latest urban mobility solutions to enhance the accessibility and connectivity of our public transport network." Another partner, ABB, a pioneering technology leader in digital industries and world leader in fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, will develop a smart fast-charging solution. Based on the OppCharge concept, ABB's HVC 300P fast charge system is ideally suited for autonomous charging in bus depots as well as in running traffic. Offering a charge power of 300kW via a pantograph mounted on the infrastructure, the fast chargers will recharge a battery in just three to six minutes. This will enable charging during the layover times at the end of the bus route, without impacting normal operations. Tarak Mehta, President of Electrification Products division, said: "ABB is committed to pioneering technological innovations for a sustainable future. We are extremely excited to collaborate on such a landmark project which marks a positive step toward the electrification of public transport across the region and beyond." ### Media contact: Nur Amin Shah Manager, Media Relations Corporate Communications Office Nanyang Technological University Email: aminshah(a.t.)ntu.edu.sg Helena Lind Manager, Media Relations Volvo Buses Email: helena.lind(a.t.)volvo.com About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London. NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes - the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering - and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N). Ranked 12th in the world, NTU has been placed the world's top young university for the past five years. The University's main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and it has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) building projects comprising more than 230 buildings, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Singapore's healthcare district. For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg About Volvo Buses Volvo Buses is one of the world's leading bus manufacturers, with a strong focus on vehicles and systems for long-term sustainable public transport. The product range includes complete transport solutions, city buses, intercity buses and tourist coaches, as well as services in financing, vehicle servicing, vehicle diagnostics and traffic information. Volvo Buses has delivered more than 5,000 electrified buses worldwide. Volvo Buses is part of Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction machines and marine and industrial engines. For more information, visit http://www.volvobuses.com Women scientists are disadvantaged at the start of their careers Women can't buy as much lab equipment or recruit as many grad students for their research Men and women in the study had equal backgrounds when they applied for grants Study analyzed nearly 54,000 grants to first-time principal investigators CHICAGO --- First-time women principal investigator scientists received considerably less funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) compared to first-time male principal investigators, even at top research institutions, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine and the Kellogg School of Management. Previous research showed women receive lower startup funds from their universities to launch their research. This is the first study to show women get less money when they submit grants to the federal government. The study will be published March 5 in JAMA. "If women are receiving less grant support from the very beginning of their career, they are less likely to succeed," said co-corresponding author Teresa Woodruff, the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the Women's Health Research Institute. "This shows women are disadvantaged from the very first NIH grant they submit relative to their male counterparts. This represents an early stumbling block of $41,000." Women get less lab equipment, fewer research assistants "With less federal funding, women can't recruit the same number of grad students to work on their research or buy the same amount of equipment as their male counterparts," Woodruff said. "A funding disadvantage in the formative years of a women scientist's career can be especially handicapping because research shows that it is likely to snowball over time." "If you don't have the right kind of grant from NIH, you are less likely to be promoted," said co-corresponding author Brian Uzzi, professor of management and organizations at Kellogg. "The prestigiousness of a grant award are the things that make or break someone's career." The backgrounds of the 53,000 first-time principal investigators in the study (57 percent men and 43 percent women) showed the men and women had statistically indistinguishable records prior to receiving their first NIH grant. They had published the same average number of articles, which received the same average number of citations across the same range of fields. "This means women are performing at a level on par with men, despite the fiscal disparity," according to Woodruff. Uzzi's team analyzed grant amounts to first-time female and male grant awardees from 2006 to 2017 from the NIH Principal Investigators database. They found: Grant inequity overall -- For first-time principal investigators across all grant types (225) and institutions (2,766), women received an average grant amount of $126,615 versus $165,721 for men. For the 10 highest-funded grant types across all institutions, female principal investigators received an average award amount of $305,823 versus $316, 350 for male principal investigators. One exception was R01 grants where women received $15,913 more than men. Inequity varies by institution -- Female principal investigators at the Big Ten universities received an average grant amount of $66,365 versus $148,076 for male principal investigators; at Ivy League schools, women received an average grant amount $52,190 versus $71,703; and at the top 50 NIH-funded institutions, first-time female awardees received an average grant amount of $93,916 versus $134,919 for men. Science suffers as a result of these inequities, Uzzi said. "Having women in science increases the rate of discovery in science and the quality of science overall," Uzzi said. "Women in science don't only add to discovery by bringing in the brain power from the other half of the human race, but also the culture of science. So much of science today is done in teams, and women on teams promote different points of view, increasing our comprehension of problems whether in medicine, business organizations or education institutions." ### This study is based on work supported by grant R01GM112938 from the National Institutes of Health, grant 1747631 from the National Science Foundation and funding from the Northwestern Institution on Complex Systems and the Kellogg School of Management. Demand for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees is on the rise. However, there are many barriers to gaining one. One may be the appearance of the student seeking the degree, according to a new Rice University study. The extent to which students look racially stereotypical - that is, more or less like members of their racial group - influences how likely they are to persist in a STEM-related field. "The Face of STEM: Racial Phenotypic Stereotypicality Predicts STEM Persistence by - and Ability Attributions About - Students of Color" appears in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Researchers Mikki Hebl, the Martha and Henry Malcom Lovett Chair of Psychological Sciences and Professor of Management at Rice; Melissa Williams, Goizueta Foundation Term Associate Professor of Organization and Management at Emory University; and Julia George-Jones, Ph.D. candidate in Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, were not interested in looking at differences across races. Rather, they were interested in focusing on differences within races. Examining five years' worth of students who entered college intending to pursue a STEM degree, the researchers measured their persistence at remaining in a STEM discipline. They coded photos on the extent to which students exhibited physical features considered stereotypical for their races (white, black or Asian). Using logistic regression analysis, the researchers found that Asian students who looked more (versus less) racially stereotypical were significantly more likely to complete a bachelor's degree in STEM. However, black students who looked more racially stereotypical were less likely to complete a STEM degree. There were no meaningful differences reported for white students. "I think we live in a presumed meritocracy where people believe what you get on tests and how you do in the classroom is what matters," Hebl said. "Our research says that your looks do matter and can impact your likelihood to depart or remain in a STEM field. And that is pretty shocking." In an attempt to identify the source of such biases, the researchers invited academic advisers from 50 top U.S. universities to participate in a follow-up study. Advisers were shown two photos (one higher and one lower in stereotypicality but always of the same race and gender) and told to recommend which of the two should take a STEM-related class. The responses were consistent with the findings in the first part of the study. Advisers were considerably more likely to choose Asian male and female students who looked more stereotypically Asian to take the STEM class. Advisers were less likely to choose those who looked more stereotypically black among women. The researchers found one inconsistency with the earlier findings: The pattern that academic advisers showed for black women did not extend to black men. That is, the advisers were more likely to say that a black male with a more (versus less) stereotypical appearance would be more successful in STEM. Hebl thinks a possible cause that this finding emerges because of heightened sensitivities to black men in the current political culture and movements such as #BlackLivesMatter. She suggested very stereotypical black men may have led participants to double check their behavior. "We have some evidence that the extent to which people tried to suppress their motivation to be prejudiced predicted their responses to black men, but only to them," Hebl said. When the researchers controlled for the motivation to control prejudice, indeed they found that the pattern for black men resembled the pattern for black women - that is, the less-stereotypical face led to perceptions of greater STEM ability. Nevertheless, the researchers are encouraged by this finding. "We think it may demonstrate that some level of awareness about biases exist, and individuals are capable of altering their actions. Whether it is political correctness, a true change of heart or something in between, a change of behavior is possible," Hebl said. Hebl has been examining the construct of stereotypicality for nearly 10 years. Motivated by the findings of a 2006 Stanford study that showed black men were more likely to get the death penalty if they look more (versus less) racially stereotypical, Hebl began research to identify other outcomes potentially linked to stereotypicality. In 2010, she published research that showed one's level of stereotypicality is negatively correlated with the size of that person's social network. That is, she found that those who look more stereotypical of their race (unless they are white) are less likely to have as large a social network and be as central within it. The authors of the STEM study said they don't think society and researchers have done enough to understand how differences within races, versus between races, lead to different outcomes. "This study is important because it raises awareness about how decisions based on stereotypes can amount to very real negative outcomes for STEM students," the authors wrote. "We hope that by bringing attention to this topic, it will create ripples of awareness and behaviors that lead to more authentic, meritocratically based outcomes." ### For more information or to request a copy of the article, contact David Ruth, director of national media relations at Rice, at david@rice.edu or 713-348-6327. Read the abstract at https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-51203-001. This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu/. Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews. Related materials: Video link: https://youtu.be/L_kPfY0NMgk Video credit: Brandon Martin/Rice University Mikki Hebl photo: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/news-network.rice.edu/dist/c/2/files/2018/03/Hebl-solo-2gxpa0u.jpg Photo credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University Study link: https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2018-51203-001.html Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. SAN ANTONIO -- March 5, 2019 -- NASA has extended the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission for an additional year and a half. The constellation of microsatellites designed and built at Southwest Research Institute has made history over the last two years, penetrating thick clouds and heavy rains to accurately assess wind speeds and better understand hurricane intensification. Assessments confirmed that all eight spacecraft and their subsystems are healthy and ready to support two more years of operations. The microsatellites -- each roughly the size of carry-on luggage -- make frequent measurements of ocean surface winds to monitor the location, intensity, size and development of tropical cyclones. Flying in formation, the spacecraft cover an orbital swath that passes over most of the Earth's hurricane-producing zone, up to 35 degrees north and south of the Equator. "Launched in late 2016, the spacecraft have provided round-the-clock surface wind speed measurements to help improve intensity forecasting of tropical cyclones," said SwRI's William Wells, CYGNSS operations phase systems engineer. "The extended mission opens the door for many new science opportunities, in addition to continuing the primary mission objectives. We are making some engineering and operational changes to enable new types of science while maximizing science returns in this second phase." This science is critical because, over the last few decades, forecasters have improved hurricane path prediction significantly, but the ability to predict the intensity of storms has lagged behind. Collecting data in the midst of a storm is difficult and dangerous, but conventional space technology could not provide accurate measurements. GPS signals penetrate intense rainstorms, and CYGNSS uses these signals, reflected off the ocean surface, to calculate wind speeds. "For the extended mission, we are ramping up for four new investigations related to tropical cyclones, six in other oceanography disciplines, six that use CYGNSS data in groundbreaking land science applications and many others," said SwRI's Jillian Redfern, CYGNSS project manager and mission operations manager. "We are adjusting payload operations to support the new science applications while maintaining production of the core data products already in use by the science community." During the prime mission phase, CYGNSS science has led to 72 refereed journal publications and 158 conference proceedings publications in atmospheric, ocean and terrestrial science as well as space systems engineering. "We have made extensive observations of inner core winds and demonstrated that assimilating these data into numerical weather prediction models has a significant positive impact on their ability to forecast a storm's track, intensity and structure," said Dr. Chris Ruf, CYGNSS Principal Investigator from The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "In addition, bonus observations over land have uncovered a wealth of new science applications related to imaging of flood inundation and measuring sub-surface soil moisture. I look forward personally to many more years supporting these efforts and helping to expand the community of our data users." SwRI led the engineering development and manages the operation of the constellation. The University of Michigan Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering Department leads the science investigation, and the Earth Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate oversees the mission. SwRI's office in Boulder, Colorado, hosts the mission operations center, which commands the spacecraft, collects the telemetry and transmits the data to the science operations center at the University of Michigan. For more information, see https://www.swri.org/spacecraft-subsystem-assembly-integration-testing and http://www.cygnss-michigan.org. ### OKLAHOMA CITY -- Much like a mechanic fixing a car, a cell biologist must understand how the parts of a healthy cell function in order to make repairs when the cell stops working correctly and contributes to disease. Marie Hanigan, Ph.D., a researcher in the Department of Cell Biology in the OU College of Medicine, recently received a three-year, $960,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to further her research on a protein called GGT - gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. When it is functioning normally, GGT serves a positive role in the body. But when the amounts are too high or it is present in the wrong location in the body, GGT can be destructive. "As is often the case, too much of a good thing can be harmful," Hanigan said of GGT. "We were able to solve the structure of GGT at the molecular level, which helps us to understand how it contributes to specific diseases and provides insight into how to block its activity." Hanigan, who holds a doctorate in oncology, is especially interested in GGT's role in cancers of the liver, prostate, breast and ovary. GGT, which sits on the outer surface of several types of cells in the body, is actually like a pair of scissors whose role is to cut a gamma-glutamyl bond into two pieces. A low level of cutting is useful and contributes to good health. But the role of GGT changes when it is present in high amounts and cuts too much. "GGT is overexpressed in several types of cancers, so we want to be able to block this overexpression and calm everything down in the body," Hanigan said. "There are currently no compounds that can be used in humans to safely inhibit GGT." Hanigan's ultimate goal is to create a new drug that can block, or inhibit, the cutting activity of GGT. Her team has had some initial success creating molecules that inhibit GGT, and she holds two patents for those discoveries. Her new grant will allow her team to develop more refined inhibitors and to test them for toxicity. In the process of testing inhibitors, Hanigan made an additional - and surprising - discovery. When GGT is inhibited, it completely eliminates the kidney toxicity associated with a widely used type of chemotherapy. That discovery identifies another important use for a GGT inhibitor - chemotherapy is often less effective than desired because toxic side effects limit the dose that can be used to treat patients, she said. Hanigan's research is an example of the importance of collaboration on the path to drug discovery. To solve the structure of GGT at the molecular level, the protein was first formed into crystals. However, to see its structure, high-energy radiation was required. For that step, the crystals were sent to national synchrotron laboratories in New York and California. Hanigan also collaborates with a colleague at the University of Florida who specializes in molecular modeling, as well as with colleagues at the OU College of Pharmacy who are synthesizing new drugs. In addition, Hanigan's laboratory received funding from Oklahoma's Presbyterian Health Foundation that enabled her to make the discoveries that attracted federal funding. "Science is really a huge team effort because you need the expertise and equipment from a large number of sources," she said. ### Research reported in this press release was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under the award number 1R01GM125952-01. Scientists associated with the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg are part of an international team that today published research suggesting a cure for HIV Scientists found no rebound of HIV in two patients who stopped taking their HIV medication after they received stem cell transplants for a hematological [blood] disease. Both patients underwent stem cell transplantation as part of their cancer treatment. The transplanted donor cells had a gene defect [CCR5delta32mutant] which results in the absence of one of the critical entry gatekeepers that HIV generally needs to infect cells. Thus far, only one person in the world - Timothy Ray Brown, known in 2008 as the 'Berlin patient' - has been cured of HIV. Although Brown had traces of HIV, the virus never rebounded and he is now celebrating 12 years' cured of HIV. Transplanted cells from a CCR5delta32 donor most likely protected Brown's immune system. He also received aggressive chemotherapy, total body irradiation, and two stem cell transplants. For over a decade, the HIV field has puzzled over which of these factors were essential for his cure. Groundbreaking research on the 'London patient' and the 'Dusseldorf patient' was presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, in Washington, 4-7 March 2019, and published in Nature. Professor Ravi Gupta of University College London and the University of Cambridge presented a potential cure of HIV after stem cell transplantation in his 'London patient', while Dr. Bjorn Jensen from Dusseldorf University found his 'Dusseldorf patient' similarly potentially cured. The London patient has not experienced HIV rebound during the 18 months since he stopped taking his antiviral medication. This is the longest adult HIV remission after stem cell transplantation since the Berlin patient. The Dusseldorf patient stopped his HIV medication for a shorter period of just three-and-a-half months, but has also remains HIV free. Using the most sensitive techniques available to date, only traces of HIV DNA were detected. The London and Dusseldorf patients show that after a single transplant and with even mild cancer chemotherapy and without radiation, remission may be achieved. Both the London patient and the Dusseldorf patient were registered with the IciStem programme. IciStem is the International Collaboration to guide and investigate the potential for HIV cure by Stem Cell Transplantation. Two IciStem scientific investigators in the London patient and Dusseldorf patient cases are also honorary full professors at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits). Annemarie Wensing is an Honorary Full Professor at the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI) and Professor Monique Nijhuis is an Honorary Full Professor in the HIV Pathogenesis Research Unit (HPRU) in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits. Both scientists hold primary appointments at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands. "Although delta32 donors are primarily found in Caucasian people, the London patient long-term remission case gives important insights into the potential mechanisms of cure and should fuel development of strategies that can be more broadly applied," says Wensing. IciStem has the largest programme to investigate HIV cure following stem cell transplantation. More than 22 000 donors with the rare CCR5delta32 gene defect have been identified and there are currently 39 patients registered with IciStem who have received transplants. "To be clear, this is not an option yet for people with HIV, even in very rich countries, but it is a major step forward. This is incredibly exciting, as it furthers our understanding of the complex immunology of HIV and should get us closer to a cure," says Professor Francois Venter, Deputy Executive Director, Wits RHI. "Wits' collaboration with Utrecht has been a delight and we have the combined expertise of Wits and Utrecht to do innovative work and conduct translational research that is published in top medical journals." One such collaboration is an HIV autopsy study funded by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). The Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships (SHIP) grant for HIV Cure aims to identify the latent HIV reservoir in various body compartments and research the anatomical location and composition of the viral reservoir. The HIV reservoir is a major barrier to HIV Cure. "We are using our experience from previous local autopsy studies and the tools developed in IciStem to perform rapid and in-depth post-mortem sampling through minimally invasive autopsies on recently deceased HIV-positive patients who were virologically suppressed or unsuppressed," says Professor Maria Papathanasopoulos, SHIP principal investigator and director of the HPRU in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology at Wits. Professors Wensing and Nijhuis are part of SHIP along with Wits scientists Professors Neil Martinson, Caroline Tiemessen, Ebrahim Variava, and Francois Venter, and Doctors Adriaan Basson and Tanvier Omar. "The London patient is the second HIV-positive man considered to be in prolonged remission after a bone marrow transplant from a CCR5 negative donor. This represents a critical moment in our search for an HIV cure. It reaffirms our belief that one day it will be possible to cure HIV infection with a safe, cost-effective, and easily accessible strategy," says Papathanasopolous. ### UPDATE: Tuesdays session saw the Euro US Dollar (EUR/USD) exchange rate continue to shed value with the Greenback falling to a fresh two-week low of $1.12896 following a solid US PMI release. Euro zone economic data is sparse for the session although Thursdays session will see the latest European Central Bank (ECB) rates release and monetary policy statement. While the ECB recently maintained that rates will remain on hold at least through the Summer of 2019, a persistently weak stream of economic data from the bloc have heightened expectations that policy tightening may be off the cards for considerably longer. Commerzbank FX analyst, Antje Praefcke commented The ECBs new projections on Thursday might paint a more subdued picture than before, adding that the Fiber appeared to be aiming for the $1.13 mark. For the Greenback, focus will be on the ADP non-farm employment change release (1315 GMT) with a forecast of 190k, down from the previous 213k but still robust ahead of Fridays governmentally issued labour market statistics. After slumping to an 11-day low of $1.13091 overnight, the Euro US Dollar (EUR/USD) exchange rate spiked in early Tuesday trading in the wake of a host or Eurozone services purchasing mangers index releases with the big four all printing above forecast. Modestly better overall news on #Eurozone #manufacturing & #services as final #PMI shows joint output up to 3-month high of 51.9 (51.0 in Jan). Services index at 3-month high of 52.8 (51.2); worrying news on manufacturing as output index down to 68-month-low & contracted slightly Howard Archer (@HowardArcherUK) March 5, 2019 BREXIT LIVE UPDATE: The Pound Sterling failed to gain any significant upwards momentum through Tuesdays session with GBP crosses remaining suppressed as Brexit wrangling continues. At the time of writing the Pound-to-Dollar (GBPUSD) exchange rate was last seen trading at $1.31517, down 0.18% from the daily open, after being rejected from around the $1.32 level. After two spikes higher, the Pound-to-Euro exchange rate was last seen trading at 1.1610, down 0.1% from the session open and threatening to break below the overnight low of 1.1607. See full Brexit timeline with pound exchange rate tracker here. As Brexit Sectretary Barclay and Attorney General Cox travel to Brussels to continue attempts to negotiate legally-binding assurances over the Irish backstop component of the EU withdrawal agreement, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday that signals from EU officials were reasonably positive in relation to providing the changes sought. Should the government be able to attain assurances on the finite nature of the Irish backstop or indeed a clause which allows the UK to unilaterally withdraw from the arrangement its expected the PM could sway wayward, anti-EU, Conservative MPs ahead of the March 12th (or sooner) meaningful vote on the PMs Brexit deal. Speaking to the BBC, Hunt said Time is very short. But ... compared to where we were a month ago the situation has been transformed in a positive direction, adding I think the signals we are getting are reasonably positive, I dont want to overstate them because I think there is still a lot of work to do. He added I think they (the EU) are beginning to realise that we can get a majority in parliament because they are seeing signals coming from the people who voted against the deal before who are saying, crucially, they are prepared to be reasonable about how we get to that position that we cant legally be trapped in the backstop. Elsewhere, the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of England (BoE) announced the activation of a standing currency swap line with an agreement that the BoE will lend single currency to British banks while the ECB will receive GBP from the BoE in exchange for Euros. In a statement issued by the ECB, central bank officials said The activation marks a prudent and precautionary step by the Bank of England to provide additional flexibility in its provision of liquidity insurance, supporting the functioning of markets that serve households and businesses, adding As part of the same agreement, the Eurosystem would stand ready to lend pound sterling to euro area banks, if the need arises. While the central banks have ramped up preparations for post-Brexit borrowing, the BoE issued a warning over the risk posed by cross-border related disruption, Some disruption to cross-border services is possible and, in the absence of other actions by EU authorities, some potential risks to financial stability remain With just 24 days to go until the Uk leaves the EU, notwithstanding an extension to Article 50, BMO analyst Stephen Gallo feels current GBP pricing to be too optimistic. Gallo, who perceives a 53% probability that the UK is on track for a disorderly no-deal Brexit and that a technical extension would prove fruitless, wrote My overwhelming feeling is that there is too much good news priced into sterling. The market is too complacent. ING analysts are also bearish on the GBP near-term as Brexit uncertainty continues to weigh on UK economic prospects. UK-EU Backstop Negotiations Continue Ahead of March 12th Meaningful Vote As the UKs attorney general travels to Brussels to seek concessions from the European Union today, the Pound Sterling (GBP) is firm against both the Euro (EUR) and US Dollar (USD). At the time of writing, the Pound-to-Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate was seen trading at $1.31945, up 0.15% thus far. The Pound-to-Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate meanwhile traded at 1.1640, up 0.20%, after finding overnight support at the upper bound of the recent range at 1.16. Efforts to secure legally-binding assurances over the Irish backstop component of the EU withdrawal agreement are expected to resume on Tuesday as Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox meet with EU officials in Brussels. "The UKs attorney general and Brexit secretary travel to Brussels today to seek concessions from the European Union to help gain Parliamentary backing for PM Mays divorce deal" note analysts at Barclays. "Attorney General Geoffrey Cox will aim to negotiate legally binding changes to the controversial Irish backstop. If Cox is successful, PM Mays deal has a chance of passing through Parliament next week, making way for an orderly divorce. If he fails, Britain will be faced with further political uncertainty with Brexit likely delayed." Following allegations in the Daily Times that Cox had abandoned plans to push for a freedom clause, a clause which would allow the UK to withdraw from the backstop arrangement should they come into effect, Cox denied the reports. The DT reporting of the last 24 hours consists of misunderstood fag ends dressed up as facts. Some of it is accurate, much more of it isnt and what is not is far more significant than what is. Complex and detailed negotiations cannot be conducted in public. Get Outlook for iOS Geoffrey Cox QC MP (@Geoffrey_Cox) 4 March 2019 The Irish backstop arrangements remain a crucial sticking point, limiting support for the Prime Ministers Brexit deal in parliament. Should the government persuade EU leaders to provide legal assurances on the finite nature of the backstop she could win over anti-EU factions within the Conservative party, including the European Research Group (ERG) who said last week they could support a deal with assurances, dialling down earlier demands for the complete removal of the backstop component. Looking ahead, the key dates remain the March 12th or potentially earlier should UK-EU talks yield progress meaningful vote in which MPs will vote on the Prime Ministers Brexit deal. Should the deal pass, based on statements from the PM, the UK will likely leave the European Union on March 29th as dictated by Article 50 or seek a short, technical extension to finalise the deal. If on the other hand the deal is rejected for a second time, Parliamentarians will then vote on whether to accept the default no-deal outcome and crash out of the EU at the end of March. However, its expected that should it reach this vote, MPs will reject leaving the EU without a deal which will lead to a third vote on whether or not to formally seek an extension to the March 29th deadline. Should Mps reject the no-deal vote, it seems a forgone conclusion they will back an extension given the timing leaves just 2 weeks for the UK and EU to come to a formal Brexit arrangement. Meanwhile, according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) retail sales monitor release, Brexit uncertainty continues to weigh on consumer activity in the retail sector with the release printing at -0.1% (y/y). Brexit Uncertainty Caps Consumer Spending at the Retail Level Chief executive of the BRC, Helen Dickinson wrote Uncertainty surrounding the UKs imminent exit from the European Union has hit consumer spending. While real incomes have started to rise over the past year, shoppers have been reluctant to spend this February, holding back growth. Dickinson added that the UK government should remove the spectre of a no-deal immediately in order to quell uncertainty, With consumers increasingly aware of the risk of a no deal Brexit, it is likely that uncertainty has driven this cautious approach to retail spending. If government wishes to reassure both the public and businesses, they should ensure a chaotic no deal which would lead to higher costs, higher prices, and less choice for consumers is taken off the table with immediate effect. On the other side of the channel, Brexit sentiment continued to sour with French President Emanuel Macron claiming that lies and irresponsibility within UK politics had triggered the UKs move to leave the bloc. UPDATE: Australian Dollar exchange rates tumbled overnight in the wake of a fourth-quarter GDP miss which saw the AUD fall against a basket of peers, including the Euro, US Dollar and Pound Sterling. At the time of writing, the Australian Dollar Pound Sterling (AUD/GBP) exchange rate was seen trading at $0.5342, down 0.6% from the daily open hovering just above the 33-month low (disregarding the early January mini flash crash) of 0.5338. AUD/USD traded at $0.70258, down 0.82% while AUD/EUR was last seen at 0.6213, an eight-week worst. The latest GDP figures, alongside commentary from Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe that the next adjustment to rates could be in either direction have led to heightened expectations of a potential rate cut. RBC Capital Markets currency strategist, Adam Cole wrote The key domestic demand components were all weak and our economists suggest the door for rate cuts has opened further. China Growth Slashed to 1990 Levels, but Stocks Hold Steady Chinese Premier Li made a downbeat speech as growth forecasts were lowered to the 6.0-6.5% range. Yet Chinese stocks held onto recent gains. Expectations for a trade deal is keeping them supported. Meanwhile the RBA held rate steady again and the China slowdown will weigh on AUD. Westpac expect the bank to cut later this year. Tuesdays session has started off flat in most markets. Equities are mixed with the FTSE in the UK up 0.3% and the German Dax down 0.2%. Dollar pairs are mostly unchanged despite Trumps recent comments that the US dollar was too strong. Chinese Stocks Rise to Tough Challenge China made the headlines on Tuesday as growth forecasts were slashed to the lowest levels since 1990. Premier Li Keqiang told the annual political gathering that the nation will face a graver and more complicated environment and tough challenges. This wont help risk sentiment much, but Chinese equities held strong as hope for a trade deal continues to keep a bid under most markets. Heres Danske Bank with a round-up of the China news, Ahead of the National People's Congress, Chinese premier Li made a series of announcements overnight. First, the Chinese authorities released new GDP growth targets, which were lowered to the 6.0-6.5% range for 2019 (vs 6.5% for 2018), i.e. accommodating a continued deceleration in growth. At the same time, it was also underlined that 'prudent' monetary policy and 'proactive, stronger, and more effective 'fiscal policy will be pursued going forward with a target budget deficit of 2.8% of GDP (vs 2.6% last year). Further, VAT cuts were announced and significant tax relief was pledged for the industrial sector with tax and social security fees set to be reduced by CNY2tr. The tax cuts also help to explain the bullish reaction in equities, and the slowdown narrative is well known. So far stocks have risen to the tough challenges ahead. RBA Unchanged The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its cash target rate unchanged at 1.50%. This was widely expected as the bank has made no hints at plans for tightening. With its main trade partner showing weaker growth and the housing market weighing, it could be a long time before the next hike. Yet the statement from the Governor was balanced and even removed some of the more bearish commentary. Heres Westpac Australia with a summary, There were minimal changes in the wording from the Statement following the February Board meeting. In fact, at least in the February Board meeting, it was recognised that some downside risks have increased for the domestic economy. In this Statement, that downside risk is not mentioned. The Governor does point out that other indicators suggest growth in the Australian economy slowed over the second half of 2018. Of course, the extent of this slowing will be revealed in the GDP report which prints at 11:30 am tomorrow. Westpac expects that the six month annualised growth pace in the economy will slow from 4 per cent in 2018 H1 to 1 per cent in 2018 H2. This spectacular slowing, even if at 1.5% in H2, is surely worthy of stronger language than seen in this Statement. It is also no surprise that the Board still forecasts growth around 3 per cent this year. Any change will only be made following the May Board meeting. The Australian dollar was down slightly after the meeting and currently trades flat versus EUR and GBP and slightly down against the USD at 0.708. No real movement on rates is expected until later this year and Westpac actually expect the RBA to cut in both August and November 2019. AUD could therefore remain under pressure for most of the year and there seems little to attract buyers. UPDATE: Following the results of Bloombergs survey of banks, Reuters released the findings of their latest poll of economist on Wednesday with the results by-and-large in consensus with Bloombergs findings. In-line with the banking survey, (51/54) economists see an extension beyond the march 29th Brexit deadline as the most likely occurrence with over 75% of these believing the extension will be no longer than July. ING developed markets economist, James Smith, wrote The wind seems to be blowing towards a shorter extension -at least from the UK side of the equation - but it could easily be longer given that two-three months is unlikely to be long enough to break the deadlock. The second most likely outcome, according to the economists polled, is that the UK and EU settle on some form of free-trade deal with the UK becoming a member of the European Economic Area and paying into the EU budget to maintain single-market access. At third, the chance of a no-deal outcome, with UK and EU trade reverting to World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms, was similarly low with a median probability of 15%, the lowest level since the survey began. Finally, a Brexit cancellation was viewed as the least likely outcome despite a Labour push towards a second EU referendum. Bookies are also betting on an extension to the Article 50 deadline, with odds at 1/5. 54% of Banks Expect a Brexit Delay, 40% Probability PM Mays Deal Passes According to the latest poll of 16 banks conducted by Bloomberg, strategists are more upbeat about the Pound Sterlings (GBP/) prospects than they were a month ago with the median perceived probability of a no-deal Brexit scenario unfolding dipping to just 9%. GBP pricing towards the end of 2018 took a turn for the worse amid political chaos related to the UKs departure from the EU weighing heavily on the Sterlings market value. Since the turn of the year however, the GBP has outperformed major peers in the wake of positive Brexit news-flow, moderating fears of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal in hand. Against the US Dollar (USD/$), the Pound Sterling has gained more than 3% since the beginning of 2019 while versus the single currency, the GBP is up over 5% amid pared expectations of the dreaded no-deal scenario. Banks Predict 9% Probability of No-Deal Brexit According to the Bloomberg poll, the odds of the UK exiting the EU without a deal now stands at just 9% - down considerably from their January poll which suggested a median probability of around 20%. Technically it may seem paradoxical given the UK is now just 24 days away from exiting the EU and a deal is yet to be forthcoming but the PMs decision to offer MPs a series on votes by which to steer the Brexit process appears to have found favour among institutional strategists. Should the UK crash out of the EU at the end of the month without a deal, median projections put the Pound-to-Dollar (GBPUSD) exchange rate at $1.20. 54% Chance Of Brexit Extension Beyond March 29th The most likely scenario according to median projections of the survey respondents is that the UK formally seeks an extension to the Article 50 deadline of March 29th, allowing for more time to seek a deal. In this scenario, mean forecasts see the Pound-to-Dollar (GBPUSD) exchange rate climbing to $1.33. 40% Probability PM Mays Deal Secures Parliamentary Backing Ahead of the March 12th (or earlier) meaningful vote on Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit deal, banks now anticipate a 37% probability that a majority of MPs will back the deal, allowing it to pass and thus prompting the UK to exit the EU at the end of the month, as originally anticipated. Of the three, this scenario appears to be the most beneficial for the pound Sterling with median forecasts anticipating the Pound-to-Dollar (GBPUSD) x-rate to surge to $1.38 a rate not seen since April 2018. Mid-March Votes Critical For Determining Near-Term GBP Based on these probabilities, the mid-March votes scheduled by the Prime Minister are set to be crucial in determining the GBPs footing against peer currencies. March 12th (Or Sooner): MPs will be given a second meaningful vote on the Prime Ministers Brexit deal. If backed, its expected the PM will try to stay the course with the UK leaving the EU on March 29th. March 13th: If MPs reject the prime Ministers deal they will be offered a vote on whether or not to leave the EU at the end of March without a deal. This scenario is deemed the least likely (9%), given a majority of MPs are outspokenly averse to a potentially economically devastating no-deal scenario March 14th: If, as expected, MPs reject the no-deal vote, they will then vote on whether or not to pursue an extension to the Article 50, March 29th, deadline. If it reaches this stage, its widely expected MPs will back the motion given at the time there will be just two weeks left to organise a negotiated Brexit. Institutional Pound Sterling Forecasts Mixed Amid Brexit Uncertainty Despite the median projections, theres still a considerable amount of disparity among institutional forecasts, reflecting the overall uncertainty about how the Brexit saga will play out in the weeks to come. With a perceived probability of 55% that the UK will leave the EU with a negotiated deal of some kind, Goldman Sachs remain upbeat on the GBP with Goldmans global head of market strategies, Brian Friedman, predicting that the Pound Sterlings rally will continue as investors unwind post-referendum hedged positions. Goldman see the probability of a no-deal exit as 10% while they anticipate a 35% chance that UK abandons Brexit altogether and remains in the EU. Meanwhile, head of currency strategy at Rabobank, Jane Foley, remains cautious on the GBP amid concerns that markets are ignoring the risks of a no-deal scenario in favour of an optimistic outlook. Foley said One thing that worries me about the way sterling trades is -- it always seems to be more biased toward downplaying the risks of a hard Brexit, adding The market was very confident that there would be a Remain vote and it got it wrong and sterling tumbled. Foley isnt alone in voicing her concerns about over-optimistic GBP pricing. BMO Capital Markets analyst, Stephen Gallo, sees a 53% chance that the UK will crash out of the EU without a deal, regardless of whether the UK seeks a Brexit delay or not. Gallo wrote My overwhelming feeling is that there is too much good news priced into sterling. The market is too complacent. Looking ahead, it seems that whichever way the dice falls in the coming weeks, the GBP is in for some substantial re-pricing. While the overall predictions from banks suggest moves are most likely to be to the upside given the larger probabilities attributed to both an exit with a deal or a Brexit delay, only time will tell. Scotland wants people from European Union nations to stay and not leave whatever happens with the increasingly chaotic Brexit negotiations amid concerns that leaving the EU could result in a population fall.Visiting Paris to open the Scottish Governments new office in the French city, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that officials will increase their efforts to encourage EU citizens to remain in Scotland.She also addressed the Assemblee Nationale, the lower house of the French Parliament, and said that the UKs decision to end Freedom of Movement as part of its Brexit deal is a self-defeating measure.Those EU citizens of course include 7,000 French people, who are our colleagues, friends, neighbours and in many cases our family. The Scottish Government is proud that they have done us the honour of making Scotland their home, she said.We will always stick up for their rights. In recent months we have lobbied successfully to ensure EU citizens would not have to pay a fee to obtain settled status in the UK. And we will always make it clear that EU citizens are welcome. In fact in the coming months, we plan to step up our efforts to encourage EU citizens to stay in Scotland, she added.Discussing the impact on Scotland of the UK Governments proposed Brexit deal, Sturgeon points out that it is set to have a damaging impact on Scotland. For me, this is one of the saddest parts of Brexit. The UK Government is proclaiming the end of free movement as a victory, instead, it is a self-defeating measure. It removes opportunity from millions of people, she explained.It is an approach which is especially damaging to Scotland. Without freedom of movement there is a danger that our population will start to decline. We could face workforce shortages in rural areas, in our universities, in our care and health services. European nationals are not only very welcome in Scotland. They are crucial to our well-being, she pointed out.All of this is down to the red lines that the UK Government has chosen to draw. Given the existence of those red lines, I understand why the European Union believes that the deal agreed in November is the best which could be achieved. And I appreciate that many people in France and across the EU would like the UK to just get on with it. But no government of Scotland which has the interests of this and future generations at heart could possibly support the current deal, she added.There are concerns that Brexit will have a major impact on immigration in Scotland. Brexit could cut net international migration to Scotland by between a third and a half, with far-reaching consequences for the economy and fragile rural communities, according to research commissioned by the Scottish government.The report by an independent panel of experts says that replacing freedom of movement for EU citizens with the UKs proposed system, which includes minimum salary requirements for most work visas, is expected to dramatically cut the flow of migrants from EU member states.Freedom of movement has been good for Scotland and has helped us grow our economy. The proposals the UK government are putting forward for after Brexit will not work for Scotland, they will damage Scotland, said Scotlands Migration Minister Ben Macpherson. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Today, the late night comedians have become more popular than ever. For example, according to the TV by the Numbers report for January 19, 019, Stephen Colbert has 41% of the TV-viewing audience in its time slot, the Late Night with Seth Myers has a 27% viewership, and the Daily Show with Trevor Noah has 23% of the viewers. That turns into about 4 million viewers for Colbert, about 2 million viewers for Myers and 2 million for Noah. Then, over the weekend, Saturday Night Live scores even more viewers -- over 10 million in its 2018 season -- and it spends much of the night skewering President Trump and his administration, with a particularly disrespectful parody of the President by Alec Baldwin. A key reason for the success of these comedians, according to Paul Brakke, a criminal justice expert and commentator on American society, who has published 7 books with American Leadership Press, is their comedy is focused on mocking President Trump, his family, and the Republican Party. In effect, they have become a mouthpiece for the political views of liberals under the cover of comedy, and as such they often present an exaggerated or incorrect view of what is happening today. Then, if they are criticized for their commentary, they can say they were only making jokes. But their jokes can be a political platform, rather than being a humorous commentary of everyday life in general. At one time, the commentary of comedians used to be about the events of the days or their foibles in everyday life. But today their monologues and many of their guests have turned into a one-sided blast at President Trump and his family. Virtually anything is fair game. The comedians have played up the Russia investigation to make President Trump and his associates seem guilty; they have made fun of his choices to be on the Supreme Court; they have mocked his relationships with foreign powers; they have suggested he is criminally culpable because of his dealings to build the Trump Tower in Moscow; and they have turned his choices for different cabinet positions into punching bags. In this way, the modern-day comedians have used their influential platform that reaches millions of Americans to support a liberal political line, and they have contributed to the divisive political climate in America with their snide remarks. In many societies today, such commentary might be shut down as damaging to the social order, and the comedians might even be jailed for mocking their political leaders. But in the U.S. such commentary is permitted under the guise of free speech. Yet, there are limits, such as the classic example of someone yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, leading to a stampede to get out that could even lead to the death of some patrons. Right now, the comedians are free to say what they want, but sometimes they seem to go over the line of what should be permitted. An example could be joking about the threats made to the President or his family members, which could be taken by someone who is mentally disturbed as a call to take action to carry out the threat. Still another concern is that the vast majority of political comedians tend to lean left, as pointed out by Patrick Bromley in "The Top Political Comedians in America", posted March 29, 2018 on ThoughtCo.com. So collectively, these comedians are using their position to influence many millions of voters, especially when a similar message is reinforced on different shows, such as if one listens to the reaction of Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, Seth Myers, and the Saturday Night Live crew to the news of the day. The focus of the monologues, guests, and sketches are almost always about President Trump and others supporting his administration, and they point to what's wrong, which can contribute to undermining faith in our institutions. While their defense is using free speech to be funny, they are using humor to support the liberal political agenda, so they largely don't feature any foibles of the liberal political leaders. In turn, their comedy can influence the way we vote, as Evan Fleischer points out in an October 2016 article in The Guardian: "Can Late-Night TV Hosts Influence the Way We Vote?" Though Fleischer was asking the question before the results came in for the 2016 election, he pointed out that "Over the past few years, late-night comedy has been taken far more seriously than in the days when Johnny Carson was host." He also cited an Atlantic article which observed that "comedians have taken on the role of public intellectuals." In fact, in some of these "comedy" sketches, the talk show hosts are often "making earnest, quite un-funny political pleas" to cite a July 2018 article by Olivia Goldhill on Quaritzy: "'Nanette' and Why a New Wave of Comedians Don't Want to Be Funny." As Goldhill notes: "More and more comedians are losing the jokes part altogether. Having become political comedians, they're dropping the comedy act and becoming straightforward commentators." And it gets worse, according to Brakke, who points to an article by Noel Murray on TheWeek website: "Why Political Comedians Will Always Let You Down." As Brakke notes: "A big problem is the comedians can do anything for a laugh, so a funny comment can have the ring of truth, but it doesn't have to be fully truthful. The popular political comics such as Stephen Colbert, Seth Myers, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, and the Saturday Night Live anchors can be quite funny when they point up the failures of our modern institutions. But, as Murray points out, they don't always get everything right. In fact, they may not be able to do so in the minutes or even seconds they have to make their point." Then, too, as Brakke points out, in the comedians' one-sided approach to making fun of our institutions, they focus on attacking Trump and his administration. But they don't go after the opposing side. "So we have to recognize the comedians of the airwaves for the one-sided view of the world they present. And under the cover of humor, their attacks can be very influential. They can even motivate dangerous individuals to take action against the Trump administration." In making these observations about comedians, Brakke has become especially interested in American culture, as part of his research on the divisions in American society and criminal justice in America. He reported on these divisions in a chapter in Crime in America and in Fractured America. He is also planning a future more in-depth analysis of this problem. In writing his books and working as a consultant, Brakke brings to the table a unique conservative approach to crime, criminal justice, and American society. That's because usually liberals discuss ways to reform the system through more of a social welfare approach. But Brakke's approach is more based on an economic business model of doing what works most efficiently to both cut down costs and create more productive citizens. He is now bringing his unique approach to his forthcoming book Fractured America, dealing with the many divisions that are tearing America apart and how to heal these divisions. It will be published in February. Since publishing Crime in America, Brakke has had 35 videos made featuring highlights from the book which are available on the American Leadership Books YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfHgXXiW3jgODnaypgcYZFw To learn more, you can get a copy of Crime in America, with a chapter on the divisions in America. You can also get a copy of Fractured America which deals with these divisions in more depth. The books are available through Amazon, Kindle, and major bookstores. Also, free copies are available for government officials who are seeking ways to reduce crime and fix the criminal justice system and for members of the media at www.crimeinamericathebook.com or at www.fracturedamerica.net. . For media copies of the book, more information on American Leadership Books and Paul Brakke, and to set up interviews, please contact: Jana Collins Jones & O'Malley Toluca Lake, California jana@jonesomalley.com (818) 762-8353 With aging becoming a huge issue facing American families, a leading expert on long-term care planning says addressing longevity is really all about family. Speaking to financial advisors and insurance agents in North Carolina, Matt McCann, a nationally known specialist in long-term care insurance, says too many people talk only about the financial issues around aging. "Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter had it right when she said there were only four types of people in the world. You have those who have been caregivers, you have those who are caregivers right now, those who will be caregivers, and then those who will need care. This is the issue. Caregiving has a huge impact on everyone. It isn't easy. It is very emotional. It impacts careers. It impacts the caregiver's own health. It changes relationships. Yet, too many people think that having a son or daughter be a caregiver is something they would welcome," McCann said. McCann explained that those who say their family will become caregivers are really thinking that they will never have a need for any long-term care service. "We all know the facts. Statistics are funny things and often people like to ignore them so I like to say the only statistic that really means anything is this one you will either need long-term care or you won't. Longevity is a real concern. They are building more and more assisted living facilities. Yes, more nursing homes. Yes, more adult day care centers. Yes, there are more and more radio and TV advertisements for homecare services. Yes, nobody need care. I guess all that is for nothing," McCann said. Every recent study has shown a negative impact on family caregivers. Paid care is expensive and drains assets, often very quickly. This has a negative impact on lifestyle, especially the lifestyle of a spouse or partner. "It is essential to plan for the financial costs and burdens of aging. We must avoid the crisis management that often happens when people fail to plan. Too many think they have time. Too many people think planning costs too much. The fact is Long-Term Care Insurance is very affordable for most people, especially if you plan prior to retirement. These policies are custom designed. Plus, 45 states offer Long-Term Care Partnership insurance plans which provide additional dollar-for-dollar asset protection. Some states even have tax incentives and federal tax incentives exist for some people as well," McCann said. McCann noted that Long-Term Care Insurance is working for the American family. In 2018 alone, over $10.3 Billion was paid in long-term care insurance benefits. He told insurance agents and financial advisors to work with a specialist like himself to help their clients plan before they retire. The cost of paid care continues to grow.You can find the current cost of long-term care services in your state here: https://www.ltcnews.com/resources/state-information McCann helps people nationwide with his unique process where they speak with him on the phone while seeing his computer screen on their computer. He also works with insurance agents and financial advisors help their clients provide peace-of-mind and prepare for a successful future retirement. There are several types of plans available in most states. He encourages consumers and financial professionals to learn more at: https://mccannltc.net/resources/types-of-insurance-policies. McCann said the best time to plan is prior to retirement, in your 40s and 50s, when many people can enjoy low premiums and even good health discounts. Compensation fell for some top executives at USAA last year, the result of more than more than $2 billion in catastrophe-related insurance claims. CEO and President Stuart Parker received about $4.2 million in total compensation from five USAA insurance companies last year. That was about $286,000, or 6 percent, less than the roughly $4.5 million he received in 2017, according to figures reported to the Nebraska Department of Insurance last week. USAA attributed the decline in compensation for its top execs to lower bonuses. Last years bonuses were based on its performance in 2017, when the San Antonio insurance and financial-services giant paid a record $2.4 billion in claims for hurricanes, wildfires, severe thunderstorms and winter storms. Last year marked the third straight year it paid more than $2 billion in claims. The company doesnt disclose total compensation for its executive team since its a private company. Nebraska, however, requires insurers to report executive compensation for companies that do business in the state, providing a partial look at USAAs executive pay. Parker and some other executives also may receive pay from the companys investment services and banking operations that isnt publicly disclosed. The latest reports filed with Nebraska include revised 2017 compensation figures for USAAs execs. We went back and cleaned it up to make sure that it was reporting accurately the compensation that the executives received for that year, company spokesman Matt Hartwig said. USAA originally reported that Parkers 2017 total compensation from USAAs five insurance companies was about $4 million. USAA maintains strong governance and controls over its compensation programs, Hartwig said. We believe it is in our memberships best interest to provide competitive compensation programs so we can recruit and retain the best talent within the market and industry, he said. The company recently awarded rank-and-file employees a 14.8 percent bonus for 2018, the lowest annual bonus since 2008. It awarded bonuses of 16.2 percent in 2017. Eligible workers receive the bonus as a percentage of their base compensation. Wayne Peacock, president of USAA Property and Casualty Insurance Group, experienced the biggest drop in compensation last year, according to the data provided to Nebraska. Peacock received a little more than $4 million in total compensation last year down almost $808,000 from the roughly $4.8 million he was paid in 2017. USAA originally reported that Peacock made almost $4.6 million in 2017. Chief Financial Officer Laura Bishop collected about $1.35 million last year, or about $19,000 less than she received in 2017. Wayne Carl Liebert, the former chief operating officer who recently departed for the top job at AutoNation Inc., the nations largest dealership chain, pulled in more than $1.8 million in total compensation last year. That was about $200,000 less than he received in 2017. His 2017 compensation originally was reported as $1.9 million. One executive who saw her compensation rise was Heather Cox, who, ironically, only worked at USAA for a few months last year. The former chief technology and digital officer departed last March after only 1 years in the post. Cox received $1.7 million in total compensation last year, a nearly $328,000 increase from the $1.4 million she received in 2017. Coxs 2018 compensation included both sign-on and severance payments. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD USAA has promoted Jim Syring to chief administrative officer and added him to its executive council. Syring joined the San Antonio financial-services company in 2017 and has served as senior vice president, enterprise operations support. He has overseen USAAs information technology infrastructure and security operations, among other duties. He will continue with many of those same duties, though his work has now been elevated to the executive level. USAAs executive council manages the its various companies day-to-day operations. Syring is the 11th USAA executive on the council. OnExpressNews.com: Executive pay falls at USAA insurance companies Syring will report to USAA CEO Stuart Parker. I look forward to Jim and his team providing even more value in support of our mission and our members, Parker said in a statement. Syrings promotion marks the return of the chief administrative officer post at USAA. It has not been filled since Shon Manasco, who was appointed to the post in 2012, left USAA in 2016. He became assistant secretary of the Air Force in 2017. Prior to joining USAA, Syring had a 32-year career in the U.S. Navy, where he reached the rank of vice admiral. According to USAA, he served in numerous engineering duty officer assignments. He served as director of the Missile Defense Agency from 2012 to 2017. Syring is a 1985 graduate of the U.S Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., where he earned a bachelors of science in marine engineering. In 1992, he earned a masters of science in mechanical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. USAA serves about 12.8 million members of the military and their families. (CNN) Huawei plans to take its push-back against the U.S. government to a new level this week. The embattled Chinese tech company plans to file a lawsuit against the American government over a law that bans U.S. federal agencies from buying Huawei products, according to reports by The New York Times and the Financial Times citing unidentified sources. Huawei declined to comment on the matter. In its lawsuit, Huawei will claim that the National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed in August, violates the US constitution by singling out a single individual or group for punishment without trial, according to the reports. It's the latest twist in the clash between the U.S. and China over technology. Huawei -- which describes itself as employee-owned -- is one of China's largest and most successful companies and is a key player in the introduction of super-fast 5G wireless networks around the world. The U.S. government says Huawei's products could be used by Chinese intelligence services for spying a claim the company has repeatedly denied. Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said in January that the company would never harm its customers. Washington has been leading an international campaign to pressure U.S. allies to ban the Chinese company from their 5G networks. In a speech in Europe last month, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said his country had been "very clear" on the threat posed by Huawei. "We must protect our critical telecom infrastructure, and the United States is calling on all our security partners to be vigilant and to reject any enterprise that would compromise the integrity of our communications technology or national security systems," he said. Mobile operators around the world have said the U.S. campaign is complicating their efforts to upgrade their networks. Analysts and industry executives say Huawei has already built up such a strong lead in 5G technology that it's practically irreplaceable for many wireless carriers. Security concerns have led to the company's technology being completely banned in Australia, a major U.S. ally, and partially restricted in New Zealand. European countries including the United Kingdom and Germany are still deciding what stance to take. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Huawei aims to fight back against US government with lawsuit." It's an interesting thought experiment to imagine what would have happened if Fox News Channel had access to some of the biggest stories about President Donald Trump before other outlets. If it had been Fox that got the "Access Hollywood" tape in October 2016, how would it have handled the story? How would it have been framed? Or would it have run? A report from the New Yorker's Jane Mayer, an extensive look at Fox News from one of journalism's most respected investigative reporters, gives reason to think that the network may have been reluctant to run it at all. After all, Mayer said, Diana Falzone, a reporter for the network, learned that Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen had arranged to pay off adult-film actress Stormy Daniels so she wouldn't publicly discuss an alleged affair with Trump - but the story was never published. The New Yorker story said: "But Falzone's story didn't run - it kept being passed off from one editor to the next. After getting one noncommittal answer after another from her editors, Falzone at last heard from LaCorte, who was then the head of FoxNews.com. Falzone told colleagues that LaCorte said to her, 'Good reporting, kiddo. But Rupert [Murdoch] wants Donald Trump to win. So just let it go.' " Ken LaCorte denies having said that, Mayer writes, although Falzone's colleagues confirmed having been told about it at the time. Fox News consistently covered Daniels' story much less frequently than its competitors did, data show. On average, from Jan. 1, 2018, to the beginning of this month, CNN mentioned "Stormy" in 0.61 percent of segments. MSNBC mentioned her in 0.54 percent. Fox News mentioned her in 0.17 percent - less than a third as often as its competitors. The characterization of the payment to Daniels as "hush money" led to that term being used regularly in the first half of 2018 by Fox's competitors but not by Fox. It was used more regularly by the network once Cohen admitted to federal crimes in August and, most recently, when Cohen testified on Capitol Hill last week. Cohen, of course, admitted to several types of crime in August and December: fraud related to a bank loan he obtained, tax evasion, lying to Congress, and campaign finance violations related to the Daniels payment and another, similar agreement to silence Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model. Those campaign finance violations directly implicated Trump, as Cohen reinforced in his congressional testimony last week. When talking about Cohen, Fox was less likely than its competitors to mention campaign finance. It was more likely, after Cohen admitted guilt on eight federal felonies last year, to mention his involvement in fraud. It covered his admission of lying to Congress as much as its competitors did last year - and last week, during his testimony, was just as likely to mention that crime. In fact, it mentioned that particular admitted crime as often last week when Cohen was testifying as it had when the story first broke. This isn't specific to the Daniels story. Although none of the networks gave McDougal's story as much coverage as Daniels', Fox still trailed in its coverage. And, circling back to our original question, Fox News has also mentioned "Access Hollywood" less frequently than its competitors did. From Oct. 1, 2016, through the end of the year, Fox News mentioned "Access Hollywood" in 0.07 percent of its daily 15-second segments. CNN and MSNBC each mentioned it more than twice as often. Last year John Dean mused in an interview with Rolling Stone about might have happened if Fox News were around when Richard M. Nixon was president. (Dean was White House counsel under Nixon until he agreed to testify against his former boss, helping lead to Nixon's resignation.) "Nixon might have survived," Dean said, "if he had Fox News and the conservative media that exists today." To those who knew her, Andreen McDonald missing since Friday and presumed dead by law enforcement was a go-getter and fitness enthusiast who started her own assisted living business at 22 and doted on her young daughter. Her signature was a broad, dazzling smile, splashed across her Facebook page and captured in magazine and newspaper profiles. McDonald, 29, was reported missing by friends Friday when she didnt go to work or the gym as is her routine and they found blood and hair on a light switch at her home. Her husband, Andre McDonald, 40, was arrested Sunday on a charge of tampering with evidence. Sheriff Javier Salazar said McDonald, a major in the Air Force Reserve stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, is a suspect in his wifes disappearance but he hasnt been charged with that. He remained in jail Monday in lieu of $2 million bond. On ExpressNews.com: Still no sign of missing San Antonio woman According to court documents, Andreen McDonald told a close friend that if she ever disappeared it would be because her husband had killed her. Inside the couples upscale, two-story home in the Timberwood Park area, sparkling birthday decorations were still hanging in the living room Monday, evidently in celebration of Andres 40th birthday two weeks ago. Hyacinth Smith, Andreens mother, hurried her 7-year-old granddaughter into her coat after a sheriffs deputy arrived to interview the child. With blue beads decorating multiple braids on her head, the child played with a computer tablet that was showing cartoons, and she was jumping around and laughing, apparently oblivious to her mothers absence. She doesnt really know what it happening, said Smith, who is caring for the girl. Smith described Andreen as a fun-loving person. She was ambitious, she knew what she wanted. Everybody loved her. Later in the day, Andreens sister, Cindy Ann Johnson, fought back tears as she scrolled through photos of her sister on her cell phone at Johnsons home in Schertz. It hurts. It really hurts, Johnson said. I wouldnt dream I would be losing my only sister. Johnson recounted how the McDonalds daughter gave a chilling account to Andreens business manager, whom the child knows well, on Friday afternoon. She said, Daddy hurt Mommy and Mommy was going like this, Johnson said, mimicking difficulty breathing. The business manager recorded the conversation and gave the recording to investigators, Johnson said. To us, its pretty evident she saw something, Salazar said Monday, referring to the child. She saw what happened to her mom, and thats the most heartbreaking part of this case. A caring owner Maria Pena, a registered nurse with Transitions Hospice, said Andreen made a point of visiting patients who were receiving care from hospices that contracted with Starlight Assisted Living, which Andreen launched in 2012, just one month after she received a bachelors in finance at University of Texas at San Antonio. She now has two facilities in San Antonio, one a 12-bed home in Northern Hills and a second 16-bed facility in Alamo Heights. She made herself known to everyone, all the hospice patients, and she was very loving, Pena said. Andreen was also known for her competitive streak. I like to win. I see everything as a competition, she said in a profile of her business that was published last year in San Antonio Woman magazine Not being able to overcome a challenge would be like losing. And thats not acceptable. Andreens determination was evident in her fitness routine. She worked out frequently at the 100-member Iron Tribe Fitness, coming in at 5 a.m., said Abby Jones, a coach there. She placed first in several weightlifting and fitness competitions pushing herself to obtain 13 percent body fat. She was just a very, very hard worker, Jones said. Shes a top dog. We use her as an example out on the floor often. Jones last saw her Thursday morning. Andreen had stayed behind to do a second workout, Jones said. Gym members held a prayer service Monday and placed an orange cone in the spot where she usually parked. They also built her barbell, just like she would when she was ready to attack the weights in her favorite move, the clean and jerk, and put it out on the floor in her honor. Jones described Andreen as a great mom and wife, who would occasionally bring her daughter to events at Iron Tribe. It truly, truly is a large loss for us, Jones said. We are a family here. When concerned friends went to her home after she didnt show up at the gym or work Friday, they said no one answered so they went in the back door. They found the blood and hair on a light switch in the master bathroom, saw a fire on the ground outside and spotted a zipper in the fire, according to court documents. They called authorities. Investigators said Andre McDonald initially told officers that his wife was being treated at Baptist Emergency Hospital on U.S. 281, but when authorities contacted the hospital, they were told she was not there, according to court records. McDonald then said he didn't know where she was, and he noted the two had been in an argument the night prior, according to the records. He declined to comment further and requested an attorney. Later, serving the first of two search warrants, investigators found the blood on the light switch was human and also found a small amount of what could be blood evidence in a Chevrolet Malibu at the house, according to an affidavit. A second warrant was served Saturday, and investigators discovered two torn-up receipts indicating Andre McDonald had bought a shovel, an ax, a hatchet, large heavy duty plastic bags, gloves and two 5-gallon gas cans on Saturday, the day after Andreen went missing. Investigators found many of those items in the back of McDonalds Porsche, and they also discovered heavy coveralls in a trash can, records show, and found another fire pit that was not present during the previous search. Investigators determined it had been used to destroy papers and other items. Andre McDonald was charged with tampering with evidence and arrested Sunday. On ExpressNews.com: Missing womans husband arrested on tampering charge Search continues Despite Mondays intense cold, some 40 Bexar County sheriffs deputies and volunteers fanned out from a mobile substation set up at The Shops on Overlook, 26108 Overlook Parkway, looking for Andreen. With Andre McDonald declining to cooperate about his wifes whereabouts, investigators were forced to make general searches of secluded areas near the familys home in The Summit at Canyon Springs, a gated subdivision off Canyon Golf Road. We are doing some checks on GPS on telephones and cars, Salazar said. Were hoping that will help us narrow down our search area, but for right now, were just looking in this general area. Examining GPS information on the couples cars requires taking them to dealerships, where the vehicles are taken apart so the information can be extracted. The process can take some time, according to Salazar. The searchers moved into nearby ravines, drainage ditches, creek beds and brushy areas on foot and in trucks and all-terrain vehicles. Split into smaller search parties, each group also targeted wooded areas near newer subdivisions off of Borgfeld Road, about four to five miles away from the McDonald home. Salazar used his personal four-wheel truck to access some of the rough terrain, but the search yielded no sign of Andreen by late afternoon. Among the volunteers Monday was Halee Weaver, who knows Andreen from Iron Tribe Fitness. Weaver said she never heard Andreen had any marital problems. Like other volunteers, Weaver sought to bring closure to Andreens family. Shes amazing. Shes strong, Weaver said, her voice breaking. Shell do what she needs to do to fight. Weaver said she last saw Andreen on Wednesday, and she was normal. Just another day at the gym. Working out. Pushing hard. Sweating. Just doing what she does every day. Frank Trevino, a volunteer who has helped with other searches, didnt know McDonald but said the work is important. Its not easy, acknowledged Trevino, retired from the insurance industry. We are just trying to see what we can do. Diane Myrick, another volunteer, saw the searchers at the mall needed help, went home to dress more warmly in layers and returned. Im just a mom and a human, she said. I feel bad for the baby girl and everyone involved. Its very sad. The search resumes Tuesday at 9 a.m. Volunteers are asked to be at the same mall for a briefing at 9 a.m. Salazar said its likely the search will continue through at least the rest of this week. Andreen and her husband are from the same town in Jamaica, Port Antonio. They married and were living in Florida before her husbands career brought them to San Antonio. Records indicate she is his second wife; he divorced the first in 2005 in Florida. Andre McDonald has a masters in engineering and backed Andreens business. According to her website, McDonald was moved to help out because of a grandmother who needed assisted living after an accident in Jamaica forced the amputation of one of her legs. A cyberwarfare operations officer, Andre McDonald oversees personnel developing and maintaining systems that allow Air Force cyber operators to defend the services worldwide networks. He had no record of deploying to the war zone. McDonald has been with the unit since October 2014 and has been in the Air Force since November 2004. He is on an active guard reserve tour that began April 29, 2018, a three-year stint set to be completed in March 2021. McDonald has not had any disciplinary issues while with his reserve unit, but officials would not discuss details of the Andreen case because it remains under investigation. Their home in the Timberwood Park area, which they bought in 2017, is appraised by the county at $450,000. They also own a second home on the citys North Side, along with the two assisted living facilities. While the magazine profile and several friends say the couple loved their daughter and seemed to be a happy family Andreen has been quoted as saying that the three always had dinner together court records show Andre McDonald filed for divorce in February 2017. He withdrew the petition three months later. Salazar indicated there had been problems. I dont know that we have any written record of a history of violence, but anecdotally, what were hearing from friends and family was there was some sort of violent relationship between them, Salazar said. The sheriff said its the child who stands to lose the most. That is why, personally, I consider it an honor to be tracing through creekbeds in (cold) weather, he said. We owe it to the memory of Mrs. McDonald, if in fact she is deceased, and to this little girl, to bring some closure to this case. This article was updated to correct the name of the area where the McDonalds lived. News Researcher Misty Harris and Staff Writers Emilie Eaton and Sig Christenson contributed to this report. The philosophical distance between the city of San Antonio and the citys fire union is so wide that it could be measured in kilometers. That much was apparent last week when the two sides waded, for the first time in more than four years, into the turbulent waters of wages and health benefits, the fundamental issues that have persistently divided them. Iris Dimmick of the Rivard Report joined the Express-Newss Puro Politics podcast this week and said last Fridays bargaining session was remarkable for how little actual bargaining took place. Each side presented the meatiest issues last week and could not be further apart from each other in every way imaginable, Dimmick said. The fire unions presentation was more than an hour and a half and then the city was like, Cool. Heres 15 minutes. On ExpressNews.com: Fire union and city officials finally talk money The firefighters want an overall 27.5 percent increase in pay and health care expenditures. The city countered with a lump-sum bonus offer of 2 percent (with no bump for base pay) and pushed for firefighters to contribute to the costs of their health coverage. Dimmick also discussed the political ramifications of the citys draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, the product of an effort to move the city over the next 30 years toward a green energy economy. The plan has been greeted with wariness from the citys business community. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio climate plan stirs support, concerns Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced last week that the City Council would hold off on voting on the proposal until after the May 4 municipal elections. That decision drew a rebuke from Nirenbergs chief rival, District 6 Councilman Greg Brockhouse, who called the move a political ploy by Nirenberg to protect his job. Hear these and other topics discussed on this weeks Puro Politics podcast. Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470 On a cold morning 183 years ago, a battle began in San Antonio that would have global implications, capturing the imagination of writers, painters, composers, historians and everyday people worldwide. The Battle of the Alamo commenced about 5:30 a.m. on March 6, 1836, lasted 90 minutes and claimed the lives of at least 189 Texian and Tejano men from at least 22 different states and six foreign countries who defended the fort. Some 1,500 Mexican troops attacked the fortified former mission, penetrating its north wall and southwest corner after two failed attempts. That ended a 13-day siege that had unfolded while delegates to the east declared Texas an independent republic. The battle anniversary will be commemorated today with four ceremonies at the Alamo, starting with Dawn at the Alamo, held annually since 1986, at 6 a.m. On ExpressNews.com: Alamo Remembers Immortal 32 from Gonzales Alamo Anniversary Events Dawn at the Alamo, 6 a.m.: The San Antonio Living History Association will participate in an annual tribute that dates to 1986. After the Fall of the Alamo, 10 a.m.: The Alamo Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas will host Scott McMahon, Director of Presidio La Bahia, as guest speaker. Commemoration Ceremony, 2 p.m.: The Alamo Mission Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas honor those who fought and died. Remember the Defenders, 6 p.m.: Evening tribute to the Alamo defenders. See More Collapse Brian L. Gibson, president of The Alamo Society, said he has members visiting San Antonio from Sweden, Germany and Lithuania this year. The organization of Alamo devotees has about 450 dues-paying members from all 50 states and nine foreign countries. Its 1,500 non-paying members following the group online are from 20 nations, including Nigeria, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates. The attraction is that its an underdog story, said Gibson, of Hastings, Michigan. Its a single point in time one event that changed world history. Texas won independence six weeks later at the Battle of San Jacinto, near Houston, with the capture of Mexican Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. But the story of the Alamo siege and battle has been amplified, and often distorted, through early newspaper accounts, tabloids and Hollywood movies, focusing on the Texian and Tejano defenders. As historical scholarship has evolved, interest in other aspects of the site, including Mexican perspectives on the battle and the sites earlier use as a Spanish colonial mission and Native American cemetery, has added momentum to an ambitious public-private project to close Alamo Plaza to traffic and build an Alamo museum. On ExpressNews.com: Makeover changes begin in Alamo Plaza Historians agreed at an Alamo forum last week that as more documents are researched, translated, digitized and placed online, the story of the Alamo will be broadened and clarified. Although many people grew up believing 1,000 or more Mexican soldiers were killed or wounded in the battle, historian Gregg Dimmick said the casualties were actually much lower. But some people still cling to the inflated figures, as a testament to the determination of the Alamo defenders. Im almost certain, its well documented in the Mexican archives and its backed up by separate documents, there were about 70 Mexicans (who) died on March 6 here at the Alamo, and probably about 280 wounded, Dimmick said. Until a few years ago, it was heresy to say that, he said, even though Mexican officers in 1836 were crushed at having 350 dead or wounded. People, I think, are getting more open-minded, Dimmick added. Yet the Alamo battle anniversary still has patriotic, even religious, overtones for some people. This year, for the first time since 1957, it falls on Ash Wednesday a Christian holiday that emphasizes mortality, with ashes on the forehead while the San Jacinto anniversary, April 21, is on Easter Sunday. Those dates will coincide again in 2030 and 2041. I think that for whatever reason, God brought those people together to fight for tyranny in their own way, Gibson said. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA Two San Antonio police officers fatally shot a robbery suspect on the East Side Monday afternoon after he opened fire on them, officials said. Police believe the suspect robbed a man in his home near Iowa and South Pine streets around 2 p.m., shooting the man before fleeing in a black Honda Accord, Police Chief William McManus said. Its not the largest public art project on the San Antonio Rivers southern Mission Reach. That distinction rests with the massive arches at Confluence Park adjacent to Mission Concepcion. But when artist Margarita Cabreras Arbol de la Vida, Spanish for tree of life, makes its official debut in mid-May near Mission Espada, the tree-like steel and clay sculpture will be the second-largest public art project linking the citys famous waterway to its historic Spanish Colonial missions. Arbol took two years to conceive, produce and install. At every step, it was deliberately, even arduously inclusive, striving to be a durable and diverse reflection of San Antonios ranching heritage. When finished, its limbs will be laden with hundreds of brightly-colored sculptures of varying sizes that represent a story or storyteller. Its also a massive work thats strangely out of sight at one moment, but take another step on the River Walk and suddenly it appears in a monumental way. If youve ever sighed wistfully, as I have, at a large-scale arbol de la vida, daring not to look at its price tag, Cabreras Arbol will make your knees weak. Arbols are typically large, three-dimensional sculptures made of clay, that are often loaded with symbols around a particular theme, mostly biblical, but also whimsical, like the history of mole, for example. Each branch teems with miniature sculptures, including people, animals, flowers, food, pottery and other everyday objects that are often bunched and stacked together in a jumbled explosion of color. Cabreras tree measures 80 feet in diameter and is 40 feet high. Its job is to coax walkers, runners and cyclists off the hike-and-bike trail to see it then to see Mission Espada, and visa versa. The $980,000 public art project, privately funded by the San Antonio River Foundation, stands just 300 steps from the old mission church above the river. The site where it sits will be landscaped before its coming-out party. Its on one of four public art portals that are part of a green space equal in size to about three New York Central Parks, making it the largest urban ecological restoration project in the country, said Robert Amerman, who heads the San Antonio River Foundation. The idea was to place public art works that are thematic to get people to pause and redirect them to the missions themselves, he said. Unlike small-scale arboles de la vida that are three dimensional but flat, Cabreras Arbol comes to full three-dimensional life. It looks like an outdoor rotunda, suitable for celebrations or quiet reflection. Its limbs already hold more than 700 sculptures of varying sizes made from clay that was mined in Floresville and fired at Mission Clay, also in that town. Artists and non-artists alike participated in conceptualizing and making their clay sculptures. While some pieces might fit on a dining room table, the largest piece on Arbol weighs 500 pounds. The clay sculptures on Arbol range thematically from labor and the sacred to celebration and food. Individual works pay tribute to Loteria symbols, flowers and fields, trucks, homes and churches. Ellen Riojas Clark, University of Texas at San Antonio professor emeritus, made a clay sculpture that tells the story of her maiden name, Riojas, a wine-producing area of Spain. Arbol is big in other ways. More than 1,500 people collaborated on it from the charla, or discussion phase, to the many workshops Cabrera taught in clay, and to the firing, hauling and installation phases. For some artists, such a prestigious project would have reflected only the artists vision. But for Cabrera, art isnt just about the work itself, but the experiences it creates and the relationships it forges. Along the way, the artist rediscovered her own Canary Islander roots and learned that her surname has a connection to one of the missions. The ranch land that once served Mission Espada is in Floresville and is called Rancho de las Cabras, the ranch of goats. A native of Monterrey, Mexico, who last lived in El Paso, Cabrera considers San Antonio fertile ground for this kind of collaboration. Some communities arent ready for this work, she said. Arboles de vida arent new to San Antonio. Theyre most famously made by the MujerArtes cooperative run by the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center. And theyre inspired by those made for centuries by Mexican artisans. Since the trees installation, something else has occurred to Cabrera. Her Arbol will no doubt be the largest tree of life sculpture in San Antonio, in Texas, or perhaps even the United States. She wasnt altogether joking when she said she may contact the Guinness Book of World Records about it. Arbol could be that big. Elaine Ayala is a columnist covering San Antonio and Bexar County. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyala AUSTIN A conservative group that has funneled millions of dollars into Republican campaign coffers is opposing the mental health bill Gov. Greg Abbott named a top priority in his State of the State Address. Speaking about the importance of mental health in wake of recent school shootings, Abbott named the legislation an emergency item, meaning lawmakers can start voting on the measure earlier than usual. It would create a mental health consortium to award research grants and expand childrens access to psychiatrists through telemedicine, among other things. The Senate budget proposal would give $100 million to the new group, which is comprised mostly of Texas medical schools including the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The bill itself doesnt include any dollar figures or specify how the money would split among the various efforts. With all 31 senators signed onto the bill, passage in the chamber is near certain. The bill is expected to come up for a floor vote Tuesday. Groups including Empower Texans and Texas Action, however, recently came out in opposition, saying the spending is outside the core function of state government. Were creating a new $100 million program to do something that can already be done without a state mandate, said Texas Action Executive Director Nathanael Ferguson. Empower Texans a self-described nonprofit service organization that ranks legislation according to its own fiscal responsibility index didnt respond to a request for comment. The groups political action committee contributed over $250,000 to the campaigns of several Republican senators and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick last year, state records show. The bill, authored Republican Sen. Jane Nelson, stems in part from the Santa Fe school shooting last May, which left 10 dead and 13 wounded. While it wouldnt add mental health counselors directly into Texas schools, the bill would set up a network of child psychiatry access centers that give pediatricians and family practice doctors access to psychiatrists who could help diagnose and treat the children. The bill, known as SB10, also calls on the medical schools to expand telemedicine programs for children and teens with mental health needs. I firmly believe that this legislation will help identify youth at risk, get them to treatment and prevent them from becoming a danger to themselves or others, Nelson, of Flower Mound, told senators during a recent hearing. Nelsons office didnt respond to requests for further comment. Some critics raised concern, however, that the bills focus falls too heavily on psychiatry and will result in medicating children, instead of counseling or other interventions. The medical solution for mental health problems is one thing right now, and that's medication, Moira Dolan, an Austin-based internal medicine physician, recently told the state Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. But Andrew Keller, President of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, said that identifying childrens mental health needs sooner with collaboration between a psychiatrist and a pediatrician means medications could be avoided, since theyre often used as a last resort. The psychiatrist is there to help the family physicians look at the full array of options that are available, which quite often focuses on giving the parents some tools, like how do you raise an anxious child, Keller said. Another major piece of the bill is research. The consortium is tasked with developing a mental health research plan and awarding grant funding to advance those goals. Its not clear in the bill what type of research would qualify, but the funding would be overseen by the consortiums executive committee, which is made up mostly of psychiatry department chairs at a dozen Texas medical schools. Greg Hansch, with the Texas chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said research could likely cover treatments, therapies or services that help address mental illness in the state. In some cases, there's an idea of what might help a person, but there's not the research to support the efficacy of it, he said. The consortium could provide funding to test whether or not something works. The bill also calls on the consortium to increase psychiatric residency training and to help develop a training program on mental health resources for judges. Mental health is poised to be a major issue this session, with several big-ticket bills up for debate. One is the planned replacement of the San Antonio and Austin State Hospitals, which both have dated campuses and crumbling buildings. The construction projects are estimated to cost upwards of $600 million and it remains to be seen whether lawmakers will fund both in the next two-year state budget. amorris@express-news.net At the Hanoi summit, perhaps following a Champagne toast officially welcoming North Korea to the nuclear club, I imagine President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un sitting down to watch the Michael Cohen hearing. Not far into the Republican questioning, Kim might have said something like: I thought I knew toadying, but Ive never seen anything like this. Don, what is your secret? The House of Representatives has always been the shallower end of the legislative pool. But the performance of Republicans at the Cohen hearing was in a class of its own. Their game plan seemed to consist of shouting, vilification and shouted vilification. Most of them apparently got their degrees from the Roy Cohn School of Law. But Chihuahuas are not intimidating, even when they travel in packs. What passed for a cutting Republican taunt? Liar. Liar. Pants on Fire! Honestly, has the ban on child labor been lifted for House staffers? At some point, kissing up involves moral corruption. And Republicans passed that milestone some time ago. Many in Trumps army of enablers have lost the ability to distinguish political realism from moral surrender. Now they are left to impugn the reputations of the presidents accusers, as though the whole Republican Party had signed on as part of Trumps legal team. How did Republicans do? Michael Cohen started the hearing with an absolutely awful reputation and still came across looking more trustworthy than his accusers. Yet the alternatives to this strategy for Republicans are not obvious. Normally, defending a sitting president would involve witnessing to his character. Something along the lines of: No, Trump has too much integrity to direct Roger Stone to deal with WikiLeaks. Or: That isnt possible. Trump is too good a man to pay hush money to a porn star. Or: It is inconceivable that Trump would have had foreknowledge of a meeting at Trump Tower with shady Russians to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. His conscience wouldnt allow him to go so low. Any of these lines spoken aloud at the Cohen hearing would have gotten peals of laughter. Of course Trump is capable of all these disreputable things. The real question is: Was he foolish enough to do them and get caught? So Republicans are staking the future and reputation of their party on the intelligence, or at least cunning, of Donald Trump. Most of our politics now consists of seeing the same horror from new angles. America has a president who respects no rule of morality, tradition or law that conflicts with his own immediate self-expression or gratification. His only self-limitation, apparently, is plausible deniability a moral framework that seems to be based on old episodes of The Sopranos. This is narcissism that has slipped its leash, roaming wherever it wishes across the wide world, and in our heads. Years ago, I posed the question: What happens when a narcissist who thinks he is at the center of the universe is actually placed at the center of the universe? We are seeing what happens. The whole apparatus of a political party including its legislative and religious wings is now dedicated to the defense of one mans feral will. It is worth remembering that things werent always this way. Ronald Reagan sought to create a coalition of ideas the fusion of economic, moral and defense conservativism. Barack Obama won office by turning out a broad coalition of interests. For Trump his mind uncluttered by creed or conviction it can only be a coalition of the loyal. He insists on it. Loyalty to his person is his main perhaps exclusive measure of support. Some Americans may be drawn toward Trumps views on immigration or on trade. But it is absurd to think that Trump, in most cases, holds their loyalty because of immigration or trade policy. His persona is ultimately his appeal. He generally talks not to persuade or inspire but to incite or demean. Man and message are one. But Republicans are beginning to learn the lesson that Trumps narcissism is not completely unbound. It could run into Robert Mueller and the rule of law. It could run into the waiting arms of the Southern District of New York. It already has run into the oversight of a Democratic House. And this demonstrates why a vote for House Democrats in the 2018 midterm was (for some of us) a difficult necessity. michaelgerson@washpost.com Michael Cohen was supposed to provide bombshell testimony against President Donald Trump. Well, the bombshell didnt explode. Not long ago, many were speculating that Cohen might have recorded conversations with Trump admitting that he had made payments to Stormy Daniels for political purposes, instructed Cohen to lie to Congress, colluded with Russia or knew in advance about the infamous Trump Tower meeting. It turns out Cohen didnt have anything like that. His testimony was certainly embarrassing for the president, but Cohen offered no evidence to advance the cause of impeachment. To the contrary, some of his testimony was exculpatory. While Cohen testified that Trump ordered him to pay off Stormy Daniels as part of a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws, elsewhere in his testimony he declared that Trump did not care about winning the election. He said Trump saw the campaign as an infomercial for the Trump brand, adding, He never expected to win the primary. He never expected to win the general election. The campaign for him was always a marketing opportunity. Well, if Trump didnt care about winning, that undermines the case that the payments were a campaign finance violation. Indeed, Cohen offered evidence that Trumps motivation was, in fact, keeping his affair from his wife. He asked me to pay off an adult film star with whom he had an affair, and to lie to his wife about it, Cohen said. Lying to the first lady is one of my biggest regrets. She did not deserve that. Paying hush money because he did not want his wife to find out he was having an affair with a porn star is sleazy, but it is not a crime. Cohen also cleared Trump of the charge that he had directed Cohen to lie to Congress about the Moscow Trump Tower project. Cohen declared that I lied to Congress and Trump did not directly tell me to lie. Cohen said he assumed Trump wanted him to lie, so he did what he thought Trump wanted. Sorry, thats not evidence of a crime. Nor did Cohen provide proof of collusion with Russia. Indeed, he told the committee, I wouldnt use the word colluding, though he thought there was something odd about the back-and-forth praise with President (Vladimir) Putin. So did many of us. But while saying nice things about the Russian dictator may be evidence of bad judgment, it is not evidence of a criminal conspiracy to collude with Putin to steal the election. Cohen provided no evidence that Trump knew about the infamous Trump Tower meeting. Last July, CNN breathlessly reported that Cohen had told Mueller that Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower in which Russians were expected to offer his campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton and that he was present, along with several others, when Trump was informed of the Russians offer by (Donald) Trump Jr. Thats not what Cohen told Congress on Wednesday. He testified he didnt know about the Trump Tower meeting in advance he read all over the media about it but that in retrospect he thought that Trump Jr. might have been telling Trump about the Russia meeting when he walked into Trumps office and whispered into Trumps ear in front of Cohen the meeting is all set. Big difference. Cohen testified he was in the room when Roger Stone called Trump and told him that WikiLeaks was going to release emails damaging to Hillary Clinton, and that Trump responded by stating to the effect of wouldnt that be great. Trump knowing in advance that WikiLeaks, acting on its own, was going to put out dirt on Clinton is not illegal. In other words, Cohens testimony was a dud. That does not exonerate Trump, not by a long shot. The Mueller report is still yet to come, and Cohen testified there were elements of his cooperation with federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York that he could not discuss. But we did learn something disturbing at Wednesdays hearing how shameless the new Democratic House majority will be in their efforts to undermine the Trump presidency. Democrats scheduled the Cohen hearing on the very same day the president was in Vietnam trying to broker a deal on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We all had a stake in the presidents success. They could have waited one day to avoid creating a distraction during a critical diplomatic moment. But they didnt, because for Democrats it seems that embarrassing Trump is more important than disarming a tyrant. Talk about sleazy. @marcthiessen On June 26, 1940, as Britain was girding for the onslaught of the Luftwaffe after the fall of France, Clementine Churchill wrote her husband, Winston, an admonishing note. There is a danger of your being generally disliked by your colleagues and subordinates because of your rough, sarcastic and overbearing manner, she warned the prime minister, who was otherwise preoccupied by the prospect of imminent Nazi invasion, a scheming foreign secretary, a restive backbench and the absence of material support from the United States. I have noticed a deterioration in your manner, and you are not so kind as you used to be, she continued. It is for you to give the orders and if they are bungled except for the King, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Speaker you can sack anyone and everyone. Therefore with this terrific power you must combine urbanity, kindness and if possible Olympic calm. Winston got the message and found ways to make amends. As his private secretary, Jock Colville, later recalled, When he was at No. 10 there was always laughter in the corridors, even in the darkest and most difficult times. The Battle of Britain was not decided because Churchill chose to behave better. But it might have been lost if he hadnt won the confidence and love of those who made the victory possible. The subject of bad bosses is again in the news thanks to Amy Klobuchar, U.S. senator, Democratic presidential aspirant and, as a recent story in the Times made clear, the living antithesis of whatever Minnesota Nice is supposed to be. She throws binders at underlings. She makes them wash her dishes. She suspects office moles. She attempts to sabotage the job prospects of those who want to resign. She reproaches her staff with her own self-pity. Though the senator has her defenders 61 former staffers signed a public letter supporting her the essential truth of the Times story is attested by the fact that for years she has had among the highest rates of staff turnover in the Senate. Klobuchar admits to being tough and having high expectations. But the behavior described by the Times isnt tough. Its horrible. Anyone whos had a horrible boss knows the difference between tough and horrible between leaders who set high bars and those who administer petty humiliations. When I was young and new to journalism, my editor, a man who terrorized a succession of secretaries and whose eyebrows could sink the Titanic, called me into his office intent on chewing me out over a minor task he thought I hadnt performed. Except that I had performed it. The memory of his crestfallen expression when he realized he would not be inflicting the clearly intended excoriation remains indelible. He was a man of great erudition and editorial skill. His work ethic was ferocious. But his journalistic career proved to be trivial. He inspired no loyalty and, for all of his talent, left no trace. Of course not all horrible bosses are failed leaders. Lyndon Johnson was horrible, but there was the Civil Rights Act. Steve Jobs was horrible (at least in his first incarnation at Apple), but there was the Mac. Horribleness can be correlated with vision and perfectionism, just as niceness can be correlated with mediocrity and failure. Neville Chamberlain was well-liked by his colleagues and staff. Mainly speaking, though, horrible bosses make for leadership failures. Office tantrums bespeak a broader absence of self-control: Theres a direct line between Bill Clintons infamous purple fits and the scandal that nearly wrecked his presidency. Suspiciousness undermines the trust necessary for effective leadership: Richard Nixons paranoia almost surely created more political enemies than it uncovered. And then there is Exhibit A in horrible boss behavior: the 45th president of the United States. The presidents usual apologists may defend his management habits as evidence of otherworldly genius, but its impossible to think of any other White House in which the distempers of the man translated so directly to the incompetence of execution. This is where the question of Klobuchars temperament should most concern voters. Whatever else Americans may need in our next commander in chief, what we dont need is an irascible executive. Calming the country requires calm at the top. It isnt too late for Klobuchar, who in so many other respects has all the right qualifications to lead, to make amends. She can take Clementine Churchills wisdom to heart. She can call every staffer shes wounded and tell them shes sorry, that it wasnt right, that shell never behave that way again. The statute of limitations on apologies never expires. What does the term MAGA mean? What time period of great are we seeking again? It seems to have many definitions depending on who you ask. And much heated arguing. But when do we achieve MAGA? Is it like nirvana different for each person? Unfortunately, the term seems to divide us rather than unite us. Why do the powerful and rich continue to do that, and use the American public as a play toy by using a seemingly benign term? American free-market capitalism and our social safety-net programs have provided a high standard of living and quality of life to the largest majority of Americans than at any time in the past. In a misguided belief that socialism is the ultimate enemy, many people deny they have received or benefited from any government support or social program when they have. We have all succeeded together as a nation. Americans currently ranting against what they believe to be socialist programs (e.g., Social Security, public health, public education, welfare) have not explained or given clear examples of how the vast majority of American lives are going to be improved if or when MAGA is reached. Life will be crueler to many Americans without our current social programs, and a perceived MAGA regression to a romanticized past is just that, romanticized historical fiction. Does MAGA really want to lift the majority of Americans up, or instead just put many Americans back in their place? MAGA Make America the Greatest Always. Eileen Block, Kerrville Schultz has the right Re: Howard Schultz is presidential candidate-lite, ExpressNews.com, Feb. 24: In 2016, Donald Trump reset the standards for being elected president of the United States, so why cant Howard Schultz do the same thing? One has to question the motives of anybody criticizing another person for doing what the Constitution allows him to do, and that is to run for president. Obviously no president can do it all by himself; thats why he or she has a Cabinet of advisers. And you cannot question the mans intelligence because Schultz earned his wealth; he didnt inherit it. So, Schultz should be able to spend his money anyway he wants by either selling more coffee or running for president. And what is wrong with views that differ from your partys views? Schultz thinks the Democrats are going too far to the left so he is running toward the middle as an independent candidate because he believes his party has abandoned him. Let the Democrats decide whether they are more progressive or are more independent. Robert M. Louie, Houston Cafeteria Catholic Re: Julian Castro: Catholicism has never been far from my life, ExpressNews.com, Feb. 22: If Catholicism has never been far from Julian Castros life, how can he explain his close proximity to same-sex marriage and abortion? The latter being the cruel murder of Gods innocent beings. Oh, now I get it. He is a cafeteria Catholic picking and choosing only the dogma thats to his liking and only that which is politically expedient in his pursuit of the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. Nice try, Mr. Castro. Your hypocrisy is blatantly obvious. Mike Gonzales, Houston The framers intent Re: Packing flintlocks, Your Turn, Tuesday: I found Steven Botts take on Rep. Jonathan Sticklands bill on open-carry firearms interesting. However, Botts does not really understand the purpose of the U.S. Constitutions Second Amendment. Although written in a time when personal weapons were muzzle-loading rifles and pistols, it was not what framers were thinking at the time. Our nation revolted against tyrannical English rule. Without weapons by the common people, the revolution would not have happened. The Second Amendment allows the common citizen to have weapons equal to what government had at that time. Militias could easily be formed to combat a terrible government. Our government has rapid-fire weapons and could easily overrun the common good behind terrible leaders if we the people had no way to fight back. Just look at those countries that have terrible leaders and their citizens who have no way to get the bad guys out of power. Our leaders and military take an oath to protect and defend our great Constitution. Hopefully, armed conflict between citizens and our leaders who break that oath will never happen. Terry Dill Not Great Britain As an American, it is difficult to watch Great Britain now an oxymoron work so hard to undo the official, legal referendum to depart from the EU. In fact, there is a more than even chance another referendum will be held to undo the results of the first. It is no less than a slap in the face to the very foundation of rule of law and the will of the people, and represents a failure of elected officials to implement that will. I wonder if, after the second referendum, there may be a third, and then a forth, thus rendering any referendum an exercise in futility, completely subjugated to the will of the ruling elite. While I have no dog in that fight, other than on simple moral grounds, I can only hope the U.K. version of the French yellow vests will manifest and pay hell to the elite traitors smugly ignoring the lawful will of the people. David Saenz, Fredericksburg contributed MILFORD A Bridgeport woman attempted to use a stun gun on a department store employee in Milford Friday before being arrested on shoplifting charges, police said. Police charged Tamara Kisic, 39, of Harriet Street, with third-degree robbery, third-degree assault, sixth-degree larceny and second-degree breach of peace. She is being held on $7,500 bond pending her appearance in Milford Superior Court. DERBY Its a story city residents have been hearing for years. But this time, its happening. Environmental Services of South Windsor is expected to begin demolishing the four remaining vacant buildings on the south side of Main Street as the state pushes ahead with their plan to widen the road to four lanes. They are out there putting the fencing around the demolition site, Carmen DiCenso, the citys economic development consultant and former Board of Alderman president said Tuesday. The demolition will start (Wednesday). The demolition is expected to clear the way for the state to prepare for bidding out the construction work that will turn Route 34, also known as Main Street, into a four-lane roadway leading to the Shelton-Derby bridge. Because of the ongoing demolition, Deputy Police Chief Scott Todd said the eastbound lane of Main Street, which is also Route 34, between Factory and Caroline Street will be shutdown Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Police officers will be on duty directing alternating traffic from the westbound lane. Todd anticipates motorists traveling on the downtown road will experience heavy delays during that time period. Carlo Sarmiento, the citys building official, expects the demolition to take about a week and a half, weather permitting. The crews will begin work at 9 a.m. and finish at 4 p.m. The four buildings located at 128, 130, 134-36 and 140-146 Main all have common walls, said Sarmiento, the citys building official, who also serves as a zoning enforcement officer and blight enforcement officer. He said because of that demolition on all four will take place simultaneously. Plans call for the debris to be separated into two pilesone filled with combustible items and the other brick and cement. When the demolition shuts down for the daya team of two firefighters will be placed on Firewatch from the time Environmental Services leaves until they start up in the morning. Combustibles cant be left unattended, said Sarmiento. There are also safety issues. There could be open pits, open doors... During a previous demolition, Sarmiento said power connectors were found in the ground and that was after we removed all the connections from the building. So he said as long as the demolition work continues there will be a Firewatch with two firefighters assigned per shift. HARTFORD Legislators on the Environment Committee last week were urged to jump on board quickly to allow Connecticut farmers, especially the next generation of farmers, to become part of the growing list of states that have embraced cultivation of hemp as a way to revitalize the farming industry. The committee heard testimony on three different bills that would authorize the growing, cultivation, production and processing of hemp in Connecticut. Currently, only Colorado, Oregon, and Vermont allow farmers to grow hemp under state supervision. Hemp was grouped with marijuana and was declared a Schedule 1 drug in 1970. That, according to advocates of hemp, increased misconception of the plant, which comes from the same family of plant as marijuana, but does not include enough THC to get a person high. Connecticut is sitting on top of a huge gold mine, said John Roe, a retired farmer from Canada who lives in Stonington. He told the committee that Connecticut has the right soil conditions, right climate conditions for hemp cultivation. Hemp will thrive in Connecticut, Roe said. Rep. Joe Gresko, D-Stratford, told Roe that an emergency room doctor he knows urged him to vote against the legislation. He feels the majority of the visits he sees is because of some sort of substance abuse issue, Gresko said, in a back-and-forth conversation with Roe. His parting words to me were look at Colorado. How do you quell the fear that hemp growth will exacerbate the problem, Gresko asked Roe. Roe said he was a farmer, not a physician, but that he wouldnt classify hemp as the type of dangerous drug in a category with harder substances such as fentanyl. One concern that farmers, officials and advocates of hemp farming expressed to the committee is that whatever bill finally comes out of committee is one that addresses both current state and federal guidelines concerning hemp cultivation to keep the process from getting bogged down in paperwork. The 2018 federal Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp and allows states to submit a plan and apply for primary regulatory authority over the production of hemp in their state. Melody Currey, acting commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, testified that the department has been working with Governor (Ned) Lamonts Administration to determine the most workable pathway forward on this issue that addresses the specific criteria established in the 2018 Farm Bill and can be accomplished within resources available to the Department. Lamonts budget included three new positions in the Department of Agriculture and $136,000 in funding to develop and regulate a hemp program. In addition, one lab technician position is provided to the Agricultural Experiment Station to conduct testing of the hemp being grown to ensure compliance of mandated restrictions on the product. She said that over the last several months, the Department has reached out to sister agencies in other states, including Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota and others to determine what has worked successfully in their states, and what has not. There are many ways to stand up a hemp program, and we need to do it in a way that will be workable in Connecticut. Bryan Hurlburt, executive director of the Connecticut Farm Bureau Association, urged the committee to pass one of the hemp bills quickly and get it to the full General Assembly and the governor for his signature because there is an opportunity for farmers to take advantage of this crop this growing season. For a farmer to plant hemp in the field by early June, there are a number of steps that need to be taken in advance to meet that deadline, including the USDA waiver, seed procurement, regulation development, financing and field preparation, Hurlburt said. Hurlburt said Connecticut representatives Joe Courtney and Jahana Hayes are working across party lines to pressure the USDA to develop and adopt regulations quickly on federal hemp growing laws. Hayes' office said the congresswoman still has not taken a position on the issue. In the absence of a USDA program, we request that the proposal include language that would allow Connecticut to develop a pilot program under the 2014 Farm Bill, Hurlburt asked the committee. This would still allow farmers to grow hemp this year and allow the state to be prepared to launch the fully legalized program when the federal program is ready for our application. Many committee members asked those testifying to explain, in laymans language, the difference between hemp and marijuana. Hurlburt explained: Industrial hemp is not marijuana, although both are members of the cannabis plant family. Industrial hemp is differentiated by the low concentration of THC, set by federal statute at maximum of 0.3 percent THC of the dried weight of the plant, marijuana has a THC level of 5 to 25 percent. Industrial hemp is generally used for fiber and CBD extraction, but has over 25,000 different uses. Hurlburt said CFBA believes hemp is a lifeline for the agricultural economy, providing a much-needed cash crop to a market that is strapped for cash and markets. He said research shows that an acre of hemp could generate the following yields: 500 to 1500 pounds of dried flowers; prices between $30 and $100 per pound; estimated revenues between $37,500 and $150,000 per acre. Having a high value crop would keep farmers on the land, be an incentive for farmers to put more land into production, attract new farmers to the industry, stabilize farm incomes, add business opportunities for agricultural support businesses, employ more people, support the opportunity for value-added production and generate more revenue for the state, Hurlburt said. Also encouraging the committee to move quickly on legislation was Troy Sprang, vice president at J.E. Shepard Companies, a continually operating farming company in Connecticut for over 126 years. There are jobs at stake and significant economic development growth opportunities in the manufacturing and production area of hemp for Connecticut businesses, if we move quickly, Sprang said. But Sprang, like others said the bills need language work to address potential federal roadblocks. A states plan to license and regulate hemp can only commence once the secretary of the USDA approves that states plan. If Connecticut does not devise a hemp regulatory program, USDA will construct a regulatory program under which hemp cultivators in states like ours must apply for licenses and comply with a federally-run program. Sprang told the committee. We prefer a state-run regulatory framework where the rules are clear, and we can comply easily and prosper. We also ask that a licensing or registration framework is practical and meets the changing and dynamic environment of todays economy. While bill language was a major concern at the hearing what was repeated over and over again is the potential for job growth in the farming industry if Connecticut moves fast. Voluntown First Selectman Tracey Hanson urged the committee to not miss the opportunity. Right now, some of the largest farms in town are struggling dairy farms, Hanson said. Many farmers are aging and are lacking a younger generation to take over current farm businesses. Hanson said passing a hemp bill will be a key to revitalizing the farming industry in Voluntown and in other Connecticut farm towns. GREENWICH Even as a consultants report recommends the Nathaniel Witherell be operated as a nonprofit and not a town department, a committee looking at the operations of the rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility is not ready to commit to any course. A report by Health Dimensions Group was unanimously approved Tuesday morning by the Board of Estimate and Taxations Nathaniel Witherell Strategic Planning Committee. It explored five options and recommended selling or leasing the Greenwich facility to a nonprofit 501(c)3, which would then operate it. Committee Chair Art Norton said the 501(c)3 option would give the town flexibility, but he insisted no decisions have been made about Witherell, the last municipally owned facility of its kind in Connecticut. We will make our own recommendation, and we dont know what thats going to be yet, Norton said after Tuesdays meeting. The committee has been studying Witherells operations since 2016, after the facility consistently ran at a loss in recent years. It was formed to determine whether the business model could be improved and to look at the health care marketplace. HDG was brought in last year to provide a professional opinion. Theyve given us their opinion as to their view of where the skilled nursing facility industry, which Witherell is a part of, is going, Norton said. Their report projects that the use of these kinds of facilities will shrink as the baby boomers reach the normal age where people generally use them. Theyre basically telling us theres a significant shift taking place in the industry, and were seeing it. The continuing care business is absorbing skilled nursing facilities such as Witherell, HDGs report said. At privately owned facilities such as the Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, people buy in and then have access to the skilled nursing through them, Norton said. At Witherell, they become residents. Residents at Waveny and The Osborn in Rye, N.Y., are far more ambulatory, Norton said. That leaves Witherell mostly with residents who pay through Medicaid for long-term care; private-pay residents go for different kinds of options, he said. At the same time, the state is developing programs to keep people living at home, Norton said. Thats part of the transition taking place in the continuing care industry. Larry Simon, chair of Witherells Board of Directors, said he could not comment on the report until he has read it. He said he had seen an earlier draft but not the final report, which has been sent to him. The consultants work provided a lot of information about Witherells operations, its costs and how that fits into the industry standard, Norton said. The wages, benefits and retirement packages for Witherells staff, including administrators, nurses and housekeepers, are higher than their peers in the industry, the report said. The committee, and the full BET, can learn a lot about Witherells operations and about the direction of the industry from the report, Norton said. HDG will make a full presentation to the committee, the BET and the Witherells Board of Directors at 5 p.m. March 18 in the Town Hall Meeting Room. There is no timetable for when the committee will release its report. It will take as long as it takes, Norton said. Its much better to do it well than to just have it done. Im not certain where the committee is going to come down on this. BET Chair Jill Oberlander said the full board would wait for the committees recommendation before deciding on a next course of action. I hope the meeting will serve to educate BET members and Nathaniel Witherell board members about the work HDG has done in analyzing operations and the strategic focus the town needs to consider for this, Oberlander said. Simon confirmed he would attend the March 18 meeting along with most of the board. He said he was looking forward to making comments, asking questions and having a conversation with HDG. Norton said he is hopeful there will be an analysis about how Witherell can best function going forward given the changes in the industry. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF's stock was trading at $35.66 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWL stock has increased by 42.4% and is now trading at $50.78. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 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LLC, car2go Nederland B.V, car2go Sverige AB, car2go Osterreich GmbH, moovel Group GmbH, moovel North America Inc., moovel North America LLC, myTaxi Iberia SL, myTaxi UG, myTaxi UK Ltd., myTaxi USA Inc., mytaxi Austria GmbH, mytaxi Network Ireland Ltd., mytaxi Network Ltd., mytaxi Portugal Unipessoal LDA, mytaxi Sweden AB, ogotrac S.A.S., smart France S.A.S., smart Vertriebs gmbh, and trapoFit GmbH. CHARLESTON The Right to Farm bill, or S.B. 393, has been passed by both houses of the West Virginia Legislature and awaits the governors signature. The bill, sought by West Virginia Farm Bureau, provides an amended definition of agriculture and protects farmers from what is known as nuisance lawsuits, whereby neighboring landowners suddenly decide an established agriculture operation is no longer desirable. Protecting farms Such lawsuits have been devastating to farmers around the country whose operations have been in existence for generations without complaint. S.B. 393 was sponsored by Senators Sypolt, Azinger, Baldwin, Blair, Boso, Clements, Hamilton, Jeffries, Maynard, Hardesty, Rucker, Smith, Takubo, Tarr, Plymale, Beach, Cline, Roberts, Swope, and Trump. This bill will provide a great sense of security for farmers across our state, said West Virginia Farm Bureau President Charles Wilfong. Farmers who are using best management practices on their operations should not have to worry about suddenly being forced out of business by trial lawyers seeking big settlements for bogus nuisance claims. Were grateful for a legislative body that understands the vast impact agriculture has on the economy of our state and the need to protect it from unwarranted litigation. West Virginia Farm Bureau was founded in 1919 to provide leadership, education, information, training and economic services to county farm bureaus to enhance the quality of life for its members. For more information on WVFB, visit www.wvfarm.org. Egg industry leaders have demanded that British farming standards must be maintained despite growing pressure from US trade negotiators. United States representatives have suggested on a number of occasions that the United Kingdom would need to relax its standards if it wanted to secure a post-Brexit free trade agreement with the US. And Washington has now placed that demand in writing in a document outlining its negotiating objectives for a transatlantic deal. The document says that the UK must 'remove expeditiously unwarranted barriers that block the export of U.S. food and agricultural products,' and that 'unjustified trade restrictions' must be removed in order to 'eliminate practices that unfairly decrease US market access opportunities.' Defra Secretary Michael Gove has repeatedly insisted that the government will defend animal welfare and production standards despite US demands. = He repeated his assurances on standards during an appearance at the Oxford Farming Conference. But he has so far refused to enshrine such assurances in legislation. British farmers have raised serious concerns that the domestic industry could be undermined in the rush to secure trade deals with countries like the United States. 'Significant undercut' Mark Williams, chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) has said research shows that only EU tariffs currently protect British egg products from lower priced and lower welfare equivalents from countries like the US, India, Argentina and Ukraine. Mr Williams, who says that 16 per cent of the cost of producing a dozen or a kilo of eggs in the European Union comes from EU legislation on food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection, has warned that pursuing a free trade policy with such countries would result in British farmers being significantly undercut. Following the publication of the document outlining the US position on a potential trade deal with the UK, the BEIC repeated its demand that post-Brexit imports into the UK should be required to meet the same standards as those of British producers. The BEICs view is that any imports into the UK must meet our high standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection, said Mark Williams. The UK egg industry is highly efficient, innovative and wholly responsive to consumer demand. We want British consumers to continue to enjoy British eggs and egg products - the safest eggs in the world, produced to world leading standards of animal welfare and environmental protection. He said: During the last two decades the UK laying hen sector has been subjected to more stringent legislation as a result of societal demands. This has led to additional legislative costs (16 per cent of the total production cost of eggs at farm level (2016 data). It is of note that the USA does not have the same extensive legislation. On 1st January 2012, the EU/UK banned the use of conventional cages. By contrast, in the USA there is no federal legislation on animal welfare and laying hens can continue to be housed in conventional cages. BEIC believes that to allow imports that do not comply with UK standards would not only undermine legislation, but also be against the wishes of British consumers, who support high standards of animal welfare, and be contrary to government policy to further improve standards. What we seek is fair trade and not free trade. Protecting UK standards At the Oxford Farming Conference this year, Michael Gove, sought to assure his audience that the government would protect UK farming standards. If we are to maintain our own resilience and reputation for quality, that means we must maintain our own high environmental and animal welfare standards and not barter them away in pursuit of a necessarily short term trade-off, he said. But in the absence of a commitment to put his assurances in writing, conference delegates continued to press the issue. The Secretary of State said he understood the concerns. Going right back to discussions over TTIP, which preceded our decision to leave the European Union, one of the concerns that was raised then was the concerns specifically with regards to the United States of America that TTIP would mean we would have to lower some of our own standards and protections. He said: I have been clear, though I know there is more that must be done, that we don't intend to lower our standards. We don't intend to take a backward leap through uncertainty for the consumer and it would also undermine the strength of our own domestic production and also the reputation it enjoys. There are different ways we can provide the reassurance and the guarantees and the security that Minette and others rightly ask for and we will be coming forward with more proposals about how we might do that, he said. Firefighters were called to help out a 400-cow dairy farm in Staffordshire after its vital water supply failed. The farm on Three Mile Lane, Newcastle-Under-Lyme had suffered a failure of its water supply earlier during the day on Tuesday (26 February). The farm was struggling to find an alternative, putting its 400 head of dairy cows at risk of dehydration. In desperation, the farmer rang Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service at around 10.40pm to ask for assistance. A pump from Newcastle and the water carrier from Cheadle attended and delivered 8,500 litres of water. Group Manager, Ian Housley said: There was a genuine risk to the welfare of the cows and the farm staff were getting really concerned as theyd been doing their best to reinstate the water supply all day. The easiest way for us to help them was to bring over the water carrier from Cheadle which we use when we need additional supplies of water at a large fire. Fortunately, not long after wed provided the water, the farmer was able to re-establish the connection to ensure that 2 large on-site tanks could be continuously filled to provide water for the cows. The green light has been given by the governments of the UK and Ireland for dairy cooperatives Lakeland and LacPatrick to merge. Lakeland Dairies and LacPatrick have jointly welcomed regulatory approval by both the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. Both have ruled that the merger can now be completed. They ruled that competition would not be adversely affected as a result of the merger and both cleared the transaction unconditionally. The regulatory authorities clearance was the last significant hurdle for the merger to go ahead. In October 2018, the Lakeland and LacPatrick shareholders voted 97% and 96% respectively in favour of forming one of the largest dairy processors in Europe. The new society to be called Lakeland Dairies Co-Operative Society Limited will be the second largest dairy processor on the island of Ireland with a cross-border milk pool of 1.8bn litres, produced by 3,200 farms from 15 counties. It will have a combined annual turnover in excess of 1bn. Alo Duffy, Chairman of Lakeland Dairies said: The merger will help us to create efficiencies across our organisation which will enhance value and maximise available market returns for the benefit of milk producers. I express our strong appreciation to the shareholders of both societies for their confidence in this historic development which will underpin the long term sustainability of our dairy farming enterprises for the future. Andrew McConkey, Chairman of LacPatrick Dairies added: The merger gives our farmers the necessary security to make long-term business decisions and provides stability for continuing progress in dairy farming for the next generation. With a large milk pool and well-invested dairy processing sites on both sides of the border, the new Lakeland will be a co-op of considerable scale. Formed in 2015, LacPatrick supports 700 local farmers and possesses processing facilities on both sides of the Irish border. Lakeland Dairies came about through a merger in 1990. It employs more than 800 people across its divisions. Ulster Farmers Union (UFU), deputy president, Victor Chestnutt said the merger will bring 'challenges and opportunities' for dairying in Northern Ireland. He said: The new business will have a strong balance sheet to make progress and acts quickly to develop a plan to drive efficiency. Centralising and rationalising its operations must be at the core of the merger agenda. An improved milk price will stabilise the new Lakeland milk pool. A Lancashire-based dairy company has completed its 3.5m investment in a new plant which will increase the amount of milk it processes by 100%. The substantial investment undertaken by Lancashire Farm Dairies has increased capacity and capability in terms of milk intake, processing, filling and storage. The Rochdale-based dairy's new 70,000 sq ft plant, which is now in operation, will increase the amount of milk the company can process by 100%. It comes off the back of a successful 2018, which saw the company become the first UK yogurt producer to use free range milk in all of its yogurt products. And in line with its Grazing Guarantee, the company's network of local farms will continue supplying the free range milk required by the plant. Jack Morrison, brand manager at Lancashire Farm Dairies, said the company is becoming a 'key market player'. During a time of growth, the company has seen a boost in sales with initial figures showing a rise of 20% since the free range products hit shelves at the start of 2018, he said. The dairy has been producing yogurt with locally sourced milk for over 30 years. Over the past three years, the company and brand has grown by 96%. The National Pig Association is liaising with the police and seeking legal advice after 200 vegan activists stormed a Lincolnshire pig farm. Campaigners from Meat the Victims UK stormed Sandilands Farm in Newark Road, Laughterton, at around 11am on Saturday March 2. The protesters, who said they wanted to 'expose factory farming', stayed on the site for eight hours, with around 100 of them in the pig pens and another 100 at the roadside. Farm owner Sylvia Hook said she had no idea why the farm, which has very high standards of welfare, had been targeted. She said the protestors caused damage during the protest, including the death of at least two piglets. The National Pig Association (NPA) was in contact with the farmer during and after the protest to try and help them through the situation. The group said it is 'horrified' with the protest, which targeted a 'farming family running a legitimate business'. NPA policy services officer, Lizzie Wilson said: They have also seriously endangered the health and welfare of the pigs which they claim to care so much about. Their irresponsible behaviour will have damaging consequences that the farmer involved must now try to rectify. Ms Wilson said the organisation would be seeking 'urgent advice' on how producers should respond if the situation arises again in the future. This is a form of protest we have been aware of in other countries. It is concerning to see it taking place here, particularly given the stress and welfare risk to pigs caused by so many people entering pig sheds at once. There are also significant biosecurity implications at a time when the industry is on the highest alert about the potential introduction of African swine fever onto UK farms and the potential disease risk posed by visitors - let alone the impact on farmers and their families who are doing no more than going about their legitimate business. She added: We will now be talking to the police and taking legal advice to ensure there is a clear course of action to be taken should the incident be repeated. New high-path bird flu outbreak confirmed in Wales Third case of avian influenza in Wales so far The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. A pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of batter and fried in a frying pan. A traditional English pancake is very thin and is served immediately, usually topped with golden syrup or lemon juice and caster sugar. The pancake has a very long history and featured in cookery books as far back as 1439. The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old. And every man and maide doe take their turne, And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne. (Pasquils Palin, 1619). What is Pancake Day? Pancake day, or Shrove Tuesday, marks the last day before Lent, traditionally a period of abstinence, associated with clearing your cupboards of things like sugar, fat and eggs before the Lenten fast. Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were shriven (absolved from their sins). A bell would be rung to call people to confession. This came to be called the Pancake Bell and is still rung today. The Pancake Bell saved from the Old Morley Chapel in Yorkshire, originally thought to have come from Kirkstall Abbey. When is Pancake Day? Pancake Day takes place 47 days before Easter Sunday. Because the date of Easter Sunday is dictated by the cycles of the moon, Pancake Day can occur anytime between February 3 and March 9. This year Pancake Day falls on Tuesday 16h February. What will we be having in Fethiye? Why pancakes of course! Except that we will be enjoying the delicious Turkish version, Gozleme. Heres a recipe from Ozlems Turkish Table for you to make your own. Gozleme: Anatolian flat breads stuffed with spinach and cheese We Turks love these stuffed flat breads, gozleme. Turks were originated from Central Asia, where they drifted towards Anatolia gradually and made their home. They have been making these stuffed flat breads since then. Gozleme is a much loved Turkish street food and a special part of the delicious Turkish breakfast. These popular snacks are cooked quickly on a hot griddle and can be filled with various fillings. Some of my favorite fillings are mashed potatoes, cheese and parsley; spinach and cheese, and ground meat and onions. And they go down very well with a glass of cay, (Turkish tea) or ayran, traditional Turkish yoghurt drink. Ozlem Warren Makes about 5 Gozleme Ingredients: 1lb./ 16 oz. / 3 cups plain flour 8g / 1 sachet instant dried yeast Pinch of salt 45 ml/ 3 tbsp. olive oil 30 ml / 2 tbsp. plain natural yoghurt (preferably whole milk) 260 ml/ 9 fl. oz. / 1/5 cups warm water (150 ml/ 5 fl. oz. warm water to be mixed with the yeast) For the filling: 200gr/7 oz. baby spinach leaves 1 onion, finely chopped 5ml/1 teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes or 2 tsp. Turkish red pepper paste (optional) 230gr/8oz feta cheese 15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil Non-stick pan or griddle to cook the Gozleme Combine about 150 ml/ 5 fl. oz. warm water, yeast and salt in a small bowl, stir and cover. Stand in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. Divide the gozleme dough into balls, cover with a damp cloth and leave them to rest for 30 minutes. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast, water & salt mixture, olive oil, yoghurt and the remaining warm water (about 110 ml/ 4 fl. oz./ cup) . Using your hand, draw in the flour from the sides and work the mixture into a dough. Knead thoroughly to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into 5 pieces, knead them and roll into balls. Place the balls on a floured surface, cover with a damp cloth and leave them to rest for about 30 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Chop the washed spinach leaves roughly. Knead the onions, spinach, olive oil and if you are using, red pepper paste (or red pepper flakes) with your hands for a few minute or so that will soften the onions and blend the flavors well. Stir in the feta cheese to the spinach mixture and mix well. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each of the balls of the dough with a rolling pin into thin, flat rounds, about 40cm/16in diameter. Sprinkle a little flour as you roll the dough so that the dough wont stick. Roll until you achieve a thin sheet of a flat round. Fold the left and right sides of the dough in a way for the edges to meet in the middle and spread the filling in the middle. Then fold the top and bottom edges over the filling, making sure all the filling is safely covered. Fold the left and right sides of the dough in a way for the edges to meet in the middle. Spread about 2 tablespoon filling into the middle part of this flat sheet. Then fold the top and bottom edges over the filling, making sure all the filling is safely covered. Press edges together well to seal. Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the dough balls. Heat a griddle or a non-stick pan, and brush one side of the gozleme with a little olive oil and place on the pan to cook for about 2 -3 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush the uncooked side with a little olive oil and then flip it over. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Brush both cooked sides of gozleme with a little olive oil -this will keep the gozleme moist. Cook the rest of the gozleme the same way. Ispanakl & Peynirli Gozleme Turkish Flat breads with cheese, onion and spinach stuffing; they are indeed easier than you think! You can either roll the Gozleme to serve, or you can cut in halves or quarters. Serve with Ayran (Turkish yoghurt drink) or cay (Turkish tea). Afiyet Olsun! Sources: Historic UK/Recipe published with kind permission of Ozlem Warren Brahmastra: Alia Bhatt & Ranbir Kapoor's Brahmastra LOGO get reveal; Check Out | FilmiBeat Real-life couple Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt will be sharing screen space for the first time in Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra. The film has been a talking point ever since the makers made its official announcement. The trilogy also stars Amitabh Bachchan in a pivotal role. Yesterday on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri, the makers unveiled the official logo of the film in an innovative manner. Have a look at it here- For The First Time Ever In a one-of-a-kind initiative, the makers launched drones fitted with lights into the sky to form a unique Brahmastra logo at Kumbh Mela. We hear that over 150 drones were used for this unique promotional activity and they were flying as high as 150 meters from the ground. A Perfect Frame Ranbir and Alia strike a pose as the film's logo lit up the sky. The 'Brahmastra' Trio Alia shared this click on her Instagram story where she, Ranbir and Ayan are seen gazing at the sky. Team Brahmastra Seek Blessings In yet another picture, Ranbir, Alia and Ayan are seen participating in the puja at Kumbh Mela. Earlier while opening up about this fantasy adventure, Ranbir had called the film a 'modern day fairy-tale' with "all the characters in it having supernatural powers." The actor was quoted as saying, "Ayan, my best friend, has taken five years to write this film. He has written it in three parts and it's a new type of film." On comparisons with Baahubali, he added that the film is nothing like the Prabhas starrer and said, "Brahmastra is set in the present day, in contemporary Mumbai." Produced by Karan Johar, the first part of the film is slated to release in Christmas 2019. Kangana Ranaut Mocks Karan Johar & Hrithik Roshan: They Will Never Be Where I Am! Kangana Ranaut plans to go in Silent zone for 10 days; Here's why| FilmiBeat Of late, Kangana Ranaut has been grabbing a lot of eyeballs for her controversial statements and she's also got a reason to rejoice- the success of her recently release film 'Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi' which had her playing Rani Laxmibai on the big screen. The actress will soon be celebrating her 32nd birthday on March 23. But before, that she has already got her birthday plans in place and has also decided on a pre-birthday gift for herself. Kangana Plans To Visit Coimbatore As per a report in Mumbai Mirror, Kangana is all set to leave for Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu where she will be attending a wellness programme. Kangana Will Remain Silent For 10 Days The report further states that the programme, which takes place in complete silence, will involve meditation. The Actress Wants To Gift Herself This Pre-birthday Gift Kangana was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror, "I have been practising yoga since I was around 16-17. The program I am about to attend is an advanced one. I had been meaning to do this for a while now. This year, it happened to fall close to my birthday. Ten days of silence is a big commitment, but I wanted to be a birthday present for myself." Kangana's Birthday Plans Soon after this wellness camp, Kangana will head to Manali where she will ring in her birthday with her close family members. Right after her birthday, Kangana will resume shooting for Ashwiny Iyer Tiwary's Panga. The tabloid quoted the actress as saying, "I start my Kabaddi practise in Manali. They are sending a trainer for that there." Besides this film, Kangana will also be seen opposite Rajkummar Rao in Mental Hai Kya. Anushka Sharma & Virat Kohli Faked Their Names To Pull Off Their Secret Wedding In Italy! New 9-month interim data from phase 2a ulcerative colitis open-label maintenance study Oral presentation to be given by Prof. Severine Vermeire, past President of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) Regulatory News: Abivax (Paris:ABVX) (Euronext Paris: FR0012333284 ABVX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company harnessing the immune system to develop novel treatments for patients with inflammatory/autoimmune, and viral diseases and cancer, announced that it has been selected after peer-review to deliver an oral presentation at the annual Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference on data from ABX464-101, a phase 2a clinical trial of ABX464 to treat ulcerative colitis as well as 9-month interim data from the ongoing 12-month open-label "maintenance" extension study, ABX464-102. DDW, the world's leading educational forum in gastroenterology, hepatology, GI endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery, will be held at the San Diego Convention Center fromMay 18 21, 2019. The Principal Investigator of the study, Prof. Severine Vermeire, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Gastroenterology University Hospitals Leuven, Departmental Chair Clinical Experimental Medicine KU Leuven, Belgium will present the data. Prof. Vermeire commented: "To have these data selected for the second time by peer reviewers for an oral presentation to an international audience of experts in the field is very exciting, and validates the potential role of this oral, investigational agent with a novel mechanism of action in ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory indications, a therapeutic area with a very large unmet medical need." Prof. William Sandborn, M.D., Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at University of California (UC) San Diego Health, and Chief, Division of Gastroenterology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, added: "Although this was the first proof-of-concept phase 2a clinical trial with ABX464 in ulcerative colitis, the data from this randomized, placebo-controlled trial are quite encouraging and warrant further development of this first-in-class oral drug candidate in phase 2b. I am looking forward to collaborating with Abivax in bringing ABX464 into clinical trials in the United States." ABX464-101 was conducted with 32 patients for induction treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC), refractory to immunomodulators, anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies, vedolizumab and/or corticosteroids. The final data from this 8-weeks randomized, double-blind, oral, placebo-controlled clinical study indicated that ABX464 was safe, well-tolerated, and demonstrated statistically significant efficacy based on both clinical and endoscopic endpoints in this study. The difference between ABX464 and placebo in mucosal healing was statistically significant (p=0.03). Furthermore, the onset of the therapeutic effect of ABX464 was rapid, with a reduction of the Partial Mayo Score1 between ABX464 and placebo being observed at the first assessment following treatment for two weeks, which became significant at eight weeks (p=0.02; likelihood ratio CHI-square test). Similarly, the difference of the reduction of the Total Mayo Score2 after eight weeks was statistically significant (p=0.03). At the end of the completed 8-weeks induction treatment study, 22 UC patients (15 previously treated with ABX464 and 7 who had received placebo) opted to enroll in the 12-month open-label maintenance study, ABX464-102, with ABX464. Based on the long-term results of the study, the Data Safety Monitoring Board granted a positive opinion regarding a second extension for an additional 12 months, expanding ABX464-102 into a 24-month maintenance study. The protocol amendment has received regulatory and ethics approval in Belgium and Hungary, and the first patient started in this second year extension on January 24, 2019. Approval is expected soon in Poland. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver these impressive data, observed in clinical trials for our lead candidate, ABX464, which has broad potential for the treatment of inflammatory indications," said Prof. Hartmut Ehrlich, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Abivax."ABX464 is a novel, potent oral anti-inflammatory agent, with a mechanism of action that has broad applicability and could potentially represent a paradigm shift in the treatment of ulcerative colitis as well as other inflammatory diseases. Currently marketed drugs for inflammation provide durable responses in only a fraction of patients and inflammation represents over a $70 billion market opportunity." Data from the ABX464-101 and ABX464-102 studies also were accepted for oral presentation at the 14th Congress of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) Inflammatory Bowel Diseases 2019, which will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark from March 6-9, 2019. Dr Jean-Marc Steens, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Abivax will be presenting during ECCO a summary of the final data of its completed randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2a induction trial, ABX464-101, as well as 6 months interim data (at DDW: 9 months interim data) from its ongoing 12-month open-label "maintenance" extension study, ABX464-102. SESSION DETAILS Session Type: Research Forum Session Title: IBD Clinical Trials: Emerging Therapies Session Date Time: May 21, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM Presentation Title: ABX464 IS SAFE AND EFFICACIOUS IN PROOF OF CONCEPT STUDY IN ULCERATIVE COLITIS PATIENTS Presentation Time: 11:00 AM to 11:15 AM ABX464 has a newly-elucidated mechanism of action. This was recently published in Nature Scientific Reports (Weblink: www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37813-y andconfirms that ABX464 reduces inflammation by upregulating the selective splicing of a long non-coding RNA, thereby releasing high concentrations of splicing product miR-124, a novel, potent anti-inflammatory microRNA. Based on the very encouraging data from study ABX464-101, Abivax already submitted the clinical trial applications (CTAs) of the phase 2b clinical study in 232 UC patients in the first countries, and CTA submissions of phase 2a proof-of-concept studies to treat Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis are scheduled for the next weeks. About Digestive Disease Week Digestive Disease Week (DDW) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW takes place May 18-21, 2019, at the San Diego Convention Center. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. More information can be found at www.ddw.org About Abivax (www.abivax.com Abivax is mobilizing the body's natural immune machinery to treat patients with inflammatory/autoimmune diseases, viral diseases and cancer. A clinical-stage company, Abivax leverages its anti-inflammatory/antiviral and immune enhancing platforms to optimize candidates to treat inflammatory diseases, HIV and liver cancer. Abivax is listed on Euronext compartment B (ISIN: FR0012333284 Mnemo: ABVX). More information on the company is available at www.abivax.com/en. 1. The Partial Mayo Score is composed of stool frequency, rectal bleedings and the physician's global assessment of disease severity. 2 The Total Mayo Score is composed of stool frequency, rectal bleedings, endoscopic assessment and the physician's global assessment of disease severity. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190304005994/en/ Contacts: Abivax Finance Didier Blondel didier.blondel@abivax.com +33 1 53 83 08 41 Investors LifeSci Advisors Chris Maggos chris@lifesciadvisors.com +41 79 367 6254 US Media LifeSci Public Relations Michael Tattory mtattory@lifescipublicrelations.com +1 (646) 571-4362 French Media ALIZE RP Aurore Gangloff/Catherine Megelas abivax@alizerp.com +33 6 49 57 82 68 +33 6 31 05 66 05 European Media Investors MC Services AG Anne Hennecke anne.hennecke@mc-services.eu +49 211 529 252 22 Fornebu, Norway - March 5, 2019: With reference to the news release on February 12, 2019, following a decision by REC Silicon ASA's (REC Silicon) Board of Directors, REC Silicon will continue to operate its FBR facility in Moses Lake, Washington at approximately 25 percent of the facility's capacity until further notice. The Board's decision is subject to gaining further clarity on whether trade negotiations between the Governments of the United States and China are likely to result in REC regaining access to the China market for solar grade polysilicon and the overall outlook for the polysilicon market.REC Silicon is grateful to and thanks the Government of the United States (USG), specifically President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Lighthizer and his team, for prioritizing the interests of high technology, innovative manufacturers like the U.S. polysilicon industry and its highly skilled workers in its on-going trade discussions with China. REC Silicon urges the USG to continue to insist on an immediate termination of China's long-standing trade embargo on U.S. polysilicon exports as soon as possible as a necessary element of any agreement between the USG and China.There is no change to previous guidance issued by REC Silicon.For further information, please contact:Francine Sullivan, Vice President Business DevelopmentPhone: +1 509 750 1133Email: Francine.sullivan@recsilicon.comNils O. KjerstadIR ContactPhone: +47 9135 6659Email: nils.kjerstad@crux.noAbout REC SiliconREC Silicon is a leading producer of advanced silicon materials, delivering high-purity polysilicon and silicon gas to the solar and electronics industries worldwide. We combine over 30 years of experience and proprietary technology with the needs of our customers, with annual production capacity of more than 20,000 MT of polysilicon from our two US-based manufacturing plants. Listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: REC), the Company is headquartered in Fornebu, Norway.For more information, go to: www.recsilicon.comThis information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. HELSINKI, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Fazer brings xylitol production back to Finland and builds a xylitol manufacturing facility in Lahti using hull as the raw material. Utilising the side stream of the oat milling process with state-of-the-art technology for xylitol production is a great example of a modern circular economy innovation. The xylitol market is expected to grow, and Fazer targets Northern Europe and beyond with this plant-based raw material of Finnish origin. Fazer continues to develop its business and is investing 40 million euros in an oat hull based xylitol manufacturing facility in Finland to enter the xylitol market. The investment will strengthen Fazer's position as a forerunner in value added grain-based products. In Fazer's oat milling process, a substantial amount of oat hulls are derived as a side stream. Oat hulls contain xylose which can be used to produce xylitol. "We have at hand an innovation where we combine patentable new technology, healthier options to consumers and an excellent example of an innovative circular economy solution. We believe that xylitol from a plant-based Nordic raw material with a Nordic origin will create interest also outside Finland and the Nordic countries, even globally. We plan to expand the xylitol production to our mill in Sweden, too. I'm proud of this example of the fearless creativity at Fazer, and we are excited about the new opportunities ahead of us," says Christoph Vitzthum, President and CEO, Fazer Group. Plant-based products and solutions are strategic growth areas for Fazer Fazer is investing in the development of new production technologies and solutions. Producing xylitol from oat hulls is a true innovation with totally new technology. The production process is unique due to the raw material which, until now, has not been commercially utilised. Currently, oat hulls are used mainly for energy production. The xylitol factory will be built next to Fazer's oat mill on the Lahti site: The factory will be the first fully backward integrated xylitol manufacturing facility in the world capable of producing many forms of xylitol, supporting the market needs of the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. The xylitol market is growing Modern consumers are seeking healthier options to replace refined white sugar. Xylitol offers excellent potential for future product development. The xylitol market is growing and Fazer aims to be the only xylitol manufacturer producing xylitol from a plant-based raw material with Finnish origin. Furthermore, xylitol is an important ingredient for Fazer's confectionery business - Fazer is the only company producing chewing gum in Finland. Fazer published the first news about the Lahti investment in January. The major investment will take place in 2019-2020. It will create 30 new jobs at Fazer in Lahti and also indirectly employ people. Works at the Fazer site in Lahti started in February 2019. Fazer targets further expansion in Northern Europe and beyond Sustainability is a constantly growing trend and consumers are increasingly interested in plant-based solutions. Fazer is developing its business and product portfolio with special focus on growth and consumer trends. Fazer's aim is to transform into a modern sustainable food company. In line with the company strategy, Fazer targets further expansion in Northern Europe and beyond. The investment in Lahti supports this direction. The oat hull xylitol factory will be a part of the Fazer Lifestyle Foods business area. During the past three years, Fazer has invested approximately 195 million euros in total, of which 136 million euros have been invested in Finland. A few facts about xylitol Industrial production of xylitol is a Finnish innovation. In Finland industrial production started in 1975. industrial production started in 1975. The most popular xylitol products are chewing gum and pastilles. Xylitol is a sweetener produced from xylose, which is found in various trees and plants, e.g. birch, beech, corn and berries. Xylitol is low in calories (60% of calories of sugar) but as sweet as sugar. Xylitol has an approved EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) health claim. The daily use of xylitol is globally recommended by many dental associations to reduce the risk of caries. Fazer is the only domestic xylitol chewing gum manufacturer in Finland . For interviews please contact: Taina Lampela-Helin Manager Communications Fazer Group taina.lampela-helin@fazer.com tel. +358-40-668-4600 Fazer's media phone line is open Mon-Fri from 8:00 to 16:00 tel. +358-40-668-2998 media@fazer.com Fazer Group In 1891, the young Karl Fazer opened his first cafe with a mission to make food with a purpose - and a passion to create moments of joy for all the people around him. It became Northern Magic. Made Real. Today, Fazer is an international family-owned company offering quality bakery, confectionery, biscuit and grain products, plant-based meals, non-dairy products, on-the-go food & drinks as well as food and cafe services. The Group operates in eight countries and exports to around 40 countries. The success of Fazer has been built on Karl Fazer's vision, values and fearless creativity: the best product and service quality, beloved brands, the passion of skilful people and responsible ways of working. In 2018, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.6 billion euros and more than 15,000 employees. Fazer's operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group's values and the UN Global Compact. Northern Magic. Made Real. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/fazer-group/r/new-innovation-from-oats---fazer-builds-40-million-euro-xylitol-factory-in-lahti,c2755883 The following files are available for download: VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NetCents Technology Inc. ("NetCents" or the "Company") (CSE: NC) (Frankfurt: 26N) is pleased to announce that it has completed the previously announced expansion of its merchant reach and Gateway integrations to now support merchants in over 55 countries and 36 fiat currencies. Through our access to over 8,000 banks internationally, merchants in countries including: China, Japan, Australia, Caribbean, South America, European Union, England, and India will now have the ability to accept crypto payments with zero volatility risk through NetCents. "This is a huge leap forward for the company and for our partners," stated Clayton Moore, CEO, "We have seen a strong uptick in the amount of inbound interest are generating inquiries from outside North America, in markets like Asia and India where cryptocurrency adoption is much further ahead. The need to provide support to those countries has been a major focus for the team and we're excited to continue the Company's expansion into new markets." The Company is now able to provide cryptocurrency payment solutions to merchants in all supported countries with settlement in their local fiat currency. Through the NetCents platform, merchants are able to settle funds directly into their bank accounts without intermediaries, providing a timely and cost effective solution for merchants, worldwide. About NetCents NetCents Technology Inc, the transactional hub for all cryptocurrency payments, equips forward-thinking businesses with the technology to seamlessly integrate cryptocurrency processing into their payment model without taking on the risk or volatility of the crypto market. NetCents Technology is registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with FINTRAC, which ensures our consumer's security and privacy. For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.net-cents.com or contact Gord Jessop, President: gord.jessop@net-cents.com . On Behalf of the Board of Directors NetCents Technology Inc. "Clayton Moore" Clayton Moore, CEO, Founder and Director NetCents Technology Inc. Suite 880, 505 Burrard St (Bentall 1), Vancouver, BC, V7X 1M4 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this press release Ranked number one in the medium-sized business category, Workhuman is celebrated by employees for the power of gratitude in the workplace Workhuman (formerly Globoforce), the Irish technology firm, today announced that it has been named as The Best Workplaces in Ireland 2019 by the Great Place to Work Institute.Workhuman was ranked number one in the medium-sized workplace category and continues its run as the most successful Irish technology company of all time. This is the seventh year in a row that Workhuman has been recognised as a top Irish workplace for high scores on an employee survey and an assessment of its workplace culture and practices. As the world's fastest-growing integrated social recognition and continuous performance management platform, Workhuman helps brands around the world connect culture to shared purpose. "This prestigious accolade is the perfect illustration of the power of bringing gratitude into every business, as the more gratitude in a company, the better it performs. We practice what we preach and know that our mission and people have made Workhuman the most successful Irish technology company in history," said Niamh Graham, vice president of global HR at Workhuman. "Our human applications are shaping the future of work by helping organisations, including ours, connect culture to shared purpose. At Workhuman, we continue to invest in our people by giving them a sense of purpose, meaning and empowerment through our platform, as they are at the very heart of our great culture and of our continued success. Receiving this great award fills not only me, but our entire organisation with great pride." "Securing a place on the list of Best Workplaces in Ireland is a greater achievement that ever before. These organisations have opened up to us, giving us a deep understanding of the culture that drives their performance. Even though we're dealing with an unprecedented level of economic and political uncertainty, these Irish organisations are ready to deal with the challenges: they have built agility and plasticity into the core of their workplaces, developing the high levels of trust that are critical for adaptability," said John Ryan, CEO of Great Place to Work Ireland. In May 2017, Workhuman unveiled its new Dublin headquarters in Park West and announced the creation of 100 jobs as the company continues to expand globally. In February 2019, Workhuman is proud to announce the addition of 150 jobs at its Dublin HQ, which further demonstrates its continued success and commitment to Ireland. The award was presented at a ceremony at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road, Dublin, on Wednesday 27th February. About Great Place to Work and the Assessment Process Great Place to Work Ireland is part of a global network of culture consultants, with offices in 48 countries using an established methodology to publish lists at country, regional, and global levels. The best known of these is the Fortune 100 list of Best Companies to Work For in the United States. Our media partner in Ireland is The Irish Times, who develop the annual Best Workplaces Special Report. The key defining feature of a great workplace is the level of trust that exists within it. From an employee's viewpoint, the definition of a great workplace is one where you trust the people you work with, you have great pride in what you do, and you enjoy the people you work with. The Great Place to Work Institute assesses the policies and practices in place in organisations under nine key areas: Inspiring, Speaking, Listening, Caring, Developing, Thanking, Hiring, Celebrating, and Sharing. They then benchmark these practices against other organisations in that country. The second key component of the assessment is an anonymous Trust Index survey that gathers the perceptions of employees under five dimensions: Credibility, Respect, Fairness, Pride, and Camaraderie. Finally, there is an in-depth qualitative analysis of open ended comments from employees. The full 2019 lists of organisations and award winners, as well as rankings from previous years, are available at www.greatplacetowork.ie. For more information, contact: Great Place to Work: 01 678 8438 About Workhuman Workhuman is the world's fastest-growing integrated Social Recognition and continuous performance management platform. Our human applications are shaping the future of work by helping organizations connect culture to shared purpose. With a consistent stream of gratitude fueling unparalleled, provocative workplace data and human insights, Workhuman Cloud is a critical software engine for global companies seeking to motivate and empower their people to do the best work of their lives. Workhuman (formerly known as Globoforce) was founded in 1999 and is co-headquartered in Framingham, Mass., and Dublin, Ireland. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005309/en/ Contacts: Grace Cooney Drury Porter Novelli T: 01 260 5000 086 153 6886 E: grace.cooney@drurypn.ie STOCKHOLM, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SolunoBC, the largest operator independent UCaaS provider in the Nordic market, has signed an agreement with the UK operator and service provider Trust Distribution. Through the agreement, Trust can offer partners and resellers a leading "mobile-first" UCaaS offering powered by Soluno's platform and wholesale concept. By entering the UK market together with Trust, Soluno takes another important step in its European expansion following the expansion into Netherlands in October 2018, and Germany in January 2019. The cooperation enables a complete, market leading service to be launched to both resellers and wholesale partners in March of 2019. The service combines Soluno's UCaaS offering with Trust's first-rate operator and billing services to deliver a secure, hassle free experience for both end-users and partners. "We are grateful for the confidence that Trust has given Soluno to enable their new cloud service. Trust complements Soluno with its broad offerings, services and their UK partner network. We are excited about the cooperation and look forward to a joint growth journey in the UK," says Mattias Ohde, CEO of SolunoBC. "It was important to partner with a company that offered exciting value added services that compliment a rock solid Mitel infrastructure, Soluno has developed a range of Over The Top services that both enhance the product and more importantly offer resellers and wholesalers the ability to differentiate their product and increase their profit margins," says Vincent Leahy Trusts Managing Director. Soluno's proven wholesale model enables integrated services to go live in a new market in 3 months. Now it will allow UK users to access sophisticated pbx and collaboration services using their device of choice across mobile, tablets, computers and deskphones. Soluno Business Communications AB SolunoBC is the largest and most expansive operator-independent UCaaS provider on the Nordic market with +150.000 users in the cloud. Soluno is driving the future of business communications by offering a mobile first concept through wholesale partners in Europe. www.soluno.com Trust Distribution Ltd Trust is a "Dealer Only" Voice & Data Distributor based in Manchester, we offer an extensive range of products and services along with the back up of experienced & friendly staff. Our Team boasts over 100 years of Channel Distribution experience and we are dedicated to providing both value and excellent pre & post sales customer service. For more details, please contact: Mattias Ohde, CEO Soluno BC, +46(0)31-352-40-03 Jonathan Rigg, Head of Network Services Trust, +44-0-1706-498-201 New customer success team in Europe will support a growing list of customers and certified partners SAN FRANCISCO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloudwords, the leading provider of localization automation software and solutions, has expanded into EMEA to continue to develop better relationships with the growing customer base, and this initial team will be focused on Customer Success. The majority of Cloudwords daily users are based outside of North America and we proactively built a core team to on-board, enable and support these users on their timezone. In addition to our recent team expansion, we have also partnered with leading EMEA based Martech agency BluprintX, which will enable current and future Cloudwords customers to realize more value in their Marketing Technology strategy and ultimately, Cloudwords, faster. "As the demand for the Cloudwords platform continues to grow, we need to ensure we have the proper team structure in place, globally," said Michael Meinhardt, CEO of Cloudwords. "This new Customer Success team, which will be based in the UK, and our partnership with BluprintX is a massive win for the global enterprise that continues to optimize their global marketing technology stack." "We are very excited to partner with Cloudwords and help the global enterprise customer realize their business goals faster," said Lee Hackett, CEO of BluprintX. "BluprintX continues to expand globally, so this new partnership with Cloudwords supports our strategy to become the leading provider of marketing strategy, support and content creation for companies that truly care about optimizing their global go-to-market strategy." About Cloudwords: Cloudwords unleashes powerful project management capabilities to speed time to market for global campaigns and localized content at scale. By connecting marketing systems and automating project workflow, Cloudwords eliminates time-consuming tasks and delivers unprecedented visibility into the localization process. With Cloudwords, marketers realize the global value of their marketing technology stack, enabling the delivery of more personalized content, in more languages, to more customers at a speed and quality impossible to achieve with manual processes. Visit www.cloudwords.com to learn how global brands like Amazon Web Services, CA Technologies, and Palo Alto Networks use Cloudwords. Headquartered in San Francisco, Cloudwords is backed by Storm Ventures, UMC Capital and Marc Benioff, founder of salesforce.com . About BluprintX: BluprintX is one of the world's leading authorities in Martech, Salestech and Data use. Our purpose is to make marketers excel in their technology and data use across the globe. We want you to pull every ounce of value out of your investments and change the very heart of your business. We empower you to face the reality of your modern customer and make outstanding returns, because we want you to be the hero in the end. Venturing out from our headquarters in the UK and offices in the US, Switzerland and the Middle East, our reach truly is global. Our dedicated teams of strategic consultants and certified technicians will focus on transforming your people, processes, technology, data and content, so you're ready to face this rapidly changing world, fast. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/294863/cloudwords___logo.jpg PRAGUE, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parc (Pharmaceutical Applied Research Center) is marking its five-year anniversary by launching The Parc Awards at a ceremony held at Zentiva Headquarters in Prague on March 5th. The Parc is a unique research platform designed to benefit future generations of scientists. "We are proud to be working alongside the next generation of scientists, giving them hands-on experience of drug development in action," commented Pavel Calta, PhD, Executive Director. "Launching The Parc Awards, which consists of two categories, will give participating students the recognition they deserve, and we hope many of them will continue to pursue careers in drug Research & Development." Initiated by Zentiva, The Parc was created in association with three academic partners: the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague; the Faculty of Science in Charles University; and is now joined by the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. This highly successful initiative has brought rising talent together with leading pharmaceutical and academic experts, all working to accelerate innovation in drug Research & Development. The Parc enables PhD students to gain industry work experience in solid-state chemistry, pharma technology, bio-pharmacy and clinical research. Collaborating with academic partners across Europe, The Parc also offers a mentorship program where students are supervised by top academic scientists, sharing expertise and carrying out day-to-day support. Currently, 25 PhD students are participating in this program. Since its creation, 8 students have graduated, 4 of which joined Zentiva. As for the remaining students, 2 have decided to pursue a career in academia, further expanding The Parc's science network, and 2 are currently working in other pharmaceutical companies. "We are extremely grateful to Zentiva for supporting The Parc and giving our graduate students and academics the opportunity to collaborate with industry experts to address the biggest challenges in healthcare. I would like to congratulate the awardees and wish them every success in their future professional careers," commented Prof. Ing. Frantisek Stepanek, PhD. About For more information about Faculty of Science of Charles University, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of Czech Academy of Sciences, the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, and Zentiva, please visit the websites. Media contact: Mounira Lemoui, Communication Business Partner Zentiva Group, a.s., Cell: +420-727-873-159 U Kabelovny 130 - 102 37 PRAGUE - Czech Republic www.zentiva.com (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/830863/The_Parc_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/830864/The_Parc_Awards.jpg ) Dominion Harbor's wholly owned subsidiary, Sovereign Peak Ventures, will exclusively represent Panasonic's portfolio of 1,000 top-notch wireless and smart speaker patents. Dominion Harbor Enterprises (DHE), a patent transaction and advisory company, today announced the purchase of its second large portfolio of high-value Panasonic technology patents consisting of approximately 1,000 patented inventions. Panasonic is one of the world's leading technology innovators, and this new Dominion-acquired portfolio includes breakthrough innovations Panasonic made in wireless and smart speaker technology. Last year, Dominion acquired a portfolio of 3,500 Panasonic patents essential to the internet of things, mobile communications, LED lighting, Wi-Fi, and cloud computing industries. "Both acquisitions underscore the trust Panasonic places in our team of experts to exclusively market its high-value patented inventions to industry," said David Pridham, chairman and CEO of Dominion Harbor Enterprises. "Our goal is to bring valuable and sometimes overlooked intellectual property to light, and the acquisition of this new portfolio from Panasonic opens the door to the possibility of many new licensing deals." Dominion Harbor is one of world's largest and most respected companies in technology patent licensing. Of particular interest to technology innovators like Panasonic is Dominion's proprietary IPedia patent intelligence platform, which can assess patented technologies and find industry applications for them in real time using a series of quantitative algorithms. This platform and its capabilities are only available to Dominion Harbor and its clients. "Panasonic is widely regarded as a global innovation leader, and this second portfolio of high-value Panasonic patents is further proof of that," said Pridham. "We are honored that Panasonic chose to partner with us once again to bring this exciting portfolio of innovations to market." Sovereign Peak Ventures, a subsidiary of DHE, will begin marketing the new Panasonic portfolio offerings to the world's largest technology and manufacturing companies, as well as to smaller enterprises that will now have access to the capabilities provided through these patents. About Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC: Dominion Harbor Enterprises (DHE) is one of the world's premier intellectual property transaction and advisory firms. Its clients are provided with unmatched transactional expertise, a full spectrum of IP transaction and advisory services, and unrivaled access to highly targeted and credentialed licensees. DHE maintains its industry leadership with its proprietary IPedia patent intelligence solution. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005041/en/ Contacts: Lauren Witt 214-378-7970 ext. 306 lwitt@thepointgroup.com Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group today announced that Berkshire Hathaway European Insurance DAC (BHEI) has been granted a Certificate of Authorization by the Central Bank of Ireland to operate as an insurer in Ireland and the European Economic Area (EEA). Incorporated in the Republic of Ireland and based in Dublin, BHEI will operate as a Designated Activity Company, providing service to the company's customers and brokers in Ireland and, using European freedom of services rights, across the EEA. BHEI will be the insurance company utilized by a number of Berkshire Hathaway's insurance brands operating in the EEA, including Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, MedPro, and Faraday. Where necessary or required, EEA business previously transacted through BHEI's UK based direct parent Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Limited (BHIIL) will be transferred from BHIIL to BHEI, in accordance with applicable law, to achieve a smooth transition for its customers and brokers upon the UK leaving the European Union. BHIIL, however, will continue to operate its significant general insurance business in the UK market and overseas under its existing licenses. BHEI intends to commence writing business by the end of March 2019. In the EEA, Berkshire Hathaway European Insurance DAC is incorporated in the Republic of Ireland as a Designated Activity Company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Limited (BHIIL), an incorporated England and Wales limited liability company, Registration Number 3230337 and Registered Office at 8 Fenchurch Place, 4th Floor, London EC3M 4AJ, United Kingdom. BHIIL is an affiliate of each of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (www.bhspecialty.com), MedPro Group (www.medpro.com) and Faraday Group (www.faraday.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005253/en/ Contacts: MEDIA JoAnn Lee +1 617-936-2937 Organizations Gain Broader Detection and Response for Less Effort and Lower Cost, with No SIEM Required SAN FRANCISCO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alert Logic, the SIEMless Threat Management company, announced at the RSA Conference that it has added a new extended endpoint protection capability along with other new capabilities for anti-virus integration, log collection and search for Office 365, Microsoft Azure Event Hubs integration, user behavior anomaly detection for Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments, and dark web scanning. This expanded attack surface coverage enriches Alert Logic's offering with even greater detection and protection support along with enhanced visibility across environments and workloads, thereby addressing more of the needs of resource-constrained security buyers without requiring a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tool. "Alert Logic is rapidly innovating to detect security events across more of the attack surface to protect workloads on any environment-in the cloud, on-premises, or hybrid," said Onkar Birk, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy & Engineering. "Because our offering seamlessly connects security platform, threat intelligence and expert defenders, our customers get better security coverage that maps to their risks and ensures optimal coverage even with constrained budgets." Extended Endpoint Protection According to Forrester1, "It's often more difficult for firms to find and hire people with the right skills to manage endpoint security tools than it is to procure a managed service provider to accomplish the same task." The new extended endpoint protection capability leverages machine-learning and behavioral analytics to monitor and isolate Windows and Mac client endpoint attacks at the earliest opportunity, including so-called 'zero day' threats. It helps thwart multiple attack techniques that try to compromise endpoints, gain access to resources, and detonate payloads, and provides deep visibility in real-time across endpoints, including low-level system activity, without impacting performance. Customers can use Alert Logic alongside of existing anti-virus detection and endpoint security tools to provide an additional layer of defense. Extended endpoint protection is available in beta for select customers and partners today and will be generally available in Alert Logic Essentials in calendar Q2. "As employees become more mobile, organizations struggle to manage and deliver endpoint protection that is dynamic and cost effective without causing disruption," said Jack Danahy, Senior Vice President, Security, Alert Logic. "With these new capabilities, we ease the security and management burden for our customers." In addition to extended endpoint protection, Alert Logic is introducing additional capabilities to broaden its attack surface coverage, including the following: Anti-virus Integration : Enables ingestion and analysis of anti-virus data to provide key insights for alerting and Security Operations Center (SOC) support, such as detection of known hacking tools and writing to privileged locations. Available today in Alert Logic Professional. : Enables ingestion and analysis of anti-virus data to provide key insights for alerting and Security Operations Center (SOC) support, such as detection of known hacking tools and writing to privileged locations. Available today in Alert Logic Professional. Office 365 and Expanded Azure Integration : Provides Office 365 log collection and search for Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and more and Azure Event Hubs integration for Azure Active Directory, Azure Diagnostics, Azure Activity Log, Azure Security Center, Azure SQL Audit logs and more, further extending how Alert Logic supports organizations across any environment. Available today in Alert Logic Professional. : Provides Office 365 log collection and search for Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and more and Azure Event Hubs integration for Azure Active Directory, Azure Diagnostics, Azure Activity Log, Azure Security Center, Azure SQL Audit logs and more, further extending how Alert Logic supports organizations across any environment. Available today in Alert Logic Professional. AWS User Behavior Anomaly Detection : Leverages AWS CloudTrail to detect and alert on suspicious user activity in AWS environments. Uses machine learning to help determine a baseline of user behavior and identify changes in the way users access systems including locations and times of access. Available today in Alert Logic Professional. Leverages AWS CloudTrail to detect and alert on suspicious user activity in AWS environments. Uses machine learning to help determine a baseline of user behavior and identify changes in the way users access systems including locations and times of access. Available today in Alert Logic Professional. Dark Web Scanning: Enables Alert Logic SOC analysts to scan customer account domains to identify and send alerts when compromised credentials are found on the dark web. Helps reveal potential risks of attack due to hacked email accounts, spear phishing and other targeted social engineering efforts. Available today with the Assigned SOC Analyst option for Alert Logic Enterprise. "We rely on Alert Logic for cybersecurity and are excited by these new capabilities that will provide greater coverage of our attack surface," said Rob Hayes, Business Development Director, eComchain. "Threats happen around the clock. Staffing a 24/7 SOC and implementing and maintaining a SIEM is a time-consuming and expensive approach that we did not want to follow. Alert Logic's SIEMless offering is a better approach that helps us understand where we have risk, monitors and alerts us when there are threats, and provides us with the right level of security at a cost that makes sense for our business." "Alert Logic continues to innovate in ways that help our clients secure existing environments while protecting new ones as their businesses evolve," said Paul Kunze, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, IntraSystems. "We are eager to provide clients with these new capabilities around endpoint, dark web, and multi-cloud support all delivered via the Alert Logic SIEMless model of security platform, intelligence and experts." These new capabilities are offered at no additional cost to customers of Alert Logic Essentials, Professional, and Enterprise, respectively. For more information, please visit Alert Logic's product overview and pricing page and RSA Conference Booth #1627 in the South Expo Hall. Additional Resources Blog @AlertLogic on Twitter LinkedIn About Alert Logic Alert Logic seamlessly connects an award-winning security platform, cutting-edge threat intelligence, and expert defenders - to provide the best security and peace of mind for businesses 24/7, regardless of their size or technology environment. More than 4,000 organizations rely on Alert Logic SIEMless Threat Management to ensure the right level of security and compliance coverage at a lower total cost than point solutions, SIEM tools, or traditional security outsourcing vendors. Founded in 2002, Alert Logic is headquartered in Houston, Texas, with offices in Austin, Seattle, Dallas, Cardiff, Belfast, London and Cali, Colombia. For more information, visit www.alertlogic.com. For Alert Logic Inquiries: Christine Blake Public Relations W2 Communications 703-877-8114 Christine@w2comm.com 1 Forrester, "The State of Endpoint Security, 2019," January 22, 2019 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/73963/alert_logic_logo.jpg MADRID, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- There is still time to register for World ATM Congress 2019, the world's largest air traffic management (ATM) conference and exhibition, that runs from 12-14 March 2019 at IFEMA, Feria de Madrid! This major event will bring together aviation leaders from more than 136 countries and territories, including high-ranking officials and representatives from more than 80 air navigation service providers (ANSPs), airports, airlines, governments, armed forces, non-governmental organisations, manufacturers, and suppliers. World ATM Congress 2019 is on track to exceed last year's 8,500 registrants. World ATM Congress, now in its seventh year, is a Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) partnership with the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA). The Conference Programme provides a unique platform for discussing the future of ATM by bringing together the world's foremost aviation leaders to share their insights, views, and expertise on the major issues and challenges facing the ATM industry. The theme of the Conference is "Tackling the Big Issues in ATM - Capacity, UTM Integration, People." Two outstanding keynote speakers will open the conference - Daniel Elwell, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, and Henrik Hololei, DG MOVE, European Commission. World ATM Congress also features an Exhibition Hall with a record-breaking 252 exhibiting companies and organisations from across ATM and aviation. The three-day event will once again offer complementary educational programming in six presentation theatres showcasing research findings, new product launches and demonstrations, new air traffic control (ATC) technology, and perspectives on ATM policy presented by ATCA, CANSO, EUROCONTROL, FABEC, Global UTM Association, IATA, Project Wing @ X (formerly Google Wing), SESAR Joint Undertaking, and many more. World ATM Congress 2019 will also feature to several special events, including the IHS Jane's ATC Awards and the European Commission Awards, both on 12 March, as well as several press events throughout the three days. For more information about World ATM Congress 2019, please visit www.worldatmcongress.org. Online registration for the Conference (fee required) and to access the Exhibition Hall (free) runs throughout the event. On-site registration is available at no additional cost. Complementary full-access press registration is also available. For more information, please contact: Abigail Glenn-Chase, Director of Communications, World ATM Congress +1 202 213 2506 abigail.glennchase@worldatmcongress.org Glenn Cudaback-Cox, Digital Media and Marketing Manager, World ATM Congress +1 717 495 4600 glenn.cudaback@worldatmcongress.org Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/830191/WorldATMCongress2019_Logo.jpg Adtech industry innovators provide a perfect solution for digital marketers who seek a one-stop platform to easily find new offers to promote and cost-efficiently track and optimize ad campaigns PALO ALTO, California, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Codewise, the industry's first provider of AI-powered online ad measurement and management solutions for digital marketers, recognized by the Financial Times as one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe in 2017 and 2018, today introduced a brand new Voluum subscription Entry Plan and the industry's first marketplace for advertising offers fully integrated with ad measurement and management functionalities. The new Entry Plan gives digital marketers access to the industry-leading ad tracker and optimizer for just $69 dollars a month, or $49 dollars a month with an annual contract. The Entry Plan, conceived to cost-efficiently serve essential ad management needs, complements the existing Basic ($224/month) and Advanced ($449/month) Voluum subscription plans which provide more advanced features, such as: Traffic Distribution AI , which allows users to analyze the performance of offers, landing pages and paths in real time and automatically redistribute traffic for the best ROI. , which allows users to analyze the performance of offers, landing pages and paths in real time and automatically redistribute traffic for the best ROI. Anti-Fraud Kit , which allows users to easily identify bot traffic in ad campaigns and helps to block it. , which allows users to easily identify bot traffic in ad campaigns and helps to block it. Custom Notifications , which allows users to set and receive alerts for important campaign events on both desktop and mobile. In addition to the extremely competitive pricing, the new Entry Plan offers Voluum users unmatched reliability, with no server downtime since 2015, and speed, with the industry's fastest redirects of just 5 ms. Moreover, a cloud-based system guarantees easy setup and assures higher data safety, compared to self-hosted solutions. The new Voluum Entry Plan allows marketers to benefit from a wide range of features and functionalities that are not available in most competitive solutions. Among them, performance marketers and agencies will find the following: A dedicated tracking domain with an SSL certificate , which can considerably increase ad conversion rates , which can considerably increase ad conversion rates Voluum Mobile App, allowing to track ads on the go, alerting the user about important campaign or account changes Offers Marketplace Offers Marketplace, available now to all Voluum customers, allows users to find, filter, and compare exclusive offers from selected top affiliate networks inside their Voluum accounts. The Offers Marketplace also enables marketers to apply for the best offers and easily add them to the tracker. This results in a much quicker and smoother workflow in one place, with no need to leave the Voluum ad tracking platform. To facilitate a fast, effortless start, Codewise will extend its highly praised Customer Care services to Entry Plan clients, through full support to migration from competitive solutions and through group onboarding sessions, live webinars, and 24/7 chat management. "The new Entry Plan is our answer to the industry's call. We have been listening to our clients' and the community's feedback and realized that the needs of performance marketers and agencies are diverse," said Dr. John Malatesta, CEO and President of Codewise. "Some marketers require advanced features to solve more complex ad management tasks, and Voluum will always be there for them. But others just want a fast, reliable and easy-to-use ad tracker for essential needs and at a lower price. And that's exactly what we're giving them today with the Entry Plan." Voluum has recently been awarded Best Tracker and Best Affiliate Software titles in the 2019 AffiliateFix Affiliate Industry Awards . To learn more about new Voluum subscription plans, please visit https://voluum.com/pricing . About Codewise Founded in 2011, Codewise is the industry's first provider of AI-powered online ad measurement and management solutions for digital marketers. In 2017 and 2018, Codewise was recognized as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in Europe, according to the Financial Times, Statista and Deloitte. Codewise's solutions help thousands of businesses in 190 countries track, measure and optimize billions of dollars of advertising spend, boosting their efficiency and ROI. Codewise is currently tracking over $2.5 billion of digital ad spending for some of the world's largest brands and ad agencies, including $400 million of ad spend on Facebook. Learn more at www.codewise.com . About Voluum Voluum is a full-stack marketing platform for all your performance analytics, tracking, optimization, and media buying needs. The suite consists of the Voluum Tracker, the trusted leader in cross-screen performance tracking, and the integrated Voluum DSP, a next-generation native advertising Demand-Side Platform. Voluum is the go-to tool for optimizing and scaling your campaigns, featuring anti-fraud filtering, whitelisting and an outstanding reporting speed. Powered by a robust proprietary database, Voluum has served thousands of SaaS customers in over 190 countries worldwide since September of 2014. Learn more at www.voluum.com . PR Contact: media@codewise.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/828426/Voluum_subscription_Entry_Plan.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/828415/Voluum_by_Codewise_Logo.jpg PORTLAND, Oregon, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Osseointegration Implants Market by Product (Dental Implants and Bone-anchored Prostheses), Material (Metallic, Ceramic, Polymeric, and Biomaterials), and End User (Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Dental Clinics): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025." The research offers an extensive analysis of changing market dynamics, major segments, market size & projections, top investment pockets, and competitive scenario. According to the report, the global osseointegration implants market contributed $5.64 billion in 2017, and is expected to reach $9.84 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 7.1% from 2018 to 2025. Increase in incidence of orthopedic diseases, surge in adoption of minimally invasive surgeries, and supportive reimbursement policies offered by insurance companies drive the market growth. High initial costs related to osseointegration implants devices and stringent approval process hinder the market growth. On the other hand, technological advancements and increase in acceptance of implantable medical devices create new opportunities in the market. Request Sample Report at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5182 Bone-anchored prostheses to lead in terms of revenue throughout the forecast period Bone-anchored prostheses contributed to nearly two-thirds of the total market share in 2017 and is expected to lead throughout the forecast period. This is due to surge in number of amputations, rise in prevalence of spinal conditions, and increase in aging population with hearing loss. However, the dental implants segment would register the highest growth rate with a CAGR of 7.8% from 2018 to 2025, owing to rise in prevalence of dental disorders, increase in awareness regarding dental implants as a solution for tooth loss, and ongoing R&D activities for dental implant techniques. Metallic material to maintain its dominance by 2025 Metallic material contributed to more than two-thirds of the total market share in 2017 and will maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. This is due to the biochemical characteristics offered by the metallic osseointegration implants that result in improved finishing and easy in processing and sterilization. However, polymeric material is estimated to register the highest growth rate with a CAGR of 12.5% from 2018 to 2025, owing to ease of manufacturability to create different shapes, ease in secondary processability, lower cost, and availability with required mechanical & physical properties. For Purchase Enquiry at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5182 North America to maintain its leadership status by 2025 North America held the major market share, contributing nearly half of the market share in 2017 and will maintain its leadership status by 2025. This is due to occurrence of huge number of accidents that may lead to disability, increase in incidence of bone-related disorders, and supportive reimbursement scenario. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to register the highest growth rate with a CAGR of 9.1% from 2017 to 2025, owing to presence of large population base in countries such as India & China, rise in number of accidents, and surge in favorable government initiatives. Leading market players Leading market players analyzed in the research include Bicon, LLC, Dentsply Sirona, Danaher Corporation, Integrum SE, Henry Schein, Inc., Smith and Nephew Plc., Osstem Implant, Stryker Corporation, Straumann AG Group, and Zimmer Biomet Holdings. Access KNOWLEDGE TREE (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/knowledgetree Knowledge tree is a cloud-based intelligence platform that offers more than 2,000 selective, off-the-shelf reports on niche markets to enable our clients gain deep insights on the latest trends, dynamic technologies, and emerging application areas. Similar Reports: Dental CAD/CAM Materials & Systems Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023 Dental Chair Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com NOTTINGHAM, England, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Commify, the company behind a global portfolio of business messaging brands, has today announced the acquisition of TextAnywhere and Mediaburst from Stericycle Inc, its first acquisition of 2019. This further strengthens Commify's leading position in its largest market, the UK, and demonstrates its ambitious growth plans after completing ten acquisitions since 2013, including five in 2018. TextAnywhere and Mediaburst are key players in the UK business messaging market, offering high quality products and services to 11,000 loyal customers. On a combined basis, they send over 500 million messages for their customers each year, and in 2018 alone, generated over 12 million in revenue. "The fit for TextAnywhere and Mediaburst within Commify is compelling," said Paul Burton, Chief Strategy Officer, Commify. "They bring an experienced team, high-quality customers and major scale to our existing market leading UK business. In particular this acquisition further expands our customer base to over 45,000 businesses across Europe's largest five economies. This loyal customer base is the largest in Europe and underpins the scale and strength of Commify." Geoff Love, Chief Executive Officer, Commify added: "We are investing heavily across Commify's business - in our team, exciting new products, continued complementary acquisitions and integration of acquired companies. This deal continues that strategy. We are delighted to welcome the team and customers from TextAnywhere and Mediaburst to the Commify family and can't wait to help them on our mission to make business communication brilliant." Adding strength to the Commify senior management team is Nick Payne, one of the founders of TextAnywhere, who is returning to the businesses in his new role as General Manager of TextAnywhere and Mediaburst, to lead the integration into Commify. ABOUT COMMIFY Commify is the team behind a portfolio of business messaging brands, serving over 45,000 businesses, sending 3 billion messages a year and approaching 100m annual revenue. Headquartered in Nottingham, UK, the business operates in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Australia under a portfolio of customer-facing brands addressing different markets and different customer segments. These include Esendex, Mobyt, Trendoo, Skebby, Text Marketer, FastSMS, SMSenvoi, SMSpubli, Massenversand.de and SMSUP. Private equity backed and growing rapidly through both organic investment and acquisitions, its mission is to 'make business communication brilliant'. Contact: Paul Burton paul.burton@commify.com +44-07810207234 Innocoll Holdings Limited ("Innocoll"), a specialty pharmaceutical company wholly owned by Gurnet Point Capital, announced today that it has named Richard Fante as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of Inncoll's Board of Directors, effective March 1. Mr. Fante, who currently serves as Innocoll's Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Business Development, succeeds Anthony Zook, who retired from his role as Innocoll CEO. "We are very pleased to have Rich ascend to CEO after a very successful tenure at Innocoll during this exciting time at the company," said Christopher Viehbacher, Managing Partner at Gurnet Point Capital. "Rich shares in Innocoll's long-term vision of developing a sustainable pharmaceutical business. His contribution overseeing our commercial department and business development activities, make him uniquely qualified to step into this role. We look forward to his leadership and operational expertise to help guide Innocoll through its next chapter. We thank Tony for his invaluable contributions to Innocoll over the last four years and wish him the best in his retirement from Innocoll." Mr. Fante joined Innocoll in 2015 as Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Business Development. In this role, he built an experienced, highly talented commercial team to prepare the company for commercialization and also led all business development activities, including Innocoll's acquisition by Gurnet Point. Prior to Innocoll, Mr. Fante spent nearly twenty years at AstraZeneca in the United States, serving in a variety of leadership roles, including President, U.S., CEO of North America and Regional Vice President of the Americas. He also formerly served as an independent director for Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Fante graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in Biology and received an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mr. Fante stated, "I am honored to assume this role during this transformative time at our company and I'm very excited for the next phase of Innocoll's growth. We will continue to build our strong pipeline with our lead product for post-surgical pain and ongoing business development activities. I look forward to working closely with Chris and the entire Gurnet Point Capital team as we continue to expand our pharmaceutical hospital business." Mr. Zook commented, "It has been a privilege to serve Innocoll for the last four years and I remain very excited about the future of the company. I look forward to seeing Rich lead the company through its next stage of growth." About Innocoll Innocoll is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical technologies to meet some of today's most important healthcare challenges. Our current late-stage product pipeline is focused on addressing patient needs for postsurgical pain management. About Gurnet Point Capital Gurnet Point Capital is a unique healthcare fund founded by Ernesto Bertarelli and led by Chris Viehbacher, who, together, have decades of expertise in an industry for which they share a passion, both as Chief Executives and as investors. With an initial allocation of $2 billion, GPC is investing long-term capital and supporting entrepreneurs in building a new generation of companies. Based in Cambridge, MA, its remit is global, encompassing life sciences and medical technologies. The fund invests across all stages of product development through to commercialization and does so with an approach that is a hybrid of venture and private equity investing strategies. www.gurnetpointcapital.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005468/en/ Contacts: Media: Tom Johnson/Blair Hennessy (212) 371-5999 tbj@abmac.com/bth@abmac.com Niagara Falls, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies Corp. (TSXV: EHT) ("EHT") is pleased to provide an update on initiatives with its Puerto Rico partner, Brieke Family Assets Ltd ("BFA"). On February 28, 2019, as reported in the Orlando Sentinel (link below), HUD Secretary Ben Carson announced the approval of the latest Puerto Rico recovery plan, allowing the island devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, to start drawing on $8.2 billion for housing, economic revitalization and infrastructure. "I think this is a real opportunity for Puerto Rico to rebuild in a way that will really [allow it to] be the crown jewel of the Caribbean," Carson said in an interview. The announcement came one week after U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, demanded to know why the recovery funds were taking so long to reach the island. HUD indicated the funds will continue progress made by an initial $1.5 billion approved last summer, which started to flow to the island just within the past month. But Carson cautioned that the spending will come with "heightened scrutiny" on its use. The new Fiberglass Reinforced Fire Retardant Structural Insulated Panel ("FRSIP") are to be manufactured locally in Puerto Rico, as previously indicated, with the new access to HUD funds expected to justify the setup of a manufacturing facility in the near term. When appropriate, EHT's engineering team will be in Puerto Rico to supervise the facility setup. As announced on November 5, 2018, EHT and BFA completed the testing of a new FRSIP for use in hurricane susceptible regions and that system now meets requirements for use in Puerto Rico as well as the Bahamas. The new FRSIP system will allow over 90% of the home to be built by local contractors, using ENERTEC products with unskilled labor. A home is expected to be completed in approximately 60 days after the completion of the poured in place concrete base slab. Malcolm Wright, a director of BFA, stated, "There are more than 40,000 low cost housing units required in Puerto Rico and our FRSIP system is an ideal solution for rebuilding those units. The system enables the walls and roof of a structure, made from our new FRSIPs, to be manufactured in a controlled factory environment. Additionally, the FRSIPs include conduits within the panels facilitating electrical/plumbing trades to complete work quickly. In contrast, the same new FRSIPs will be used for the first luxury show homes in Eleuthera on the new Tiger Woods designed Playgrounds at "Jacks Bay" in Eleuthera, Bahamas. We will start the foundations for these units later this month with the first luxury show home of approximately 8,000 sq. ft. being completed towards the end of the summer." Customers can also add the EHT ENERTEC ultra-light embedded solar photovoltaic panels and systems to every new home's roof to help reduce operating costs and provide emergency energy needs. John Gamble, CEO of EHT, commented that, "We started our relationship with BFA over a year ago on the basis that the rebuilding funds would be released in August of 2018. The unforeseen delays have allowed us to advance the FRSIP design. We have excellent professionals working with us including Dr. Fernando Abruna, FAIA of Abruna & Musgrave, architects. Known as the "Father of The Green Building Movement in Puerto Rico", Dr Abruna is a licensed, practicing architect, a retired professor at the School of Architecture, University of Puerto Rico, and Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He is also the Founding Past President of the US Green Building Council, Caribbean Chapter, and the publicly recognized authority in Sustainable Design and Construction in Puerto Rico. He has designed the award winning 2-bedroom "Maria' replacement home and a 3-bedroom home for our joint venture with BFA. He believes our systems can be used in his award-winning Maria home making them affordable, sustainable, safe, healthy, efficient and resilient. I look forward to working with Fernando and our entire team on the ground in Puerto Rico to obtain a large share of the HUD monies just announced." Link to Orlando Sentinel story on HUD hurricane relief funding: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/puerto-rico-hurricane-recovery/ About EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies EHT delivers proprietary, turn-key energy solutions which are intelligent, bankable and sustainable. EHT's expertise includes the development of its ENERTEC module structures with full integration of smart energy solutions. Using a proprietary skin and foam core that is stronger than traditional wood or steel structural insulated panels, EHT provides exceptional thermal energy efficiency in modular homes, cold storage facilities, residential/commercial out buildings and emergency/temporary shelters. EHT works with its partners worldwide to erect the buildings on-site utilizing EHT staff and local crews. In addition to traditional support to established electrical networks, ENERTEC buildings excel where no electrical grid exists. About ENERTEC The EHT advanced ENERTEC Modular Wall and Roof System uses a proprietary skin and foam core that is stronger and more energy efficient than traditional wood or steel structures providing the highest ratings for energy efficiency. EHT works with its partners worldwide to erect the buildings on-site utilizing EHT staff and local crews. After installation, each structure can be furnished and finished to meet the customer's requirements including siding, tile, kitchens and bathrooms or segregated commercial rooms. The finished wall product can be shipped on pallets and delivered via rail, truck or ship in standard formats. At the core of the ENERTEC product line is the ENERTEC Embedded Photovoltaic Solar Roof Module. Solar cells can be embedded in a proprietary fire proof skin resulting in substantial cost savings by eliminating heavy glass panels and aluminum racking required for traditional solar panels. Two barriers to greater adoption of solar energy are weight limitations of the roof on which solar panels could be deployed and onerous shipping and labour costs. A lighter product at a better price point will open a larger market for solar due to the faster return of capital investment especially for rural and remote users looking to go off-grid. Furthermore, the entire EHT embedded solar roof becomes a massive solar panel capable of producing significantly more energy than the home requires, allowing the structure to then become an important source of power for the local micro grid or large battery storage systems. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information relating to sales of the products (the "Opportunities") involves risk, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, for the Opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although EHT believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information on the Opportunities outlined in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. EHT disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: John Gamble Director (289) 488-1699 jgamble@ehthybrid.com info@ehthybrid.com Website: www.ehthybrid.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43225 Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. SpendEdge, a global procurement market intelligence firm, has announced the release of its Global Furniture and Furnishings Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005492/en/ Global Furniture and Furnishings Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report (Graphic: Business Wire) Health issues such as lower back and joint pains are common occurrences which are being attributed to wrong seating postures. This is creating the necessity to install ergonomic chairs and desks at the corporate sectors and institutions to reduce the joint-related ailments suffered by the workers there. This trend is creating substantial demand for the furniture and furnishings market. The proliferation of SMEs is increasing the commercial and industrial space occupancy rate. Consequently, this is creating a massive demand for a range of furnishings and furniture, thereby; accelerating the category spend momentum on a global scale. Get the free sample of this furniture and furnishings market intelligence report here! The economic stability in the US is favoring a constant industrial growth which, in turn, is paving the way for the subsequent growth of the commercial leasing industry. This category subsegment alone has registered a revenue of $221bn last year. A high rate of category adoption in the hotel industry which is a result of the thriving tourism industry in South America will offset the initial growth setback posed by the slow pace of the construction sector in the region. Enterprises looking to procure furniture and furnishings can leverage this market intelligence report to better devise their pricing strategies and identify avenues to reduce excess spend. An overview of the strategic sourcing objectives, risk assessment strategies, supplier selection criteria, supplier cost structure, and category management insights is also offered in this furniture and furnishings sourcing and procurement report. Request for personalization of this report for free. "Partnering with suppliers that can customize furniture will enable buyers to minimize their procurement spend because of the supplier's capabilities to create products that cost less and use high-quality raw materials," says SpendEdge procurement expert Tridib Bora This furniture and furnishings market intelligence report has highlighted the following cost drivers to play a critical role in influencing category spend. They include: Rise in industrial and commercial occupancy is estimated to drive the category spend Changes in prices of raw materials and tax have a high impact on the category prices Purchase the full market intelligence report to know more about the complete scope of this report SpendEdge is now offering limited-time discounts on report purchases. Buy two reports and get the third one for free SpendEdge's procurement market intelligence reports for the facility management category offer information on critical cost drivers and category pricing strategies to help the buyers achieve significant cost-savings. The supply market forecasts provide information on supplier selection criteria to help buyers reduce spend and establish better SLAs. Additionally, SpendEdge's reports offer category management insights and risk assessment strategies for the category. Report scope snapshot: Furniture and furnishings Category ecosystem Market favorability index for suppliers Competitiveness index for suppliers Risk assessment strategies Interested to know more about the scope of our market intelligence reports? Download a FREE sample Category management enablers Procurement organization Category enablers Want customized information from our furniture and furnishings sourcing and procurement report? Get in touch Category definition Category hierarchy Category scope Category map To view this the complete table of contents for the market intelligence report, Download a FREE sample Do you purchase multiple reports in a year? Our subscription platform, SpendEdge Insights, provides ready-to-use procurement research reports for multiple categories. Now access the latest supplier news, innovation landscape, markets insights, supplier tracking, and much more at the click of a button. Start your 7-day FREE trial now. Related Reports: Global Building Maintenance Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report Global Maintenance Repair and Operations Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. To know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005492/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 5, 2019 / Envision Solar International, Inc., (OTCQB: EVSI) ('Envision Solar,' or the 'Company'), the leading producer of unique and sustainable infrastructure products for electric vehicle charging, energy security and outdoor media, announced that Washington State Parks will deploy its EV ARCTM products to provide emissions-free EV charging. The units will be placed at Gingko Petrified Forest State Park, off Interstate 90, the park offers a unique geology museum and interpretive trails for visitors. Washington State Parks recently purchased two EV ARCTM products because of their ease of installation and the 100% emissions-free driving delivered by the units using clean solar energy. The EV ARCTM units will align perfectly with the department's sustainability plan, which includes switching to renewable energy sources over time. The Gingko location is in an area where limited charging opportunities for motorists exist. The units will allow park users to plug in and drive on sunshine. The agency also appreciates the freedom to move EV ARCTM stations when necessary to optimize usage. 'We are happy that Washington State Parks is joining the growing list of agencies who recognize the benefits of driving on sunshine with our EV ARCs,' said Envision Solar CEO, Desmond Wheatley. 'We are delighted to be working with them and look forward to enabling more clean, green, impact-free charging infrastructure for them in the future.' The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages more than 100 state parks, including long-distance trails, marine parks and heritage areas. State Parks provides recreation, stewardship and interpretive and educational opportunities to visitors. As the number of EVs on US roads grows there will be an increasing requirement for the unique benefits offered by the EV ARCTM off-grid charging solution in these locations. Envision Solar considers Parks and Recreation agencies in Washington and across the US as likely areas of continued future growth. ### Invented and manufactured in California, the patented EV ARCTM and EV ARCTM HP products fit inside single parking spaces without reducing available parking. EV ARCTM generates enough clean solar electricity to power up to 225 miles of EV driving in a day. EV ARCTM HP DC fast charging systems provide up to 1100 miles per day. The EV ARCTM system's solar electrical generation is enhanced by EnvisionTrakTM (patented) which causes the solar array to follow the sun, generating up to 25% more electricity than a fixed array. The energy is stored in the EV ARCTM product's on-board energy storage for charging day or night, and to provide EV charging and emergency power during grid failure. The EV ARCTM product is a permanent solution that provides Level I, Level II and DC Fast Charging but because it requires no trenching, foundations or installation work of any kind, it is deployed in minutes and can be moved to a new location with ease. EV ARCTM products are manufactured in the company's San Diego facility by combat veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other minority demographics and highly talented, mission-driven team members. About Envision Solar International, Inc. Envision Solar, www.envisionsolar.com, is a sustainable technology innovation company whose unique and patented products include the EV ARCTM and the Solar Tree with EnvisionTrakTM patented solar tracking, SunChargeTM solar Electric Vehicle Charging, ARCTM technology energy storage, and EnvisionMedia solar advertising displays. Based in San Diego, the company produces Made in America products. Envision Solar is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol [EVSI]. For more information visit www.envisionsolar.com, call (858) 799-4583. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Forward-Looking Statements This, Envision Solar International, Inc., Press Release may contain forward-looking statements regarding future events or our expected future results that are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. All statements in this report other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by terms or phrases such as 'estimate,' 'project,' 'predict,' 'believe,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'target,' 'plan,' 'intend,' 'seek,' 'goal,' 'will,' 'should,' 'may,' or other words and similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or results. Statements contemplating or making assumptions regarding actual or potential sales, market size, and demand, prospective business contracts, customer orders, trends or operating results also constitute forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ substantially from those indicated in forwarding-looking statements because our business is subject to significant economic, competitive, regulatory, business and industry risks which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Our operating results, financial condition, and business performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the economy, unavailability of capital or financing for our prospective customers to purchase products and services from us, competition, changes in regulations, a decline in the demand for solar energy, a lack of profitability, a decline in our stock price, and other risks. We may not have adequate capital, financing or cash flow to sustain our business or implement our business plans. Current results and trends are not necessarily indicative of future results that we may achieve. CONTACT: Lucia Asbury Envision Solar International, Inc. (760) 420-6569 gosolar@envisionsolar.com SOURCE: Envision Solar International, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538029/Envision-Solar-EV-ARCTM-Solar-Charging-Stations-Available-at-Washington-State-Park-this-Spring DolCas Biotech agrees to license several well-known trademarks, including BCM-95, to Arjuna Naturals LANDING, New Jersey, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 1, 2019, DolCas Biotech and Arjuna Naturals entered into an Exclusive Worldwide Trademark License Agreement pursuant to which DolCas has licensed to Arjuna Naturals its BCM-95 trademark, and other trademarks owned by DolCas, including the trademarks Biocurcumax and Biocurcumin. The terms of that license agreement have been publicly recorded with the Trademark Office. Under that license agreement, DolCas will receive royalty payments for designated products sold by Arjuna. The BCM-95 trademark was established by DolCas in 2007. For more than 10 years, DolCas Biotech distributed under trademarks owned by DolCas, products of India-based manufacturer Arjuna Naturals. This business relationship included curcumin plus essential oils products that DolCas formerly distributed under its BCM-95 trademark. The BCM-95 trademarked products were supported by more than 45 clinical studies and were granted both Self-Affirmed GRAS and a 'No Questions' response notification from the FDA about their safety. These products have been highly successful in the marketplace and DolCas believes this licensing arrangement will increase the success of these product offerings going forward. The curcumin/turmeric market is still evolving with strong growth prospects into 2027. Although DolCas has licensed to Arjuna Naturals certain trademarks, DolCas remains fully engaged in the marketplace and is excited by what is on the horizon. With a mission to create, introduce, and then aggressively support unique products that contribute to the natural well-being of the consumer, DolCas remains committed to investing in and further improving its successful and robust research programs and comprehensive regulatory profiles for new and innovative products. As the company moves into its next decade of business, DolCas is developing new products that will again drive innovation in the marketplace. Media Contact: Ronnie Anne De Pasquale 973-448-2801 x 213 Braingrid's parasitic anomaly detection solution can be augmented by Scanit technology to provide growers with rapid knowledge and detection of mold and other parasites. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Braingrid Limited (CSE: BGRD) ("Braingrid"), a global provider of affordable, scalable and easy-to-deploy sensor and data management and analytic platforms for precision agriculture, is pleased to announce its wholly owned subsidiary Braingrid Corporation has entered into an Integration Agreement with Scanit Technologies Inc. ("Scanit") located in Fremont, California. Scanit has developed revolutionary new equipment and software to provide, in near-real time, early airborne disease detection for outdoor and indoor growers. This solution detects, measures and identifies airborne diseases that are causing yield losses and crop failures before they are visible. The Integration Agreement allows Braingrid and Scanit to each provide their analytics on one screen to make the growers' job easier and take swift actions to mitigate disease outbreaks thereby optimizing operational costs, increase yield and protect crop health. The three-year agreement creates a strategic collaboration whereby Braingrid will integrate its Sentroller technology and cloud platform with Scanit's on-premises systems to provide valuable, difficult to obtain metrics for airborne disease detection along with Braingrid's wireless, environmental monitoring technology. The parties will explore different business combinations in the coming months including Braingrid acting as a VAR (Value Added Reseller). No terms have been determined at this time. "Disease detection, namely powdery mildew and botrytis trouble most cannabis growers and cost the industry millions of dollars in lost product. Braingrid's in-house Plant Data Scientist can provide customers with analytics from our real-time data to detect problems while the grower can still do something about it" said Michael Kadonoff, CEO and founder of Braingrid. "Growers who use Scanit and Braingrid solutions will be at the leading edge of early disease detection." "We are excited to collaborate with Braingrid over the controlled precision agriculture vertical" said Pete Manautou, CEO & Founder of Scanit. "The critical data from both our systems will produce meaningful insights to our grower customers enabling them to optimize yields and operational costs. Over the next few months, I look forward to exploring new analytics products Braingrid is now working on." Media Contact: Braingrid Doug Harris Chief Financial Officer 416-480.2488 ir@braingrid.io www.braingrid.io Scanit Pete Manautou Founder & CEO Scanit Technologies Inc. 408.373.2120 pete@scanit-tech.com https://www.scanittech.com/ About Braingrid: Braingrid Limited (www.braingrid.io) is a global technology company that provides an affordable, versatile and quick-to-install data acquisition and wireless sensor integration platform for cannabis cultivators. Capturing real-time data needed to increase revenues, reduce costs and risks, and connecting cultivators to their grow on a microclimate level, Braingrid is also developing systems utilizing data science, machine learning and AI to deliver "smart" controls and building management solutions for the precision agriculture and energy efficiency sectors. About Scanit Technologies Inc. Scanit Technologies Inc. (https://www.scanittech.com/) enables outdoor and indoors growers, in near-real time, to detect, measure and identify diseases that are causing yield losses and crop failures before they are visible. Located in Fremont, California, the Company has developed its own detection device called the SporeCam unit that can be used indoors or outdoor for many varied crops. Over 30 disease signatures have already been developed, with new algorithms being developed every day. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release includes forward-looking information and statements, which may include, but are not limited to, information and statements regarding or inferring the future business, operations, financial performance, prospects, and other plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs of Braingrid and Scanit. Information and statements which are not purely historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information and statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of Braingrid and Scanit to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information and statements herein. Such forward looking statements include statements regarding (i) the ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of combining Braingrid and Scanit's technology, (ii) the achievement of the longer term objectives associated with the strategic alliance. Although Braingrid and Scanit believe that any forward-looking information and statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such information and statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking information and statements. Any forward-looking information and statements herein are made as of the date hereof, and except as required by applicable laws, Braingrid and Scanit assume no obligation and disclaim any intention to update or revise any forward-looking information and statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward-looking information and statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43227 Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - UrbanGold Minerals Inc. (TSXV: UGM) ("UrbanGold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has acquired, through map designation, 11 additional claims in the Troilus area bringing its total land package to 73 claims or 3,970 hectares for the property. The claims are known to contain the PK occurrence which is reported to have values of 0.66% Cu, 6.70% Zn and 15.9 g/t Ag over 9.8 metres in surface channel samples and 0.8% Cu, 2.59% Zinc and 17.7 g/t Ag over 14.9 metres in limited near surface drilling (INCO Mining - Sigeom database). The PK showing is located in the southcentral portion of the Troilus belt, approximately 6 km east of the Lessard base metal deposit owned by Landore Resources and 5 km west of Soquem's DeMaures base metal deposit. UrbanGold geologists have reviewed available historical geological information for the immediate area and preliminary data suggests the occurrence is located near the hinge of a major regional fold. Mathieu Stephens, President and CEO of UrbanGold commented: "The PK occurrence constitutes a compelling target and warrants further work given the area's limited drilling and the potential along strike and at greater depth. Although our summer work programs will mainly focus on our gold assets, a small surface program will occur in the vicinity of the PK occurrence as well". The new claims are located 5 kilometres southwest from UrbanGold's main block (58 claims) and are easily accessible via forestry roads. A map follows showing their location. The reader is cautioned that the reported historical intersections above pre-date NI 43-101 standards and practices and true widths could not be verified or estimated. Troilus Area To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6266/43219_96d2ffe4f4534a45_002full.jpg Qualified Person This news release has been prepared by Mathieu Stephens, P.Geo., President and CEO for UrbanGold Minerals, the Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About UrbanGold UrbanGold is incorporated under the federal laws of Canada and has its principal office in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Company is engaged in the evaluation, acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in Canada, and its current focus is Quebec. The Company plans to ultimately develop the properties, bring them into production, option or lease the properties to third parties, or sell the properties outright. The Company has not determined whether these properties contain mineral reserves that are economically recoverable, and the Company is considered to be in the exploration stage. Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. "Forward-looking information" includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "potential" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information. See "Risk Factors" in the Company's Final Prospectus dated December 13, 2018 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of these risks. The Company cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. For further information Mathieu Stephens, Chief Executive Officer mstephens@urbangoldminerals.com Jens Hansen, Chairman of the Board jhansen@urbangoldminerals.com Phone (613) 721-2919 www.urbangoldminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43219 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 11, 2019) - TROUBADOUR RESOURCES INC. (TSXV: TR) (the "Company") announces an addition to its news release dated March 5, 2019 in order to include a proposed private placement financing of $2,000,000. The news release is amended and restated in its entirety below: The Company is pleased to announce that it has signed a letter of intent with Surespan Ltd. (the "Shareholder" or "Surespan") and its wholly owned subsidiary, Privateer Gold Ltd. (the "Target" or "Privateer Gold") granting an option to the Company to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Privateer Gold. Privateer Gold is the owner of the Surespan Gold Property, which encompasses the historic Zeballos high-grade gold mining camp ("Zeballos" or the "Property"), on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, B.C. Key Highlights of the Acquisition Include: Consolidated ownership of the historic Zeballos high-grade gold mining camp; Drilling conducted over the past two years by Privateer Gold encountered grades of up to 1,386.50 g/t Au over 0.30m at a downhole depth of 85m in the newly discovered 88 Vein; Exclusive 90-day due diligence period. Historic gold resource at the Privateer and Prident Mines of 122,470 measured tonnes grading 9.26 g/t Au and 324,772 indicated tonnes grading 15.09 g/t Au (36,461 ounces Au measured and 157,565 ounces Au indicated); The historical resource estimate is disclosed in Canadian Mines Handbook 1987-88. Although this historical mineral resource estimate is believed to be relevant and indicates exploration potential at this site, details of how the estimate was made: the key assumptions, parameters, and methods used to prepare the historical estimate are unknown or have not been reviewed, and/or the original assay results have not been verified by the Qualified Person. As the historical resource estimate was prepared in 1988 it does not use existing mineral resource categories under CIM. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves and the issuer is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. Zeballos was the site of a major gold rush in the early 1930s that witnessed the rapid escalation of development to nine (9) significant mining operations at Zeballos' peak production in 1940. Zeballos witnessed a forced reduction of mining activity thereafter due to the lack of miners caused by the war with a total cessation of all operations by 1944. After the war mining operations were reinitiated, but due to a moratorium severely impairing the price of gold at $35 per ounce, all operations were ceased once again. The Surespan Gold Property is made up of crown granted mineral claims and mineral tenures that cover approximately 13km2 and is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island about 180km northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. The historic fragmented ownership of properties within the Zeballos camp over many decades has limited the concerted advancement of the camp. The recent ownership consolidation incorporating the majority of the camp's significant past producers (e.g. the Privateer, Prident, White Star, Golden Peak, Gold Field, Spud Valley and Mount Zeballos mines) along with additional important surrounding ground presents a unique opportunity for Troubadour to advance and attempt to unlock a major historic high-grade gold mining camp. The recent discovery of the 88 Vein in the first modern day drill hole completed on the Property, provides evidence of this potential. Drill intercepts on the 88 Vein include 1,386.50 g/t Au over 0.30m, 1,218.75 g/t Au over 0.20m and 436.17 g/t Au over 0.50m. Table of Significant Drill Intercepts from 2017 and 2018 Drilling Significant Intersections 2017 Diamond Drilling Hole From (m) To (m) Length (m)* Au (g/t) Sample ID Note Z17-01 87.65 87.95 0.30 121.83 A00215502 Z17-03 92.35 92.40 0.05 171.00 A00215507 Z17-04 91.60 91.75 0.15 27.20 A00215511 Z17-06 191.35 191.85 0.50 436.17 A00215579 Z17-07 201.40 201.80 0.40 5.70 A00215530 Z17-11 62.45 62.70 0.25 79.30 A00215541 Z17-11 62.70 62.90 0.20 79.20 A00215542 Z17-13 373 373.2 0.20 46.20 A00215554 Z17-14 87.41 87.58 0.17 1289.60 A00215558 Z17-15 88.50 88.60 0.10 41.25 A00215562 Z17-16 125.7 125.85 0.15 51.44 A00215564 Z17-17 118.20 118.30 0.10 168.51 A00215567 Z17-18 106.70 107.90 1.20 15.47 A00215572 Z17-19 105.80 105.90 0.10 1081.24 A00215573 Z17-19 106.40 106.50 0.10 149.10 A00215574 Z17-20 109.55 109.65 0.10 143.50 A00215576 Z17-22 92.80 93.00 0.20 1218.75 A00215591 Z17-23 64.60 64.75 0.15 79.25 A00215595 Z17-27 193.70 193.80 0.10 41.39 A00215607 Z17-30 163.70 164.00 0.30 19.20 A00215617 Z17-31 82.85 83.00 0.15 86.50 A00215621 Z17-34 85.30 85.60 0.30 1386.50 A00215635 Significant Intersections 2018 Diamond Drilling Z18-01 218.78 219.00 0.22 73.40 A00215774 Z18-02 61.50 62.05 0.55 24.20 A00215792 Z18-08 122.00 122.50 0.50 45.60 15959 Z18-17 12.00 12.59 0.59 27.50 A00333667 Z18-17 81.25 81.80 0.55 142.00 A00333671 Z18-19 63.00 64.00 1.00 25.00 A00333733 Z18-21 67.85 68.15 0.30 28.70 A00333767 Z18-21 159.53 159.87 0.34 83.50 A00333811 Z18-25 50.83 51.20 0.37 67.50 A00343512 Z18-25 56.40 56.80 0.40 23.10 A00343523 Z18-25 57.16 57.55 0.39 18.40 A00343525 Z18-26 61.64 61.94 0.30 31.80 A00343572 Z18-27 153.75 154.05 0.30 15.40 A00343587 *Drill intercept lengths disclosed herein are expressed along drill core axis and do not represent true thickness of mineralization. There has been insufficient work to determine true thickness and further work is needed to determine the relationship between core intercept length and true thickness. **Au values in grams (g) per tonne (t) Blue Coast Research Group: Au Screen Metallics SGS Minerals Au Metallic Screen GO-FAS31K Blue Coast Research Group: Au/FA/AA To put the scope of Zeballos in perspective, gold production between 1934 and 1948 totaled 287,811 ounces of gold and 124,700 ounces of silver(1) of which 90% was mined in a 6-year period. This limited period of production speaks to the potential and underexplored nature of the Zeballos camp. The Company believes that the consolidation of ownership of this historic gold camp is pivotal to the success of its development. Previous operators have tried and ultimately failed to effectively develop and exploit resources in the camp due to the fractional ownership that has been present since the 1930's when the Zeballos gold camp was discovered. Historic total production of the Zeballos Camp to 1982 amounted to 333,783 tonnes of milled ore which produced 304,309 ounces of gold(2) and the Surespan Gold Property encompasses the ground that accounted for 99% of this production. Due to the disjointed ownership in the past, there has not been a comprehensive review of data from the entire Zeballos Camp specifically aimed at evaluating the possible relationships of mineralized vein systems from numerous past-producing mines in the area. As part of the agreement's due diligence period, the Company will focus on the historic resources, the potential to expand on the newly discovered 88 Vein as it is open along strike and at depth, and to evaluate the data to identify new target areas. President and Director Geoff Schellenberg states, "We are thrilled to be acquiring this exceptional asset and working closely with Surespan to discover and develop the true potential of this property. We are confident that the market's enthusiasm for high-grade epithermal gold properties combined with the outstanding merits of the Zeballos property will firmly position Troubadour to capitalize on the growing momentum in the gold sector." "We at Privateer Gold are excited by this opportunity to advance our historic Zeballos Gold Project. The thought of these long dormant mines coming to life under the stewardship of the Troubadour management is, to say the least, stimulating. Their reputation for integrity and our belief in them, was key to getting the deal done." states Nigel Bester, President and CEO of the Surespan Group of Companies. 1 Blue Coast Research Ltd. is an independent commercial laboratory located in Parksville, British Columbia was assigned to prep and conduct either a metallic screen of fire assay 2 SGS Minerals is an independent commercial laboratory that is an accredited testing lab to ISO/IEC 17205:2005. Terms of the Acquisition Under the terms of the letter of intent, the parties agreed to negotiate and settle the terms of a binding definitive agreement (the "Definitive Agreement"), in order to exercise the Option, the Company will issue and/or pay to the Shareholder the following consideration for a period of two years from the date of the Definitive Agreement (the "Option Period"): Issue such number of common shares, together with any shares subscribed for by Surespan under a private placement of the Company, equal to, but not less than 19.5% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company (the "First Payment") on a post-Financing (as defined below) basis; Issue 7,500,000 common shares of the Company (the "Second Payment Shares") on the first anniversary date of the Definitive Agreement, provided that if (i) the Second Payment Shares results in Surepan becoming a Control Person (as defined by the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange) of the Company, and (ii) the Company has not obtained shareholder approval of Surepan becoming a Control Person of the Company, the Company shall pay to Surespan $1,125,000 in lieu of the Second Payment Shares. In the event that shareholder approval is not obtained and Surepan does not accept the foregoing cash payment, Privateer Gold may elect to terminate the Option; and Issue 6,000,000 common shares of the Company (the "Third Payment Shares") on the second anniversary date of the Definitive Agreement provided that if (i) the Third Payment Shares results in Surespan becoming a Control Person (as defined by the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange) of the Company, and (ii) the Company has not obtained shareholder approval of Surespan becoming a Control Person of the Company, the Company shall pay to Surespan $1,500,000 in lieu of the Third Payment Shares. In the event that shareholder approval is not obtained and Surespan does not accept the foregoing cash payment, Privateer Gold may elect to terminate the Option. The Company will also be required to incur exploration expenditures of $350,000 prior to the first anniversary of the Definitive Agreement and a further $650,000 prior to the second anniversary of the Definitive Agreement. The Company will also make a one-time issuance of an additional 2,000,000 common shares of the Company (the "Milestone Payment") upon the earlier of the property entering into commercial production or the Company prepares and announces a resource totaling 750,000 ounces of gold (which amount cannot be ounces of gold equivalent) contained within the Property. During the Option Period, Surespan may provide a bridge loan to Privateer Gold in the amount of up to $250,000 for certain road works on the Property. The convertible loan will bear interest at 8% per annum and be convertible until common shares of the Company at a price of $0.10 per share provided that the Company exercises the Option. The Company also proposes to complete a private placement financing of $2,000,000 (the "Financing"). The Company has yet to determine the pricing of the Financing. A news release announcing the terms of the Financing will be issued prior to completion of the due diligence period. The Company anticipates that it will pay finders a fee in cash and/or share purchase warrants and the securities issued under the Financing will be subject to restrictions on resale for a period of four months from the date of issue. The Company will grant a royalty equal to 2% of the net smelter return on the property (the "Royalty") and the Company, at any time, may purchase one half of the Royalty at a price equal to $1,000,000. The transaction is an arm's length transaction and a finder's fees in common shares equal to 7% of the First Payment. The Agreement and the transactions contemplated therein, including the Financing, are subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. About Surespan Founded in 1977, Surespan is a recognized construction specialist providing world-class service and supply to the heavy civil construction, energy and industrial sectors of Canada's economy. Surespan is a vertically integrated company whose subsidiaries and related companies have the ability to provide services from conceptual design to construction services in the form of pre-engineering and construction management, construction engineering services, precast and post-tensioned concrete, ready-mix concrete, equipment rentals, metal fabrication, high voltage electrical services, wind turbine erection, and general construction services. QA / QC Privateer Gold Ltd has implemented thorough quality assurance/quality control programs for the 2017 and 2018 diamond drilling programs using best industry practices. All drill core is logged for geology, alteration, structure, veining, mineralization and geotechnical parameters and sections with gold and sulphide mineralization are marked for sampling by a geologist and that an industry recognized gold Certified Reference Material and blanks are inserted in to the sampling stream within industry best practice volumes for QA/QC purposes. Prior to being split by core saws, the core trays are photographed for record keeping and all samples were delivered by hand to corresponding labs by the Mine Manager/Project geologist. 2017 Drill core samples dispatched to 1Blue Coast Research Ltd., an independent commercial laboratory located in Parksville, British Columbia, were analyzed for gold by fire assay with either AA or gravimetric determination of the gold or a Gold Metallic Screen. Sample preparation for gold by Fire Assay involved crushing the sample with >70% passing 10 mesh (1.7mm) and a 200g portion is riffle split and further pulverized by hard steel. Analysis by a "Gold Screen Metallics" procedure involved a representative crush sample is pulverized and screened on a 75-micron screen that is repeated until an approximately 30g plus fraction and a combined portion of the minus fraction are collected and homogenized separately. The plus and minus fractions are weighed. The plus fraction is assayed to extinction and the minus fraction is assayed in replicate. A metallurgical balance including the weights and assays of both products yields the results. Screen metallics testing were conducted at SGS for select significant intersections from the 2017 drilling and all significant intersections from the 2018 drilling. SGS Minerals is an independent commercial laboratory that is an accredited testing lab to ISO/IEC 17205:2005. Sample were dried then crushed to approximately 9 mesh. Samples are split using a 14 slot, inch splitter that divides the sample into 2 portions (pulp and reject). A representative head sample of which is within ~10% of the required sample weight is riffled. Typically, this would be a 500-gram sample, pulverized with a Cr-steel ring pulverizer, to 85% passing 75 microns. The entire head sample is pulverized then screened using a Ro-tap assembly to a specified micron size (based on scheme selected) to ensure target weight is obtained. The entire plus fraction is submitted to the lab for analysis to extinction. Two aliquots are riffled from the minus fraction and submitted for analysis (weight of these aliquots may be 30g or 50g; weight may be client specified). Final assays are weight ratioed back to the representative sample weight. Lead collection by fire assay with gravimetric or instrumentation (ICP-OES or AAS) finish depending on sample concentration and the detection limit required. It is the QP's opinion that geological data capture, QA/QC, sample preparation, security and analyses performed to date on all samples meet industry recognized best practice standards for this type of mineralization. Amarillo Property Exploration Update The company is in receipt of assay results from its initial four-hole, 1,341 meter drill program. Drilling returned anomalous copper values within 100m of surface that are coincident with anomalous surface grab samples and is also in alignment with moderate to strong chargeable bodies. The character and scale of propylitic alteration that is associated with anomalous Copper values is consistent with the nearby past-producing Brenda Mine and supports the interpretation that the recent drilling is within the peripheral zones of a larger mineralizing porphyry system. Drill testing to date is limited and this targeted area of the property remains highly prospective with the results directing future drilling towards the more pronounced mineral vectors. Drill hole AMAR18-004 is of particular interest and contained the most encouraging copper values and alteration and was drilled down slope away the strongest chargeability response in this portion of the extensive 1km Trench Anomaly. The Company is using this information to help guide us in selecting targets for a follow-up drill program planned for the coming months in addition to the other high-value exploration targets outside of the Trench Anomaly zone. About Troubadour Resources Inc. The Company has been engaged in the acquisition and preliminary exploration of its 100% owned Amarillo Project located approximately 30 kilometres west of the town of Peachland and 71 kilometres northeast of the town of Princeton, in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The Amarillo Project consists of seven (7) mineral tenures totalling 4,178 hectares and is situated within the heart of a major mining district. The Amarillo Project exhibits areas enriched in copper, molybdenum and gold; in addition to areas host to skarn-style mineralization highly anomalous in tungsten. The multi-element geochemical signature of the Amarillo Project is consistent with a large multi-phase mineralizing system and is acutely similar to some of the neighbouring mining operations; such as the Brenda Cu-Mo-Ag-Au porphyry mine located 10 kilometres to the north that produced 278,000 tonnes of copper, 66,000 tonnes of molybdenum, 125 tonnes of silver and 2 tonnes of gold over a twenty-year mine life (source: Brenda Mines website). Troubadour's exploration team has worked diligently to define a 4 km long copper soil anomaly and IP chargeability anomaly that is coincident with a historic trench that was reported in 1966 grading 0.87% copper over 125 metres(3). Over the intervening period from the 1960's, the area received limited exploration such that the trench was subsequently mislocated. The opportunity was lost until recent when the Company rediscovered the trench, acquired the surrounding ground and is now intent on unlocking its potential. Patrick McLaughlin, P. Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. (1)Source: Bulletin 27, Geology and Mineral Deposits of the Zeballos Mining Camp, John S. Stevenson, 1950 (2)Zeballos Camp Historic Production Source: Hanson and Sinclair, Geological Fieldwork 1982 Summary, Province of British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. (3)Trench Data Source: Philip, R.H.D. 1967; EMPR Assessment Report 01141 and Sutherland, Ian G. 1978; EMPR Assessment Report 07790. Historical information is presented for historical reference only and cannot be relied upon as the Company's QP, as defined under NI 43-101, has not prepared nor verified the historical information. Forward Looking Information Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Except as required pursuant to applicable securities laws, the Company will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect financial results is included in the documents filed from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities by the Company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. For further information please contact: Troubadour Resources Inc. 625 Howe Street, Suite 488 Vancouver, BC, V6C 2T6 Geoff Schellenberg, President Office: (604) 681-0221 geoff@troubadourresources.com NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43342 DETROIT, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on Aerospace Prepreg Market by Platform Type (Commercial Aircraft, Military Aircraft, General Aviation, Regional Aircraft, Spacecraft, and UAV), by Fiber Type (Carbon Prepreg, Glass Prepreg, and Aramid Prepreg), by Resin Type (Epoxy Prepreg, Polyimide Prepreg, BMI Prepreg, PPS Prepreg, Cyanate Ester Prepreg, PEEK Prepreg, PEI Prepreg, and Others), by Form Type (UD Prepreg and Fabric Prepreg), by Curing Type (Autoclave, Out of Autoclave, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2019-2024. This strategic assessment report, from Stratview Research, provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today's aerospace prepreg market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period of 2019 to 2024. The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner in order to provide a panoramic view of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of the low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as to formulate the growth strategies in order to expedite their growth process. Aerospace Prepreg Market: Highlights from the Report Prepreg is an intermediate material and is one of the most common forms of composite materials in which the reinforcement material is pre-impregnated with either thermoplastic or thermoset resin system in a predefined ratio. It is one of the most preferred materials used for fabricating different parts and components in the aerospace industry, as it enables consistent resin/matrix ratio in the finished product. Thus, delivering uniform mechanical and physical properties across different sections of the part or component. As per Stratview Research, the global prepreg market is subjected to grow at a healthy rate over the next five years to reach an estimated value of US$ 4.9 billion in 2024. Currently, aerospace alone accounts for more than 70% of the total prepreg market and it is expected to gain further share in years to come, propelled by an incessant increase in penetration of composites in the upcoming aircraft programs with prepreg being the material of choice. Several factors mushrooming the growth of prepregs in the aerospace industry are increasing demand for fuel-efficient aircraft coupled with composites as the material of choice, increasing production of prepreg-rich aircraft programs including B787 and A350XWB, upcoming aircraft programs with high composites content, and introduction of fuel-efficient variants of the best-selling aircraft programs including B737 Max and A20neo with greater use of composites. Click Here and Run Through the TOC of the Report Based on resin type, the market is segmented as epoxy, polyimide (PI), bismaleimide (BMI), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), cyanate ester, polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyetherimide (PEI), and others. Epoxy prepreg is expected to remain the most widely used resin system in the market during the forecast period. Epoxy resins bond well with reinforcement materials, such as carbon fiber and glass fiber. Further, they also offer excellent interlaminar strength and mechanical properties, good chemical resistance, and high electrical insulation, which makes them a preferred resin system for a wide array of applications including fuselage, wings, control surfaces, as well as interior applications. Autoclave is expected to remain the largest segment of the market during the forecast period. Autoclave have decades of excellent track record in the aerospace composites market and is projected to remain one of the most vital curing systems in the aerospace industry. Autoclave curing leads to an excellent surface finish with low void content and high pressure ensuring good mechanical properties, which make it the most preferred curing process. Register Here for a Free Sample of the 300-Page Detailed Report In terms of region, North America is expected to remain the largest market for aerospace prepreg during the forecast period. Most of the major prepreg manufacturers have their presence in the region to address the emergent needs of the OEMs in order to be the partner for their upcoming aircraft programs or upcoming fuel-efficient variants of existing aircraft programs. However, Asia-Pacific is likely to witness the highest growth during the same period, driven by a host of factors including increasing demand for commercial aircraft to support rising passenger traffic; opening of assembly plants of Boeing and Airbus in China for B737, A320 and A330 aircraft programs; upcoming indigenous commercial and regional aircraft (COMAC C919 and Mitsubishi MRJ); rising aircraft fleet size and increasing military expenditure by countries such as China and India. The market for aerospace prepreg is gradually consolidating as the major companies are performing mergers & acquisitions. Key players in the market are Hexcel Corporation, Cytec Solvay Group, Toray Industries (including TenCate Advanced Composites), Teijin Group, and Gurit Holdings, AG. Execution of mergers & acquisitions, development of new applications, and advancements in prepregs are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market. Report Features This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report: Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis. Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis. Market trend and forecast analysis. Market segment trend and forecast. Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc. Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities. Emerging trends. Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players. Key success factors. This report studies the global aerospace prepreg market and has segmented the market in six ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the six ways in which the market is segmented: Aerospace Prepreg Market, by Platform Type Commercial Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Military Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) General Aviation (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Spacecraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) UAV (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Regional Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Aerospace Prepreg Market, by Fiber Type Carbon Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Glass Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Aramid Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Aerospace Prepreg Market, by Resin Type Epoxy Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Polyimide Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) BMI Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) PPS Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Cyanate Ester Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) PEEK Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) PEI Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Other Prepregs (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Aerospace Prepreg Market, by Form Type Unidirectional Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Fabric Prepreg (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Aerospace Prepreg Market, by Curing Type Autoclave (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Out of Autoclave (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Aerospace Prepreg Market, by Region North America (Country Analysis: The USA , Canada , and Mexico ) Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , France , the UK, Spain , Russia , and Rest of Europe ) Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: Japan , China , India , and Rest of Asia-Pacific ) Rest of the World (Sub-Region Analysis: Latin America , the Middle East , and Others) Stratview Research has several high value market reports in the composites and advanced materials industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports: Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Advanced Materials Industry Related premium market reports in the advanced composites industry are: High-Temperature Prepreg Market by Resin Type (BMI Prepreg Cyanate Ester Prepreg, Polyimide Prepreg, Thermoplastic Prepreg, and Others), by End-Use Industry Type (Aerospace & Defense, Transportation, and Others), by Reinforcement Type (Fabric Prepreg and Unidirectional Prepreg), by Curing Type (Autoclave, Out-of-Autoclave, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2019-2024. Thermoplastic Prepreg Market by End-Use Industry Type (Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Consumer Goods, and Others), by Resin Type (PPS, PEEK, PEI, and Others), by Fiber Type (Carbon Fiber Prepreg and Glass Fiber Prepreg), by Product Form Type (Fabric Prepreg and Unidirectional Prepreg), by Process Type (Compression Molding, Injection Molding, AFP/ATL, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2018-2023. About Stratview Research Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas. We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies. Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making. For enquiries, please contact: Stratview Research E-mail: sales@stratviewresearch.com Direct: +1-313-307-4176 LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 5, 2019 / CLS Holdings USA Inc. (OTCQB: CLSH) (CSE: CLSH.U) 'CLS', a diversified cannabis company operating as Cannabis Life Sciences, is pleased to announce Andrew J. Glashow has agreed to become President and COO. Jeff Binder, Chairman and CEO of CLS HOLDINGS USA, Inc stated 'This is a terrific day for CLS and its shareholders. Andrew has been part of the CLS team for the past 2 years. He has served as an advisor, capital markets consultant and board member of CLS and has had a direct hand in many of the company's initiatives during this time. 2019 is a big year for CLS with plans to expand our Las Vegas footprint and enter the rapidly growing Massachusetts market. I could not envision a better person to spearhead our multi-state strategy and I am personally grateful for everything he has done for this company to date'. 'What an awesome time to be part of the rapidly growing cannabis industry. I have spent the last 90 days in Las Vegas spearheading a number of initiatives to improve our operating results and working with an exceptional group of hard-working men and women who make up the team'. 'We have made great progress in Las Vegas and look forward to displaying our newly remodeled store and signage, scheduled for completion in March. Additionally we will begin construction of our North Las Vegas grow in April and the rollout of our first production lab utilizing our proprietary, patented conversion and extraction technology. Both of these initiatives are scheduled for completion in Q3 and Q4 of this calendar year'. About Mr. Glashow Mr. Glashow has twenty- five years of experience in the capital markets and in all phases of business start-up and growth, including feasibility studies, business plans, equity and debt funding, private placements, reverse mergers and IPOs. Mr. Glashow has served as CEO and President of multiple companies which he helped capitalize. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire's Whitemore School of Business and Economics. About CLS Holdings USA, Inc. CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (CLSH) is a diversified cannabis company that acts as an integrated cannabis producer and retailer through its Oasis Cannabis subsidiaries in Nevada, and plans to expand to other states. CLS stands for "Cannabis Life Sciences," in recognition of the Company's patented proprietary method of extracting various cannabinoids from the marijuana plant and converting them into products with a higher level of quality and consistency. The Company's business model includes licensing operations, processing operations, processing facilities, sale of products, brand creation and consulting services. http://www.clsholdingsinc.com Twitter: @CLSHusa About Oasis Cannabis Oasis Cannabis has operated a cannabis dispensary in the Las Vegas market since dispensaries first opened in Nevada in 2015 and has been recognized as one of the top marijuana retailers in the state. Its location within walking distance to the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas in combination with its delivery service to residents allows it to efficiently serve both locals and tourists in the Las Vegas area. In February 2019, it was named 'Best Dispensary for Pot Pros' by Desert Companion Magazine. In August 2017, the company commenced wholesale offerings of cannabis in Nevada with the launch of its City Trees brand of cannabis concentrates and cannabis-infused products. http://oasiscannabis.com About City Trees Founded in 2017, City Trees is a Nevada based cannabis cultivation, production and distribution company. Offering a wide variety of products with consistent results, City Trees is one the fastest growing wholesale companies in the industry. Its products are now available at 33 dispensaries. https://citytrees.com Forward Looking Statements This press release contains certain 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and 'forward-looking statements' as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, the 'forward-looking statements'). These statements relate to anticipated future events, future results of operations or future financial performance, and anticipated growth, including the timing of anticipated construction and implementation of our expansion plan.. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "intends," "expects," "plans," "goals," "projects," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, are uncertain and involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, levels of activity or performance to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance and we cannot guaranty that the proposed transactions described in this press release will occur. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should be considered together with any written or oral forward-looking statements that we may issue in the future. Except as required by applicable law, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to reflect actual results, later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. See CLS Holdings USA filings with the SEC and on its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com for additional details. Contact Information Corporate: Chairman and CEO Jeff Binder jeff@clsholdingsinc.com 888-438-9132 Investors: Adelaide Capital Markets Jackie Kelly Jackie@adelaidecapital.ca 416-301-2949 SOURCE: CLS Holdings USA, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/537526/CLS-Holdings-USA-Inc-Announces-Key-Addition-to-Its-Management-Team BERLIN, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH announced that it has filed a patent infringement complaint with the Regional Court of Dusseldorf against JinkoSolar and REC Group on March 4, 2019. Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp. and Hanwha Q CELLS USA Inc. (collectively with Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH, "Hanwha Q CELLS") also filed a patent infringement complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC") against JinkoSolar, REC Group, and LONGi Solar. Additionally, Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp. filed related patent infringement complaints with the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against the same companies. The Regional Court complaint alleges that JinkoSolar and REC Group are unlawfully importing and selling solar cells and modules that infringe Hanwha Q CELLS patented passivation technology. The complaint alleges that JinkoSolar and REC Group have unlawfully incorporated this patented passivation technology -- which plays an important role in improving the efficiency and performance of solar cells -- into their solar cells. Hanwha Q CELLS began manufacturing Q.ANTUM solar cells using this passivation technology in 2012 and has produced more than 2.5 billion such cells globally. Hanwha Q CELLS seeks an order to stop JinkoSolar and REC Group from importing, marketing, and selling the infringing products in Germany. "Intellectual property laws exist to incentivize innovation and protect innovations from being unfairly used, and we will vigorously defend our technology from infringement," said Hee Cheul (Charles) Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp. "Our high-quality photovoltaic products have established us as an industry leader, and we are proud of our legacy of innovation. We have taken these actions both to protect our property rights and to give the market confidence that research and development initiatives to develop future technologies can continue." For additional information on this matter, please visit www.q-cellsip.com. About Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH is the German subsidiary of Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH is responsible for the R&D, sale, and installation of a full spectrum of solar components -- from modules and kits to systems and large-scale solar power plants -- across all European markets, as well as Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa. Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH's parent company, Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd., has diverse international manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and China. About Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp. Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp. is a photovoltaic manufacturer with business operations in South Korea and manufacturing facilities in the United States (Hanwha Q CELLS USA Inc.) and South Korea. Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp. offers a full spectrum of photovoltaic products, applications, and solutions, from cells and modules to kits, and large-scale solar power plants. Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp. provides excellent services and long-term partnerships to its customers in the utility, commercial, governmental, and residential markets. About Hanwha Q CELLS USA Inc. Hanwha Q CELLS USA Inc. is located in Dalton, Georgia, and is a solar module manufacturing facility. It is a subsidiary of Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corp., one of the world's largest and most recognized photovoltaic manufacturers. Safe-Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Hanwha Q CELLS's operations and business outlook contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Hanwha Q CELLS does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Contact Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH Corporate Communications Oliver Beckel, Ian Clover Tel: +49 (0)3494 6699 10121 qcellsmedia@brunswickgroup.com Vect-Horus and RadioMedix announced today the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish an agreement for the co-development of a Vect-Horus theranostic agent for the diagnostic and radiotherapy of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) of the brain. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005065/en/ This partnership will marry the expertise of Vect-Horus in targeting tumors with its technology VECTrans and the know-how of RadioMedix in developing and conducting pre-clinical evaluation and clinical trials with radiopharmaceuticals. GBM is the most common and most aggressive malignant type of primary brain tumors and is a serious and life-threatening condition. The theranostic agent targets the Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor (LDLR), which is highly expressed on many cancer cells, including glioblastoma. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging and biodistribution studies in human glioblastoma xenograft and orthotopic models have shown a significant accumulation of the agent within the tumor. "We are pleased that our technology, VECTrans in combination with expertise of RadioMedix will serve to advance an innovative and promising approach for glioblastoma treatment." said Alexandre Tokay, CEO of Vect-Horus "This co-development project is fully aligned with our strategy to expand the use of our technology in cancer indications with high unmet medical needs." "We look forward to very compelling outcomes from our co-development project, as we seek to create new technologies for the benefit of cancer patients, by giving doctors and hospitals more imaging and treatment options." Said Dr Jamal Temsamani, Director of Drug Development of Vect-Horus. "Development of a highly sensitive and effective theranostic approach for GBM has always been among our top priorities. Our initial evaluation of VECTrans technology appears to be extremely promising." said Dr Ebrahim Delpassand, CEO of RadioMedix. "Our plan is to utilize VECTrans technology to initially develop an accurate molecular diagnostic PET/CT probe to precisely map the tumor involvement in the brain. This will significantly improve precision of the surgical resection of the tumor. The treatment will then be followed by targeted alpha-emitter or beta-emitter radionuclide therapy using the same technology to eradicate any residual malignant cells at the molecular level" added Dr. Delpassand. "RadioMedix has strong interests and all expertise needed to develop the VECTrans-based radio-theranostic agents for GBM", said Izabela Tworowska, PhD, CSO of RadioMedix. "Targeting LDLR can improve the blood -brain barrier (BBB) permeability of the drug and selectively deliver the isotope payload to GBM cancer cells." About Vect-Horus Vect-Horus designs and develops vectors that facilitate targeting and delivery of therapeutic or imaging agents to organs, including the brain and tumors. Vect-Horus combines these different agents to its vectors that specifically target various receptors, allowing these agents to cross natural barriers (including the blood-brain-barrier) which limit access of therapeutic or imaging agents to their targets. The proof of concept of the technology has already been established in animal models using different vectorized molecules. Created in 2005, Vect-Horus is a spin-off of the Institute for Neurophysiopathology (INP, UMR7051, CNRS and Aix Marseille University), headed by Dr Michel Khrestchatisky, co-founder. To learn more about Vect-Horus, visit www.vect-horus.com. About RadioMedix RadioMedix, Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company, based in Houston, Texas, focused on innovative targeted radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy of cancer. The company is developing radiopharmaceuticals for PET imaging and therapy (alpha and beta-labeled). RadioMedix has also established contract service facilities for academic and industrial partners including discovery center for the probe development, a small animal molecular imaging facility for pre-clinical evaluation of radiopharmaceuticals, and full cGMP and analytical suites for late stage human clinical trials, and post approval commercial manufacturing. To learn more, visit www.radiomedix.com and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005065/en/ Contacts: Vect-Horus: Elodie Dormes Business Development Manager contact@vect-horus.com RadioMedix: Izabela Tworowska, PhD, CSO media@radiomedix.com Canadian Government Regulations Expand Scope of Business, Provide Brigadier with Added Revenue Stream SAN CLEMENTE, CA and SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN / ACCESSWIRE / March 5, 2019 / Concierge Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: CNCG), a diversified global holding firm, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Brigadier Security Systems, has been certified by the Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada (ULC) as a qualified installer of ULC-approved fire alarm panel communication systems. Only ULC-certified installers are allowed to install communication panels and provide monitoring services to all commercial buildings in Canada that are required by law to have such systems in place. Rob Ast, president of Brigadier, said, "The requirement for commercial buildings to install ULC-approved fire alarm panels in commercial buildings, and have their status monitored, is now being aggressively enforced. As a result, we are experiencing sharply increased demand for installation, maintenance and monitoring services. "As part of Brigadier receiving ULC certification, we successfully completed rigorous in-depth training and examinations from the regulatory agencies. Our company is now able to offer a complete suite of installation, maintenance and monitoring services to building owners throughout our service area. With offices and technicians staged in our two most populous cities, Saskatoon and Regina, Brigadier is ideally positioned to accommodate the majority of commercial customers requiring fire alarm communication panels, inspections and monitoring services. "We anticipate our new line of ULC-approved products and services to be a significant contributor to our business, along with our growing base of consumer and home intrusion alarm installation and monitoring, as the largest dealer of SecurTek products in Saskatchewan," Ast added. About Brigadier Founded in 1985, Brigadier Security Systems serves industrial, commercial and residential markets, providing intrusion, access control and video surveillance. The full-service ULC-certified company also offers fire and medical monitoring, as well as comprehensive environmental monitoring solutions such as flood and temperature, and narcotic detection with its canine team. For more information about Brigadier visit www.brigadiersecurity.com or telephone (306) 665-0401. About Concierge Technologies, Inc. Concierge Technologies is a publicly traded global holding firm, with operating subsidiaries in financial services, food manufacturing, security systems and beauty products. Offices and manufacturing operations are in the U.S., New Zealand and Canada. For more information, visit www.conciergetechnology.net. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" that include information relating to future events and future financial and operating performance. Such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, Brigadier Security Systems' new line of ULC-approved products being a significant contributor to its business, should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting Concierge Technologies or its subsidiary companies, please refer to the Company's recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available at the Company's website: ( http://www.conciergetechnology.net ) or at www.sec.gov. SOURCE: Concierge Technologies, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538018/Concierge-Technologies-Subsidiary-Brigadier-Security-Systems-Obtains-ULC-Certification-for-Fire-Alarm-Communication-Panel-Installation-and-Monitoring Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Seahawk Ventures Inc. (CSE: SHV) ("Seahawk") is pleased to update the shareholders on the company's current and planned exploration activities in the Urban-Barry Gold Camp where Osisko Mining is evaluating the Windfall Lake Zones and Bonterra Resources is evaluating the Gladiator Zone at the advanced exploration stage. As outlined in our Jan 3rd, 2019, press release, Seahawk raised $912,240.00 to further explore our five strategically located properties in the Urban-Barry Gold Camp. To date we have completed a detailed Airborne Total Field Magnetometer Survey over the Blitz Property and we expect the report in the next few weeks. A detailed Airborne Electromagnetic and Total Field Magnetometer Survey will be completed in the next two weeks over the Skyfall Property. The southern part of the Skyfall Property has never been flown with modern day geophysical surveys and we expect numerous new diamond drill targets to be identified. When the results are received from these airborne surveys we will complete a review and planning program integrating the new information into a comprehensive geological/geophysical/historical work compilation of all our properties to finalize the 2019 work programs. At this time it is planned to complete prospecting, geological surveys, ground geophysical surveys and diamond drill evaluation of priority targets on all five properties starting as soon as the access conditions allow. With the newly acquired technical information we look forward to the discovery and evaluation of numerous new mineralized gold zones on our properties. Mr. Mitchell Lavery, P.Geo., Seahawk President is attending the current 2019 P.D.A.C. Convention in Toronto and if any current or potential investors want to meet to discuss the 2019 Seahawk Exploration Program and Corporate Vision please contact him at 613-298-1596 or by e-mail at mlavery@seahawkventuresinc.com. About Seahawk Ventures Inc. Seahawk Ventures Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian resource exploration company trading in Canada (CSE: SHV), the U.S. (OTC Pink: SEHKF) and Germany (FSE: 7SR). Seahawk is now the 2nd largest land owner in the Urban-Barry Greenstone Belt in the Abitibi sub province of mining friendly Quebec, Canada, with 100% ownership of the five mineral properties. For more information please contact Seahawk Ventures Inc. Giovanni Gasbarro CEO and Director at 1-604-939-1848 Mitchell E. Lavery, P.Geo. President and Director at 1-613-298-1596 Neither the Canadian Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43217 The New Multi-Disciplinary Pain Management Facility Includes Medical Cannabis Treatment It opens on March 7, 2019, Bringing One of the Country's Largest Patient and Health Care Resources to the Market Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Tree of Knowledge International Corp. (CSE: TOKI) (OTC PINK: TRKWF) (the "Company" or "TOK") is pleased to announce that through its Toronto Poly Clinic (TPC) the Company has entered into agreements with each of Pancare Consulting Inc.-owner of Pain Care Clinics (PCC)- and Onsite Medical Group for the operation of a multi-specialty pain management facility located within the new Jack Nathan Health Medical Centre. The new facility will provide numerous services ranging from medical pain management, including medial cannabis treatment and using TPC's proven proprietary MCORP opioid reduction system, interventional pain management, psychological therapy, weight management, mindfulness meditation and physical therapy such as physiotherapy, chiropractic and massage. The facility is set to launch on March 7, 2019, at the Walmart store located at 8300 Hwy 27, Vaughan, ON. Further details on the grand opening will follow. Pancare Consulting Inc. currently owns and operates 8 PCC clinics in various cities of Canada and services more than 100,000 patients. Onsite Medical Group provides physical rehabilitation and assessment services in 17 locations in Ontario. This Strategic Alliance is built on high-quality patient care designed to align the parties' interests and care goals and facilitate a rapid launch and expansion to future locations. Management believes the combined strength in a platform of TPC-PCC-Onsite Medical, as part of Jack Nathan Health Medical Centres in these high traffic convenient store locations, will enable management to capitalize on one of the largest resources providing access to the health care system and patients. About Jack Nathan Health Jack Nathan Health is a privately owned and operated Canadian company-and a proud partner of Walmart Canada-dedicated to improving access to healthcare by partnering with highly-qualified medical professionals and delivering consistent, easy-access, patient-centric quality care in state-of-the-art medical and dental clinics conveniently located inside Walmart Supercentres, with 70-plus locations across Canada. Clinics are independently owned and operated under license by Jack Nathan Medical Inc., and not affiliated with Walmart. Jack Nathan Health is a registered trade-mark of Jack Nathan Medical Inc. All representations contained herein are made solely by Jack Nathan Health or its licensed owner operators, and not independently verified by Walmart. All Walmart trademarks are the property of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and are used under license. For more information, virtual clinic tours, and social media links, visit www.jacknathanhealth.com. ABOUT TREE OF KNOWLEDGE With its head office in Toronto and operations in North York, Ontario and Spokane, Washington, TOK currently has three primary business segments: (1) Multidisciplinary specialty pain clinics with a focus on the treatment of chronic pain, including controlled applications of medical cannabis in Canada, (2) Development of formulated products for therapeutic purposes and natural health product alternatives at its manufacturing facility in Spokane, which provides formulations for the Company's products and for third parties equivalent to GMP standards, and (3) Distribution and sale of hemp-based cannabidiol ("CBD") products in the United States, Canada, Europe, Brazil and China.. Currently the Company has research agreements with multiple universities for medical cannabis research and new medical grade products development. TOK's CBD product line contains EVR Premium Hemp Oil, which is an organically grown and handled, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, synergistic compound that is derived from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved industrial hemp grown in the United States. TOK currently offers several CBD products, which may be used in connection with the treatment of a number of ailments and for general wellness purposes. For further information please visit: www.tok.ca Or contact: Tree of Knowledge International Corp. Michael Caridi, Director of Business Development Tel: +1 (917) 295-1374 Michael@tok.ca THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the benefits to be received from the strategic partnership noted above , the opening of the new Pain Clinic and the future operations of TOK and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of TOK, are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from TOK's expectations are risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by TOK with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of TOK. As a result, TOK cannot guarantee that the Offer will be completed and that any forward-looking statement will materialize and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and TOK will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43229 TEMECULA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 5, 2019 / International Endeavors Corporation, Inc. (OTC PINK: IDVV) today announced with the CBD infused products movement supercharged by the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, cannabis and beverage companies alike are officially beginning to launch CBD-infused beverage products in the U.S. market. The rollout of various CBD-infused beverages throughout 2019 in the United States will likely set the foundation for CBD infused products around the world, as these brands will gain a first to market advantage in the emerging sub segment of what could become the world's largest functional drinks market. Some companies are looking to really shape the CBD-infused beverage industry. CBD Winery For CBD Infused Alcohol Free Wine Beverage: Launched Recently, CBD Winery a subsidiary of International Endeavors Corporation (IDVV) announced it received its first purchase order of 100 cases. One of the most anticipated segments, CBD Winery, based out of Temecula Valley in Southern California plans to become a leader in the CBD Infused Wine Marketplace. Company Spokesman Barry Smith stated, "We are very pleased with the demand of our CBD Wine Products, frankly it's been higher than we thought it would ever be. We are in the process of building a new website for the Company and Winery, while expanding our manufacturing and distribution capabilities. It's a very exciting time and it is all coming together at once." The launch of CBD Winery will make International Endeavors Corporation one of the first companies in the United States to bring the benefits of CBD infused alcohol free wine to U.S. consumers. With the current demand for wine that already spans across the country, IDVV could surely be a first-mover in the CBD infused beverage race. New Age Beverages Goes CBD: In Development New Age Beverages (NBEV), a U.S. based organic and natural beverage company aiming to become the world's leading healthy beverage company, recently announced a signed agreement to "develop and distribute Marley branded cannabis-infused beverages." New Age Beverages plans to design its Marley+CBD product line with Docklight Brands, a cannabis brand holding company that in addition to Marley Natural, owns brands such as The Goodship, Irisa, Dutchy and Headlight. The first product to come out of the Marley+CBD portfolio will be "Marley+CBD Mellow Mood", a relaxation drink that contains 25mg of pharmaceutical grade CBD per serving. Marley+CBD Mellow Mood, which will be sold first in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Michigan, holds the potential to be one of the first globally-recognized CBD-infused relaxation drinks in the U.S. market. Phivida Holdings Inc.: Starting Small Phivida Holdings Inc. (PHVAF), a premium functional food and beverage company, is developing a line of functional beverages and supplements infused with active hemp extract under the brand name "Oki". Oki beverages, which include iced teas and flavor-infused waters, contain 10mg of active hemp extract per serving. Management expects the Oki product line to officially launch in over 1,000 outlets by early 2019. Phivida Holding's Oki branded iced tea products will likely benefit from the mainstream awareness generated by New Age Beverage's Marley+CBD product line. Oki's focus on offering a more restorative benefit for the active consumer as opposed to relaxation could be key, as this may allow Phivida to avoid initial competition with the heavyweight Marley brand name and thus build a foothold in the CBD functional consumer segment. CBD-Infused Beverage Trends Begin To Emerge The fragmented nature of the beverage industry, a growing consumer trend towards more health-conscious products, and an increased demand for cannabis-infused beverages is providing new market entrants with a rare opportunity to seize market share. This opportunity becomes especially pronounced when companies are capable of tapping into multiple consumer trends at once, such is the case with the CBD Winery and its CBD-infused alcohol free wine product line. The potential for CBD infused beverages has never looked more promising, only time will tell. About CBD Winery CBD Winery is a boutique winery based out of the Temecula Valley Wine Country that focuses on the production of CBD infused wine. For more information including pricing please visit www.cbdwinery.com About International Endeavors Corporation (OTC stock symbol: IDVV) International Endeavors Corporation focuses on building intellectual property and making equipment sales in the medical marijuana and legal cannabis industry through the creation of off-grid grow labs, biomedical devices, clean-energy solutions, and patented devices. The company is also engaged in locating and acquiring established companies, brands, and technologies. The company's real estate portfolio includes commercial property, agricultural land, and buildings. Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. International Endeavors Corporation (IDVV) is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Contact: Nate Engel, CEO Phone: 1-951-296-1024 Email: nate@internationalendeavorscorp.com SOURCE: International Endeavors Corporation, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538067/CBD-Winery-Among-Companies-Looking-To-Shape-The-CBD-Infused-Beverage-Industry The "Europe Automated Material Handling (AMH) Market By End User Vertical (Automotive, Food Beverages, General Manufacturing, Retail and Others) and Country (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Poland and Others) Trends and Forecasts (2017 2022)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Europe AMH market was estimated at USD 6,130.25 million in 2016, and is expected to reach USD 10,106.44 million by 2022, witnessing a CAGR of 8.73% during 2017-2022. Innovations In Food Beverage Industry To Drive The Growth Over Forecast Period In Europe, the food beverage sector is subject to regulatory changes and constant modification. The ability of the European industry to differentiate itself from other regions has been gained by offering higher quality compared to differentiated products. The focus on high-quality products is supported by the European regulations and the high food safety requirements set by EU Food law. Various stakeholders have underlined the view that the strict food safety requirements and the high quality of products provide a competitive advantage for European manufacturers. In order to maintain the quality and precision, manufacturers are increasing the use of automated machinery in the production line. Retail Segment To Lead The European Automated Material Handling Market The retail sector accounts for the largest market share in the AMH industry in Europe. Digitalization and demographic changes are transforming patterns of demand, and resulting in a reduction of total retail floor space. Also, these structural changes alter the location requirements of retailers, which, in turn, results into new or altered concepts that must constantly be provided. So, the retailer is investing incessantly into automated storage systems in order to reduce floor space effectively and efficiently. United Kingdom Dominated The Europe Automated Material Handling Market Out of all the countries in the European region, the United Kingdom accounts for the largest market share in the AMH industry. As almost 30% of the jobs in the United Kingdom has the potential to be automated, (which is higher than Japan (21%) and lower than the United States (38%) and Germany (35%)), the scope for automation in the country is expected to be at a decent level. Although last year's Brexit vote sent shockwaves across all industries, the manufacturing industry remained positive. The country is expected to experience an economic slowdown until 2018, and is likely to witness a stable growth rate owing to the estimated strengthening of pound and stability in the political uncertainty. Industry 4.0 Initiative Aiding The Growth Of Automated Material Handling Market Europe leads in terms of harnessing automation technologies to improve manufacturing productivity, which is visible from the Industry 4.0 initiative. This initiative aims to provide resources and funding toward building smarter factories. With the Industry 4.0 Plan included in the Budget Law of 2017, the Italian government gave the country a well-structured and comprehensive program of industrial policy. The Italian machine tool, robot, and automation manufacturing industry registered a significant growth, and are expected to grow even further with the aid of the Industry 4.0 initiative. Topics Covered 1. Introduction 1.1 Key Study Deliverables 1.2 Key Study Assumptions 1.3 Market Definition 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 Market Drivers 4.3 Market Restraints 4.4 Industry Attractiveness Porter's Five Forces Analysis 4.5 Value Chain Analysis 5. Europe Automated Material Handling Market Segmentation 5.1 By Product Type 5.1.1 Automated Storage Retrieval System 5.1.2 Automated Guided Vehicle 5.1.3 Conveyor 5.1.4 Palletizer 5.1.5 Sortation System 5.2 By Country 5.2.1 France 5.2.1.1 By End User 5.2.1.1.1 Food Beverage 5.2.1.1.2 Pharmaceutical 5.2.1.1.3 Retail 5.2.1.1.4 Airport 5.2.1.1.5 Post Parcel 5.2.1.1.6 Automotive 5.2.1.1.7 General Manufacturing 5.2.1.1.8 Others 5.2.2 Germany 5.2.3 Italy 5.2.4 Netherlands 5.2.5 Poland 5.2.6 Russia 5.2.7 Spain 5.2.8 Switzerland 5.2.9 Turkey 5.2.10 United Kingdom 6. Company Profiles 6.1 Schaefer Holding International GmbH 6.2 Vanderlande Industries 6.3 Mecalux S.A. 6.4 Beumer Group GmbH Co. KG 6.5 Fives Group 6.6 Swisslog Holding AG 6.7 Knapp AG 6.8 TGW Logistics Group GmbH 6.9 Kardex Remster 6.10 Witron Logistik+Informatik GmbH 7. Future of Automated Material Handling Market in Europe For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zdhl7l/the_2019_european?w=4 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005597/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Related Topics: Industrial Automation, Material Handling Equipment VIENNA, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With renowned European financial institutions in its customer portfolio and soon more than 100 million transactions per year, SDS GEOS is one of the key players in the banking technology sector in Europe. The Austrian company SDS (Software Daten Service) is known as a leading provider of outstanding solutions in the field of financial market operations, regulatory reporting and compliance solutions. The flagship product SDS GEOS has been one of the leading solutions for financial market operations for 20 years now and covers the entire value chain, from securities orders to settlement to the processing of corporate actions for all types of securities in a single solution. SDS GEOS' range of services is complemented by software solutions for meeting regulatory requirements such as MiFID II, CRS, FATCA, QI and MAD/MAR. The SDS product portfolio is continuously adapted to the technical, professional and regulatory requirements of the market and thus defines new application standards. SDS GEOS's high degree of flexibility through parameterization and platform independence enable a large number of operating models to be optimized for the respective customer situation. Current SDS GEOS customers in Europe include the Austrian financial institutions UniCredit Bank Austria, Raiffeisen Group and BAWAG P.S.K., BCEE in Luxembourg and HSBC Transaction Services, the German market leader in the securities BPO business. HSBC Transaction Services works for European private banks, online brokers and as a regional sub-custodian for the HSBC Group. The cooperation with Commerzbank announced at the beginning of 2018 doubles the transaction volume of HSBC Transaction Services handled via SDS GEOS. This makes SDS one of the largest providers of standard software for the international financial industry in Europe. Find out more about SDS GEOS and the state-of-the-art SDS portfolio at www.sds.at. Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) Contact: Herbert Reinisch Marketing Manager Europe herbert.reinisch@sds.at +43(676)882-415-188 Guardsquare, a market-leading security company specializing in protecting the next generation of complex mobile applications, has appointed Rene Bonvanie, the CMO of Palo Alto Networks, to its board of directors. Felix Van de Maele, the CEO and co-founder of Belgian data company Collibra-a "unicorn" valued at US$1 billion-is joining as a board advisor. Guardsquare-a company at the forefront of helping enterprises manage the digital transformation of their businesses-makes a widely used open-source security platform already in use with over a million apps to enable agile software innovation. Specifically, the company's technology protects increasingly critical mobile apps, usually being deployed outside corporate firewalls, from dangerous security threats. Guardsquare is pioneering mobile and IoT application security in a world where over 20 billion connected devices are expected to be running applications at the edge by 2020. Earlier this year, Guardsquare announced a $29 million investment from Battery Ventures. As part of the transaction, Battery General Partner Dharmesh Thakker and Battery Principal Paul Morrissey joined Guardsquare's board of directors. The board now welcomes Rene Bonvanie as a new member. Bonvanie has more than thirty years of executive management and marketing experience in enterprise technology and has led marketing at Palo Alto Networks since 2009. Bonvanie also serves on the board of IoT security company Armis and, prior to his current role at Palo Alto Networks, had executive marketing roles at Business Objects, VERITAS, and Oracle. Bonvanie stated: "The cybersecurity landscape is evolving rapidly because of the increasing adoption of connected devices and the advent of new technologies such as 5G. Guardsquare provides security capabilities that are increasingly critical in this changing landscape. I look forward to using my European background and security expertise to drive the adoption of Guardsquare's products on both sides of the Atlantic." Felix Van de Maele will join as a board advisor. Van de Maele is the CEO and co-founder of Belgian unicorn Collibra, a leader in enterprise data governance and catalog software. He brings to the table an impressive track-record in scaling a high-tech European enterprise and gaining a strong foothold in the US market. "Using the experience I gained with Collibra, I am looking forward to providing strategic advice to Guardsquare's board-and am excited to help another Belgian tech company to expand in the US," Van de Maele said. "Bonvanie and Van de Maele both have in-depth knowledge of the software industry and its needs," said Roel Caers, CEO of Guardsquare. "They believe that our company's mobile security solutions are important for any organization operating in this mobile-first world. Both men will join forces with Belgian fintech pioneer and Guardsquare board member Jurgen Ingels to accelerate Guardsquare's growth." About Guardsquare Guardsquare is the global reference in mobile application protection. It was founded in 2014 by Heidi Rakels, Guardsquare's current president, and Eric Lafortune, now CTO of the company. Guardsquare develops premium software for the protection of mobile applications against reverse engineering and hacking. Their products are used across the world in a broad range of industries, from financial services, e-commerce and the public sector to telecommunication, gaming and media. Guardsquare is based in Leuven (Belgium) and San Francisco. Read more on www.guardsquare.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005055/en/ Contacts: Steven Surdiacourt steven.surdiacourt@guardsquare.com +32 (0)16 920 646 NORWICH, England, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovative Norwich-based digital media company, BizClik Media , has launched the second issue of its newest publication, FinTech Magazine. This month, FinTech Magazine has travelled to London and Paris to create exclusive video content within this issue from global insurance and finance giants AXA and Travelex. Following on from the success of the launch issue last month, BizClik Media once again provides readers with the latest insights from industry executives about the digital disruption of finance. "People are moving from using cash and banknotes to more digital solutions, customers nowadays are looking for a smooth and seamless journey when it comes to actually transacting with any company or organisation," Leonardo Tantari, Global IT Director of Travelex comments on the changing financial landscape. With around 140 years of experience in the finance sector, cover star Travelex has 1,200 Bureau de Change outlets across more than 100 airports in 27 countries. Tantari discusses the company's next steps, and why people and communication are key. The issue also includes company reports on global insurance giant AXA (with more exclusive video footage), MLC Life Insurance, Progressive Leasing and PAY-O-MATIC, as well as essential insight from Infosys Finacle, Hyland, Seal Software and Apigee on how technology is continuing to transform insurance and finance. Read the latest issue here . About FinTech Magazine FinTech Magazine is an innovative content platform and community providing industry-leading insight, news, analysis and reports for digital and IT leaders in the world of finance as it undergoes a significant technology transformation. A digital media platform aimed at executives and business leaders, the FinTech brand encompasses a website which is regularly updated with the latest news and insights from the worlds of technology and finance, as well as a monthly magazine featuring interviews with experts in the fields on topics ranging from blockchain and mobile payments to cybersecurity and insurtech. As the industry continues to be disrupted by the advent of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, cashless payments and open banking, look no further than FinTech Magazine where we grill top-tier CTOs, CIOs and more about the digital transformation journeys of leading global businesses and find out how the experts are navigating this exciting new landscape. FinTech Magazine is powered by BizClikMedia, a dynamic and disruptive digital media company. Please send any inquiries or advertisement requests to info@fintechmagazine.com. About BizClik Media BizClik Media Ltd is a diverse, multi-platform digital media company focusing on the global B2B marketplace. We have a passion for great content and we collaborate with the world's most inspiring and innovative business leaders to deliver only the best, most engaging and relevant content to you. With a trusted and recognised publishing portfolio that is home to over 16 brands, including e-magazines and web platforms, combined with our social media marketing and data marketing tools, we have the experience, approach and know-how, to deliver your brand in front of the people that matter. www.fintechmagazine.com Media Contact: Olivia Minnock Editor-in-Chief FinTech Magazine +44-(0)-1603-215-070 oliva.minnock@bizclikmedia.com SpendEdge, a global procurement market intelligence firm, has announced the release of its Global Digital Advertising Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005585/en/ Global Digital Advertising Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report. (Graphic: Business Wire) Globally, the digital advertising services platform is gradually taking over the traditional advertising platform because of the former's broad spectrum of capabilities. This category adoption rate is further being supplemented by the widening access to the internet, smartphones, and minimal mobile data prices. These factors are resulting in an impressive spend momentum for the digital advertising services market during the forecast period. Request a Free Sample of this digital advertising services market intelligence report here! Buyers from the travel industry in the US are increasing their investment in video advertising segment of the digital advertising services market to get an edge above the competitors. It is estimated that this category will witness an investment of nearly $12bn from the travel industry alone in the coming years. South America is witnessing growing popularity of smartphones which is compelling buyers to increase spend on mobile video campaigns and e-mail marketing services to reach a larger customer base. In APAC, nearly 40% of the enterprises are now collaborating with digital advertising agencies to optimize their digital spend and increase their potential customer base. Insights offered in this digital advertising services market intelligence report include supply market forecasts, pricing strategies, category management, and strategic sourcing insights. The category spend segmentation done in this market intelligence report will guide the investors in identifying the best investment areas as well as help them in identifying cost-saving opportunities in the market. Get free customization of this digital advertising services sourcing and procurement report to get information tailored to your every requirement. "The viability of a digital advertising agency must be determined by their hard-selling skills. Such skills will aid buyers to appeal to a larger consumer base within a shorter period," says SpendEdge procurement expert Sumit Yadav This digital advertising market intelligence report has estimated the following cost drivers to influence the category growth in the coming years: Freelancers will observe faster growth in their market share than agencies Increase in labor and compliance costs will remain key risks for agencies Purchase the full digital advertising services market intelligence report here! SpendEdge is now offering limited-time discounts on report purchases. Buy two reports and get the third one for free SpendEdge's procurement market intelligence reports for the marketing category provide detailed supply market forecasts, strategic sourcing insights and cost drivers that influence category pricing strategies. Such information will help procurement managers as well as the suppliers to determine the total cost of ownership and change their procurement strategies accordingly. Additionally, SpendEdge's reports provide category management insights and information on the procurement best practices for the category. Report scope snapshot: Digital advertising services Category pricing insights Pricing outlook Total cost of ownership analysis Supplier cost structure Interested to know more about the scope of our market intelligence reports? Download a FREE sample Cost-Saving Opportunities Supplier-side levers Buyer-side levers Quantifying cost savings by negotiation strategies Want customized information from the digital advertising services sourcing and procurement report? Get in touch Category ecosystem Competitiveness index for suppliers Buyer power Supplier power score To view the table of contents of this market intelligence report, Download a FREE sample Do you purchase multiple reports in a year? Our subscription platform, SpendEdge Insights, provides ready-to-use procurement research reports for various categories. Now access the latest supplier news, innovation landscape, markets insights, supplier tracking, and much more at the click of a button. Start your 7-day FREE trial now Related Reports: Global Advertising Production Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report Global Direct Marketing Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. To know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005585/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us BERLIN, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners of the Merchant Payments Ecosystem Awards 2019 were announced on Wednesday (February 20) at the prestigious MPE Awards Gala Dinner & Ceremony held in the InterContinental Hotel Berlin, attended by 1000+ MPE2019 conference participants. The Merchant Payments Ecosystem Awards (MPE Awards) celebrate and honour the achievements of companies across European merchant payments ecosystem. MPE Awards history started in 2010 as the first European awards to recognize the outstanding role of card acquirers, processors, PSP's, POS and payment solution providers and to honor companies and individuals who helped move the industry forward. For 2019, the categories have been fully updated to reflect the areas that matter most to payment acceptance in today's market. There is a brand new category for MERCHANTS entering the Awards recognising "Best Merchant payment implementation/process." MPE Awards 2019 recognize the best payment companies in 12 categories, divided into 2 groups with different voting/judging process. "Our congratulations go to all of the winners and nominees of the MPE 2019 Awards at the MPE conference," said Natalia Ivanis, Head of Marketing & Media Partnership, Empiria Group (www.empiriagroup.eu), the organizer of the MPE conferences. BEST MERCHANT PAYMENT IMPLEMENTATION/PROCESS AWARD - Computop BEST ON-BOARDING PROCESS / SOLUTION AWARD - Technologi BEST PSP AWARD - Yandex.Money BEST ID, SECURITY & ANTI-FRAUD SOLUTION AWARD - Forter BEST POS INNOVATION / POS SOFTWARE PAYMENT APPLICATIONS AWARD - myPOS Europe BEST MERCHANT PAYMENTS PARTNERSHIP AWARD - Handpoint BEST INTERNATIONAL / CROSS-BORDER PAYMENT SOLUTION AWARD - ACI_Worldwide BEST ACQUIRER / PROCESSOR AWARD - PPRO BEST DATA ANALYTICS & SCIENCE AWARD - Nets Group BEST ALTERNATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTION AWARD - Banking Circle THE MPE INFLUENCER OF THE YEAR AWARDS - Newgen Payments BEST STARTUP INNOVATION AWARD - MuchBetter For further information on MPE Award winners, please visit: https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com/awards MPE 2019 Awards were sponsored by DISCOVER GLOBAL NETWORK https://www.discoverglobalnetwork.com/en-us/ About the MPE: Merchant Payments Ecosystem (MPE) is the Europe's Largest Merchant Payments Conference, Exhibition and community focused on card acquiring, Alternative payments, merchant services, POS, mobile and on-line payment acceptance. MPE ecosystem connects: merchants, acquirers, PSPs, payment processors, schemes, regulators, gateways, POS HW/SW solution providers and innovative FinTechs. Follow the MPE & MPE Awards on Twitter: @EmpiriaGroup mpecosystem MPEAwards Media Contacts: MPE organizer (Empiria Group), Natalia Ivanis, +421-917-802-770, natalia.ivanis@empiriagroup.eu Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/830437/Merchant_Payments_Ecosystem.jpg New Gold-Silver Prospect Discovered near Metates Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Chesapeake Gold Corp. (TSXV: CKG) ("Chesapeake" or "Company") is pleased to provide a progress report on its regional exploration programs near its world class Metates Project and the Tatatila Project in Veracruz State, Mexico. Metates hosts one of the largest undeveloped gold, silver and zinc reserves in the world located in Durango State. Tatatila is a district scale project hosting gold-copper skarn mineralization which strategically surrounds Mexican Gold Corp.'s Las Minas project. "This year our exploration focus will be on the under-explored region surrounding Metates and adjacent areas that would be positively impacted by an operating world class mine. Typically, satellite mineral deposits form clusters around large, world class deposits. Chesapeake's organic project pipeline including new discoveries such as Crisy, would capitalize on the expanded road network and related infrastructure from the future development of Metates" stated Randy Reifel, President. Crisy Project, Durango Crisy is a new discovery several kilometers south of Metates. Crisy covers a northwest trending zone of quartz breccia and stockwork over two kilometers long hosted in shales. Gold-silver mineralization is associated with pyrite and arsenopyrite within quartz veinlets and silicified host rock fragments. Three channel samples over a strike length of 500 meters along the northwest trending zone returned 24 meters of 1.5 g/t gold, 13 meters of 1.1 g/t gold and 14 g/t silver and 4 meters of 2.5 g/t gold and 49 g/t silver. In addition, channel samples taken 200 meters apart from an intersecting northeast trending branch of the zone returned 14 meters of 2.0 g/t gold and 43 g/t silver and 10 meters of 1.4 g/t gold and 9 g/t silver. Chesapeake will continue to map and sample both of these gold and silver bearing structures to understand the geologic controls over the higher grade zones and define additional areas of mineralization. Cerro Pelon Project, Durango Cerro Pelon is located 20 kilometers east of Metates and was discovered during regional reconnaissance. Cerro Pelon hosts intermediate sulfidation quartz veins and stockwork along a north-northwest structural corridor three kilometers by 750 meters and remains open. The epithermal system is localized along the faulted contact between shales and andesites. Channel samples across separate quartz veins and stockworks returned 40 meters of 42 g/t silver, 0.2 g/t gold and 25 meters of 57 g/t silver. Tracing a stream sediment anomaly, a mineralized structure in shales was discovered four kilometers east of Cerro Pelon where a sample cut returned 15 meters at 1.0 g/t gold. San Javier Project, Durango San Javier is located 12 kilometers southeast of Metates. San Javier features two highly altered mineralized zones, SJ Norte and SJ Sur, associated with disseminated and stockwork sulfides. The SJ Norte zone is a four kilometer by one kilometer, east-west trending zone with silver bearing quartz and sulfide stockwork. Silver mineralization is hosted within clay altered sandstone, mudstone and local intrusive dikes and has been traced continuously on surface for over 500 meters. Previous samples returned 60 meters of 71 g/t silver and 0.6% lead. In January, a trench channel sample collected 200 meters further along strike returned 25 meters of 46 g/t silver and 0.5% lead. The SJ Sur zone is a northwest-trending zone three kilometers by 500 meters. Gold mineralization is predominantly associated with disseminated sulfides hosted within argillically altered intermediate intrusive rocks and older sandstones. Two channel samples taken over a 1.2 kilometer strike length returned 48 meters of 1.0 g/t gold and 15 meters of 1.5 g/t gold. Yarely Project, Sinaloa At the Goyo prospect, multi-phase quartz breccias and stockworks are localized along north-south and northeast trending faults. These faults are associated with an altered Tertiary-age rhyolite flow dome complex which has intruded andesitic rocks. As previously reported, a channel sample from one of these structures returned 30 meters of 1.6 g/t gold and 38 g/t silver. Detailed geological mapping and sampling along with petrographic and fluid inclusion studies is being undertaken to determine the zonation within this low sulfidation epithermal system. Tatatila Project, Veracruz Reconnaissance exploration work continues at Tatatila to discover skarn bodies developed along the contact of intrusive dikes and sills and older limestones. Generally northeast-trending garnet-magnetite skarn bodies are often mineralized with gold-silver-copper-zinc from 1 to 10 meters in width. To date, Chesapeake has identified seven prospects at Tatatila. In January, a new discovery was located 500 meters southwest of the Melany skarn prospect where prior sampling returned 67 meters of 1.6 g/t gold, 7 g/t silver and 0.6 % copper. Sampling from three outcrops several hundred meters apart and 300 to 600 meters higher in elevation than Melany returned 2 meters of 28.9 g/t gold, 7 g/t silver and 0.5% zinc; 6 meters of 0.4 g/t gold, 6 g/t silver and 5.6% zinc and 2 meters of 0.14 g/t gold, 65 g/t silver, 2.3% lead and 3.1% zinc. Presently, Chesapeake is well funded with $17.5 million in cash and marketable securities. ALS Global and SGS were the analytical laboratories used for the samples included in this release. The samples sent to ALS were crushed and ground and a representative sample split was sent to Vancouver, Canada for assaying using ALS methods Au-ICP21 and ME-ICP61. Samples sent to SGS were prepared and analyzed at its facilities in Durango, Mexico using Au-FAA and ICP methods. Alberto Galicia, P. Geo, Vice President Exploration for Chesapeake and a Qualified Person as defined by NI43-101, has reviewed the technical information in this release. For more information on Chesapeake and its Metates Project and regional exploration program, please visit our website at www.chesapeakegold.com or contact investor relations at 604-731-1094. CHESAPEAKE GOLD CORP "P. Randy Reifel" P. Randy Reifel President Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward looking statements and information herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding prospective gold, silver and related metal production, timing and expenditures to explore and develop prospective mineral properties, gold, silver and related metal resources, grades and recoveries, cash costs per ounce, capital and operating expenditures and sustaining capital and the ability to fund mine development. The Company does not intend to, and does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Chesapeake and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others: ability to finance mine development, fluctuations in the prices of gold, silver and zinc, fluctuations in the currency markets (particularly the Mexican peso, Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar); changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and Mexico; operating or technical difficulties in mineral exploration, development and mining activities; risks and hazards of mineral exploration, development and mining(including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected geological conditions, pressures, cave-ins and flooding);inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance; availability of and costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, diminishing quantities or grades of mineral reserves as properties are mined; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward- looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43244 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Asterion Cannabis Inc. (P.ASTR) ("Asterion" or the "Company") announces that its wholly-owned Australian subsidiary has entered into a collaborative research contract with the University of Queensland ("UQ") for an eighteen month, 'proof-of-concept' research program (the "Program") with UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation ("QAAFI"). The aim of the Program will be to expedite clonal propagation of elite selections of cannabis plants to enable high volume, uniform plant cultivation to serve the rapidly growing demand for cannabis-based medicines for a wide variety of ailments. The Program is expected to result in the development of a proof of concept for in vitro propagation of the selected cultivars. The research aims to identify and establish a proprietary, genetically stable, repeatable, high yield tissue propagation procedure for a number of cannabis strains. The research is intended to permit Asterion to populate its proposed manufacturing, cultivation and research facility, consisting of approximately 40 hectares (4.3 million square feet or 400,000 square metres), with disease-free plantlets and genetically standardized strains. The intended use of the tissue culture is to provide a pathogen-free source of stable genetics, eliminating the need for mothers and manual cloning procedures. The intellectual property generated through the Program will be wholly-owned by Asterion, creating a suite of technologies and procedures necessary for large scale cannabis facilities. QAAFI is a research institute of the University of Queensland and is one of the world's leading research providers in tropical and sub-tropical agriculture and food production. Working across crops, horticulture, animals, and nutrition and food sciences, QAAFI is supported by the private sector and the Queensland Government. Paget Hargreaves, President of Asterion, commented, "We have worked closely with UQ and QAAFI to develop this exciting research agreement and thank them for their work and support so far. We look forward to this world leading research now commencing and to applying its results and outcomes within Asterion's proposed advanced cultivation, research and processing facility in South East Queensland." Asterion's Chairman and CEO, Mr. Stephen Van Deventer, commented, "This agreement is a game changer for Asterion and cannabis cultivation, not only is QAAFI supported by the Queensland Government, they are ranked in the top five agricultural research institutions in the world. With their ability to provide unparalleled expertise, Asterion is on the way to realizing its vision of being a leader of precision agriculture and producing the highest quality, low cost, genetically uniform strains of cannabis." About Asterion Asterion is a Canadian cannabis company with operations in Australia, specializing in organic medical cannabis with a goal of becoming an industry leader in next generation cannabis products. The Company is focused on the future of precision agriculture and aims to produce the highest quality genetically uniform cannabis strains, at an affordable price. The Company is led by a team of highly experienced executives with over 120 years of combined experience in medical cannabis, renewable energy, capital markets, and other highly relevant sectors across North America, Oceania, Europe, Africa and Asia. On Behalf of the Board of Directors "Stephen Van Deventer" Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Deanna Kress +1-778-999-6063 info@asterioncannabis.com Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future including, without limitation, the outcome and success of the Program, the development functionality and production capacity of the cannabis facility, and the Company's anticipated business plans and prospect of success in executing its plans. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "will", "plans", "expects", "may", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "proposes" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors including, but not limited to, the inability of the Company to, among other things, successfully carry out the Program obtain the required regulatory approvals and financing required for the construction and operation of the cannabis facility, execute its proposed business plans and obtain the financing required to carry out its planned future activities. Other factors such as general economic, market or business conditions or changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting the biotechnology or medical cannabis industry and delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals, may also adversely affect the future results or performance of the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, unless required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the statements, beliefs, plans, expectations, and intentions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that those statements, beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions will prove to be accurate. Readers should consider all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to other periodic reports provided by the Company from time-to-time. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly, are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43223 GOTEBORG, Sweden, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stena Bulk has now had a fleet of 13 IMOIIMAX vessels of MR model on the market for a year, and an evaluation shows that the chemical vessels have been a success, both in terms of performance and business. An IMOIIMAX tanker has 18 separate tanks (3,000 m3/tank), which provides for large freedom of choice as regards combinations of cargoes. The IMOIIMAX vessels are also characterised by high safety and low fuel consumption. "Utilization of and entry into the chemicals market has gone better than expected, and we have secured a good market position that we are continuing to build on. We have achieved this through not only our hard work in marketing, but also through operational performance," confirms the President and CEO Erik Hanell, Stena Bulk. The thirteen sister vessels trade in one of Stena Bulk's global logistic systems, which focuses on refined petroleum products, vegetable oils and chemicals. The fleet consists of 60 vessels related to Products & Chemicals and is operated from Stena Bulk's recently opened office in Copenhagen with support from the company's offices in Singapore, Houston and Dubai and its head office in Gothenburg. "It's now been just over four years since we took delivery of our first vessel in the IMOIIMAX series and the vessels have performed beyond our expectations. Both the technical and the commercial concepts have proved to be very successful and have set a new standard for cargo efficiency and bunker consumption. The IMOIIMAX fleet is a significant and competitive addition to our high-quality fleet. At the same time, it is an important step forward and a development of our existing sophisticated trading system," comments Erik Hanell. Facts - the IMOIIMAX concept IMOIIMAX is a vessel concept with a focus on flexibility and is a further development of an already well-established concept. The innovative technical design was developed by Stena Bulk and Stena Teknik together with the Chinese shipyard GSI. It offers several advantages such as extra large cargo flexibility, a high level of safety and economical fuel consumption. An IMOIIMAX tanker has 18 separate tanks (3,000 m3/tank), which provides for large freedom of choice as regards combinations of cargoes. The tanks have a Jotun Flexline coating, which means that they can also be easily cleansed and thus be used for other cargoes to quickly switch between different markets. Furthermore, the IMOIIMAX tanker's cargo flexibility and ability to quickly cleanse the cargo tanks for different cargoes maximises its capacity utilisation rate. "The vessels perform well in terms of speed and bunker consumption. Additionally, in respect of loading, transport, discharging and tank cleaning, it has technically performed above expectations", concludes Erik Hanell. Ship launching ceremonies have taken place across the globe. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was a public godmother - in Copenhagen there was also a digital ceremony, and in Guangzhou there was even a double naming ceremony. Technical data: length: 183 metres, beam: 32 metres, deadweight: 50,000 tons. The Whole IMOIIMAX fleet - Name, delivery date and owner Stena Impression, 2015, Stena Bulk and Sinarmas Stena Image, 2015, Concordia Maritime Stena Imperial, 2015, Stena Bulk and Sinarmas Stena Important, 2015, Concordia Maritime Stena Imperative, 2016, Stena Bulk StenaWeco Impulse, 2016, Stena Bulk and Stena Weco Stena Imagination, 2016, Stena Bulk and Sinarmas Stena Immortal, 2016, Stena Bulk and Sinarmas Stena Immaculate, 2017, Stena Bulk Stena Impeccable, 2017, Stena Bulk Stena Imperator, 2017, Stena Bulk Stena Imprimis, 2017, Stena Bulk Stena Impero, 2018, Stena Bulk Technical solutions Some of the technical solutions that result in more efficient energy consumption and greater logistic flexibility: Main engine auto-tuning More efficient boiler with recovery from multiple heat sources Recovery of propeller energy loss Aerodynamic design of the accommodation and bridge Flexible cargo handling Nitrogen as inert gas An effective tank-cleansing system For more information about IMOIIMAX concept see https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=ElOFZULSqto https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=wouiwRFeseo For further information, contact: Erik Hanell President & CEO Stena Bulk AB Mobile: +46 704 855 002 erik.hanell@stenabulk.com With offices in six countries, Stena Bulk is one of the world's leading tanker shipping companies. The company controls a combined fleet of around 100 tankers. Stena Bulk is part of the Stena Sphere, which has more than 20,000 employees and sales of SEK 60 billion. www.stenabulk.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/stena-bulk/r/stena-bulk-s-imoiimax-fleet-performs-at-top-level,c2756967 The following files are available for download: DUBAI, UAE, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Spanish leading hospitality company Barcelo Hotel Group has appointed digital marketing agency Nexa as its digital growth and marketing agency for their hotels in the Middle East region. Based in Dubai, but with offices in New York (USA) and Manchester (UK), the award-winning agency will work in partnership with the group to deliver digital growth strategy, social media and integrated campaigns to drive brand awareness and footfall into Barcelo Hotel Group's expanding portfolio of properties. Currently, Barcelo Hotel Group operates four hotels in EAU and it has further plans to expand this portfolio over the coming months. On speaking of the appointment, Ahmad Shaban Fernandez, Vice President Sales & Marketing - Gulf at Barcelo Hotel Group said "I am very pleased with our partnership, as on top of the great reputation Nexa has in the market, they have truly managed to build trust with all key contacts within Barcelo Hotel Group. Nexa with no doubt will assist us in reaching out to the right clients within the region, creating the traffic into our portfolio of hotels, current and future." Amit Vyas, CEO of Nexa, added "We are hugely excited to be working in partnership with Barcelo Hotel Group as they break into the Middle East market and build on the strengths and values of the brand's global reputation. We specialise in providing consulting services for companies who want to develop commercial strategies that enable successful business growth through sales and service excellence, and we are looking forward to delivering tangible results throughout 2019." About Nexa Established in Dubai in 2005, and with additional offices in Manchester and New York, Nexa is a growth marketing agency which has worked with over 700 clients across a wide range industry sectors, providing high quality, effective and measurable digital marketing campaigns. Nexa has built a strong track record and in-house capabilities to support clients through a comprehensive portfolio of services including website design, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Management, Content Marketing and a fully integrated and creative digital marketing strategy. The company provides complete, full-scale digital services from opportunity identification through to delivery, implementation and support of the final technology. This is packaged and delivered by Nexa's in-house experts, providing 24/7 support for all the company's clients. Nexa clients include some of the best-known companies in the automotive, education, travel, hospitality and other industry sectors. www.digitalnexa.com About Barcelo Hotel Group Barcelo Hotel Group is a Spanish family run business with over 85 years of history. It is part of the extensive tourism offerings of the Barcelo Group including tour operators, incoming services, an airline and 700 travel agencies. The Barcelo Hotel Group is the hotel division of the Barcelo Group, which is the 3rd largest chain in Spain and the 29th in the world. It currently operates 250 leisure and city hotels with 4 and 5 stars, and over 54,000 rooms in 22 countries, all marketed under four brands: Royal Hideaway Luxury Hotels & Resorts, Barcelo Hotels & Resorts, Occidental Hotels & Resorts and Allegro Hotels. www.barcelo.com ARIA SDS solution improves threat detection by 80 percent and enables foolproof compliance with industry regulations BOSTON, March 05, 2019, nVoy Seriesand Myricom network adapters. CSPi cybersecurity solutions represent a different approach to threat detection and prevention, stemming from the company's deep expertise supporting network surveillance and intelligence initiatives for the U.S. Department of Defense and other Western intelligence agencies. To improve overall security posture and minimize the threat landscape, organizations must have a way to identify, stop and quickly mitigate potential threats, and should focus on the threats that matter the most, such as those targeting high-value business assets and applications. Doing so requires complete network visibility and the ability to gather the right intelligence to feed existing security tools, like firewalls or SIEMs, to detect such threats. CSPi's cybersecurity solutions provide this capabilities, helping to separate real alerts from false positives and enabling security professionals to conduct real-time incident response by mining specific packet-level data conversations to validate potential threats, while also encrypting the data that requires protection. CSPi's cybersecurity solutions are designed with these objectives in mind and are ideally suited for: Enhanced Network Security Better network visibility leads to better security decisions, and with ARIA SDS, security professionals can more easily and cost-effectively monitor their entire network, including east-west traffic that can comprise up to 80 percent of network traffic. Network policy violations are automatically detected and stopped, preventing data leaks and potential threats. The effectiveness of existing security tools, such as SIEMs, UEBAs and IPS/IDS threat detection rates are dramatically improved as they are fed the right data to detect network-born threats. Improved Data Protection and Application Security CSPi's ARIA SDS applications gives organizations the tools they need to apply layers of protection to their critical business data and production applications and adhere to security-in-depth best practices. With the ARIA PI application, network policy enforcement programmatically controls application access, and the ARIA KMS and microHSM applicationsperform encryption operations without impacting server or application performance. In addition, the ARIA KMS applicationscales with the ability to generate and manage thousands of unique encryption keys, in minutes, at the data, application and/or transaction level, making all high-value business assets unreadable in the event of a breach. Accelerating Incident and Breach Response With ARIA SDS network security applications, it's far easier for security professionals to detect and validate all network-born threats at full line rate allowing for fast and focused incident response. In addition, they help find and validate threats before they become full-blown breaches and can leverage automated API-triggered actions to immediately stop network-born threats. Finally, forensic tools are provided for those incidents found to determine the extent of any damage-ideal for audits and compliance reporting. Carrier-Class Cyber-Visibility and Control CSPi has provided a means to overcome a major deficiency in security product architectures and make cyber-security services easy, if not foolproof, to deploy while hardening them to make them impenetrable and provide true carrier-class high availability and resiliency. The ARIA SDS solution is a scalable carrier-class platform providing the next generation of packet- and flow-level monitoring as well as data conversation control capabilities. Not only is it built to carrier specifications, but it is also on top of a hardened military-grade infrastructure, allowing for a cost-effective approach to widespread packet-level monitoring for layer 3, 4, and 7 visibility. About CSPi CSPi. Myricom and ARIA are trademarks of CSPi Inc. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective owners. Amy Carey VP, Corporate & Security Product Marketing Amy.carey@cspi.com ARLINGTON, Virginia, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Venture Global LNG, Inc. announces that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy has issued the authorization for Venture Global Calcasieu Pass LNG to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas from its Cameron Parish, Louisiana export facility to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries. Under the terms of the order, Calcasieu Pass is authorized to export up to 620 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per year of natural gas (1.7 Bcf/day) for a period of 25 years, to commence on the earlier of the date of first export or seven years from the date of the requested authorization. This order follows the DOE's previous authorizations to export to FTA countries, as well as the recent U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order Granting Authorizations under Sections 3 and 7 of the Natural Gas Act to site, construct and operate the project. Co-CEOs Bob Pender and Mike Sabel jointly stated, "We are excited that we now have all federal authorizations for our Calcasieu Pass project, and we thank the Department of Energy for their expeditious decision. We are pleased that our Calcasieu Pass buyers - Shell, BP, Edison, Galp, Repsol, and PGNiG - can now deliver our low-cost US-produced energy worldwide, and we are proud to bring the benefit of the DOE's decision to our country and our local communities in Louisiana. We have filed our implementation plans with FERC to commence site works imminently." The 10 MTPA nameplate Calcasieu Pass facility will employ a comprehensive process solution from Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) that utilizes mid-scale, modular, factory-fabricated liquefaction trains. Venture Global has executed an integrated turnkey EPC contract with Kiewit to design, engineer, construct, commission, test and guarantee the Calcasieu Pass facility. The company is also developing the 20 MTPA nameplate Plaquemines LNG export facility and associated Gator Express Pipeline in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Plaquemines LNG has executed a binding 20-year SPA with PGNiG. About Venture Global LNG Venture Global LNG is a long-term, low-cost provider of LNG to be supplied from resource rich North American natural gas basins. Venture Global LNG's liquefaction process system employs a highly efficient and reliable suite of products supplied by BHGE. Venture Global LNG is developing both the 10 MTPA Venture Global Calcasieu Pass facility (on an approximately 1,000-acre site located at the intersection of the Calcasieu Ship Channel and the Gulf of Mexico) and the 20 MTPA Venture Global Plaquemines LNG facility (on an approximately 630-acre site in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, 30 miles south of New Orleans on the Mississippi River). Venture Global has raised $855 million of capital to-date to support the development of its projects. More can be found at www.venturegloballng.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/825434/VENTURE_GLOBAL_LNG_INC___Logo.jpg Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia--(March 4, 2019)-- Minera Alamos Inc. (TSXV: MAI) (OTC Pink: MAIFF) (the "Company" or "Minera Alamos") is pleased to announce, further to its press release dated February 26, 2019, that it has closed the non-brokered private placement offering of 49,947,500 common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") at a price of $0.10 per Common Share (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of $4,994,750 (the "Offering"). The Offering included participation of existing institutional investors. As a result, the Donald Smith Value Fund increased its ownership in the Company to ~9.8% and the Aegis Value Fund increased its ownership to ~4.9%. "Minera appreciates the ongoing support of both Donald Smith and Aegis as well as the other participants in the Offering as we begin a transformational year leading toward construction decisions at our Santana and Fortuna gold projects" stated Doug Ramshaw, President of Minera Alamos. Minera Alamos intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for exploration and development of the Company's Santana Project in Sonora, Mexico, and for working capital and general corporate purposes. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid cash finder's fees of $280,200 and issued 2,898,000 finder's warrants (the "Finder's Warrants"). The Finder's Warrants will each be exercisable for one Common Share at the Offering Price for a period of two years following the closing of the Offering. All securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a four month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside Canada. The Offering is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of requisite regulatory filings. The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Minera Alamos Minera Alamos is an advanced-stage exploration and development company with a growing portfolio of high-quality Mexican assets, including the La Fortuna open-pit gold project in Durango with positive PEA completed, the Santana open-pit heapleach development project in Sonora with test mining and processing completed and the Guadalupe de Los Reyes open-pit gold-silver project in Sinaloa with mine planning in progress. The Company is awaiting the pending approval of permit applications related to the commercial production of gold at both the Santana and Fortuna projects. The Company's strategy is to develop low capex assets while expanding the project resources and pursue complementary strategic acquisitions. CONTACT INFORMATION: Minera Alamos Inc. Doug Ramshaw, President 604-600-4423 dramshaw@mineraalamos.com www.mineraalamos.com Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking information and Minera Alamos cautions readers that forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations of Minera Alamos included in this news release. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements", which often, but not always, can be identified by the use of words such as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". These statements are based on information currently available to Minera Alamos and Minera Alamos provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements with respect to Minera Alamos' future plans, objectives or goals, to the effect that Minera Alamos or management expects a stated condition or result to occur and the expected timing. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Such statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in the Company's public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this news release, including without limitation those listed above. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Minera Alamos' forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on Minera Alamos' forward-looking statements. Minera Alamos does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by Minera Alamos or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43247 Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - UrbanGold Minerals Inc. (TSXV: UGM) ("UrbanGold" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce that following its recent IPO (Initial Public Offering) it has entered into an investor relations agreement (the "Agreement") with First Canadian Capital Corp. ("FCCC") to provide market awareness services. The Agreement dated March 4, 2019 is for a period of 12 months at a fee of $6,000 per month. Pursuant to the Agreement, UrbanGold has granted a stock option to FCCC to purchase 350,000 shares at an exercise price of $0.135 per share which shall vest at to one-quarter immediately and one-quarter on the three month, six month and 12 month anniversaries of the grant date. Jens E. Hansen, P. Eng, Chairman of the board of directors of UrbanGold commented: "UrbanGold is a brand new exploration company with experienced geological management. Bringing FCCC on board as part of the team to assist us with market awareness is key to the long term success. I have previously worked with FCCC and its president Jason Monaco with effectiveness and success and very much look forward to continuing our relationship.This enables our geological management to concentrate on exploration." About First Canadian Capital Corp. Celebrating its 22nd year, Toronto-based First Canadian Capital develops strategic platforms for North American corporations that are utilized to gain exposure to and recognition within the capital markets. First Canadian's core competencies are centered around identifying quality assets and undervalued companies with high growth potential. About UrbanGold UrbanGold is incorporated under the federal laws of Canada and has its principal office in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. UrbanGold is operating exclusively in Quebec, a high priority geological environment. Its focus is on priority exploration environments based on management's historical knowledge. These environments include: - Urban-Windfall-StarGold - Troilus-Frotet - James Bay UrbanGold has not yet determined whether these properties might contain mineral reserves that are economically recoverable, and UrbanGold is considered to be in the exploration stage. Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. "Forward-looking information" includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "potential" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Corporation to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information. See "Risk Factors" in the Corporation's Final Prospectus dated December 13, 2018 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of these risks. The Corporation cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required by law, the Corporation does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. For further information Mathieu Stephens, Chief Executive Officer mstephens@urbangoldminerals.com Jens Hansen, Chairman of the Board jhansen@urbangoldminerals.com Phone (613) 721-2919 www.urbangoldminerals.com Jason Monaco, First Canadian Capital Corp. jmonaco@firstcanadiancapital.com Phone: 416-742-5600 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43246 (CNN) Luke Perry, a talented actor and a generation-crossing heartthrob, died Monday. And as these things usually go, there is a great outpouring of grief across the media -- especially social media. Here, the reaction to his death is tinged with a particular kind of discomfort. Perry was just 52, not much older than those fans who watched his '90s breakout show, "Beverly Hills, 90210," in their teens and early 20s. Despite his bad boy persona, Perry didn't die from driving too fast or overdosing on drugs or living too hard. He just -- died, as so many humans do, from a seemingly indiscriminate failure of the body. A massive stroke, his publicist said. For Perry's older fans, his death is a reminder of a youth that is receding in the rearview mirror, even as mortality is approaching way too fast. I was only 7 when "90210" premiered in 1990, and through its '90s heyday I was strictly barred from watching it by parents who thought its portrayals of teenage sex, drug use, sexual assault and suicide were inappropriate for a child a long way from a learner's permit (parents whom I believed were wholly unreasonable authoritarians hellbent on bankrupting my social cache). But Luke Perry was everywhere anyway, and most particularly in teen magazines and on the bedroom walls of my peers with more libertine (or perhaps more neglectful) parents. Zack Morris of "Saved by the Bell" may have been the parent-approved object of middle school infatuation, but for teenage and adolescent girls, Perry's "90210" character, Dylan McKay, was the real deal. I didn't need to watch "90210" to know that Dylan McKay was sex in sunglasses. "He's just a nice guy who's fine looking and who's not afraid to show his feelings." Madeleine Pinzon, 17 at the time, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in 1991. "If all the guys in the world were like him, everything would be perfect." Perry saw his career resurge in recent years, thanks to his role on the hit show "Riverdale." I haven't seen it, but I have to imagine that with that swagger and that face, there must be at least a hint of hot dad in his character for his new younger fans (and their parents) to admire, making Perry the rare teenage heartthrob who turned into a middle-aged fox. But it would have been hard to top his "90210" days. The writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner tweeted Monday, "All you Riverdale stans, step back and remember when we SHOWED UP for Luke Perry and didn't just tweet at him. Yes, we showed up. And then ran him out of malls via stampede." (She also tweeted a link to a Sun Sentinel piece about malls descending into teenage chaos on Perry's arrival. "My friend Jenn sent me this. She was there," Brodesser-Akner wrote.) Those same girls (and a few boys) who stormed malls in the early '90s (some even getting injured in the rush), are now nearing 50 themselves. Given that the average American woman lives to be 81 and the average man 76, Perry's death comes, culturally and statistically, far too soon -- and closer to the current ages of his then-teenage fans than to the national average. Perhaps that's part of what is so jarring. If only the good die young, and many of the young die from the wildness of youth, we at least want to believe that those who die in the in-between of middle age did something to speed it all along. When someone vibrant, prosperous and beautiful dies simply because of a corporeal malfunction, it becomes painfully clear that while we can and should take care of ourselves, much of how we exit this life is beyond our control. It is also a reminder that many of us are tipping into the middle of -- or second half of -- life's ledger. Luke Perry was a flesh-and-blood human whose passing forces us to face that we are now at an age where our teen idols' bodies give out -- which is, inconveniently, also an age where our bodies could do the same. There is no positive spin on death, nothing that is made better by the passing of a talented, charismatic, and by all accounts thoroughly decent man. And these middle-aged celebrity deaths, arms-length as they are, may shock and sadden us, but they do not utterly level us or fundamentally change our lives like the deaths of close loved ones. They do offer unique moments for sincere reflection on our own choices, and our own paths. We may not end up walking as far as we would like. Are we happy with the trail we have left behind us? Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Lara Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: LRA) ("Lara" or the "Company") has, due to investor demand, increased its private placement to $2,000,000 through the issuance of 4,000,000 units at $0.50 per unit. Each unit shall consist of one common share and half of one non-transferable, common share purchase warrant. Each full warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share at $0.70 for two years. If, after four months from closing, the closing price of the Company's shares on the TSX Venture Exchange is $1.00 or greater for any period of 10 consecutive trading days, the Company may, by news release issued within five trading days thereof, accelerate the expiry of the warrants to the 21st trading day after such news release. The Company will pay finder's fees in respect of subscriptions from investors introduced by a finder. The fee will be payable in cash, or at the finder's election, the issuance of that number of units equal to 5% of the number of units issued pursuant to such subscriptions. There can be no assurance that the private placement will be completed as proposed or at all, and it is subject to all applicable regulatory approvals. The Shares, and any Shares issued on the exercise of the Warrants and finder's fee Warrants, will be subject to a four-month restricted resale period. Mr. Miles Thompson, President and CEO of the Company, has undertaken to invest $200,000 to purchase 400,000 units of the private placement. The proceeds of the offering will be used by Lara to support new business efforts and for general corporate purposes. About Lara Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and then exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects and deposits in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Chile. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA". For further information on Lara Exploration Ltd. please consult our website www.laraexploration.com, or contact Chris MacIntyre, VP Corporate Development, at +1 416 703 0010. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined in the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available. -30- NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES NOR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43248 TURNOVER INCREASED BY +13% OPERATING INCOME OF 4.8M, A STRONG INCREASE OF +207% OPERATING PROFITABILITY OF 20% A HEALTHY BALANCE SHEET VALIDATION OF STRATEGIC CHOICES FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND PROFITABLE MODEL Meyreuil (13), March 5, 2019. Global EcoPower (Euronext Growth - FR0011289198 - ALGEP) publishes its consolidated annual accounts for the 2018 financial year, marked by a +13% increase in turnover to 24.6 million, a strong increase in EBITDA (+40%) reaching 3.8 million and a net profit of 2.7 million. Operating income rose by +207% to 4.8 million. Operating profitability thus reached 19.7% for the financial year. These results demonstrate the relevance of the Group's strategy, which aims to design ecological units with high added value, positive energy and total or partial self-consumption. Building permits for these projects are now obtained beforehand by the Group, which no longer needs to pay significant sums to acquire them. Global EcoPower is fully in line with the ecological transition. Jean-Marie SANTANDER, President and CEO, comments: Global EcoPower celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. And we are very proud to present these results of a year rich in achievements and structuring of the group. The growth momentum and, above all, the very strong increase in the level of profitability confirms what we announced in April 2017 on the construction of a sustainable and profitable development model. Indeed, Global EcoPower now works to obtain its own building permits and creates high value-added ecological complexes implementing different power plants, which greatly improves its profitability leverage. These good results lead to a significant net profit per share of 0.41. In K 31/12/2018 31/12/2017 Variation Turnover 24,574 21,792 +13% EBITDA EBITDA margin (in % of turnover) 3,758 15.3% 2,693 12.3% +40% Operating result Operating margin (in % of turnover) 4,844 19.7% 1,579 7.2% +207% Financial result -89 -109 Net income of the consolidated group Net margin (in % of turnover) 2,677 10.9% -1,255 N/A N/A Group share of net income Group share of net margin (in % of turnover) 2,687 10.9% -1,255 N/A N/A The annual accounts were approved by the Board of Directors on March 04, 2019. The published accounts are audited consolidated accounts. KEY EVENTS OF THE 2018 FINANCIAL YEAR Global EcoPower is currently building a new generation energy complex in Payra-sur-l'Hers, Aude, which combines several power generation technologies: ground-based photovoltaic power plants, greenhouse rooftop PV plants and two cogeneration plants, representing just over 20 MW of installed capacity. The greenhouses, also built by the Group, will be used for the cultivation of spirulina (production target: 70 tons per year), a blue-green alga that reproduces by photosynthesis in freshwater basins. The Group is responsible for all the operations of this alga-solar complex: development, financing and construction of the ecological project using positive energy and individual self-consumption. To qualify for the C13 tariff, the Group built the two cogeneration plants before October 30, 2018. The C13 tariff (for a period of 12 years) is an advantageous tariff for cogeneration producers who produce electricity and heat simultaneously. The Group now has two cogeneration plants of 4,375 kWe each, for a total of 8,750 kWe. Global EcoPower has also acquired two companies involved in the cultivation, design of processed products and marketing of premium spirulina: La Spiruline de Normandie and Algae Natural Products. In 2018, spirulina production worldwide was estimated at 15,000 tons and is expected to grow by 11% per year, reaching 25,000 tons by 2023 (source: Roland Berger report). From now on, the Group will benefit from the skills of the founders of these two companies. Global EcoPower has signed a 5-year (renewable) partnership agreement with the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA). This partnership launched with the Technological Research Department of the CEA (CEA Tech) provides for a research and development program on the cultivation of microalgae under photovoltaic greenhouses, on the management and self-consumption of solar energy and on the various synergies linking these two fields. Finally, in terms of governance, a settlement agreement was signed on October 16, 2018 between Global EcoPower and certain of its significant non-executive shareholders, under the aegis of the Commercial Court of Aix en Provence, thus putting an end to certain difficulties relating in particular to the application of the rules governing the identification and transparency of shareholding. The amount of the sale concerned 38.55% of the share capital, i.e. 2,543,300 shares. CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL RESULTS 2018 Consolidated income statement The GEP group's consolidated turnover amounted to 24,574k, compared with 21,792k in 2017 (+13%). Operating income increased by +207%, from 1,579k in 2017 to 4,844k in 2018, representing an operating margin of nearly 20% compared to just over 7% a year earlier. GEP posted a consolidated net income of 2,677k, representing a solid Group share of net margin of around 11%. Consolidated balance sheet In view of these good results, GEP's consolidated equity rose from 8,333k at the end of 2017 to 11,311k at December 31, 2018, i.e. an increase of nearly +39%, the number of shares in circulation having increased from 6,264,094 at December 31, 2017 to 6,598,174 at December 31, 2018. These 334,080 new shares result from the creation of 91,112 free shares granted to employees (2014 allocation program) and 242,968 shares resulting from the exercise of 200,000 share subscription warrants (BSA). Consolidated cash position Consolidated available cash at the end of the year went from 8,098k in 2017 to 746k in 2018. The level of working capital requirement should be assessed in a context of considering the turnover on a percentage-of-completion basis. Most of the turnover for the 2018 financial year was invoiced at the end of the financial year and was therefore not collected at that date The development of the Payra-sur-l'Hers alga-solar complex and the obtaining of five building permits (for five power plants) at the end of 2017 led to the start of construction works in the first half of 2018 (to qualify for the C13 tariff on both cogeneration plants) and the works were financed from the Group's own equity during the period. It should be recalled that the financing of the operation required approximately 7 million of equity. In addition, the high (one-off) level of working capital requirements is explained by the fact that GEP must ensure the construction until the establishment of bank financing (read below). Financial debts Financial debt was limited to 2.4M at December 31, 2018, compared to 2.6M a year earlier. EVENTS SUBSEQUENT TO DECEMBER 31, 2018 Global EcoPower finally opted for a single lender with whom it signed a term sheet on February 20, 2019 for the financing of the Hers alga-solar complex for a total amount of 25 million. The mandate was entrusted to a European specialist in long-term non-bank financing which manages more than 5 billion in commitments through its various debt funds and finances infrastructure projects, in particular photovoltaic plants. The company is therefore very confident in the success of this financing. The Group commissioned a spirulina market study from Roland Berger in February 2019, which confirms the opportunities to market raw spirulina in B2B and products in B2C. Roland Berger's conclusions are as follow: The marketing of a raw spirulina of French origin seems attractive, The opportunity to market B2C products is real, Most of the spirulina producers in the world are specialized and address both the B2B (raw spirulina) and B2C segments; The production could be built around three differentiation criteria: quality, "made in France" and security of supply. The origin of spirulina and processed products, when they are well "marketed", induces a premium positioning of products and manufacturing processes. In line with the new structure of its capital at the end of the year, and following the general meeting of December 2018, Global Ecopower structured its governance in January with a Board of Directors composed of professionals. The new Board of Directors is assisted by a Strategic Board and an Investment Board. This new governance gives Global Ecopower the means to establish and accelerate its development. PROSPECTS In ten years, Global Ecopower has built up an expertise recognized by industrialists, with a highly profitable business model. New axes, linked to spirulina, offer important relays, making it possible to envisage an acceleration of growth, while preserving Global Ecopower's profitability at a high level. About GEP Global EcoPower, a company based in Meyreuil (13), researches, designs, develops, finances and builds ecological positive energy projects that implement high value-added products and renewable energies, in particular wind and photovoltaic energy GEP is listed on the Euronext Growth Market in Paris (ISIN code: FR0011289198 - mnemo: ALGEP). GEP is eligible for PEA-PME. Contacts Global EcoPower Philippe PERRET Executive Vice President Tel.: + 33 442 245 016 contact@global-ecopower.com ACTUS Finance Vivien FERRAN Press Relations Tel.: + 33 1 53 67 36 34 vferran@actus.fr ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Recevez gratuitement par email les prochains communiques de la societe en vous inscrivant sur www.actusnews.com Communique integral et original au format PDF:Telecharger le PDF Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that BB&T Securities has agreed to return more than $5 million to retail investors and pay a $500,000 penalty to settle charges that a firm it acquired misled its advisory clients into believing they were receiving full service brokerage services in-house at a discount while significantly less expensive options were available externally. According to the SEC's order, Valley Forge Asset Management used misleading statements and inadequate disclosures about its brokerage services and prices to convince customers to choose the in-house broker. Despite promises of a high level of service at a low cost, the SEC's order finds that Valley Forge did not provide any additional services to advisory clients using its in-house brokerage than it did to advisory clients who chose other brokerages with significantly lower commission rates. According to the order, Valley Forge charged commissions averaging roughly 4.5 times more than what clients would have paid using other brokerage options, and the firm obscured the price difference by claiming that it was giving clients a 70 percent discount off of its supposed retail commission rate. "Valley Forge put its own interests ahead of its advisory clients, causing them to spend more money unnecessarily by portraying inaccurate costs and benefits of using its in-house brokerage," said Kelly L. Gibson, Associate Director of Enforcement in the SEC's Philadelphia Regional Office. "Dual registrants and advisers with affiliated broker-dealers must accurately disclose all conflicts of interest arising from their brokerage arrangements. The SEC's examination and enforcement programs will continue to identify these types of violations and return money to harmed retail investors as quickly as possible." The SEC's order finds that BB&T Securities as the successor in interest to Valley Forge violated Sections 206(2) and 207 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Without admitting or denying the findings, BB&T Securities consented to a cease-and-desist order, a censure, and agreed to pay disgorgement of $4,712,366 and prejudgment interest of $497,387, which it will distribute to affected current and former clients through a Fair Fund, as well as a $500,000 penalty. BB&T Securities has ended Valley Forge's existing directed brokerage program by amending its cost structure and its disclosures. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Norman P. Ostrove and Scott A. Thompson of the Philadelphia Regional Office with support from Eric Elefante, Scott Fisher, Michelle Eichner, Andy Green, Andy Groum, Joseph Francks, and Brian Carroll from the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations. The case was supervised by Ms. Gibson. Blackline's G7 Insight programme automates regulatory compliance reporting while delivering the industry's first and only location-enabled data analytics software BRADFORD, England, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Yorkshire Water, a prominent water and sewerage company in the UK has placed a 1.1m order for Blackline Safety (TSXV: BLN) connected safety products and services, through Blackline's distribution partner, Breathe Safety. In the field and throughout facilities, Yorkshire Water personnel face the risk of environmental gas exposure to flammable, toxic and asphyxiating gases while delivering water services to over five million homes and a quarter of a million businesses. Under this order, Blackline will deliver its single and four-gas G7c detectors with integrated 3G wireless and a five-year G7 Insight service programme. Blackline-provided services include cloud-hosted software with automated configuration management, regulatory compliance tools and location-enabled data analytics. Phil Stubley, Contract Manager at Yorkshire Water said, "We are really excited to roll out the Blackline G7c product across Yorkshire Water through our newly awarded contract with Breathe Safety." Helen Keeling, Health and Safety Manager at Yorkshire Water added, "The Blackline G7c will replace our current fleet of monitors, and we are looking forward to the benefits and safety enhancements these new devices will bring as we develop a better understanding of our H 2 S issues," "From our market research, Blackline are real industry leaders and have completely redesigned the way we think about gas monitoring." "To keep their field teams safe, Breathe Safety helped Yorkshire Water evaluate and approve the best safety monitoring technology available," said Adam Moodie, General Manager at Breathe Safety. "By deploying Blackline's G7c personal detector, Yorkshire Water will solve the regulatory compliance reporting challenge once and for all. With the G7 Insight programme, it's easy to confirm that G7c devices are properly tested, calibrated and being used appropriately by personnel." "Blackline's data analytics software provides Yorkshire Water with never-seen-before insights into their gas detection programme," said Gavin Boorman, Managing Director at Blackline Safety Europe. "All data reported from employee-worn G7c gas monitors seamlessly uploads to the cloud-hosted Blackline Safety Network. Yorkshire Water can efficiently access and visualise data from every device in the field with help from over ten automatic reports. With a few clicks of their mouse, the Yorkshire health and safety team can see every calibration, plus they can map the location of every low-level gas reading in order to proactively plan appropriate actions." Future-proofing their investment, Blackline clients can add a range of real-time services to their G7 Insight connected safety programme: Push-to-talk service that enables G7c detectors to operate as a walkie-talkie Deployment of specialised gas detection sensors and the option for a built-in pump Real-time alerting and emergency response management tools Two-way voice calling with the live monitoring team 24/7 live monitoring by Blackline's Alarm Receiving Centre partners To learn more about Blackline Safety's connected portfolio, visit www.blacklinesafety.com and follow Blackline Safety Europe on Twitter @blacklineeurope. About Yorkshire Water: Through over 62,000 miles of pipework, Yorkshire Water provides 1.24 billion litres of drinking water every single day across one of England's biggest counties. Since privatisation, Yorkshire Water has invested more than 20 billion in maintaining and improving water and waste water services and the environment. With over 3,500 personnel, we are committed to the safety and wellbeing of every employee in the workplace and actively seek progressive solutions that reduce the risk of our workforce. About Breathe Safety: Since our inception, the Breathe Safety name has been synonymous with sustaining life in hazardous environments and providing a quality service to clients in a variety of industries. Providing a full spectrum of support services in the critical areas of confined space working and respiratory protective solutions, we have been involved with a range of equipment, including gas detectors and breathing apparatus to ATEX lighting and air movers, winches, tripods and harnesses. Hire, sales, service, calibration, training, consultancy and rescue are all among the services which we offer to clients, with the intention of providing a turnkey solution for this important area of safety. About Blackline Safety: Blackline Safety is a global connected safety technology leader. Providing comprehensive live-monitoring and wireless gas detection, we help teams working in hazardous environments respond to emergencies in real-time and manage efficient evacuations, accounting for everyone's safety along the way. With millions invested in technology research and development, Blackline Safety is recognised for quality and innovation. Our talented team of designers and engineers create and manufacture in-house - from wearable technology and personal gas detectors to cloud-hosted infrastructure and web-based interfaces for global industry. We deliver the world's first turn-key, work-anywhere, connected safety monitoring solution with gas detection, 3G wireless, satellite communications, two-way speakerphone, push-to-talk, location-enabled data analytics and live monitoring to meet the demanding safety challenges and increase productivity of organisations in over 100 countries. For more information, visit www.blacklinesafety.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Gavin Boorman, Managing Director Blackline Safety Europe Email: gboorman@blacklinesafety.com Telephone: +44-1787-222684 Unit 11, Wakes Hall Business Centre, Wakes Colne, Colchester, Essex, CO6 2DY UK Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. (CSE: LDS) (OTCQX: LDSYF) (FSE: LD6) (WKN: A14XHT) ("LDS" or the "Company") announced today that it has arranged a non-brokered private placement offering of up to 14,285,715 units of the Company (the "Units"), at a price of CDN$0.35 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds to LDS of up to CDN$5,000,000 (the "Offering"). Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share (a "Warrant Share") for a period of one year from the date of issuance at an exercise price of CDN$0.70 per Warrant Share. The Company may accelerate the expiry of the Warrants if the Company's daily volume weighted average share price on the Canadian Stock Exchange (or such other stock exchange the Company may be trading on) is equal to or greater than CDN$1.00 for 10 consecutive trading days. Net proceeds from the Offering will be used primarily towards the Company's strategic growth initiatives including its planned construction of a dispensary, initiation of Canadian operations pursuant to the LOI with National Green Biomed Ltd, and for general working capital purposes. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. About Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. is a technology company that licenses its technology to a state-of-the-art production and packaging facility located in Southern California. The Company's technology produces infused strips (similar to breath strips) that are not only a safer, healthier option to any other form of delivery but also allows for inclusion of a wide spectrum of ingredients from over the counter medications to homeopathic, nutraceutical, vitamins and supplements. The technology provides a new way to accurately meter the dosage and assure the purity of selected product. From start to finish, the production process, based on the Company's technology, tests for quality and composition of all the ingredients used in each and every strip which results in a delivery system that is safe, consistent and effective. On behalf of the board of directors of Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. Brad Eckenweiler CEO & Director FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: investor.relations@lifestyledeliverysystem.com 1-866-347-5058 Cautionary Disclaimer Statement: The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. In addition, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Although Congress has prohibited the US Justice Department from spending federal funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws, this prohibition must be renewed each year to remain in effect. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43251 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 5, 2019 / Unity Metals Corp. (the "Company") (TSXV: UTY) is pleased to announce that the Company has staked an additional 530 hectares of mineral claims in the Phillips Arm Gold Camp, where gold exploration and production began in the 1800's. These additional claims are known as the Hewitt Point Project, and adjoin the Company's Margurete Gold Project. The claims comprising the Hewitt Point Project have been intermittently explored since 1981 with ground geophysics, soil sampling, outcrop mapping and sampling, as well as an airborne VTEM survey, the latter in 2008. With these additional claims, the Company now controls 1208 hectares of prospective gold claims in the project area. Of particular interest, first pass prospecting by Long Lac Mineral Exploration, under the supervision of F.D. Forgeron Ph D. Geochemistry, identified and mapped two sulfidic rock samples, anomalous in gold, at Hewitt Point. A massive sulfide sample (F-29), located near a historic mine adit assayed 6.2g/t Au and over 2% Cu. A pyritic quartz sample (F-9-2) was obtained at a shear zone near a historic mine shaft at the south end of Hewitt Point and assayed 6.95g/t Au, 1300ppm Mo and over 50ppm Ag. Several anomalous gold-in-soil zones were also identified in Fogeron's 1981 program. Through an analysis of historic data, the Company believes that the new claims cover what may be a mineralized subparallel splay to the fault hosting mineralization at the Doratha Morton Mine, 2.6km to the southwest and which is en-echelon with the Company's principal holdings in the area. The claims also contain the contact between the intrusives and volcaniclastic rocks that hosts gold mineralization at the historic Alexandra, Enid-Julie, and Doratha Morton Mines-all of which are within 3.0km to the south and southwest of Hewitt Point. Historic gold production in the area averaged 0.42 oz/ton gold. The Hewitt Point Project will be explored in conjunction with the Margurete Gold Project. The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Justin Rensby, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101. About the Company Unity Metals Corp. is a Vancouver-based gold exploration company. The Company controls a 100% interest in the Margurete Gold Project, which covers 678ha of mineral claims, located in the Phillips Arm gold camp, approximately 200 kilometers northwest of Vancouver in southwest British Columbia, Vancouver Mining Division. The project is on trend with the historic Doratha Morton and Alexandria gold mines, which were active in the late 1800's. The Margurete project was last explored in 2015 with property-wide prospecting, mapping and rock chip sampling run in parallel with a targeted diamond drilling program. The primary target at the Margurete Gold Project is the FB Zone, where Falconbridge drilled multiple gold bearing intervals at shallow depths. For more information, please visit www.unitymetalscorp.com . On behalf of the Company, Peter Born Peter Born, President Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. SOURCE: Unity Metals Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/538007/Unity-Metals-Increases-Holdings-in-Phillips-Arm-Gold-Camp TOKYO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantstamp, a Y Combinator-backed smart contract security company, is proud to announce it is establishing a limited liability company, Quantstamp Japan GK, to assist Japanese startups and enterprises in using secure blockchain technology. This establishment follows significant investment from Nomura Holdings and Digital Garage. Quantstamp uses computer-based reasoning tools to provide services that help identify and secure vulnerabilities in smart contracts - a key component of blockchain technology. It provides an automated tool for developers and users to check smart contracts for well-known vulnerabilities, as well as white-glove auditing services to help secure large-scale blockchain projects. Its services have been used to secure more than $500 million of transaction value. "I'm pleased to announce Quantstamp's formal expansion to Japan, Japan is an important market in digital payments," says Richard Ma, co-founder, and chief executive officer of Quantstamp Inc. "We're expanding our presence as we think that the market for smart contract-driven applications here is strong and will only be growing." "As blockchain technology is adopted in the financial world, smart contracts will play an increasingly important role. Security assurances through auditing and certification will become increasingly indispensable," notes Chuzaburo Yagi, Senior Managing Director in charge of Innovations at Nomura Holdings, Inc. "I believe Quantstamp is well positioned to support this role as they work to secure smart contract technology." "I think that Quantstamp offers the best service on the market. It's the best solution for identifying and mitigating smart contract vulnerabilities," says Yasuhiro Mimura, Managing Director of DG Incubation Co., Ltd. "With their knowledge and experience on smart contract security, we are hoping for further breakthroughs in the future." Quantstamp is a leader in smart contract security, preventing security breaches at some of the world's largest blockchain companies. Quantstamp's engineering team is familiar with software security, formal verification, static analysis and have more than 900 Google Scholar citations. About Quantstamp Quantstamp is a blockchain security company that conducts manual audits and automated scans and is developing security products, services, protocols, and other automated security tools powered by QSP. The Quantstamp protocol aims to enhance smart contract security and the reputation of projects that create smart contracts by producing openly accessible scan reports. Get an audit or run a security scan today at https://quantstamp.com/. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/831219/Quantstamp_Nomura_DG_Incubation.jpg Burlington, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 5, 2019) - Rapid Dose Therapeutics Corp. (CSE: DOSE) ("RDT" or the "Company"), a Canadian bio-technology company focused on innovative drug and active ingredient delivery solutions, is pleased to announce it has been successful in obtaining a summary judgment against CTT Pharmaceutical Holdings, Inc. ("CTT") dismissing CTT's lawsuit against RDT. Justice E.M. Morgan of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice wrote in the Court's decision, "There is no genuine issue requiring a trial. The issue is dismissed" and ordered CTT to pay RDT $40,000 for legal fees incurred in the defense of the lawsuit launched in September 2018, in addition to $5,000 previously awarded against CTT for costs of a prior successful motion brought by RDT requesting security for costs relating to the lawsuit. The Dismissal Order In 2017, RDT had entered into an agreement with CTT to purchase its assets contingent upon RDT completing due diligence investigations to evaluate the patents and other assets and liabilities of CTT. During RDT's investigations, issues arose that gave RDT serious cause for concern. CTT then terminated the agreement in October 2017. Jason Lewis, RDT's SVP Business Development, stated that "Despite our best efforts, we were unable to validate claims made by CTT about its intellectual property, its research, its financial position, or its ability to actually produce the product, and CTT subsequently terminated the agreement." Less than a year later, in September 2018, while RDT was preparing to go public on the Canadian Securities Exchange, CTT launched a lawsuit against RDT claiming that information CTT had shared in 2017 had been used by RDT inappropriately to gain an advantage. RDT stood firm from the outset of the lawsuit that at no time had it misused confidential information provided to it by CTT. Mr. Lewis added that "We were determined to prove that at no time have we misused any information obtained during our due diligence efforts in 2017 to evaluate CTT and its product claims. In fact, the Court found that the information identified by CTT to the Court was not confidential at all." Through the course of the lawsuit, affidavits and numerous documents were presented by CTT then reviewed and challenged by RDT through cross examinations of CTT's witnesses. The Court heard critical information that completely exonerated RDT and its executive team against CTT's claim that any confidential information was inappropriately used by RDT. Justice Morgan commented in the Court's written decision that "the failure of the Plaintiff (CTT) to put evidence in the record that describes the nature of the information supposedly misused by the Defendant (RDT)is fatal to this claim." In respect of CTT, Justice Morgan observed that "The patents, however, were not commercially viable and the Plaintiff never managed to monetize them. The Plaintiff's last available financial report shows that the Plaintiff has no operations, no cash flow, and is unlikely to generate cash flow in the foreseeable future. It also states that there is substantial doubt about the ability of the company to continue as a going concern." The Prior Motion On January 29, 2019, Master Abrams of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice had ordered CTT to pay $50,000 to the Court as security for costs of these proceedings and $5,000 to RDT for the costs of the motion. Master Abrams stated in her reasons for the decision to require CTT to pay a security deposit that" the Plaintiff ascribes no value to its patents and has admitted that its 2010 and 2014 patents have never been commercialized. The Plaintiff has not obtained Health Canada approval, is making no products, has no suppliers, has no distribution chains, has no operations, and has no cashflow." RDT's Perspective Mark Upsdell, President and Chief Executive Officer of RDT, stated that "RDT is pleased with the decision of the Court to dismiss this lawsuit. We believe that the Court's decision vindicates our Company and demonstrates that RDT's commitment to good business practices, excellence in research and development, and building solid relationships with leading companies has created a solid foundation for growth. We can now put this matter behind us and continue to drive QuickStrip into the global market." RDT would like to express its sincerest appreciation to RDT's legal counsel, Alan Lenczner and Derek Knoke of Lenczner Slaght, Toronto, for vigorously defending RDT in this matter and expeditiously bringing it to a successful conclusion. About Rapid Dose Therapeutics Rapid Dose Therapeutics Corp. is a publicly-traded Canadian biotechnology company providing innovative, proprietary drug delivery technologies designed to improve outcomes and quality of lives. RDT offers Quick, Convenient, Precise and Discreet choices to consumers. RDT is focused and committed to clinical research and product development for the healthcare manufacturing industry - including nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cannabis industries. Within the cannabis sector, RDT also provides a turn-key Managed Strip Service Program enabling RDT's QuickStrip proprietary drug delivery technology to be licensed to select operators in identified markets. RDT's service-based annuity contracts drive recurring revenue and facilitate rapid expansion into emerging markets across multiple consumer segments. RDT is committed to continually create innovative solutions for humans, animals and plants. For more information, visit: www.rapiddose.ca For inquiries please contact: Mark Upsdell CEO mupsdell@rapid-dose.com Ofc (416) 477-1020 Ali Mahdavi, Managing Director Spinaker Capital Markets Inc. am@spinakercmi.com Ofc (416) 962-3300 CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain information in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend", "will", "could", "are planned to", "are expected to" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Statements containing forward-looking information, including, without limitation, in respect of the delivery of equipment and products using the QuickStrip product delivery method, the generation of recurring revenues and the dismissal of the CTT lawsuit, express, as at the date of this news release, the plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs of RDT management as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to RDT management. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; marketing costs; loss of markets; termination of WLM agreements; future legislative and regulatory developments involving cannabis; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the cannabis industry in Canada generally, income tax and regulatory matters; the ability to implement its business strategies; competition; currency and interest rate fluctuations and other risks. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. There can be no assurance that statements of forward-looking information, although considered reasonable by RDT management at the time of preparation, will prove to be accurate as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43255 Lenders were not willing to sanction a term loan to Jet Airways without gaining exclusive rights on its interest-yielding cash deposits or appreciating assets Beleaguered carrier Jet Airways has reportedly pledged its fixed deposits (FDs) worth Rs 1,500 crore with State Bank of India (SBI) to borrow Rs 225 crore, a media report said. Lenders were not willing to sanction a term loan to the cash-strapped airline without gaining exclusive rights on its interest-yielding cash deposits or appreciating assets, according to Mint. The news report added that Jet Airways can borrow additional amounts from SBI with the same FDs as security. Meanwhile, a Business Standard report said that SBI and Punjab National Bank are likely to buy out the exposure of other small lenders, which are reluctant to participate in the restructuring plan. "In a discussion among the lenders' consortium, it has arisen that at least three Indian lenders and one foreign bank are not willing to participate in the debt-equity restructuring process..," a banker aware of the development was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Jet Airways has been grappling with financial woes and is looking to rejig debt as well as raise funds. On 14 February, Jet Airways board had approved a Bank-Led Provisional Resolution Plan (BLPRP), whereby lenders would become the largest shareholders in the airline. Its shareholders have also approved the conversion of loan into shares and other proposals during the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 21 February. Last week, Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal Friday urged his employees to bear with him in the "difficult situation" that the airline is going through for some more time and said he was willing to make any "sacrifice" to keep the airline afloat. In an emotional letter, Goyal also assured his employees of keeping them abreast of all the developments in the wake of the airline's rescue plan by the lenders, which has already been approved both by the board and shareholders. "The deep emotion... leads me to appeal to each of you from my heart, to bear with me through this difficult situation a little longer, till we emerge out of turbulence and fiscal challenges, into clear blue skies," Goyal said in the letter. Jet Airways on Friday said its debt recast plan also contemplates appropriate governance structure including board composition, among other measures. "...Along with the restructuring of the company, the Bank Led Provisional Resolution Plan (BLPRP), inter alia, also contemplates appropriate governance structure including Board composition," Jet Airways said in regulatory filing. --With PTI inputs When fleets start using electric vehicles, economies of scale is created in the industry as the cost of these vehicles come down when more people buy them, he said. Geneva: For Mahindra group, from whose stable electric luxury supercar Battista is being rolled out, the path to mass adoption of electric vehicles will be through fleet such as Ola, according to the group's chairman Anand Mahindra. At present, electric vehicles (EVs) are out of reach of price sensitive buyers, specially in India, but the usage of such vehicles by fleet operators will help in achieving economies of scale in the industry and ultimately help in reaching personal mobility, Mahindra told PTI here in an interview. Speaking at the sidelines of the 89th Geneva International Motor Show, he also said the group is also working on how to bring its GenZe electric scooters to India as it would be "too expensive" for the market there currently. "Right now the break-even for electric cars applies more to cars that are used much more. The more you use the electric cars the better your payback," he said. Welcoming the Rs 10,000 crore FAME II scheme under which four-wheeler electric vehicles will get subsidy only for fleet operators and commercial purposes, Mahindra said, "What the government has done is spot on." He, however, added, "Whether they (government) had done it or not we had decided to focus on fleet anyway." When fleets start using EVs, economies of scale is created in the industry as the cost of these vehicles come down when more people buy them, he said. Moreover, when people start using these cars seeing companies like Uber, Ola using it, people get accustomed to it and thus helping in popularisation of electric vehicles, Mahindra added. "Fleets are the best way to familiarise people to speed up adoption. So in some point, if see all these charts converge that's the time that people will start using it for personal mobility. Mahindra will be ready (for it) with some options which are both affordable and exciting," he said. In the past, Mahindra had tied up with app-based cab aggregator Ola in partnership with the Indian government to build India's first electric mass mobility ecosystem in Nagpur. When asked about the group's electric two-wheeler programme, Mahindra said,"We make GenZe e-scooters overseas (in the US). It is too expensive for India but we have some thoughts." He further said, "The e-scooters will come to Europe first. So GenZe may even be marketed by under Peugeot which we own in Europe. So the question is how to bring it to India, we are working on it." Bullish on the segment, Mahindra said, "Electric two-wheelers are going to be a big movement, shared fleets as well as personal mobility...the biggest trend in the world is going to be kick scooters, next biggest trend is e-bikes and e-scooters." Leading cigarette maker ITC has increased the price of three brands - Bristol, Flake Excel and Capstan New Delhi: Leading cigarette maker ITC has increased the price of three brands - Bristol, Flake Excel and Capstan. The Kolkata-headquartered company has increased the prices by about 7 percent to 14 percent. When contacted, an ITC spokesperson said: "Prices of a few select brands have been marginally revised." Price of Flake excel is hiked by 11 percent, Bristol by 6.7 percent and Capstan by 14.5 percent by the company. These three brands together contribute around 10 percent to 13 percent of total cigarette sales of ITC. Kapur joins Vedanta from Ambuja Cements, where he was the managing director and CEO for its India business. New Delhi: Mining giant Vedanta Tuesday said it has appointed Ajay Kapur as the chief executive officer of its aluminium and power business. Kapur joins Vedanta from Ambuja Cements, where he was the managing director and CEO for its India business. "Ajay will provide leadership for unlocking the full potential of our aluminium and power business which is a $10 billion asset with a revenue of $6 billion. "His enormous experience in the infrastructure sector will definitely work towards driving growth of India's largest aluminium capacity," Vedanta Resources Executive Chairman Anil Agarwal was quoted as saying in a statement. Kapur brings with him an experience of 31 years across business verticals. He will drive key priorities for the aluminium business which include a strong focus on volume and cost and improving efficiencies, among others. Vedanta produces 2.3 million tonnes of aluminium per annum, generates eight GW of power and operates two million tonnes per annum alumina refinery. "Vedanta is a progressive organisation with a wide presence across natural resources, strong asset footprint, financial strength and above all strong values. I am excited to join Vedanta as CEO for aluminium and power...," Kapur said. Vedanta, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources, is one of the world's leading diversified natural resource companies with business operations in India, South Africa, Namibia and Australia. The company is a leading producer of oil and gas, zinc, lead, silver, copper, iron ore, aluminium, steel and commercial power. Post the PNB fraud, which came to light in February 2018, the RBI has been tough on banks to tighten all kind of their transactions. New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a total monetary fine of Rs 11 crore on four banksKarnataka Bank, United Bank of India, IOB and Karur Vysya Bankfor non-compliance of directions on Swift messaging software. While the RBI imposed a Rs 4 crore penalty on Karnataka Bank, it slapped a fine of Rs 3 crore each on United Bank and Indian Overseas Bank. Besides, the regulator has also levied Rs one crore fine on Karur Vysya Bank. The Reserve Bank of India has levied an aggregate penalty of Rs 40 million on the bank for delayed implementation of four of the Swift related operational controls, Karnataka Bank said in a regulatory filing. "The exchanges are hereby informed that Reserve Bank of India..., has imposed an aggregate penalty of Rs 30 million on the Bank to be deposited within 14 days, for non-compliance with, and contraventions of, directions contained in the RBI circular on time-bound implementation and strengthening of SWIFT-related operational controls," United Bank said in a separate filing. Another, state-owned lender Indian Overseas Bank said it has been penalised with fine of Rs 3 million for non-compliance with the directions issued on February 20, 2018 by the RBI. "The Bank has taken necessary measures to strengthen internal controls to avoid such recurrence," IOB said. Karur Vysya said that the RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1 crore on the bank for non-compliance with the directions issued on Swift operations. The RBI circular relates to 'Time-bound implementation and strengthening of Swift-related operational controls'. Swift is the global messaging software used for transactions by the financial entities. The massive Rs 14,000 crore fraud at the PNB was a case of misuse of this messsaging software. Post the PNB fraud, which came to light in February 2018, the RBI has been tough on banks to tighten all kind of their transactions. Earlier on Saturday, four banksSBI, Union Bank of India, Dena Bank and IDBIhad informed exchanges about monetary penalty slapped on them by the regulator for non-compliance with various directions. Fine of Rs 3 crore was imposed on Union Bank, Rs 2 crore on Dena Bank, and Rs 1 crore each on IDBI and the SBI. The Reserve Bank has imposed a fine of Rs 2 crore on Allahabad Bank for non-compliance of directions with regard to Nostro accounts, the state-owned lender said Tuesday New Delhi: The Reserve Bank has imposed a fine of Rs 2 crore on Allahabad Bank for non-compliance of directions with regard to Nostro accounts, the state-owned lender said Tuesday. A Nostro account is an account that a bank holds in a foreign currency in another bank. Private sector lender ICICI Bank too has been slapped with a fine of Rs 1 crore for the delay in compliance with directions related to global messaging software Swift. Allahabad Bank was fined for non-compliance of RBI directions dated 20 February, 2018 pertaining to the reconciliation of Nostro on real-time basis with immediate effect, as per a BSE filing. According to RBI directions, banks have to interpret real-time as T+1 for Nostro debits and T+5 for Nostro credits. The amount of penalty is not material considering the size of the bank, and necessary measures for compliance with the said RBI directions have been taken, Allahabad Bank added. In a separate filing to exchanges, ICICI Bank said: "The Banking Regulation Act, 1949, levied an aggregate penalty of Rs 10 million vide its order dated February 25, 2019. The penalty has been levied for delay in compliance with RBI's directives on 'Time-bound implementation and strengthening of Swift related controls." Yes Bank also informed on Tuesday about a fine of Rs 1 crore for non-compliance of directions on Swift. The stock of Allahabad Bank was trading 4.10 percent up at Rs 52 on BSE; ICICI Bank was at Rs 362.45, up 2.53 percent. Yes Bank was trading down 0.21 percent at Rs 236.90. On Monday, a number of private as well as public sector banks informed about penalties levied on them by RBI for failing to comply with Swift software operating requirements. With the launch of its services between Hyderabad and Colombo, SpiceJet will connect the Sri Lankan capital with three direct flights from India, the release said. Mumbai: Budget carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday announced connecting Hyderabad with Colombo along with the launch of 11 other new direct flights on domestic routes from 31 March on wards. The Hyderabad-Colombo route, the first by any domestic carrier, will commence from 15 April and operate on all days except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, SpiceJet said in a release. "Our new flight to Colombo reinforces our commitment to strengthening the network between India and Sri Lanka. We see tremendous potential in this sector for both leisure and business travelers," said Shilpa Bhatia, chief sales and revenue officer, SpiceJet. With the launch of its services between Hyderabad and Colombo, SpiceJet will connect the Sri Lankan capital with three direct flights from India, the release said. It currently connects the city with single daily frequencies from Chennai and Madurai each. Expanding its footprint on the regional connectivity scheme Udan routes, SpiceJet will launch services on six new flights on the Kishangarh-Ahmedabad, Lakhimpur-Guwahati and Jaipur-Amritsar routes, it said. These routes were awarded to the airline under the third round of the Udan scheme. At present, SpiceJet operates 23 flights under Udan scheme. The Gurugram-based airline will also launch four new daily direct flights connecting Chennai with Patna and Surat to penetrate further in the southern market, it said. SpiceJet will deploy its regional jet Bombardier Q-400 to cater to Udan routes while flights on Hyderabad-Colombo and domestic routes will be operated by Boeing 737-800, as per the release. SpiceJet sees huge demand to and from Kishangarh and Lakhimpur and has, therefore, augmented connectivity from these cities, it said adding currently Kishangarh and Lakhimpur are connected with Delhi and Kolkata, respectively. The move assumes significance as Vodafone Idea has earlier sought two-years moratorium on annual spectrum payment of over Rs 10,000 crore, citing high debt levels and stress on the balance sheet. New Delhi: Telecom operators Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have paid the government about Rs 6,000 crore in spectrum dues slated for 3 March, but debt-ridden Reliance Communications has so far not deposited its dues of Rs 21.5 crore, sources said. A source privy to the development told PTI that India's largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea has made payment of over Rs 3,042.7 crore to the Department of Telecom (DoT) towards its spectrum dues (that is, deferred payment installment for spectrum bought in auctions). The due date for the said payment was 3 March, and Vodafone Idea made its payment on 2 March, the source said. Vodafone Idea whose Rs 25,000 crore fund raising plan by way of rights issue recently got the Cabinet nod is slated to make its next payment of over Rs 6,000 crore sometime in April. While Bharti Airtel made payment of Rs 1,918 crore and Reliance Jio of Rs 1,053 crore by the due date, the embattled Reliance Communications has not yet made payment of Rs 21.5 crore as on the due date. The sources aware of the stipulated procedures said that telecom companies are given a grace period of 10 days after the due date by the DoT to make the payment, failing which a further decision is taken on such matters. Reliance Communications declined to comment to an e-mail query on the issue. A Vodafone Idea spokesperson confirmed that that the company has made the due spectrum payments but did not divulge any details. An Airtel spokesperson said that "Airtel has paid all its spectrum dues in full as per timelines". A mail sent to Reliance Jio did not elicit any response. The move assumes significance as Vodafone Idea has earlier sought two-years moratorium on annual spectrum payment of over Rs 10,000 crore, citing high debt levels and stress on the balance sheet. In all, the amount to be paid by Vodafone Idea is estimated to be around Rs 11,900 crore this year. Vodafone and Idea have participated in five auctions that were held in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 before merging their mobile businesses. In five auctions, Vodafone alone had acquired spectrum worth Rs 79,343 crore, which is highest in terms of value compared to bids made by any other operator. Idea too had purchased spectrum worth Rs 63,597 crore in those auctions. After completion of merger on August 31, 2018, the spectrum payment liability is now on Vodafone Idea. The government, in March last year, enhanced number of annual installments for spectrum payment from 10 to 16 years to provide relief to the sector, which is reeling under the debt of around 7.8 lakh crore. But, industry body Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) in November again approached DoT secretary Aruna Sundararajan to seek additional 2-year moratorium on payment of installments of spectrum won in the auctions and interest charges imposed on installments. The industry argues that the sector has lost 42 percent revenue from sales of telecom services on quarterly basis between April-June 2016 and July-September 2018. They have said the debt level on four mobile operators is at around Rs 5 lakh crore, and 60 percent of the liability is from spectrum payment obligations. NRETP is additional financing to the $500-million National Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP) approved by the World Bank in July 2011 New Delhi: The World Bank will provide a $250-million loan for the National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) to help women in rural households develop viable enterprises for farm and non-farm products. An agreement in this regard was signed between the World Bank and the Government of India on Tuesday. "A key focus of the project will be to promote women-owned and women-led farm and non-farm enterprises across value chains; enable them to build businesses that help them access finance, markets and networks; and generate employment," Wold Bank said in a statement. NRETP is additional financing to the $500-million National Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP) approved by the World Bank in July 2011. The $250 million loan has a 5-year grace period and a final maturity of 20 years. The NRLP, which is currently being implemented across 13 states, 162 districts and 575 blocks, has so far mobilised more than 8.8 million women from poor rural households into 7.5 lakh self-help groups (SHGs). These SHGs have been further federated into 48,700 village organisations and 2,900 cluster or gram panchayat-level federations. While the 13 states will continue to be supported under the new project signed on Tuesday, 125 new districts will be added from within these states, the release said. Since its launch in 2011, the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) has mobilised 50 million poor rural women into self-help groups and their higher-level federations. According to the release, these groups have leveraged nearly $30 billion from commercial banks. The World Bank further said the NERTP would support enterprise development programmes for rural poor women and youth by creating a platform to access finance including start-up financing options to build their individual and/or collectively owned and managed enterprises. The other key component of the project includes developing financial products using digital financial services to help small producer collectives scale-up and engage with the market. It will also support youth skills development, in coordination with the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana. Peer-to-peer learning across states and across communities was a successful strategy under the NRLP and will also continue to be used in this project. "The project will continue to give technical assistance, skills building and investment support to strengthen women-owned and women-led producer collectives diversify into high value farm and non-farm commodities such as commercial crops and livestock products, and fisheries," it added. Zomato and Delivery Hero will enter into services agreements (on the) basis (of) which Zomato will continue to run the said business on its own platform New Delhi: Online restaurant guide and food ordering firm Zomato will sell its UAE food delivery business to Germany-headquartered Delivery Hero Group for about $172 million (nearly Rs 1,220 crore), one of the company's largest shareholders Info Edge said on Monday. The Gurugram-based firm has also raised around $105 million in the ongoing round of funding, Info Edge said in a filing on the BSE. "As a result, upon closing, our shareholding in Zomato will be 26.38 percent on a fully converted and diluted basis," it added. As part of the transaction, Zomato Media Pvt Ltd has entered into an agreement to sell its UAE food delivery business to Delivery Hero Group through its fully owned subsidiary Talabat Middle East Services Company LLC. The consideration for the transaction is about $172 million, it added. "Zomato and Delivery Hero will enter into services agreements (on the) basis (of) which Zomato will continue to run the said business on its own platform," it added. Zomato continues to own and run its other businesses such as Ad Sales, Gold, etc, in the country, Info Edge added. In a separate statement, Delivery Hero Group said it would participate in Zomato's latest funding round by investing $50 million into Zomato's global business to become a Top 10 shareholder and also enter into a material operational partnership agreement. "Zomato has built a successful food delivery business in the UAE and India on the back of its restaurant search and discovery app and website. The acquisition will allow us to further improve our service to customers in the UAE," Delivery Hero CEO Niklas stberg said. Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal said the company is looking "forward to learning from their (Delivery Hero's) global experience to help us strengthen our fast growing India food delivery business". In the regulatory filing, Info Edge further said, "In addition, Zomato has concluded its ongoing funding round with an additional second tranche of about $105 million." The new investors in this round include Delivery Hero and Glade Brook Capital, it added. "Including the $210 million fund raise intimated in October 2018, the total amount of equity capital raised in this round of financing amounts to about $315 million," Info Edge said. On 2 March, Michel moved a fresh application before a Delhi court seeking judicial inquiry over being shifted to a solitary cell in Tihar jail and an apparent violation of human rights New Delhi: Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland case, has been moved to a high-risk ward in view of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, Tihar jail authorities told the Patiala House Court in New Delhi on Tuesday. The authorities said that since Michel is a foreign inmate, it was appropriate to keep him in the high-risk ward as a temporary measure. On 2 March, Michel moved a fresh application before a Delhi court seeking judicial inquiry over being shifted to a solitary cell in Tihar jail and an apparent violation of human rights. The Patiala House Court had sought a reply from Tihar jail authorities on the plea filed by the AgustaWestland accused. Michel had earlier filed a plea in a Delhi court raising questions about putting him in a solitary cell, alleging that he was lodged in a cell with dreaded criminals like Chhota Rajan. Michel, who was extradited from the UAE in December 2018, is currently lodged in Tihar jail in connection with the CBI and ED cases against him related to the AgustaWestland deal. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently questioned Moser Baer chairman Deepak Puri in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland case after finding the link while looking into the money trail of alleged middleman Christian Michel in connection with the case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently questioned Moser Baer chairman Deepak Puri in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland money laundering case, CNN-News18 reported. The agency found the link while looking into the money trail of alleged middleman Christian Michel in connection with the case. During the course of its investigation into the VVIP chopper scam, the ED, which is expected to file a detailed chargesheet in the case on Tuesday, found that kickbacks were given to Moser Baer, whose chairman Puri is the brother-in-law of Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath. Rajeev Saxena, a Dubai-based businessman and another accused in the case, was scheduled to record his statement before a Court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi on Tuesday, but the court deferred it by a day. Saxena had filed an application to become an "approver" in the case, seeking pardon under Section 306 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Special Judge Arvind Kumar had granted Saxena regular bail on 25 February because of his medical condition. The businessman, deported from Dubai in January, had been out on interim bail since 14 February. Furthermore, investigative agencies will question Christian Michel on his purported role in delaying in procurement process of Rafale fighter jets during the Congress-led UPA-2 rule, Times Now reported. The alleged middleman has been in judicial custody in Delhi's Tihar jail since being extradited from the UAE in December 2018. He was allegedly hired by AgustaWestland to influence and bribe Indian politicians in the deal for the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters and had received Rs 295 crore from Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland. Apart from Saxena and Michel, former AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica directors Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi and Saxenas wife Shivani were also named in the chargesheet filed in September last year. Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), the ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar has clarified that the BJP-JD(U) alliance is limited to Bihar only. Patna: Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), the ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar has clarified that the BJP-JD(U) alliance is limited to Bihar only. In its bid to expand, the JD(U) is planning to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in other states on its own. "The alliance is limited to Bihar only and not outside it. Hence the party is independent in all the other states and is committed to working for the propagation of its legacy of the socialist movement," said KC Tyagi, national general secretary of JD(U). Tyagi said that any alteration with Article 370 will disturb the unity and integrity of the nation. "In the backdrop of recent incidents, some people have again started raising voices that Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir should be repealed while Article 35A should be diluted. Our party is of the view that any alteration or amendment in these is an attempt to disturb the unity and integrity of the nation," said Tyagi. The national executive meeting gave its nod for creation of a three-member committee, comprising KC Tyagi, RCP Singh and Prashant Kishor, to hold preliminary talks with the heads of respective state units. "While the JD(U) national president had announced a candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat from Lakshadweep, we will explore the option of contesting some of the seats in the North East, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh," said Tyagi. As Opposition leaders latched on to Amit Shah's claim of 250 casualties in the Indian Air Force strike in Pakistan, Minister of State, External Affairs VK Singh came to the BJP president's defence As Opposition leaders latched on to Amit Shah's claim of 250 casualties in the Indian Air Force strike in Pakistan, Minister of State External Affairs VK Singh came to the BJP president's defence. Singh on Tuesday said the toll is not a "confirmed figure" and that Shah meant that these many "might have died" in the air strike. "That (casualty figure) was based on people who were housed in the buildings which were hit, its an estimate. He is not saying this is a confirmed figure, he is saying this many might have died," Singh said according to The Indian Express. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shored up attack on the Opposition as it sought to put the government on the back foot, as they questioned Shah's claim of 250 casualties in the strike and asked how he was privy to the classified information. On Monday, while the Congress asked the government what was the basis of Shah's claim, Mayawati asked if Shah's claim were true why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was silent on the issue. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal also said if Shah is claiming 250 casualties of terrorists in the air strike, why is the prime minister not providing details of the number of deaths. He cited several international media reports claiming "no proof of militant losses at Balakot" and asked Modi if those media organisations are "pro-Pakistan". Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala referred to Union minister SS Ahluwalia's reported remarks that the government never claimed to have killed 300-350 terrorists in the air strike and asked the prime minister to share the "truth" with the country. Referring to Shah's statement, RPN Singh asked, "Where is this number coming from and who is politicising this whole incident. Why is the prime minister not giving details and saying how many people have died in the air strike. Why is the government not confirming this". The former union minister said Modi is talking about Rafale, Shah about how many people died in the air strike and the BJP Delhi president is wearing army fatigue for his political campaigns. "Here is the prime minister, who says that the air force would have been much stronger if we had Rafale (fighter jets). We would like the prime minister to apologise for saying that... The prime minister has tried to show that the air force is weaker because it does not have Rafale. We would like him to apologise for saying so because the Indian Air Force has always protected our skies and given a befitting reply, whenever it has been attacked by the Pakistanis," Singh said. The BJP hit back asking the Congress not to "mislead" the country and "insult" the armed forces with "fake and fabricated" stories. Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Congress and its allies are "crying" while terrorists and their sponsors are hit. "Is this a coincidence or a partnership? It is unfortunate that when the entire country is speaking in one voice to salute our armed forces' valour, the Congress and its allies are raising such questions," he said. Amid the raging debate on number of casualties in the strike, IAF chief BS Dhanoa Monday said in Coimbatore that the air force doesn't count human casualties and it was for the government to provide details on the terrorists killed. While there has been no official statement on the number of deaths, government sources had earlier said up to 350 terrorists were killed, Shah Sunday put the toll at 250. Some media reports claimed that the damage has been minimal, prompting Opposition leaders to clamour for clarity. With inputs from agencies Tribal and Dalit rights organisations have called for bharat bandh on Tuesday protesting against the 13 February Supreme Court order, which had directed at least 21 states to evict traditional forest and tribal dwellers whose claims over the forest land have been rejected by authorities. Tribal and Dalit rights organisations have called for bharat bandh on Tuesday protesting against the 13 February Supreme Court order, which had directed at least 21 states to evict traditional forest and tribal dwellers whose claims over the forest land have been rejected by authorities. Although the apex court put a stay on its order after a petition was filed by the Centre on 27 February, rights groups are demanding that the government issue an ordinance to ensure that the rights of the marginalised communities are protected. Adivasi groups across the states have called upon political and social activists to join them in their march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar, Delhi as part of the bandh on Tuesday. The aim is to highlight the issue of restoring the Forest Rights Act. They are also rallying for an ordinance to be passed to ensure fair representation in University Grants Commission (UGC) faculty posts. The Supreme Court had upheld an Allahabad High Court order over reservation of SC/STs in the appointment of faculty members in universities in January. According to reports, the groups are also demanding that the Centre establish the Indian Judicial Services under Article 312 of the Constitution, which will provide for inclusion of SCs, STs, OBCs, other minorities, and women in recruitment processes in higher judiciary posts. Tribal outfits across states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and north-east have called for a peaceful bandh. On 27 February, the apex court agreed to hear the Centre's plea seeking withholding of its 13 February. The Centre had rushed to the top court for a modification of the order saying the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 was a "beneficial" legislation and should be construed liberally to help "extremely poor and illiterate people" who are not well informed of their rights and procedure under the law. The government's preventive move came after it was accused by activists of being lax regarding the hearing of petitions challenging the Forest Rights Act. On 28 February, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra, Naveen Sinha and MR Shah stayed the eviction order and directed the state governments to file affidavits providing details of the process adopted in rejecting the claims made by the Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs). Earlier on 1 March, a fresh petition was filed in the top court seeking direction to the authorities not to evict any forest-dweller and setting up of a SIT to look into illegal acquisition of tribal land in the country. The plea, filed by Chhattisgarh-based Tarika Tarangini Larka, also sought a direction to the Centre not to allot possession of any forest land belonging to tribals to anyone other than 'Adivasis' residing in that particular area. Advocate ML Sharma, appearing for Tarika Tarangini Larka, mentioned the petition on Friday for urgent listing before a bench comprising Justices AK Sikri and SK Kaul. In the petition, Tarika Tarangini Larka alleged that authorities in Tamnar of Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh have forcefully grabbed a large area of tribal land and handed it to outsiders and are now trying to oust Adivasis from the area. "For this, they adopted simple strategy declaring forest-dwellers as non-Adivasis to grab their land in the forest and village by rejecting their claim upon the land," the plea said. The plea has also sought restoration of land acquired by the government from tribals in Chhattisgarh for mining and other purposes and to provide them with a value of mined minerals. The petition has also sought setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) comprising retired judges of the apex court to look into the illegal acquisition of land belonging to tribals throughout the country. With inputs from agencies Supreme Court must reconsider the constitutional validity of Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act, which empowers courts in India to effectively force a person to live with their spouse against their will The Supreme Court has recently agreed to hear a PIL against the provision of restitution of conjugal rights which empowers the court to effectively force a person to live with their spouse against their will. The bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna has referred the case to a three-judge bench for hearing. Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act encompasses the provision for the restitution of conjugal rights, according to which, if either of the spouses withdraws themselves from the society of the other, without reasonable excuse, the other party which is aggrieved has a legal right of filing a petition demanding for the restitution of conjugal rights. The court, if satisfied that there is no legal ground for the application to be refused, and based on the veracity of the statements in the petition, may pass a decree for restitution of conjugal rights. The constitutional validity of the provision has been debated time and again. The earliest instance was the case of T Sareetha versus Venkata Subbaiah, before the Andhra Pradesh High Court, in 1983. It was argued before the court that the provision was against the individuals Fundamental Right to Liberty, Privacy and Dignity guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution. Further, it was argued that by virtue of being available to both husbands and wives, who are inherently in unequal positions, the provision was violative of the Right to Equality by violating the rule of equal protection of laws. The court agreed with these arguments and held that, in effect, the decree compelled an unwilling wife to have sexual intercourse with her husband, thereby violating her bodily autonomy. The court thereby struck down Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act, declaring it to be violative of Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution. Subsequently, the question was put forth before the High Court of Delhi in the case of Harvinder Kaur versus Harmander Singh, less than a year later, but here, the aforementioned Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment was dissented from. Ultimately, the Supreme Court, in the judgment of Saroj Rani versus Sudarshan Kumar Chadha, resolved the conflict between the two judgments by upholding the views put forth by the Delhi High Court, stating that the objective of the decree was only an inducement for the spouses to live together, and that it did not force an unwilling wife to engage in sexual relations with the husband. The aim was only to bring about "cohabitation" between spouses, and therefore, it was only focused on "consortium". However, what the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court perhaps failed to realise is that in India, marital rape is legal. The husband can very well force the wife to engage in sexual intercourse with him, without any consequences, save a long drawn divorce petition based on cruelty or a domestic violence petition based on sexual violence, both of which dont involve any criminal impunity. Therefore, by subjecting an unwilling wife to forced "cohabitation" and "consortium", in effect, the decree effectively subjects the wife to forceful sexual intercourse with the husband, and in the process, also strips her of her bodily autonomy, dignity, and a fundamental liberty to take her own decisions related to her own life and body. The remedy of restitution of conjugal rights violates a person's extremely basic essence, their very being, by dictating their decision on who to reside with. Both spouses in a marriage are not always on an equal footing, and in our country, which is immensely patriarchal, the wife is mostly socially as well as economically dependant on the husband. In fact, practically, in India, the remedy of restitution of conjugal rights is generally used by husbands to strong-arm their wives into submitting themselves to their company, and as a shield against possible cruelty and domestic violence cases by the wives. In a country like India, where women are considered chattel of their husbands and are abandoned even by their own families after marriage, their only recourse to domestic violence and abuse is separation as divorce may lead to social stigmatisation. However, the remedy of restitution of conjugal rights takes away this right, by forcing women to "cohabit" with their husbands unwillingly and against their volition, which can have drastic consequences, and in the worst case scenario, may even lead to a threat against their lives. Therefore, the practical aspect of the provision needs to be acknowledged by the courts, and its constitutionality reconsidered. It has been increasingly recognised that the law has a duty to intervene in the domestic sphere in order to protect the rights of individuals, which can no longer be violated under the garb of "family values" and "sacraments". The right to bodily integrity is gutted down by the state which controls the life of an individual by forcing them to stay in the companionship of their abusive husbands. The remedy of restitution of conjugal rights has been criticised by leading jurists and sociologists and has been abolished in major countries including the UK, Ireland, Australia and South Africa. It is high time that India followed suit. Raghav Pandey is an Assistant Professor of Law at Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai; Neelabh Bist is a Fourth Year student of Law at Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai Day's top stories: Politics rages over the casualty figure of the Balakot air strike; Rajeev Saxena who was extradited from the UAE is set to record a key statement in AugustaWestland case; India looks for a second victory against Australia in the ODI series; and more. Confusion, politics reign supreme over Balakot air strikes With Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah claiming that 250 terrorists were killed in Indian Air Force air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp at Balakot in Pakistan on 26 February, Opposition leaders have increased the volume of their clamour for "proof" that as many were killed. Shah's comment on the casualty comes after Union minister SS Ahluwalia said on Saturday that neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Shah ever claimed that the air strikes killed over 300 terrorists. The demand for "proof" has been raised by senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, along with Opposition leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Kapil Sibal, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati, Mehbooba Mufti, Salman Khursheed and others. The BJP has alleged that those doubting the strike speak in Pakistan's voice. Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa on Monday said the Indian Air Force's (IAF) job was to hit its targets, not count casualties. He made the statement at a press briefing in response to a question on the number of terrorists killed in Balakot. Pakistan cracks down on terror groups Amid massive global pressure, Pakistan has reissued orders to freeze the assets of designated terror groups and individuals. Pakistani government departments have been asked to ensure that the clampdown imposed after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 be reinforced. The foreign office said that the government issued the UN Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019, in accordance with the provisions of Pakistan's United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Act, 1948. "The objective of the UNSC (Freezing and Seizure) Order 2019 is to streamline the procedure for implementation of security council sanctions against designated individuals and entities," it said in a statement. Lok Sabha polls: BJP to meet minority leaders; AIADMK-DMDK alliance takes off; Congress-CPM to tie up in Bengal As many as 100 minority leaders and intellectuals are set to meet the BJP brass in Delhi on Thursday, 7 March. The exercise will help the party prepare its election manifesto. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday to kick the BJP's poll campaign in the state. BJP workers, mainly from the tribal-dominated Dhar and Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seats, will take part in the Vijay Sankalp rally. Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting in Ahmedabad in Gujarat at noon before leaving for Indore. Meanwhile, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has confirmed that talks with the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam party are inching closer to a deal. A formal announcement is expected ahead of Modi's visit to Tamil Nadu. The central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has put an end to longstanding speculation and given its seal of approval on the wishes of the party's West Bengal wing to forge a seat sharing arrangement with the Congress in Bengal for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. AgustaWestland scam: Rajeev Saxena to confess at Delhi court Tuesday looks to be a crucial day in the Enforcement Directorate's investigation into the alleged VVIP helicopter or AgustaWestland scam. Rajeev Saxena, who was deported from Dubai, will be recording an important statement before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi. Saxena had moved a plea to become an approver in the Rs 3,600-crore money laundering case. On 25 February, the Delhi court had granted regular bail to the Dubai-based businessman and had directed Saxena to furnish a personal bail bond of Rs 5 lakh. It had also stated that Saxena could not leave the country without its permission. Trump denies reports on discussing military drills with Kim US president Donald Trump on Monday said he had not discussed anything regarding the issue of US-South Korea spring military exercises during his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi last week. The US president took to Twitter saying, "The military drills, or war games as I call them, were never even discussed in my mtg w/ Kim Jong Un of NKFAKE NEWS!" The statement comes amid reports that Washington suspended the two military exercises as a concession to North Korea despite having failed to reach an agreement on the denuclearisation of the entire Korean Peninsula. Oppo F11 Pro to launch today Oppo's latest mid-range smartphone, the F11 Pro, is set to debut at 5.30 pm on Tuesday. The phone features a nearly bezel-less design and, interestingly, ditches the notch and offers a pop-up selfie camera instead. Other highlights include a 48 MP selfie camera, a MediaTek Helio P70 chip, 4,000 mAh battery and a 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage option. The official price will be revealed at the launch, but we are expecting it to be in the Rs 25,000 range. Vijay Mallya's defiance prompts SEBI to seek changes to Companies Act Capital markets regulator SEBI has asked the government to amend the Companies Act to ensure that a director declared by it as a disqualified person should immediately vacate the position, a plea triggered by defaulter businessman Vijay Mallya's reluctance to do so. Under the Companies Act, the office of a director becomes vacant in the case of he or she being disqualified by an order of a court or a tribunal, among other reasons, but there is no explicit mention of an order by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which is mandated with the regulation of thousands of listed firms in India. In a proposal, SEBI has now proposed that the Companies Act should also clearly mention that a person should vacate the office of a director if it orders his or her disqualification. Officials said the Finance Ministry is in agreement with SEBI on the proposed amendment and has asked the regulator to get it approved by its board and subsequently forward it to the Corporate Affairs Ministry, which is the nodal ministry for the Companies Act. India aim to continue winning ways in second ODI against Australia Virat Kohli's men look to extent their 100 percent win record against Australia at Nagpur in the second ODI on Tuesday. Despite a comfortable six-wicket win in the opening ODI in Hyderabad, the hosts look to fix few batting chinks at the VCA stadium. KL Rahul could possibly be included in the playing XI. While Australia have their own batting woes to address starting with captain Aaron Finch, who has been in a dreadful rut in the past few ODIs. 'We love cinema': Netflix responds to Spielberg's criticism of streaming services Netflix on Monday said traditional cinema and digital platforms can coexist in harmony, in an apparent response to Steven Spielberg's push for a rule change by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to exclude streaming services for Oscars eligibility. "We love cinema. Here are some things we also love: Access for people who can't always afford or live in towns without theaters; letting everyone, everywhere enjoy releases at the same time; and giving filmmakers more ways to share art. These things are not mutually exclusive," the streaming giant said in a statement shared on official Twitter account of Netflix Films. The Delhi Police have arrested four people on Monday and claimed to have solved the murder mystery of a 25-year-old woman whose body was found in a sack dumped in Sarita Vihar on 27 February. New Delhi: The Delhi Police have arrested four people on Monday and claimed to have solved the murder mystery of a 25-year-old woman whose body was found in a sack dumped in Sarita Vihar on 27 February. The main accused in the case is still at large. The arrested accused have been identified as Saurabh (19), Dinesh (25), Rahim (25) and Chanderkesh (30), all are the residents of Delhis Sangam Vihar area while the hunt is on to nab the main accused, Dhirender. Along with murder and other relevant IPC charges, the accused have been slapped with gangrape charges. Police said that the victim was strangled to death. Police said that the letter found near the victim's body held three men responsible for her murder but police didn't find any connection between the girl and those men. The police also informed that a mobile phone was also found near the body. "It was a conspiracy by accused Dinesh and Dhirender to frame the men mentioned in the letter due to a personal enmity. The deceased was a friend of Dinesh's friend. They called her on the pretext of a job, made her write that letter, and murdered her," said DCP (south-east) Chinmoy Biswal. "Dinesh and Dhirender were in Tihar jail and had an enmity with inmate Bunty. After being released from the jail, they made a plan to frame Bunty's brother Aarush in a murder case with an intention to take revenge and acquire his land. Accused have confessed of gang-rape. Dhirender is absconding," said Biswal. He said the accused strangled her to death on Tuesday morning and also used the womans phone to call Aarush a few times to frame him for her murder. Former defence minister AK Antony on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of sacrificing national interests and urged him 'not to politicise' the armed forces. New Delhi: Former defence minister AK Antony on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of sacrificing national interests and urged him "not to politicise" the armed forces. The Congress leader also accused the prime minister of "ignoring" the report of a committee that had said there were irregularities in the selection of L-1 in the Rafale deal and had called for its withdrawal. At a time when the security forces were still fighting at the borders, the BJP president (Amit Shah) was giving out operational details of the armed forces action, which was very unfortunate, Antony said. "Even now when our soldiers died, only army and CRPF can provide those details, not BJP spokesman or BJP president. It is very very unfortunate. "Don't politicise the armed forces. Don't bring the military into politics. I request the BJP president, I request the prime minister: don't politicise the army. As a former defence minister, I am telling them," he told reporters "Our prime minister is touring the country and spreading misinformation. Yesterday (Monday), he has gone to the extent of saying Congress compromised the national security, accused Congress of delaying the Rafale deal for commission," he said. The former defence minister accused the prime minister of ignoring the report of the committee instituted by him to look into alleged irregularities pointed out by Subramanian Swamy and Yashwant Sinha, who was then in the BJP. After the complaint by Swamy, Sinha, and some members of the Contract Negotiating Committee (CNC), "a committee of experts found irregularity in the process of L-1. So, they categorically recommended that this must be withdrawn," he alleged. "Why didn't the government go through the recommendation of the committee appointed by the previous UPA government to look into the irregularities alleged by Swamy and Sinha and three CNC Members. He can reject it, he can accept it but he should explain to the nation why he has ignored the report?" he asked. Accusing the prime minister of giving concessions to the French vendor, Antony said he must answer these questions. "It is time for the prime minister to answer my questions purely on the basis of the CAG report. He should answer why without examining the recommendation of the committee, he went to France to enter this agreement and get all these concessions for the French government. In fact, the prime minister sacrificed our national interest, according to me," he alleged. Fifty years old this summer, Masood Azhar is entering his sunset. His empire of hate, though, is nowhere near its end Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's writings put paid to Pakistan's claims of ban on terror groups Now, in the wake of Indias airstrikes on the Jaish-e-Mohammeds complex in Balakot, Islamabad has once again vowed to dismantle the clerics empire of hate: but the odds are low that the 5 March crackdown will play out any differently from the past. From the JeMs own words, its clear its operations didnt end on 22 February, when the Punjab government announced it was taking over the groups two main complexes in the city of Bahawalpur. Miffed with Narendra Modi govts actions against US firms, Donald Trump threatens retaliation by ending GSP India is the worlds largest beneficiary of the generalised system of preferences (GSP) programme, which dates from the 1970s, and ending its participation would be the strongest punitive action for the South Asian nation since Trump took office in 2017. Farm, marine and handicraft products were among Indias exports most likely to be hit by the move, Ajay Sahai, the director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, told Reuters. Those focusing on Balakot body count need a reality check; time to leverage air attacks for diplomatic advantage As former national security advisor MK Narayanan put it, the Balakot strikes mean India sidestepped protocols that guide conduct between nations not officially at war. This will have consequences, both good and bad. It needs to be fleshed out and understood to be able to shape our future response. Terrorism is far from eradicated and is not likely to be over for a good, long time unless we can leverage the air attacks for diplomatic and precise advantage. Captain Marvel: As Carol Danvers gets a well-deserved share of the spotlight, here's a lowdown on her history Created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan, Carol Danvers first appeared in 1968 as a US Air Force pilot and colleague to a disguised Kree infiltrator-turned-hero, Captain Mar-Vell. But it would be almost a decade until she debuted as the superhero Ms Marvel in 1977. Over the years, the character would undergo several overhauls without significant success until 2012 when she would finally take up the mantle of her now-deceased ally and mentor, becoming the newest Captain Marvel. As Narsingh Yadav doping saga inches closer to climax, a look at how tainted wrestler's defence collapsed Sabotage is always tough to prove. Two cooks saw an intruder mix something in the daal that was being cooked, 20 days before Narsingh Yadav was first tested on 25 June. He was tested again on 5 July on the advice of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). That was the only piece of evidence that the Indian panel had in coming to the conclusion that sabotage was possible though it had nothing to do with the alleged spiking of amino drink later. Under the 200-point roster system, 99 faculty posts are reserved for SC, ST and OBC communities, and the remaining 101 posts are kept for the unreserved. Days after the Supreme Court dismissed a special leave petition filed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) against the imposition of what is popularly known as the 13-point roster system a new method of appointing teaching faculty the government, on Tuesday, said it may come out with an ordinance on faculty quota in colleges. The decision comes after the top court quashed the review petition the government filed after its leave petition was rejected. The JD(U), on Monday, had asked the Central government to bring forth an ordinance to restore the earlier 200-point roster system. Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said the Centre was in "favour of the 200-point roster" and was likely to make a decision in the matter in two days at a Cabinet meeting. Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar: We have a system of 200 point roster where university is regarded as one unit but the court decided against it & directed for departmental roster. We never agreed to this position so, we filed a review petition that also stands dismissed now. pic.twitter.com/yoCEbwlru4 ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 What is a 200-point roster? In the 200-point roster system, 99 posts were reserved for SC, ST and OBC communities. The remaining 101 posts were kept for the unreserved. In case of a deficit in reserved seats in one department, more people from reserved communities could be employed in other departments at the university under this system. Doing so ensured that the constitutionally mandated reservation is maintained. However, in the 13-point system, the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth posts will be unreserved in a department, while the fourth will be reserved for OBCs, the seventh for SCs, the 14th post for STs and the eighth and 12th for OBCs. The ninth, 10th and 11th will be unreserved. The problem arises when the size of departments are small. In India, there are a few departments where there are more than 14 faculty positions, and in such cases, it becomes difficult to ensure reservation to all SC/ST/OBC posts. In departments with fewer than four available positions, no reserved seat will be created at all. Similarly, for departments with fewer than seven faculty positions, there will be no SC and ST position. In departments with fewer than 14 faculty positions, there will be no ST faculty. According to a report submitted by Banaras Hindu University to the HRD ministry in 2018, if the university were to use the 13-point roster, posts reserved for SCs would be reduced by half, those for STs by almost 80 percent and those for OBC teachers by 30 percent. Also, if the new 10 percent reservation for the economically backward is implemented, SC, ST and OBC teachers could be completed wiped out from all Central universities. Developments in court The latest development on a possible ordinance comes amid protests by university faculty members and student bodies after the Supreme Court, on 22 January, dismissed the special leave petition that had sought to restore the earlier mechanism of faculty reservation. The bench had upheld an order of the Allahabad High Court, which had ruled that reservation in faculty positions in universities should be calculated department-wise, not by taking the total number of seats at the institute as the basis. Soon after the Supreme Court's dismissal order was announced, teachers and students in Delhi had held a march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar in the national capital against the order. The HRD ministry had filed the special leave petition in April 2018, following a political furore over the University Grants Commission's (UGC) 5 March, 2018, order that said the number of reserved faculty posts across universities and colleges would be calculated department-wise. A bench of Justice UU Lalit and Justice Indira Banerjee had rejected the Centre's plea challenging the 7 April, 2017, order of the Allahabad High Court. In February 2008, the UGC had advised the Banaras Hindu University to follow the roster system cadre wise instead of applying it department wise. The university had then issued an advertisement in July 2016 to fill the vacancies of various teaching and equivalent posts. But the move was challenged in the Allahabad High Court, which then directed universities to make fresh rosters, taking department/subject as a unit, not the university. A Sukhoi-30 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force on Monday shot down a Pakistani military drone in Bikaner sector of the Indo-Pak border using an air-to-air missile, government sources said. New Delhi: A Sukhoi-30 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force on Monday shot down a Pakistani military drone in Bikaner sector of the Indo-Pak border using an air-to-air missile, government sources said. The Pakistani drone was detected by a ground-based radar station and minutes later one of the Sukhoi-30 jets deployed in the area to keep an eye on Indian air space shot it down, they said. The Pakistani military drone was targeted at around 11:30 am in Bikaner-Nal sector in Rajasthan, the sources said. It was the second unsuccessful attempt by Pakistan to send a spy drone inside India in the last six days. A Pakistani drone was shot down by India on 27 February along the Indo-Pak border in Kutch in Gujarat. The Indian Air Force has kept all its bases in Western sector on maximum alert after India carried out a strike on the biggest terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan's Balakot on 26 February. Pakistan had attempted to retaliate by unsuccessfully targeting a number of military installations in Kashmir on 27 February. The Karnataka BJP tweeted a video of Congress leader Belur Gopalakrishna purportedly calling for the assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Karnataka BJP tweeted a video of Congress leader Belur Gopalakrishna purportedly calling for the assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Belur Gopalakrishna, a Congress leader in a official party function calls for assassination of democratically elected PM Sri @narendramodi ji. Instigating for assassination of PM of a country is a nation threat & we urge @HMOIndia, @CPBlr to impose legal action immediately. pic.twitter.com/Tg9GO0FCdM BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) March 5, 2019 Gopalakrishna, speaking at a rally, said, "People who talk about Nathuram Godse assassinating Mahatma Gandhi should not be in this country. If you see anyone doing anything to harm the fabric of the country, you must shoot Modi." The saffron party tagged the Home Minister's Office and the Twitter handle of Bengaluru commissioner of police T Suneel Kumar and urged action against Gopalakrishna. The BJP also called on Congress president Rahul Gandhi to act against Gopalakrishna. Well @RahulGandhi we remember you saying you dont endorse hate politics but now that your own party leader has openly called for assassination of democratically elected PM of this Nation would you act on him ? If you dont act it clearly means you endorse his words. https://t.co/C6nw2T3k3J BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) March 5, 2019 As per a report in Deccan Chronicle, Gopalakrishna, a former MLA, joined the Congress in April 2018 after failing to get a BJP ticket from Sagar Assembly constituency. Gopalakrishna previously unsuccessfully contested on a JD(S) in 2013 and contested on a BJP ticket in 2008 and 2004, as per the report. Gopalakrishna, speaking to Mumbai Mirror, defended his remarks, saying his words had been "taken out of context." "I don't know why the BJP is bringing this up now. There are people who support Godse, they are praising Godse. I was questioning them. I am not saying that people should assassinate the PM," he told the newspaper. This isn't the first time Gopalakrishna has found himself in hot water. In November 2018, BJP candidate for the Mandya Lok Sabha bypoll Siddaramaiah threatened to file a suit against Gopalakrishna for "spreading lies" about his retirement, as per this Deccan Chronicle report. In elections, one wins and the other loses. It was unbecoming on the part of Belur to make such an irresponsible statement. I will file a complaint against him with the election commission, Siddaramaiah told the newspaper. BJP Karnataka spokesperson S Prakash told News18 the party would be filing a police complaint against Gopalakrishna on Wednesday. Karnataka Congress spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa told the channel the video "appears to be shocking and highly objectionable". However, Kalappa added that since it had been tweeted from the BJP handle, the Congress would have to first look at it and find out what transpired. "We will act without fear or favour," Kalappa told the channel. According to US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Pakistan has total 40,000-50,000 Madrassas involved in indoctrinating young population. Citing an example of former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's initiative, DIA said Musharraf feared that action may turn Jihadis against his own government New Delhi: More than a week after Indian Air Force air strikes, which targeted Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan has vowed to act against terrorist outfits operating on its soil. In 2001, 2003 and 2008 Pakistan made similar promises of crackdown but militant proxies continued to flourish. Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched by Pakistan in 2014 to selectively target outfits which were attacking Pakistani state and militant groups targeting Indian soil were carefully protected. According to US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Pakistan has total 40,000-50,000 Madrassas involved in indoctrinating young population. Citing an example of former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's initiative, DIA said Musharraf feared that action may turn Jihadis against his own government. The report said previous efforts failed too on meeting resistance from terror groups. Pakistan's interior ministry has listed 68 organisations as proscribed under terrorism act, 1997. But, majority of these organisations continue to operate with impunity under the current Imran Khan regime. Indian intelligence reports have often mentioned that not only terrorist groups but even the cadres change their names regularly on the direction of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to avoid getting banned. Pakistan's promise to freeze bank accounts of these organisation is another cover-up because majority of terrorist organisations since 2001 have been investing heavily in real estate and other businesses to ensure there is no dearth of funds for terror sanctuaries. In a research paper released in 2014, Pakistani army officers Major General Shahab Naqvi, Colonel Mian Zahoor Ul Haq and Lt Colonel Muhammad Muneeb Sharif had warned that militants are acting as alternate boots and need to be eliminated immediately and forcefully from their soil. Pakistan failed to exterminate the terrorist groups despite facing violence in its own territory. Given its track record, it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will be able to rein in the militant proxies. Pakistani officers like DIG Moazzam, Lt Colonel Shabeer and Lt Colonel Riazat in the research paper have said that history has shown that fighting a proxy war by supporting militant organisations is a dangerous game. Breeding militant groups for short-term gains has led to the spawning of terrorist groups that subsequently become a threat to the State. Another report coming from Pakistan suggests that the government might take over Madrassas and induct highly indoctrinated members in para-military troops. It again sounds like providing a protective cover for the militants for them to hide in plain sight. It also means the terror acts being done surreptitiously by Pakistan's ISI will be conducted directly through the State. As far as reining in Madrassas are concerned it seems impossible. Pakistan army officers Brigadier Hamidul Haque, Lt Colonel Waseem and Lt Colonel Sohail Arshad in a journal published in June, 2017, critically examined the role of Pakistani madrassas in breeding terrorists. The three Pakistani officers argued that Madrassas are legacy of this Afghan war era which changed the character of this traditional institution of learning and they were extensively used for the training and recruitment of Mujahideen for Afghan war. "During this period radicalism started to take roots in Pakistan. It was from here, that the militant groups and militancy took a political dimension... Successive governments in the Pakistan evolved policies to manage the religious sentiment for their political gains and survival. Attack on Indian Parliament in December, 2001, Mumbai attacks of 2008, the Pathankot, and the recent Uri incident continue to be a source of acrimony between India and Pakistan. The extremist organizations have shaped an environment where religious scholars, intelligentsia, political leaders and minorities feel equally insecure. During the last 14 years, the direct and indirect cost incurred by Pakistan due to terrorism amounts to US$ 118.3 billion. Besides, the terrorism has inflicted untold human sufferings," the officers wrote. The research paper reveals some shocking facts. The officers said a survey of Punjab (in Pakistan) Text Board between Classes 6 to 8 was carried out in 2017 and only six out of 57 lessons about Islam promote peace and tolerance and no positive reference exists about any non-Islamic character. It further said that Muslim history taught vulnerable children about extremists propaganda and content about modernity, peace and tolerance was minimised. Officers wrote: If networks and radical ideology are primary schools for radicalisation, training camps act as universities providing recruits with the opportunity to cement their radical ideologies and enable transformation into a terrorist." The research paper also claimed that 14,000 unregistered Madrassas are operating in Pakistan and of these 160 is in capital Islamabad alone. Annual foreign grant of $300 million is being directly provided to Madrassas by 12 donor countries bypassing government channels and extremists have adapted by mixing themselves within the normal populace. The officers cited Abbottabad Commission Report saying almost 8,000 houses, in the city where Osama Bin Laden was killed, are not listed with state authorities. "Who resides in them is altogether another question. Therefore, in the absence of credible city planning and population metrics, radicals and extremists continue to remain cloaked as ordinary Pakistanis only to reveal themselves when it's too late," Pak Brigadier Hamidul Haque, Lt Colonel Waseem and Lt Colonel Sohail Arshad wrote. It is an open secret that political decision makers in Pakistan, army and ISI are reluctant to crackdown on terrorist outfits despite a large section of society demanding that their government must destroy the terror infrastructure and eliminate the terrorist ideology. Pakistan is still looking for evidence against 26/11 Mumbai attack perpetrators Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi while the terror masterminds are not denying the role. The deep state within Pakistan will ensure fertile recruiting grounds for outfits that will continue to fuel terrorism. The Chettikulangara Devi Temple in Alappuzha district of Kerala is all set to conduct the primitive ritual called 'chooral muriyal' in which midribs of young boys are pierced with gold or silver strings or bamboo strands, despite a ban on the ritual in 2016 The popular Chettikulangara Devi Temple in Alappuzha district of Kerala is all set to conduct a primitive ritual in which midribs of pre-pubescent boys are pierced with gold or silver strings or bamboo strands, defying a ban imposed by Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR). The state commission had banned the ritual known as chooral muriyal in November 2016, saying that the ritual inflicted immense physical and mental pain on children. The high court had upheld the ban in February 2018. Paying no heed to the court order, the temple authorities had conducted the ritual in all its old glory in 2018 with 24 boys participating in the ceremony. This year, devotees have lined up 26 boys, according to a report in Deccan Chronicle. Most of the boys hailing from underprivileged families have been bought by wealthy devotees, paying huge sums of money to their parents, the report added. The ritual is part of kuthiyottam, a unique offering that devotees make to Goddess Bhadrakali for blessings during the 10-day Kumba Bharani festival that began in the temple on Shivaratri on 4 March. The boys were brought to the temple by their parents and handed over to their sponsors in the evening with the blessings of the priests. They were later taken away by the sponsors to their houses, where they will remain till the day of Bharani, undergoing various pujas and learning the basic kuthiyottam dance steps and songs in fasting mode. On the day of Bharani on 11 March, the boys will be bathed and dressed like kings with paper crowns and bangles and metal wires in their waist and then taken in a procession to the temple. At the end of the ceremony, the strings are taken out and the same is offered to the Goddess as a symbol of children being sacrificed to the deity. Believed to be two-and-a-half-century-old, the ritual of kuthiyottam is said to have started by a king who offered human sacrifice to appease Bhadrakali, the principal deity at the Chettikulangara temple, for the well-being of his subjects. However, the practice was toned down over time and skin piercing was adopted in place of blood sacrifice as a symbolic representation of human sacrifice. Originally, the devotees had offered their own children for the ritual. The temple authorities diluted this provision and included blood relation when they failed to get adequate children to undergo the painful ritual. When this too failed, the temple authorities started allowing kids bought by the devotees. The devotees are not willing to offer their own children for kuthiyottam as they have to go through rigorous rituals for seven days. The children are made to bath in the temple pond and wear white dhoti and garlands before being taken to the residence. They are kept in isolation at the residence till the final day of the festival. During the stay, the children are made to perform many rigorous tasks such as taking a dip in cold water and abstaining from meat, etc. They are given only measly portions to eat and made to sleep on the bare floor. During this period, their flanks are squeezed every day so that the needles could pierce the skin easily. On the final day, the children are taken out in a procession to the temple. The procession from the residence takes several hours to reach the temple. With metal wires pierced in their waist, the children will have to dance holding their hands upwards till they reach the temple. The people accompanying them in the procession will pour coconut water fanning with palms towards the fissures. The state child rights commission had banned the ritual in December 2016 after it witnessed the painful ordeal faced by the children during the previous year. The commission noted that the ritual involving pain and torture being inflicted to the children was a violation of the childrens rights. "Its found that the rituals that make pain to the childrens mind or the body cant be allowed to happen particularly as India becomes a signatory country of rights of child agreement passed by the UN General Council (sic)," the commissions order had said. Though the ban order has the provision to prosecute the temple authorities and parents under the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, the commission has not taken any such action against the violation so far. Advocate AK Rajasree, on whose petition the ban was imposed, cited an appeal pending against the ban in the high court as a possible reason for the inaction. The temple authorities, who had given an undertaking in the high court, that they will not perform the ritual following the dismissal of their petition for quashing the ban, on the other hand, are pleading helplessness, saying that the ritual was being organised outside the temple. "We had asked the devotees to abide by the court order, but they continue to perform the ritual in their houses. They come to the temple only to remove the strings in the waist of the children. We cannot do anything happening outside our control, said a member of the Sri Devi Vilasam Hindu Matha Convention, which organises the festival every year. An online petition, floated by NGO Protsahan, on Change.org, had sought the intervention of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi against the conduct of the ceremony, but it too has maintained silence on the petition. Jaswinder Singh, the head of communications at Protsahan, described it as a blatant case of child trafficking and abuse. "This is happening at a point when India aspires to be a world power and its children are abused in the name of religion. Something like this cannot go unchecked," the petition said. Human rights activists said that the temple authorities were unwilling to end the primitive practice as it brings them big money. Advocate Rajasree said that the government authorities were also not ready to intervene in the issue as the patrons of the temple hold huge political clout not only in the state but also at the Centre. Jaswinder said that it was shocking that such a gross human rights violation is happening in a state with the highest literacy and social advancements that too despite the court orders. She said that the barbaric practice was being held in collusion with the political class and the temple authorities. Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sahibzada Noor Al Haq Qadri on Monday said India has denied issuing visas to the Pakistani pilgrims who wanted to attend the Urs celebration of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti. Islamabad: Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sahibzada Noor Al Haq Qadri on Monday said India has denied issuing visas to the Pakistani pilgrims who wanted to attend the Urs celebration of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti. The celebration is slated to be held in Ajmer Sharif Dargah in India this month. Dawn quoted the minister as saying that around 500 Pakistani pilgrims were supposed to leave for India on 7 March. The remarks by the Minister come amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack on 14 February that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and a series of air strikes by both the neighbouring countries since the past few days. "India's extremist face has come forward," Qadri said in a statement adding that "India is held hostage by religious extremists." The Pakistani minister further claimed that this is the second consecutive time when India has refused visas to Pakistani pilgrims. In March last year, India had reportedly refused to issue visas to 503 Pakistani pilgrims visiting the Urs celebration. However, only 190 of 400 visa requests had been approved by the Indian Embassy during the Urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia in New Delhi, he added. Qadri further noted that the Indian embassy in Islamabad had informed the ministry regarding the cancellation of visas of the pilgrims. The embassy has yet to return the passports of the visa applicants. Every year, around 500 Pakistani pilgrims attend the Urs celebration at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, considered to be one of the holiest Muslim shrines in India. The Indian Air Force is equipping its Su-30MKI aircraft with Israeli Spice-2000 bombs which were used to carry out air strikes on JeM terrorists training camp New Delhi: The Indian Air Force is equipping its Su-30MKI combat aircraft with the Israeli Spice-2000 bombs which were used by the force to carry out air strikes on the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists training camp inside Pakistan. Talking about the quick deployment of forces by the Air Force on the western frontier of Pakistan, top Indian Air Force sources told ANI that the force has been successful in doing so due to the exercise GaganShakti held last year where the service practiced to carry out high tempo operations on both the possible fronts. "At the moment, the only aircraft which is capable of delivering the bombs on enemy targets is the Mirage 2000. But now the Air Force is putting them on the Su-30s as well to further enhance their firepower," government sources told ANI here. India had acquired more than 200 of these bombs from Israel a few years back and the Su-30MKI has already carried out trials of launching the Spice-2000 on ground targets, they said. "After a few more trials, the Su-30 fleet would be equipped with these bombs which rely on coordinates and satellite pictures of the target to home in and destroy the intended targets," the sources said. Once the integration is successful, it would be a big force multiplier for the Air Force as the only planes which can launch these bombs right now are the Mirage 2000s. The IAF has only around three squadrons of these planes whereas the service has already inducted more than 250 of these aircraft and has plans of getting around 20 more by the end of next year. The Air Force used the Spice-2000 bombs extensively during the air strikes on Pakistan on 26 February decimating the intended target in Balakote in Khyber Pakhtunwa province of Pakistan in form of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp. The attacks were carried out by the Air force to avenge the Pulwama suicide terrorist attack in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed. Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar has been active against India for the last almost 20 years after he was released from jail during the Kandhar hijack where terrorists were released in exchange for passengers of the Indian Airlines flight number IC-814. Now, in the wake of Indias airstrikes on the JeMs complex in Balakot, Islamabad has once again vowed to dismantle the clerics empire of hate: but the odds are low that the 5 March crackdown will play out any differently from the past. New Delhi: He was too close to deadline for the airstrikes targeting his empire to merit more than a footnote. I was writing this column late at night, Maulana Masood Azhar Alvi wrote, When news of Indias bombing came in. I will say more on this later, god willing, but for now, this: there has been no damage. Indias leaders are dishonest. Indias threats, he went on intoxicate us like the applause of the audience does a poet: an intoxication more powerful than alcohol. Twice, Azhar, the head of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), has brought nuclear weapons-armed India and Pakistan to the edge of full-blown war; thrice, Pakistans government has incarcerated him and promised to shut down his jihadist enterprise. Now, in the wake of Indias airstrikes on the JeMs complex in Balakot, Islamabad has once again vowed to dismantle the clerics empire of hate: but the odds are low that the 5 March crackdown will play out any differently from the past. Still alive and kicking From the JeMs own words, its clear its operations didnt end on 22 February, when the Punjab government announced it was taking over the groups two main complexes in the city of Bahawalpur. Fawwad Chaudhury, Pakistans information minister, also announced that day that the government was committed to implementing the countrys National Action Plan against terrorism, which calls for strict action against proscribed groups. In between the words and the reality, the Jaishs literature shows, theres considerable distance. Indeed, the Jaish makes no effort to echo official Pakistani claims that neither the organisation or its chief have links to terrorism. For example, the weekend newspaper Al-Qalams 1 March issue reported 48 participants have been engaged in the Daura Siyasa, a course where participants are taught knowledge of Islam, the history of Islam, and knowledge of jihad. The course, the newspaper stated, Is devised by the emir of the mujahideen, Maulana Masood Azhar, and is conducted under his directions by teachers who have received instruction from him. There is also evidence, in the newspaper, that recruitment activity continued apace. Preacher Illyas Qasmi, for example, held a meeting at Bahawalpurs Chak 86, to invite his audience to the Quran, namaaz and jihad. When we come to understand, from the Quran, the way of jihad in the path of god, we will discover a new honour and courage, the preacher promised. Five people, Al-Qalam stated, responded to this speech by agreeing to join the group. Indeed, the newspaper showed similar Jaish meetings were held across the country in the wake of the Pulwama suicide bombing. At one meeting, held in Rahim Yar Khan districts Sadiqabad, Maulana Mujahid Abbas had this message for prayer congregants: Muslims, the task before us now is to be prepared to die alongside our Kashmiri brothers, and tell the Hindus that we will not rest until the flag of Islam flies over their entire country. Speaking in Mardaan, preacher Qamar-ul-Zamaan told his audience we are enjoying victory in Afghanistan today because of the blessings of the blood of martyrs. The day is not far, he promised, When similar news will come from Kashmir, and the Hindu tyrants will be brought in chains by the mujahideen before their emir. Lying low? From Azhars lead article in Al-Qalam, it is clear he had been anticipating at least some official action against the organisation: just as there were in the wake of major terrorist attacks in 2018, 2008, and 2001. From the day Pakistan joined America and NATOs war, he wrote, Things have been fragile. The rulers of our times committed a terrible sin, and have refused to repent. It is because of this sin that an evil, impure and cowardly country like India is able to subjugate and threaten us. If only you would follow the path Islam has set for you there would be no room for this to happen, Azhar wrote, addressing Pakistans rulers. The answer is simple: our sights must be focused on the afterlife. Following the publication of Al-Qalam this weekend, a Jaish-linked Telegram feed complained that the Government of Pakistan has turned out to be just like that of Pervez Musharraf. It has returned Indias pilot, and is now making plans to target the people of faith, by seizing their institutions and incarcerating them. Be prepared for your union with your creator, it went on. Be prepared to migrate. At any time, you can be called: be ready. In spite of the tone, though, theres no evidence the Pakistan government is any more serious than it was during the past crackdowns of 2002, after 26/11 and post-Pathankot. The reasons lie in the intimate ties between the Jaish, and Pakistans military. Intimate allies In the wake of 9/11, the Jaish came under enormous stress, as General Pervez Musharrafs government found itself confronting the jihadist movement in Pakistan. In late 2001, Maulana Abdul Jabbar, the Jaishs overall military commander, began pushing for attacks on Western targets in Pakistan. Azhar described his challenger as a sectarian terrorist, but many young jihadists broke ranks with the Jaish, to join more radical Al-Qaeda linked groups. In 2002, faced with the risk of all-out war with India, General Pervez Musharraf banned the Jaish: a ban that still stands. There was more bad news for the jihadist, too. Evidence emerged of Azhar having mentored British-born Al-Qaeda jihadist Rashid Rauf. Investigations into the 2005 London bombings showed key perpetrators, notably Mohammad Siddique Khan, trained at camps linked to Azhar, and were inspired by his writings. In the wake these events, former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant-General Javed Ashraf Qazi told Pakistan Parliament that the country must not be afraid of admitting that the Jaish was involved in the deaths of thousands of innocent Kashmiris [and] bombing the Indian Parliament. General Musharrafs pro-United States policies, though, spawned a new cohort of anti-Pakistan jihadists. Testifying before the official inquiry into the attack which claimed Osama bin-Ladens life, former ISI chief Lieutenant-General Shuja Pasha lashed out at Musharraf for caving in so promptly and so completely to the to the United States demands that Shamsi airbase was given to them for drone strikes against people in Pakistan. Inside the ISI, General Pashas views were widely held. In 2009, jihadists took 49 hostages in an attack on the Pakistan Armys headquarters in Rawalpindi. The ISI needed negotiators who both they and the attackers trusted. Military aircraft were dispatched to pick up top jihadist leaders: among them Masood Azhars brother, Abdul Rauf Alvi. For the hawks, these events were a compelling case for bringing Azhar back from the cold, and creating a loyalist group of jihadists: an organisation that could wean away cadre from Al-Qaeda linked groups, and direct them towards the State-backed jihad in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Jaish, interestingly, was allowed to vocally support Bin Laden after his death: in defiance of stated Pakistani policy against the fugitive jihadist. In one eulogy, Masood Azhar described him as our brother, a Muslim, the pride of the Arabs. Rauf was even more explicit, attacking Pakistans political leadership for allowing a man who gave his whole life for Islam to be martyred in Pakistan. The Americans have spilled Osama Bin Ladens blood, Rauf warned. And they will pay for it. Large parts of the Jaish leaderships speeches, interestingly, make the case for jihad worldwide: not just against India. Following the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, Masood Azhar warned the West: If you spray bombs, do you think the children of Medina will shower petals on you? Fifty years old this summer, Azhar is entering his sunset: overweight and diabetic, he underwent gall-bladder surgery a decade ago. His empire of hate, though, is nowhere near its sunset. Till 3 March, the number of devotees who had taken the dip during the Kumbh stood at 22.95 crore, a UP government official said Allahabad: Even before midnight, devotees from different walks of life and parts of the country began to pour into Sangam city to take holy dip on Mahashivratri, the great night of Lord Shiva and the last bathing day in the one-and-a-half-month-long Kumbh Mela. Till Monday evening, more than 1 crore devotees had taken a holy dip in the Sangam area, officials said. The bathing ghats brimmed with colour in the morning. Late-night showers in parts of the holy city failed to dampen the spirit of the pilgrims. As the sun came out, devotees enthusiastically greeted the sun, while some offered obeisance to the Sun God with traditional 'Yoga asanas'. "Till evening, as many as 1.10 crore devotees have taken a dip in the Sangam area. With Mahashivratri's snaan, so far more than 24.05 crore devotees have taken a dip during this year's Kumbh," Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand told PTI. Till 3 March, the number of devotees who had taken the dip during the Kumbh stood at 22.95 crore, a UP government official said. As the visitors were heading towards the ghats, chants of 'Har Har Mahadev' rang through the air, albeit the occasional police announcement. Apart from other information, the police told the crowds about the lost-and-found centre, which could also be seen from a distance by the installed, floating gas-balloon. A delegation from West Bengal kept all its members together by telling them to follow the large saffron-coloured flags. A group of visitors from Ajmer used rope barriers to keep its members together. "Despite showers, my friends and I walked towards the bathing ghats and took a dip," said Dhananjay Singh, who came from Lucknow, adding, "I consider it (the rain) to be a propitious sign." Content, smiling faces at the Kumbh nagris tell us we managed the last day crowds well, an official said. With heavy rush on their minds, devotees began arriving at the makeshift Kumbh nagris in Prayagraj even before midnight with chants of 'Bum Bhole' on their lips. UP Sugarcane Development and Sugar Mills Minister Suresh Rana took a dip in the 'Sangam' and later visited the media centre. Speaking to reporters, Rana said, "When I was taking a boat ride after the dip, a sudden shower of petals fell on boatman. His spontaneous reaction was 'waah Yogi ji' (UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath). I was pleasantly overwhelmed by this." A UP government spokesperson said UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will participate in the 'Kumbh Samaroh Samapan Kaaryakram' (the formal closing function of the mega event) on Tuesday. He will felicitate the officials who have done exemplary work during the festival. UP Governor Ram Naik and Urban Development Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna are also likely to attend the programme. According to Hindu mythology, Mahashivratri symbolises the last holy bath of 'Kalpvasis', who spend the month of 'Magh' the period of austerity in minimal means. Ashutosh Varshney, an astrologer who has set up a camp in Sector-6 of Kumbh Nagri, said, "Mahashivratri marks the culmination of the Kumbh and the prominent bathing days. This year, it fell on a Monday, the day dedicated to Lord Shiva, after a long time." "Also on this day, Lord Shiva got married," said Gunjan Varshney, who runs the Raam Naam Bank, where devotees deposit booklets after writing the name of Lord Ram. Kumbh is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. It is held once in every 12 years. This time it began on 15 January on Makar Sankranti. There are six bathing dates. Of these, shahi snaans are held on Makar Sankranti, Mauni Amawasya and Basant Panchami. Parv snaans are held on Paush Poornima and Maghi Poornima. Police and central para-military personnel have been in charge of the movement of people and vehicles and guiding them towards the bathing ghats. As the Kumbh approached its finale, the mega event etched its name into record books creating a hat-trick of world records, which were certified by the Guinness World Records, a UP government spokesperson said. One of the records was the most contributions made to a handprint painting in eight hours. The Guinness World Records certificate read, "The most contributions to a handprint painting in eight hours was achieved by Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh (India) in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh India on 1 March, 2019." Another world record created was the largest parade of buses. "The largest parade of buses was achieved by Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh (India) in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India on 28 February, 2019," the certificate given by Guinness World Records read. A UP government official said, "The attempt in Prayagraj involving 500 buses covered more than 3.2 kilometres. It was held at NH-19 between Sahson toll plaza and Nawabganj toll plaza. This demonstrates the traffic plan, which worked very well during the mela with 20,000 police personnel being deployed." On 2 March, most people sweeping the floor (multiple venues) was achieved by Prayagraj Mela Authority, the government of Uttar Pradesh, India on 2 March 2019. 'Such praise is against the policy of CPM. Hence, a decision has been taken to suspend him for three months from the party's Central Committee,' a party official said on Tuesday. Mumbai: A CPM leader from Maharashtra has been suspended from the party's Central Committee for reportedly praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at an event. Former CPM MLA Narsaiyya Adam in January praised and thanked Modi and Fadnavis for speedy clearance to a housing project in Solapur district, from where he was earlier elected in the state Assembly. He also reportedly wished for another term for Modi as prime minister. "Such praise is against the policy of CPM. Hence, a decision has been taken to suspend him for three months from the party's Central Committee," a party official said on Tuesday. The central committee is a key decision-making body of the communist party. Adam was not available for comments in the matter. BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday tried to put BJP president Amit Shah in the dock over his claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the Indian air strikes in Pakistan, asking him why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was 'silent' over it. Lucknow: BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday tried to put BJP president Amit Shah in the dock over his claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the Indian air strikes in Pakistan, asking him why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "silent" over it. "BJP chief Amit Shah is arduously making the claim that IAF strike had killed over 250 terrorists in Pakistan but why his guru PM Modi who is always keen to take credit for everything is silent over it? Terrorists killed is good news, but what is the secret behind deep silence of PM over it?" Mayawati posted on Twitter. At an event in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Shah had said the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot last Tuesday "killed more than 250 terrorists". Mayawati also hit out at the economic policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, saying that benefits of economic growth not reaching to most of the poor, labourer, farmers of 130-crore population of country was a "matter of serious concern". "...what will be Modi Govt reply & jumlebazi (rhetoric) over slowdown in farm and manufacturing pushing GDP growth to a low of 6.6%...?" she added. The first part of the section titled 'Religion' examines the differing views of male and female respondents. The Lok Sabha election in a few months is set to see a massive 130 million first-time voters go to the polls. The stakes are already high for the National Democratic Alliance that seeks to secure five more years and a seemingly united Opposition that seeks to dislodge the ruling BJP and its allies at any cost. To get a better idea of how young first-time voters people aged 18 to 21 perceive of the forthcoming election, YouGov India and Firstpost conducted a nationwide survey between 5 and 16 December, 2018. There was a total of 1,332 respondents, from a panel of over 40,000, who answered questions ranging from politics and jobs, to religion and the media. The findings are being serialised in four sections: 1) Politics and Ideology 2) News and Media 3) Religion 4) Jobs and Economy The first part of the section titled 'Religion' examines the differing views of male and female respondents. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of male correspondents claimed to be extremely religious, compared to 14 percent of females. Meanwhile, 34 percent of female respondents identified as being agnostic, while this figure was down to 25 percent for their male counterparts. While half of all male respondents opined that religion was likely to influence their business decisions, a third of female respondents felt this way. Sixty-three percent of male respondents said that religion was likely to influence their choice of food, compared to 46 percent of women. To read the findings of the section of the survey titled 'Politics and Ideology', click here. To read the findings of the section of the survey titled 'News and Media', click here. Despite being an industrially developed state, Gujarats sex ratio was 890 girls per 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group (sex ratio: 919/1000), according to the 2011 Census. This sex ratio is lower, compared with the national average of 933. The states bias against the girl child was first exposed in the 2001 Census figures, which showed the child sex ratio to be 883 girls per 1,000 boys. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday made the people of Patidar community pledge that they would not do female foeticide. Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of Vishwa Umiya Dham a Rs 1,000-crore socio-religious 40-acre complex being built by Patidars in Ahmedabad Modi chided the community over the high prevalence of female foeticide and made it promise to not kill the female child in the womb. You offer prayers to Ma Umiya (the community deity of Kadva Patidars, a sub-caste of Patidars) and then kill the girl childthis is not acceptable, Modi said. I have grown up amid you and have the right to be upset with you. Im disappointed with the skewed sex ratio in Unjha, he added. He made the people pledge that they wouldn't even mistakenly kill the girl child before its born and also urged the doctors of the community to not encourage or participate in the illegal practice. Gujarat's poor sex-ratio Despite being an industrially developed state, Gujarats sex ratio was 890 girls per 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group (sex ratio: 919/1000), according to the 2011 Census. This sex ratio is lower, compared with the national average of 933. The states bias against the girl child was first exposed in the 2001 Census figures, which showed the child sex ratio to be 883 girls per 1,000 boys. In 1994, India had banned prenatal sex screening and female foeticide making it illegal to determine the fetus's sex. However, despite all measures to curb the ill-practice, the Mahesana district which also has Modi's hometown Vadnagar falling under it has a sex ratio of 926 females to every 1,000 males. Interestingly, among sub-districts, Vadnagar has the highest sex ratio of 954 and Mahesana has the lowest sex ratio, 912. Whereas, in terms of the child sex ratio, Mahesana comes second last only after Surat district with a child sex ratio of 842. Sub-district Kadi has the highest child sex ratio of 887 and Mahesana has the lowest child sex ratio of 807. The Times of India quoted AK Patel, a community leader from north Gujarat while underlining the gravity of the situation said that, Our internal surveys have revealed a sex ratio of less than 600 girls per 1,000 boys in the community in many areas. It is time to stop killing the girl child. Child Sex Ratio gives out an even grimmer picture The 'Sex Ratio at Birth' is a more robust indicator of the extent to which sex-selective abortion is happening. The average SRB for the entire world is 101 males per 100 females. However, the ratio looks highly distorted in some countries, especially in India which has a ratio of 110 males per 100 females, as per a report by DownToEarth. The same report states that India has one of the highest female foeticide incidents in the world. The female child population in the age group of 0-6 years declined from 78.83 million in 2001 to 75.84 million in 2011. And, during the period 1991-2011, the child sex ratio (0-6 years) declined from 945 to 914. Meanwhile, according to the Population Research Institute's report, at least 1,27,71,043 sex-selective abortions had taken place in India between 2000 and 2014, taking the daily average of sex-selective abortion to 2,332. Another report by the UNHR titled Female Infanticide Worldwide: The case for action by the UN Human Rights Council" which makes a continent-wide analysis of infanticide patterns ranked India at the fourth position in the list of countries with the most skewed sex ratio at birth (112 males/100 females). Efforts by govt to curb female foeticide This even as, apart from the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (PNDT Act), India also enacted the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act in 1971 to regulate access to safe abortions. Apart from the curbs, the BJP government (which has been in power in the state for over two decades now) also started the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign in 2015 and launched several programmes to the effect of providing monetary compensation or conditional cash rewards under the the Balika Samriddhi Yojana and the Dhanalakshmi Scheme. Patidar community worst-affected, no brides available for match-making The most affected by this skewed sex ratio in the state are the prospective grooms of the Patidar community, who are unable to find a bride for themselves amidst a severe shortage or lack of female population. Many from the Leuva and Kadva communities have remained a bachelor as earlier their community wouldn't allow inter-caste or inter-region marriage, news agency UNI reported. The Patel community is most affected with their men being forced to score brides from the tribal regions in Gujarat, Maharashtra and even Karnataka, and this even leads to a practice of 'buying' brides from agents. On the other hand, complaints of brides running away with the money and jewellery are common-place in north Gujarat and Saurashtra regions, The Times of India reported. Skewed sex-ratio in these regions is the reason why men here are compelled to take wives from other communities specially, migrant Odiya women settled around Surat and other regions of Patidar dominance. According to reports, a few years ago, after much deliberation, the community leaders decided that Patidar men could marry Kurmis, a peasant caste in the north and western India, whom they consider their equivalent. In fact, in October 2015, forty-two girls from mostly the poor Kurmi families from Odisha took part in the first-ever match-making ceremony held in Surat. According to The Times of India's report, 5,000 Patel men had queued up in the hope of finding a bride, mostly belonging to families of Oriya workers working in textile units nearby. Recently, in a similar community marriage event, 30 brides came from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Delhi, apart from those belonging to Odisha and there was also an attempt to reign in more "educated and qualified girls" in the mass marriage function, as per a report by The Indian Express. However, educational qualification is not necessarily a criterion for Patidar men. They mostly just need to own a house, be a resident of Ahmedabad, earn more than Rs 20,000 a month and not demand dowry from the bride, the report said. Gujarati communities wake up to the problem To attract more prospective brides to get married into their community, the Gujarati Patidars started a 'Beti Roti' tradition with Kurmis in other states. According to this ritual, parents of the brides will be spared all expenses and the wedding feast will be sponsored by the Patels who will also gift household articles worth Rs 2 lakh to each newly-wed couple. "Patel boys remain unmarried as brides are not available. They (Odias) give their beti to us and save their 'roti' as they will be spared taking back-breaking loans for dowry,'' a Patidar leader was quoted as saying in The Times of India's report. Meanwhile, the Kadva Patidar Samaj have instead started initiatives to encourage the birth of a girl child. They felicitate the parents of the girl child besides giving away savings certificates worth Rs 1,000 each in the name of the child for a duration of five years. Calling it a trend to check the poor sex ratio of the community and to celebrate the birth of a girl child, the community plans to counter such remunerative measures on their part, until the situation becomes positive and there is a balance in population, stated the report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday got 'Kochi' in Kerala and 'Karachi' in Pakistan mixed up in a slip of the tongue but quickly covered it up by saying that his mind these days is preoccupied with the neighbouring country. Jamnagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday got 'Kochi' in Kerala and 'Karachi' in Pakistan mixed up in a slip of the tongue but quickly covered it up by saying that his mind these days is preoccupied with the neighbouring country. Extolling the virtues of the Ayushman Bharat health scheme, Modi said it allowed a resident of Jamnagar to avail treatment anywhere in the country, be it 'Kolkata' or 'Karachi'. Almost in the same breath, the prime minister set things right by telling the gathering he meant 'Kochi' and not 'Karachi'. "Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, if a resident of Jamangar has gone to Bhopal and falls sick, he need not come back to Jamnagar for treatment. If he shows his (Ayushman Bharat) beneficiary card, he will get free treatment even in Kolkata and even in Karachi," Modi told the gathering. He, however, added, "Not Karachi but Kochi. Nowadays my mind is preoccupied with the thoughts of the neighbouring country." "But that (air strike in Pakistan) was also necessary. Should that be done or not?" he posed to the crowd which replied its assent with a round of applause. Modi was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a 750-bed annexe building of Guru Govind Singh Hospital. Naval Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday highlighted the threats being faced by India in the Indo-Pacific region as well called out the 'state' seeking to destabilise India by aiding the perpetuation of extremists-led violence in the country. Naval Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday highlighted the threats being faced by India in the Indo-Pacific region as well called out the 'state' seeking to destabilise India by aiding the perpetuation of extremists-led violence in the country. "We have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi including through the medium of the sea," Lanba said in a media briefing. He, however, said that India faces a far more serious version of this state-sponsored terrorism. "We have all witnessed the horrific scale of extremists attack on the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, just three weeks ago," he said. Lanba said that the Indo-pacific region has witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in this part of the world have been spared by this cause. "Global nature which terrorism has acquired in recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat," the chief of naval staff said. India had carried out air-strikes on 26 February in Pakistan's Balakot on to target a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camp at Jaba top after a JeM suicide bomber-led attack killed 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on 14 February. Thereafter, an aerial dogfight on the LoC had ensued between the two nations on 27 February in which one MiG-21 and a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet were shot down. One terrorist was killed on Tuesday in an encounter, which broke out late on Monday, in the Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed and a civilian was injured on Tuesday in an encounter, which broke out late on Monday, in the Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. "An anti-insurgency operation was launched in Tral on Monday night following a brief exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces," a police spokesperson said. The official said that in the ensuing gun battle that lasted nearly 12 hours, two local militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit were killed. "The slain ultras have been identified as Adfar Fayaz Parray, resident of Gulshanpora in Tral, and Irfan Ahmad Rather, resident of Shariefabad in Tral," he said. Jammu & Kashmir: Encounter underway between security forces and terrorists in Tral. More details awaited. (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/e8lu8WCivb He added that the security forces have cordoned off the area and launched an operation to flush out the other militants. Television news reports said that security forces have blown up the house where they believed the militants were hiding. The spokesperson said arms, ammunition and other incriminating materials were recovered from the encounter site. He said a civilian, identified as Farooq Ahmad Malik, was hit by a stray bullet some distance from the encounter site. Malik was undergoing treatment and his condition was stable, he added. Less than a week ago, security forces were engaged in 56-hour-long encounter in the Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara district. The gunfight began on Friday morning after a cordon and search operation was launched in the area and ended only on Sunday afternoon. Two militants, five security personnel, including a CRPF officer, and a civilian were killed in the encounter at Babagund village of Langate area. The bodies of both the militants were recovered from the site of the gunfight, but they have not been identified yet. Incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from the encounter site. The police spokesperson also said that the encounter went on for 56 hours because of the area's geographical terrain and the presence of civilians in the area. With inputs from PTI Faisal informed the Indian envoy that Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood, will be returning to New Delhi after the completion of consultations in Islamabad. Islamabad: Pakistan on Tuesday informed India that its delegation will visit New Delhi on March 14 to discuss a draft agreement on the Kartarpur corridor, a positive development that could help ease tensions between the two neighbours. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal, who is also the Director General South Asia & SAARC, invited India's acting High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia at the ministry of foreign affairs to convey the decision, according to a statement. "The Pakistan delegation will visit New Delhi on 14 March, 2019, followed by the return visit of the Indian delegation to Islamabad on 28 March, 2019, to discuss the draft Agreement on Kartarpur Corridor," the statement said. Faisal informed the Indian envoy that Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood, will be returning to New Delhi after the completion of consultations in Islamabad. He also conveyed that Pakistan was committed to continue weekly contact at the Military Operations Directorates level. The positive development came as Pakistan launched a crackdown against banned outfits including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). JeM chief Masood Azhar's son Hammad Azhar and brother Mufti Abdur Rauf were among 44 members of the banned militant outfits detained by authorities in Pakistan on Tuesday, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil. India and Pakistan have agreed to open up a special border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, the first Gurdwara, was established by Guru Nanak Dev in 1522, where he is said to have died. The corridor will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. The Pakistani Air Force (PAF) carried out an unsuccessful aerial combat on 27 February as a retaliation to India's strike at a major terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group in Pakistan's Balakot. New Delhi: The defence ministry on Tuesday trashed Pakistan's claim of shooting down a Sukhoi-30 aircraft of the IAF during an aerial combat last week, saying the claim appeared to be a cover up for loss of a Pakistani jet during the dogfight. The Pakistani Air Force (PAF) carried out an unsuccessful aerial combat on 27 February as a retaliation to India's strike at a major terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group in Pakistan's Balakot. Sharing details of the aerial combat, the ministry said all the Sukhoi-30 aircraft deployed to check Pakistani jets landed back safely. "False claim by Pakistan of shooting down a Su-30, appears to be a cover up for loss of its own aircraft," the ministry said. Pakistan downed a MiG 21 aircraft of the IAF while India shot down an F-16 jet of the PAF during the dogfight. Pakistan had claimed that it downed two fighter jets of India during the dogfight. "Build up of PAF aircraft on their side of Line of Control was noticed in time and additional aircraft were scrambled to tackle the adversary. In their attempt to attack our ground targets, PAF aircraft were engaged effectively," the ministry said. "From IAF side, Mirage-2000, Su-30 and MiG-21 Bison aircraft were involved in the engagement and PAF aircraft were forced to withdraw in a hurry, which is also evident from large missed distances of the weapons dropped by them," it said. The ministry said, during combat, use of F-16 by Pakistan and multiple launches of AMRAAM missiles were "conclusively observed". The US had barred Pakistan from using the F-16s against any third country and it was only allowed to operate the fighter in self defence and for anti-terror missions. "Prompt and correct tactical action by Su-30 aircraft, in response to AMRAAM launch, defeated the missile. Parts of the missile fell in area East of Rajouri in J&K, injuring a civilian on ground," the defence ministry said. The IAF on 28 February displayed parts of the AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence at a press briefing. The JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. India struck JeM's training facility to avenge the Pulwama attack. The IAF made certain changes to the day-night exercise in Rajasthan's Pokhran desert close to the Pakistan border on 16 February after the Pulwama attack, while the government considered an air strike option across the LoC. New Delhi: The Indian Air Force made certain changes to the format of its planned exercise in Rajasthan's Pokhran desert close to the Pakistan border on 16 February after the Pulwama attack on 14 February, official sources said on Monday. This was while the government considered carrying out an air strike across the Line of Control (LoC), which it did 10 days later. The exercise 'Vayu Shakti' involving over 140 fighter jets, military helicopters as well as a variety of missiles demonstrated the capability for short-notice missions with pinpoint accuracy. Although it was a scheduled exercise, the Indian Air Force (IAF) top brass knew the government was considering using air power to avenge the Pulwama attack on 14 February, making the drill a dress rehearsal for an aerial strike to target Pakistan-based JeM, top government sources said. They said the IAF even incorporated certain changes in the format of the exercise after receiving an indication from the government about a possible role for the IAF to carry out a strike across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. Ten days later, in a well coordinated operation, a fleet of 12 Mirage 2000 aircraft supported by other platforms struck inside Pakistan, targeting the biggest terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed, which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The IAF got the indication that the government may likely task the air force for a precision strike targeting a Pakistan-based terror outfit, the sources said. In his address at the inauguration of the exercise, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had said the IAF was ever prepared to deliver an "appropriate response" as assigned by India's political leadership. From his speech, it was not clear then whether IAF was considering such a strike on Pakistani soil. At the exercise, a fleet of Mirage 2000 aircraft had demonstrated its capability to smash enemy assets. The Mirage 2000 aircraft used in the strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed terror was chosen because of its ability to hit long-range targets with "pin-point" accuracy and drop a range of bombs and missiles including laser-guided ones, sources said. The IAF hit the JeM training facility using S-2000 precision-guided bombs fired from the Mirage-2000 fighter jets. The sources said the strike produced intended results. The CIBMS system, which Rajnath had first come across during his visit to Israel, enables round-the-clock surveillance on border and under different weather conditions. Home minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to inaugurate BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) on Tuesday, under the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS), on the India-Bangladesh border in Assam. The project will bring under electronic surveillance a "highly-porous" riverine section consisting of 'char' (sand islands) and innumerable river channels. With this project, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) aims to keep a check on illegal immigration and smuggling of arms, ammunition, drugs and cattle. What is CIBMS? The CIBMS is an integration of a number of new gadgets and technologies to ensure electronic surveillance of borders. The system, which Rajnath had first come across during his visit to Israel, enables round-the-clock surveillance on the border under different weather conditions. In September 2018, Rajnath inaugurated two similar smart fencing pilot projects of five kilometres each on India-Pakistan international border in Jammu. The government plans to cover all areas on the India-Pakistan and the India-Bangladesh borders in the next few years. What is BOLD QIT? BOLD-QIT is a project to install technical systems under the CIBMS, which enables the Border Security Force (BSF) to equip India-Bangladesh borders with different kinds of sensors in the unfenced riverine area of Brahmaputra and its tributaries. While the BSF is responsible for safeguarding the 4,096 kilometre-long International Border with Bangladesh, at various places, it is not possible to erect border fence due to the geographical barriers. The "smart fencing" will be operationalised in the 61-kilometre section of the international border in Dhubri district, where the Brahmaputra river enters into Bangladesh. In order to overcome the issue with guarding the area, the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2017 decided to go for a technological solution besides the physical presence of BSF. In January 2018, the information and technology wing of BSF undertook BOLD-QIT and completed it in time with the technical support of various manufacturers and suppliers. Following the completion of the project, the entire River Brahmaputra has been covered with data network generated by microwave communication, optical fiber cable, digital mobile radio communication, day-and-night surveillance cameras and also an intrusion detecting system. These modern gadgets provide feeds to BSF control rooms on the border and enable the armed forces to thwart any possibility of illegal cross bordering or crimes near the vicinity. The implementation of this project will not only help the BSF jawans to curb all types of cross border crimes but also provide relief to the troops from round the clock human surveillance. With inputs from agencies The proposed amendment in the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will make persecuted migrants eligible to apply for citizenship, something that the Assam state wing of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has petitioned against at the Supreme Court. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the central and Assam governments on a petition challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India before 31 December, 2014. The top court asked the Centre and the state government to respond within four weeks. It was hearing a plea filed by the Assam state wing of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind challenging the Union Home Ministry's notifications in the matter. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 8 January. On 13 February, the Bill lapsed in the Rajya Sabha, amid protests by members of several Opposition parties. The proposed amendment in the Bill will make these persecuted migrants eligible to apply for citizenship. Under the proposed amendment, the minimum residency period for citizenship is being reduced from the existing 12 years under the present law to seven years. However, citizenship will be given to them only after due scrutiny and recommendation of district authorities and the state government. Several organisations have staged massive protests over the Bill, asserting that the legislation will create law and order problems in the North East. The Ministry of Defence Tuesday said it has taken steps to ensure implementation of permanent commissioning of women officers in the armed forces, in line with the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence Tuesday said it has taken steps to ensure implementation of permanent commissioning of women officers in the armed forces, in line with the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15 August last year, the PM had announced that women officers recruited under the short service commission in the armed forces will have the option of taking up a permanent commission, which he described as a "gift" to the "brave daughters". "The Ministry of Defence has taken steps to ensure implementation of the announcement made by the Prime Minister on 15 August, 2018, regarding grant of permanent commission to women officers in the armed forces," the ministry said in a statement. In so far the Indian Air Force (IAF) is concerned, "all branches, including that of fighter pilots, are now open for women officers," it said. "In Indian Navy, all non-sea going branches/cadre/specialisation have been opened for induction of women officers through Short Service Commission. In addition to education, law and naval constructor branch/cadre, women SSC officers have been made eligible for grant of permanent commission in the naval armament branch, at par with male officers," the statement said. The proposal for induction of "three new training ships" for the Navy is underway, the ministry also said in the statement. "This will provide the requisite infrastructure for training of both men and women officers. Indian Navy will start inducting women in all branches, once the training ships are in place," it said. Women officers will be granted permanent commission in the Indian Army in "all the ten branches" where women are inducted for Short Service Commission, the statement said. "So, besides the existing two streams of Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps, now permanent commission will be granted in Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordinance Corps and Intelligence also to women officers. "SSC women officers will give their option for permanent commission before completion of four years of Commissioned Service, and they will exercise option for grant of permanent commission and their choice of specialisation," it added. SSC women officers will be considered for grant of permanent commission "based on suitability, merit etc and will be employed in various staff appointment," the statement said. Modi in his speech on the occasion of the 72nd Independence Day had said, "I want to give a good news to our brave daughters. Women officers who have been appointed through the short service commission in the armed forces will get permanent commission through a transparent process. It is a gift for them." Under SSC, officers are allowed tenures ranging from five to 14 years of services. Permanent commission allows them to serve till the age of retirement. The current directive of Air India has drawn sharp and humourous reactions from legislators and twitterati alike. One of the sharpest coming from former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti who says it was hardly surprising, considering the general elections taking place in a couple of weeks To keep the josh of the near-bankrupt Air India high, the airline has issued a circular to its crew, asking them to say "Jai Hind" after every in-flight announcement "with much fervour" and after a "slight pause". Officials have also been quoted as saying that the current advisory is a "reminder" to the staff in the wake of the "mood of the nation". "With immediate effect, all (crew) are required to announce 'Jai Hind' at the end of every announcement after a slight pause and much fervour," read the advisory issued by Amitabh Singh, Air India's director of operations. This isn't the first time that the national carrier has decided to induce patriotic fervour among its staff and flyers. The new directive comes days after Ashwani Lohani took charge as Air India's chairman and managing director once again. During his first stint, too, he had issued a similar direction to pilots in May 2016. "The captain of a flight should often connect with passengers during the journey and, at the end of the first address, using the words 'Jai Hind' would make a tremendous impact," Lohani had said. Tremendous or not, the current directive has drawn both sharp and humourous reactions from politicians and Twitterati alike. One of the sharpest came from former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who said the 'Jai Hind' directive was hardly surprising, considering the general elections coming up. Little surprise that with General Elections around the corner, the josh of patriotism hasnt even spared the skies. https://t.co/AyVvEPDU3u Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) March 5, 2019 Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, on the other hand, took a jibe at the various efforts made by the BJP government to revive the cash-strapped national carrier, one among which was the compulsory chant of "Jai Hind". Under the BJP, guess what steps are taken by Air India to revive it's lost fortunes as India's National Carrier- A. Monetization of assets B. Better ticketing and sales C. Compulsory saying of Jai Hind by crew D. Selling it's stakes to private players Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) March 5, 2019 In his earlier communication, Lohani had also asked Air India staff to be "courteous and polite" to passengers and said wearing a smile would be a "good thing". "The cabin crew should greet passengers while emplaning and deplaning with a 'namaskaar' as is tradition. A smile on the face and conversing sweetly and politely without an iota of irritation would be a good thing," he had said. In one crisp tweet, writer Sadanand Ghume spoke about how governments should not manage airlines it cannot "run", even though authorities often impose diktats on people as their cultural right. Similarly, businessman Harsh Goenka criticised the government for trying to make profits for the carrier with nationalistic chants instead of taking more concrete steps to keep it flying. Now with this new move, Im sure Air India will soon become profitable. Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/5Am6UyiQPe Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) March 4, 2019 Those stealing the show, however, are the hilarious tweets from suggesting chanting "how's the josh" to saluting if one sees an Air India aircraft in the sky. Filmmaker Ram Subramanian writes: As per a new order Air India crew have to say Jai Hind after every announcement on all flights. Please dont forget to salute if you see one flying in the sky. Ram Subramanian (@VORdotcom) March 4, 2019 Or, this person's suggestion to give "incentives" for sleepy or the generally never-alert passengers: The Sangam, which is the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati river, was witness to a feat of numbers as the Kumbh Mela broke world records and saw more than 24.05 crore devotees take a dip during the festival. The one-and-half-month long Kumbh Mela drew to a close after more than a crore devotees took the dip in the Sangam area of Prayagraj on Mahashivratri. The Sangam, which is the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati river, was witness to a feat of numbers as the Kumbh Mela broke world records and saw an astounding number of devotees take a dip during the festival. Late night showers and fires in the tent city failed to dampen the spirit of devotees who trooped in until the last day. "Till (Monday) evening, as many as 1.10 crore devotees took a dip in the Sangam area. With Mahashivratri's snaan, more than 24.05 crore devotees have taken a dip in this year's Kumbh," Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand told PTI. Till 3 March, the number of devotees who had taken the dip during the Kumbh stood at 22.95 crore, an Uttar Pradesh government official said. The Kumbh is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world and is held once in every 12 years. This time, it began on 15 January, on Makar Sankranti. When Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath felicitates officials who have contributed significantly to the smooth running of the festivities in the Kumbh Samaroh Samapan Kaaryakram on Tuesday, he will have thousands to choose from. Police and central paramilitary personnel had the mammoth charge of ensuring that the movement of people and vehicles in and around the bathing ghats and tents remained smooth. As many as 20,000 police personnel were deployed at the venue. Forty police stations, three of which were Mahila police stations, were set up at the Kumbh area. Forty fire fighting centres, 15 fire outposts, 40 watch towers and more than 1,000 CCTV cameras were put in place. As many as 6,000 home guards, 80 companies of Central forces and 20 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary were brought in, Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh had told PTI. "The administration put in place a fleet of 55 Motorbike Fire Fighting System (MBFFS), which could reach the corners of the massive tent city faster than a fire tending vehicle," Pramod Kumar Sharmam, the chief fire officer (CFO) of the mela administration had told Firstpost. As the Kumbh approached its finale, the mega event etched its name into record books, creating a hattrick of world records, which were certified by the Guinness World Records. One of the records was most contributions made to a hand-print painting (on the theme of Jai Gange) in eight hours. The Guinness World Records certificate reads, "The most contributions to a hand-print painting in eight hours was achieved by Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh (India) in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh India on 1 March, 2019." A part of the Paint My City initiative, the hand-print community activity saw the participation of 7,664 people from all age groups. The earlier record was held by Seoul in which 4,675 people had taken part. Another world record created was the largest parade of buses on 28 February. This attempt in Prayagraj involved 500 buses which covered more than 3.2 kilometres of the National Highway 19 between the Sahson and Nawabganj toll plazas. #Kumbh2019 has made a Hattrick under the Guinness World Records, a new record of "Most People Sweeping the Floor (Multiple Venues) has been achieved in Prayagraj, with the participation of more than 10,000 sanitation workers. pic.twitter.com/FznH6hUZQd Kumbh (@PrayagrajKumbh) March 3, 2019 On 2 March, another world record was achieved by Prayagraj Mela Authority that of most people sweeping the floor at multiple venues. With the participation of more than 10,000 sanitation workers, this record too was certified by the Guinness authorities. On 25 February, after having washed the feet of five safai karamcharis, and while speaking on the huge effort it took to keep the Kumbh clean, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out that the Kumbh had "over 20,000 dustbins, one lakh toilets." The mela had around 1,22,000 toilets, as many as 15,000 sanitation workers, 40 compactors and 120 tippers for waste disposal and around 2,000 Ganga Praharis and swacchagrahis as volunteers to ensure cleanliness. As a beautification measure, as many as two lakh trees were planted. In 2016, the Uttar Pradesh government under Yogi Adityanath had drawn up an estimate of more than Rs 4,200 crore for the preparations, with the state government allotting Rs 2,000 crore and the Centre pitching in with the rest. This made this year's Kumbh the costliest ever. Only about Rs 1,300 crore was spent in 2013, with the then UPA government at the Centre pitching in with Rs 1,017 crore, reported The Economic Times. To say that the arrangements were large scale would be an understatement. The mela area was lit with more than 40,700 thousand LED lights. An entire city was established on a public-private partnership model. The official Kumbh Mela website claims that 4,200 "premium tents" were set up at the mela area. Some of the luxury tents by the Ganga cost up to Rs 35,000, reported Economic Times. Additional public accommodation arrangements made sure that the mela had as many as 20,000 beds. A Ganga Pandal, with a capacity to accommodate 10,000 people, was built for cultural, spiritual and official programmes. A Pravachan Pandal with a capacity for 2,000 persons was also built. Traffic planning also involved the clearing up of 300-kilometres of roads in the mela area and the creation of 84 parking areas for more than five lakh vehicles. As many as 1,795 pontoons were used for developing 22 pontoon bridges. More than 500 shuttle buses and thousands of CNG autos were deployed. Drinking water arrangements involved 5,000 stand posts, 200 water ATMs, 150 water tankers and 100 hand pumps. A 800-kilometre-long pipeline was drawn to the mela venue to bring water. Celebrated four times in the course of 12 years, this year's Kumbh Mela was a feat to behold in terms of organisation, administration and attendance. With inputs from PTI Trump's letter to Pelosi could be seen as a major setback in India-US bilateral relationship, in particular in the arena of trade and economy. US President Donald Trump said on Monday he intends to end Indias preferential trade treatment under a programme that allows $5.6 billion worth of Indian exports to enter the United States duty free, Reuters said. In a letter to the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Trump said he was determined that New Delhi had 'not assured; the United States that it would 'provide equitable and reasonable access' to the markets of India. "I will continue to assess whether the Government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility criteria," Trump said in his letter, a copy of which was released to the press, PTI said. AFP: US says it will end preferential trade status for India and Turkey ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 Trump, who has vowed to reduce US trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs, Reuters said. I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the Government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India, Trump said in a letter to congressional leaders. The US Trade Representatives Office said removing India from the GSP programme would not take effect for at least 60 days after notifications to Congress and the Indian government, and it will be enacted by a presidential proclamation. The US goods and services trade deficit with India was $27.3 billion in 2017, according to the US Trade Representatives Office. India is the worlds largest beneficiary of the GSP programme and ending its participation would be the strongest punitive action against India since Trump took office in 2017, PTI said. Commerce Secretary Anup Dhawan tweeted about the development: Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan on US decision to withdraw Indias name from GSP programme list: GoI has to be conscious of our developmental and public welfare interests. Our effort was to balance the affordable prices of the medical devices without compromising on public welfare ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 E-commerce rules tightened US-India trade ties were hurt after the government unveiled new rules on e-commerce that restrict the way Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc-backed Flipkart do business The e-commerce rules followed a drive by the government to force global card payments companies such as Mastercard Inc and Visa Inc to move their data to India and the imposition of higher tariffs on electronic products and smartphones. Trump's letter to Pelosi could be seen as a major setback in India-US bilateral relationship, in particular in the arena of trade and economy 'Turkey's economy has grown' In a separate letter, Trump also informed the Congress of his intent to terminate the GSP beneficiary designation of Turkey. This was primarily because the economy of Turkey had improved a lot in the last four-and-a-half decades, he said. "In the four-and-a-half decades since Turkey's designation as a GSP beneficiary developing country, Turkey's economy has grown and diversified," he said. "Increases in Gross National Income per capita, declining poverty rates and export diversification by trading partner and by sector are all evidence of Turkey's increased level of economic development. In addition, Turkey has graduated from other developed countries' GSP programmes due to its increase in economic development or through reciprocal arrangements," he argued. With inputs from agencies C-Voter has not published any poll after the military strike, but its founder said Modis approval rating has soared to levels not seen since mid-2017, according to C-Voters estimates New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has slammed Opposition parties for demanding evidence about last weeks military strike inside Pakistan, and support for him is rising, pollsters say, despite the questions about how successful it was. Its very tricky to be seen questioning the armed forces in India, particularly when there is conflict with arch-enemy Pakistan. But that hasn't stopped Opposition leaders from raising doubts about the governments official claims that a very large number of members of an Islamist militant group were killed in the strike by Indian warplanes early on 26 February. The government has rejected the demand for proof. "At a time when our army is engaged in crushing terrorism, inside the country and outside, there are some people within the country who are trying to break their morale, which is cheering our enemy," Modi said at an election rally on Sunday. "I want to know from (the Opposition) Congress and its partners why they are making statements that are benefiting the enemies. With tensions at fever-pitch with nuclear rival Pakistan, and Indias general election due by May, the stakes are high. Pakistan responded with an air strike of its own, but no one was killed in that operation. The situation is slightly calmer but remains fraught; the two armies continue to regularly trade artillery fire at places along the frontier. "If (the opposition) continues this campaign on ... national security, Im afraid it is not going to stick and its only going to help Modi," Yashwant Deshmukh, the founder of polling agency C-Voter, told Reuters. "Modi's is a presidential campaign, and this is going to help him." The agency has not published any poll after the military strike, but Deshmukh said Modis approval rating has soared to levels not seen since mid-2017, according to C-Voters estimates. Opinion polls conducted before the tensions with Pakistan broke out mostly predicted Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would struggle to win a majority because of a slowing economy, low rural incomes and the governments inability to provide more jobs. But pollsters and political analysts say Modi's support is now rising, mainly because right-wing parties like the BJP typically have an advantage over others on national security issues. "It doesnt matter what India did or what Pakistan is doing, at least from the electoral perspective," said Rahul Verma, a fellow at the New Delhi-based think-tank, Centre for Policy Research. What matters is what kind of perception the media and the BJP and Modi can create. If they can create it like a crisis, we did something, we need a strong guy leading the country, they have an advantage. So the details dont matter. Indian air force planes carried out last weeks strike in retaliation to a suicide attack in the disputed Kashmir region that was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group. At least 40 paramilitary troopers travelling in a convoy were killed, the worst such attack in three decades of insurgency in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region claimed by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan. 'Terrorists Or Trees?' A top government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said last week that at least 300 suspected militants were killed in the retaliatory Indian air strike, while the president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Amit Shah, put the figure at more than 250. Pakistan has said the Indian bombs hit a largely empty hillside near the northeastern town of Balakot without hurting anyone. 300 terrorists dead, yes or no? Navjot Singh Sidhu, a leader of the Congress party, asked in a tweet on Monday. "What was the purpose then? Were you uprooting terrorists or trees? Was it an election gimmick? Deceit possesses our land in guise of fighting a foreign enemy. Stop politicising the army, it is as sacred as the state." But pollsters say Opposition parties may be making a mistake by questioning Modi on national security when emotions are running high. They say that instead the Opposition needs to get back to focusing on the BJPs poor record on creating jobs and tackling farm distress. Those issues helped Congress oust the BJP from power in three states late last year. "It is deeply regrettable and politically immoral on the part of the BJP to make political capital out of military endeavours during cross-border tensions with Pakistan, Congress spokesman Sanjay Jha said. PM Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah are singularly responsible for lowering the political discourse in our country. Mehbooba Mufti, who governed the state of Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the BJP until they split last year, agreed that it was important for the opposition to not let Modi make the election all about the strikes. Calling those who question the veracity of Balakot strikes anti-national is baffling, Mufti said on Twitter. However, the Opposition should not fall into this trap of changing the entire election discourse from pressing issues ... to these strikes. Kejriwal further alleged that the Congress was helping the BJP by splitting the anti-BJP vote, at a time when the whole country wanted to defeat Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo. New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday claimed there are "rumours" that the Congress has a "secret understanding" with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and asserted that his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is ready to fight the "unholy alliance". Kejriwal's comments came in response to Congress' announcement that it will not form any alliance with the AAP in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo, Congress is helping BJP by splitting the anti-BJP vote. Rumours are that Congress has some secret understanding with BJP," he tweeted. "Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance," he added. Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit announced on Tuesday that they will not form an alliance with AAP in the national capital for the forthcoming general election. "A unanimous decision has been taken that there will be no alliance in Delhi," Dikshit said. The announcement by the former Delhi chief minister came following a meeting with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Baijayant Panda was suspended from the BJD for alleged anti-party activities in January last year. Later on 28 May, 2018, Panda ended his 18 years of association with BJD by quitting the party. He has now joined the BJP. New Delhi: Former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Baijayant Jay Panda who joined BJP on Monday, said that BJD has stopped supporting Bharatiya Janata Party on policies which are in the national interest. Panda was suspended from the BJD for his "anti-party activities" in January last year. Later on 28 May, 2018, Panda ended his over 18 years of association with BJD by quitting the party. "Earlier I used to be a member of BJD, it was an ally of the BJP from the day it was founded. In recent years the party has gone in a different direction and has stopped supporting policies which are in the nation's interest," said Baijayant Jay Panda while speaking exclusively to ANI. Panda said under the BJD government the law and order have completely collapsed in the state. "Odisha has seen a dramatic drop in governance standards in the recent years. There is a very high rise in crime against women and children, high rise in corruption, under construction bridges keep on collapsing taking the toll on human lives," said Panda. "Industries in Odisha are being harassed, goons supported by the government are rampaging. Odisha is not able to attract investment or create jobs, law and order have broken down. Only BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah are capable of turning it around," said Panda. On the speculations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Odisha Panda said, if that were to be the party decision, people in Odisha would be over the top of their joy and enthusiasm. "Any Odia and particularly the members of BJP would be very proud if Prime Minister were to contest from Odisha, but in the democratic party like BJP there is a process to everything and being a new member I dont want to get into speculations," said Panda. "I am just saying that if that were to be the party decision people in Odisha would be over the top with joy and enthusiasm, but this is the decision Prime Minister, party president and the party with all democratic processes have to take," said Panda. He said that India has taken a firm stand against the cross-border terrorism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "After 30 years of essentially wringing our hands against cross border terrorism, India has finally redefined the red lines and put clear dictum that we will not accept to bleed like this inflicted with thousand wounds," said Panda. He said that people of Odisha are angry with the BJD government and there is anti-incumbency against it. "There is 19 years of anti-incumbency and people are seething with anger against the government," he said. Panda said that there is a direct fight between BJP and BJD while Congress is at number three. "In last Panchayat elections, BJP had grown 10 times in Odisha. Congress is now left far behind at number three and there is a direct fight between BJD and BJP," said Panda. In his strong-worded resignation letter addressed to BJD chief and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Panda had stated that he was disappointed with the kind of politics being practised by the party. BJP has accused the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal of unleashing atrocities during its Sankalp Yatra motorbike rallies held across the state on Sunday as part of the saffron party's public outreach programme Kolkata: The BJP on Tuesday accused the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal of unleashing atrocities during motorbike rallies held across the state on Sunday as part of the saffron party's public outreach programme. Over 3,500 party workers have been detained for taking part in the 'Sankalp Yatra' motorcycle rallies, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said. An unspecified number of BJP workers and policemen were injured in clashes in several districts of the state Sunday after the authorities prevented the rallies saying they had not been granted permission because of the ongoing school board examinations. Addressing a press meet in Kolkata, Ghosh said, "The TMC government has throttled all democratic principles and traditions by preventing our rallies in recent times. The incidents happened during the Sankalp Yatra rallies is the most recent example." The Sankalp Yatra bike rally is part of the BJP's countrywide pre-poll exercise to establish contact with the people. Ghosh claimed that around 60-70 BJP activists were injured in the attack by the TMC's goons and policemen as party workers were "peacefully" bringing out the rallies in different parts of the state on 3 March. "This shows the frustration and desperation of the TMC and how scared they have become of the BJP," he said. Asked about a report of a farmer's death in the state on Monday, Ghosh said, "The state government wants to suppress the unnatural death of a farmer. It wants to pass off the suicide of a farmer as due to ailments. It does not want to face the truth." He claimed that 5 lakh metric tonnes of potato remained unsold in the state, but the TMC government is doing nothing to address the issue and help the potato growers. To a question about reports of WBCS officers to be given flats by the government, Ghosh said, "The decision had been made two years back, but the government is announcing it only now, just before the elections." "We have nothing against WBCS officers getting some benefits, but what about the teachers and government employees? What about the DA of government employees?," he asked. BJP's Mahila Morcha president Locket Chatterjee, who was present at the press meet, said a rally will be taken out on 8 March, the International Women's day, demanding "an end to the atrocities on women in West Bengal." "Family members of those killed in political violence will be felicitated on that day," she said. The two-hour meeting with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was attended by the party's key leaders in the state and ended in the decision that the party would not form an alliance with AAP for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The Congress will not form an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the national capital for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit told reporters on Tuesday. "A unanimous decision has been taken that there will be no alliance in Delhi," Dikshit said. The announcement by the former Delhi chief minister came following a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The two-hour meeting with Rahul was attended by the party's key leaders in the state, including Dikshit and her predecessor Ajay Maken, reported NDTV. AAP was ready to offer two seats to the Congress in Delhi and indicated that it was open for an alliance in Punjab as well, sources told the news channel. The Congress, however, was holding out for three seats. The party had other options in Haryana and Punjab in case the Congress wanted more seats in Delhi. Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had earlier told ANI, "There should be only one candidate against every BJP candidate, votes must not be divided. I am tired of trying to convince Congress to form an alliance. But they refuse to understand. If our alliance with Congress is done, BJP will lose all seven seats in Delhi." On 2 March, bringing a virtual end to speculations of an alliance with the Congress, AAP had announced the names of party candidates on six of seven seats in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. On 24 February, Dikshit had widened the divide between the two parties, and accused Arvind Kejriwal of "empty talks" on the issue of full statehood for Delhi in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "Kejriwal is making empty talk about full statehood for Delhi and nothing will come out of his rhetoric. If he was serious about full statehood for Delhi, he should have taken up the issue four years ago. He is raking up the full statehood issue with an eye on the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections," Dikshit had said. With inputs from agencies Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad lashed out at Opposition leaders demanding proof that terrorists had been killed in the 26 February air strikes by the Indian Air Force at Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad lashed out at Opposition leaders demanding proof that terrorists had been killed in the 26 February air strikes by the Indian Air Force at Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. On 4 March, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah had also hit out at Opposition parties, alleging that they "raised doubts" on the courage of the armed forces and their demand for proof of the IAF air strike brought a "smile on Pakistan's face". Waving print-outs of news reports, Prasad focused most of his diatribe on Congress leaders who have led the demand for proof, Kapil Sibal, P Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh. Singh wrote a series of tweets questioning claims made by the BJP government at the Centre over the Balakot air strikes. He notably called the Pulwama terror attack a durghatna, in a tweet. The use of the Hindi word, which many translated as "accident", saw controversy erupt. On Singh allegedly labelling the terror strike as an "accident", Prasad said the Congress leader has simply revealed "their thinking". "He has reduced himself to such a low level that he will call the most heinous terrorist attack on 45 CRPF jawans an accident," he said. Air Strike" digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) March 5, 2019 Drawing attention to how Pakistan is capable of seeing what is happening in India, the BJP leader went on to indicate that the clamour for proof in India was receiving wide coverage in Pakistani media and was making "Pakistani headlines". He then went on to berate Kapil Sibal for keeping an eye on "only foreign media" in the light of the lawyer's recent tweet on the issue. Modiji : Is international media : 1) New York Times 2) London based Jane's Information Group 3) Washinton Post 4) Daily Telegraph 5) The Guardian 6) Reuters reporting no proof of militant losses at Balakot pro-Pakistan ? You are guilty of politicising terror ? Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) March 4, 2019 "Kapil Sibal follows foreign media a lot. He goes to London but oddly does not ask for proof there," Prasad said, ostensibly referring to Sibal's controversial presence at a press conference held on EVM machines and their fallibility in London. Also in the line of fire was P Chidambaram, who had tweeted on how the number of casualties came to be fixed at 300. , 300-350 ? P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) March 4, 2019 "Chidambaram ji you speak Oxonian (Oxford) English with a Cantab (Cambridge) accent," Prasad said. Singling out the portion of the former finance minister's tweet that said that the "foreign ministry's statement had said that no civilian or military casualty was reported," Prasad alleged that foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale had spoken only on the civilian death count, which was zero. Prasad then brandished news reports from Aaj Tak, BBC Urdu and The Hindu, all of which noted loud explosions on the date in the area and described in varying degrees of detail, a possible attack by India. "Sibal saab, please read Indian newspapers too. Congress leaders do not believe field reporters, the Indian Army and the Indian Air Forces. There is a growing competition between senior leaders of the Congress party as to who can be more vocal in lowering the morale of the security forces," Prasad said. He then "appealed" to Congress leaders to not "reduce the moral courage and prestige of the security forces for their extraneous political interests." "The BJP would like to know, is all this tweeting a part of a conspiracy because everything that is being shown here is being shown there (Pakistan)," he added. The Congress was not the only party to be on the receiving end of Prasad's verbal onslaught. He also hit out at Mamata Banerjee who was one of the first to ask for proof of the IAF strike. "Mamata ji, what has happened to you? Did two CRPF jawans from Bengal not attain martyrhood (in Pulwama)?" he asked. Prasad asked the people of the country to ask questions to Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. "No country in the world has sought any evidence to justify the air strikes. What is Congress up to? It is doing this for votes, it is destroying India's integrity for votes," he added. Prasad did not mention how many people, terrorists or otherwise, had been killed in the Balakot air strike. Although Jay Panda joining the BJP is unlikely to make much impact on the BJD's prospects in Odisha, the saffron party and the businessman are more than likely of making use of each other for their own gains. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has another Opposition party dissenter in its grip. This time, it's former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, who joined the saffron unit on Monday after "nine months of introspection and widespread consultations with colleagues and public". Panda represented the Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency in coastal Odisha till he was suspended in January 2018 for "anti-party activities", which included questioning the BJD's abysmal performance in the 2017 panchayat polls that the BJP had swept. The MP subsequently resigned from the BJD as well as the Lok Sabha in May and June, respectively, as differences with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik grew. At a press conference on Monday, Panda wasted no time in coming down heavily on his former party: "In the early years, when it (BJD) was an ally of the BJP, there were certain norms that were followed, which were lost in recent years," he said, adding that governance under Patnaik had deteriorated sharply in recent years. He also stressed the crimes against women and children and corruption in Odisha, highlighting "disappointing sights" that the BJP can change in the state. With Panda's induction into the party, the BJP hopes to cash in on his appeal to the youth in the coastal Odisha districts of Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur and Bhadrak. Party workers in Kendrapara, the parliamentary constituency he represented for two terms, said Panda has been a "fairly decent" MP and will be able to help the BJP win some goodwill in the important Lok Sabha seat. Although Panda's popularity may be no match for Patnaik's in Odisha, it does give the BJP another well-known face in the state after Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan. "His popularity and connect with the Odia youth will further strengthen the surge of the BJP in Odisha," Pradhan tweeted after bringing Panda under the saffron flag. Another BJP leader said: "He (Panda) is no mass leader, but he can still help us build our case that people are fleeing the BJD, which is now beset by corruption and lethargy." So far, the BJP has not had much success in Odisha and has marked it as one of the priority states ahead of the elections. The Odisha Assembly elections and parliamentary elections are expected to be held simultaneously around May. The BJP hopes Panda will improve its chances in Odisha and help it gain more than just the one Lok Sabha seat it had won in the 2014 parliamentary polls. Odisha has 21 parliamentary constituencies, of which the BJD won 20 in 2014 and the BJP only the Sundargarh seat. It is represented by Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram. In November 2018, Oram the only known BJP face in Odisha after Pradhan had said that the petroleum minister would be the party's chief ministerial face for the elections. There was no formal word on Oram's remarks from the party, but Panda joining the BJP changes the equation now. He could perhaps be considered for the top post in the state so Pradhan can continue to concentrate on Central affairs. Furthermore, the BJP also hopes to make good use of the Panda family-owned OTV channel, headed by his wife, ahead of the elections. "With higher penetration of television in Odisha compared to say, a decade ago, he is a useful ally in the state," BJP workers in Kendrapara were quoted as saying by The Indian Express. The BJP's wide use of media resources is an open secret, and Panda owning an influential media empire in Odisha will only work to the BJP's advantage in the state. When he was suspended from the BJD in January 2018, political observers believed that he had lost a great opportunity to create his own political space, despite having age and the necessary funds on his side. Although his joining the BJP is unlikely to make much impact on the BJD's prospects in Odisha, the saffron party and the businessmen are more than likely of making use of each other for their own gains. In another development, CPI(M) has also finalised alliance terms with the DMK. The poll pact was announced by CPI(M) leader K Balakrishna who said that the party has come on board the Opposition alliance to defeat the BJP-AIADMK-PMK pact Days after the Congress and DMK formally announced their alliance for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, DMK president MK Stalin on Tuesday said his party will contest in 20 seats and its allies in another 19 in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Stalin also that on 7 March, the party will begin "identification of seats" for the polls. DMK President MK Stalin: We have allocated 10 seats to our alliance partner Congress & other 10 have been given to our other alliance partners. DMK will contest on the remaining 20 seats.On 7th March, we will begin the identification of the seats for both DMK & alliance partners. pic.twitter.com/bZTiHMBEWR ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 In another development, CPM also finalised alliance terms with the DMK. Party leader K Balakrishna announced the poll pact, saying that the CPM has come on board the Opposition alliance in a bid to defeat the BJP-AIADMK-PMK combine in Tamil Nadu. He also said that CPM would ally on two parliamentary constituencies in the southern state out of the 40 in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. K Balakrishnan, CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist): Also, in the by-elections, we will support DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) in all the constituencies. https://t.co/slllyYKaww ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 The Congress and DMK had announced their alliance a day after the BJP, on 20 February, had agreed to be part of an AIADMK-led coalition in the state. The Congress-DMK seat-sharing talks were held at the DMK headquarters in Chennai on Tuesday morning. While the DMK will contest in 20 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress will contest in 10 seats, including Puducherry, reported The Hindu. Among other allies, the CPI, CPM and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) will contest in two seats each. The MDMK, IUML, IJK and KMDK will each contest in one seat. The MDMK was given a Rajya Sabha seat. Stalin has also said he will share the dais with Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the election meeting organised by the grand old party on 13 March. Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leaders S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani will be participating in the meeting at suburban Vandalur, in their first major political engagement as National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents. Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead a mega rally of the NDA in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, the first after the ruling AIADMK clinched an alliance with the BJP and the PMK. The public meeting will serve as a platform for Modi and other leaders of NDA's constituents to launch the coalition's poll campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha election. Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leaders S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani will be participating in the meeting at suburban Vandalur, in their first major political engagement as National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents. Chief Minister EK Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam had earlier attended a public meeting addressed by Modi in Kanyakumari last week, where the prime minister also launched various government initiatives. The meeting was held days after the AIADMK sealed a poll pact with the saffron party. On Tuesday, PMK leader GK Mani, in a statement, appealed to cadres to join the rally in large numbers and said party president S Ramadoss would take part in the rally as a show of strength and a good beginning for the alliance. "All the alliance party leaders are expected to take part in the rally and I appeal to functionaries to participate in large numbers and show it as a show of strength," he said. NCP chief Sharad Pawar accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicising the Balakot air strike, stating that giving statements like 'he will do this and he will do that' do not behove the stature of prime minister Pune: NCP chief Sharad Pawar Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making "irresponsible" statements on the Balakot air strike and said it did not behove the PM's stature. The Indian Air Force (IAF), after the Pulawam Terror attack, carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on 26 February. The BJP leadership is making "immature" statements on the 26 February air strike by the IAF, Pawar said addressing reporters after holding a meeting with NCP workers here. "The prime minister is making irresponsible statements in connection with the air strike. While we are saying that the issue should not be politicised, the PM is going places and giving statements that the Opposition is politicising the issue," the former Union minister said. Pawar said, "Modi is giving statements like 'he will do this and he will do that', which I feel do not suit the stature of prime minister". Such statements are not good for the country, he said. Amid BJP's charge that Opposition parties are lowering morale of the armed forces by questioning the veracity of the air strike, the NCP chief said he never raised any question over the air force's action. "I have always said that I have 100 per cent faith in the capabilities of our armed forces. They will never hesitate to give their lives to protect our country," he added. Pawar said he had made it clear in the all-party meeting held in the wake of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that this issue should not be politicised."I remain firm on my stand," he added. Responding to a question about BJP chief Amit Shah's claim of 250 terrorists were killed in the air strike, Pawar said it was an "immature" statement. "I have worked in the defence ministry for some years and I know it very well that people outside the ministry never get such figures. However, the way such numbers are being presented, I feel that these leaders are showing immaturity which is not good for our country," he said. PM Modi's recent statement that the presence of Rafale fighters would have given greater firepower to the IAF during the 26 February aerial engagement with Pakistan, was "uncalled for", Pawar said. "While I completely agree that if Rafale (aircraft) is there with the air force, it would have been better for us, however, that does not mean that air force has lesser capabilities. "Today, we have MiG, we also have Sukhoi (aircraft) which is equally capable. Therefore, there was no need on the part of the prime minister to make such a statement," he said. Modi further alleged that the honesty of the 'chowkidar' is troubling the Opposition. 'That is the reason they are saying Modi hatao, while I am saying that I want to fight poverty and dishonesty, ' the prime minister said. Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday used the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike analogy to underscore his will to take on terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Speaking after launching a pension scheme for the unorganised sector, Modi said the Opposition wants to dislodge him. "They (Opposition) want to strike Modi, but I want to strike on terror," Modi said. "They want to remove this chowkidar, but I want to fight poverty," he added. "The honesty of your chowkidar is troubling those in Opposition. That is the reason they are saying Modi hatao, (remove Modi) while I am saying that I want to fight poverty and dishonesty. I am standing firm due to your support, Modi said. Taking potshots at the attempts to cobble up a mahagathbandhan or grand alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Modi said the Opposition are forming a mahamilavat (highly adulterated) combine to remove him. "But I am working to safeguard interest of workers and farmers. I am also working to provide security, he said. Modi, who launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana pension scheme, targeted Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over poverty, saying only those oblivious to sleeping hungry at night can think that it is a "state of mind". "This scheme is aimed at uplift of the section of society which has been ignored and left at the mercy of God. They (Congress) gave slogans of garibi hatao (end poverty). Some projected themselves as messiah of workers. But during their tenure they did not launch such a scheme, he said. "They ruled the country for 55 years and collected votes in the name of poor," he said. "They thought that poverty is a mental state. See how is this neta who says that there is nothing like poverty, but a mental state," Modi said, targeting the Congress chief. "For them poverty is just an opportunity to click pictures. Only those oblivious to sleeping hungry even for one night can think that it is a state of mind," Modi said, in an obvious reference to Rahul's 2013 statement that poverty is a state of mind. "What they could not do in 55 years, this chaiwala did in 55 months by bringing such a scheme," Modi said. "The communists got opportunity to form government in many states, but could not bring such a pension scheme for the unorganised workers," the prime minister said. "This scheme has been launched by our government as a tribute to the unorganised sector workers, who can earn some money till their body is fit, but are worried about what will happen to them when they get old," Modi said. Under this scheme, unorganised workers will get a pension of Rs 3,000. I am told that over 14 lakh workers have been enrolled under the scheme, he said. BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday said Pakistan used to return beheaded bodies of Indian jawans earlier, but now it had to release a captured Indian Air Force pilot 'within 48 hours' Godda (Jharkhand): BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday said Pakistan used to return beheaded bodies of Indian jawans earlier, but now it had to release a captured Indian Air Force pilot "within 48 hours". "See the change now. Within 48 hours, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was released and he is among us," Shah said while addressing party workers at a meeting in Gonda. Indian Air Force also went inside Pakistan and demolished terror camps proving the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the Pulwama terror attack, Shah said. Attacking Congress president Rahul Gandhi, he said the UPA-2 government gave only Rs 55,253 crore to Jharkhand, while the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has provided Rs 3.13 lakh crore to the state, besides taking up other developmental projects in the state. Shah said, "For 10 years, the UPA government was in power (at the Centre). I would like to ask, what did you give to Jharkhand." Ending all speculations of a tie-up in Uttar Pradesh, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) announced that it will join the Bahujan Samajwadi Party(BSP)-Samajwadi Party(SP) alliance in state to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Ending all speculations of a tie-up in Uttar Pradesh, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) announced that it will join the Bahujan Samajwadi Party(BSP)-Samajwadi Party(SP) alliance in the state to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Addressing a press conference in Lucknow with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RLD vice-president Jayant Chaudhary said, "Earlier, there were questions about an alliance. We had a fruitful meeting with Akhilesh. We are with SP and BSP." The RLD will contest on three seats in Uttar Pradesh Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar, they announced. Jayant Chaudhary,RLD: Rashtriya Lok Dal will join the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Our workers will work hard to ensure victory of the alliance on all seats of the state pic.twitter.com/wiwx2wEfJl ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 5, 2019 Responding to questions about Congress being left out of the alliance in the state, Akhilesh said, "Congress is with us; it is a part of our alliance. Why do you (media) repeatedly ask if Congress will come with us or not? I have said this earlier too that Congress is part of the mahagatbandhan. They will contest on two seats in our alliance." When talks to forge the SP-BSP alliance were on, RLD president Ajit Singh had said in January that his party will also side with the partnership for the upcoming general election. However, he had said that the decision to keep Congress in the tie-up would be taken by Akhilesh and BSP supremo Mayawati. Among all states, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of seats (80) in the Lok Sabha. The SP and BSP decided to contest from 37 and 38 seats, respectively. When the Congress was kept out of the alliance due to differences, the party decided to contest all 80 seats in state. Under the current arrangement, Mayawati had announced that the SP-BSP alliance will not field any candidates on Congress bastions Raebareli and Amethi as a courtesy to the party. At the India Today Conclave on 2 March, Akhilesh had said, "Uttar Pradesh ko haath bhi pasand hai, aur UP ko haathi bhi pasand hai' (Uttar Pradesh likes both the hand and the elephant)," he said, referring to the poll symbols of the Congress and the BSP, respectively. With inputs from agencies Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary is likely to meet Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Tuesday Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary is likely to meet Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Tuesday, and speculation is rife about whether the parties will formally announce an alliance for the Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, a press conference announcing RLD's addition to the SP-BSP alliance is on the cards. In January, Akhilesh and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati had announced an alliance for the upcoming general elections. In the press conference held to announce the alliance between the former rivals, Mayawati had said that two seats were left for "other allies", and reports had claimed that RLD is likely to be the third party in the alliance. However, RLD sources had at the time expressed dissatisfaction at the paltry seat share set aside for them. Now latest reports suggest that RLD is likely to be given three seats instead of the formerly allocated two. However, the party is still likely to negotiate for four seats in the alliance. CNN-News18 reported that Choudhary and Akhilesh are likely to hold a press conference on Tuesday, formalising the alliance. Under the current arrangement of the alliance, Mayawati had announced that the BSP and SP will contest on 38 seats each from Uttar Pradesh. She also said that the alliance will not field any candidate on Congress bastions Raebareli and Amethi as a courtesy to Congress. The Congress was left out of the alliance, after which the Rahul Gandhi-led party declared that it would contest on all 80 seats in the state. Explaining why they left out Congress from the alliance, Mayawati had said: "Both BSP, and SP have allied with Congress in the past and we have seen that it is possible. The party has reigned at Centre and in Uttar Pradesh for years on end, and yet the poor and the marginalised people suffered under their rule." Asserting that the SP-BSP alliance will lead to "a new political revolution in the country", Mayawati had slammed the two national parties. She had said, "The policies of the BJP and Congres, no matter who was in power, were the same." With inputs from agencies Mamata went on to say: 'We are against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Modi has turned the BJP into a private organisation. Whenever someone says something against Modi, that person is branded a Pakistan supporter.' Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot win elections over jawans' blood. "You (BJP) cannot win elections over jawans' blood. A jawan sheds his blood for the country. Jawans serve the country; they do not indulge in politics. I strongly condemn those who play politics with slain jawans," Mamata said, adding that the Centre is playing politics over the Pulwama terror attack. Mamata went on to say: "We are against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Modi has turned the BJP into a private organisation. Whenever someone says something against Modi, that person is branded a Pakistan supporter." "My father was a freedom fighter, I will not learn patriotism from them," she added. Last week, Mamata had asked the government to spell out "details" of the exact place where the air raids were carried out and the casualties inflicted as international media claimed that there was no damage in the strikes. "We, as the Opposition, want to know the details of the air strike. Where were the bombs dropped? How many people died? I was reading The New York Times and Washington Post and they said that there were no casualties. Some media houses said one died. We want to know the details," Banerjee had told reporters. She had also said that her party respected the armed forces and did not like sacrifices made by soldiers being politicised. "We are with the armed forces. We respect them. But, I don't like those who indulge in politics over the sacrifices made by our jawans. This is unacceptable and I condemn this," Banerjee further said. Tensions spiralled between India and Pakistan after the Indian Air Force on 26 February carried out aerial strikes at a JeM terror training camp in Balakot. The strikes were in response to the terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama in which at least 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. The Balakot camp, located in a forest area atop a hill, was headed by JeM chief Masood Azhars brother-in-law Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Gauri, who was involved in the 1999 hijack of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 and was on Interpol lookout notice since 2000. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the pre-emptive strike by India had become absolutely necessary as there was credible information that JeM was planning further attacks in the country. On 27 February, India said it foiled an attempt by Pakistan Air Force to carry out strikes in Jammu and Kashmir by shooting down an F-16 fighter plane while losing its own MiG-21 jet after which a pilot was missing in action. Pakistan later acknowledged that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who ejected across the Line of Control, is in its custody. On 1 March, Pakistan released Abhinandan as a "peace gesture". tech2 News Staff Since the past few years, Google has been at the centre of controversy for gender equity at its workplace. Back in 2017, the tech giant was sued by a group of women who filed a lawsuit against Google accusing it of discriminating against female employees by underpaying them. But in a surprising contrast, Google's latest study found that the men are being paid less than women working in similar roles in 2018. The study which was conducted to determine whether the company was underpaying women and members of minority groups than men found the case to be otherwise. Google in its own internal pay audit observed that Level 4 Software Engineers who identified as men received less money than women in that same role. In response to the study, Google compensated 10,677 employees an extra $9.7 million to offset the underpaid wages, the company wrote in its blog post. However, Google didnt clearly mention what percentage of those employees who received pay adjustments were men. The company in 2017 increased compensation for 228 employees that it found underpaid and spend a total of about $2,70,000 to narrow the wage gap. Google cited its new-hire analysis one of the important reason as to why the company had to make more adjustments. The new hire analysis that looked for pay discrepancies in offers to new hires accounted for 49 percent of the total spent on pay adjustment. In 2018 analysis, Google found that in one group of lower-level software engineers men received less discretionary funds than women. Our pay equity analysis ensures that compensation is fair for employees in the same job, at the same level, location and performance. But we know thats only part of the story. Because levelling, performance ratings, and promotion impact pay, this year, we are undertaking a comprehensive review of these processes to make sure the outcomes are fair and equitable for all employees, Googles lead analyst for pay equity and people analytics mentioned in the blog post. Further, the lead analyst outlining the methodology explained that Google runs a statistical analysis to look for unexplained differences in total compensation (salary, bonus, and equity) across demographic groups. The analysis included 91 percent of Google employees and it examined every job group with a minimum of 30 employees and at least five per demographic group. While Google is reportedly trying to address the issue of inappropriate pay grades, critics as per reports noted that it doesnt come close to matching what a female employee would make if she was assigned the appropriate pay grade in the first place. As mentioned earlier, Google has been facing multiple gender pay accusations over the past few years. In 2017, the company grappled with the Labor Department over 'pay gap data' and it is still battling a class-action pay discrimination lawsuit over wages. Reuters Chinese telecoms equipment company Huawei plans to announce a lawsuit against the United States government on Thursday on grounds related to a defense bill, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Huawei is preparing to announce that it is suing the US government in a court in Texas by challenging addition to the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed last year, according to the source. The new NDAA act, which Beijing had condemned as targeting China, controlled US government contracts with Chinese companies including Huawei and strengthened the role of the panel that reviews foreign investment proposals. The New York Times first reported Huaweis planned legal move on Monday, citing two people familiar with the matter. Huawei declined to comment. It had invited Reuters and other international media to a press conference at its Shenzhen headquarters in China on Thursday. Such a move would be the latest in a series of responses from the Chinese company as Washington tries to persuade allies to ban Huawei from business alleging espionage risks. Huawei has repeatedly denied the claims. On Sunday, lawyers for Huaweis Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou sued the Canadian government, its border agency and federal police, alleging their client was detained, searched and interrogated for three hours in violation of her constitutional rights. That comes after Canada on Friday approved a hearing on a US extradition request for Meng on charges related to breaking Iran sanctions. The New York Times cited a source as saying Huaweis suit is likely to argue that the NDAA provision is a bill of attainder, or a legislative act that singles out a person or group for punishment without trial, according to the newspaper report. Canada arrested Meng in Vancouver on 1 Dec. at the request of the United States, which has brought sweeping charges against her and Huawei that portray the company as a threat to US national security. The case has strained Canadas relations with China. Nandini Yadav Fun fact: This isn't the first time that the Mobile World Congress (MWC) was abuzz with news on 5G. 5G hasnt dominated the conversation at MWC in years past, but its certainly made its presence felt. It was in 2017 that Nokia made announcements around 5G and in 2018, the likes of Intel, Huawei and ZTE stepped up with more on their respective 5G roadmaps. At MWC 2019, however, the 5G theme was more deeply rooted. I spent four days at MWC in Barcelona and each of those four days saw major tech companies like Xiaomi, Samsung, Huawei and Lenovo make some sort of announcement around 5G. But, when you look at the bigger picture, these companies are only participants in this trend, the enabler is someone else. One of these enablers is Qualcomm. Qualcomm made some big announcements at the MWC 2019. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 and a new X50 5G modem announced, the world's first commercial 5G PC platform being unveiled, Wi-Fi 6 for the automotive industry making its debut, and a lot more, Qualcomm sure had a lot to talk about. The X50 5G modem puts Qualcomm ahead of the curve In the last few years, it has been made pretty clear that 5G will reshape the way we will use mobile devices in the coming days. It will deliver self-driving cars and smart cities, and even change the way we get content delivered to our homes. If we believe our government, this change will come to India by 2020. But you can't just switch 5G on, you need the infrastructure for that. And providing exactly that, at MWC 2019, Qualcomm spoke about the worlds first 5G modem, the Snapdragon X50. During my interaction with John Smee, the VP of Engineering on 5G at Qualcomm, I understood that the Snapdragon X50 5G modem will be capable of supporting theoretical download speeds of up to 5 Gbps. For context, the Snapdragon X50 is more than twice as fast as the modem in the OnePlus 6T. For anyone who thought 5G would replace 4G, that's untrue. The future years will sort of be a mix of 4G and 5G connectivity. And to be compatible with such a cocktail of connectivity, Qualcomms flagship Snapdragon 855 SoC includes a gigabit-class LTE modem. World's first commercial 5G PC platform Then, of course, you can't have your PCs left behind to 4G. At MWC 2019, Qualcomm also discussed the 8cx platform for PCs. This new 5G platform won't just deliver a CPU speed boost to always-connected laptops (ACPC), according to Ignacio Contreras, director of Product Marketing at Qualcomm, the platform will also improve the performance of the cellular connection itself. Unlike last years chip, the 8cx is a custom-built platform designed for Windows-based ACPCs. Its not a knock-off mobile phone chip. Performance is definitely the main draw from the chipset. Qualcomm is promising multi-gigabit peak data speeds from portables that could still deliver multi-day battery life, which will apparently also enable "highly responsive" multiplayer games, high-quality streaming VR video and other features that weren't possible with 4G alone. The performance of the chip is in no way competitive with Intels Core series of CPUs. However, Qualcomm promises and has delivered 20-hrs of battery life. While the 8cx wont compete with Intel and AMD on the performance front, it will offer enough performance for a comfortable computing experience for the average user. Qualcomm said that the commercial availability of the chipset will not be before late 2019. Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 for Wearables While Qualcomm is most well known for flagship smartphone processors, its chips also have a big part to play in smart wearables. Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 is the chipmaker's next platform for wearables. The platform is based on a new ultra-low power hierarchical system architecture, which uses a quad-core A7 (not to be confused with Apples A7 processor) processor, and a new ultra-low power co-processor. I spoke to Pankaj Kedia, the senior director at Product Marketing for Wearables at Qualcomm, who told me that in addition to enhanced performance, the new platform will dramatically better one of the biggest problems with the wearable battery life. While the roundtable on wearables was mostly focused on what-could-be, I wanted to understand how the Indian market is currently adopting the wearable trend. We have seen GoQii and Xiaomi's fitness bands picking up steam over the years. But as Kedia pointed out, India is nowhere near close to China and the US when it comes to adoption. However, at the same time, Kedia also seemed very optimistic and said that the Indian market may be a little behind in adoption right now, but he can see the market boom in the coming year. For that matter, while Kedia held back from naming any companies, he also said that there are some local manufacturers and foreign tech companies, who are currently in talks with Qualcomm to speed up the adoption of wearables in India. 5G and autonomous driving A trend we also saw at the India Mobile Congress 2018, Qualcomm had a mock-up of an autonomous vehicle on display, which demonstrated the power of the new Snapdragon 8155 Gen 3 chip. The processor can apparently power up to six displays as well as all your infotainment needs. But how soon will we see it in our cars in India? There was no solid answer to that. In addition to that, the platform will also feature a dual SIM dual active capability, which will basically give automakers the option of including their own connectivity as well as leaving something for the driver. Finally, Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon also announced QC6696, Qualcomms new Automotive Wi-Fi 6 chip. This chip will basically bring the next generation of Wi-Fi connectivity to the automotive industry. Think: Streaming ultra-HD video or screen mirroring from wireless backup cams and compatible devices. The 5G world is (almost) here, and with a finger in every pie, Qualcomm clearly intends to power all of it. Disclaimer: The author was invited to attend the Mobile World Congress by Qualcomm India who took care of all the lodging and travel expenses tech2 News Staff Oppos latest smartphone the F11 Pro is all set to debut in India on 5 March. The core details of the phone are already known given that most of the information has been officially revealed by the Chinese smartphone maker itself. Oppo has confirmed that the new F11 Pro will feature a display with a screen-to-body-ratio of 90.9 percent. The phone will have a 3D gradient back panel and will house a 48 MP rear camera (as on the Redmi Note 7 Pro). The new Oppo F11 Pro will have a sliding camera mechanism up front, similar to the one seen on Vivo Nex or the new Vivo V15 Pro. The Oppo F11 Pros launch event will be held in Mumbai at 5.30 pm tomorrow. Heres everything you need to know about the upcoming Oppo smartphone. Oppo F11 Pro: Build and design The new Oppo F11 Pro flaunts a sleek design with a curved body and minimal bezels on the front fascia. Unlike the original Oppo F11 device, the Pro version replaces the dew-drop notch and now offers a notch-less panel for extra screen real-estate. The phone has a capacitive rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and dual cameras aligned at the centre of the back panel. Leaked hands-on images suggest that the phone will have a gradient dual-tone glass back panel. As for the colour schemes, Oppo F11 Pro is rumoured to come in two colour options Aurora Green and Thunder Black. From the leaked images, it appears that the colour on the rear changes based on the angle of the light reflecting off it. Oppo in an official poster revealed that it will be the first in the industry to apply something called Nano printing and create effects like ink-wash paintings. As with the Vivo V15 Pro, the new Oppo F11 Pro is said to the feature the old micro-USB port and not USB-C. Oppo F11 Pro: Camera As mentioned earlier, Oppo has already teased and confirmed that the F11 Pro will feature a pop-up front camera. The phone will have a 16 MP front camera for shooting selfies and making video calls. It will have dual camera setup at the back comprising a 48 MP primary sensor and a 5 MP depth sensor. Besides mentioning the front camera slider mechanism, Oppo has revealed that the camera on the phone will come equipped with a Super Night mode and some form of image stabilisation. The Super Night mode on the F11 Pro will function with an in-house "AI-Clear Engine" that includes AI Engine, Ultra-clear Engine and Colour Engine. Oppo claims that the AI Engine and Ultra-clear Engine will intelligently recognise scenes, optimise settings and also help optimisation for image-stabilisation during long exposures. Oppo F11 Pro: Specifications, features, expected price In regards to other aspects of the new Oppo F11 Pro, the phone is said to be powered by MediaTeks Helio P70 processor. It is tipped to run ColorOS 6.0, although the Android OS on top of which the custom skin will be layered is not known yet. Oppo F11 Pro is rumoured to pack a 4,000 mAh battery and include a Hyper Boost feature that will optimise for games, apps, etc. Oppo had earlier confirmed that its new F-series smartphone will support the proprietary VOOC 3.0 fast charging technology. The phone will feature a 6.5-inch all-screen panel dubbed as Panoramic Screen. The phone is said to come in single RAM/storage variant 6 GB RAM and 64 GB onboard storage. As for the price, reports suggest that the new Oppo F11 Pro might sell at Rs 25,999. The phone is said to go on sale on 16 March. tech2 News Staff Scientists have published the biggest study till date disproving the alleged link between vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and autism. The findings throw yet another punch at a dangerous new conspiracy theory about the use of vaccines. The movement, driven by an "anti-vaxxer" group of skeptics is aiming to go as far as changing public policy of how medicines are administered based entirely on scaremongering, and without any factual basis or proof to support their claims. A new nationwide study with 6,57,461 subjects born between 1999 and 2010 in Denmark looked to bust any shred of doubt that skeptics still had on the safety of MMR and other vaccines. Over the span a decade, all the subjects participated in follow-up exams. Not all the 6 lakh+ children that were participants in the study were vaccinated, and 6,517 of them went on to develop autism. On analysing the data, researchers found the risk of developing autism and subsequently developing autism was 0.93 percent. Not only is this figure very low, it is statistically next to none a non-existent risk case. Published in Annals of Internal Medicine, this study is the single-largest study on the anti-vaccination issue in terms of its size to date. There are several other studies that have also proven that a correlation between vaccines and autism doesn't exist. In fact, some have even shown unexpected benefits of being vaccinated, like better immunity to fight unrelated infections. The research is an important tool in the argument against growing social anti-vaxxers movement. It has gathered huge steam over the past decade, dismissing key findings along the way and using religious grounds to oppose vaccines. Some anti-vaxxers also view compulsory vaccinations as monitoring or interference from the government. But it seems that the bulk of anti-vaxxers are still driven by concern over the safety and "true" efficiency of vaccines in children. Suspicions about a possible link between vaccines and autism were first raised in a Lancet study in 1999. The article has since been retracted, due to many inaccuracies and contrary findings that came up during a later investigation of the group's research. But the movement has slowly and surely gotten much bigger since 1998. The WHO has made it their mission to fight the spread of the movement, even listing "vaccine hesitancy" as one of its top ten threats to global health. Their evidence comes from measles outbreaks making a comeback in countries where many people skeptical about vaccines are opting out of immunising their children. Just 10 countries were responsible for three-quarters of the surge in measles cases in 2018, according to the UNICEF, including one of the world's richest nations France. Conflict, complacency and the anti-vax movement are "threatening to undo decades of work to tame the disease", they added. Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease, the World Health Organisation says in its online campaign. "It prevents 2-3 million deaths a year...and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved." The Associated Press Peek into any hospitals baby ICU, and youll see sick and premature newborns covered in wired monitors that tear at fragile skin and make it hard for parents to cuddle their kids. Now, researchers have created tiny skin-like wireless sensors that may finally cut those cords. "This need was so compelling," said John Rogers, a Northwestern University bioengineer who led the sensors development. "Without the wires, its much easier for the parents, mothers in particular, to interact and hold their babies." Over 30 million babies are born too soon, too small or become sick every year and need specialized care to survive, WHO reports. Babies born prematurely often have serious health problems. Its critical to track their heartbeat and other vital signs so doctors and nurses can rapidly spot if their youngest patients are in trouble. But today, that means sticky electrodes tethered by wires to a variety of beeping monitors that surround the incubator. The nest of wires impedes skin-to-skin contact with a parent, which is known to help preemies thrive, much less rock a baby or breastfeed, said Dr Amy Paller, a Northwestern pediatric dermatologist. And no matter how carefully doctors and nurses remove the electrodes, preemies whose skin isnt fully developed are prone to injuries and scarring. Going wireless in the NICU is a lot harder than, say, measuring a joggers heart rate with a Fitbit. Rogers team developed ultrathin sensors made of flexible silicone that moves like skin and clings without any strong adhesive. The researchers then embedded the sensors with spring-like electronics that flex as the body moves, and are waterproof, made with materials that unlike todays NICU monitors dont interfere with X-rays or MRI scans. Key to it being lightweight, they dont need batteries. Under the crib mattress sits a transmitter that wirelessly charges the sensors much like some smartphone chargers while simultaneously relaying all the sensors measurements to hospital computers. Replacing todays multiple monitors takes just two wireless sensors one made for the chest or back, and one to wrap around a foot that work together. For example, the upper sensor measures heart activity, while the foot sensor uses light to measure blood oxygen levels. How long it takes a heartbeats pulse to reach the foot corresponds to blood pressure, Rogers explained no bruising blood pressure cuff required. How reliable are they? Researchers put the wireless sensors on the bodies of 20 babies in Northwestern-affiliated NICUs who also had normal wired monitoring. The wireless sensors worked just as well, Rogers and Paller reported in the journal Science. This is a promising technology and may eliminate stick-on sensors, said Dr. Rosemary Higgins, a neonatologist at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, who wasnt involved with the research. The studies are continuing and Rogers said the sensors now have been used on about 80 babies with similar results and no sign of skin trouble. Its really amazing, said Theodora Flores, as she held one of her twin daughters, Genesis, in the Ann & Robert H Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago this week. Genesis is part of the wireless testing and the new mom said fewer wires would mean, I can move freely with her a little bit more. It would take far more testing for Food and Drug Administration approval of wireless sensors. But Rogers said the bigger need is in developing countries that cant afford todays wired monitoring even for preemies. He estimates the new sensors could be made for about $10 to $15. With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Save the Children, Rogers is preparing for a pilot trial of the wireless sensors in Zambia in April, with the goal of testing up to 20,000 sensors in India, Pakistan, and Zambia by years end. The technology has great potential impact on monitoring practices all over the world and may give many neonates a more equitable opportunity to survive, Dr Ruth Guinsburg of the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, wrote in a commentary in Science. tech2 News Staff The most widely-known conservation charity in the world has been accused of hiring and paying guards who reportedly used illegal means like torture and murder in the war against poaching. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), about which the accusations have been made, said it is carrying out an independent review into the matter. The claims were made after a year-long investigation across six countries was carried out by Buzzfeed News. The investigation alleges that casualties from the illegal activity include civilians in Asian and African national parks. "Indigenous people and villagers have been shot, beaten unconscious, sexually assaulted, and whipped by armed guards in parks in places like Nepal and Cameroon," according to the BuzzFeed report. It also calls out WWF for funding, arming and turning a blind eye to a lot of the abuse. The charity supposedly also acted as a "global spymaster" of sorts, funding informants to pass along intelligence to park rangers and officials, only to publicly deny it later. WWF has responded to some of these claims, saying it does not tolerate any brutality by its partners. "We take any allegation seriously and are commissioning an independent review to look into the cases raised in the story," they said in a statement. They have also asked BuzzFeed to share all the evidence they have gathered to support their claims to help strengthen their independent review. "Human rights abuses are totally unacceptable and can never be justified in the name of conservation," WWF's statement adds. "Any breach of (our) policies is unacceptable to us and, should the review uncover any, we are committed to taking swift action." Condemning the Pulwama terror attack, the FATF noted in its report to Pakistan that incidents like these have proved that terrorism has continued to threaten societies around the world, and could not take place without funding and the means to move funds among terror supporters. Islamabad: The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has warned Pakistan to curb terror financing, following the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, the responsibility for which was claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Condemning the attack, the FATF noted with concern that incidents like the Pulwama terror attack proved that terrorism continued to threaten societies around the world, and could not take place without funding and the means to move funds among terror supporters. Inter-ministerial consultations have been taking place in Pakistan ever since, to work on areas highlighted by the FATF's International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG). Meanwhile, the financial monitoring unit has issued 8,707 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) in 2018, compared to 5,548 STRs issued in 2017 in Pakistan. Furthermore, around 1,136 STRs have been issued in January and February alone this year, reported Dawn. Six banks have also been fined, while 109 bankers are being investigated for opening fake bank accounts. Adding to this, smuggled currency and jewellery amounting to more than Rs 20 billion (Pakistani rupee) has been confiscated between July 2018 and 31 January, 2019, the report said. The ICRG, in its recent meeting with Pakistan, was not satisfied with progress on milestones that had been set out for the country for January 2019. The FATF told Pakistan to "swiftly complete its action plan, particularly those with timelines of May 2019." Furthermore, the FATF noted that Pakistan did not "demonstrate a proper understanding of the terror financing risks posed by Islamic State group, Al-Qaeda, Jamaat-ud-Dawah, Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Haqqani Network and persons affiliated with the Taliban," according to Dawn. Following this, all the government machineries in Pakistan have been spurred into motion to show progress in curbing terror funding, with only a few months to go for the next FATF meeting, scheduled to take place in June 2019. India has raised the issue of Pakistan harbouring terrorism on its soil on many a forum, with the international community throwing its weight behind New Delhi following the 14 February terrorist attack in Pulwama which claimed the lives of over 42 CRPF personnel. In fact, the United States told Pakistan to stop supporting and providing a safe haven to terror outfits and terrorists in the immediate aftermath of the attack, as US President Donald Trump highlighted how he had stopped paying $ 1.3 billion to Pakistan. Islamabad now has to comply with the 10-point action plan, demonstrating that it understands the terror financing risks posed by the terrorist entities listed above. They further need to prove that terror financing prosecutions lead to effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions. It also has to show an effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions against the 1,267 and 1,373 UN-designated terrorists. If Pakistan fails in accomplishing the objectives laid out by the FATF and curbing funding for terrorism, it may be put on the blacklist by FATF by September, 2019. Rescue crews using dogs and drones searched for victims amid splintered lumber and twisted metal Monday after the deadliest U.S. tornado in nearly six years ripped through a rural Alabama community. At least 23 people were killed, some of them children. Alabama: Rescue crews using dogs and drones searched for victims amid splintered lumber and twisted metal Monday after the deadliest U.S. tornado in nearly six years ripped through a rural Alabama community. At least 23 people were killed, some of them children. Dozens were missing in Lee County nearly a day after the twister struck, according to the sheriff, who said that crews had combed the hardest-hit areas but that other places had yet to be searched. The winds Sunday afternoon obliterated numerous homes, leaving huge, jumbled piles of wood and household belongings. Some homes were reduced to concrete slabs. Debris was scattered across the countryside, with shredded metal hanging from the pine trees. "I'm not going to be surprised if we don't come up with some more deceased. Hopefully we won't," Coroner Bill Harris said. He said the dead included almost entire families and at least three children, ages 6, 9 and 10. On the day after the disaster, volunteers used chain saws to clear paths for emergency workers. Neighbors and friends helped one another find some of their belongings in the ruins. At the R&D Grocery, rattled residents asked each other if they were OK. And a big banner that read "#BEAUREGARDSTRONG" was hung on a fence at Beauregard High School. "I'm still thanking God I'm among the living," said John Jones, who has lived most of his life in Beauregard, an unincorporated community of roughly 10,000 people about 60 miles east of Montgomery near the Georgia state line. The National Weather Service said one and possibly two tornadoes struck the area, with a powerful EF-4 twister with winds estimated at 170 mph (274 kph) blamed for most of the destruction. It carved a path nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide and 24 miles (39 kilometers) long, said meteorologist Chris Darden. Darden said the "monster tornado" was the deadliest twister to hit the U.S. since May 2013, when an EF-5 killed 24 people in Moore, Oklahoma. "It looks like someone almost just took a giant knife and scraped the ground," Sheriff Jay Jones said. County Emergency Management Director Kathy Carson said she was "pretty sure" that tornado sirens in Beauregard sounded warnings but that authorities were busy with the search-and-rescue and had not yet looked into the question. Crews searching door-to-door used dogs as well as drones that can detect heat from a body. "We're basically using everything we can get our hands on," the sheriff said. President Donald Trump tweeted that he told the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give Alabama "the A Plus treatment." The twister was part of a powerful storm system that slashed its way across the Deep South, spawning numerous tornado warnings in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Don Willis, who lives near the Lee County community of Smiths Station with his wife, four daughters and four dogs, said the twister came within about a mile of their home as the children and pets took cover in the closet and bathroom. He said he had been through numerous tornadoes over the years and had never heard one as loud. "You could feel the energy that it was sucking into that system. It was the most crazy sound," Willis said. "It sounded like a living, breathing beast." "All we could do is just hold on for life and pray," said Jonathan Clardy, who huddled with his family inside their Beauregard trailer as the tornado ripped the roof off. "It's a blessing from God that me and my young'ns are alive." Beauregard, named for a Confederate general, is in a corner of the same county that is home to Auburn University. The community has a few small stores, two schools and a volunteer fire department dotting the main highway that runs through it. "Everybody in Beauregard is a real close-knit family," Clardy said. "Everybody knows everybody around here. Everybody is heartbroken." Julie Morrison and her daughter-in-law picked through the ruins of Morrison's home in Beauregard, looking for keys and a wallet. They managed to salvage her husband's motorcycle boots and a Bible. Morrison said she and her husband took shelter in the bathtub as the twister lifted their house off the ground and swept it into the woods. "We knew we were flying because it picked the house up," Morrison said, figuring that the shower's fiberglass enclosure helped them survive. She said her son-in-law later dug them out. Along one hard-hit country road, giant pieces of metal from a farm building dangled from pine branches 20 feet (6 meters) in the air, making loud creaking sounds as the wind blew. For an entire mile down the road, pines were snapped in half. A mobile home crushed by two trees marked the end of the path of destruction. An early March tornado outbreak in the Alabama-Mississippi area is not unusual, tornado experts said. The weather service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, posted forecasts for higher tornado activity in the region on Thursday, three days before the disaster. University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd said government forecasters "were all over it." An EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, in May 2011 killed 158 people. And an outbreak of tornadoes in the Southeast a month before that left an estimated 316 people dead, including at least 250 in Alabama. Trump, who has promised to issue his first veto if the Senate approves the resolution, declared an emergency last month in a bid to fund a wall along the border without congressional approval. Washington: Republican US Senator Rand Paul said he would vote in favour of a resolution to end President Donald Trump's US-Mexico border emergency declaration, according to a media report, likely giving Democrats the votes to pass the measure in the Senate. Trump, who has promised to issue his first veto if the Senate approves the resolution, declared an emergency last month in a bid to fund a wall along the border without congressional approval. While the Senate appears unlikely to muster the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto, a passage in the Republican-controlled chamber would be an embarrassment for the president, who has failed over more than two years in office to persuade Congress to fund his wall, a central promise of his presidential campaign. "I cant vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasnt been appropriated by Congress," Paul said in a speech on Saturday at Western Kentucky University, according to the Bowling Green Daily News. "We may want more money for border security, but Congress didn't authorize it. If we take away those checks and balances, it's a dangerous thing," he added. Paul's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. Trump's demand for $5.7 billion in funding for his "great, great wall" triggered the longest-ever partial US government shutdown in December and January. The government reopened but Trump later declared a national emergency in an effort to obtain funds Congress had approved for other purposes. Rand became the fourth Republican senator to publicly back the resolution. Assuming all Democrats and the two independents who caucus with them vote in favour of the resolution, it would clear the Senate and end up on the president's desk. Republicans hold 53 of the 100 Senate seats. An identical version of the measure has already been approved in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. Democrats argue there is no border emergency and that Trump is overreaching with his declaration given that the Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse strings. The declaration is already being challenged in the courts. Trump has warned Senate Republicans not to vote for the resolution, saying that doing so would put them in "great jeopardy" politically with voters. Donald Trump said that the military drills, or war games as he call them, were never even discussed in his meeting with Kim Jong-un Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday denied that he ordered an end to major US-South Korean military exercises as a concession to North Korea's totalitarian leader Kim Jong-un. The previously annual, large-scale manoeuvers meant to keep troops ready in case of conflict with North Korea were shelved shortly after Trump's summit last week with Kim in Hanoi. Trump denied there was any link. "The military drills, or war games as I call them, were never even discussed in my mtg w/ Kim Jong Un," he tweeted. "I made that decision long ago because it costs the US far too much money to have those 'games', especially since we are not reimbursed for the tremendous cost!" he said in the tweet. There are close to 30,000 US troops stationed in South Korea, and their annual drills with tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers have angered North Korea, which claims they are rehearsals for invasion. While Trump has ruled out withdrawing US troops, he has repeatedly complained about the cost of the exercises, describing them at a press conference in Hanoi as "very, very expensive". Trump's summit with Kim ended with no progress toward Washington's goal of getting the isolated country to give up its nuclear weapons. By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper joined the growing field of Democratic presidential candidates on Monday, hoping to position himself as a centrist and an experienced officeholder who is best poised to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in 2020. Hickenlooper, 67, will tout his business background and two terms in office, during which Colorado's economy soared and the state expanded healthcare and passed a gun control law. 'Ive proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver,' he said in a statement announcing his campaign on Monday, adding 'we ... By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper joined the growing field of Democratic presidential candidates on Monday, hoping to position himself as a centrist and an experienced officeholder who is best poised to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in 2020. Hickenlooper, 67, will tout his business background and two terms in office, during which Colorado's economy soared and the state expanded healthcare and passed a gun control law. "Ive proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver," he said in a statement announcing his campaign on Monday, adding "we ... need to get things done." He is the second governor to enter the Democratic race, following Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and joins a slew of sitting U.S. senators who have already begun campaigns. The field of Democratic candidates has grown to more than a dozen, with additional contenders still expected to join the field. Hickenlooper will hold a campaign launch in Denver on Thursday and then travel to Iowa, the state which holds the first nominating contest, for the weekend. The former governor, who left office in January, refused to air negative ads during his two gubernatorial campaigns, a position his aides insist he will carry into his presidential bid. "There's no profit margin in making enemies," Hickenlooper says frequently to describe his political philosophy. But staying positive will be harder to do in a presidential campaign expected to draw a large slate of Democratic hopefuls and against Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee who won in 2016 after a race replete with personal attacks on his opponents. In announcing his bid, Hickenlooper did poke fun at himself. "As a skinny kid with Coke-bottle glasses and a funny last name, I've stood up to my fair share of bullies," Hickenlooper said in a video launching his campaign. "Standing tall when it matters is really what drives me." Hickenlooper is jumping straight into a debate within the Democratic Party about the best path to beating Trump in 2020. He joins those in his party who believe an establishment figure who can appeal to centrist voters is the way to win back the White House. Others believe a fresh face, and particularly a diverse one, is needed to energize the partys increasingly left-leaning base. Hickenlooper has so far refused to take corporate money for the political action committee, named Giddy Up PAC, he formed to allow him to raise and spend federal funds helping other candidates - a position he is expected to continue in his presidential bid. Over the past two years, he has actively sought to bolster his bipartisan credentials. In 2017, he asked then-Ohio Governor John Kasich, a Republican, to join him in advocating for compromise over the future of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. The two held a series of national events touting the ability to reach bipartisan agreement. The tour generated speculation that Kasich and Hickenlooper could mount a third-party bid for president and vice president together, rumors both camps denied. Hickenlooper often speaks of his personal biography. After getting laid off from work as a geologist in the 1980s, he opened a brewery and pub. He frequently talks about the risk of opening his own business - a point he makes to argue he understands the needs of the economy. He was elected mayor of Denver in 2007 and governor of Colorado in 2010. In 2012, the state's residents voted to legalize marijuana. At the time, Hickenlooper called legalization a bad idea but agreed to implement the will of the voters. He has since said he believes legalization and the oversight system created in the state worked. (Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Jonathan Oatis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. OTTAWA (Reuters) - In a serious blow to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a second member of his Cabinet resigned on Monday, saying she had 'lost confidence' in how the government had dealt with an escalating political scandal. Jane Philpott, a key member of Trudeau's Cabinet, said she was quitting over the government's response to allegations that officials inappropriately pressured former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to help major construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid being tried for corruption OTTAWA (Reuters) - In a serious blow to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a second member of his Cabinet resigned on Monday, saying she had "lost confidence" in how the government had dealt with an escalating political scandal. Jane Philpott, a key member of Trudeau's Cabinet, said she was quitting over the government's response to allegations that officials inappropriately pressured former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to help major construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid being tried for corruption. "Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised," Philpott said in a statement. "I have concluded that I must resign as a member of cabinet." The surprise resignation by Philpott, who was president of the Treasury Board, followed Wilson-Raybould's departure on Feb. 12 amid the scandal that has led to opposition calls for Trudeau to step down. A former top aide to Trudeau will on Wednesday address allegations that the aide inappropriately pressured Wilson-Raybould to help SNC-Lavalin. Gerald Butts, who quit as Trudeau's principal secretary last month, will testify to the House of Commons justice committee from 10 a.m. ET (1500 GMT) to noon (1700 GMT) on Wednesday, the clerk of the committee said by email on Monday. The question of what exactly senior officials did or did not do last year to aid SNC-Lavalin has rapidly become the biggest crisis of Trudeau's tenure in the run-up to an October election which opinion polls suggest he might lose. (Reporting by Julie Gordon and David Ljunggren; Editing by Phil Berlowitz @) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A crowd of cheering supporters greeted Guaido and his wife as they stepped into the Maiquetia airport's arrivals hall, and then sped to an opposition rally in eastern Caracas where thousands had gathered to welcome him. Caracas: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido returned to his country on Monday after flouting a court-imposed travel ban by touring Latin American countries to boost support for his campaign to tighten regional pressure on President Nicolas Maduro. A crowd of cheering supporters greeted Guaido and his wife as they stepped into the Maiquetia airport's arrivals hall, and then sped to an opposition rally in eastern Caracas where thousands had gathered to welcome him. The return of Guaido, recognised by most Western nations as Venezuela's legitimate head of state, signals that Maduro's adversaries have at least temporarily avoided the arrest of a leader who has united the traditionally fractured opposition. But it will also lift pressure on Maduro to act against Guaido as his authority continues to wane and the country's economic meltdown fuels malnutrition and hunger. "Hope has been born and it will not die - things are going well," Guaido told the crowd at a plaza in the Las Mercedes district. "We are going to celebrate this small victory today." He announced plans to meet on Tuesday with public employees, who have been historically pressured by the ruling Socialist Party to join pro-government rallies, as well as for a major march on Saturday. Guaido secretly left Venezuela for Colombia, in violation of a Supreme Court order, to coordinate efforts there on 23 February to send humanitarian aid into Venezuela to alleviate widespread shortages of food and medicine. But troops blocked convoys of aid trucks sent from Colombia and Brazil, leading to clashes that killed at least six people along the Brazilian border, rights groups say. From Colombia, he travelled to Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay to shore up Latin American support for a transition government that would precede free and fair elections. On Sunday, he departed by plane from the Ecuadorean coastal town of Salinas but had not appeared publicly since. Venezuelan media outlets reported that he flew from Panama City to Caracas. He had kept details of his trip under wraps and he arrived without prior notice, meeting ambassadors for European countries at the airport. Guaido calls Maduro a usurper and says his presidency is illegitimate after he secured re-election last year in a vote widely considered a sham. Maduro retains control of state institutions and the apparent loyalty of senior figures in the armed forces. Asked by a reporter how he was received at the airport by immigration authorities, who could have prevented his entry for violating the travel ban, Guaido said they addressed him as president - a swipe at Maduro, who calls him a US puppet. "Here's my passport, safe and sound," Guaido said, showing it to the crowd. The Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro, who denies there is a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, has said Guaido's arrest depends on the justice system. "He can't just come and go. He will have to face justice, and justice prohibited him from leaving the country," he told ABC News last week. Protesters in Caracas on Monday, wearing dressed in white and chanting "Freedom," said arresting Guaido would spark new demonstrations. "If the regime has even a little bit of conscience, they should not arrest Guaido because people truly would not put up with it," said Franklin Lopez, a 60-year-old administrator. The United States has warned Maduro of the consequences of arresting Guaido and the US treasury imposed new sanctions on Friday targeting Venezuelan military officials. After the military blocked the aid convoys, Guaido proposed that "all options be kept open" to topple Maduro, but foreign military intervention is seen as unlikely and his international backers are instead using a mix of sanctions and diplomacy. "President Guaido safely returned to Venezuela today," US National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Twitter. "The United States fully supports Guaido and the National Assembly. His safety must be guaranteed. The world is watching." The government has jailed dozens of opposition leaders and activists for seeking to overthrow Maduro through violent street demonstrations in 2014 and 2017, including Guaido's mentor, Leopoldo Lopez, who remains under house arrest. Turning away from previous hopes of a swift end to Maduro's government, Guaido said on Sunday it would be a "long and difficult process." He has offered future amnesties to state officials and soldiers who recognise Guaido, though the military has largely remained loyal to Maduro despite Colombia's migration agency reporting several hundred desertions since 23 February. By David Ljunggren and Julie Gordon OTTAWA (Reuters) - In a serious blow to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a second member of his Cabinet resigned on Monday, saying she had lost confidence in how the government had dealt with an escalating political scandal. The departure of Treasury Board Minister Jane Philpott, who was in overall charge of government spending, deprives Trudeau of another powerful female member of cabinet just months ahead of an election that polls show he could lose. Philpott said she was unhappy about the government's response to allegations that officials inappropriately pressured former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould last year to help major construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid being tried for corruption By David Ljunggren and Julie Gordon OTTAWA (Reuters) - In a serious blow to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a second member of his Cabinet resigned on Monday, saying she had lost confidence in how the government had dealt with an escalating political scandal. The departure of Treasury Board Minister Jane Philpott, who was in overall charge of government spending, deprives Trudeau of another powerful female member of cabinet just months ahead of an election that polls show he could lose. Philpott said she was unhappy about the government's response to allegations that officials inappropriately pressured former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould last year to help major construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid being tried for corruption. "Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised," Philpott said in a statement. "I have concluded that I must resign as a member of cabinet." Philpott is a close friend of Wilson-Raybould, who herself resigned on Feb. 12 after she was unexpectedly demoted in January. Wilson-Raybould said last week she was convinced her refusal to help SNC-Lavalin was behind the demotion. Trudeau has accepted Philpott's resignation and will address the matter later on Monday, said a spokesman for the prime minister. The resignation is another setback for a prime minister who came to power in November 2015 promising "sunny ways," more accountability in politics and a greater number of women ministers. "What should be worrisome for the Trudeau Liberals is that the two cabinet resignations have been on issues of principle and ethics," said Nanos Research pollster Nik Nanos. "The second resignation begs the question what did happen and could there be more resignations," he said by email. There was little immediate sign that other key cabinet members would leave. Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Infrastructure Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne would not be resigning, their offices said. Philpott said evidence of efforts by politicians and officials to pressure Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case had raised serious concerns. Wilson-Raybould tweeted to Philpott that "you are a leader of vision and strength and I look forward to continuing to work alongside you." Philpott, 58, was widely regarded as one of the best of Trudeau's cabinet ministers. She had previously served as minister of health and minister of indigenous services. Carolyn Bennett, the minister in charge of relations with the aboriginal population, said in a statement that "I have absolute confidence in our government, and our Prime Minister." Most Liberal parliamentarians have so far backed Trudeau but there are signs of strain. Celina Caesar-Chavannes, a Liberal legislator who is not seeking re-election, tweeted that "when you add women, please do not expect the status quo. Expect us to make correct decisions, stand for what is right and exit when values are compromised." Gerald Butts, who quit as Trudeau's principal secretary last month over the SNC-Lavalin affair, will testify to the House of Commons justice committee from 10 a.m. ET (1500 GMT) to noon ET(1700 GMT) on Wednesday. In her testimony to the committee last week, Wilson-Raybould singled out Butts as one official who tried particularly hard to change her mind. Under questioning she said she did not consider officials had broken any laws. (Reporting by Julie Gordon and David Ljunggren; Editing by Phil Berlowitz) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian president Bashar al-Assads trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian president Bashar al-Assads trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on Tuesday. The news agency cited foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi as the source of the information in its report. President Hassan Rouhani rejected Zarifs resignation last Wednesday, bolstering a moderate ally who has long been targeted by hardliners in factional struggles over the 2015 nuclear deal with the West. The ministry of foreign affairs did not have information at any level (about the trip) and this lack of information was maintained until the end of the trip, Qassemi said, according to ISNA. One of the reasons for the resignation of Dr Zarif was this type of lack of coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs. And as it has been announced before, the resignation of the honorable minister was not a private and individual issue and the goal and intent of that was a positive effort to return the ministry of foreign affairs and the diplomatic system of the country to its main place," the spokesperson said. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the branch of the elite Revolutionary Guards responsible for operations outside Irans borders, was present at a meeting last week between Assad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic. Soleimani said last week that Zarif was the main person in charge of foreign policy and he was supported by Khamenei. Zarif tendered an abrupt resignation on 25 February and through a post on his official Instagram account, offered an apology for his "shortcomings". "I apologise for my inability to continue serving and for all the shortcomings during my term in office," he said in the message posted on his verified Instagram account. Prominent members of parliament had called for Rouhani to reject the resignation, which he eventually did on Wednesday. On Tuesday, he urged Iranian diplomats not to follow his lead as rumours spread of mass resignations. "I hope my resignation will act as a spur for the foreign ministry to regain its proper statutory role in the conduct of foreign affairs," state-run IRNA news agency quoted him as saying. International Opposition welcomes Zarif's resignation The prospect of Zarif's departure was swiftly welcomed by Iran's foes. His ready smile and mastery of both the English language and social media have made him a formidable player on the diplomatic stage. "Zarif is gone. Good riddance," said Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu was a bitter opponent of the 2015 nuclear deal Zarif negotiated with Barack Obama's administration and threw his own formidable lobbying powers into an ultimately successful campaign to persuade US president Donald Trump to abandon it last May. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that it made no difference to Washington whether Zarif stays or goes. "Either way, he and Hassan Rouhani are just front men for a corrupt religious mafia," he said, adding that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "makes all final decisions". 'Zarif must stay' Mostafa Kavakebian, a reformist MP, was among those urging Rouhani to reject Zarif's resignation. "A great majority of MPs demand that the president never accept this resignation," he said on Twitter. Deputy parliament speaker Ali Motahari slammed Rouhani for allowing "interference in foreign policy" and called on him to show authority in defending Zarif and the ministry. Hardliners were not as supportive, indicating a deepening rift between Iran's political factions. "Mr. Zarif resigned to avoid the difficulties of confronting America and having to answer for the wrong path he took during his tenure," said former MP Alireza Zakani. "It is not political chivalry to avoid accountability... Zarif must stay," parliament's ultra-conservative Velayi faction said in a statement. The head of parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, told ISNA that it was not the first time Zarif had tendered his resignation. "That he has done so publicly this time means that he wants the president to accept it." 'Deadly poison' The face-off between Zarif and the hardliners has intensified as time has passed, and an attempt to impeach him in parliament was dropped only in December. Zarif has publicly acknowledged that his main concern during the nuclear deal negotiations had been about opposition from inside Iran. "We were more worried by the daggers that were struck from behind than the negotiations," he told newspaper Jomhoori Eslami. The latest point of contention between Zarif and the hardliners has been the implementation of the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regarding money laundering in Iran. The rift on the issue, which has complicated Zarif's efforts to maintain European trade and investment despite the renewed US sanctions on Iran, has pitted the government against parliament and a key arbitration body. Zarif told Jomhoori Eslami that such partisan disputes over foreign policy were "a deadly poison". With inputs from agencies LONDON (Reuters) - A closed-door speech last year by Iran's Supreme Leader voicing doubt about the Iranian government's diplomatic overtures to Europe was released on Monday in a sign of feuding over foreign policy that led to a short-lived resignation by the foreign minister. The address by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in mid-2018 appeared to forecast difficulties European countries would have in honouring pledges to protect trade with Iran from new U.S LONDON (Reuters) - A closed-door speech last year by Iran's Supreme Leader voicing doubt about the Iranian government's diplomatic overtures to Europe was released on Monday in a sign of feuding over foreign policy that led to a short-lived resignation by the foreign minister. The address by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in mid-2018 appeared to forecast difficulties European countries would have in honouring pledges to protect trade with Iran from new U.S. sanctions after Washington abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. The speech showed that while President Hassan Rouhani was trying to save the nuclear deal with European powers, who remained committed despite the U.S. exit, Khamenei was not optimistic. The publication of the comments eight months afterward presented Khamenei as viewing the situation as unchanged. Khamenei, an anti-Western hardliner, was quoted as saying by his official website that the Europeans would naturally say they are protecting Iranian interests with their package but the Iranian government "should not make this a main issue". He said the nuclear deal did not resolve any of the economic problems of Iran. He predicted that a mechanism proposed by the EU to shield business with Iran against the U.S. sanctions would also be no panacea for Iran's economic hardship. "(The Europeans) are bad. They are really bad. I have a lot to say about the Europeans; not because of their current policies, but their mischievous nature over the last few centuries," said Khamenei. ZARIF'S RESIGNATION His comments, made in a meeting with the cabinet, were published a week after Rouhani rejected the resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a U.S.-educated veteran diplomat who championed the nuclear deal. Khamenei's comments cast doubt on the efficacy of Zarif's past and current efforts to keep the agreement alive. Zarif, who retracted his resignation after Rouhani refused to accept it, said on Monday he had resigned in order to preserve the dignity and credibility of the Foreign Ministry, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. Fars quoted him as saying the ministry is responsible for all of Iran's foreign relations. "It's not that any body inside or outside the government has its own foreign policy, and we're only responsible for the foreign policy of the foreign ministry. In that case, there would be no need for a foreign ministry," he was quoted as saying. Iranian politics has long been riven by factional struggles, especially on fraught relations with the West. While Rouhani and his moderate camp still back the nuclear deal and seek rapprochement with the United States and Europe, hardliners, echoing Khameneis stance, reject any yielding to foreign pressure as inimical to Islamic revolutionary values. Khamenei, who has the final say on all major Iranian domestic and foreign policy and only reluctantly backed the nuclear negotiations, said on Monday Rouhani's government should not be deceived by European countries and their "smiles". Under the nuclear deal struck between Iran and six big powers in 2015, sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and United Nations were lifted in return for Iran agreeing long-term curbs on a nuclear programme the West suspected was geared to developing an atom bomb. U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out last year. His administration said that while Iran had met the deal's terms, the accord was too generous, failing to rein in ballistic missile testing or to curb Iranian involvement in regional conflicts such as Syria and Yemen. New U.S. sanctions have largely succeeded in persuading European companies to put aside business projects with Iran. France, Germany and Britain opened a new channel for non-dollar trade with Iran in January, although diplomats say it is unlikely to enable the big transactions Tehran says are needed to keep a nuclear deal afloat. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi praised the proposed EU mechanism, known as Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), as a "late but important step". Qasemi said, however, that the Islamic Republic would accept no conditions from the EU. France has called on Iran to stop all activities linked to its ballistic missile programme or face sanctions. The Europeans have promised to help companies do business with Iran as long as it abides by the deal. Iran has threatened to pull out of the 2015 deal itself unless EU powers demonstrably protect its economic benefits. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday that Iran is still meeting its commitments under the nuclear deal. "Contrasting the constant lies that Netanyahu, Trump & Associates tell about Iran, the #IAEA once againand for the umpteenth timeaffirms our standing by our word and adhering to the nuclear accord that the US has illegally violated. Our patience, however, is running thin," Zarif tweeted on Monday. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Frances Kerry) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Pakistans Minister of State for Interior announced that 44 members of banned organisations were detained in a crackdown on terror In a press conference on Tuesday, Pakistans Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi announced that 44 members of banned organisations were detained in a crackdown on terror. Among those arrested were Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhars brother Mufti Abdul Rauf and son Hammad Azhar. The 44 members of proscribed organisations were taken into preventive detention for investigation. In the press conference, the minister admitted that the names of Masood Azhars brother and son were in the dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week. As Prime Minister Imran Khan has always said, if you give us evidence, we will take action, he said, clarifying that if there is enough evidence against the detainees, they will be proceeded against. Afridi also said that the crackdown is not a result of mounting pressure on Pakistan. These actions will continue as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee, while reviewing National Action Plan, a ministry release read. Pakistan on Monday had promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for implementation of UN sanctions against individuals and organisations, amid growing pressure on the country to take action against terror groups operating on its soil. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returned home after travelling by train from Vietnam, after his inconclusive high-stakes nuclear summit with Trump Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returned home on Tuesday after travelling two and a half days by train from Vietnam, where his high-stakes nuclear summit with President Donald Trump ended without any agreement. The Kim-Trump summit broke down mainly because of disputes over the extent of sanctions relief the North could win in return for its nuclear disarmament steps. Both Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the summit's breakdown, but neither side says they would pull out of diplomacy. The crowd welcoming Kim at Pyongyang's railway station gave shouts of joy and loud hurrahs upon his return, the Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim received a salute from the head of the army's honor guards and was presented with flowers from children. Senior officials also greeted Kim with "their ardent congratulations," KCNA reported. The report briefly mentioned Kim's summit with Trump but didn't say the meeting failed to produce any agreement. The North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper previously reported that Kim and Trump had agreed to continue talks to resolve issues discussed in their Hanoi summit, but it also didn't mention the lack of agreement in the summit. Some observers say the North's propaganda services won't report about the summit's collapse to prevent Kim from suffering any damage in his leadership at home. They say Kim is desperate to win sanctions relief to try to resolve his country's moribund economy and improve public livelihoods. After his summit with Trump, Kim had a two-day official visit to Vietnam that included a meeting with Vietnamese Nguyen Phu Trong and paying his respects at the embalmed body of national hero Ho Chi Minh. It was the first Vietnam visit by a North Korean leader since his late grandfather and North Korea founder Kim Il Sung went in 1964. The KCNA dispatch Tuesday called Kim Jong-un's Vietnam visit "successful". The Hanoi summit between Trump and Kim followed their meeting in Singapore last June that ended with Kim's vaguely worded promise to work toward "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula." The benefit to Indian exports is very low given the already low US customs duties. The GSP is more symbolic than valuable. Narendra Modi government has not only refused to pussyfoot on Pakistan but also not hesitated to initiate bold actions on the commercial front to the worlds largest economy and economic power house, the USA. First, it was capping prices on life-saving drugs that affected MNC drug companies in general. But capping prices of prostheses particularly hit the US health major Johnson and Johnson which in addition had the gall to palm off inferior grade transplants to India and care two hoots about decent compensation to the victims. Second, some six months ago, the order to house all financial data relating to Indians in India which affected VISA and MasterCard more than anyone else. That was a brilliant move by this government to not only secure financial data of Indian residents but also to make VISA and MasterCard cough up income tax. All along they were refusing to do so on the facile ground that the servers were located abroad though the information related to Indians. The final nail in the coffin was the December 2018 order of DIPP that fluttered the dovecots of Walmart and Amazon, the e-commerce giants with deep pockets who made a mockery of the marketplace model by selling their own group companies wares to the detriment of brick and mortar stores, mainly the mom and pop stores as well as the less well-endowed competitors on the online firmament. The Indian government forbade such incestuous sales from 1 February 2019. It is an open secret that the US government acts for and at the behest of its trade lobbies. F-16, the precision fighter aircraft, was sold to Pakistan despite knowing it was a rogue state that has a deep animosity with India. But national interest comes first for any country. US is no exception to this rule. US' armament industry, including fighter aircraft manufacturers, badly need business. It is for the same reason that the US President Donald Trump is threatening to withdraw the GSP regime for India. That is an unstated threat to India to go slow against US business houses like Visa-MasterCard, Amazon-Walmart and J&J or face the music. But the music is not all that unpleasant. The withdrawal of GSP that entails nil tariff to Indian exporters of some 3,500 items means duties of $190 million. That is hardly anything and can be taken in our stride, said Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan. In 2017, exports worth $5.6 billion from India entered the US sans import duty. India is the worlds largest beneficiary of the GSP program, which dates from the 1970s, and ending its participation would be the strongest punitive action for the South Asian nation since Trump took office in 2017. Farm, marine and handicraft products were among Indias exports most likely to be hit by the move, Ajay Sahai, the director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, told Reuters. Of the 3,700 products it covers, India made use of the concession for just 1,784, Wadhawan told reporters in the Indian capital. Countries not covered by the GSP face US tariffs of 2 percent and upwards. That indeed puts things in perspectivethe threat is not serious both in its intent and implications. The Implications we have analysed. The intent may also not be serious because it is a 60-day notice given to both India and the US Congress. The point is, benefit to Indian exports is very low given the already low US customs duties. The GSP is more symbolic than valuable. India is not done yet. It has held back retaliation against hike in US duties on Indian aluminum and steel till April 2019. US had a trade deficit of $27.3 billion in 2017 against India but this will get negated with India buying more and more aircraft from the US companies among others. (The author is a senior columnist and tweets @smurlidharan) The United States was trying to 'find pockets' where there was 'sufficient agreement' that everyone could begin to move forward, Pompeo told a farmers' gathering in Iowa on Monday, at a time when Special US Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and his team was holding talks with the Taliban in Qatar's capital. Washington: Describing the ongoing talks with the Taliban in Doha as an "incredibly complicated" negotiation, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has hoped that there is sufficient progress in the deliberations for him to travel in the next couple of weeks to move it further. The United States was trying to "find pockets" where there was "sufficient agreement" that everyone could begin to move forward, Pompeo told a farmers' gathering in Iowa on Monday, at a time when Special US Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and his team was holding talks with the Taliban in Qatar's capital. "I have a team on the ground right now trying to negotiate with the Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan, trying to find a way to achieve an Afghanistan that's not at war, that's not engaged in violence, that doesn't present a threat to the United States of America, that will respect the fundamental basic rights for every Afghan citizen women, children across the full spectrum," he said. Pompeo was responding to a question from farmers after his address at the "Future Farmers of America" event in Iowa. "That is a complicated problem, and if you add in the regional players Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Russia, all who have an interest in Afghanistan it's an incredibly complicated negotiation," he asserted. At the same time, he said Khalilzad, who was leading American efforts in this regard, was on the ground, trying to "find pockets where there's sufficient agreement that everyone can begin to move forward, take all the various complex pieces and bring them together" to hopefully get an agreement. Pompeo said the Afghan agreement would be "based on fundamental understandings about different interests and incentives" that the parties had so that this agreement would hold and stay. "In this case, if we could do this, if we could pull off a resolution in Afghanistan, boy, the good that we could do for the world. I hope Ambassador Khalilzad makes progress," he said. "I am hoping he (Khalilzad) makes enough progress and I can travel there in a couple of weeks and help move it along a little bit myself," Pompeo said. The Pakistan government on Monday also put out another order saying it has frozen assets of all UN designated organisations like JuD, FIF. Islamabad: Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) were formally placed in the list of banned organisations on Tuesday, a day after Indian media reported that the two outfits continue to be only on the watchlist. According to Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) list, which was updated on Tuesday, JuD and FIF were among 70 organisations proscribed by the Ministry of Interior under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. "This list is updated as of 5 March, 2019 and prepared by NACTA based on the notifications issued by Ministry of Interior," said a note at the bottom of the list. The development comes a day after Indian media reported that the two organisations continue to be only in the list of groups under watch. On 21 February, Pakistan government had announced that it had banned the JuD and FIF, amid intense global pressure to rein in the militant groups following the 14 February Pulwama terror attack that killed over 40 CRPF jawans. However, in the NACTA list, which was earlier updated on Monday, JuD and FIF were "under watch" by the Ministry of Interior. Both JuD and FIF were placed on the watch list in January, 2017. The Pakistan government on Monday also put out another order saying it has frozen assets of all UN designated organisations like JuD, FIF. According to officials, JuD's network includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance service. The two groups have about 50,000 volunteers and hundreds of other paid workers. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It had been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June, 2014. The US Department of the Treasury has designated JuD chief Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a $10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice. Saeed was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December, 2008. He was released from house arrest in Pakistan in November, 2017. The NACTA has so far declared 70 terrorist organisations as banned and a sizeable number of these organisations are based in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). During a press conference in February, the Pakistani minister was quoted by Samaa news agency, referring to the Hindus as 'cow urine-drinking people. Punjab information and culture minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan resigned on Tuesday following intense criticism by senior members of his party, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), over his anti-Hindu comments. "Chohan was earlier summoned by Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar when he was asked to turn in his resignation papers," Geo News reported quoting sources. "The Punjab chief minister sought an explanation from Chohan regarding his anti-Hindu remarks. There were complaints against Chohan earlier as well owing to which he was sent warnings," they said. Chohan had made derogatory remarks against Hindus in Pakistan in February. There was a huge outcry on his comments in Pakistan after a video of his comments went viral. Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan also denounced his remarks. Fayaz-ul-Hasan Chohan, Minister of information & culture in Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province. He is referring to Hindus as "cow urine drinkers" & "idol worshippers". PTI should remove this joker from his post & charge him for discriminating against a religious minority. pic.twitter.com/0hNueDotbb Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) March 4, 2019 During a press conference in February, the minister was quoted by Samaa news agency, referring to the Hindus as "cow urine-drinking people". In the video, Chohan can be heard saying: "We are Muslims and we have a flag, the flag of Maula Alia's bravery, and flag of Hazrat Umara's valour. You don't have that flag, it isn't in your hands," the minister was quoted. "Don't operate under the delusion that you are seven times better than us. What we have, you can't have, you idol-worshippers," Chohan continued in the video. Earlier on Tuesday, Chohan had apologised for his comments. The remarks made by Chohan came amid reports of rising tension between India and Pakistan following the 14 February Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed lives of over 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans. In response to Chohan's attack on the minorities, Minister for Human Rights, Shireen Mazari condemned his statement saying, "No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have also sacrificed for their country. Our prime minister's message is always of tolerance and respect and we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred." Absolutely condemn this. No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country. Our PM's msg is always of tolerance & respect & we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred. https://t.co/uOTeyEg4Pb Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) March 4, 2019 Reiterating the same, Khan's special assistant on political affairs Naeemul Haque, in his tweet said, "The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan, the Punjab minister demands strict action. PTI government will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the government or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the chief minister." The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan the Punjab Info Minister demand strict action. PTI govt will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the govt or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister. Naeem ul Haque (@naeemul_haque) March 4, 2019 Pakistan finance minister Asad Umar also said that the flag of Pakistan is not just green and it is not complete without the white which represents the minorities. "The Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember Quaide Azam's whole struggle was for a country free of discrimination," Umar said. Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember the flag of Pakistan is not just green....its not complete without the white which represents the minorities. Quaide Azam's whole struggle was for a country free of discrimination Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) March 4, 2019 Columnist Mehr Tarar further took to Twitter, demanding an "unconditional apology" from Chohan, followed by his resignation. According to reports, at least 1.6 percent of Pakistan's population is Hindu, and Hinduism is the second largest religion followed in the country. The PTI government itself has at least seven Hindu members of the National Assembly and four minority members in the Punjab Assembly. With inputs from ANI Sharif has challenged this verdict in the Supreme Court and filed a separate petition for a quick hearing on 6 March. Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal filed on behalf of ousted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for an early hearing of his petition seeking bail on medical grounds and to have his sentence suspended in the Al-Azizia corruption case. The apex court said on Monday that the case against the Islamabad High Court's verdict will be heard when its turn comes. Sharif, 69, was on 24 December, 2018, sentenced to seven years in prison by an anti-corruption court in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case for owning a steel factory abroad without disclosing its ownership. "On Friday, senior counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed filed an appeal before the Supreme Court on behalf of the former premier, asking the apex court to grant him bail after suspending the seven-year sentence," the Dawn newspaper reported. "But the Supreme Court Registrar Office returned the application for early hearing on the grounds that no special treatment could be accorded and the routine procedure would be followed to take up the matter," it said. Sharif had filed an appeal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to suspend his sentence in the Al-Azizia case until the final verdict on his appeal is announced. However, the court rejected his plea on 25 February. He had requested bail on the grounds that his health was deteriorating in jail. The IHC in its order had held that none of the medical reports about Sharif's condition suggested that his continued incarceration would in any way be detrimental to his life, adding that he had been hospitalised time and again since January whenever he made complaints about his indisposition. Sharif has challenged this verdict in the Supreme Court and filed a separate petition for a quick hearing on 6 March. His appeal contends that the IHC order was in violation of his fundamental right to life as guaranteed by the Constitution. The former premier is currently incarcerated at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore where he is serving the seven-year sentence. Sharif resigned as Pakistan prime minister in 2017 after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against the beleaguered leader and his children over the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif has denied any wrongdoing and says the charges are political motivated. His supporters believe the real reason he was convicted was because he had fallen out with the country's powerful army. NEW YORK (Reuters) - New England dug out from more than a foot of snow on Monday that snarled commutes and cancelled flights, although New York City was spared the worst of the late-winter storm, which was expected to be followed by bitter cold in the days ahead. A band of winter weather stretching from Maryland to Maine dumped 15 inches (38 cm) of snow overnight on downtown Boston and some 5 inches (13 cm) on Central Park in the heart of New York City, National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard reported. NEW YORK (Reuters) - New England dug out from more than a foot of snow on Monday that snarled commutes and cancelled flights, although New York City was spared the worst of the late-winter storm, which was expected to be followed by bitter cold in the days ahead. A band of winter weather stretching from Maryland to Maine dumped 15 inches (38 cm) of snow overnight on downtown Boston and some 5 inches (13 cm) on Central Park in the heart of New York City, National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard reported. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio took the rare step of shutting the city's massive public school system, and New Jersey Transit cancelled about a dozen trains on its sprawling commuter system. The mayor defended the school closures on Twitter after snow totals in New York were less than expected and parents griped on social media that there was no reason to keep their children home. "We put safety first when we make a call on closing school. The overnight storm had more rain and less snow than forecasted. We know its tough for working parents - thats why we made an early decision so New Yorkers could plan. Kids, enjoy your day off. Back to school Tuesday," de Blasio said in a tweet. More than 1,500 flights were cancelled on Monday and another 3,500 were delayed, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.com. Government offices and libraries in Boston were closed. In New Jersey, where Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, state workers had a two-hour delay. "This is horrible!" said Steve Wesley, 56, as he shovelled snow from his driveway in Maplewood, New Jersey. Wesley's two-mile local commute by car was delayed nearly two hours by the four-to-six inches of snow. Commuting challenges may mount in the coming days as snow melts and then temperatures drop, icing over roadways. "Each day is a little bit cooler," said Chenard, noting the week's highest temperatures for the Northeast will be in the low 30s. (1 C) "Youll get some melting during the day, especially when the sun is hitting the snow, and then at night its going to be cold enough to refreeze. Any road surfaces that arent treated, certainly could get icy at night into the morning," he said. (Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Scott Malone, Steve Orlofsky and Bill Berkrot) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers complained to the Trump administration on Monday that its response to rights abuses against China's Muslim minority was inadequate months after saying it was looking into imposing sanctions. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers complained to the Trump administration on Monday that its response to rights abuses against China's Muslim minority was inadequate months after saying it was looking into imposing sanctions. "This issue is bigger than just China. It is about demonstrating to strongmen globally that the world will hold them accountable for their actions," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The group is led by Representative Eliot Engel, Democratic chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and includes Republican ranking member Representative Ted Yoho. The letter said Pompeo had written to the committee on Sept. 28 saying his department was looking into the request for sanctions on those responsible for abuses and for controls on exports of technology that facilitates mass detentions and surveillance of ethnic minorities in western China's Xinjiang region. "More than four months later, it appears that the Administration has taken no meaningful action ... and we write today with a renewed sense of urgency on this serious matter," said the letter, also signed by Representative Brad Sherman, Democratic chairman of the subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific and Representative Chris Smith, Republican ranking member of the subcommittee on human rights. China denies the allegations. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. ambassador for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, told reporters the issue was "being discussed thoroughly within the administration," but he had no new steps to announce. Brownback spoke at a Capitol Hill event to mark the formation of the Coalition to Advance Religious Freedom in China, a multi-faith group of over a dozen religious and rights organizations established to campaign against persecution. U.S. officials said last year the Trump administration was considering sanctions targeting companies and officials linked to China's crackdown on minority Muslims, including Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, a member of the Chinese leadership's powerful politburo. But no action has been forthcoming, with the administration engaged in sensitive negotiations to resolve trade disputes between the countries. China denies allegations of abuses in Xinjiang and in an November interview with Reuters, its ambassador to the United States warned of retaliation if Washington were to impose sanctions on Chen. The U.S. lawmakers said it was a particular concern that U.S. firms might be contributing to the Xinjiang persecution given commercial ties to Chinese tech companies that had profited from a surge in security spending there. They called for written responses from Pompeo as to whether the U.S. government monitored the use of U.S. technology that could be used for surveillance or detention in Xinjiang and information on any U.S. firms providing such technology. The letter highlighted a Jan. 31 Reuters report saying that Hong Kong-listed Frontier Services Group, co-founded by former U.S. military services contractor Erik Prince, had signed a deal to build a training base in Xinjiang. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; editing by Grant McCool) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. South Africa: Attracting investment the focus of BRICS Business meeting Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies says positioning the country as a destination for investment is expected to be the agenda of the newly-appointed BRICS Business Council. Davies said this when he held a joint media briefing with the members of the Black Business Council in Cape Town on Tuesday. The media briefing was held after Davies held a meeting with the newly-appointed council members. We had a discussion at which we all agreed that the BRICS relationship is an important, strategic relationship for South Africa. It is the most significant grouping of the emerging economies in the world. It has the business council which has done invaluable work, in particularly in our estimation, in promotion of practical business to business relations. When we look at the relationship within BRICS, the most important relationship we want to build as government is the investment relationship given that BRICS companies are looking into directing investment into South Africa and of course South African companies are also invested into those countries. We indicated to them as government that we want to have a strong ongoing conversation and coordination with the members of the BRICS Business Council as they identify practical business opportunities, as they make recommendations, we want to make sure that there is a strong Team SA message that is finding its way through, he said. The new BRICS Business Council is made up of five members with extensive business experience locally and internationally. This includes Busi Mabuza from the Industrial Development Corporation who is the chairperson, Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba from Discovery Ltd, Bridgette Radebe from Mmakau Mining, Dr Stavros Nicolaou from Aspen Pharmacare and Elias Monage from Afrika Group. Speaking for the council, Mabuza said they remain committed to taking the interests of the country through the councils activities. The council is also committed towards supporting SMME participation and new business, thus contributing to an inclusive economy. We have had a minute to [engage] with the Minister, who has reaffirmed our mandate to facilitate investment-led trade between ourselves, our continent with the other BRICS partners through practical projects. This business council is looking forward to engagement with the other Chapters. We have already on the ground for over a month now and we have already engaged with the global partners, she said. Through the BRICS Business Council, the five-member countries will, in the time ahead, focus on nine working groups in terms of areas of cooperation and business facilitation. This includes agribusiness, deregulation, digital economy, financial services, energy and green economy, infrastructure, manufacturing, regional aviation and skills development. Mabuza also said that with the next BRICS Summit set to take place in Brazil in November, the local chapter of the BRICS Business Council, which currently chairs the global business grouping, will hand over its chairmanship to the Brazilian chapter of the BRICS Business Council at a meeting in Johannesburg on 3 April. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. (CNN) Luke Perry, who played the beloved Dylan McKay on the hit coming-of-age series Beverly Hills 90210, has died. Perry, 52, died Monday after suffering a massive stroke, his publicist Arnold Robinson told CNN. "He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiance Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends. The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time," a statement from Robinson read. Born Coy Luther Perry III in Mansfield, Ohio, and raised in the small community of Fredericktown, Perry moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting soon after graduating from high school. There he worked a series of odd jobs as he tried to break into the business. The Big Apple beckoned in 1988 after he scored an appearance as Ned Bates on the soap opera Loving, which required him to move to New York City. In 2013 during an appearance on the radio show Sway in the Morning, Perry said it took him 256 auditions before he scored his first gig. "I just kept thinking, 'You know, I just walked out of a room full of fools,'" Perry said of how he maintained the confidence to keep going. "Those people have no idea." The same year as his Loving appearance, Perry landed a role on another soap, this time portraying Kenny on Another World. But it was his role as seemingly bad boy Dylan McKay on Fox's Beverly Hills 90210 in 1990 which shot Perry into the atmosphere. The series was both wildly popular and also criticized because of its willingness to take on topics such as teens being sexually active. "We have done some shows that dealt with pretty some touchy topics and people weren't altogether happy with how we dealt with it," Perry said during an appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show in the 1990s. "I thought we handled it pretty intelligently and we were willing to answer the questions we brought up." Perry's character was so popular among fans that in 1991 an expected crowd of 2,000 at a Florida mall turned into a stampede of 10,000 when he appeared at an autograph signing. Several people were hospitalized and the mall was forced to shut its doors after the chaos. The actor famously left the show in Season 6, seeking to break away from the Dylan character, but returned in Season 9. Perry also appeared on the big screen with roles in films including Good Intentions, Red Wing and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which later became a hit television series. He made his Broadway debut in 2002 as Brad in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But it was the small screen that showed the actor the most love, with roles on The Incredible Hulk, Jeremiah, Oz, Windfall and John from Cincinnati. More recently, Perry took on the role as Archie Andrews' father Fred in the hit CW drama Riverdale, based on the characters from the Archie comics. Perry married Teen Wolf Too actress Rachel "Minnie" Sharp in 1993 and the couple welcomed son Jack and daughter Sophie. They divorced a decade later. Perry is in director Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which set for release in July. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Luke Perry, star of 'Beverly Hills 90210' and 'Riverdale,' dead at 52." A few days back, Xiaomi literally shocked the Indian smartphone market, if not the entire world with its pricing for Redmi Note 7 Pro. While some portray this move as desperation to capture the market, we disagree to it wholeheartedly, considering their sales history. Smartphone market have come a longway! Having said that Xiaomi launched Redmi Note 7 Pro smartphone, the companys latest mid-range at a starting price of Rs. 13,999. Following the sequence of launch in the recent past, one couldnt help but realise the fact that the smartphone market has matured a lot. VFM device! In fact, the Redmi Note 7 Pro is one of the best Value For Money (VFM) to date from Xiaomis Redmi portfolio. On the design, Redmi Note 7 Pro is a huge leap from its predecessor and has an Aura design with a glass back with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, and a gradient design. Undoubtedly, the build is premium, looks appealing when compared to other smartphones in the same category like Samsung Galaxy M20 and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2. Splash resistant Unlike other Redmi smartphones, it is splash resistant and most of all it retains the 3.5mm audio jack and the IR Blaster. The device also measures 8.1mm in thickness and weighs around 186 grams. This flashy looking smartphone, comes with a P2i hydrophobic nano-coating, which is claimed to protect the smartphones against accidental liquid spills and light rain. First Redmi to get USB Type-C Talking about the placement, the right side of the mobile have volume and power buttons, with satisfactory tactile feedback. The left side houses a hybrid dual-SIM + microSD card slot. Fortunately, this device retains 3.5mm headphone jack and IR emitters on top, and USB Type-C ports on the bottom along with speaker grilles on both sides. It comes with Dual 4G VoLTE support similar to the predecessor. Another big change in the smartphone is its display, sporting 6.3-inch Full HD+ Dot Notch display with 1.95mm narrow bezels, 81.37% screen-to-body ratio. In addition to it, necessary buttons are well within the reach. Faster than Snapdragon 710! Under the hood, the recent outing from Xiaomi is powered by octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC and has up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage which can be expanded by up to 256GB with a microSD card. On the software side, the device is shipped with MIUI 10 based on Android 9.0 (Pie) out of the box. Whopping 48MP camera! The main highlight of the smartphone is its 48-megapixel rear camera with 1/2 Sony IMX586 sensor with f/1.79 aperture. It offers 12MP output by default using super pixel tech, but you can enable 48MP output in Pro mode. It has a 5-megapixel secondary camera for portrait shots and also comes with AI features such as steady handheld night photography. There is a 13-megapixel camera on the front with AI beautify and AI portrait features, as well as AI, face unlock. Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 The Redmi Note 7 Pro gets a 4000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4. Having said that the company offers just a 10W charger in the box. You need to get an 18W charger separately to make the most out of Quick Charging, and it supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0. Game changing price The Redmi Note 7 Pro comes in Neptune Blue, Nebula Red and Space Black, is priced at Rs. 13,999 for the 4GB RAM with 64GB storage version and the 6GB RAM with 128GB storage version costs Rs. 16,999. It will go on sale exclusively on Flipkart, Mi.com and Mi Home stores starting from March 13. It also comes bundled with a protective case, and the company will also sell perforated case separately at Rs. 349. Microsoft is said to be preparing a new lightweight version of Windows for Dual-screen devices and Chromebook competitors. According to a new report, the company is said to be working on stripping back its Windows user interface with dual screens in mind. This new hardware could launch as early as later this year, depending on chip and PC maker readiness. Internally, the project is codenamed Windows Lite. Microsoft wants Windows to be ready for PC makers to take advantage of it. Off late, Microsoft has been creating a new composable Shell (C-Shell) and Windows Core OS, a more modular version of the existing Windows Shell that powers many parts of Windows 10. The Windows Lite interface will be similar to current Windows, but it will be a blend of what Microsoft does with its Surface Hub shell and the limited functionality of its Windows Phone Continuum user interface. Microsoft is using the Santorini codename as part of Windows Lite. Santorini is part of the shell work that Microsoft is building to make it different from the current Windows 10. Other reports suggest that Microsoft could ship a dual-screen laptop-like device with or without Windows Lite. Microsoft might be targeting dual-screen devices initially, but the longer plan is for Windows Lite to help the company better compete against Chromebooks. Microsoft previously tried restricting Windows 10 with an S Mode but is now looking to ship something a lot more basic with Windows Lite. At this moment, it is not clear when Microsoft will ship Windows Lite or what it will eventually be named. Microsoft is holding its Build conference in Seattle in early May, and this would be an ideal opportunity to start revealing Windows Lite strategy. Source Googles Project Zero has reported and publicly disclosed a high severity flaw in the macOS kernel which can grant an attacker access to a users computer without their knowledge. Security researchers discovered that if a modification is made to a user-owned mounted filesystem image, the virtual management system isnt notified of those changes. This lets attacker access to perform malicious actions on that mounted filesystem without the end user ever knowing about it. Google said to have disclosed the flaw to Apple back in November 2018. However, since 90 days have since passed and the company has yet to issue a patch, the flaw has been publicly disclosed. Google has labeled the issue as high severity, meaning its impact could be fairly large. Apple has since acknowledged the issue and has started working with Googles Project Zero on a fix. Apple intends to patch the issue in a future macOS release, but no timeline is available on that just yet. A detailed explanation of the bug: This copy-on-write behavior works not only with anonymous memory, but also with file mappings. This means that, after the destination process has started reading from the transferred memory area, memory pressure can cause the pages holding the transferred memory to be evicted from the page cache. Later, when the evicted pages are needed again, they can be reloaded from the backing filesystem. This means that if an attacker can mutate an on-disk file without informing the virtual management subsystem, this is a security bug. MacOS permits normal users to mount filesystem images. When a mounted filesystem image is mutated directly (e.g. by calling pwrite() on the filesystem image), this information is not propagated into the mounted filesystem. Source | Via DSM Food Specialties Our aim is to help customers succeed in their markets through strong innovation, exceptional application expertise and insight into the many, ever-changing needs of consumers worldwide. For food, beverage and supplement manufacturers we offer the comprehensive resources needed to provide customized solutions. Scientific excellence aside, that means a deep knowledge and understanding of markets, consumers and the defining trends in our industry. Namely: A sharp focus on health benefits: Consumers across the world want to look and feel better. The empowerment and awareness of consumers from India to Indiana is a defining trend in food and beverage nutrition, which we meet through our family of nutritional ingredients and products. Taste is a key qualifier: If a product doesnt taste good it doesnt stand much chance of success. As the worlds tastes and preferences evolve and expand, we are increasingly helping customers innovate, with exciting, authentic and regional flavors and ingredients provided in a streamlined and efficient way. The drive for convenience: Despite the trend for health foods, time-pressed consumers are looking to buy more processed and convenience food than ever. DSM is committed to helping customers address the need for fast, high-quality products. Food safety and quality: Our ingredients are based on solid scientific evidence and application knowledge based on decades of experience in our markets. Were well aware that food safety and compliance is paramount for growing and ambitious food brands. As the world continues to grapple with the effects of COVID-19, the health of the planet is moving into the spotlight for a plethora of reasons. There is now a general... Read More In Star Wars lore, a Jedi can levitate objects with the appropriate focus and training. Now it's time to see if that power can also work some financial magic by levitating Walt Disney ( DIS 0.29% ) stock itself. This is going to be a big year for Star Wars. Disney is going to make it hard to escape the reach of the iconic Lucasfilm franchise, and if its aim is on target, the sci-fi property is going to help provide a hearty boost across all of the media giant's businesses. Let's explore the three big ways Star Wars will help in 2019, and also see how these moves could serve as long-term catalysts for Disney. 1. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge The first of the Lucasfilm infusions happens this summer -- as soon as June -- when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge makes its debut at the original Disneyland park in California. The 14-acre expansion will feature two bar-raising rides and several ways to eat, drink, and shop your way deeper into the Star Wars universe. Florida will get a near-replica of the new land a few months later. Disney hosted a sneak peek at Disneyland last week for travel journos, and jaws had to be picked up off the floor. The world's leading theme-park operator isn't playing it safe here. It's swinging for the fences with a deeply immersive experience that's going to make both resorts very busy for a long time. This will be Disney's most important addition to either resort in 20 years. Disneyland already raised ticket prices in January, and Disney World should follow soon. Did I mention that Disney's building a Star Wars Hotel at its Florida resort? Check out the latest earnings call transcript for Disney. 2. Star Wars: Episode IX The ninth and final installment in the Star Wars trilogies hits theaters in December. We'll technically be in Disney's fiscal 2020 at that point -- and even the lion's share of the film's revenue will be recorded in the 2020 calendar year -- but it's going to be one of the highest-grossing films of all time. The film that still doesn't have an official title won't be the end of Star Wars on the big screen. Disney has several spin-offs and new story lines that it can pursue in the coming years. The franchise isn't going away anytime soon. 3. The Mandalorian Disney is ready to take the wheel when it comes to driving its streaming business. The launch of Disney+, its first self-branded platform, is going to make waves. Disney has started to reel in some of its content available on third-party sites, and it has also committed to original shows including some based on its Marvel and Lucasfilm properties. The Mandalorian is the first of the Star Wars spinoffs that have been announced for Disney+. It may or may not be ready to launch when Disney+ makes its debut later this year, but it won't be long before it becomes one of the key subscription drivers for the upcoming platform. Between a buzz-smacked theme park expansion, the most anticipated Star Wars film of all time, and the first Lucasfilm series of the many that will pad the catalog of its upcoming streaming service, the future is pretty clear: Star Wars will be a big part of Disney's present, but it will play an even larger role in the future. If you put a positive spin on rent-to-own or lease-to-own programs, they allow customers to have access to items they may otherwise not be able to afford. That makes sense when a person truly needs an item -- say, a computer in order to do their job. In many cases, however, this type of program leads to people who can't qualify for credit paying more for items they can't really afford. Rent-to-own has generally been the province of companies like Rent-a-Center that target lower-income consumers. Now Best Buy ( BBY 1.93% ) has begun testing a pilot program using another stalwart in the space, Progressive Leasing (a subsidiary of the Aaron's rent-to-own retail chain), according to a news story from Twice. Check out the latest earnings call transcript for Best Buy. What is Best Buy doing? Best Buy has been testing its "progressive leasing" program in Texas and will roll the offer out to 35 states by the spring, according to the Twice report. Customers can apply at kiosks or with employees in stores, with approval being based on their employment and banking history. If approved, the customer makes periodic payments automatically from a checking account. Leases, which are for 12 months, can be paid off early, with the terms of doing so varying by state, according to Best Buy's FAQ. A payment estimator offered on the application site showed that a $1,000 purchase made through the program at a Dallas-area Best Buy would cost the consumer $174.17 a month or $2,169 in total. Best Buy's CFO, Corie Barry, defended the program during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call. She did not address the heavy premium customers would pay for access to the items they're renting to own. "We were pleased with the results that we've been seeing and, therefore, are now going to expand the number of stores with our leasing solution," she said. "I think what we like about it is it actually opens up the opportunity for customers who might not otherwise be able to have credit or otherwise be able to have access to the kind of products that we sell. It opens up access to that product to a whole new customer base for us." Barry noted that in the initial testing of the program, only about 1% of customers defaulted on their lease payments. She also explained that some of the customers using the program don't have bad credit, they "just have no credit, and this is the start for them to be able to build a credit portfolio and actually will lead to a much more robust credit portfolio over time." Is this a smart move for Best Buy? Clearly, leasing opens up a new customer base, and it comes with very high profit margins. The challenge is that while some customers will be happy to get extended a form of credit, the optics of charging $2,169 for a $1,000 item aren't great, and they don't seem to jibe with Best Buy's self-professed ethics. The company was recently lauded as one of the 2019 World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute. That's a designation the company celebrated in a press release in which CEO Hubert Joly laid out what he sees as the company's philosophy. "Best Buy is an organization with a heart and soul, built upon purposeful, values-driven leadership," he said. "We demonstrate this a number of ways, including by the way we ethically serve our customers or colleagues, engage with underserved communities through our Teen Tech Centers or do our part to save our planet through a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions." Offering rent-to-own may be a service for a small percentage of the people who use it, but in general, it's a dangerous practice for lower-income customers. Yes, it might offer a needed lifeline to a consumer in desperate need of a new stove or a new refrigerator, but in many cases, rent-to-own leads to the people who can least afford it paying more for things they don't truly need. That doesn't seem like something Best Buy should stake its hard-earned reputation on. What happened Shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals (NYSEMKT:NAK) jumped 18% in February, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. That brought the would-be gold and copper miner's two-month advance to 62%! What may be more shocking is that even after that massive gain, the stock is still 50% below the level at which it started 2018. In fact, there are some worrying signs even looking at just the February gain -- at one point in the month the stock was up more than 30%. So what Northern Dynasty Minerals' main asset is the Pebble Project in Alaska. The company reports that it is one of the largest undeveloped gold and copper deposits in the world, and is trying to build a mine to exploit that asset. It hasn't been smooth sailing, with the project facing material environmental pushback and government red tape. Even in the best case scenario, Northern Dynasty won't see any revenue from the proposed mine for years to come. At this point the company just has expenses, and it is relying on the capital markets for the cash it needs to continue its quest to build out the Pebble Project. Northern Dynasty had a partner, but that company pulled out in mid-2018...which helps explain at least a portion of the disastrous performance of the stock last year. That said, what all of this highlights is that Northern Dynasty Minerals is not a stock for most investors. Only truly aggressive types should be looking at this company. News is the driving factor today, and often that news is binary, with either a good or a bad outcome (for example, the approval or denial of a permit) leading to swift and dramatic price moves. Lately the news has been a bit better for the company, so the stock has been heading generally higher. But even there you have to take the stock changes with a grain of salt because commodity prices also play an important role. Like the news flow about the mine, commodity prices can cause material price volatility. Copper, for example, has had a good run so far this year, supporting the stock. Gold started the year strongly, but has since cooled off, offering mixed support. The key takeaway, however, is that Northern Dynasty has to deal with two very uncertain issues: building a mine and commodity prices. News on either front can lead to huge price swings for the tiny company. Check out the latest earnings call transcripts for the companies we cover. Now what This is not a stock that most investors should be looking at. It requires a very long-term view that assumes a positive outcome with the Pebble Project. And even assuming the best-case scenario unfolds, between now and the potential completion of the mine there are likely to be a lot of dramatic price swings in the stock. CRISP & GREEN Announces Next Location In Maple Grove, Minnesota Twin Cities Based Healthy, Fast Casual Restaurant Chain Opening Up Their Fifth Location in Maple Grove. March 05, 2019 // Franchising.com // MINNEAPOLIS - CRISP & GREEN, a Minnesota-based fast casual restaurant, announced today that it will be opening up its fifth location in Maple Grove. The restaurant will be the second location for franchisee Kris Humphries and team. Construction is expected to begin within a few weeks, with an opening date set for late Spring 2019. Todays announcement follows the companys recent news that the state of Minnesota sold out just months after launching its franchise program in 2018. Founder & CEO, Steele Smiley, is looking forward to expanding the brand and addressing the demand for CRISP & GREEN in the northwest suburbs of the Twin Cities. We have fielded hundreds of requests for a CRISP & GREEN in the Maple Grove area from people who want to see more healthy options, said Smiley. Not only do we provide a healthy, chef-crafted, scratch-made menu, but we also offer fitness and wellness resources to our guests. We are eager for the Humphries team to deliver the CRISP & GREEN experience to the community of Maple Grove. The brands fifth location, which will offer the popular and wholesome menu of signature and made-to-order salads, grain bowls, and smoothies, will open in Maple Groves newest retail development, The Village at Arbor Lakes. The site is located at the corner of Hemlock Lane and Elm Creek Boulevard, Maple Groves busiest intersection. Maple Grove is a market we are extremely excited to go into, said Humphries. Its an active and energetic community that we are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve. The Maple Grove site will be located at 11704 Elm Creek Boulevard North, Maple Grove, MN. Updates about the new location and its development will be posted on CRISP & GREENs social media platforms. About CRISP & GREEN CRISP & GREEN is a wellness-driven restaurant chain featuring a selection of signature and seasonal salads, grain bowls, soups and smoothies, all made in-house from scratch with premium ingredients. The restaurant also offers free community fitness and wellness events to promote a healthy lifestyle beyond the kitchen. SOURCE CRISP & GREEN ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Minuteman Press Franchise In Fayetteville, Georgia Moves To New Location To Accommodate Business Expansion And Growth Minuteman Press in Fayetteville, GA celebrated their move with a grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - March 04, 2019 // GLOBE NEWSWIRE // - Rex and Pam Green own the Minuteman Press design, marketing, and printing franchise that has recently moved to its new location at 1240 Highway 54 West, Suite 300, Fayetteville, GA 30214. Rex says, We recently relocated our business due to demand for more space resulting from growth of the company. To accommodate new people and equipment, we needed more space. We joined our local Chamber of Commerce and they eagerly advocated for a ribbon-cutting at our new space. We had 40 to 50 customers in attendance to support us and wish us well. Local dignitaries, including the mayor of Fayetteville, visited and addressed the crowd. This was a rewarding event for us, as weve not done anything like this previously. For nearly five years, Rex, Pam, and their team at Minuteman Press have provided the Fayetteville community with custom design, printing, and marketing solutions. As a result of their efforts, they have more than doubled the volume of their business. Rex says, Early on we decided to focus on providing precise production with fast turnaround. Precision is a result of the skills of our people. We have a great staff with different skillsets in printing, graphic design, and messaging. We produce visual communications materials rapidly and accurately, and our customers really appreciate that about us. Another thing that sets Minuteman Press apart from the competition is the positive culture that Rex has created as an entrepreneur who appreciates his customers and treats his employees right. He states, We enjoy internal and external rewards of owning the business. The people who work with us in our business have been terrific. Theyre a real joy to spend time with every day, and its rewarding to see the things they accomplish, the relationships they develop with customers, and their dedication to our mission. External rewards come when we see how weve helped our customers manage and grow their businesses, honor a departed loved one, or celebrate the union of a young couple. Rex also enjoys helping his diverse range of clients that need and use Minuteman Press printing and marketing services. He says, We do extensive work with local nonprofits, churches, and midsize corporations located on the south side of Atlanta. Additionally, we work with manifold small businesses that are providing every kind of goods and services to our community. Being an active and engaged part of that community is also crucial to Rex, Pam, and the team. Rex states, Its certainly important, in my opinion, for business owners to be involved in community organizations. Weve lived here for a long time during which Pam and I have been active in many ways in the community. Weve developed an extensive network of friends that have been supportive of our business. At the same time, were supportive of the community with our time and with financial resources. The mutually supporting relationships of businesses and community are crucial for a vibrant local economy and healthy community. Why own a Minuteman Press franchise? Before franchising with Minuteman Press, Rex spent 35 years manufacturing electronic hardware. He elaborates, Twenty of these years were spent with a company Photocircuits headquartered in Glen Cove, NY. I started with producing components and my last gig was with a firm headquartered in Binghamton, NY, that built supercomputers which sold for tens of millions of dollars. My wife Pam raised our daughter and gave private art lessons, primarily to home-schooled kids, and took commissions for paintings from people who wanted original artwork in their environments. While there are many different franchise opportunities available, Minuteman Press really appealed to Rex and Pam because of their reputation as well as the benefits he saw in franchising with them. He explains, When we decided to become business owners, we shopped for a year and looked at numerous opportunities, none of which seemed right for us. Then I saw a Minuteman Press franchise for sale about 60 miles south of our home. I responded to an ad and soon thereafter we toured the facility with our soon-to-be Regional Vice President Keith Cawley. Ultimately, we bought a franchise that became available in our community. I liked the production focus of the business, I understood the value of the FLEX software in managing the business, and I researched Minuteman Press and determined the company to be a solid, reputable franchisor. Since becoming a Minuteman Press franchisee, Rex has enjoyed the freedom of being his own boss while receiving ongoing local support. He says, A concern I had when we were still considering buying a franchise was how much control the franchisor would exert on us. Ive been pleased that the company is there to provide support when we need it, but not when we dont. Field resources have been great at helping with systems and educating us about available resources. Working with the company including Keith Cawley and our current Regional VP David Walton has been a great experience for us. Business Goals and Advice for Entrepreneurs Whats next for Minuteman Press in Fayetteville, GA? Rex answers, Weve grown our business by focusing on speed and precision. Our customers know we respond when they request. They trust us. They rely on us. They bring new customers to us. Its not sexy its basic blocking and tackling. And it works. We look forward to continuing steady, manageable growth with the support of the people working in our shop and our established and new customers. His advice for aspiring business or franchise owners is this: My advice is simple, but not simple to execute. You need to find people who fit in your organization. Weve been able to do that. Our first two hires were actually customers of the franchise we bought. Both were freelance graphic designers whose work we admired. We offered them jobs, and, four years later, theyre still with us. Both have been important contributors to our success. Rex continues, At the ribbon cutting, I explained (somewhat tongue in cheek) that I contribute by vacuuming the shop and cleaning the restrooms. Meanwhile, Consuela and Courtney have made sure our customers are happy. Along the way we added additional people whove worked out well. Weve managed to create a cohesive, purposive group who are truly responsible for our successes. Its also important to watch cash flow and receivables. Properly managing cash means happy suppliers, happy employees, and happy owners. Watch that cash. Finally, dont be afraid to say yes to opportunities that stretch your capabilities. Be willing to take some risks that will expand your expertise. Rex and Pam Greens Minuteman Press franchise is located at 1240 Highway 54 West, Suite 300, Fayetteville, GA 30214. For more information call Rex and his team at (770) 719-8424 or visit their website: https://www.fayettevillega.minutemanpress.com. About Minuteman Press International Minuteman Press International is the number one rated business marketing and printing franchise that offers world class training and unparalleled ongoing local support. Started in 1973 by Roy Titus and his son Bob, Minuteman Press began franchising in 1975 and has grown to nearly 1,000 business service franchise locations worldwide including the U.S., Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Minuteman Press is ranked #1 in category by Entrepreneur 27 times and 16 years in a row, including 2019. Independent franchisee satisfaction firm Franchise Business Review has also named Minuteman Press International to its 2019 Top Franchises, 2018 Top Franchise Leaders, Top Franchises for Women, and Top Franchises for Veterans lists thanks to positive reviews from our owners. At Minuteman Press, We Are The Modern Printing Industry providing high quality products and services that meet the needs of today's business professionals and go way beyond ink on paper. Today, our centers offer innovative branding solutions and produce custom designs, promotional products, branded apparel, direct mail marketing, large format printing (banners and posters), signs and graphics, and much more. Prior experience is not necessary to own and operate a successful Minuteman Press franchise. To learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and speak with one of our experienced franchise representatives at no obligation, call 1-800-645-3006. Continue your franchise research, watch exclusive owner videos and access Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Contacts: Minuteman Press International Franchise Opportunities 1-800-645-3006 https://minutemanpressfranchise.com Chris Biscuiti Media Relations cbiscuiti@mpihq.com SOURCE Minuteman Press International ### Add to Request List Added Request Information Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Motto Franchising, LLC Celebrates Network Achievements National Awards Ceremony Honors Top Business Performers and Leaders of Motto Mortgage Network March 05, 2019 // Franchising.com // DENVER - Motto Mortgage, an innovative mortgage brokerage franchise and the second member of the RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RMAX) family of brands, held its second annual awards ceremony during its Motto MILE Summit last week at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, honoring top leaders of the Motto Mortgage network. The Motto Mortgage Awards & Recognition Program recognizes outstanding achievements, exceptional service, leadership and high productivity. The network achieved extraordinary successes in 2018, said Ward Morrison, president, Motto Franchising, LLC. The Motto Mortgage brand continues to expand across the country and its important to acknowledge the leaders and top producers who play active roles in our growth. I sincerely congratulate all of this years Motto Mortgage award recipients. Two types of awards are featured in the program: Club Awards and Special Awards. Club Awards honor loan originators and brokerages based on transactions and volume in a given year. Loan Originator Club awards recognize the preparation, effort, performance and commitment required to succeed in the mortgage brokerage business. Office Club Awards honor the strong leadership that creates an environment in which loan originators are able to achieve high-level results. Office Club Awards are awarded to leaders based upon the total volume of loans originated in their individual offices. Special Awards celebrate the Motto Mortgage networks elite producers, most dynamic offices and most respected leaders. Special Awards include: the 5-Star Award, the Brand Ambassador Award, Broker Owner of the Year, the Hustle Award, the Operational Excellence Award, the Mission Against Hunger Community Champion Award and Rookie of the Year. One-hundred awards were announced at the ceremony including: Broker Owner of the Year (Mike Seagraves, Motto Mortgage Alliance, Dayton, Ohio), Rookie of the Year (Kyle Seagraves, Motto Mortgage Alliance, Dayton, Ohio), Motto Mortgage Mission Against Hunger Community Champion Award (Keith Pike, Motto Mortgage Alliance, Little Rock, Arkansas), Largest Loan Originated (Mike Cornelius, Motto Mortgage Experience, Brea, California), Top Office - Volume (Motto Mortgage Elite, Snohomish, Washington) and Top Office - Transactions (Motto Mortgage Alliance, Dayton, Ohio). Motto Mortgage, a mortgage brokerage in a box, continues to create a breakthrough in the mortgage industry by providing more options, transparency and convenience for consumers. This model not only creates an ancillary business for current real estate brokerage firms, but also offers opportunities for mortgage professionals seeking to open their own businesses and independent investors interested in financial services. Motto Franchising, LLC has won some awards of its own recently. Entrepreneur magazine named Motto Mortgage as one of the fastest-growing franchise brands in the March 2019 issue. Last year, Franchise Grade named Motto Mortgage among the top 1 percent fastest-growing emerging franchises in 2018, according to an analysis of over 2,500 franchise systems.* With over 100 franchises sold and nearly 80 offices open in 30 states, Motto Franchising, LLCs unique national franchise mortgage brokerage model is the first of its kind in the United States. Motto Mortgage was established in October 2016 and sold 50 franchises in its inaugural year in business, and sold the 100th Motto Mortgage franchise, just 23 months after its launch. About Motto Mortgage The Motto Mortgage network is breaking the mold by giving the power of choice back to consumers with less jargon, more transparency, and even more options to choose from as they shop for the right home loan. With over 100 franchises sold and nearly 80 offices open in 30 states, Motto Franchising, LLCs unique national franchise mortgage brokerage model is the first of its kind in the United States. Created to disrupt the mortgage industry, the Motto Mortgage network connects loan originators and real estate agents to provide a seamless, personalized experience and one-stop shop for consumers. Motto Mortgage is the second member of the RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. family of brands. Each Motto Mortgage office is independently owned, operated and licensed. To learn more about Motto Mortgage, email newsroom@mottomortgage.com, or visit www.mottomortgage.com/offices. *Motto Mortgage is among the top 1 percent fastest-growing emerging franchises in 2018 according to an analysis of over 2,500 franchise systems by Franchise Grade in its review of franchise sales information contained in Franchise Disclosure Documents issued during the 12 months ended August 30, 2018. The Entrepreneur Fastest-Growing Franchise 2019 rankings were based on the net number of franchise units added in the U.S. and Canada between July 2017 to July 2018 according to Entrepreneur magazines review of unit lists and Franchise Disclosure Documents of 1,094 participating franchises across all industries. Media Contact: Emily Gibson PR & Social Media Manager Motto Franchising, LLC (303) 796-3918 Emily.gibson@mottomortgage.com SOURCE Motto Mortgage ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Valvoline Expands Company-Owned Quick-Lube Network into Las Vegas through Two Acquisitions LEXINGTON, Ky. - March 5, 2019 // PRNewswire // - Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV), a leading worldwide supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, announced today that it plans to expand its company-owned quick-lube network into the Las Vegas market beginning with two acquisitions. The company has signed a definitive agreement with Terrible Herbst, a regional operator, to purchase 12 existing quick-lube centers, which will be rebranded as Valvoline Instant Oil Change (VIOC). This acquisition is expected to close by the end of the month. In addition, the company recently acquired three existing VIOC service centers from a franchisee. Financial terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed. "A core element of Valvoline's business strategy is to grow and strengthen our industry-leading quick-lube network through organic store expansion and high-quality acquisitions in both core and new markets," said Tony Puckett, senior vice president and president, Valvoline Quick Lubes. "These two acquisitions will further expand our reach into markets where we previously had little presence. Our acquisition of the three VIOC franchised stores will enable our franchisee to focus on expanding its operations in the Albuquerque and Denver markets. Overall, this base of 15 company-owned locations will give us a great foundation to build on within the growing Las Vegas market." About Valvoline Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) is a leading worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, with sales in more than 140 countries. Established in 1866, the company's heritage spans more than 150 years, during which it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume. It operates and franchises more than 1,300 quick-lube locations and is the No. 2 chain by number of stores in the United States under the Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM brand and the No.3 chain by number of stores in Canada under the Great Canadian Oil Change brand. It also markets Valvoline lubricants and automotive chemicals, including the new Valvoline Modern Engine Full Synthetic Motor Oil, which is specifically engineered to protect against carbon build-up in Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI), turbo and other engines manufactured since 2012; Valvoline High Mileage with MaxLife technology motor oil for engines over 75,000 miles; Valvoline Synthetic motor oil; and Zerex antifreeze. To learn more, visit www.valvoline.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, including estimates, projections, statements related to Valvoline's business plans and operating results are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Valvoline has identified some of these forward-looking statements with words such as "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "estimates," "is likely," "predicts," "projects," "forecasts," "may," "will," "should" and "intends" and the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are based on Valvoline's current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions as of the date such statements are made and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties are described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Valvoline's most recently filed periodic reports on Forms 10-K and Forms 10-Q, which are available on Valvoline's website at http://investors.valvoline.com/sec-filings or on the SEC's website at http://sec.gov. Valvoline assumes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future. Trademark, Valvoline or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries SM Service mark, Valvoline or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries Media Contact: Sean T. Cornett +1 (859) 357-2798 scornett@valvoline.com SOURCE Valvoline Inc. ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Wetzels Pretzels Continues Domestic Growth with Planned Utah Expansion Opportunities Available Now for Multi-Unit Operators in the Salt Lake City Area PASADENA, Calif. - March 05, 2019 // GLOBE NEWSWIRE // - Wetzels Pretzels is a brand born from the Southern California lifestyle that has cultivated fans for more than 20 years thanks to its scratch-made pretzels, fresh lemonade and craveable Cin-a-Bitz. Building on that fan passion and the brands ability to cultivate fanatics from coast to coast, Wetzels Pretzels vice president of franchise development, Doug Flaig, will be hosting exploratory meetings with qualified multi-unit operators in the Salt Lake City area on March 27 and 28. Wetzels targeted growth plans for Salt Lake City area come on the heels of another banner year for the company, which included consistent, industry-leading sales growth as well being recognized as a growth concept by publications like Entrepreneur Magazine and Franchise Times. Beyond Wetzels Pretzels sales momentum, company leadership views Salt Lake City as a fantastic growth opportunity thanks to the states strong GDP and business growth. Along with two open locations in the state, which give Wetzels Pretzels an existing market presence, the brand has the following immediate opportunities available: The Shops at South Town Park City Outlet Center Fashion Place Wetzels Pretzels menu items sit at a fantastic intersection of being quick, affordable snacks that are made from scratch with limited ingredients, exactly what todays consumers are looking for, said Jennifer Schuler, Wetzels Pretzels CEO. This brand is positioned for immediate and long-term growth thanks to operational simplicity, unit size flexibility and the corporate teams core focus on franchisee profitability. We believe there is a tremendous opportunity across Utah and look forward to partnering with operators to bring this beloved West Coast brand to life throughout the area. Beyond traditional mall buildouts, Wetzels Pretzels is able to capitalize on various nontraditional locations as the brand offers a variety of build-out options to accommodate most any space, including both baking and non-baking kiosks, as well as remote units that can supplement a traditional in-line location. Its a concept that can truly fit anywhere there is appropriate space. Those interested in learning more about Wetzels Pretzels can contact Flaig to schedule an initial discussion at 805.616.9799 or doug@wetzels.com. Alternatively, operators who are looking to expand or diversify their holdings can visit Wetzels Pretzels franchise site. About Wetzel's Pretzels Armed with a vision and a tasty recipe for soft pretzel perfection, Bill Phelps and Rick Wetzel opened the first Wetzel's Pretzels bakery in Redondo Beach, Calif., in 1994. Long lines of hungry customers soon formed, attracted by mouth-watering soft pretzels that were hand-rolled, baked fresh and served hot from the oven. As word spread about these golden-on-the-outside pretzels, the company added additional offerings to its menu. Today, Wetzel's Pretzels has grown to more than 340 fresh bakeries across the United States and around the world, including premier locations at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Every Wetzel's Pretzels bakery adheres to the original vision of its founders; that each super-premium pretzel will be crafted from fresh dough and baked in-store consistently throughout the day, to ensure a delicious offering for each consumer, regardless of when the craving for a pretzel strikes. Media Contact: Josh Levitt Canvas Blue for Wetzels Pretzels 949.215.1438 JLevitt@canvasblue.com SOURCE Wetzel's Pretzels ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Curing HIV: The audacious goal Meanwhile, scientists at Fred Hutch and other institutions continue to explore ways to set a distant, yet even more audacious goal: to not just to stop HIV infection but cure it. Sitting in the audience of the daylong Seattle workshop was Timothy Ray Brown, who remained at that moment the only person on Earth deemed to have been successfully cured of HIV. [On Monday, word leaked that a second patient, treated with a blood stem cell transplant for Hodgkin lymphoma in London, is now likely to be the second person ever to be cured of HIV. The unnamed patient received stem cells from a donor carrying HIV resistance genes and has shown no signs of infection since he stopped taking antiviral drugs in September 2017.] Efforts at Fred Hutch and other institutions to cure HIV by clearing out all traces of the virus have been inspired greatly by Brown, an HIV-positive man with leukemia who received two blood stem cell transplants to successfully cure his cancer 12 years ago. A Seattle native, he was living in Berlin at the time, and his doctor sought out stem cell donors who carried a rare genetic mutation that naturally confers resistance to HIV. Remarkably, the strategy worked, although up to now, only for him. Ive been saying from the beginning that I have been doing this because I would like more people to join my family," Brown said. Dieffenbachs talk focused on two approaches to curing HIV. One is to find ways to eradicate the last traces of HIV in the body. Browns transplant from a donor who carried two copies of the HIV resistance gene from mother and father is one example of that. Another way is to genetically engineer a patients immune cells to include those resistance traits the kind of work underway at Fred Hutch. A second approach is to focus on ways to give patients what he called remission in absence of eradication. In this case, the patients own immune system could be trained to block HIV whenever sleeping HIV-infected cells awaken and begin shedding virus. This might be accomplished through injections of HIV-blocking antibodies, like those being tested in vaccines. A therapeutic vaccine remains in some ways a holy grail, he said. The fantasy is to elicit a profound immune response that continues to drop DNA levels of virus present in an individual. In a series of lectures, speakers outlined other efforts to find a path to a cure: Dr. Joshua Schiffer from Fred Hutch described an approach that uses a low-cost, readily available immunosuppressant drug to slow down proliferation, the natural way immune cells increase their numbers. The drug, called mycophenolate mofetil, is normally used in transplants to prevent donated immune cells from attacking healthy tissues of the patient. In a small trial with HIV-positive patients, Schiffers team is testing whether it can knock down the proliferation of immune cells that might be harboring HIV genes from earlier infections. Stop the increase of these cells, and the inventory of those containing HIV genes would eventually die out, the thinking goes. Dr. Monique Nijhuis, of the University Medical Center of Utrecht, the Netherlands, described how European doctors have amassed a list of 22,000 potential stem cell transplant donors who carry HIV-resistant genes, like those received by Brown. That has enabled them to continue to test transplantation to eradicate HIV. The European consortium is analyzing the results of 39 patients who have received such transplants, 26 of whom are still alive. One way or another, researchers are looking for a way to keep HIV at bay without the need for a lifetime of antiviral drugs. In other words, they want more Timothy Ray Browns. During his talk on HIV cure research, Dieffenbach described the workshop as an homage to Brown. There is still so much we can learn from Timothy and his case, he said. For patients like Timothy, with cancer and HIV, cancer is the worst of the two, Dieffenbach added. His leukemia required a sledgehammer-like approach to get through his lethal cancer. Congratulations, Timothy. Its great to have you here on your 12th anniversary. [Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect breaking news on March 4 that a second HIV-positive patient who received a blood stem cell transplant for cancer appears to be cured of HIV, 12 years after Brown went off antiviral medications.] News Jury tampering concern raised before venue change Dimitrios Pagourtzis GALVESTON The day after arguing in court that his clients trial should be moved to another county, the lawyer representing accused Santa Fe High School shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis alerted a judge about comments made by a victims husband, arguing they threatened to contaminate jury pools wherever the trial is held. Citing comments made to The Houston Chronicle on Feb. 25 by Scot Rice, the husband of shooting survivor Flo Rice, defense attorney Nick Poehl asked Judge John Ellisor to review the statements and, if necessary, take action in response to them. No matter where you go, they move this trial, were gonna be there, and were gonna be on the media there and the jury pools gonna be tainted there because were not gonna let it go, Rice said, according to the Chronicle. Ellisor on Feb. 27, a day after Poehl filed his motion, decided to move the trial. Poehl called Rices statements a threat to contaminate potential jury pools and to deny Pagourtzis the right to a fair trial. I viewed the statement as a dangerous statement, Poehl said. I dont know that he really meant it in the way that he said it, but if he did, its obviously pretty problematic. Pagourtzis is charged with capital murder of multiple people and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was arrested and charged on May 18, 2018 after 10 people were killed and 14 others injured inside Santa Fe High School, and has been held at the Galveston County Jail without bond since then, according to county jail records. Last week, prosecutors and defense attorneys presented arguments to Ellisor about whether Pagourtzis trial should stay in Galveston County. Poehl argued that the attention around the shooting had created an atmosphere in which Pagourtzis could not receive a fair trial. He pointed to comments made by people, including Rice, in news stories and on local social media pages as evidence of bias among county residents. Rice said Monday he did not mean his comments as a threat, but rather as an observation about how media coverage of the case will follow Pagourtzis, no matter where the trial is. Wherever the trial is going to go, were going to be there, Rice said. Im sure there will be local news coverage there, and this is not something thats just going to be in the Galveston paper. Potential jurists are going to see it in the media there. Rice did not intend to interfere with the trial, he said. Theres no plan to do anything to harm the case, he said. Poehl asked Ellisor to take notice of the statement and to take any and all actions necessary to protect Pagourtzis rights, though as of Monday, neither Poehl nor Rice had heard anything from Ellisor. I think that changing the venue has hopefully cured the problem, Poehl said. While Ellisor has said Pagourtzis trial will be moved out of Galveston County, he hasnt yet decided where the case will be moved to. An announcement about the choice of venue isnt scheduled until May. Among other things, Ellisor must find a court in another jurisdiction that can accommodate a high-profile trial that could take four to six weeks to complete. During an interview with VentureBeat, Amy Hennig has provided some more details about the reason why Visceral Games was shut down and its Star Wars title got cancelled. Hennig, who created the Uncharted franchise, first said it was tough to fund Visceral since it was in the San Francisco area, which is rather expensive since there are no tax credits. On top of that, many of the staff members got hired to build Battlefield Hardline, and once they were asked to work on this Uncharted-like Star Wars game a kind of cultural shift was required. Also, Frostbite was never meant to be used for a third person cinematic action game, so the support to that genre had to be almost built from the ground up. Finally, considerations about what Electronic Arts ultimately wants its titles to be, as the publisher believes games as a service are its priority. I think that where EA is at right now, theyre looking more at games as a service, the live service model. More open world stuff, trying to crack that nut, versus this more finite crafted experience, she said. We were trying to make sure that we built in other modes and extensibility and all that stuff. But the fundamental spine of the thing was more like Uncharted than one of these open world, live service games. Thats a big gap to cross. In the end, while disappointed at how things ended up with the project, Hennig doesnt really criticize the publisher for the decision it took. It was something we were struggling with the whole time. Does this make sense? Is this something EA really wants to do? I certainly regret the fact that theres a lot of good game there that I would love to see the light of day. A lot of people would. One never knows what might happen, she revealed. Even more disappointingly, the EA Vancouver open world game which was being built based on the Visceral action games asset was also cancelled after a few months in the making. At this stage, the sole Star Wars game officially in the making at EA is Respawns third person action game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which is set to be revealed this fall. Seamus Blackley, recognized as the creator of Xbox, has shared a memory on Twitter of the times he revealed the project of a console built by Microsoft with EA Canada. Curiously enough, EA Canadas boss at the time was Don Mattrick, who would become years later the head of Xbox. Blackley said that during the meeting Mattrick claimed he didnt have any faith in the possibility of Microsofts success in gaming. He even tried and stopped the Windows giants effort in the business, ultimately failing since the team at Xbox was quite convinced about what it was doing. Ive never talked about this before, but the irony of Don Mattrick as Xbox Chief was huge for me, Blackley recalled on Twitter. When I first came to EA Canada to present the idea of a Microsoft console, he nearly blocked me from addressing the company because he didnt believe it was possible. It was tense. Looking at how things have ended up, it seems that was yet another wrong call by Mattrick, who is now known for the disastrous launch of Xbox One and a joint at Zynga shortly after. Blackley also commented the quote we have a product for people who arent able to get some form of connectivity; its called Xbox 360 the former EA Canada boss provided when asked about the always online DRM that Xbox One was supposed to have at launch. That hurt me to hear. I always felt that we were partners with Xbox gamers. We had to stick together to make it work, he said, sharing the original philosophy behind the project. It feels like, based on that vision, that Xbox is in the right hands right now with Phil Spencer, one who sure enough has faith in the project and clearer ideas about where to lead the brand in the future. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Asus ZenFone Max Plus M2 shows up online along with Max Shot smartphone News oi-Sandeep Sarkar Asus ZenFone Max Plus M2 leaked renders suggest that the smartphone will use a dual-lens primary camera module for imaging. Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 and the ZenFone Max M2 smartphones are the most recent affordable devices by the Taiwanese tech giant. While we were expecting the company to launch its flagship smartphone, the ZenFone 6 at the MWC 2019, we did not hear any particularly big announcement by the tech giant. However, it appears that the company might now be working on its next smartphones for the consumers. The suggested Asus smartphones have been leaked online suggesting that we might soon see some new devices by the company. Two new Asus smartphones have been spotted out in the wild. The Asus devices that recently made it to the rumor mill are the ZenFone Max Plus M2 and the ZenFone Max Shot smartphones. It is being suggested that both the upcoming Asus smartphones were first spotted in a database of Anatel which is a telecom regulator from Brazil. The images of the device along with the manual have been shared by the telecom regulator online which reveals the design of the smartphone. Asus ZenFone Max Plus M2 leaked renders suggest that the smartphone will use a dual-lens primary camera module for imaging. However, the camera specifications are unknown at the moment. It is also not known as to what processor will both the devices pack, however, the regulator listing has shed some light on the storage configuration of both the smartphones. The ZenFone Max Plus M2 smartphone will come with onboard storage of 16GB, whereas, the ZenFone Max Shot will offer internal storage of 32GB. The listing also highlights the rear panel of the smartphone. The device can be seen featuring a metallic back panel which accommodates the triple lens camera setup for imaging. Besides, there is also a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The design further includes a SIM card slot on the left panel and the power key along with the volume adjusters at the right panel of the smartphone. For charging and data transfers there will be a microUSB port. via Best Mobiles in India Manila (CNN Philippines Life) What started out as an RPG exercise to crowdsource stories set in a fantasy Manila turned into a trending movement on Twitter over the past few days. Mixing the busy, urban setting of Metro Manila with the lore of Filipino mythology, as well as our abundance of urban legends, superstitions, pop culture, and strange beliefs, users turned the hashtag #ManilaEncounters into a speculative fiction writing prompt that birthed a ton of short form gems ranging from funny to downright horrifying. Think of it as the NoSleep Reddit thread, only set in such a familiar setting that one or two tweets are bound to send chills down your spine. Weve compiled our favorite #ManilaEncounters tweets below, which are best enjoyed reading late at night, perhaps on your commute home as you speculate whether the creatures beside you are real or not. Helping Kids with Cancer Focus on Beauty, Not Misery Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Anne Frank died when she was sixteen. Two years earlier, while she was hiding from the Nazis and keeping her diary, she wrote "I don't think of all the misery but of all the beauty that still remains." That's the way many children and young adults who have cancer live: they focus on the beauty of what remains in their lives, not the misery of the moment. Rotary Club Sur in Puerto Vallarta has a program that provides "Aid To Families With Children With Cancer." It helps the children and their families get through the tough times they face when they have cancer, by raising money to buy food, clothes, shoes and to help with the costs of education. In one family helped by Rotary both parents are blind and each of their two boys have lost an eye to cancer. That sucks! The four of them live in a one-room home but members of Rotary are looking for a larger home to move them to. Mia is five and very cute! She has lost one of her kidneys and part of the remaining one to cancer but she lives life to its fullest. A couple of weeks ago a member of Rotary and some volunteers organized a "Spa Day" for the kids at the Peninsula. Mia and other kids with cancer had a beautiful day experiencing meditation, yoga, art projects and just enjoying a part of life that we take for granted but that many of them never see. To share part of their day and to see how much fun they were having was beautiful for us too. The employees of Peninsula have, very kindly, asked them back to swim in the pool and to watch a movie in the theatre. The kids can't wait! One of the other survivors there was Luis, who is seventeen. He has a shunt in his brain to reduce the fluid build-up caused by a tumour. He goes to school two hours a day, three times a week and works at home on his schoolwork too. He has trouble with his balance and that limits his ability to get on and off buses. His father has left the family and his mom's income is minimal. Luis cried when he heard that a complete stranger had agree to fund his school fees until he finishes his education. He plans to go to university and become a graphic artist. He now sees the beauty in the future! The International Friendship Club (IFC) had been supporting Canica, another program for kids with cancer, but has decided to transfer its support to those children who are helped through the Rotary Club's program. You don't have to be a Rotarian or a member of the IFC to help these children and their families. You just need to know that they will appreciate any help you can give them, whether it some fresh fruit or vegetables or a more beautiful future. For more information, or to provide help, call 322-274-7525. The website for Rotary is rotarypvrsur.com, and for the IFC is ifcvallarta.com Honor Magic 2 3D launch date revealed by company, coming in March 2019 News oi-Sandeep Sarkar The latest variant of the smartphone is tipped to carry a price tag of RMB 5,799 (Rs 61,347 approx). Honor is one of the most popular affordable smartphone manufacturers in the market after Xiaomi. The company's recent offerings such as the Honor 10 Lite, Honor 8X etc have been a hit amongst the masses. Other than the affordable smartphones, the company has also some good premium smartphones to offer. Honor Magic smartphone is one such example. With high-end features packed inside, the flagship Honor Magic smartphone offers a premium user experience. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has also introduced the successor of this device, i.e, the Honor Magic 2 last year itself and is now apparently working on another variant of the Magic 2. We recently came across the official teaser of the upcoming Honor Magic 2 variant on the web. Honor itself shared the teaser of the Magic 2 3D Face Unlock variant on Weibo which is a Chinese website. Now, the company has also disclosed the launch date of its upcoming flagship device. The Honor Magic 2 3D Face Unlock variant will be launched on March 7, 2019. It is expected that the device will first make its entry in the Chinese market before an official launch in the remaining markets. The latest variant is expected to carry a hefty price tag and will be expensive than its standard counterpart. The device is tipped to carry a price tag of RMB 5,799 (Rs 61,347 approx). As for the specifications, the Honor Magic 2 3D smartphone will draw its power from Kirin 980 chipset which will be bundled with 8GB of RAM for all the multitasking and 128GB of storage to store data on the device. It will sport a triple-lens camera module with two 16MP sensors and one 24MP monochrome lens. The camera up front is placed inside the slider mechanism and comprises of a 16MP and 2MP sensor. At the front, there is a 6.39-inch Full HD+ display panel for immersive video playback experience. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Meizu Note 9 price leaks ahead of the official launch News oi-Karan Sharma Meizu Note 9 price leaked ahead of the official announcement. Here are the leaked price and specifications which you should consider before buying it. Meizu Note 9 is slated to officially launch on March 6, the company is holding an event in Beijing, China. Already there are many rumors about the smartphone surfaced on the web which revealed the design and specifications of the Meizu Note 9. Meanwhile, a new report surfaced on the web disclosing the price card of the smartphone ahead of the official launch. The image of the price card revealed that the upcoming Meizu smartphone will be available in China with a starting price of 1,699 Yuan (approx $253 or Rs 16,596). According to the leaked image, it has been cleared that the company will launch two variants of Meizu Note 9. One with 4GB of RAM with 64GB of onboard storage and another with 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage. The leak suggests that the 6GB RAM variant will cost 1,899 Yuan (approx $283 or Rs 18,564). Recently a leaked report suggested that the company is also planning to launch Meizu Note 9 Lite alongside the Note 9. Meizu Note 9 rumored specifications According to the rumors, the Meizu Note 9 is expected to sport a 6.2-inch FHD+ display along with an aspect ratio of 18.7:9. The display also carries a water-drop notch on the top. Under the hood, the smartphone is said to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC, clubbed with 4GB/6GB of RAM with 64GB of onboard storage. On the optical front, the smartphone is expected to feature a dual camera setup with the combination of 48-megapixel + 5-megapixel depth sensor along with an LED flash. At the front, the smartphone houses a 20-megapixel camera for selfies and video calls. The Meizu Note 9 is expected to be fuelled by a 4000mAh non-removable battery along with support for 18W mCharge fast charging technology. The smartphone is said to be run on Android Android 9.0 Pie. Source Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Expedited weapon delivery to Senegal proves process By Debra Valine, U.S. Army Security Assistance Command March 4, 2019 THEIS, Senegal -- A foreign military sales case that provided M4 carbines to partner country Senegal shows the FMS process is flexible and can be tailored to fit the need. The flexibility of the FMS process allows Army priorities and urgent requirements that involve building partner capacity to be met expeditiously. Slow is a misperception. When a U.S. ally or partner identifies a need to purchase military items through the FMS process, it usually starts with a letter of request. In the case of providing M4A1 carbine weapon systems to the Senegalese army, the Security Assistance Command used an existing contract to meet a need to expedite delivery of the weapons. Senegal is a partner of the U.S. in promoting peace and security in Africa. Its army requested the weapons and associated training before deploying to Mali to support the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, an ongoing United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. Africa Command, the geographic combatant command, and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency identified the case as a priority and critical to supporting Senegalese units being deployed to Mali for the peacekeeping mission. The weapons will be used to ensure security, stabilization, and protection of civilians and protection of human rights, as well as other tasks. In June, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved the diversion of 2,200 M4A1 carbines. Senegal received the weapons in August. Standard lead times for procurement of weapons could be anywhere from 24 to 30 months. USASAC coordinated delivery with U.S. government representatives in Senegal to ensure the in-country delivery address was accurate and to provide vital updates as to when weapons would arrive in the country. The Tank-automotive and Armaments Command worked the immediate release of 2,200 weapons from Colt's West Hartford, Connecticut, facility and began planning delivery in conjunction with the Transportation Command. Under USASAC's Total Package Approach, 50 Senegalese soldiers received familiarization training on the M4 in September at the Mount Rolland Training Site, Theis, Senegal. Members of the Vermont National Guard conducted the four days of training. Vermont is a partner with Senegal under the State Partnership Program, which is a joint Department of Defense program managed by the National Guard Bureau. The joint Air/Army team provided familiarization training on the new weapons system, which replaces the M16A1. The focus was to train the trainer so the 50 Senegalese soldiers would be able to conduct similar training in their units. Training consisted of classroom support training that enhanced safe range procedures, weapon functionality, and different firing positions and techniques and live fire ranges, where the Senegalese soldiers zeroed and qualified the weapons. "The Vermont National Guard received this mission on short notice," Philip Sauger Jr., the central case manager for Senegal, said. "The concept of the operation was to drive toward SAF conducting safe and focused range operations that high-lighted familiarization of the M4 and enhanced pre-mobilization tasks." "The training was executed very well, and the joint team received a dedicated and focused group from the Senegalese army," Sgt. Maj. Nathan Chipman, Vermont National Guard, said. "Thirty of the Senegalese soldiers who received this training are also in the process of mobilizing for Mali operations and will be using this training to conduct further familiarization classes for their parent units." "Various types of weapons have been provided to Senegal in the past, but this was Senegal's first FMS buy utilizing national funds since 2007," Sauger said. Senegal paid roughly $1.6 million in national funds for the 2,200 M4s received. "For this particular FMS buy, we were able to leverage a firm-fixed-price contract awarded to Colt by the Department of Defense," Sauger said. "Having the contract in place with Colt allowed for us to meet the urgent need of the customer for these weapons and drastically cut down the normal contracting timelines usually associated with FMS buys." Getting the weapons to Senegal proved to be a challenge. "Primary challenges faced was coordinating the expedited delivery of weapons into Senegal," Sauger said. "It is very rare that there are scheduled channel flights into Senegal as there is not a reoccurring channel established by the U.S. Air Force supporting missions into Senegal. With the great work and coordination between USASAC, TACOM, TRANSCOM, and AFRICOM, we were able to devise a delivery plan to ensure U.S. Air Force assets were made available to support the expedited delivery of weapons into Senegal." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xem them ... Tin bai cuoi cung Khong con du lieu e load USS Porter Resumes 6th FDNF Patrol Navy News Service Story Number: NNS190304-09 Release Date: 3/4/2019 1:41:00 PM By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James Turner, Navy Public Affairs Support Element-EAST DET EUROPE NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) departed Naval Station Rota, Spain, to resume its sixth forward-deployed naval forces patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, Mar. 4. Porter arrived in Rota Feb. 13 for a training and maintenance availability period. While in port, the crew performed maintenance that they were unable to complete while underway. In addition, inspectors from Afloat Training Group Norfolk embarked Porter to complete a mobility-seamanship inspection. "The crew was very happy to be home," said Cmdr. Craig Trent, commanding officer of Porter. "It was also a very productive visit. All hands put in a lot of hard work, earning several qualifications and conducting many hours of maintenance ensuring our ship is ready for the next part of patrol." Porter is a multi-mission surface combatant capable of conducting exercises and operations in areas such as anti-submarine warfare and ballistic missile defense. While on patrol, Porter will engage with NATO allies and partners to reaffirm the United States commitment to strengthening ties with allies and partners, and to promote peace and stability in the region. Porter is scheduled to conduct naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa. U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US lawmakers demand Trump-Putin communications by March 15 Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 10:00PM Three key House chairmen are giving the White House until March 15 to turn over all communications between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, regardless of their classifications. The leaders of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight committees demanded the information in a joint request on Monday. White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should, therefore, hand over "all documents and communications, regardless of form and classification, that refer or relate to any communications between President Trump and President Putin, including in-person meetings and telephone calls." Sponsored by Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, and Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings, the initiative came at a time that the Democratic-held House of Representatives was launching sweeping investigations into Trump's affairs. Ever since Trump was inaugurated in January 2017, the US intelligence community has overwhelmingly maintained that Moscow sought to meddle in the 2016 election. The new request follows reports that Trump tried to hide notes and other information about his one-on-one talks with Putin. "These allegations, if true, raise profound national security, counterintelligence, and foreign policy concerns, especially in light of Russia's ongoing active measures campaign to improperly influence American elections," read the letters separately sent to Mulvaney and Pompeo. The White House and the State Department were also urged to make employees with knowledge of the Trump-Putin talks available for interviews. The White House has not yet reacted to the demand but a State Department spokesperson was quoted by Politico as saying: "We will work cooperatively with the committees and seek to be as timely and responsive as possible to their requests for information." Trump has backed the Russian leader's denial of alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election despite the American intelligence community's assessment. The Trump campaign is also accused of collusion with the Kremlin to find damaging information on his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. Russia has denied meddling in the election as well as being in possession of any damaging information on the US president. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bomb attacks kill dozens of Saudi mercenaries in Jizan, Najran: Report Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 06:22PM Dozens of Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to Yemen's former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have lost their lives when Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Committees launched a series of separate bomb attacks against their positions in the kingdom's border regions. The media bureau of the Houthi Ansarullah movement, citing an unnamed Yemeni military source, reported on Monday that Yemeni troops and their allies detonated a number of explosive devices in the Jabal al-Qais mountainous area of Jizan, killing 24 Saudi mercenaries in the process. Elsewhere in Najran region, located 844 kilometers south of the Saudi capital Riyadh, dozens of Saudi-paid militiamen were killed by Yemeni forces' attack on their positions. Yemeni soldiers and their soldiers infiltrated militia-controlled areas on the outskirts of al-Sadis military base, setting off several bombs that killed dozens of Saudi mercenaries as a result. Separately, a number of Saudi mercenaries were killed or injured when Yemeni forces launched a barrage of artillery rounds at their gatherings in Asir region in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing Ansarullah. According to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis. The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country's infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has already said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years. A number of Western countries, the US and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Qatar: Arms deal with Russia 'none of Saudi business' Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 05:46PM Qatar has told the Saudi regime not to meddle in its potential arms purchases from Russia, stressing that such a deal is none of Riyadh's business. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Monday said at a news conference in the capital Doha with his visiting Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that talks on the purchase of air defense systems were ongoing. The top Qatari diplomat said that with regard to the arms purchases, Doha believes that Saudi Arabia, or any other country, must not interfere and that "it is none of their business," adding, "It's a sovereign decision that should be taken by the state of Qatar." "There is a discussion for procurement of various Russian equipment, but there is no understanding as of yet as to this particular equipment," he added, referring to Russia's S-400 missile defense system. Lavrov also confirmed that talks on "bilateral" military cooperation with gas-rich Qatar were under way. The latest remarks by the Qatari minister come in response to a question about a June 2018 report by Le Monde daily that Saudi King Salman had sent a letter to France's President Emmanuel Macron, expressing concern over talks between Doha and Moscow about the S-400. Last year, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed the purchase with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Qatari foreign minister said there was no sign of a thaw in a Persian Gulf row over allegations by Saudi Arabia and some other Arab states against his country. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, after officially accusing Doha of "sponsoring terrorism." The government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, the Saudi-backed and former Yemeni president, Libya, the Maldives, Djibouti, Senegal and the Comoros later joined the camp in ending diplomatic ties with Doha. Jordan downgraded its diplomatic relations as well. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US House Democrats make 81 document requests in Trump obstruction probe Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 05:26PM US House Democrats have served document requests on 81 government agencies, entities and individuals with ties to President Donald Trump, launching a comprehensive investigation into possible obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power by President Donald Trump Among those receiving letters from the House Judiciary Committee include the president's two eldest sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, his former personal secretary Rhona Graff, Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and former top White House aides Hope Hicks, Sean Spicer and Stephen K. Bannon. Document requests are also sent to institutions including the White House, Justice Department, Trump campaign, Trump transition team and Trump Organization. "We have seen the damage done to our democratic institutions in the two years that the Congress refused to conduct responsible oversight. Congress must provide a check on abuses of power," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said in a statement. "We will act quickly to gather this information, assess the evidence, and follow the facts where they lead with full transparency with the American people," Nadler said in a statement. "This is a critical time for our nation, and we have a responsibility to investigate these matters and hold hearings for the public to have all the facts. That is exactly what we intend to do." The House panel is probing whether Trump may have obstructed justice by firing perceived enemies at the Justice Department like former FBI Director James Comey, and abused his presidential power by offering pardons. Comey was fired by Trump in May 2017 when he was leading an investigation into Russia activities in the 2016 US presidential election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign. That investigation was subsequently taken over by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is expected to present his findings to the US attorney general within weeks. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders in a statement on Monday acknowledged receiving Nadler's letter to the White House and stated officials will review it and respond. "The House Judiciary Committee's letter has been received by the White House," Sanders said. "The (White House) Counsel's Office and relevant White House officials will review it and respond at the appropriate time." Trump has rejected allegations that his campaign worked with Moscow. "I am an innocent man being persecuted by some very bad, conflicted & corrupt people in a Witch Hunt that is illegal & should never have been allowed to start," Trump said in a tweet on Sunday. Trump said on Saturday that investigators want to look at his finances and business dealings because no evidence of collusion has been found. "All of a sudden they are trying to take you out with bullshit," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PLO slams merger of US consulate with embassy in Jerusalem al-Quds Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 04:46PM The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has slammed Washington's move to merge the US consulate with its embassy in the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds, denouncing the decision as "the last nail in the coffin of the US administration" with regard to its role in sponsoring the so-called Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee, made the remarks on Sunday after the United States merged the activities of the consulate into the embassy building in al-Quds, claiming that the move was to increase the "efficiency and effectiveness" of diplomatic operations. The controversial decision means that the consulate will no longer serve as an independent diplomatic mission and the Palestinians will be forced to work with an entity that is subordinate to US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. The US decision "has nothing to do with efficiency, but a lot with the desire to please the ideologized American team, which is primed to dismantle the foundations of the international system and the US foreign policy in order to reward Israel for its violations and crimes," Erekat said in a statement. Going ahead with the merger, he added, would be "the last nail in the coffin of the US administration role in peacemaking." US diplomatic merger, assault on Palestinians' rights In a related development, Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, also slammed the merger as "an act of political assault on Palestinian rights," and in violation of UN principles. "The Trump administration is intent on leaving no room for doubt about its hostility towards the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights as well as its abject disregard for international law and its obligations under the law," Ashrawi said, referring to President Donald Trump of the United States. The merger is "not an administrative decision. It is an act of political assault on Palestinian rights and identity and a negation of the consulate's historic status and function, dating back nearly two hundred years," she said. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the initial announcement about the merger in October 2018, some five months after President Trump moved the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds. The relocation triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries. Angered by Trump's move, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas boycotted the US administration, saying Washington is no longer qualified to serve as the sole mediator in the decades-long conflict with Israel, and that an international mechanism should be devised to replace the US in the so-called peace process. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli warplanes launch new airstrike on northern Gaza Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 02:26AM Israeli jet fighters have launched a fresh airstrike against one of the positions of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the east of Beit Hanoun, a city on the northeast of the besieged Gaza Strip. Palestinian media have not yet reported any casualties caused by the Sunday night attack. The attack came shortly after the Israeli regime's warplanes raided another Hamas position in Maghazi, a city in central Gaza. Also on Wednesday, Israeli fighter jets and attack helicopters struck multiple targets in the southern Gaza Strip in their latest air raids against the besieged enclave. According to Palestinian media reports, several posts belonging to Hamas resistance forces in the south of the coastal enclave were hit, including one in the Khan Yunis seafront and another outside the city. Some of the sites hit are believed to belong to Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. The Israeli military claimed the airstrikes were conducted in response to an explosive device allegedly flown into the occupied territories from the Gaza Strip which had reportedly detonated outside a home in the Eshkol region, causing damage but no injuries. Tel Aviv's airstrikes come as Palestinians have held weekly protests on the Gaza border since last year over the siege on the enclave and the right for refugees to return to their homes they were forcibly expelled from during the 1948 creation of Israel. The Israeli regime's forces shot dead a Palestinian and injured dozens more last Friday in mass protests along the fence separating the besieged Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied territories. More than 260 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces ever since anti-occupation protest rallies began in the Gaza Strip on March 30, 2018. Over 26,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries. The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14 last year, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided with the US embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds. On June 13, 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by Turkey and Algeria, condemning the Israeli regime for the death of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The resolution, which had been put forward on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries, garnered a strong majority of 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with eight votes against and 45 abstentions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump defends ending joint drills with S Korea amid failure in Hanoi Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 02:24AM US President Donald Trump is defending his decision to end large-scale military exercises with South Korea amid failure to negotiate with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. "The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed," Trump tweeted. "That was my position long before I became President. Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!" The US President made the comments not long after having to quit his summit with Kim in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. There have been serious concerns among the president's inner circle that the North Korean leader might be playing Trump by offering to scrap an aging nuclear facility for halting US sanctions. The Pentagon announced that cancellation of joint military exercises by Washington and Seoul is meant to "reduce tension and support our diplomatic efforts." "The Minister and Secretary made clear that the Alliance decision to adapt our training program reflected our desire to reduce tension and support our diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a final, fully verified manner," the Pentagon said. Trump's two rounds of talks in Singapore and Vietnam -- have so far failed to bear any tangible results as Kim will not give in to abrupt denuclearization on the peninsula, a goal Trump envisages, hoping to get his hands on a Nobel peace prize. But Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, has defended the move, downplaying potential risks it could pose to the US and its regional allies. "I don't see that there's any real difference between ... what the president decided in Singapore and now," Bolton said of the drills. "It's not like some new decision has been made. The president made the decision on the exercises back in the summer of last year, and those continue." The Trump-Kim 2018 summit marked the first such meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader in history. Tensions escalated between the two countries after Trump warned to "totally destroy" North Korea during a speech to the UN General Assembly. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Lawmakers Demand Files From Dozens of Trump-Linked Associates By RFE/RL March 04, 2019 U.S. lawmakers have demanded records, files, and correspondence from dozens of individuals directly and indirectly connected to President Donald Trump, as part of a sweeping investigation into White House ties with Russia. Among those targeted by the Democratic-controlled Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives were Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, Georgian-American businessman Irakly Kaveladze, and companies linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the St. Petersburg businessman known for close ties to the Kremlin. In announcing the letters March 4, Representative Jerrold Nadler, the committee chairman who is spearheading the probe, asserted it was part the Congress' obligation to "provide a check on abuses of power" by the White House. In all, 81 individuals and entities were targeted. The White House said that it had received a letter. "The counsel's office and relevant White House officials will review it and respond at the appropriate time," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. The committee said for now it was request the records be turned over voluntarily, but would resort to subpoenas if it didn't get what it had requested. Asked whether he would cooperate with the probe, Trump said: "I cooperate all the time with everybody." Others targeted in the Judiciary Committee letter were Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin, Vekselberg's American cousin Andrew Intrater, and Felix Sater, a Soviet-born real estate developer who has partnered with Trump in the past. The move comes as Democrats, who took control of the House in November elections, have started moving more aggressively to investigate a range of political and legal matters surrounding Trump and his 2016 election campaign. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, meanwhile, is expected to deliver a potentially explosive report to the attorney general regarding his nearly two-year probe into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and interactions between Trump's campaign associates and Russian officials. Like the House Democrats, Mueller has also been exploring whether Trump sought to obstruct his investigation or others that have arisen from it. Trump has rejected any charges of collusion between his campaign and Moscow, and the Kremlin denies meddling in the U.S. election. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-panel-launches- sweeping-trump-obstruction-probe/29803245.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S, South Korea launch joint military exercise Saudi Press Agency Monday 1440/6/27 - 2019/03/04 Seoul, March 04, 2019, SPA -- The United States and South Korea began a new, smaller-scale joint military exercise on Monday, to replace their springtime Key Resolve drills, according to Korea's Yonhap news agency. It added the two militaries will conduct the 9-day new exercise carrying the named "Dong Maeng" in Korean or "Alliance" in English. --SPA 12:18 LOCAL TIME 09:18 GMT 0011 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Marines Want Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles to Aid Navy in 'Maritime Fight' Sputnik News 23:48 04.03.2019(updated 23:49 04.03.2019) The US Marine Corps recently revealed that it's looking to obtain a long-range, anti-ship cruise missile in order to expand its naval warfare capabilities and offer a hand to the US Navy during joint operations. Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps, told USNI News at the WEST 2019 Conference in late February that the service is hoping to field such missiles "as fast as possible." "There's a ground component to the maritime fight. We're a naval force in a naval campaign; you have to help the ships control sea space. And you can do that from the land," Neller said at the conference. "Marines' traditional mission is the seizure and securing of advance naval bases for the prosecution of the naval campaign. But if the air space is more contested, and you want to be able to keep ships away at some distance because they've got long-range strike, you've got to be able to strike them. So you need to have a capability to control the maritime space." When asked about the rush to acquire the missiles, Neller explained that it's the result of the "situation security-wise that we find ourselves in the world." (Think South China Sea tensions.) "There's a lot of geographical chokepoints, and you know what they are, and the potential adversaries know what they are. So, if you get there first and you can control that space, then you have an operational advantage," he continued. Neller's announcement builds on the service's previously released concept in 2017 that pointed out how both the US Navy and the Marine Corps would be working with one another to address the ongoing "sea control fight." Known as the Littoral Operations in Contested Environments (LOCE) concept, the strategy "places a renewed emphasis on fighting for and gaining sea control, to include employing sea-based and land-based Marine Corps capabilities," a release explains. Although LOCE wasn't approved by the chief of naval operations and the commandant of the Marine Corps until February 2017, it's been in the works since 2015, according to The Diplomat, which reported that Marines will be mainly focusing on neutralizing an "adversary's land-based sensors and anti-ship weapons that threaten US warships." According to Task & Purpose, officials with the Marines and US Navy have already begun participating in joint testing of long-range precision weaponry. In October 2017, both services took part in firing a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System at sea in order to see if it could take out targets more than 40 miles away. Earlier this year, it was reported by Breaking Defense that the Marine Corps was eyeing three specific missiles: Lockheed Martin's Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, Raytheon's Naval Strike Missile and Boeing's Harpoon. Although Neller steered away from citing China's claims and building in the disputed South China Sea as the reason for the service's interest in acquiring new missiles, it has been speculated that the joint effort is the result of the US wanting to check China's build-up of islands in the crucial waterway. Over a period of several months, both the US and China have exchanged fighting words over what China perceives as a disregard for its territorial waters and what the US sees as its right to conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the contested region. Recently, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered his assurances to Philippine officials, urging them that the Trump administration would provide military support to ensure that China doesn't block access to the waters, through which trade worth trillions of dollars is transported. Manilla is one of several other claimants to islands and island groups in the sea. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IDF Provides Military Training to African States in Bid to Boost Ties Report Sputnik News 17:41 04.03.2019 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited several African countries in recent years in a bid to improve diplomatic relations with them as part of his broader foreign policy. The Israel Defence Forces have been providing the armed forces of several African states with training in Krav Maga (an Israeli military self-defence system), hostage rescue operations, and urban combat, Israeli Channel 13 reported. According to the TV channel, the IDF has been providing instruction during training in Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Togo, Tanzania, South Africa, and Zambia. "We treat African leaders with respect and appreciation and deal with them as equals, in a language of true camaraderie, personal friendship and professionalism", Israeli military attache to Africa Col. Aviezer Segal said. The training is provided as a part of Tel Aviv's efforts to boost diplomatic ties with African nations, Channel 13 noted. At the same time, Israel has refused to provide such support to certain African governments that are suspected of human rights violations to prevent the expertise from being used to commit atrocities, the TV channel reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently been pursuing a policy of restoring and improving ties with states on the African continent. Notably, the country restored its diplomatic connections with Chad after a decades-long break in January 2019. Netanyahu has also recently visited Rwanda and Liberia with the intent to boost ties between Israel and the two countries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Norway Hopeful to Set Sunken Frigate Afloat in Six Weeks Sputnik News 17:30 04.03.2019(updated 17:33 04.03.2019) The massive 10-metre long gash in the hull of the KMN Helge Ingstad, which dramatically sank in November 2018 after colliding with a tanker in wake of the NATO drill Trident Juncture, will be sealed using pre-ordered steel plates. The Norwegian Navy plans to quickly restore the frigate Helge Ingstad, national broadcaster NRK reported. "We have ordered pre-fabricated steel plates to repair the frigate", Commodore Thomas Wedervang told NRK, revealing plans to set the frigate afloat in five to six weeks. According to Wederwang, this is not a permanent solution, but it will ensure that the frigate will be able to sail on its own. "I am relieved. It is a good day for us when the KNM Helge Ingstad is back", Wedervang said, anticipating the return of one of the centrepieces of the Norwegian Navy. Previously, Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen estimated the cost of salvaging the vessel at NOK 500 million ($58 million). Norwegian Navy Chief Rear Admiral Nils-Andreas Stensnes stressed that the final price tag isn't ready yet. "There are mixed feelings today. It's good to see the frigate home, but it hurts to see it in this condition", Stensnes told NRK. According to Stensnes, the vessel will be completely emptied of fuel for a closer look at the damages. So far, he stressed, over 1,400 components have been extracted from the frigate. Salvage operation of the shipwrecked Norwegian navy frigate "KNM Helge Ingstad" continues in Hjeltefjorden near Bergen, Norway February 27, 2019 "We are concentrating on the components that are expensive or difficult to acquire. The parts must be tested thoroughly before we use them, we will not re-use systems whose safety we are uncertain about", Stensnes said. According to him, mechanical equipment is the easiest to repair. At the same time, he stressed that the navy would do its best to preserve electronic equipment as well. In any case, a cost-benefit assessment will be made on each individual component. Until its dramatic loss after an avoidable collision with a Maltese-flagged oil tanker in November 2018, the Helge Ingstad was seen as one of the most modern ships in Norway's Navy, with a price tag of over $500 million. Its loss admittedly undermined the navy's defence capability. The Helge Ingstad sank while returning from the NATO drill Trident Juncture, which was touted as the largest on Norwegian soil in decades and gathered some 50,000 troops, 10,000 vehicles and dozens of warships. Salvage operation of the shipwrecked Norwegian navy frigate "KNM Helge Ingstad" continues in at Hanoytangen near Bergen, Norway February 28, 2019 While the frigate received a 10-metre-long gash and had to be manoeuvred into a shallow bay to avoid total loss, the oil tanker emerged from the collision almost unscathed and is already back in service. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indian Jets Reportedly Down Pakistani Drone Near Bilateral Border Sputnik News 16:48 04.03.2019(updated 17:35 04.03.2019) The tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi were exacerbated following the shooting down of an Indian MiG-21 by the Pakistan Air Force. The downing came in response to a recent airstrike by the Indian Air Force on an alleged terrorist camp in Pakistan. Pakistani drone has been shot down by Indian forces on 4 March close to the city of Bikaner, in Indian state of Rajasthan. The drone entered Indian airspace at around 11:30 am (6:30 UTC) and was then downed by Indian Sukhoi 30MKI fighter jet. The debris of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fell on the Pakistani side of the border. According to an anonymous source in New Delhi, the drone was shot in the same area where almost a dozen Pakistan Air Force jets attempted to intrude into Indian airspace on 27 February. Escalation of Tensions Between Pakistan and India Relations between Islamabad and New Delhi remain strained after the Pakistan Air Force downed two Indian jets on its territory and captured their pilots. New Delhi has stated that its jets shot down a Pakistani F-16 in the course of the encounter. Islamabad denies losing a single plane, as well as using F-16s in the first place. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called for a diplomatic resolution to the escalating tensions between the two states following Islamabad's "peace gesture" on 1 March, when it released one of the Indian pilots of the downed MiG-21. The downing of the jets came following an airstrike conducted by the Indian Air Force on an alleged camp belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist group on Pakistani territory on 26 February. The air raid was New Delhi's response to a terrorist attack on an Indian security convoy on 14 February carried out by JeM that claimed the lives of 40 men. Islamabad has denied the camp's existence and stated that the airstrike hit an empty hillside. India insists that Pakistan is harbouring and supporting militants that are conducting terrorist attacks on Indian territory against its military personnel. Islamabad denies the accusations. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Guaido Arrives in Venezuela After Warning Maduro Against 'Kidnapping' Sputnik News 13:28 04.03.2019(updated 19:40 04.03.2019) Guaido left Venezuela on 22 February defying a travel ban by Venezuela's Supreme Court. He announced his return to his homeland on 4 March following a trip across Latin America. Juan Guaido, a key Venezuelan opposition figure and self-proclaimed interim president, has returned to Venezuela, he confirmed on his Twitter. Earlier, during a Periscope broadcast, he has warned Caracas against arresting him or his wife promising that otherwise Maduro's government will face repercussions. "[If Maduro's government] tries to kidnap us [] it will be one of the last mistakes it makes", he said. Guaido also called for the Venezuelan people to mobilise against Maduro's government upon his return to the country. His warnings have been supported by Washington with US National Security Advisor John Bolton promising that Caracas will face "a strong and significant response from the US and the international community" if Guaido's safe return to Venezuela is hindered. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez commented on the prospects of Guaido's arrest in an interview with the channel Russia-24 by saying that Venezuela adheres to the rule of law and therefore Guaido's actions will be analysed by governmental institutions. She added that "appropriate measures" will be taken, based on the results of this analysis. Guaido left Venezuela for a Latin American tour on 22 February disobeying a travel ban imposed on him by the Venezuelan Supreme Court. According to Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice, Juan Carlos Valdez, Guaido may face up to 30 years in jail for breaching the travel ban. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly slammed Guaido as a "US puppet" and accused Washington of trying to stage a coup in Venezuela. Guaido proclaimed himself interim president of Venezuela calling for Maduro's resignation. The US and around 50 other countries have recognised his claims. At the same time, Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Iran, Turkey and a number of other states have refused to recognise him and called to support the legitimate government of constitutionally elected President Nicolas Maduro. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indian, Pakistani Troops Trade Fire in Kashmir After Brief Ceasefire - Ministry Sputnik News 10:08 04.03.2019(updated 10:14 04.03.2019) NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - Indian and Pakistani troops have exchanged fire in the disputed Kashmir region after a brief lull since a dangerous escalation between the two countries that erupted last week, Indian Defence Ministry spokesman Lieut. Col. Devender Anand has stated. "At about 3 a.m. today [21:30 GMT on Sunday], the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation by shelling and firing in the Akhnoor sector. Our positions effectively retaliated. The firing exchanges stopped at 6.30 a.m.", Anand told reporters. According to the Indian Army, all educational institutions within a distance of 5 kilometres (about 3 miles) from the Line of Control a military control line between the Indian-and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir remained closed on 4 March. The incident follows airstrikes on 26 February when Indian aircraft attacked what it said was a militant camp in Pakistan in retaliation for a deadly assault that killed at least 40 Indian troops in Indian-administered Kashmir on 14 February. Pakistan, which denied any involvement in the 14 February attack, retaliated with airstrikes that led to an Indian fighter jet being shot down in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The pilot, who was captured by Pakistan, was released on 1 March in a "goodwill gesture". Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Significant Response': Bolton Warns Against Attempts to Prevent Guaido Return Sputnik News 05:14 04.03.2019(updated 06:02 04.03.2019) US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Sunday that any attempt to prevent the safe return of Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido would meet "strong and significant response" from Washington. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has announced his return to Venezuela after the Latin American tour he kicked off in defiance of a travel ban, calling for new demonstrations to be held across the country on Monday. John Bolton said earlier that Washington plans to create a coalition to change the government in Venezuela amid the ongoing political crisis in the Latin American country. "We are trying to rally support for the peaceful transition of power from [Venezuelan President Nicolas] Maduro to [self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela] Juan Guaido, whom we recognize as president [] I'd like to see as broad a coalition as we can put together to replace Maduro, to replace the whole corrupt regime. That's what we are trying to do", Bolton said in an interview for the CNN broadcaster. Earlier this week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has repeatedly slammed Guaido as a "US puppet" and accused Washington of trying to stage a coup in Venezuela, said that the opposition leader must be tried if he returns. US-backed Guaido, who proclaimed himself Venezuelan interim president in January, crossed into Colombia on 22 February in defiance of a Venezuelan Supreme Court order barring him from leaving the country due to an ongoing investigation. After unsuccessful attempts to deliver US-sponsored humanitarian aid to Venezuela from the neighboring country, Guaido said that he plans to return home. According to the deputy judge of the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice, Juan Carlos Valdez, Guaido may face up to 30 years in jail for breaching foreign travel ban. US Special Envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams has threatened Caracas with a major international reaction in case of Guaido's arrest. The United States has recognized Guaido and around 50 other countries followed suit. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Iran, Turkey and a number of other states have, in the meantime, voiced their support for the legitimate government of constitutionally elected Maduro. Mexico and Uruguay have refused to recognize Guaido, declaring themselves neutral and promoting crisis settlement via dialogue. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Update: air strikes against Daesh The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Syria. 4 March 2019 Summary - Thursday 21 February Typhoons bombed terrorists in a cave in northern Iraq. - Saturday 2 March a Reaper killed a small group of terrorists around Baghuz Fawqani in eastern Syria. Detail The Royal Air Force has struck two key targets, as the UK supports the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who are working to clear Daesh from their last small pocket of territory. British aircraft have delivered air attacks to assist the SDF with operations on the ground, while conducting daily reconnaissance missions around Baghuz, eastern Syria. Coalition aircraft also remain available to assist the Iraqi security forces as necessary, to prevent Daesh from re-establishing a presence in the country. On Thursday 21 February, two Typhoons were tasked with an attack on a cave in northern Iraq where a group of terrorists had been spotted, some ten miles east of Tal Afar. Coalition surveillance aircraft carefully checked the surrounding countryside for any civilians who might be placed at risk, before the Typhoons used two Paveway IVs to collapse the entrance to the cave. A Reaper provided close air support to the Syrian Democratic Forces as they fought Daesh around Baghuz Fawqani on Saturday 2 March. The Reaper's crew observed a rocket-propelled grenade being fired from a building, and shortly afterwards a small group of armed terrorists emerged. They were tracked by the Reaper, whilst careful checks were made that no SDF or otherwise unidentified individuals were too close to them, then successfully engaged with a single Hellfire missile. UK contribution to the fight against Daesh Map of UK forces committed to Operation Shader Campaign against Daesh Map of Daesh losses and gains in Iraq and Syria since September 2014 Previous update As the Syrian Democratic Forces have continued their operations to clear the last small remaining pocket of Daesh-held territory that has been identified in eastern Syria, Royal Air Force aircraft have maintained daily armed reconnaissance support, delivering air attacks if needed by the SDF on the ground. On Monday 11 February, the SDF encountered two Daesh strong-points on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, across the river from Abu Kamal. These strong-points were directing fire, including from a heavy machine-gun, at close range against the SDF, so assistance was requested from two RAF Typhoon FGR4s, supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker. The Typhoons conducted an accurate simultaneous attack on both strong-points, hitting each with a Paveway IV guided bomb, and successfully eliminated the threat to the SDF. A further pair of Typhoons patrolled the Euphrates valley on Tuesday 19 February; a boat had been identified as being used by Daesh, and was found by the Typhoons to be moored on the river bank due south of Baghuz Fawqani. A Brimstone 2 missile was employed to deny the terrorists use of the craft, whether to bring in supplies or allow them to set up operations elsewhere. This was the first operational firing of a Brimstone 2 from a Typhoon FGR4, following the aircraft's recent upgrade. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Air Force sharpens competitive edge with roadmap to reform Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published March 04, 2019 Arlington, Va. (AFNS) -- The Air Force released its first business operations plan, March 4, establishing a roadmap for reform and improvement in its practices and processes. "This plan clearly articulates how we are getting ready to meet the challenges of an era of great power competition," said Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew P. Donovan. The two-year plan outlines measureable goals and clear lines of accountability to improve internal operations within the service. Some of the plan's objectives include boosting aviator retention, adding family support programs, increasing data availability and implementing conditions-based aircraft maintenance. "Sharpening the Air Force's competitive edge means building a more lethal, ready force for the high-end fight," Donovan said. "It means reforming everything from organizational structures to outdated policies so our warfighters can increase their effectiveness while remaining good stewards of the taxpayer dollar." The Air Force has nested its business operations under the National Defense Strategy and service strategic focus areas, concentrating on three lines of effort: rebuilding readiness and increasing the lethality of the force, strengthening alliances and attracting new partners and reforming business practices for greater performance and affordability. The plan, which spans fiscal years 2019 2021, is designed to be a management tool; specifically, it provides a cross-cutting framework to synchronize business operations across different organizational and functional boundaries and assign offices of primary responsibility. The under secretary of the Air Force, in his role as the department's chief management officer, will lead the plan's implementation. He will also oversee updates to the plan on a bi-annual basis and address emerging environmental and strategic factors. On a quarterly basis, leaders responsible for Air Force business operations objectives will report progress through the Air Force Productivity Council for accountability and ongoing metrics. The entire plan is available in the related link section. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address With Military Exercises Canceled in S. Korea, Experts Express Concern About Impact By Steve Miller March 04, 2019 The United States and South Korea announced the cancelation of two annual large-scale military drills in an effort to "achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." It's a decision that Robert Manning, a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, calls "one of a number of mistakes that have been made that really erode the US position in Northeast Asia." Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and South Korea Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo decided to end the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of exercises during a phone call Saturday, according to a Pentagon statement. The Pentagon statement also added that "Both the Minister and Secretary agreed that close coordination between the military activities of the United States and Republic of Korea will continue to support diplomatic efforts." Shanahan further tweeted he and Jeong "agreed to maintain strong military readiness through newly designed Command Post exercises & revised field training programs. Together we are ready to meet any security challenge." U.S. President Donald Trump has long complained about the cost of large-scale drills. "The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed. That was my position long before I became President. Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!" he wrote on Twitter. Cancellation impact It is unclear if the announcement to end the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises was related to the inability of President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to reach a deal on denuclearization when they met last week in Hanoi. Trump added in another tweet Monday that he did not talk about the military drills with Kim. He called reports that he had mentioned the war games "fake news." Robert Manning of the Atlantic Council calls the timing "coincidental." "You may recall that after the first summit last June, President Trump without telling anybody, including his secretary of defense or the commander of U.S. forces in Korea [President Trump] unilaterally decided that we were going to suspend exercises without getting anything for it," he said. North Korea has long called for joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea to be suspended. Historically, Pyongyang characterized such drills as a precursor to invasion. Therefore, Manning views the cancellation of the exercises as a major concession to North Korea, "because alliances are based on the ability to fight together, [if] you don't exercise together, you don't fight together. So it really erodes the [US-ROK] Alliance." Park Won Gon, Dean of International Affairs at Handong Global University told VOA the cancellations will have an effect on regional security. Park explains that's because Key Resolve consisted of two stages, "first defeat [the enemy] and second, mount a counterattack cutting the exercise to a week in length, means it drops the counterattack portion from the whole process." Because Foal Eagle is a field training exercise, the amended operation plan reduces the number of troops involved. Park asserts the replacement exercise may not be able to "cover the potential situations should war occur on the Korean peninsula." He said that while canceling land-based drills may affect the combined forces' ability to effectively practice with one another, it was more important for exercises with the Air Forces to continue. "If they are not having exercises such as Max Thunder or Vigilant ACE, then it means they give up the joint military readiness posture," said Park. Replacement exercises As the cancellation announcement about Key Resolve and Foal Eagle was made, the Republic of Korea and the United States Combined Forces Command said it will conduct the exercise "Dong Maeng" March 4-12 as a replacement for the two. In a press release, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) characterized the exercise as one "that highlights the longstanding and enduring partnership and friendship between the two nations and their commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and regional stability." The statement went on further to announce the exercise had "been modified from the previously held spring exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle and will focus on focus on strategic, operational, and tactical aspects of general military operations on the Korean Peninsula." "Exercise Dong Maeng provides us the opportunity to train and rehearse with our Republic of Korea, United States, and United Nations Sending State Partners," said the South Korean Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Park Han-Ki and CFC Commander, Gen. Robert B. Abrams in the release. "It is important for professional armies to train and maintain to a standard of readiness. These exercises are crucial in sustaining and strengthening the alliance," the statement concluded. Lee Ju-hyun and Ira Mellman contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU Faces Security Challenges in Migration Control By Martin Arostegui March 04, 2019 The bombing of a barracks housing 250 Spanish soldiers in Mali was narrowly averted last week when vans containing about a ton of explosives were stopped short of the gates by guards firing machine guns. "If the truck bomb had gone off inside the compound, it would have been a catastrophe," said the commander of the Spanish light infantry battalion, Lt. Col. Jose Leyra. The incident highlights how Spain's increasing role in European efforts to stabilize the Sahel a primary route for African migrants attempting to reach Europe is exposing its personnel and assets to attacks by Islamist militants and tribally based insurgents. The Spanish unit is one of many conducting EU security missions in Sahel countries used as travel routes by African migrants from war-torn areas such as Somalia and Burkina Faso, where a Spanish priest working on relief programs was assassinated last week. EU analysts say that further deterioration of the security situation in the Sahel, which is Africa's poorest region, could increase illegal migration to Europe and destabilize wealthier countries in western and northern Africa. On Friday, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrel announced plans for EU investment in Africa, which he said presents "more opportunities than risks." But an EU threat assessment seen by VOA says that criminal and militant groups could undermine development projects in the sparsely populated Saharan countries that were once Spanish and French colonies. "Crisis and conflicts in Africa are provoking mass migration that could seriously affect Spain, which is the EU country closest to Africa," said Raimundo Robredo, a senior official in Spain's Foreign Ministry's Africa desk. Strengthening the capacity of local governments to manage the migrant flow and control vast territorial frontiers is a priority for Spain and other southern European nations, he said. Italy's closure of ports to ships carrying migrants from Libya has shifted migrant routes westward to Spain, where illegal immigration has grown 170 percent over the past year. Spain is easily reached by small boats launched from the coasts of Morocco and Algeria. To reach the coasts, however, migrants must travel through thousands of miles of desert, through Algeria, Mali and Mauritania. A Spanish Civil Guard general, Francisco Espinosa, heads a $45 million EU project to train company-sized Rapid Intervention Surveillance and Investigation Groups (GARSI) in Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Senegal. Their mission is to bolster frontier controls and target human trafficking, organized crime and terrorist networks that currently control parts of the region. Select African recruits learn precision shooting and methods of locating and disposing of IEDs, as well as communications and mobility techniques, according to officials managing the program at its center in Madrid. "Until now, frontier controls in the Sahel were largely limited to static border posts. GARSI is trained to improvise zone controls as migrant routes shift around," according to a senior officer of the Civil Guard, who requested his name not be used. GARSI information systems are enhanced with satellite links, and the teams are also trained in investigative methods to identify and break up human trafficking crime gangs, according to a Spanish officer who has coordinated support for the program with other European security services. Italy's Carabinieri, Portugal's Republican Guard and France's National Gendarmerie are also mentoring GARSI teams. Special operations units such as the French GIGN have been deployed on the ground, according to EU official reports that point to an expanding European security presence throughout the Sahel. Spanish security officials say that "effective cooperation" is going on with security services in Senegal and Mauritania, which have made progress in controlling migration. But the situation shows signs of deteriorating in other countries, according to EU reports. Leyra said in an interview for El Pais newspaper that there are "grave structural problems" in the way, including the presence of al-Qaida and interethnic conflicts, which make it "enormously costly to make the slightest progress." Massive anti-government protests that broke out in Algeria last week may create yet another source of instability. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US: Gulf Countries Helped Ease India-Pakistan Tensions By Ayesha Tanzeem March 04, 2019 The United States says it used its allies across the world, particularly those in the Gulf, to help defuse tensions between India and Pakistan, after military skirmishes between the nuclear-armed neighbors last week raised fears of a war. "We instructed numerous embassies, including in the Gulf, to weigh in on both sides," a senior administration official told VOA on condition of anonymity. "I think the Saudis were particularly helpful," the official added, as Pakistani officials acknowledged the role of Middle Eastern countries in resolving the crisis. Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry told the Saudi-based Arab News that the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates played a "commendable" role during the crisis, adding that other Muslim countries had also been a "great help." Multiple other countries and international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Union, also worked to calm the situation after India and Pakistan appeared to be inching toward a military conflict. The South Asian neighbors, once united as British India, have already fought three wars since their independence in 1947. Two of those wars were fought over the disputed Kashmir region that both sides claim. The U.N. considers the area disputed territory, the fate of which should be decided by locals through a plebiscite. Until the dispute is resolved, both India and Pakistan control a part of Kashmir, with a Line of Control, or LoC, running through the middle as the de-facto border. The latest crisis started after Pakistan-based group Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, at a place called Pulwama, that killed more than 40 security personnel. Pakistan denied involvement in the attack and offered cooperation in investigating the incident. India, however, accused Pakistan of harboring terrorist groups that frequently target India. Last Tuesday, Indian fighter planes entered Pakistani territory to target what they said were JeM training camps in a strike India called "non-military" and "preemptive" against future attacks. Pakistan denied any camps existed at the site. Locals dismissed Indian claims of killing hundreds of militants and said only one man was wounded. A day later, Pakistan responded to what it said was a violation of its air space. Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said Pakistani fighter planes locked onto Indian military targets, but deliberately avoided them and fired on open ground instead, in order to avoid an escalation of tensions but also to send a message to India to not violate Pakistani territory again. In an aerial dogfight that ensued, an Indian MiG-21 jet took a hit and the pilot was captured by Pakistani forces. The pilot was later returned to India in what Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said was a "gesture of peace," helping to de-escalate the situation. The international community welcomed the act but continued to press Pakistan to take meaningful action against militants operating on its soil. On Monday, Pakistani Information Minister Chaudhry told the Reuters news agency the country was going to take such action. Pakistani media also reported through its sources that action against militant outfits seemed imminent. Chaudhry, however, maintained that his country had nothing to do with the Pulwama attack and the decision to take action against these groups had been made well before the incident. Prime Minister Khan says Pakistan is already taking action against any militant outfits to comply with the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force, an international body that monitors terrorism funding. The FATF has Pakistan on its watch list. In its last report issued in February, the task force said Pakistan has improved but needed further steps to curb funding for terrorism-related activities. Pakistan's government has issued a new order that a foreign office press release said will "streamline the procedure for implementation of Security Council Sanctions against designated individuals and entities." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defiant Opposition Leader Returns to Venezuela Despite Threat of Arrest By Brian Padden March 04, 2019 Venezuelan opposition leader and U.S.-recognized interim President Juan Guaido returned safely to Caracas on Monday, despite concerns he would be arrested for violating a travel ban imposed by the government of President Nicolas Maduro. On Feb. 23, Guaido secretly left Venezuela for Colombia, in violation of a Supreme Court order, to coordinate efforts to send humanitarian aid into Venezuela to alleviate widespread shortages of food and medicine. He also visited Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Ecuador, neighbors that are among the U.S. and 50 other countries that recognize him as the interim leader of Venezuela. They also denounced Maduro's re-election last year as illegitimate after the socialist and increasingly authoritarian leader banned major opposition parties from running. Massive rally Maduro has called Guaido a coup-mongering U.S. puppet and said the opposition leader could face arrest upon return to Venezuela. "He will have to face justice and justice prohibited him from leaving the country," said Maduro in an interview with ABC News. However, the defiant opposition leader was not detained when he arrived at the airport. Instead, he was met by crowds of cheering supporters. Guaido then led a massive rally in downtown Caracas, where he said that the Maduro government's tactics of intimidation and repression will not stop the opposition from seeking democratic change. "Their threats will not hold us back. We are here and we're more strongly united than ever. We are here and are stronger than ever," said Guaido to several thousand people gathered in the Las Mercedes neighborhood in the Venezuelan capital. The opposition leader also called for continued public demonstrations to force Maduro's removal from office and to schedule new elections. There was no immediate comment from Maduro's government about Guaido's return. Stalled momentum Guaido's return also comes amid concerns that the recent surge of economic and diplomatic pressure imposed on Venezuela has so far failed to persuade the country's military leadership to abandon Maduro, despite increased repression and poverty in a country with the world's largest oil reserves. In January, President Donald Trump imposed sanctions seizing Venezuela's oil assets in the U.S. Venezuela had depended on U.S. oil sales for 90 percent of its hard currency income. Guaido has also offered limited amnesty for military forces that defect. Last week, the Trump administration imposed targeted sanctions on six high-ranking members of the Venezuelan security forces in response to the Maduro government's mostly successful efforts to block humanitarian aid convoys from entering the country. The United States also warned Maduro there would be severe consequences if Guaido is arrested. On Monday the White House National Security Advisor John Bolton on Twitter said, "the world is watching." "President Guaido safely returned to Venezuela today to continue his strong push for a democratic future for the people of his country. The United States fully supports Guaido and the National Assembly. His safety must be guaranteed. The world is watching," said Bolton on Twitter. Analyst view The Trump administration has said the use of U.S. military force remains a possible option, but some U.S. allies in the region and in Europe oppose any military intervention in Venezuela. "I think the model is at this point, working with other countries, multilateral diplomacy and appealing to people's concerns about the humanitarian crises going on," said Roger Noreiga, a Latin America political analyst with the American Enterprise Institute. There are also concerns that the often fractured opposition in Venezuela will not stay unified, and that diplomatic pressure may waver, if the political standoff continues into the indefinite future. Secretary-General of the Organization of American States Luis Almagro suggested a possible negotiated settlement that would allow Maduro to run in a new election that was open to all opposition parties. He has previously supported opposition calls for Maduro's immediate ouster. But the U.S. and the Venezuelan opposition are against any negotiated settlement that would allow Maduro to remain in office. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address House Democrats Launch Wide-Ranging Trump Investigations By Ken Bredemeier March 04, 2019 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives launched a wide-ranging investigation Monday of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, his businesses, his transition to power and whether as president he has obstructed justice to thwart probes of him. The House Judiciary Committee sent letters to 81 people and entities linked to Trump, demanding documents within two weeks about a lengthy list of events involving the country's 45th president. In addition to focusing on obstruction allegations, the committee said it is looking at possible public corruption and abuses of power during the two-year Trump presidency. "Over the last several years, President Trump has evaded accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical and constitutional rules and norms," Congressman Jerrold Nadler, the panel's chairman, said in announcing the investigation. "Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress and a core function of the House Judiciary Committee," he said. Trump has long denied wrongdoing involving his campaign's links to Russia and during his presidency. Asked about the Nadler investigation on Monday, Trump replied, "I cooperate all the time with everybody...You know the beautiful thing no collusion. It's all a hoax." The White House said its lawyers and "relevant White House officials" would review the Judiciary Committee's demand for documents and "respond at the appropriate time." Aside from the White House, the panel sent its requests for documents to the Justice Department; senior campaign officials; the Trump Organization, the president's global business empire, and his two oldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Nadler said Sunday he believes the president has obstructed justice. He said that Trump's former long-time personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, in his lengthy public testimony to Congress last week, "directly implicated the president in -- in various crimes, both while seeking the office of president and while in the White House." "We don't have the facts yet," Nadler said. "But we're going to initiate proper investigations." Impeachment talk premature The information gathered by the Judiciary Committee, along with that in the yet-to-be-released report by special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Trump campaign links to Russia and obstruction allegations, could form the basis of impeachment proceedings against Trump. But Nadler said talk of trying to remove Trump from office is premature. "We will act quickly to gather this information, assess the evidence and follow the facts where they lead with full transparency with the American people," Nadler said. Cohen, who called Trump "a racist, a con man, a cheat," showed a House panel two $35,000 checks sent to him one signed by the president and one signed by Donald Trump Jr. and Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer. Cohen testified the money was intended to partly reimburse him for $130,000 he paid shortly before the 2016 election to adult film star Stormy Daniels as hush money, to keep her quiet about an alleged affair she claims to have had with then real estate mogul Trump more than a decade ago. Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN that after hearing Cohen's testimony, "We've got to dig deeper" about the extent to which Trump pursued construction of a skyscraper in Moscow during the 2016 campaign even as he told voters he was not involved in any Russian business deals. Cohen has been sentenced to prison for three years after pleading guilty to financial crimes and to lying to Congress that Trump's Russian business overtures ended in January 2016 at the outset of the presidential campaign. Now, Cohen says Trump's Russian business involvement extended for months after that. Warner said he will reach his decision on whether Trump colluded with Russia to help him win the election after more investigation. But he said, "The claim that there is no evidence is factually wrong." Mueller's report could be turned over to Attorney General William Barr in the coming days, but how much of it will be made public is uncertain. Democratic lawmakers have called for its full release, but Barr has said he would only do so to the extent that Justice Department regulations allow him to. Trump, since returning from his collapsed summit in Hanoi last week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has resumed his Twitter attacks on Mueller's investigation and the growing number of inquiries in Congress. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secret CIA Docs Claim Pakistani Intel Funded JeM's Predecessor Before bin Laden Sputnik News 19:57 04.03.2019 The outfit was initially sponsored by Pakistan and then later gravitated towards Osama bin Laden when it was in need of more funds. New Delhi (Sputnik): The predecessor organisation of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA), was funded by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the intelligence agency of Pakistan, says a news report, quoting declassified CIA papers. The CIA documents, which have yet to be commented on by Pakistani authorities, show that HuA received ISI funds and that later the organisation drifted towards Osama Bin Laden for more funds. The financial support was scaled down by Pakistan for fear of being placed on the list of countries that were deemed to be state sponsors of terrorism. "Azhar Masood, the founder Jaish-e-Mohammed was the top functionary of HuA. He used to receive regular funding from the Pakistani intelligence agencies and had complained that enough money was not being sent through, as per declassified documents of the American (Central Intelligence Agency) record", the report says. Masood was the general secretary in HuA when he was arrested by India in 1994 in Kashmir. "Diplomatic reports indicate that ISI provided at least $30,000 and possibly as much as $69,000 per month to the HuA. The terror outfit was primarily targeting India. It had taken Western nationals hostage and had 'probably killed' them", the report adds. The report quoted by the Indian newspaper was prepared by the CIA in 1996, but was made publicly available as part of a tranche of declassified documents last year. The newspaper report further quoted intelligence inputs as claiming that Masood received financial assistance and support for setting up JeM not only from the ISI, but also the Taliban government in Afghanistan and international terrorist Osama bin Laden. These links were apparently forged through the Binoria Madrassah located in Karachi. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Committed to Tel Aviv regime, US deploys THAAD to Israel for 1st time Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 06:25PM The Pentagon has for the first time deployed its most advanced missile system in Israel, hailing the move as Washington's "continued commitment" to the security of the regime in Tel Aviv. The US European Command (EUCOM) said in a statement on Monday that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system was ordered by acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan in March last year and was intended "as a demonstration of the United States' continued commitment to Israel's regional security." The statement added that US military forces would be stationed in a number of locations during THAAD's deployment to "practice operational procedures for augmenting Israel's existing" systems. "THAAD is the most advanced integrated air and missile defense system in the world, and this deployment readiness exercise demonstrates that US forces are agile, and can respond quickly and unpredictably to any threat, anywhere, at any time," EUCOM said. THAAD is a ground-based missile defense system designed to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the arrival of THAAD and said the deployment was "further evidence" of the United States' commitment to Tel Aviv. "The American THAAD system is considered among the most advanced systems in the world, and together with our defense systems, we are stronger in dealing with threats, close or distant, emanating from all areas of the Middle East." The deployment comes a week after Israeli and US militaries wrapped up a week-long drill in Israel, simulating the deployment of American troops to aid in missile defense operations. The US has already supplied the advanced missile system to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In November, Saudi Arabia agreed to buy 44 THAAD launchers, missiles and related equipment from the United States in a deal valued at $15 billion. The administration of US President Donald Trump has been seeking to loosen restrictions on American arms sales to boost the country's weapons industry. Washington, in the meantime, is under pressure to suspend its arms sales to Riyadh, which has been leading a deadly campaign against Yemen since 2015. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pompeo Promises 'Significant Announcement' on US-China Trade Talks By Nike Ching March 04, 2019 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expressing optimism that trade talks with China aimed at ending tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of products will be successful. "It's never over till it's over, but they've made a lot of progress, and so I'm very hopeful that in the coming days and weeks, there'll be a significant announcement," said Pompeo on Monday in an interview in Des Moines, Iowa. The top U.S. diplomat is in Iowa to discuss diplomatic efforts to promote American economic interests and American exports. Iowa's Farmers have been hit hard by the U.S.-China trade feud. "President Trump has been determined to get Iowa farmers a fair shake, to stop the Chinese from stealing their intellectual property and denying them the ability to compete by selling products into China," said Pompeo in another radio interview. China's agricultural imports from the U.S. have slumped since Beijing imposed tariffs on American agricultural products last year. Among the biggest losses for American farmers: oilseeds and grains exports, which are top agricultural products that Iowa farmers send to China. Slamming China's "protectionism, rule-breaking and state subsidies," Pompeo called on China to embrace "free-market principles and fair competition." In his remarks to the Iowa Farm Bureau Monday evening, the chief American diplomat said: "China denies American companies access to its market through tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers, and deny us the ability to compete on a fair and reciprocal basis." In Beijing, ahead of the so-called "Twin Sessions" -- the annual meetings of the national legislature and the top political advisory body -- Chinese officials defended Beijing's economic policies for facilitating the country's growth and opening up in recent years. Zhang Yesui, a spokesperson for the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), dismissed Washington's criticism as a "double-standard." "Some U.S. government officials have been hyping up the so-called security risks associated with the products of certain Chinese companies," said Zhang, referring to the U.S. campaign to block Chinese telecommunication company Huawei over security concerns. "This is political interference in economic activities. It violates the WTO rules and disrupts the international market order that is built on fair competition," Zhang said. Pompeo's visit comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded China instantly eliminate tariffs on American agricultural goods. In a tweet on March 1, Trump said trade talks were progressing well and he had asked China to immediately end tariffs on U.S. agricultural products while delaying his own plan to impose 25 percent tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump had set a March 1 deadline to increase tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent. Trump had forecast a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to finalize details in a bilateral trade agreement to tackle deeper issues, including greater transparency around subsidies and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from China, addressing U.S. concerns over forced technology transfer, and intellectual property protection. The Wall Street Journal reported a summit between Trump and Xi could occur around March 27. The London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said the possible deal "could be substantial enough to allow the U.S. to claim victory in the negotiations, allowing Mr. Trump to save face politically after a damaging fight over border security and wall funding." "For China, any such agreement would be politically challenging, but would provide a welcome respite from mounting economic pressures," said EIU. Nick Marro from the Economist Intelligence Unit argues while President Trump's decision to delay a tariff increase on Chinese products is an important step to prevent the escalation of a trade war, these moves were a concession to the Beijing government, who Marro says has yielded little in its negotiating stance. "Although we expect both sides to come to a deal around purchases of U.S. commodities, this will not be enough to prevent structural issues from worsening economic ties further," he added. "If the deal involves that President Xi agrees to purchase much of American commodities, and agreed to lowers certain tariffs," according to the Cato Institute's Director of Trade Policy Studies Daniel Ikenson, "there could be more progress, but if they just agreed to purchase these products and not address these major issues, I don't see the very large deal." "I think the United States and China are going to continue to be in this sort of standoff for a number of years until there's an adequate resolution," Ikenson told VOA's Mandarin service. Pompeo's visit comes after China's controversial attempts to influence public opinion in Iowa and sway support for Trump. Last September, The Des Moines Register published an advertising insert paid for by China Daily, an official publication of the Chinese government. The four-page section in Iowa's largest newspaper featured articles including one outlining how the trade dispute is forcing Chinese importers to turn to South America instead of the U.S. for soybeans. On Monday, Pompeo pushed back on China's "state-led economic practices," blasting "the prevalence of corruption" and "weak enforcement," saying "the Chinese people deserve better." Jingxun Li from VOA Mandarin Service contributed to this story. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Strong Resistance to Trade Deal Brewing in China By Saibal Dasgupta March 04, 2019 Even as China and the United States are working to finalize a trade agreement, Beijing is grappling with the challenge of building political consensus about implementing and enforcing the deal on the ground. The challenge for the Xi Jinping-led government is both economic and political at a time when the annual political congress has just begun in Beijing. Delegates to the meetings include the heads of major Chinese corporations both private and state-owned. The deal may hit State Owned Enterprises hard, an important Communist Party base, as they stand to lose subsidies and monopoly status. SOEs employ millions of people in key sectors like energy, mining, banking and manufacturing. "The Chinese government will face resistance from SOEs and coastal provinces with dynamic trade with the US and other countries," said Zhiqun Zhu, chair of the department of international relations at Bucknell University. During the political sessions, President Xi will be closely watched in China and the world over as he deals with issues like the trade deal, the Huawei controversy and an increasingly slowing economy. The two-week sessions will be attended by around 5,000 delegates from around the country. The US is not just asking China to buy more American goods, it is demanding structural changes from Chinese industry, which enjoy preferential treatment compared to foreign investors in many sectors. The deal could mean an end to government subsidies and monopoly status for SOEs in several markets. "Structural reforms will be more difficult [for China] due to vested interests of SOEs and local governments and businesses with extensive trade," Zhiqun said. Paul Gillis, a professor at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management said, "Trade policy changes always have winners and losers. Expect opposition from the losers". Nature of challenge The resistance will be internal, voiced in closed-door discussions of small groups of legislators and not during televised discussions of the National People's Congress and the China People's Political Consultative Conference, the two bodies that are part of the so-called "Twin Sessions." In the main sessions, which are televised live, no one speaks out of turn and without his or her speech vetted by senior leaders in advance, sources said. "We have our system which is centralized. Once the President gives a directive, the delegates will not say no," said Shen Dingli, a Shanghai based international relations specialist. "The Twin Sessions will follow the leader's view. The leader wants reform while making sure there is no pre-mature reform because that would be result in weakening China," he said. Under the surface, provincial leaders from more developed provinces and cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou are expressing concern about the negative fallout on the local economy if the deal is implemented. Heads of several state owned corporations are already asking the government that their performance must be evaluated differently once the deal is implemented, informed sources said. They expect to take a hit on their profitability as the deal will give a bigger role to foreign competitors. "At the end of the day, it is up to the central government and President Xi. If they are really determined to carry out structural reforms, they can, despite challenges and resistance," Zhiqun said. China's former Premier Zhu Rongji faced a lot of resistance when he carried out structural reforms in the 1990s but he still succeeded in his mission, he said. Taking the hit On the other hand, some analysts believe that the giant state-owned corporations are quite capable of handling the new challenge that will emanate from the trade deal with the US. "They will face tougher competition in China from further opening up and reduction of state support, but I think they can handle that," Gillis said. He was referring to the expected increase in the role of foreign companies once the deal is implemented in China. The SOEs have been facing competition from foreign players since 2001 when China became a member of the World Trade Organization, he said. This time the competition will be more intense as restrictions on foreign firms will be reduced. "The competition seems to have made many of these companies stronger," Gillis said. Chinese experts said the US should not expect China to restructure its economy as soon as the ink dries on the contract. Beijing was moving towards market based economy for its own reasons before the trade war and is now ready to hasten the process. "The question is: Can China stop all subsidies to state owned enterprises? In some cases, China is not ready now, it needs a few years. It's better if the US accepts a time bound commitment from China," Shen said. The US and China look at the situation differently, he said. The US believes that the presence of several competing players in the market is good for the customer. The Chinese think national competitiveness can be enhanced quickly if the government steps in to mobilize national resources to create and nurture a few gigantic national SOEs, he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Arrives at Home after Concluding Official Goodwill Visit to Vietnam Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Date: 05/03/2019 | Source: KCNA.kp (En) Pyongyang, March 5 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, arrived at home on Tuesday after successfully wrapping up his official goodwill visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Seen to greet Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un at Pyongyang Railway Station were Kim Yong Nam, Choe Ryong Hae and Pak Pong Ju, Presidium members of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, and other senior officials of the Party, government and armed forces organs. Also seen there were staff members of the Vietnamese embassy here. At 3 o'clock in the early morning, his train entered the railway station yard. When he got off the train, he received a salute from the head of the guards of honor of the Korean People's Army. A ceremony for greeting him took place at the station. He was presented with bunches of flowers by a boy and girl. Senior officials of the Party, government and armed forces organs greeted him with their ardent congratulations. He exchanged greetings shaking hands with them. Acknowledging the enthusiastically cheering masses, he extended warm greetings of his return to all the beloved people. Accompanying with him were Kim Yong Chol, Ri Su Yong, Kim Phyong Hae and O Su Yong, vice-chairmen of the WPK Central Committee, Ri Yong Ho, foreign minister, No Kwang Chol, minister of the People's Armed Forces, Kim Yo Jong, Ri Yong Sik and Kim Song Nam, first vice department directors of the WPK Central Committee, Choe Son Hui, vice minister of Foreign Affairs, Pak Jong Nam, chairman of the Kangwon Provincial Committee of the WPK, vice department directors of the WPK Central Committee and department directors and bureau directors of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address First batch of French-made Rafael jets to arrive in India in September Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 11:32AM India says it will induct French-made Rafale fighter jets into its air force later this year, amid heightened military tensions with Pakistan, which saw the two nuclear-armed neighbors target each other's warplanes last week. The chief of Indian Air Force B.S. Dhanoa said on Monday that the first batch of Rafael fighter jets will be delivered in September. New Delhi ordered 36 Rafale fighter planes from the Dassault Aviation of France back in 2016. The acquisition of the jets, however, has been delayed so far due to the opposition by the Congress, which accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of benefiting his "friends" and not the country by the purchase. Modi, in return, accused the Congress on Tuesday of inflicting "deep damage to our armed forces" by causing the delay. The prime minster, who seeks a second term, said at a rally last week that the country would have been better placed to handle escalating tensions with Pakistan if it had acquired the fighter jets earlier. Last week, India conducted "preemptive" airstrikes inside Pakistan against what was said to be a militant training camp belonging to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group, which claimed responsibility for an attack on an Indian security convoy in Pulwama, in Indian-administered Kashmir, on February 14. That attack killed more than 40 Indian troops.. India claimed the airstrikes killed some 300 militants. Pakistan, however, denied that the Indian raids had left any casualties or material damage. Pakistan retaliated last Wednesday, saying it had shot down two Indian fighter jets that violated its airspace. Two days later, however, it released an Indian pilot it had captured as a "peace gesture." India also said it had shot down a Pakistani fighter jet in the "aerial encounter." Modi further said the Indian airstrike on the militant target could have had a different outcome if the air force had more modern fighter jets. The country has "felt the shortage of Rafale jets," said Modi, "India is asking in one voice what could have happened if we had Rafale. First selfish policies and then politics over the Rafale deal have harmed the nation." His remarks sparked anger among opposition figures, who asked Modi to explain about the delay in the delivery of the jets if they could have been so crucial in the fighting. "Dear PM, have you no shame at all?" said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a Twitter post. "You are solely responsible for the delay in the arrival of the Rafale jets." The chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Mayawati also blamed Modi to for the delay, saying, "Rafale fighter could have prove useful in fight against Pakistan, claims PM Modi in his rallies." "Even then not a single Rafale inducted into IAF fleet during his government. Better explain people why this kind of lapse and neglect even by the BJP on the issue of country's safety and security?" she said in a tweet. India has long been engaged in a conflict with Pakistan over the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. The two have fought four wars since their partition in 1947, three of them over Kashmir. Pakistan is widely accused of arming and training militants. India, Pakistan trade fire at border in Kashmir After two days of relative calm on Line of Control (LoC) which divides Kashmir, troops from both sides of the border have reportedly exchanged heavy shelling and targeted each other's positions on Monday, local sources reported. According to Indian defense officials, Pakistan initiated the "unprovoked ceasefire violation" by firing mortar shells and small arms on forward posts and villages. "Pakistan forces again resorted to heavy mortar shelling along LoC on Indian positions and civilian areas in Jammu district today, which was retaliated strongly and effectively," said an official. "Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively," the spokesman said, adding there was no report of any casualty on the Indian side. On Sunday, more residents from near the LoC arrived at a camp for internally displaced people at Hattian Bala in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to Reuters. Pakistan to open airspace on Tuesday In the meantime, Pakistan said it resumed flights at more airports on Monday, but it postponed until Tuesday the reopening of its airspace nationwide. The closure of the airspace has left thousands of people stranded at the airports since last week. "Some airports are open," said the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesman, Mustafa Baig. Baig explained that airports in the capital Islamabad, the southern port of Karachi, and the cities of Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Faisalabad were partly functional. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Modi Lashes Out at Opposition After Rafale Jets Remark Amid Row With Pakistan Sputnik News 15:56 04.03.2019 (updated 16:00 04.03.2019) While Indian Prime Minister Modi has accused the Opposition of delaying the induction of Rafale fighter jets into the Indian Air Force by creating unnecessary controversy over the deal, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said it was Modi who had delayed the induction for the benefit of his businessmen friends. New Delhi (Sputnik) Accusing the opposition of distorting his remarks that the country was "feeling the absence of the Rafale jets" during the recent aerial engagement with Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on the opposition to use their "common sense". READ MORE: France Denies Buying Rafale Fighter Jets at a Price Cheaper Than India "What I said was, if we had Rafale at the time (of the aerial dogfight), then none of our fighter jets would have gone down and none of their's saved", Prime Minister Modi said at a public rally in Rajasthan. Modi was referring to the comments made by Congress President Rahul Gandhi implying that it was Modi who was responsible for a delay in the induction of Rafale fighters into the Indian Air Force. "Dear PM, have you no shame at all? You stole 30,000 crores and gave it to your friend Anil (Ambani). YOU are solely responsible for the delay in the arrival of the Rafale jets. YOU are WHY brave IAF pilots like Wing Cdr. Abhinandan, are risking their lives flying outdated jets", Mr Gandhi tweeted. Rahul Gandhi's tweet was in response to Modi's earlier remarks that the Congress' opposition to the 36-aircraft deal with France had led to a delay in delivery of the fighter jets that left the Indian Air Force in the lurch during last week's confrontation with Pakistan over the air strikes on alleged Jaish-e Mohammad camps in Balakot. In the aerial clashes that erupted between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of a 14 February suicide attack on an Indian paramilitary convoy killing at least 40 soldiers, the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter jet using its MiG-21 Bison on 27 February. Unfortunately, the MiG-21 Bison was also downed during the dogfight. Meanwhile, on Monday the IAF stated that it will induct the French-made Rafale fighter jet from September this year. Indian opposition leaders have been alleging major corruption in the $8.7 billion deal for purchase of 36 fighter jet for the Indian Air Force that was signed in 2016 under government-to-government negotiation. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India, Russia to Sign $3.3Bln Nuclear Submarine Deal on 7 March - Report Sputnik News 13:56 04.03.2019(updated 13:57 04.03.2019) Sources told Sputnik that one of the several incomplete Soviet-era Akula hulls mothballed at the Zvezdochka shipyard in Severodvinsk would undergo a deep refit and rebuild, to be fitted with Indian sensors, operation room electronics, and communication equipment before being delivered to India in or before 2025. New Delhi (Sputnik): India and Russia are poised to sign an inter-governmental agreement facilitating the Indian Navy to lease another Akula-class nuclear submarine for ten years. The deal is likely to be signed on 7 March 2019, according to an Economic Times report. The vessel will be ready by 2025 after an extensive building programme on mothballed hulls at a Russian shipyard. "The Indian Navy wants to have the intended submarine by 2023 but the modernisation of the submarine to meet India's needs including that of torpedoes and land-attack missiles will take more time", a person familiar with the development told Sputnik. The deal, worth around $3.3 billion, will be the biggest deal since October 2018, when the two countries signed a $5.43 billion deal for five units of S-400 air missile and defence systems. On 5 December 2018, Sputnik reported that the proposal to acquire another Akula-class submarine had acquired all major clearances from the Indian Defence Ministry after an Indian naval delegation inspected two Akula-class submarines, the Bratsk and the Samara, to select the one to be leased. Subsequently, during the three-day meeting (18-21 February) of the Indo-Russian Intergovernmental Committee on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC), they discussed the various aspects related to the acquisition in Kochi, India. The Indian Navy had been negotiating for a second Akula-class submarine for several years. In 2015, however, the service temporarily switched its preference to the more advanced Project 885/885M Yasen-class SSN, one of which was commissioned by the Russian Navy in mid-2014. A further five to seven Yasen-class submarines were on order for the Russian Navy and the Indian Navy wanted its technicians to be involved in their construction. At present, the Indian Navy has a total of 13 conventional submarines plus one domestically-produced Arihant-class nuclear submarine and one Russian Akula-class submarine on lease. The Indian Defence Ministry believes that more than 24 submarines are needed to counter the growing influence of China in the Indian Ocean Region. The Indian Defence Ministry, on 4 February this year, also approved a P-75I project which is meant to build six conventional submarines at an Indian shipyard with the help of foreign shipbuilders. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Putin suspends Russia's participation in INF over US 'violations' Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 07:02PM Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that suspends his country's participation in the landmark Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), a key Cold War-era nuclear arms-control agreement with the United States, over US "violations," the Kremlin says. According to the text of the decree, posted on the Kremlin's official website on Monday, the Russian leader suspended the INF until the US stops violating the bilateral treaty, the first of its kind to eliminate an entire class of missiles. Putin also ordered the Russian Foreign Ministry to inform signatories to the INF of Russia's move. Moscow said there were two major complaints. One is that the US's use of intermediate-range missiles in the development of anti-missile technology clearly means that Washington is deploying and testing INF-banned missiles. The second is the creation of AEGIS Ashore by the US, a ground-based version of the naval system, which can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles in addition to missile interceptors, and hence, violates the treaty. The decree says, however, that the INF would be revived if Washington "eliminates its earlier violations of its obligations" under the pact. Otherwise it will simply expire and cease to exist. Last month, Moscow announced that it was withdrawing from the accord after Washington launched the six-month process to leave the pact over purported violations by Russia, which strongly denies and accuses Washington of breaking the accord itself. The US rejects the allegations. US President Donald Trump said on October 20, 2018 that Washington would withdraw from the INF, which was signed towards the end of the Cold War in 1987 by then American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. It came into force in 1988. Gorbachev said at the time that US decision to ditch the Cold War-era nuclear weapons agreement with Russia could lead to the collapse of the current non-proliferation mechanism. The treaty banned all land-based missiles with ranges of 310 to 3,420 miles and included missiles carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads. The original ban between Moscow and Washington led to the elimination of 2,692 missiles. The Cold War-era treaty, which rid Europe of land-based nuclear missiles, has also come into question against a backdrop of renewed tensions between the West and Russia. Moscow's relations with the West have remained tense over the Ukrainian crisis, the foreign-sponsored war in Syria and the allegations of Russian interference in the US presidential poll in 2016. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin Officially Suspends Russia's Participation In INF Treaty With U.S. By RFE/RL March 04, 2019 The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree suspending Russia's participation in a key Cold War-era nuclear arms-control agreement with the United States. The Russian move, announced on March 4, mirrored a step by the United States, which accuses Moscow of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and launched a six-month process of withdrawal from the pact in early February. The bilateral INF Treaty, the first of its kind to eliminate an entire class of missiles, banned both countries from developing, producing, and deploying ground-launched cruise or ballistic missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. But Washington and NATO have repeatedly accused Moscow of violating the accord by developing the 9M729 cruise missile, also known as the SSC-8. Russia has denied that, and accused the United States of breaking the accord itself, allegations rejected by Washington. According to the text of his decree placed on the Kremlin's website, Putin ordered the INF Treaty be suspended until Washington stops violating the accord and told the Foreign Ministry to inform signatories to the accord of Moscow's move. In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia should return to compliance with the INF Treaty, which he called a "cornerstone for European security for decades." The bilateral INF Treaty, the first of its kind to eliminate an entire class of missiles, banned both countries from developing, producing, and deploying ground-launched cruise or ballistic missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Washington and NATO have repeatedly accused Moscow of violating the accord by developing the 9M729 cruise missile, also known as the SSC-8. Moscow has accused the United States in turn that it wanted to abandon the pact so it can start a new arms race. The 9M729 missiles that Russia has deployed were in "clear and blatant violation" of the INF Treaty, Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. "We will take our time, we will be measured, we will be united and coordinated," he said of NATO's response, adding that the Western military alliance has no "intention of deploying new ground-launched nuclear weapons in Europe." Putin's order came as U.S. General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russia's General Staff, met in Vienna. Calling the talks "constructive," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the two generals had discussed issues related to missile defense and arms-control treaties. Gerasimov and Dunford also exchanged views on the situation in Syria, and stressed the importance of "continued interaction on incident prevention," it said. Relations between the United States and Russia are strained over a variety of other issues, including Moscow's aggression in Ukraine, its alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election, and its involvement in Syria's civil war. Russia has provided crucial support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's seven-year civil war, while the United States supports rebel groups. However, the two countries' militaries have warned each other of planned air operations in Syria to avoid contact, and Dunford and Gerasimov have met periodically as the sides attempted to ease tensions and restore communications. Their previous meeting took place in June. Besides Syria, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs said that Dunford and Gerasimov "exchanged views on the state of U.S.-Russia military relations and the current international security situation in Europe and other key topics." The two military leaders also discussed "efforts to improve operational safety and strategic stability between the U.S. and Russian militaries," the spokesman, Colonel Patrick Ryder, said in a statement. He added that both generals "recognize the importance of maintaining regular communication to avoid miscalculation and to promote transparency and deconfliction in areas where our militaries are operating in close proximity." With reporting by dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin- officially-suspends-russia-s-participation-in-inf- treaty-with-u-s-/29802816.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin Orders to Suspend INF Treaty Until US Stops Violating Deal Sputnik News 17:34 04.03.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on the suspension of Russia's participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), the Kremlin press service reported on Monday. "I order to suspend the implementation of the Treaty between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America on the elimination of their medium-range and shorter-range missiles from December 8, 1987 until the United States rectifies violations of its commitments under the said Treaty or until its termination," the decree says. The United States, in turn, formally suspended its obligations under the INF Treaty on 2 February, also accusing Russia of breaching the treaty, and triggered a six-month withdrawal process. Russia denied the claim, accusing Washington of violations of the bilateral agreement. The treaty bans all ground-launched missiles, conventional or nuclear, with ranges of 310 to 3,400 miles. Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that all of Russia's earlier proposals remained on the table. However, he instructed the country's authorities to not initiate any new talks with Washington on the matter. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia May Deploy Missiles With Range Across Europe if US Puts Such Arms in Area Sputnik News 00:33 05.03.2019(updated 00:36 05.03.2019) WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russia may be forced to deploy missiles capable of striking the entire European continent if the United States deploys such weapons in the region, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said during remarks at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC. "We are very much concerned that after the decision of the United States to withdraw from INF, missiles could be deployed on the territory of European allies," Antonov said on Monday. "We will be forced to deploy our missiles, and here you will see that the whole territory of European countries will be covered." Russian Ambassador to the United States also said that the United States and Russia are destined to cooperate in combating terrorism. "Many times on many occasions we tried to persuade our American colleagues to cooperate together," Antonov said. "I am sure that we are doomed for cooperation in this sphere." The US State Department said in December that Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Vladimirovich Syromolotov agreed during talks in Vienna that US and Russian experts would meet in the future to discuss whether further cooperation on counterterrorism is possible. Relations between the United States and Russia have been at what officials from both nations have characterized as the lowest point since the Cold War. The deterioration in relations follows Washington's allegations that Moscow had interfered in the 2016 US presidential election. Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying they were invented to excuse an election defeat of a presidential candidate as well as deflect public attention from actual instances of election fraud and corruption. In recent months, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and US Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon have carried out several rounds of talks on strategic stability, improvement of bilateral relations and issues related to Russian diplomatic property in the United States during their meetings. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian army attacks militant posts in Hama to avenge troops' deaths Iran Press TV Mon Mar 4, 2019 04:50PM Syrian government forces, backed by allied fighters from popular defense groups, have carried out a major mop-up operation against foreign-backed Takfiri militants in the country's west-central province of Hama to avenge troop casualties during a recent ambush by the extremists. Syria's official news agency SANA reported on Monday that Syrian soldiers and their allies pounded the positions of Kata'ib al-Ezza (Brigades of Glory) terrorists in al-Lataminah town, located 39 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Hama, killing a large number of the Takfiris. Earlier, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 20 Syrian soldiers had been killed on Sunday morning, when foreign-sponsored militants attacked their positions in Hama. The Britain-based group added that the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Tawhid terror group was behind the attack. Later in the day, an unnamed official at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates strongly condemned the terror attack, saying it came "as a new episode in a series of the terrorist groups' violations of the de-escalation zone agreement." Under a deal reached following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on September 17, 2018, all militants in a demilitarized zone that surrounds Idlib and also parts of the adjacent provinces of Aleppo and Hama were supposed to pull out heavy arms by October 17 last year, and Takfiri groups had to withdraw by October 15. The new attack is regarded as a flagrant violation of the demilitarized zone by terrorists. Syria "will not stand idly by while such crimes continue to take place, as it will not allow the terrorists and those behind them to persist in their attacks against innocent citizens and the forces of the Syrian Arab Army," the Syrian official stressed. The official also reaffirmed the preparedness of the Syrian army in confronting such crimes, stressing Damascus's right "to defend its sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and the safety of its citizens all over Syrian territory." Syrian army foils militant attack in Latakia Meanwhile, Syrian army soldiers have thwarted a militant attack in the country's western coastal province of Latakia. SANA reported that the extremists sought to attack military positions in the northern countryside of the province, which prompted the Syrian army to respond. Two Syrian soldiers were wounded and many terrorists killed during the hour-long gun battle. Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish Armed Forces Neutralized 1,149 Terrorists in 2018 - Reports Sputnik News 03:36 05.03.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Turkish Armed Forces' Gendarmerie General Command (GGC) neutralized 1,149 terrorists in 2018, according to an annual report released on Monday, local media reported. According to the annual GGC report, cited by the Turkish Anadolu Agency, 600 terrorists were captured dead last year, 24 injured, 403 captured alive and 122 voluntarily surrendered. The GGC carried out a total of 97,361 counter-terrorism operations in 2018 and seized 827 infantry rifles, 45 machine guns, 74 rocket launchers, 14 anti-aircraft weapons and 22.4 tonnes of explosives, the report added. The report also said that 112 officers and 18 civilians had been killed in the 223 terrorist attacks that took place in the areas under the gendarmerie's jurisdiction last year. The GGC is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for the maintenance of public order in areas outside of the police's jurisdiction. In addition, specially-trained GGC commando units carry out anti-terrorist operations. Turkey has been conducting anti-terrorism operations in its southern provinces against militant insurgents linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Turkey has named a terrorist organization, for over 30 years. Last month, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar expressed Ankara's intention to extend the nation's counter-terrorism operations across the border to Syria and Iraq in order to secure the border and eradicate the threat of terrorism. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Ukraine March 4, 2019 On March 6, 2014, by Executive Order 13660, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of persons that undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets. On March 16, 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13661, which expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, and found that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation with respect to Ukraine undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets. On March 20, 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13662, which further expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, as expanded in scope in Executive Order 13661, and found that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation, including its purported annexation of Crimea and its use of force in Ukraine, continue to undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets. On December 19, 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13685, to take additional steps to address the Russian occupation of the Crimea region of Ukraine. On September 20, 2018, the President issued Executive Order 13849, to take additional steps to implement certain statutory sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation. The actions and policies addressed in these Executive Orders continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared on March 6, 2014, and the measures adopted on that date, on March 16, 2014, on March 20, 2014, on December 19, 2014, and on September 20, 2018, to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2019. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660. This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress. DONALD J. TRUMP THE WHITE HOUSE, March 4, 2019. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain An analysis by JATO Dynamics has found that average new vehicle CO 2 emissions in European increased in 2018, with the total average increasing by 2.4 g/km to 120.5 g/km in 2018the highest average of the last four years. The analysis covered 23 markets in Europe and found a direct correlation between diesel car registrations and average CO2 emissions. With increased negative public perception towards diesels, combined with new government regulations such as WLTP and scrutiny of the fuel type, demand for diesel fell by 18% in 2018. The introduction of WLTP in September 2018 has been a challenge for the market, as a large number of available vehicles had not been homologated yet. The increase in CO 2 is certainly worrying and bad news for governments and most carmakers. Instead of moving forwards, the industry is regressing at a time when emissions targets are getting tougher. Felipe Munoz, JATOs global analyst The total value of CO2 emissions was on a steady decline from 2007, but started to slowdown in 2016 as the fall reduced from -4.1 g/km in 2015 to -1.4 g/km. At the same time, the sales growth of diesel cars fell from +7% to +1%. This trend was confirmed in 2017 with the first average CO 2 emission increase in years of 0.3 g/km, and an 8% drop in demand for diesel cars. Last year saw an even greater variation between demand for diesel (-18%) and an increase in CO 2 emissions (+2.4 g/km). JATO attributes the main cause of the emissions increase last year to the downturn in demand for diesel. The average emissions for diesel cars continued to be lower than their gasoline counterparts (3.2 g/km). The positive effect of diesel cars on emissions has faded away as their demand has dropped dramatically during the last year. If this trend continues and the adoption of alternative fueled vehicles doesnt accelerate, the industry will need to take more drastic measures in order to meet the short- term targets. Felipe Munoz Although the demise of diesel has certainly had an impact on emissions, it wasnt the sole cause. The arrival of new SUVs last year, including the launch of 16 new models, paired with an increase in demand for the car type also contributed to the overall increase of average CO 2 emissions in Europe. The emissions averages for SUVs worsened by 1.4 g/km, and the SUV segment counted for 35% of passenger car registrations last yearthe only segment to post a positive change in 2018. The SUV average was the fourth highest and was only surpassed by small segments in terms of volume: sport cars, luxury sedans and vans. In contrast, the lowest emission segments (city-cars and subcompacts) posted a decline in registrations of 1.5%. In other words, consumers in Europe are opting for the vehicles with the highest emissions, so the industrys growth is taking place at the expense of higher emissions. The shift in fuel type from diesel to gasolinecombined with an increase in registrations in the SUV segmentis crucial to understanding the change in CO 2 emissions. The correlation between the decline in demand for diesel cars and the increase in CO 2 emissions was most evident when analyzing the data by country. Only three countries saw improvements in CO 2 emissions: Norway, Netherlands and Finland. In Norway, the growing popularity of electric and hybrid cars (57% market share) was large enough to absorb the drop posted by diesel cars (-28%). In the Netherlands, the improvement was due to an increase in demand for AFVs (+74%) which counted for 11% of the total market. However, this market is still strongly dependent on gasoline cars, which make up 76% of the market. The worst performance was seen in the UK, which has carried out one of the most aggressive campaigns against diesel. At a brand level, Toyota was once again the leader among the top-sellers and posted an average below 100 g/km for the first time since tracking of the average CO 2 emissions began. Last year, 60% of its registrations were within the hybrid range. Toyota was also one of only five brands that posted an improvement in comparison to 2017, with emissions falling by 1.4 g/km. This is mostly due to the good commercial performance of the Toyota C-HR and its fuel type mix. Nissan saw the most improvement thanks to the strong performance of the LEAF, which became Europes top-selling electric car in 2018. At the same time, its top sellers (mostly SUVs) recorded registrations drops. The Volkswagen Group Components brand will be showcasing the near-series design study of its flexible quick charging station at the Geneva Motor Show. With compact dimensions, it can be installed wherever there is demand or where there is still no charging infrastructure. Connected to the grid or even off-grid, the station can charge up to four electric cars simultaneously, based on the principle of a power bank, two with DC quick charging. The charging station can be used as interim storage for eco-power; however, when connected to the mains power grid, it becomes a permanent charging point. Series production will start from 2020 onwards in Germany at the companys Hanover site. The flexible quick charging station has a charging capacity of up to 360 kWh, and supports a charging capacity of 100 kW. When the energy content of the battery built into the charging station falls below a defined value, the depleted charging station is simply replaced by a charged one. By contrast, when it is permanently connected to the mains power grid, the battery pack continuously and independently recharges itself. The near-series design study shows the compact dimensions of the charging station: with a footprint of only 120x100 cm, it can be positioned almost anywhere, a factor that will enable vehicles to be charged at almost any site in futurein the city, at festivals, at a stadium or at any other events wherever they may be. If the station is charged with renewably generated electricity whether solar or wind energy, the new charging station allows renewable power to be temporarily stored, making electric mobility CO 2 -neutral. Countries that feed a high proportion of renewably generated power into the grid, in particular, will be able to store a percentage of this energy using this charging station. At the same time, the interim storage of energy relieves pressure on the mains power grid at peak times. The charging station is based on the Volkswagen Groups Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) and is designed to use its cell modules. Apart from the benefit of being scaled up to different capacity levels, the charging station will provide a second life for batteries from electric vehicles. The first flexible quick charging stations will be installed in a pilot project in the first six months of 2019 in Volkswagen AGs headquarters city of Wolfsburg and will underpin the set-up of a charging infrastructure in the city. Series production of the first quick charging stations will start from 2020 at the companys Hanover site. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) I had unprotected sex with a man I met during one night out, after eight tequila shots to be exact. He didnt come anywhere near me, so I felt safe. I was not on birth control pills, however, so to be sure, I took four Yasmin pills at 5 p.m. the following day and another four tablets of Yasmin 12 hours later. This four-and-four birth control tablet-taking is known to be an alternative for Plan B since the actual Plan B tablet is not available in the Philippines. This method is said to be most effective when done within 72 hours after unprotected sex. For the unfamiliar, the Plan B pill is a morning-after pill that is meant to lower your chance of getting pregnant after engaging in unprotected sex. Emergency contraceptives are already available in most countries, which women can get over-the-counter or without needing prescription, depending on the nations laws. The Philippines is joined by countries like North Korea, UAE, Sudan, East Timor, and Western Sahara, among others, in the list of countries where morning-after pills are outlawed. After a bit of research, sifting through online forums, reddit, WebMD, and all other not entirely reputable websites, I read one user saying that Yasmin used as a four-and-four emergency pill is not backed by research, and only certain birth control pills (those with the hormones ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel; Yasmin had drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol) can be used for this method. In the 70s, when emergency pills were not yet available, women all over would use this method, which they called the Yuzpe method. But again, it is only effective when taking certain brands. In the Philippines, according to my friends and friends who are doctors, what can be used for the Yuzpe method are Trust pills. After learning that Yasmin may not be effective, I panicked. I suddenly retraced every sexual position that boy and I had. I wrote every single detail of where his penis was based on my memory: in my mouth, inside my vagina, around my hand, in my mouth, on my face, inside my vagina, around my hand. My neurosis went a little bit too far that I convinced myself I might be pregnant. I knew I had to do something about the situation so I self-diagnosed (not recommended) and thought that maybe if I take 12 tablets of Trust pills I would be safe. So I did. And then the next day, in a wave of new panic, I took another, and then another. After five days, I would have already taken 32 pills thanks to my growing paranoia. I cried almost everyday, I was almost always dazed at work and would walk around the city staring at nothing in particular. I felt helpless but also firm in my knowledge that a baby at this point in my life was not what I wanted, much less needed. I called a friend whos a doctor and told her what happened. I asked if I should continue taking birth control pills everyday since I was still sort of seeing the boy. She told me that I should take it normally, which is one pill a day. Essentially, I had 32 pills in my system and then started taking one pill a day. Again, to be really safe. Two weeks later, I felt so many changes in my body. My breasts were heavier, I felt bloated, I think I may have seen spotting at some point (sometimes Im not sure anymore if I was being delusional). I took a pregnancy test but it was too early for the test to show any credible conclusion. But just to appease myself, I took a pregnancy test every single day. Im pretty sure the lady at the pharmacy thought I was too eager to have a baby because I would always buy one with a big smile on my face to hide my anxiety. Ten pregnancy tests later, my breasts were starting to feel really tender and so I was convinced I had a fetus growing in my uterus. At this point, I knew I didnt want to have a baby and I also knew I needed to know the next steps for terminating the pregnancy. It may sound as though it was an easy resolve, but trust me, I cried almost everyday, I was almost always dazed at work and would walk around the city staring at nothing in particular. I felt helpless but also firm in my knowledge that a baby at this point in my life was not what I wanted, much less needed. Abortion it is, I thought. Every night before sleeping, I read stories online of how women went through with it, what they felt afterwards, and how they coped with it. I looked at lists of celebrities who have owned their abortions and thought maybe I can also be like them, be an advocate someday. I chanced upon the website womenonwaves.org, which is a Dutch organization that assists women who want abortions across the globe. They have another website called womenonweb.org where they detail support systems that women can get in their home countries from womens rights groups to women-centric health clinics. Their service also includes sending abortive pills to countries where it is not available. I clicked on the Philippines and there came a deluge of stories from Filipinas who shared their experiences. Theres one story where she got her abortive pills through this website, and did the procedure alone in her apartment. Theres one story saying that she got an abortion with the help of a local nonprofit group. Theres another story about aborting herself through herbs, massaging, and other methods. The Filipinas had different ways and tales, but they almost all felt the same: confused, helpless, guilty, sad, fearful. I once went to an OB-GYN at a prominent medical center here and it was as though even talking about contraceptive pills was appalling. I could sense the doctors judgment when I asked about copper IUD as an emergency method. I dont recommend it, she said bluntly and moved on. It is heart-wrenching to read their confessions, the struggles and dark depths that women have to go through just to have a choice, not made easier by the conditioned guilt and shame. I, for one, even if I wasnt sure if I were indeed pregnant, pictured all the judgment, the brokenheartedness that I felt I had to feel because I planned to terminate a pregnancy. I went so far as feeling that maybe I am evil and that I was just meant to rot in hell. This whole ordeal was even more torturous because I didnt know who to talk to because again of the shame, the crippling embarrassment of feeling stupid enough to not use a condom, and of feeling callous enough to resolve to have an abortion. I wanted a plan in place. I told myself that the moment I miss my period and I test positive, I wanted to know the exact next steps so I could just be on autopilot and get on with it. After finding Women On Waves, I listed down my options: Plan A: Go to all the health clinics that were listed on the website and hope that they can point me towards a safe abortionist. I read that there is a group of underground doctors who do this work. Plan B: Buy the abortive pills online. The website looks sketchy but the information on how to DIY abortion via pills is well-detailed. Plan C: Go to Cambodia, to Marie Stopes International hospital to be exact, and do the procedure there. Its legal in Cambodia and I should be taken care of properly by those trained for it. A big con obviously is the cost of having to go there. Plan A was a dud, but mainly because I got so scared and ashamed. I called one of the organizations listed on womenonwaves.org, then asked if I could be assisted regarding a query I had about emergency pills (I was so terrified to even ask about abortion). This womens organization then referred me to a clinic (which happen to also be on the Women on Waves website). I went to one of the health clinics and told them about the excess pills I took.. The people in the clinic were very accommodating. I didnt feel judged at all. I once went to an OB-GYN at a prominent medical center here and it was as though even talking about contraceptive pills was appalling. I could sense the doctors judgment when I asked about copper IUD as an emergency method. I dont recommend it, she said bluntly and moved on. This health clinic, however, was very patient with me. I felt safe talking about every single thing that happened with the guy and my worry of being pregnant. I was hoping the suggestion of an abortion will come from them, from one of the nurses, but of course, the A word didnt come out from either of our mouths. After that encounter, I thought that getting any Filipino organization or individual is probably a bad idea. Its just an added anxiety to me what are they thinking about my decision? Should I get an abortion, will they tell anybody? Why should I trust them? So I proceeded to work on Plan B, the website selling abortive pills. What happens is you message the number they advertise on their website about your request. I asked how much it cost to buy Misopostrol and Mifepristone, and then they quickly replied for me to answer the following questions: last menstruation, first pregnancy, allergies to medications, illness that they need to know, my age, and pregnancy results. I started thinking about how ridiculous it is that Ive had to go through all of this just to have a procedure that is readily available in other countries, in countries that can give emotional support as well to women who may simply not be ready to become mothers. I told them I didnt have pregnancy results yet and asked if I should confirm that I was really pregnant. They didnt reply. Were they sick of paranoid and neurotic women like me? Who knows. And so I moved to Plan C, as in Plan Cambodia. Marie Stopes International is an internationally renowned organization that support women who want to undergo an abortion. I emailed them about my case and they responded promptly with a form that I should fill up that would help them know what the best method for me is. Usually, if youre 4 weeks in or less, theyll just use abortive pills. More than 6 weeks in and thats when they use the surgical procedure the kind of abortion that our Catholic schools let us see photos and videos of when we were in high school to really show us that it looks like a murder of a child. It costs US$150 for the procedure, or 7,500, but of course that excludes the plane ride which, when I checked, was around 15,000 for a roundtrip. I also needed to take into consideration food, transport, and lodging costs for a couple of days. Overall, I would have had to prepare at least 30,000 to be safe. Another cost is that I would have had to return to Cambodia two weeks after the procedure for a follow-up checkup thats another plane ride and another couple of days in another country, so lets say 60,000. I was set to spend that much though and Im lucky enough to have that amount ready. I knew I was in an extremely privileged position of even knowing I had options. I started thinking about how ridiculous it is that Ive had to go through all of this just to have a procedure that is readily available in other countries, in countries that can give emotional support as well to women who may simply not be ready to become mothers. I started feeling incredibly sorry and angry for the many women in the Philippines whose lives had to be in danger because they dont have plans A, B, or C; for the many Filipinas whove had to endure being told what they should do with their bodies by judgmental OB-GYNs, by men in power, by our health system, by Catholic schools, by the law, by friends, by their own families. All of this paranoia happened within the span of two weeks. I was expecting my period on the first day of October and as if on cue, blood came rushing out my vagina first thing in the morning of that day. I bought another pregnancy kit and tested negative. The thought of being actually pregnant and getting an abortion scared me out of my wits and threw me into the deepest depths of anxiety. I cant imagine what it must feel like for those whove had to go through with an abortion in a country where medical and psychological support is scarce and hypocrisy and judgment is aplenty. WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats are likely to request 10 years of President Donald Trump's tax returns in coming weeks, tailoring their inquiry in a way they hope will survive a court battle, according to lawmakers and others involved in the discussions. The exact parameters of the request are still in flux, including whether to seek tax returns related to Trump's many business enterprises in addition to his personal returns. But Democrats led by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., along with congressional lawyers, are in the advanced stages of preparing the request. They're relying on a 1924 law that gives chairmen of House and Senate tax-writing committees broad powers to demand the tax returns of White House officials. They said they are being deliberate so as not to make a mistake that jeopardizes the investigation. "If we had done this a month and a half ago, we would not be prepared, we would be falling on our face, and we'd be looking at the rationale for what we're doing," said Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., who along with other Democrats has pushed for congressional action to get at the tax returns practically since Trump took office. "Would I have liked it to go faster? I started two years ago. Yes, of course." Pascrell, a member of Neal's committee, would not give an estimate for when the inquiry could come, but he said he is advocating for a sweeping request for records, including personal and business tax filings, in search of a comprehensive view of Trump's compliance with the law. As House Democrats begin to roll out probes of the Trump administration on multiple fronts, some lawmakers say Trump's tax returns could contain information critical to many of their inquiries and, as such, could become the linchpin of their oversight responsibilities and the focus of one of the most important court fights they will wage. Trump has made clear to associates that he has no plans to allow Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to turn over his personal tax records, according to three people who have been briefed on the discussions and spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, said it was premature for the president and his legal team to decide how to respond to a request for his tax returns until one is formally made. But he warned House Democrats against overreach and "creating a circus." "I can't say yet" what the president and his lawyers would do, Giuliani said. "You face it when it becomes an issue, and that would deserve a lot of legal consideration." The 1924 law does not appear to give Mnuchin much flexibility to deny a congressional request - it says he "shall" turn over the records. But if he refused, Democrats would probably try to compel Mnuchin to comply by filing a lawsuit in federal court. That could drag the process out for months or more than a year, which could be one of Trump's primary legal strategies, particularly if he thinks Republicans might retake control of the House of Representatives in the 2020 elections. "What the president will do is: He will, first of all, respond grudgingly and slowly. They will then negotiate," said former House speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. "They will be subpoenaed. They will take that all the way to the Supreme Court." George Yin, a former chief of staff for Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation, said there is no precedent for a treasury secretary to refuse to comply with a congressional request for tax returns, but if the matter goes to court, Democrats could be forced to prove that the inquiry is part of Congress' "lawmaking function or its oversight responsibilities." Congressional leaders have never used the 1924 law to seek the tax returns of a sitting U.S. president, but no president in recent history has refused to voluntarily disclose his tax returns. House Democrats included a new requirement for presidential candidates to release 10 years' worth of personal tax returns in legislation on campaign finance and government ethics that they plan to pass this week, although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has made clear he won't take up the bill. During the 2016 campaign, Trump gave a variety of reasons that he would not release his tax returns. One of the most prominent was his claim that the returns were being audited by the Internal Revenue Service and that he would release them when that process was over. He repeated that claim in November, after Democrats won the midterm elections. "Nobody turns over a return when it's under audit," he said during a news conference. But that characterization came into question last week, when Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, told a House committee that his understanding was that Trump didn't release his tax returns for a much different reason. "What he didn't want is to have an entire group of think tanks that are tax experts run through his tax return and start ripping it to pieces, and then he'll end up in an audit, and he'll ultimately have taxable consequences, penalties and so on," Cohen said, adding, "I presume that he is not under audit." In 2017, Mnuchin told a congressional committee that he didn't know whether Trump's tax returns were being audited, because "I don't have access to that, that's within the IRS. I don't have access to specific taxpayer-level information." Steve Moore, who was an economic adviser to Trump during the 2016 campaign, said he advised Trump to "never, ever, ever, ever release his tax returns." Moore said Democrats tried to make an issue of Trump's refusal to release the returns during the campaign, but Trump's victory in the election should serve as validation that voters aren't particularly interested in what the returns say. "It would be a total abuse of power and a violation of Donald Trump's right of privacy," Moore said. Democrats have said they want to review Trump's tax returns to see whether there is evidence of conflicts of interest, inappropriate business relationships or improper influence by foreign governments. They're also looking to understand the precise impact of the 2017 tax cuts on his personal finances, as well as whether he used inappropriate or illegal tax schemes in the past. "There's always a legitimate reason to look at your president's tax returns," said Janice Mays, a managing director of PwC who spent 40 years on the House Ways and Means Committee as a Democratic aide. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, another member of the Ways and Means Committee, said Democrats must move as quickly as possible because he believes it will take a long time to review the tax returns once they are provided. "If the desire is to get this information and have it be properly analyzed, it's essential action be taken immediately," he said in an interview. Neal's office declined to comment. Ashley Etienne, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Ways and Means is consulting with other committees to make sure House lawmakers "present the strongest possible case." But Gingrich said he believes the inquiry is part of a desperate attempt by Democrats to try to bring Trump down after previous efforts and investigations failed. He said Democrats are trying to throw the "kitchen sink" at the White House because they have been unable to prove that Trump colluded with the Russian government in the run-up to the 2016 election, among other things. Gingrich said that even if Democrats were able to obtain the documents, they would be required under law to keep them confidential, something he believes would prove impossible for Democrats to do. "Is there anybody in Washington who believes it will not be leaked?" he said. House Democrats could vote to publicly release the records, but that could force them to explain what the precise legislative purpose would be for such a move. Mnuchin has said he would review any congressional inquiry regarding tax returns but has not committed to turning over any records. He could be pressed to explain his rationale as soon as next week, though, when he's expected to testify before Neal's committee. A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday suggested a majority of Americans believe Trump should release his tax returns and that Congress should investigate the matter if he doesn't provide the records. - - - The Washington Post's Philip Rucker contributed to this report. A political crisis might be brewing for Gov. Ned Lamont as some Democratic members of the Senate say theyll oppose David Lehman to head economic development and many remain undecided even if Senate President Pro-Tem Martin Looney supports the nomination. Lehman hails from Goldman Sachs, where he was a partner and head of global real estate finance until he volunteered to join the Lamont administration. That doesnt sit well with liberals and populists, since Goldman and Lehman himself had a profound role in the mortgage meltdown of 2007-08. I cannot in good conscience support an individual who has been involved as a participant in the creation of that economic disaster, Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, said Monday his first full business day in the General Assembly after a special election victory. The problem for Lehman and Lamont is not that this or that senator opposes the nomination; no, its deeper than that. Its about a nasty set of fault lines within the party about how to handle a host of econonmic issues. And its about Lamonts ability to fill a key commissioners post at a time when many Democrats say he needs to tax the rich, rather than the middle class, and stop the states longtime practice of kowtowing to big corporations. Its too strong to say Lehmans nomination is in jeopardy, as all six Senate Democrats on the nominations committee voted to advance his name last Tuesday, after a 2-hour hearing. Still, Lamont and his top aides, and Lehman, are having to pay more than the usual number of courtesy calls on skeptical Democrats in the Senate, where Lehmans confirmation could come up for a vote as soon as next week. Looney, a New Haven Democrat, said hes been approached by several Senate Democrats who see the connection to Goldman Sachs as being so toxic that they cant support Lehman. Somebody said, This would be like having someone considered for a high-level banking position who had been an employee of Jesse James or John Dillinger, Looney told me Monday morning. He declined to name any of the opponents. That characterization of Lehman is harsh considering how many forces came together to foment the housing meltdown a dozen years ago. Goldman Sachs is not the bank that approved millions of mortgages to people who didnt have the income to qualify, and Goldman Sachs is not the bank, not directly anyway, that inflated a speculative bubble sending home prices to unsustainable levels. Still, its true that the gold-plated investment bank started betting against mortgage-backed securities as early as December, 2006, and continued selling packaged home loans, collecting on other financial institutions losses while accepting a federal bailout. And Lehman was, before his 30th birthday, the co-chief of structured finance, the Goldman arm that created some of the complex instruments the bank deployed. Looney, in my column Monday, said Lehmans background warrants extra investigation. But he said hes inclined to support Lamonts prerogative to name his own economic development team, absent any new findings that contradict what Lehman has said. In a normal year, that might be enough to win the day for a new governor. But this year, were looking at tolls, Lamonts proposed $500 million expansion of the sales tax, a bitter, regional battle over gambling, marijuana legalization and health care reform most of which leave the Democrats less than unified. Some believe incorrectly that as a Wall Street veteran dealmaker, Lehman favors handouts to corporations. And some believe incorrectly that his experience is limited to the sorts of high-tension securities trading we see in Hollywood. In fact, Lehman has broader experience in public infrastructure and real estate development deals, and believes strongly in building cities through a tech-friendly business climate. Heres the political problem: Lehman didnt fare well in a presentation to the House progressive caucus, which is loaded with Wall Street skeptics. That sent his nomination to the Senate rather than the House. And as far as I can tell, the Senate has no outspoken champion for the 41-year-old Greenwich resident. I believe the governor and Mr. Lehman himself need to sell the nomination, Looney said. With Republican votes included, its nearly certain Lehman would win the necessary 18 Senate votes for confirmation. But by tradition, if Looney doesnt have a majority of the 22 Democrats in favor, he could decline to bring the nomination to a vote. Looney wouldnt say how hed react if that were to happen. Im undecided, said Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, who met with Lehman last week and spoke with him by phone Monday. Other folks are where I am...We want to know why he wants the job. Anwar, too, said hes open to being persuaded by Lehman. My colleague Ken Dixon spoke with Tom Swan, an influential, progressive advocate as head of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group. I am not impressed, and Ive heard nothing from him that explains hows hes going to be about rebuilding the middle class, Swan told Dixon. Im not going to go out a limb on opposing him. Ned should be given a shot. But between this and tax policy, he has to make a lot more moves than Family and Medical Leave and a $15 minimum wage. Working people need to see real improvements in their lives. Regressive tax policies in budget arent a way to make that happen. See, theres the specter of rifts haunting Lamonts bid to install a commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development. I had a big fight with my girlfriend about it over the weekend, said Sen. Will Haskell, D-Westport a place whose Senator might automatically approve a Wall Streeter in different times. Who took which side? Haskell wouldnt say, adding that hes waiting to speak with Lehman, looking for strong answers to questions that came up in the Progressive Caucus. Lamont told Dixon on Friday that opponents are seeing the wrong picture after they googled Goldman Sachs and blamed them for the economic crisis. Theyre making a big mistake. This is an incredible young man...working his heart out to turn this state around. Lamont added, to Dixon, that blaming Lehman for gambling away the U.S. economy is a cheap shot from people who arent paying attention...Hes a guy that spent a lot of his life looking at the opportunity zones, focusing on economic development. If you want to get jobs here, hes the guy who can help us do it. Just the fact that Lamont is having to mount so ardent a defense of his man is a political lesson for the first-time state elected official. dhaar@hearstmediact.com HARTFORD Judicial Branch officials told members of the Appropriations Committee Monday that Gov. Ned Lamonts proposed Judicial Branch budget will jeopardize courthouse security and juvenile justice programs. Needless to say, the security of everyone who comes into our courthouses, the people who work there, the judges and especially the public, its an ongoing concern to provide adequate security for them, Chief Court Administrator Judge Patrick Carroll III said. Lamonts proposed budget cut $25 million from Carrolls $542 million request for the 2020 fiscal year and $33 million from his $562 million request in the 2021 fiscal year. If the committee and Lamonts office dont work with the agency to replace some of the cuts including $6.5 million designated to hire and train new judicial marshals and update other security measures, security at the courthouses would be in jeopardy, Carroll said. The branch recently underwent a security review which highlighted areas of concern, including the inability to hire and retain staff, Carroll said. We have a chronic shortage of judicial marshals, Carroll said. Although in this fiscal year the agency has graduated five judicial marshal training programs, the 100 marshals will barely close the gap when compared to the number of marshals who are expected to retire in the same period, Carroll said. Were looking at a net gain of 25 marshals after attrition, Carroll said. He also said the agency is expected to lose 80 to 100 marshals by next summer. Creative ways need to be found to help bridge the gap between the 850 marshals we need and the 660 we have on hand, Carroll said. He used the example of a recent confrontation in a courtroom at Bridgeport Superior Court between family members of a man accused of murder and the victims family of how a lack of marshals is creating security concerns. The three marshals in the courtroom were able to calm the emotional fracas by separating some of the individuals, he said. In the meantime, marshals from the metal detector at the doors to the courthouse, came running, leaving the entrance to the building unguarded. They did an excellent job, but it took 20 minutes to restore order, Carroll said. Someone with a malicious intent could have walked in undetected during the time frame, he added. We need to have more people to make sure that doesnt happen, he said. As part of the security upgrade, Carroll is proposing installing an electronic system at every courthouse that would automatically lock doors in the event of a similar melee or other issue. He also wants to hire one municipal or state police officer to be stationed at every courthouse to act as a deterrent. Carroll pointed out that under state statute 4-73(g), the Judicial Branch is an independent branch of government and not a budgeted agency or department of the Executive Branch, so Lamont doesnt have the authority to cut his budget request. He also acknowledged that the law didnt stipulate that the Judicial Branch would receive its entire request. Simply because I request the money, doesnt mean the Judicial Branch will get it, he said. But it does allow you (the committee) to see what I need and what I have asked for. The other area impacted by Lamonts budget is juvenile justice programming, he said. The Judicial Branch was given the authority last year to implement new programming aimed at keeping kids out of the criminal system. Those kids previously fell under the Department of Children and Families, which shuttered the Connecticut Juvenile Training School. But he noted that his branch was expected to provide the same type of programming without additional funding, while DCF received $50 million for serving the same population. Without $11.7 million Carroll allotted for juvenile justice programming, the Judicial Branch wont be able to successfully implement the responsibilities given to the agency to address delinquent youth. Carroll asked for $28.7 million to deal with the transfer but was given $17 million in Lamonts budget proposal. To be clear, we cannot provide the intensive community-based secure programming this population requires with the amount of funding the Governor has recommended, he said. The Judicial Branch foreclosure mediation program would be allowed to sunset rather than continue under Lamonts proposal, Carroll said. The program received 2,885 requests for mediation and completed 4,138 cases in 2018. Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, asked what would happen to the current cases if the program was allowed to sunset. The cases would be moved to court and the residents would lose their homes, Carroll said. I think its a good program, Winfield said. I think the state of Connecticut benefits as a whole from it. The Appropriations Committee has until late April early May to offer up their own spending package. GREENWICH The new building for New Lebanon School has been open to students for two weeks, but work at the site is ongoing. In late March, fences will be installed around the old school building in preparation for demolition. That work is expected to be completed into the summer break. Punch-list work for finishing details in the new school building will be scheduled for after school hours or on Saturdays. The town has received its fourth installment of reimbursements from the state of $3,495,815. That bring the total reimbursement for the school building to $15,738,167 to date. The total price tag for the new building is $37.3 million. The new building features 21 classrooms, three per grade from preschool through Grade 5, along with four rooms for art, music, and other instruction. Starting this month, two of the three preschool rooms have students enrolled. New Lebanon, an elementary International Baccalaureate magnet school for students from preschool to fifth grade, was built to accommodate a population in the school attendance area that had outgrown the walls of its old school. The additional space also provides for preschool classes and magnet seats, two components of the district racial balance plan. For years, the state Department of Education has cited the school for the racial imbalance in the student body, with a population of minority students that far exceeds the population of white students. The next generation school, equipped with flexible furniture and state-of-the-art technology, allows students to learn in many kinds of environments. The building is designed to meet the sustainability goals established by the Educational Specifications and to achieve a gold-level LEED rating from U.S. Green Building Council. jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com WASHINGTON - Since President Donald Trump's May announcement that the United States will pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, Europe has been stuck in the middle of the diplomatic dispute between Washington and Tehran, with European firms facing the wrath of U.S. sanctions if they maintain business links with Iran. Now, a Trump administration policy shift over a 1996 U.S. law on Cuba threatens to put European business interests at the heart of another geopolitical dispute. A section of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act allows Cuban Americans and other U.S. citizens to sue entities that use property confiscated by the Cuban government after the 1959 Cuban revolution. Every president since the law's passage has suspended that section - Title III - in large part because it could have international repercussions. Continuing to suspend Title III helped "minimize diplomatic friction with Europe in particular," said Peter Harrell, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. What would it mean if U.S. law allowed American citizens to take European companies to court? We may be about to find out. On Tuesday, the administration decided it would only partially suspend Title III. Effective March 19, U.S. citizens and companies that lay claim to Cuban property will be allowed to sue Cuban entities. The administration will continue to block lawsuits against foreign firms for now. But that decision, it said, will be re-evaluated after 30 days. The Trump administration's handling of the matter suggests that there is a "pretty decent likelihood that they're going to allow lawsuits against foreign firms," or at least those foreign firms partnering with Cuban entities in Cuba, eventually, Harrell said. An example, he said, could be a European hotel company partnering with a Cuban one, or "a European port operator that was involved in a cruise terminal in Cuba where the terminal was on expropriated property." These moves could have a big effect on business in Cuba. "If the Trump administration opened up lawsuits on foreign companies doing business with the Cuba restricted list, (it's) hard to see the European companies kind of wanting to continue that business," said Harrell, who was deputy assistant secretary of state for counter threat finance and sanctions in the Obama administration. The Trump administration's decision to break with precedent is "largely a function of who has access to the president," said Michael Dobson, of counsel in Morrison & Foerster's national security practice group. That includes, in particular, national security adviser John Bolton. "If it causes non-U.S. companies to second-guess their activities or add an additional risk premium to existing ventures or upcoming ventures - that seems part of a general pressure campaign aimed at what Ambassador Bolton called the 'troika of tyranny,' " said Dobson, a reference to Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. But Europeans - many of whom joined the United States in recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela after he declared himself the head of the crisis-hit country in late January - may not appreciate that, yet again, the United States has decided to tell other countries where they can do business. Part of the reason that Title III was suspended in the first place was that "the threat of these lawsuits has historically been extremely unpopular in Europe," Harrell said. "Much like the Trump administration is doing with secondary sanctions with Iran today - Europeans saw this as an affront to their sovereignty." "It's a pretty on-the-rocks relationship between the U.S. and Europe," Harrell said. If the Trump administration goes forward with this, he added, "it's going to be another irritant." If you're ever speaking with strangers at a networking event and want to identify the most successful person in the group, dont look to the "biggest" talker. Reason: The ability to keep quiet and listen to what others have to say is a common and critical trait of the most successful people out there. Related: 6 Communication Tips to Strengthen Your Company's Culture Listening, in fact, will open your mind to new ideas faster. Virgin founder and CEO Richard Branson said in this Entrepreneur video that he tended to move things along just by paying attention to what employees are saying. When people know that they are being heard, they feel more valued: 78 percent of people polled by PhoCusWright said they believed that a brand cares about them more if management responds to their online reviews. As an entrepreneur, you become used to speaking a lot. Im constantly telling people about my business, sharing ideas with my team and outlining business plans to the board and investors. Its sometimes hard to remember that its just as important to hear voices other than your own. Thats why I always keep in mind the following five tips, which help me be a better leader by listening. 1. Be the last to speak. When Nelson Mandela was young, he learned a valuable lesson from the gatherings where the leaders of his village discussed important matters. Despite the fact that Mandela's father was the tribal chief, the son couldn't help noticing that his father was always the last person to speak. As a leader, if you speak first, youre likely to affect what others believe. In that way, your team members may naturally align their thinking to yours. Or they may see that your mind is already made up and you do not agree with their thoughts. At that point, you'll be more likely to have heard your teams true thoughts, which you can to use to inform the opinion you yourself deliver at the end of the conversation. 2. Shut down outside distractions. A key part of being a good listener is showing the speaker that he or she has your undivided attention. This gives those speakers the confidence to express themselves fully without feeling that theyre imposing on your time. Besure to use that time wisely, by really listening: Close your laptop and put your phone away so that incoming emails and notifications dont distract you or make the speaker think he or she isn't the most important thing for you right now. Related: Want to Gain Customers' Trust? Try These 4 Communications Tips. I like to have meetings on the move and will often suggest going for a walk instead of sitting in a conference room. Getting out of the office is a great way to eliminate potential distractions and really focus on what someone has to say. 3. Mind your body language. Studies described by The Nonverbal Group showed that as little as 7 percent of a message is conveyed through words. Body language plays a major role in how we communicate and how we listen. For example, folding your arms is a defensive position that suggests youre resisting what the other person is saying. People are also inclined to mirror the body language of others, especially when they want cooperation. If your arms are folded, your speaker may copy you. This will make the speaker feel more defensive and less likely to speak freely. When youre listening, then, be aware of what your body language is saying to the speaker. Unfold your arms and be open to what this person has to say. 4. Pay attention to the unsaid. The renowned business writer Peter Drucker wrote that, The most important thing in communication is to hear what isnt being said." I understood exactly what he meant after my own meeting with a Coca-Cola executive who was completely dismissive of my companys flavored water idea. By saying Americans love 'sweet,'" he was conveying his belief that my business was doomed. But I heard the opposite. What he wasnt saying was that his company did not recognize the opportunity I was chasing. If I could move fast enough, I would have a serious headstart over the biggest player in the market. If someone routinely fails to address an issue you believe is important, ask yourself why. Can you take advantage of that person's lack of knowledge or interest? 5. Make sure you hear quiet voices. By 2006, Cameron Herold had grown his startup 1-800-GOT-JUNK into a $60 million business. While Herold was exploring ambitious new strategies, his VP of finance warned him about over-spending. But that finance guy was a naturally quiet person, so it was easy for the founder to ignore his advice. Herold went ahead with his fast-growth plans, which ultimately proved unsustainable. When the economic downturn hit a few years later, the company nearly collapsed. Herold vowed to make sure that in future everyones voice counted. When I myself am in meetings, I notice who hasnt contributed to the conversation and make a point of asking for his or her opinion, even if that requires following up after the meeting. Hearing from everyone -- even the quietest people -- ensures I get the most rounded view of whats happening at my business. Quiet on set! As part of my work for The Kara Network, I host a podcast, Unstoppable, where I interview other entrepreneurs. The style is usually conversational, but we often need so-called clean quotes that we can turn into stand-alone clips. That means I cant join in the conversation or even add verbal agreements like uh-huh." Related: 6 Communication Tips to Strengthen Your Company's Culture You can learn a lot about listening in these situations. So, next time someone is speaking, imagine that, like me, you cant speak until the director says cut; that way, youll really hear what that speaker has to say. Related: How to Become a Master Communicator by Following This One Rule The Best Communication Skills for Workplace Success What Your Email Sign-Off Is Really Saying Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved An HIV-positive man apparently has become the second known person in the world to be free of the AIDS virus. The London man has not been identified. Doctors said the patient received a bone marrow transplant three years ago from a donor who is HIV resistant. The man stopped taking anti-HIV drugs in September 2017, according to news reports. There is no virus there that we can measure. We cant detect anything, professor and HIV biologist Dr. Ravindra Gupta told Reuters. Gupta helped lead a team of doctors who treated the man. Timothy Ray Brown, known as the "Berlin patient," became the first such successful transplant patient nearly 12 years ago. Brown was put into an induced coma and nearly died. The transplant is considered dangerous and has failed in other patients. The research was published online Monday in the journal, Nature. "This will inspire people that cure is not a dream, Dr. Annemarie Wensing, a virologist at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, told The New York Times. Its reachable." The London patient was diagnosed with HIV in 2003. He developed cancer and agreed to a stem cell transplant to treat the cancer in 2016. His doctors found a donor with a gene mutation that confers natural resistance to HIV. The transplant changed the London patient's immune system, giving him the donor's HIV resistance. It is estimated that almost 1 million people die every year from HIV-related causes. The viral infection affects about 37 million people worldwide. The Associated Press contributed to this report. WASHINGTON - The White House has rebuffed House Democrats' request for documents pertaining to the security clearance process, a move that drastically increases the chances of a subpoena from the House. In a letter to House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., White House counsel Pat Cipollone said the committee request for the information was "without legal support, clearly premature, and suggests a breach of the constitutionally required accommodation process." Rather, Cipollone said his staff would brief the panel and allow them to view documents related to their investigation. That offer has not been sufficient for committee Democrats in the past. "We believe the best course is to move forward with this agreed-upon accommodation and then speak again once your review of the documents and the briefing are complete," said the letter, which was dated Monday and released Tuesday. The standoff comes just days after reports that President Donald Trump directed his then-Chief of Staff John Kelly to give his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a security clearance despite concerns from the intelligence community. The New York Times first reported the news, which was later confirmed by The Washington Post. Cummings, however, has been asking questions about the security clearance process for months, even garnering bipartisan support for his inquiry during the previous congressional session. In a statement, Cummings rejected the White House lawyer's assertion that Congress doesn't have jurisdiction over security clearance matters. "There is a key difference between a president who exercises his authority under the Constitution and a president who overrules career experts and his top advisers to benefit his family members and then conceals his actions from the American people," Cummings said. "The White House's argument defies the constitutional separation of powers, decades of precedent before this committee, and just plain common-sense. The White House security clearance system is broken, and it needs both congressional oversight and legislative reform." The committee has not detailed its next steps. But its most recent letter to the White House on the matter, sent Friday, warned that the correspondence would be the "final" attempt at voluntary compliance. The Meizu Note 9 has made an appearance on the GeekBench Browser, a part of GeekBenchs website that allows you to look through all the benchmark tests run with the app. The device scored 2,404 in the single-core test while the multi-core sat at 6,027. The benchmark listing also shows a generous 6GB of RAM when it was run this morning We are very close to the official Chinese launch of the Meizu Note 9 with the date set for March 6. The phone is believed to be the first Meizu phone to feature a water-drop notch, as has been a big trend in many low-cost smartphones in the last year. Weve already seen a couple of photos when the phone passed through the TENAA, but with the display turned off, it is a bit difficult to make out. This front camera is rumored to be 20MP TENAA images of the Meizu Note 9 Based on TENAA filings, the Meizu Note 9 will have a 6.2-inch display with 1080x2244 px resolution. There is also 64GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 256GB via the microSD slot. The phone will also feature a dual camera setup comprising of a 48MP camera and a 5MP depth sensor with, presumably, the same Samsung ISOCELL sensor as the one in the Redmi Note 7. The Meizu Note 9 will launch in China for a rumored starting price of CNY 1,699 (~$283) before eventually expanding availability to other global markets, presumably targeting emerging ones. Source | Via The Nokia 2 that was launched way back in October 2017 with Android 7.1.1 Nougat is finally getting the Android 8.1 Oreo update. This entry-level Nokia smartphone was initially supposed to get Android 8.0 Oreo update, but the company later decided to skip that and go straight to 8.1 Oreo. HMD also promised to include Android Go memory management improvements with the update because the phone only has 1 GB RAM. The Nokia 2, however, couldn't be moved to the Android Go program because it wasn't launched on it. Nokia 2 got Android 8.1 Oreo through the beta program last June, and those who are still enrolled in the beta program will receive a notification from Nokia for the stable update. Those who aren't will have to register here to get the update. Do note that there will be a slight drop in performance once you update your Nokia 2 with Oreo. Furthermore, Android Oreo on Nokia 2 will only work on mobile networks that have already approved this version of Android. Besides, Nokia has said that Oreo won't be available for new users in 34 countries and on 7 mobile networks. You can head over to the source link below to check out the entire list. Source Today T-Mobile has started sending out the update to Android 9 Pie to the Samsung Galaxy Note9 units it's sold. The carrier definitely hasn't been the fastest out of the gate with this release, but it's finally here. On top of what Google's added to Pie, you also get Samsung's revamped One UI, which is its newest take on an Android skin. As always, the update should be rolling out over-the-air in stages, so even if you don't have it already you should be receiving a notification at some point within the next few days. Once you install the new software, you'll be on firmware version N960U1UEU1CSB3. As a bonus, you will also get a new e911 call flow, a fix for compass calibration, and a BYOD update. If you want to manually check for the availability of the new release, you can head to the Software update section in Settings. Source | Via Haiti - Politic : Summary of the parliamentary week According to the Citizen Observatory for the Institutionalization of Democracy (OCID), for the week of February 25 to March 1, 2019, the Senate organized 2 sessions (February 26 and 27) against none in the Lower House. Chamber of Deputies : No sessions were held in the lower house during the three days usually spent in plenary sessions (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). Senate : Tuesday, February 26, 2019, the Justice and Security Committee of the Senate met the members of the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN) on the file of 7 heavily armed foreigners arrested in Haiti on Sunday, February 17 in Port-au-Prince https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26963-haiti-flash-a-mysterious-commando-of-heavily-armed-foreigners-arrested-in-port-au-prince.html and transferred to USA on the 20th of the same month https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27009-haiti-flash-back-in-the-united-states-the-members-of-the-commandos-are-free.html At the end of this behind doors session, in which 18 senators were present, Senator Jean Renel Senatus, President of the Commission, reported that the Prime Minister and the DG of the PNH had refused to explain what had really happened as part of this case https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27064-haiti-politic-in-the-senate-michel-ange-gedeon-refuses-to-say-what-he-knows-about-the-commando.html the meeting was referred to the Plenary Assembly. At a meeting held on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 16 Senators received and questioned Mrs. Elise Gelin, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Agabus Joseph the Director General the Office of Occupational Health Insurance (OFATMA) and Chesnel Pierre Director General of the National Old-Age Insurance Office (ONA) about : the quality of the services provided to the insured, the demonstrations of the workers demanding the increase of the minimum wage, the lack of accompaniment of the workers of the under-treatment by OFATMA and lack of access to the credit service by ONA policyholders. At the end of the session, the following commitments were made : Act on the administrative burden to reduce the borrowing procedure on the fees; Set up community stores so that workers can buy basic necessities at a reduced price. Provide bus workers with transportation services; Commit to strengthening the mechanisms to make effective medical coverage and a housing loan available to workers; Regarding the minimum wage, the Minister promises to provide workers in the subcontracting with social benefits to meet certain immediate needs related to food, transportation and medical care. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Boston : Haitian Consulate closed The Consulate General of Haiti in Boston informs the Haitian community of New England that due to weather conditions, its doors were closed on Monday, March 4, 2019 by security measures. The activities will resume on Thursday, March 7, 2019, after the national holiday on the occasion of the Haitian Carnival and Ash Wednesday, with its usual schedule from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. TapTap crash on RN2 Monday, shortly before 6:00 am, a TapTap carrying passengers hit a truck before overturned on the National Road #2 in the Merger area (West Grande Saline and the East of Pointe Gressier). 2 dead (the driver and a young woman) and several injured passengers who were rushed to hospital. Parliament unable to agree Two months after the opening of the first legislative session 2019, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies are still unable to form the new Standing and Special Committees to study and put to the vote the bills and the draft laws as well as the agreements and outstanding international treaties in Parliament. The US supports the health system in Haiti In 2018, the United States Government provided pregnant women with 111,360 mosquito repellents and the prevention of Zika. In addition, to date, more than 100,000 Haitians living with HIV have received free treatment with the support of PEPFAR. In addition, since 2007, 164 health facilities have provided essential primary care services to nearly 4.7 million people with funding from the US Government. Finally, in 2017, more than 72,000 Haitian children were fully immunized and 19,000 pregnant women delivered safely in these US government-funded clinics. Exhibition of the artist Jean Philippe Moiseaux As part of the month of Francohonie, the Embassy of Haiti in the Dominican Republic invites you to the exhibition of the painter and sculptor, Jean Philippe Moiseaux, in its premises. March 7th to 9th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm Embassy of Canada : Resumption of Activities Please note that the Embassy of Canada, which closed on Monday, March 4, resumed regular business on Tuesday, March 5. HL/ HaitiLibre By William Schwartz | Published on 2019/03/04 On March 4th professor Seo Kyoung-Duk, of Seongsin Women's University has been making the rounds lately, discussing the centennial of the March 1st Independence Movement. As per South Korea's He has also discussed Song Hye-kyo and her role in putting a proper Korean plaque near the entrance of the Yi Jun Peace Museum in the Hague. Advertisement On the KBS1 morning program Morning Talk he noted how K-Pop has done a lot to improve Korea's branding overseas. However, he also noted that information about Korean independence and struggle against Japanese Occupation is not as well-known, and praised Song Hye-ko for her efforts to improve it, citing the plaque she donated to the Yi Jun Peace Museum in the Hague five years ago. Seo Kyoung-Duk also appeared on Park Myung-soo's radio program, where he discussed Song Hye-ko's strong interest in history and how she would call him to ask questions about Japanese corporations and their role in Occupation. Song Hye-kyo once famously refused a job offer from Mitsubishi. These historical concerns were the reason why. Written by William Schwartz People invited to support more than 2,000 youth and take part in the largest convention in Montana Press release BOZEMAN Opportunities to be a Trade Show vendor, volunteer, advertise, and sponsor are available at the 89th Annual Montana FFA State Convention in Bozeman April 3-6, hosted by Montana State University. The convention highlights the bright futures of the next generation and generous partnerships that make countless opportunities possible. More than 2,000 high school and middle school FFA members, teachers and supporters from across the Big Sky State are headed to the 2019 Montana FFA State Convention Students will take part in numerous competitive career development... Havre City Council heard Monday about what Havre Public Works has been dealing with as far as the recent cold temperature, with some new daily records set for lows. Council member Caleb Hutchins asked Public Works Director Dave Peterson how the city was dealing with the cold snap, which has caused a number of water main breaks over the past month. Peterson said his department has not experienced many breaks since last week, although a break Monday inside the Havre Eagles Manor did a lot of damage inside the building. He added that it will be expensive for the manor to hire contractors t... Hill County Park Board Monday approved the next step in amending the the haying and grazing policies and procedures at Beaver Creek Park by sending its haying and grazing committees draft of changes to be reviewed by the county attorney. Hill County Commissioner and park board and committee member Diane McLean told the board that the committee met last week and reviewed the draft of the policy, making a few changes to the language. She added that she called the draft a policy instead of an ordinance because it fit that category better. She said it was generally unclear if the document... Former state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy makes a comment March 20, 2013, on the Montana Senate floor in Helena. Windy Boy has commented on allegations that he sent harassing texts that led to procedure changes in the Legislature, saying it is part of a smear campaign. Editors note: A February 22 Associated Press story used for information in this story, including AP reporting state Senate President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, said he knew the complaint involved Windy Boy, but he didn't handle it because it involved a member of the House, not the Senate, and that that the Windy Boy case did influence my decision (about a new anti-harassment policy) to some extent. The Associated Press issued a correction Wednesday, saying, Sales said he knew who was the subject of the complaint, but did not publicly identify him. A state representa... Mary Helen Heilman, 92, passed away peacefully Saturday, March 2, 2019, at Northern Montana Hospital. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, March 9, 2019, at Messiah Lutheran Church with Pastor Sean Janssen officiating. Memorials in Mary Helens name may be made to Messiah Lutheran Church, Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, Meals on Wheels, or the charity of the donors choice. Holland and Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with services and arrangements. Please visit Mary Helens online memorial page and leave a message of condolence for her family at http://www.hollandbonine.com/. A WOMAN has been selected to stand in the forthcoming Henley Town Council elections for a party that had previously rejected her. Donna Crook has re-joined the Henley Residents Group almost two years after she fell out with them after being overlooked as a by-election candidate. She will stand in the Henley north ward as her party looks to retain control of the town council on May 2. The move comes four months after Ms Crook resigned from the Conservatives, with whom she was elected in 2018, claiming that she was being ignored by party colleagues. Ms Crook, 44, of Abrahams Road, had been sitting as an independent councillor but in a letter to the Henley Standard this week, she confirmed that she has again switched her allegiance. She wrote: In the year since my election it is obvious that HRG are the best choice for Henley. They work hard and get things done. I campaigned to save the bus service back in 2017 and it is only thanks to HRG, and especially Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak, that we have not only saved it, but made it even better. I also feel that HRG are a diverse group who truly represent all the residents of Henley. For example, when it comes to female mayors, I do believe that since 1974 45 years ago Councillor Lorraine Hillier has been the only female Conservative Mayor and now stands as an Independent Conservative. I take my responsibilities as a councillor seriously and have attended all meetings since my election. This level of commitment is also shown by HRG councillors. I despair at planning meetings when one out of the three Conservative members on planning decides to turn up along with a substitute and another gives apologies at the very last minute. If they spent as much time working for the town rather than hobnobbing then more might get done. It seems that they just want to be seen socially but do not put the effort in when it comes to meetings and making decisions that are right for Henley. She added: I am delighted to be joining HRG and working with other councillors to improve and protect the town and hope that the voters in May will appreciate that HRG really are the best choice for Henley. For more on this story, pick up a copy of this weeks Henley Standard, out on Friday. Caption: (from left to right): Congo-Brazzaville Minister of Health and Population Jacqueline Mikolo, Ambassador of the African Union to the United States, H.E. Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao, and Congo-Brazzaville Minister of Higher Education, Bruno Itoua. Photo: Chriss Portella New government partnerships offer progress in the fight aganst the debilitating and deadly Sickle Cell Disease. Minister of Health and Population Jacqueline Mikolo and the Director of the Sickle Cell Center of Brazzaville Congo arrived in Washington D.C. to meet with the U.S. National Institutes of Health and with leaders at the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) to discuss the serious problem of sickle cell disease worldwide. The Congolese Delegation, including the Minister of Higher Education, Bruno Itoua, also met with the Ambassador of the African Union to the United States, H.E. Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao, to focus on funding. The AU Ambassador, a Ghanaian national, is very familiar with health, as a family medicine doctor and previous Chair of the African Union-African Diaspora Health Initiative -- where she was involved in mobilizing African Diaspora health professionals to address healthcare needs of the African continent. The meetings build on many years of exchanges and advocacy about sickle cell disease between the United States and the Congo, explained Minister Mikolo. Sickle cell disease is a public health issue in the Republic of Congo, said Minister Mikolo, noting a rise in the disease within the population. SCD is being called a silent epidemic because of its lack of attention by government and researchers to date. We are doing something major to combat this silent epidemic, says the Director of the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease, James G. Taylor. A medical doctor, Taylor has great hopes for this partnership to finally raise the profile of SCD and eradicate the disease. Currently, SCD affects up to 8,000 patients in the Congo every year. Cases have also been found in Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Turkey and Italy; India; and Hispanic regions in South and Central America and Mexico. 1 in 10 African Americans carry sickle cell traits. It doesnt matter your skin color but where your ancestry is, since this is a genetic disease, explains Taylor. SCD hits close to home at Howard. University President Wayne Frederick, a medical doctor, has a mild form of SCD. The partnership between the Howard University Center and the Congo Assistance Foundation, an NGO established by the First Lady of the Republic of Congo, Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, was formed in 2016. The partnership aims to explore how to better serve the population of Congo and other parts of the world facing the ongoing sickle cell threat, working together to contain spread of the disease as well as to foster research in the field and exchange expertise. The Republic of Congo Brazzaville is at the center of the disease in Africa, that also affects persons in Gabon, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at about the same rate. The Director of the Sickle Cell Center of Brazzaville, Alexis Elira. plans for the Center to serve as the central clearinghouse for the Central African Region. We plan to institute better screening throughout the region through new equipment and the latest information and training, with the help of our American partners, says Elira. The center has also signed an agreement with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, headquartered in Maryland. Our hope for this trip and in-person meetings is to strengthen the partnership between our Center in Brazzaville with Howard University and the Sickle Cell Association of America, Elira explains. The First Lady of Congo began advocating about sickle cell disease in 2004 because she saw many people in her country affected by the disease, and decided to make it a priority. This writer first became aware of the issue when hosting the First Ladies of Africa Health Summit in May 2013 and giving an award to the First Lady of Congo for her work in SCD. My introduction highlighted her success in advocacy that helped lead to a United Nations General Assembly resolution in 2008 recognizing sickle cell anemia as a public health problem, among the worlds foremost and at times most lethal- genetic diseases, and urging Member States and UN organizations to raise awareness annually on 19 June, World Sickle Cell Day. Originally a schoolteacher, the First Lady established the Congo Assistance Foundation in 1984 to promote social action in development, education and vocational training and areas of health including HIV. Sickle cell disease is a lifelong inherited blood disorder whereby red blood cells stick to the blood vessels, blocking blood flow and needed oxygen to cells throughout the body. The name comes from the shape of the blood cells into a sickle, meaning crescent or moon, shape. The disease can be a death sentence. Sufferers face severe pain, swelling of the extremities, infections, vision problems, and even stroke and organ damage. Due to pain caused by SCD, patients have even been linked to opiod addiction. The condition can be diagnosed in utero, through screening. Fortunately, child deaths have been drastically reduced in the United States, due to statewide routine screening of newborns. Sickle cell anemia makes life difficult for a child, who must deal with delayed sexual maturity and stunted growth. The problem extends to couples, becoming a serious society problem, explains Minister Mikolo. Sickle cell is the reason for a lot of divorce in our country. There is currently no cure, but there are two FDA-approved drug treatments. If people knew about what is available for treatment before they marry and have kids, there would be fewer cases in adults, explains Taylor, a pediatric hematology-oncologist. Screening is crucial, as blood or DNA tests reveal the trait. Every Wednesday, a table is set up at Howard University for free screening. Prevention can beat the odds. If those with SCD marry someone also with the SC traits, there is a 1 in 4 chance of having a child with SCD. Taylor is glad that the health problems of French-speaking Africa are being recognized, compared to the higher profile given to the English- speaking countries on the continent. He is also pleased to highlight the lesser-known country of Congo Brazzaville, often mistaken for its much larger neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). I am confident Congo-Brazzaville can be leader in this field of medicine and be a First in Africa, says Taylor. The coordinator of the American and Congolese partnership, Mr. Chriss Portella, agrees. I am very excited about the possibilities now to advance awareness about this scourge and possibly eliminate the disease on not only the American and African continents, but around the world, he says. What makes this partnership matter? It matters that the government is involved, says Taylor. We need doctors, but political will is what will turn the tables on this disease. The First Lady is to be congratulated in her efforts in this capacity, he adds. For more information: james.taylor2@howard.edu BIO: Dr. Judy Kuriansky is a noted international clinical psychologist on the faculty of ColumbiaUniversity Teachers College. At the United Nations, she is a main NGO representative of the International Association of Applied Psychology and the World Council for Psychotherapy, and advisor to the Group of Friends of Mental Health and Well-being of UN Member States, led by Canada, Belgium and Bahrain, who partnered with the Ambassador of Palau to the UN, Dr. Caleb Otto in the successful intergovernmental campaign to include mental health and well-being in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She moderates and speaks at many UN events, e.g., for Commissions on the Status of Women and the Commission for Social Development, the World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, and WHO World Health Day, and is a member of the Committee on Migration and others. A trustee of the United African Congress and board member of Voices of African Mothers, she has hosted a U.S.-Africa Business Expo and the First Ladies of Africa Health Summit;spoken at the Africa Diaspora Investment Forum in September 2018; co-developed a Girls Empowerment Camp in Lesotho; and provided psychosocial support in missions worldwide, including in Sierra Leone during and after Ebola, in China during SARS as well as in China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Iran, and Sint Maarten after natural disasters, and for Syrian refugees in Jordan. Her Global Kids Connect Project and Stand Up for Peace Project does trainings, symposia, and concerts worldwide. An award-winning journalist, reporter and producer on TV, radio, print and the internet, she has been a columnist for the Singapore Straits Times, the South China Morning Post and New York Newsday; hosted a top-rated radio advice show; and hosted the "Money and Emotions" television show on CNBC-TV. Her many awards include the Humanitarian Award for Lifetime Achievement in Global Peace and Tolerance. A Dublin security officer who turned out his pockets and had his carry-on luggage searched by police on a plane following an alleged theft at Dublin Airport has lost his 75,000 claim for defamation. Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain said airport police, as agents of the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), had at all times behaved responsibly in their investigation into the theft of a Giorgio Armani watch. Snatched Barrister Shane English told Alan Collins in the Circuit Civil Court that the DAA was not only categorically saying he was not the thief who snatched the watch from a woman's check-in basket at security or from duty free, but was also categorically saying he had never been a thief. Mr English told Mr Collins, of Fortlawn Drive, Blanchards-town, that he was wrong in claiming he had been accused of stealing the watch in duty free, as there had been no such theft. The theft, as shown on CCTV, had taken place from a basket that had passed through a security check. Mr Collins claimed he had been approached while sitting with his partner on a Ryan- air flight about to take off for Alicante on April 22, 2017. He said he had been one of a number of men who apparently bore a resemblance to each other, and was spoken to by airport police officers Aisling Sutcliffe and Jessica O'Brien. He claimed they said to him: "We wish to speak to you concerning a theft from duty free. You were seen on CCTV taking a watch from duty free." Mr English told Mr Collins it was impossible for these words to have been spoken to him since there had not been a theft from duty free on that day. Counsel said he had been invited to step off the plane for the sake of privacy but had refused. He had voluntarily turned out his pockets and had allowed his carry-on bag to be searched at the service area on the plane. Officers Sutcliffe and O'Brien told the court they had not accused him of stealing a watch from duty free. Dismissing Mr Collins' 75,000 claim, the judge said she did not accept the police officers had spoken the words complained about. She made no order regarding costs. James Bulger (left) was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by Jon Venables (right) and Robert Thompson in 1993 The past identities of James Bulger killer Jon Venables will remain secret after a High Court judge rejected a bid by the murdered toddler's father and uncle to have them revealed. A life-long injunction imposed in 2001 has allowed Venables to live anonymously since his release from a life sentence for the kidnap, torture and murder of the two-year-old in 1993. Lawyers for Ralph and Jimmy Bulger said certain details about the killer, including identities given to him up to 2017, were "common knowledge" and easily accessible online. Notorious They asked the president of the High Court's Family Division, Andrew McFarlane, to vary the order so it would no longer protect this information. In a ruling yesterday, the judge refused to alter the anon- ymity order, which he said was to protect the "uniquely notorious" Venables from "being put to death". "There is a strong possibility, if not a probability, that if his identity were known he would be pursued, resulting in grave and possibly fatal consequences," he said. "This is, therefore, a wholly exceptional case and the evidence in 2019 is more than suff-icient to sustain the conclusion that there continues to be a real risk of very substantial harm to Venables. "My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy." Anyone who breaches the injunction faces prosecution for contempt of court. Speaking outside court after the ruling, solicitor advocate Robin Makin, for the Bulgers, said: "The authorities seem to be hell-bent on protecting JV, regardless of the risk to others, and this has been a primary driving force behind Ralph and Jimmy's application." Mr Makin said the Bulgers may consider pursuing a challenge at the Court of Appeal. James Bulger was killed by Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged 10, after they snatched him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside. In his opening remarks, the judge said the crime had shocked the UK, adding: "The family of young James Bulger were and are deserving of the greatest sympathy as the indirect victims of this most horrific crime." Venables and Thompson were both granted life-long anonymity by a High Court judge and have lived under new identities since their release from custody. The court order was amended after Venables was convicted of further offences in 2010 and last February. He was jailed for three years and four months last year after admitting surfing the dark web for extreme child abuse images and possessing a "sickening" paedophile manual. It was the second time he had been caught with such images. When he was arrested he told police he was plagued by "stupid urges". Lawyers for the Bulgers told the court that something had "gone wrong" with his rehabilitation and they, as victims, should be able to scrutinise his handling by the authorities. They argued they are prevented from doing this because the terms of the injunction stop them from discussing details "widely available" online. Vigilante Mr Makin said they did not want the order to be discharged but wanted it to be varied so certain details could be revealed. These include Venables' identities and former addresses up to 2017 and the prisons where he has been detained. No application was made regarding his current identity. James' mother, Denise Fergus, was not involved in the proceedings and no challenge was brought against the anonymity granted to Thompson. At the time of a preliminary hearing in the injunction challenge last year, Ms Fergus feared revealing the new name of Venables "could lead to vigilante action and innocent people being hurt". Former republican paramilitary Declan 'Whacker' Duffy is to be extradited back across the Border to continue serving his life sentence for murder, following the completion of a domestic sentence for false imprisonment. Duffy (44), with a last address at Hanover Street West in Dublin, had been serving a term of life imprisonment for the murder of British army sergeant Michael Newman in Derby in 1992 when he was released on licence by a Northern Irish parole board in March 2013. However, Duffy was arrested by gardai on December 5, 2015, and was last year jailed by the Special Criminal Court for six years for falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne in Rathcoole/Saggart, Co Dublin, on June 9, 2015. On June 6, 2016, the UK government revoked Duffy's licence and recalled him to prison. A European Arrest Warrant was issued for his arrest. His lawyers had opposed their client's surrender on grounds that his return to prison in the North amounted to "double punishment". Unusual Counsel for Duffy, Anthony Hanrahan, submitted to the High Court that his client had already served "what was deemed by the Sentence Review Commissioner to be an appropriate sentence". He said it was an "unusual case", as the offending behaviour was carried out in a separate jurisdiction in which Duffy would be serving his six-year sentence in full, before having to return to the North to once again begin his life sentence. However, Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly ordered Duffy's extradition yesterday. She postponed surrender pending the completion of Duffy's current six-year prison sentence in the Republic for false imprisonment and assault. Duffy pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at Garter Lane, Saggart, on June 9, 2015. He also admitted falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcoole/Saggart on the same date. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment on January 29 last year. Ronan Kennedy, counsel for Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, said Duffy's arrest in the Republic meant he had breached the conditions of his licence not to be a danger to the public. Members of the Army and Dublin Fire Brigade at the scene Senior staff in the Department of Health were quarantined for hours after an envelope containing white powder was sent to Health Minister Simon Harris yesterday. The entire department was evacuated after the alarm was raised shortly before noon when a staff member in the minister's private office opened the envelope. The substance was later found to be baking powder. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said last night he did not know what type of "oddballs" would send suspicious packages to politicians, but added that post would never be opened by a public representative, always by staff. "If you want to come after us, come after us - but don't come after our staff or our families," he said. No note or threat was att-ached to the package, and a full garda investigation is under way. A source close to the minister said last night that his immediate concern following receipt of the envelope was for his staff - including a new member of the team - who were directly affected by the worrying incident. "He was upset for the people involved," the source said. Harmless Around a dozen senior staff in the minister's private office were quarantined until specialists had declared the substance harmless. The minister did not come into contact with the powder and was ushered out along with the rest of the staff in Miesian Plaza on Baggot Street, which is also home to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. In a brief statement on Twitter last night, the minister thanked emergency services for their response. "Thank you to the emergency services for their diligence today in responding to an incident at my department," he said. "The safety of staff must always be paramount. Today was a difficult day for them all and particularly those who work so closely with me in my office." Children's Minister Katherine Zappone, who was also ushered from the building, expressed concern for staff who opened mail. "I did see Minister Harris as well afterwards. We were both over in Leinster House continuing our meetings having evacuated and I just said to him, 'Simon, you know I'm so sorry this has happened to you'," she said. "It's just completely unacceptable. This is after a number of other targets in relation to, in my view, the leadership and efforts that he is offering in terms of his ministry and it is very, very worrying from that perspective, too." The Independent minister went on to say "it should not be happening, but above all I want to say that really the people who are most unsafe in this regard are staff, and that's completely unacceptable". A motion of no-confidence in Mr Harris was recently tabled by Sinn Fein in response to controversy over the massive cost escalation relating to the National Children's Hospital. Gardai and members of the Army Bomb Disposal Team were dispatched to the scene when the alarm was raised yesterday and a significant security presence rolled out. The area was cordoned off and specialist technicians were deployed to examine the substance. Staff were sent home, and the scene was declared safe at 2.30pm. While there is no suggestion that the alert yesterday is linked to earlier events, it is the latest in a series of incidents that have led to a review of ministerial security arrangements. A number of weeks ago Mr Harris was targeted by protesters at his Wicklow home. The minister believes the group followed his wife and baby home from a walk on a Sunday afternoon. Richard Bruton has also been targeted by the group, while protesters have gathered near the home of the Taoiseach in recent weeks. Ahead of those protests gardai were also investigating a threat to "evict" female ministers from their homes. The countrys Financial Stability Council is now in operation, paving way for the consolidation of all information within the financial sector which will be handy when it comes to the regulation of the sector. The Council was officially launched this Tuesday after months of consultations between senior officials of the finance and economic development ministry, Bank of Botswana and Non-Bank financial Institutions Regulatory Authority, Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA). Moses Pelaelo BoB Governor is thrilled that the Council, which its secretariat will be housed at the central bank is now up and running. He made it clear, the Council is not taking any role which is being played by Financial Intelligence Agency, NBFIRA, finance ministry or the central bank itself. It is acknowledged that the respective institutions have unique statutory mandates, objectives, oversight frameworks and operational spheres, albeit mostly related. In this regard, the Financial Stability Council is not established to usurp or dilute the role of the respective institutions, which is neither feasible nor desirable. Rather it is to share information and where, desirable, facilitate collective and coordinated approach to financial sector monitoring frameworks and crisis resolution, said Pelaelo during the launch of the Council this week. Speaking at the launch ceremony, FIA Director, Dr Abraham Sethibe, said the Council will further complement their role, which among others ensures financial transactions do not undermine the countrys fiunancial system. He stated FIA is more than happy that they will now be in a position to share more information with other regulators, a development which will further strengthen the countrys financial system at large. NBFIRA Chief Executive Officer, Oaitse Ramasedi , whose regulatory roles among others ensures he manages companies whose assets are over P120 billion, stated that, it has over the years become clear that they cannot manage their respective role alone without collaborations. The Council has just provided a perfect opportunity for the non-bank financial institutions regulatory body to cast wide open its roles for the benefit of the entire financial system. In the coming months, the Council will be in a position to publish the Financial Stability Report, an anchor publication, providing accountability in the areas of assessment of financial stability risks and mitigation measures. Second is agreement on a Macro prudential Policy Framework that is relevant for Botswana, in terms of risk mitigation, as well as recognising the gaps in financial inclusion and development, said the BoB Governor in a prepared speech. Pelaelo also noted that there is a specific need to address the challenges arising from implementation of the Anti-Money laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism protocols and requirements. Fourth and related, thereto, is the requirement to decisively address the incipient misconduct and governance challenges in the financial sector, deriving from greed and/or misunderstanding or incompetence with respect to fiduciary responsibilities, as well as opportunistic crime and fraud. There is need for a country to have a deposit protection scheme which will guarantee access to deposits up to a specified threshold. Lastly, cooperation and collaboration among the Council members would be critical in the timely update and renewal of legislation and policies to retain and improve effectiveness of supervision, monitoring and guidance for the financial sector, added Pelaelo. When days are dark, friends are few. And for former President, Ian Khama, the days are dark, perhaps very dark. Khamas recent Saul-to-Paul transition on the media has left even Paul himself utterly shocked. It is a U-turn like no other. In the good old days, Khama had the luxury of choice when it came to media coverage. So spoilt for choice, he had even made it a habit to throw punches at private media at every opportune moment. For Khama, the private media was an embodiment of evil. It was a cancer that needed the strongest possible chemo to be destroyed. Besides the carelessly selected adjectives and expletives he used to describe the local media, he had the pleasure to marvel at their arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, harassments and sometimes, explicit threats to kill. As if that was not enough, he emptied their pockets by banning all government and government-funded entities to advertise from them. We all watched helplessly as the looting and the shooting continued unabated. Then, the private media mattered not; after all, he had the entire Mass-Media Complex at his disposal. The state media was all about him, may it be radio, print or television. The only time they stopped covering him, was when he was sleeping. But the moment he woke up, the propaganda reel would run ceaselessly until he again retired to bed. He also had a profound taste for western media, of which as and when it served their strategic interests, they would apportion him a space for his vitriol against Robert Mugabe. But that was then, now it is gone. The state media is gone, and so is his beloved British media. But the reel is still running, though for someone else. Like an oasis, now Khama stands alone in a sea of the Kgalagadi sand. Power has deserted him and so are the privileges and accruements that accompany it. The political monsoons of the Kgalagadi are battering him to withering proportions. But, just when he was about to resign his last breath to the political wolves of the desert, the local media threw him a lifeline. The very media he publicly castigated as unpatriotic have come to save him from political oblivion. Instead of being harsh and vengeful, the local media has given Khama refuge. And by the look of things, it looks like his last place of refuge. Unlike him, they have given him a platform to rant and vent his usual trivialities out. He may not have audience, but at least he has a voice. We may disagree with his altered and warped outlook of life, but at least he has a platform to throw his childish tantrums. And that should serve as a lesson to him. That is, in a normal functioning democracy, people must have an opportunity to air their views, regardless of the shape and form they come in. And freedom of speech and expression is not, as some people may claim, a western concept, for Batswana, it is a normative ethic (Setho). Khama should know that the media is also an important accountability mechanism. The relationship between media and politician would continue to be a love/hate relationship. But both need each other, the one to provide the information, the other to communicate it. Politicians like to present their successes and their opinions, to use the media to gain public recognition and enlarge their authority; the medias role is to question these critically. The way I see it, Khama owes the media an apology. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Stacy Serebolo, the brains behind QueVes and Azzaro Boutiq always looks good and has a comfortable lifestyle at all times. QueVes is an events management company that offers a variety of services that include, corporate events, ceremonial events, product launches, food and wine pairing to mention a few. Stacy is of the view that an event should look appealing at all times, hence their stylish services during classy occasions. Our aim is to create and deliver an experience that engages, educates and delights like nothing else, she says, adding that they provide concept generation for events and theme selection. For over the years, the locals have not really taken into consideration food and wine pairing, but suddenly those who love the lifestyle embrace these pairing sessions. Stacy shares that now people get excited over wine pairing and food pairing of which some say they practice what they learnt at their houses. She also observes that back in the days, people only encountered these sessions during travelling and certain highly defined events but now people have interest and do it very often. Whenever we have food and wine pairing sessions, people get excited and come in numbers to socialize, learn and enjoy together. Most of them acknowledge that they only experienced this during travels most of the times, she says confidently that it would now become a norm soon because of the positive feedback these days. Stacy shares with BG Style that red wines often go well with red meats such as steaks, while white wine goes well with white meat such as chicken and fish. She also highlights that there are snacks that are suitable for these wines, emphasizing that cheese is one of the snacks that goes well with wines. Her range of wines includes; red wine, white wine, champagne with the sparkling taste, sweet taste and others. Stacy believes that life is lived once and therefore people should just go out there and enjoy as well as look good. Through Azzaro Boutiq, she encourages people to pick lovely outfits and pair them better, as dressing up is part of lifestyle. I like fashion and lifestyle and having friends and colleagues who always questioned me about where I buy my clothes pushed me to finally open a store of my own, she says. The clothes displayed at Azzaro definitely capture ones eye from a distance. The boutique is based at Tsholofelo East and, it can be one of the best places around the city where one can get an elegant outfit for a certain event. Stacy explains that at Azzaro they dont have a specific style but always try to set trends in order to cater for both corporate and casual looks. Nonetheless, they are currently obsessed with chiffon shirts and dresses as well as snake prints. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) For the third installment of CNN Philippines senatorial forums, four aspirants graced the stage: licensed professional teacher and former secretary of the Tribal Government of the Philippines in Bukidnon Agnes Escudero, former spokesperson for the Consultative Committee on Charter Change Conrado Ding Generoso, election lawyer Atty. Romulo Macalintal, and former undersecretary of the Department of Education and co-founder of the Citizen National Guard Antonio Butch Valdes. During the forum, the candidates were asked several questions regarding key issues affecting the country, from how they will address the traffic situation in Metro Manila, to their stand on lowering the age of criminal liability, to their solutions to the countrys drug problem. The four were also given a chance to talk about their previous work of service to the Filipino people, as well as their respective advocacies. Agnes Escudero. Photo by JL JAVIER Ding Generoso. Photo by JL JAVIER For Escudero, it is Indigenous Peoples rights, barangay industrialization, and womens welfare. In her opening statement, she pointed to her history of being involved with IPs, saying Ive been with the indigenous communities since 1994 mas nakita ko ang sitwasyon ng mga nasa bundok. I was also a project coordinator of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, thats why I was able to connect funding support from the NCCA to different tribal communities. For Generoso, federalism is his main advocacy and he believes that federalism can strengthen the economy. Talking about what is included in the constitution drafted by the Consultative Committee, he says Pagka yung ating mga ibang rehiyon outside Metro Manila ay binigyan natin ng kapangyarihan na magdetermina ng kanilang ekonomiya sa buong rehiyon, at mabigyan ng kapangyarihan na mangolekta ng ibang taxes makakalikha tayo ng ekonomiyang progresibo sa mga rehiyon. Atty. Romulo Macalintal. Photo by JL JAVIER Butch Valdes. Photo by JL JAVIER Macalintal dubs himself as Mr. Senior Citizen and says Ako rin ay tagapagtanggol ng senior citizens and Persons With Disability. On the first bill he will pass if elected, he talks about taking care of his fellow senior citizens by imposing higher discounts on medicines and pensions. At 70 [years old] kailangan 30 percent discount. Pag dating namin ng 80 years old, dapat maging 40 percent ang discount, at pag dating namin ng 90 pataas, ang discount namin ay 50 percent sa gamot at medical services. Valdes advocacies include fighting electoral fraud, prosecution of people involved in the Dengvaxia mess, and lowering the cost of electricity and water. When asked about the Dengvaxia controversy, he says It is clear to us that there were culprits in this decision to inoculate 1 million children, and on the basis of a vaccine that was obviously not fully tested and was being recommended to be applied only on a limited basis, inutos po ni Noynoy Aquino na inoculate ng 1 million children. If thats the case, then the responsibility and the onus lies on him. And he has to be responsible for this. Prior to the forum, CNN Philippines Life asked the candidates a few questions on what pushed them to run for senate, as well as the principles they live by. Once more, it is evident that for most candidates running in this years elections, including these four, they believe in doing the right thing and seeking peace and justice for Filipinos. Photo by JL JAVIER Agnes Escudero The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is do the thanks giving ritual with the Indigenous People. I knew I was called to become a public servant when I started being with the Indigenous Peoples. Kasi talagang nung nag ikot-ikot na ako sa mga different mountains, I felt like kailangan ma-lift ang kanilang mga issues and concerns sa higher level. The first bill I will file if elected is Department of Indigenous Peoples. I want to become a senator because I wanted to give more projects and livelihood programs to the Indigenous Peoples, and to the women and children, of course. A principle that I always live by is Man's moral concept. The moral of a man is against all earthly vices. Photo by JL JAVIER Conrado Ding Generoso The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is to file a resolution calling for a referendum on federalism. I knew I was called to become a public servant many years ago, when I started writing for a newspaper. The first bill I will file if elected is the same [as my first answer]. The referendum on federalism. I want to become a senator because I want to change the way things are in the country. A principle that I always live by is always do what is right. Photo by JL JAVIER Romulo Macalintal The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is file a bill for the senior citizens. I knew I was called to become a public servant when I filed my COC. The first bill I will file if elected is the bill for the senior citizens, for their rights and their benefits. I want to become a senator because I want to serve the people. A principle that I always live by is I always believe in God. Photo by JL JAVIER Antonio Butch Valdes The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is celebrate. I knew I was called to become a public servant last year. The first bill I will file if elected is a review of the EPIRA [Electric Power Industry Reform Act] law, with the possibility of suspending it. EPIRA law has to do with us paying the highest electricity rates in the world. I think this is an onerous and immoral law that we have lived with for the past two decades, at the very least. I think our people deserve a respite from the electricity charges that are highest in the world, when we're the lowest in terms of income generation. The biggest burden of every family right now is electricity rates. I want to become a senator because I want to help my fellow Filipinos. I think they have been suffering too long because of certain programs and policies that create this situation of unending poverty. A principle that I always live by is truth, justice, peace, and development. 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No one under 18 can enter our giveaways. No purchase is necessary. All winners have one week to claim their prize. USA shipping only. Offer void where prohibited. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. On February 24, Prime Minister Modi washed the feet of five sanitation workers at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. I reacted on Twitter immediately: Clean your mind not our feet, Mr. PM! Highest form of humiliation. 1.6 lac women still forced to clean shit, not a single word in five years. What a shame! Why am I so appalled by this ? Its because I believe the PM has not only perpetuated a historical wrong but also undermined the Dalit community. Its because the Indian State has done nothing to end manual scavenging, the practice of cleaning, carrying and disposing of human excreta from dry latrines or sewers. This is in brazen violation of Article 17 and 23 of the Constitution. There are 1.65 million manual scavengers, mainly women, in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and West Bengal. This is a vulnerable group, and the government has to take responsibility for their rehabilitation. But this is not happening. Manual handling of excreta was outlawed in 1993. However, it was only after an amendment in 2013 that its risky form, cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, was recognised as manual scavenging. In 2018, an inter-ministerial task force said 53,236 people are still involved in manual scavenging in India, a fourfold rise from the 13,000-odd such workers accounted for in 2017. This is a gross underestimation as it includes data from only 121 of the more than 600 districts. It also does not include those involved in cleaning sewers and septic tanks, and data from the railways, the largest employer of manual scavengers. The states are in denial mode: of the 53,236 identified in the survey, only 6,650 have been confirmed officially by states. By doing so, the states are just perpetuating a heinous practice. In the last five years of the Modi government, there has been no movement even on assistance and rehabilitation of manual scavengers. In fact, in the interim budget, the Centre has reduced by more than half the allocation for rehabilitating manual scavengers. Only 30 crore has been set aside for the scheme for the next financial year. The budget for the ongoing financial year, which will end next month, had earmarked 70 crore, according to the revised estimates for 2018-19. Under a rehabilitation law, an immediate assistance of 40,000 has to be given to a manual scavenger. The money that has been allocated for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers is not enough to rehabilitate even 300 manual scavengers with alternative jobs. The government has not popularised the scheme for loans and skill training. Sewer deaths have also been continuing in the country. On average, one person has died every five days while cleaning sewers and septic tanks, according to the numbers collated by the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis the statutory body set up by an Act of Parliament for the welfare of sanitation workers. In 2017, there were 137 deaths, 105 in 2018, and, in 2019, already 11 people have died. Why has the government failed to take any steps to prevent such deaths? The government has done nothing for the sanitation workers in the past five years. This showboating by Prime Minister Modi at the Kumbh will not solve the problem of the Dalits; in fact, it only perpetuates the injustice that has been happening for 5,000 years. This also shows that he is in denial of the real problem. I feel by washing the feet of sanitation workers, he is actually glorifying the practice of manual scavenging instead of focusing on this societys caste/patriarchy conspiracy. By not talking about the plight of the sanitation workers, he is trying to divert the attention of the people from the real issue. I completely disagree with this kind of attitude. An elected representative has to find a political solution to such a problem; the solution Modi is giving has no meaning. We are all citizens of India and our relationship is based on equality. The Dalits will not get anything from this gesture, but the PM will earn praise. Bezwada Wilson is one of the founders and National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan The views expressed are personal Kangana Ranaut, who is riding high on the success of her directorial debut Manikarnika The Queen of Jhansi, has decided to celebrate her birthday with 10 days of silence. Reports claim that she will head to Coimbatore for a 10-day wellness camp where she will meditate and perform yoga in complete silence, just ahead of her birthday on March 23. Also read: Daenerys, Jon Snow stun in 16 brand new pictures from Game of Thrones After the camp, she will head to her home in Manali, where she will usher in her birthday with her family. Last year also, Kangana had celebrated the day at her home in the hills and had planted 31 trees. A Mumbai Mirror report quoted Kangana as saying, I have been practising yoga since I was around 16-17. The programme I am about to attend is an advanced one. I had been meaning to do this for a while now. This year, it happened to all close to my birthday. Ten days of silence is a big commitment, but I wanted it to be a birthday present for myself. She added that while staying away from the phone for 10 days and meditating for 10-15 hours a day is not going to be a cakewalk, the course requires six months of practice for the yoga postures and she is ready to take it up. Also read: Shah Rukh and Gauri dance at Akash Ambanis pre-wedding function. Watch Kangana will soon start training in kabaddi for Ashwini Iyer Tiwaris Panga. After the training, Kangana will begin shooting for the film that is likely to be wrapped up by May end. Follow @htshowbiz for more Thousands of farmers, labourers and women under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) on Monday blocked Amritsar-Delhi rail line at Jandiala town, 20 kms from the district headquarters, continuing their protest of Jail Bharo Andolan on fourth day. The protesters sat on the tracks at 1:30 pm disrupting the traffic on Amritsar-Delhi route, forcing cancellation of as many as 22 trains and diversion of 24. Thousands of passengers were left stranded. Director of Amritsar railway station Amrit Singh said, We have cancelled 22 trains while 24 trains were diverted via Amritsar-Tarn Taran-Beas and Jalandhar-Mukerian-Pathankot routes. Besides this, eight trains have been short-terminated till Beas railway station and six trains have been short-originated from Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Phagwara and Beas railway stations. Major trains affecting the region that have been cancelled by Northern Railway include Amritsar-Nangal Dam (14505), Amritsar-Chandigarh (12412), Chandigarh-Amritsar (12241), Amritsar-Hisar (54602) and Ludhiana-Ambala (64524). The Amritsar-Chandigarh (12412) train was cancelled for Tuesday. Six of the nine trains diverted via other routes include Delhi-Pathankot (22429), AmritsarNanded (12422), Amritsar-Chhindwara Junction (18238), Amritsar-New Delhi (12030), Amritsar-Howrah (13006) and Jammu Tawi-Tatanagar Junction (18102). Meanwhile, New Delhi-Amritsar (12497/98) and Saharsa-Amritsar (15531/32) were short-terminated at Beas, 99 kms from here. Earlier, the protesters were on a sit-in outside the Tarn Taran deputy commissioner office over their various demands since March 1. They had been asking the state government to either meet their demands or arrest them. The protestors flayed the Centre and Punjab government for their unkept promises. State president, KMSC, Satnam Singh Pannu said farmers have been committing suicide as the state government has not waived off their entire loan. Farmers are receiving notices of kurki from many banks and even many of them are being arrested, he alleged. The protesters demanded that full loan of farmers and labourers should be immediately waived off. Kurkis of land and arrest of farmers should be stopped, blank cheques taken by banks and commission agents from farmers for giving them loans should be returned, payment for sugarcane crop with 15 per cent interest should be released, cutting electricity tariff to Rs 1 per unit and pending electricity bills of labourers should be waived off, were their other demands. The government should arrest us or give us assurance to meet all our demands or else we will continue the stir, said Pannu. Deputy commissioner (DC), Amritsar, Shivdular Singh Dhillon, said the officers of the district administration were negotiating with the farmers. Our talk with the farmers is going on to lift the protest, he added. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said a desperate Pakistan would not hesitate from using its nuclear arsenal against India if faced with an imminent defeat in a conventional war. Speaking to mediapersons at the Durgiana Temple in Amritsar where he performed Kar Sewa, Amarinder said both the two countries are nuclear powers and cannot afford a full-scale war. Its not in either countrys interest to use the weapons of destruction. But Islamabad could indulge in such a misadventure if faced with defeat, he said. The CM, who was accompanied by school education minister OP Soni, revenue minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla, said the Indian Air Force (IAF)s strikes at a terror launch pad has proven countrys resolve to deal with the problem. Local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who represents the Amritsar (East) segment in the Punjab assembly, was conspicuous by his absence. Refusing to comment on the number of terrorists killed in the strikes, he said, No matter how many were killed, the message has gone out loud and clear that India will not let the killing of its soldiers and innocent citizens go unpunished. The CM announced 1 crore for the development of the Durgiana Temple. Kar sewa at the sacred pool (sarovar) of temple was performed on the occasion of Mahashivratri after 20 years. This is third kar sewa to clean the sarovar, in which lakhs of devotees from around the world are expected to participate. The earlier ones were held in 1999 and 1975. 197.69 -cr water supply, sewerage projects launched The CM also laid the foundation stones of three surface water supply schemes at village Chawinda Kalan in Amritsar district, besides a domestic sewage treatment plant, worth 197.69 crores. He underlined the responsibility of the state to save water for the coming generations. The government would take the help of all financial organisations to ensure that canal/river water is supplied to the people for drinking purpose, he added. He announced to upgrade Lopoke sub-tehsil and a new degree college for Chogwan. Amarinder Singh also laid the foundation stones of seven development projects worth 150 crore in the Hoshiarpur assembly constituency on Monday and announced the sub-tehsil status for Sham Chaurasi. The projects include a tertiary cancer care centre in the city that was hanging fire for five years. Former Union minister Santosh Chowdhary had laid the stone of the hospital on the old TB hospital premises before the last Lok Sabha elections but it could not make any progress due to change of guard at the Centre. Chowdhary was accompanying the CM when he digitally laid the stone of the proposed unit. Besides the cancer unit, the CM laid stones of a multi-purpose indoor hall at the outdoor stadium, a food street, a new library, railway over bridge (ROB) on the Phagwara road, a girls hostel for students of government college and a community centre. The ROB will be constructed at a cost of 81 crore, with the state share of 35.6 crore, he said. The CM said the government intended to make Punjab an education hub by establishing worldclass institutions with international tie-ups. Our youths are running to other countries to study and find jobs but we want them to stay back and pursue their dreams closer home, he added. He said, Let the industrial houses come here and pick the talented youths rather than the latter go out in search of jobs. PWD minister Vijay Inder Singla was also present on the occasion. A rift has come to the fore in Takht Patna Sahib management board after the boards general secretary Mohinderpal Singh Dhillon on Monday rejected resignation of Giani Iqbal Singh from the post of jathedar of the Takht. Three days after Akal Takht formed a seven-member panel to probe allegations of moral turpitude against him, Giani Singh on Sunday stepped down as the jathedar and he sent resignation to the general secretary, considered close to him as per sources. In a letter to Singh, Dhillon said that sangat of Bihar and other parts of the world wants Giani Iqbal Singh to continue to serve as the jathedar. Keeping in view of sentiments of sangat, your resignation has not been accepted by the board. We request you to continue your services, he stated in the letter. Giani Iqbal Singh could not be reached out for his comments. However, many office bearers were adamant to accept his resignation and a meeting has been called on Tuesday by president Avtar Singh Hit to decide further course of action. Hit said Dhillon alone cannot take decision and only the board can take the decision. He said a meeting will be held to discuss the allegations against Singh and action to be taken in this regard. He said they have majority in 15-member board. He said the board will take action on the basis of the report of the panel constituted by Akal Takht to probe the allegation. The allegations were levelled by Hit and Kammikar Singh, who is also member of the board in separate complaints lodged to Akal Takht. Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said the panel had submitted the report, but he was yet to go through it. Hit said that they were also yet to get the copy of the report. Members of the panel are Baba Harnam Singh, Baba Sewa Singh Khadoor Sahib, SGPC members advocate Bhagwant Singh and Rajinder Singh , Nirmal Singh, Inderjit Singh Gogoani and Inderjit Singh from the Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle. One of the members on anonymity said that they have approached Giani Iqbal Singh on Sunday regarding the allegations against him. He, however, did not answer our questions as he has already stepped down as the jathedar, he added. Armed with an unloaded air pistol, like the ones used to burst balloons at fairs, a masked robber was about to pull off a dramatic daylight heist at a bank in north-west Delhis Prashant Vihar, but the branch manager tackled and overpowered him just as he was about to make away with 40 lakh, police said. The suspect, 32-year-old mobile phone trader Rinku Jindal, targeted Indian Overseas Bank, Prashant Vihar, because he recently lost 2.5 lakh while gambling. He spent about 30 minutes inside the bank without any resistance, but manager Vinod Kumar, 37, kicked him in the shin as he bent down to pick up two cash-laden bags, and wrestled him to the ground. The alleged robbery began around 3.45pm on Saturday, when customers had left and about a dozen bank staffers were present in the premises on the Outer Ring Road, according to deputy commissioner of police (Rohini), SD Mishra. Wearing a helmet and a handkerchief, Jindal walked into the bank without any problem, pulled out the pistol, pointed it at the banks staff, and ordered them to raise their hands in the air, according to the statement given by Kumar to the police. He gathered the banks staffers outside my cabin and told them that his associates were waiting outside the bank, and would shoot if anyone acted smart or raised an alarm, Kumar said, adding that every once in while, Jindal would pretend to be speaking to someone over a Bluetooth device apparently concealed in his helmet. He would say everything is okay, dont shoot loudly, as if he was talking to someone on the phone, Kumar added. The police said their probe has suggested that Jindal was acting alone, and was only bluffing about having accomplices outside. Once Jindal felt he had the employees under control, he pointed the gun at the branch manager, and threatened to shoot everyone if an alarm was raised, police said. Jindals captives were marched to the basement of the building, where the strong room containing cash is located. He told them that he needed the money because his child was ill and needed treatment. Once we were in the basement, Jindal ordered me and the banks cashier, Trilok Chand, to walk into the strong room and fill a bag with cash, Kumar said. Four foreigners, two of them brothers, were arrested for allegedly duping women of money after creating fake profiles on matrimonial websites and posing as potential grooms, the police said on Tuesday. Police said the arrested men were from Nigeria and were staying illegally in India after their visas expired. Two fake Mali passports, which two of them had procured from their Indian contacts, were seized along with three laptops and 11 mobile phones. The arrested persons Raymond,28, his brother Melody and their accomplices Kareem Ridwan,27, and Osas Clifford,28. Deputy commissioner of police (cyber crime unit, CyPAD) Anyesh Roy said they created fake profiles by collecting information and pictures of random persons from networking sites. They used to contact women registered on these websites. After winning their confidence, the con men used to trick the women into depositing money into their accounts on one pretext or the other. They used to pose as marine officers, doctors, engineers, and businessmen working abroad, Roy said, adding that Melody is the kingpin of the gang. Roy said the gang was busted following a case filed on February 27 on the complaint of a 25-year-old woman from Pune. We first caught the two brothers from their rented flat in Greater Noida. Their interrogation led to the arrest of the other two, the DCP said. Police said the two brothers came to India around four years ago for a garments business. When they could not pursue their business because of a financial crisis, they allegedly began cheating women on matrimonial sites. CBSE 12 students who appeared in Physics examination from Lucknow were of the view that paper was lengthy and the difficulty level was average. A student of GD Goenka Public School in Lucknow, Kanishk Gandhi said, After appearing in the JEE Entrance exam in January itself I found this paper lengthy though the level of the questions was average in terms of difficulty. Tushar said, Derivations questions were less in number as compared to last years paper. Our teachers had made us practice them intensively. Questions from the chapter-Dual Nature were complicated and thus took much time in solving. Rest of the questions were moderately difficult. The pattern was similar to the sample papers, said Avinash. Another student Suhani Agrawal felt that the paper was average in terms of difficulty though many students found a few questions tricky. My preparation and practice was enough for todays exam. I am sure Ill score great marks said Ayush, a student of GD Goenka Public School Lucknow. Students of Lucknow Public School, South City, rushing out of the examination hall with tensed and perplexed look gave mixed reaction as Nancy Batra puts it Paper was hard to solve it required a lots of understanding and deep knowledge about each topic. Kamal Singh of LPS also felt that the paper was a bit tough. On the other hand, Ashish Kumar said, Difficulty level of paper was moderate; questions were asked from within the syllabus though not straight forward. Gyanendra Bajpai, PGT (Physics) one of their teacher observed that Physics paper contained all sort of questions ranging from very straight forward one in Section-C to tricky numerical which required thorough analysis. He further said that overall the paper was designed in such a manner that every aspirant can get passing marks. Amit Srivastava, another teacher said, Students will be benefitted by ample choices given in the paper; long questions of Section-D were relatively easy to score well. He added that overall the paper was well balanced one. Bhopal Campion school class 12 student Bakhtavar Hussain said, The paper was lengthy and moderately tough. I didnt get time to think about any answer before writing. Another student Sivendra Singh said, Unlike last year, the paper was not at all straight. There were a lot of questions related to calculations. A class 12 student of Sagar Public School, Avneet Singh said, There was a change in the pattern. Till last year, Electromagnetic induction (EMI) was not so important chapter but this year 5 marks question was asked from EMI. Section D was totally a surprise for us. Another student of the same school Kanishka Dubey said, Some questions were very tricky and consumed a lot of time. Physics is one of the scoring paper but this year, it was so long to solve in the designated time. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ICSE Physics paper: The ICSE examination for physics was a little tricky to comprehend and write. The paper was a bit lengthy too, said students in Lucknow on Tuesday. The students at City Montessori School, Kanpur Road branch came out of the examination hall claiming that the paper was difficult. However, few students seemed satisfied with their performance. Amandeep and Aryan Sinha of CMS said, There were a couple of questions which did present some uncertainty initially. Another student Stephen Madan added, Paper was difficult and challenging. Anant Kumar Mishra, a science stream student said The paper questions were tricky. I completed my paper almost in time, there was no time left for revision. Another student Manisha Singh said, Few chapters which my teacher revised with me during camps proved very fruitful. A few students said that they had prepared very well but could not do equally well while writing the answers. Seeing the serious faces of students, teacher Shashikanti consoled them and asked them to be calm, quiet and leave the rest in the hands of the almighty. Geeta Acharya, Physics Educator said, we have worked very hard with the students by providing them worksheets and enrichment sheets during regular and camp classes. I feel section A was a bit confusing and most of the students seemed to be dissatisfied with it. Another Physics Educator, Prerena Swaranjani said, The paper today was bit lengthy and did require thorough knowledge for scoring good marks. Physics teacher at St Teresas College, Aashiana, Anil Kumar Verma was of the view that the ICSE Examination 2019, Physics paper was conceptual and the questions were based on diagrams. Students of City Montessori School, Gomti nagar branch sounded much more confident. Syed Aftab said, The paper was very good and I knew all the answers in the paper. Another CMS Gomti Nagar branch student, Sukrit said, I am confident that I will get good marks in this paper. Fizza said, I am very happy with the paper as it was very good specially the numerical part.Aurikey said, The paper was much easier than the pre-board exam paper. Students of St Teresas College, Aashiana were happy with the question paper. Ayushi Jaiswal said that the paper was easy but lengthy. Questions were direct. Ekta Singh said numerical were easy but some part of the paper was difficult. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The ISC (Class 12) students under the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) appeared in their board exam of mathematics on Tuesday. Lucknow students felt the paper was a combination of easy and difficult questions. The paper was good for high scorers and little tough for mediocre. At City Montessori school, Kanpur road branch many student said that all three sections did require thorough study. Tarushi Lachwani and Gurpreet Kaur, the duo from commerce section said, The paper was balanced as per the ISC pattern but little tricky. Ritu Chadana, another science stream student said, The paper was neither very straightforward nor easy. Another student Arth Raj said, The paper was very interesting, scoring and Im sure to come up with flying colors. Pratyush Yadav said, Linear programming question did require immense understanding and was time taking. Ayush Shukla said, The paper was bit lengthy and time consuming. I got no time for revision. Mridul Yadav said,Questions based on integration required more brainstorming. SK Gupta, HOD Mathematics said, The Paper was a little twisted but balanced one. We have put in our soul and heart to make our students practice more and more during extra classes. BK Mishra, senior Mathematics teacher said, Im sure my students will come up with flying colours. Rita Raman and AK Sharma, ISC Mathematics Teacher said, We are certain about the hard work of our students. Their dedication and commitment towards the subject will bear fruits for the Alma Mater. Senior section Incharge Shipra Bajpai and ISC Coordinator Archana P Peters heaved a sigh of relief and contentment wishing everybody good luck for the upcoming board results. Students of city Montessori school, gomti nagar branch said paper was tough and lengthy. The students said the paper was neither easy nor very tough. There were some unexpected changes, they said. Section C was easy, said Shreya Mahajan of ISC. Vanshika Singh Parihar, a student said maths paper was a bit lengthy but it was easy and the questions were those which we had been practising throughout. The questions on Integration were relatively easy than what we had expected, she said. Paper was unexpected but went well, said Kshitiz Sanchita Kanha. The paper was neither easy nor very tough. There were some unexpected changes, said Ananya Kalra, a student if CMS Gomti nahar branch. Student of St Teresas College Ayush Verma said that the maths question paper was good but lengthy. Section C was as expected but few questions were tricky. He was satisfied with his attempt. Arjun Jagwani found Section C easy. Rest of the questions were satisfactory. Some students found few parts of questions difficult. Questions were tricky and average students were not satisfied. Maths teacher Poonam Misra discussed the paper with them and consoled the students who were nervous. According to her the questions were time consuming and it was a moderate paper. In an interview with Sanchita Sharma, director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr Randeep Guleria spoke about the available cancer treatment options in India and the need for a state-of-the-art institute for the killer disease. Excerpts: Why did AIIMS choose to build a standalone institute on cancer treatment and research? Somewhere around 2003, the burden of illness shifted from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and now we are seeing a huge surge in cases of cancer, diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and other lifestyle ailments. Many of these diseases dont need in-patient or specialised care. Diabetes and hypertension, for example, dont need a linear (accelerator) or a proton (therapy), or chemotherapy. And there is enough infrastructure for diabetes and heart disease. But if you look for cancer hospitals, especially in the government sector, there are not enough. In Delhi, AIIMS has a cancer unit, but other major government hospitals such as Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia, Maulana Azad Medical College and University College of Medical Sciences dont have it. Other states are even more underserved. How many offer radiotherapy, high-end chemotherapy, PET (positron emission tomography) scans...? There is a huge unmet need. Also, the intensive treatment for cancer is very long, with follow-ups. Its a multimodality treatment, which involves surgeons, medical oncologists, radiotherapists, physicians and palliative care management. Its a team. Even for diagnosis, you have a tumour board, where doctors decide as a group whether a patient will benefit from XYZ treatment. Thats why we need a centre like this. How will this centre be different from the 22 other AIIMS? Its a state-of-the-art centre. The core lab is the first of its kind in a government set-up, some private hospitals have a mini version of it. National Cancer Institute (NCI) will decrease waiting time for cancer surgeries. We dont have enough OTs (at AIIMS, Delhi). Patients have to wait for months. Its not right. The high number of OTs at NCI gives us the freedom to do a large number of surgeries. Besides, the modular OTs cut down on operating time. The wait for treatment, including daycare, will come down. The daycare here (in Delhi) is overflowing, and the conditions are not hygienic to give chemotherapy to patients who are immune-suppressed. Now, at NCI, we can provide better quality care, reduce waiting time and get more surgeries done, which ultimately will lead to more patient satisfaction while improving training. Has cancer treatment improved? Cancer treatment has made rapid advances. We are moving more and more towards molecular diagnosis. Many cancers that were fatal are now being considered chronic diseases. People in India must have an option to get treated and cured. The challenge in the country is not just treating cancer but also preventing it and making people aware. How will NCI improve treatment outcomes? Its not just about treating people. Its also looking at India-specific cancers and doing research to see how we can bring down the burden. Tata Trusts is supporting a national cancer grid, but my challenge in this is to make it cost effective. See, Tata is a private concern that charges high fees. Our vision is to develop a national cancer grid in the public sector with the National Cancer Institute as the hub, connected to centres across the country, even at the district level and small, tier-3 cities, where you will have a good centre and doctors trained to give chemotherapy and radiotherapy following national protocols, and patient will treated at subsidised rates. The cost of treatment will go up as you have newer and newer molecules. In lung cancer diagnosis, for example, we now look for mutation. If the mutation is positive, we give targeted therapy. Its an oral tablet, not chemotherapy, so the patient just has to take one tablet a day. Isnt targeted therapy very expensive? In one group it has come down. But when it started, one months course was 30,000. Now, its around 6,000- 7,000 a month. But this is just one drug, there are other drugs also. If we get a new molecule which is better and patented, it will be very expensive. The cost for one oral tablet can go up to 1-2 lakh. Where will you get trained cancer experts from? We have a programme to train our own people and looking at modalities to attract people from outside. If we build a centre and develop innovative ideas that attract not only national but international people, and we give them a little bit of freedom, it may work. The time is right. Globally, countries are becoming restrictive in letting outsiders come in, like the US and the UK, and people want to come back to India. This is probably a good time to reach out to them. Are young doctors interested in specialising in cancer treatment? Yes, they are. We have a DM programme and we have a lot of interest in that. Its a tough field, but many see it as a challenge. Its a tough career, but it is very satisfying. How do you keep up with rapidly changing technology? We are trying to keep pace with the changing technology, but it is always going to be a challenge. Medical technology is changing so rapidly that sometimes things change in a years time. We start the process of tendering and by the time we are ready to place the order, the department says no, as a new model has come. Very often, we change it or negotiate with the company to give us a newer model. NCI was announced in 2014. How did you finally push it through? The biggest challenge is getting three things to work in parallel construction, equipment and human resources. You have to plan for everything simultaneously so it all comes together at the same time. Reports that filmmaker Steven Spielberg will be proposing a rule change at the next Academy meeting that will make it more difficult for Netflix (and other streaming) films to compete at the Oscars, has sparked an online debate among the film community. As reported by indiewire.com, Spielberg is likely to take his criticism of Netflix films at the Oscars to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Spielberg's effort is devoted to ensuring that the race never sees another Roma, a Netflix film backed by massive sums, that didn't play by the same rules as its analogue studio competitors. Spielberg is looking for a fixed theatrical release window for films, which will qualify them for the Oscars. Roma played in just 100 theatres before being released online. Indian actor Kabir Bedi tweeted in reaction to the news: "DINOSAUROUS! Never imagined Steven Spielberg so retrograde as to want different rules for films made by streaming services and those produced by all others. A film is a film is a film. No matter who produces it. And: Rule changes he wants would disqualify most regular producers." DINOSAUROUS! Never imagined Steven Spielberg so retrograde as to want different rules for films made by streaming services and those produced by all others. A film is a film is a film. No matter who produces it. AND: Rule changes he wants would disqualify most regular producers https://t.co/dT9dObbxv8 KABIR BEDI (@iKabirBedi) March 4, 2019 Sean Baker, director of Tangerine and The Florida Project, suggested that Netflix add a "theatrical tier" to its pricing plans. "This would help keep theatre owners and audience members who appreciate the theatrical experience satisfied," he wrote on Twitter, adding: "Just an idea with no details ironed out. But we need to find solutions like this in which everybody bends a bit in order to keep the film community alive and kicking." 1/3 Wouldnt it be great if @netflix offered a "theatrical tier" to their pricing plans? For a nominal fee, Netflix members could see Netflix films in theaters for free. I know Id spend an extra 2 dollars a month to see films like Roma or Buster Scruggs on the big screen. sean baker (@Lilfilm) March 3, 2019 Film and TV director Richard Shepard wrote that "good movies are good movies -- wherever they play. And in a world where we have more Jurassic Parks than Shirkers, Netflix fills a gap. Love the big screen, but love the story/heart of movie more." The Black List founder Franklin Leonard added that what matters isn't what would happen to Netflix, but to "every other film and filmmaker who will struggle to get access to the resources necessary to make a film but not get those allowing for a four week exclusive theatrical release", variety.com reports. First Reformed writer-director Paul Schrader emphasised that "distribution models evolve" and pointed out that "Netflix allows many financially marginal films to have a platform and that's a good thing". The director, however, said that some films are too esoteric to benefit from being added to Netflix's "larder", using First Reformed as an example. "Dream Girl" associate producer Prasanna Ranganathan posted a thread explaining that Netflix has gone the distance in terms of giving distribution to projects from people of colour and other marginalised groups. "If the Academy's commitment to diversity and inclusion as articulated in its A2020 strategy is as robust as it seems, excluding Netflix and its diverse artists, storytellers and filmmakers from awards consideration makes no sense." Jinn director Nijla Mumin wrote that "no one is lining up to give you a full theatrical release. Smaller films are often put into smaller theaters, where many people don't see them." Also read: Netflix or movie theatres? Can there be room for both? In her thread, she questioned whether a film's inability to find wide theatrical distribution should mean it is "erased from the entire awards conversation". Ava DuVernay, who has worked with Netflix previously and will return to streaming with an upcoming mini-series for the service, wrote, Dear @TheAcademy, This is a Board of Governors meeting. And regular branch members cant be there. But I hope if this is true, that youll have filmmakers in the room or read statements from directors like me who feel differently. Thanks, Ava DuVernay. Dear @TheAcademy, This is a Board of Governors meeting. And regular branch members cant be there. But I hope if this is true, that youll have filmmakers in the room or read statements from directors like me who feel differently. Thanks, Ava DuVernay. https://t.co/DFBLVWhiJj Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 1, 2019 Follow @htshowbiz for more Chief ministers of three Opposition-ruled states Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clear the confusion over the number of people killed when Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets carried out a strike on a terror camp in Pakistan on February 26. Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath said the government should reveal images of the operation carried out by the IAF in Balakot. The government must reveal its images and videos of airstrikes carried out by air forces at JeM camps in Balakot in Pakistan, he told ANI. The information is with the whole world and everyone knows what the truth is. This information will come out and they all (Centre) will have to answer, he added. Congress leader and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot asked the PM to tell the country how many terrorists had been killed. The claims are of 350 terrorists. BJP president Amit Shah is saying that 250 terrorists got killed from where did he received this information? A minister of Modi government (SS Ahluwalia) stated that the aim of the strike was to send a message and not taking lives... What is the fact, Modi should clarify, he said Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee reiterated that she stood by Indias armed forces but sought proof and a clarification about the damage done and the number of casualties in Balakot I am ready to face any consequence for raising these questions but I will continue asking them, she said. A deadly assault on one of Afghanistans largest military bases, which killed 26 troops last week, was planned in Pakistan and jointly carried out by the Taliban and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Afghan defence minister Asadullah Khalid said on Monday. There were suicide bombers from the Taliban and Jaish-e-Mohammed, with direct links (to Pakistan), and the attack was planned across the Durand Line, Khalid, a former head of the Afghan domestic intelligence agency, was quoted as saying by Tolo News. A group of heavily armed terrorists wearing military uniforms, including suicide bombers, stormed the Shorab base in Helmand province, which also has US troops, before dawn on March 1. The attack began with a bomber blowing up an explosives-laden vehicle at the main gate so that the others could enter the fortified compound. The Taliban had earlier claimed the attack. Khalid did not provide details regarding the involvement of the JeM, which carried out the Pulwama suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 Indian troops last month. This was the Talibans third attempt to take over the base, earlier known as Camp Bastion to British troops and Camp Leatherneck to US forces. At least nine attackers, including three suicide bombers, were also killed before Afghan forces stopped the assault after more than 30 hours of fighting. The JeM has had close ties with the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan for close to two decades and there have been several reports of Jaish fighters taking part in operations alongside the Taliban. In January 2016, JeM fighters had attempted to assault the Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif at the same time that members of the group had targeted the Pathankot airbase in India. Three terrorists who stormed a large house from which they targeted the consulate left two messages written in blood on the walls of a room in which they were holed up. Both messages were in broken Urdu and one described the attack as revenge for Afzal Guru, hanged for his role in the 2001 Parliament attack. At the time Indian security officials had said the JeMs affinity to Afzal Guru was understandable as he was convicted for the Parliament attack, which was blamed on the group based at Bahawalpur in Pakistans Punjab province. Taking a cue from Congress and BJP, ruling Biju Janata Dal on Tuesday unveiled a programme to seek public opinion to draft its manifesto for the 2019 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. The Gharey Gharey Shankha: Matamata Diyanti Apana, Palana Karanti Naveen (Conch in every house: Opinion by you, Naveen complies) programme, BJDs booth-level connect exercise, was launched at Kantilo area of Khurda district by chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik coinciding with 103rd birth anniversary of former CM Biju Patnaik. Naveen Patnaik said members of BJDs women wing will visit households and hand over forms to collect the views over the governments performance and their expectations from it. People will give their opinion on what more they expect from the government if it comes back to power in the next term. The party would seek suggestions on what demands it will put forth before the Central government. We plan to reach out to 86 lakh people, said BJD spokesman Arun Sahoo. He claimed that the Naveen Patnaik government has fulfilled all its promises made in the manifesto for 2014 elections. Also read: Jay Panda joins BJP, 9 months after walking out of Odishas Biju Janata Da Opposition BJP which is making a serious bid to topple BJD seems to have already stolen a march in this aspect. In January this year, the state unit of BJP started its direct communication with the people for preparation of manifesto by launching a website. BJP aims to build a modern, prosperous and vibrant Odisha and India. So we sought peoples cooperation and valuable suggestion to prepare our manifesto, said senior BJP leader Biswabhushan Harichandan who heads the partys manifesto drafting committee. Congress, hit by desertions, is also ahead of BJD in manifesto preparation as it is adopting the Chhatisgarh model. Buoyed by the victory in Assembly polls in Chhatisgarh, backed by a popular manifesto, Odisha Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik said public participation in preparation of manifesto will be a key factor in the election. Also read: BJD will not be part of mahagathbandhan, says Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Congress has already appointed manifesto process coordinators in each of the 21 Lok Sabha constituencies to consult people and include their feedback. The manifesto process coordinators visited different districts since last two months and met various groups. During the interaction, weavers groups expressed worry over declining earnings while Asha workers said that they work day and night, but the salary is low, said Niranjan Patnaik. Following feedback on lack of safety for women, Congress would include the promise of a dedicated Women Safety Officer in each of the gram panchayats. Our party would also distribute marriage kit for women containing cash and other items in it, Niranjan Patnaik added. Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal currently lodged in the Tihar Jail, has been moved to a high-security ward because of threat perception against him in the wake of the Pulwama attack, prison authorities informed a Delhi court on Tuesday. We had done a security assessment of the foreign nationals [lodged in Tihar], so that there is not a repetition of the attack like that on the Pakistani national [in the Jaipur Jail], said Tihar Jail authorities. On February 20, Pakistani national Shakir Ullah, lodged in Rajasthans Jaipur Central Jail, was allegedly murdered by other inmates. The incident took place in the wake of the Pulwama attack that was owned up by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. Michel was arrested in the United Arab Emirates and then extradited to India on December 4. The British national, being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Agusta case, was shifted from Jail No. 7 to Jail No. 2 on February 18. While Jail no. 7 houses undertrials booked for economic offences, Jail No. 2 is for those convicted under National Security Act (NSA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA). Following this, Michels counsel Aljo K. Joseph and Sriram P had moved a plea in the court seeking a judicial inquiry into why he was shifted to a solitary cell in Tihar Jail without recording any reasons. The lawyers had also submitted that directions be issued to Tihar Jail authorities to shift Michel back to a normal cell from Jail No. 2. The jail authorities submitted to the court on Tuesday that Michel can be shifted to Jail No. 1, 3 and 4, which are also high-security wards for undertrials while Jail No. 2 is for convicts. Michels lawyer, however, argued that his client should be kept in a normal cell and not in a high-security one as much of his liberty is curtailed in the name of security. All options will be on the table in framing Indias response in the event of another cross-border terrorist attack and New Delhi will now focus on mounting pressure on Islamabad to deliver on its counter-terror commitments, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The Indian government will use forums such as the Financial Action Task Force and the UN Security Council, which has received a fresh proposal to designated Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, to mount pressure on Pakistan, the people said. If there is any subsequent terrorist attack, then all options are available to the government of India, a person familiar with decision-making at the highest level said, without giving details. Indias focus is now on the fight against terrorism. The action on the JeM training camp in Balakot is over, and it was intended to demonstrate we have the capacity and will to act against cross-border terrorism, the person added. The Indian governments main effort is to build maximum pressure diplomatically on Pakistan and this pressure had led to the release of the Indian Air Force pilot, Wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured after his jet was shot down along the Line of Control last week, the people said. The people dismissed reports that other countries had offered to mediate between India and Pakistan, saying all the world leaders who had spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had offered solid support and expressed understanding for Indias position but had stayed out of the issue of mediation. Besides reaching out to all 15 members of the UN Security Council to push for the listing of Azhar, India will document everything being done by Pakistan to curb terror financing and present these findings at the next review to be conducted by FATF in June, the people said. Excerpts from the dossier on JeM handed over to Pakistan had also been shared with other countries, they added. The people declined to go into the issue of casualties in the air strike at Balakot last week, an issue that has been at the heart of a heated debate. Against the backdrop of media reports suggesting minimal damage during the air strike, opposition parties have been demanding greater clarity on the issue. The air force strike at a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot early on February 26 was intended to demonstrate that India has the intention and capability to carry out the strike at camps run by terror groups in Pakistan, sources said on Tuesday. If there is another terrorist attack, all options are available to the government, the sources said. Saying that Indias focus now was on fighting terrorism, the sources downplayed Pakistans claims that its soil is not being used for terrorism and that it was taking action against the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF). Watch: Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba warns of terror attacks via sea A similar commitment was made by then President Pervez Musharraf in 2004. We have heard this from previous governments. If this is naya Pakistan, we want to see naya action, sources said, referring to Pakistan prime minister Imran Khans statement that he was building a Naya Pakistan with a new thinking and one that has nothing to gain from being associated with terror acts. The Indian governments position is that we have to fight terrorism on our own but we have to build international pressure on Pakistan, the sources said, making clear Indias stand that it was not going to deflect from its fight against terrorism. They also referred to recent interviews given by Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in which he had revealed two significant points vis a vis Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. Significant points have come out in Qureshis interviews - that Masood Azhar is in Pakistan and that the authorities are in touch with the Jaish-e-Mohammed, sources said. This makes Indias case to put Masood Azhar in UNSC 1267 sanctions list stronger. If Azhar gets sanctioned, irrespective of what action Pakistan takes, it will become more difficult for Pakistan to say they arent the epicentre of terrorism, they said. Referring to Qureshis statement that Masood Azhar was very, very unwell, the sources said, India takes such reports with a pinch of salt. We had earlier had seen similar reports on Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden as well. Our effort is to bring Masood Azhar to book. Hinting that pressure was being built on Pakistan to take concrete steps towards removing terror hubs from its territory, the sources said that IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthamans repatriation from Pakistan was a result of global pressure being built on the neighbouring country. As far as talks between India and Pakistan are concerned, the sources said the future of any talks between India and Pakistan depended on the latter documenting its actions to counter terror financing and sharing the report with the 36 members of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) before its next review meeting in June. Pakistan must first shut down terrorism camps before the issue of talks can be considered, sources said. Let us hold Pakistan to their word that they wont allow their soil to be used for terrorism, they said. The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a 2016 National Green Tribunal order that expanded buffer zone limits around lakes and water bodies in Bengaluru. The NGT had fixed the buffer/green zone of 75 metres in respect of lakes, 50 metres in respect of primary rajakaluves (storm water drains), 35 metres in case of secondary rajakaluves and 25 metres in case of tertiary rajakaluves with retrospective effect in Bengaluru. The court quashed the NGT order, asking Bengaluru city authorities to demolish all the constructions raised/built in the buffer zone in the city. The Karnataka government had challenged the 2016 NGT order, saying it had gone against the Revised Master Plan, 2015 for Bengaluru. The state government argued that if NGT order is implemented, it will result in demolition of 95% of the buildings in Bengaluru. The state said directions were against Karnataka Industrial Area Development Act, Planning Act, Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, adding the buffer zone was already fixed as 30 metres. The top court dismissed the appeals filed by Mantri Techzone Pvt Ltd and Core Mind Software and Services Pvt Ltd, against the findings of encroachment of water bodies in Bengaluru. A majority of litigants in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case have communicated their consent for a dialogue to the Supreme Court. But three important parties to the dispute have reportedly not given their consent. They are the Hindu Mahasabha, Ram Lalla Virajman, which represents the infant deity, and Mahant Suresh Das. The Supreme Court will on Wednesday hold a crucial hearing to decide whether the politically and religiously sensitive issue can be adjudicated through mediation. Triloki Nath Pandey, who is representing Ram Lalla Virajman in the Supreme Court, said: I am against any form of mediation in the case at this stage. In the past, all efforts for out-of-court settlement of the dispute through mediation have failed. I have informed the court that I am against any form of mediation even if it is through a court appointed mediator, he said. The apex court on February 26 said it would pass an order on March 6 on whether to refer the matter to a court-appointed mediator. A five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, had asked the contesting parties to explore the possibility of amicably settling the decades-old dispute through mediation, saying it may help in healing relations. I would be representing the Sunni Central Waqf Board, in person, in civil appeal number 921/2011 in the mediation process, if any, initiated by the orders of the Supreme Court, said Zufar Ahmed Faruqi, the chairman of the waqf board. All Muslim parties in the Ayodhya case have expressed their willingness after the apex courts observation to explore mediation. Only the Hindu Mahasabha, Ram Lala Virajman and Mahant Suresh Das did not agree, said Zafaryab Jilani, waqf board counsel and secretary of the AIMPLB. He said past attempts for an out-of-court settlement of the issue had failed and this had apparently made some of the parties to the dispute sceptical. Indian security agencies were unmoved by reports of arrest of 44 members of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan, with officials saying the terrorists were not arrested under the anti-terrorism laws but have only been taken in preventive detention for investigation. Similar actions by the neighbouring country against leaders of the proscribed outfits in the past turned out to be farce as those who were taken into custody were let off soon on different pretexts. The 44 members of the JeM, including its founder Masood Azhars brother Mufti Abdul Raoof, were said to have been taken in preventive detention for investigation and have not been arrested under Pakistans anti-terrorism law, a security official said. There is every possibility that the detention could also be an attempt by the Pakistan Army to provide security to these terrorists, given the fear psychosis that has gripped Pakistan in the past few days following the Indian Air Force strike at Balakot, the official said. The assessment of the security agencies came in view of the fact that founders of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba -- Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed respectively -- were detained several times in the past, mostly under laws that provide for detention for apprehension of breach of peace. Azhar and Saeed have never been prosecuted under the Pakistans Anti Terrorism Act, 1997, another official said. According to the reports received from Pakistan, the action against JeM came in order to implement the National Action Plan of Pakistan, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating from its soil. Also read | JeMs Masood Azhars brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, 43 others of banned outfits detained: Pak A high-level meeting was held in Pakistans Ministry of Interior on Monday and it was attended by representatives of all provincial governments of that country. It was decided to speed up action against all proscribed organisations. In compliance, 44 under-observation members of the proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation. These actions will continue as per the decisions taken in the National Security Committee while reviewing the National Action Plan, an official quoted the order of the Pakistan government. Pakistans Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi said at a press conference in Islamabad that Raoof and Hamad Azhar are among 44 people arrested during the crackdown. Afridi said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Raoof and Azhar. The crackdown on banned groups came amid tensions with India following a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. India handed over a dossier to Pakistan to take action against the JeM, as pressure mounted on Islamabad to take action against individual and organisation listed by the UN Security Council as terrorists. The minister, however, said the action was not taken due to any pressure. He said action would be taken against all proscribed organisations under the National Action Plan. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday hit back at the Congress party after senior leaders including Kapil Sibal, Digvijaya Singh and P Chidambaram sought clarification from the Narendra Modi government over reports in international media on strike by the Indian Air Force in Pakistans Balakot. Prasad, who is also the chief spokesperson of the BJP, said statements made by the Congress leaders are aimed at lowering the morale of the forces. Has Digvijaya Singh reduced himself to such a low level that he will call the most heinous terrorist attack on 45 CRPF jawans as an accident? This is their thinking, said Prasad at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. Digvijaya Singh, earlier in the day, had said, some foreign media have raised doubts over the air strike by our air force following Pulwama accident which is putting question mark on the credibility of our Government of India. Prasad alleged that Digvijaya Singh, Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram, who targeted the government over IAF strike on Monday, were issuing statements as part of a design that has approval of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Also Read | To Digvijaya Singhs Pulwama accident barb, VK Singhs Rajiv Gandhi assassination retort Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi must answerThese three senior leaders (Kapil Sibal, Digvijaya Singh and P Chidambaram) who are repeat offenders are not saying in isolation. It is part of a great design with the blessings of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, said Prasad. Sibal and Chidambaram had sought answers from the government citing conflicting reports in international media and differing claims made by BJP leaders over IAF strike at terror camps in Balakot on February 26. IAF Vice Air Marshal declined to comment on casualties. The MEA statement said there were no civilian or military casualties. So, who put out the number of casualties at 300-350, Chidambaram said on Monday. Also Read | Opposition chorus grows for proof of air strike in Pakistan Responding to the charge, Prasad read out a few reports published by Indian media to state that considerable damage was caused to the terrorists in the IAF attack after Pulwama terror attack. Not even a single country has sought evidence of IAF air strike, he said adding, This is clear that purely for the consideration of votes, they are lowering the morale of India. The Union minister also claimed that the statements by the Congress leaders are making headlines in Pakistan and being used to target India. Also Read | Post Pulwama, Navy chief Admiral Lanba warns of sea-borne terror attack The official website of the Bharatiya Janata Party was on Tuesday taken offline after it was, as reports suggested, defaced. Attempt to visit the website initially showed an error on the homepage of the BJPs online portal. Later, the website was taken offline. Well be back soon! Sorry for the inconvenience but were performing some maintenance at the moment. Well be back online shortly! Web Admin, reads the message on the BJPs website. Multiple posts on Twitter claimed that those behind defacement of the BJPs website left a meme that mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Divya Spandana, who heads the social media cell of the Congress, took a dig at the ruling party after its website was attacked. Bhaiya aur Bhehno (brothers and sisters) if youre not looking at the BJP website right now- youre missing out, she wrote on Twitter. Also Read | Indo-Pak tensions play out in cyberspace, websites hit The BJP, however, is not the only party whose website has been attacked by hackers. The official website of the Congress was targeted in 2011, when the hackers defaced then party Sonia Gandhis profile page with objectionable material. The cyber attack coincided with her 65th birthday. Similarly, the Supreme Court website came under attack last year. The online portal of the top court showed service unavailable to visitors around 30 minutes after it dismissed pleas seeking an independent probe into the death of CBI court judge BH Loya, who was hearing the alleged Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. Sheikh was allegedly killed in a fake encounter in Gujarat in 2005. The attack on the BJPs website comes at a time when cyber attacks on Indian government websites have been witnessed after Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed on February 14. Hackers from Pakistan attacked over 90 Indian government websites and critical systems within hours of the Pulwama suicide strike by a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist in which 40 soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed, senior officials in the security establishment said on condition of anonymity. There was an unusual surge of activity, attempts to breach systems, a senior official in the security establishment said. The attack on Indian websites has been so ferocious that the government had to resort to offensive measures in the cyber domain to counter them, another official said. Bhagwan Barad,a Congress member of the Gujarat assembly, was divested of his seat on Tuesday after a local court convicted and sentenced him to nearly three years in jail in an 18-year-old illegal mining case, disqualifying him from holding a lawmakers position. Talala MLA Bhagwan Barad, as per Supreme Court order, and subsequent circulation by the Election Commission, has been disqualified March 1 (the day the court verdict was delivered), speaker Rajendra Trivedi said in an order. The apex court in 2013 ruled that convicted MPs or state assemblies should be immediately disqualified. In the past nine months, the Congress has lost three MLAs which include Kunvarji Bavaliya and Asha Patel, who resigned from the party and joined BJP. Bavaliya was made a minister in the Vijay Rupani government and he got re-elected in the Jasdan bypoll in December. With Bavaliyas victory, the BJP tally in the assembly increased to 100 seats while the Congress has 74 in the 182-member assembly. Trivedi said the documents on the case against Barad were submitted by the state governments legal department and he was bound to follow the SC order. Judicial magistrate (first class) Sunil Mehta of Somnath district pronounced Barad guilty of stealing around 280,000 tonnes of limestone worth 2.83 crore after illegally mining it from Gauchar (pastoral land) in Sutrapada town in 1995. He has been awarded two years and nine months of jail. The Congress Working Committee is set to meet on March 12 in Ahmedabad to firm up its election strategy for the Lok Sabha polls. This will be followed by a public rally. The party is set to have its screening committee meeting on March 8 as part of its candidate selection exercise. The shortlisted names of probable candidates will be discussed in the meeting, and then submitted to partys central election committee, headed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, for approval. The first list of Congress candidates is likely to be announced in the second week of March. Last month, Rahul Gandhi had met the state party chiefs and general secretaries to review preparations for the general elections. Congress and Rahul Gandhi have been attacking the Narendra Modi government on issues such as alleged corruption in Rafale fighter deal, unemployment, farmers distress and others. Recently, he has attacked the Modi government for politicising the IAF attack on a terrorist camp in Pakistans Balakot which was carried out in response to the Pulwama suicide bomb attack on a CRPF convoy that killed 40 personnel. Among the poll promises, Rahul has said his party would guarantee a minimum income to the poor if it comes to power. The party has announced farm loan waivers in states where it is in power Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. The party is also in talks with various regional parties across the country to firm up alliances and has roped in quite a few. However, in Delhi, party unit chief and former chief minister, Sheila Dikshit said there will be no alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. If the WhatsApp universe is to be believed, Congress president Rahul Gandhi made some startling political announcements in the run-up to last years state assembly elections. BREAKING NEWS the screengrabs of ABP news, a Hindi-language television news channel screamed, attributing the following politically suicidal statements to Rahul Gandhi: My ancestors were Muslims. I am a Muslim. Congress is a party for Muslims and will remain so. Kashmir should be given to Pakistan. The fact is, ABP news did not carry any such news item and Rahul Gandhi never made any of these statements. In the fact-free world of WhatsApp, though, it didnt matter: these fake images went viral. A similar-looking fake image of ABP news was then circulated in pro-Congress groups to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP): Modi busted: 70 thousand crores rupees uncovered in Modis Swiss Bank account. BJP stirred; BJP caught in one lakh crore rupees scam, CBI reveals. Again, it was fake news. Fake news that goes viral Variants of these fake ABP news images were the second most shared misleading images in over two thousand politics-focussed and public WhatsApp groups that we monitored in the run-up to the 2018 assembly electionsoffering a peek into the themes that dominated the fake news ecosystem. This example perfectly represents the three key things we identified about visual misinformation in our dataset. First, newspaper clippings and television news screen grabs real or fake were extensively shared. Second, anti-Congress misleading content aims to create confusion about Rahul Gandhis religiosity (to show him as non-Hindu) and portray Congress as an anti-Hindu party. Third, anti-BJP misinformation is targeted to show Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP as corrupt. From outright falsehoods and partially-true misleading narratives to bigotry and hate, everything is circulated in the closed encrypted world of Indias most popular messaging application, with over 230 million active users. According to a 2017 Lokniti-CSDS Mood of the Nation (MOTN) survey, around one-sixth of WhatsApp users in India said they were members of a group started by a political leader or party. Not all political discussion on WhatsApp is about consuming fake news. Our dataset over a million messages collected from politically-motivated WhatsApp groups between 1st August and 4th December 2018 has all kinds of information: long crafted text messages, infographics, political memes, and news videos. The focus of this analysis is restricted to the study of images36% of all messages; 9% were videos. Data collected from public WhatsApp groups WhatsApp is a black box for content: It is nearly impossible to comprehensively track misinformation in the WhatsApp sphere as the content is end-to-end encrypted and no one can and should not access private conversations at scale. Given this restriction, we decided to monitor public WhatsApp groups that are open to the public, meaning anyone can join these through links publicised on the internet. They constitute a small sample of the hundreds of thousands of groups that parties and their supporters have created to disseminate political information. We do not claim that public groups represent the discussion in private groups. But in absence of any other data, our research offers a window to understanding the themes that political actors or their supporters want to promote and distribute. Methodology We manually classified each WhatsApp group in our dataset with its party affiliation: of the total, we identified 693 pro-BJP groups; 156 pro-Congress; and the rest voice support for various regional parties and religious groups. To be sure, it is not known how many of these groups are managed by the office-bearers of political parties, though there is some evidence of centralisation. For instance, around 400 groups in our database were created by just 10 phone numbers. Overall, 1,49,305 people were members of the groups we monitored. 79,781 members (53% of all members) sent at least one message; 31,459 (21%) shared at least one image. We analysed all the images in our dataset by programmatically grouping similar-looking ones into clusters using an image hashing algorithm. Then, we manually reviewed the top 2,000 clusters (each had at least five images), together comprising around 67,000 images, and identified the misleading content in this data set. We used the shortlisted images to qualitatively study the most shared misleading images and derived the themes that dominated the fake news ecosystem in the run-up to the recent assembly elections. Here are our three key findings: Screen grabs, news clippings to fill trust deficit Seven of the ten most shared misleading images in the pro-BJP WhatsApp groups were media clippings. The most shared image was a screengrab of a primetime segment of Times Now, an English TV news channel, claiming that the Congress party manifesto in Telangana was Muslim-centric. Seven Muslim only schemes were included in the manifesto, the image claimed, including a scholarship for Muslim students and free electricity to Mosques. Except that the information was misleading. Alt News, a left-leaning fact-checking news website, later debunked how the news channel had misreported the story, by selectively picking parts of the manifesto to create a false narrative. This message repeatedly appeared in various forms eight of the top ten misleading images in the BJP groups were only about the manifesto including screen grabs from CNBC-Awaaz, another news channel, and standalone graphics. The example illustrates a key point: fake news as commonly understood has various shades. Unlike the morphed ABP news screenshots (second most shared) that propagated outright lies, the Telangana manifesto story is based on partially-true information that was later found to be misleading. The intent in the latter case is not clear and often difficult to establish. Why are there so many media clippings? One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that WhatsApp -ers leverage mainstream media artefacts to compensate for the declining credibility of WhatsApp content. A limited small-scale survey conducted last year across 14 Indian states by Digital Empowerment Foundation revealed that rural Indians dont trust messages on WhatsApp blindly, indicating a lack of trust in content received on the messaging service. We have seen that before: Prior to 2018 Karnataka elections, fake opinion polls attributed to the BBC were circulated in both BJP and Congress groups, each publicising dubious survey numbers to showcase victory for their own side. Anti-Congress fake news: communal propaganda Communal polarisation was the major theme of anti-Congress misinformation in our dataset: it aims to establish that the Congress party only cares about Muslims. The Telangana manifesto was one such example. Then there is bigotry, with messages that ask people to connect the dots and rethink whether Rahul Gandhi is actually a Hindu by questioning the religiosity of his ancestors. The narrative begins with Jawaharlal Nehru, Indias first prime minister and Gandhis great-grandfather. By education, Im an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim and a Hindu only by accident of birth, reads a quote attributed to Nehru in a newspaper clipping. Nehru never said this. The next target in line is Feroz Gandhi, husband of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Rahul Gandhis grandfather. The messages repeat the long-standing false rumour that Feroze Gandhi was a Muslim, in contrast with the well-documented fact that he belonged to a Parsi family. Then, questions are raised about the marriage of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi, his parents: Mother and father got their marriage registered in Delhi church as a Christian couple. Son claims himself as a janeu dhari Hindu. Can there be a bigger joke? reads one message. A fact-check by SMHoaxSlayer revealed that this claim is simply wrong. Another says: How can a son of a Parsi man and Christian woman be a Hindu? Have you ever thought about this? These rumours have been a part of the political discourse for long and are constantly fed to Indian citizens. Put this into the political context and the signal is clear: the strategy to portray Congress as an anti-Hindu party, a theme BJP has leveraged to mobilise the Hindu electorate and consolidate the vote in their favour. In fact, various images shared in the groups we monitored make an explicit call for Hindus to unite to defeat the Congress. Anti-BJP fake news: Modi and BJP are corrupt Anti-BJP fake news attempts to show the Narendra Modi and his party as corrupt. Clippings tagged with an organisation called News Express it is not clear who runs this organisation, and if there is any real organisation with that name ran a headline saying: Rafale scam: Former President of France Francois Hollande says PM Narendra Modi is a thief. Hollande never said this. Other fake clippings make similar claims: RBI accepts that demonetisation was a wrong decision. It is a nine lakh crore rupees scam, reads an image post, attributing the statement to Urjit Patel, former governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Modi government is the most corrupt government in Asia, says Forbes magazine India goes bankrupt, according to a shocking disclosure by the World Bank. India owes 1,31,000 million dollars None of this is true. Steps taken by WhatsApp On its part, WhatsApp has taken several measures in the last year: it took out full-page ads in Indian newspapers to fight misinformation, has started labelling forwarded content and limited the number of forwards to five messages only. In February, the company said it has communicated to Indian political parties that WhatsApp is not a broadcast platform, not a place to send messages at scale and accounts that engage in automated bot behaviour will be banned. Globally, it has deleted two million accounts per month for the past three months on that account. The steps are expected to add friction to use of the messaging platform by political actors, but it is unlikely to contain misinformation itself: the stream of messages and the activity in Indias WhatsApp groups will just explode in the coming months. (Samarth Bansall is a New Delhi-based data journalist. Kiran Garimella is a Post doctoral researcher at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. Dean Eckles, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tarun Chitta helped with data collection) Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday referred to Pulwama terror attack as an accident in a series of tweets to target the Narendra Modi government. Singh sought to know from the government if the foreign media reports about the strike by Indian Air Force at a terror camp in Pakistans Balakot false. some foreign media have raised doubts over the air strike by our air force following Pulwama accident which is putting [a] question mark on the credibility of our Government of India, Singh wrote on Twitter adding, Mr Prime Minister, some ministers of your government say that 300 terrorists were killed, BJP president says 250 were killed, Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh chief minister) says 400 were killed and your minister SS Ahluwalia says no one died. And, you have been silent on this matter. The nation wants to know who is a liar. Union minister VK Singh shot back at Digvijaya Singh saying, With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh Ji, was Rajiv Gandhis assassination an accident or a terror incident? This comes a day after Singhs party colleague Kapil Sibal tried to corner the Modi government over IAF strike at Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan. Sibal wrote on Twitter, Modiji: Is international media: 1) New York Times 2) London based Janes Information Group 3) Washington Post 4) Daily Telegraph 5) The Guardian 6) Reuters reporting no proof of militant losses at Balakot pro-Pakistan? You are guilty of politicising terror? Also Read | Opposition chorus grows for proof of air strike in Pakistan He was referring to some reports in the global media that said Indian jets missed the target. The government and the IAF said a terror camp run by Jaish-e-Mohammed was targeted days on February 26 following intelligence input that the Pakistan-based outfit was planning to carry out attacks in India. Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for terror attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama on February 14. A CRPF convoy was targeted on the Jammu-Srinagar highway killing 40 soldiers. Hitting back at Sibal, Union minister Rajyavarshan Singh Rathore posed a counter question to Kapil Sibal. Rathores post on Twitter reads, Kapil Sibal ji: You believe international media over own Intelligence agencies? You seem happy when media quoted by you says no losses in strike?...and sir, for us you went to London to find evidence against EVMs, will you please also go to Balakot to check? Other leaders including Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, and former Union minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram too aimed at the government amid conflicting reports on IAF strike. Chidambaram said, IAF Vice Air Marshal declined to comment on casualties. The MEA statement said there were no civilian or military casualties. So, who put out the number of casualties at 300-350? Separately, news agency ANI on Monday quoting unnamed officials at the National Technical Research Organisation said that its intelligence showed the presence of around 300 active mobile connections at the Jaish-e-Mohammed camp that was targeted by the Indian air strike shortly before the attack itself. Three persons were arrested for allegedly attacking the 22-year-old son of a decorated former Army officer at a pub in Mumbai, police said Monday. The pub is located in the western suburb of Bandra and the incident took place in early hours of Saturday, said an official. Gurnihal Singh, the college-going son of Shaurya Chakra awardee, Captain (retd) Bikramjit Singh, and his friend Saksham Jatia were attacked by a group of persons at the pub following an argument when the duo took to the dance floor, he said. The fight started when one of the men in the group began punching Jatia, the official said. When Gurnihal Singh and his friends tried to intervene, they were also attacked by the group members, he said. One of the attackers broke a liquor bottle and slashed Gurnihal Singhs throat with it, causing serious injuries to him, the official said. Gurnihal Singh was rushed to a hospital, where his condition is stated to be stable now, he said. A case was registered at the Bandra police station. Three alleged attackers were arrested separately Sunday and Monday and charged with attempt to murder, among other offences, the official said. The police were also investigating whether more persons were involved in the attack, he said. Those asking for the number of casualties in air strikes targeting a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp across the Line of Control should go to Pakistan and do the calculations, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday, hitting out at Opposition parties, including the Congress, that have been asking for proof of the damage inflicted by Indias bombardment in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Addressing a public meeting in Assams Dhubri, Singh said Indian forces will go to paataal (underneath the Earth) if needed, search for terror bases there and take terrorists to task. Should our IAF [Indian Air Force] pilots have visited the sites of the strikes and counted those killed? What kind of drama is this? If our friends in Congress want numbers, I would ask them to go to Pakistan and count. Ask people there how many people were killed by our IAF pilots, he said. The home minister was on a visit to the India-Bangladesh border where he inaugurated a smart fencing project aimed at curbing cross-border incursions. NTRO [National Technical Research Organisation], which is an authentic Indian surveillance system, has stated that when IAF jets struck the area with bombs, there were 300 mobile phones active..., Singh said, apparently reacting to reports in a section of the global media that said Indian jets missed the target. Were these phones being used by trees in that area? Or will you now say we dont believe in the NTRO either? Singh asked. On Monday, news agency ANI, citing unnamed people at NTRO, said its intelligence showed the presence of around 300 active mobile connections at the JeM facility that was targeted by the Indian air strike shortly before the raid on February 26. In Chennai, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the IAF strike was not a military action as there was no civilian casualty. She also said foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale had not given any casualty figure in his media briefing after the air strike and only gave a statement which is the governments position. Gokhale has said the non-military and preemptive strike killed a very large number of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders. Sitharamans remarks came after the Opposition upped the ante over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shahs Sunday statement that 250 terrorists were killed in the strike. Officials in Indias intelligence establishment said soon after the attack that 300-350 people, including terrorists and commanders, were killed in the air raid. The Opposition has been asking for proof of the damage, accusing the central government over what it said was politicisation of the strikes. (With agency inputs) School students in Rajasthan will now read the story of bravery of Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in textbooks. The proposal came from the states education minister Govind Singh Dotasra who cited the pilots school education in Jodhpur as he tweeted on Monday Abhinandans story of bravery will be introduced in the school syllabus of Rajasthan in a bid to honour him. He also wrote a similar Facebook post late Monday using the #AbhinandanDiwas. But Dotasra did not mention the classes where Wing Commander Abhinandans story will be studied. Wing Commander Abhinandan emerged a hero after he shot down a Pakistani F-16 warplane before his MiG 21 was downed forcing him to bail out. He was captured and spent about 60 hours in Pakistani custody before returning home Friday night. Also read: IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman wants to return to cockpit at the earliest Earlier the minister had proposed the addition of stories of troopers who died in the Pulwama attack in the syllabus which was accepted by the syllabus review committee. Dotasra recently constituted two committees to review the syllabus of the school textbooks of the state. He had earlier accused the previous government of politicizing education and neglecting history, culture and great personalities in school textbooks. The education department of Rajasthan recently inaugurated a Government defence academy which is to be set up with an investment of Rs. 31.5 crore in Sikar. The academy named Maharao Shekhaji Shashastra Bal Prasikshan Academy will provide opportunity to the youth for recruitment in army, navy and air force, Dotasra said. The Trump administration on Monday notified US congress of its intent to remove India from a list of beneficiary countries of a zero-import duty programme, called the Generalized System of Preference (GSP), for not granting American producers reasonable access to its markets. India has been the top beneficiary of this programme that extends zero-tariff regime for some goods, not all, to 120 countries. It exported an estimated $5.6 billion worth of goods to the US under this scheme in 2017, more than 11% of the total value of it exports to the United States, $48.6 billion. Thats why it matters. I am providing notice of my intent to terminate the designation of India as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, President Donald Trump wrote in a letter to the heads of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The president added that he had determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India. In New Delhi, Indias commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan said the US decision to withdraw Indias name from the GSP list wont have any significant impact on the 5.6 billion dollar exports to the US. India exports goods worth USD 5.6 billion under the GSP, and the duty benefit is only USD 190 million annually, news agency PTI quoted Wadhawan as saying. Also read | US lawmakers launch sweeping probe of Trump Trumps letter kicked off a 60-day notice period, which is essentially the time India has to try and reverse the decision. And the only way it can, according to people close to these matters, was for it to capitulate on all of US demands that had been under discussion for the last some months. If India refuses to yield, hundreds of types of goods it exports to the United States under the GSP will now be subjected to rates that amount to around $190 million in import duty, according to people dealing with bilateral trade between the countries and the contentious and protracted negotiations underway for months. The decision was along expected lines but New Delhi was both disappointed and irritated. We had conceded most of their demands and had indicated our readiness to discuss the few remaining ones as well, an official close to the negotiations said, adding, but they seemed to be in the mood to go for all. US experts and observers of relations with Indian were disappointed as well, largely, as they saw it, because of the administrations failure to see the trade issue in the context of its own national security strategy objectives for Asia, with threat from China as a shared objective. Also read | Hillary Clinton says she wont run for US president in 2020 Milan Vaishnav, a South Asia expert at Carnegie, a leading think-tank, described the delisting as a very shortsighted decision by the Trump administration. Yes, the United States has economic grievances with India. And yes, India has instituted several new protectionist measures. In my view, however, the United States should be taking the long view. If it chooses not to, then I think the entire edifice of the Indo-Pacific strategy rings hollow. Richard Rossow of another leading think tankthe Center for International and Strategic Studies, agreed. Recounting the many Indian trade and tariff decisions, he said, Trump administrations decision could put our emerging strategic partnership at risk. I just hope the firewall between our economic ties and security ties holds firm. The free and open Indo-Pacific strategy has a big gap if Indo is missing. While broadly agreeing with them, an Asian diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, sought to tamp down fears of a strategic fissure. The administration also kicked out Turkey, a NATO ally, from the list but for altogether different reason, because its not longer a developing country Turkey has graduated from other developed countries GSP programs due to its increase in economic development or through reciprocal arrangements, Trump wrote in a separate letter. Also read | Washington and Beijing near deal that could end most US tariffs The Trump administration had initiated a review of Indias continued eligibility for the programme in April 2018, essentially to use it extract concessions on a range of trade issues, from market access for American dairy products to tariff barriers to IT to pricing of medical devices. Trump administrations notification to congress had seemed imminent to observers but Indians had harbored hopes it would look at numbers before calling it in. US export to India have risen by 30% in the last six months and could touch 40% next year, said a person close to the negotiations. India has been ramping up imports from the United States since Trump took office, to reduce its trade surplus with the United States, because Trump made it out to be as issue. India is going ahead with work on the Kartarpur corridor in line with plans finalised before the Pulwama terror attack last month triggered a stand-off with Pakistan, according to officials familiar with the matter. The external affairs ministry is also ready for a meeting of officials of the two countries in India on March 14 to finalise modalities and decide the coordinates for the crossing point of the corridor on the international border . The two sides are also expected to discuss a draft agreement that will allow Indian pilgrims to travel without visas. Last year, the two sides announced plans to build the corridor, which will link Dera Baba Nanak in India with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, and to complete the project in time for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, in November. Recent India-Pakistan tensions fuelled speculation that the March 14 meeting could be called off, but the people cited above said that India is ready for holding talks as scheduled. India accepted a proposal made by Pakistan for the meeting, and New Delhi is fully prepared for holding talks on the Kartarpur corridor next week, the people said. They added that India is going ahead with the meeting as the corridor deals with the sentiments of a very significant part of the countrys population, and any Pakistani delegation coming for talks will be welcomed. A statement issued by Pakistans Foreign Office on Tuesday said a delegation will visit New Delhi on March 14 and this will be followed by the return visit of an Indian delegation to Islamabad on March 28 to discuss the draft agreement. The road transport and highways ministry identified the land it needs for the corridor and issued a notification under the National Highways Act of 1956 in January. This kick-started work on connecting Dera Baba Nanak with the gurdwara at Kartarpur in Pakistan, the final resting place of Guru Nanak. We have been given a mandate to build the road and we are going ahead. We cannot stop unless we are directed to do so... Tomorrow, even if the government decides not to open it, we still have to keep everything ready, said a senior government official who asked not to be named. Another notification issued in February for developing the corridor and wayside amenities declared the Central governments intention to acquire the identified land. This includes land in four villages of Chandu Nangal, Jaurian Khurd, Pakhoketahli Sahib and Dera Baba Nanak for the 4.25-km stretch of road in Gurdaspur district. (With inputs from Rezaul H Laskar) Pakistan on Tuesday said it had detained 44 members of banned groups, including the brother and son of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, in action that comes against the backdrop of mounting international pressure on the country to crack down on terrorists operating from its soil. Minister of state for interior Shehryar Afidi and interior secretary Azam Suleman Khan announced the detentions at a news conference in Islamabad, saying the move was aimed at securing Pakistans future. Masood Azhars brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, who was accused of masterminding the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase in India in 2016, and Azhars son Hammad Azhar are among the detained persons, officials said. The other detained people were not identified and there was no official word on the status of Azhar. Khan acknowledged a dossier on JeM provided by India contained the names of Asghar and Hammad Azhar. This is across the board we dont want to give the impression that were against one organisation, he said. Late on Tuesday, Pakistan issued a fresh list of banned groups, inclduing the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF). The two had earlier been on a watch list of the interior ministry. JuD and FIF were earlier designated by the US and the UN as fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the terror group founded by Hafiz Saeed that carried out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Also read | Speculation over Jaish chief Masood Azhars death amid crackdown reports The action came almost three weeks after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 Indian troopers were killed, and for which the JeM took responsibility. Indian officials reacted with scepticism to the announcement of the detentions, saying successive governments in Islamabad had made commitments about the countrys soil not being used for terrorism since 2004. If this is a Naya [new] Pakistan with naya soch[new thinking] , we expect to see naya action on the ground, one government official said, referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans comments in recent days that there has been a change of mindset on the issue of terrorism in the Naya Pakistan he is building. A brief statement from Pakistans interior ministry said, 44 under-observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hammad Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation. The statement added the action was taken following a meeting in the ministry on Monday to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) on terrorism. Pakistan finalised the NAP after a terror attack on an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 killed nearly 150 people, most of them children. However, the implementation of NAP has so far focused on action against terror groups such as the Taliban that carried out attacks within Pakistan and little has been done to counter anti-India groups such as JeM and LeT. Afridi said, We are determined about the supremacy of law in Pakistan. We wont allow the use of our soil against any country. Action will be taken across the board so that Pakistans soil cannot be misused at any level by anyone. That is the ultimate objective. Khan said all banned groups will be targeted under the action, which is expected to continue for a fortnight, and their assets will be taken over if necessary. Further action will be taken against the detained people after investigations, he added. Pakistan has conducted similar crackdowns on banned groups in the past in the aftermath of major terror attacks, such as clamping down on JeM after the 2001 attack on Indias Parliament, the rounding up of JuD operatives and sealing of the groups offices and facilities after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and a crackdown on JeM and the detention of Masood Azhar after the 2016 Pathankot attack. Also read | In message to cadre, Jaish chief Masood Azhars brother confirms Balakot camp strike Within weeks and months, the operatives under preventive detention were quietly freed by the security establishment or released on the orders of courts. Hafiz Saeed was placed under house arrest at least thrice since the Mumbai attacks, the latest instance being in 2018 to apparently prevent Pakistan being placed on a watch list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). People in New Delhi familiar with the developments said former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf first made a commitment about Pakistani soil not being used for terrorism against India in 2004, and this was reiterated recently by foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. This commitment is important but it isnt enough, said a second official who asked not to be named. In its interactions with interlocutors around the world, India will focus on pressuring Pakistan to deliver on its counter-terrorism commitments, the people said. We are reaching out to all countries to appeal to members of the UN Security Council to get Pakistan to deal with terrorism on the ground, and there can be no deflection of attention, the official cited in the second instance said. The governments position is that we have to fight terrorism on our own, but we have to build international pressure on Pakistan, the official said. This pressure will include measures for designating Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by UNs 1267 Committee. If Azhar gets sanctioned, irrespective of what action Pakistan takes, it will be more difficult for Pakistan to say they arent the epicentre of terrorism, the official added. Commodore (retired) C Uday Bhaskar, director of the Society for Policy Studies, said India should carefully track Pakistans crackdown on terrorists. Todays develop of cracking down on these groups is mildly encouraging but I would be a bit cautious since we have seen this in the past, starting with December 2001. We have seen these kind of announcements in the past but there was no meaningful follow-up, such as cutting terror financing and reducing amenities taken for granted by these groups, he said. Prime Minister Imran Khan brings a certain earnestness to his vision of a new Pakistan and we should give him space, and expect hell come up with a time-bound roadmap that is verifiable by Pakistani citizens, who are fed up of these terror groups, India and the global community. Also read | Plan to target JeM base conceived a decade ago: Source The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has issued a show-cause notice to Johnson & Johnson for using government test results to advertise the safety of its baby talcum powder, which is in violation of the Indian law. The government notice issued on Tuesday said that publication of any advertisement on the basis of a test report by the government analyst is not permissible under Section 29 of the of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The drug inspectors last year had drawn samples of raw material of Johnson & Johnsons baby talc powder for analysis, including presence of carcinogenic asbestos in the raw material. They were not supposed to use government test report for advertisement purposes. Its punishable under the law, said Dr S Eswara Reddy, the DCGI. On February 28, in a statement, Johnson & Johnson announced that the company had resumed production of its baby powder at plants in India, after government sanctioned testing reaffirmed that the product did not contain asbestos. Taking legal actions against a company has larger implications. It hasnt happened before, he said. The order prohibits the company from advertising a product on the basis of the government test results. Your reply should reach ...within... seven days from the date of the receipt of this Show Cause Notice, failing which it will be presumed that you have nothing to say in the matter and appropriate action in accordance with law will be initiated against you, the notice reads. We will approach court if the company doesnt respond, said Dr Reddy. The company refused to respond to the matter, saying it hadnt received the order. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has accused the Congress for helping the BJP in 2019 polls after it decided against an alliance with Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit had said no to the alliance after a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday morning. Kejriwal tweeted about a possible secret understanding between BJP and Congress and said Delhi is ready to fight the Cong-BJP alliance. At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi- Shah duo, Cong is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote. Rumours r that Cong has some secret understanding wid BJP. Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance, Kejriwal tweeted Also read: No alliance with AAP in Delhi, says Congress Sheila Dikshit after Rahul Gandhis meeting AAP chief Kejriwal had said that an alliance was necessary to defeat the BJP but Tuesdays announcement by the Congress puts rest to speculations of a pact in Delhi. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, AAP spokesperson Gopal Rai said that the Congress was playing hide and seek and helping the BJP. Senior leaders who were present in the meeting with Congress boss Rahul Gandhi said the top leadership of the party had a problem with the seat-sharing proposed by the ruling AAP in Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal had earlier said that they did try to convince the Congress for a pact in Delhi but the offer was declined. If today our alliance with Congress is done, the BJP will lose all seven seats in Delhi, the AAP chief had said. There were reports that AAP wanted the alliance with Congress to extend to Punjab and also to Haryana and Goa, two other states where it has some presence. Also read: On Kejriwals comment on alliance with Congress for 2019, Sheila Dikshit makes a point India is reaching out to 15 members of the United Nations Security Council in the fresh bid to have Jaish leader Masood Azhar proscribed, notwithstanding Pakistan ministers claim that the terror outfit head was unwell, sources said. India takes such reports (of Masood Azhar being unwell) with a pinch of salt, earlier we have seen similar reports on Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden as well. Our effort is to bring Masood Azhar to book, the source said Masood Azhar heads Jaish-e-Mohammad, the oufit responsible for the February 14 attack on a CRPF convoy on Jammu-Srinagar highway that left 40 jawans dead. READ: All options available with govt if another terror attack happens, say sources The incident started a fresh round of confrontation between India and Pakistan, with Indian Air Force carrying out early morning airstrikes on Jaishs camp in Balakot on February 26. The Pakistan attempt to retaliate next day was rebuffed by Indian jets as a result of which pilot Abhinandan Varthamans jet, chasing a Pakistan fighter, crashed in Pakistan and he was arrested and later released. The US, the UK and France last week moved a fresh proposal in the UN Security Council to designate Azhar as a global terrorist, a listing that will subject him to global travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo. Recent reports in Pakistan media had suggested that Pakistan may not oppose the ban move this time. All earlier efforts to put curbs on Azhar has been blocked by Pakistan and China The Security Council Sanctions Committee will consider within 10 days on the fresh proposal moved by the three permanent veto-wielding members of the 15-nation Security Council. The proposal is the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist. In 2009, India moved a proposal to designate Azhar, whose UN-proscribed JeM claimed responsibility for the suicide attack against Indian security forces in Pulwama on February 14 in which over 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed. In 2016 again, India moved the proposal with the P3 - the United States, the United Kingdom and France in the UNs 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar, also the mastermind of the attack on the air base in Pathankot in January, 2016. In 2017, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again. However, on all occasions, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, blocked Indias proposal from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee. The official, however, insisted that the move to take action against such individuals was taken before the Pulwama attack, the report said. The Supreme Court on Tuesday recommended measures, including mediation, to speed up settlement of motor accident claim cases so that victims can receive compensation without having to wait endlessly. A bench led by justice AK Sikri also asked the government to consider amending the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) and include the suggestions made by the court. The suggestions were made on propositions advanced by senior advocate Arun Mohan who argued a compensation case. The petitioner moved the top court after a Delhi high court order refused to grant him sufficient compensation for an accident he had suffered in 1988. Asking the Centre to enact the Indian Mediation Act, the court said mediation must be offered as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in motor accident claims cases. Mediation is here to stay. It is here to evolve. It is because of the advantages of mediation as a method here to find new grounds, the court said, asking the Centre to examine the feasibility of setting up an authority under the MVA. The court said there may be a possibility of reducing the number of road accidents, but occurrence cannot be totally eliminated. A large number of fatal accidents has given rise to a phenomenal quantum jump in claim cases, the court said, while underlining need to have mediation as an ADR in such matters. Till the time an amendment is made by Parliament, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) should take up the work as a project, the court said. The NALSA has been directed to prepare a report about the functioning of the motor accident mediation cell (MAMC). The exercise should be completed within two months, after which the project can be shared with all state legal services authorities, which will implement the same through their respective district legal services authorities. The court also asked the government to look into the feasibility of framing necessary schemes for the availability of annuity certificates and set a six-month deadline for the government to take a decision. The court reiterated its directions of a 2017 judgement by which a Delhi high court verdict was made applicable to the entire country. This was done to speed up the disposal of motor accident cases within a period of 90 to 120 days from the date of the accident. As per the directions, the police was asked to send a copy of the FIR to the court of metropolitan magistrate, motor accident claims tribunal (MACT) as well as the insurance company. On receiving the FIR copy, the company has to ascertain whether the claim is payable and respond within 30 days. The limit of maximum 450 recommendations by the Union education minister for admissions to central government-run Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV) across the country has been lifted by the board of governors of these schools, according to officials familiar with the development. The board, however, has put one condition the special dispensation quota or the human resource development ministers quota will only be allowed if there are not more than 50 students in a classroom. The decision was taken in a meeting of the board of governors of KV Sangathan on February 20. Union human resource development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar is the chairman of the board. It has been decided to remove the upper ceiling of 450 recommendations from the next session, as it was hardly found to be practical. This quota was often used to provide admissions to the poor and the needy. Often, it turned out to be a quota above the quota, said the senior ministry official who asked not to be named. In spite of the 450 limit, a total of 8,952 admissions were granted under the special dispensation in the 2018-19 academic year. These were ratified by the Kendriya Vidyalaya board of governors last month. The decision to not allow more than 50 students in a section has been taken keeping in mind the quality aspect, the official cited quoted above said. The KV Sangathan has now decided to formulate detailed guidelines in this regard. Apart from the special dispensation quota, there is also a provision to allow Members of Parliament to make 10 recommendations each for admission to KVs. This limit will stay, provided there are not more than 50 students in the class, the official quoted above said. Welcoming the move, educationist and former University Grants Commission member Inder Mohan Kapahy said: This is a practical and welcome step. The minister quota with a cap of 450 was too unrealistic, and in any case, was often breached. Removing the upper limit but at the same time not breaching the 50 students per section shall maintain both quality of instruction and the growing pressure of admission in KVs. There are nearly 1,200 Kendriya Vidyalayas, largely catering to children of central government employees, including defence and paramilitary personnel. At least 1.2 million students study in these schools. According to an official, the classroom strength often crosses 50 students. The KVs have detailed norms according to which admissions are granted and preference is given to the children of transferable and non-transferable central government employees, ex-servicemen, and those working in public sector undertakings. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the principal of a KV in Delhi said attempts were made earlier also to limit the number of students in a class to 50. However, in cases of the HRD minister or MP quota, the limit would be exceeded. We have learnt that from this academic year, the decision to not have more than 50 students in a section will be strictly adhered to, he added. The Goa Police on Tuesday arrested a 23-year old Mumbai resident for allegedly making a hoax call that a bomb was planted at an upmarket hotel in the popular tourist destination of Calangute. According to the Calangute police, the woman identified as Rangoli Patel, a resident of Malad West, called the police control room at around 01:15 am on March 5 informing that a bomb was kept in a popular restaurant at Calangute beach with the sole intention of extracting revenge on the hotel after the woman had an argument with the waiter. The call triggered a terror alert leading to the evacuation of the hotel in the dead of the night. The quick reaction team of the Anti Terrorist Squad also was called at the spot. The services of the Bomb Disposal Squad and the Dog Squad were obtained and a sabotage check was carried out and finally it was confirmed that there was no any bomb placed, police Inspector of Calangute Police station, Jivba Dalvi, said. The police then obtained the subscriber details of the caller and she was traced to a nearby hotel staying with her friend. Police said during interrogations she disclosed that she had made a hoax call to make the restaurant management suffer losses by shutting it down as she and her friend had an argument with a waiter. Police said she has been booked under section 182 (filing false information before a public servant with the intent for him to use his power to the injury of another person), 505(1) (b) (public mischief) & 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and arrested. The mobile phone from which she allegedly made the call has been taken into custody by the police. She could not be contacted to get her version. The Goa Police, like other security agencies across the country are in high alert following the flare-up between India and Pakistan over the terrorist attack at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday cautioned against possible terror attacks from sea even as authorities dismissed as false propaganda Pakistans claim it had thwarted an Indian submarines attempt to enter the countrys waters. In his inaugural address at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue here, Lanba said, We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out attacks with varying modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea. This brand of terror, he said, could become a global problem and the Indian security establishment is working to address the menace. He urged the global community to come together to eliminate all forms of terrorism while reminding an international audience of the horrific scale of the Pulwama suicide bombing on February 14 that killed 40 troops. Reiterating the governments stand that Pakistan was behind the attack, he said the Pulwama carnage was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a state that seeks to destabilise India. As chairman of the chiefs of staff committee, Lamba is Indias senior-most military commander, and his comments came against the backdrop of tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours. In a statement, the Indian Navy dismissed Pakistans claim that an Indian submarine had sought to enter Pakistani waters. Over the past several days, we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The Indian Navy does not take cognisance of such propaganda, the statement said. Indias military deployments remain undeterred and the navy remains deployed as necessary to protect national maritime interests, it added. The Pakistan Navy claimed it used special skills to thwart the Indian submarine. Pakistan also released a purported video of an Indian submarine trying to sneak into its waters. The image showed the footage was recorded at 2035 hours on March 4. People familiar with developments said all major powers with a presence in the Indian Ocean knew no Indian naval vessel was in the vicinity of Pakistani waters at that time. The Pakistan Navy had also claimed the Indian submarine was not targeted in view of the countrys policy of peace. People familiar with developments said the UN Operations and Crisis Centre had made it clear to members of the world body that enhanced monitoring measures adopted in view of the India-Pakistan tensions had been terminated. They said this was an indication that the United Nations was not buying into propaganda about an imminent conflict. Pakistani jets made failed attempts to target Indian military installations in Rajauri sector on February 27 in retaliation for the Balakot air strike, carried out after the Pulwama attack and described by India as a pre-emptive, non-military strike. A day after the aerial skirmish between the air forces in which both sides lost a jet each, the Indian military last week warned Pakistan it was prepared to respond swiftly and strongly to any misadventure. The navy chief also drew attention to Chinas growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific to establish dominance, without naming the country. A unique blend of strategised financial aid, creeping territorial accretion, information operations, legal ambiguity and military assertiveness is being wielded by aspiring great powers to establish regional dominance, he said, adding this had put the regions delicate stability under renewed pressure. Mounting debts have led countries such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Pakistan to give control of territories, which are of strategic significance, to China, in what global experts call Beijings debt-trap diplomacy. Touching on the subject, Lanba said, On multiple occasions over the last few years, we have witnessed such assistance being offered for projects with suspect financial viability, limited local participation, and unequal benefit for the recipients. He emphasised that some projects were undertaken only to support political and strategic designs with almost no benefit to locals. He said it was important to create an environment in which multiple options were available to countries looking for financial assistance to prevent them from getting entrapped by those with unscrupulous designs. Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said there will be no alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Delhi Congress leaders with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. There will be no alliance with AAP. The decision was taken unanimously, said Dikshit while exiting the meeting. This announcement puts to rest weeks of speculations of an alliance between Congress and AAP in Delhi, which, according to Delhi chief minister and AAP head Arvind Kejriwal, was necessary to defeat BJP. Senior leaders who were present in the meeting said the leadership also had a problem with the seat distribution proposed by the AAP. We are a national party capable of winning the election in Delhi all by ourselves. Why should we fight only on one or two seats? a party leader said. The Delhi Congress on Tuesday began talks to devise its strategy for the Lok Sabha elections after a meeting was called by party president Rahul Gandhi. The Congress meeting took place in the backdrop of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party announcing the names of its candidates for six of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. On Sunday, an AAP leader had said that the party had not ruled out the possibility of reopening talks for an alliance with the Congress if a serious attempt was made. The AAP leader said that the party wanted a structured dialogue with the Congress. We lost patience with the on again and off again approach of the Congress that forced us to announce the names, he said. On February 21, Arvind Kejriwal said that they had tried to convince the Congress for an alliance but their offer had been refused. If today our alliance with Congress is done, the BJP will lose all seven seats in Delhi, Kejriwal had said. The AAP has been trying to enter into an alliance with the Congress in Delhi for a long time now and has time and again raised the issue. Union Home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday lashed out at opposition parties including the Congress for seeking clarification on the number of deaths of terrorists in the Indian Air Force strike at Jaish-e-Mohammeds terror camp in Pakistan. Singh said those raising the question should go to Pakistan and count the bodies. Should our IAF pilots have visited the sites of the strikes and counted those killed? What kind of drama is this? If our friends in Congress want numbers, I would ask them to go to Pakistan and count. Ask people there how many people were killed by our IAF pilots, said Singh while addressing a public meeting in Assams Dhubri. The Union home ministers comment comes amid growing chorus from the opposition following reports in international media suggesting that the IAF strike might not have caused great damage to terror infrastructure at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The IAF carried out a strike at Jaish terror camp in Pakistan on February 26 in the aftermath of Pulwama attack. Forty CRPF jawans were killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh claimed that the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) system had informed about presence of around 300 active mobile phones at the site before the air strike by India. Some leaders of the other political parties are asking how many terrorists were killed in the IAF strike. Today or tomorrow, it will be known. Pakistan and their leaders heart know how many were killed, news agency PTI quoted Singh as saying. Also read | Chowkidar chor nahi, pure hai: Rajnath Singhs comeback to Rahul Gandhi The home minister was on a visit to the Indo-Bangla border where he inaugurated a smart fencing project. If needed we will go to paataal (underneath the Earth), search them (terror bases) there and take them to task, Singh said amid cheers from the public. While no information on the number of JeM terrorists killed in the strikes by 12 IAF Mirage 2000 jets have been released by the government, the figure of 250-300 deaths has been cited. Why are you asking us? NTRO, which is an authentic Indian surveillance system, has stated that when IAF jets struck the area with bombs, there were 300 mobile phones active there prior to the attacks, Singh said. Were these phones being used by trees in that area? Or will you now say that we dont believe in the NTRO either, Singh said. Claims and counterclaims by the government and the Opposition sent political temperatures soaring on Monday as the Congress party asked why the government was not providing details of the casualties inflicted in the air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp in Pakistan last week, while the government accused the Congress party of echoing Pakistans line. Prime Minister Narendra Modi implicitly warned Pakistan about supporting terror groups that target India. All of this came even as Indian Air Force chief BS Dhanoa steered clear of a question on the number of casualties, the core of the controversy. Following the air strike on February 26, Indian intelligence officials mentioned numbers in the range of 300 to 350 to media (including Hindustan Times). The numbers werent official estimates and the officials were not on record. Since then, questions have swirled about the actual number amid efforts by Pakistan to downplay the impact of the Indian air strike. On Sunday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah said that 250 terrorists were killed in the air strike. The government has, however, not released any evidence of the casualties as demanded by the Opposition. Hours before Dhanoas comments, former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram, apparently referring to statements last week by the air force, said on Twitter: IAF Vice Air Marshal declined to comment on casualties. The MEA statement said there were no civilian or military casualties. So, who put out the number of casualties at 300-350? Chidambaram added: As a proud citizen, I am prepared to believe my government. But if we want the world to believe, the government must make the effort, not indulge in opposition-bashing. The BJP shot back through Union minister Piyush Goyal. This shows Congress party believes in Pakistan propaganda and not in our own armed forces and what our army, navy and air force said. It is thoroughly condemnable and I am ashamed that we have such leaders like P Chidambaram in the wonderful state of Tamil Nadu, Goyal said in Tuticorin. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, too, sought proof of the strikes and accused the Prime Minister of politicising terror. Modiji must answer as the international media like New York Times, Washington Post, London-based Jane Information group, Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and Reuters, are reporting that there is no proof of militant losses at Balakot in Pakistan, he said on Twitter, referring to some reports in the global media that said Indian jets missed the target. The Opposition also stressed that Modi should apologise to the country for questioning the capability of IAF in the absence of the Rafale fighter jet, a charge that triggered a sharp response from the PM himself. The PM tried to show that the IAF was weaker because it did not have the Rafale. He should apologise for questioning the capabilities of IAF and for playing politics with the armed forces, Congress spokesperson RPN Singh said at a press conference. Modi slammed the Opposition for questioning his statement that the presence of Rafale fighters would have given greater firepower to IAF during an aerial engagement with Pakistan on February 27, when it launched a counter-attack in response to the Indian raid across the Line of Control. I said if Rafale was acquired in time it would have made a difference [during the February 27 dogfight], but they say Modi is questioning our air force strike, he said in Jamnagar. Please use common sense. He also indicated that the air strike in Pakistan wont be Indias last such action against terrorism emanating from the neighbouring country. In Ahmedabad, Modi said he will target them (terrorists) even if they hide in the bowels of the earth. It is natural that we all should believe the armed forces and be proud of the forces. Yet, I dont understand why some people still want to question the forces, he said. Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said it was appalling that the BJP was trying to reap political benefits out of the air strike. Some of them are using pictures of pilot Abhinandan [Varthaman] in their jeeps. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari was seen wearing battle fatigues, said Yechury. Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: Is Amit Shah implying that the army is lying? The army has clearly said that whether someone was killed [in the strike] or how many were killed cant be said. Are Amit Shah and BJP calling the army a liar to make electoral gains? The country trusts the army. Do Amit Shah and BJP trust the army? Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan after his MiG-21 crashed on the Pakistani side during the February 27 dogfight during a counter-attack in response to the Indian raid. He was released on March 1, and returned to India to a rousing welcome. On Sunday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati, too, was unsparing in her attack on the government. Rafale fighter could have prove useful in fight against Pak, claims PM Modi in his rallies. Even then not a single Rafale inducted into IAF fleet during his govt. Better explain people why this kind of lapse & neglect even by the BJP on the issue of countrys safety & security? she tweeted. The Congresss chief spokesperson, Randeep Singh Surjewala, tweeted, Modi-ji, your central government ministers are stating that TV channels news is fake, stating that the prime minister never stated that 300 terrorists were killed during the Balakot air strike. Is this true? If no, the prime minister should tell the truth. Regards, citizens of country. His reference was to Union minister SS Ahluwalias comments last Friday refuting the media claims on casualties, and adding that neither Modi nor his ministers have commented on the number of casualties. Separately, on Monday, news agency ANI said, citing unnamed people at the National Technical Research Organisation, that its intelligence showed the presence of around 300 active mobile connections at the facility that was targeted by the Indian air strike shortly before the attack itself. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called Opposition leaders Pakistans poster boys for seeking proof of Indias strike on Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp last week. They abuse Modi here and get clapping in Pakistan. Their faces are on Pakistani TV channels. In a way they have become poster boys of Pakistan, Modi said at a rally in Madhya Pradeshs Dhar district. He said India entered Pakistans den of terrorists to give a befitting reply to the February 14 Pulwama attack that left 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel dead. Pakistan-based JeM claimed responsibility for the assault that prompted India to carry out the strike on the groups camp in Balakot. We have told them [Pakistan] that if they do not mend their ways, they know what will happen to them, Modi said. He accused the Opposition leaders of shedding tears for the attack on terrorists. He added the airstrike carried out in Pakistan has caused setback to certain people in India. Modi said Opposition leaders were asking for proof of the strike and wanted to know the number of casualties. He added this has weakened the morale of armed forces. The entire world stood by India but they were trying to weaken Indias position, he said. What happened when it was their government [at the Centre]? Either they kept silent after every terror attack or shed tears on our forces action. The same faces have come to fore once again. He said, those whose party had been in power for a long time and kept our Armys hands tied were raising questions against capabilities of our brave soldiers. Modi asked the people to understand the mindset of the Opposition parties. He referred to a Congress leader and slammed him for calling the Pulwama attack an accident and slain al-Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden an ambassador of peace. Modi did not name. But his attack came hours after Congress leader Digvijay Singh tweeted calling the Pulwama attack an accident while citing doubts being raised in international media following the air strike. This is also raising questions on our governments credibility. Singh tweeted again later saying there should be no doubt that the attack was an act of terrorism. Congress leader Kapil Sibal had also on Monday cited reportage in the international media that there is no proof of militant losses in Balakot and asked Mod to respond. Modi asked people if they believe the Congress has guts to take on terrorists and their mentors. He asked the gathering to say who could give a befitting reply to terrorists. Modi, Modi, they shouted. Not Modi but 125 crore people of the country are capable of giving a befitting reply to terrorists, Modi responded. Madhya Pradeshs Congress spokesman, Pankaj Chaturvedi, said Modi has no right to ask Congress about its role and stand on terrorism. Two of Congresss leaders have sacrificed their lives while fighting against terrorism, he said, referring to assassinations of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Chaturvedi said the Congress salutes the Air Force for the airstrike on JeM camp in Pakistan. He added questions were being raised as the BJP leaders, including Modi and Amit Shah, attempted to politicise the issue to draw political mileage ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. A Pakistan delegation will visit New Delhi on March 14 to discuss the draft agreement on the Kartarpur corridor. This latest development comes amid festering tensions between India and Pakistan after the Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF jawans on February 14 this year and an air strike by the Indian Air Force on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror training camp in Balakot in Pakistan. The air strike was followed a day later by a package of the Pakistan Air Force transgressing into Indian air space with a view to bomb military installations in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district. The Pakistani delegations visit to New Delhi will come exactly a month after the Pulwama attack. Also read: Full text of Pakistans 14-point proposals for Kartarpur pilgrimage The statement, issued by the Pakistan ministry of foreign affairs on Tuesday, comes after the acting Indian High Commissioner was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today to convey that Pakistans High Commissioner to India would be returning to New Delhi after completion of consultations in Islamabad. The statement also said that the Pakistani delegations visit would be followed up by a return visit of the Indian delegation to Islamabad on 28 March. It also stated that Pakistan was committed to continued weekly contact at the Military Operations Directorates level. Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan had laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor in Pakistans Narowal on November 28. Punjab cabinet minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu had also attended the event amid much criticism from fellow Congress leaders and other political parties. Soon after that, Pakistan had finalised the draft of a 14-point agreement with India on the basis of which Indian pilgrims would be allowed to enter the country to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. The corridor is expected to be operational by November 2019. India believes that Pakistans claim that invitation to India by the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) to its plenary session in Abu Dhabi last was overtaken by a resolution on Kashmir is not an accurate reflection of situation. Sources in the government dismissed Pakistans interpretation of the outcome of OIC meet in the context of Kashmir. Pakistan tried its best to scuttle invitation for India but OIC members such as UAE remained steadfast even after Balakot strike, the sources said. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj became the first Indian representative to address the OIC meet. She had been invited as the guest of honour for the inaugural session of the meet. Pakistan had boycotted the inaugural session over invitation extended to India amid heightened tension between the two countries in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack which also saw a strike carried out by the Indian Air Force on a terror camp deep across the Line of Control. Also Read | All options available with govt if another terror attack happens: Sources At the end of its meet, the OIC passed resolution on Kashmir containing references to extra-judicial killing and Indian terrorism, which was cited by Pakistan to claim victory. Sources in the government rejected Pakistans suggestions saying that anti-India resolutions were tabled at OIC only by one country and they were passed without discussion. The UAE had viewed the OIC resolution on similar lines. Addressing a press conference after conclusion of OIC meet, UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan had said, It was a historic moment for India definitely and the language that you are referring to (on Kashmir) has been in our previous statements. The most important...change in the OIC today towards India is having India as a guest of honour and having such a positive, strong, dedicated speech that we heard yesterday from India. Also Read | Masood Azhar unwell? Sources say govt takes Pak claim with pinch of salt This statement by the UAE foreign minister indicates the course of India-OIC engagement in future, the sources said. The OIC wants to take things forward to point where they can embrace India as a member, they stated. India had opportunity to put forward its views at the OIC meet, where Swaraj spoke about the diversity of Indias Muslims and the threat posed by terrorism. The OIC adopted a resolution on a code of conduct related to threat of terrorism, the sources said pointing out that this would call for action against terror-groups based out of Pakistan. Three weeks after the Pulwama terror attack, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba has warned that terrorists are being trained to carry out sea-borne attacks on India. We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi including through the medium of the sea, Admiral Lanba said in Delhi on Tuesday at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue, ANI reported. The 26/11 terror attack was carried out by ten sea-borne terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who hijacked an Indian fishing trawler to reach Mumbai and unleash mayhem. The Navy chief did not name Pakistan as he said, India, however, faces a far more serious version of this state-sponsored terrorism. We have all witnessed the horrific scale of extremists attack on Indian state of J&K, just 3 weeks ago. This violence was perpetuated by extremists, aided by a state which seeks to destabilise India. Admiral Lanba said the Indo-Pacific region now faces a major terror threat. The Indo-Pacific region has witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in this part of world have been spared by this cause. Global nature which terrorism has acquired in recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat. Relations between India and Pakistan have plunged following the Pulwama suicide bombing which killed 40 CRPF troopers. India retaliated with an air strike on February 26 on a Jaish-e-Mohammad camp in Balakot in Pakistan. On February 27, Pakistan responded by sending its warplanes that were engaged by Indian Air Force fighter jets. Also read: IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman back home after 58 hours in Pakistan Army custody Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 plane had to bail out after his MiG 21 was brought down. He was captured by Pakistani troops and spent almost 60 hours in captivity before being released Friday night. Indias armed forces continue to be on high alert amid ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Also read: If provoked, prepared for any contingency: Army at joint defence briefing Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked the opposition leaders seeking clarification from the central government over strike by the Indian Air Force on a terror camp in Pakistan saying that they are trying to weaken the position of India. PM Modi the opposition leaders abuse him over decisive action against terror and they get applause in Pakistan. They (opposition leaders) have become the poster boys of Pakistan. Their statements make headlines in the newspapers of Pakistan, said PM Modi adding, They see Pakistan as angel of peace. Someone seeks proof of IAF strike, someone else demands to know the number of casualties caused by our air force. They want to weaken the fight against terrorism. They are trying to break the morale of armed forces. When the whole world is with India, they are trying to weaken the position of India, said PM Modi at a public rally in Madhya Pradeshs Dhar. Without taking name of Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, the prime minister alleged that he had given clean chit to Pakistan in 2008 Mumbai terror attack, in which more than 160 people were killed. To him, [former Al Qaida chief) Osama bin Laden was an angel of peace, PM Modi said attacking Digvijaya Singh. Also read | Even fittest fighter pilots black out during ejection, says retired IAF officer Earlier in the day, Digvijaya Singh had sought clarification from the government citing reports that the IAF strike did not cause much damage in Pakistan when it targeted a terror camp run by Jaish-e-Mohammed. In one of the tweets, Digvijaya Singh referred to Pulwama terror attack as an accident. A suicide bomber had targeted a CRPF convoy in south Kashmirs Pulwama killing 40 jawans. India stepped up pressure on Pakistan in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack. On February 26, the IAF carried out a strike at a terror camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The external affairs ministry later said that the IAF action was a pre-emptive and non-military in nature and carried out on the basis of intelligence input that the Jaish-e-Mohammed was planning to carry out more terror attacks in India. Also read | We dont count casualties, only target, says Indian Air Force chief on Jaish camp strike Security forces killed two militants in an encounter in Tral in Kashmirs Pulwama district Tuesday morning, an army spokesperson said. The encounter had begun Monday evening when security forces launched a search operation in the area in the evening following a tip off about the militants. Tral is 46 km southeast of Srinagar. A police spokesperson said the two militants were identified as Adfar Fayaz Parray son of Fayaz Ahmad Parray and Irfan Ahmad Rather, both residents of Tral. The killed terrorists were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).They were involved in conspiring and executing several terrorist attacks and were wanted by the law for their complicity in a series of terror crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities, the police said in a statement. Authorities have suspended mobile Internet services in the town. Pulwama district has been on high alert since a suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammad killed 40 CRPF troopers on February 14 when he rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus in a troop convoy. .Also read: 54-hour encounter in J-Ks Handwara ends, 2 militants, 5 policemen killed Last week, security forces fought a three-day gun battle with two terrorists in Handwara in north Kashmir before eliminating them Sunday noon. Three CRPF men, two Jammu and Kashmir policemen and a civilian were also killed in the gun battles. Normal life in the Valley was affected due to the strike called by trade bodies against the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and alleged attempts to tinker with Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution. Shops and business establishments remained closed in capital Srinagar and other district headquarters of the Valley. Traffic movement was also affected in many parts of the city. However, shops selling essentials were open in some parts of the city owing to the shortage of day-to-day items following the closure of Jammu-Srinagar highway for some time. The call for strike was given by representatives of the Kashmir Economic Alliance, Kashmiri Traders and Manufacturers Federation and the Transport Association to protest against the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and attempts to fiddle with the states special status guaranteed under Articles 370 and 35A. Authorities deployed a large number of police and CRPF personnel at sensitive places to maintain law and order. Almost all regional mainstream parties had expressed outrage after the Centre last week banned the Jamaat-e-Islami in Jammu and Kashmir for five years on the grounds that it was in close touch with militant outfits and was expected to escalate secessionist movement in the state. The state government on Sunday clarified that schools, mosques and orphanages affiliated to the Jamaat-e-Islami had been kept outside the purview of the ban. Meanwhile, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, on Tuesday reiterated that any tinkering with the state subject law through judicial route would be resisted tooth and nail by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. A petition challenging the Article 35A is again coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court on March 6 and 7. A high level delegation of the bar association, which has already reached Delhi, will be monitoring and defending it .The team will keep the leadership intimated and people will be likewise informed, they said in a statement. While Article 370 of the Constitution grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Article 35A empowers Jammu and Kashmir legislature to define states permanent residents and their special rights and privileges. In the first ruling of its kind, the Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside its own judgment of 2009 and set free six convicts sent to death row, concluding that they had been falsely implicated in a 16-year-old case of rape and multiple murder. Exercising its extraordinary powers, the court also awarded compensation of Rs 5 lakh to each of the six convicts for the time they spent in prison and ordered a further investigation of the crime to identify the real rapist-murderers. The six were Ankush Maruti Shinde, Rajya Appa Shinde, Ambadas Laxman Shinde, Raju Mhasu Shinde, Bapu Appa Shinde and Surya alias Suresh Shinde Reviewing the top courts own judgment in a 2003 rape and mass murder case in Nashik district of Maharashtra, a three-judge bench comprising justices AK Sikri, Abdul Nazeer and MR Shah held that a case hadnt been made out against the six persons on death row. The court held that there was no fair investigation and fair trial in the case. It said: The accused in the present case were nomadic tribes and falsely implicated and are roped in. Except one, all of them are in jail since last 16 years. All were facing the hanging sword of death penalty. The case pertains to an incident of rape and murder of five members of a family in a village in Nashik district. On June 5, 2003, at around 10.30 in the night, a family of seven, who lived in a guava orchard, was attacked by a gang of seven to eight people. They robbed the family, raped a woman and killed five persons. The police arrested the six persons, including one juvenile, and tried them for rape and murder. A trial court in Nashik sentenced all the six to death in the case. In 2007, the Bombay high court modified the trail court verdict and reduced the sentence of the three accused to life imprisonment. In 2009, the state and the convicts filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging their sentences. A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court in 2009 did not agree with the findings of the high court and restored death penalty against all the six. Justice Shah, who wrote Tuesdays judgment, held that the case of the prosecution rested on the statements of two eyewitnesses, who, according to the bench, were unreliable and untrustworthy. This case was heard by the bench after the Supreme Court in 2014 held that review petitions in death cases should be heard in open court and by a bench comprising three judges. The court held that the conviction cannot rest on such identification, there is no other evidence, either scientific and/or other, corroborating the prosecution case. There is no forensic evidence corroborating the prosecution case. In fact, the DNA, fingerprints evidence do not support the case of the prosecution, and/or link the accused to the crime. Slamming poor investigation, the court directed further investigations saying: We cannot lose sight of the fact that five persons have been killed/murdered, out of whom even one lady was raped. Therefore, it is the duty of the court to see that the real culprits are booked and are punished. The court also directed the Chief Secretary, Home Department, State of Maharashtra to look into the matter and identify such erring officers/officials responsible for failure of a prosecution case, on account of sheer negligence or because of culpable lapses, real culprits are out of the clutches of law and because of whose lapses the case has resulted into acquittal in a case where five persons were killed brutally and one lady was subjected to even rape. This is an unprecedented judgment. The Supreme Court has chosen to be ultimately be right than be persistently in error especially when it comes to a matter of death sentence, said senior advocate Sanjay Hedge, lauding the judgment. After the judgment, it is for legislators and parliamentarians to consider if we should have the death sentence, when the highest court in the land has sentenced to death innocents. And had they been put to death there would have been no possibility of bringing them to life much less acquitting. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves too welcomed the ruling. The acquittal is unusual and a rare one. Generally, convicts on death row are handed life sentences, but in this case the court found a flaw in the finding of various courts and corrected itself. Its also a sign of a fatal flaw in our criminal justice system and the [fact that the] vigor that is required is missing. NC leader Omar Abdullah said Tuesday the opposition parties need to switch strategies by focussing on issues such as rural distress and unemployment in order to deny Prime Minister Narendra Modi the space to politicise the Pulwama terror attack and the Balakot air strike. The Indian air strike at a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp in Pakistans Balakot on February 26 came days after the suicide bombing in Pulwama, claimed by the JeM, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The opposition parties need to switch tracks & deny the PM the space to politicise the recent terror attack/air strikes. The way to do it is to keep the messaging focused on the economy, rural distress, unemployment, agriculture & all the other things BJP doesnt want discussed, Abdullah wrote on his Twitter handle. The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said every time opposition brought up the Pulwama terror attack or Balakot, they give an opportunity to the Prime Minister and the BJP to play to their strengths. Every time we talk about Pulwama or Balakote we leave the door wide open for the PM & the BJP to play to their strengths in front of their home audience. Logic would dictate we switch strategies. Make them play to our strengths now, the National Conference (NC) vice-president said. Two local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in an encounter with security forces at Tral in south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Tuesday morning, police and army officials said. A civilian was also injured during the encounter. The encounter broke out on Monday evening when security forces launched a search operation in Reshipora area of Tral, 46 km southeast of Srinagar, following a tip-off about presence of militants, police spokesman Umar Rashid said in a statement. Two terrorists were killed and the bodies were recovered from the site of encounter, he said. The slain militants had been identified as Adfar Fayaz Parray and Irfan Ahmad Rather, both residents of Tral, he said. The slain militants were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).They were involved in conspiring and executing many terrorist attacks and wanted for their complicity in a series of terror crimes, including attack on security establishments, the spokesman said. Arms and ammunition, including rifles, were recovered from the site of encounter, he added. The police spokesman said a civilian, identified as Farooq Ahmad Malik, was also hit by a stray bullet and he was undergoing treatment in a hospital. Meanwhile, the authorities have suspended mobile and internet services in the town. Pulwama district has been on high alert since the February 14 terror attack in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed. Since the attack, 15 militants (11 from JeM and two each from LeT and HM) have been killed in various encounters across the Valley while security forces have lost four policemen, including a DSP, six army personnel,including a major, and three CRPF men, including an inspector. Twenty-three militants were killed in various encounters across Kashmir in February as against 17 in January. Four militants have been killed in March so far. British designer Stella McCartney showcased multi-coloured upcycled dresses made of vintage T-shirts at her Parisian catwalk show on Monday, where U.S. media mogul Oprah Winfrey put in a rare appearance on the front row. The TV talk show star, who has repeatedly quashed speculation she could run for president, is supporting McCartneys campaign to protect trees in the endangered Leuser Ecosystem, a forest in Indonesia. Her appearance at the runway show, held in Paris sumptuous Opera Garnier, left even the British designer starstruck. Oprah Winfrey is just mindblowing, she gives me goose bumps ... A couple of days ago, she texted me to say she was in Paris and coming to the show. My blood drained from my body, McCartney told Reuters after the show. The designer - who is buying back full control of her eponymous brand from French luxury group Kering PRTP.PA - is well-known as a pioneer in using recycled or sustainable fabrics and in shunning animal fur in an industry that is increasingly following that lead. The autumn/winter 2019-2020 collection, described in show notes as a contrast of strength and softness, featured dresses made of old T-shirts that were stripped and knotted together. Coats in autumn colours came with oversized shoulders, while models also flaunted flowing dresses in bottle-green, pink or yellow hues. Others wore burgundy-brown faux-fur coats and were tattooed for the occasion with statements such as There is no planet B and Earth day every day. McCartneys style also privileges comfort and practical looks, such as a khaki jumpsuit cynched at the waist and worn by teen supermodel Kaia Gerber. Others sported clunky, reliable rain shoes. Until March 5th, Paris hosts the last part of the month-long series of fashion weeks which began in New York before moving to London and Milan. (Additional reporting by Johnny Cotton, Editing by Sarah White and Gareth Jones) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Former Union minister Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) will contest three Lok Sabha seats in alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav announced this on Tuesday while reiterating the Congress, which has been offered two seats, was very much part a part of their grand alliance. The SP and BSP announced their alliance for the national polls in Uttar Pradesh on January 12. They initially agreed to contest 38 seats each and leave the rest four of Uttar Pradeshs 80 Lok Sabha seats for allies like the Congress and RLD. The RLD will now contest Mathura, Muzaffarnagar and Baghpat seats in Western Uttar Pradesh. It has been given the additional seat from the SP quota, according to people aware of the developments. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power at the Centre in 2014 and on the back of its performance in its western and northern Indian strongholds like Uttar Pradesh, where it won 71 out of the 80 seats. A united Opposition later wrested three seats from the BJP in bypolls and prompted the SP and BSP to forge the alliance. RLD general secretary, Jayant Chaudhary, said they will campaign for all the 80 Lok Sabha seats with the SP and BSP, but will put up candidates for the three seats. The RLD will field its two candidates and an SP candidate will contest on its symbol, according to people aware of the developments. Jayant Chaudhary will contest one seat, Ajit Singh another while an SP leader will contest the third seat on an RLD ticket. Also, the Kairana seat, which is with RLD now, is back with the SP, said an SP leader on condition of anonymity. Both Chaudhary and Yadav, who addressed a joint press conference to announce the seat sharing formula, refused to name the candidates who will contest the three seats. Akhilesh Yadav reiterated the Congress is a part of the grand alliance as they have been given it two seats even as the party on January 13 announced it would contest the national polls in Uttar Pradesh on its own. The Congresss announcement came after the SP and BSP left just the Gandhi family pocket boroughs Rae Bareli and Amethi for the party. Congress president Rahul Gandhi represents Amethi in Parliament while his mother Sonia Gandhi is a Lok Sabha member from Rae Bareli. Akhilesh Yadav evaded questions regarding reports that nine to 10 seats could be offered to the Congress. The alliance is a confluence of similar thoughts and ideologies of the parties involved. Why no surgical strike on unemployment, asks Akhilesh Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP. He referred to Indias strike on a terrorist camp in Pakistan last month and added the real one will happen at the polling booth level. Why did the BJP government not do a surgical strike on unemployment? BJP leader Chandra Mohan said the fear of defeat was uniting sworn political rivals in Uttar Pradesh. The unscrupulous are busy forming an unholy political alliance. Even SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav has opposed the alliance, he said. Mohan was referring to the SP founders statement on February 21 in which he showed displeasure over the SPs move to give the BSP 38 seats. These political parties, which are saying that BJP government has not done anything right in five years, should explain why they are entering into an alliance against us. It shows their fear, their vulnerability, said Mohan. The Delhi Congress on Tuesday began talks to devise its strategy for the Lok Sabha elections , in a meeting called by party President Rahul Gandhi, days after the Aam Aadmi Party announced its candidates for six of the seven seats a move seen by many as a pressure tactic. The Congress president called a meeting, where leaders will chalk out the strategy for the Lok Sabha elections and discuss alliance options, a party leader said. While AAP has been open to a poll pact with the Congress, the leaders of the Delhi unit of the Congress have been divided on the issue with a section against any pact with Arvind Kejriwals party. READ: Chemistry, not arithmetic, is roadblock to AAP-Cong pact An AAP leader had on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity, not ruled out the possibility of reopening alliance talks if the Congress made a serious attempt and escalated the discussions to emissaries authorised by the top leadership. He said, so far the Congress leaders who were in touch with the AAP never gave an impression that they had the mandate from the party president. In fact, he added that signals received from the Delhi Congress leaders through Sheila Dikshit were to the contrary and not in favour of an alliance, frustrating and forcing the AAP leadership to announce the names of candidates on six seats. We want a structured dialogue. We lost patience with the on again and off again approach of the Congress that forced us to announce the names, he said. The AAP leader also linked the possibility of an understanding in Delhi with the agreement in Punjab, Haryana and Goa besides Chandigarh. He reiterated if the Congress saw reason and is serious in defeating the BJP, a tie-up could still happen between the two parties. The Congress favours de-linking the understanding with AAP in Delhi with other states and also insists that the tie-up will be restricted only to the Lok Sabha elections and not in the assembly or civic elections in the national capital in future. In the list of candidates announced by AAP on Saturday, Atishi Marlena has been nominated to contest from East Delhi, Guggan Singh will contest from Northwest Delhi. AAP political affairs committee member Raghav Chadha will contest from South Delhi, while Pankaj Gupta has been nominated to contest from the Chandni Chowk seat. Dilip Pandey and Brijesh Goyal will contest from Northeast Delhi and New Delhi seats respectively. The party has not yet decided who will contest from the West Delhi seat. Signalling its urgency to adjust seats with the Congress in West Bengal, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M)s Central Committee on Monday unilaterally announced that it doesnt want a contest in the six parliamentary seats in the state (which has a total of 42) that are currently held by either of the two parties. The CPI(M) has two and the Congress, four. Senior political leaders said that CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury spoke to Congress president Rahul Gandhi before the former took the decision. They added that Gandhi only told Yechury that he is trying to convince his partys state unit which wants to contest the two CPI(M) seats as well. For the CPI(M), a seat adjustment with erstwhile rival Congress is crucial to take on the powerful Trinamool Congress and a rising BJP in the state where the Left was in power for a record 34 years. The partnership with the Congress is also important for Yechury and his supporters in the party who have fought the Kerala lobby of the party to keep the doors open for a poll pact in West Bengal. A senior CPI(M) leader said that the party has conveyed to the Congress that it wants to contest in 20 seats. Its three partners CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc may get 9 seats. The rest, 13, will be Congresss share. The Congresss dilemma is whether to accept the Lefts offer in Bengal or ask for more seats. The CPI(M)s move comes after the Congress lost an opportunity to form an alliance in Delhi. Arvind Kejriwals AAP went ahead and announced candidates for six of the seven parliamentary seats in Delhi over the weekend. During a recent Opposition meeting, Yechury spoke to both United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, senior party leaders said. He underlined the importance of an alliance and even reminded Sonia what late CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet told her about maximising Opposition seats against the BJP. The leaders added that while Rahul Gandhi agreed on the importance of alliances, he also pointed out that the Congress needs to fight in many constituencies across states to ensure it ends up getting a large number of seats. When asked about the change in the Central Committees stand vis-a-vis Bengal after opposing seat pacts in the last state polls, Yechury said: The situation has changed. We decide tactics on based on current situation. He added a triangular fight will be better (for the Left) than a quadrangular contest. Opposition wants to get rid of me: PM Modi Your sentry has become alert, we are eliminating agents....The opposition wants to get rid of me. This chowkidaar stands strong in his resolve. They want to remove Modi, I want to remove corruption. They want to strike Modi, I want to strike terrorism. They are busy forming a mahamilawat alliance 21 crore people covered under two insurance schemes Around 21crore people in the country covered under two insurance schemes --PM Surakasha Beema and PM Jeevan Jyoti Beema schemes; request you to help people working for you to join the pension scheme (launched today). 3,000 per month assured income under pension scheme We trust the labourers and the poor. 3,000 per month assured income under Pradhan Mantri shram yojana Pension scheme touches lives of all sections of society This pension scheme is the first programme since Independence that touches the lives of all sections of society. The people who were left to their fate can avail this scheme: PM Modi PM Modi hits out at Congress The party which was in power before us ruled the country for years but neglected the poor. They thought poverty was a mental state, so you can guess why they never cared for the poor. Poverty is a result of poor decisions of such governments: PM Modi I am mazdoor number 1: PM Modi PM says, Im mazdoor number 1. PM launched PM Shram Yogi Maan Dhan Yojana Prime Minister launched the PM Shram Yogi Maan Dhan Yojana, a voluntary and contributory pension scheme at Vastral, Gujarat . The scheme is dedicated to around 42 crore workers and labourers of the country, says PM Modi. Urge people of Gujarat to work on food processing: PM I would urge the people of Gujarat to work on food processing. Such value addition will help both farmers and industries: PM Modi in Gandhinagar Sardar Patels efforts towards cooperative sector wont be forgotten Today at Annapurna Dham, we remember the great Sardar Patel. His efforts towards the cooperative sector will never be forgotten: PM PM Modi pays homage to Maa Annapurna Today we pay homage to Maa Annapurna. Annapurna Dham should give our society the strength to ensure there is gender equality and prosperity for everyone: PM India has rich history of societies rising to the occasion: PM India has a rich history of societies rising to the occasion and taking the lead when it comes to solving the challenges every era has faced. Communities have come together to improve irrigation and education. Several people have benefitted through these community efforts: PM PM to oversee online transfer of benefits to beneficiaries Prime Minister Narendra Modi will oversee the online transfer of benefits to some beneficiaries and then distribute PM-SYM Pension Cards. The scheme, announced in the Union Budget in February this year, will see each PM-SYM subscriber get a minimum assured pension of 3000 per month after attaining the age of 60 years. Amid speculation that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) may field Parth Pawar, son of Ajit Pawar, from Maval Lok Sabha constituency, there are reports that the party is considering giving the candidature to Smita Patil, daughter of the late former home minister RR Patil. NCPs chief spokesperson Nawab Malik, however, said the party is yet to take a decision. Parth was seen as a potential candidate from the seat until NCP chief Sharad Pawar announced that only he and his daughter Supriya Sule will contest the Lok Sabha elections. Pawar has announced his candidature from the Madha Lok Sabha constituency. Supriya Sule is a sitting MP from Baramati. Leaders close to Parth say he has still not given up and is trying to get candidature. His father, Ajit, is one of the partys key leaders who handle the organisation. Party leaders said the leadership has recently sought opinion from local leaders over Smitas candidature from the constituency. The party wants to field a known face from Maval and Smita can be considered if Parth is not getting the candidature. Smita said that senior party leaders asked her to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Maval constituency. However, she refused to comment on her final decision. She said, I never thought about contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Maval. Senior party leaders of the NCP have approached me and asked me to contest the polls. However, I am not willing to comment on the matter because the party chief Sharad Pawar will take the final decision about the candidature from the Maval constituency. The 28-year-old law graduate got married in May last year and stays in Nigdi at Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune. Pimpri-Chinchwad is part of Maval constituency. RR Patil who was mentored by Pawar was the NCPs most popular face, especially in rural Maharashtra. Patil died of oral cancer in 2015. He is remembered for proposing the ban on dance bars. Smita, who is close to Supriya Sule, was appointed the state president of the Rashtrawadi Yuvati Congress (RYC) in October 2016. RYC is the womens youth wing of the party, founded by Sule, which aims to mobilise young women, especially those from rural and upcoming towns in Maharashtra. The constituency was formed after recommendations of the Delimitation Commission of India in 2008. It comprises six Assembly constituencies Panvel, Uran and Karjat (Raigad district) and Maval, Pimpri and Chinchwad (Pune district). The Shiv Sena has been successful in winning the Maval Lok Sabha seat in the last two general polls. In 2014, Shiv Senas Shrirang Barne won the Lok Sabha polls from Maval by a margin of at least 1.70 lakh votes with the NCPs Rahul Narwekar in the third position. (With inputs from HTC, Pune) A case was registered against an Azamgarh youth on Monday for widely circulating a post which originated from a fake Twitter handle created in the name of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the police said. Police said that Avkush Singh, a resident of Azamgarh, lodged a complaint with the UP Police on Saturday alleging that someone created the fake Twitter account in the name of Wing Commander Varthman. A tweet praising Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan originated from this fake Twitter handle, the police said. A senior police officer said intelligence agencies and the cyber cell joined the police in probing the matter. The probe revealed there was a fake account in the name of the wing commander and a post praising the Pakistan PM was tweeted from it. Police said the probe revealed one Ankur Arya took screenshot of the tweet and posted the same on his Facebook page. The police sent an application to Twitter for closing the fake account. Inspector Vinay Kumar Mishra said a case was registered against Ankur Arya and an unidentified person under relevant sections of the IPC and IT Act following a complaint regarding the fake account. Mishra said steps required for closing the fake twitter account had already been taken. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Manila (CNN Philippines Life) Some traumas are so severe that, though the mind tries to forget, the feeling always remains. Memories become hazy and details are forgotten, but sometimes out of nowhere, like a dam breaking, they come flooding in. For Maria Rosa Luna Henson, a radio announcement in 1992 brought forth the thundering jackboots, the prison devoid of sunlight, and the daily wails of six other women that she had tried to forget for nearly 50 years. Henson is the subject of U.P. Playwrights Theatres Nana Rosa, which tells her story as the first Filipino comfort woman to speak publicly about her ordeal: nine months of sexual slavery at the hands of Imperial Japanese soldiers during World War II. When former comfort woman Kim Hak-sun of South Korea came forward with her story at a press conference in 1991, the event prompted a group of women to form the Task Force on Filipina Comfort Women, which appealed to several radio programs to broadcast their search for anyone with similar experience. The play follows the Task Force as they visit Hensons past life. For nearly 50 years, Henson kept her story a secret. One day, a radio announcement made by the Task Force on Filipina Comfort Women changed everything. Photo by NIKKI BONUEL Playwright Rody Vera and director Jose Estrella create a show built on and propelled by Nana Rosas memories. Out of the darkness emerge the ghosts from her past. Photo by NIKKI BONUEL Based on Hensons autobiography, Comfort Woman: Slave of Destiny, and pages from her diary, playwright Rody Vera and director Jose Estrella create a show built on and propelled by Nana Rosas memories. Out of the darkness emerge the ghosts from her past her parents; the nameless, faceless figures that defiled her each night; the women whose names, even speaking voices, she had never heard all this while Rosa Henson (played alternately by Peewee OHara and Upeng Galang Fernandez) stands onstage, spotlight shone overhead, as if engulfed by her recollections. Sabi ni nanay, Kapag muling binigkas, muling nagkakatotoo. Kaya sa isip ko lang binibigkas, says OHara with a trembling voice. Pages from Hensons diary are projected onstage, and she frequently revisits her writing table where, as soon as the pen hits the paper, the memories begin to unravel. I am usually averse to violent portrayals of abuse and victimization of women in art and media, but to censor or downplay any part of Hensons story is to look away from a truth that cannot and should not be denied. In the end, it is difficult to tell what is more disturbing seeing the atrocities Henson experienced as a sex slave, or realizing the immense strength it must take to carry these horrors in your mind, with not a soul to confide in. Punctuating Hensons confessionals are scenes of the Task Force preparing to fight for the comfort women of the country, along with projections of current events from newspaper clippings. Here, the production balances the haziness of the past and the immediacy and responsibility of facing the present. Sabi ni nanay, Kapag muling binigkas, muling nagkakatotoo. Kaya sa isip ko lang binibigkas, says actress Peewee OHara, who alternates with Upeng Galang Fernandez in playing Rosa Henson. Photo by NIKKI BONUEL Punctuating Hensons confessionals are scenes of the Task Force preparing to fight for the comfort women of the country, along with projections of current events from newspaper clippings. Photo by NIKKI BONUEL Nana Rosa was originally written as a screenplay by screenwriter and playwright Rody Vera, but it was adapted into a play upon the request of his frequent collaborator, director Jose Estrella and the U.P. Playwrights Theatre. According to dramaturg Ina Azarcon-Bolivar, choosing Nana Rosa to open the 27th season of the U.P. Playwrights Theatre felt right not only because 2019 marks the 80th year since the declaration of World War II, but because she feels there is currently an air of forgetting history. Nana Rosa's story was told when I was young, but then over the years, sometimes when you ask the youth, Do you know the story of the comfort woman? A lot of them have a vague idea of what a comfort woman is but then they don't know the atrocities that these women went through, she says. We're always calling for, Let's never forget history, let's never forget the bad things that happened in the past. We can't let that happen again. Nana Rosa is joined by other former comfort women in seeking out justice for the atrocities committed against them. Photo by NIKKI BONUEL This makes a lot of sense, as now, more than ever, we are living in a post-truth era where people in power are attempting to change and control the narrative of our times. And for Henson, as well as all the other women who have suffered at the hands of men wielding their power and privilege over them, strength lies not only in ones ability to endure the trauma, but in the act of remembering. Nana Rosa does not end on such a hopeless note, nor does the story of the Filipino comfort women, though it is dangerously close to it. The Japanese government has not yet issued a formal apology, nor have they released money as reparations for the abuses. Japanese revisionists deny the existence of WWII sex slaves. And just last year, a statue of a comfort woman along Roxas Blvd. was removed with the approval of President Duterte. More than anything, Nana Rosa compels us to remember just as Rosa Henson chose to. Perhaps by haunting us with the same ghosts that pervaded her memory, were also jolted into never forgetting. Photo by NIKKI BONUEL Assistant dramaturg Eudes Garcia tells me that in a recent colloquium on the status of Filipino comfort women, Lila Pilipina, the organization comprised of WWII Japanese military sexual slavery survivors, reported that out of hundreds of former comfort women only six are alive, three of whom are already bedridden. Rosa Henson herself passed away in 1997. To put it succinctly, the lolas are dying out. More than anything, Nana Rosa compels us to remember just as Rosa Henson chose to. Perhaps by haunting us with the same ghosts that pervaded her memory, were also jolted into never forgetting. We're not saying that this play is going to change a lot of things, says Garcia. We cannot speak for the whole prod, but in our own small ways this is the contribution to not forget ... [to say] there is courage in remembering. *** Nana Rosa runs from Feb. 27 to March 17 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, Palma Hall, UP Diliman. For tickets and other information, contact UP Playwrights Theatre at 926-13-49 / 981-8500 local 2449 or Nico at 09175198879, or at upptnanarosa.marketing@gmail.com. Women's day Wilson Musa Kah Walla, opposition party leader in Cameroon, along with women of the North West, South West Task Force (SNWOT), have called on women to boycott celebrations of the 2019 women's day , that come up on the 8th of March. The president of the Cameroon's People Party (PAP), has urged women to dress in black. "Women in Cameroon should Boycott all official gatherings for the Celebration of women's day this year", said the politician . To her, there are better things concerning women that the government of Cameroon should address. She places her arguments on governments slow pace in resolving the Anglophone crisis, which has led to kidnappings, sexual violations, maiming, killings on women in the affected regions. To her, women in these regions, live in deplorable situations which should be addressed as soon as possible. She further argues that the Cameroonian military has shown disrespect to the womanhood by allegedly shooting women, girls and babies in these regions. She condemned the arrest of Barrister Michele Ndoki, wife of politician Albert Dzongang, his house help and some other women in Bafoussam, Yaounde and other parts of the country. Her voice on this call has been joined by SNWOT, who equally regretted that more lives are being wasted in the crisis-hit regions of the North West and South West. This group last year, assembled over 500 women in the North West and South West, where they wrote a memorandum to President Paul Biya and Secessionist leaders, to stop a war that has seen both their children and husbands killed. This message however fell on deaf ears as the crisis has gone more violent, since the call. Despite these calls by gender activists for women to boycott the womens day celebration, reports say women in French speaking towns of the country are set to celebrate the day. There are already reports of a shortage in this editions fabric, while most state institutions have been taking part in weeklong activities to mark the day. This year, women are celebrating under the theme, Crusade against gender inequality: Committing to the new impetus" Things have changed within a month in Maharashtra politics. About a month ago, the saffron combine looked sceptical about its prospects in the state that has the second largest number of Lok Sabha seats after Uttar Pradesh. The alliance was not formalised and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seemed defensive. On the other hand, the Congress-NCP looked set to forge a grand alliance of Opposition parties with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, a veteran of many battles, guiding their efforts. One month later, things are looking different. The BJP has quickly sealed its alliance with the Shiv Sena. The Devendra Fadnavis government is taking decisions aimed at different voters. It has scrapped the land acquisition process for the Nanar refinery project, which was being opposed by the local population. It has announced some sops for the Dhangar (shepherd) community, which is seeking inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes category for reservation. The BJPs post-Pulwama terror attack narrative has further improved the position of the alliance. There is minor bickering as smaller allies such as Ramdas Athawale, Mahadev Jankar and Vinayak Mete are unhappy they were nowhere in the picture as BJP-Sena finalised seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha election. However, they do not have any option but to stick to the saffron combine, which is looking better placed in Maharashtra now. In contrast, the Congress-NCP seem to be struggling to put together their grand alliance together. The two parties have not been able to finalise the alliance yet as the dispute over Ahmednagar seat is unresolved. The Congress wants the seat for Sujay, son of leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. But the NCP, which got the constituency in their seat-sharing pact in 2004, does not want to part with it. Meanwhile, Sujay is in touch with the BJP, which currently holds the Ahmednagar seat. The Ahmednagar MP Dilip Gandhi is currently facing some opposition within the party for his renomination. If the NCP lets go of Ahmednagar, it would ask for the Aurangabad seat, which the Congress is unwilling to part with. Further, attempts by the two parties to get smaller allies on board to prevent division of their votes have not evoked a positive response. Farmers leader Raju Shetti has not joined the coalition yet. His Swabhimani Paksha is demanding four seats though it currently has one seat in the Lok Sabha. Shetti is not sure the Congress-NCP will fully help him retain his Hatkanangale seat, which he won in 2014 with the help of the BJP-Sena. Though the Congress is trying hard to get him on board, Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar is not keen to join the Oppositions grand alliance for certain reasons. Vasai legislator Hitendra Thakurs Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, which had won the Palghar Lok Sabha seat with the help of Congress-NCP in 2009, too has not committed to anything yet. Thakur expects the Opposition coalition to not field any candidate in the seat without his party joining the alliance. In the absence of decisions by these parties the Congress-NCP are unable to take a call on four to six Lok Sabha seats they are willing to leave for smaller allies. The only ally they have now is the Peasants and Workers Party, which has influence in Raigad and some pockets in western Maharashtra. It is becoming clear the Opposition parties are putting their interests ahead of their earlier plan to unite against the BJP. So what is likely to be the outcome of the clash between two coalitions in Maharashtra? BJP insiders say they will win around 35 seats and may even go up to 40 if the sentiments over the India-Pakistan conflict work to their advantage. The assessment in the Congress-NCP camp is that they can win 15 to 20 seats and BJP-Sena will win around 30. In 2014, the BJP-Sena alliance won 42 seats while the Congress-NCP alliance could bag only six seats. What happens in Maharashtras 48 seats will also have an impact on the BJPs plan to return to power in the 2019 polls and the Congress move to prevent it from doing so. As of now, the saffron combine seems to have an upper hand. When my uncle bought a home in Goa in the 1990s, my family was surprised to know that the Panjim village in which the place stood was called Santa Cruz. Over the next few years, as satellite TV beamed into our homes, we found out that there was another Santa Cruz, all the way in the USA. This week, all it took was a Google search for me to find that there are more than 100 locations around the world that share that name. There is a Santa Cruz on every inhabited continent in nations that you rarely hear about. Theres a Santa Cruz in Cape Verde in Africa, one in the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, and at least 15 in the Philippines. Santa Cruz is a fort in Algeria, a church in Kerala, a castle in Spain, and an underwater ghost town in Canada. Its the old name of touristy Agadir in Morocco. It even has an out-of-this-world location one of the many craters on Mars is named Santa Cruz, after the Californian town. All of them mean the same thing Holy Cross, a Spanish or Portuguese reference to the cross on which Jesus died or an indication of a chapel or church in the area. Its hardly the most popular name place. Thats Santa Maria in North America and MG Road in India. In Mumbai, however, the name Santa Cruz carries mystery and mess. Local resident, Debashish Chakraverty a 43-year-old financial investor who moved back from the US in 2015, has seen both up close. I returned to find that Santa Cruz had gone from being a cosmopolitan locality to a conservative one, he says. A lot of the stuff had changed; a lot of it was just simply wrong. The most visible change was how much of the local signage bore spelling errors. Tagore Road was Tagor Road; Central Avenue was confusingly renamed Central Avenue Road and worst of all, Chakraverty found, the words Santa Cruz were increasingly being shoved into one word. Chakraverty has been writing to local corporators for three years, hes cited images of Santa Cruz station dating back a century, which show the neighbourhood written as two words. Hes included the fact that the namesakes in Goa and Kerala are both two words too. But he finds they arent terribly interesting in getting it right. An error is one thing but wilful apathy is quite another, he says. Thats dangerous because if you use the wrong word for long enough it becomes the truth. Thus far, hes managed to get local signs corrected from Craft Lane to Croft Lane, and Gjuar Lane to Gujjar Lane. But his Santa Cruz efforts are yet to bear fruit. Come on, it cant be that hard, he laments. Abroad, people are passionate about local history here the attitude is aisa hi chatla hai. Hes part of a Facebook group Santa Cruz That Was, based on a 1981 book by local historian Teresa Albuquerque. My fear is that with stations being renamed to obliterate colonial history, its only a matter of time before our Portuguese history will be wiped out too. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After Congress president Rahul Gandhis city visit on Friday, the Mumbai unit of the party has almost finalised candidates for four of the five seats they will contest in the Lok Sabha polls. The city has six Lok Sabha constituencies. Partys former MP Priya Dutt has reportedly agreed to fight from the North-Central constituency, while Milind Deora is partys Mumbai South candidate. Eknath Gaikwad and Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam are expected to be in the fray from the South-Central and North-West constituencies, respectively. Although Gandhi did not hold any formal meetings with the state or city leaders, the party president has set the ball rolling over disputed seats, alliance with smaller parties and probable candidates in key constituencies. Priya Dutt, who has stayed away from party functions for the past few months, met Gandhi at Mumbai airport on Friday morning for a few minutes and reportedly agreed to fight the polls. Dutt had issued a press statement two months ago saying she was opting out of the fray for personal reasons. She was actively involved in the rally at MMRDA grounds on Friday, where party workers from her constituency were seen holding placards that read: Priya Dutt Once Again. The partys state and Mumbai leadership convinced her to not opt out, as the constituency is one of the most favoured for the party. She has started working in her constituency, said a party leader. While Deora has no competition within the party for his seat, Gaikwad is believed to have scored over his competitors for the South-Central seat. Similarly, Nirupams candidature is considered to have been finalised by the party. The party still hasnt got a suitable candidate in Mumbai North constituency to take on the Bharatiya Janata Partys incumbent MP Gopal Shetty. We have candidates for Mumbai North too. We expect the screening committee to meet in Delhi in the next few days to take a call, said Nirupam. There is speculation that Rahul Gandhis meeting with the late Gurudas Kamats wife Maharookh on Friday was to offer her a seat. She has expressed her inability to enter politics. Meanwhile, Gandhi is believed to have asked the warring Mumbai Congress leaders to bury the hatchet and pull up their socks. Huawei is owned by the Chinese government, has deep connections to their intelligence services and presents a national security threat, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has cautioned, urging the countries to think twice before signing up with one the worlds biggest tech firms. Shenzhen-based Huawei has faced increasing headwinds in its push to make inroads in the US market, as the White House and Republican lawmakers target Chinese tech companies, citing national security concerns. The company has repeatedly denied allegations from US lawmakers that its technology could be used by the Chinese government to gather intelligence. In his address at the Future Farmers of America event in Iowa on Monday, Pompeo said the company has at least two things that threaten the US. One is that they theres a risk that theyll steal American technology, and frankly, use those systems to invade your privacy. That is, they do telecommunications equipment that provide backbone services for networks, handsets all throughout the IT infrastructure and soon will be moving across the entire world with their new 5G rollout of their equipment, Pompeo said. Second, Huawei also presents a more traditional national security threat. Its very different from in America. If youre working with AT&T or a US telecom provider, a Microsoft or an IBM whos providing IT services or products, its a private company doing its own thing, trying to make money, trying to grow its business, he said. More and more Western nations are reviewing doing business with the firm over spying concerns. Huawei has always maintained it acts independently. Western countries have begun reviewing their relationship with Huawei, specifically with regards to its technology being used in new fifth generation 5G mobile internet networks. Huawei is owned by the state of China and has deep connections to their intelligence service. That should send off flares for everybody who understands what the Chinese military and Chinese intelligence services do. We have to take that threat seriously, Pompeo said. Read more| Huawei CFO sues Canada for alleged wrongful detention Pompeo said he had been raising this issue with other countries as well. Ive travelled the world now. I brought it up in Manila. I brought it up in Warsaw. Every place that I go, countries that are considering putting Huawei technology into their government infrastructure, acknowledging that those countries have every right to make their own decision about how to proceed but making sure they understand the risks of putting that technology inside of their governments IT structure, he said. Theres a real risk, though, that the Chinese will use this for purposes that arent commercial, that arent for private gain, but rather for the states benefit. And its a risk I think these countries ought to very, very carefully consider before they move forward, Pompeo said. China has stolen US intellectual property, amounting to hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars that had been invested in technology and innovation, he alleged. Wed obtained patents or had proprietary product, and the Chinese just flat-out stole it. So did other countries. Thats just not right. Its not fair, he said. Its one of the things President Trump has taken on very, very seriously, trying to find a mechanism to convince the Chinese and other countries as well to enforce these basic property rights. Its certainly part of what the State Department does. We talk to countries all the time about this. We impose costs on them in terms of we make decisions about foreign aid based on how well they enforce US rights, Pompeo said. The US and China are engaged in a trade war that has seen both impose duties of billions of dollars on one anothers goods, though they are currently in talks in an attempt to resolve the dispute. Terrorist Masood Azhars brother Abdul Rauf Asghar and 43 others linked to banned outfits were detained by Pakistan government, a minister has said. The order for their detention was issued on Tuesday, a day after a high-level meeting took place in Pakistans Ministry of Interior on March 4 (Monday) to review the National Action Plan (NAP) and which was attended by all provincial governments. The order states, It was decided to speed up action against all proscribed organisations. In compliance, 44 under-observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation. These actions will continue as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee (NSC), while reviewing National Action Plan. The move comes barely 10 days after an Indian Air Force strike at Jaish-e-Mohammed terror training camp in Balakot in Pakistan on February 26. Also read: Jaish camp hit by IAF strike a hub of terror training Addressing a press conference, the Pakistan Interior minister Shahryar Afridi refused to divulge the names of the detained individuals and said that the detained people will be investigated and if they are found involved in any terror activities, they will be charged and placed under arrest. He said that the crackdown, announced on March 4, will continue for two weeks. Afridi said if there is proof of their complicity in any terror activities, the Pakistan government holds the right to seize the assets of the banned groups. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has put Pakistan on a tight deadline to stop terror funding and to act against terror organisations operating on its soil. The FATF is an international organisation that works to stop terror funding. If it fails to act on its promises made to the FATF, Pakistan, which is already on the grey list might find itself being blacklisted. Such a move would make it very difficult for Prime Minister Imran Khan to obtain loans from international funding institutions such as the World Bank. Also read: Jaish chief Masood Azhar is in Pak, admits foreign minister, then says he is very unwell Masood Azhar, a resident of Bahawalpur in Pakistans Punjab province, had formed the Jaish-e-Mohammed in 2000, a year after he was released by the NDA government in 1999 in exchange for the hostages of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane IC-814. Masood Azhar, 50, has also been accused of being the mastermind of the 2001 Parliament attack, suicide attack on Jammu and Kashmir state assembly, attack on Pathankot IAF base and the latest Pulwama terror strike. Last year, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) facility at Balakot in Pakistan, which was targeted by an Indian air strike on Tuesday, was the venue for a gathering at which top JeM leaders had extolled the role of the local madrasa in producing jihadi fighters who were sent to Jammu and Kashmir. Among those present at the meeting at Madrassa Teleemul-Quran at Jaba Top in April 2018 were JeM chief Masood Azhars younger brother Abdul Rauf Asghar and his brother-in-law Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, according to a report in JeMs journal al-Qalam, published around the time. Asghar, who is also the deputy chief of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, is accused of having played a key role in planning the 2016 attack on Pathankot airbase. In the journal, he was quoted as telling the gathering: The youth who rise from this madrassa have broken the arrogance of the mountains of Kashmir and lit the torch of jihad there, and they will, God willing, continue to keep it alight. Also read | JeM chief Masood Azhar is alive, says Pakistani media report Punjab information and culture minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan became a target of intense criticism by the senior members of his party (the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) following his castigating remarks on the Hindu community. Samaa news agency quoted the information minister during a press conference last month where he referred to the Hindus as cow urine-drinking people and said, Hey you cow urine-drinking people, listen up, We are Muslims and we have a flag, the flag of Maula Alis (AS) bravery, the flag of Hazrat Umars valor (AS). What this flag has to do with anything is beside the point, the Minister added. Dont operate under the delusion that youre seven times better than us. What we have, you cant have, you idol-worshippers, Chohan said in a video that went viral on the social media. Also watch | IAF hits target, doesnt count casualties: Air Marshal Dhanoa allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allow="encrypted-media" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%;"> The remarks by Chohan came amid reports of escalating tension between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans. In response to the attack on the minorities, minister for human rights Shireen Mazari condemned Chohans statement saying, No one has the right to attack anyone elses religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country. Our Prime Ministers message is always of tolerance and respect and we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred. Reiterating the same, Prime Minister Imran Khans Special Assistant on Political Affairs Naeemul Haque in his tweet said, The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan the Punjab Info Minister demand strict action. PTI govt will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the government or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister. Finance Minister Asad Umar also remembered that the flag of Pakistan is not just green and it is not complete without the white which represents the minorities. Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember Quaide Azams whole struggle was for a country free of discrimination, Umar said. Columnist Mehr Tarar further took to Twitter demanding an unconditional apology from Chohan followed by his resignation. According to reports, at least 1.6 per cent of Pakistans population is Hindu and Hinduism is the second largest religion followed in the country. The PTI government itself has at least seven Hindu members of the National Assembly and four minority members in the Punjab Assembly. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Pakistan Punjabs information and culture minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has been removed from his ministry for making derogatory remarks against the Hindu community. Chohans resignation was accepted by Pakistan Punjabs chief minister Usman Buzdar. A tweet on PTIs official handle however stated that he had been removed. PTI Punjab government has removed Fayyaz Chohan from the post of Punjab Information Minister following derogatory remarks about the Hindu community. Bashing someones faith should not b a part of any narrative.Tolerance is the first & foremost pillar on which #Pakistan was built, the tweet read. PTI Punjab government has removed Fayyaz Chohan from the post of Punjab Information Minister following derogatory remarks about the Hindu community. Bashing someones faith should not b a part of any narrative.Tolerance is the first & foremost pillar on which #Pakistan was built. pic.twitter.com/uKJiReWc26 PTI (@PTIofficial) March 5, 2019 Chohan, known to be a firebrand Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader, had made his remarks on February 24 in Lahore in response to Indias statements against the Pulwama bombing of February 14 in which 40 CRPF jawans had died. Soon after that, a video of his derisive remarks had gone viral on Monday with the hashtag #SackFayazchohan trending. Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan had also reportedly taken note of Chohans remark. Before his removal, the Pakistan prime ministers special assistant on political affairs Naeemul Haque had also tweeted saying that the PTI party would not tolerate this nonsense. The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan the Punjab Info Minister demand strict action. PTI govt will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the govt or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister, Haque wrote. A Pakistani minister was on Tuesday removed from his ministerial post over his alleged anti-Hindu remarks, the countrys ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said on its official Twitter account. Provincial Punjab information and culture minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan triggered a row when he allegedly used derogatory statements against Hindus, who are in a minority in the country, while addressing an event in Lahore on February 24. The alleged statement came against the backdrop of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan after 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed in a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist attack in Kashmir. PTI Punjab government has removed Fayyaz Chohan from the post of Punjab Information Minister following derogatory remarks about the Hindu community, official twitter account of PTI tweeted. According to local media, the minister later apologised for his comments and said: I was addressing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian armed forces and their media, not the Hindu community in Pakistan. I apologise if my remarks hurt the Hindu community in Pakistan. My remarks were in no way directed at Pakistans Hindu community. Manif MRC - 26/01/2019 Facebook Police in Yaounde has released some 20 women of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), today, March 5, 2019, as it misinterpreted the womens human investment actions, ahead of the 2019 women's day celebrations The alarm against their arrest was raised by the Secretary General of the party , Barrister Ndong Christopher, as he signaled that over 20 of these militants had been arrested why they were carrying out environmental cleaning exercises. It is inline with the 34th edition of the International Women's Day on March 8, that the womens wing of the CRM party , assembled to carry out human investment activities. They were led by Sindze Clemence and other members of the Mfoundi wing. Despite pressure from onlookers to release these women, the 2nd district police office, carried out the arrest. The women were cleaning dirty gutters around the Mokolo market in Yaounde.Reports say, upon their release, they were warned not to take part in any of such activities without an authorisation from the Yaounde City Council. Security forces in Cameroon seem to be on an alert against every actions of the opposition party, CRM, following the arrest of its leader Maurice Kamto, late January. The countrys opposition leader Maurice Kamto, claims to have been cheated out of the presidency in elections last year. Following a series of protest organised by his party across the national territory, Kamto along with some militants were arrested in the countrys economic capital Douala. Maurice Kamto is being charged with hostility against the Fatherland, insurrection, group rebellion, public disorder, conspiracy, incitement to insurrection, complicity and illegal groupings. His case at the Mfoundi High Court, was adjourned to the 7th of March 2019. The leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement had pleaded not guilty of all charges against him. Kamto continues to state that he was the rightful winner of the 2018 presidential elections in Cameroon. The widow and teenage stepsons of a Malaysian CEO who died last year were charged with his murder Monday, in a shocking twist to a case that has captivated the country. Nazrin Hassan was the chief executive of Cradle Fund, a Malaysian firm that is an agency of the finance ministry and invests in start-ups. He died at his home outside Kuala Lumpur in June last year. It was initially thought he was killed after his mobile phone exploded and started a fire. But the fire and rescue department later found traces of petrol at the scene, and his death was reclassified as murder. His wife, 43-year-old Samirah Muzaffar, and her two sons from a previous marriage, aged 13 and 16, were arrested in the early hours Monday. They were later brought to a magistrates court outside the capital, where a huge scrum of journalists was waiting, and charged with murder. No pleas were taken and the magistrate ordered the case be transferred to the High Court. The sons cannot be named for legal reasons. A fourth person, an Indonesian woman reported to be the familys maid, was also charged in absentia with murder. A murder conviction carries a mandatory death penalty in Malaysia. The government that took power last year has pledged to abolish capital punishment for all crimes, but parliament still has to vote on amending the law. Cradle Fund was set up in 2003 and has invested in hundreds of tech start-ups, including the forerunner of Southeast Asias dominant ride-hailing app, Grab. The US government has notified its intent to remove India from its zero-import duty programme, the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), after a 60-day notice, though India said on Tuesday the matter can be resolved amicably through discussions. The Trump administration has been pushing for greater access to Indian markets for dairy products and medical equipment. Indias termination from GSP follows its failure to provide the US with assurances that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors, said a statement issued by the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). An external affairs ministry official, who did not want to be identified, said: As far as the USTR is concerned, all that flexibility we [India] showed did not meet their [the US] requirements. So they have invoked the 60-day notice for GSP. According to US law, the proposed changes cannot take effect until 60 days after the notification to the Congress and the government of India. It will be finally enacted by a presidential proclamation after the notice period. Commenting on USTRs statement that India implemented a wide array of trade barriers against US interests and that it failed to take steps to meet the GSP criterion despite intensive engagement, the official expressed confidence the matter would be resolved amicably. Our view is that we are still in discussion and we will continue to talk to them. We would like to see that we can reach an agreement, the official said. Commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan said India will not impose any retaliatory tariffs on imports from the US as the withdrawal of GSP for Indian products will have limited impact. Discussions are on with the US, and given cordial and strong ties, [India is] keeping retaliatory tariffs out of it, he said. The actual benefit from preferential treatment is of $190 million since India used the concession for only 1,784 products out of 3,700 covered, he said. HT reported on February 12 about the impending action by USTR. The US imported goods worth $5.6 billion from India in 2017 under the programme aimed at helping developing economies. This was more than 10% of the total Indian goods imported by the US in 2017. The US had announced a review of Indias continued eligibility for the programme in April 2018, citing market access concerns, specifically for dairy products and medical devices. There were a number of areas we were willing to show flexibility, a number of agricultural products of the US that we were willing to allow for imports, the external affairs ministry official quoted above said. India has concerns related to genuine cultural sensitivities, specifically for dairy products because of animal feed being used for cows in the US. There too, we were willing to see how we could arrive at a mutually acceptable arrangement which preserved our cultural sensitivities and allowed dairy products from the US to come into the markets, the official said. The other areas of concern are in the IT space where we had some concerns that if we simply let down our guard, the benefits in the $20 billion market would go not to the US [but to another country], because the amount of [IT sector] imports from the US is less than half a billion dollars, the official said. The official said India had made a friendly gesture by not imposing retaliatory tariffs on steel and aluminium. India has been the top beneficiary of the GSP programme that extends a zero-tariff regime for some goods, not all, to 120 countries. Indian exporters said the US move will have a marginal impact on their businesses, particularly exports of processed food, leather, plastic and engineering goods. The government should look into providing fiscal support to such sectors so that exporters reduce their export prices factoring in the fiscal support with a view that the landed price of such products remains more or less what was under the GSP regime, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) president Ganesh Kumar Gupta said. Ficci president Sandip Somany said; I am sure the government would take appropriate action and there will be dialogue between the two governments to make sure that this is not withdrawn in case of India. The US decision was along expected lines but New Delhi was disappointed and irritated. We had conceded most of their demands and had indicated our readiness to discuss the few remaining ones as well, an official close to the negotiations said, adding, but they seemed to be in the mood to go for all. US experts and observers of relations with India were disappointed as well because of the administrations failure to see the trade issue in the context of its own national security strategy objectives for Asia, with the threat from China a shared objective. Milan Vaishnav, a South Asia expert at Carnegie, described the delisting as a very shortsighted decision by the Trump administration. (With inputs from Rezaul H Laskar) For three years, Union and Confederate soldiers pounded through the heart of Winchester, Va., shouting, shooting, and dragging wounded comrades into hotels, houses, and stables. The lower Valley gateway town had been a crossroads hub even before George Washington helped to build Fort Loudoun there in the 1750s, but the Civil Wars traffic was destructive. Winchester was a race-courseone day in the possession of friends, and the next of enemies, recalled Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan, appointed in 1864 to head the Army of the Shenandoah. A town of some 4,400 in 1860, Winchester experienced the fury of three major battles, and four other fights occurred nearby. Roughly 200 homes were destroyed, and the town famously changed hands about 70 times. In the 1970s, the citys government closed off several blocks of Loudoun Street and turned it into a walking mall, allowing visitors to ramble Old Town in the footsteps of Washington and Civil War soldiers while soaking up the charm of magnificent brick and stone buildings. Numerous restaurants and brewpubs also offer places to relax and discuss Winchesters many layers of history. Every site listed here is within walking distance of each other, but you might want to drive to the cemeteries and Stonewall Jacksons headquarters. Sarah Richardson Bell House The Bells, a prominent Winchester family, survived Third Battle of Winchester shellfire in this home. Bell descendants moved out only in 2016, when the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation purchased the home. The home at 106-110 Cameron St. is being renovated and is occasionally open for tours. Deadly This Confederate 12-pounder cannon shot was excavated near the Cedar Creek battlefield. Had it detonated, the iron balls and fragments would have caused havoc. What War Left Behind The 1840 courthouse is enjoying a second life as the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum. The first floor recreates the courthouse; the upper story contains displays of fascinating relics excavated nearby, weapons, and artifacts of soldier daily lifeabout 3,000 items in all. Check out graffiti by Union POWs and a display describing the intensity of womens Civil War involvement in Winchester. civilwarmuseum.org Hotel Reborn The three-story Taylor Hotel at 119 N. Loudoun St., constructed in 1848 with impressive pillars and porches, stands right on the walking mall. Confederate General Stonewall Jackson used it as his temporary headquarters in 1861 and for subsequent battles, and the building was also used as a hospital. Neglect led to a partial roof collapse in 2007, but a major renovation in 2012 rescued the structure, which now houses a bar/casual restaurant, Macados (macados.net), on the first floor and apartments above. Jacksons Headquarters The famous Stonewall used this six-room Gothic Revival cottage, a short walk from the old section of town, as his headquarters in the winter of 1861-62joined for a while by his second wife, Mary Anna. Period items and Jackson memorabilia are on display in the houses interior. winchesterhistory.org Research Mecca Judge John Handley, a coal baron from Scranton, Pa., moved to the Winchester area in the 1870s, and in his 1895 will funded this magnificent Beaux Arts library, completed in 1913. The copper dome represents the spine of a book, and the wings stand for pages. The lavish interior will inspire your desire to read and learn, with its rotunda featuring stained glass and spiral staircases. www.youseemore.com/handley/ Smoke House Wealthy tobacco trader Lloyd Logan built the imposing home at 135 N. Braddock St. in 1848. General Philip Sheridan used it as his headquarters, and began his immortal ride to the October 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek here. The full porch was added in the early 20th century. It now houses the boutique Kimberlys, open daily. Confederate Peace Drive through the stone entrance of Mt. Hebron Cemetery to reach Stonewall Confederate Cemetery and a towering monument of a soldier, above, honoring the unknown dead of the Confederacy. More than 2,500 Confederates, many unknown, but including Brig. Gen. Turner Ashby and Confederate spy Mary Greenhow, are buried here. Dedicated in 1866, it was the first officially recognized Confederate cemetery. mthebroncemetery.org Winchester National Cemetery The general planof the groundsis much more artistic and pleasing to the eye than the stiff formality observable in the National Cemeteries of the United States. New York Times Reporter at the cemetery dedication, October 25, 1866 Just east of the Old Stone Church and directly north of the Stonewall Cemetery lie nearly 4,500 Union soldiers, known and unknown, disinterred from various nearby battlefields and reburied here in 1866. Fifteen monuments honor Union regiments, corps, and states that had burials of soldiers here or participants in the Third Battle of Winchester. www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/winchester Old Stone Church This austere structure, erected in 1788, was built to be a Presbyterian Church. In 1858, it was leased to the Old School Congregation Baptist Church of Color for $500, and during the war Federal troops used it as a stable. After the war, it functioned as a school for black children. Easy to miss and now privately owned, it is just east of the roundabout on Route 7 entering town. Three Strikes The Valley town lent its name to three major battles. A dusty attic chamber and dogged research yielded a remarkable relicthe long-lost sword carried by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw The Massachusetts Historical Societys 2017 acquisition of the long-lost sword Colonel Robert Gould Shaw wielded as he led the all-black 54th Massachusetts Infantrys legendary July 18, 1863, assault on Fort Wagner is one of the most remarkable Civil War relic finds of recent years. Anne Bentley, the societys curator of art and artifacts, is particularly euphoric. As a curator, she enthused, if youre lucky, once in a lifetime something this significant crosses your desk. This is my once-in-a-lifetime. This sword figures prominently in the climactic scene of the 1989 film Glory, which depicted the 54ths creation in 1863 and its legendary attack on Wagner, the Confederate bastion on the northern tip of Charleston Harbors Morris Island. Shaw, as played by actor Matthew Broderick, leads the assault along the islands sandy terrain, then brandishes the sword on the forts parapet before being killed. Nearly 300 of the regiments men and officers were killed, wounded, or captured during the unsuccessful attack that morning. The following day, a Confederate stripped Shaws body of his weapons, uniform, and personal effects, then threw his remains into the rifle pits at the base of the fort, along with the bodies of a number of black soldiers from his command. The swords whereabouts succumbed to wars fog. Soon after the war ended, however, Union Brevet Maj. Gen. Charles Paine of Massachusetts, commanding a division of black volunteers, stopped near Goldsboro, N.C., with his soldiers for a frugal lunch. The owner of the premises where they stopped soon asked if any of them had been at Fort Wagner, revealing that one of his acquaintances was in possession of a sword that had belonged to a Union officer killed there. Wrote Paine on June 3, 1865: I heard the other day of the sword of the late Robt. G. Shaw killed at Fort Wagner, in the possession of a rebel officer about sixty miles from here. I sent out and got it; the scabbard was not with it. I am going to send it on as soon as I have an opportunity. Paines assistant adjutant general, Solon Carter, returned the sword to the Shaw family, receiving this acknowledgment from Colonel Shaws father, Boston intellectual and abolitionist Francis George Shaw: So far as such words may be applied to an inanimate thing it is the weapon which has done most for our colored people in this war, and it is to me likewise as well as to you a source of great satisfaction that it was recovered and restored by officers of colored troops. Robert Gould Shaws sister, Susanna, apparently gave the sword to her grandson, who hung it on his bedroom wall. Then it again faded from historys view. This is the second of Shaws Civil War swords the MHS has acquired, along with the one Shaw carried in 1862 as a junior officer in the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry at both Cedar Mountain and Antietam. In January 2017, two Shaw descendants were clearing out their late parents home in Hamilton, Mass., to prepare it for sale. From a family with deep patriotic roots, Mary Minturn Wood and Robert Minturngreat-grandchildren of Robert Gould Shaws sister, Susannacontacted Brenda Lawson, the MHS vice president for collections, to inquire about the societys interest in items they found. Lawson and Bentley went to collect the letters and portraits the siblings had gathered for donation. On leaving, they mentioned that Shaws Fort Wagner sword was last seen in the 1800sand left it at that. The brother and sister returned to the home, this time exploring a blocked off upper attic chamber. Something made me go in there, Robbie Minturn said, describing how he crawled into the upper chamber to discover more items. Mary recalled that as she and Robbie looked at the swords among those items, she picked up one that was beginning to rust, had no scabbard, and looked old. Wood e-mailed Lawson: We just found another sword.We found the initials RGS on it, although it is a bit rusty. She described the decorative damanscened engravings on the sword, which included the American eagle. Lawson forwarded the e-mail to Bentley, who replied, OMG BrendaI think thats the Wagner sword!!!!!!! On April 17, 2017, the Minturn siblings officially deeded the sword to the MHS as part of its large gift of papers and portraits. Bentley and senior cataloguer Mary Yacovone then searched documents, records, and archives to validate that it was indeed Shaws Fort Wagner sword. In Shaw family records, Yacovone found a letter suggesting that, in April 1863, Shaws uncle, George Russell, ordered an officers sword for his nephew from English master swordsmith Henry Wilkinson to commemorate Shaws promotion to colonel of the 54th Massachusetts. On July 1, Shaw wrote his father, A box of Uncle Georges containing a beautiful English sword came all right. Bentley asked the Wilkinson archivist in England to send a copy of the weapons record. It showed that Wilkinson sword No. 12506 was tested for fitness on May 11, 1863, and picked up by an agent for George Russell. The timing was right. In an internal memo, Bentley concluded, Clearly, this sword was ordered as soon as possible after RGS received his commission as Colonel of [the] 54th Mass. Regiment. Bentley then contacted a friend for his authoritative opinion. Erik Goldstein, senior curator of mechanical arts and numismatics at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, is an expert on old weapons. Bentley wrote Goldstein, Weve got something really big here, if it is what I think it is. I want to pass my findings by you to see ifits the real thing. After further emails, photos, and phone conversations passed between the two, Goldstein unhesitatingly threw his weight behind the swords authenticity. On the 154th anniversary of the Union attack on Fort Wagner, the Massachusetts Historical Society revealed the Shaw sword donation. That day, Steven Smith, past curator of flags at the Massachusetts State House, informed Bentley that he had seen an 1876 letter from abolitionist Lydia Maria Child to poet John Greenleaf Whittier in which she wrote, I spent last winter with the parents of Colonel Shaw.The flag of the 54th Regiment was in their hall, and the sword of Colonel Shaw.It is very handsome, being richly damascened with the United States coat-of-arms, and the letters R.G.S. beneath. It was a present from a wealthy uncle in England, and he received it a few days before the attack on Fort Wagner.[His mother] said: This is the sword that Robert waved over his followers, as he urged them to the attack. With the description cited in the letter, the swords provenance is unassailable. I feel very lucky that we realized what we had in our hands, and Im happy now that its in a good place and can be shared with the world, Mary Minturn Wood said. Larry C. Kerpelman writes from Acton, Massachusetts about singular moments in American history. His work has appeared in American History, The Boston Globe, and the Chronicle of Higher Education, among other publications. More about him on his website www.LCKerpelman.com. In 1782, just a few years into its nationhood, the United States was forced to grapple with the issue of revenge as an instrument of war. IN THE SPRING OF 1782, GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS A MAN IN THE GRIP of a seemingly intractable problem. The war against Britain was finally going well for the Americans, and the British defeat at Yorktown in October 1781 had signaled that American independence would eventually be won by force of arms. But the execution of an American officer by British loyalists threatened to reintroduce an element of bloody vengeance into a conflict already frequently marred by internecine hostility and accusations of atrocity and brutality on both sides. Just as the United States was poised to achieve its creation as a nation of honor and civility, it was forced to grapple with the issue of revenge as an instrument of war. Even in the 18th century, pure revenge was generally regarded as beyond the pale of lawful warfare. Political leaders had long invoked the idea of revenge in order to rally public support for military action, particularly when some injury to national pride or security could be used to justify vengeance, but formal laws of war took a dim view of the vindictive sentiments in such rhetoric. An act of retaliation might be simple revenge under all the legal language, but the scholars of military law preferred to call it by other names. Legitimate retribution always had its place in warfare, but even the earliest codifications of military law recognized that acts of retaliation carried with them inherent risks. A tit-for-tat cycle of offense and response might precipitate an endless round of atrocity and retaliation, and with it an abiding mutual hatred. Diplomacy and negotiated settlement would be much harder to achieve in such conflict, creating a situation where fighting continued until one party was virtually annihilated. At the same time, no legal realist was prepared to suggest that an aggrieved nation at war should adopt a policy of saintly forbearance when it was wronged. Lawful warfare was conceived precisely to control the worst excesses of armed conflict and to limit the destructive potential of unrestricted war within the very flawed framework of human nature. The desire for retaliation was an understandable motivation and could even legally be defensible in war but never for the sake of revenge alone. Some acceptable expression of the natural desire for vengeance had to have a place in law. BY THE TIME OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, THIS CONCEPT WAS CODIFIED as the lex talionisthe law of retaliation grounded in ancient ideas of retributive justice. On its face it was perhaps rough justice, in that it allowed one belligerent party to answer an enemys illegal act or atrocity with a similar act, but the intent was clear. The act of retaliation had to be explicitly linked to the act of provocation: a hostage shot for a hostage hanged, a town burned for a town destroyed, and so on. Such speedy retaliation was thought to have a deterrent effect not offered by any form of resolution after the war. Washingtons problem was simple in its details but fiendishly complicated in its development. On April 12, 1782, a group of loyalists under the command of Captain Richard Lippincott hanged a prisoner of war named Captain Joshua Huddy at Highlands Beach, New Jersey. The act was explicitly one of retaliation: When Huddys corpse was left hanging from the makeshift gallows, it was adorned with a placard stating that his execution was in response to previous executions of loyalist prisoners in Continental hands, specifically that of a man named Philip White. We therefore Determine not to Suffer without taking Vengeance, the placard read, and thus begin and have made use of Captn Huddy as the First Object. The loyalists stated their intent to Hang Man for Man, and concluded up goes huddy for philip white. In the closing months of the war between Great Britain and its former colonies, the incident could not have come at a worse time for those in both countries who were seeking a negotiated end to the conflict. News of Huddys execution led to public outrage in the northeastern colonies, where newspapers and broadsides denounced the actone branded it a horrid and most unparalleled Murderwhile omitting the fact that loyalists had also suffered at the hands of the patriots. They insisted that Whites death, cited as the reason for Huddys execution, was not the unlawful execution of a prisoner of war but was rather the legal killing of a prisoner who had attempted to escape. They pointed to the precepts of lex talionis and demanded vengeance. The matter quickly became an issue of official correspondence between opposing commanders. Washington wrote to his counterpart on the British side, General Henry Clinton, and threatened to authorize a response in kind if the officer responsible for Huddys death was not handed over to Continental authority for legal prosecution. To save the innocent, I demand the guilty, he wrote, making it clear that if he could not punish Lippincott himself, some other person would pay the price. CLINTON WAS NOT INSENSITIVE TO THE PROBLEM, but neither was he inclined to relinquish British legal authority in the matter. As Clinton pointed out in his reply to Washington, a board of inquiry composed of British officers had already investigated the incident and found sufficient cause to court-martial Lippincott. Clinton insisted that he had not authorized Huddys execution, saying that such acts of cruelty and persecuting violence are notoriously contrary to my own conduct and disposition (having never yet stained my hands with innocent blood). He then warned Washington against allowing public sentiment to force a military response that might lead to greater wrongs. To Sacrifice Innocence under the Notion of preventing Guilt, in Place of suppressing, he wrote, would be adopting Barbarity and raising it to the greatest height. Clinton proceeded with a court-martial against Lippincott. In June 1782, under the authority of General Sir Guy Carleton, who replaced Clinton as commander in chief of British forces, Lippincott was charged with the murder of Huddy, a Prisoner of War to the Associated Loyalists, by hanging or causing him to be hanged by the Neck until he was dead. That was not enough to mollify those on the patriot side who demanded blood for blood, and calls for some form of immediate reprisal mounted. As a professional soldier, Washington was probably inclined to let the matter rest in British hands, at least until the court-martial produced its result. After all, if he required the surrender of a British soldier for a war crime, he might very well face the same situation in reverse later. And as details that emerged in Lippincotts trial soon made clear, Huddy was perhaps an appropriate candidate to be sacrificed under lex talionis. He had earlier hanged several British loyalists in incidents of debatable legality, and so the man for man spirit of his own execution seemed justified. Washington, however, was not free to follow his own inclinations. Outside pressure, both political and public, required a more immediate response. He therefore ordered that a British officer currently in American hands as a prisoner of war be selected to pay for Huddys death if the British did not sentence Lippincott to hang. Mindful of the protocols of war, Washington ordered that the man chosen should be one who had been captured on the field of battle, who was not therefore protected under the framework of a conditional surrender. No such individual could be identified, however, so the Americans improvised. At the prisoner of war camp in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 13 British officers held after Cornwalliss surrender at Yorktown were assembled and ordered to draw lots. The British soldiers refused, citing their rights under the laws of war, so the lots were drawn for them. The unfortunate man (the paper drawn for him was actually marked unfortunate) was Captain Charles Asgill, a young officer in the 1st Foot Guards. Rather than providing a solution, Asgills selection as the object of American vengeance only gave Washington more problems. Asgill himself immediately wrote to Washington in protest, pointing out that an act of reprisal against him was a violation of the agreement under which British forces had surrendered at Yorktown. He was correct, and Washington knew it. I am deeply affected with the unhappy Fate to which Capt. Asgill is subjected, he wrote, but he still insisted on some measure of retribution for Huddys death. Washington was by no means alone. The renowned patriot pamphleteer Thomas Paine insisted that Carleton was the moral agent in this drama, writing that if he did not surrender Lippincott to American justice, the British commander would bear the ultimate responsibility for Asgills fate as if you had put the rope on his neck. When Lippincott was acquitted by the British court-martial on June 22, it seemed that Asgill was doomed. Other observers feared the legal controversy might derail the slow steps toward a peaceful resolution to the conflict that were already underway. The British prime minister, Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, in a secret dispatch to Carleton, wrote of his concern that the matter not provide an obstacle in the way of accommodation. An anonymous writer in England insisted that an execution to avenge an execution would be highly impolitic and improper, calling it a horrid course. Carleton needed no argument in that direction; he said he believed that revenge under the thin veil of laws of war would only lead to Evils and Misfortunes of the blackest and most pernicious Sort. If the question of Asgills fate had earlier left Washington between a rock and a hard place, now, following Lippincotts acquittal, he seemed to have a way out. Washington was willingindeed, eagerto consider the sentiments of Americans like James Duane, a lawyer and Revolutionary leader from New York, who urged him to conclude the war with the Humanity which a benevolent Religion, civilized manners, and true military Honour inspire. His reluctance to adhere to the man for man code of vengeance and the eventual lessening of the publics demand for blood reprisal proved to be Asgills salvation. In November the Continental Congress approved Asgills release. John Adams, one of the American emissaries in France, wrote that it was so exquisite a relief to my feelings, adding that it would have been a horrid damp to the joys of peace had the young British officer been hanged as threatened. Washington wrote to Asgill personally, telling him that resolving the matter without the effusion of the Blood of an innocent person is not a greater relief to you than it is to [me]. Since Asgills life was the one in peril, Washingtons words were perhaps a bit dramatic, but there is little doubt that the outcome was the one he had fervently hoped for. The ancient idea of lex talionis was not invoked with such fervor in later American wars, but it had an echo in the Civil War. In 1864 Confederate colonel John Mosby executed three Union army soldiers in retaliation for the earlier execution of six of his men at Fort Royal, Virginia. He then wrote to Union major general Philip Sheridan and proposed that both sides resume treating each others captives as prisoners of war under protection of the laws of war. Sheridan agreed, and such acts of reprisal remained rare throughout that war. John A. Haymond is the author of The Infamous Dakota War Trials of 1862: Revenge, Military Law, and the Judgment of History (McFarland & Company, 2016). This article appears in the Spring 2019 issue (Vol. 31, No. 3) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: Laws of War | A Neck for a Neck? Want to have the lavishly illustrated, premium-quality print edition of MHQ delivered directly to you four times a year? Subscribe now at special savings! Un char d'assaut de l'armee camerounaise Archives The European Union has expressed worry over the deteriorating situations of human rights violations in Cameroon, calling on government to initiate an inclusive dialogue In a press released issue today, March 5, the council of 28 European states, highlighted the arrest and detention of Cameroons opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, and some members of his CRM (Cameroon Renaissance Movement) party in January. The communique frowns at this action, which to the council gives the impression of an uncomfortable political platform in the country. The communique further condemns the persistent violence in the North West and South West regions, as well as human rights violations. It regrets that he ongoing instability in the both regions has greatly affected the humanitarian and economic factors of the country. Another aspect the communique highlights, is the use of hate speech in the media, and some political actors. It mentions the case of the Minister of Momo Jean De Dieu, who recently said Bamilekes (a tribe in the Western region, where Maurice Kamto hails from), will be wiped out like Hitler did to the Jews. The Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Justice was widely criticized for his rants on a Television program, while analysing the manifestations of Maurice Kamto's party. This press release from the EU will add to many others issued by other countries, that partner with Cameroon to seek lasting solutions to the crisis. The European Union further indicates that it is ready to support any initiative of an inclusive political dialogue, that respects the rights of all. At least four million Cameroonians have been affected directly by the persistent Anglophone crisis since late 2017. A December 2018 publication by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Rights (OCHA), revealed that more than 437,500 people have been internally displaced. Some 32000 have sought refuge in neighbouring Nigeria. | BY Lynchy | Highlighting the best of Australian innovation, film, music, food and wine, Australia House returns to South By Southwest (SXSW) for a second year, under the creative direction and curation of Justin Drape, co-founder and group chief creative officer of The Monkeys, and Ron Anderson, co-founder and creative experience officer of Unicorn Group. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trades Australia House week-long experience will showcase some of Australias brightest creative and entrepreneurial talent. With performances by some of the countrys top music acts, the festival will also feature talks and panel discussions, interactive exhibitions, networking meet-ups and more. Businesses attending this year include Tourism Australia, Austrade, Bluestone Lane, Westpac, Swisse, World Surf League, Vinomofo and Movember. Up and coming Australian actors Danielle Macdonald (Dumplin, Patti Cake$) and Cody Fern (American Crime Story, House of Cards) visit Australia House to talk about shaking up Hollywood, while business young guns Margaret Zhang and Lindsay Cornell lead an inspiring speaker line-up to address the impact of innovation from a female perspective. Taking to the stage are rising Aussie stars Angie McMahon, Carmouflage Rose, Dean Lewis, Mojo Juju and Kwame, along with 39 other Aussie acts. Golden Vessel, Masionair and Spike Vincent have also signed up, joining Odette, I Know Leopard and Haiku Hands. The music show and the signature Aussie BBQ will again will be hosted by Sounds Australia, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Adds Anderson: Being invited to curate an experience with some of the countrys most inspiring cultural leaders is a real privilege and, after the success of last year, featuring the likes of Hugh Jackman and Curtis Stone, were excited to build on that momentum and to make it a part of SXSW that people dont want to miss. Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. | BY Ricki Green | Following a period of continued growth, branding and design agency Principals has bolstered its Sydney and Melbourne ranks with the appointment of Moensie Rossier and Andy Lewis. Rossier takes on the role of strategy director at the Sydney office while Lewis joins the Melbourne team in the newly created role of digital design director. Prior to her appointment, Rossier was brand planning director at BWM Dentsu. She was with the group, integrating across advertising, brand and PR, for more than six years and co-wrote the agencys strategic model and book on building brands that transform business. Her work for clients including nbn, Kmart, Chadstone, Skyscanner, Babylove and Selleys has been recognised at Cannes, D&AD, Clio and the AMI Awards. Her experience includes stints at agencies including The Campaign Palace, JWT and Carat and she has worked in the UK market as well as Belgium. Says Rossier: Im really excited to join Principals. I believe creative brands are an under-used business lever and I look forward to focussing my array of skills to build brands with clout. Lewis joins the agency from PwC where he was a design lead for the Innovation and Ventures team working on a host of software products. He has more than 15 years design experience having applied his design skills to a range of businesses, not-for-profits and communities. Past clients include the Level Crossing Removal Authority, Social Traders, UXC Oxygen, Medibio, Lonely Planet, Human Rights Law Centre and the International Service for Human Rights. Says Lewis: I can already see that Principals is a dynamic, creative studio with great people and a great range of clients. I cant wait to get stuck in and see what we can do together. Pipeline 5 March 2019 InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) today announces the signing of a management agreement with Ambience Rangsit U Co.,Ltd. to develop the 228-room Holiday Inn Express Don Mueang Airport. Set to open in 2022, the hotel will be built next to the Lak Hok Train Station, one stop away from Don Mueang International Airport and 20 km from the city centre. As part of the Thai government's expansion plans, the new Terminal 3 at Don Mueang Airport is scheduled to open in the same year, and has been designed to service the growing number of passengers. Providing guests with everything they need and nothing they don't, the hotel will offer a convenient stay which includes: Renovation 5 March 2019 On the heels of New Orleans' Tricentennial year, further excitement is in store for The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans in 2019 with the announcement of its multi-million dollar 'redeux.' The crown jewel of Canal Street will undergo a $40 million renovation aimed to energize the luxurious legacy of the historic Beaux Arts Maison Blanche building, transforming the guest rooms, suites and renowned Ritz-Carlton Spa, while also unveiling refreshed amenities to complement to hotel's original charm and grace. Commencing in early May 2019, the redeux will enhance 421 of The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans' 527 well-appointed guest rooms and suites, catering to the needs of the modern traveler while capturing the vibrant and colorful characteristics of the destination. These refreshed rooms will join the recently remodeled Maison Orleans Club accommodations for a fully transformed room product in New Orleans. Capturing the essence of New Orleans, the hotel's luxury accommodations will be refurnished in two distinct color stories with Executive Suites donning sky blue and orchid smoke hues, and Deluxe Rooms revealing shades of ruby and slate. Along with these design enhancements, guests can expect new amenities with The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans' redeux that coincide with the hotel's commitment to the culture and exploration of the Big Easy. A destination within itself, The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans Spa will also receive a facelift with this year's redeux. As the largest spa in the Big Easy, spanning 25,000 square feet, the redeux will reveal a full renewal of the 22 treatment rooms, salon, and relaxation areas in late summer. The new look will complement the collection of treatments and ceremonies meant to transport guests to a state of relaxation and renewal in the Crescent City including the ever-popular Voodoo Ritual. The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans' redeux will be fully unveiled in November 2019. Now Open 5 March 2019 Premier Inn says 'Guten Tag' to Hamburg Whitbread-owned Premier Inn today (Thursday, February 28) says 'Guten Tag' to Hamburg as it opens the doors to its second hotel in Germany. It is hoped that the Hamburg hotel, a new-build which is just a stone's throw from the city's main train station and major attractions including shops and museums, will prove similarly popular. Expansion into Germany, a country which has traditionally been dominated by smaller, independent hotel operators, is part of Whitbread's strategic focus on growing the Premier Inn brand internationally. Guests visiting Premier Inn Hamburg who are familiar with the brand in the UK will instantly recognise its trademark features', including power showers, Hypnos mattresses, black-out curtains and tea and coffee-making facilities in every room. However, the proposition has also been developed to specifically cater to the needs of the local market. A continental breakfast including cold cuts, a wide selection of baked goods and cheeses is available alongside Premier Inn's signature cooked breakfast, adapted to German preferences. | BY Lynchy | Publicis Media today announced the consolidation of two of its global networks Blue 449 and Spark Foundry to create one Spark Foundry global proposition. Founded on the strong synergies of culture and entrepreneurial spirit that both agencies boast, the new unified network will operate under the Spark Foundry brand in the majority of markets, boosting the agencys footprint globally. With this move the new network deepens its presence in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, MENA, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Singapore and Spain, as well as other markets around the world, accelerated through realigning Blue 449 talent and clients to the Spark Foundry brand. Due to the unique nature of the France, US and UK markets, both Spark Foundry and the Blue 449 brands will be retained and co-operate closely in these markets, with Blue 449 predominantly servicing domestic clients and Spark Foundry focusing on global clients. As a brand-led organisation, we are committed to our strong agency brands as transformation partners for clients, says Steve King, CEO, Publicis Media. Guided by this commitment, we are further scaling Spark Foundry as a global network. Spark Foundrys global evolution through this strategic alliance, builds on notable momentum over the past year, including substantial new business wins such as Marriott and Lenovo (global), Mondelez (multi-market), Macys, Audible, and Southwest Airlines in the US, Savola in UAE, and Campbell Arnotts in Australia. We couldnt be more excited to expand our extraordinary talent and capabilities across the world, said Chris Boothe, Global Brand President, Spark Foundry. Further, I am thrilled to welcome the Blue 449 talent and clients to the Spark Foundry family. Im confident these clients will benefit from continuing to work with the talent who know them and their business well, now backed by Spark Foundrys unique HEAT proposition strongly resonating and delivering for clients around the world. In Australia, John Preston, Chairman of Publicis Media ANZ, previously CEO of Blue 449 (formerly Match Media) has announced that leading the new Australian entity will be Spark Foundrys current CEO Sue Squillace (left); supported by Duncan Parfitt as COO, who moves from his role as MD of Blue 449, and Blue 449s CFO Jeff Ewing completing the Executive Leadership Team. Preston will work closely with the Executive Leadership Team to ensure a smooth integration of the businesses. He said: Here in Australia we are bringing together two successful businesses, both with enviable culture scores. The beauty is that their DNA of being born a start-up; one an independent, the other a multinational start-up, are strongly aligned. This is a very exciting step change for the team at Spark Foundry and provides the team at Blue 449 with a truly global family to work with. Says Squillace: I am really excited to have the opportunity to lead this newly formed strategic alignment. This evolution of Spark Foundry will deliver our people and clients a brand with greater scale, greater market impact and a greater connected global network. Pipeline 5 March 2019 The InterContinental Hotels Group ( IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, and UBM Development AG, today announced the signing of the first voco hotel in the Netherlands which is planned to open in 2020. This signing is the first publicly announced signing in Continental Europe underscoring the strong momentum of the voco brand in the region since its launch in June 2018. voco - Kneuterdijk 8 will be set in a beautiful building located in the city centre of The Hague that formerly housed a bank. The hotel will be in close proximity to the town's famous sights, several museums, parks and the shopping mile. Launched in June 2018, voco inspired by the meaning 'to invite' or to 'come together' in Latin combines the informality and charm of an individual hotel with the quality and reassurance of a global and respected brand. The signing of voco The Hague - Kneuterdijk 8 follows the recent openings of the first three voco hotels in the world voco Gold Coast in Australia, voco Cardiff and voco Solihull in the UK - and continuing the strong momentum for IHG's newest upscale brand in Europe. With a listed facade dating from the 1920s and an expansive atrium, the property is quite an impressive sight to behold - naturally, all historic features will be retained and very carefully renovated. Inside, the hotel will be no less awe-inspiring - containing more than 200 exquisite rooms and suites. The new voco The Hague combines a very laid-back comfort, a relaxed approach and individual hospitality - which will be evident in both the culinary offerings of the hotel, and in every aspect of the Kneuterdijk 8 location. It will have direct access to the pedestrian area of Noordeinde welcoming tourists and locals alike. After its completion in 2020, the new hotel will serve as an exceptional meeting point for all, becoming a centre for travellers as well as a very accessible gastronomic and life-style hotspot. Appointment 5 March 2019 The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta Hotel is pleased to welcome Paul Filla as General Manager of the historic, award-winning property. In his new role, Paul is responsible for the successful execution of all aspects of the hotel's sales, marketing, financial and hotel operations. Paul joins The Chase Park Plaza from his most recent position as Senior Vice President of Operations for Crescent Hotels and Resorts in St. Louis. There, he provided leadership support for Central Division operation vice presidents and property general managers. With four decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Paul's previous experience includes Extended Stay America, Interstate Hotels and Resorts, and Goldman Sachs, where he served as Asset Manager for a portfolio comprised of Marriott, Hilton and IHG properties. As a native St. Louisan, Paul grew up watching wrestling at The Chase Park Plaza on Sunday mornings. Now coming full circle, Paul strives to be a contributing member of the executive leadership at The Chase Park Plaza, maintaining its impeccable reputation within the industry as an enterprise that is committed to continued growth and Sonesta's Culture of Caring. Paul lives in O'Fallon, Missouri with his wife. Together, they have four adult children and two grandchildren. He thoroughly enjoys the outdoors and is active in kayak river racing. This summer, he will be competing in the Missouri River 340, the longest river race in the U.S. Press Release 5 March 2019 LONDON UK - With the recent global rise in relocation, flexible accommodation and co-working spaces are fast becoming a new trend across the globe. In recognition, YOTEL recently launched YOTELPAD introducing its unique take on longer stay accommodation across North America. The innovative plug-and-play model gives guests instant access to the local community, maximising the clever use of space and without the hassle of daily chores like cleaning. Advertisements Home to some of the world's most important non-profit organisations (NGO), many of the largest multinational companies (MNC), top universities and R&D centres, the Lake Geneva Region will soon welcome the innovative brand's first YOTELPAD in Europe. Hubert Viriot, CEO of YOTEL said, "The Lake Geneva region is a natural location to introduce YOTELPAD to Europe. Centrally located and with an unusually high proportion of global organisations, the region is home to an exceptionally dynamic and mobile workforce and welcomes frequent international business travellers, visiting their headquarters or attending conferences." "Unsurprisingly, demand for affordable, short-term lease options is very high, yet housing stock is limited, and local tenancy laws typically require long term commitments. As a result, there is a high proportion of frustrated demand, either overpaying for residential accommodation or staying at traditional hotels in the Geneva and Lausanne city centres, miles from the business zones where MNCs and NGOs are typically located. Our YOTELPADs will be located minutes from the actual demand, considerably cutting down on commuting hours on the A1 highway." Viriot continued: "YOTELPAD is a phenomenal brand as it provides total flexibility at an affordable price. Guests simply need to plug in and choose how long they want to stay from a day to a year. The rest is hassle free: no cumbersome tenancy contract or utility bills, and access to a community. There is nothing comparable in this region and we are therefore confident YOTELPAD will thrive and hopefully open up opportunities to roll out our other brands YOTEL and YOTELAIR." The hotel group completed a survey with several MNCs and NGOs in the Geneva and Vaud cantons and the response was overwhelming in expressing a need for such a hospitality offering in the region. This led YOTEL to develop three YOTELPAD projects (438 keys) fifteen minutes from the Geneva and Lausanne city centres in Plan-les-Ouates, Etoy and Pregny-Chambesy, immediately giving it the scale to operate efficiently. YOTELPAD takes the essence of luxury serviced apartments into purposefully designed compact homes, known as 'PADs', fulfilling the requirements of the global citizen at an affordable price. Each PAD cleverly arranges YOTEL's popular SmartBed, super-fast free WiFi, ample storage space, a kitchenette, bathroom and adaptable work and dining areas - all within a space up to 30sqm. In addition, guests have access to world class facilities including innovative public areas, 24/7 health club and ample meeting and co-working spaces. Guests can also enjoy regular community-focused events to network and socialise with like-minded people, healthy food options from a GRAB+GO and choose from a vast selection of pay-as-you-go services such as housekeeping, laundry and transportation. YOTELPAD will not only resonate incredibly well with employees headquartered in Switzerland, but also with people from across the globe working for organisations such as the UN, Red Cross or other giant MNCs such as Nestle and Ferring. With top universities in the region like EPFL, HEC, EHL and the University of Geneva, YOTELPAD will also be a great solution for international students on exchange programmes, foreign scholars and visiting parents. Although the market is dominated by major businesses and organisations, the area also boasts outstanding natural beauty ideal for exploring by leisure travellers from the convenience of their PAD. YOTEL currently has several YOTELPADsunder development in Dubai, Miami, Park City (Utah), and Mammoth (South California). MORE ABOUT THE LAKE GENEVA YOTELPADs YOTELPAD Geneva Plan les Ouates - Opening 2020 The first YOTELPAD to open in Switzerland in 2020 will be in Plan les Ouates - a 118 PAD new-build, located on Route de la Galaise, Geneva's industrial and business centre. A stone's throw away from large corporates such as Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, Frederic Constant, Rolex, Ralph Lauren, Clarins and ST Microelectronics, making it an ideal hub for business travellers with three private meeting rooms able to hold 12-16 people, a gym, a bar, a GRAB+GO for a quick bite to eat and parking facilities. The PAD will have great transport links to the city and is a 20-minute drive to the airport by car. YOTELPAD Etoy - Opening 2020 The second PADto open in 2020 will be in Etoy - a town nestled between Lausanne and Geneva, a 30 minute drive from Geneva airport. This PAD will be the largest of the three, with 212 PADs and will include a gym, a wellness centre, a roof top bar, meeting rooms, a home cinema and space for music and games. In addition to the YOTELPAD, the surrounding development will also include large scale office and meeting space as well as a major business centre, positioning it perfectly as an economic zone between Geneva and Lausanne and an ideal work and meeting destination. The property is close to businesses such as Chiquita, Ferring, Medtronic, Gem's in the area, as well as many outdoor activities to explore. YOTELPAD will provide guests with complimentary electric bicycles and there will be ample parking space. YOTELPAD Geneva Pregny - Opening 2021 The third PAD is conveniently located in Pregny-Chambesy, only steps away from the United Nations and will open with 108 PADs in 2021 on Chemin des Crets-de-Pregny. Guests will have access to a bar, gym, terrace, GRAB+GO food options, electric bikes and onsite parking. The hotel is located only 15 minutes from the airport by bus and 15 minutes away from Geneva train station. The area is surrounded by large international organisations as well as many embassies. Opinion Article 5 March 2019 In 1919, two grand hotels were racing to completion. The Hotel Commodore connected to Grand Central Terminal and owned by The New York Central Railroad officially opened on January 28, 1919. Named after 'Commodore' Cornelius Vanderbilt, the founder of The New York Central Railroad System, it had a whopping 2,000 guestrooms. It also housed the single largest room ever constructed. Advertisements It was so large at the time that, the day after its opening, a circus complete with elephants and all was staged in its grand ballroom. Following extensive renovation by the Trump Organization, the property was reborn in the 1970s as the Grand Hyatt. Not to be outdone, The Pennsylvania Railroad opened its own property, Hotel Pennsylvania, adjoining Penn Station some 15 blocks away. Intentionally opening a few days ahead of the Commodore, it was managed by Statler Hotels and was even larger with 2,200 guestrooms. Hotel Pennsylvania was also one of the first hotels to have a private bathroom for each guestroom. Amenities in the hotel included concierge, a dentist, a fully functioning hospital, separate plunge pools for both genders, a barber shop, a drug store, numerous bars, a coffee shop, a library, a spa, a full slate of restaurants and multiple conference rooms. Fascinatingly, the property used a patented 'Servidor' two-way door system where valets could leave clothes or other articles inside each room's doorframe so as to not disturb guests. The property is still run as New York's Hotel Pennsylvania, although the room count has been reduced to 1,700 as many of the original hotel facilities have been converted to alternate commercial uses. And its telephone number, Pennsylvania 6-5000, that was immortalized by Glen Miller who played in the hotel's Cafe Rouge still works to this day. A hundred years ago, railways ruled. Hotels were seen as a necessary extension to a railway's hub system. Thus, the impetus and funding for hotel development was clearly identified. Today, there is no such symbiotic relationship, so mega project such as these are rare. In the North American context, the only analogous example would be Las Vegas where gaming can justify the enormous capital investment. Will both of these historic hotels survive the next one hundred years? The two properties have thus far taken vastly different trajectories - flag versus independent; premium versus economy pricing; full versus limited service. Importantly, looking back at these two properties and how they've evolved over the past century will elucidate what can happen to your hotel. Nowadays, the issues facing hotels are daunting: How have guest expectations changed over the past century and how will they continue to past over the next hundred? Can you recall the exact moments when operational checkouts have been amended and expanded over the past couple decades or even the past few years? Will your hotel be able to withstand the pressures from the sharing economy? What new technologies will come to be essential for a proper hotel experience? What other major forces will come to revolutionize hospitality in the next few decades? Will the value of the underlying asset - that is, the land value - be satisfied by the annual returns of hotel operations, or can it be better served via an alternate model? How can you refurbish an underutilized or derelict space to create a new revenue stream? Above all, do certain hotels have a natural expiry date or can any property live on through new capital injections mixed with rebranding and updating of services? Every urban property is facing these issues, and indeed every hotelier must at the very least ruminate over them in order to plan ahead for future guest demands. Most interesting to me is the first question posed because guest expectations seem to be accelerating in their requirements and thus pose the greatest challenge for managers in terms of keeping up with the trends, let alone setting them. As a final thought, consider the fact that one prominent value-add of the Roaring Twenties was having an air conditioner in your guestroom, which happened to be a new invention of that decade with hotels, particularly those in Atlantic City, acting as the technological innovators rather than the laggards that most of them currently are. With this in mind, let's wish these two centurions both a happy anniversary, and then look to how your property will ring in its centennial. Performance 5 March 2019 HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee The Canadian hotel industry recorded mixed year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 17-23 February 2019, according to data from STR. Advertisements In comparison with the week of 18-24 February 2018, the industry reported the following: Occupancy: -1.1% to 59.9% Average daily rate (ADR): +0.8% to CAD149.85 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): -0.3% to CAD89.81 Among the provinces and territories, Prince Edward Island experienced the highest rise in occupancy (+4.5% to 46.1%), which drove the largest jump in RevPAR (+7.7% to CAD54.28). British Columbia posted the highest jump in ADR (+5.2% to CAD190.64). Newfoundland and Labrador registered the largest declines in each of the three key performance metrics: occupancy (-15.6% to 37.8%), ADR (-7.8% to CAD120.32) and RevPAR (-22.3% to CAD45.50). The Northwest Territories reported the only other double-digit drops in occupancy (-11.2% to 81.2%) and RevPAR (-12.2% to CAD134.41). Jhene Aiko has been staying pretty low-key lately and we definitely haven't seen her with Big Sean, who she so publically dated for a hot minute, but they've since dropped off the map. Jhene's recent Instagram posts have been a couple of memes that read "Don't cry for me I'm already dead" while another reads, "My tears would drown the world as my inner ashes would reduce it to ashes." Those two posts alone signify something going on with Jhene and in between the shares she uploaded a photo of herself in bed wearing just a bra and underwear with the caption, "bye." https://www.instagram.com/p/Bul5rTvBooG We can't say for sure what's going on with Jhene and Big Sean, but we do know that the "Moves" rapper was spotted with his ex Ariana Grande recently. According to reports their hang out happened after he and Jhene ended things. Ariana has previously expressed that Big Sean could "still get it" so their reconciliation isn't much of a big surprise. More recently, Ariana's chart-topping album Thank U, Next had one single that fans are sure is about Big Sean - "Break up with your girlfriend, I'm bored." Clearly, Big Sean got word. From the moment it was announced, Dan Reeds Leaving Neverland was predestined to court controversy. Beloved by many and viewed as a predator in-plain-sight by others, this four-hour documentary on Michael Jacksons alleged child sex abuse and the subsequent damage that he left in his wake has been divisive ever since its premiere at The Sundance Film Festival. Hailed as a harrowing but essential expose by its supporters and a fatuous, irresponsible piece of sensationalism by the Jackson family and the late pop icons most devoted fans, the film quickly became a hot-button issue for both parties and has been widely debated in the lead-up to its airing. Based around the testimonies of famous choreographer Wade Robson and James Safechuck, their detailed accounts were captured over days of filming and paint a picture of Jackson as a conniving and manipulative molester that used his status as a smokescreen. Just as he did during his lifetime, Jacksons family vehemently deny everything that the film brought to light and public opinion is split between two extreme sides of the spectrum. With Reed already laying the groundwork for a sequel, it is important to not give in to social medias reactionary effects and objectively break down what Leaving Neverland tells us about a life that was shrouded in secrecy. In the interest of clarity, there will be no attempt to confirm or deny the accusers testimony as a court of law or jury of their peers would, and will instead focus on examining the common themes and most profound revelations that emerged from the interviews. Warning: This article will summarise graphic accounts of sexual and emotional abuse as described in the documentary. The Abuse Wade Robson at Michael Jackson's child molestation trial in 2005 - Lee Celano-Pool/Getty Images Although Leaving Neverland expands on the fallout from their experiences and how it affected them later in life, it would be facetious to start anywhere other than Robson and Safechucks apparent first-hand experiences with sexual abuse. When The King Of Pop came into their orbits, both believed it was a blessing and, as Safechuck explained, his tight-knit bond with Michael made him feel as though they were the luckiest boys in the world. In the case of seven-year-old superfan Wade Robson, he spoke of how the physical contact began innocuously enough and he felt privileged to receive it: His hand on my thigh, hugs. It felt great. Out of all the kids in the world, he chose me to be his friend and hes holding my hand. Split between the hallowed Neverland Ranch and a far more inconspicuous hideout in Westwood, CA, both men spoke of the untainted fun and games that would typify the days before nightfall introduced a far less idyllic side of Jacksons childlike public image. Awed by the man that presided over a pop music empire, there is a commonality between the stories that Safechuck and Robson presented to Reed. At a base level, they both described how it began with Jackson touching their genitals before encouraging them to reciprocate, gradually progressing to oral sex and the development of a near co-dependent romantic relationship. From then on, both men got more specific and touched upon certain fetishes and fixations that Michael allegedly harboured such as having his nipples stimulated or instructing them to bend over and spread their butt cheeks so that he could masturbate whilst looking at them. In both accounts, Neverland is portrayed as a labyrinthine fortress for him to perpetrate these deeds away from the glare of the wider world. Complete with alarmed bells, military-style drills on how to get dressed as quickly as possible to avoid detection and a network of secret rooms, teepees and more, they portray his abuse as not the work of an impulsive man but something far more systematic. As their bodies matured, Safechuck and Robson rehashed Jacksons desire to engage in penetrative sex with them but both claimed that it was ultimately ill-fated. Whilst there are distinct similarities in their confessional interviews, some subtle differences manifest in the way that Jackson established deep-rooted emotional ties with them. The Indoctrination Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, shown in 2003 - Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Over the course of many years, Robson and Safechuck maintained bonds with Michael Jackson that teeter more into the realm of romantic relationships than our conventional understanding of abuse. In Safechucks case, this eventually culminated in a mock wedding ceremony between the two: We did this in his bedroom. We filled out some vows. Its like were bonded forever. As he clutched the miniature ring that allegedly symbolized their nuptials, James was visibly shaken and detailed the role that these trinkets played in the abuse: I was really into jewelry. He would reward me with jewelry for doing sexual acts with him. He would say that I need to sell him some to earn the gift. In Robsons case, he went into great deal about the pet names that he and Jackson gave to one another-- such as Little One and Applehead-- alongside providing evidence of faxes and phone-calls between the two that are in keeping with his revelations. For both men, they spoke of how Michael fostered an us vs them narrative that pitted them against their parents and caused them to long for his presence. In the doting brain of young Robson, the fantasy of a life with the man that hed idolized was too good whilst Safechucks juvenile mind saw it as best buds going on an adventure. No matter what he did, Jackson insisted that they were in love and every sexual encounter was simply how they bonded and expressed it to one another. As pure as it may have seemed to them, hes said to have drilled a mistrust in both boys that taught them they could never tell anyone or theyd all spend the rest of their lives in jail. The families Michael Jackson performing on "HIStory" world tour in 1996 - Phil Walter/Getty Images To be granted regular access to the kids, it was essential for Michael to not only inculcate the children but their bewildered parents. For the Robson and Safechuck families, the notion of a megastar befriending nobodies was an honor. Described as the entryway to a fantasy world by Joy Robson, the Moms describe how his lavish lifestyle and unprecedented fame left them suggestible and ultimately remiss in their duties. Fuelled by the belief that they were doing kid things, Michaels projected loneliness led to Stephanie Safechuck viewing him as a son. In hindsight, she expresses complete remorse over allowing Jackson to intercept their lives, claiming I had one job, I had one child and I f****d up. For Joy Robson, the toll on her family was more overarching and led to unspoken resentment festering for years. After her husband took his own life, Wades older brother Shane candidly described how he has never fully forgiven his mom for what she subjected Wade and their wider family to by moving to America. As the documentary draws to a close, it seems clear that their parents and siblings deep-seated psychological wounds may never heal. The Power Michael Jackson and his father Joe Jackson are seen leaving the courthouse during the child molestation trial in 2005 - Carlo Allegri/Getty Images When it comes to cultural figures, few have ever encroached upon the omnipresence and commercial success of Michael Jackson. A record-breaker in every respect, both the Robson and Safechuck families spoke of the role that his untouchability played in fostering their relationships. Flanked by mega-stars such as Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Tina Turner, Sean Connery and even royalty in the case of Princess Diana, James described the role of his public persona in leaving them entranced: Its like everybodys on board. Its very powerful. You start to think that your parents are bad and that Michael is good. Blessed with the finest that life has to offer, one telling insight into fames potentially corruptive power came when Jackson asked Joy Robson to let Wade stay with him for an entire year. After she refused, Michael is said to have calmly stated that I always get what I want. As the documentary concludes, Safechuck neatly summarises how his parents-- whom Jackson purchased a home for after the 1993 Jordy Chandler molestation trial-- were overloaded by his worldwide recognition, claiming its all a big seduction. The Aftermath Michael Jackson in Berlin, 2002 - Eric Richard/Getty Images When Jacksons character came under fire, he called upon his longstanding allies in the Safechuck and Robson families to testify on his behalf. As both kids still felt beholden to Jackson and "in love" with him, they were excited at the prospect of defending him in court and hoped that it would bridge the divisions that had gradually sprung up between them. After James rebuffed Jacksons summons for testimony during the 2004 Gavin Arvizo trial, he was declared an enemy whilst Robson was eventually coerced into doing so by his mother and described seeing his longtime mentor in handcuffs as painful. As the years whittled by and the boys formed romantic partnerships, the mental ties to Jackson werent easy to sever and the full scale of their abuse was said to have taken hold after his death. The supposed root of mental breakdowns for both parties, the last portion of the documentary focuses on how their respective wives and families dealt with the revelations and the irreparable damage that it left in its wake. Forever altered by the events of their childhood in one way or another, the documentary concludes with Robson and Safechucks Michael Jackson memorabilia being reduced to ashes as Stephanie matter-of-factly brands him a pedophile. While their claims can be rubbished by the letter of the law, their decision to testify on Jacksons behalf was theorized on by Oprah Winfrey during her After Neverland show with Reed and the alleged victims: "In order for it to work, it has to be someone you know, somebody you admire, somebody you respect or maybe even love if the abuser is any good, he or she will make you feel like youre a part of it." Wherever the truth lies, Leaving Neverland certainly makes for a compelling and routinely horrifying watch that touches on pertinent topics around celebrity and the potential dangers of unchecked power in our society. Have you watched the HBO documentary? What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below. Many are still mourning the death of Fredo Santana one year later. The rapper unexpectedly died in January 2018 due to cardiovascular disease. His friends, especially those that he came up with in Chicago, have been keeping his legacy and his music alive. Lil Reese recently came through with a brand new unreleased collaboration with Fredo titled, "What It Do." Lil Reese is back with his latest single, a posthumous collaboration with the late Fredo Santana. The rapper's link up on a hard-hitting, drill banger. Fredo holds down the hook on the track while Reese tackles the verses. It looks like Reese's verses were recorded after Fredo's death. "Aye Fredo what it do/ I ain't gon' say too much/ But you know I miss you fool," Reese raps on the opening lines of his first verse. This is the second collaboration between Fredo and Reese that dropped since Santana's death. In August, they linked up on Harry Fraud and TrapZilla's "Not Like You." Quotable Lyrics Got Xanax and lean for the whole damn crew Got a thirty Ruger shot for my mothafuckin' tool Brand new choppa and that bitch shoots smooth Got a hundred n***as with me and they all gon' shoot Rick Ross is relatively protective of his public persona but sometimes it bleeds into his professional career. However, it looks like the rapper is gearing up to give the people a more insightful look into his life. Rick Ross announced that he'll be releasing a memoir titled Hurricanes this fall. The book's title signifies surviving the storms of life, according to the press release. The book, which will be published by Hanover Square Press, will explore Rozay's origin story. Neil Martinez-Belkin, who wrote The Autobiography of Gucci Mane, collaborated with Rozay on the memoir. https://www.instagram.com/p/BupE8kNFvz9 My story has always been deeper than rap, Ross said in a statement. With this book I wanted to go deeper than I ever have. I wanted to tell people about the life of William Leonard Roberts. The book will speak on aspects of Ross' life that he hasn't shared in detail such as his health issues, his legal problems, as well as his background as a drug dealer in Miami and his job at a correctional officer. "In Hurricanes, Ross moves beyond the headlines, opening up about the experiences that inform his creative process. His upbringing in Carol City. His past as both a drug dealer and correctional officer. His scuffles in the streets and in the industry. The seizures. The drive-by shootings. The 2015 arrest on kidnapping and assault charges. It is a remarkable story of not only surviving the storms of life but reaching the highest levels of achievement in spite of them," reads the synopsis. While this is exciting, we're still waiting on Port Of Miami 2. Hopefully, it arrives before the book which drops on September 3rd. Actor Terry Crews is once again the crosshairs of controversy following a string of tweets her posted over the weekend. Over the past week, Crews has been going back and forth with both fans and foes over his response to a New York Times opinion piece by human rights lawyer Derecka Purnell. Because Purnell is a woman, Crews claimed that she isn't qualified to teach young men how to develop. Then a few days ago he sent out a tweet that said children of same-sex parents would become "severely malnourished" when it comes to being loved. https://twitter.com/_/status/1099766642618167296 Crews went on to write about Purnell, "You can speak with us just not FOR US. There is a big difference." This sparked a debate within his comment sections, and folks were not pleased. The actor spoke freely on his views regarding the importance of fathers being in a child's life, along with the partnership of a mother in the household. "Ive reiterated many times that same-sex couples and single parents can successfully raise a child," Crews said. "But I believe paternal AND maternal love are like vitamins and minerals to humanity. No matter where you get that paternal and maternal love. MY purpose is to give paternal love." https://twitter.com/_/status/1101571722866700288 After reading the ongoing comments, Crews agreed that he was possibly offensive with the words he chose to use. "I apologize to anyone who was hurt by my 'severely malnourished' tweet," Crews wrote. "It was in response to someone who said kids wouldnt 'starve.' It was poorly worded so I deleted it." https://twitter.com/_/status/1101607874109759488 | BY Lynchy | Town Square, Melbourne creative director Brendan Day has been awarded a prestigious scholarship to study the Executive MBA program at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership. Day is the first Australian to win the Lurzers Archive Creative Leadership Scholarship which attracts entries from across the world. Lurzers Archive is a resource for advertising professionals and each year invests in the next generation of creative minds through a scholarship to the Berlin School of Creative Leadership. The Berlin School is the worlds first educational institute dedicated solely to the development of creative business leadership. It was founded in 2006 with the launch of the first global Executive MBA program which was tailor-made for creative industries. Day has worked at the full-service Melbourne independent for more than ten years, working on clients including APT Group, Visit Ballarat and Sovereign Hill. As part of the Executive MBA program he will travel to Berlin; Shanghai; Tokyo; New York and Berkeley, California. The program is built on the belief that creativity and leadership are key for any business to succeed and innovate. While we may only be three months into the new year, 2019 is already brimming with enough celebrity drama, messy behavior, and social media drag-sessions to fill up an entire calendar. With one scandal breaking after another, it's tough to keep up with which of your favorite chart-topper/A-listers is currently in the hot seat for their less-than-stellar extra-curricular activities. Whether you're a Kardashian Stan waiting for #ThirdTrimesterThompson to show his true colors, or have been following the R. Kelly drama since news of his sex cult scandal first broke, we've got you covered. From controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine snitching in court to Jussie Smollett allegedly staging his own attack in order to secure the bag, we've rounded up the juiciest stories from 2019 thus far. https://twitter.com/_/status/1099001125561356289 Jordyn Woods/Tristan Thompson/Khloe Kardashian Love Triangle Jerritt Clark/Getty Images Unfortunately for Kardashian-Jenner satellite Jordyn Woods, her days of mingling in A-list circles and living in King Kylie's guest house are things of the past. Just when you thought that the Cleveland Cavaliers player couldn't stoop any lower, Thompson set the bar at rock bottom when he hooked up with Jordyn Woods just after Valentine's Day. According to TMZ and Hollywood Unlocked, Thompson flew into Los Angeles Thursday Night to celebrate the romance-filled holiday with his ex-beau and their daughter, True. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtzzxFklGRY On Sunday night of that same week, Thompson was then spotted cuddled up next to none other than Jordyn Woods, Kylie Jenner's BFF and business partner. Hopping on Instagram to set the story straight, Hollywood Unlocked confirmed the rumors in full while slamming Thompson for the planned indiscretion. Despite the fact that Thompson swiped everyone's phones at the house party in an attempt to keep his private business on lock, he couldn't control the fact that everyone there could still see that he was messing around. "It is true, you know why?" asked a Hollywood Unlocked staffer on Instagram. "Because one of my writers was there and Tristan, you took everybody's phone, but you let them stay. Jordyn came in, ya'll were smoking hookah, she was all up in your lap, you were all over her, touchy feely and you let the girl spend the night until 7 in the morning." According to the Kardashian inner circle themselves, Hollywood Unlocked served up nothing but "strong facts" with their initial allegations. Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images In the aftermath of the scandal, Woods has been kicked out of Jenner's Hidden Hills with her security clearance revoked. "Jordyn has been trying to reach out to Khloe, Kylie and everyone else in the family to apologize, a source close to Woods revealed. She wants to apologize and make everything right. Shes completely remorseful. She spent the whole night crying with her mom and sister. Its been a difficult time and shes broken up about it. Shes heading home to be with her mom. With this scandal still teeming with loose ends, there's no doubt that 2019 will bring more drama on the Woods vs. KarJenner front. Tekashi 6ix9ine's Legal Troubles Bob Levey/Getty Images For Tekashi 6ix9ine, it's not fuc*in' Tre3yway anymore. The rapper, legal name is Daniel Hernandez, was arrested alongside several of his Nine Trey Bloods associates - Tr3yway Shotti, Faheem Walter, Fuguan Lovick, Jensel Ish Butler, and Jamel Mel Murda Jones - on a string of charges stemming from an investigation dating back to 2013. On February 1st 2019, it was revealed that the "Gummo" rapper snitched on the gang members he used to run with in exchange for a lighter sentence, earning him the new nickname "Tekashi Snitch-Nine." After pleading guilty to nine racketeering, gun and drug charges, 6ix9ine began cooperating with the feds and turning on his former crew. "In the fall of 2017, I met and joined the Nine Trey Blood Gang," the rapper admitted. As a member of Nine Trey, the enterprise engaged in such activities including shooting at people, robbing people, and at times drug trafficking. I apologize to the Court, to anyone who was hurt, to my family, friends and fans for what I have done and who I have let down." Bennett Raglin/Getty Images In the fallout of 69's testimony, additional Nine Trey members have been indicted on federal charges--a reality that could lead to disastrous consequences for the rapper's friends and family. "My reaction, intially...I just think it's disappointing," said Sara Molina, Tekashi's ex-GF and baby momma. "I expected way more out of the situation. It's just sad honestly, to see all these men dragged into something that's really ugly. I've been with him seven years and the fame that he's had within a year--it's just sad to see how it's going now. It's just disappointing and it's sad." "He made his bed and now he has to lie in it, but he didn't think of how it's going to affect others," she continued. "He's only thinking about himself in this situation. I'm left to pick up the pieces of whatever mess he's made--which is and has always been a thing. I don't feel like he's in a space right now [to have a relationship with their daughter]. My job is to protect my daughter at all costs." https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt4CiZ2lVVk Jussie Smollett Scott Olson/Getty Images The alleged assault of actor Jussie Smollett is far from straightforward. In late January, one week before Smollett alleged that he was attacked in Streeterville, Chicago, a letter was reportedly sent to Fox's production studios located on the city's West Side. Addressed to Smollett, the letter bore the words You will die black fag" and was covered in the white powder of crushed acetaminophen. Soon after, Smollett reported that he was attacked by two men wearing "MAGA" hats that yelled racial and homophobic slurs while the actor was returning from an early-morning sandwich run. https://twitter.com/_/status/1096610157973434373 With inaccuracies between Smollett's testimony and surveillance footage casting doubt on the actor's version of events, authorities interviewed two suspects allegedly linked to the attack. Shortly after their arrest, Smollett's allegations began crumbling around him in earnest. After it was revealed that Smollett knew the two men who allegedly assaulted him, the investigation quickly pivoted to the Empire actor himself, reportedly staging the entire incident as leverage for a higher salary. https://twitter.com/_/status/1098385135370682368 "Theres still a lot of physical evidence, video evidence, and testimony that just simply doesnt support his version of what happened," says Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, not at all swayed by Smollett continuing to argue his innocence. "Jussie Smollet took advantage of the pain and anger of racism in order to advance his career." Currently, Smollett is out of jail after posting bond. He has since been removed from the final two episodes of the hit series Empire. Kevin Winter/Getty Images In the long-awaited culmination of years of whispers, rumors, and allegations swirling around R. Kelly's sexual misbehavior and criminal activity, the R&B superstar was finally arrested and charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in February 2019. In the indictment presented by Cook Country prosecutors, R. Kelly sexually abused four victims, at least three of them minors, between 1998 and 2010. https://twitter.com/_/status/1099130685720326144 After posting a 100k bond, R. Kelly is out on the streets once more after serving only three nights in jail--and immediately made a suspect trip to a McDonald's restaurant. The singer is set to appear in court once more on March 8, and according to prosecutor Michael Avenatti, there's more than enough evidence to put him behind bars for a very long time. https://twitter.com/_/status/1100362808397647872 https://twitter.com/_/status/1100002734219108353 JERRY LARA WASHINGTON - Increasing violence in Mexico could imperil oil and gas development there, the credit ratings agency Moody's warned in a new report Tuesday. Analysts warned not only that oil companies faced the risk of robbery and violence against its staff in Mexico but crime syndicates illegally tapping into pipelines, stealing valuable oil and potentially leaving companies liable for explosions from the damaged infrastructure. I own four cast-iron skillets all of them neglected, drier than an overcooked turkey and covered in rust. Im aware these things can be fixed. Its just that Im too lazy to do it. I love the flavor and nonstick heat that well-seasoned cast iron can impart. I love the ease of transferring, say, a seared steak directly from stovetop to oven. But maintenance is not my strong suit, nor is cleaning. I especially hate grease splatter. Which is what led me to Target one day a few months ago, after a friend linked to a slideshow of drool-inducing crispy-chicken-thigh recipes on Facebook. Because my heart wants what it wants, and wants it now, there was no time to bring my cast iron back to life. There was time to impulsively buy an enamel-coated cast-iron Dutch oven. Ruby, as I now call my 6-quart Lodge pot, was an instant, indispensable friend. Im late to the party, I realize. French manufacturer Le Creuset had the bright idea to coat cast iron in glasslike enamel back in the 1920s, and its been a staple among savvy home cooks (and on wedding registries) ever since. Yes, the pieces are expensive, because the coating process is quite involved. Theyre heavy, too. (A coworkers Le Creuset, still the gold standard, weighs a bit less than my Lodge, though it costs about $200 more.) But they are durable. (An enamel Dutch oven) can last a lifetime, and you can pass it along to the next generation, said Dan Zuccarello, an executive food editor with Americas Test Kitchen. Its the most versatile piece of kitchen equipment that you can own. In just a few short months, with near-daily use, I learned this firsthand. Ruby can handle pretty much any preparation, from braising and roasting to frying and baking. Shes cooked a whole chicken, then boiled its bones for stock. Shes popped popcorn and melted queso with Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage. Shes the queen of one-pot meals and has cut down on the number of dishes I have to wash. Shes also a showpiece, as a permanent resident on my stovetop and as a heat-retaining serving vessel on the dining table. Other hacks abound. I learned a few in Americas Test Kitchens new cookbook, Cook It in Your Dutch Oven, which contains tips and 150 recipes. Making braised pork chops and want veggies to go along? Place a steamer basket inside. Prefer potatoes? Flip the pots lid, cover with foil and roast right along with the meat. You can even bake a lattice crust for chicken pot pie on the upturned lid. And the pots heft is not necessarily a bad thing: Zuccarello uses it to press panini on a skillet. What cant my Dutch oven do? Quick sauteing is a challenge because it involves active tossing, Zuccarello said, noting stir-frys, vegetables such as peas and some pasta dishes that require making sauce in a skillet. Breaded protein, delicate fish and eggs also could be risky because enamel isnt nonstick like regular cast iron. But he was quick to add that you can almost always find a work-around. Just be sure to take care of your pot, eschewing harsh sponges and utensils. The biggest mistake people with their Dutch oven? Not using it enough, Zuccarello said. I agree. If youve got one gathering dust in a cabinet, these are a few of my favorite recipes. Recipe: Dutch Oven Crusty Bread Recipe: Blueberries and Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe: Coconut Shrimp Recipe: Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Turmeric Recipe: One-Skillet Chicken With Buttery Orzo Recipe: Simple Pot Roast jody.schmal@chron.com 2 1 of 2 Mary Cuclis / Contributor Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Mary Cuclis / Contributor Show More Show Less Fennel, seeds or bulb, is a strangely unpopular spice and vegetable. Maybe its the licorice association. Even I, for years, associated fennel seeds with the sweet digestif Indian restaurants serve as a palate cleanser at the end of meals. Seldom, and only in one or two particular dishes, had I seen fennel bulbs or seeds used. One day, I was blown away by sauteed okra cooked with fennel seeds served to me by a Bengali friend. From then on, almost every time I cook okra, I threw in some fennel seeds. Slowly I began to widen my fennel horizon and discovered how delicious the bulb can be in salads or just braised. It is a sweet, fragrant vegetable packed with fiber and antioxidants. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., escalated Democrats' investigations of Donald Trump with sweeping demands Monday for information from scores of people on topics including the administration's activities, the president's business and his potential ties to Russia. Nadler's probe includes allegations of obstruction of justice, public corruption and other abuses of power and touches on many of the controversies that have dogged Trump since the 2016 presidential campaign. The panel asked for documents from 81 individuals, agencies and entities, including the president's son Donald Trump Jr., Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, and the publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, who is accused of killing unflattering news stories about Trump during his candidacy. "President Trump and his administration face wide-ranging allegations of misconduct that strike at the heart of our constitutional order," Nadler wrote in letters asking for documents. Nadler, who asked for information to be provided by March 18, follows other committee chairmen who have made extensive document requests since Democrats took control of the chamber in January. If responses aren't provided, the panel plans to hold votes authorizing subpoenas, a committee counsel said. This is only the first round of document requests, the counsel said. "It's all a hoax," Trump told reporters at the White House. Asked about the document demands, he said, "I cooperate all the time." In a statement on Monday evening, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Nadler had "opened up a disgraceful and abusive investigation into tired, false allegations already investigated by the special counsel and committees in both chambers of Congress. Chairman Nadler and his fellow Democrats have embarked on this fishing expedition because they are terrified that their two-year false narrative of 'Russia collusion' is crumbling." The move is already fueling Republican charges that Nadler's probe is a thin disguise for a predetermined outcome: impeachment. Any impeachment proceeding would be run by Nadler's committee. "After recklessly prejudging the president for obstruction, Chairman Nadler is pursuing evidence to back up his conclusion because, as he admits, 'We don't have the facts yet,'" Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. The White House was among the recipients of numerous document requests, including for Trump's communications over his dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey, possible pardons for several former Trump associates and any loans by Russians to the Trump Organization or several family members. It also asks for documents on discussions about U.S. sanctions against Russia involving Trump, his campaign, business and associates. Other topics raised for the White House include the meeting with Russians at Trump Tower in 2016 and changes in that year's Republican Party platform concerning Russia and Ukraine. Nadler also sought documents on any attempts to give or receive information to "foreign entities" or individuals in connection with the 2016 campaign. Trump has been lashing out over Democrats' probes. "Presidential Harassment by 'crazed' Democrats at the highest level in the history of our Country," he wrote Sunday on Twitter. Nadler, 71, who was first elected to Congress in 1992, made clear he's prepared to proceed with his probe in ways that go beyond Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible Russian election collusion with Trump's 2016 presidential team. But Nadler said his document request isn't part of an early impeachment inquiry. "Before you impeach somebody, you have to persuade the American public that it ought to happen," Nadler said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." There are avenues of inquiry House Democrats will press that go beyond Mueller's probe, but "we do not now have the evidence all sorted out and everything to do -- to do an impeachment." Mueller's office and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which also has been investigating matters involving the president, reviewed Nadler's document requests and raised no objections, according to the committee counsel. Republicans say impeachment is where Nadler is headed, and some Democrats are urging caution. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has tweeted that Nadler should "at least pretend to be serious about fact finding," adding, "What a Kangaroo court." Mueller's investigation could produce information that would be grounds for impeachment. Nadler reiterated that House Democrats would fight to obtain the full findings of Mueller's 21-month probe, including by congressional subpoena or lawsuit, if the Justice Department balks at turning over the report and the underlying evidence. In a signal that House Democrats aren't counting on having all their suspicions put to rest by the report that Mueller is completing, Nadler's requests include one to the FBI for all documents relating to the May 2017 firing of Comey and communications from Trump or his representatives concerning former Attorney General Jeff Sessions's recusal "from any investigation related to the 2016 Presidential campaign." The request to Weisselberg, the Trump Organization executive, included demands for "any present or emolument of any kind whatever" to Trump, family members or his businesses after he won the 2016 presidential election. It also asks about plans for a Trump Tower in Moscow or any other possible real estate deal in Russia by Trump or the Trump Organization. The Judiciary Committee chairman said there are much broader questions and concerns about whether Trump, through some of his actions, is undermining "the rule of law" -- a reference to established and defined limits on the arbitrary exercise of power. Nadler's document requests ensure that the probe of Trump, his family and his inner circle will continue for months if not years, even if Mueller's findings -- which Trump has branded a "witch hunt" -- don't find evidence of collusion with Russia by those around Trump or obstruction of justice by the president. Nadler plans to hold public hearings on the information and material obtained, though witnesses haven't yet been determined. Nadler's investigative plans were in place last week, even before Trump's former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, testified publicly before the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in private before the House and Senate intelligence committees. Cohen told lawmakers Wednesday that Trump directed Cohen to make illegal hush-money payments to two women as a way to quash potential sex scandals during the 2016 campaign, that Trump Jr. had a role in the payments, and that Trump had deflated the value of some of his properties to lower his tax payments. Cohen's appearances have since led several other committees to announce their own next steps at looking into Trump's businesses and charity, including seeking his tax returns, collecting more documents, holding hearings and calling witnesses for testimony. Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings of Maryland suggested that his panel will pursue interviews with Trump associates that Cohen mentioned in his testimony or were found in records he provided to his committee, possibly including Trump's children. And Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of California has said his panel will hold a March 14 hearing with former with Trump associate Felix Sater, who helped him develop a hotel. Weisselberg also will appear before Schiff's committee for an interview, according to people familiar with the matter. There is an impatient clamor by some Democrats for impeachment and hesitancy by others who want to wait for the Mueller report to even discuss it. Judiciary Committee Democrat Jamie Raskin of Maryland says he's not convinced Democrats will pursue impeachment. "Donald Trump is dragging the GOP down to defeat," Raskin said in a recent interview. "To impeach Donald Trump now is to offer a big helping hand to the Republicans, partly." - - - With assistance from Bloomberg's Margaret Talev and Jennifer Jacobs. A long-simmering debate over the validity of Texas primary public education standardized test, known as STAAR, will reach the Capitol in Austin on Tuesday, when school superintendents and Education Commissioner Mike Morath are expected to provide diverging testimony about the exams reliability. At issue is whether Texas students unfairly are being tested on reading material beyond their grade level, causing exam scores to slightly dip in recent years. The question is expected to pit skeptics of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness against Moraths administration during a hearing in front of the Texas House Public Education Committee. While there are no immediate plans to change STAAR, recently reignited concerns about the test have prompted calls from some legislators and education leaders for a thorough re-evaluation of the exam. Some Texas superintendents and local education leaders argue the states declining scores in reading 1 in 4 students meet the minimum STAAR passage standard, roughly 1 in 2 are considered on-grade level are due to a flawed test, rather than faltering student performance. As evidence, they cite a study showing that STAAR reading exams given to students in grades 3, 4 and 5 were of nearly identical difficulty in terms of the complexity of words and sentences. The study, they say, helps prove that students are not tested on materials aligned with their grade level. In addition, critics of STAARs validity argue Texas teachers are working too diligently and effectively to allow educational outcomes to stall. STAAR results are telling us one thing about reading and children, and other universally accepted standards and metrics are saying something else, said Alief ISD Superintendent H.D. Chambers, who also serves as president of the Texas School Alliance, a superintendent-led association of 37 medium- and large-sized districts. Morath, however, plans to argue that text difficulty cannot be measured solely by readability formulas, which do not account for a students knowledge base or the underlying content of the text, among other factors. Texas Education Agency leaders said about 15 to 25 Texas teachers review each reading exam and students field-test STAAR questions on other exams methods they consider preferable to computer algorithms. A third-party organization commissioned by the state also deemed the test appropriately difficult for each grade level analyzed, according to the companys report. TEA officials have noted that the states downward trend in reading scores closely mirrors Texas decline during the past decade from 30th to 41st among the 50 states on the reading portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, an exam commonly referred to as the Nations Report Card. The evidence clearly shows that STAAR is predictive of meaningful life outcomes, like being ready for college, career and the military, Morath said in a statement. But its also critical that we work to ensure educators have confidence in the results they get from STAAR. Without that confidence, were less likely to adjust our own practices to improve student support. Use for grades, sanctions Few Texas education matters draw as much debate as STAAR, which is administered annually to all students in grades 3 through 8 and some high school students. Federal law requires states to administer standardized exams and apply results to a statewide accountability system. In Texas, STAAR results are the largest factor determining state-issued letter grades, which can have significant impact on perceptions about districts and schools. Texas also uses STAAR results as justification for issuing sanctions to some low-performing districts and holding back some failing students from advancing grade levels. Opponents of STAAR often argue the tests high stakes are detrimental to students and teachers, while supporters claim the exam system holds educators accountable and improves academic outcomes. In a 2017 poll published by the Texas Tribune, 21 percent of respondents said the best way to improve public education is to cut the number of standardized tests more than increased spending on schools, raising teacher pay or expanding pre-kindergarten access. Youll find folks who are strongly associated with the tea party youll find very progressive parents who think its a very poor overall look at what schools are doing to educate their children, said Mark Wiggins, a lobbyist with the Association of Texas Professional Educators. Its really across the board. While education leaders and advocates have loudly debated the appropriateness of STAARs high stakes for years, doubts about the tests validity have received much less attention. That changed last month, when Texas Monthly published a 1,920-word article about educators concerns. Within hours, House Public Education Committee Vice Chair Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, called for an investigation into the STAAR creation process and a halt to accountability-related sanctions. The debate over STAARs validity largely has centered on readability formulas, which are mathematical tools that analyze various text properties rarity of words, average sentence length, complexity of sentence arrangement to determine grade-level appropriateness. Not one you can dismiss In 2012, two associate professors from Texas A&M University-Commerce ran 10 STAAR reading passages through five readability formulas. They found some texts given to elementary-age students were two or three grades above their level, based on an average of the five readability ratings. Four years later, researchers at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor analyzed 51 STAAR passages given to elementary students between 2013 and 2015, running the texts through many of the same formulas and another common readability metric known as Lexile. The results: students in grades 3-5 were taking tests with nearly identical readability and Lexile scores. Its a complex issue, but I would definitely say (readability formulas) are a good tool, said one of the studys co-authors, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor professor Jodi Pilgrim. Its not one you can dismiss. Even though students in grades 3-5 were all taking STAAR exams with nearly identical readability ratings, third-graders passed the test at a higher rate (80 percent) than fourth-graders (76 percent). In addition, fifth-graders (83 percent) barely outperformed third-graders. TEA in 2017 started incorporating Lexile scores in its determination about appropriateness of STAAR text passages Not because we believe its a necessity but rather because we wanted to increase public confidence in the assessment, said Jeff Cottrill, TEAs deputy commissioner of standards and engagement. Beyond readability metrics, the debate over STAARs validity also rests on differing perceptions about the performance of Texas educators. Chambers said Texas teachers and administrators have devoted too much time and too many resources for students to be falling behind. He also noted his districts internal, state-approved reading assessment showed 57 percent of students reading on grade level, compared to 27 percent on STAAR. Either you blame the teacher, you blame the student or you blame the instrument being used, Chambers said. The first one I would want to investigate is the instrument. Texas School Alliance officials emphasize they do not want to lower standards for students, but state officials are wary of attacks on STAAR given other data suggesting students are falling behind. As opposed to trying to say the STAAR test is giving us a false narrative, I think it would be best as Texans if we accepted the challenge, as well as the moral obligation, to improve student outcomes, Cottrill said. Andrea Zelinski contributed to this story. jacob.carpenter@chron.com twitter.com/ChronJacob | BY Ricki Green | What do Rachel Hunter and Dai Henwood have in common? Besides their celebrity status, they have a collective obsession with Uber Eats. Uber Eats latest Tonight Ill Be Eating campaign developed by Special Group, pairs the two together in a luxurious and private spa-side setting in an exaggerated version of Hunters home. Set to a melody of spa-like flute music courtesy of Dai, they discuss what they plan to order for dinner via Uber Eats before its conveniently delivered straight to them. The series of ads sees the stars ordering some of their favourite meals from popular restaurants, including Subway and Nandos, garnished with a sprinkling of humour thats come to be expected from Uber Eats. Both celebs are Uber Eats regulars, with Henwood having ordered via the food delivery app for breakfast, lunch and dinner the day before the shoot. Says Henwood: Ironically I had three Uber Eats orders there are three meals in the day. I started out with a quinoa salad to keep it fresh and healthy, then during the day I went for a poke bowl. By the evening, I thought Id gone a bit too heavy on the health foods, so I just backed that up with a solid double cheese burger to end the day. Oh, and onion rings. And the burger came with fries. I didnt eat them all, just a few Maybe I shouldnt have had so many fries. Regrets, I have none. Steve Brennen, director of marketing, Uber Australia & New Zealand, says the new campaign is a fun play on the often dreaded whats-for-dinner decision and hopes to inspire Kiwis to consider something beyond their go-to takeaway options: Says Brennen: Its amazing how many people simply dont know what theyre having for dinner at 5pm and were seeing eating behaviours change as people get busier and look for convenience and variety. Tonight Ill Be Eating shows Kiwis its not just them who are looking to spice up the dinner decision and that Uber Eats is there to deliver whatever tickles their tastebuds, whenever they want to eat it. Kiwis have embraced online food delivery so much so that Uber Eats data shows someone in Auckland ordered Uber Eats 438 times in 2018, while another ordered from 114 different restaurants last year. As a nation 505,595 burritos were ordered in 2018 along with more than 7 million McDonalds Chicken McNuggets. The New Zealand campaign follows a successful run in Australia, featuring star talent including Ruby Rose, Rebel Wilson, Naomi Watts, Boy George and more. The spots, shot by creative agency Special Group, will run across a range of digital and on-demand platforms. Each celebrity combination has a series of different ads, from a full-length one-minute ad to a shorter 15 second clip, all relating back to the initial concepts. The campaign will run for three months. Uber Eats New Zealand Caylie Honeycombe, Senior Marketing Manager, Uber Eats, New Zealand Georgie Jeffries, Head of Brand and Campaigns, Uber Eats, Australia & New Zealand Steve Brennen, Director of Marketing, Australia & New Zealand Nicky Preston, Head of Communications, Uber, New Zealand Creative Agency Special Group CEO Lindsey Evans Executive Creative Directors Tom Martin & Julian Schreiber Managing Partner: Cade Heyde Creatives: Josie Fox, Michael Punton, Tom Davies, Cameron Watts Business Lead: Tori Magill Account Manager: Laura Little Executive Producer: Meredyth Judd Strategy Director: Celia Garforth Casting Director: Emily Stewart Producer: Laura Midalia Digital: Sharon Gray & Jesse McLallen Social Media: Lachlan Stewart Production Film Production Company: Sweetshop Director: Damien Shatford Producer: Llew Griffiths Executive Producer: Loren Bradley Managing Director: Edward Pontifex DOP: Crighton Bone Edit & Post Production: ARC Edit Post-Producer: Olivia Carolan Offline Editor: David Whittaker Sound: Rumble Studios Production Stills Production Company: Louis & Co Photographer: Mat Baker Art Department: Imogen Naylor More than 60 Houston police cadets joined the department ranks at a swearing-in ceremony Monday amid a citywide hiring freeze prompted by the Proposition B pay parity measure approved by voters last November. Mayor Sylvester Turner, meanwhile, has declined to promote 68 trained firefighter cadets as he seeks to negotiate a way of phasing in the cost of Prop. B, a charter amendment that requires the city to pay firefighters the same as police of corresponding rank and seniority. Turner instituted the hiring freeze last September, arguing that it would not be prudent to hire more city employees only to turn around and lay them off to fund firefighters pay raises, which he says would cost $100 million a year if implemented all at once. The mayor has said city layoffs would be necessary absent a phase-in agreement with the firefighters union, whose leader has accused Turner of crafting a phony and vindictive budget crisis to justify potential layoffs. Holding HFD cadets hostage, while he continues to hire hundreds of police and municipal employees, is yet another show of the mayors vindictiveness toward firefighters, Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Marty Lancton said Monday. The mayors so-called city hiring freeze seems to apply only to HFD. Turner, who has noted that fire cadets remain on the city payroll as they await promotion to probationary firefighter status, said Monday the citys need for hundreds of more police officers has been as well documented as the need for more efficiency at the Fire Department. As the Chronicle reported Feb. 16, 2018, the national consulting firm PFM recommended reducing Houston firefighter positions by as many as 845 through attrition and longer work hours, Turner said in a statement. It is only natural, then, that the costs of Prop B should be borne by the Fire Dept. as much as possible." At Mondays ceremony, where 63 new police officers were sworn in, Turner also touched on Houstons police shortage 5,200 officers to cover 640 square miles compared to other major cities. People may think that's a lot, Turner said. But in Chicago, for example, they have nearly 12,000 police officers covering 275 square miles. DEPLOYING PERSONNEL: Pena plan would send fewer firefighters to small house fires amid mayor, union pay dispute The campaign over Prop. B, which easily passed in November, proved rancorous, pitting the fire union against the mayor and the Houston Police Officers Union. The police union, in opposition to Prop. B, contended that Houston firefighters should be paid on par with firefighters in other cities, not Houston police officers, because the two departments perform different functions. For now, Houston firefighter cadets make a base salary of $28,000 a year, about $12,000 less than firefighters initial base salaries. Houston police cadets earn $42,000 a year, while the starting base salary for officers is about $50,000. The city and police union agreed to a 7 percent raise for police officers last year. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, following Turner onstage at Mondays swear-in, said the mayor had followed through on his campaign promise to back Houstons police officers. It's interesting to me that throughout many places in this country, it's really a campaign slogan, Acevedo said. He later added, What I love about our mayor, is that while others will seize the moment in the political season to cast aspersions, he knows the heart of this department. Turner, up for re-election in November, already has come under fire from mayoral opponents Tony Buzbee and Bill King, both of whom have criticized the mayor for how he has handled the long-running feud over firefighter compensation. Though the election remains months away, Turners decision to promote trained police cadets but not fire cadets could be seen as an unnecessary slight to the average Houston voter, Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said. Still, the November election is for now Turners to lose, even with the firefighters union a supporter of Turner in 2015 potentially mobilizing in opposition to the mayor, Jones said. Houstons largest teachers union also has revoked its support for Turner. Were a blue city and (Donald) Trump is still going to be president, which means Turner still is in the drivers seat, Jones said. Is he taking an unnecessary risk by antagonizing the firefighters union? Yes, he probably is. He may be letting his temper and personal animosity toward the firefighters leadership get the best of him. Prop. B is likely to be the mayoral races defining issue and has cast at least some doubt on what looked to be an easy re-election bid for Turner, said University of Houston political science Professor Brandon Rottinghaus. NO LONGER BACKING: Houston teachers union rescinds support for Turner over Prop B dispute Also looming before Turner is the need to shore up the citys annual budget deficit, which puts the mayor in a tough position, Rottinghaus said, because officials typically have trouble explaining financial ins and outs to the electorate. For the mayor, the caveat is theres only so much you can fight back on these claims within the position hes in, Rottinghaus said. He will have to spend a fair amount of time explaining his position on the issue, and if youre explaining, youre losing. Already, King, Buzbee and scores of city council candidates have begun to campaign seriously ahead of November, marking an unusually early start to the Houston political season. King, for instance, has called the freeze on fire cadet promotions shameful. Councilman Dwight Boykins also weighed in Monday, writing in a letter to Turner, "I cannot help but wonder why you have continued to deny well-deserving Houston fire cadets the same privilege" as the newly minted police officers. What is interesting is the fact that its more of a political issue because Turners rivals are already on the campaign trail, Jones said. Were looking at this through the optics of a mayoral election in large part because his two principal rivals are already making this an issue. Buzbee appears to be courting firefighters support more aggressively, holding an appreciation ceremony for fire cadets and scheduling six visits to various fire stations during a recent 24-hour tour of the city. Both candidates also have accused Turner of overseeing a system in which city contracts are given out on the basis of political donations, a charge the mayor has denied. Nine months of hammering at his political accomplishments and picking apart (city) contracts and services for pay-to-play issues will chip way at his support, Rottinghaus said. jasper.scherer@chron.com A Child Protective Services worker has abruptly quit his job after accusing his supervisor of improperly taking his first-person account of family visits and signing his name to it as if it were his own in an official court document. Both the caseworker and several attorneys who reviewed the case on behalf of the Houston Chronicle said the supervisors actions could amount to perjury, a charge the agency denies. The caseworker, Paul Lozelle, made the allegation to several top officials at the the Department of Family and Protective Services in a blistering resignation letter obtained by the Chronicle. The allegations come on the heels of two recent child welfare cases in which CPS workers faced allegations of altering records. In his letter, Lozelle accused his supervisor of presenting his words as his own, signing them before a notary and entering the document into the court as an affidavit in order to justify the removal of a 1-year-old boy from his family. Lozelle, who was on leave when the affidavit was submitted, told the Chronicle that he did not believe it was necessary to remove the child and had only authored the report at the direction of his supervisor. He said he was surprised to see his words, signed by someone else, filed in a legal document. The Chronicle is not naming the supervisor because he has not been charged with a crime. READ MORE: Investigation of CPS worker fired for falsification raises questions about agency records integrity Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the state agency, defended the supervisors handling of the case, and said the man did not want to comment. Perjury is about the truth of the facts in an affidavit, not about the signature on it, Crimmins said in an email to the Chronicle. The facts presented in the affidavit are correct and true, and no one is disputing that. Three legal experts interviewed by the newspaper said otherwise. I dont know how we can have any faith that when theyre submitting evidence in these cases its trustworthy, said defense attorney Chris Tritico. Look at the history of whats going on with CPS. They just got sanctioned for doing virtually the same thing coming in and lying in court and now youve got them submitting false affidavits in court. They never told me why Last year, a Harris County juvenile judge sanctioned the agency $127,000 for wrongfully removing a Tomball couples children. At the time, the familys attorneys alleged a caseworker had created or altered records weeks after entering them in order to justify taking Dillon and Melissa Brights kids, though the online records system didnt track changes so it wasnt possible to verify what happened. Then in February, more questions bubbled up after the Chronicle reported on the termination of a CPS supervisor who allegedly changed records of a family visit to instead show a staff meeting, according to paperwork obtained through a public records request. In the current case, Lozelle reported bringing his concerns to a lawyer with the Harris County Attorneys Office, which argues cases on behalf of CPS, but he said she told him it didnt matter because no one would notice. Lozelle said he doesnt dispute the narrative or any of the facts in the affidavit, but he stressed that the observations were his and that his supervisor did not come along for any of the family visits described. The case dates back to at least November, when Lozelle visited Marquel Gordon and his son. The boys mother had dropped the tot off at his dads and refused to take him back. So the 21-year-old planned to raise the boy himself, according to a partially redacted version of the affidavit. During that visit, Gordon admitted that he smoked pot occasionally but said he would stop because his son was more important. Because of his admission, the caseworker arranged for other family members to help raise the boy. Drug testing conducted during an initial screening came back positive for cocaine. So Lozelle returned to the home, and the father agreed to go to treatment. He also agreed to a safety plan, a common first step to avoid terminating parental rights, and CPS left the boy with his aunt. By mid-December, Gordon still hadnt gone to treatment, though he said hed stopped using. He found a program, but they werent accepting new clients until mid-January. Because of that and because Gordon had already lost custody of his first child a year earlier the department decided to push for removal. They never told me why they was trying to take him, Gordon said in an interview last week. Allegations under review For the young father, the entire process has been overwhelming and difficult to navigate, with few people available to answer questions. When a reporter told him that the state was seeking to remove his child, he seemed surprised. He said it didnt seem fair to hold the earlier case against him. At the time, he said, he didnt know CPS was involved. Despite the earlier removal, Lozelle said he didnt think it was necessary to take the younger child. But his supervisor asked him to write up a removal affidavit first. I visited and was invited inside after knocking and introducing myself, the partially redacted affidavit reads. I observed the victim child to be clean, apparently healthy and free from any marks or bruises. The filing continues with a first-person narrative of events, all things that Lozelle says happened. While he was on leave, his supervisor signed the document and entered it into the court. As a result, the case is scheduled for a removal hearing on Wednesday. After a month of medical leave, Lozelle returned to work in mid-February and realized what happened. He quit his job within a few days. I brought this perjury to the attention of the county attorney who thought for a minute and said that she doubted that anyone would notice, he wrote in the resignation letter, and even if they did, I did not need to worry, because I was not the one who had committed perjury. Lozelle copied several DFPS officials in an email submitting the resignation, including Commissioner Hank Whitman. The letter doesnt name the attorney Lozelle said he consulted, but the county attorneys office said in a statement that theyd be reviewing Lozelles description of events. The office declined to comment further because of the pending child welfare case. Although Crimmins described the supervisors signature on the affidavit as proper and legal, lawyers interviewed by the Chronicle said it constitutes perjury. Attorney Katya Dow described it as absolutely perjury and Pat McCann, a past president of Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, agreed. If this a regular practice, he said, however well-intentioned, then the folks doing it ought to go hire lawyers right now. A Southern Baptist music minister has been dismissed from a rural Georgia church, less than two weeks after the leader of the Southern Baptist Convention declared the congregation should face scrutiny for its handling of alleged sexual abuses. Trinity Baptist Church in Ashburn, Georgia, was one of 10 congregations that SBC President J.D. Greear said last month should face inquiries into whether they concealed sexual abuses or knowingly hired sexual predators. His comments came in response to an investigation by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. The newspapers did not identify Trinity or the minister in its reporting because he was never charged with a crime. But a reporter interviewed two men who accused the minister of abuses in the 1980s at a different Georgia church. Trinitys pastor, Rodney Brown, said that the music minister admitted several years ago to molesting a young teen decades ago, according to a Southern Baptist official and a report in the Baptist Press. He was allowed to keep his job at Trinity at the time, but he was dismissed from the church over the weekend, according to Thomas Hammond, executive director of Georgias state Southern Baptist association. Brown confirmed to me yesterday what hed stated to Baptist Press: that a staff member admitted to being a sexual abuser, and furthermore, remained in a leadership position at Trinity, Hammond said in a statement Saturday. Today, I also learned from the pastor that the perpetrator has been dismissed and instructed not to return. It is my expectation that there is more work to be done at Trinity and more healing to be experienced by the victims. Neither Brown nor the church could be reached for comment this week. The dismissed music minister has declined to comment. The recent whirl of events have provided some sense of justice for David Pittman, one of the men who says he was abused by the music minister more than 30 years ago. For 13 years, Pittman has told anyone whod listen about the minister, who he says abused him in the 1980s at a different church near Atlanta. He soon after turned to drugs and alcohol to deal with the trauma, he said. Since coming forward in 2006, Pittman said he has talked to police, who told him it was too late to press charges. He has detailed his story in letters, phone calls and blogs. Hes reached out to schools where the man was a substitute teacher, and to others who say they were abused by the minister. Hes pressed multiple churches including Trinity that employed the man, and pleaded with state and national Southern Baptist officials for action. Few have responded. Even fewer have acted. Pittman soon lost faith in Southern Baptist leaders. Then, late last month, things briefly changed. After Greear recommended that Trinity and nine others be investigated and potentially removed from the SBC, Pittman said he did the one thing hes always promised himself he wouldnt. I looked at my wife and told her I cant do this, he said last week. I cant give myself hope because theyve lied and failed and theyve said the right words before and then they failed again. NO HOPE His optimism lasted less than a week. Days later, an SBC committee announced it would end seven of the 10 inquiries, a decision that was met with fury by activists, some SBC figures and victims including Pittman, who says he was never contacted by anyone from the SBC. I truly have NO HOPE, Pittman wrote in a text message the day after the Trinity inquiry was ended. The chairman of that committee, Ken Alford, resigned last week in part because of what he said were unfair critiques of the decision. Pittman thought otherwise. Why would they go to the people that could potentially be covering up instead of contacting the victims unless (they) are going to perpetuate the cover-up? he asked. Soon after the inquiry was ended, Brown told the Baptist Press about the mans earlier confession and subsequent return to the church. Church leaders came back to me and said, Rodney, the man says hes repented, Brown told the Baptist Press last month. Were not his judge. Weve not seen anything to indicate any of this at our church. An official apology? Brown also said that he was repeatedly contacted by SBC officials, who prayed for the church and apologized for the inquiry recommended by Greear. August Boto, the interim head of the SBCs Executive Committee, called at least three times, Brown said. (Boto) prayed for me on the phone, Brown said in a Feb. 24 sermon that was posted and later removed from Trinitys Facebook page. He expressed his sincerest support for this church and its pastor and (said) that the Executive Committee was digging deeply into this because this distressed a whole lot of people. He expressed his sincere apologies for the way this was handled, Brown said of another call. Boto helped draft the SBCs 2008 rejection of sexual abuse prevention policies. He recently said in a lengthy interview that he was heartbroken by a Chronicle investigation that found decades of sexual abuse allegations against Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers, including the music minister at Trinity Baptist. Boto could not be reached for comment this week. Pittman said he felt vindicated by the firing, but that his case is only one of many. He prays that the pleas of people like him will no longer fall on deaf ears at the SBC. Given his experience, hes skeptical. The SBC, he said, needs to understand the difference between child protection and risk management, because they seem to be more concerned with insurance policies than with the souls of the children and the lives that could be damaged. Im hopeful for the first time in decades that we can meet with them and they can hear what needs to happen for children to be better protected and for survivors to be listened to, he said. robert.downen@chron.com Twitter.com: RobDownenChron AUSTIN A proposal to pay every full-time teacher and librarian $5,000 more a year flew through the Senate on Monday, but it will likely crash land in the House where lawmakers are looking for a more precise way to hand out raises to teachers and others who work schools. Saying the higher pay will help boost the profession and keep teachers from leaving, the Senate voted unanimously for the pay raise for public school teachers. The bill requires a final perfunctory vote in the Senate before it can go to the House. By golly, this Senate and our leaders support giving our teachers a pay raise, said Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, who sponsored the bill that passed unanimously in the Senate. The House is expected to unveil an omnibus bill Tuesday to overhaul how the state funds education, which will likely include increasing how much money teachers can make and extending the raises to other support staff. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The raises approved by the Senate would cost nearly $3.9 billion by the end of the 2020-2021 school year, according to the bills fiscal note. Teachers groups are pushing for more employees to be included. We are happy that the Senate voted to give teachers a long-overdue pay raise and help us close the $7,300-a-year deficit by which the average teacher pay in Texas lags behind the national average, said Noel Candelaria, president of the Texas State Teachers Association President. But the Legislature also must appropriate funding for pay raises for all school employees. Counselors, nurses, bus drivers and other support staff also are important to creating safe and healthy learning environments for Texas 5.4 million public school children. The average salary for a Texas teacher is $53,167. The national average is $60,483, according to an estimate from the National Education Association, which examined teacher pay during the 2017-18 school year. The Senate proposal offers the first teacher payraise from the state in a decade. Shortly before calling for the vote, Nelson amended the bill to include $53 million in pay raises for the states 5,000 public school librarians. They are required to spend two years in the classroom before they can become librarians and commonly help teachers find materials for classes, said Nelson, a former elementary teacher: Librarians are teachers. Democrats pushed to add to the bill, including provisions to lure more teachers to struggling schools. Sen. Jose Menendez, a San Antonio Democrat, applauded the late add of librarians but said he wants pay raises for school counselors, too, to encourage them in light of a renewed focus on people who work with children who have mental health needs. The importance of school counselors in the schools today is more than ever, said Menendez. Teachers have a tough job. Many times the jobs of helping, unfortunately with standardized tests and doing all these other things, are falling on top councilors and they many times dont have time to just meet with the students. The bill does not preclude school districts from offering merit raises or other methods for increasing teacher pay. The bill also requires the state pay into the Teacher Retirement System cost increases associated with the teacher pay raise. The raise is signature item of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The Republican, who has been criticized by teachers groups, campaigned in 2018 on giving teachers a $10,000 raise on average. Our productive economy has given us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accomplish school finance reform and the nearly $4 billion investment to increase teacher pay across-the-board is the first step in accomplishing that goal, said Patrick. More than 30 percent of teachers hired in the 2012-13 school year have already left the profession, according to the Texas Education Agency. Texas faces a fast-approaching health care crisis that no one is talking about: the expiration of an agreement with the federal government that would strip the state of $6 billion a year. Texas relies on this funding to care for Texans. It supports hospitals, especially in rural areas, and makes vital medical and behavioral health care more available throughout the state. The Legislature needs to take action now, this year while there is still time to stop this threat to our economy and to the health of our fellow Texans. Losing these funds would leave hundreds of thousands of Texans without access to community-focused health care. That ultimately increases costs for everyone - employers, taxpayers and the uninsured alike. This impending crisis stems from the expiration of what is known as the 1115 Healthcare Transformation Waiver. Texas leaders first negotiated the waiver with the federal government in 2011, finding a way to address our states unique health care challenges. The 1115 waiver represents a lifeline to more than 1 million Texans every year. It provides essential resources to physicians, hospitals and providers, and it supports innovative programs that give people without insurance access to cost-effective preventive and primary care services. Hospitals rely on waiver-based payments especially in rural areas, where the waivers expiration could be catastrophic. In just the past four years, 11 Texas rural hospitals have closed, and more than 20 others are at risk. That risk would grow without this funding, costing rural hospitals, on average, more than $3 million each year. The waiver also supplies one-third of the funding that community mental health centers need to serve people with serious mental illnesses and developmental disabilities. It helped 173,000 people receive mental health services in 2017 alone. While state leaders have prioritized improving mental health care, any gains would be wiped out by the devastation that would occur without this funding. Innovations that have improved care delivery and access are also in danger. Right now, Texas should be building on these programs successes if the waiver expires, we might be forced to step backward. Embedded in these threats is a significant opportunity Texas can use this negotiation to build an even more effective health care system, leveraging previous investments and ongoing successes to meet our 21st century needs. The state should work to both preserve these vital resources and create access for Texans who need medical care. Without expanding Medicaid, the state could invest these funds even more effectively creating a system of private market coverage that gives comprehensive and potentially lifesaving access to care to, among others, new mothers, people with pre-existing conditions, and hardworking Texans who cannot afford insurance. Texas legislative leadership remains steadfastly conservative. They have been clear that expanding Medicaid through Obamacare is not the answer in our state. But if the Legislature sets the right course this session, Texas can establish a conservative, fiscally prudent policy, as Vice President Mike Pence did as governor of Indiana averting a catastrophe before this funding disappears or the 2020 presidential election creates even more uncertainty. States such as Utah and Georgia are working with the Trump administration on similar conservative solutions. Texas can, and should, lead the way. We look forward to working with the Legislature, state leaders and the spectrum of stakeholders to show the nation a new way to deliver health care to people who need it. Curran is president of the Texas Medical Association. Hart is president of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians. Henderson is president and CEO of the Texas Organization of Rural Community Hospitals. Shaw is CEO of the Texas Hospital Association. | BY Ricki Green | In a period of strong business growth, VMLY&R Brisbane has announced the expansion of its creative and content production capabilities with senior appointments. Guilherme Guido Pecego has been appointed to the newly created role of associate creative director, while Mignon van Weeren has been named director of broadcast and content. Partnering with recently promoted associate creative director Chelsea Parks who started with VMLY&R at the end of last year, Pecego joins from Hong Kong where he has spent the past four years as creative director at McCann Worldgroup. His 15 years experience leading and delivering integrated campaigns also include CD and associate CD roles at TBWA\Worldwide in Dubai, as well as senior creative roles with JWT, DDB and Agencia3 and McCann in his native Brazil. During his career, Guido has worked on some of the worlds most widely recognised brands including LOreal, Volkswagen Emirates and Coca-Cola. He has also worked on numerous award-winning campaigns with recognition at Cannes Lions, New York Festivals, One Show, ADFEST and in the Guinness World Records three times over. Mignon, a BAFTA award-winning producer with significant international broadcast production experience in commercial, television and radio, joins from her role as executive producer film and photo at global design agency KISKA in Austria. Over the past two years, Mignon has led and grown the team at KISKA by producing innovative and emotive branded content for their global client base. Her background includes time at McCann Erickson in London, as well as branded content and broadcast roles with the likes of National Geographic, Discovery Channel and the BBC. When Michael Cohen testified before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, one name kept coming up, a name that most Americans had probably never heard before: Allen Weisselberg. But you should get to know him, because you're going to be hearing his name a lot in the near future. With more attention turning to President Donald Trump's business and the legal problems it could cause him, Weisselberg will be at the center of the story. In fact, there is probably not a single person who knows more about the ethical transgressions, shady dealings, and broken laws that Donald Trump has left in his wake. We know about Weisselberg's direct involvement in the cover-up of Trump's alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, but what we still have to learn is what he can tell us about the rest of Trump's business practices -- not just when it comes to his domestic dealings, but to his foreign dealings as well. Allen Weisselberg is the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, giving him responsibility for all its finances. He has handled the president's money for Trump's entire professional life, since 1973. There is virtually no one who seriously believes that Trump conducts his business in an above-board manner, and Weisselberg is almost certainly party to it all. As Adam Davidson of The New Yorker wrote, "Journalists who cover Trump's finances have heard, from source after source, some variation of 'I don't know, but Allen does' about questions regarding Trump's unorthodox accounting practices." Weisselberg was granted limited immunity by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York to testify to a grand jury in connection with its investigation of campaign finance violations related to the hush money paid in 2016 to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels. That scheme is part of the reason Michael Cohen is headed to prison. This came up in dramatic fashion at Cohen's testimony on Wednesday, when he explained that he and Weisselberg decided to disguise Trump's reimbursement of the Stormy Daniels hush money as legal services; Cohen would submit invoices and then be paid, so that it looked like a legitimate expense. That was itself fraudulent, but if Trump himself or the Trump Organization deducted those payments, that could also constitute tax fraud. Indeed, this constitutes another good reason to pursue Trump's tax returns. As for who signed the checks, "It would either be Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and/or Allen Weisselberg - but always Allen Weisselberg on the check," Cohen said. He produced one such check for the committee, with signatures from Don Jr. and Weisselberg. Here's an exchange he had with Rep. Ro Khanna that's worth highlighting: - - - KHANNA: I just want the American public to understand the explosive nature of your testimony and this document. Are you telling us, Mr. Cohen, that the president directed transactions in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son, Donald Trump Jr. . .. as part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud, is that your testimony today? COHEN: Yes. KHANNA: And do you know if this criminal financial scheme that the president, Allen Weisselberg, and Donald Trump Jr. are involved in is being investigated by the Southern District of New York? COHEN: I'd rather not discuss that question because it could be part of an investigation that is currently ongoing. - - - The hush money payments are their own somewhat self-contained scandal. But Cohen also testified that Trump engaged in all manner of shady gaming of his assets. Those actions could potentially be criminal, and as CFO, Weisselberg would have been directly involved in preparing the documents. Unlike almost anyone, he knows the true value of Trump's holdings. Indeed, Cohen flatly confirmed that Weisselberg is the go-to person on this sort of thing. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) asked Cohen who could shed light on Trump's history of gaming assets for both insurance and tax avoidance purpose. In both cases, Cohen answered: "Allen Weisselberg." Weisselberg and the House Intelligence Committee And that's not all. The House Intelligence Committee plans to bring Weisselberg in to testify. What could Weisselberg provide when it comes to intelligence-related matters? Well, a Democratic aide familiar with committee chairman and Rep. Adam Schiff's, D-Calif., plans tells us that the answer to this question lies in points three and four of the document Schiff recently put out laying out questions he hopes to answer with his planned Russia investigation. Those read: - - - (3) Whether any foreign actor has sought to compromise or holds leverage, financial or otherwise, over Donald Trump, his family, his business, or his associates; (4) Whether President Trump, his family, or his associates are or were at any time at heightened risk of, or vulnerable to, foreign exploitation, inducement, manipulation, pressure, or coercion, or have sought to influence U.S. government policy in service of foreign interests; - - - According to the aide, Schiff hopes to ask Weisselberg for information that sheds light on those questions. In other words, Schiff hopes Weisselberg will open a window on whether Trump's overseas dealings have created conflicts of interest or have made him or his family members vulnerable to foreign blackmail. "This suggests that Schiff believes that Weisselberg is well situated to have insights into the Trump Organization and Trump family's financial situation, and any foreign ties that would create improper leverage," former U.S. attorney Barb McQuade tells us. "For a prosecutor, Weisselberg is a dream witness. He's uniquely and perfectly positioned to have valuable information." When it comes to Allen Weisselberg, we have many more questions than answers. It's somewhat remarkable, given his central role in the Trump Organization, that we haven't been able to get those answers up until now. Weisselberg obviously would be prefer to stay silent and behind the scenes. But he won't be able to do that for much longer. Waldman is an opinion writer for the Plum Line blog. Sargent writes The Plum Line blog. Sonic also had similar mass resignations in Lancaster and Grove City in Ohio. In Lancaster, staff posted signs at the store saying Goodbye and Thank you, next. They also left a note to the new owners, calling Sonic the most trashiest [sic] company we have ever seen. The relationship between Sonic and its staff fell apart after the company was sold to management firm SRI Operating Company. The change in ownership allegedly led to several employees being laid off by the company. Wages were also purportedly cut from the minimum rate down to just US$4 per hour plus tips. Sonic denied claims that the company slashed wages. No wage rates at any level have decreased in this transition, said Kyle Lankford, communications manager at Sonic. Woodstock 50 Said To Face Financial Woes With Woodstock 50 scheduled to take place in just six months, event organizers have not released an initial lineup. Woodstock 50, intended to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic Woodstock Music & Arts Festival, is scheduled to take place from 16-18 in Watkins Glen in Upstate New York a few miles from the original festival grounds. Since the festival was first announced in January, few additional details about the event have come to light, leading to speculation about the events financial stability. According to a report in music news site Hits Daily Double, the delay in updates about the festival are due to issues regarding the raising of money and venue capacity. According to HDD, the unofficial lineup for Woodstock 50 includes Dead & Co., The Killers, Miley Cyrus, Santana, The Black Keys, Chance the Rapper, Jay-Z, Imagine Dragons and Halsey but per HDD, only a few of the acts have received their full guarantees. Santana was also announced for a commemorative concert at Bethel Woods during Woodstock weekend. The festival is being produced by Woodstock Ventures, formed via a partnership between three of the original Woodstock producers, Michael Lang, Joel Rosenman, and John Roberts family, with financial backing from Dentsu Aegis Network, a division of the Japanese advertising giant Dentsu, which will also assist with marketing and sponsorship via affiliated agencies. Lang told the New York Times in January that he envisioned a large-scale event and anticipates selling 100,000 three-day passes, with most attendees camping on site. At the time, he declined to discuss the budget for the festival, but told the Times: We paid $135,000 for all of our talent in 1969. Times have changed. In a statement provided to CelebrityAccess, Lang appeared to downplay the rumors but did not quite deny them. Theres always been lots of rumors around Woodstock. We have excellent partners and an incredible talent lineup of over 80 artists which will be announced within the next couple of weeks. Were preparing a once in a lifetime event, Lang said. CelebrityAccess Share on: Ambitious bid to save Sri Lankas remaining untouched reefs by Randima Attygalle March 03,2019 | Source: Sunday Times It was no different to a fish tank clean and colourful, is how Oceanographer Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara reflects upon the Hikkaduwa coral reef in the 70s and 80s. When the area started attracting tourists, residents of the area set up their own businesses from small scale hotels to glass-bottom boat rides, and by the time government realised Hikkaduwas potential as a tourist hot spot, the resident-centric tourism industry of the area had gone a long way to a large extent, unregulated and unplanned, notes Dr. Kumara, the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) and Senior Lecturer at the Ruhuna Universitys Department of Oceanography and Marine Geology. The same scenario, as he says, was replicated in Unawatuna. This happened at a huge cost; both socially and environmentally, he adds. The unplanned ad hoc tourism industry which abetted environmental hazards and drug abuse was furthering its reach to the other coastal hot spots, including Mirissa, which is notable not only for unauthorised constructions on the beach but also for illegal fishing methods. So much so, endangered species such Tomato Hind or locally called thambuwa (Cephalopholis sonnerati) and Juvenile Lobsters are sold in the open market with no heed to the laws governing protected species, says Dr. Kumara. In an ambitious move to regulate the remaining untouched coastal areas including reefs and declare them as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), MEPA has spearheaded an Inter-Agency Coordinated Mechanism to protect marine ecosystems. For this purpose, it has teamed up with multiple stakeholders such as NARA, NAQDA, the Wildlife Conservation Department, the Fisheries Department, the Forestry Department, the Coast Conservation Department, the Central Environmental Authority, the Tourism Ministry, the SL Coast Guard, the SL Navy, UNDP, IUCN, local councils and the Blue Resources Trust. This initiative will zone and regulate marine attractions including coral reefs and fishing. The pilot project as the Sunday Times learns is already off the ground at Kayankerni, off Kalkudah in the Batticaloa District. As Dr. Kumara points out, the Kayankerni reef, with a host of diverse corals and other vibrant marine and plant and animal life, is a rich tourist attraction. It is also home to 207 fish species and invertebrates and sea grass. Kayankerni is also of particular importance due to the historic shipwreck sites located adjacent to the reef. The British Sergeant, a merchant vessel that sank after coming under fire when it altered its course to help a carrier in 1942 and SS Lady McCallum, a cargo ship which ran aground in 1926, are located on the sea bottom off the Kayankerni reef. The potential for shipwreck tourism the area offers is enormous. Several threats to the reef have been identified as Dr. Kumara explains. These include unregulated and illegal fishing activities, ornamental fishing, recent developments in the tourism sector, setting up of aquacultural farms and a lack of community support and awareness at community level about the importance of coral reefs. The reef area has already been mapped out and zoned. Moreover, a survey on land-used patterns has also been completed, points out Dr. Kumara, assuring that by the end of this year, Kayankerni reef area would be declared a protected area following gazette procedures and biodiversity assessment by the Wildlife Conservation Department. A survey on the users of this area, especially the reef region and procedures to register the fishermen and their fishing gear are also in the pipeline, he notes. The MPA concept will operate on the cornerstones of managing and conserving and engage the local communities. Once people are managed, the environment will naturally be managed in a sustainable manner, says the MEPA GM, adding that community participation for the protection of Kayankerni reef is a top priority of the project. He adds that the experience in the Kayankerni will be replicated in other similar zones in Mannar (Viduthalaithivu) and Mullaitivu. Ideally the exercise should be translated to inland potential tourist attractions as well, says Dr. Kumara who urges the responsible authorities to take a cue from MEPAs brainchild. The Sunday Times Sri Lanka Theme(s): Others. Taipei, Manila agree on fishery inspections March 03,2019 | Source: CNA Taipei and Manila have agreed to share information on fishery inspections and improve management of the Port of Davao in the Philippines, where Taiwanese fishing vessels unload, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. The result was achieved at the fifth Fisheries Technical Working Group meeting between Taiwan and the Philippines in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement. The two sides reached a consensus on law enforcement cooperation in fisheries, the ministry said. The cooperation would involve improving mutual notification mechanisms, sharing fishing vesel inspection information, providing assistance regarding fisheries development, exchanging aquaculture and hatching technologies, reducing post-harvest fish losses and updating notification mechanisms under the bilateral Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters, it said. The two sides also agreed to share information on Port of Davao fishery inspections to deter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, it said. Taipei and Manila agreed to improve management of the port through bilateral cooperation, providing a better environment for Taiwanese fishing vessels to unload their catches and protecting their operating rights, the ministry said. Taiwan agreed to welcome Philippine delegations to meetings on exchange of aquaculture technologies, post-harvest fish loss studies and fish disease control, it said. On the issue of law enforcement in contiguous zones, the ministry said that in adherence to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Taiwan firmly reiterated that in areas within its exclusive economic zone, Taipei has the right to protect Taiwanese fishers, and urged the Philippines not to illegally seize Taiwanese fishing vessels. Although the Philippines did not make any undertaking, they now understand Taiwans position on these issues, the ministry said. To protect fishers from both sides, Taipei and Manila would hold consultations to continue in-depth dialogue, forge consensus and take measures to mitigate conflict, it said. As close neighbors, fisheries cooperation is an important foundation on which to bolster bilateral relations, it said, adding that it hopes to sustain Taiwan-Philippines fishery cooperation in line with the Cabinets New Southbound Policy. The Philippines welcomed Taiwans clarifications of its position, and hopes that both sides can resolve differences, and create more space for mutual benefit and reciprocity, the ministry said. The meeting was cochaired by Deputy Representative to the Philippines James Chu and Manila Economic and Cultural Office Vice Chairman Gilberto Lauengco. 1999-2019 The Taipei Times Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture. Argentine coast guard opens fire on Chinese fishing vessel by Mark Godfrey March 04,2019 | Source: SeafoodSource A ship belonging to the Argentine coast guard shot at a Chinese fishing vessel it claims was fishing illegally within the countrys exclusive economic zone. On 2 March, the coast guard cutter, the Mantilla, fired warning shots at the Hua Xiang 801, a 72-meter Chinese-flagged trawler, which Argentina claimed did not have its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned on while fishing for squid around one kilometer inside Argentinas territorial waters. The vessel ceased fishing when it was confronted, then made a run for international waters after turning off its running lights. After being followed by the Mantilla, the Chinese jigger then made aggressive maneuvers in the direction of the Argentina vessel, prompting it to fire warning shots. Chinese media reports reported the problem resulted from the fact that Chinese fishing companies have not been provided Argentinas boundary coordinates, and thus rely on internationally used nautical charts which may have discrepancies from Argentinas territorial claims. Media in Argentina have not been able to identify who owns the Hua Xiang 801 and, Chinas Fisheries Management Bureau at the Agricultural Ministry, which licenses Chinas distant-water fleet, hasnt divulged the ownership details of the Hua Xiang 801. The fiasco is the latest in a string of similar incidents in Argentina and elsewhere in South America. In February 2018, the Hua Li 8, owned by the Zhoushan Hua Li Distant Water Fishery Co., was apprehended in Indonesia and forced to pay an ARS 7 million (USD 175,800, EUR 155,200) fine for fishing illegally in Argentine waters. A separate vessel, the Jing Yuan 626, is still being sought by Argentina for illegal fishing in its waters for suspected illegal fishing. It is owned by the Yantai Bei Jing Distant Water Fishing Co., located in Yantai city near Qingdao on Chinas east coast. In 2016, the Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010, owned by the Yantai Distant Water Fishing Co., which had a long history of fishery incidents abroad, was sunk by the Argentine navy after being caught fishing illegally. And in February 2019, another Chinese vessel, the Zhongyuanyu 11, collided with a Spanish vessel, the Pesca Vaquiero, 16 kilometers outside the Argentine EEZ. Ecuador, meanwhile, continues to hold crew members from the Fu Yuan Yu Ling 999, a reefer detained for illegal fishing of protected species in March 2018. The mounting number of incidents is putting intense scrutiny on China to take action, though the country is somewhat protected by the fact that it owns a significant portion of the debt of many Latin American countries, and has additional leverage in Argentina as a major purchasers of the countrys agricultural exports. Nonetheless, China recently said it would seek to sign protocols with individual countries, including Argentina, on how to handle disputes over illegal fishing a move which would take some of the attention off China if incidents are handled internally. Other countries its seeking protocols with include Fiji, Mauritania, Iran, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. 2019 Diversified Communications Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. Annual fishing ban has started in China March 02,2019 | Source: Xinhua The four-month fishing ban, aiming to protect aquatic resources and biodiversity in China's rivers, started Friday. The annual ban, from March 1 to June 30, will cover the main streams, tributaries and lakes along major rivers including the Yangtze and Pearl rivers. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of east China's Jiangsu Province, working with relevant departments, launched a series of enforcement actions Friday. Nearly 30 vessels will inspect Jiangsu's main streams for at least 10 days. Zhang Jianjun, deputy director-general of the provincial agriculture and rural affairs department said that over 60,000-meter-long illegal netting tools have been cleared up, and 405 people violating fishing regulations have been penalized over the past three years. Ni Zhimin, a fisherman in Hangzhou, the capital of eastern Zhejiang Province, sells the fresh fish he catches in the Qiantang River every day. Ni fished for the last time on Thursday and will wait for four months, like other fishermen, until the ban is over. The Qiantang River is the largest river in Zhejiang and is known for having the world's largest tidal bore. It accommodates over 85 percent of the freshwater fish species in the province. However, fish species in the river declined from 149 in the 1970s to 122 in 2019. From Friday, the entire river basin of the Qiantang River has imposed the fishing ban for the first time. During this period, all forms of fishing activities are banned, except recreational fishing. The agricultural department and procuratorates in Fujian Province launched a series of fishing ban promotional activities in fishing villages across the province earlier on Feb. 22. The provincial department of ocean and fisheries said a fishing ban has been imposed on the Minjiang River, a major river in Fujian. Fishing activities for research purposes must be approved by local fishery departments. Fishery authorities of southwestern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said Friday that around 15,000 fishing boats and 30,000 fishermen in the region would be affected by the fishing ban this year. On the first day of the ban, more than 300 people and over 50 vessels were dispatched to participate in a law enforcement campaign on rivers in Guangxi. So far, an unlicensed fishing boat has been captured, and illegal netting and cages have also been discovered. For those whose livelihood will be affected by the fishing ban, the local government is planning to provide subsidies for them, according to Dong Xiaogang, a local fishery department official. In eastern Anhui Province, fishery departments are trying to turn local fishermen into protectors of aquatic resources during the fishing ban period, encouraging them to play an important role in the protection of the ecological environment along the Yangtze River and help ease the problem of law enforcement officer shortage. In Chaohu Lake -- one of China's five largest freshwater lakes -- mostly situated in the city of Hefei, capital of Anhui, the fishing ban was imposed one month earlier on Feb. 1 due to different fish life cycles, according to Anhui's fishery authorities. A total of 26,000 kg of fish fry and 7,500 kg of young crabs were poured in Poyang Lake on Friday. Poyang Lake, located in east China's Jiangxi Province, is China's largest freshwater lake. To further improve the ecological environment, all aquatic life conservation areas in Jiangxi banned fishing this year, and the section of the Yangtze River in the province and Poyang Lake will ban fishing all year starting in 2020. China.org.cn Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 4) Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Monday countered President Rodrigo Duterte's earlier admission that he asked security officials and the court to approve Moro National Liberation Front founder Nur Misuari's request to travel. In a media briefing, Panelo maintained Duterte did not directly interfere with the judiciary regarding Misuari's travel plea. "He did not arrange for that, let me correct you there," Panelo addressed reporters. "What he's saying is ang position niya diyan, mas gusto niyo na makalabas si Misuari para pagbalik, mas maayos ang sitwasyon sa Mindanao," he added. [Translation: What he's saying is that his position there He would rather let Misuari go so that when he comes back, the situation in Mindanao will be better.] Duterte, in a speech in Zamboanga City Sunday, admitted he called the police, the military, and the court to let Misuari go. "Now Misuari came to me sa opisina ko the other night because he wanted to go out, he was not allowed, tapos may kaso siya. Kinausap ko ang police pati military pati ang korte na palabasin muna siya," the chief executive said in a campaign rally of PDP-Laban. [Translation: Now Misuari came to me in my office the other night because he wanted to go out, he was not allowed, because he has a case. I talked to the police and military and the court to let him out first.] But Panelo said it may not have been a direct move from the President. "Siguro pag sinabi niyang tinawag niya 'yung (maybe when he's saying that he called the) court, baka (maybe) he's referring to na tinawagan niya 'yung (that he's calling) somebody that will relay his position to the courts," the spokesman clarified. Panelo also shrugged off criticisms of Duterte's "interference," saying that the courts "will not allow to be coerced or intimidated by any person in this country." Both Duterte and Panelo, however, remain confident that the Moro leader will still come back to the country. "Ako ang nag (I will) guarantee that he will come back," Duterte added in his speech. "Misuari, a true Tausug, would never allow that he be buried in a foreign land. Sigurado ako niyan (I'm sure of it). That's why he will come back and help us build a nation." The Sandiganbayan on Tuesday granted Misuari's motion to travel abroad to attend conferences in the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. Misuari posted a P920,000 travel bond for the said trip. Imperial Valley News Center President Trump Takes Bold Step to Transition Veterans into US Merchant Marine Washington, DC - On Monday, President Donald J. Trump will sign an executive order to help sea veterans seamlessly transition into the United States Merchant Marine. By simultaneously expanding veteran opportunities for great jobs at great wages while strengthening our Merchant Marine, this action embodies a key principle of the Trump administration: economic security is national security. The civilian men and women of the United States Merchant Marine who pilot sealift vessels represent a mission-critical component of United States military readiness. During times of conflict, these mariners transport military goods such as tanks, helicopters, or even troopsoften in hostile waters and at great personal risk. In World War II alone, nearly 10,000 merchant mariners were killed by enemy fire and died at a rate of 1 in 26a casualty rate higher than any branch of the United States military. Their willingness to serve and their sacrifice continue to play a vital role in Americas defense. Read the full op-ed here. Imperial Valley News Center Its Time for Congress to Establish the Space Force Washington, DC - Since taking office, President Trumps top priority has been to strengthen our national defense and protect the American people. We have made historic investments to rebuild our armed forces. We have removed unnecessary restraints on our commanders, giving them the rules of engagement they need to defeat our enemies. And to meet the emerging threats in space, the newest war-fighting domain, the president has called for the creation of the U.S. Space Force. On Friday, the defense secretary released a legislative proposal at the presidents direction to establish the Space Force, within the Air Force, as the sixth branch of the armed forces. This legislation is the first step toward creating a new, separate military department for space in the future, and our administration will continue working closely with leaders in Congress on both sides of the aisle to get a bill that creates the Space Force to the presidents desk this year. Space is central to our way of life. U.S. leadership in space has pioneered groundbreaking new technologies; revolutionized how we communicate, travel, farm and trade; supported countless U.S. jobs; and above all made the strongest military in the history of the world stronger still. Read the full op-ed here. Imperial Valley News Center First Lady Melania Trumps Visit to Dove School of Discovery in Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa, Oklahoma - First Lady Melania Trump arrived in Tulsa, Oklahoma this morning for the first stop on a two-day, three-state swing promoting her Be Best initiative. Upon arrival, Mrs. Trump was greeted by the First Lady of Oklahoma, Sarah Stitt; Congressman Kevin Hern and his wife, Tammy Hern; and the Mayor of Tulsa, G. T. Bynum. While in Oklahoma, Mrs. Trump visited the Dove School of Discovery Elementary School, the recipient of the 2018 National School of Character Award. The school is one of five public charter schools that aim to provide Disciplined Organized Vigorous Education to students from pre-k through 12th grade. The curriculum incorporates character development in every class. In addition, the school also works to integrate parents into the curriculum with their Parents Academy workshops, which help to give parents a better understanding of what their children are learning on a day-to-day basis. One pillar of Mrs. Trumps Be Best initiative focuses on the well-being of children, a value also emphasized by this school through its emphasis on kindness, character, strong values, and positivity. While at the Dove School of Discovery, Mrs. Trump visited three different classrooms. In one of the pre-k classrooms, the First Lady participated in an activity with the children that encouraged the young students to think about ways that they can show kindness in their own lives. Mrs. Trump also stopped in on a sixth grade science class. The class had been broken into teams and Mrs. Trump went around to each one engaging with them and observing how each of the teams communicated and worked together a major emphasis within the Dove curriculum. The third and final visit was to a second grade language arts class, where students were studying powerful historical examples from African American history in order to draw lessons on how to overcome obstacles in their own life. I cannot emphasize further the importance of character-based education for our children, stated First Lady Melania Trump. Dove schools embody kindness, respect, positive interactions, and strong character through the curriculum that they teach every day. They are sculpting our next generation by creating a foundation of youth with strong character. I know they will go on to do great things. Imperial Valley News Center President Donald J. Trump Put America First During the Hanoi Summit Washington, DC - Editorial boards and commentators laud the President for putting America first during the summit in Hanoi and for showing that sometimes you just have to walk away. NEW YORK POST EDITORIAL BOARD: In Hanoi, Trump Won by Walking Away Sometimes you have to walk, and this was just one of those times, President Trump said as he cut short his Vietnam summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un. Good for the [President], and just what we expected in noting the other day that his history suggests hes always willing to walk away from a deal thats not good enough. wed say [the summit] was a success, because it taught Kim that this president is no sucker. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD: Trump Walks on Kim President Trump was willing to walk away without the deal Mr. Kim was offering. It was the right decision. Based on the details that have emerged, Mr. Kim came to Hanoi with a familiar North Korean offer: He would dismantle all or parts of the Yongbyon nuclear complex in return for lifting economic sanctions. TOM BOSSERT ON ABC NEWS: Not So Fast, Chairman Kim: Hanoi Summit Disappoints, but Trump Shines Trump was strong, smart, even tempered and mature. He maintained credibility as the lead negotiator for the peace-loving world. He also maintained a cordial and mature relationship with Kim while firmly rejecting his attempt to distract from the strategic objective of denuclearization. No histrionics. No fanfare. CHRISTIAN WHITON ON FOX NEWS: Vietnam Summit was Trumps Reykjavik Hes Just Put North Koreas Kim and Chinas Xi on Notice President Trump just performed one of the most important features of tough negotiating: he demonstrated a willingness to walk away. In their second summit in Hanoi, the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, offered to shutter one of his key nuclear facilities but demanded an end to sanctions in return. Trump rightly said thanks but no thanks. BRETT VELICOVICH ON FOX NEWS: Trump Knows Exactly What He Wants from North Korea (and Should Not Be Underestimated) Contrary to the biased assumptions of his critics, President Trump knows exactly what he wants from North Korea complete and verifiable denuclearization that can serve as a prelude to permanent peace. A bad nuclear deal that undermines U.S. security simply isnt anything the president would ever accept. THOMAS CYNKIN IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST: Trump-Kim Summit: The Art of Walking Away [President Trump] correctly followed the maxim that a bad deal is worse than no deal. The deal breaker in Hanoi was Kims insistence that the United States drop a broad swath of sanctions, thereby administering the coup de grace to the maximum pressure policy the Trump administration successfully pursued as a means to bring Kim to the negotiating table in the first place. THE HILL: Foreign Affairs Expert Praises Trump for Walking Away from North Korea Summit Foreign affairs expert Gordon Chang praised President Trump on Friday for walking away from the latest North Korea summit without making a deal, dismissing the proposals put forth by leader Kim Jong Un. I mean the North Koreans were putting forth absurd proposals, Chang told Hill.TVs Krystal Ball and Mattie Duppler on Rising. Whether you accept their version of their proposal or what President Trump said at the press conference, nonetheless President Trump should have walked from Hanoi and he did, and thats really important because it says to the North Koreans that theyve got to negotiate in good faith, he continued. It's official. And it's just in time for those of us who are sick to death of winter. Southwest Airlines is going to Hawaii. This is more than a story about a much-anticipated airline route, or even the chance to get a cheap ticket to the 50th state. (Although if you act fast, you might be able to grab a $49 Southwest promotional fare -- provided you book by the end of the day today.) Instead, this story is about a chance for a ringside seat, as an epic fight almost certainly breaks out among several major airlines. Although of course, the most existential challenge probably applies to Hawaiian Airlines, which suddenly will have to go head-to-head with Southwest. Here's a brief recap, plus how the competition is likely to play out, and what we stand to learn by watching this all unfold. 'Before we can fly to Hawaii...' I'm sure Southwest has been thinking about Hawaii for a long time, but one of the first public announcements I can find comes from 2014, when CEO Gary Kelly talked about the idea in an interview. As he pointed out then, the aviation industry is interesting because it's so regulated that airlines have to telegraph their plans far ahead of time. "We have work to do before we can fly to Hawaii, which I doubt we'll be able to keep a secret," Kelly said at the time. Oakland to Oahu Sure enough, it wasn't until 2017 that the airline officially announced its plans. And even then, the start date had to be pushed back earlier this year, because the partial government shutdown delayed Southwest's approval plans. But that's all set now, and service begins on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, between Oakland and Honolulu. Beyond that, Southwest will begin service to Kahului on April 7, and add service from San Jose beginning in early May. And, the airline plans to start inter-island service at the end of April, going head to head with Hawaiian Airlines. 'The Southwest Effect' Lots of airlines announce new routes. But Southwest is the only one I know of that has such an economic impact that it has an entire phenomenon named after it. The "Southwest Effect" is basically Southwest's record of entering new markets and upending the economics on routes as a result. Because while Southwest doesn't always have the cheapest fares, it can often spark a fare war by introducing other travel perks, like its insistence on avoiding change fees and baggage fees. A University of Virginia study found that in general, Southwest's entry into a new market drives the cost of tickets at all airlines down by an average of about $45. Will it happen here? Time will tell, but apparently investors expect it to. Hawaiian Airlines stock dropped about 10 percent in a day, after the first reports came out about Southwest's new Hawaiian schedule. It's an important story, and if it were up to me I'd fly out to cover it. For now however, we'll watch from afar. Mothers Day falls on 14 March this year and with the lockdown roadmap confirming that groups of six wont be allowed to gather together outdoors until two weeks later, many of us will be looking for thoughtful Mothers Day gift ideas that we can send from afar. Choosing a great Mothers Day gift is always a personal process only you and your nearest and dearest know your mums interests, style and tastes in the kind of depth you need to really knock it out of the park. But if youve found yourself stumped for inspiration after one of the most unprecedented years in recent memory, weve got your back. Read more: Mothers Day cards that celebrate the queen in your life Weve scoured collections new and old to track down the presents that we think any mum would love to receive, with suggestions for thoughtful, personalised and sustainable Mothers Day ideas spanning everything from candles and jewellery to artworks for the house and gifts for the garden. While we know we should be showing our appreciation for the brilliant mums and mother figures in our lives all year round, one of these little tokens will highlight just how much she means to you, whether you deliver it to her doorstep in person or through the post. Oh, and speaking of the post, once youve got the present sorted, dont forget a great Mothers Day card . You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent. Thoughtful Mothers Day gifts Rowfant rainbow charity hoop earrings: 95, Aureejewellery.com (Aauree Jewellery) The rainbow as a symbol holds more meaning than ever these days, and these colourful little hoops will make a cheery addition to your mums jewellery collection, whether shes got a single piercing or has started curating her lobes more extensively. Aurees jewellery is always of a lovely quality and arrives beautifully packaged in a soft fabric pouch tucked inside a branded gift box; but the really special thing about these huggies in particular is that all of the proceeds go to Little Village, a baby bank charity in South West London. Buy now Helen White mothers love print: From 14.95, Etsy.com (Etsy) The perfect gift for new parents, we love this whimsical print that celebrates the power of motherhood. The natural peachy, cream and brown tones feel both calming and bang on trend. As pampas grass and boucle fabrics take over our interiors, we can imagine this neutral piece taking pride of place in our home. Depicting a mother and child in a warm embrace, the illustration has a comforting feel that any mother figure will appreciate, particularly during such trying times. Helen White, the Midlands-based artist, offers the prints of her original paintings with both light and dark-haired options. Available in either A4 or A3 sizes. If youd prefer something more abstract, the artist is selling a range of other pieces that scream springtime. Buy now Nightire beautiful bodies dove grey midi set: 76, Nightire.com (Nightire) Yes, weve all spent the past year living in loungewear, but, in our opinion, you cant have too many pairs of jammies. And when theyre this good, we know your mum will agree too. Nightire makes its PJs from 100 per cent bamboo in gorgeous prints. Were already big fans the brands sweet clementine short set won best buy in our round-up of the best womens summer PJs . Bamboo is fast growing, making it sustainable and much cheaper than silk, while also being breathable and super soft. This limited-edition set has been designed by London-based artist Sarah Donde, and we love its pretty line-drawing pattern. The shirt, with its long sleeves, is even chic enough for your mum to wear out with a pair of jeans so its really two products in one. Buy now Liberty five minutes peace beauty kit: 65, Libertylondon.com (Liberty London) If theres anything most mums could do with, its a few minutes of peace and quiet to indulge in some self-care. Short of physical spas having a miraculous reopening for 14 March, this Liberty box is the most luxurious way to gift it this year. Inside the truly fabulous paisley box shell find cult beauty favourites from the likes of Aurelia, Aromatherapy Associates, Margaret Dabbs and Cowshed, plus a Liberty-print eye mask to enjoy long after the bottles are empty. Youll pay 65, but the goods inside are worth more than 228. Buy now Nars cheek duo Claudette collection: 37, Spacenk.com (Space nk) If the queen in your life loves all things make-up, this cheek duo compact will make their day all the more special. A lovely nod to mother figures everywhere, the palette is part of Narss recently launched Claudette range, inspired by the mother and muse of the brands founder, Francois Nars. The company is known for its quality packaging, but this weighty compact feels even more luxe than usual, adorned with butterfly-themed details that make it feel gift-worthy. Plus, the two complexion shades are perfect for spring, with a matte bright peach and a bronze shade that deliver the perfect flush of colour. Buy now Read more: How to recreate TikToks Sixties-inspired beauty looks, according to make-up artists The Corbeau Press personalised coupe glasses with engraved flower motif: 22, Notonhehighstreet.com (Not On The High Street) While lockdown restrictions mean that many of us wont be able to see our mothers come 14 March, the latest roadmap announcement has left us hopeful for when we can finally be reunited in the summer. Theres no better cause for celebration, and these coupe glasses, which have seen a style resurgence in recent months, are just the ticket. We love the hand-engraved, floral motif thats delicately laced around the bowl, and theres an option to add personalised lettering at the base to make it even more thoughtful. The champagne glass feels very Great-Gatsby-meets-summer-garden-party, and we couldnt be more into it. Buy now Sculptd x Bloom & Wild Mothers Day flower vase kit: 65, Sculpt.co.uk (Sculpd) Mothers Day flowers are always a thoughtful surprise, but kitting her out with a set that allows her to make a vase to showcase them takes the concept to another level. Enter this genius set from Bloom & Wild and Sculptd, who have teamed up for a bundle that includes a bunch of beautiful dried flowers and everything your mum will need to get her hands dirty and sculpt a vase of her very own. Its a lovely, mindful gift idea that any mum whos even slightly inclined towards crafting will love. Bloom & Wilds letterbox flowers score consistently highly in our reviews, and the beauty of these dried ones is that she can keep them on display for so much longer in a votive of her own making, no less. Buy now Read more: 13 best letterbox flowers for all occasions to deliver at any time Hoop n Loop personalised pet jumper: 110, Hoopnloop.co.uk (Hoop n Loop) We all know that the animals we choose to live with are just as much part of the family as anyone else. And if your mum loves her pets, then why not emblazon them on a jumper? Thanks to Hoop n Loop, its easy to do. Founded in 2017 by fashion designer Carol Tai, she wanted to bring her love of animals, her own dog Koko, into her work. All you need to do is supply a picture and then choose your colour, and in return youll get a beautifully embroidered jumper with your mums beloved pets face on it. We know that shell beam with joy showing off her four-legged pal. If a jumper isnt for her, you can also choose from cushions, stripey tops, tees, bags and even a scarf. Buy now Read more: The best Buyagift discount codes to use now (John Lewis & Partners) Last year threw a lot at us all, so whether your mum was working from home, on the front line, homeschooling or both, shell no doubt welcome the idea of new skincare treats with open arms. A go-to classic is Liz Earles cleanse and polish hot cloth cleanser, which is included in this set along with the brands eyebright soothing lotion, which takes care of the oh-so-delicate under-eye area, and a superskin eye treatment that takes away puffiness and helps brighten. Buy now Personalised Mothers Day gifts Papier pink and pine colour block personalised notecards, set of 10: 20, Papier.com (Papier) After nearly a year of not seeing family and friends, were all putting pen to paper and indulging in the ancient art of letter-writing. Were sure the stationery-loving mum in your life will appreciate these notecards, and will love to send them too. Designed by Collagerie, set up by formerVogue editors Lucinda Chambers and Serena Hood, the collaboration with Papier is all about block colours and bold shapes (the pink and pine option is our favourite) and will make a lovely, thoughtful gift for your mum. Printed on warm-white Mohawk 324gsm paper, they can also be personalised in a range of fonts and colours and come with plain white envelopes. Hopefully, youll get one as a thank you, too. Buy now Rachel Jackson T-bar gold necklace: 130, Racheljacksonlondon.com (Rachel Jackson) Yellow-gold jewellery is still having a moment and we think this T-bar necklace from Rachel Jackson is the perfect way to tap into the trend. The range was designed during the pandemic to evoke the emotions we all felt when time stood still, and while we cant quite see how the design itself echoes this sentiment, the option to personalise means its easy to add a reflective message for your lucky recipient. We chose this too shall pass as our engraved mantra, and loved the delicate cursive font it came printed in. The 22-carat gold-plated sterling silver pendant comes with a trendy box chain, and there are matching earrings available if youre feeling generous. Read more: 11 best jewellery gifts under 100, from rings to earrings Elizabeth Scarlett African palmier khaki velvet everyday pouch: 28, Elizabethscarlett.com (Elizabeth Scarlett) For anyone who frequently misplaces things (read: all of us), these gorgeous pouches are a godsend. We love them for keeping all those annoying little bits, like charging wires or card-holders, together in one easy-to-find place. And when travel is back on, well use them for packing in our suitcases or hand luggage, as well as for keeping books, suncream and other poolside essentials together on holiday. Coming in more than 20 embroidered designs and colour combinations, from turtles to pineapples and zebras, theres plenty of choices to find something that suits your mum (or you too). Our favourite is the African palmier pattern in super soft khaki velvet, and we love the details like the lotus leaf on the zip pull. Each can be monogrammed with up to three letters for an extra 14. Theres also matching eye masks and coin purses available in the same designs. Buy now Azurina LA pistachio leather croc chunky strap grab bag: 55, Theazurinastore.com (Azurina) One of our favourite brands for all things personalised, Azurinas accessories scream quality and last for years. With a host of on-trend designs as well as classic styles, we love how customisable the brands pieces are. The real leather grab bag is a fun take on the mini handbag trend, without it feeling too ridiculously Jacquemus-esque in size. Perfect for the style-conscious mum, choose from a range of shades including cream and periwinkle blue. We plumped for this pastel pistachio colour that will certainly bring joy come spring. The contrasting chunky strap feels very in vogue but we love that this can be removed to create a different look too. The brand offers free gift wrapping and the monogrammed initials are a nice personalised touch, without feeling too gimmicky. Buy now Large jewellery case: 120, Missoma.com (Missoma) Missoma isnt just one of the best brands for sourcing demi-fine jewellery gifts, it also provides you with a chic place to store them and you can even get box personalised with your mums initials. When we first zipped open the pouch we were seriously impressed with the number of pouches, pockets and plush ring compartments, and that was before we flipped it over and realised that theres even more on the other side. This berry red number will look bright and beautiful on her dressing table, but theres also a range of neutral and jewel-toned hues, plus a smaller style (85, Missoma.com) if she only has a few precious pieces to organise. Buy now Mum, Tell Me: A Give and Get Back Book by Elma van Vliet, published by Particular Books: 12.61, Amazon.co.uk (Amazon) In a sweet twist on a personalised Mothers Day gift of your choosing, Mum, Tell Me is actually a present youre asking her to personalise and give back to you. The pages are filled with prompts for your mum to share stories from throughout her life, from her first loves to greatest achievements (aside from being your parent, of course). When we gifted this previously, it got a brilliant and emotional reaction from the recipient its especially good for long-distance mums, who you might not get to chat with face-to-face as often as youd like. Buy now Read more: 9 best letter writing sets to help you stay in touch with loved ones during lockdown Moet & Chandon exclusive imperial rose NV champagne and personalised tin: 58.99, Selfridges.com (Selfridges) When all else fails, you simply cant go wrong with champagne especially when its customised with her name (or another message or in-joke of your choice). We probably dont need to sell you on the virtues of Moet & Chandon itself, given that its been one of the bestselling champagne brands for centuries, but we really love the way the personalisation of the gift tin from Selfridges elevates an ordinary present to something more meaningful. Buy now Sustainable Mothers Day gifts Kabloom seedbom pollinator beebom: 3.95, Notonthehighstreet.com (Not On The High Street) Kablooms seedboms are biodegradable, compostable bombs filled with wildflower seeds that have been designed to support local wildlife this one is for bees, but theres also an equally affordable version for butterflies (3.95, Notonthehighstreet.com). Kabloom says between March and June is ideal to throw and grow their products, making this a perfectly-timed sustainable Mothers Day gift idea for any green-fingered mum who loves spending time in the garden. Buy now Huna nos gown: 120, Hunasleep.co.uk (Huna Sleep) A brand founded by two best friends who were inspired by growing up in the Welsh countryside, Huna (Welsh for slumber) prides itself in designing sleepwear that is comfortable with a focus on natural and sustainable materials. But that doesnt mean its products are left wanting in the style stakes, as the brands linen designs are simple but classic in neutral oatmeal shades with relaxed fits that any mother figure would love to lounge around in. We plumped for this waffle linen piece, as, frankly, you cant go far wrong with a dressing gown when it comes to gifting. Made from 100 per cent natural, Oeko Tex-certified waffle linen, the handmade gown features roomy front pockets and an oversized fit for comfort, but the exaggerated waist tie makes it a flattering too. Created with responsibly grown materials, the Huna team designs and creates everything in Wales, so aside from importing its linen (no flax is grown in the UK for linen manufacture) production doesnt involve any unnecessary journeys. Ideal at regulating body temperature, linen is the perfect fabric to wear all year round, meaning your lucky recipient will get plenty of use out of this gift. Buy now Evermore London north clouds and cool oud scented candle, 300g: 50, Amara.com (Amara) We love this sustainable luxury candle brand, and were sure your mum will too. Evermore Londons scents aim to bring us back to nature an aim that feels rather fitting given many of us have been stuck inside for nearly a year. Each candle is made from vegan rapeseed and soy wax, before being hand-poured into recycled jars and packaged in recyclable boxes with no cellophane wrap. The glossy black jar with gold lettering is sure to impress any Instagram-savvy mother, and the scent itself also impressed us in our guide to the best non-toxic candles. With notes of cypress, oud, maple and tobacco, this comforting, woody fragrance reminded us of the comfort of a warm fire. And, if you fancy something a bit more summery, there are plenty of other fragrances to choose from. We love the burning bright across velvet skies message on the back of the candle too. A special gift for the queen in your life. Buy now (Bloomon) Who doesnt love receiving a floral delivery? But forget petrol-station bunches Bloomoon offers modern, seasonal designs that are all about height, texture, tonal colours and unusual blooms, and are nothing short of a delight. Aside from its beautiful designs, we also love Bloomon because it uses flowers that are carbon neutral, has plans to further reduce its carbon footprint, has worked to shorten its supply chain and use fewer pesticides, and has joined the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative, which makes sure the sector works in a responsible way. You can send a one-off bunch and choose between fresh bouquets (29.95 to 39.95) or dried statement displays (22.95 to 33.95), or subscribe and save around 5 per bunch. Each week theres a different design, and you can change the frequency or pause subscriptions at any time. Bloomon says fresh bouquets last for up to 10 days, but weve had bunches that looked great for two weeks. Buy now (August & Piers) On another beautifully scented note, if its ever been said that your mum has the patience of a saint, shell appreciate this candle from August&Piers, a company that prides itself on making gorgeous blends from soy, bee and rapeseed wax rather than paraffin. The packaging is FSC certified, fully recyclable and free from any plastic, while the ceramic jar can be upcycled and reused long after the initial scent (fig, cassis and orange blossom, in this instance) has burned away. Buy now Read more: 10 non-toxic candles that are sustainable and smell great Face Halo set xo gift box bundle: 44, Beautybay.com (Beauty Bay) A practical gift, but a worthy one nonetheless, help your mum ditch the make-up wipes with this set from one of our favourite brands, Face Halo. There are plenty of imitations of these reusable make-up removers, but weve yet to try another that works as well as the original. The soft yet sturdy fibres gently remove all traces of make-up, including heavy-duty foundations and mascaras, without causing any irritation. Plus theres no mess a bonus as theres nothing worse than a dripping face cloth. Simply dampen the pad and wipe the day away. This gift set features three of the classic pads as well as four smaller versions for tricker under-eye areas, as well as our favourite exfoliating body mitt. Its gentle on sensitive skin but really buffs away everything, including fake tan. Your mum will be saving 500 single-use make-up wipes from landfill with every one of these pads. Buy now Tonys chocolonely milk chocolate five pack: 21.88, Amazon.co.uk (Amazon) For all chocoholics, this must be the go-to bar. The brands chunky bars, which come in a handful of delicious flavours, are recognisable for their unevenly sized shapes, which represent the unfair distribution of profits in the chocolate industry. Tonys chocolonely pays above the Fairtrade price, and pays a supplement to help its workers families pay for education and other necessities. We cant choose between our favourites (and we doubt your mum will be able to either) so its fortunate you can get a bundle of five. Buy now Navygrey heirloom cardigan: 215, Navygrey.co (NavyGrey) Of course, all mums have their own personal style sensibility, but everyone needs a cosy knit they can rely on. We cant imagine anyone who wouldnt be thrilled to receive this one from Navygreys sustainable line. The brand works in partnership with SustainaWool to ensure the materials it uses are of the highest possible quality and are fully traceable the wool in this heirloom cardigan, for instance, is designed for generations of wear and was spun and dyed on the banks of Loch Leven in Scotland. Navygrey also pledges to plant a tree for every heirloom cardigan sold, which is an additional sustainable touch. Buy now Read more: 8 best sustainable knitwear brands the eco-friendly labels to know Kind Bag reusable shopping bag, medium: 10, Kindbag.co (Kind Bag) This brands mission is to replace some of the one trillion (yes, you read that correctly) single-use plastic bags used in the world. Weighing just 50g, the bag folds up into its own little pouch thats attached to the inside and can hold up to three times more than a normal shopping bag as its much larger and stronger. It comes in an array of bright and fun designs and we also really like that it has long handles, so you can throw it over your shoulder to easily carry your wares. Its made from six plastic bottles that would otherwise have ended up in landfill and with each purchase, Kind Bag donates 10 per cent of profits to Just One Ocean, a charity that raises awareness of plastic pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction. Its an absolute gamechanger for everything from your weekly shop, to carting books or your lunch around. We never leave home without one, and think it makes a great little present for an eco-conscious mum. Buy now Heres how to get the Morrisons 20 afternoon tea box delivered in time for Mothers Day IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing. Ash Wednesday is a significant day in the Christian calendar denoting the beginning of the repentant period of Lent which precedes Easter. In 2021, the day falls on Wednesday 17 February, marking the start of Lent. It's observed by individuals from various sectors of Christianity, including Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Methodists. The practices of Ash Wednesday, such as the placing of ashes on the foreheads of participants, go back centuries. Here's everything you need to know about Ash Wednesday: What does the day signify? Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, a six-week period during which Christians often abstain from rich foods such as meat and dairy. Some who take part also abstain from everyday habits such as watching excessive amounts of television. Christians take part in the annual abstinent period of Lent in order to commemorate Jesus Christ, who, according to a biblical narrative, once spent 40 days and nights fasting in the Judaean Desert while being tempted by Satan. In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 Roman Catholics queue up to have crosses etched to their foreheads with ash by nuns and laymen as the country marks Ash Wednesday, the official beginning of the Christian Lenten season in Manila, Philippines In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 A Catholic nun uses ash to mark a cross on the forehead of a woman in observance of Ash Wednesday at The Redemptorist Church at suburban Paranaque city south of Manila, Philippines In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 With their foreheads marked with ash, Catholic devotees pray after lighting candles in observance of Ash Wednesday at The Redemptorist Church at suburban Paranaque city, south of Manila, Philippines In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 An Indian Catholic priest (L) marks the symbol of the cross with ash on the forehead of a Christian devotee during an Ash Wednesday service at Saint Mary's Basilica in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad, India In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 East Timorese Catholic worshippers receive black soot marks on their foreheads as they observe Ash Wednesday at the Auxiliadora Komoro Catholic church in Dili, East Timor, also known as Timor Leste In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 Indian Catholic Christians offer prayers during an Ash Wednesday service at Saint Mary's Basilica in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad, India In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 A man maintains oil lamps at the entrance to the Aedicule of the Tomb on Ash Wednesday In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 A nun prays at Golgotha on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. The Church of The Holy Sepulchre preserves the most important moments of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ When is it? This year, Ash Wednesday takes place on Wednesday 17 February. Ash Wednesday occurs exactly 46 days before Easter Sunday, which is a moveable feast. Easter Sunday is always held on the first Sunday after a full moon following the Spring Equinox. Ash Wednesday occurs a day after Shrove Tuesday, otherwise known as Pancake Day. On Pancake Day, as the name suggests, it's customary to eat pancakes and other rich foods in preparation for Lent. How is it observed? During church services on Ash Wednesday, members of the clergy mark crosses on the foreheads of worshippers using ashes, or sprinkle ashes over their heads as a sign of repentance. The ashes, which are mixed with holy water or olive oil, are made by burning palm leaves on Shrove Tuesday. These leaves will have last been used during the church service for Palm Sunday the previous year. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Palm Sunday occurs on the Sunday before Easter Sunday, and commemorates Christ's entry into Jerusalem days before the Last Supper. As the cross is marked on a person's forehead by a member of the clergy, they say: "Remember that you are guest, and to dust you shall return." Alternatively, the priest may say: "Repent and believe in the gospel." Chanel has released an interview with Karl Lagerfeld just weeks after the designer died at the age of 85. The brand shared the interview on its podcast 3.55, to launch its new Metier Class series, which aims to give listeners an in-depth insight into the world of Chanel. The 45-minute conversation was conducted by Monocle editor-in-chief Tyler Brule and took place in New York in December 2018, hours before Chanels Metiers dArt show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it reveals some of Lagerfelds last thoughts regarding the fashion industry, social media, and his own role as the creative director of Chanel. According to Lagerfeld, who died on 19 February 2019 in Paris, when it came to his work, he disliked the phrase you have to deliver, as he was delighted to do it. My job is to propose a fantasy, the late designer said of his collections. Whoever wants it, whoever likes it. Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld Show all 10 1 /10 Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 8294.bin Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 8295.bin Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 8296.bin Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 8297.bin Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 8298.bin Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 8299.bin Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 8300.bin AP2007 Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 8301.bin Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 8302.bin Inside the world of Karl Lagerfeld 7677.bin During the interview, Lagerfeld also revealed that he believed bad taste came about during the industrial era, and that he had no time for social media, as his days were spent sleeping, taking care of Choupette, my famous cat, and designing. As for his work with Chanel, the designer recalled how when he first took over the brand 36 years ago, everybody said to me dont touch it, its dead but that he decided to take on the role because it was an interesting challenge. And part of the reason for the brands success, according to Lagerfeld, is because he doesnt think about consumers when creating his designs as he follows his own advice: Do what you like. The late designer also shared advice for new designers who wish to follow in his footsteps, acknowledging that it is not easy. I know a lot of people who never went to [design] school and did great things, myself included, he said, after admitting that he did not know how to make a bed or cook an egg. Lagerfeld, who was born in Germany, spent more than 70 years working in the fashion industry, but was best known for his work as the creative director of Chanel and Fendi. The late designer was also a fashion icon, recognisable by his fingerless gloves, dark sunglasses, and white hair tied in a ponytail. The interview with Lagerfeld was released just days before the designers final Chanel collection will be unveiled on 5 March at the Grand Palais, according to Vogue. In addition to Lagerfeld, the podcast series will feature interviews with Chanels president of global fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky, and brand ambassador Pharrell Williams Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events You can listen to the entire interview here. On Tuesday 6 March, Christians and non-Christians across the UK will tuck into platefuls of pancakes and take part in a whole host of pancake-related activities and competitions. For centuries, the consumption of pancakes has widely been regarded a a popular way to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, which takes place the day before Ash Wednesday in preparation for Lent. However, the day is celebrated in a variety of ways around the world with many different foods. Pennsylvania: Fastnachts They might sound strange and other-worldly, but fastnachts are in fact very similar to doughnuts. The art of pancake tossing Show all 9 1 /9 The art of pancake tossing The art of pancake tossing Getty Images The art of pancake tossing Getty Images The art of pancake tossing Getty Images The art of pancake tossing Getty Images The art of pancake tossing February 5, 2013 in Salisbury, England. Getty Images The art of pancake tossing Getty Images The art of pancake tossing Getty Images The art of pancake tossing Getty Images The art of pancake tossing 1927: A pancake race at Olney, an old English custom in the village Getty Images The sweet treat will be sold around the state on Shrove Tuesday - in honour of the Dutch Pennsylvanian community from where they originate - in various forms, including glazed, cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar. The idea is that those taking part in Lent, which sees people give up a "luxury" for 40 days, will be able to indulge in some sweet, sugary goodness beforehand. Sweden: Semla A semla is a cream-filled bun that is consumed all year round in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia, but is traditionally eaten in the country on Shrove Tuesday. They are often covered in powdered sugar and cinnamon and sometimes contain almond paste in addition to the cream. Estonia: Split pea soup Split pea soup. (Getty Images) Dubbed Vastlapaev, Shrove Tuesday in Estonia is unique in that its celebrated with a savoury dish as opposed to a sweet one, as is customary in the UK and the US. Instead of pancakes or doughnuts, Estonians will eat split pea soup, which traditionally contains dried yellow peas, pearly barley and pork belly. They also eat semla. Madeira: Malasadas In Madeira, Portugal, people celebrate the day preceding Lent by cooking and eating malasadas, a sweet dough and sugar-based treat that is similar to a doughnut. Similar to the reasons behind why British people eat pancakes, the idea is that making malasadas on Shrove Tuesday gives people the opportunity to use up all of the indulgent ingredients they wont be allowed to eat during the 40-day Lent period. Spain: Omelettes (Getty Images/iStockphoto (Getty Images/iStockphoto) The equivalent to Shrove Tuesday in Spain is Jueves Lardero, which translates directly to fat Thursday. The day marks the beginning of a week-long carnival preceding Lent and in some regions, its become known as El Dia de la Tortilla. As the name which translates to the day of the tortilla would suggest, the celebratory dish of choice for El Dia de la Tortilla is Spanish omelette, a national speciality that usually contains egg, potato and onion. Naomi Long has publicly criticised Jude Collins after the media commentator made unwarranted comments about her weight. Over the weekend, Mr Collins wrote a blog post after seeing the Northern Ireland politician on TV, in which he wrote: Naomis weight problem Im assuming its a medical condition is what hits you between the eyes when she comes on TV, the Belfast Telegraph reported. Mr Collins also wrote on his blog that he had no doubt that its a worrying thing for her which prompted Ms Long, who is leader of the Northern Ireland Alliance, to respond to the commentator. In a Facebook post, the politician began by writing: This may be the one and only time I ever share anything written by Jude Collins, and it isnt to praise it. That my weight problem is the first thing to hit him between the eyes when Im on TV is evidence not of my weight, but his problem, Ms Long wrote. I wasnt aware Jude was either invested enough in my health to care or medically qualified enough to comment: however, I am absolutely certain he doesnt know me or what concerns me at all, and has no right to speculate. Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Show all 7 1 /7 Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Derry Girls cast members Siobhan McSweeney and Nicola Coughlan (right) join MPS and women impacted by Northern Ireland's strict abortion laws PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Heidi Allen (second right) joins the protest PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster A luggage tag on a suitcase, symbolising the women who travel from Northern Ireland to England for terminations PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster The campaigners march across Westminster Bridge PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Counter-protesters Rebecca Morgan (left) and her daughter Helen, one, demonstrate in favour of Northern Ireland's current laws Getty Images Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Protesters supporting Northern Ireland's abortion laws at Parliament Square Getty Images Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Demonstrators pull suitcases to symbolise the women who travel from Northern Ireland to England for a termination AFP/Getty Images The politician, whose party holds eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly, then said Mr Collins comments were a sign of his misogyny as well as his lack of manners as he has never made similar comments regarding appearance of male colleagues or opponents. Long concluded her post reminding her followers: Its not those of us with big bodies but those with small minds which are the most destructive force. The Northern Ireland politician was joined by others on social media who called out Mr Collins for his comments, which many deemed fat shaming. Jude Collins really is a disgrace and the lowest of the low, one person wrote on Twitter. Nobody should be subject to comments about their weight, looks, or appearance when it comes to politics. The backlash prompted Mr Collins to apologise and remove his post. In a blog post Monday, the columnist said a multitude of people had told him how obnoxious his comments were, and that after looking back at his blog post, he could see that what I wrote could well have been hurtful to Naomi. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Mr Collins also said he had removed the offensive paragraph and has no hesitation in apologising to the Alliance party leader for my crassness and any hurt this may have caused her. I hope she will accept that apology, he wrote. Becoming one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is no easy feat. It takes months of gruelling, physical training, something that Captain Marvel star Brie Larson learned firsthand over the course of nine months in preparation for her role as the titular character. Aside from the countless hours Larson had to spend in the gym to build her strength, the actor also had to work on another, slightly surprising aspect of training - her facial expression. Speaking with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel on 4 March, the Oscar-winning actor explained that her peers were unable to contain their laughter on set as they watched her try to master a solemn, focused, superhero "cool face". "They're usually laughing at you while you're trying to find it, because it's hard. At least, it was for me. I would just bust up laughing," Larson said. 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes Show all 10 1 /10 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes The Force was strong with this young girl when she dressed as scavenger-turned-Jedi Padawan Rey at a 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' fan event at Sydney Opera House in December 2015. With an outfit including Rey's signature goggles and detached sleeves, this budding Jedi is definitely ready for action. Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes In July 2016, Paul Feig's all-female 'Ghostbusters' reboot held its world premiere in Los Angeles. During the event, the film's cast came across a group of young girls dressed as the ghost-fighting foursome. Here, actor Kristen Wiig can be seen high-fiving one of the girls, much to the young fan's excitement. Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes At the European premiere of 'Captain Marvel', which took place at London's Curzon cinema in Mayfair on Wednesday 27 February 2019, lead actor Brie Larson had a sweet encounter with eight-year-old Illie, who attended the event dressed in the superhero's signature blue and red suit. 'She's my hero!' Larson tweeted about Illie following the event. Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes This young Wonder Woman was primed for battle when she had her photograph taken at New York Comic-Con at Javits Centre in October 2018. Nothing gets past Wonder Woman Diana Prince's Amazonian sword and shield. Getty Images 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes While being interviewed about being a filmmaker in February 2019, 'Black Panther' director and writer Ryan Coogler was taken aback when he spotted a young girl dressed as Shuri, the superhero's witty and inventive younger sister. When Coogler asked her what her name is, she responded: 'Black Panther's sister.' Coogler then told her that her costume was 'amazing'. EPIX 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes Chloe Grace Moretz's portrayal of Hit-Girl in the 2010 film 'Kiss-Ass' proved that young girls should never be underestimated. This young fan channelled the character's ferocity at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con. Getty Images 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes In the 2018 Marvel blockbuster 'Avengers: Infinity War', a younger version of Zoe Saldana's character, Gamora, is played by child star Ariana Greenblatt. Saldana shared a photo of the pair together on Instagram, captioning the picture: 'Double trouble'. Instagram/Zoe Saldana 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes In 2017, a young girl dressed as Wonder Woman burst into tears as she met actor Gal Gadot at San Diego Comic-Con. Gadot, who's portrayed the character since 2016, comforted the superhero fan by saying, 'There's no reason to cry anymore, right? Here we are together.' Getty Images 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes This young Jedi apprentice looked slightly nervous as she attended the Australian premiere of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' in Sydney, December 2015. Hopefully being dressed as one of the film's heroes, Rey, gave her the boost of courage she needed. AFP/Getty Images 10 times young girls dressed as their favourite female heroes As a friend of Harry Potter and member of Dumbledore's Army, Luna Lovegood is regarded as one of the heroes of J. K. Rowling's fictional wizarding world. One Harry Potter fan channeled Luna's eccentric nature at the opening night of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II' at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles in July 2011, wearing the witch's signature Spectra Specs and carrying a copy of wizarding publication the Quibbler. Getty Images The star then demonstrated what her first attempt at a "cool face" had looked like, her deadpan expression prompting laughs from Kimmel and the audience. Larson explained that the stunt team helped her perfect her superhero demeanour, instructing her to turn around, bend her knees and clench her firsts before slowly turning her head. Following her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Larson was photographed on the red carpet of the Los Angeles Captain Marvel premiere wearing a custom star-spangled dress by American luxury fashion brand Rodarte. Brie Larson attends the premiere of Captain Marvel on 4 March in California (Getty Images) Larson thanked Rodarte co-founders and sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy for creating the gown for her, writing on Instagram that wearing it for the occasion was a "dream come true". One of the highlights of the premiere occurred involved the US Air Force's Thunderbirds squadron flying over Los Angeles landmarks in celebration of the event. Members of the Air Force, some of whom worked with Larson on the film, also attended the premiere. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events On Wednesday 27 February, the London of Captain Marvel was held at the Curzon cinema in Mayfair. Female police officers were in attendance at the event to celebrate 100 years of women serving in the Metropolitan Police. During the premiere, Larson had a heartwarming interaction with an eight-year-old girl, who was dressed in Captain Marvel's signature red and blue superhero suit. "She's my hero!" Larson tweeted about the young fan, following the premiere. Sainsburys suffered another body blow this morning with the release of Kantar Worldpanel's regular grocery market survey. Punch drunk from the Competition & Markets Authority delivering an upper cut to its Asda merger plans, Kantars figures followed up with a painful left jab. Sainsburys was the only big grocery group to record a fall in sales over the 12 weeks to February 24 and as a result it stuck out like a sore thumb in the researchers tables. It looked a bit like one of those odd shaped potatoes in the middle of a tray full of the perfectly ones that the supermarkets used to insist were the only ones shoppers would buy. No these arent official figures, as grocers are typically only too keen to remind everyone of when they dont come out of them looking good. But they are closely watched because they are based on an admirably comprehensive survey - the shopping data submitted by a 30,000 strong panel. That data showed that Sainsburys sales declined by 1 per cent. Worse still, from the point of view of pride, is that its sluggish performance (this is no one off) means it should soon surrender its position as Britains number two supermarket to its proposed merger partner, which has been revived somewhat. Sainsburys now has 15.7 per cent, Asda 15.5 per cent. The corresponding figures this time last year were 16.2 per cent and 15.6 per cent, which ought to give Sainsburys investors pause for some serious thought. Much of the focus following the figures release - hot on the heels of a set of numbers from Barclaycard - focussed on the rather mixed evidence of pre Brexit stockpiling (people say theyre looking at it but the figures arent picking it up yet). Were Theresa Mays one policy of note not threatening to drop a bomb on all of the supermarkets, and on all of us too, Asdas renewed vim ought to have made it an attractive target for someone other than Sainsburys by now. Owner Walmart is none too keen on hanging around. It's probably working on plan B right now. Sainsburys, by contrast, looks rather like what Britains going to look like when its dismal Conservative government has finished doing its worst: Ailing while looking enviously across at its rivals. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. There were a few crumbs of comfort for the chain's bosses. The premium Taste the Difference range has been doing well, for example, which shows that cheap prices arent everything notwithstanding what's driven the growth of Aldi and Lidl (theyre doing just fine by the way). It should also be noted that the figures from a previous deal, the acquisition of Argos, are not including because general merchandise isnt covered by Kantars survey. But with the latest merger on the ropes, and Sainsburys performance wilting, CEO Mike Coupe is facing hard questions about both his deal making and his business management. These figures only underline how badly he needs to find some answers. BMW may move some of its engine production from the UK to Austria in the event of a no-deal Brexit, one of its board members revealed on Tuesday. We have some flexibility on the engine side with Steyr in Austria, Peter Shwarzenbauer told Reuters at the Geneva car show. We would need to make some adjustments toward Steyr. We are preparing to be able to do it. Schwarzenbauer also told Sky News that BMW will have to consider ending Mini production at its Oxford plant if the UK leaves the EU with no deal in place. The car maker has previously announced plans to bring a planned shutdown of its Oxford site forward to begin on the same day the UK leaves the EU. The group also has plants at Hams Hall, Goodwood and Swindon, and a sales and marketing branch in Farnborough. The German brand employs 8,000 people directly in the UK, and supports around 14,000 more jobs through retail networks. BMW is one of many motor manufacturers to make a start on contingency plans in an effort to reduce the potential disruption a hard Brexit. Also on Tuesday, the head of Toyotas European operations said a disorderly Brexit could put future investment at its UK factory near Derby at risk. Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Show all 5 1 /5 Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Jaguar Land Rover Britain's largest automotive manufacturer announced in January that it plans to cut 4500 jobs from its 40,000 workforce Getty Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Nissan The Japanese car company announced early in February that it would no longer be making the new X-trail model at its Sunderland factory Getty Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Honda Honda has announced that it is planning to close its Swindon plant with the loss of 3,500 jobs PA Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Michelin Michelin announced in November that it will close its Dundee tyre factory which employs over 800 people by 2020 PA Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Schaeffler Shchaeffler's Llanelli plant is to close by the end of 2019. The company provides automotive and and industrial parts worldwide and the Llanelli plant employs over 200 people. Juergen Ziegler, chief executive for Europe, said that while Brexit was not the only factor, it has "brought forward" the decision to relocate Google Jaguar Land Rover announced last year that it was moving workers at its Castle Bromwich plant to a three-day week because of continuing headwinds impacting the car industry. Its chief executive has warned repeatedly of the risks Brexit poses to the sector. Last month, Honda announced plans to close its Swindon plant, putting 3,500 jobs at risk. Meanwhile, the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed UK car exports slumped by one-fifth and production fell for an eighth successive month in January. The trade body said this was evidence of the clear and present danger of a no-deal Brexit. The Bank of England and the European Central Bank (ECB) have agreed an emergency currency swap line to ensure banks have access to cash in the event of a no-deal Brexit The agreement means the Bank of England will offer to lend euros to UK banks on a weekly basis while the ECB will receive pound sterling from the BoE in exchange for euros. It means that even if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, the country will still remain reliant on Frankfurt to help safeguard the financial system. "Activation marks a prudent and precautionary step by the Bank of England... supporting the functioning of markets that serve households and businesses," the ECB said on Tuesday. Since 2013, Britain has had similar swap lines with four other central banks: the US, Canada, Japan and Switzerland. Brexit so far: in pictures Show all 53 1 /53 Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson led the VoteLeave campaign PA Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson MP, Labour MP Gisela Stuart and UKIP MP Douglas Carswell address the people of Stafford in Market Square during the Vote Leave Brexit Battle Bus tour on 17 May 2016. Their lead line on the tour was: We send the EU 350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead. Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Voting day A man shelters from the rain as he arrives at a polling station in London on 23 June 2016. Millions of Britons voted in the referendum on whether to stay in or leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Referendum results Leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage, reacts at the Leave EU referendum party at Millbank Tower in central London as results indicated that it was likely the UK would leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Protesting the result A young couple painted as EU flags and a man with a sign reading Im not leaving protest outside Downing Street against the voters decision to leave the EU on 24 June 2016 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures David Cameron resigns British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns on the steps of 10 Downing Street on 24 June 2016 after the results of the EU referendum were declared and the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Theresa May Becomes the new Conservative Party leader Theresa May receives a kiss from her husband Philip, after becoming the new Conservative Party leader on 11 July 2016. May became Prime Minister two days later and although she voted to remain in the referendum was keen to lead Britains Brexit talks after her only rival in the race to succeed David Cameron pulled out unexpectedly. May was left as the only contender standing after the withdrawal from the leadership race of Andrea Leadsom, who faced criticism for suggesting she was more qualified to be prime minister because she had children AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Lancaster House keynote speech on Brexit British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers her keynote speech on Brexit at Lancaster House in London on 17 January 2017. Where she spoke about her offer to introduce a transition period after the UK formally leaves the European Union in March 2019. Despite repeating the pro-Brexit mantra of no deal is better than a bad deal, the Prime Minister claimed she wanted a tone of trust between the negotiators and said Britain was leaving the EU but not Europe. She said there should be a clear double lock needed for the transitional period to make sure businesses had time to prepare for changes to their trading relationships with the EU Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Triggering of Article 50 British Prime Minister Theresa May in the cabinet, sitting below a painting of Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, signs the official letter to European Council President Donald Tusk invoking Article 50 and the United Kingdom's intention to leave the EU on 29 March 2017 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Gibraltar nonsense Tensions have risen over Brexit negotiations for the Rock of Gibraltar. The European Council has said Gibraltar would be included in a trade deal between London and Brussels only with the agreement of Spain. While former Conservative leader Michael Howard claimed that Theresa May would be prepared to go to war to protect the territory. Spain's foreign minister stepped in only to assert that there was no need for the dispute Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Shock snap election Soon after triggering Article 50, Theresa May called on 18 April 2017 for a snap general election. The election would be on 8 June and it came as a shock move to many, with her reasoning to try to bolster her position before tough talks on leaving the EU AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Dissolution of Parliament for General Election Campaign Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street after returning from Buckingham Palace on 3 May 2017. The Prime Minister visited the Queen to ask for the dissolution of Parliament signalling the official start to the general election campaign Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Conservatives lose parliamentary majority An arrangement of British daily newspapers showing front page stories about the exit poll results of the snap general election. British Prime Minister Theresa May faced pressure to resign on 9 June 2017 after losing her parliamentary majority, plunging the country into uncertainty as Brexit talks loomed. The pound fell sharply amid fears the Conservative leader would be unable to form a government AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Labour gains Britains opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gives a tumbs up as he arrives at Labour headquarters in central London on 9 June 2017 after the snap general election results showed a hung parliament with Labour gains and the Conservatives losing their majority AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit negotiations begin Brexit Minister David Davis and European Commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations Michel Barnier address a press conference at the end of the first day of Brexit negotiations in Brussels on 19 June 2017 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May speaks in Florence British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on 22 September 2017, in Florence. May sought to unlock Brexit talks after Brussels demanded more clarity on the crunch issues of budget payments and EU citizens' rights AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit insufficient progress German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins other EU leaders for a breakfast meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on 20 October 2017. The EU spoke about Brexit and announced that insufficient progress had been made AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures DUP derails settlement on the withdrawal part of Brexit DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds walks off after speaking to members of the media as a protester holding flags shouts after him outside the Houses of Parliament on 5 December 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to pull out of a deal with Brussels after the DUP said it would not accept terms which see Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May suffers defeat over EU (Withdrawal) Bill Theresa May suffers defeat in parliament over EU (Withdrawal) Bill on 13 December 2017. The Government was defeated by Conservative rebels and Labour MPs in a vote on its key piece of Brexit legislation. MPs amended the EU (Withdrawal) Bill against Theresa May's will, guaranteeing Parliament a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal she agrees with Brussels. Ms May's whips applied pressure on Conservative rebels who remained defiant in the Commons throughout the day and in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305 Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit sufficient progress Britain's Prime minister Theresa May arrives to attend the first day of a European union summit in Brussels on 14 December 2017. European leaders discussed Brexit and announced there was finally sufficient progress at the end of the two days AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures The game moves to transition Brexit Secretary David Davis gives evidence on developments in European Union divorce talks to the Commons Exiting the EU Committee in Portcullis House, London, on 24 January 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures Trade deal is what May wants French President Emmanuel Macron gestures to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May after they hold a press conference at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, on 18 January 2018. May and Macron agreed a new border security deal, through which the UK will pay more to France to stop migrants trying to reach British shores on 18 January 2018 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Transition period agreed The UK and EU agree terms for Brexit transition period on 19 March, 2018 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures No agreement on Irish border The EU and UK however failed to reach an agreement on the Irish border during the successful talks on other Brexit issues AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU attacks Mays fantasy strategy For months after the March deal is struck there is little significant progress in talks. One senior EU official tears into Britains fantasy negotiating strategy and accuses Theresa May of not even having a position on a variety of important issue Getty Brexit so far: in pictures UK releases Ireland plan Britain releases a new customs plan to solve the Northern Ireland border but Michel Barnier says it leaves unanswered questions and would not prevent a hard border EbS Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan agreed The cabinet agrees on a plan known as the "Chequers deal" on July 6 2018. The plan seeks regulatory alignment on goods and food, divergence on services, freedom from the European Courts of Justice and an end to free movement. Many were surprised that the hard Brexiteers of the cabinet would agree to this plan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan sparks resignations Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and numerous ministers resign in the days following the Chequers agreement Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Davis out, Raab in On 9 July, Dominic Raab replaces David Davis as Brexit Secretary. Raab is a keen Brexiteer and was a housing minister before taking over from Davis Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Barnier's "deal like no other" EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier claims on August 29 2018 that they are prepared to offer Britain a trade deal like no other, though he stressed that they will not divide or change the single market to accommodate Britain AP Brexit so far: in pictures "My deal or no deal" In an interview on Panorama on September 17, the Prime Minister insists that any Brexit deal will be offered to the EU on her terms. She asserts this amongst continued attacks on her approach to Brexit by Boris Johnson and the European Research Group, headed by Jacob Rees Mogg BBC/Jeff Overs Brexit so far: in pictures EU leaders reject Chequers Quite the blow was dealt to the Prime Minister at a EU leaders summit in Salzburg on September 20. European Council President Donald Tusk stated that the Chequers deal "will not work" Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures May demands respect Following the rejection of her Chequers plan the day before, the Prime Minister voiced her anger that the EU had dismissed it without offering an alternative. She stated that throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it." Getty Brexit so far: in pictures People's Vote march As the People's Vote campaign and The Independent's Final Say campaign gain traction, 700,000 people turn out in London to demand a final say on the UK's Brexit deal on October 20 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures More resignations As the Prime Minister settles on a Brexit deal, Brexit secretary Dominic Raab resigns along with Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey and many other ministers Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Final Say petitions delivered to Downing Street People's Vote supporting MPs Chukka Umunna, Justine Greening and Caroline Lucas and The Independent editor Christian Broughton deliver over a million signatures in favour of a People's Vote to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on December 3 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures May delays vote On December 10, the Prime Minister delayed the vote on her Brexit deal as it was near certain not to pass through the Commons due to Tory rebels and lack of DUP support AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures No confidence motion Tory MPs triggered a confidence vote in the Prime Minister on December 12. She won by 200 votes to 117 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Commons rejects the deal Following the delay, the Prime Minister's deal was rejected in the Commons by a historic 230 votes AFP Brexit so far: in pictures Corbyn tables a no confidence motion Following the rejection of the Prime Minister's deal, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence in the government, which the government won by a margin of 19 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Plan B The Prime Minister won the support of the commons to return to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop on January 29. In the same sitting, MPs also voted against a no-deal Brexit in a non-legally binding motion PA Brexit so far: in pictures EU council president savages Brexit campaigners who failed to plan for departure: Special place in hell There is a special place in hell for pro-Brexit campaigners who demanded Britain leave the EU without explaining how it should happen, Donald Tusk has said. The European Council president launched the scathing attack as he accused anti-EU campaigners of pushing for Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Tusk also dismissed suggestions that the EU could reopen negotiations over the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, dealing a blow to Theresa Mays hopes of securing fresh concessions as she tries to get her exit deal through parliament. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said: Ive been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. He also tweeted the accusation moments later Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU and UK announce talks to restart after Theresa May visits Brussels Both have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find a way through the deadlock in Westminster, following a visit by Theresa May to Brussels. In a joint statement the British government and European Commission said Ms May had had a robust but constructive meeting with president Jean-Claude Juncker, and that the pair would meet again before the end of the month. But the EU again refused to reopen the withdrawal agreement and its controversial backstop with any negotiations expected to focus on the future relationship between the UK and EU instead Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit strategy lost MPs voted down May's Brext plans, with a majority of 45. The prime minister did not appear in parliament to see another defeat PA Brexit so far: in pictures Labour and Conservative MPs resign and create the Independent Group Back row of Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, middle row of Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey and front row of Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Non-biding votes on amendments to Brexit motion On February 27 he house held a series of votes, unanimously calling for the UK and EU to guarantee citizens rights in a no-deal scenario AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Attorney General publishes legal advice A hammer blow for May as Geoffrey Cox said her renegotiated deal can still leave UK in backstop against its will. Mr Cox did say the prime ministers efforts had reduced the risk of the UK being trapped in the backstop indefinitely. MPs went on to vote against her deal by 391 to 242 UK Parliament/PA Brexit so far: in pictures No-deal off the table MPs rejected a no-deal Brexit by 43 votes on March 13, with cabinet ministers rebelling in another humiliating defeat for Theresa May. A day later they voted in favour of the prime minister seeking an extension to Article 50 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures House speaker bans May from third Commons vote on same Brexit deal John Bercow sensationally told Theresa May he would stop her making another attempt to pass her Brexit deal unless she has secured changes. The Speaker said a further meaningful vote would be ruled out of order if the motion was the same or substantially the same under an ancient convention to stop the government bullying parliament on issues MPs have rejected Parliament Live Brexit so far: in pictures May writes to Tusk The prime minister wrote to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, to ask for a three-month extension to give her more time to try to get her deal through parliament. However the European Commission advises the EU27 should offer a short extension to May 23 or a longer one meaning the UK would participate in European elections 10 Downing Street/AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures European Council summit Theresa Mays request to extend triggering Article 50 until the end of June was rejected by the EU, and instead offered a shorter time frame. She accepted the offer of a delay until May 22 if her withdrawal deal is approved by Parliament. If MPs rejected it for a third time, the EU said Britain must propose a new plan by April 12. Ms May said she will not support a long delay because it would mean Britain participating in elections for the European Parliament Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brussels confirms preparations for a no-deal Brexit are completed They warned that it is increasingly likely the UK will crash out. In a statement the European Commission (EC) said preparedness and contingency work, which the EC has been conducting since December 2017, was now finished. The announcement came days after EU leaders agreed to a request by Theresa May to extend the UKs Brexit date AFP Brexit so far: in pictures May resigns Reuters The UK needs free access to supplies of foreign currencies to facilitate trade and much of the financial services industry. During a crisis, banks can find it hard to access the volume of foreign currency they need. It is at this point that central banks will be available to provide cash through so-called swap lines. There had been some speculation that the ECB would not support a euro swap line if no Brexit deal is agreed with the UK. But the ECB and BoE confirmed on Tuesday that the facility will be available. The ECB said it will continue to work closely with the Bank of England to monitor market conditions carefully. In its latest health check of the financial system, the BoE also warned that "some disruption to cross-border services is possible and, in the absence of other actions by EU authorities, some potential risks to financial stability remain. "Although these would primarily affect EU households and businesses, they could also be expected to spill back to the UK in ways that cannot be fully anticipated and mitigated," it added in a statement. However, the BoE said banks, insurers and other key parts of the UK financial system had to a large extent protected themselves from the risks of Brexit. The remarks came in minutes published on Tuesday of the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) meeting held on 26 February. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Laith Khalaf, senior analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown said the BoE had given a "clean bill of health" to banks and insuruers ahead of Brexit. "The Bank does expect volatility in market prices if a no-deal Brexit materialises, which will come as a surprise to precisely no-one. "However what is interesting is that the central banks numbers show the heightened risk associated with Brexit has at least been partly factored into UK share prices. "No-one knows whether the UK will leave the EU with or without a deal, and given the range of political permutations its not even possible to robustly assign a probability to either outcome, let alone what the financial implications might be." Nissan is considering plans to cut production line shifts at its Sunderland operation, according to a report. The Japanese car maker could put 400 jobs at risk if it goes ahead with the plan, Sky News said. The company said: Nissan does not comment on rumors or speculations. Last month, Nissan confirmed that it had abandoned plans to build its new X-Trail SUV in Sunderland, and instead moved production to Japan. At the time, the carmakers Europe division boss said Brexit uncertainty had played a part in the decision, in addition to reduced sales forecasts. Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Show all 5 1 /5 Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Jaguar Land Rover Britain's largest automotive manufacturer announced in January that it plans to cut 4500 jobs from its 40,000 workforce Getty Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Nissan The Japanese car company announced early in February that it would no longer be making the new X-trail model at its Sunderland factory Getty Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Honda Honda has announced that it is planning to close its Swindon plant with the loss of 3,500 jobs PA Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Michelin Michelin announced in November that it will close its Dundee tyre factory which employs over 800 people by 2020 PA Car manufacturers cutting UK jobs Schaeffler Shchaeffler's Llanelli plant is to close by the end of 2019. The company provides automotive and and industrial parts worldwide and the Llanelli plant employs over 200 people. Juergen Ziegler, chief executive for Europe, said that while Brexit was not the only factor, it has "brought forward" the decision to relocate Google Gianluca de Ficchy said the announcement would be interpreted by a lot of people as a decision related to Brexit and that uncertainty around the UKs future relationship with the EU is not helping companies like ours to plan for the future. The latest threat to motor manufacturing jobs comes hours after it emerged that BMW might move some of its engine production from the UK to Austria in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Peter Shwarzenbauer, a member of BMWs board, said the company will also have to consider ending production of the Mini at its Oxford plant if the UK leaves the EU with no deal. The car maker has previously announced plans to bring a planned shutdown of its Oxford operations forward to begin on the same day the UK leaves the EU. Tuesdays announcements from Nissan and BMW are the latest in a series of blows to the UK car industry, following recent moves by Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and Honda to reduce their workforces and cut costs. All of the worlds top 20 airlines risk falling short of the demands of the Paris Climate Agreement, research suggests. None of the 20 has an emissions target after 2025 despite commitments to limit temperature rises to 2C or below, research by the Transition Pathway Initiative at the London School of Economics found. The research looked at airlines corporate disclosures to assess how carbon emissions are managed. Easyjet is the only airline with a CO2 emissions intensity that will keep it below the 2C benchmarks after 2020. Delta, United, Lufthansa and ANA Group (Japan) are among the leaders on carbon management. ANA Group, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Singapore Airlines currently have the highest emissions intensities. The findings are backed by investors controlling over $13 trillion of client funds, including Legal & General Investment Management, the Environment Agency Pension Fund and BNP Paribas. Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Show all 25 1 /25 Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Demonstrators block Westminster Bridge in central London to show anger at government inaction on climate and ecological issues AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges A pro environment protester is arrested by police on Lambeth bridge in London EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Organised by Extinction Rebellion, the protest is part of many taking place this weekend to bring attention to political inaction on issues of pollution and climate change Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Organised by Extinction Rebellion, the protest is part of many taking place this weekend to bring attention to political inaction on issues of pollution and climate change PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Demonstrators on Blackfriars Bridge PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Police with demonstrators on Blackfriars Bridge PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges A demonstrator is led away by police on Blackfriars Bridge PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Aviation contributes 2 per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions and is growing fast, meaning it is crucial for airlines to limit CO2 if climate change is to be kept under control. Industry-wide plans rely on targets to offset carbon emissions by, for example, planting additional trees but research by the IEA and others shows that airlines need to significantly reduce their CO2 contribution as well. Airlines must also confront their contribution to climate change beyond CO2, TPI said. Aircraft flying at altitude create additional warming effects, including the formation of contrails and clouds. Currently these are not incorporated in company disclosures, or in the models used to benchmark them, even though they are likely to be significant. Faith Ward, co-chair of TPI on behalf of the Environment Agency Pension Fund, said Investors have a clear message to the aviation sector: When it comes to carbon performance they must be in it for the long haul. That means setting stretching emissions reduction targets to 2030 and beyond, and ending a reliance on offsetting. Its clear from TPIs research that this is not currently the case. Offsetting is no substitute for a clear strategy to reduce emissions, and the IEAs carbon budget for air transport excludes the use of offsets. The aviation sector is doing the basics when it comes to carbon performance, but investors are urging them to take more significant steps as they judge which airlines are most likely to survive the turbulence of the transition to a low carbon economy. Helena Vines Fiestas, deputy head of sustainability at BNP Paribas Asset Management, said: The aviation industry clearly has a range of actions it can take to respond to climate change - improved energy efficiency, bio fuels, and offsetting amongst others. As investors, we need clarity about the contribution each of these will make - and, critically, how much they will cost - if the sector is to make its contribution to the goals of the Paris Agreement. The company that produced a painkiller accused of contributing to the countrys devastating opioid crisis, is said to be to be preparing to possibly file for bankruptcy amid mounting lawsuits. Purdue Pharma LP, the manufacturer of painkiller OxyContin, is facing up to 2,000 separate lawsuits that allege the company knowingly mislead the public about the dangers of the prescription medicine. If the company filed for bankruptcy, or Chapter 11 protection, it would halt the lawsuits and allow the company to negotiate legal claims with plaintiffs under the supervision of a US bankruptcy judge, sources told Reuters. As a privately-held company, it has been Purdue Pharmas longstanding policy not to comment on our financial or legal strategy, the company said in a statement to the news agency. We are, however, committed to ensuring that our business remains strong and sustainable. We have ample liquidity and remain committed to meeting our obligations to the patients who benefit from our medicines, our suppliers and other business partners. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Purdue Pharma, owned by the powerful Sackler family and which in 2017 had $3bn in revenues, has always denied it was aware of the way its painkiller was being abused. Last year, the New York Times revealed an internal document prepared by the department of justice, that suggested prosecutors believed the company had been aware almost immediately after it was introduced in 1996. It said officials received reports that the pills were being crushed and snorted, and stolen from pharmacies. The company faces a trial later this year that has been brought by Oklahomas top prosecutor. It accuses the company of contributing to a wave of deadly overdoses by flooding the market with highly addictive opioids while falsely claiming they were safe. More than 1,600 lawsuits accusing Purdue and other opioid manufacturers of using such deceptive practices, are consolidated in an Ohio federal court, the news agency said. Ambulances attend to two individuals poisoned by opioid substance Meanwhile, as the crisis received increasing media attention, prosecutors in Massachusetts last year filed a lawsuit not just against the company but aimed eight members of the Sackler family. In an attempt to dismiss the suit, the company claimed the prosecutor was engaged in oversimplified scapegoating. The opioid crisis, that devastated many communities across the heartland of the country, has received considerable media attention. Some observers say this is because the victims are frequently white. Last year, Donald Trump said he would like to sue drug companies over the crisis. He also set up a task force to address the issue. Opioids, including prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl, were involved in 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017, a sixfold increase from 1999, according to the latest data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. A huge new study has become the latest research to confirm the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine does not cause autism, despite continued warnings by anti-vaccination advocates. Data from more than 650,000 children showed there was no link between the MMR jab and the developmental problem, which affects how people communicate and interact. The findings by a Danish team were intended to reassure the growing number of people making the unfounded link between vaccines and conditions including autism. They come after a 30 per cent rise in the number of measles cases being reported, which the World Health Organisation has attributed in part to parents shunning vaccines. Alongside pandemics, climate change and HIV, WHO listed so-called anti-vax ideas as one of the biggest threats to global health in 2019. The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Show all 7 1 /7 The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Charlie Sheen Sheen fought a legal battle against ex-wife Denise Richards to try and block her from vaccinating their children. Richards of course won and Sheen was reportedly so bitter that he paid the paediatrician bill entirely in nickels Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Gwyneth Paltrow Paltrow's "health and wellness" company Goop hosted a notorious anti-vaccine speaker at their 2018 Goop Summit Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Rob Schneider Schneider demanded the freedom to decline vaccination Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Jenny McCarthy McCarthy has claimed that "people are dying from vaccinations", believes that her son caught autism from a vaccine and has pushed her opinions on the topic publicly for many years AFP/Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Bill Maher Maher has long spoken against vaccines sating on Larry King live that "a flu shot is the worst thing you can do." His stance appears to stem from a distrust of government AFP/Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Alicia Silverstone In Silverstone's book The Kind Mama, she wrote that "there is increasing anecdotal evidence from doctors who have gotten distressed phone calls from parents claiming their child was never the same after receiving a vaccine." Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Andrew Wakefield Godfather of the anti-vax movement, disgraced doctor Andrew Wakefield famously published a report in the medical journal Lancet claiming a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in 1998. The Lancet retracted the report in 2010 and Wakefield was struck off the medical register PA While vaccines themselves come with minimal risk, measles is a highly infectious disease that can sometimes cause seizures, brain inflammation and even death. MMR vaccines are distributed free to all children on the NHS, and yet the number of children receiving them in the UK each year has been falling. Doubts about the vaccine were initially sparked by the discredited former physician Andrew Wakefield, who published a since retracted paper suggesting a link between MMR and autism in 1998. Despite being thoroughly disproved, this theory has helped fuel a rise in measles outbreaks from the US to Europe in recent years as anti-vaxxer parents refuse to vaccinate their children. Parents should not skip the vaccine out of fear for autism, lead study author Dr Anders Hviid of the Statens Serum Institut told Reuters. The dangers of not vaccinating includes a resurgence in measles which we are seeing signs of today in the form of outbreaks. In their study, the team which had previously undertaken one of the first studies to discredit Mr Wakefields ideas followed up their cohort of children until some of them were 14. Around 1 per cent of the children developed autism, but there was no significant different in rates of autism between those who had the jab and those that did not. This was even the case among children at higher risk of autism due to having a sibling that already had the condition. They published their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Proportion of young children in England who have received the MMR vaccine (Statistica) In a piece written to accompany the study, Dr Saad Omer and Dr Inci Yildirim from Emory University said it was worth carrying out such extensive research to hammer home the truth about vaccines and autism. They lamented the current situation, where conspiracy theories spreading online had led to a fact-resistant world. In an ideal world, vaccine safety research would be conducted only to evaluate scientifically grounded hypotheses, not in response to the conspiracy du jour, they wrote. In reality, hypotheses propagated by vaccine sceptics can affect public confidence in vaccines. Over the last two decades, Venezuela has entered a deep socioeconomic and political crisis. Once recognised as a regional leader for public health and disease control, Venezuelas healthcare and health research infrastructure has fallen into a state of collapse, creating a severe humanitarian crisis and a major outbreak of infectious disease. This week, we published the first comprehensive assessment of the vector-borne disease outbreak that is assailing the country. Vector-borne diseases are those spread by insects mosquitos, sand flies, kissing bugs and others. The we is a global consortium of authors, many of whom are Venezuelan doctors and academics working in the country under exceptionally difficult conditions. Others include Colombian, Brazilian and Ecuadorian academics who are witnessing the crisis unfold: Venezuelan refugees on the streets of their cities, diseases (malaria, Chagas disease, measles, diphtheria) spreading through porous land borders, and regional disease outbreaks of unprecedented proportions. I first travelled to Venezuela in the early 2000s to study Chagas disease, a single-celled parasite spread by the kissing bug, a blood-sucking insect that infests the walls of adobe houses. Chagas disease is a silent killer. Once infected, the parasite can lie dormant for decades in its human host before causing fatal heart disease in middle age. You cant travel to Venezuela, including to the communities where I worked in the Llanos (plains) of the west, without being entranced by the beauty of the landscape and the friendliness of its people. From the laboratory in the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Caracas, where I was taken under the wing of Professor Hernan Carrasco and his team, dancing salsa between the benches on a Friday night, to the villages where we slept under the stars in hammocks while the inhabitants sang joropo music, it is a thoroughly welcoming place. Closeup of an assassin bug, also known as a kissing bug, carrier of Chagas disease (Getty/iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Venezuela is also a place of extreme inequality. You only have to look up from the glitzy streets of downtown Caracas to the mud and brick ranchos clustered on the hillsides above to appreciate that. It is this inequality that drove the socialist revolution, and while times were good and oil prices high much of Venezuelas wealth found its way into the hands of those who needed it most. Declining oil prices, corruption and mismanagement have changed all that. Alongside economic collapse has come a collapse in basic healthcare, an exodus of medical professionals and a massive upsurge in disease. Fragmented information At the core of the infectious disease crisis in Venezuela is the lack of reliable data. Either through denial, a lack of resource, or both, the Venezuelan state is reneging on its responsibility to report on the extent of current outbreaks. The purpose of our recent review was to draw together fragmented information from Venezuelan civil societies, researchers, international organisations and neighbouring countries to get the best estimate of what is actually going on: more than 400,000 cases of malaria in 2017, 15 per cent of the rural population infected with Chagas disease, surging dengue, chikungunya and zika infections. The picture is grim. Health is highly politicised in Venezuela and working as a researcher is not without risk. My collaborators have been threatened with jail and having their medical licenses suspended simply for reporting outbreaks in the scientific literature. The Institute of Tropical Medicine where I worked has been raided by colectivos (community organisations that support the Venezuelan government); microscopes smashed, medical records destroyed, hard drives ripped out of computers. The centre of the current malaria epidemic in southeastern Bolivar state is also the centre of state-sponsored illegal gold mining in Venezuela. The tons of gold recently shipped by the Maduro regime to Russia and Turkey are soaked in the sweat and blood of poor Venezuelans, sleeping with their families beside mosquito-infested mining pits. Drawing attention to this malaria epidemic is drawing attention to the ecological and humanitarian disaster in this region where mercury is polluting pristine rivers and thousands are dying for want of antimalarial drugs that the government will not or, more likely, cannot supply. Aerial view of an illegal mine located in Canaima National Park, Bolivar State (AFP/Getty) Venezuelans are resilient and resourceful people. The Venezuelan researchers still living and working in the country are a testament to that, as is the support they receive from the diaspora of Venezuelans forced to live abroad. In recognising the regional aspect to the crisis, the spillover of disease in the region and the millions of refugees, we hope our review will galvanise international organisations to act. Im optimistic that we are reaching a turning point in a crisis ten years in the making. I fervently hope the spirit of Venezuelans will break through. I hope that scientists will dance salsa again and soon. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Martin Llewellyn is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow. This article first appeared on The Conversation and is republished under a Creative Commons license Gabin Savard had no words. The 2-year-old was full of energy but didnt speak, and his parents, Marylou and Laurent, were becoming increasingly anxious. Gabin was developing more slowly than his older brother, Sebastien, had. The Savards reached for parenting books and pediatrics textbooks, but what they read only deepened their worry. They repeatedly mentioned their concerns to their paediatrician during regular checkups. Maybe he doesnt have anything to say? the doctor joked, unconcerned. Laurent Savard, a well-known comedian in France, did not see the humour. When Gabin still wasnt speaking at nearly 4 years old, his parents decided to take him to see a child psychiatrist, who concluded that the boy has autism. The diagnosis helped to explain Gabins silence, but it also raised new questions: Was there anything Gabins parents could or should do? Would the child ever speak? What kind of progress could his parents expect? No one seemed to have any answers for them. About a year later, still looking for help, the Savards took Gabin for an evaluation at University Hospital Robert-Debre in Paris, which specialises in rare childhood conditions. Soon after, they received a call: Would they participate in the Paris Autism Research International Sibpair (PARIS) study, an international project that recruits families for genetic testing? The Savards signed up for the study and provided many tubes of saliva and blood. And then they waited a year, two, five. We had almost forgotten that Gabin had participated in this study, Laurent Savard recalls. Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The remains of the two large rodent species and a small, shrew-like animal were discovered by scientists who studied bones collected from caves, sinkholes and peat deposits on the Caribbean archipelago. The three mammals were unique to the Cayman Islands, existing nowhere else in the world. Researchers believe they were driven to extinction in the 1700s after European settlers introduced invasive species such as cats, dogs and rats. Experts from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History studied bones from collections in British and American museums. Recently discovered mammals Show all 7 1 /7 Recently discovered mammals Recently discovered mammals Other recently discovered mammals The olinguito was the first carnivorous mammal species discovered in the Americas since 1978 Getty Recently discovered mammals Other recently discovered mammals The lesula, or Cercopithecus lomamiensis, are from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the species is described as shy and quiet PA Recently discovered mammals Other recently discovered mammals The Saola can only be found in Vietnam and Laos. It looks like a small deer and the first alive saola was discovered in 2010 AP Recently discovered mammals Other recently discovered mammals The Cypriot mouse is a species of mouse native to Cyprus. It was discovered in 2006 and has bigger hear, ears and teeth than European mice AP Recently discovered mammals Other recently discovered mammals A Macroscelides micus elephant shrew found in the remote deserts of southwestern Africa. The new mammal discovered in the remote desert of western Africa resembles a long-nosed mouse in appearance but is more closely related genetically Reuters Recently discovered mammals Other recently discovered mammals The Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) is a species of bottlenose dolphin found in parts of Victoria, Australia and Gippsland Lake.It's believed that only 150 of them remain alive EPA Recently discovered mammals Other recently discovered mammals Paucidentomys Vermidax, a rat that doesn't gnaw. It was discoveres in Indonesia PA The fossils were collected between the 1930s and 1990s, but had not been scientifically described until now. They were discovered inside the remains of Cuban crocodiles found in Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman. Professor Samuel Turvey, senior research fellow at ZSLs Institute of Zoology, said: Humans are almost certainly to blame for the extinction of these newly described mammals, and this represents just the tip of the iceberg for mammal extinctions in the Caribbean. Fossils from the new mammals were discovered inside crocodiles (New Mexico Museum of Natural History) Nearly all the mammal species that used to live on these tropical islands, including all of the native Caribbean sloths and monkeys, have recently disappeared. Its vitally important to understand the factors responsible for past extinctions of island species, as many threatened species today are found on islands. The handful of Caribbean mammals that still exist today are the last survivors of a unique vanished world and represent some of the worlds top conservation priorities. One of the newly discovered extinct rodents, Capromys pilorides lewisi and Geocapromys caymanensis, is believed to have been recorded by the English explorer Francis Drake. He wrote of seeing little beast like cats and coneys when he visited the Cayman Islands in 1586. Both rodents and the shrew-like mammal, Nesophontes hemicingulus, were scientifically described for the first time in a study published in Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. The species are similar to other mammals found on Cuba, which at its closest point is more than 130 miles away from the Caymans across the Caribbean Sea. Their closest living relative is Desmarest's hutia, which are widespread in Cuba and can grow to a weight of 8.5kg. The researchers believe the Cayman Islands may have been colonised by mammals carried across from Cuba on rafts of vegetation, which have been documented to float as far as 60 miles in less than a week. Scientists found some of the fossils while exploring caves on Grand Cayman in the 1990s (New Mexico Museum of Natural History) Professor Ross MacPhee of the AMNHs mammalogy department, said: "Although one would think that the greatest days of biological field discoveries are long over, that's very far from the case. "With only one possible sighting early in the course of European expansion into the New World, these small mammals from the Cayman Islands were complete unknowns until their fossils were discovered. Their closest relatives are Cuban; how and when did they manage a 250km journey over open water?" Nasa has announced that later this month it will carry out the first ever all-female space walk. A Soviet cosmonaut, Svetlana Savitskaya, was the first woman to walk in space, doing so on July 25 1984. But on March 29, Nasa astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch will conduct a spacewalk as part of the Expedition 59 crew at the International Space Station (ISS). They will be supported by Canadian Space Agency controller Kristen Facciol, who will be sitting at the console at Nasas Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Florida Today reported. News that the all-woman crew was set to make history came in a tweet from Ms Facciol. SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Show all 15 1 /15 SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Space X Dragon departs from the International Space Station and heads for earth AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Space X Dragon undocks from the International Space Station NASA SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission SpaceX Crew Dragon is pictured about 20 meters (66 feet) away from the International Space Station Nasa/AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifts off on March 2 2019 Reuters SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Astronauts aboard the Space Station preparing to open hatchet to the SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying a instrumented dummy after it successfully docked with Space Station Nasa TV/EPA SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A dummy(L) named Ripley onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard after the opening of the hatch during the Demo-1 missioN Nasa TV/AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission The SpaceX team watches as the SpaceX Crew Dragon docks with the International Space Station Nasa/AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket docked with the International Space Station during the Demo-1 mission Nasa/AFP/Getty SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft Reuters SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Astronaut David Saint-Jacques taking a look inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying a instrumented dummy Nasa TV/EPA SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off on an uncrewed test flight Reuters SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifts off on an uncrewed test flight Reuters SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a demo Crew Dragon spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission SpaceX's new crew capsule approaches just before docking Nasa TV/AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Astronaut Eric Boe, assistant to the chief of the astronaut office for commercial crew, left, and Norm Knight, deputy director of flight operations at Nasa's Johnson Space Center watch the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft Nasa/AP I just found out that Ill be on console providing support for the FIRST ALL FEMALE SPACEWALK with @AstroAnnimal and @Astro_Christina and I can not contain my excitement!!!!, she wrote. A spokesperson for NASA confirmed to The Independent the all-female space walk would be one of three such operations scheduled to be carried out once the ISS has a complement of six astronauts. That is due to happen on 14 March, when a Russian Soyuz flight will transport cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Ms Koch to the station. The spokesperson said it was cool to have an all-female walk, but it had not been orchestrated to be this way. The spokesperson said the space walks taking place during female history month would focus on the replacement of batteries. Axios said the first American woman in space was Sally Ride, who flew with the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. It said spacewalks were reasonably rare and tended to be carried out to address mechanical repairs to the ISS. Close London suspicious packages: Where were the three explosive devices found? Suspicious packages found at Heathrow Airport, Waterloo railway station and London City Airport on Tuesday contained explosive devices, police said. Counterterror officers are investigating the three incidents as linked after all the packages A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags were assessed to be small improvised explosive devices (IEDs). One of the packages opened by staff at Heathrow caught fire, but no one was injured. Neither of the devices found at Waterloo and London City Airport ignited, but workers at the airports Aviation House were evacuated as a precaution. Irish police said they were assisting the Metropolitan Police with their enquiries after photos of the packages appeared to show Republic of Ireland stamps. Scotland Yard has not ruled out the existence of other bombs, and issued advice to people travelling across London to be vigilant and report any suspicious packages. Here's how the day unfolded: Normally, prime ministers do not like to rely on free votes ones where the party managers, the whips, allow their partys MPs to follow their consciences. Governments prefer to use the traditional weapons of discipline and patronage to incentivise their MPs to vote in line with official policy. There may be rebels, but they can be dealt with in a variety of ways, depending on the seriousness of a revolt. If they are ministers they would be expected to resign, or get sacked. The French president has launched yet another attack on Britains departure from the EU, accusing his neighbours across the Channel of retreating into nationalism. In an article translated into 24 different languages and printed in various newspapers around the continent, Emmanuel Macron issued a call to arms to EU citizens, urging the start of a European renaissance. His comments come just weeks before the campaign kicks off for the European parliament elections, in which Eurosceptic and far-right forces are expected to make significant gains across the bloc. Never since the Second World War has Europe been so essential. Yet never has Europe been in such danger, he wrote. Brexit stands as the symbol of that. It symbolises the crisis of a Europe that has failed to respond to its peoples need for protection from the major shocks of the modern world. It also symbolises the European trap. The trap lies not in being part of the European Union; the trap is in the lie and the irresponsibility that can destroy it. Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? Who spoke to them about losing access to the EU market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the border? Retreating into nationalism offers nothing; it is rejection without an alternative. And this is the trap that threatens the whole of Europe: the anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything. Mr Macron, who said Europe should not be seen as a soulless market but a project, used the article to propose a series of reforms to the EU. He called for the creation of a new EU agency to protect the bloc against cyber attacks, a ban on foreign powers financing European political parties, and a new European security council that would have the the UK on board. Mr Macron also backed the creation of an EU minimum wage framework that would be set according to the cost of living in each country, and a climate bank to finance the decarbonisation of the continent by 2050. A new EU-wide food safety force would also bolster regulation. These changes could be agreed at an EU constitutional convention by the end of the year, he said. This conference will need to engage with citizens panels, and hear from academics, business and worker representatives, as well as religious and spiritual leaders, he said. It will define a roadmap for the EU that translates these key priorities into concrete actions. There will be disagreement, but is it better to have a static Europe or a Europe that advances, sometimes at different speeds, and that is open to all? In this Europe, the people will really take back control of their future. In an enigmatic twist, Mr Macron added: In this Europe, the UK, I am sure, will find its true place. The Brexit impasse is a lesson for us all. We need to escape this trap and make the forthcoming elections and our project meaningful. Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Brexit supporters outside parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester adjusts her pro-EU wig AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A message to Jeremy Corbyn in support of a peoples vote Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A mock Titanic captained by Theresa May heads towards an iceberg in a stunt by campaigning group Avaaz AP Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters outside parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides are in close contact outside of parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Paintings of Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage speaks to the media at the protests outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A pro-Brexit protester in Parliament Square Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Opposing protesters share the space outside parliament Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester holds EU balloons outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters stand on Westminster Bridge PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage speaks to the media at the protests outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament EPA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A pro-Brexit protester sets up outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An Avaaz campaigner holds a Peoples Vote life float Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A demonstrator holds a sign advocating a no-deal Brexit outside parliament AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester waves an EU flag on Westminster Bridge PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides demonstrate outside parliament AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides stand near parliament Reuters It is not clear whether the French president was calling for the reversal of the referendum result, or whether he was suggesting the UK could participate in the institutions from outside the bloc. It is far from the first time Mr Macron has launched an attack on Britains decision to leave the EU a move he sees as linked to the surge in far-right and populist movements. At a summit in Salzburg last September he branded leading Brexiteers liars, while in January he said the vote to Leave was a referendum that has been manipulated and that what the public had chosen is not possible. Labour has been embroiled in a fresh row over its efforts to stamp out antisemitism after the daughter of one of Jeremy Corbyns allies was given a job with the partys independent complaints unit. Senior MPs said the decision to move Laura Murray to the body dealing with antisemitism cases raised question marks over its independence from the leadership. Ms Murray, who has worked in the Labour leaders office since 2016, is one of two junior staffers seconded to the complaints unit to deal with the volume of antisemitism cases. Her father Andrew is a former Communist party member and chief of staff at Unite the union. She is also reportedly being sued for libel by Countdown presenter Rachel Riley, who has been campaigning against antisemitism in Labour. Protests against Labour antisemitism Show all 14 1 /14 Protests against Labour antisemitism Protests against Labour antisemitism Protesters clashed during the demonstration Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Members of the Jewish community hold a protest against Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn and antisemitism in the Labour Party AFP/Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism Protesters hold placards and flags during a demonstration, organised by the British Board of Jewish Deputies for those who oppose antisemitism, in Parliament Square Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Hundreds of people gathered in Parliament Square to protest against antisemitism in the Labour Party EPA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour MP Luciana Berger speaks during the protest PA Protests against Labour antisemitism A protester blows through a shofar during the demonstration Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism Members of London's Jewish community protest in support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn outside parliament EPA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour MP John Mann speaks during a protest against antisemitism PA Protests against Labour antisemitism People protest against antisemitism in the Labour Party as Jewish community leaders have launched a scathing attack on Jeremy Corbyn, claiming he has sided with antisemites again and again PA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour politicians Stella Creasy and Chuka Umunna leave after attending the demonstration Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism A pro-Jeremy Corbyn protester holds a placard during a counter-protest Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism A support of the Labour Party hold up a placard during the demonstration Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Jeremy Corbyn supporters during the demo Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism A protester holds up a sign reading For the many, not the Jew AFP The issue was raised at a tense meeting of the parliamentary Labour Party, where general secretary Jennie Formby was challenged by a number of MPs on what party bosses were doing to rid the party of anti-Jewish hate. Speaking outside the meeting, Liverpool Riverside MP Dame Louise Ellman said: "What are her credentials? It puts a major question mark on whether the people running this organisation understand the concerns expressed, question marks over the independence of the the process." Another MP said the secondments had been raised with Ms Formby but she pointedly didnt answer. Dame Margaret Hodge, the Barking MP, said the move would do nothing to build trust in the process. Ms Murray is at the centre of a libel case brought by Ms Riley over tweets she posted when Mr Corbyn was egged at a mosque in north London on Sunday, the Jewish Chronicle reported. A Labour source said Ms Murrays role was solely to provide administrative support to deal with the large volume of cases. It is understood that these jobs will play no role in deciding the outcome of disciplinary matters. The source said: This is standard procedure to reallocate resources from one part of the organisation when another part of the party comes under strain and requires additional staff support. Ensuring complaints on antisemitism are processed quickly is an absolute priority for the party which is why these additional resources have been reallocated. A Labour Party spokesperson said: "We don't comment on staffing matters." Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Ms Formby made it her mission to eradicate antisemitism from Labours ranks when she was appointed as general secretary last year, after the party was dogged by a string of controversies. The Independent understands she told MPs that ex-minister Lord Falconer will be given access to all the documents and data he requires to oversee the antisemitism complaints process. However Lord Falconer, who attended the meeting, has said he is "not yet" signed up for the role. It comes after Ms Formby clashed with Labour deputy leader Tom Watson when he requested that MPs inform him of complaints about antisemitism. He had emailed Labour MPs and peers to say he would be logging and monitoring all complaints of antisemitic abuse and bullying. But Ms Formby accused Mr Watson of behaving in a completely unacceptable manner, saying his approach would undermine and pollute the existing system of dealing with complaints. Police have reportedly arrested 65 witchdoctors in Tanzania in connection with the ritual murders of at least 10 children. Many of the children had body parts removed, the BBC reported. Simon Sirro, the inspector general of police, has ordered every traditional healer to obtain a licence. We have also requested other institutions like religious leaders and politicians to help us, he added, according to the broadcaster. The children were killed in the south-western Njombe region in January and an unknown number of children were also killed in the northern Simuyu region. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty People with albinism are often targeted under the belief their body parts are particularly potent in rituals. Known as zeru zeru or ghosts, their condition is heavily stigmatised and families who consider it a curse have been known to kick relatives out of their homes. It is unclear if any of the children known to have been killed had albinism, according to the BBC. A bartender who was allegedly asked to dress sexy and date ready and go on dates with customers by the boss of a restaurant in Florida has been awarded $80,000 (60,800) after a sexual harassment lawsuit. The lawsuit accused Chris Christakos, who is the owner of Christinis Ristorante Italiano in Orlando, of encouraging a work environment in which unwelcome, sexually charged comments and conduct was permissible and commonplace. The lawsuit, filed by federal agency the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), alleged the bartender was described to restaurant guests as available to date them, subjected to sexual innuendoes, and was told to dress sexy and date-ready. She was said to have been sacked when she complained to the management. Federal law is abundantly clear that sexual harassment will not be tolerated, Michael Farrell, director of the EEOCs Miami District, said. Employers who ignore anti-discrimination laws should be on notice that they do so at their own peril. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The restaurant agreed to fork out $80,000 to settle the sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit. It will instigate a series of measures to prevent harassment happening in the future. Mr Christakos, who is known as Chris Christini, and his workers will be made to go through anti-harassment training, while management must develop an anti-harassment policy. The bartender will get a positive written job reference from the restaurant. Recommended Majority of women in US military say they have been sexually harassed The conditions of the settlement will also mean Christinis will hire an independent third-party to operate a telephone hotline for employees to report incidents of discrimination and harassment. It must post a notice referencing the lawsuit, advising employees of their rights, and submit a confidential, anonymous workplace survey to the EEOC. Last autumn, the EEOC announced the number of sexual harassment complaints workers filed with the agency over the past year rose for the first time in nearly a decade attributing the increase to the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault. The commission said the number of complaints, known as charges, filed in the fiscal year that ended 30 September rose more than 12 per cent over the previous year, when it received about 6,700. The EEOC said it had filed 41 lawsuits including sexual harassment claims against employers over the past year, a 50 per cent increase over fiscal year 2017. Justin Trudeau has said that he is disappointed after a top minister resigned from his cabinet as the Canadian prime minister plunged deeper into crisis. Canada's leader is under increasing pressure after allegations emerged that he pressured the government to drop an investigation into alleged bribes paid by multinational engineering company SNC-Lavalin to Libya. Treasury Board president Jane Philpott resigned on Monday the second minister to step down over a scandal that has shaken the government. In her resignation letter she said it was "untenable" for her to continue because she had lost confidence and could not defend the government and its handling of the investigation. Mr Trudeau thanked Ms Philpott for her service in a short statement that said he "understands" the resignation but is "disappointed" by it. "Concerns of this nature must be taken seriously and I can ensure you that I am," he added. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty SNC-Lavalin is accused of having paid $47.7m Canadian dollars in bribes to Libyan officials in order to gain contracts there, and ultimately defrauded the Libyan government out of $129.8m Canadian dollars. Ms Philpott's friend, former attorney general and justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, testified last week that Mr Trudeau and senior members of his government inappropriately and tried to pressure her to avoid prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. Mr Trudeaus and others have been accused of pressuring Ms Wilson-Raybould to drop the investigation because pressing forward with the enquiry could have potentially cost Canada thousands of jobs. The then justice minister refused to drop the investigation, and was later removed from her post and reassigned to a lesser position in the Canadian cabinet. Ms Wilson-Raybould resigned from the cabinet last month. The scandal has rocked Mr Trudeau's government. Gerald Butts, his closet adviser, also resigned last month and is scheduled to testify on 6 March before a parliament justice committee in Mr Trudeau's defence. Mr Trudeau has denied any political meddling even as pressure has mounted, and members of the opposition party have called for his resignation. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The leader of the opposition, Andrew Scheer, said the "government [was] in total chaos", called for Mr Trudeau to resign and for a police investigation of the affair. If convicted criminally, SNC-Lavalin would be banned from receiving any federal government business for a decade. The Montreal-based company is an economic force in Canada, with 9,000 employees in the country and about 50,000 worldwide. Additional reporting from agencies An Indiana man without a gun licence has been hospitalised after he accidently shot himself in the genitals while walking down the street. Mark Anthony Jones, 46, was taken to the emergency room at Marion General Hospital for the self-inflicted wound. Mr Jones later told the citys police officers he had been taking a morning stroll near a Girl Scout cabin when a Hi-Point 9mm handgun he was carrying in his waistband began to slip. He reached down to readjust the firearm not protected by a holster when it went off below his waist. The bullet entered just above his penis and exited his scrotum, said Marion Police Departments deputy chief Stephen D Dorsey. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The department said officers had visited Mr Jones in hospital to question him about the accidental shooting. The 46-year-old does not have an Indiana handgun licence, according to police. The case will now be sent to the Grant County prosecutors office to decide whether he will face any charges. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Last month a Texas man accidently shot himself in the stomach while spinning a gun around at his daughters 16th birthday party. In December the dancing FBI agent Chase Bishop who accidentally shot a man in the leg after doing a backflip at a bar in Colorado avoided jail time after pleading guilty to third-degree assault. Heavy snow has been blamed for causing a passenger jet to slide off a runway in northern Maine, injuring five people and forcing the airport to close. A pilot and four passengers suffered minor injuries when the United Express flight, a 50-seater Embraer 145, veered off the runway at Presque Isle International Airport on landing, the airport said on Facebook. All five were transported to a nearby hospital where they were treated and released, the airport said. At this time, the airport is closed and officials are currently in discussions with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine when the runway will be reopened, the airport said. Adverse weather led to more than 1,700 flights being on Monday and another 4,500 were delayed, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.com. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty A band of winter weather stretching from Maryland to Maine dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of New England, National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard reported. New York City was spared the worst of the late-winter storm, although Mayor Bill de Blasio took the rare step of shutting schools across the city, while New Jersey Transit cancelled about a dozen trains on its sprawling commuter system. The mayor defended the school closures on Twitter after snow totals in New York were less than expected and parents complained on social media that he had overreacted. We put safety first when we make a call on closing school. The overnight storm had more rain and less snow than forecasted. We know its tough for working parents thats why we made an early decision so New Yorkers could plan, Mr de Blasio said in a tweet. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Government offices and libraries in Boston were also closed. In New Jersey, where governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, state workers had a two-hour delay. Additional reporting by Reuters Mexican archaeologists have discovered a cave at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza containing around 200 ceramic vessels in nearly perfect condition. The items appear to date to around AD 1000 and contain bone fragments and burnt offering materials, according to the National Institute of Anthropology and History. Exploration of the cave began last year after indigenous people living in the area told experts about it, said archaeologist Guillermo de Anda. The 155 ceramic braziers containers used for burning and incense pots found by the experts bear the likeness of Tlaloc, the rain god of central Mexico. Small clay boxes were among the other vessels found. Mr De Anda said the objects were completely untouched. Mayan ceramics discovered Show all 6 1 /6 Mayan ceramics discovered Mayan ceramics discovered Pre-Hispanic object seen at Balamku cave, found in the archaeological site of Chichen Itza in Mexico REUTERS Mayan ceramics discovered Another Mayan vessel found at Balamku cave in Chichen Itza AP Mayan ceramics discovered Archaeologist Guillermo de Anda sits next to artifacts inside cave at the Mayan ruins AP Mayan ceramics discovered Some of the 200 ceramic vessels - believed to be used for burnt offerings - in nearly untouched condition AP Mayan ceramics discovered Archaeologist Guillermo de Anda studies objects in newly-discovered cave AP Mayan ceramics discovered Containers used for burning indicate ritual use by ancient Mayans at Balamku cave REUTERS The team of explorers had been searching for an underground water system before finding the sacred cave. The ancient Mayans had their own rain god, Chaac, and may have imported Tlaloc from other pre-Hispanic cultures. Mr De Anda said the Mayans would have had to crawl on their bellies through the extremely narrow cave to deposit the offerings inside a few larger, higher chambers. The offerings were meant to ask for rain, the experts believe. It emerged that the cave had been discovered, but not fully explored, by local people around 50 years ago. They told an archaeologist about the cave but he ordered it sealed possibly to protect it and only issued a brief report that was forgotten in Mexican government archives. The archaeologists studying the objects plan to leave them all in the cave after their analysis. Known as Balamku, the cave is about 1.7 miles east of the main pyramid of Kukulkan, also known as El Castillo or The Castle. Kukulcan Pyramid at the Mayan archaeological site of Chichen Itza (AFP/Getty Images) Mr De Anda and his team have been exploring Chichen Itza to establish the routes and sites of the Mayan underground water system. A series of sinkhole lakes known as cenotes are visible on the surface of the site, but there are other, undiscovered water sites beneath the labyrinth of pyramids, patios and temples. Water was always central to Chichen Itza, whose name means at the mouth of the well of the water wizards in the Maya language. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Mr De Anda said experts had crawled a few hundred metres into the cave, which in places is just 40cm high, in hopes of finding the connection to a cenote believed to lie under the pyramid of Kukulkan. Lets hope this leads us there. That is part of the reason why we are entering these sites, to find a connection to the cenote under the Castillo, he said. Additional reporting by Associated Press Cybersecurity firm McAfee has said a group of North Korean hackers have been actively targeting critical infrastructure in an operation that started 18 months ago and likely did not stop during Donald Trumps recent summit with Kim Jong-un in Vietnam. In a new report, the company said it had found hackers likely connected to North Korean group Lazarus attempting to gain access to as many as 80 businesses around the world, and some governments themselves. The targets of the attacks included banks, oil companies, and utilities. Germany was reportedly on the receiving end of the largest number of attempted attacks, while other countries including Turkey were also attacked. In the new report, McAfee said that they found numerous links between the hacking operation and Lazarus, a North Korean group connected to banking hacks. Pyongyang has denied any connection to hacking groups, and a McAfee spokesperson told The Independent that they saw no indicator that any hacks were connected to diplomatic activity. "The Financial, Government and critical Infrastructure segments were the most targeted," the spokesperson said in an email. To conduct its research, McAfee said it worked with at least one unnamed government, but declined to name what government partners the company may have. North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits Show all 16 1 /16 North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, portraits of former supreme leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are required by law to be hung in the home, the classroom, the factory and all manner of other private and public places Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the classroom AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the living room AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the maternity ward of the hospital Alamy North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits On board the ship Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits At the ballot box Mannen av bord North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the office AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits On the bridegroom Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits On the Pyongyang subway Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits On a government building Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the teacher training facility AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the home AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits At the military parade Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the hall Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits At the Chinese border AFP/Getty McAfee believes that such digital forensic evidence must be complemented by traditional evidence from law enforcement and government agencies to make such assertions, Raj Samani, McAfee's chief scientist, told CNN. That said, McAfee is obligated to report technical similarities between attacks and campaigns to provide its customers cyber threat intelligence they can use to protect themselves from current and future attacks. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The attacks on western businesses and governments appeared to flare up in 2017 when the US and North Korea were experiencing a period of particularly tense relations. At that time, Mr Trump repeatedly mocked and provoked Mr Kim, calling him little rocket man in an exchange that escalated while North Koreans tested their missile capabilities. The Trump administration has announced a shift in Cuba policy that will allow lawsuits by US citizens against dozens of Cuban companies who seized property from Americans after the revolution to proceed. The announcement made on Monday partially reverses more than two decades of US policy towards Cuba. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the administration was lifting a prohibition against such suits, as long as they were filed against one of about 200 companies and businesses in which the Cuban security services have a financial interest. Last year, US companies and travellers were prohibited from conducting any business with the listed Cuban entities. The new step comes as the administration tightens the economic screws on Cuba in an attempt to move back from the Obama-era opening to the island. That effort has intensified with administration accusations that Cuba is the main prop holding up the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro. Obama in Cuba Show all 6 1 /6 Obama in Cuba Obama in Cuba U.S. President Barack Obama makes a face towards a group of children in the audience as he stand on stage with first lady Michelle Obama as he is introduced by Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis Charge d'Affaires to the U.S. Embassy in Cuba Obama in Cuba President Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez upon arrival to the airport in Havana, Cuba Obama in Cuba U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle approach Cuba's foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez as they arrive at Havana's international airport Obama in Cuba US President Barack Obama waves after his arrival on Jose Marti Airport in Havana, Cuba Obama in Cuba US President Barack Obama carries an umbrella as he is followed by First Lady Michelle Obama after their arrival on Jose Marti Airport in Havana, Cuba Obama in Cuba The 'Air Force One' jet carrying US President Barack Obama touches down at the Jose Marti Airport in Havana, Cuba Today expect the United States to take the first in a series of steps to hold the regime in #Cuba accountable for its 60 years of crimes & illegality which includes its support for the murderous #MaduroCrimeFamily, Senator Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter early Monday in anticipation of the announcement. Others saw an additional motive. This is all about Florida 2020, where thousands of Venezuelans are a voting bloc along with the always-important Cuban Americans, said Richard Feinberg, a professor of international economy at the University of California at San Diego and a Latin America specialist. It's clear that by this action, we are ratcheting up pressure on the Cuban government, said a senior State Department official who briefed reporters on a department-imposed condition of anonymity. The measure allows legal claims only against property held by the listed Cuban entities and for now, at least, does not affect any foreign investment or the foreign part of joint ventures with those entities. In 30 days, the official said, the administration will assess the situation and decide, among other things, whether to expand it. In addition to taking this action, the official said, we are also continuing to encourage the international community to press Cuba on human rights... encouraging anyone doing business in Cuba to consider, whether intentionally or not, they're trafficking in confiscated property and therefore abetting the regime's repression. At stake are potentially hundreds of thousands of claims nearly 6,000 of them already certified by the US Foreign Claims Settlement Commission billions of dollars, and protracted legal and diplomatic battles with US and foreign companies operating on property claimed by original owners. An unprecedented aspect of the act, at odds with traditional practice and international law, would allow Cuban Americans who were not US citizens at the time their property was taken to make claims in federal court. Most of the existing and potential claimants fled the island in the years immediately after Fidel Castro took over the government in January 1959. The properties range from vacation beach houses to some of Cuba's largest state-owned and joint-venture companies. Cuba's intelligence and military services are involved in many of the businesses, particularly in the tourism sector. The measure is part of the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, commonly called Helms-Burton after the lawmakers who initiated it. The law codified and expanded the economic embargo against Cuba's communist government applying it to foreign countries and mandating that it remain in place until lifting it was determined to be in the US national interest and would expedite Cuba's return to democracy. The bill, initially opposed by many Democrats, was passed and signed by Bill Clinton after Cuban fighter jets, in February 1996, shot down two private planes operated by a Miami-based group humanitarian group. Cuba disputed that the planes were over international waters. But the law's Title III provision, allowing US citizens to sue for three times the current value of confiscated property worth more than $50,000, has been suspended every six months since it was enacted. Successive administrations determined it would be harmful to US trade and relationships with allies that have investments in Cuba. Several European countries, along with Canada and Mexico, passed laws prohibiting cooperation with any of its extraterritorial provisions, and the European Union threatened to bring it before the World Trade Organisation. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty As it continues to push for Mr Maduro's to step down in favour of opposition leader Juan Guaido, the administration has repeatedly charged Cuba along with Russia and China with keeping Mr Maduro in office. Part of the problem in Venezuela is the heavy Cuban presence, 20,000 to 25,000 Cuban security officials, White House national security adviser John Bolton told CNN on Sunday. Josefina Vidal, Cuba's ambassador to Canada, spoke out on Monday against a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report repeating Mr Bolton's charges. Ms Vidal said there were 20,000 Cubans in Venezuela, 94 per cent of them health workers and the rest in other sectors such as education, according to Prensa Latina, the Cuban news service. In years past, Cuba sent thousands of physicians and other health workers to Venezuela in exchange for sharply discounted or free oil shipments that have now been substantially curtailed as Venezuelan production has lagged. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events But while there are disagreements over the numbers, many experts in this country say thousands of Cuban intelligence and military personnel are also in Venezuela, where they hold significant sway over forces loyal to Mr Maduro's government. Although the administration has increased economic pressure on Cuba, even those who disagree with US policy have been leery of investment there. The main deterrent to foreign investment in Cuba is the Cuban government itself, Mr Feinberg said. The domestic economy is stagnant if not declining... they have severe foreign exchange problems and delays in repatriation of money. "Who's going to invest under those circumstances? Not a lot of companies. Washington Post Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar has joked about Robert Kraft being charged soliciting prostitution. Speaking at a Gridiron Club and Foundation dinner, an event known for good-natured roasting through songs, skits and speeches as a break from the daily battles between journalists and government officials, she poked fun at the New England Patriots owner. She began by promising the audience at the Renaissance Washington Hotel her remarks would be shorter than a Robert Kraft visit to the Orchids day spa. The billionaire, a friend of Donald Trump, has been charged in Florida with two counts of soliciting prostitution at the spa in the town of Jupiter, Florida. Police said they have footage of the 77-year-old twice engaging in a sex act with prostitutes. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin A woman can tell a dirty joke, Ms Klobuchar said. She also referred to a a recent news story which depicted her as a difficult boss. It was claimed that she told off a member of her staff for bringing her a salad without a fork and promptly ate it with a comb. How did everyone like the salad? she said, before asking the crown whether it needed a little scalp oil and a pinch of dandruff. Recommended Trump again confuses climate change with weather in tweet Recounting her inaugural campaign speech in a Minneapolis snowstorm, Ms Klobuchar wondered how the presidents hair would fare in a blizzard, after Mr Trump had called her Snowman(woman) in the immediate aftermath. On the Republican side, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana made fun of his drawl, saying when he appeared on cable TV: They call me folksy. I think that means theyre surprised I have a college degree, he added. His advice for life? Always be yourself, he said, unless you suck. Joking about the investigation into Russian collusion with Mr Trump's presidential campaign, he said that no one in the administration had been found to be secretly working for the United States. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Mr Trump did not attend the speech this year. His daughter and senior adviser, Ivanka Trump, told the audience that he asked her to step in for him. This isnt a joke, she said, offering her fathers regrets for not attending, before adding: The opportunity to poke fun at the media is not something he passes up lightly. The Associated Press contributed to this report Michael Cohens lawyer discussed the possibility of Donald Trumps former fixer receiving a pardon during a meeting with the presidents legal team, according to a new report. Stephen Ryan held conversations on behalf of Cohen with Rudy Giuliani, Jay Sekulow and Joanna Hendon that are now the subject of Congressional investigations, the Wall Street Journal reported. The news arrived after House judiciary committee chairman Jerrold Nadler announced earlier in the day a slate of requests for documents from 81 contacts close to Mr Trump, including two of his children, Trump Organisation Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, and his White House administration. According to the new report, Cohens lawyer suggested his client would be willing to work with investigators if he were not offered a pardon from the president. Though there is no reported indication Cohen himself knew of the conversations between the attorneys, he told lawmakers last week during an explosive testimony: I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from Mr Trump. The conversations were reportedly held shortly after Cohens offices, home and hotel room were raided by FBI agents, who seized documents from the presidents ex-attorney. The House judiciary committee now under Democratic control has also requested documents from Cohen pertaining to possible pardons related for Paul Manafort, Michael Flyyn, or yourself. The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images Cohens current lawyer Lanny Davis has refuted notions of receiving a presidential pardon. Mr Trumps lawyers were also opposed to the idea when Mr Ryan held conversations with them, according to the Wall Street Journal, though Mr Giuliani reportedly left it as an open possibility. Mr Trump decried the investigations in a series of tweets on Tuesday morning, calling them the greatest overreach in the history of our Country. Recommended Trump family could be forced to testify after Cohen hearing The Dems are obstructing justice and will not get anything done, he claimed. A big, fat, fishing expedition desperately in search of a crime, when in fact the real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done! In a statement announcing his committees investigation, Mr Nadler said, Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress and a core function of the House judiciary committee. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Cohen will serve a three-year sentence in prison beginning in May, after pleading guilty to lying to Congress, as well as campaign finance violations and tax fraud. The president has repeatedly attacked his former lawyer and confidant ever since Cohen turned on him. Cohen, in turn, referred to his ex-boss as a "racist," a "con man" and a "cheat" during last week's testimony, in which he provided a cheque possibly revealing the president's criminal conduct while in the White House for reimbursing him over hush money payments sent to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. Hillary Clinton has said she will not run for the US presidency in 2020. The former senator and US secretary of state ruled out another run for the White House in an interview with New York TV station News12. Im not running but Im going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe, said Ms Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump. Whats at stake in our country, the kind of things that are happening right now are deeply troubling to me. The 71-year-old added that she is not going anywhere, despite ruling herself out of the presidential race. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin She said she had spoken to several of the candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination and told them dont take anything for granted, even though we have a long list of real problems and broken promises from Donald Trumps administration. Prominent Democrats including Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders are eyeing a White House run, in what is likely to be a crowded field. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Additional reporting by agencies A coalition of 20 US states and California's Attorney General have announced lawsuits seeking to block a new rule barring groups providing abortions or abortion referrals from receiving federal funding. Changes to the Title X family planning programme announced by the Trump administration last month are expected to shift tens of millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood towards faith-based clinics. The lawsuits seek a court injunction to stop the rule from taking effect in 60 days. The filings are the first of what is expected to be a flurry of challenges to the new rule that would affect more than 4 million low-income women who receive services including cancer screenings and pregnancy tests through the Department of Health and Human Services programme. The California suit was filed in US District Court in San Francisco on Monday. The multi state lawsuit, brought mostly by Democratic-controlled states, is expected to be filed on Tuesday in US District Court in Oregon. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin Everyone deserves the ability make their own decisions about their health care, Oregon governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, said in a statement. It is appalling that the federal government wants to rob individuals of the right to complete medical information and full access to the critical health care services they rely on. The rule imposes what administration officials have referred to as a bright line of physical and financial separation between the provision of family planning and abortion services. It would effectively require Planned Parenthood to drastically alter its operations, or forgo an estimated $60m in annual funding. It also bars federally funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions. Opponents call this stipulation a gag rule, arguing it will compromise medical ethics and potentially endanger women's lives. Recommended Trump administration blocks funds for abortion clinics Xavier Becerra, California's Attorney General, called the rule an extraordinary overreach. HHS has exceeded the scope its statutory authority and acted in a manner that is arbitrary, capricious, and not in accordance with law, he wrote. In a statement, Mr Becerra, a Democrat, said the rule would deny patients access to critical health care services and prevents doctors from providing comprehensive and accurate information about medical care. It would also put California's Title X providers, which serve about 1 million women, in an untenable situation. He wrote: If existing health care providers are forced to decide whether to provide full and accurate information to patients, or forego federal Title X funding, numerous providers will have no choice but to sacrifice needed funds, to the detriment of the patients they serve. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The 21 states are just some of the parties including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Centre for Reproductive Rights that have vowed to sue over the rule, which was published on Monday in the Federal Register. Supporters of the rule, which include numerous religious and anti-abortion organisations, have pointed to how the Supreme Court upheld similar regulations in 1991's Rust v Sullivan decision in a 5-to-4 ruling. But those regulations, introduced under Ronald Reagan and tied up in legal challenges, were in effect for only several weeks before the arrival of the Clinton administration, which promptly eliminated them. Maureen Ferguson, senior policy adviser with the Catholic Association, has argued the rule simply clarifies that abortion is not an appropriate method of family planning..." "The difference between the two is profound," she added "Title X money is appropriated by Congress for preventative family planning services, and was never meant to subsidise abortion clinics. Both state lawsuits argue, however, that the rule violates a provision of the Affordable Care Act, which wasn't in place 28 years ago, and which forbids regulations that create unreasonable barriers to the ability of individuals to obtain appropriate medical care. The multi-state lawsuit also describes the requirement of physical and financial separation as onerous. In a statement, Oregon officials explain that it would require health clinics to open another location, or create a separate entrance for patients, have separate examination rooms, hire separate personnel to work at separate workstations, maintain a separate phone number and website, and have separate electronic medical systems in order to continue to accept Title X funds. That lawsuit also takes issue with the rule's mandate that every pregnant patient get a referral for prenatal care regardless of the needs or the wishes of the patient. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In addition to Oregon, the states participating in the multi-state lawsuit are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. The District of Columbia is also a party to the suit. The nation's Democratic attorneys general have repeatedly challenged initiatives of the Trump administration, weighing in on issues including the president's immigration policy and efforts to fund a wall along the US-Mexico border through an emergency declaration. Washington Post Donald Trump has been accused of failing to take meaningful action on Chinas repressive policies towards the Uighur Muslim people of Xinjiang province. A bipartisan group of politicians wrote a letter to the secretary of state Mike Pompeo saying that the Trump administration appeared to have done nothing months after it first called for sanctions on Beijing over its attempt to wipe out [Uighurs] separate identity, language, and history. Washington should stand up for the oppressed and demonstrate to strongmen globally that the world will hold them accountable for their actions, the group urged. The group was led by Eliot Engel, a Democrat who chairs the House foreign affairs committee, and first called for action last August. Fellow Democrat Brad Sherman and Republicans Ted Yoho and Chris Smith also signed the letter. Up to 1 million Uighur Muslims are thought to have been detained in so-called re-education camps in Xinjiang while a widespread surveillance network monitors the regions Muslim population. They have been forced to recite Communist Party propaganda and denounce their faith, previous reports alleged, while some have allegedly been made to eat pork. China has denied these allegations. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Beijing has also tried to sinicise Islam and make it more compatible with socialism, the letter added. Pompeo wrote to the committee on Sept. 28 saying his department was looking into a request for sanctions on those responsible for abuses and for controls on exports of technology that facilitates mass detentions and surveillance of ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region, the letter said. The politicians wrote: More than four months later, it appears that the administration has taken no meaningful action in response to the situation in [Xinjiang], and we write today with a renewed sense of urgency on this serious matter. Of particular concern are reports of US companies that may be contributing to Beijings persecution of Uighurs through their support or commercial ties to Hikvision and Dahua two Chinese tech giants that have profited from the surge of security spending in Xinjiang. Congress has demonstrated bicameral, bipartisan support for spotlighting the abhorrent situation in Xinjiang and Chinas surveillance tactics and has urged President Trump to condemn these abuses committed by Chinese authorities. Rhetoric without action will only embolden Beijing. The US ambassador for international religious freedom, Sam Brownback, told reporters that the issue was being discussed thoroughly, but he did not announce new action. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events A State Department spokeswoman said it remained deeply disturbed that since April 2017, the Chinese government has detained more than one million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Muslims in internment camps. We will continue to call on China to end these counterproductive policies, free all those arbitrarily detained, and cease efforts to coerce members of its Muslim minority groups residing abroad to return to China to face an uncertain fate, she said. US officials said last year the administration was considering sanctions against companies and officials linked to Chinas crackdown, but Beijings Washington ambassador has previously warned of retaliation if they are imposed, amid a trade war between the two countries. Additional reporting by Reuters The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has hired Daniel Goldman, former Assistant US Attorney from the Southern District of New York, to spearhead an investigation into Donald Trumps White House administration. Mr Goldman began serving as a senior adviser and director of investigations last month after being hired by Adam Schiff, the committees Democratic chairman. A career prosecutor with experience combatting Russian crime operations, Mr Goldman previously told The Independent in an interview last year he would feel comfortable charging the president with felony campaign finance fraud based on what we know now, adding an important caveat: So long as Michael Cohen could be used as a witness, he said, and if the president could actually be indicted. Weve had some kindling and now we have real smoke but were not yet at a bonfire, though that certainly seems to be the direction were heading, Mr Goldman said in December 2018 nearly three months before the presidents former lawyer Michael Cohen delivered his explosive public testimony on Capitol Hill in which he accused Mr Trump of criminal conduct while in the White House. I think the presidents most concrete legal jeopardy that we know of in the public is the campaign finance fraud crimes that Michael Cohen plead guilty to. The hiring announcement first reported by The New Yorker arrives as multiple House committees launch aggressive investigations into the presidents financial dealings and involvement with Russia during the 2016 election and dating back to the 1990s. The investigations have been launched by newly-appointed Democratic chairmen after the party took control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 election. The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images Mr Goldman worked for a decade at the Southern District of New York, which has now found itself at the core of multiple investigations into Mr Trump. Cohen revealed during his public testimony last week the office is investigating previously-unreported potential crimes committed by the president, and that he was not allowed to discuss the last conversation he had with his former boss as that was included in the Southern Districts ongoing probes. Mr Goldman previously served as the deputy chief of the organised-crime section at the US Attorneys Office in Manhattan, New York. His career has largely focused on prosecuting organised crime syndicates he oversaw prosecutions of a number of Russian criminals involved in financial crimes such as health-care fraud and nearly 30 defendants all accused of money laundering and racketeering. House investigators have also requested documents and information from translators who sat in on meetings between Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin, in which readouts and details have not been entirely disclosed to the public. Recommended Former prosecutor explains how Trump can be indicted In his interview with The Independent, Mr Goldman said: There are many strong legal arguments for why a sitting president can be indicted. Those included issues with statutes to limitations and fading memories, but also basic fundamental principles that no one should be able to defraud the voting public to attain office and then be protected by that office, he said. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events However, he noted that right now the policy at the DOJ is a sitting president cannot be indicted and unless that is reversed then there wont be an indictment by either the special counsels office or the southern district. Mr Schiffs committee will be focused on determining the extent of Mr Trump and his campaigns awareness of Russias intention to sway the 2016 election against his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, as the US Intelligence Community has since confirmed took place. The White House did not return requests for comment. Donald Trumps alleged interference in a business merger involving CNN is unquestionably an impeachable offence, a lawyer and husband to one of the US presidents senior advisers has said. The New Yorker reported that Mr Trump in 2017 told Gary Cohn, his then chief economic adviser, and John Kelly, his former chief of staff, to pressure the Department of Justice to block AT&Ts acquisition of Time Warner, which owned CNN. Mr Trump publicly objected to the merger, with many claiming it was to spite a news channel he perceives as an enemy. According to an unnamed source cited in the publication, the president told Mr Kelly at the time: "Ive been telling Cohn to get this lawsuit filed and nothings happened! Ive mentioned it 50 times. And nothings happened. I want to make sure its filed. I want that deal blocked! George Conway, a frequent Trump critic who is married to White House counsel Kellyanne Conway, tweeted: If proven, such an attempt to use presidential authority to seek retribution for the exercise of first amendment rights would unquestionably be grounds for impeachment. Will Trump fall to the 25th Amendment? The key players in the debate Show all 7 1 /7 Will Trump fall to the 25th Amendment? The key players in the debate Will Trump fall to the 25th Amendment? The key players in the debate President Trump Donald Trump, whose firing of the FBI director James Comey in 2017 sparked concerns among senior government officials Getty Will Trump fall to the 25th Amendment? The key players in the debate James Comey The former director of the FBI, James Comey, whose firing by Mr Trump sparked the crisis in 2017 EPA Will Trump fall to the 25th Amendment? The key players in the debate James McCabe James McCabe, the former acting director of the FBI, who has made the explosive accusations in a TV interview AFP Will Trump fall to the 25th Amendment? The key players in the debate Rod Rosenstein The deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who allegedly discussed which cabinet members might back invoking the 25th Amendment Reuters Will Trump fall to the 25th Amendment? The key players in the debate Lindsey Graham Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally who has pledged to hold an investigation into the affair AFP Will Trump fall to the 25th Amendment? The key players in the debate Christopher Wray The new director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, who took over after Mr Trump fired Mr Comey AP Will Trump fall to the 25th Amendment? The key players in the debate Mike Pence The vice-president Mike Pence, who has dismissed suggestions Mr Trump is not capable of discharging his duties AFP The Justice Department went to court in late 2017 in a bid to stop the $85bn acquisition. However, following a six-week trial a US judge ruled it could go ahead. Last week an appeals court rejected the Trump administrations attempt to overturn the ruling. Mr Conways impeachment comments were echoed by Democratic congressman Dan Kildee, who on Monday said alleged hush money paid by Mr Trump to women who claimed they had an affair with him could be enough to take steps towards impeachment. "I don't think it has to be Russia-related collusion in order for us to take a step," he told MSNBC. Donald Trump has launched an angry Twitter tirade directed at Democrats after the House judiciary committee announced a wide-ranging investigation into the president. Now that they realize the only Collusion with Russia was done by Crooked Hillary Clinton & the Democrats, Nadler, Schiff and the Dem heads of the Committees have gone stone cold CRAZY, the president tweeted on Tuesday morning. 81 letter sent to innocent people to harass them. He added, They wont get ANYTHING done for our Country! The presidents comments on Twitter arrived after the White House slammed the House Democrats newly launched probe as a disgraceful and abusive investigation into tired, false allegations. Chairman Nadler and his fellow Democrats have embarked on this fishing expedition because they are terrified that their two-year false narrative of Russia collusion is crumbling, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement on Monday night. The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images Their intimidation and abuse of American citizens is shameful, she added. Democrats are harassing the president to distract from their radical agenda of making America a socialist country, killing babies after theyre born, and pushing a green new deal that would destroy jobs and bankrupt America. Now under Democratic control, House committees have intensified their probes into the presidents alleged criminal conduct both in the office and during his rise to prominence as a New York real estate mogul. Three House committees are asking the White House and the State Department for any information on private conversations between Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin, including an interview with an interpreter who sat in on their one-on-one meeting in Helsinki last summer. The broad requests from the House intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Reform committees ask for the substance of Mr Trump and the Russian presidents conversations in person and by phone and for information on whether those conversations had any impact on US foreign policy. They are also asking whether Trump tried to conceal any conversations. When a reporter asked him on Monday if he was going to cooperate with the investigation led by committee chairman Jerrold Nadler, Mr Trump replied: I cooperate all the time with everybody. You know, the beautiful thing, no collusion. Its all a hoax. Mr Nadlers committee has sent requests to 81 people linked to the president and his associates. The lawmaker said on Monday the investigation will be focused on possible obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Over the last several years, President Trump has evaded accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical, and constitutional rules and norms, Mr Nadler said in a statement. Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of congress and a core function of the House Judiciary Committee. The president continued to tweet about the new investigations on Monday morning, writing: The greatest overreach in the history of our Country. The Dems are obstructing justice and will not get anything done. A big, fat, fishing expedition desperately in search of a crime, when in fact the real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done! He added, PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT! Additional reporting by AP Donald Trumps new attorney general will not recuse himself from oversight of Robert Muellers investigation into alleged Russian collusion with the 2016 presidential campaign, the Justice Department has announced. Officials advised William Barr against the step, spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said on Tuesday, and Mr Barr made a decision consistent with that advice. Mr Barr has tried to allay fears raised by Democrats that he might disrupt Mr Muellers work. During his confirmation hearing in January, he downplayed a memo he had sent to Justice Department and White House lawyers in which he criticised the investigation for its presumed enquiries into whether Mr Trump had obstructed justice. Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Show all 20 1 /20 Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Donald Trump's Cabinet Donald Trump's Cabinet is one the richest in American history, filled with billionaires, conservatives and several career politicians. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Mike Pence US Vice President Mike Pence has defended Donald Trump throughout his presidency while walking a fine line to avoid any public involvement in major scandals. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Mike Pompeo Secretary of State Mike Pompeo replaced Donald Trump's previous appointment to the post, Rex Tillerson, and has led talks with North Korea in establishing high-profile summits between the president and Kim Jong Un. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Wilbur Ross Secretary of Commerce Wibur Ross raised controversy when he was accused of falsely claiming to have sold stock in a bank and violated a government ethics agreement. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Robert Lighthizer US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has been a fixture in Donald Trump's ongoing trade spat with China. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet William Barr Attorney General William Barr replaced Jeff Sessions as the nation's top cop in early 2019 and has refused to commit to recusing himself from the Russia probe despite an unsolicited memo he sent to the Justice Department decrying the investigation. EPA Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Rick Perry Energy Secretary Rick Perry has held his post throughout Donald Trump's presidency despite previously undermining the need for the agency he now leads in past public statements. Ken Shipp / United States Department of Energy Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Betsy DeVos Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has also held her post throughout the presidency, despite major backlash to her apparent undermining of the nationwide public school system and advocacy for charter programmes. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Steven Mnuchin Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has faced numerous controversies throughout his tenure as the head of Treasury, including costing taxpayers at least a million dollars in travel expenses. AP Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Robert Wilkie Veterans Affairs secretary Robert Wilkie was appointed after Donald Trump's White House doctor Ronny Jackson withdrew over allegations he provided prescription drugs to patients without prescriptions. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet David Bernhardt Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt took office in January 2019 after the resignation of Ryan Zinke after previously serving as Zinke's deputy. Before taking office Bernhardt worked for many years as a solicitor for the Department of the Interior. Tami Heilemann / United States Department of the Interior Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Elaine Chao Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has held her post throughout the presidency and has mostly avoided controversy, despite a report claiming her office has been in frequent coordination with her husband's, Mitch McConnell. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Kevin McAleenan Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan took over from Kirstjen Nielsen after she resigned in April 2019. He previously worked as the executive director of the executive director of the Office of Anti Terrorism in the Customs and Border Protection agency United States Customs and Border Protection Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Ben Carson Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson was appointed shortly after Donald Trump took office and raised controversy over an exorbitant furnishing bill for his office. Reuters Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Gina Haspel CIA Director Gina Haspel was appointed in 2018 and faced backlash surrounding her oversight of Guantanamo Bay. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Dan Coats Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats could be the next person to leave Donald Trump's administration over his refuting the president's claims surrounding ISIS. Reuters Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Sonny Perdue Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has been dogged by ethics questions throughout his tenure and faced controversy when emails showed the agency appeared willing to eagerly work with lobbyists under his leadership. Reuters Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Alex Azar Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is a former pharmaceutical lobbyist and former drug company executive. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Mick Mulvaney Acting Chief of Staff and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney has described himself as one of the most conservative officials in the White House. EPA Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Robert Wilkie Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie has spent his career on Capitol Hill serving in various roles in foreign affairs and defence. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force Reserve. Gene Russell / United States Department of Veterans Affairs He said it was a narrowly-focussed message and should not be read as suggesting he had pre-judged the probe. Mr Barr also unhesitatingly told senators that it was in the public interest for Mr Mueller to complete his investigation, and that he wanted to release as much information as possible about it to Congress and the public. Under Justice Department guidelines, Mr Mueller will provide a confidential report to Mr Barr that explains his decisions to pursue or decline prosecutions. Mr Barr will then prepare his own report for release to Congress. He has said he intends to share some information with the public, though it is not clear whether Mr Muellers actual report will ever be made public. Former FBI director James Comey, whose firing by Mr Trump is among the events being investigated by the special counsels office, wrote in The Washington Post on Monday that providing detailed information about a completed investigation of intense public interest has long been a part of Justice Department practice. Every American should want a Justice Department guided first and always by the public interest, Mr Comey wrote. Sometimes transparency is not a hard call. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The president had publicly mocked and ultimately fired his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from Mr Muellers investigation because of his work with the Trump campaign. Mr Trump named Matthew Whitaker, who was Mr Sessions chief of staff, as acting attorney general in November. But Mr Whitaker came under fire after he declined to recuse himself from the Mueller investigation despite advice from a top Justice Department ethics official that he should to step aside out of an abundance of caution. Before joining the Justice Department Mr Whitaker had made critical comments about Mr Muellers investigation, including once speculating about a scenario in which Mr Trump might fire Mr Sessions and then appoint an acting attorney general who could stifle the funding of Mr Muellers probe. Additional reporting by AP Two months after President Donald Trump announced all American troops would be leaving Syria, the commander-in-chief backpedalled on his decision in a letter to Congress, stating he now agreed 100 per cent with keeping a military presence in the conflict-struck country. Late last year, Mr Trump announced the United States won against Isis and that he would be withdrawing all of the approximately 2,000 troops from Syria. In a video message uploaded to Twitter on December 19 2018, the president declared: Our boys, our young women, our men, theyre all coming back and theyre coming back now. The presidents change of heart was revealed in his response to a letter sent by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives to Mr Trump on February 22. The politicians applauded the president after White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed in late February the US would be keeping a small-scale military presence there. We support a small American stabilising force in Syria, the letter read, adding that keeping a military presence which includes a small contingent of American troops and ground forces from our European allies, is essential to ensure stability and prevent the return of Isis. Mr Trump sent the legislators a photocopy of the letter and highlighted a paragraph in it detailing the groups goal, which states: Like you, we seek to ensure that all of the gains made in Syria are not lost, that Isis never returns, that Iran is not emboldened, and that we consolidate our gains and ensure the best outcome in Geneva for American interests. Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Show all 14 1 /14 Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Men who fled the last Isis-held area of Syria line up to be questioned by American and Kurdish intelligence officials Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A young girl pulls her belongings after arriving Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate An SDF fighter hands out bread to women and children after they arrive Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Sita Ghazzar, 70, after fleeing from the last Isis-held territory in Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A family from Russia who recently fled the last Isis-held area of Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent The president then responded by writing directly on the letter. I agree 100%. ALL is being done, Mr Trump hand wrote and signed in black marker. A full copy of the letter, obtained by NBC News, can be viewed here. Since before assuming the Oval Office, Mr Trump vowed to end the war against the Islamic State citing it has placed a burden on the American taxpayer and resulted in too many deaths. The Tokyo District Court approved the release of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn on 1 billion yen (6.8m) bail on Tuesday, ending nearly four months of detention. The acceptance of Mr Ghosns request for bail, his third, came a day after one of his lawyers said he was confident the auto executive would gain his release. The newly hired attorney, Junichiro Hironaka, is famous for winning acquittals in Japan, a nation where the conviction rate is 99 per cent. Mr Hironaka said Monday that he had offered new ways to monitor Mr Ghosn after his release, such as camera surveillance. Mr Hironaka also questioned the grounds for Ghosn's arrest, calling the case very peculiar, and suggesting it could have been dealt with as an internal company matter. The 1 billion yen bail set by the court is relatively high, but not the highest ever in Japan. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Among the conditions for Mr Ghosns release were restrictions on where he can live, a ban on foreign travel and other promises not to tamper with evidence or try to flee, the court said. The former head of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors alliance has been detained since he was arrested on 19 November. He says he is innocent of charges of falsifying financial information and of breach of trust. Mr Ghosns release from the Tokyo Detention Center might come as soon as later in the day. In Japan, suspects are routinely detained for months, often until their trials start. That's especially true of those who insist on their innocence. Prosecutors say suspects may tamper with evidence and shouldn't be released. Two previous requests submitted by his legal team were denied. His previous defence lawyer, Motonari Ohtsuru, had said Mr Ghosn's release might not come for months. Mr Hironaka is among many critics of the Japanese justice system who say such lengthy detentions of suspects are unfair. He referred to the situation as hostage justice. Mr Ghosn is charged with falsifying financial reports by under-reporting compensation that he contends was never paid or decided upon. The breach of trust allegations centre on a temporary transfer of Mr Ghosns investment losses to Nissan's books that he says caused no losses to the carmaker. They also name payments to a Saudi businessman that he says were for legitimate services. Mr Ghosns family had appealed for his release, calling his detention a human rights violation. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The Nissan Motor Company declined comment on the criminal case but said it was working on strengthening corporate governance. Nissan has dismissed Mr Ghosn as chairman, although he remains on the board pending a decision at a shareholders meeting. Nissan's internal investigation has uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct, company spokesman Nick Maxfield said. Associated Press Fast-food chain KFC has memorialised a popular Chinese Communist hero in a new restaurant with decor extolling his deeds. The official Xinhua News Agency said the company launched its first Lei Feng Spirit restaurant in Mr Lei's home province of Hunan in China on Tuesday. The opening of the new restaurant coincided with the official remembrance day for the soldier who died in 1962 at the age of 21. Mr Lei's example of "selfless service" to the Communist Party and his comrades was popularised in 1963 by former leader Mao Zedong and remains a rallying point for party unity and public service. Critics question the facts surrounding his alleged good deeds, saying most were based on accounts in a diary reportedly found after his death. Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Fireworks explode over ice sculptures on the opening day of the annual Harbin Festival EPA Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors walk among ice sculptures during the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival Reuters Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors look at ice sculptures lit by night during the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in China's northeast Heilongjiang province AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures A "cityscape" view of Harbin Reuters Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors walk among ice sculptures during the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures The palace at Harbin EPA Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Workers carve snow sculptures during the Harbin Festival AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors walk among ice sculptures lit by night during the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures A "cityscape" view of Harbin AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Fireworks explode over ice sculptures on the opening day of the annual Harbin Festival AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors walk among ice sculptures lit by night during the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures The main gate to Harbin AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures A wall in Harbin EPA Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Swimmers prepare to dive into a swimming pool carved from ice AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors walk among ice sculptures lit by night during the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Workers build up Harbin Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Workers build up Harbin Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures An ice sculpture at Harbin AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors walk among ice sculptures during the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors ride on the ice in front of a snow sculpture in Harbin AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors walk among ice sculptures during the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures A wide view of Harbin AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures A pig sculpture to celebrate the Year of the Pig at Harbin AFP/Getty Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures Visitors walk among ice sculptures lit by night during the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival EPA Incredible town made of ice in China for Winter festival: in pictures A wide view of Harbin at night AFP/Getty The KFC restaurant in the provincial capital of Changsha is decorated with Mr Lei's writings and image. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He Min, general manager for KFC's Hunan region, told Xinhua: Lei Feng has been the role model for generations of Chinese. "As the KFC (outlet) in his hometown, we will spare no effort to promote his spirit, In addition to opening the themed restaurant, KFC plans to promote the Lei Feng spirit in its over 250 outlets in the province and encourage its staff to learn from the role model, Xinhua reported. Lei Feng day is marked annually by acts of public service such as clearing garbage and visiting the elderly. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Communist leaders revived his memory more than a decade ago in a bid to stir support for the party among the younger generation born after the abandonment of orthodox Marxism in the 1980s and the crushing of pro-democracy protests centred on Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989. Recent years have seen renewed efforts to update his image, including through television specials and smartphone apps. KFC in China is run by Yum China, which split from its parent company Yum Brands in 2016. The company's American roots have occasionally made it a target of nationalistic Chinese during times of tension between Beijing and Washington, although it appears unaffected by the current trade war between the two. AP The vast majority of the most polluted cities in the world are in India according to a new study from IQ AirVisual and Greenpeace. Gurugram, a northern Indian city in the state of Haryana, is the world's most polluted city, while New Delhi, the country's capital, is ranked 11th worst globally. Researchers studied the amount of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 to gauge the extent of air pollution. PM2.5, or particles of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, are dangerous because it lodges deep in the lungs. The World Health Organisation (WHO) sets a daily mean air quality guideline of just 25 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter of air. According to the report, Gurugram's annual average concentration is 135.8 micrograms per cubic metre, which AirVisual classifies as "very unhealthy". New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Show all 14 1 /14 New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels India's Rashtrapati Bhawan is partly visible due to smog as traffic plies on Rajapth. Smog levels spike during winter in Delhi, when air quality often eclipses the World Health Organization's safe levels AP New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Cooler air traps pollutants -- such as from vehicles, building sites and farmers burning crops in regions outside the Indian capital -- close to the ground AP New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A man wearing a protective mask walks amidst smog in the early morning in New Delhi Reuters New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Indian people receive treatment for respiratory problems at a hospital in New Delhi AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Buildings shrouded in smog Reuters New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A combination of pictures showing people wearing face masks to protect themselves against air pollution AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Indian workers are seen in the morning smog as they clean a lane littered with remains of firecrackers AP New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Smog envelopes the horizon in New Delhi AP New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Motorists on a busy road amid heavy smog AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A man cycles past a government building amid heavy smog AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Commuters are seen amid heavy smog in New Delhi AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels An Indian shepherd walks along his herd of sheep amidst heavy smog AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A train moves through heavy smog EPA New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A pedestrian crosses a road near the Indian President's house AFP/Getty According to the WHO, seven million people die from air pollution each year, with nine out of 10 people globally breathing in polluted air. In New Delhi the average annual concentration is 113.5 micrograms per cubic metre. The city found to be the world's most polluted capital is notorious for its toxic air, which is caused by vehicle and industrial emissions, dust from building sites, smoke from burning rubbish and crop residue in nearby fields. "Air pollution steals our livelihoods and our futures, but we can change that. In addition to human lives lost, theres an estimated global cost of 225 billion dollars in lost labour, and trillions in medical costs," said Yeb Sano, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. "This has enormous impacts, on our health and on our wallets." Although Indian cities fare poorly in the new study, Greenpeace and AirVisual said conditions had improved drastically in China. Average PM2.5 concentrations in cities in China fell by 12% from 2017 to 2018, according to Greenpeace. China struggled for years to enforce environment rules and crack down on polluting industries, but it has benefited recently from vastly improved legislation and greater political will to combat poor air quality. Dehli smog during morning commute "In mainland China, in particular, this has led to significant improvements in year-on-year reductions in PM2.5 levels," the groups said in the study. "The question which remains to be answered is whether there is enough political will to aggressively fight the health emergency India faces today and move away from polluting fuels and practices," said Pujarini Sen, spokeswoman for Greenpeace India. Additional reporting by agencies A nurse on her way to work halted a runaway bus and helped save the life of its driver after he suffered a cardiac arrest, it has been reported. Aoife McGivney, who was on board at the time, acted after seeing the bus had run a red light and its progress down the road was becoming increasingly haphazard. After it crashed into a cyclist she moved towards the driver and found him unconscious, she told The Irish Times. By pulling his foot off the accelerator, she was eventually able to bring the bus to a stop. Ms McGivney, of Dublin, told the paper: We could feel the bus going over the bike. We thought there was someone under the bus so everyone started screaming. I said we needed to get the driver onto flat ground or his heart was going to stop. We got him outside the bus and into the recovery position but then I found he had stopped breathing and gone into cardiac arrest. I started CPR and asked people to call an ambulance. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty A passer-by and a police officer helped administer CPR before paramedics arrived, the Mater Hospital nurse added. Authorities said the driver was recovering well following the incident on Monday. The Times reported that the cyclist suffered only minor injuries. French police are treating the stabbing of two prison guards by a suspected Islamist inmate as a terrorist attack. Elite officers used stun grenades to capture the prisoner after he stabbed security staff with a ceramic knife before barricading himself in a room used for family visits. The man reportedly shouted Allahu Akbar [God is greatest] as he launched the attack while his wife was visiting the Normandy prison on Tuesday, prison officials were quoted as saying. Nicolas Castaner, the French interior minister, confirmed the prisoner and his wife had been detained by officers. Nicole Belloubet, the justice minister, said she understood the prisoner was on a security agencies' watch list of potential threats because of his suspected Islamist sympathies. Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents Show all 10 1 /10 Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism6 Students holding a placard reading "Together against antisemitism" take part in a ceremony in tribute to Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old Jewish man abducted and killed over a decade ago. AP/Francois Mori Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism3 Vandals spray swastikas over post boxes painted with face of late Holocaust survivor and renowned French politician Simone Veil in Paris, France. 11 February 2019. AP/Mairie du XIIIth Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism1 French street artist Christian Guemy, known as C215, cleans post boxes vandalised with swastikas covering the face of the late Holocaust survivor and renowned French politician Simone Veil in Paris 12 February 2019. AP/Michel Euler Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism2 AP/Christophe Ena Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism9 Poster reads "Antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, not in our name" during a gathering decrying antisemitism at Place de la Republique in Paris on 18 February 2019. AP/Francois Mori Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism5 Ceremony in tribute to Ilan Halimi at a memorial in Sainte Genevieve des Bois, Paris, February 13 2019. Two trees planted in memory of the 23-year-old Jewish man abducted and killed over a decade ago found vandalised two days later. AP/Francois Mori Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism7 Student lights candle at a ceremony in tribute to Ilan Halimi - a 23-year-old Jewish man abducted and killed over a decade ago. AP/Francois Mori Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism8 Man holds poster reading "Racists, don't touch our Jewish friends" during a gathering decrying antisemitism at Place de la Republique in Paris on 18 February 2019. AP/Francois Mori Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism10 Poster reads "Antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, not in our name" during a gathering decrying antisemitism at Place de la Republique in Paris on 18 February 2019. AP Protests across France after 74% rise in antisemitic incidents France antisemitism4 French prime minister Edouard Philippe pictured at the end of a ceremony to present the Ilan Halimi award to reward projects by youths combating antisemitism and racism at Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, 12 February 2019. Reuters/Charles Platiau She said: There is no doubt about the terrorist nature of this attack. The minister added that one of the guards had been seriously injured. French police take position outside the prison where an inmate stabbed two guards with a knife in Conde-sur-Sarthe, France, on 5 March 2019. (Reuters/Benoit Tessier) The inmate at the centre of the attack was serving a 30-year sentence for murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and publicly condoning terrorism at the prison in Conde-sur-Sarthe, roughly half way between Caen and Le Mans. He was jailed in 2015 for the offences, which included the murder of an 89-year-old man who had survived Nazi concentration camps. French media reported the inmate as being known as a radicalised Islamist. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events An investigation has been launched to find out how the prisoner got hold of a knife and whether his wife was involved. Agencies contributed to this report The EUs main centre-right political group will formally debate whether or not to boot Viktor Orbans populist Fidesz party from its ranks later this month. The European Peoples Party, the largest group in the European Parliament, announced on Tuesday it would discuss excluding the Hungarian prime ministers populist outfit at its congress on 20 March. The decision, which comes just weeks before looming European Parliament elections in May, is the culmination of years of debate about Fideszs place in the EPP as the Hungarian ruling party continues its march towards the far right. Twelve EPP member parties in nine countries wrote to the EPP secretariat demanding the exclusion or suspension of Mr Orbans party well in excess of the seven parties in five countries required to trigger the debate. The European Peoples Party is a big family that can have its differences, EPP president Joseph Daul told German newspaper Die Welt. But there is a limit and Viktor Orban has crossed the red line. He added that the decision on whether to expel Fidesz belongs to all members of the EPP and I cannot anticipate the outcome of the discussion. Advocates for keeping the Hungarian ruling party in the mainstream fold say it is easier to influence Mr Orban while he is a member of the group, and that electorally his seats are important to the EPPs dominance in the European Parliament. Those who support ejecting Fidesz say efforts at controlling Mr Orban have already failed. They point to allegations of antisemitic state campaigns, legal crackdowns on NGOs, and the demonisation of Muslims in Hungary as well as anti-migrant and anti-EU messaging from the government. Mr Orban has personally described his critics within the EPP as useful idiots for the left because their criticism creates division within the ruling bloc. The Hungarian prime minister most recently angered his allies after he launched a poster campaign targeting Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president who is himself from the EPP. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty After the backlash from Brussels, the Hungarian government agreed to change the target of the campaign so that it instead targeted Mr Junckers deputy Frans Timmermans, who is from the centre-left socialist group. Mr Orban is already shunned by the European mainstream to an extent: last year, a two-thirds majority in the European Parliament voted to trigger Article 7 procedures against Hungary on the basis that its government was violating the rule of law. There was a media storm in the UK after Tory MEPs supported Mr Orban in the vote, in contrast to most other mainstream conservative parties in western Europe. Donald Tusk, the European Council president who is also a member of the EPP, in November launched an attack on Mr Orbans leadership, warning that no one has the right, at least in our political family, to attack liberal democracy and its foundations. He said at the time: Let me be absolutely clear: if you are against the rule of law and independent judiciary, you are not a Christian Democrat. If you dont like the free press and the NGOs, if you tolerate xenophobia, homophobia, nationalism and antisemitism, you are not a Christian Democrat. British Special Forces will be asked to play a key role in counter-terrorist operations in Afghanistan under military plans being drawn up by the Pentagon following Donald Trumps decision to pull US troops out of the country, according to senior defence sources. While US officials are involved in contentious talks about future power sharing with the Taliban, planners in Washington have been putting together a strategic road-map which will meet the presidents demand for withdrawing the vast bulk of the 14,000 US military personnel currently deployed in Afghanistan. Other international forces, numbering around 9,000, will pull out along with the Americans over a time-frame of around three years. There would, however, be US air cover provided for Afghan forces and a smaller US-led force focusing on counter-terrorism against Isis and al-Qaeda fighters. The British Armys SAS and the Royal Navys SBS are expected to be part of the mission, say US and Western military officials. There are currently just over 1,000 British troops in Afghanistan, and a SBS contingent, The Independent understands, is operating in central and eastern Afghanistan. The UK SF numbers can be enlarged in the future, it is believed, with a current deployment in Syria due to be scaled down with the campaign against Isis drawing to a close. French Special Forces who have, like the British, seen Afghan combat in the past, have also been considered for deployment request in Pentagon plans. But they are engaged against Islamists in the Sahel region, as well as being in Syria, and are unlikely to have capacity to spare. Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Show all 16 1 /16 Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2001 Afghans at the Killi Faizo refugee camp desperately reach for bags of rice being handed out to the thousands who escaped the bombardment in southern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. (Chaman, Pakistan, December 4, 2001) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2002 Mahbooba stands against a bullet-ridden wall, waiting to be seen at a medical clinic. The seven-year-old girl suffers from leishmaniasis, a parasitical infection. (Kabul, March 1, 2002) All photos Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2003 A mother and her two children look out from their cave dwelling. Many families who, fleeing the Taliban, took refuge inside caves adjacent to Bamiyans destroyed ancient Buddha statues now have nowhere else to live. (Bamiyan, November 19, 2003) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Students recite prayers in a makeshift outdoor classroom in the Wakhan Corridor, a mountainous region in northeastern Afghanistan that extends to China and separates Tajikistan from India and Pakistan. (Northeastern Afghanistan, September 2, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Bodybuilders in the 55-60 kg category square off during a regional bodybuilding competition. Many Afghan men, like others around the world, feel that a macho image of physical strength is important. (Kabul, August 6, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2008 A woman in a white burqa enjoys an afternoon with her family feeding the white pigeons at the Blue Mosque. (Mazar-e-Sharif, March 8, 2008) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Addicts inject heroin while trying to keep warm inside the abandoned Russian Cultural Center, which the capital citys addicts use as a common gathering point. Heroin is readily available, costing about one dollar a hit. (Kabul, February 9, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 An elderly man holds his granddaughter in their tent at a refugee camp after they were forced to flee their village, which US and NATO forces had bombed because, they claimed, it was a Taliban hideout. (Surobi, Nangarhar Province, February 7, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Seven-year-old Attiullah, a patient at Mirwais Hospital, stands alongside an X ray showing the bullet that entered his back, nearly killing him. Attiullah was shot by US forces when he was caught in a crossfire as he was herding sheep. (Kandahar, October 13, 2009). Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 US Army Sargeant Jay Kenney (right), with Task Force Destiny, helps wounded Afghan National Army soldiers exit a Blackhawk helicopter after they have been rescued in an air mission. (Kandahar, December 12, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 An Afghan National Army battalion marches back to barracks at the Kabul Military Training Center. (Kabul, October 4, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Eid Muhammad, seventy, lives in a house with a view overlooking the hills of Kabul. He and millions of other Afghans occupy land and housing without possessing formal deeds to them. (Kabul, November 21, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Razima holds her two-year-old son, Malik, while waiting for medical attention at the Boost Hospital emergency room. (Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, June 23, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Young women cheer as they attend a rally for the Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani. (Kabul, April 1, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Burqa-clad women wait to vote after a polling station runs out of ballots. (Kabul, April 5, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2015 Relatives, friends, and womens rights activists grieve at the home of Farkhunda Malikzada, who was killed by a mob in the center of Kabul. Farkhunda was violently beaten and set on fire after a local cleric accused her of burning a Quran. (Kabul, March 22, 2015) Paula Bronstein Trumps announcement of the Afghan pull out, along with a similar move in Syria, are said to have been major contributing factors to the resignation of James Mattis as Defence Secretary. There have been warnings about the policy from the military, with General John Allen, a former commander of US and Nato forces, stressing that a large-scale drawdown would be serious mistake. Pulling out right now, just the announcement would create chaos in the strategy, he held. There has been widespread criticism, too, from senior figures in the presidents own Republican party like Senator Lindsay Graham who maintains that a sudden withdrawal would create a security vacuum for terrorists and pave the way for a second 9/11 --- the New York attacks which led to the intervention by American and British forces in 2001. There have also been bitter complaints from the Kabul government, which has not been included in the talks between the Taliban and a US team, led by Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, raised the spectre of what happened to one of his predecessors, Mohammed Najibullah, who was dragged away from a UN compound, tortured and murdered by the Taliban when they took the capital in 1996. There is said to be recognition among the military planners that the volatile nature of Trumps decision-making may mean the forces drawdown may not be as drastic as demanded. There would, however, still be a need to move towards a counter-terrorist mission, say military officials. The 18-year military engagement in Afghanistan is the longest war in American history and successive US presidents have sought to end it. The US-led Isaf (International Security Assistance Force) which had 130,000 troops at one stage, formally ended its operations in 2014 under Barack Obama. The UK had around 10,000 troops, mainly in Helmand in the south, until the end of the Isaf mission. Theresa Mays government doubled the numbers to its current strength last year, at the request of president Trump who was sending additional US forces at the time. Various options have been put forward for the Afghan war including one by Erik Prince the former owner of the private security company Blackwater calling for security contractors to replace US troops. The former US Navy Seal officer maintains that far smaller numbers of personnel would be needed and the mission could be run at a fraction of the cost it is incurring now. There is a move towards a counter-terrorist mission, even if president Trump changes his mind about the numbers being pulled out. And its natural that a UK contribution will be requested when that happens - after all, US and UK SF have worked together successfully quite a lot in Afghanistan and Iraq said a senior American defence source. We also know that the ANA (Afghan National Army) and the ANP (Afghan National Police) must be supported by air in combat and also medivac (medical evacuation) if they are to have a fighting chance, but just training them is not enough. There is recognition that a new strategy is needed. The US Department of Defence said it is considering all options on force dispositions and no decision has yet been made about the matter. At least 70 Egyptians have reportedly been arrested for taking part in small and scattered anti-government protests sparked by a deadly train crash. The crackdown comes a week after 25 people were killed and dozens injured in the accident at Cairos main train station, which caused a large fire. Many blamed the countrys crumbling infrastructure for the high death toll, and have expressed anger at the government for not addressing the issue. Ten of the 70 people arrested have already been released, according to Mada Masr, an Egyptian news site that first reported the detentions. Human rights lawyer Malek Adly told the site the arrests took place in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria and Beheira. The Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) also said in a statement that more than 50 people have been arrested in the last week. Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Fire fighters and onlookers gather at the scene of a fiery train crash in Cairo's main railway station AFP/Getty Images Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures A fire fighter works at the scene AFP/Getty Images Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Fire fighters and onlookers gather at the scene of a fiery train crash in Cairo's main railway station EPA Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Firefighters extinguish flames and cool off the train engine EPA Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Firefighters extinguish flames and cool off the train engine EPA Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Fire fighters and onlookers gather at the scene of a fiery train crash in Cairo's main railway station AFP/Getty Images Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Officials inspect the burnt-out train engine EPA Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Firefighters stand near burnt-out train wagons on tracks EPA Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures A damaged train is seen at the main train station after a fire caused deaths and injuries in Cairo Reuters Fiery train crash Cairo: in pictures Onlookers and journalists gather at the scene AFP/Getty Last week, a lone protester was arrested in Cairos Tahrir Square after calling on President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi to resign. The man, named as local pharmacist Ahmed Mohie, was filmed being led away by police. Egypt has people who are not afraid of anyone but their creator, he said in the video, which was shared on social media. Since coming to power in a 2014 coup, former army chief el-Sisi has cracked down on all forms of opposition to his rule. In the last year, his security forces have escalated a campaign of intimidation, violence, and arrests against political opponents, civil society activists, and many others who have simply voiced mild criticism of the government, according to Human Rights Watch. Egypts transport network suffers frequent crashes, and the government has faced criticism for not doing enough to maintain it. Authorities said they have arrested six people over the deadly crash, including two train conductors, their aides and two other rail workers. Investigators said the crash may have been caused by a fight between the two conductors. Google has refused to remove a controversial Saudi government app that can be used by men to track women and stop them from travelling. Absher, an app owned and operated by the kingdoms interior ministry, will continue to be available to buy despite it coming under mounting scrutiny. An investigation found the app, which gives men the power to grant and rescind travel permission for women and to set up SMS alerts for when they use their passports, did not violate Googles terms of service. Apple and Google faced criticism last month when 14 members of the US Congress wrote a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking both companies to stop hosting the app. They accused the technology giants of enabling gender discrimination describing both companies as accomplices in the oppression of Saudi Arabian women. Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive Show all 8 1 /8 Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive A Saudi woman gestures while driving in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Reuters Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive A Saudi woman drives at night in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia Reuters Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive Saudi women embrace as they celebrate the lift of the female driving ban in Saudi Arabia Reuters Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive A Saudi woman straps in Reuters Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive A Saudi woman drives to work in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Reuters Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive Fadya Fahad is one of the first female drivers for Careem, a ride sharing company in Saudi Arabia Getty Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive A Saudi woman stops at a petrol station while driving to work in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Reuters Saudi Women celebrate their freedom to drive A Saudi woman waits for coffee on the commute in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Reuters Both companies launched internal investigations into the app, which can be downloaded from both the Google Play store and Apples app store. Google has allowed the app to remain on its Google Play store and Apples investigation continues. Google told the office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier, one of the letters signatories, that the investigation concluded the app does not breach any agreements, according to Fortune. Under Saudi Arabias restrictive guardianship laws, women cannot travel without permission from their male guardians and male relatives have a final say over a woman marrying. Critics say the app serves as the practical and technological arm of the repressive rules that restrict and inhibit countless aspects of everyday life for women in the country. Absher, which roughly translates as yes sir, allows men to turn on notifications that alert them with a text message any time a woman under their guardianship goes through an airport. Absher, which has been downloaded more than one million times, also allows citizens to complete a range of bureaucratic tasks, such as renewing drivers licences to male guardians and giving women permission to seek a job, which is legally required in Saudi Arabia. It also has features that send alerts if a woman leaves a certain area making it difficult for women to leave without the permission of a male guardian. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat elected to the House of Representatives who is one of the signatories, tweeted: Women are not your property! Women are not your property! Women are not your property! So why are @Apple and @Google hosting an app that allows men to track and control womens movement in Saudi Arabia? This insanity needs to end! Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, who sent a separate letter to Apple and Google, said: American companies should not enable or facilitate the Saudi governments patriarchy. He added: By permitting the app in your respective stores, your companies are making it easier for Saudi men to control their family members from the convenience of their smartphones and restrict their movements. This flies in the face of the type of society you both claim to support and defend. Google and Apples decision to host the app has sparked criticism from Human Rights Watch, which said the tech companies were facilitating human rights abuses. Representatives for Google and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Two American children may be stuck inside the final bastion of the Islamic State in Syria as US-backed forces claim the area, according to their father. I am praying to my God that they will return to me, said the father, Bashirul Shikder. They are innocent. I am just hoping. Four years ago, his wife fled their Florida home to join the Isis and took their two children with her. She was killed in an airstrike, but the children are believed to be in Baghouz, the last village held by the militant group in Syria. As the battle to destroy the Isis self-proclaimed caliphate draws to an end, Western governments have struggled to deal with citizens who joined the terrorist organisation. The family of Shamima Begum, who left for Syria as a teenager, has said the British government intends to revoke her citizenship. And Donald Trump has vowed not to let Hoda Muthana, an American-born woman, return to the United States. Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Show all 14 1 /14 Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Men who fled the last Isis-held area of Syria line up to be questioned by American and Kurdish intelligence officials Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A young girl pulls her belongings after arriving Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate An SDF fighter hands out bread to women and children after they arrive Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Sita Ghazzar, 70, after fleeing from the last Isis-held territory in Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A family from Russia who recently fled the last Isis-held area of Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent But Mr Shikders ordeal raises the question of what happens to children who ended up in the Islamic State through no fault of their own. Mr Shikder, 38, told his story in phone calls from Iraq and Florida, and two lawyers involved in his case corroborated his account. Mr Shikder is a religious Muslim, but he is also very much an American, said Charles D Swift, director of the Constitutional Law Centre for Muslims in America, who is helping Mr Shikder. He believes in America and in the ideals of America. Born in Bangladesh, Mr Shikder moved to Canada as a young man, before immigrating to the United States and becoming a citizen a decade ago. (AFP/Getty (AFP/Getty) He married a Bangladeshi-born American woman, Rashida Sumaiya, and had two children, Yusuf, a boy, and Zahra, a girl. They lived near Miami, where he works in information technology, he said. He and his wife liked to play chess and badminton and hold barbecues in Miami Beach. But his life was upended in March 2015, when he left for a pilgrimage to Mecca. His wife was supposed to take the children to visit her parents in Orlando, he said. But when she stopped responding to his texts, he began to worry. Recommended Isis bride says she can return to US despite government denials After days of silence, he reached her parents, who said she and the children were gone but refused to say more, he said. So he contacted the FBI and returned to Florida, learning that his wife, their children, then 4 and 10 months old, and his wifes sister, had flown to Turkey to cross into Syria to join the Isis. A few weeks later, he received a call from Syria while he was driving on the motorway, he said. A man with a British accent asked him whether he was the father of Yusuf and Zahra. Shikder said yes and asked where they were. In the Islamic State, he said the man told him. He gave Mr Shikder one month to join them in Syria or said his wife and children would be taken away from him. About a week later, his wife called and told him how she, her sister, and their children had been smuggled into Syria and had their passports taken away, he said. That was the start of an intermittent and painful correspondence between him, his wife, her sister and other members of the Isis. Sometimes his wife sent him videos of his children playing and put them on the phone, he said. But he never knew whether they were in danger. Many times I was very worried because I was seeing fighting, I was seeing airstrikes, I was seeing Assads soldiers, he said, referring to Syrias president, Bashar Assad. I was seeing people being killed. Later, he received messages asking him to send money or telling him to join the family in Syria, appeals he was not sure were from his wife or from someone else using her phone, he said. He refused to send money, having been advised that it could violate the American law against providing material support to a terrorist group. In 2016, he received a document from an Isis court divorcing him from his wife. The document said his wife had asked for a divorce because Mr Shikder lived in the land of disbelief (America), had refused to move to the Isis and had not sent money to his wife. He later learned that his wife had remarried and given birth to a daughter, and sometime later that her new husband had been killed, he said. He last spoke to Ms Sumaiya in December, he said. He told her that her father had died in the United States, and she spoke of a nearby airstrike that had terrified the children. Timeline of the Isis caliphate Show all 19 1 /19 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Timeline of the Isis caliphate ISIS began as a group by the merging of extremist organisations ISI and al-Nusra in 2013. Following clashes, Syrian rebels captured the ISIS headquarters in Aleppo in January 2014 (pictured) AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared the creation of a caliphate in Mosul on 27 June 2014 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis conquered the Kurdish towns of Sinjar and Zumar in August 2014, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Pictured are a group of Yazidi Kurds who have fled Rex Timeline of the Isis caliphate On September 2 2014 Isis released a video depicting the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff. On September 13 they released another video showing the execution of British aid worker David Haines Timeline of the Isis caliphate The US launched its first airstrikes against Isis in Syria on 23 September 2014. Here Lt Gen William C Mayville Jnr speaks about the bombing campaign in the wake of the first strikes Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis militants sit atop a hill planted with their flag in the Syrian town of Kobani on 6 October 2014. They had been advancing on Kobani since mid-September and by now was in control of the citys entrance and exit points AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Residents of the border village of Alizar keep guard day and night as they wait in fear of mortar fire from Isis who have occupied the nearby city of Kobani Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Smoke rises following a US airstrike on Kobani, 28 October 2014 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate YPG fighters raise a flag as they reclaim Kobani on 26 January 2015 VOA Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis seized the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on 20 May 2015. This image show the city from above days after its capture by Isis Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces are stationed on a hill above the town of Sinjar as smoke rises following US airstrikes on 12 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces enter Sinjar after seizing it from Isis control on 13 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi government forces make the victory sign as they retake the city of Fallujah from ISIS on 26 June 2016 Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi forces battle with Isis for the city of Mosul on 30 June 2017 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of the Iraqi federal police raise flags in Mosul on 8 July 2017. On the following day, Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi declares victory over Isis in Mosul Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Female fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim Square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria in January 2019 They were among the last civilians to be living in the ISIS caliphate, by this time reduced to just two small villages in Syrias Deir ez-Zor Richard Hall/The Independent Timeline of the Isis caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate, on Saturday 26 January 2019 Richard Hall/The Independent In January, his sister-in-law told him that his wife had been killed in an airstrike and that the three children had been burned in the blast. The sister-in-law got in touch one more time, on 4 February, and said the childrens wounds were healing, Mr Shikder said. That was the last he heard from her. Last month, Mr Shikder received word that his children had been found in a refugee camp in eastern Syria, so he flew to northern Iraq, intending to cross the border to retrieve them. But it turned out to be a false report, so he returned to Florida last week. Clive Stafford Smith, a British human rights lawyer who is helping Mr Shikder, says he has confirmed, through contacts he has with people whose relatives are in the village, that the children are alive and in Baghuz, in the care of a British woman who is reluctant to surrender. Mr Shikder is an observant Muslim who does not drink or smoke, prays regularly and wears a long black beard with a trim mustache. His own faith compounded his horror at the jihadis actions, he said. I do everything that Islam tells you to do, but my Islam did not tell me to do what they did, he said. He said he struggled to determine how much his wife had embraced their message. Sometimes I was feeling that she was stuck, he said. Sometimes I was feeling that she was believing what she was doing. Yusuf is now 8, Zahra is 4, and his wifes other daughter, Safyah, is about 18 months old. His lawyers believe she can claim American citizenship through her mother, and Mr Shikder has offered to adopt her. But it remains unclear whether the children will make it out of Syria. Mr Smith and Mr Shikder have contacted American diplomats, law enforcement agents and members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces that have surrounded Baghuz, hoping to secure safe passage for the children, Mr Smith said. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Heather Fabrikant, a spokeswoman for the US Consulate in Irbil, Iraq, said the State Department was aware of reports of an international parental child abduction case in which US citizen children were taken to Syria in 2015 but that she could not discuss details because of privacy considerations. On Monday, Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, wrote on Twitter that they had slowed the offensive on Baghuz due to a small number of civilians held as human shields by the Isis. However, we assert that the battle to retake the last ISIS holdout is going to be over soon. As he waits, Mr Shikder prays, and tries to stay hopeful that his children will be saved. Everything is making me worried, he said. New York Times One of Americas top-rated airlines is set to announce transatlantic flights promising better service and lower fares than anyone. The carrier is New York-based jetBlue, which started flying from JFK airport in 2000. It has since expanded to more than 100 destinations across the US, Caribbean and Latin America. Speaking exclusively to The Independent, the airlines chief executive, Robin Hayes, said: What jetBlue has always done since we started nearly 20 years ago is bring low fares with a better service, and wed love to bring that to Europe. Were actively looking at it now. He also revealed that the aircraft used would be the narrow-bodied Airbus A321LR (long-range). The airline has a big order with Airbus for A321neo jets, with an option to convert some to the long-range variant. World's safest airlines 2019 Show all 19 1 /19 World's safest airlines 2019 World's safest airlines 2019 Eva Air Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Austrian Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 KLM Getty World's safest airlines 2019 Qatar Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Lufthansa Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Hawaiian Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Alaska Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 SAS Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Finnair Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Emirates Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Cathay Pacific Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 British Airways Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Singapore Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 All Nippon Airways Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Air New Zealand Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Swiss Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 American Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 United Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Virgin Atlantic and Australia Getty Images Hayes stressed that a transatlantic network would be based only at Boston and New York JFK the airlines two main hubs in the northeast US. Initially it would not serve any other US cities nonstop, but could offer many connections through the two hubs. At Boston, jetBlue is the biggest airline. In terms of passenger numbers, London is the largest destination from Boston that jetBlue does not serve. Business-class fares from London to Boston and New York are typically over 8,000 return, which is more than the cost of a journey twice as far, such as from London to Singapore. While big corporate clients may pay as little as half this figure, Hayes said: Premium fares are very, very high. Airlines have continued to increase them believing theyre not really elastic at that price level. In other words, fare increases do not lead to a proportionate decline in demand. Hayes believes jetBlue can bring fares down from present levels and still make a reasonable profit. On transcontinental services in the US, connecting New York and Boston with Los Angeles and San Francisco, jetBlues premium service is called Mint. It offers international long-haul standards, including lie-flat beds, as well as free, high-speed, gate-to-gate wifi. Since we launched [Mint], transcontinental fares have approximately halved, said Mr Hayes. A big problem for any new entrant on the London-New York route is that evidence suggests business travellers want to fly from Heathrow. Several business-class-only carriers have failed flying to New York from Luton and Stansted. But Hayes said: The difference between us and all those airlines is that we have a very well-known brand in the US, we have a very trusted brand, and we have a network behind both New York and Boston to support it. So were not starting from zero. Were starting from a network and a relevance in New York and Boston that these other airlines simply didnt have. He said that joint-ventures such as British Airways-American Airlines and Delta-Virgin Atlantic were proving anti-competitive, and urged the authorities to free up slots at congested airports to increase competition. Heathrow is the most congested airport in the world. The jetBlue boss hinted that Gatwick and Stansted could be considered as the London end of the transatlantic network. Part of the issue with Gatwick and Stansted has been about geography, but its also been about the quality of the schedules. Weve got to make sure we can offer schedules that are compelling for our customers. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The aviation consultant John Strickland said: With the A321LR, jetBlue will have the ideal means to launch a transatlantic operation given its excellent economics and moderate capacity. On top of this they are aiming at the high end of the market with a quality product so dont simply have to join the price scrum. The challenge will be that incumbents will be planning to make life as difficult as possible for them by defending this lucrative business. An announcement is expected early next month, with services likely to start from late 2019. Staff at jetBlue have been sent a save the date email about an event in New York on 10 April, described as a chat about jetBlues vision and strategy. The following day, Hayes is due to speak at the Aviation Club in London. Were going to make a decision in 2019, he told The Independent. And if we make a decision to come, I promise you better service and lower fares than anyone: jetBlue flying to Europe would have a very important and profound effect in lowering fares. In 2008, a confidential Tony Blair memo found its way into the newspapers, in which he described Gordon Browns decision as prime minister to diss our own record as a fatal mistake. It is, then, something of a measure of how far we have come that the unofficial Tory leadership contest now very much unofficially underway, has already been set up as a race to see who can distance themselves the furthest from their own partys record. Sajid Javid had been home secretary for about thirty seconds when he disowned the flagship hostile environment policy created by his predecessor-but-one, and now prime minister. On Tuesday, it was Amber Rudds turn to do the same. Her and Sajid Javid are considered the frontrunners to replace Theresa May, and it is worth remembering he is only the home office because she failed, or perhaps refuse, to dodge the blame for the Windrush scandal which was not her fault. And it was clear she will not be doing the same again. She is the work and pensions secretary now. A department that has surely replaced the Home Office as the political graveyard" now. It has had six ministers in the last six years, though that may say more about the seriousness with which the Conservative Party takes it than the jobs themselves. The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned Show all 16 1 /16 The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "One case where the claimants wife went into premature labour and had to go to hospital. This caused the claimant to miss an appointment. No leeway given" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Its Christmas Day and you dont fill in your job search evidence form to show that youve looked for all the new jobs that are advertised on Christmas Day. You are sanctioned. Merry Christmas" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You apply for three jobs one week and three jobs the following Sunday and Monday. Because the job centre week starts on a Tuesday it treats this as applying for six jobs in one week and none the following week. You are sanctioned for 13 weeks for failing to apply for three jobs each week" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A London man missed his Jobcentre appointments for two weeks because he was in hospital after being hit by a car. He was sanctioned" 2011 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Youve been unemployed for seven months and are forced onto a workfare scheme in a shop miles away, but cant afford to travel. You offer to work in a nearer branch but are refused and get sanctioned for not attending your placement" 2013 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You are a mum of two, and are five minutes late for your job centre appointment. You show the advisor the clock on your phone, which is running late. You are sanctioned for a month" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man with heart problems who was on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) had a heart attack during a work capability assessment. He was then sanctioned for failing to complete the assessment" Rex The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man who had gotten a job that was scheduled to begin in two weeks time was sanctioned for not looking for work as he waited for the role to start" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Army veteran Stephen Taylor, 60, whose Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) was stopped after he sold poppies in memory of fallen soldiers" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man had to miss his regular appointment at the job centre to attend his fathers funeral. He was sanctioned even though he told DWP staff in advance" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Ceri Padley, 26, had her benefits sanctioned after she missed an appointment at the jobcentre - because she was at a job interview" Jason Doiy Photography The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man got sanctioned for missing his slot to sign on - as he was attending a work programme interview. He was then sanctioned as he could not afford to travel for his job search" 2012 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Mother-of-three Angie Godwin, 27, said her benefits were sanctioned after she applied for a role job centre staff said was beyond her" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Sofya Harrison was sanctioned for attending a job interview and moving her signing-on to another day" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Michael, 54, had his benefits sanctioned for four months for failing to undertake a weeks work experience at a charity shop. The charity shop had told him they didnt want him there" Getty The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Terry Eaton, 58, was sanctioned because he didnt have the bus fare he needed to attend an appointment with the job centre" Getty Images Rudd came to the London Olympic Park, to speak of the wonder of the paralympics, and the superhumans who competed in them, by way of a preamble to announce she would be scrapping the ongoing annual assessments that elderly disabled people have to go through to access benefit payments. It was one of those rare moments in politics, where a ministers big announcement to scrap an outrageous policy serves only to draw attention to an outrageous policy which had hitherto been wisely kept hidden. She was, she said, ending the policy by which people with the most severe disabilities would no longer require ongoing assessment to make sure they were still eligible for them. That, in other words, it would no longer be the case that severely disabled people with incurable conditions had to report to an assessor every year to prove they had not been to see a miracle healer. That there had, in the last 12 months, been no laying on of hands. There had been no clandestine back bedroom hobbyistic pushing back of the boundaries of science and medicine. From now on, the balance of probabilities would be shifted to presume that a miracle had not happened. Yes, this really was the big announcement. At the end, it was somewhat unsurprising that members of the media wanted to know whether Rudd might not feel the best way to move on might involve some kind of apology. It was, after all, her party that had framed the debate on, scroungers, cheats, and so on that had done so much to make benefit claimants feel like they were doing something wrong. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events I dont recognise that description, she said. Through tinted windows behind her head, the Olympic Park was spread beneath a bright blue sky. I happened to be there, seven years ago, when the then chancellor George Osborne handed out a medal at the Paralympics and endured the only boo that stadium, or indeed any Olympic venue, heard all summer. It was done because of the harsh disability assessments that government introduced. So chastised was he by the experience that, one month later, he would say this in his party conference speech: Where is the fairness, we ask, for the shift-worker, leaving home in the dark hours of the early morning, who looks up at the closed blinds of their next door neighbour sleeping off a life on benefits? Rudds reply? This was seven years ago. Im concerned about the future. She may very well be the next Tory leader. She may very well be the next prime minister. But therell be an election at some point, and opposition parties are never slow to capitalise on instances when leading figures in governments have criticised themselves. She may very well find out, like Gordon Brown before her, that Tony Blair was right. Dissing your own record is a fatal mistake. There are two overriding features of the Canadian economy, and we are seeing their impact on politics right now. One is the dependence on the US market; the other, the need to support the Quebec economy. The first has helped drive policy over the future of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, who faces charges in the United States of violating US sanctions on Iran. The second explains the response of prime minister Justin Trudeau over the charges faced by the engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. Dependence on the US economy is a fact of geography. Canada has the second largest land area of any country on Earth, but nearly all of that great mass of land is barely populated. Some 90 per cent of its people live within 100 miles of the US border. Its largest city, Toronto, is 80 miles from the border, its second largest Montreal, 40 miles, its third largest, Vancouver, 30 miles. This leads to economic dependence, for the Canadian economy is essentially an extension of the US economy but under a separate constitutional jurisdiction. One statistic: three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the US. So when the United States sought to have Wanzhou detained when she flew through Vancouver airport, it was a straightforward decision for Canada to follow a law that obliged the country to accept the request and then hand over the decision as to what was to happen to its courts. The Chinese authorities have reacted with fury, and there have been demonstrations by the Chinese community in Canada in protest, but the country can reasonably and correctly say that this is a legal process, not a political one. Now look at Quebec vis-a-vis the rest of Canada. In the early years of the last century it was the dominant economy. Montreal was the largest city, and with a population of 470,000 in 1911 it was nearly 100,000 ahead of Toronto. Now the positions are reversed, and though in the past decade Montreal has made something of a comeback it is the second largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris its 1.75 million population compares with the 2.81 million of Toronto. Supporting the Quebec economy is the key to facing off separatist pressures in Quebec. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty SNC-Lavalin is one of the jewels of the Montreal economy, vying with the similar-sized Bombardier (also based in Montreal) as one of the two great Canadian industrial complexes. So when the engineering company found itself facing criminal charges for corruption and fraud, it is easy to see why Justin Trudeau, who is of course of French ancestry on his fathers side, should incline towards finding some way of containing the crisis. The firm has 9,000 employees in Canada, and some 50,000 in total. Thus, putting pressure on the then attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould not to go ahead with the prosecution, then demoting her when she refused, might seem to make economic sense. But of course with the second cabinet resignation, that of the Treasury Board president Jane Philpott, Trudeaus own future is at stake. The contrast with the Meng Wanzhou case is obvious. In one case you say this is a legal matter and it would be wrong for politicians to intervene. In the other you say there are, ahem, economic considerations that have to be taken into account, and accordingly some other procedure, in this case what is called a deferred prosecution agreement, would be more appropriate. Unsurprisingly the Chinese authorities have jumped on this. I dont think it is helpful for a foreign journalist, even one who hugely respects Canada, to comment on the political implications of all this. From the outside it simply seems that Justin Trudeau has, like so many other charismatic politicians, fallen foul of excessive adulation. When the magazine Rolling Stone runs a hagiographic column about a politician, asking Is he the free worlds best hope? as they did about Trudeau a couple of years ago, you know things will not end well. What I find comforting is that Canada is showing up as a functioning democracy, with all the checks and balances that decent democracies embody. Canada is also an economic success story, whatever the outcome of these two legal cases, and will continue to be so. The winding up of the last remnants of Isis in northeastern Syria is an important milestone in eliminating the so-called Caliphate, a purported heaven on earth that became a charnel house of death and destruction. The battlefield is now down to approximately one square mile and Kurdish troops, assisted by European and American forces, are engaged in violent final battles. But this victory should not obscure the humanitarian disaster hidden in the fog of war in the northeast of the country. There are at least 1,248 children detained in camps in Syria, many of whom are US, EU or Canadian nationals. When the territories controlled by Isis are finally liberated, the number of children is likely to double. There are also 584 women currently detained and 790 men those numbers are also likely to double. While there are no doubt many hardcore Isis fighters among the men, and even some among the women, the children are caught in a disastrous and urgent trap not of their own making. Many of them were kidnapped by a parent and taken to Syria; some were born there. Clive Stafford Smith, the founder of Reprieve of which I am the US Chair is in Kurdish Iraq, a few hours away from the battlefield. He has been spending time with Bashir Shikder, an American citizen and engineer who lives in South Florida. Bashirs two children were kidnapped by their mother four years ago, at the ages of 10 months and four years. They are now eight and nearly five. Their mother, who was compelled by Isis to divorce Bashir and remarry, subsequently had another child who is less than two years old. The mother was killed in Baghouz when their house was hit by munitions. And the children suffered serious facial injuries. All three of these innocent children are US citizens; the older two were born in Hollywood, Florida. We are hoping that it is not too difficult to find three small children in a tiny warzone, at least two of whom have visible facial burns. The State Department in Erbil is helping, as is Congressman Tom Malinowski, who was the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights under President Obama, and Senator Rubio. We do not want to tell the Department of Defense how to fight a war, but we are hoping that our troops have these kids in the back of their minds. Zahra and Yusuf Shikder and their baby half-sister Safyah are just three innocent children and there are going to be around 2,500 more trying to get through the freezing Syrian winter. If nothing is done, they will also have to negotiate the 110-degree summers. Much has been written about President Trumps insistence that EU countries take back 800 fighters, while he refuses to take an Alabama-born woman back into the United States on the apparently spurious grounds that she is not a citizen. The UK is moving to strip citizenship from its nationals. Adult Isis fighters pose complex security and legal challenges. Some may have been coerced or kidnapped or held against their will. Many will have committed atrocious human rights violations. But there are solutions to the problem of adult Isis fighters: repatriation and trial, or establishing an international UN-sanctioned court in Kurdistan to adjudicate actual crimes. Children, however, are different. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees respect for a childs right to life, identity, nationality, survival and development. It prevents discrimination based upon a parents race, colour, sex, language, religion or political opinion. It ensures that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will, except when competent authorities subject to judicial review determine it is necessary for the best interests of the child. None of this should be controversial and virtually every country, including all countries in the EU, have ratified the Convention (although, sadly, the US has signed the Treaty but the Senate has not ratified it.) Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Show all 14 1 /14 Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Men who fled the last Isis-held area of Syria line up to be questioned by American and Kurdish intelligence officials Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A young girl pulls her belongings after arriving Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate An SDF fighter hands out bread to women and children after they arrive Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Sita Ghazzar, 70, after fleeing from the last Isis-held territory in Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A family from Russia who recently fled the last Isis-held area of Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Children will die if this problem is not resolved very soon. These thousands of detainees cannot stay in Syria forever. Jordan, Kurdish Iraq, and other countries already have many more refugees than they can take care of. All children under 18 must be repatriated to their countries of origin. Ideally, their parents should be repatriated as well, with countries of origin taking responsibility for determining whether their parents pose a threat. To the extent that their parents cannot be repatriated at the same time, children need to be taken care of by relatives, foster parents or even in state facilities. They must at the very least be taken out of harms way and given access to shelter, healthcare, and nutrition. European countries have no moral or legal choice in the matter. States do not get to pick and choose their citizens or ignore them in their times of peril. That is especially the case with children. Zahra and Yusuf are two kids from Florida. Their baby half-sister Safyah is also an American. They have done nothing wrong. Their mother is dead. They have grown up in a nightmare world of beheadings and torture. They are injured. A father is trying to get them home alive. It must be everyones priority to save them. THE Clintons have been forced to deny they tried to use their position to get a scholarship to Ireland for a boyfriend of their daughter Chelsea. A new book has recast the relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and Irish politics and suggests successive governments have brought a begging bowl mentality to Washington. The claims are made by Trina Vargo, a former Democratic foreign policy advisor who worked behind the scenes on the Northern Ireland peace process. In Shenanigans: An Insiders View of the US-Ireland Relationship in Uncertain Times, Ms Vargo alleges there have been clumsy efforts to tap the diaspora for easy money, including the ill-fated certificate of Irishness. Both Mr Clinton and fellow former president Barack Obama were awarded a certificate before the scheme was scrapped in 2015. Only 3,000 people had paid the 40 fee to prove their heritage. It is the claims about the Clintons that have gained attention. Ms Vargo claims that, while still in the White House, Mr Clinton tried to use his influence to ensure his daughters boyfriend got invited to study in Ireland. The Clintons have described the claim as baseless and patently false. The books publishers said: The real story in the book is about the future of the US-Ireland relationship and while there are certainly some salacious titbits to be had, ensuring that strong bilateral relationship is really the focal point and goal. Family nightmare: The home in Howth where Celine Cawley (inset) was found beaten to death by her husband Eamonn Lillis The family of Celine Cawley have paid tribute to the bravery of Clodagh Hawes family, saying they are an inspiration to everyone who believes in the triumph of good over evil. Celines siblings - Chris and Susanna Cawley - issued a statement to RTEs Claire Byrne Live programme tonight praising Clodaghs mother Mary Coll, and sister Jacqueline Connolly. Their statement also praised the contribution of Jim and Rose Callally, the parents of Rachel OReilly who was murdered by her husband Joe OReilly at their home in the Naul, North County Dublin, in 2004. Businesswoman Celine (46) was killed by her husband Eamonn Lillis at their home in Howth, North Dublin, in 2008. He was released from prison in 2015 after serving a sentence for her manslaughter. Expand Close High profile: Celine Cawley in her modelling days the businesswoman was just 46 when she was bludgeoned to death by her husband in 2008 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp High profile: Celine Cawley in her modelling days the businesswoman was just 46 when she was bludgeoned to death by her husband in 2008 In the years after their sisters death, Chris and Susanna have called for legal reforms that would prevent those who killed their partners from gaining financially with regard to their joint assets after their death. Ms Cawleys siblings were involved in protracted legal proceedings against her killer over control of joint assets owned by the couple. Referring to the decision by Clodaghs family to go on the Claire Byrne Live programme last week, Chris and Susanna said: Reflecting on this bravery we are left wondering, how is it that private citizens, who are already trying to process the distress and sadness arising from a horrific crime, must take on such a personally onerous role in trying to get the state to respond to what is so manifestly in the interest of the common good and the principles of social justice. The family said that Celine's and their attempts to administer her estate showed " the totally unacceptable" current situation in Ireland where men who kill can currently gain financially from the crime. Read More We understand that legislation is currently being discussed. It is vital that proposed legislation ensures that 100% of jointly held assets pass to the estate of the victims family. It is crucially important that men who may be considering a horrific act of violence know that they will be disinherited from any role or part in jointly held assets. This legislation needs to be enacted urgently. Over the weekend, the Irish Independent reported on how Celines Law - which would block killers from benefitting from their crimes - is being stalled by Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan. A Department of Justice spokesperson said there are problems with the proposed legislation and that it may have unintended consequences. The proposed law was first tabled by Fianna Fails Justice spokesperson Jim OCallaghan two years ago. Last week, Jacqueline Connolly and Mary Coll made calls for an inquiry into the murder of Clodagh and her three sons. They also made a call for changes to succession laws. Clodagh Hawe and her three sons Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) were murdered by their husband and father Alan Hawe at their home in Virginia, Co Cavan, in August 2016. Hawe transferred funds from their joint account to his personal account before he took his own life. It it thought he did this so his family would inherit the money. The skull which was recovered by gardai Gardai have found the head of an 800-year-old Crusader which was stolen after vandals broke into a Dublin church and decapitated his mummified remains. The discovery was made today after gardai were contacted about information of its whereabouts. Another skull taken from the crypt in St Michan's Church on the weekend of February 24 was also recovered. Gardai thanked the public for its assistance in the investigation, which remains ongoing. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close David Pierpoint, Archdeacon of Dublin beside the entrance to one of the Crypts in St Michans Church, which was broken into and vandalised. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM David Pierpoint, Archdeacon of Dublin beside a sign advising people the church and vaults are closed due to the the break in and vandalism of the Crypts in St Michans Church. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM David Pierpoint, Archdeacon of Dublin beside the entrance to one of the Crypts in St Michans Church, which was broken into and vandalised. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM The entrance to one of the Crypts in St Michans Church, which was broken into and vandalised. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM St Michans Church on Church street which is currently closed due to the break in and vandalism of one the crypts under the church. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM David Pierpoint, Archdeacon of Dublin beside a sign advising people the church and vaults are closed due to the the break in and vandalism of the Crypts in St Michans Church. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM A sign advising people the church and vaults are closed due to the the break in and vandalism of a Crypt in St Michans Church. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM David Pierpoint, Archdeacon of Dublin pictured outside St Michans Church where a Crypt was broken into and vandalised. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp David Pierpoint, Archdeacon of Dublin beside the entrance to one of the Crypts in St Michans Church, which was broken into and vandalised. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM A garda spokesman said the National Museum of Ireland are acting in an advisory capacity following the discovery. The body of a 400-year-old nun was also interfered with and her head turned the wrong way around after vandals managed to break through a steel door and a metal gate leading to the crypt almost two weeks ago. Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said he is delighted that both the head of the Crusader and the skull taken from St Michans Church has been recovered. As Archbishop of Dublin, I should like to thank the Gardai and everyone else who has worked tirelessly to make this possible, he said. The National Museum of Ireland are now acting in an advisory capacity. The emphasis will now be able to turn to consideration of future security and display of the remains in the crypt of St Michans. Renewed thanks go to all who have shown interest and concern for the mummies. They are a priceless part of the heritage of the city of Dublin and its citizens. The Church of Irelands Archdeacon of Dublin, the Venerable David Pierpoint, described the damage as "vandalism, sacrilege, desecration". St Michans has six CCTV cameras operating on the grounds, including one pointing directly at the vault doors, which is hoped will help identify those responsible. In a statement following the incident, the Church of Irelands Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Reverend Michael Jackson, appealed for those responsible to return the head of the Crusader. "I am shocked that someone would target this ancient burial place and desecrate the remains of those lying within it. "Not only have these individuals desecrated the sacred crypt but they have destroyed these historic mummies which have been preserved in St Michans for hundreds of years. I would appeal to those responsible to examine their consciences and return the head of The Crusader to its rightful place," he stated. "The actions of these people are devastating and sacrilegious. "We are upset at the amount of damage that has been caused. But also the crypt will have to close so tourists will not be able to visit. "It is very frustrating," he said adding: "I would appeal to anyone with information to contact the gardai," he added. Like a cast from a dystopian black comedy, we have watched the key players in Brexit play up to their various reputations as the Brexit shambles slowly unfolded. Here we look at everything you need to know about the main actors. 1. Theresa May The 'vicar's daughter' has often been characterised as someone who feels duty-bound to slog on even when the going gets tough; she has weathered many storms since taking the helm in No 10, from threats of mutiny to constant opposition attacks. But the steely exterior first seized on by the Irish Government has given way in recent months, as it became apparent that the survival of the Tory party has taken priority for Mrs May. It will remain to be seen if her recent manoeuvrings can steer a deal through parliament. Expand Close Theresa May / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Theresa May 2. Jean-Claude Juncker The president of the commission was a divisive figure in the UK before Brexit. His pointed slights at key moments during the negotiations won't have won him any additional fans. But while he has antagonised Brexiteers he has left the door open for the UK to return. From an Irish perspective he has made welcome assurances that the EU will not turn its back on Ireland. Expand Close Jean-Claude Juncker. Photo: PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jean-Claude Juncker. Photo: PA 3. Donald Tusk President of the EU Council, the Polish politician has raised more than a few eyebrows with his somewhat creative turn of phrase; often quoting song lyrics. Most recently he famously hit out at Brexiteers who campaigned for the UK to leave without a plan, claiming there was a "special place in hell" for them. In the wake of his comments, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told him the British press would give him "terrible trouble". It did. One suspects Tusk was largely unfazed, however. Like most top EU figures, not much passes his lips in the absence of a strategy. Expand Close European Council President Donald Tusk . Picture: AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp European Council President Donald Tusk . Picture: AP 4. Michel Barnier The EU's chief negotiator on Brexit has earned a reputation in Brussels for his talent for diplomacy - Brexit has undoubtedly been his biggest test to date. He largely held firm on the key EU red lines such as the need to avoid a hard Border on the island of Ireland, but found room to move in order to get a deal agreed. The final crunch weeks will be the true measure of his skills as the EU and UK look to agree a solution that satisfies all sides. With just 24 days to go until Britain is due to leave the European Union, InterTradeIreland has urged businesses to step up planning and extended its financial support. Cross-border trade is dominated by small companies. In the North, for example, an estimated 93pc of the companies exporting to the State have fewer than 50 employees. "We all know that Brexit has created real commercial and political uncertainty," said Heather Humphreys, Minister for Business. "As we move closer to the March 29th deadline, the message is that it's still not too late to make preparations." InterTradeIreland is offering financial support of up to 2,250 to help businesses understand what exposure they have to Brexit, such as customs requirements and supply chain exposure, Vat and financial implications, as well as understanding complex tariff codes. A second grant of up to 5,625, of which half is funded by InterTradeIreland, will help companies put in place critical changes to their businesses as a result of Brexit. The Newry-based body will make the funding available to companies with 250 employees or fewer and turnover of less than 50m. Demand for InterTradeIreland's support packages has intensified as Brexit nears. From just 166 applications in 2017, the numbers surged to 653 in 2018 and 320 this year so far. ITS too early to be optimistic about the Brexit deal getting through the UK House of Commons, Tanaiste Simon Coveney has warned. He said politicians and businesses should not take the foot off the accelerator on the assumption that some sort of deal will be agreed. After a Cabinet meeting where further contingency plans for a disorderly Brexit were discussed, Mr Coveney said he trusts the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier to protect the backstop. He said Mr Barnier was trying to find a way through and reassure UK representatives that they will not be trapped in the backstop against their will. However, the Tanaiste described the ongoing negotiations as difficult. Cabinet was today briefed that by the end of the month Revenue will have more than 400 additional staff trained and in place to deal with any potential implications for customs. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will have over 200 additional staff trained and in place, and the Department of Health will have at least 59 additional staff trained and in place. The Government is now also in a position to agree a memorandum of understanding in relation to the Common Travel Area. The provisions of the Omnibus Bill, across a number of areas ensure that these legislative measures will be implemented in Ireland in a no-deal scenario. Read More Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe also gave Cabinet an update on a further assessment of the economic impact of Brexit completed by the Department of Finance with the ESRI. The full detail of this assessment will be published jointly with the ESRI next week. The Dail will spend most of this week debating the Omnibus Brexit Bill and 21 pieces of secondary legislation that were published today. Proposed secondary legislation ranges across issues and sectors from health and social protection to VAT and making provision for EU contingency regulations. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 4) Politicians and candidates on the government's drug watch list can always take their case to court to deny the allegations, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Monday. "If they feel like they've been libeled, they can file a case," Panelo said in a media briefing when asked if the Department of Interior and Local Government's (DILG) planned release of "narco list" will go against the "presumption of innocence." "Me, as a lawyer, mas gusto kong ilabas niyo ang pangalan ng kliyente ko. Para I can immediately respond to it at magawan ko ng paglilinis kung inosente naman," he said. [Translation: Me, as a lawyer, I would rather have my client's name released so I can immediately respond to it, especially if he or she is innocent.] Panelo said Malacanang "will make it a point" that the list, which includes names of politicians allegedly involved in drug trade, would be validated. During a speech in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte talked about a "narco list," which he said includes names of mayors, governors, congressmen, barangay (village) captains, and police officers. In April 2018, the chief executive ordered the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to release the drug watch list of barangay chairmen ahead of the midterm polls. READ: Duterte's drug list: What we know so far Narco list will help public vet bets Panelo said the planned release of the narco list will also prove to be beneficial for the electorate ahead of the polls. He said the move will serve as a platform for the public to vet candidates early on. "The idea of presenting a list by DILG and PDEA is to tell the electorate on the kind of candidates that they will choose from. And I think it will help them," Panelo told reporters in Malacanang. "That's the judgment call of the DILG chief and the PDEA. The President, if you recall, already released that list. Logically, he will not oppose it." Panelo added it would be unfair for the DILG and PDEA not to release the list, amid criticisms of some lawmakers on the planned move. "From the point of view of the voters, it would also be unfair if you don't tell them exactly your investigation relative to those involved in the drug industry," the spokesman said. "If they're elected and suddenly, their place is contaminated with drugs, they will blame the government, 'why didn't you tell us this? You've known pala (actually) all the time?'" Commission on Elections chair Sheriff Abas told CNN Philippines' The Source on Monday that he favors the government's plan on the issue. Administration bets Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa and Jiggy Manicad also expressed support for the release of the watch list. "Mas maganda yun para additional information din yun sa botante just in case hindi nila alam kung sino at ano yung kanilang binobotohan na pulitika," the former police chief said. [Translation: That would be better so that it would serve as additional information for voters just in case they don't know who to vote for.] "It's a matter of national security. Imaginenin niyo kung makaboto kayo ng isang (Just imagine if you vote for a) drug lord. Number 2, it's a matter of public interest. Dapat alam natin sino ang tamang leaders na iboboto natin para di naman mapariwara ang bansa natin (We should know the right leaders to vote for so that our country won't get lost)," Manicad said. Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said that while there is now a law prohibiting the PDEA from releasing the list, the agency should make sure the information would have enough basis. Opposition senatorial candidate and Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano pertained to the move as a "scare tactic" of the administration. "The rule of law and due process must always prevail. If there is substantial evidence linking officials to illegal drugs then there is proper forum for them in the courts where they could be held criminally liable. I hope that the release of this document achieves something outside of public-shaming," Alejano said in a statement. Senate President Vicente Sotto III, meanwhile, suggested for the DILG to just "talk directly" with and investigate the personalities in the list, instead of publicly releasing the list to the media. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra added the main issue will not be the release of the list itself, but rather the factual basis for the inclusion of names. The Philippine National Police said it will support the move should the President officially order the its release. CNN Philippines Correspondent Joyce Ilas and Digital Producer Alyssa Rola contributed to this report. Managed IT and cloud service provider Innovate has announced new business worth a combined 2.7m as it aims to double its revenue over the next three years. The company has won contracts with Sam McCauley Chemists, the Irish Greyhound Board, Rosderra Irish Meats and industrial laboratory specialists Mason Technology. Innovate also provides IT solutions across networking, security, unified communications and cloud infrastructure as well as managed SD-WAN (Software Defined Wide Area Network) service to Irish businesses. Sam McCauley Chemists is the largest Irish-owned pharmacy group. It has 32 stores and employs 600 people across Ireland. It recently announced a 50m acquisition programme that will double the size of its business over the next three years. In order to achieve that scale efficiently, the company is investing in an innovative end-to-end IT infrastructure using cloud technology and partnering with both Innovate and SCT, a leading retail electronic solutions provider. "The cloud is not a place, it is a business strategy, and the systems that we will manage for Sam McCauley Chemists are designed to scale with the demands of their business at any point in time, allowing them to seamlessly implement their expansion plan," said Innovate CEO Jim Hughes. "We are working with customers, and a partner in SCT, who understand that digital transformation is a game-changer and technology is a driver of their business, rather than a function of it. "A key component of these contract wins was our ability to provide managed IT services to support their existing internal resources." Following on from the successful cloud migration in the Irish Greyhound Board, Innovate continues to work with this customer to map their IT transformation to the goals of their business. Innovate is also providing a monitored WAN connectivity product that will enable the Irish Greyhound Board to expand the use of video services to support live streaming, which is a critical growth driver and becoming core to their business. "We see the growth in demand for SD-WAN services as providing the biggest opportunity for the company over the next two years," said Hughes, adding that the company will this week host an event on the topic with Cisco and Virgin Media. "SD-WAN provides ultimate security and also allows the company to reproduce their digital footprint settings at any location. "Managed SD-Wan connectivity delivers greater agility, advanced threat protection, responsiveness, and cost efficiency to businesses." Dublin City University (DCU) and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) are set to benefit from more than 500 new student beds on the north side of the capital. DCU has applied to build 214 new student "clusters" at its campus on Griffith Avenue in Glasnevin. The clusters will act as shared spaces for residents. Planning documents have yet to show how many bedrooms will be allocated to each cluster. The university is applying for permission through the fast-track system and expects a decision to be made in early June. Elsewhere a UK investment fund has received the green light to build hundreds of shared living units near DIT's new Grangegorman campus. While the units are not expressly for students, planners said that they would help relieve the shortfall in the area. NTM ROI Seed Capital LP, which is managed by NTM Capital, applied to build 289 bedspaces in 47 clusters in the north inner city. Included in the plans are eight-bed apartments that share one cluster. NTM has been closely linked with UK student accommodation management firm Atelier Property Group, which has managed properties that operate under the Ziggurat brand. Ziggurat is best known in Ireland for its work on the Montrose Hotel opposite UCD. The site sits behind rows of red brick houses along the Rathdown Road in Phibsboro. It is situated on the old Nolan's Seafood site. Objectors cited the scale of the proposal and insisted that the development would be out of character with the rest of the area. Residents also suggested that an over-concentration of student accommodation would lead to a population imbalance and that some of the bedspaces could be used as a tourism units outside of the academic calendar. However, planners insisted the development was not likely to affect the amenity of the largely residential area and that its proximity to Grangegorman was important. An Bord Pleanala also suggested the proposal was in line with government policy and Dublin City Council's plans. New agroforestry planting ground should continue to be deemed agricultural land, remain eligible for CAP direct payments and be exempt from a replanting requirement. This was one of the findings from an assessment of the mid-term review of Ireland's forestry programme (2014-20). The assessment also recommended that a slimmed-down version of the Forest Management Plan be introduced for small-scale plantations. The reports on Irish forestry policy were commissioned by MEP Luke 'Ming' Flanagan and followed concerns that the 2018 mid-term review of the current forestry programme, undertaken by the Forest Service, did not take account of some points made in submissions. The assessment, which was carried out by Gerry Lawson of Spanish-based consultancy Forest Transitions, was outlined to farmers at a meeting in Carrick-on-Shannon last Friday night. Hedgerows Mr Flanagan said the absence of hedgerows in calculations of the total area of planted land in Ireland was an important finding. The assessment calculated that 6.4pc of the country's land area was covered by hedgerows. Mr Flanagan said this level of native tree cover, allied to the 11pc which is currently planted, took Ireland's total tree cover to the 17-18pc sought under the forestry programme. In addition, the assessment claimed that increased payment levels were required for small-scale plantations and forestry road building to encourage further planting. The assessments also suggested that Ireland take on board initiatives which have been introduced in other jurisdictions. Among these was the policy adopted in Scotland to set a target of 400,000ha of community-managed forest by 2020, as well as supporting work on the valuation of the ecosystem services of forests and woodlands. Expansion of community-managed forests also recommended LacPatrick was formed from the merger of Town of Monaghan Dairy in the Republic and Ballyrashane Dairy in the North. It processes more than 600 million litres of milk from more than 1,000 farmers, roughly half on each side of the Border Lakeland Dairies and LacPatrick co-operatives have jointly received regulatory approval, for the merger of both societies, from the Competition and Markets Authority (UK) and from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (Ireland). The Competition and Merger Authority (CMA) in the UK and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in Ireland have ruled that the merger can now be completed. Both authorities determined and ruled that competition would not be adversely affected as a result of the merger. The regulatory authorities clearance was the last significant hurdle for the merger to go ahead. In October 2018, the Lakeland and LacPatrick shareholders voted 97pc and 96opc respectively in favour of forming one of the largest dairy processors in Europe. The new Society to be called Lakeland Dairies Co-Operative Society Limited will be the second largest dairy processor on the island of Ireland with a cross-border milk pool of 1.8bn litres, produced by 3,200 farms from 15 counties. The new co-op will have a combined annual turnover in excess of 1bn, creating internationally competitive scale while ensuring efficient costs of operation. A number of standard legal and administrative procedures will now be completed to enable the new Society to begin trading at the end of March. Until then, the two co-ops will continue to operate independently with each setting its own milk price. Alo Duffy, Chairman of Lakeland Dairies said the merger will help create efficiencies across the orgnaiosation. "It will enhance value and maximise available market returns for the benefit of milk producers. I express our strong appreciation to the shareholders of both societies for their confidence in this historic development which will underpin the long term sustainability of our dairy farming enterprises for the future. Andrew McConkey, Chairman of LacPatrick Dairies added that: "The merger gives our farmers the necessary security to make long-term business decisions and provides stability for continuing progress in dairy farming for the next generation. With a large milk pool and well-invested dairy processing sites on both sides of the border, the new Lakeland will be a co-op of considerable scale. "We will work in the long-term best interests of dairy farmers while serving our valued customers with even greater capability and an expanded range of high quality, value-added dairy products," he said." Prices for poor quality and younger calves out of the dairy herd have taken a major hit over the last week as difficulties in the shipping sector have intensified. Mart managers report a very difficult trade for plain Friesian bulls, with prices falling back to between 10 and 25/hd. Under 5-10/hd is being offered for small Jersey and Kiwi crosses, as there is little interest from farmers or shippers in these calves. Shippers are generally paying from 25 to 100/hd depending on the calf and the outlet, but strong Friesian bulls and coloured calves are making more thanks to lively farmer demand. The latest drop in prices has been attributed to a surge in calf numbers in the marts and the continuing difficulties facing exporters. Ferry disruptions over the weekend due to Storm Freya have exacerbated an already difficult situation and resulted in a backlog of calves for export. Shippers maintain that the restriction in lairage capacity at Cherbourg is now proving a major impediment to trade as exports are limited to 12,000 head per week. Seamus Scallan of the Wicklow Calf Company was highly critical of Agriculture Minister Michael Creed for his "failure" to find a solution to the ongoing calf shipping problems. "Minister Creed was told last October about the difficulties regarding the lairage capacity in Cherbourg," Mr Scallan said. Senior officials at the Department of Agriculture and Minister Creed had claimed that up to 80,000 calves a month could be shipped this spring. Capacity issues However, it is now accepted that exports will be limited to just 48,000 calves a month, as first reported in the Farming Independent, due to a combination of lairage capacity issues at Cherbourg and the ferry company sailing schedules. Fianna Fail spokesman on agriculture Charlie McConalogue TD said he is alarmed at the lack of urgency being taken by Minister Creed in solving calf export blockages and lairage capacity issues. "He should have been doing everything long in advance to get to grips with the issue to increase calf exports," he said. After an exporters meeting last week, Minister Creed insisted he was committed to developing live exports and welfare standards were vital. The IFA last night maintained a dedicated 'walk-on, walk-off' livestock vessel was available and was not subject to the same resting intervals for calves which would ease the lairage capacity issue. However, shippers would need to book transport in France. Meanwhile, the Beef Plan Movement, which described the Government as "asleep at the wheel" on the issue, plans to stage a protest today outside of the office of Minister of State Andrew Doyle in Wicklow. The marts report a sharp increase in calf numbers over the last 10 days as the peak spring supply nears. Jersey and Kiwi-cross calves are meeting a very "sticky" or very difficult trade, according to mart managers. Mart managers in Kilmallock, Kilkenny, New Ross, Nenagh and Fermoy reported that these calves are selling for as little as 5 or 10/hd. Sean Leahy of Corrin Mart, Fermoy, said that calves for the Dutch market made 25-60/hd, calves for the Spanish market sold for 50-100/hd, while older and squarer British Friesians generally commanded over 100/hd. A high proportion of Friesians in the early calves on offer has also been a feature of the trade this spring. This has added to the downward pressure on prices for black and whites. Michael Harty of Central Auctions said over 200/hd was paid for Hereford and Angus bulls, with heifers making 120-140/hd as a result of numbers being scarce. Between 300/hd and 400/hd has been paid for good quality continental bulls in the marts. A landowner in west Limerick got in touch this week to say roving bandits were on his land. Groups of men trespassing on land and illegally hunting hares with dogs has been a problem for years all over Co. Limerick. The man said he has signs saying No hunting or shooting erected but they took no notice. I was out for the day on Sunday but when I came home I was told there were men with lurchers out. I went down the fields and fences were damaged. The wire was loose. Roving bandits is all they are, said the farmer who didnt wish to be named. They could have been scouting the place as well. They act in a reckless manner. They could be bringing disease onto my land. They dont care. Id normally see a few hares in one particular field. I was looking down at it on Monday and there wasnt a hare to be seen. I have CCTV around the house but Im thinking of putting up hidden cameras to catch them in the act, they said. I just want to warn farmers they were out in west Limerick on Sunday and to keep an eye out, he concluded. These men, who have no affiliation whatsoever to coursing clubs, have become the bane of farmers lives. Late last year, IFA deputy president, Richard Kennedy pressed Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on a number of points including these unwelcome visitors, It has been highlighted a lot in North Dublin but it is a countrywide problem. There are people travelling over land without permission with dogs and worrying livestock. When they are confronted by the farmer or landowner they are quite intimidating. We pressed that point with Commissioner Harris, said Mr Kennedy, who also raised garda visibility in the countryside and extra resources. As cattle are out unseasonably early, these men and their dogs are scaring animals. They can run through wires and break through ditches with the fear. Last October, Bruff Superintendent Brian Sugrue urged farmers to ring gardai if they see trespassers on their land and not to approach them. Cllr Eddie Ryan raised the issue of illegal hunting at a meeting of the joint policing sub-committee for the Cappamore-Kilmallock municipal district. Cllr Ryan said there is major fear amongst Limerick farmers when men with lurchers chasing and killing hares appear on their land. Cllr Gerald Mitchell said that while they are on the land with the lurchers they have their eyes on something else. Ring us. There is no need to challenge these people. We can deal with it as a trespassing charge, said Supt Sugrue. Former chair of Bord Bainne and Tipperary native Tom Cleary has died. The man from Cloughjordan in north Tipperary spent a quarter of century as chairman of the Irish Dairy Board (IDB). He was the 2003 recipient of the Plunkett Award by ICOS in recognition of his service to the co-operative movement. He became involved in Macra na Feirme shortly after its formation in 1944 - he later served as county chairman of the young farmer body and also met his late wife Beatrice through Macra as she was secretary of the executive. In the early 1950s he campaigned for Nenagh Co-Op to build a creamery at Cloughjordan; later served on its board for many years; became chairman of the NFA national dairy committee; took a seat on the first elected IDB board in 1974 and went on to become the only member ever elected continuously for a period of 28 years, the last 20 years of which were served as chairman. "I remember the 1960s when the Government set the price that farmers got for milk. The increase was announced in the budget. It was a political issue," he told the Farming Independent in 2014. "Then there was the two-tier price which paid a bonus of 2p/gallon on the first 7,000 gallons per year. About 85pc of producers were supplying less than 7,000 gallons at that time. At that time 20 cows was considered a very large herd," he recalled. "When Ireland became members of the EEC in 1972 it was the first real boost that dairy farmers got. The adjustment to bring Ireland into line with the other countries doubled the price some years. "Dairying entered a new era with the large EEC markets for produce. That was a huge boost and farmers responded by increasing production through the seventies." Expand Close Tom Cleary with the late Jimmy O'Keeffe former ICMSA president / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tom Cleary with the late Jimmy O'Keeffe former ICMSA president Tom insisted that farmers must think positively but plan prudently for the 'new' post-quota era in dairying. "Production on farms was increasing at the time the quota came in because of the improvement in the milk price after joining the EEC. Quite a few farmers had increased production, but others were afraid of the price falling and when the quota came in they were caught with small quotas. 'I see the same thing happening today. Irrespective of the price of milk, controlling costs is going to be the big problem for farmers. The cost of energy is going to keep going up as well as all of the other things and no one expects milk prices to remain as they are now," Tom maintains. Mr Cleary will repose at Ryans Funeral home, Nenagh, (Postcode E45KN93) on Wednesday evening from 3.30 until removal at 7.30pm. Arriving at SS Michael & Johns Church, Cloughjordan at 8pm. His funeral Mass on Thursday at 11am followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. He is survived by his two children Dermot and Deirdre, son-inlaw, Roger, grandchildren, Roisin, Kevin & Jack; sisters, Maura, Kitty, Sr Bridget & Sr Peggy, brothers-in-law, Br. Denis & Michael Hurley, sisters-in-law, Ena & Jenny, nieces & nephews,neighbours, relatives and friends. Vodafone Ireland has launched a policy aimed at supporting employees who have experienced domestic violence or abuse. The initiative, which is being introduced ahead of International Women's Day this Friday, provides employees who are victims of domestic violence with 10 days' additional leave, specialist counselling and support toolkits. The policy also provides emergency financial aid such as salary advances and assistance for employees to set up a new bank account to help give them financial independence. It comes as research from the Vodafone Foundation shows that 31pc of Irish workers have experienced some form of domestic abuse, while just over half felt safer at work compared to home. Vodafone Ireland CEO Anne O'Leary said: "I am very proud to introduce our new domestic violence policy. It rolls out real supports and procedures for employees experiencing domestic violence or abuse." Age is just a number: Jimmy Gollogly (69) is back teaching two days a week at Scoil Ui Mhuiri in Dunleer, Co Louth. Photo: Arthur Carron In life, few things divide the masses as much as the issue of working after 65. Typically framed as either working people into the grave, or oldies overstaying their workplace welcome when they should really be off playing bowls or bingo, it's never unremarkable. However you view it, more of us are doing it, and nowadays more of us may need to. The recent Labour Force Survey showed that one in nine over-65s is working - "around 50pc higher than as recently as the mid-noughties", as economist Dan O'Brien pointed out in this newspaper. With impending pension shortfalls and the prospect of a quarter of the population being over 65 in the 2050s, this may be a trend to be welcomed. But for those who have continued to work after the retirement threshold, how have they found work and how do colleagues respond? "I never felt 60 when I was 60," says 69-year-old maths, economics and "a little bit of politics" teacher Jimmy Gollogly, from Co Louth. "Youngsters keep you young. I loved working so I was never the kind of person who looked forward to retirement. I looked forward to working. "A lot of teachers can't wait to retire but I was never that way. I always thought it was a pity teachers would retire at 60 and all that experience would go with them. "I stayed on until I could. A few people might have said, 'Jesus, Jimmy, are you still working?'. But most people didn't remark." After retiring Gollogly did a course in house insulation and then a degree in international e-marketing and languages. "I was the oldest swinger in town. There were loads of South Americans, from Venezuela, Colombia, all over. I think I learned more Spanish from chatting to them than I did from the lectures." Despite his enthusiasm, jobs weren't initially forthcoming. "I had been looking for work all along but when people see that you were born in 1949, you can be sure that they're putting your CV to the bottom of the pile. I was lucky because maths teachers are always in demand. You can't just conjure them up. "Luckily I got a call from the Scoil Ui Mhuiri (in Dunleer) principal asking me to cover a maternity leave. I didn't need to be asked twice. I said, 'Yes please'. "I think I did more homework than the kids did, I wanted to make sure I knew everything inside out. My wife used to say, 'Are you studying again?'" He covered a year's maternity leave and then returned to do two days a week. "You have plenty of experience to draw on and I like when younger teachers ask for advice. "People might say, 'Oh you're taking jobs for younger people', but we all have to paddle our own canoes. Besides, I remind them, they wouldn't want to be ageist." Eamon Cullen, "72-and-a-half", was a sales manager for 32 years with a large company but was made redundant in 2006. After periods as a chauffeur and an Ireland sales manager for a UK company, he set up his own consultancy. "I had difficulty getting back into a sales manager job with an Irish company but no difficulty with a UK company. It wasn't a problem for them. Age didn't matter. I did ask them at one point if my age was an issue and they said, 'It's about what you can offer and bring to the company'. I've never had a problem dealing with any of our State agencies here either." Cullen says that when he meets former colleagues or acquaintances, most are envious that he is still working. "They'd 'love to be working', is what they say to me. I don't work every day, I work about three days a week, but I love it. People have all this experience and they want to use it. I find that companies I consult with often ask for my opinion and advice on issues, because they know I've been through it all." Modern corporate cultures can be brutal for older employees, notably in the tech industry, now embedded in our industrial framework. A 2017 report in US publication Marketwatch on hiring practices in tech firms noted that "promotion rates for tech workers decrease continuously with age". A recent viral Quora post asked: "What do people over 50 do in Silicon Valley? I hardly see anyone over that age in the big tech companies." Fine Gael TD Tom Neville is a former recruitment consultant who worked in Australia, Ireland and Europe and says, in his experience, there can be a "covert - not overt - discrimination" at play against older people. "People would have been seen as 'too senior' for certain roles. Now, there are times where people are too senior for certain positions so that happens. But these were occasions where I understood it was a line, that it was an ageist outlook." For the Government, it may be less a case of keeping older people at work than encouraging employers to keep them there. "Many older people want to continue working but fall victim to ageism and discriminatory mandatory retirement clauses," says Celine Clarke, head of advocacy and communications at Age Action. Clarke mentions that where the Public Service Superannuation Act 2018 provides for the mandatory retirement age to increase from 65 to 70, no such legislation is in place for the private sector. She adds: "High reports of ageism in recruitment are self-reported by the over-55s." This ageism may contribute to people dropping out of the labour market long before they reach 65, an issue SIPTU is keen to examine. "The labour force participation rate (LFPR) for those aged 60 to 64 is around 51pc, which indicates that 49pc are out of work. Some might be by choice. But there is a sharp fall-off in the number of people available after they reach the age of 55," says SIPTU economist Marie Sherlock. "We need to talk about keeping more in employment, if they so wish. But we need to look at the factors as to why people are leaving employment." Sherlock continues: "A significant cohort of people work until 65 and then are forced to go on Jobseeker's allowance, a lower payment, until they reach their pension entitlement at 66. So there's a gap." For many older people who've worked all their lives, having to 'draw the dole' after decades of taxpaying employment will stick in the craw. "The really interesting thing is that the debate is shifting - there is no shift yet. "The narrative is, how to pay for pensions. But we're not talking about the labour force participation rate - which is very low, especially for women. It shouldn't be about getting people to work for longer, it should be about getting more people working." The same Labour Force Survey shows that the LFPR for men overall is 68.3pc and for women is 56.2pc. And while men over 65 have a participation rate of 16.7pc, for women it is 6.6, down to 46.6pc. Tom Neville believes keeping older people working has myriad advantages. "The skills shortage may not be as radiant if there was less covert discrimination there. These people have skills - it's just down to education and training. That's an asset of a company that's not being realised. If that can be harnessed, it's good for companies, it's good for the State and it's good for society - it helps bridge the divide between generations." Gollogly agrees that keeping abreast of new developments is key. "I embraced technology and kept up with it," he says. "Some of my colleagues - even younger ones - were scared of it." The outcome for 2019 however will depend on whether Britain leaves the European Union with a deal, or crashes out on March 29 without one. Photo: PA The Exchequer surplus for February came in lower than expected at 139m, according to Department of Finance data issued yesterday. That compares with 217m a year ago and a forecast of a rise in the surplus to 325m by Cantor Fitzgerald. The Department of Finance said that there was an increase in non-voted current spending, excluding debt service costs of 138m from a year earlier that was caused by a rise in European Union budget contributions. The outcome for 2019 however will depend on whether Britain leaves the European Union with a deal, or crashes out on March 29 without one. If there is no deal, the Central Bank of Ireland estimates that economic growth could be 4 percentage points below forecasts, which would cause the budget deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product to widen by 2 percentage points. Insurance companies are digging their heels in on informing motorists when there is a claim against them. This means the Government will be forced to legislate if they want to implement change and ease the burden on consumers. Insurers are refusing to change their rules to inform motorists when there is a claim made against them before it is settled. The measure was one of the recommendations of a Department of Finance report on insurance reform. But the latest update on progress made on the Cost of Insurance Working Group says its implementation will now be delayed. Expand Close Michael D'Arcy. Picture: Damien Eagers / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael D'Arcy. Picture: Damien Eagers Insurers failing to notify drivers of claims made against them before they are settled are a huge cause of frustration among policyholders. This is because the existence of a claim sends premiums through the roof with the loss of no-claims bonuses. And insurers are often accused of settling questionable and exaggerated claims to avoid the expense of fighting the claims in the courts. The Department of Finance reported it was not possible to reach agreement on the issue with Insurance Ireland, the industry's representative body. The department wanted a protocol put in place that would "involve the relevant policyholder being informed as soon as possible after both a claim is lodged and a claim is settled, and for the policyholder's views to be taken into consideration". It argued that a previous protocol between the industry and employers' body Ibec was agreed in 2003 on informing policyholders before claims are settled. Officials said this could provide the bedrock of a new and similar protocol. But Insurance Ireland told the department this protocol had been superseded by the Central Bank's consumer protection code. However, the department argues the code does not state policyholders have to be told and engaged with when a claim is made against their policies. Ultimately, the failure to reach agreement means the department now plans to amend the Consumer Insurance Contracts private members' bill, which has completed a legislative scrutiny process. In a statement, Insurance Ireland insisted the Consumer Protection Code offers comprehensive protection to policyholders on how claims are verified, processed and settled. "The interests of policyholders are robustly protected by the code's requirements for an insurer to seek to verify the validity of a claim, that a claim must be in line with the terms and conditions of a policy and that any claim settlement offer is fair," it said. The latest update on motor insurance reform also states that efforts are ongoing to force insurers to set out the reasons for large increases in premiums to consumers. Agreement between the department and Insurance Ireland has been reached, but the insurance group has yet to confirm this information is being supplied to policyholders on renewal. The eighth progress report on insurance reform states insurers will have to give 20 working days' notice, instead of 15, before a policy is due for renewal. This measure comes into effect on November 1. Junior Minister with responsibility for insurance reform Michael D'Arcy said progress made so far to deal with the insurance crisis was positive. He said 29 of 33 the motor insurance report recommendations were completed or ongoing. Trustpilot, a portfolio company of Dublin-listed Draper Esprit, has raised $55m (48m) in a series E funding round. Trustpilot provides a platform for companies to build better experiences with their consumers. Draper Esprit first invested in Trustpilot in 2013, with follow-on investments in 2015 and 2017. The funding round was led by Sunley House Capital Management, with strong participation from other existing investors including Draper Esprit. Funds raised will be invested in the companys marketing, technology platform and people. Simon Cook, CEO at Draper Esprit, said: "Trustpilot is a fantastic business that we've backed for some years." "They've built a market leading business model and have grown strongly since we initially invested in them in 2013. This new round of investment will enable them to consolidate their position as the world's leading platform for trust online." Founded in 2007, Trustpilot now has more than 58 million reviews of over 265,000 company domains from 150+ countries. Today, it is one of the top 1pc most visited websites worldwide and a leader in the UK, other European markets and North America. Its brand is seen more than 3.5 billion times online each month. Taxing times: $200bn in exports from Qingdao and other Chinese ports, currently face US levies. Photo: REUTERS The US and China are close to a trade deal that could lift most or all US tariffs as long as Beijing follows through on pledges ranging from better protecting intellectual-property rights to buying a significant amount of American products, two people familiar with the discussions have said. Chinese officials made clear in a series of negotiations with the US in recent weeks that removing levies on $200bn (176bn) of goods quickly was necessary to finalise any deal, said the people, who weren't authorised to talk publicly about the deliberations. That's the amount the Trump administration imposed after China retaliated against the US's first salvo of $50bn in tariffs, which kicked off the eight- month trade war. One of the remaining sticking points is whether the tariffs would be lifted immediately or over a period of time to allow the US to monitor whether China is meeting its obligations, the people said. The US wants to continue to wield the threat of tariffs as leverage to ensure China won't renege on the deal, and only lift the duties fully when Beijing implemented all parts of the agreement. As part of the ongoing talks, the US asked the Chinese not to retaliate or bring WTO cases in response to US tariffs that could be imposed to enforce the deal, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Expand Close Summit: Dates for a meeting between Donald Trump and his China counterpart have not yet been agreed. Photo: AFP/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Summit: Dates for a meeting between Donald Trump and his China counterpart have not yet been agreed. Photo: AFP/Getty Images Stocks in Europe and Asia advanced on optimism about a deal, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index rising 0.4pc. The offshore yuan gained 0.2pc. Dates for a summit between President Donald Trump and counterpart Xi Jinping have yet to be agreed, according to officials from both countries who declined to be named. The 'Wall Street Journal', which reported earlier that the US and China were close to finalising a trade pact, reported the summit could happen around March 27. Plans for a signing ceremony have been complicated by Xi's need to lead China's annual National People's Congress and to make other foreign trips. US and Chinese officials "have conducted fruitful and intensive consultations and made important progress on many issues of common concern," Zhang Yesui, a spokesman for the National People's Congress said in Beijing. "We hope that the two sides will continue to hold consultations and reach a mutually beneficial and win-win agreement," he added. Bloomberg The Pride Block Party will double in size this summer and take place at a new location - The National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks. The party, hosted by Mother, will kick off on Saturday June 29 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stonewall and the birth of the Pride movement. Mother is partnering with Dublin LGBTQ Pride as the official post-parade party and the location will feature two areas, two stages, full bars and food as well as art installations. The line-up has yet to be announced but tickets for the party, which takes place from 4pm-11pm on June 29 are on sale now. Mother is an old-school club night which has been running since 2010 and raises funds for LGBT magazine GCN (Gay Community News). Super early bird tickets cost 18, regular early bird are 25 and general tickets are 30. Kanye West is attempting to free himself from his record contract (Jonathan Brady/PA) Kanye West is legally prevented from retiring under the terms of his record contract, according to a lawsuit. The rapper and fashion designer is attempting to free himself from his deal with EMI, which he signed in 2003, arguing it is lopsided and he has been underpaid. West also argues it is a violation of California state law to keep anyone locked into a personal service contract for more than seven years. He has signed five extensions with the label since first putting pen to paper in 2003, but his lawyers argue they should not count after 2010. Expand Close Kanye West is attempting to free himself from his record contract (PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kanye West is attempting to free himself from his record contract (PA) When West initially filed the complaint at Los Angeles Superior Court in January, it was heavily redacted. However, EMI has now responded, revealing the full text for the first time. Wests lawsuit states that under the terms of his contract he must remain actively involved in writing, recording and producing songs and albums. It adds: At no time during the term will you seek to retire as a songwriter, recording artist or producer or take any extended hiatus during which you are not actively pursuing your musical career in the same basic manner as you have pursued such career to date. The lawsuit argues that due to the conditions of the contract, which stipulate how many songs he needs to write at different stages of the agreement, from EMIs point of view, the terms of this contract has no end in sight. Video of the Day As well as freeing himself from the contract, West is also trying to persuade a judge to declare him the owner of any musical works he created after October 2010 when the initial seven years of his contract would have ended. Expand Close Gone With The Wind actress Olivia de Havilland used a California law to free herself from a showbusiness contract (Rosie Hallam/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gone With The Wind actress Olivia de Havilland used a California law to free herself from a showbusiness contract (Rosie Hallam/PA) This would appear to include his most recent effort, Ye. In its response, EMI, one of the biggest record labels in the world, has attempted to take the case from state court to federal court, which has jurisdiction over copyright law. A notice for removal lodged on Friday states: The rights to, ownership interest in, and exploitation of copyrightable musical compositions are precisely the subject matter of the Copyright Act. West is not the first artist to cite Californias Labor Code section 2855, the law limiting personal service contracts to seven years. Actress Dame Olivia de Havilland, who starred in Gone With The Wind, used it to win her freedom from Warner Bros in the 1940s. Since Dame Olivias victory, the law has informally been known as the De Havilland Law. Tributes have been flooding in for Luke Perry (PA) Actor Luke Perry arrives for the press line of "Riverdale" at Comic Con in San Diego, July 21, 2018. (Photo by CHRIS DELMAS / AFP) Luke Perry plays a former rock star with a debilitating injury in The Beat Beneath My Feet Luke Perry and Alyson Hannigan launch the stage adaptation of When Harry Met Sally (Andy Butterton/PA) Outpouring of support: Luke Perry, famous for his role in Beverly Hills 90210, was taken ill last Wednesday and rushed to hospital, but died a few days later. Picture: Getty Actor Perry was described as incredibly talented following his death (Jeff Christensen/PA) Jason Priestley, Tori Spelling, Aaron Spelling, Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry at the Universal Studios in Universal City, California (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage) Luke Perry during 1992 MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc) Luke Perry's portrayal of rebellious heartthrob Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210 captured a nation of hearts in both his native America and across the Atlantic. So ubiquitous was his performance in the 90s teen drama that at times the public found it difficult to separate him from his character. Often compared to James Dean, Perry, who has died aged 52 after suffering a stroke, found himself typecast in the years following his departure from that show. He was born Coy Luther Perry III on October 11 1966 in Mansfield, Ohio, to a steelworker father and housewife mother. Perry's relationship with his father remained strained until his death in 1980 following a heart attack. Indeed, it was his stepfather, a construction worker, who he looked to as a role model. In an interview with People magazine he described him as "the one who taught me the important things I needed to know about being a man". After finishing school and realising there was little chance of him breaking into the film industry from Ohio, he spent time in both Los Angeles and New York. It took until 1990 for his breakthrough role, and in the intervening years he worked as a paver, living in cities including Huntington Beach and Long Beach. In an interview with American television host Whoopi Goldberg, Perry said he auditioned for 215 acting jobs in New York before finally securing a single TV commercial. Video of the Day He scored a part in the video for the Alice Cooper-featuring song Be Chrool To Your Scuel by heavy metal band Twisted Sister. Later he appeared in daytime soaps such as ABC's Loving. But at the cusp of the 90s he was cast in Aaron Spelling's Fox TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 and his career accelerated. Playing the brooding son of a millionaire, Perry became a household name. He had originally auditioned for the role of jock Steve Sanders but was thought more suited to the morally ambiguous and often conflicted McKay. Alongside Justin Timberlake, Perry's image was found plastered across the bedroom walls of teenage girls in the US and UK. Beverly Hills, 90210 set a template for teen drama that would be reused and repurposed by programmes including The OC and later Gossip Girl. It followed a group of friends living in the exclusive and star-studded community of Beverly Hills as they start at college and face the adult world. Two years later Perry won a supporting role in the film version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring in the movie Terminal Bliss the same year. The US network Fox saw its ratings soar and the media regularly compared Perry to the actor James Dean, who died aged 24 following a car accident. Feeling he had outgrown the show, Perry quit in 1995 and began looking for more mature roles. The next three years saw him star in an independent film and a clutch of science fiction features. But he did not find the career breakthrough he longed for and returned to his role as McKay in 1998 for financial reasons. The late 90s and noughties saw Perry find consistent work on television including on HBO prison drama Oz from 2001 and 2002 and Windfall, a series following friends who win the lottery, in 2006. Yet all the while he was unable to escape the character he created on the by then ubiquitous Beverly Hills, 90210. A 2009 revival did not include Perry, with him telling fans at the time that a new series which did not feature longtime producer Aaron Spelling was simply a pale imitation. He said: "The difference between CW bringing something back and Aaron Spelling doing something back is significant, and I cannot do it without Aaron." Perry cameoed in programmes including The Simpsons and took to the stage in a Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show in 2004 as well as a London production of When Harry Met Sally as Harry. Ironically, he would eventually find the steady television work he craved in a programme that knowingly, often overtly, referenced the teen dramas he helped pioneer. Riverdale - available in the UK on Netflix and based on a series of Archie Comics - nodded towards the intrigue of Twin Peaks with the hormone-fuelled drama of Beverly Hills, 90210. Perry played Fred Andrews - father to the series' main character Archie Andrews - and found renewed interest in the show's transatlantic fan base. His first brush with serious illness came in 2015 when a colonoscopy revealed precancerous growths. Perry married the actress Rachel Sharp in 1993 and they had two children, Jack and Sophie, before splitting in 2003. Jack continues to work as a professional wrestler, performing under the name Jungle Boy Nat Coy. On February 27 2019 Perry suffered an unexpected and serious stroke at his home in Sherman Oaks in California. He was hospitalised and died four days later, aged just 52. Jeremy Hunt wants more reassurance on the backstop. Photo credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the EU is beginning to realise that PM Theresa May "can get a majority in parliament". Speaking on the BBC this morning, Mr Hunt said the signals from the EU at present "are reasonably positive". He spoke as Britain's negotiating team today meet with EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier in an attempt to reach a breakthrough before the Brexit deadline in 24 days. Britain's Attorney General Geoffrey Cox and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay are holding fresh talks in Brussels in a last ditch plan to clinch a compromise Brexit deal. Expand Close 'Britain's Attorney General Geoffrey Cox currently has a key role to play.' Photo: Reuters / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 'Britain's Attorney General Geoffrey Cox currently has a key role to play.' Photo: Reuters Downing Street has said negotiations are at a "critical stage" as Theresa May presses for concessions from the EU that will persuade MPs to back her Brexit deal in next week's expected crunch Commons vote. Conservative Brexiteers are demanding guarantees the UK cannot be tied indefinitely to EU rules through the backstop, intended to ensure there is no hard border on the island of Ireland in the absence of a future free trade agreement. Mr Hunt said today the "crucial thing" is that the UK cannot be trapped in the EU customs union. He also said there could be a role for an arbitration mechanism for the UK to exit the Irish backstop. Expand Close Michel Barnier: The European Unions lead Brexit negotiator Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michel Barnier: The European Unions lead Brexit negotiator Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg However, French president Emmanuel Macron signalled he would firmly resist any measure that might diminish the security and integrity of the EU's external border and internal market. He also accused Brexiteers of lying about the consequences of leaving the EU and suggested Britain would end up being part of a reformed Europe in the future. Expand Close Theresa May / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Theresa May Last night Taoiseach Leo Varadkar held late night meeting with Government ministers in Farmleigh to discuss the Government's Brexit strategy. Mr Varadkar has said that the talks between the UK and the EU on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement are entering a sensitive phase. The Chief Justice has said he is confident Irish courts can meet the challenge of Brexit "head on". Mr Justice Frank Clarke's comments come amid expectations more international disputes will be dealt with here in future. A flight of legal business from London is expected as it will become more difficult to enforce UK court judgments in the EU. Lawyers also believe Brexit could keep the courts busy by throwing up previously unimagined legal quandaries in areas such as banking, insurance and property. In the Supreme Court's annual report, published yesterday, Mr Justice Clarke said the coming year would present "unique challenges and opportunities, not least those posed by Brexit". "But I remain confident that, with the continued support of our staff and the members of the court, together we can meet those challenges head on and capitalise on the opportunities," he said. He elaborated on the challenges faced in an address to the Galway Solicitor's Bar Association last night. Mr Justice Clarke said one particular challenge will be ensuring laws emanating from Europe cater for the common law system used in Ireland. Up to now the UK has been very active in doing this, but Irish judges will have to take a leading role and devote more time to various international networks. After Brexit, Ireland will be the only full common law country in the EU. The Supreme Court has already seen an increase in its workload in recent times, with Mr Justice Clarke describing last year in particular as "demanding and dynamic". According to the annual report, new appeals to the court rose by 10pc last year, on top of an 18pc increase in 2017. The Chief Justice said the court had dealt with 157 applications for leave to appeal last year, disposed of 128 appeals and delivered 91 reserved judgments. He said the court had dealt with a backlog of legacy cases and had helped the Court of Appeal by disposing of 42 cases which had previously been sent to that court. The Supreme Court is sitting at NUI Galway this week, only the third time it has sat outside of Dublin and the first time it has sat outside a courtroom since the reconstruction of the Four Courts in 1932. Businessman Denis OBrien has lost his Supreme Court challenge over statements made in the Dail about his banking arrangements. In a ruling handed down at NUI Galway, where the court is sitting this week, it found the High Court had been correct to dismiss his action against the Clerk of the Dail and the Dail Committee on Procedure and Privileges (CPP). The Supreme Court found Mr OBriens challenge amounted to an "indirect or collateral challenge" on statements in the Dail, something that is impermissible under the Constitution. Mr OBrien said that while he was disappointed with the decision, he fully respected it. However, he added that he feared it left Dail privilege open to abuse in future. It is the second major legal loss for the telecoms and media tycoon in recent days. Last Friday, he lost a High Court libel action against the Sunday Business Post over articles relating to his borrowings. Mr OBriens Supreme Court challenge related to events in 2015 when he got injunctions against RTE, restraining the broadcaster from publishing details of his banking relationship with State-owned Irish Bank Resolution Corporation. But he argued his injunctions were made pointless when Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy and Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty subsequently revealed information in the Dail. The businessman, who is the largest shareholder in Independent News & Media, owners of Independent.ie, made a complaint. However, the CPP found the two TDs had not breached any rules. Mr OBrien lost a High Court action over the matter in 2017 when Ms Justice Una Ni Raifeartaigh ruled Article 15 of the constitution, which provides protections for speech in the Dail, meant the court could not intervene. In his Supreme Court challenge, Mr OBrien argued the CPPs finding was based on an error in its interpretation of Dail standing orders. His lawyers claimed there was no evidence on which the committee could have decided the TDs acted responsibly and in good faith when they made the statements. They also claimed his constitutional rights were deliberately damaged by the TDs. It was argued the courts could intervene because the CPP breached its own rules in how it dealt with the matter. However, the seven-judge court did not agree that the courts could intervene. Reading its ruling this morning, Chief Justice Frank Clarke said: "The fundamental point on which this appeal turns is the view of the court that the challenge which Mr OBrien seeks to bring to the decision of the CPP would amount to an indirect or collateral challenge to utterances made in the Dail and, as such, that challenge is impermissible. "For those reasons the court concludes that Ms Justice Ni Raifeartaigh was correct in her conclusion that these proceedings are non-justiciable and further correct in her decision to dismiss Mr OBriens case. "On that basis, the appeal must be dismissed." In a statement, Mr OBrien said: While I am disappointed with today's decision of the Supreme Court, I fully respect its ruling. The case concerned the Dail Committee on Procedures and Privileges consideration of my complaint about the conduct of certain Dail members in revealing private and confidential banking information of mine in 2015. A consequence of this decision would seem to be that an elected representative can make any allegation about any citizen in Dail Eireann be it true or untrue, defamatory or otherwise, without sanction. I fear that this leaves Dail privilege open to further abuse in the future. It was acknowledged in the High Court judgment in this case that the law concerning parliamentary privilege and the regulation of members' conduct in the Houses of the Oireachtas warrants a review. I appreciate the courts' views on the important issues raised in this action and I hope that the legislature carefully considers the clear suggestions for reform in this area, as counselled by the High Court. I am satisfied that it was right for me to ask the court to rule on these important issues. I will fully consider the judgment and its implications in due course but in the meantime would like to thank the Supreme Court for the courteous hearing my case was afforded, for the postponement of the decision from last week, and for the considered judgment delivered today. Welcoming the judgement, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said it was recognition by the courts that parliamentary privilege is an important aspect of our democratic system. "The CPP found that I had not abused parliamentary privilege in making a speech which was very squarely within the public interest and that I acted in good faith at all times. I am pleased that both the High Court and now the Supreme Court have upheld that decision," the TD said. "Whilst I am pleased that the courts have recognised the constitutional protections afforded to those of us who may find ourselves in the position of having to use parliamentary privilege for a matter of public interest, it is hugely incumbent on us, as elected representatives, to recognise that such privilege must only be exercised with great responsibility. "The public interest must always be to the fore and that is what has underpinned everything I have done to date." In a tweet, Mr Pearse Doherty said he was "over the moon" following the judgment. The Sinn Fein TD said common sense had prevailed. "This is a big week for both the freedom of the press and for parliamentary democracy. "The statement I made in the Dail was made in the public interest and in good faith. "Todays Supreme Court judgement is extremely welcome and reinforces parliamentary privilege. "I shudder to think of the effect on parliamentary debate and our democracy if this judgement had gone the other way. This would have a major chilling effect. "This chilling effect is best illustrated by the fact that journalists themselves were unsure whether or not they could report the comments made by Catherine Murphy at the time. "While I defend my right as a parliamentarian to use privilege, it should always be used in the right manner and only ever in the public interest. "The CPP ruled that I did not abuse privilege and I am happy that now both the High Court and the Supreme Court have refused Denis OBriens attempt to overturn that ruling." Todays ruling had been due to be handed down last week, on the same day as the Supreme Court ruled in favour of former Rehab Group chief executive Angela Kerins in her challenge against the Dail Public Accounts Committee. However, it was postponed to today at the request of Mr OBriens lawyers due to the risk it might interfere with the Sunday Business Post case, which was then at a sensitive stage. In the Kerins case, the Supreme Court found that protections in Article 15 generally rule out intervention by the courts over utterances in parliament. However, it also found an exception where Oireachtas committees can be subject to judicial oversight in situations where there has been "a significant and unremedied unlawful action on the part of a committee". Mr Justice Clarke said that while there was "common ground" between the issues raised in the OBrien and Kerins cases, it was important to note the differences. He said that in its judgment, the Supreme Court identified two significant barriers to the judiciary intervening in issues arising from what is said in the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Chief Justice said the first set of restrictions derive from the wording of Article 15 which confers significant privileges and immunities on the Houses of the Oireachtas and their members. The judge said that, as pointed in the Kerins ruling and as reiterated in the OBrien judgment, under the Constitution any rights which may allegedly be infringed in the Oireachtas can only be protected by the Oireachtas and not by the courts. "For the reasons set out in this judgment, the court confirms the view expressed in Kerins that included in the matters which are immune from review by the courts are questions which relate indirectly or collaterally to utterances made in the Houses," he said. "The court has concluded that the challenge which Mr. OBrien has sought to bring to the decision of the CPP involves, in substance, an indirect or collateral challenge to the utterances of the deputies themselves." Mr Justice Clarke said the only practical outcome if Mr OBrien was to succeed in the proceedings would be for the CPP to reconsider its decision in respect of his complaint. "If that should lead to a different result, then a court would have been, at least indirectly or collaterally, involved in dealing with utterances made in the Houses. In the courts view such a course of action is impermissible under the Constitution," he said. The Chief Justice said the court considered whether there might be an exception which would allow it to intervene. "However, the court has indicated that, even if such an exception may exist, it could only apply in the case of either an egregious breach by the Oireachtas of its obligation to protect the rights of citizens in respect of matters which occurred within the Houses or a persistent failure to deal with matters in a way from which it might legitimately be inferred that the Oireachtas did not intend to afford appropriate protection to citizens," he said. "Neither of those situations could be said to exist on the facts of this case." Mr Justice Clarke said the role of the CPP, in considering complaints by citizens, may involve the carrying out of a delegated constitutional function by the CPP. "The CPP thus enjoys the same immunities and privileges as the Houses when carrying out that role," he said. 05/03/19 Rishi Raj Huree (37), of The Green, Beaumont Woods, Beaumont, Dublin, leaving court after the hearing. He pleaded guilty to the robbery of over 28,000 form Twenty Two Night Club, South Anne St., Dublin, in June 2018. PIC: Collins Courts A man who stole over 28,000 from the nightclub at which he worked to pay off a loan for his mother has received a fully suspended sentence. Rishi Raj Huree (37) of The Green, Beaumont Woods, Beaumont, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the robbery of 28,870 from Twenty Two Night Club, South Anne Street, Dublin, on June 12, 2018. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to two and a half years imprisonment, but suspended the entirety of the sentence on condition that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for a period of two and a half years. Garda Jack McGovern told Noel Devitt BL, prosecuting, that on the date in question the general manager tried to access a safe but was unable to find the key. Expand Close 05/03/19 Rishi Raj Huree (37), of The Green, Beaumont Woods, Beaumont, Dublin, leaving court after the hearing. He pleaded guilty to the robbery of over 28,000 form Twenty Two Night Club, South Anne St., Dublin, in June 2018. PIC: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 05/03/19 Rishi Raj Huree (37), of The Green, Beaumont Woods, Beaumont, Dublin, leaving court after the hearing. He pleaded guilty to the robbery of over 28,000 form Twenty Two Night Club, South Anne St., Dublin, in June 2018. PIC: Collins Courts He texted Huree who said he was in Paris and initially claimed did not know anything about the key. He later admitted that he had stolen the money and asked if he could get his job back if he returned it. Huree was arrested two days later in Dublin Airport with over 15,000 in his backpack and told gardai that the rest of the money was in his house. A total of 25,660 was recovered by gardai. Simon Matthews BL, defending, told the court that his client decided to steal the money due to a loan of 15,000 that was outstanding on land his mother lived on in his native Mauritius. Mr Matthews said his client had lost his job due to his offending and had been unable to get another as gardai had possession of his passport. He said that Huree had 3,000 in court with him as compensation. Judge Greally said it was clear he had clearly gotten cold feet after committing the offences. She said she took into account his early plea of guilty and his full admission to gardai when considering her sentence. A 37-year-old woman has been found guilty of attempting to murder a civil servant by slashing her neck as she walked home from work in Dublin two years ago. Laura Kenna had argued that she was legally insane at the time and had attacked Fionnuala Burke in the context of delusions about death, vampires and cannibalism. Kenna, of no fixed abode, was charged with attempting to murder Ms Burke on Lower Drumcondra Road in the city on January 3, 2017, and of assault causing serious harm to her on the same occasion. She had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to both counts and went on trial at the Central Criminal Court. The trial heard that Ms Burke was working for the Department of Social Protection, and was walking home when she noticed a woman sitting on a wall outside a house. As Ms Burke approached, the woman, Laura Kenna, sprang up and pushed her back onto a grassy area. Kenna didnt say anything, but started to stab her. Ms Burke felt the short stab wounds and could also feel her face being slashed, before she felt a dramatic slash straight across her neck. Kenna then spoke, telling Ms Burke that shed let her go if she handed over her bag. The jury saw photographs of the large, deep cut across Ms Burkes neck. It had penetrated through muscle and cut through the thyroid gland. She was operated on and treated in intensive care after the attack. She also had other injuries to her face and body. Kenna later admitted to gardai: I sliced her like you would a goat. The main issue for the jury to consider was Kennas state of mind at the time; there was a conflict of opinion between the experts on this issue. A consultant psychiatrist engaged by the defence testified that the accused was suffering from a mental disorder at the time, and so was entitled to the special defence of not guilty by reason of insanity. Dr Stephen Monks of the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) told the jury that she was suffering from schizoaffective disorder, a chronic mental illness related to schizophrenia. He said she had carried out the frenzied and viscous attack on Ms Burke with the intention of killing in the context of delusions about death, vampires and cannibalism. She had a knife for the purpose of killing somebody, he added. He testified that she did not know the nature and quality of her actions and couldn't stop what she was doing. However, a consultant psychiatrist engaged by the State disagreed. Professor Harry Kennedy, also of the CMH, testified that she was not delusional at the time, but carried out the attack in anger and out of a sense of entitlement; she told gardai shed needed money. Prof Kennedy said her attack would not come under the definition of insanity. He said that she possessed callous and unemotional personality traits and had the ability to fabricate for her own interests. Shed told him that she had followed another woman that night but let her go, something he said indicated that she knew what she was doing in selecting her victim. Barristers for both sides delivered their closing speeches yesterday. Barry White SC, defending, reminded the jury that both doctors had agreed that Kenna had fit the criteria for the special insanity verdict when she had attacked another woman a few weeks before this attack. A jury in that case had later reached a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity on that charge. However, he pointed out that Prof Kennedy considered her to have a mental disorder after the Drumcondra attack, but not during it, and said the professor had Ms Kenna going from mad to bad to mad. You heard from Dr Monks that this is highly improbable, he said. Anthony Sammon SC, prosecuting, reminded the jury that he had said at the outset that this would not be an easy case. I did not tell you that this was a retrial and that another jury had struggled with this, he said, referring to a previous jury failing to reach a verdict, something the defence had disclosed in this trial. That is now known to you and it endorses the statement I made that this is a difficult case, he said. He noted that there was no blood test that could establish a mental condition. One has to go through the torturous process that has been revealed to you in this case, he continued, referring to the doctors interviews with the accused and reviews of her history. He explained that the Oireachtas had decided that 12-citizen juries would have to answer the question of insanity. The six men and six women of the jury were told that the State had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Kenna had carried out the attack. However, the defence had to prove only on the balance of probabilities that she satisfied the special defence of not guilty by reason of insanity. Justice Tara Burns sent them out to begin considering their verdict yesterday afternoon. They had spent a total of two hours and 23 minutes deliberating before reaching their unanimous verdict of guilty on both counts. Justice Burns said she was extremely grateful to them for their work on what had been a particularly difficult case and exempted from jury service for 10 years. She adjourned sentencing until Monday 25th of March for preparation of a victim impact statement. She also directed a report from Kennas treating doctor. A FARM labourer has told the Tipperary murder trial that Pat Quirke told him he had heard a rumour that "Polish people were involved in the murder of Bobby Ryan." Gary Cunningham said he had started out doing a work placement on Mr Quirke's farm at Breanshamore, Co Tipperary in February 2013, milking and feeding cows. Patrick Quirke (50), of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Bobby Ryan (52), a part-time DJ known as Mr Moonlight, on a date between June 3, 2011, and April 2013. Asked about the spreading of slurry on the farm at Fawnagowan, Gary Cunningham said he carried it out when he was there, using a tractor on the back of a tanker. Expand Close Mary Lowry. Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mary Lowry. Photo: Tony Gavin Asked about the tank where the body was found, he said was not aware of that tank. Asked if it was ever used in his knowledge when he was there, he said no. Mr Cunningham was asked if he was working on the day the body was recovered. He said that he was not, as he had got a kick from a cow the Friday before. He was out for about two or three days, he said. Expand Close Together: Patrick Quirke on his way into court yesterday with his wife Imelda. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Together: Patrick Quirke on his way into court yesterday with his wife Imelda. Photo: Collins Courts David Humphries BL for the Prosecution asked how he was after that. "I was limping. I got a fair kick. I couldn't walk," said Mr Cunningham. Expand Close Pat Quirke. Photo: Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pat Quirke. Photo: Collins Asked if he ever had a conversation with Mr Quirke about the spreading of slurry, he said they had a general discussion about slurry going to be spread in the fields. Mr Humphries asked him to explain the process for members of the jury who might not be aware of how it is done and Mr Cunningham explained that there is a propeller on the agitator which drops into the tank, "it's the same if you're whisking or baking or something - it mixes it up." Mr Cunningham said he had returned to work the day after the body was found. Asked if he recalled anything that happened, he said he went up to collect the tractor and vacuum tanker from Fawnagowan as it needed to go back to the Quirke home farm. He said it was "around the back of the farm somewhere." Asked if the tank had ever been mentioned to him by Mr Quirke, he said no, nor had he never been asked by Mr Quirke to fence around that tank, he said. Mr Humphries asked if he recalled any conversation touching on the matter of Bobby Ryan in the few days after the body discovered. He replied that he did. "One quick conversation," he said. Mr Quirke had asked him if he had heard any rumours about what had happened. "I brushed it off and didn't really say anything," said Mr Cunningham. "He said he heard there was a Polish group and that was it, that was the end of the conversation." A man helped to kick down a door and attack a couple in their home while searching for their daughter, a court has heard. Ben Merriman (20) of Kenmore Heights, Greystones, Wicklow, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault, trespass and criminal damage at a house in Flemington Lane, Balbriggan, Dublin, on March 27, 2018. Garda John Delaney told prosecuting counsel that on the day in question Merriman and his co-accused approached the house shouting Where's Chloe? We're going to kill her". His co-accused hit the front door with a metal bar and smashed a living room window before they both succeeded in kicking the door down. They confronted Chloe's parents and demanded to know where she was. Expand Close 05/03/19 Ben Merriman (20), of Kenmore Heights, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, leaving court after the hearing. PIC: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 05/03/19 Ben Merriman (20), of Kenmore Heights, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, leaving court after the hearing. PIC: Collins Courts The mother told them she was upstairs, but after they failed to find her there Merriman spat in her face. The other man threatened to slice her from ear to ear. The other man then struck the father in the head with the metal bar and continued to strike him while he was on the ground, while Merriman kicked him. The other man said that if they did not find Chloe they would come back. Gda Delaney accepted that the other man was the main aggressor and had inflicted most of the injuries. He also accepted that Merriman was following his co-accused out of blind loyalty and that he had good reason to be fearful of him. Merriman has no previous convictions and has not come to garda attention since the incident. The court heard that the incident stemmed from the other man wanting to see his former partner and believed she would be at the house. Defence counsel said that his client unreservedly apologised and was deeply ashamed of his actions. Merriman has cut off all contact with the other man. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned the matter to November 5 next and ordered that Merriman keep the peace and be of good behaviour and follow all directions of the probation service until that date. A father of eight who agreed to sell ten stolen cars for almost 90,000 on the Donedeal website will be sentenced next May. Nicholas Keane (41) later told gardai in interview that the operation gave him the chance to make money because he was behind on his maintenance. I wanted to get money together to give my kids a good Christmas, he said. He apologised for the crimes and said he felt bad for those that lost money. I feel terrible, I feel guilty. If I won the lotto I would pay them all back. Keane of Chapel Street, Balbriggan, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to ten counts of handling stolen vehicles and two charges of inducing another to purchase a stolen vehicle on dates between July 11, 2016 and October 25, 2016. He has a number of previous convictions including theft, stealing cars, road traffic and drug offences. Expand Close 05/03/19 Nicholas Keane (41), of Chapel St., Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, leaving court after the hearing. PIC: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 05/03/19 Nicholas Keane (41), of Chapel St., Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, leaving court after the hearing. PIC: Collins Courts Detective Garda William Saunderson told Pieter Le Vert BL, prosecuting, that he was satisfied that Keane's role was to sell on the cars and that he was not responsible for stealing the vehicles. He was to get paid about 500 for each successful sale. Keane, who went under the name of David O'Brien, would meet the purchaser at a pre-arranged rendezvous, hand over the registration details and the car and accept the payment for the vehicle in cash. He took in a total of 88,795, which he told gardai he then handed over to a man with a foreign accent. A number of victims, stated in victim impact reports before the court, how the financial loss they suffered greatly impacted on their lives. Most of the buyers had carried out vehicle checks on the cars before agreeing to buy them, with one man taking it to his local mechanic to be looked over. Many people bought the car with funds raised from life savings, while others borrowed cash or traded in old vehicles to complete the sale. One woman, who had borrowed money from her sister and credit union to buy a vehicle from Keane for 13,750, had to later borrow more money from the credit union to pay back her sister and buy a new car. The family were under extreme pressure as a result and she had to get another job to help back the debt. Another man, who had paid 9,500 for a car from Keane, worried about having enough income to pay his mortgage and was under so much stress that his long term relationship broke down. This man and another victim, indicated that there was a need to have some sort of assistance in place to help compensate people who found themselves victims of such crimes. John Byrne BL, defending, said that Keane had worked on building sites but ran into financial difficulties while out of work and was lured into offending by the promise of easy money. Mr Byrne said his client had no involvement with stealing the cars, but rather that he was the front of house man, the person who dupes people into buying the cars. He said Keane accepted a high degree of moral culpability and said he had no financial means to repay the victims. Judge Melanie Greally ordered a probation report and remanded Keane in custody. She adjourned the matter for finalisation on May 28, next. Two men came to the aid of a woman who was pulled out of her car by a drug addict during a car-jacking, a court has heard Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Robert Moore tried to drive the car off at speed but ended up crashing on the footpath. Passerby Nicuser Monteanu ran across to assist the victim and grabbed the keys from the ignition. A second passerby, Eamonn McGrath, then intervened and pulled Moore out of his car as he tried to drive off again. Moore (31) of Millbrook Av, Kilbarrack, Dublin pleaded guilty to hijacking of a car on the Alfie Byrne Rd, Clontarf, north Dublin on March 1 last (2018). He also admitted dangerous driving and driving without insurance. Judge Elma Sheahan suspended the final 12 months of a four-and-a-half year prison term on condition that he follow directions of the Probation Service in relation to substance abuse. Garda Des McNally told Elva Duffy BL, prosecuting, that Delia Graham was stopped at traffic lights when Moore opened the driver side door and shouted at her to get out of the car. He grabbed her wrist, bruising her arm, and pulled her from the car. She grabbed the car keys but Moore came out after her and threatened her. Ms Graham thought she might be stabbed and handed him the keys. Mr Monteanu had witnessed the attack from his parked car and was running over to help. Moore was trying to pull away from surrounding traffic by doing a u-turn but the car went up on the footpath and hit the kerb. Mr Monteanu grabbed the car keys. By this stage Mr McGrath had seen the victim in the middle of the road screaming and ran over. He grabbed Moore around the neck and lifted him out. Moore threatened the men, telling them he knew where they lived and would get them. The court heard that the victim, who is from Northern Ireland and was visiting Dublin, was amazed by everyone who came to assist her and was struck by their kindness. She said the response of the gardai on the day was amazing and supportive and that Garda McNally couldn't have done any more than he did to help her. Judge Sheahan noted the attack caused the victim severe distress and affected her ability to do her job as it involves driving on her own. Moore has previous convictions for robbery and drug dealing. At the time of this car-jacking he was subject to an 11-year driving ban imposed by a court in 2017 for two offences of dangerous driving. He committed a subsequent offence of dangerous driving in October 2017 and was jailed for five months in October 2018. Brian Storan BL, defending, said his client had an entrenched addiction to tablets and cocaine. He said the father-of-one was ashamed of his actions. Judge Sheahan said that she believed Moore was genuine in his wish to get off drugs. The clocks will go forward by an hour on March 31. But the practice of changing our clocks in spring and in autumn - 'spring forward, fall back' - will soon be coming to an end in Europe. What does that mean for us? What is Daylight Saving Time? Daylight Saving Time (DST) was introduced in Great Britain and Ireland in May 1916 as a measure to give workers an extra hour of daylight. Throughout World War II the measure was seen as a way to save energy to assist with the war effort. Clocks are changed twice a year to cater for the changing patterns of daylight and to take advantage of the available daylight in a given period. A number of countries in the northern hemisphere use DST in the summer time, but it doesn't happen in all countries - less than 40pc of the world use DST. Expand Close Get outdoors in natural daylight as much as possible. (stock picture) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Get outdoors in natural daylight as much as possible. (stock picture) What will the proposed changes mean? Advocates say that it will mean brighter evenings in the winter. This mainly benefits those working outdoors and those who enjoy outdoor activities or cycle or walk home from work. Some studies have revealed that DST could lead to fewer road accidents and injuries. Other research suggests that moving the clock forward and back again affects individual's health - and to scrap the clock changes would only benefit our mental wellbeing. How was the decision reached and will we stay on 'summertime' or 'wintertime'? The European Commission held an online poll of citizens to assess whether the changes will be made. The majority (80pc) voted in favour of scrapping DST. The European Parliaments Traffic Commission has voted 23 to 11 to abolish daylight savings in the EU, effective 2021. The Council of Member States still require a vote on the matter to get Europe-wide consensus. It will also require legislation changes by each individual member state and to decide whether to stay on 'summertime' or 'wintertime'. Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD announced that there would be a consultation asking members of the public whether they are in favour of abandoning the current system and, if they are, whether they would prefer to stay constantly on 'summertime' or 'wintertime'. How will the hour change work on the border? This is the crux of the matter. The UK members of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee also voted to scrap the changes. However, with Brexit, all bets are off. If after leaving the European Union, the UK opts to retain Daylight Saving Time, they will be perfectly entitled to. This would mean England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will continue to change between Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time every year and Ireland would be one hour ahead of the UK throughout the winter months. These are issues that will have to be ironed out, but MEP Deirdre Clune, one of the supporters of the change said that she believes "common sense will prevail". Owners giving their dogs raw meat food should avoid their sloppy "kisses" after meals, researchers have warned. High levels of potentially harmful bacteria have been found in the products, which have increased in popularity in recent years, according to a study published in 'Vet Record'. Children, the elderly and those with poor immune systems are most at risk from exposure and could be susceptible to infection, the authors said. It has been claimed that raw meat dog food, which contains offal and does not undergo treatment, is a healthier and more natural alternative to commercial products. The Swedish researchers examined samples from 60 packs of raw meat products in 2017, made by 10 manufacturers in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany and England. All samples contained enterobacteriaceae species, which could pose a risk to health, and more than half (52pc) had levels that exceeded the European Union maximum threshold. Most of the species identified were not known to cause infection, apart from E coli, which was found in around a third of samples. It is not clear if the E coli identified by the study could have caused illness. Salmonella species were found in 7pc of the samples. The researchers warned the bacteria could transfer through contact between pet and owner, or easily spread onto surfaces and other food in kitchens. "A great opportunity for dogs to transfer bacteria to humans is by 'kissing' people in the face immediately after they have eaten," they wrote. Mr Justice Aindrias O'Caoimh has been appointed to chair an independent assessment panel which will give ex-gratia payments to women and families caught up in the CervicalCheck controversy. The payment will be for the non-disclosure of the results of an audit carried out on the smear tests of women who developed cancer. The individual audits for 221 women, some of whom have since died, were issued to doctors in 2016 by CervicalCheck.They showed the test results given to the women were wrong although it is unclear how many were negligently read. Most of the women were not given the audit results until last summer after the Vicky Phelan High Court case revealed their existence. The delay in giving the women the audit results breached the HSEs policy of open disclosure. Mr Justice O'Caoimh, who was appointed by Health Minister Simon Harris today, is a former Judge of the High Court, and of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The ex- gratia scheme is designed to provide an alternative, non-adversarial and person centred option for women affected by the CervicalCheck non-disclosure issue, said the minister. The terms of the scheme are now being finalised and they will be considered at next week's Government meeting. Following this, the Minister will make a further announcement. Aoife McGivney - the nurse who saved the life of a bus driver Aoife McGivney - the nurse who saved the life of a bus driver Aoife McGivney - the nurse who saved the life of a bus driver THE Lord Mayor of Dublin is to personally nominate a hero nurse who saved a bus driver's life during rush hour yesterday for a National Bravery Award. Aoife McGivney, a nurse at the Mater Hospital, saved the driver's life on O'Connell Bridge after he collapsed while driving the bus. The young nurse was listening to music on her morning commute when she noticed the bus began to lose control and passengers began screaming. She ran to the front of the bus and took the driver's feet off the bus pedals, stopping the bus. She then moved the driver on to the footpath and carried out CPR before emergency services arrived. Gardai, an ambulance and Dublin Fire Brigade all responded to the ongoing medical emergency shortly after 8am. In a statement released this afternoon, Lord Mayor Nial Ring said he will be contacting Ms McGiveney as soon as possible and will be putting her name forward for a National Bravery Award. Expand Close Aoife McGivney - the nurse who saved the life of a bus driver / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aoife McGivney - the nurse who saved the life of a bus driver "These are given to people from all walks of life and all sections of society who carried out a deed of bravery with an effort to save human life involving personal risk. Aoife certainly fits that criteria" he continued. "When we look at Aoife's actions where, seeing the driver was ill, she ran to the front of the bus and took the driver's feet off the bus pedals and stopped the bus, we cannot but see this as an act of bravery and courage. The fact that she then moved the driver on to the footpath and carried out CPR before emergency services arrived is equally astounding" he added. "I hope to meet Aoife soon and drop in to see the driver too." Speaking with RTE Radio One's Ryan Tubridy, Aoife said she wants her memory of the driver to be the one of him speaking to passengers that morning. Expand Close Aoife McGivney - the nurse who saved the life of a bus driver / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aoife McGivney - the nurse who saved the life of a bus driver "I need to see him alive," she said to Tubridy. "He stopped breathing, his pulse stopped. I want to see him talking, like he was when I got on the bus, I want to be able to have that memory of him... it's important to recognise he's the main person we need to protect after all of this, we are so lucky he is here with us." Expand Close (Photo: Johnny Brew) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (Photo: Johnny Brew) Aoife, who said she nearly missed her bus that morning, said she is hoping to visit him today. "I don't know if he'll want to see me, but we're just so lucky," she said. "It was a very scary situation to be in. "Even if someone had first aid, it's thinking what to do, when to recognise to start going into CPR. "That's the main reason I want to talk about all of this, I want to promote first aid and to encourage people to get their training, to actively recognise when it is time to intervene," she continued. "Normally in the hospital we'd have nurses and doctors and all of the equipment. "And in that situation I was like, 'oh my god'. "There were people stepping forward with their own training, it was great to take a break and to pass it on to someone else." Aoife thanked her work colleagues at the Mater Hospital for their medical training. "I work in ENT, ears, nose, throat," she said. "My training helped me a lot yesterday. In the hospital we're used to thinking fast, acting fast. "The staff that work there are amazing. They helped me train into this. They do this work all the time, this happens on a daily basis in the hospital. "This happened to be one of those lucky moments and I got to be there for him and do this for him. "In this profession, when you do have that knowledge you normally do step up. I'm thankful he's alive and that we were able to help him." The young nurse described how passengers on the bus began to panic when they thought the bus had knocked into a cyclist. "We were coming up to O'Connell Street and the bus just started rolling, people started screaming, we were going slowly through the red lights and cars were beeping. "People thought we'd ran over a bicycle, it was quite frightening at the time. "The man fell off the side of the bike and was able to jump away. He received minor injuries we found out afterwards, but we weren't sure of that at the time. "Everyone just panicked on the bus," she continued. "I realised he was unconscious, he was making jerky movements and his breathing was poor. He wasn't well and the bus was still moving. "We were rolling through red lights, cars were braking and people were jogging alongside the bus to see if we were okay. "I stopped the bus and just said, 'we need to get this man outside'. "I put my coat under his head and we got him into the recovery position. I monitored his breathing and his heart rate. "Both had stopped. So I just started doing CPR compressions and asked people to call an ambulance." A Dublin Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "The driver is recovering well," AA Roadwatch reported the incident was blocking the right lane on the northbound side of the bridge and the left lane of the southbound side of O' Connell Bridge. Delays on approach were building back to Westmoreland Street. The Luas Green Line also experienced short delays due to the incident. A piece of vellum discovered in a 16th century book has revealed astonishing links between medieval Irish doctors and a Persian physician. It transpired a 16th century British book had its spine strengthened with a piece of a much older Irish vellum containing the amazing insights. The discovery was made by Professor Padraig O Machain, of University College Cork's Irish Department. It revealed that Irish doctors in the 1400s were exploiting medical knowledge from Persia at the height of the golden age of Islamic learning. It has also established that the famous Persian medical text 'Canon of Medicine' by physician Ibn Sina (980-1037), also known as Avicenna, was in use in Ireland in medieval times, likely for training young doctors. The discovery arose from Prof O Machain becoming aware of a book with Irish links in the possession of a British family. The book - a pocket-sized Latin manual of local administration - was printed in London in 1534-36. It had been in the possession of a family based in Cornwall since that time. However, the book had a much older connection than the 16th century. Prof O Machain studied photographs of the book bindings - and realised it was a special cut-out from Irish vellum manuscript. It had been specially cut and stitched to the book in order to provide a sturdy spine. "The use of parchment cut from old manuscripts as a binding for later books is not unusual in European tradition," Prof O Machain said. "This is the first time that a case has come to light of such a clear example of the practice in a Gaelic context." Prof O Machain was also to determine that the inscriptions on the vellum involved some form of medical text. "A quarter of what survives of late-medieval manuscripts in the Irish language is medical in content - an indication of the practical purpose of these books in Ireland of the time," he said. He decided to seek the help of Professor Aoibheann Nic Dhonnchadha, of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, the only living expert on medieval Irish medicine. Prof Nic Dhonnchadha confirmed the historic nature of the discovery - the first recorded translation into Irish of the 'Canon of Medicine' by Ibn Sina. The Persian medical researcher is known to history as one of the foremost physicians in the Islamic golden age of learning. While it was suspected his texts may have been used by medieval Irish doctors in training, there had been no confirmed Gaelic translations of his work until now. The spine of the 16th century book contains an Irish translation from a Latin version of Ibn Sina's work which was effectively a general guidebook to medical practice. The Irish fragment contains parts of the opening chapters on the physiology of the jaws, the nose and the back. Prof O Machain said the discovery underlined how medical scholarship in medieval Ireland was on a par with that on the continent. Because of the importance of the manuscript fragment to the history of Irish learning and medicine, the owners kindly agreed that the binding should be removed from the book by John Gillis, of Trinity College Dublin (TCD). It was opened and digitised under the supervision of Prof O Machain with a new binding then provided for the book. "The discovery and digitisation of the text was a scholarly adventure. "One of those occasions when many people, not least the owners of the book, were working together towards a common purpose for the cause of pure learning," he said. A public seminar on 'The Avicenna Fragment' and Gaelic medieval medicine will be held at UCC on March 7, at 2pm. The Bishop of Raphoe has expressed his profound sorrow and shame at the abuse of one of Irelands most notorious paedophiles, Eugene Greene, whose death emerged recently. The former Donegal priest died in November at the age of 91, but gardai only informed the Catholic diocese of Raphoe last month, according to Bishop Alan McGuckian. Greene served nine years of a twelve-year sentence between 2000 and 2008 for raping and molesting 26 boys between 1965 and 1982 in parishes across northwest Donegal. In a statement, Bishop Alan McGuckian said the news of Greenes death has reopened the hurt of those whom he violated, their families and communities across the Diocese of Raphoe. On behalf of the diocese I wish to express my profound sorrow and shame at the abuse which he perpetrated on innocent children, he said. On 26 February 2019, An Garda Siochana informed the diocese that Eugene Greene died last November in Cork. Until that contact from the Gardai, the diocese was not aware of his death. Since he left prison in 2008 the diocese has not known his whereabouts. Greene was dismissed from the clerical state in November 2004. Bishop McGuckian added that once the diocese was made aware of Greenes death, they immediately advised Tusla, the child and family agency, of this information. While at all times honouring the wish of those survivors who may not want to be contacted by the Church, I wish to offer my support and invitation to meet with anyone who has suffered abuse, he said. Greene was dismissed from the clerical state in November 2004 and the diocese had not known of his whereabouts since he left prison in 2008. According to RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta, the serial abuser was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea. From 1965 to 1975, Green served with the Kiltegan Fathers in Nigeria. After returning to Ireland in 1965, he was appointed as a curate in Gweedore. Afterwards he served in Killybegs, Lettermacaward, Gorthahork, Glenties, Kilmacrennan and Annagry. Family nightmare: The home in Howth where Celine Cawley (inset) was found beaten to death by her husband Eamonn Lillis JUSTICE Minister Charlie Flanagan has said hes anxious for progress on introducing a law to block killers or their estates benefiting from their crime. His remarks came as the government came under pressure from Fianna Fail to accelerate the Bill known as Celines Law and another law aimed at bringing in tougher parole rules. The private members bill - dubbed 'Celines Law' after production company owner Celine Cawley was killed by her husband Eamonn Lillis -was tabled by Fianna Fail justice spokesman Jim OCallaghan two years ago. It came after Lillis, despite being convicted of manslaughter, maintained he was entitled to ownership of assets he jointly held with his wife, including homes in Dublin and France. Expand Close Charlie Flanagan (Brian Lawless/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Charlie Flanagan (Brian Lawless/PA) Lillis ultimately won the right to a 50pc share of Irish assets following a High Court ruling. However, a French court found he had no right to a share in the home in France. The Government hasnt opposed Mr OCallaghans Bill but it has languished in the legislative process. Independent.ie reported that there was no plans to prioritise it, even after calls from Clodagh Hawes mother and sister for changes to succession laws last week. Their pleas came amid fears Mr Hawes estate stands to benefit after he transferred family funds to his own account. He took his own life after brutally murdering Clodagh (39) and sons Liam (14), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) at their home near Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan, in August 2016. Speaking in the Dail Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said the Civil Liability (Amendment) (Prevention of Benefits from Homicide) Bill 2017 needs to be prioritised. Expand Close Celine Cawley / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Celine Cawley He also said the his partys separate Parole Bill should also be implemented. He said that at present a prisoner can apply for parole after seven years and the Bill proposes to raise this to 12 years. Mr Martin said the parents and family of murdered Rachel O'Reilly are particularly anxious about this. Her husband Joe OReilly was jailed after being convicted of the infamous 2004 murder. Mr Flanagan replied to Mr Martin saying he accepted the importance of his points and agreed with him. He said: Government is on record as accepting the principle of both pieces of legislation... Now that the Brexit legislation has been settled, hopefully passed over the next few days, I have a number of amendments on both of these pieces of legislation that I would be keen to sign off on. He said: Im very anxious to advance both pieces of legislation. The Oireachtas Justice Committee is due to discuss their planned scrutiny of Celines Law tomorrow morning. Committee chairman Caoimhghin O Caolain has said TDs and Senators intend to finalise a list of witnesses to take part in their debate on the legislation tomorrow. He said he hoped the committee can schedule an early date for the meeting. Michael Dynes (41) from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, has multiple convictions for child sex crimes. A SINGLE mum duped into a four month relationship with one of Ulster's most dangerous sex offenders says she believes the predator has targeted more females. The Belfast woman fears sex offender Michael Dynes (41) had multiple relationships with women who, like her, had no idea about his sordid past. Last month Dynes - who has multiple convictions for child sex crimes - was handed six months probation after he admitted to a judge he stayed overnight at the woman's home without permission from authorities. Dynes, originally from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, also failed to declare the intimate relationship between August and December, to a designated risk manager. Expand Close Dynes (41) spun a web of lies to the caring mum, making her believe that she'd finally found her "Prince Charming. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dynes (41) spun a web of lies to the caring mum, making her believe that she'd finally found her "Prince Charming. He spun a web of lies to the caring mum, making her believe that she'd finally found her "Prince Charming. Today she breaks her silence in the hope that by sharing her shocking story other women will not fall into dangerous Dynes' trap. Emma, whose name we have changed to protect her identity, told Independent.ie: "I honestly believe there are more women out there who may still not have a clue they have dated a sex offender. I am one of the most clued in people who is very cautious, takes no risks - especially with online dating. I am like the FBI. I did everything that I was supposed to do, and still he fooled me. "And if he can fool me, he can fool anyone. It was revealed last month that Dynes was hauled before a judge over breaching the terms of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO). Expand Close Dynes (41) had pleaded guilty to over 40 offences ranging from making and possessing indecent images of children / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dynes (41) had pleaded guilty to over 40 offences ranging from making and possessing indecent images of children The order had been placed on him in 2017 after he pleaded guilty to over 40 offences ranging from making and possessing indecent images of children, inciting them to engage in a sexual act and multiple charges of voyeurism. He was caught following one of the National Crime Agency's first major child sex exploitation investigations in Northern Ireland. He was convicted of breaching the SOPO at Magherafelt Magistrates Court where a judge deemed him as posing a dangerous risk to the public. The court previously heard how the predator hid his real identity from a woman after meeting her on an internet dating website. The mum-of-two only discovered his sick and shocking past after a member of the public left an anonymous note on her car. She bravely confronted Dynes, who denied three times he was the man named in multiple newspaper reports. Thankfully her gut instinct kicked in and she contacted police who confirmed her worst fears - she'd been dating a convicted sex offender. Said Emma: "Even when the police sat on my sofa and told me it was him, I still did not want to believe it was him. "How can you wrap you head around that the man you had been seeing for months, the kind, charming, down to earth genuine person, the man you loved, is a sex offender who committed these heinous crimes? "When we met he told me his name was Phil, and even though I now know his real identity I still refer to him as Phil because I can't put the two people together. The Michael Dynes I have read about was not the person who I was with." Emma, who is in her 30s, started speaking to Dynes on popular dating site Plenty of Fish in August. They spoke for weeks, enjoying hours on the phone before arranging to meet face-to-face the next month. "It was September 2 and we met at the Hilton in Templepatrick, which was halfway for both of us as he was living in Magherafelt at the time. And we just clicked," she recalled. "We talked about anything and everything. "We didn't want to leave to be honest, it was just one of those dates that was going really well. "After the meal we had a kiss and he asked me out on a second date. "That whole week we chatted. He made plans that he was going to cook for me on the Friday at his house. "I felt so comfortable, that I could tell him anything and that he was telling me everything." After the second date, the relationship between Dynes and the young mum flourished. "On the days when I didn't have the kids either I went up to him or he came up to me," she said. I remember thinking how it was feeling more and more like a proper relationship and how happy I was." It was in December when Emma's world came crashing down. She had just spent a night at Dynes' Co Derry home and had travelled back to Belfast to spend time with her children. A couple of days later she noticed a sticker had been placed on the back windscreen of her car. It was a link to an online article detailing a sex offender 'profile' in the name of Michael Dynes. After sharing an image of the strange sticker with friends she contacted her boyfriend. "I text him and asked, 'do you know someone called Michael Dynes from Dungannon?' "He said, 'I do, I have a cousin though there are a few around there. Why do you ask?' "I sent him a picture of the sticker and said I just found this on my car. Emma said that Dynes told her he would talk about his sex offender relative when they met up the following week. However, she decided to do her own investigations. Within 24 hours she was told the man she'd fallen for was a convicted pervert. He was later arrested. The shock discovery hit the young mum like a tonne of bricks. In a victim impact statement read by District Judge Oonagh Mullan, Emma described the crushing impact of Dynes' devious actions. "I feel I was groomed and manipulated by someone for their own gratification with no regard to those they could hurt or destroy, she wrote. "My trust in everyone, including close friends, is completely gone, she wrote. "I feel embarrassed and ashamed by what has happened and how I was duped, I also feel stupid. The mum-of-two, who is receiving counselling, also had to be placed on anti-anxiety medication. Emma has also been tortured by mixed emotions over the ordeal. "I do feel sorry for him, and I can't believe I am saying that," she said. "I want to believe there is a good person in there. "Yes he's a disgusting, despicable person for what he did, but I don't know that person, that's not the Phil I knew. "When I was in his company he treated me like a princess. Yes he was lying and deceitful, but I only realised that after I found out who he really was." Emma says she now believes the predator had been seeing other women during the course of their relationship. "Another lie he told me was that he had his kids every Wednesday and every other weekend. "There were nights he even cancelled with me because he said his ex-wife had asked him to look after the kids. But I discovered he hasn't seen his children in years. So where was he and what was he doing on those nights?" She added: "I don't think I was the only girl but unfortunately I am the only girl who knows the truth. Offering advice to women who are currently online dating, Emma said: "He was a master manipulator, so it is hard to say what I could have done differently to avoid meeting someone like him. "But one alarm bell for me now is that if you can't find any trace of someone on social media or the internet, it should ring alarm bells. "I think the most important thing is, to trust your gut. If something doesn't feel right, it usually isn't." Scare: Specialists in hazardous material gear at the scene of the incident at the Department of Health. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins Senior staff in the Department of Health were quarantined for several hours after an envelope containing white powder was sent to Health Minister Simon Harris. The minister and the entire department had to leave as offices were evacuated after the alarm was raised shortly before noon, when a staff member in the minister's private office opened the envelope. The substance - initially feared to be a harmful substance, which prompted the evacuation - was later found to be baking powder after an expert examination. No note or threat was attached to the package and a full Garda investigation into the incident has started. A source close to the minister last night said his immediate concern following receipt of the envelope was for staff - including a new member of the team - who were directly affected by the worrying incident. "He was upset for the people involved," the source said. Around a dozen senior staff in the minister's private office were quarantined until specialists had declared the substance benign. The minister did not come into contact with the powder and had to leave along with the rest of the staff in Miesian Plaza on Baggot Street, which is also home to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. In a brief statement on Twitter last night, Mr Harris thanked emergency services for their response to the incident. "Thank you to the emergency services for their diligence today in responding to an incident at my department," he said. "The safety of staff must always be paramount. Today was a difficult day for them all and particularly those who work so closely with me in my office." Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last night said he did not know what type of "oddballs" would send suspicious packages to politicians but pointed out that post would never be opened by a public representative but rather by their staff. He said: "If you want to come after us, come after us but don't come after our staff or our families." Children's Minister Katherine Zappone, who was also among those who had to lead the building, also expressed concern for staff who are the ones who open post. "I did see Minister Harris as well afterwards, we were both over in Leinster House continuing our meetings having evacuated, and I just said to him 'Simon, you know I'm so sorry this has happened to you'," she said. "It's just completely unacceptable. This is after a number of other targets in relation to, in my view, the leadership and efforts that he is offering in terms of his ministry and it is very, very worrying from that perspective too." The Independent minister went on to say: "It should not be happening, but above all I want to say is that really the people who are most unsafe in this regard are staff, and that's completely unacceptable." Gardai and members of the Army Bomb Disposal Team were dispatched to the scene when the alarm was raised and significant security was rolled out. The area was cordoned off and specialist technicians equipped with 'HazMat' suits - or hazardous material gear -were deployed to examine the substance. Staff were sent home in the wake of the incident but the scene was declared safe at 2.30pm. The sending of the suspicious package is the latest in a series of incidents which have led to a review of ministerial security arrangements. A number of weeks ago, Mr Harris was targeted by protesters at his Wicklow home. Mr Harris believes the group followed his wife and baby home from a walk on a Sunday afternoon. Richard Bruton has also been targeted by the group, while protesters have also gathered near the home of the Taoiseach in recent weeks. Ahead of those protests, gardai were also investigating a threat to "evict" female ministers from their homes. A British Transport Police vehicle at Waterloo Railway Station, London, after three small improvised explosive devices were found. Photo credit should read: John Stillwell/PA Wire The three letter bombs posted from Dublin to three London transport hubs will heighten tensions about the potential impact of a hard Brexit on both sides of the Border. The source of the small unsophisticated devices has not yet been confirmed but initial reaction from police on both sides of the Irish put dissident republican factions at the top of the suspect list. The improvised devices delivered to Heathrow and London city airports as well as Waterloo train station would not have caused much damage if they had all exploded - one did catch fire but only the package containing the bomb was damaged and nobody was injured. However, the significance of the timing of the three-pronged attack is worrying for security chiefs on this island and in Britain. Since last year, garda intelligence had been indicating that the dissidents were "gearing up" for Brexit and planning to exploit any opportunities that might arise from Border-related difficulties and their impact on communities north and south. Dissident reaction could range from a car bomb exploding at public or commercial targets to attacks on members of the security forces in Northern Ireland to a series of hoaxes. Today's letter bombs were likely to have been sent to secure a publicity coup, if the dissidents were responsible, and that aim has been achieved as the incidents made the headlines on all media outlets as well as creating concerns and, in some cases, a sense of fear, among commuters in London. But the dissidents have already shown again in recent months that they are capable of incidents at the top end of the scale. It was very fortunate that a car bomb, planted outside a courthouse in Derry city in January, did not result in serious casualties. This was the work of the New IRA, a faction regarded by the Garda and the PSNI as the most dangerous terrorist group since the Provisional IRA declared a ceasefire more than two decades ago. The New IRA has been in existence since 2012 and, although the Derry car bomb was described as crude, its bomb making skills are considered more advance that those of other dissident groups while it has also been finding new sources of explosives and weapons and continuing to recruit personnel not known previously to the security forces to have been involved in renegade republican activities. During 2016 and 2017 gardai seize 100kg of explosives, nine AK 47 rifles, a sub machine gun and a sniper rifle from dissidents. The New IRA has more than 50 activists another 200 supporters and some have acquired counter surveillance skills by attending courses in countries such as the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It has been responsible for the murders of two prison officers, David Black and Adrian Ismay, in separate incidents in Northern Ireland. A search operation by the gardai last Friday served as a grim reminder that the dissidents still have access to Semtex plastic explosives, which was imported here in tonnes by the Provisional IRA from Libya in the mid 1980s. Only a quarter kilo of Semtex was found in the terrorist hide in a wooded area, near Omeath, Co Louth, but that is sufficient to act as a booster for car bombs. The murder of a PSNI officer, Ronan Kerr, by an under car bomb outside his home in Omagh in April, 2011, contained 80 grammes of the deadly explosive as a booster. Despite the decommissioning of a large portion of the Libya shipments by the Provisionals as part of the peace process, quantities remain in dumps. The Omeath find belonged to a different faction, likely to have been OnH, but in the event of a renewed terror campaign, knowledge of the dumps and access to them will spread. Police officers secure a cordoned off area at Waterloo station near to where a suspicious package was found, in London, Britain, March 5, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls The discovery in London of three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) contained in packages which were apparently posted from Dublin is, needless to say, a worrying development but it raises a number of important questions. The fact that the Mets counter-terrorism unit are being assisted by gardai immediately points the finger of suspicion towards dissident Republicans. People may speculate that they are trying to remind us that they havent gone away. Of course dissidents could easily be the senders of these devices which, we are told, were capable of igniting a small fire. Perhaps the timing was deliberately intended to coincide with the already tense countdown to Brexit. The disparate rabbles of thugs and criminals who gather beneath the flag of dissident Republicanism are well capable of doing something like this to drive a wedge between Britain and Ireland. But in the Machiavellian world of international spookery and conspiracy theories, it would be wiser to heed Scotland Yards statement that it was keeping an open mind and wait to see the outcome of this investigation before passing judgment. These mail bombs could just as easily have been the work of another organisation or entity intent on creating a connection with Republican terrorism for the purposes of inciting panic in these angst-ridden days. Expand Close A British Transport Police vehicle at Waterloo Railway Station, London, after three small improvised explosive devices were found. Photo credit should read: John Stillwell/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A British Transport Police vehicle at Waterloo Railway Station, London, after three small improvised explosive devices were found. Photo credit should read: John Stillwell/PA Wire Was it intended to crank up anti-Irish fever in the UK and perhaps reinforce the perceived need, amongst some in that country, that a hard border should be erected with the rest of Europe, especially along its only land border with the Republic? Or indeed, this might just turn out to be the work of an attention-seeking crank. Read More But whatever of the three scenarios or conspiracies you believe, the sender has succeeded in their goal - they created extensive disruption and got maximum publicity. What we know so far is that the three small incendiary devices were found at three London transport hubs: in the post room at Waterloo station, City Aviation House at City airport and the Compass Centre in Hounslow, on the grounds of Heathrow Airport. In each case the device was contained in A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags and were found to be capable of igniting a small fire when opened. One of the devices did ignite but there were no casualties and the others were made safe by bomb squad officers. It was confirmed that at least two of the packages had Republic of Ireland stamps, and originated here. The fact that two of the devices are still intact will mean that they should contain plenty of forensic evidence no matter how careful the bomb mailer might have been. The device will be examined by members of the Irish Army bomb squad to establish if it conforms to distinctive design templates used by the various dissident gangs. The Garda Special Detective Unit and the Crime and Security section of Garda HQ, who have riddled the dissident groups with informants, will not take long to establish if any of them are responsible for these devices. In the meantime the security services on both sides of the Border are continuing to step up their counter-terrorism activities to prevent Republicans using Brexit to re-ignite the troubles in the North. A new Armed Support Unit is being established for deployment to Cavan to bolster the other two units already based in Dundalk and Donegal and extra SDU officers have also been deployed. Garda management, who have denied that a Brexit security contingency plan suggested that 600 additional officers were required to police a new border, are also sending up to 100 probationer gardai to the border divisions. Close observers of the rise in criminal activity along the border since the beginning of the Peace Process will greet that news with the question: why wasnt it done sooner? No matter what economic outcome Brexit imposes on us over the next few months one thing is sure: we can not allow the thugs in the balaclavas to make a comeback. The Government has dashed the hopes of young people trying to buy their own homes after a State-back loan scheme has suddenly run out of money, the Dail has heard. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin told the Dail that Housing Minister, Eoghan Murphy, had insisted that there would be enough funding for the Rebuilding Ireland Home loan scheme to meet the demand. Mr Martin said there was a pledge of more funding even after the 200m fund ceiling had been exceeded but it has only now come to light that this was not the case. But Taoiseach Leo Varadkar hit back and accused the Fianna Fail of prancing around the place and wagging the finger while the Government was trying to help people. The scheme offered homeloans to single people earning under 50,000 per year, or couples with 75,000 per year, who had been turned down for a mortgage by conventional lenders. Mr Martin said many young couples now faced paying more in rents than they would for the mortgage, with an uncertain future for their hopes of owning their own homes. The Minister said there was going to be no issue here and that he would set up a second fund, Mr Martin said. Why all the secrecy and silence about it? Why cant you guys be up front with people and straight with people? Mr Martin asked. The Taoiseach replied: Deputy, while youre prancing about the place and wagging the finger, were trying to do things and help people". The Taoiseach said 10,000 people had availed of tax concessions to help them save a deposit for a home. He said 575 people had received the Rebuilding Ireland Homeloan and another 1,000 people had been approved. Mr Varadkar said that since the 200m ceiling was now exceeded the Government was considering whether more money should be provided. He said the Government had to consult the Central Bank to see whether they were comfortable with this in line with lending rules aimed at avoiding a property market crash. Ireland's love-hate relationship with clocks jumping forward and backwards an hour each year will end in 2021 under a proposal progressing through the EU. However, the Government here has said the decision is not final and has argued more time is needed for the proposal. Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune has said that Ireland will face a choice between winter or summer time amid the plans in Brussels. She welcomed the move and said that Irish people took part in a European public consultation that voted overwhelmingly to stop the clock changes. She said among the "many benefits" would be brighter winter evenings, improved road safety and an economic boost. The recommendation was made by the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee. The Department of Justice said the European Parliament must now approve the committee's recommendation before further negotiations by the Council of Ministers. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan set up a consultation process on the matter last year and analysis is being conducted on the results, with a report being prepared for consideration by Government. A spokesman said the committee's ruling is a proposal and "not a final decision". He added that if the proposal is adopted by the EU it would require legislation to change the law. "Ireland is one of a large number of member states which has said that more time is needed to consider the proposal. Particular implications arise for the island of Ireland," he said. He said member states have said co-ordination with neighbouring countries is needed. March 14, 2017: A member of the Irish Coast Guard looks out towards a misty Achill as the search continued for Rescue 116 along the Blacksod coastline in Co Mayo. Photo: Steve Humphreys A report into the circumstances surrounding the Rescue 116 helicopter crash which claimed the lives of four crew members is at an advanced stage. A lengthy investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) has been ongoing for the past two years following the tragic collision on March 14, 2017. The four crew, pilot Dara Fitzpatrick, co-pilot Mark Duffy, winchman Ciaran Smith and winch operator Paul Ormsby died after their Irish Coast Guard helicopter collided with Black Rock island off the Mayo coast. Today the AAIU released an interim statement in relation to its significant probe, in which it said that a draft report is at an advanced stage. Investigators have also said they will not be releasing a detailed interim statement on the anniversary as this would detract from their ongoing work. The AAIU are required to release an interim statement on the incidents anniversary if the final report into an air accident investigation cannot be made public within 12 months. Rather than preparing another detailed Interim Statement, which would detract from the ongoing work of preparing the Draft Report, the Investigation is focusing its efforts on finalising the Draft Report, the AAIU said. Once finalised, the Draft Report will be circulated, in confidence, to interested parties as soon as possible. Accordingly, a detailed Interim Statement is not being issued on the occasion of the second anniversary of this accident. The investigation team previously made a number of recommendations following a preliminary report in April 2017. In September, Transport Minister Shane Ross called for the speedy implementation of these recommendations to address discrepancies in the oversight of Search and Rescue operations in Ireland. In total 12 recommendations were made in the report- Review of Oversight of Search and Rescue (SAR) Aviation Operations in Ireland- which should be implemented on a short, medium or long term basis. The report found that there are inconsistent formal documents on SAR framework which create potential confusion about who is responsible for the safety oversight for SAR operators. It recommends that the Department of Transport formally and clearly assigns the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) with responsibility for the legal and safety oversight. This should be done urgently within a three-month period. The report, which did not examine the circumstances surrounding the Rescue 116 crash, also found that the Irish Coast Guard did not have the "necessary knowledge" to monitor regulations in the contract with CHCI, the company which provides the helicopters. A Northern Ireland primary school has complained of having no government agency to offer help it after its website content was replaced with pornographic material. St Ronan's Primary School in Newry was alerted to the change in material on its site on Sunday. The school said it believed the site was hacked, however, Twitter users pointed out that the subscription to host the website may have lapsed meaning another organisation was able to take over the management and content of its pages. Police confirmed the domain name had been purchased legitimately and therefore the new owner entitled to publish their own material on the site. "Unfortunately no government agency is able to assist," said the school in a tweet. The school said it had been in contact with the domain hosts to try and resolve the issue as well as the police. However, the material was still available on clicking on the school's official page on Monday afternoon. Police said they investigated the matter. A spokeswoman added: "Police received a report of an incident in relation to a website in the name of a school in the Newry area. On further police investigation it was established that the lease for this website had expired and it was legitimately purchased by another user. "This website is in no way related to the school." St Ronan's has been approached for a comment. Photo: Alanna Kelly File photograph of RCMP police cruiser. Five high-risk suspects were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of kidnapping, aggravated assault, and forcible confinement. On Feb. 27, police officers were told a man was dropped off at the hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. The man is believed to have attended a home in Kelowna to purchase illegal drugs and was allegedly held against his will and assaulted. This disturbing incident serves as a significant reminder that those who choose to participate in the illegal drug trade are at immense risk, said RCMP Cpl. Jesse ODonaghey. He was released from hospital and is recovering from his injuries. On Friday night, Kelowna RCMP Investigation Section and the Emergency Response Team were called to various locations across Kelowna to assist with the arrests of the five people. Police say Clayton Zeleniski, 48, of Kelowna has been formally charged with kidnapping, robbery, unlawful confinement and assault causing bodily harm. Shane Haines, 32, of Kelowna has been formally charged with aggravated assault, robbery and unlawful confinement. Timothy Hennessy, 37, of Kelowna has been formally charged with robbery, unlawful confinement and assault with a weapon. Nicole Sidhu, 24, of Kelowna has been formally charged with robbery and unlawful confinement. Dalton Zeleniski, 18, of Kelowna has been formally charged with unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm. All five people were taken into police custody over the weekend and are expected to appear in court on Monday. The Taoiseach has poured cold water on proposals that would allow banned motorists to drive to work while disqualified due to drink-driving. Leo Varadkar admitted yesterday he is "sceptical" about the suggestions after junior Fine Gael minister Brendan Griffin said he had asked officials to consider it. Mr Varadkar said the Government would look at a model which is in place in New Zealand which allows people banned from the roads to apply for special permission to drive to work while disqualified, but questioned the "enforceability" of such measures. A spokesperson for Transport Minister Shane Ross last night said no work was under way on the issue at the moment, but said the minister would not rule out any proposals before reading them. Drinks lobbying group the Vintners' Federation of Ireland is understood to be working on a proposal which it will submit to the department in the near future. The suggestion was raised before Christmas with Kerry TDs by the Kerry Vintners Federation, and Mr Ross appeared to dismiss the idea out of hand. In a parliamentary question, Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae suggested there may be a case to be made for drivers found to be over the limit in the morning "on the lower end of the scale" to be allowed to use their cars to get to and from work. In relation to that suggestion, Mr Ross said: "It would be both inappropriate and massively irresponsible for either An Garda Siochana or the courts system to allow for exemptions of any kind on this matter." His spokeswoman last night said the issue in the question was distinct from the proposals being discussed at the moment. Mr Griffin could not be contacted last night but Mr Varadkar said: "My initial sense of it is that I'd be sceptical of it as a proposal that is workable. "If somebody is banned from driving, they're banned for a reason." Lent: we may not all observe it, we may not all understand it, but we can all enjoy it or at least, the day which precedes it, Shrove Tuesday. One of the most delicious days in the Christian calendar, the undisputed star of the show is the humble pancake. Its true that nowadays they are not so much a method of using up the last of the rich food in the cupboard as a vector for lemon and sugar, or more iconoclastically, Nutella, but they are still as popular as ever. Expand Close Darina Allen making pancakes in Ballymaloe Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Darina Allen making pancakes in Ballymaloe Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision So what makes a good pancake? Thick or thin? Savoury or sweet? Everybody agrees that lumpy is bad, and burnt is worse, but with all the differing advice out there, what is the one true way? Darina Allen, the doyenne of Ballymaloe, describes pancakes as the great saviour. Expand Close Darina Allen making pancakes in Ballymaloe Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Darina Allen making pancakes in Ballymaloe Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision Theyre the quintessential fast food, theyre nourishing and wholesome, they have protein and dairy. When my children were little, sometimes when wed be out all afternoon, or out all day shopping in Cork and theyd come home and all be tired and hungry and squabbling, Id run into the kitchen to whip something up quickly, theyd queue up alongside the Aga, and within a few minutes peace would be restored, she recalls. Expand Close Darina Allen making pancakes in Ballymaloe Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Darina Allen making pancakes in Ballymaloe Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision Nobody should leave school without knowing how to make a pancake. Theyre a genuinely good food. Theyre great for harried mothers or anyone whos busy, theyre so quick and easy to make. And everyone loves them, from the smallest child to the biggest adult. Read More Allen says that while savoury pancakes were once a relatively rare phenomenon in Ireland, they were an instant success when they were introduced in 1986 at the Ballymaloe-run cafe in the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. Of course the traditional pancake is the one with lemon and sugar but, before, Irish people didnt really have savoury pancakes so much. My sister-in-law Fern brought a recipe for mushroom and spinach pancakes with a hollandaise sauce back from South Africa and added it to the menu at the Crawford. And they were so popular that they havent been able to take it off for 25 years; people complain if its not on the menu. Now savoury pancakes are a regular feature of menus, Ive even seen them put on with lobster and crab, delicious, she adds. The batter is one of the great convertibles. You can turn it into a Clafoutis, which is using the batter and adding fruit, or to a toad in the hole, or make the pancakes, then stack them up and make a cake out of it. Pancakes are a year-round favourite, says Garrett Quinn of the Lemon creperie on Dublins South William Street. Our two most active periods would probably be Pancake Tuesday and around Christmas but we are busy all year around. The favourites are probably the standard traditional butter, sugar, lemon or the chocolate crepe. Our Strawberry Supreme is always popular: strawberries with a dash of icing sugar and some fresh cream on the side. They may be quick and easy for the professionals, but for those of us who arent experts, how do you stop your pancakes from turning out a soggy mess, with optional potholes? Here, Darina Allen walks us through the stages of the perfect lemon and sugar pancake. 1 Get a large mixing bowl and put in 175g of white flour, preferably unbleached, sieve it if you can. Add a good pinch of salt and make a well in the middle of the flour, drop in a couple of eggs good free-range eggs if you can get them. Add a dessert spoon of caster sugar. (Note this is for sweet pancakes.) 2 Whisk the eggs from the centre with one hand, slowly pouring 425ml of milk in with the other. Whisk around and around, drawing the flour mixture in slowly and beat until the batter is covered in bubbles. If you prefer your pancakes thin and lacy, use half water and half milk. 3 If there are lumps thats not a disaster. You can just pass it through a sieve or else pop the mixture into a food processor and give it a whizz and its made in minutes. 4 A good tip is to add a little butter when I say butter I mean good, proper Irish butter, nothing with light or low in the title and nothing in a box into the batter mixture just before cooking. I whisk the hot butter into the mixture and then you dont have to re-grease the pan between pancakes. 5 If youre going to add melted butter, put in 3-4 dessert spoons then ladle some mixture into your pan and rotate the pan so it fills it to the edges. If you can, use a ladle which contains exactly the right amount of mixture. 6 The most important thing with pancakes is to have the pan really hot. People make this mistake all the time. I usually put the pan on first and make the mixture while its heating. If the pan is hot enough, by the time youve spread the mixture around it should almost be done. 7 Use a bendy spatula and run it around the side of the pan to release the pancake. Run the spatula underneath and flip it over. They need to be cooked really fast and really thin. Pour too much batter in and theyre thick and heavy and they take too long. 8 You can pile them on top of each other and cover with a saucepan lid to keep warm. To serve dab a cooking brush in some melted butter and brush over. Add some squeezed lemon and a sprinkle of sugar. A life-threatening genetic illness that can lead to organ failure and death if not detected has been branded the 'Celtic Curse' because more people in Ireland are prone to it than other countries. Haemochromatosis is a build-up of iron in the blood which then becomes toxic. Sufferers inherit the gene from one or both parents who may be carriers but may not know it. One in 83 Irish people are predisposed to this iron overload, and one in five Irish people carry one copy of the gene that causes it. Now in an effort to raise awareness of the condition, Health Minister Leo Varadkar is to launch the haemochromatosis awareness campaign on Friday on behalf of the Irish Haemochromatosis Association. They are encouraging people who are suffering from symptoms such as chronic fatigue, joint pain, diabetes, irregular heartbeat, and loss of sex drive to consult their GP. A simple blood test to check your iron status can confirm or rule out iron overload. The accumulated iron affects the liver, heart, pancreas, endocrine glands and joints, leading to impaired function of these organs and eventually to disease and organ failure. The good news for people who have the genetic illness is that treatment is simple and effective. It basically involves the regular removal of a unit of blood and is similar to blood donation. This dilutes the blood sufficiently to prevent the stored iron reaching toxic levels. Marianne Doyle (34), from Sallynoggin, was diagnosed two and a half years ago. "I had been travelling for work to Brazil, Russia, US and Canada and put my intense fatigue down either to pure exhaustion or a tropical disease," she said. "Eventually tests were done and my iron level was over 700. It should have been under 200. "I now have to give blood once a month, and while I hated it first I have now got used to it," Marianne explained. "Now I'm completely back to myself so it is all worth it. "It's not the worst condition to have once you are diagnosed before any organ damage is done, and it is very treatable. "Through tests we discovered that both my parents are carriers of the gene so do not have symptoms themselves," she added. For further information about the illness and the awareness campaign go to www.haemochrom atosis-ir.com Adventures in the Antarctic: Ernest Shackleton from Co Kildare set out to reach the South Pole in 1907 but was forced back by poor conditions - just 97 miles short of his goal 'As a scientific leader give me Scott; for swift and efficient polar travel, Amundsen; but when things are hopeless and there seems no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton." That's from Sir Raymond Priestley's address to the British Association in 1956. All three were major figures in the history of Antarctic exploration: Scott was English and Amundsen was Norwegian, but Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) hailed from Kilkea, Co Kildare. On February 6, a sledge from the first expedition to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton sold for 143,750 (163,901) in the Travel and Exploration Sale at Bonhams in London. The estimate was 60,000 to 100,000 (67,000 to 110,000). The sledge was used on the British Antarctic Nimrod Expedition (1907-9), which set out with the aim of reaching the South Pole. It didn't, but made it further south than anyone had ever been before. The explorers returned at the point of starvation and received a hero's welcome. "A live donkey is better than a dead lion, isn't it?" he said to his wife on his return. "Yes darling, as far as I am concerned," Emily Shackleton replied. The exchange is recorded in Roland Huntford's biography, Shackleton (1985). Four people attempted the sledge march to the South Pole: Shackleton, Jameson Adams, Frank Wild and Eric Marshall, surgeon, cartographer and photographer. The sledge was owned by Marshall, who donated it to his old public school, Monkton Combe in Somerset. The sledge is about 11 foot and described in the catalogue: "ash on a hickory frame reinforced with metal braces, leather straps and thick string ties." In 1907, prior to the Nimrod expedition, Shackleton travelled to Christiania (now Oslo) and commissioned 18 11-foot sledges "of the Nansen pattern". Fridtjof Nansen's Fram expedition of 1893-96 had failed to reach the North Pole but his methods of travel and survival were deeply influential. Other sledges from the Nimrod expedition survived - one is part of the permanent Ernest Shackleton exhibition at the Athy Heritage Centre-Museum - but the one sold at Bonhams was catalogued as "the only example we have traced with provenance to one of the four Southern Party explorers". Arctic and Antarctic expeditions of the time typically carried sledge flags, to be flown on special occasions and for photographs. Eric Marshall's sledge flag, also dating from the Nimrod expedition (est. 30,000 to 50,000; 33,000 to 55,000) sold for 75,000 (85,513) in the same sale. The silk flag, which shows a red unicorn head and a gold anchor, features in many of the expedition photographs. On January 6, the day before they turned for home, Marshall wrote in his diary: "make one last dash without the sledge. Sledge flag tied in back to help keep warm tonight." Few objects were carried on Antarctic expeditions and even fewer returned. Anything that did will command a high price at auction, but other polar memorabilia has value too. The Arctic Medal (renamed the Polar Medal in 1904) was awarded by the British Sovereign for "extreme human endeavour against the appalling weather and conditions that exist in the Arctic and Antarctic". One of these was awarded to Timothy McCarthy (1885-1917) from Kinsale, Co Cork. McCarthy was serving as an able seaman in the Royal Naval Reserve when he applied to join Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914. He was one of 26 men chosen to crew the Endurance for the expedition and, crucially, he was one of the five who accompanied Shackleton on the epic open-boat voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia. His Polar Medal (est. 15,000 to 20,000) sold at Dix Noonan Webb in London for 65,000 in July 2016. On a slightly less epic level, the signatures of any of the expedition leaders will do well at auction. Whyte's forthcoming Eclectic Collector auction in early April includes two examples of Shackleton's autograph. One, a simple signature (est. 500 to 700) is pasted on to a leaf from an autograph book is dated "Jan 7th / 14." The other (also est. 500 to 700) is inscribed "Waifs and Strays Meeting - March 1912." The auction also includes a replica of the whiskey carried on the Nimrod (est. 100 to 150) and a silver spoon commemorating Amundsen's arrival at the South Pole in 1911 (est. 500 to 800). A first edition in two volumes of A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions, during the years 1839-43 by Sir James Clark Ross (1847) (est. 700 to 1,000) describes his pioneering expedition to Antarctica. In January 2017, a postcard sent by Captain Robert Falcon Scott in 1904 fetched 440. The postcard was posted in Christchurch, New Zealand, on the 1901-04 British Antarctic Expedition's return journey and is addressed Scott's hand to a Mrs Wrench in Ballybrack, Co Dublin. Mrs Wrench may have been a relation of the publisher of the card. Wrench's issued four postcards to be posted at different stages of the expedition to subscribers who helped finance the venture. But Wrench can't have done his research on Antarctic wildlife as the postcard, hilariously, showed a picture of a polar bear. See bonhams.com, whytes.ie, dnw.co.uk and shackletonmuseum.com. In the salerooms Fonsie Mealy The contents sale of 11 Oxmantown Mall, Birr, Co Offaly, has everything from breakfront bookcases and four poster beds, to silver sauceboats, urns and art - including A Lady and her Child (1840) (Lot 279: est. 5,000 to 7,000), a watercolour by Frederick William Burton. Possible top lots in the sale include a very early photograph of the moon, taken through a telescope (Lot 304: est. 7,000 to 11,000). The photograph was taken by Henry Draper (1837-1882), a pioneer of astronomical photography who spent a formative summer at Birr Castle, where the 3rd Earl of Rosse had erected the world's largest telescope, the 72-inch Leviathan reflector. This photograph was taken at Draper's observatory in Hastings, New York, in 1863 and is inscribed from Draper to the Earl of Rosse. Other unusual items in the sale include a late Victorian mahogany dentist cabinet (Lot 56: 700 to 900) and a dentist chair sold with a pedal-worked dentist drill (Lot 57: est. 300 to 400). Viewing on Sunday (1pm to 5pm) and on Monday (10am to 5pm). The sale takes place at the County Arms Hotel, Birr, Co Offaly, on Tuesday at 10.30am. See fonsimealy.ie. Whyte's Expand Close Harry Clarke stained-glass window / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Harry Clarke stained-glass window Whyte's sale of Irish and International Art takes place in the RDS, Anglesea Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin, on Monday at 6pm. The lots are on view, also at the RDS, from tomorrow to Monday, 10am to 6pm daily. Potential top lots include two by Jack B Yeats: A Passage Is Required (1953) (Lot 19: est. 100,000 to 150,000), which shows two figures negotiating with a boatman; and Justice, 1946 (Lot 22: est. 100,000 to 150,000), an atmospheric empty courtroom. There is also a fine Paul Henry landscape - A Kerry Bog (1934-35) (Lot 9: est. 60,000 to 80,000) - complete with turf stacks and glowering clouds and a stained glass door panel (Lot 23: est 20 to 30) from the studio of Harry Clarke (above). The panel is highly reminiscent of the Harry Clarke windows in Bewley's Oriental Cafe, Dublin, and was commissioned in 1938 by Laurence Cassidy of Dublin "on the lines of the Bewley panels". See whytes.ie. Antiques & Vintage Fairs The National Antiques Fair, organised by Hibernian Antiques Fairs, will take place at the Great National South Court Hotel, Limerick City, tomorrow and Sunday. This will boast 100 stands, including members of the IADA (Irish Antique Dealers Association) antique shops, antiques dealers, art galleries and vintage dealers. The fair runs from 11am to 6pm on both days and adult admission is 5, which includes a raffle ticket. Matthew's Auction Rooms Our Lady Queen of Peace Convent & Nursing Home, off Garville Avenue, Rathgar, Dublin 6 is up for renovation and Matthew's Auction Rooms will conduct a clearance sale of unwanted contents on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 12 noon each day. See matthewsauctionrooms.com. On the 95th floor of his Menlo Park tower, Mark Zuckerberg spits out a mouthful of coffee. He has just received word of the Irish Government's new heavyweight Online Safety Commissioner proposal. "Dammit," he hisses, picking up the phone. "Get me Sheryl. We're in trouble here." Nah, just joking. Privately, it seems that the social media firms are pretty happy with the cut of the newly announced safety tsar. Because what is now clear is that this will be no Helen Dixon. There'll be no 20m fines or consultations on new products to make sure they make the Irish regulatory grade. Instead there'll be some sort of 'safety code'. This will tell Facebook, Google and Twitter that "content" which is "seriously threatening, seriously intimidating, seriously harassing or seriously humiliating" won't be allowed. Other than the word 'serious', there isn't much more detail. Presumably an effort will be made to add clarity in the actual legislation, expected later this year or in 2020. But for the moment, no one in Government is really quite sure how exactly things will change. For example, if the companies say their systems are just fine the way they are, what will the new commissioner base his or her suggested alterations on? Will a commissioner essentially end up as a 'Liveline' rep for aggrieved parents? A consultation period with the industry is now under way on the whole thing. But early indications are that the big players are taking it utterly in their stride. To them, this looks like an advanced form of community relations, a chance to strengthen formal working arrangements with key institutional players. They'll probably be screamed at less when the next online scandal hits, because undoubtedly some of the heat will now fall on the new commissioner. Does this mean the whole thing is a con? No. The new body will have some real powers. The leeway to issue 'administrative' fines (which means it doesn't have to go to a court to do it) is genuinely significant, even if such fines are likely to be small in comparison with a fully powered regulatory agency such as Ireland's Data Protection Commission. Communications Minister Richard Bruton repeatedly compared the Irish plan to Australia's e-commissioner, which can fine firms up to 312,400, about 20 minutes' income for most of the companies in question. The Government is also referring to the commissioner's prerogative of sparking criminal prosecutions against platforms and companies that refuse to co-operate with the Online Safety Commissioner. However, this is quite a high hurdle. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mr Bruton said more than once that in Australia, no actions against big tech firms have needed to be taken. Does the job specification, as articulated so far, meet Minister Bruton's remarks that the era of self-regulation is over for firms like Facebook? Not quite. Some 99pc of the processes and judgment calls on what sort of content is allowed, or how far it may travel online, will still be completely under the guidance and control of the big online platforms. Some of the biggest controversies, such as whether far-right activists like Tommy Robinson get to keep a Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or Instagram account, will still be made by the company. And the resources allocated to this new commissioner will likely be modest. It may not be possible for them to deal with that much on an immediate basis. So on a scale of 'damp squib' to 'ball-busting enforcer', where does this Online Safety Commissioner stand? Somewhere in the middle. To those who shriek that social media companies (and maybe the internet itself) are congenitally evil, it will be a massive letdown. But for those who have been looking for progress, it may represent an early stage model of regulation to be strengthened in time. Mark Durkan is welcome as a candidate in the European Parliament election in Dublin. But his move to Fine Gael and the European Peoples Party is very regrettable. It signals an abandonment of social democracy and its political organisation, the Party of European Socialists. Durkan is an accomplished politician having been a MLA, MP, and leader of the SDLP. He and I know each other from our time together in student politics in the 1980s. He has every right to run for the European Parliament and I look forward to competing with him for the votes of Dubliners this May. That said, the notion that those voters should be asked by Fine Gael essentially to allocate one of Dublins four seats to the North is mis-conceived. Brexit, if it happens, will have a deeply adverse effect on the people of Northern Ireland, as it will on the citizens of this State. But the idea that a candidate would run for Dublin and seek to represent the North is bizarre. In what way could Mark Durkan or anyone else represent a constituency for which he has not been elected, and which would anyway no longer be part of the EU? He would have no constituents. Expand Close Former SDLP leader, Mark Durkan, who will run for Fine Gael in the European Elections, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar Picture credit: Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Former SDLP leader, Mark Durkan, who will run for Fine Gael in the European Elections, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar Picture credit: Damien Eagers / INM As part justification for this move, it has been implied that the extra two seats for Ireland are somehow intended, even indirectly, to enfranchise the North in the European Parliament. This is completely untrue and very misleading. That it should be in any way endorsed by the Taoiseach is inexplicable. The European Council decision of June 2018 made it abundantly clear that the allocation of additional seats (following the UKs departure) was to be done on the principle of degressive proportionality based on population and demographic trends in the Member States. There is no question of any Northern Ireland premium being accorded to this country in the re-allocation of UK seats. In any event it would not be possible for the European Union to make provision for proxy representation in the Parliament of a region that is outside the territory of the Member States. As acknowledged by the European Council in the same June 2018 decision, Article 10 of the Treaty on European Union provides that the functioning of the Union is to be founded on representative democracy, with citizens being directly represented at Union level in the European Parliament Northern Ireland remains a part of the United Kingdom and regrettably therefore it must leave the EU along with the UK. There is no constitutional means by which the citizens of Northern Ireland can be represented - directly or indirectly - in the European Parliament once the UK has left. Expand Close 4/3/2019, former SDLP leader, Mark Durkan, who will run for Fine Gael in the European Elections, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 4/3/2019, former SDLP leader, Mark Durkan, who will run for Fine Gael in the European Elections, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM Justifying the nomination of Mark Durkan, the Taoiseach has referenced his own statement in December 2017 that Irish citizens in the North would not be left behind. A collective sentiment on the part of the people of this State to uphold the interests of the people of the North is right and proper. But the Taoiseach wants the people of Dublin to vindicate this sentiment by voting Fine Gael. In truth this is far less about the North than it is about seeking party political advantage. All parties seek to maximise their position electorally. The nomination of Mark Durkan ostensibly is a gesture to the people of the North. In reality it is a poorly disguised pretext to pitch for two Fine Gael/EPP seats in Dublin. The saddest aspect of it all is the fact that having worked within the Party of European Socialists throughout his career, Mark Durkan has now signed up to the conservative European People's Party a group that offers a very different vision for Europe than the Party of European Socialists. As we look forward to these elections it is clear that the true candidate for social democracy for a social democratic and labour party will not be the Fine Gael candidate, nor indeed the Fianna Fail candidate, despite their recent alliance with the SDLP. It will be the Labour candidate. I look forward to carrying that banner in Dublin for the social democratic Labour Party. Life in the media isn't all a joyless grind of deadlines, changing the ribbon on your typewriter and checking under your car for explosives - sometimes even part-timers like me get invited to the odd event. So it was that I found myself at a drinks launch, with several other, younger, more successful and attractive media types, all stylishly dressed and deep in free libations. Naturally I was trying hard to convince them that I was somebody of note. I have a column, I slurred. What do you write about, they asked. It's kind of like Death On Credit crossed with The Simpsons, I said. Given that they were all young and out enjoying life and building careers, they were curious to know more - what's it like to have a load of kids? Is it wonderful, like Cheaper By The Dozen? Is every day like The Wonder Years? Yeah, I mumbled, kinda. And then I gave them The Talk - a long and tedious speech I wish I could give my twentysomething self, about how much responsibility actually comes with being a parent, the pressures, the shame, the guilt. Obviously there is wonder, and magic, and even some of those fireworks Hollywood relentlessly promises you, but there is also a lot of just cleaning urine off the bathroom floor, loading and unloading various household appliances, loading and unloading a people carrier, and realising that self-care and mindfulness are luxuries that you can no longer afford. It was possibly because I hadn't been out in a while that my chit-chat went so dark so fast, as at some point I transformed into a reverse Jacob Marley, moaning at them in ghastly tones about how they should focus on their careers, and spend more time at the office. Don't end up like me, surrounded by love, I whispered. One of the journalists broke the ensuing silence by saying he was thinking about never having kids, and I chirped, good for you. Don't be enslaved by nature's deranged recruitment programme, don't end up conscripted into the human assembly line, stay strong and don't let About A Boy convince you that life sans children is somehow empty. I have friends who don't have kids, and while our lives are different, I could hardly say that somehow my life is a rich banquet and theirs is a microwave dinner for one, shared with a cat. If your life didn't have meaning before you had kids, then cranking out a load of little dependants isn't going to fill that void. I didn't always think like this; I can remember when we first became parents, thinking that this was it, the greatest thing a human can do. I can even remember saying to people without children that they should have them. If I could go back I would throw a pint in my own face, because to make the assumption that the sole reason for human existence is to create more humans is really quite sad, and pitching it to others like I'm selling a shady time share deal is obnoxious and insensitive. I know that having kids has been an incredible experience for my wife and me, but that doesn't mean it is either easy or the sort of thing you would recommend to all and sundry. Being a parent is an extraordinary challenge, and one that you have little preparation for - nobody bothers to pay attention to how their parents did it, there are no modules in school or college that teach you best practice, and most of us are learning on the job, screwing up gloriously along the way. Sometimes I think it's a miracle our species made it this far at all with such a relaxed approach to one of our most important roles. One journalist told me he couldn't do what I do, that to write about family as I do would feel like an act of betrayal. I thought - is that what this is? Am I some sort of Judas, taking my 30 silver pieces and the odd invite to a drinks launch as payment for detailing my family's life? Probably, yeah - but I'm also aware that without my wife and children, I wouldn't have anything to write about, because I'm not sure I could crank out 600 words each week about male grooming or brunch spots. They are my muse, and while I gnash my teeth and occasionally advocate for the mass sterilisation of the entire human species, my relentless complaining is part of the love, and there is never a moment when I ask for this chalice to be taken from me, not even when, the morning after a drinks launch, little people wake you at 5.45am to drag you out of bed for another day of inspiration, joy and cleaning urine off the floor. The Vatican's summit on sexual abuse concluded with an address from Pope Francis. The meeting drew together heads of bishops' conferences from across the globe in the hope of producing concrete policies aimed at preventing clergy sexual abuse and responding properly to cases that arise anyway. But the greater accomplishment of the summit - which ultimately produced little in the way of actionable solutions - may have been its effort to reckon with how extraordinarily evil this crisis really is. "Today," Francis said in his parting address, "we find ourselves before a manifestation of brazen, aggressive and destructive evil. We need to take up the spiritual means that the Lord himself teaches us: humiliation, self-accusation, prayer and penance." It was the right note for Francis to end on, especially since he has shown signs of temptation toward more exonerating narratives for the Church before. In September, for example, he claimed in a homily: "In these times, it seems like the great accuser has been unchained and is attacking bishops... True, we are all sinners, we bishops... [Satan] tries to uncover the sins, so they are visible in order to scandalise the people." In other words, Francis seemed to argue the exposure of the wide-ranging and deeply corrupt nature of the sexual abuse crisis is the work of evil rather than the work of justice. We're all sinners, after all, and the revelation of any of our sins would likely cause upset and anger for those around us. Plenty of other Catholics have been similarly moved to chalk up concern over the crisis to a media conspiracy against the faith, or to blame it on either the conservative or liberal wing of the Church hierarchy, depending on the preference of the beholder. But all of those interpretations of events seem to locate the source of evil in some external darkness, which aims - intelligently, but maliciously - to undermine the Church. This represents an enormous failure of introspection. John Grogan, a Philadelphia lawyer and Catholic, was surprised when his family's own priest approached him in the aftermath of the 2002 explosion of the Church sexual abuse crisis, asking for his help as an advocate. The priest had been convicted of possession of child pornography decades prior - but had been allowed back into ministry. When he sought Grogan's help, he thought he was facing a canonical trial and potential laicisation. As it turned out, he was forcibly laicised without canonical trial. The penalty was not unlike the one recently placed on former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The priest wanted Grogan's help. Grogan agreed. "That led me into sort of dealing with priests in similar circumstances," Grogan told me during a recent phone interview. "The big question for me with many of these guys is there's so much good in them, and yet this horrific, outrageous criminal blind spot that can't be explained away, or can't be excused." Grogan recognised the individual offenders' capacity for sin and temptation, just as Francis has mentioned. But he also came to see that, in many cases, the abusers have little insight into the gravity of their crimes. Several priests he worked with, Grogan told me, saw themselves as "victimised", with a tendency for "blaming others". "If they grudgingly admit that they did what they did," Grogan said, they were still much more focused on perceived unfairnesses heaped upon them in the trial process and the media. "My overwhelming impression of many of them... has been just a shocking, shocking lack of emotional maturity." Most of them never reckon with their crimes, Grogan said, or recognise the severity of the harm they have caused. It's been many years since Grogan has worked with accused priests. It isn't something he's eager to do again. But he lives in hope, he said, of a Church that can face what the sexual abuse crisis has wrought on so many innocent lives - and begin the process of healing and enacting definitive change. That reckoning has to include the totality of the Church: Not just convicted abusers and not just the Pope, but every clergy member and lay person in between. We are all sinners, yes, and all are beckoned by temptation. But not many sins are as deeply evil and damaging as those brought to light by coverage of the sexual abuse crisis and its cover-up. Francis is right to face the evil inside the Church and name it for what it is. But naming it is only a portion of the Church's responsibility: Responding with like intensity and urgency is the vast remainder, and that remains to be seen. ( Washington Post) When the so-called Momo craze began to capture the nation's imagination a few weeks ago, it became merely the latest in a long line of internet-related scare stories. This mysterious and other-worldly creation would, we were informed, pop up while kids were watching something as harmless as 'Peppa Pig' and either urge or threaten the child to commit acts of violence or suicide. It had all the hallmarks of the perils of allowing kids to watch videos unaccompanied. After all, the days of 'stranger danger' used to involve preparing your kids for how to cope with people they might meet out on the street. The idea that some malevolent entity can come into your home without you even knowing is a very modern parenting problem indeed. There was just one slight flaw with the Momo panic - it was all a hoax; an electronic urban legend which took on a life of its own and managed to terrify parents and adults for no reason. Momo first appeared in Latin America a few years ago, and the media in those countries was awash with tales of children who had done unspeakable things at the apparent behest of the mysterious creature - said creature is actually a well-known piece of Japanese art called 'Mother Bird' - until reporters did some digging and discovered the whole thing was just another viral fable. As it happens, Momo isn't the only hoax to terrify parents in recent times. The Blue Whale Challenge was apparently a game which induced impressionable kids to commit a variety of acts over the course of 50 days before taking their own life - until it emerged that too was a hoax. Likewise, the recent claims that kids were now challenged online to eat dishwasher tablets and snort condoms was, in modern parlance, 'fake news'. But the culturally corrosive aspect of such sick stunts is that even when they are discovered to be bogus, the sense of trepidation and unease remains. So at a time when parents are rightly worried about what their kids are watching, Richard Bruton's announcement that he wants to introduce new laws and regulatory powers to control what appears online will be welcomed by many. But that doesn't mean it can work. The proposed Online Safety Act would, in the eyes of the Communications Minister, tackle cyber-bullying, any material which promotes self-harm or suicide and would also target pro-anorexia websites. The plan would then create an Online Safety Commissioner who would issue Online Safety Certificates to social media content providers on the basis of how quickly and efficiently they tackle complaints made about material which appears on their platforms. At first glance, that seems reasonable. After all, it has become increasingly clear in recent years that social media, for all its undoubted benefits, is an electronic Wild West and the irony of the moral panic over passing fads such as Momo or the Blue Whale Challenge is that there are enough genuinely troubling elements freely available without the need to invent any new ones. According to the minister: "The situation at present, where online and social media companies are not subject to any oversight or regulation by the State for the content which is shared on their platforms, is no longer sustainable. I believe that the era of self-regulation is over and a new Online Safety Act is necessary." Nobody is going to shed any tears if Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey are forced to take some responsibility for the material they allow to appear on their creations. But the idea of having the State decide what is acceptable and what is beyond the pale would simply create far more problems than it would solve. At the heart of this anxiety lies confusion. A generation which can't remember a world before social media simply exists in an environment which is alien to older people, and it is no surprise that a survey by the American National Cyber Security Alliance found that only 13pc of all teenagers felt their parents "understood the extent of their internet use". That figure is probably similar in this country and that's why many parents will welcome Bruton's proposals. But politicians have been trying to find a way to regulate internet content for the last 20 years and have consistently, emphatically, failed at the task. That's because, by the nature of their job, they tend to be older and therefore lack a properly nuanced understanding of the online realm. We should also be wary of the knee-jerk responses from politicians in all countries, not just Ireland, who have never met something they didn't want to regulate and control. The elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about is that social media has simply exploded in influence beyond even the most fevered expectations - and it's having a devastating effect on society. When it comes to online bullying, for example, the emphasis is rightly placed on the victim. But the reality is that many kids are both the bully and the bullied. The even more harsh reality is that no government, no matter how well intentioned, can ever hope to adequately protect everyone from harmful content. Trying to shut down a website will simply see it move to another server. Short of taking away someone's phone, you can cancel their social media account and they will just open a new one. Simply put, the toothpaste is out of the tube and there's no way of putting it back in again. There is certainly merit to the idea of age controls, however flawed they may be. There is also merit in the idea of removing anonymity, which would at least force the nameless psychopaths who have turned social media into such a vile arena to take responsibility for their actions. But, again, that would be difficult to enforce. Most parents can help their child with the traditional schoolyard bully because they can relate to that experience, whereas many people over the age of 40 simply don't have the necessary frames of reference when it comes to virtual harassment. Ultimately, the responsibility for what a child watches rests with the parents. That's easier said than done, of course. But that doesn't change the fact that social media, whether we like it or not, is not going anywhere and while the various platforms may wax and wane in popularity, they are now simply a part of modern life. Allowing the State to decide what media we consume is a dangerous path to go down, and would inevitably involve government over-reach and see those in power censoring views they didn't like. Be careful what you wish for. Time is becoming increasingly scarce. This day next week there is another decisive vote on Brexit in the British parliament and, as of today, B-day is just 24 days away. Yet, we still do not know where this is going to land - beyond the clear assurance that we are facing more delays, at least until late June but possibly until much later. It is clear that the EU negotiators are ready to give more assurances to the UK about the duration of the Irish Border backstop. There are various well-tried devices available to give those assurances a certain legal gloss. The key question is whether such assurances can buy off Conservative MPs who are ardent supporters of Brexit, and the Democratic Unionist Party determined that Northern Ireland must leave the EU on the same terms as England, Scotland and Wales. There is a lot of hugger mugger about renewed talks today in Brussels, which will involve the EU side and the British Brexit minister, Stephen Barclay, and the UK attorney general, Geoffrey Cox. Prime Minister Theresa May's top lawyer will try to clinch a Brexit compromise with the European Union this week in a last-ditch bid to win over rebellious British lawmakers before crunch votes that could delay the divorce. Let's recall that on January 15, Theresa May's draft EU-UK divorce deal was beaten by an all-time record vote of 432 against to 202 in favour. But still Mrs May hopes to win over enough MPs to reverse that outcome of almost two months ago. Things still turn around a legal addendum to the draft deal's most controversial element: a "backstop" to ensure no hard Border after Brexit. UK attorney general Mr Cox continues to pursue legally binding changes to the backstop deemed necessary to ensure the EU cannot keep the UK as semi-EU members indefinitely. Many British MPs oppose the backstop because it requires Britain to apply some EU rules in Northern Ireland indefinitely, unless another plan for keeping the Border open can be agreed in future. Mrs May has promised to seek changes, although the EU has refused to reopen the draft treaty itself. So, any assurances must come in an accompanying declaration. If MPs again reject the tweaked deal next Tuesday, there will be a vote on whether to leave without a deal, and then another vote on whether to delay Brexit, probably by a few months until the end of June. In a bid to win over opposition Labour Party MPs, Mrs May has unveiled plans for a 1.6bn (1.9bn) fund to help to boost economic growth in Brexit-supporting communities. The Labour Party's finance spokesman, John McDonnell, said the fund was "Brexit bribery". But all eyes remain focused on Conservative Party ardent Brexiteers and how much they are prepared to compromise. Photo: Contributed Police are searching for a thief with expensive taste in Massachusetts. Chris Gasbarro's Fine Wine and Spirits in Seekonk says someone stole a $4,000 bottle of the Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac from its store last week. The bottle was kept in a locked glass case, and security cameras captured a man either picking the lock or using a key to open the case. The man tucked the bottle in his pants, used money to purchase a separate item, and left the store. The store is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the man's arrest. Police say the man faces a felony charge of larceny over $1,200. Anyone with information is asked to contact Seekonk police. Our countryside is peppered with white houses with black roofs. You might spot the odd bungalow with a bit of stonework or decorative brick. But our love affair with colour is kept mainly for West Cork where the older houses are painted in bright shades. It's even spelled out in planning permissions that the finishes are to be in keeping with traditional materials - dark roof tiles and white or neutral render. Any colour, you might say, as long as it's black or white; any material as long as it's a plaster finish. But now actor Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City is breaking with tradition by topping her refurbed Donegal holiday home with a lipstick-red corrugated roof. I have no small obsession with this sort of tin thing. My father was in the army and we lived in houses provided to army officers at the edge of the military camp in Co Kildare. They were large corrugated metal structures that had been used to intern British army officers and German prisoners of war who landed in Ireland during World War II. And it was known locally as ''Tin Town''. The house was really a glorified shed. Back then, it had black mould all over the inside walls. But it was huge, with servant bells and lots of rooms and presses big enough to play house in. I loved it in spite of the damp and cold. Eventually, we moved into our own house. When the time came, like a lot of Irish country people, we built on a piece of land that already had a cottage. We were not going to renovate the cottage, we were building the shiny new ''bungalow''. The cottage would provide accommodation for dogs, hens, ducks and anything else, but certainly not for us. Our new home was built on the brow of a hill overlooking the midlands. It had enormous double-glazed windows and walls pumped full of cavity insulation. This was the thing in the 70s, despite the fact that it breached the cavity by filling it, so that any insulating effect was null and void. The technicalities of cavity construction were new to us then. It was also fitted out with an oil-fired burner, an open coal fireplace with a back boiler, an immersion and double fin radiators, convector radiators, lined velvet curtains and wall-to-wall carpets. We were all set. Except it was absolutely freezing. Baltic, in fact. Filling the cavity had only made it really cold. And, from a design point of view, it lacked any impact. The cottage, the tin house - both had more interesting spaces and features than our new bungalow. And like most bungalows built then, the process involved getting a set of drawings done but not an architect. So the result was, well, boring. But it did spark something in me and I went off to study architecture after school. We were inspired to be modernists but also to avoid making too many ''statements'' in rural Ireland as the countryside was already thought to be destroyed by ''bungalow blight''. A new generation of architects was designing incredibly tasteful housing and taught to use traditional material and forms. Loud ''architectural'' houses were considered almost as bad as the bungalow boom. At the same time, Australian architect Glenn Murcutt built a metal house on stilts in the outback. He was using corrugated metal in an entirely romantic way and we students were mesmerised by his use of what we thought was a very agricultural material. I realised you could make modern spaces and yet use old barns (see Urban Agency's Rustic house, pictured). Conservation didn't have to be old fashioned. And modern architecture could steal ideas from old buildings. One of my first jobs was to design a house for my neighbour and childhood friend. She gave me almost free rein. And surprise, surprise, I designed a big, tall barn-like space with a curved corrugated roof. The Kildare planners were delighted and we got planning permission. My friend, to be fair, was very courageous and said ok. She was delighted with the big barn space but understandably nervous about the curved barn roof. The noise worried her, and a keen debate ensued. Unlike my fellow TV architect Dermot Bannon, I frequently lose the argument with my clients. So, the roof became a tiled one, and less like a haybarn and more like a warehouse. If I told my friend now that Sarah Jessica Parker and architects Donaghy + Dimond are embracing the Irish tradition of the metal-roofed barn, I'm still not sure that she would risk it. I remember the noise of the rain on the roof in Tin Town was extraordinary. But I also remember that after a while, we no longer heard it. So maybe it does take a newcomer like Sarah Jessica Parker to see the beauty in something we have grown up with and turned our backs on. That and the fact that insulation is now so advanced that the corrugated tin roof can come in from the cold. Roisin Murphy is an architect, artist, and presenter of RTE's 'Home Rescue' Outpouring of support: Luke Perry, famous for his role in Beverly Hills 90210, was taken ill last Wednesday and rushed to hospital, but died a few days later. Picture: Getty Luke Perry's portrayal of rebellious heartthrob Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210 captured a nation of hearts in both his native America and across the Atlantic. So ubiquitous was his performance in the 90s teen drama that at times the public found it difficult to separate him from his character. Often compared to James Dean, Perry, who has died aged 52 after suffering a stroke, found himself typecast in the years following his departure from that show. He was born Coy Luther Perry III on October 11 1966 in Mansfield, Ohio, to a steelworker father and housewife mother. Expand Close Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty of Beverly Hills, 90210 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty of Beverly Hills, 90210 Perry's relationship with his father remained strained until his death in 1980 following a heart attack. Indeed, it was his stepfather, a construction worker, who he looked to as a role model. In an interview with People magazine he described him as "the one who taught me the important things I needed to know about being a man". After finishing school and realising there was little chance of him breaking into the film industry from Ohio, he spent time in both Los Angeles and New York. It took until 1990 for his breakthrough role, and in the intervening years he worked as a paver, living in cities including Huntington Beach and Long Beach. In an interview with American television host Whoopi Goldberg, Perry said he auditioned for 215 acting jobs in New York before finally securing a single TV commercial. Video of the Day He scored a part in the video for the Alice Cooper-featuring song Be Chrool To Your Scuel by heavy metal band Twisted Sister. Later he appeared in daytime soaps such as ABC's Loving. But at the cusp of the 90s he was cast in Aaron Spelling's Fox TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 and his career accelerated. Playing the brooding son of a millionaire, Perry became a household name. He had originally auditioned for the role of jock Steve Sanders but was thought more suited to the morally ambiguous and often conflicted McKay. Alongside Justin Timberlake, Perry's image was found plastered across the bedroom walls of teenage girls in the US and UK. Beverly Hills, 90210 set a template for teen drama that would be reused and repurposed by programmes including The OC and later Gossip Girl. It followed a group of friends living in the exclusive and star-studded community of Beverly Hills as they start at college and face the adult world. Two years later Perry won a supporting role in the film version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring in the movie Terminal Bliss the same year. The US network Fox saw its ratings soar and the media regularly compared Perry to the actor James Dean, who died aged 24 following a car accident. Feeling he had outgrown the show, Perry quit in 1995 and began looking for more mature roles. The next three years saw him star in an independent film and a clutch of science fiction features. But he did not find the career breakthrough he longed for and returned to his role as McKay in 1998 for financial reasons. The late 90s and noughties saw Perry find consistent work on television including on HBO prison drama Oz from 2001 and 2002 and Windfall, a series following friends who win the lottery, in 2006. Yet all the while he was unable to escape the character he created on the by then ubiquitous Beverly Hills, 90210. A 2009 revival did not include Perry, with him telling fans at the time that a new series which did not feature longtime producer Aaron Spelling was simply a pale imitation. He said: "The difference between CW bringing something back and Aaron Spelling doing something back is significant, and I cannot do it without Aaron." Perry cameoed in programmes including The Simpsons and took to the stage in a Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show in 2004 as well as a London production of When Harry Met Sally as Harry. Ironically, he would eventually find the steady television work he craved in a programme that knowingly, often overtly, referenced the teen dramas he helped pioneer. Riverdale - available in the UK on Netflix and based on a series of Archie Comics - nodded towards the intrigue of Twin Peaks with the hormone-fuelled drama of Beverly Hills, 90210. Perry played Fred Andrews - father to the series' main character Archie Andrews - and found renewed interest in the show's transatlantic fan base. His first brush with serious illness came in 2015 when a colonoscopy revealed precancerous growths. Perry married the actress Rachel Sharp in 1993 and they had two children, Jack and Sophie, before splitting in 2003. Jack continues to work as a professional wrestler, performing under the name Jungle Boy Nat Coy. On February 27 2019 Perry suffered an unexpected and serious stroke at his home in Sherman Oaks in California. He was hospitalised and died four days later, aged just 52. Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive for a visit at a cooking demonstration, where children from under-privileged backgrounds learn traditional Moroccan recipes, at the Villa des Ambassadors in Rabat, Morocco, February 25, 2019. Tim P. Whitby/Pool via REUTERS Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits the Moroccan Royal Federation of Equitation Sports on February 25, 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a three day visit to the country. (Photo by Hannah Mckay - Pool / Getty Images) Kensington Palace has released new guidelines when dealing with their pages across social media in response to the trolling targeted at Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. The British royal family runs accounts for Kensington Palace, Clarence House and under The Royal Family on Twitter and Instagram and in recent months, the pages have become something of a hotbed for abusive criticism, particularly targeted at both duchesses. In recent months, fans of both the Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Sussex have adopted an earnest 'Team Meghan' or 'Team Kate' mentality and warring factions often take it out on one another in the comments section, causing distress for palace employees who spend hours daily trying to monitor the activity. On Tuesday, they released new rules for their social pages in order to allow "our community can engage safely in debate and is free to make comments, questions and suggestions." "We ask that anyone engaging with our social media channels shows courtesy, kindness and respect for all other members of our social media communities," a statement reads. They said that users must not be "defamatory of any person, offensive, threatening, abusive or hateful" and may not "promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age." They will now delete offensive comments and block users who don't obey the rules. It's also reported they will report any physical threats to the authorities. "Our social media accounts have grown considerably over the last few years and now attract thousands of comments every week," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Vogue. Expand Close Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge greets wellwishers as she arrives in Ballymena, Northern Ireland on February 28, 2019. (Photo by Paul FAITH / AFP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge greets wellwishers as she arrives in Ballymena, Northern Ireland on February 28, 2019. (Photo by Paul FAITH / AFP) "Sadly, the growth also means that our accounts now attract some comments that are highly inappropriate or threatening most often towards other commentators. We entirely respect criticism, but obviously threats and harassment are not appropriate. These guidelines are being published to set out transparently what is and is not acceptable." They didn't mention any royal in particular, but a significant amount of online hate is targeted at Meghan and the new guidelines echo Prince Harry's now-famous statement he issued in 2016 in defence of his then-girlfriend. The statement read: "His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public - the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments." Luke Perrys daughter said she is grateful for all the love (Jeff Christensen/AP) Luke Perrys daughter has said she is grateful for all the love following her fathers death at 52. Sophie Perry flew back from Malawi, Africa, to be with her family by her fathers side when he died in a Los Angeles hospital on Monday, five days after suffering a stroke. The death of former Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale star Perry sparked an outpouring of grief, with fans and co-stars paying tribute. Sophie, Perrys 18-year-old daughter from his marriage to Rachel Minnie Sharp, has now thanked fans for their support with a message on Instagram. Alongside a picture of her and her father, she said: A lot has happened in this past week for me. Everything is happening so fast. I made it back from Malawi just in time to be here with my family, And in the past 24 hours I have received an overwhelming amount of love and support. I cannot individually respond to the hundreds of beautiful and heartfelt messages, but I see them, and appreciate you all for sending positivity to my family and I. Sophie, one of Perrys two children alongside her brother, Jack, added: Im not really sure what to say or do in this situation, its something you arent ever given a lesson on how to handle, especially when its all happening in the public eye. So bare with me and know that I am grateful for all the love. Just, being grateful quietly. Video of the Day Perry shot to fame while playing heartthrob Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990. His co-star Shannen Doherty shared a tribute on Instagram, saying processing Perrys death is impossible right now. She said: Yesterday morning I got a phone call that devastated me. Im struggling with this loss and am having a hard time with my thoughts. But, my heart goes out to his family and friends who were blessed by his light in their (and mine) lives. Processing this is impossible right now. Perrys publicist Arnold Robinson said the star was surrounded by his family when he died, including his children, fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, stepfather Steve Bennett, and his siblings Tom Perry and Amy Coder. Perry will next be seen on the big screen in Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which reportedly has a UK release date in August. British American Tobacco is to take a 436 million hit after it lost an appeal in a long-running court case brought by disgruntled smokers. Last week, the Quebec Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by BAT, Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco, which had challenged a judgment ordering them to shell out 15.6 billion Canadian dollars (8.8 billion) as part of a class action lawsuit. The ruling relates to compensation for smokers suffering health problems. They allege the firms did not do enough to warn them of the risks of smoking. BAT said on Tuesday that it will take a 436 million provision on its 2019 balance sheet as the recoverability of money put in escrow as part of the saga is not certain. The tobacco giant stressed that it will not impact its adjusted net debt to earnings ratio or impact cash flow. Its subsidiary, Imperial Tobacco Canada, is still planning on appeal against the judgment to the Supreme Court of Canada. A British American Tobacco spokesman had said on Monday that it is extremely disappointed in the Quebec ruling, adding: We are still of the view that this decision is wrong ignoring the reality that both adult consumers and government have known about the risk associated with smoking for decades. As a result, we believe it should be overturned. "Frantic and unprecedented" movement around the Russian embassy in London was monitored by intelligence agencies around the Salisbury attack, it has emerged. MI5, MI6 and GCHQ reportedly investigated "unusual" activity in the days before and after Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned with Novichok a year ago. "The intelligence agencies have been investigating unusual and increased activity at the Russian embassy in Kensington in the days leading up to and after the attack on the Skripals," a security source told the Press Association. The source, who has knowledge of the investigation, said lines of inquiry included looking at "frantic and unprecedented" movements observed at the time, adding: "As would be expected, the UK security services have eyes on known and undeclared foreign intelligence operatives." In the wake of the attack, which took place in Salisbury on March 4, 2018, the observations were "deemed to be significant and of interest", it is understood. The Kremlin has continued to deny any involvement in the poisoning, which later caused the death of mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess. Police charged two alleged GRU agents - Alexander Mishkin, also known as Alexander Petrov, and Anatoly Chepiga, also known as Ruslan Boshirov - with the attempted assassination of Mr Skripal in September. Earlier this month, researchers identified a third suspect, fellow GRU operative Denis Sergeev, who travelled to Britain under the cover identity Sergey Fedotov at the time of the nerve agent attack. The source did not rule out the possibility of there being more suspects and said inquiries were "not limited to the suspects already publicly declared". A police investigation continues and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has said her officers will "never give up" trying to bring the culprits to justice. The report came on the one-year anniversary of the poisoning, as UK Prime Minister Theresa May visited Wiltshire. She said Salisbury was emerging "from the shadow cast by the use of chemical weapons on the streets of our country", after local businesses were badly affected by the attack and decontamination work that finished last week. "My thoughts today are very much with the victims, their friends and families, both in Salisbury, Amesbury and farther afield," Mrs May said. "They have shown remarkable strength, resilience and fortitude in the last year and I have no doubt will continue to do so." Downing Street's official Twitter account posted the tribute using a photo of Bath, instead of Salisbury. A spokesperson blamed "human error" for the mistake, which was later corrected. Police believe Novichok was smeared on the door of Mr Skripal's house on the morning of March 4, and the former Russian agent and his daughter collapsed in central Salisbury hours later after going for lunch. A counterfeit perfume bottle containing the nerve agent was then picked up by local resident Charlie Rowley in June. He gave it to his partner, Ms Sturgess, as a present and she fell ill at his Amesbury home after applying the substance directly to her wrists. The mother-of-three died in hospital days later, while Mr Rowley, the Skripals and a police officer recovered following hospital treatment. Ms Sturgess's son, Ewan Hope, has written a letter to Vladimir Putin appealing for him to hand over the alleged assassins. Chepiga and Mishkin are subject to Interpol red notices and European Arrest Warrants, but they returned to Russia on the day of the attack and the prospect of them leaving the country or being extradited appears slim. "British police believe at least two Russian citizens were responsible for her death but it appears they are being protected by your state," Mr Hope's letter read. "I am appealing to you as a human being to allow our officers to question these men about my mother's murder. The least she deserves is justice." ( Independent News Service) Inset, one of the packages discovered, which has stamps sold in Irish post offices Picture credit: Sky News Where the devices were found Gardai are aiding an investigation by London metropolitan police after three explosive devices, posted in Dublin, were sent to key transport hubs in the English capital. Officers from the Garda security and intelligence section at the force's headquarters in the Phoenix Park were called after the Irish connection to the small bombs was discovered. The three A4-sized white postal bags had Dublin postmarks and stamps issued by An Post to mark St Valentine's Day, which said "Love from Ireland". The gardai are working closely with officers from the London Met's counter terrorism command. The packages contained yellow Jiffy bags and were confirmed by specialist officers to be "small , improvised explosive devices". The devices were discovered at Heathrow and London city airports as well as Waterloo train station. Expand Close Inset, one of the packages discovered, which has stamps sold in Irish post offices Picture credit: Sky News / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Inset, one of the packages discovered, which has stamps sold in Irish post offices Picture credit: Sky News Police said that, at this early stage of the investigation, the devices appeared capable of igniting an initially small fire, when opened. Gardai are trying to establish who is responsible for posting the devices. The most likely culprits are members of a dissident republican faction, anxious to score a publicity coup in the run up to Brexit. But officers said they had not ruled out that the devices could be the work of somebody with a grievance. They said the involvement of an international terrorist sympathiser was the least likely of the three options. Anti terrorist officers in London said they were treating the incidents as a linked series and were keeping an open mind on motives. Other transport hubs have been put on alert and told to be vigilant for other suspicious packages. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the incidents. Last week gardai discovered another arms dump in a wooded area outside Omeath, Co Louth, on the Cooley peninsula. The hide included two rifles and about a quarter kilo of Semtex plastic explosive, enough to act as a boost for three under car bombs. Two other dumps, containing an empty mortar tube and assorted ammunition, were discovered in nearby hides in January. All belonged to a dissident republican faction, likely to have been OnH. In a statement a Met spokesman said: "At approximately 09:55hrs the Met Police received a report of a suspicious package at The Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow. "The package was opened by staff at the building, causing the device to initiate. This resulted in part of the package burning. No one was injured. "The building was evacuated as a precaution. Specialist officers attended and made the device safe. "The building remains closed as enquiries continue. The building is not based at Heathrow Airport, and flights have not been affected by this incident." With additional reporting from the Press Association Photo: CTV News The federal government says fighting gun and gang violence across Canada requires a collaborative, multi-pronged approach by all levels of government and communities. Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair says gun and gang violence is on the rise and since 2013 gun-related homicides have almost doubled, with most of those shootings connected to gang violence. The former Toronto police chief says the battle against gun and gang violence must involve more than a focus on police arrests and requires deeper participation in prevention and intervention programs. Blair was at the British Columbia legislature to announce $5.3 million in funding to help with efforts to better understand, prevent and disrupt gun and gang violence in the province. He says the government's initiative to on gun and gang violence involves improved data collection, better intelligence sharing among law enforcement and other agencies, and enhanced methods to identify gangs and their members. B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says gun and gang violence has devastating impacts in B.C. The CEO of fashion retailer Ted Baker has resigned after allegations that he enforced a "hugging" culture at the company. Ray Kelvin had been forced to take a leave of absence last year following the allegations of harassment. Mr Kelvin denies the allegation. Executive chairman David Bernstein said yesterday that "in light of the allegations made against him, Ray has decided that it is in the best interests of the company for him to resign so that the business can move forward under new leadership". George Salmon, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, says that Mr Kelvin was crucial to building the company up from a single shirt shop in Glasgow into a 1bn-plus (1.16bn) global company. But he says "a rocky few months has seen that premium market value disappear". President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree suspending Russia's participation in the Cold War-era Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty with the United States, the Kremlin said yesterday. Russia announced last month that it was suspending the treaty after the United States said it would withdraw because of violations by Moscow. Russia denies flouting the accord and has accused Washington of breaking the accord itself. These allegations have been rejected by the United States. Mr Putin ordered the treaty be suspended until Washington stops violating the treaty. He has told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform signatories to the accord of Russia's move to suspend it, the text of the decree showed. Outsourcing giant Interserve has rejected a revised restructuring package tabled by one of its key shareholders, renewing fears that the firm could collapse. Interserve said on Tuesday a proposal received from New York hedge fund Coltrane, which owns more than 27% of the firm, would risk the future of the company together with its employees, pensioners, customers and suppliers. It would also require Interserve to immediately halt the implementation of its previously announced deleveraging plan, which will see existing investors almost wiped out with their holdings slashed to 5%. Coltrane favours a restructure that would see investors end up with 35% control of Interserve. But Interserve said it was unable to consent to the revised terms. It is the only plan today that provides a certain future for Interserve, preserving some value for shareholders while securing jobs, pensions, and continuity of servicesGlyn Barker, Interserve chairman Interserve chairman Glyn Barker said: The proposed deleveraging plan, recommended by the board, is the result of a long period of intensive negotiation to align stakeholders behind a plan to strengthen the balance sheet and secure a strong future for the business. It is the only plan today that provides a certain future for Interserve, preserving some value for shareholders while securing jobs, pensions, and continuity of services. The Government contractor is grappling with a near-650 million debt mountain and shareholders are set to vote on its proposal on March 15. The group, which holds crucial contracts for a range of services in prisons, schools and hospitals, is also proposing to issue 435 million of new equity as part of the arrangement. If a deal is approved, Interserves net debt will be substantially reduced, putting the firm on a more secure financial footing. However, if the firm fails to reach a restructuring agreement, it has lined up EY to act as administrator, raising fears of a Carillion-style collapse for its 25,000 UK workers. Coltrane reacted angrily to the first proposal and called for the entire Interserve board to be removed, apart from chief executive Debbie White. Interserve said that it has asked Coltrane for its consent to share the proposal with lenders, but this request has been refused. But a source close to Coltrane said on Tuesday: This is a disappointing response. We have made clear to the company our desire for constructive discussions and a consensual outcome. Of course we will need to speak to lenders, but we need first to understand the companys views on our proposal and the board have a duty to consider it, which they are currently failing to fulfil. We have offered to make our proposal binding, subject to diligence but need the company to be more forthcoming with information for that to happen. The only way to achieve a consensual outcome is for the board to take their responsibilities seriously, and engage with us on our manifestly better proposal. Interserve shares were trading 13% higher on Tuesday at 17.82p. Mr Barker added: In the absence of any other plan that is capable of implementation, further uncertainty continues to risk an outcome in which there is no return to shareholders, including Coltrane, and considerable disruption to the business. US-backed fighters have slowed an offensive to take Isil's last enclave in eastern Syria as a small number of civilians remain there, though fierce fighting continues. Isil faces defeat in the last shred of its main territory in Syria and Iraq where it announced a "caliphate" in 2014, suffering years of steady retreats after arousing global fury through grotesque displays of cruelty. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) resumed its assault on the group's pocket in the village of Baghouz at the weekend, the culmination of a campaign which included the capture of Raqqa in 2017. The militia had already paused its attack for weeks to allow thousands of people to flee, including Isil supporters, fighters, children, local people and some captives. It said last week that only jihadists remain, but now says some civilians are left. "We're slowing down the offensive in Baghouz due to a small number of civilians held as human shields by Daesh," said SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali on Twitter, using an Arabic acronym for Isil. However, "the battle to retake the last holdout is going to be over soon," he added. Dozens of trucks similar to those which evacuated people from the enclave in recent weeks were visible heading back there yesterday and drivers said they were going to pick people up at Baghouz. Twister: The storm near Marianna, Florida, close to the border with Alabama. Photo: James Lally/AP A tornado roaring across south-east Alabama killed at least 23 people, including children, and injured several others on Sunday as severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and caused widespread damage. Dozens of emergency responders rushed to join search and rescue efforts in Lee County after what appeared to be a large tornado touched down, springing out of a powerful storm system raking the south-east of the United States. "Unfortunately our toll, as far as fatalities, does stand at 23," Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said. Mr Jones described the damage caused by the storm as "catastrophic, based on the destruction of homes that we've seen". "The devastation is incredible," he said. "I cannot recall, at least in the last 50 years, a situation where we have had this loss of life." Drones flying overheard equipped with heat-seeking devices had scanned the area for survivors but the dangerous conditions halted the search, Mr Jones said. An intense ground search resumed yesterday. Mr Jones said the storm's path of destruction stretched for miles through his rural county. He didn't have an immediate account of how many were believed missing. Several people in Lee County were taken to hospitals, "some of them with very serious injuries," he said. President Donald Trump tweeted: "To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!" Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said the death toll could rise. "We've still got people being pulled out of rubble," he said. "We're going to be here all night." "There are some children involved," he added later, following unconfirmed reports an eight-year-old girl was among the dead. The East Alabama Medical Centre in Opelika said it was treating more than 40 patients as a result of the tornado and expected to receive more. Some patients had been sent to other hospitals, it added. Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders joined efforts to search the debris after the powerful storm. She said numerous homes were destroyed or damaged in Beauregard, 95km east of Montgomery. Photos posted on social media from a highway near Smiths Station, about 30km east of Beauregard, showed a large bar called the Buck Wild Saloon with its roof torn off and missing most of a wall after the storm swept through. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey warned residents on Twitter that more severe weather might be on the way. "Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County," Ms Ivey wrote. "Praying for their families and everyone whose homes or businesses were affected." No deaths had been reported in counties outside Lee County, said Gregory Robinson, spokesman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. But he said crews were still surveying damage in several counties in the south-west of the state. Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina as the storm system raced across the region. Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar alone and were sending teams out yesterday to assess the situation. In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 130km south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful winds or a tornado which destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency. Television news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches. Rescue workers, local residents, and volunteers search the wreckage of a home along Lee Road 38 after after a Sunday night tornado on Monday, March 4, 2019, in Beauregard, Ala. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Dax Leandro salvages clothing from the wreckage of his friend's home after two back-to-back tornadoes touched down, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A Coca-Cola truck is seen tipped over on its side after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage People look through the wreckage of their friend's home after two back-to-back tornadoes touched down, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage Julie Morrison (C), sits on a salvaged chair, surrounded by friends, as she looks at the wreckage of her home after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A house with an X painted on it is seen across a hillside of wreckage after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A house with an X painted on it is seen across a hillside of wreckage after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage Two people watch as others clear tree branches from the roof of a damaged home after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A house with an X painted on it is seen across a hillside of wreckage after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY A person walks out of a damaged home the day after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage Damage is seen after a string of tornadoes caused several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A law enforcement officer stands next to a damaged home after a string of tornadoes caused several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A house with an X painted on it is seen across a hillside of wreckage after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage Dax Leandro salvages clothing from the wreckage of his friend's home after two back-to-back tornadoes touched down, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Danny Allen carries clothing and a box of ammunition salvaged from the remains of a friend's home following a string of tornadoes that resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A man carries a sack through damage caused by a string of tornadoes thet resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage Ashley Griggs carries a box of ammunition salvaged from the remains of a friend's home following a string of tornadoes that resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A man hugs Julie Morrison in front of the remains of her home following a string of tornadoes that resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A Lee County Sheriff's Deputy blocks off a road following a string of tornadoes that resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage A man eats a meal surrounded by donated clothes and household items at the Providence Baptist Church in Opelika after a string of tornadoes caused several fatalities in neighboring Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage Sean Brown salvages items from the wreckage of his home following a string of tornadoes that resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage In Pictures: Aftermath of Alabama tornado that killed at least 23 people Close Rescuers are scouring the rubble of mobile homes and houses in search of survivors of a powerful tornado that rampaged through south-east Alabama and killed at least 23 people. The trail of destruction was at least half a mile wide and overwhelmed rural Lee County's coroners' office, forcing it to call in help from the state. "The devastation is incredible," Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said. Drones flying overheard equipped with heat-seeking devices had scanned the area for survivors, but dangerous conditions halted the search late on Sunday, Mr Jones said. Expand Close A man hugs Julie Morrison in front of the remains of her home following a string of tornadoes that resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A man hugs Julie Morrison in front of the remains of her home following a string of tornadoes that resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage The tornado was part of a powerful storm system that also slashed its way across parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Mr Jones said the twister travelled straight down a county road in the rural community of Beauregard, reducing homes to slabs. The National Weather Service confirmed late on Sunday that a tornado with at least an F3 rating caused the destruction in Alabama. Although the statement did not give exact wind estimates, F3 storms typically are gauged at wind speeds of 158mph to 206mph. Expand Close A man eats a meal surrounded by donated clothes and household items at the Providence Baptist Church in Opelika after a string of tornadoes caused several fatalities in neighboring Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A man eats a meal surrounded by donated clothes and household items at the Providence Baptist Church in Opelika after a string of tornadoes caused several fatalities in neighboring Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage After nightfall on Sunday, the rain had stopped and pieces of metal debris and tree branches littered roadways in Beauregard. Two sheriff's vehicles blocked reporters and others from reaching the worst-hit area. Power appeared to be out in many places. President Donald Trump tweeted: "To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!" Expand Close A man carries a sack through damage caused by a string of tornadoes thet resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A man carries a sack through damage caused by a string of tornadoes thet resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders had quickly jumped in to help search the debris after the storm struck in Beauregard. At least one trained dog could be seen with search crews as numerous ambulances and emergency vehicles, lights flashing, converged on the area. No deaths had been reported by Sunday evening from storm-damaged Alabama counties other than Lee County, said Gregory Robinson, spokesman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, but he said crews were still surveying damage in several counties in the south-west of the state. Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the storm system raced across the region. Expand Close Danny Allen carries clothing and a box of ammunition salvaged from the remains of a friend's home following a string of tornadoes that resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Danny Allen carries clothing and a box of ammunition salvaged from the remains of a friend's home following a string of tornadoes that resulted in several fatalities in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar and would send teams out to assess those and other storms. In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 80 miles south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency. Expand Close Julie Morrison (C), sits on a salvaged chair, surrounded by friends, as she looks at the wreckage of her home after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Julie Morrison (C), sits on a salvaged chair, surrounded by friends, as she looks at the wreckage of her home after two deadly back-to-back tornadoes, in Beauregard, Alabama, U.S., March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage News footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches. Appliance of science: US. first lady Melania Trump watches a science experiment at the Dove School of Discovery yesterday. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters It's "very clear" US President Donald Trump obstructed justice, the chairman of the House committee that would be in charge of impeachment said yesterday. Jerrold Nadler said the House Judiciary Committee is requesting documents from more than 60 people from Mr Trump's administration, family and business as part of the rapidly expanding Russia investigation. Mr Nadler said the committee wants to review documents from the Justice Department, the president's son Donald Trump Jr and Trump Organisation chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg. Former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former White House counsel Don McGahn also are likely targets, he said. "We are going to initiate investigations into abuses of power, into corruption and into obstruction of justice," Mr Nadler said. "We will do everything we can to get that evidence." Asked if he believed Mr Trump obstructed justice, Mr Nadler said: "Yes, I do." Mr Nadler isn't calling the inquiry an impeachment investigation but said House Democrats, now in the majority, are simply doing "our job to protect the rule of law" after Republicans during the first two years of Mr Trump's term were "shielding the president from any proper accountability". "We're far from making decisions" about impeachment, he said. In a tweet, Mr Trump blasted anew the Russia investigation, calling it a partisan probe unfairly aimed at discrediting his win in the 2016 presidential election. "I am an innocent man being persecuted by some very bad, conflicted & corrupt people in a witch hunt that is illegal & should never have been allowed to start - And only because I won the election!" he wrote. Mr Nadler's comments follow a bad political week for Mr Trump. He emerged empty-handed from a high-profile summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un on denuclearisation and Mr Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, in three days of congressional testimony, publicly characterised the president as a "con man" and "cheat". Newly empowered House Democrats are flexing their strength with blossoming investigations. A half-dozen House committees are now probing alleged co-ordination between Trump associates and Russia's efforts to sway the 2016 election, Mr Trump's tax returns and possible conflicts of interest involving the Trump family business and policy-making. The House oversight committee, for instance, has set a Monday deadline for the White House to turn over documents related to security clearances after 'The New York Times' reported that the president ordered officials to grant his son-in-law Jared Kushner's clearance over the objections of national security officials. Mr Nadler's added lines of inquiry also come as special counsel Robert Mueller is believed to be wrapping up his work into possible questions of Trump campaign collusion and obstruction in Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. In his testimony, Mr Cohen acknowledged he did not witness or know directly of collusion between Trump aides and Russia but had "suspicions". House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy accused House Democrats of prejudging Mr Trump based purely on partisan politics. "I think Congressman Nadler decided to impeach the president the day the president won the election," Mr McCarthy said. "Listen to exactly what he said. He talks about impeachment before he even became chairman and then he says, 'you've got to persuade people to get there'. There's nothing that the president did wrong.- "Show me where the president did anything to be impeached... Nadler is setting the framework now that the Democrats are not to believe the Mueller report," he said. Mr Nadler said his committee will seek to review the Mueller report but stressed the investigation "goes far beyond collusion". He pointed to what he considered several instances of obstruction of justice by the president, including the "1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a 'witch hunt'" as well as Mr Trump's abrupt firing of FBI director James Comey in 2017. According to Mr Comey, Mr Trump had encouraged the then-FBI director to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Mr Trump has denied he told Mr Comey to end the Flynn probe. "It's very clear that the president obstructed justice," Mr Nadler said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has kept calls for impeachment at bay by insisting that Mr Mueller first must be allowed to finish his work, and present his findings publicly. Revolut is one of Britains few unicorns (Revolut) Revolut has dismissed reports that it is facing a police probe over a money transfer. The City of London Police received a complaint from a Revolut customer about the length of time it took to transfer 70,000 after bank details were incorrectly entered at the payment stage. However, in a statement, a Revolut spokesman stressed that there is no fraud investigation being undertaken by the police concerning the company. He said: To be clear, this is not a fraud case. There is no investigation into fraud at Revolut. One of our customers registered a complaint after funds did not reach their account because incorrect details were entered during the payment stage. Our team have proactively engaged with both the customer and our payments partners to resolve the case and to ensure that the funds were located. We understand that the customer escalated his dissatisfaction to the police authorities by submitting a non-fraud complaint via the action fraud portal this organisation has no police investigatory powers. We would also like to make it abundantly clear that there is no fraud investigation underway, and we have not been notified of any other investigation by the police. The City of London Polices Action Fraud reporting centre does not itself have investigative powers. Photo: CTV News Police officer on scene of a collision that sent two officers to hospital. Two police officers have been rushed to hospital with serious, non life-threatening injuries after being struck by a vehicle. The two male officers are members of the Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service and were standing outside of a police vehicle just before noon on Monday. The incident happened near North Fraser Way and North Fraser Crescent. CTV News is reporting the crash involved a white sedan and it had a new driver sign on the back. "They hit the police officers and then they ran away," he told CTV Vancouver. Burnaby RCMP is investigating the collision and asking people to avoid the area. The names of the officers has not been released but one is an RCMP member and the other an integrated member from the Abbotsford Police Department. They are currently being treated at a hospital. The police vehicle was stationary and pulled over to the side of the road during the incident. Anyone who witnessed the collision is being asked to contact police. - with files from CTV Vancouver Police in California believe a Scottish man reported missing from a beach may have attempted to fake his death. Divers and police in Monterey County spent two days searching for the man, who was visiting the US with his 17-year-old son. The man is reportedly facing 24 rape counts in Scotland. His son, from Bunchrew, told officials that his father had gone swimming in the dark last Monday at Monastery beach in Carmel, Monterey County. The teenager said that his father (54), who is understood to be facing criminal charges at home, failed to return. US officers are now exploring the possibility that he may still be alive. The sheriff's department said they had received a 911 call on Monday to say a man had gone into the water and had not been seen since. A spokesman said he was still being considered as a missing person, but his disappearance was now considered to be "under suspicious circumstances". He added that the search was continuing, but officers were exploring the possibility that he may have tried to fake his own death. According to records, the man and his son flew into Los Angeles for a two-week break last month, records show. His son reported him missing from the beach, but cops described his story as inconsistent saying he had not actually seen his father go into the water. Captain Thornburg added: We can't prove that he went into the water. ARLINGTON, Virginia -- "This is Indian land," Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico) told leaders of the United South and Eastern Tribes as they opened a crucial meeting here on Monday. But while Haaland, who is one of the first two Native women in Congress , was merely stating the obvious, members of the organization aren't certain that everyone in the nation's capital feels the same way. As their relationship with the federal government faces unprecedented challenges, leaders of tribes from Texas to Maine to Florida stressed unity as they endure another year in the Trump era. We find ourselves in a moment of tribal nation - United States relations where we must be steadfast in our unity and resolved to do everything in our power to ensure that we are in the best position to protect and promote our inherent sovereign authorities, USET President Kirk Francis said at the opening of Impact Week at a hotel in suburban Washington, D.C. The challenges represent an attack on "our foundational relationship with the United States," Francis asserted. Whether it's pressing for adequate federal funding or improved health care, he and other leaders said they are encountering numerous hurdles in their dealings with the Trump administration. The United South and Eastern Tribes are opening their Impact Week 2019 meeting Monday morning. The Burnurwurbskek drum group is here from Maine. USET is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! Posted by Indianz.Com on Monday, March 4, 2019 Indianz.Com on Facebook: Burnurwurbskek drum group at USET "In many meetings with the government, they try to divide us," Chairman Harold Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe said in remarks that underscored the common obstacles Indian nations face across the nation and highlighted USET's alliance with the Great Plains Tribal Chairmans Association "They give us crumbs and try to get us to fight over them, but we have a choice to look beyond that and fight to stay united as one nation, the Native American nation," said Frazier. For USET, one of the biggest areas of contention affects their homelands. Due to their unique histories, many of the organization's member tribes weren't formally acknowledged by the U.S. until recently and, as a result, they are being told they can't restore the lands they lost, or were denied, at the hands of colonial governments. The Indian Reorganization Act has been used as a weapon against many of the tribes in this room," said Chief Lynn Malerba of the Mohegan Tribe Posting of the colors as the United South and Eastern Tribes opens its Impact Week 2019 meeting in the Washington DC area. USET represents tribes from Maine to Florida to Texas. Posted by Indianz.Com on Monday, March 4, 2019 Indianz.Com on Facebook: Posting of the colors at USET The Narragansett Tribe was the first USET member to fall victim. According to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar , the tribe was not "under federal jurisdiction" when the Indian Reorganization Act became law in 1934 so it cannot benefit from the land-into-trust process despite having a reservation in Rhode Island. A decade later, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is poised to suffer the same fate, with its reservation in neighboring Massachusetts slated to be taken out of trust due to Carcieri. If the Trump administration follows through, it will mark the first time that's happened since the disastrous termination era "We have an administration that chooses not to protect tribal interests," Haaland observed in her remarks. But if tribes were looking to Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney , a Trump administration appointee, for answers about their homelands, they didn't find many on Monday. While she was sympathetic to the concerns, she said -- more than than once -- that her hands are tied by the Supreme Court's ruling. "As you know, the Carcieri decision has really formed and guided how we make decisions," said Sweeney, who is the first Alaska Native woman to serve in the political post. She did not offer the Trump administration's support for a Congress fix to the ruling, which marked its 10th anniversary just last week. Darryl LaCounte, the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs , tried to assuage tribal doubts when he said he too was concerned about the current administration's approach to the land-into-trust process. But in doing so, he disseminated overly optimistic data about the acreage that has been taken into trust since the arrival of Donald Trump in January 2017 I know there's a lot of misinformation out there about the amount of lands that have been taken into trust since the administration turned over," LaCounte said before sharing the wrong numbers with USET. "But, in reality, we had a very, very good year in 2018." According to LaCounte, the "very good year" saw more than 86,000 acres placed in trust. That's a good number, regardless of what administration you're in," said LaCounte, who is a career employee, not a political one. It turns out that LaCounte was mistaken. When pressed for clarification, the BIA director told Indianz.Com that he accidentally read the wrong figure off a printed report he had been provided. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney tells United South & Eastern Tribes that controversial land-into-trust rules are dead. After reviewing the comments & hearing from Indian Country, the department has determined it will not propose new regulations at this time. pic.twitter.com/IGr5ibYHJh indianz.com (@indianz) March 4, 2019 In reality, only about 32,000 acres were placed in trust in 2018 -- much lower than the figure he gave to USET. According to the printed report, a copy of which was reviewed by Indianz.Com, the BIA approved 304 applications that year. The much larger figure, it turns out, was from 2017. According to the printed report, the BIA approved 243 applications for nearly 83,000 acres that year. "I'm very comfortable that this administration is comfortable with the fee-to-trust process," LaCounte, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians who works at the BIA's central office in D.C., told tribes during his presentation. "I too had some anxiety but I don't any more. I'm feeling good about it." USET leaders weren't sharing the sentiment. Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe said the BIA region that serves almost every member of the organization remains understaffed and takes far too long to make land-into-trust decisions that should otherwise be routine. "We had someone who was brought in a few years back and then they were taken away," Andrews-Maltais said of an employee who was once assigned to land-into-trust at the Eastern regional office in Nashville, Tennessee. Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Darryl LaCounte is here to address fears about the Trump administration and the land-into-trust process. I too had some anxiety but I dont any more. Im feeling good about it, LaCounte tells the United South and Eastern Tribes. @USETINC pic.twitter.com/sfypDJ1A7m indianz.com (@indianz) March 4, 2019 Unlike other parts of Indian Country, where reservation offices are common, the BIA only maintains three agencies in the Eastern region -- none of them are in the Northeast. "Weve had fee-to-trust trust that takes forever to go in -- mandatory fee to trust," added Andrews-Maltais, referring to situations in which the BIA is mandated, by law, to approve a particular application. "It took over a year to get that mandatory done." Lance Gumbs, a trustee for the Shinnecock Nation , expressed similar concerns. The BIA has failed to take into account the unique manner in which his tribe secured its lands, long before the United States became a government, he said. We have restricted fee lands, not trust lands," said Gumbs, describing a legal situation that also impacts other tribes that belong to USET . There has to be some kind of mechanism to look at that." Without a dedicated process, Gumbs said his people are suffering, unable to move forward with economic development and other types of projects on their homelands in New York state. The tribe gained formal recognition of its status in 2010. "It is impacting us greatly," Gumbs told Sweeney. "It really is hindering everything." The only welcome news the Trump administration seemed to provide was the death of controversial changes to the land-into-trust process. Sweeney confirmed that the Fee-to-Trust Regulations (25 CFR 151) are off the table. After reviewing the comments and hearing from Indian Country, the department has determined it will not propose new regulations at this time," said Sweeney, relaying the same message a higher-ranking official gave to tribes just a couple of weeks ago. USET will continue their meeting all week , with some sessions taking place in Arlington and others in Washington, D.C., not far from the U.S. Capitol. The organization will be joining with the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes for a reception on Capitol Hill on Wednesday evening, another sign of its efforts to work across regional boundaries. Join the Conversation Related Stories Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is a good Samaritan and we have seen enough examples that justify this. Be it extending monetary help or standing up for a social cause, Akshay has always headlined such projects. According to a latest report in Times Now, Bollywood's Khiladi Kumar is travelling across the country to generate funds for the Bharat Ke Veer initiative. The report claims that Akshay is urging people to contribute for the families of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). To justify the claim, the report states Hindustan Times that once reported that Akshay Kumar also went to Surat, Gujarat to collect Rs 3 crore, donated by businessmen. Agencies Just to jog your memory a little, Bharat Ke Veer was Akshay's brainchild and he had proposed this idea in 2017, after which the Ministry of Home Affairs came on board and later the initiate was officially launched. (Also read: Pulwama Terror Attack: Bollywood Superstar Akshay Kumar To Donate Rs 5 Cr To Martyrs' Kin) On work-front, Akshay Kumar is currently promoting his upcoming film Kesari. There are some Bollywood actors who are very particular about their no-bullshit territory. They know how to fence themselves and that's what keeps them away from controversies as well. One actor who has always headlined this category is John Abraham. On Monday, during the trailer launch of his upcoming film 'Romeo Akbar Walter' (RAW), he said that the film is not a chest-thumping nationalist project and he himself would like to stay away from jingoistic movies. Agencies Directed by Robbie Grewal, the espionage thriller chronicles the story of a spy who goes to Pakistan. Agencies "It's very important to make films with good stories. If tomorrow, there's a great patriotic film, I would love to do it. But I would not like to do jingoistic films. I am not anti any other country, I am not anti any other religion. I'm very pro-secular and I would like to make films that reflect the true nature of this country," John said. John also shut down a reporter when he asked the actor will 'tempt' people through the film to take action, after the Pulwama attack. The actor said, Instagram "You have to be very careful with the way you ask questions, you have a responsibility. Please apologise to everyone." Talking about his film Romeo Akbar and Walter, John added that his film looks at people from an objective gaze and doesn't colour anyone with judgements. He adds, Agencies "It's a very objective film. No one is bad or good in this, it's just how you look at things. We are not depicting any other side as the bad side. It's a story of a spy who goes across, but it's a different story than 'Raazi' or many of the other stories. It's not jingoistic, typical flag saluting film. It's very different and that's why we are proud to be associated with it." John said the project's key requirement was 'extreme research' and the team did just that as it's a sensitive topic and there's a sense of responsibility riding on them. The actor, however, said there's nothing wrong in making films about war heroes. He adds, Agencies "If you look at Hollywood, it makes fantastic war films and they glorify their soldiers, so why can't we? I think it's a great time for India, the audience." Also starring Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi and Sikander Kher in key roles, the spy-thriller will release on April 5. For celebrities, planning a wedding could be one of the most tricky and difficult things. Considering how their life is in constant media spotlight, it becomes difficult for them to maintain secrecy. However, in 2017, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli's wedding was one that took many of us by a complete surprise and for all the right reasons. It wasn't just a dreamy wedding but they kept it 'private' in real sense of the word. Agencies After more than a year of the memorable wedding in Tuscany, Italy, Anushka spoke to a magazine and revealed how it was a private event and only 42 of their close friends and family were invited for it. Talking to Vogue, Anushka revealed, Instagram We wanted to have a home-style wedding. There were only 42 people there, with all our friends and family present. I wanted it to be about Virat and me marrying each other, and not this big celebrity wedding. The energy at our wedding was blessed." She added how they used fake names while planning their wedding. She said, Agencies We even used fake names while talking to the caterer; I think Virats was Rahul." The news of the wedding broke on December 11, 2017,when the couple officially announced it on social media by posting pictures from the wedding. India's pollution crisis is not getting any better and continues to remains the country with worst polluted air, according to a study. The IQAir AirVisual 2018 World Air Quality Report showed that Delhi remains the most polluted capital city across the world last year. It was not just Delhi, but the entire national capital region (NCR) emerged as the most polluted region in the world, with Gurugram being the worst affected, followed by Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida, and Bhiwadi in the top six. Read More. Here's More Top News For The Day: 1) Air India Crew Will Now Say Jai Hind After Every In-Flight Announcement, Thanks To This New Rule India's national carrier Air India has now directed its crew to chant 'Jai Hind' after every announcement, a senior airline official said on Monday. The official said the operations' directive, which was first issued to the cockpit crew in 2017, has been in "continuous implementation". The only change now, sources said, is that such chant will also be applicable to other cabin crew members. Read More. 2) London Patient Who Contracted HIV In 2003 Becomes 2nd Patient In World To Be Cured Of AIDS Virus Over the years, new medical treatments were developed to prolong the life of AIDS patients. Unlike yesteryears when sustaining the life of an HIV patient would be nearly impossible, in todays generation these patients continue to live long and healthy lives. An HIV patient in London has just given testimony to this fact as he has become the second known adult in the world to be cured of AIDS virus, Reuters reported. The man who resides in Britain received a bone marrow transplant from an HIV resistant donor. Read More. 3) Pakistan Military Drone Spotted In Bikaner, IAF Sukhoi-30 Fighter Jet Shoots It Down A Sukhoi-30 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday shot down a Pakistani military drone in Bikaner sector of the Indo-Pak border using an air-to-air missile, government sources said. This development comes a week after the Gujarat police shot down a Pakistani unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on Tuesday near the international border in Kutch district in Gujarat. Read More. 4) Two Hizbul Mujahideen Terrorists Killed Pulwama's Tral Region By Indian Security Forces Two terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in an encounter with the Indian security forces in Tral area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter broke out on Monday evening after the security agencies received inputs on the presence of terrorists in Mir Mohalla of Tral. A joint team of Armys 42 Rashtriya Rifles, CRPFs 180 Battalion and the polices special operation group encountered the terrorists who returned the fire. Read More. 5) Donald Trump Plans To End India's Preferential Trade Treatment, Calls Country A 'High-Tariff Nation' After supporting India in its bid to take counter-action against terrorism in the country, the United States plans to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for $5.6 billion worth of the countrys exports to the United States. As the U.S federal elections are due to take place next year, President Donald Trump has decided to cut U.S trade deficits. Last week, he called India a very-high tariff nation and told his supporters that he now wanted some kind of reciprocal tax. Read More. The legend of Field Marshal KM Cariappa is well known as he was the first chief of the Indian Army after independence. But one anecdote from the life of the legend himself elevated him far above others who could rival his glory. General Ayub Khan and field Marshal KM Cariaappa, Pic courtesy: afp/wikipedia Yes, the battle of 1965 where he refused the offer of Pakistan General Ayub Khan to release his son who was an IAF pilot and was captured and kept as Prisoner of War (PoW), the legend Field Marshal Cariappa not only refused General Ayub Khans offer but also asked to treat him at par with other PoWs. Caught by Pak army when his plane was shot down Sqn Ldr KC Cariappa was flying near the border and his plane was shot down. He had to eject and during the process of ejection and landing, the Sqn Ldr Cariappa s spine was injured. Soon after the capture, like all other PoWs, the Sqn Ldr Cariappa told his name, rank and unit number. Like Wing Abhinandan, he also didnt divulge any information. News soon reached General Ayub Khan Reuters Soon after his capture, the news reached General Ayub Khan that Pakistan army had captured son of Indias first army chief Field Marshal KM Cariappa, the General announced it on Radio Pakistan that his forces have captured Sq Ldr KC Cariappa, the son of legendary Indian Field Marshal. When General offered Field Marshal to release his son General Ayub Khan had served under Field Marshal Cariappa in the British Indian Army and always held him in high esteem. General Ayub Khan asked Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi to personally meet Field Marshall who in return politely refused Generals offer. Field Marshal said other PoWs are also his sons In his reply to the High Commissioner who had come on behalf of General Ayub Khan, Field Marshal Cariappa told him that he doesnt want Pakistan to release his son but treat all PoWs well as all Indian soldiers are his sons. Field Marshal KM Cariappa and his son Air Marshal KC Cariappa, pic courtesy: Wikipedia/Bharat Rakshak Recently speaking to the media, Air Marshal KC Nanda Cariappa said My dad was a man of high principles. For him, his son and all other soldiers were the same. Even though Ayub Khan was his junior and was close to him, he refused to get me released before the others. I was later released with all others. Air Marshal was quoted by the News18. Sq Ldr KC Cariappa was caught on last day of the war and when he came back, he commanded a helicopter unit of the IAF and retired as Air Marshal. He had also took part in 1971 war. (With News18 inputs) Health care workers at the Village by the Station care home in Penticton hit the streets today to make their voices heard while they tangle with their employer in labour negotiations. More than 100 employees of the seniors care facility have been without a contract since March 31, 2018 and have been locked in negotiations with employer, Good Samaritan Canada, for nine months. We are here to send a clear message to our employer, said care aide Cheryl Wright. We work hard to ensure that our residents get the quality care that they deserve every day. Wright says Village by the Station has been bleeding staff recently due to low wages. This is a problem, because it means more often than not, we are working short, she added. We are sending a message to our employer today to come to the table with solutions for recruitment and retention. Similar demonstrations are being held at other care homes in B.C. owned by the non-profit Good Samaritan Canada, including Vernon and Salmon Arm. A spokesperson with the charity says they respect the workers right to demonstrate, but as talks remain active, they do not want to negotiate through the media. The most recent Interior Health inspection of Village by the Station in July 2018 found no issues with the care home. Two terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in an encounter with the Indian security forces in Tral area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter broke out on Monday evening after the security agencies received inputs on the presence of terrorists in Mir Mohalla of Tral. A joint team of Armys 42 Rashtriya Rifles, CRPFs 180 Battalion and the polices special operation group encountered the terrorists who returned the fire. BCCL/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE The encounter went on for well over 12 hours as the terrorists had taken shelter inside a house. By Tuesday morning the house was razed down and two terrorists were gunned down. They have been identified as Adfar Fayaz Parray and Irfan Ahmad Rather, both residents of Tral. Arms, ammunition and other incriminating materials have also been recovered from the encounter site. #Tral #encounter update: 02 killed #terrorists identified as Adfar Fayaz Parray resident of Gulshanpora #Tral and Irfan Ahmad Rather resident of Shariefabad Tral. Both were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit HM. Arms & ammo recovered. @JmuKmrPolice pic.twitter.com/IheHm5gDtH Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) March 5, 2019 The operation is still ongoing and mobile internet services have been suspended in the area. It was in Pulwama, on February 14 a terrorist belonging to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad unleashed a carnage on the Indian security forces, killing over 40 CRPF personnel after he rammed his explosives-laden vehicle to a para-military convoy. REUTERS Indian retaliated with a pre-dawn air strike on JeM camps inside PoK and Pakistan on the 26th of February. It is believed that at the time of the strike by the Indian Air Force around 300 JeM terrorists were at the camp in Balakot. The Indian Air Force which confirmed that they have hit the target however said it did not have any information on the number of those killed in the strike. The Bharatiya Janata Party had to deal with a bit of a rude shock, as documented by many on social media. The party's national website was defaced by hackers, leaving behind an unceremonious message about PM Narendra Modi and his followers and supporters. The site has since been taken offline as it's being fixed, but not before plenty of Twitter had the time to share screenshots. Aside from a Modi meme and (strangely) a video of the Muppets singing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen, was a simple message. Bhaiyas and bhehenos (sic), we made you all chu***as. More to come. Of course, opposition parties have jumped at the chance to troll the BJP online, while the party's supporters are clearly outraged. However, BJP has yet to release an official statement regarding the hack. Bhaiya aur Bhehno if youre not looking at the BJP website right now- youre missing out Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) March 5, 2019 Indeed, no group has yet come forward to take responsibility for the incident. Realistically though, at this point, it's likely either a Pakistani hacker collective, or a disgruntled Indian one. Either way, they're most probably civilians, and the act was in response to the recent Pulwama attack and the tensions that followed it. In the past few days, minor websites of both Pakistani and Indian ownership have been defaced, hacked, encrypted, or any combination thereof. BJP Official website hacked. Is that you @fs0c131y ? pic.twitter.com/IOmqdyyTD7 Naveen Surendar (@NaveenSurendar) March 5, 2019 This particular incident is just the latest spark in a digital war that's always going on behind the scenes, no matter the state of real life relations between both the two neighbouring countries. However, this latest attack may have crossed a threshold of sorts. Given that it's the ruling party's national website, it's possible the IT cell may be under added pressure to find the culprits. We'll update this story if we learn more about this situation. The Reserve Bank of India has put out a warning to the public regarding a recent banking scam being carried out in India. It turns out scammers are using a freely available remote access app for smartphones in order to steal people's money from their digital payment services. AnyDesk is an app that lets you control your smartphone from another phone or laptop, usually used for IT diagnostic purposes. But thieves are using people's ignorance of the app and its working in order to trick people into giving them complete access to their device. It starts with a simple call from the scam artist, where they pretend to be a representative from your bank. They'll try to scare you with talk of your credit/debit card getting blocked for some reason or the other. The main aim here is to get you to download the AnyDesk app on you phone. Also Read: Beware! Crooks Are Abusing A Google Maps Loophole To Carry Out A Dangerous New Bank Scam Once that's done, the app will ask you for permissions when it starts up, like any other app. The difference is, should you approve those permissions, it gives the app full control over your smartphone. The kicker though, is the scammer then asking you for the 9-digit code generated by the app. By plugging that in on their end, they now have control over your device remotely. From there, they're free to empty out your digital wallets and saved credit cards or net banking accounts. Just to be clear though, AnyDesk is only one particular app that's been commonly used in this scam lately, so RBI is bringing it to the attention of the public. In reality, this strategy could work with any remote access app So of course, always verify a phone number purported to be your bank calling, even a simple Google search could prove this a lie in most cases. Secondly, do not download an app that you know nothing about, and without reading the description, especially just because a voice on the phone told you to. And lastly, if an app you're using is generating any kind of access code or OTP, you'd best be sure to keep that strictly to yourself, no matter the reason a person gives for needing it. Leonardo Da Vincis masterpiece Mona Lisa is one of the most admired paintings in history. Over the years, there have been a lot of imitations of this legendary artwork. But now, a nude version of the legendary artwork has gone viral and what is more interesting is that experts believe that it is the work of the master himself. Experts at The Louvre in Paris said that the nude art has a resemblance with the original Mona Lisa and it could be possibly the work of Da Vinci, reported AFP. Monna Vanna - AFP The Louvre, a museum in Paris has the biggest collection of Leonardo Da Vincis work including Mona Lisa. The experts examined a charcoal drawing that totally resembled Mona Lisa and that was when the investigation of the painting started. "There is a very strong possibility that Leonardo did most of the drawing. It is a work of very great quality done by a great artist," Mathieu Deldicque, a curator at the Paris museum, told AFP. The investigation of the painting was initiated by Deldicque with the help of historians. The nude painting has been residing at the Conde Museums Renaissance art section since 1862. With hands and body resembling that of Mona Lisa painting, the nude art is a work of an oil painting, Deldicque said. Twitter Now, to mark the 500th death anniversary of Da Vinci, the nude art will be displayed at a special exhibition at Chantilly, Virginia later this year. We have discovered lots of new elements. Left-handed charcoal marks pretty much everywhere," said Deldicque. Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing, and spelling. Such a person can have normal, even above average intelligence, so dyslexia is referred to as a Specific Learning Difficulty. It's the same learning disability that Darsheel Safari's character struggles with, in the movie Taare Zameen Par. Like him, there are countless kids who ridiculed and made fun of for the same. To put things into perspective, a 10-year-old student from England wrote a 'reverse poem' to tell the world what Dyslexia actually means. Today in Y6 we looked at poems that could be read forwards & backwards. I was stunned by this one written by one of my 10 year olds. Please share - I would love her work to be appreciated further afield. I wonder if it could even find a publisher? pic.twitter.com/tmEQpiRrhq Jane Broadis (@Jb5Jane) 27 February 2019 Give this a read: I am stupid Nobody would ever say I have a talent for words I was meant to be great That is wrong I am a failure Nobody could ever convince me to think that I can make it in life The poem paints a defeatist picture when reading from top to bottom, but changes completely when reading the other way round. The poem titled Dyslexia is a masterpiece and a fitting response to all those who make fun of kids struggling with it. According to Today, the writer is neither a dyslexic student nor has any connection with the learning disorder. Her teacher, who tweeted out the poem told the daily that she was just a sensitive child. More recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew flak because of cracking jokes on Dyslexia while taking a jibe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The Prime Minister, who was at the Smart India Hackathon 2019, was addressing a group of youngsters in IIT Kharagpur via video conference when he made the comment. Making fun of Dyslexia to target political opponent. There is no low which is too Low for Narendra Modi. Worse are the students who were clapping but cant blame them. When the PM of the Nation is such a Cheap Man, they had to entertain him pic.twitter.com/bJ7apIlpup Joy (@Joydas) 3 March 2019 "Will this program work for a 40-50-year-old child too?" asked Modi. When the student said yes, Modi responded saying, "If it really will, then it will make the mothers of such children very happy." Modis comments mocking dyslexia were slammed on Twitter: #1 Shameful and distressing. Some of us have dyslexic or disabled relatives, friends, children and parents. Sattar saal mein pehli baar, a person with this crassness occupies the chair of the PM. Enough, Mr Modi. Yeh hain sanskar aapke? https://t.co/8wBvtjPy7q Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) 3 March 2019 #2 Finding a 'safe parking space' in a city like Delhi can be quite a challenge. But when it comes to leaving your vehicle at an airport, there's some amount of reassurance given the kind of security they have, or so we think. Facebook This Delhi woman faced the worst of it after deciding to use the long stay parking service called Park N Fly at T3 terminal Delhi. But to her horror, Renu Mehta came back to a car with no tyres! Fuming after what she witnessed, she posted the shameful incident on Facebook. According to her post, the thief was identified to be an Uber driver. 'Footage the person first came and checked and left the parking lot after few minutes he came with a stone to use it as support while removing the tyres,' writes Mehta. Read her full post below: What's even more shocking is that one of the GMR employees (CCTV monitoring guy) passed an insensitive comment saying, "So what, this was just a breach of security, the same happened at Pulwama" such a shameful thought.' A furious Mehta goes on say, 'I incurred a minimum calculated loss of INR 30k just for parking my car. Can you guys answer who is responsible for that? And without the support of your security staff no one can steal anything from the parking. Shame on GMR & Delhi Airport Parking Services ( P) Ltd, New Delhi.' Soon after her post on social media drew attention to the issue, the Delhi Airport Parking Services reverted saying, "We are assisting Police in the investigation and also closely following the case for logical closure of the same. We again express regret for the inconvenience caused." Facebook Here's how people reacted to the incident: #1 Facebook #2 Facebook Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) Former Philippine National Police chief Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa claimed that the so-called narco list submitted by the police to the Malacanang is "99.9 percent validated," even if the new police leadership insists on the list of politicians allegedly involved in illegal drugs be validated first before being released. Dela Rosa told CNN Philippines' The Source on Tuesday that the police's narco list has been validated by the intelligence community. However, he cannot comment on the accuracy of the lists from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Bureau of Investigation. He also backed the release of the list, as long as it has been validated. "Dapat ilabas 'yan para malaman ng taongbayan na ito ay dapat hindi iboboto dahil kawawa ang Pilipinas. Pinapamunuan tayo ng sindikato ng droga. Eh gusto mo bang maging narco-state tayo?" Dela Rosa said. [Translation: That should be released so that the people would know who not to vote because the Philippines is pitiful. We are being led by drug syndicates. Do you want us to become a narco-state?] However, his successor, Oscar Albayalde, admitted that there is difficulty in finding enough evidence to establish cases against alleged narcopoliticians. "It's really hard to validate and get substantial or concrete evidence and documentary evidence. Puro tsismis kung minsan [Sometimes it's all rumors,] testimonial evidence," Albayalde said yesterday in a press briefing. Malacanang said that if government officials who turn up in the list feel wronged, they can just file a case in court. Last year, the government released a list of barangay officials who were allegedly involved in illegal drugs ahead of the village polls, despite admitting that there is not enough evidence to charge those in the list before courts. The Commission on Human Rights has warned that the release of the list may prompt more election-related violence, while some lawmakers said that if there is enough evidence to put politicians' names on the list, the government should just file charges against them. At least five local chief executives tagged in illegal drugs have been slain. Mayors Mariano Blanco III and Antonio Halili were shot dead, while Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom died in a shootout with anti-drug operatives, Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. was killed in a raid and Mayor Rolando Espinosa was killed in his jail cell. CNN Philippines Correspondent Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report. Photo: Grant R Bogyo In three weeks, a group of Penticton residents will be piling into a decommissioned B.C. ambulance and drive more than 6,000 kilometres to donate the vehicle to a small city in Honduras. Dr. Grant R Bogyo, a practicing psychologist in Penticton, is heading up the group aiming to help the hometown of a friend, a new Canadian citizen that immigrated to Penticton from Naco, Honduras. The only ambulance in Naco recently died, leaving first responders there with no way to bring the sick and injured to the hospital. Bogyo, who has done humanitarian work in the past, fired off an email to B.C. Emergency Health Services inquiring about purchasing an ambulance. They offered up a recently decommissioned diesel unit, and since then, Bogyo has been working on outfitting the vehicle with medical supplies. Its in amazing shape, they had just serviced it, he said, explaining he sourced a stretcher from the Calgary burn unit via Kijiji, received donated mattresses and was given first-aid kits by OK Builders as they were going out of business. Bogyo says he worked years ago as a first responder on the Hope-Princeton Highway and has an idea of what the vehicle needs. Stripes and decaling has been placed on the ambulance, including intertwined Canadian and Honduran flags. This is just the latest time Bogyo has helped out overseas. A few years ago he personally brought a large shipment of medicine to a childrens hospital in Venezuela. He also helps run a migrant farm worker outreach centre with the Penticton Alliance Church. The psychologist says he is the recipient of two organ donations, something that has spurred him to give back. Weve benefited from the extreme generosity of other people. Ive always had a passion for developing countries and have been involved, he said. The more you look at the world the more to realize how incredibly blessed we are to be Canadians. Its really a moral obligation, for me, to give back. Bogyo says he doesnt have much in the way of safety concerns related to his drive through Mexico, Guatemala and into Honduras. We dont go out at night, and Im not a partier, so its pretty hard to get into trouble, he said, adding previous experience has showed him the police and military are relatively simple to deal with as well. Bogyo, his wife, and two friends will hit the road in the ambulance later this month. Donations for the trip, import fees and medical supplies are being collected online or can be sent by cheque to Dr. Grant R Bogyo Inc. at 1786 Fairford Drive, V2A 6C8. Indian Sikh pilgrims wave from their train at Attari Railway Station, on the outskirts of Amritsar, before leaving on special service to Lahore to celebrate the Baisakhi festival in Pakistan on April 12, 2018. (Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images) The spiral structure of our galaxy, the Milky Way, in an artistic impression photo/: NASA/JPL-Caltech The rotation of stars in galaxies such as our Milky Way is puzzling. The orbital speeds of stars should decrease with their distance from the center of the galaxy, but in fact stars in the middle and outer regions of galaxies have the same rotational speed. This may be due to the gravitational effect of matter that we can't see. But although researchers have been seeking it for decades, the existence of such 'dark matter' has yet to be definitively proven and we still don't know what it might be made of. With this in mind, the physicists Dmitri Ryutov, Dmitry Budker, and Victor Flambaum have suggested that the rotational dynamics of galaxies might be explained by other factors. They hypothesize that the mass of photons, which are particles of light, might be responsible. Professor Dmitri Ryutov, who recently retired from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, USA, is an expert in plasma physics. He was awarded the American Physical Society's (APS) 2017 Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics for his achievements in the field. Physicists generally credit Ryutov with establishing the upper limit for the mass of the photon. As this mass, even if it is nonzero, is extremely small, it is usually ignored when analyzing atomic and nuclear processes. But even a vanishingly tiny mass of the photon could, according to the scientists' collaborative proposal, have an effect on large-scale astrophysical phenomena. While visiting Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), Ryutov, his host Professor Dmitry Budker of the Helmholtz Institute Mainz (HIM), and Professor Victor Flambaum, Fellow of the Gutenberg Research College of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), decided to take a closer look at the idea. They were interested in how the infinitesimally small mass of the photon could have an effect on massive galaxies. The mechanism at the core of the physicists' assumption is a consequence of what is known as Maxwell-Proca equations. These would allow additional centripetal forces to be generated as a result of the electromagnetic stresses in a galaxy. Are the effects as strong as those exerted by dark matter? The hypothetical effect we are investigating is not the result of increased gravity, explained Dmitry Budker. This effect may occur concurrently with the assumed influence of dark matter. It may even under certain circumstances completely eliminate the need to evoke dark matter as a factor when it comes to explaining rotation curves. Rotation curves express the relationship between the orbital speeds of stars in a galaxy and their radial distance from the galaxy's center. By assuming a certain photon mass, much smaller than the current upper limit, we can show that this mass would be sufficient to generate additional forces in a galaxy and that these forces would be roughly large enough to explain the rotation curves, said Budker. This conclusion is extremely exciting. The physicists even ventured a step further. They looked into how protostars form and discovered that their hypothesis has other implications. It predicts that long-lived, relatively lightweight stars, such as our sun, would have highly elliptical orbits. Actual observations clearly don't agree with this prediction, meaning our theory can't explain everything. Proca-force effects can thus only be responsible for some of the anomalies in the rotation curves. We dont currently consider photon mass to be the solution to the rotation-curve problem. But it could be part of the solution, concluded Budker. However, we need to keep an open mind as long as we do not actually know what dark matter is. Images: http://www.uni-mainz.de/bilder_presse/08_physik_quantum_galaxie_rotationskurven_ Visiting the Mainz University Gutenberg Campus: (fltr) Professor Dr. Margarita Ryutova, Professor Dr. Motohiko Yoshimura, host Professor Dr. Dmitry Budker, and Professor Dr. Dmitri Ryutov photo/: Dmitry Budker http://www.uni-mainz.de/bilder_presse/08_physik_quantum_galaxie_rotationskurven_ The spiral structure of our galaxy, the Milky Way, in an artistic impression photo/: NASA/JPL-Caltech Related links: * https://budker.uni-mainz.de/ Budker Lab at the Helmholtz Institute Mainz and JGU * https://www.hi-mainz.de/ Helmholtz Institute Mainz (HIM) * https://pls.llnl.gov/people/staff-bios/physics/ryutov-d Dmitri Ryutov at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory * https://www.aps.org/newsroom/pressreleases/maxwell17.cfm APS press release Dmitri Ryutov Wins 2017 Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (14 July 2017) Read more: * http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/6963_ENG_HTML.php press release Atomic parity violation research reaches new milestone (13 Nov. 2018) * http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/6769_ENG_HTML.php press release Earth's magnetic field measured using artificial stars at 90 kilometers altitude (14 Nov. 2018) * http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/20266_ENG_HTML.php press release ERC Advanced Grant for experimental physicist Dmitry Budker (12 May 2016) * http://www.magazin.uni-mainz.de/2452_ENG_HTML.php JGU MAGAZINE: Not everything in the universe is symmetrical (9 Jan. 2015) Professor Dr. Dmitry Budker Helmholtz Institute Mainz and Quantum, Atomic, and Neutron Physics Group (QUANTUM) Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz 55099 Mainz, GERMANY phone +49 6131 39-27414 e-mail: budker@uni-mainz.de http://www.phmi.uni-mainz.de/ENG/8055.php D. D. Ryutov, D. Budker, V. V. Flambaum, A Hypothetical Effect of the MaxwellProca Electromagnetic Stresses on Galaxy Rotation Curves, The Astrophysical Journal 871:2, 1 Februar 2019, DOI:10.3847/1538-4357/aaf63a https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aaf63a/meta 'Pharma Bro' firm reaches $40M settlement in gouging case AP - Tue Dec 7, 11:32PM CST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) A company once owned by Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli will pay up to $40 million to settle allegations that it jacked up the price of a life-saving medication by roughly 4 ,000%... $SPX : 4,686.75 (+2.07%) $DOWI : 35,719.43 (+1.40%) $IUXX : 16,325.66 (+3.03%) Gold (GC) Tries Reclaiming Key 1800 Level Tradable Patterns - Tue Dec 7, 10:32PM CST Gold (GCG22) is entering the advanced stages of a bottoming effort after the slide from the November high. Significantly, GC is trying to reclaim an uptrend support line connecting the August low to... GCG22 : 1,788.9 (+0.24%) GLD : 166.81 (+0.35%) Photo: Contributed Iconic country artists Dallas Smith and Dean Brody are coming to the South Okanagan Events Centre this fall. The Friends Dont Let Friends Tour Alone Tour stops in Penticton on Oct. 25, 2019, supported by Chad Brownlee and Mackenzie Porter. With multiple JUNO and CCMA awards each, Dean Brody and Dallas Smith are two of the most celebrated artists in Canadian country music. New music is on the immediate horizon from both artists heading into the summer festival season and tour, with Smiths EP The Fall out on March 15, and Brody dropping a brand new single March 8, titled "Whiskey in a Teacup", followed by a brand new EP in April. Joining the duo on tour as special guests are; country star Chad Brownlee, who is actively preparing for his first major label album debut and rising star, MacKenzie Porter, who recently released two new tracks, Drive Thru and About You. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. for $39.50 - $89.50 plus taxes and fees. Presale goes Thursday at 10 a.m. with password: MASHUP. The tour also features stops in Kamloops and Abbotsford. Pablo Brait, Market Forces campaigner, said they wanted to force QBE to eliminate climate risks as part of an overall effort to tackle climate change a move Matthew Canavan, minister for Resources and Northern Australia, said would be completely ineffective at dealing with the issue of climate change, AFR reported. If the resolution proves successful, coal companies would be forced to cast their sights overseas for cover. But with European insurers already limiting their exposure to coal, brokers said coal companies would be left with fewer options, less price competition, and more restrictions in coverage, which could ultimately force them to self-insure. However, Canavan said that if local insurers exited the market, coal companies would still be able to turn to Asian companies. The main impact is to deny Australian financial services companies that business, Canavan told AFR. In that respect I think these campaigns are morally and ethically bankrupt. They seek to shut down high-quality fossil-fuel production in Australia but do nothing to prevent fossil fuels in other countries [such as in] Asia, he said. Brait said he would lobby QBEs institutional shareholders, which include Australias largest industry super funds, to back the resolution in the lead-up to the companys annual meeting in May. Last year, a shareholder resolution pushed QBE to finally get started on disclosing to investors the risk it faces from climate change, Brait told AFR. However, disclosure is not enough; QBE also needs to manage and eliminate its climate risks. An obvious step would be to end funding and underwriting of fossil fuels, which cause their own multibillion-dollar losses by fuelling extreme weather. While other insurers are restricting their underwriting of coal as an initial response to climate change devastating their bottom lines, QBEs approach is a clear case of corporate masochism. QBE forked out US$523 million in catastrophe claims last year, and US$1.2 billion the previous year, contributing to an annual loss of US$1.25 billion for 2017. To address its exposure to climate change, QBE, under chief executive Pat Regan, published a climate change action plan. The insurer also announced that it would not underwrite the controversial Adanis Carmichael project in northern Queensland. According to a QBE spokesman, less than 1% of QBEs investment portfolio was in coal-related assets and the insurer was undertaking a detailed analysis of climate-related risks and opportunities in priority underwriting portfolios, followed by a review of our underwriting strategy. QBE has so far declined to commit to a position on the future of its coal underwriting operations, AFR said. The world is moving at a rapid pace and staying relevant as insurance brokers is most important, says Davey. Adopting new tools and practices in a technology-driven digital environment will equip us to live up to client expectations in an ever-changing environment. However, while brokers must take proactive steps to remain relevant, Davey also says the changing regulatory space will provide opportunities for the industry. More regulatory practices coming into effect in the industry will ensure our relevance as a professional business adviser, she said. As a large global company, I think regulation will become our greatest opportunity in the future in Australia. While the sector is certainly a challenging one, Davey is quick to point out that it can also be incredibly rewarding for those who are invested. I love the diversity of any day, but what I enjoy most is seeing my team be successful with helping their clients and feeling proud of the job they do, she said. With International Womens Day fast approaching, Davey also had some words of wisdom for young women entering the industry for the first time. Always be yourself, be positive and dont be shy, show your confidence and act generously to others, she urged. Globally, youve got a number of geopolitical factors that are starting to influence where companies think about taking their operations, Marshs head of risk consulting, Pacific, Costa Zakis explained. For example, the Brexit situation in the UK will become a factor in whether or not companies decide to place their HQ in the UK, or whether they would instead want to do that in continental Europe. If you are a company thats looking to do business in a particular country, you will always look at the risk factor of economic and political stability. When you look at Marshs Global Risk Report for this year, the vast number of respondents said that the political uncertainty has a major bearing on the decisions they make. In comparison to the rest of the world, New Zealand is very politically stable, he stated. Its a very predictable economy; it by and large knows its government policies, so any geopolitical risk of doing business in New Zealand is fairly small. While there is a potential for government policy to present some problems for businesses, good business practice says you just need to be nicely diversified in what youre doing in terms of markets and products. Zakis says the top risk for businesses operating in New Zealand is natural disasters, which is significant and needs to be addressed with a strong insurance framework. Nonetheless, he says this risk is insurable in a way economic or political instability is not making the country an attractive area for business investment. The top risk in New Zealand is in the area of natural catastrophe exposures, and what that means for your critical infrastructure, he said. That has been consistent on our Global Risk Report for a number of years in comparison to somewhere like Australia, where their risks include energy price shortfalls and cybersecurity, which is a major and growing risk in both countries. But if you look at the top risks in New Zealand, they are all insurable. Mark Searles, outgoing CEO of AUB Group, says New Zealand has been a top performer for his company over the last three and a half years, and believes the countrys economic outlook will likely mean a safe two-three years of strong, sustained growth. AUB Group entered the New Zealand market in 2014 when it acquired 50% of insurance brokerage BrokerWeb Risk Services, and recently acquired the remaining 50% to solidify its presence within the market. We entered New Zealand just under four years ago, and were now the largest broker management group in the country, Searles said. Our GWP is in excess of $675 million there, and weve got 67 members within NZbrokers and very strong representation, especially in the SME market. Weve also started to really build up our underwriting capability, and weve started working with Rosser Underwriting to acquire that business, Searles continued. Weve grown the management and office infrastructure of our group, and, looking at the New Zealand marketplace, were anticipating several years of really solid growth. I think people are really starting to appreciate the transparency and collaboration that we bring into the marketplace, and Im really impressed with what New Zealand has yielded. Searles says that although New Zealand has been beset by some of the market concerns affecting Australia in the wake of the Royal Commission, transporting Australian operations to New Zealand is relatively simple, given the core underlying principles of a business do not change. The Royal Commission has resulted in a number of similar investigations in New Zealand, but everything we do in Australia is transportable, he stated. The only key difference is in the mix of business our Australian operations are 90% commercial lines, whereas New Zealand is approximately 70% commercial and 30% personal. Thats to do with the way the broking market is structured, which is a little different. From an insurance manufacturing perspective, theres a predominance of two strong incumbents NZI and Vero, and we have very strong relationships with both of them, he explained. So while there are some local characteristics that may be a bit different, the general way of working mirrors what we already have, and we also bring a lot of IP and learning to benefit the New Zealand marketplace. That business has grown really well, and we have a lot of ambition in the market, he concluded. New Zealand has really been a shining star for us, which is great news. Global insurance broker Marsh has announced the appointment of Robert Bauer (pictured) as practice leader for the companys US Sharing Economy and Mobility Practice. In his new role, Bauer will develop and deliver products and services to industries operating in the new economy. He will work with experts across Marsh, including the companys digital, data and analytics team. Bauer previously worked at AIG, most recently serving as general insurance head of innovation and AIGs sharing economy group. At Marsh, Bauer will be based in San Francisco and report to Jeffrey Alpaugh, growth and industry leader for the companys US and Canada division. After a five-month search for a new chief executive officer, UKs Aviva plc has promoted a company veteran, Maurice Tulloch, to the position, effective immediately. Tulloch joined Aviva in 1992 and was most recently chief executive officer International Insurance (January 2017 to present) and chairman of Global General Insurance. Tulloch joined the board of Aviva plc as an executive director on June 20, 2017. Avivas previous CEO, Mark Wilson, exited the company in October 2018 after almost six years. During his tenure, he reshaped the company to improve its financial performance by exiting non-core operations, by building the strength of the companys balance sheet and bolstered capital with the Friends Life acquisition in April 2015. However, the companys share price remained sluggish and did not deliver the returns that shareholders expected, so he was pushed from the job. During Tullochs Aviva career, he was CEO of Aviva UK and Ireland General Insurance, the largest of Avivas general insurance units. Prior to that he was president and CEO of Aviva Canada (2009 2013), with responsibility for the strategic direction and operation of Canadas second largest property and casualty insurer. Among his senior management roles at Aviva, he also was executive vice president and chief operating officer, Aviva Ontario. Sir Adrian Montague, chairman of Aviva, has been acting CEO since Wilson left the company. He now has reverted to his role as non-executive chairman, effective March 4. Maurice will be an outstanding chief executive of Aviva. He knows the business inside out, said Montague. He has led our businesses in the UK and internationally and built strong teams across life insurance and general insurance. Maurice knows our strengths, knows where we need to improve and has a deep understanding of insurance and customers needs. He is exceptionally well qualified to re-energize Aviva and deliver long-term growth. Montague said the board conducted a competitive search process, interviewing external and internal candidates, which led to a unanimous vote for Tulloch. I am honored to lead Aviva, a business Ive been part of for 26 years. There is a clear opportunity to realize Avivas significant but untapped potential, said CEO Tulloch. Aviva is financially strong, we have a well-known brand and excellent businesses. But there is more to do to improve returns for shareholders, he added. Tulloch was born in March 1969 in Falkirk, Scotland. He has dual nationality in Britain and Canada. Source: Aviva Related: Topics Canada Photo: The Canadian Press Delegates read the work reports which is delivered by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the opening session of the annual National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. China announced a robust annual economic growth target and a 7.5 per cent rise in military spending Tuesday as it convened an annual legislative session overshadowed by a tariff war with Washington. Seeking to defuse U.S. and European complaints the Chinese system is rigged against foreign companies, Premier Li Keqiang promised in a speech to the National People's Congress they will be "treated as equals" with their Chinese competitors. Li, the country's top economic official, set this year's growth target at 6 to 6.5 per cent, reflecting determination to shore up a cooling, state-dominated economy and prevent politically dangerous job losses. Slightly below last year's 6.6 per cent growth, a three-decade low, it would be among the world's strongest if achieved. The premier promised to "promote China-U.S. trade negotiations," but gave no details of talks aimed at ending the fight with President Donald Trump over Beijing's technology ambitions and complaints it steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Li, No. 2 in the ruling Communist Party behind President Xi Jinping, pledged higher spending on development of technologies including artificial intelligence, electric cars, biotechnology and new materials that China's leaders see as a path to prosperity and global influence. He also promised more money for education, social programs and public works construction. China's emergence as a competitor in smartphones, telecom equipment, solar power and other technologies has increased the range of products available to consumers and helped to drive down prices. But it rattles Washington and other governments that worry Chinese competition is a threat to their industries and employment. Li warned the second-largest economy faces a "graver and more complicated environment" and risks that "are greater in number and size." The two-week gathering of the congress's 3,000-plus delegates in the cavernous Great Hall of the People is China's biggest event of the year. It does little lawmaking, but serves as a platform to highlight the government's plans for the year. President Xi Jinping's government is expected to use this year's session to announce tax cuts and more support for entrepreneurs who generate much of China's new jobs and wealth. Legislators also are due to endorse a law that aims to ease tensions with Washington and Europe by discouraging officials from pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. After searching far and wide for a new CEO for the past five months, Aviva Plc is sticking with a familiar face: on Monday, it named a 26-year company veteran as its new boss. More of the same may be just what the British insurer needs, but changing investors negative view of that strategy could require time. Its a luxury incoming CEO Maurice Tulloch is unlikely to have. After unceremoniously jettisoning his dealmaking predecessor, Mark Wilson, the insurer is trying to find a way to persuade investors to warm to his creation and head off pressure for a more drastic overhaul. To his credit, Wilson reshaped the life and general insurer. Known for a clear vision and a fiery temper, he sold non-core assets and bolstered capital with the biggest U.K. insurance deal in more than a decade, the acquisition of Friends Life Group Plc in 2015. His exit had as much to do with his personal style and decision to join BlackRock Inc.s board as it did with the stocks painful under-performance. Still, investors are right to seek change. Even though about a third of Avivas earnings come from outside the U.K., mostly in France, the company is still seen a boring, low-growth British insurer. For that, it is paying a steep price. The companys market capitalization is roughly the same as what it was a decade ago: about 17 billion pounds ($22.4 billion). The international operations alone could fetch as much as 13.5 billion pounds if offloaded, according to Barclays Plc analysts. Jettisoning them could provide a juicy return to shareholders or the opportunity to double down on the U.K. But giving up on the international businesses would mean forgoing earnings and taking on a considerable execution risk. Less radically, Tulloch could continue to reduce debt and focus investments away from the low-growth U.K. life business to property and casualty businesses outside the country, areas he knows well. Agreeing that a familiar pair of hands was in Avivas best interest wasnt an easy choice. That the board reportedly considered bringing in an outsider who had helped break up another insurer is a sign that there was appetite for a new playbook. Since Wilson became CEO in January 2013, the Bloomberg Europe 500 Insurance Index has returned about 110 percent for investors, including dividends; at Aviva, the returns were less than half of that. For Tulloch, the key to success may well be time. Investors wont have much patience. His first 90 days will be more critical than ever if he is to convince shareholders he can revive the insurer without a radical revamp. Failing that, consolidation will continue in the industry and acquirers may start to circle. Elisa Martinuzzi is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering finance. She is a former managing editor for European finance at Bloomberg News. Related: Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. An Ohio gas company has been fined $400,000 by the states public utility commission after a contractor struck one of the companys gas pipeline, an action that led to a fire that destroyed a home in Avon, Ohio. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) said Columbia Gas of Ohio did not follow proper operating procedures in relation to the gas service line. The company was ordered to pay a $400,000 penalty based upon the PUCOs investigation of the August 2017 home fire that caused an estimated $83,000 property damage. A PUCO staff investigation determined that an excavator struck an unidentified 2-inch natural gas service line while installing a new water service line to the home. Columbia records failed to identify the presence of one of two natural gas service lines supplying the property. When Columbia responded to the scene, they were unable to identify the natural gas service line that was feeding the fire. PUCO staff concluded that Columbia Gas did not follow its operating procedures when abandoning the service line in 2012 and failed to disconnect it properly from the main line. On multiple occasions, Columbia did not investigate contradicting records regarding the existence of two service lines at the property. Columbia also failed to respond and shut off the flow of natural gas in a timely manner. In its order, the commission noted that Columbia has complied with PUCO staffs directives to update company procedures regarding underground locating, service disconnections and emergency response. The order, the agreement filed by Columbia and PUCO staff, and a copy of the PUCO investigation is available in the case docket for case 19-452-GA-GPS. Source: PUCO Topics Ohio The Trump administration said on Monday it would allow lawsuits by U.S. citizens against dozens of Cuban companies and other entities on Washingtons blacklist but will maintain, for now, a ban against suing foreign firms doing business on the communist-ruled island. The move marked an intensification of U.S. pressure on Cuba and also appeared aimed at punishing Havana over its support for Venezuelas socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. But it stopped short of the more severe step of targeting foreign investments in Cuba though it left the door open to doing so in the future. Lawsuits in U.S. courts against Cuban enterprises, many linked to military and intelligence services, will be permitted beginning on March 19. But Washington will keep in place until at least April 17 a ban on legal action against foreign firms using property confiscated by the Cuban government since the 1959 revolution, the State Department said. Every U.S. president has suspended on a rotating six-month basis a section of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act that would allow such lawsuits by Cuban-Americans and other U.S. citizens due to opposition from the international community and fears it could create chaos in the U.S. court system with a flood of legal claims. But President Donald Trumps administration first announced in January a 45-day review of the matter and has now added another 30 days for further study while allowing the acts controversial Title III on private legal actions to be partially activated for the first time. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said he strongly rejected the U.S. action against Cuban companies arbitrarily sanctioned by the Trump administration. The 30-day waiver for other cases, he said in a message on Twitter, amounted to an unacceptable threat against the world. A complete lifting of the ban could let potentially billions of dollars in legal claims move forward in U.S. courts and likely antagonize Canada and U.S. European partners, whose companies have significant business holdings in Cuba. It could also affect some U.S. companies that have begun investing in the island since former President Barack Obamas opening to the old Cold War foe. Allowing the provision to go into effect even on a limited basis could undermine efforts by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to foster foreign investment and promote tourism to bolster the Caribbean islands fragile economy. The decision today adds obstacles to our development and economic goals, but the United States will continue to fail in its central aim of subjecting the sovereign will of Cubans by force, Cubas foreign ministry said in a statement. CANADA, EUROPEANS A senior State Department official said the Trump administration had consulted with Canada and European partners in deliberations on how to proceed. Under Mondays announcement, lawsuits will not be authorized against foreign partners in joint ventures with the Cuban government, the official told reporters. The administration had initially prepared to open the door wider to litigation, exempting only U.S. companies and those from allied countries, but it decided in the end on a more limited approach for now, a person familiar with the discussions said. Among the foreign companies heavily invested in Cuba are Canadian mining firm Canadian Sherritt International and Spains Melia Hotels. U.S. companies, including airlines and cruise companies, have forged business deals in Cuba since the easing of restrictions under Obama. U.S.-Cuban relations have nosedived since Trump became president, partially rolling back the detente initiated by Obama and reverting to Cold War-style rhetoric. A six-decade-old U.S. economic embargo on Cuba has also remained officially intact. With Mondays announcement, the administration made clear that it was not only acting because of what the State Department official called the Cuban states repression of its own people but also to send a message about Havanas role in Venezuela. Cuba continues to maintain close relations to Russia and China and has destabilized Venezuela, leading to mass flows of refugees and of course public health threats, the official said. Trump aides have regularly denounced Cuba for what they say is political and security assistance helping Maduro to keep his grip on power since opposition leader Juan Guaido invoked the Venezuelan constitution in January and swore himself in as interim president. Washington and dozens of other countries have recognized Guaido, but Maduro, who says he is being targeted by a U.S.-directed coup attempt, is backed by Cuba as well as Russia and China and retains control of state institutions, including the military. Trumps toughened stance on Cuba as well as Venezuela has gone down well in the large Cuban-American community in south Florida, an important voting bloc in a key political swing state as he looks toward his re-election campaign in 2020. John Bolton, who became Trumps national security adviser last April, called Cuba and its top allies Venezuela and Nicaragua a troika of tyranny in Miami speech in November. (Reporting By Matt Spetalnick, Patricia Zengerle and Lesley Wroughton; writing by Matt Spetalnick; editing by Susan Thomas and Cynthia Osterman) Topics Lawsuits USA Washington Canada Politics Pie Insurance, an insurtech selling workers compensation coverage online to small businesses, has completed a $45 million Series B funding round. Participating investors included SVB Capital, Sirius Group, Greycroft, Moxley Holdings, Aspect Ventures, and Elefund. To date, Pie has raised $61 million. Last August, Pie raised $11 million. The company said it will use the funds to expand geographically, add new distribution sources, and continue to make the entire experience easy as pie for its customers. Pie sold its first policy in March 2018, and since then it says it has generated more than $10 million in written premium. Pie is now available in 19 states and plans to expand nationally by the end of 2019. Pie operates as a managing general agency for Sirius America Insurance Co, a subsidiary of Sirius Group. Pies investors include SVB Capital, Greycroft, Aspect Ventures, Sirius Group, Moxley Holdings, and Elefund. Pie utilizes analytics to identify risk and price policies for businesses, removing steps from the purchase process, and generating savings for many businesses. According to its predictive model, 80 percent of small businesses are overpaying for coverage, often by as much as 30 percent. Source: Pie Related: Topics Workers' Compensation InsurTech Funding Startups A former pharmaceutical representative has pleaded guilty in Texas to a role in an $8 million health care fraud scheme that netted her over $1 million, according to U.S. Attorney John Bash and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division. Appearing before Senior U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, Holly Blakely, 45, of San Antonio, Texas, pleaded guilty to one conspiracy to commit wire fraud, health care fraud, bribery and paying kickbacks. Blakely was charged in a 30-count indictment and had been scheduled to begin trial Feb. 25, 2019. Blakely faces up to five years in federal prison. She remains on bond pending sentencing scheduled for June 13, 2019, in San Antonio. As part of her plea, Blakely admitted her role in a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs by paying over $400,000 in kickbacks and bribes to health care providers that prescribed compounded medications to individuals who did not need the medications. Blakely and her co-conspirators attempted to disguise the kickbacks and bribes to health care professionals by writing fictitious and back-dated consulting agreements. In many instances, Blakely and her co-conspirators submitted prescriptions to compounding pharmacies for patients that had never seen a medical professional. Blakely and her co-conspirators also would occasionally forge the signature of a medical professional on prescriptions. Blakely admitted that she conspired with two compounding pharmacies that would submit claims for reimbursement to health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, for compounded medications based on the prescriptions. In exchange for her role in the conspiracy, the two compounding pharmacies paid Blakely approximately $1,147,885.14. From approximately February 2013 through December 2014, healthcare benefit programs reimbursed the two compounding pharmacies approximately $8,846,972.24 based on the claims submitted in connection with the compounded medications. The FBI, together with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement AdministrationDiversion, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Office of Personnel ManagementOffice of Inspector General, investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Sean Bryan OConnell and Antonio Franco Jr., are prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government. Source: U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas Topics Texas USA Fraud Drugs An apparent tornado roared into southeast Alabama and killed at least 14 people and injured several others Sunday, part of a severe storm system that destroyed homes, snapped trees and unleashed other tornadoes around the Southeast. Dozens of emergency responders rushed to join search and rescue efforts in hard-hit Lee County, Alabama, after what forecasters said they think was a large tornado touched down Sunday afternoon, unleashed by a powerful storm system that raked its way across parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. I can confirm 14 fatalities, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told The Associated Press on the scene in Beauregard, the area of apparently greatest destruction. He told reporters that children were among the dead and that some people are still believed missing and that a search and rescue operation was continuing. Unfortunately we believe that number is going to go up, Jones said of the fatalities. He said the apparent twister traveled straight down a key local artery, Highway 51, and that the path of damage and destruction appeared at least a half mile wide. Radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, said meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham, Alabama, office of the National Weather Service. Beauregard is a community about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Montgomery, Alabamas capital city. It appears it stayed on the ground for at least a mile and maybe longer, Jones told AP. He said single-family homes and mobile homes were among the buildings destroyed. He had told reporters earlier that several people in the county were taken to hospitals, some with very serious injuries. After nightfall Sunday, the rain had stopped and pieces of metal debris and tree branches littered roadways in Beauregard. Two sheriffs vehicles blocked reporters and others from reaching the worst-hit area. Power appeared out to be out in many places. Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders had jumped in to efforts to search the debris after the storm struck in Beauregard, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Montgomery. At least one trained canine could be seen with search crews as numerous ambulances and emergency vehicles, lights flashing, converged on the area. Weve still got people being pulled out of rubble, Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told Al.com on Sunday evening. Were going to be here all night. No deaths had been reported Sunday evening from storm-damaged Alabama counties outside Lee County, said Gregory Robinson, spokesman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. But he said crews were still surveying damage in several counties in the southwestern part of the state. Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the powerful storm system raced across the region. Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar alone and teams went out early Monday to assess those and other storms. In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency. Televised broadcast news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches. The last check I had was between six and eight injuries, Ereheim said in a phone interview. From what I understand it was minor injuries, though one fellow did say his leg might be broken. She said searches of damaged homes and structures had turned up no serious injuries or deaths there. Henry Wilson of the Peach County Emergency Management Agency near Macon in central Georgia said a barn had been destroyed and trees and power poles had been snapped, leaving many in the area without power. Authorities said a tornado was confirmed by radar in the Florida Panhandle late Sunday afternoon. A portion of Interstate 10 on the Florida Panhandle was blocked in one direction for a time in Walton County in the aftermath, said Don Harrigan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. Theres a squall line moving through the area, Harrigan told AP. And when you have a mature line of storms moving into an area where low level winds are very strong, you tend to have tornadoes developing. Its a favorable environment for tornadoes. ___ Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, Bill Cormier in Atlanta, and Ryan Kryska in New York contributed to this report. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Windstorm Georgia Alabama South Carolina Lakeland Dairies and LacPatrick Dairies have welcomed regulatory approval for the merger of both Societies. The approval was received today from the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) in the UK and from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in Ireland. Both authorities determined and ruled that competition would not be adversely affected as a result of the merger and both cleared the transaction unconditionally. The clearance was the last significant hurdle for the merger to go ahead. The new society, which will be called Lakeland Dairies Co-Operative Society Limited, will be the second largest dairy processor on the island of Ireland with a cross-border milk pool of 1.8 billion litres, produced by 3,200 farms from 15 countries. The new co-op will have a combined annual turnover in excess of 1bn, creating internationally competitive scale while ensuring efficient costs of operation. The new Society will begin trading at the end of March and until then will operate independently with each setting its own milk price. Michael Hanley, CEO Designate of the new Lakeland Dairies, said: "Were very pleased to have reached the conclusion of this process which is now a starting point for future significant progress. "We are energised and ambitious to create strategic advantages in an intensely competitive market environment where we intend to ensure the best possible realisation of the benefits of this merger for our members and for all of our customers around the world." Nine Irish citizens have been named on the Forbes billionaires' list. The nine men are (by Forbes count) among the 2,153 billionaires in the world. They are: Pallonji Mistry, $15bn (13.28bn), #79 on the list John Grayken, $6.9bn (6.1bn), #215 Denis O'Brien, $4bn (3.5bn), #504 John Dorrance III, $2.6bn (2.3bn), #877 John Collison, $2.1bn (1.85bn), #1116 Patrick Collison, $2.1bn (1.85bn), #1116 Dermot Desmond, $1.9bn (1.68bn), #1227 John Armitage, $1.3bn (1.15bn), #1717 Eugene Murtagh, $1.3bn (1.15bn), #1717 Pallonji Mistry, 89, is described by Forbes as a "reclusive tycoon". The Indian-born billionaire controls the 154-year-old engineering and construction firm Shapoorji Pallonji Group which is headquartered in Mumbai. Pallonji Mistry John Grayken is the founder and owner of Lone Star Funds, a private equity firm that focuses on real estate investment. It is based in Dallas. According to Forbes, Graykenrenounced his US citizenship for tax purposes in the 90s and took Irish citizenship. Mobile phone network provider Denis O'Brien runs and owns 94% of Digicel. Denis O'Brien Forbes says he has investments in media, healthcare and the PGA Catalunya and Quinta do Lago resorts on the Iberian peninsula. The fourth wealthiest Irish citizen on the Forbes list is John Dorrance, III - an heir to the Campbell's Soup fortune. The American-born businessman sold his stake in the company and came to Ireland in the mid-90s. He currently lives in Dublin. Brothers John and Partick Collison are tied on the list, ranking at 1116. The pair co-founded Stripe, a payment processing software company that allows people to receive payments over the Internet. Partick and John Collison The Limerick brothers came up with the idea for the company while studying in Boston's Massachusetts Institute of Technology. John, 28, is currently the company's President while Patrick, 30, is the CEO. Starting his career in Citibank, number 1227 on the list Dermot Desmond founded NCB Stockbrokers in 1981. He sold it in 1994 and used the profits to start International Investment & Underwriting, a private equity firm. Dermot Desmond The 68-year-old also has stakes in Scottish club Celtic. London-born John Armitage is a hedge fund firm manager with a net-worth of 1.15bn. He is co-founder and chief investment officer of Egerton Capital. He was ranked at 23 in Forbes 'Highest-Earning Hedge Fund Managers 2018' list. In 2018 he changed his citizenship to Irish. Eugene Murtagh features on the billionaires' list for the first time this year. The 76-year-old entrepreneur is the founder of building materials manufacturer Kingspan Group. He stepped down as CEO in 2005 but is still chairman of the board. Forbes says Murtagh's company has "grown through acquisitions and has 100 manufacturing facilities in some 70 countries, with revenue of $4.4bn in 2017". Elsewhere on the list, Kylie Jenner was named the Read More: Kylie Jenner The cosmetics entrepreneur and reality star has broken into the Forbes billionaires' list at the age of just 21. Sitting at the top of the list is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with a value of $131bn (116bn). Bezos tops the list for the second year in a row followed by Bill Gates ($96.5bn [85.36]). US President Donald Trump also features on the list, with a net worth of $3.1bn (2.74bn). Trump became the first billionaire president in January 2017 and comes into the list at joint-715 - up from being the 766th-richest person in the world last year. Find the full Forbes billionaires' list here. Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a Liberal Climate Action Rally in Toronto, Monday, March 4, 2019. UPDATE 11:38 a.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hunkering down in Ottawa after the second resignation from his cabinet in less than a month over the government's handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair. He has cancelled a planned visit to Regina today, where he had been scheduled to attend an afternoon event to promote his government's plan to battle climate change and a Liberal fundraiser in the evening. Trudeau did take part this morning in an armchair discussion at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto before returning to Ottawa for what his office says are "private meetings." The prime minister's urge to stay close to home comes one day after Treasury Board president Jane Philpott quit cabinet, saying she no longer had confidence in the government's handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair. Her departure was less than a month after former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned over what she has described as improper pressure on her to halt the criminal prosecution of the Montreal engineering and construction giant. Wilson-Raybould testified last week that she was relentlessly pressured and even received veiled threats from Trudeau, his senior staff, the clerk of the Privy Council and Finance Minister Bill Morneau's office to ensure a remediation agreement was negotiated with the company. A remediation agreement is a kind of plea bargain that would force the company to pay stiff penalties but avoid a criminal conviction that could financially cripple it. She told the House of Commons justice committee that she believes the pressure was inappropriate but not illegal. Trudeau has tried to maintain business as usual since the controversy erupted a month ago. But at public events he's been dogged by questions about the SNC-Lavalin affair. He now appears to have decided to keep a low profile at least until after his former principal secretary, Gerald Butts, testifies at the justice committee on Wednesday. Liberals are hoping Butts, a long-time friend of Trudeau's, will finally provide another side to the story that will help the government defend itself against accusations of political interference in the justice system. Butts resigned from Trudeau's office last month, insisting neither he nor anyone else had done anything wrong but saying he didn't want to be a distraction to the government's work. His letter of resignation suggested that he'd be freer to defend his reputation from outside the Prime Minister's Office. After Wilson-Raybould's testimony last week, Butts asked to appear before the justice committee, where he said he would "produce relevant documents." ORIGINAL 6:07 a.m. A scheduled visit by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Regina has been cancelled. Eleanore Catenaro, a spokeswoman for Trudeau, confirmed to The Canadian Press this morning that the prime minister is going to return to Ottawa for private meetings. Trudeau was scheduled to appear at a Canadian Tire store to speak about climate incentive rebates. He was also to deliver remarks at a Liberal Party of Canada fundraiser this evening. His cancellation comes one day after Treasury Board president Jane Philpott resigned from cabinet amidst accusations of political interference in the SNC-Lavalin scandal. Almost 100 OPW properties are lying vacant but only nine have been deemed suitable for social housing. A further 15 properties are being considered by local authorities for possible social housing use, with seven of those buildings, and one site in Co Cork. And the OPW has confirmed that of the 96 buildings which are currently vacant, more than half (51) are Garda stations which were closed under policing plans drawn up in 2012. Of the 51 vacant station buildings, six were identified in an interim report of the Policing Authority for re-opening: Ballinspittle in Cork; Bawnboy in Cavan; Donard in Wicklow; Leighlinbridge in Carlow; and in Rush and Stepaside, Dublin. Minister of state Patrick ODonovan said: A further review by the Garda Inspectorate was published in December 2018. The OPW will be engaging with An Garda Siochana on the outcome of the review. Of the remaining 45 properties that are vacant at present, a number are in the process of being transferred to local authorities, being considered or prepared for disposal, under consideration for community use or being retained for alternative State use. The details emerged on foot of a question from Cork Fine Gael Senator Colm Burke after he received reports that a house in Blarney, Co Cork, which had been for the use of gardai based in the village, has been vacant for almost 20 years. The OPW disputed this and said a retired member occupied the property until June 2012 but said it was five years, August 2017, before the property was offered to Cork County Council, which indicated a month later that it did not want to buy it. The contracts for sale for the property are ready and this property, along with a number of other surplus properties and sites will be disposed of in 2019, said Mr ODononvan. Mr Burke said it is important that the OPW audits its properties regularly to ensure that where vacant properties are deemed suitable for residential use they can be used quickly. The OPW manages more than 2,500 properties on behalf of the State, including offices, heritage properties, visitor centres, warehouses, Garda stations and others. Mr ODonovan said while most are not suited to residential use, the OPW has provided information to the various housing agencies about its non-operational, vacant properties. This process has, over the last two years, identified nine properties as being feasible for adaptation for residential use, including eight units in Dublin city that were transferred to the city council for use by the Peter McVerry Trust, and a property in Crumlin that is now licensed for use as a family hub. A further 15 properties are being considered, including seven and one site which are under consideration by Cork County Council; five properties under consideration by Tipperary County Council; and three properties under consideration by Limerick City and County Council. Prison officers made more than 1,100 drug seizures in Irish prisons last year as part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on contraband. New figures released by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) under FoI show that despite security nets, sniffer dogs, and enhanced CCTV, the level of contraband flowing through Irish prisons continues to increase. In recent years, the IPS has installed security nets to prevent contraband being thrown over walls. It has also increased CCTV monitoring and introduced airport-style scanners and X-ray machines to improve detection. However, amid these efforts, there were 1,138 drug seizures last year, more than three each day. It is an increase from 1,018 in 2017. Wheatfield Prison had the most seizures of any prison at 403, while there were 221 in Mountjoy and 155 in Cloverhill. The Prison Service clarified that it is not in a position to state if any of these items are illegal drugs as no testing is conducted on substances found within the prison. It added that the figures include items recovered from sources other than the prison population, including security nets and visitors. Similarly, there have been increases in the number of mobile phones and weapons seizures. There were 962 phones confiscated from prisoners in Irish prisons last year, an increase from 872 in 2017. It included 224 in Wheatfield and 296 in Mountjoy, as well as 55 in Cork. Weapon seizures also increased, with 664 weapons confiscated last year. In 2017, this was just 557. During searches, prison officers also secured approximately 756 pints of homemade alcohol, or hooch. The potent homebrew is left to ferment in cells having been made from basic ingredients, like fruit or bread. The largest quantity of hooch was seized at Castlerea prison in Co Roscommon, where 301 pints were confiscated by prison officers. Some 107 pints were confiscated in Cork Prison, with 192 pints seized in Mountjoy. Responding to the figures, a spokesperson for the IPS said that they recognise that constant improvements are required in tackling the flow of contraband. Preventing the access of contraband into prisons remains a high priority for the IPS, said the spokesperson. Concerted efforts are made on a continuous basis to prevent the flow of drugs into our prisons by, for example, the installation of nets over exercise yards, vigilant observation of prisoners by staff, enhanced CCTV monitoring, the stricter control of visits, and the use of targeted and random cell searches on a daily basis. As well as this, the introduction of passive and active drug detection dogs and the installation of airport-style security including scanners and X-ray machines has helped efforts to tackle the problem. Random searches of cells and their occupants have uncovered significant quantities of contraband in recent years. The IPS has also introduced a free confidential phone line for prisoners, visitors, staff, or the public to pass on information about the trafficking of prohibited items into prisons. Irish people have a more positive image of the European Union than any other member state. They are also the most optimistic about the EU's future, according to the latest annual Eurobarometer report for Ireland, released by the European Commission Representation in Ireland. Only one in four people believe that Ireland would be better off outside the EU. Compared to other member states, the report finds that Irish people have the most positive image of the EU (64%); are the most satisfied with how democracy works in the EU (75%); and are the most optimistic about the EU's future (86%). Commenting on the report, Gerry Kiely, head of the European Commission representation in Ireland said: "Today's report captures Ireland's strong support for the European Union. This is fully reciprocated, as is evident from the European Union's unwavering support for Irish interests in the Brexit negotiations. Mr Kiely added that, with the European Parliament elections looming in May, he hoped that Irish support for the European Union will translate into a healthy voter turnout. Young people in Ireland have a poor record in voting in the European elections. Everyone should have a say on who will influence their future by getting out and voting, he said. The report finds: 85% of Irish citizens feel a sense of EU citizenship, behind Luxembourg (89%) and Germany (86%), and above the EU average of 71%. Irish people are the most satisfied with how democracy works in the EU, with 75% expressing satisfaction. This is substantially above the EU average of 50%. At 76%, Ireland has the highest proportion of people in any member state feeling that their interests are well taken account of in the EU. This is an increase of 17 points in the past two years and coincides with the negotiations between the EU and the British government on Brexit. This score represents the highest proportion of Irish citizens feeling this way since this data was first collected in 2007. Sheep farmers in the Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth say their flocks have been under siege from dog attacks in recent months. More than 50 sheep have been killed in the area since the start of the year. IFA national sheep chairman Sean Dennehy has accused dog owners who allow their pets to roam without restriction of acting in a reckless, selfish manner. He said many dog owners simply do not take responsibility for their pets and that farmers are suffering the consequences. Marauding dogs are a nationwide problem for sheep farmers, but flock owners in the Cooley Peninsula have been under siege from dog attacks, he said. In this blackspot, over 50 sheep have been killed and many more injured since the beginning of the year. In 2018, there were 18 attacks reported to the dog warden service in Co Louth and 31 dogs were seized in the Cooley region alone. Dog owners can be held responsible for any losses from attacks on sheep, with serious financial and legal consequences. Farmers have a right to protect their sheep flock and can shoot a dog worrying, or about to worry, their flock. IFA statistics indicate that there are about 300 to 400 attacks each year, with 3,000 to 4,000 sheep injured and killed. Data shows an average of 11 sheep killed or injured per attack. The IFA has revised its protocols to help farmers who encounter a dog attack. Mr Dennehy said many simply do not know what to do. The protocol deals with basic questions, such as who to contact. It also sets out how to keep a full record of the attack, which can be used as evidence at a later stage. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has insisted Ireland is being flexible in its attempts to help Britain out of a Brexit crisis of its own creation with just one week to go before a crucial House of Commons vote on the existing EU deal. Mr Varadkar made the comments ahead of an informal meeting of the Cabinet at Farmleigh House last night to discuss the latest Brexit developments. Speaking to reporters alongside Lithuanian prime minister Saulius Skvernelis in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said that while he is willing to offer further clarifications and assurances on the backstop, Ireland has already made significant attempts to resolve the issue. Asked about what will happen next and if Ireland is prepared to offer any further concessions to help British prime minister Theresa May, the Taoiseach said: Ireland has been very flexible and very reasonable all along to help the UK deal with problems that are largely of their own creation. I am happy to offer further clarifications and assurances to help them get it over the line. Mr Varadkars comments come just one week before Ms May will ask the House of Commons to vote next Tuesday on whether to back the EU deal or to reject it. If, as is widely expected, the deal is rejected, MPs will be asked the following day to vote to rule out a no-deal, crash-out Brexit, with any vote ruling out this possibility leading to a third vote on Thursday week on whether to extend the EU-UK March 29 divorce date. The permutations are understood to have been discussed in depth by ministers here during a rare informal meeting of Cabinet at Farmleigh House last night. The Irish Examiner understands the meeting, which was chaired by Mr Varadkar and involved detailed briefings from Tanaiste Simon Coveney, focused on informing all ministers of the latest developments in Irelands Brexit preparedness and events in Britain in recent days. The meeting was also used to emphasise to ministers the need to press home Irelands message during St Patricks Day visits abroad that it is not leaving the EU and will be the only English-speaking member of the political bloc. Mr Coveney, who is due to bring a more detailed Brexit memo to the weekly Cabinet meeting this morning, will also take part in a special London event later this week focusing on the historical and cultural connections between Ireland and Britain which will be attended by stars from the arts, sports, academia, media, and business. Meanwhile, the British governments attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, will travel to Brussels today to meet with the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, over the backstop and other matters. It is expected that Mr Cox will also discuss the feasibility and potential length of any proposed Brexit extension, should the House of Commons seek it in a possible vote on Thursday week. The Taoiseach has told the Dail that he has no control over garda checkpoints after being asked to reduce the number of roadside checks around the country. Criticising the Road Traffic Act which imposes new penalties on drink drivers, Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae claimed there are now too many garda checkpoints. "Will the Taoiseach reduce the level of checkpoints, seeing as it was this Government that put them in place, and will this Government reverse this Act in the light of the anger, frustration and hardship that has been imposed on the people of rural Ireland at this time?" the Kerry TD asked. However, Mr Varadkar said it was important to point out that it is the gardai and the Garda Commissioner who make decisions on the frequency and location of checkpoints. "There are no Ministers ordering checkpoints anywhere, I can guarantee that." He added that there is a degree of misunderstanding on the new law and said while the penalties have changed the limits have not. Meanwhile, Mr Varadkar said he is "inspired and enthused" by the fact that Irish children are taking an interest in climate action and said he would be supporting young people from across the country who plan to strike next week as part of a global climate-change protest. School children are to hold a one-day strike on March 15, to highlight a lack of action by adults on climate issues. "They are children, pupils and students telling all the adults in all parties to get our act together and to do more about climate change because it is their future that is in jeopardy. That is why I support what they are doing and why we all must listen to what they are saying." However, Mr Varadkar hit out at Paul Murphy and the Solidarity-PBP grouping claiming they are "climate tax deniers and who deny the fact that a carbon tax or climate charge must be part of the solution to climate change". He said carbon taxes would be part of the solution. But Mr Murphy said using climate change as a "green-washing exercise" to try to introduce more regressive taxation "will not wash" with the public. Independent TD Michael Harty accused the Government of a "lack of meaningful health reform" and called for a separate budget to roll-out the 10-year Slaintecare strategy. Photo: Contributed An opinion piece in a Calgary newspaper has sparked a serious conversation about inter-provincial relations. The opinion piece in the Calgary Herald published March 2, urges Albertans to boycott holier-than-thou British Columbia in favour of charismatic and enchanting Newfoundland and Labrador. Many self-righteous B.C. green devotees see Albertans as rapacious oil industry intruders out to destroy their pristine and innocent province, columnist Will Verboven wrote. Verboven is referencing the ongoing political spat between British Columbia and Alberta over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. CTV News is reporting that the piece goes as far as to call the B.C. duplicitous and stoking anti-Alberta attitudes while Alberta contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the B.C. economy. (I)n turn they bite the hand that feeds them, Verboven continued. Theres a world of difference between the delightful folks of Newfoundland and many of the reactionary denizens of B.C. who at times have a palatable disdain, if not prejudice, against people from Alberta. -with files from CTV News Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned oddballs who shut down the Department of Health after sending white powder to Simon Harris not to come after the staff and families of politicians by putting their safety at risk. Mr Varadkar warned rogue protesters to back off in their attacks after the incident yesterday, saying: If you want to come after us, come after us, but dont come after our staff and our families. Just before 12 midday yesterday, workers at the Department of Healths offices on Baggot St, central Dublin, were forced to evacuate the building after an envelope addressed to Mr Harris was found to contain suspicious white powder. The package which did not include any note was later confirmed to contain baking powder. However, the security scare shut the department down for three hours, with at least eight fire brigade vehicles, hazardous material team units, and the army bomb squad rushed to the scene, as well as gardai erecting a 100m cordon around the site. The incident was the second time in a month Mr Harris has been targeted by unknown rogue protesters, following an unrelated protest outside his Co Wicklow home last month. Asked about the incident yesterday, Mr Varadkar said it is deeply worrying that politicians staff and families are being increasingly put at risk due to rogue protests. My particular concerns would be for the staff in the Department of Health who opened the mail. I am not sure what sort of oddballs send suspicious packages in the post, but they should be well aware that its not the politician thats going to be opening the mail. Its somebody doing a normal job, it could be a receptionist, it could be a security guard, it could be a clerical officer or somebody working on a constituency team. If you want to come after us, come after us, but dont come after our staff and our families. Fianna Fails Housing spokesperson Darragh OBrien is calling on the Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy to clarify the position of the government-backed mortgage scheme which has allegedly been put on hold because it has run out of funding. According to RTE Radios Morning Ireland, which had access to an internal document from the Department of Housing, released under Freedom of Information, further approvals are not currently being issued for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan. The briefing note, which was provided to the RTE press office, said the department "has been advised that no further approvals should issue for now". The note added that demand had far exceeded expectations and a review is under way. The Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan was designed to allow first-time buyers to borrow up to 90% of a property's value from their local authority. Mr OBrien said the Minister needs to give certainty to the people who have applied, who meet the criteria, but have not yet been approved for the loan. Clarification is needed. If the money has run out then what is the Minister going to do about it? This is about planning. The fact that the issue had come to light through a Freedom of Information request was a cause for concern, he added. Thats not how business in the Dail should be done. Surely the Dail and the Housing Committee should have been told. He said that first time buyers were being left waiting on the hook and asked was the Department trying to cover up this issue. The proper response for the Government should be to provide more affordable housing on State land. We need more supply and thats not going to be fixed with low-interest loans. Mr OBrien asked why did we have to find out this way? Of course, the service was going to be oversubscribed. Why was this left to the last minute? The Minister needs to clarify what he is going to do. He said that the Department of Housing should have been monitoring the level of applications for the scheme which had a fund of 200million which was to be disbursed over three years. However, he said he understood that 107million has been allocated to date. I dont know how many have been approved and are still waiting to get their loans. The Department should have made projections when they saw the level of applications last June. No scheme should have a blank cheque. Who is responsible for monitoring this scheme? The Department of Housing should have been planned properly with projections. Were asking for transparency on this process, to let people know if they are going to get their loan. This is a very serious issue. Questions need to be answered. The Minister needs to give certainty to people who have applied. Keira Knightley tells Gemma Humphreys about her latest role in a little-known tale of post-war civilian life in Germany. THERE is a particular character trait that Keira Knightley looks to play out on screen. I like a bit of anger, she enthuses. Love it! It is certainly something her two latest roles have in common; as a French literary icon in Colette, and now The Aftermath, in which she plays bereaved mother Rachael Morgan, who arrives in the ruins of Hamburg following the Second World War to be reunited with her husband. I mean, rage is always in my work a little bit, the Teddington-born actress, 33, known for films such as Pirates Of The Caribbean, Pride And Prejudice and Atonement, elaborates. I do like exploring female rage, you know? Im interested in it in myself, in my friends. Im like, Its very much there and I think it comes out in interesting directions. The Aftermath is based on the novel by Rhidian Brook and follows Rachael and her husband Lewis, a British colonel charged with rebuilding the shattered city, as they set off for their new home. But Lewis (played by Jason Clarke) has made a decision that stuns Rachael: they will be living with the previous owners of the grand house, a German widower (Alexander Skarsgard) and his troubled daughter. The film explores grief and and trying to reconnect to a partner who is suddenly a stranger, notes Knightley. And I felt like that was something most adults can identify with. If youve had failed relationships or whatever, or youve had break-ups, there is that moment when you suddenly look at the person that you should know the best in the world, and theyre a stranger, and youre a stranger to them. Now, normally thats when we break apart. But in this, theyre trying to meet each other again and I thought that was kind of an extraordinary thing as well how do you do that? The background of The Aftermath is that when the war ended, Germany was divided among the British, the Americans, the Russians and the French, and together their mission was to help rebuild the nation. In Hamburg, Germanys second largest city after Berlin, there were scenes of devastation, after 100,000 people were killed following a five-day bombing raid by the Allied forces in 1943. And millions of German citizens were either homeless or without food, fuel, or other necessities when the British arrived (the native population was barred from having any involvement in running their own affairs). This film allows for a very different view of post-war life from the one were used to seeing on screen, suggests an expressive Knightley, who is articulate as she reflects on several questions the film raised for her. I think the brunt of most conflicts, the civilians take it, elaborates the star, whose first major acting role came about in 2002 comedy drama Bend It Like Beckham. And we very often dont look at the civilian casualties, we dont look at the toll it would have taken on those civilians. I was really interested in that, and theres lots of shots where you go through the rubble of Hamburg, where you see the women in the rubble, picking up the pieces. And I thought that was a really interesting image as well, because of course, who are left behind? The women and children. She continues: So yeah, it touches on all of those things and again its interesting, you think about this period, you think about something very different; you dont go, It must have seemed post-apocalyptic at the time, how on earth do you even start to rebuild a society, literally rebuild cities, and rebuild yourself? It is unsurprising to hear Knightley affirm that, after reading the script by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, this was a story that she simply couldnt get out of her head. It was a period she was very unaware of before, even though she has studied the Second World War and has starred in (and seen) many films featuring the war. I didnt know that the English occupied parts of Germany after the war. Id never really thought about what that must have been like; Id never thought about, How do you go, five months after literally trying to kill each other for the previous six years, and suddenly try and see your enemy as a human being again? How does that work? And also the amount of loss that that generation suffered; I mean, its a very obvious thing to say but I should imagine that there werent very many people who werent touched in a very direct way by loss. And how do you continue with your life, how do you rebuild your life after that? As you have likely gathered by now, The Aftermath is a tearjerker. There is the focus on Rachaels strained marriage to Lewis, and how grief gives way to passion and betrayal in the charged atmosphere they are living in. But it is also about the couple having lost a child during the war; a universal theme of how you have to try to repair yourself, to move on with life. How difficult was it for Knightley, a mother-of-one, to contemplate what parental grief must feel like? I didnt do it in that way, I couldnt do in that way, confides the actress who has a three-year-old daughter with her musician husband, James Righton (the couple married in 2013). I felt incredibly empathetic to this character. I think theres various things that she does which are not exactly likeable, but I completely understood where she was coming from. Research for the role included reading an article by a woman who had lost a child, in which she discussed how there is no name for it. If youre a child thats lost parents, youre an orphan; youre a widower or a widow, but theres no name in the English language for this because it is so horrific, and therefore what are you? That kind of idea, Are you still a mother if youve lost a child? is something that just, I mean, is the most horrific... she trails off. I think thats where this character sits, and how on earth do you continue your life after that? How on earth do you forgive yourself? How on earth do you forgive your partner? - The Aftermath is in cinemas now A cursory drive between Buttevant and Mallow showcased a side of Ireland we must tackle, writes Diarmaid Twomey. Patriotism, its a funny concept. Until very recently, I have always thought of it as a singular construct, a universally understood interpretation of ones love for their nation. As a people, we trade on being patriots; we claim to cherish our nation above all else. Our difficult history has shaped who we are and made us a proud people. We cherish our nation and are acutely aware of the enormous sacrifices our ancestors made. This awareness has made us value the very embodiment of Ireland, her soil, above all else. For it was this very soil, that absorbed the blood shed by our ancestors in the struggle for the liberty we enjoy today. Recently, I have begun to question the very notion of our patriotism, and our dedication to protecting the land those who went before us gave their lives for. Just last week, during a return drive from a work trip to Limerick, most specifically the journey between Buttevant and Mallow, I found myself pondering if our interpretation of patriotism is anything other than some form of vacuous identity we can use on the weekend and when abroad. Anyone who travels that road regularly will possibly know what it is that sparked such thoughts littering and fly tipping. It is hard to put into words how atypical artistic tools such as plastic and nonchalance have painted such a bleak a picture on that stretch of soil. Litter has laid waste to the land, and it now resembles nothing more than a carcass. It would be easy to blame this sickness on a small group of people in a specific corner of our nation. But the problem is endemic nationwide. The truth is plastic and litter is strangling the life from every corner of this land, and it is us, the proud people of Ireland, that are responsible for the destruction of the very land we claim to cherish. In truth, the littering and fly-tipping that are smothering our soil are symptomatic of a sick society. Ultimately it is akin to a society self-harming. Whether that self-harm comes from an inner hatred of ourselves or a disinterest in anything that doesnt involve our own narrow self-interest is potentially up for debate. Perhaps there is some truth in both. So where does this self-destructive mindset come from? I would argue that our economic system, and in particular neoliberalism, has a lot to answer for in this regard. We have adopted an economic model that increasingly disenfranchises citizens and identifies them as customers of the State, rather than stakeholders and social investors. Yes, individuals are responsible for their own behaviour when they discard their rubbish out a car window, but it is important that we try to understand that behaviour in order to curb it. Within an economic system that promotes self-enrichment above all else, it is inevitable that there will be many that do not succeed. I am not condoning the behaviour of people who litter and fly tip, but if youre programmed, via the State, to value your own financial amelioration above everything else, including the wider good, then their behaviour becomes somewhat more understandable, if not still deeply reprehensible. So what is the cure to this sickness? I think we have to view remediation through three paradigms. Firstly, the Government needs to re-evaluate its role in creating the social environment that has allowed this issue to become so endemic. A good place to start would be to take back public control of waste disposal; public waste disposal is something that works. I have seen it work gloriously in Brittany this past summer. Successive Irish governments have put ideology above the common good in privatising waste disposal. It is time they faced up to that reality. Secondly, as Irish citizens, and the educators of our children, we need to have a wider conversation about patriotism and our apparent love for our country. Blood was shed for our very existence; in ditches, on roads, and on strands that are now littered with the spoils of our consumerism. It is nothing short of shameful that we insult our forefathers sacrifices for the sake of our convenience. Finally, our children, this nations future; it is time that we acknowledge that our education system, as well as our own example, is having a detrimental effect on their futures. Sure, we teach some of them how to succeed in a land plundered by self-destructive ideologies and enrichment. Yet we are devoid of ideas on how to teach them the value of the soil, the air, and the water. Plastic litter may be the embodiment of a throwaway, consumerism-driven culture, but we must take personal, as well as social, responsibility for the environment that has allowed this disease to thrive. Contemporary Irish society must not look away from the reflection it faces in the mirror, but face up to the hardly recognisable, ugly truth of what peers back. Our brave ancestors and our trusting children demand so. YouTube has, yet again, failed to protect children online. Recent investigations by Wired and video blogger Matt Watson have alleged that paedophiles were using the sites comments section to leave predatory messages on videos containing and uploaded by children, and to share links to child sexual abuse material, writes Belinda Winder and Hany Farid. In response to the investigations and the threat of an advertiser boycott YouTube has now said it will disable comments on videos containing young children. But sadly, this is not an isolated incident. In January 2019 it was alleged that Microsofts Bing search engine was surfacing and suggesting child sexual abuse material. And these kind of incidents are repeats of similar problems that have occurred over the past five years. The reality is that the internet has a systemic problem with child sexual abuse material that isnt confined to niche sites or the dark web but hiding in plain sight among content hosted and controlled by the tech giants. We must do more to protect children online and this action has to go beyond tweaks to algorithms or turning off comments. In 2016, more than 57,000 web pages containing child sexual abuse images were tracked by the Internet Watch Foundation a UK-based body that identifies and removes such illegal content. This was an increase of 21% from the previous year. The US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 10m reports of child sexual abuse content in 2017, an increase of 22% from the previous 12 months. Its likely that these initiatives, while much needed, are identifying and removing only a small amount of the content that is distributed online every day. Images depicting child abuse that are posted online have a severe impact on these abused children for years or decades after the primary physical abuse has ended. Abused children have already been victimised, but research shows that the availability of their images online keeps the nightmare alive for the child, their family and friends. It can also significantly affect a victims interaction with the internet for the rest of their lives. Technology companies are uniquely positioned to act as guardians of the threshold by removing and reporting sexually explicit content that is uploaded onto their services. So why dont they do more to aggressively protect millions of children around the world? Even in the early days of the web, it was clear that services provided by technology companies were being used to spread child sexual abuse content. As early as 1995, the chatrooms of AOL an early incarnation of social media were allegedly used to share child abuse material. In response, AOL executives at the time claimed that they were doing their best to rein in abuses on their system but that their system was too large to manage. This is precisely the same excuse that we hear more than two decades later from the titans of tech. Between 2003 and 2008, despite repeated promises to act, major tech companies failed to develop or use technology that could find and remove illegal or harmful content, even though it violated their terms of service. Then in 2009, Microsoft worked with National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and a team at Dartmouth College that included one of us (Hany Farid) to develop the technology photoDNA. This software quickly finds and removes known instances of child sexual content as it is uploaded, and has been provided at no cost to technology companies participating in the initiative. After years of pressure, photoDNA is now used by many web services and networks. But technology firms have since failed to further innovate to respond to an increasingly sophisticated criminal underworld. For example, despite foreseeing the rise in child abuse videos, tech firms havent yet deployed systems that can identify offending footage like photoDNA can do for images. These companies need to act more quickly to block and remove illegal images, as well as responding to other activity that enables and encourages child exploitation. This means continually developing new technologies, but also fundamentally rethinking the perverse incentive of making money from user content, regardless of what that content actually is. Standing in the way of control However, a combination of financial, legal and philosophical issues stand in the way of tech firms reining in illegal activities on their services. In the first instance, removing content is in many cases simply bad for business because it reduces opportunities for advertising revenue and gathering user data (which can also be sold). Meanwhile, the law often absolves tech firms of responsibility for the content they host. In the US, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act gives tech firms broad immunity from prosecution for the illegal activities of their users. This immunity relies on categorising the likes of YouTube or Facebook as benign platforms as opposed to active publishers. The position in the EU is similar. Whats more, some tech companies believe that illegal activity is a state responsibility, rather than a corporate one. Given the size, wealth and reach of the tech giants, these excuses dont justify inaction. They need to pro-actively moderate content and remove illegal images that have been uploaded to their sites. They could and should help to inform research in this vital area of child safety, working with law enforcement and researchers to investigate and expose the scourge of online child abuse.fseveral Advertisers can put financial pressure to encourage sites to moderate and block illegal and abusive third-party content (as several companies have done following the latest failures on YouTube). But such boycotts rarely last. So if public pressure isnt enough then government regulation that forces companies to comply with their own terms of service and local laws may be necessary. This might be difficult to police. It may have unintended consequences, such as making it more difficult for small companies to compete with the current giants of technology. Or it may encourage companies to overreact and become overly restrictive about permissible content. In which case, we would prefer that technology companies harness their enormous wealth and resources and simply do the right thing. This article was written by Belinda Winder of Nottingham Trent University and Hany Farid of Dartmouth College and was originally published on The Conversation.This article is republished from theconversation.com under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. Hardly a week passes without a politician promising to confront the deepening influence of social media. Yesterday, Communications Minister Richard Bruton promised legislation to ensure children might be better protected online. Parents groups, teachers unions, medical and psychology experts and civic bodies insist on more robust protection. In Dublin yesterday, Julian King, the European commissioner for security, spoke of the need to secure the EUs democratic systems against cyber attacks before Mays European elections. These determined, high-minded expressions are occasionally echoed by executives of tech companies though the designation executive hardly seems to reflect the power these contemporary pharaohs have achieved. The sincerity of these interventions is not always beyond question either. It is an irony and a vulnerability that though we dont have any meaningful sanction over social media, traditional media are, according to press ombudsman Peter Feeney, engaging in self censorship to avoid the spectacular damages awarded in defamation cases. There is a Wild West free-for-all on social media but responsible, professional and honest media organisations are spancelled by libel laws that could result in jury awards that could close a business. This contrast would be laughable if it were not so very serious and dangerous. Mr Feeney warned that high defamation awards were threatening the future of newspapers and that Irish levels were way out of line. He questioned whether juries should decide damages, arguing this responsibility should rest with the judge. He also called for settlements to be cut to the European average. He also referred to enormous legal costs that discourage ordinary people from taking defamation action. Irish libel awards make those in other European countries seem no more than pocket money. In the Netherlands, awards average 1,000 to 5,000. In Sweden, 15,000 is regarded as a victory. There is a limit of 20,000 in Austria for most cases. In Malta, that ceiling is 11,646. The highest award ever in Portugal was 75,000 but that was ruled disproportionate by the European Court of Human Rights. Such awards, the court said, inevitably risked dissuading journalists from contributing to public debate on questions of general interest. Almost a decade ago, in legal circumstances that have been changed, a high court jury awarded 10m to a businessman. Though that was recently cut to 250,000, it is a multiple of European norms. In this context, it was indeed a brave editor who first published, say, allegations of child abuse against a churchman or of corruption against a politician. Unfortunately, Irish libel law, and more particularly, libel awards are a loaded dice occasionally defending the indefensible. A review of defamation laws is expected from the Department of Justice next month. It will cover the role of judge and jury and is expected to make recommendations on damages. That publication will be a seminal moment for the idea of transparency as a force for good in Irish life. It will either perpetuate an intimidating, imperfect system or accept that it is time to look each other in the eye and call a spade a spade. Burma Drugs Worth $4.6M Seized in Rakhine and Magwe The suspect and the vehicle from which the drugs were seized in Maungdaw Township on March 2, 2019. / CCDAC YANGONPolice seized more than 10 million methamphetamine tablets, commonly known by their street name, yaba, in Rakhine States Maungdaw Township and Magwes Ngape Township on Saturday, reported the Central Committee for Drug Abuse and Control (CCDAC). Police sized over 8.6 million WY-stamped tablets hidden under the floor of a vehicle parked by the road linking Maungdaw and Angumaw near Waithali Village in Maungdaw Township, and over 1.4 million from a vehicle in Ngape Township in Magwe Region heading to Rakhine State. We cant disclose information while we are looking for accomplices. We cant tell who is involved, said Police Col. Zaw Lin of the drugs squad. In the case of Maungdaw, police arrested a man who attempted to run away after spotting the police as he approached the vehicle on his motorbike. Police have opened a case against him under the Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substance Law, according to the report of the CCDAC. Rakhine State lawmaker for Maungdaw Township U Tun Hla Sein said, I heard [yaba pills] were being smuggled to Bangladesh. It is a common route to smuggle [drugs] to Bangladesh from Maungdaw. There is a long land border to the north of the town and some also use the sea route. Methamphetamine tablets can be bought easily at betel nut vendors in Maungdaw and there have been reported cases of high school students being arrested with methamphetamine tablets, said the lawmaker. Drugs made in other parts of the country are smuggled through Rakhine States Maungdaw into Bangladesh in cooperation with local drug gangs, he said. Drug barons also have arms to protect themselves. It is therefore dangerous for those who handle drug cases, he said. According to the report by Magwe Region Police Force, the vehicle carrying methamphetamine tablets was stopped at an inspection gate on Saturday night. The vehicle was en route from Yangon to Rakhine and police also detained three on board, including one person from Yangon and two from Maungdaw. The seizure is worth over 7 billion kyats ($4.6 million) on the market. Police have opened a case against the three under the Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substance Law. There have a number of massive drugs hauls in northern Rakhine State since 2017. Border Guard Bangladesh told the media in April 2017 that over one million WY-stamped tablets believed to be smuggled through northern Rakhine State were seized in Bangladesh. In June last year, the Malaysian Police Force published a map of the routes used for drug smuggling inside Myanmar. According to Malaysian police, there are 37 factories that produce methamphetamine tablets in Myanmar, all of them located in Shan State in areas controlled by ethnic armed groups and peoples militias overseen by Myanmars military. Burma Fire Guts Homes in Refugee Camp at Thailand-Myanmar Border Houses on fire at the Nu Po refugee camp in Thailands Tak Province on March 4, 2019. / Chitsanupong Sakunakong / Facebook YANGONA fire at the Nu Po refugee camp sheltering Myanmar refugees in Umphang District of Tak Province in Thailand destroyed at least 50 houses on Monday, according to refugees at the camp. When I first saw the fire, only two houses were on fire. But as the wind fueled the fire, many houses were gutted. Some houses had to be demolished before they caught fire. We still dont know the cause of the fire, said a refugee who witnessed the fire. Saw Robert Htwe, chairman of the Karen Refugee Committee, said on Monday that he could not yet confirm the extent of damage or injuries. I can tell nothing for the time being: we still dont know the details, he told The Irrawaddy. The camp, built in 1996, houses some 10,000 refugees from Myanmar. Most of them ethnic Karen who fled fighting between Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) and the Karen National Liberation Army in Karen State, according to The Border Consortium (TBC), the main provider of food, shelter and other forms of support to the refugees in camps in western Thailand. According to a report by the TBC, there are nine refugee and internally displaced person (IDP) camps along the Myanmar-Thai border, housing a total of around 100,000 refugees from Myanmar. Photo: Facebook Two sledders are missing from the Bouleau Lake area. UPDATE 10:49 a.m. RCMP are reporting the search for two missing sledders in the Bouleau Lake area has now concluded as they have been located safe and sound. ORIGINAL STORY Additional resources are being called in to try and locate two missing snowmobilers. Coralie Nairn, with Vernon Search and Rescue, said two men in their 30s were reported missing Monday evening after failing to return from a day of sledding in the Whiteman Creek-Beulah Lake area near Fintry on the west side of Okanagan Lake. A search for the men began at 9:30 p.m. Monday. Nairn said 10 searchers were out all night and a plane was over the area from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Today, two helicopters are in the air and when they go off station, another plane will be brought in to continue the search from above. Additional searchers from Salmon Arm, Kelowna and Kamloops are also heading to the area to assist VSAR members. The temperatures were cold enough we felt the urgency to put as many boots on the ground as we possibily could, said Nairn. That's normal for this kind of situation. According to Environment Canada, temperatures dropped to -17 C over night in the valley. Nairn said the men did not have sufficient equipment to spend a night outdoors in such frigid temperatures. They did have some equipment, but not as much as we would like, said Nairn, adding the men reportedly had avalanche beacons, but that has not been confirmed. If there is anybody in the area who saw them, if they could report to the RCMP or search head quarters, that would be wonderful. If they are out snowmobiling, if they could keep an eye out for them that would be wonderful, said Nairn. There are a lot of snowmobilers out there and it is a large area. Nairn said the area is a mix of steep terrain, rocky areas, clearcut areas with numerous trails and logging roads throughout the search area. Nairn said searchers also have to be cautious of avalanches and an avalanche assessment is being conducted this morning. A post on the Vernon and Area Community page said the men are riding a Polaris RMK pro and a newer black Arctic Cat 4 stroke. One rider is wearing orange snow pants and blue and black winter jacket. They were expected to be riding around Bouleau Lake. If anyone is familiar with the area and is able to help search, please let us know. Search and Rescue is on duty on as well. Any tips or sightings can call Michelle Goodwin at (778) 873-8370. Burma Kachin Aid Group, Rebels to Discuss Plan to Bring Displaced Families Home A family dsplaced by fighting takes shelter at a camp in Laiza District, Kachin State, in January 2017. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy Mon State The Kachin Humanitarian Concern Committee (KHCC) says it will meet with rebel leaders for a second time on Thursday to discuss prospects for some of the thousands of families displaced by fighting in Kachin State to return home. The head of the KHCC, Rev. Samson, told The Irrawaddy that the Christian aid group will meet with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) at its headquarters in Laiza. More than 100,000 people have taken shelter at over 100 camps across the state since fighting between the KIO and Myanmar military broke out in 2011. Rev. Samson said the KHCC would present a list of villages it would like families to start returning to from the approximately 200 they have fled and ask the KIO to identify the ones that are safe. He said the KHCC would then propose those villages to the governments National Reconciliation and Peace Center and ask the U.N. for help bringing families back. We want them to return with dignity, Rev. Samson said. The KHCC held its first meeting with the rebel group to discuss the issue on Feb. 20, but did not have a complete list of villages it wanted families to start returning to at the time. The reverend said it was ready with the list this time around. At a meeting with the Kachin Baptist Convention last month, Myanmar military chief Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said the military would help returning the families and will cooperate with the KIO to clear landmines. The military helped return an initial group of 17 families to a village last month. One of the returnees was subsequently injured after stepping on a landmine in the area. The KHCC says it is critical that the military and KIO both agree on which villages families can return to so that they stay safe. The military and KIO have held several meetings in China in recent years but are yet to agree a ceasefire to replace the one that broke down in 2011, hampering efforts to return displaced families. Rev. Samson said the KHCC has divided the villages the families fled into three categories based on how safe or dangerous they are in order to help it decide which ones to focus on first. We do not think we can send all the [families] back at once. We need to wait and see the situation first. When we think it is safe for them to return, we will return them, he said. Col. Naw Bu, a spokesperson for the KIO, declined to comment. Burma Parliament Committee Favors Inclusive Constitutional Amendment A military representative holds a copy of the constitution as he speaks to fellow MPs during a parliament meeting in Naypyitaw in 2012. / Reuters YANGONThe Union Parliaments joint bill committee has suggested that the USDPs proposed amendment to Article 261 be examined as part of the broader review by the Charter-Amendment Panel tasked with examining the entire Constitution for amendments, to the disagreement of military lawmakers. The draft bill amending Article 261 was initially proposed in Parliament last month by members of the party formed of ex-generals and military representatives which led the government before the NLD took power in 2016, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), in an attempt to counter the ruling National League for Democracys (NLDs) efforts in amending the Constitution. The USDPs proposed bill only suggests amendments to a single article in the 2008 Constitution which as a whole has been widely criticized as undemocratic for its unpopular articles, especially those which grant the military privileged participation and a leadership role in Myanmars politics. If approved, the amended article would see regional chief ministers elected by local legislatures rather than appointed by the president. Meanwhile, the Charter Amendment Panelformed on the NLDs proposal to work on amending the military-drafted Constitutionhas also begun reviewing the charter chapter by chapter, starting with the 48 Basic Principles of the Union in Chapter 1. During Tuesdays parliamentary session, Brig-Gen Maung Maung and Gen. Than Soe took to their feet to show their disapproval of the suggestions proposed by the Parliaments joint bill committee. The two military appointees instead called for the draft bill to be discussed separately. The joint bill committee is made up of 15 Lower House lawmakers and 15 Upper House lawmakers who were recently tasked with scrutinizing the USDP and militarys suggested amendment to Article 261 and to submit its report with remarks to the Parliament. NLD lawmaker U Myat Nyana Soe, who is also a secretary of the joint bill committee, said that majority of committee members agreed with the suggestion to discuss changes to Article 261 in the Charter-Amendment Panel. But five members: two military representatives, two Rakhine lawmakers from the Arakan National Party (ANP) and one USDP lawmaker, disagreed with the suggestion when it was brought up during committee meetings. He said the committee believes that if Article 261 is amended, other related articles in the Constitution will also need to be reviewed for changes and if they are not, there will be contradictions right across the Constitution. A bill amending each article would then need to be submitted to Parliament several times in order to avoid contradictions with the amendments to Article 261, he added. He also said the proposed amendments to Article 261 would be discussed as part of the Charter-Amendment Panels review of the entire Constitution. The Charter-Amendment Panel is to report their findings to Parliament by July 17. It is also tasked with drafting an amendment bill based on the lawmakers discussions on its findings. It will be more systematic and suitable to discuss [the proposed amendments to Article 261] in the Charter-Amendment Panels review, the joint bill committees secretary said. The Parliament will vote on the committees suggestion in coming parliamentary sessions. [The committees suggestion] is against Parliament laws. We frequently say that the Parliament, which itself is making legislation, shouldnt go against the laws in such a way. The draft bill must be discussed in Parliament, Brig-Gen Maung Maung told the media after Tuesdays parliamentary session. Additional reporting by Htet Naing Zaw in Naypyitaw. Burma Top Leadership Changes Expected at Meeting of Ethnic Armed Group Alliance KNU Chairman Gen. Mutu Say Poe and General Secretary Padoh Saw Ta Doh Moo. / Karen National Union CHIANG MAI Delegates at a meeting of the 10 signatories to Myanmars Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) say the bloc of ethnic armed groups is likely to see changes to its top leadership this week. The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) is meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, today and tomorrow. Some of the delegates said the teams chairman and vice chairman Karen National Union (KNU) Chairman Gen. Mutu Say Poe and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) Chairman Yawd Serk, respectively were expected to step down. Sources close to the armed groups said KNU General Secretary Padoh Saw Ta Doh Moo would become the teams new chairman and that RCSS Deputy Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Pao Khay will become the next vice chairman. In his opening remarks at the meeting, Gen. Mutu Say Poe said changes to the PPST leadership were coming but did not specify when or to which positions. The KNU and RCSS will change the delegates to the PPST as necessary, he said, without elaborating. Gen. Mutu Say Poe said negotiations with the government and military on moving Myanmar toward a federal and democratic system that guaranteed ethnic minorities equality and self-determination had deviated from the path set out by the NCA. He called for an objective review of the implementation of the NCA to date and said the countrys ethnic armed groups might take different paths but all had their sights set on the same end goal a federal and democratic Myanmar. The general said this weeks meeting was aimed at finding a way to break the current stalemate in their peace talks with the government and military and urged the delegates to discuss the roadblocks facing them thoroughly. The delegates are reviewing the current peace process framework, discussing ways to make it more inclusive, and trying to reach a consensus on a timeframe for future talks with the government and military. World China's Defense Budget Rise to Outpace Economic Growth Target Military delegates leave the Great Hall of the People after a meeting ahead of National People's Congress (NPC), China's annual session of parliament, in Beijing, China on March 4, 2019. / REUTERS BEIJINGChinas 2019 defense spending will rise 7.5 percent from 2018, according to a budget report issued at the opening of the countrys annual meeting of parliament on Tuesday, a slower rate than last year but still outpacing the economic growth target. The defense spending figure, set at 1.19 trillion yuan ($177.49 billion), is closely watched worldwide for clues to Chinas strategic intentions as it develops new military capabilities, including stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and anti-satellite missiles. The 2019 defense spending increase comes as Chinas economic growth target for the year was set at 6.0 to 6.5 percent. Last year, defense spending was set to increase 8.1 percent, in 2017 was set at just 7 percent, and in 2016 it grew 7.6 percent. The five years before that had seen double-digit increases. China would speed up efforts to make innovations in defense-related science and technology and maintain absolute (Communist) Party leadership over the armed forces, Premier Li Keqiang told parliament. Chinas military build-up has unnerved its neighbors, particularly because of its increasing assertiveness in territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas and over Taiwan, a self-ruled territory Beijing claims as its own. A government spokesman on Monday said China would keep up a reasonable and appropriate increase in defense spending to satisfy its national security and military reforms. On its website, the official Peoples Liberation Army Daily said in a report on the defense budget that the armed forces would focus on supporting national defense and military reform and comprehensively promoting national defense and military modernization. Beijing does not provide a breakdown of its defense budget, leading neighbors and other military powers to complain that its lack of transparency has added to regional tensions. China has increased defense spending at a high rate for some time and Japan would like to see a high level of transparency in regard to its defense policy and militarization, the Japanese governments spokesman Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and at the same time will look to engage further with China in security dialogue in order to seek clarification. Substantial increase Chinas defense spending ranks as the worlds second largest, lagging behind the United States. By comparison, U.S. President Donald Trump has backed plans to request $750 billion from Congress for U.S. defense spending in 2019. But diplomats and military experts say Chinas defense numbers probably underestimate true military spending for the Peoples Liberation Army, the worlds largest armed forces, which are in the midst of an impressive modernization program overseen by President Xi Jinping. Sam Roggeveen, visiting fellow at the Strategic and Defense Studies Center at Australian National University, said the budget figure marked a substantial increase in the size of Chinas military. China has long maintained its military is for the defense of its borders but that definition has broadened over the years, Roggeveen said. The West will be very interested to see what the funds are used for, particularly if it used on assets that can project force over great distances. Chinas military has been particularly focused on democratic Taiwan recently and is nervous President Tsai Ing-wen wants to move the island towards a formal declaration of independence, a red line for China, which views Taiwan as its territory. Li said China will resolutely oppose and deter any separatist schemes or activities seeking Taiwan independence, and resolutely protect Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity. Tsai, who has repeatedly warned of the threat from Beijing, says she wants to maintain the status quo with China but will defend the islands security and democracy. China repeatedly claims that they wont give up annexing Taiwan by force, so we are always being very cautious, Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told parliament on Tuesday when asked by a lawmaker about the Chinese military threat. We are not afraid of a fight and we will not challenge [China, but we are ready to fight at all times. Commentary For U Shwe Mann, Enemies Lurk Everywhere Former Parliament Speaker U Shwe Mann arrives for a dinner reception at the Presidential Palace in Naypyitaw on March 30, 2016. / Reuters In politics, so the saying goes, there are no permanent enemies and no permanent friendsonly permanent interests. In Myanmar we have seen an unusual political alliance between State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and retired General U Shwe Mann evolve over the past six years. But that alliance is now showing cracks. Last week, Myanmars Union Parliament voted against extending the term of the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission, which is headed by U Shwe Mann, who is also a former Lower House speaker. The question is, who gave the order not to extend the commission? Executives of the ruling National League for Democracy, or Daw Aung San Suu Kyi herself? Some political observers in Naypyitaw said U Shwe Mann had been assured in advance that his commissions life would be extended, and was caught off guard when the NLD-dominated Parliament voted against it. The commission was formed on March 1, 2016 for a term of one year but faced fierce opposition from military representatives in Parliament, who said its work was unconstitutional. But the commission received solid backing from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of the NLD-led government. U Shwe Mann served as the third-highest-ranking official in the former military regime known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). As chief of the general staff (Army, Navy and Air Force), he was regarded as one of the most powerful men in the regime. But he has seen ups and downs since 2010. U Shwe Mann was reportedly expecting to be either president or commander-in-chief of the armed forces after the regime held a sham election in 2010, but did not attain either of these powerful positions. Senior-General Than Shwe, then chairman of the now defunct SPDC, chose the more humble and less politically ambitious U Thein Sein to be president. What was the reason? Did U Than Shwe fear U Shwe Mann would one day turn against him? Was he worried about the business interests of U Shwe Manns family? No one knows except the former strongman himself. U Shwe Mann won a Lower House seat in the 2010 general election representing the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and was elected to the position of Lower House Speaker. Military career and reform agenda As a military commander, U Shwe Mann earned the honorific title thura (he is also referred to as Thura Shwe Mann) for his campaign against Karen insurgents in the 1990s, which saw him rise steadily through the ranks. In 2008, he led a military delegation to visit Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, via Beijing. Gen. Thura Shwe Mann and his North Korean counterpart General Kim Gyok Sik signed a memorandum of understanding, the contents of which have never been confirmed. The visit was ordered by U Than Shwe for the purpose of studying military facilities and North Koreas nuclear reactor, as the strongman believed that Myanmar, sitting between China and India, was in need of nuclear weapons. A leaked U.S. cable stated, Like most Burmese field commanders, Shwe Mann utilized forced civilian porters, including women and children, on a massive scale during operations against Karen insurgents. But Washington removed him from its sanctions list when the U.S. and Myanmar repaired ties and restored diplomatic relations in 2012 and 2013, as then President U Thein Sein introduced political reforms and opened up the country. U Shwe Mann also received then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she first visited Burma in 2012. Clinton later recalled, [Thura Shwe Mann] said to me, Help us learn how to be a democratic congress, a Parliament. He went on to tell me that they were trying to teach themselves by watching old segments of The West Wing, she said. Clinton apparently responded to the general: I think we can do better than that, Mr. Speaker. In reality, however, U Shwe Mann was seen as being close to China. Like U Thein Sein, U Shwe Mann is seen as a reformer. Many former generals have demonstrated to the world that they support the reform agenda and many have been removed from Western sanctions lists. But we saw a new development in Myanmar politics when U Shwe Mann and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to the surprise of many, forged a political alliance. The two held meetings every week and became the focus of the media and political observers. In his second interview with The Irrawaddy in October 2013, U Shwe Mann said in his soft, measured voice, After I met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and many others in the democracy movement, I recalled the past with real empathy. He added that when he was still a top-ranking general, he kept his sympathy for the dissidents to himself, but knew in his heart that he didnt want to see them suffer undeserved punishment. Regarding Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, he said: I thought of her not just as a woman who had to endure hardship, but also as the daughter of our independence hero [General Aung San]. I was determined to help her when I had the chance. And not just herI wanted to see everyone treated fairly. At that time he was chairman of the then-ruling USDP. I am not a turncoat One could view this as an ambitious politician seeing the value in assisting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party in the 2015 election, foreseeing their imminent victory. But his alliance with her cost him heavily. He fell out with then President U Thein Sein and some ruling party leaders, who branded him a traitor. The battle between these two figures played out in dramatic fashion when security forces surrounded the headquarters of the USDP in the middle of the night in August 2015 in Naypyitaw, three months before the general election that year. U Shwe Mann and some senior USDP party members were purged, but he remained a party member and a lawmaker. U Ye Htut, then the information minister, said that U Shwe Mann had been sacked as ruling party chairman because he supported controversial bills in Parliament and had ties to rival party leaders. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi described U Shwe Manns purge as leader of the USDP as undemocratic. As for the happenings in the middle of the night, this is not what you expect from a working democracy, she said. Under the USDP banner, U Shwe Mann contested the general election in 2015 but lost his seat to an NLD candidate. But he remained a close ally of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and they have reportedly continued their weekly meetings in the intervening years. In 2016, he was appointed to head the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission of Myanmars Parliamenta powerful position, given the panels role as a legal review committee. The decisions to form the commission and appoint U Shwe Mann to lead it were made by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and not by her party executives. Soon after the NLDs landslide victory, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi went to meet former dictator U Than Shwe at his residence and U Shwe Mann accompanied her. This demonstrates that U Than Shwe continues to meet U Shwe Mann despite having officially retired in 2011. Not surprisingly, however, his appointment as head of the commission again saw U Shwe Mann branded a traitor. They were traitors, becoming turncoats although they were saying that cooperation was necessary for the sake of the country and [their] countrymen, writes U Soe Thane, who served as a minister under U Thein Sein, in his book Myanmars Transition & U Thein Sein: An Insiders Account. To which U Shwe Mann replied, I am not a turncoat. U Shwe Mann is not without enemiesin fact he seems to have many. The Myanmar militarys current commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and U Shwe Mann have strained relations. Army representatives have repeatedly opposed the extension of the Legal Affairs Commissions term. Some top NLD members, too, have been uneasy with the U Shwe Mann-Daw Aung San Suu Kyi political alliance. They simply dont trust him. Going further, some say the close association with U Shwe Mann has prevented the NLD-led government from forging better relations with the Army. President U Win Myints relations with U Shwe Mann are not warm; when he was in Parliament, U Win Myint, a former house speaker, showed his dislike for U Shwe Mann. So what was Daw Aung San Suu Kyi thinking all along? Party members were also reportedly uncomfortable with the fact that two of U Shwe Manns sons run several major businesses in Myanmar. Since U Shwe Mann served in the Army as a top-ranking general, U Aung Thet Mann and U Toe Naing Mann have been involved in the telecommunications, agriculture, natural gas, restaurant, property and other businesses and are considered to be among the countrys wealthiest people. This is not unusual in Myanmar, as many close relatives of top generals, aided by favorable treatment from government ministries, run businesses. The two sons have also developed close connections with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, but it is not known whether she was aware of the extent of their business empire (and even if she is not, she should be). But critics have been complaining to her about the Legal Affairs Commissions performance in Parliament, and some lawmakers might have felt that the commission had breached its mandate. New political party In February, U Shwe Mann applied to register a new political party, the Union Betterment Party, with the Union Election Commission. He said the party would work towards building a democratic federal union and promote economic development as a basic necessity for the development of the country along with systematic implementation of education, healthcare and culture; and the establishment of rule of law, stability, equality and peace. He added that the new party would seek a new constitution that is suitable for the country. Since then, speculation has been rife over how senior NLD leaders would react, and whether he would continue to head the commission. But he continued to hope that his commissions term would be renewed. In February, he said that the future of the commission would depend on negotiations between himself and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as it was formed based upon their bilateral agreement. Last weeks events are particularly interesting as U Shwe Mann had apparently been told that his commission would be preserved. Inside reports suggest he was planning to hand the leadership of the commission over to U Win Htein. Once considered to be among the closest confidantes of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the former Army officer and politician has lost influence in the party and the support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi due to internal power struggles. It seems U Shwe Mann and U Win Htein had a gentlemans agreement regarding the leadership of the commission. But according to one theory, as word spread that the commissions future had been entrusted to U Win Htein, party executives became alarmed and decided to pull the plug on the commission. Perhaps U Win Htein had made too many enemies inside and outside of the party. His opponents in the party seemed determined to prevent him from taking control, and showed him the door. So U Shwe Mann was surprised to learn that the vote on extending the commission was not in his favor, with only 20 lawmakers voting in favor of extending the commission, while 555 voted against with 10 abstentions. Does this mean the alliance between U Shwe Mann and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is over? Who made the final decision to vote against the commission? There has been much confusion, but the decision must have come from the top. Some party members who worked with U Shwe Mann grumbled, This is ugly there are better ways to end this commission. It is rumored that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Shwe Mann have continued to meet since the decision to abolish the commission. But it is certain that U Shwe Manns enemies, whether from the NLD or from other quarters, including Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, opened champagne bottles after the parliamentary vote. On This Day A Foundation for Chin-Bamar Friendship Then Information Minister Dee Dok U Ba Cho (center) attends the Chin-Bamar Friendship Conference in Htilin Township in 1947. On March 4-6, 1947, less than a month after the signing of the historic Panglong Agreement, the first ever friendship conference between Chin and Bamar leaders was held in Htilin Township, in the shadow of the Chin Hills. Organized by then Chin leader Wan Tu Mong, the three-day event was reportedly joined by more than 10,000 people eager to show their support for the Panglong Agreement. The participants vowed to fight together to end British rule, and to work for and share the fruits of nation building after independence. As a symbol of Chin-Bamar friendship, a monument was put up at the venue. General Aung San originally planned to attend the conference, but could not, so Information Minister Dee Dok U Ba Cho and Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League leaders attended the conference instead. Wan Tu Mong and other Chin leaders made their names serving as ministers after independence, and Vum Khaw Hau served as ambassador to France,Netherlands,Cambodia,Indonesia,Austria and Hungary. In the military arena, Captain Taik Chon in 1950 became the only Chin soldier so far to receive the Aung San Thuriya medalthe Myanmar Armed Forces highest and most prestigious award, bestowed for gallantry and bravery in the face of the enemy. Photo: Parks Canada Osoyoos council voted against supporting a request for a referendum on the creation of the South Okanagan National Park issue. MLA Linda Larson sent letters to Osoyoos and Oliver council asking members to send a letter of their own in support of her request to the federal government that voters have a say in the decision to put a national reserve in place. "My office has been deluged with phone calls and emails and I have been approached by many constituents asking for a referendum. A recent poll of residents in Oliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos and Cawston released in January showed 76 per cent of people are in support of a referendum on the issue," Larson wrote in her request. Oliver council agreed with Larson and wrote a letter requesting a referendum, but Osoyoos council was not convinced. "When I initially saw this on our agenda I was kind of supportive and I thought it might be a good idea to resolve an issue in our community," said Coun. CJ Rhodes. "After some sober second thought and kinda looking at it and thinking about it, I don't understand how a referendum could be held in our community when it's a federal matter." He added that he would need more information about how the referendum would be held and what exact question would be phrased before he felt comfortable supporting it. Couns. Jim King and Myers Bennett and also spoke against writing a letter, saying the Osoyoos council has historically supported a national park. Mayor Sue McKortoff agreed, citing the fact that last three councils she has been on have been pro-park and that Parks Canada is collecting voter opinions through other avenues. "I'd just like to point out that there is a great deal of information on this on the town website," McKortoff said. "And [Parks Canada] is continuing until the middle of March to receive information." She urged both those that support the park and those who don't to engage in the feedback period by sending a letter or filling in the online survey. Council voted to direct Mayor McKortoff let MLA Larson know they would not be contributing a letter of support for a referendum. Tuesday, March 5th, 2019 (3:07 pm) - Score 2,867 The state aid supported Fastershire project, which is working to extend superfast broadband services across Gloucestershire and Herefordshire in England, has announced that a revised full fibre (FTTP) roll-out plan from UK ISP partner Gigaclear could be approved and published by the end of this month. At present Gigaclear are responsible for a big chunk of the Fastershire contract, with Openreach (BT) holding another piece of the pie. However toward the end of last year it became clear that Gigaclears latest roll-out plan for an extension of their existing 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network had hit a spot of trouble due to unexpected delays (here). A similar situation was experienced in several other counties, such as Devon and Somerset, where the local authorities stated that the provider had suffered problems due to a lack of operational capacity, poor decision making within the ISP, slow deployment by contractors, a lack of detailed planning and a failure to redesign the build methodology. The situation, which partly stemmed from some of the challenges that the ISP had faced in scaling-up their operations in order to deliver on several new Broadband Delivery UK contracts, meant that a number of the start dates anticipated for certain communities have been missed. Gigaclear was eventually ordered to produce a new deployment plan, but the first revision was rejected at the start of this year (here). The good news is that another revision has now been received by the Fastershire team and if all goes well (the new plan has to go through their governance process and BDUK approval again) then it will be published via the Fastershire website address checker later in March, subject to approval. We spoke to the project team about this today and have a bit more detail to add. A Spokesperson for Fastershire (Herefordshire) told ISPreview.co.uk: A revised plan was received in mid-February and the timescale extension request is going through the councils governance process at present and thereafter (subject to approval) the newly adopted plan will be incorporated into the premise checker on the Fastershire website. It proposes pushing back completion to the end of 2021 with a handful in the January of the following year. The change will also see the inclusion of more premises into the contract so that more of our deep rural communities get the benefits of a full fibre connection. Our hope is that the new plan puts us back in a position where we can communicate progress on the build in a transparent, timely and accurate way thereafter. Fastershire appears to recognise that one of the biggest frustrations has been their current inability to tell people when were getting the new service. We find our local communities invariably understand the size of the task and can cope with delays but not the lack of communication, said the team. However its important to recognise that a lot of progress has already been made and the roll-out hasnt stopped. The project has been working with Gigaclear since 2015 and manages 5 contracts with them. The first of these in the Cotswolds is now complete and was delivered pretty much within the contractual time-scales, delivering a significant boost to full fibre coverage. The remaining 4 contracts are said to be at various degrees of completeness with North Gloucestershire at a relatively advanced stage of delivery. Gigaclear plan to dig c.4.5 million meters of fibre to reach the contracted premises and they have this month surpassed the 1.5 million mark. Nearly 16,000 premises in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire can access Gigaclear already, and there is said to have been tangible evidence of activity throughout this period. The delays are thus more about resetting expectations, given a significant proportion of the build has taken place and they now have a better understanding of the task and scale ahead. The delays are a disappointment but given the extreme sparsity of many of our areas and the quality of the end product its worth investing the extra time, said the spokesperson. March 5, 2019 POCATELLO The Idaho Museum of Natural History on the Idaho State University campus will honor Idaho State University Professor Charles (Chuck) Peterson with a Natural History Hero Award at the fourth annual Museum Masquerade Benefit on March 30. Peterson has dedicated his entire 40-plus year career studying reptile and amphibians in Idaho and the Intermountain West. In recent years, Peterson has employed iNaturalist and crowd source data/citizen science to both educate the public about reptiles and amphibians and to document their ever-shrinking distributions. He is a naturalist through and through. His passion is evident in his nature photography and when he talks about amphibians and reptiles. In addition, Peterson goes out of his way to introduce students to the diversity of wildlife in the West by taking his classes on field trips to Yellowstone, Zoo Idaho, the East Idaho Aquarium and the Utah Museum of Natural History. For most of his students, this is their first time visiting these places and they routinely note that it was one of the best parts of their class. The Museum Masquerade Benefit on March 30 will be held at the Phil Meador Toyota at 5:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit imnh.isu.edu. Proceeds will go towards creating a free-choice learning environment that provides children authentic experiences in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) and inspires a love of science and an appreciation for lifelong learning. The 2019 Museum Masquerade Benefit is sponsored by ON Semiconductor, Westmark Credit Union and Phil Meador Toyota. To become a sponsor please contact Terri Bergmeir, museum director of development, at 208-282-6168. The Idaho Museum of Natural History has been serving Idaho since 1934. To learn more about the museum, visit imnh.isu.edu or call 208-282-2451. Google's plans to expand its data centre network in the US will have to be complemented by an increase in the feature set of its cloud offering if it wants to grow its cloud market share, the head of a hybrid cloud management platform claims. Sash Sunkara, chief executive and co-founder of RackWare, told iTWire that Google was aiming at a bigger market share in the business space and this footprint was something that impressed business clients. Last month, Google said it was expanding its US data centre, spending US$13 billion on new data centres and office facilities in 2019. "If you go back in history, when IBM bought SoftLayer, it was, in part, for the technology, but mostly for SoftLayers large data centre footprint," Sunkara said. "Rather than buying a company with a footprint of that scale, Google is choosing to build. Thats their way of putting a big bet on the enterprise cloud market." But he said the question that big clients asked was not merely how many data centres a provider had. "Theyre asking larger questions like: How easily can I move my enterprise applications into Google Cloud? Can Google Cloud handle my storage architectures? Can it handle my networking architectures?'," he said. "They have specific enterprise requirements around what theyre doing, and they dont want to change the way theyre managing the resources in their IT resource pool." Sunkara said it would finally come down to whether Google had the enterprise feature set and support to pull in more business clients. "I still think Google will do more acquisitions to make their cloud more enterprise-friendly..., but this latest investment definitely escalates the cloud wars," he said. "Google will have to adjust to understand how enterprise data centres manage resources and their user community. More changes will be required in order for them to be truly competitive in the enterprise space." There were rumours that Google would be making more acquisitions and buying an enterprise sales force to grow faster. "Obviously, [Google Cloud chief executive] Thomas Kurian comes from an enterprise background, and thats one move. But data centre architects care about whether Google Cloud can handle their applications, and how much work they have to do to move those applications into their environment or manage them," Sunkara said. "Theyre not going to rewrite a bulk of their applications to be able to run in their cloud. A sales force is good, data centres are good, but its going to be the feature set of their cloud that will win the day - hopefully, theyre thinking about that." "Shannon's experience as a leader and his passion for the ecommerce space made him the perfect fit for this role at BigCommerce. He has a genuine interest in the ecommerce industry and where it's heading, and is a strong asset to our growing APAC business," said chief executive Brent Bellm. "I look forward to working with Shannon as we continue to expand our business, customers, employees and partners in the region." Ingrey joins BigCommerce from shipping platform Shippit, where he served as chief revenue officer. He previously spent nearly five years as Bronto Software's APAC general manager, covering the period when it was acquired by NetSuite and the subsequent acquisition of NetSuite by Oracle. Earlier in his career, Ingrey worked in the retail and franchising sectors. "I've watched the team at BigCommerce deliver a highly functional, truly open SaaS platform that rivals enterprise grade solutions over the past few years. The power of the platform, packaged specifically for mid-market and rapidly growing businesses, brings sophistication to this segment of the market that hasn't been seen before from any other platform," said Ingrey. "As the fastest growing e-commerce region in the world, the opportunity to shape BigCommerce's presence in APAC was one that I couldn't pass up." Photo: Contributed Greg Stevens Greg Stevens has joined the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce board of directors. The commercial account manager at TD Commercial Bank will hold the position of treasurer. Greg has considerable professional experience and a commitment to the community, and I know that he will be a tremendous addition to our board, said Diana Wilson, chamber president. Stevens is a graduate of the UBC Sauder School of Business, earning a post-graduate diploma in accounting. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta, and holds the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) and Certified International Wealth Manager (CIWM) designations. His volunteer activities include president and secretary/treasurer of the Ambleside/Dundarave Business Improvement Area in West Vancouver, finance committee member with the District of West Vancouver and director of the Rotary Club of Vancouver. Serving the community and advocating for businesses have always been a priority for me, and I look forward to being an active member of the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce team, said Stevens. Security outfit FireEye has detailed the operations of a cyber espionage campaign it claims to be of Chinese origin, targeting countries that are strategically important to Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative: Cambodia, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the US and the UK. In research presented at the ongoing RSA security conference, FireEye researchers Fred Plan, Nalani Fraser, Jacqueline OLeary, Vincent Cannon and Ben Read said they could say with a moderate level of confidence that the group behind the operation was APT40. A report from the threat intelligence firm Recorded Future in November outlined similar activities by a group it did not name, this time targeting an engineering company based in Britain. FireEye said China had seized a US Navy unmanned underwater vehicle in December 2016 and within months APT 40 was observed to be masquerading as a UUV manufacturer and targeting universities engaged in naval research. "That incident was one of many carried out to acquire advanced technology to support the development of Chinese naval capabilities," the researchers wrote. "We believe APT40s emphasis on maritime issues and naval technology ultimately support Chinas ambition to establish a blue-water navy." They said their reasoning for attribution was that APT40;s targeting was consistent with China's state interests and multiple technical artefacts indicated that the actor was based in China. Analysis of the times when the group was operational indicated that it was at China Standard Time (UTC +8). "In addition, multiple APT40 command and control domains were initially registered by China-based domain resellers and had Whois records with Chinese location information, suggesting a China based infrastructure procurement process," the researchers said. Additionally, they pointed out that APT40 had used multiple IP addresses located in China to conduct its operations. "In one instance, a log file recovered from an open indexed server revealed that an IP address (112.66.188.28) located in Hainan, China, had been used to administer the command and control node that was communicating with malware on victim machines. All of the logins to this C2 were from computers configured with Chinese language settings." FireEye has a write-up of its findings here. A company-wide approach to digital transformation is significantly more likely to deliver business success, yet more than half of Australian organisations are taking a fragmented, business unit led approach, according to newly published research. The research, undertaken by Telstra, found that 55% of Australian businesses take a fragmented approach to digital transformation driven by individual business departments. According to the report, this approach is leading to a major misalignment between digital transformation priorities and performance, as companies fail to deliver on plans to improve cyber security and customer experience. Globally, organisations with a whole-of-business digital transformation strategy conversely, are significantly more likely to be highly digitally mature (45%), make extremely good digital decisions (52%), and consider the impact of digital transformation decisions across the business (52%). The research delved into the parts of the digital transformation journey companies are struggling with the most with the start of a transformation journey identified as the greatest challenge for Australian companies. When rating their ability through seven stages of digital transformation decision-making, Australian businesses rated themselves weakest on having the right vision. Telstra Enterprise group executive Michael Ebeid said the report showed a clear opportunity for businesses to elevate and integrate their approach. Disruptive decision-making studies the challenges leaders face as they seek to make the right decisions on how to approach digital transformation, and ultimately drive growth for their company, Ebeid said. We found that there is significant opportunity for Australian organisations to better integrate digital transformation activity across all areas of business, but this needs to be led by a clear company strategy. Not having the right vision at the start of a digital transformation journey means there is no foundation for transformation teams to guide execution plans and determine success. This report provides helpful insight for any executive transforming or looking to transform his or her business. Researchers surveyed 3810 senior decision-makers from 12 industries in 14 markets around the world to uncover insights into strengths and weaknesses around digital transformation programs. The research found a quarter (26%) of Australian businesses invested more than US$1 million in digital transformation products and services over the past year, while 12% spent more than US$5 million each. Respondents indicated investment was set to increase, with 27% saying their companys total spend on digital transformation would grow by more than 10% in the next three years. But, the research found that more than a third of Australian organisations (37%), had barely begun their digital transformation journey, placing Australian businesses slightly behind their global counterparts (30%). Priorities and performance rankings are reversed, with one of the reports key findings showing a substantial gap between digital transformation priorities and performance. Australian organisations rated their top three digital transformation priorities as protecting digital assets from cyber threats, optimising technology to move faster, and delivering great, consistent customer experiences. When it came to decision-making performance, however, these priorities ranked among the lowest. While companies recognised the importance of agility as a top priority in the digital world, it ranked lowest of all 17 priorities. The lack of alignment between digital transformation performance and priorities such as security and agility, is symptomatic of the fact that Australian businesses are not taking the whole whole-of-business approach necessary to address these priorities, Ebeid said. According to him, Australian organisations are placing too much emphasis on technology alone as a differentiator for digital transformation decisions. When rating decision-making across four factors for success people, processes, technology understanding and partnerships Australian businesses ranked "technology understanding" as the area where they feel most confident. And two-thirds of Australian respondents felt their organisations made technology decisions well or extremely well". Ebeid said that while the understanding of technology and its performance was important, other factors were equally significant, and organisations that were highly digitally mature (15% in Australia, compared to 21% globally) showed greater focus on people and processes. There is a common misconception that technology alone is a silver bullet for digital transformation. Although investing in the right technology is essential, placing too much emphasis on this part of the digital transformation puzzle will be at the detriment of other factors for success and can act as a barrier to success, Ebeid said. Technology can have a profound impact on business, but it is only when people, processes and partnerships are brought together that true transformation be achieved. He said the benefits of a successful, leadership-led approach to digital transformation could not be understated. The impact is not only digital, but also on the bottom line. We know that because Australian organisations that show high digital maturity are much more likely to achieve increased profit margins (28%) than organisations that havent started their digital transformation journey (13%). These companies are clear on what digital transformation means for their organisation, they have empowered their people, strengthened their processes and identified their partners. Vulnerable people and those suffering extreme hardship can get immediate access to emergency welfare payments through Centrelink, after the agency moved to the new payments platform developed by the Reserve Bank of Australia. The platform allows money to be instantly transferred to an individual's account once a claim is processed. A statement from the Department of Human Services said it had been testing the system for six months, including during the Townsville floods where $2.2 million was paid as part of the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payments. Human Services Minister Michael Keenan said: "The Coalition is committed to ensuring our welfare system is properly equipped to support those experiencing severe hardship and this new platform will ensure help is always at hand, even outside normal banking hours or on public holidays. Previously, if you needed help late in the day or over the weekend, factors beyond my departments control could see several days pass before payments were processed by an individuals bank. That is no longer the case. This is also particularly good news for people in my home state of Western Australia where some banking services require transaction processing to be completed by 3:30pm AEST. Alphabet's Google's Chronicle's Backstory--yes, the shell game is a mouthful--wants to be the mega-SIEM to end all SIEMs that lets enterprises know all the things forever and search them in less than a second. Unlike other SIEMs that charge by data storage or usage, the new Backstory product is priced for unlimited data, Google told a press conference at its office in downtown San Francisco today. The company encourages full data retention forever--into the petabytes--thus enabling unlimited security telemetry. However, either you pay for a product or you are the product, the old saying goes, and it's clear that Google is hungry to consume enterprise security data for future profit-making ventures. How big is your log? Typical SIEMs cannot log more than a month or two of security data because of the sheer size of the data involved, limiting the insights security operations centers (SOCs) can extract from that data. As the Chronicle press release put it, "In a nutshell, [Chronicle is] the first global security data platform designed for a world that thinks in petabytes." Backstory is gunning for the on-premise security big data market, and the data it acquires from customers will be used to train better machine-learning models. Customers--"partners," in Googlespeak--store their security telemetry in a "private cloud instance." When CSO asked how private the cloud instances are, CEO Stephen Gillett said that Chronicle does have visibility into customers' cloud instances but said, "We don't share that with anybody." However, potential partners should be wary. Chronicle is subject to U.S. law, including subpoenas, lawful target warrants, as well as FISA warrants authorizing mass surveillance. One price to rule them all Enterprise SOCs are awash in data and struggle to make sense of it. There's not enough good security talent to analyze it all. Orchestration and automation are the future of the modern SOC. Given Google's vast resources of both cash and talent, it seems likely Backstory will gain traction quickly, and become a contender in the near future. Outsourcing your security telemetry to Chronicle, however, may be exposing your corporate secrets to the prying eyes of the U.S. government--a decision no enterprise should take lightly. As for the prie fixe? Gillett declined to publicly say but emphasize that Chronicle "wanted to remove obstacles to data access and storage over time." Today Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 76F. Winds light and variable. Tonight Clear skies. Low 52F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Mostly sunny during the morning followed by cloudy and windy conditions in the afternoon. High 71F. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. School of Music to Host the New Music Cafe BLOOMINGTON, Ill. The Illinois Wesleyan University School of Music will host the New Music Cafe, a program of recent concert music performed by IWU musicians, including a libretto written by Nancy Steele Brokaw 71 and performed by Michelle Vought, on Thursday, March 7 beginning at 8 p.m. in Presser Halls Westbrook Auditorium. The New Music Cafe is directed by the Fern Rosetta Sherff Professor of Music David Vayo, with Professor of Music Mario J. Pelusi as Conductor-in-Residence. The program will feature many performances by Illinois Wesleyan faculty and students. Among the musicians featured in the program are Adjunct Instructor and Accompanist in the School of Music Nancy Pounds and Vayo on piano, Professor of Music William West on alto flute, and Michelle Vought performing a libretto written by Nancy Steele Brokaw 71. The New Music Cafe program focuses on the most recent concert music compositions. The performance will feature Art of Agony: Percy Grainger by Robert Davidson, LHC for Saxophone Quartet and Bunun Fantasy for Alto Flute and Fixed Media by Roger Zare, Kavanaugh by Martha Horst, Cleopatra and the Plastic Surgeon by Danielle Fisher, and the world premiere of A Tale in Four Parts by Josef Tal. This program is presented as part of the IWU New Music Series to celebrate contemporary composers and their work. For more information, please contact the School of Music at (309) 556-3061. By Megan Baker 21 Student Research Explores Human Rights and Changing Climates March 4, 2019 Students and faculty at the conference discussed a series of topics relating to human rights and social justice issues BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Illinois Wesleyan Universitys seventh annual Human Rights Undergraduate Research Conference, held Feb. 15-17, invited students of all majors to present research tied to this years theme, Changing Climates and Human Rights Discourse. In conjunction with the Universitys 2018-19 intellectual theme Changing Climates, undergraduate students from Illinois Wesleyan and neighboring liberal arts institutions presented their research on human rights issues that have evolved given recent changes in environmental, political, social, cultural and religious climates. Changing climates can impact the lives of people around the world, as anthropology major Chaepter Negro 19 discovered through speaking with indigenous rice farmers in the Philippines as part of his 2018 summer internship with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). In his presentation Terrace Degradation and Heirloom Rice Preservation Initiatives in the Philippines: Varied Perspectives and Dwindling Time, Negro described the work of IRRIs Heirloom Rice Project and similar initiatives to halt degradation of rice terraces in the Cordillera Mountains in order to preserve heirloom rice varieties and the livelihoods of Cordilleran farmers. As part of his research, Negro interviewed several farmers about how terrace degradation has impacted their lives. Indigenous heirloom rice farming communities rely on the terraces as a source of farming land, income via tourism, and community/heritage engagement, Negro explained. I hope that my research gives the true owners of the rice terraces an opportunity to have their voices heard, as their cultural livelihood is so deeply tied to the survival of the terraces. Close by in Vietnam, Katherine Henebry 19 and other senior environmental studies majors witnessed the detrimental impact of climate change in Ho Chi Minh City, a rapidly-growing metropolis marred by air pollution and intense flooding. As part of their senior seminar work, the students created a feasible plan for establishing a more sustainable and inclusive transportation sector in the city, with the hopes of reducing traffic from thousands of motorbikes and improving accessibility for residents with mobility impairments. With the increase in environmental disasters as a result of global climate change, political science major Shakira Cruz-Gonzales 21 examined government responses in the aftermath of these disasters. In her presentation Education in Disaster Capitalism: Three Areas, Cruz-Gonzales focused her research on Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and Hurricane Maria in 2017. Cruz-Gonzales noted that in each scenario, the government pushed pro-corporate measures that allowed corporations to privatize housing and education to the publics detriment. This phenomenon, known as shock doctrine, resulted in loss of local jobs and dependence on government programs. In such times of crisis, one of the most immediate issues to address is food insecurity. However, the global food crisis of 2008 has required new innovations to reduce hunger, especially in developing nations. Zambian Breweries is one such initiative which Ann Crumbaugh 19, an international studies and political science double major, shared in Fueling the Brewery, Feeding the Poor: Cassava Commercialization and Food Insecurity in Rural Zambia. In an effort to minimize rural food insecurity in Zambias Luapula Province, the brewery takes cassava grown by local farmers as part of a value chain to feed its urban brewing plant. Crumbaughs research investigates if the project promotes dependency from smallholder farmers, if female farmers are adequately included in the project, if social protections are offered to community members who do not participate in the project, and other questions to determine if the projects model of rural development is effective. In addition to those in poverty, another vulnerable population in times of political change is children. In his presentation Child Soldiering and the Sierra Leone Civil War, economics and political science double major David Werner 21 explored the moral dilemmas surrounding child soldiers, who are both victims and perpetrators of violence. His research narrowed in on the difficulty of defining childhood, and how Western thinking about childhood may be culturally insensitive when attempting to create universal human rights for children. (Left to right) Nursing majors Anna Mitroszewska '21, Mimi Nguyen 21, Amanda Rogers 21, Rebecca Rochacz '21 and Jennipher Sanchez 21 delivered their presentation "Religious and Spiritual Diversity of Registered Nurses in the United States" As activists raise awareness of the need for cultural sensitivity in various fields, religious and spiritual diversity often goes overlooked. Nursing majors Jenny Ly 21, Anna Mitroszewska 21, Mimi Nguyen 21, Rebecca Rochacz 21, Amanda Rogers 21 and Jennipher Sanchez 21 hope that their research into religious and spiritual diversity of nurses in the United States can someday lead to more inclusive care for patients. After finding little to no pre-existing evidence on the subject, the students conducted a survey of registered nurses in Illinois in order to gain information on their religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, and how nurses implement religion and spirituality into their patient care. The students believe that conducting further surveys on a national scale can help identify gaps in nurses religious or spiritual diversity, so that nurses can receive training in how to best meet their patients needs. The Human Rights Undergraduate Research Workshop is an annual two-day event sponsored by the Center for Human Rights and Social Justice at Illinois Wesleyan University. For more information, please contact the centers director, Ben and Susan Rhodes Professor of Peace and Social Justice Irv Epstein at iepstein@iwu.edu. By Rachel McCarthy 21 Photo: @AbbyPoliceDept A police officer who was struck during a hit-and-run in Burnaby has been released from hospital and is recovering with family. Two officers were standing outside their vehicle on Monday when they were hit by a another vehicle and rushed to hospital. Abbotsford Police Departments Cpl. Aaron Courtney was one of the officers struck and has been an officer for 15 years and a 10-year member of the Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Services Unit. This was an extremely serious collision, which could have resulted in significant injury or the death of these officers, said Sgt. Judy Bird. We are relieved that the prognosis for both officers appears to be positive. The suspect vehicle involved has been found and the driver responsible is still being sought. CTV News reported that the vehicle involved was a white sedan with a new driver sign on the back. This incident has shaken the police community, and we are grateful for the publics overwhelming support, said Bird. Abbotsford police have not released the name of the other officer, but say he is still in hospital. We wish both officers a speedy recovery, said Bird. Anyone with dash-cam or CCTV footage is being asked to contact police at 604-646-9511. India chose to act as the "judge, jury and executioner" by attacking Pakistan after the Pulwama terrror attack, Pakistan's envoy to the US has said as he claimed that there is no "organised presence" of any terrorist group in his country. Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, sparking nation-wide outrage. After the attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. "Clearly India chose to act as judge, jury, and executioner. It followed up on this aggression by making ridiculous claims of having hit a so-called terrorist camp inside Pakistan and killing over 300 militants. These claims as you know, have been thoroughly debunked by neutral observers as well as by elements within India," ambassador Asad Majeed Khan claimed. Khan's remarks came as the US and other major powers mounted pressure on Islamabad to rein in terror groups operating on its soil. Responding to a question on the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, the new Pakistani ambassador told a Washington audience on Monday that the two nuclear-armed neighbours returned "from the brink at least for now". "I think, the situation is serious," he said. Appearing before the US Institute of Peace, a Congress-funded think-tank, Khan alleged that there was a "marked escalation on the line of control" as soon as pilot Abhinandan was released by Pakistan and handed over to India on Friday. While he reiterated that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement that the only way forward was dialogue and engagement, he gave no clear answer to India's concerns, which are supported by the international community, that Pakistan needs to take action against terrorist groups and end terror safe havens. "There is no organised presence of any terrorist group in Pakistan," Khan claimed. He accused India for the current crisis, claiming that such terrorism could be a result of actions by "rogue elements". "If you basically take a position that you are going to do this, this, this, this, if this, this, this happened, you are essentially leaving the entire situation hostage to one, two or a couple of individuals who may be rogue elements acting on their own, trying to basically, create a war like situation," he said. Khan said that within minutes of Pulwama incident, India spoke about incontrovertible evidence. "That evidence should have been presented," he said. Within minutes, the Indian government and the media went into an overdrive whipping up "war hysteria" against Pakistan, he alleged. "India paid no attention to the available evidence, all of which pointed to the indigenous origin of the attack," he said. While rejecting the Indian allegations, Prime Minister Khan offered India investigation and dialogue and promise to take action against anyone involved in the attack if India could provide credible and actionable intelligence, he said. Ambassador Khan claimed that on February 27, Pakistan struck six times inside Kashmir purposefully avoiding civilian casualties. "However, when two Indian aircraft violated our space, they were shot down. Our sole objective was to demonstrate that we had the right, will and capability to act in our self-defense. "We also made it clear that we do not wish to further escalate and are ready to give dialogue a chance to resolve issues like a responsible and mature democratic nation," he said. -PTI Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) An inmate in the national penitentiary has been placed in seclusion amid reports he is still running multimillion-peso drug operations and making video calls while in detention. Rustico Ygot is now in a preventive cell at the New Bilibid Prison after being linked to the P190-million shabu that was recovered from twin drug operations in Cebu province last March 3. He supposedly had Internet access enabling him to facilitate drug transactions from behind bars. READ: Police ops yield 190-M worth of shabu in Cebu Authorities found a mobile phone in Ygot's detention cell which will be subjected to forensic investigation, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said Wednesday as it committed to probe the incident. BuCor Public Information Chief Sonny del Rosario stressed that security measures were in place but admitted there were no signal jammers at the maximum security compound. He said the BuCor, which supervises the Bilibid, lacked the budget to maintain the equipment. "Meron doong ikinabit noong araw diyan. Pero hindi na siya talaga gumagana ngayon as per information na nakarating. Kasi nga kinakailangan ng maintenance ng ganyang jammer pero hindi naman na-maintain," del Rosario said. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has also ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a probe on Ygot's supposed drug-dealing. Ygot, who hails from Daangbantayan, Cebu has been detained since 2012 for drug charges. On March 3, 28 kilos of shabu worth around P200 million were seized in Cebu drug raids and were traced to a certain Jocelyn Encila, identified as Yugot's partner. Authorities believe Ygot was talking to Encila through video calls, a screenshot of which was recovered by the police. Reports say that while in jail, Ygot can also view the house of Encina through multiple surveillance cameras installed in different parts of her house. CNN Philippines' Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report. Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on Rafale was an "insult" to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and its pilots. Referring to Modi's statement that the presence of Rafale fighter jets would have given greater firepower to the IAF during the February 27 aerial engagement with Pakistan, Mr Chavan said the PM was politicising the issue. The former Union minister said the PM's statement indicates India lost the "dogfight" with Pakistan. He cited a report in a leading US daily which talks about India''s "defeat" in the dogfight and raises questions about its "vintage" military. Mr Chavan said the international media is also raising certain questions about the February 26 air strikes inside Pakistan, but the Centre is unable to come out with answers. "The report in the international media and the prime minister's statement at the `India Today Conclave'' (on Rafale) is a confession that India faced defeat in the (dog) fight with Pakistan. "The statement made by PM is condemnable as it was an insult of IAF and its pilots," said Mr Chavan. He said the PM should stop politicising the issue and apologise for his remarks. The former Maharashtra chief minister said PM Modi, by making such statements, also implied that there was a delay in aircraft procurement during the rule of Congress-led UPA. "However, I would like to say that the delay had taken place in the three years of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and five years of the current Modi government," he said. He said during the UPA rule, it was the IAF which was at the centre of preparing service agreements. "There was a delay of one-and-a-half years after 2012 contract negotiations started as UPA was insisting that 108 Rafale aircraft should be made at Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL)," he said. "The Modi government delayed the process as they wanted to give offset contract of the Rafale deal to Ambani," he said. The Congress has been alleging that on the Modi government's insistence, French company Dassault, makers of Rafale, awarded an offset contract to Reliance Defence, a firm owned by industrialist Anil Ambani, overlooking state-owned HAL which has an expertise in aircraft manufacturing. The government has repeatedly denied the charge. Ambani, too, has rejected the Congress allegations and emphasised that the government had no role in Dassault picking up his company as a local partner. Talking about the Balakot air strike, he said the IAF successfully completed the task assigned to it. They (IAF) were given particular coordinates about the targets and they hit it on them using `Spice'' bomb but it seems that the ground intelligence failed about the presence of terrorists over there, he said. -PTI Summerville, SC (29483) Today Periods of rain. Thunder possible. Morning high of 65F with temps falling to near 55. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low near 40F. Winds light and variable. Malaysia has become a member of the International Criminal Court, a minister said Tuesday, in a boost for the beleaguered institution at a time it faces growing criticism. The ICC is the worlds only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling. But the tribunal in The Hague has come under fire over high-profile acquittals, while Burundi became the first country to quit the court in 2017 and the Philippines has announced its intention to withdraw. Malaysias new reform-minded government, which came to power last year, had vowed to join the ICC, and human resources minister M. Kula Segaran confirmed the country signed the tribunals founding treaty Monday. Malaysia becomes the 124th member of the court since its establishment in 2002. By joining the ICC, Kuala Lumpur can now play an important role in issues related to crimes against humanity, Segaran, who has long championed Malaysia becoming a member, told AFP. Foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah signed the ICC founding treaty after Malaysias cabinet approved the move, the foreign ministry confirmed in a statement late Monday. The ICC suffered a major setback in January when judges acquitted former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo over a wave of post-electoral violence, raising fresh questions about whether the court is fit for purpose. Burundis decision to withdraw came after the ICC chief prosecutor launched a preliminary probe in 2016 into possible crimes against humanity in the central African nation during a political crisis. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gave notice in March last year he was pulling out of the tribunals founding treaty after the court launched an investigation into his governments deadly drug war. jsm-sr/gle Malaysia Airlines A former top Lafarge executive on Tuesday said the charges against him of financing a terrorist group have been dropped by French prosecutors investigating the cement makers activities in Syria. The complex case revolves around the operations of French cement giant Lafarge in war-torn Syria between 2011 and 2015, before it merged with Swiss firm Holcim. In December 2017, Eric Olsen and two other former senior executives were charged with financing a terrorist organisation and endangering the lives of others. In a statement, Olsen who went on to become chief executive of LafargeHolcim in 2015 said the terror financing charge had been dropped. The second charge against him still stands. In June last year, Lafarge was charged with complicity in crimes against humanity and financing terrorists for paying millions to jihadists, including the Islamic State group, to keep its factory in Syria running, despite the war. The company, whose Syrian subsidiary paid the armed groups through middlemen, has also been charged with endangering the lives of former employees at the cement plant in Jalabiya, northern Syria. Lafarge is suspected of paying nearly 13 million euros ($16 million) to IS and other militant groups to keep the Jalabiya plant running long after other French companies had pulled out of Syria. Olsen was one of eight former executives charged with financing a terrorist group and/or endangering the lives of others over the companys activities in Syria. This decision clears my hame and will allow me to get back to my career the lifting of this indictment during an ongoing investigation is a rare court ruling, Olsen said. According to a source close to the case, Olsen has also challenged the second charge against him, arguing that he had no power to take any decisions in the region in question when the alleged offences were committed. An arrest warrant has also been issued for two other local intermediaries, Syrian tycoon Firas Tlass and a second man called Amro Taleb, in connection with the affair. Lafarge, which became LafargeHolcim after merging with the Swiss firm in 2015, said it would take legal action to get the charges dropped, insisting that the company as a whole was not responsible. The inquiry has raised questions about what exactly the French authorities knew about the cement makers dealings in Syria and whether it had turned a blind eye to it or even encouraged such activities in order to maintain its operations in Syria. mch/bl/jg/pg/hmw/boc LAFARGEHOLCIM Justice seemed to have dawned for the victims of Sudans Darfur region when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued two arrest warrants against the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Ten years later, the court is stuck with the case. What was hailed as a breakthrough of justice in March 2009 has become a liability for the court. The violence in Darfur is continuing. Bashir still travels. And, perhaps most crucially, the arrest warrants have divided ICC member states and damaged the reputation of the court. On 4 March 2009 the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, rape and torture. In July the following year Pre-Trial judges issued a new warrant with additional charges, including genocide. At the time, activists hoped the arrest warrants would isolate Bashir the first sitting head of state prosecuted by the ICC. In the last ten years, however, President Bashir has travelled to at least 33 countries who did not arrest him, including ICC State Parties like South Africa and Jordan. A weakening factor for the ICC Today, the arrest warrants seem from another era. They were issued at a time when support for the ICC was perhaps at its peak. A decade later, support for the ICC is at a low, international law is threatened, and multilateral cooperation is waning. The case has functioned as a catalyst for the anger of a number of governments, particularly in Africa. It strengthened their perception of unfair prosecutions of Africans and interference in internal affairs. The governments of Burundi, South Africa and the Gambia used the Bashir case to justify their intentions to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC. I dont think it was a mistake to prosecute Bashir, but the case has poisoned the waters with African countries, said Sudan expert and Senior Fellow at Harvard Universitys Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Eric Reeves. African states turned against the court in large part after the ICC decided to prosecute Bashir. The case highlights key challenges the court faces, such as the dependence on governments and the inability to secure the arrest of suspects. The longer the arrest warrants are out there, the weaker the ICC becomes, Reeves said. The situation in Sudan does damage the reputation of the ICC, agrees Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association. But it is not the courts fault. The Security Council, which referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC in 2006, would have the power to force governments to support the court. But the Security Council has done absolutely nothing to sanction non-cooperation, Ellis said. The result is that non-cooperative states are not sanctioned and, consequently, continue along the same belligerent path. A powerless Prosecutor For the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) this has serious repercussions. ICC investigators are barred from entering Sudan, have little political backing internationally and receive no financial support from the Security Council. So far, they went on 35 missions to 18 countries to collect evidence and speak to witnesses, an official report states. Last December Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the Security Council that significant progress was achieved by the Darfur investigation team and that new evidence had been collected in 2018. However, the investigative progress cant hide the fact that without the cooperation of governments, there will be no trial. Its very demoralising, said Reeves. The ICC stands or falls by its ability to prosecute Bashir. There is also a risk that the prosecutor builds yet another case on shaky grounds. After the former Congolese Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba and the former President of Cote dIvoire Laurent Gbagbo were acquitted, Bashir is the last remaining high-profile case before the ICC. The ICC stands or falls by its ability to prosecute Bashir, Reeves said. New Pressure At the national level, the situation hasnt become easier for the court either. In 2009, just minutes after the arrest warrants were announced, thousands of people took to the streets against the ICC and in support of Bashir. Since last December they march to demand his resignation, despite police bullets, tear gas and a de facto ban on demonstrations. Experts argue that Bashir, after 30 years in power, could be forced to quit soon. As Bashir is being pushed closer towards his resignation, the ICC arrest warrant has seemed to become a barrier rather than an opportunity. Pressure is mounting to freeze the case and allow him to step down, without having to face judges in The Hague. The International Crisis Group (ICG), an independent organisation providing conflict analysis, recommended repeatedly that the United States and the European Union create incentives for Bashir to step down, including a stay of the ICC proceedings. The ICG said last week the Security Council should use its power under Article 16 of the Rome Statute and defer the case for 12 months or longer. Influential Africans support the idea. Mo Ibrahim, a Sudan-born entrepreneur and one of Africas richest persons, said the ICC should drop the charges if Bashir agrees to step down. If that is going to save lives, if it is going to save us from a bloody civil war, let the man go in peace, Ibrahim said in an interview. Although I hate impunity I mean people should be punished for their sins but if thats the price of letting the man go, fine. Domestic factors and the pressure to defer the case, as well as little interest from governments to arrest and transfer Bashir to The Hague make a trial as illusive as ever. EAGLE POINT, Ore. -- It's been three years since a fire on Christmas day burned Butte Creek Mill down. Construction at is set to be finished by this June, according to the Executive Director of the Butte Creek Mill Foundation, Maryanne Pitcher. The reopening of Butte Creek Mill will create about 10 new job opportunities for those in Eagle Point. Since the fire in 2015, Pitcher says about three to five thousand donors have helped raise two million dollars for the mill. The foundation hopes to reach their fundraising goal of 2.5 million dollars within the next few months. "Our average donation is about $100," Pitcher said. "So it shows you just how many people have contributed in the community and across the country actually - we get donations from all over actually." Pitcher says she gets emails all the time from people all across the country. "There's quite a following for the Butte Creek Mill so its very exciting," Pitcher told Newswatch12. Pitcher says she gets emails asking when are the products going to be ready and when they are going to reopen. She said people usually ask when they can expect to get their pancake mix and bran muffin mix. The answer is: this fall. "The fire was Christmas day of 2015 and we will absolutely be reopen by Christmas 2019," Pitcher said. Last week, the property Butte Creek Mill is on got about four inches of snow. The owner of Bleser Built Roofing said his employees put in overtime to make sure the snow doesn't slow them down too much. "They worked through the weekend trying to make up for lost times," Ryan Bleser said. "So last week was a very soaking wet week for those poor guys." Bleser says the roof will be done at the end of this week. Then phase two will begin, which includes all the mechanical and electrical construction. Pitcher says the goal is to make the mill "Oregon-focused" and put an emphasis on local small businesses. Before the fire, Pitcher says the focus wasn't on just Oregon products, but that is all going to change now. "We are really trying to hone in on what we have to offer here in Oregon," Pitcher said. As a thank you for all the support the community has offered the Butte Creek Mill Foundation, Pitcher says they are hosting a 80's themed dance party. The party that will dual as a fundraising event will take place at Ed's Oasis in Eagle Point on Saturday, March 30. Tickets will go on sale through their website soon. WASHINGTON, D.C. After rounding up thousands of wild horses previously roaming on public lands and with options to deal with them dwindling, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is offering a new solution paying private contractors to host large herds on their pastures. According to the BLM, the agency estimated that there are at least 82,000 wild horses and burros on public lands, "more than triple" the number that these lands can support. Previously, BLM has pursued avenues of sterilization, selling animals for slaughter, even paying people to adopt some of the horses and burros individually. The first two options have been stymied by public outcry, court rulings or existing laws, while the third seems to have done little to alleviate the agency's overwhelming stock. Under this new program, contractors would need "off-range pastures to provide a free-roaming environment and quality care for wild horses." "The BLM will award multiple contracts that can accommodate 200 5,000 head of wild horses, with a four-year or nine-year renewal option," the agency said. "All contracts require supplemental feed for a minimum of four months to ensure that animals maintain a quality body condition throughout the dormant months." The following information comes from the BLM on how and where to apply for the program: Bids will be accepted from the following states through May 3, 2019: Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas Panhandle (only north of Hwy 82 and 84), Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The area west of the Cascade Mountain. Range in Oregon and Washington is excluded. Applicants who are new to conducting business with the government must first obtain a Duns and Bradstreet number at www.dnb.com and then register at www.sam.gov/ to respond to the solicitation. No fee is involved. The solicitation describes what to submit to the BLM and where to send it. To obtain the contract solicitation: (1) Go to www.fedconnect.net; (2) Click on Search Public Opportunities; (3) Under Search Criteria, select Reference Number; (4) Enter the solicitations reference number 140L0119R0002; (5) Click Search and once the solicitations information appears, download the information on the right. For assistance, please contact Kemi Ismael at (202) 912-7098 or kismael@blm.gov. Ms. Ismael can assist with general questions. A list of frequently asked questions is available at: www.blm.gov/whb PHOENIX-- One neighborhood in Phoenix is constantly threatened by fires. Chris Luz the Mayor of Phoenix says, "potentially burn homes and take lives. The problem here is that there is a huge amount of fuel that when it comes summer time and burn season. It could start on fire do to illegal transient camping that's in this area." Monday night Luz had a community meeting to discuss his idea of reducing the fire risk. He is hoping to use city funding to combat the yearly problem. Ed Chizek lives near railroad tracks. He says, "I'm totally for that." Ed Chizek lives right by the railroad tracks. He's even seen flames coming from the 31 acres. Chizek says, "actually we've had a couple of close calls back in the field there in the past." The fire is a big enough problem for him. There is also the problem of the smoke. Chizek says, "I have COPD so when the fire season comes and gets smokey I am locked up inside." During the height of fire season last year Luz went door to door in this neighborhood. Luz says, "I asked people to help mitigate the problem by racking their leaves , cleaning out debris in their home, cleaning out their gutters." This year he's hoping to team up with Jackson County and the railroad company for funding. Luz says, "the goal for me is to get the county and the railroad and the city to corporate. Have a team effort to help mitigate the fire danger that lies out here before fire season starts." As of right not Luz is unsure if the county or the railroad company will contribute to the funding. If they do not Luz is hoping Phoenix City Council will approve the full funding. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) Former Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go denied that government funds are being used for his campaign, particularly for the purchase of t-shirts for the participants of an assembly of the association of barangays (villages). In a statement, Go said he is clueless about the t-shirts, which opposition senatorial candidate and Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano claimed were part of a kit paid for by barangay officials using local funds. "Tanungin na lang po nila ang organizers. Pakiusap ko po sa lahat na huwag niyo gamitin pangalan ko without my knowledge and consent," Go said Tuesday. [Translation: They should just ask the organizers. I appeal to everyone not to use my name without my knowledge and consent.] Go added that Alejano's accusations that local government funds were used to buy his alleged campaign t-shirts for the first national assembly of the Liga ng mga Barangay (league of barangays) were "malicious" and called them "fake news." Based on photos from the Malacanang, Go accompanied President Rodrigo Duterte to the event. Duterte even greeted him during his speech. Alejano claimed the t-shirts were included in a kit paid for by participants to the assembly. Guidelines for the event show that barangay officials paid from 13,800 to 19,800 each, depending on their accommodation. He sent to media a copy of a February 14 memorandum from the Interior department which states that barangay officials may use their local funds to pay for travel expenses and their registration fee. "Ang panawagan ko ay tigilan na ni Bong Go ang pag-gamit sa mga kapitan at pondo ng gobyerno para sa personal niyang kampanya. Ito ay maliwanag na isang election offense," Alejano said. [Translation: My call is for Bong Go to stop his use of barangay captains and government funds for his personal campaign. This is a clear election offense.] However, nothing in the documents presented by Alejano clearly shows that the t-shirts were actually included in the kit and paid for using government money. Go said he is well aware that using government funds would constitute as an election offense. "Nag-iisip po ako at hindi po tayo bobo. [I do think and I am not stupid,]" he said. In the same press statement, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano also denied that government funds were used for Go's t-shirts, reportedly saying that he would never allow any irregularity in his department. The Interior department told CNN Philippines in a text message that it is still looking into the facts of the issue. Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio came to Go's defense, saying that she is sure that his father's longtime aide would not use government money to fund his campaign. "Ang tagal na niya sa pulitika and probably ina-allow siya na mag-insert ng kaniyang t-shirt doon but 'yung source ng funds I can be very sure na hindi government 'yun," Duterte-Carpio said Tuesday at the sidelines of a Hugpong ng Pagbabago sortie in Antipolo City. [Translation: He's been in politics for a very long time and probably he was allowed to insert his t-shirt there but the funds, I can be very sure that these didn't come from the government.] Duterte-Carpio added that it would be best if Go would answer the accusations hurled at him Alejano. However, Go left the campaign sortie before media got to ask him questions. CNN Philippines Correspondent Triciah Terada contributed to this report. 353 Shares Share Being a primary care physician, I was afraid to start my own practice. There was discouragement from fellow physicians, hospital leaders, business colleagues, and even patients. Many said that the small practice model was not viable. With insurance mandates, mounting bureaucratic pressures from Medicare and Medicaid, increasing regulations by DEA, higher volumes of paperwork, and the health IT requirements, the task of setting up a private practice with primary care focus was considered a lost cause. A merger of my hospital-owned practice with a big health system in Massachusetts pushed me in the right direction. After coming home one day and watching Braveheart again (notably the scene where William Wallace announces, They may take away our lives, but theyll never take our freedom!), I was inspired to be free. I spoke with my wife, also a physician, and we decided to launch our own primary care practice in 2018. The road ahead was daunting. I had to choose an electronic health record that would be able to interface with local labs and imaging of the two big systems, be user friendly, have ongoing remote support, and meet meaningful use criteria. I had to set up my LLC, get it registered, start the credentialing process with health insurers for the new organization, come up with medicolegal forms for the new practice, arrange a business loan, set up a business account, arrange space to set up the practice, and get office furniture and supplies. The whole idea was daunting. The price of freedom seemed high. However, it was the price I was willing to give to earn my freedom. Why did I want to be free and from what? The system over the past 20 years has morphed in an ugly way, especially for primary care physicians. Independent practices are dying, and more of my colleagues are joining as employees of big systems which offer protection and financial stability. These systems would take care of IT, help understand the million coding quagmires and the perpetually changing coding requirements, help with human resources, medical malpractice and give fixed vacation and CME time. All of this can be had for the physician willing to sell her autonomy. Unfortunately, my experience with employment after coming out of residency has been that these coveted promises are nothing but a mirage. I now understand that big systems are extremely inefficient and unable to run primary care offices effectively. The bureaucrats do not understand what we do, and they end up hiring some physicians from among us who sell their souls to take the easy way out and become hospital administrators. In their roles as chief medical officer, chief technology officer, vice president, etc., they push the hospital agenda of running health care as a business. The ugly truth is that they are not good business people. The moment you hang up your stethoscope and start working out of an office, you become one of them. You start making rules and use catchy phrases like patient centered care and physician health and wellness, while implementing the very processes that hurt patient care and physicians alike, leading to physician burnout and patient dissatisfaction. Starting my own practice in 2018, I assumed the role of CEO, president, and chief medical officer for my new practice. I cared about my patients and staff, and this made the transition easier. The business model was to provide excellent care of the patients, take care of myself and my staff, and use innovative practices for medicine and marketing. I am happy to say that in one year, I have a rapidly expanding practice, added another location, built a health information exchange, and have a happy staff. Most of all, my burnout score has gone down. I feel that I have won my freedom. I am free to take care of myself, and free to provide for my staff, patients, family, and myself. The answer to physician burnout does not lie in yoga, meditation, and self-care. These are obvious contributors to anybodys wellbeing. Physician happiness, which is the opposite of burnout, comes from creativity, autonomy, honesty, integrity, and overseeing your destiny. I invite my colleagues to break the chains, and let us come together to take back our health care one physician practice at a time. Physician Strong. Talal Khan is a family physician and can be reached at Personal Primary Care. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 37 Shares Share In my first year of medical school, I attended a lecture on health disparities that focused on the difference in patient outcomes based on race and socioeconomic status. The lecture cited multiple peer-reviewed studies that extensively demonstrated these disparities and how health care professionals, not solely social determinants of health, contribute to them. The lecture concluded with an appeal to improve our cultural awareness and acknowledge our conscious and unconscious biases in hopes of improving patient care and eliminating health disparities. As someone interested in the topic, I was enthused that this was being taught. As time passed, however, I realized that lectures like this would become a rarity, if existent at all. Now on my clinical rotations, the extensive and damning literature on health care professionals role in health disparities has come to life before my eyes. Here are a few stories Id like to share, along with the research they embody: Fact #1: A 2003 study published in the Journal of Pain Medicine shows that African Americans are undertreated for their pain compared to their white counterparts. During my surgery rotation, I was with a general surgeon conducting post-operative follow-up appointments. We saw two patients who had gotten appendectomies the previous week. One was white and felt fine, while the other was black and still reporting pain. When the latter asked if he could get something more for pain, the surgeon immediately said, I cannot prescribe you any more Percocet. The patients mother pointed out the physician had never prescribed Percocet, but had prescribed a less potent, non-opiate medication. I saw that surgeon do many surgeries and repeatedly discharge his post-operative patients with Percocet prescriptions. Why hadnt he followed his normal routine? In fact, the surgeon was so used to his norm that he even assumed he had followed it. I couldnt help but think it had something to do with how the patient looked. On my OB/GYN rotation, I had the privilege of meeting an excited mother in labor with her fifth child. She had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery but continued to complain of excessive pain two days later. Medical staff reassured her this was normal and discharged her. According to her family, the patient barely left her bed for the next five days, continuing to experience severe pain. She called her OB/GYNs office, which continued to reassure her and scheduled her for an appointment the following week. When the patient continued to decline, she was brought to the hospital and immediately met the criteria for sepsis. Further investigation revealed a uterine infection, prompting hospital admission. Luckily, she improved with potent IV antibiotics. After giving birth to five children, this mother knew her pain was atypical for her, but clinicians repeatedly dismissed her. In addition, no one felt the need to take responsibility. One student overheard some of the residents discussing whether this was the patients own doing by possibly having intercourse upon discharge, even though the pain started before she left the hospital. Facts #2: A 2003 study in JAMA showed that African American patients are more likely to be labeled with psychiatric problems, even though the incidence of most psychiatric diseases does not largely differ among races. Fact #3: A 2013 study in the Annals of Family Medicine showed that white physicians are more paternalistic and participate less in patient-centered care with their African American patients. While on my neurology rotation, we saw a patient with a history of extensive brain injury who had a seizure after a severe urinary tract infection. According to his medical records, this had not been his first. His sister was his main caregiver and was by his side throughout his hospital stay. Our team was consulted to determine whether the patient required anti-seizure medications. When I accompanied my attending physician to talk to the patient and his family about our recommendation to start anti-seizure medications, the patient and his family were hesitant. They said these seizures happened only when he had an infection, and they didnt want to burden him with more medications if he really didnt need them. In addition, they told us he had been trialed on anti-seizure medications previously and had bad reactions, which made them nervous to try similar medications again. The family continued to ask questions about the side effects of the medications, how do they work to prevent seizures, etc. Reasonable questions that I had heard many patients ask in the past were apparently unreasonable to my attending. When we left the room, my attending began commenting on the patients sister. Why was she asking questions about how the medications work? Does she want to take a bunch of pharmacology lectures? Do they think theyre the doctor? She concluded her remarks with, I think there was some sort of personality disorder going on with her. It felt like deja vu, as I immediately remembered a similar story Dr. Damon Tweedy shared in his book, Black Man in a White Coat. Its one thing to read academic articles about how health care providers treat patients differently based on their race; its another thing to see it firsthand. I dont believe its a coincidence that my experiences complement what research demonstrates. Im also certain these instances are not unique to my school, hospital, attending physicians, or region. What seems striking to me is that, despite these issues being scientifically evident, no one seems to acknowledge or talk about them even as they unfold before us. What was the point of that lecture in my first year of medical school? This is my plea to (white) health care providers out there to respect their duty to care for all patients equitably. That means reflecting on our behavior constantly (even when its uncomfortable) and making changes. It means asking ourselves every time we leave a patients room, Did I act or make a decision differently because of my biases? We cannot continue to allow our patients to become another health disparity statistic. This is our problem, and we need to fix it. The author is an anonymous medical student. Image credit: Shutterstock.com ROSEBURG, Ore. -- A Roseburg man was arrested Monday in connection with a string of burglaries in Douglas County, the sheriffs office said. Donovan Spontini, 27, was caught driving a stolen vehicle after a theft at Umpqua Aggregate Resources in Roseburg on Monday, deputies said. The theft included two Dodge Ram pickups, a 30-foot trailer, an excavator, a track loader and several tools a combined value of $235,167. The business owner posted to Facebook about the theft and received a tip regarding the location of the property, and deputies followed up, heading to Cooper Creek Reservoir in Sutherlin, where most of the stolen property was recovered. Meanwhile, deputies said an Oregon State Trooper located Spontini driving one of the stolen trucks. They said evidence of burglaries from K&R Drive-In and Douglas Forest Protective Association were found in the pickup. Spontini faces charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, first-degree criminal trespass and criminal mischief, first-degree aggravated theft and first-degree forgery. He was also taken into custody on a felony arrest warrant. Just a week after a congressional hearing on the significant rise of measles cases in the United States, lawmakers met to discuss outbreaks of preventable diseases that seem to be sweeping the nation. The US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing Tuesday called "Vaccines Save Lives: What is Driving Preventable Disease Outbreaks?" The hearing drew attention before it even began as 18-year-old Ethan Lindenberger, who defied his mother's wishes for him to not get vaccinated, planned to testify before the Senate committee. "To combat preventable-disease outbreaks, information is, in my mind, the forefront of this matter. My mother would turn to anti-vaccine groups online and on social media, looking for her evidence in defense rather than health officials and other credible sources. This may seem to be in malice because of the dangers of not vaccinating imposes, but this is not the case. My mother came in the sense of loving her children and being concerned," Lindenberger told lawmakers Tuesday. "For certain individuals and organizations that spread misinformation, they instill fear into the public for their own gain selfishly and do so knowing that their information is incorrect. For my mother, her love, affection and care as a parent, was used to push an agenda to create a false distress, and these sources which spread misinformation should be the primary concern of the American people," he said. "Approaching this issue with the concern of education and addressing misinformation properly can cause change, as it did for me." A call for change There are now at least 206 confirmed measles cases reported across 11 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington. In January, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in response to the measles outbreak. "I grew up in an [anti-vaccination] household. My mom didn't believe that vaccines were beneficial to the health and safety of society and believes that they cause autism, brain damage and other complications. This has been largely debunked by the scientific community," Lindenberger said in a YouTube video on Saturday. When he turned 18 a few months ago, Lindenberger began getting vaccinated, and he is finally caught up on all his shots. Vaccine effectiveness was a big topic of interest at the hearing, as well as concerns about the spread of medically inaccurate information online relating to vaccines. Also at issue: whether addressing that misinformation might be a way to stop outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases before they start. Public health experts at the hearing called for more to be done to address the rise in measles cases across the country. Emory University Professor Saad Omer suggested making vaccine counseling reimbursable, among other possible ways to prevent outbreaks and the spread of misinformation. John Wiesman, Washington state's health secretary, called for a national campaign about the importance of vaccines. Wiesman said during the hearing that "sustained, predictable and increased federal funding" is needed for public health efforts to prevent outbreaks. He called for an increase to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's budget and increased funding for immunization programs that involve sharing immunization information with parents and maintaining electronic immunization systems. "We are constantly reacting to crises rather than working to prevent them," Wiesman said. Also, "we need federal leadership for a national vaccination campaign spearheaded by CDC in partnership with states that counter the anti-vaccine messages, similar to the successful Truth tobacco prevention campaign. We have lost much ground; urgent action is necessary," he said. 'The loss of community immunity is a threat to all of us' Yet not everyone agreed fully with some of the ideas put forth in the hearing, such as mandatory vaccine requirements. Some members of the audience erupted into applause when Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul questioned whether such requirements should be part of the discussion. "Given the choice, I do believe that the benefits of most vaccines vastly outweigh the risks, yet it is wrong to say that there are no risks to vaccines," Paul said. In the hearing, Paul mentioned the national vaccine injury compensation program, which addresses the rare risk of having a serious reaction to a vaccine. "I'm not here to say 'don't vaccinate your kids.' If this hearing is for persuasion, I'm all for the persuasion. I vaccinated myself. I vaccinated my kids," he said. "But I still do not favor giving up on liberty for a false sense of security." Later in the hearing, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy responded to Paul and referenced how there are some vaccine requirements in place, such as in hospitals. "If the nurse's aide is not immunized, she can be a Typhoid Mary, if you will, bringing disease to many who are immunocompromised," Cassidy said, adding that in a school setting, requirements may be in place to protect the health of students, including those who might have weakened immune systems and therefore can not get immunized. "Now, if you believe in liberty, that's fine, don't get immunized, but I don't think you need to necessarily expose others to disease," he said. John Boyle, president and CEO of the nonprofit Immune Deficiency Foundation, said at the hearing that "the current decline in vaccine usage is literally bringing back plagues of the past. While those of us who are immunocompromised will suffer first and suffer more, the loss of community immunity is a threat to all of us." Herd immunity or "community immunity" refers to how an infectious disease can be kept from easily spreading through a community based on having a sufficient proportion of people in that community who are immune to the disease, such as through vaccination. When it comes to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, the CDC has long confirmed that it is safe and effective. Additional evidence supporting the safety of the vaccine was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine on Tuesday. The study provided evidence strongly supporting that the MMR vaccination does not increase the risk for autism, does not trigger autism in susceptible children and is not associated with clustering of autism cases after vaccination. "I want to speak directly to the parents who have children with serious health issues and who have been attending our hearings in Washington state and are watching this hearing today," health secretary Wiesman said at the hearing. "I see your pain and your desire for answers to your children's health issues. Your mission to protect and promote the health of your children is one we share. While the science is clear that vaccines do not cause autism, we do need to better understand its causes. We need to develop together -- affected families, scientists and public health officials -- research agendas, to get the answers we need," he said. All in all, "vaccines are safe, effective and the best protection we have against serious preventable diseases like measles," Wiesman said. At last week's hearing, held by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, said, "I do believe that parents' concerns about vaccines leads to undervaccination, and most of the cases that we're seeing are in unvaccinated communities." Nationally, the United States has high measles vaccination coverage. "However, there are pockets of people who are vaccine-hesitant. ... Outbreaks of measles occur when measles gets into these communities of unvaccinated people," she said. "The only way to protect against measles is to get vaccinated." ST. PAUL, Minn. A man charged after a major Rochester drug bust is going to prison on federal charges. Rashad Darnell Norwood, 39, was arrested in July 2017 after Rochester police said a traffic stop found a bag of methamphetamine in Norwoods car, which led to a search that found over 200 grams of meth, nearly 200 grams of cocaine, over 150 grams of marijuana, more than $19,000 in cash, two handguns, and ammunition in Norwoods home. He was charged with 14 drug or gun related felonies. Those charges were dismissed on February 28 after Norwood pleaded guilty in Minnesota Federal Court to possession with intent to distribution methamphetamine and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Norwood has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Norwood has past state convictions for 2nd degree murder in Blue Earth County in 1999, 2nd degree possession of cocaine in Dodge County in 2010, and 2nd degree possession of cocaine and heroin in Ramsey County in 2015. Norwood was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing Wayne Redmond, a drug informant for law enforcement. OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn. - Authorities were tight-lipped after an unidentified adult male was found deceased early Tuesday morning on a rural Olmsted County road. The Olmsted County Sheriffs Office did refer to the deceased person as a victim, and said it "could be a homicide as they spoke at a news conference. The man was found lying in the middle of street on the 2300 block of 45th St SE just before 4 a.m. According to Sgt. Kirby Long, a person driving to work saw the man and called 911. Gold Cross and Olmsted County Sheriff's Office arrived on scene to find the man deceased. Based on "apparent trauma," the death is being called suspicious. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting the Sheriff's office in the investigation, taking a computerized picture of the undisturbed scene and talking with neighbors on 45th St SE to get answers. The name of the victim has not been released and authorities said there were no suspects at this time. The Southern Minnesota Medical Examiner's Office is working to help identify the victim and the cause of death. The Sheriffs Office said the investigation has been difficult due to the sub-zero temperatures. The road where the body was found is frozen over, preventing any help from possible tire marks on the road. CRYSTAL LAKE, Iowa Two people are arrested after a drug search in Hancock County. The Forest City Police Department says it searched a home in the 100 block of 2nd Street East in Crystal Lake on Monday, finding methamphetamine, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, and drug paraphernalia. Kirk E. Williams and Rita L. Williams were booked into the Winnebago County Jail. Kirk Williams is accused of felony possession of meth and mushrooms, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Rita Williams is charged with misdemeanor possession of meth, pot, and mushrooms, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both are also facing six counts of drug tax stamp violations. The search of the Crystal Lake home came after a traffic stop in Forest City where police say Kirk and Rita Williams were found with about 15 grams of meth. The Forest City Police Reserves, Garner Police Department, and the Hancock County Sheriffs Office assisted with this incident. KASSON, Minn. A snapped power pole left people without electricity for about an hour Monday. Kasson city officials confirm a dump truck snagged a power line near the intersection of 8th Avenue NW and 7 1/2 Street Cir NW, causing the pole to break off at the base. Kasson-Mantorville Middle School had loaded students onto buses to send them to the high school, which still had power, but stopped when the electricity came back on. "A special thanks to all the bus drivers who got out and did their thing on a real short notice," says Superintendent Mark Matuska. None of the other Kasson-Mantorville school buildings were affected by the outage. City officials say power should now be restored for everyone in the city. ST. PAUL, Minn. A man convicted of molesting an 11-year-old Freeborn County girl will remain in prison. Brandon Lee Boyum, 37 of Waseca, pleaded guilty in May 2017 to 1st degree criminal sexual conduct and was sentenced to 12 years behind bars, with credit for 544 days already served. Court documents state Boyum entered the sleeping girls bedroom after a night of drinking and sexually abused her. Boyum appealed his sentence, stating the judge disregarded the report from two therapists who recommended probation and community-based treatment and classified Boyum as a low risk to reoffend. The Minnesota Court of Appeals has rejected Boyums argument, ruling that the judge considered the therapists report but also evidence that Boyum had thousands of pornographic images on his computer, many of which were child pornography. The Court states the judge was within his discretion to consider Boyums crime the act of a pedophile and not a one-time incident in imposing a prison sentence instead of probation. CHARLES CITY, Iowa One of three men arrested after an investigation into a stolen laptop is pleading guilty. Troy Lazaro Bijani, 22 of Mason City, entered guilty pleas to 2nd degree burglary and 2nd degree theft and has been sentenced to three to five years of probation. Bijani was arrested on December 27, 2018, along with Xavier Frank, 24 or Charles City, and Robert Luckett III, 27 of Mason City. Charles City police say a social media ad about a laptop computer that had been reported stolen led them to find the laptop in a Milwaukee Street apartment, along with many stolen handguns and drug-related items. Police say other drugs and several more stolen guns were found when they pulled over Luckett for a traffic stop. Frank is pleading not guilty is 3rd degree burglary and 1st degree theft. His trial is set to begin on April 2. Luckett III is scheduled to stand trial for possession of drug paraphernalia on March 20. Xavier Frank Robert Luckett III FOREST CITY, Iowa Another criminal charge in another county has been filed against a Lake Mills man. Jacob Steven Segura, 20, is accused of 1st degree theft in Winnebago County. Law enforcement says they located a pickup truck on September 28, 2018, in Lake Mills that had been reported stolen out of Albert Lea. Segura was reportedly seen trying to get back into the truck before escaping arrest by running away from officers. A search of the vehicle also found a backpack and a Kindle Fire that did not belong to the owner of the truck. Segura is also charged with burglary in Worth County for another incident in September 2018. He pleaded guilty after being charged with six crimes in Freeborn County in 2018, eventually being sentenced to 20 years of supervised probation. AUSTIN, Minn. - A new program at Riverland Community College in Austin aims to help save the trucking industry while giving back along the way. Jonathon Rymer is an indstructor for the driving program at the college, and has been for eight years. He said the industry is in 'crisis mode' facing a major shortage of drivers. According to DEED, the industry needs 44,000 drivers over the next 10 years in Minnesota alone. The nation will need one million drivers over the next 10 years. A new foundation at Riverland called Truckers Supporting Future Truckers, or TSFT, is just one creative way to help. "There's no one thing that we're going to do that's going to make a huge difference. But, if we do a lot of little things a lot of little things do add up. That's kind of the plan with this new program," Rymer said. The program gives financial aid to students like Raphael Lebron. Lebron went from homelessness into the program hoping to better his career and become a driver. The foundation, which was started by an alumni of the trucking program, helps students pay for the costs that add up in the program like gas to get to school and licesning permit fees. For Lebron, TSFT is not just helpful, but life-changing. "Because I feel like they care about us," he said. "And that feels good when someone cares about you right? It makes a big change in a lot of people's lives, including mine." To learn more, head to the driving program's Facebook page here. ROCHESTER, Minn. - A Rochester man is accused of assaulting a woman, giving police a fake name and having ecstasy hidden in his body when he was booked into jail. Catrell Kobold, 22, is facing charges for felony domestic assault, fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance, introducing contraband into jail, giving a false name to police and misconduct related to an alleged incident Saturday afternoon at 2015 41st St. NW. Police say a witness reported a male punching a female inside a van, and the witness said the van was shaking due to the assault. The female who was allegedly assaulted also had a child under the age of one with her, police said. ROCHESTER, Minn. - A woman accused of crashing into a city plow before driving down the wrong side of the road and hitting a parked car is facing hit and run and DUI charges. Shampaign Askew-Drain, 23, of Rochester, is accused of hitting the city plow around 2:27 a.m. Saturday near 4th Ave. NW and 11th St. NW. Authorities say she then took off on the wrong side of the road and hit a parked car. Then she exited the vehicle and began walking before she was taken into custody, police said. She is facing charges of second-degree DUI, second-degree refusal, driving after revocation and two counts of hit and run. Police say she has previous arrests for DUI from April of 2017 and January of 2019. ROCHESTER, Minn.- On Monday night's city council meeting, the council unanimously approved $6,188.60 dollars for the Rochester Police Department to join the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team. They'll be joining 14 other agencies and focusing on narcotics and violent crimes. The benefits of RPD joining this multi-jurisdictional team are that is allows the agencies involved to share intelligence and coordinate enforcement activities. Rochester Police Chief Jim Franklin says it will be a huge help in issues that cross border lines, which is why it is so special for different regions to be part of. "It's a force multiplier for all agencies involved. When you have a large complex case, you have different entities plugging in different resources into the problem into that collaborative collective problem solving approach." NORTHWOOD, Iowa Trial is set for a Mason City teen accused of a rural burglary. Tirrell Harlan Hopkins, 18, is pleading not guilty to 3rd degree burglary. The Worth County Sheriffs Office says Hopkins has been identified as being involved with a burglary near Manly that was reported in January. His trial is scheduled to start on May 1. Gomes mother-in-law died last year, but Gomes and her husband also care for Gomes mother, 85, who lives in North Carolina and is in the early stages of dementia. Gomes again used Emorys services for some of the legal and financial issues related to her mothers condition. The services provided by the university made an incredible difference to me, Gomes says. So Gomes turned to her employer for help. Emory offers a caregiver support program through its Work-Life Resource Center, which includes an on-site consultant to help employees find elder-care resources and support, even from a distance. Mary Ellen Eady, Emorys work-life specialist, referred Gomes to a resource for rehabilitation options in Virginia for her mother-in-law and offered advice on creating an informal care support network in her mother-in-laws community. Theres just a lot to learn when you become a caregiver, says Gomes, 60, executive director of Emorys Faculty Staff Assistance Program. Youre stepping in all of the sudden to do so much. My husband and I feel overwhelmed sometimes. For the past three years, Paula Gomes says that she has sometimes felt she is working two full-time jobsher human resources position at Emory University in Atlanta, and her role as a caregiver to her mother and mother-in-law. Balancing caregiving responsibilities with working is challenging. One in three U.S. workers voluntarily left a job because of caregiving responsibilities, a recent Harvard Business School study found. And one-third of them were caring for a sick elderly relative. Yet fewer than 10% of employers surveyed offered subsidized elder-care services, according to the study. Reaching Out While juggling work with caregiving is only beginning to be addressed in the workplace, you may have options for help. If you need to step back from work, you may be able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, while keeping your job and health insurance. Four statesCalifornia, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Islandoffer paid family leave. Other states have expanded benefits or eligibility for family leave. The National Conference of State Legislatures keeps track of state policies at ncsl.org. While elder-care assistance is not yet a common company benefit, some employers are stepping up to the plate. At audit and consulting firm Deloitte, about 5,000 employees have taken advantage of up to 16 weeks of paid family leave under a program established by the firm in 2016, a Deloitte spokesperson says. Mortgage giant Fannie Mae was an early adopter of caregiving benefits, becoming one of the first companies to offer an onsite elder-care consultant in 1999. The consultant has a typical caseload of about 50 clients per month with about 200 contacts, such as emails and calls, to help employees with elder-care needs, says Michelle Stone, Fannies work-life benefits manager. Fannie also reimburses employees up to $65 per day for a maximum 30 times per year for emergency adult care when a home health aide isnt available. Check with your employer to see what benefits may be available to you, says Drew Holzapfel, chair of ReACT, or Respect a Caregivers Time, a corporate coalition aimed at improving workplace caregiving benefits. A companys employee assistance program might include some elder-care support services. Also, reach out to your supervisor as early as possible to explain your caregiving situation. This is a tough conversation to have, Holzapfel says. But that conversation can help an employer and employee be prepared to handle an absence if an employee needs to deal with an elder-care emergency. And if it looks like you might have to leave the workforce for caregiving, propose a part-time or consultancy position to continue earning money and to create an on-ramp for your return. March 4 (Reuters) - Barrick Gold Corp CEO Mark Bristow said in an interview on Monday he will discuss with Newmont Mining Corp a proposed joint venture in Nevada, despite the dispute between the two gold producers over Barrick's hostile takeover bid. "We will definitely engage Newmont immediately to see if they have a genuine commitment to this discussion around unlocking the synergies of Nevada," Bristow told Reuters. Newmont rejected Barrick's $18 billion acquisition offer on Monday and countered with a proposal for a joint venture in Nevada, a deal that would be worth billions of dollars and create a major operator in the largest U.S. gold-producing region. (Reporting by Liana B. Baker in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler) Messaging: greg.roumeliotis.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. (Reuters) - General Electric Co on Tuesday forecast an outright fall in free cash flow from its industrial business this year on the back of continuing weakness in its power unit, sending shares in the company spinning 8 percent lower. The 7.8 percent dive drove shares below $10 in value and was the biggest intraday percentage drop in more than three months, knocking another $4 billion off the value of the struggling conglomerate. Chief Executive Officer Larry Culp said the power business would face headwinds for a couple of years, would not resolve problems with its turbine blades for a while and promised to step up restructuring in the business and elsewhere. He said free cash flow in the companys industrial segment overall would be negative. In January, he had said investors could expect industrial free cash flow to weaken in 2019 as it spends on restructuring in its power and renewables divisions, and the cash flow would increase "substantially" in 2020 and 2021. reut.rs/2u05kcl Editor's Note: Kitco News has the best precious metals coverage in the world and is in the process of improving its mining news, so we want to hear from you. If you work in the mining sector please take this short survey to help us bring you the news you want. (Kitco News) - Gold prices are slightly down and silver prices are near steady in early U.S. trading Tuesday. The safe-haven metals bulls are trying to stop the recent price downdrafts that have produced some near-term technical damage. Gold hit five-week low Monday, while silver hit a nine-week bottom. April gold futures were last up $0.60 an ounce at $1,288.20. May Comex silver was last up $0.035 at $15.14 an ounce. Upbeat trader and investor risk appetites in recent weeks finally pulled down gold and silver prices after they had been able to hold their own and even rally in the face of the risk-on attitudes. As long as world stock markets remain in near-term price uptrends it will be difficult for gold and silver markets to sustain rallies. However, there are some very early technical clues the U.S. stock indexes might be seeing their price uptrends starting to roll over. Price action the rest of this week will be extra important for the U.S. stock indexes, and in turn the fortunes of gold and silver bulls. Asian and European stock markets were mixed overnight. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward slightly higher openings when the New York day session begins. In overnight news, the unofficial China purchasing managers index (PMI) for February came in at its lowest level since October. China also on Tuesday lowered its projected gross domestic product growth for the year. The National Peoples Congress lowered its 2019 GDP growth estimate to a rate of 6.0% to 6.5%, from 6.5%. Chinese economic officials also pledged to continue to support the manufacturing sector and emerging businesses, including new deficit spending and tax cuts. The trade war with the U.S. the past year has dented the Chinese economy, which in turn has likely made Chinese leadership keen to end its trade war with the U.S. The National Peoples Congress annual meeting in China is taking place this week. Attention of the marketplace later this week will be on the European Central Banks regular monetary policy meeting on Thursday. The ECB is expected to loosen its purse strings and provide more low-interest financing to Euro zone banks in order to stimulate an anemic Euro zone economy. The U.S. March jobs report from the Labor Department is due out Friday morning. Thats arguably the most important U.S. economic data point of the month. The key non-farm payrolls number is forecast to come in at up 180,000. The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index firmer. The greenback bulls have regained some technical strength recently. Nymex crude oil prices are slightly up and trading just below $57.00 a barrel. U.S. economic reports due for release Tuesday include the weekly Goldman Sachs and Johnson Redbook retail sales reports, new residential sales, the U.S. services purchasing managers index (PMI), the global PMI, the IDB/TIPP economic optimism index, the ISM non-manufacturing survey, and the monthly Treasury budget statement. Technically, the April gold bulls and bears are on a level overall near-term technical playing field but the bears have momentum on their side. Bulls next upside price objective is to produce a close in April futures above solid resistance at $1,300.00. Bears' next near-term downside price breakout objective is pushing prices below solid technical support at the January low of $1,281.50. First resistance is seen at $1,290.00 and then at $1,300.00. First support is seen at $1,281.50 and then at $1,275.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 5.0 May silver futures bears have the overall near-term technical advantage amid the recent price downdraft. Silver bulls' next upside price breakout objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $15.50 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $15.00. First resistance is seen at Mondays high of $15.295 and then at $15.50. Next support is seen at $15.00 and then at $14.90. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 4.0. Editor's Note: Kitco News has the best precious metals coverage in the world and is in the process of improving its mining news, so we want to hear from you. If you work in the mining sector please take this short survey to help us bring you the news you want. Great Panther Silver Ltd. has changed its name to Great Panther Mining Ltd. (TSX: GPR; NYSE American: GPL) and has completed the acquisition of Beadell Resources Ltd. The acquisition "immediately transforms Great Panther into an intermediate precious-metals producer with a strong and diversified portfolio of producing mines, advanced stage growth projects, and exploration assets," says James Bannantine, president and chief executive officer of Great Panther Mining. "Combining Great Panther and Beadell's respective guidance adds to approximately 200,000 of gold-equivalent ounces for 2019 and positions the company in the ranks of intermediate producers He says the companys near-term focus will be on the integration of Brazilian operations, continued optimization of the Tucano gold mine, and advancing an exploration program for Tucano. Nicole Adshead-Bell, former chief executive and managing director of Beadell, joins Great Panther's board of directors. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Greg McCunn To Become CEO Of Asanko Gold Greg McCunn has been named chief executive officer and director of Asanko Gold Inc. (TSX, NYSE American: AKG), effective April 1, the company announces. Peter Breese, current president and CEO, will transition to the newly created position of president and chief operating officer, reporting to McCunn, and will remain a director. McCunn was previously Asankos chief financial officer from 2011 to 2017. Breese will be responsible for operations at the flagship Asanko Gold Mine in Ghana, maintain oversight on the Esaase development program and oversee the technical team in its Johannesburg project office. Gregs in-depth knowledge of the business, the country, our values and processes will make this a seamless transition, Breese says. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Andrea S. Freeborough Named Next CFO Of Kinross Gold Andrea S. Freeborough has been named chief financial officer of Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX: K; NYSE: KGC), effective May 1. She will succeed Tony S. Giardini, who will be leaving the company, Kinross says. Giardini will assist in the transition, the company says. J. Paul Rollinson, president and chief executive officer, says Giardinis focus on capital management strengthened the companys financial position. Andreas successful track record at Kinross and throughout her career, including accounting, international finance, M&A [merger and acquisition], and deep management experience, will be an excellent addition to our leadership team, Rollinson said. She first joined Kinross in 2009 as vice president, corporate controller, before moving into other duties. NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A Pakistani delegation will visit New Delhi on March 14, and then host a reciprocal Indian visit in Islamabad, to discuss a draft agreement on a Sikh pilgrimage corridor, Pakistan said on Tuesday, indicating that bilateral tensions were easing. Hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalated dramatically last month, when India attacked what it said was a militant group that had carried out a suicide attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Feb. 14. The Kartarpur corridor, which will officially open next year, is about 120 km north of the Pakistani city of Lahore and will be used by Sikh pilgrims coming from India on a visa-free basis to visit holy sites in Pakistan. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry announced the talks in a statement. WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful the United States would send a delegation to North Korea in the coming weeks, after a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended with no deal. The leaders second summit, held last week in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, failed to produce any agreement or immediate plan for follow-up negotiations. I am hopeful, although I have no commitment yet, that we will be back at it, that Ill have a team in Pyongyang in the next couple weeks, Pompeo told the Iowa Farm Bureau. Im continuing to work to find those places where theres a shared interest, he said. The two sides gave different reasons for the abrupt end to the talks about denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. Trump said on Thursday that North Korea wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, while North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said they had only demanded a partial easing in exchange for dismantling its main nuclear site at Yongbyon. However, the two sides left room for further discussions, with Trump highlighting the economic benefits for North Korea if it gave up its nuclear weapons. North Korean state media, which in the past has used fiery rhetoric against Trump and blamed the United States for previous failed negotiations, reported on Tuesday that Kim returned home after a successful trip to Vietnam. It made no mention of the summit breakdown or any disagreement between the two leaders, in line with its positive coverage last week. Pompeo said during the Iowa visit that his team has been trying to convince Kim that the security of his country and government would not be compromised if it abandoned its nuclear weapons program. The United States and South Korea announced on Saturday an end to large-scale joint military exercises held every spring. North Korea has long derided the combined exercises, which often involve U.S. nuclear bombers, stealth jets and naval ships in what Pyongyang has called a rehearsal for war. Smaller drills will continue, but ending large-scale exercises could help the nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, South Korean officials said. In another indication that the North might be trying to take steps to secure a compromise, South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported that a five-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, which produces weapons-grade plutonium used to build bombs, had not been operational since late last year. The news agency, citing lawmakers briefed by intelligence officials, said there had been no sign of reprocessing plutonium at the reactor. That contradicted U.S. nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker who said spent fuel generated by the reactor from 2016-18 appeared to have been reprocessed starting last May. BREAKDOWN The summit collapse could hurt South Korean President Moon Jae-ins bid to play the role of mediator, as requested by Trump, according to Moons office. Moon had hoped that eased U.S. sanctions would help to restart projects between the Koreas, including a factory park and tourism zone. Some pro-engagement experts in South Korea have blamed the United States for failing to address the Norths concerns. A former unification minister, Chung Se-hyun, who advises Moon on Korean relations, said he believed the summit fell apart after John Bolton, Trumps hawkish national security adviser, joined the discussions. Bolton being present at the expanded second-day meeting was a sign of breakdown, Chung told a seminar in Seoul on Tuesday. They had Bolton in raising the bar, and the North Koreans responded with stronger demands for sanctions relief, which leads them nowhere. It was a premeditated collapse. Other experts say the Moon administration can no longer play a bridging role by echoing North Koreas demands for sanctions relief. They also worry that the halt in major military drills could hurt joint readiness and the U.S.-South Korea alliance. As a mediator, your job is to draw not just U.S. concessions, but also more proactive action from North Korea toward denuclearization, said Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. Moon, who has urged his officials to find a way to break the impasse, said in a speech to naval cadets on Tuesday that the pursuit of peace with the North would deliver denuclearization and a peace-driven economy. * A unit of Indonesian miner Bumi Resources Minerals (BRMS) has received a permit to develop a copper and gold mine in the northern side of the Sulawesi island, BRMS said in a statement on Tuesday. * The permit allows Gorontalo Minerals, the BRMS subsidiary, to construct infrastructure, processing facilities and to mine the site until December 2052, the company said. * Gorontalo Minerals expects to start production in the second half of 2021 at the rate of 1 million tonnes of ore per annum, Suseno Kramadibrata, BRMS director, was quoted as saying in the statement. * BRMS owns 80 percent of Gorontalo Minerals, with 20 percent held by state-controlled miner Aneka Tambang. (Reporting by Wilda Asmarini and Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Shreejay Sinha) Butler, IN (46721) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 33F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear this evening then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 22F. Winds light and variable. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 33F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear this evening then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 22F. Winds light and variable. Rethinking old-growth forests using lichens as an indicator of conservation value Ottawa, Mar. 5, 2019 - Two Canadian biologists are proposing a better way to assess the conservation value of old-growth forests in North America--using lichens, sensitive bioindicators of environmental change. Dr. Troy McMullin, lichenologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, and Dr. Yolanda Wiersma, landscape ecologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland, propose their lichen-focussed system in a paper published today in the Ecological Society of America journal, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. "We are presenting a paradigm shift for the way we assess forests and manage them," says McMullin. "How do we select the forests with highest conservation value? How do we decide what to protect and what to cut? Lichens are part of the answer." Old-growth forests, especially those in North America, are perceived to be rich in biodiversity, in addition to capturing aesthetic and spiritual values. These forests are usually defined by the age of the trees, with conservation and management practices developed accordingly. McMullin and Wiersma say this is an over-simplification, as it overlooks the importance of biodiversity in those habitats. "Forests with old trees in them are certainly awesome and important," says Wiersma. "However, forests change through time and something that is an older forest now may not always be a forest." The approach of the researchers lets them look at the presence of forests in the context of the broader landscape. "If we think of the landscape as a patchwork quilt of different types of forests of different ages, some of those patches of forest will stick around for a long time, while others might wink in and out over different time frames. Our approach lets us identify which patch has been a forest for the longest period of time, even if it's not the one with the oldest trees." McMullin and Wiersma argue that old trees are only a proxy for biodiversity in old-forest ecosystems and that biodiversity should be measured directly--with lichens as the ideal candidates. "The advantage of lichens as indicators for this biodiversity is that they don't go anywhere, you can study them anytime of the year, and they 'eat the air', which makes them one of the most sensitive organisms in the forest ," explains McMullin. Many old-growth forests have high sustained moisture and a high number of microhabitats suitable for certain species, which can't disperse easily. Having these forests in the landscape provides a refuge for the seeds and spores that helps with the continued preservation of this biodiversity. In their paper, McMullin and Wiersma propose that suites of lichens associated with known old-growth areas can be used to develop "an index of ecological continuity" for forests of interest. This scorecard of lichen species could then be used as a tool by conservation biologists and forest mangers--the more species that are old-growth dependent, then the higher the forest's conservation value. The scientists note that lichens are already being used to assess old-growth value and forest continuity in parts of Europe, less so in North America. As examples, they cite the studies of British botanist Dr. Francis Rose, who developed an index of about 30 lichens associated with Britain's Royal Forests or medieval parklands, which have been relatively untouched going back hundreds or even thousands of years. McMullin has also built on the work of Dr. Steven Selva at the University of Maine. Selva has documented that species of stubble lichens (the calicioids), which tend to be found predominantly in old-growth areas, can be good indicators of continuously forested lands in Acadian forests. So, what next? McMullin and Wiersma propose they can build on this knowledge to develop lists of appropriate lichen suites for forest types such as Carolinian, Boreal or Great Lakes-St. Lawrence. Next steps could include training those responsible for assessing the forests, offering access to the expertise of trained lichenologists, and taking advantage of new technologies such as DNA barcoding. Lichens 101 There are an estimated 2,500 species of lichens in Canada. Lichens are found on every continent and can grow in frigid polar regions, harsh deserts, as well as your backyard! A lichen is part fungus and part green alga or a cyanobacterium (sometimes both). Some lichens fix nitrogen for the soil and lichens play important roles in ecosystems: they are among the first colonizers of bare rock and prevent erosion by stabilizing soil, they provide food for animals, habitats for insects, and they can serve as monitors for air-pollution. The Canadian Museum of Nature houses the National Herbarium of Canada, which includes about 150,000 specimens of lichens. ### About the Canadian Museum of Nature The Canadian Museum of Nature is Canada's national museum of natural history and natural sciences. The museum provides evidence-based insights, inspiring experiences and meaningful engagement with nature's past, present and future. It achieves this through scientific research, a 14.6-million-specimen collection, education programs, signature and travelling exhibitions, and a dynamic web site, nature.ca. The museum houses the National Herbarium of Canada, which includes about 150,000 specimens of lichens. About Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland is a multi-campus, multidisciplinary university dedicated to creativity, innovation and excellence in teaching and learning, research, scholarship and public engagement. With campuses in St. John's and Corner Brook, Newfoundlandand Harlow, Essex, U.K., Memorial University welcomes students and scholars from all over the world, including more than 18,000 students from nearly 100 countries. Information for media: Dan Smythe Head, Media Relations Canadian Museum of Nature 613-566-4781; 613-698-9253 (cell) dsmythe@nature.ca Kelly Foss Communications Advisor, Faculty of Science Memorial University of Newfoundland 709-8642019; 709-699-3788 (cell) kfoss@mun.ca This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) The Department of Education (DepEd) is asking school officials to refrain from inviting election candidates to upcoming graduation ceremonies. In a statement on Tuesday, the DepEd clarified that inviting aspirants "is not prohibited per se, but it is highly discouraged this election season because it may be misinterpreted as endorsement of candidate by our principals and teachers." The DepEd, which supervises all elementary and secondary education institutions, said a candidate's attendance should be considered only if there is a "valid and compelling reason." No form of campaigning should be allowed. "The graduation speaker should stick to theme, and not bring campaign materials or paraphernalia," the DepEd stressed. Graduation rites are usually held in March, which falls within the campaign period for the May 13 polls. The Commission on Elections earlier called on government agencies and public schools to avoid having candidates as guests of honor or speakers in their events. (ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) Monday officially kicks off Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Missouri and Kansas and on Tuesday, both states will conduct a statewide tornado drill. The drill will happen on Tuesday, March 5, at 10 a.m., according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS Kansas City office will issue a test tornado warning as part of the drill. Local sirens, weather radios, and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) will be activated for the test. Local schools and residents are asked to participate in this drill. The purpose behind the drill is to test people's readiness for severe weather events such as tornadoes, flash floods and damaging winds. For more information about the drill, click here. New Delhi, March 5: The BJP on Tuesday accused the Congress of "lowering the morale and prestige" of the forces by seeking evidence of the airstrike carried out by the Indian Air Force on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan. Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that senior Congress leaders were speaking in the "language of Pakistan". "They are not speaking in isolation. They have the blessings of (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi and (UPA chairperson) Sonia Gandhi," Prasad said, naming senior Congress leaders P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and Digvijaya Singh. No foreign country has sought evidence of the air strike, the BJP leader said, adding that Congress leaders do not believe in Indian media reports. By seeking proof, he said, the Congress was "lowering the morals and prestige" of the security forces. IAF Air Strike Wasn't Meant to Kill But Send Out a Message to Pakistan, Says Union Minister S S Ahluwalia. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad: BJP would like to know is all this tweeting (by Congress leaders on #PulwamaTerrorAttack) a part of conspiracy? Because whatever is being said here is being shown in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/A2BGUugR2E ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 Prasad also attacked West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. "Mamata ji, you have seen struggle. What is wrong with you?" New Delhi, March 5: Indian intelligence agencies have prepared a detailed report on the existing terror camps near army installations in Pakistan. The report on the terror camps harboured by Pakistan is likely to be shared at international platforms, reported India Today. The report on terror camps will be presented to show the world how Pakistan sponsored is a growing threat to the world. Indian Naval Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba Slams Pakistan For Sponsoring Terrorism to Destabilise India. Sources told the media house that a total of 16 camps have been identified as terror hubs in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and remote areas. The report mentioned that all the terror camps are in the vicinity of the Pakistani Army installations. As per the India Today report, there are six training centres in Boi, Laqa-e-Gair in hinterland Pakistan and Deolin, Khalid Bin Walid and Garhi and Dopatta in PoK where terrorists are being groomed extensively to carry out attacks against India. Pakistan Navy Claims Indian Submarine Entered Its Territorial Waters; Adds 'Submarine Not Targeted to Give Peace a Chance'. The Indian Air Force (IAF) on February 26, destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistans Balakot. The air strikes came days after the February 14 Pulwama attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were martyred. Earlier in the day, during the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD), Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said that the Indo-pacific region had witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in this part of the world have been spared by this cause. Global nature which terrorism has acquired in recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat. Admiral Lanba also accused Pakistan of aiding extremists for perpetuating violence to destabilise India. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2019 04:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). When looking at your coverage, you have to understand that insurance companies insure a home to a particular coverage limit listed in the policy. For example, if your home burns down completely, the most that the insurance company will pay is the amount listed as the policy limit. So, if you have a policy limit of $300,000, the insurance company will only pay out at most $300,000 to replace your home. You need to be careful, as some policies may cover you up to that amount but will have other limitations that may result in you not getting the full $300,000 to rebuild the home. - Nigeria has overtaken Egypt as largest producer of rice in Africa, the director general of Africa Rice Centre has said - Harold Roy-Macauley said rice cultivation in Egypt requires 1.8 billion metres of water in evaporation among other factors - Roy-Macauley noted that Nigeria has become the largest rice producer at four million tonnes a year The director general of Africa Rice Centre, Harold Roy-Macauley, on Monday, February 4, said that Nigeria has overtaken Egypt as largest producer of rice in Africa. The Nation reports that Roy-Macauley said Nigeria has become the largest rice producer at four million tonnes a year. He noted that while Egypt was initially producing 4.3 tonnes per year, an almost 40% production reduction in 2019 attributed to the Egyptian government decision to limit cultivated to preserve water resources. According to him, rice cultivation in Egypt requires 1.8 billion metres of water in evaporation, transpiration and irrigation each year while Africa produces an average of 14.6 million tonnes of rough rice annually. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Roy-Macauley said there have been efforts to increase overall rice production in Africa although there are doubts that it will curb rice importation as population has increased across the continent. He also said that the centre is ready to partner with Nigeria and other governments in Africa through training of farmers, extension officers and exporters on best practices in cultivation and post- harvest care and to understand market requirements to meet the production expectation. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Kebbi state governor, Atiku Bagudu, had said that Nigeria is on the path of taking on the world in terms of rice production. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The governor said this on Wednesday, December 19, at a Gala night organised by beneficiaries of the governments Anchor Borrowers Programme held at the State House Conference Center, Abuja. Bagudu who is the vice chairman of the national food security council, noted that President Muhammadu Buhari has shown unprecedented commitments to agriculture development in Nigeria. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better. Leadership of Nigeria is not meant for our forefathers| - on Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - Peter Obi urges Nigerians to vote for the PDP in the March 9 election despite the outcome of the February 23 presidential - Obi, who is the vice presidential candidate PDP in the 2019 general elections, assures supporters that the party would challenge the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the presidential election in court - The politician commends young Nigerians who participated in the nations elections for the first time Peter Obi, vice presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in the 2019 general elections, has has expressed the confidence that his party will get justice when it challenges the the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the February 23 presidential election in court. Obi made the statement during a news conference in his Onitsha residence on Monday, March 4, where he called on Nigerians to massively vote candidates of PDP in the March 9 elections.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. READ ALSO: Elections: What happened in Akwa Ibom on February 23 was robbery - Buhari He said in spite of the outcome of the February 23 presidential and national assembly elections, supporters of PDP should be emboldened and come out on March 9 to vote in PDP candidates. Obi used the medium to assure PDP supporters that the party would challenge the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the February 23 presidential election in court. I believe in the rule of law and the court, and I know justice will be done on our matter when we finish filling our matter, he said. Obi condemned killings that characterised February 23 elections and condoled families of those who lost their wards in the process. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda He commended young Nigerians who participated in the nations elections for the first time. Obi condemned what he tagged intimidation of some Nigerians who wanted to vote in their areas of residence. Those deterring others from participating in the electoral process in places where they live and do business are trying to start what they cannot finish, he said. Meanwhile, twelve presidential candidates in the February 23 presidential election on Monday, March 4, in Abuja, congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on his re-election. Acting under the aegis of Forum of Presidential Candidates and Political Parties for Good Governance, the group said at a news conference in Abuja, that the victory was deserved. Chairman of the forum, Shittu Kabir, said we are indeed not oblivious of the fact that only one candidate will emerge as president. Now that the candidate of the APC, President Buhari has been re-elected, we have no qualms accepting his victory. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Woman who returned millions found at the airport speaks | Legit TV Source: Legit For many families who followed the Nigerian movie industry way back from 1990-2008 or thereabout, there were a number of actors that gave astounding performances that etched their names in the memory of many. One of such screen heroes is talented actor Hanks Anuku, who was well known for his adrenaline boosting roles in action themed movies. A social media user recently took to popular micro blogging platform, Twitter, to run a poll in which he had attempted to find out the baddest Nollywood actor. In his options, he listed Hanks Anuku, Gentle Jack and Segun Arinze. In responding to his poll, many had cast their votes in favour of Anuku, as they had praised his performances as one that gave the audience a near experience of Hollywood action movies. See the tweet below: READ ALSO: Highest paid Nigerian actors in 2018 Responses to the tweet had resulted in more than 3,000 people talking about the actor and making him jump on the trending topics on Nigeria Twitter. See tweets about the actor below: PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group A particular user had, however, claimed that she had seen the actor roaming the streets of Asaba, looking intoxicated from drug abuse. See her tweet below: READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda The talented act has been off the movie scene for some time, hopefully, the attention he is getting now will make movie producers and directors consider him for a role again. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously gathered the report of legendary actor Kanayo O. Kanayo, who had taken to social media to celebrate his birthday. The Nollywood star shared a couple of videos on his Instagram page in which women from his community were spotted celebrating him. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better Top 3 Nollywood Stars: Who Earns More Than Others? | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) Politicians who are part of the government's drug watch list may soon face administrative and criminal charges, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Tuesday. In his media briefing, Panelo said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will be filing the said raps against those part of the controversial "narco list." "The Constitution gives people the right to know matters of public concern, especially those that concern their lives and welfare. We have placed the drug problem as (one of) national security. We cannot allow people to run local governments by the destroyers of society," Panelo told reporters in Malacanang. The spokesman said the DILG may release the list by next week. He added the charges may filed simultaneously with the release of the information. "Baka either simultaneous or mauna, it doesn't really matter kung anong mauna," Panelo noted. "You cannot let the people wait. By the time nag-file ka ng charges, baka na-elect na 'yung mga 'yun." [Translation: It may be simultaneous, or the charges may be filed first. It doesn't really matter what goes first. You cannot let the people wait. By the time you file charges, the people (in the list) may have been elected already.] READ: Ex-police chief claims narco list '99.9% validated' Right to due process waived? Panelo likewise addressed detractors' claims that the move may deprive individuals their rights to due process and presumption of innocence. He said once the candidate entered the election scene, everything is "fair game." "Sa tingin ko (In my opinion), they already waived that right noong pumasok sila diyan (when they entered the scene). How can you demand that you are presumed innocent when you're involved in something criminal?" the spokesman stressed. "The due process clause applies to the life, liberty or property. Baka nga hindi sila pumasook doon because you don't deprive them of those three things pag lumabas lang yung listahan." [Translation: They might not even be applicable for due process because you don't deprive them (alleged narco politicians) of those three things when the list is released.] "When you run for public office, everything is a fair game. You open to yourself to criticism. Noong pumasok sila diyan (when they entered it), they already took the risk of being exposed if they are involved," he added. Administration bets earlier expressed support for the release of the list, given the government will provide enough basis for inclusion of names. Opposition senatorial candidate and Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano meanwhile pertained to the move as a "scare tactic" of the administration. The Commission on Human Rights has warned that the release of the list may prompt more election-related violence, while some lawmakers said that if there is enough evidence to put politicians' names on the list, the government should just file charges against them. During a speech in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte talked about a "narco list," which he said includes names of mayors, governors, congressmen, barangay (village) captains, and police officers. In April 2018, the chief executive ordered the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to release the drug watch list of barangay chairmen ahead of the midterm polls. CNN Philippines' Xave Gregorio contributed to this report. Priorities at the Chicago-based philanthropy, which has a $7 billion endowment and awarded $256 million in 2017, would be certainly to build on MacArthur's unshakable commitment to the City of Chicago and its long reach there, said Palfrey. I'd also say that I think that this is a moment in history where philanthropy is looking at how it can have the most impact. - Bishop David Oyedepo has condemned the presidential and National Assembly elections - The general overseer of the Winners Chapel said the elections were marred by irregularities even as he prayed for peace for the coming governorship election - Oyedepo also prayed against all forces that could upset the polity during the forthcoming electoral exercise The bishop of the Living Faith Church (LFC), also known as Winners Chapel, David Oyedepo, has condemned the presidential and National Assembly elections for widespread rigging. He made this known on Sunday, March 3, during the church service at the churchs headquarters in Ota, Ogun state, while praying that the country will not be thrown into war during the remaining elections even as he ridiculed how the general elections was marred by irregularities, Vanguard reports. READ ALSO: Elections: What happened in Akwa Ibom on February 23 was robbery - Buhari The bishop also mocked how far behind the countrys electoral system is, saying other countries have advanced their voting system with digital technology. He said: "Other developed countries around the world had developed their mode of voting into a digitised method, but its a shame that in Nigeria, we still queue up to vote, and somebody would still be intimidated by thugs. With these, its a shame how politicians in this part of the world are proud of elections marred with rigging. In Covenant University, any student caught indulging in examination malpractice, is gone. It does not matter if his or her father is the head of United Nations or not." Bishop Oyedepo, however, prayed that the country will not be thrown into chaos in the forthcoming governorship elections, saying all negative forces will be silenced. He said: "Every spirit of thuggery in Nigeria shall be silenced and every forces that would not let Nigeria rest shall be laid to rest and silenced forever." PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Recall that Legit.ng earlier reported that Prophet Emmanuel Omale who predicted the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 election again predicted that the second coming of Buhari will benefit the poor. In an interview, the founder of Divine Hand of God International Ministries said it is is duty to tell people what he heard from God. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Election: Atiku heads to court to contest election result, can he win?| Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - NAWOJ's vice president, Comrade Chibota Edozie, has cautioned the southeast geo-political zone not to put its eggs in one basket in future elections in Nigeria - INEC had on Wednesday, February 27, declared President Buhari as the winner of 2019 presidential election - Edozie said that President Buhari's victory would teach the Igbos some political lessons ahead of future elections The southeast vice president of National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Comrade Chibota Edozie, has said that the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari was a big political lesson for the people of the southeast. Legit.ng regional reporter in Enugu, Jude Ikpechukwu, reports that Edozie said the Ndigbo should learn how not to put her eggs in one basket, adding that the zone should restrategise on its future political adventure. "It will teach a lesson to the two zones with view to restrategising as far politic is concerned in the national level. The people will learn that it is not always good to put their egg in one basket. READ ALSO: Elections: What happened in Akwa Ibom on February 23 was robbery - Buhari "The obvious hatred does not pay rather we should learn to be tactful in playing politics. In turn, Buhari should exhibit maturity by engaging development in the southeast particularly in more roads construction and establishment of industries. This definitely will give a sense of belonging to the people of the zone," she said. She also noted the president does not hate the people of the southeast as being speculated, adding that if he actually hated the Igbo, he would not have embarked on landmark projects such as the second Niger Bridge and the highways which are currently under construction in the zone. She said: "I don't think he hated the zones southeast and South south so badly the way we think. Certain major roads in which the previous administration were neglected are being given priority attention. "The engagement on 2nd Niger bridge should be a great landmark when the project is completed. I believe before his tenure ends, the bridge must be completed. "We should know that the issue of appointment in the long run does not favour everyone because the appointees think much of what they will gain personally and not how to help everyone in the zones. READ ALSO: Buhari holds 'victory dinner' for officials of APC campaign council "Let us de-emphasis on this and emphasis more on developmental projects like roads, industries, electricity supply, provision of adequate water and improvement of our airport. "An average Igbo man believes that he or she is marginalized and some still dwell on ethnic jingoism and may not have a change of mind even when the zone is given adequate attention by government. "It is high time our people come out from the mindset of APC will never do good for us. Remember before now that the arrangement on political turf had favoured Ndi Igbo and Hausa/ Fulani. Those were the days of Shehu Shagari of the NPN when our son Dr Ekwueme was his Vice president. We gained a lot. "Now the south west as a people are outwitting us. Some of them are convincing us to believe that the Hausa/Fulani hate us with passion. However, they are the beneficiaries at the expense of us. We should have a rethink and restrategise with a view to being mobilised into the mainstream of national politics." She, however, expressed high hopes that Igbos would produce the next president of Nigeria after Buhari in 2023, saying that all the people need was to be patient. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news ap "Yes of course, nothing is impossible with God's grace. Although we need to work hard to ensure we get this profound opportunity. "We may not achieve it with APC but we can achieve with PDP. Patience, perseverance, with tactful approach and Realignment must be applied to enable us achieve this. We need to be real," she said. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially declared President Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2019 presidential election. Buhari scored 15,191,847 votes, while Atiku Abubakar of the PDP scored 11,262,978. He defeated Atiku with over three million votes. Buhari, at the APC Presidential Campaign Council office addressed the nation shortly after being declared the winner of the 2019 presidential election. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Election: Nigerians reveal what Buhari did to them| - on Legit TV Source: Legit.ng News - Oba Ewuare II of Benin has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election - In his congratulatory message, the prominent Nigerian monarch said he believed the president would continue his good work - President Buhari won the Saturday, February 23 presidential election having polled over 15 million votes The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, says President Buhari will improve on his achievements during his second tenure. This is contained in a congratulatory letter sent to Buhari on his re-election by the Benin monarch and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, March 4, in Benin. Legit.ng gathers that the monarch congratulated the president on behalf of the Benin royal family, the members of the Edo council of traditional rulers and chiefs, as well as the entire people of the state. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Oba said: I have no doubt that your excellency will further improve on the good works which you have carried out since your administration came into being in 2015. We pray to Almighty God to continue to give you good health, wisdom and the wherewithal to steer the ship of the nation to the next level. Once again congratulation, your excellency." PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Buhari was announced winner of the February 23 presidential election. He defeated his main challenger Atiku Abubakar of the PDP with over three million votes. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states had congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari over his re-election. The northern CAN, in a letter to President Buhari dated Friday, March 1, said Buharis victory showed his uprightness and transparency in governance. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! INEC announces Buhari as 2019 election winner, Nigerians react | - on Legit TV Source: Legit - Hillary Clinton has put an end to the speculation that she will contest for 2020 presidential race - The 67th US secretary of state and prominent democrat said she will not vie for the White House seat - Clinton, however, said she will keep on working and standing up for what she believed Amid wide growing speculation that she would contest for the 2020 US presidential race, former First Lady Hillary Clinton has denied considering another bid for the White House seat. Legit.ng gathers that Clinton, a prominent democrat and a former US secretary of state, had been rumoured to have been weighing another option of contesting again. But speaking with New York television ahead of the 2020 election, Clinton said she was not interested in the race, but would only focus on public speaking and fighting for her belief, HuffPost reports. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda She said: ''Im not running. But Im going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe. ''I want to be sure that people understand Im going to keep speaking out. Im not going anywhere. Whats at stake in our country, the kind of things that are happening right now are deeply troubling to me. ''And Im also thinking hard about how do we start talking and listening to each other again. Weve gotten into really opposing camps, unlike anything Ive ever seen in my adult life." Clinton's declaration has made the Democratic party door wide open with top politicians including former vice president Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders indicating interest in the White House race. Clinton was defeated by incumbent President Donald Trump in 2016. Sanders, who was Clinton's primary challenger in 2016, raised nearly $6 million in the first 24 hours after announcing his campaign. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update He made the announcement in a recorded interview that was due for broadcast on Vermont Public Radio on Tuesday, February 19. The Vermont senator has reportedly been meeting high ranking stakeholders within the Democratic field in what suggested that the election would be for those who have the bigger political bicep. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Some of our people traveled for this election, Anambra residents lament| Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - Nigerian Army has been begged not to revenge the alleged killing of three officers by gunmen in in Rivers state - A traditional ruler in Akuku-Toru local government area said about 5,000 residents of Abonnema have fled their homes for fear of reprisal from the Army - The federal government and Army have been urged to investigate the incident critically and prosecute those behind the killings in the area Alabo Tonye Douglas, a traditional ruler in Rivers state, Orubibiye Opuda VI of Abonnema, Akuku-Toru local government area has asked the military to forgive the community due to alleged killing of three soldiers by gunmen. Vanguard reports that Douglas, a former minister of sports, who made this plea on Monday, March 4, lamented that over 5,000 residents of Abonnema have fled their homes because of fear of reprisal from the Army, He described the killing of the soldiers as unfortunate, blaming some misguided political gladiators in the area on the development. READ ALSO: Vote massively for PDP in March 9 elections - Obi urges Nigerian The traditional ruler said: What happened during the presidential and National Assembly elections in Abonnema is unfortunate and we totally apologise to the federal government and the Army. "In this case of Abonnema, there was huge importation of thugs into the community, causing the security men who were trying to provide security to become casualties. We beg the Army to temper justice with mercy. The development has made things difficult. The cost of living has soared. "We are encouraging our people to stay, but our people are still leaving the community because of fear of reprisal." He urged the FG and the Army to investigate the incident critically and prosecute those behind the killings in the area. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda "The military is a peaceful and disciplined group, that are slow to anger, with strict adherence to its rules of engagements, but when provoked in some peculiar situations, no one can predict their actions. Accordingly, the case in question leading to casualties and loss of lives of soldiers in Abonnema imbroglio must be thoroughly investigated and culprits adequately punished without consideration of status and position in the community," he added. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that unknown gunmen killed two soldiers on the evening of Saturday, March 2, in Abonnema, Akuku-Toru local government area of Rivers state. The incident reportedly happened in the Obonoma community and the victims were shot by gunmen wearing military uniforms. The Amanyanabo of Abonnema Kingdom, King Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel, said the gunmen stormed the military checkpoint and killed the officials. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Woman who returned millions found at the airport speaks | Legit TV: Source: Legit A sad news just hit the ground recently and many Nigerians cannot get over the sadness that has accompanied the report. It has been said that a Nigerian guy was stabbed to death in New York, United States, by an unknown person. The man who was an Uber driver in that part of the country was 27 years old when he was killed. As reported, the man was killed in the Bronx on Saturday, March 2, 2019. The man whose name was Ganiyu Gandonu died while working and transporting passengers with his Toyota Camry. Shortly after 9pm, he was found by cops inside his car along the Hutchinson River Parkway East in Baychester, New York City. According to the police, he was bleeding from his neck and torso, he later died at Jacobi Medical Center. At the moment, the police are looking for his attacker and investigating whether the death of Gandonu was the consequence of a robbery incident. A CCT video was later uncovered by the police in which a "person of interest" was spotted in the area where the murder took place. READ ALSO: Petrol station manager stabbed to death by his employer over N40k The man who is now wanted escaped the scene while on foot. He was last seen walking northbound on Co-op City Boulevard wearing dark clothing and a hood. It is not known whether the "person of interest" was a passenger. What is known is that he was driving a passenger at the time but whether he completed a trip is not known. The police are offering a reward of $2,500 (N904,950) for anyone who is able of leading them to the killer. It is also said that Gandonu drove for Uber and had received his for-hire vehicle license in January 2017, according to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. An Uber spokesperson had this to say with regards to this issue: "This is a horribly tragic incident and our hearts go out to the grieving family, an Uber spokesperson said. We stand ready to work with law enforcement to assist their investigation in any way possible." READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Even more, a local drivers group took to offering anyone who could supply them with viable information a sum of $3000 (N1,085,940). The Independent Drivers Guild, which represents some 70,000 drivers for all ride-hailing companies in NYC had this to say: "We are horrified by the death of our fellow for-hire vehicle driver and our thoughts go out to his loved ones. We must continue to do more to protect the safety of for-hire drivers. We call on anyone who may have witnessed the attack to contact the police so that the culprit may be brought to justice. The Independent Drivers Guild is offering a $3000 reward for any witness who can provide information that leads to the arrest of the killer and helps police bring them to justice." Ganiyu Gandonu's wife gave more details about what happened before his death. In an interview with News 12, he had left their home around 7pm on Saturday to work a shift picking up passengers, but he never came home. Latifat Alimi, the wife with whom Ganiyu has a two-year-old son had this to say when she heard about her husband's death. PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group "My husband doesnt deserve this. My husband was a very quiet man, a very hard-working man. He always said, 'I'm working hard for my son so he doesn't have to.' I want to look that person in his face. I want to know the reason why he [did] it, because I know for sure he doesn't got any reason, she said of the killer. 'He took the wrong person.' "I dont know how my lifes going to be without him. I know for sure that he got no problem with anybody. He start this job. He worked. After work, hes home. He dont go to parties, met friends, go to clubs, nothing, nothing nothing." She also said that before her husband left for work, he complained, saying: "Im tired, but I have to go and make money. He said, Ill call you back. I have a customer.'" PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Apparently, her beloved husband never came back. Recently, a Nigerian teenager was stabbed to death in London. The young man named Malcolm Mide Madariola was just about 17 years old when he was killed. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better. Nigeria Latest News: Woman Laments Bitterly After her Sister Sent Assassins to Kill Her | Legit TV Source: Legit - Senator Dino Melaye is arraigned at an FCT high court in the Apo area of Abuja - Melaye is facing a six-count charge of attempting to take his own life and damaging police property - Melaye was recently granted bail by a court just before he won a re-election bid into the Senate Just days after his victory at the election, Senator Dino Melaye, was on Tuesday, March 5, arraigned by the police at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court, Apo area of Abuja on a six-count charge, part of which was attempting to take his own life. In another part of the charges, Senator Melaye was accused of attempting to escape from custody. Melaye, who recently won another opportunity to represents Kogi West senatorial district, was alleged to have damaged police property. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Vanguard reports that the Melaye denied committing the offences as stated in the charges. The report quoted that Justice Sylvanus Oriji explained that he had knowledge that the court had granted bail to the defendant being Melaye during his arraignment before him on July 25, 2018, on the same charges. It was reported that the prosecuting counsel, Alex Izinyon (SAN), told the court that Melaye committed the alleged offences on April 24, adding that the senator forced his way out of the police vehicle conveying him to Lokoja in an attempt to escape. Izinyon alleged that Melaye held a substance in his hand and threatened to drink it to kill himself and put the police in trouble. The lawyer claimed that the offences were contrary the provisions of sections 148,153,173,231, 326 and 327 of the penal code. However, the counsel to the defendant, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) was not in court. The case was adjourned until April 5, for hearing. Legit.ng earlier reported how Dino Melaye was arrested days after the police laid siege to his Abuja home. He was later transferred to the Department of State Services (DSS). The Nigeria Police Force later explained that Senator Dino Melaye was moved from the police clinic to the medical facility of the DSS as part of preliminary arrangements for his coming trial in Lokoja, Kogi state. The Nation reports that police spokesman, Moshood Jimoh, claimed that Senator Melaye was taken by policemen to the medical facilities of the DSS and not their cell or detention facilities. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Jimoh said: On the 9th of January, 2019 we got a High Court Remand Warrant to keep him in police custody for fourteen days. It also reported that the DSS denied that its operatives abducted Melaye as alleged in some media. A statement by the public relations officer of the service, Peter Afunanya, said that the police brought Dino to its medical facility. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. 2019 Election: Atiku heads to court to contest election result, can he win? | Legit TV Source: Legit - Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has expressed confidence on the present APC-led administration - The prominent Osun monarch said capable hands are running the affairs of Nigeria - Oba Akanbi was also full of praise for the federal government after meeting VP Yemi Osinbajo at at the Presidential Villa The Oluwo of Iwo in Osun state, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, says that capable hands are running the affairs of Nigeria and will bring about stability in the nation. NAN reports that Akanbi fielded questions from State House correspondents after a private meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday, March 5, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said that traditional rulers, as custodians of culture, should bring their experience to bear in making Nigeria to function well. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda The monarch said: I am here for the growth and development of Nigeria and I believe that as traditional rulers, we should find a way to advise and use our exposure in making Nigeria to work. "I am here to today for the growth and progress of the nation and also to congratulate the vice president on his reelection; see how we can work together to make the next four years very successful and to make Nigeria work. When Nigeria works; we, the traditional rulers will be able to work. I think in the past; there was insanity; but today, we have seen capable hands running the affairs of this nation; so I believe Nigeria is getting to sanity in the comity of nations." The monarch said that Osinbajo told him about many programmes of the federal government which would be for the benefit of all Nigerians. He urged Nigerians to vote for the best candidates in the March 9 governorship and states Houses of Assembly elections. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update According to the traditional ruler, the vice president is a very intelligent man who has a message of hope for Nigerians. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, said President Buhari would improve on his achievements during his second tenure. This was contained in a congratulatory letter sent to Buhari on his re-election by the Benin monarch and made available to newsmen on Monday, March 4, in Benin. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! INEC announces Buhari as 2019 election winner, Nigerians react | - on Legit TV Source: Legit.ng News Nigeria has been led by a few great men, and at the side of these extraordinary men who gained the trust of Nigerians are great women who stood by them through campaign runs, political strife, high and low points in the country. These presidents were supported by their beautiful wives who also served as first ladies by the side of their husbands. On Saturday, February 23, Nigerians decided who would lead the country for the next four years. President Muhammadu Buhari was re-elected by Nigerians. In honour of the families that have served Nigeria as the first family, Legit.ng has compiled adorable photos of Nigerian presidents and their first ladies. The photos showed the first families as their ordinary selves without the mantle of leadership. READ ALSO: You are a patriotic and courageous leader - Jonathan eulogises Obasanjo at 82 1) General Sani and Maryam Abacha: Sani Abacha was an officer in the Nigerian Army who later served as a military head of state, the de facto president of Nigeria, from 1993 to 1998. He is also the first Nigerian soldier to attain the rank of a full star General without skipping a single rank. He was married to Maryam Abacha. 2) Olusegun and Stella Obasanjo: Olusegun Obasanjo was also a former Nigerian Army general who was president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007. Obasanjo served Nigeria twice, as a military head of state and as a civilian president. He was married to Stella Obasanjo who supported him every step of the way. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app 3) Late Umaru and Turai Yar'Adua: Late Umaru Musa Yar'Adua became Nigeria's 13th president on May 29, 2007. He was governor of Katsina state from May 29, 1999, to May 28, 2007. He died on May 5, 2010, at the Aso Villa. He was married to Turai Yar'Adua who supported him every step of the way. 4) Goodluck and Patience Jonathan: Goodluck Ebele Jonathan served as Nigeria's president from 2010 to 2015. He was also the vice president of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010 while Yar'Adua was in office. He is married to Patience Jonathan who supported him every step of the way. PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group 5) President Muhammadu and Aisha Buhari: Muhammadu Buhari is the current president of Nigeria. He became president in 2015, and would continue as president for another four years after the 2019 election. Buhari is also a retired major general in the Nigerian Army. He also served as head of state from December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985, after taking over power in a military coup d'etat. He is married to Aisha who supports him every step of the way. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier published a post about the photos of President Buhari that were taken during election campaign. It could be assumed that the powerful campaign photos could have hinted Buhari's imminent victory. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better Top-5: How to be an African president - detailed guide by Naij - on Legit TV Source: Legit Newspaper - Oba Aremu Gbadebo has advised Olusegun Obasanjo to stop attacking President Buhari - The Alake of Egbaland urged the former president to take a rest at 82 - Obasanjo insisted the issue between him and Buhari is not personal The Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Aremu Gbadebo, on Tuesday, March 5, advised former president Olusegun Obasanjo to desist from his ceaseless attacks on President Muhammadu Buhari. The monarch gave the advice in his goodwill message to mark the 82nd birthday anniversary of Obasanjo at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta. Gbadebo, who noted that Obasanjo had been a warrior all his life, urged him to rest, fight less and rather take a position of a consultant at his new age. At 82 years, I think you should keep your sword more rather than use it always," he said. READ ALSO: Breaking: Dino Melaye arraigned days after electoral victory Gbadebo, who served as a military officer during the military administration of Muhammadu Buhari between 1984 and 1985, said he had always told Obasanjo to leave his boss (Buhari) alone. Obasanjo, who responded to goodwill messages from friends, family members and well wishers at the programme, responded by saying that the issues between him and Buhari were not personal. According to the elder statesman, governance is not a family affair, adding that democracy involves criticisms and consideration of all sides to an issue. "There is nothing personal between President Buhari and I. In a democracy, you can criticise a policy, a government or a leader because democracy is not a family affair. "If it is my brother that is occupying the leadership role and he is not doing what I believe he should do, he must be criticised and that is what democracy is all about. I have been in that position longer than any Nigerian will ever be there. So if I say anybody in government in Nigeria is not doing well, let that government prove that it is doing well," he said. Earlier, former minister of home affairs of the Republic of South Africa, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, delivered a lecture entitled: Colonialism, Apartheid, Freedom and South Africa Rising. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Buthelezi, in the lecture, identified corruption as the biggest challenge facing the African continent. He expressed concern that South Africa currently ranked so poorly on the Corruption Perceptions Index of the Transparency International. The former South-African minister attributed the development to "the mistakes we have made, allowing resources to be consumed by greed and abuse." Buthelezi, who noted that only six countries in the African Union had ranked above 50 on the corruption index, stressed that corruption is pervasive throughout the region. "This is difficult to hear and perhaps, it stirs our anger. We must, however, accept the facts and fix them. "When we consider countries like Seychelles and Botswana who have become paragons of excellence, we need to ask what they did to achieve this. "We know that Botswana, for instance, reinforced its legal and institutional frameworks and made resources available specifically to fight corruption. There are measures we can take and we must take them. "If we can overcome these challenges in Africa, we will open the possibilities for growth, development and social justice that were the dreams of my generation," he said. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news Earlier, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP in the just concluded 2019 election, congratulated former president Obasanjo, who marked his 82nd birthday on Tuesday, March 5. In a message on his Facebook wall, the ex-vice president said: "A very happy 82nd birthday to you, Olusegun Obasanjo. Buhari is the General Overseer of corruption | Legit TV Source: Legit For the rest of us, every Michael Jackson song sounds different today. A lot of old music has many new meanings to carry. His hits have always felt as vast as life itself, but now the Michael Jackson songbook suddenly feels even wider, more lifelike in the saddest way. It now accounts for the cruelty of this world. There's always been so much good to hear in this music, and now there's evil, too. Now, "Thriller" is very much about a man trying to expose the horror inside. Now, "Smooth Criminal" sounds brazenly criminal. Now, "Keep It in the Closet" feels sinister and perverse. Now, "Man in the Mirror" is a guilty plea. A man was stabbed through his left hand when a woman swung a knife at him during an argument, Colonial Regional police said. Denise Rodriguez, of the 5000 block of Airport Road, Hanover Township, Northampton County, was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. The 54-year-old Rodriguez was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. Colonial Regional police said they were called Saturday night to Rodriguezs address for a man with a cut hand. They found the victim was stabbed through his left hand, and he was taken to St. Lukes University Hospital in Fountain Hill for treatment. Rodriguez reportedly told officers she had gotten into an argument with the victim, swung a knife at him and it stabbed him in the hand. The victim said Rodriguez had slapped him and he pushed her onto the couch. As the man was trying to leave, Rodriguez came out of the kitchen holding a knife and swung it at him, police said. The man put up his left hand and Rodriguez allegedly stabbed him in the hand. Officers said they found the knife in the kitchen, with blood still on it. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Actor Luke Perry, who died Monday after suffering a stroke, was best known for his roles on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale. But he also once filmed a movie in the Lehigh Valley. The Florentine, was shot in 1997. It starred a talented lineup including Perry, Jeremy Davies, Michael Madsen, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jim Belushi, Chris Penn, Hal Holbrooke, Tom Sizemore and Burt Young. But despite the impressive cast, The Florentine infamously flopped and ended up being released directly to video. The movies setting, according to IMDB, is at a bar in an old Pennsylvania steel town, housed with many of lifes losers and disillusioned men. An Express-Times review of the movie at the time said it was supposed to be about a circle of friends coming of age in an old mill town" but didnt fulfill what it had purported. In one of the subplots, Perry plays the victim of a con to steal money. The movie DVD retails for $7.99 on Amazon.com. The Florentine was filmed over five weeks in the Lehigh Valley, with most of scenes shot in Bethlehem and Easton. One scene used the Easton Sweet Shop and another took place at Eddies Drive-In in Phillipsburg, as well as the old Mount Vernon Ale House in Easton. Mothers Bar and Grill, just off Eastons Centre Square, served as the exterior of the Florentine bar while Mount Vernon was used for interior shots. Bethlehem Steel served as the workplace for several of the films characters, and a wedding scene was shot at Elks Lodge No. 121 in Easton. Other recognizable scenes include Holy Infancy Church in Bethlehem, Nisky Hill Cemetery in Bethlehem and the Free Bridge between Easton and Phillipsburg. The filmmakers chose this area because they wanted the film to have a gritty, industrial look, the review states. Many of the scenes accomplish that, and a number of the backdrops are downright picturesque. Perrys publicist, Arnold Robinson, on Monday confirmed the actor died after suffering complications from a massive stroke. She said Perrys family and friends were with him when he died. Among them were his children, siblings, fiancee and former wife. The actor had been hospitalized since last week. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Timing their preview for Fat Tuesday, organizers of the Lehigh Valley Food and Wine Festival in Bethlehem announced a Mardis Gras theme for the Northampton Community College fundraiser marking its 10th anniversary in 2019. The theme celebrates the New Orleans cuisine of celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse, a cornerstone of the event thanks to his ties to Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. The South Side casino is home to Emeril's Chop House, Emeril's Fish House and Burgers and More by Emeril. Ticketed and open to the public, the festival features two days of tastings from 25 area restaurants, plus wines selected by Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits. Grand Tasting hours run 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2, with a VIP ticket good for admission at noon. A Friday night premiere party kicks off the festival, open only to sponsors, with sponsorships still available. Signed on to emcee the party is Bethlehem native and acclaimed actor Daniel Roebuck, organizers announced Tuesday. Advance Grand Tasting tickets are $85 for general admission, $100 for the VIP noon access that also includes a champagne and spirits room and $50 for a designated driver (food only). Lagasse is scheduled to lead a cooking demonstration at 11 a.m. June 1 that costs an additional $75. Visit lehighvalleyfoodandwine.com for full details and tickets. Proceeds benefit NCC student scholarships, with the festival having raised $1.5 million to date. "And then in addition to that our culinary students compete in a competition to win opportunities to go on an externship down to New Orleans and work side by side with Emeril Lagasse and a host of other famous chefs like Guy Fieri or Chef Morimoto -- just an extraordinary experience for them," NCC President Mark Erickson said. "We're blessed to have that connection through the Sands with Emeril." Last year, all eight finalists in the competition were selected for the all-expense-paid trip to New Orleans. Open to culinary and hospitality students, the competition requires a solid performance in class, an essay and a cooking competition involving ingredients in a mystery basket, said Francine Marz, culinary director at Northampton Community College. NCC has more than 75 students in its culinary program and 78 in hospitality. Many graduates of the NCC programs go on to work at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, near the college's Fowler Family Southside Center where Tuesday's announcement was held. "It's a lot of fun to see our cooks reaching back to the next group and encouraging them to participate," Brian Carr, president and chief operating officer at Sands Bethlehem, said Tuesday in the new Zime cafe on the renovated first floor at Fowler. New this year for the festival is a silent auction during the sponsors' party featuring a one-of-a-kind Emeril Lagasse-themed guitar crafted by C.F. Martin & Co., a Napa Valley getaway, wine and other experiences. Planning for the festival is led by co-chairman Mike Molewski, an NCC Foundation Board member from CapTrust, and Michael Trageser, vice president of marketing at Sands Bethlehem. Restaurants signed on to participate are Amans Artisan Indian Cuisine; Amys Creative Cakes; Aunt Wendys Kiffles; The Bayou; The Beam Yard; The Bookstore Speakeasy; Buddy Vs Ristorante; Burgers and More by Emeril; Chocolate Works; Clusters Handcrafted Popcorn; Emerils Chop House; The Dime; Emerils Fish House; Hampton Winds; Hellertown Bakery; Jacquies Pastry Cafe; Maxims 22; Molinaris; Paxos Restaurants Blue, Torre, Melt and Top Cut; Queen City BBQ; Sette Luna; Sodexo; Two Rivers Brewing Co.; Zest and Zime. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Two men are in federal custody after they were allegedly caught with 44 pounds of an opioid up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, authorities said Monday. Luis Aponte, 48, and Denny Diaz, 29, were charged with one count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said in a statement. Aponte, of Hesperia, California, was spotted by Drug Enforcement Administration agents Friday at a rest stop in Bloomsbury in Hunterdon County, Carpenito said. I-78 cuts through the northern end of town. Aponte parked the tractor-trailer at the rest stop overnight, authorities said. The agents saw Aponte carrying a backpack on Saturday when into a white SUV driven by Diaz, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, authorities said. As the vehicle pulled away, agents saw Aponte take a plastic bag out of the backpack and put it behind the drivers seat, authorities said. The vehicle then pulled onto the shoulder before law enforcement approached, authorities said. The vehicle was searched and the agents found about 15 pounds of fentanyl in the plastic bag, along with $17,000 in cash in the backpack. They arrested Diaz and Aponte, who later waived his Miranda rights and said he had more drugs in the tractor-trailer. Agents searched the truck cab and a refrigerator on board and found another 29 pounds of fentanyl and 11 pounds of heroin. Aponte and Diaz made initial court appearances in Newark federal court Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Dickson. They were held without bail. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Its being advertised as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is hosting a first-ever auction of two rare vintage bottles of Macallan Fine and Rare Series scotch whisky. The bottles are all yours for the right price. Bids are being accepted through 4 p.m. April 5 at the Fine Wine and Good Spirits website on the following products: Macallan 1949 Cask No. 935 Single Malt Scotch Highland 52-year-old (750 mL) Macallan 1989 Cask No. 3247 Single Malt Scotch Highland 21-year-old (750 mL) We were extremely fortunate to receive these highly sought-after products, which are very difficult to find across the world, let alone in the U.S., and we look forward to making one or two scotch enthusiasts very, very happy, said Tim Holden, PLCB chairman. Unfortunately, youll need some cash before you can make a bid. The minimum bids are $25,000 for the 1949 bottle and $9,000 for the 1989 bottle. The LCB said an undisclosed reserve amount above the minimum bid has been set for each product and must be met in order for the scotches to go to the top bidders. Bidders must set up accounts on the website, complete a bid sheet, obtain a $2,500 cashiers check or money order and mail or hand deliver the bids to the PLCB by the deadline. Participants can submit multiple bids on one or more products. For those not familiar with the products, the Macallan 1949 bottle was distilled in 1949 and spent 52 years aging until it was bottled in 2002, while the Macallan 1989 bottle spent 21 years aging and was bottled in 2010, according to the Macallan Fine and Rare timeline. The LCB has hosted similar sales in the past including limited-release lotteries of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons and whiskeys. Professional wrestler and New Jersey native King Kong Bundy, who rose to fame during the heyday of the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s, died Monday at 61. Promoter and longtime friend David Herro shared the news about Christopher Pallies on Facebook : Today we lost a Legend and a man I consider family. The cause of death and other details were not disclosed. Born and raised in South Jersey, Pallies became a larger-than-life professional wrestling star and lost to Hulk Hogan in the then-WWF main event at WrestleMania 2 in 1986. The now-WWE offered its condolences on its website Tuesday morning. Bundy was appropriately called the walking condominium, standing at an impressive 6-foot-4 and weighing 458 pounds. The sight of Bundy stepping between the ropes was intimidating enough, but his crushing offense proved that he was every bit as destructive as advertised. In fact, Bundy was so dominant that he demanded referees count to five when he pinned his opponents to show that there was no way they were getting up. Pallies began working for the World Wrestling Federation in 1985, when he feuded extensively with Andre the Giant. They feuded for several months, including a tag-team match where Bundy and Big John Studd faced Andre the Giants and Hulk Hogan. Overwhelmed by King Kong Bundys passing, only great memories,R.I.P. big man until we meet again. HH Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) March 5, 2019 Bundy later feuded with Hogan, alternating victories until Bundy left the WWF in 1988. He returned in 1994, joining Ted DiBiases Million Dollar Corporation, where he feuded with the Undertaker. He left the WWF for good in 1995 and has bounced around the independent wrestling circuit since then with appearances at wrestling fan events. Bundy had been scheduled to appear at WrestleCon in New York on April 5 and 6. He Tweeted about the appearance just hours before his death. Later in April, he was scheduled to appear at 80s Wrestling Con at IPlay America with about a dozen other wrestlers in Freehold Township. A 1974 graduate of Washington Township High School in Gloucester County, Pallies won a pair of regional wrestling titles during his high school days. King Kong Bundy had some amateur wrestling success as well. Here he is as 1973 All South Jersey Wrestling 2nd Team Selection. Heavyweight. #Five #RIP pic.twitter.com/04oxykQBLc Denny Burkholder (@DennyBurkholder) March 5, 2019 King Kong Bundy, a New Jersey native whose real name was Christopher Pallies, died Monday. In a 2010 photo, Bundy signs a poster at Orchard Valley Middle School in Gloucester County, where he participated in a fundraiser. (Tim Hawk | South Jersey Times) Bundys former colleagues and current professional wrestlers posted tributes on social media overnight and Tuesday morning as word of his death spread. Today we lost a Legend and a man I consider family. Rest in Peace Chris. We love you. Thank you for believing in me. #KingKongBundy Posted by David Herro on Monday, March 4, 2019 R.I.P. King Kong Bundy...another great wrestling talent gone too soon. He will be missed, but he's in good company now, like in this match... https://t.co/rhqsDS5qAD Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) March 5, 2019 RIP my friend. Thanks for your humor and kindness. #KingKongBundy pic.twitter.com/MdzLtvyy6S Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) March 5, 2019 OMG cant hardly believe my friend Chris Pallies aka King Kong Bundy has passed away. Very sad news he was a kind soul. Rest In Peace Brother until we meet again. Brutus Beefcake (@brutusbeefcake_) March 5, 2019 The Associated Press contributed to this report. Before a Pennsylvania jewelry store owner was stabbed to death last week in a New Orleans hotel, people staying in a nearby room at the hotel heard a loud argument and a brief struggle, according to court records. Megan Hall, 25, has been booked with second-degree murder in the death of 62-year-old Patrick Murphy from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Murphy was found dead from multiple stab wounds in a hotel room bed at the Empress Hotel in the 1300 block of Ursulines Avenue, officials say. Hall, whose first name is also spelled Megen and Magen in various court records, had her first appearance in Orleans Parish magistrate court Monday (March 4), where her bail was set at $750,000. Orleans Parish Coroner's Office identified Patrick Murphy as the man found dead in a room of The Empress Hotel on the 1300 block of Ursulines Avenue Thursday afternoon (Feb. 28). (File photo: The Morning Call)THE MORNING CALL In an affidavit for her arrest warrant, released Monday, New Orleans Police Department Detective Patrick Guidry writes that surveillance video shows Murphy and a woman later identified by police as Hall arriving together at the hotel at about 2:10 a.m. on Feb. 28. The woman rented a room using the name Megan Hall. About an hour and a half later, at 3:42 a.m., Hall is seen leaving the hotel room alone and briskly walking out the front door of the hotel, according to the affidavit. No one else was on the video entering or exiting the hotel room until Murphys body was found the next day by hotel employees at about 11:41 a.m., according to the affidavit. Therefore, Detective Guidry concluded the victim could not have received fatal stab wounds from any subject besides the woman he was seen entering the hotel room with, the affidavit said. Two people who were staying in another room at the hotel told police that they heard a male and female arguing very loudly inside the room that Hall and Murphy had checked into, at about 3:30 a.m. They heard a struggle, and the woman yelled Get in the bathroom, the witnesses said. The struggle only lasted about two minutes before they ceased to hear commotion from the room, according to the affidavit. Hall is being represented by defense attorneys John Fuller and Marcus DeLarge. Fuller declined to comment on the details of the case, but said the defense looks forward to getting all of the facts out there, including what my client experienced." A preliminary hearing in the case was set for March 14. A Bethlehem Township man who police say is a member of the Money Rules Everything gang admitted Tuesday he shot two people outside the Lehigh Valley Mall. Miles Harper, 20, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. In exchange, Lehigh County Judge Kelly Banach dropped a handful of related charges, including two counts of attempted homicide. The plea deal and its terms were verified by a Lehigh County district attorneys office spokeswoman and Harpers attorney, Michael Moyer. Moyer said Harper faces up to 10 years in prison, although sentencing guidelines call for a minimum sentence between nine and 16 months. Hell be sentenced April 12 before Lehigh County Judge Kelly Banach, he said. Miles Harper (Courtesy photo)Courtesy photo | For lehighvalle Police said Harper opened fire June 1, 2018, in the parking lot between Macys and Route 22 at the mall in Whitehall Township. He shot one man in the torso and the other in the waist, according to the district attorneys office. Police said a fight at the mall interior entrance to Macys spilled out into the parking lot around 7 p.m. The fight and shooting were captured on surveillance video, police said. Police said one of the shooting victims is a member of a different gang than the Money Rules Everything gang. Moyer acknowledges Harper belongs to Money Rules Everything, but says hell argue at sentencing that the organization isnt a gang and that the dispute was not gang related. He said Harper was at the mall with his girlfriend and baby when he was approached by two men and one punched him, triggering the mall fight. The fight escalated to involve six to eight people when Harper and his allies pursued the others outside, Moyer said. One guy pulls a gun from his pocket and hands it to Miles. Stupidly, he took it and shot two of these guys outside of the mall, Moyer said. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. By Emily Restivo A 16-year-old paces back and forth. Hes been locked in a small room, completely alone, for 23 hours a day for several weeks. This isnt the opening scene of a Hollywood thriller. Its the daily reality for thousands of American adolescents who are subjected to solitary confinement after being charged with crimes, convicted, and sentenced as adults. Solitary confinement is dangerous for these youth, and for society at large. It causes severe psychological harm and impedes reintegration into society. Its time to put convicted teenagers in correctional facilities with people their own age and prohibit solitary confinement for those under the age of 18. Proponents of solitary confinement claim the practice is necessary for safety. Isolating criminals prevents them from causing trouble in the prison and protects them from other violent prisoners. However, research shows solitary confinement does more harm than good. Its linked to mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and psychosis. In some cases, prisoners commit suicide. These effects are pronounced in juveniles because solitary confinement impedes their development during a critical period of brain growth. Peoples brains dont fully develop until their early 20s. Solitary confinement exacerbates existing traumas, like the abuse and neglect that many of these kids have suffered in the past. A report from the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch offers an in-depth look at the mental damage of adolescents who spent long periods of time alone in prison. They frequently expressed thoughts of suicide and self-harm, and relayed stories of hallucination, anxiety, extreme anger, and traumatic memories. Consider the account of one young woman in Michigan. She noted that solitary confinement was like being banished ... like you have the plague or that you are the worst thing on earth. Like you are set apart [from] everything else. Another girl from Florida said, The only thing left to do is go crazy ... I catch myself (talking to the walls) every now and again ... sometimes I feel like, why am I even living? Solitary confinement doesnt just put these teenagers at risk, it endangers society. Prisoners who spend time in solitary confinement are more likely to commit crimes again in the future. Ninety-two percent of prisoners who were released from solitary straight into society reoffended within three years, compared with 66 percent of prisoners released from the general population, according to a government-commissioned analysis of 2001 data from Connecticut. For these reasons, all federal prisons already ban solitary confinement for juveniles. Most states dont allow the practice in juvenile facilities. However, each year 200,000 children are tried as adults around the country. Many are sentenced to time in regular, adult prisons and face solitary confinement. A colleague and I recently completed research on this subject using data from the New Jersey Parent Caucus. Among juveniles sent to adult prisons in New Jersey, 76 percent spent some time in solitary confinement. Of that group, a staggering 31 percent spent more than 90 days in isolation. Another 16.5 percent were isolated between 30 to 90 days. Solitary confinement causes mental health problems and does nothing to rehabilitate young offenders. We need to ensure children tried and convicted as adults are placed in juvenile facilities. Once there, they should be given opportunities to socialize with other kids and receive the support services they need to one day become productive, law-abiding adults. Emily Restivo is an associate professor of behavioral sciences at New York Institute of Technology. For the moment, Andy Torres is supposed to serve a 40-year prison sentence for his role in a deadly botched robbery in 2012 at a Phillipsburg gas station. But, on an appeal, a New Jersey Appellate Court panel has ordered a new sentencing hearing. While it found some procedural errors were made during the original sentencing in 2016, the court did uphold Torres conviction on charges of felony murder, armed robbery, conspiracy and weapons charges. That means he could still face a lengthy prison term. Torres, now 30, was living in Allentown when he and three others plotted to rob the BP gas station on South Main Street in Phillipsburg. During the crime, the attendant, 47-year-old Kismathdas Kasam, was shot in the leg with a shotgun. He died a few days later. (PHOTOS FROM THE TORRES TRIAL) Authorities alleged Torres was the gunman, though that could not be proven in court. Two co-defendants -- Torres girlfriend Alexis Flowers and her brother Zachary -- refused to provide what could have been key testimony during the 2015 trial. As a result, Torres was acquitted of first-degree murder. Unlike that charge, felony murder does not require intent; it means that the defendant participated in a crime in which someone was killed, even if not directly responsible for the death. In the appeal, the defense argued for a mistrial, claiming the judge and prosecution made errors during the trial that affected its outcome. The appellate panel dismissed most of the claims as minor and inconsequential, according to the decision posted online. But the court did find problems with the reasoning behind Torres' 40-year sentence. Specifically, the panel cited the aggravating factors cited by Judge Robert Reed to impose the maximum sentence for felony murder and the statement he made to justify them: "There was no reason for (the victim) to die alone in a pool of his own blood on the floor of this convenience store," Judge Reed said during the 2016 sentencing hearing. "The robbery was completed. His shooting was an act of braggadocio." But, the appellate court noted, Torres was not convicted of first-degree murder. It was never proven who actually pulled the trigger. So, the court found, that should not have been considered in Torres sentencing. The panel also disagreed with the death itself being considered an aggravating factor in the sentencing since it was already part of his felony murder charge. The court did, however, affirm his conviction and found no basis for declaring a mistrial. As a result, Torres will be sentenced again at a later date -- just without those aggravating factors. The four people involved in a fatal shooting Jan. 5, 2012, in Phillipsburg are, from left, Andrew Torres, Zachary Flowers, Alexis Flowers and David Beagell. (Courtesy photos)EXT As it stands, Torres received the harshest sentence of his group of accomplices: Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. In the middle of the middle movement, I made a duet between piccolo and bassoon. And it feels they come together in a very intimate way. But its not a romantic kind of thing. The way it feels to me is the piccolo is expressing some emotional pain, Ill call it. Theres a bend (of pitch) in the piccolo, and then theres something from the bassoon that is not imitating, but its more like: I notice youre having a little problem. A growing multi-national Canadian company wants to build a plant in Portlaoise which it says has the potential for up to 25 jobs. Greenfield Global's Irish wing - Greenfield Global LFS Ireland Limited - is awaiting a decision from Laois County Council to build a blending and packaging facility and associated infrastructure at the IDA Business Park on the Mountrath Road. The IDA has given its backing to the company to develop a site in the park for a facility which the company's planning application says could employ up to 25 staff when operational. The almost 4,000 square metre facility will be located on a 15,000 square metre site. The application says half of the facility will be used for manufacturing. The company wants to begin construction in 2019. Headquartered in Toronto, Greenfield Global operates in 15 locations around the world. It says it operates state-of-the-art production and packaging facilities with 500 employees. The company claims to manufacture and ship more than 1,600 products to more than 5,000 customers in almost 50 countries worldwide. Pictured Greenfield's global export map. Greenfield is reported to be the largest high-purity alcohol company in North America. Under the Pharmco brand, the company offers a wide range of speciality alcohols and bio-based chemicals to quality-driven and environmentally-conscious customers around the globe. Kenneth Field is the company's founder. The company's website says that under his leadership, the firm has grown into the largest manufacturer and distributor of fuel ethanol, industrial alcohol, and alcohol-related products in Canada. The company has manufacturing and processing facilities in Canada, the United States and Malaysia. The IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan was in Portlaoise recently where it met with Laois County Council and local TDs Minister Charlie Flanagan, Sean Fleming and Brian Stanley. Laois TD Sean Fleming said he was hopeful of jobs following the meeting. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. A meeting takes place in Stradbally this week to prepare for St Patrick's Day in the Laois parish. Stradbally parish boasts three parades on Ireland's national day. 'Our very own place & people' is the theme of the 2019 parades. It is a reminder that pride in and care for the community which the organisers say is an important and special and very much part of the national heritage. The school children are preparing their music and dancing as well as their project on 'Education In Our Community'. This St Patrick's Day is a Sunday celebration and also a stepping stone in parents and children's preparation for the Sacraments 2019. St Patrick's Day cake and a cuppa will be provided after the three parades and celebrations. Dominic Hartnett 087-3130504 is the Stradbally village parade director this year and you can contact him with suggestions, ideas and floats etc. This is the 30th annual St Patrick's Day Stradbally parish parades. The parades are organised around the parish masses Vicarstown Parade to 9.30am; Mass, Timahoe to 10.30am Mass; Stradbally to 11.30am Mass. A meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 6 at 8.15pm in St Joseph's Hall. All welcome to come along and get involved. Laois classmates from the former St Marys College Mountmellick now Mountmellick Community School are hosting a school reunion to catch up and recall fond memories from days gone by. A committee has been formed to locate people who attended the Mountmellick school from 1971 to 1976 (inter and leaving cert), boarding and day pupils. The committee is trying to spread the word far and wide as people travelled from all over to attend the school at the time. Patsy Hennessy told the Leinster Express the idea came about when she met a school friend in a supermarket. The two got chatting about having a reunion and plans were put in motion to contact as many people as possible to attend the meetup and get some class photos together after almost half a century. It took 43 years to organise! I had a chat with a girl I went to school with in Tesco one day doing the shopping and we talked a bit about it and we divided it up, she said. A committee has been formed to pull off the event. The committee members include Bernie Keating, Declan OLoughlin, Elizabeth Lalor, Marian Ryan, Lucy White and Johnny White as well as Patsy Hennessy. The reunion will take place on April 6 at 8.00 pm in OLoughlins Hotel, Portlaoise. Anyone interested in going is asked to please contact the committee at 087 7639845 with your name and number. Further details to follow. A Laois councillor has described the frightening ordeal his wife went through by a man armed with a knife. Labour Cllr Noel Tuohy from Portlaoise wants the law changed to mandatory sentencing for anyone found with a knife in a public place. He has described an attack that his wife suffered in the past. My wife was working at a reception and a man came in and put a knife to her throat and demanded money. He took her purse and threw it in the river. The guards could tell my wife who did it within 20 minutes. They had him arrested five hours later. He got two and half years in prison, but only because he had 28 previous offences. We were told that if he hadnt had so many convictions hed be walking out of court that day, Cllr Tuohy said. I know the effect this had on my wife. A young fella can make a mistake, but there has to be a minimum form of punishment, he said. Cllr Tuohy tabled a motion at the February full meeting of Laois County Council where he asked Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan to introduce the sentencing. There is no reason I can think of why someone brings a knife up the town. If you are bringing the missus out for a nice steak dinner, they will provide you one, he said. It could be a non custodial sentence, Cllr Tuohy added. Independent Cllr James Kelly seconded the motion, along with Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley. Cllr Kelly said knife crime has increased and he blamed this on people coming to live in Ireland from other countries.It is a multi- cultural society, knives are part of other nationalities cultures, and they carry this on to our country, Cllr Kelly said. The Cathaoirleach John King wants publicans to have the right to search customers. Any type of weapon can cause damage to anybody. Maybe publicans should have the right to check people. It ruins a night of celebration, he said. Cllr King also said that Gardai have been asked to go on the beat in every town in Laois. Women who have had a child in Portlaoise hospital will be asked to give their views of the experience in a new national survey of maternity units. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the HSE and the Department of Health have joined forces to run the National Maternity Survey. It aims to ask women who have recently given birth about their experiences of Irelands maternity services. HIQA CEO Phelim Quinn said it will be the first time that mothers can give feedback. This is an exciting venture and will, for the first time, give new mothers the opportunity to share their views of Irelands maternity services. Their feedback will provide an invaluable insight into the experiences of women who give birth in Ireland and help us to improve the quality and safety of Irish maternity services," he said. The survey will capture the experiences of new mothers from prenatal and antenatal care through to postnatal care. Women aged 16 years of age or older who give birth during the survey period will be invited to participate in the survey approximately three months after the birth of their baby. In August of last year, HIQA commenced a programme of monitoring against the National Standards for Safer Better Maternity Services. All nineteen maternity units in public hospitals will have been inspected against the National Standards by the end of this year. The National Maternity Survey follows on from the National Patient Experience Survey, which will run this May for the third year in succession. So far, over 26,000 patients across the country have taken part, submitting over 40,000 comments making it the largest survey of its kind in the country. Rachel Flynn is National Patient Experience Survey director. "The National Maternity Survey is another key building block in the development of a maternity service that is responsive to the needs of women and their families, ensuring that they are treated with dignity, respect and compassion at all times, she said. The maternity survey was launched by the Minister for Health Simon Harris was launched at the inaugural National Patient Experience Survey conference in Dublin Castle. Attended by over 300 health professionals, the conference focused on the patient and how HIQA, the HSE and the Department of Health can learn from the experiences of patients to bring about real improvements in the quality of hospital care. https://www.patientexperience.ie/ A Laois village group has reacted with anger to the erection of a new mast to provide mobile and broadband signals. The 15 metre tall mast has been installed on the outskirts of Durrow on the Kilkenny road, the home of Durrow Scarecrow Festival. The mast is one of 10 being erected in Laois by the recently formed company Cignal, an independent provider of communications infrastructure who will lease spaces on the towers to mobile and broadband industries. Durrow Development Forum has made a statement on Facebook calling the mast "an eyesore". The forum understands that the masts do not require planning permission as they are infrastructure. Instead they were given a licence by Laois County Council planners. "Structurally it is an eyesore on a gateway into our village, a village which has been working over the past number of years to preserve and enhance same as a Heritage and Tourism destination. If Cignal Communications and Laois County Council had communicated with DDF and the community of Durrow, an alternative and more suitable location could have been found". The forum said that the lack of public consultation is disappointing. "DDF contacted Laois County Council as there was no planning online regarding same and were advised that it didnt require planning permission and that a Section 254 licence application from Cignal Communications for a 15m monopole for telecommunications Street works Solutions at Derry Wood estate on the Kilkenny Road (N77) was granted. LCC also advised that it is considered that the development falls under section 254 (1) (ee) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended so does not require planning permission. This is very disappointing that DDF or residents were not consulted regarding same," the statement from Durrow Development Forum said. Below: the mast in Durrow. Cignal has bought 300 existing communications masts from Coillte, and is halfway through a 25 million investment to construct 300 more, mainly in rural areas, to improve signal coverage for mobile phones and broadband in Ireland. "As an independent Irish infrastructure provider, Cignal seek to maximise the use of this infrastructure to support requirements for a range of customers. This serves to reduce the proliferation of tower sites, delivers sustainable infrastructure and reduces the cost of deployment for our customers. "We are proud of our commitment to the Irish market and our ambition is to enhance our position as the telecoms infrastructure provider of choice for our customers," the company says on its website. Cignal is backed by Paris-based infrastructure fund, InfraVia Capital Partners. The Department of Education has relented in its refusal to fund the equipping of a new unit for children with Autism at a Laois primary school, according to local TD. The Department of Education grant will allow the opening of the new purpose-built ASD unit in Rath National School near Ballybrittas. The new building incorporates two classrooms with associate classroom safe bases, a para-educational room, a multi-sensory room, an office, a storeroom, a central activities room and a specific ASD outdoor play area. Fianna Fail TD Fiona OLoughlin welcomed the funding but claimed a delay in releasing funds was holding up the facility's opening. I recently visited Rath National School to view the new purpose-built ASD unit that is almost completed and meet with Tommy Fitzgerald, Principal of the school. I visited the school following knowledge of the work still required and lack of funding to complete the furnishings for the opening. The Department of Education and Skills were refusing to fit out the state of the art rooms with the equipment required to open these units until this week. It was completely wrong, it meant that the 12 pupils and their teachers and SNAs were not able to move into the unit when the exterior was completed. The Department has granted 15,500 to start the process of equipping the new unit. "As we all know, early intervention from qualified personnel for children with additional learning needs is vital," said Dep O'Louglin who hopes to represent the area after the next General Election. She said she raised the issue with the Minister for Education Richard Bruton on a number of occasions since meeting the principal. She said more funding is required but the news that some funding has been granted is welcoming and will aid the opening of the unit. An Post, in association with the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), has launched Sceal Eile, a creative writing competition rooted in primary and secondary school students love of books. Now online at www.anpostschoolbag.ie, the An Post Education Awards is in its 35th year promoting literacy and learning for generations of Irish students. Sceal Eile will see students of all ages across Kildare and the country revisiting some of their all-time favourite books with the task of creating their own alternative story line or ending. Students from junior infants right through to sixth year are encouraged to take their favourite stories or beloved characters on a whole new adventure, creating a direction theyve always wanted to see in their favourite books. This year, students will have the help of two of Irelands most inspiring childrens authors Sarah Webb, author of Blazing A Trail Irish Women Who Changed the World, and Dave Rudden, author of Knights of the Borrowed Dark. Aileen Mooney, An Post Education Awards Manager said: We want to help school-goers to develop a real love of books so that they can experience the power and pleasure of reading throughout their lives. We make sure to align the An Post Education Awards with the national curriculum and we are proud to once again demonstrate our commitment to education, to Principals, Teachers and future generations. INTO General Secretary, Sheila Nunan welcomed Sceal Eile on behalf of primary schools We are delighted that An Post is once again supporting the power of reading and writing in schools, whilst introducing a fun creative twist. An Post and INTO are very proud to work together and promote literacy through creativity and competition. There are wonderful prizes on offer and we encourage all children to participate in the competition. INTO members should also make use of the great classroom resources available to download on www.anpostschoolbag.ie. The competition is open to junior and senior level schools nationwide with national and regional prizes to be won for the winning pupils, teachers and principals. Entering is easy visit www.anpostschoolbag.ie/ competition for lesson plans, video and print resources, entry forms and guidelines. Every school to enter will be in with a chance of winning an incredible Writing Workshop with a well-known author. All national winners will be awarded at a ceremony in the GPO in May. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday, March 19. For more information on the Sceal Eile competition, visit www.anpostschoolbag.ie or follow us on social media @PostVox and Facebook An Post. The question of Kildare County Council keeping road signs clear of vegetation was raised in the case of a woman convicted of careless driving at Sheane, Rathangan, on May 16, 2016. The question was raised when 31-year-old Brazilian native, Julianna Aguiar, of 82 Glenmore Woods, Dublin Road, Mulligar, appeared before Naas District Court on February 28. Ms Aguiar, who pleaded guilty to the offence, was fined 400 for careless driving, but a discussion took place on the quality of road signs in the light of the evidence given in the case. Gardai were called to the scene of an accident at 3.10pm on the day in question. Judge Desmond Zaidan was told that Ms Aguiar had driven through a stop sign onto another road, and had hit another vehicle. There were no injuries to anybody, and the damage to both vehicles was not too serious and had been resolved financially. Conal Boyce, solicitor for Ms Aguiar, said she was coming from Mullingar on the day and had children in her car. She did not know the road well. Ms Aguiar, said Mr Boyce, said that there was an overhanging branch around the stop sign, and the branch obscured her vision. Mr Boyce said his client was fully insured. She was driving her husbands car. He said the accident must have been relatively minor because the children did not wake up. Garda Sergeant Brian Jacob, for the prosecution, said that the prosecuting garda afterwards asked the county council to cut the trees. Judge Zaidan said a lot of traffic signs are obscured by vegetation in rural areas. Sgt Jacob said: This was the case here. The judge asked if the was a special section in the council cutting vegetation. Sgt Jacob said it was the roads section. Debbie, like Sue below, is mostly zeroing in on quality reads that have captured relatively large audiences a phenomenon that creates a kind of self-reinforcing circle where a relatively small number of books are elevated. Theres nothing wrong with those books, but it crowds out lots of other books that dont make it into that circle. Im going to try to expand the circle with this recommendation and the next. For Debbie, Im recommending Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky. CONFIDENCE in Abbeyfeale has been boosted following recent job growth in the town, according to Maurice OConnell, chairman of Abbeyfeale Community Council. As a result of investment made by the HSE and by local businesses, Mr OConnell has estimated that 20 new jobs have been created or are about to be created locally. These new jobs will have a huge positive impact on the town and the wider community and will help increase economic activity in the area, Mr OConnell said. The variety of jobs and their spread throughout the town made them particularly welcome. Its always important to remember that 20 jobs for a rural town like Abbeyfeale is equivalent to a major jobs announcement of 200 plus for the likes of Dublin, he added. We are delighted that Abbeyfeale is receiving this boost and it certainly shows a significant confidence in the Abbeyfeale Community by those who are either moving here for the first time or those who are already established and have decided to invest in further expansion. The new jobs include Gourmet Green, a restaurant and wholesale distributor of healthy option foods, which has moved from a home-based operation into refurbished premises on Convent St and added six part-time workers to its staff. The HSE has opened a primary care centre in a renovated and historic building in the centre of town. It is staffed by three members but this is expected to double over the next 12-24 months. Kennelly Murphy Architectural Engineering and Planning Consultants have taken on new architects and an as yet unnamed specialised production company is in the process of moving to Killarney Road in Abbeyfeale with an initial workforce of six . Also in the pipeline in Abbeyfeale is an e-hub and co-working space, to be located on Main Street. Funding of 200,000 had been secured for the project which is expected to begin this year. A UNIVERSITY of Limerick student tragically died in a freak accident in which she fell down stairs while socialising with friends at a house party, an inquest into her death has heard. Sophie Coll, 19, from Barna, County Galway, suffered a skull fracture when her head struck the ground after a male appeared to lose his balance and pushed back [on three women] like dominos on September 25, 2017. Sophie, who had transferred from NUIG to study business at UL, was attending the social gathering at Stanford Close, College Court when the tragedy occurred, the coroners court in Limerick heard this Tuesday morning. Sophies friend Zoe Patterson, of Kilcoolishal, Glanmire, County Cork, said that they had one can beer of each and had another can of beer when they were at the party. In her deposition to gardai, Zoe joined three othersSophie, Keely McGrath and Darragh Hannifywhen walking up the stairs in the house. Darragh appeared to lose his balance at the top and fell down, Zoe said, adding that like dominos Sophie fell, flew past me backwards and hit the floor. The inquest heard that Sophie was on the 6th or 7th step when she fell. Ms Patterson said Sophie had a large cut to the back of her head and that she was bleeding from the ears. When assisting their friend, Ms Patterson and Ms McGrath noticed she was unconscious but breathing even though it sounded like she was snoring and congested. The National Ambulance Service arrived at the scene after about 40 minutes, the inquest was told. Ms McGrath, Aherlow, Tipperary, said that they had a can when they were in sitting room prior to going up the stairs at the house party. She said when they went up the stairs, Mr Hannify, who was in front of the three young women, kind of wobbled and pushed back on us like dominos. When she was assisting Sophie, she screamed for someone to ring the ambulance. She said they were giving out that [the ambulance] was so far away as they had been told it was coming from Nenagh. She was told to get a dry, clean cloth to put pressure on the wound. Ms McGrath said Sophies parents were in France at the time of the incident and Sophies aunts went to University Hospital Limerick. Mr Hannify said that he was half-way up the stairs when the incident happened. He said when he looked back, he saw Sophie on the ground. He said a crowd had gathered and that he didnt want to get in the way and waited in the sitting room. Coroner John McNamara said to Ms McGrath: It sounds like none of ye had a lot to drink. Yeah, we hadnt much to drink, and it was over a long space of time, she replied. Advanced paramedic Dan New, attached to the Dooradoyle base, said he was called to the incident of an unresponsive female who had fallen down stairs at around 9pm. He said Sophie had symptoms that indicated signs of serious head injury. After placing a survivor collar to her neck and applying a vacuum mattress for support, Sophie was treated at the scene for 20 minutes. Dr Andras Mikor, senior registrar and consultant at the intensive care unit at UHL, said Sophie had suffered devastating multifocal intracranial bleeding. Pathologist Dr Gabor Laskai said a postmortem was carried out on September 28, 2017. He said there was confirmation of removal of donated organs, and confirmed head injury which included extensive brain damage. Mr McNamara asked Dr Laskai if time would have made a difference, to which he replied: I dont think so. Based on the evidence presented at the inquest, heard at the HSE buildings on Catherine Street, Mr McNamara returned a verdict of accidental death. I know for the family listening to that evidence and going through those details again must be extremely harrowing, the coroner told the family. He said that alcohol was not a factor in her death, describing the event as a freak accident, and that it was very tragic circumstances for her family and friends. He said that Sophie was a young lady who had her whole life ahead of her. Expressing his condolences to the family, Insp Dermot OConnor commended Ms Patterson and Ms McGraths actions on the night. Rory Coll, Sophies father, thanked the gardai and staff at UHL. THE CRAFTY Angels latest handiwork will be heaven sent to children in an orphanage in Tanzania. Over 30 ladies meet every Monday morning in the Millennium Centre in Caherconlish. They combine a chat, a cuppa, and an interest in all forms of craft with charity work. Their latest endeavours resulted in five dresses, 101 skirts and 240 drawstring bags for the children in Kidzcare in Dar es Salaam. Added to that, some of the ladies who do not sew bought gifts of colouring books, shoes and socks, colouring pencils, hair decorations and brushes, underwear and other suitable gifts. Elizabeth Stanley, from Caherline, set up the Crafty Angels with the late and much missed Maureen Kenny in late 2013. We were delighted when we did a final count and realised just how much we had. People were so good. A lot of fabric was donated to us. Several ladies visited charity shops in the city in search of pretty pillowcases and turned them into lovely skirts. People donated tape and elastic and really all we had to do was supply the machinery, thread and talent to make it all come true. When we looked at all the garments and gifts piled up on three tables we all realised that there was a whole lot of love in every stitch, said Elizabeth. This is their third involvement with Kidzcare through their friend Imelda O'Riordan who lives in Bruff. She will travel to Tanzania with all their items. Two years ago they sent a consignment of 65 skirts they made for school-going age children and the year before that they made bags for the older girls to carry their personal things to school, as well as some skirts. As a group we get a lot of personal satisfaction from helping such a worthwhile cause and making a difference in the lives of the children who have not had the benefit of an ideal start in life, said Elizabeth. Over the years they have made about 1,000 caps for the Innocent Smoothie bottles to raise funds for Age Action Ireland. They have made and donated over 60 quilts to the Bumbleance charity. Incubator covers, tiny little caps and snuggle blankets were given to the neo-natal ward in University Maternity Hospital Limerick and therapy dolls and Freddy bags for the ark unit in University Hospital Limerick. They have also made quite a lot of fidget quilts for nursing homes as gifts for dementia patients. These lovely people find it hard to still their hands - hands that have never stopped working for 70, 80 or 90 years and don't know quite how to occupy themselves when the mind stops telling them what to do. The quilts have zips, ribbons, buttons and pockets and are made from squares of differently textured fabrics, she explains. The Crafty Angels have grown from five members to currently 36. They come from as far away as Mitchelstown and Kildimo. More are welcome every Monday from 10am. We celebrate with each other on happy occasions and support each other when life becomes difficult, said Elizabeth. Poppy farmers in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India have reportedly run into some trouble while cultivating this season's crops. In addition to inconsistent rainfall putting a damper on things, flocks of persistent parrots presumed to be addicted to opium are rampaging through the poppy farms, sometimes making 40 visits a day to get their fix. "One poppy flower gives around 20 to 25 grams of opium. But a large group of parrots feed on these plants around 30 to 40 times a day," one poppy cultivator in the Neemuch district of central India told Indian news site NDTV.com. "This affects the produce. These opium-addicted parrots are wreaking havoc." According to NDTV, bird raids have become a daily menace in the poppy fields, and farmers claim to be sustaining significant crop losses thanks to these poppy-seeking parrots. Some birds have been filmed tearing into unripe poppy pods (where opium-rich milk resides), while others use their beaks and claws to snip off the plants at their stalks and fly away with entire intact pods. The Daily Mail reported that some birds have even trained themselves not to squawk when descending on the fields, swooping in and out like silent ninjas. [9 Weird Ways You Can Test Positive for Drugs] District officials have ignored requests to help keep the feathered menace in check, the farmer told NDTV, leaving poppy purveyors to fend for themselves. Some cultivators have been forced to guard their fields day and night. Others have reportedly turned to sonic warfare, shouting at the birds through loudspeakers or detonating firecrackers in their vicinity. Unfortunately, the farmer said, these attempts have failed to mitigate crop losses. See more Poppy-thieving birds are not a new occurrence in India, which is one of the few places in the world where licensed opium cultivation is allowed, according to India Today magazine. Bird raids have been reported several years in a row in multiple poppy-cultivating districts, sometimes leaving the pilfering parrots visibly intoxicated. According to a 2018 article in DNA India, the opium-munching birds were observed crashing into tree branches and "lying in the fields in a daze," only to fly off again when the narcotic effects wore off. Originally published on Live Science. Broken-heart syndrome weakens the muscles of the heart, causing its left ventricle to enlarge. The heart takes on a shape like a takotsubo, a Japanese fishing pot used to trap octopuses. The condition is also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The origins of a broken heart may be found in the brain. Or, more specifically, the origins of a condition called "broken-heart syndrome." Broken-heart syndrome, or takotsubo cardiomyopathy, occurs when the heart muscles suddenly weaken, causing the heart to change shape. The condition is typically brought on by extreme emotion or stress, such as the loss of a loved one. [9 New Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy] Now, a new study finds that the brain also appears to play a role: Researchers discovered that in people who develop broken-heart syndrome, areas of the brain responsible for controlling a person's stress response don't function as well as they do in people without broken-heart syndrome. The findings were published March 5 in the journal European Society of Cardiology. Broken-heart syndrome has symptoms similar to a heart attack, including chest pain and shortness of breath. And although it can have lasting consequences, most people who develop the condition recover completely without any permanent damage to the heart, according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. But its still unclear why some people develop this condition and others don't, said study co-author Jelena-Rima Ghadri, a senior research associate at the University Hospital Zurich, in Switzerland. Because it's typically triggered by extreme emotions, Ghadri and her team decided to examine the brain's role. To do so, the team scanned the brains of 15 female patients who had previously developed broken- heart syndrome. The brain scans took place in 2013 and 2014; patients had been diagnosed, on average, about a year before the scan. The scans were performed at the University Hospital Zurich as part of the interTAK Registry, an international registry for people with broken heart syndrome; Ghadri is a co-principal investigator on the project. The brain scans were compared with another 39 brain scans, taken in patients without broken-heart syndrome. The researchers found that people with the condition had fewer connections between brain regions associated with emotional processing and the autonomic nervous system the apparatus that controls automatic processes in our bodies such as blinking and heartbeat. Neurons form connections in order to talk with one another and send signals across the brain. If those connections are sparse, different regions of the brain cannot communicate well enough to form a course of action, such as an appropriate response to a stressful situation. Previous research has shown that abnormal activity in the amygdala in particular an area of the brain involved with fear has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease according to the study. But exactly how less chatter among these regions exactly leads to the changes characteristic of broken heart syndrome is still not known, Ghadri told Live Science. In addition, because the researchers don't have brain scans of the patients before they developed broken-heart syndrome, they can't say whether the decreased communication might be driving broken-heart syndrome or if the development of the syndrome is driving decreased communication in the brain. Ghadri said she hopes that future research will be able to disentangle these findings, and also help doctors understand who is at risk for broken-heart syndrome and why. Broken-heart syndrome "clearly involves interactions between the brain and the heart," Ghardi said. It is "in fact a brain-heart-syndrome." Originally published on Live Science. Oil closed little changed as traders awaited updates on the U.S.-China trade front and a report on American crude stockpiles. Futures switched between gains and losses in New York on Tuesday, settling less than 1 percent lower. Investors are waiting for the next catalyst from U.S.-China trade talks or shifts in the Venezuelan regime, according to Thomas Finlon, director of Energy Analytics Group Ltd in Wellington, Florida. Meanwhile, analysts anticipate a gain in U.S. crude stockpiles in this week's inventory report. "There's a lot of forces sort of canceling each other out here," said Finlon. "We're just in a holding pattern." Crude in New York has risen for two straight months as OPEC and partners including Russia reduce output as part of their agreement to help balance global oil markets. The U.S.-China trade war and resulting threats over demand have limited gains, but the market would likely rise on news of a resolution. PREVIOUSLY: Crude advances as U.S., China close in on healing trading rift West Texas Intermediate for April delivery slipped 3 cents to settle at $56.56 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 79 cents on Monday as the U.S. and China were said to be near a trade deal. Brent for May settlement gained 19 cents to end the session at $65.86 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark crude's premium over WTI for the same month traded at $8.92 a barrel. China announced a major tax cut after an annual report by the country's premier lowered targets for the expansion in gross domestic product to the slowest in almost three decades. "There's every expectation that the fiscal stimulus that China's been talking about, along with a probably much friendlier trade environment with the United States, might prevent a move toward less oil consumption in the country," said Bart Melek, head of global commodity strategy at TD Securities in Toronto. In the U.S., crude inventories probably rose 1.45 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts. The American Petroleum Institute is scheduled to release its weekly count of stockpiles later Tuesday, while the Energy Information Administration's data is due Wednesday. --With assistance from Tsuyoshi Inajima, Saket Sundria, Grant Smith and Jessica Summers. 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Most administrators welcome the shorter exam. This years English Language Arts and Literacy portion of the test will be 2 hours for third-graders this year, down from three hours and 45 minutes previously, and three hours for all other grades, down from 4. The math portion will reduce to three hours for all grades, down from four to 4 hours, according to ISBE. Students do not take the test all at once, and ISBE leaves it up to schools to decide how to break up the test. One of these days, if we're lucky, it'll turn warm again in Houston. Maybe even to 77 degrees soon. That'll be the perfect day to enjoy Houston's 77 Degrees. The city's new patio playground conceived by veteran nightclub and restaurant joy-makers will open to the public on March 7. While the weather forecast calls for temps to inch to 70 with the possibility of showers on Thursday, that won't stop 77 Degrees from turning up the heat on Houston's nightlife scene. Spread out on four distinct levels just above Jack & Ginger's Irish pub at 2416 Brazos in Midtown, the sprawling rooftop bar is ready to shake winter off and welcome a new season of outdoor revelry. Named for the optimum patio weather, 77 Degrees is a stylish space designed to evoke rum-soaked evenings in the Caribbean or tequila-fueled nights in coastal Mexican resorts. FAIR FARE: The best carnival food at 2019 RodeoHouston The bar is the second Houston concept form Union Venture Group headed by brothers Jeff and Darren Van Delden who opened Jack & Ginger's in November. Both the Irish bar and 77 Degrees are imports from Austin where the concepts originated. Nightcrawlers will know the Van Deldens from their hospitality work in Houston, including The Drake, St. Genevieve and the Red Door. They're not done with their expansion goals yet: Both Jack & Ginger's and 77 Degrees are slated to open in Dallas this year. 77 Degrees brings the Van Delden touch back to Midtown. Red Door once made the pretty young things wiggle on the very site of 77 Degrees. But the new bar is clearly built for a new era in partytown. The look is whitewashed fresh with cabana-style seating, white molded furniture, pops of pink accent lighting and a definite lounge vibe. Plus there's that view. The downtown and midtown vistas from the bar's cantilevered decks are choice. Unlike other clubby lounges of its ilk, 77 Degrees is not positioned just for the big Friday/Saturday party nights. It's a seven-day operation open Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday and Sunday from 3 a.m. to 2 a.m. Darren Van Delden sees the bar as an ideal place for after-work happy hour during the week, including office parties, birthday gatherings, girls-night-out hootenannies where the various patio levels can be made into semi-private party enclaves. As the sun sets and the music amps up, 77 Degrees segues into a patio nightclub that offers live deejays on select days. The drinks list offers eight proprietary cocktails, each priced at $12. Grape Expectations is Grey Goose vodka with white grapes, basil and lime; Namaste is Grey Goose Citron with Cointreau, green tea and mint; Norman's Cay is Bacardi rumn (coconut, mango and pineapple) with coconut water and lime; Cayman Account is Bacard 8 Rum, Myers Dark Rum, Rhum Barbancourt, pineapple juice, orange juice and a pineapple parrot garnish. There's also the Chingon (Ilegal Joven Mezcal, Cazadores Reposado Tequila, lime, agave, jalapeno and ginger); Ruby Slipper made with Bombay Gin, Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka, blood orange, lime and agave; Violet Sky (Bombay Sapphire, muddled watermelon, thyme syrup, lime juice and sweet vermouth); and the Perfect 10 which combines Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka, muddled mint and cucumber and ginger beer. There are some shareable nibbles for the peckish: Pineapple poppers (pineapple chunks wrapped in prosciutto and thinly sliced jalapenos), plantain and tortilla chips with salsa, guacamole, Gulf Coast ceviche, chicken tenders with grilled lime and fries, tacos (red snapper, barbacoa, avocado, pork al pastor and cornflake breaded chicken), and pineapple boats. Those halved pineapples filled with goodies including fruit, candy and Flamin' Hot Cheetos are conversation starters, not to mention Instagram foodie porn. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Restaurant Indigo serves up neo-soul food with a side of history Between the cocktails, music, design and patio vibe, 77 Degrees is ready to warm party-thirsty bodies. "Everything about the bar experience will be a show," Darren Van Delden said. And that show begins to heat up Midtown on Thursday. Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture. There are debutante balls and there are debutante balls. Blayne Fertitta's "official" social debut was unquestionably the latter. As the daughter of Tilman Fertitta - Landry's Inc. CEO, Houston Rockets owner and Post Oak at Uptown proprietor - hers is a familiar face and name around town. That also extends to Galveston, from where her family hails and home of the largest Mardi Gras Krewe, Knights of Momus. So it came as no surprise when Blayne and her grandfather Vic Fertitta (yes, the Vic in Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse) were crowned queen and King Frivolous CIV, respectively, at Fiesta de Momus' Coronation Ball on the last weekend in February. MAJOR EXHIBITIONS COMING: Menil expands horizons with Aboriginal, Caribbean art next season But that's just one of the carnival's three revelrous fetes. And at Friday's San Luis Salute, queen Blayne ruled the night. For top-tier VIPs, the festivities began with a police-escorted motorcade from the San Luis Resort to the Fertitta family's "Boardwalk," which is both an actual waterfront pier and the name of their 173-foot mega-yacht. This year, Blayne and the royal court's additional 23 duchess/debutantes descended from the hotel lobby's champagne reception in a flurry of millennial pink, yellow or floral printed gowns - a nod to the "Mexico Magnifico!" theme. And aboard the trio of party buses? A head-rushing mix of the girls' college escorts and Houston heavy-hitters such as police chief Art Acevedo, University of Houston System President Dr. Renu Khator, and Alanna Flores, whose own high-profile deb ball after-party featuring a performance by Drake also made headlines late last year. Upon arrival at their first destination, pre-party invitees were presented with two options: explore the floating manse or hit the Crystal Champagne Tent to fuel up on food and libations. Experienced attendees managed to knock out both in one well-timed swoop. Servers greeted guests with miniature margarita-filled Patron bottles. Inside the tent, there was endless Veuve Clicquot and oversized paper flower walls for picture taking; and on board the boat, there were Australian crew members to snap photos on each of the four levels, in the 11 bedrooms or next to the helicopter perched up top. A fast and furious 90 minutes later, the throng raced back onto the buses and departed for the main event - an over-the-top, jam-packed gala at the Galveston Island Convention Center. That's where master event designer Richard Flowers had transformed the exhibition-style space into a Cinco de Mayo-meets-Dia de los Muertos blowout with a hint of Las Vegas and that unmistakable Landry's slant. How else does one describe acrobats writhing around in black skeletal paint? Or exquisite alternating tabletops (upwards of 150) covered with blue and white ceramic centerpieces, bottles of tequila, shot glasses and freshly snipped blooms? There were so many musical performances, no one knew quite where to look. Atlanta's Big Beyond band had the sold-out crowd on the dance floor from the get-go. Some of the black-tie party-goers took breaks in-between busting a move to dive into the four-course dinner. Others only paused long enough to watch the royal court procession before rushing the stage again for Usher's headlining concert. FOR HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUBSCRIBERS: You're never too young to age well The Grammy Award-winning artist put on a crowd-pleasing show. His high-energy backup dancers and DJs spun all the hits from "Confessions," "Burn" and "U Got it Bad" to "Yeah!" "OMG" and "DJ Got Us Falling in Love." It was a highlight, for sure, but not the end. San Luis Saluters-in-the-know high-tailed it back to the hotel's bar for the party after the party. It's tradition for Fertitta family members to cozy up in booths, or catch up with old friends at the bar or singalong as Password puts on a semi-private Top 40 show. And that's also where Tilman - typically reserved and all business - capped the evening in rare form: getting down front and center with his pal, Acevedo, and later, giggling and grinning ear-to-ear as he hugged guests goodnight. The mark of a proud father on his daughter's big night. PREVIEW: Find fun things to do and see around Houston in our weekly Preview newsletter. Subscribe here. Fat Tuesday is here and Mardi Gras season is officially over, but that doesn't mean all the fun has to be. If you're ready to celebrate by stuffing your face with Cajun/Creole staple foods, Houston is a good place to find your fix. There are tons of hidden gems as well as prominent restaurants across the Greater Houston area offering up food that will save you a trip to Louisiana. EL PASO, Texas - In a dusty lot along the U.S.-Mexico border fence, a single Border Patrol agent was stuck with few options and falling temperatures. A group of 64 parents and children had waded through a shallow bend in the Rio Grande to turn themselves in to the agent on the U.S. side. He radioed for a van driver, but there were none available. By 2 a.m., the temperature was 44 degrees. The agent handed out plastic space blankets. The group would have to wait. Mothers and fathers swaddled their families in the silvery, crinkling sheets and clustered with them on the ground, shushing the children. They shivered in the cold wind, and the sound of crying carried on, like a broken alarm. Groups like this arrived again and again in February, one of the coldest and busiest months along the southern border in years. U.S. authorities detained more than 70,000 migrants last month, according to preliminary figures, up from 58,000 in January. The majority were Central American parents with children who arrived, again, in unprecedented numbers. During a month when the border debate was dominated by the fight over President Donald Trump's push for a wall, unauthorized migration in fiscal 2019 is on pace to reach its highest level in a decade. Department of Homeland Security officials say they expect the influx to swell in March and April, months that historically see large increases in illegal crossings as U.S. seasonal labor demand rises. The number of migrants taken into custody last year jumped 39 percent from February to March, and a similar increase this month would push levels to 100,000 detentions or more. It was a surge in the border numbers in March 2018 that infuriated Trump and launched his administration's attempt to deter families by separating children from their parents. Trump stopped the separations six weeks later to quell public outrage. But the controversy the policy generated - and its widely publicized reversal - is now viewed by U.S. agents as the moment that opened the floodgates of family migration even wider, worsening the problem it was meant to fix. While arrests along the border fell in recent years to their lowest levels in half a century, they are now returning to levels not seen since the George W. Bush administration, driven by the record surge in the arrival of Central American families. For U.S. border agents, the strain has grown more acute, as they struggle to care for children using an enforcement infrastructure made in an era when the vast majority of migrants were Mexican adults who could be quickly booked and deported. The Central American families - called "give-ups" because they surrender instead of trying to sneak in - have left frustrated U.S. agents viewing their own role as little more than the facilitators for the last stage of the migrants' journey. They are rescuing families with small children from river currents, irrigation canals, medical emergencies and freezing winter temperatures. "We're so cold," said Marlen Moya, who had left Guatemala with her sons six weeks earlier and crossed the Rio Grande with the group of 64. Moya's son Gael, 6, was sick with a fever and moaning, his face streaked with tears. "In Juarez, we were shoved and yelled at," she said, looking back across the river to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. "We slept on the street." Asked why she didn't cross during the day, when temperatures were mild, Moya said she worried that Mexican police would stop them. "We've already come this far," she said. Much of the attention last fall was focused on caravan groups, mostly from Honduras, as they reached Tijuana, Mexico, not far from San Diego. Then concern shifted to Arizona and New Mexico, where groups of rural Guatemalan families began showing up at remote border outposts. Two Guatemalan children died in December after being taken into U.S. custody, as Homeland Security officials declared a humanitarian and national security crisis. The border deal Trump and Democrats reached last month includes $415 million to improve detention conditions for migrant families, including funds to potentially open a new processing center in El Paso. But in the meantime, families continue to arrive in groups large and small, in faraway rural areas and right in downtown El Paso. "The numbers are staggering, and we're incredibly worried that we will see another huge increase in March," said a Homeland Security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the unpublished figures. The group by the river had landed on the no man's land between the Rio Grande and the tall, steel American fencing. They were on U.S. soil, a place that already has a border wall. The lone U.S. agent with the group was the only one available along that span. Drug smugglers have been using the groups as a diversion, so the agent couldn't leave the riverbank. No vans or buses arrived to pick up the families. Other agents were busy at the nearby processing center because so many groups had arrived in El Paso that night, and still others were at the hospital, where they were helping parents and children receive treatment for severe flu symptoms. Homeland Security officials have been urging lawmakers to grant them broader powers to detain and quickly deport families in a search for deterrent measures. Their attempts to crack down using executive actions have been blocked repeatedly in federal court. The Trump administration has begun sending some asylum-seeking Central Americans back to Mexico to wait while their claims are processed, but so far that experiment has been limited to California's San Ysidro port of entry. About 150 migrants were sent back across the border in February, according to Mexican authorities, but that is a small fraction of the more than 2,000 unauthorized migrants coming into U.S. custody on an average day. Homeland Security officials said Friday that the pilot program, which they call Migrant Protection Protocols, will expand to El Paso and potentially other locations in coming weeks, predicting that the number of Central Americans sent back would grow "exponentially." Some of the cities where they will wait are among the most dangerous in Mexico. Mexican officials are cooperating by providing general assistance and job placement for those sent back to wait, but privately they have warned the Americans that their capacity to take parents with children is extremely limited, especially families that need welfare assistance and enrollment in already-crowded public schools. - - - U.S. court restrictions on the government's ability to keep children in immigration jails - and the sheer volume of people arriving - have left Homeland Security agencies defaulting increasingly to the overflow model Trump deplores as "catch-and-release." Volunteer workers from religious charities were visible at the El Paso airport last month, guiding newly arrived Central American families through the terminal, directing them like a tour group. The adults wore GPS monitors on their ankles and carried manila envelopes with instructions telling them when to appear in court for their asylum claims. Some were traveling in premium seats, the only last-minute tickets available when their families arranged the flights. It was the first time many of the migrants had been on an airplane. For Dionel Martinez, it was the second. The 48-year-old Guatemalan came to the United States three decades earlier, working as a landscaper until he was deported - his only other time on a plane. "We're going to Pennsylvania," he said. A friend had arranged a job at a pizzeria there. With the savings from his first stint in the United States as a young man, Martinez was able to buy some land in his home country and start a family. But a drought this year had left them hungry. "There was no harvest," he said. "Not one grain of corn." His son Darwin, 13, came with him to the United States this time. The boy fainted during the journey, his father said, when they had to stand for hours in the back of a cattle truck. Martinez said he paid 30,000 Guatemalan quetzals, about $2,500, to a "coyote" smuggling guide. It was a cheap rate, but it meant that he and his son traveled through Mexico in trucks, like cargo. Across rural Guatemala, Martinez said, word has spread that those who travel with a child can expect to be released from U.S. custody. Smugglers were offering two-for-one pricing, knowing they just needed to deliver clients to the border - not across it - for an easy surrender to U.S. agents. "If this continues, I don't think there will be anyone left in Guatemala," Martinez joked. The men from his village near the town of Chiquimula were all leaving, he said, bringing a child with them. Martinez said he used the family home as collateral. He had four months to pay off the $2,500. "I need a way to feed my family, and this is it," he said. Not all Central American families are economic migrants. Others, especially from Honduras, arrive with stories of gang threats and violent attacks. After crossing the border, a U.S. asylum officer performs a preliminary screening to determine whether their fears of persecution are credible enough to deserve a hearing with an immigration judge. The problem, Homeland Security officials say, is that a growing portion of those who pass the initial screening never appear in court. They know asylum standards are tightening. Or, like Martinez, they have a prior deportation from the United States that all but disqualifies them from getting asylum. Once released into the U.S. interior, some shed their monitoring bracelets and slip into the shadows to remain in the United States, a country where wages are 10 times higher than in Central America. The saturation at the border means that it matters little whether a parent's story of persecution is sufficiently credible; the United States has just three detention facilities appropriate for families, with about 3,000 beds, and those are full. The pipeline backs up into Border Patrol stations that were never designed for long-term detention, let alone children, many of whom arrive sick after days in cramped quarters. - - - The tiny, remote Antelope Wells, New Mexico, border crossing, where 8-year-old Jakelin Caal arrived in December before falling fatally ill, is now staffed with a team of medically trained Border Patrol agents. But that crossing has gone quiet in recent weeks, as more large groups turn up on El Paso's riverbanks. For families too poor to hire a smuggler, it was the only place to cross, converging with others who sought safety in numbers. Carlos Guevara, 35, said he and his son had wandered the streets of Juarez with nowhere to sleep, then spotted the crowd heading for the river. "I want to give my son a better life," he said. Guevara said he earned about $6 a day for farm labor in Honduras, and left a month earlier with, Carlitos, 7, en route to Michigan. "I can't stand being poor anymore." Swathed in plastic, his son approached the headlights of an agent's Border Patrol truck, its idling engine offering some warmth. Other children in the group were still crying and calling out. Ramiro Cordero, a Border Patrol official assigned to accompany reporters, called on the radio, and said he would go back to the nearest station and get a van himself. "This is what's happening on a daily basis," Cordero said. "You've got to understand that we have to take care of everyone that comes across. And this requires transportation and a lot of logistical support." "Hopefully the vans can get here to transport them to one of the processing facilities," he said. "But for right now, this is where we stay." He lined up the parents and children to issue bracelets to each one with a number corresponding to their arrival group. "They will be provided with basic needs, whether it's water, juices, warm meals," Cordero said. They would also get a medical screening. Two blue-uniformed customs officers, summoned to help the Border Patrol agents, arrived with a van after 3 a.m. The agents loaded the families into the vehicle, needing three trips to transport the entire group. The crying had stopped. On the radio, a dispatcher said there were already 607 migrants in custody at the processing center where they were headed, more than twice its capacity. Stephanie Wheeler, a professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said the number of bills coming from different providers can be overwhelming. "It's oftentimes multiple different bills that are rolling in over a period of several months and sometimes years," said Wheeler, who has conducted survey research with metastatic cancer patients. "As those bills start to accumulate it can be very stress-inducing." Given many patients cannot work during treatment, these bills may force even relatively well-to-do cancer patients to take out second mortgages, spend college savings or worry about leaving debt behind for their families, Wheeler said. Carol Marley is a slight woman who dotes on her two dogs and is involved in her church. Her 88-year-old father, who has dementia, had moved in. She and Randall pride themselves on living frugally. They pay their credit card off every month and don't have car payments. Marley and her daughter, June Marley a second-year college student have health insurance through her employer, Ascension Health, a large, faith-based health care system with facilities across the nation. Her husband has separate insurance through his job. They were hoping to retire early, buy an RV and drive around the country. Instead, they see their meticulous plans disappearing, even if Carol recovers. Their high-deductible insurance policy meant they had to spend $6,000 before their insurance started covering her treatment expenses. They hit their annual out-of-pocket maximum of $10,000 well before the year was over. But Carol Marley said she was prepared for that. "What I didn't anticipate is the knock-down, drag-out fight that I would have to engage in to get people to see there were errors and address it." Since she's unable to work, the family lost her nursing salary. "Money is not coming in, and it's going out by the thousands," she said. Marley had treated cancer patients before. She had seen them come in with unexplained aches and leave with devastating diagnoses. Now it was her turn. Though she didn't recognize it at the time, her symptoms were textbook: Fatigue. Back pain. Weight loss. In July, doctors told her she had pancreatic cancer. Her first thought was that she was going to die. A nurse friend asked if she had her affairs in order. That's because pancreatic cancer is usually discovered too late. Just 9 percent of patients are alive five years after diagnosis, compared with 90 percent of breast cancer patients. Marley knew she was lucky. Hers hadn't spread. She might be able to undergo surgery. But first, four months of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiation. The chemotherapy seven or eight rounds, she can't quite remember drained her. "I couldn't put words together in my head," she said. She had muscle spasms and developed fevers that landed her in the emergency room. As she became weaker, Marley realized she could no longer care for her father at home. On a recent morning in early January, Marley sat down with nurse from a memory care facility where a space had become available. Holding back tears, Marley told the nurse she knew this day would come. "I didn't think it would be so soon, and I didn't know under these circumstances." Later that same day, Marley's energy was up. She adjusted the colorful scarf on her head, turned on her computer and pulled out a pen. Some days, Marley said, she spends hours trying to clarify and fix medical bills. "But I don't do that frequently because it is so fruitless and it is stressful," she said. Often, she is just trying to figure out what different bills mean. "Even as a nurse, I feel like it's impossible to understand," she said. "I can't make heads or tails of it." Sometimes there are errors. Part of the problem, she contends, is that one insurance company covers visits with Ascension providers and hospitals and another company covers pharmacy claims and specialty drugs and providers outside of the Ascension network. Some of the bills, including one for $1,400 from an ER visit were sent to the wrong insurer, she said. Marley cited other issues. An $18,400 chemotherapy bill submitted with missing information and then denied because it arrived late. A $870 MRI bill denied because the provider said there had been no preauthorization. "It's not any one individual. It's not any one system or provider," she said. "The whole system is messed up. ... There's no recourse for me except to just keep making phone calls." On this particular afternoon, Marley has a long list of calls to make. One to figure out why she couldn't access her insurance claims online. Another to a medical provider that urged her to pay $380, even though they acknowledged they owed her about $80 of that total. Someone who answered the phone again suggested Marley pay the entire amount. "Once it's posted to your account and it goes through," the woman said, "we would send you a check." Marley shook her head. "I'm sure y'all are fine people over there, but I'm not trusting a refund to come," she responded, reflecting on her experience as a consumer of cancer care. "The problem is, they want their money and they are going to get it one way or the other." As for her hospital bills, Ascension declined to comment, citing protected health information. But spokesman Nick Ragone said, "The matter at issue was favorably resolved." He did not say which issue was resolved. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. SACRAMENTO California sued the Trump administration Monday over new restrictions on federal funding for organizations that perform abortions or consult with women on how to obtain them. The administration adopted a rule last month banning doctors who refer patients to abortion providers from receiving money through a family planning program known as Title X. The rule also requires clinics that perform abortions to do so in a separate building from where they conduct the rest of their services. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wrote in its rule that the changes were necessary to eliminate the possibility that Title X funding could be used for abortion services, which is prohibited by federal law. But critics have denounced the regulations as an attack on Planned Parenthood, the largest recipient of Title X funding nationwide, and as an effort to shift government money to faith-based family planning organizations. State Attorney General Xavier announced the lawsuit Californias 47th against the Trump administration in a news conference at the Capitol. He was joined by Gov. Gavin Newsoms wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom; 20 Democratic women in the Assembly and Senate; and representatives of the group Essential Access Health, which distributes Title X funding in California and is pursuing its own lawsuit against the administration over the new rule. Somehow in 2019, American women are still fighting for the right to determine the fate of their lives, our own bodies and our own destinies, Siebel Newsom said. What the president is really attacking here is gender equality and female autonomy. More than 360 clinics in California receive federal family planning funding to provide birth control, cancer screenings, testing for sexually transmitted diseases and other health care services for primarily low-income patients. Their programs serve about 1 million people a year, more than a quarter of the Title X patients in the country. Julie Rabinovitz, president and CEO of Essential Access Health, said many of those clinics intend to give up the funding rather than comply with the new rule when it takes effect in May. That would force hundreds of staff layoffs across the state, she said, leading to longer wait times for patients and possible clinic closures. We cannot and will not allow the Trump-Pence administration to create a two-tier health system that dictates a different, lower standard of care for low-income and uninsured individuals, Rabinovitz said. The Reagan administration adopted a similar rule in 1988, prohibiting recipients of Title X funding from counseling patients about or referring them for abortions. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the rule in 1991, but it was delayed by further legal action, and then-President Bill Clinton reversed it shortly after taking office two years later. Becerra said the legal landscape has changed since the high courts ruling. His lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, points to a provision from the Affordable Care Act, signed by President Barack Obama in 2010, that forbids any regulation that interferes with communications regarding a full range of treatment options between the patient and provider. The facts are different. The law is different, Becerra said. Everyone gets their day in court. Another 20 states and Washington, D.C. are expected to sue over the rule on Tuesday in Oregon. A spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon ostentatiously complimented District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine, a Democrat who alleges in an ongoing lawsuit that Trump is violating anti-corruption clauses in the Constitution and just last week became the third law enforcement official to subpoena documents from the president's inaugural committee. "I feel like you're - like I know you," Trump said to Racine during remarks at the White House before a gathering of the National Association of Attorneys General. "I feel like I know you as well, Mr. President," Racine replied from the front row of the audience. The pair's bizarre verbal volley left onlookers scratching their heads. Racine has been among the most aggressive of the multiple Democratic attorneys general confronting the Trump administration. Last year, Racine and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, a Democrat, sued Trump, asserting that payments by foreign governments to his businesses - notably the Trump International Hotel - violate the Constitution's emoluments clause, which prohibits U.S. officeholders from taking anything of value from foreign leaders. Last week the president's inaugural committee was hit with a subpoena from Racine's office for documents related to the Trump Organization or Trump International Hotel. Racine's civil investigation of the committee appears to focus on whether the inaugural committee violated nonprofit regulations by enriching the president's business interests. It follows on the heels of subpoenas from the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of New York and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. The exchange between Trump and Racine began when the president was discussing the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice bill that Trump signed in December. After thanking the association for its help with the bill, Trump singled out Racine. "And a special thanks to Attorney General Karl Racine. Where's Karl? Karl? Karl? Hi, Karl," Trump said from his podium, pointing to Racine. "Hi, Karl," he continued. "Great job. Thank you very much. You were very helpful. Everybody said - Karl - I feel like you're - like I know you. That's pretty good." "I feel like I know you as well, Mr. President," Racine said, a line that brought laughter and applause. In an interview after the event, Racine would not expand on the meaning of his response to Trump. He said the president's address had capped a meeting between attorneys general of both parties and White House officials, including Kellyanne Conway. Among the topics of discussion, Racine said, were programs to reduce recidivism in the District of Columbia and efforts by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, to address the opioid epidemic. WASHINGTON - As national security adviser to President Donald Trump, John Bolton has been the chief translator of Trump's unorthodox foreign policy views to the vast U.S. bureaucracy. To his critics, Bolton is the hawkish whisperer in Trump's ear, nudging a president unschooled in world affairs toward his own preferred strategies. To his supporters, he's an adviser who knows his place, offering counsel but careful never to force the president's hand. An assessment of Bolton's time in office, as he approaches his first anniversary in the job, reveals both the breadth of his influence and, in a few notable instances - such as policy toward North Korea - its limits. The contradictions of Bolton's tenure were apparent in the wake of last week's collapsed Hanoi summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Bolton dutifully reiterated Trump's assessment that the summit was a success. But he offered little support for that judgment or the president's approach beyond saying in an interview with CNN on Sunday that Trump "remains optimistic." Asked whether the summit effort was worth it, Bolton took a pass. "He obviously thinks it's worth trying," Bolton said of the president. Asked about Kim's insistence that he wasn't involved in the death of American college student Otto Warmbier, Bolton declined to back Trump, who had said he took Kim "at his word." "My opinion doesn't matter. . . .," he said. "I am not the national security decision-maker. That's (Trump's) view." From all that is known of Bolton's views and means of operating as an outspoken denizen of Washington's foreign policy wars for decades - a high-level government bureaucrat, a political activist and a Fox News commentator - such self-effacement is startling. But if Bolton has not always prevailed on issues dear to his heart, it is not for want of trying. He has redefined the job of national security adviser from synthesizer and transmitter of views across the government to arbiter of what he believes the president needs to hear, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former administration officials who discussed his record on the condition of anonymity. Bolton declined to be interviewed for this article. He has cut to a bare minimum meetings in which top national security officials present and vet options for the president. In some cases, he has replaced subject experts detailed to the National Security Council from other agencies with ideological soul mates who have little experience serving at the most senior levels of policymaking. His approach to the job, and the president's disinclination to read lengthy briefings or consult experts, have afforded Bolton vast power over an often disorderly foreign policy process. "He advocates a position and then challenges people to talk him out of it," added one senior White House official who works closely with him. Even as the president has rejected his advice on North Korea, Bolton has won on many core issues - such as scrapping arms control and multilateral treaties - that have fired his passion for decades. On his watch, the administration has pulled out of major agreements with Russia and Iran. In September, he declared the International Criminal Court "dead to us." He has fashioned a Venezuela policy that, in recent weeks, has been mostly about Cuba, a longtime Bolton target. He has played a central role in the administration's efforts to cut cooperation with the United Nations, an organization that Bolton has long derided as incompetent and corrupt. Some officials said Trump grouses at times that Bolton has pursued an independent foreign policy that isn't always in line with the administration's "America first" agenda and has berated him for some of his public remarks on the Middle East and North Korea. He has jokingly warned Bolton not to start any wars. But there are no signs that Trump is considering replacing him. Meanwhile, the departures of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, strong advocates of working closely with allies, have bolstered Bolton's position. The former Marine generals were said to have clashed frequently with Bolton, and the net result of their departure has been to further reduce the number of voices influencing the president. - - - Sprinting to the Oval Office One moment from the Trump administration's chaotic Syria debate last year highlighted Bolton's power and how he exercises it. Trump had promised in April to pull all U.S. forces out of Syria "very soon" but then seemed to drop the matter amid Pentagon and State Department outcry that the Islamic State was not defeated. It fell to Bolton to clarify the policy for those implementing it. In a typical administration, the national security adviser would convene a meeting of the president and his top Cabinet officials in the Situation Room, hash out differences and settle on a strategy. But the Trump presidency is far from typical. Since his arrival at the White House, right about the time Trump's withdraw demand was set aside, Bolton has insisted that the primary enemy in Syria was not the Islamic State, but Iran. The key moment came out of a meeting last summer that remains shrouded in secrecy. Bolton told senior officials working on Syria policy that Trump, during a no-notes meeting alone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July, had insisted that U.S. troops would stay in Syria until Moscow forced out its Iranian allies - an ambitious declaration that could keep the Americans there for years. With no reason to doubt Bolton's account, officials at the Pentagon and State Department fine-tuned a strategy that made Iran's departure a primary objective of the 2,000-strong U.S. presence. "We're not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders," Bolton told reporters in September, "and that includes Iranian proxies and militias." James Jeffrey, the administration's newly appointed special envoy for Syria, said Trump was "on board" with that and was in "no hurry" to leave Syria. But Trump never approved a strategy tying troop withdrawal to Iran's departure, according to several senior administration officials. In December, he surprised many on his foreign policy team by countermanding it in a tweet: "It's time to bring our great young people home!" It's still unclear what Trump told Putin. Bolton's public reputation as blunt and unyielding, at least to those with equal or lesser status, preceded his arrival last spring at the White House. "I expected cloven hoofs," said one former NSC staffer. But when Bolton showed up for an introductory meeting, his polite interest in what this staffer's division was working on "flew in the face of everything I had heard," the staffer said. Going from office to office, Bolton told all that he was in a "listening mode," agreed a former senior official who worked for Bolton and predecessor H.R. McMaster. "In person, he's a nice guy," this official said, although it quickly became apparent that Bolton had "a completely different leadership style." McMaster held regular "all-hands" meetings with the entire staff - sometimes called to refute rumors he was leaving or conducted with Kelly by his side to prove the two weren't engaged in mortal combat. With the exception of an internal staff awards ceremony in September, numerous staffers could not recall any under Bolton. Many NSC staffers said they have rarely, if ever, spoken to Bolton since he made his early introductory rounds. "It shifted from office door is always open to office door is always closed," one said of the change from McMaster to Bolton. To the extent that Bolton has relied on staffers, he has worked most closely with the Middle East and Asia directorates, as he focused on Iran, North Korea and China, where he has long advocated more confrontational policies. From early in his tenure, Bolton would burrow in his West Wing office with copious binders of intelligence. Arriving hours before the president, he normally shut his door to scour the day's newspapers and the daily intelligence briefing. When Trump beckoned, Bolton would often sprint to the Oval Office. "If you stood in the lobby outside his office, you'd see him go running by," a senior administration official said. Unlike the president, who frequently breaks from conservative orthodoxy, Bolton, 70, touts his pristine conservative credentials and traces his bona fides back to when he was a teenage supporter of Barry Goldwater. Part of George W. Bush's legal team during the disputed 2000 election, Bolton became a favorite of incoming Vice President Dick Cheney, who intervened to help him land in a senior State Department job. Bolton frequently clashed there with Secretary of State Colin Powell and described himself as a sharp-elbowed master of bureaucratic process. "That is what makes some of my critics go truly wild," he once told an interviewer, "because they couldn't get me on process fouls. . . . I'm proud to say I'm a good bureaucrat." Fred Fleitz, who served as Bolton's NSC chief of staff until November, said Bolton's model as national security adviser is Brent Scowcroft, who worked for Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. Known for bringing his bosses a range of views, Scowcroft is hailed by Democrats and Republicans as the gold standard for the job. But many consider Bolton the antithesis of Scowcroft. From the start, a former senior official said, Bolton "told the NSC directorates that his job was to be a senior adviser to the president." Rather than overseeing meetings and policy discussions among principals, he told them, he planned to spend as much time as he could at Trump's side. - - - Not getting their way Bolton's unusual approach has meant that there is little coordination of policy debates above the third tier of assistant secretaries or efforts at the highest levels to reconcile the different approaches advocated by the military, State Department and White House. Formal meetings of the foreign policy "principals committee," which includes the defense secretary, secretary of state, treasury secretary and attorney general, have been rare. Mattis had complained repeatedly about too many meetings under McMaster. But before he resigned, the defense secretary wrote a sharply worded letter to Bolton, insisting that the paucity of meetings was crippling the policy process. Mattis was particularly upset that not a single principals committee meeting had been held to discuss U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, the INF. NSC spokesman Garrett Marquis said it is "incorrect to say that there are fewer meetings overall." In some cases, face-to-face meetings have been replaced with "paper meetings" in which top officials exchange policy documents but do not actually sit around a table and talk. Bolton also has weekly breakfasts with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and with acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, but the meetings don't produce records that could be used to inform experts elsewhere in the government, who often feel frozen out of the process. Fleitz, now a Fox News Channel commentator and president of the Center for Security Policy, acknowledged that there are fewer high-level meetings, but he dismissed the criticism. "People who disagree assume that if there were more meetings, they would get their way," he said. The one area of robust consultation, officials said, is third-tier meetings at the level of assistant secretaries and geographical or issue-based NSC directors. Many such meetings were held last year to formulate Syria policy, said current and former officials. But higher-level meetings on Syria took place largely as small, informal discussions with no process to reconcile conflicting views or produce a clear decision from the president. Often, those higher-level discussions were disconnected from the lower-level meetings and the president's shifting thinking. "The wheel doesn't connect to the engine," said a former official involved in the Syria debates. In the absence of all sitting down together - and trust that Bolton will accurately present their views to Trump and vice versa - some Cabinet officials have sought their own lines of contact with the president. The most successful has been Pompeo, increasingly a Trump favorite, who shares Bolton's aggressive, conservative outlook but is said to guard his "alone time" with Trump. - - - The activists arrive Bolton's efforts to restructure the NSC also have led to significant changes in personnel. Much of the NSC is filled with career officials from other parts of the government - including the State Department, Defense Department and intelligence agencies - sent for a year or two as nonpolitical subject experts. As those assignments have expired, Bolton has either left them empty or filled them with activists. The cuts have hit the Middle East and North Africa directorate especially hard. The division, which oversees Iraq policy and the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, consisted of as many as 18 people during the Obama administration and is now about one-third that size, said two senior administration officials. The NSC director for Latin America, Mauricio Claver-Carone, a longtime political fundraiser and pro-sanctions lobbyist on Cuba, replaced a career CIA officer. On Iran, two staffers detailed from the Treasury Department to work on sanctions and nuclear issues had their jobs combined into one, for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction. The office is overseen by Richard Goldberg, who worked most recently at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he advocated regime change in Iran via economic and diplomatic pressure Victoria Coates, who trained as an art historian and served as a top foreign policy adviser to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during his 2016 presidential campaign, joined the NSC early in the administration and, under Bolton, directs Middle East policy. At the highest levels of the NSC, Bolton has brought on people he has known for years and who share much of his hawkish worldview. Sarah Tinsley, director of a political action committee and a foundation that Bolton started to advance his policy views and political future, was tapped as director of strategic communications. After his deputy national security adviser, Mira Ricardel, was forced out following a public spat with the first lady, Bolton hired Charles Kupperman, a former defense industry executive who Bolton said had advised him for 30 years but who last served in government during the Reagan administration. Kupperman also served for years on the board of the Center for Security Policy, a think tank that has been criticized by groups such as the Anti-Defamation League for propagating anti-Muslim conspiracies, including the view that rampant Islamization and the spread of Sharia law threaten American democracy. - - - 'Knows his place' As a Fox News pundit and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute during the Obama administration, Bolton earned a reputation as one of the toughest hawks in Washington. He regularly called for bombing Iran and North Korea, where his commentary made an impression on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. During a working lunch at June's summit in Singapore, Kim told Bolton that he was "famous" in North Korea and proposed taking a photo with him to improve his image among regime hard-liners, according to a White House official. Bolton laughed in response. His absence at last week's pre-summit dinner between Trump and Kim, attended by Pompeo and White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, was noted by reporters who closely monitor who is up and who is down among Trump's top aides. But when the two sides convened the next day for an expanded meeting, Bolton was at the table. Bolton has repeatedly said his job is to serve the president and carry out his policies. But the tension between his conservative views and Trump's "America first" instincts was clearly apparent in the case of Syria. Trump's decision to announce a withdrawal came during a Dec. 14 telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. When Erdogan offered to use his own security forces to clean up Islamic State remnants, allowing the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Trump gladly accepted. Bolton, who listened in on the call, spent the next several days gingerly trying to talk Trump out of an immediate troop departure, to no avail. By the time Bolton accompanied Trump on a Christmas visit to troops in Iraq, the withdrawal announcement had been made. "John and I agree on all of this," Trump said at al-Asad Air Base as Bolton looked on. "And John is . . . pretty hawkish on everything having to do with the military." Paradoxically, Trump described himself as "more hawkish than anybody. . . . Nobody is more hawkish than me. But I also like to use it in the right place. And, frankly, I like not using it at all." Trump's eventual agreement late last month to keep about 400 troops in Syria had the support of the military, particularly for the half that are to remain in the north as what the White House called a "peacekeeping force." The other 200 will stay in the south, where they are blocking Iran's use of a major highway between Tehran and Damascus - a priority for Bolton. Fleitz denied that his former boss had worked to circumvent Trump's plans. "He never steps ahead of the president," Fleitz said of Bolton. The reversals, he said, were the product of a president who "changes his mind." Others cast Bolton's role in a different light. "He's an Iran hard-liner," the senior White House official who works closely with the national security adviser said. "He wants to be everywhere, all the time. He's never going to change his spots." But, the official said, Bolton knows his place. "He understands he's not the ultimate decision-maker," the official said. King Kong Bundy, who rose to fame as a rival to WWF champion Hulk Hogan in the mid-1980s, died Monday of undisclosed causes at the age of 61. Longtime friend David Herro announced Bundy's death on Facebook after confirming his passing with his family, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. Born Christopher Pallies in New Jersey, Bundy capitalized on his immense size - his official WWE biography bills him as weighing 458 pounds - to rise up the pro-wrestling ranks after beginning his career in 1981. After a few years in regional circuits developing his character, with his black singlet and demand for a five-count while pinning opponents instead of the traditional three, Bundy joined what was then the WWF in 1985 and almost immediately made a name for himself as a heel at the first WrestleMania by pinning S.D. Jones in what the company claimed was a then-record nine seconds (the match was not actually that short). Bundy then feuded with Andre the Giant before WWF ginned up the story line in which Bundy challenged Hogan for his world heavyweight title in late 1985. That culminated at WrestleMania 2 in April 1986, when Hogan - still battling the alleged rib injury Bundy had inflicted upon him in an earlier match - successfully defended his title in a steel-cage match. Bundy would continue to wrestle in the WWF for two more years, often teaming with fellow behemoth Big John Studd, before leaving the circuit in 1988. He would make a brief return in 1994 as part of the Million Dollar Corporation run by Ted DiBiase and finished his career wrestling on independent circuits. Bundy parlayed his pro-wrestling fame into appearances on "Married With Children," the late-era Richard Pryor comedy "Moving" and in commercials, including a memorable spot for ESPN's "SportsCenter": Along with other pro wrestlers such as "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, Joseph "Road Warrior Animal" Laurinaitis and Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff, Bundy was part of a class-action lawsuit filed against WWE in 2016, alleging that the company did not do enough to protect its wrestlers against head injuries that led to long-term brain damage. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2018, ruling that many of the claims were frivolous or that the statute of limitations had expired. Despite his menacing in-ring presence, Bundy was regarded by many as one of pro wrestling's nice guys away from the cameras. Photo by Laura Inlow, L&C Media Services GODFREY This year, for the first time, Lewis and Clark Community College students will be able to register for a years worth of courses in a single advisor visit, rather than one semester at a time. Registration begins March 11 for Fall 2019, Spring 2020 and Summer 2020. Open enrollment for Summer 2019 is already underway. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing indictment on charges of fraud, corruption, breach of trust and bribery. He's also running for re-election, and with less than six weeks until ballots are scheduled to be cast in Israel, some have raised suspicions of a political hit, not unlike the various hearings and investigations ensnaring President Trump . From a geostrategic standpoint there is no one, including Netanyahu's political opponents, in the prime minister's league when it comes to national security, economics and politics. In this, again, he in some ways resembles President Trump. Recall Netanyahu's speech to the United Nations General Assembly last September in which he conducted a "show and tell" drama with pictures of a secret Iranian nuclear facility, as well as hidden missiles in Beirut. The speech was a searing indictment of the West's wishful thinking when it comes to Iran, the nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration and the intentions of radical Muslim terrorists. As David M. Weinberg wrote in The Jerusalem Post in 2017, "An overwhelming majority of Israelis ascribes the last decade of stability and triumph to Netanyahu's leadership. He may not be the ultimate paragon of virtue -- what politician is? But his prudence and professionalism have best served Israel's strategic needs." Compared to the survival of Israel, the charges brought against Netanyahu are small potatoes. Which brings me to President Trump. Those who criticize Trump supporters, including his evangelical Christian base, say the standard they applied to President Clinton and his behavior has been abandoned when it comes to Trump. These critics say the economy was also good under Clinton (one argument Trump supporters say is in the current president's favor), but that he received no credit from those who claimed then that personal character matters most. All true, but what about a president's policies? Should they matter more? President Clinton named justices to the Supreme Court and lower courts who are liberal interpreters of the Constitution and who uphold abortion rights. He also raised taxes, though he and then-Speaker Newt Gingrich did agree on welfare reform. The question becomes: Which would you choose -- questionable character or appealing policies? Yes, conservatives and evangelicals would prefer a church-going, once-married, faithful politician (like Vice President Mike Pence), but if the choice is between socialism and capitalism, between conservative and liberal judges, between more abortions or fewer, between redefining marriage and defending its once legal -- even biblical -- definition, between a strong economy and a weaker one, between record low unemployment and higher numbers of the unemployed, between open borders and controlling illegal immigration, the choice isn't that difficult. A look at history reveals some pretty bad characters whose policies were well regarded. As Britishheritage.com notes, "Winston Churchill was a strong and bullish leader. His leadership during WWII is remembered very fondly. ... Many, however, deem Churchill culpable in a plethora of human rights violations, and question his views toward races different to his own." Benjamin Franklin was no paragon of virtue, but his assistance in founding America, along with his inventions, are highly regarded by historians. The same is true for Thomas Jefferson and other founders who owned slaves. In modern times, John F. Kennedy was a notorious adulterer, but is credited with establishing the Peace Corps and launching America to the moon. His successor, Lyndon Johnson , fought for civil rights and open housing laws, but, according to his biographer, Robert Caro, used racist language in private. The point is not to excuse bad behavior in leadership, but to examine their policies to see if they promote the general welfare. In the cases on Netanyahu and Trump, they have. Whether those policies overcome whatever personal flaws these men have will be up to Israel's legal system and voters next month and the U.S. legal system and voters next year. (This year marks Cal Thomas' 35th year as a syndicated columnist. Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. (c) 2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC. For Harry and Kaye Coop, service is a family trait. The Jacksonville couple will proudly show off their Irish roots on March 16 as they lead the citys St. Patricks Day parade, but it was their service to the community made them natural picks for the grand marshal role. The Coops will lead the parade in its 30th year, following Harrys mother, who was a grand marshal early in the parades history. Louise Coop was a county clerk and active community member. Kaye said her husband got the service gene from his mother, and service is not something they think about. Its not new to us; its something you do, Harry said. They both had long careers in high-stress professions Harry as a firefighter and Kaye as an emergency room nurse. Balancing those careers the schedules and the worry plus Harrys long-time second job as an insurance agent, was difficult at times. We both had very challenging, but very rewarding careers, Kaye said. The couple married July 13, 1963, at Our Saviour Catholic Church. They met in high school he went to Routt Catholic High School and she went to Jacksonville High School. Harry said Kaye came into the store where he was working and he chased her out the door. I was working at the dime store and he was working at the shoe store, Kaye said. He would come over and I wouldnt let him talk to me unless he bought something, because the manager was really picky. So, I bought socks, Harry said with a laugh. Kaye said he had more socks that summer than a person needs. The community service gene didnt stop with Harry and Kaye. The couples three children also have been involved in the community over the years, and Harry and Kaye now have nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Harry started as a Jacksonville firefighter in 1964 and retired as a captain in 1995. It was the best job you could ever have, he said. I really loved it. We had a lot of good camaraderie and we had some (tragedies), but all-in-all we had a great career. Between his firefighter shifts 24 hours on and 48 hours off Harry sold insurance from 1966 to 2017. He spent 25 years with American Family Insurance and 26 years as an independent agent with Langdon Insurance. Over the years, he has been involved with his church and numerous community organizations, including Knights of Columbus, Minutemen, Kiwanis and various organization boards. He helped organize early Jacksonville Fourth of July celebrations and firemens ball events. Kaye worked at Passavant Area Hospital 36 years 31 of those years in the emergency room. She spent 17 years as a nurse manager. I was an adrenaline junkie and you have to be in order to spend your whole career there, she said. I really liked the challenge and the variety of patients. She still does some nursing as a volunteer school nurse at Our Saviour School. She also volunteers at Routt organizing school records. Kaye has been involved in the Republican Womens Club of Morgan County, the Doorbell Dinners program at Our Saviour, and other church and community programs. With their two careers, their schedules were challenging, to say the least, Kaye said. It was difficult, she said. Every holiday celebration was a moving target, because he could be on duty or I could be on duty. The most difficult part for her was when the fire department had to drag lakes or rivers, she said. That was before cellphones and he might be gone for 12, 15 hours and you wouldnt have any idea how he was doing, she said. It was stressful. And the big fires they were very stressful, too. The couple said they are honored to be picked to lead the parade. They both have Irish roots and took their first trip overseas to Ireland because of their roots. Harry is named for his grandfather Harry Walsh who came to America from Ireland in 1887. One of the foods they had in Ireland and a favorite of Harrys is shepherds pie. God bless her, he said of Kayes culinary skills. She makes some good shepherds pie. President Donald Trump's two-hour speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday included any number of asides that, in normal times, might have prompted hours of cable-news commentary. Buried in those remarks was an aside that didn't receive much attention - but with the renewed debate over comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., that have been perceived as anti-Semitic, the aside is noteworthy. Trump was explaining why he now says he supports an expansion of immigration. "Companies are roaring back into our country, and now we want people to come in," he said. "We need workers to come in, but they've got to come in legally, and they've got to come in through merit, merit, merit." The enthusiastic crowd broke out into cheers of "U-S-A!" "They've got to come in through merit," Trump said. "They have to be people that can help us. They have to be people that can love our country, not hate our country. "We have people in Congress - right now, we have people in Congress that hate our country," he continued. "And you know that. And we can name every one of them if they want. They hate our country. It's sad. It's very sad. When I see some of the things being made, the statements being made, it's very, very sad. "Very, very - and find out, how did they do in their country? Just ask them, how did they do? Did they do well?" Trump said. "Were they succeeding? Just ask that question. Somebody would say, 'Oh, that's terrible that he brings that up.' But that's OK, I don't mind. I'll bring it up. Who is this member of Congress who came from another country and who Trump believes "hates America"? Well, there are 14 members of Congress who are immigrants - and only one whom Trump lambasted during a Cabinet meeting last month. "Congressman Omar is terrible, what she said," Trump said at the time, referring to tweets from Omar that were criticized as anti-Semitic. "And I think she should either resign from Congress or she should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee." "What she said is so deep-seated in her heart that her lame apology - and that's what it was; it was lame, and she didn't mean a word of it - was just not appropriate," Trump continued. "I think she should resign from Congress, frankly." Trump reinforced his opposition to Omar in a tweet on Monday night. That, it seems, followed his watching a segment on Fox News in which Sean Hannity called Omar his "villain of the day." Earlier on Monday, an adviser to Trump's campaign was on Fox Business Network, where the language he used was harsher. "The problem is that her beliefs are deeply rooted in hatred and anti-Semitism," Jeff Ballabon said. "She is a hater. I'm going to say it, she is filth. She has no place in the Congress." "She is a filthy, disgusting hater," he later added. "So what if she's in Congress?" The most recent round of criticism of Omar stemmed from a tweet she offered in response to Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. Lowey's initial comment criticized a poster seen in the West Virginia State Capitol that linked Omar to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Such a link, Lowey wrote, was as painful and worthy of condemnation as Omar's implication that Jewish Americans had dual loyalty with Israel. "Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman!" Omar replied. "I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that!" The implication that others had mandated allegiance or pledges of support to Israel reinforced the criticism that Lowey was offering. Omar now faces a resolution on the House floor introduced by Democrats that condemns her comments, albeit indirectly. (It's a move that's clearly meant to stamp out the issue as much as to hold Omar to task.) It's impossible, though, to isolate Omar's religion and identity from the criticism she faces, particularly from Trump. Omar immigrated to the United States as a refugee from the civil war in Somalia that began in 1991. She left that country when she was 10, arriving in Virginia in 1995. How did she do in "her country," to answer Trump's question? Well, she was a child. It's worth remembering, too, that in Trump's case, he once reportedly derided African nations as "s---hole" countries. At another point, he said that once Nigerian immigrants "had seen the United States, they would never 'go back to their huts' in Africa," according to the New York Times. Omar has spoken in the past of facing bullying because of her identity and the hijab that she wears. A 2017 survey of Muslims conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 64 percent of those who wore clothing that identified them as Muslim had faced discriminatory treatment. More to the point, though, many Republicans see people who immigrate to the United States as not being "truly American." A poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Atlantic found that 63 percent of Republicans believe that being "truly American" means having been born here. (Forty-three percent of Democrats agreed.) A quarter of Republicans think that being "truly American" necessitates being of Western European heritage. (In related news, Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, again retweeted a white nationalist on Monday. Trump has never openly criticized King.) In response to another question in the PRRI poll, 40 percent of Republicans said they mostly preferred a Christian majority, while 12 percent said they mostly preferred religious diversity. The sincerity of Trump's condemnations of Omar is a question of its own. At an event hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition in 2015, he predicted that Jewish donors in the room were not going to "support me because I don't want your money." "That's why you don't want to give me money, OK?" Trump said. "But that's OK. You want to control your own politician." If Trump had his way, Omar wouldn't be in the country. "Merit" aside, his ban on travel from largely Muslim-majority countries included Somalia. What's more, his administration has slashed the number of refugees allowed to enter the country each year, with one result being a 91 percent drop in the number of Muslim refugees admitted from 2016 to 2018. This despite the ongoing conflict in Syria, among other global issues. Omar offered her own thoughts on Trump and her identity in a tweet on Sunday. "My Americanness is questioned by the President and the @GOP on a daily basis, yet my colleagues remain silent," Omar wrote. "I know what it means to be American and no one will ever tell me otherwise." Conservative activists cheered loudly and applauded when President Trump announced Saturday that he would make federal funding for universities contingent on support for free speech. But some First Amendment experts and university officials greeted the announcement that Trump would impose an executive order with questions: Was this political rhetoric, or an imminent policy change? What would qualify as a commitment to free speech, and who would get to decide? And what money was in question - research funding or tuition grants for low-income students? Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference at National Harbor, Maryland, that his executive order would "require colleges to support free speech if they want federal research" money. Trump did not give specifics, but he told the CPAC crowd that he planned to sign the order "very soon." A White House official said Monday that there were no further announcements at this time, referring questions back to the president's remarks Saturday. Samuel Abrams, a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who has surveyed thousands of students, faculty members and administrators about their views, said he cheered when he saw the alert on his phone. "The need is very real" to find ways to encourage more diversity of ideas on campuses, he said. People are so afraid of offending someone that honest, open discourse is disappearing, he said, and he's grateful that Trump put it on the national agenda. But he worries that government intervention is not a good way to improve the situation. "Having the government make the call - is this free speech good enough or not good enough? - and if not good enough, billions of dollars are at risk, innovation is at risk." That is a scary idea, he said. Two years ago, Trump responded to controversy over a divisive speaker at the University of California, Berkeley with a similar-sounding threat, tweeting, "If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?" At the time, UC-Berkeley police had just canceled a talk by the provocative writer Milo Yiannopoulos and locked down the campus to regain control amid intense protests, with masked activists smashing windows and setting fires. UC-Berkeley was again a target this year. Trump stood on stage at CPAC with a conservative activist who was attacked while "tabling" - sharing information - in Berkeley's public plaza, which has long been a national symbol of free speech. Video of the punch went viral, reinforcing the stereotype that conservative thought is viewed with hostility on the state's flagship campus. Neither the attacker - who has since been arrested - nor the victim, Hayden Williams, was a student or employee of the university. Trump urged Williams to sue the school. Berkeley officials issued a lengthy statement, including a timeline of events and university responses to the incident to underscore what they describe as a prompt response by campus police, who investigated the attack, and university officials, who condemned the altercation. "In the last year alone, this University spent more than $4 million to ensure that our conservative students could safely and successfully hold events on campus and invite speakers of their choice to these events," university officials wrote, including a list of prominent conservative speakers who had been hosted by campus groups without protest or incident. The school's chancellor, Carol Christ, had told the campus, "Our commitment to freedom of expression and belief is unwavering." Leaders of several other public research universities and the interest group that represents them said Trump's proposed action is unwarranted. "An executive order is unnecessary, as public research universities are already bound by the First Amendment, which they deeply respect and honor," Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, said in a written statement. "It is core to their academic mission." The University of Chicago's president, Robert Zimmer, warned in a message to campus Monday that federal intervention would be a grave error, allowing the government - with all its power - to help define the nature of campus discussion and creating a bureaucracy to enforce its position. U.S. presidents have long affirmed the importance of freedom of speech to American democracy, said Jonathan Friedman, campus free speech project director for PEN America, which advocates for freedom of expression. "But colleges are not the enemy of free speech that this administration has sometimes made them out to be," Friedman said Monday in a statement. "And policies designed to improve the climate for free speech, if they are not carefully crafted, can have the unintended effect of curtailing it." He said a thoughtful, nonpartisan effort would likely do more to improve free expression on campus "than an executive order cooked up behind closed doors and doled out as a threat." Sigal Ben-Porath, a professor of education, political science and philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania's education graduate school, who recently wrote a book about free speech on campus, questioned how the administration would determine whether a college is protecting free speech. "Will there be a system to report violations to the government, and if so, who will verify the complaints?" she asked. "Will there be a committee? This is thought-police territory." In Canada, she said, a conservative politician recently initiated a similar effort, requiring universities in Ontario to craft free-speech policies or risk losing provincial funding. "The overall background is similar, this sense that higher education is too liberal or too left-leaning," Ben-Porath said. Some schools in Ontario developed policies to strengthen free-speech protections, she said, but most issued statements reaffirming their commitment to the principle. Thus far, she said, "it has had a very limited effect." Some organizations interested in First Amendment issues said they were waiting to hear details of the president's executive order. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which advocates for freedom of speech on campus, said in a written statement: "While we are glad that this important national issue has the President's attention, we do not currently have any more information on the details of the executive order. We are looking forward to learning more about this initiative in the coming days." "I worry that this is a blunt tool against . . . the wrong question," Ben-Porath said. Universities are aware that some students, especially conservatives, feel they are in such a minority they can't express their opinions on campus, she said. "What is some work that we can do to make sure that they are heard, to make sure people consider diverse views?" she said. "These are good questions." New York state regulators have subpoenaed President Donald Trump's insurance broker, following testimony from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen that Trump exaggerated his wealth to insurance companies. That subpoena - acknowledged Tuesday by broker Aon PLC - signaled another line of inquiry into Trump's private business, this time by New York's Department of Financial Services. "As is our policy, we intend to cooperate with all regulatory bodies," Aon spokeswoman Donna Mirandola wrote in an email. She declined to answer further questions, saying, "We do not comment on specific client matters." Tuesday was a case study in Trump's new reality of besiegement as multiplying investigations by state authorities, federal investigators and congressional Democrats began to dig into his business, charity and presidency simultaneously. The White House rebuffed one such inquiry, telling House Democrats it would not provide documents about its process for granting security clearances. But that did not end the confrontation. It probably just delayed it: Democrats are discussing whether to demand that information under subpoena. And, for Trump, other troubles were just behind that one. Another committee of House Democrats said they were preparing to ask for about 10 years of Trump's tax returns. Trump has declined to release his tax returns, unlike other presidents in the recent past. And still another committee - House Intelligence - announced it had hired a former federal prosecutor to lead its investigation of Trump's alleged ties to Russia. Daniel Goldman, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, has a history of prosecuting securities fraud, racketeering and international organized crime. As the inquiries multiplied, Trump's tweets got short. "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!" the president wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, seemingly viewing all these inquiries as an effort by his enemies to overwhelm him. At an afternoon event at the White House, Trump told reporters that Democrats had hurt their chances of working with him on policy issues. "It's too bad, because I'd rather see them do legislation," Trump said. "Instead of doing infrastructure, instead of doing health care, instead of doing so many things that they should be doing, they want to play games." The Trump Organization declined to comment Tuesday. Trump still owns his business, although he has handed day-to-day control of it to his sons Don Jr. and Eric, and to longtime executive Allen Weisselberg. The past few days have accelerated the probes into Trump's past and present, particularly following testimony by Cohen, once Trump's self-described "fixer." Cohen spent seven hours telling a House committee about the inner workings of Trump's company. At one point, Cohen said Trump used exaggerated statements of his own wealth to impress journalists, reassure lenders and persuade insurance companies to lower his premiums. "When we were dealing . . . with insurance companies, we would provide them with these copies so that they would understand that the premium, which is based sometimes upon the individual's capabilities to pay, would be reduced," Cohen testified. "And all of this was done at the president's direction and with his knowledge?" asked Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo. "Yes," Cohen said. That testimony preceded the subpoena from New York's Department of Financial Services, which regulates insurance in the state. The Trump Organization is headquartered in Manhattan. The department sent Aon a nine-page subpoena, according to the New York Times, which first reported that it had been issued. The department asked for all communications between Aon and Trump or the Trump Organization, as well as internal documents in which Aon employees discuss Trump. Two people familiar with the subpoena said the Times' description was accurate.The Department of Financial Services did not respond to requests for comment. The scope of the inquiry and the department's focus are still unclear. Separately, congressional Democrats spent the early days of this week laying out detailed demands for documents from Trump, his family, his underlings and his business partners. On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee sent letters to 81 people and entities asking for documents the committee wants to examine in a host of Trump-related inquiries. Judiciary's document request seeks information from Trump's two adult sons, business associates, political confidants and others. It touches on a wide array of matters, including the president's business dealings with Russia, the firing of James Comey as FBI director and hush payments made to women who say they had affairs with Trump. Democrats, led by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., plan to seek Trump's tax returns under a 1924 law that gives chairmen of House and Senate tax-writing committees broad powers to demand the tax returns of White House officials, according to people briefed on those plans. People involved in that effort said they are being deliberate so as not to make a mistake that jeopardizes the investigation. "If we had done this a month and a half ago, we would not be prepared, we would be falling on our face, and we'd be looking at the rationale for what we're doing," said Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J. Trump has made clear to associates that he will resist this demand, according to three people who have been briefed on the discussions but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. If Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin refuse, that would be likely to set off a court battle that would drag the process out for months or more than a year and into the 2020 election season. "What the president will do is: He will, first of all, respond grudgingly and slowly. They will then negotiate," said former House speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., a staunch ally of Trump's. "They will be subpoenaed. They will take that all the way to the Supreme Court." But the more immediate fight centers on Democrats' request for documents pertaining to the White House security clearance process. In a letter to the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., White House Counsel Pat Cipollone said the committee request for the information was "without legal support, clearly premature, and suggests a breach of the constitutionally required accommodation process." Cipollone said his staff would brief the panel and allow them to view documents related to their investigation, though that offer has not been sufficient for committee Democrats in the past. "We believe the best course is to move forward with this agreed-upon accommodation and then speak again once your review of the documents and the briefing are complete," said the letter, which was dated Monday and released Tuesday. The standoff comes just days after reports that Trump directed his then-Chief of Staff John Kelly to give his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a security clearance despite concerns from the intelligence community. The New York Times first reported the news, which was later confirmed by The Washington Post. Cummings, however, has been asking questions about the security clearance process for months, even garnering bipartisan support for his inquiry in the previous, Republican-controlled Congress. In a statement, Cummings rejected the White House lawyer's assertion that Congress does not have jurisdiction over security clearance matters. "The White House's argument defies the constitutional separation of powers, decades of precedent before this committee, and just plain common-sense," Cummings said. "The White House security clearance system is broken, and it needs both congressional oversight and legislative reform." A variety of other inquiries churned away in the background, including congressional investigations of Russian election interference and the Russia-related probe being conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller III. Also ongoing are state inquiries into Trump's use of his charity and into the hiring of undocumented workers at Trump's golf courses. Eric Trump said Tuesday on Fox News Radio that all of these probes are designed to undermine Trump's success as president. "These people are so desperate," he said. "If you can't win, what do you do? You obstruct, you try and impeach, you try and harass, you try and distract. I mean, that's all these people know how to do. I mean, they can't win." - - - The Washington Post's Erica Werner, Damian Paletta and Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report. First elected alderman of the Southeast Side's 10th Ward in 1971, Edward Vrdolyak, known as "Fast Eddie" for his knack for backroom negotiations, quickly earned a reputation as a consummate Chicago politician, brash at times but with a keen sense of how to do business the old-fashioned way. In the 1980s, Vrdolyak along with his longtime friend Ald. Edward Burke led the "Vrdolyak 29" bloc of white aldermen who frustrated Harold Washington, Chicago's first elected black mayor. In 2008, Vrdolyak pleaded guilty to fraud for his role in a real estate kickback scheme. He is facing federal charges stemming from millions of dollars in secret payments he and a friend allegedly received from the state's massive settlement with tobacco companies in the 1990s. Burke was also charged in January 2019 with attempted extortion. After a frosty Monday and more near-freezing temperatures in the overnight forecast, the sun is expected to reappear Tuesday and begin a warming trend for the rest of the week. National Weather Service meteorologist Aaron Treadway said high temperatures are forecast to be in the 50-degree range Tuesday and up to 70 degrees by Friday. Its going to be a big change from what we see today to what we see by the end of the week, Treadway said. The upper atmosphere changes and we get that southerly flow from the Gulf of Mexico, which will help warm the area through the rest of week. Temperatures are expected to reach freezing one more time between Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Treadway advises people to always remember the four Ps during weather like this: People, pets, plants and pipes. Remember to check on the elderly or others who may be impacted by the cold, he said. Pets should be brought inside, particularly short-haired, very young or old dogs and all cats, according to Animal Care Services. Treadway said people should take care of plants that have either been recently planted or started to bloom to prevent the cold from wiping them out. Rain chances start at 20 percent on Thursday and Friday, with a 30 percent chance expected on Saturday. For Thursday and Friday, there may be some isolated showers, but nothing too much to write home about, Treadway said. The weather-maker is on Saturday with a cold front that could bring a decent shot of rain to San Antonio. The death of a woman found Sunday in an SUV parked off U.S. 90 on the South Side was ruled a homicide by the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office. Annette Nicole Juarez, 37, died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head, the medical examiners office said. A new international study that included faculty from UT Health San Antonio has identified five new genes linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimers disease. The study, published last week in the journal Nature Genetics, identified the genes through a meta-analysis of genetic information from more than 94,000 people. The data was pulled from the International Genomic Alzheimers Project, an international consortium that aims to map the genes associated with the form of dementia. Dr. Sudha Seshadri, director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimers and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio, contributed to the research, which was led by Brian Kunkle and Margaret Pericak-Vance, both of the University of Miami, and Jean-Charles Lambert of Frances Pasteur Institute of Lille. Seshadri said the research helps broaden the understanding of the biological basis of Alzheimers. Related: At San Antonio Dialogue on Dementia, researchers discuss ways to reduce risk of Alzheimers Over the past decade, researchers have identified about 30 genes associated with Alzheimers, Seshadri said. The latest work pinpointed rare gene variations found in less than 5 percent of participants who researchers believe are more likely to trigger the disease, she said. Such information can be used to help determine individuals with genetic variations that may put them at a higher risk of developing Alzheimers, she said. Which are the points in their genome, in the millions of points along their genome, that are different in the people with Alzheimers versus the people without? Seshadri said. If you take all the different points at which such variants could be either a risk variant or a low-risk variant, then it adds up. You can categorize individuals of having different degrees of risk. On ExpressNews.com: UT Health San Antonio researchers link zombie cells to Alzheimers Genetics play a significant role in determining whether a person will have Alzheimers in his or her lifetime. However, Seshadri said genetic predisposition may interact with environmental or lifestyle factors that can amplify the risk of developing Alzheimers. Genetic propensity is only half of the story, she said. While the research may not immediately change what happens in a doctors office, Seshadri said researchers hope the work can be leveraged in the future for targeted drugs, therapies and clinical trials. Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba Air Force Major Andre McDonald is a suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Andreen Nicole, 29, who authorities believe is dead and was charged Sunday in connection with the case. McDonald, 40, was booked on a charge of tampering with evidence because he had torn up a receipt for the purchase of a shovel, an ax, gasoline and other material that investigators believe he intended to use to dispose of her body. "I love my daughter. I love my family. That's it," said McDonald as he was led away by deputies Sunday afternoon at the Bexar County Justice Intake Center. More details on ExpressNews.com: Air Force major, based in San Antonio, suspected in wifes death Bexar County Sheriff's Office deputies already had detained him Saturday for a mental evaluation by the Air Force. Until Sunday afternoon they had refrained from calling McDonald a suspect, though they said there were indications a homicide had occurred and that he was not cooperating with the search. After developing further information at the McDonald residence Saturday night, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said a second search warrant for the house was obtained. "We found some things really quite disturbing," Salazar said. "The evidence consisted of a shovel, an ax, some heavy duty trash bags, some work gloves, and two 5-gallon containers of gasoline." He said they also found a portable burn barrel. RELATED: Husband of missing woman detained for mental evaluation after bizarre gun purchase Salazar said the items found in the home led investigators to believe that the implements were going to be used to dispose of a body. "We believe that Andreen McDonald is no longer living," Salazar said. Andreen McDonald, a local business owner, was reported missing Friday by friends who say she never showed up at the gym or work. Salazar told reporters Saturday morning that it was a missing person case marked by "very suspicious circumstances." "There is literally no sign of her anywhere," and her husband had declined to speak to deputies who initially questioned him Friday, asserting his rights and retaining an attorney, Salazar said. A receipt later discovered in McDonald's home by investigators showed that the items found there had been purchased earlier Saturday, according to Salazar. "There was quite a bit of effort that went into destroying that receipt to try to prevent us seeing where it was purchased and when it was purchased," Salazar said. "That led us to obtain a warrant of arrest for Andre McDonald for the charge of tampering with evidence." The couple's 6-year-old daughter is being cared for by a relative. "This little girl is autistic, mostly nonverbal. To us, it's pretty evident she saw something. She saw what happened to her mom, and that's the most heartbreaking part of this case," Salazar said. This breaking news story will be updated as information becomes available. A Comal County district court judge received a public warning after he told the jury to keep deliberating over a defendant they convicted because God told him she was innocent. Judge Jack Robison reported himself to the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct after the outburst on Jan. 12, 2018, according to the committee's disciplinary document. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Robison presided over the trial of Gloria Romero Perez, who was charged with continuous sex trafficking and the sale or purchase of a child. When Robison was informed the jury reached a guilty verdict, he told them her conviction would be a miscarriage of justice and asked them to keep deliberating. "The judge later apologized to the jury, and said something to the effect of, 'When God tells me I gotta do something, I gotta do it,'" officials wrote in the report. The judge received 18 other complaints against him about the outburst, according to the report. The jury was not swayed by the judge's intervention and found Romero Perez guilty. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, the conviction was declared a mistrial in October after a judge found that Robison's rulings were not in accordance with the law and that he made partial comments throughout the trial. She is still awaiting a retrial, court records show. In his self-report, Robison told the committee he was experiencing memory lapses at the time and was under extreme stress due to treatment for a medical condition and the death of a close friend. Robison provided letters from two medical professionals that Robison's outburst was caused by a "temporary, episodic medical condition referred to as a 'delirum.'" The professionals said that the issue appears to be resolved and that Robison is not currently experiencing the same impairment. The public warning is a more severe form of punishment than being privately warned, according to the commission's website, but the action falls short of suspension, which is the most serious disciplinary action the committee can vote on. Robison denied he ever exhibited prejudice, but did recognize that his involvement with the jury was grounds for misconduct. Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com|@FaresInSA Before she went missing, Andreen McDonald told a close friend that if she ever disappeared, it would be because her husband, Air Force Major Andre McDonald, had killed her, according to court documents. On Friday, after Andreen McDonald didn't show up to the gym or to work, two places part of her usual routine, the close friend and another woman went to her home. They knocked at the front door. No answer. So they went around back and discovered an unlocked way in. They went inside and found evidence that seemed to confirm their suspicions, according to investigators. Andreen McDonald's car in the garage. Blood stains on a light switch. A fresh burn pile out back. Andre McDonald, 40, was arrested Sunday on a charge of tampering with evidence in the case of his missing wife. He was booked into the Bexar County Jail and his bail set at $2 million. Though Andreen McDonald hasn't been found, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said authorities believe she is dead. RELATED: Husband of missing San Antonio mom has been arrested and charged in connection to her disappearance Andre McDonald's recently released arrest affidavit provided more details about what led investigators to suspect him. According to the document, the blood and hair in the master bathroom of his North Bexar County home, in the 1000 block of Solitude Cove, were first discovered by acquaintances of Andreen McDonald who were looking for her after she didn't show up to work on Friday. "The first witness said that the Missing Person (Andreen McDonald) told her many times if she ever went missing it would be because the Suspect killed her," the affidavit says. The two witnesses, described as a woman and one of her employees, went and knocked at the McDonald residence on Friday. When they received no answer, the women went to an unlocked back door and entered the house, according to their statements to detectives. "The first witness said she and the second witness gained access to the residence through the back door, after no one answered their knock," writes Dep. Mark Waits in McDonald's arrest affidavit. Johnny Garcia, a spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, said the women are "very close" friends of Andreen McDonald's. "They were tight knit with each other," he said. "They know her routine, and they're used to seeing her at certain places at certain times." Inside the home, the two women found blood and hair on a light switch in the couple's master bathroom. One of the women observed "what she described as a fire on the ground," the affidavit says. She said she saw a zipper in the fire. The two women then left the residence. One of them drove to pick up Andreen McDonald's mother and bring her to the home, according to the affidavit. At some point, Andre McDonald returned to his house and spoke with at least one of the witnesses but they "weren't able to get many answers" out of him. According to the affidavit, as the second witness returned to the home with Andreen McDonald's mother, they spotted Andre leaving the residence. Only then did they contact the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. OnExpressNews.com: Air Force major, based in San Antonio, suspected in wife's death The two witnesses and Andreen McDonald's mother met with Deputy F. Gonzalez at home on Solitude Cove around 1:20 p.m. Friday. They reported Andreen's disappearance and said they "suspected foul play." Andreen McDonald's mother led Deputy Gonzalez into the master bathroom and showed him the blood and hair. He also noticed a burn pile in the backyard, and he found Andreen McDonald's purse, ID, keys and other personal belongings in the home. Garcia said that despite the questionable legality of Andreen McDonald's friends entering her home, deputies followed proper procedure. Deputies detained Andre McDonald for questioning. The affidavit says he told investigators that his wife was being treated at Baptist Emergency Hospital on U.S. 281, but when authorities contacted the hospital, they were told she was not there. McDonald then said he didn't know where she was, and he noted the two had been in an argument the night prior. According to the affidavit, McDonald declined to comment further and requested an attorney. Bexar County records indicate McDonald had previously filed for divorce from his wife in 2017 but later dropped proceedings. Authorities executed a search warrant at the home on Saturday, during which the blood found in the bathroom was found to be human. They also seized a Chevy Malibu that contained a small amount of presumed blood evidence, the affidavit says. The same day, investigators followed Andre McDonald as he visited Nagel's Gun Shop, where he bought a gun and ammunition. According to the affidavit, another deputy then went to the Solitude Cove residence to "make sure it was secure." Garcia said sheriff's office authorities were concerned for Andre's well-being, but when the deputy arrived, he found additional evidence. RELATED: Husband of missing San Antonio woman detained for mental evaluation after bizarre gun purchase "When he approached the residence, he could see inside of the Porche Macan and noticed a shovel that was not present during the previous search of the residence," the affidavit says. Deputies then secured a second search warrant. The second warrant led to the discovery of two torn up receipts indicating Andre McDonald had purchased a shovel, an axe, a hatchet, heavy duty large plastic bags, gloves and two 5-gallon gas cans. Investigators found many of those items in the back of McDonald's Porche, and they also discovered heavy coveralls in a trash can. Further, another fire pit "that was not present during the previous search" was found. Investigators determined it had been used to destroy "papers and other items." Based on the evidence collected during the search warrants, deputies arrested McDonald on the tampering with evidence charge and booked him into jail. Deputies and volunteers plan to meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday at 26108 Overlook Pkwy to organize and continue the search for Andreen McDonald. Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Wednesday, Feb. 27 11:10 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Midland Township. 7:20 p.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to an Edenville residence for a possible no contact order violation. Deputies spoke with the 42-year-old man, who said the order had been amended, and no violations had taken place. 6:18 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a two-car property damage accident in Lincoln Township. 6:02 p.m. -- Officers responded to a civil complaint in the 900 block of West Collins Street. 5:07 p.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Larkin Township location in reference to a vehicle crash resulting in an injury. The at-fault driver was issued a citation for impeding traffic. 4:14 p.m. -- Officers responded to a traffic hazard in the area of West St. Andrews Road and Eastman Avenue. 4:12 p.m. -- Officers responded to a traffic hazard near the intersection of Bay City Road and Waldo Avenue. 4:08 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash resulting in minor injuries in Geneva Township. 4:03 p.m. -- Deputies were sent to a Larkin Township home for a report of a verbal argument between a separated couple. Contact was made with the man and four friends, who had already left the scene. Another deputy made contact with the complainant, who said her soon-to-be-ex-husband was only supposed to bring one friend to help remove his items from their former shared residence. The man said he though bringing more friends would help him move the items more quickly. 3:17 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Lee Township residence to speak with a 32-year-old Geneva Township woman about a package that was shipped to her residence, but never received. The woman reported discovering that her sister had ordered an item on the internet and had it shipped to her house as a gift. The woman has contacted the U.S. Postal Service postmaster, who said the item had been shipped. The deputy made contact with woman's neighbors, who said they had not seen the item, which is valued at $260. 3:07 p.m. -- Officers responded to a property damage accident near the intersection of Sturgeon Road and Airport Road. 2:38 p.m. -- A 50-year-old Greendale Township woman reported that a 41-year-old Evart man failed to pay for gas. It was discovered that the man made a partial payment, making it a civil matter. It was explained to the woman that she needs to handle the matter in civil court. 2:24 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a single-vehicle crash at a City of Midland location. 1:03 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a two-vehicle property damage accident in Jerome Township. 12:20 p.m. -- Officers responded to a larceny in the 400 block of Wexford Avenue. 11:17 p.m. -- A deputy had vehicle towed after Midland County Road Commission called in to report that it was interfering with their plowing. 11:30 a.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of westbound US-10 and Sturgeon Road. 8:23 a.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash on private property in the 300 block of Jerome Street. 7:39 a.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of eastbound US-10 and South Saginaw Road. 3:04 a.m. -- Officers responded to a parking violation in the 4900 block of Russell Street. Among the members was Pete Veal, a drug dealer who for years tipped Hicks off to good scores in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. It was Veals cooperation with the FBI that ultimately led to the 2001 sting that ended with the crews arrest, Pasqual said. Much of the trial is expected to center on secret video and audio recordings made by the FBI at the two South Side apartments that were set up to look like drug stash houses. Our beloved mother, sister, aunt, and friend has been led by our Blessed Mother Mary to her eternal rest after a courageous battle with cancer. Cynthia peacefully and willingly answered, Here I am Lord if you lead me. Cynthia was a proud Nixon High School class of 1969 graduate. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree from Southwest Texas State University she returned to her alma mater and taught for over 30 years. She was actively involved in the betterment of the school serving as Master Teacher and serving on campus improvement committees as well as sponsoring extracurricular activities for the development of the total student. She thoroughly enjoyed her time traveling with the Golden Spurs and assisting Mrs. Kramer with the Nationally Recognized Group. After retirement Cynthia took a few years off to refresh and then began serving the teachers and students of UISD by substituting for 8 years. She took a liking to middle school students and gravitated to serve them. Cynthia gave her time and talent to both her church and Laredo Area Retired School Employee Association. As a LARSEA member she served as past president of the local chapter as well as multiple years as treasurer. In addition, she represented the local chapter on the District level serving as a District Officer. She selflessly gave her time to advocate and promote the needs of all teachers. However, her greatest peace and joy came from serving her Blessed Sacrament Parish as an Altar Society Member, Prayer Group Participant, and devout parishioner. Cynthia enjoyed traveling on cruises and to any destination with a casino and for years she was a season ticket holder traveling to support the San Antonio Spurs. She never passed up an opportunity to join her sisters or friends when the invitation was extended. Cynthia was preceded in death by her loving parents, Victor and Doris Rodriguez, her siblings, Victor M. Rodriguez Jr. and Victoria A. Rodriguez. Left to cherish her memories are her son Conrad Villarreal (Hilda), her sisters, Doris Gallagher (Jimmy), Pamela Juarez (Benito); nephews James N. Gallagher III, Mike V. Gallagher (Monica) and Benito J. Juarez (Mayra) and her niece Anissa J. Ramirez (Chris). She also leaves the sunshines of her life JR and Victor Ramirez, her great nephews. The family would like to thank all her prayer warriors, cousins, and friends who sustained her peacefully throughout, Dr. Marissa Gonzalez, Dr. Selena Stuart, Dr. Mohani, and all the compassionate nurses from Altus Hospice Care. A rosary will be recited on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. from Hillside Funeral Home to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Pallbearers: James N. Gallagher Jr. Benito D. Juarez, James Gallagher III, Michael V. Gallagher, Benito J. Juarez, Chris Ramirez and honorary pallbearers JR and Victor Ramirez If you would like to sign the guestbook or send private condolences, you may do so at www.hillsidefuneral.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Hillside Funeral Home, 310 Hillside Road. No scooting. No skateboarding. No bike riding. Not on Alamo Plaza. Not on hallowed ground. Not at the Shrine of Texas Liberty where about 200 Alamo defenders battled 1,600 Mexican soldiers. Not where people fought and died for freedom. Its a battlefield, not a theme park. New signs directing riders of scooters, bikes and skateboards to steer clear of Alamo Plaza are a welcome change from the Texas General Land Office, which assumed a long-term lease of the plaza on Jan. 1. The state has also opened a small welcome center to help guide visitors, who no longer must endure the rants of street preachers. Those street preachers havent been silenced. They may still preach to the masses just south of Alamo Plaza in space the city has dedicated for First Amendment activities. These are all small changes, foreshadowing much larger ones. Although small, these changes already have made Alamo Plaza a more respectful place where visitors can reflect on the historic battle and feel the weight of history. They also portend bigger changes for the site that will bring proper reverence. Streets will be closed. Carnivallike businesses will be moved. A world-class museum will provide appropriate historical context changes that some in our community have opposed, but will do wonders for the site. These initial small changes have already made a welcome difference. Lebanons fight against corruption is off to a bad start. Less than a month after the countrys new government took office, Hezbollah is using the anti-corruption campaign to settle political scores by singling out former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora for criticism, according to political observers. On March 2, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah, who is spearheading his partys anti-corruption campaign, said that Siniora has designated himself as an accused and asked financial prosecutor Ali Ibrahim to investigate the case. One day earlier, Siniora had confronted Fadlallah about his use of the anti-corruption campaign for partisan purposes. Fadlallah had insinuated that Siniora needed to be held accountable for his management of the governments budget during his tenure as prime minister from 2005 to 2009. At the base of the conflict is more than $11 billion in extra-budgetary spending during Sinioras term that, according to Fadlallah, cant be traced. Fadlallahs accusation echoes similar allegations made by President Michel Aouns Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) a few years ago. But this time, the FPM has remained silent while Hezbollah has issued its accusations. According to an informed source, since the presidential compromise between the FPM and Hariri in 2016, which paved the way for Michel Aoun to become president, the party has stopped, or at least tempered, its media war. Preemptive press conference On March 1, Siniora held a press conference to preemptively respond to Hezbollahs accusations. With support from the leaders of the March 14th coalition, he explained that public spending had been higher than expected between 2006 and 2009 because of the rise in oil prices and the unexpected reconstruction expenses following the July 2006 war with Israel. Siniora provided a list of expenses that he said accounted for the $11 billion in mystery spending, including $2.08 billion that was paid to Electricite du Liban, $3.5 billion that was used to pay interest on the public debt, $1.98 billion that was used to cover previous commitments by the government and $1.12 billion that was owed to municipalities. Siniora also said that these expenses could be traced and verified by the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank. A former minister, who asked to remain anonymous, told LOrient-Le Jour that the timing of Hezbollahs accusation is meant to undermine the application of the program of the Paris CEDRE conference and unsettle Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The attacks were pre-scheduled, according to the source, and were intentionally launched when Pierre Duquesne, the French diplomat in charge of the follow-up to the CEDRE process, was in Beirut. Their obvious aim was to create political tension, the former minister continued, adding that the expenses in question were always sent to parliament. But at the time, the pro-Syrian camp considered Sinioras government as illegitimate because the Shiite ministers had resigned. As a result, parliament, headed by Nabih Berri, refused to note the expenses. The former minister also said that there is a connection between these attacks, indirectly targeting Hariris Future Movement, and the Syrian governments attempts to weaken Druze leader Walid Jumblatt by dividing the Druze community. "These two battles are part of the same battle. It is the Syrian-Iranian axis trying to take control of political life, the former minister said. Attacking anyway Despite being preempted by Siniora, Fadlallah pushed forward with his attack on March 2 and accused the former prime minister of mastering the art of escaping accountability, hiding state expenses from parliament and embezzling donations through a special account opened for the Higher Relief Committee to use the money for political purposes at the expenses of the victims of the July 2006 war. The tension between Hezbollah and the Future Movement seems to be drawing in other political forces who are also looking to settle scores. OTV, a TV channel close to President Aoun joined the fray by implying there should be a distinction between Siniora and Hariri. Future TV, a mouthpiece for Hariris political movement, responded Sunday with a strongly worded statement denouncing what it called a cheap and fabricated attempt to put the two men in opposition and added: "Whoever attacks Siniora attacks Saad Hariri. On Monday, the head of FPM and current Minister of Foreign affairs, Gebran Bassil, called Hariri to assure him that his party did not endorse OTVs statement and to try to defuse the tension. Hariri also received Mufti Abdel Latif Derian, who said: Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is a red line because he is a statesman par excellence We will defend him against any slander. Meanwhile, at the institutional level, parliament will convene Wednesday to elect the seven members of the High Court to judge former presidents and ministers. The High Court is composed of seven deputies elected by parliament and eight magistrates chosen according to hierarchy and seniority by the Council of Ministers. The court's decisions require a ten vote majority. (This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 4th of March) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) The Philippines should be thankful to foreign governments wiretapping criminals in the country, Malacanang said Tuesday. While wiretapping is considered illegal under Philippine law, there is nothing wrong with receiving wiretapped communications from other countries, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace press briefing. "Walang batas na nagsasabing ilegal yun kung binibigyan tayo ng impormasyon (No law states being given information is illegal). In fact we should be thankful we are being provided with the information relative to the criminal activities in this country," Panelo said. Panelo, who also serves as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, made these statements as he vouched for the validity of the government's drug watch list or "narco list," hinting that those alleged to be involved in drugs may have been wiretapped. "Tandaan ninyo ang technology ngayon masyadong modern Nakakapasok sa mga telepono ngayon ang ano e, ang surveillance Kaya mahirap ring tanggihan pag sinabi ng law enforcement na kasama ka dito," he added. [Translation: "Remember that modern technology enables surveillance through telephones. That's why it's hard to deny when law enforcement officials say you are included in the list."] He stressed that Philippine law enforcement agencies do not have the capability for electronic eavesdropping unlike Israel, U.S., Russia, and China. President Rodrigo Duterte himself previously admitted to wiretapping politicians allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade. He also said a foreign country, which he did not name, provided him wiretapped communications about a plot to remove him from office. READ: Duterte admits wiretapping alleged narcopoliticians Republic Act No. 4200 or the Anti Wire-Tapping Law says it is "unlawful for any person to tap any wire or cable, or by using any other device or arrangement, to secretly overhear, intercept, or record such communication or spoken word." Law enforcers are allowed to wiretap private communications in relation to cases of treason, espionage, rebellion or sedition and kidnapping, but only with a court order. The House of Representatives in December 2018 approved a bill which seeks to legalize wiretapping in cases involving illegal drug trafficking. That superior also encouraged Bull to flirt with male members of the police force and once told the officer it is your job to be a lady, not a soldier, according to the lawsuit. He also allegedly offered to ensure she would reach her goal of becoming a full-time officer if she agreed to sleep with him. Following on from Hawaiian Airlines 7 flights last year where crew members incorporated Hawaiian Language into the standard boarding and in-flight announcements, early last month the airline announced an olelo Hawaii (Hawaiian language) certification program for its 7,200 plus employees broadening the carriers commitment to honor and perpetuate Hawaiis rich culture throughout its operations. It is expected the Hawaiian language certification will inspire and empower team members to share Olelo Hawaii with all guests. The program was spearheaded by team members within Hawaiians In-Flight Services department, which currently has 13 certified speakers. As more olelo speakers are certified, they will help Hawaiian advance the languages use throughout its operations, workplace and during interactions with guests This is an incredible moment for our ohana and an opportunity for employees to share Hawaiis mother tongue wide and far, said Debbie Nakanelua-Richards, director of community relations at Hawaiian Airlines. Language is a powerful tool, and we are proud to help keep the history and essence of these beautiful islands alive through olelo Hawaii. The olelo HawaiI certication is the latest of a host of cultural initiatives championed by the airline, including such as offering complimentary, introductory Hawaiian language and hula lessons to employees, giving its aircraft Hawaiian names, and celebrating new routes and special events with Hawaiian blessings. Last week, the airline unveiled a Hawaiian Culture Resource Center at its Honolulu headquarters where employees and visitors may explore Hawaiis culture, language, geography and history via Native Hawaiian books. The solidarity campaign for Rawal Asad (who has been held in custody since February on the scandalous charge of sedition after attending a peaceful protest in Multan, Pakistan) shows no sign of slowing down. On 4 March, comrades and supporters of the International Marxist Tendency coordinated a day of pressure against the Pakistani state by picketing, protesting and telephoning Pakistan's embassies all over the world, so the regime knows the world is watching, and we will not stop until our comrade is released. At present, Rawal is still being denied bail. The Multan courts have given the date of his next hearing, which will take place tomorrow (6 March). Rawal's lawyer has also appealed against the fake case of sedition registered by the Multan police, which will have its first hearing today (5 March). Protests last week and over the weekend Prior to the day of action, there were other protests and messages of support for Rawal, in Pakistan and beyond. For instance, last Thursday (28 Feb), there was a protest held by the Progressive Youth Alliance in front of National Press Club, Islamabad: We also received a message of solidarity from the Progressive Writers' Association, who on Saturday 2 March organised a meeting in the Pak Tea House, Lahore to demand our comrade's release. Renowned intellectuals and artists, like film director Syed Noor and Shoukat Chouhdary, in addition to General Secretary of PWA, Javed Aftab, participated in the event: The comrades from Denmark organised a protest at their embassy in Copenhagen last Friday (1 March). We also received many photographs and messages of international support over the weekend (posted at the end of this article): Solidarity from student and labour movement On Sunday 3 March, a number of trade unions from El Salvador sent a collective message of support for Rawal, demanding his release: That same day (3 March), several politicians from France Insoumise, including deputy Michel Larive, regional counselor Jean-Christophe Sellin and three candidates for the European elections (Carole Mare, Anne-Sophie Pelletier and Manuel Bompard), offered their support to our campaign to release Rawal Asad: In the past week, there have been two major developments with the solidarity campaign in Canada. First, on 1 March, a letter was signed calling for Rawal's release by the York Federation of Students, which represents over 48,000 students: Secondly, we yesterday (4 March) received a letter from CWA Canada Associate Members, representing over 1,300 student journalists and media workers, also demanding the release of Rawal Asad: Lorena Delgado Varas, member of Swedish parliament for Vansterpartiet Jens Holm, member of the Swedish parliament for Vansterpartiet Malcolm Momodou Jallow, member of the Swedish parliament Hakan Bernhardsson, editor of Social-Democratic paper Libertas, and chair of Momentum Sweden Claudia Velasquez, president of Vansterpartiet Helsingborg Hamnarbetarforbundet in Umea (Dockworkers Union) Andreas Nuottaniemi, president of Vansterpartiet Umea SSU Jonkoping (Social Democratic Youth) Siri Nuottaniemi, president of Ung Vanster Umea Henrik Stenberg, president of Livsmedelsarbetarforbundet Goteborgs Kex in Kungalv (Food Industry-workers Union) Patrik Berg, secretary of Livsmedelsarbetarforbundet Skanemejerier in Malmo (Food Industry-workers Union) Simon Kappelmark, president of Fastighetsanstalldas forbund at Bostadsbolaget in Gothenburg (Real estate-workers Union) John Lyshag, shop steward in the Kommunalarbetareforbundet-union in Gothenburg (Municipal Workers Union) The editorial board of the journal Revolution The board of Socialistiska Partiet Johannes Pettersson, president of Marxistiska Studenter Goteborg Sofia Staaf, president of Marxistiska Studenter Stockholm Sanna Sahlin, president of Marxistiska Studenter Lund Oscar Gunnarsson, president of Marxistiska Studenter Umea Zara Henriksson, president of Unga Marxister Gothenburg Thea Wilhelmsson, president of Unga Marxister Stockholm In Sweden, an open letter drafted by IMT comrades calling for Rawal's freedom was signed by a number of prominent politicians, unionists, union branches and activists, including: Fianlly, today (5 March), the British comrades recieved a message from Ian Hodson, National President of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, who confirmed that a letter had been sent on behalf of his union to the Pakistan Consulate demanding Rawal be released. These demonstrations of support are a testament to the bonds of solidarity that connect workers and students everywhere! Day of action! Yesterday (4 March), our comrades across the world engaged in a day of unified action for Rawal, including the Belgian comrades, who protested outside of the Pakistani embassy in Brussels: In London, the British comrades of Socialist Appeal and the Marxist Student Federation returned to the Pakistan Consulate for a second time, holding an hour-long picket where they (along with representatives of the Pakistan Trade Union Solidarity Campaign) chanted slogans and delivered speeches calling for Rawal's freedom: After speaking out against the injustice of Rawal's detainment, Fiona (national organiser of the MSF) delivered an updated petition (now containing nearly 1,500 signatures) calling for our comrade's release to an official at the Consulate (as you can see towards the end of the video below): In Toronto, comrades from Fightback (Canadian section of the IMT) held a solidarity picket in front of their consulate. For a second time, the consulate officials called the police on youth activists. It begs the question, what are the Pakistani state and its representatives so afraid of? Another picket was organised by the Greek comrades at the Pakistan Embassy in Athens: A number of Mexican student comrades held a protest at the Pakistan embassy in Mexico City: In Switzerland, IMT comrades held a protest in front of the Pakistan embassy in Bern. Police tried to shield the embassy from the protest, but eventually after five comrades were admitted, who handed an open letter to the embassy staff that was signed (among many others) by a national MP of the JUSO and the president of the Basel section of the Socialist Party: In Russia, where pickets are illegal, a single worker activist protested outside the Pakistan embassy in Moscow and submitted a letter addressed to the ambassador, prime minister and chief justice of Pakistan, demanding an end to the persecution against Rawal Asad: Finally, comrades from Esquerda Marxista held a picket at the Pakistan Consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil and delivered a letter to the Consular demanding Rawal's release: Elsewhere in the world, activists took part in various actions on 4 March. For instance, Socialist Revolution (our section in the USA) ran a coordinated campaign of telephoning the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, demanding information on Rawal's case and insisting action be taken to secure his freedom. Meanwhile, comrades in the Czech Republic sent a video message offering their solidarity to Rawal: Throughout the world, supporters, comrades and activists have been phoning and writing to their embassies and will continue to do so in coming days. All of these actions are intended to keep pressure and a spotlight on the scandalous activities of the Pakistani state, which is victimising anyone speaking out against the exploitation and oppression of workers and youth. The fake charge of sedition against Rawal is a gross miscarriage of justice. Release Rawal Asad! Further solidarity photographs from our supporters all over the world: Boulder, USA Pittsburgh, USA Boston, USA San Francisco Bay Area, USA St. Louis, USA New York City, USA Spain Marseille, France York University, Canada Montreal, Canada Hamilton, Canada Lund, Sweden When the school opens in the fall as the Academy at St. Joan of Arc, it still will be considered a Catholic school but it wont be run by the archdiocese. Instead, a nine-person governing board will oversee it. The board will consist of three people, such as parents, from the school community; three members of the parish community; two people with a background in education; and a representative of the archdiocese. King will be the board chairman, he said. Authorities have identified the man killed in Randolph on Monday night as the search for suspect Justin Gaston continues Tuesday morning. Haki Sanders, 33, was the victim fatally shot Monday at 27 Petipas Lane, where he lived, according to the Norfolk District Attorneys office. Sanders previously lived at 10 Vesta Road in Dorchester. Gaston, 32 of Randolph and Brockton, remains at-large and police consider him to be armed and dangerous, authorities said. Authorities said Gaston sometimes resides at 27 Petipas Lane. The shooting was not random, officials said. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous and the public is warned not to approach Gaston but instead to call 911 and report his whereabouts, the district attorneys office wrote in a statement. Gaston is a black male with brown eyes and black hair. He is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs about 210 pounds, officials said. He is believed to be driving a black 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee with Massachusetts plates 57X610. Anyone with information about Gastons whereabouts is asked to call Randolph Police at 781-963-1212 or 911 in case of an emergency. A Malden couple has been accused of running a prostitution operation out of their Norwell day spa, officials said. Nowell police launched a months-long investigation into the Platinum Body Works Day Spa at 144 Washington St., an establishment owned by 63-year-old Xiangmei Eckhardt, according to the office of Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz. Robert Eckhardt, 68, helps operate the spa, Cruzs office said in a statement. Norwell Police sent an undercover officer into the business as part of the investigation and that officer told investigators that while receiving a body massage at the business, the female masseuse grabbed his penis and offered to engage in sexual conduct for a fee, the statement read. The officer paid with dollar bills that were marked. Police obtained a search warrant on Feb. 20 and seized from the spa electronic devices, an appointment binder, a daily ledger, a video camera system, several bottles of baby oil, latex gloves and $858 in cash, including the marked bills, Cruzs office said. The couple was located in Malden and arrested. Xiangmei Eckhardt is charged with trafficking of a person for sexual servitude and deriving support from prostitution. A not-guilty plea was entered on her behalf and she was ordered held on $20,000 bail. Robert Eckhardt is charged with trafficking of a person for sexual servitude, deriving support from prostitution and misleading an officer. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf and he was ordered held on $15,000 bail. If bail is posted, the two will be ordered to wear GPS monitoring bracelets, remain on home confinement and surrender their passports, Cruzs office said. The couple is scheduled to return to court on March 29. Authorities are searching for an armed and dangerous suspect in connection with a fatal shooting in Randolph Monday evening. The Norfolk District Attorneys Office said police are looking for Justin Gaston, 32, of Randolph and Brockton. Officials believe he shot a man to death in Randolph Monday. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous and the public is warned not to approach Gaston but instead to call 911 and report his whereabouts, the DAs office said in a statement. Gaston is a black male with brown eyes, black hair, 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighing approximately 210 pounds, officials said. He is believed to be driving a black 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee with Massachusetts plates 57X610. Authorities said he sometimes resides at the location of the apparent homicide 27 Petipas Lane in Randolph and at other locations in neighboring communities. The DAs office said the victim is an adult male who was known to Gaston and that the incident is not random. The victims identity is being withheld pending family notification. Anyone with information about Gastons whereabouts is asked to call Randolph Police at 781-963-1212 or 911 in case of an emergency. BENNINGTON, Vt. Southern Vermont College announced Monday that it will close following the conclusion of this spring semester due to its precarious financial position. The decision to shut down follows a show-cause hearing Feb. 28 where the New England Commission of Higher Education demanded to see proof that the college was on firm financial footing to move forward. On March 1, the college trustees voted to close. On Saturday, Southern Vermont got word that the New England Commission of Higher Education had voted to withdraw Southern Vermonts accreditation effective Aug. 31, according to a news release the college issued Monday. This extended date should give us a chance to work with students who need only a few classes, or who need to meet other graduation requirements, to award them an accredited SVC degree before the end of the summer, the news release said. All students who complete graduation requirements this semester will also receive an accredited SVC degree. No accreditation means no federal funding for the college or for students. Southern Vermont College said it has a teach-out agreement in place that will allow underclassmen to finish their degrees at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in nearby North Adams. The cost will be the same in most programs of study. The college is also working on transfer plans with Norwich University, Castleton University and others, the news release said. Norwich and Castleton are in Vermont. The shutdown is the latest in whats been a run of bad news for smaller liberal arts colleges in New England and elsewhere: In Amherst, Hampshire College decided to admit only 77 first-year students in the fall and is laying off employees while it looks for a partner. Wheelock College in Boston merged with Boston University last year. Mount Ida College in Newton closed in 2018 and the University of Massachusetts Amherst took over the campus property. Newbury College in Brookline is shutting down after the spring 2019 semester. Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont 56 miles from the Southern Vermont campus announced in January that it will close at the end of the spring semester. Southern Vermont College had a $2 million budget deficit following a drop in enrollment, a deficit expected to grow to by another $2 million following the bad publicity of the hearing with the New England Commission of Higher Education, according to a story in the Bennington Banner. Southern Vermont now has about 340 students, down from a peak of about 500 in 2012, according to the Banner. This follows a scare that the colleges nursing program would lose its accreditation and revelations that a college financial adviser stole money. According to its website, the average class size at Southern Vermont is 16. It offers 16 bachelors degrees, one associate degree, and two certificate programs on a 400-acre campus a few miles from Bennington. According to Southern Vermont College, total cost is $36,236 a year including tuition, room and board. Southern Vermont said 96 percent of students receive financial aid and the average aid package totals $17,500 a year. SPRINGFIELD The city has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with the 70-member union representing police supervisors, according to a statement from Mayor Domenic J. Sarnos office. The deal, details of which have not been made public, resolves sticking points including the wearing of body cameras, residency requirements, the administration of Narcan to those suffering overdoses and a new social media policy. This is fair agreement that will help us proceed with our goal of moving the department forward in a positive direction," Acting Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood said in a prepared statement. It is equitable to the contract the IPBO Local 364 Patrolmans Union received in 2018. Clapprood said provisions covering body cameras, social media and Narcan "will be beneficial for both the Police Department and the citizens of Springfield. Capt. Brian Keenan, president of the Springfield Police Supervisors Association, said he was extremely proud to have reached a tentative agreement that gives our members security and reasonable expectations as they plan their futures. Keenan thanked Sarno and his staff for remaining at the table to see the negotiations through. The men and women of the Springfield Police Supervisors Association are an extremely dedicated and hard working group of people who serve their community with distinction. It is encouraging to know that all the police labor unions now have contract language," Keenan said. He cant go into any further details before his membership gets a chance to review the contract. A ratification vote is set for Tuesday. Any deal will also go to the Springfield City Council for its approval. The supervisors union represents sergeants, lieutenants and captains. The union has been without a contract for three years. The citys plan to deploy body cameras had been held up by contract negotiations. In June, the police departments patrol officers union agreed to the cameras as part of its new contract. In February, Winbourne Consulting, of Virginia won the $300,500 contract to provide the cameras. Once the cameras are on the street, Springfield will be the largest police department in the state with body cameras. Both the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston Police Department are running pilot camera programs. A judge allowed a request from Kevin Spaceys lawyers on Monday to preserve more phone records in an indecent assault case filed against the actor, The Boston Globe reports. Spacey, 59, is accused of groping the teenage son of a former WCVB anchor in 2016. He also faces more than a dozen sexual assault allegations in other cities. He has pleaded not guilty to an alleged indecent assault in a Nantucket bar. His alleged victim was 18 at the time, according to records. Judge Thomas S. Barret on Monday allowed a motion from Spaceys lawyers to extend the period phone and electronic records of the alleged victim and his former girlfriend would be preserved, according to the Globe. At a January hearing Barrett ordered the phone data be preserved from July 7, 2016 to Jan. 7, 2017. On Monday, he extended the order to Dec. 31, 2017, according to The Boston Globe. Last week, Spaceys lawyers asked the judge in the case to order Mitchell Garabedian, who is representing the teen and his family, to turn over cellphones, internet storage accounts, and records related to the attorneys retainer, the Globe reports. Allan J. Jackson, who is part of Spaceys legal team, says given the actors status as a public figure, [the accuser] and his family members have a significant financial motive to fabricate his allegations, according to the Globe report. Heather Unruh accused of the actor of assaulting her son in a press conference. She says the actor got her 18-year-old son drunk at The Club Car bar and restaurant where he worked and forced his hand down her sons pants. Kevin Spacey bought him drink after drink after drink and when my son was drunk, Spacey made his move and sexually assaulted him, she said during the press conference. Spacey did not attend Mondays hearing in Nantucket District Court. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 4 when Barret will consider the motions filed by Spaceys lawyers last week. The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update on acute flaccid myelitis shows two confirmed cases of the polio-like disease - one in North Carolina and one in Utah - out of 15 reports of patients under investigations so far in 2019. The Utah case is new since the CDC's previous update on Feb. 15. The update also shows that there have been 223 confirmed cases of AFM in 41 states among a total of 374 reports of patients under investigation for 2018. The update shows New Hampshire with its first confirmed case of AFM for 2018, an update from the CDC report of Feb. 15. Massachusetts has four confirmed cases for 2018 to date. According to the CDC, most of the 2018 reports of patients under investigation have been classified, but says it is, along with state and local health departments, still investigating some of the them. The CDC said it is also not aware of any deaths in confirmed AFM cases with illness onsets in 2018 or 2019, but has "learned of deaths in cases confirmed in previous years." It is asking health departments to send information about every death of an AFM case to CDC. The syndrome, which is most common in children, is considered rare but can result in paralysis. It affects the nervous system, resulting in muscle weakness, but often manifests as a respiratory infection, is difficult to diagnosis and treat and has no identified single common pathogen to date. States with no confirmed cases to date in 2018 include Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia as well as the District of Columbia. States with the highest number of cases in 2018 include Texas at 29, Colorado, 16, and California and Ohio, 14 each. The new data means there are now 551 confirmed cases of AFM in 48 states and the District of Columbia since 2014. The case counts represent only those cases for which information has been sent to and confirmed by CDC. The year 2018 has the highest number of confirmed cases in the most states since the CDC began tracking the disease as a result of 120 AFM cases reported to it from 34 states between August through December 2014. The spike in cases in August and October during 2018 were also the highest to date for those months. There were 22 confirmed cases of AFM in 17 states in 2015; 149 in 39 states and the District of Columbia in 2016 and 35 confirmed cases in 16 states in 2017, according to the CDC. Due to a decline in reports of patients under investigation for AFM, CDC said it will now update cases on a monthly rather than twice monthly basis. The CDC has noted that many patients with AFM have onset of symptoms between August and October when many viruses begin to circulate and the number of confirmed cases seems to increase every other year. A Malden man has been sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for transporting, distributing and possessing child pornography, officials said. United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Aaron L. Weisman said Fetahe Makonnen, 35, was arrested in October 2017 after he provided an undercover Rhode Island State Police detective with two computer thumb drives containing approximately 1,300 images and videos of child pornography. Authorities said Makonnen traveled to Rhode Island after talking with the undercover detective on two occasions, who he believed was interested in viewing and sharing child pornography. Makonnen pleaded guilty in April 2018 to transportation of child pornography, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography, the U.S. Attorneys office said. During his sentencing Monday, Makonnen was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release following his jail sentence. HOLYOKE -- Police are investigating allegations of theft and misappropriation of funds by Nelson R. Roman while the two-term city councilor worked as the executive director of the nonprofit organization Nueva Esperanza. Roman, who said in late 2018 that he was resigning from his council seat and from his position at Nueva Esperanza to take a job in Chicago, has not been charged with any crime. Holyoke Police Lt. Jim Albert said Monday that the department's Criminal Investigation Bureau began its probe in early December, around the time Roman announced his resignations. Police received information that Roman allegedly stole or misappropriated funds and equipment, Albert said. "We felt it was important to take a look at that," Albert said. "We began our investigation, and we've since interviewed quite a few folks. We've got some more to do. That investigation is ongoing. It is open." The investigation includes how Nueva Esperanza spent money and if those expenditures were within "the scope of the organization's mission," Albert said. Detectives are "strictly" focusing on Roman's time with Nueva Esperanza and not with the City Council. Albert said there is "sufficient reasonable suspicion" to investigate the allegations, which also include whether Roman was "overpaid beyond the scope of what the employment arrangement was between him and Nueva Esperanza." Albert declined to release Roman's salary with Nueva Esperanza, saying the amount is tied to the investigation. "We're still working to confirm some of that," he said. The organization's fiscal 2018 tax filings are not yet available through the Massachusetts secretary of state's office. The most recent filings are for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2017, one month after Roman was named interim executive director. The organization appointed Roman as its permanent executive director in June 2018. Albert emphasized that the investigation is ongoing as detectives continue to conduct interviews. "It's obvious the public is aware of some of Mr. Roman's history with Nueva Esperanza," he said. "Some of it's good, and some of it's negative. We don't want to work off innuendo and rumor. That's why we're looking at this." Investigators have not spoken with Roman, who moved out of the area in late December. "We hope he would cooperate. That's up to him," Albert said. He said some of Nueva Esperanza's board members are cooperating with investigators. "We hope to go back to them for additional questions. I would hope we get the same consideration and honesty that a public agency like Nueva Esperanza would expect," Albert said. Rosa Pantoja, president of the Board of Directors for Nueva Esperanza, said the board questioned Roman about questionable transactions made during his time as executive director and contacted police. "I was the Board Treasurer in the time that Nelson Roman worked for Nueva. During my end of year review of the books, I discovered some questionable transactions. At this time, the board questioned Mr. Roman immediately about said transactions," Pantoja said. "The answers received from Mr. Roman were not satisfactory to the Board of Directors. We immediately exercised due diligence by contacting the Holyoke Police Department who began a formal investigation." Pantoja said the board is fully cooperating with the police department. We are diligently working towards providing all and any information the police need to complete their investigation. We have no further comments at this time, she said. Roman could not be reached at either of two phone numbers, including a number previously listed on the city council's web page. Roman's official Facebook account appears to be deactivated, and an email account he used during his time on the council returned the following reply: "Thank you for your email. As of December 31, 2018, I will no longer be living in the City of Holyoke, nor will I have the privilege of serving as your Ward 2 City Councilor. "During my transition, I will have limited access to my email address for any constituent needs and or requests please feel free to reach out to one of the other 12 amazing Holyoke City Councilors, until the new Ward 2 City Councilor is selected & announced." Roman was first elected to the Ward 2 seat in November 2015. He easily won re-election two years later and served until Dec. 31, 2018. In a Nov. 26 interview, Roman said he accepted a position with a Chicago nonprofit. He would not name the organization, saying only that he would be working on homeless issues germane to teens and the LGBT community. He last appeared before the City Council Dec. 4, giving a 23-minute farewell address that included thank you gifts for Ward 4 Councilor Jossie Valentin, former Mayor Elaine Pluta, and former City Council President Kevin Jourdain. After his speech, Roman stopped attending the council's regular sessions or subcommittee meetings. He did, however, hold a celebration and fundraiser Dec. 12 at Capri Pizza. Terence Murphy was to fill the vacant Ward 2 council seat on January 9. Albert asked anyone with information to contact the Holyoke Police Departments Criminal Investigations Bureau at 413-313-6900, or its anonymous tip line at 413-533-TIPS (413-533-8477). The settlement was reached in November but the amount had not been made public, court records show. It marks the latest in a string of massive payouts in cases stemming from the scandal involving Burge, the disgraced ex-Chicago police commander, and detectives under him. The scandal has so far cost the city well in excess of $100 million in jury awards, court settlements and legal fees. The owner and four employees of Tauntons Kloudy Visionz vape shop have been charged with illegally selling cannabis products and including minors among their customers. On Friday, following a weeks-long investigation, Taunton police executed a search warrant at the store and allegedly found 12 ounces of marijuana, several cannabis edibles, THC-infused vape liquid and $5,000, police said. Police received reports in recent weeks of high school-aged students buying marijuana products at the store. During the course of the investigation several high school-aged children could be seen going in and out of the store, some of them riding to the store on their bicycles, Taunton police said in a statement. Many of the people in the store did not go to the cash register, but went off to the side of the store and still came out with products in hand. The store, which has been open for about a year, had already failed to renew its license to sell tobacco products in 2019, police said. Officers charged owner Jason Correia, 25, of Taunton, with possession with intent to distribute a class D drug and conspiracy to violate the drug law, police said. Correia was not present at the store during the raid and was issued a summons to appear in court. Four employees -- Victor Burgos, 22; Juan A. Padua, 27; Kody Braese, 23; and Alexander T. Lucia, 22; were arrested at the scene. Burgos and Brause were charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and drug conspiracy. Padua was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine. And Lucia was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. In November, the store advertised on social media that it was giving away THC vape cartridges as promotion. While recreational cannabis sales are legal and regulated in Massachusetts, only nine recreational dispensaries are licensed to operated in the state -- and Kloudy Visionz is not among them. Those shops are required to abide by strict inventory control procedures, and are prohibited from selling cannabis products to anyone under 21 years of age. I want to commend the strong police work that went into this investigation and thank those who came forward about what was really going on in the store, Taunton Police Chief Edward Walsh said in a statement. While marijuana is now legal in Massachusetts, the legal purchase age is 21 and it must be purchased from a store that is licensed to sell it. What these men were doing was just wrong, especially selling it to children. Black bears are awake, roaming and are in search of food following hibernation, prompting state officials to ask residents to take down their bird feeders. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife says bears have been spotted in Middlesex County, Worcester County and Western Massachusetts. The bears often ignore other sources of food in favor for an easily-accessed bird feeder. Bears will frequently return to areas where they once found food. MassWildlife says in addition to bird feeders, open sources of food like compost or garbage should also be kept out of reach of bears. Wild turkeys and coyotes also go after these food sources and can cause problems for a community. Those who still want to have birds in their yard are encouraged to install something like a water feature. There were roughly 100 bears in Massachusetts in the 1970s, and all of them west of the Connecticut River. Seeing a bear was a genuinely rare thing. Over the following decades, the population has grown several times and is pushing eastward. MassWildlife estimates the current black bear total at around 4,500. Report a digital subscription issue If you are being blocked from reading Subscriber Exclusive content, first confirm you are logged in using the account with which you subscribed. If you are still experiencing issues, please describe the problem below and we will be happy to assist you. Submit WWE wrestling legend King Kong Bundy died on Monday. He was 61. Born Christopher Alan Pallies, he died in his native New Jersey. The cause of death has not been revealed. Bundys longtime friend, wrestling promoter David Herro, made the announcement on Facebook writing, Today we lost a Legend and a man I consider family. Rest in Peace Chris. We love you. Thank you for believing in me. WWE producer Shane Hurricane Helms tweeted, RIP my friend. Thanks for your humor and kindness. Hate to hear about the passing of King Kong Bundy. He was so cool to me when I walked in that WWE dressing room as an absolute nobody in 1986, wrestler Mick Foley tweeted. Wrestler Jerry Lawler tweeted, R.I.P. King Kong Bundy...another great wrestling talent gone too soon. He will be missed..., while Brutus Beefcake described Bundy as a kind soul. Bundy was a popular figure in the then-WWF in the mid 1980s. His Wrestlemania 1 match against SD Jones, which ended in a 23-second win for Bundy, was the shortest in Wrestlemania history. Bundy would go onto to wrestle Hulk Hogan the following year at Wrestlemania 2. The big man was a tailor-made monster heel who was imposing and intimidating, wrestling columnist Mike Mooneyham noted following Bundys death. Bundy was part of a class action lawsuit, which was dismissed in U.S. District Court in Hartford last year, against the WWE. He and others claimed the Stamford, Conn.-based company failed to care for its wrestlers and fraudulently misrepresented and concealed the nature and extent of long-term neurological injuries. R.I.P. King Kong Bundy...another great wrestling talent gone too soon. He will be missed, but he's in good company now, like in this match... https://t.co/rhqsDS5qAD Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) March 5, 2019 OMG cant hardly believe my friend Chris Pallies aka King Kong Bundy has passed away. Very sad news he was a kind soul. Rest In Peace Brother until we meet again. Brutus Beefcake (@brutusbeefcake_) March 5, 2019 You'd think it wouldn't be so difficult for lawmakers to support a bill that would close loopholes in the federal law requiring background checks for those looking to buy a gun. After all, background checks are already the law of the land. Making some adjustments where they are needed isn't exactly wildly controversial. Or shouldn't be, anyway. But in today's hyper-partisan era, where nearly all is black and white, where something that is broadly supported by many members of one political party is almost automatically opposed by most in the other, controversy lies around each corner, and in every proposal. On consecutive days last week, the Democratic-majority House of Representatives passed bills meant to address problems in the existing background-check laws. Each was passed on largely party-line votes, with small handfuls of Republicans crossing the aisle to support the legislation. But the wins in the House are likely the end of the line for the bills, as the Senate isnt expected to consider either measure. And even if either were to get a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate and somehow pass, President Donald Trump has promised to veto both bills. Because the born-and-bred New Yorker so cherishes hunting. No, wait, that's not it. It's because he claims now to believe in everything Republicans believe in, and today, nearly all members of the once-Grand Old Party stand proudly against even the most sensible piece of gun legislation. One of the measures passed in the House last week would have closed whats known as the Charleston loophole. In 2015, a gunman shot and killed nine parishioners at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina. He was able to purchase the firearm used in the massacre when the three-day background check mandated by law failed to reveal a previous conviction that should have kept him from buying the gun. The change would extend, to 10 days from three, the length of the check in an effort to prevent such tragedies in the future. But a bit of waiting is apparently just too much for most Republicans. The previous day, the House passed a bill that would expand background checks to include all gun sales and transfers, not, as is the case under current law, only sales made by federally licensed sellers. That, too, was just too much for most House Republicans and their enablers in the gun lobby. When the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008 affirmed, on a 5-4 vote, the Second Amendment right of an individual to possess firearms separate from service in the militia, its ruling most decidedly allowed for restrictions on firearms purchases and possession. Though you wouldnt know that from listening to todays Republicans. They may wish to consider this when they get the chance. Like next time theres a moment of silence after yet another horrific and preventable school shooting or workplace massacre. Yes, its possible to back both the Second Amendment and sensible gun regulation. And its long past time to do so. The University of Massachusetts is formulating a plan to create an online college for adult students. This will address student needs but is really designed to ease the pressure on the institutions, who are competing for a shrinking market of students at traditional college age. The benefits are apparent. UMass president Marty Meehan hopes his schools model becomes a national blueprint. Dont be surprised if that happens. To equate online education with traditional classroom experience, though, would be flawed - especially if the inference is that they are equal. Meehan is not making that inference, only looking for bold and creative ways to deal with a growing problem (and potentially a crisis) in higher education. In Meehans vision, the revenue from adult online programs would be channeled back to the campuses. Tuititon and fees could be kept from soaring ever higher. Adult learners who cannot put jobs or family life on hold would have expanded access to college education. All of this has merit, especially if the alternative to online college is no college at all. Thats the alternative to many adults. Approximately one million Massachusetts residents have some college credit but not degrees. In its best scenario, the UMass model would improve those numbers, potentially dramatically. Its all worthwhile unless the online educational concept trickles down to the undergraduate level, at least more than it has, and is seen as a useful replacement for traditional classroom experience. Even in 2019, an Internet program cannot fully replace the teacher-student relationship, nor the knowledge gained from interacting in a classroom or even a lecture hall setting. Thats not what Meehans idea describes. It would address what a growing number of educators predict, which is that more colleges will close altogether without bold, creating ventures into new methods that could attract new types of students. Thats already happening. Mount Ida College in Boston closed in 2018 after UMass took over the property. Southern Vermont College in Bennington, Vt., has announced it will shut down. So will Newbury College in Brookline and Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont. Hampshire College has instituted layoffs and is looking for a partner to guide it through what can only be called a crisis. Wheelock College in Boston merged with Boston University last year. The list will grow longer unless action is taken. Is Meehans model an answer? Quite possibly so, as long as online education is used as a viable option and not the fashionable fast pass to a degree, even for college-age students. Traditional education still carries value beyond textbook work, grades and diplomas. Not everyone of any age can follow the traditional path in 21st Century America or in New England, where the small college crisis is greatest. Great potential exists with online education, but balancing older, traditional models with new and innovative approaches will be a challenge facing creative educators - if they want the best results to serve the broadest market of students. In the last month of a hard fought primary race for a House seat in Massachusetts third Congressional District, Lori Trahan spent $481,000 on television advertising far outpacing her spending in months prior and contributing to her win. Trahan won the primary by a narrow margin, beating second-place finisher Dan Koh, Boston Mayor Marty Walshs former chief of staff, by 145 votes. She soundly defeated the Republican candidate in November. A new report from The Boston Globe questions where the money for freshman congresswomans last minute push came from. But Trahans team calls any suggestion that she couldnt afford to lend money to her campaign completely inaccurate. At issue is $371,000 in personal funds Trahan loaned the campaign in 2018. The Globes report states that Trahans financial disclosures filed in the summer showed the congresswoman did not have the money to cover such a loan. She listed a joint bank account with her husband that contained less than $15,001, as originally reported by the Globe and confirmed through Federal Election Commission filings. The Globe reports that after being questioned following the general election, Trahan amended her financial reports four times. She added a joint bank account and $71,000 home equity loan she said she could use, the Globe reports. Adav Noti, a Washington, D.C.-based campaign finance expert, who reviewed Trahans filings at the Globes request said he believes her campaign donations were possibly illegally given to her by her husband David Trahan, a home builder. Election laws allow candidates to donate or loan unlimited funds from a personal account or bank loan to their campaign. But money from anyone else, including a spouse, is subject to the contribution cap of $2,700, according to FEC rules. The discrepancies between the supposed personal loans and her financial disclosures seem unlikely to have an innocent explanation, Noti told the Globe. Gretchen Grosky, a spokeswoman for the congresswoman, called the notion that Trahan did not have the resources to contribute to her own campaign completely inaccurate. Grosky said Trahan hired the election law firm Perkins Coie independently to review of all of her personal and campaign disclosure forms. She said this was not in response to the Globes questioning. While she grew up in a working class family, Rep. Trahan founded a highly successful consulting company that generated more than $900,000 in personal income between 2015 and 2017, Grosky said in a statement to MassLive. The $371,000 in question came from personal contributions through the campaign from a joint bank account, a home equity loan, and Concire, the consulting company she owned, Grosky said. Trahan generated more than $1.1 million in taxable income through her company Concire, LLC since 2015, according to a letter her accountant Catherine Colman sent to MassLive. Rep. Trahan won the election with the same smarts she ran her very successful business. She raised more money from in-district voters than all her opponents combined, and won the highly contested election, despite being outspent 3.5 to 1, Grosky said. Koh spent $3,179,173 during the election cycle, while Trahan spent $2,642,929 according to FEC filings. During the final days of the race Koh did not spend any money on television ads, according to FEC filings. Trahan spent $481,000 in August, ahead of the Sept. 4 primary, on television ads. The Campaign Group, Inc., which calls itself one of the most experienced political firms with a reputation for helping underdog candidates win, handled the ads. Trahan is highlighted as a success story on the groups website in a post titled Cutting Through a Crowded Field. First-time candidate Lori Trahan was 1 of 10 Democrats to run for this open seat, including 2 popular female state legislators with geographic bases. Two of Loris opponents outspent her 2:1, but Lori surged from distant 4th place and won, the group wrote on its website. It was a terribly sad experience, Thompson said. We let everyone know that (the union) will fight the layoffs on campus and in Springfield. We also offered to go to layoff meetings with people who were not represented by any union. We want to support every worker who needs or wants our help during this crisis. Outside the courthouse after an hour-long closed hearing, Manning said her motion to quash the subpoena was denied but her team believes they "still have grounds to litigate." She would not go into detail because Judge Claude Hilton also blocked her bid to unseal the proceedings. But she said she was "probably going to be" at the courthouse multiple times in coming days. A Broad Analysis of the Biological Safety Cabinet Market Research Report Forecast to 2023 methodology of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain a deeper insight of the industry performance. Biological safety cabinets (BSC) Market Overview Biological safety cabinets (BSC) are majorly utilized by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors for various quality control processes, R&D practices, and others where some hazardous research materials may produce aerosols which can contain, such as infectious agents that laboratory workers could inhale. Biological safety cabinets facilitate laboratory techniques for safe handling the potentially infectious research materials in order to prevent exposure of laboratory personnel and the contamination of the general environment. Some biological safety cabinets also provide a clean work environment to protect cell cultures or sterile apparatus. Factors such as growing biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors and rising investments in the medical sector and life sciences are expected to drive the market during the forecast period. However, the high cost of biological safety cabinets and presence of alternative containment cabinets in the market are estimated to restrain the market growth during the forecast period. GET PREMIUM COPY OF SAMPLE REPORT @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6064 Leading Industry Key Players Labconco (U.S.) Thermo Fisher Scientific (U.S.) Esco Micro (Singapore) Kewaunee Scientific (U.S.) The Baker Company (U.S.) NuAire (U.K) Cruma (Spain) Germfree Laboratories (U.S.) Air Science (U.S.) BIOBASE (China) Berner International (U.S.) Azbil Telstar (Spain) Biological safety cabinets (BSC) Market Growth and Analysis The global biological safety cabinet market is growing rapidly mainly due to the growing biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector. Increasing research activities in the Biotechnology led by the burgeoning pharmaceutical sector provide favorable backgrounds for the market to grow exponentially, increasing the demand for biological safety cabinets. Acknowledging the rapid expansions, the market perceives currently, Market Research Future (MRFR) in its recently published study report asserts that the global biological safety cabinet market will reach significant growth heights by 2023 registering 7.4% CAGR during the review period (2018 2023). Advances in technology majorly drive the market growth, improving such safety equipment. The increasing demand for effective and advance technology-based products is anticipated to boost the market size of the global biological safety cabinet market. The global biological safety cabinet market is undergoing a rapid change. Ongoing discussions and proceedings have brought into examinations competence of existing regulatory frameworks for medical equipments in well-developed as well as in developing regions guaranteeing the performance, quality, and safety. Detailed Segment Analysis The global biological safety cabinet market is segmented on the basis of type, application, and end-user. On the basis of type, the market is segmented into class I, class II, and class III. The class II segment is sub-segmented into class II type A and class II type B. By application, the market is categorized into industrial, research and development, and academic. By end-user, the market is categorized into pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, diagnostic and testing laboratories, and others. Biological safety cabinets (BSC) Market Geographical Analysis The North American region leads the global biological safety cabinet market. The US among other North American countries, backed by the expanded healthcare industry in the country accounts for the significant market share in the regional market. Europe is the second-largest market for biological safety cabinet, which is led by the presence of promising players mainly the UK, and Germany. Western Europe and Eastern Europe holds the significant market share owing to the major contributions from the UK, Germany, France, and Italy. The Asia Pacific region is rapidly emerging as a promising market for biological safety cabinet. On the other hand, the market in the Middle Eastern region is poised to witness phenomenal growth due well-developed healthcare sector backed by the governments initiatives and funding. Countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Qatar are majorly contributing to the market growth, which in turn, is transforming the market, facilitating it to reach the global space. OBTAIN PREMIUM RESEARCH REPORT DETAILS WITH TOC @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/biological-safety-cabinet-market-6064 Competitive Analysis Characterized by the presence of numerous big and small-scale players, the global of biological safety cabinet market appears fiercely competitive and fragmented. Well-established players incorporate acquisition, collaboration, partnership, expansion, and product launch in order to gain a competitive advantage and to maintain their positions in this market. The Key players operating in the market compete based on pricing, product launch, technology launch, and reputation. Manufacturers adopt modern manufacturing process to ensure safety and convenience. Marketers employ a continuous improvement strategy to analyze and update products, implementing improvements and launching new solutions to meet the changing needs of end-users. Manufacturers strive to fulfill the most restrictive hygienic and sterility standards while ensuring that ergonomics, simplicity, and reliability define the design of their products. About Us: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com "What we basically told him was we were going to build a car, and we were going to give him the keys," said Howard Wolfson, a Bloomberg political strategist who helped draft the plans. "If he wanted to turn the car on, the car was going to work, and it was going to go fast and it was going to look good." The Laboratory for Advanced Medicine (LAM), a biotechnology company headquartered in the US, offers non-invasive, early stage cancer detection tests that will use the IvyGene Platform. These IvyGene tests are based on detecting genomic DNA shed by cancer cells into the blood stream. By assessing cell-free DNA found in blood samples, the company can measure the extent to which methyl groups are present in DNA at certain locations in order to detect the presence of cancer. Many cancers demonstrate very distinctive DNA methylation patterns, making this an effective way to detect a very small number of cancer cells in the body. LAM employs artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to identify cancer-specific DNA methylation markers. The company has amassed a huge biobank of patient blood samples, which has allowed it to develop a series of such diagnostic tests. Unlike traditional genetic tests, which identify inherited mutations and provide information on someones likelihood of developing a particular cancer, the IvyGene tests will provide a real-time indication of whether cancer is present or not at the time of testing and allow physicians to monitor the overall tumor response of patients who are undergoing treatment. The IvyGene test that is currently available measures DNA methylation at sites that have been shown to be extensively methylated in liver, breast, lung and colon cancers. The company believes that by measuring DNA methylation at certain sites in DNA shed into the circulation, these cancers can be detected as early as stage I. Patients can request the test through their physician, who will draw and ship their blood samples to a laboratory for analysis. The patients physician will then receive the results within five business days. See a video below on how the test works: Medgadget had the opportunity to ask Dr. Richard Van Etten, Chief Medical Officer of the Laboratory for Advanced Medicine, some questions about the test. Conn Hastings, Medgadget: Please give us an overview of current cancer diagnostic technologies and the importance of early detection. Dr. Richard Van Etten, The Laboratory for Advanced Medicine: Cancer diagnostic and screening procedures can be broken down into three main categories: Direct visualization procedures, imaging techniques and in vitro diagnostic tests. Despite several technical advances in many areas of cancer diagnostics, the detection and imaging of human cancer remain poor. The progression of cancer to late stages without the appearance of symptoms is one of the main reasons that cancer is one of the leading causes of death. Therefore, the early detection of cancer, before a person shows any signs of illness, would increase the chances of patients overall survival and will reduce cancer mortality. Most patients will be familiar with direct visualization procedures and imaging techniques because these are procedures that are performed on a patient. Direct visualization procedures include procedures such as when a physician inspects an organ, such as colonoscopy or endoscopy for gastrointestinal tumors, or a pelvic exam for cervical cancer. These techniques tend to have the highest performance for detecting early cancers, because the physician has direct access to the tissue being investigated. But these procedures are often uncomfortable, time-consuming, and invasive. Imaging techniques include all of the methods physicians use to try to get a picture or a movie of what is going on inside the body. Most patents will be familiar with the names of these techniques, even if they may not be familiar with how these imaging techniques work. In general, these imaging techniques either have good performance characteristics and a hefty price tag (MRI, CT and PET), or lower performance characteristics at a lower cost (ultrasound and mammogram). Patients tend to be less familiar with in vitro diagnostic tests. These are tests where a physician will take blood or tissue samples from a patient for analysis. For cancer diagnosis, physicians have previously needed to remove a section of tissue from a patients tumor, usually through a biopsy, in order to determine if the tumor was malignant or benign and to get more information about the tumor. However, biopsies are invasive, may induce complications and depending on the tumor location, are not always feasible. For cancer screening and monitoring, physicians have traditionally relied on protein tumor markers, such as PSA for prostate cancer. Unfortunately, protein tumor markers are seldom elevated during the early stages of cancer, and often have a false positive rate that makes them unreliable tools for cancer screening. Physicians use a combination of these methods to try to identify cancers as early as possible. The earlier a cancer is detected, the more likely a patient can be cured. If cancers are caught late, there are far fewer treatment options, the treatment options available often have severe side effects and curative treatment becomes far less likely. Medgadget: How will the IvyGene tests help in this context? Van Etten: Over the last decade, new tools have been developed that allow us to detect and analyze DNA that is shed from tumors into the blood stream. These kinds of tests, which are often referred to as liquid biopsies, allow us to get information about tumors that used to require a tissue sample. Many tests that are on the market or are in development look for mutated DNA in the blood. Such tests have been shown to be useful mainly as companion diagnostic tests, which are tests that are used for selecting what type of therapy should be used to treat patients who have already been diagnosed with cancer. However, these types of DNA mutation-based tests have tended to perform poorly when used for cancer screening or diagnosis. This is because not all DNA mutations indicate that cancer is present, and not all cancers will have the same set of DNA mutations. In addition, these genetic biomarkers usually vary from case to case, which makes the development of sensitive and generalizable approaches challenging. In contrast, the IvyGene tests look for DNA methylation markers. DNA methylation is an epigenetic marker. This means that DNA is either methylated or not methylated at specific places in response to what genes are being turned on or turned off within a cell at any given time. Because certain genes are almost always turned on or turned off when a cell becomes a cancer cell, measuring DNA methylation at particular sites within DNA is a very accurate method to distinguish a cancer cell from a normal cell. And when asessing DNA methylation of the DNA within blood samples, this approach has also been shown to be an accurate method of detecting cancers, monitoring tumor burden and even determining what type of cancer is present. Medgadget: So, when will people undergo this type of testing? Is this intended for routine screening, or for use in situations where cancer is already suspected? Van Etten: Because of the versatility of this kind of test, the IvyGene tests may be used in a number of different situations. Initially, we envision that physicians will recommend that patients who are at high risk for certain cancers to take an IvyGene test. Physicians may also use these tests to monitor patients who are either undergoing treatment for an active disease or patient who have completed treatment in order to detect a cancer recurrence as early as possible. But within the foreseeable future, it is very possible that most of the current cancer screening procedures will be replaced with highly accurate and non-invasive DNA blood tests, like the IvyGene tests. Medgadget: Please give us an overview of the science behind the tests. How long has this technology been around? Van Etten: DNA methylation is a type of epigenetic modification that plays key roles in gene expression and cell differentiation. Since DNA methylation plays such an important role in gene expression, researchers have conducted many studies examining the association between alterations in methylation patterns and diseases such as cancer. In general, when a gene is turned off, then the control regions of a gene will be extensively methylated. But when a gene is turned on, then these same control regions of the gene will not be methylated. This means that just by examining where DNA is methylated, you can tell what genes are turned on and what genes are turned off. When a cell becomes a cancer cell, certain genes are turned on and certain genes are turned off, which alters the DNA methylation patterns of the cancer cell DNA. These changes in DNA methylation happen very consistently in cancer cells far more consistently than any DNA mutation. This means it is possible to tell if a cell is a cancer cell or a normal cell just by looking at where the DNA is methylated. Both normal cells and cancer cells shed DNA into the circulation. So, by drawing blood from a patient, extracting the free-floating DNA from the blood and then determining where this DNA is methylated, it is possible to detect DNA that is shed from cancer cells at an early stage of the disease. Scientists have been studying DNA methylation since the 1940s. However, there have been two very big technological breakthroughs recently. First, the techniques used to extract DNA and determine where it is methylated have been refined to the point that it is now possible to very accurately measure DNA methylation in blood samples by using very small amounts of DNA. Second, major advances in DNA sequencing and machine learning approaches now allowed us to analyze huge data sets in order to identify the DNA methylation patterns that indicate cancer presence. These two advances, when combined with LAMs large biobank of samples, has allowed LAM to develop non-invasive, DNA methylation-based tests at a pace that has previously been unheard of in the biotechnology industry. Medgadget: So, how will a patient go about getting tested? What will be involved for these tests, and how long will it take to get the results? Van Etten: All cancer testing should start with a patient speaking with their physician. Medical professionals are trained to identify which patients will benefit from testing, and also to interpret the patients results and recommend any follow-up procedures. For the IvyGene tests, a patients physician will be able to order the test for them. Then the patient will just need to undergo a normal blood draw and the blood samples will be shipped to a laboratory for analysis. The results of the test will be sent to the requesting physician within 5 business days. Medgadget: How accurate will these tests be? Van Etten: We are developing our tests to have the highest performance characteristics possible. For most of the tests we have in development, we have been able to show that DNA methylation-based tests can be both more than 90% sensitive (the likelihood that a test will be positive when disease is present) and more than 95% specific (the likelihood that a test is negative when disease is not present). Most blood tests on the market today only have a high sensitivity or a high specificity, and physicians use these tests in certain circumstances in order to attempt to rule-in or rule-out a diagnosis. It is very rare for a blood test to have BOTH high sensitivity and specificity. Tests with these kinds of exceptional performance characteristics are what we believe will allow physicians to detect cancers at an earlier stage, which in turn will save a great many lives. Medgadget: What are your future plans for this technology? Van Etten: Today we have been speaking about using DNA methylation for cancer detection. But DNA methylation testing can do much, much more. For example, it has been shown that DNA methylation can be used to identify what kind of cancer is present, and how aggressive the cancer may be. Tests that can provide this kind of information to patients and physicians can help to guide treatment decisions, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Links: Laboratory for Advanced Medicine and IvyGene homepage Infusion toxicology studies are conducted in toxicologically relevant species to assess the preclinical safety of drugs intended for intravenous administration in human subjects. Infusion toxicology studies help to determine the effective and safe concentration of drug in systemic circulation, which can produce the desired pharmacological action with minimum adverse effects. Infusion toxicology studies also help to determine the clinical dosing regimen for drugs intended to be administered in humans. Infusion toxicology services market demand expertise and are resource and time intensive, which has necessitated their transfer to third party service providers. Infusion Toxicology Services Market: Drivers and Restraints The high research and skill intensity of infusion toxicology studies is the critical driver for the global infusion toxicology services market owing to need for achieving lean size and lower operating costs. The companies benefit by avoiding expenditure on developing skills it may not possess or which are ill suited to the companys structure. Development times are also reduced by benefiting from skill set of service provider. Demand pooling is another strategy utilized by service providers which results in lower costs for the infusion toxicology studies, a critical advantage. The lower costs are then shared between the clients and the service providers thereby achieving absolute cost advantage. Management complications are also eliminated thereby resulting in focusing on activities where the company has competitive advantage and is also a better utilization of human resource of the client company. The growing number of clinical research studies resulting from greater research and development in the pharmaceutical industry is also expected to propel the growth of the global infusion toxicology services market. Data from linicalTrials.gov lists 276,922 studies with locations in all 50 states and in 204 countries. The number of clinical trials conducted registered a hefty CAGR growth of 14.7 % during the period of 2010 to 2017. The growing stringency of regulations coupled with growing number of abbreviated and new drug applications stemming from growing research is another significant driver of the global infusion toxicology services market. The restraints on the global infusion toxicology services market are high cost of studies, issues of control, communication and responsibility owing to third party and the scarcity of trained manpower for studies. Request Free Sample Report@ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=1055 Infusion toxicology services Market: Segmentation The infusion toxicology services market is segmented based on components, route of administration, animal models, clinical indications, study design, and regions. Based on components, the global infusion toxicology services market is segmented into: Infusion pumps Electronic Pump Elastomeric pump Pre-Filled Infusion Therapy Others Consumables Catheters Swivels, tethers, and sample collectors Others Analytical Instruments Spectroscopes Chromatography Elemental and chemical analyzers Others Based on route of administration, the global infusion toxicology services market is segmented into: Intravenous Intra-arterial Subcutaneous Intramuscular Intra-articular Others Based on animal models, the global infusion toxicology services market is segmented into: Rodents Canine Rabbit Swine Nonhuman primates Others Based on clinical indications, the global infusion toxicology services market is segmented into: Oncology Infectious diseases Central Nervous System Inflammatory/Auto-Immune Diseases Cardiac Diseases Others Based on study design, the global infusion toxicology services market is segmented into: Interventional Observational Expanded Access Request/View TOC@ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=1055 Infusion Toxicology Services Market: Overview The global market for infusion toxicology services is consolidated with a few large players dominating the scene. The market trends include a definite shift in favor of developing regions of Asia Pacific, such as India, and China. There is also a strong trend of collaboration between large hospitals and service providers to benefit from infrastructure and skill training. Data sharing between players is another trend so as to reduce the cost. Infusion Toxicology Services Market: Regional Outlook The global infusion toxicology services market is classified into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, the Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to account a large share in the global infusion toxicology services market owing to concentration of key market players, consolidation of healthcare, and large research and development expenditure. The Asia Pacific excluding Japan infusion toxicology services market is expected to grow a significant CAGR owing to attractive economics of labor. China and India are expected acquire lions share in the global market owing to lower labor cost and an expanding pool of skilled talent. The labor cost in Asia Pacific is approximately one-third of the developed countries. The Europe infusion toxicology services market, led by Germany, France and the U.K., is expected to account second large share in the global market. The Middle East and Africa infusion toxicology services market is expected to be skewed in favor of the gulf economies of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar. Infusion Toxicology Services Market: Key Players Examples of some of the major players operating in the global infusion toxicology services market are Charles River, Covance Inc., Citoxlab, MPI Research, Creative Animodel, Smithers Avanza, Envigo, and Creative Biolabs, among others. Collaboration between players and strategic business partnerships are the prime strategies that can yield a premium. The global infusion toxicology services report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. The report covers exhaustive analysis on: Market Segments Market Dynamics Market Size Supply & Demand Current Trends/Issues/Challenges Competition & Companies involved Technology Value Chain Regional analysis includes North America (U.S., Canada) Latin America (Mexico, Brazil) Western Europe (Germany, Italy, U.K, Spain, France, Nordic countries, BENELUX) Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland, Rest Of Eastern Europe) Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (China, India, Australia & New Zealand) Japan Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, Rest Of MEA) Report Highlights: Detailed overview of parent market Changing market dynamics in the industry In-depth market segmentation Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value Recent industry trends and developments Competitive landscape Strategies of key players and products offered Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth A neutral perspective on market performance Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint. Report Analysis@ https://www.factmr.com/report/1055/infusion-toxicology-services-market Immunoassay Market Outlook Immunoassay is widely used in significant areas of pharmaceutical analysis which include diagnosis of diseases and in therapeutic drug monitoring. It is estimated that the immunoassay market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period of 20172023 . Increasing prevalence of chronic conditions, growth in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector, increasing adoption of rental immunoassay analyzers, rising use of immunoassay in oncology, growing awareness about immunoassay, healthcare insurance coverage for various infectious diseases, unmet medical needs, improving regulatory framework, and increasing government assistance are propelling the growth of the global immunoassay market. However, stringent FDA regulations, lack of specificity, the complex procedure of testing, and poor healthcare system in low- and middle-income countries may hamper the growth of the market. Avail Sample Report at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5841 Competitive Analysis by Major Key Players Some of key the players in the global immunoassay treatment market are Beckman Coulter, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Radiometer, Alere, Arlington Scientific, Bio-Rad Laboratories, BioMerieux, Inc., DiaSorin, Diamedix, Dynex Technologies, Fujirebio US, Gold Standard Diagnostics, Hycor Biomedical, Inova Diagnostics, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Randox Toxicology, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Siemens Healthineers, ThermoFisher Scientific, TOSOH Bioscience, Wako Diagnostics, Shenzhen New Industries Biomedical Engineering Co., Ltd., Sysmex Corporation, and others. Industry Segmentation The global immunoassay market is segmented on the basis of product and service, type, and end-user. On the basis of product and service , the market is classified as reagents and kits, analyzers, and software and services. The reagents and kits segment is classified as Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) reagents and kits, rapid test reagents and kits, western blot reagents and kits, elispot reagents and kits, RIA reagents and kits, and PCR reagents and kits. The analyzers segment is classified as portable analyzers and benchtop analyzers. , the market is classified as reagents and kits, analyzers, and software and services. The reagents and kits segment is classified as Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) reagents and kits, rapid test reagents and kits, western blot reagents and kits, elispot reagents and kits, RIA reagents and kits, and PCR reagents and kits. The analyzers segment is classified as portable analyzers and benchtop analyzers. On the basis of type, the market is classified as Radioimmunoassay (RIA), Counting Immunoassay (CIA), Enzyme Immunoassays (EIA) or Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA), Fluoroimmunoassay (FIA), and Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA). the market is classified as Radioimmunoassay (RIA), Counting Immunoassay (CIA), Enzyme Immunoassays (EIA) or Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA), Fluoroimmunoassay (FIA), and Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA). On the basis of application, the market is classified as infectious diseases, oncology, autoimmune disorders, toxicology, neonatal screening, cardiology, hematology and blood screening, bone and mineral disorders, and others. the market is classified as infectious diseases, oncology, autoimmune disorders, toxicology, neonatal screening, cardiology, hematology and blood screening, bone and mineral disorders, and others. On the basis of end-user, the market is segmented into hospitals and clinics, diagnostic laboratories, research and academic laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, and others. Table Of Contents: Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction Chapter 3. Research Methodology Browse Complete Premium Research at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/immunoassay-market-5841 Chapter 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restraints 4.3 Opportunities 4.4 Challenges 4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators 4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis 5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers 5.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers 5.1.3 Threat Of New Entrants 5.1.4 Threat Of Substitutes 5.1.5 Intensity Of Rivalry 5.2 Value Chain Analysis 5.3 Investment Feasibility Analysis 5.4 Pricing Analysis Chapter 6. Global Immunoassay Market, By Product & Service 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Reagents & Kits Continued Comprehensive Regional Analysis The Americas dominates the immunoassay market owing to the presence of major market players, high adoption rate, and increasing prevalence of infectious diseases. According to the statistics suggested by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, around 9,421 cases of tuberculosis, 51,455 cases of salmonella, 33,461 cases of Lyme disease, and 433 cases of meningococcal disease were registered in the United States. It is also reported that nearly 16.8 million individuals visit physician offices for infectious and parasitic diseases. Europe holds the second position in the immunoassay market. It is expected that the funding provided by the government and private organizations towards research and development, along with the rising prevalence of infectious disease are likely to drive the European market. Ask for Discount at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/5841 Owing to a huge patient pool, increasing demand, and development in the healthcare technology, Asia Pacific is the fastest growing immunoassay market. Healthcare expenditure is found to be improving in various regions in Asia Pacific. According to the data suggested by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare during the year 201516, the total health expenditure was USD 170.4 billion, i.e., 3.6% higher than the expenditure of 20142015. The increasing cases of bladder cancer are also propelling the market growth in the Asia Pacific region. According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, nearly 12,000 patients are newly diagnosed with bladder cancer, and around 5000 patients die from the disease annually in Japan. The onset of this disease is mostly seen in the more elderly population. A multiplex urinary immunoassay is commonly used for the detection of bladder cancer. The Middle East and Africa holds the lowest share in the global immunoassay market due to low development, lack of technical knowledge, and poor medical facilities. About Market Research Future: MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Allied Market Research published a report, titled, The report offers information on the drivers, restraints, & opportunities, top investment pockets, market segments, market size & share, and the competitive landscape. These insights are helpful for market players, investors, stakeholders, and new entrants to gain a major market share and international presence. According to the report, the global surgical clips market garnered $4,849 million in 2017 and is projected to accrue a sum of $7,322 million by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2018 to 2025. The report explains the drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the surgical clips market elaborately. Factors such as growth in number of surgical procedures across the globe with increase in awareness of clipping, rise in number of chronic diseases and technological advancements in clipping drive the growth of the market. However, complications associated with surgical clips such as migration of clips hinder the growth of the market. On the other hand, rise in adoption of robotic and minimally invasive surgeries and growth opportunities in the emerging markets offer significant growth opportunities to the market players. Download Sample of the Report @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/3667 The report presents a detailed analysis of the segments of the surgical clips market. The market is classified into material type, type, surgery type, end user, and geography. Based on material type, the study is bifurcated into titanium, polymer, and others. Based on type, the market is divided into ligating clips, aneurysm clips, and others. The aneurysm clips segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2018 to 2025. The report classifies the surgery type segment into automated surgery clips and manual surgery clips. The automated surgery clips segment would exhibit the fastest CAGR of 8.0% from 2018 to 2025. The end user segment is bifurcated into hospital & clinic and ambulatory surgery center. The hospital & clinic segment grabbed the largest share in 2017 and would remain dominant throughout the forecast period. Regionally, the market analysis covers North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. A broad analysis of the players operating in the market is also offered in the surgical clips market report. Details such as their overview, their business segments under operation, key strategic moves and developments, and more are explained. The companies profiled in the report include Ackermann Medical GmbH & Co., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Boston Scientific Corporation, Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, Grena Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon, Inc.), Lemaitre Vascular, Inc., Medtronic Plc. (Covidien Ltd.), Scanlan International, Inc., and Teleflex Incorporated. Buy Now this Surgical Clips Market report @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout/408980 About us Allied Market Research, a market research and advisory company of Allied Analytics LLP, provides business insights and market research reports to large as well as small & medium enterprises. The company assists its clients to strategize business policies and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. Allied Market Research provides one stop solution from the beginning of data collection to investment advice. The analysts at Allied Market Research dig out factors that help clients to understand the significance and impact of market dynamics. The company amplies clients insight on the factors, such as strategies, future estimations, growth or fall forecasting, opportunity analysis, and consumer surveys among others. As follows, the company offers consistent business intelligent support to aid the clients to turn into prominent business firm. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com by Steven Rosenbaum , Featured Contributor, March 4, 2019 If you read about the latest YouTube controversy and just skimmed the headlines, it could seem like the unit of Google was acting to protect children from predators. Certainly, thats what we want them to do. But the decision to block users from commenting on most videos that feature kids younger than 13 isnt a solution. Its far worse than that. Its part of a problem that web platforms have been ignoring and dancing around almost since the open web began. The line between free and objectionable speech isnt one easily solved by algorithms And, as platforms like YouTube and Facebook are steadfast in their role as platforms, not publishers, they walk an increasingly complicated line trying to keep their platforms safe for advertisers, while at the same time not becoming active editors of the content or comments that provide the traffic advertisers are paying for. It may be that tightrope walk is about to become impossible to balance. Certainly, theyre not alone in facing this dilemma. A decade ago, NPR introduced its reader commenting system, noting, We are providing a forum for infinite conversations on NPR.org. Our hopes are high. We hope the conversations will be smart and generous of spirit. We hope the adventure is exciting, fun, helpful and informative." What followed was, by any reasonable measure, a disaster. After eight years of toxic, hateful, troll-driven posts, NPR announced the end of user comments. "After much experimentation and discussion, we've concluded that the comment sections on NPR.org stories are not providing a useful experience for the vast majority of our users," wrote Scott Montgomery, former managing editor for digital news, in his 2016 farewell-to-comments address. Simply put, the trolls won. Just to be clear, trolls are the loudest voices in the room, the ones who post controversial, abusive, hateful things looking to get people angry, with little concern for whom they hurt or the ramification of their words. Comments have been under attack across the web. Motherboard dropped its comments section in 2015. Bloomberg, The Verge, The Daily Beast have all removed comments since then. Even Huffington Post, which in its prime had a passionate and engaged commenting community, has disabled community conversation. So, what happened to HuffPost? Was it a conspiracy to silence trolls and conservative commentators? Or a conspiracy to silence what one poster called the lefties? Paige Harmes, a former community manager at Huffpost (2008-2017) posted this on Quora: "The actual, real answer is that on June 14th of 2017, huffpost, after the merger with Yahoo and rebranding as Oath, cut approximately 2,100 of its staff including the entirety of its moderation and community team. Therefore, their live comment model was no longer sustainable, and thus terminated after this was realized by senior staff. That's it. That's all. It had nothing to do with right or left wing content. So why does what YouTube does really matter now? YouTubes decision to ban comments on videos that feature kids under the age of 13 teaches the trolls an important lesson. Flooding a site with hate speech is certain to get a predicable response. Unable to create a technology to facilitate civil conversations, tech giants like Google will simply make a business decision. Whats worth more to them, the First Amendment or the happiness and ad dollars of big consumer brands? Its not a hard call. Google isnt a publisher, and it has no obligation to operate in the public good. Its clients dont want to be near objectionable content. So the expeditious solution is to shut off discussion and dialogue. The real solution is painfully simple, and highly unlikely. Its time for Google to stop hiding behind its safe-harbor provisions of 1996 Communications Decency Act. The act provided immunity from liability for providers and users of an "interactive computer service" who publish information provided by third-party users, saying in part: "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." No liability. But as Facebook and Google continue to siphon away the advertising revenue that has for generations funded the creation and publication of news, it leaves readers in a painfully untenable position. The institutions who are receiving the lions share of the revenue take no responsibility for the content they distribute. Shutting down comments is the right decision to protect revenues, but its the wrong decision if your goal is to foster and benefit from a robust and engaged community with conversation, dialogue, and debate. Algorithms cant set or manage editorial standards. But human editors and community managers most certainly can. YouTube had a decision to make, and its public comments make the decision clear. "Over the past week, we disabled comments from tens of millions of videos that could be subject to predatory behavior. Over the next few months, we will be broadening this action to suspend comments on videos featuring young minors and videos featuring older minors that could be at risk of attracting predatory behavior. These steps gives a road map to trolls who want to shut down civil conversation. All you need to do is post objectionable content on any thread or channel, and if its done at large enough scale, YouTube will remove comments. What about the #MeToo movement, or the kids from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and their March For Our Lives posts? Will trolls be able to get their voices silenced and discussion removed from commercial web sites? Why not hold the people publishing predatory speech responsible, rather than limit the speech of reasonably civil conversation-makers? As critics set their sights on a familiar target, Facebook is defending its use of consumers personal phone numbers. At issue is the fact that Facebook wont let users opt out of a feature that makes their phone numbers searchable to others, including advertisers and app developers. Over the weekend, Jeremy Burge, Chief Emoji Officer at emoji-reference site Emojipedia, drew attention to the feature when he posted a screenshot of the setting. For years, Facebook claimed that adding a phone number for 2FA was only for security, Burge tweeted. Now it can be searched and theres no way to disable that. advertisement advertisement In response, Facebook said the feature isnt a new one, and that it has taken steps to protect users privacy. In April 2018, we removed the ability to enter another persons phone number or email address into the Facebook search bar to help find someone's profile, a company spokesperson stated. More troubling to critics like Burge is Facebooks penchant for sharing consumer data between its properties, including Instagram, WhatsApp and its flagship platform. At the beginning of the year, The New York Timesreported that Facebook planning to further integrate the services. While the implications of the would-be move remain speculative, it is possible that by connecting its properties, Facebook could sell brands new cross-platform advertising opportunities. Facebooks extensive tracking practices have already caught the eye of lawmakers. Last year, the tech titan told Congress it collects information from and about the computers, phones, connected TVs and other web-connected devices our users use that integrate with our products, and we combine this information across a users different devices. As Facebook sees it, all this tracking is necessary to offer consumers the personalized -- and free -- experiences they have come to expect. Our core service involves personalizing all content, features and recommendations that people see on Facebook services, the company told Congress, last year. No two people have the same experience on Facebook or Instagram, and they come to our services because they expect everything they see to be relevant to them. The New York Times, Monday, March 4, 2019 9:30 PM The North Korean attacks, which include efforts to hack into banks, utilities and oil and gas companies, began in 2017, according to researchers at the cybersecurity company McAfee, according to the. It was about the time that President Trump mocked Kim Jong-un as rocket man in a speech at the United Nations. Now, even though "both sides have toned down their fiery threats and begun nuclear disarmament talks, the attacks persist," reports the newspaper. Read the whole story at The New York Times by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, March 5, 2019 About three-quarters of U.S. fraudulent advertising traffic is sophisticated invalid traffic, according to data released Tuesday. Looking at IP and blacklists no longer works, said Guy Tytunovich, CHEQ founder-CEO, and a former Israeli military intelligence officer. Tytunovich called ad fraud the second-largest organized-crime scheme globally, in terms of revenue generated, including narcotics. The industry needs to understand that for the last 10 years, vendors have been talking about different methods for detecting fraud through probabilistic and simplistic approaches, he said. At the end of the day, which I learned working for the defense intelligence in Israel, its a cat-and-mouse game. These methods no longer work. CHEQ, whose scientists continue to build out a military-grade ad-verification service, analyzed 4.1 billion ad requests made in the United States across 1.2 million websites between October 2018 and February 2019 -- up about 20% from the prior year. About 18% of the online ad traffic was fraudulent. advertisement advertisement Of this fraudulent traffic, 77% was classified as sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT), which relies on far more advanced malicious methods to defraud the advertising ecosystem than basic forms such as general invalid traffic (GIVT). While GIVT can be detected by simplistic methods, such as IP and user-agent blacklists. SIVT prevention requires sophisticated capabilities, such as OS and device fingerprinting, dynamic honeypots or bot traps, and network behavior analysis. CHEQ found 570 million SIVT attacks, each using a triple-lock of interwoven frauds that combines sophisticated domain-masking, invalid-referrals and viewability fraud in a coordinated attempt to evade detection. Other techniques included domain spoofing, in which scammers create hidden iframes on web pages to run ads that consumers never see, and various means used by scammers to manipulate and falsify location data. In total, CHEQ found and blocked 743 million instances of combined GIVT and SIVT ad requests before they were ever served. Ad fraud is just one element; brands are losing between $20 billion and $50 billion per year, he said. Now theres a thing called fake news, and Im not even talking about fact-checking Trump, he said. Im talking about Russian or Chinese hackers trying to influence elections in Democratic countries using cyber-security hacking methods to distribute fake or false news. This didnt exist 20 years ago before the information highway made it available for rouge countries to behave that way. Today, a report from The Wall Street Journal explains that Chinese hackers targeted more than two dozen universities worldwide as part of an elaborate scheme to steal research about maritime technology being developed for the military. The world needs to take ad fraud and cyber threats more seriously. As society heads into a reality of autonomous vehicles, he said, cyber threats will become mind boggling. Fifteen years ago, society was concerned that Al-Qaeda would get their hands on nuclear devices or chemical weapons. Today, the biggest threat is the ability to hack autonomous platforms. Tytunovich started CHEQ to help sustain the free internet. Publishers make part of their revenue from advertising. "If we can't help sustain digital advertising by blocking these fraudsters, then we can't help sustain the beautiful concept called the free internet," he said. Zoloft is a type of medication that doctors call a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI. They may recommend it for mental health conditions, including certain types of bipolar disorder. There are some side effects to consider before using this drug, however, and some may be cause for concern. Anyone who is uncertain about their treatment should see a doctor, as there may be alternatives to Zoloft that they may wish to try. Does Zoloft treat bipolar? Share on Pinterest A doctor may recommend Zoloft if a person does not respond well to mood stabilizers. Bipolar causes a person to have episodes of extreme mood, ranging from a low, depressed state to an overly excited, manic state. Alone, Zoloft is usually not the first line of treatment for bipolar. Doctors typically recommend mood-stabilizing drugs initially, to help balance symptoms of manic or depressive episodes. Mood stabilizers may include drugs such as: lithium valproate lamotrigine olanzapine quetiapine These medications are often the first line of treatment for bipolar disorder along with psychotherapy. Many times, these medications alone may be enough to keep symptoms in check. A review in the journal Bipolar Disorders found that lithium is the most effective singular treatment for bipolar disorder. However, some people may not respond well to the drug or may experience side effects. In other cases, doctors may recommend a second medication. Zoloft may be a helpful tool in cases where people do not respond well to mood stabilizers, or mood stabilizers are not enough to keep their symptoms in check. In other cases, mood stabilizers may be unnecessary. For instance, a person with bipolar II may not experience the manic episodes that someone with bipolar I does. People with bipolar II often experience depressive episodes, but then they have very few symptoms of mania, known as hypomania. In these cases, doctors may recommend a drug such as Zoloft to help alleviate depressive symptoms, which may be enough to help that person function. A recent study in The American Journal of Psychiatry notes that Zoloft is as effective as lithium or a combination treatment in people with bipolar II. This may mean that some people need less medication to manage their symptoms. Safety of Zoloft Zoloft is an SSRI, which may be more common for disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. SSRI medications help by boosting the function of specific nerve cells in the brain that use serotonin. Some people with bipolar disorder may respond well to Zoloft. This may be more common in cases of bipolar II, which does not cause strong episodes of mania but still leads to periods of depression. In these cases, helping to balance symptoms of depression with an SSRI, such as Zoloft, may be all the person needs. At times, there is concern that taking an SSRI when a person has bipolar disorder may trigger a manic episode. In these cases, doctors will recommend Zoloft or other SSRIs along with mood-stabilizing drugs. This may help reduce the risk of shifting to a manic state while taking the drug. Side effects of Zoloft Share on Pinterest Indigestion and diarrhea are potential side effects of Zoloft. Zoloft may cause both short- and long-term side effects. These side effects can vary slightly, and some people will experience more severe ones than others. Side effects of Zoloft can include issues, such as: nausea diarrhea indigestion tiredness or fatigue loss of appetite tremors or shaking irritation increased sleepiness insomnia decreased libido anxiety Additionally, people with bipolar disorder who take Zoloft without a mood stabilizer may be more at risk for shifting to a manic episode from taking the drug. This does not mean that people with the disorder should not take the drug, but that they and their doctors should monitor symptoms to help manage the risk. Rare side effects of Zoloft Taking Zoloft may also cause more severe side effects in some people, though these side effects are rarer. Rare side effects of using Zoloft include: bleeding from the gums increased bleeding from simple wounds low sodium levels allergic reaction, including rash, hives, and swelling seizures or convulsions Younger people who use Zoloft may be more likely to have suicidal thoughts. However, suicidal thoughts are also a symptom of bipolar disorder, so it is important to monitor younger adults, teens, and children on Zoloft and ask about their side effects and ongoing mental health. Anyone who feels they are struggling with suicidal thoughts or is at risk of harming themselves or others should seek emergency care. As Zoloft causes the body to continue circulating serotonin, there is also a risk that an individual may develop a life-threatening complication that doctors call serotonin syndrome. Common side effects of serotonin syndrome include: diarrhea shivering and chills fever severe muscle tightness or spasms confusion seizure Serotonin syndrome may be more likely if a person combines other medications with Zoloft. It is crucial to discuss all medications and supplements that a person is taking with a doctor before using Zoloft. When to see a doctor Share on Pinterest A person can work with their doctor to create a treatment plan for bipolar disorder. Finding the right treatment for bipolar disorder can take time. Even after doctors prescribe a medication such as Zoloft, they will want to regularly check back in with the person to monitor how well the treatment or dosage is doing. As such, anyone using Zoloft for bipolar disorder should be working closely with their doctor to monitor symptoms and gauge their treatment. Even after doctors find the right combination of medications and therapy to help manage symptoms, regular checkups may help monitor the status of the condition and treatment. As bipolar disorder is a lifelong illness, people with it should look to their doctor and mental health specialist as a part of their treatment plan. They should feel comfortable discussing their treatment, symptoms, or side effects openly and in detail with their doctor, as doing so may help them find new treatments or dosages to relieve symptoms. Anyone experiencing lasting side effects that become too difficult should talk to their doctor. There may be treatment options to manage those side effects. In other cases, doctors may recommend a change to a similar medication that may cause fewer side effects. Alternatives If Zoloft causes unwanted side effects or does not work to manage symptoms well enough, doctors may recommend another SSRI medication. Alternatives includes drugs such as: fluoxetine, brand name Prozac sertraline, brand name Zoloft escitalopram, brand name Lexapro citalopram, brand name Celexa paroxetine, brand name Paxil In some cases, SSRI medications may cause no more benefits than a mood-stabilizing drug on its own. Doctors may want to monitor the person as they use a mood-stabilizing drug alone, and then again as they use an SSRI along with a mood stabilizer to see if the SSRI helps manage symptoms. In this article, we discuss the safety and risks of taking ibuprofen and alcohol together. We also cover other side effects of ibuprofen. Alcohol and ibuprofen can both irritate the lining of the stomach and intestines. Mixing the two can cause side effects that vary in severity from mild to serious depending on the dose and how much alcohol a person ingests. Ibuprofen is an over-the-counter medication that people use to reduce pain, inflammation , and fever . It is available under various brand names, such as Advil and Motrin, and in some combination medications for colds and the flu . Many people are aware that taking ibuprofen at the same time as alcohol is not always safe, but what are the risks, and when is it dangerous? Share on Pinterest A person may experience side effects when mixing alcohol and ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is usually safe if a person follows a doctors instructions and the recommended dosage on the packaging. According to the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, it is usually safe to use pain relievers, including ibuprofen, when drinking a small amount of alcohol. However, people can experience mild-to-serious side effects if they take ibuprofen regularly and drink more than a moderate amount of alcohol , which is one drink for women and two drinks for men per day. The likelihood of experiencing side effects is particularly high with long-term use of ibuprofen, or regular, heavy alcohol use. The following sections discuss the health risks relating to taking ibuprofen and alcohol at the same time. Stomach ulcers and bleeding Ibuprofen can irritate the digestive tract, which is why doctors tell people to take this medication with food. When a person takes ibuprofen for an extended period or in high doses, it can increase their risk of gastric ulcers or bleeding in the digestive tract. Alcohol can also irritate the stomach and digestive tract. Mixing the two further increases the risk of ulcers and bleeding. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) state that ibuprofen can interact with alcohol, which can worsen the usual side effects of ibuprofen. These side effects can include bleeding, ulcers, and a rapid heartbeat. Research shows that both drinking alcohol and taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which is the class of drug that includes ibuprofen, are risk factors for stomach ulcer bleeding. The risk of stomach ulcer bleeding increases the longer a person takes ibuprofen. A person who takes ibuprofen every day for several months has a higher risk of this symptom than someone who takes ibuprofen once a week. Kidney problems The kidneys filter harmful substances from the body, including alcohol. The more alcohol that a person drinks, the harder the kidneys have to work. Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs affect kidney function because they stop the production of an enzyme in the kidneys called cyclooxygenase (COX). By limiting the production of COX, ibuprofen lowers inflammation and pain. However, this also changes how well the kidneys can do their job as filters, at least temporarily. Alcohol puts additional strain on the kidneys. The National Kidney Foundation say that regular heavy drinking doubles the risk of a person developing chronic kidney disease. Although the risk of kidney problems is low in healthy people who only occasionally take ibuprofen, the drug can be dangerous for people who already have reduced kidney function. People who have a history of kidney problems should ask a doctor before taking ibuprofen with alcohol. Increased drowsiness Individually, both alcohol and ibuprofen can cause drowsiness. Combining the two may make this drowsiness worse, which can lead to excessive sleepiness or an inability to function normally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that it is never safe to drink alcohol and drive. The reason for this is that alcohol slows down reaction times and impairs coordination. Risks in older adults The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism report that older adults have a greater risk of complications relating to mixing medication and alcohol. The risk is higher because a persons body becomes less able to break down alcohol with age. People are also often likely to take more medications that could interact with alcohol as they get older. RESTON, Va. Mar. 5, 2019 Champaign, Illinois Washington April Vogelsang Ashish Kachru Washington, D.C. Champaign, Illinois Illinois Iowa Indiana Ohio Washington /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Altruista Health, an innovative provider of care management technology solutions, today announced that Health Alliance has selected Altruista for a full suite of care management and population health modules following a comprehensive scan of the market. Health Alliance will implement GuidingCare modules in Care Management, Utilization Management, Reporting, Appeals & Grievances and Population Heath. Health Alliance will empower plan clinicians with the Mobile Clinician app and plan members will use a GuidingCare portal.Health Alliance is a provider-aligned health plan in, and is part of The Carle Foundation, a vertically integrated health system that includes a hospital, provider network and health plan. Their more than 230,000 members are in the Midwest and, and belong to both commercial and Medicare plans. Health Alliance joins the ranks of member plans from the Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) that rely on Altruista and GuidingCare."Health Alliance partnering with Altruista Health to support our members makes perfect sense," said, System Vice President of Population Health for Carle and Health Alliance. "Both of our organizations are committed to improving outcomes based on best practice standards. This technology will help us identify, collaborate and build relationships with our members in new and innovative ways."The GuidingCare technology platform seamlessly brings together all the information needed for comprehensive care plans, integrating preventive and acute care, chronic disease management, behavioral health, long-term care and community services."We are delighted to welcome another ACHP plan to the fold because we know what a good fit our solutions are for community-based plans that are innovating models of care," said Altruista Chief Executive Officer. "The Health Alliance integrated model will rest on a single powerful platform offering a full picture of member health and complete coordination of care."About Altruista HealthAltruista Health delivers population health management solutions that support value-based and person-centered care models. Our GuidingCare technology platform integrates care management, care coordination and quality improvement programs through a suite of sophisticated yet easy-to-use web applications. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in thearea, Altruista Health has grown into a recognized industry leader, and was named twice as one of the Top Population Health Management Companies to Know by Becker's Healthcare. Health plans and healthcare providers use GuidingCare to transform their processes, reduce avoidable expenses and improve patient health outcomes. For more information, visit http://www.altruistahealth.com.About Health AllianceBased in, Health Alliance is a for-profit health insurance company under The Carle Foundation. The Carle Foundation is the not-for-profit parent company of an integrated network of healthcare services that also includes Carle Foundation Hospital and Carle Physician Group. Health Alliance serves, and, and Health Alliance Northwest serves. For more information, visit http://www.healthalliance.org.SOURCE Altruista Health, Inc BERWYN, Pa. March 5, 2019 Doug Claffey Ray Bixler Exton, Pa. the United States /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SkillSurvey, the leading provider of cloud-based reference checking, career readiness and healthcare credentialing solutions has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2019 honor by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC, a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools.The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few."Top Workplaces is more than just recognition," said, CEO of Energage. "Our research shows organizations that earn the award attract better talent, experience lower turnover, and are better equipped to deliver bottom-line results. Their leaders prioritize and carefully craft a healthy workplace culture that supports employee engagement.""We're thrilled to achieve a Top Workplace recognition for the second year in a row," said, CEO of SkillSurvey, "Our team is at the heart of our success and creating a workplace where people feel that they're valued, engaged and fully contributing toward our goals is critical. The Top Workplaces program is an effective tool for us to gain employee feedback and focus on specific ways that we can improve.""Becoming a Top Workplace isn't something organizations can buy," Claffey said. "It's an achievement organizations have worked for and a distinction that gives them a competitive advantage. It's a big deal."About Energage, LLC Headquartered in, Energage is a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools that help leaders to unlock potential, inspire performance, and achieve amazing results within their organizations. The research partner behind the Top Workplaces program, Energage has surveyed more than 57,000 organizations representing well over 19 million employees inAbout SkillSurveySkillSurvey applies the science of human behavior and smart technology to create a fuller picture of the people our customers engage. SkillSurvey solutions help employers save time and money, grow revenues, and bring the right employees onboard faster; and help students and higher education institutions gain insight about individual skills and career readiness. SkillSurvey Reference is proven to reduce first-year turnover for cause and uncovers behavioral competence; SkillSurvey Source offers new ways to build a pipeline of talent; SkillSurvey Credential OnDemand helps healthcare organizations onboard skilled practitioners faster with digital peer referencing. We serve more than 1,400 companies, institutions & organizations Visit SkillSurvey at http://www.skillsurvey.com, and on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.SkillSurvey is a registered trademark of SkillSurvey Inc. 2019 SkillSurvey Inc. and its affiliates.SOURCE SkillSurvey Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Terens Quick, is visiting Kenya and Ethiopia today heading a business mission, in the context of the policy to boost the outward-looking character of the Greek economy and Greek businesses. In Nairobi and Adis Abeba, he will also meet political representatives and members of the expatriate communities. Finally, in Adis Abeba, he will meet the Vice-President of the African Union and the Head of the European Investment Bank there, Eleni Kyrou. Before departing, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs stated: "This promises to be a week of intense activity for the extroversion of our national economy. It will benefit our enterprises, which are constantly gaining the appreciation of the global market thanks to their consistency, quality, competitive prices and innovative products. Yesterday and today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos has been co-chairing, together with China, the 13th meeting of the Joint Interministerial Committee held in Beijing. On the meeting's agenda is the acceleration of the liberalisation processes of the Chinese market for Greek agricultural products as well as maritime and scientific cooperation between the two countries. The Greek delegation includes the Secretary General for Ports, Port Policy and Maritime Investments, Mr Christos Lambridis, as well as officials of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today and tomorrow, Greece and Egypt are turning over a new and important page in the strengthening of their business relationship. Indeed, a major Greek business mission is expected to visit Cairo and the Economic Zone of the Suez Canal, headed by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Development, Mr Efstratios Giannakidis, and the Secretary General for International Economic Relations and Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ioannis Brachos. Finally, after a successful trip to Vietnam, this past December, this three-day weekend, Greek businesses from the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) and the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), along with representatives of Enterprise Greece, will carry out their third business mission within fifteen months in Kenya and Ethiopia, which are the rapidly developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their next mission will be in Tunisia, next April, because the Mediterranean countries of Africa present great business potential." Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Sia Anagnostopoulou received in her office today, Monday 4 March, the French Ambassador Christophe Chantepy, in the context of a courtesy meeting on the occasion of assumption of her duties. During the meeting, the excellent relations between the two countries were confirmed, with regard to all bilateral relations, and views were exchanged on current developments on a European and international level. In this context, the French Ambassador recognised Greece's role as a pillar of stability in the Balkans and Southeast Europe. Issues related to the upcoming BREXIT were also discussed, as well as methods and possibilities for further strengthening Greek-French collaboration in fields of common interest and the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Bolaris, on 4-6 March 2019, will be visiting the island of Imvros, where he will have meetings with Greek religious, cultural, and educational organisations. In addition, he will meet with the Prefect of Canakkale as well as the local administrative bodies of the island, namely the Provincial Governor and the Mayor. In the afternoon of the first day, he will travel to Panagia, where he will meet with Greek educators and the Association of Parents and Guardians. The following day, he will visit the Kindergarten and the Elementary School at Aghioi Theodoroi, as well as the Middle School and High School at Agridia. Subsequently, he will travel to Schinoudi, where he will meet with Community Heads. He will depart on the third day, once he has visited Glyky and Evlambio. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) A pandemonium could happen if the so-called vague defense treaty between the Philippines and United States remains vague, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana warned on Tuesday. "I do not believe that ambiguity or vagueness of the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) will serve as a deterrent. In fact, it will cause confusion and chaos during a crisis. The fact that the security environment now is so vastly different and much more complex than the bipolar security construct of the era when the MDT was written necessitates a review of the Treaty," he said in a statement. Lorenzana disagreed with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. that the country will benefit from the ambiguities in the provisions of the treaty. The nearly 68-year-old agreement states that the Philippines and the U.S. would assist each other when either of them is attacked by a foreign force. Related: Top PH officials disagree on need to review U.S. defense treaty The Defense Secretary also raised the point that with the MDT, the Philippines will be caught in the middle of the rising tension between U.S. and China caused by Beijing's alleged aggressive militarization and reclamation activities in the South China Sea. "The Philippines is not in a conflict with anyone and will not be at war with anyone in the future. But the United States, with the increased and frequent passage of its naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea, is more likely to be involved in a shooting war. In such a case and on the basis of the MDT, the Philippines will be automatically involved," Lorenzana cautioned. He added, "It is not the lack of reassurance that worries me. It is being involved in a war that we do not seek and do not want." During the meeting of Locsin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on March 1, the two countries agreed that the review of the treaty requires "further thought." However, Washington's top diplomat assured the U.S. will protect the Philippines in case of an attack in the disputed South China Sea. But Lorenzana is not buying it. "A couple of years after the US left the bases (in 1992), the Chinese began their aggressive actions in Mischief Reef not an armed attack but it was aggression just the same. The U.S. did not stop it," he said. Over the years, Pecks paintings have dramatically increased in value. This summer, the Lombard Historical Society plans an exhibition titled Sheldon Peck: Footsteps of His Life, inside the homestead. On display will be more than a dozen portraits painted by Peck from 1825 until 1848. The exhibition will be the first collective presentation of Pecks works since 1976 and will include several paintings never shown before in public, said Sara Richardt, the Lombard Historical Societys executive director. Humalog has been one of the prime examples of how America's opaque drug pricing can hurt patients, and policymakers and the public at large appear to be fed up. While Lilly CEO David Ricks wasn't among the seven executives dragged in front of the Senate last week for a scolding on pricing policies, scrutiny has zeroed in on high insulin prices in particular, and his company is clearly feeling the heat. Lilly isn't the first drugmaker to cut list prices on a best-seller, but it is the first to do so for a product as widely used as Humalog, and the move could have ramifications for the entire market. For patients, it's good news. HURON COUNTY A bill to combat mail theft, including packages left on porches and doorsteps, was unanimously passed by the Michigan Senate recently. Under Senate bills 23 and 24, state penalties for mail theft would mirror federal penalties to allow more options for state prosecution of these crimes, while amending the sentencing guidelines for such crimes. A first offense would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. A repeat offense would be a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. It would be a five-year felony to steal mail with the intent to commit fraud. The crime of mail theft remains on the rise, and we wont get it under control until we act, said Sen. Jim Runestad, (R-White Lake), sponsor of SB 23. We have to stiffen the penalties to deter the thieves who currently see an easy opportunity when a package arrives on a porch. 2018 is expected to be a record year for mail theft in Michigan, and while there are federal penalties in place, Runestad said they arent effective. Unless a case of mail theft also involves identity theft, the federal government is not going to prioritize that crime for investigation and prosecution, Runestad said. Tougher state laws and penalties against this crime will be a much more effective deterrent. The penalties in this legislation are quite reasonable and will allow local law enforcement to do their job. So far in Huron County, similar crimes have not risen to the level the state as a whole has been experiencing. Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson said he does not recall many issues regarding porch pirating in the area. Over the past year, the legislators have worked with the Prosecuting Attorney Association of Michigan, the Wayne County Prosecutors Office, Michigan State Police, local law enforcement, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to seek solutions to the problem of mail theft. SB 23 and 24 now head to the state House for further consideration. TUSCOLA COUNTY The Tuscola County Board of Commissioners are facing the task of replacing a key employee. The countys Controller Mike Hoagland recently turned in a letter of resignation to the commissioners, pending retirement June 14 following 33 years of service. To help with the process, Hoagland also presented the commissioners with a timeline of steps that should be taken to find his replacement. Some steps include developing a job description and necessary qualifications, and having the job posted by March or April, with interviews beginning in late April. According to Hoaglands plan, his replacement would be expected to start May 17 in order to work side-by-side before he leaves. Hired in 1986, Hoagland was the countys first controller/administrator and was the backbone of several of the countys accomplishments. He helped coordinate several successful millages. The first was the passage of a Tuscola County Sheriff Offices road patrol millage in 1988 to reinstate the road patrol. The first millage failed and the entire road patrol was laid off," he said. "That had never been done before in Michigan. It was then voted again and passed." Some of the previous commissioners Hoagland worked for deemed him as a bean counter, when it came to finances. One of those people was former Commissioner Jerry Peterson, who was on the board for 14 years, with seven of those as chair. He worked closely with Hoagland on a regular basis, and considered his conservative financial management a plus. Some say Mike is negative, and at times he is. I or one of the other commissioners would think something was a great idea and we should do it, said Peterson. Mike would study the matter and its implications which brought another viewpoint that it wasnt as great as we thought it was." Yes, he can be negative but he looks at both sides, the bottom line, and financial management is what a controller should do," he added. "Mike does that well. Hoaglands money management resulted in four bonding rating upgrades from B+ to AA. Accomplishing that wasnt easy, due to recessions, position cuts, state revenue cuts, as well as dramatic agricultural land value declines. Bond rating agencies consider Tuscola a financially well managed county, said Hoagland. One of our strengths has been effective financial management. The county has one of the lowest general operating millages, yet Hoagland and his staff have earned the Excellence in County Financial Reporting Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for the past 19 years. During his time with the county, he has heralded the construction of the Department of Health and Human Services, central dispatch, the Michigan State Police Building, the Purdy Building, and major renovations and additions at the Medical Care Facility. As soon as Hoagland learned about the state wanting to close the Caro Center, he gathered information on the financial impact the closure would have on the county. He coordinated a successful campaign to build the new hospital in Caro. Some of the other behind-the-scenes work Hoagland has done over the years includes writing grants, research, attending numerous meetings, and wind farm development and efforts to have them taxed fairly. New Britian Fire Department photo A New Britain 9-year-old is being honored as hero after she alerted her parents to a house fire on Chestnut Street in that city Sunday. Coryn Perry told fire officials that she knew what to do because firefighters had come to her school to do a fire safety presentation. MIDDLETOWN Liberty Bank will invest millions to make banking services and loans more available to people of color after settling a lawsuit that alleged the Middletown-based company was discriminating against minorities. The Connecticut Fair Housing Center filed the suit in October 2018, alleging that the bank was violating the Fair Housing Act by engaging in a pattern or practice of unlawful redlining to restrict residential mortgage lending from communities where most residents are individuals of racial and ethnic minorities, discriminating against African-American and Latinx residential mortgage applicants... by denying applications at significantly higher rates than white applicants, and making statements that would discourage a prospective applicant from a protected class from applying for credit. According to the complaint, Liberty Bank denied loan applications from African-American and Latinx borrowers at a rate two to three times that of white borrowers, between 2010 and 2016. That rate outstripped its competitors; the pattern held steady across income strata. The company allegedly concentrated investment in heavily white areas, drawing assessment areas under the Community Reinvestment Act that largely excluded majority-minority communities. Company representatives, when visited by testers from the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, reportedly offered harsher financial terms and made disparaging statements to non-white people seeking loans, even though their financial bonafides were superior to white applicants. Under the terms of the settlement, Liberty Bank will open a loan production office in a majority-minority census tract in the Hartford area; add $10 million to its Good Neighbor loan program, targeted for low and moderate income communities; provide additional training for employees; and invest an additional $5 million per year in community development loans in majority-minority areas, to be used for community services, economic development, and non-elderly affordable housing. The bank will also sponsor the Connecticut Fair Housing Centers annual Loving Civil Rights Award Dinner named after Mildred and Richard Loving for the next three years. Liberty Bank did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement agreement. As described, the parties entered into the settlement to resolve voluntarily any and all claims asserted by CFHC in order to avoid the risks and burdens of litigation. In the settlement, Liberty Bank reaffirmed its continuing commitment to meeting the credit needs of persons in its Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Assessment Areas including residents located in low and moderate income (LMI) and majority-minority census tracts (MMCT). Erin Kemple, executive director of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, said the settlement would go to address the need for greater lending capital in communities of color. This is really a significant settlement for Connecticut, said Kemple. We really appreciate Liberty Banks willingness to step up. Kemple said she believed the settlement would spark lasting change at Liberty Bank. As part of the agreement, Liberty Bank agreed to work with the center for years and would likely be able to take advantage of a positive financial impact stemming from the settlement, she said. Chandler Howard, president and chief executive officer of Liberty Bank, said he was pleased at the joint agreement. The bank had decided to enter into the agreement and not to fight the lawsuit, he said, in order to ensure its resources went to making credit more available. We saw this as a much better resolution, said Howard. The bank does not believe it engaged in the practices described in the suit, Howard said. He pointed to the Good Neighbor program, which he said had helped hundreds of families over the years. I see (this settlement) as a continuation of the good work weve been engaged in for a long time, said Howard. As part of the settlement, the two parties agreed to not disparage one another publicly for three years, beyond describing the allegations contained in the Complaint and describing the Banks position with respect to such allegations. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Consequently, all universities have the authority to decide on the virtues of truth and scholarship that go into determining who teaches and what should be taught. In doing so, the universities ought to respect the value of academic freedom. MIDDLETOWN Vinal Technical High School, part of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, will hold an open house for prospective students and their families March 14. Vinal Tech is accepting applications for students entering grades nine and 10 in fall 2019. The open house event will provide prospective students with information about academics and the 10 trade areas offered by the technical school, including automotive collision repair and refinishing, automotive technology, carpentry, criminal justice and protective services, culinary arts, electrical, hairdressing and cosmetology, heating, ventilation and air conditioning; information systems technology and precision machining, according to a press release. Vinal Tech offers students in grades nine through 12 a full-day high school program that focuses on rigorous core academics while preparing graduates for immediate employment, entry into apprenticeship programs, or admission into a two- or four-year college. There are several opportunities to earn college credit while attending the technical school through partnerships with Middlesex Community College, UConn, and more, the release said. Unique to the technical high school experience are the real projects and hands-on career development experience students get through partnerships with local companies. CTECS is a statewide system of 17 diploma-granting technical high schools serving approximately 10,200 high school students, two aviation maintenance technician schools and a technical education center, according to the agency. Connecticut technical high schools provide students with a comprehensive academic and advanced trade/technologies curriculum. Sessions will take place between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at 60 Daniels St., Middletown. For information, contact Javette Gianelli-Allen at 860-344-7100 or javette.gianelli-allen@ct.gov. Visit vinal.cttech.org to download an application. Assumption College WORCESTER, Massachusetts Assumption College announced Daniella Pitruzzello of Cromwell is president of the Womens Studies Club for the 2018-19 academic year. Members seek to educate students on the value of gender equality and how it is contextualized in modern society. Siena College LOUDONVILLE, New York Siena College has named Kyle Farrell of Durham and Ryan Weis of Higganum to the presidents list for the fall 2018 semester. The honor requires a student to maintain 3.9 grade-point average or higher. New England Institute of Technology EAST GREENWICH, Rhode Island New England Institute of Technology announce Haddam resident David Coppola and Middletown resident Ryan Rancourt have achieved deans list status for the quarter ending Dec. 15, 2018. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.6 or higher on a maximum scale of 4.0 to qualify. Siena College LOUDONVILLE, New York Siena College has named the following area students to the deans list for the fall 2018 semester: Peter Costa of Westbrook, Taylor Engel of East Hampton, Isabel Hosley of Chester. To be honored, a students grade-point average for the semester must be between 3.5 and 3.89. Assumption College WORCESTER, Massachusetts Assumption College has announced students named to the deans list for the fall 2018 semester: Sarah Colston of Old Saybrook, MaryHope Gardner of Deep River and Daniella Pitruzzello of Cromwell, all part of the class of 2019; Orsolina ONeill of Middletown, class of 2020; and Marissa Newell of Old Saybrook, Liam Young of Middletown, and Emma Ushchak of Middletown, all members of the class of 2022. Nichols College DUDLEY, Massachusetts Approximately 600 Nichols College students achieved deans list or deans high honors status during the fall 2018 semester. The deans list recognizes those who earned high grades during a single semester. A student must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.2 for at least 12 credit hours and receive no grade below a C+ during the semester. A student who earns a grade-point average of 3.6 or higher is awarded deans high honors. Annie Brennan of Middletown achieved deans list. Mikayla Castro of Killingworth, Benjamin Molesky of Old Saybrook and Kevin Radavich of East Hampton achieved deans high honors. Plymouth State University PLYMOUTH, New Hampshire A number of area students have been named to the Plymouth State University presidents list for the fall 2018 semester. To earn a spot, an undergraduate must achieve a grade-point average of 3.7 or better for the fall 2018 semester, and must have attempted at least 12 credit hours during the semester. They are: Emily Lombardo of Middletown, Brittany Nobitz of Clinton, Eliana Davis Garcia of Middletown, Rebecca Everett of Westbrook and Mollie Apgar of East Haddam. To be named to the deans list, a student must earn a grade-point average between 3.5 and 3.69, and must have attempted at least 12 credit hours during the semester. Those named are: Gabe Morris of Deep River and Megan Toman of Killingworth. Southern Vermont College BENNINGTON, Vermont Molly Madore of Higganum was named to the deans list at Southern Vermont College for the fall 2018 semester. Each semester, full-time students who have achieved a minimum grade-point average of 3.65 are placed on the rolls. Cedarville University CEDARVILLE, Ohio Cedarville University student Evan Swanson of Killingworth, whose major is Biblical studies (accelerated), was named to the deans list for fall 2018. This recognition required Swanson to maintain a 3.5 grade-point average for the semester and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours. American International College SPRINGFIELD American International College named Brianna OBrien of Deep River, who is majoring in psychology, to the fall 2018 deans list. The honor goes to full-time students who have achieved a 3.3 to a 4.0 grade-point average. DeSales University CENTER VALLEY, Pennsylvania Moodus resident Jenna Sullivan made the deans list for the fall 2018 semester at DeSales University. To qualify, a student must have a minimum 3.25 grade-point average. MIDDLETOWN The Rockfall Foundation and UConn Climate Adaptation Academy will present a program, Site Design and Green Infrastructure for Changing Weather Patterns, April 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The symposium is being held at UConn Extension Center Annex, 1066 Saybrook Road, Haddam. The program provides pertinent information for land use planners, developers, architects, and local government officials, including planning, zoning and wetlands commissioners, engineers, landscape architects, educators, health officials, and all those concerned with climate change and effective community planning, according to a press release. Changing climate is creating a need to reconsider traditional methods of site design and maintenance. Topics will include the multifunctional aspects of green infrastructure, wastewater management systems that address drought to deluge weather patterns, and maintenance and design considerations for controlling vectors such as mosquitoes, the release said. Featured speakers are Sohyun Park, assistant professor at University of Connecticut College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources; Jose Amador, professor at University of Rhode Island College of the Environment and Life Sciences; Roger Wolfe, mosquito management coordinator at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Wetland Habitat & Mosquito Management; and Michael Pascucilla, director of health at the East Shore District Health Department. American Institute of Certified Planners continuing education credits are available for attendees. Since 1986, the Rockfall Foundation has sponsored symposia on topics relating to balancing development and environmental conservation. These seek to help identify and explore emerging issues related to environmental sustainability and growth, inspire dialogue and creative collaboration among attendees, and present options and strategies for developing and implementing effective policies, according to the website. Founded in 1935 by Middletown philanthropist Clarence S. Wadsworth, The Rockfall Foundation is one of Connecticuts oldest environmental organizations. Registration is $45; $15 for students. Optional lunch following the program is available with pre-registration for $15, or $5 for Rockfall members. To register, visit rockfallfoundation.org. If you get the sense Trump was more focused on politics than economics, well, we agree. The funny thing is he didnt even play the politics card as well as he might have. The second of the two new papers on Trumps tariffs this one co-authored by Pinelopi Goldberg of the World Bank found that the presidents aggressive protectionism penalized his own supporters. The study noted: Workers in very Republican counties bore the brunt of the costs of trade war, in part because retaliations disproportionately targeted agricultural sectors, and in part because U.S. tariffs raised the costs of inputs used by these counties. Seafaring service members may soon be able to transition to the U.S. Merchant Marine with less hassle and at less cost than currently required under an executive order signed Monday by President Donald Trump. The order is designed to bolster the ranks of the Merchant Marine and increase job opportunities for transitioning troops. Noting that a robust civilian fleet is critical to national security, Trump said the new effort will allow the U.S. to retain its "ability to project and sustain forces globally" while helping service members pursue credentials for high-paying jobs. Under the order, the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security will, over the next year, identify all military training and experience that may meet merchant mariner credentialing qualifications and requirements. The Coast Guard National Maritime Center will be required to waive all credentialing fees, as well as the cost of Transportation Worker Identification Credentials, for transitioning active-duty service members who qualify. The goal is to ensure that troops interested in pursuing the merchant mariner career path would receive their certifications or verifications of sea service no later than one month after they leave the military, allowing them to transition straight into new jobs. According to Peter Navarro, the White House director of trade and industrial policy, fees for licensing and mariner credentials can cost as much as $25,000 to obtain. The administration hopes that by waiving the fees and encouraging former service members to serve in the civilian marine sector, the nation can boost the number of merchant mariners who have unlimited ocean-going credentials. Currently, about 12,000 people serve in those jobs. Members of the Merchant Marines can be called up for service by the Navy. They serve on civilian and federally owned merchant ships, supporting trade and military sealift operations. According to Navarro, U.S. water transportation workers earn on average $65,700 a year, with many merchant mariners taking home more than that. "So this is a great opportunity for sea veterans to seamlessly transition into really good, high-paying jobs that will help our national security front," Navarro said during a phone call with reporters Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for credentialing civilian mariners. It already oversees a program called Military to Mariner, which is designed to help service members use their time in service as credit toward becoming credentialed to serve on merchant ships. Navarro said the new program would work closely with that program and with the Coast Guard National Maritime Center credential system. He added that the program will be available to veterans, although he did not provide details for how former service members would apply. In the order, Trump said the program is necessary because the shortage of qualified merchant mariners is a danger to national security. "As our strategic competitors expand their global footprint, the U.S. must retain its ability to project and sustain forces globally," he wrote. "This capability requires a sufficient corps of credentialed merchant mariners available to crew the necessary sealift fleet." -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@miltiary.com. Follow her on Twitter at @patriciakime. Two U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday introduced legislation to pay veterans bonuses for serving in America's longest war. Sens. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, introduced the bipartisan American Forces Going Home After Noble (AFGHAN) Service Act to "honor the volunteers who bravely serve our nation by providing bonuses to those who have deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism, and redirect the savings from ending nation-building in Afghanistan to America's needs at home," according to an announcement. If passed, the AFGHAN Service Act would also permanently end America's involvement in Afghanistan and overturn the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, said the lawmakers, who serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "It is time to declare the victory we achieved long ago, bring them home, and put America's needs first," Paul said. Related content: "Soon, U.S. service members will begin deploying to Afghanistan to fight in a war that began before they were born," Udall said. "It is Congress that has failed to conduct the proper oversight of this nearly 18-year war. Now, we must step up, and listen to the American people -- who rightly question the wisdom of such endless wars." The bill would order the government to pay any and all members of the military who have served in the Global War on Terrorism a $2,500 bonus within one year of the legislation passing, according to the AFGHAN Service Act. "Since 2001, more than 3,002,635 men and women of the United States Armed Forces have deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism, with more than 1,400,000 of them deploying more than once," the bill states. "This would be a one-time cost of approximately $7 billion and an immediate savings of over 83 percent when compared to the current yearly costs. The $51 billion a year can be redirected to domestic priorities." The lawmakers argue that the numbers alone give reason to step away from the conflict. "Over 2,300 military members have sacrificed their lives in the war, with another 20,000 wounded in action. In addition, the Afghanistan war has cost the United States $2 trillion, with the war currently costing over $51 billion a year," they said. The end to the war would come as peace negotiations with the Taliban are ongoing, and al-Qaida's footprint in the country is shrinking, they added. "The masterminds of the [Sept. 11] attack are no longer capable of carrying out such an attack from Afghanistan," they said. "Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, and [al-Qaida] has been all but eliminated from Afghanistan." If enacted, the legislation gives Pentagon and State Department leaders, among others, 45 days to formulate a plan for an orderly withdrawal and turnover of facilities to the Afghan government. The goal is to remove all U.S. forces from Afghanistan within one year of the bill's passage. Paul and Udall's message comes as a coalition of Democratic lawmakers has endorsed a veteran activist organization's efforts to end the "forever wars" in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other global hot spots, and finally bring U.S. troops home. Common Defense, a grassroots group comprised of veterans and military families that stood up after the 2016 election, has secured sponsorship from lawmakers and presidential hopefuls such as Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. Both initiatives mirror President Donald Trump's vision to reduce the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan and instead focus on counterterrorism and peace negotiations with a smaller footprint in the region. In his State of the Union address last month, Trump highlighted the need to pull out of Afghanistan. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. A coalition of Democratic lawmakers is backing a veteran activist organization's efforts to end the "forever wars" in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other global hot spots, and finally bring U.S. troops home. Common Defense, a grassroots group comprised of veterans and military families that stood up after the 2016 election, has secured sponsorship from lawmakers and presidential hopefuls such as Sen. Bernie Sanders. "American troops have been in Afghanistan for nearly 18 years, the longest war in American history," said Sanders, an independent lawmaker from Vermont. "Our troops have been in Iraq since 2003, and in Syria since 2015, and many other places," he told Military.com in a statement. "The American people do not want endless war. It is long past time for Congress to reassert its constitutional authority over the use of force, to responsibly end these interventions and bring our troops home. It is time to end the Forever War." Related content: Sanders joins several other lawmakers sponsoring the effort to end America's involvement in the global war on terror, including Sen.Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Reps. Ilhan Omar D-Minn., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Ro Khanna D-Calif. The initiative mirrors President Donald Trump's vision to reduce the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan and instead focus on counterterrorism and peace negotiations with a smaller footprint in the region. In his State of the Union address last month, Trump highlighted the need to pull out of Afghanistan. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said. After Trump announced a complete withdrawal of the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria in December, Pentagon officials confirmed last month that a small presence of roughly 400 troops would stay in the country to assist with security and prevent an Islamic State resurgence. Alexander McCoy, political director for Common Defense, told Military.com on Monday he agrees with the president's thinking, but not at the expense of perpetuating other conflicts around the world. "Trump has realized something too many elected representatives have not, that the American people are overwhelmingly tired of these wars, their spiraling human and monetary cost, and the utter lack of a strategy or purpose behind them," he said. But "Trump has pretended to wind down the wars while simultaneously escalating conflicts around the globe and threatening to suck us into new ones with Iran, North Korea and Venezuela. We need a speedy, but responsible end to the Forever War," said McCoy, a former sergeant who served in the Marine Corps for six years and deployed as an embassy guard to Saudi Arabia, Honduras and Germany. McCoy said U.S. leaders should not be orchestrating plans "for how to keep the conflicts going" in countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Niger, Somalia and Thailand. "They should instead spend their time developing plans for a controlled transition. That does not mean indefinite special forces operations, or privatizing the wars using military contractors," he said. Via Twitter on Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez said she agrees with more limited engagement, and that invading countries such as Afghanistan was a mistake. "All of Congress was wrong, including both GOP & Dem Party, and led my generation into a disastrous [and] wrong war that virtually all would come to regret," she said in response to questions from CNN's Jake Tapper. "I think that our decision to enter unlimited engagement in Afghanistan, particularly through the [Authorization for the Use of Military Force] + Congress' abdication of power + decision-making w/ passage of the AUMF, was a mistake. Other options: targeting the network itself, limited engagement, non-intervention," Ocasio-Cortez wrote. The AUMF, passed in 2001, gives the president authority "to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons," according to the law. Lawmakers have attempted repeatedly to modernize and replace the 2001 war authorization. After sponsoring Common Defense's pledge, Warren said in a press release that it's time Congress resumes negotiations to approve the proper authorities before America gets involved in other conflicts going forward. "We can keep America safe and secure without letting an imperial presidency stretch the Constitution beyond recognition to justify endless wars while Congress takes a backseat," she wrote. "It's time to seriously review the country's military commitments overseas, and that includes bringing U.S. troops home." -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Marine officials are reminding squad leaders that there are big bucks for those willing to re-enlist as the service continues its push to professionalize the infantry. The Marine Corps wants to retain its experienced infantry noncommissioned officers. To get them to stay, officials with Marine Corps Plans, Policies and Operations put out a video message last week highlighting the tens of thousands of dollars in bonus pay they can earn by signing up for another term. Time is running out for corporals and sergeants to get in on the bonuses, which were first announced last summer. There's a $10,000 bonus for those willing to spend another two years at their current duty station. Those who re-enlist for four years can earn up to $25,000. Those squad leaders must serve in infantry battalions for at least 24 months. And Marines willing to move into the Squad Leader Development Program can pocket as much as $70,000, but it comes with a six-year commitment, at least three of which must be spent in the operating forces. The move is part of a multipronged approach to restructure the basic Marine rifle squad. As warfare gets more technical, rifle squads are shrinking down to 12 Marines from 13. That includes an assistant squad leader and a systems operator who will help run drones and other high-tech gear infantry Marines now carry. The Corps is also experimenting with 15-person squads, which would leave infantry leaders managing additional personnel. "This is an effort to professionalize the infantry a little more -- to move in that direction of having a more mature infantry cadre," said a Marine official familiar with the bonus push. "We're offering this money because we want to have the best Marines in the right jobs." That's not to say today's squad leaders aren't hacking it, the official stressed. But the infantry must hold onto as many experienced NCOs as possible. The Marine Corps has also seen a "disappointingly low" number of grunts earn the squad-leader military occupational specialty, Marine Corps Times reported last year. As of last summer, 359 Marines had moved into the MOS after it was created in 2014. There's no limit to how many Marines can earn the fiscal 2019 re-enlistment bonuses, but time is running out to apply, said Maj. Craig Thomas, a Manpower and Reserve Affairs spokesman. The deadline is July 31 and, so far, 119 Marines have taken the bonuses, he said. All the Marine Corps' 648 squad-leader billets are currently filled, Thomas added. But getting Marines to re-up helps ensure rifle squads are persistently staffed by sergeants whove completed Infantry Small Unit Leader Course for the next five to seven years. "This program is intended to provide those mature, experienced and fully trained second-term sergeants additional options to re-enlist and remain in the operating forces to serve as an infantry squad leader," he said. The target audience are first-term infantry riflemen, machine gunners, mortarmen, assault Marines, and anti-tank missile gunners. Since each re-enlistment option requires time in the operating forces, the infantry will immediately benefit from the NCOs' experience, said Capt. Karoline Foote, a Marine spokeswoman at the Pentagon. Like other incentive programs, this one is meant to develop a highly qualified and professional career force, she added. "The Marine Corps has to compete with outside opportunities to retain our best and brightest," Foote said. "Infantry duty is challenging, and we value the experience and expertise of our young infantry Marines. As a result, we are looking to incentivize these Marines to remain in the operating forces and become squad leaders." Additional details about the bonus options can be found in Marine administrative message 370/18. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti said Tuesday that the U.S. should block sales of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Turkey if it goes ahead with its plan to buy the advanced S-400 anti-air missile system from Russia. "My best military advice is that we don't follow through" on supplying F-35s to NATO ally Turkey unless it backs out of the S-400 deal with Moscow, said Scaparrotti, who is dual-hatted as head of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Scaparrotti said he has two reasons for objecting to Turkey getting the S-400 system, which Russia has billed as a weapons system to counter the F-35 in its sales pitch to Turkey, Arab states and China. "If they accept the S-400 to establish it in Turkey, there is first the issue that it's not interoperable with NATO systems, nor is it interoperable inside of our integrated missile defense system," he said. Related content: "The second has to do with the F-35. It presents a problem to all of our aircraft, but specifically the F-35, I believe," Scaparrotti said. The dispute over the F-35 sale comes at a time of increasing friction between the U.S. and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over concerns about the way forward in Syria as the U.S. plans to withdraw troops, as well as Turkey's growing ties with Iran and Russia. Since 2017, Turkey has been negotiating the estimated $2.5 billion purchase of the mobile S-400 system, dubbed the SA-21 Growler by NATO and called the Triumf system by Russia. In a two-day visit to Turkey last April, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "A priority task in the sphere of military technical cooperation is the implementation of the contract for supplies of S-400 Triumf missile systems to Turkey." Then-Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said that Turkey was turning to Moscow after the U.S. and NATO allies refused help in upgrading its air defenses. "They don't agree to the transfer of technologies in the sphere of air defense systems to us" and "do not make price concessions," he said. Under previous agreements with the U.S., Turkey also had plans to buy more than 100 F-35As, the conventional takeoff and landing model of the stealth fighter. Turkish pilots are already training on the F-35 at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. "I can confirm we have two Turkish jets [from the proposed sale] here at Luke flying in the 63rd Fighter Squadron and several Turkish pilots in training to fly the F-35," 56th Fighter Wing spokeswoman Maj. Rebecca Heyse said Tuesday. "All our jets at Luke are pooled within the squadrons, so on any day U.S. pilots assigned to the 63rd could be flying Turkish or USAF jets while the Turkish pilots could be flying Turkish or USAF jets." To counter the Russian S-400 sale, the U.S. State Department in December approved the potential sale to Turkey of the Patriot missile system and related equipment for $3.5 billion. The U.S. offer, if it were accepted by Turkey and approved by Congress, would include 80 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T), 60 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles, and related equipment, the State Department said. "This is a huge decision for Turkey. I would hope that they reconsider this one decision on S-400," Scaparrotti said under questioning by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, at the hearing. On Tuesday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer and James Jeffrey, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, were in Ankara for meetings with their Turkish counterparts. Palmer was expected to focus on the S-400 sale and the potential risk that going ahead with the deal would scrap the U.S. agreement to sell F-35s to Turkey, the Hurriyet Daily News reported. -- Oriana Pawlyk contributed to this report. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Two weeks after an F-15 Eagle from Oregon experienced an in-flight emergency and had to ditch its missiles before landing, the Air National Guard is still searching for clues to what caused the emergency in the first place. "A direct cause of the in-flight emergency is unknown at this time," 142nd Fighter Wing spokesman Steven Conklin told Military.com on Friday. The incident remains under investigation, added Maj. Samuel Lee, also of the 142nd. The F-15C was headed out for an alert training mission when it experienced the malfunction and had to land at Portland International Airport using its emergency arrest cable, The Drive reported Feb. 20. The outlet reported that the issue possibly stemmed from the aircraft's landing gear "failing to retract." "It is not uncommon to experience emergencies in the F-15 that require a barrier engagement," Conklin said in an email, referring to the arrest cable. Related content: Because the Eagle had missiles on board for the alert training mission -- or scrambling at a moment's notice for an aerial intercept -- it had to clear its armament with a controlled release for the safety of the pilot, Conklin said. The Drive reported that the F-15 ditched an unspecified number of missiles into the Pacific Ocean. "It is required for our aircrew to put the aircraft in a safe configuration to land to ensure a successful recovery of the aircraft and pilot," Conklin said. Firing off weapons is rare in these instances, a former F-15 pilot told Military.com on background. "The only reason to do it is if there's an unsafe gear indication, perhaps hydraulic issue," he said. In other cases, "[our] training configuration is to dump missiles anyway to preserve gas." Standard procedure calls for safety first, meaning a plane must be clean -- without missiles -- before attempting to land on a runway, the pilot said. "In case you're coming back and you're potentially going to be sliding on the belly of the jet [because of the emergency]; you... just want the jet to be as clean as possible," he said. The F-15 can carry four AIM-9L/M Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and four AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, or a full external load of eight AIM-120 AMRAAMs. Another common, six-missile configuration includes two Sidewinders and four AIM-120 AMRAAMs. Last month, two F-15Cs from Kadena Air Base, Japan, had emergency mechanical issues that required both jets to conduct arrested landings. One of the F-15s had a problem with its landing gear, and the other "experienced a hydraulic issue," Air Force Capt. Victoria Hight, spokeswoman for Pacific Air Forces, said at the time. The jets used their arresting cables to land on the same runway, but in opposite directions of one another. Last August, the 142nd was involved in a high-profile intercept mission. Two F-15Cs from the wing launched in response to a stolen Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft belonging to Alaska Airlines. A Horizon Air employee, later identified as ground service agent Richard Russell, stole the empty aircraft Aug. 10, flying it south of Seattle before crashing into Ketron Island in Puget Sound, roughly 35 miles south of the airport. Russell, 29, died in the crash. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. The Army will have to ditch several venerable weapons systems to free up money for the long-term deterrence of near-competitor rivals Russia and China, Army Under Secretary Ryan McCarthy said Monday. "We're going to have to open up the pipes" to finance modernization of the Army to boost readiness in line with former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' directive to prepare for potential conflict with Russia and China under the National Defense Strategy, McCarthy said at a Center for a New American Security event on the future of the Army. McCarthy, an Afghanistan veteran and former Army Ranger, wouldn't say which weapons systems would be on the hit list, but said the details would be revealed in the Defense Department's budget request for fiscal 2020 budget, expected to be released next week. The savings from scrapping old weapons systems over the next five years are expected to be "north of $30 billion," and would be applied to new systems, artificial intelligence and cyber warfare more attuned to emerging threats, he said. Lt. Gen. Eric Wesley, who joined McCarthy at the event, said what the Army is looking for from improvements in artificial intelligence is not some type of autonomous killing machine but rather the ability to make sense of vast inputs of data to allow the human operator to make decisions for what he described as a "continuum of conflict" with Russia and China. Other major powers long ago decided that they wanted "no part of close combat with us," and turned their focus to a form of "hybrid warfare" just short of open conflict, which Russia employed in the annexation of Crimea and the ongoing aggression in eastern Ukraine, said Wesley, deputy commanding general for Futures and Concepts at Army Futures Command. Over the years, the U.S. has come to assume dominance in the air and on the sea. "[But] that won't be true in the future" on a multi-domain battlefield, Wesley said. In early February, Army Secretary Mark Esper said that the savings realized from scrapping legacy weapons systems would be applied to the service's top six modernization priorities -- long-range precision fires, a next-generation combat vehicle, future vertical lift, IT systems, air-and-missile defense, and soldier lethality. The new priorities and operational concept would likely require more overseas deployments for troops, with the Army working to boost deterrence by enhancing soldiers' ability to deploy rapidly, McCarthy and Wesley said. McCarthy predicted a "debate on forward presence" in the coming years. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Staff Sgt. Steven McQueen still can't believe how quickly he got to his feet after a bullet from an enemy rifle struck him in the back of his helmet during an insider attack in Afghanistan last year. Two gunmen opened fire on McQueen and fellow soldiers from the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade from a distance of 20 feet during the Sept. 3 shooting. "I was surprised that I was able to react [as] quickly as I did because I knew what had happened instantly; I knew I was shot," McQueen, 30, told reporters at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on Monday. The bullet tore a large hole in the ballistic material, but the Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH) stopped the round as it was designed to do. Staff Sgt. Steven McQueen shows a closer view of the hole the enemy rifle round made when it tore into the Enhanced Combat Helmet. (Military.com/Matthew Cox) Officials from Program Executive Office Soldier returned that life-saving helmet to McQueen in a special Personal Protective Equipment Return ceremony Monday. "There is nothing that I have experienced in my life that can relate it to," McQueen said, describing the sensation of being shot in the head. "If I had to guess, I would say if you stood there and let a horse kick you in the back of the head. ... It was a lot of force." The two men were posing as Afghan police. One was armed with an AK47, the other manned a PKM machine gun chambered for the more-powerful 7.62x54mm Russian round, McQueen said. "The plan was the fully automatic machine gun was going to open up on us, and the AK was going to pick us off one by one," he said. "It just so happened that the terrain we were operating in -- there was a chokepoint that we were walking through and it was a perfect opportunity, really, to attack us." During the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Anthony Potts, head of PEO Soldier, the Army command responsible for developing and fielding protective equipment, related a story his dad used to tell him. "My dad used to have this saying. He would say, 'Son, Superman is not brave,'" Potts said. "I think what my dad was telling me was Superman was invincible. He couldn't be hurt. Well, the reality is our U.S. servicemen and women can be hurt." Potts said the job of PEO soldier is to do "everything we can ... to make them invincible." "We always hope that there is not an incident where you have to prove out that it really does work. And when those times do come -- Staff Sgt. McQueen experienced one of those times -- we want the equipment to work exactly the way we designed it to work," he said. "So not only is this a homecoming and a return for Staff Sgt. McQueen. ... What it does for us as a community, for the people at PEO Soldier, is it validates the work that they do on a daily basis," Potts said. The helmet that McQueen wore was originally developed by the Marine Corps to provide improved protection from rifle rounds. The Army adopted it and began fielding it to soldiers in 2014. "What this helmet stopped was a rifle round; that is what that helmet was designed to [do]," said Lt. Col. Ginger Whitehead, product manager for Soldier Protective Equipment. "There is no doubt that Staff Sgt. McQueen would not have survived the impact had he not been wearing that helmet." PEO Soldier officials have begun an expanded effort to return protective equipment that has stopped enemy small-arms fire or other battlefield threats to the soldiers who wore it, Potts said. A new process that came out in the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act allows the Army to return protective equipment involved in a life-saving incident to soldiers who have separated from the service, something that has not been possible in the past, he said. "Prior to the 2019 NDAA, we really couldn't provide equipment to a separated service member, and now we will have that opportunity here in the near future ... and I think that is going to be a big thing for our community," Potts said. McQueen, sitting next to his wife Aaron, said the experience has changed his view of equipment that he didn't like wearing in the past. "So, before this incident ... I thought the helmet was cumbersome and that it was overkill," he said, joking he would have preferred a ball cap. "I was sorely mistaken. This helmet works, and I am a living testimony to it. And from now on, all of my soldiers will wear it. If we are in a hostile environment, they won't take it off. Period." -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea -- Care for military working dogs and government-owned animals is not taken lightly in the military; and there many quality control measures in place to ensure these service animals are getting the care they deserve to accomplish their mission. Spc. Tank Chester, English bulldog and mascot for 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Bulldog," 1st Armored Division (Rotational) had surgery to fix a condition called entropion, which occurs when the eyelids roll in, irritating the eye, at Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea, Feb. 20. "Certain breeds will get this condition (entropion) due to having excess skin on their face, so when the eyelids roll in, the hair on their eyelids is irritating the eyelid or actually the eyeball and they tear up a lot," said Capt. Sean Curry, a native of Wooster, OH, veterinarian with the 106th Veterinary Detachment, 65th Medical Brigade. "In Chester's case, he's got extra skin folds, so he has water eyes, the water gets down in the skin folds, and it creates a moist environment, which results in bacterial and fungal infections." Spc. Naquan Stokes, veterinary technician with the 106th Veterinary Detachment, preps Spc. Tank Chester, English bulldog and mascot for 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Bulldog," 1st Armored Division, for a procedure to correct entropion, which occurs when the eyelids roll in, causing irritation of the eye, at Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea, Feb. 20. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Alon Humphrey) U.S. Army dog handlers and animal control officers spend a lot of time working with veterinarians and veterinary technicians to coordinate care for military service animals like Chester due to the diverse operational requirements placed on these animals. Capt. Sean Curry, veterinarian with the 106th Veterinary Detachment, gives two-thumbs up signifying a successful entropion correction procedure for Spc. Tank Chester, English bulldog and mascot for 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Bulldog," 1st Armored Division, which occurs when the eyelids roll in, causing irritation of the eye, at Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea, Feb. 20. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Alon Humphrey) "Taking care of Chester is a lot like having your own dog, except for there's more time invested in him because that's my purpose, just like if he was one of my soldiers," said Cpl. Mitchell Duncan, a native of New York, animal control officer with 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. "It's my job to make sure that he's taken care of and since he's a government-owned animal there are certain procedures we must follow. He's required to have monthly visits to the vet, and he's required to maintain a certain weight and health standard. Prior to becoming his handler, I received training from the veterinary technicians which covered everything from emergency care to daily standard maintenance." Capt. Sean Curry, veterinarian with the 106th Veterinary Detachment, conducts an entropion correction procedure for Spc. Tank Chester, English bulldog and mascot for 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Bulldog," 1st Armored Division, which is designed to correct Chester's eyelids from rolling in, causing irritation of the eye, at Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea, Feb. 20. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Alon Humphrey) Chester's entropion surgery was a success and it is the second one he's endured since he and the Bulldog Brigade arrived to the Republic of Korea in the fall of 2018. Fortunately for Chester, his health and welfare are not only important to Duncan and the Bulldog Brigade, but also one of the biggest reasons why Curry has chosen to serve. Spc. Tank Chester, English bulldog and mascot for 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Bulldog," 1st Armored Division, is sedated in preparation for an entropion correction surgery, which is designed to correct his eyelids from rolling in, causing irritation of the eye, at Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea, Feb. 20. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Alon Humphrey) "Dogs like Chester and the working dogs are why I do what I do," he said. They're just unique animals. They represent the unit, and if I can spend the day helping Chester feel better, or helping a working dog complete his job and save soldiers' lives, then that's a great day for me." With technical skills that translate well to civilian careers, military veterans know that finding a great job isn't simply about having the knowledge it takes to make it -- it's about finding the right fit in the right industry. Fortunately, those technical skills might mesh perfectly with one industry that is both looking for skilled tradesmen and supervisors and committed to hiring veterans: construction. Related: Search for construction jobs. And it's a sector that both wants and needs veterans' help. Not only is the industry looking to fill more than 500,000 job vacancies in the U.S. but, according to Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), more than 100 construction industry organizations have pledged to employ 100,000 veterans by the end of 2019. Here's how can you get the perfect veteran job in the construction industry. Step One, Get Free Certifications The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and its Build Your Future initiative, which promotes construction as a career, created Hard Hat Heroes to help recruit, train and hire veterans. The Hard Hat Heroes initiative provides free online training to service members and veterans. It also includes a database where veterans can post their resumes and employers can post job openings, as well as a list of military-friendly construction companies veterans can contact. NCCER credentials are respected throughout the construction industry and could help you earn higher wages and opportunities for promotion. Step Two, Explore Job Opportunities at Military-Friendly Employers Here are five companies that want to hire vets: AECOM AECOM is a full-service, soup-to-nuts, global engineering design and construction firm headquartered in Los Angeles that actively recruits military veterans for a wide variety of careers around the world. AECOM employs more than 9,000 veterans in a multitude of professions, disciplines and markets worldwide, according to its website. AECOM stands out because its commitment to veterans also extends to military spouses. It belongs to the Military Spouse Employment partnership 100,000 hires club and has received the 2019 Military Friendly Top Ten Employer Gold award and 2018 Military Friendly Spouse Employer award. "Even though I am no longer wearing my country's uniform on active duty, my job as a defense contractor is very rewarding," said Barry "Bear" MacNeill, Air Force veteran and AECOM's vice president of Unmanned Programs (UxS)."I feel like it is a continuation of my time in the military, and I am doing exactly what I'd be doing if I had remained in the military." As part of its commitment to veterans, AECOM partners with organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project, Semper Fi Fund, American Corporate Partners, the Officers' Association and the Career Transition Partnership, which ensure veterans have the support they need during and after their service. For career opportunities, visit AECOM's website. Related: Does your resume pass the 6-second test? Get a FREE assessment. 2. Athena Construction Athena Construction is a service-disabled veteran and woman-owned company headquartered in Triangle, Virginia. When she founded Athena Remodelers, Melissa Schneider applied the leadership and project management skills she had honed as an officer in the Marine Corps. For help, Schneider recruited fellow Marine Amber Peebles, a veteran with a reputation for sharp business sense, impressive sales acumen and savvy project management experience. Peebles joined Athena as its president, and together, they transformed the company into Athena Construction Group, the nation's premier Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Small Women and Minority-owned, construction company. Athena has worked on notable projects; including the National Geospatial Agency, Walter Reed Navy Medical Hospital and the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The quality of the work and the meticulousness of the process earned Athena Construction Group the designation of 2012 Government Contractor of the Year in the American Express Victory in Procurement Program, and the elite status of Protege to Hensel Phelps in the DoD Mentor-Protege program. For career opportunities, visit Athena's website. 3. Bechtel If you take a look at a variety of veteran job fairs around the country, there's a good chance you'll find Bechtel as a sponsor. Bechtel is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. "There is a lot of similarities to the military and construction," Chad Hall, a Marine veteran, said in a video interview posted by NCCER. "In the military, you have a mission here, it's the project.. Same concept, mission, goals, objectives. The transition is super easy." Bechtel works to recruit, train and retain "top talent from all service branches, including Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard and all components (former active duty, National Guard, and Reserve)" through a variety of recruitment programs, according to its website. Those include Bechtel Military Veterans' Employee Resource Group, Helmets to Hardhats, Network of Champions and targeted job postings on military job boards. Check Bechtel's website for career opportunities. 4. KBR Very few construction jobs are about swinging a hammer and pounding nails. Many jobs in the industry require a high degree of technical training and expertise. If you're a veteran, chances are you already possess a high degree of technical training. KBR, headquartered in Houston, wants to help train and place you in a high-demand job within the Government Services and Hydrocarbons sectors. In addition to its robust military and veteran recruitment programs, KBR also partners with Fort Polk, Louisiana, and Central Louisiana Technical Community College for their Veteran Pipefitting Trade program. According to its website, the program aims to train active-duty military in the pipefitting trade to assist service members who desire to pursue an industrial civilian career following their military service. Check KBR's website for career opportunities. 5. Fluor Fluor is a global engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and maintenance (EPFCM) company, headquartered in Irving, Texas, that consistently lands on the top military-friendly employers list -- and for good reason. Fluor's commitment to veterans is apparent through its partnerships with Hiring Our Heroes and Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), as well as its support of many active-duty and veteran organizations through the Fluor Military Support Coalition. "Fluor is committed to providing jobs to the men and women who have served our country and, with the booming oil and gas market, we see a number of great opportunities in the construction industry right here at home," said Richard Meserole, vice president of Fluor's energy and chemicals business line in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. Check Fluor's website for career opportunities. Related: For the latest veteran jobs postings around the country, visit the Military.com Job Search section. Master Your Military Transition To learn more transition tips, Military.com has you covered. Sign up for a free Military.com membership to have military news, updates, and job resources delivered directly to your inbox. -- Sean Mclain Brown can be reached at sean.brown@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @seanmclainbrown. MQI France holds Conference on Islam as Religion of Peace A Conference on the subject of Islam: A Religion of Peace was held under the banner of the MQI France. Chairman MQI Supreme Council Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri presided over the moot, whereas Pakistan Ambassador to France H.E. Moin-ul-Haq was the guest of honour. In his speech, the Pakistani Ambassador appreciated the services of the MQI for the promotion of peace, interfaith dialogue and harmony. He said that Islam emphasizes respect of humanity, human rights, and brotherhood. He said that our religion likens the killing of one innocent person to the killing of entire humanity. He said that a true believer of Islam can never be an extremist and a terrorist. He said that Islam does not allow the taking of the life of an innocent, stating that there is no space for any such act in our Constitution and laws. Ambassador Moin-ul-Haq termed the Quranic Encyclopedia as a great service to Islam and congratulated the MQI and Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri for compiling such an amazing scholarly work. Allama Hafiz Nazir Ahmad, Sheikh Zahid Fayyaz, Hassan Mir Qadri and Shahid Malik also addressed the Conference. In his keynote speech, Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri began by congratulating the Pakistani Ambassador and other distinguished guests on their participation in the Conference. He said that in order to protect the youth and Muslims from the ideological attack, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri authored an authentic 600-page Fatwa against terrorism and suicide bombing and designed peace curriculum. He said that dozens of books on peace-building have been published under the banner of the MQI that are a source of intellectual guidance to the people around the world. He said that the compilation of the 8-volume Quranic Encyclopedia is the latest and most amazing addition to this ongoing effort to spread peace and harmony in the world. Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri said that the Quranic Encyclopedia is the requirement of every household as it contains answers to all intellectual problems facing the modern man. He said that the MQI is all about promotion of peace, respect of humanity and service of the people from its inception to date. He gifted a set of Encyclopedia to the Ambassador and congratulated the MQI France on successfully holding the Conference. King Kong Bundy, the man who faced off with Hulk Hogan inside a steel cage in the main event of WrestleMania II, has died at the age of 61. WWE.com, and wrestling promoter and longtime friend of Bundys David Herro confirmed the news of the legendary behemoths death Monday night. A cause or any other details concerning Bundys death have not been released. Today we lost a Legend of a performer and someone that I considered family. @RealKKBundy Rest In Peace my friend. Thank you for believing in me. #KingKongBundy pic.twitter.com/b53l4xjhGi David Herro (@DavidHerro) March 5, 2019 Bundy was born Christopher Pallies in Atlantic City, New Jersey back on Nov. 7, 1957. He made his debut for the then World Wrestling Federation in 1981 at the ripe age of 24, and would main event the years biggest show in 1986 at 28. Legendary wrestling personality Gorilla Monsoon would regularly refer to Bundy as the walking condominium due to his listed size of 6-foot-4, 458 pounds. The sight of Bundy stepping between the ropes was intimidating enough, but his crushing offense proved that he was every bit as destructive as advertised. In fact, Bundy was so dominant that he demanded referees count to five when he pinned his opponents to show that there was no way they were getting up, WWE wrote on its website. Although Bundy left WWE in the late 80s, he returned in 1994 as part of The Million Dollar Corporation, once again destroying rivals with the Avalanche Splash and proving that he was one of the greatest and most eye-catching big men to lace up a set of boots. The wrestling world reacted to the news Monday night and into Tuesday morning, March 5 with their well wishes for Bundys family while sharing some favorite memories: Overwhelmed by King Kong Bundys passing, only great memories,R.I.P. big man until we meet again. HH Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) March 5, 2019 RIP my friend. Thanks for your humor and kindness. #KingKongBundy pic.twitter.com/MdzLtvyy6S Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) March 5, 2019 I loved this WWF Sportscenter commercial with King Kong Bundy in it pic.twitter.com/62Ij9rbd5T Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) March 5, 2019 Rest In Peace to the true master of the Five Count. Condolences to his loved ones. #KingKongBundy Florida Man (@WWEBigE) March 5, 2019 Wow. King Kong Bundy was soooo good and ahead of his time. He was a machine and he never ran out of gas. @WWEBigE stole his 5 count in NXT too. #RIP All Might Big Rus (@RusevBUL) March 5, 2019 Hate to hear about the passing of King Kong Bundy. He was so cool to me when I walked in that @WWE dressing room as an absolute nobody in 1986. Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) March 5, 2019 I met King Kong Bundy in 1999. I had just started training and was helping out backstage at the show he was on. Ill always remember him being really funny and just such a great guy. I wish I had been lucky enough to cross paths with him again. My thoughts go out to his family. Kejwhdbmwkiajdbsn (@FightOwensFight) March 5, 2019 I never met King Kong Bundy but if it wasnt for King Kong Bundy, I might never have been a Hulkamaniac. RIP. Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) March 5, 2019 Michigan is among 21 states participating in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administrations new rules for the Title X family planning program, according to the Michigan attorney generals office. The rule changes could shift millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood to faith-based clinics, and also could have implications for county health departments that get Title X funding. The law is expected to be filed today, March 5, in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Ore. The national lawsuit is being led by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is one of the attorney generals joining the lawsuit. Tens of thousands of Michigan residents utilize the vitally important high-quality health care supported by Title X funds," Nessel said in a statement. "These services which include breast and cervical screening, well-woman exams, STI screenings and treatment, and many reproductive services including health, education and counseling are provided at 93 clinic sites in 72 out of 83 counties in our state and it would be irresponsible of us to turn our backs on this critical funding issue. Last month, the White House announced new rules for Title X, a federal grant program that funds family planning and health screenings. The rules prohibit organizations that provide abortions from receiving Title X monies and also prohibit grant recipients from providing information or referrals for abortions unless a patient raises the issue first, a so-called gag rule. Planned Parenthood -- the largest provider of Title X services in Michigan -- would not be eligible for funding under the new rules. Michigan currently receives about $7.6 million in Title X monies, and served an estimated 62,700 people in the program in 2018. About 68 percent received services through Planned Parenthood of Michigan, and the remaining patients went to clinics operated by county health departments. The program funds contraceptive services, preventive health exams, STD/HIV screening and testing, cervical cancer screenings, clinical breast exams and comprehensive referrals to primary care providers and other social services providers as needed. Genevieve Marnon, spokeswoman and legislative director for Michigan Right to Life, said she is thrilled by the rule changes. Title X shores up companies that perform abortions, and the new rules will prevent that, she said. Its a client stream for them. However, the new rules are strongly opposed by the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a long list of other medical organizations. In its statement, the ACOG said the new rules political interference at its worst, saying it reflects the Trump administrations continued move away from scientific, evidence-based policies and toward unscientific ideologies. It says the new rules could limit access to the most effective forms of contraceptives, such as IUDs, and steer women towards providers that focus on abstinence and fertility awareness, better known as the rhythm method. In its statement, the AMA was equally scathing, saying the new rules are a clear violation of patient rights. With this action, the administration wants to block physicians from counseling patients about all of their healthcare options and from providing appropriate referrals for care," the statement said. For many legislative Republicans, Gov. Gretchen Whitmers call for a 45-cent gas tax hike in her Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal went over like a car hitting a Michigan pothole. The centerpiece of Whitmers budget plan, delivered before a joint meeting of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, is focused on her campaign promise to improve Michigans roads. It would raise the fuel tax by 45 cents per gallon by Oct. 1, 2020 in three, 15-cent increments. The budget also increases money for schools, gives the tax structure a second look and puts money toward clean drinking water. Raising the gas tax shouldnt be the first solution to addressing the roads issue, House Appropriations Chair Shane Hernandez said, suggesting the proposed tax increase started the conversation on the wrong foot. Unfortunately, what we heard from the governor are plans to tax and spend - not real solutions for fixing our roads, improving our schools or continuing Michigans economic comeback, said Hernandez, R-Port Huron. For some Republicans, the ask echoed the failed Proposal 1 attempt to create a wholesale fuel tax and increase the state sales tax from six to seven percent and exempt gasoline and diesel fuel purchases. In a statement, House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, alluded to the 2015 effort and said Michigan will always have a road funding problem until every penny we pay in taxes at the pump is devoted to fix the roads. We cant continue to gloss over the long-term structural problem, while asking families, workers and seniors who are already living paycheck to paycheck to pay even more, he said. Senate Appropriations Chair Jim Stamas, R-Midland, said several steps to address infrastructure funding have been taken already and that he believes lawmakers should look within the current budget before committing to any new or increased taxes. There may need to be additional revenue - what that is and how that looks, I dont know what that is today, he said. Democratic lawmakers said they appreciated Whitmers willingness to acknowledge the scale of the problem and put forward a plan that could help alleviate it. Im glad the governor put a real plan on the table, said Senate Appropriations Minority Vice Chair Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing. Im proud to support that plan, but Im also willing to work with the other side of the aisle on what the actual answer is, as long as we all acknowledge that there actually is a problem. House Appropriations Vice Chair Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, said in a statement Whitmers budget finally puts the values weve been fighting for into practice. Whitmers road funding proposal also got a positive review from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, whose President and CEO Rich Studley said in a statement the chamber is prepared to support a meaningful increase in user fees phased in over time." He noted doing nothing is not an option. Earlier today, the Governor outlined a comprehensive plan to fix the roads that relies on user fees to solve the problem. We commend the Executive Office for taking this important next step," Studley said in the statement. We urge lawmakers to recognize that state government must take bold action to fix the roads and we look forward to working with them to solve this problem. During her budget presentation, Whitmer told lawmakers predecessors played shell games and favored temporary solutions instead of fixing problems for the long term. A vote for her budget, she said, would change that trajectory. It will not be easy. It will not happen overnight. But this budget represents our best opportunity to forge a new path here in Michigan, Whitmer said. Republican Party Chair Laura Cox came to a different conclusion, saying in a statement Michigans gas tax would become the highest in the U.S. and impact the cost of living in the state: While our roads may improve, they would simply end up as well-paved pathways for jobs and people to leave Michigan, she quipped. In 2015, lawmakers passed a road funding plan expected to generate $1.2 billion by 2021. Even with that existing cash infusion in place, Michigan roads are getting worse and were recently rated worst in the nation. Experts, including those on former Gov. Rick Snyders 21st Century Infrastructure Commission, have pegged Michigans additional road funding needs at over $2 billion per year, and the governors proposal will generate $2.5 billion per year. The total budget Whitmer proposed for Fiscal Year 2020 comes in at $60.2 billion, significantly more than $56.8 billion budget the state is currently operating under. Part of the increase comes from the proposed gas tax increase. LANSING, MI Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is proposing $120 million in new general fund spending to improve drinking water infrastructure. Whitmer called clean drinking water a fundamental human right in her presentation to a joint state senate and house appropriations committee hearing March 5 in Lansing that was largely dominated by discussion about gas tax increases to fund road improvements. The drinking water money request is supplemental for the 2019 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Whitmer proposed it alongside her $60.2 billion fiscal 2020 budget on Tuesday at the state capitol. The new funding would help replace lead service lines, fund research and treatment for toxic PFAS chemicals and other emerging contaminants, forgive water utility loans, fund watershed management and water distribution research, according to the state budget office. Also part of the supplemental request is another $60 million from the School Aid Fund to install filtered drinking water stations in schools. Legislators have typically approved supplemental funding requests separately from the annual state omnibus and education budgets. The $120 million would go to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, which would get about $474.3 million next year. Also included in her 2020 budget proposal is $13.9 million for the state Department of Health and Human Services to enhance monitoring of and responsiveness to the human impacts of emerging public health threats, including contaminated drinking water. Whitmer weaved the proposed water funds into her pitch for a phased-in 45-cent-per-gallon increase in the fuel tax, arguing that, like poor roads, drinking water problems undermine the Pure Michigan image and the states ability to attract talent and investment. She referenced problems like elevated lead and copper levels found last year in Detroit Public Schools Community District water, and PFAS contaminants recently confirmed through state testing in more than 120 municipal utilities and community supplies, as well as nearly 60 schools, daycares and Head Start centers drawing from groundwater wells. These hard truths undermine all the good that is happening in our state, Whitmer said. If we want anyone to invest in Michigan, we have to invest in ourselves. According to the state budget office, decades of deferred maintenance have exacerbated water infrastructure problems, putting the cost to update system in the hundreds of millions of dollars. A lack of data on system conditions is a risk to public health and a significant challenge for older communities which have experienced population loss. Municipalities also face difficulties in meeting increased costs of updated environmental regulations as well as the challenge of inflexible rate structures, the state says. Effective technology is needed to remove PFAS and other chemicals from drinking systems, even as research continues to establish the full scope and health impacts of the contaminants, the budget office said. Of the $120 million, $37.5 million would go toward lead line replacements, support for local drinking water advisory councils and implementation of the states new Lead and Copper Rule requirement lowering the action standard to 12 parts-per-billion. On PFAS, $30 million would help abate, cleanup, and support utility investment in technology, research and develop treatments for so-called short-chain replacement PFAS compounds other than PFOS and PFOA, develop analytical techniques and conduct health risk studies to establish a drinking water standard. Another $40 million would go to the Drinking Water Revolving Fund loan forgiveness grant program. Of the rest, $7.5 million would go toward water affordability and planning initiatives, and $5 million would go toward water treatment and distribution research. Whitmer called the investment a chance to turn a new leaf and prove to people that we will finally clean up their drinking water. We can put Michigan on the path to prosperity, to help people get ahead and attract more business to Michigan, Whitmer said. Or, we can kick the can down the road and watch as our roads get worse, our kids fall further behind, and more and more communities find problems with their drinking water. Lawmakers did not comment on or ask questions of Whitmer or state budget director Chris Kolb about the drinking water money during Tuesdays hearing. While speaking to reporters afterward, Senate appropriations committee chair Jim Stamas, R-Midland, cast drinking water funding to tackle PFAS in particular as a bipartisan priority. Michigan residents want safe drinking water, Stamas said. It certainly has to be part of the discussion, he said. Its something weve set as a priority over the last few years. I think continuing to make sure drinking water is safe for our children and our families is certainly a priority we all want to make sure happens. The legislature appropriated $23.2 million to address PFAS contamination in December 2017 as a supplemental and another $8 million for the current fiscal year. About $20 million was also appropriated for PFAS during the recent lame duck session. Bonnifer Ballard, director of the Michigan Section of the American Water Works Association, a water industry group, called Whitmers proposed infrastructure spending critical to Michigans economy and public health and urged support from the legislature. The group said water service disruptions due to infrastructure failure or contamination are costly to taxpayers and upgrades boost the economy. Some communities water systems are close to, or beyond, 100 years old, well past their expected lifespans, Ballard said. Investment is needed to our water treatment and distribution systems to ensure we continue to have clean and accessible water 24 hours a day, every day. Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr, D-East Lansing, appropriations committee vice chair, called it sad that, in a state identified with the Great Lakes, clean drinking water isnt guaranteed. Whether Whitmers proposal provides enough funding to deal with drinking water quality issues in Michigan is an interesting question, he said. Im not sure how to judge that without taking a deeper dive into the budget, but I look forward to those hearings. The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team, or MPART, is scheduled to make a presentation before a joint House natural resources and appropriations committee hearing on Thursday. The PFAS team created by former Gov. Rick Snyder was reauthorized by Whitmer, but moved under the umbrella of the Michigan DEQ, which is being reorganized this spring into the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). - MLive capitol reporter Lauren Gibbons contributed to this report 720 Juneberry Road, Riverwoods: $2,195,000 | Listed: Oct. 15, 2021 This six-bedroom home has four full bathrooms, one half bath, reclaimed wood floors and 12-foot ceilings on the main floor. The kitchen is equipped with dual islands, a built-in ice machine, freezer drawers and a walk-in pantry. The living room features a wood-burning fireplace and a wood-beamed ceiling, and the dining space leads to a screened porch with a fireplace, a built-in grill and a refrigerator. The primary bedroom suite is located on the main floor has a private sitting area with a fireplace and a walk-in shower. Four additional bedrooms that share Jack and Jill baths are on the second floor. An indoor hot tub, a sunroom, a heated four-car garage and a finished lower level with an in-law suite complete this home. Agent: Ron Ehlers, Compass, 847-975-5515 *Some listing photos are virtually staged, meaning they have been digitally altered to represent different furnishing or decorating options. To feature your luxury listing of $800,000 or more in Chicago Tribunes Dream Homes, send listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate@chicagotribune.com. Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news. ANN ARBOR, MI Eleven people are nominated to be the first to serve on Ann Arbors new police oversight commission, out of a pool of 62 applicants. Their names were put forward Monday night, March 4 by four City Council members involved in the selection process. The nominees include Bonnie Billups, DeAndre Caldwell, Zaynab Elkolaly, Mashod Evans, Frances Todoro-Hargreaves, Lisa Jackson, Kerene Moore, Mohammad Othman, David Santacroce, Robin Stephens and Jude Walton. Highlighting the diversity they would bring to the table, Council Member Julie Grand, D-3rd Ward, noted they represent a range of ages and include six women and five men, while six identify as African American and two identify as Arab American and Muslim. Our nominees have worked for or served on boards of community organizations such as the Jim Toy Center, Ozone House, Avalon Housing, Peace Neighborhood Center, the Muslim Community Center of Ann Arbor, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Human Rights Youth Coalition, Michigan Advocacy Program, the State Street Area Association and Ypsilanti Community Schools, and that doesnt cover all of it, Grand said. That just touches on a few. Santacroce is a University of Michigan law professor, Stephens is a Washtenaw County public defender, and Moore is an attorney with the nonprofit Legal Services of South Central Michigan. The City Council will vote on the 11 appointments to the new Independent Community Police Oversight Commission on March 18, after which the commission will be up and running. The commission is intended to provide a new layer of citizen oversight of the Ann Arbor Police Department and to strengthen police-community relations, while creating a process for independent review and investigation of police incidents. The commission also will recommend changes in police polices and practices and influence the selection of AAPD leadership. The nominating committee included Grand and Ali Ramlawi, the City Councils liaisons to the Human Rights Commission, and Zachary Ackerman and Jane Lumm, who are going to be the councils liaisons to the police oversight commission. The 11 nominees are enthusiastically supported by all four council members on the committee, Grand said, noting all 11 nominees were on a recommended list from the Human Rights Commission, and six of the nominees overlap with the HRCs top 10. Im proud of the people that are being put forth and really proud of the youth in this case, Ramlawi said, noting there were a number of letters of support for Elkolaly, a youth nominee. The city ordinance establishing a police oversight commission calls for diversity among members, including income level, race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation and experience, and making sure people who are vulnerable or marginalized and those who tend to have significant negative interactions with the police are represented. The ordinance also calls for ensuring the commission includes members with a variety of skills, expertise and life experiences bearing on the work of the commission, such as people who have worked in the fields of mediation, conflict resolution, mental health, housing, homelessness, anti-racist and equity reform and transformative justice, and people who have had significant experience with the police, law enforcement and the criminal justice system. I can say 100 percent that guided our thinking in making the selection, Grand said. Application responses provided further insight into the time applicants could dedicate to the work, and their willingness to engage in difficult conversations and work constructively as a team, Grand said. To stagger appointments, some will serve one-year terms and some will serve two- or three-year terms. All but four are Ann Arbor residents, though all have ties to the community. Theres been some distrust in the selection process, Grand acknowledged. I expected to get pushback from the community, she said. What I didnt expect was to have so much distrust amongst my colleagues about this process, so if you have questions, please just ask us. We all want this to work, and I really just hope that well give these nominees a chance because they are excellent. Grand noted she attended a community forum last week where police and Forestbrooke neighbors came together in the wake of two unfortunate incidents in their neighborhood. That included the murder of a 71-year-old resident and an hours-long police standoff days later at another home. My thoughts have been with this community since those events, Grand said. Theyre incredibly close-knit and this is a neighborhood where everyone really looks out for one another and we saw that at this meeting. I believe that Dick Fortune, who was murdered, reflected the spirit of the Forestbrooke neighborhood. Its not surprising that neighbors want more information about the two incidents, Grand said. While I completely understand why we dont share information about active police investigations with neighbors, just the want for information, the sub-ideal means that we have for communicating with residents, really reinforce the work that Ive been doing with my three fellow council members in nominating the ICPOC, she said. ANN ARBOR, MI A Western Union telegram congratulating him for graduating arrived May 2, 1969, at the apartment Robert Fink had shared with three University of Michigan classmates. The telegram, from Ben and Lillian Fischman, parents of one of Finks childhood friends, wished him well on his accomplishment and expressed regret they wouldnt be able to share the big day with him. It arrived a day too late. Fink, a Buffalo, New York, native who earned his UM degree in history and literature, already was headed back to his hometown for graduate school at the State University of New York. He had packed his belongings at 316 E. Madison St. in Ann Arbor the day before without any expectation of returning to Michigan. But, as Fink puts it, life took over. After graduate school and some internships, he did come back to Michigan to begin a 45-year career as an Oakland University professor, while also operating a Rochester Hills psychology practice. Uniting Fink with the telegram took much longer. It arrived in the mail at his psychology practice at the start of this year. I had never received a telegram. I dont remember my parents ever receiving a telegram, Fink said. In many ways, our perception of telegrams was shaped by the movies. You had to be a really important person and it had to be some kind of earth-shaking event that led to getting a telegram. Reflecting on 1969 Fink had grown to love and appreciate the Ann Arbor campus after moving from Buffalo at the urging of a friends sister who had attended UM. In those days, Fink said out-of-state tuition was very affordable, particularly in comparison to private schools on the East Coast. Fink worked a student job in the reserved section of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library to earn some extra cash and frequented Angell Hall, where most of his classes were. On Thursday nights, he and some friends would hang out at the old Pretzel Bell bar after they got out of class. This was a tumultuous time for the country amid protests of the Vietnam War, Fink said, leading to real concerns he might be drafted after graduation. He appealed to the draft board after enrolling in graduate school and was never drafted, but it remained a major focus around graduation. There was this real undertone of what the hell is going to happen here? he said. We felt like we were at this great point in our lives, but who knew where we would be six months later. This has to be a scam A few days before Christmas 2018, Christina Zaske had lost a piece of paper that got stuck and fell behind a drawer inside an old file cabinet now owned by Ann Arbor-based digital marketing agency ICON Interactive. She removed the bottom drawer to grab the piece of paper, only to find old, yellowed papers, including what appeared to be a telegram. I looked inside, mostly because I was curious to see an actual telegram, Zaske said. The telegram had Finks name on it, so, naturally, she Googled his name and found his Oakland University email address. She confirmed he was the correct Robert Fink and let him know she wanted to send him the telegram. On the surface, it had all the makings of a good scam, Fink said. Needless to say, a well put together scam also piques your interest and I was interested," he said. Fink gave Zaske his psychology practice mailing address, not expecting anything would come of it. When the telegram arrived in the mail after the holidays, the words our hearts and best wishes are with you were pasted onto the piece of paper. It brought back vivid memories of his adolescence of playing with the Fischmans son, Arnie, and his final year at Michigan. It also left me with a funny sense of guilt that they had thought about me that way, Fink said. It took some effort to send a telegram - it's not like texting someone. It touched me they had thought about me and made the effort to do so. And, of course, I never thanked them, he said, noting the Fischmans had long since died. The long arm of the past For Zaske, the unlikely scenario has come and gone with hardly a second thought. The telegram seemed important enough to hunt down its intended recipient, she said. "Dr. and Mrs. Fischman took the time to express their regrets on not being able to attend his graduation, so I thought he might have a sentimental connection to the telegram, Zaske said. I feel that I have fulfilled my duty in reconnecting Mr. Fink with the telegram. I was surprised to learn that he had never received the telegram and was glad that I could reunite it with its intended recipient all of these years later. Getting the telegram has caused Fink to reflect on old and perhaps lost connections, including Arnie Fischman. Im a psychologist, I like having conversations with people, said Fink, who plans to retire from Oakland University this summer. It has brought them back to mind more and left me feeling like I need to get in touch with them. Ironically, others from Finks past reached out to him around the same time he received the telegram, including a student he trained as a psychologist. The woman, who now lives in Tuscon, Arizona, sent Fink a Christmas card out of the blue. As fate would have it, Fink was in Tuscon last week and met up with her for dinner. The theme for me has been that the long arm of the past is reaching out and grabbing me, and I should take it seriously, he said. ANN ARBOR, MI As new high-rise construction continues along the north side of South University Avenue in Ann Arbor, plans are in the works for another 13-story building across the street. Oakland County developer Ron Hughes of Hughes Properties is transforming South U with high-density housing for University of Michigan students, plus new ground-floor commercial spaces. His 12-story development, Vic Village North, is taking shape along the north side of South U, next to the UM Diag, and is expected to welcome its first tenants in August. It features 57 apartments with 261 beds, with per-bed monthly rents from $975 to $1,700. Hughes, who also has approved plans for a 13-story Vic Village East a block over where the Middle Earth shop used to be, recently unveiled brand-new plans for a Vic Village South on the south side of South U, between East University Avenue and Church Street. The building at 1100 S. University Ave. would rise 150 feet, with more than 185,000 square feet of floor area. It would include a mix of student-focused housing and affordable housing, according to design plans submitted to the city. The total number of apartments is yet to be determined, but it could include hundreds more student housing beds and as many as 15 dedicated affordable housing units to take advantage of development premiums and allow more square footage, said Sean Havera, vice president of construction for Hughes Properties. The first floor would be primarily commercial space, intended as a mix of food service establishments and retail tenants. Starting at the corner where PNC Bank stands and extending east, the new high-rise would replace most of the buildings on the block, with the exception of Cantina and Good Time Charleys. A series of one- and two-story buildings that have been home to businesses such as Underground Printing, South U Pizza, Oasis Mediterranean Grill and The Village Apothecary would be demolished, along with PNC Bank, which is moving into Vic Village North. Its possible other existing tenants could move into new commercial spaces, Havera said. Pending city approval, demolition could start by the end of this year, with construction lasting two years, Havera said, indicating the Vic Village South project is being bumped ahead of Vic Village East. The project is scheduled to go before the citys Design Review Board on March 13 for an initial review. The development team plans to go back before the board later this spring, incorporating suggested changes, after which plans will be submitted for Planning Commission and City Council consideration. Hobbs and Black Architects designed Vic Village South, which features brick with metal panels and stone accents. The overall design of the building has a contemporary character that is in line with the newer mixed-use buildings in the neighborhood, the plans state. The material palette of mostly brick blends with the nearby academic buildings, while the prominent two-story high street wall allows the building to relate to the adjacent commercial low-rise buildings in this district. A new alley along the south side of the building would act as a pedestrian connection. A driveway on Church Street would lead to 74 automobile parking spaces under the building for residential tenants, with secured bicycle parking inside the building at ground level. For residents living in the apartments above, the building is expected to include amenity spaces such as a fitness center, study spaces, social gathering areas, and a rooftop patio with views of UMs Central Campus, including the Diag across the street. Vic Village North and Vic Village East were previously called The Collegian North and The Collegian East. Vic Village North is being marketed online as a prestigious luxury student housing community with everything needed to achieve academic success, physical well-being and the forging of friendships that will last a lifetime. The apartments include a mix of two-, three-, four-, five- and six-bedroom units, fully furnished with a 50-inch TV in every living room, luxury kitchens and private balconies. GRAND RAPIDS, MI Davenport University and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce created the Corporate Education Scholarship to ensure leading companies in the state could provide educational benefits to employees. Davenport announced Monday, March 4, its partnership with TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants to offer a $250,000 scholarship to offset the costs of degree programs for its employees. With Michigans growing economy, our state is facing an insatiable demand for strong talent within our expanding workforce, said Davenport University President Richard Pappas. With this program, well be able to empower employers to tackle this issue head-on by leveraging one of their most invaluable resources their employees. The Corporate Education Scholarship provides scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 per employee. These funds are made available to up to 50 employees and participation is renewable for up to four years. As a continued contribution to the Reinvent Michigan campaign, the scholarship ensures that top businesses in Michigan can make education accessible and affordable for their workforce, according to a press release. TSFR is a family-owned restaurant group with a portfolio of more than 100 casual dining, quick service, fast casual and family dining restaurants throughout the state such as Applebees and Olgas Kitchen. Our people are a key component of our core values at TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants and, we remain committed to investing in training and development programs that allow our more than 5,000 employees to succeed both personally and professionally, said Mark Schostak, executive chairman of TSFR, in a press release. Brian Doyle, director of Member Engagement and Chamber Advancement, said Davenport entered into this exclusive partnership for Chamber member companies starting in January 2018. One of the key objectives is helping fill the talent gap four members, he said. Doyle said he thinks the scholarship program created with Davenport is unique across the country. He said participating companies are required to have already demonstrated support for helping employees with their education such as with tuition reimbursement programs. As we continue to lead the way in our state, this partnership with Davenport University is not only an investment in our employees and our organization, but also an investment in our state as we look to foster successful men and women to be tomorrows leaders, Schostak said. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI An 18-year-old is held without bond in the alleged gang-related shooting death of a 14-year-old at Hampton Inn in Holland Township. Juan Sandro Cabrera is charged with open murder in the Feb. 16 death of Troy TJ Wells, who was shot multiple by an AR-15-type rifle. Cabrera was arraigned Monday, March 4, by Holland District Judge Susan Jonas. She ordered him jailed without bond. Ottawa County sheriffs Detective Michael Tamminga, in swearing out a warrant, said that Latin Kings were partying in a hotel room when one of them encountered Wells, who was thought to be belong to the Gangster Disciples, a rival gang. No other gangs were supposed to be at the party. A witness said that Latin Kings had guns in the room in case any opposition gang members showed up to the party." The victim allegedly said King Killer while arguing with a Latin King in the hallway. Each accused the other of gang membership. It appeared they would fight. After the two bumped chests, a witness saw the barrel of a gun come out of Room 230, and shoot the victim at that point, Tamminga said. Police found two AR-15-style rifles and numerous empty shell casings. Police listed three witnesses identified only by numbers for their protection. State police and the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team, or UPSET, arrested Cabrera on Friday, March 1, at a home in Watersmeet, on the west side of the Upper Peninsula. State police were acting on information provided by Ottawa County sheriffs detectives. The suspect was taken into custody without incident, police said. GRAND RAPIDS, MI Grand Rapids Public Schools is one step closer to building its new $20 million Southwest Community Campus Middle/High School. The school board approved $16 million in construction work for the new 500-student school at its meeting Monday, March 4. The theme school is slated to open in August 2020. Rockford Construction is providing construction management services and C2AE/TMP the architectural and engineering services. The district is expanding its prekindergarten through eighth-grade Spanish/English dual immersion program. The school, located at 801 Oakland Ave., has around 800 students and is and approximately 80 percent Hispanic, which reflects the neighborhood. Grand Rapids Public Schools is one of multiple partners involved in the redevelopment of the Roosevelt Park neighborhood. The school will anchor Plaza Roosevelt. Besides the school, the planned 5-acre mixed-use development along Grandville Avenue will also include affordable housing, an expanded Clinica Santa Maria to accommodate the health care demand in the neighborhood, a new park and expanded arts and cultural programming. The district purchased 1.7 acres for $965,141 from Habitat for Humanity of Kent County, a key partner in the initiative. The five-story school will be located directly behind the Cook Arts Center, located 644 Grandville Ave. SW. John Helmholdt, communications director for GRPS, said the plan is to initially serve seventh- through ninth-graders and then grow a grade every year until 12th grade. He said the district wants to maximize enrollment between the two schools. The goal is to retain and recruit families from the neighbors and beyond," he said. The district has expanded the attendance area boundary to include the entire Roosevelt Park and Black Hills neighborhoods. Families in the area asked for a neighborhood high school as part of the redevelopment plan. Currently, students attend one of three district high schools outside the neighborhood - Innovation Central, Union or Ottawa Hills high schools. Some families were leaving the district after middle school, opting to attend schools in nearby Wyoming. For example, Lee High School in the neighboring Godfrey-Lee School District. The new school was included in the districts $175 million school bond approved in November 2015. The purchase order approved by the school board Monday was for the entire scope of the trade contractor work for the school - $14.5 million for construction support and $1.4 million for contingency. Work was awarded to 29 subcontractors that went through a bid process. There has been some discussion about having some community space in the school. However, that has not yet been defined. We are committed to partnering with organizations on space for community use, said Helmholdt, who said the district has been approached by the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan and Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities. He said they are also still committed to working with families from Cesar Chavez Elementary, who want their graduates to have the opportunity to transition to the new school. As part of the admissions criteria, students must pass a test to show that they are bilingual enough to handle the rigors of the dual immersion program. On Feb. 27, Habitat for Humanity reached out to the community for support with the Plaza Roosevelt redevelopment project. Officials announced the organization was $1 million shy of meeting its $9 million fundraising goal to expand access to affordable housing and pay for home renovations and repairs in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood. The funding will be used to help 100 families become homeowners and improve 300 homes through repairs and block projects. Habitat for Humanity has been acquiring land for several years for this neighborhood redevelopment effort and the school district is one of five property owners. KENTWOOD, MI Kerry Inc., a global food ingredients and flavor manufacturer, is closing its Kentwood plant, a move that will result in 107 job losses. Most of the layoffs will occur on April 21, though a small group of employees will stay on for a couple months to facilitate the closure, senior plant manager Dale Olmstead wrote in a letter to the state of Michigan. Olmstead could not be reached for comment. Kerry spokesperson Chris Till declined to provide specifics about why the Kentwood plant was targeted for closure. He said the company is always trying to manage our business as efficiently as possible, really to ensure that we remain competitive. Were continually evaluating our operations, reacting to industry and market changes and trends to really provide the best products and services to our customers, he said. After evaluating the business, customer needs, the facility and cost structure, the company decided to close the Kentwood plant, he said. Kerry Incs global headquarters is based in Naas, Ireland. Its North American headquarters is in Beloit, Wisconsin. The company has 46 facilities in the U.S. and Canada, Till said. He said the Kentwood plant, which had been in operation for about 16 years, is the only facility Kerry is closing at this time. The 107 layoffs scheduled to take place impact a range of positions at Kerry. Fifty-seven are for a position categorized as operative, while others range from maintenance workers, lab technicians, a supply chain administrator, and several supervisors, according to Kerrys letter to the state announcing the job cuts. Till said the Kentwood plant closure is expected to be complete by May. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A 32-year-old physician who a judge said tried to upskirt a young woman at a Grand Rapids shop has been sentenced to six months in jail. Anas Mustafa Rajeh Ahmad was in a Grand Rapids courtroom Thursday, Feb. 28 after earlier pleading no contest to charges of capturing or distributing an image of an unclothed person and using a computer to commit a crime. Kent County Circuit Court Judge Mark Trusock, in a synopsis of Ahmads crime, said the doctor had been following some young women while they shopped and was bumping into them. Then he pretended to tie his shoe and pick up his cell phone. You were trying to take pictures under their skirts, Trusock said. This is just not acceptable. Court records show Ahmad was at a shop in the 900 block of Cherry Street SE in the East Hills neighborhood on July 18 when he tried to take the pictures. One woman was listed as a victim and he was charged on Nov. 1. Grand Rapids police said one of the young women, after catching him trying to take the pictures, ran after Ahmad to get his license plate. Police were able to track him down with that information. At the time of the incident, Ahmad worked at Age Management of West Michigan. He was no longer listed as a staff member on the organizations web site as of Monday, March 4. A phone call made to the office late Monday afternoon was not immediately returned. Trusock described the incident as particularly disturbing. Youre a physician. Physicians should hold themselves to a much higher standard, he said. This is outrageous behavior. Ahmad, in a statement at sentencing, apologized to both his family and the victim. He admitted to issues with pornography and said he realized the day it happened that this problem needs to be addressed. I realized how damaging this could be to my personality, how it affected my life in not good ways and Im working on correcting this behavior today, he said. State licensing records show Ahmad was licensed as a medical doctor in 2013. It was not immediately clear if he was still working in the Grand Rapids area. Court records indicate a letter was sent to the state Bureau of Community and Health Systems to give notification of the conviction. As part of his sentencing, Ahmad also must serve three years of probation and complete 150 hours of community service. KALAMAZOO, MI -- Candidates have been chosen to be considered for two empty seats on the Foundation for Excellence Board of Directors. The Kalamazoo City Commission will review two candidates recommended by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation and consider the re-appointment of a third board member on March 18. The 13-member inaugural board was assembled in early 2018 to review the foundations finances and recommend an annual grant to the city for poverty-reduction programs. The foundation was created when William Parfet and William Johnston, two wealthy businessmen with deep roots in Kalamazoo, offered a $70.3 million joint donation in 2016. The donation not only replaced enough revenue to stabilize the citys budget deficit, it was used to subsidize a property tax cut and fund $30 million in community projects. During the last year, board members Mia Henry, Matthew Zerwekh and JoVaughan Head stepped down from their seats. This leaves vacancies for stakeholders meant to represent nonprofits, faith-based organizations and affordable housing, respectively. Twenty-four applications were vetted by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, which is contracted to interview candidates and recommend appointees to the City Commission. Conversations with the KZCF began in September 2018 to determine the process for reappointment and recruitment to fill vacancies in the board. The KZCF recommended Rachel Lonberg, a minister at Peoples Church of Kalamazoo, to serve a three-year term representing faith-based organizations. It also recommended Charlene Taylor, a substance abuse prevention specialist at the Elizabeth Upjohn Community Healing Center, to serve the remainder of Henrys term representing the nonprofit sector on the board. Lonbergs application states said she has only lived in Kalamazoo for three years but is planting deep roots in the city. Lonberg graduated Tufts University in Massachusetts with a bachelors degree in international relations and from Union Theological Seminary with a masters degree in pastoral ministry and theology. Seeking common values across religious identities is a way of life for me, which would serve me well as I represent the Kalamazoo faith community as a whole, Lonberg wrote in her application. Taylor has a robust history of community engagement, serving multiple organizations including the Northside neighborhood, Family Health Center, United Way, American Red Cross, Kalamazoo Public Schools and others. Taylor graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelors degree in communication arts and sciences. She applied to serve on the board in 2017. Henrys term was not set to expire until May 31, 2020, but she stepped down last year. Zerwekh left Kalamazoo before his term expired at the end of 2018. Head announced his resignation from the foundations board of directors in a Feb. 25 letter to FFE Coordinator Steve Brown. Head said he felt besieged after expressing fundamental disagreements with how the foundation was organized. Head called the FFE a wolf in liberal sheeps clothing that will worsen economic disparities between racial groups. During an interview with MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette, Head said racist housing policies cause African-Americans to own housing at a disproportionately lower rate. Therefore, he said, any tax break for homeowners disproportionately helps white residents. Brown said the board unanimously accepted Heads resignation and have "no further comments on his resignation or its commentary. Head was appointed to a one-year term set to end in December 2018, but he continued to serve while other vacancies were filled. Sandra Calderon-Huezo was appointed to serve a one-year term expiring at the end of 2018. Her re-appointment to a three-year term representing the Edison neighborhood is recommended by KZCF and city staff. During a Monday City Commission meeting, Brown said 78 percent of the board members will be women and 58 percent of the members will be people of color if the appointees are confirmed. This really speaks to the attempt, by ourselves and the community foundation, to respect diversity of talent, diversity of background (and) diversity within the community, Brown said. The board is led by Mayor Bobby Hopewell and City Manager Jim Ritsema. Commissioners David Anderson and Jack Urban also serve on the board. Seven seats represent different fields in the community like the arts, healthcare, housing, business, and education, among others. One at-large seat is set aside for a person to represent Kalamazoo residents. Three seats are filled by people each living in a different part of the city with an organized neighborhood association. Representatives of various neighborhoods will be sought on a revolving basis, with priority given to low-income neighborhoods, according to the foundations bylaws. The boards executive committee is scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 11. Parfet and Johnston signed agreements with the city to launch a $500 million capital campaign with the goal of fully endowing the Foundation for Excellence. They hired Manhattan-based CCS Fundraising to develop a national campaign set to launch in March. Brown said Parfet and Johnston made a verbal commitment with city leaders to provide interim funding if the fundraising goal isnt hit this year. KALAMAZOO, MI -- A steel products manufacturer is seeking a change in Kalamazoo Countys sanitary code to prevent the use of groundwater near its Kalamazoo Township facility. An existing contamination plume of vinyl chloride caused from historic releases of material has migrated off property owned by Borroughs Corporation at 3002 N. Burdick St. The Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners will consider creating a groundwater use restriction zone around nine parcels between North Burdick Street and the Kalamazoo River to block the use of groundwater wells. Kalamazoo County Environmental Health Director Vern Johnson said a survey of the area revealed there are no groundwater wells in use. Johnson said there doesnt appear to be any immediate threat to public health, but the restriction zone would prevent any future wells from being drilled. (Image provided by Kalamazoo County) Borroughs Corp. President and CEO Tim Tyler said the company has spent around $5 million to clean up contamination in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The company manufactures a wide variety of storage equipment products and follows environmental standards set by the International Organization for Standardization, he said. Michigan is a wonderful state where we need to protect the environment with everything we have, Tyler said. Were not going to do anything that is going to (cause) harm. We want this thing brought to closure. Johnson said an underground storage tank removed from the site in 1983 was found with several holes in it, indicating chemicals had been leaking into the soil and groundwater for some time. Harn said the storage tank contained material used for cleaning and degreasing metal. When released into the environment, Harn said, the chemical was broken down by bacteria and organisms in the soil and degraded into vinyl chloride. The vinyl chloride was not released by Borroughs Corp., Harn said. The cleaning chemicals that were in the tank broke down in the environment and became vinyl chloride, he said. Tyler said the site has inherited contamination migrating from other nearby industrial facilities. Borroughs Corp. has existed at the Burdick Street facility since 1947, Tyler said, though his family didnt take ownership until 1991. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a maximum contaminant level of 2 parts per billion of vinyl chloride for public drinking water supplies. Johnson said the latest results taken from monitoring wells found between 2 ppb and 4 ppb. The cleanup has made a significant difference, he said. The vinyl chloride plume migrated southeast toward the Kalamazoo River, said David Harn, assistant supervisor of the DEQ Kalamazoo District Office. Harn said the proximity to the river is having an effect on the flow of groundwater, but the plume is not expected to migrate any further. Remaining contamination will be left to biodegrade naturally, Johnson said. Vinyl chloride in water or soil evaporates rapidly if it is near the surface, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The groundwater use restricted zone would be the fourth in Kalamazoo County, if approved by the Board of Commissioners. Johnson said it could take several months to review documents submitted by Borroughs Corp. The county and an independent engineering firm will conduct similar studies of the plume to compare with the companys findings. Most of the vinyl chloride produced in the United States is used to manufacture plastic and vinyl products including pipes, wire and cable coatings, and packaging materials. Short-term exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride in air has resulted in central nervous system effects, such as dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches in humans. Chronic exposure inhalation and oral exposure in humans has resulted in liver damage and increased risk of cancer. KALAMAZOO, MI -- Developers are trying again to receive state tax credits for a low-income housing project in the Rivers Edge District of downtown Kalamazoo. Monday, the Kalamazoo City Commission approved a payment in lieu of taxes resolution for a proposed development at 617 Harrison St. and 525 E. Ransom St. The city would give the developers a 4 percent tax credit, contingent upon approval of financing from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. NoMi Developers LLC and Nickel Spitters LLC are working together on the project under the name Harrison Circle Limited Dividend Housing Association Limited Partnership. The partners are trying to secure low-income housing tax credits and mortgage financing through MSHDA. The city already signed off on the tax credit in 2018, but the project did not receive state support. Developers will submit a revised application to MSHDA for the April funding round and needed approval of a new city resolution to prove support at the local level. Commissioner David Anderson said he expected the project, which he called a slam dunk to easily receive MSHDA support, but it failed due to inaccuracies in the application. Anderson, who is also director of housing and facilities for Kalamazoo Countys mental health authority, said NoMi does quality work." If you did not have a particular mission in mind, you would not bother to do that (project)," Anderson said. It is rare that youre going to find private-side folks ... that are doing this work. You dont do it to get rich. NoMi partners Jon Durham and Herb Ayres invested more than $10 million in three projects at the north end of Kalamazoos Rivers Edge District. The fourth project is the most expensive but also has a larger share of rental units available at below market rate prices. The proposed Harrison Circle Building is expected to represent a $13 million to $15 million investment. A four-story building would hold two food-related businesses and 80 residential units near a roundabout completed in 2017 to reduce traffic congestion and improve pedestrian safety, Apartments will be available at a mix of rents, but most will be affordable for a person earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of the areas median income -- between $14,460 and $28,920 in Kalamazoo County. Housing is considered affordable if it costs 30 percent of a persons monthly income, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority calls units for people making 80-120 percent of the area median income workforce housing. In Kalamazoo County, a one-bedroom workforce housing unit should be affordable for single people making $38,560 to $57,840 annually. Twenty units are set aside for workforce housing. Another 15 units will be listed at market rate. All but four of the 80 planned units will be single-bedroom apartments. Proposed rental rates include the following: 16 one-bedroom units at $313 per month 11 one-bedroom units at $443 per month 1 two-bedroom unit at $530 per month 15 one-bedroom units at $662 per month 1 two-bedroom unit at $794 per month 19 one-bedroom units at $959 per month 15 one-bedroom units at market rate, $1,000 per month 1 two-bedroom unit at $1,150 per month 1 two-bedroom unit at $1,500 per month The first floor would hold 5,000 square feet of commercial space. The next three floors would each have 17,000 square feet for residential units, a total of 51,000 square feet. NoMi is exploring the feasibility of installing a solar array on the roof of the Harrison Circle Building. It also plans to build and maintain a Metro bus stop, a sheltered bicycle repair space, bicycle parking and donate $10,000 for improvements to Harrison Park. The city notes the project is consistent with its Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 Master Plan. It supports the citys strategic goal of Complete Neighborhoods by offering affordable housing units that will increase housing options and that will contribute to a neighborhood that can facilitate a wider range of size, age, and income households living within a geographic area. The project aligns with the citys goals to increase the amount of decent and affordable housing by supporting maintenance, rehabilitation and new construction of units. A member of the Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy & Action in the Community (ISAAC) housing task force said the Harrison Circle development is an important step forward for adding more affordable housing. KALAMAZOO, MI -- A $350,000 grant from Kalamazoos city-operated Foundation for Excellence will help an urban neighborhood develop affordable housing. Monday, the City Commission approved a grant to the Northside Association for Community Development to purchase seven properties. The NACD is planning mixed-use development, which includes housing units, space for educational training and commercial space for women-and-minority-owned businesses. NACD Executive Director Mattie Jordan-Woods said the goal is to improve the neighborhood while preventing the cost of living from increasing. A city memo calls it an anti-gentrification strategy. I dont think people should have to leave their neighborhood because they are poor, Jordan-Woods said. Grant funding will come from $925,000 set aside by the Foundation for Excellence for strategic property acquisition. Mayor Bobby Hopewell said the NACD grant is an example of aspirational work made possible by the foundation. A tiny home neighborhood is planned for people with criminal backgrounds or substance abuse issues. Construction will begin this spring on six 400-square-foot homes and a leasing office. The Northside Association for Community Development plans to purchase the properties highlighted in yellow for future development. (Map provided by city of Kalamazoo) HOPE Thru Navigation founder Gwendolyn Hooker said the project aims to stabilize vulnerable populations while addressing the citys affordable housing shortfall. Three of the six houses would be available for tenants to put their rent toward permanent ownership. Rent for the loft-style homes will cost rent is $400 a month, a rate of $1 per square foot. It should be affordable for people making 30 percent of the median income in Kalamazoo County, approximately $14,500, according to figures published by the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority. The neighborhood association agreed to work with the citys Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, city staff, and other partners to develop plans for other projects on the properties. Any future projects must follow goals identified by the neighborhoods master plan, which was added to the citys broader Imagine Kalamazoo master plan in November 2018. All of the properties are located in the Northsides Cultural Business District, a tax increment financing district recommended by the neighborhood plan and created by the City Commission in 2018. A portion of property tax revenue will be collected and reinvested to increase the number of resident-owned businesses and low-income housing as well as neighborhood improvements like murals, art installations, facade repairs and street infrastructure. The business district is expected to decrease instances of gentrification, a concept mentioned in the neighborhood plan. The only way to stop gentrification and protect neighborhood residents from being priced out is to control the land, Jordan-Woods said. Developers often require subsidies and tax breaks in order to finance low-income housing projects. Jordan-Woods said the NACD isnt focused on turning a profit. If we cant figure out a way to keep it affordable we shouldnt even be doing it, Jordan-Woods said. Jordan-Woods said the neighborhood is open to new residents but is trying to keep current residents. You hear me talk about gentrification, but the reality is were not trying to say we dont want any upper middle class (people) in the neighborhood, Jordan-Woods said. The properties are owned by Fred Jones and his company Services Concepts, according to Kalamazoo County records. All seven are located on a block bounded by North Street, U.S. 131 Business Loop, Ransom Street and Westnedge Avenue. NACD has agreed to a project timeline with milestones to be met. Projects will be added to the citys brownfield plan by the end of 2019. Site plans will be completed in spring 2020 with demolition in the summer. Construction is set to begin in April 2021 and conclude in September 2022. The first mixed-use development is expected to create two full-time jobs. If NACD fails to meet the deadlines, the city could terminate the agreement and require full reimbursement of the grant funds. NACD would have 30 days to provide a written response with measures that will be taken to meet project milestones, and those deadlines, except for construction completion, can be extended. KALAMAZOO, MI The case of Theresa Lockhart, who went missing in May 2017 and whose husband ultimately admitted to killing her in a suicide note, will be featured on a television series this week. Investigation Discoverys Hometown Homicide show will feature the Lockhart case in an episode titled, In the Neighborhood. The episode will premiere at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Tuesday, March 5 on Investigation Discovery. Lockhart, 44, a high school Spanish teacher from Portage, went missing May 18, 2017, after leaving a fitness center. Her husband, Christopher Lockhart, was the last person to see her, telling Portage police she left their home on Poplar Bluff Court at 10 p.m. Schoolcraft Community Schools Superintendent Rusty Stitt reported her missing to police after she didnt show up for work. Theresas vehicle was located at a park-and-ride lot five miles from her house on May 20, 2017. Police announced June 2 they were investigating her disappearance as a possible homicide and said her husband was a person of interest. The key elements of it, the complete void of proof of life for the duration of the time, the lack of communication input, and the lack of cooperation by the spouse, has refocused us, Portage Department of Public Safety Senior Deputy Chief John Blue said. At that time, Blue said his department had conducted several searched to try to find Theresa. Blue said Christopher had had no involvement with any vigils or activities related to finding his wife and had not followed-up with police. Of investigators contacts with him, Blue said, there has been almost no cooperation whatsoever. Christopher, 47, told a local television station Theresa suffered from anxiety and had left home before. He denied being uncooperative with police. "I feel like I'm being victimized," he reportedly told the station. Former domestic violence Kalamazoo District Court records showed that Christopher had been arrested for domestic violence on Nov. 4. In a delayed-sentencing agreement, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of assault and battery, completed 10 hours of community service and ultimately had the conviction dismissed. Police searched the Lockharts house and continued to conduct other searches in the area and served search warrants in the following months, including going through the Lockhart home at least one more time, in early October. 4 arrests in 2017 Christopher was arrested four times on charges unrelated to his wife's disappearance. He was arrested July 7 and charged with one count of interfering with electronic communications, a felony, and one count of malicious destruction of a building under $200, a misdemeanor. Police say he cut internet and air conditioning cables in his next-door neighbor's yard. The charge of tampering with an electronic monitoring device stemmed from a violation of his bond on the wire-cutting case. He admitted to tampering with his alcohol tether on July 21, according to court records. He was arrested July 17 on suspicion of operating while intoxicated after being pulled over for speeding by a Portage Public Safety officer. He pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with an electronic monitoring device and one count of interfering with electronic communications. In exchange for his pleas, a misdemeanor charge of malicious destruction of property less than $200 and citations for refusing a portable breath test and not having proof of insurance were dismissed. According to the plea agreement, he was not expected to serve jail time as long as he complied with the Office of Community Corrections and did not commit any bond violations. Missing a check-in On Tuesday, Oct. 24, Portage Public Safety responded to the Lockhart home after Christopher missed a 10 a.m. check-in time with his probation officer. There had been no movement recorded on his electronic tether for 30 hours. Police found Christopher dead in his basement. He had hanged himself. He had left a handwritten confession of Theresa's murder and left police a hand-drawn map to the location of her body. In the note, he admitted killing his wife after the two had argued and said he disposed of her body in the Allegan Game Area, about 50 miles from the couple's home. He did express remorse and asked for forgiveness in the note, Nick Armold, director of the Portage Department of Public Safety, said at an Oct. 25, 2017 press conference. Police located Theresas body just before 4:30 p.m. Oct. 24, 2017, concluding a 154-day investigation into her whereabouts. She was found partially buried south of M-89 and east of 46th Street in a remote part of the Allegan State Game Area. Police positively identified her and announced it to the public at a press conference Wednesday, Oct. 25. Police said the body appeared to have been fully buried at one point but was partially uncovered due to heavy rain. There was a significant amount of decomposition but no obvious wounds. Police say Christopher confessed to killing Theresa on May 18 after an argument in their home. He told them in the note he left that he just snapped. You have a sinking feeling The discovery of Theresa ended a five-month investigation that public safety officers thought about daily, Armold said. You have a sinking feeling when you know what you know but you cant prove it, Armold said. We kind of had an idea and we just didnt have enough to run with it. I would say everybody involved with this was thinking of it every day and going through things in their mind about what could we do next, what else can we do, and hoping for a little bit of luck as well. In an Oct. 25 post to a Facebook page that was dedicated to finding Lockhart, her sister thanked everyone who kept the family in their thoughts or offered support. "My heart is breaking that a special life has been taken away but we now have peace of mind as to what and when. Chris did one good deed before he died and that was to tell us where we could find Theresa," Joan Mullowney wrote. I just want to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts and kind words, she wrote. MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System is progressing in its endeavor to increase opportunities and improve student outcomes, according to a news release. However, proficiency on M-STEP testing is still low, according to the most recent state data. The charter academy met all goals and even exceeded some established in a partnership agreement with the Michigan Department of Education, according to the release and Muskegon Heights Superintendent Rane Garcia. The academy and state entered the agreement in April 2017 to improve the education of middle and high schoolers. An 18-month checkup took place during a public meeting last week, about 20 months into the 36-month agreement. Fourteen benchmark goals were set for the halfway point of the partnership, according to the agreement document obtained by MLive/Muskegon Chronicle through a FOIA request. While the results of todays review show great progress, we are not satisfied, Garcia said in a written statement. We will continue our work relentlessly with our partners to improve the educational opportunities and outcomes for our children. At least one of the community partners, Muskegon Heights Alumni Assocation, is dissatisfied with the progress so far, said Joe Warren, association president. Here are the 14 benchmarks that the school has accomplished, according to the release: Rigorous learning to be demonstrated by: Documentation of research-based, scope and sequenced, written and viable curriculum in math for K-12, English language arts for K-12, and literacy in the core content for 7-12. That means that the district implemented new curriculum and purchased the corresponding materials, such as classroom libraries, Garcia told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle during a phone interview. Given the fall 2017 and winter 2018 CARI Summary of Effectiveness of Core Instruction, the percent of students maintaining benchmark status in grades seven and eight on the MAZE Total Adjusted score will increase by 2 percent for spring 2018 as measured by the DIBELS CARI Assessment. That refers to a seventh- and eighth-grade reading test given in the fall and winter to measure student progress, Garcia said. The goal was increasing the number of students on track for their grade by 2 percent. However, in seventh grade it increased by 6 percent and in eighth it increased by 17 percent. Tiger Pride will grow as demonstrated by: Tiered Fidelity Inventory implemented at 70 percent to demonstrate fidelity of Universal Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). That means the district established behavioral expectations for different circumstances, along with ways to teach and recognize those behaviors, Garcia said. Epicenter report on successful implementation of media stories per communication plan. That means that the district provided a report to the academy and district boards on its progress in sharing its successes with the community through partnerships, press releases, Facebook and emails, Garcia said. Leadership will grow as demonstrated by: Increase in students reporting they have a voice in school by 25 percent. That is measured in a state survey, Garcia said. The survey is given in odd years. In 2015, 33 percent of students reported having a voice, and in 2017 it was 42 percent, which represents a 27 percent change. Minimum percent of students participating in leadership activities will be 10 percent. The district now has 16 percent of students participating in National Honor Society, student council, spirit club and the student focus group, Garcia said. None of those opportunities were offered when the partnership agreement was signed in April 2017. 100 percent of administrators and leadership team will score effective on evaluations. Participation in leadership opportunities for teacher leaders such as strategic planning committees, district acceleration network, building acceleration network and mentoring will increase to 20 percent. Ten of the schools 25 teachers, 40 percent, are involved in those activities, Garcia said. Community partnerships will strengthen as evidenced by: 100 percent of partners will be aligned to the strategic plan of MHPSAS. This sometimes means turning away potential partners that arent aligned with the districts goals, Garcia said. 70 percent of students will have the opportunity to be involved in external exposure activities. "Thats a fancy way of saying field trips, Garcia said. The field trips expand on curriculum, help students prepare for life after high school or give them life experiences, like when they went to Camp Pendalouan - many had never seen woods before. Completion of integration mapping. To meet this goal, the district created an inventory of all the services it receives from its partners, which is helpful in strategic planning, Garcia said. Systems installation as measured by: A score of developing fidelity on the Blueprint Fidelity Tool. The tool measures the districts implementation of best practices. The school received a score of strong fidelity, which is one tier higher than the goal, Garcia said. Installation of the mechanical level of the talent management infrastructure to recruit and retain instructional staff. The district hired a new talent manager who handles interviews, job postings and recruitment, and is tasked to reduce turnover, Garcia said. The district is now recruiting from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and gave teachers a raise for the 2018-19 school year. Achieve 70 percent of the district capacity assessment total score. That assessment measures the districts ability to do the work in the partnership agreement, Garcia said. The score was 89 percent. The agreement, which expires at the end of the 2019-2020 school year, is not only between the charter academy and the state but also the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Boys and Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore, city of Muskegon Heights, the Coalition for Community Development (CCD), Davenport University, Michigans Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative, Muskegon Community College, Muskegon Heights Alumni Association, Systems of Care grant/My Alliance and WZZM 13, according to the document. All the partners have made commitments to contribute to the improvement of the academy. For example, WZZM is expected to tell the schools story in a way that supports academic initiatives, staff retention and recruitment efforts. The alumni association is tasked to collaborate with the district to promote community involvement in school initiatives, according to the agreement. A meeting like that is a joke to me, Warren said of the review meeting. All the people sitting around at the meeting on Thursday, not one of those people would send their kids to Muskegon Heights. I tell you what, I would not. Forty-six of 49 Muskegon Heights seventh graders who took the 2017-18 English language arts (ELA) M-STEP scored less than proficient, according to the most recent data available from MI School Data. Thirty-seven of them were not proficient and nine were partially proficient, while three were proficient. Muskegon Heights was recently ranked 658th among the states 674 high schools in the 2018 Michigan Public High School Context and Performance (CAP) Report Card, which takes economic status into consideration. The rank put it in the bottom 10 charter schools and bottom 25 public schools. Our next steps, now that we have the foundation in place, are to continue the progress we have made toward improving growth for our students, which should lead to increases in proficiency, Garcia said in a written statement. The academy will work with the state to create an amended agreement that will address the next phase: continuing improvement of student growth and laying a groundwork for increased proficiency, according to the release. The amendment will add Muskegon Heights Public Schools as a partner, something that MHPS Board of Education initiated with the state, said Trinell Scott, board president. We felt like it was something we need to be part of, she said. Were trying to work for the best interest of the district and our kids. Muskegon Heights Public Schools was under emergency management from 2012-2016 after it accumulated nearly $12 million of debt. Its first emergency manager established the charter school system to run the schools while the public district focused on paying off the debt. When the charter school was established, it got its own board, the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System Board of Education, which is appointed. That board is part of the original partnership agreement. A Receivership Transition Advisory Board (RTAB) was appointed in 2016 by the Michigan Department of Treasury to oversee the finances of Muskegon Heights Public Schools and the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System. It succeeded several emergency managers. Garcia is a first-time superintendent. She was promoted to the job in 2017 after serving as assistant superintendent for the academy system. Her contract was renewed by the academy board during May 2018. Her 2018-19 salary is $118,000, according to transparency reporting. BAY CITY, MI Months after holding a hearing on the matter, the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board has found prominent Bay City lawyer Edward M. Czuprynski committed misconduct in his handling of a landlord-tenant dispute. The three-member panel on Feb. 28 ruled Czuprynski engaged in conduct that exposed the legal profession to obloquy, contempt, censure and reproach. Furthermore, the panel found Czuprynskis conduct was contrary to justice, ethics, honesty or good morals. In a statement emailed to MLive, Czuprynski said he disagrees with the ruling, but accepts it. I understand that its within the discretion of the Attorney Grievance Commission to bring a formal complaint against an attorney, and I realize that discretion can be abused, and that formal complaints of this nature are uncommon when they do not relate to an attorneys practice of law, he said. "But I accept the decision by the panel of three lawyers, although I dont agree with it, and will now focus on presenting my case at sentencing which has not yet been scheduled. In the meanwhile, he continued, I will continue to aggressively represent my clients interests in the quest to obtain justice for them. The panel, composed of John M. Morosi, Stephen E. Durance and Gordon M. Bloom, had convened at the Bay County Court Facility on Nov. 16 to hear arguments from Czuprynski and Dina P. Dajani, senior associate counsel of the states Attorney Grievance Commission. The commission is the investigative and prosecutorial arm of the Michigan Supreme Court. In that hearing, Dajani said Czuprynski, through his company EMC Development, in the fall of 2013 rented an apartment to a tenant. In the summer of 2015, Czuprynski let the air out of the tires on the tenants 1998 Ford Ranger when she parked in front of his garage and he repeatedly put glue in her units door locks, Dajani said. Czuprynski admitted to the behavior and said he never denied doing so. He said he flattened his tenants tires to discourage her from parking in front of his garage and did so rather than having her vehicle towed to save her money. He said he put glue in her locks because she had changed the locks on her unit. The tenant previously sued Czuprynski and won, with a ruling that Czuprynski pay her $4,640 and $28,000 in attorney fees. None of those fees have been paid and the matter remains in an appeal process, according to court records. However, a visiting appeals judge recently ordered Czuprynski pay approximately $6,000 in sanctions, which have been paid. The tenant admitted to changing the locks on her unit, saying she did so because she had learned Czuprynski would enter tenants' apartments without their permission. She moved out of her unit in September 2015. Czuprynski testified he thought his conduct was warranted. "I wear different hats at different times," he said, explaining that at times he's a lawyer and at others he's a landlord. In all times regarding this matter, he operated in his landlord capacity, he said. He said he did not give the tenant permission to park in front of his garage. When he grew tired of her parking there, he let the air out of her tires to deter her, he said. "I did that as a landlord trying to cope with a defiant tenant," he said. Dajani asked Czuprynski if he agreed there are legal remedies to deal with landlord-tenant disagreements. Czuprynski agreed. Czuprynski said he eventually filed an eviction notice against the tenant. However, he alleged the document contained in court files in which he denies putting glue in the locks or deflating the tires was not actually drafted by him, though it bears his signature. In their ruling, the panel wrote the evidence was overwhelming that Czuprynski engaged in misconduct. Czuprynskis attempt to justify his actions by claiming that he had no reasonable alternative, or believed at the time that his actions were reasonable, is unpersuasive, the ruling states. The panel also didnt agree with Czuprynskis assertion that he was wearing his landlord hat when he engaged in misconduct. There are many, many circumstances where misconduct by an attorney occurs outside of the context of an attorney/client relationship, the panel wrote. The disciplinary rules do not limit misconduct solely to acts performed in the practice of law. In its conclusion, the panel wrote that when attorneys take the oath of office when they are admitted to the state bar, they must conduct themselves personally and professionally in conformity with high standards. Unfortunately, (Czuprynski) failed to fulfill his oath, the panel wrote. By repeatedly damaging the property of complainant , (Czuprynski) fell well short of the standards he promised to uphold. The panel is next to proceed to a separate hearing to determine Czuprynskis appropriate discipline. BAY CITY, MI A Florida man accused of robbing a woman at knifepoint as she left a Bay City library with her infant daughter has accepted a plea deal. David D. Ritz, 49, on Monday, March 4, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill and pleaded no contest to armed robbery. A life offense, it was the lone charge Ritz faced. In exchange, prosecutors agreed Ritz would be sentenced within sentencing guidelines, which havent yet been determined. Ritzs case was to proceed to trial the following day. By pleading no contest, Ritz did not verbally admit to having committed a crime. Thus, Gill had to rely on police reports to enter a conviction on the record. Those records state the afternoon of June 19, a 26-year-old woman called 911 to report she had just been robbed at the Alice & Jack Wirt Library, 500 Center Ave. She told police she had taken her two daughters -- ages 9 years and 4 months -- to the library. As they were leaving, she saw a man wearing University of Michigan apparel talking to some people in the hallway near the exit. As she was pushing her younger daughter in a stroller, the woman pushed the door's exit button, and the man she had observed held the door open for her, she said. Once outside and near the flagpole, the man asked her for money. She told him she had no money on her, then briefly looked away as she was distracted by her kids, she said. When she returned her gaze to the man, he was holding a knife in his left hand, she said. "Just give me the cash, no cards," the man told the woman. The woman handed him a $20 bill and three $1 bills. As she walked toward her car, the man walked nearby and asked her the age of her youngest daughter, she told police. When she and her daughters got into her car, the man took off, she told police. From the library, police obtained surveillance camera footage depicting the man. Officers then went to the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission, 713 Ninth St., but staff said a man with the robbers description wasnt there. A few hours later, the shelter's staff called police to say the man they were seeking was smoking a cigarette in the courtyard. Officers spoke with the man, identified as Ritz. Ritz told police he recently arrived in Bay City from Florida. He initially denied having been at the library. When he eventually admitted to having been there, he still denied having spoken with a woman or asking her for money. Officers searched Ritz's room and found an expired Florida ID card and several items he was depicted as having on him in the library's surveillance footage. Officers arrested Ritz. When they interviewed him again, he admitted to having asked the woman for change and handed over about $3 in change, police wrote in their reports, contained in court files. Gill is to sentence Ritz at 1:30 p.m. on April 15. SAGINAW, MI A 27-year-old man has been charged in a pregnant womans shooting death. Saginaw County District Judge A.T. Frank on Tuesday, March 5, arraigned Patrick A. Martin Jr. on single counts of open murder, assaulting a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth and felon in possession of a firearm, as well as three counts of felony firearm. Open murder contains both first- and second-degree murder, both of which are life offenses. Martin asked the judge to appoint an attorney for his case. He declined to give an additional comment when Frank gave him the chance. Frank denied granting Martin bond. Shortly after 11 p.m. on Friday, March 1, police responded to an apartment at 2725 Weiss St. for a reported shooting. Upon arrival, officers found Moeneisha M. Ross, 26, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Ross died from the wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene, Saginaw police have said. Police have said they believe the killing resulted from a domestic violence situation. Police arrested Martin Saturday morning without incident. Ross is survived by three children. Prosecutors declined to comment on a potential motive for the slaying. Martins criminal record includes drug and weapons convictions. In March 2011, a Saginaw County judge sentenced him to two to six years in prison on a conviction of possessing less than 25 grams of a narcotic or cocaine. The Michigan Department of Corrections discharged Martin in April 2016. Martins father and namesake, 48-year-old Patrick A. Martin Sr., is currently imprisoned for the rest of his life for two unrelated murders. The first is the 2002 killing of Kevin Amos Jr., 19, in Saginaw County and the second is the 2009 killing of Debra K. Kukla in Bay City. Martin is to appear for a preliminary examination before District Judge M. Randall Jurrens at 11:30 a.m. on March 18. US President Donald Trump, seemingly punishing Havana for supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has tightened the trade embargo in a way that would open way for Americans to sue government-linked Cuban companies. The measure takes the unprecedented step of permitting lawsuits against Cuban companies using properties confiscated after Fidel Castro took power in 1959, though it limits such suits to about 200 businesses and government agencies that are already subject to enhanced sanctions due to their close ties with the Cuban government. I strongly reject the State Department's announcement to authorize lawsuits under Title III of the Helms-Burton act, against a list of Cuban companies arbitrarily sanctioned by the Trump administration, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez tweeted, calling the beefed-up sanctions an unacceptable threat against the world. Also on rt.com Cuba snubs Trumps anti-socialist crusade with massive constitution vote The move activates part of a 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which if fully unleashed could potentially trigger a barrage of international lawsuits against the US, by allies who arent interested in curtailing their business ventures in Cuba in order to conform to an embargo even Trumps predecessor saw as a Cold War relic. The Helms-Burton Act was designed to pressure Cuba into peaceful democratic change a contradiction not unlike the sanctions recently passed against sanction-choked Venezuela. Maduro remains President of Venezuela despite the best efforts of the Trump administration to replace him with opposition leader Juan Guaido. National security adviser John Bolton, in an echo of George W. Bushs notorious axis of evil, has lumped together Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua as a troika of tyranny and recently praised the Monroe Doctrine which calls for the US to expand its sphere of influence throughout the western hemisphere. Also on rt.com Domino effect: Pompeo vows US will help uproot authoritarianism in Nicaragua & Cuba One of Trumps first acts as president was to reverse Barack Obamas loosening of trade restrictions with Cuba, which has been economically persona non grata since the revolution in 1959. Ironically, one of his companies may have violated the embargo in 1998 a year before he floated his first presidential campaign by promising Cuban expats hed never lift the embargo. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Frances nuclear aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, has been dispatched on a lengthy mission, following repairs. It is set to battle remnants of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and partake in several multinational drills. The aircraft carrier departed for the eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday from the southern French port city of Toulon. The flagship is accompanied by several other surface vessels and a nuclear attack submarine. The first deployment of the ship, after 18 months of repairs, and five of sea trials, was marked quite pompously, with French Defense Minister Florence Parly appearing on the carrier in person to say farewell to its crew. The minister lauded the carrier as an instrument for cooperation, which allows France to shine throughout the world and insisted that the deployment will make a valuable contribution to the fight against IS. Very hard fighting is taking place in the pocket of the middle Euphrates Valley and [the aircraft carrier] will help put an end to the territorial caliphate. It is imminent. It is an important step and a great step forward, Parly told France Bleu, admitting that the terrorist group is currently reconfiguring and mutating. It was not immediately clear, however, why a whole carrier group is needed for such a task and how exactly it would contribute to the fight against ISIS. The territorial control of the terrorist group, once spanning across vast areas of Iraq and Syria, has now reportedly shrunk to the village of Baghouz and its surroundings in Eastern Syria. Apart from joining the US-led anti-IS coalition for a month, the carrier group will sail to the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal, taking part in several multinational drills alongside Indian and Egyptian militaries. Also on rt.com Cowardly West too weak to punish its ISIS recruits so hands dirty work off to Third World justice Like this story? Share it with a friend! Israel strikes Gaza Strip in retaliation for balloons carrying explosive devices Israel strikes Gaza Strip in retaliation for balloons carrying explosive devices IDF aircraft have carried out a number of strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, a retaliation for explosive balloon attacks on Israel, the army has confirmed . Earlier in the day two balloon-borne explosive devices had detonated in open areas in southern Israel, causing no injuries or material harm. The IDF warned that will continue to act aggressively against terrorist acts.Source : RT - Daily news Former Nissan head Carlos Ghosn has been granted bail by a court in Japan after more than three months in detention over accusations of financial misconduct, according to the ex-chairmans lawyer. According to the ruling issued by Tokyo district court, Ghosn will be released in the near future on bail of a billion of yen (nearly $9 million). The release on bail was granted on condition that the accused doesnt flee Japan or try to destroy evidence. Prosecutors reportedly appealed the bail decision. The court, which had previously explained Ghosns lengthy detention by flight risk and probable attempts to tamper with evidence, twice rejected bail appeals. The attorneys reportedly suggested that the defendant could wear an ankle tag and hire guards to monitor his movements, while Ghosn pledged not to leave the country. Earlier this week, Ghosns attorneys said they submitted a report to the United Nations over violations of their defendants fundamental rights. The ex-chairman of RenaultNissanMitsubishi Alliance, the worlds largest car-making group, was arrested on November 19. Japanese authorities charged Ghosn with under-reporting his compensation of millions of dollars for years, as well as transferring personal investment losses to the carmaker. Ghosn has denied the charges. The former executive faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Shortly after the arrest, Ghosn was ousted from his executive positions in Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors. His arrest and subsequent removal as chairman dragged down the shares of the alliance, which reportedly produces one in every nine cars sold worldwide and employs around 450,000 people. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section Germany says Russia should get China to join the INF treaty, citing a danger to Russia from Chinese missiles in a last-gasp effort to save the agreement which has already been ditched by the US arms buildup drive. Russia must have an interest in involving China in some sort of a disarmament treaty, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen told Focus Magazine on Sunday. Apparently referring to the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the minister explained that the Chinese mid-range missiles could technically reach the Russian territory, and said that just as the Russian missiles are a threat to Europe, so are the Chinese ones for Russia. Also on rt.com Top Russian & US generals meet in Vienna for constructive talks as Moscow suspends INF deal Russian lawmakers were receptive to the notion in principle. Aleksandr Sherin, deputy head of the Russian State Duma's Defense Committee said that China, India and other nations possessing intermediate-range weapons should join a framework agreement regulating their possession, development and use. However, he said that claiming a Chinese threat to Russia would need solid evidence. Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy head of the Senate International Relations Committee, was even more skeptical, dismissing the German minister's statement as no more than words. Also on rt.com Russia suspends INF Treaty with US - Kremlin The Chinese missiles do not pose any threat to Russia, Dzhabarov said. The German minister's sudden concern about Russian security might come as a surprise. However, her motives become much clearer in the context of strained relations between Moscow and the West. Threat to Europe The INF Treaty is on its last legs, with Washington announcing its exit a month ago and Moscow following suit on Monday. All dialogue options seem to have been exhausted, with the US still refusing to listen to Russia's arguments and Moscow saying it would stop knocking on the closed door. The 1987 agreement banned ground-based missiles with a range between 500km and 5,500km. The arrival time of such a missile usually amounted to between a mere five and seven minutes, leaving the other side almost no time to assess the threat and react. Launched from Russia, such missiles would not reach the US mainland but are capable of hitting any part of the European continent, meaning that Washingtons allies would pay the ultimate price of any dangerous escalation. Mid-range missiles will be a direct threat to all of Europe ... That would be very much of a concern for the Germans. They may talk to Russians about restraint and all that but it is really the US they need to approach and try and change their decision. But the Trump administration is not listening, former Pentagon official Michael Maloof told RT. Success unlikely Even though von der Leyen stopped short of directly calling on Russia to take initiative in dealing with China, her statement suggests she would welcome Moscow doing so. Russia is certainly in a better position to broach the subject than the US. Washington is currently engaged in a bitter economic dispute with China, exacerbated by the row around the Chinese tech giant Huawei. The US desperately seeks to push Huawei out of the markets of its allies, accusing the Chinese of threatening their security. The EU, as von der Leyen openly admitted, still does not have enough leverage to make Beijing listen to its concerns. The EU cannot do much with Beijing, Peter Schulze, an international relations expert at the University of Goettingen, told RT. Moscow, on the other hand, is Beijing's partner and can at least make China join the talks about INF, he added. Moscow can start pushing Beijing towards a dialogue and it would be a good step. A major flaw with this plan, however, is that China is extremely unlikely to assent to anyone's requests when it comes to its own security. Here we have a terrible problem because from 70 to 80 percent of [China's] missile forces are short- and mid-range ones. They will never give up anything if they do not get something in return, Schulze said. China cannot give up their missiles. It is their deterrent, against the US in particular. A string of US withdrawals from various international treaties, ranging from the Iranian nuclear deal to the INF, would also likely make China less inclined towards accepting any security guarantees from Washington in exchange for de facto disarmament. Also on rt.com INF Treaty is about European security, not American; US left it to get new missiles Russian envoy Before it announced its decision to withdraw from the INF, the US stubbornly accused Russia of violating the treaty while providing no evidence and refusing to listen to any arguments from Moscow. It certainly appears that the current US leadership simply does not want the treaty to stay in place, Maloof believes. [US National Security Advisor John] Bolton and others do not want a limit on the US capabilities they want to be able to arm up, the former Pentagon official told RT. Now, what you are going to see is a huge arms race, which will make the world more dangerous. The notion of challenging Washington apparently never crossed the German minister's mind, while Germany and other NATO allies continue to dutifully follow the US lead, even if it means harming their own security. Instead of hoping that Moscow's and ultimately Beijing's good will would miraculously solve all their problems, Europe and Germany in particular might be better served by trying to push back on Washingtons more belligerent policies. to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. The Pakistani Navy has prevented an Indian submarine from sneaking into its waters, a spokesman has reported. The ship was detected and forced to retreat, he said. The Navy released purported footage of the intercepted submarine, shown moving with its periscopes over the water surface. The statement said the Navy didnt engage the submarine, but was proud of its success in detecting it despite Indias large investment in modern submarine technology. This great feat is a testament of the Pakistan Navy's superior skills. The Navy will keep defending Pakistan's naval border. The force has the capability to respond to any aggression. The Pakistani Navy said the interception of the submarine was the second one since 2016. The incident comes a week after a major flare-up between India and Pakistan, decades-old regional rivals. India triggered the escalation by using warplanes to attack a suspected terrorist camp in Pakistani territory, retaliating for an earlier attack on its troops. Pakistan responded with a demonstration of force the next day, conducting attacks on targets in the Indian-controlled part of the disputed region of Kashmir. In the ensuing dogfight, India lost one fighter jet and claims to have shot down one of Pakistans. Also on rt.com Coverage of India-Pakistan crisis by mainstream media is strangely objective. What's going on? Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! French oil and gas company Total has reached a deal with Russias biggest independent gas producer Novatek to buy a 10-percent stake in its new liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Russias Arctic. The projects vast conventional reserve base, advanced engineering and design work, and innovative LNG design, combined with our experience in implementing large-scale LNG projects in the Arctic region is part of our strategy for creating sustainable shareholders value, Novatek CEO Leonid Mikhelson said in a joint press release. Under the terms of the deal, Total will also get an opportunity to acquire up to 15 percent direct interest in all LNG enterprises led by the Russian company on the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas. Also on rt.com Siemens to team up with Russian firm to make equipment for Arctic LNG 2 project in St. Petersburg Total already owns 19.4 percent of Novatek, so the French companys overall economic interest in Arctic 2 LNG represents some 21.6 percent. If Novatek reduces its participation below 60 percent, Total will be able to extend its direct share in the project up to 15 percent. Arctic LNG 2 fits into our strategy of growing our LNG portfolio through competitive developments based on giant low cost resources primarily destined for the fast growing Asian markets, Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne said. Also on rt.com Russian LNG will be cheaper for Europe than US alternative Novatek Arctic LNG 2 is Novateks second plant for liquefying gas in the Arctic region after the very successful Yamal LNG. Operations will reportedly be launched at the end of 2022. The project is expected to produce 19.8 million tons of LNG per year when at full capacity. The projects overall costs are currently estimated at $9 billion, nearly half the initial $21 billion planned and about a third of the $27 billion spent on the Yamal LNG. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section The Yellow Vest protesters have apparently adopted an unconventional weapon against the French law enforcement fecal bombs. At least three policemen have been already affected by them during the most recent protest. The criminal police (BAC) officers came under the excrement attack in the city of Marseille on Saturday, getting heavily stained by fecal matter. One of the officers has reportedly received injury to insult, sustaining physical damage to his elbow. The incident was acknowledged by the police, with the head of a local police union Rudy Manna revealing the details of the crappy encounter to the La Provence newspaper. [The police officers] had it in their hair, on their shoes, they had to dump their clothes. They've told me they've never been that humiliated, Manna said. And since it was truly sh*tty afternoon, the showers did not work at the North Station, they had to clean themselves with cold water in the garage. Also on rt.com Wheelchair-bound Yellow Vest protester doused with pepper spray by police in horrifying VIDEO The perpetrators have not been identified yet, as they hid among other protesters, the union leader added. The murky projectiles are dubbed 'Cacatov' after trusty Molotov cocktail fire bombs just filled with fecal matter instead of pricey gasoline. A lighter version of the dung bomb is known as 'Pipitov' and comes filled with the number one compound. Apart from Marseille, the Cacatovs were reportedly deployed by the Yellow Vests in Montpellier. The excrement bombs have been deployed in Paris as early as February 23, with a police union sounding alarm over premeditated and disgusting acts of the protesters. Also on rt.com Dramatic VIDEO shows man being shot in face during Yellow Vest rallies in Paris Ahead of the Act 16 protests, certain individuals have been spotted promoting the fecal bombs online, sharing tips on how to cook them properly. The waste is watered or p*ssed down to a liquid state and then poured into tight plastic containers, balloons, etc. which easily fracture on impact. One of the Yellow Vest protesters has even released quite a lengthy video, highlighting the benefits of such weaponry. He lauded the psychological effect the Cacatovs allegedly have on the law enforcement, who would see it as an ultimate insult. According to the protester, the idea originates in Venezuela, where the anti-government demonstrators deployed the poop bombs as early as in 2017. The idea to throw feces at one's opponent, however, appears to be a little bit more ancient than that and surely dates back to prehistoric times. If you like this story, share it with a friend! As the US pushes for regime change in Venezuela, Caracas has moved closer to Moscow. Despite US claims that Russia threatens world democracy, analysts say its Washington which is responsible for neglect to international law. There is no time to wait when it comes to the process of moving Venezuelas state oil company PDVSA from Lisbon to Moscow, Venezuelas ambassador to Russia Carlos Rafael Faria Tortosa told reporters on Tuesday, just days after the PDVSA move was announced by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. He said it was the perfect time and reflected the reshaping of Venezuelas international relationships. Tortosa also told reporters that Venezuelas oil minister, Manuel Quevedo, may attend a meeting of the intergovernmental commission in Russia in early April, signalling potential further cooperation. Also on rt.com Venezuelan PDVSA moves HQ to Moscow to 'safeguard oil assets against seizure' Moscow, certainly, will be glad to host Manuel Quevedo. It has also been quick to offer humanitarian aid to Venezuela. The deliveries of Russian aid through channels like the UN and World Health Organization (WHO), however, stand in stark contrast to recent US attempts to illegally push ostensible humanitarian aid into Venezuela over the Colombian border an effort which was not supported by the UN or the Red Cross, and which Caracas described as a Trojan horse to potentially smuggle weapons to opposition forces in the country. Also on rt.com Venezuelan VP tells RT how Caracas fights sanctions & what awaits Guaido once he's back Despite all this Washington doesn't recognize that it violates international law making. Instead, Moscow is responsible for different international interventions and threatening democracies worldwide, as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during his latest tour of Europe. Against international law Washington is leading a revolution against international law and against international order, with its calls for regime change and efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro in favor of pro-US opposition leader Juan Guaido, former UN rapporteur to Venezuela and professor of law Alfred de Zayas told RT. Also on rt.com Boltons Monroe Doctrine remark on Venezuela arrogant & insulting to all of Latin America Lavrov Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Gutierrez should remind the Lima Group of Western Hemisphere countries that US actions in Venezuela violate articles 3, 19 and 20 of the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS) and that the charter should be rigorously observed, De Zayas said. The OAS charter holds that no state has a right to intervene directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other State. Neither can any member state encourage the use of coercive measures of an economic or political character in order to force the sovereign will of another State. The violation of the charter has been so crass and so obvious that you wouldn't think that you would have to remind the Lima Group of it, but they seem to be caught in their own web, de Zayas said. No revolution of the people? In spite of Washingtons best efforts, Maduro still enjoys the support of millions of Venezuelans who regard Guaido with suspicion, political analyst and editor at Venezuelanalysis.com Lucas Koerner told RT. There was an expectation that the Maduro government was going to come crashing down like a house of cards the moment the US and its allies recognized Guaido, as interim president, Koerner said. Five weeks later, the two countries are in an awkward standoff because Guaido has no real power in Venezuela, but Washington cant backtrack having already dramatically declared him the legitimate president, Koerner said. While the US political and media establishment make a big deal out of Venezuelas military ties with Russia, those ties were partly the result of economic stonewalling and US pressure on Caracas going back to 2006, according to Koerner. Thats when the Bush administration prohibited the sale of spare parts for Venezuela's fleet of [US built] F-16 aircraft, which forced Venezuela to go to Russia to purchase the Sukhoi model aircraft which they currently are employing. It's important to note that it was US pressure on Caracas which effectively pushed Venezuela to seek these kinds of alliances with countries like Russia and China, Koerner said. He ruled out direct US military intervention just yet, saying it is likely that for now Washington will continue to pressure Caracas in other ways, focusing on stepping up sanctions and trying to foment military insurrection instead. If you liked this story, share it with a friend! A fiscal treaty regarding disputed Gibraltar has been signed by Spain and Britain. Hailed as massively significant by Gibraltars leader, it is part of a deal sealed in November between London and the EU on Brexit. The deal must now be approved by the Spanish cabinet and ratified by the parliaments of both countries. Gibraltars leader Fabian Picardo said the Spanish government had pledged that the effective implementation of this treaty will lead to Gibraltar being removed from the Spanish blacklist of tax haven jurisdictions in the future. Also on rt.com Borders & barriers: Could Spain derail Brexit because of Gibraltar? According to Spain, the treaty provides clear rules to more easily resolve conflicts of tax residence and allows for the reduction and elimination of tax fraud and [other] effects that harm the Spanish Treasury, deriving from the nature of Gibraltars tax regime. Gibraltar offers very attractive tax rates for businesses and capital. Corporate profits are taxed at a top rate of 10 percent compared with 25 percent in Spain. There are an estimated 55,000 companies registered in Gibraltar even though the population is just around 30,000. READ MORE: Time to close down Gibraltar, major part of criminal network It is essential that Gibraltars departure from the EU, planned for March 29 with Britain, takes place in an orderly way and in keeping with Spanish interests in terms of fighting fraud and tax evasion, said Madrid. The Spanish Foreign Ministry noted that the treatys text stipulates that individuals and other entities in Gibraltar must register their tax residency in Spain if that is where they earn most of their revenue, own most of their assets, or if a majority of their owners or managers live there. Also on rt.com Spain will not use Brexit to retake Gibraltar Spanish foreign minister Spain has long criticized Gibraltars low-tax regime, while the latter has argued that it is a crucial part of its services-based economy. Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell welcomed the first international agreement signed by Spain and the United Kingdom over Gibraltar since the Treaty of Utrecht, which dates back to 1713 and saw Spain cede the Rock to Britain. A tiny British territory located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, Gibraltar has long been a point of contention between the UK and Spain. Madrid asserted a claim to the territory despite it being ceded to the British Crown centuries ago after being captured from Spain. Over the years, the Spanish have tried various attempts to retake the land. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section The US military has delivered THAAD missile defense systems to Israel for the very first time. The deployment comes as a part of a joint exercise and is aimed to show the US' continued commitment to Israel's regional security. The advanced systems were deployed to Israel in early March, US and Israeli military officials revealed on Monday. The THAADs Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems will be stationed in the country's south, alongside some 200 US military personnel. Also on rt.com 'Last nail in the coffin for US peacemaking': US merges Israeli embassy with Palestinian mission During the deployment, our service members will work in various locations throughout Israel and will practice operational procedures for augmenting Israel's existing air and missile defense architecture, the US European Command said in a statement, adding that the exercise serves as a demonstration of the United States' continued commitment to Israel's regional security. Footage from the scene shows THAAD launchers and other vehicles unloaded from military transport planes at the Nevatim Air Base, as well as US military personnel disembarking. THAAD is a system, built specifically to intercept short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal phase re-entry or descent with a direct hit approach. The deployment was lauded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that the systems will bolster Tel Aviv's capability to fend off threats from all over the Middle East region. The American THAAD system is considered among the most advanced systems in the world, and together with our defense systems, we are stronger in dealing with threats, close or distant, emanating from all areas of the Middle East, he said. While the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) insisted that the deployment is solely defensive and is not related to any specific current event, it comes as tensions in the region remains high. Tel Aviv and its arch-enemy Tehran have been routinely trading jabs in a war of words, up to threats of total annihilation of each other. Last month, Iran unveiled several new ballistic and cruise missiles, and held major naval drills in the Persian Gulf. Like this story? Share it with a friend! In a story that perfectly illustrates the perils of runaway identity politics, the historic-first congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) is facing a rebuke in the House over anti-Semitic comments about the Israel lobby. The Democrat-majority House is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism. It is unknown as of yet if it will specifically name Omar, but there is little doubt it is aimed squarely at her recent comments, which Republicans and many fellow Democrats have denounced as unacceptably anti-Jewish. Omars sin, so to speak, was to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country, as she put it, speaking at an event in Washington, DC, last Wednesday. Also on rt.com All about the Benjamins: Ilhan Omar sparks Twitter backlash over anti-Semitic post Just two weeks prior, Omar came under fire for criticizing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its influence on US politics. She apologized following some outrage, but her apology was deemed not apologetic enough. While Democrats have called out Republicans for racism and Islamophobia over their attacks on Omar, that has done little to resolve the Israel controversy within the party. So fellow Democrats tried to get Omar to retract her hurtful statement, with House Appropriations Committee chair Nita Lowey (D-New York) saying she was saddened that Omar continues to mischaracterize support for Israel. I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest, Omar replied, adding, I have not mischaracterized our relationship with Israel, I have questioned it and that has been clear from my end. In another tweet on Monday, Omar said she finds it problematic that she is accused of being anti-American over not being pro-Israel just as she found herself in the crosshairs of Anti-Defamation League (ADL) head Jonathan Greenblatt, who sent a sharply worded letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California): Accusing Jews of having allegiance to a foreign government has long been a vile anti-Semitic slur that has been used to harass, marginalize, and persecute the Jewish people for centuries. There is little doubt as to how Pelosi will receive the missive. Back in 2018, at the Israeli-American Council (IAC) national conference, Pelosi declared that even if the US Capitol crumbled to the ground, the one thing that would remain is US aid to and cooperation with Israel, declaring, Thats fundamental to who we are. While this may be true of Pelosi, most Democrats, and maybe even Congress in general, it manifestly does not apply to Omar. And not just because shes Muslim: The congresswoman from Minnesota has criticized the influence Saudi Arabia has on US politics as well, without the commensurate controversy. She has also denounced the US regime-change efforts in Venezuela as being against international law. Moreover, Omar currently sits on the House Foreign Affairs committee, whose chair Eliot Engel (D-New York) also called her remarks a vile anti-Semitic slur. It is possible she may lose her committee seat as a result. Which is where we get to the true source of the headache for Democrats: identity politics. Omars story was supposed to be the illustration of demographics as destiny: more than a third of residents in her congressional district, centered on Minneapolis, were people of color, with the fastest-growing population being immigrants from Africa namely Somalia according to Minnesota Public Radio. The effects of that were already evident in 2016, when Omar easily primaried the longtime state representative Phyllis Lorberblatt Kahn also a Democrat, mind you who had held that seat since 1973. Barely two months ago, Omar was celebrated as somewhat of a poster congresswoman: the first naturalized US citizen from Africa, first Somali-American, first hijab-wearing Muslim and first minority woman to represent Minnesota in Congress. She was not shy about pointing it all out herself. It was all part of the Democrats strategy to portray themselves as the intersectional party of diversity and inclusion, feminism, anti-racism, social justice, environmentalism, progress, etc. By contrast, they argued, President Donald Trump and the Republicans represented racism and bigotry, pale, male and stale. The problem with this approach is its fundamental bigotry: Democrats assumed Omar would share all their political positions on account of her faith, gender, ethnicity and skin color. More to the point, nobody in her party bothered to inform the Somali-born congresswoman that the one cardinal rule of mainstream US politics is to never even notice, much less criticize, the Israel lobby. And how could they, since even bringing up the subject opens one to accusations of anti-Semitism? Its a conundrum, to be sure. to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. West likely to use report on alleged chlorine use last year to pressure Syria Moscow West likely to use report on alleged chlorine use last year to pressure Syria Moscow A report from international inspectors saying that a toxic chemical containing chlorine was used in an attack last April in the Syrian town of Douma is likely to be used by the West to exert pressure on Damascus, Moscow has said. Douma at the time was held by rebels but besieged by pro-government forces. The attack on April 7, 2018 prompted airstrikes against the Syrian government by Britain, France and the US. The toxic chemical was likely molecular chlorine, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on March 1. The report appeared almost a year after the incident and is likely to be used by governments opposed to Damascus to support baseless accusations against Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. It added that the report may also be aimed at justifying airstrikes carried out last April by the US, Britain and France.Source : RT - Daily news In a TIF district, assessed value is frozen for the purposes of taxation at the time of the formation of the district. As redevelopment occurs and assessed value of the property increases, the difference between the frozen value and the increased value goes into a fund, known as the increment. South African politician Julius Malema has sparked outrage following the approval of a National Action Plan against racism, saying he doesnt want the white population killed he just wants them to serve the black population. I dont want blacks to work for whites. I want you to work for yourselves and white people will work for you. That will be true freedom, said Malema, who leads the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the countrys third largest political party. He has twice been convicted of hate speech and inciting violence against whites, and founded the EFF after being expelled from the African National Congress in 2012. Our Parliament, while it looks black, is controlled by white money and cant make laws to serve our interest. Why? wondered Andile Mngxitama, president of the Black First Land First Party, in a heated debate on RT. We want to end the system which is constructed today of white people on top, oppressing and exploiting black people. Accusing Malema of creating this sort of clash between races in South Africa in order to gain petty political points, political analyst Josh Notelovitz condemned the EFF leaders negative intentions toward white people. We construct a new society which takes care of black people without oppressing white people. In fact, white people can even leave if they want to! Mngxitama argued. Under the current system, however, I own nothing... We cant even make laws that say we must take the land. Also on rt.com South Africas ANC needs just 5 years to destroy the economy & the country, economist warns The idea they are forced into lower positions is ridiculous, Notelovitz claimed, pointing out that the government gives them opportunities through black economic empowerment and preferred placement in universities. This is not a white supremacist system; it is not a white-dominated system. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) Politicians who are part of the government's drug watch list may soon face administrative and criminal charges, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Tuesday. In his media briefing, Panelo said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will be filing the said raps against those part of the controversial "narco list." "The Constitution gives people the right to know matters of public concern, especially those that concern their lives and welfare. We have placed the drug problem as (one of) national security. We cannot allow people to run local governments by the destroyers of society," Panelo told reporters in Malacanang. The spokesman said the DILG may release the list by next week. He added the charges may filed simultaneously with the release of the information. "Baka either simultaneous or mauna, it doesn't really matter kung anong mauna," Panelo noted. "You cannot let the people wait. By the time nag-file ka ng charges, baka na-elect na 'yung mga 'yun." [Translation: It may be simultaneous, or the charges may be filed first. It doesn't really matter what goes first. You cannot let the people wait. By the time you file charges, the people (in the list) may have been elected already.] READ: Ex-police chief claims narco list '99.9% validated' Right to due process waived? Panelo likewise addressed detractors' claims that the move may deprive individuals their rights to due process and presumption of innocence. He said once the candidate entered the election scene, everything is "fair game." "Sa tingin ko (In my opinion), they already waived that right noong pumasok sila diyan (when they entered the scene). How can you demand that you are presumed innocent when you're involved in something criminal?" the spokesman stressed. "The due process clause applies to the life, liberty or property. Baka nga hindi sila pumasook doon because you don't deprive them of those three things pag lumabas lang yung listahan." [Translation: They might not even be applicable for due process because you don't deprive them (alleged narco politicians) of those three things when the list is released.] "When you run for public office, everything is a fair game. You open to yourself to criticism. Noong pumasok sila diyan (when they entered it), they already took the risk of being exposed if they are involved," he added. However, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) expressed reservations in releasing the list soon since the body has not yet finished revalidating names included in it. PDEA chief Aaron Aquino said authorities have yet to establish strong pieces of evidence against the politicians. He noted, however, that the agency will abide by the executive's order. "As of now, there's an instruction to reveal or disclose the list. I can't do it right now because we haven't finished our revalidation of all narco politicians," Aquino said Tuesday. "Kung next week ire-reveal (if it will be revealed next week), I just hope we can finish, we can finish the revalidation of this list." The PDEA and the Anti-Money Laundering Council on Tuesday signed an agreement that will speed-up cooperation and coordination in relation to investigations related to illegal drugs and narco terrorism. Administration bets earlier expressed support for the release of the list, given the government will provide enough basis for inclusion of names. Opposition senatorial candidate and Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano meanwhile pertained to the move as a "scare tactic" of the administration. The Commission on Human Rights has warned that the release of the list may prompt more election-related violence. During a speech in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte talked about a "narco list," which he said includes names of mayors, governors, congressmen, barangay (village) captains, and police officers. In April 2018, the chief executive ordered the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to release the drug watch list of barangay chairmen ahead of the midterm polls. CNN Philippines' Xave Gregorio contributed to this report. The analysis identified 8.5 positions that could be added that would cost the village approximately $850,000 a year. Five of those were identified as high priority needs. Hiring a village civil engineer is at the top of the list, followed by the need for an administrative assistant and technician in Public Works. There is not enough analysis data for Bahamas Petroleum. 4.0 Community Rank Outperform Votes Bahamas Petroleum has received 157 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Bahamas Petroleum has received 103 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Bahamas Petroleum has received 60.38% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Bahamas Petroleum and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BPC will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BPC will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Telecom operator Bharti Airtel's proposed rights issue is "credit positive" as it will enable the company to pare debt and improve liquidity, according to Moody's. Airtel's Board had last week approved fund-raising plans of up to Rs 32,000 crore through a combination of rights issue and bond -- a move that will help the company take on market competition intensified by Reliance Jio, and cut debt. "The proposed rights issue, if completed, is credit positive for Bharti because it will allow the company to reduce debt and improve its liquidity," Moody's Investors Service said in a statement. Airtel's fund-raising plans entail rights issuance of up to Rs 25,000 crore and Perpetual Bond with equity credit of up to Rs 7,000 crore. Assuming the Rs 25,000 crore rights issue is concluded and all proceeds are used to pay down bank debt at the Indian operations immediately, the consolidated adjusted debt/EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) would fall, Moody's said. "That said, we believe there are likely timing differences with respect to actual debt reduction particularly considering our expectations for capex and profitability of the Indian operations. As a result, we believe some of the debt reduction may only be temporary as bank debt may be re-borrowed to provide additional liquidity amid ongoing competition in the Indian mobile market," it said. The Moody's statement said, still, it expects a significant portion of proceeds from the rights issue to be used to lower debt, strengthening Airtel's balance sheet and providing the company with greater financial and operational flexibility for its Indian operations. "But Bharti's ratings are unlikely to change in the near-term as we expect leverage will remain elevated while profitability and cash flow of the company's core Indian mobile segment remain under pressure," it said. On the company's proposal for perpetual bond with conditions allowing for full accounting equity credit, it said that according to its methodology, any instrument issued by a speculative-grade company with a debt claim is treated as 100 per cent debt in calculating a company's adjusted financial metrics. "We will need to evaluate the amount and terms and conditions of the perpetual bond when disclosed," it added. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The imposing blue glass high-rise of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, in the southwest of Hyderabads technology hub Hitec City, blends with clear skies and unique rocky landscape of the region, thats increasingly disrupted by massive real estate development. Some 5,000 associates work from that swanky building to support the drug makers global operations across various functions, including a team of 100 data scientists, part of a much larger team led Achim Plueckebaum, Global Head, Drug Development IT at Novartis who is driving digital R&D transformation. One of the initiative Data 42, called as moonshot project within Novartis, is trying to harness the power of data analytics, machine learning and AI to possibly find leads for new drugs, new patient approaches and identifying safety features, by wringing newer insights out of old clinical trials data. Another initiative called Nerve Live assesses more than 500 clinical trials in real time allowing the company to predict enrollment, ensure quality and evaluate the performance of trial sites. Pharma-technology convergence Vas Narasimhan, the Indian origin CEO, who took over the reins of Novartis last year is a proponent of harnessing digital and data for R&D since his days as global head of drug development at the Basel-headquartered company. Narasimhan, 42, is a Harvard trained doctor. Under Narasimhan, a number of people from technology companies such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook were hired by Novartis to crunch data, identify additional and new insights out of these data sets and enable Novartis scientists to ask queries. To enable this R&D transformation, Plueckebaums team is trying to create a central repository of all R&D data into a single integrated system dating back to 20 years, or right from the day when Novartis started electronically capturing data. This isnt an easy task. Plueckebaum in an interview to Moneycontrol at Hyderabads Novartis office said the major challenge they faced was to clean up the data as it was locked in domain-specific silos owned by different teams, displayed inconsistencies and was difficult to access. We are talking probably 20-25 petabytes of data, Plueckebaum said. A petabyte is equivalent to a size of 20 million 4-door filing cabinets full of text or 58,292 high definition DVDs. Once the data is cleaned, Plueckebaum and his team will sweep through data to search for leads. Humans just cannot go through it anymore, so you put machines on top that then start digging into the data. And obviously, you need to train the machines, you need to give the machines proper direction, Plueckebaum said. Dropping R&D productivity The R&D productivity of Big Pharma is expected to hit zero by 2020, which means every dollar spent on R&D gets just one dollar, and nothing more. Industry attributes this to ballooning R&D costs, higher R&D attrition, difficulty in enrolling patients for clinical trials, and pressure on companies from the government and activists to cut prices of drugs. It's early days, but even other drug makers are betting on data analytics and AI. For instance, Merck uses Hadoop to crunch huge amounts of data so it can develop vaccines faster. Amgen is using machine learning to better diagnose osteoporotic fractures. Even technology companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple have all trying to make a mark in healthcare using the power of data available to them. St. Jude Church: 241 W. 2nd Ave. The 2019 Lenten Fish Fry dinners will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p. m. March 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5 and April 12. Dinners are shrimp, cod or shrimp and cod combo with a choice of sides, including salad bar, potato, bread and beverage. Grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza slices and side orders can be purchased separately. A cash bar, carry outs and desserts will be available. Cash or check payments only. The Life in the Spirit Prayer Group will meet at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month. Information: call John or Mary at 815-557-8990 or 815-557-8274. The Reserve Bank has imposed a fine of Rs 2 crore on Allahabad Bank for non-compliance of directions with regard to Nostro accounts, the state-owned lender said on March 5. A Nostro account is an account that a bank holds in a foreign currency in another bank. Private sector lender ICICI Bank too has been slapped with a fine of Rs 1 crore for delay in compliance with directions related to global messaging software Swift. Allahabad Bank was fined for non-compliance of RBI directions dated February 20, 2018 pertaining to reconciliation of Nostro on real time basis with immediate effect, as per a BSE filing. According to RBI directions, banks have to interpret real time as T+1 for Nostro debits and T+5 for Nostro credits. The amount of penalty is not material considering the size of the bank, and necessary measures for compliance with the said RBI directions have been taken, Allahabad Bank added. In a separate filing to exchanges, ICICI Bank said: "The Banking Regulation Act, 1949, levied an aggregate penalty of Rs 10 million vide its order dated February 25, 2019. The penalty has been levied for delay in compliance with RBI's directives on 'Time-bound implementation and strengthening of Swift related controls." Yes Bank also informed on March 5 about a fine of Rs 1 crore for non-compliance of directions on Swift. Stock of Allahabad Bank was trading 4.10 percent up at Rs 52 on BSE; ICICI Bank was at Rs 362.45, up 2.53 percent. Yes Bank was trading down 0.21 percent at Rs 236.90. On March 4, a number of private as well as public sector banks informed about penalties levied on them by RBI for failing to comply with Swift software operating requirements. India's H-1B woes do not stop with the tightening visa restrictions under Trump administration. There is another dimension to this. India has one of the lowest H-1B visa applications filed for women. According to a VisaGuide.World report based on the data released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Indian IT services providers account for largest number of H-1B petitions, (3,09, 986 in 2018) while petitions by women account only for about 63, 220. This means that women account for only 20 percent of the total H-1B petitions filed. Only Pakistan has lower women filing for the petition at 18.9 percent. Other Asian countries fare much better. For China, it is 45 percent while Philippines is at 52.7 percent and South Korea at 41.9 percent. The figures say a lot about how H-1B visa nominations are discriminatory in India. This is despite the fact Indian IT industry is one of the largest employers of women in the country. According to reports, women account for at least over 40 per cent of the total workforce at the entry level. However there is a steep drop as women reach the mid-level as balancing work and personal life becomes tough, an ongoing debate (that has gotten us nowhere) even now. This imbalance reflects in the H-1B selection process as well. Let us take the case of Meena Mahadev*. Mahadev, now 33, works for a top IT firm in India. Back in 2013, Mahadev had requested to be included in the H-1B visa selection process along with her two other male colleagues in the team. However, her project manager had reservations on her ability to serve the full term of H-1B, a question that a male IT employee would never be asked. Recollecting that time, Mahadev said: "My manager wanted to know if I will be able to continue after getting married, given that I was over 25 and marriageable age at that time. Even though I assured him that I would, my manager was not convinced. Though he told me that he will try, it was no surprise when I was not selected in that year's H-1B slot." P Stalin*, a project manager, agreed that while it is more common to question women before initiating her visa, they are not completely without any grounds. "There have been several instances in the past where we would send women overseas on H-1B only to have her come back in a year or two, before the visa expires. It is a loss to the company as each H-1B incurs a huge cost. There are also cases when women refuse to go when we nominate them," Stalin explained. An industry expert agrees that the bias results from the stereotyping of women in India, where she is expected to balance work and family perfectly. These cultural barriers and perception that women will move on post marriage and loss of productivity when women take time off during childbirth do play a role in less women being nominated for H-1B visa. "It is not right but these are factored in unconsciously," he added. Has this changed now? Jwala Ravi*, 35, who went to the US on H-1B last year, said the situation is not that much different now though there are few changes. "Many women colleagues, married and unmarried are more willing to travel for work now than before," she said. (*Names have been changed on request) Google has raised the salaries of thousands of employees after the company found out that men were underpaid for the same work done by women and people belonging to minority groups, The New York Times reported. The paper also noted that since 69 percent of the companys work force are men, they got a larger share of the money, with the exact number of men who got raises is unclear. The surprise findings come amid the growing pressure on companies in Silicon Valley to deal with gender-inequity issues at the workplace. In a blog post on March 4, Lauren Barbato, Google's Lead Analyst for Pay Equity, said that the company conducts pay analyses across job groups and makes adjustments to eliminate any discrepancy they find. "In 2018, we included 91 percent of Googlers in our analysis, the highest percentage to date. We provided $9.7 million in adjustments to a total of 10,677 Googlers," the post read. "Because leveling, performance ratings and promotion impact pay, this year we are undertaking a comprehensive review of these processes to make sure the outcomes are fair and equitable for all employees," it added. Google decides the annual pay raise based on factors like performance ratings, seniority and location.The Sundar Pichai-led company conducts a study every year since 2012. In 2017, it had adjusted the salaries of 228 employees by $270,000. Google has been in trouble in the past for the inequitable payment of salaries to women, and is also engaged in many legal issues for the same. Just last year, employees had protested over the tech giant's policies to treat sexual harassment. The Department of Labour had also said that Google's hiring and promotion practices have flaws. "We found systemic compensation disparities against women pretty much across the entire workforce," one official had testified in 2017. Joelle Emerson, chief executive of consulting firm Paradigm, said that Google is advancing a "flawed and incomplete sense of equality" by making sure men and women get similar remuneration for similar work, as it does not take into account the structural hurdles women face as engineers. Other critics of the tech giant have said that this survey gives a false impression to the people. March 05, 2019 / 03:35 PM IST Market at close: It is a strong close for benchmark indices on first day of the week as market was shut on Monday on account of Mahashivratri. The Sensex was up 378.73 points at 36442.54, while Nifty was up 124.00 points at 10987.50. About 2118 shares have advanced, 568 shares declined, and 152 shares are unchanged. Indiabulls Housing, Eicher Motors, Tata Motors, HPCL and BPCL were the top gainers on the Nifty, while losers were Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, HUL and Cipla. Midcap and smallcap gained 2-3 percent, respectively. Among the sectors, auto, metal and PSU bank indices led with 2-3 percent gain followed by energy, infra and pharma, while IT index lost over 1 percent. Answer: Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas S.A. (Paribas, Bank of Paris and the Netherlands) was a French investment bank based in Paris that in May 2000 merged with Banque Nationale de Paris S.A. to form BNP Paribas. Les Pays-Bas ("The Low-Countries") is French for the Netherlands. (Image: Reuters) French banking group BNP Paribas' NBFC plans in India may have fallen prey to the present crisis ailing the industry. BNP Paribas, which acquired Sharekhan broking house in 2016, was looking to expand its lending business through the latter's non-banking finance company. The company even secured a license for starting the NBFC and hired over 100 employees. The NBFC arm was to be called Sharekhan BNP Paribas Financial Services and was set to be launched in December. But tables turned after the liquidity crisis hit the NBFC sector triggered by IL&FS default. The French banking group, according to three industry sources, has not just deferred the launch but is also looking to sell its NBFC license. And if the market grapevine is to be believed, BNP Paribas has been unable to find a buyer and may end up surrendering the NBFC license. The setback is symbolic of the larger crisis of confidence in the NBFC industry. The IL&FS default had triggered a mini-collapse in the market, and credibility of rating agencies took a beating. Sharekhan BNP Paribas, however, said it is not surrendering the NBFC licence, responding to a query sent by Moneycontrol. "We are constantly exploring new solutions that will deliver benefits to our Sharekhan clients as part of our ongoing sustainable commitment to the Indian market. New products and services are only launched when we believe they are in the best interests of our clients and may be supported sustainably over time by our Group," the company said in its response. The acquisition, and the trouble Sharekhan Financial Services was a wholly-owned finance company of broking firm Sharekhan acquired by BNP two years ago. Sharekhan Financial offers margin funding, loan against shares and ESOP funding to clients and rich individuals. After BNP acquired Sharekhan, the French bank group wanted to tap Sharekhans network and expand the lending business. But the plan soured when the first signs of trouble in the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) group emerged in June when it defaulted on inter-corporate deposits and commercial papers (borrowings) worth around Rs 450 crore. Over the next 2-3 months, at least two rating agencies downgraded the company's long-term credit rating. IL&FS Financial Services defaulted on seven debt obligations in September. In all, the IL&FS group owed over Rs 91,000 crore. Somewhere down the road, NBFCs started getting compared with IL&FS, and their financials were put under deep scanners. A few debt fund managers started abandoning NBFC papers in panic and rumours started flying thick and fast about NBFC facing default prospects. As of January-end, the 43-player mutual fund industry managed Rs 6.3 lakh crore of fixed income assets compared to 13.73 lakh crore in September. MFs held Rs 2,700 crore worth of IL&FS bonds and debt papers. The market was concerned that the bonds issued by other IL&FS subsidiaries like IL&FS Transportation, IL&FS Tamilnadu Power, IL&FS Energy Development and IL&FS Security Services could be downgraded in the near future. On September 10, rating agencies ICRA and CARE downgraded non-convertible debentures of IL&FS to BB from AA+. ICRA and said the downgrade reflected "rising pressure on liquidity at the group level due to sizeable repayment obligations". ICRA also downgraded the short-term rating for a Rs 4,000 crore commercial paper programme of IL&FS Financial Services, a subsidiary of IL&FS, to 'A4' from 'A1+'. IL&FS Financial had informed exchanges the company would not be able to issue any commercial papers until February 28, as it had defaulted on payments on two papers, which were due to mature on August 28 and August 30. NBFCs funded developers by raising capital from banks and mutual funds. After defaults by IL&FS and the alarming sale of Rs 300 crore worth DHFL commercial papers at higher yields by DSP Mutual Fund, markets became wary of a possible NPA crisis in NBFCs as well. Banks reacted by tightening lending to NBFCs which in turn squeezed the lending capacity of NBFCs and therefore, impacted capital flow. One of the fallout of the crisis is now BNP Paribas' NBFC dream. This article has been updated to incorporate the company's response Non-performing assets (NPAs) under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is expected to be between 10 percent and 15 percent, much higher than 5.39 percent reported by the Centre in March 2018, according to a report by The Economic Times, quoting ratings agencies. The government last month informed Parliament that loans worth Rs 7,277.31 crore of public sector banks (PSBs) under PMMY turned bad as of March 31, 2018. Rising NPAs under this segment is causing concern to lenders, as per ratings agencies: India Ratings and ICRA. The scheme, launched on April 8, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, provides loans up to 10 lakh to non-corporate and non-farm small and micro enterprises. It aimed at improving working capital access and bring the SME section under the formal credit structure. As per the Budget 2018-19, the government intends to disburse loans up to Rs 3 lakh crore in FY19. Banks, however, will have to work overtime to meet their MUDRA loan lending target of Rs 3 lakh crore as only about Rs 2 lakh crore have been disbursed till February 22. To achieve the set target, these loans are usually priced lower to reduce the access barrier since most applicants are first-time borrowers and without any credit history. Read: Banks need to lend Rs 1 lakh crore to meet MUDRA target for FY19 Delinquencies in this segment are higher for PSBs than private sector lenders because of the former's focus on priority lending targets, as per ratings agencies. Lenders are required to loan 40 percent of their advances to categories designated as priority. "Even though the NPAs are high in all exposures, private banks have been more cautious in their lending, Prakash Agarwal, Director and Head of India Ratings told the newspaper. "PSBs have targeted lending mandates. Hence, there is limited manoeuvrability on controlling asset quality while maintaining exposure." Read: Budget 2019: Mudra registers 15.5 lakh beneficiaries, fiscal support at Rs 500 crore in 2019-20 RBIs 90-day loan restructuring provision allows non-classification of defaults as NPAs for loans with a ticket size less than Rs 25 crore. This may lower delinquencies reflected on loan books, but spikes will be evident once this provision ends in March 2020, Agarwal said. "The asset quality of these loans is deteriorating because they are inherently risky. More than 70 percent of the loans to new borrowers had been sanctioned by PSBs. A big chunk of these loans is under the Mudra portfolio, a senior State Bank of India banker told the newspaper. These loans are risky because they are availed for consumption rather than for production purposes, the banker said, adding that PSBs intrinsically need to develop a better recovery mechanism. Since 2015, more than 35 million Mudra loans worth around Rs 7 lakh crore have been sanctioned. They account for about 10-15 percent of all outstanding credit at micro, small, and medium enterprises. Loans under MUDRA are disseminated under the following categories: Shishu, Kishore and Tarun. Read: Demonetisation, GST affecting Mudra loan recovery, says Shiv Sena While the scheme has helped increase bank credit to the SME segment, analysts believe that NBFC-MFI (microfinance institutions) operating in the same industry are able to maintain significantly better asset quality than banks. "MFI loans, which are like Mudra loans in terms of ticket size and borrower profile, have much lower delinquency than loans refinanced under the Mudra scheme," Anil Gupta, Vice-President, ICRA, told the newspaper. File image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Private sector lender Yes Bank on Tuesday said the Reserve Bank of India has slapped a fine of Rs 1 crore on the bank for non-compliance of directions on Swift messaging software. "The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)... has levied an aggregate penalty of Rs 10 million (Rs 1 crore) on the bank for non-compliance of regulatory directions observed during assessment of implementation of SWIFT-related operational controls," Yes Bank said in a regulatory filing. Swift is the global messaging software used for transactions by the financial entities. Notably, the massive Rs 14,000 crore fraud at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) was a case of misuse of this messsaging software. Post the PNB fraud, which came to light in February 2018, the RBI has been tough on banks to tighten all kinds of transactions. On Monday, RBI had imposed a total monetary fine of Rs 8 crore on three banks - Karnataka Bank, United Bank of India and Karur Vysya Bank - for non-compliance of directions on Swift messaging software. Earlier on Saturday, four banks -- SBI, Union Bank of India, Dena Bank and IDBI -- had informed exchanges about monetary penalty slapped on them by the regulator for non-compliance with various directions. Fine of Rs 3 crore was imposed on Union Bank, Rs 2 crore on Dena Bank, and Rs 1 crore each on IDBI and the SBI. Kapil Sharma Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 and the rules framed thereunder has changed the legislative landscape of the real estate sector. Prior to the introduction of RERA, the real estate industry in India was largely unregulated. Allottees were mostly at the mercy of the builders with respect to their investments in a project. The allottees commonly faced problems relating to delayed delivery, lopsided contractual conditions, last-minute changes in the layout plan without obtaining prior consent of allottees, abandonment of projects. No specific dispute resolution mechanism to tackle was in place to address such concerns. With the advent of RERA from May 1, 2017, the real estate industry is undergoing a transformation. The main objectives of RERA were to infuse transparency, increase the accountability of developers towards the allottees, ensure fair-play, reduce delays and have a unified system of law regulating the real estate industry. The intention of the legislators for induction of standardisation of real estate norms was to safeguard the interest of the allottees and seek protection of their investments in the real estate projects. Some of the critical provisions under RERA required to be adhered by the developers are as follows: The promoter is required to deposit 70 percent of the amounts realised from a real estate project from the allottees, from time to time, in a separate account which shall be maintained in a scheduled bank to cover the cost of construction and the land cost and shall be used only for that purpose. Subsequently, the promoter can withdraw the amounts from the Separate Bank Account, to cover the cost of the project, in proportion to the percentage of completion of the project. The amounts from the Separate Bank Account can be withdrawn by the promoter after it is certified by an engineer, an architect and a chartered accountant in practice that the withdrawal is in proportion to the percentage of completion of the project. Promoter is required to develop and complete the project as per plans, structural designs and specifications. The promoter will be bound to rectify any structural defects or any other defect in workmanship, quality or provision of services or any other obligations of the promoter as per the agreement for sale relating to real estate project, within five years of handing over the possession, without charge and within 30 days from the allottees notice in relation to the aforementioned defect. The promoter will be required to compensate the allottee, pursuant to the provisions under RERA, in case of failure to rectify such structural defects within reasonable time. An allottee has the option to claim compensation and/or withdraw his or her investment from a project in the following circumstances: In case an allottee sustains a loss on account of investment in the said project on the basis of incorrect or false statement contained in the notice, advertisement or prospectus of project, he or she shall have the option to withdraw from the project. Upon exercise of such option, the entire investment along with prescribed rate of interest shall be returned to the allottee along with the compensation in the manner provided under RERA. In case of delay in completing the project according to the stipulated timeframe in the agreement to sell or due to discontinuance of the business of the promoter as a developer on account of suspension or revocation of registration under the Act or for any other reason, the allottee shall have the option to withdraw from the project. Upon exercise of such option, the entire investment along with prescribed rate of interest shall be returned to the allottee along with the compensation in the manner provided under RERA. Where the allottee does not exercise such option to withdraw from the project, the promoters shall be obligated to pay an interest to the allottee for every month of delay till the handing over the possession at such rate of interest as prescribed under RERA. In case of cancellation of booking or withdrawal by allottees, compensation of taxes paid by allottees will be governed by the GST Law. The GST law has specifically envisaged the transitional situation of cancellation of bookings. The law has allowed the promoters or developers or the allottees to claim refund of service tax paid in case of cancellation of units booked prior to GST but such refund is subject to the provisions of the Finance Act, 1994. In terms of Section 83 of the Finance Act, 1994 read with Section 11B of Central Excise Act, 1944 the promoter or developer or allottes are entitled to claim refund within one year from the date of payment of service tax. Thus, the developers or promoters are not in a position to compensate the allottees the service tax paid by them under the pre-GST regime as the time limit of one year has been expired. Even in case the unit is booked under the GST regime and the allottee opts to withdraw from the project under the said regime still, the benefit of taxes paid can be claimed up to two years from the date of payment of tax. The taxes paid before this period cannot be compensated to the allottees. RERA authority has the discretionary power to extend the registration period granted to a project under RERA. The RERA authority may, on the basis of the facts of the case, may extend the registration granted to a project, where the delay in the particular project is not due to default on the part of the promoter. However, in any circumstance, such extension shall not exceed a period of one year.(The author is Partner, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan Attorneys.) Representative image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Share price of Indian Hume Pipe Company surged 12 percent in the early trade on Tuesday after company received 3 letters of intent of Rs 187 crore. The company has received three letters of intent (LoI) from Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation, Nagpur. It includes construction of M.S. Feeder Pipeline from Kochi Barrage to Pench and allied works of Kanhan River Projects (Kochi Barrage), Nagpur. The project is to be completed within 16 months with a maintenance period of 5 years. The second project is construction of pipe distribution network on Kapsi Sub Branch of Asolamendha project. The project is to be completed within 18 months and with a maintenance period of 5 years. And third LoI is for Pauni Lift Irrigation Scheme. The project is to be completed within 24 months with a maintenance period of 5 years. The agreements will be signed in due course. At 09:32 hrs Indian Hume Pipe Company was quoting at Rs 295.80, up Rs 14.80, or 5.27 percent on the BSE. Representative image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Share price of Reliance Infrastructure rose 6 percent intraday Tuesday as company bagged a contract worth Rs 648 crore. Reliance Infrastructure E&C has received the letter of award (LoA) from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) of a contract worth Rs 648 crore for the construction of new greenfield Airport at Hirasar in Rajkot district of Gujarat. The company had participated in the tender for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract independently as a main contractor, as per company release. The airport is to be completed within 30 months from the date of issue of letter of award (LoA). Reliance Infrastructure E&C, CEO, Arun Gupta, said, Our strong credentials in infrastructure projects execution are borne out by the successful execution of large scale transportation and power projects. The Hirasar airport project will further strengthens Reliance Infrastructure's bona fide to be a leader in infrastructure projects. At 11:04 hrs Reliance Infrastructure was quoting at Rs 132.30, up Rs 7.00, or 5.59 percent on the BSE. Mall employees 17 and under are not affected by the new policy unless their shift ends. Then they must adhere to the policy. Underage employees must be prepared to show valid ID and proof of employment. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Here are the stocks that are in news today: Jet Airways: An additional four aircraft have been grounded due to non-payment of amounts outstanding to lessors under their respective lease agreements. Reliance Industries: Subsidiary Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Limited (RIIHL) acquired software company C-Square Info Solutions Private Limited and logistics services platform company Grab A Grub Services Private Limited. Hindustan Zinc: Kiran Agarwal is appointed as Additional Director and Chairman of the company. JSW Steel: Company and Duferco International Trading Holding SA aligned their strategic goals in a landmark $700 million 5-year advance payment and supply agreement (APSA). Kolte-Patil Developers: Company invests Rs 70 crore in its subsidiary Kolte-Patil I-Ven Townships (Pune) Ltd. Capacite Infraprojects: Board approved Scheme of Amalgamation amongst CIPL-PPSL-Yongnam Joint Venture Constructions Private Limited, company and their respective shareholders. Indian Hume Pipe: Company received three letters of intent for the works aggregating to Rs 187.06 crore from Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation, Nagpur. Mishra Dhatu Nigam: Company secured order worth about Rs 475 crore. The cumulative order booking during the financial year 2018-19 is about Rs 1,800 crore. Larsen & Toubro Infotech completed acquisition of 100% shareholding of Nielsen+Partner Unternehmensberater GmbH, Hamburg, Germany, along with its identified subsidiaries RBI levied an aggregate penalty of Rs 4 crore on Karnataka Bank NLC India commissioned solar power projects in Tamil Nadu Union Bank of India: Stakeholders Relationship Committee (SRC) of the bank approved issue price of Rs 58.49 per share for new equity shares to be issued to the eligible employees of the bank under Union Bank of India Employee Share Purchase Scheme (Union Bank - ESPS). The offer will open for subscription by eligible employees on March 7 and will close on March 16. Equitas Holdings: CRISIL revised the outlook on long term facilities rating of subsidiary, Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited from A/Stable to A/Positive. GHIAL a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure has divested its 100% stake in its subsidiary Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy Central Bank of India approved raising of equity capital by issue of upto 68,72,48,322 equity shares at the issue price of Rs 37.25 per equity share aggregating to Rs 2,560 crore Bank of Baroda appointed Hasmukh Adhia as non-Executive chairman HOEC adds yet another block to its North East Portfolio Ramco System positioned as a Major Contender in Everest Group's PEAK Matrix for Multi-Country Payroll Platform Sterlite Tech wins Interteks (US) Zero Waste to Landfill certification for its optical fibre cable manufacturing plant in Rakholi, Silvassa BHEL installs first Solar Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station in the upcoming network of Charging Stations on Delhi-Chandigarh highway Tata Communications appoints Sumeet Walia as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer IRB Infrastructure Developers: Company successfully completed Hyderabad Outer Ring Road project and accordingly handed over the project to Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited. Aurobindo Pharma: Company completed the acquisition of seven marketed oncology injectable products, intellectual property and commercial infrastructure from US-based Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. Snowman Logistics: Company appointed Mamoru Yokoo as an additional director of the company. Take Solutions: Company announced mergers of step-down subsidiaries in USA. Coal India: February coal production up 6.5 percent at 58.05 million tonne, April-February FY19 coal production rises 6.6 percent to 527.70 million tonne YoY. February offtake up 3 percent at 51.45 million tonne and April-February offtake increases 4.5 percent to 548.49 million tonne YoY. Hero Motocorp: February sales fall 2 percent to 6,17,215 units YoY. Sunteck Realty: Company issued commercial paper of Rs 25 crore. Tata Motors: On a media report saying Tata to explore options including JLR stake sale, the company clarified that there is no truth to the rumours that Tata Motors is looking to divest its stake in JLR and it would not like to comment further on any market speculation. Biocon: Company appoints Dr Christiane Hamacher as CEO of Biocon Biologics India Limited. Nucleus Software Exports: Board approved a scheme of amalgamation between wholly owned subsidiaries, Virstra I-Technology Services Limited and Avon Mobility Solutions Private Limited and company. HT Media: Company has entered into share purchase agreements with the shareholders of NRL (subsidiary of Next Mediaworks Limited), to purchase 3,68,08,001 equity shares (constituting 48.6 percent stake) in NRL. Dr Lal PathLabs: Company received an intimation from Arun Duggal, Independent Director, tendering his resignation. VST Tillers Tractors: February sales dips to 2,076 units versus 3,478 units YoY. KEI Industries: CARE reaffirmed CGR 3+ rating assigned to the corporate governance practices adopted by the company. Steel Strips Wheels: Company achieved February 2019 total wheel rim sales of 12.83 lakh versus 13.03 lakh in February 2018 representing a de-growth of 1 percent YoY. Medico Remedies: Company purchased adjoining manufacturing unit at Palghar. Cochin Shipyard: Company signed contracts with Utkarsh Advisory Services Private Limited, Mumbai, (part of JSW group) for construction and delivery of 4 Nos. 8000 T mini bulk carriers. Shivan Autotech: Company has achieved approximately 29 percent increase in sales in February 2019 compared to corresponding month in the previous financial year. Lakshmi Machine Works: The company received a communication from LIC of India for withdrawal of nomination of V Sathyakumar, Nominee Director of LIC and filing of fresh nomination for appointing Anil Gupta as Nominee Director of LIC on the board of directors of the company. Aster DM Healthcare: Company increased its shareholding in subsidiary Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences Limited to 73.22 percent from 70.68 percent earlier and in Prerana Hospital Limited to 84.93 percent from 80.80 percent earlier. Tata Motors: February sales drop 3 percent to 57,221 units versus 58,993 units YoY. TVS Motor Company: Company registered a growth of 3 percent with sales increasing from 2,90,673 units in February 2018 to 2,99,353 units in February 2019. Eicher Motors: Royal Enfield sales in February fall 14 percent to 62,630 units versus 73,077 units YoY. Himatsingka partners with the Iconix Brand group on the Royal Velvet brand Analyst or Board Meet/Briefings Meghmani Organics: Company, on March 8, to consider and approve interim dividend on the equity shares of the company for the financial year 2018-19. Tata Metaliks: Extraordinary General Meeting of the shareholders to be held on March 25. Xpro India: Board meeting is scheduled on March 8 to consider strategies and opportunities for the company's Biax Unit - I at Barjora and to approve a course of action including, if considered appropriate, sale/transfer of the company's Biax Unit - I at Barjora and the obtaining of necessary enabling approvals. Excel Crop Care: Extraordinary General Meeting of the shareholders to be held on March 30. Prabhat Dairy: Extraordinary General Meeting of the shareholders will be held on March 26. Corporation Bank: Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders of the bank to be held on March 27. UCO Bank: Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders of the bank to be held on March 25. The Investment Trust Of India: Board meeting is scheduled on March 7 to consider the scheme of amalgamation of ITI Reinsurance Limited with the company. Sheela Foam: Officials of the company will be meeting with various investors on March 5 in Mumbai. Allahabad Bank: EGM of shareholders of the bank scheduled to be held on March 26, 2019. Tata Steel: Company's officials will meet Trinity Alps Capital and Rare Enterprises on March 6. Brigade Enterprises: Company's officials will investors on March 5 in Hong Kong. R Systems International: Investors/analysts call of the company will be held on March 5 to discuss the financial results of the company for the quarter and year ended on December 2018. PI Industries: Company's officials will meet Phillip Capital (India) on March 7, Motilal Oswal on March 14 and India Capital Growth Fund (ICGQ) on March 14. Usha Martin: Extraordinary General Meeting of the company to be held on March 30. Hindustan Fluorocarbons: Board meeting is scheduled on March 11 to consider the sale of 66 acres 13 gunthas vacant surplus land, and entering the agreement with MSTC E-auction. Valecha Engineering: Board meeting to be held on March 11 to consider the issue of debt securities. Shriram City Union Finance: Company's officials will meet Motilal Oswal Securities & ICICI Securities on March 7, and Motilal Oswal Securities on March 9. Bulk Deals on March 01 NSE BL Kashyap and Sons: Virwani Jitendra Mohandas sold 11,64,292 shares of the company at Rs 21.42 per share. Nagarjuna Oil Refinery: Zuari Investments sold 32,69,026 shares of the company at 30 paise per share. Proseed India: Krishnam Raju M sold 5 lakh shares of the company at 42 paise per share. Anup Engineering: Enam Asset Management Company sold 54,787 shares of the company at Rs 472.5 per share. Tourism Finance Corporation: Rajasthan Global Securities sold 5,44,634 shares of the company at Rs 118.62 per share. Viji Finance: Vijay Kothari sold 5,61,417 shares of the company at 70 paise per share. BSE Aavas Financiers: Matthews International Funds A/C Matthews India Fund bought 4,04,915 shares of the company at Rs 1,070.10 per share whlie Amundi Funds SBI FM Equity India sold 4,47,963 shares of the company at same price. (For more bulk deals, click here) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Mining giant Vedanta on Tuesday said it has appointed Ajay Kapur as the chief executive officer of its aluminium and power business. Kapur joins Vedanta from Ambuja Cements, where he was the managing director and CEO for its India business. "Ajay will provide leadership for unlocking the full potential of our aluminium and power business which is a USD 10 billion asset with a revenue of USD 6 billion. "His enormous experience in the infrastructure sector will definitely work towards driving growth of India's largest aluminium capacity," Vedanta Resources Executive Chairman Anil Agarwal was quoted as saying in a statement. Kapur brings with him an experience of 31 years across business verticals. He will drive key priorities for the aluminium business which include strong focus on volume and cost and improving efficiencies, among others. Vedanta produces 2.3 million tonne of aluminium per annum, generates eight GW of power and operates two million tonne per annum alumina refinery. "Vedanta is a progressive organisation with a wide presence across natural resources, strong asset footprint, financial strength and above all strong values. I am excited to join Vedanta as CEO for aluminium and power...," Kapur said. Vedanta, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources, is one of the world's leading diversified natural resource companies with business operations in India, South Africa, Namibia and Australia. The company is a leading producer of oil and gas, zinc, lead, silver, copper, iron ore, aluminium, steel and commercial power. BJP's preparations for the coming Lok Sabha elections would get a boost in Telangana with party Chief Amit Shah scheduled to address a meeting of activists at Nizamabad on Wednesday. Shah will attend the cluster meeting of BJP functionaries from Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Medak (Lok Sabha constituencies), BJP MLC N Ramachander Rao told PTI Tuesday. The party has divided the Lok Sabha constituencies in the state into different clusters. Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Smriti Irani were among BJP's national leaders who addressed the cluster meetings organised earlier in the state. Shah's visit is expected to gear up the party workers for the Lok Sabha elections following BJP's drubbing in the December 7 Assembly elections when it won just one seat of the total of 119. The TRS had swept the polls, winning 88 seats. State BJP President K Laxman had said that though the people in Telangana voted for TRS in the assembly polls, they would like to see Narendra Modi as Prime Minister once again in the national interest. On TRS working president K T Rama Rao's comments that TRS would ensure a better deal for Telangana by winning 16 Lok Sabha seats (of the total 17; leaving Hyderabad held by AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi), Laxman had said people of Telangana know that TRS cannot get the Prime Minister's post even if it wins not just 16, but 20 Lok Sabha seats. BJP has already announced that it would contest all the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana on its own. Congress is likely to hold the meeting of its highest decision-making body in Ahmedabad on March 12, party sources said Tuesday, days after it was postponed in the wake of deteriorating security situation between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terrorist attack. The meeting of the Congress Working Committee was previously scheduled for February 28 in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat. But the opposition party decided to postpone it after the Pulwama attack on Feb 14 in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed and the Indian Air Force's strike on a Jaish training camp in Pakistan on Feb 26. Party sources said now the meeting will be held on March 12 in Ahmedabad. After the meeting in the morning, the Congress leadership, including party president Rahul Gandhi, will address a public meeting in Ahmedabad, they said. The party top brass was expected to attend the CWC meeting. This will be the first poll rally that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would attend, days after her foray in active politics as Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The CWC would discuss the current political scenario and review the progress for the coming general election. The party's strategy for 2019 polls and its campaign roadmap are likely to be finalised at the meeting ahead of the announcement of the general election, expected in the coming days. The last CWC meet in Gujarat was held 58 years ago, a party leader said. Priyanka Gandhi's brother and party president Rahul Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi will be present at the rally in Ahmedabad, a BJP stronghold. The "Sankalp Rally" is being perceived by Congress leaders as a major morale booster to the party in the state where it has been out of power for almost three decades. The DMK on March 5 announced that it would contest from 20 seats in Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha elections, with the M K Stalin-led party finalising its seat-sharing agreements with all of its allies -- a total eight of them. The DMK's announcement virtually closes the door on Vijayakanth's DMDK, which is yet to forge an alliance though the ruling AIADMK is positive about aligning with the actor-politician's party. The DMK had earlier wooed the DMDK for an alliance. DMK president M K Stalin said his party has concluded the seat-sharing agreement with all of its allies and that the process of identifying the constituencies to allot to them would start from Thursday. After allocating seats to its allies, including the Congress, the "DMK will now contest from 20 seats" in the state, Stalin said after firming up an electoral pact with the last of his ally, Vaiko-led MDMK, on Tuesday. The DMK will lead a rainbow coalition comprising of the Congress, CPI(M), CPI, MDMK, VCK, IUML, KMDK and IJK. The Congress has been allotted the lion's share of seats among the DMK's allies, with the grand old party receiving nine seats in the state, besides the lone Puducherry segment. The two Left parties, besides the VCK, have been given two seats each. The DMK has allotted one seat each to the MDMK, IJK, IUML and the KMDK. It has also allotted the MDMK one Rajya Sabha seat, the election for which is scheduled for June. On the concluding day of his party's alliance talks, Stalin firmed up the seat-sharing pact with CPI(M) state secretary K Balakrishnan and MDMK's Vaiko. The parties have also expressed their support to the DMK for the bypolls to 21 Assembly seats in the state, which have been lying vacant for sometime now. Currently, the DMK has a total strength of 88 in the 234-member Assembly. While 18 seats fell vacant following the Madras High Court upholding the disqualification of AIADMK MLAs for revolting against Chief Minister K Palaniswami in 2017, Tiruvarur and Tirupparankundram segments await bypolls due to the death of sitting legislators, former DMK chief M Karunanidhi and A K Bose of AIADMK, respectively. Hosur, represented by former AIADMK minister P Balakrishna Reddy, was declared vacant recently after he resigned following a special court sentencing him to three years' rigorous imprisonment in a two-decade-old riot case. On the other side, the AIADMK has stitched up an alliance with the BJP, PMK and the Puthiya Neethi Katchi, while being positive about a prospective poll-pact with the DMDK also, which is likely to take a call on the matter soon. Representative Image Tribal groups across India have called for Bharat Bandh on March 5 to protest a recent Supreme Court ruling which ordered the eviction of tribals and traditional forest dwellers from their natural habitat. Despite the top court staying the order until July 10, the tribals see the move as a temporary reprieve, fearing that the order will be overturned in the absence of a proper law. The tribal groups are now demanding that the Centre pass an ordinance to protect their rights. The apex courts order is said to affect over 11 lakh tribals across 21 states. Lets take a look at why the Supreme Court evicted tribals from their homes. What is the Supreme Court ruling? On February 21, a bench of Justices Arun Mishra, Navin Sinha and Indira Banerjee directed states to ensure the eviction of all those persons from forest lands whose claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) have been rejected. The ruling was a result of a batch of petitions filed by an NGO, Wildlife First, and a few retired forest officials, who alleged that the FRA has led to deforestation and encroachment of forest land. The petitioners sought the recovery of forest land from the possession of those persons whose claims under the FRA have been rejected. According to them, approximately 20.5 lakh claims were rejected out of 44 lakh claims across states. "In case the eviction is not carried out, as aforesaid, the matter would be viewed seriously by this Court", the bench had sternly warned the states. What is the Forest Rights Act and what does it entail? In 1988, the National Forest Policy recognised the symbiotic relationship between forests and forest-dwelling communities. The policy pushed for involving tribal people in the protection and regeneration of forests. In 2006, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, or the Forest Rights Act (FRA) was enacted to protect the individual rights of tribal communities, who are a marginalized socio-economic class, over forest areas if they can prove occupation before December 13, 2005. Why were the claims of over 11 lakh tribals rejected? The claims over forest land are processed through a three-tier system: 1. The Gram Sabha is where the claims are first submitted. The claims include at least two documents as evidence of occupation of land documents issued by the government; statement by elders; and even physical evidence of possession or use of land, such as wells or farming equipment. These claims are verified by a field visit conducted by the Gram Sabhas forest rights committee. 2. Sub-divisional Level Committee (SDLC), which is headed by a government officer. After claims are approved by the Gram Sabha, they are sent to the SDLC for approval. 3. A District-Level Committee (DLC) headed by the District Collector. Approved claims are sent to the DLC for final review. The law grants a personal hearing to the claimants before rejecting their claims, as also it states that reasons for rejection must be given to the claimant in writing. However, this procedure is not being duly followed by authorities leading to the humongous number of rejections. As of November 2018, nearly half (46%) of all FRA claims had been rejected nationwide, India Spend quoted a report prepared by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Most of the claims are rejected at the first or second level because of insufficient evidence or the tribal communities inability to convince forest officers of their occupation of the land. In addition, most of the Adivasis are illiterate and oblivious to the process of filing claims, which often leads to the authorities taking advantage of them and rejecting their claims without even telling them. In other cases, a lack of understanding of the tribal culture leads to claims not being passed. Consider what forest rights activist Benipuri Goswami told The Indian Express, There are 62 claims in Chindaula, Chhattisgarh but most have been rejected because when the team came and looked for proof that the Kamars either lived on the land or tilled it, they looked for farm equipment a bullock cart, or a spade. But the Kamars do shifting cultivation and plant with their hands. The officials didnt understand that and rejected all the claims. As of November 2018, the latest month for which data is available, Chhattisgarh had rejected most individual claims (455,000), followed by Madhya Pradesh (350,000) and Maharashtra (120,000). What lies ahead? The Supreme Court ruling stirred the Adivasi community, which was up in arms demanding that an ordinance be passed to protect them. CNN News18 has reported that the Centres lawyer was absent on the day of the February 13 hearing. On February 28, the Supreme Court accepted the Centres plea seeking withholding of its February 13 order. Even though the Bench stayed its order until July 10, it reprimanded the government, saying, "You have been in a slumber all this while, and now after we passed this order, you are seeking a modification?" Wondering if the persons encroaching on forests were, in fact, traditional forest dwellers, the apex court demanded the states to furnish information on how and why these rejections were made and if due process was followed. Political duels around the issue Congress President Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP for taking a lackadaisical stance towards the situation. He said, "For millions of Adivasis and other forest dwellers, 'Jal, Jangal and Zameen' is integral to their Right to Life guaranteed by our Constitution. It is time for us to work towards deepening the promise of India for everyone." He wrote to newly appointed Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to file a review petition against the order and asked other Congress states to join in on the issue. Slamming the Modi government at a rally in Odisha, Gandhi said, "The Modi government snatched all your rights and destroyed tribal welfare projects and policies launched during UPA rule." Within hours of Indian Air Force (IAF)s air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) madrasa in Balakot on February 26, soldiers of the Pakistani Army evacuated students from the area and kept them at a safe house for some days before sending them back to their homes, The Indian Express has reported. The report quotes a relative of a madrasa student as saying that Pakistani Army soldiers were providing security to the facility for a week before the strike took place. According to the report, the student narrated to his relatives that he and others who were sleeping in the same room were woken up by a 'massive explosion' in the wee hours of February 26. The sound was not far away, it was quite close, the relative told the newspaper, recalling the students account. However, they went back to sleep after hearing nothing again. They thought unka veham hoga (it must have been their imagination). Or perhaps it was an earthquake tremor. They heard nothing more and went back to bed, the report quotes the relative as saying. Later, when they woke up, soldiers asked them to leave the place. They were taken to another location and kept there for two-three days, the relative said. He said there were quite a lot of people at the madrasa but not all of them went to the safe house. It was him and some others of the same age group. He does not know what happened to the others or where the explosion took place, the relative added. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. Contradictory reports have been emerging about the impact of the air strike on the JeM camp. Authorities have so far not put out the number of casualties caused by the strike. On March 4, Indian Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa declined to comment on the death toll in the air strike, saying it was for the government to provide details on the number of terrorists killed and the IAF only sees if a target has been hit or not. The statement came a day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Amit Shah claimed that that more than 250 terrorists were killed in the air strike. Opposition parties have been repeatedly seeking proof of the air strike and the casualties inflicted there after Pakistan claimed that only a few trees were destroyed in the attack. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on February 28 said that lives of jawans are much more valuable than electoral politics, but the nation has a right to know what actually happened at Balakot following the IAF's air strike there. The Congress too asked the government what was the basis of Shah's claim was and why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not providing details of the casualties. Jabin T Jacob Remarks from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the wake of Indias attack on Balakot in Pakistan and the subsequent tensions between the two South Asian neighbours appeared to suggest that Beijing was taking a more or less neutral stand. The official spokespersons answers to repeated questions on the India-Pakistan incidents stuck to the same overall formulation calling for restraint from both sides and for de-escalation. A Pakistan slant However, the fact is that this apparent Chinese neutrality also creates a false equivalence between India and Pakistan in which Pakistans original sin as the perpetrator of terrorism, including the Pulwama attack, is erased and equal responsibility assigned to both India and Pakistan for the current instability and tensions. Chinese media also copied their foreign ministry in implying that Indian actions were also in the wrong and needed to be restrained. Additionally, however, they also tended to suggest that the Pakistanis had the superior response by talking about two Indian aircraft being downed. This completely ignored the Indian version of events, which admitted to only one aircraft being downed and also suggested that a Pakistani aircraft had been brought down. Chinese medias pro-Pakistan slant is evident in the highlighting, for example, of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans peace gesture of releasing the captured Indian pilot and of his offer for talks with India, ignoring international norms on POWs and Indian concerns. One op-ed also indirectly implied that the Indian government was creating tensions because of electoral considerations while repeating a long-standing Chinese position that Pakistan, too, was a victim of terrorism without, of course, also reminding the reader of the role of the Pakistani State in creating the problem in the first place. Amidst the India-Pakistan standoff, Chinese social media also decided to engage in a spot of grandstanding picking up Pakistani claims that it was a Chinese-produced JF-17 Thunder (Xiaolong) fighter, part of the Pakistan sortie on February 27, which had taken down the Indian Mig-21. There is however, no evidence yet to prove this. Not letting Pakistan off the hook At the same time, the Chinese have not been shy about naming the Jaish-e-Mohammad as the perpetrator of the Pulwama attack or acknowledging that terror camps exist in Pakistan. This then makes it all the more clear how instrumental or interest-driven the Chinese position is. Beijing wants to ensure that Islamabad and Rawalpindi do not take its support for granted and target those elements within the terrorist network in Pakistan that target Chinese interests in Xinjiang. At the same time, it is willing to turn a blind eye to any problems that India might face from the same or other terrorist elements in Pakistan. Chinas ambitions for itself as a regional and global power also compel it to take a stance that portrays it as somehow being above the fray and as mediating between or advising its smaller, squabbling neighbours. Chinas eastern front There are other issues that prevent China from taking Pakistans side too closely. Chief among these is the US factor. The US Navy sent a destroyer into the Taiwan Strait on February 25, not for the first time in recent months but just a day before the Balakot attack by India. While the US Pacific Fleet called the transit routine, the incident suggests that for China, events in South Asia cannot be disconnected from events elsewhere, for these might also constrain its options in support of Pakistan. US President Donald Trumps declaration on February 23 that he understood Indias wish to do something very strong in the wake of the Pulwama attack seemed particularly well-timed. In fact, he made his statement to reporters right after his meeting with a visiting Chinese trade delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He that was trying to resolve the ongoing trade war with the US. Liu is seen as a close adviser of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Even if it is too much of a stretch to imagine that the US and India acted in concert or that the Chinese were given a gentle hint too, it is still a long way from 1971 when the USS Enterprise steamed toward the Bay of Bengal to warn India against extending the war on Pakistan and the then US leadership considered asking the Chinese, too, to threaten the Indians into easing up in its war. Likely Chinese future course Cut to the present however, given the Chinese sense of competition with the US, Beijing, too, will want eventually to be able to provide the sort of backing for Pakistan that the US possibly did or could for India. So, while the Chinese might look currently as if they did not support Pakistan too loudly or substantially, it will be in the nature of things for China to continue to bolster Pakistans capabilities and to support Pakistani narratives. Jabin T Jacob is associate professor, department of international relations and governance studies, Shiv Nadar University, and adjunct research fellow, National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi. Twitter: @jabinjacobt. Views are personal. For more Opinion pieces, click here Balakot airstrikes: India is believed to have carried out airstrikes inside Pakistan early on February 26, 2019, and targeted terror camps. The development came amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the February 14 suicide attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Viju Cherian The second half of February was an action-packed one for India. The Pulwama terror attack took place on February 14 in which more than 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed. Following this, on February 26, the Indian Air Force (IAF) pre-emptively struck terror camps at Balakot in Pakistan. The following day, Pakistan retaliated and in the process an IAF pilot was captured in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). To much jubilation in India, on March 1, Pakistan returned the pilot. Indias military deserves kudos for doing what it does best protecting the nation, come what may! Through various avenues the people of India have expressed their love and pride for the forces. Sadly, the reaction of the political establishment especially that of the government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been disappointing. The Opposition has also not covered itself in glory either, but, being the party in power, there is an added level of maturity and responsibility that is expected from the BJP. The Opposition has accused the BJP of milking the militarys achievements and taking undue credit. After the Balakot strike, media reports quoted sources in the ruling party as pegging the number of terrorists killed between 200 and 350. On March 3, BJP President Amit Shah said that more than 250 terrorists were killed in Balakot. On Tuesday, March 5, defence minister Nirmala Sitaraman said that the governments stand on this has been conveyed by the foreign secretary who did not quote a figure in his statement. While the ruling party is giving conflicting statements about the outcome of the airstrike, international media has been more or less unanimous that the figures quoted by the BJP could be exaggerated. What adds weight to the Oppositions case is that the government has not quoted a figure. Now, credit should be given to the government where it is due. This might cause heartburn for the Opposition, especially for the Congress, but the fact is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserves praise for decisive action against Pakistan-back terror attacks on India. The first instance was on September 28, 2016, when the Indian Army carried surgical strikes along the Line of Control (LoC). This was a paradigm shift in Indias approach to terrorist groups operating from PoK. The second, on February 26, moved the pieces further showing New Delhis intent to tackle terror camps targeting India operating within Pakistan. The political backing (and risks it carried) given by central government to the armed forces to conduct these strikes cannot be wished away. It is also a fact that no previous government can claim such actions to its credit. It is natural for the ruling party to take credit for the achievements of the government it is running. This becomes all the more true if that party has an absolute majority in Parliament like the Shah-led BJP. The problem arises when the ruling party, the BJP, uses the false binary to say that criticising the party is equal to criticising the armed forces. The narrative that anyone who questions the governments claims on the February 26 airstrike is doubting the ability and sincerity of the armed forces is a dangerous parallel to draw. There are times when the government could be synonymous with the ruling party; however, under no circumstance in a democracy can the armed forces be a plural for the government. That bring us to the question: Then why did the BJP give a random number of the terrorists killed in Balakot? If the number was to instil fear, it has not been effective. The Pakistan army and ISIs raison d'etre is its enmity towards India and with hundreds of terror camps and many more recruits being trained to bleed India with a thousand cuts, the loss of 200 or even 300 recruits is a drop in the ocean. If the number was to boost the ruling partys image in the light of no evidence, this seems to have backfired. The larger point is the message the airstrike has sent. By sending in air troops, the Modi government made a clear statement that Pakistan must be ready to bear the cost for wanton acts of terror. It is the bluntness of that message which makes the number of the terrorist killed irrelevant. At a time when the nation is overwhelmed by the response India has given Pakistan, and by that extension, the message Modi has sent the BJP should have avoided fixing a number to it. Indias message to Pakistan, irrespective of the number of terrorist killed, is clear be ready for quick action. There was little need to politicise this action. By putting a number to the achievement, the BJP has inserted a false negative to what is otherwise a decisive action by the Modi-led government. For more Opinion pieces, click here Representative image: Reuters The Pakistan Navy has claimed it thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter the country's territorial waters on March 4. The report comes after tensions flared up between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. Pakistan Navy also shared a footage with the media, which it said was "actual". The image showed that footage was made at 2035 hours on March 4. "The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a spokesperson said in a statement. The Indian submarine was not deliberately targeted by the Pakistan to give peace a chance, the spokesperson said. "The Indian submarine was not targeted keeping in view Pakistan's policy of peace," the official said, adding that India must learn from this incident and "move towards peace". "The Pakistan Navy is always ready to guard its territorial waters and is capable of responding to any kind of aggression with full force," the navy said. The naval forces claimed it was the second attempt since November 2016 that naval forces have caught the Indian Navy trying to enter the country's territorial waters. Earlier in 2016, the Pakistan Navy successfully repelled an Indian submarine from entering the country's territorial waters, the report said. After the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was handed over to India on March 1. That mansion was one of the most luxurious homes of Chicago of its era, said Bill Tyre, executive director and curator of the Glessner House, a neighboring property that is now considered a National Historic Landmark but one that Pullman himself considered an eyesore and one he would have preferred not to have so close to his home. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan Dhan Yojana (PMSYM) on March 5. The scheme is aimed at providing an assured monthly pension of Rs 3,000 for workers in the unorganised sector with a monthly income of up to Rs 15,000, from the retirement age (60 years). This will be on a monthly contribution of a small amount during their working age. The scheme was announced by interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal during this year's Interim Budget speech on February 1. Goyal had said: An unorganised sector worker joining pension yojana at the age of 29 years will have to contribute only Rs 100 per month until the age of 60 years. The Centre will contribute an equal amount per month-per person availing the scheme. Goyal had announced that at least 10 crore labourers and workers in the unorganised sector are expected to benefit from PMSYM within the next five years, making it one of the largest pension schemes of the world. The Centre had allocated Rs 500 crore for the scheme. The launch comes days ahead of the Election Commission of India (EC) announcing the Lok Sabha election dates. Upon announcement of the date, the model code of conduct would be imposed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he "pitied" the thinking of some people who believe all religious activities are useless, without realising that spirituality is the force that has driven the country. Underlining the role of seers in strengthening the society, the prime minister said the "spiritual force" had helped in fighting the 1200-year long slavery. Modi also said the country should aim for the best things and that even the action by soldiers should not be on a small scale, an apparent reference to the Balakot strike. "There is a class of people in the country which believes all these religious activities are useless (thinking) they do not give any benefit to society, but are invented for the benefit of a few. I pity their thinking," Modi said addressing a huge gathering here. He was peaking after laying the foundation stone for Rs 1000 crore Ma Umiya Dham temple complex of Kadva Patidar community at Jaspur village near here. "Our spiritual tradition has been the force that has run this country. No one can ever forget the role of sants and seers in strengthening our society. They have given us valuable teachings. They have given us the strength to fight the evil as well as oppressions," Modi said. The PM said the spiritual force had helped in safeguarding the pride, culture and traditions during 1200 years of slavery. "It was due to our spiritual force that we were able to fight for our pride, our culture and our traditions during the 1000-1200 years of our slavery," he said. Modi said spirituality also worked for our cohesive social life. "Actually, organisation of small Kumbh melas every three years and a huge congregation every 12 years is to assess where our society is going. Sants used to come from all over the country to discuss the issues of society. Our spiritual traditions was one of the reasons behind the 1857 freedom struggle," the prime minister said. He further said Yoga has become a new craze in the world, which also indicates the importance of spirituality. "These spiritual traditions have great power to cure social evils," the PM said while appealing to Patidar community members to save the girl child and to prevent the young generation from addictions. "I would ask you to save the girl child. When we are building such a huge temple for mother Umiya, can we kill our girl child in the womb of mothers," Modi said. He said it was becoming difficult nowadays for families to protect their children in the event of them straying on a wrong track and becoming addicted (to drugs and booze). "It is important that we do not allow this to happen," Modi said, adding that spirituality has the power to fight against social evils. At the occasion, the prime minister praised trustees of the Ma Umiya Dham Trust. "In this country, we have reached the times where nothing should be on a small scale but everything must be on a big scale. Had we not displayed this mentality then we would not have been able to build the biggest statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel," he said. The PM said, "Why should we do not have the best things in the world like bullet trains, and if our brave soldiers do something, why it should be small?" Modi further said he would continue to be the prime minister of the country for the second term as well. "If trustees of this trust want any help for this mega project, you should come to me in Delhi. I am going to on that seat even after 2019," Modi said. Apart from the grand temple, the entire complex would house a skills university, separate hostels for boys and girls, a job placement and counselling centre for students, counselling centres for the issues related to agriculture and immigration, and a unit to resolve social and commercial disputes among the community members. The entire complex, situated near SG Highway, will be located on a 30 lakh square feet area. History does not repeat itself, but it does tend to rhyme, goes the old saying. In our inaugural podcast on the companies that changed the world, we narrated the origin story of one of the world's first and largest megacorporations, the British East India Company. Since then, we have seen the emergence of several other companies that have, in their own unique ways, changed the world as we know it. They have introduced technologies that have revolutionised life as we know it; they have built products that have changed the way we understand, and engage with, the world. Along with the bouquets, they have also received several brickbats. Listen to the previous episode here. If Volkswagen lied to its consumers about what its cars were releasing into the environment, Equifax, despite discovering a security breach in its network, did not immediately disclose to its customers that criminal hackers had infiltrated the company's servers and accessed personal data thus exposing them to the threat of identity theft. Some companies have risen to the top of the pyramid by flouting environmental regulations thereby putting millions if not billions of people and animals in harm's way, while others have gamed the system to work in their favour by way of bribery and crony capitalism. Some have incited wars between nations if only to benefit from the bounties of the military industrial complex, while others have looted and pillaged resource-rich countries, and in the process, merrily lining their pockets and leaving said countries in a rocky rubble. Unfortunately, these are not modern phenomena. The blueprint of corporate greed and the tactics used for self-serving gains of corporation can be found several hundred years ago. The British and Dutch East India Companies laid down the foundation, a veritable How To Guide, for much of the egregious mistakes committed by the corporations of our time. In the last episode on the East India Company, we looked at how the company established itself as a force to reckon with in the 17th and 18th centuries. It colonized India, profiting by being ruthless and businesslike in a land riven by many conflicts, and eventually ruled over all of it. In 1857, of course, what we now know variously as the Mutiny or the First War of Independence occurred. The outcome of that event was twofold: India, as a colony, was taken over by the British crown, and just 14 years later, East India Company ceased to exist. In this podcast, we will examine how the East India Company was something of a progenitor for modern transnational corporations that span continents. Reading about the East India Company provides a glimpse of the origins of some practices that have come to mark modern business, from lobbying and corruption to monopolistic practices. But it, was, first and foremost, a venture for profit. The Economist writes, The East India Company foreshadowed the modern world in all sorts of striking ways. It was one of the first companies to offer limited liability to its shareholders. It laid the foundations of the British empire. It spawned Company Man...it was the first state-backed company to make its mark on the world. Twenty (something) years ago, as the state abandoned the commanding heights of the economy in the name of privatisation and deregulation, it looked as if these public-private hybrids were doomed. Today they are flourishing in the emerging world's dynamic economies and striding out onto the global stage. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose, they say in French. The more things change, the more they remain the same. Let's find out how on this edition of Digging Deeper with Moneycontrol with me Rakesh Sharma. Modern state controlled companies are not unlike the East India Company When we talk about modern companies, we tend to focus on American and West European entities. But there are other businesses that stride across the world, behemoths with large appetites. We would be well served to cast our eye eastwards, towards larger countries that have a concentration of power at their centres. Any that come to mind? These days, state-controlled companies account for 80% of the market capitalisation of the Chinese stock market, over 60% in Russia, and 35% in Brazil. World-class state companies are to be found in nearly every industry. China Mobile had over 900 million customers in June 2018. Saudi Arabia's SABIC is one of the world's most profitable chemical companies. Emirates airlines continues to grow at 20% every year. Thirteen of the world's biggest oil companies are state-controlled. So is the world's biggest natural-gas company, Gazprom. The Economist observed back in 2011 that state-owned companies would continue to thrive. The emerging markets that they could prosper in were expected to grow at 5.5% per year compared with the rich world's 1.6%, and the model was only becoming popular. The Chinese and Russian governments were leading a fashion for employing the state's power to produce national champions in a growing range of strategic industries. It must be said that the parallels between the East India Company and today's state-owned firms are not exact. The East India Company controlled a standing army of over two lakh men, more than most European states of the time. (More than the British army in 18th century Britain even!) None of today's state-owned companies has yet gone this far, though the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, or CNOOC for purposes of brevity, has employed former People's Liberation Army troops to protect oil wells in Sudan. If youve heard or read somewhere that China is colonizing Africa, one could surmise that not all of those opinions can be termed alarmist. The British government did not own shares in the East India Company (though the same cannot be said of then prominent courtiers and politicians). Today's state-capitalist governments hold huge blocks of shares in their favourite companies. Then again, in other ways, the similarities can be striking. Both the East India Company and its more modern incarnations serve two masters, keeping one eye on their share price and the other on their political patrons. Many state-owned companies are monopolies or quasi-monopolies: Brazil's Petrobras, China Mobile, China State Construction Engineering Corporation and Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission, are just a few of the many public or semi-public giants that dominate the business world these days. Many are enthusiastic globalisers that venture abroad as money-making organisations as wells as quasi-official agents of their home governments. In fact, this evil corporation theme is the premise of many B-grade action films. The Economist wis no fan of these businesses either. It wrote, Many are keen not only on getting their government to provide them with soft loans and diplomatic muscle but also on building infrastructureroads, hospitals and schoolsin return for guaranteed access to raw materials. While the East India Company flourished a very long time ago, and functioned in a world that was shaped very differently, its growth, longevity and surprisingly quick demise hold lessons for those who run today's state companies and debate their future, lessons about the benefits of linking a company's interests to a nation's and the dangers of such an approach. Lets examine those close links to government, and what they mean for such large corporations. One major benefit the East India Company derived from its relations with the state was limited liability. Before the rise of state-backed companies, businesses had imposed unlimited liability on investors. If things went kaput, creditors could come after them for everything they possessed, not sparing even their ugly buckled shoes. They could have them imprisoned if they failed to pay up. However, some firms had been granted limited liability, and the Company's officers persuaded Queen Elizabeth that it should be given this handy status too. Another major benefit of state backing - and this is an easy guess - was monopoly. In the 17th century, round-the-world voyages were not too different, in scope, from space missions today. They involved huge upfront costs and massive risk. Monopoly provided some security on returns. A third benefit was military might. The East India Company , as well as its Dutch and Portuguese rivals, could also call on the power of their respective navies. That monopoly is something every modern corporation has inevitably aimed for. More than one modern company has faced anti-trust laws that are meant to avoid precisely the same exploitative monopolies that all of the East India Companies are notorious for. Following Robert Clives victory in Bengal in 1757, the company effectively enjoyed monopoly over the subcontinent for another hundred years. What followed next was summed up by Nick Robins: In the space of less than a decade, the Company had rerouted the flow of wealth westwards. Yet, this was a corporate revolution, designed to acquire the riches of an entire people for the benefit of a single company. It is most interesting then, that, when Facebooks Cambridge Analytica fiasco exploded onto the front page of news everywhere, the whistleblower at the center of the expose compared Zuckerbergs company to the East India Company. For the most popular social media platform in the world to be compared to the East India Company - that should tell you how relevant the East India Company is to modern business. Christopher Wylie, who had been director of research at Cambridge Analytics, claimed tech companies are colonising society, and Facebook in particular is our generations East India Company. He questioned why there arent effective rules in place for dealing with tech giants, saying, Why is it that as data scientists we dont have to consider the ethical implications of what we do? I think thats absurd. He then added, Facebook has so much power it is basically making a digital clone of society...It is our generations version of the East India Company, going around exploiting people and our governments arent equipped to deal with it...We lionise tech founders and consider them as almost divine with all their shiny technology without stepping back to ask ourselves about how we are letting them colonise our society. Joint-stock companies and modern capitalism The British East India Company was among the first New Model Businesses of its era - a time of innovation. The East India Company wasnt exactly the pioneer - the Portuguese and Dutch got to the spice trade first, and the French were the first to employ new business structures. The British version was, however, the most successful. It managed the delicate balance between business and national policy and defeated its rivals through business skill and scale, and even military action. It was the structural changes that had the most enduring impact - the creation of the joint stock company and the concept of limited liability. As early as the 12th Century, the Venetians in Italy had pioneered the concept of assembling fleets of merchant vessels in which the owners received not the profits of an individual vessel but a percentage of profits from the total voyage - a practice sometimes referred to as an early form of insurance. The practice was applied only to individual trading voyages. But the French and British models improved on that. French and British joint stock companies combined two major innovations - limited liability (meaning, you can lose only what is ventured) and permanent shares, which do not require return of capital after a particular venture, and which can be bought and sold. According to some analysts, these two innovations were the foundations of modern capitalism, and so embedded in the modern understanding of capitalist enterprise that it is hard to imagine a world without them. Another element of the East India Trading Companies of both France and Britain was that they grew from being a private business chartered by the king to a hybrid of profit-seeking enterprise and an instrument of state policy. The British Company gradually brushed aside the other contenders. The Portuguese had too limited a resource base. The Dutch stuck strictly to a business model, which required that forces supporting trade should be paid for by its profits. The British and Dutch fought four naval wars in that ended with British victory. Take, for instance, our Robert Clive reference from earlier: the British East India Company had won an effective monopoly on all important areas of world trade for over a century - 1740 to 1857. Having a virtual monopoly which it ferociously defended was the essence of Company. There were constant arguments between home office and field operatives and between business and state, along with rampant corruption. Field officers returned to Britain with fortunes and titles. Some analysts argue that the same fact applies to the relatively uncompetitive oligopoly of the major social media companies. Hybrid business models are everywhere now, though not always seen in that light. The hybrid model combining business and government applies most tightly with public utilities and somewhat more loosely for the transportation industry. In the case of utilities, governmental entities put a limit to return on capital but also (as one Mr Warren Buffett figured out a couple of decades ago) more or less guarantee that they will receive the regulatory return. A complex set of rules applies to defense companies, capping but also more or less assuring returns. There are also strict rules based on defense strategy, such as the requirement that shipbuilding be divided between the two coasts. Chinese giants like Alibaba have operated from the very beginning under supervision by the state while also being highly competitive and profitable investment vehicles. Despite some quarrels, the British government of the 18th and early 19th centuries was generally content with the activities of the East India Company until one problem just exploded in their faces - the violence in 1857. While the reprisals from the EAST INDIA COMPANY eventually put down all rebellion, the British governments patience had run out. In 1874, the company was shut down. That blowout holds lessons for modern transnational corporations. Take for example the China-in-Africa angle we mentioned earlier. Gateways to neo-colonialism? In 2009, China overtook the USA as Africas largest trading partner. China loaned a whopping $95.5 billion on the continent between 2000 and 2015. Though Kenya and Ethiopia were the only two African nations among the 30 countries signing economic and trade agreements at the Belt and Road Forum (or BARF. Yes, BARF) in Beijing in May 2017, China has been keeping busy in Africa. A Guardian article noted, The flagship Belt and Road project is Kenyas 290-mile railway from the capital, Nairobi, to the port city of Mombasa, which opened to the public last year. There are plans to extend that network into South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi; it was already the countrys largest infrastructure project since independence. Landlocked Ethiopia got a 750-kilometre electric railway from its capital, Addis Ababa, to the port in the neighbouring country of Djibouti, and costy USD 3.25 billion. The Ethiopian capitals new light rail system was also funded and built by China, and operated by Shenzhen Metro Group. Djibouti, in exchange for major investments, preferential loans, a pipeline and two airports, now hosts Chinas first overseas military base. Chinese infrastructure projects stretch all the way to Angola and Nigeria, with ports planned along the coast from Dakar to Libreville and Lagos. Beijing has also signalled its support for the African Unions proposal of a pan-African high-speed rail network. There have been concerns about these loans. THe Guardian reported that research by the Centre for Global Development found Djibouti was among eight Belt and Road countries significantly or highly vulnerable to debt distress from the loans. IMF figures showed Djiboutis public external debt swelling from 50% to 85% of GDP in two years. Former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson had accused China of predatory loan practices. Even Hillary Clinton, when she was secretary of state, had warned of Chinas new colonialism. But, according to the director of China Africa Research Initiative Deborah Brautigam, The risk for African borrowers relates to the projects profitability. Will they be able to generate enough economic activity through these projects to repay these loans? Or are the projects seen more as ribbon-cutting opportunities? The Chinese believe that ports and special economic zones are a win-win development tool. Its what they did at home at an earlier stage of their development. Gurcharan Das wrote that public monopolies never really died. He explained, They were popular around the world during socialist periods of the twentieth century. The post-Independence government of India between 1956 and 1981, in a period popularly called License Raj, was as biased in favour of public monopoly and against private enterprise as the mercantile state in Europe. These state monopolies were beset with some of the problems that Adam Smith had forecast: poor poor customer service, high costs, weak profits, poor work ethic among employees, poor capital output ratios and low accountability. That paints a dreary picture, one where we never really escaped the clutches of colonialism. Hmm. Working for the Company We covered in the previous podcast how working for the East India Company wasnt unlike working for a modern MNC. Jobs at the East India Company were coveted, and with good reason. One BBC article examined and found that working for the John Company involved many modern staples of a job - interviews, unpaid internships, training modules. In 1806, it opened the East India College, a 60-acre estate to train new clerks. The curriculum included history, the classics, law, and languages like Hindustani, Sanskrit, Persian and Telugu. In its modern day avatar, the place is known as the Haileybury and Imperial Services College. And they splurged on their HQ much like Google or Facebook. Heres a description from the BBC: The courtroom had a marble bas-relief of Britannia surrounded by India, Asia and Africa and doors panelled with pictures of far-flung Company ports like Bombay and the Cape. Marble statues of British officers in Roman togas watched over one of the sale rooms. Spoils from war including the bullet-ridden silk standards, pipe organ of a tiger devouring a European and jewel-encrusted gold throne of the Sultan of Mysore Tipu were on display in the headquarters museum. Then theres the on-site sleepover. Some modern companies offer their employees nap rooms. Well, the East India Company went a step further. Before the 1790s, some workers lived at the office with their families some even for free. And if corporations today have found that their workers can abuse their napping privileges, well, fear not - so did employees in the 17th and 18th centuries. One housekeeper who pushed his luck in 1680 was forced to turn out his son-in-law though his wife, daughter, grand-child and maid were allowed to remain. Thats a soap opera at the workplace. Who says the English are frigid and cant be dramatic? What about on-site, you ask? They stayed in the factories. And rules were strict. One decree from the 17th century reads, If any be drunk or abuse the natives, they are to be set at the gate in irons all the daytime, and all the night to be tied to a post in the house. And much like todays companies, longevity paid their employees well. In the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, the East India Companys clerks were some of Britains highest paid. The longer you worked at the Company, the higher your salary. In 1815, a new clerk would start at 40 per year (compared to average western worker salaries, which are at about $41,000 today. But that rose quickly: an employee working for 11 to 15 years would earn 220 a year , or 200k USD in todays money. After 39 years of service, 600 a year, or upwards of half-a-million dollars per year in todays money. East India Company and modern supply chains What fascinates me most about the East India Company, indeed all such early companies, is that they put in place the rudimentaries of the global supply chains that we now take for granted. One Business Insider retrospective on the East India Company noted that its business model is entirely recognizable in the 21st century: keeping supply and production costs low while maximizing the price of goods sold in England. It ended up outsourcing as much as it could, including manufacturing, shipping and retailing. The value it added was in the selection of goods and in keeping the supply chain humming. In the words of Nick Robins, In a situation characterized by extremely poor information, the Company's strength lay in its ability to achieve an equilibrium between supply and demand on opposite sides of the planet. Stephen Grenville, who works with an Australian think tank named Lowy Institute, wrote an incisive piece on the Dutch East India Company, that could hold very true for the East India Company as well: Here, surely, was a very early, fully operational manifestation of international integration, the embryonic form of today's ubiquitous globalisation. We would recognise its constituent elements. Here was the tenuous but well-structured supply-chain, extended all the way from Banda to Amsterdam, via numerous ports and functionaries, administered with brutal efficiency by the Dutch East India Company, perhaps the first business organisation that bears resemblance to today's multinational corporations. The company raised money by issuing shares. It had the first widely-recognised commercial logo. Even without today's computers, the company's officials were linked through a hierarchy of regular detailed reporting and accounting. Production was brought together in plantations and processed in 'factories'. Near-subsistence agriculture was replaced with scale and quality control, supervised by the perkeniers with an incentivising profit-sharing deal with the company. Customer feedback was insistently relayed to producers. This mighty machine produced 3000 tons of nutmeg annually and transported it across hazardous waters to deliver it to the burghers of Holland and on to the rest of Europe's spice-hungry upper-class. Ad hoc trade between nations, with goods passing through many hands, many owners and many markets, was replaced by 'straight-through' processing by a single entity the Dutch East India Company. One key characteristic of the Dutch trade might serve as a reminder that globalisation is not always exactly the same as the 'free market' expounded in economic textbooks and extolled by business. The central organising principle of this Dutch trade was that it would be a monopoly. The Dutch East India Company had a royal charter a government-endorsed monopoly. Today we would call it a 'national champion', taking on the world on behalf of Holland. The end sounds familiar The Economist noted that the East India Companys demise was caused by bad management, and the greed and power of its shareholders. How often do we hear that these days? So where it once received a large bailout from the government because it was, in modern terms, too big to fail, in the 19th century, it had attracted plenty of critics who despised everything it stood for. Adam Smith, yes that Adam Smith, called it a bloodstained monopoly that was burdensome, useless and responsible for grotesque massacres in Bengal. In 1857, the mutiny occurred and, as a consequence, in 1858, the government took over all administrative duties in India. The Company's headquarters in London was demolished in 1862. It paid its last dividend in 1873 and was finally put out of its misery in 1874. An organisation that had been given life by the state was eventually extinguished by it. But the company provides an interesting case study. It survived for over two centuries with some pretty modern thinking - prospering from trade in good times and turning to the government for help in bad ones. It showed that it is quite possible to rely on the government for support while at the same time remaining relatively lean and inventive. Another fascinating lesson the East India Company has for supersized modern corporations is that they would be foolish not to expect to be corrupted by politics. The Economist noted that the merchants who ran the East India Company repeatedly emphasised that they had no intention of ruling India. They were men of business who only dabbled in politics out of necessity. However, as rival state companies tried to muscle in on their business and local princelings turned out to be either incompetent or recalcitrant, they ended up claiming huge swathes of land, all in the name of commerce. Most modern corporations say they are only in business for the sake of business. They dismiss their political connections as unimportant or plain incidental. The history of the East India Company suggests matters are never quite that simple. Hrishi K: Hello and welcome to NSE Presents: Invest O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by Moneycontrol. My name is Hrishi K and Im your host on the podcast. It is podcast is all about getting your money to make better investments for you in the new financial year. Now managing the household budget is something that every Indian women, as well as women around the world, have done super efficiently over the years. Dont we all learn our first money management and budgeting lessons from our mothers or the women in the family? Even without formal training, they handle the household budget and they are able to plan expenses down to the last rupee. Its no secret and an absolute no brainer that women manage money much better than men. But in spite of being better money managers, one of the things which women tend to not do a lot is long-term financial planning. There are a few things that you must certainly do to make sure managing finances becomes a part of your everyday life just like managing your home is. After all, you know whats best for your children, your family and even your spouse. There are a few things that you must absolutely do to make sure your family and children are secure financially as well. Like making sure you account for your personal expenses when planning the monthly budget separately otherwise you would have cut corners from other expenses. Also make sure that you have your basics covered, like personal and family insurance, insurance of your spouse or spend time learning online banking, payments etc. We are celebrating women all this month and in todays episode of Invest O- Cast we are going to be talking about managing home and finances for women homemakers with a guest, who is not a seasoned financial expert but an expert homemaker herself. Hrishi K: National Stock Exchange (NSE) with the help of Invest O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by Moneycontrol is committed to break the limitations of geographical boundaries and reach investors across the country. In todays episode, we talk about, managing home and finances for women. To help us with this, in this month of women, we have with us Medha Raheja; she has completed her management in finance and worked with one of the largest private bank in this country for 2 decades. After this long corporate journey she has now decided to be with her family at home and start her second innings with them. Hrishi K: Welcome to the show Medha! Very happy to host you on this show. How are you? Medha Raheja: Very well, thank you so much Hrishi. Hrishi K: We would like to know little more about you and your journey as a working woman and then as a mother. Medha Raheja: I started working right after college and after working I got married, after married kids and the decades past in just a jiffy. After these 2 decades I realized that no I need to be at home now and get back to my family, stay with them. The house needed me. My mother would always tell me, no matter however far you go in your corporate journey you have to take the belan one day. Hrishi K: Your mother like all other mother is a very wise lady. Thank you so much for that. Now with your career as a banker and juggling life with your family and children, how do you handle everything so perfectly I mean down to the details of it or is it like magicians never tell. Medha Raheja: No the magicians are the family here, so with the family support and of course your life line, your maids, whom have to really take care of, so with their support my family, my kid has been taking caring with this so many years and I have been able to give time to my work as well. Hrishi K: Well, You are listening to NSE Presents: Invest O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by Moneycontrol an initiative that is all about helping people learn about their finances on the gowe would like to understand a little bit more from Medha about managing home and finances as a homemaker, something that many other women would want to know more about. So important things that people should keep in mind while planning day to day finances lets get into that. Medha Raheja: The most important things to be economically independent for every woman today. Right from her personal expenses to whatever her kids want, she needs to be in control of her money. So most important for her is also to take care of herself, she needs to have a mediclaim for herself, it is extremely important for every women in the house to have a mediclaim for herself besides the head of family. With today with cancer spreading this rapidly every woman must take a cancer care policy too for herself. Hrishi K: Now lets zero down on your life because one of the important things on this show is also to derive inspiration considering its the month of women, inspiration of women to come on this show and try model our lives on them, so what have you done, yourself and there by suggest that others do for better financial planning for yourself and the family? Medha Raheja: So I started investing right from my school days, whenever I would have extra cash left out my parents would buy some stocks and tell me this is your marriage money and thats how I got into the stock market. You need to start investing as early as possible in life, today is the best day to start. You know even if the years are gone by you must start at a very early age to create wealth for yourself as well as for your family. And look at into it as a long term horizon. For you this money is going to be important and it is going to be your pension, you will require it at an age where you might not have an income. Your childrens education, your childrens marriage. Everything will be taken care off if you start early. Hrishi K: Its wonderful that you learn this lesson very early from your parents and from your mother particular and thereby it helps you as parents passing all lessons to your child. Medha Raheja: Absolutely. Absolutely. Hrishi K: Wonderful, so in your experience what should women do to secure their familys future when it comes to financial planning? Medha Raheja: Every woman must have a bank account individually without the head of the family. Whatever she has saved in the month from her monthly household expenses, must get into bank accounts and she must start a systematic investment plan into a mutual fund. It could be mix of debt equity or only equity but some small investments must happen month on month for her. This is going to create a wealth for her in a long run. You know, I have actually encouraged all my domestic help to open bank accounts and used their ATMs so whenever they want to withdraw money. They take their ATM cards and they go and use it because now ATM is even in Marathi. Hrishi K: Lovely and its so empowering. Especially somebody who is domestic help at home who is lady. Who is homemaker herself and she is probably the most biggest earning member in her family. For her to use an ATM and transact, adds to their confidence level too. You know its really unfortunate and I see this now, even now in this day and age that women often turn around and say Oh! if its matters of taxation and money matters its my husbands department or its dads department and when it concern child care its mine but really this day and age the lines are blurring. Just as much as that you need to involve in your finances and not just pawn it off to the men in the house. The men need to get involved in child care too. You have cuts both ways little bit about that, your view on that Medha? Medha Raheja: Yes off course, definitely because finally its our child, its our house; everything is ours so definitely our money has to grow together. We both need to be decision maker for our money so we must involve the woman of the house too in financial decisions. Hrishi K: And its not big opposition, big bolder to conquer. Lot of people has built up in their head you know this cobwebs. Its actually really really simple even if you are doing your taxes even if you are doing the financial planning you know its not rocket science. Medha Raheja: Not at all in fact you can pay your taxes online and you can do your investment online because everything is so much easier now with the world getting shorter with the web everyone woman must have control of her own funds Hrishi K: I always said this you know we have to say about India that in the west high school drop outs are able to do this of their own whereas here even the most basic person in this country is an undergrad here if not a post graduate. Medha Raheja: Absolutely Hrishi K: So this should be raffing your tips. Medha also the concept of joint accounts is used for unnecessary romances. When I am saying unnecessary romance it means men often turn around to prefer the joint account because they say you know we will get the SMS in our mobile phone. We able to keep check on where the spouse is spending etc etc. But you are at the firm opinion that every individual woman needs to have separate individual account. Explain that in detail please? Medha Raheja: Absolutely every woman because she is saving for herself, for her family. She needs to have own individual account without her spouse, get hold off her own finances, learn about net banking, start using net banking. Every woman she can use smart phone so why cant she use her own net banking on the phone. She must learn about own account, log on to her own account, check her balances, start transacting online onto mutual funds. There are so many banks who offer online investments without any paper or any advice. They even give you insights to which fund to invest. She should start into reading more and investing for herself more. Hrishi K: Ya, I remember in our parents generation they use to one day a week demarcated for going to the branch. We dont have to do any more. Its absolutely fantastic so therein time management is also comes into play. You know because you have the extra bit of time because you can do all of this really offline and that is so important and it cant be over emphasized. Medha Raheja: Absolutely in your me time you will sit on with the bank account get hold of your money. Finally you have saved it for yourself. Hrishi K: Correct, now I am going to come back to you, you know you briefly mentioned your mother. I am sure you must have learnt from not just from her other women in your family while growing up. What are the few things that every woman in house should do to organize their day to day finances better? Medha Raheja: Dont keep any funds aligning idle at home. Cash is a dead asset, put everything in your bank account and sign out for the systematic investments plan or even a recurring deposit if you dont want to get into the markets. Start reading up more, its your money. Start with small things like small article in the newspaper on mutual fund, on debt and on equity. Get more aware of your funds, you have saved it, you need to grow it. Hrishi K: Now there are conflicting views on this. There are lots of independent financial advisor who turn around and say only the earning member of the house the adult should be covered with insurance. I want your views on insurance. Do you think it is important not just for the earning member but other adult as well? Do you have one if so what kind of insurance and what would you suggest other to have? Medha Raheja: Every adult in the house must have a term plan and term plan with accidental ride. You travel so much in the day, we travel within the city and outside the city you must have an accidental rider along with your term plan because you never know what could happen in any minute. Not necessarily the earning member to have an insurance, the women also should have a small term plan depending on how much they can be assured for. Finally its the child of the husband and the wife right! Get your own mediclaim think of cancer care Get an independent bank account for yourself if you are women, not necessarily a joint account with somebody else in the family. Start with small investments Look at long term goals Get a child care plan as well as an educational plan for your children, encourage children to invest and teach them the value with money. Do pure term plans for all adults as far as insurance is concerned No idle money to lie in your savings banks account, start a small SIP. Very well put, ok I am sure all of this has put a lot of women home makers in planning their finances better. Now I am going to take all of you to some key points that you have listed by our guest Medha Raheja in our Wisdom in Bank segment. Hope you all find them useful and will definitely implement them to manage your homes and finances better. Medha, thank you very much for being on the show and sharing your insights on todays podcast like I said. Its going to help a lot of other women homemakers in planning the finances better. Medha Raheja: Thank you so much it was a pleasure. Thank you! Hrishi K: Well, her advice does come from a lot of real insights of doing things herself through the years. I am sure a lot of you ladies must have got benefited from that and you have got a wonderful insight in managing your home and finances better. Taking the time to manage your money better can really pay off.The first step to taking control of your finances, do a budget. Set up a budget means youre less likely to end up in debt, you are less likely to caught out by unexpected costs and more likely to have a good credit rating. Better planning and budgeting is key to better management of homes and finances. This along with fleshing out a financial plan, seeking information and advice wherever necessary and making sure you stick to a budget can help you go a long way when it comes to managing your homes and finances and makes you the rock-star homemaker you always wanted to be. And that is a wrap on our show NSE presents Invest-o-cast! I'm your host Hrishi K for the NSE Presents: Invest O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by Moneycontrol. To know more about our podcast, log on to moneycontrol.com and visit the podcast section. In case you would like us to address any of your investment queries on our show do write into us at: nseinvestocast@nw18.com nseinvestocast@nw18.com you can also reach out to us on Twitter @moneycontrolcom or Facebook @moneycontrol.com , do remember to use #nseinvestocast thats #nseinvestocast Thank you for listening! Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday the Balakot airstrike, where the Indian Air Force targeted and destroyed a JeM camp in Pakistan last week, was "not a military action" as there was no damage to civilians. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had not given any casualty figure in the airstrike and he had only given a statement, which was the government's "position", Sitharaman told reporters here. Gokhale had last Tuesday said the non-military and pre-emptive strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camp in Balakot had killed "very large number" of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders. Sitharaman's remarks come amidst the Opposition seeking details of the death toll in the airstrike, even as the IAF, which carried out the attacks post the Pulwama suicide bombing, said on Monday the Centre would provide details on the casualty figures. The defence minister also declined to link the airstrike with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. On February 14, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based JeM rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot said on March 5 the party will contest all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the upcoming elections. "Selection of nominees is in the final stage and a lot will be clear after the screening committee meeting on March 8 in New Delhi," Pilot told reporters. He said the selection of candidate would be done on the basis of feedback of party workers, hard work and winnability. The party is of the opinion to find nominees other than the family members of leaders, sitting MPs and MLAs and those who lost elections in the past. However, the choice of party workers and people and winnability of the candidates would be considered, he added. He said the Congress has been contesting on all seats in the state and will do so this time as well to secure a win in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. A panel of three candidates will be sent to the party's central committee to finalise the names, he said. Pilot attacked the incumbent BJP-led government at the Centre, saying the Congress is contesting the election to defeat the "forces that have weakened and hollowed democratic institutions in the past five years". "So, it is an important election for us," he said. The BJP won all 25 seats in Rajasthan in the 2014 general elections. On the Indian Air Force air strike at a Jaish terror camp in Balakot of Pakistan, Pilot said the action on terrorist facility was a matter of pride for India and "it is not right to raise question on valour of the security forces". Citing BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa's statement that India's preemptive air strike on a terror camp in Pakistan has created a wave in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pilot said, "It is not appropriate on the part of a few BJP leaders who are trying to do politics on security forces' action". Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh sparked a controversy on Tuesday when referred to the Pulwama attack as a "durghatana" (accident), later reviewing it to "terror attack" after being trolled on social media. In a tweet earlier in the day, Singh said the foreign media had raised doubts over the air strike after the Pulwama "accident" and this has raised questions over the credibility of the Indian government. Later, trolled for referring to the attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, Singh tweeted again, saying there should be not doubt that the incident was an act of terrorism. "Pulwama was a terrorist attack, what is the doubt in that?The troll army is evading primary questions," he tweeted. Union Minister VK Singh, reacting to Singh's comments tweeted: "Calling a terrorist attack an 'accident' should NOT be the political discourse in our country. @digvijaya_28 ji, would you call Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident? Don't weaken the nation & the morale of our armed forces with these senseless jibes. The DMK on Tuesday clinched a seat-sharing deal with the CPI(M) and allotted two seats to the Left party for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The pact was confirmed following talks between Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M K Stalin and Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary K Balakrishnan at the DMK headquarters here, a party release said. Balakrishnan told reporters that his party had informed the DMK about the wish-list of constituencies and further talks would be held on the matter. "As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, our party will wholeheartedly participate in the alliance led by DMK. Our intention is to defeat the BJP-AIADMK combine in Tamil Nadu and there is no difference of opinion in that (among constituents)," the Left leader said. On the participation of the CPI(M) in rallies by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the state, Balakrishnan indicated they would attend them. The DMK, in its bid to lead a rainbow alliance, has already signed electoral arrangements with the Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK), Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). It is continuing talks with the Vaiko-led Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK). There are a total of 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state, besides one in neighbouring Puducherry. Asked about the party's stand on bypolls to 21 Assembly seats that have been lying vacant in the state, Balakrishnan said it had already been decided that the CPI(M) would support the DMK. While 18 seats are lying vacant following the court upholding the disqualification of AIADMK MLAs for revolting against the chief minister in 2017, Tiruvarur and Tirupparankundram segments await bypolls due to the death of sitting legislators, former DMK chief M Karunanidhi and AK Bose of AIADMK, respectively. Hosur, represented by former AIADMK minister Balakrishna Reddy, was declared vacant recently after he resigned following a special court sentencing him to three years' rigorous imprisonment in a two-decade-old riot case. Delhi Congress president and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit announced on March 5 that the Congress will not be stitching an alliance with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. She declared that a unanimous decision was taken that there will be no alliance in Delhi, and that the decision was taken in a meeting presided over by party chief Rahul Gandhi. What ensued before the announcement? Since the time talks of an alliance between the two parties have been doing the rounds, it has been clear that the AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been keen on an alliance in order to take on the BJP, while the Congress has not been so enthusiastic about it. Before Dixit declared her decision on March 5, a meeting was convened at the insistence of the national leadership of the Grand Old Party, in which almost all the leaders rejected the tie-up outright. Earlier at a meeting on February 13 at NCP chief Sharad Pawars house, Rahul Gandhi had rejected the idea of an alliance, after which Delhi AAP convener Gopal Rai announced the candidates for six out of seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi. What is at stake for both the parties? An alliance of the Congress and the AAP could have translated into electoral success in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Consider this: When the Modi wave was at its peak in the run-up to the 2014 general elections, the BJP had gotten 46 percent votes in Delhi, followed by AAP with 33 percent and Congress with 15 percent votes. An AAP survey had earlier predicted that the saffron party may lose 10 percent of its vote share. To this, Kejriwal had said, If these votes are polled by AAP, it will win all seven seats in Delhi by scoring 43% votes. Even if the BJP manages to retain its 2014 vote share, the combined vote share of the Congress and the AAP could have translated into winning all the seven seats in Delhi. The alliance could have also resulted in better prospects for both parties in Punjab where the AAP wants the Congress to leave four of the 14 Lok Sabha seats for it. Then why is the Congress reluctant to forge an alliance? The reasons for this are multi-fold. First is apparent disagreement on seat-sharing. While the AAP is not ready to part with more than two seats, the Congress is demanding at least three seats. Besides, neither party has managed to zero in on a candidate from West Delhi. Both parties are mulling over fielding an Independent and the name of former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha is being discussed for the seat. The second reason is the Congress belief that AAP has faced a decline in popularity and fortunes over the last four years. It lost to the Congress in the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls and a month later to the BJP in the Delhi municipal elections. Read Also | Why does AAP want an alliance with Congress in Delhi? The third reason is that AAP, which was born as an anti-corruption movement, took on the Congress for alleged corruption. What is the history between the Congress and the AAP? When the AAP first contested assembly polls in Delhi in 2013, the party had emerged second with 28 seats, after BJP which had won 31. The AAP, which had been vocal against the Congress during their campaigns, had then taken support of the Grand Old Party, which had won eight seats, to form the government. This government barely lasted for a month and a half, with Kejriwal resigning as chief minister on the 49th day. While announcing his resignation, Kejriwal had told his party workers that Congress opposed the Jan Lokpal Bill because he had acted against the corruption of Sheila Dikshit by filing cases against her, Union Minister M Veerappa Moily and Mukesh Ambani. He had said, "After (Mukesh) Ambani and Moily, (Sharad) Pawar's turn will come and then Kamal Nath. Because of this, Kejriwal has been removed. I am a small man. What is my status? I am not here for power." In February 2014, Kejriwal had written to the then President of India to order a probe against three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit to investigate her alleged role in the CWG scam and the street-lighting scam. In May 2014, the Congress had pledged not to support AAP in the eventuality of fresh elections. Fresh assembly elections were conducted in Delhi in 2015, where Kejriwal contested against Dikshit from the New Delhi constituency, turning it into a battle of personalities. Terming the move as foolhardy, Dikshit had said, Who is Arvind Kejriwal? What is AAP? Can you call it a party that can be compared to the Congress or the BJP?" Kejriwal had later won the seat with a margin of over 31,500 votes. The AAP swept Delhi winning 67 of the total 70 seats, while the Congress won nil. Designing his campaign around the corrupt party [Congress] vs honest party [AAP] narrative, Kejriwal had continued to attack corporate interests with audacious exposes of alleged wrongdoing. Some of his high-profile targets included Congress president Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra, Indias biggest construction company DLF, BJP president Nitin Gadkari and Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani. Hence the friction between the two parties is only natural. What remains to be seen is if the Congress is willing to split the secular vote in Delhi which might translate to advantage BJP, a fear that Arvind Kejriwal cited earlier today and what was cited by the Congress itself back in 2014. Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. Following Congress chief Rahul Gandhis visit to Mumbai on March 1, the party seems to be ready to finalise its candidates from the cosmopolitan city for the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls. Mumbai has six parliamentary constituencies, of which the Congress will be contesting in five. Of these five, candidates for four seats have been nearly finalised, Hindustan Times has reported. Priya Dutt, former MP in the 15th Lok Sabha, has agreed to contest from Mumbais North-Central constituency, while Milind Deora is expected to contest from Mumbai South. Eknath Gaikwad and Mumbai Congress Chief Sanjay Nirupam are expected to be in the fray from the South-Central and North-West constituencies, respectively. Although Gandhi did not hold any official meetings with the state leaders, he has reportedly set the ball rolling over disputed seats, alliance with smaller parties and probable candidates in key constituencies. Priya Dutt, who had earlier issued a press statement that she is opting out of active politics for personal reasons, was seen involved in a rally on March 1, where party workers were seen holding placards that read Priya Dutt Once Again. The partys state and Mumbai leadership convinced her to not opt out, as the constituency is one of the most favoured for the party. She has started working in her constituency, a party leader told the newspaper. While the decision on the candidature of Gaikwad and Nirupam seems to have been finalised by the party, the Grand Old Party has still not been able to zero in on a candidate from Mumbai North constituency to take on the Bharatiya Janata Partys incumbent MP Gopal Shetty. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is believed to be encouraging leaders in the Congress Mumbai unit to bury the hatchet and focus on upcoming polls. Kinasha Brown, district director of educational pathways, told the board the next career expo for eighth-grade students will be held Sept. 11 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. Parents will be invited to attend the same event on the night of Sept. 10 so they can learn what their children will be doing. A similar expo was held last year and featured about 90 exhibitors. In an attempt to reach out to the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Central Committee has announced that it would not contest from the six parliamentary seats in West Bengal that are currently held by either of the two parties. Senior political leaders have told Hindustan Times that CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury spoke to Congress President Rahul Gandhi before taking the decision. West Bengal has a total of 42 parliamentary constituencies, out of which the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) had won 34 in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress had won four and the CPI(M) had gotten a dismal two. Sources have told the newspaper that Gandhi is trying to convince his partys state unit on a seat-sharing agreement, adding that the Congress wants to contest from the two CPI(M) seats as well. A seat-sharing agreement between the CPI(M) and its erstwhile rival Congress is crucial in West Bengal to take on the dominant TMC and the rising BJP in the state, where the Left was in power for 34 long years. The concretization of a partnership between the Congress and the CPI(M) is also important for Yechury, who has fought with the Kerala unit of the party to convince them to keep their doors open for an alliance with the Grand Old Party in West Bengal. A senior leader from the CPI(M) told the newspaper that the party has conveyed its wish to contest from at least 20 seats to the Congress. Its three partners CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc may get 9 seats. The rest, 13, will be Congress share. During the United Opposition meeting, Yechury is said to have spoken to both UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over the formation of an alliance. To this, Rahul is said to have agreed on the importance of an alliance but also pointed out the need for Congress to contest from more number of seats. When asked about CPI(M)s readiness to form an alliance with an erstwhile adversary, Sitaram Yechury told the newspaper, The situation has changed. We decide tactics on based on current situation. A triangular fight will be better (for the Left) than a quadrangular contest, Yechury added. Opposition parties may have been forced to rethink their alliances to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in light of recent developments after the Pulwama terror attack. According to a report by NDTV, senior Opposition leaders like Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) N Chandrababu Naidu have urged Congress President Rahul Gandhi to rethink about a possible alliance with the ruling parties in West Bengal and Delhi. Despite calls for opposition unity, Congress has not allied with Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Arvind Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in West Bengal and Delhi, respectively. Delhi Chief Minister had claimed that the Congress rejected an alliance with his party. After facing rejection from the Congress, AAP on March 2 declared names of six candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. Also read: Why does AAP want an alliance with Congress in Delhi? Speaking at a protest organised by AAP in New Delhi on February 13, Banerjee said that while the Congress and the TMC will contest against each other in the state, they will fight together at the national level against the BJP. "Any fight with the Congress will remain at the state level. At the national level, we will fight together, this I am saying from the heart... For the greater interest of the country, I am ready to sacrifice my life, my party. I am ready to sacrifice everything," Banerjee said. The NDTV report stated that Banerjee is also eager to see the Congress and AAP fight together in Delhi and is hence ready to reach an understanding with the Gandhi-led party in West Bengal too. It added that the two sides may explore an understanding in some of the states 42 Lok Sabha seats. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. The development comes at a time when TMCs arch-rival -- the Communist Party of India (Marxist) -- has also talked of an understanding in the states six constituencies with the Congress. The two sides have, however, hit a roadblock after disagreements in at least three Lok Sabha seats: Murshidabad, Purulia and Raigunj. File image Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 131 crore in Maharajganj district and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made India "corruption-free". Adityanath also praised the soldiers and said: "Terrorists don't understand the language of love, so Indian soldiers did 'Shiv Tandav' with surgical strike." "Actually, a lot of terrorists were killed during surgical strike but Pakistan is hiding the facts," he claimed at an event on Monday. Criticising the previous government, Adityanath said: "The Modi government started several welfare schemes for poor and realised the dream of corruption-free India." He also instructed the officials to complete all development works of the state as soon as possible. The chief minister visited Deoria later, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 71 crore. He said India would be among the three big economies in the world if Modi becomes the prime minister for five more years. "During Congress regime, India stood at number 11 in respect to economy (in the world), but during the Modi government, it rose to the sixth position... After return to power, he will bring it to number 3 slot," he said. Describing Nepal as a friend country, Adityanath said: "We are working on roads construction at Indo-Nepal border." Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on Rafale was an "insult" to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and its pilots. Referring to Modi's statement that the presence of Rafale fighter jets would have given greater firepower to the IAF during the February 27 aerial engagement with Pakistan, Chavan said the PM was politicising the issue. The former Union minister said the PM's statement indicates India lost the "dogfight" with Pakistan. He cited a report in a leading US daily which talks about India's "defeat" in the dogfight and raises questions about its "vintage" military. Chavan said the international media is also raising certain questions about the February 26 air strikes inside Pakistan, but the Centre is unable to come out with answers. "The report in the international media and the prime minister's statement at the 'India Today Conclave' (on Rafale) is a confession that India faced defeat in the (dog) fight with Pakistan. "The statement made by PM is condemnable as it was an insult of IAF and its pilots," said Chavan. He said the PM should stop politicising the issue and apologise for his remarks. The former Maharashtra chief minister said Modi, by making such statements, also implied that there was a delay in aircraft procurement during the rule of Congress-led UPA. "However, I would like to say that the delay had taken place in the three years of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and five years of the current Modi government," he said. He said during the UPA rule, it was the IAF which was at the centre of preparing service agreements. "There was a delay of one-and-a-half years after 2012 contract negotiations started as UPA was insisting that 108 Rafale aircraft should be made at Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL)," he said. "The Modi government delayed the process as they wanted to give offset contract of the Rafale deal to Ambani," he said. The Congress has been alleging that on the Modi government's insistence, French company Dassault, makers of Rafale, awarded an offset contract to Reliance Defence, a firm owned by industrialist Anil Ambani, overlooking state-owned HAL which has an expertise in aircraft manufacturing. The government has repeatedly denied the charge. Ambani, too, has rejected the Congress allegations and emphasised that the government had no role in Dassault picking up his company as a local partner. Talking about the Balakot air strike, he said the IAF successfully completed the task assigned to it. They (IAF) were given particular coordinates about the targets and they hit it on them using 'Spice' bomb but it seems that the ground intelligence failed about the presence of terrorists over there, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi over poverty, saying only those oblivious to sleeping hungry at night can think that it is a state of mind. For some, poverty is just an opportunity to click photos, Modi said, sharpening his attack on the Congress chief. He was speaking after launching the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana, a pension scheme for unorganised sector. "This scheme is aimed at uplift of the section of society which has been ignored and left at the mercy of God. They (Congress) gave slogans of garibi hatao (end poverty). Some projected themselves as messiah of workers. But during their tenure they did not launch such a scheme, he said. "They ruled the country for 55 years and collected votes in the name of poor," he said. "They thought that poverty is a mental state. See how is this neta who says that there is nothing like poverty but a mental state," Modi said, targeting the Congress president. "For them poverty is just an opportunity to click pictures. Only those oblivious to sleeping hungry even for one night can think that it is a state of mind, Modi said, in an obvious reference to Gandhi's 2013 statement that poverty is a state of mind. "What they could not do in 55 years, this 'chaiwala' did in 55 months by bringing such a scheme," Modi said. Asserting that the Congress was going against popular sentiment in the country, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on March 5 accused the opposition party of rubbishing the claims of the armed forces and questioning their strength. Javadekar's comments come a day after Congress spokesperson R P N Singh criticised the BJP leadership of spreading "false propaganda" over the February 26 air strike in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Congress has questioned the basis for BJP president Amit Shah's claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the strike and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his government was not giving out the details of casualties. "I cannot understand what has happened to the Congress. Their talk is opposite to the country's popular sentiments. They are rubbishing the armed forces' claims and questioning their strength," Javadekar told reporters. "It does not happen in any democracy that trust is not placed in the Army. Only the Congress can commit such a sin," he added. One week on, there is no clarity on the number of terrorists killed in the strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot. On March 4, IAF chief B S Dhanoa said the Air Force does not count human casualties and it is for the government to provide details on the death toll. On February 26, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said a "very large number of terrorists" were killed in Balakot. Government sources had said up to 350 terrorists were killed, BJP president Amit Shah later put the toll at 250 and some media reports indicated the damage was minimal. But there has been no official statement on the number of casualties. R P N Singh on March 4 said Modi should apologise to the country for trying to portray the Indian Air Force as being "weaker without Rafale". He counter-accused the BJP and its leaders of spreading misinformation and "false propaganda" over the air strike ahead of elections and said the people of the country would give them a fitting reply. "It is extremely shocking and tragic that the prime minister of this country is pointing fingers at opposition parties for questioning the Army or the Air Force," he said. West Bengal Congress chief Somen Mitra on March 5 wrote a letter to party president Rahul Gandhi, underlining the need for "seat-sharing or alliance" with the CPI(M) to "stop the march of BJP in the state and dethrone the TMC in 2021 assembly polls". According to sources in the state Congress, Mitra also mentioned about the "aspirations of party workers and leaders" to contest the 2019 polls from two seats - Raiganj and Murshidabad. These two seats have been the bone of contention in the seat-sharing talks with the Left for the upcoming parliamentary elections. "I have written a letter to Rahulji with my assessment. Now it is for our party president and the AICC to take a call on the matter. I can't disclose anything further," Mitra told PTI. The development comes a day after the CPI(M) central committee, in a move to untangle the formula of seat-sharing between the two political blocs to consolidate anti-BJP and anti-TMC votes, proposed "no mutual contest" for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in six seats currently held by the Congress and the Left Front in West Bengal. The state Congress leadership on March 4, reacting to the development had said there can be no compromise on its demand for the two parliamentary seats - Raiganj and Murshidabad, which are known as Congress strongholds. The Congress leadership had also said, if needed it is ready to fight the polls alone in case the Left Front does not leave these two parliamentary seats - which were won by the CPI(M) in 2014. These two constituencies were earlier known as traditional Congress bastions. In the letter, Mitra gave details and statistics of the vote percentage and the number of votes that different parties had received in the 2014 polls, and how the BJP has increased its vote share in those two seats in several by-elections and in the 2016 assembly polls. "Somen Mitra has urged the party high command to take the next step and talk to the Left leadership in Delhi to solve the impasse as the main objective is to defeat BJP at the Centre and the TMC in the state. "Now the ball is in the court of high command. Let's see what happens next," a senior Congress leader privy to the developments said. While the Congress had bagged four seats in the state in the 2014 general elections, the CPI(M) had won only Raiganj and Murshidabad seats. While Uttar Dinajpur's Raiganj has been a pocketborough of Congress stalwart Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Murshidabad's politics has been dominated by the party's firebrand leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. While Raiganj is represented by CPI (M)'s Mohammad Salim at present, Badaruddoza Khan represents Murshidabad. Though the Congress is yet to take a decision on the CPI(M)'s proposal, a senior leader privy to the seat-sharing discussions with the CPI(M) had said on Monday that the party will not compromise on the two constituencies -- Raiganj and Murshidabad. "There are two prevailing views in the party. One view is we fight alone in Bengal as it is the Lok Sabha elections where the fight is between the Congress and the BJP and the second view is that we share seats with the CPI(M). But there will be no compromise on our demand for Raiganj and Murshidabad seats," the Congress leader had said. "Raiganj and Murshidabad have long been a stronghold of the Congress. We lost these seats by a very small margin in 2014 polls due to a four-cornered contest. But this time we are confident of winning those two seats," the Congress leader had said. The two parties had a similar tactical understanding in the 2016 assembly polls but it failed to have an impact as TMC won 211 seats in 294-member state assembly. In last three years, the BJP has outsmarted the Congress and the CPI(M) to become the main challenger to the TMC in Bengal. BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday tried to put BJP president Amit Shah in the dock over his claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the Indian air strikes in Pakistan, asking him why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "silent" over it. BJP chief Amit Shah arduously making claim that IAF strike had killed over 250 terrorists in Pak but why his guru PM Modi who is always keen to take credit for everything is silent over it? Terrorists killed is good news but what is the secret behind deep silence of PM over it? Mayawati (@Mayawati) March 5, 2019 "BJP chief Amit Shah is arduously making claim that IAF strike had killed over 250 terrorists in Pakistan but why his guru PM Modi who is always keen to take credit for everything is silent over it? Terrorists killed is good news, but what is the secret behind deep silence of PM over it?," Mayawati posted on Twitter. At an event in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Shah had said the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot last Tuesday "killed more than 250 terrorists". Mayawati also hit out at the economic policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, saying that benefits of economic growth not reaching to most of the poor, labourer, farmers of 130-crore population of country was a "matter of serious concern". "...what will be Modi Govt reply & jumlebazi (rhetoric) over slowdown in farm and manufacturing pushing GDP growth to a low of 6.6%...?" she added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has slammed opposition parties for demanding evidence about last week's military strike inside Pakistan, and support for him is rising, pollsters say, despite the questions about how successful it was. It's very tricky to be seen questioning the armed forces in India, particularly when there is conflict with arch-enemy Pakistan. But that hasn't stopped opposition leaders from raising doubts about the government's official claims that a "very large number" of members of an Islamist militant group were killed in the strike by Indian warplanes early on Feb. 26. The government has rejected the demand for proof. "At a time when our army is engaged in crushing terrorism, inside the country and outside, there are some people within the country who are trying to break their morale, which is cheering our enemy," Modi said at an election rally on Sunday. "I want to know from (the opposition) Congress and its partners why they are making statements that are benefiting the enemies." With tensions at fever-pitch with nuclear rival Pakistan, and India's general election due by May, the stakes are high. Pakistan responded with an air strike of its own, but no one was killed in that operation. The situation is slightly calmer but remains fraught; the two armies continue to regularly trade artillery fire at places along the frontier. "If (the opposition) continues this campaign on ... national security, I'm afraid it is not going to stick and it's only going to help Modi," Yashwant Deshmukh, the founder of polling agency C-Voter, told Reuters. "Modi's is a presidential campaign, and this is going to help him." The agency has not published any poll after the military strike, but Deshmukh said Modi's approval rating has soared to levels not seen since mid-2017, according to C-Voter's estimates. Opinion polls conducted before the tensions with Pakistan broke out mostly predicted Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would struggle to win a majority because of a slowing economy, low rural incomes and the government's inability to provide more jobs. But pollsters and political analysts say Modi's support is now rising, mainly because right-wing parties like the BJP typically have an advantage over others on national security issues. "It doesn't matter what India did or what Pakistan is doing, at least from the electoral perspective," said Rahul Verma, a fellow at the New Delhi-based think-tank, Centre for Policy Research. "What matters is what kind of perception the media and the BJP and Modi can create. If they can create it like a crisis, 'we did something, we need a strong guy leading the country', they have an advantage. So the details don't matter." Indian air force planes carried out last week's strike in retaliation to a suicide attack in the disputed Kashmir region that was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group. At least 40 paramilitary troopers travelling in a convoy were killed, the worst such attack in three decades of insurgency in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region claimed by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan. "TERRORISTS OR TREES?" A top government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said last week that at least 300 suspected militants were killed in the retaliatory Indian air strike, while the president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Amit Shah, put the figure at more than 250. Pakistan has said the Indian bombs hit a largely empty hillside near the northeastern town of Balakot without hurting anyone. "300 terrorists dead, yes or no?" Navjot Singh Sidhu, a leader of the Congress party, asked in a tweet on Monday. "What was the purpose then? Were you uprooting terrorists or trees? Was it an election gimmick? Deceit possesses our land in guise of fighting a foreign enemy. Stop politicising the army, it is as sacred as the state." But pollsters say opposition parties may be making a mistake by questioning Modi on national security when emotions are running high. They say that instead the opposition needs to get back to focusing on the BJP's poor record on creating jobs and tackling farm distress. Those issues helped Congress oust the BJP from power in three states late last year. "It is deeply regrettable and politically immoral on the part of the BJP to make political capital out of military endeavours during cross-border tensions with Pakistan," Congress spokesman Sanjay Jha said. "PM Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah are singularly responsible for lowering the political discourse in our country." Mehbooba Mufti, who governed the state of Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the BJP until they split last year, agreed that it was important for the opposition to not let Modi make the election all about the strikes. "Calling those who question the veracity of Balakot strikes anti-national is baffling," Mufti said on Twitter. "However, the opposition should not fall into this trap of changing the entire election discourse from pressing issues ... to these strikes." live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Stumped by the change in government policy, homegrown car makers such as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) are staring at a huge challenge from their Japanese and European rivals when the market shifts towards hybrid technology. Both Mumbai-based companies are advancing towards full electrification and thus do not have any significant plans for hybridisation of their products. Tata Motors and M&M are already supplying fully electric cars to a government-owned company --Energy Efficiency Service (EESL) --under a contract. In contrast, car market leader Maruti Suzuki and its Japanese partner Toyota are working on affordable hybrid technology, which the two companies believe are the perfect stopgap solution before moving to fully electric mobility. After intense lobbying by the Japanese companies in the run-up to the MOVE Summit of last year, the government did an about-turn. From increasing GST on hybrids to bring them on par with other regular petrol and diesel cars, the government announced incentives to hybrids for their promotion. Indian car manufacturers, who had aligned their business plans towards electrification, have been caught off-guard by the government's sudden U-turn. There will be a huge degree of confusion in the larger industry, including the private sector which is finalising investments. There are so many companies ready to set-up charging stations and even battery manufacturing factories. Now with hybrids, there is no need for those investments, said Guenter Butschek, Managing Director, Tata Motors, in a recent interview to Moneycontrol. While Tata Motors supplies an electric version of the Tigor sedan to EESL, it is also readying electrified versions of the yet-to-be-launched premium hatchback codenamed 45X. This car will be showcased at the Geneva Motor Show later this week. Besides the electric Tiago, Tata Motors has also developed an electric version of the Nexon. The company, however, has not shared any plans of going hybrid soon. M&M is the only company at present that produces electric cars (Reva) for the retail market. The company was working on hybrid powertrain solutions a few years ago before the government announced plans of shifting to fully electric by 2030. After the announcement, M&M shifted its product development vision to electric. Now with the change in policy, M&M is in a fix. We will have an expanded range of electric vehicles coming up in the next two years. We cant do anything about the governments change of policy and have to follow their direction, a senior M&M executive said. With advancement in technologies and higher localisation, hybrid cars are expected to be priced on par with diesel cars in the post Bharat Stage VI stage, RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki said in a recent interview to MoneyControl. Hybrid variants are expected to cost a premium of Rs 2.5 lakh over their petrol counterpart. A fully electrified vehicle, however, costs more than double that of a petrol-powered car. While the cost of lithium-ion batteries have fallen, pace of the fall has slowed down over the past two years. This has posed challenges to the government's vision of producing electric cars for the masses at affordable prices. Because the paint soaks through, there are designs on both sides of the paper. The artist has to decide which side they prefer, and then add to it with watercolors. Rizzo noted that artists may begin adding to the piece soon after it is dry or wait as long as two years to decide how they want to finish it. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to highlight the government's response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack during its campaigning for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, The Indian Express has reported. The report states that the party wants to ensure that the "diplomacy gains" that the government made during its handling of the attack are emphasised. Party leaders told the newspaper that they believe putting up national security as a poll plank will blunt the Opposition's attack on the party over its other alleged failures. Moreover, party leaders are hoping that national security as a poll plank will also dilute differences of caste, religion and class. The leaders also stated that national security as an issue will replace the development agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which had helped the BJP storm to power in 2014 elections. According to the report, BJP leaders feel that the handling of the situation post-Pulwama had earned the party momentum in rural areas, but the party wants the message to reach out to the urban voters as well. According to the report, the issues that the party wants highlighted include calling out Pakistan's nuclear bluff, emphasising on the support of world leaders to India, invitation by the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and bringing back Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. "It was this nuclear-power status that had made India hesitant in taking strong action against Pakistan even after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack because the international community always expected India to be mature and patient. But this February 26 pre-emptive strike has dismissed that threat," a party office-bearer told the newspaper. According to the report, the party leaders also want to highlight that the countries that had imposed sanctions on India after it conducted nuclear tests had come out in support of India this time around. Moreover, India was also invited to the OIC, considered "Pakistan's playground", for the first time after 1969. The BJP also plans on telling the voters that it was due to PM Modi's efforts that Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan was brought back to India within 48 hours. A party leader told the newspaper that Modi had "refused to speak to his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan when he called" as he wanted Khan to announce Abhinandans release first. The Opposition, meanwhile, has criticised the BJP for "cashing in on the sacrifice of the soldiers". However, Opposition parties have also gone into a huddle to rework on their strategies for the polls. "The whole narrative changes. We have to plan everything again, both campaign and other tactics. We have to re-calibrate everything," a senior Congress leader told the newspaper. According to another report in the newspaper, the Congress is trying to balance between supporting the armed forces and questioning BJP over its politicisation of the attack and its aftermath. Image: AAP (Twitter) Moneycontrol News The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on March 5 said the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have entered into an "undeclared pre-poll" alliance in Delhi to keep the AAP out. "The statement by Sheila Dikshit clearly shows the difference between what the country and the Congress feel," party leader Gopal Rai said during a press conference. Earlier in the day, Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit's had said that a unanimous decision to not ally with AAP in Delhi was taken during a meeting. The meeting was attended by Congress President Rahul Gandhi along with other senior leaders of the party. "Congress uses the same language as that of BJP... it is deliberately going against the mood of the nation. Today every Indian wants to defeat the BJP, except Congress," Rai said, adding that in Delhi, the BJP has lost hope of winning after five years. Delhi sends seven MPs to Lok Sabha. All the seven Lok Sabha seats were swept by the BJP during the 2014 general elections. "The people will respond to this undeclared alliance between BJP and Congress," Rai said. Rai also accused the Congress of helping the BJP on "pan-India level". "Not just in Delhi, the Congres is helping BJP in UP against the SP-BSP alliance, they are helping BJP in West Bengal against Mamata Banerjee as well. Congress is helping BJP on pan India level," Rai said. Earlier, a senior Congress leader had told Moneycontrol that none of the senior leaders in Congress' Delhi unit wanted to ally with AAP. "Congress is gaining in Delhi, and AAP's clout is waning, which is why AAP has been pressurising Congress to enter into an alliance," the leader had said. Days before the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar told his cadre that "Pakistan is not complete without Kashmir", The Indian Express has reported. JeM had claimed responsibility for the terror attack. According to the report, Azhar had addressed JeM cadre barely 10 days before the attack in which he had paid "tributes to the militants killed in Kashmir" and had said Kashmir will "attain freedom soon, along with freedom of all Muslims of India". The report states that Azhar's address to JeM cadre has been handed over to Pakistan as evidence against the terror chief and the organisation. In the audio, Azhar is heard drawing comparisons between Afghanistan and Kashmir, the report states. "The US has come to negotiate in Afghanistan, India too will be compelled to beg for negotiations before the next Kashmir solidarity day. If all Muslims of Kashmir unite against India, victory can be achieved within a month...", Azhar is heard saying, according to the report. "The audio clearly shows that the mastermind behind Pathankot, Uri and recent Pulwama attacks continues to operate and instigate attacks against India," a senior official told the newspaper, referring to Azhar. According to intelligence agencies, while Azhar has not made any direct reference to Pulwama during his address, a call for unity in Kashmir points towards the attack. According to the report, sources said the agencies had been unable to decode the message in the audio at that point, and were hence unable to prevent the attack. The report states that the latest dossier handed over by India to Pakistan contains details of JeM's activities, and names over 40 militants who have been trained at the Balakot camp, where the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted "non-military preemptive airstrikes" on February 26. Dixit tenure came to an end after a landslide defeat in 2013 when AAP founder Arvind Kejriwal won the election in the New Delhi Assembly constituency by a margin of 25,864 votes. Dixit resigned on 8 December 2013, but remained the caretaker Chief Minister of Delhi till the new Government was sworn in She was appointed as the Governor of Kerala in March 2014, but was forced to resign five months later. (Image: Reuters) Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit on March 5 said the party has decided not to ally with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in Delhi. "A unanimous decision has been taken that there will be no alliance in Delhi," Dikshit said told news agency ANI. AICC General Secretary in-charge of Delhi PC Chacko also confirmed the development. The decision was taken after Congress president Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with senior party leaders earlier in the day. "In the meeting, all the local leaders and MLAs in Delhi, including ex-PCC and sitting PCC, said nobody wants an alliance with AAP in Delhi," a Congress leader told Moneycontrol. "Congress is gaining in Delhi, and AAP's clout is waning, which is why AAP has been pressurising Congress to enter into an alliance," the leader added. At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi- Shah duo, Cong is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote. Rumours r that Cong has some secret understanding wid BJP. Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance. https://t.co/JUsYMjxCxy Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 5, 2019 Reacting to the development, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal stated that "Congress is helping the BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote". Earlier, AAP sources in Delhi had told Moneycontrol that the party cadre is reluctant to enter into an alliance with the Congress in Delhi. Also Read | Why does AAP want an alliance with Congress in Delhi? "The 2013 win for AAP was after a campaign against the Sheila Dikshit-led government. To push the workers who campaigned against her into an alliance with a party led by her would not be advisable," an AAP worker had told Moneycontrol. The possibility of an alliance between AAP and Congress in Delhi for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls has been on the table for long. After the late night Opposition meeting at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's residence in New Delhi on February 13, Kejriwal had said Congress has "more or less" ruled out an alliance with the party in the national capital. "We are very worried about the nation, so we are more keen (on an alliance). The Congress has almost said no to an alliance," Kejriwal had said while addressing reporters after the meet. Delhi sends seven MPs to Lok Sabha. All the seven Lok Sabha seats were swept by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2014 general elections. At a time when the nationalist rhetoric is at an all-time high in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot seem to throw Pakistan off his mind. PM Modi himself said so. While attending a rally in Gujarat's Jamnagar on Monday, Modi began talking about the 'Ayushman Bharat' healthcare scheme. In the course of the speech, when explaining who all can avail of the benefits the scheme offers and where, the PM said it is extended to every person residing between Kolkata and Karachi. He said: "Under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme, if a resident of Jamangar has gone to Bhopal, and happens to fall ill, he/she need not come back to Jamnagar for treatment. If the person shows their (Ayushman Bharat) beneficiary card, they will get free treatment anywhere in the country, be it Kolkata or Karachi." Quickly rectifying his mistake, he said it is a slip of tongue, and clarified that he wanted to say Kochi, not Karachi. The PM also clarified that the ambit of the scheme is not so large after all and that the slip happened only because he cannot seem to get Karachi off his mind. "Nowadays my mind is preoccupied with the situation with our neighbouring country," he added. Apart from campaigning for his party, PM Modi is also having to cope with heightened tension with Pakistan for the past two weeks. In fact, the PM clarified, that he is being constantly briefed about the security situation at the frontiers, the future course of action, etc, especially with regards to the ongoing skirmishes with Pakistan. With PTI inputs Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia Group said it was launching a venture capital fund in the United States to invest in startups seeking to enter or expand in Southeast Asia. The fund, called RedBeat Capital, will focus on post-seed-stage startups in travel and lifestyle, financial technology, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. AirAsia is partnering with San Francisco-based 500 Startups, which invests in young fast-growing companies. RedBeat Capital will have a base in San Francisco and access to 500 Startups' deal flow, AirAsia said. The airline group has initially allocated about $10 million, and the fund has already invested in a couple of companies, Aireen Omar, deputy chief executive, told Reuters. AirAsia, which pioneered budget air travel in Asia, is broadening its reach to include a payments company, logistics, food and beverages brands and a loyalty programme. A year ago, it placed these lifestyle assets including the BIG Loyalty scheme and a Wi-Fi service, in which it typically has stakes of 80-100 percent, under RedBeat Ventures. The new fund RedBeat Capital will house smaller investments in startups of anything up to around 20 percent, Omar said. Together, these could be listed separately in future. "We don't have a timeline (for a listing) yet because our focus is to build a business fast," she said in an interview. AirAsia has been trying to re-invent itself as a travel and technology firm to exploit data and offset cyclical volatility in airline earnings. The group last week posted a fourth-quarter net loss, its first quarterly loss in over three years, citing higher fuel prices and lease costs. Non-flying ancillary revenues currently make up about 20 percent of group revenue. The digital drive can improve ancillary revenues by using machine learning to better understand consumer trends, Omar said, adding that investments via the new fund should also help the core business. "I would imagine that with what we are building here, the ancillary part will be increasing to more than 20 percent it is not impossible for it to reach 50 percent at some point in the future," Omar said. Southeast Asia, with a young population and more internet users than the United States, but relatively little exposure in Silicon Valley so far, is among the fastest-growing tech markets, according to 500 Startups. "We have noticed our own partners turning an eye towards Southeast Asia. It seems like a greenfield," the startup accelerator's chief executive Christine Tsai told Reuters. Some network carriers such as Singapore Airlines are also ramping up investments in digital technology. US President Donald Trump denied that he ordered an end to major US-South Korean military exercises as a concession to North Korea's totalitarian leader Kim Jong Un. The previously annual, large-scale manoeuvers -- meant to keep troops ready in case of conflict with North Korea -- were shelved shortly after Trump's summit last week with Kim in Hanoi. Trump denied there was any link. "The military drills, or war games as I call them, were never even discussed in my mtg w/ Kim Jong Un," he tweeted. "I made that decision long ago because it costs the U.S. far too much money to have those 'games', especially since we are not reimbursed for the tremendous cost!" he said in the tweet. There are close to 30,000 US troops stationed in South Korea, and their annual drills with tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers have angered North Korea, which claims they are rehearsals for invasion. While Trump has ruled out withdrawing US troops, he has repeatedly complained about the cost of the exercises, describing them at a press conference in Hanoi as "very, very expensive". Trump's summit with Kim ended with no progress toward Washington's goal of getting the isolated country to give up its nuclear weapons. Huawei is owned by the Chinese government, has deep connections to their intelligence services and presents a national security threat, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has cautioned, urging the countries to think twice before signing up with one the world's biggest tech firms. Shenzhen-based Huawei has faced increasing headwinds in its push to make inroads in the US market, as the White House and Republican lawmakers target Chinese tech companies, citing national security concerns. The company has repeatedly denied allegations from US lawmakers that its technology could be used by the Chinese government to gather intelligence. In his address at the "Future Farmers of America" event in Iowa on Monday, Pompeo said the company has at least two things that threaten the US. "One is that they there's a risk that they'll steal American technology, and frankly, use those systems to invade your privacy. That is, they do telecommunications equipment that provide backbone services for networks, handsets all throughout the IT infrastructure and soon will be moving across the entire world with their new 5G rollout of their equipment," Pompeo said. "Second, Huawei also presents a more traditional national security threat. It's very different from in America. If you're working with AT&T or a US telecom provider, a Microsoft or an IBM who's providing IT services or products, it's a private company doing its own thing, trying to make money, trying to grow its business," he said. More and more Western nations are reviewing doing business with the firm over spying concerns. Huawei has always maintained it acts independently. Western countries have begun reviewing their relationship with Huawei, specifically with regards to its technology being used in new "fifth generation 5G" mobile internet networks. "Huawei is owned by the state of China and has deep connections to their intelligence service. That should send off flares for everybody who understands what the Chinese military and Chinese intelligence services do. We have to take that threat seriously," Pompeo said. Pompeo said he had been raising this issue with other countries as well. "I've travelled the world now. I brought it up in Manila. I brought it up in Warsaw. Every place that I go, countries that are considering putting Huawei technology into their government infrastructure, acknowledging that those countries have every right to make their own decision about how to proceed but making sure they understand the risks of putting that technology inside of their government's IT structure," he said. "There's a real risk, though, that the Chinese will use this for purposes that aren't commercial, that aren't for private gain, but rather for the state's benefit. And it's a risk I think these countries ought to very, very carefully consider before they move forward," Pompeo said. China has stolen US intellectual property, amounting to hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars that had been invested in technology and innovation, he alleged. "We'd obtained patents or had proprietary product, and the Chinese just flat-out stole it. So did other countries. That's just not right. It's not fair," he said. "It's one of the things President Trump has taken on very, very seriously, trying to find a mechanism to convince the Chinese and other countries as well to enforce these basic property rights. "It's certainly part of what the State Department does. We talk to countries all the time about this. We impose costs on them in terms of we make decisions about foreign aid based on how well they enforce US rights," Pompeo said. The US and China are engaged in a trade war that has seen both impose duties of billions of dollars on one another's goods, though they are currently in talks in an attempt to resolve the dispute. Iran says its foreign minister wanted to resign last month after being kept in the dark about a surprise visit by Syrian President Bashar Assad to Tehran. President Hassan Rouhani ultimately rejected Mohammad Javad Zarif's resignation, throwing his full support behind the diplomat who negotiated the country's nuclear deal with world powers. Zarif later returned to his job. Both men face growing pressure from Iranian hard-liners as the nuclear accord unravels under American pressure. Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said on March 5 that "one of the reasons for Zarif's resignation was this type of lack of coordination with the Foreign Ministry." Assad was warmly received by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Rouhani and also Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of an elite unit of the Revolutionary Guard. Pakistan's deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif's medical condition is "life-threatening" and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo has suffered four angina attacks last week, his daughter Maryam Nawaz said on March 5. Sharif, 69, is serving a seven-year imprisonment in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case at the Kot Lakhpat Jail since December 2018. Maryam criticised the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for mistreatment of the three-time elected premier, following her visit to the jail to meet her father, Dawn newspaper reported. "There is no treatment offered to him (Sharif) even when he is taken to and kept in the hospital for days. He says he doesn't want to be in the hospital as an excuse or escape or just for the sake of it," she tweeted. "MNS (Mian Nawaz Sharif) has been a three-time Prime Minister and the insensitivity and callousness regarding his health on part of the government is shocking. My family and I are extremely concerned given the grave risk to his health. His condition is life-threatening," she said. Maryam said during her meeting with Sharif, "he had an episode of angina and asked for his nitrate spray. Then he divulged that he has had similar attacks four times last week". "He reiterated that he will neither report nor complain," she said. "It's a medical fact that every episode of angina worsens the heart disease and can damage the heart irreversibly. Who will I blame or who will be responsible if anything happens to him God forbid? The callousness, I repeat, is shocking," she said. Maryam's comments came as the Supreme Court on March 5 rejected a plea moved on Sharif's behalf for early hearing of his appeal against last month's Islamabad High Court order of turning down his bail petition on medical grounds, the report said. On February 15, Sharif was shifted to a hospital on the request of his personal physician to the government. It was the second time in February that he was shifted to a hospital from the prison. Sharif resigned as Pakistan prime minister in 2017 after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against the beleaguered leader and his children over the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif has denied any wrongdoing and says the charges are political motivated. Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation were formally paced in the list of banned organisations on Tuesday, a day after the Indian media reported that the two outfits continue to be only on the watchlist. According to Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority (NCTA) list, which was updated on Tuesday, JuD and FIF were among 70 organisations proscribed by the Ministry of Interior under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. "This list is updated as of 05th March, 2019 and prepared by NACTA based on the Notifications issued by Ministry of Interior," said a note at the bottom of the list. The development comes a day after Indian media reported that the two organisations continue to be only in the list of groups under watch. On February 21, Pakistan government had announced that it had banned the JuD and FIF, amid intense global pressure to rein in the militant groups following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF jawans. However, in the NCTA list, which was earlier updated on Monday, JuD and FIF were under watch by the Ministry of Interior. Both JuD and FIF were placed on the watch list in January 2017. The Pakistan government on Monday also put out another order saying it has frozen assets of all UN designated organisations like JuD, FIF. According to officials, JuD's network includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance service. The two groups have about 50,000 volunteers and hundreds of other paid workers. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It had been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014. The US Department of the Treasury has designated its chief Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice. Saeed was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008. He was released from house arrest in Pakistan in November 2017. The NCTA has so far declared 70 terrorist organisations as banned and a sizeable number of these organisations are based in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The organisation evaluated 151 countries on the basis of 10 indicators. These are blood glucose, blood pressure, obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, inactivity, life expectancy and health spending. 10. Cambodia | This Southeast Asian nation is at the tenth spot, faring positively on health indicators like blood glucose levels and blood pressure. However, it ranks low on health spending and happiness levels. (Image: Reuters) 9. South Korea | Another Asian nation makes it at the ninth spot with a strong life expectancy and happy citizens. 8. Laos | On the back of average happiness among the citizens and strong health indicators including blood pressure and sugar levels, this Southeast Asian country ranks eighth in the list. (Image: Reuters) 7. Singapore | The island-city is seventh on the list and shows ranks highly in health spending and life expectancy. 6. Netherlands | The northwestern European country at sixth spot seems to have physically active citizens with positive performance across almost all indicators, except for blood pressure. (Image: Reuters) 5. Maldives | This small island nation just off the Indian coast is at the fifth place. Even though inactivity seems to be high in this country, its wellness is supported by all other strong health indicators. (Image: Reuters) 4. Philippines | This Asian country is on the fourth spot, slightly drawn down in the list by its life expectancy. (Image: Reuters) 3. Iceland | This Nordic island nation broke into the top 3, with average performance with respect to obesity and health spending. (Image: Reuters) 2. Oman | This Middle-Eastern nation is the runner-up with positive indicators across the board, except for a slight hitch in obesity and level of depression in the country. (Image: Reuters) Mobikwik, a phone-based digital payments company, recently announced the launch of digital term life insurance on its app. The company, in association with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company, is providing instant life insurance of Rs1 lakh for only Rs20 per month. This is not the first time an app-based company has ventured into selling insurance. However, the rise in... Hyderabad-based IT Grids (India) Pvt Ltd, which provides information technology (IT) services to Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), is facing allegations of having stolen data of 37 million voters from the state government database through an app. According to a complaint filed in this case, the data was being misused for voter profiling and deleting names of non-TDP voters to further the prospects of the Party in the Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections. This not only is a serious matter but also raises questions on impending dangers of allowing profiling of citizens through demographic data obtained from Aadhaar. This has also led to deletion of name of voters, who are not favourably inclined towards the political party's agenda, from the voter's list. Last week, the Cyberabad police had registered a case against the company on a petition by whistleblower T Lokeshwar Reddy, who alleged the TDP had been provided data of Andhra Pradesh voters, including their Aadhaar details, colour photographs and mobile numbers. Mr Reddy alleged that IT Grids integrated this voter data with reports of surveys done by the Party and uploaded it on Sevamitra, an app for TDP cadres. He claimed the data was being misused for voter profiling and deleting names of non-TDP voters to further the prospects of the Party in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Preliminary investigations revealed that IT Grids got access to personal information and sensitive data related to Aadhaar, electoral rolls and beneficiaries of government schemes. The company was using this data for Sevamitra, an application developed by it for the TDP. "Through this application, they have constituency wise voters' data and affiliations of each voter party wise i.e. TDA, YSRCP, Janasena and neutral. They also have an option to identify the preferences of a voter for a particular party. The application also has the information of voter ID details, caste details and address of the voter. IT Grid also has got the access to the beneficiaries data of the government related to Andhra Pradesh. The information is being used to create profiles of voters and use them for political purposes," a statement from Cyberabad Police said. Srinivas Kodali, who calls himself a public interest technologist (@digitaldutta), also pointed out how the JaiTDP app was collecting a lot of information using Aadhaar data from the state government sites. From code of @JaiTDP app, it is very clear they were collecting lot of information which even probably is not collected during a census. You need a base dataset to do this with volunteers, otherwise really difficult to do. Guess this is where #Aadhaar data from Govt was used. pic.twitter.com/GJGr9AKjJL Srinivas Kodali (@digitaldutta) March 4, 2019 Cyberabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar said police served notices on four employees of the company and in their presence conducted search and seizure at the company's office in Madhapur on Saturday and Sunday. Several electronic gadgets, hard discs, cellphones, documents and other materials were seized. The police also suspect a link between the misuse of data and deletion of voters' names in Andhra Pradesh. Mr Sajjanar said the police in the neighbouring state have registered 50 cases against people who have lodged online complaints seeking removal of names of eligible voters from the electoral rolls. Mr Sajjanar said the police have issued a notice to Amazon Web Services for the production of a database relating to application and other data. "We are also writing to the UIDAI and the Election Commission for more details," he said. The searches conducted by Cyberabad police at IT Grid's office had also sparked a row between the ruling parties of two neighbouring states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Mr Kodali has been pointing out misuse of citizen's personal by the Andhra Pradesh government and how all such data, including Aadhaar numbers of residents were being leaked all over the internet. In August 2018, he said, the state government had carried out Aadhaar based survey and geotagged every resident and the family details by doing an electronic know-your-customer (eKYC). Andhra Pradesh carried out a huge #Aadhaar based survey and geotagged every resident and the family details by doing ekYC. All of this data was published. You can micro analyse voters in Andhra Pradesh, just using family details, house location, voter lists, living conditions pic.twitter.com/zORB5Khqu4 Srinivas Kodali (@digitaldutta) August 7, 2018 Mr Kodali also alleged that in Andhra Pradesh, data such as every resident's property tax, water bills, advertisement tax details along with Aadhaar numbers, mobile number, GPS details, residential details and electoral ward is stored with a non-government organisation (NGO) started by Nandan Nilekani, who is behind the Aadhaar project, and also headed UIDAI before returing to Infosys as its chief. Every resident's property tax, water bills, advertisement tax details along with #Aadhaar numbers, mobile number, GPS lat, long, who lives there and electoral ward you belong to. All of this data is stored with a NGO started by @NandanNilekani They knew the data was leaky in 2015 pic.twitter.com/5InVmW3fD9 Srinivas Kodali (@digitaldutta) August 7, 2018 Calling Andhra Pradesh as "true digital nightmare, all thanks to Aadhaar", Mr Kodali says, the state government publishes Aadhaar everywhere from electricity bills to even in auto-rickshaws. Andhra Pradesh wants to link all of this data using #Aadhaar to build 360 profiles of every citizen. They call it People Hub, part of their real-time surveillance Operating System called E-Pragati https://t.co/WRhNdgUf21 pic.twitter.com/pZVJKQqRwV Srinivas Kodali (@digitaldutta) August 7, 2018 This expose raises several serious and important questions on linking Aadhaar with everything under the sun by government. Important to note, when the Supreme Court in its order last year discarded Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act that allowed use of the UID by private entities, the union government brought out an ordinance to allow such usage. This means, citizens need to be on vigil and protect personal data that is vulnerable through linking of Aadhaar with everything, either legally or illegally. Australian Economic News Updates Enjoy a contrarian outlook on the Australian economy and how movements beyond our borders could affect your stocks, retirement fund or the value of your home. Go here for more. Daily Chinese Economy News Chinas economy has been a powerhouse in recent years. But times are a changing and China, for better or worse, is a subject of heated debate. Are there investment opportunities to be still had from China, and how will they affect your wealth at home? Find out here. US Economy News The US economy is drowning under the weight of its public and private debt. But is it too soon to call the end of this financial, military and political empire? Only time will tell. Either way, you need to make sure your investments are on the right side of the trade. Eurozone Economy The Eurozone is in a huge mess right now. Can it hold it together or will, one-by-one, member states leave the Euro and go at it on their own? More importantly, what consequences will this have for Australia and your investments? More on that here. Global Economy News Dont just follow the news on the global economy get an inside peek into whats happening in developed and emerging economies around the world and what it could mean for your investments. Go here for more. March 05, 2019 Democrats Continue Campaign To Reelect Trump A few weeks ago Moon of Alabama reported that Russiagate Is Finished: Nothing, zero, nada was found to support the conspiracy theory. The Trump campaign did not collude with Russia. A few flunkies were indicted for unrelated tax issues and for lying to the investigators about some minor details. But nothing at all supports the dramatic claims of collusion made since the beginning of the affair. ... In a just world the people who for more then two years hyped the conspiracy theory and caused so much damage would be pushed out of their public positions. Unfortunately that is not going to happen. They will jump onto the next conspiracy train and continue from there. It seems that this was too much to expect from those who believed in Russiagate. These people are unable to think up a new conspiracy theory by themselves. Instead they go for a fishing expedition to find something that they can use to continue the fake outrage: The House Judiciary Committee sent more than 80 letters demanding all communications from a host of controversies surrounding Trump, as the panel probes whether the president and his administration have engaged in obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power. But rather than a targeted approach, Mondays request was broad, reaching current and former campaign staffers, top Trump Organization officials, even documents and communications of the National Rifle Association and the British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. The inquiry touched on a wide array of matters, from the presidents business dealings with Russia to the firing of former FBI director James B. Comey to hush payments made to women. Many of those issues are already being examined by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York not to mention other committees in the House. ... For months, House Democrats said they would look to Muellers findings to determine whether to proceed with impeachment hearings. But Nadlers request demonstrates that Democrats are preparing to probe well beyond Russias interference in the election. The Democrats try to find something that will put Trump into a bad light. I am sure that there are many shady deals Trump made during his life. But there are many worse things that he is doing right now right under the eyes of Congress. Instead of focusing on what Trump currently does with deregulating whatever he can, by filling the courts with young conservative judges and by his mismanaging of foreign policy, the Democrats will draw the public attention towards issues in the past that have no relevance for what happens to their electorate right now and in the future. It is a strategy of political self-castration. Instead of promoting policy issues that can attract voters, the Democrats draw attention to their anti-Trump campaign. That scheme was already tried, tested and failed in 2016. The chance is high that it will also fail in 2020. Trump might well get reelected despite all the dirt the Democrats will uncover during such sham investigations. The unwillingness of the Democrats to have real political discussion is also visible in their attempt to subdue the new young House members who have come up with real new proposals and ideas. The use of the Zionist lobby AIPAC and false claims of 'anti-semitism' against them is especially outrageous: When Representative Ilhan Omar landed a coveted seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Stephen Fiske began working the phones to Capitol Hill. Alarmed by messaging that he saw as anti-Semitic and by Ms. Omars support for the boycott-Israel movement, Mr. Fiske, a longtime activist with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, began texting and calling his friends in Congress to complain. He is hoping Aipac activists will punish Ms. Omar, a freshman Democrat from Minnesota, with a primary challenge in 2020. On Wednesday, House Democratic leaders will mete out one form of punishment: Spurred by outrage over Ms. Omars latest comments suggesting that pro-Israel activists push for allegiance to a foreign country, they will put a resolution condemning anti-Semitism on the House floor. 'Anti-semitism', in the false sense of AIPAC and the Democratic leadership bound to it, is anything that is not 100% in support of the racist state of Israel and the Zionism ideology. The resolution is aimed at House member Ilhan Omar who suggested that such automatic dual loyalty is a problem. It also proves that she is right: Ilhan Omar @IlhanMN - 20:01 utc - 3 Mar 2019 I am told everyday that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone. I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks. Ilhan Omar will not be the only one to be targeted like that. The Lobby is aiming at two more: In Florida, Mr. Fiske said it was time for pro-Jewish voices to speak up about Ms. Omar and two other Democratic freshmen who have been critical of Israel: Representatives Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. And he offered a prediction: They are three people who, in my opinion, will not be around in several years. The leadership of the Democrats is not defending the three freshmen who proved that they can attract and motivate young voters. It is actively helping the Lobby to oust them. The new policies the newcomers stand for will likewise be discarded. The Democrats seem to believe that their potential voters have nowhere else to go. That believe is wrong. Elections in the dual party system are won by turnout. If the Democrats don't prove that they have the right policies and attractive politicians, their potential voters will simply stay home. Nearly half of them already do that. Throwing the kitchen sink at Trump, after Russiagate disastrously failed, might help CNN's quotes. But it is not a substitute for well motivated policy fights. Killing off the next generation of attractive politicians for a few more Benjamins will drive away the young voters attracted by their views. Together these steps suggest that the Democrats have no real strategy and will to win. They will help Trump to win a second term. Posted by b on March 5, 2019 at 20:12 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page Recent investor immigrants born in China and Iran own higher-value single-detached properties in Vancouver than those from other countries, said the report, which examines immigrant ownership in the Toronto and Vancouver regions. The report notes that the disparity in property values between Canadian-born residents and long-term immigrants isnt as drastic as it with immigrants who have arrived since 2009. However, the price of a detached Metro Vancouver home owned by a long-term immigrant in 2017$1.77mis still 17% higher than the average price of a home owned by a domestic-born resident. Immigrant Canadians may exhibit a stronger preference for investments in housing than Canadian-born residents, said the report. Home ownership might be an important milestone for immigrants in the path towards social and economic integration. A recent column in the Vancouver Sun noted that provincial nominee programs are supposed to favour newcomers looking for a job, yet since 2009 thousands have managed to buy luxury homes in Canadas most expensive real estate market. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) President Rodrigo Duterte once again spoke fondly of Moro leader Nur Misuari as he explained why he helped the "revolutionary" to be allowed to travel abroad despite court cases. "He's not a fugitive, he's a revolutionary," Duterte said of Misuari, founder of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, during the campaign rally of ruling PDP-Laban party in Abra on Tuesday. Misuari is facing graft and malversation raps over the alleged anomalous purchase of 77 million worth of educational materials when he was governor of the then Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan allowed him to attend conferences in the United Arab Emirates and Morocco after posting a 920,000 travel bond for the trip. He left the country on February 26 and is expected to return by March 20. Duterte reiterated that he talked to the police and military to allow Misuari to leave the country and assured them that he will come back. "It will be an insult to his person if he is buried in another land. Babalik dito yan, dito magpakamatay," Duterte said. Despite Duterte's repeated admissions and public orders to the police and military, Malacanang on Monday said the President did not directly interfere with the judiciary regarding Misuari's travel plea. Duterte, in a speech in Zamboanga City on Sunday, admitted he called the police, the military, and the court to let Misuari go. Glew said police reviewed video from the school bus showing that at about 4 p.m., the bus driver stood up from his seat, walked to a boy in the back of the bus, pushed the boy with his hands, picked the boy up, shoved him toward the window, spun the boy around and forced him to sit down in his seat. Atlantic Canada is currently seeing some of the countrys lowest mortgage delinquency rates, according to the latest edition of the CMHCs Mortgage and Consumer Credit Trends report. The study, which looked at market conditions as of Q3 2018, found that Halifax with a delinquency rate below 0.5% is especially benefiting from the trend. This is mainly due to stronger economic conditions brought about by greater full-time employment in all age cohorts. Additionally, with strong resale demand throughout 2018 and new listings remaining low, the amount of time a home spent on the market has been declining across all Halifax submarkets. For those homeowners who may have fallen into delinquency, these market conditions may have been additionally favourable, the report noted. As consumers' lives become increasingly mobile, we are evolving our service to include a broad range of digital tools that allow us to meet them wherever is most convenient." said Jason Nadeau, Chief Digital Officer, Fidelity National Financial, Inc. "Remote online notarization is just one part of this wider toolset, and allows sellers and buyers to close on a real estate transaction when and where best suits their schedules. Secure and compliant The solution used by FNF for the transaction enabled electronic verification of the sellers, created a fully-compliant set of documents, and uploaded a video of the remote closing experience to FNFs secure server as an archived record of the closing along with the relevant documents. "Digital closings and remote notarization tools are key components of Fidelity National Financial's wider vision for an end-to-end digital real estate experience," Nadeau added. "By combining the very best in eClose, eSign, remote notarization and other innovations, we are moving our operations and the industry forward into the digital future. At the same time, we're ensuring our vast network of settlement agents, escrow officers and notaries maintain their competitive edge in an increasingly digital market." In the scheme, Joanne, James, and others agreed to submit fraudulent reimbursements by the brokerage to Freddie Mac for James company, amounting to approximately $1,372,099 in repair, improvement, and maintenance projects, the US Attorneys Office said. After Freddie Mac paid the purported reimbursements, the brokerage paid James approximately 90% of those amounts and retained an approximate 10% skim. Joanne ensured that Jamess company would win these projects by submitting fraudulent bids to Freddie Mac by purported competitors. To avoid detection by Freddie Mac, Joanne submitted bids in a friends name, without his knowledge, instead of James company, for work that was ultimately performed by James company. The Murrays also agreed to submit similar fraudulent requests for reimbursement of minor cleaning projects for James relative, amounting to approximately $68,960, in exchange for the brokerages retention of approximately 10% of the relatives payments. Aside from fraud, the Murrays also dodged payment on outstanding federal tax debts from 2012 to 2014. They cashed various checks from the brokerage amounting to $461,030. In 2014, the Murrays jointly filed an individual federal income tax return that under-reported their gross receipts by $151,178. The couple was sentenced five years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 for the conspiracy charge. The aggravated identity theft charges require a mandatory two-year sentence consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. The proposed settlement is an attempt to resolve several cases known as shareholder derivative lawsuits suits filed by shareholders seeking to recover money not for themselves, but for the company in which they own stock. In this case, Wells Fargo shareholders sued 20 current and former officers and directors of the bank, including CEO Tim Sloan and former CEO John Stumpf, American Banker reported. After seven mediation sessions over the litigation, the parties reached a settlement agreement that called for Wells Fargo to be paid $240 million by insurance companies that issued liability coverage to the current and former directors who were named as defendants in the suit. Consumer groups fumed at news of the settlement. First, banks escaped accountability for violations, Kevin Stein, deputy director for the California Reinvestment Coalition, told American Banker. Now they are somehow able to profit from them? I dont see how this helps the customers or workers who are the real victims of the litany of Wells Fargo scandals, Ed Mierzwinski, senior director of the federal consumer program at the US Public Interest Research Group, told the publication. Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning for the Bahamas. The U.S. State Department has issued a level-2 travel advisory for the Bahamas, not a warning. The Bahama Ministry of Tourism released the following statement about the advisory: The Ministry of Tourism & Aviation is aware of the recent update to the U.S. Travel Advisory for The Bahamas. We would note that overall, their guidance to citizens remains a Level Two advisory recommending caution, but not actually urging delay or cancellation of travel plans to our islands. The U.S. has issued 208 Travel Advisories ranging from Level 1 to Level 4; The Bahamas is among 55 countries with a Level 2 advisory and we are in the company of France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico and China. We recommend that travelers to any destination maintain awareness of their surroundings and exercise basic precautions, as they likely would in their home cities and when not on holiday. In reality, the vast majority of our 6 million annual visitors do so without any incident whatsoever. According to Royal Bahamas Police data for 2018 there were only 43 incidents involving tourists, of which 30 involved U.S. nationals, none (0) involved Canadians, and nearly all were minor offences. The Ministry of Tourism appreciates the efforts of law enforcement and congratulates authorities on the progress they have made in significantly reducing serious crimes like murder (-25%), armed robbery (- 18%), attempted robbery (-19%) and shoplifting (-23%). The safety of residents and visitors is of paramount importance and efforts to maintain and improve security are a constant priority for Bahamas authorities as is true for all governments. Safety and security efforts include the use of CCTV in addition to a heightened police presence with foot, bicycle and motor patrols across all areas referenced in the advisory and tourist areas, including additional Beach Enforcement Officers that have been deployed to beaches frequented by visitors. Regular communication is in effect between the Royal Bahamas Police Force Land and Marine Units, Royal Bahamas Defence Force Harbour Patrol Unit and the Ministry of Tourism to ensure concerns are addressed quickly. The Ministry of Tourism supports the various steps taken to address needed changes in regulation and enforcement of measures to ensure the safety of watercraft activities. The Port Department and, by extension, the Ministry of Transport and Local Government have sought to strengthen its laws governing vessels (including enhancements to the Commercial Recreational Watercraft Act) through the adoption of regional safety codes and requirements under the Small Commercial Vessel Code and Caribbean Cargo Ship Safety Code. Such Codes stipulate higher inspection standards, mandatory safety equipment required on board vessels, criteria for domestic or home built vessels, dry docking inspections and increased ship manning requirements. These measures are being aggressively maintained or pursued by the Ministry of Transport and Local Government and the Port Department to ensure the Maritime Industry is effectively regulated, thus ensuring the safety of visitors and all seafarers. This effort includes joint and coordinated sea patrols by the Police Marine Unit, Defence Force Harbour Patrol Unit and the Port Department, and development of a citation and ticketing system for those not in compliance. Safety and security on land and at sea is critically important for visitors and for the Bahamian people. Aggressive efforts are underway across all relevant Bahamian ministries and departments to ensure that our islands remain a destination that provides a welcoming environment where visitors enjoy our culture and our citizens enjoy economic opportunity. Before booking your next summer vacation, be advised that one popular destination is now under a travel advisory for tourists. The U.S. State Department just issued a level-2 travel advisory "Exercise Increased Caution" for the Bahamas due to crime. This includes robberies, burglaries and sexual assault. "Jet-ski operators have been known to commit sexual assaults against tourists," the notice reads. Another potential hazard are also commercial recreational watercrafts, since a study found that some water-tour boats aren't regularly regulated. LISTEN at HoustonChronicle.com: How Daddy Duncan's in Katy quickly became a barbecue powerhouse "Watercraft are often not maintained, and many companies do not have safety certifications to operate in The Bahamas," the study reported. "As a result, U.S. government personnel are not permitted to use jet-ski rentals on New Providence and Paradise Islands." The vast majority of crimes, the state department explained, occur in New Providence and Grand Bahama islands, both day and night. More specifically, tourists are asked to avoid the area known as "Over the Hill" (south of Shirley Street), as well as the "Fish Fry at Arawak Cay in Nassau, especially at night." YUMM: Best places to eat on a Texas road trip (updated) Additional tips for those traveling to the Bahamas: 1. Don't open your door unless you know who's knocking. 2. Don't resist a robbery attempt. 3. Have a contingency plan for emergency medical situations and enroll in the e-Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you: step.state.gov. For additional advice, review the department's travelers' checklist at travel.state.gov. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. Midland Police Department Officer Nathan Heidelberg died Tuesday morning after being shot while responding to an alarm at a north central Midland residence, the city reported. Heidelberg, his probationary police officer and two additional officers loudly announced their presence to the homeowner, who believed his home was being broken into, according to a press release from the city. The homeowner fired rounds toward the flashlight being held by Officer Heidelberg, striking him above his protective vest, the spokesman said in the release. RELATED: MPD receives outpouring support from West Texas Heidelberg was a field training officer and had been employed with MPD for five years. Police Chief Seth Herman said Heidelberg represented the best in all of us and called him courageous, selfless, ethical and professional. He was a tireless public servant who devoted every ounce of energy to this profession, the citizens and his fellow officers, Herman said. We have lost not only a great officer, but a loving brother and the most positive example of what we should all aspire to be. I wish I was more like Nathan. Heidelberg is the first MPD officer to die in the line of duty since 1961 and the fourth overall, according the website Officer Down Memorial Page. Three of the four died by gunfire. Mayor Jerry Morales said in a statement, Im asking our community to come together today and this week to lift our fallen police officer, Officer Heidelberg, his family and the Midland Police Department family in prayer. This is a tragic loss for our community. I want to say thank you for all of the surrounding communities for their show of support. Our Midland families need to stand strong and lift each other up during this time of mourning. Please give your support and thanks to all of our public servants for all they do to protect our great city, he said. As mayor, I ask that all flags be flown at half-staff this week in remembrance of Officer Heidelberg and all those fallen in the line of duty. RELATED: Mayor Morales releases statement following MPD officer's death Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter said, Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters. The Midland County Sheriffs Office also lost a deputy in recent years. Sgt. Mike Naylor was shot and killed in October 2014 while serving a warrant. We experienced the loss of an officer and its not something we would wish on anyone, Painter said. Time will be on their side. Its hard but they will get past this. Painter said MCSO officers knew Heidelberg and he was a very well-liked individual and [MCSO] officers had a tremendous amount of respect for him. Painter added that the sheriffs office is extremely saddened by the news and available to help [MPD] in any way that we can. The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting. On Tuesday morning, the Midland County Sheriffs Office reported that David Charles Wilson was arrested for manslaughter. Eagle Cove, a cul-de-sac north of Cardinal Lane in north Midland, is the street listed for Wilson. On Tuesday afternoon, officials with the Department of Public Safety and Odessa Police Department were controlling traffic on Eagle Cove. A DPS official said they were in the 3300 block of Eagle Cove in response to the shooting of Heidelberg. Dispatch audio also identifies Eagle Cove as the place where shots were fired. Wilson is being represented by attorney Brian Carney, who said Tuesday afternoon via email, We are cooperating with investigators to attempt to learn all the material facts as soon as possible. David Wilson believed that his family was experiencing a home invasion and only fired his weapon to protect his family. We would like to express our deepest sympathies to Officer Heidelbergs family and the Midland Police Department for the events that led to his death, he said. In honor of Heidelberg, MPD officers will wear badge covers for the next 30 days, and U.S. flags will be flown at half-staff at all city buildings until sundown on the day Heidelberg is buried, according to the press release from the city. Multiple departments across the Permian Basin have come out to support the Midland Police Department following the death of a police officer early Tuesday morning. "Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters...We experienced a loss of an officer and it's not something we would wish on anyone. Time will be on their side. It will be hard, but they will get past this. [MCSO] officers are having a very hard time and are very sad. We knew Nathan and he was a very well-liked individual, and our officers had a tremendous amount of respect for him. We are available to help [MPD] in any way that we can," Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter said. The Odessa Police Department has posted on their Facebook encouraging Odessa residents to replace their porch lights with blue bulbs for the next two weeks in remembrance of the fallen officer. They release the following statement: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Midland Police Department. All Odessa Police officers will be wearing mourning bands over their badges in remembrance of the Fallen MPD officer. All flags in front of OPD will also be lowered to half staff. The Odessa Police Department would like to encourage the citizens of Odessa to replace their porch lights with blue bulbs for the next two weeks in remembrance of the fallen officer." Mark Henry Dettman, MPD chaplain released the following statement: "Days like today are difficult -- for the family and loved ones, for fellow police officers, for all in our community. Midland has lost two law enforcement officers recently -- Hayden Heidelberg today and Mike Naylor in 2014. That is two too many. I was at the hospital this morning with the family and so many of his fellow police officers. There are no words sufficient to comfort in times like these. I find comfort in knowing that Officer Heidelberg is in Heaven with our Jesus and I hope and pray that his family and fellow police officers can find peace in knowing that he is with our Lord and Savior and that we will all see him again one day. During this time, I would ask all of Midland to pray for those who are hurting, to pray for peace and comfort for his family and for our law enforcement, and to pray for protection over all of our first responders. Midland is a special place, and I know that together we will get through this." The Midland Police Department identified the officer as Nathan Heidelberg. Officer Heidelberg died this morning after being shot while responding to an alarm at a local residence, according to the city's spokesman. Heidelberg, his probationary police officer and two additional officers loudly announced their presence to the homeowner, who believed his home was being broken into, according to a press release from the city. "The homeowner fired rounds toward the flashlight being held by Officer Heidelberg, striking him above his protective vest," the spokesman said in the release. Heidelberg was a field training officer and had been employed with MPD for five years. A Midland man was arrested Friday for alleged sexual assault, according to court documents. Travis John Cheramie, 35, was being held Monday on $100,000 bond for a first-degree felony charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14. Midland County deputies were dispatched at about 10 a.m. Friday in reference to a sexual assault. LOCAL CRIME: Man arrested on sexual assault of a child charge The teen told officers Cheramie had assaulted her over the course of a year, according to his arrest affidavit. Cheramie told officers he had inappropriately touched the teen, according to the affidavit. If convicted of a first-degree felony charge, Cheramie could face up to life imprisonment. The money from the new bond issuance will go toward safety improvements to the entrance of The Grove, a 145-acre nature preserve, and enhancements of its nature center known as The Grove Interpretive Center, along with renovation of the Glenview Ice Center and to fund the purchase of open space. "Tornado Alley" could be in for a rougher season than usual. And Monday's news offered a little bit of proof. First responders in Lee County, Alabama told reporters that a deadly tornado claimed at least 23 lives, and injured dozens more individuals. It was the deadliest tornado-related total since May 20, 2013, when 24 people were killed by a twister in Oklahoma, the Storm Prediction Center reported. Last year, only 10 people were killed by tornadoes in the U.S. The National Weather Service office in Birmingham told news outlets that the first tornado that landed in Lee County was "at least" an EF-3. That tornado is marked as "severe," with winds 158 to 206 mph. Could Texas be next? The answer is complicated. The northern region of Texas represents the bottom of "Tornado Alley." The other areas represented, according to Accuweather.com (a weather news service) are "much of northern Texas northward through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and parts of Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska and eastern Colorado." Last week, the AccuWeather released a report that predicts Tornado Alley will see more tornadoes than it has the past three years. RELATED: The Latest: Death toll from Alabama tornado rises to 23 "We believe warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures over the Gulf of Mexico will lead to increased moisture transport from the Gulf over the region and ultimately a higher frequency of severe weather in these areas," said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok. The report also predicted that "there will be 1,075 tornadoes in 2019, which is nine percent more than the 987 tornadoes in 2018." However, some experts have been critical of these projections. One report from The Washington Post cites a number of weather experts and professors who want AccuWeather to "show their work" its 2019 predictions. The National Weather Service reported 52 tornadoes hit the entire state of Texas in 2018. That figure was the fifth-highest mark of any state in the U.S. Five tornadoes took place near the very bottom of the Texas-Louisiana border. *The data also shows that six tornadoes took place near the greater Houston area.* While Houston doesn't technically reside in Tornado Alley, the latest incidents in Alabama, as well as the projections from AccuWeather, might be an indicator of what's to come. Peter Dawson is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | Peter.Dawson@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. The raises will bring the base pay of experienced officers to $98,061 in 2019 and to $101,003 in 2020. Slightly more than half of the citys 44 police officers covered by the agreement are at the highest step on the schedule, officials said. Some of the staffing cuts are planned because of declining enrollment. Enrollment at South is forecast to fall from 1,528 students to 1,467 in the 2019-2020 school year, a loss of 61 students. Central is forecast to have 83 fewer students, with enrollment falling from 2,796 to 2,713 next year. Illinois attorney general joined 20 other state attorneys general to file a brief in support of a transgender student suing for discrimination. Drew Adams, 18, is suing the St. Johns County School Board in Florida for discrimination, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raouls office. Adams began using the boys bathroom after his transition in 2015 and was told by the school he could only use gender-neutral bathrooms. With mere months remaining until the Walldog muralists come to town to touch up Jacksonvilles murals, Jacksonville Main Street is raising some extra funds to create a couple of new murals for the citys collection. Ahead of the Wham Bam Mural Jam event scheduled for July 24-28, Jacksonville Main Street is selling raffle tickets for a 1979 Mercedes 450 SL Sport Coupe donated by real estate investor E. Scott DeWolf. The donation will be key in a final push to bring new murals to Jacksonville, Main Street Executive Director Judy Tighe said. As we were out in the community talking about doing this mural restoration project, I was talking to Scotty DeWolf and he said, Id like to donate a car, Tighe said. Its a generous, wonderful donation. I was absolutely blown away, I had no idea that he was going to donate a car like that. When I saw I thought, Wow, thats a sweet ride. It is so sweet. The original murals, scattered around Jacksonville, were painted in 2006 by the muralist group Walldogs. A pack of highly trained sign painters and muralists from around the world, the Walldogs are known for throwing a festival in a local community to create beautifully detailed murals. It is rare for the group to return to a city, Tighe said, and thats why her hope is to seize the opportunity to get some new art for the city and its visitors. Most of them are taking off work, theyre closing their shops for a week to come and help you with a project, Tighe said. They try to get reimbursement for their travel expenses and cover some of their costs. To get a new mural is in the ballpark of $10,000 and they have come and taken a look at all of our mural sites. Virtually all of them need a little something in terms of (care) to make sure they continue to last. The car up for grabs is the last of the 450 SL line before its discontinuation in 1980, according to Mercedes. This particular car has 73,500 miles, has never been driven in snow, has a custom Bridge of Weir leather interior with walnut burl shift knob, and a removable hard top plus soft top. Were hoping to have the car available for view at various events outdoors, Tighe said. Raffle tickets for the car are $10 each and can be purchased at the Jacksonville Main Street office but it is recommended to call the office at 217-245-6884 before dropping by. Information about tickets also is available by email at info@jacksonvillemainstreet.com or on Jacksonville Main Streets website. The winner of the raffle will be announced at the July 27 Wham Bam Mural Jam mural restoration party and the winner need not be present to win. Close to $50,000 has already been raised for the mural restoration and Tighe said that she hopes to hit around $20,000 more for the purchase of two more murals. Tighe also asked that anyone with historic pictures of significant people of Jacksonvilles history, particularly of Ulysses S. Grants historic 1861 march, or any historic agricultural pictures from Jacksonville to submit them to Main Street so they can be considered for mural subjects. Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper. In a statement to the board of trustees, MacMurray College President Mark Tierno announced his intention to retire from the presidency effective July 1. Tierno served as the 16th president in the colleges 173-year history. Tierno has led the institution since 2015. His accomplishments include the development and adoption of a comprehensive strategic plan, an expansion of relationships with alumni, substantial fundraising growth, a positive accreditation review by the Higher Learning Commission, multiple building renovations and several strategic property purchases. Tierno also has become well-known for his 2017 MacNation cross-country alumni tour in a recreational vehicle. My four years at MacMurray College have been among the most enjoyable and productive of my career, Tierno said. My main goal has been to partner with the colleges trustees in efforts to put MacMurray on a clear path toward institutional success. I came here when the college was facing several challenges, a few unexpected, but with the ceaseless support of staff, faculty, students, alumni and trustees, we are confident our institution is moving in the right direction. I should add that I never could have expected to be so warmly embraced by MacMurrays alumni and campus communities; this place is special, the people are remarkable and MacFam (MacMurray Family) is real. Tierno had previously served as the president of Cazenovia College (New York) 2000-2015. He has also held leadership positions at the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan, Elmira College (New York), Lake Forest College (Illinois), and the University of Pittsburgh. His future plans include relocating to his home in Chicago, investing in a business with his son and returning to his writing. Ive wanted to return to these undertakings for many years and now is the perfect time, Tierno said. Board of Trustees Chair Charlie OConnell said, Mark will undoubtedly be missed, but we understand and support his decision. His role over the past four years has been crucial and he will forever have MacMurrays collective gratitude. Mark may not have had the longest tenure, but his time here was impactful, and his legacy is certainly distinguished. We are all grateful for the experience he brought and guidance hes provided. In response to a request by the board of trustees, transitional leadership was accepted by the colleges provost and vice president of academic affairs and student life, Beverly Rodgers, who will serve as interim president. OConnell affirmed that Rodgers appointment will provide a seamless transition as the college begins its presidential search. I will be honored to continue the good work of Dr. Tierno, Rodgers said. We are not standing still and will continue to move forward on infrastructure, curriculum growth, new faculty and staff, and fundraising. A presidential transition team is being assembled and the college will begin its search immediately. HARDIN The latest likely scam floating around Calhoun County appears to be a letter featuring the signature of Calhoun County Sheriff William Heffington soliciting donations but theres at least one dead giveaway this give-to is totally fake. The letterhead places the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office in Mt. Carroll, Illinois. A county seat, to be sure, but Carroll County rests in the Mississippi valley well upriver, about 60 miles north of the Quad Cities. Telegraph readers quickly noted that similar versions of the letter have been turning up in other surrounding counties, including Greene and Madison. The Calhoun County Sheriffs Office posted the following on its Facebook page Monday evening, along with a photo of the letter: A Calhoun County citizen made us aware of this letter coming in the mail. If you get one of these letters, they are NOT being sent by CCSO and they are NOT being sent by Sheriff Bill Heffingtonthe address says Mt Carroll IL and not Hardin. Do NOT send them moneythis is NOT coming from us What could add to the confusion for targets of the likely scam, the letter features correct addresses for the Illinois Sheriffs Associations and its office in Springfield. The letter included a postage-free response envelope, likely with an alternate address. The Calhoun County Sheriffs Office did not show that address for investigative purposes. I am writing to you today because we need your help!, the letter reads, complete with a Xeroxed signature of the long-time sheriff. The letter also, helpfully, warns the reader of possible scams. With respect to your privacy and to prevent fraud, we NEVER solicit by phone! If you want a taste of how the Waukegan Ravine was used in Bradburys work, you dont have to read all of Dandelion Wine. Just check out The Whole Towns Sleeping, the page-turning chapter where The Lonely One stalks Lavinia Nebb through the depths as she walks home from the movies. Bradburys place of carefree play was turned to a valley of chills at night. No one has criticized my marijuana ... Im sure the Niles chief is making a recommendation based on what is good for his department and needs, Kaminski said. We made our decision on what we felt was in the best interest of our department and our needs. Microphone and US Flag View Photos During the Democratic Weekly Address, Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) urged the Senate to pass the resolution against President Trumps emergency declaration. Udall was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: This week, I am introducing a bipartisan resolution with my Senate colleagues to terminate the presidents declaration of a national emergency to build his border wall. My partners in this effort include Senator Collins and Senator Murkowski. The vote we will take on this resolution is historic. This is no longer about the presidents wall. This is not about party. This is about protecting the very heart of our American system of governance. Congress and only Congress holds the power of the purse. Article 1, Section 9, of the Constitution clearly states: No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law Congresss power to make spending decisions is clear. There is no ambiguity. Deciding how to spend public funds is among our most fundamental powers and responsibilities under the Constitution. The Founders gave this power to the legislative body not the executive to ensure there is broad support before public funds are spent. Consequential and far-reaching decisions about spending taxpayer money are not left to one person. Not even the president. This body has rejected the presidents request to give him $5.7 billion dollars for his wall along the southern border with Mexico. On February 14th, not two weeks ago, we passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2019 by a vote of 83 to 16. That compromise bill did NOT include the $5.7 billion the president wanted to build his wall. Now, whether you believe Congress should fund the presidents wall is not at issue. This is a question about the strength of the rule of law in this country. About the separation of powers,which forms the foundation of our American government. The presidents declaration of a national emergency is an end-run around Congresss power toappropriate. Plain and simple. To quote Senator Collins, the president is usurping congressional authority. We are representatives of the people. The people do not want to spend $5.7 billion dollars on the presidents wall. And we must protect their will. And lets be clear: This emergency declaration has serious implications for states all across our country. To build his wall, the White House will raid $3.6 billion dollars from the Department of Defenses military construction budget and $2.5 billion dollars from that departments drug interdiction program. But the White House apparently failed to realize there are only $80 million dollars in the drug interdiction account. So, we should brace for them to trying to take even more military construction funding. These are military construction funds that Congress already has appropriated for specific projects necessary to support the national security priorities of the United States. I am privileged to serve on the Appropriations Committee. I understand the hard and careful work that goes into these funding decisions. For my home state of New Mexico, Congress allocated some $85 million dollars to construct a Formal Training Unit at Holloman Air Force Base in south-central New Mexico for unmanned aerial vehicles. This investment in technology tracks terrorists and protects our national security. We allocated $40 million dollars to White Sands Missile Range to build an information systemsfacility badly needed for next generation research and development activities at the range. Both these projects were vetted over several years and deemed important to our national security. New Mexico is not alone. Many states military bases and regional economies will be impacted. Colorado, for example, is at risk of losing almost $100 million dollars for construction projects at Ft. Carson, near Colorado Springs. Ohio risks $61 million dollars for the first installment for building at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Military constructions projects totaling $210 million dollars are at risk in Florida, $520 million in Texas, $81 million in Utah. The list goes on. Projects in every corner of the country will be impacted. According to the 1976 Senate report from the National Emergencies Act, the presidents emergency power may be utilized only when actual emergencies exist. There is no actual national security emergency at our southern border necessitating a massive wall along the Southern border as this body has already determined. This is a matter where the president and Congress have disagreed, and the president is trying to overrule Congress by fiat. A bipartisan group of 58 former national security officials are sounding the alarm. They write, Under no plausible assessment of the evidence is there a national emergency today that entitles the president to tap into funds appropriated for other purposes to build a wall at the southern border. The evidence speaks for itself: The number of border apprehensions has decreased dramatically. Since the early 2000s, southern border apprehensions have dropped 81 percent. The number of apprehensions at the end fiscal year 2017 was the lowest its been since 1971. A 46 year low. We have the lowest number of undocumented immigrants in our country that weve had in over a decade. The Pew Research Center estimated recently the total number of undocumented immigrants residing in the United States is far less now than since 2004. A 14 year low. And, more people emigrate TO Mexico from the United States than immigrate FROM Mexico to here. Thats right. We have a negative net migration rate with Mexico. I am from one of the four states that border Mexico. One of the four states that will be most directly affected by a wall. I know for an absolute fact that there is no national security emergency along my states border with Mexico. Quite the opposite. New Mexicos border communities are thriving. International commerce is thriving. Our multicultural communities are thriving. Our crime rates are low. A wall like the president wants would be disastrous for a state like New Mexico. It will seize away private property carve up family ranches, farms, and homesteads. It will harm the beautiful, but fragile, environment. But again whether you support the presidents wall is not at issue. As Senator Tillis put it in an op-ed in the Washington Post: I support Trumps vision on border security. But I would vote against the emergency. And another sitting Republican Senator recently said, Congress has been ceding far too much power to the executive branch for decades. We should use this moment as an opportunity to start taking that power back. Over 20 former Republican Senators and Representatives were compelled to pen a letter opposing the emergency declaration. They state: It has always been a Republican fundamental principle that no matter how strong our policy preferences, no matter how deep our loyalties to presidents or party leaders, in order to remain a constitutional republic we must act within the borders of the Constitution. The time to act is now. Litigation has been filed. But Congress should resolve the issue of our own constitutional authority. And not wait for the courts. Let me repeat: The vote we will take is historic. It is imperative that all of us Republican and Democrat protect and defend our Constitution. That we protect and defend the checks and balances that unequivocally place the power of the purse with Congress. That we affirm our powers powers that are separate from the presidents. Our oath is to uphold the Constitution. And the Constitution is clear. The Constitution does not empower the president to raid money by decree just because Congress has already said no. I will vote to terminate the presidents declaration of a national emergency to build his wall. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. Flooding on Pool Station Road in Calaveras County View Photos The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Sierra Nevada above 6,000 feet, through 10 AM Thursday. Total snow accumulations of one to four feet are expected above the 7,000 foot elevation. Winds could gust as high as fifty to fifty-five mph. Additionally, a Flash Flood Watch has been issued for the Sierra Nevada from 10 AM this morning through late Wednesday night. And a Flood Watch has been issued for the Mother Lode and the Northern San Joaquin Valley from this afternoon through Thursday morning. Heavy rainfall can be expected over much of the area through Wednesday night. The combination of rain and rapidly melting snow over the higher elevations of the Sierra will increase the threat of potentially serious flooding, especially at elevations below 7,000 feet. Rising waters can be expected along many rivers and streams through Thursday morning with the possibility of substantial flooding in the foothills. With already saturated soils, the additional rain will also increase the flooding potential. Two to four inches of rain is expected in the Mother Lode. Half-an-inch to two inches of rain is forecast over much of the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Recent burn scar areas may also experience minor mud, rock and debris flows, especially if thunderstorms develop over these areas on Wednesday. Periods of light to moderate snow showers will continue Thursday into Friday as the snow levels will lower into the Mother Lode. A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts. You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. A Flash Flood Watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding. Flash flooding is a VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. A Winter Storm Warning for snow means there will be snow covered roads and limited visibilities. Travel is not recommended while the Warning is in effect. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Fiat Owned by Missing Man Shannon Scott View Photos Calaveras County, CA After reviewing his cell phone records, the Calaveras County Sheriffs Office has released new information regarding the last known whereabouts of missing man Shannon Scott. We reported earlier that Scott, 66, a retired military veteran, left his home in the Wilseyville area at 11am on August 29, headed for an appointment at the Sacramento Veterans Affairs Medical Center, but never arrived. He was reported missing by a family member, two days later, on August 31. The Sheriffs Office reports that cell phone records show that the last activity on his cell phone occurred on August 30 in the Sloughhouse area, east of Sacramento, near Jackson Road. The sheriffs office also confirms that his vehicle was spotted in that same general vicinity, the previous day, around noon. Anyone who saw a 2014 Fiat traveling in that area is asked to call the Calaveras County Sheriffs Office. It had distinctive Purple Heart plates with a number of 9038PH. Scott is reported to be approximately 60 and 170 pounds. He has four tattoos; one located on his right forearm of a dragon, left forearm of a red rose, right bicep of a Pegasus, and one on his left bicep of the Kentucky Flag. He was last believed to be wearing a black t-shirt, white shorts, and brown shoes. Anyone with any information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Calaveras County Sheriffs Office at (209) 754-6500. Anonymous tips may be left at (209) 754-6030. We also reported earlier that his daughter, Shaylee Scott, was arrested during a later search of his home. She was charged with felony violation of probation and being a felon in possession of a firearm. No additional information is being released at this time. Feb. 19 Police arrested a 21-year-old individual during a traffic stop at the 1500 block of Quincy on Feb. 19 just after 4 p.m. The man was charged with no motor vehicle liability insurance and with operating unregistered motor vehicle. Officers responded to the 300 block of N. Columbia St. on Feb. 19 at 3:20 a.m. in reference to an observation regarding a controlled substance. Officers found narcotic equipment but the incident reports don't indicate an arrest. A vehicle crash with vehicle damage was reported at the 700 block of Quincy St. at 9:40 a.m. on Feb. 19. Other crashes were reported that same day at 1100 block of N. Columbia just after 9:30 a.m.; 1900 block of W. 11th St. just after 10:40 a.m.; 800 block of E. Fifth St. just after 11:40 a.m.; 100 block of W. Sixth St. just after 11:15 a.m.; 10th St. and Ennis just before noon; 100 block of W. Sixth St. just before 12:30 p.m.; 2300 block of W. 11th St. just after noon; and Dimmitt Rd. and Interstate 27 east frontage road just before 1 p.m. Criminal mischief was reported at the 600 block of N. Columbia St. just after midnight on Feb. 19. The incident report shows there was damaged property at the scene. A burglary of a building was reported on Feb. 19 just before 10:40 a.m. at the 4000 block of Olton Road. Officers were called to the 200 block of E. Seventh St. on Feb. 19 just before 11:30 p.m. for a traffic problem. The 19-year-old individual was charged with no/defective light-front bike/motor-bike, resisting arrest search or transportation and failure to identify giving false/fictitious information. Feb. 20 Police arrested a 21-year-old man on Feb. 20 at the 300 block of N. Columbia St. just before 11 p.m. for an active warrant. Officers arrested a 33-year-old man at the 600 block of W. 24th St. on Feb. 20 for a warrant. A 26-year-old man was arrested at the 2600 block of W. 20th St. on Feb. 20 for a warrant. Officers arrested a 25-year-old man on Feb. 20 at the 3300 block of Olton Road during a traffic stop. The individual was charged with no drivers license and with possession/delivery of drug paraphernalia. A 56-year-old man was arrested for a warrant at the 900 block of N. Broadway on Feb. 20. Police arrested an 18-year-old man at the 600 block of Joliet St. on Feb. 20 for an active warrant. A hit and run vehicle crash was reported on Feb. 20 and resulted in the arrest of a 26-year-old man who was charged with driving while intoxicated, second offense. A vehicle crash at the 4700 block of Olton Road on Feb. 20 resulted in vehicle damage. A sexual assault was reported at the 2000 block of S. Columbia on Feb. 20 just before 5:30 p.m. An assault was reported at the 4100 block of W. 16th St. just before 3 p.m. on Feb. 20. A disturbance was reported at the 1300 block of Milwaukee on Feb. 20 just before 4:45 a.m. Feb. 22 Police arrested a 28-year-old man at the 2700 block of Olton Road on Feb. 22 just after 10 p.m. The individual was charged with driving with an invalid license with previous conviction/suspension without financial resolution. A 48-year-old man was arrested on Feb. 22 at the 1000 block of W. Fifth St. just after 9:15 p.m. He was charged with driving with an invalid license with previous suspension without financial resolution and with an active warrant. A 20-year-old man was arrested at the 1400 block of W. 26th St. just before 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 22. He was charged for an active warrant. Police were called to the 900 block of Travis St. just before 4 p.m. on Feb. 20 for an assault and a terroristic threat. No arrests were indicated on the police incident reports. Fraud was reported at the 600 block of Amarillo St. just before 10:50 a.m. on Feb. 22. A vehicle crash with vehicle damage was reported at Ennis and Fifth St. on Feb. 22 just before 5:30 p.m. Officers responded to an arson at the 3600 block of Olton Road on Feb. 22 just before 7:40 p.m. An assault was reported at the 900 block of Ash St. on Feb. 22 just after 9:20 p.m. Feb. 23 Police arrested 39-year-old Dolores Diaz Garcia on Feb. 23 at the 1200 block of W. 11th St. just after 8 p.m. She is charged with assault of a public servant, which is a felony, and resisting arrest, search or transportation. Police arrested a 47-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman on Feb. 23 at the 200 block of SE 10th St. The two was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury family violence. A theft was reported at the 400 block of W. Fifth St. on Feb. 23 just after 3:40 p.m. An assault was reported at the 1400 block of Galveston St. just after 2:10 p.m. on Feb. 23. A sexual assault was reported at the 100 block of SE Eighth St. on Feb. 23 just before 10:40 a.m. Police were called to the 1100 block of Thunderbird St. on Feb. 23 just before 8:40 a.m. in reference to a false police report. The incident involved a juvenile. Police were called to the 200 block of E. Fifth St. on Feb. 23 just after 7 a.m. in reference to a burglary. Officers found damaged property at the commercial building. Feb. 24 Police arrested a 25-year-old woman for a warrant on Feb. 24 at the 900 block of Travis St. just after 1:20 p.m. Officers arrested 23-year-old Michael Lee Silva on Feb. 24 and charged him with evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, which is a felony, and for an active warrant. Police arrested a 19-year-old man and two 18-year-old men on Feb. 24 just before 1:40 a.m. Each individual was charged with possession of marijuana, less than 2 ounces. Officers responded to the 2200 block of W. Fifth St. on Feb. 24 just before 9 a.m. in reference to a call about possession of drug paraphernalia. No arrests were indicated on the incident report. A theft was reported at the 1400 block of Zephyr on Feb. 24 just after 4:40 p.m. Feb. 25 Police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at the 3000 block of Dimmitt Road just after 1 a.m. on Feb. 25. A report of criminal trespass and criminal mischief was made on Feb. 25 just after 8:40 p.m. at the 2000 block of Houston St. Tuesday, Feb. 26 Police arrested a 31-year-old woman at the 800 block of S. Columbia St. on Tuesday just after 7:10 p.m. for an active warrant. Police arrested a 35-year-old man at the 200 block of S. Interstate 27 west frontage road on Tuesday just after 6:40 p.m. The man was charged with possession/delivery of drug paraphernalia. A 43-year-old man was arrested at the 2800 block of Olton Road on Tuesday and was charged with driving while intoxicated. Officers were called to the location at 11:15 p.m. A burglary was reported at Second St. and Beech just after 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday. An assault was reported at the 1500 block of Quincy St. just after 9 a.m. on Tuesday. A robbery was reported at the 1500 block of Yonkers on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Plainview PD said the case involves a group of drug users. A few members of the group robbed the other members and a firearm was reportedly involved. The case is under investigation. Paczki making has religious links to Catholicism and were made to use leftover pantry ingredients. This was last resort good measure to celebrate with high calories before the onset of Lent, during which indulgence is shelved until Easter. Houston liquefied natural gas company Cheniere Energy is expected to sign an $18 billion LNG supply deal with China, two media outlets are reporting. Cheniere declined to comment but both The Wall Street Journal and S&P Global Platts report that the Houston company is close to signing a long-term LNG supply deal with China's state-run oil company Sinopec. The $18 billion deal could be announced as part of a broader US-China trade deal at a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of March, the Journal reported. A Beijing-based Cheniere executive who did not want to be identified told S&P Global Platts that the Houston company has been in talks with Sinopec "for some time" but declined to provide further details about the potential deal. Green Lights: Feds approve commercial operations at Corpus Christi LNG News of the potential deal comes days after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave Cheniere the green light to put the first production unit at its Corpus Christi LNG unit into service and begin exports. The potential Sinopec deal also comes roughly a year after Cheniere signed two LNG supply deals with PetroChina International Co. The PetroChina deal was signed weeks after Trump led a November 2017 trade mission to China. The deal with Sinopec could also include financing from state-owned Chinese banks for Cheniere to further expand its export capacity, the Wall Street Journal reported. Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox Originally founded in 1983, Cheniere Energy employs nearly 1,400 people in Texas and Louisiana. Amid a record 273 export cargoes to 32 nations, the company closed 2018 with a $471 million profit on $8 billion of revenue. A Houston boarding home had been operating without a permit for at least seven weeks before a fight there sent a resident to the hospital where he later died, according to police and city officials. Franklin Earl Thompson, 59, had lived at Harmony Care Boarding Home at 4633 Knoxville for about five months before the fight on Saturday, said his son, Michael Brown. Police described the home as a boarding facility "for the physically and mentally disabled," but Thompson was neither, Brown said. He was a parolee trying to get back on his feet, his son added. The fight and Thompson's death have put the home in the public spotlight. City officials said it has been operating without a permit since at least Jan. 18, when the Houston police Mental Health Unit most recently inspected the home. FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Gangs, lack of guards spark teen riot at understaffed Texas juvenile prison On that day, the owner of the facility received 17 citations for city and building code violations, including operating without a certificate of occupancy, a lack of a fire plan and lack of staff with knowledge of how to use emergency exits. The citations are class C misdemeanors, police said. Houston police spokesman Kese Smith said a homicide investigation also is "very much underway," but added that it's too early to know whether anyone could face charges in Thompson's death. The medical examiner has not made an official ruling on the cause of death. Meanwhile, Lara Cottingham, a spokeswoman for Houston's Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department, said this case is good example of why the city last year approved an ordinance that penalizes boarding facilities operating without proper permits. "There are safety concerns about vulnerable populations living in these homes," Cottingham said. "You have to have emergency exits. You need to have access to records so that when there is some sort of incident, we know who lives there." Cottingham said Thompson was one of five people living in the home, but it's unclear whether the building was over its occupancy limit. A permit would have required annual inspections to determine whether five people could live there. Labwana Jackson, the owner of the home, said that she's in the process of getting a new license for the facility. "No one there is mental," she said, adding that there are no caregivers or supervisors at the residence. "It's independent housing. Most of them go to the doctor themselves or the doctor comes to visit them." Jackson said she let Thompson stay in the home for free to help him regain his footing. However, Brown said his father paid $400 per month. Police said Jackson has a hearing on April 17 at Houston Municipal Court related to the 17 citations. Without a medical examiner ruling, it's unclear whether Thompson died from injuries he sustained in the fight or other health issues, police said. DEADLY DRUG RAID: DA reviewing 800 cases of second officer Police said Thompson and the other unidentified person in the fight were taken to the hospital with "a variety of injuries." Police did not specify whether the other person lived at the home. Cottingham didn't know how long the boarding home has been operating. She said the facility wasn't shut down after the Jan. 18 inspection because the city works with operators to get the facilities up to code. "We want to work with the owners and operators," she said. "However, if they flagrantly refuse to come into compliance, then additional steps can be taken all the way up to having the fire marshal or city building officer come down and say 'You are no longer fit to have residents.'" Brown, Thompson's 39-year-old son, said his father had been out of prison on parole for more than 10 years when he started living there. He said his father had no resources and needed help getting reintegrated into society. He didn't know who admitted Thompson into the home, but he said he discussed the conditions with his father. He questioned why his father was living there with people who appeared to be mentally impaired. "As far as I know, he was the only person out of prison who was in that home," he said. "So I was wondering how he was even there?" NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. When Andreen McDonald didn't show up to work on Friday, March 1, her friends went to her house to look for her. What they found at the San Antonio home jump started a days-long search for the 29-year-old woman, whose disappearance has resulted in two executed search warrants and the arrest of her husband. A San Antonio man is on trial, accused of fatally shooting another man and stuffing his body in a barrel. Jury selection began Tuesday in the murder trial of Jesse Ray Castilla, 38. He was arrested and charged with killing Joseph Camarena, 26, on Nov. 17, 2017. Jurors will began hearing testimony on Wednesday. San Antonio police initially received a call about a dead body around 9 p.m. that night. When they arrived in the 3900 block of Interstate 35 North, they found a barrel near a turnaround east of Morsund Boulevard and Loop 410. READ MORE: SAPD arrest suspect in killing after dead man is found stuffed in barrel Police believe Castilla shot Camarena in the 300 block of Lovett Avenue. An arrest affidavit stated that the night Camarena died, he had gone to collect money owed to him by Castilla. That evening, Castilla gave a couple a bag of methamphetamine in exchange for dropping off the barrel at a river, the document stated. When the pair went to remove the barrel, it fell from a pickup, the top came off and exposed two feet, according to the document. Camarena died from a gunshot wound, and the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office ruled the death a homicide. The trial is being heard in the 290th state District Court, Judge Jennifer Pena presiding. If convicted, Castilla faces up to life in prison. San Antonio police identified both men who were shot and killed by officers in unrelated incidents over a 12-hour span. Officers used lethal force twice Monday in response to being fired upon in both instances, police said. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox At about 2:50 a.m., police were called to a home in the 11700 block of Spring Dale Drive after parents reported that their son, 27-year-old Daniel Moncada II, was throwing items around the house and causing a disturbance. When police responded and encountered the suspect in the back bedroom, Moncada allegedly fired a shotgun at them. An officer returned fire, striking Moncada multiple times and killing him. RELATED: Chief: Officer gunned down suspect who fired shotgun at him Hours later, police responded to a separate robbery call around 2 p.m. in the 700 block of Iowa Street, where they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. Officers found the suspect vehicle nearby and attempted pulling it over. When the driver, 17-year-old Jeremy Ponce Jr., eventually pulled over near Westfall and South Olive streets, he ran from the car and fired at officers. One bullet struck the police cruiser's windshield, while another struck the passenger side door, police said. Both officers in the cruiser returned fire, killing Ponce. READ MORE: San Antonio police shoot, kill robbery suspect accused of opening fire on officers Police found a woman and a young child in Ponce's car. His relationship to them is unclear, Chief William McManus said Monday. Both suspects, have criminal histories, Bexar County court records showed. Ponce was convicted in November for failure to identify a fugitive or intentionally give false information. He was sentenced to 32 days in jail, records showed. Moncada's criminal record was more thorough. Police arrested Moncada nine times between 2010 and 2015, records showed. He was convicted in five of those cases for criminal mischief, assault causing bodily injury to a family member, graffiti, possession of prohibited knuckles and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Staff writer Emilie Eaton contributed to this report. Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com|@FaresInSA Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) While the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) are still being finalized, some provisions of the rice tariffication law are already being implemented. This according to Mercedita Sombilla, assistant secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Speaking to CNN Philippines New Day Tuesday, Sombilla said, "In the law itself, there are provisions that are already executory immediately, like the removal of the regulation on the regulatory functions of the NFA (National Food Authority), the imposition of the tariff rates, some provisions that you can already execute without the IRR." Sombilla said authorities began formulating the IRR around "two, three weeks ago" and was nearly complete. "There are just some items that we gathered, relevant items that we gathered from the consultations," she said. Filipinos can expect more imported rice to enter the country as the rice liberalization law takes effect today. NEDA says they aim to finalize rules, regulations within the week Public and online consultations happened last week, Sombilla said, where "relevant suggestions" gleaned would be considered and included in the IRR. Sombilla added she was hopeful it would be completed today, and be approved and signed by NEDA, the Department of Agriculture, and Department of Budget and Management within the week or by next week. In October, it was certified by President Rodrigo Duterte as urgent, and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo confirmed last week that the bill was enacted the law. Law seeks to make farmers competitive NEDA Sombilla noted farmers' fears that since the law would free up the importation of rice, this would cause markets to be flooded with the staple grain. READ: NFA employees oppose rice tariffication law "That might have a negative impact on their farmgate prices and...they might lose a lot, some farmers may opt not to plant rice anymore," she said, Sombilla, however, said the IRR contains provisions that would assist farmers, making them more competitive. "The IRR, the law itself provides all those interventions that would help the farmers either...increase their yield further or reduce their cost of production, or both," she said. The law also provides assistance for farmers who want to diversify to higher-value crops. "We don't want to lose our farmers. We want our farmers to stay. So we provided them all kinds of assistance, all the needed assistance that would really make them stay and make them competitive," she said. The law also provides for a P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund from the General Appropriations Act that would be allocated to training and into several agencies: the Philippine Mechanization Center, the Philippine Rice Research Institute, credit assistance to be handled by Land Bank and the Development Bank of the Philippines. Sombilla also explained should tariff revenue exceed P10 billion, the excess would go into a fund that will be used to provide interventions on other key interventions to help farmers, like crop insurance, land titling, and even assistance to diversify out of rice. READ: IBON: Farmers' subsidies under rice tariffication law still lower than other countries As far as I know, identifying where changes need to be made to meet code is done, Tribuzio said. It is spending on repairs or updates with limited funding that is challenging. As I understand, we will need to have a new facility study done. Nine years have passed since the last, and they need to be done every 10 years. Police believe a San Marcos man accused of sexually assaulting a woman last month may have victimized other women. John McFarland, 35, currently faces a second-degree felony charge of sexual assault. He was arrested Feb. 28 and booked into the Hays County Jail on a $50,000 bail. He has since bonded out. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox According to police, McFarland met his victim at a downtown San Marcos bar either late Feb. 20 or in the early morning hours of Feb. 21. Afterwards, the victim "somehow departed the downtown area of San Marcos and later arrived at McFarland's residence," according to city spokeswoman Kristy Stark. "Her recollection is very splotchy," said San Marcos Police Chief Chase Stapp, "but she does recall him having sex with her, and she said it was not consensual." McFarland allegedly refused to take her home when she first asked. At about 6 a.m., she called her mother asking for help. Her mother then notified police of her daughter's situation. According to police, McFarland eventually relented and drove the victim to her home, where officers met her. Paramedics took her to a local hospital for a sexual assault forensic exam. RELATED: Woman accused of luring man to bedroom in armed robbery scheme Investigators later obtained an arrest warrant for McFarland. Stapp said there could be other victims in the San Marcos and Austin areas. "We don't have anything specific to point to that, but in our history with similar situations, there's at least a remote possibility," he said. "If there's even a slight possibility, we want victims to feel comfortable coming forward." Anyone with information about McFarland is asked to contact Det. Sandra Spriegel at 512-753-2369 or sspriegel@sanmarcostx.gov. There are several resources for sexual assault survivors in San Marcos and Hays County, including the Hays-Caldwell Women's Center and the Student Health Center at Texas State University. Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns San Antonio police are looking for leads on a man who allegedly stole a Budweiser truck filled with beer. On Jan. 24, the suspect broke into the white 2017 "Budweiser Beer" truck at South Alamo and South Presa streets and drove away, according to a news release from Crime Stoppers. Eric Gay /Associated Press AUSTIN A mental health bill Gov. Greg Abbott named a priority in his state of the state address cleared its first major hurdle Tuesday. The state Senate voted 31-0 to advance the bill, which would create a mental health consortium among medical schools to award research grants and expand childrens access to psychiatrists through tele-medicine. Billed as a response to the Santa Fe school shooting last May, the legislation aims to identify and treat at-risk children early on. It wouldnt put more counselors in schools, but would give pediatricians access to psychiatrists who could help them diagnose and treat a childs behavioral needs. There is a thin line between experience and ineptitude. And, Id argue, seasoned politicians cross that line all the time. Im grateful to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., for reminding me of this important life lesson. Whether she realized it or not and Ill put my chips on not Feinstein has sparked a discussion about how long is too long to be on the job. The spark occurred when the senator was recently confronted in her office by an angry mob of adolescents and preteens who seem to have gotten a little carried away by the quaint notion of representative democracy. Will someone please sit these youngsters down and explain that all that of the people, by the people, for the people jazz needs to be taken with a truckload of salt? The young activists wanted Feinstein to do something radical: Earn her paycheck, and soon her pension, by representing them. The issue at hand was climate change, and the young people who were likely devotees of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who has said the world is on borrowed time demanded that Feinstein support the bill referred to as the Green New Deal in order to save the planet. Some scientists have said we have 12 years to turn this around, a girl told the senator. Feinstein bluntly schooled the kid on the facts of political life, explaining why its unrealistic to think that Congress will do anything about climate change in the next decade or so. Then the senator told the young activists that she doesnt respond well to folks who tell her that she has no choice but to do things their way. Its true. Politicians dont like being told what to do unless, that is, the folks giving orders are holding checkbooks. Then, they dont seem to mind so much. And the bigger the check, the more accommodating the politician. Feinstein also told the group that she has been doing this for 30 years and that I know what Im doing. But does she really? Ive covered Feinstein for most of those 30 years including on such issues as immigration, education, gun control, the Iraq war vote and more. Trust me: She often has no clue what shes doing. She long ago went from being part of the solution to evidence of the problem. And you know why that is? Its because job experience is a double-edged sword. The trick is to do something long enough so you get good at doing it, but not so long that what you get good at is not getting anything done. No matter what kind of job were talking about, you want to pick up expertise, not bad habits. You want to effect change, not fortify the status quo. You want to find ways to get results, not come up with excuses for why youre coming up short. And you want to stay the course and not get stuck in a rut. When youve been a teacher, a doctor, or anything else for two or three decades, having a ton of experience can easily go from an asset to a liability. Just look at my father, a retired law-enforcement officer who was on the job for 37 years. I used to tell people that his tenure was long enough as to make him totally unqualified to do anything else. For instance, at some point, maybe in the 1980s, he crossed the invisible boundary where he could no longer serve on jury duty. When the defense attorney would ask him if he could be impartial, my dad would smile and say: Not really. If your client is sitting at the defendants table, he must be guilty. He was soon dismissed. I suffer from a similar affliction. Ive been writing professionally for nearly 30 years. And after spending all that time covering politicians skilled at spreading manure, its a wonder I still vote. Recently, a reader urged me not to be so cynical and so distrusting. As he put it: When you spend all your time in sewers, pretty soon, everything looks like a rat. That explains it. I see rats everywhere. The popular theory advanced by Malcolm Gladwell, the popular writer and thinker, says that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a craft. What no one tells you and what someone should tell Feinstein is that its the 10,001st hour you need to worry about. ruben@rubennavarrette.com MDC-Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa is being funded by former president Mr Robert Mugabe to outfox his internal rivals ahead of the partys congress scheduled for May, The Herald can reveal. The Herald is reliably informed that Mr Chamisas sojourn to Ghana is also part of a desperate fundraising initiative from some of his college mates there. Mr Chamisa is likely to face the partys secretary-general Mr Douglas Mwonzora for the partys presidency. MDC-A vice president Engineer Elias Mudzuri is also believed to be considering throwing his hat in the ring for the top post. MDC-A officials who spoke to The Herald on condition of anonymity said Mr Chamisa is being bankrolled by the former president to stave off any potential challenge ahead the congress. Mr Mugabe also declared open support for Mr Chamisa during last years harmonised elections which the MDC-A leader narrowly lost to President Mnangagwa. One thing absurd fantasies being thrown around is that Zanu-PF is meddling in the oppositions internal politics and has set aside US$6 million to ensure that Mr Chamisa loses to whoever is going to challenge him at congress principally Mr Mwonzora, said the MDC-A official. Whilst they are trying hard to push this narrative, they are not telling the world that Mr Chamisa is receiving funding from the Blue Roof. (Blue Roof is Mr Mugabes private residence in Harare plush suburb of Borrowdale). So far, Mr Chamisa has received a substantial amount that he is using to do rallies and other party activities meant at canvassing support ahead of the congress. Remember this is not the first time that Mr Mugabe has shown support for Mr Chamisa. During last years elections, he declared his open support for Mr Chamisa on the eve of the polls hoping that his move was going to swing votes in favour of the opposition leader. Another source revealed that Mr Chamisas trip to Ghana which was couched as a diplomatic offensive was also another fund-raising expedition. He is hoping to get money from Ghana. There are some Ghanaians who went to the J.F Kennedy School of Public Administration with Chamisa and they are ones who are mobilising resources for him (Mr Chamisa). The money is coming from the Americans and the idea is to make it come through Ghana. This is the reason why the MDC-A officials have been at pains to explain the purpose of Mr Chamisas visit to Ghana it was not a clean trip. MDC-A spokesperson Mr Jacob Mafume was evasive when a comment was sought from him. I think the old man must be left in peace. We as the MDC-Alliance and President Chamisa are engaged with the issues of the suffering of the people. We are trying to resolve the political and economic crisis which is affecting the people of Zimbabwe. We have not received any funding from the former President and neither are we expecting any funding, he said. On the Ghana trip, he said Mr Chamisa sought solidarity for Zimbabwe and assistance to resolve the economic and political challenges facing the country. Meanwhile, well-known man of God pastor Ian Ndlovu of the Divine Kingdom Baptist Ministries has released powerful prophecy over ED Mnangagwas presidency. He said Mnangagwa will never run the country smoothly if he does not get the rod of rulership (sceptre) from former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe. From the look of things Cde Mugabe is willing to release the rod of rulership to MDC leader Nelson Chamisa. All this violence and commotion that is happening in the country is centered around the issue of the scepter. Even though ruler-ship passed from one person to another the scepter did not pass from one man to another. There is restitution that must be done for the scepter to be passed on to the present leader. There is someone who is holding the scepter and if he dies without surrendering the scepter this country will be in serious trouble. The person who is holding the scepter has two things the he holds in his heart and if they are granted he will release the scepter, said the respected man of God Pastor Ndlovu Watch the full video below Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Four American tourists and a Kenyan pilot were killed when their helicopter crashed on an island in a lake in northwest Kenya, police said Monday. The accident occurred in the Central Island National Park in Lake Turkana at around 8pm on Sunday, police said in a statement. All five on board the chopper were killed. Security personnel dispatched to the scene confirmed that among the five were four Americans and the Kenyan pilot. The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and the identities of the victims would be released once their next of kin have been informed, the statement said. Known as the Jade Sea, Lake Turkana, which is popular with tourists, is the most saline lake in East Africa and the largest desert lake in the world. It is also a candidate site for the birthplace of mankind. Its islands are breeding grounds for the Nile crocodile, hippopotamus and several snake species while the lake itself is important to migratory birds. Last year, UNESCO placed it on its list of endangered World Heritage Sites, in part because it is threatened by Ethiopias construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Omo River, which replenishes the lake seasonally. EWN Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News MDC vice chairperson Tendai Biti, whom many are tipping to contest for one of the partys vice president posts, angrily reacted to suggestions that MDC Alliance secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora may emerge as the new party leader after the elective congress. He said the party would not accept to be led by a ruling party chosen half-wit. We will reject any nincompoop given to us by Zanu-PF. We already have a candidate in Chamisa. So, we will not tolerate that. Our duty is to protect the legacy of our dear leader Morgan Tsvangirai and we know with Chamisa we will be able to do that, Biti thundered. The MDC youth assembly also claimed that Zanu-PF wanted a weaker candidate to emerge as the partys leader in May for obvious reasons vowing that this would not happen. It is saddening that Zanu-PF wants to give us a leader and we know why. We are however, clear as youths and other organs of the party that we have Chamisa as our leader and the decision is ours not Zanu-PFs, Lovemore Chinoputsa, the MDC youth assembly secretary-general, said. Zanu-PF deputy youth leader, Lewis Matutu, had earlier thrown the cat among the pigeons when he poisonously said Chamisa would receive a heavy shellacking from Mwonzora at the May congress, because he did not have support in the MDC party structures. Mwonzora is likely to become the new MDC president because the majority of Chamisas hooligans are not in the structures of their party and they dont form part of the congress delegates, Matutu said in his controversial tweet. Mwonzora recently declared that he has rights including contesting the sitting leader since he is a full member of the MDC. As a result, a lot of flak has been directed at him particularly following a mischievous tweet by Zanu-PF deputy youth leader Lewis Matutu, who predicted the fall of Chamisa come May. A senior member of the MDC national standing committee, who refused to be named for fear of victimisation, also told the Daily News recently that Mwonzora was likely to be rejected by party supporters as perceptions grew that he was allegedly a Zanu-PF Trojan Horse. This does not augur well for our SG (secretary-general) because he will now find it difficult to campaign in the structures as he is now being viewed as a Zanu-PF project, which is very sad, he said. The charismatic Chamisa took over the partys reins in hotly-disputed circumstances in February last year, following the death of the MDCs revered founding president Tsvangirai who lost his valiant battle against colon cancer on Valentines Day, and soon after he had elevated the youthful politician to the partys presidium. The 41-year-old was accused of having allegedly used his then assumed closeness to Tsvangirais widow, Elizabeth, to torpedo the ambitions of the likes of Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe. A titanic leadership battle subsequently ensued in the party, which eventually led to Khupe forming a breakaway faction which went on to perform dismally in last years elections. Chamisa ultimately prevailed over his party competitors after a consultative meeting of the MDC, which was held at its Harare headquarters and which was attended by 639 delegates from 210 party districts endorsed him as Tsvangirais successor and the partys presidential candidate in the 2018 polls. Meanwhile, how Douglas Mwonzora is allegedly connected to ED Mnangagwa has been revealed. Video Credit: Gambakwe Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Mystery surrounds MDC-Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisas so-called diplomatic offensive in the region amid a deafening silence by the party on his itinerary. Last week, the MDC-Alliance said their president had embarked on a diplomatic charm offensive, claiming he would be seeking solidarity with other leaders in Africa. Officials from the party and those close to Mr Chamisa refused to divulge the countries and leaders that he was set to meet, claiming that the hosts do not want to be known, a significant departure from what he has been known for, further raising eyebrows of the visit. However, it has since emerged that Mr Chamisa was in Ghana where he met some charismatic church leaders and not political leaders as earlier claimed by the opposition party. Sources in the party said Mr Chamisa made a big call on a renowned prophet in Accra. Yes, Mr Chamisa was away and he travelled to Ghana. He did not brief many people in the party about the objective of the visit save to say he was going on a diplomatic offensive. We understand that he met one of the renowned prophets in Ghana for spiritual guidance as you know our leader is a pastor. His mission had little to do with politics as initially touted, said the source. Another source said: It is quite surprising that during his days outside the country we did not hear anything about the diplomatic meetings up until his return today. That leaves us really wondering if his mission had to do with diplomatic objectives or that was just used as a banter for an objective which had nothing to what we had been told. Other sources said Mr Chamisa went to Ghana and attended a meeting of Regional Network for African Pastors. They said while it was true that Mr Chamisa was in Ghana it could not be verified if there was such a meeting giving credence to the view that a renowned prophet in the West African country played host to the opposition leader. When contacted for comment, party spokesperson, Mr Jacob Mafume insisted that Mr Chamisa held talks with leaders of different countries. If and when it becomes necessary to publicise it, the countries concerned will do so, but what is key to say is that what was discussed is about dialogue, political crisis in the country among other several issues, said Mr Mafume. Mr Chamisa has also reportedly requested to meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during his forthcoming trip to Zimbabwe in a few weeks time. Last week, MDC-Alliance director of communications, Mr Luke Tamborinyoka said his boss had gone on a diplomatic offensive. In its meeting on the side-lines of an African Union summit, Sadc threw its weight behind President Mnangagwa and condemned the maintenance of sanctions against Harare. Herald Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days before the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 of March 6, 2003, with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwes democratic processes or institutions is to continue in effect beyond March 6, 2019. Zimbabwes national elections in July 2018 offered an opportunity for Zimbabwe to set itself on a new path and to implement reforms that could allow the United States to re-engage in ways not previously possible. While the election itself was an improvement over past elections, post-election violence, credible reports of intimidation and clear bias of the electoral commission kept it from being fully free and fair. President Emmerson Mnangagwas administration has yet to implement the political and economic overhaul required to rebuild its reputation within the international community and dramatically improve its relationship with the United States. The actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwes democratic processes or institutions continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 with respect to Zimbabwe and to maintain in force the sanctions to respond to this threat. Sincerely, DONALD J. TRUMP Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Trade $1.6 Trillion of Trade Means China Pain Is Asias: Taking Stock [Bloomberg]. A slowing China puts into stark relief just how dependent many of the biggest export-driven countries in the region have become on the worlds second-largest economy, if Tuesdays moves in Asia stocks are any indication. China and US certain to reach deal on opening up financial sector South China Morning Post China and US still have work to do but both certain deal on opening financial sector can be achieved [South China Morning Post]. I can say with certainty that, on the opening up of the finance sector, China and the US can achieve a complete agreement, [Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission] said We have some minor disputes, but I dont think it is a big problem.' I assume this isnt freelancing by Guo, since its SCMPs story hook Politics But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51 They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery. Frank Herbert, Dune 2020 You cant tell the players without a scorecard: Running for President? Harris: Inslee: Castro: Booker: Warren: Sanders: Gabbard: Buttigieg: Gillibrand: Klobuchar: Hickenlooper: Beto: Biden: Brown: Bennet: Cuomo: de Blasio: Bloomberg: Holder: Clinton: Merkley: Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) March 5, 2019 * * * And now the actual or potential Presidential candidates (or non-candidates) in alphabetical order: Brown: Twenty Things You Didnt Know About Sherrod Brown [National Review]. Fascinating: An enormous oppo dump. NR must take Brown a lot more seriously than, well, I do. Harris: Big-dollar donors, including Donald Trump, fueled Kamala Harris political rise in California [Sacramento Bee]. In 2011 and again in 2013, Trump donated a total of $6,000 to Harris campaign for California attorney general. The first donation from Trump, for $5,000 in September 2011, came months after he had begun popping up on cable news promoting a conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya, not the United States, something thats been widely condemned as racist. Harris campaign spokesman Ian Sams told McClatchy that Harris donated the $6,000 Trump had contributed to a non-profit that advocates for civil and human rights for Central Americans. But that donation wasnt made until 2015, a year after she won her reelection for attorney general and as she was launching her run for the Senate. Very sloppy staffwork. Of course, Ian Sams did work for Clinton and the DNC, so I suppose that is only to be expeccted. Merkeley: Senator Jeff Merkley Announces He Will Not Run for President in 2020 [KDRV]. In the end Merkley says his best contribution is to run for re-election in the Senate, and do all I can to help the Senate be a full partner in addressing the challenges before us.' Generally, losing Democrat candidates do very well as talking heads and in the NGO world, so Merkleys passing up more than you might think. Sanders (1): Put on your rally caps: Bernie Sanders Rally Schedule: Rallies in Iowa This Week! Council Bluffs, Iowa on March 7 Iowa City on March 8 Des Moines on March 9#Bernie2020 #NotMeUs https://t.co/GhjCttbtZg Me #Bernie2020 (@StopWithUrBS) March 5, 2019 Sanders (2): Bernie Sanders Four Years Later [Paste]. From the Brooklyn rally: I know where I came from! Sanders cries out firmlybut his voice cracks. I rarely watch video, preferring transcripts, but I watched the Sanders rollout, and that was a great moment; pivotal. * * * Trump spread money around to 2020 Dems [Politico]. Kamala Harris received money from Donald Trump as recently as six years ago. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner hosted a Park Avenue fundraiser for Cory Booker. Kirsten Gillibrand took in Trump family donations three times across a seven-year period and then gave a similar amount of money to a nonprofit years later after the president mocked her in a tweet Harris, Booker and Gillibrand along with Joe Biden, John Kerry and Terry McAuliffe all share a common bond of receiving Trump family donations. Trump has always been Trump, ideological shapeshifter or not. Oddly, or not, all the Democrat front-runners share that common bond except for Warren and Sanders. 2016 Post Mortem Hillary and Bill Clinton Think Bernie Sanders Cant Beat Trump in 2020, Still Bitter Over 2016: Report [Newsweek]. Interacting with each other briefly in Selma, Alabama, this weekend at the 54th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the two continued to show signs of resentment. Sanders reportedly received a brief handshake from Hillary Clinton, while others, such as Booker, received a more welcoming hug, according to those at the event. I think we should take this very seriously. The Clintons are, after all, experts at losing to Trump. (And whats with the two? The only one Newsweek says showed resentment was Clinton. And what was Sanders supposed to do? Get all handsy, Joe Biden style? Imagine the hysteria. Clinton camp stews over Sanders 2020 campaign [Politico]. When Sanders pulled in $1 million in the first three-and-a-half hours of his campaign, Adam Parkhomenko, the former director of grassroots engagement for the 2016 Clinton campaign, tweeted, Only half were named Vladimir.' Classy! Another excuse. Thread: Over 86,000 black voters stayed home in Milwaukee between 2012 and 2016. Clinton only needed 22,748 to win. These voters were not "turned away." They just didn't see the benefit of voting for Clinton.https://t.co/jwGi6g6gD5@MalaikaJabali https://t.co/BrfHAtzudi Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) March 5, 2019 2019 Where the low road and the lower road meet: It's frightening to see how many Resistance leaders are aligning themselves with someone who called @BernieSanders a "fucking fake Jew" cc: @neeratanden, @AdamParkhomenko, @donnabrazile Thoughts?#Bernie2020 pic.twitter.com/GmBd4DJag3 NY For Sanders #Bernie2020 (@NYforSanders) March 3, 2019 The Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backlash begins [Chris Cilizz, CNN]. The real question then is not which part of the party is on the rise its the AOC/Bernie Sanders wing for sure but rather how those moderates and conservatives are treated by the liberals in the party. Will they be driven out as insufficiently loyal to the cause as tea party (and Trump) Republicans have done to their own centrist wing over the last decade? Or will liberals find a way to incorporate the views of their more moderate party members as they try to find a candidate who can oust President Donald Trump in 2020? Sure. Just vote for #MedicareForAll and everything will be jake with the angels. For now. Ilhan Omars Criticism Raises the Question: Is Aipac Too Powerful? [Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times]. Those questions have grown louder with the controversy around Ms. Omar and will grow louder still in the run-up to this months annual Aipac policy conference a three-day Washington confab that is expected to draw more than 18,000 people, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and leaders of both parties in Congress. I wonder if well ask Bibi to explain to us again what our foreign policy should be, to a Joint Session of Congress? Israel Boycott Exposes Serious Rifts in the Democratic Party [The American Conservative]. According to a 2018 Pew Research Center report, the number of Republicans that sympathize with Israel over Palestine has increased to 79 percent, while sympathy for Israel dropped among Democrats to 27 percent, a disturbing trend especially for the anti-BDS movement. Besides growing sympathy for the Palestinians, progressives are echoing the ACLU and other groups who say any law prohibiting [BDS] boycotts wont ultimately survive a Supreme Court test. They are probably right. 27 percent. * * * Realignment and Legitimacy A retiring Marine reflects on 18 years of war: What have we achieved? [Des Moines Register]. For most of my career, I believed that policymakers were in control of the situation and regardless of how counterproductive decisions made at their level seemed at my level, national leaders would not commit such vast resources in support of a policy lacking a definitive objective. Divested of this illusion, I can see this war was inadequately planned, recklessly administered, and is now just wasteful. Retiring after more than two decades enables me to confidently say that while I am proud of my service and especially those with whom I served, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq is a mistake. If those countries are fronts for the war on terror, it is because we have created them . These must be hard words to write. And this vote is there for Sanders (and Gabbard). They are the only two candidates besides Trump, in his random, bloviational, give-zero-[family blogs] way who can claim it. DSA (1): How a Sanders 2020 Endorsement Will Hurt DSA [Medium]. As an organization with limited resources at our disposal, understanding the level of impact we can have on the working class per dollar or hour spent must be a vital part of our decision making. We should look more towards methods of strengthening and growing our membership from the ground up this means more support for smaller chapters, organizing committees and local elections as well as bridging gaps between national and local levels of organizing. At least delay the decision until the National Convention in August still more than a year away from election day. That just seems like a no-brainer. DSA (2): Its a long way from Brooklyn, NY to Eugene, OR: It's been 2 years since we started DSA Eugene. It took 1.5 years to get a bank account. It took 1 year to get incorporated. It took 6 months to become a chapter. We get zero help from national. https://t.co/51RfmGJt4j jen (@cruciverberella) March 5, 2019 DSA (3): DSA is not a place to find dates. DSA is not a place to find dates. Repeat it over and over. Write it on your hand if you think you might forget. DSA is not a place to find dates. https://t.co/SyUO1WtE1u Birmingham DSA (@BhamDSA) March 4, 2019 Good. I cant bring to mind the long-ago article that explained how, er, finding dates was a tactic used by agent provocateurs to divide and destroy entities to which they were inimical, but the anecdotes were vivid, believe me. Stats Watch New Home Sales, December 2018: In a very solid headline for what has been a run of weak ones for the housing sector, new home sales jumped [Econoday]. The bad is mixed with the good in this report but, for the outlook, the latest month is always the most important of any month, and Decembers data for new home sales should give builders and sellers a lift. And: December 2018 Headline New Home Sales Improved [Econintersect]. Because of weather and other factors, the rolling averages are the way to view this series. The rolling averages improved by [sic] remains deep in contraction. Purchasing Managers Services Index, February 2019: Up sizeably [Econoday]. New orders are the best barometer of future activity and the reports description for February is a sharp increase.' And: Both services surveys are in expansion and improved this month. This is a much stronger report than last month [Econintersect]. Institute For Supply Management Non-Manufacturing Index, February 2019: Demand for exports is a major theme of a very positive ISM non-manufacturing report for February where the index jumped [Econoday]. Strong incoming orders and the need to work down backlogs should give this samples employment index in future months a lift. And: This suggests faster expansion in February than in January [Calculated Risk]. Commodities: Goldman Tones Down its Bullish Outlook on Commodities [Bloomberg]. Raw materials are no longer significantly undervalued and further price increases will require data showing better demand and tighter supply, analysts including Jeffrey Currie wrote in a March 4 report. However, a stronger-than-expected recovery in global economic growth could boost commodity indices, and there are still some industrial metals that offer relatively good value, according to the bank. Commodities: Exclusive: U.S. to issue meat company guidelines as recalls mount official [Reuters]. The U.S. government plans to issue new guidelines for food companies as early as this week after an increase in recalls of meat and poultry products possibly containing metal, plastic and other foreign materials, a food-safety official said on Monday The voluntary guidelines , in the works for months, are designed to ensure companies meet pre-existing regulatory requirements, she said. Manufacturing: Passenger Jet Parts Not Properly Checked By Japanese Engine Maker [Bloomberg]. Japanese heavy-machinery maker IHI Corp. said employees didnt properly check some aircraft engines, the latest quality-control issue to dent the reputation of the countrys manufacturing sector. IHI is still investigating how many engines were involved and over what period. According to IHIs website, the V2500 has been installed on Airbus A319, A320 and A321 jets, while the PW1100G powers the Airbus A320 neo. The Bezzle: Tesla Sell-Off Worsens After Elon Musks Surprise Store Closings [Bloomberg]. Tesla Inc. shares continued a steep sell-off in the wake of Chief Executive Officer Elon Musks surprise move to close most of the electric-car makers stores and shift to online-only sales. Many sales personnel first found out about the decision when Tesla published a public blog post Thursday afternoon, said three people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive matters. Why would anybody buy a car from a company where the CEO openly treats his employees like garbage? Its not like there arent other cars out there, even electric ones. The Bezzle: China suspends customs clearance for Tesla Model 3 imports Caixin [CNBC]. Chinas customs authority has suspended customs clearance procedures for Model 3 cars built by Tesla Inc, the financial publication Caixin reported on Tuesday. The report said the customs authority in Shanghai had found various irregularities in 1,600 imported Model 3 cars, including the improper labelling of the vehicles. Improper labelling. Hmm. The Bezzle: How much does Tesla have in the bank? [FT Alphaville]. A lower implied cash balance also may go some way to explaining the cost savings Tesla has made over the past year, including three rounds of lay-offs, and last weeks announcement that nearly all of its stores would be closing in-favour of online only sales. Here is a tweet with the product of the posts calculations in chart form: another deep dive into $TSLA's accounts from me, this time looking at the battleground that is its cash balance. https://t.co/CTkrlGxIT9 pic.twitter.com/PLsiUn4mnt Jamie Powell (@ajb_powell) March 5, 2019 For balance sheet aficionados, this could be important. Readers? The Bezzle: 40% of Europes artificial intelligence start-ups have no AI [Financial Times]. The research by London-based investment firm MMC Ventures could not find any evidence, based on public information and interviews with executives, of artificial intelligence applications at 40 per cent of 2,830 AI start-ups in Europe. Tsk! Concentration: How badly are we being ripped off on eyewear? Former industry execs tell all [Los Angeles Times]. [Charles Dahan] was once one of the leading suppliers of frames to LensCrafters, before the company was purchased by optical behemoth Luxottica. He also built machines that improved the lens-manufacturing process. There is no competition in the industry, not any more, he told me. Luxottica bought everyone. They set whatever prices they please. Dahan, who lives in Potomac, Md., was responding to a column I recently wrote about why consumer prices for frames and lenses are so astronomically high, with markups often approaching 1,000%. Thats a nice business to be in! Our Famously Free Press Financial Times acquires majority stake in TNW (The Next Web) [TNW]. The deal forms part of a corporate development strategy that has seen the FT diversify its Group business in strategic business areas. The move complements the FTs recent investment in Sifted, a new media site and newsletter targeting Europes innovators and entrepreneurs, and the expansion of various other tech-themed editorial products, and acquisitions by FT in recent years of AlphaGrid, a content production company, GIS Planning, a San Francisco-based investment intelligence company, and Longitude, a specialist provider of thought leadership and research services. Thought leadership. Gawd. Helpful thread on Venezuelan coverage: (Thread) If you're asking yourself "why is coverage of Venezuela so poor?" I did a PhD and wrote a book on the topic. What most people don't realise is this isn't a mistake. Journalists actively see themselves as the opposition to the government. pic.twitter.com/ZsQ52Fx5LN Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 3, 2019 Maybe I should file this under guillotine watch: In 2017, billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs inadvertently summed up why the super-rich buying media outlets is awful for journalism: "It was obvious that if we could be part of the creation of cultural narrative, that would enhance and amplify all the work that we're doing." pic.twitter.com/Uykvc5qzW3 Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) January 30, 2019 Hiding in Plain Sight: PAC-Connected Activists Set Up Local News Outlets [Snopes]. Ugh. One of the many sordid details: Chris Butler, listed as the Tennessee Stars investigative journalist, covered the Lee campaign and administration for the Star. But just before joining the Tennessee Star as an investigative journalist, he served as a media spokesperson for a political PAC to help elect Bill Lee governor in 2018 between May and August 2018. We like, at least, to have a door that revolves. Why Misinformation Is About Who You Trust, Not What You Think [New York Magazine]. Bennett Holman and Justin Bruner give a great example of heart arrhythmias. When people were first studying anti-arrhythmic drugs, the question was, Are these going to reduce heart attacks? Other scientists asked, Do they reduce arrhythmia? Big Pharma funded the latter group. It poured money into scientists asking whether these drugs reduced arrhythmia. In fact, they did. But they also increased heart attacks and were responsible for upward of 100,000 premature deaths by heart attack. So, again, independent researchers were doing exactly what they were doing before. It was just that some of them now had a lot more money and that shaped the evidence. 100,000 deaths seems like rather a lot. Black Injustice Tipping Point Capital Prisoners: Unbranding the Narrative of Slavery [Ghion Journal]. Up until today, I used to refer to people who were indentured into forced labor as political prisoners [not slaves. But] a more appropriate name is capital prisoners. This is precisely what slaves were, they were hostages of capitalism which turned human beings into assets and liabilities on the balance sheets of wicked traders. The same way Africans once sold their own into bondage and overseers lashed capital prisoners, these modern day House Negros are doing the bidding of the system by keeping their people oppressed while they live lavishly. Im of course talking about Obama, Kamala, Booker and the army of black corporate courtiers who are unleashed upon the African-American community. A complicated post, worth a read, agree or not. Guillotine Watch American Airlines will let super-rich passengers take private helicopters to avoid long lines [Fast Company]. Tumbrils are far more slow-moving. News of the Wired MITs latest dog-like robot can do backflips on command [San Francisco Chronicle (J-LS)]. Yeah, but is it electable? Turning the knobs all the way up to 11: * * * Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Todays plant (HM): HM writes from here Vancouver, BC, Canada: These (night time) photos were taken less than week ago, when our city was covered under a few cm of white powder. Definitely a citys night sky. * * * Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So do feel free to make a contribution today or any day. Here is why: Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of small donations helps me with expenses, and I factor that trickle in when setting fundraising goals. So if you see something you especially appreciate, do feel free to click below! (The hat is temporarily defunct, so I slapped in some old code.) Or Subscribe to make a monthly payment! Little: We must focus on continuing improvement in six key areas: board functioning, collaborative communication with our community, curriculum innovation, special education rebuilding, fiscal responsibility, and staff/administration development. Communication between parents and the district has eroded. We have to foster more positive, collaborative, two-way communication. The board needs to follow Roberts Rules of Order consistently at board meetings, and items of great public interest should be moved up on the agenda so parents dont have to sit for hours to speak on important issues. We should consider a town hall or survey format to reach out to taxpayers periodically. I also think we need more discussions about curriculum and innovative learning practices so we can nurture progress for all of our students, no matter where they fall on a test spectrum. We need to ensure special education improvements continue and make sure that the changes called for in the audit are implemented. We need to plan for the future both with capital projects and succession of staff and administration. Id also like to formally integrate sustainability into our curriculum and school culture. London HIV patient becomes worlds second AIDS cure hope Reuters MMR vaccine does not cause autism, another study confirms CNN (original). n = 657,461. The Bering Strait should be covered in ice, but its nearly all gone Mashable WWF Funds Guards Who Have Tortured And Killed People Buzzfeed Will $14.5 billion plug GEs long-term care insurance hole? Some experts say No Reuters. Thats real money! I have lost confidence: Jane Philpott resigns from cabinet over Trudeaus handling of SNC-Lavalin affair Global News From a private jet to a police cell: Rosemary Rogers charged over alleged NAB fraud Sydney Morning Herald. As the then-chief of staff to the former boss of the National Australia Bank Andrew Thorburn, Ms Rogers allegedly accepted multiple extravagant bribes to approve bloated invoices submitted to the bank for services provided by Sydney-based events and human resources company Human Group. The Five Eyes political class implosion continues. A-a-a-n-d we shift our attention to the Mother of Parliaments Brexit UK opposition leader Corbyn hit by egg: media Reuters. Low Visibility NYRB. On the gilets jaunes. Note the role of local radio stations. India China? Venezuela How the U.S. Is Strangling Haiti as It Attempts Regime Change in Venezuela Black Agenda Report. Haiti definitely under-covered. Trump Transition Democrats in Disarray 2020 Realignment and Legitimacy Police State Watch Imperial Collapse Watch Class Warfare The Harvard MBA Is Bad for You Inside Higher Ed. :-( Why are New Yorks bookstores disappearing? Guardian (J-LS). Shhhh. Im reading: the radical new activity in our parks The Age (MR). The Physics Still Hiding in the Higgs Boson Quanta Antidote du jour (via). From the Chernyobl Exclusion Zone: And (via) the Korean DMZ: (Caveat that I couldnt verify the images. But what lovely creatures nonetheless!) See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. By Aaron Freedman, Communications Strategist & Economics Editor, Institute for New Economic Thinking. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking website Economics Editor Aaron Freedman talks to Samuel Stein, a geography PhD candidate at the City University of New York Graduate Center and an Urban Studies instructor at Hunter College, about his new book, Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State, to be published by Verso on March 5. Aaron Freedman: So first, I just want to talk about the overall structure of the book. I loved the title, Capital City. It really gets to the heart of what the books about and whats at stake in the struggle for equity, fairness, and stability in urban housing. You walk through how capital literally shapes the physical spaces we live, work, and spend leisure time in cities. I think that physical dimension of capital, especially financial capital, is easy to forget when youre looking at this from an economic lens. Samuel Stein: Yeah, theres a lot of talk about financialization of the economy, which can describe a very real phenomenon, but then becomes very ethereal very fast because finance itself operates in such ethereal and increasingly digital spaces, whereas real estate is literally concrete. If were thinking about the way that cities are changing, real estate and the power of the real estate industry is a very concrete manifestation of those changes. Urban planning is the professional as well as academic way of understanding change in citiesof shaping the changes that we want to take place, and of responding to things that were unhappy are happening. It has developed over time within the context of capitalism in direct relation with real estate. There has always been this back and forth between planning and real estate, between what the public wants the city to be and what the people who own the land want out of the city. What I was trying to show in the book is the increasing power of real estate within that dynamic, in part because of the decline of other sectors of urban economies and the rise of real estate in that wake, but also because of the changes to urban planning that have really facilitated the increasing power of real estate. Yes, in fact you anticipated my next question. One of the parts of the book I found most interesting was, like you said, how in the industrial era you had industrial capitals downward pressure on housing prices (to ensure workers can live near factories) balanced by the real estate industrys upward pressure on housing prices. But, that balance is thrown off with deindustrialization in many large cities in the West, like New York. For economists who study industrial policy, what are the housing factors that are most important to recognize? How do we incorporate housing and physical spaces for people in cities into industrial policy making? So the United States doesnt have an industrial policy. People say that it has 50 of them because so much of it is done at the state level, which actually means that urban planners have more of an input because planners tend to have more power and influence at the more local level than the national. I think the relationship between industrial capital and the cost of living, which includes housing but also the price of land and everything on top of it, is an underappreciated element of the way cities have changed over the last 50 or so years. Of course the world is more industrial than ever, and the United States is plenty industrial, but industrial production is located less and less commonly in the heart of cities. Its more of a geographic shuffling of where industrial production takes place than a decline of the industrial sector. Geographical relocation has enormous political consequences on cities, on urban development, on urban planning, and as you say, the cost of housing. Housing is important not only because its a major cost factor in workers lives, but also because its what gives people access to everything that a city is: employment, sociability, community, political rights, and everything else. It all comes from housing. This is an oversimplification, but in general, industrial capital has looked towards city planners to make land cheaper and housing more affordable, not because theyre some sort of friend of the working class. Obviously theyre not, but because they want to pay their workers less, and if housing is cheaper, then there are fewer pressures to raise wages. They want land to be less costly because they see land and buildings mostly as cost factors rather than as revenue sources. The opposite is true of real estate capital. Real estate capital wants to see ever-rising land and property values. It wants to see less affordable housing because housing is their primary commodity. Of all the money thats invested in real estate in the world, three quarters of it is invested in housing. Thats a real conflict between different kinds of capitalists. If weve seen this geographical reshuffling of industry, then weve also seen the rise of real estates power to shape the narrative of urban planning. Of course workers, tenants, and residents who arent themselves real estate capitalists have a very different way of seeing the city, and try to exert themselves politically, but it was useful in the past when there was a conflict between industrial capital and real estate capital over the cost of the city. In the absence of that conflict, it becomes a much more direct conflict between capital and tenants, which politically might be a good thing, but real estate is so powerful that it has so far tended to overwhelm the demands of tenants on city planners. Another key idea of the book that is somewhat missing in mainstream discourse is the fact that land is a commodity, and that the real estate market turns land into something that can be bought and sold, traded, and securitized, which is not the way that landand, by extension, housinghave always existed. In fact, it certainly need not be. What are some of the social and economic consequences of the existence of the real estate market that we dont often really think about or take for granted? What are the ways in which potentially decommodifying land and housing could have positive effects? Right. I recently gave a talk to a class in Design and Urban Ecologies at Parsons School of Design, which is a very international program. I said something about land being bought and sold as a commodity, and a couple students raised their hands and were confused by this because in some parts of the world, corporations are not buying and selling land, theyre buying and selling property which they lease from either the state or another land owner. In the United States and in many other countries at this point, land itself is traded. This produces the possibility for a very structural and deep linkage between what urban planners do and how the real estate economy works. When urban planners create public benefits that are not intended to be any sort of gift toward real estatethings like new parks, new transit linestheyre also dramatically increasing the value of nearby land. Every time they do something that might be beneficial to the public, theyre also making land more expensive, and therefore the property on top of that land gets more expensive, which is a problem for anyone who cant afford that cost differential. In the absence of tight rent controls, in the absence of a good quantity of well-funded public housing, the benefits of urban planning are accrued to whoever owns the land, and can become a real threat to people who are struggling to pay monthly rent. Then even good urban planning can become associated with displacement and with gentrification. What are some of the different policy options available for decommodifying land and housing in cities? The way I wrote the section of the book on alternatives was by interviewing a number of people who work in city planning in New York City, but think planning should be done dramatically differently. Theres a lot of people with heterodox and radical economic positions who are attracted to the idea of city planning, but then are quite disappointed by what the profession actually is. There are policies that can be done right now that would frustrate the rise of what Im calling the real estate state. These are policies that try to actually cool the speculative nature of the market, unlike mainstream urban planning practice which stokes speculation in order to bring back some other benefits. Im saying we need to actually attack speculation. That can be done in a number of ways. By strengthening rent controls, by reinvesting in public housing, by keeping more land in the public domain. That means not privatizing existing public land, but also creating opportunities for a greater stock of public or at least decommodified land. That can mean right to buy laws for tenants who can buy out their landlords. It could also mean right to sell laws for people facing foreclosure who want to sell their land or housing to the state, which can then operate it as either public housing or transform it into a community land trust. Theres all sorts of ways we can think about expanding the stock of public land as well as affordable housing. I also think we need to increase the economic diversity of our cities, which means bringing back industrial production, or at least stopping the rush to push out industrial producers. Not because industrial production is some sort of magic economic pill, but because it would re-stimulate that intra-capitalist feud that I talked about earlier between industrial capital and real estate capital, which can create some better opportunities for urban planning. We can talk about reshuffling the way that we dole out what are the public benefits of urban planning as well as the risks. In New York City right now, we are upzoning [changing zoning laws to allow for denser building development] working class, majority people of color neighborhoods, while at the same time wealthier, white neighborhoods benefit from very protective zoning. Those priorities need to be reversed. If indeed the city needs growth, that growth should be in low-rise, high-value, transit-oriented neighborhoods that are currently protected by the zoning codes. There are a dozen of these kinds of neighborhoods scattered throughout the city that should be the priority for rezoning, not already affordable neighborhoods occupied by working class people of color. What about community land trusts (CLTs)? Theyre a mechanism for affordable housing and land ownership thats popular in certain housing advocacy circles, but not well known outside of them. Can you explain how CLTs decommodify land and ensure access to affordable housing? Community land trusts can be very complicated, technical devices. I think that is one reason why theyre not widely understood. At its most basic, a community land trust is a way of providing affordable housing (or other space) by delinking land ownership from building ownership, and putting tight limits on what can be done with both. In a community land trust, the trust owns the land, and usually a mutual housing association or another form of non-profit, limited equity building ownership owns the buildings on top. By separating those two things, you limit the amount of speculation thats possible. If the value of the land goes up, the owners of the building cant take advantage of that increase. That changes peoples relationship to their housing, and also to the land itself. Atop the land you have a buildingusually housingwhich is controlled in a way that limits the rise in exchange value over time. If you bought a unit for a certain amount of money, which is usually equivalent to what it actually costs rather than some sort of inflated price, you can sell it whenever you want, but you can only sell it for what you bought it for plus interest. You cant sell it to make a profit. This is done through a long-term contract or deed. In the end, what youve done is functionally decommodified land and housing in a particular place. Its still a commodity in the sense that it can be bought and sold, but it doesnt behave like other commodities because its price doesnt fluctuate with anything other than the actual cost of operating the building. Would decommodifying land also require a dramatic expansion of social security, since so many people in the United States use homeownership to fund their retirement? Its true that a lot of people have invested their savings into their home, and that becomes a retirement strategy. It is potentially a wealth transfer to future generations. That model, however, which was already deeply racially skewed toward white homeowners, has been challenged in recent years as home ownership rates have been declining. Increasingly its absentee investors who are buying up housing. We have record levels of absentee ownership. Private equity firms like Blackstone are now the worlds largest landlord, and own quite a bit of housing in the United States. So that model of housing-as-retirement-savings is becoming increasingly imperiled already. If we did manage to decommodify housing in this country, I agree that we would need an alternate strategy for retirement. I think government provided pensions and increased social security is a great way to go, especially since there are all sorts of issues with the private pension system, most prominent of which is that fewer and fewer people even have pensions. So yes, thats an important issue that would need to be confronted, but its not insurmountable. I was really struck by how similar your analysis of urban planners is to INETs analysis of economists: people who often enter the field with really noble intentions, but find themselves pushed into this narrow way of thinking thanks to perverse incentives, mainly from capital interest that define the profession. They also both have a reputation for being a bit better at theory than practice. What do you think economists and urban planners can learn from each other? The first thing is to recognize the difference between why we got into these fields and what they actually are. I think youre absolutely right. Most people become planners (and perhaps economists) because they believe that theres some social benefit to it. Its not just personal gain that people are seeking. They think that they can improve the way our cities work in the case of urban planners, or the way our economy functions in the case of economists. Obviously those two things are closely related. We have to be honest about what these professions actually are under the constraints that we live in. One of the big takeaways that I got from talking to radicals who work in urban planning was the need for organizing. In fact, in New York in the 1960s there was something called the Planners Underground, which was a group of people who were trained professional planners, many of them working for the City of New York, who were basically working with community organizations to subvert the worst things their offices were doing. They would write anonymous testimony that would say, I am an employee of city planning. I know whats going on here. This is messed up, and it should not go forward. Movements like that can be really inspiring, but they take collective work, they take organizing. That form of organizing can also help people get out of the groupthink and the pressures that are put on working planners to conform to a very pro-real estate mentality. If youre organizing among radical planners outside of work, you have that space to think differently than what youre allowed to do when youre working. I think economists can do many of these things, and I think INET is an example of this. I know there are a couple other organizations for economists who want to get out of the structural constraints in which they work, like the Union for Radical Political Economics. For planners, the Planners Network acts as a left alternative to the mainstream American Planning Association. Changing the planning or economics is something that cant be accomplished alone by one planner or one economist, but which collectively can be pushed forward. Sir Nicholas has arrived in Kabul to take up his role as the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan. Before heading to Kabul, he said I am really looking forward to getting back to Kabul and to playing a really active and strong role in support of the Afghan search for peace. Afghan people are hoping that 2019 will be the year of peace and NATO will be doing all it can to support efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan. Working closely with NATO-led Resolute Support mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces and institutions, Sir Nicholas will advise the North Atlantic Council on the alliances efforts in Afghanistan and relations with Afghan partners. He will liaise with senior members of the Afghan government, as well as with Afghan officials and members of parliament. He will also coordinate with representatives of the international community and engage with representatives of Afghan civil society and international non-governmental organisations. Previously, Sir Nicholas served for more than a year as the United Kingdom's Ambassador in Kabul. He brings extensive experience on Afghanistan and the South Asia region, having also worked as UK Regional Coordinator for Southern Afghanistan in Helmand province in 20062007 and as Head of the Pakistan and Afghanistan Section in the South Asian Department of the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 19951997. He also has extensive experience in helping to build peace in fragile and conflict affected states, having served as the UN Secretary Generals Special Representative in Somalia. Sir Nicholas replaces Ambassador Cornelius Zimmermann of Germany, who had been in the post since March 2017. The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will meet the President of Montenegro, H.E. Mr. Milo ukanovic, on Wednesday, 6 March 2019. Media Advisory 09:10 Official welcome of the President of Montenegro by the NATO Secretary General podium in Agora (first movement from Public Square Press Shop at 08:55) 09:35 Joint press point by NATO Secretary General and President of Montenegro podium in the Agora (second movement from Public Square Press Shop at 09:15) The press point will be web streamed live on the NATO website. Still and video images will be available on the NATO website after the event. Professional-quality videos and b-roll will be available for download from www.natomultimedia.tv. Please register for access. Contact: content@natomultimedia.tv Accreditation Media permanently accredited at NATO Media representatives in possession of permanent NATO media pass can access to the NATO HQ directly by tapping their badge at the turnstiles (NATO HQ Guard House South - GHS, media entrance, NATO Headquarters, Boulevard Leopold III 1110). Ad-hoc accreditation (day-pass) Media representatives not permanently accredited and wishing to attend the event are invited to request ad-hoc accreditation directly at the main entrance of NATO HQ on Wednesday 6 March 2019 starting from 08:30 (Brussels time). They will have to present a proof of ID/passport and a valid press card (provided by a recognised national professional body of a NATO country i.e. Government, Professional association, Union of journalists). Media representatives not in possession of a valid press card are invited to send a signed letter from their editor to the NATO Accreditation Office to NATOaccreditations@hq.nato.int no later than Tuesday 05 March 2019, 19:00 (Brussels time). Security Procedures A security check will take place and all equipment and personal effects carried onto the site will be examined by security personnel. Media representative are therefore encouraged to arrive with sufficient lead time to allow for security proceedings. Points of Contact Overall Coordination Ms Ioana Tudorie tudorie.ioana-andrada@hq.nato.int Tel: +32 (0)2 707 5042 Accreditation NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int Tel: +32 (0)2 707 83 46 TV & Radio arrangements on site and via satellite Mr Henk Dekens Dekens.Henk@hq.nato.int Tel: +32 (0)2 707 50 51 Mr Serge Bosmans Bosmans.Serge@hq.nato.int Tel: +32 (0)2 707 50 03 Mr Eric Morel Morel.Eric@hq.nato.int Tel: +32 (0)2 707 12 87 NATO Video on demand NATO Channel content@natomultimedia.tv Tel: +32 (0)2 707 12 27 Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress, @jensstoltenberg and @NATO) On Wednesday, 6 March 2019, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will meet the President of the European Parliament, Mr. Antonio Tajani, at the European Parliament. There will be no media opportunity. Still and video images will be available on the NATO website after the event. Follow us on Twitter (@NATO, @NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg) Representatives from NATO nations and partner countries gathered in Washington DC on Tuesday (5 March) to discuss how to promote better governance, accountability and transparency in the defence and security sector. They were joined by delegates from international organisations, NGOs and the private sector for the three-day NATO 2019 Building Integrity Conference, with a focus on the challenges to build capable defence institutions. Speaking at the opening of the event, the NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Ambassador Alejandro Alvargonzalez thanked the United States Office of the Secretary of Defence for co-hosting the event. He said that the conference will "look at the impact of poor governance on peace and security and what this means for crisis prevention". The conference will also be an opportunity to share lessons learned and exchange best practices. Ambassador Alvargonzalez said that "since its creation in 2007, the NATO Building Integrity programme has been a key tool for NATOs capacity-building activities" to promote good practices and strengthen integrity in the defence and related security sector in countries around the world. Stressing that poor governance is a main driver of insecurity, he said that the NATO Building Integrity programme is committed to deepen cooperation with other international organisations and other key international players to help strengthen the principles of transparency and accountability in all countries participating in the programme. The NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Operations Mr. Jonathan Parish highlighted that the Building Integrity programme now has 23 partners that have endorsed the NATO Building Integrity Policy, together with all NATO countries. We will now launch a new phase in the Building Integrity programme with a stronger focus on capacity building, designed to meet the needs of individual nations. Together with them, we are looking forward to shape the next phase of the programme. And we hope that more partners will join, he said. Around 150 participants were expected to join the NATO 2019 Building Integrity Conference throughout the week (5 - 7 March), with participation from 32 nations and international organisations including from the European Union, the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Department for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the World Bank. Experts in defence education gathered from 19 to 21 February, 2019 at NATO Headquarters, Belgium to conduct the annual review of NATOs Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) with Afghanistan. Participants took stock of progress achieved, addressed challenges faced and set future objectives for military education and training. Enhancing Military Education The Programme has several objectives. These include contributing to the creation of a Professional Military Education (PME) policy, the development of specific curriculum subjects such as the Civilian Oversight of the Armed Forces, the Interagency Coordination or Leadership, and the development of faculties by bringing together defence and military experts from Allied countries and partners to exchange experience in modern teaching methodologies. DEEP also facilitates efforts to foster cooperation between similar military educational institutions from around the world. Military education is considered by Afghan authorities as a key element to bring forward more concrete cooperation with NATO. This leads to sustainable national armed forces in Afghanistan capable of maintaining peace and security. We appreciate NATOs tremendous efforts in Afghanistan. The capacity-building support provided by NATO is highly crucial and we would like to expand our cooperation further. We will soon be shouldering the full responsibility of our countrys security thanks to the valuable training we have received from our great friends and Allies, explained Major General Sayed Rahim Sayed, Director of Defence and Security of the Administrative Office of the President of Afghanistan. DEEP enhances the ability of participants and their respective services to plan strategically, to coordinate across ministries in order to improve security and stability and to further develop the culture of strategic thinking. Mrs Frederique Jacquemin, NATO Senior Programme Manager DEEP Afghanistan stressed that, under DEEP, we must cement Afghan self-sustainability in achieving their Professional Military Education objectives, taking into account the strategic context and the specificities of Afghanistan. Common goals This review is timely in devising future cooperation. The maturation of the NATO-Afghanistan relationship regarding PME sets the stage for the Afghan National Security Force to continue building capacity, contributing directly to shaping the future of the Afghan armed forces and the stability of the country. Based on the lessons learned and shared practices, participants agreed on a joint action plan for activities for the upcoming year and beyond was developed and identified effective mechanisms to articulate common goals. Professor Harry Tomlin, from the United States War College, described the discussions as a unique manifestation of a comprehensive approach and whole of government and society mentality. Participants included Afghan high officials from the Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Interior, as well as from the Office of the National Security Council, the Office of the President and the Marshal Fahim National Defense University. Representatives from NATO Headquarters and Commands, as well as academics and practitioners from NATO Allies also attended. DEEPs are tailored programmes through which the Alliance advises partners on how to build, develop and reform educational institutions in the security, defence and military domain. In March 2019, there were 15 individual country DEEP initiatives, with different focus and at different stages of development, engaging Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Iraq (as part of the NATO Mission in Iraq), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, the Republic of Moldova, Mongolia, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Tunisia, and Ukraine. (Natural News) Its now legal in New York to kill a perfectly healthy newborn child after it exits the mothers womb, on the day of birth, if the mom and doctor agree the mom doesnt want it. Abortionists are using sick and twisted methods to kill these day young humans, too, including forcing instruments into the soft spots of their heads, twisting their heads off their necks, or cutting their spinal cords with utility scissors. Babies surviving abortion is not as rare as one might think, either. Thousands of children have survived abortions in the four decades since its been legalized nationally. Conservatively speaking, at least 1,200 children survive abortion every year in the USA alone. Now, the Death Cult Democrats (DDC) just voted to let these same abortion survivors suffocate to death in front of the mother, if she so chooses, since no medical coverage can be used to save it. For the DDC, this is call for mass celebration. Get the confetti and the champagne and toast to infanticide. The number of live births post abortion is actually much higher than 1,200 per year, as the reporting of this heinous crime is voluntary. Most children born alive after failed abortion attempts are left to die. So if the DDC finds this not just acceptable, but something worth celebrating, as they did when they signed the bill in New York, then whats next? Surely this is just the tip of the iceberg for population control beginning in 2019. AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) already declared everyone should think twice (hint-hint) before having children, starting now (all based on the global warming hoax and the threat of the whole world bursting into flames inside of 12 years). Maybe the DDC will extend the abortion-fail-murder-rule to one week after birth, or even a month or a year. Why not? Maybe the mother needs a little longer to think about whether or not she can or wants to raise that child. Why not twist their head off at their first birthday, since, according to the DDC, newborns dont have souls or feel pain anyway? And what about senior citizens? Adolf Hitler wanted to exterminate anyone who was a financial or economic burden on society. Will the DDC pass a law to kill off grandma and grandpa for the same reasons they created and passed the infanticide bill? And what about blacks, Christians, and Jews; its more than obvious the Democrats hate them too. Democrats are demanding police take your DNA sample during arrests and create a database, so whats next, PRE-CRIME arrests? No, youre not reading a scene out of George Orwells 1984 book. The Democrat Death Cult wants to start arresting people for just thinking about bad things (God only knows what they think about doing every day to Trump supporters). More than 60 police departments across the U.S. are already amassing DNA databases to track criminals (and non-criminals), without restrictions as to who can access them, or how long the information is retained on record (which means probably forever). Local agencies are making up their own rules for DNA cataloguing, including for kids (who arent arrested by the way) and for people who arent even arrested either. Wait, what? Yep. You could simply be pulled over for a routine traffic violation or just suspected of a DUI, and voila your genes just got data-based like a blueprint. All they need are a few cells, say from a mouth swab, and they gotcha on file. And just like that, surprise, surprise, you just got swabbed, catalogued, and prepped for a future pre-crime arrest. States and the feds typically require a conviction, arrest or warrant before your DNA sample is entered into their collections, but not your local po-po. Theyre skirting all regulations. Plus, no more waiting for the state or feds to jump in to help solve a case. Private labs are returning DNA samples inside of a month now to the cops. Who pays for it? The police use the money from seized criminal assets. So whats next? Ever seen the Netflix series Person of Interest or the hit movie starring Tom Cruz called Minority Report? Coming soon to your neck of the woods: The systematic removal of all your Constitutional rights by the Democrat Death Cult As Democrats continue to systematically remove U.S. citizens constitutional rights, we arent too far away from the Deep State Leftists arresting people for pre-crimes. Think about it. Theyre already calling for mass gun confiscation across the country. We already see the DDC enforcing red flag gun confiscation laws in Maryland, forced vaccination at gunpoint in the whole state of California, and day-of-birth abortions in New York and the DDC blocking of the Born Alive bill. The red flag gun laws allow anyone, including your neighbor or your doctor, to simply hypothesize and say they think you MIGHT be a threat, and the swat team shows up at your door at 4 a.m. to take your legal weapons away at gunpoint. So, just combine the medical database with the new DNA local cop database, and scrub that against all your social media posts, and soon the DDC will be mass-arresting everyone who supports Trump or bad-mouths the Clintons or AOC. Here comes socialism folks. Pre-crime is catching on fast. Dont think so? The new PredPol system is already in use by the cops in California, Maryland and Florida. They say it reduces human bias in policing, but actually it increases racism and bias in general. You see, PredPol (short for predator policing) algorithms lead officers to certain neighborhoods that have high numbers of racial minorities, regardless of the real crime rate for that vicinity. Oops. These are called feedback loops and theyre quite dangerous to human and civil rights. Tune into Abortions.news for updates on the DDC, Jeff Bozo Bezos, Bill Vaccine Genocide Gates, AOC, and the tech giants, all trying to reduce the population of America by 100,000,000 people over the next ten years, all while getting their brain-dead zombie followers to vote for it. Sources for this article include: LiveAction.org NaturalNews.com ChicagoTribune.com FoxNews.com (Natural News) If you think that the nuclear disaster at Fukushima hasnt really affected you too much because you live so far away from it, think again. Researchers looking into the Fukushima nuclear disaster have made a startling discovery: The devastating incident gave every single human being on the planet an amount of radiation exposure that is equal to getting one x-ray. The disaster took place after a 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Japan in 2011, prompting three nuclear reactors to melt down at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant. This released radioactive materials into the environment. One of the researchers, the Norwegian Institute for Air Researchs Nikolaos Evangeliou, said that more than four fifths of the radiation was ultimately deposited at the poles and in the oceans, and that the global population likely got the lowest exposure, but that will be little comfort for those who avoid x-rays out of concern about the danger of radiation. His group estimated that most people got a dose of around 0.1 millisievert, which is equal to an extra full-chest x-ray. The average person in Japan, however, got a dose that is equal to around 0.5 millisieverts, which approaches the yearly recommended limit for inhaling naturally-occurring radon. Meanwhile, residents of Fukushima and the surrounding areas were exposed to doses of as much as 5 millisieverts in the three months following the accidents. Experts say that radiation levels at the disaster site itself are still incredibly high, and that cleaning it up could take as long as 40 years, while some of the radioactive elements released will linger in the environment for almost 25,000 years. One nuclear engineer, Arnie Gundersen, told the BBC that the site is as close to hell as I could imagine. If you think the single x-ray that most of us were exposed to is bad enough, be thankful you dont live in Iitate, a town that sits around 25 miles away from the site of the Fukushima disaster. The government is insisting the towns residents return home and claim it is safe, but a report by Greenpeace found that toxic levels of radiation still exist there, with one activist saying it is equivalent to getting an x-ray of your chest every week! Since we are already exposed to natural background radiation of varying levels depending on the altitude at which we live, adding to the total without being given any choice in the matter is something that everyone should find concerning, no matter how far they live from Fukushima. X-ray radiation increases cancer risk Just how bad is the radiation from an x-ray? X-rays use ionizing radiation, which can increase your risk of getting cancer years or even decades after exposure. For this reason, experts recommend avoiding unnecessary x-rays. Younger people, unborn babies and women have slightly higher risks of developing a radiation-induced cancer. It poses a smaller risk to the elderly, experts say, mostly because they have fewer years of life left in which the cancer can develop. The fact that we cant control our environmental exposure to radiation means that we need to be particularly vigilant about the radiation exposure we can control. For example, if your doctor suggests an x-ray or CT scan, find out if its really necessary. Get a second opinion, and find out if your doctor has a financial stake in these tests. Find out if alternative methods of diagnosis could work instead. We are exposed to enough radiation in our everyday lives that we should be doing everything we can to avoid adding to it. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk ConsumerReports.org CancerResearchUK.org (Natural News) Plant geneticists are now saying theyve uncovered the power of genome editing through a new application of CRISPR technology. The scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory say they have mobilized CRISPR-Cas9 tech to rapidly produce variants of the tomato plant engineered to display three key agricultural traits: fruit size, branching structure and plant shape. All three play a substantial role in how productive a plant will be and by manipulating these traits, scientists say they can control a plants yield. While their experiment focused on tomatoes, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory team says this application can be used on virtually any crop, including food, feed and fuel crops. For example, crops like wheat, rice, maize and sorghum can all reportedly be manipulated with this new technique. Using CRISPR, scientists change the plants genetic sequences and expand genetic variation far beyond what could ever be found in nature. Research leader and professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Zachary Lippman explained, What we demonstrated with each of the traits was the ability to use CRISPR to generate new genetic and trait variation that breeders can use to tailor a plant to suit conditions. Each trait can now be controlled in the way a dimmer switch controls a light bulb. How theyre changing the plant genome Essentially, the CRISPR technology is used to cut away at key genetic sequences to induce changes to the three key areas that affect crop yields. The mutated areas are known as quantitative trait loci or QTL for short. As sources explain, plant breeders are always on the lookout for QTL, but the most valuable changes (those that increase output) are the most rare or at least, they were. Lippman, Our approach can help bypass this constraint by directly generating and selecting for the most desirable variants controlling gene activity in the context of other natural mutations that benefit breeding. We can now work with the native DNA and enhance what nature has provided, which we believe can help break yield barriers. Lippman and his team believe that they can combine naturally occurring QTL with CRISPR-generated QTL to expand such variations far beyond what youd ever see in nature. You can already see where this could so easily go awry. One of the biggest concerns about genetic modification in any of its various forms is that the long-term effects of such genetic manipulation are unknown. Predicting what these genetic edits will transform into after being unleashed into the environment is notoriously hard to predict. The risks of GMOs are very real. What are the consequences? Further, while scientists may think they are mimicking natural variations, the very fact that these variations are controlled and executed in lab inherently means they are anything but a natural occurrence. The eventual goal of such genetic engineering is not to have more genetic variation in plants, but rather to have complete control over the plants genome. The study authors themselves note that they are essentially trying to create a league of crops with predictable yields which would seemingly require plants with the same exact genes. In an article for Harvard Universitys Science In The News, Heather Landry explains that genetic diversity is directly related to biodiversity. She states, Maintaining genetic diversity is important for the environment and agriculture because increased variability in DNA will provide a better opportunity for organisms to adapt to a changing environment. Another of the leading concerns about GMOs is that the reduction in diversity will make food crops more susceptible to plant diseases or other problems. Irelands potato famine during the 1800s was a key example of this; all the potatoes being planted came from the same parent crop, which greatly reduced genetic diversity among plants. This proved to be extremely problematic when the pathogen P. infestans wiped out entire fields of potatoes. As Landry explains, all the potatoes had nearly identical genes, which meant none of the crops stood a chance at evading the plant-killing pathogen. More genetic diversity in the potato crops could have saved some of the crops. With these modifications poised to be used in virtually every food crop, who knows what kind of mass plant die-off could occur? There are many dangers associated with GMOs, but the potential for a mass famine may just top the list. Sources include: ScienceDaily.com SITN.HMS.Harvard.edu Art by Lydia Cruz of Maine South will be featured at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum for the next year, District 207 said. A poster created by Cruz won the Illinois Arts Education and Illinois State Board of Educations 37th annual poster design contest. A poster featuring Cruzs artwork is also expected to be created and sent to public and private schools in the state to promote arts in education. (Natural News) Self-proclaimed democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has regularly drawn the ire of Republicans on Capitol Hill and elsewhere, but shes increasingly putting Democrats whom she aligns with, politically, on the spot as well. For one thing, her grasp of public policy-making is infantile, at best, as evidenced by the recent sophomoric roll-out of her Green New Deal, which called for radically altering Americans use of current energy sources including nuclear power and those generated by fossil fuels within a decade an impossibility. For another, nearly every time she opens her mouth to opine on a subject she is quickly exposed for her hypocrisy, which, of course, reflects badly on herself but also on Democrats in general. Case in point: While introducing a plan to radically eliminate Americans use of fossil fuels after claiming recently in a sky-is-falling manner that we only have 12 years left to save the planet (from destruction due to overuse/over-reliance on fossil fuels), Ocasio-Cortez has been outed for relying primarily on big fossil-fuel-guzzling modes of transportation. As TownHall writer Timothy Meads noted: For thee but not for me, New York Democratic Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez apparently believes when it comes to saving the planet from its potential doomsday within 12 years. The New York Post added that gas-guzzling car rides have exposed the freshman lawmakers abject hypocrisy on the environment, her overtly political end-of-the-world prediction and the fact that she doesnt believe the rules she prescribes for everyone else should apply to her. Were like, The world is going to end in 12 years if we dont address climate change, she said in, like, January. And, like, this is the war; this is our World War II. Just a week ago she elevated her rhetoric past the point of ludicrous when she said, It is basically a scientific consensus that the lives of our children are going to be very difficult due to climate change. And it does lead young people to have a legitimate question: Is it OK to still have children? (Related: Ocasio-Cortez celebrates LOSS of 25,000 Amazon jobs and billions in tax revenue proving Dems no longer party of Main Street America.) Shes a walking, talking example of hypocrisy The only way to save ourselves is to totally overhaul transportation by massively expanding electric vehicle manufacturing, build charging stations everywhere, build out high-speed rail create affordable public transit available to all, with the goal to replace every combustion-engine vehicle, according to her Green New Deal. Where have we heard that before? Only from every other Left-wing climate change hoaxer to come before Ocasio-Cortez. And like most of them who never lived up to the lifestyle expectations they have for others, AOC isnt, either. The Post reported that since Ocasio-Cortez launched her congressional campaign in May 2017, she relied very heavily on combustion engine vehicles, though there was a subway station just 138 feet from her Elmhurst campaign office: In all, Ocasio-Cortez spent $29,365.70 on those emissions-spewing vehicles, along with car and van rentals even though her Queens HQ was a one-minute walk to the 7 train. And while she claimed she knocked on doors until rainwater came through my soles during the early part of her campaign after she defeated incumbent Dem Rep. Joe Crowley, her transportation habits changed, the Post investigation found. Of course, thats not Ocasio-Cortezs sole bout with green hypocrisy. While purging on big gas-guzzling Uber rides she took a tough public stance against taxis yes, taxis in February 2018 after a Yellow Cab driver committed suicide. Yellow Cab drivers are in financial ruin due to the unregulated expansion of Uber. What was a living wage job now pays under minimum, she said. Other examples of hypocrisy: Railing against hamburgers while sitting with her chief of staff in a restaurant as he ate a cheeseburger and complaining about plastic grocery bags then throwing a couple of them away though they are recyclable. We keep up with Ocasio-Cortezs hypocrisy at CortezWatch.com and the Lefts climate lunacy at ClimateAlarmism.news. Sources include: TownHall.com NYPost.com TheNationalSentinel.com (Natural News) As the price of Bitcoin continues to hover substantially below $4,000 per coin, after reaching earlier all-time highs of around $20,000 per coin, venture capitalists appear to now be swooping in for the kill as they launch brand new crypto schemes using peoples pension funds as financial backing. According to reports, a previously obscure finance firm known as Morgan Creek Digital recently decided to launch a crypto-based venture that includes two U.S. pension funds as anchor investments, which apparently is the first this has ever been done. The $40 million endeavor is said to be backed not only by these dual pension plans, which are managed by Fairfax County Retirement Systems (FCRS) in Virginia, but also by an insurance company, a university endowment, and a private foundation. As FCRS and many other underfunded public pension funds across the United States struggle to maintain their payouts in the face of recipients living longer than expected, some of them are succumbing to the sirens song of crypto which could end up backfiring in a major way, should said cryptos collapse to zero, as weve long been warning. In addition to proposing an increase in the retirement age, some of these pension funds are now flirting with the idea of putting peoples retirement money into crypto schemes with an attractive asymmetric return profile. Theres a belief in the institutional world that if the industry will be around for a long time, it will be very valuable, Anthony Pompliano, founder of Morgan Creek, told reporters in an interview. The smart money is not distracted by price but looks at the long-term trends, and believes theyre betting on innovation as a great way to deliver risk-mitigated returns. For more related news, be sure to check out BitRaped.com. Morgan Creek says that all traditional assets will eventually be represented by digital tokens Readers who have been following the dramatics up and downs of Bitcoin over the past several years will immediately recognize that all of this wishful thinking by Pompliano and the pension funds his company represents will more than likely come to ruin eventually. That is because so-called crypto assets arent really assets at all, but are simply imaginary tokens that are backed by false hope, and in many cases greed. Despite the fact that crypto enthusiasts have convinced themselves that institutional investors like Morgan Creek will increasingly be drawn towards digital assets like Bitcoin because theyre extremely volatile, meaning they have the potential to garner massive gains if played correctly, none of this bodes well for peoples retirement funds, which are now being leveraged by the equivalent of imaginary money. Morgan Creek is convinced that all traditional assets will eventually be represented by digital tokens anyway, which makes its venture a no-brainer, in the eyes of the companys founder. But will it all actually pan out this way in the long run? Time will tell. For now, at least, Fairfax County retirees can breath a sigh of relief, contends Zero Hedge. Because the double-digit return projections we imagine will soon be penciled into the funds balance sheets will temporarily lift the pressure to raise the retirement age while taxpayers can worry less about shouldering a rising share of the funds cost burden That is, until reality sinks in, leaving a giant hole where lofty market-beating returns were supposed to be. Be sure to check out this report by the Health Ranger about why he believes Bitcoin doesnt stand a chance, no matter how much its hyped by the crypto apologists. You can hear financial expert Peter Schiffs take on the Bitcoin scam at Brighteon.com. Read more news about the impending collapse of public and private pensions at Pensions.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com BitRaped.com WashingtonPost.com NaturalNews.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) A relatively new Planned Parenthood clinic in Flossmoor, Illinois, was forced to call 911 recently after a woman who was undergoing an abortion there started to bleed uncontrollably. Reports indicate that the 32-year-old would-have-been mother was in the middle of having her unborn baby murdered when the procedure went awry. Planned Parenthood workers tried to fix the problem with a Foley catheter, but were unsuccessful, which meant the woman had to be rushed to the hospital. The Pro-Life Action League of Chicago later obtained a recording of the call, which took place on December 14, 2018, and handed it over to Operation Rescue, a pro-life Christian organization thats working to have Planned Parenthood shuttered entirely. Planned Parenthood claims to be all about womens health, but doesnt even provide emergency care? While Planned Parenthood claims to be a trusted health care provider that promotes womens health, the woman who almost died during her botched abortion at the hands of Planned Parenthood doctors probably feels a bit differently about the situation. The Flossmoor location of Planned Parenthood, at least, was clearly unprepared to handle her hemorrhaging, which is apparently a common abortion complication. At best, those who were caring for this woman were improperly trained. At worst, Planned Parenthood cares nothing about the health of women or their babies, and exists only to profit from the illegal sale of aborted baby body parts. Planned Parenthoods lack of ability to provide adequate care in a safe environment shows that they are not fit to operate, says Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue. We consider all abortions to be immoral acts that wrongly take the lives of innocent babies. But even putting morality aside, we should not tolerate the absence of emergency capabilities at ill-equipped outpatient abortion clinics. They are literally endangering lives each time they put a woman on the abortion table. The December medical emergency at Planned Parenthood is proof that this clinic should be shut down immediately in the interest of public safety. For more abortion-related news, be sure to check out Abortions.news. Flossmoor residents werent even told Planned Parenthood was coming to town until a sign appeared on the building Whats further disturbing about the situation is that Planned Parenthood came to Flossmoor not with full disclosure and transparency, but rather with deception and trickery. As reported by the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle, the facility at 19831 Governors Highway where Planned Parenthood now resides was initially sold to Healthcare Partners, LLC, which quietly renovated the building without informing the public as to what it would later become. When a Planned Parenthood sign was finally slapped on the place at the last minute, many local residents were outraged, voicing their displeasure at a village board meeting that had to be called for order several times due to residents who were shouting from the gallery. Mayor Paul Braun admitted during the session that Planned Parenthoods modus operandi is to quietly open new facilities without telling anyone about them in order to minimize the chances of a public protest. For an agency that we know will cause a degree of controversy to come into our community without public discussion is disappointing, stated local Flossmoor resident Dennis Cortes before the village board. If I, as an elected public official, endorsed a candidate, I would feel betrayed and hoodwinked that this was coming into my village and I didnt know about it, added Kris Cortes, Dennis wife. I know you say you cant do anything about it, but that wont keep us from doing something about it, said Reverend Eric Wallace, another local Flossmoor resident, adding that Planned Parenthood is a blight on the community. Were planning protests and were going to make it known that we dont want them here. Sources include: LifeNews.com NaturalNews.com HFChronicle.com (Natural News) The cable media network that President Trump first dubbed as fake news is reportedly calling on digital retailer Amazon to stop selling all science books that contradict the mainstream government narrative that all vaccines are 100 percent safe and effective. CNN, in lockstep with California Democrat Adam Schiff, has already successfully pressured Amazon into removing all anti-vaccine movies and documentaries from its Prime service. Now, the fake news giant is pushing for a technological book-burning that would prevent Amazon Prime members from accessing any and all educational material on vaccines of which CNN disapproves. The move comes as the mainstream media at large has been drumming up mass hysteria over a handful of recent measles outbreaks. Parroting false claims that children are somehow dying left and right from this chickenpox-like illness, CNN and other fake news networks are now saying that the only proper response is mass censorship of all anti-vaccine educational material. Amazon has apparently started removing anti-vaccine documentaries from its Amazon Prime Video streaming service, CNN Business reported proudly, crediting itself and Schiff for accomplishing this feat. For more related news, be sure to check out Censorship.news. Vaxxed is no longer available for viewing through Amazon Prime Among the films removed from Amazon Prime are Shoot Em Up: The Truth About Vaccines, We Dont Vaccinate!, and the ever-popular Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, all of which call into question what the government claims are the facts about vaccination. Vaxxed II, by the way, is currently on track to finish production by this summer, pending the achievement of its fundraising goals. Seeing how easy it was to convince Jeff Bezos to engage in the Nazi-like removal of this unapproved educational material, CNN and Schiff are now calling on Amazon to get rid of all anti-vaccine books from Amazon. [A] number of anti-vaccine books were still available for purchase on Amazon.com, CNN reportedly lamented. Titles still listed include Millers Review of Critical Vaccine Studies: 400 Important Scientific Papers Summarized for Parents and Researchers and The Vaccine-Friendly Plan: Dr. Pauls Safe and Effective Approach to Immunity and Health from Pregnancy Through Your Childs Teen Years.' It is the opinion of Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, that not only will Bezos remove all such content from Amazon in the very near future, but also from the digital reading platform Kindle. Soon, he says, Kindle users will be barred from accessing any content that in any way questions the vaccine status quo. And its not just vaccines: Amazon and other tech giants are going after all educational content that contradicts Big Pharmas pills and jabs meaning anything that recommends nutrition, supplementation, and other interventions as a natural way to preserve ones health. We are living through the Dark Ages of digital tyranny, with Amazon and other tech giants colluding to obliterate human knowledge about natural health while forcing all online speech to promote the most destructive poisons of our age: Pesticides, chemotherapy, fluoride, psychiatric drugs, herbicides, geoengineering pollutants, vaccines and GMOs, Adams writes. Every tech giant in America is now 100 percent dedicated to promoting those poisons while eliminating all speech about natural health, organics, nutritional supplements and natural cures. Twitter recently told Natural News that natural health content is now hate speech. Thousands of Twitter channels will soon be banned for promoting organics and anti-cancer foods. Be sure to check out Adams full coverage of what Big Tech is trying to do to stamp out online free speech by watching his update at Brighteon.com. To learn more about how to protect your health naturally without vaccines or pharmaceuticals, be sure to visit NaturalMedicine.news and NaturalCures.news. Sources for this article include: NaturalNews.com Natural.news Brighteon.com (Natural News) Researchers from the Philippines suggest that calamansi (Citrus microcarpa B.) has powerful anticancer potential. In their study, which was published in the journal Industrial Crops and Products, they aimed to determine the volatile composition, d-limonene content, and cytotoxicity of calamansi essential oil. Interest in the use of natural products has been renewed due to widespread drug resistance today. Calamansi is an essential oil-rich citrus from the Philippines popularly used in beverages and condiments. However, its wastes from processing plants are underutilized and may pose environmental concerns if not properly processed. Based on the researchers findings, they found that d-limonene is the main constituent of calamansi essential oil, comprising at least 92.67 percent of the total oil. The researchers also tested the cytotoxicity of calamansi essential oil on human mammary tumor cell line MCF-7 and Chinese hamster ovary non-tumor cell line AA8 and found that it exhibited great cytotoxicity activity. The cytotoxicity activity of calamansi essential oil appeared to be greater on the human mammary tumor cell line than the ovary non-tumor animal cell line. The cytotoxicity activity of calamansi essential oil can be directly attributed to its high d-limonene content. The presence of other compounds in the essential may also have synergistic effects with d-limonene. The researchers suggest that these findings may offer economic benefit to the Philippine calamansi industry, which produces a large amount of calamansi pericarp waste. From these findings, the researchers conclude that calamansi essential oil can potentially be used as a natural low-cost cancer-fighting medicine. To read more studies on potential natural anticancer medicines, visit AntiCancer.news. Journal Reference: Palma CE, Cruz PS, Cruz DTC, Bugayong AMS, Castillo AL. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND CYTOTOXICITY OF PHILIPPINE CALAMANSI ESSENTIAL OIL. Industrial Crops and Products. February 2019; 128: 108-114. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.11.010 Many countries are engaged in a vast illegal and unrecorded international trade in seahorses, one that circumvents global regulations, according to new UBC study that has implications for many other animal species. The United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) restricts exports of seahorses to those that have been sourced sustainably and legally. Seahorses were the first marine fishes subject to such regulation, largely because of work by the Project Seahorse team at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. The goal of this CITES regulation was sustainable use but most countries that exported large numbers of seahorses have subsequently either chosen to ban exports or had bans imposed on them by CITES. Approximately 98 per cent of seahorses previously found in global trade came from countries that have now imposed bans, so both exports and imports should more or less have ended. However, the new research from UBC indicates that many nations with bans apparently continued to export dried seahorses, thus neither meeting their obligations under CITES nor enforcing the trade bans. "The 183 Parties to CITES are required to limit export of species that have been placed on Appendix II, including seahorses, to levels that are safe for wild populations. Many are struggling to meet this obligation," explains Dr. Amanda Vincent, senior author on the paper, professor in UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and co-founder and Director of Project Seahorse. "We found that 95 per cent of dried seahorses in Hong Kong's large market were reported as being imported from source countries that had export bans being in place, including Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Viet Nam," noted Dr. Ting-Chun Kuo, co-author and, during the study, a PhD candidate in Project Seahorse. "This is a remarkable discovery given the high proportion of global seahorse trade that goes through Hong Kong," commented Dr. Sarah Foster, lead author and Research Associate with Project Seahorse. "Such illegal shipments lacked the required CITES records and permits. This means that many seahorse populations continue to be under heavy pressure without CITES oversight of sources and sustainability of trade." Dr. Vincent, who also Chairs the global expert group on seahorses, points to problematic fishing methods as a driver of the trade. "The great majority of seahorses are obtained as bycatch in bottom trawls and other non-selective fishing methods. Such indiscriminate fishing obtains at least 37 million seahorses each year, a vast number that can easily enter trade. It is vital that such fisheries be constrained, even as trade is regulated." "It is going to take all actors and agencies to curb the substantial illegal trade in seahorses and other marine wildlife," noted Dr. Foster, also Global Trade Officer for the expert group on seahorses. "CITES needs to work more closely with the nations involved to ensure strict enforcement so that traders reject seahorses from source countries with trade bans, and authorities impose penalties such as confiscation and stiff fines." That said, it would be far better for CITES members to manage their trade sustainably than to declare bans that are not implemented. At present, most seahorse trade occurs in a black market, neither tracked nor regulated. "The current high level of illegal activity may have significant consequences for conservation of wild populations. Getting this right is vital for seahorses and for the other marine fishes subject to CITES regulation, such as sharks, rays, Napoleon wrasse and European eels," concluded Dr. Vincent. If any changes to the city codes are made, they must be approved by the Park Ridge Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council. The Planning and Zoning Commission could consider the requests at its first meeting in April, Brown said. In February 2019, supporters of high-speed rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles were stunned to hear Gov. Gavin Newsom announce in his State of the State address that California does not have enough money to extend the project beyond the Central Valley. While the announcement may have come as a surprise to voters who approved a nearly $10 billion bond measure to pay for construction back in 2008, financial records reviewed by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit show the project has been on shaky ground for years, dealing with cost overruns and bills for work that was never performed. BILLS, BILLS, BILLS NBC Bay Area obtained a list of all contractors paid by the California High Speed Rail Authority, as well as a list of all questionable charges flagged by the authority known as disputed invoices. Disputed invoices are charges the state believes it should not have to pay because the contractor overcharged taxpayers or did not provide enough proof they performed the work. Records show more than 600 questionable charges since 2016 totaling $142 million. After negotiating with contractors, the state did end up paying a portion of these invoices, while others are still in dispute. Other invoices were never paid after state managers determined the work was not completed, duplicative, did not comply with the contract or was not done. Those questionable charges include a $9,022,617.82 bill from a company hired to design and construct the rail line. State contract managers disputed $275,197.82 in markups and unapproved lodging expenses. The state disputed another $17,705.06 charge from a consultant who tried to bill the state for a new office that had not been authorized. There was even an invoice for $1,215 from UC Davis billing the authority for two different classes, even though one class was canceled. NBC Bay Areas analysis of the data showed that more than a third of disputed charges came from a single consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff, now known as WSP. The company provides administration services as the project manager in charge of construction. Since 2016, managers with the High Speed Rail Authority disputed $50,594,413.69 worth of invoices citing noncompliance and insufficient support documentation to verify the companys work. Thats out of a total of $142,129,998 in disputed invoices for the project from 2016 through March 20, 2018. WSP declined the Investigative Unit's interview request but sent us an email statement that reads: "We always work to accurately reflect the cost on a project. We continue to work with our client, the California High-Speed Rail Authority, to mutually resolve any invoices in question to their satisfaction in a timely way. Its tempting to be shocked by a $50 million figure, but that number paints an inaccurate picture: in reality, only a small fraction of that amount was ever in question over a period of many years on a multibillion-dollar project." THE SYSTEM WORKS High Speed Rail Chief Financial Officer Russell Fong oversees more than 200 contracts issued to vendors working on this project. Fong told NBC Bay Area that invoice disputes usually reflect a misunderstanding by contractors rather than an overt attempt to defraud taxpayers. "Very seldom I would consider a fraudulent act," Fong said. Fong said its more difficult for auditors to verify invoices submitted by consultants like WSP because the services they provide are not tangible like other contractors who provide raw materials. "Its hard to validate a service, so we need certain items [to verify the work]. If it was to pay for a bridge, you look at a bridge, and if it passed safety inspections, check the box. But when its services, its a little bit more challenging," Fong said. "I would look at this [as] a contract manager doing a fairly good job protecting the state of California," Fong told NBC Bay Area. But Democratic state Sen. Jim Beall, of San Jose, a strong supporter of the High Speed Rail Project is troubled by consultants watching over other consultants and little direct management supervision from people working directly for state taxpayers. "I think the authority needs to have better executive management," Beall told NBC Bay Area. "It appears that rather than have consultants govern other consultants, we need to have a core group of highly qualified construction management staff" working for the state of California directly. In fact, an independent audit report issued by Californias Auditors office, after it was asked by state lawmakers to look into the operation of the High Speed Rail Authority, found much the same concern. According to the audit report, management at the High Speed Rail Authority relies too heavily on outside private consultants that "may not have the best interest of the state as their primary motivation." 'SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS' While the state was able to flag $142 million worth of questionable charges, a recent report by the state Auditors Office found "significant problems" with how the authority reviews invoices, contributing to the projects $600 million cost overrun. Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson of Fresno has been a critic of high speed rail since the beginning and co-authored the states audit report. "The big problem here is that the High-Speed Rail Authority has been making it up as it goes along, and that's the danger point," Patterson told NBC Bay Area. "This audit clearly demonstrates that the project does not have sufficient money to finish." Patterson wants to use the remaining money to convert the project to slow speed rail for Amtrak so that residents in Fresno arent left with a train to nowhere. "Right now, the real question is what will be left behind in Central California that is of value," Patterson said. "That's how serious the problems are with the High-Speed Rail Authority." GETTING BACK ON TRACK Meanwhile, across the aisle, the concern is the same. Even so, Beall thinks he can get the project back on track. He wants to see a full-time inspector general hired to keep watch over the books, similar to the one established to oversee BART. With better management, Beall believes the state can find the money to finish the job and bring high-speed rail to the Bay Area. "We do want to have high-speed rail come to San Jose," Beall told NBC Bay Area. "If money was spent inappropriately, we need to get the money back, demand the money and get the return of the money so we can spend it on what we need to spend it on to complete the project." If you have a tip for the Investigative Unit, give us a call at 1-888-996-8477, or you can reach us via email at TheUnit@nbcbayarea.com A protest over the shooting of an unarmed black man by Sacramento police has ended with at least 80 arrests, police said. Among those detained were clergy and a reporter. Capt. Norm Leong tweets that the protest Monday night ended with "80 plus arrests. Still processing it all. " Dozens of people staged the march in a wealthy area of the city after prosecutors declined to file charges against police who shot Stephon Clark last March. The officers said they thought the 22-year-old Clark had a gun, but he was holding a cellphone. About 2 hours into the demonstration, police ordered protesters to disperse. Remaining demonstrators were later surrounded on a freeway overpass, the Sacramento Bee reported. Police handcuffed at least three clergy members and Bee reporter Dale Kasler, who was covering the demonstration, the newspaper reported. Kasler's hands were twist-tied and he was led away as other reporters shouted that he was a member of the media on assignment, the Bee said. He was standing with several protesters when he was detained, the newspaper reported. The reporter was released after he had been held for an hour, the newspaper said. Mayor Darrell Steinberg told the Bee in a text message that he questioned the police's response to the protest. "I'm very disappointed that the protest ended the way it did," Steinberg said. "I have many questions about what caused the order to disperse and the subsequent arrests. I will withhold further comment until I get answers to these crucial questions tonight or tomorrow morning." The mayor also told the Bee that he's upset about the reporter's arrest. "No matter what precipitated this order to disperse, no member of the press should be detained for covering a protest," Steinberg said in a phone call to the newspaper. California's attorney general announced Tuesday that he won't charge two Sacramento police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man last year, joining a local prosecutor in finding that the officers reasonably believed Stephon Clark had a gun as he moved toward them. Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the results of a nearly yearlong investigation after telling Clark's mother privately. He acknowledged that it was not what Clark's family wanted but said the evidence showed the officers had reason to believe their lives were in danger, though investigators found only a cellphone. "There is a lot of hurt in this community today and certainly in the home of the Clark family," Becerra said. "Our investigation can't change what has happened, but we can make every effort to deliver a fair, thorough and impartial review, which we promised this community." Clark, 22, was suspected of vandalism when he was shot seven times on March 18, 2018, and his killing prompted protests in California's capital city and across the U.S. New demonstrations followed Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert's decision this weekend not to charge the officers, with more than 80 people arrested Monday. A reporter from The Sacramento Bee newspaper was briefly detained while live-streaming the protest. With the conclusion of the state and local investigations, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott and Sean Ragan, who heads the FBI's Sacramento office, said they and the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division will review the results to see whether the officers violated Clark's civil rights. Such reviews are standard practice, Scott spokeswoman Lauren Horwood said. Sacramento police said they now will decide whether the officers violated any policies or procedures, which could result in their firings. Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet said they thought Clark was approaching them with a gun after he ran from them into his grandparents' backyard. The officers had been pursuing Clark after receiving calls about someone breaking car windows and an elderly neighbor's sliding glass door. The attorney general and district attorney said the evidence showed Clark was advancing toward the officers holding what they thought was a gun when they shot him. Clark could have kept fleeing through an opening at the other side of the backyard, Becerra said, but instead advanced from about 30 feet away from the officers to about 16 feet away before they opened fire. Attorneys for Clark's family say an autopsy they commissioned found that police shot Clark seven times from behind. Becerra said his office hired the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office to conduct an independent review, which backed the official autopsy showing that Clark was most likely shot as he approached police. The attorney general said he considered evidence that Clark had drugs and alcohol in his system and had been fighting with his fiancee in the days prior to the shooting. But while the local district attorney highlighted those factors during her announcement Saturday, drawing protests that she was impugning Clark's character, Becerra said they were not key to his decision. Becerra, who called for changes in law enforcement practices to prevent other shootings, said there was plenty of evidence to support his conclusion. Still, he said it was not an easy decision. "There's a young man who's no longer alive," Becerra said. "Two sons who won't have a father. Whose mother I just met is still grieving. Of course it was a tough call. These are all tough calls. It's never easy." Before announcing the decision, he met with Clark's mother, SeQuette Clark, at a church. She planned to speak to reporters later in the day. The case has led top state officials to support changes to California's legal standard for when police can use deadly force. Lawmakers have revived a measure introduced after Clark's slaying that would make California the first state to allow police to use deadly force only when it's necessary to prevent imminent and serious injury or death and if there's no reasonable alternative, such as warnings or other methods. Strong opposition from law enforcement agencies stalled it last year. Becerra was vague about what reforms he would support but said change was needed. He did not endorse specific legislation. "This incident reads like the bitterly familiar passages of a long, complicated and uninviting book," he said. "We must all be willing to write the next chapters in this story of what we call American justice." Associated Press writers Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento and Christopher Weber and Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed to this report. FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday discussed how the FBI is countering criminal and national security cyberthreats to the U.S. and its citizens. At the RSA Conference at San Francisco's Moscone Center, Wray was joined by security analyst Susan Hennessey in a chat about cyberthreats and technological challenges that face America. At another security forum in July last year, Wray criticized President Donald Trump's comments that cast doubt on Russian interference in the election, NBC News reported. "My view has not changed, which is that Russia attempted to interfere with the last election and that it continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day," Wray told NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt at the Aspen Security Forum. Top cybersecurity professionals, business leaders and thousands of people are expected to attend the RSA conference, which is taking place until Friday. A man accused of killing a hairdresser who was found tied-up and dead at his apartment in San Francisco's Twin Peaks after meeting the suspect at a Castro District bar in 2012 has been found guilty by a jury. District Attorney George Gascon announced Tuesday that James Rickleffs, 52, has been found guilty of robbery, blurglary, petty theft and murder of 28-year-old Steven "Eriq" Escalon. "Those who bring harm to others will be held accountable for their actions," Gascon said in a statement. My heart goes out to the victims family, they have endured an immeasurable loss." Rickleffs and Escalon met the night before at 440 Castro and then went back to Escalon's apartment, located in the 5000 block of Diamond Heights Boulevard. The following day, Escalon's roommate found Escalon dead in his bedroom--his hands tied with zip ties, his mouth gagged and his body covered in duct tape. Toxicologists later determined that Escalon died from a combination of poisoning by amyl nitrite, an inhalant commonly known as "poppers" and often used during sex, and an overdose of Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid--a party drug known as GHB. Prosecutors allege that after meeting and agreeing to go to Escalon's apartment, Rickleffs spent time with Escalon drinking vodka at the apartment. Sometime the next morning, Rickleffs tied up Escalon. Prosecutors said he then poisoned Escalon by gagging him with a piece of cloth soaked in amyl nitrite. Rickleffs then allegedly took items from the apartment, including a checkbook, a bankcard and a laptop. Investigators later recovered a knife belonging to Rickleffs on the floor of Escalon's roommate's bedroom. According to Rickleffs' attorney, Deputy Public Defender Niki Solis, upon meeting at the bar, Escalon struck a deal with Rickleffs in which Escalon agreed to pay Rickleffs $100 to take pictures at the apartment. During a taxi ride back to the apartment, a taxi driver testified during the trial, an argument occurred between Rickleffs and Escalon, in which at one point, Rickleffs wanted to leave the taxi and head back to the bar. "This shows that James (Rickleffs) didn't have this grand masterplan," Solis said. Once at the apartment, Solis said, after smoking cigarettes, drinking, taking pictures and looking at pornography, Escalon asked Rickleffs to tie him up. A reluctant Rickleffs agreed, she said. But when Rickleffs took a shower and returned to Escalon's bedroom, he found Escalon unconscious. Solis pointed to the toxicology report, and said Escalon most likely died from a GHB overdose, which if combined with alcohol can be deadly. "It's heartbreaking, but you've got to set the emotional part aside," she said. A man arrested several times in San Francisco's Tenderloin thanked the officer who took him into custody most recently and credits the cop for saving his life. The SF Police Department tweeted Thomas Wolf's mug shot back in June after he was arrested again for selling and using drugs. Last month, Wolf replied to that tweet, saying he was 8 months clean and sober and thanking Officer Robert Gilson for saving his life. "I had lost everything. My family, my job," Wolf said. "I was literally living on Golden Gate Avenue in the Tenderloin. ... I had lost all hope, basically. I wanted to die. I would just almost hope that when I used heroin or used fentanyl, that I just wouldnt wake up." Wolf said he's been married for more than 20 years and has two children, ages 12 and 10. Part of his recovery was a work therapy program at the Salvation Army's rehabilitation center. Wolf and Gilson had a chance to meet Monday, a special moment for both of them. Gilson had kept in contact with Wolf's wife and kept his eye out for Wolf. "It was pretty special to see that he was able to reprioritize his life and get it back on track," Gilson said about Wolf. "That's why I became a police officer, to help people, to see it come to fruition," Gilson, who works out of the Tenderloin precinct, continued. "Tom did most of the work, but it's pretty cool. I was able to give him the push in the right direction." Duneland School Corporation Nutrition Services is partnering with the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana in sponsoring a Mobile Marketplace Food Pantry Distribution from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at Westchester Intermediate School, Entrance #5. The Mobile Marketplace is available to all Northwest Indiana residents in need of food assistance. Each Marketplace will provide FREE grains, fruits, vegetables and protein to individuals and families. Mobile Marketplace travels to a different community each week. Individuals should have valid proof of Indiana residency to access Marketplace services, and are asked to bring boxes or bags to carry items. All Food Bank of Northwest Indiana distributions are first-come, first-served while supplies last. San Mateo County officials are bracing for up to 915 human services employees to go out on strike Tuesday and Wednesday. During the strike, the county plans to maintain essential services but may close some locations and centralize services, according to the San Mateo County Manager's Office. It's not known how many employees will take part in the strike but county officials said they are still hopeful that an agreement can be reached and a strike averted. Durying the strike, county officials said the county "intends to maintain essential services but will implement contingency plans to minimize service disruptions." Information and updates on impacts from the strike are posted at news.smcgov.org. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 829 represents 11 units of county employees. The county and the union reached an agreement last month on a new three-year contract. Ten of the 11 units ratified the new contract. The union has notified the county that the remaining unit, the Human Services Unit, will be striking on Tuesday and Wednesday, officials said. The Human Services Unit represents 915 employees in departments that include the Human Services Agency, health, the sheriff's office and district attorney's office. The current contract expired Oct. 6 and the county and the union have held more than 27 negotiations meeting since last summer, county officials said. On Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, the Board of Supervisors approved the three-year agreement with the remaining 10 units composed of approximately 800 employees. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has not shown remorse or taken responsibility for his crimes, federal prosecutors said in a court filing two days ahead of his sentencing hearing. Prosecutors with special counsel Robert Mueller's office said Tuesday that Manafort "blames everyone from the Special Counsel's Office to his Ukrainian clients for his own criminal choices." "Manafort suggests, for example, that but for the appointment of the Special Counsel's Office, he would not have been charged in connection with hiding more than $55 million abroad, failing to pay more than $6 million in taxes, and defrauding three financial institutions of more than $25 million dollars," prosecutors wrote. In reality, they said, he was under Justice Department investigation before Mueller was appointed special counsel in May 2017. The filing was aimed at persuading a judge to reject Manafort's pleas for leniency at Thursday's sentencing hearing in Alexandria, Virginia. Sentencing calculations call for a punishment of up to 24 years. Manafort was convicted in August of eight financial crimes in the Virginia case. He faces another sentencing hearing later this month following a guilty plea in Washington. Whatever sentence he receives will be by far the longest punishment given so far to any of the defendants charged in Mueller's nearly two-year investigation. Prosecutors also rejected Manafort's argument that his age 69 should be taken into account, saying he can and should receive proper medical care in prison. Two months after declaring all U.S. troops are leaving Syria, President Donald Trump wrote to members of Congress that he now agrees "100%" with keeping a military presence in Syria, NBC News reported. A bipartisan group of senators and representatives wrote to Trump on Feb. 22, applauding his decision to keep a small residual force in Syria. In a copy of the letter obtained by NBC News, Trump highlighted a paragraph in the letter about the U.S. goals in Syria, which said, "Like you, we seek to ensure that all of the gains made in Syria are not lost, that ISIS never returns, that Iran is not emboldened, and that we consolidate our gains and ensure the best outcome in Geneva for American interests." "I agree 100%. ALL is being done," Trump responded, writing directly on the letter and signing it. Former Chicago Ald. Ed Vrdolyak is set to plead guilty this week to federal charges stemming from a case in which authorities allege he secretly collected millions of dollars from a settlement with tobacco companies. Vrdolyak, 81, was indicted in 2016 on charges of tax evasion and obstructing and impeding the IRS, according to a 19-page indictment that outlined his role in a scheme to pocket millions from a $9.3 billion settlement reached between the state of Illinois and tobacco companies in 1998. Vrdolyak pleaded not guilty in November 2016, but on Monday, Judge Robert Dow scheduled a hearing for 10:30 a.m. on Thursday to change Vrdolyak's plea. Details surrounding his plea, including the charges to which he planned to plead guilty, were not immediately available. The entry on the court docket giving notification of the hearing said it was set "at the request and by agreement of the parties." The change of plea comes more than two years after prosecutors accused the former powerhouse Chicago politician and an associate, attorney Daniel Soso, of secretly pocketing more than $10 million in fees from the 1998 settlement. As part of that settlement, over $188 million was paid to four law firms that helped with the litigation. One of those firms, Seattle-based Hagens Berman, allegedly agreed to pay Vrdolyak and Soso fees from the settlement, even though they, according to the indictment, "did not perform any work," nor were they authorized to work, on the case. Prosecutors also alleged that Vrdolyak attempted to help Soso dodge federal income taxes on the payments. At the time of his indictment, an attorney for Vrdolyak called the charges "confusing and disappointing," adding that the former alderman "had the money set aside in escrow" and was "waiting for the government to send us the appropriate documents." "In Illinois youre entitled to pay referral fees, and they dont accuse us of doing anything wrong with that, Vrdolyak's longtime lawyer Michael Monico said at the time. The state got a good deal and the citizens got a good deal, because the state received a lot of money as a result of the lawyers who helped." If Vrdolyak does plead guilty on Thursday, it would be the second time in a little over a decade that he will have been convicted of a federal felony. In 2008, Vrdolyak pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a real estate kickback scheme involving the sale of a Gold Coast medical school building. The judge in that initially sentenced him to probation, but on appeal, he was sentenced to 10 months in prison, which he served from 2010 to 2011. First elected in the city's 10th Ward in 1971, Vrdolyak earned the moniker "Fast Eddie" for his penchant for cutting backroom deals. He is perhaps best known for leading a majority-white group of alderman dubbed the "Vrdolyak 29" who stymied the agenda of Mayor Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor, on City Council in the 1980s. Vrdolyak was previously scheduled to go to trial in the tobacco settlement case on April 15. Less than a mile from the shores of Lake Michigan, a bar and grill that has been a local staple for years is adding a new attraction. Curve Inn is allowing marijuana use during private events on Saturday nights that began in January, according to owner Pat Clausen. A self-described child of the '60s and '70s, Clausen said she smoked marijuana "back in the day" but quit when she went to work as a police dispatcher. "Because you don't take money to enforce laws and then break them," she said to MLive.com. Clausen worked for law enforcement agencies in Michigan and in Hawaii, she said, declining to give specifics of the departments, and dispatched plenty of calls for violence related to alcohol and other drugs during her 14 years as a dispatcher. She said she didn't hear about the same types of incidents involving marijuana. Clausen, who is in her 60s, said she believes it will be hard for some people to change their opinions about marijuana. "It was breaking the law then, now it's not," she said. The bar began hosting cannabis club events in late January on Saturday nights beginning at 9 p.m. During one recent event, smoke hung in the air and most tables were filled with people as a slow reggae beat washed over the socializing crowd. Patrons played pool and ordered drinks like the green colored "liquid marijuana" (which contains no actual marijuana) on special while they puffed on joints, glass pipes and vaporizer devices. "It feels kind of weird but it feels good," James Buckley of South Haven said. "I feel potheads or pot has been pushed to the back." He has attended a couple cannabis events at the bar and said it has been a laid-back and friendly atmosphere. "I've seen nothing but smiling faces," he said. Bags containing marijuana and rolling papers sat on the table nearby on top of Keno sheets and a basket of fried food from the bar, as he ashed off the ember of the joint into a pie tin used as an ash tray. He went outside to have a cigarette where the wind was blowing and a few people were seated on a covered patio, warming themselves by a brick pizza oven and sharing marijuana. "I never thought the day would come when I could come to the bar and smoke weed with my friends," Jessica Scherer said. "It's a very awesome place. We love Pat." The business has been around in some form for 79 years, Clausen said. She bought it 12 years ago with her sister, and has since bought her sister out, she said. The tobacco smoking ban, which prohibited tobacco smoking in Michigan bars starting in 2010, changed the bar industry, she said. Competition from brewpubs and wineries is increasing. "Every time you add something like that, the pie gets smaller," Clausen said. People coming to bars after smoking pot is nothing new, she said. Now that it is allowed inside, customers from age 21 to 80 have joined in, she said. Many are locals and some are new faces, she said. "Our Saturday nights have been pretty quiet, so when we saw this, we saw an opportunity," Clausen said. The bar charges $5 at the door for a membership to the cannabis club, and does not allow sales of marijuana or any other illegal activities, she said. The move comes in the months after Michigan voters passed a measure to legalize the recreational use and possession of marijuana for adults age 21 and older. The business is part of a wave of others embracing the loosening climate in Michigan. Clausen said she heard about a cannabis club opening at Rupert's Brew House in Kalamazoo and spoke to South Haven Township officials and law enforcement officials before deciding to host the marijuana events. Many people have thanked her for providing a welcoming space, she said, though others have expressed they will not be back because she allows marijuana use. Sales of marijuana used for recreational purposes are currently illegal in Michigan, because no businesses are currently licensed to sell recreational marijuana. Sales of marijuana for recreational use are currently not allowed in Michigan, because no businesses have been licensed by the state to sell marijuana at this time. Sales of marijuana are not allowed at Curve Inn, Clausen said. South Haven Chief of Police Natalie Thompson said Clausen asked for her input about how to hold the events legally, so Thompson began her own research to see what was allowed and not allowed under the new law and conferred with the Van Buren County Prosecutor's Office about it. The city police department also provides policing for South Haven Township. "I think it's a bit of a gray area," Van Buren County Prosecutor Michael Bedford said. He said no specific violations related to cannabis clubs had been brought to his attention as of late. "Until somebody investigates and determines a state law is violated, one we can prosecute, there's not much we can do," he said. Thompson said the bar closing its doors means it is a private event, noting a conversation she had with the prosecutor. The chief also reached out the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and the Attorney General's Office to ask for clarification, she said. A representative at the MLCC told her the agency is investigating the possibility that a businesses could be in violation for using a liquor license during private hours, Thompson said. In Kalamazoo, Rupert's Brew House, meanwhile, has expanded its marijuana events to several nights per week. The club has hosted live jazz, stand-up comedy, video game night, and a Super Bowl party, all allowing marijuana use, owner Mark Rupert said. The brew house, open since 2013, will allow patrons to consume marijuana on-site during private events, Mark Rupert said. Police officers came to check out one of the gatherings on Jan. 13, and Rupert walked a police officer through the establishment. "Several people were drinking beer and smoking marijuana," a police report written by Sgt. Kristie Hofer states. She wrote she did not see anyone smoking cigarettes. She and another officer said they smelled marijuana upon approaching the bar. The cannabis club events have helped the business maintain revenue during the Polar Vortex, sometimes drawing hundreds of paying club members per night, Rupert said. He said he thinks they will draw more people once the weather is nice. However, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Spokesman David Harns said a business operating like Rupert's Brew House could face a violation for using its public liquor license to hold private events and could face a liquor control commission hearing. No public violation had been filed against Rupert's as of late, he said. "A brewery may not act as a private club unless they surrender their liquor license to the Commission or put it into escrow," Harns told MLive in January. A licensee could face penalties including fines, suspension or revocation depending on the situation, Harns has said. Another Van Buren County establishment, Harley's Gentlemen's Club, in Decatur, is advertising cannabis culture night soon. The "BYOBud" event is advertised as private, with $10 entry, and for ages 21 plus. "BYOBud, selling of cannabis on premises is prohibited," an advertisement for the event reads, in part. Decatur Chief of Police Tom VanDerWoude said the department was "very aware" of the advertised event planned at Harley's Gentlemen's Club. He said he would not answer specific questions about the event being advertised. "We fully expect all of our liquor license holders to follow all the rules set forth by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and to follow the Public Health Act / Code. We regularly do liquor inspections in our community and we will continue to do so," he said in an email message. "We also fully expect everyone to follow the law in the state of Michigan," he said. After Michigan voters approved a measure to legalize the adult use of marijuana in Michigan, the Michigan State Police said the state's criminal justice community would need to implement new policies and procedures that account for the legal use and possession of marijuana by persons age 21 and older, and will consult with the Michigan Attorney General's Office to determine specific impact on existing department policies and procedures, and will then train our members to ensure the new law is applied appropriately. The Michigan Attorney General's Office said a determination about the legality of the activities in question, specifically with reference to marijuana use, will likely depend on the facts of each case. "We are working with our clients, including the Liquor Control Commission and LARA, on several issues related to marijuana use," Michigan Attorney General's Office Communications Director Kelly Rossman-McKinney said, after speaking with division chiefs that head up the licensing and regulation division and alcohol and gambling enforcement division. "We have not provided advice on this issue to other law enforcement and prosecutors," she said. Regulators have started drafting rules for the industry. The social clubs are among several businesses across the state embracing loosening pot regulations. While marijuana is now legal for adults to possess and use on private property, there are currently no legal ways to buy it. Businesses across the state are working to fulfill requirements to obtain a state license to grow, process, sell, transport or test medical marijuana, though none of those businesses will be allowed to sell to the recreational market at this time. The state is working to draft rules for recreational marijuana businesses now. Clausen said her business decision is also a statement and people will have to accept the new reality about pot in Michigan. "It was America's second prohibition," she said. At one of the private Saturday events, Clausen said she smoked a few puffs for the first time in years after a recent 17-hour shift. "It's legal," she said. Senators left a closed-door briefing with Trump administration officials Monday deeply frustrated by the lack of new information on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with some raising the prospect of placing new sanctions on the government of Saudi Arabia. Lawmakers had instructed President Donald Trump to order an investigation into Khashoggi's killing by invoking the Global Magnitsky Act. The request was made in October, which gave the president 120 days to respond. But the White House declined to submit a report by the deadline, angering members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the panel, called the briefing "a farce" and said Trump still needs to give Congress an answer. "The law's very clear, there needed to be a determination," Menendez said. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said the briefing Monday contained "zero" new information. He criticized the lack of an intelligence official among the briefers, a move he described as "purposeful." "They don't want us to have a conversation about the intelligence," he said, referring to the White House. "These folks had no new information and were not permitted to give us any new information." Khashoggi, a writer for The Washington Post, was killed in a Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul last year by Saudi agents. The Saudi government said the slaying was carried out by rogue operatives and denied Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had any involvement. Lawmakers have said they believe the Saudi crown prince ordered the killing, but Trump has been reluctant to place blame. Absent a determination from Trump, Menendez said the Senate has to do something, "unless it is willing to accept the death of a U.S. resident, a journalist." Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, another member of the committee, said, "The Senate will have to decide if it's going to impose its own sanctions" The dispute over Khashoggi's death comes at a point of rising tensions between the White House and Congress over the U.S.-Saudi relationship, fueled in part by the Trump administration's involvement in Yemen's civil war. With U.S. weapons and logistical support, Saudi Arabia is fighting a protracted war in the country, creating the world's worst humanitarian crisis. After Khashoggi's death last year, the Senate passed a resolution with an overwhelming majority calling for the U.S. to end its support for the Yemen campaign, though that resolution did not pass the House. The Senate is expected to take up the issue again in the coming weeks, reviving the debate. While it's unclear if the Yemen resolution can again pass the Senate, members of both parties made clear they aren't moving on from Khashoggi. Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement pledging the investigation would continue. "We will not let it go," he said. The Global Magnitsky Act of 2016 makes it possible to impose entry bans and targeted sanctions on individuals for committing human rights violations or acts of significant corruption. A sendoff ceremony was held Tuesday for about 120 members of the Connecticut Army National Guard ahead of their deployment to Cuba. For the first time ever, the 643rd Military Police Company will head to Guantanamo Bay. Theyll be responsible for the facilitys detainee operations. A lot of our soldiers are fairly young, and this will be their first deployment. Its definitely an exciting time for my soldiers. Its my first deployment, so Im very excited, said Captain Robin Felder, the company commander. Its a mission that lasts about a year, and its a sacrifice soldiers and their families make together. For the family of Specialist E4 Andre Vasquez, this first deployment leaves them filled with emotions. But they know theyll be able to stay in touch through letters, pictures, and phone calls. Im happy, but Im also sad because Im not going to see him at all. And its going to be hard because hes going to be so far away, said Vasquezs 11-year-old sister, Mia. Im very proud, and thats all I talk about, said Vasquezs mom, Yolanda. Whenever I see someone who wants to go in the military, I talk about the National Guard. Excitement is a feeling many soldiers feel about the deployment, but they also know how tough it will be to leave their families for so long. Specialist Luis Roche has a wife and two young sons and says hell miss birthdays but that using FaceTime and calling them will help. As a soldier I know I am going to sacrifice time with my family. It is what I signed up to do, said Roche. While it will be the first time in Cuba for this company, its the second deployment of Connecticut troops to the country in four years - the 192nd Military Police Battalion, deployed on a similar mission to Guantanamo in 2015. The 643rd Military Police Company leave the state in mid-March for further training in Texas, then head to Cuba. We'll be in charge of basically making sure the detainees are properly cared for, that the care and custody is done in the right way, humane manner, just basically make sure the day to day operations of the prison run the way they're supposed to run, explained Captain Felder. This is the units first deployment in over a decade. Their last was in 2006, when they spent more than a year in Germany. At the Connecticut State Police Academy, students greet their instructor with near military-precision, standing at attention until theyre told to be seated. However, its staffing level projections that have gotten the State Polices attention. Were under a thousand now, and in the next couple of years a large number of troopers are eligible to retire, explained Trooper First Class Kelly Grant, Connecticut State Police Recruitment & Selections. As many as 400 troopers could turn in their badges by the year 2022. Last August, 26 recruits graduated from the Academy. This spring, there will be just 45 more, which means more people could soon be leaving the State Police than entering it. We have so many people that could retire that it could leave us in a hole, said Grant. We certainly dont want to be in a hole because we are talking about public safety. Grant was quick to point out that right now, safety is not being sacrificed. Public safety is always paramount, said Grant. To make sure that never changes, the force is focused on its future. Its started a recruitment campaign. You never know what to expect, said Stephanie Cortes, one of 45 recruits. A former dispatcher, she hopes to use her science degrees to one day work in major crimes and forensics. She started at the Academy in October and plans to graduate with her class in May. For 30 weeks, Cortes and her fellow trooper trainees are put through their paces. In one class, Cortes was sprayed in the face with pepper spray, on purpose. The lesson for her and the rest of the recruits was how to keep doing their job in the face of adversity. Her classmates have also faced k9s, tear gas, and grueling physical training. Grant said instead of the calisthenics she had to do in the Academy, recruits now do more cross-fit type exercises. You do need to be physically fit and prepared for any situation. You never know what youre going to be involved in. You could be in a fight with someone or scaling a fence to save a child drowning in a pool, said Grant. The level of intensity at the academy is I think the biggest shock, said Trooper First Class Jason St. John, Training Academy Instructor. St. John described the Academy like boot camp meets college: the coursework is both physically and mentally demanding. Were going to teach you how to drive a car the way we drive cars, were going to teach you how to shoot guns, were going to teach you how to investigate crimes, were going to teach you pool safety and how to save someones life in the water, said St. John. Its definitely been everything I expected and maybe even a little bit more, said Cortes. She said her favorite part has been the academic side of training and learning the laws. The hardest part, according to Cortes, is the physical training. Father of three Ryan Mara said the biggest challenge for him isnt in the gym. The familys latest addition, daughter Aida, was born just two weeks ago. Shes the second baby born to a recruit this session, and one of a handful due before May graduation. Recruits must live at the Academy for nearly eight months and only get to go home on weekends. The first couple weeks were definitely rough. Id be lying if I said it wasnt, said Mara. Some people might try to say well I have these things going on in my life so maybe its not for me. After years as a correction officer, Mara hopes his persistence pays off as he pursues his passion for public safety. I knew that if I didnt do this I would regret it, not just for a little while. Id regret it for the rest of my life, Mara said. On Wednesday, March 6, the Academy will hold an open house at their training facility at 285 Preston Avenue in Meriden. Troopers will be on hand to answer questions from six until 8 p.m. in an informal setting. Theyre also planning on administering a written test later this spring. Passing that is the first step to getting into the Academy, followed by a physical fitness test, polygraph test, physical, and psychological examination. From the minute we hire you and you enter the academy you have a job, said Grant. She estimated the salary of a recruit to be over $40,000, plus room and board. Once they graduate, troopers should expect to make over $55,000 per year she said. U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney took a close look at Birch Grove Primary Schools foundation on Tuesday. District leaders have been watching it for over a year after noticing spider-like veins in the concrete. The district hired an engineering firm to test the concrete and a report delivered to town leaders in January concluded the school foundation had substantial cracking from the presence of pyrrhotite in the concrete Walter Willett, the superintendent for Tolland Public Schools, said repairs are estimated to cost $46 million. Willett said the Connecticut Department of Education would help pay up to 52% of the repair costs. Rep. Courtney is trying to raise awareness in Washington, D.C. and find federal money to help. Just last week on Tuesday, the House Education and Labor Committee passed a provision that Courtney wrote within the Rebuild Americas Schools Act (H.R. 865). It would create a new federal grant program for schools with crumbling foundations. It is now headed to the Ways and Means Committee and the Transportation Infrastructure Committee. Rep. Joe Courtney got a first-hand look at the crumbling foundation of Birch Grove Primary School in Tolland on Tuesday. A town meeting is scheduled for March 27 at 7 p.m. at Tolland High School to discuss the effects on the town. Tolland will have to hold a referendum in May to appropriate the full amount of money for the Birch Grove Primary School repair project. ISIS fighters facing defeat in Syria are slipping across the border into Iraq, where they are destabilizing the country's fragile security, U.S. and Iraqi officials say. Hundreds likely more than 1,000 ISIS fighters have crossed the open, desert border in the past six months, defying a massive operation by U.S., Kurdish, and allied forces to stamp out the remnants of the jihadi group in eastern Syria, according to three Iraqi intelligence officials and a U.S. military official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on intelligence matters. But indications of the extremist group's widening reach in Iraq are clear. Cells operating in four northern provinces are carrying out kidnappings, assassinations, and roadside ambushes aimed at intimidating locals and restoring the extortion rackets that financed the group's rise to power six years ago. "IS is trying to assert itself in Iraq, because of the pressure it is under in Syria," said Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul, the Iraqi army spokesman, using an alternate abbreviation for ISIS. The militants can count between 5,000 and 7,000 among their ranks in Iraq, where they are hiding out in the rugged terrain of remote areas, according to one intelligence official. In Syria, Kurdish-led forces backed by the U.S.-led coalition have cornered the militants in a pocket less than one square kilometer in Baghouz, a Euphrates River village near the 600-kilometer (370-mile) border. The Iraqi army has deployed more than 20,000 troops to guard the frontier, but militants are slipping across, mostly to the north of the conflict zone, in tunnels or under the cover of night. Others are entering Iraq disguised as cattle herders. They are bringing with them currency and light weapons, according to intelligence reports, and digging up money and arms from caches they stashed away when they controlled a vast swath of northern Iraq. "If we deployed the greatest militaries in the world, they would not be able to control this territory," Rasoul said. "Our operations require intelligence gathering and airstrikes." At its height in 2014 and 2015, the Islamic State group ruled over a self-proclaimed "caliphate" that spanned one-third of Iraqi and Syrian territory. The extremist offshoot of Al-Qaida in Iraq threatened to exterminate religious minorities. Iraqi forces, with U.S., Iranian, and other international help, were able to turn the war around and Baghdad declared victory over the group in December 2017, after the last urban battle had been won. But precursors to ISIS have recovered from major setbacks in the past, and many fear the militants could stage a comeback. The group is already waging a low-level insurgency in rural areas. The Associated Press verified nine ISIS attacks in Iraq in January alone, based on information gathered from intelligence officials, provincial leaders, and social media. ISIS often boasts of its activities through group messaging apps such as Telegram. In one instance, a band of militants broke into the home of a man they accused of being an informant for the army, in the village of Tal al-Asfour in the northern Badush region. They shot him and his two brothers against the wall, and posted photos of the killing on social media. Sheikh Mohamed Nouri, a local tribal leader, said it was meant to intimidate locals in order to keep them from sharing intelligence with security officials. "I have members of our tribal militia receiving threatening messages warning them to abandon their work," said Nouri. In other instances, ISIS cells have killed mukhtars village leaders and municipal officials. They have attacked rural checkpoints with car bombs and mortar fire, and burned down militia members' homes. In the Shurgat area in central Iraq, militants stopped a police vehicle last month and killed all four officers inside. Other activities have aimed at restoring the group's financial footing. On Sunday, militants kidnapped a group of 12 truffle hunters in the western Anbar province, marking a return to a strategy of intimidating and extorting farmers and traders for financial gain. Naim Kaoud, the head of provincial security, urged locals to suspend truffle gathering, which has just one season a year and is an important source of income for rural families. Other truffle hunters have disappeared in the countryside, according to former lawmaker and Anbar tribal figure Jaber al-Jaberi. He said the militants are taking cuts from truffle hunters in exchange for access to the land, and kidnapping or killing those who refuse to cooperate. "This is one of the sources of their funding," said al-Jaberi. Al-Jaberi cautioned against exaggerating the ISIS threat, saying the militants have been less successful at infiltrating communities than they were earlier this decade. "These are different times," he said. Others are not so sure. Hans-Jakob Schindler, a former adviser to the U.N. Security Council on ISIS and other extremist groups, said the same grievances that gave rise to IS in 2013 remain today, including a large Sunni minority that feels politically and economically marginalized by the Shiite-led central government. "I'm very worried that we are just repeating history," said Schindler, who is now at the Counter Extremism Project. He said he has seen ISIS "revert to the old type" of "classical terror attacks" and kidnapping for ransom, tactics that were once widely employed by al-Qaida in Iraq. The militants staged a dramatic resurgence after 2011, when U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq and civil war broke out in neighboring Syria. Today some 5,200 American forces are based in Iraq, after they were invited back to help stem the ISIS rampage in 2014. After President Donald Trump promised in December to pull American forces out of Syria, Iraqi lawmakers began clamoring for the U.S. to leave, arguing that the mission against ISIS was approaching its end. But with no letdown to ISIS militancy, those calls have petered out. As for Andrew, he recalled being held hostage in his Winnetka home with his parents after Laurie Dann fled Hubbard Woods School, only to be shot when he attempted to disarm her. As he was recovering from near fatal injuries, Andrew decided something needed to be done to avert gun violence. The first full week of March marks the beginning of "Women in Construction (WIC) Week," which highlights women as a viable component of the construction industry. Women represent only 9 percent of the construction jobs within the industry, according to the United States Department of Labor. By next year that number is expected to double to more than 25 percent. Turner Construction Company is providing a pathway to help diversify the workforce. Brenda Premenko leads a crew of 62 as the SPD Operations Manager. "We want to let other women know that there are opportunities here. You can grow and be successful," Premenko said. "Hopefully what Ive done and have been able to do in my career will inspire someone else and other females to get more exposed to this industry and continue down this path." Turner Construction has a list of events throughout the week. Details are below. Monday March 4 Co-Sponsored Event with Hilti 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hilti Headquarters in Plano Speaker Jerrod Murr "The New Networking: Network for work." What is the difference in a network and a sphere of influence? In the new global economy, relationships are the currency of choice. The way in which you do business is more relevant than any other time in human history. In this workshop, we will discuss proven strategies for making more meaningful connections with peers, how to strengthen those relationships, and how to leverage those connections for mutual gain. Tuesday March 5 Girl Scouts Event 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Working with a Brownie Troop of 30 girls to help them earn their First Aid Patch and Safety Award Pin. Tuesday March 5 CityLab 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Turner presentation to a group of high school students about career paths at Turner and the construction industry. This will be a great opportunity to encourage the next generation of female leaders to join our industry. Thursday March 7 Happy Hour with Dallas Leaders 4:30 to 6 p.m. Location: TBD (Dallas Uptown/Addison Area) The Dallas Womens Group is hosting a happy hour for Turner employees as well as some Dallas community leaders in our industry. This will be a great opportunity to network and get to know some key leaders, hear a little about their background/experience, as well as network internally. Friday March 8 International Womens Day Hosting a breakfast/lunch - discussing an article or topic pertaining to women in the industry. A new review of housing deals is underway at Dallas City Hall in the wake of Fridays guilty plea on Federal bribery charges by former City Council Member Carolyn Davis. She admitted taking $40,000 in bribes in 2014 and 2015 from developer Ruel Hamilton who pleaded not guilty. Court papers said Davis agreed to support $2.5 million in loans and 9 percent tax credits for Hamiltons Royal Crest Apartments near Illinois Avenue and I-45. The City Council endorsed the deal but the State of Texas later rejected it in a funding competition with other projects. Once the Chairperson of the City Council Housing Committee, Davis had influence on other projects. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings has asked City Manager T.C. Broadnax to review all other tax credit deals. "Did anything else go wrong that we need to be aware of? He'll cast a wide net there. But I want him to go hard and deep on this situation itself," Rawlings said. A spokesperson for the City Manager said a briefing would be scheduled in the future for current City Council Members with results of the new inquiry. Mayor Rawlings said several changes in policy over the past few years have made City Council corruption on tax credit deals more unlikely. City Staff now reviews proposals and makes recommendations on endorsements to the City Council. Direct contact with City Council Members during that review process is now forbidden. "We had to set up some new standards at the city and we've done that in the last couple of years so we can slow this activity up," Rawlings said. The city has also adopted a new housing policy that uses Market Value Analysis to direct city housing support to areas where it is more likely to complement existing progress. It would discourage city support in locations like Royal Crest which is a poor area, distant from higher paying jobs. City services are to be provided to those communities, but not new housing incentives. City Council Member Rickey Callahan is Vice Chairman of the City Council Committee that now handles housing matters. "For areas to flourish, and redevelop and modernize, we've got to have more disposable income," Callahan said. "We've got to have a balance of lower income and middle income and higher income properties." The City Housing Department has also been overhauled with new management and staff. "With Mr. Broadnax as City Manager, I'm pleased with how he's attacking this," Rawlings said. A recent investigation by federal housing officials found weak enforcement by previous housing department managers on contractors who received federal money from the city for housing repair programs. The city promised big changes to satisfy the feds. "I think we're in a good place right now that we can begin to move forward," Callahan said. Rawlings and Callahan agreed that changes in city rules and policy may help avoid problems but rules can only go so far. "You've either got integrity or you don't have it," Callahan said. Davis joins Dwaine Caraway as former Dallas City Council Members with pending guilty plea agreements with the federal prosecutors in return for lighter sentences. Davis could receive up to three years in prison. Caraway could receive up to seven years after admitting to accepting $450,000 in bribes and kickbacks in the Dallas County Schools scandal. Former Dallas City Council Member Don Hill was convicted of accepting bribes from another tax credit apartment developer. Hill received an 18 year prison sentence in 2009 but died of cancer in May 2017 at age 65 after serving part of that sentence. The Texas Senate has passed the first bill of the 2019 legislative session, approving a $5,000 annual pay raise for teachers and school librarians. The measure passed unanimously on Monday and now heads to the state House. Under it, Texas would provide funding to school districts for raises for more than 350,00 full-time classroom teachers and librarians beginning next year. Costs to state coffers start at $1.9-plus billion annually and increase form there. Teacher protests over low pay started in neighboring Oklahoma last year and spread to many other states. Texas didn't have such large protests, but lawmakers from both parties have vowed to increase classroom pay and funding. A stumbling block, however, may be that school funding relies heavily on property taxes, which top Republicans have vowed to cut. You can read the full story from our media partners at The Dallas Morning News by clicking here. Four Americans and a local pilot are dead in Kenya after their helicopter crashed on an island in Lake Turkana in the north, police said Monday. The Americans tourists killed were avid travelers and often documented their trips on their social media profiles, including sharing a number of videos and photos from their visit to Africa, NBC News reported. The U.S. Embassy confirmed on Monday that Asher Burke, Brandon Stapper and Kyle Forti were among those who died when the helicopter they were in crashed on Lake Turkana Central Island Sunday night. The crash occurred Sunday night in Central Island National Park as two helicopters took off after a visit to the Lobolo tented camp, according to an internal police report seen by The Associated Press. What to Know Michael Bloomberg is not running for president. The former NYC mayor, one of the richest men in the world, announced his decision not to join the crowded Democratic field on Tuesday Bloomberg is expected to play an active role in the 2020 election from the outside Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he won't run for president in 2020, but will instead launch a new campaign called Beyond Carbon to continue advancing the causes he's already invested in. In an editorial on Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg said many people have encouraged him to run and he has in fact thought about a possible presidential campaign. "I know what it takes to run a winning campaign, and every day when I read the news, I grow more frustrated by the incompetence in the Oval Office," wrote Bloomberg. "I know we can do better as a country. And I believe I would defeat Donald Trump in a general election. But I am clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination in such a crowded field." Bloomberg has flirted with a presidential run before, but as an independent. He registered as a Democrat last fall and spent recent months courting primary voters as a political centrist. But as an older white man with strong ties to Wall Street, he likely would have struggled to win over the Democratic Party's energized liberal base that's increasingly embracing diversity. Now Bloomberg said he believes he can effect more change by marshaling resources and organizing the initiatives he believes in. "Ive come to realize that Im less interested in talking than doing. And I have concluded that, for now, the best way for me to help our country is by rolling up my sleeves and continuing to get work done," he wrote. As part of that, Bloomberg plans to launch a grassroots effort called Beyond Carbon to begin moving America as a quickly as possible away from oil and gas and toward a 100 percent clean energy economy. He also wants to continue tackling gun violence, he said. "Washington is unlikely to take effective action over the next two years," he wrote. "Progress depends entirely on the rest of us." To that end, he said, he'll be supporting candidates who show leadership on the issues of climate change, gun violence, education, health, voting rights and other issues. He also encouraged Democrats to unify behind a nominee who could beat Trump, a not-so-subtle dig against candidates pushing the party to embrace liberal priorities such as "Medicare-for-all." "It's essential that we nominate a Democrat who will be in the strongest position to defeat Donald Trump and bring our country back together," he wrote. "We cannot allow the primary process to drag the party to an extreme that would diminish our chances in the general election and translate into 'Four More Years.'" Bloomberg invested more than $100 million to help Democrats in the 2018 midterm election; his team has quietly been preparing a data-driven effort to go much further in 2020. While the effort would have supported Bloomberg's presidential bid had he ran, it will now be used to help Democrats defeat Trump. "I hope those who have urged me to run, and to stand up for the values and principles that they hold dear, will understand that my decision was guided by one question: How can I best serve the country?" he wrote. "While there would be no higher honor than serving as president, my highest obligation as a citizen is to help the country the best way I can, right now." The brother of a black man shot to death by police said Sunday he wants to see the officers who fired the fatal bullets held accountable. Stevante Clark called on California's attorney general to prosecute them after the local district attorney declined to do so. He told reporters his family was devastated, first by his brother Stephon's killing last March as he held a cellphone, and again Saturday when Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced the officers would not be charged. Our lives are suffering, our hearts are shattered, my family is in agony ever since the callous murder of my brother in my grandmother's backyard,'' the soft-spoken Clark told a news conference attended by his family and friends. I would like for the attorney general to prosecute the officers, he added. I want justice and accountability. Earlier Sunday the family's attorney, Ben Crump, said on the Rev. Al Sharpton's MSNBC program that state Attorney General Xavier Becerra is expected to release the findings of his own investigation into the shooting on March 18. That's the anniversary of Clark's death, and Crump said he anticipates a large protest at the state Capitol that day. There have been several in Sacramento since the shooting. In announcing that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet would not be charged, Schubert said prosecutors who reviewed video footage and other evidence determined they were telling the truth when they said they thought the cellphone Stephon Clark was holding was a gun. Schubert also said physical evidence revealed Clark was the vandalism suspect they were looking for who had just broken three vehicle windows and an elderly man's sliding glass patio door before climbing a fence to reach his grandparents' backyard. She said the 22-year-old had been going through a troubled time in the days leading up to the shooting. The mother of his two children had recently filed a domestic abuse complaint against him that could have put him in jail, Schubert said, adding he'd been researching suicide websites. Among them, she said, were those that suggested using a tranquilizer that was found in his body. His brother complained that revealing that information was an attempt to blame his brother for getting killed. No matter what he did on the 16th and the 17th doesn't determine what happened on the 18th,'' he said. All of these things are irrelevant.'' Stephon, it was like he was killed again,'' he continued. "Literally she ran his name through the dirt.'' Schubert, who called the shooting a tragedy, repeatedly apologized for raising the personal details during her hour-long presentation on Saturday I can't tell ultimately what was going on in his mind,'' she said. "He was in a state of despair and he was impaired, and that may have affected his judgment." Stevante Clark said his family plans to mark the upcoming anniversary of his brother's death with a weekend honoring his life that will begin on March 15 and conclude on March 18. He called on the community to remain peaceful. "Everything that's peaceful that's done, we support it,'' he said, adding the family's ultimate goal is to change laws to limit police shootings and to hold police departments more accountable. Police officials and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg have said that since the shooting the department has increased training, limited foot pursuits like those in the Clark case and committed to quickly releasing videos of officer-involved shootings. Clark said he appreciates all of that. "But at the end of the day Stephon is not here with us,'' he said. What to Know There are 180 cannabis-related businesses currently operating legally in the city, according to the Department of Cannabis Regulation. Hundreds of illegal businesses are believed to be operating in breach of the regulations. With hundreds of illegal marijuana shops continuing to operate in the city, a Los Angeles City Council committee will vote Tuesday on an ordinance aimed at cracking down on the businesses by shutting off their utilities. "Shutting down the utilities for an operation that's illegally operating, it's a no-brainer, it's just that simple," City Councilwoman Nury Martinez said last week. "By operating in a community illegally you are creating havoc, you're not playing by the rules, you should get shut down." The Cannabis Regulation Commission also expressed support for the idea last week, along with a number of other aggressive methods to crack down on the dispensaries, including the formation of a special task force. "I'm frustrated, as many of you are," Commission President Robert Ahn said last week during a meeting of the commission. "I would have to say of all of the cannabis questions that I get or inquiries, at the top of the list is enforcement, and it's really the one issue that, whether you are in the industry, part of the industry or in the community, (is) something that everyone agrees on. It's just common sense. If you create laws, what good are the laws if they cannot be enforced?'' The commission unanimously voted to send a letter to the City Council's Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee asking the city to immediately establish a task force on unlicensed cannabis businesses to include members of the Department of Cannabis Regulation, the Los Angeles Police and Fire departments, the Department of Building and Safety, Department of Water and Power, and the city attorney's and mayor's offices. The Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on the utility ordinance during a morning meeting. The letter also will recommend that the task force consider shutting off utilities of illegal pot shops, padlocking or barricading illegal businesses, prosecuting the operators and the landlords, and assessing fines and penalties to property owners that allow unlicensed dispensaries to use their property. The proposed utility ordinance would authorize the Department of Water and Power to disconnect utilities at illegal businesses, with the requirement that the Department of Cannabis Regulation must provide written confirmation that the address in question does not have a license, and the Los Angeles Police Department or another city agency must provide written confirmation to the LADWP that commercial cannabis activity is occurring at the address. Although marijuana has been legal for recreational sales in California since Jan. 1 of last year, a license from both the state and city is required to legally operate a dispensary in Los Angeles. Hundreds of illegal businesses are believed to be operating in breach of the regulations, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore. City Attorney Mike Feuer announced last September that his office had filed 120 criminal cases within a nine-month period against 515 defendants associated with 105 illegal commercial cannabis locations across the city. Closing down illegal pot shops has proven to be a challenge for the city; it often involves an undercover police operation and the use of other significant law enforcement resources. There are 180 cannabis-related businesses currently operating legally in the city, according to the Department of Cannabis Regulation. A 61-year-old convicted killer who pleaded guilty last week to voluntary manslaughter in a deadly 1978 Laguna Beach robbery was sentenced Monday to time served in jail and is expected to be released from custody Monday night. Walter Lawrence Dalie last week admitted the Nov. 20, 1978, killing of Laguna Beach resident Brent Stapleton Tobey, according to court records. A murder charge and a special circumstance allegation of a convicted murderer committing murder and a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a weapon were dismissed Monday. Orange County Superior Court Judge Sheila Hanson sentenced Dalie to six years in prison, which was the maximum penalty under 1978 law, his attorney, Ken Morrison, said. Dalie, however, had credit for 4,922 days behind bars, so he not only was eligible to be released from jail right away he also did not have to report for parole. Prosecutors offered the deal after having trouble with getting witnesses in the old case due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Morrison said. Faced with the prospects of prosecutors perhaps refiling a case against the defendant, Dalie took the deal, Morrison said. The defense attorney said prosecutors would have had to prove with a second dismissal of the case that one of the dismissals was due to "excusable neglect.'' "So when he had the option of agreeing to another dismissal versus a time-served offer with no supervision and permanent closure in this matter he took the latter,'' Morrison said. "I've known him for the last nine years... and he's not the same person he was when he entered prison,'' Morrison said. A passenger was escorted off an Allegiant flight departing Mesa, Arizona, after getting into a fight with another passenger. The altercation began when a man who was wearing a face shield was told he needed to wear a face mask, according to a witness. The initial case brought against Dalie was dismissed by prosecutors in August 2015, sending him back to a prison in Connecticut, where he was serving a 50-year sentence for the 1985 murder of his girlfriend. Dalie had been due to be released in July 2019, but Orange County prosecutors again charged him and he was brought back to Santa Ana to await trial again on charges of murder with a special circumstance allegation of having been previously convicted of murder and a sentencing enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors and Dalie's attorney were in jury selection last week when the plea bargain was struck. The World Health Organization said according to their best estimates, roughly 10% of the world's population has been infected with COVID-19. Prosecutors dismissed the original 2011 case against Dalie in part because two critical witnesses had died since his preliminary hearing, retired Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy, who filed the original case, said in 2015. When the charges were dismissed in August 2015, Murphy said investigators needed to do a more detailed forensic analysis of evidence the Orange County Crime Lab could not do, so the work had to be farmed out to another facility, which would take several months. Dalie's subsequent refusal to delay his trial forced prosecutors to dismiss the case against him. Tobey, the 55-year-old victim in Laguna Beach, was stabbed 17 times in the back, head and chest on Nov. 20, 1978. Tobey was last seen alive about 12:30 p.m. that day, according to Laguna Beach Police Department Capt. Jason Kravetz. Tobey and a friend, who lived in a rental unit behind Tobey's home, had plans to dine together to celebrate the conviction that day of Laguna Beach resident James Scramlin for the 1977 murder of their friend Albert Willard, Kravetz said. The two had found Willard's body in his home in the city's Temple Hills neighborhood. When Tobey failed to show up for dinner, his friend went to his home at 1320 Carmelita St. about 7 p.m. and found him on the floor of his bedroom in a pool of blood. Dalie -- then 19 and living in Newport Beach -- was not a suspect at the time. Investigators believe Dalie stole a ring from Tobey before or after killing him, Murphy said. Laguna Beach police revived the investigation in 2002 when evidence was sent to the Orange County Crime Lab for a DNA match. There were no matches until mid-2010, when Connecticut officials loaded some samples in its database, including Dalie's, Kravetz said. Previously, Dalie was convicted for bludgeoning his girlfriend to death with a hammer, Kravetz said. She was closing up her family's restaurant for the night when he went to steal the day's cash receipts, Kravetz said. Dalie grew up in Dana Point and graduated from Dana Hills High School. During the 1970s and early 1980s, he was a parolee who lived in Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. Luke Perry, who gained instant heartthrob status as wealthy rebel Dylan McKay on "Beverly Hills, 90210," died Monday after suffering a massive stroke, his publicist said. He was 52. Perry was surrounded by family and friends when he died, publicist Arnold Robinson said. The actor had been hospitalized since last Wednesday, after a 911 call summoned medical help to his home in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles. "The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning," Robinson said in a statement. Those at Perry's bedside included his children, Jake and Sophie; fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer; former wife, Minnie Sharp, and mother Ann Bennett. Perry had played construction company owner Fred Andrews, father of main character Archie Andrews, for three seasons on "Riverdale," the CW series that gives a dark take on "Archie" comics. A fourth season has been slated. "90210" co-star Ian Ziering paid tribute to his co-star on Twitter , where fans and celebrities shared their memories of Perry and mourned him . "I will forever bask in the loving memories we've shared over the last thirty years," Ziering said. "May your journey forward be enriched by the magnificent souls who have passed before you, just like you have done here, for those you leave behind." Born and raised in rural Fredericktown, Ohio, Perry gained fame on "Beverly Hills, 90210," which ran from 1990 to 2000. In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he recounted being partly inspired to pursue acting by a photo of Paul Newman his mother kept on her mirror. He played out the memory of hearing his mother say, "He's the most beautiful man in the world, honey ... he's a movie star." "I thought, 'OK, that's cool.' I watched him and, 'Yeah, man, who didn't want to be Paul Newman!'" But Perry expanded his interests far beyond acting, identifying history as a passion and family a priority. "When you are younger you can have only work, and I did for a long time," he told the AP in 2006. "But it doesn't command my attention that way anymore. A lot of the mysteries and the questions I had about it I've figured out, but life offers up mysteries every day." He had roles in a handful of films, including "The Fifth Element," ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer," ''8 Seconds" and "American Strays," appeared in HBO's prison drama "Oz" as a televangelist convicted of fraud, and voiced cartoons including "The Incredible Hulk" and "Mortal Kombat." He made his Broadway musical debut as Brad in the "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and starred on London's West End in another stage adaptation of a film, "When Harry Met Sally." In recent years he starred in the series "Ties That Bind" and "Body of Proof." The same day he was hospitalized, Fox TV announced that it would be running a six-episode return of "90210" featuring most of the original cast, but Perry was not among those announced. On the original series, Perry's character went from loner to part of a close-knit circle that included twins Brenda and Brandon Walsh (Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley), but also endured a string of romantic, family and other setbacks, including drug addiction. Perry left the series in 1995 to pursue other roles, returning in 1998 for the rest of the show's run as a guest star. In a 2011 interview with the AP, Perry said he and his male co-stars were a "really good strong core group" while the show aired and maintained close ties. The friendship and trust he shared with Priestley created a sort of "shorthand" when it came to filming, Perry said. Democrats launched a sweeping new probe of President Donald Trump on Monday, an aggressive investigation that threatens to shadow the president through the 2020 election season with potentially damaging inquiries into his White House, campaign and family businesses. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his panel was beginning the probe into possible obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power and is sending document requests to 81 people linked to the president and his associates. The broad investigation could be setting the stage for an impeachment effort, although Democratic leaders have pledged to investigate all avenues and review special counsel Robert Mueller's upcoming report before trying any drastic action. Nadler said the document requests, with responses to most due by March 18, are a way to "begin building the public record." "Over the last several years, President Trump has evaded accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical, and constitutional rules and norms," said Nadler, D-N.Y. "Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress and a core function of the House Judiciary Committee." Trump dismissed the Nadler probe and others as futile efforts "in search of a crime." "Ridiculous!" he exclaimed on Twitter. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders called the House probe "a disgraceful and abusive investigation into tired, false allegations." In a statement Monday night, Sanders said: "Chairman Nadler and his fellow Democrats have embarked on this fishing expedition because they are terrified that their two-year false narrative of 'Russia collusion' is crumbling. Their intimidation and abuse of American citizens is shameful." Separate congressional probes are already swirling around the president, including an effort announced Monday by three other House Democratic chairmen to obtain information about private conversations between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a letter to the White House and State Department, the House intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Reform panels sent broad requests for details about Trump and Putin's private meetings by phone and in person. In addition to document requests, the committees are asking to interview interpreters who sat in on meetings, including a one-on-one session in Helsinki last summer. The State Department pledged to "work cooperatively with the committees." The new probes signal that now that Democrats hold a majority in the House, Trump's legal and political peril is nowhere near over, even as the special counsel's Russia investigation winds down. They are also an indication of the Democrats' current strategy to flood the administration with oversight requests, keeping Trump and his associates on trial publicly while also playing a long game when it comes to possible impeachment. While some more liberal members of the Democratic caucus would like to see Trump impeached now, Democratic leaders have been more cautious. Trump told reporters after Nadler's probe was announced that "I cooperate all the time with everybody." He added: "You know, the beautiful thing? No collusion. It's all a hoax." Trump's 2020 re-election campaign released a statement Monday night saying, "These desperate Democrats know they cannot beat President Trump in 2020, so instead they have embarked on a disgraceful witch hunt with one singular aim: topple the will of the American people and seize the power that they have zero chance at winning legitimately." Mueller is investigating Russian intervention in the 2016 election and whether Trump's campaign conspired with Russia. But the House probes go far beyond collusion. The House intelligence panel has announced a separate probe not only into the Russian interference but also Trump's foreign financial interests. The Oversight and Reform Committee has launched multiple investigations into all facets of the administration. The 81 names and entities on the Judiciary Committee's list touch all parts of Trump's life the White House, his businesses, his campaign and the committee that oversaw the transition from campaign to presidency. There are also people connected to Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, including participants in a meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer before the election. The committee is also asking the FBI, the Justice Department and others for documents related to possible pardons for Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. All three have been charged in special counsel Mueller's investigation. In a request sent to the White House, the committee asks for information surrounding former FBI Director James Comey's termination, communications with Justice Department officials, the Trump Tower meeting and multiple other matters. Trump Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the White House had received the letter and "the counsel's office and relevant White House officials will review it and respond at the appropriate time." The panel's list includes two of the president's sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and many of his current and former close advisers, including Steve Bannon, longtime spokeswoman Hope Hicks, former Press Secretary Sean Spicer and former White House Counsel Don McGahn. The letters to Hicks and Spicer ask them to turn over any work diaries, journals or "a description of daily events related to your employment" by Trump. The committee asked McGahn for documents related to any discussion involving Trump regarding the possibility of firing Mueller around June of 2017 "or any conversation in which President Trump stated, in words or substance, that he wanted the Mueller investigation shut down, restrained or otherwise limited in or around December 2017." The committee seeks from Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer who called Trump a "con man" and a "cheat" in congressional testimony last week, "any audio or video recordings" of conversations with Trump or conversations about his presidential campaign. The list of document requests also includes the National Rifle Association and Trump's embattled charitable foundation, which he is shutting down after agreeing to a court-supervised process. Nadler said in most of the letters that he was limiting the requests to documents that had already been provided to other investigators, an attempt to receive as much as possible in the two-week timeline. The committee said there might be additional requests. The panel expects some people to produce right away, and others may eventually face subpoenas, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The person declined to be named to discuss the committee's internal process. Nadler said Sunday on ABC's "This Week," the Democrats are simply doing "our job to protect the rule of law" after Republicans during the first two years of Trump's term were "shielding the president from any proper accountability." "We're far from making decisions" about impeachment, he said. Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democratic member of the panel, said Monday that "impeachment is the end of a process, not the beginning of a process," adding that it should not be a "fetish," nor should it be "a taboo." The top Republican on the committee, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, said Nadler was "recklessly prejudging the president for obstruction" and pursuing evidence to back up his conclusion. I have not been receiving any panic calls, from church members concerned about the effect the vote will have on their church, Vosteen said. That could be because she has been upfront and transparent about welcoming everyone. What to Know Its Tuesday, March 5th and NBC 6 has the top six stories you need to know for the day. Its Tuesday, March 5th and NBC 6 has the top six stories you need to know for the day. Weather wise, youll want to keep that umbrella handy as afternoon storms are in the forecast as the latest front arrives and brings cooler temperatures starting Tuesday night. No. 1 The fate of Broward schools superintendent Robert Runcie will be decided Tuesday as the countys school board votes on whether to fire him. Lori Alhadeff, mother of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victim who is now on the board, placed a measure on Tuesday's Broward County school board agenda calling for Superintendent Robert Runcie's dismissal. No. 2 - The Florida Legislature is convening in Tallahassee for its annual 60-day lawmaking session with new presiding officers, a new governor and only one requirement: pass a state budget to fund the government. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will give his first State of the State address in a speech that's expected to focus on economic issues, the environment, education, public safety and government accountability. No. 3 - The operators of Goldfinger Gentlemans Club in Sunrise filed a lawsuit Monday claiming Stephanie Clifford, professionally known as Stormy Daniels, breached a contract by failing to perform for two nights in December. In December, Daniels said she was not going to appear because Goldfingers owner called her assistant an anti-gay slur. No. 4 - Hillary Clinton says she won't run for president in 2020, but vows she's "not going anywhere." The former secretary of state, senator and first lady ruled out another campaign during an interview posted Monday. Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, says, "I'm going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe." No. 5 - The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking to hire temporary workers in Broward County ahead of the 2020 census. Clerks, census-takers, recruiting assistants and office operations supervisors are among positions available. No. 6 - Today is Fat Tuesday! From South Florida to New Orleans and down to Rio de Janeiro, party goers are pulling out all the stops for Mardi Gras ahead of the 40 day period of Lent. The mother of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victim who is now on the county school board is pushing to have the superintendent fired, saying he "has a history of leadership failures." Lori Alhadeff placed a measure on Tuesday's Broward County school board agenda calling for Superintendent Robert Runcie's dismissal. Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa died in the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre, has the support of other families of the 14 students and three staff members killed. It doesn't appear her measure has enough votes on the nine-member school board, however. A majority says he has improved the district's academic standing since his hiring in 2011 and the shooting wasn't caused by his policies. The district is the nation's sixth-largest with 327 schools and 270,000 students. The state gave Broward a "B'' in its latest district grades, noting that it has a graduation rate of 84 percent, a 10 percentage point increase over five years. The district says it has increased the number of security officers and cameras and taken other security measures districtwide since the shooting. Before the shooting, however, crimes, bullying and other school problems were routinely under-reported by Stoneman Douglas and other district schools and few did voluntary security assessments. Stoneman Douglas reported zero incidents of bullying among its 3,200 students between 2014 and 2017 and three incidents of vandalism, for example. At a recent community meeting, Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime died in the shooting, told Runcie, "I can't help but blame you. My daughter is dead and this community is coming apart." Runcie responded, "I know that no matter what we keep doing, I'll keep hearing, 'It's not enough,' and I know why I hear that, because I can't bring your daughter back." Runcie's base annual salary is $342,000. His contract runs through June 2023. Alhadeff has clashed with Runcie since her election last year. She wanted to hire a college instructor and accountant who is a Runcie critic to be her secretary each board member is given one but the superintendent rejected her pick. He said the woman didn't have the required secretarial experience, although other board secretaries don't either. The board attorney blocked Alhadeff's "no" vote on Runcie's appointment of a new district security chief, saying Alhadeff's stated reasons, including that she didn't believe he had been fully vetted or other qualified candidates considered, were insufficient. "Mr. Runcie is trying to control the conversation," said Alhadeff, who represents the Parkland-area district that includes the school. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, at least five board members support Runcie. He declined to be interviewed and none of the members supporting him returned calls and emails seeking comment. Runcie told the recent community meeting, "Leadership is not, in my view, about cutting and running when it gets really tough. It's my responsibility given the fact that (the shooting) occurred under my watch as superintendent. I need to fix it." Runcie, who is black, has strong support among African-Americans, who are 40 percent of the district's enrollment. There was a recent push among victims' families for Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove Runcie as he did Broward Sheriff Scott Israel in January, but the new Republican governor can't suspend appointed officials. Instead, DeSantis persuaded the state Supreme Court to approve a grand jury investigation into school districts' security spending and policies statewide. The panel will be based in Broward. Runcie's critics hope it will examine Broward's Promise Program, a student disciplinary system he instituted. Under Promise, students who commit petty vandalism, theft, harassment or other minor crimes or who fight are referred to an off-campus site for up to 10 days instead of the courts. They are assessed, given a course of treatment, attend classes and receive counseling. Critics say Promise created a lenient atmosphere that allowed shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz to briefly attend Stoneman Douglas a year before the massacre despite a history of fights, threats and behavioral problems. He was placed in the program in middle school after breaking a bathroom faucet, but records are unclear if he completed the requirements. The district says while the program might require some changes, it is a success. Out of 2,000 students referred in an average year, 90 percent never reoffend and less than 1 percent reoffends three times, it says. On a winter morning, Ace hopped into the squad car with handler Edward Ratliff. This was no ordinary patrol. Ratliff and Ace drove to the Florida Capitol for the hearing on a piece of legislation of great import to canine lovers. Senate Bill 96 increases the penalty for intentionally injuring or killing search-and-rescue dogs and horses employed by police and fire departments. Ace came to support the bill. The 3-year-old German Shepherd is lucky. He's never been hurt on the job during his year with Gainesville Police Department's K-9 Unit. Many dogs like Ace do suffer in the line of duty - 43 Florida K-9s have died in duty over the years, according to Officers Down Memorial Page records. One such dog was Fang. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office got a call for an armed carjacking last September. The suspect, Jhamel Paskel, fled into the woods off Interstate 10. Law enforcement released Fang to chase down the 17-year-old. Paskel shot and killed Fang. Debbie Johnson, founder of the nonprofit, K9s United, heard about Fang and then called the local senator, Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, who agreed to sponsor the bill. Bean tells lawmakers the story of Fang's brutal end at the senate criminal justice committee meeting. Ace sits next to Bean, panting while he speaks. Currently, it's a third-degree felony to hurt or kill a police search-and-rescue or fire dog or horse. If SB 96 passes it would become a second-degree felony. That would possibly triple the prison time from a possible maximum of five to 15 years. The bill excites Ratliff. He couldn't imagine living without Ace. "He is the single most important thing in my life. If he ever got hurt I would be devastated," Ratliff said. "I would lose my mind probably." Gainesville Police Department Sgt. Charles Owens paired handler Ratliff, 33, with Ace, based on their compatible personalities. "They both are laid back, and ready to learn," Owens said. "Everything runs down-leash, and what I mean by that is the dog feels your emotions." After training for six months together, the two began patrolling Gainesville neighborhoods on the 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift. As a dual-purpose K-9, Ace is trained to track suspects and detect narcotics. The pair often respond first to dangerous crime scenes in the dead of night. Ratliff drives down back streets while Ace lounges in the carved-out plastic backseat. When a call comes through the radio, Ace dashes to the center console of the squad car, pressing his snout against Ratliff. Cars evacuate their lanes. The pair speeds to the scene, sirens blaring. Ace whines along. "Let's go get those bad robbers," Ratliff says to the K-9. They jump out of the car and onto the scene, tracking the suspect. Ace sniffs the ground for fear, a scent humans can't detect. Some tracks end in success and some are too late. Back into the car. The two have full-on conversations throughout the night. They discuss everything, but Ace's favorite topic is play time. On slow nights Ratliff pulls into a park to play ball with Ace. The minute he makes the turn, Ace jumps up to the console and nudges Ratliff in excitement as the car comes to a stop. He explodes out of the car when Ratliff opens the door. After a few throws in the black of night, they get back in the car and continue scanning town. Ace presses his head against Ratliff's to beg for a scratch. When the shift is over, they head home and pass out together until it's time to do it again. Ratliff considers Ace to be his best friend. Days after Bean filed the proposal in November, also known as the Fang Memorial Bill, legislators filed a similar one HB 67, in the House. Since its first hearing, the bill has been absorbed by four co-sponsors and is now in the judiciary committee. It must pass through the floor and Gov. Ron DeSantis' must sign before it becomes law. Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said that K-9s are an asset to the state. The CFO, who also presides as the State Fire Marshal, has acquired six K-9 teams under his jurisdiction in the last two years. The six total five accelerant-detection and one bomb-sniffing unit are prepared to be deployed across the state at a moment's notice. He predicts the measure will garner enthusiasm from both legislators and law enforcement. People tend to kick or hit K-9s in fear of going to jail, Owens said. Ratliff believes enforcing a bigger consequence for hurting police dogs would probably make criminals think twice about hurting them. A man in Florida is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at his impounded car. The Orlando Sentinel reports 27-year-old Ayub Mule Abdulrahman arrived at Almake Auto Shop on Saturday to pay the towing fee for his Nissan Altima. Authorities say Abdulrahman was no longer there when the property's owner arrived. An arrest affidavit says the owner was told a car in his tow lot was on fire. The Orange County Sheriff's Office says the owner identified Abdulrahman as the man throwing Molotov cocktails at the car through video surveillance. The owner put out the fire and no one was injured. Abdulrahman was arrested and charged with arson and manufacturing and transporting a firebomb. It's unclear if he has a lawyer who could comment. U.S. immigration authorities have detained two brothers from Ecuador who are wanted in the South American country for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from a now-defunct bank. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Nestor Yglesias said in an email that William and Roberto Isaias were arrested Wednesday in Miami and detained pending deportation. Ecuador's government has sought the brothers' extradition for years, but it was not clear what prompted their arrests Wednesday. Yglesias only said the men were "unlawfully present" in the U.S. The bank, Filanbanco, was the largest in Ecuador, and its failure in the late 1990s contributed to an economic collapse. The brothers were charged with embezzlement but fled the country before trial. They were found guilty in absentia and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2012. What to Know An 8-year-old boy was punched in a random attack on the subway near the Fulton Street station on Monday, police say The boy, who was with his mother at the time, has autism, sources say; no words were exchanged between the victim and the suspect The boy was taken to an area hospital, where he was treated and released A homeless man has been arrested for allegedly attacking an 8-year-old boy with autism who was riding the subway with his mom and sisters in Manhattan, police said. The 8-year-old boy was on the train with his family around 8:30 p.m. Monday when the suspect walked over and punched him in the head as the train pulled into the Fulton Street subway station in the Financial District, according to the NYPD. Police said no words were exchanged during the attack. It's not clear why the stranger attacked the child. He ran off afterwards. The boy, whose head swelled up, was taken to an area hospital, where he was treated and released. Law enforcement sources said the suspect was caught Tuesday when an on-duty NYPD inspector riding the train recognized the man in the same car. He made the arrest on the subway. The suspect, 40-year-old Alex Bienamie, is facing charges of acting in a manner injurious to a child and assault. It's not clear if he has an attorney. What to Know A group of robbers punched and kicked four homeless men in Brooklyn one of whom was listed in critical condition after the attack The attackers stole $5 from one of the men before fleeing the scene, police said One of the men initially refused medical attention, but was later taken to the hospital with severe head trauma, police said A group of robbers punched and kicked four homeless men in Brooklyn one of whom was listed in critical condition after the attack, police said. The four men, who range in age from 41 to 61, were sitting and sleeping in front of a building near 10th Avenue and 60th Street in Borough Park around 6:45 a.m. on Feb. 23 when the five suspects went up to them and started asking for money, the NYPD said. The suspects then started punching, kicking and throwing unidentified objects at the homeless men, police said. Surveillance video from the scene shows two of the attackers kicking a man lying under a blanket before dragging him out from underneath and continuing to attack him. Wanted for a Robbery that occurred in the vicinity of 1002 60th St. #Brooklyn . Have you seen them? Do you know these individuals?Call 1-800-577-TIPS or DM us!Calls are anonymous.You may receive up to a $2500 REWARD! #YourCityYourCall @cmenchaca @NYDailyNews @nypost @ABC7NY pic.twitter.com/DxeprvJhoO NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) March 2, 2019 The attackers stole $5 from one of the men before fleeing the scene, police said. Two of the men were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, according to police. The other two men initially refused medical attention at the scene, but one of them a 42-year-old man was later taken to the hospital after complaining of head pain. He was listed in critical condition with severe head trauma at the hospital, according to police. Police have arrested two of the suspects on unrelated charges, but are still searching for the other attackers. Please help us locate this individual who is wanted for ROBBERYthat occurred on 2/23/2019 near 10 Avenue and 60 Street. Anyone with information regarding this individual please contact the 66 Detective Squad at 718-851-5603. #YourCityYourCall #800577Tips pic.twitter.com/kejIrnhf1E NYPD 66th Precinct (@NYPD66Pct) February 24, 2019 Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS. What to Know A gunman was taken into custody after he fired several shots at a group inside an IHOP, police said Suffolk County police believe the shooting stemmed from an internal dispute between Bloods gang members Police are also investigating two other shootings they say may be related to the IHOP shooting UPDATE: Security Footage Shows Mass Chaos, Terror Amid IHOP Gunfire A gunman was taken into custody after he shot a man inside an IHOP in a "targeted" attack believed to be gang-related, police said. Several calls about gunfire inside the restaurant on Portion Road in Lake Ronkonkoma came in around 1:30 p.m. Monday, Suffolk County Police Chief of Department Stuart Cameron said at a press conference Monday afternoon. Two groups of people were sitting inside the restaurant when a man from one group approached the other group, Cameron said. When the man approached, someone from the other group stood up, pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots one of which hit the man who'd approached, according to Cameron. Suffolk County police believe the shooting stemmed from an internal dispute between Bloods gang members. The victim, later identified as 20-year-old Tyriek Corbin, showed up at a local hospital and was in surgery as of Monday afternoon, Cameron said. He was being treated for a gunshot wound that isn't considered to be life-threatening. The shooter, later identified as 19-year-old Deontrae Green, was taken into custody around the corner from the IHOP, Cameron said. He is charged with first-degree assault, first-degree criminal use of a firearm and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; attorney information for Green wasn't immediately clear. Police are also investigating two other shootings they say may be related to the IHOP shooting. Officers responded to a home on Fife Drive in Gordon Heights around 3:15 p.m. Monday after two people were shot on a driveway, police said. One of the victims drove himself to the hospital, and the other was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, according to police. Their conditions weren't immediately clear. Not far from that shooting, a man was shot inside a car on Judith Drive in Gordon Heights, police said. The man managed to drive away from the scene of the shooting, but crashed not long after, according to police. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. Both shootings may have involved Blood gang members or affiliates, according to police. Footage from the IHOP Monday afternoon showed cops and other law enforcement personnel flooding the area. A woman inside the restaurant got a bullet fragment caught in her sweater, but no one inside the restaurant was hit by the gunfire, Cameron said. Witnesses said around 5 or 6 shots were fired. "All I heard was the gunshots go off, and then I got up, turned, saw the guy with the gun, and sprinted out like I've never sprinted before," one bystander told News 4. Police didn't immediately release the name of the person taken into custody. A Catholic priest in the Philadelphia Archdiocese has been charged with rape and corruption of minors for alleged misconduct that occurred between 2014 and 2017, according to court records and a church statement. The Rev. Armand Garcia, 49, of Aston, was arrested Monday for an alleged assault that happened in August 2014 while Garcia served at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in the Andorra section of Philadelphia. Garcia most recently resided at Saint Martin of Tours Parish, which is on Roosevelt Boulevard in the city's Summerdale section. Garcias arrest comes as the Vatican continues to grapple with a worldwide sexual abuse scandal and after Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiros release last year of a scathing grand jury report that named hundreds of predator priests in Pennsylvanias other dioceses. He also was arraigned Monday on charges of rape, photograph/film/depict on computer sex act, and corruption of minors, according to online court documents. He posted 10 percent of $250,000 bail and was released. Garcia's attorney, Bill Brennan, previously defended two priests in unrelated criminal cases. Neither of those two prior priest defendants were convicted of either jury," Brennan said. "I say that not to toot my horn. I say that to remind people that innocent until proven guilty isnt just an abstract concept. Brennan also told NBC10 no money from the Archdiocese will be used for his client's legal fees. The Archdiocese and I have not teamed up in the past, and I dont think well be teaming up now. I wish them well, but hopefully theyll just stay out of my way," Brennan said. Frankly, the way that they handle their operations, I dont want their help. The archdiocese said in a statement Tuesday that Garcia has been on administrative leave since March 16, 2018, when Philadelphia police first notified the archdiocese of a sex assault allegation against the priest. "The Archdiocese cooperated with law enforcement during the course of the criminal investigation that has been ongoing for the past year," the archdiocese said in a statement. "Father Garcia lived in a private residence for the duration of that period with no access to any parish or school." The move to Saint Martin of Tours from Immaculate Heart in 2017 was made "in the course of normal personnel changes," the archdiocese said. Garcia served as a parish priest at IHM and a pastor at Saint Martin of Tours. After the notification of a police investigation, Archbishop Charles Chaput restricted Garcias priestly faculties and banned him from presenting himself publicly as a priest. The archdiocese says that parishioners at Garcias most recent assignments Saint Martin of Tours Parish and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish were made aware of the allegations against Garcia last year. "These charges are serious and disturbing. The Archdiocese is cooperating fully with law enforcement regarding this matter and remains fervently committed to preventing child abuse as well as protecting the children and young people entrusted to its care," the archdiocese statement said. Garcia was ordained in 2005. The archdiocese said he has served at the following parishes, schools and offices: Saint Joseph, Downingtown (2005-2008); Saint Eleanor, Collegeville (2008-2009); Saint Katherine of Siena, Philadelphia (2009-2010); personal leave (2010-2011); Our Lady of the Assumption, Strafford (2011); Immaculate Heart of Mary, Philadelphia (2011-2017); Saint Martin of Tours, Philadelphia (2017-2018). The archdiocese urged victims of sexual abuse by clergy to reach out to the Victim Assistance Office of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at 1-888-800-8780 or philavac@archphila.org. Victims can also call police. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said on Monday he's running for president, casting himself as a can-do uniter who is used to overcoming adversity and accomplishing liberal goals in a politically divided state. "I'm running for president because we need dreamers in Washington, but we also need to get things done," Hickenlooper, 66, said in a video announcing his campaign. "I've proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver." He becomes the second governor to enter the sprawling field of Democrats running for president, after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced last week, and is trying to cast himself as a pragmatist who can also take on President Donald Trump. Though as governor Hickenlooper prided himself for staying above partisan fights, he has argued his record as a former governor and big-city mayor distinguishes him from a broad field of Democratic presidential aspirants who are backing ambitious liberal plans on health care, taxes and the climate. Hickenlooper has hedged on supporting Democratic rallying cries like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal to combat climate change. He once worked as a geologist for a petroleum company and was roundly criticized for telling a congressional panel he drank fracking fluid while arguing for the safety of the energy extraction technique. It was after Hickenlooper was laid off from his geologist position during the energy bust of the 1980s that he inadvertently started on his road to politics. He opened a brewpub in a then-desolate stretch of downtown Denver that unexpectedly took off. That enabled Hickenlooper to become wealthy by building a mini-empire of restaurants and bars. It also led to the Pennsylvania native he's from the Mongtomery County suburbs of Philadelphia making a quixotic run for Denver mayor in 1993. Campaign ads featured Hickenlooper feeding quarters into parking meters to protest the city's charging for Sunday parking downtown. He won handily. As mayor, Hickenlooper helped persuade dozens of suburban cities, sometimes led by Republicans, to back a tax hike to fund a light-rail network. He was filmed diving out of an airplane to advocate for a statewide ballot measure to suspend an anti-tax measure passed in the 1990s and allow the state budget to grow. When he ran for governor in 2010, he featured an ad of himself fully dressed, walking into a shower to scrub off negative attacks. It's all part of Hickenlooper's quirky political image he vows not to run attack ads and has frequently made fun of his tendency to misspeak and wander off political message. Hickenlooper was supported by some Republicans as governor. His first term was marked by a series of disasters and tragedies, some of which he alluded to in his launch video record wildfires and floods, the assassination of his own prison chief by a member of a white supremacist prison gang and the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, which killed 12. After that attack and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre in Connecticut months later, Hickenlooper called for gun control legislation and signed bills requiring universal background checks and limiting magazine capacity to 15 rounds. He backed civil unions for gay couples and signed a law providing them in Colorado in 2013, before the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. He announced in 2013 that he opposed the death penalty and refused to execute a quadruple-murderer who was on death row. And, as he prepared to leave office and was openly mulling a presidential bid, he ordered the state to adopt California's low-emission vehicle standards to fight climate change. The last move was widely seen as shoring up an area that has long created tension for Hickenlooper his relationship with the energy industry. Groups opposed to the expansion of energy exploration into Denver's suburbs often complained that Hickenlooper was too close to the oil and gas business, which remains a powerful force in Colorado politics. As governor, Hickenlooper opposed ballot measures to limit drilling in populated areas. Hickenlooper's successor, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, has been more critical of the industry. Last week, Polis announced he'd pursue a wide range of new policies that would limit energy exploration. Another potential vulnerability for Hickenlooper is money. As a former governor, he can't recycle donations from prior campaigns into a presidential account, as can the many U.S. Senators in the field. Hickenlooper's political committee raised $1 million during the first two months of the year, in contrast to senators such as Kamala Harris of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who raised more than that amount in the 24 hours after they announced their campaigns. Still, Hillary Clinton vetted Hickenlooper as a possible running mate in 2016, and Democrats have spoken about his potential national appeal for years. In his launch video, Hickenlooper says, following images of Trump: "As a skinny kid with Coke bottle glasses and a funny last name, I've stood up to my fair share of bullies." Hickenlooper is expected to focus heavily on Iowa, where many Coloradans come from and a state where his low-key, genial approach could be potent. In previous trips he's emphasized his record and how he can bring warring parties together. During a January swing he stopped by a Des Moines brewpub where a customer asked him how he'd win the primary of "who hates Trump the most?" Hickenlooper responded by rattling off his governing accomplishments. "Everyone yells at Trump, he will win," Hickenlooper said. "You have to laugh at him and joke along and say: 'Hey, this is what I did.'" Almost all of the crimes weve seen have involved unlocked cars, or cars with the (key) fob inside, OConnell said. These offenders are looking for crimes of opportunity, so if you lock your car doors, take your fob with you and dont leave any valuables in your car, these crimes will decrease. The ringleader of a crew that staged 10 robberies of Verizon stores in Southern California and Arizona has pleaded guilty to federal charges and is facing a possible sentence of life in prison. Authorities say Zachary Wade of Long Beach pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy and other crimes for his role in armed holdups in 2017 and 2018 that netted some $340,000 in smartphones and other merchandise. Authorities say Wade acknowledged choosing the stores, planning the robberies and providing guns. The robberies took place in Tarzana, Torrance, Fullerton, Long Beach, Corona, San Pedro, Corona del Mar and Tucson, Arizona. Eight other Southern California men have pleaded guilty to federal crimes for their roles in the robberies. Most await sentencing. Homicide investigators want to talk with the husband of a woman who was found dead Monday in her City Heights apartment. Muna Salad Kuri was first discovered by her sister, Amiina Salad, in her home on Van Dyke Avenue near Polk Avenue at 8:55 a.m., according to the San Diego Police Department. "I just found my sister in a house, blood everywhere on the bed... no pulse, no nothing, just laying there cold," Amiina Salad said. I didnt believe it. It feels like a dream. Kuri, 36, had traumatic injuries to her head and was pronounced dead at the scene, officers said. According to initial reports, the womans family last heard from her on Saturday. Amiina Salad said she came to check on her after Kuri didn't show up to the daycare center where she worked. Kuri, a Somali, came to the United States from Kenya in 2000 and married her husband, Abdiaziz Kerow, in 2014. SDPD said it is investigating her death as a homicide. Police began searching for Kerow, 45, Monday but didnt name him as a person of interest in his wifes death until Tuesday. His whereabouts are currently unknown to SDPD, and the department said it wants to interview him. Several members of the local Somali community were seen gathered outside of Kuris home while police investigated her death. Many were in disbelief of her death. San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez, who represents District 9, which City Heights is a part of, released the following statement Tuesday on Kuris death. Today, the District Nine community mourns the death of a beloved community member, Muna Kuri. She was an active member of the Somali community and caretaker to many of the children of City Heights. I stand in solidarity with the community in their mourning and support a full investigation into her death as the community continues to grieve. My office is in contact with Somali community leaders and I am here to serve as a resource during this very difficult time. We are here to support the community as we go forward so that incidents like these do not continue to happen in our vibrant, diverse communities of District Nine. Anyone with information regarding this incident can call SDPDs Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Large groups of family units and unaccompanied children now make up the majority of apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border, federal officials said Tuesday as they released their Southwest Border migration statistics. "The system is well beyond capacity and remains at a breaking point," U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan said asking for legislative action to help migrants and officers. McAleenan described stark increases of asylum seekers. Taken together these numbers are remarkable, McAleenan said of the reported 76,000 total apprehensions and inadmissible arrivals in a four-week period. Thats the highest number of encounters in any February in the last 12 years. We have encountered more families in five months and five days than last years record total. Chief Brian Hastings, chief of operation at Border Patrol Headquarters, said the current situation is "unsustainable for Border Patrol operations." There were more than 66,000 apprehensions in February, he said, adding that's not near the 1.5 million apprehensions recorded in 2015. The significant change in the demographics of what were seeing today is what presents us and our partners a lot of challenges, Hastings said. Family units and unaccompanied children accounted for 65 percent of all Border Patrol apprehensions. There was no reason to expect this trend to diminish, he added. The total enforcement actions reported in February include those people who were deemed inadmissible at ports of entry and those apprehended between the ports of entry, according to officials. The number is a 31 percent increase over January, officials said. There were 7,249 unaccompanied children in that number, CBP officials said. More than 40,000 were described as family units. "Our Border Patrol stations were built in the 80s and 90s," Hastings said. "They were built for a different demographic, not for the current amount of family units and [unaccompanied minors] we're currently seeing." Hastings added that an average of 55 people per day are sent for medical treatment. The agency said its officers have spent just under 5,700 shifts on hospital watch since December at a cost of $2.2 million of Border Patrol salary. The agency will set up a Centralized Processing Center (CPC) in El Paso, Texas, to provide one location for processing family units and children. It will include medical assessments. McAleenan said the vulnerabilities in the legal system are as important as developing a better border barrier in responding to the increase in apprehensions. An arrest warrant has been issued by Mexican authorities in the death of a woman found buried in the backyard of her Tijuana home. The Attorney General of the State of Baja California confirmed the suspect is Aaron Juarez, 20, the stepson of the victim. He has not yet been arrested. Fernanda Gonzalez, 32, who grew up in Tijuana and San Diego, was found buried in her backyard last Sunday by her sister and father after the family received tips on social media regarding her whereabouts. The Medical Examiner's Office said she died from a gunshot wound to the head. The Gonzalez family suspected Juarez in the killing. Fernanda Gonzalez had known him since he was four years old. Juarez had been living with Fernanda Gonzalez and her husband at her Tijuana home for the past two months -- the same home where her body was discovered. However, until the arrest warrant was issued Monday, Juarez was not considered a suspect in the case. "We are in a way happy because now we know the case [has legs]," the victim's sister, Erika Gonzalez, told NBC 7's sister station Telemundo 20 in Spanish. "Were happy to know my sister will be able to have justice because its clear what happened here." San Diego County court documents show Juarez has a criminal history. He was charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and resisting an officer for an incident in November 2018. He was also charged with transportation and sale of marijuana. "It hurts a lot to know that someone like that, so dangerous, can be out on bail. If he had still been detained, my sister might still be alive," Erika Gonzalez said. NBC 7's Dave Summers has the exclusive story. Jesus Rodolfo Cruz, an attorney for the Gonzalez family, told Telemundo 20 that Juarez had allegedly been using drugs and firearms while living with Gonzalez, and socializing with the wrong crowd. Fernanda Gonzalez was first reported missing one month ago by Erika Gonzalez, who is from San Diego's South Bay. Erika Gonzalez said she knew something was wrong when she could not get in contact with her sister. PGJE "We were calling her phone and she didn't answer, Erika Gonzalez said. She said she lost contact with her sister on Feb. 3 and reported the disappearance two days later. That same day, Fernanda Gonzalez's husband showed up at UC San Diego Medical Center with an unexplained gunshot wound. He is a U.S. citizen who works in San Diego. Fernanda Gonzalez grew up in San Diego and lived with her husband in Tijuana. After three weeks of no leads from investigators, Erika Gonzalez took to social media to offer a reward for information leading to her discovery. The family is still offering a reward of 10,000 Mexican pesos for information that leads to Fernanda Gonzalez's Jeep Cherokee. "We received calls from different people saying she was in the back of her house, Erika said. The tips indicated Fernanda was dead and that she was buried in the back yard of her Tijuana home. Some of the tips even said who killed her. "We received calls from different people saying she was in the back of her house," Erika Gonzalez said. The tips indicated Fernanda Gonzalez was dead and that she was buried in the backyard of her Tijuana home. Some of the tips even said who killed her. The police did not search the property right away, so the family conducted a search of their own and found Fernanda Gonzalez's body buried right where tipsters said to look. "It was hard but it was harder for my dad, Erika Gonzalez said. He started yelling." On Tuesday, the Deputy Attorney General of Justice in Tijuana released a photo of Juarez and said investigators are still searching for him. Anyone with information on his whereabouts can call authorities. What to Know Beto O'Rourke told Oprah Winfrey in an interview Tuesday that he would decide this month whether or not he would run for president. O'Rourke lost to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) by less than three percentage points in the November midterms. The Democratic primary field already includes notable names like Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ). Breaking months of near-silence about his political future, Democrat Beto O'Rourke said Tuesday that he would announce his decision about a 2020 presidential run "before the end of the month" and suggested he's leaning toward it. The former Texas congressman, who found political stardom in his unsuccessful Senate bid last fall, opened up about a potential 2020 run in a conversation with a bigger star, Oprah Winfrey, during a taping of her program "Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square." "I have been thinking about running for president," O'Rourke told Winfrey as the packed audience cheered. The 46-year-old Democrat cited his desire to help unify the country. "I'm so excited at the prospect of being able to play that role." O'Rourke dazzled Democrats last year by nearly defeating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the country's largest red state. In recent weeks, however, his presidential prospects have been overshadowed by the generally well-received 2020 campaign launches of Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey. His comments Tuesday offered a powerful reminder that the Democratic field is far from set. Winfrey, who has flirted with a potential run of her own, appeared to encourage O'Rourke to run during the wide-ranging interview that spanned nearly an hour. "What's it going to take for you to say, 'Yes, I'm doing it?'" she asked. The decision, O'Rourke said, would really be up to his family. He has three children under the age of 13. "For the last seven years, my family hasn't seen me," he said. He added, "That's the far more important responsibility." Winfrey herself has been the center of 2020 speculation, though she has said she doesn't plan to run. She remains an influential figure in Democratic politics, however. Her endorsement of Barack Obama was pivotal to his 2008 campaign. She also took the rare step of campaigning for Democrat Stacey Abrams ahead of her near-upset in the Georgia governor's race. Winfrey's show blurs the line between politics and pop culture. The lineup on Tuesday featured actors Bradley Cooper and Michael B. Jordan and philanthropist Melinda Gates, underscoring the sense of celebrity that surrounds O'Rourke. O'Rourke's low profile in recent weeks has taken curious turns. He treated Instagram followers to a glimpse inside his mouth during a teeth cleaning while trying to decry the Trump administration's border wall. He also recently traveled in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado, but his meandering online posts documenting the journey highlighted things like the open-face roast beef sandwich he had for lunch rather than offering hints about how he'd handle the rigors of a presidential campaign. Compare that to his potential 2020 rivals swarming states that kick off presidential voting: New York Sen. Kristen Gillibrand and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will be in South Carolina this week, Booker is visiting Iowa and Warren is set to formally announce her presidential bid Saturday, then hit New Hampshire and Iowa. O'Rourke said he needed to spend time traveling alone to help overcome "a profound disappointment in myself that I let so many people down." He said he emerged with the reinforced belief that "people are so good." The Texas Democrat, who represented a border state in Congress for six years, also took aim at President Donald Trump's push to build a border wall, calling it "a racist response to a problem that we don't have." Though the taping was Tuesday, the interview won't air on Winfrey's network until Feb. 16. After that, O'Rourke doesn't have another headline-grabbing event on his schedule at least not yet. A conservative author and conspiracy theorist entangled in the special counsel's Russia investigation said Monday that he had retracted an article that made false allegations about a Democratic National Committee staffer killed in 2016. Jerome Corsi said on his website that he had relied "upon inaccurate information" when he alleged last year that Seth Rich and his brother were involved in downloading and leaking DNC emails to WikiLeaks. The article was published last March by InfoWars, where Corsi had worked as the Washington bureau chief. Rich was killed in July 2016 in what Washington police believe was a random robbery attempt. Since then, Corsi and some other conservative pundits have alleged without evidence a link between Rich and the DNC emails that were published by WikiLeaks in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. The U.S. intelligence community has said those emails were hacked by Russian operatives, and law enforcement has not suggested any connection at all between Rich's killing and the stolen communications. Corsi acknowledged that he did not have "independent factual knowledge" for the allegation and had instead relied on a Washington Times article that has since been retracted. "It was not Dr. Corsi's intent to rely upon inaccurate information, or to cause any suffering to Mr. Rich's family. To that end, Dr. Corsi retracts the article and apologizes to the Rich family," Corsi wrote. Corsi is an associate of Roger Stone, a confidant to President Donald Trump who was indicted in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation on charges that he lied about his pursuit of the hacked emails. Corsi last year said he had rejected a plea offer from Mueller's team that would have required him to admit intentionally lying to investigators. The Maryland General Assembly is deliberating legislation to stiffen the background checks conducted by public school districts. The bill is gaining supporters and poised to be approved by the state House of Delegates, multiple officials told the News4 I-Team. It was introduced months after an I-Team investigation revealed loopholes in the safety net that protects public school children from abuse by predatory teachers. The bill sponsored by Del. C.T. Wilson, D-Charles County, requires school districts contact prior employers listed by job applicants before hiring those applicants. It also requires teachers to confirm in writing that theyve never been the subject of a child abuse investigation, unless the investigation found the allegations to be false. We dont do the proper background checks," Wilson said. "We only do a criminal background check, which is pretty useless in these matters. He said the bill provides civil liability from lawsuits for school administrators who release records about substantiated sexual misconduct investigations involving former employees. It also bans non-disclosure agreements between schools and teachers involving child abuse investigations. Wilson said his bill offers much needed protections. I know (teachers) support this bill, because this is about them," he said. "They don't want to be viewed as the enemy, because they're not. But there are a few bad apples, and they spoil the whole barrel. A 2018 investigation by the I-Team revealed a music teacher whod lost his job in Florida for sending text messages with sexual language to a female student avoided detection and later found work in two Maryland public school districts. Among the revelations in I-Team report: The two Maryland school districts acknowledged they dont contact all prior employers for background information about teachers who apply for jobs. University of Maryland law student Kevin Redden testified on behalf of the bill before the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee in mid-February. Redden said the legislation will help flag teachers who have groomed children for possible misconduct. Its a preemptive strike. It helps principals, teachers and parents identify individuals, Redden said. It would tip off principals not to hire these individuals. The Maryland State Education Association supports this legislation to prevent child sex abuse and misconduct in our schools. We are working closely with Del. Wilson to strengthen the bill so educators are empowered to police their own profession and make sure anyone who commits these horrible actions never works in a school again, said a Maryland State Education Association spokesman. The organization represents public school teachers throughout the state. Police identified the man found dead near a bus stop in Bethesda, Maryland, last week. A woman who takes the bus to work discovered the body of 25-year-old Francisco De La O De La Cruz along the side of Old Georgetown Road near Lone Oak Drive about 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 and called police. The body was covered by a bag or tarp and was partially open, the woman said. When she pulled it back, she saw two legs. The medical examiner determined the death was a homicide. Last week, Montgomery County police released photos of clothing items and tattoos to help identify the man. Detectives do not believe the man was killed at the bus stop where his body was found. The bus stop isn't far from the popular Wildwood Shopping Center. Three churches and a child care center are also nearby. A Virginia woman woke up early Saturday to a stranger in her bed kissing her on the cheek, according to Arlington police. The victim was asleep when the man entered her unlocked apartment in the 3400 block of Columbia Pike before 3:30 a.m., police said. When officers arrived on scene, we determined that the female victim was asleep in a residence when she was awoken to an unknown male suspect, who kissed her on the cheek, said Ashley Savage of Arlington police. The man left when the woman confronted him, police said, but terrified he might still be in the apartment, she quickly texted 911. When we arrived on scene, she was obviously very distraught from the incident, Savage said. Officers located a man matching the description still in the apartment building. They arrested 37-year-old Dominus Dayton and charged him with unlawful entry and assault and battery, police said. He was held without bond. The woman was not injured. What to Know A Massachusetts judge has agreed to drop one of six charges against Bryon Hefner. The judge is not dropping the five indecent assault and battery charges Hefner is facing at his upcoming trial in June. Hefner, the estranged husband of former Senate President Stan Rosenberg, is accused of assaults dating back to 2014. A Massachusetts judge has agreed to drop one of six charges against the estranged husband of former Senate President Stan Rosenberg. In a hearing Monday in Suffolk Superior Court, one count of open and gross lewdness was dropped against Bryon Hefner. Hefner's attorney, Tracy A. Miner, had requested all accounts of sexual assault against Hefner to be dropped arguing that the alleged crimes should not be considered felonies despite the "disgusting" nature of them. Prosecutors say the alleged crime included repeated groping, showing of nude photos, forcible kissing and other forms of sexual assault and misconduct towards men working at the Statehouse. In a separate case, Hefner is accused of making prank phone calls to a treatment center at which he was patient. Prosecutors allege that Hefner sexually assaulted one victim on three separate occasions in the Boston area, including once in June 2015 in a residential building and twice in April 2016 in a car traveling from one political event and going to another and at the political event itself. Hefner allegedly sexually assaulted another victim in 2014 and exposed his genitals to that victim in June 2016. The victim, who told investigators Hefner had been a close friend, claimed Hefner repeatedly tried to grope him and that he had to retreat to the bathroom to get away. While the judge agreed to drop the open and gross lewdness charge, he is not dropping the five indecent assault and battery charges Hefner is facing at his upcoming trial in June. Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, among CPPCC members offering up proposals for lawmakers in Beijing as part of the CPPCC sessions, has told reporters that he intends to continue championing a proposal on poverty alleviation. Chan launched a charity campaign last year including various entertainers including Chen Kun, Zhou Xun and Wu Jing. They are promising help with poverty alleviation in 30 impoverished counties across China. Jackie Chan says he and his colleagues intend to continue the campaign this year. He's putting forward the program as part of his proposals to annual session of China's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Officials say a pilot and three passengers suffered minor injuries when a United Express regional jet slid off a slippery runway in northern Maine and came to rest in deep snow. Images from the scene Monday showed firefighters helping to evacuate passengers from the 50-seat Embraer 145 at the Presque Island International Airport. At least a couple of inches of snow had fallen. Part of its landing gear was torn away and the nose cone was damaged. Officials said the flight operated by CommutAir from Newark, New Jersey, with 28 passengers and three crew members landed at the airport at 11:30 a.m. Monday. The plane came to a rest in snow on the east side of the runway. The injured were tended to by emergency personnel. Presidential hopeful and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will make his first New Hampshire visit this weekend since announcing his ambitions to run for the White House in 2020. Sanders is scheduled to host a rally at noon on Mar. 10 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord. He announced he is running for office again on Vermont Public Radio last month. The Independent said he aims to run on the same platform he did in 2016, when he championed progressive proposals like a $15 federal minimum wage, universal health care and to reduce student debt. The Senators visit will follow several stops in Iowa on Saturday. Sanders is among one of the favorites for New Hampshire Democratic voters, according to the University of New Hampshire. UNHs Granite State Polls results showed Sanders had the most support out of the Dems who have so far announced themselves as 2020 candidates. Sanders lost the 2016 Democratic primary to former secretary of state and former first lady Hillary Clinton. A couple is facing human trafficking charges after an investigation at a Massachusetts day spa. The Plymouth County District Attorney's Office said a man and a woman from Malden has been running a prostitution operation out of Platinum Body Works Day Spa in Norwell. Prosecutors say a worker touched an undercover police officer's penis before he paid her for "sexual conduct." Robert Eckhardt, 68, was arraigned Monday on charges of trafficking a person for sexual servitude, deriving support from prostitution and misleading an officer. His wife, 63-year-old Xiangmei Eckhardt, was arraigned on the same trafficking and prostitution charges. The couple pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $20,000 for Robert Eckhardt and $15,000 for Xiangmei Eckhardt. According to the DA's office, an undercover Norwell Police officer reported that a female masseuse was giving him a body massage when she "grabbed his penis and offered to engage in sexual conduct for a fee." Authorities say the officer paid with marked dollar bills. On Feb. 20, prosecutors say police executed a search warrant and seized more than $858 in cash, including the marked bills, as well as a video camera system, an appointment binder, a daily ledger, baby oil and latex gloves. The suspects are due back in court on March 29. Law enforcement across New England posted important reminders Monday about clearing snow off of vehicles, but there were plenty of photos to be found of drivers who had failed to do just that, creating dangerous situations for other drivers. Kristin Lonczak is someone who always watches for flying snow and ice from peoples vehicles. Thats one of my pet peeves, said Lonczak. I notice that all the time when snow is flying off cars. So when she was heading to work on Route 128 in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Monday morning, she was on alert. So Id been thinking about that and five minutes later I have a smashed window, the Weymouth resident said. Before she knew it, there was a thud on her windshield as she drove through Dedham. Suddenly I saw this thing flying at me and there was a big crash and my window was shattered, said Lonczak. She wasnt the only one dodging airborne snow and ice after the overnight storm. A driver got hammered by slush from a plow truck that was clearing the property at Logan Airport, and he was left with a crack in his windshield. The Massachusetts Port Authority said in a statement, The safety and security of the public is our top priority. We regret to see an incident such as this happen on our property. We are investigating the circumstances and we apologize to the driver for this experience." All the snow and ice can be incredibly dangerous. Several police agencies tweeted photos of cars with too much snow piled on top, as they urged drivers to clear off their vehicles before getting behind the wheel. I actually think I was really lucky because the part of the windshield that shattered was the passenger side so I was still able to see where I was going, said Lonczak. She says she was shaking but tried to remain calm, then got off at the next exit and pulled over. Luckily, Lonczak was not injured. I have a 5-year-old daughter, Im a mother, if that went through my window and I crashed into someone else, I could be not here today, she said. The man accused of shooting and killing a New Hampshire mother over the weekend is now being held without bail after his arraignment Tuesday. At Justin Mouras arraignment in Hillsboro County Superior Court North, a man who would only identify himself as Mouras friend told NBC10 Boston something isnt right and that Moura is a good guy. This is totally out of character, said the man. Moura was arrested Monday, charged with second-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing 34-year-old Tanya Hall. Halls boyfriend says this all feels surreal. He was with her the night she was shot and killed and says hes overcome with grief. Shes the best mother I ever met in my life, said Jeremy Winslow. Winslow says he picked Hall up at her Hudson home at around 6 p.m. Saturday. He says their date night was perfect until he accidentally bumped into a guy in the bathroom at Manchvegas Bar and Grill. Winslow says when he and Hall tried to leave, that man and his friends followed them outside and surrounded his blue Jeep. Winslow says as he drove away, he heard something smash through his back window but he thought it was a rock. When I finally realized what was going on, I screamed, Babe! as loud as I could, and she fell down between her legs and there was a bullet hole in her back, Winslow explained. Autopsy results show Hall died of a single gunshot wound to the back. Authorities are keeping the affidavit sealed and wont say anything about the circumstances that led up to the shooting. When asked if Hall was an unintended target, Senior Assistant New Hampshire Attorney General Peter Hinckley said, Based on the information so far to date, we have no known connection between the victim and Mr. Moura. Winslow is convinced that the suspect never meant to kill anyone, he says especially not a hard-working mom who leaves behind a one and a half-year-old little boy. I believe it was, I cant speculate, but it doesnt seem like it was a murder, it seemed like it was an accident, Winslow said. Moura waived his appearance Tuesday which is why he wasn't in the courtroom. He is being held without bail and is due back in court later this month. What to Know Louis D. Coleman III, waived his right to have a detention hearing and preliminary hearings Monday in U.S. District Court in Delaware. The Rhode Island man will be brought back to Boston at a later date to face charge of kidnapping, resulting in death. Jassy Correia, a 23-year-old Mass. mom, was last seen Feb. 24 leaving a Boston nightclub. Her body was found in Coleman's trunk. A suspect in the fatal kidnapping of a Massachusetts woman whose body was found in the trunk of his car when it was stopped by Delaware authorities has been extradited. Appearing Monday before a federal magistrate in Delaware, 32-year-old Louis D. Coleman III of Providence, Rhode Island, waived his right to a hearing and did not contest a prosecution request that he be detained pending removal to Massachusetts. A spokeswoman for the Delaware Department of Correction later confirmed that Coleman had been extradited. Coleman is a suspect in the death of Jassy Correia, a 23-year-old mother who lived in Lynn, Massachusetts, who was last seen on Feb. 24 leaving a Boston nightclub where she had gone to celebrate her birthday with friends. Coleman is facing a federal charge of kidnapping, resulting in death. The charge carries a sentence of mandatory life and also makes Coleman eligible for the death penalty if convicted, according to federal prosecutors who announced the charges Sunday. "The federal charges are being brought because of the multi-state nature of the crime and the penalties available in federal court," said U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling. "And they're being brought here because Ms. Correia is from here, was taken from here, and justice should be done here if at all possible." Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins voiced her support for Lelling's decision to seek the federal charge. "Given the evidence as it currently stands, a federal prosecution for interstate kidnapping causing death is in the best interest of this case. This process will best serve Jassy's family, Boston and our Cape Verdean community who deserve the chance to see justice done in the city they call home." According to Lelling, the kidnapping resulting in death charge was the logical choice because it was the most applicable charge and it also carries the highest possible sentence. While no murder charge was announced Sunday, Lelling said, "I think there is probable cause to believe he [Coleman] killed Ms. Correia." A number of new details were revealed about the case on Sunday, with Lelling announcing that it appears preliminarily that Correia died from blunt force trauma and strangulation. Lelling added that while only a preliminary medical examination has been done at this point, it does not appear Correia was sexually assaulted. Authorities believe Correia put up a fight, saying there are "definitely indications that she did not go quietly." Lelling cited several examples that suggest Correia put up a struggle, including the forward windshield of Coleman's red sedan being cracked in two locations on the passenger side, significant bruising on Correia's body, and a scratch on Coleman's face that he said was from Correia. A timeline of the investigation was also provided by Lelling on Sunday. He said, after learning of Correia's disappearance, Boston police reviewed surveillance tape from outside of Venu Nightclub, where Correia had last been seen. Police observed on the footage that Correia was on the sidewalk at 2:14 a.m. when she was approached by a man, later identified as Coleman. He could be seen interacting with her, and then leaving the area with her before the two get into his red sedan. Lelling noted that it does not appear that Correia knew Lelling but said there is still a lot left to learn. Boston police were then able to retrieve an image of Coleman's driver's license from the nightclub and match it to the man seen outside with Correia. The license showed an address for an apartment in Providence, which was later searched by Rhode Island authorities. About two hours after Correia was seen getting into Coleman's vehicle in Boston, surveillance footage from Coleman's apartment building in Providence shows him parking around 4:15 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24. Lelling said they are still investigating the route the car took between the street outside the nightclub and Coleman's Providence apartment. It's not clear what happened during that two-hour span, but Lelling noted that Correia got into the red sedan under her own power in Boston but was carried out of it in Providence. Authorities are continuing to look into what occurred during those two hours, Lelling said. Once Coleman is seen arriving at his apartment, surveillance footage shows Coleman exit his vehicle alone. He returned a short time later carrying a blanket and then walked from the car to the front of the building carrying a body with long hair and clothing consistent with Correia's description. Once he entered the building, surveillance video showed Coleman dropping the victim on the floor and dragging her towards the elevator, and subsequently towards his apartment unit. The victim was not moving and her body was limp. On Feb. 26, surveillance video showed the defendant leave the apartment building and return with Walmart shopping bags. Boston and Providence police officers obtained video surveillance and a receipt from a Walmart in Providence, that revealed Coleman had purchased three Tyvek suits, duct tape, two candles, electrical tape, one mask, surgical gloves, two pairs of safety goggles, an odor respirator and CLN release bleach bath. At approximately 9:58 p.m. on Feb. 27, Coleman is seen on video surveillance entering his apartment building with what appeared to be a new, large suitcase. Lelling noted that you could see tags on the suitcase in the video. A few hours later, around 1:15 a.m., on Feb. 28, Coleman is seen in the video wheeling the suitcase away from his apartment unit towards the elevator, eventually out of the building and into the parking lot where his vehicle was. Coleman appeared to have difficulty lifting the suitcase into the trunk of his car, indicating it was bearing some weight, Lelling said. Additional surveillance video showed Coleman on several occasions exiting his apartment building with other items, including trash bags, cardboard boxes, a bottle of bleach, a laptop case, a computer tower and a small duffle bag. Later in the day on Feb. 28, a search warrant was executed at Colemans apartment, where two packages of hooded coveralls and two respirator masks were recovered. A sofa with four large cushions, one of which was missing a cover, was also observed. In a dumpster outside of the apartment complex, authorities discovered white trash bags, a bag containing plastic sheets, mens jeans with bleach stains and a belt, a white nylon hooded coverall, an empty box of baking soda, clear safety goggles, a respirator mask, duct tape packaging, rubbing alcohol, Walmart bags, used plastic gloves, an empty package from a car air freshener, three empty packages of purifying charcoal and a sponge. On the afternoon of Feb. 28, Colemans vehicle was stopped by Delaware State Police on Interstate 95 South near Wilmington, Delaware. Officers ordered Coleman out of the vehicle and asked him if anyone else was in the vehicle with him, to which Coleman allegedly responded, "Shes in the trunk, or words to that effect. Lelling said it appears the traffic stop and subsequent arrest were uneventful, contrary to reports that a high-speed chase was involved. Officers discovered Correia's body in the trunk of Colemans vehicle, wrapped in a sofa cushion cover, which was inside of a black trash bag, inside of a large suitcase that matches the suitcase Coleman was observed bringing into his apartment on Feb. 27. Correia was found naked, with significant bruising and a bloodied face. She was bound with gray duct tape and was covered in what is believed to be baking soda. Lelling said reports that Correia's body was mutilated or dismembered are not correct. Though Lelling did note that while there is no way to know what Coleman planned to do with Correia's body, all of the cleaning and cutting supplies found in his vehicle imply that he planned to somehow dispose of her body. From Coleman's vehicle, officials recovered a duffle bag, a pair of new long-handled loppers, plastic garbage bags, clothing, a red plastic gas container, a green butane lighter, black gloves, charcoal air purifiers, air fresheners, tinted safety glasses, plastic Walmart bags, work towels, cloth work-gloves, a new set of DeWalt pliers, a laptop, a computer hard-drive/tower, and disinfectant wipes. Coleman was taken into custody and transported to a Delaware State Police barracks. There, it was noted that Coleman had a large bandage on the right side of his face. When asked about it, he allegedly replied, "Its from the girl," or words to that effect. It was not immediately known if Coleman had retained a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. Maine's corrections agency is working with a Massachusetts hospital to address mental health, stress and trauma impacting staffers and inmates. The Maine State Prison will hold wellness meetings Tuesday for staff members led by McLean Hospital clinicians. Such trainings will help staff manage and reduce the stress and trauma of their jobs and develop emotional regulation skills. Female offenders will also receive help advocating for their wellness needs. Three Maine State Prisoner staffers and Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty have shared their experiences being affected by mental illness through the hospital's Deconstructing Stigma campaign. A Marine Corps veteran in New Hampshire is now offering a $1,000 reward for anyone who can help police catch the man who broke into his gaming store and stole hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars worth of playing cards. Even though the crime isn't impacting day-to-day business and the store will be just fine, the owner tells NBC10 Boston this is deeply personal. Merrymac Games and Comics is so much more than a hobby for owner Chris Lepkowski. The veteran says it's given him purpose again after returning from deployment in Afghanistan. "It's such a mentality shift back to the civilian world and it's like, 'OK, what am I going to do with myself now?'" Lepkowski explained. When the security alarm went off late Sunday night and he rushed to his store to see evidence of a burglary, Lepkowski called it a punch in the gut. "It hurts," he said. "To me, it's a lot of disrespect." Merrimack Police are looking for the burglar who was caught on indoor security cameras. They say he broke into the shop, went straight for a glass case, knocked it over and stole as many "Magic: The Gathering" cards as possible. Lepkowski says those certain cards are known to be valuable. He thinks the thief made off with well over $1,000 worth of cards. "I'm hoping it wasn't just for the thrill of it and I am hoping that he actually needed the money," he said. "But seriously, there's better ways to do it." Better ways, Lepkowski says, like just asking. "I've had guys say, 'Hey, I'm getting married, I need a down payment on a house,' and I'm like, 'Sure, let me help you out the best I can,'" Lepkowski said. Loyal customer Eric Blackey told NBC10 Boston he's seen Lepkowski's generosity firsthand. He says through his service, his generosity and charity work, Lepkowski has become a beloved member of the Merrimack community. That's why his customers say this criminal hit the wrong store. "He's given a lot for the country, a lot for the community and to see a person take advantage of that it's really disheartening," Blackey said. Lepkowski is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in this case. He's also promising to donate $500 to that person's charity of choice. There is no link between the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) and the development of autism, according to a new, large study out of Denmark. In the study, researchers followed more than 650,000 children, collecting data from all children born in the country between 1999 and 2010. The results don't come as a surprise to the Neely family, which has one big question that can't be answered. Ive gone down all sorts of roads into what could have caused Kojis autism, Justine Neely said of her son. This includes whether or not it was the MMR vaccine that Koji and his older sister Rose, who isnt autistic, both got. I mean you have to wonder when people talk, Neely said. But the evidence is just not there. The family moved on quickly from the vaccine/autism theory, but not all parents do. On a daily basis, I end up having a conversation about vaccines, said Dr. Ann Neumeyer, with the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital. The vaccines are typically given around 15 months or 18 months and thats when autism is often first noticed. While Dr. Neumeyer understands why some parents dont believe studies because of the emotions and timing involved, she says studies show the timing is just coincidence, which is why it's important for parents to look at the data. In the Danish study, when researchers compared those who received the MMR vaccinations to those who didn't, the numbers showed no link between the vaccine and the development of autism. For the first time, this study also dug deeper and found no increased risk for autism in children who have a sibling with autism or any link for those who got other childhood vaccinations or during certain time periods after getting the vaccine. The more you can learn, the more you can educate people, Dr. Neumeyer said. People might start to increase their vaccinations. Kojis parents know the MMR vaccine is keeping their children safe and they are learning to live with their unanswered question. The American Academy of Pediatrics sent letters to the CEOs of Google, Facebook and Pinterest requesting a meeting to discuss ways to combat the spread of vaccine misinformation online, especially given there have been six outbreaks of measles already this year. A Massachusetts man who as a teenager was convicted of raping and murdering a pregnant woman and drowning her two young children in a bathtub asked the state's highest court through a lawyer on Tuesday for a shot at earlier parole. Daniel LaPlante is serving three consecutive life sentences for the 1987 killings in Townsend. Since each of the sentences include the possibility of parole after 15 years, LaPlante could not seek early release until serving at least 45 years, when he would be 62. In arguments before the seven-member court, Merritt Schnipper said his client's current sentence conflicts with previous court rulings which say defendants convicted of murder as juveniles should be given a "meaningful" opportunity to re-engage with society. "Is 45 years too much to serve for a juvenile homicidal defendant before you are pushing up against the functional equivalent of life without parole?" Schnipper asked the justices. He called for a resentencing that would allow for parole eligibility after 30 to 35 years, offering LaPlante a chance to make a case for release immediately or within a few years. Crystal Lyons, a prosecutor with the Middlesex District Attorney's office, urged the court to reject any change in LaPlante's sentence, citing the brutality of the crimes. "This sentence, 45 years before parole eligibility for the separate murders of a pregnant mother and her two young children does not violate proportionality," Lyons said. Legal experts have said the SJC's ruling, which could come within 130 days, will likely set a precedent for other juvenile offenders, particularly those serving consecutive, rather than concurrent, sentences for multiple homicides. At his trial, prosecutors said Laplante, a neighbor of the victims, broke into Patricia Gustafson's home intending to burglarize it. When the 33-year-old woman returned home and encountered LaPlante, prosecutors say he tied her to a bed, raped and shot her, then drowned the children, 7-year-old Abigail and 5-year-old William, in a bathtub. Andrew Gustafson discovered the bodies of his wife and children when he returned home from work. LaPlante was originally sentenced to life in prison without parole. In 2013, the SJC ruled it was unconstitutional to sentence juveniles to life sentences without parole eligibility, prompting bids for resentencing from dozens of people who committed murders before they were 18. In 2017, a Superior Court judge turned down a bid to shorten the time before LaPlante was eligible for parole, ruling he committed "three distinct and brutal murders." While LaPlante had made progress in prison, the judge said he continued to display an anti-social personality disorder and lacked empathy. Relatives of the Gustafson family, some of whom attended Tuesday's hearing, have argued LaPlante should never be allowed to go free. "It would not be right. It would not be fair. It would not be just and everybody is at risk if he gets out," said Beth Morgan, whose niece and nephew were killed. The defense attorney noted making someone eligible for parole is no guarantee of eventual freedom. "We may need to keep him here until he fully serves his sentence but that is a decision under the law that should be made by the parole board," said Schnipper. The Supreme Judicial Court must still rule on whether LaPlante is eligible for parole. It's unclear when they will make that decision. A soldier turned lawmaker all set for his next battle the senatorial race. A member of the 8-man opposition slate pushing for a stronger stand against China and the West Philippine Sea. But does he have a fighting chance? Let's go straight to #TheSource of the story, senatorial candidate and Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano. China's dollar-denominated Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFII) program saw its approved quota continue to rise in February, according to the country's forex regulator. As of the end of February, the QFII quota stood at 101.45 billion U.S. dollars, up from 101.35 billion dollars a month ago, according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Meanwhile, the quota in the RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (RQFII) program came in at 660.47 billion yuan (about 98.6 billion U.S. dollars). China's currency, the yuan, is convertible for trade purposes under the current account, while the capital account, which covers portfolio investment and borrowing, is largely run by the state in an effort to manage capital flows in and out of the country. The QFII and RQFII programs, introduced in 2003 and 2011, respectively, allow overseas institutional investors to move money into China's capital account for investment. At the end of January, China Securities Regulatory Commission, the country's securities watchdog, started consulting public opinion on new rules that will combine the above two existing schemes. Time and money are running short for states to replace aging or inadequate voting machines before the 2020 presidential primaries, according to a report released Tuesday. State and local election officials in 31 states say they want to replace their voting equipment before the elections, but the vast majority said they don't have enough money to do so, according to The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU's School of Law. "We basically have this year and then it's too late," said Lawrence Norden, deputy director of the center's Democracy Program and author of the report. It can take months to decide on replacement machines, secure the funding, develop security protocols, train workers and test the equipment. States received $380 million in election security grants from Congress last year, but experts have said that's merely a down payment on what is needed. Pennsylvania received $13.5 million from the federal government, but that's just a quarter of what it would cost to switch to voting machines that use paper ballots, said J. Alex Halderman, director of the Center for Computer Security and Society at the University of Michigan. "Without further federal assistance, we risk that new equipment and other critical improvements won't be in place for many years," Halderman said in congressional testimony last month. "With the 2020 election on the horizon, the next major target for foreign cyberattacks, we need to act before it's too late." In 2016, Russian hackers are believed to have targeted the nation's voting systems, searching for vulnerabilities. The nation's intelligence community has said there is no evidence of votes being changed, but warn of the continuing danger posed by foreign governments interested in undermining U.S. elections. Congressional efforts to send more election security money to the states have yet to gain momentum despite some bipartisan support. The most urgent concern centers on the 12 states that use, either statewide or in certain local jurisdictions, electronic voting machines that do not produce a paper record so voters can verify their choices before they cast their ballot. Experts say these machines are vulnerable and that hackers could manipulate the outcome without detection. Of these states, Delaware has set aside money to buy replacement machines while lawmakers in Georgia and South Carolina are considering proposals to do the same. Louisiana's plan to replace voting machines was delayed amid a dispute over the bidding process. Officials in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kansas and Kentucky have called for new machines, but efforts to secure the money haven't gained much traction, according to the Brennan Center report. Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas do not appear to be taking major steps at this point to replace their paperless machines by 2020, the report said. Cybersecurity experts and officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security say a paper record is essential to securing the nation's elections and that rigorous audits are needed to detect any malfunction or efforts to interfere. There is less a consensus on a return to paper ballots that are filled out by hand, although cybersecurity experts largely prefer them. That debate is playing out in Georgia as state lawmakers consider replacing the state's paperless machines. Democrats and voting advocates say systems that use those types of ballots are the most secure and cost-effective options. Republicans have thrown their support behind a more expensive "ballot-marking" voting machine. It features an electronic touchscreen that prints out a ballot that is then verified by voters before being cast. They say this allows for one system used by all voters, including those with disabilities, while also offering a secure method for post-election audits. Elsewhere, California has already allocated $134.3 million for counties to upgrade or replace old voting systems. It plans to decertify certain machines. Norden, with The Brennan Center, said states can't expect the federal government to cover everything, but the federal government can't leave national security to state and local governments either. "There needs to be an acknowledgement that everyone has a responsibility for this at the federal, state and local level," he said. "There has been an attempt to shift responsibility from one to the other and too often that means nobody is responsible." The classical view of an IoT deployment is relatively centralized a company wires sensors to important equipment, the sensors send data back to edge gateways, and the gateways do some limited processing of that data and then send it back to the cloud or to the data center. Its not simple, but its easy enough to understand the principles. Some, however, recognize that vastly different architectures for the IoT are possible, including Fleet Space Technologies, a startup that earlier this month announced that it had reached a million device signups for its ambitious satellite-based IoT edge system, which its calling Project Galaxy. The goal is to provide truly global, ends-of-the-Earth LoRaWAN coverage to any IoT device on the platform. Registered devices connect to a satellite for connectivity back to a home network. The company launched its first nanosatellite in 2018, and boasts that companies ranging from Fortune 500s to small startups have jumped at the chance to register devices for the Project Galaxy network. While technical details about the project are sparse, the open source LoRaWAN standard is popular enough that Project Galaxys potential market is as expansive as its name. Given the limitations of the low-power WAN technology, as well as the unavoidable delay inherent in satellite communications, Project Galaxys probably not going to be the best idea for time-sensitive applications, but its global reach could make it attractive to safety, research and monitoring implementations located in remote regions. IoT convoys Vehical-fleet management is a popular application for IoT tech on the enterprise side, and an Arizona-based company called Haulynx is offering a new twist on the basic idea of vehicle tracking. Haulynxs app works something like a freight-focused Uber or Lyft. Carriers can sign themselves into the system and make themselves and their trucks available for loads from brokers using the same system. Once the match between cargo and carrier has been made, the system provides turn-by-turn navigation, complete with location-aware routing based on the dimensions of the specific vehicle and cargo involved. The idea is that brokers can pay for access to the Haulynx network for quick and easy freight routing, along with automatic updates about the location and progress of their shipments. IoTenants Smart home tech is traditionally seen as part of the consumer side of the IoT world, but some of the same principles are being applied to commercial real estate by forward-thinking companies. A Czech startup called Spaceti wants to IoT-ify the entire office. From tracking open parking spots in the garage, to booking meeting rooms, temperature control even whether the coffee machines broken or not. Its all very comprehensive. Spaceti even logs all that information for potential analytics down the road, so that it can correlate productivity to office temperature, whether theres enough coffee for everyone, and so on. The system works with asset tagging and a series of stones, small, smooth wireless devices that work as sensors and hubs for information, all connected via a cellular network. The wellbeing smart stone, measures things like humidity and temperature, while the location smart stone provides information on tagged items, whether those are chairs, tables or otherwise. Its one of those pitches that sound great for a certain stripe of manager who likes to have a finger on absolutely everything thats happening at his or her company, but it sounds like actually working in an office like this could prove a little bit oppressive. Much will depend on whether the operation savings are worth the price of installing the stones and the software. Demonstrators will gather outside council offices at 5pm DEMONSTRATORS urging West Berkshire Council to declare a climate emergency are set to stage a protest outside the local authoritys Market Street offices next week. The peaceful protest, which is being organised by West Berkshire Green Party, will be held at 5pm to coincide with the start of a full council budget meeting on Tuesday. The demonstration will seek to build on the momentum of the Schools Strike 4 Climate march, where 100 school pupils protested outside Newbury Town Hall on Friday, February 15. It will also highlight a petition calling on the local authority to follow other councils in advancing its commitment to become a zero net-carbon zone by 2030. The petition, led by West Berkshire Green Party, gained more than 1,600 signatures to force the debate, which will be the first of its kind to be discussed by district councillors later this year. The UK is currently targeting a reduction of 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and West Berkshires own aims to reduce carbon emissions are aligned to this. A total of 27 councils have declared a climate emergency as part of a wide campaign by the Green Party to force local authorities to act against climate change on a regional level. Climate emergencies have also been declared by 10 parish or town councils. The Green Partys prospective parliamentary candidate for Newbury, Steve Masters, who led the petition, said: Tuesdays demonstration will be to keep the issue very much in the forefront of councillors minds. If we are to make the changes local, every policy and every budget decision has to have a carbon audit to ensure it isnt contributing to the district emissions. The clock is ticking and we owe it to our children, grandchildren and future generations to act now. I am proud that we have put climate change on the local agenda and hopeful that now it is an important local issue we can move forward as a community and change things for the better. You are here: Business U.S. Technology giant IBM filed a 51-million U.S.-dollar counter lawsuit in an Israeli court against Israel Chemicals company (ICL) on Monday, concerning a dispute over a failed computing project. Last December, ICL, which manufactures fertilizers, metals and chemicals, filed a 300-million-U.S.-dollar lawsuit against IBM. ICL alleged that its harmonic information platform, carried out and led by IBM between 2012 and 2016, have failed and caused heavy losses. ICL also claimed that "IBM's failures have taken various forms, including poor work, lack of knowledge, experience, resources and skilled personnel." According to ICL, it invested 300 million U.S. dollars in the project, one third of which was paid to IBM. In the counterclaim, filed alongside the statement of defense, IBM claimed that "ICL refrained from making certain payments, conducted negotiations in bad faith, and terminated the project unilaterally, in a way that harmed IBM's reputation and goodwill." IBM further claims that, in September 2016, ICL notified it unilaterally without prior notice of the termination of the project. IBM also claimed that "ICL's position and the decline in its profits led to its decision to cancel the project." Days before her baby was born in a prison cell, Tianna Laboy walked the halls in pain, pleaded for a doctor and cried out in the middle of the night, but help never arrived, her attorneys charged in a lawsuit filed Sunday in federal court. Finally, early one morning in February 2018, she gave birth in the toilet of her locked cell at York Correctional Institution in Niantic. She felt like she had to go to the bathroom, and she recalled that her mother told her if she feels that, be careful because it could be the baby coming, her attorneys, DeVaughn Ward and Kenneth Krayeske, wrote. Upon sitting down, she realized that her baby was crowning. The infant hit her head as she fell into the toilet bowl. Laboy pulled the baby out and, at the urging of her cellmate, patted her on the back to get all the fluid out, the lawsuit says. The baby then began to breathe. A year later, with a Department of Correction investigation still underway, Laboy is suing a bevy of officials including former DOC Commissioner Scott Semple, the medical director, OB/GYN and warden at York, two UConn Health staff members and two prison guards alleging denial and delay in medical care. The lawsuit includes multiple counts of deliberate indifference, negligence and false imprisonment. The third charge refers to the babys birth behind bars. Karen Martucci, a spokeswoman for DOC, said the department does not comment on pending litigation. Semple retired at the end of last year. A UConn Health spokeswoman also declined to comment Sunday. The correction department announced in February 2018 less than two weeks before Laboy gave birth that it would move responsibility for the states inmate medical care from UConn Health to the DOC. State auditors had faulted the correction departments $100-million-a-year, no-bid contract with UConn Health and its inmate care unit, saying that quality controls were substandard and the unit was policing itself. DOC assumed control in July. After Laboys baby was born, two UConn Health employees were walked off the site and told not to return while the incident was under review. It really just leaves me speechless that someone could treat another human being, let alone a 19-year-old woman who is going through her first pregnancy and writhing in pain, like that, said Ward, one of Laboys attorneys. How anybody could watch that and not try to help, it leaves me baffled. In the lawsuit, the attorneys paint a grim picture of the health care system inside York Correctional, the states only womens prison. The OB/GYN was available only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, despite serving a population of patients that could go into labor or have another life-threatening emergency at any time, they wrote. Laboy was not offered a tour of a hospital maternity ward and health workers never discussed a birthing plan with her, a break from standard protocol, the lawyers said. Prison staff and the Department of Children and Families did not arrange custody of the child with Laboy before the birth, they said. On Feb. 9, four days before the baby was born, Laboy reported seeing clear discharge and feeling mild abdominal discomfort. Her belly had dropped and she experienced excruciating back pain, the lawsuit says. She initially was told she couldnt see medical staff because she hadnt filled out the proper form, her attorneys said. After completing the paperwork, Laboy learned that the OB/GYN was not available, nor was there a substitute. Two days later, the discharge became thicker and contained blood. The lawyers said Laboy went to see health workers, but was told she should return if and when her contractions were less than two minutes apart. By Feb. 12, the eve of the birth, Laboy reported feeling as though her stomach was twisting inside out. She called for medical attention, but the nurse on duty gave her a cup of water and a heating pad, advising that Laboy was not in labor, her attorneys said. For the remainder of the night Laboy laid awake crying in pain, the lawsuit says. The officers in the area checked on her every 15 minutes but told her there was nothing they could do as medical didnt want to see her again. At 4:30 a.m. the next day, Laboy reported a large amount of bloody discharge and severe abdominal pain. She pressed the call button in her cell and again sought medical care. Staff told her the doctor would be in at 7:30 a.m., according to the lawsuit. With no feminine hygiene products available, she placed a T-shirt between her legs and walked to the cafeteria for breakfast, her attorneys wrote. Laboy used prison walls for support on her way back. At 6:30 a.m., she delivered her baby on the toilet. Broader issues Concerns about the standard of health care in Connecticuts prisons have festered for years but returned to the public eye last winter when the correction department said it would take over inmate medical care, ending its 21-year contract with UConn Health. Substantial budget cuts, a lack of outside oversight and a history of complaints had fanned fears among some lawmakers and civil rights groups about the quality of medical and mental health care being provided to prisoners. The lawsuit filed Sunday highlighted some of the turmoil and pitfalls in the long-running UConn-DOC arrangement. In a May 2018 deposition for a different legal case, correction department Medical Director Kathleen Maurer testified that she repeatedly told Semple the inmates were not receiving care that met the community standard. Delay of care was a repeated concern that came to Dr. Maurers attention as she reviewed medical cases in the DOC, Laboys lawyers, who reviewed the deposition, wrote in the lawsuit. Dr. Maurer said there was essentially no way to hold doctors accountable for their violations, they added. At one point, when talk of inmate health care problems reached the General Assembly, lawmakers directed the correction department to seek a new partnership. Dr. Maurer noted in her testimony that Semple had said to her: We cannot embarass our states flagship university. Dr. Maurer testified that she interpreted defendant Semples response that she was to trade inmate health care for UConns reputation, Laboys lawyers wrote. During the deposition, Dr. Maurer said UConn Health conducted peer reviews of its medical staff, but the reviews did not always reflect what had happened. In a number of cases, DOC would have found violations in policy and procedure, she testified, but UConn Health officials reviewing the same cases would claim there were no violations. When DOC announced last year that it was taking over inmate medical care, UConn Health denied that concerns about the standard of care were behind the decision. Ward, Laboys attorney, said his clients case was symptomatic of broader issues within the correction department. On one hand, we are a state that claims to be compassionate and sympathetic to people who are incarcerated, but in practice that humanity only begins if theyre fortunate enough to make it out of prison, he said. Even after DOC assumed control of inmate care, 90 positions remained vacant as of December - about 15 percent of all medical staff. Front-line workers, including physicians and nurses, have complained of long hours and the impact that is having on the care they provide. Gov. Ned Lamont, who is trying to close a $3.7 billion deficit over the next two fiscal years, has suggested giving the department $616.5 million next year, an $8.5 million increase over the current budget but $7.7 million less than what DOC leaders had requested. I got real emotional On a recent morning, Karine Laboy unfolded a handwritten note from her daughter. It was a birthday letter Tianna had penned for baby Naveah, who just turned one. She looked wistfully at the loopy handwriting. I was supposed to read it to Naveah on her birthday, but I got real emotional, said Laboy, who took custody of her grandchild last year. I havent read it to her yet. Tianna has been in custody since her 2017 arrest for stabbing a companion. She was sentenced last October to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree assault. The chain of events leading to her granddaughters birth still haunts Laboy. She didnt hear what had happened until a full day later. Wednesday morning, I get a picture on my cell phone of a newborn baby. That was my grand-baby, she said. Naveah was born on a Tuesday. She bristles, thinking of her daughter squatting over a toilet seat, shaking in pain. Shortly after Tianna pulled the baby from the toilet, medical staff arrived and cut the umbilical cord, the lawsuit says. She was then taken to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital. I was really devastated that my daughter gave birth in a jail cell, Laboy said. What mother wants to hear that? But the months that followed also held joyful moments, watching her granddaughter grow. Lately, her days are a whirlwind of changing diapers, feeding the baby, meeting with lawyers and signing papers. She is also named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. As wisps of snow fell on a chilly weekend morning, she sat down on a bed in her New Britain home with Naveah in one hand, Tiannas letter in the other. She smoothed out the paper as she began to read aloud. Hi princess, she said. Mommy misses you so much. State Rep. Bill Buckbee (R-67th) has put forth a legislative proposal that would expand jobs and help increase the membership of the states workforce by incentivizing businesses to hire full-time employees. In the event that a business does employ a full-time, new hire, that business will be eligible for a tax credit. I believe the creation of a job expansion tax credit and program to be necessary to help our states employers by offering incentives for the hiring and retention of new employees, said Rep. Buckbee. Providing Connecticuts workforce with more full-time job opportunities would better assist our citizens, their families and the economy within Connecticut, he said. This tax credit would afford businesses the opportunity to take on more employees than they would have considered previous to the creation of this tax credit. According to Buckbee, from 2012-2015, a similar tax credit incentive was responsible for helping create roughly 7,550 jobs. In this time frame, 848 (employer) applicants were approved to receive a tax credit. Providing an employer with a 2.5 percent tax credit would better encourage a business to consider hiring a veteran or unemployed applicant, he said. Should the business hire a previously employed non-veteran, I believe a credit of 2 percent to be acceptable. Buckbee had previously proposed a tax credit that was a static dollar amount. However, with this initiative calling for a percentage to be tied to the new hires salary, a company could see a greater return on larger investments - like filling higher paying positions. The Finance Committee will review the concept over the coming weeks. The committees next action would be to move the concept to the House of Representatives for its consideration of the bill. You are here: Business Alibaba founder Jack Ma's newly-launched African entrepreneurs funding program has partnered up with four African organizations, with their service covering 54 African countries, the Jack Ma Foundation said Monday. The fund, named Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI), has appointed Nailab from Kenya, NINE from Nigeria, RiseUp from Egypt and 22 On Sloane from South Africa as its regional partners. The four organizations will work together to promote the prize program in 54 African countries. The ANPI was launched on Feb. 18, aiming to provide 10 million U.S. dollars to outstanding African entrepreneurs in the coming decade. Ten African entrepreneurs will be awarded each year, with the total funding of one million dollars. The first contest will be open for enrollment to all Africans on March 27, and the final contest is expected to be held in Africa in November. A Cleveland man accused of five bank robberies is facing felony charges, including in connection to robberies in Wickliffe and Eastlake. Pasquale J. Cisternino, of 5310 Carnegie Ave., is charged with a second-degree felony count of robbery for the Wickliffe incident and a third-degree felony count of robbery for the Eastlake incident. Cisternino was arrested on March 3 by Cleveland Police, following a tip on his whereabouts that was called into the FBI. Custody of Cisternino was eventually transferred to Eastlake. Police said he was cooperative when interviewed by local agencies and admitted to his involvement in the robberies. According to Eastlake police, Cisternino was involved in an incident in Willoughby, in addition to the Wickliffe and Eastlake robberies. Cisternino is being held on a $100,000 cash or surety bond and will return for preliminary hearings on March 12 and 13, according to his court file. If convicted of the two robberies alone, Cisternino could face up to 13 years in prison. Over 100 academic and industry stakeholders from 24 countries are meeting on 4-5th March 2019 in Vienna for the 'MicrobiomeSupport Common Ground Workshop' organized by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. The European Union finances the project 'MicrobiomeSupport', led by AIT, to achieve sound scientific results through harmonized research methods and effectively use synergies in different areas of microbiome research. The aim is to secure the sustainable long-term production of food and feed. Our living environment is shared by micro-organisms that influence our life significantly without even being noticeable most of the times. Nonetheless, they play a large role in our health, in the environment and food production. Micro-organisms influence the production and health of crops, their storage and are a relevant factor in hygiene. Workshop coordinator Dr Angela Sessitsch (AIT): 'We want to connect different microbiome stakeholders and disciplines with each other, to support the development of a strategic research and innovation agenda. We are working concretely towards food security, sustainable food production and bioeconomy as well as improved human health.' Food security for a growing population By 2050 an additional 60% of food is required to feed the growing world population. The microbiome can be used to improve production as well as reduce harvest or storage losses - a topic for which AIT has already some research and application successes. The sustainability of food production has to be considered from a global view. As a result MicrobiomeSupport works with partners from over 13 European countries alongside Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Argentina and Brazil, most of which are members of the International Bioeconomy Forum (IBF). In November 2018 the partners met for the first time in a kick-off meeting in Ottawa (Canada) and they are now starting the groundwork for the international microbiome research work in Vienna. The project is a Coordination and Support Action running until October 2022. Source: https://www.eufic.org/en The city of Cambridge, a global hub for research and healthcare innovation, is to host Cambridge BioTech Week from 24-28 June 2019. The week will feature a series of events dedicated to celebrating, showcasing and accelerating the biotechnology and health technology work taking place in and around Cambridge. With events and activities organized by key players in the cluster, the Innovation Forum, the Milner Institute at the University of Cambridge, One Nucleus, Cambridge Wireless and Cambridge Network, the BioTech Week will offer visitors a unique opportunity to meet and network with key opinion leaders from the biotechnology and healthcare sectors, including government representatives, researchers, scientists, pharma and technology innovators, academics, start-ups and investors. Cambridge BioTech Week aims to shine a spotlight on Cambridges strengths in biotechnology, to raise awareness of the exciting work taking place, catalyze new ideas and form new partnerships. The weeks main event will be the Health Horizons - Future Healthcare Forum, a new international healthcare conference taking place from 26-27 June 2019. Dr Marek Tyl, CEO of the Innovation Forum, which organizes the Health Horizons - Future Healthcare Forum, says: I am delighted that the Innovation Forum is part of this bigger initiative in Cambridge to bring this exciting festival of events showcasing the strengths of the Cambridge cluster and the UK as a whole in biotechnology and healthcare. Health Horizons, organized by the Innovation Forum aims to analyze the gaps, challenges and unmet needs of the current global healthcare ecosystem. Speakers and delegates will be looking to define goals for the biopharma and healthcare industry, connecting investment capital with biotech start-ups and identifying strategies, policy and technological solutions that will improve healthcare in the future. Pfizer, the leading global pharmaceutical company is the headline partner of the Health Horizons conference and participating in the BioTech Week. Rory OConnor, MD, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Internal Medicine at Pfizer says: It is critical to bring together interdisciplinary leaders in the healthcare space. Fostering dialogue and collaboration between physicians, patients, academics and industry leaders helps drive medical innovations that can ultimately improve patient care. Claire Ruskin, CEO of Cambridge Network says: Biotech is a huge factor in Cambridges phenomenal growth and Biotech Week will open eyes to the ways in which the sectors and disciplines build from each other there are complementary events in agri-tech, gamification, cleantech in and around Cambridge in the same week for visitors to engage with, and dinner opportunities for cross-sector collaboration. Visitors can expect a range of biotech and business-related events during Biotech Week, including seminars, networking and partnering sessions, dinners and cocktail receptions. A highlight of the week will be the Biotech Showcase, hosted by One Nucleus, that will bring together the most innovative biotech companies in the Cambridge cluster under one roof to give visitors a taste of their work. Simon Mean of Cambridge Wireless adds: Cambridgeshire is internationally renowned for the development of advanced technologies and their application into healthcare, and Cambridge BioTech Week is set to shine a much-deserved spotlight on the capabilities of this region says Simon Mead, CEO of Cambridge Wireless. By assembling the worlds expertise in biotechnology, and stimulating collaborative working through high quality events, our hope is that new business opportunities might arise that bring benefit to the whole of society. The Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) and Penta, the pediatric infectious diseases research network, have joined forces to tackle drug-resistant infections in children. The strategic collaboration aims to accelerate pediatric development of antibiotic treatments including: clinical trials designed to meet regulatory requirements; and trials with a focus on public health interventions to inform treatment guidelines. Globally, more than three million childhood deaths result from infectious diseases, such as pneumonia and sepsis. Children are also particularly affected by antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Europe, a recent study found that infants under one-year-old bear the highest burden of drug-resistant infections, with a major impact on health, economy and society. The impact is expected to be even more severe in many low and middle-income countries. "Ending unnecessary childhood deaths is a global health priority" said Dr Manica Balasegaram, Executive Director, GARDP. "Yet, severe lack of evidence is preventing the development of child-appropriate antibiotics for the treatment of drug-resistant infections. In response to this urgent global public health need, GARDP and Penta have embarked on a joint mission to develop and deliver accessible antibiotic treatments to tackle serious bacterial infections in children." Tackling AMR and its effects on children is critical to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular the children's health targets under SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all. prioritizing the development of child-friendly antibiotics is an essential component of this. Children, particularly babies and infants, need medicines that are adapted to their specific needs. Scarce evidence means child-friendly antibiotic treatment options are often limited, with pediatric evaluation of antibiotics only happening years after treatments are registered for use in adults. GARDP and Penta's partnership consolidates plans to help overcome this gap through the development of a global children's antibiotic platform. Building on Penta's international network of clinical trial sites and pediatric experts, the platform objectives include to: develop streamlined pediatric development plans acceptable to regulatory authorities; accelerate regulatory approval of treatments by ensuring children's trials are started as early as possible; and incorporate innovative designs to maximize the information that can be gained from each trial. "Clinical trials in children involve highly complex ethical, regulatory and study-design issues" said Professor Carlo Giaquinto, President, Penta. "This partnership consolidates existing efforts between GARDP and Penta, allowing us to maximize our expertise in the fields of pediatric treatments and AMR, including Penta's strong partnership with the Medical Research Council's Clinical Trial Unit in London. "The knowledge created can help public health and industry partners to efficiently design and conduct their pediatric plans. This will speed-up access to antibiotics and facilitate the dissemination and routine implementation of global treatment guidelines". GARDP and Penta have established strong relationships with academic and/or government institutions from across Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. Partnerships with countries including Kenya, Greece, India, South Africa and Thailand underpin recent GARDP and Penta collaborations. These include a pharmacokinetic clinical trial in Kenya, to assess safety and dosing of the antibiotic fosfomycin in new-borns, which recently completed enrolment; and a large-scale global observational study on neonatal sepsis, collecting clinical information in up to 3,000 new-borns in 19 hospitals in 11 countries. Such engagement from countries worldwide, will be critical to the success of the platform and its trial networks. "Country partnerships are critical for the children's antibiotic platform to flourish and reach its full potential" concluded Dr Balasegaram "GARDP and Penta call on governments worldwide, as well as academics, donors, maternal child health organizations, public institutions, the private sector, scientists and more, anyone with an interest in overcoming AMR in children - to join us." insights from industry Chris Moreland Global Product Manager Promega Interview with Chris Moreland, Global Product Manager, Integrated Solutions, Promega, conducted by James Ives. Why do scientists need to amplify bacterial DNA for molecular identification and serotyping of food-borne pathogens? Identifying microbes is incredibly important in many industries and is often seen as quality assurance to make sure that the food manufactured or the ingredients used do not contain food-borne bacteria. Many states and countries also require testing for specific species, for example, Salmonella, Listeria, and E. Coli. Image credit: Promega Traditionally, methods for identifying microbes have used differential media. These are solid-state media that require incubation, sometimes overnight, sometimes for up to 48 hours. This can cause critical delays in identifying the microbes that may be present in a food sample. Using molecular techniques, especially amplification-based methods such as endpoint PCR or qPCR, provides faster results that allow decision making within hours rather than days. Serotyping using amplification-based techniques (qPCR, WGS) also provides the ability to differentiate subspecies of a particular pathogen. For example more than 2500 subtypes of Salmonella can be differentiated using molecular methods, providing much more information than traditional techniques. How is the Promega Maxwell RSC Pathogen Kit used to purify bacterial DNA? How is this different from other techniques? The Maxwell RSC PureFood Pathogen Kit is used with our Maxwell RSC instruments. These automated nucleic acid extraction systems use cellulose magnetic particles to bind DNA in a crude sample lysate, and then, through a series of wash steps, remove any inhibitors or materials that are not needed before eluting purified DNA ready for downstream amplification. Image credit: Promega The Maxwell RSC instrument is a cartridge-based system. All the reagents needed for purification are supplied in easy-to-use cartridges. The customer simply adds the sample to the cartridge, places it in the instrument, and runs the protocol. The system automatically performs the extraction, which is a major differentiator from other techniques. Automation eliminates much of the variability due to human error by removing manual-wash steps and pipetting associated with spin columns and other methods. The Maxwell RSC PureFood Pathogen extraction protocol complements amplification-based tests, such as qPCR or NGS, which require high-quality purified DNA. What advantages does the Maxwell RSC Purefood Pathogen Kit give researchers? How does this pathogen kit work? One of the advantages to this technology is that it allows researchers to lyse both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in a single step. Many other kits make use of enzymes to digest cell walls and help break open Gram-positive bacteria. The lysis buffer used in the Maxwell RSC Purefood Pathogen Kit chemically dissolves those bonds to release the DNA from both cell types using a single step. The use of laboratory automation removes variability, eliminating the inconsistency associated with manual techniques. Consistency is assured in the extractions, as well as in replicates. Most importantly, by automating DNA purification and ensuring consistency between runs, Maxwell systems free up scientists to do other things, such as prepping samples or performing downstream analyses, providing more efficiency in their workflows. What benefits does the Maxwell Purefood Pathogen kit have over other pathogen kits available? With a differential medium, an "enrichment step" is done, where suspect food material is placed inside a Stomacher to allow any bacteria present to grow. The sample is then placed on differential media in an incubator. This process takes two days to complete. With Maxwell systems, the overnight incubation enrichment step is still performed, but the subsequent DNA extraction is automated and multiple runs can be completed in an eight-hour shift. The Maxwell RSC instrument can process 16 samples, and the Maxwell RSC 48 can process 48 samples, in about an hour. Image credit: Promega Downstream qPCR analysis may take half an hour to 45 minutes. This automation allows researchers to process 16 to 48 samples, including downstream qPCR, in two or three hours instead of the two days required for manual methods. It's key that laboratories move to more rapid methods of detection that provide actionable information in a faster time frame. If there are concerns about a contaminated piece of raw material or food that's been produced, the result can get back to either the manufacturer or to the lab quickly so that decisions can be made with minimal delay. Can the Maxwell RSC Purefood Pathogen kit be used with any other products to automate the process of pathogen extraction and identification? We also offer a system called the MaxPrep, which can be used with the Maxwell RSC system for automated sample preparation, normalization and qPCR setup. MaxPrep is a liquid handler that has specific protocols to allow the researcher to do their qPCR setup. MaxPrep is equipped with pre-set protocols, so the different steps do not need to be programmed in by the user. On the upstream side of the DNA extraction, MaxPrep can do the sample preparation and setup. The deck tray of the Maxwell RSC or RSC 48 is placed inside the MaxPrep, allowing integration of pre- and post-extraction steps, including dispensing of elution buffer and samples into the RSC cartridges. Using the MaxPrep before and after extraction eliminates a lot of the pain points of manual -processing and is designed to automate the entire workflow. Any DNA eluates that have been extracted are ready to use downstream in qPCR or endpoint PCR. The researcher can also detect or quantify the analytes using qPCR or absorbance, if needed. In addition to expertise, extraction protocols and instrumentation, Promega also provides many of the buffers and enzymes needed for qPCR. What assurances can Promega provide when using this pathogen kit and instrument? All our reagents are tested to rigorous QA standards. All products are supplied with a Certificate of Analysis containing the details of all quality tests. As a product manager I live for feedback, good and bad, not only to improve and develop our existing products, but also to fill gaps with products that we don't currently provide. In the case of the Pathogen Kit, we worked closely with key opinion leaders in the industry early on, engaged with them to understand the challenges that they struggle with. They gave us some very direct feedback that we were able to incorporate into our product requirements during development. The final product is a culmination of that collaboration with the industry. Can you give a brief overview of Promega, the work you do and the industries you serve? Promega products are used by life scientists who are asking fundamental questions about biological processes as well as by scientists who are applying scientific knowledge to diagnose and treat diseases, detect microbial contamination in industrial and food manufacturing processes, discover new therapeutics, and use genetics and DNA testing for human identification. Originally, founded in 1978 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, Promega has branches in 16 countries and more than 50 global distributors serving 100 countries. Where can readers find more information? About Chris Moreland Chris received his MBA from Texas State University and his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Texas A&M University. In April 2013 he joined Promega as a Global Product Manager for nucleic acid purification and is responsible for managing the Maxwell purification product line. Lonza has further expanded its hepatocytes portfolio characterization with the addition of Verified for Spheroids Human Hepatocytes, which are pre-screened for their ability to promote rapid spheroid formation in cell culture. Researchers working in toxicology, disease modeling and DMPK studies can now feel more confident in the performance of Lonzas hepatocytes in their spheroid and other 3-dimensional (3D) culture platforms. Lonzas Verified for Spheroids Human Hepatocytes will be unveiled at the 58th Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting and ToxExpo from 10-14 March in Baltimore, MD (USA). At Booth #3322 Lonza experts will demonstrate how this innovative new range of primary plateable hepatocytes ensures rapid spheroid formation. Physiologically relevant in vitro liver model systems play a crucial role in the success of toxicology, disease modeling and DMPK studies. Conventional 2-dimensional (2D) hepatocyte cultures offer good short-term models, but they tend to rapidly lose typical hepatocyte functionality, which makes them unsuitable for longer-term studies. To address this challenge, self-assembling liver spheroids generated from primary human hepatocytes (PHH) are increasingly employed. These spheroids exhibit in vivo-like cell organization, improve the predictability of known clinical liver toxicants and preserve the viability and functionality of the hepatocytes. However, not all currently available hepatocyte donor batches are capable of forming spheroids in culture. Using spheroids as in vitro liver model systems requires researchers to carefully select donors and thoroughly examine hepatocyte lots in advance. With our Verified for Spheroids Human Hepatocytes, we take on this burden on behalf of our customers, enabling them to focus on what matters most their science." Erica Chamberlin, Technical Specialist, Lonza Poster: Comparison of Primary Human Hepatocyte Spheroid Generation and Performance in Different Culture Systems During the SOT Annual Meeting, Dr. Magdalene Stosik, Senior Scientist at Lonza, will present the results of a study whereby Lonza analyzed and optimized the formation, culture and performance of PHH in different spheroid culture systems. The study also compared metabolic function and viability of the spheroids over 28 days in culture. Primary human hepatocyte spheroids were rapidly generated that exhibited the ability to support liver metabolic function during long-term exposure and repeated dosing toxicology studies. Symposium: 3D Human Organoids for Drug Toxicity, Metabolism and Disease State Studies Lonza will sponsor this symposium, during which guest speaker Dr. Colin Edward Bishop, Professor at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC (USA), will discuss the key role 3D human organoids play in driving innovation across drug toxicity, metabolism and disease state studies. Key Dates to Note: Verified for Spheroids Human Hepatocytes will be demonstrated: 11-13 March, 9:15 am-4:30 pm At Booth #3322 at the Baltimore Convention Center The poster presentation will be held: 11 March, 1:30-3:00 pm On Poster P252 at the Baltimore Convention Center The symposium will be held: Blaming the victim, usually a female, is common in sexual assault cases, but in some places it's more prevalent than others. So, when University of Michigan researchers adapted Relationship Remix--the sexual violence prevention program delivered to incoming U-M students--for use at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, they tailored it to address the rape myths and other specific issues facing students there. Researchers hope that the program changes attitudes about assault and victim blaming at Cape Coast, with the goal of adapting and implementing it in other universities in Ghana and worldwide to help curtail sexual violence. Like the Relationship Remix program here, the Ghanaian version is delivered for students by students, said Michelle Munro-Kramer, U-M assistant professor in nursing and one of the project's principal investigators. But, researchers tweaked the content and message to better address specific issues more prevalent in Ghana. For instance, while alcohol is a huge factor in campus sexual assaults in the United States, that's not the case in Ghana, Munro-Kramer said. And here, the focus is on assaults by peers, while in Ghana many assaults are committed by people in power, such as professors or graduate instructors. Preliminary results are positive: feedback from students who've gone through the program suggests they're rethinking aspects of gender relations. "We are beginning to see initial changes in rape myth acceptance. In Ghana, there are some pretty severe gender equality issues and large endorsement of rape myths," Munro-Kramer said. "Even during the program we could see students starting to think about things and challenge each other and ask questions, even if they didn't wholeheartedly change their attitudes. This is a good sign." One great thing about adapting Relationship Remix for different locations and cultures is that it avoids reinventing the wheel, Munro-Kramer said. That's important because resources for sexual assault and relationship counseling are scarce. "We think this can be quickly adapted to partners and universities around the world," she said. To that end, Munro-Kramer and co-investigator Sarah Rominski, assistant research professor in the U-M Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, took six students from the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center and Sexperteam to Ghana to train 10 Ghanaian students. Sexperteam is the peer education group housed at University Health Services. Caitlin Choi, a former nursing student on the team, said it gave her valuable experience in the field. The U-M students led sessions on the background of sexual violence, talking about sexual health, recognizing biases, self-care, facilitation skills and answering difficult questions. The students then practiced administering the program to one another. "As a nursing student, it is rare to find experience outside of a clinical setting," Choi said. "During our stay in Cape Coast, I saw how nursing research extends beyond the hospital walls. It has broadened my idea of what it means to be a health care provider and health advocate." Munro-Kramer said the next step is to formally evaluate attitudes toward sexual violence among students in Ghana who participated in the program, and whether incidents of sexual violence have decreased. "The are many outcomes for sexual violence," she said. "There are health effects and economic consequences because victims use more health and counseling services. They may even drop out of school. Being able to work as a community to prevent sexual violence is really important." The research appears in the journal Violence Against Women. By loading a chelation drug into a nano-sized homing device, researchers at Clemson University have reversed in an animal model the deadliest effects of chronic kidney disease, which kills more people in the United States each year than breast or prostate cancer. When kidneys stop working properly, calcium builds up in artery tissue, leading to heart disease. Although nearly half a million Americans receive kidney dialysis, heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with chronic kidney disease. "The findings are very exciting scientifically, but also for the thousands of patients who could potentially benefit from this technology one day," said Naren Vyavahare, the Hunter Endowed Chair and professor of bioengineering at Clemson and the principal investigator of the research. Chelation, a method of removing metals such as iron and lead from the body, has been used experimentally for some people with heart disease. The therapy is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but the National Institutes of Health has sponsored two large-scale, multi-center studies using ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid, or EDTA, as chelation therapy for people with heart disease. In clinical studies, EDTA is included in an infusion that circulates through the body; it's systemic and non-specific. This method of chelation has shown good results in improving heart function, especially in diabetic patients, Vyavahare said. But EDTA infusion therapy is arduous (it requires 40 infusions over a period of a year), and it can cause side effects, including a depletion of calcium from the blood and from bone. In 2014, Clemson Vyavahare's team proved a targeted approach is effective. In animals without kidney disease, they loaded nanoparticles with EDTA and special antibodies that recognize and latch onto damaged elastin to deliver the therapy directly to arterial sites damaged by calcification. Now, in a paper published Feb. 22, 2019, in Scientific Reports, a Nature publication, Vyavahare's team members describe how they developed an animal model that mimics a human's chronic kidney disease. Animals were treated with EDTA infusions like in the NIH human trials and with EDTA enclosed in a nanoparticle coupled with an antibody that seeks out damaged elastin. In animals that received the targeted therapy, calcium buildup was destroyed without causing side effects. Moreover, the calcification did not come back up to four weeks after the last injection, even though other signs of chronic kidney disease were present. "Dr. Vyavahare's work is extremely important for those of us who believe that calcium is not just a passive indicator of coronary disease, but also an active participant," said Gervasio Lamas, chairman of medicine and chief of cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida. Lamas, principal investigator of the NIH-funded Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy 2, was not involved in the Clemson study. "The potential with a targeted drug is enormous, and the methodology for targeting that Dr. Vyavahare has developed is unique," Lamas said. Vyavahare and his co-authors wrote that in a previous study they showed that polyphenols, when delivered with nanoparticles, "regenerate degraded aortic elastin. Thus, there is an exciting opportunity of dual nanoparticle therapy to first remove calcium deposits using EDTA and then restore medial elastin layers with (polyphenols)." Vyavahare has been studying elastin degradation and damages caused by calcification for nearly 20 years. He's director of the South Carolina Center of Biomaterials for Tissue Regeneration. The nanoparticle delivery technology has been licensed by Elastrin Therapeutics, a startup company Vyavahare helped found. He serves as chief science officer of the company. "With recent funding we received from NIH to carry out more studies on understanding how reversal of calcification works, and Elastrin Therapeutics Inc. licensing this technology from Clemson University, we believe we would be able to translate this approach for use in clinical trials within the next few years," Vyavahare said. Even among cancers, pancreatic cancer is an especially sinister form of disease. The one-year survival rate is extremely low, and treatment progress has lagged behind that of many other malignancies. A study published today in the journal Nature Medicine led by researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) describes a new therapeutic approach with potential for patients with pancreatic cancer. These researchers discovered a combination drug therapy that may effectively combat the disease. HCI researchers first observed anti-cancer impacts in a laboratory setting and, subsequently, in its first use in a human patient. The study has already progressed to a clinical trial that is now open at HCI and will soon be open at other sites in the United States. Details about the clinical trial, called THREAD, are available under National Clinical Trial Number 03825289. The combination therapy uses two drugs already approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration for other diseases, including cancer. The new drug combination is administered through pills taken orally. Pancreatic tumors are characterized by mutations in a gene called KRAS. When KRAS is mutated in this way, it sends constant signals that promote abnormal cell division and growth in cancer cells. As a result, tumors grow out of control. At the same time, like all cells, pancreatic cancer cells must recycle their components to provide building blocks for new growth in an essential cell function known as autophagy. Previous studies to combat pancreatic cancer that were focused either on the role of KRAS or on impacting autophagy were not effective. The new HCI study, using an approach that simultaneously targets both abnormal KRAS signaling and the autophagy process, shows a strong response in mouse models and may be a promising therapy for patients with pancreatic cancer. Conan Kinsey, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist at Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Department of Internal Medicine at the U of U and Martin McMahon, PhD, a cancer researcher at HCI and Professor of Dermatology at the U of U, led the study. "We were able to observe that the combination of these two drugs - which, when used individually, don't have much of an impact on the disease - appears to have a very potent impact on the growth of pancreatic cancer," says McMahon. "We have observed this in the lab in petri dishes, then in mouse models, and now in a pancreatic cancer patient on a compassionate use basis. Indeed, we proceeded from a petri dish to a patient in less than two years - a timeline that is rarely seen in medical science." The HCI-led research is bolstered by a separate study published in the same issue of the journal. This study outlines complementary findings regarding the effects of autophagy in pancreatic cancer in the laboratory setting and was led by Channing Der, PhD, Sarah Graham Kenan, PhD, and Kirsten Bryant, PhD, at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. McMahon and Der learned about the parallel nature of their research programs at a scientific meeting one year ago. Given the critical need for advances in pancreatic cancer therapies and the promise of their collective findings, they worked together to push their studies forward on a companion basis. "In our paper, we show the response of a pancreatic cancer patient who had received surgery and multiple lines of chemotherapy prior to this combination," said Kinsey, who was also the patient's physician. "This patient, who has since succumbed to the disease, nevertheless had a remarkable response to these drugs for several months. We need to carefully evaluate this new combination therapy in the context of clinical trials to better understand if good responses might be seen in multiple patients. We also need to identify the specific features of any patient who may benefit, before any recommendation can be made about use on a larger scale." These preliminary findings are being rigorously scrutinized in clinical trials to observe and understand whether the combination of these drugs is safe and effective for pancreatic cancer patients. The trial is underway at HCI and is underway or planned at the University of California, San Francisco, and Columbia University in New York. Source: https://huntsmancancer.org/newsroom/2019/03/promising-new-pancreatic-cancer-treatment.php A rare plant found only at two sites in central Wyoming has persisted, in part, because it can recover from relatively low densities and grows at different rates within each location, according to new research led by a University of Wyoming scientist. The desert yellowhead, which grows on fewer than 55 acres in the Beaver Rim area of Fremont County, has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 2002. The new research, published by lead author Reilly Dibner, a postdoctoral researcher formerly at UW's Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, provides insights into how the plant has managed to survive in small, stable numbers. But the scientists say its long-term future is difficult to predict because of increasingly variable rainfall patterns and warming. The research paper appears today in Ecological Monographs, a scientific journal of the Ecological Society of America. Other authors are from the University of Colorado-Boulder and Duke University. "A small, isolated population like this generally is thought to have a high probability for extinction, but several mechanisms have allowed the desert yellowhead to persist so far," says Dibner, who received her Ph.D. from UW's Program in Ecology. "While this plant has shown remarkable stability over its short known history, we lack the ability to confidently predict its future chances of survival." The plant, also known as "yermo" -- which comes from its scientific name, Yermo xanthocephalus -- was discovered in 1990 by botanist Robert Dorn in the Sand Draw area southeast of Riverton. That population was monitored closely for a decade by Central Wyoming College faculty member Richard Scott and his wife, Beverly, along with other volunteers. In 2010, as a result of extensive searches by UW's Natural Diversity Database and the Bureau of Land Management, a second, smaller population of desert yellowhead was discovered by UW scientists Bonnie Heidel and Joy Handley about five miles away at Cedar Rim. The desert yellowhead has attracted attention because of its unusual geographic distribution, uniqueness and extreme rarity. It's not known if the desert yellowhead has always had such a limited range or if it once was distributed more broadly. Dibner and the other researchers used detailed population data collected by the Scotts, along with five years of data from their own study, to assess the factors that allow the desert yellowhead to survive in such small numbers. They concluded that several mechanisms are in place to keep the plant from disappearing. The research found that despite the low density of the desert yellowhead -- there are fewer than 15,000 individual plants scattered across the 55 acres -- these populations survive partly because of a principle called negative density dependence. This means that the populations tend to grow fastest when at low numbers, allowing them to bounce back from low numbers. "In particular, negative density dependence is an important mechanism allowing subpopulations to recover from unfavorable environmental conditions," the researchers wrote. Additionally, diversity in the plant's responses to precipitation, soils and other environmental factors has served as a stabilizing mechanism for the desert yellowhead. For example, some of the plants growing below steep slopes respond relatively poorly during wet years, while dry years are harder on plants located in flatter areas. That makes the desert yellowhead more likely to persist in a variable climate, the scientists say. The researchers used computer simulations to attempt to predict the future population of the desert yellowhead. Simulations based on historical numbers estimated a substantially greater chance of long-term survival than simulations based on the more recent five-year study, but the scientists say that's likely because of drier-than-average climate conditions during the more recent study. "We found that longer-term census data gave more realistic, higher estimates of population stability than did our shorter-term demographic study," they wrote. "What remains unclear is whether or not central Wyoming will face wetter or drier conditions with climate change, or how increasing temperatures will mediate effects of moisture for yermo," they added. "Thus, as with most other species, we still lack the ability to predict confidently the dynamics with changing abiotic (nonbiological) conditions." Global engineering company Renishaw has collaborated with two advanced technology companies to demonstrate the advantages of additive manufacturing (AM) in the production of spinal implants. By working with Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) and nTopology, the project shows how streamlined the transition from design to AM can be when working with the right partners. Spinal implant in model Manufacturing research organisation IMR designed a representative titanium spinal implant, aimed at the cervical spine (c spine), using advanced manufacturing software company nTopologys generative design software. IMR then manufactured the implants using Renishaws RenAM 500M metal AM system. AM can be used to manufacture spinal implants with lattice structures, which cannot be achieved with conventional manufacturing techniques. An implant with a lattice structure is lightweight, can be optimised to meet the required loading conditions and has a greater surface area, which can aid osseointegration. Therefore, AM implants can be designed to mimic the mechanical properties of bone, resulting in better patient outcomes. But all of this comes to nothing if you do not have the tools to create the design. Ed Littlewood, Marketing Manager of Renishaws Medical and Dental Products Division Traditional CAD tools werent built to design complex lattice structures; the job would be difficult or even impossible. Topology was designed to complement existing workflows and make the job easier. We cut the design time of complex structures from days to minutes which was a crucial component in helping this project run to schedule. Matt Rohr, nTopologys Application Engineering Manager Renishaw worked tirelessly with us on improving the AM process for producing the spinal implants. Together, we designed a set of experiments that yield the most appropriate parameter settings for the product. As a result, we reduced the amount of post processing required on key features of the implants by a factor of ten. Sean McConnell, Senior Research Engineer at IMR Patients with medical conditions including degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis and osteoporosis can require spinal implants to restore intervertebral height. The improved implant design made possible by AM means patients may require shorter surgery time and fewer revision surgeries, saving healthcare resources and costs. Renishaw also uses its AM machines to produce healthcare products, such as craniomaxillofacial implants and dental frameworks, at its site in Miskin, South Wales. A large multi-center study of more than 1,200 patients provides important predictors of Parkinson's disease progression, which will allow better candidate selection for clinical trials and more effective therapy development. The study, led by Dr. Ron Postuma at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital) and the Montreal General Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre, followed 1,280 patients with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder. This is the largest study ever performed on patients with this disorder, which causes violent acting out of dreams as the normal paralysis during sleep is lost. REM sleep disorder has been closely correlated with Parkinson's disease (PD) and related diseases such as Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy. To test drugs that may prevent PD from occurring, researchers need to identify people who are at high risk of the disease before it develops. The period between development of REM sleep disorder and symptoms of PD is particularly long, making those with the disorder good candidates for clinical trials to test new PD therapies. To select patients for clinical trials, however, it is important to know as precisely as possible what chances each patient has of developing PD, as there is significant variability among those with REM sleep disorder. In the present study, patients performed tests that measured their motor, cognitive, autonomic and special sensory abilities over a period of years. Researchers found that 73.5 per cent of the patients had developed PD after 12 years of follow up, and that patients who experienced motor difficulties were three times more likely to develop PD or related diseases. Other significant indicators of future PD development included mild cognitive and olfactory impairment. Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging is a technique used to test patients for future PD progression. Interestingly, this relatively complicated and expensive test was not found to be any more effective at predicting PD progression than the motor testing, which is a simple office-based test that takes five minutes to administer. While previous studies of REM sleep disorder and PD came from single centers, this study was done across multiple centers in North America, Europe and Asia, making the findings more robust. Overall, the findings will improve the selection process for clinical trials and help doctors prioritize patients for therapies that prevent the disease. "We confirmed a very high risk of PD in people with REM sleep disorder and found several strong predictors of this progression," says Dr. Postuma. "As new disease-modifying treatments are being developed for PD and related diseases, these patients are ideal candidates for neuroprotective trials." A research conducted by the INc-UAB shows that the same perinatal brain injury caused by hypoxia and ischemia have differentiated effects on each gender, but can be improved through tactile and proprioceptive stimuli. Petting and massaging the mice in the first stages of their life provided neurological protection in their adult life, especially in male mice in which the injury was reduced by half. Perinatal brain injuries hinder neurological capabilities throughout life, causing anything from fine motor problems to severe cognitive limitations. At the same time, therapy treatments currently available are very limited. That is why other types of interventions to help counter these effects are being explored. Now, a new study by researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (INc-UAB), led by Dr Lydia Gimenez-Llort, demonstrates that tactile and proprioceptive stimulation -related to the tactile perception and that of the body's own position, muscle bone, balance and coordination of movements- improves the effects of perinatal hypoxic and ischemic brain injuries throughout the life of the mice. This improvement mainly benefits male mice, in which the neurological damage is reduced by half. The study, published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, was conducted with mouse models of preterm birth. "We currently know that the immature brain of preterm infants, equivalent to that of mice when born, is at a larger risk for hypoxic-ischemic damage, and male newborns are more susceptible and respond worse to protective and therapeutic interventions", co-author of the study Mireia Recasens points out. "Our work provides important information on this serious health problem with a damage of 1-3.5 and 6 of every thousand births in developed and developing countries, respectively". Sensory stimulation was applied from before the injury occurred until the final stages of infancy, a period in preterm infants equivalent to being born at seven months until two years. The manipulation consisted in tactile and propioceptive stroking and massaging of the mice three times within an eight-minute period, twice a day. The results revealed that this intervention had a notable neurological protection on both genders throughout their lives, but researchers highlight that the effects were especially positive among males. The histopathological analysis in males demonstrated 50% less brain damage compared to the non-stimulated mice. There was a 30% decrease among female mice. The neurological protection in both genders was correlated to the improvement of functional capacities, reflexes, and an improvement in memory results. In relation to brain areas, the region involved with motor control and learning and memory (caudate/putamen) was the one to register the largest difference in males, with 80% less damage. In females, the main improvement was a 66% reduction in atrophy to the corpus callosum, a nerve tract connecting the left and right brain hemispheres. "The study illustrates the preventive and therapeutic potential of these types of stimulations in newborns with brain injuries, in a short yet very intense period at levels of brain development and plasticity. It also gives support to the different scientific approaches advocating for the transcendence of perinatal conditions - from sensory stimulation to maternal contact and a warm and protective environment - and its role as an adjuvant to current therapies", highlights Dr Gimenez-Llort, who is also a member of the International Gender Medicine (IGM) and the ISNA, an international association of sensory stimulation and snoezelen, which studies its effects. One same injury with different effects according to gender The research also analyzed for the first time the impact of perinatal hypoxic and ischemic brain injuries, demonstrating that although the same degree of neuropathological severity exists, the damage affects each gender's functional, neurological, cognitive and emotional capacities differently depending on the stage of life and task undertaken. "During the infant stage, the damage affects balance, particularly among females, and prehension in males, but both aspects improve as they grow and only reflexes remain damaged. Male mice showed to have infantile hyperactivity, which normalizes as they became adults. In contrast, the anxiety and emotional traits of these injuries lasted throughout their lives. Both genders showed poorer learning processes at short and long terms, but there was more damage to memory among the males", explains Aida Muntsant, PhD student at the INc-UAB and first author of the paper. The functional evaluations were correlated with the degree of severity of the affected brain areas: hippocampus, caudate/putamen, thalamus, neocortex and corpus callosum. Rehabilitation targets "As a whole, the study shows the different neuronal substrates needed to satisfy functional demands and points to the most resilient neuroanatomical targets to repair these functions through postnatal stimulation", points out Dr Kalpana Shrisvastava, specialist in neuroimmunology and co-first author of the paper. "Despite the obvious differences between rodents and humans, the study shows the complex relationship between different regions of the brain, risk factors, vulnerability and resilience, and all dependant on gender and age. It also provides new data on behavioral neuroscience within the field of neonatology and the area of pediatric functional rehabilitation, defining a translational scenario in which to study the underlying mechanisms of the functional and neuropathological correlates found", concludes Dr Lydia Gimenez-Llort. Now that people infected with HIV are living longer due to effective therapies, it is imperative to understand why their risks from cardiovascular disease are about 50 percent higher than the general population, according to the Canadian Journal of Cardiology Since the advent of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has become more like a chronic illness. Now that patients are able to live longer and remain free of developing AIDS, they have begun to encounter new risks from age-related disorders common in the general population, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Who is best suited to treat these patients is not clear, since HIV specialists may not have the expertise to manage CVD, and cardiologists may lack adequate training in understanding HIV-related disease processes or treatments. To address these gaps in clinical care, the latest issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology presents up-to-date guidance for cardiologists and other clinicians who treat this growing and challenging patient population. "Survivors of the AIDS epidemic face a variety of new threats to their health, including an increased risk of diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cancer, bone diseases, neurocognitive disorders, and CVD, due to the cumulative effects of exposure to HIV, prolonged immune suppression, chronic inflammation, and the adverse effects of ART," explains David D. Waters, MD, Division of Cardiology at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and the Department of Medicine of the University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1,122,900 adults and adolescents were living with HIV in the United States by the end of 2015. Of those, 162,500 (15 percent) had not received a diagnosis. Worldwide, an estimated 35 million people have HIV. Although deaths from AIDS-related illnesses have declined dramatically since the 1990s, deaths from CVD in people with HIV have more than doubled over the past two decades. Studies have shown a two-fold greater risk of myocardial infarction (MI) for persons with HIV even after adjusting for CVD risk factors. As more HIV patients age, cardiologists' services will be in even greater demand. Cardiologist Priscilla Y. Hsue, MD, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Zuckerberg San Francisco Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA, discusses mechanisms of cardiovascular disease in the setting of HIV infection. According to Dr. Hsue, the types of CVD occurring in HIV have shifted over the years from pericardial effusion and dilated cardiomyopathy to conditions such as atherosclerosis, arrhythmic complications, and heart failure. Factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of CVD in HIV include a preponderance of traditional risk factors (such as hypertension, lipid abnormalities, cigarette smoking, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease), leaky gut and microbial translocation, T-cell activation and cytomegalovirus coinfection, chronic inflammation, platelet abnormalities, and side effects from antiretroviral therapy. Even in the setting of effectively treated HIV infection, HIV-associated factors are strong contributors to CVD; for example, an association exists between chronic inflammation and CVD in both HIV and non-HIV patients. Dr. Hsue discusses evidence regarding the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory medications in reducing CVD events. She also makes the important point that persons living with HIV represent a unique model of chronic inflammation and thus, "findings gleaned from studies in HIV patients can help to identify anti-atherosclerotic targets that may benefit broader populations." Dr. Hsue believes that the cellular mechanisms that underlie "ordinary" atherosclerosis may be amplified in HIV patients. "On a molecular level, monocytes/macrophages, platelet reactivity, and immune cell activation may be heightened in the setting of HIV and contribute to HIV-associated atherosclerosis." She also cites evidence that HIV-related atherosclerosis is structurally distinct from atherosclerosis in non-HIV individuals. Chronic inflammation and immune activation are also considered the primary drivers of HIV-associated coronary artery disease (CAD). Arjun Sinha, MD, MS, and Matthew Feinstein, MD, MS, examine the clinical features of CAD in HIV patients. "Inflammation is now recognized as an important factor in cardiovascular disease, however, the reason for increased inflammation in patients who develop heart disease, especially in those living with HIV, remains unclear," notes Dr. Sinha, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. "Despite treatment with antiretroviral therapy that eradicates the HIV virus from the blood, low levels of the virus remain active in the intestines leading to changes in the intestinal lining and bacteria. How these changes lead to increased inflammation and heart disease is an important area of research as it can have broader implications for the population at large." Numerous studies have shown increased plaque buildup and heart attacks in people living with HIV. This is despite the fact that the vast majority are well treated with ART. During the initial years of ART, some HIV medications were thought to be the reason behind this increased risk because they would cause weight gain, high cholesterol, and triglycerides. While this was a valid concern, current ARTs do not have those side effects. However, the increased CVD risk remains. "We are learning that even after suppression of the virus in the blood with these newer agents, there is increased inflammation and changes in the immune system that put these individuals at a higher risk of heart attacks. The HIV virus still hides in certain parts of the body such as the intestines likely leading to these problematic changes," notes Dr. Feinstein, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. The authors also delve into differences in the presentation and outcomes of CAD and acute coronary syndrome between HIV-infected and non-infected patients, including lower age at presentation, more non-calcified plaque, increased risk of 30-day in-hospital mortality and recurrent MI, and higher risk of ST-segment elevation MIs, and the higher risks observed in women vs. men with HIV. The authors emphasize the importance of early and continuous ART therapy in reducing CVD risk and find that many risk estimation tools developed from general populations underestimate CVD risk in HIV patients. "We also have to become better at predicting the risk of future cardiovascular events in people living with HIV so that we can identify who will benefit from starting therapies that are already available," comments Dr. Sinha. This special issue also includes reviews on other cardiovascular concerns for patients with HIV, such as stroke, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and arrhythmias. Dr. Timothy Ryan and colleagues consider the role of vascular imaging in the risk assessment of people with HIV. Dr. Pierre Gigere provides an in-depth description of potential drug-drug interactions between ART and CV medications, which is especially important when treating patients who take multiple drugs and have several comorbidities. Dr. Bobby Yanagawa discusses cardiac surgery in HIV patients, including protective measures for the surgical staff. "People with HIV have significantly higher risk for heart disease, including heart attack and heart failure, than people without HIV. This higher risk remains, even after accounting for demographic factors, common heart disease risk factors, and HIV medications. The majority of people with HIV in high income countries are now over 50 years old. This underscores the importance of understanding WHY people with HIV get heart disease and HOW we can curb the HIV-heart disease epidemic," says Dr. Feinstein. Cancer researcher Professor Jennifer Byrne from the University of Sydney is hoping to change this with the creation of a world-first fact-checking program that is tackling the problem of incorrectly published biomedical research results, whether intentional or otherwise. In a paper, published in PLOS ONE, Professor Byrne and colleague Dr Cyril Labbe of the University of Grenoble Alpes (France) detail 'Seek & Blastn', the fact-checking computer program they have developed and made freely available to researchers. The program verifies the identities of published nucleotide sequence reagents (DNA and RNA constructs used to target genes) by seeking out sequences within papers and running them through a database holding the wealth of knowledge on genes to date. "Biomedical reagents are like ingredients in cooking. You use them to discover your experimental results. Doing an experiment with wrong reagents either means that you cook something different from what you thought you were cooking, or what you cook is a failure," said Byrne, Professor of Medical Oncology in the Sydney Medical School. "Unfortunately with experiments, failures are not always as obvious as they are in the kitchen. And here we are dealing with fundamental genetic research, and other researchers are using these failures as building blocks for their own work." In a cohort of 155 research papers, the new fact-checker combined with manual analysis identified 25 per cent of papers as having sequence errors. The researchers were testing on a suspected group of the papers so while the figure doesn't reflect a baseline error rate, the numbers are still startling. "That's quite a lot of wrong sequences in a small group of papers and there will be many more out there, unfortunately, given that nucleotide sequence reagents have been described in literally hundreds of thousands of biomedical publications," said Professor Byrne. The researchers found that errors represented both identity errors (sequences which were completely incorrect) and typographic errors (sequences that contained the equivalent of spelling mistakes). The authors propose that sequence identity errors could represent a particular hallmark of research fraud, and could be applied to identify fraudulent papers and manuscripts. "Our hope is that tools like Seek & Blastn will prospectively deter publications that describe incorrect nucleotide sequence reagents and may flag existing publications so that their conclusions can be re-evaluated," said Professor Byrne. Errors uncovered included: Sequence reagents that are supposed to target a particular gene, but are in fact predicted to target a different gene from that stated in the publication, resulting in acquired data having nothing to do with system under study. Sequence reagents that are not supposed to target any gene (as a negative control) but instead are predicted to target a human gene, meaning researchers aren't comparing experimental data to a proper negative control. Sequence reagents that are supposed to target a human gene that in fact don't seem to target any gene, which could result in experiments not working but researchers being unaware. Professor Byrne, named in Nature journal's Top 10 researcher for 2017, is well known for her detective work uncovering fraudulent results published in scientific journals. Her work so far has resulted in seventeen retractions, but she says the process is slow and arduous, with the lack of responses from journals disheartening. In an editorial in Nature last month she wrote: "Such papers claim to uncover mechanisms behind a swathe of cancers and rare diseases. They could derail efforts to identify easily measurable biomarkers for use in predicting disease outcomes or whether a drug will work. "We create the literature that we deserve. We must act against this under-recognized threat to valid science." Source: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2019/03/04/world-first-program-uncovers-errors-biomedical-research-results.html Researchers at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute are evaluating a first-of-its-kind blood test for detecting colorectal cancer. Their findings may help propel the test toward inclusion in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recommendations for colorectal cancer screening. The blood test, which the Food and Drug Administration recently approved, looks for an abnormal gene called SEPT9 associated with colorectal cancer. During the study, 300 women across West Virginia will volunteer to have their blood drawn and tested for the gene. If the test detects SEPT9, a healthcare provider will recommend that the patient undergo colonoscopy--a more invasive procedure that can both diagnose and treat colorectal cancers. In that procedure, a gastroenterologist inserts a tube into the colon and can remove precancerous growths or early cancers and take a sample of more advanced cases, explained WVU researcher Richard Goldberg. "Most of the time, the test will be negative, and those people will be off the hook. They can be reassured that, right now, everything's good," said Goldberg, who directs the Cancer Institute. He and Stephenie Kennedy-Rea, director of Cancer Prevention and Control at WVU, are leading the study. "We're trying to find the people who have abnormal results," he said. "The research protocol will cover their colonoscopy if they don't have insurance." By comparing the blood test results to the colonoscopy results, the researchers will assess the blood test's accuracy and sensitivity. A range of screening options already exists for colorectal cancer, but this study will help researchers understand the cost-effectiveness and ease of access that a blood test would offer. Alternative procedures sometimes make people so squeamish that they opt not to get screened. "People delay or do not screen for a number of reasons, including fear, access to care, lack of insurance that covers the test, travel, time and lack of awareness for the need of colorectal cancer screening," said Kennedy-Rea, who is also the associate director of the WVU Cancer Institute. "We need to shine the light on the need for colorectal cancer screening and the fact that there are a number of evidence-based screening options available to patients." Living far from a healthcare provider trained and equipped for colorectal cancer screening can be a formidable barrier to care in rural locations. "If there's not a gastroenterologist in your 10-county area in southern West Virginia and you've chosen colonoscopy as your preferred method of screening, you're unlikely to get it done. If you don't even have access to a primary care doctor and your main care is through an emergency room, you're not going to have a stool-based test done," Goldberg said. Instead of asking patients to travel to a doctor's office, the researchers are bringing the blood test to them. For a decade, WVU has used Bonnie's Bus, a mobile mammography unit, to deliver breast cancer screenings to rural West Virginians. Now WVU can offer the colorectal-cancer blood test study to women coming to Bonnie's Bus for breast cancer screening. "This study is testing the acceptability of the screening test in our population and the feasibility of offering this alternative colorectal cancer screening on a mobile mammography unit," Kennedy-Rea said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colorectal cancer screening rates lag behind those for cervical or breast cancer. Although 81 percent of women report being up to date on pap smears, and 72 percent report having a recent mammogram, only 63 percent of women--and 62 percent of men--can say the same about colorectal cancer screening. Yet early detection of colorectal cancer can mean the difference between life and death. Patients diagnosed with stage 1 colorectal cancer have a 95 percent chance of being cured. That percentage plunges to 10 percent if the cancer has progressed to stage 4. "There's a lot of interest in blood tests for managing cancer, now that the technology has improved to the point that we can isolate circulating DNA from blood," Goldberg said. "It's not a standard approach yet, but in 10 years--and, I hope, sooner--I project it will be." Source: https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2019/03/04/wvu-researchers-pursue-blood-test-for-colorectal-cancer Bharat Bandh LIVE: Tribal and Dalit rights organisations have called for an all-India bandh on Tuesday against the Supreme Court order on their eviction from their habitat. Though the court had put a stay on its order after the petition by the Centre, the tribal groups are of the opinion that it is a temporary relief in the absence of a law and are demanding that the Centre bring in an ordinance to ensure their rights are protected.Several Bahujan groups will also be part of the protests, especially in view of the Supreme Courts recent dismissal of a review petition on a 13-point roster, which will affect the chances of SC, ST, and OBC candidates to take up faculty posts in universities. They are demanding an ordinance that will overturn the roster for department-wise recruitment system in universities. New Catwoman run delves into some Dangerous Liaisons (or is it Cruel Intentions) in first look preview Two top Marvel creators jump to DC for Catwoman GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Sorry! This content is not available in your region All eyes are now on this week's grand assembly, China's most important political gatherings, known as the "Two Sessions." This year are the second annual session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, and the second annual session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, opening on March 3 and 5, respectively. These events will be watched with great attention by the global public over the course of the next two weeks, and will provide a good opportunity to China watchers around the world to better understand China's governance. This year's Two Sessions hold special significance since this year and the next will be a decisive period for meeting the 2020 target for becoming a moderately prosperous society in all respects. It is expected that the Two Sessions will produce a blueprint for the last phase of the "Chinese Dream" to be realized, just before the 100th anniversary of the founding the Communist Party of China (CPC). Ending extreme poverty by 2020 Needless to say, China under the leadership of the CPC has made remarkable strides in economic, social and cultural fields in the past 40 years, lifting more than 700 million people out of poverty, which is by far the greatest contribution to human welfare and real human rights by any country in the world. But at the same time, it can be said that although millions of people have risen out of poverty since reform and opening up, a development gap still remains between urban and rural regions, especially between the eastern coastal cities and more rural inland regions. The country still needs to lift around 30 million more people out of poverty. As 2020 gets closer, more efforts are needed to stamp out absolute poverty and lead China towards modernity. Environmental clean-up for a "Beautiful China" In today's world, pollution control is a prominent issue for all nations. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China, with its vast area and immense population, has been taking environmental issues seriously toward building a "Beautiful China." The country has attached great importance to green development and ecological progress, bringing tangible benefits to its people. China's actions for ecological advancement in the last five years have won worldwide praise, and it also successfully met its annual target for pollution control in 2018. However, it is now known that 3.3 million hectares of farmland in China have been contaminated with heavy metals, and 79 cities, including Beijing, were blanketed in thick winter smog in November and December last year. As such, it is hoped that the well-being of rural communities, environmental resources and sustainable future development will be key themes for realizing a beautiful China. Moreover, it is hoped that China will implement tougher measures against polluters who generate illegal emissions that blight people's quality of life in key areas of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze and Pearl River deltas. Final implementation of the 13th Five-Year Plan It should be noted here that the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee released the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) proposals, which drew a new blueprint for China's future economic and social development. The plans highlight innovation, coordination, green development, opening-up and sharing, as well as structural reforms and serving the well being of all society. We can fully expect that during this year's sessions of the NPC and CPPCC, Chinese lawmakers and political advisors will surely focus on the final implementation of the 13th Five-Year development program to realize the Chinese Dream. Reform and opening up under the BRI framework As far as the world is concerned, China's technological and infrastructural development, as well as economic development during the past five years, has been astounding. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a road map for China's future as an open platform to promote shared prosperity at the global level. It is the hope of many that during the Two Sessions, Chinese leaders will further validate China's commitment to the prosperity of its people and a shared future for humanity under the framework of BRI. It is also expected that China will promote coordination and cooperation with major countries and other developing countries, further deepening reform and opening up. To sum up, it can be said that the Two Sessions have provided a window for the world to peek into China's governance and future; we hope now that the deliberations of 2019's meetings will be a milestone in the process to realize the Chinese Dream of rejuvenating the nation, and will also benefit China's friends all around the world. The author is the cultural secretary at New Horizon Radio Listeners' Club, based in West Bengal, India. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Each of the four seasons on Mount Huangshan has its own beauty and therefore tourists can go there whenever they are in the mood, without worrying whether it is the right time to visit. Spring is marked by blooming flowers that decorate the slopes in a riot of colors, accompanied by a symphony of scents and wildlife. Spring usually comes in April but the higher you go up the mountain, the later you will experience the onset of spring. Tourists will see more vibrant waterfalls at this time of year because of the abundant precipitation. [China.org.cn] New Delhi : Tata Altroz has finally been unvelied at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday. The much-awaited car of the year was unveiled by Tata himself at the event. The car is offered in two engine variants, one is production ready petrol or diesel engine while the other is a concept electric version of the Altroz. However, the launch date of the electric variant of Altroz is not yet revealed but it is expected to get released by the end of the year. Once launched, Tata Altroz electric will be the first of to make it to the Indian market. Tata on March 3 also revealed that the Altroz EV will also come with dual ultra slim LED headlamps along with a digitally inspired lower grill. At the event, the all-new Tata Altroz was seen in blue colour paint which was also present in several teaser and tweet from the company. The car also features LED lights on both sides just below the grille which has been given a metalliic paint finish. It also comes with a dual tone 16-inch alloy wheels.Tata Altroz will be company's first car which is based on ALFA which is (Agile Light Flexible Advanced) Architecture and also supports multiple powertrains including electric and hybrid. Recently, government of India announced phase 2 of FAME scheme with which the government will give subsidy of Rs 10,000 to the electric car buyers. Electric and hybrid car buyers will get a subsidy of up to Rs 2.5 lakh which is quite a laudable move from the government as it ultimately will give more push to the buyers to purchase an electric car. At the Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday, Tata also unvelied Buzzard SUV which is given a production name 'H2X Hornbill'. Currently, the petrol and diesel variants of Tata Altroz will be in direct competition with Hyundai Elite i20 and its in-house Tata Nexon. highlights India said that the move won't have any significant impact. India's Commerce Secretary said the issue was being discussed. The GSP programme allows certain products to enter the US duty-free. New Delhi : India on Tuesday downplayed USA President DonaldA Trump's threat to terminate its preferential trade status, citingA New Delhi's alleged failure to assure America that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors. "Economic value of GSP benefits are very moderate. USA to terminate GSP in 60 days. Our assessment is that this will not have any significant impact on our 5.6 billion dollar exports to the US," ANI quotedA Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan as saying. The reaction from the commerce secretary came a day after TrumpA informed the US Congress about his intentions to terminate the designation of India and Turkey as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme. "I will continue to assess whether the Government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the GSP eligibility criteria," Trump said in his letter to the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, a copy of which was released to the press. Wadhawan asserted that all the issues related to trade were being discussed with the US and India will notA compromise on the affordability of medical devices. "Our effort was to balance the affordable prices of the medical devices without compromising on public welfare.A All the issues in the trade domain are on the table for discussions. We will not compromise on the affordability of medical devices," he said, adding that India has very deep-rooted ties with theA US. Under the United States GSP programme, certain products can enter the US duty-free if the beneficiary developing countries meet the eligibility criteria established by Congress. The GSP criteria include, among others, respecting arbitral awards in favour of US citizens or corporations, combatting child labour, respecting internationally recognised worker rights, providing adequate and effective intellectual property protection and providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. highlights In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP won 12 seats in the state. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 2014 Assembly polls. The Congress, the JMM and the JVM have already announced their alliance. New Delhi: Lok Sabha Elections 2019: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has finally sounded the poll bugle and declared the schedule for the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on March 10. The Lok Sabha Elections 2019 will be held in seven phases, starting from April 11. The results will be declared on May 23. 91 constituencies will go for polls in the first phase on April 11, followed by 97 constituencies in the second phase on April 18. The third phase will be held on April 23 and fourth on April 29, fifth on May 6, sixth on May 12 and seventh phase on May 19. 115 constituencies will go for polls in the third phase, 71 in the fourth phase, 51 in the fifth phase, 59 in the sixth phase and 59 in the seventh phase. We are also gearing up for the elections and are coming up with a series: 2019 Lok Sabha Election Analysis: What happened in 2014 Lok Sabha Polls? What will happen this year? Now, let's look at the political scenario in Jharkhand. The BJP swept the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in 2014 and decimated all the opposition parties in the fray. Under Raghubar Das, the NDA formed its first majority government in the state after its formation (37: BJP and 5: AJSU). Later, the Babulal Marandi-led Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) faced a rebellion and 6 of its legislators joined the ruling BJP giving it the full majority in the 81-member Assembly. Marandi was the first chief minister of the state and deserted his parent party the BJP and formed his own outfit later. The BJP is likely to face a daunting task in 2019 as the Congress, the JMM, the JVM and the RJD have joined hands and established 'Grand Alliance' in the state. Let's discuss this in detail. Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2019: When will you vote? Know poll dates of your seat here Lok Sabha Elections 2019: When will Jharkhand vote? Jharkhand will vote in the last four phases i.e. on April 29, May 6, 12 and 19. Chatra, Lohardaga and Palamu will go for polls on April 29. Khunti, Ranchi, Kodarama and Hazaribagh will vote on May 6 whereas polling will be held in Dhanbad, Giridih, Jamshedpur and Singhbhum on May 12. The remaining seats of Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda will be voting in the last phase i.e. on May 19. What happened in Jharkhand in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections? Jharkhand has 14 Lok Sabha seats. In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP won 12 seats and left only 2 seats (Dumka and Rajmahal) for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). The Congress and the JMM had forged an alliance in the state to take on the BJP but the Grand Old Party failed to open its account. The 2014 election in Jharkhand was held in three phases on April 10, 17 and 24. The BJP received 52,07,439 votes with a vote share of 40.7 per cent and the JMM garnered 12,05,031 votes with a vote share of 9.4 per cent. The Congress received 17,24,740 votes with a vote share of 13.5 per cent. The JVM, the AJSU and the RJD received 15,67,655 (12.2%), 4,81,667 (3.80%) and 2,12,571 (1.7%) votes respectively. According to our analysis, the BJP was ahead in 56 Assembly segments on its own during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The JMM, the Congress and the JVM were ahead in 9, 3 and 4 seats respectively. The AJSU was leading on a single seat. In 2009, the BJP was successful on 8 and the JMM won 2 seats in the state. The JVM and the Congress were successful on 1 seat each. Some of the prominent winners in 2014 were Jayant Sinha (BJP-Hazaribagh), Ram Tahal Choudhary (BJP-Ranchi), Ravindra Kumar Pandey (BJP-Giridih), Shibu Soren (JMM-Dumka), Vijay Kumar Hansdak (JMM-Rajmahal), Pashupati Nath Singh (BJP-Dhanbad), Karia Munda (BJP-Khunti), Sudarshan Bhagat (BJP-Lohardaga), Nishikant Dubey (BJP-Godda) and Bidyut Baran Mahato (BJP-Jamshedpur). Hemlal Murmu (BJP), Babulal Marandi (JVM), Sunil Soren (BJP), Furkan Ansari (Congress), Nagmani (AJSU), Sudesh Mahto (AJSU), Subodh Kant Sahay (Congress), Bandhu Tirkey (AITC), Ajay Kumar (JVM), Chitrasen Sinku (Congress), Geeta Koda (JBSP), Anosh Ekka (JKP), Chamra Linda (AITC), Rameshwar Oraon (Congress), Kameshwar Baitha (AITC) and Bhuvneshwar Prasad Mehta (CPI) lost the elections. What was the result of Jharkhand Assembly Elections in 2014? The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 2014 Jharkhand Assembly Elections and won 37 seats in the 81-member Assembly. However, along with AJSU's 5 seats, the party crossed the majority mark of 41 in the Assembly. This was for the first time that any party or the pre-poll alliance got the majority on its own in the state. The BJP contested on 72 seats in the state and left 8 seats for the AJSU. The saffron party received 43,34,728 votes with a vote share of 31.2 per cent and the AJSU, its ally, received 5,10,277 votes with a vote share of 3.7 per cent. The Congress, on the other hand, received 14,50,640 votes with a vote share of 10.5 per cent and won only 6 seats. The RJD was in an alliance with the Congress and fought elections on 19 seats. However, the party drew a blank with a vote share of 3.1 per cent. The JMM and the JVM received 28,32,921 (20.4%) and 13,85,080 (10%) votes respectively in the state. The JMM won 19 seats, while the JMM got 8. Later, six legislators of the JVM switched their loyalties and joined the BJP. In 2009 Assembly polls, both the BJP and the JMM won 18 seats each in the state. The Congress and the JVM emerged as the single largest block after the elections winning 14 and 11 seats respectively. The RJD and the AJSU were successful on 5 Assembly seats each. What is the current scenario in Jharkhand in 2019? The Congress, the JMM and the JVM have already announced their Grand Alliance in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The RJD is also a part of this alliance to take on the ruling BJP in the state. As per the pact, the Congress will contest seven seats in Jharkhand, leaving four for the JMM, two for the JVM and one for the RJD. Also, the Congress will take a backseat during the Assembly polls and agreed to work under the leadership of JMM leader Hemant Soren. However, there are murmurs of discontent among the partners as the JVM wants to contest from more seats. On the other side, the BJP has also faced the alliance trouble as the AJSU wanted to contest from Ranchi, Giridih and Hazaribagh seats in the state. It may be noted that all these seats are presently held by the BJP. However, the party managed to convince the AJSU to remain in the alliance and left Giridih seat for it to contest. The combined vote share of the 'grand alliance' parties during the 2014 Assembly polls indicates that it can mar the saffron party's chances in the upcoming elections. The JMM (20.4%), the Congress (10.5%), the JVM (10%) and the RJD (3.1%) received almost 44% of the total vote share, which was more than the vote share of the BJP and the AJSU together (almost 35%). Congress president Rahul Gandhi with JMM leader Hemant Soren. The Congress will take a backseat during the Assembly polls and agreed to work under the leadership of Soren. (File photo) The mood in the Congress party is upbeat after its victory in the recently held Kolebira bypoll in Jharkhand. Earlier, the BJP lost the Gomia and Silli bypolls at the hands of the JMM. In 2015 also, the Congress won the Lohardaga Assembly seat in a bypoll. However, the BJP had won all the five municipal corporations (Ranchi, Medninagar, Adityapur, Hazaribagh and Giridih) and registered comfortable victories in Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat polls. What is News Nation Opinion Poll verdict in Jharkhand? According to News Nation Opinion Poll, the BJP is likely to get 42 per cent of vote share in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The Congress-JMM-JVM-RJD grand alliance may get 34 per cent of votes, while the other parties are likely to secure 13 per cent of vote share. The NDA may win 10 seats, the UPA can win 4 seats in 2019. So, the NDA is projected to lose 2 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand. According to a poll, the BJP-led NDA may not repeat its 2014 performance in Jharkhand but will remain the leading alliance whereas the UPA is not likely to take advantage of anti-incumbency in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a massive lead over Rahul Gandhi in Jharkhand also when the respondents were asked about their favourite Prime Ministerial candidate in 2019. Modi got the backing of 46 per cent people, while only 28 per cent chose Rahul Gandhi. Flash Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday met with Greek Foreign Minister George Katrougalos in Beijing. Yang, also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, expressed his hope that the two countries will maintain high-level exchanges, consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen strategic alignment and expand cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Stressing the importance of safeguarding multilateralism and international rules based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Yang called on the two sides to intensify coordination on international affairs, promote the comprehensive strategic partnership of the two countries and advance the development of the China-Europe relationship. Katrougalos said Greece will actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and play a constructive role in promote bilateral relations and Europe-China cooperation. Earlier on Monday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also met with Katrougalos. highlights The BJP had won the seven Delhi seats in the 2014 election. Kejriwal had said he was tired of trying to persuade Congress. In 2013, Congress helped AAP take power, but Kejriwal quit after 49 days. New Delhi: Two days after the Aam Aadmi Party announced the candidates for upcoming Lok Sabha elections, speculations are rife that Arvind Kejriwal-led party and the Congress have reached an agreement to forge an alliance in Delhi. News Nation has learnt that both the parties will contest on three seast each in Delhi. The National Capital has seven parliamentary constituencies. According to the arrangement, the seventh seat will go to former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha. The ex-Union Minister is likely to contest the General Elections as an Independent candidate. He has reportedly met bothy party leaders in this regard. However, senior AAP leader Gopal rai has said that both parties have not reached any agreement. On Saturday, the Aam Aadmi Party had declared candidates for six of the seven seats for Lok Sabha elections 2019 in Delhi. The AAP has fielded its top leaders like Atishi from East Delhi, Raghav Chaddha from South Delhi, Dilip Pandey from North East Delhi, Gugan Singh from North West Delhi, Brajesh Goel from New Delhi and Pankaj Gupta from Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat. "We won 66 out of 70 seats in Assembly elections. We will try to make a similar presence felt during the Lok Sabha elections," the Delhi Employment Minister said. However, the candidate for the seventh Lok Sabha seat - West Delhi - will be declared later as the party was still discussing potential names, Rai said during the press conference. According to news Nations Opinion Poll, the recent defeats of the BJP at the hands of the Congress party in its traditional strongholds like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh may not affect the latters performance in Delhi for the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha election. According to the opinion poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to get 39 per cent of vote share whereas the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party might end up getting 31 per cent of vote share. The Congress party may get 15 per cent of vote share. New Delhi: Hours after the united opposition's hopes of an grand alliance between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were dashed on Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the grand old party has some secret understanding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The AAP president also expressed confidence over his party's victory in General Elections 2019, saying that the national capital is ready to fight against the "unholy" alliance between the BJP and the Congress. Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal wrote, "At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi- Shah duo, Cong is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote. Rumours r that Cong has some secret understanding wid BJP. Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance". Kejriwal's statement came after former chief minister and Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit, early in the day, has "unanimously" turned down the idea of an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which swept to power in Delhi in 2015. "A unanimous decision has been taken that there will be no alliance in Delhi," Dikshit said. The announcement by Dikshit came following a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Earlier, speculations had been rife that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and the Congress have reached an agreement to forge an alliance in Delhi. However, senior AAP leader Gopal Rai later said that none of the parties have reached any agreement on the same. Early in the month, Arvind Kejriwal's AAP had declared candidates for six of Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats, saying there was no possibility of an alliance with the Congress. But the party was open to negotiations and had several seat sharing formulas ready. The AAP has fielded Atishi Marlena from East Delhi, Raghav Chaddha from South Delhi, Dilip Pandey from North East Delhi, Gugan Singh from North West Delhi, Brajesh Goel from New Delhi and Pankaj Gupta from Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat. The candidate for the seventh Lok Sabha seat - West Delhi - will be declared later as the party is yet to come with the most eligibale candidate for the constituency. New Delhi: The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) formally joined the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) aMahagathbandhana (grand alliance) on Tuesday to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections. The announcement was made at a joint press conference of SP president Akhilesh Yadav and RLD vice-president Jayant Chaudhary in Lucknow. The RLD settled for three Lok Sabha seats -- Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar and Mathura -- in the SP-BSP alliance. According to sources, the RLD had sought four seats. The BSP, led by Mayawati, is contesting on 38 seats and the SP on 37 seats, while five seats are left for other parties, including two- Amethi and Raebareli held by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi -- for the Congress. While announcing the alliance last month, both parties had said they will contest 38 seats each. This put a question mark on the electoral future of the stateas next biggest regional contestant, the RLD. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 80 Lok Sabha seats. Jayant Chaudhary,RLD: Rashtriya Lok Dal will join the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Our workers will work hard to ensure victory of the alliance on all seats of the state pic.twitter.com/wiwx2wEfJl a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 5, 2019 Congress president Rahul Gandhi has already said his party will fight the elections in the state alone with its afull capacitya. Addressing a press conference in Dubai, Gandhi has earlier said the leaders of the two parties ahave a right to do what they want to doa. aBSP and SP have made a political decision. Itas on us on how to strengthen the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh and we will fight with our full capacity,a he said, reported PTI news agency aCongress party has tremendous to offer to the people of Uttar Pradesh... I have tremendous respect for the leaders of BSP and SP, they have a right to do what they want to do,a he added. New Delhi: Prime Minister NarendraA ModiA on Tuesday laid theA foundation stone of Shikshan Bhavan andA Vidyarthi Bhavan at AdalajA in Gujarat. PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat. On Tuesday, he will also attend the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony, a ritual of consecration of an idol, at the newly-built temple dedicated to Maa Annapurna, the reigning deity of Leuva Patidars, a sub-group of the Patel community.A PM Modi on Monday Modi met his mother Hiraba in the Raisan village near here after addressing a gathering in Ahmedabad late in the evening. Hiraba Modi lives with the PM's younger brother Pankaj Modi in the village located close to the state capital Gandhinagar. Here are the LIVE updates: 13:42 pm: I want to get rid of corruption, they (Opposition) wants to get rid of me, says PM Modi. 13:37 pm:A aI am mazdoor number 1,a says PM Modi during launch of pension scheme. 13:31 pm: aTheya are busy in strike on Modi, Modi is working on strike on terrorism, says PM.A A 13.30 pm:A I dedicate the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan Dhan Yojana to the 42 crore labourers of my country, says PM Modi. 13.28 pm:A PM Modi launches pension scheme for unorganised sector, says this is an emotional moment for me. 12.35 pm:A Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the National Launching Ceremony of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Pension Yojana (PM-SYM Scheme 2019) for unorganised workers, in Ahmedabad. Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the National Launching Ceremony of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Pension Yojana (PM-SYM Scheme 2019) for unorganised workers, in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/Ka25meXt4t a ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 10.44 am: PM Modi lays foundation stone of Shikshan Bhavan & Vidyarthi Bhavan at Adalaj, Gujarat. Mumbai: Actor Kangana Ranaut, who advocated the destruction of Pakistan after the Pulwama attack, has suggested Indian films could be stopped from releasing in the neighbouring country in future. The actor, in the eye of the proverbial storm for her controversial remarks after the February 14 attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in which 40 soldiers were killed, also indicated that releasing Indian films in Pakistan is not a "significant statement". Kangana's film "Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi" opened in Pakistani theatres on January 25, the same day it released in India. Asked about the movie's release in the neighbouring country, the actor told reporters Sunday night, "When a film is distributed, they have the digital copy. (But) You can stop future releases." "To get it back from them, we will have to send the army, which we had sent by air. But they didn't get my DCP back," she quipped in an apparent reference to Indian Air Force's air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on February 26. Kangana had also come down heavily on actor Shabana Azmi and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who cancelled their trip to Karachi for a tribute to Kaifi Azmi, and questioned their decision to organise the event "in the first place when Pakistani artistes have been banned after Uri attacks". She also said she would take the same route with the films she produces in future, adding "It's not that it (Pakistan) is a very big territory. It's almost insignificant". Questioned on her remarks on Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar, the actor said the film's release in Pakistan was in accordance with the distribution and trade network and she had no say in the matter. "The distribution and the trade was going like that... Obviously, I am not the minister in-charge of the trade of how things are happening in the country. But if you ask me, the sentiment of the country is very important, of the jawan families. "Is it (not releasing Indian films in Pakistan) significant statement? No. These are just small steps. But if that's all we can do, we should." In the wake of Pulwama attack, the makers of films such as "Total Dhamaal", "Luka Chuppi", "Arjun Patiala", "Notebook" and "Kabir Singh" announced they would not be screening their movies the neighbouring country. Following the Balakot air strike, Pakistan government called for a ban on Indian content, including films and "made-in-India advertisements" in the country. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Katrina recently shared a photo of herself with co-actor and ex-flame Salman to announce the wrap of her upcoming film 'Bharat. She captioned the picture as aAnd thatas a Picture wrap on BharatYYYYYYits been the most incredible exciting character for me, the whole process of making this film has been so inspiring a..thank u @aliabbaszafar and @beingsalmankhan @atulreellife ..the bestest boys Yand Alvira khan ( the bestest girl).a A The photo of the two stars went viral within minutes and got over one lakh likes. Zoya Akhtar commented on it saying, aWhat a lovely picture.a The actress has also earlier shared her look from the movie. Sporting a saree and a loosely tied braid, Katrina looked pretty as a picture. A Bharat is jointly produced by Atul Agnihotri, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Nikhil Namit and Salman Khan. The tagline of the film reads, aA journey of a man and nation together.a It also stars actors like Disha Patani, Sunil Grover, Jackie Shroff and Tabu. The teaser of Bharat was released on the occasion of Republic Day this year. Bharat, reportedly an official adaptation of a 2014 South Korean film Ode To My Father, will hit theatres on Eid this year. Interestingly,A it was Priyanka Chopra who was initially roped in to play her role but pulled herself out of the project at the last moment as the shooting dates collided with her wedding with Nick Jonas. As luck has it, Katrina, who already was eager to be part of the film, landed the role. Bharat also stars Sunil Grover, Tabu, Disha Patani, Jackie Shroff, Nora Fatehi and others in pivotal roles. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: 'Daayan' actor Mohit Malhotra who was accused of sexual harassment by co-star Tinaa Datta dismissed all claims and counter charged the actress why she didn't tell him that she is uncomfortable. The actor in an interview with Hindustan Times said,"If she was uncomfortable, why didnt she tell me? We shoot on a set with 50 people watching us and everything is on camera. Nothing of this sort happened." He further added, I dont understand, where is this coming from? After saying nothing happened, now she has gone back to giving contrary statements. How can she keep changing her statements? I have been working in the TV industry for 11 years and have shot with many women and no one has ever had any issues with me. It has taken me a long time to reach this stage in my career. Tinaa who shot to fame with Uttaran accused co-star Mohit Malhotra of Splitsvilla fame of sexual harassment on Sunday. The actress said that Mohit tried to touch her inappropriately and made her feel uncomfortable while shooting intimate scenes for the show. She even released a statement that said that she has raised her issues (related to Mohit) with the production team and they have been supportive. Now rumours are ripe that the makers are planning to shut down the show over growing differences between the lead pair and the dwindling TRPs. Daayan is an Indian supernatural drama series created by Ekta Kapoor under Balaji Telefilms It premiered on 15 December 2018 and is telecasted on &TV. The series revolves around a a couple who are madly in love with each other and how their lives change when a Daayan enters their lives and wreaks havoc. New Delhi: At least two terrorists belonging to Hizbul-Mujahideen outfit were killed on Tuesday morning in an encounter that broke out between security forces and terrorists at Reshipora Tral area in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. After receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists, a joint operation was launched by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF and the Army. The security forces then cordoned off the entire area. Authorities have also suspended mobile Internet services in the town. Earlier, three CRPF jawans, two Jammu and Kashmir police personnel and a civilian were killed in an encounter at Babagund village of Langate, Handwara in north Kashmir's Kupwara district. Two terrorists were also killed in the gun battle. The civilian was killed during clashes with security forces following stone-pelting incident at the spot. Security forces had launched a cordon and search operation following information about the presence of terrorists there, the officials said. During the searches, the terrorists opened fire on the security forces, who retaliated, they said. There was a lull in firing several times during the day but the terrorists would resume firing as soon as the security forces advanced towards the house where the ultras were hiding, the officials said. Clashes between a group of youngsters and security personnel took place near the encounter site, leaving four persons injured, the officials. On February 14, at least 42 CRPF personnel were killed last month in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district when a Jaish suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 30 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district that also left many critically wounded. More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir. It was the first time in more than a decade that Indian jets had crossed the LoC to strike against Pakistan. The Indian Air Force hit Jabha Top, a forested hilltop where the Jaish-e-Mohammed had its camp. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : The Indian Air Force is equipping its Sukhoi-30 fighter jets with SPICE-2000 bombs which were used to destroy the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camp in Pakistans Balakot. According to a report by news agency ANI citing sources, the Air Force is putting the Israeli SPICE-2000 bombs on Sukhoi-30s to enhance its firepower as currently, only Mirage 2000 fighter jets are capable of delivering these bombs. At the moment, the only aircraft which is capable of delivering the bombs on enemy targets is the Mirage 2000. But now, the Air Force is putting them on the Sukhoi-30 fighter jets as well to further enhance their firepower, the agency quoted government sources as saying. The sources said that Sukhoi-30MKI has already conducted several rounds of trials of launching the bombs at ground targets. India had purchased 200 SPICE bombs from Israel. The SPICE bombs have dual infrared IR/CCD-TV seeker algorithms and are capable of day, night and adverse weather capability. After a few more trials, the Sukhoi-30 fleet would be equipped with these bombs which rely on coordinates and satellite pictures of the target to home in and destroy the intended targets, the sources added. SPICE-2000 bombs The SPICE (Smart Precise Impact and Cost Effective guidance kit) is a forward and tail kit evolved from the proven Popeye missile intended to convert unguided bombs into smart guided air-to-surface munitions droppable from standoff ranges. This weapon has a day, night and adverse weather capability because of its dual infrared IR/CCD-TV seeker and advanced scene-matching algorithms. The bombs, which had an error margin of less than three metres, were loaded on Mirage-2000 combat jet at the IAFs Gwalior airbase. The SPICE bombs can be pre-fed satellite details for the accurate geographical details of the enemy target. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Amid opposition's demands for an account of the impact of the Surgical Strike 2.0, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that the Balakot airstrike by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp in Pakistan was "not a military action" as there was no damage to civilians. The February 26 Balakot airstrike has triggered a massive controversy following contradictory remarks from the IAF, Foreign Ministry and the BJP. Breaking her silence on the Balakot airstrike, Sitharaman said, "The foreign secretary gave the statement; that is the figure", in reference to the briefing by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale the day the air strikes took place. Gokhale, however, had not given any casualty figure and said that in this non-military and pre-emptive strike on a JeM training camp, a very large number of terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated". Briefing the media on the sidelines of the launch of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PMSYM) scheme in Chennai, Sitharaman said, "After Pulwama attack, we were waiting patiently for days... When we got information the terrorist attacks were originating from that region (Pakistan), without military action, we carried out the strike pointedly". Read | Navjot Singh Sidhu takes a dig at Centre, says leave the Army to fight battles, not elections "Civilians in the vicinity or surrounding areas were not affected in any way, so we have been saying the strike we carried out after Pulwama suicide bombing was not a military action," she added. On casualty figure in airstrike, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Monday said, "Air Force is not in a position to clarify how many people were inside. We don't count human casualties. We count what targets we have hit or not hit". In the mean time, BJP president Amit Shah's claim that over 250 terrorists were killed in last week's air strike has triggered a massive political storm with the opposition rushing to question the figure and battering the government of politicising the air strike. However, Union Minister VK Singh on Tuesday said it was not a confirmed figure but an estimate. Addressing a public meeting in Ahmedabad on Monday, Amit Shah said, "After Uri, our forces went into Pakistan and carried out surgical strikes. They avenged the death of our soldiers". Read | Number of terrorists killed in Balakot strike will be known 'today or tomorrow', says Rajnath Singh "After Pulwama, everyone thought there could be no surgical strikes, what will happen? But under Modi's leadership, the government carried out an air strike after the 13th day and killed more than 250 terrorists," he went on to claim further. On debate over the the air strike coming in an election year, Sitharaman said, "There is no relationship between the air strike and elections. It was based on intelligence inputs on terrorist activities in Pakistan, to be unleashed against India. It was not a military action". Sitharaman's statements sought to silence speculations on the air strike as the Opposition has been seeking details of the death toll in the airstrike, even as the IAF, which carried out the attacks post the Pulwama suicide bombing, said on Monday the Centre would provide details on the casualty figures. On February 14, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based JeM rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, killing 42 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. Read | Masood Azhar likely to be arrested soon, orders expected to be signed by Imran Khan: Reports On peace talks proposed by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Sitharaman said, "We have always been telling that India will be ready to hold talks only if they act against terrorism, adding that it has failed to take action against terror groups despite India providing details of terrorist training camps. "Pakistan has been informed about terrorist camps, with proof, by the present (NDA) and previous UPA government. But they neither took action, nor did they remove the terrorist training camps. Pakistan has been denying this globally, saying it was also a victim of terrorism," she added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Flash Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree suspending Russia's compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with immediate effect, the Kremlin said Monday. Putin ordered to suspend the implementation of the Treaty "until the United States eliminates the violations of obligations under the treaty or until its expiration," according to the text of the decree published on the Kremlin website. The decree instructs the Russian Foreign Ministry to inform the United States about the suspension of the treaty by Russia. Last month, Putin said that Russia would follow the example of the United States and withdraw from the nuclear arms control deal within six months. The U.S. administration has announced that the United States is withdrawing from the INF Treaty in six months, starting from Feb. 2. Signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the United States, the INF Treaty marked the first-ever pact reached by Washington and Moscow on nuclear disarmament and a major step forward in restricting the arms race. However, the two sides have been accusing each other of violating the arms control agreement amid increasing tensions in recent years. Putin said on Feb. 20 in his address to the Russian Federal Assembly that if Washington deploys intermediate range missiles in Europe, Moscow will be forced to create and deploy weapons that can hit "centers making decisions on the use of missile systems that threaten us." New Delhi : Seven of the worlds most polluted cities are in India with Gurugram being on top of the table, according to the data released by IQAir AirVisual and Greenpeace. Apart from Gurugram, six other Indian cities were in the top 10 list of the most polluted cities in the world. As per the study that measured the presence of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, New Delhi has been ranked the most polluted capital in the world. The six other Indian cities in the top 10 list are - Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bhiwadi, Noida, Patna and Lucknow. In the list, two cities are of Pakistan - Lahore and Faisalabad and one is the Chinese city of Hotan. The study by the IQAir AirVisual and Greenpeace was based on the air quality data collected in 2018 from public monitoring sources which were published in real time or near real time. The World Health Organisation (WHO) permits the annual limit for PM 2.5 is 10ug/m3, whereas, according to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the annual permissible limit for PM2.5 is 40ug/m3. Air pollution, both outside and inside homes, is a silent and prolific killer responsible for the premature death of seven million people each year, including 600,000 children, according to a UN expert on environment and human rights. Air pollution due to crop residue burning in northern India causes an estimated economic loss of $30 billion annually, and is a leading risk factor of acute respiratory infections, especially among children, according to a study unveiled Monday. Researchers from the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and partner institutes found that living in districts with air pollution from intense crop residue burning (CRB) is a leading risk factor for acute respiratory infection (ARI), particularly in children less than five years of age. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that his government has given a clear message that terrorism will not be allowed and Indian Air Force (IAF) has already given a befitting reply of Pulwama attack by into terrorists home. He said that Pakistan knows the consequences it will have to face if it doesn't improve. He also targeted the Congress party saying it ruled the country for decades and is now questioning the ability of brave forces. The party which ruled our country for decades is now questioning the ability of our brave forces, especially a leader from MP, he said. Today he said Pulwama terror attack is an accident. This is their mentality, he is the same person who gave Pak a clean chit during 26/11, the prime minister said in an apparent dig to Congress leader Digvijay Singh. Singh, former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, has targeted Modi-led government at the Centre saying the way PM Modi and his ministers were treating the airstrike was an insult to the forces who carried out the operation. He even went termed the Pulwama terrorist attack, which claimed lives of 40 CRPF jawans, an accident. Addressing Vijay Sankalp Rally at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi said that opposition leaders are bringing down the morale of armed forces by asking for proof of air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammeds terror camp in Balakot. Today, when the country is fighting a decisive battle against terrorism, they want to mislead the country and weaken the fight, he said. Taking a swipe at attempts to cobble up a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) against the BJP, Modi said the opposition leaders are doing 'mahamilavat' (high adulteration) in Pakistan's favour. "These 'mahamilavati' persons have become poster boys of Pakistan by terming it as an ambassador of peace. They are misleading people of the country and trying to demoralise our armed forces by asking for proofs of the IAF air strike," PM Modi said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Pakistan's false claim of shooting down India's Sukhoi-30 jet appears to be an attempt to cover up for loss of its own F-16 aircraft, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday said in a statement, adding that all the Su-30 fighter jets engaged in the combat on February 27 had landed back safely. The IAF's statement comes amid Pakistan's claims that it had shot down a Su-30 jet during the fierce engagement between the air forces of the two countries along the Line of Control (LoC). The air force in its first official statement said the defence system was on full alert in the morning of February 27 and, hence, the deployment of F-16 by PAF and multiple launches of the AMRAAM (advanced medium range air to air missile) were conclusively observed by the Indian side. The IAF had also scrambled additional aircraft in view of the build-up of PAF aircraft on their side of LoC. As Pakistan aircraft were engaged effectively in a bid to attack India's ground targets, the IAF on its side had deployed Mirage-2000, Su-30 and MiG-21 Bison to tackle the adversary. Post that, the prompt and correct tactical action by Su-30 aircraft defeated the AMRAAM, forcing the PAF aircraft to be withdrawn in a hurry. Read | Pakistan claims it thwarted Indian submarine, Navy calls it 'false propaganda' "Prompt and correct tactical action by Su-30 aircraft, in response to AMRAAM launch, defeated the missile. Parts of the missile fell in area East of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir, injuring a civilian on ground. Detailed report in this regard has already been released by IAF," the statement read. "PAF aircraft were forced to withdraw in a hurry, which is also evident from large missed distances of the weapons dropped by them," it added. Pakistan's retaliation came a day after India on February 26 struck several Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camps in Balakot in response to the cowardice JeM attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. During the airstrikes, IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was also captured by Pakistan. However, early in the month, the Pakistan government handed over Varthaman to the Indian authorities as "a gesture of peace" and the first step towards negotiation with India. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Air pollution due to crop residue burning in northern India causes an estimated economic loss of $30 billion annually, and is a leading risk factor of acute respiratory infections, especially among children, according to a study unveiled Monday. Researchers from the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and partner institutes found that living in districts with air pollution from intense crop residue burning (CRB) is a leading risk factor for acute respiratory infection (ARI), particularly in children less than five years of age. The study that estimates -- for the first time -- the health and economic costs of CRB in northern India also found that CRB leads to an estimated economic loss of over USD 30 billion annually. "Poor air quality is a recognised global public health epidemic, with levels of airborne particulate matter in Delhi spiking to 20 times the World Health Organization's safety threshold during certain days," said Samuel Scott, IFPRI Research Fellow and co-author of the study. "Among other factors, smoke from the burning of agricultural crop residue by farmers in Haryana and Punjab especially contributes to Delhi's poor air, increasing the risk of ARI three-fold for those living in districts with intense crop burning," Scott said in a statement. The study also estimated the economic cost of exposure to air pollution from crop residue burning at USD 30 billion or nearly Rs 2 lakh crore annually for the three north Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, researchers said. To be published in the upcoming edition of the International Journal of Epidemiology, the study analysed health data from more than 250,000 individuals of all ages residing in rural and urban areas in India. It used NASA satellite data on fire activity to estimate the health impact of living in areas with intense crop burning by comparing them with areas not affected by CRB. The researchers observed that as crop burning increased in the northern Indian state of Haryana, respiratory health worsened. Health was measured by the frequency of reported hospital visits for ARI symptoms. They also examined other factors that could contribute to poor respiratory health such as firecracker burning during Diwali (it usually coincides with time of CRB) and motor vehicle density. Economic losses owing to exposure to air pollution from firecracker burning are estimated to be around USD 7 billion or nearly Rs 50 thousand crore a year, researchers said. In five years, the economic loss due to burning of crop residue and firecrackers is estimated to be USD 190 billion, or nearly 1.7 per cent of India's gross domestic product (GDP), they said. "Severe air pollution during winter months in northern India has led to a public health emergency. Crop burning will add to pollution and increase healthcare costs over time if immediate steps are not taken to reverse the situation," said Suman Chakrabarti from the University of Washington in the US. The negative health effects of crop burning will also lower the productivity of residents and may lead to long-term adverse impacts on the economy and health," Chakrabarti said in a statement. "Our study shows that it is not only the residents of Delhi, but also the women, children and men of rural Haryana who are the first victims of crop residue burning," added Avinash Kishore from IFPRI. "Much of the public discussion on ill-effects of crop residue burning ignores this immediately affected vulnerable population," said Kishore. Even though air pollution has been linked to numerous health outcomes, and respiratory infections are a leading cause of death and disease in developing countries, none of the existing studies have directly linked crop burning to ARI. This study suggests that targeted government initiatives to improve crop disposal practices are worthy investments, researchers said. "Programmes and policies must simultaneously address indoor and outdoor pollution through a possible combination of bans and agricultural subsidies. "Other important interventions for improving respiratory health are increasing household access to clean cooking fuels, electricity, and improved drainage systems," Kishore added. Researchers noted that crop burning is a widespread global practice and in India is concentrated in northwest India, though has spread to other regions of the country in the past decade as new crop harvesting technology is adopted. Farmers try to maximise their yields by planting the next crop as soon as possible after the previous crop has been harvested (generally wheat after rice). To quickly clear the field for the next crop, they burn the leftover stubble rather than using the traditional method of clearing it by hand. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The United States is trying to find a common ground between India and Pakistan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said, describing Kashmir as a long-standing battle between the two South Asian neighbours. Speaking at the "Future Farmers of America" event, Pompeo said the India-Pak dispute and the Israeli conflict as recent examples of America's negotiating diplomatic skills. "How do you try to find common ground, negotiate on behalf of the United States," the top American diplomat was asked. "So, if you take a look at the most complex problems -- what's a good example? The debate to try to figure out how to get Middle East peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, or in the news recently, the longstanding battle in Kashmir between the Indians and the Pakistanis. The work that we do as diplomats is to try and find places where there's common ground," Pompeo told farmers. "There are places where there's -- you all do this too in your everyday life. There are clearly things that are different. In some cases, you see value sets that are different. In some cases, there are territorial disputes. In some cases, the arguments arise out of faith. Sometimes they're fighting over resources, right, not just land, but wealth, whether that's oil underground or natural gas or water, whatever it may be," he said. America's effort, he said, was to figure out the places where there was a real overlap. "And then it is to convince those -- sometimes we're in the middle of it, sometimes we're just trying to help bring resolution to a problem or to reduce violence in a particular conflict -- it's to make the case that nobody's going to get everything," he said. "This is -- was my joke at the beginning -- in that indeed each party's going to have to accept something less than perfection, something that frankly they think they deserve and just not going to end up with, but convince them that over some extended period of time, that the outcome that everyone's looking for -- if they can find a way to work together to achieve it -- will deliver better outcomes for each of them. May not be perfection, but it will be better," Pompeo said, offering an insight into his diplomatic negotiating skills. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will sound the poll bugle in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday by addressing a rally of BJP in Dhar district. BJP workers, mainly from tribal-dominated Dhar and Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seats, will take part in the Vijay Sankalp rally, a party functionary said on Monday. On the other hand, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will visit Odisha again on Tuesday. He will address two public meetings in Jeypore and Bargarh. This will be Gandhi's third visit to Odisha this year before the ensuing Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state. Arguing that New Delhi had failed to assure America that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors, US President Donald Trump on Monday informed the US Congress about his intent to terminate the designation of India and Turkey as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme. Stay hooked here for all the latest from India and around the world through the day. 14:19 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In AgustaWestland case: Tihar jail authorities tells Delhi's Patiala House Court that alleged middleman Christian Michel has been moved to high risk ward in view of recent the Pulwama attack. 13:44 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad: There is a growing competition between senior leaders of the Congress party as to who is more vocal in lowering the morale of the security forces. 13:18 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Mumbai Police has arrested 3 people with 1,845 kg of red Sandalwood with worth approximately Rs 9.225 crore. 13:17 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In INDvsAUS 2nd ODI: Australia wins toss, opts to bowl against India in Nagpur. 12:52 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Jammu & Kashmir: Pakistan violated ceasefire in Nowshera sector, district Rajouri at 1130 hours, today. 12:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court reserves order on the plea of National Lawyers' Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reform seeking direction that all advocates with a practice spanning over a tenure of 30 years or more to be designated as "senior". 12:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Lt Gen YK Joshi, General Officer Commanding Fire & Fury Corps visited forward locations in the Siachen sector yesterday. He reviewed the security situation and was briefed on the operational preparedness being maintained in the sector. 12:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi Police has registered a case under sections 465 and 469 of the Indian Penal Code against one AV Dandiya, in connection with video posted by him on social media featuring a fake audio clip of Union Minister Rajnath Singh. 12:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the National Launching Ceremony of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Pension Yojana (PM-SYM Scheme 2019) for unorganised workers, in Ahmedabad. Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the National Launching Ceremony of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Pension Yojana (PM-SYM Scheme 2019) for unorganised workers, in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/Ka25meXt4t ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 12:48 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Neeraj Pandey, Commander Officer, 43 RR on Tral encounter: Two terrorists were neutralised today, two AK-47s and other war-like stores were recovered from them. Both the terrorists were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). Neeraj Pandey, Commander Officer, 43 RR on Tral encounter: Two terrorists were neutralised today, two AK-47s and other war-like stores were recovered from them. Both the terrorists were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). pic.twitter.com/zaUDLfW87V ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 12:48 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Neeraj Pandey, Commander Officer, 43 RR on Tral encounter: Two terrorists were neutralised today, two AK-47s and other war-like stores were recovered from them. Both the terrorists were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). Neeraj Pandey, Commander Officer, 43 RR on Tral encounter: Two terrorists were neutralised today, two AK-47s and other war-like stores were recovered from them. Both the terrorists were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). pic.twitter.com/zaUDLfW87V ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 12:27 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In K Balakrishnan, CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist): Also, in the by-elections, we will support DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) in all the constituencies. 12:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Telugu Desam Party: It is unfortunate that TRS has made it a personal agenda to attack companies serving TDP. This is motivated, and the future of these companies have been jeopardised to YCP and TRS conspiracy. Such heinous acts will not get unnoticed. 12:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Telugu Desam Party: We have come across media reports on data leaks. Opposition and parties supporting opposition have used force and unauthorised means to spread misinformation. This has caused a lot of damage to the reputation to our party that has been operating over 37 years. 12:13 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In K Balakrishnan, CPI-M: In the upcoming Parliament Elections, to defeat BJP-AIADMK-PMK alliance in Tamil Nadu, CPI-M has made an agreement with DMK. We have allied on 2 parliamentary constituencies out of 40 constituencies in Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry. K Balakrishnan, CPI-M: In the upcoming Parliament Elections, to defeat BJP-AIADMK-PMK alliance in Tamil Nadu, CPI-M has made an agreement with DMK. We have allied on 2 parliamentary constituencies out of 40 constituencies in Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry. pic.twitter.com/NpmQwnK1SZ ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 12:10 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Ghosn's bail would end 'cruel and brutal detention': Family lawyer 12:09 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Finance Minister Arun Jaitley interacts with office bearers of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) & its industry members. Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley interacts with office bearers of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) & its industry members. pic.twitter.com/pP8wEnWDJK ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 11:56 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In "I'm not running, but I'm going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe," Hillary Clinton rules out another presidential run. 11:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In TTV Dhinakaran files an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the order of the Delhi High Court dismissing his petition in connection with the dispute over the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) "two leaves" election symbol case. 11:42 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Union minister VK Singh on Congress leader Digvijay Singh terming Pulwama terrorist attack an accident, in Ranchi: With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh Ji, was Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident or a terror incident? 11:41 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Union Minister P Javadekar on Digvijaya Singh terms Pulwama Attack an accident: Congress ko kya hogya hai?Desh ki jan bhawna se ek dum ulti baat karte hain,sena ki jankari ko jhutla rahe hain.Aisa kisi lok tantra desh mein nahi hota jahan sena par hi avishwas darshaya jata hai. 11:30 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court agrees to hear a PIL against the law that gives power to courts to force a separated couple to stay together through decree for Restitution of Conjugal rights. A bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi & Justice Sanjiv Khanna refers the case to a three-judge bench for hearing. 11:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress President Shri Rahul Gandhi welcomes Ferozepur MP Sher Singh Ghubaya (Akali Dal) to the party. 11:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Jagannath Temple reform case: Amicus curiae Ranjit Kumar has filed a detailed report following his visit to the temple. In his report, he has stated about the conditions in Puri's Jagannath temple compared to reform measures. 11:13 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar: We are in favour of 200 point roster & we are going to give it. Only wait for last Cabinet meeting & two more days and university community will get justice. I am very sure because Modi govt stands for social justice. 11:13 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In IAS officer P Venkata Ramesh Babu has been appointed as Director General, National Archives of India, Ministry of Culture. He is presently Chairman and Managing Director, Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd, Ministry of Power. 11:13 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar: We have a system of 200 point roster where university is regarded as one unit but the court decided against it & directed for departmental roster. We never agreed to this position so, we filed a review petition that also stands dismissed now. 11:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court issues notice to the Union of India & Assam govt, seeking their response within 4 weeks, after hearing a petition filed by Assam State Jamait Ulama E Hind challenging MHA's notifications in Citizenship Bill case. 11:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court issues notice to the Centre and seeks response from it within 4 weeks on whether Electric Vehicles Policy & FAME India scheme to promote electric vehicles is being implemented properly 11:11 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti tweets,"Little surprise that with General Elections around the corner,the josh of patriotism hasn't even spared the skies." Y'day,Air India issued a circular to all cabin crew&cockpit crew directing them to say' Jai Hind' aftr any announcement onboard. 11:11 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court agrees to hear a plea against alleged encroachment on the tribal lands. 10:56 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court agrees to hear plea against alleged encroachment on tribal lands. 09:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In A Tokyo court on Tuesday granted bail to Carlos Ghosn, the ousted chairman of Nissan Motor Co Ltd who is fighting charges of financial misconduct, after more than three months in detention, Ghosns lawyer said. 09:52 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress President Rahul Gandhi has called a meeting of its Delhi leaders to hold a discussion on alliance in Delhi: ANI 09:34 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi: Police has arrested an active member of Neeraj Bawana gang with a pistol and 14 live cartridges in Bawana. A case has been registered under section 25 of the Arms Act. 09:34 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Sensex falls over 100 points, Nifty slips below 10,820. 09:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Sheena Bora Murder Case: CBI has replied that Indrani's consent was sought for lie detector test at initial stages of investigation & she had refused for the same. Her lie detector test will not be useful at this stage, as it would not be of much help in terms of evidence value. 09:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Sheena Bora Murder Case: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a reply to Indrani Mukerjea's application in which she had offered to undergo a lie detector test in connection with the case. 09:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In ASP Palghar BT Dhandat: On search of a house at Palghar in Maharashtra, we have recovered 183 gelatin sticks, 103 electronic detonators, 345 non-electronic detonators and 21 safety fuse. Two people have been arrested. 08:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Muzaffarpur: Langat Singh College's alumni association has written to the college authorities demanding installation of a statue of CRPF inspector Pintu Singh (who lost his life in Pulwama attack) and naming of a road after him inside the college premises. 08:54 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Jammu & Kashmir: Encounter underway between security forces and terrorists in Tral. 08:30 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 5 flights diverted from Delhi due to low visibility. 08:22 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In White House blasts 'disgraceful and abusive' Democratic probes of Donald Trump. 07:59 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi: Major pollutants PM 2.5 at 202 in 'Poor' category and PM 10 at 191 in 'Moderate' category, in Lodhi Road area, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) data. Delhi: Major pollutants PM 2.5 at 202 in 'Poor' category and PM 10 at 191 in 'Moderate' category, in Lodhi Road area, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) data. pic.twitter.com/1XerHlOsiS ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019 07:58 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido has received a hero's welcome from thousands of supporters chanting "Yes, you can!" as he returned to Caracas, defying a threat of arrest. 07:28 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In India denied issuing visas for pilgrims visiting Ajmer Sharif Dargah: Pakistan Minister. 07:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Tamil Nadu: 2 people killed, 21 people injured after 3 vehicles collided near Uchipuli, in Ramanathapuram district, in the early morning hours today. 07:07 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The Republican-led US Senate is set to reject the national emergency Donald Trump declared to build his Mexico border wall, likely forcing the US president's first veto, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says. 07:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In North Korea's Kim Jong Un finally arrives home after a long train journey through China following his Hanoi summit with US President Donald Trump. 07:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In United States Trade Representative: At direction of President Donald Trump, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced that US intends to terminate Indias & Turkeys designations as Beneficiary Developing Countries under Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. 07:05 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In China hikes defence budget by 7.5 per cent to $177.61 billion. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Days before the Pulwama attack, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar had addressed the cadres of his terrorist outfit and told them that "Pakistan is not complete without Kashmir". India had submitted the purported audio tape of Masood Azhars address to Pakistan as part of the evidence given by New Delhi to Islamabad against the activities of JeM and its chief in Kashmir. In the audio tape, which is reportedly from his February 5 address, the Jaish chief is heard paying tributes to the terrorists killed in Kashmir. "Kashmir will attain freedom soon, along with freedom of all Muslims of India," Azhar is heard saying in the audio tap. In his address, he is heard claiming that "victory" can be achieved in a month if Muslims of Kashmir unite against India. "The US has come to negotiate in Afghanistan, India too will be compelled to beg for negotiations before the next Kashmir solidarity day. If all Muslims of Kashmir unite against India, victory can be achieved within a month," Azhar is heard saying. Over 40 CRPF jawans were killed after a suicide bomber of the JeM drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. The JeM took the responsibility of the attack but despite that, its chief Azhar continues to roam freely in Pakistan. RELATED Following the Pulwama attack, India handed over a dossier to Pakistan on the terrorist activities of JeM and its chief in Kashmir. The dossier, a copy of which is with News Nation, has all the information related to the terrorist organisation, its activities and training process. The dossier also included a video of JeM terrorists training at Balakot camp, which was destroyed by the Indian Air Force during the February 26 air strikes. The dossier also has specific information about JeM'c rallies and religious congregations held "right under the nose of the Pakistan government" to recruit terrorists by instigating them against India. The dossier also has in-depth details about the camp, its locality, infrastructure, training methods and schedule. According to the dossier, JeM men undergo a set routine at the Balakot training center and their day starts as early as at 3 am. The JeM offers several religious and Jihadi courses to prepare its men for the acts of terror, including suicide attacks. After completing basic religious and jihadi courses, the selected cadres undergo rigorous armed training for eight months to one year. Apart from basic training in weapon handling, jungle survival, ambush, communication, GPS, MAP reading, the cadres are also imparted with other specialised training in swimming, sword fighting, horse-riding etc. HIGHLIGHTS The purported audio tape of Masood Azhar is from his February 5 address. In the audio tape, the Jaish chief is heard spewing venom against India. JeM had taken the responsibility of February 14 Pulwama attack. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Pakistan's claims that it had thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter the country's territorial watersA have been rubbished by the government sources on Tuesday. Early in the day, multiple media outlets in Pakistan were provided grainy footage of what the Pakistan Navy claimed was evidence of an Indian submarine entering Pakistani maritime territory. Speaking to media, the Pakistani navy spokesman said that their navy de-escalated a possible maritime confrontation with India. "In order to maintain peace, the Indian submarine was not targeted which is a reflection of Pakistan's desire for peace," the Pakistani Navy spokesperson was quoted as saying by Geo News. Meanwhile, the sources closed to the Indian Government said that the footage which was released in reference to Pakistan's claim is an old one from November 2016 and has been deliberately trying toA divert the issue of the international community from the core issue of terrorism. Being asked about the latest claim from the Pakistan military establishment, sources dismissed these reports and said that the media in Pakistan was indulging in fake news and was deluding their population by confusing them about possible Indian military actions. "If you compare the two videos that Pakistan is putting out (on Indian submarines)... they are identical. We (India) are not in their vicinity, Pakistan is doing this to divert attention," the source added. Taking to Twitter, the Indian Navy also clarified its stance, saying "The Indian Navy remains deployed as necessary to protect National Maritime Interests. Over the past several days we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propoganda and spread of misinformation". "The Indian Navy does not take cognizance of such propoganda. Our deployments remain undeterred," it added,A referring to its joint press conference on February 28. As was stated during the Jt Press Statement on 28 Feb 19, the #IndianNavy remains deployed as necessary to protect National Maritime Interests. Over the past several days we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propoganda and spread of misinformation. 1/2 a SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 5, 2019 Earlier, there were also reports thatA the claims by the Pakistani government ofA shooting down India's Sukhoi Jet during the mid-air face-off between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Pakistani Air Force (PAF) jets on February 26 are fake. Spokesperson for Pakistan's armed forces Major General Asif Gafoor had claimed that two jets of the Indian air force were shot down and three Indian pilots were in Pakistani territory. This number was later revised to one IAF jet down and one Indian pilot arrested. However, claims of the IAF Sukhoi jet shot down were amplified in Pakistani news outlets which continued without correction. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday warned that there are reports about terrorists being trained to carry out operations through the sea. Addressing a gathering of global experts at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue here, Lanba said the Pulwama attack was perpetrated by extremists that were "aided by a State" that seeks to destabilise India. Earlier, the Indian Air Force on February 26 conducted an air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist camp in Pakistans Balakot to avenge the Pulwama attack. It was the first time in more than a decade that Indian jets had crossed the LoC to strike against Pakistan. The Indian Air Force hit Jabha Top, a forested hilltop where the Jaish-e-Mohammed had its camp. "We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea," he said. The 26/11 attack was carried out by 10 sea-borne terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who hijacked an Indian fishing trawler to reach Mumbai and unleash mayhem. ALSO READ | Pakistan not complete without Kashmir: Masood Azhar told cadres days before Pulwama attack The Navy chief said this part of the world had witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in the region had been spared. The global nature that terrorism has acquired in the recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat, Lanba said. "We have seen how quickly terror groups evolve across the globe. A particular brand of terror can well become a global problem in near future," Lanba warned. India, however, faces a "far more serious" version of "state-sponsored" terrorism, he said. "We recently saw the horrific scale of the extremist attack in Jammu and Kashmir about three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a State that seeks to destabilise India," the Navy chief said without naming Pakistan. On February 14, at least 42 CRPF personnel were killed in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district when a Jaish suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 30 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district that also left many critically wounded. More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir. It was the first time in more than a decade that Indian jets had crossed the LoC to strike against Pakistan. The Indian Air Force hit Jabha Top, a forested hilltop where the Jaish-e-Mohammed had its camp. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a jibe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday while addressing the aSmart India Hackathona via a video conference. In response to an engineering student's reference to aA programme that could help dyslexic students, PM Modi asked, if the same could 'also help aA 40-50-year-old child'. "We have an idea to help dyslexic children, whose pace of learning and writing is very slow. But they have a high intelligence and creativity level as you have seen in the movie Taare Zameen Par..," the engineering student had said during the event. In response, PM Modi said, "Will this programme work for a 40-50-year-old child too? Then that will make the mothers of such children very happy." The prime ministeras comments drewA laughter from the audience, however, it didnat go down to well with many who called him ainsensitivea to poke fun at dyslexia at a public event. This also triggered outrage. Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the PM's 'insensitivity cannot be washed away by dipping in any river'. Just came across a video of our @narendramodi taking political potshots using the name of dyslexic people. Shame on you Modi!! You just can't go below this. Your insensitivity can't be washed away by dipping in any river. They may be slow in learning but not heartless like you. a Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) March 4, 2019 CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said, aShameful and distressing. Some of us have dyslexic or disabled relatives, friends, children and parents. Sattar saal mein pehli baar, a person with this crassness occupies the chair of the PM. Enough, Mr Modi. Yeh hain sanskar aapke? (sic)a Shameful and distressing. Some of us have dyslexic or disabled relatives, friends, children and parents. Sattar saal mein pehli baar, a person with this crassness occupies the chair of the PM. Enough, Mr Modi. Yeh hain sanskar aapke? https://t.co/8wBvtjPy7q a Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) March 3, 2019 Aam Aadmi Party leader Preeti Sharma Menon tweeted, aGod! When we thought @narendramodi cd not go any lower, he still manages to stoop. As a parent I do not want my kid to listen to a speaker who'd use dyslexia as a slur and here our Prime Minister uses dyslexia to insult @RahulGandhi This is wrong on so many levels!!!*(sic).a God! When we thought @narendramodi cd not go any lower, he still manages to stoop. As a parent I do not want my kid to listen to a speaker who'd use dyslexia as a slur and here our Prime Minister uses dyslexia to insult @RahulGandhi This is wrong on so many levels!!! https://t.co/gQ2IZVvY0m a Preeti Sharma Menon (@PreetiSMenon) March 3, 2019 "When the head of a country talks like this, it is very, very insensitive. He must apologise," said leading clinical psychologist Dr Roma Kumar said as quoted by the BBC. aSmart India Hackathona was an event meant to encourage students to come up with technology-driven solutions to issues related to women and child safety.A Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that can affect reading, writingA andA spelling. Some well-known people with dyslexia include director Steven Spielberg and actors Tom Cruise and Abhishek Bachchan. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. (CNN) A second person has experienced sustained remission from HIV-1, according to a case study to be published Tuesday in the journal Nature. Effectively, some scientists believe that the "London patient" has been cured of the viral infection, which affects close to 37 million people worldwide. The new case report comes more than 10 years after the first case, known as the "Berlin patient." Both patients were treated with stem cell transplants from donors who carried a rare genetic mutation, known as CCR5-delta 32, that made them resistant to HIV. The London patient has been in remission for 18 months since he stopped taking antiretroviral drugs. "By achieving remission in a second patient using a similar approach, we have shown that the Berlin Patient was not an anomaly and that it really was the treatment approaches that eliminated HIV in these two people," said Ravindra Gupta, lead author of the study and a professor in University College London's Division of Infection and Immunity. Gupta added that the method used is not appropriate for all patients but offers hope for new treatment strategies, including gene therapies. He and his colleagues will continue to monitor the man's condition, as it is still too early to say that he has been cured of HIV. Almost 1 million people die annually from HIV-related causes. Treatment for HIV involves medications that suppress the virus, known as antiretroviral therapy, which people with HIV need to take for their entire lives. Another patient in remission Gupta's patient, a male resident of the UK who prefers to remain anonymous, was diagnosed with HIV infection in 2003 and began antiretroviral therapy in 2012. Later, he was diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma. After chemotherapy, he underwent a stem cell transplant in 2016 and subsequently remained on antiretroviral therapy for 16 months. To test whether he was truly in HIV-1 remission, the London patient disrupted his usual antiretroviral therapy. He has now been in remission for 18 months, and regular testing has confirmed that his HIV viral load remains undetectable. Similarly, Timothy Ray Brown, the Berlin Patient, had been living with HIV and routinely using antiretroviral therapy when he was diagnosed with a different disease, acute myeloid leukemia. After two bone marrow transplants, Brown was considered cured of his HIV-1 infection. Traces of HIV were seen in Brown's blood a few years after he stopped antiretroviral therapy. However, because HIV remained undetectable, he is still considered clinically cured of his infection, according to his doctors. Despite various attempts by scientists using the same approach, Brown had remained the only person cured of HIV until the new London patient. 'We have a lot more work to go' Dr. Sharon Lewin, director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and a professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne, said the long remission seen in the London patient is "exciting." "Coming 10 years after the successful report of the Berlin Patient, this new case confirms that bone marrow transplantation from a CCR5-negative donor can eliminate residual virus and stop any traces of virus from rebounding," said Lewin, who was not involved in the new case study. "Two factors are likely at play: The new bone marrow is resistant to HIV, and also, the new bone marrow is actively eliminating any HIV-infected cells." Graham Cooke, a professor of infectious diseases at Imperial College London, said in a statement to the Science Media Centre that the new study is "encouraging." "If we can understand better why the procedure works in some patients and not others, we will be closer to our ultimate goal of curing HIV," said Cooke, who was not involved in the case study. "At the moment the procedure still carries too much risk to be used in patients who are otherwise well, as daily tablet treatment for HIV is able to usually able to maintain patient's long-term health." Dr. Timothy Henrich, an associate professor of medicine and physician scientist at University of California, San Francisco's Department of Medicine, also noted that the London patient's treatment "is not a scalable, safe or economically viable strategy to induce HIV remission." For now, its use is restricted to those who need the transplant for other reasons, not for HIV alone, said Henrich, who was not involved in the new case study. "There are actually many strategies right now that are currently being pursued," Henrich said. "Some of them are directly related to the Berlin patient and work with transplantation: for example, gene modification therapy." Scientists are also examining immune modifying therapies. "I am an optimist because I'm a scientist and vice versa," Henrich said. "I do have hope. I think that finding a scalable cure that is safe and can be applied to a vast majority of individuals living with HIV is definitely attainable, but we have a lot more work to go." This story was first posted on CNN.com, "London patient might be second to be cured of HIV" Flash Pakistan and India on Monday resumed cross-border passenger train service that was suspended due to recent tensions over the last month's suicide attack in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing over 40 Indian policemen, officials said. The "Samjhota Express" train, carrying some 150 passengers, left railway station in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, for India Monday morning, according to local media. The train normally runs between the two neighboring countries on Monday and Thursday. The Pakistan Foreign Ministry announced suspension of the train service on Feb. 28 "in view of the prevailing tensions between Pakistan and India." However, a cross-border bus service between Lahore and New Delhi, the capital of India, was unaffected. The Pakistan army said Sunday there had been calm along the Line of Control, the de-facto border between the two neighbors in Kashmir, after heavy exchange of shelling on the night of March 1 and 2. The Indian firing had killed two Pakistani soldiers and two civilians on Sunday, according to Pakistan army. Skirmishes broke out along the LoC after India claimed its warplanes bombed a camp of militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in northwest Pakistan on Feb. 26. JeM had claimed responsibility for the attack in Pulwama, a town in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Feb. 14. In what appears to be a tit-for-tat action, Pakistan army said its air force shot down two Indian fighter jets on Feb. 27 and captured one India pilot. The pilot was later released and handed over to the Indian authorities in what Prime Minister Imran Khan described as a "goodwill for peace." Reports from the Pakistani side of the LoC said that schools were also reopened on Monday as normalcy returned to the area. Several countries issued appeals for calm between Pakistan and India, and urged both countries to resolve differences through dialogue. New Delhi: Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Tuesday slammed senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal and questioned him on why he trusted the international media over Indian intelligence agencies on the issue of Balakot airstrikes. Taking to Twitter, Rathore asked Congress leader Kapil Sibal if he would go to Balakot to check the number of terrorists killed in the February 26 Indian Air Force (IAF) strikes. Kapil Sibal ji, you believe international media over own Intelligence agencies? You seem happy when media quoted by you says no losses in strike ..and sir, for us you went to London to find evidence against EVMs, will you please also go to Balakot to check (sic)? Rathore said in a tweet. On March 4, former Union minister Sibal cited top international media organisations such as The New York Times, The Guardian and Reuters and asked, Is international media reporting no proof of militant losses at Balakot pro-Pakistan? (sic) Other Opposition leaders such as Digvijaya Singh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have also raised questions over the number of casualties in the IAF strikes in Balakot. In his tweet, Digvijaya Singh had said that the airstrike after Pulwama durghatna or accident is being questioned by the Western media. The comment elicited angry reponses from senior BJP ministers. With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh Ji, was Rajiv Gandhis assassination an accident or a terror incident, asked Union Minister VK Singh. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Digvijaya Singhs remark on Pulwama terror attack has sparked a massive political controversy. In a series of tweets, Singh had asked Prime minister Narendra Modi to explain the casualties in the Balakot air strike. But what caused the row was him terming the February 14 attack as an incident. In his tweet, Singh had said that the airstrike after Pulwama durghatna or accident is being questioned by the Western media. The comment elicited angry responses from senior BJP ministers. With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh Ji, was Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident or a terror incident," asked Union Minister VK Singh. Apart from Singh, another senior BJP minister had slammed Digvijaya Singh over the attack. Prakash Javadekar said that, I dont know what has happened to Congress? The party is going against nations sentiments. They are falsifying armed forces information. There is no such democracy, where people dont believe the armed forces. Another Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi slammed Opposition for demanding proof of the airstrike and said that the spirits of all the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists killed in Pakistan have entered the bodies of the party leaders. Thats why they are behaving in a strange way. Joining the chorus demanding airstrike proof, the CPI has questioned BJP president Amit Shah's claim of 250 casualties in the Indian Air Force's air strike on terror camps in Balakot. CPI leader D Raja said the Prime Minister cannot accused the Opposition for demoralising the armed forces as "it is him (Modi), the BJP and the RSS which are dragging the defence forces into 'dirty politics' and 'controversies'." Even as politics goes on over the February 26 air strike, Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhars brother Maulana Ammar has blown the lid on Pakistans lie about Indian Air Forces air strike in Balakot. In an audio message, which was posted on Twitter by Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui, the Jaish terrorist brazenly admits that Indian jets hit a school of Jihad in Balakot. A Times of India report said that the voice in the audio clip is that of Maulana Ammar. He was reportedly addressing a gathering in Peshawar on February 28, two days after the surgical strike. The Jaish commander also said that by returning Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, Pakistan has turned its victory into defeat. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday again accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for playing politics over soldiers blood. You cannot win elections over jawans' blood. A jawan sheds his blood for the country. They serve the country, they do not indulge in politics. I strongly condemn those who play politics with martyrs, Mamata Banerjee said. Questing the centre over Pulwama attack, Mamata Banerjee said, I dont care if I am hanged for this. Why did the Pulwama attack take place? Why did so many jawans die and why politics surrounding jawans? Why was there no attempt to save lives? Launching a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mamata Banerjee said that PM Modi has made the party into private property. We are against Modi and BJP. Modi has turned the BJP into a private organisation. Whenever someone says something against Modi Babu, that person is branded a Pakistan supporter. My father was a freedom fighter, I will not learn patriotism from them, she said. Earlier, Mamata Banerjee cited foreign media reports that not much damage was done by the Indian Air Force's pre-emptive strike on terror camps at Balakot, she said, "The Force should be given an opportunity to come up with facts." "After the air strikes, we were told there were 300 deaths, 350 deaths. But I read reports in the New York Times and the Washington Post which said no human was killed. Another foreign media report said only one person was injured," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat. She said, "We have the right to know, people of this country want to know how many were killed (at Balakot). Where the bomb were actually dropped? Was it dropped on the target?" Government officials had said that in a pre-dawn strike, the IAF bombed and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp at Balakot in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, killing over 350 terrorists, trainers and senior commanders. At a media briefing in the national capital on Thursday evening, Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor, assistant chief of Air Staff, said it was up to the political leadership to decide when and how to release evidence of the Balakot strike's success. He was responding to a question on the skepticism in some quarters about whether IAF fighters had hit the intended targets. Kapoor said there is credible information and evidence that "we hit the intended targets" and it was premature to assess the casualties and damage. Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said, "Every citizen loves the country and every citizen also has the right to know the truth." Apparently targeting the BJP, she alleged that an attempt was being made to reap electoral benefit from the Pulwama terror attack and the air strike at Balakot. "We don't want politics over the blood of jawans who guard our frontiers. I condemn this attempt by some to reap political dividends to get votes.... We don't want any war for the sake of elections, we want peace," she said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Cape Canaveral: SpaceX's sleek, new crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station, acing its second milestone in just over a day. No one was aboard the Dragon capsule launched Saturday on its first test flight, only an instrumented dummy. But that quickly changed once the hatch swung open and the space station astronauts floated inside. This beefed-up, redesigned Dragon is the first American-made, designed-for-crew spacecraft to pull up to the station in eight years. The next one coming up will have its own two-man crew. "A new generation of space flight starts now with the arrival of @SpaceX's Crew Dragon to the @Space_Station," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted. The space station's three astronauts had front-row seats as the white 27-foot-long (8-meter-long) capsule neatly docked. Two hours later, the station crew entered to take air samples, wear oxygen masks and hoods until getting the all-clear. If the six-day demo goes well, SpaceX could launch two astronauts this summer under NASA's commercial crew program. Both astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were at SpaceX Mission Control in Southern California, watching all the action. They rushed there from Florida after the Dragon rocketed into orbit early Saturday from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre. "Just super excited to see it," Behnken said minutes after the link-up. "Just one more milestone that gets us ready for our flight coming up here." Dragon will remain at the space station until Friday, when it undocks and aims for a splashdown in the Atlantic, a couple hundred miles off the Florida coast. While the private SpaceX has sent plenty of its Dragon capsules filled with cargo to the space station for NASA, crew Dragon is a different beast. It docked on its own, instead of relying on the station's robot arm for berthing. The capsule's nose cap was wide open like a dragon's mouth, to expose the docking mechanism. Behnken said that's the way it should work when he and Hurley are on board; they may push a button or two and will have the ability to intervene, if necessary. As part of Sunday's shakedown, the station astronauts sent commands for the Dragon to retreat and then move forward again, before the capsule closed in for good. SpaceX employees at company headquarters in Hawthorne, California, cheered and applauded as crew Dragon pulled up and docked at the orbiting lab, nearly 260 miles (400 kilometres) above the Pacific, north of New Zealand. The capsule's lone passenger for launch a mannequin wearing a white SpaceX spacesuit remained strapped into its seat as the station's U.S., Canadian and Russian crew removed supplies and photographed the spotless white interior. The test dummy or Smarty as SpaceX likes to call it is named Ripley after the lead character in the science-fiction "Alien" films. Like Ripley, the capsule is rigged with sensors to measure noise, vibration and stresses, and to monitor the life-support, propulsion and other critical systems throughout the flight. SpaceX aims to launch Behnken and Hurley as early as July. Next up should be Boeing, NASA's other commercial crew provider. Boeing is looking to launch its Starliner capsule without a crew as early as April and with a crew possibly in August. NASA is paying the two private companies $8 billion to build and operate the capsules for ferrying astronauts to and from the space station. Astronauts have been stuck riding Russian rockets ever since NASA's space shuttle program ended in 2011. Russian Soyuz seats go for up to USD 82 million apiece. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Google-owned YouTube said Thursday it was taking action to close a loophole that enabled users to share comments and links on child pornography over the video-sharing service. The response came after a YouTube creator this week revealed what he called a "wormhole" that allowed comments and connections on child porn alongside innocuous videos. "Any content -- including comments -- that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube," a spokesman said in an email to AFP. "We took immediate action by deleting accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to authorities and disabling comments on tens of millions of videos that include minors. There's more to be done, and we continue to work to improve and catch abuse more quickly." The move came after Matt Watson, a YouTube creator with some 26,000 subscribers, revealed the workings of what he termed a "wormhole" into a pedophile ring that allowed users to trade social media contacts and links to child porn in YouTube comments. Watson, who uses the name MattsWhatItIs, added that YouTube's recommendation algorithm "due to some kind of glitch is actually facilitating this." Because ads automatically appear with many YouTube videos, Watson said the actions of the company amounted to "monetizing" the exploitation. The post by Watson sparked a series of news reports, and according to some media, boycotts of YouTube ads from major firms including Nestle and Disney. Epic Games, known for its popular online game Fortnite, said it was suspending ads on YouTube following the news. "We have paused all pre-roll advertising" on YouTube, a company spokesman said. "Through our advertising agency, we have reached out to Google/ YouTube to determine actions they'll take to eliminate this type of content from their service." The glitch appeared to allow some users to circumvent bans on child porn by Google and other internet platforms. The incident raised fears of a fresh "brand safety" crisis for YouTube, which lost advertisers last year following revelations that messages appeared on channels promoting conspiracy theories, white nationalism and other objectionable content. New Delhi: Pakistan has formally banned Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its subsidiary Filah E Insaniat Foundation by the Interior Ministry under Anti Terrorism Act 1997. The move came after reports suggested that the organisations were not banned by Pakistan despite its announcement a fortnight ago and the two organisations continue to be only in the list of groups under watch. According to the website of the Pakistan government's National Counter Terrorism Authority (NCTA), the list has been updated on Tuesday. Earlier they were under watch by Ministry of Interior under section 11-D-(1), Schedule-II of the Anti Terrorism Act 1997. On February 21, the Pakistan government had announced that it had banned the JuD and FIF, amid intense global pressure to rein in the militant groups following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF jawans. "This implies that Pakistan has lied on the ban on Jud and FIF. In fact, it has just altered the date of the watch list placement to fool the world," a senior security official said. The Pakistan government on Monday also put out another order saying it has frozen assets of all UN designated organisations like JuD, FIF. However, this is nothing but continuation of a decade-old fraud since both the organisations were put in the Schedule-II of the Pakistan's Anti Terrorism Act, 1997, another official said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is likely to be arrested soon, according to Pakistan media reports. The reports added that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to sign an order for his arrest on Tuesday. The reports came hours after the arrests of 44 members, including Azhars son and brother, of the banned terror groups by authorities in Pakistan amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil. "We have taken 44 people in custody as part of crackdown on militant groups," Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi said at a press conference in Islamabad. Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan said Hammad Azhar and Mufti Abdur Rauf were among those arrested on Tuesday. Hammad is the son of Masood Azhar while Rauf is his brother. Khan said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Rauf and Hammad. "It does not mean that action is being taken against only those individuals who are mentioned in the dossier," he added. The crackdown came amid tensions with India following a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. India last week handed over the dossier to Pakistan to take action against the JeM, as pressure mounted on Islamabad to take action against individual and organisation listed by the UN Security Council as terrorists. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi last week admitted that the JeM chief is in Pakistan and is "very unwell", but said the government can act against him only if India presents "solid" and "inalienable" evidence that can stand in a court of law. "He is in Pakistan, according to my information. He is unwell to the extent that he can't leave his house, because he's really unwell," Qureshi told CNN in an interview. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Chicago: A US high school student who had himself vaccinated despite his parents' objections is set to testify Tuesday before the US Congress about a surge in outbreaks of preventable diseases. Ethan Lindenberger says he grew up in an "anti-vax household," but decided to go against his parents' wishes to get vaccinated once he turned 18 and was able to legally make the decision for himself. The teen's decision generated international headlines at a time when health experts are warning of a global surge in measles cases -- preventable by vaccine -- brought on by conflict, complacency and the anti-vaccine movement. Lindenberger, who lives in Norwalk, Ohio, announced over the weekend that he was invited to testify at a Tuesday hearing in the US Senate over preventable disease outbreaks. He is scheduled to address the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, along with several health experts. There have been 159 measles cases so far this year in 10 US states, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). There were 372 cases in all of 2018. Parents in 17 states are allowed to opt out of vaccinations for their children because of their personal beliefs. Medical and religious reasons also can be cited to forego vaccinations. Disinformation spread on social media has helped fuel an anti-vaccine movement in the United States, with many so-called "anti-vaxxers" believing medically baseless claims that the innoculations can cause autism and other negative health effects. Experts insist vaccines are safe and necessary to protect the larger community from highly infectious diseases like measles. "My mom didn't believe that vaccines were beneficial to the health and safety of society, and believes that they cause autism, brain damage and other complications," Lindenberger said in a YouTube video posted over the weekend. Ninety-eight countries reported more cases of measles in 2018 compared with 2017. The World Health Organization said cases worldwide soared nearly 50 percent, killing around 136,000 people. The US outbreaks "are linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries such as Israel and Ukraine, where large measles outbreaks are occurring," the CDC said. It then propagates among un-vaccinated people, who tend to live close to each other. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a major breakthrough, doctors have reportedly cured an HIV Positive patient in London. According to latest media reports, the unidentified man was diagnosed with HIV in 2003 and started taking drugs to control the infection in 2012. Later, he developed cancer. But doctors convinced him for a stem cell transplant in 2016. This is the second time in the history of the AIDS epidemic that a patient has been cured of the virus. Before this, Timothy Ray Brown, a US man was treated in Germany. Known as the 'Berlin patient,' Brown is still free of HIV. The case report was published in prestigious journal Nature. Publicly, the scientists are describing the case as a long-term remission, a New York times report said. The case will be presented at an HIV conference in Seattle, a Daily Mail report said. This will inspire people that cure is not a dream, said Dr Annemarie Wensing, a virologist at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands was quoted as saying by NYT. Its reachable, she added. According to Daily Mail, Dr Gero Hutter, the German doctor who treated the Berlin patient, called the new case 'great news' and 'one piece in the HIV cure puzzle.' According to the daily, the unidentified London patient had developed Hodgkin lymphoma. The doctors were actually looking for the cure of the cancer, when they realised that with the right kind of donor, his doctors figured, the London patient might get a bonus beyond treating his cancer: a possible HIV cure the Daily Mail report said. Meanwhile, the Berlin pateint Brown has said that he would like to meet the London patient and would encourage him to go public. Meanwhile, in India, due to the ability of the Indian pharma companies to produce drugs at economical rates, the cost of HIV/AIDS treatment has gone down to $400 per year from USD 12,000. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu had also hailed the country's "spectacular" contribution to global healthcare. Noting that India has since ancient times a very systematic, scientific and rational approach to treatment of diseases, he said the country it has now become the third largest drug manufacturer in the world. The Centre has taken up a number of initiatives to create an ecosystem that fosters manufacturing and have identified a few key areas with pharmaceuticals being one of those due to the immense scope for technology, innovation and research in it, he had said. India already has the second highest number of US FDA approved facilities, and labour costs in India are significantly lower than other manufacturing hubs and the Union Budget 2017-18 shows an increase of 23 per cent in the health expenditure that is likely to give further impetus to the pharma sector. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for the implementation of the UN sanctions against individuals and organisations, amid mounting pressure from the global community to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil and curb their financing. The Foreign Office said that the government issued the UN Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019 in accordance with the provisions of Pakistan's United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Act, 1948. "The objective of the UNSC (Freezing and Seizure) Order 2019 is to streamline the procedure for implementation of Security Council Sanctions against designated individuals and entities," it said in a statement. Interpreting the order, Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said it means that the government has taken over the control of assets and properties of all banned outfits operating in the country, Dawn reported. "(From now onwards), all kinds of assets and properties of all (banned) organisations will be in the government's control," he said. He added that the government will now also seize the charity wings and ambulances of such banned outfits. The crackdown on banned groups came amid tensions with India following a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. India handed over a dossier to Pakistan to take action against the JeM, as pressure mounted on Islamabad to take action against individual and organisation listed by the UN Security Council as terrorists. On Sunday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government has taken action against the proscribed organisations including JeM in the past and any future action against them will be taken in the light of the National Action Plan (NAP) and Pakistan's commitments in connection with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). However, a top government source said that the Pakistan government has decided to launch a crackdown on terror outfits, including Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, in order to de-escalate tensions with India. The official had said the action against JeM is "expected any time soon". The new law is expected to help Pakistan government to fulfil its obligations towards the UNSC by expediting seizure of properties of banned groups and individuals. The US last month asked Pakistan to "freeze without delay" the funds and other financial assets of the UNSC-designated terrorist networks and their leaders. Pakistan is also under pressure from the Paris-based 1Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to deliver on its commitments to curb terror financing. The FATF in June last year placed Pakistan onto its watch list in a bid to push the country to halt support for militant groups. In June 2018, Pakistan made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG to strengthen its AML/CFT regime and to address its strategic counter-terrorism financing-related deficiencies by implementing a 10-point action plan to accomplish these objectives. The successful implementation of the action plan and its physical verification by the APG will lead the FATF to clear Pakistan out of its grey list or else move into the black list by September 2019. In its statement, the Foreign Office said that it may be recalled that the Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter authorises the (UNSC), acting under Article 41, to decide measures, not involving the use of armed force, to give effect to its decisions for the maintenance of international peace and security. In Pakistan, such decisions of the Security Council are implemented through the UN Security Council Act (UNSC), 1948, it said. The FO said over the years the sanctions regime of the United Nations Security Council have evolved. "A key measure of these sanctions regimes is 'assets freeze' under which States are required to freeze/seize the assets of designated entities and individuals as soon as they are designated by the relevant UNSC Sanctions Committee," it said. The UN Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019 has been formulated in line with UNSC and the FATF standards, according to FO. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Flash The Iraqi President Barham Salih Monday discussed with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas bilateral relations, and expressed Iraq's support to the rights of the Palestinian people to achieve peace and stability on their land. A statement by the presidency office said that Salih received Abbas and accompanying delegation, and the two sides held a meeting to discuss means to enhance cooperation and coordination in a way that serves the aspirations of the two brotherly peoples. "President Salih stressed the importance of protecting Jerusalem as well as sanctities from any violations, confirming the need to exert efforts to achieve the hopes of the brotherly Palestinian people for peace and stability as well as to realize their full legitimate rights," the statement said. For his part, Abbas congratulated the Iraqi people and government for the victory over Islamic State (IS) group and the liberation of all Iraqi territories, and expressed the "desire of his government to develop and expand bilateral relations," the statement added. The two sides also "discussed the latest developments in the Arab and regional arenas and the need to work to support the unity of Arab world to achieve security and stability in the region," it said. Abbas arrived in Iraq's capital Baghdad on Sunday afternoon with a high-level delegation including Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki, for a two-day visit aimed at discussing the current political situation, particularly the Palestinian cause, and ways to promote bilateral relations in all fields. New Delhi : Pakistans Punjab province Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan was on Tuesday asked to resign over his anti-Hindu remarks that invited intense criticism by senior party leaders and the minority community, according to a media report. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar summoned Chohan at the CM House and asked him to tender his resignation, Geo TV reported, quoting sources. The Punjab Chief Minister sought an explanation from Chohan regarding his anti-Hindu remarks. There were complaints against Chohan earlier as well owing to which he was sent warnings, the sources said. Earlier in the day, Chohan apologised for his remarks following intense criticism from senior members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf partys government and social media users. I was addressing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian armed forces and their media not the Hindu community in Pakistan, he said. I apologise if my remarks hurt the Hindu community in Pakistan, Chohan said. My remarks were in no way directed at Pakistans Hindu community. He had come under severe criticism from senior members of his party, ministers and social media users with #SackFayazChohan trending on Twitter for his controversial remarks while addressing a gathering on February 24 in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will not tolerate this nonsense, party leader Naeemul Haque, who is special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan, said on Monday night in response to Chohans remarks. The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan the Punjab Info Minister demand strict action. PTI govt will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the govt or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister, Haque tweeted. Haques tweet was followed by condemnation from Shireen Mazari and Asad Umar, the federal ministers of human rights and finance, respectively. Absolutely condemn this. No one has the right to attack anyone elses religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country, Mazari tweeted. Our PMs msg is always of tolerance & respect & we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred, she added. Financer Minister Umar tweeted, Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember the flag of Pakistan is not just green...its not complete without the white which represents the minorities. Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal also took to Twitter and said, Pakistan proudly owns the white in the flag as much as the green, values contributions of the Hindu community and honours them as our own. Several members of the Hindu community in Pakistan also took to Twitter to condemn the ministers remarks. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country. Majority of Pakistans Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with their Muslim fellows. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jerusalem: The United States has deployed its advanced THAAD missile defence system temporarily to Israel for a joint military exercise, the first of its kind, officials said. The two countries confirmed the deployment, with Israel's military stressing it was "not related to any specific current event". It is the first such exercise in Israel, although the two allies hold regular joint war games. No dates have been announced for the manoeuvres. Israel has its own missile defence system, but the exercise aims in part to examine how to incorporate THAAD so that "we are ready for any challenges in the future", military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said. It will also allow the US military to practice the rapid deployment of THAAD across the globe, officials said. "We see this as an opportunity to practice the integration of advanced American air defence systems into the Israeli air force air defence array," Conricus told journalists. "The THAAD system is considered to be one of the most advanced of its kind in the world," the Israeli spokesman said. The exercise with THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, involves more than 200 US military personnel and its components include radars and launching systems, Conricus said. Components and personnel have come from the United States and Italy, Conricus said. The THAAD will be deployed in southern Israel, but officials declined to say specifically where and for how long. Israel's enemies in the region include Iran and Lebanon's Tehran-backed Hezbollah, both of which are supporting President Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria. THAAD is capable of destroying short, medium and intermediate-range missiles. In 2017, the US government approved its sale to Saudi Arabia, providing Riyadh with state-of-the-art capabilities that could thwart an Iranian rocket attack. It had already been supplied to Saudi Arabia's neighbours Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Its deployment by the US military in South Korea as defence against North Korean drew protests from Beijing, which feared its sensors would be capable of penetrating Chinese air space and upset the balance of power. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the joint exercise, calling it "additional testimony to the commitment of the US to the security of Israel". For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Republican-led US Senate is set to reject the national emergency Donald Trump declared to build his Mexico border wall, likely forcing the US president's first veto, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday. Earlier, the US House of Representatives dealt a blow to President Donald Trump, approving a resolution blocking him from obtaining funding for a Mexican border wall through his declaration of a national emergency. Dismissing a veto threat by the president, the Democratic-controlled House struck down Trumps emergency declaration by a comfortable margin of 245-182, sending the measure to the Republican-held Senate. Thirteen Republicans have joined Democrats in voting to terminate Trumps emergency declaration, which the Republican president issued on February 15 after failing to secure billions of dollars from Congress for the wall. The House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats, passed the so-called resolution of disapproval and sent it to the Senate, which is expected to vote in the coming weeks. Senate Republicans have a 53-47 advantage. But four of them have now announced they will vote with Democrats to block Trump, who is seeking to bypass Congress to unlock funds for construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border that he insists will reduce illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Several other Republicans, while stopping short of announcing they would vote against Trump, have expressed deep concerns about his move, arguing it is a blatant attempt to expand executive authority. With Senator Rand Paul this weekend becoming the fourth Republican on board, the resolution of disapproval is now likely to be sent to Trump's desk, forcing the president into the tricky position of vetoing the measure and acting in clear opposition to Congress. Each chamber would then need to deliver two-thirds majorities to override Trump's veto -- an exceedingly high hurdle. "I think what is clear in the Senate is there will be enough votes to pass the resolution of disapproval, which will then be vetoed by the president and then in all likelihood the veto will be upheld in the House," McConnell told reporters in Kentucky. "I was one of those hoping the president would not take the national emergency route," McConnell said, although he backed Trump when he announced his plan. The Senate leader acknowledged concern that a future Democratic president might use Trump's precedent-setting action as a rationale for declaring national emergencies to bypass Congress on issues such as climate change, healthcare or gun control. "That's one reason I argued -- obviously without success -- to the president that he not take this route." For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Cabinet session yesterday chaired by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, discussed amending the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and Financial Institutions Law, with the aim of keeping pace with international financial regulations and providing better protection for financial institutions. The amendment also aims to provide legal coverage to Islamic financial services, consolidate control texts related to institutions that are subjects to the CBBs supervision, and deepen the requirements of fiscal stability. The session decided to refer a draft-law on amending some provisions of the Central Bank of Bahrain and Financial Institutions Law, promulgated by Law 64/2006, to the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs. Among other things, HRH the Prime Minister directed five ministries to study 16 service projects that would improve the quality of government services across the Kingdom, as part of his positive response to the remarks made by a number of lawmakers, whom he received recently. In this regard, HRH Premier gave directives to Health Ministry, Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry, Education Ministry, Housing Ministry and the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry to study the needs of the citizens in Hamad Town, Qalali, Muharraq, Zallaq, Al Lawzi and Manama in the fields of health, education, housing, municipal work, urban development, infrastructure and environment. In a related context, the Prime Minister instructed the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry to find urgent solutions to the needs of the Saar villages regarding services, a post-session statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr Yasser Al Nasser, said. The Cabinet, marking the International Womens Day 2019, lauded the giant leaps and successes made by the Kingdom regarding its women empowerment programmes, which reflected positively on the status of Bahraini women at the political, legislative, legislative and governmental fields, among others. The session lauded the Bahraini womens creativity and contributions to achieving sustainable development in the Kingdom. The session endorsed a recommendation by the Civil Service Council, chaired by HRH the Crown Prince, to modify the organisational structure of the secretariat-general of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, through creating a director-general post, with the rank of undersecretary. Two existing directorates will report to the director-general. Another recommendation by the Civil Service Council to modify the organisational structure of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) was also approved. Under the move, the deputies of LMRAs Chief Executive Officer will be reduced to three instead of four, and the number of directorate will remain unchanged, but some of them will be renamed or transferred to other sectors. The Economic Development Board of Bahrain (EDB) and Beehive yesterday announced the launch of Beehive, a debt-based crowdfunding platform, in Bahrain which will open up new funding avenues for SMEs and help drive innovation across the Kingdom and region. Beehive, launched in Dubai in 2014, is MENAs first regulated peer to peer lending platform and one of the regions leading fintech pioneers. It uses innovative crowdfunding technology to eliminate the cost and complexity of conventional finance by connecting businesses directly with investors. The result is a more efficient, streamlined process that gives businesses faster access to lower cost loans and investors better returns on their money and diversified risk. Khalid Hamad, Executive Director of Banking Supervision at the CBB, commented: We welcome Beehives decision for selecting Bahrain to establish the first financing-based crowdfunding platform operator, which is a step forward in promoting the SMEs and start-ups via facilitating the link to the investors for securing the required financing. The license, which is the first of its kind in the Kingdom, is a reflection of the CBBs continuous efforts in providing an optimal mix of policies and products to improve the quality and competitiveness of services in the financial sector. Dalal Buhejji Business Development, Financial Services, Bahrain Economic Development Board, further added: We are delighted to welcome Beehive to Bahrain, which has long recognised the importance of entrepreneurship as a high-potential driver of economic diversification and growth. Access to finance is an essential element of any start-up ecosystem and crowdsourcing has a significant role to play an additional source of funding for businesses that have previously been dependent on bank finance. Beehive will also create a new route for investors to gain exposure to the growth in the Kingdoms SMEs, complementing existing platforms such as the Bahrain Investment Market, which is tailored to fast-growing businesses. Craig Moore, Beehive CEO, added: Were delighted to collaborate with EDB to bring the Beehive platform to Bahrain, offering pioneering businesses fast, affordable alternative finance. Our mission aligns with the Kingdoms vision and strategy to assist the growth of SMEs, supporting them through improved access to finance, which is crucial to their development and success. Beehives launch in Bahrain follows new regulation issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) in 2017 to enable both conventional and Sharia compliant financing-based crowdfunding for small and medium-sized businesses. Under the CBB regulation, Bahrain-based Peer-to-Businesses crowdfunding platforms are able to fund startups and SMEs in Bahrain as well as regionally and internationally Flash Cooperation between China and Russia is on the fast track and the two countries will expand bilateral ties in various fields, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said Monday. "China-Russia cooperation in the spheres of trade and economy, energy, scientific and technical innovation, finance and investment, as well as agriculture and infrastructure construction are moving along a 'high-speed highway,'" Li told Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta (Independent Newspaper). Both countries have accelerated the pace of building up their potentials and improving the well-being of their peoples by promoting strategic interaction adhering to the spirit of efficiency and practicality, Li said. He noted that the two presidents have nurtured good working relations and a strong friendship in recent years through reciprocal visits and meetings, which helped to enhance bilateral ties and promote cooperation. The ambassador said the China-Russia trade volume reached 107.06 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, and Russia ranked first among China's 10 largest trading partners in terms of turnover growth. Currently, China and Russia are working to find new points of contact in such fields as digital economy, high technology and the development of the Far Eastern region and the Arctic, Li said. The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic relations, which, according to the ambassador, will be the main event in bilateral relations this year. To commemorate this occasion, the two countries will organize a number of events that will further boost bilateral cooperation, he added. "I am confident that this year, China-Russia relations will gain new momentum for development," Li said. The Lower Criminal Court postpones the case of a former Bahraini Minister to March 13th hearing, on issuing a 50,000-dinar cheque with no sufficient balance. The Plaintiff received a cheque from the defendant as a guarantee for an amount he got from him, but the defendant questioned the credibility of the cheque and accused the plaintiff of forging it. The details of the incident go back to a complaint from a Bahraini businessman stating that the defendant (the former minister) issued a check worth 50,000 dinars, in exchange for an advance loan to the defendant. He added that the defendant issued the check as a guarantee to return the amount; however, when the check was due the plaintiff realized that the account was deactivated already and has zero balance. The Dutch husband of Shamima Begum, the British-born teenager who ran away to join Daesh in Syria in 2015, has said he wants her to return to the Netherlands with him. Yago Riedijk and Begum married days after she arrived inside Daesh-held territory aged 15. Riedijk, 27, is being held in a Kurdish detention center in north-eastern Syria. He faces a six-year jail term for joining a terror organisation if he returns to the Netherlands. In an interview with the BBC, Riedijk admitted fighting for the group but says he now wants to return home with his wife and their newborn son. Riedijk said he rejected Daesh and had tried to leave the group, according to the BBC. He added that he was imprisoned in Raqqa and tortured after the extremists accused him of being a Dutch spy. Begum, now aged 19, and Riedijk escaped from the town of Baghouz, the last Daesh-held area in eastern Syria, as the terror groups territory collapsed. Her husband surrendered to a group of Syrian fighters, and Begum and their newborn son Jerah ended up among 39,000 people at the Al Hawl refugee camp in northern Syria. Begum was moved to another camp nearer the Iraqi border after receiving death threats. She had earlier said that she wanted to return to Britain but her British citizenship was revoked on security grounds. Chinese telecoms giant Huaweis chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, has filed suit against Canadian authorities for violating her constitutional rights when she was arrested in Vancouver, her lawyers said Sunday. As she suffered serious breaches of her constitutional rights, she is seeking damages for misfeasance in public office and false imprisonment when detained at Vancouver International Airport on December 1, attorneys Howard Mickelson and Allan Doolittle said in a statement. The 47-year-old businesswoman was changing planes in Vancouver when she was detained at Washingtons request on suspicion of violating US sanctions on Iran -- sparking arrests of Canadians in China that were seen as retaliatory. Her lawyers charge impropriety in the conditions under which Meng was interrogated for three hours by the customs officers, officially as part of a routine inspection, before being served with her official arrest. The complaint was lodged Friday, the same day that Canadian justice officially launched Meng Wanzhous extradition process to the United States. Mr and Mrs Average are said to live in this southwestern English town better known as a political bellwether than for any charm. Its 54.7 per cent vote for Brexit in 2016 was one of the first results announced, an early indicator of upheaval. Now, with less than a month until the March 29 deadline for Britain to leave the European Union, its again aligned with most of the country, this time in its cluelessness as to what is about to happen. To paraphrase Churchill, much invoked by Brexiteers as a symbol of the rule-Britannia greatness they believe will return once Britain is freed from its European shackles: Never was so little known by so many about so much. Britain is in a funk. Just get this over with, is a plea I heard often from Brexit-battered Brits, as if they were waiting to have a limb amputated. After nearly three years, theyre done. All the oxygen has been sucked from the room by the Conservative Prime Minister Theresa Mays floundering attempt to end the countrys 46-year membership in the European Union. Its not easy to make an egg from an omelet, as Pascal Lamy, the former head of the World Trade Organisation, has observed. I grew up in a Britain where the Continent, a faintly distasteful geographical mass associated with rabies and garlic, was far away. The EU changed that. Now, through finance, trade, law and culture, Britain is mixed into a borderless market of 28 nations and more than a half-billion people that has brought peace, stability and an unprecedented, if uneven, prosperity to Europe. Britains decision to break from that is a curious act of self-harm, linked, like the election of Donald Trump, to the desperation of our times. The countrys main political parties, the Conservatives and Labour, buffeted by the Brexit maelstrom, are in crisis beset by desertions, insurrections and division. As elsewhere in Western democracies shaken by the failings of liberalism, hard-line factions to the left and right have gained sway. They offer rekindled socialism or make-Britaingreat-again nationalism as the answer to inequality and ennui. The center looks weak, even if defectors from Labour and the Conservative Parties last month formed an Independent Group to try to resurrect it. Parliamentary democracy, which is what Britain is, and democracy-by-plebiscite, which is what the 2016 vote was, are in a standoff: A sovereign Parliament has rejected Mays proposal, while advocates of Brexit, on time and at any cost, bay about the sacred irreversible will of the people. Britain today poses the question of what 21st-century democracy is. May and Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party leader, have both made desperate concessions in the past week. They did so from weakness. Mays acknowledgment that Brexit could be delayed (the union would have to agree to that and would want to know why) and Corbyns support for a second referendum (a grudging move from a lifelong Euroskeptic heading a pro-EU party) added to the mayhem. Anything is possible. Thats now official. Britain could approve an amended May deal (essentially a fudge preserving British participation in the single market and customs union for now); crash out of the union like a lemming over a cliff; defer a decision; hold a second vote; or some weird combination. I met with David Renard, the Tory leader of Swindons borough council. Hes getting impatient. He says he wants British sovereignty back, rescued from a web of European Union regulations. He thinks Britain should get out, even without a deal. The British people voted to leave. It would be an affront to democracy if we do not on March 29, he told me. Lets get on with it! A lot of people would see a delay as the liberal elite establishment trying to find a way to stay in the EU. As a paid-up member of that establishment, I would see a delay and a second vote (one does not necessarily follow from the other) as an act of very British common sense. By focusing the zeitgeists every frustration on Brussels, the Take Back Control campaign in 2016 was a brilliant exercise in emotional transference. Remain equaled the status quo. To many people, for reasons that had little or nothing to do with the union, that was an unattractive proposition. As a practical matter, however, the decision to leave has been a disaster. Fantasy Brexit, was based on lies, like the imminent invasion of 80 million Turks. Now Britain has had a three-year crash course in Reality Brexit. This has involved slower growth, lower investment and the collapse of the illusory idyll. Some 40 free trade deals were promised to replace free trade arrangements Britain benefits from as a union member. The government has concluded a handful, one of them with the Faroe Islands. Trump is not forever. Brexit is. Britains youth oppose it. A decision of this import should be grounded in reality. I sat for a while outside the Debenhams department store in downtown Swindon. The scene was not a happy one: stores for rent, people struggling to get by. Swindon is an hour by train from central London, the purring hub of pro-EU sentiment. It might as well be on another planet and its still far better off than many towns in Britain. No wonder, I thought, that a majority here did not want to remain. Last month Honda, Swindons second-largest employer, announced the closure of its plant, with the loss of 3,500 jobs. There were various factors, including a free trade agreement Japan has concluded with the European Union (making manufacture in Japan more attractive). Honda did not cite the elephant on its production line: Brexit. Imagine youre in a board meeting in Tokyo looking at fathomless uncertainty in Britain for the foreseeable future: What would you decide? One angry Honda worker, with 24 years at the Swindon factory, had no doubt about the real culprit for his job loss: The governments completely incompetent handling of the whole thing doesnt help either, does it? he said in a Channel 4 interview that went viral. They cant even decide for themselves what Brexit means. This is idiocy of epic proportions. Idiocy aside, its not easy to execute a decision based on mass delusion. As Robert Smith, a Swindon-based marketing director for a law firm, told me: The gig economy is not Europes fault. Nor is the migrant crisis, billionaire-favouring taxes and stagnant wages. The European Union is our national scapegoat, Sam Gyimah, a Tory MP who quit Mays government last November, told me. As minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Gyimah laboured hard to make Brexit work. The more he laboured, the less it seemed to make sense. We get 1.5 pounds from the EU for every pound we put in, he told me. The University of Cambridge gets more than all of Romania. Britain had invested heavily in Galileo, a global navigation satellite system created by the European Union. Now it has been shut out. When May produced her deal in fact a proposal to defer for at least two years all the difficult decisions Gyimah quit. Theres no majority for any option in Parliament, he told me. This has to go back to the people. The people are restive. Renard told me the Swindon council is making plans for civil unrest as a precaution, should Brexit be delayed. Liberalism worked well for a while. It was good at freeing people from bigotry, sexism, racism, nationalism and prejudice. It was less good at providing people with meaning to their lives, beyond hedonism and materialism. In 2008, with the financial crisis, the wheels came off. Those responsible walked away. A lot of people felt empty, and were drowning in debt. What had the elite ever done for them? Bigotry and nationalism made a storming comeback. Thats Brexit in a nutshell. The reality, however, is that Brexit only compounds the problems. Will Dry, a student, was 18 when he voted for Brexit. All his family told him Europe meant unemployment and refugees. Now Dry has taken time off from Oxford University to fight Brexit in London. He came, he told me, to the realisation we did not have a plan. His new view is that its far better to cooperate with neighbours and allies than ditch them. With Lara Spirit, another student on leave from college, Dry is a co-president of OFOC (Our Future Our Choice dont try to pronounce the acronym), a youth movement that has sent a blue bus around Britain emblazoned with the words Please stand up for our futures. Signed, young people. The bus is a rebuke to the Brexiteers notorious red bus that, in 2016, spread the lie that more than $462 million a week going to the EU would be spent post-Brexit on the National Health Service. Im confident there will be a second vote, Spirit said. Polls suggest Britain would now vote to stay in the European Union, perhaps by a 54-46 percent margin. Hugo Dixon, the deputy chairman of a grass-roots movement for a second referendum, suggested this slogan: Fix it. Not Brexit. Thats good. Liberal democracy has failed too many of its citizens. Brexit and Trump prove that. Elites have to acknowledge their arrogant inattention. The answer is to fix problems in education, the health service, taxation and uncontrolled immigration, to name a few. To return to Churchill, he declared in 1936 at another moment of British wavering: So they go in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent. Three years into its agonising Brexit odyssey, Britain is finally realising that scapegoating Brussels has gotten it nowhere. Its going to have to fix its national problems and the European Union could help. Forbes estimated at $18.4 billion the personal fortune of Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio, ranking him 57th on the magazines annual list this year of billionaires globally. Dalio was one of 17 Connecticut residents to make this years list, of more than 600 in the United States and 2,150 globally, with Forbes calculating an $800 million increase in Dalios net worth last year leading the worlds largest hedge fund based in Westport. Forbes has dropped Paul Tudor Jones II from the ranks of Connecticut billionaires, after the Tudor Investment Corp. founder established residency in Palm Beach, Fla. after purchasing a mansion there in 2016. Tudor Investment Corp. moved its Connecticut office to Stamford last year from Greenwich where Tudor Jones long listed residency, ranking him just inside the top 350 billionaires on this years Forbes list with assets of $5.1 billion. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos led the list a second straight year with $131 billion in assets, with the United States adding 21 billionaires last year on a net basis including Kylie Jenner, at age 21 the youngest self-made billionaire ever as defined by Forbes based on the estimated value of her Kylie Cosmetics brand. The next four richest Americans were Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Larry Ellison and Mark Zuckerberg. President Trumps net worth was flat from a year ago at $3.1 billion, nearly half of those assets representing New York City real estate he controls. Steve Cohen of Greenwich ranked second among Connecticut billionaires and just outside the top 100 globally, with $12.9 billion in personal assets leading Point72 Asset Management in Stamford. Other Connecticut residents to make the list include Hyatt Hotels heiress Karen Pritzker of Branford; Viking Global Investors chief Andreas Halvorsen of Darien; Subway co-founder Peter Buck of Danbury; Cargill heiresses and siblings Alexandra Daitch of Old Lyme and Lucy Stitzer of Greenwich; and Greenwich residents Vince McMahon Jr. of WWE, Cliff Asness, David Kabiller and John Liew of AQR Capital Management, Stephen Mandel Jr. of Lone Pine Capital, Christian Haub of Tengelmann Group, Mario Gabelli of Gamco, William Berkley of W.R. Berkley, Brad Jacobs of XPO Logistics, and William Macaulay of First Reserve. China had the biggest net drop in billionaires from a year ago, with 49 fewer this year according to Forbes estimates. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman NEWTOWN The driver of the SUV that crashed through Kings Breakfast & Lunch on South Main Street injuring several people Monday afternoon was trying to avoid another vehicle, according to police. A 2002 Acura MDX Touring driven by Douglas E. Gabel, of Monroe, crashed around 2:30 p.m. Monday into the entrance to the restaurant at 271 S. Main St. Gabel, 59, was driving northbound on Route 25 when a southbound 2017 Acura MDX Technology driven by Bridgewater resident Theodore E. Shear, 78, attempted to turn left into the Kings driveway in front of Gabels SUV, police said. In an effort to avoid hitting Shears vehicle, Gabel abruptly turned to the right and into the restaurants driveway, police said. Gabels SUV continued through the parking lot, striking and hitting an exterior wall on the west side of the restaurant, police said. A person sitting in a chair with her back facing the oncoming vehicle was also hit, according to an accident summary from the Newtown Police Department. The woman was not seriously hurt. Emergency personnel, including Botsford Fire Rescue and the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, responded to the scene. First Selectman Daniel Rosenthal said Monday it was remarkable there were only minor injuries, considering the extent of the damage. Restaurant management was not immediately available to comment. Gabels SUV was towed from the scene, and police issued Shear an infraction for failing to grant right-of-way. kendra.baker@hearst.com In recent weeks, there have been sustained mass protests against two long-ruling autocratic leaders south of the Mediterranean. In Sudan, three months of demonstrations prompted President Omar al-Bashir to declare a year-long state of emergency and dissolve the country's federal and state governments in a bid to consolidate his rule. But protests have persisted, and his position still may be weakening. Some see the end of his three decades in power looming on the horizon. "Many in Sudan's streets see Bashir's decision in the past week as a classic mistake repeated by desperate dictators in their final throes, and it raises their hopes that his days are numbered," The Washington Post reported March 3. Meanwhile, in Algeria, protests across the country swelled over the past two weeks, calling for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to abandon his run for a fifth term in April's elections. Bouteflika turned 82 over the weekend and has been in power since 1999. He suffered a stroke in 2013 that left him using a wheelchair, and he has not spoken publicly in seven years. Bouteflika's ill health offers something of a metaphor for the gerontocracy ensconced in Algeria. Since winning a bloody independence from France in 1962, the once-revolutionary National Liberation Front (FLN) has never relinquished power. Now, the ailing Bouteflika is at the helm of what critics view as a stale regime, buttressed by the military's top brass, intelligence services and a clique of wealthy businessmen. In 2011, as political upheaval rocked the Arab world, Bouteflika's government preserved itself even as dictators were swept away in Egypt and neighboring Tunisia and Libya, using generous subsidies to calm economic tensions, Bloomberg columnist Bobby Ghosh wrote Feb. 25. But a drop in global oil prices has forced the government to cut back its social spending. "Memories fade, however, and government handouts lose their value with time," Ghosh added. "Eight years after the Arab Spring, some Algerians may be ready for another revolution." Analysts caution against declaring the advent of a new Arab Spring, not least because the unrest in Sudan and Algeria is taking place in rather different contexts. But across North Africa and the Middle East, the conditions for greater upheaval remain - indeed, they may be worse. "The political, economic and social challenges facing almost every Middle Eastern regime today are worse by orders of magnitude than they were in 2011 - and the structural factors enabling protest contagion remain potent," Marc Lynch, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, wrote Feb. 26 in an analysis for The Post. The events in Algeria and Sudan were part of "a broader sequence of popular protest movements that hit more than a third of the countries in the region over the past two years," including major anti-corruption and anti-government protests in Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia and Iran, Lynch said. In both Algeria and Sudan, the governments have long and brutal legacies of repression. "Human rights groups say more than 50 people have been killed by [Sudanese] security forces since the protests began in mid-December," The Post reported March d from Khartoum. "Thousands more - including prominent opposition figures, lawyers, doctors and journalists - have been held indefinitely in a constellation of detention centers run by Sudan's intelligence service." The government in Algeria, in particular, has for decades styled itself as a bulwark against Islamist militant groups in North Africa. Its image as a putative anchor of regional stability and its partnership in counterterror operations with European governments led many in the West to overlook its democratic shortcoming and its stifling of dissent. Since the uprisings of 2011, monarchies on the Arabian peninsula - especially in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi - moved to suppress Islamist or pro-democracy movements in various parts of the Arab world, arguing that they needed to restore order. And they extended sustained support to strongmen, such as Bashir, ignoring their grisly records. But no matter these regimes' very real abilities to quash dissent, their survival no longer seems a fait accompli. "As economic and demographic challenges mount, and political institutions have been stripped of legitimacy, regimes that are already exercising maximal repression have few options for escalation," wrote Lynch. "Even if protests will not diffuse as easily as they did in 2011, there are always potential triggering events - the death of an aging leader, controversial constitutional changes, unavoidable subsidy cuts, even the end of civil wars - lurking on the horizon." Bouteflika's allies may be hoping to buy time as they ready for his eventual departure. But their legitimacy is being challenged by an angry, disillusioned young generation fully aware of Bouteflika's infirmity. "The president is incapable both of managing the state, and of naming officials," Mustapha Bouchachi, a human rights lawyer in Algiers, told the New York Times. "This person can no longer read or write. He's been taken hostage by a mafia band." On Sunday, it seemed the popular pressure in Algeria had won protesters a kind of victory. In a letter read by his campaign manager, Bouteflika announced that he was, indeed, running for a fifth term - one he is likely to win, given Algeria's less-than-democratic political system. But he indicated he would use his mandate to lead a "national dialogue" that would result in new elections next year, when he will no longer participate. "This letter is Bouteflika's first response to the protests, and a clear acknowledgment that, in effect, their reasons are valid," tweeted Andrew Lebovich, an expert on North Africa at the European Council on Foreign Relations. But, he added, it "doesn't leave a lot of room for maneuver if the protests continue despite this." In Sudan, experts warn that Bashir may find his decision to hand temporary power to military proxies to be his undoing. "The officers entrusted now with government are more or less the ones you would be worried about to mount a coup," Magdi el-Gizouli, a Sudanese political analyst, told The Post. If not, protesters still vow to return to the streets. "Bashir's latest move is nothing but an attempt to stay in power in order to avoid prosecution for the crimes he committed" said Salah Shoaib, a spokesman for the main organization driving the protests. "We will continue the struggle to get rid of the regime and rebuild the country with new democratic institutions." - - - Tharoor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. He previously was a senior editor and correspondent at Time magazine, based first in Hong Kong and later in New York. Before he was killed inside a Saudi Consulate in October, our colleague Jamal Khashoggi questioned why Saudi Arabia had detained a prominent doctor, Walid Fitaihi, a dual Saudi-U.S. citizen seized in a November 2017 roundup of businessmen. The detainees, in what was described as an anti-corruption drive, were held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh. "What happened to us?" Khashoggi, himself a Saudi, asked on Twitter. "How can a person like @Walidfitaihi get arrested, and for what reason?" He added, "With no interceding channels to pursue & no Attorney General to answer questions & verify charges, of course everyone is struck with awe and helplessness." Today, Khashoggi is no longer able to ask such impertinent questions. He was assassinated in Istanbul by a hit squad that intelligence reports say was dispatched by the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. But Khashoggi's question remains relevant. Fitaihi, founder of a medical center in Jeddah, is still a captive. It is not known precisely why, and he has never been charged, although The New York Times quoted a friend saying he was being pressured to give evidence against a relative. He has been tortured during his captivity. He was reportedly grabbed from his room at the Ritz, slapped, blindfolded, stripped to his underwear, bound to a chair, shocked with electricity and whipped so severely that he could not sleep on his back for days. The Times said his lawyer has written to the State Department that the doctor "is in fear for his life, that he cannot take his situation any longer, and that he desires all possible help." The Associated Press quoted the lawyer as saying Fitaihi is now in a prison hospital after suffering "an emotional breakdown." Fitaihi earned his medical degree from George Washington University and holds a master's degree in public health from Harvard University. On another front in Salman's drive to crush critical voices, Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor announced charges Friday against a group of female activists who campaigned to give women the right to drive - a right that Salman conferred after they sought it. The activists have been jailed for nearly a year, during which Amnesty International says they have been tortured and sexually abused. They did nothing wrong and should be released unconditionally and immediately. In The New York Times Magazine on Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, asked about the crown prince's role in the Khashoggi killing, declared that the United States would "hold everyone that we determine is responsible for this accountable in an appropriate way, a way that reflects the best of the United States of America." A doctor with U.S. citizenship was tortured and held without charge. Women who stood for human dignity and equality were jailed and tortured. A journalist was killed. Yet President Donald Trump and his administration - including his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who last week met with the crown prince - are loath to act. That does not reflect the best of the United States of America. "Maria Ressa is a vital voice in a world where truth is too often at risk," says Kathy English , a CJF executive board member and public editor of the Toronto Star . "She has reported courageously on the increasingly authoritarian government of the Philippines, which has weaponized the law against her and the news company she co-founded. "Her powerful defence of truth in the face of daunting obstacles, including threats to her life, is truly inspiring. This award recognizes Maria's courage and conviction in holding the powerful to account and upholding the press freedom democracy depends on." Ressa has been targetedjailed and then released on bailfor what many see as payback for her coverage and criticism of the Philippine government's extrajudicial killings as part of its war on drugs and its attempts to silence the free press. She is also known for her fight against disinformation. For her work, she was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year"among four other persecuted journalistsand has won numerous awards around the world recognizing her courage. A journalist in Asia for more than 30 years, Ressa has served as CNN's bureau chief in Manila and Jakarta and was CNN's lead investigative reporter focusing on terrorism in Southeast Asia. She has written two books Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of al-Qaeda's Newest Center of Operations in Southeast Asia and From Bin Laden to Facebook. She also headed the news division of ABS-CBN, a Philippine media company. The annual CJF Awards is a gala celebration of journalistic excellence. More than 600 journalists, media executives and business leaders honour those who have made significant contributions to journalismboth locally and on the international stageand to recognize emerging talent. Other awards presented at the CJF Awards include the CJF Jackman Awards for Excellence in Journalism, the CJF-Facebook Journalism Project News Literacy Award, the CJF Lifetime Achievement Award, the CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowships, The Landsberg Award, the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award, the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy, the William Southam Journalism Fellowships and the Martin Wise Goodman Canadian Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University. The CJF thanks the generous support of presenting sponsor Deegan Public Strategies and sponsors Labatt Breweries of Canada, Accenture, Facebook Journalism Project and CTV News. Thanks also to in-kind supporter CISION. For tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities, see contact information below or visit the CJF Awards page. #CJFawards About the Canadian Journalism Foundation Established in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a prestigious annual awards and fellowships program featuring an industry gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism. Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers' series, the CJF facilitates dialogue among journalists, business people, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research. To purchase a table or tickets for the CJF Awards, please contact: Josh Gurfinkel The Canadian Journalism Foundation [email protected] SOURCE Canadian Journalism Foundation For further information: Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, [email protected] Related Links http://www.cjf-fjc.ca "The Overstory," by Richard Powers, has been named one of five finalists for the $15,000 PEN/Faulkner Award, America's largest peer-juried prize for fiction. Powers' ambitious environmental novel tells several intertwined stories about people devoted to trees. The Washington Post chose "The Overstory" as one of the 10 best books of 2018, and it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Powers, a MacArthur "genius" who has published a dozen novels, is well known for his cerebral stories related to various scientific fields, including "The Echo Maker," which won a National Book Award in 2006. Here are the other four finalists named Tuesday by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation in Washington, D.C.: -- "Tomb of the Unknown Racist," by Blanche McCrary Boyd, is about a woman looking for her long-lost brother in the violent American subculture of white supremacy. This is the final novel in the Blacklock Trilogy, which began with "The Revolution of Little Girls" (1991). -- "Love War Stories" is the first book by Ivelisse Rodriguez. The collection, begun two decades ago, focuses primarily on Puerto Rican women and girls dealing with cultural expectations and intergenerational conflict. -- "Call Me Zebra," by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, is about a bookish Iranian woman in New York who travels back to Europe to honor her late father and solve the problems of the universe. -- "Don't Skip Out on Me" is by musician Willy Vlautin, a member of the Portland, Ore., band the Delines. This novel, his fifth, is about a lonely ranch hand who hopes to become a professional boxer. "This year's finalists are proof that we are living in an age in which tremendous, significant stories are being told by a multiplicity of unique voices," said Gwydion Suilebhan, who became the executive director of PEN/Faulkner in January. He was previously the director of brand and marketing for Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, D.C. The judges for this year's prize are Percival Everett, Ernesto Quinonez and Joy Williams. They considered more than 400 novels and story collections published by Americans in 2018. In a statement released Tuesday, the judges wrote: "In a time when our leaders are telling us that our lives don't matter, that language exists only to convey misinformation, we found all entrants speaking loudly, eloquently, and timelessly, reaffirming us that our lives do. Our finalists were chosen for their genuine and emotional possession of an American narrative that includes us all, beyond walls or any lines." The winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award will be announced April 29. All five authors will be honored at the PEN/Faulkner Award ceremony on May 4 at Arena Stage in D.C. Tickets ($95) can be purchased online at pfaward19.eventbrite.com. Gov. Ned Lamont delivered a full-throated defense Monday of David Lehman, the former Goldman Sachs partner whose nomination as commissioner of economic and community development has prompted questions about whether Lehman is tainted by the firms role in the financial collapse of 2008. On WNPRs Where We Live, the governor said Lehman is unfairly suffering from guilt-by-association with Goldman Sachs, a firm that figured prominently in a scathing post-mortem of the financial collapse conducted by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. I think thats fundamentally unfair to his young man and what he wants to do for this state, Lamont said. And, yup, Wall Street was selling some lousy products, but they were generally selling lousy products to hedge funds that were derelict and not paying attention to what they were buying. That doesnt have anything to do with David. Off air, Lamont said he and Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, who pointedly refused last week to commit to voting for Lehmans confirmation when it comes before the full Senate, have since talked about Lehmans nomination. Looney said he has advised the governor to call other senators and make the case for Lehman. We havent caucused it yet. We want to allow members of the caucus to express their opinions. Thats why I suggested to the governor that he reach out, Looney said. Looney, who said he has directed his legal staff to examine the public record concerning Lehmans tenure at Goldman Sachs and his testimony before the U.S. Senate, acknowledged that governors generally are presumed to be entitled to their own nominees. The burden would be on the Senate to find cause for rejecting Lehman, he said. If the status quo prevails and nothing new is revealed, I think the presumption in favor of the governors nominee would carry, Looney said. At issue is what Lehman knew about the poor quality of collateralized debt obligations, exotic and risky financial instruments known as CDOs, sold by Goldman Sachs to investors. Lehman, now 41, joined the firm in 2004, when he was 27 or 28 and became co-leader of its Structured Products Group Trading Desk in 2006. Last week, Lehman told the legislatures Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee, Any suggestion that I knew a product was going to be worthless and subsequently sold it to a client is completely and wholly untrue. In 2010, Lehman was one of 700 witnesses called to testify before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which was created by Congress to perform an analysis of the collapse. Lehman testified about Goldmans high-stakes fight with American International Group, whose Connecticut-based subsidiary, AIG Financial Products, grew a booming business in credit-default swaps. In exchange for a stream of premium-like payments, AIG Financial Products agreed to reimburse the investor in such a debt obligation in the event of any default, was how the commission described the product. The credit default swap is often compared to insurance, but when an insurance company sells a policy, regulations require that it set aside a reserve in case of a loss. Because credit default swaps were not regulated insurance contracts, no such requirement was applicable. AIGs biggest customer was Goldman Sachs. In mid-2007, Goldman and AIG began a long fight about the value of $23 billion of complex mortgage securities. According to the New York Times, Goldman had insured those securities by paying $100 million in premiums to AIG. A more prominent Goldman Sachs witness was Henry Paulson, the CEO of Goldman Sachs from 1999 until he became George W. Bushs secretary of the Treasury in 2006. Under Paulson, Goldman Sachs played a major role in the creation and sale of the mortgage securities that were a central element of the financial collapse. From 2004 through 2006, the company provided billions of dollars in loans to mortgage lenders; most went to the subprime lenders Ameriquest, Long Beach, Fremont, New Century, and Countrywide through warehouse lines of credit, often in the form of repos. During the same period, Goldman acquired $53 billion of loans from these and other subprime loan originators, which it securitized and sold to investors, the commission reported. Lamont said he understands the the lingering anger about the collapse and Goldmans role. I get it, a lot of people have googled Goldman Sachs. And they say Goldman Sachs is a firm where he was, and they blame them, blame the firm or Wall Street for a lot of what happened, Lamont said. And Wall Street deserves some of that blame, absolutely. We leveraged ourselves to the eyeballs. Deregulation was a disaster in the 90s and how that resulted out. But thats not David Lehman. David Lehman was 28 years old. He had just showed up. Off air, the governor said Hollywood has played a role in the publics view of the 2008 crash. These guys have all seen The Big Short, Lamont said. And they think Goldman Sachs was responsible for the crash. EAST HAVEN Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr.s recommended $91.6 million 2019-20 budget, now forwarded to the Board of Finance, would reduce the tax rate slightly, from 32.45 mills to 32.40 mills while preserving all current services, Maturo announced Monday. The proposed tax rate reduction the second Maturo has proposed since 2015 comes on a budget that would increase by 0.09 percent, or $77,884 , over the current years spending. Since resuming office in 2011, my team and I have charted a careful, responsible fiscal path for the Town of East Haven which has focused on restoring our rainy day fund, reducing debt, and borrowing responsibly to address the towns infrastructure needs, Maturo said in a release. I am proud to be proposing another budget which addresses all of those goals and which puts more money back in taxpayers pockets, Maturo said. Maturos 2015-16 budget reduced the tax rate by 0.50 mill the largest tax decrease in a non-revaluation year since 1989. The town has now run seven straight surpluses, which has restored East Havens fund balance fund to a $5.84 million surplus its highest level since 2007, Maturo said. During the same period, the town has received two credit rating upgrades, including a two-tier upgrade from A- to A+ in 2016 for reducing East Havens long-term debt, which now stands at approximately $22.25 million . Thats a reduction of 53.7 percent from the $48.1 million in debt East Haven carried in 2011, Maturo said. Since 2011, weve committed ourselves to being more efficient and to doing more with less, Maturo said in the release. It hasnt been easy. Its been a team effort among the administration, department heads, and town workers. My budget recommendation this year expands upon the tax savings already being realized by our residents, the release stated. In fact, if approved by the Town Council, around 70 percent of taxpayers will be paying less in taxes than they were when I resumed office in 2011. Finance Director Paul Rizza said that a huge part of earning those upgrades has been our commitment to restoring our rainy day fund. Maturo said his budget proposes to use a portion of a 13.86 percent scheduled reduction in the towns annual debt payment, from $3.14 million to $2.71 million, to absorb increases in other departments. The budget would return the rest of the savings to taxpayers via the tax rate reduction, he said. As Ive noted previously, the states dismal fiscal climate and the unpredictability of state funding has made it more difficult than ever to craft a balanced budget, Maturo said in the release. This past budget year, our community lost $357,240.00 in state funding for the Circuit Breaker program for our seniors and $854,319.00 in municipal revenue sharing funding, which subsidizes a host of local initiatives. Maturo said he was looking forward to getting the Board of Finances input and to working with our Town Council to pass this tax-decrease budget. EAST HAVEN Republican Town Council member Steven Big Steve Tracey, R-4, stepped out to become the first announced candidate for mayor Tuesday, giving Republican Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. his first in-party challenge should he seek another term. Maturo has yet to announce his intentions. The election is Nov. 5. After listening to the taxpayers and concerned citizens of East Haven, I believe it is time for a different approach to manage East Haven, Tracey said in a news release. We need new ideas and positive leadership to face the demands of Connecticuts economy and our states disastrous financial situation. I am committed to making East Haven an even better environment for our young families in town to grow and prosper by keeping more of their hard-earned tax dollars in their pockets while investing in essentials like education, infrastructure, and public safety, Tracey said. Tracey mentioned as one key reason why hes running. Our Towns seniors make up a large percentage of our population and they are the very people who made East Haven what it is today. I want to insure East Haven remains a town that they can afford to live in and a town they can be proud of, he said. East Haven is a great town to live and work in. This is why Big Steve chose to bring his business to our Main Street and to call East Haven home, raising a family here as well, the release stated. Big Steve has worked hard to build a very successful business and plans to work just as hard for the residents of East Haven when elected. Traceys campaign website is at www.bigsteveformayor.com. Tracey, a former pro wrestler for what then was the World Wrestling Federation, now owns three businesses: DiAdamo & Tracey Bail Bonds, Paradise Alley Wrestling and Victory Towing. Once known to wrestling fans as Dave Paradise, Tracey battled other pro wrestlers including Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during his five-year WWF career. Tracey lost a tight race for the 99th District state representative seat to then-incumbent Democrat James Albis in 2016, falling short in a recount. Maturo currently is in his ninth total term in office. He has been back in office since 2011 after previously serving five terms as mayor, from 1997-2007. While he has yet to announce whether he will seek another term, Maturo sounded very much like a candidate when asked about it Tuesday. I have not decided, he said, adding that he hopes to do so soon and I may open up an exploratory committee very soon. I have enjoyed every minute of the last 18 years helping East Haven to be a better place to live, Maturo said. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN Seventeen Yale University students were arrested and issues citations Monday, after an occupation of the schools Investments Office, according to a release from activist group Fossil Free Yale. The group, along with others, has been pressuring Yale to direct its fund managers to cancel their holdings in Puerto Ricos debt and divest the endowment from fossil fuel companies, according to a release. NEW HAVEN U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, has a new campaign manager. Sarah Locke, a New Haven native and co-chairwoman of the Democratic Town Committee, managed Jorge Cabreras state Senate campaign, and serves on the New Haven Board of Zoning Appeals, according to a release. I am excited to have Sarah lead my campaign team. Sarahs deep ties to Connecticut and the Third Congressional District in particular as well as her enthusiasm for bringing communities together will serve Connecticuts Third District well, DeLauro said, also in the release. There is no substitute for organizing grassroots movements and making progress on the issues that matter, and Sarah brings the experience and grit necessary to get things done for working people and the middle class. She is a welcome addition, and I look forward to working with her. Locke also has been an advocate on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, the Working Families Party, and CT Equality, the release said. Frances Bartlett, of North Haven, wrote, I recently enjoyed my birthday dinner at Basta in New Haven. I enjoy many dinners, celebrations and holidays throughout the year at this quaint Italian restaurant right in the center of it all in downtown New Haven. For my birthday dinner I ordered the pork special, a pork chop stuffed with spinach and gorgonzola, which was spectacular. The dessert I always order is the creme brulee; the best I have ever had. Could you see if the chef would share the recipe for the creme brulee? Frances, you are in luck: co-owner Chef Eduardo Saldana Pena, at Basta, 1006 Chapel St., New Haven (www.BastaTrattotia.com, 203-772-1715) was delighted to share the recipe. Pena also wanted to share his recipe for Branzino Amalfi, a popular dish on the menu. He said, at Basta, you can enjoy homemade Italian food prepared with only the finest and freshest ingredients. I prepare each dish to order while guests enjoy a leisurely dining experience in the intimate dining room, perhaps sipping on a glass of carefully selected Italian wine. House-made pappardelle and bread are made from scratch daily. And, on Mondays and Tuesdays, in addition to the regular dinner menu, enjoy the tapas menu where most of the items are $8 each. Savor two or three of these carefully prepared dishes, such as Mussels Pernod, Arancini of the day, or the award-winning A Nonnas Meatball, among several others, paired with Italian wine, and you will feel as if you were in Italy. And, on Thursdays, enjoy half-price martinis. The warm, cozy and comfortable ambience of the 35-seat dining room will make you feel right at home. Buon appetito. Creme brulee 6 egg yolks 3 ounces (3/8 cup) granulated sugar Pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups heavy cream Sugar in the Raw for caramelizing the tops Heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt together until thick and frothy. On stove, in a stock pot, bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove pot from heat. Let cool for a couple of minutes. Slowly add cream a little at a time to egg mixture, making sure to consistently whisk, making sure not to cook or scramble the eggs. Once all of the cream is incorporated, strain mixture through a sieve. Fill 5 to 6 8-ounce ovenproof ramekins about 3/4 to the top with the custard mixture. Fill a pan 1/3 the way up the side with hot water. Place the filled ramekins in the pan. Bake until the custard no longer jiggles, about 35 to 50 minutes. Remove ramekins from the water-filled pan and let cool completely. Refrigerate after cooling. When ready to serve, sprinkle Sugar in the Raw on top of each ramekin. Caramelize with a brulee torch. Serve with berries and mint, if desired. Note: If you dont have a brulee torch, you can put the ramekins under the oven broiler to caramelize the sugar. Dont leave it under too long. A grill or candle lighter will work too, although it will take longer. I had to do a little investigation about the history of this popular dessert. It goes back to 1691 where it first appeared in the cookbook Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois by Francois Massialot. It has also been called burnt cream. According to Wikipedia, the name Trinity Cream and Cambridge Burnt Cream was introduced at Trinity College in Cambridge, England, in 1879 with the college arms impressed on top of the cream with a branding iron. In Catalan cuisine, a similar dessert called Crema Catalana is thought to be a predecessor to the French creme brulee, the slight difference being the Catalans flavor the dessert with lemon zest and cinnamon. ark your calendar, July 27 is National Creme Brulee Day. Branzino Amalfi 1 pound Branzino filet (you can substitute sea bass) 1 cup lightly salted flour Olive oil for sauteing 2 cloves roasted garlic roughly smashed 2 cups cooked white beans Salt to taste 1 cup white wine 2 teaspoons parsley, finely chopped Pinch pepper flakes 1 cup shrimp stock (you can substitute fish stock) Dredge the fish filet in lightly salted flour and saute in hot olive oil in an ovenproof saute pan for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filet. Flip midway. Add garlic, white beans, salt and white wine. Let it cook for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the parsley, pepper flakes and shrimp or fish stock. Let it reduce to half on low-medium flame and then place the ovenproof pan in a 250-degree oven until most of the liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes. Serve with roasted zucchini or asparagus. Serves 2. Culinary calendar Ravioli Workshop, Thursday, 6:30-9 p.m., Chefs Emporium, 449 Boston Post Road, Orange, $59.99. Reservations 203-799-2665, https://bit.ly/2ByxIq0. Make classic fresh pasta dough and create burrata ravioli with browned butter sage sauce and a seasoned pork, goat cheese and Fuji apple ravioli. Bring a bottle of wine or beverage. Easter Seals 26th annual Chocolate and Food Festival, Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Naugatuck Event Center, 6 Rubber Ave. Naugatuck, 203-754-5141. Sample your favorite chocolate and food from local chocolatiers and bakeries. Artisans who will be there to sell homemade crafts. Adults in advance $20, at door $25, children 3-11 $5. Tickets at https://bit.ly/2IwnU5T. Cheers for Charity Beerfest, Saturday, 1-4 p.m., General admission $45, VIP admission ($60) begins at noon and includes snacks and swags. Benefits Essex Community Fund. Oliver Jensen Gallery & River Valley Junction Hall at The Essex Steam Train, 1 Railroad Ave., Essex. Local breweries, home brewers, cider companies and vineyards will offer tastings and food trucks and other vendors will be on site for food purchases. Must be 21. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets and participating breweries/vineyards at https://bit.ly/2Vl5pTs/. Consiglios Cooking Demonstration and Dinner: March 13, 6:30 p.m., Consiglios Restaurant, 165 Wooster St., New Haven, 203-865-4489 (reservations required), $75 (beverages, tax and gratuity not included). https://bit.ly/2Nd0xAg Menu: Pizzagaina Italian ham pie (Easter pPie), creamy risotto with peas and asparagus, bone- in, center-cut pork chops Scarpiello, zeppolis Seafood 101, March 16, 6:30-9 p.m., Chefs Emporium, 449 Boston Post Road, Orange, $89.99. Reservations 203-799-2665, https://bit.ly/2UeWLpr Chef Daniel Brelsford will show you the proper techniques to cooking seafood. Learn how to properly select and pan-sear scallops, open clams safely and how to steam a whole lobster to mouth-watering perfection. Menu: New England clam chowder, Lobster sliders with a tarragon slaw, pan- seared scallops with crispy green beans and potato puree. What chef would you like me to interview? Which restaurant recipes or other recipes would you like to have? Which food products do you have difficulty finding? Do you have cooking questions? Send them to me: Stephen Fries, professor and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, at gw-stephen.fries@gwcc.commnet.edu or Dept. FC, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven, 06510. Include your full name, address and phone number. (Due to volume, I might not be able to publish every request. For more, go to stephenfries.com. I have known about sickle cell disease for years but sometimes you dont realize how deadly a disease is until the shock of death drives it home. The Sunday prior to Thanksgiving last year, I wrote a column, Family? On Thanksgiving, we mourn and cheer, that it would be a day of mixed blessings for my family. It would be our first holiday together after the recent passing of my older brother Charles and while we were still mourning him, my nephew Isaiah was fighting for his life as sickle cell disease wreaked havoc on his body and shut down his organs . We had lost Charles but we still were hopeful for Isaiah, whom we affectionately called Zeke. But the day before Thanksgiving, that hope collapsed when Zeke lost his battle with sickle cell disease. He had fought valiantly for two weeks as his organs shut down and he went into and out of a coma. He had appeared to rally, buoying our spirits, before his heart simply lost the strength to fight anymore. His wide smile was lost to us forever. He was only 23. Needless to say, his death devastated my sister and her husband, Natasha and Robert Smith, and their other children, and it was a emotional time for our entire family group. We knew Zeke had the disease but his death happened so fast that we, as a family unit, were unprepared. I probably know more about the disease than the average person by virtue of being an editor but as Zeke fought to stay alive, I realized that I really knew next to nothing. I was not prepared for the destruction it brought to his body or the swiftness in which it took his life. Dying is part of life and no one escapes it. But it was the lack of information about the disease that took Zekes life that prompted this column. There is a house in New Haven that is poised to open its doors in the coming months that has become very important to me and should be important to blacks and people of color throughout Connecticut. It will be home to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Southern Connecticuts educational and counseling services. It will be the first sickle cell community house in the Northeast. And it is sorely needed. James Rawlings, chairman of the sickle cell organization, has led the charge for years to inform the public about the deadly disease. Over the last five years the trait has increased 17 percent because of newborns, Rawlings previously told Hearst Connecticut Media. The thing that makes it a major issue [in] social justice is that most of the people with sickle cell are poor, are on Medicaid. And too little is known due to a quasi-effort by health officials to inform the public. Sickle cell is a genetic blood disorder that causes excruciating pain and has life-threatening complications. It is one of the most painful diseases a person has to endure and, yet, it also is one of the most ignored and medically shortchanged illnesses in America. According to the Mayo Clinic, the pain develops when sickle-shaped red blood cells block blood flow through tiny blood vessels to the chest, abdomen and joints. Patients say the pain is like glass going through your veins. The disease, discovered more than 100 years ago, affects approximately 100,000 Americans, about one in 365 African Americans and one out of 16,300 Hispanics. It also strikes in lesser numbers people with Middle Eastern, Indian, Caribbean and Mediterranean ancestries. Nationally, 2.5 million people carry the trait for the disease. The total is 40,000 in Connecticut, with almost 1,000 having the disease. While many diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrigs disease), affect fewer people but raise millions for research, sickle cell still receives nanoscopic research, meager funding and little to no attention from health professionals, drug manufacturers or the public. That must change and the black community must be part of that change. Zeke lived a painful life and died a very painful death. But the last time I saw him at a family reunion, he still had that wide, beautiful smile. I cant say if we had more information about sickle cell disease that Zeke would have lived longer. But maybe we could have and would have done more if we had known how quickly it could wipe out life. At the very least, we would have known and found peace in his passing that we donated to research and campaigned for his cause. I will be making a donation to the Sickle Cell Association of Southern Connecticut in his name and will be offering the organization my support in getting the word out to the black community and Nutmeggers everywhere. And I urge every black citizen and person of color to join me and do the same. This is a disease that primarily affects people of color. We own it and it is our responsibility to pull together to help raise awareness and fund research. I will do it for Zeke. Trait? Sickle cell disease needs more support from blacks. Editors note: Readers who want to support the home to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Southern Connecticuts educational and counseling services, can do so by donating to: SCDAA Southern Connecticut, 545 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, CT. 06511 James Walker is the New Haven Registers senior editor and a statewide columnist for Hearst Connecticut newspapers. He can be reached at 203-680-9389 or james.walker@hearstmediact.com. Follow him on Twitter @thelieonroars. NEW HAVEN Now there are four. Urn Pendragon, 50, is the latest person to throw a hat into the ring, having officially filed with the city clerk her decision to seek the Democratic Partys nomination for mayor Pendragon, a transgender woman, said since coming to New Haven she has been advocating for numerous social justice issues in the city. She was most visible as she attended, with other advocates, meetings and rallies sponsored by the Affordable Housing Task Force. She is studying for a masters degree in political science with a concentration in urban affairs and public policy at Southern Connecticut State University. Pendragon thinks her story will resonate with many in the city as a near-homeless person, staying with friends, struggling to afford housing in this high-cost state. New Haven feels more like a home to me than any place I have lived, Pendragon said of the support she has found here since first coming to the New Haven Pride Center. She is keeping her campaign simple and doesnt anticipate raising or spending more than $1,000 for the campaign. Pendragon feels running for office will be a good platform to continue to talk about equality and equity for all residents in New Haven, particularly around housing. She said she is looking for full-time work and now struggles with part-time employment that only brings in around $12,000. She feels she is not alone in these kinds of struggles and brings a unique perspective to running for mayor. The other candidates are the incumbent, Mayor Toni Harp, who is seeking a fourth term; Justin Elicker, who heads the New Haven Land Trust and last ran in 2013 for the office; and Wendy Hamilton, a philantropist who also weighs in heavily on the issue of homelessness. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577 HARTFORD Supporters of Tweed New Haven Regional Airport braved the elements Monday to testify at the state Capitol in favor of a proposed bill that would remove a restriction on the length of Tweeds main runway. About a dozen supporters led by interim New Haven Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli, who represented Mayor Toni Harp, and Tweed New Haven Airport Authority Chairman John Picard made it up through the remnants of Monday mornings snowfall to testify at the General Assembly Transportation Committee hearing in the Legislative Office Building. What were asking you is to allow us to pave the land that we already own, while staying within the airports existing boundaries, said Picard. For a state that is already badly in need of additional growth, this is one of the easier decision. Tweed could reduce its city and state subsidies and save you money ... if you allow us to grow, Picard said. Tweed interim Executive Director Matthew Hoey, first selectman of Guilford, said Tweed is not expanding the airport or extending the runway ... The proposal is to pave the existing (unpaved) runway safety areas. He said, in response to questions, that Tweed already has a commitment from Allegiant Air, which would begin service at Tweed were Tweed to lengthen its 5,600-foot main runway to at least 6,000 feet. Tweed is looking to add 600 feet, which would give it 6,200 feet, Hoey said. Tweed officials also have had conversations with American Airlines, United, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and Frontier about possible future service, he said. A state statute passed in 2009, based on a settlement between former New Haven Mayor John DeSteftano Jr. and former East Haven Mayor April Capone, bars Tweed from lengthening the runway even if it remains within existing airport boundaries. Tweed currently is served by one airline, American Eagle, which flies regional jets between Tweed and two destinations: Philadelphia and Charlotte. The airport also is in federal court with the state to try to overturn the statute that limits the runways length, currently awaiting a decision. Speakers Monday included representatives of the city, the airport authority, Yale University, Yale New Haven Health, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale and area biotechnology companies. While there is opposition to the raised bill among Tweeds immediate neighbors and others, no one testified Monday against the bill. Committee Co-Chairman state Rep. Roland Lemar, D-New Haven, said he was extending the deadline to submit written testimony until March 25. Anyone caring to do so can email testimony to tratestimony@cga.ct.gov. Piscitelli told the committee, led by Lemar and state Sen. Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, that more than 60 percent of the travelers within Tweeds primary market area actually use Kennedy and LaGuardia airports rather than Tweed or Bradley International airports. Developing additional air service at Tweed would improve economic development both for Greater New Haven and the state, Piscitelli said. State Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, and Senate Minority Leader Leonard Fasano, R-North Haven, both have said the bill is unlikely to pass without a package of incentives or public improvements to address the concerns of airport neighbors in New Haven and East Haven. Piscitelli said recent efforts to address those concerns included traffic calming measures on New Havens East Shore, tidegate improvements and a project that ultimately will soundproof more than 180 homes near Tweed. Committee members, including state Rep. Laura Devlin, R-Fairfield, and state Rep. Tami Zawistowski, R-East Granby, asked what a longer runway would allow Tweed to do. While their questions dwelled on the size of the airplanes that might serve Tweed, Piscitelli and Tweed Authority Vice Chairman Gerald Weiner explained that the issue of runway length is more about how heavy a load commercial flights can carry. In the past, Tweed has had issues with commercial flights that, in order to comply with federal weight restrictions, could not take off full in order to ensure they would have enough fuel to reach more distant destinations, such as Chicago. A longer runway would allow planes to take off at less steep of an angle, which would burn less fuel, officials have said. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com Recent developments show progress toward some form of restitution on the part of opioid manufacturers may be getting closer. At the same time, they show the final settlement is not likely to approach the kind of payout plaintiffs may have been expecting. On Sunday, former Attorney General George Jepsen, who left office earlier this year, urged local communities to drop their lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, including Stamford-based Purdue Pharma. In Jepsens reasoning, the local suits, which include towns and cities in Connecticut and beyond, make it much harder for the state-led eort to convince the industry to agree to a comprehensive settlement. Hes referring to a coalition of 36 attorneys general from across the country who have been investigating the issue and preparing a suit that could lead to a large settlement. In Jepsens view, that wont happen unless the companies can achieve a global settlement, which would close the door for more claims after the fact. Thats a strategic decision, and probably a sound one, especially after a multitown suit was dismissed by a Connecticut judge earlier this year on the grounds that they lacked standing. It was a difficult decision to understand given the ravages that opioids have left in communities across the nation, but it was without question a sign that a suit is always a risky option. There is no guarantee of a successful outcome, and communities looking for help need to make strategic decisions. The other development came Monday when Reuters reported Purdue may be exploring a bankruptcy filing. Such a move would press pause on the thousand-plus suits the company is facing and allow it to work out claims under the supervision of a bankruptcy judge, according to Reuters sources. Purdue has refused to comment, but the report is an indication the suits may be nearing an end stage which is not to say that money will be doled out any time soon, as the legal process is likely to grind on for years. Amid all this came news that deaths from drug overdoses in Connecticut have plateaued, with numbers slightly down in 2018 from the previous year. But here again, theres little to celebrate, as official figures show the number of people who died from overdoses of fentanyl were up from the previous year and four times higher than 2015. The drug crisis that started from prescription opioids is taking on new and more dangerous forms. Comparisons to the 1998 national tobacco settlement, which lead to $126 billion in payouts to states from cigarette companies, continue to abound, but should probably be shelved. Many of the companies, Purdue included, simply arent big enough to support that kind of deal, and the issue is if anything more complicated. The continuing developments show the issue is far from resolved. The opioid crisis is nowhere near over, while in the courtroom the pursuit of justice, and monetary recompense, remains the goal. The end-of-life leave-taking of death is a complex and occasionally elongated process that can involve any various amounts of sorrow, reflection, bittersweet joy, confusion and grief. Martin Morans new play, Theo, now receiving its world premiere at Red Banks Two River Theater mirrors this process in many ways. A play about a dying woman and her family, Theo is variously warm, funny, reflective and somber. But it is also as scattered and drawn out (nearly three hours, and in no hurry to get to its final curtain) as the process of death can sometimes be. A sprawling exploration of death, family, pain, and forgiveness, the play treads a great deal of familiar ground: characters have diverged in the past through a combination of anger and guilt, but are forced to reunite by impending death and the quotidian, irksome logistics that surround it. In the process, old wounds burst open to be examined anew, and by the end people are smiling again, if wearily. Moran writes gracefully, and under the direction of Carolyn Cantor, the five-piece ensemble gives convincing life to these characters. The play meanders its way toward a predictable conclusion, but the familiar themes and conflicts are at least treated thoughtfully and at times compellingly. Our title character (Zachary Booth) is the Flynn family Prodigal Son having fled the Catskill homestead for Oregon years ago, after revelations of his homosexuality were greeted with anger and shame, he returns to deal with his mothers failing health. Margaret (Brenda Wehle), elderly and ill, is treating her predicament with a mixture of sorrow and sardonic realism (shell soon be off to the big bridge table in the sky, she announces). Theos sister Elizabeth (Andrea Syglowski) finds herself emotionally and psychologically bested by the combination of Theos sudden return and her mothers obstinance. She is also dealing with her own battle to maintain her long-fought sobriety, as well as struggling to be supportive of her 16-year-old childs transition from Matthew to Madeleine (Jesse James Keitel). Add to all this Abraham (Jon-Michael Reese), the Hospice nurse who has several connections to the Flynn family and his own personal battles, and weve got a bevvy of individual and interpersonal challenges that could boil over at any moment. And boil over they do, if intermittently and unevenly. The play never feels very purposefully structured or organized. Instead, its story and focus wander from character to character, each of whom is given space to unpack their histories and struggles. Theo may be the title character, but the play is not so much his story as it is a broad examination of each character and their tenuous union in Margarets house. Cantor and Moran give each of the performers space to build their characters and explore their depth, and the ensemble does fine work in those tasks. Their long speeches of self-revelation dont always seem organic to the play, but when their time to shine comes, each performer seizes it well. By far the most demanding role is Wehles, as Margaret travels a wide range of emotions as any dying person would, especially as the mother of a fractious family. Wehle is frequently funny as the saucy, no-nonsense Margaret, quick with the quip, but she also makes sure to find room for the characters pains, fears and regrets. Another common duty surrounding death is the sorting through of the deceaseds belongings, searching for and preserving cherished treasures among so much detritus. Theo seems also to reflect this unique action: a whole lot about the content and direction of this overlong opus seems disposable, but there is certainly value to be salvaged from the pile. Theo Two River Theater Company 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank Tickets: available online at www.tworivertheater.org/. Running through March 24. Patrick Maley may be reached at patrickjmaley@gmail.com. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @PatrickJMaley. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook. JERSEY CITY A Jersey City man alleges in a new lawsuit that two cops unlawfully arrested him, assaulted him and hurled a homophobic epithet at him during a 2017 arrest. One of the accused officers, John Ransom, was forced to retire in 2018 after admitting he struck a different man with his police car during a chase in Audubon Park. The plaintiff in the new case, Rudell Pruitt, says he was on Gifford Avenue in Jersey City on May 17, 2017 when Ransom and another officer, Gabriel Moreano, stopped him, beat him and arrested him on charges that were eventually dismissed, according to the lawsuit. Pruitt claims he was targeted because the cops saw him as a black gay man. The officers called him one of the girls and used a profanity commonly used to refer to gay men, says the lawsuit. "Defendants' entire interaction would not have taken place with plaintiff if he had been perceived as a white 'straight' person," the lawsuit reads. The alleged attack left Pruitt with multiple bruises and induced an asthma attack, the lawsuit says. The three-count complaint, filed on Feb. 27 in Hudson County Superior Court, names the two cops and Jersey City as defendants. It alleges the city and the officers violated Pruitts civil rights. The city spokeswoman declined to comment. A New York man who used a fake ID in an attempt to withdraw cash from a bank in Bayonne was arrested a few days later when he tried again at a bank in Secaucus, authorities said. Anthony Riley, 36, of the Bronx, was charged with identity theft, possession of and exhibiting a false government document, conspiracy, forgery and credit card theft, Secaucus police Capt. Dennis Miller said. Officials with the TD Bank in Secaucus had been alerted that Riley attempted to defraud one of the banks branches in Bayonne, and they called police when Riley showed up on Feb. 28 with the same ID and tried to withdraw $3,000, Miller said. When he was arrested, Secaucus police seized five other fraudulent drivers licenses and credit cards, Miller said. Police also seized $1,522 found on Riley, money that Miller said is believed to be proceeds from illegal activity. Details on the incident at the Bayonne branch was not immediately available. Secaucus police found that Riley also has an outstanding warrant out of East Rutherford in the amount of $500 and an outstanding warrant out of Weehawken in the amount of $300. LSP a place of equality for all We should all support legislation to protect Liberty State Park for future generations. As the divide between the wealthiest and poorest has grown here, there are fewer and fewer places of equality... places where no matter your situation, people have the chance to interact with each other, with nature, and with our history. Liberty State Park is an exceptional place where in the shadow of NYC, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty, you can see deer, owls, even seals. Children of every nationality, religion, and economic status play on the playgrounds together. Families and faith communities gather to share meals. Cyclists, runners, photographers, and tourists from all over the world enjoy the beauty and peace the park offers. As waterfront views increasingly become reserved for expensive restaurants and luxury condos that are beyond the grasp of most of us, its vital to protect special places like Liberty State Park from commercial exploitation and destruction. Multiple times a year the park is targeted by wealthy businessmen looking to personally profit off this place that belongs to the people. Unfortunately despite massive public support to protect the park, it will always be at the mercy of politics unless we enact permanent legislation to protect it. Dana M. Patton, Jersey City Pass the LSP Protection Act Dear Assemblyman Coughlin and Senator Sweeney, My husband and I have been going to Liberty State Park for at least 25 years. We have watched the park develop and grow into the most beautiful oasis nestled in the most populous area of our state. It is our very favorite place to spend a day to walk, ride bikes and just sit and admire the awe inspiring skyline and panorama of New York Harbor, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The views are breathtaking and the park is gorgeous. So many different kinds of people come to enjoy it. Please, please help to pass the LSP Protection Act so that the park will finally be protected against crazy development and profiteers. The park belongs to the people of New Jersey and America. It is the jewel of New Jersey and should be protected at all costs. We are only the caretakers of this wonderful asset to be handed over to future generations of citizens who have a right to enjoy and take pride in this wonderful park. Ursula Hartwig-Flint, Jersey City Let voters decide about pot The choice of whether a State legalizes recreational marijuana has been widely recognized as so important that 10 of the 11 states that have passed these laws have shared that critical decision with their citizenry in some form of a statewide ballot question. While NJ lacks the means to answer these kinds of questions through initiative and referendum, that does not prevent the state from citizen participation through a ballot resolution measure. Unfortunately, Governor Murphy and a growing number of NJ legislators apparently believe that NJ citizens are not qualified to help make this judgement since a bill is rapidly moving through Trenton by executive fiat which will likely be rubber stamped by the Legislature in the near future. Some decisions are so economically and socially monumental that consent of the governed is a reasonable necessity. The determination whether to turn NJ into a State that sanctions recreational marijuana use is such a decision. The health, safety and welfare of present and future generations of Jerseyans calls for the full participation of New Jerseys electorate. New Jersey citizens will benefit from the recent experiences, positive and negative, of legalized pot states. In addition, if decided in the affirmative, New Jersey should be provided, prior to full legalization, with definitive plans, funding and programs at state and local levels with educational and other needed assistance programs to care for citizens, particularly youth, that will use and abuse the state sponsored drug. I strongly recommend that Gov. Murphy and the entire NJ Legislature provide the people of NJ the opportunity of having their voices heard by placing this most consequential question on the statewide ballot this coming November 2019. Its time to let the citizens you represent help resolve whether NJ should legalize recreational pot, and deal with its consequences, both now and in the future. Tom Haedrich, New Vernon Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.com Authorities have identified the driver who allegedly left the scene of a collision that claimed a womans life last month in North Bergen. The Hudson County Prosecutors Office has issued an arrest warrant for Monica D. Ippolito, 49, of Paterson, for her alleged role in the Feb. 18 hit-and-run, which claimed the life of 34-year-old Darlene Westbrook. Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Ippolito was behind the wheel of a gold Chrysler Voyager that was caught on surveillance video leaving the scene of the crash. Westbrook was found on 43rd Street, lying in the roadway near Tonnelle Avenue. Ippolito, who is charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision resulting in death, has not yet been apprehended. Investigators with the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the North Bergen Police Department are now asking the public for assistance in locating her. Anyone with information concerning Ippolitos whereabouts is asked to contact the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit at 201-915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip on the HCPOs website. All information will be kept confidential. Westbrooks longtime boyfriend, Joseph Marrero, told independent journalist Caesar Darias that the couple has 1- and 2-year-old boys together. Marrero said that his girlfriend was struck by a van while walking along Tonnelle Avenue near the Lincoln Tunnel Motel, where the couple was staying. He believes she then fell off the roof of the van at 43rd and Tonnelle Avenue, about a quarter mile north. Angelo M. Gabriele was only 21 years old when he died in World War II. But for decades, his relatives lacked full closure. Gabriele, a U.S. Navy fireman from Trenton, was aboard the USS West Virginia on Dec. 7, 1941. The battleship was moored at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii when Japanese aircraft attacked, hitting the ship with multiple torpedoes. The crew worked to prevent capsizing and the ship came to rest on the harbor floor, but not without loss: 106 crewmen died, including Gabriele. His sister, Mae Gabriele Maffezzoli, told The Times of Trenton in 1999 that her brother went down trapped in the engine room. But the family never saw a body, and her mother refused to accept it. Angelo had been promising hed be home for Christmas. We lost a good brother that day, said Maffezzoli, who died in 2012. My God, he was a great brother. The Navy later recovered remains of at least 66 service members from the battleship. It turns out, the Department of Defense said Tuesday, that Angelo was interred as an unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (also called the Punchbowl) in Honolulu. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency disinterred 35 caskets from the cemetery between June and October 2017. With a mix of dental analysis, evidence and mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA tests, scientists identified Gabriele in the remains. He is survived by four nephews, a great nephew and two great nieces, according to his obituary. A funeral is scheduled for April 29, with a military interment that afternoon at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Gabrieles name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl. A rosette will be added next to his name to show he has been accounted for. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. An Aberdeen man will spend at least 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to raping a young girl multiple times over a two-year period, the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office announced said. Jonathan McDermott, 38, was charged after the young girl came to police about the abuse in February 2018. She told authorities that McDermott committed "numerous sexual acts upon her between June 2015 and April 2017, prosecutors said. The girl knew McDermott and was less than 13 at the time. The prosecutors Office Special Victims Bureau and the Aberdeen Township Police Department investigated the abuse, and McDermott pleaded guilty to the crimes in October 2018. He was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison. Under conditions of his sentence, he must serve the full term before being considered for release, must register under Megans Law as a sex offender and will also be subject to parole supervision for life. Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter@By_paigegross. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip?Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. An appeals court on Friday ordered a new trial for a Camden County doctor over a jurors comment noting the doctor didnt put his hand on the Bible when he testified to defend himself in a sexual harassment case. The juror's comment regarding the Bible raises the specter of religious bigotry, the courts ruling said. The decision reversed a Camden County Superior Court judges denial of a new trial for Husain in 2016. A jury in 2011 found Husain created a hostile work environment, sexually harassed and retaliated against a then-part time office employee, who was awarded $12,500 in the civil case. We are pleased with the appellate courts decision and look forward to vindicating my client at the new trial," Robert J. Hagerty, a Moorestown-based lawyer for Husain, told the Courier-Post. The comment was revealed after the trial judge held a post-verdict meeting with the jury and learned one juror was said to be very passionate about the fact that Husain did not place his hand on the Bible, and spoke to other jurors about her concern, according to the ruling. The juror was not identified. Husain sought a new trial because of possible religious bias, according to the New Jersey Law Journal, which first reported the decision. Attempts were made to find other jurors to see if they were influenced by the Bible comment, but they could not be reached. The appellate panel - Judges Susan Reisner, Carmen Alvarez, and Hany Mawla - found while it was not known if the Bible comment impacted jurors, the deliberations could be tainted, reserving the earlier ruling. This is a peculiar situation, the appeals court opinion stated. The Law Division judge said the juror who made the observation was only concerned with Husain's credibility, i.e. that a person who refused to place his hand on the Bible was incapable of taking the oath seriously and was therefore incredible, the decision said. He contrasted this with out-and-out religious bigotry. But if he was correct, that too is simply impermissible. The exercise of a person's religion should not make him or her per se incredible. Only a new trial would ensure that the outcome was untainted, the decision continued. The possibility that the verdict was a miscarriage of justice is too great for us to decide otherwise. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters By Peter G. Verniero Like many others before me, I have long held the view that the rule of law is the center beam of American democracy. If we cherish democracy, we must protect the rule of law. Its that simple. Protecting the rule of law means maintaining a system under which the law rises above any one individual and respecting the three governmental branches that collectively enact, enforce and interpret the law. At least thats what the founders had intended when they embodied the rule of law in the pages of the Constitution. Nowadays, the Constitution seems to be undergoing a stress test. The executive and legislative branches are at odds, to put it mildly. We are divided as a people, egged on by polarized forces that dominate the national stage. And our political discourse has sunk to new lows. Against that backdrop, there is still a governmental branch capable of rational debate, one best suited to guide us to a higher ground: the judiciary. Interestingly, the judiciary is the one branch of government that springs from the other two. It exists only because the chief executive nominates candidates to the bench and the Senate confirms them. Put differently, the judiciary Americas unelected branch is wholly created by the two elected branches. But once created, the judiciary is authorized by the Constitution to act independently of the president and Congress. And that is precisely why the Constitution ultimately places the rule of law in the hands of judges, most especially the justices of our federal Supreme Court. Peter G. Verniero formerly served as a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and state attorney general. As Alexander Hamilton aptly stated in Federalist No. 78: Without the complete independence of the judiciary, all the reservations of particular rights and privileges (expressed in the Constitution) would amount to nothing. Which brings me to Chief Justice John G. Roberts and his recent quiet acts of institutionalism. First, the chief justice voted to stay a Louisiana law regulating abortion that seemed very similar to a Texas law struck down by the Supreme Court in 2016. To be sure, it was a procedural vote, which does not commit the chief justice on the merits of the case should the Court decide to hear the underlying appeal, which now seems likely. Still, it was a striking display by the person in the Courts center chair. Then, in a separate case, Chief Justice Roberts voted to return a case to a lower court for its failure to follow the high courts instructions on how to evaluate whether a death-row inmate was mentally capable and thus eligible for the death penalty. In both cases, the chief justice, known for his conservative jurisprudence in nearly all areas of law, sided with those most associated with opposite held views, namely, the so-called liberal wing of the Court. A brief digression: I try to avoid placing labels on judges because such words as conservative and liberal, when applied to a court, oversimplify the judicial function. They also reinforce the notion of a court as a political body, which it decidedly is not. But the popular use by commentators of these shorthand references makes them sometimes unavoidable. The critical point is this: In crossing the jurisprudential aisle so to speak, the chief justice stood up for the Courts institutional decisions, even those with which he might disagree. And in so doing, he acted consistent with the rule of law. In his own way, the chief justice seemed to be living up to a statement he made this past November, on the eve of Thanksgiving: We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for, the statement ended. So in the midst of national division and political uncertainty, lets recognize the workings of the quiet, unelected branch. The one entrusted to uphold the center beam of our democratic system. Peter G. Verniero formerly served as a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and state attorney general. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. There are a couple of weasel words that I expect to hear when Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his budget address Tuesday. One is fairness. The other is investment. Politicians like to employ these terms in the hopes that trusting souls believe they are offering an objective analysis of what are in reality subjective views. Take fairness. It cropped up quite often in a speech Murphy gave last week to a number of New Jersey politicians and lobbyists who take the annual train trip to Washington sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Murphy told the audience that one of the biggest issues for the states Congressional delegation is reinstating the full state and local tax deduction against the federal income tax. That deduction SALT for short was cut to a mere $10,000 in the Trump tax reform. I have met some of the residents preparing their federal taxes and who are now wondering what happened to the tax cut they were promised, he said. This is a matter of fairness, and I am proud to join our delegation in the fight to restore the full SALT deduction. As a conservative, I agree with our liberal governor that it would be nice for New Jerseyans to get a big cut in their federal taxes. But fairness? Let us consider the effect that the SALT restoration would have on a certain retired Goldman Sachs executive living in a sprawling compound on the Navesink River across from Red Bank. This guy pays about $205,000 per year in property taxes. He makes another $175,000 in a job he took to keep himself busy in retirement. Restoring the SALT deductions would mean this guy would get a break on his federal taxes of more than $100,000 a year, assuming he has a reasonably sharp accountant. Im sure the governor does. And Im also sure that hes not pushing this to enhance his personal wealth. But I fear that if it ever came before Congress, his fellow Democrats might argue this is a tax cut for the rich. And it is. Thats why I like it. I want to keep those rich people around. So does New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Of late, Cuomo has been telling everyone who will listen that New York cant raise taxes on the rich because theyre already fleeing his state thanks to the loss of the SALT deductions. Murphy was arguing the opposite in that speech last week when he talked of my commitment to tax fairness for our middle-class families and seniors. As someone who is both middle-class and a senior, I would consider it to be the epitome of fairness for Murphy to cut my taxes. But when Murphy invokes this F-word he does so to call for tax hikes, not tax cuts. His office said on Monday that the governor intends to call for yet another hike in the so-called millionaires tax in the new budget hes unveiling. Hell be doing so over the objections of Senate President Steve Sweeney, who takes Cuomos side of this argument. Then there are Murphys comment about economic-development grants: When we lose $1 billion in revenues due to tax breaks, as we are this upcoming fiscal year, we lose $1 billion to invest in education and workforce development, in community redevelopment, and NJ Transit and infrastructure. No, we dont, said Sweeney when I discussed this with him. He argues that the grants bring back more in tax revenue than they cost the state, again echoing the argument Cuomo made in that fight over bringing Amazon to New York. But note Murphys clever use of the I-word when he proclaims his desire to invest in things like education. A state budget has two main categories: Revenue. And expenditures. The outlay for the Department of Education is an expenditure. But theres also a category for investment. Thats the states pension funds. Money put into those funds is invested in stocks and bonds. The proceeds are theoretically - supposed to provide enough revenue to pay the pensions the state has promised public employees. But our pension plans are underfunded. The debt increased in Murphys first budget, when his investment fell $2 billion short of what the actuaries recommend. Murphys fellow Democrats, most prominently state Senate President Steve Sweeney, argue the state needs to make reductions in proposed pensions and benefit costs. Murphy opposes cuts. In that case, he should invest every extra dime in propping up those funds. Instead, he will again shortchange them, by about $1.5 billion. I cant correct his budget. But I can correct his word usage. If you hear him talk about investments, ask yourself why hes not making the necessary current investments. And when you hear Murphy talk about fairness, ask yourself whether his fellow rich folks will think its a fair deal. Its their opinion that counts. And they can express it just as well from Miami Beach. Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday will unveil his second state budget plan, outlining how much money New Jersey taxpayers would shell out to help pay for state government services in the upcoming fiscal year. The Democratic governor will introduce the roughly $39 billion plan with a 2 p.m. speech at the Statehouse in Trenton. (Watch a live feed of the address at the bottom of this story.) Heres what we know so far about the proposal, which would take effect July 1 if its approved by the state Legislature and signed by Murphy: 1. Hes calling on the wealthy to pay more (again). Sources told NJ Advance Media that Murphy will once again propose increasing taxes on New Jerseys most affluent taxpayers by instituting a millionaires tax more specifically, a surcharge on income over $1 million. Murphy wanted to enact that plan in his first state budget which ends June 30 but ran into fierce opposition from fellow Democrats who control the Legislature. Instead, he and lawmakers cut a deal to hike the income tax rate on those who make over $5 million. Now, Murphy is returning to his plans to raise the rate on those who make $1 million. That would affect about 39,000 taxpayers and bring in $447 million in revenue to help fund education, transportation, government worker pensions and more. But Murphy still needs the Legislature to sign off on the plan. And state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, have said they wont agree to any tax hikes without significant spending cuts. Speaking of which ... 2. The plan includes $1 billion in savings. Murphy will reveal that his budget reduces spending more by than $1 billion, including $800 million less on health care for New Jerseys government workers, sources said. That could provide the governor some cover in negotiating with Sweeney and Coughlin over the millionaires tax. It could also provide Murphy with ammunition against conservatives who have criticized him for not cutting spending. 3. Businesses would face a fee for not offering health care. Another proposed revenue steam: Charging New Jersey businesses a fee if they dont provide health insurance, causing their employees to enroll in Medicaid instead. Under Murphys budget, companies with 50 or more employees on Medicaid would be charged $150-a-head annually, sources said. Thats expected to bring the state $20 million. 4. Pensions would get more money. The budget will include a record-high contribution to government worker pensions. The state is kicking in $3.2 billion this year, and next years payment should be closer to $4 billion. Thats just 70 percent of what actuaries recommend, but it continues the path former Gov. Chris Christie put the state on to increase contributions by a tenth of the full payment each year. The state will hit a full payment in 2023 at that rate. 5. Public schools and community colleges are expected to get more money. Murphy increased public school funding by more than $351 million in his first state budget which he described as the first step toward fulfilling his pledge to fully fund the states school funding formula. There will likely be even more school aid this time. Meanwhile, Murphys first budget includes $25 million to make community colleges here more affordable a step toward making community college free for residents. Expect another bump in the new budget. 6. The working poor would get more money. Murphys first state budget marks the first year of a three-year increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor. The hike which cost $27 million in the first year was expected to provide another $53 to more than 500,000 taxpayers. The new budget is likely to include the second round of that increase, designed to hike the tax credit from 35 percent of the federal tax benefit to 40 percent of the federal benefit. 7. There will be a larger surplus than usual. Sources said Murphy expects to close out the new budget with a surplus of about $1 billion a larger figure than previous years and an important indicator of the states fiscal health. State Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio has previously said Murphys administration is making a real effort to bolster the states surplus, which is a big concern of Wall Street ratings agency and will help the states ability to withstand economic downturns. WATCH A LIVE FEED OF THE SPEECH: OR WATCH IT ON FACEBOOK NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco, Susan K. Livio, and Samantha Marcus contributed to this report. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. WASHINGTON A group of House Democrats, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer, are drafting a congressional resolution to rebut allegations by one of their own that American Jews have pledged allegiance to a foreign country. The long-standing anti-Semitic stereotype that Jews have dual loyalties was made by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., one of two Muslim-Americans elected to the House last fall. She has faced blowback from her House colleagues not for criticizing Israel and U.S. policy toward the Jewish state, but for invoking anti-Semitic memes in doing so. The resolution being drafted by Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., and others, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, both of New York, would address anti-Semitism and combat the false allegations of dual loyalty. The idea that certain members of Congress seemingly believe it is acceptable to use historic anti-Semitic tropes accusing Jews of dual loyalty, despite the broad condemnation of the entire House Democratic leadership, is beyond me, Gottheimer said. "This rhetoric is reminiscent of other hurtful episodes in our history, including when President John F. Kennedys loyalty was called into question simply because he was Irish Catholic. It is time for the House to act and reiterate that anti-Semitism, like all forms of hate, have no place in our public debate. Their effort is backed by the Anti-Defamation League, whose chief executive, Jonathan Greenblatt, called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to bring such a resolution to the House floor. Accusing Jews of having allegiance to a foreign government has long been a vile anti-Semitic slur that has been used to harass, marginalize, and persecute the Jewish people for centuries, Greenblatt wrote. The latest furor erupted after Omar said Wednesday, I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country," referring to ongoing U.S. support for Israel. Engel, who chairs the committee Omar sits on, struck back, calling it unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views and saying she leveled that charge by invoking a vile anti-Semitic slur. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., responded as well, even as she condemned an ant-Muslim slur directed against Omar at an event sponsored by the West Virginia Republican Party, who superimposed her picture in front of the World Trade Center towers attacked by Islamic terrorists on 9/11. Gross islamophobic stereotypes - like those about @IlhanMN recently featured on posters in WVA - are offensive and have no place in political discourse. Anti-Semitic tropes that accuse Jews of dual loyalty are equally painful and must also be roundly condemned. Nita Lowey (@NitaLowey) March 2, 2019 No member of Congress is asked to swear allegiance to another country. Throughout history, Jews have been accused of dual loyalty, leading to discrimination and violence, which is why these accusations are so hurtful. Nita Lowey (@NitaLowey) March 3, 2019 Omar then turned her fire on Lowey. Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that! https://t.co/gglAS4FVJW Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019 This is the second time in a month that Gottheimer and other House Democrats have criticized Omar. Omar, one of two Muslims elected to the House last fall, supports Palestinian rights and has been critical of Israeli policy. She initially drew criticism by her fellow House Democrats for suggesting that Congress backed Israel because lawmakers were being paid to do so, not because it was a pro-western democracy and American ally. After an effort led by Gottheimer and others signed a letter to House Democratic leaders, who responded by issuing a statement saying, "Congresswoman Omars use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israels supporters is deeply offensive and called on her to apologize. President Donald Trump jumped into the controversy as well. Representative Ilhan Omar is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel. Jewish groups have just sent a petition to Speaker Pelosi asking her to remove Omar from Foreign Relations Committee. A dark day for Israel! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 Trumps campaign was criticized by the ADL for engaging in anti-Semitic memes, including showing pictures of prominent Jews in his final campaign ad as the narrator described these people that dont have your good in mind." He also described some of the neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 as very fine people. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. New Jerseys largest state workers union and Gov. Phil Murphy have reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract that the administration says will help stem the rising cost of health care. The Communications Workers of America New Jersey announced the tentative accord on its website Sunday with a note from union leaders saying they will furnish members with details about the contract Monday evening. It says the contract, which must be ratified by members, will apply to 2019 through 2023. The unions current contract is set to expire in June. CWA state director Hetty Rosenstein could not immediately be reached for comment. Murphy spokesman Mahen Gunaratna confirmed an agreement has been reached, calling it a "fiscally responsible contract that includes the union agreeing to a new health care plan that generates significant savings for the state of New Jersey while also providing a fair premium share for members. The CWA represents nearly half of all state employees, including some of the its highest-paid psychiatrists earning $226,000 a year and more than 1,000 full-time employees earning less than $40,000. This deal comes less than a year after Murphy and the CWA closed the books on a long-running contract battle lingering from Gov. Chris Christies administration. Murphy and the CWA last spring scored a breakthrough in negotiations with a deal to pay $148.9 million in back pay and retroactive longevity bonuses to some 32,000 state workers who had been working without a contract since 2015. That contract expired under the administration of Christie, a Republican who then suspended those step increases which traditionally boost pay by hundreds or thousands of dollars a year despite longstanding tradition that they be paid even in between contracts. Hed refused to pay even after the state Supreme Court weighed in on similar disputes over so-called step increases. Under that deal struck with Murphy, a Democrat, workers received two, 2-percent raises and retroactive step increases. Employees at the top step of the pay grid received $650 bonuses. NJ Advance Media reported earlier Monday that the governors upcoming budget proposal would include $800 million in health care spending reductions, according to sources familiar with the budget. The state expects to save hundreds of millions of dollars through procurement changes, audits, out-of-network updates and by moving retired educators to Medicare Advantage. Sources said the savings also include $217 million in health care savings that will require cooperation from public labor unions. Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. WASHINGTON A New Jersey county cannot use taxpayer funds to fix up old churches after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it would not take on the case. The justices rejected an appeal by the Morris County freeholder board, which sought to overturn a state Supreme Court ruling that stopped historic preservation grants from going to 12 churches in the county. Excluding religious organizations from historic preservation programs is religious discrimination of the first order, said Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, which represented the county. New Jerseys highest court ruled in April 2018 ruled that the state constitutions religious aid clause prohibited using taxpayer funds to fix up the churches. The clause, which had its origins in first state constitution adopted on July 2, 1776, was left virtually untouched when the constitution was updated in the late 1940s, the state justices said. The churches are not being denied grant funds because they are religious institutions; they are being denied public funds because of what they plan to do -- and in many cases have done: use public funds to repair church buildings so that religious worship services can be held there, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote in the opinion of the court. The co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which brought the original case, welcomed the ruling. This is a big triumph for the rights of hardworking New Jersey folks, Dan Barker said. The Supreme Court made the right call in refusing to jettison the basic tenets of our Constitution. Baxter, though, said he took solace in the fact that three U.S. Supreme Court justices, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito, issued a statement accompanying the decision not to hear the case. The justices said the state ruling was in serious tension with Supreme Court precedents on religious equality. At some point, this court will need to decide whether governments that distribute historic preservation funds may deny funds to religious organizations simply because the organizations are religious, the justices said. At the same time, the justices agreed with the decision not to hear this particular case, saying that the Morris County program did not clearly spell out the criteria for obtaining such grants. Baxter said the statement sends a strong signal that religious discrimination has no place in our society. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. WASHINGTON New Jersey and New York have put up their share of money to remove one of the biggest bottlenecks along the Northeast Corridor. Congress has approved the federal funds. An environmental impact statement is completed. All thats needed is for President Donald Trumps U.S. Department of Transportation to sign off to allow construction of a new Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River, which is the first piece of the Gateway Tunnel project. But Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has yet to approve the funding, and if she wont, Congress may force her to. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said he would work with fellow New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez to draft legislation allowing such work to proceed before federal approval comes. The federal government has an obligation to move pieces of large-scale transportation projects like Gateway through the pipeline in a reasonable manner, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told the Association for a Better New York on Monday. In normal times, there would be no need for this legislation. But because of President Trumps intransigence and reckless obstruction on Gateway, this legislation is now necessary. Theres no reason why Gateway projects that are shovel-ready should wait on the signature of the transportation secretary when were racing against a doomsday clock, Schumer said. The legislation would allow work to replace the Portal Bridge to begin and to enable the states to advance the federal share of the project with a guarantee that they would be repaid once the project gets final approval. It would allow states and the Port Authority to front the money and get reimbursed," Menendez said. "We can advance Gateway without waiting for the feds. The trustees of the Gateway Program Development Corporation, Jerry Zaro, Tony Coscia and Steven M. Cohen, said the legislation would go a long way toward breaking the log jam in Washington. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., said there was $275 million in federal funds for rail improvements along the Northeast Corridor, and in January led a letter of 14 lawmakers asking Chao to release the money. Intentionally holding up projects in the Northeast Corridor for political purposes is wrong, and hurts the financial center of the country, Sherrill said. Transportation Department officials said the money wasnt released because the Federal Transit Authority gave the project an inadequate rating. Menendez has said the rating was lowered due to political reasons since nothing had changed. DOT also referred to the agreement that the federal government and the states each would pay 50 percent of the cost as fictitious. But the Obama administration reportedly approved such a financing deal. Federal officials have insisted that the money that New Jersey and New York would borrow under a federal loan program would not count as their local share, even though the money would have to be paid back. President Donald Trump, who once threatened to shut down the government rather than fund Gateway, which would build a new train tunnel under the Hudson River, has said he was willing to revisit the project and is supposed to meet with Gov. Phil Murphy on it in the near future. The Regional Plan Association, an independent civic and planning organization, warned that closing one of the existing tunnels to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy would cost the regional economy $100 million a day and the national economy $16 billion over four years. Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., and Peter King, R-N.Y., introduced legislation last week to require the Trump administration to present a plan for how it would respond if a tunnel had to be closed. Obviously they must know something we dont know about how we are going to deal with the 200,000 people that need to get back and forth to work every day, Gottheimer said. "Im eager to hear what their plan is for if and when one of the tunnels or both need to shut down before we have a new tunnel built, since they wont approve the project. " NJ Advance Media reporter Larry Higgs contributed to this report. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Republican state lawmakers unveiled a new proposal Monday to revamp public school funding in New Jersey, calling for a dramatic increase in state money for special education while decreasing aid for low-income students and English-language learners. The proposal called Every Child Counts" also aims to crack down on gimmicks schools can use to manipulate their state funding, such as using payments in lieu of taxes. State Senate Republicans held a news conference at the Statehouse in Trenton to introduce the plan, which would require the state to strictly follow a school funding formula every year, while slightly increasing total spending on education. The impact would be millions more to middle class and affluent districts struggling with special education costs, at the expense of urban districts. Newark, for example, would have its state aid held flat next school year, followed by smaller funding increases than it is projected to get under the states current school funding formula. Its unclear whether the proposal will get very far. Republicans typically have little sway in the Democratic-controlled state Legislature, and with Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. But Republicans say theyre hopeful state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester who has made overhauling school funding a focus in recent years considers their suggestions. Sweeney would have to post the bill for a vote. We believe our plan builds and improves upon previous reforms, while addressing lingering concerns raised by both Republicans and Democrats, state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Union, said. These are important next steps to improve how we support the students in our classrooms that should have bipartisan support. Sweeney told NJ Advance Media hes open to hearing the Republicans ideas and supports the concept of the state paying more special education costs. Still, Sweeney said he doesnt see making major changes to the states school funding formula after passing a landmark overhaul just one year ago. Im more than willing to listen to them, Sweeney said. But Im not looking to just change the formula because were finally getting to a point where were moving forward. New Jersey spends more than $9 billion a year on its public schools but underfunds the formula its supposed to use to distribute that aid by more than $1 billion a year. Debates about how to determine funding for school districts have plagued the state for decades. The current formula has special weights for at-risk students who traditionally require additional support, meaning districts in low-income areas with a lot of English-language learners receive more money. Unlike the Fairness Formula pushed by former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, the new Republican plan concedes that those students do cost more to educate. However, it would partially reduce the weights assigned to them, aligning them with the initial weights discussed by former Gov. John Corzine, a Democrat, when the school funding formula was designed. Money saved by that move and other tweaks, like accounting for PILOTS, would then go toward special education, one of the most unpredictable expenses for schools. The state currently assumes that about 15 percent of students in a district require special education and allocates funding based on the projection. The proposal would allocate special education funding based on the actual number of special education students in each district. But David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center, noted that changing these weights was twice proposed by Christie and twice rejected by lawmakers because of the negative impact it would have on high-poverty districts, Sciarra said. I would argue that this is dead on arrival, Sciarra said of the plan. We would adamantly oppose this. The plan also calls for the state to fully fund all extraordinary special education costs, defined as costs above $40,000 per year for one students instruction and support. Currently, districts are left on the hook for large chunks of those expenses. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A Salem County school district has suspended a teacher while it investigates claims that he called students at the middle school a racial epithet. The Penns Grove Middle School teacher is currently on leave with pay after allegedly calling students the N-word during a class in late February. The school district is withholding the identity of the teacher until the investigation is complete. However, on social media, multiple claims are being made that the teacher who allegedly made the statement is a 14-year employee of the district who teaches science in the school. Earlier in the day in a statement to NJ Advance Media, Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District Superintendent Zenaida Cobian said that she and the Board of Education are aware of the allegation. However, the school district is not allowed to discuss personnel matters. School districts in New Jersey must abide by N.J. law, board policies and teacher negotiated agreements when dealing with personnel matters, Cobian said. Before the public comment session of Monday evenings scheduled Board of Education meeting, solicitor Mark Toscano read another statement, this time confirming the teacher was removed from his position, stating it is a standard practice of the district to do so during an investigation into alleged misconduct by a staff member. We do not want anyone to think that the board or the administration is being dismissive and not taking into the account the thoughts, comments and concerns when there is no public response, Toscano said. The board simply cannot discuss or respond to comments involving personnel matters. Tensions flared during the public comment session of the meeting. Community activist Walter Hudson came to the podium to ask about guidance counselor services for students while the investigation continues into the alleged use of the epithet. At the end of the allotted time speakers were given, board President Vicki Smith told Hudson his time was up. Hudson questioned the leadership of the board. You should be ashamed of yourself madam president, Hudson said. You arent doing anything madam president. Knock it off. You need to be ashamed of yourself. When Smith asked if anyone would like to speak, Hudson shouted the following: Kids being called N****** and you are sitting here worrying about if Im up here for three minutes or not. No one came up to speak after the exchange. There is no timetable on when the investigation will be completed. Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. TAMPA, Fla. Should the New York Yankees sign Dallas Keuchel out of MLB free agency? Plus, Yankees beat reporter Brendan Kuty answers questions about Jacoby Ellsbury, Luke Voit, Gary Sanchez, Brett Gardner and more. Any interest in a late offseason snag of Dallas Keuchal? His market seems limited and the big market exposure if he succeeds could carry over to next years free agency Mij_Sirron (@mij_sirron) March 4, 2019 First, some background: Keuchel has been the best starting pitcher on the free agent market since Patrick Corbin signed with the Nationals in December. Last season, he went 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA in 34 starts and 204 2/3 innings. And, yes, if the Yankees can have him on something like a one-year deal, they should absolutely take Keuchel, who would be an upgrade over at least J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia. Thing is, Keuchel, 31, hasnt waited this long to just accept a one-year pact. Dont think that his agent Scott Boras, who just got Bryce Harper a $330 million deal, is in the business of taking shorts, either. Keuchel would be a dependable mid-rotation left-hander with a top-of-the-rotation past whos playoff-tested. And hes left-handed, a big plus at Yankee Stadium, where lefty hitters like to aim for the right-field short porch. But hes also someone who saw his who saw his strikeout rate dip from 7.7 K/9 in 2017 to 6.7 in 2018, and he gave up a league-high 211 hits. Should the Yankees commit big money to him? No. Have they been connected to him? That hasnt been reported yet and, if they were, itd be out by now. Keuchel to the Yankees wont happen but if somehow he starts fielding offers for high-priced one-year deals, yes, general manager Brian Cashman should give it a strong look. Whats the key to Gary rebounding this season? Is the feeling that last years struggles were mostly injury-related? Has he made any adjustments to his swing/approach at the plate since last year? David Futernick (@davidfuternick) March 4, 2019 Yankees front office people dont believe Gary Sanchez was bothered that much at the plate by the left-shoulder discomfort he had in 2017 and 2018 and for which he needed debridement surgery in the offseason. They believe his poor performance was the result of a slow start just snowballing Sanchez looking at his stats, and then trying to knock the cover off the ball every time he hit to make up for his previous poor production. Thats all to say that the Yankees think hell get back to his 2017 self. Remember: Last spring, Sabathia called Sanchez the teams best hitter, and he did it voluntarily. Even if Sabathia is wrong, its doubtful he was that wrong. Sanchez has a high ceiling and no reason not to get back to it in 2019. How can Ellsbury face the clubhouse after a Pitcher who almost died beat him back to the field and Didi is taking one handed BP? reid sterrett (@reidsterrett) March 4, 2019 The players wont look at it that way. They wont look at Ellsbury and see Danny Farquhar or Didi Gregorius. Sure, it could be a natural human reaction for some of them to feel a twinge of resentment when a guy making $21 million a year to not play stands in front of them. But Cashman has said all of Ellsburys injuries are legitimate. With that on the record, Ellsbury has to be given the benefit of the doubt and treated like a player whose body simply broke down on him. What player not on the 40 man has impressed you/the Yankees, so far this Spring Training? Ryan G (@RyanGorrie) March 4, 2019 Easy. I thought itd be Double-A starting pitcher Trevor Stephan (2 G, 27.00 ERA), but he keeps getting bombed. Top prospect and center feilder Estevan Florial (.286 BA, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 SB, 14 AB) is too easy of a pick, plus we saw his blend speed and pop last spring. Lefty reliever Phihl Diehl (3 G, 0.00 ERA, 2 1/3 IP, 5 K, 0 BB) is the pick for me. He does a good job of obscuring the ball until he releases it. The fastball is in the low 90s but it seems to jump on hitters. Who wins in a clubhouse arm-wrestling tournament jim (@ConAirFan) March 4, 2019 Oh, man. Thats tough. Immediate reaction would be to go chalk and pick Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton. But Luke Voits arms are just massive. So are his forearms. And being compact or at least having shorter arms than Judge and Stanton could work in his favor. Give me Voit in an arm wrestling tournament with Joe Girardi, if he was still around, as a dark horse pick. Saw him this winter. Hes 54 years old and his forearms are like dock rope. What do you see as Brett Gardner's 2019 ceiling? How should the Yankees utilize him to help him too reach that level of performance? Is there any chance that he will be on the team in 2020? Edward Hamell (@EdwardHamell) March 4, 2019 His ceiling? Throw out last season, and Gardner, from 2015-2017, hit .262 and averaged 15 homers and 57 RBI in 150 games. If the Yankees got that, they would be thrilled. Hes probably not set for that much use, though. Would think Gardner gets many starts against right-handers, particularly because of his strong defense in left field and his patience at the plate. Against lefties, Gardner will often sit in favor of either Giancarlo Stanton or Clint Frazier in left field. Early money, though, is on Frazier starting the year in Triple-A, where he can play everyday after missing much of 2018. Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook. New Orleans police are seeking to speak to this man in connection with a homicide at a Central City church Feb. 27 that left one man dead from apparent head trauma. Entergy Louisiana owes up to $4.4 billion for getting the lights back on after a string of storms and needs a $1 billion loan to meet those costs in the short-term, says the head of the utility that provides electricity to about half the states c (CNN) Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, a revolution has been taking place inside Beijing's armed forces. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has grown and modernized rapidly since China reopened to the world in the 1980s, but under Xi that pace has accelerated with a focus on fighting and winning future wars. Xi has also embarked on a massive internal reorganization of the PLA, streamlining the organization and bringing it firmly under his control. On Tuesday, the Chinese government unveiled an increase in military spending of 7.5% during its annual "Two Sessions" legislative meeting in Beijing, a slight dip on last year's spending increase. Experts said the slight drop was likely to avoid domestic perceptions that the country's military spending far exceeded its overall economic growth, which is set to grow at no more than 6.5% in 2019. While the Chinese military may be one of the world's best-funded armed forces, its budget still pales in comparison to United States. In December, U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to increase the defense budget funding to $750 billion in 2019. The US Navy still dominates the world's oceans too, far outpacing China in its logistical capabilities and international reach. But Beijing is rapidly gaining ground on its American rival, by churning out naval vessels and making technological advances, according to Andrew Erickson, professor of strategy at the US Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute. "No one has presided over this level of Chinese military development in Chinese history before Xi Jinping," he said. 'Armed forces to be reckoned with' Directly comparing every aspect of two countries' military budgets is impossible, said Erickson, because different governments count spending in different ways. But the U.S. expert said it was incontrovertible that China's military budget was the second largest in the world. "Clearly, overall, these are armed forces to be reckoned with. In many areas, they have weapons systems that only a few other countries possess," he said. "If you look where China's military was a few short years ago, under Xi the progress is truly tremendous. It is very impressive." The signs of a push to modernize the military are everywhere. Between 2016 and 2017, 32 new ships were commissioned by the PLA, according to US government reports. In comparison, the U.S. commissioned 13. Since 2014, China has launched more submarines, warships, principal amphibious vessels and auxiliaries than the total number of ships currently serving in the navies of Germany, India, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom, according to a 2018 report by think tank IISS. "China's navy is receiving warships so quickly that Chinese sources liken this to dumping dumplings into soup broth," Erickson said. The Chinese air force has also been regularly debuting new and improved planes and weapons, including the twin-engine J-20 stealth fighter. Beijing's air force is now the largest in Asia and the third largest in the world, according to the U.S. Defense Department, and is closing the gap with the U.S. "across a spectrum of capabilities." At the same time, Xi has also begun a reorganization of military personnel, stressing quality and effectiveness over quantity of staff. In 2017, Xi streamlined the powerful Central Military Commission, which he leads, reducing the number of members and solidifying his control. Multiple former generals have been disciplined or imprisoned for corruption in an attempt to professionalize the armed services. Aircraft carriers and corvettes While the military strengths of the U.S. and China are often compared, the two governments ostensibly have built their armed forces to serve different goals. Washington says it aims to maintain a worldwide reach for its military to protect allies and American interests internationally. Beijing claims its interests lie closer to home. Zhang Yesui, the National People's Congress spokesman, on Monday afternoon told reporters: "China's limited defense spending, which is for safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, poses no threat to any other country. "Whether a country is a military threat to others or not is not determined by its increase in defense expenditure, but by the foreign and national defense policies it adopts." The major scenarios that China's military cares about could be called "home games, rather than away games," Erickson said. The Chinese government has built a navy and armed forces designed to protect the country and exert its influence in the surrounding region, especially the East and South China seas. The proof is in the military hardware that the two countries have focused on. While the U.S. has a huge fleet of 12 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, China has barely one conventionally powered carrier operating, with another in the wings. The Type 001A, the country's first homegrown aircraft carrier, was launched in 2018 but still has not joined the fleet. Beijing has, however, rapidly produced Jiangdao-class corvettes, a small warship generally best suited to fighting close to home. A U.S. Department of Defense report in 2018 said this move was designed with an eye to "littoral" combat, or fighting close to China's shores. Backing this up is China's rapid production of frigates, another small type of warship, and the arming and expansion of the country's coast guard. This makes sense given the Chinese government's focus on controlling the South China Sea, where it has been building militarized artificial islands and holding regular drills in the sea. But all this doesn't prevent the Chinese military from having growing its fleet to extend its global influence. The PLA opened its first international base in Djibouti in July 2017. A third aircraft carrier is reportedly under construction, featuring advanced launching capabilities. "They're building power projection capabilities which will give them greater ability to project presence and power (into) the Pacific and the Indian Ocean," said Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Doubts China has undoubtedly made rapid progress. Some experts, however, doubt its ability to fight as a coherent force or the experience of its troops. There are also doubts around the effectiveness of some of the PLA's new technologies. Military analyst Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, has cast doubt on some of the advances allegedly made by the Chinese military, including claims that it has developed a ship-killer ballistic missile. Such a missile could in theory be based well out-of-range of US naval strike forces while putting Washington's biggest assets, its aircraft carriers, in range. But Schuster says no military has ever successfully developed an anti-ship ballistic missile and China had shown no evidence of actually being able to hit a moving target in the ocean. There is also discontent within the Chinese military over the treatment of veterans. The decision in 2015 to lay off 300,000 soldiers over three years to streamline the armed forces led to repeated mass protests in a number of cities after the government failed to pay all their pensions in full. But Davis said the military prospects of the United States are looking increasingly troubled, thanks to rising maintenance costs and an aging fleet, which might give Beijing the chance it needs to catch up. "It's not clear the traditional advantage in military technology for the U.S. is going to remain intact," he said. "Getting that balance between sustainment and modernization right is a real challenge for the US as their forces get older and older, whereas the Chinese are steamrolling ahead." This story was first published on CNN.com, "China's military is going from strength to strength under Xi Jinping." Its a tough gig launching smartphone in the high-end market these days with even Apple hitting a downturn. If Samsung was hoping the vaunted all-new Galaxy S10 might help turn things around, pre-orders in its home market of South Korea suggest that it might have an uphill battle. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker Samsung Galaxy S10 range has been a hit with the critics with many praising the new displays, designs and overall performance including in the critical camera department. However, if pre-order numbers in its home market of South Korea are anything to go by, it looks like it wont be the big hit that the company was hoping for. According to The Korea Herald, it has only received 140,000 pre-orders in total for the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and the Galaxy S10e. Given that pre-order figures for the Galaxy S9 sat at 180,000 and 200,000 for the Galaxy Note 9, Samsung undoubtedly would have liked to have racked up larger numbers than that, particularly for its tenth anniversary model. Furthermore, this is despite a pre-order incentive including a free set of the new Galaxy Buds and even a 10,000mAh battery. That said, it is possible that some customers could be holding out for the 5G model, which is due next month while the Galaxy Fold might also have sucked away some sales. Nonetheless, it is still a worrying sign for the Korean giant, which is facing stiff competition from a plethora of Chinese smartphone makers offering premium devices with similar features for less. It also comes on the back of a slump in smartphone sales that helped to contribute to a 29 percent fall in profit for its most recent financial quarter. If bonuses arent going to shift units, it might be forced into dropping prices to help push more units out the door. Samsung appears to be giving a lot of attention to its new Galaxy A sub-line, The company released the A10, 130, and A50 last week, and is set to follow them up with a number of devices. One of those will be the Galaxy A60, a sub-premium phone sporting a triple rear camera setup, a Snapdragon 675, a 32 MP selfie camera, and a 4500 mAh battery. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker Samsung released the Galaxy A10, A30, and A50 over the past week, and it would seem that the company is set to further release a host of devices in that series. Word of the potential launch of an A40 and A90 have surfaced, and there are claims that an A70 is also in the works. New information also details the features of a purported A60. According to the source report, the A60 will feature a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED FHD+ display. It will come in two models: 6 GB and 8 GB, with both sporting 128 GB of storage. At the back will reside a triple camera setup32 MP main shooter, 8 MP wide angle lens, 5 MP depth sensorwhile the selfie shooter will be a massive 32 MP sensor. Like the newly-launched A50, there will also be an in-display fingerprint reader. The Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone has been thoroughly tested by DisplayMate and apparently passed with flying colors. The display quality company has awarded the flagship with its highest A+ grade ever, and the S10 has also been given a Best Smartphone Display Award. To add to those accomplishments, the Samsung device also set or matched 13 DisplayMate records. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker Theres no denying Samsung knows how to create a smartphone display. Over the years, numerous Samsung devices have been lauded by DisplayMate, which puts smartphone screens through many vigorous tests. The display of the Galaxy Note 5 was roundly recommended, the Galaxy S7s panel was a high achiever, and the Note 7s display was praised for its innovation. The iPhone 7 gave Apple the DisplayMate crown, but it wasnt too long before the S8, S9, and Note 9 all demonstrated Samsungs prowess and skill at fitting the Galaxy devices with incredible displays. Googles Pixel 3 XL leapfrogged those devices, but the panel of the new Samsung Galaxy S10 has now become the latest paradigm of smartphone displays. Two of the records the Samsung Galaxy S10 set were highest absolute color accuracy and highest image contrast accuracy and intensity scale accuracy, both of which were judged by DisplayMate as visually indistinguishable from perfect. Other reported highlights for the display included the infinite contrast ratio, low screen reflectance, and high visible screen resolution (3040x1440). DisplayMates detailed review shows to what degree the Samsung Galaxy S10 and its display were tested. No stone appears to remain unturned, so to receive such a glowing report will be seen by fans of the flagship smartphone as testament to the South Korean manufacturers continued pursuit of excellence in this field. Photo courtesy of National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation March 4, 2019 Contact: Phyllis Green, 906-487-7140 Contact: Liz Valencia, 906-487-7153 HOUGHTON, MICH- During a narrow weather window between storms last week, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) successfully transferred four wolves to Isle Royale National Park. Earlier this winter, severe weather on both sides of the border hampered the ability to capture and transfer wolves. However, NPS staff worked diligently with ONMRF and over the course of four days successfully translocated Canadian wolves. Two mainland wolves, one female and one male from the same pack and both with a black coat color variation, were captured on crown land near Wawa, Ontario, and transferred to Isle Royale. Weather cleared long enough on Thursday to provide an opportunity to access Michipicoten Island Provincial Park, where two males were captured. All the wolves were captured using OMNRF aircraft. The operation was coordinated by Kevin Middel, OMNRF, and Brent Patterson, OMNRF researcher and Trent University adjunct professor. Two National Park Service veterinarians, Michelle Verant and Jenny Powers along with Graham Crawshaw, an OMNRF veterinarian, supported the project to ensure animal welfare and assess the health of the wolves to be transferred. Two veterinarians completed health assessments in Wawa and one veterinarian received the wolves on Isle Royale to ensure they were fit for release. All four wolves were evaluated based on expectations for winter body conditions and deemed healthy enough for transfer and release. The first Canadian wolf, a 65 pound female, arrived at Isle Royale on Tuesday afternoon. The next day, OMNRF successfully captured a large 92 pound male from the same pack. He was held for evaluation and transported to Isle Royale and released on Thursday. The clear skies on Thursday finally allowed OMNRF to reach Michipicoten Island Provincial Park. While there, they captured two male wolves, one at the very end of the day as operations were winding down. The first was delivered directly to Isle Royale and released in the late evening hours under clear starry skies on Thursday. The team also captured the alpha male of the Michipicoten Island pack. He was transported and released on Isle Royale Friday. I am impressed by the resilience this international team showed to overcome adversity and meet project objectives: polar vortex, federal government shutdown, complex aviation logistics, the list is endless, stated Mark Romanski, Division Chief of Natural Resources for Isle Royale National Park and project manager for the reintroduction efforts. He continued, I am even more blown away by the resilience of these wolves who within hours after undergoing capture and handling and arriving on Isle Royale, immediately got on the trail of their pack mates. These large males, all around 90 lbs., will almost certainly know what to do when they encounter a moose. NPS made the decision to restore predation, a key ecosystem dynamic, to Isle Royale National Park last June and sourcing the startup population from diverse geographic areas was essential to ensure genetic diversity. Canadian wolves have been a critical component to future success and graciously Ontario Premier Doug Ford approved the operation in October to support NPS objectives. Understanding the goal of balancing the male/female wolf ratio on Isle Royale combined with a need for robust wolf genetics from Canada, OMNRF personnel remained committed to providing wolves from Ontario to support the repopulation of Isle Royale. Knowing weather could prevent access to Michipicoten Island, OMNRF worked with NPS to develop a strategy to acquire wolves from the mainland in Ontario if they were unable to access the island. Superintendent of Isle Royale National Park, Phyllis Green stated: to see these wolves disappear into the forests of Isle Royale and to have an opportunity to start a new generation of wolves on the island fulfilled a major objective in the first year of reestablishing the population. The success reflected six months of planning and represented a major accomplishment by the agencies involved. Changing ice conditions and winter storms foiled a previous attempt to acquire the Canadian wolves. This week afforded only four operating days between weather windows and the success of the operations can be attributed to the planning and expertise of the OMNRF. Green cited the amazing aircraft resources of the OMNRF, normally used for firefighting, which were critical in capturing the wolves and delivering them to Isle Royale National Park. Additionally, the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (NPLSF) has played a crucial role in supporting and documenting the translocation efforts from Canada. When this translocation phase of the project experienced cost overruns due to weather, the Chair, Sona Mehring, worked with the International Wolf Center to ensure the operation continued through the end of the week. The Foundation plans to continue to support the remaining two years of the project and is developing documentary films regarding the project for audiences of all ages. www.nps.gov About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for the 417 parks in the National Park System and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nati onalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlpa rkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nation alparkservice. Search operations for James Pruitt near Glacier Creek in Rocky Mountain National Park. Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park March 4, 2019 Contact: Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer, (970) 586-1363 Contact: Park Information, (970) 586-1206 Search efforts continued in Rocky Mountain National Park today, Monday, March 4 , for James Pruitt, 70, of Etowah, TN. Searchers again focused their efforts in the Glacier Gorge drainage, the Loch Vale drainage and the Glacier Creek drainage. The search area included sections of the Glacier Gorge Trail, the North Longs Peak Trail, the Boulder Brook Trail to the Storm Pass Trailhead as well as the drainage east of the Alberta Falls Trail. Teams also searched extensively in the Bear Lake area including the Nymph Lake area, the Dream Lake area and further to Lake Haiyaha and the Loch/Mills Junction. The Glacier Creek Trail was also searched from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead and included terrain to Bear Lake Road. Approximately 40 people were involved in todays operations including 29 in the field. Assisting Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members today included Larimer County Search and Rescue (LCSAR), Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, a dog team from LCSAR and the Colorado Search and Rescue Board. There has been almost two feet of snow accumulation in the Glacier Gorge area since Thursday, February 28. The recent snowfall in this mountainous terrain make finding clues to Pruitts whereabouts even more difficult. After a vehicle parked at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead (9,240 feet) was determined to belong to Pruitt Sunday morning, March 3, rangers contacted Pruitts family in Tennessee. His family confirmed he was in the area and hadnt been heard from since Thursday morning, February 28, at approximately 10 am. Pruitt arrived to the area on February 22. This was Pruitts third winter visit to Rocky Mountain National Park over the past three years. Thank you for reading The Cascadia Advocate, the Northwest Progressive Institutes journal of world, national, and local politics. Founded in March of 2004, The Cascadia Advocate has been helping people throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond make sense of current events with rigorous analysis and thought-provoking commentary for more than fifteen years. The Cascadia Advocate is funded by readers like you and trusted sponsors. We dont run ads or publish content in exchange for money. Help us keep The Cascadia Advocate editorially independent and freely available to all by becoming a member of the Northwest Progressive Institute today. Or make a donation to sustain our essential research and advocacy journalism. Your contribution will allow us to continue bringing you features like Last Week In Congress, live coverage of events like Netroots Nation or the Democratic National Convention, and reviews of books and documentary films. Become an NPI member Make a one-time donation Here is what I remember about Luke Perry: He played a bad boy who read poetry. A loner whom every girl wanted to make less lonely. A surfer who rarely seemed to get his hair wet. Probably free verse wasnt really Perrys thing, and who knows if he surfed on his own time. But through most of the 1990s, he played Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210, a role that stuck to him like teen idol Super Glue. Of course he wasnt really a teenager then; he only played one on TV. But if you were a tween and then a teen, as I was in the 90s, living in neighborhoods that were almost close to Beverly Hills, he was the stuff of notebook doodles and collage walls. Im older now, and I know what a disaster men like that can be. (The poetry he read was Charles Bukowski, O.K.?) But back then, if Id met him outside some lucky-starred frozen yogurt shop, I probably would have passed out. He taught a generation of us, wrongly, that difficult, damaged men were only waiting for you to fix them. 2. The Democrats revealed the breadth of their efforts to investigate President Trump and his administration for possible obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power. Jerrold Nadler, pictured above in February, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sent demands for documents to 81 agencies, individuals and other entities including the White House; the Justice Department; the F.B.I.; Jared Kushner; David Pecker, chairman of The National Enquirers publisher; the Trump campaign; the Trump Foundation; and the presidential inaugural committee. Also included: Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization official who was repeatedly named by Michael Cohen, Mr. Trumps former lawyer and fixer, in his public testimony last week when asked who would have insight into any financial irregularities. _____ Some students said they did not believe Mr. Sullivan was fit to serve as a dean of a residential college and at the same time represent Mr. Weinstein, who has been accused by more than 80 women of sexual harassment and, in some cases, assault. In his first public remarks, Mr. Sullivan said in a phone interview on Monday that he did not anticipate the level of backlash he has received. He has a long history of taking on high-profile and, at times, controversial clients, as well as representing students who have been victims of sexual assault, he said. Lawyers are not an extension of their clients, Mr. Sullivan said. Lawyers do law work, not the work of ideology. When Im in my lawyer capacity, representing a client, even one publicly vilified, it doesnt mean Im supporting anything the client may have done. Some students disagree. Dozens of protesters, some with tape over their mouths, protested last month in front of the administration building, holding signs that said Remove Sullivan and #MeToo. About 270 people have signed an online petition calling for him to resign from his faculty dean position. Do you really want to one day accept your diploma from someone who for whatever reason, professional or personal, believes it is O.K. to defend such a prominent figure at the center of the #MeToo movement? one student, Danu Mudannayake, wrote in the petition. You can say this much as President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria runs for a fifth term next month hes alive. At least thats what his nations ambassador to France felt the need to make clear on Monday while the 82-year-old Mr. Bouteflika, who has been essentially out of sight since suffering a stroke in 2013, is being treated in a Geneva hospital. Unlike old soldiers, he refuses to fade away, but that has plunged his oil- and gas-rich North African state into crisis. The announcement that the president would run in elections scheduled for April 18 set off weeks of mass protests across Algeria, a relatively rare phenomenon in a country that eluded the wave of Arab Spring protests in 2011. Many people have said the crowds were larger than any antigovernment demonstrations since the 1980s. They grew in size as the days went on. Mr. Bouteflikas campaign director nonetheless went ahead on Sunday and delivered a truckload of petitions required of candidates. Under Algerian rules, the candidate is supposed to hand the petitions over to the Constitutional Council in person, which Mr. Bouteflika couldnt do from a hospital room in Geneva. That sort of technicality has not bothered his government for some time now. The president is known as the frame because he is usually visible to the public only in framed portraits. Doctors would have to transition. Salary losses would differ by specialty, but imagine you came out of med school saddled with debt and learn that your payments are going to be down by, say 30 percent. Similar shocks would ripple to other health care workers. The American people would have to transition. Americans are more decentralized, diverse and individualistic than people in the nations with single-payer systems. They are more suspicious of centralized government and tend to dislike higher taxes. The Sanders plan would increase federal spending by about $32.6 trillion over its first 10 years, according to a Mercatus Center study that Blahous led. Compare that with the Congressional Budget Offices projection for the entire 2019 fiscal year budget, $4.4 trillion. That kind of sticker shock is why a plan for single-payer in Vermont collapsed in 2014 and why Colorado voters overwhelmingly rejected one in 2016. Its why legislators in California killed one. In this plan, the taxes are upfront, the purported savings are down the line. Once they learn that Medicare for all would eliminate private insurance and raise taxes, only 37 percent of Americans support it, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. In 2010, Republicans scored an enormous electoral victory because voters feared that the government was taking over their health care, even though Obamacare really didnt. Now, under Medicare for all, it really would. This seems like an excellent way to re-elect Donald Trump. The government would also have to transition. Medicare for all works only if politicians ruthlessly enforce those spending cuts. But in our system of government, members of Congress are terrible at fiscal discipline. They are quick to cater to special interest groups, terrible at saying no. To make single-payer really work, wed probably have to scrap the U.S. Congress and move to a more centralized parliamentary system. Finally, patient expectations would have to transition. Today, getting a doctors appointment is annoying but not onerous. In Canada, the median wait time between seeing a general practitioner and a specialist is 8.7 weeks; between a G.P. referral and an orthopedic surgeon, its nine months. That would take some adjusting. If America were a blank slate, Medicare for all would be a plausible policy, but we are not a blank slate. At this point, the easiest way to get to a single-payer system would probably be to go back to 1776 and undo that whole American Revolution thing. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. Then came the House Judiciary Committee hearings on impeachment in 1974. Its final deliberations werent a trial, but according to the Langs, viewers experienced them that way, so that public debate came to revolve around the question of Nixons guilt or innocence. On Aug. 5, definitive proof of his guilt emerged: the smoking gun recording of Nixon agreeing to a plan to have the C.I.A. ask the F.B.I. to stop investigating Watergate. After that, wrote the Langs, the inexorable logic of the facts led to the presidents downfall. We are about to find out whether facts still have an inexorable logic. The outlines of Donald Trumps venality and fundamental civic disloyalty have been obvious since the 2016 campaign; Hillary Clinton warned us about him just as McGovern had warned about Nixon. But so far, neither Democrats nor prosecutors have woven the various threads of presidential wrongdoing into a coherent picture, showing how Trumps shady business practices, opaque finances, vulnerability to blackmail, abuses of power and subservience to foreign autocrats all intersect. Now, however, Democrats have begun a full-spectrum public investigation of the president. Michael Cohens blockbuster testimony before the House Oversight Committee last week was just an opener. On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee took the first steps in an inquiry into obstruction of justice, public corruption and abuses of power by the Trump administration. In an operatic legal fusillade, it sent document requests to 81 people and entities, including Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, the National Rifle Association and Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. They have two weeks to respond. (Ivanka Trump is not on the list, but the requests that went out call for numerous documents about her, and the committee has said that more requests could be forthcoming.) To me its a thrilling moment, Jamie Raskin, a Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told me. Finally, he said, we have an opportunity to discover what has been happening in our country over the last two years and several months. BEAUREGARD, Ala. When Taylor Thorntons father finally found her Sunday afternoon, lying in the wreckage of her best friends home, he told his wife that it looked like she was sleeping. Taylor, 10, had been away for the weekend and was at the mobile home of her friends father when weather forecasters and emergency officials began blasting out increasingly urgent alerts about tornadoes in the area. A warning was issued at 1:58 p.m., and within eight or nine minutes, winds of about 170 miles per hour were pulverizing houses, hurling cars into the air and clear-cutting trees. Taylors father rushed to the mobile home on Lee Road 38 in Beauregard the epicenter of the destruction and came upon a sheriffs deputy standing guard and a field of destruction all around him. The tornado ripped a mile-wide gash through the heart of this rural community in eastern Alabama, killing at least 23 people in the deadliest tornado to hit the United States in six years, including three children and several members of some families. Dozens of others were injured, and the authorities said Monday that an untold number still had not been accounted for. At first, the stabbing death of Jacquelyn Smith on a Baltimore street corner in December sounded like an act of charity gone wrong. The way her husband, Keith Smith, told it to reporters, the couple and Mr. Smiths daughter, Valeria Smith, had been driving home after celebrating Valerias birthday. Jacquelyn Smith, 54, asked him to stop the car so she could give money to a woman holding what appeared to be a baby outside in the rain, he said. Then, Mr. Smith said, a man ran up to the car, tried to snatch Jacquelyns necklace through the open window and stabbed her. The last thing I thought, that they were going to take my wifes life, Mr. Smith told reporters shortly after his wifes death, his arm around Valeria Smith, Jacquelyns stepdaughter, who was sobbing, according to video published by The Baltimore Sun. I got to live with that every day. But on Sunday, law enforcement authorities announced a twist in the case: The attack was staged, Michael Harrison, acting commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, said. Mr. Smith, 52, and his daughter, 28, were arrested by the authorities in Texas on Sunday and charged with first-degree murder in Ms. Smiths death on Dec. 1. A 42-year-old man was charged on Monday in connection with a fire that was set at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, Mo., last month. The man, Wesley Brian Kaster, was arrested Saturday, about three weeks after the authorities began investigating what they called a suspicious fire at the clinic on Feb. 10. Don Ledford, a spokesman for the United States attorneys office, declined to elaborate on a possible motive. Its early in the case, he said. Its still an ongoing investigation. In court papers, prosecutors noted that Mr. Kasters wife had posted a picture on Facebook in 2015 showing a handgun and the caption, Guns Dont Kill People, Planned Parenthood Kills People. While intelligence officials could not point to attacks the program had thwarted, they defended the ability as a useful triaging tool for sifting through potential connections and suggested that had it been in place before Sept. 11, it might have helped uncover Al Qaedas plot. Critics called that argument exaggerated and portrayed it as a legally dubious invasion of privacy that was ripe for abuse. The Obama administration eventually embraced a plan to end the National Security Agencys bulk collection of domestic phone data but preserve the old programs analytical ability, resulting in the Freedom Act of 2015. Under that law, the bulk records remained in the hands of the phone companies, not the government. But with a judges permission, the agency could swiftly retrieve the phone and text logs of particular suspects as well as of all of the people who had been in contact with those suspects, even when they were customers of different phone companies. Under the replacement system, the number of records about Americans communications that the agency collected dropped significantly from the billions per day it had previously been sucking in. Yet the scale of collection remained huge: The program gathered 151 million records in 2016, despite obtaining court orders to use the system on only 42 terrorism suspects in 2016, along with a few left over from late 2015. In 2017, it obtained orders for 40 targets and collected 534 million records. Problems with the system emerged last year, when the National Security Agency said it had decided to delete its entire database of records gathered since the Freedom Act system became operational. Glenn S. Gerstell, the agencys general counsel, said in an interview at the time that because of complex technical glitches, one or more telecom providers he declined to say which had responded to court orders for records by sending logs to the agency that included both accurate and inaccurate data. When the agency then fed those numbers back to the telecoms to get the communications logs of all of the people who had been in contact with its targets, it ended up gathering some data of people unconnected to the targets. The agency had no authority to collect their information, nor a practical way to go through its large database and cull those records it should not have gathered. As a result, it decided to purge them all and start over. But it had not been clear until Mr. Murrys comments in the podcast that was posted over the weekend that the problems have continued, even as a legislative battle over the Freedom Act and the inevitable scrutiny of how the program has functioned has drawn near. But there are a few key facts to remember when you hear Republicans floating the idea: 1. No sitting president in the modern era has been successfully unseated in a primary. 2. Mr. Trump is still really, really popular among Republicans. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released over the weekend found that nearly 90 percent of Republicans approve of the president. 3. Despite the best efforts of the Never Trump movement, the party establishment the national committee, members of Congress and party activists is firmly behind Mr. Trump. They have the right to jump in and lose. Theyll lose horribly, said the Republican National Committee chairwoman, Ronna Romney McDaniel, at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference this past weekend. Have at it. Go ahead. Waste your money, waste your time and go ahead and lose. Thats not to say a primary race would have no effect on Mr. Trump: Strong primary challenges contributed to the general election defeats of Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George Bush. But a strong challenge meaning one that has a chance of actual success is pretty unlikely. Irrespective of the president, both Mr. Hogan and Mr. Weld would most likely face a serious uphill climb to win over Republican voters, given their differences with much of the base. Mr. Kasich failed to win any state but his own when he ran for president in 2016 as a more moderate voice. In our interview, Mr. Hogan criticized Republicans in Congress for having tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act without proposing a suitable alternative. He said that he believed Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal nationwide, had been correctly decided. And he declined to express any personal view of whether the Senate had been right to confirm Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, a vote that awarded Republicans control of the Supreme Court for a generation. For his part, Mr. Hogan, a popular governor who won with cross-party support, says he fears the current administration is shrinking the partys base, leaving Republicans at a serious disadvantage in their efforts to reach a wider audience and to not alienate people and not to be as divisive. I have to use this umbrella to protect myself from the torrent of illegal leaks. Roger Stone. Hes a Republican political consultant and a self-described Agent provocateur. He was an adviser to longtime friend Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trying to stop Trump is like stepping in front of a hurtling freight train. Now, Stone is back in the spotlight. Hes been charged as part of Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation over his communications with WikiLeaks, the organization that released Clinton campaign emails stolen by the Russian government to help Trump win. In 2016, Stone said he had an in with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. I actually have communicated with Assange. We have a mutual acquaintance who is a fine gentleman. But now, he says it was all part of his political game. I set a Google News alert for Julian Assange. I read every interview he gave. And I used that information to posture and to bluff and to punk the Democrats. Stone has built a reputation on winning at all costs, even if it means bending the truth. I assumed he was lying. Its something Roger does. Posture and bluff. Thats politics. Stone started his career as a political operative at a young age. At 19, he was an entry-level trickster for Nixons re-election campaign. His name later came up in the Watergate investigation. I paid $100 to Mr. Roger Stone on one occasion to leave a leaflet, I believe, at Senator McGoverns headquarters. Stone and Trump have been friends and associates since the 1980s, when Stone was working as a political consultant with Paul Manafort. Yes, that Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign manager, who has since been convicted of financial fraud. Stone says he has been encouraging Donald Trump to run for president since 1988. I would say that I would have a hell of a chance of winning. Between his outspokenness, his national name identification and his issue positions, he could be a formidable candidate. I guess were looking at it very seriously. After he got into some trouble working for Bob Dole in 1996, he bounced back but has largely worked outside of political campaigns. Stone has a unique personal brand: a mix of provocation, politics and fashion. He can often be found discussing some of his favorite topics: the Clintons, how L.B.J. was behind the assassination of J.F.K. and fake news. Fake news. Stone strongly denies any wrongdoing in 2016. I havent done anything illegal. Ive been targeted for one reason and one reason only: I am loyal to the president of the United States. But emails and interviews suggest that he sold himself to the Trump campaign as a conduit to WikiLeaks. He is also connected to a web of associates, some of whom have been interviewed as part of Muellers investigation. Stone has been charged with seven counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding, making false statements, and witness tampering. In announcing her decision, Ms. Philpott cited accusations that Mr. Trudeau and his aides had exerted improper and excessive pressure on the justice minister and attorney general at the time, Jody Wilson-Raybould, to seek a settlement in the criminal case against the company, SNC-Lavalin. A criminal conviction would have barred the company from bidding on government contracts for a decade, potentially leading to major job losses in Quebec, where it has its headquarters. [You can read more here about the SNC-Lavalin case and how it has entangled Mr. Trudeau.] Ms. Wilson-Raybould resisted the pressure, and quit the cabinet last month. Ms. Philpott was among the few cabinet ministers to publicly side with her. There can be a cost to acting on ones principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them, Ms. Philpott wrote in her resignation letter to Mr. Trudeau on Monday. Privately, several members of his caucus have said Mr. Trudeau has badly fumbled his handling of the controversy. Publicly, though, they have spoken in solidarity with the prime minister. Royce Koop, a political scientist at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, said that might now change. Philpott was really the talent pool of the Trudeau cabinet, she got things done, he said. The question now is do we now start to see the beginning of a caucus rebellion? I havent heard that anything is happening. But this is going to shift opinion in the caucus. North of the United States, the political scandal roiling the government does not involve accusations of collusion with Russia or payments to keep an alleged affair quiet. No one has flown first-class for personal trips on the Canadian taxpayers dime, and no one has been accused of anything illegal. To Americans who have grown used to news about possible obstruction of justice at the top levels of government, the scandals questions about corporate influence, the rule of law and a leaders reputation might seem quaint (or at least very Canadian). Yet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has seen his top adviser and two cabinet ministers resign including a former justice minister who accused his office of veiled threats raising the possibility of a caucus revolt. He faces an ethics investigation into his conduct and, possibly, an independent inquiry. COPENHAGEN Denmark, a country that regularly tops international indexes of gender equality and access to justice, is failing victims of rape, a new study shows. The country has a pervasive rape culture and endemic impunity for rapists, according to an Amnesty International report to be released on Tuesday about the Nordic nation, which has long been held up as a bastion for equality. While there is a widespread perception in Denmark that gender equality has been achieved, the study says, this report shows that in the area of sexual violence, Danish authorities must do more to live up to this positive image. Reporting rape to the police can be a difficult and humiliating challenge in the country, where women say they are still met with gendered stereotypes that focus on their clothing or actions rather than their attackers. Most perpetrators are men and a majority go free. But his life was upended in March 2015, when he left for a pilgrimage to Mecca. His wife was supposed to take the children to visit her parents in Orlando, he said. But when she stopped responding to his texts, he began to worry. After days of silence, he reached her parents, who said she and the children were gone, but refused to say more, he said. So he contacted the F.B.I. and returned to Florida, learning that his wife, their children, then 4 and 10 months old, and his wifes sister, had flown to Turkey to cross into Syria to join the Islamic State. A few weeks later, he received a call from Syria while he was driving on the freeway, he said. A man with a British accent asked him whether he was the father of Yusuf and Zahra. Mr. Shikder said yes and asked where they were. In the Islamic State, he said the man told him. He gave Mr. Shikder one month to join them in Syria or said his wife and children would be taken away from him. About a week later, his wife called and told him how she, her sister, and their children had been smuggled into Syria and had their passports taken away, he said. That was the start of an intermittent and painful correspondence between him, his wife, her sister and other members of the Islamic State. Sometimes his wife sent him videos of his children playing and put them on the phone, he said. But he never knew whether they were in danger. Image A family photo of Mr.Shikders children, Yusuf, a boy, and Zahra, a girl. Yusuf is now now 8 and Zahra 4. Many times I was very worried because I was seeing fighting, I was seeing airstrikes, I was seeing Assads soldiers, he said, referring to Syrias president, Bashar al-Assad. I was seeing people being killed. It was the first time the Swiss had been able to see Mr. White since he was seized in Mashhad last July and taken to Vakilabad Prison, after having visited a person his family has described as an Iranian girlfriend. He has still not been able to communicate directly with his family. Mr. White, 47, of Imperial Beach, Calif., served in the Navy for 13 years. He is the first American to be incarcerated in Iran since President Trump took office in 2017, adding a complication to what already was a severely strained relationship between the United States and Iran. He is one of at least four Americans known to be held in Iran, where the government has regarded the United States as its top enemy since the Islamic revolution that overthrew the shah 40 years ago. Over the past few weeks, Ms. White said, Ive learned that Mike was badly beaten when he was arrested and that he has been taken to court at least twice for proceedings in Farsi that he couldnt understand. My son is not well. His health is deteriorating, and I want him back so I can get him the care he badly needs. Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for Irans United Nations Mission, confirmed in an email that the Swiss had met with Mr. White and that another meeting was planned in coming days. The winner of the 46th Pritzker Architecture Prize was announced on Tuesday: Arata Isozaki, an architect, urban designer and theorist. So what is this award? And why is it so important? The Pritzker Prize is frequently called the Nobel of architecture. This annual international award recognizes a living architect or architects whose work has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity through the art of architecture. The prominent Pritzker family of Chicago established the award through the Hyatt Foundation in 1979, when the American architect Philip Johnson became the first winner, for a body of work that includes the Glass House in New Canaan, Conn. The prize consists of $100,000 and a bronze medallion. [Read more about this years winner.] Does it matter? Many in the field see the Pritzker not only as a validation of an individuals work but also as a validation of the profession. People rarely think about architecture as an art or architecture as creative expression, said Deborah Berke, the dean of the Yale School of Architecture. PARIS When Ren Hangs nude photographs first went on display in China barely a decade ago, he was immediately identified as an artistic phenomenon and rapidly swept up by Western art galleries. His images were playful and provocative, visually stunning with an underlying sense of vulnerability, sometimes bordering on pornography, but never vulgar. They offered a glimpse into a Chinese youth subculture outsiders rarely got to see. Mr. Ren s career was meteoric, and tragically brief. He took his own life in 2017 at age 29, leaving behind a body of work that is highly personal: There is no mistaking a Ren Hang photograph. Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox. Even Longer Than Obamas Pauses Stephen Colbert returned from a weeklong break on Monday and dove into a takedown of President Trumps rambling speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday. It was a historically long speech but its most memorable moment may have come at the very beginning, when Trump shared a long, very tender embrace with an American flag onstage. Two Nobel Prizes in Literature will be awarded this year, the Nobel Foundation announced in a statement on Tuesday. The literature prize, usually annual, was not awarded last year because the body that chooses the winner, the Swedish Academy, was hit by a scandal involving sexual abuse, accusations of financial wrongdoing and hints of a cover-up. At the center of the scandal were the poet Katarina Frostenson, a member of the academy, and her husband, Jean-Claude Arnault, who together ran a cultural organization in Stockholm that received sizable payments from the academy. Mr. Arnault was accused of abusing the influence the organization gave him, and of groping, harassing and assaulting at least 18 women. Mr. Arnault, who was convicted of rape last year and sentenced to at least two years in prison, was also accused of leaking the names of award winners. THE MASTERMIND Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. By Evan Ratliff World-class criminals, like world-class writers, are natural obsessives. Alone in their rooms, they both spin endless plots, picking at the details of their projects. Near the start of The Mastermind, Evan Ratliffs possessed true-crime investigation, there is a stop-and-gawk image of the obsessive outlaw with whom he becomes obsessed: Paul Le Roux, the South African kingpin who gives the work its title. The scene takes place in a thriller-worthy setting a penthouse condo in Manila, where Le Roux has based his illegal organization. But when one of Ratliffs sources enters the apartment, he finds the potbellied crime lord in the most unlikely guise: dressed in shorts and flip-flops and perched behind a desk in a room filled with digital servers. The 300 fever-heated pages that ensue are, in a sense, the authors agitated and sometimes self-imperiling attempt to understand that bizarre tableau and to figure out how Paul Le Roux transformed himself, in the course of 30 years, from a teenage tech geek with a talent for encryption to an international villain with a cadre of mercenaries protecting his interests in everything from Congolese gold to North Korean meth. Ratliffs journey is not just one of miles logged on the ground, but of incomparable oddness. In his hunt for those who knew Le Roux, he goes to Minnesota, the Philippines, Israel, Brazil and Vietnam, encountering a cast of characters out of a Coen brothers film: a grizzled Canadian security operative, an elderly pharmacist, a target-shooting Filipino cop, a South African hit man and the pseudonymous informant who ran Le Rouxs business in Somalia and later helped the American authorities to capture him. The narrator fixed on an elusive prey has been a well-worn device at least since Moby-Dick, but if there were ever a subject worthy of investigative mania, it is Paul Le Roux. The man was into anything and everything: high-speed yachts, precious metals, plastic explosives, tuna fishing, piracy, Predator drones, Peruvian cocaine and hallucinogens. He wanted to be the king of his country, according to the informant who ultimately brought him down. The big man. Sitting on his fat ass behind a giant desk in his palace. NATURES MUTINY How the Little Ice Age of the Long Seventeenth Century Transformed the West and Shaped the Present By Philipp Blom From around 1570 to 1710, temperatures in the earths Northern Hemisphere plunged by an average of about 2 degrees Celsius roughly the same amount by which the planets temperature is supposed to rise under the more catastrophic predictions of our warming futures. Two degrees colder meant a growing season shortened by three weeks. The apocalyptic changes that are coming bigger storms, higher seas, longer heat waves, more insect-born disease remain, for now, a task for the imagination. But the impact of those long-ago icy winters, frigid summers and torrential autumns requires no imagination: Its all recorded in contemporary sources. In Natures Mutiny, Philipp Blom, a German historian, treats this one well-documented period of climate change, the so-called Little Ice Age, as an experiment in what can happen to a society when its baseline conditions, all ultimately dependent upon the weather, are shaken. The premise of treating historical sources as a way of answering current questions is so good that Blom should have stuck to it. He is tempted, however, into making everything new in the 17th century a result of climate change, and this can only be true by so diluting the notion of causation as to render his claim meaningless or just plain vulnerable. Image The initial crisis was food insecurity, much as it will be for us. Hunger hit the countrysides of Europe first. If peasants starved and then abandoned the country for the cities, the aristocrats, who lived off peasant production for both food and wealth, went down with them. People living on the land at least had direct access to whatever food there was; those in cities were dependent on rural surplus reaching them, and when it didnt, they rioted. They were also pushed into even more extreme measures: During the siege of Paris in 1595 the starving defenders of the city discussed breaking into a cemetery, removing the bones, grinding them into a fine flour and then using it to bake bread. In line with the first of these alternatives, Hanson believes that what Trump accomplished in his first 20 months in office was undeniably impressive. Hanson credits Trump with ramping up the economy and lowering unemployment through tax cuts and deregulation. He praises Trump for forcing China and Europe into trade negotiations, pulling out of the Paris climate change and Iran nuclear agreements, moving the American embassy to Jerusalem (Trump blew up the Israeli-Palestinian deadlock) and squeezing North Korea through sanctions. It was hard to see, Hanson writes, how U.S. relations with key allies or deterrent stances against enemies were not improved since the years of the Obama administration, at least in the sense that there was no more naive Russian reset. Except for detailing Trumps success in boosting the economy, Hanson does not argue these points against obvious objections. Pulling out of Paris? Hanson at one point describes global warming as an apparition, but he cites no scientific evidence for this or any justification for abandoning international agreements to limit carbon emissions. Improved relations with allies? What about our European allies? Or Canada? As for the Iran deal, he claims that most experts had known that the Obama-led Iran deal was unworkable and thus unsustainable, but by my count the most prominent thought otherwise. I am not saying that Trump did nothing that was impressive he has definitely gone beyond his predecessors in contesting Chinas trade practices but that many of the things Hanson cites as undeniably impressive need justification, at least if Hanson intended his book to be read by people who dont already agree with its bald assertions. Like other political analysts, Hanson portrays the 2016 election as a contest between two Americas an affluent coastal elite and a hinterland that had been flattened by globalization as jobs and commerce were outsourced to lower-cost Asia and Latin America. Trump was the voice of the hinterland. The insidious decline of the Rust Belt by 2016 was the embryo of Donald Trumps candidacy. Of course, Trump also attracted conventional Republicans in Kansas or Arizona who simply saw him as preferable to Hillary Clinton, but the blue-collar voters in states like Wisconsin that had previously gone Democratic were the key to his victory. They liked what he said about trade and immigration and his defiance of political correctness. Trumps own uncouthness, Hanson writes, was in its own manner contextualized by his supporters as a long overdue pushback to the elite disdain and indeed hatred shown them. Most of Hansons book was written before the 2018 election and does not seem to have been substantially revised in the light of the Republican defeats. He predicts that the Midwest, where Democrats did pretty well in 2018, is insidiously becoming another red-state South. In his epilogue, based on early estimates, Hanson discounts the 2018 results, writing that the Democrats in strictly statistical terms had done historically not all that much better than most opposition parties in a presidents first term. But since 1946, the average loss of the presidential party has been 25 not 40 seats, and in most of these instances, the economy was not booming. In 1998, when it was booming, Bill Clintons Democrats gained five seats. That suggests that of the two alternatives Hanson offers, the one that he deems the less likely, a single term due to the eventual embarrassment of his beneficiaries, may prove to be his tragic heros fate. Already, the Pakistani authorities detained 44 people connected to Jaish-e-Muhammad, a listed terrorist group, including the brother and the son of its chief, Masood Azhar. The move came as India and Pakistan are still on edge after a suicide bombing in Kashmir last month claimed by Jaish-e-Muhammad killed 40 troops the regions deadliest attack in 30 years and sparked a military clash between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Context: Last month, a financial watchdog group also issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying its failures to address terrorism could open the door to sanctions that would devastate its already struggling economy. Pakistans military has long been accused by neighbors and Western countries of cultivating militant groups, like the Afghan Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad. Grain of salt: Pakistan has promised to combat terrorism in the past but officials say there is a real sense of urgency this time, as Prime Minister Imran Khan is worried about becoming an international pariah. Heres what else is happening India: After failing to compel New Delhi to lower its trade barriers, President Trump decided to strip the country of a special status that protected billions of dollars worth of Indian exports from American tariffs, setting up new trade tensions with the worlds second most populous country. In its decision, the court said Mr. Ghosn would be required to live in Japan and forbidden to travel abroad. Just before midnight, Mr. Ghosn released a statement, emphasizing his relief and his innocence. I am extremely grateful for my family and friends who have stood by me throughout this terrible ordeal, the statement said. I am also grateful to the NGOs and human rights activists in Japan and around the world who fight for the cause of presumption of innocence and a fair trial. I am innocent and totally committed to vigorously defending myself in a fair trial against these meritless and unsubstantiated accusations. The length and nature of Mr. Ghosns detention have prompted criticism of Japans criminal justice system, a point that Mr. Hironaka hammered home Monday. In mid-December, Mr. Ghosn appeared to be on the verge of being released after the court denied a request by prosecutors to extend his detention. But the authorities then rearrested Mr. Ghosn on a new charge breach of trust asserting that he had transferred losses incurred during the 2008 financial crisis to Nissan. Mr. Ghosns close aide Greg Kelly also was arrested in November, in connection with underreporting Mr. Ghosns income. Mr. Kelly was granted bail of 70 million (about $640,000) on Christmas Day because of ill health. Mr. Kelly, who underwent surgery for a spinal condition, remains restricted to living in Tokyo as part of that bail agreement. Mr. Ghosn is said to have lost weight in jail. His family, in a statement on Monday, said it had appealed to the United Nations Human Rights Council over the conditions of his detention. In an interview with Nikkei Asian Review, Mr. Ghosn blamed his arrest on plot and treason by executives at Nissan who had misrepresented his attempts to further deepen ties between the Japanese carmaker and Renault. At the helm of the alliance for nearly 20 years, Mr. Ghosn had pushed for more cost savings and more shared engineering and design. There was some tension within Nissan over whether Mr. Ghosn was pushing for a merger. Stephen Colbert can finally claim complete bragging rights. For the first time, Mr. Colberts Late Show on CBS has drawn a bigger Nielsen rating point among young adult viewers than any other late-night talk show. Until now, Jimmy Fallons Tonight Show on NBC has been the leader in that category, which is vital to advertisers. Mr. Colbert had a tepid start after his much-ballyhooed debut in September 2015. His show pulled ahead of Mr. Fallons in total viewers in February 2017 the month after President Trump was inaugurated. Between then and the latest Nielsen report, Mr. Fallon had clung to the lead among the 18-to-49-year-old crowd. The latest season-to-date ratings from Nielsen show that Mr. Colbert has drawn an average of 692,000 adult viewers under 50 during the 2018-2019 season, which began in September. That gives him a slim lead over Mr. Fallon, who averaged 686,000 such viewers in that same period. Those figures have helped push Mr. Colbert to his first lead as measured by Nielsen rating points, with a margin of 0.54 to 0.53. As New York magazines Vulture website reported, Mr. Colbert squeaked past Mr. Fallon in viewers as early as mid-November, but that victory wasnt sizable enough to give him the lead in the Nielsen numbers. It is he who steadfastly and single-handedly safeguards the Milos brand, ignoring nothing. I wish I could, he said with a sigh. It is not rational to be obsessed, but it is a part of me. I am not always happy about it. His son, George, asks him to slow down. It is useless. I try to tell him hes 72 if he lives to 100, thats 28 more years, George said. Dont you want to go on your yacht and sail the Mediterranean, do more than spend your life opening restaurants? The answer: Mr. Spiliadis hasnt sailed the Mediterranean on his yacht, Milos At Sea, in the last two years. My memories of growing up with my dad, George said, is that he worked a lot, but he also taught us core values: dinner with the family at 6 oclock with a discussion and then he would leave and go back to work. He is a great dad and a great grandfather, he added. When my wife was pregnant, he would go to the Jean-Talon Market (in Montreal) and buy things. If it was a pork roast and lettuce and asparagus, it would be enough for four families. He gets carried away when he sees good food. Mr. Spiliadis speaks often of his adoration for his grandchildren, three by way of George, three by his daughter, Evridiki. He appears bewitched by them. Everyone speaks of how he is a different man when they are around. He is also consumed by love for Kythira, an obscure and idyllic Greek island between the Aegean and Ionian Seas. Ive been to hundreds of places, he said, but what I felt there I had never felt before. On March 15, a new dining hub will open on the western edge of Midtown Manhattan in Hudson Yards, from 10th to 12th Avenues and 30th to 34th Streets. Many of the restaurants involve familiar names like Thomas Keller, David Chang, Michael Lomonaco, Costas Spiliadis and Jose Andres, among others, with some restaurant imports from England and California. The developers, Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group, are counting on the restaurants to give the former rail yards now bristling with shiny towers like some futuristic San Gimignano a sense of neighborhood geniality to appeal to those who visit, live and work in the new complex. Most of the dining options are clustered in a central one-million-square-foot, seven-story building, the Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards. A huge, vibrant Spanish food hall, coyly named Mercado Little Spain, is the most dynamic addition to the area and even to the city itself. Scattered throughout are familiar casual spots like Sweetgreen, Maison Kayser and Shake Shack. The Neiman Marcus store will have several dining areas. At the Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, the most prestigious restaurants are on the higher floors. When you go down to four, three and two, you get more democratic brands, said Kenneth A. Himmel, the president and chief executive of Related Urban, a division of Related Companies, which also developed the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. The success of the restaurants there convinced chefs and restaurateurs that they could thrive in a vertical setting. There are no major dining areas on the ground floor of the Hudson Yards centerpiece, where only luxury brands like Cartier can afford the rents. Expense is a hurdle, Mr. Himmel said. He is hoping to find an Italian restaurant for a vacant space on the fifth floor. The main attraction at Madame Vo BBQ, now two months into its run on Second Avenue in the East Village, is a seven-course dinner on the theme of beef. This is a familiar concept in Vietnam, where it is known as bo bay mon, as well as in San Jose, Calif., Houston and other areas with robust Vietnamese populations. In New York, where the Vietnamese restaurant scene is more anemic, bo bay mon is still a rarity. The rough outlines of the setup at Madame Vo, though, will be familiar to any New Yorker who has gone out for Korean barbecue. New York City bureaucracy is unwelcoming to the tabletop charcoal grills seen in Hanoi, so an electric grill under a metal screen is embedded in each table. Once the grill is switched on and the metal rods down at kneecap level begin to warm up, an array of sauces, condiments and vegetables will arrive. When the rods are red, a server with a pair of tongs will lay some meat down on the screen, return periodically to fiddle with it and eventually decide when it is ready to be eaten. The similarities with, say, Han Joo Chik Naeng Myun & BBQ in Queens end, of course, with the actual food. Yes, both offer lettuce for wrapping, but at Madame Vo BBQ it is part of a Vietnamese table salad, along with fresh herbs; raw cucumbers, pineapple and apple; and pickled carrots and daikon. The restaurant also sets out a nifty caddy that holds circles of rice paper and warm water, in a miniature bathtub, for wetting the paper until it is soft enough to fashion into rolls. Its important to note that in 1979 women made up only about a fifth of the 140 or so students from Harvards 1L, Section 3 still, a significant increase from when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of nine women out of 500 in the Class of 1954. Image Regina Roman and George Berman Being guys we were very conscious of who the 20 women were, said George Berman, who married Regina Roman, at the Harvard chapel in July 1980, a year after their graduation. Mr. Berman noticed Ms. Roman the first day of school, but it would be weeks before he actually spoke to her, and then months later until he asked her out. He admired her independence and determination, and that of her friends. They took on this task, and damn it, they had the same attitude as pioneer women who took wagons to Oregon, he said. At a scientific conference in Seattle on Tuesday, researchers reckoned with a day that many thought might never arrive. A patient appears to have been cured of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, for only the second time since the epidemic began. A sort of electric hope hangs in the air, said Dr. Steve Deeks, an AIDS specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, who is attending the gathering: The whole approach to a cure is shifting more from aspiration to something that people are realizing could be feasible. It is a hope that must be tempered with realism: H.I.V. is a wily adversary, and scientists and patients living with the virus are all too well acquainted with past failures in the fight against the epidemic. Heres what the news means right now. Will this change anything for people living with H.I.V.? Not yet. The second case does provide proof of concept, shining a light on a potential path to an H.I.V. cure. Scientists intend to pursue it with vigor. At a time when measles outbreaks are mounting among clusters of unvaccinated children, notably in Washington State, New York and Texas, a new large study published this week found no association between the measles vaccine and autism a reason often given by parents for rejecting inoculation. The new research confirms what has long been widely accepted in the scientific community, and it echoes findings of a 2002 study by members of the same team of scientists about the vaccine, known as MMR because it protects against measles, mumps and rubella. But the findings come at a moment of resurging suspicion about vaccine safety, that has been promulgated at the far edges of the internet and on mainstream sites such as Amazon, Facebook and Pinterest. Many of those companies have taken steps in recent weeks to remove anti-vaccine content, but on Monday, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Kyle E. Yasuda, wrote to the chief executives of Google, Facebook and Pinterest, urging further action in an urgent request to work together to combat the dangerous spread of vaccine misinformation online. [Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.] In emphatic language, the researchers, who followed 657,461 Danish children born between 1999 and 2010, stated in the Annals of Internal Medicine: The study strongly supports that MMR vaccination does not increase the risk for autism, does not trigger autism in susceptible children, and is not associated with clustering of autism cases after vaccination. What are your memories of recess? What did you do during that time? Looking back, do you think it was all just fun and games or do you think it was important to your learning and development? Would you go so far as to say that recess should be a required part of the learning day? In States Consider Longer School Recess, and the Adults Arent Complaining, Laura M. Holson writes: Four years ago, Lucy Dathan moved to New Canaan, Conn., where she enrolled her three children in public elementary school. They met new classmates. Their teachers were attentive. But something was amiss: Recess was limited to a 20-minute break after lunch, or about half the time as at their previous school, in California. Ms. Dathan said a shift in her childrens mood was palpable. They found it difficult to focus on homework. They were restless and sometimes cranky after school, which she attributed to pent-up energy. With so little time for schoolyard play, she worried they were losing the ability to navigate personal relationships. It was hard for them to adjust to only one recess, she said in an interview. So Ms. Dathan, who was elected to the Connecticut legislature in November, agreed to support a state bill that would require schools to provide at least 50 minutes of daily undirected play for students enrolled in preschool through fifth grade. I havent had one person ask, Why are you doing this? she said of parents, students and teachers who have contacted her. I think playtime fosters the creativity that we need to solve crazy world problems, like global warming, or other issues we need to face as a planet. Ms. Dathan is not alone in her observation. Last April, Arizona legislators passed a law that provided two daily recesses for the states elementary school students. Teachers have already seen encouraging results, reporting fewer disciplinary actions, enhanced test scores and improvement in childrens overall health. And just last week, youngsters from Arkansas, where a similar move is also being considered, sent letters to state legislators asking they be given a longer recess break. Students, read the entire article, then tell us: Do children need recess? Why? How important was recess to your schooling? How did you spend that time? Are there any important skills and life lessons you learned or developed through recess? Do you still have recess? Is recess just for elementary school students, or do you think students in middle school or even high school should have some form of recess or unstructured time? The article quotes Robert Bilder, a clinical neuropsychologist: What is valuable for children is freedom where they are solving problems with no predictable answer, he said. When it is open-ended, they retain the curiosity to learn more things. And that is going to be essential for their futures. Do you agree? Do you think there is a connection between daily undirected play and creativity? Do you think recess can help children develop curiosity, creativity and problem-solving? Should all states and school districts require recess? Why, or why not? What is the ideal amount of time for recess? How much would be too much? Are there potential downsides to mandating recess? One thing we learn in Captain Marvel is that its pronounced MarVELL, like the English poet or at least it used to be, on distant planets and right here on Earth, a windy rock also known as C-53. That was back in 1995, when most of this movie takes place and when the world as we know it had not yet been colonized by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, of course, Marvel Comics had been around for decades, but when the heroine crashes through the roof of the Blockbuster Video store, landing in between the Family and Drama sections, there are no Avengers or Iron-Man titles on the shelves. Instead, she picks up a VHS box of The Right Stuff, which earns a mild chuckle, since while we know that shes a space alien named Vers (rhymes with cheers), we also have reason to suspect that this young woman is connected with the United States Air Force, and maybe the space program, too, like the guys in that film. Also known as Carol Danvers, and played by Brie Larson, she has some of their bravado, and also since shes on the way to intergalactic superheroism a righteous sense of mission and a burgeoning identity crisis. [Captain Marvel has had many, many identities in the comics.] The last and least surprising thing we learn about her is that Captain Marvel will return in Avengers: Endgame, a scrappy little picture that will be released in seven weeks, if you can stand to wait that long. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck from a script they wrote with Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Captain Marvel is an origin story, which is to say a resume check for the newest member of popular cultures biggest, most heavily capitalized corporate team. As such, its pretty good fun, and could almost be described without sarcasm as a scrappy little picture, like most of Boden and Flecks other work. (Their resume includes Half Nelson," Sugar and Its Kind of a Funny Story). Its not too long, not too self-important, and benefits from the craft and talent of a cast that includes Annette Bening, Jude Law and Ben Mendelsohn. A spokesman for the Senate Democrats, Mike Murphy, said there was no legislative proposal to end fusion voting and that the Senate majority has been clear that we support efforts to empower voters and strengthen New Yorks democracy. By days end, nearly two dozen Democratic senators, in a letter to the Democratic leader, Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, said that abolishing fusion voting was a bad idea. They also called on Ms. Stewart-Cousins to decouple any negotiation over fusion voting from the budget, due April 1, when Mr. Cuomo could have some leverage over lawmakers. The policy debate is too important to New York voters to be left to the 11th hour, the letter read. On the other side of the Capitol, the Democratic speaker of the Assembly, Carl E. Heastie of the Bronx, was more circumspect, saying he and his conference had not yet discussed the issue. Fusion voting helps facilitate the survival of parties like the Conservative Party and the Independence Party, which often endorse Republicans. Under state law, any party which receives 50,000 votes in a gubernatorial election is guaranteed a spot on the ballot for the next four years. Mr. Cuomo collected votes on four different ballot lines, including the Working Families Party, on the way toward a record vote-tally in November. But the W.F.P. did not endorse Mr. Cuomo in the primary; party leaders, saying they wanted to support a real Democrat, chose Ms. Nixon. The W.F.P.s bet backfired when Mr. Cuomo badly defeated Ms. Nixon in September, and the group subsequently endorsed Mr. Cuomo in the general election in a humbling reversal. Since then, the party has anticipated retribution from Mr. Cuomo, who has been known to hold a grudge. The W.F.P. continued to issue warning shots to the Democratic Party in the last several days, sending out a battery of letters from supporters of fusion voting including Senators Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and most of the states Democratic House of Representatives delegation and issuing multiple online pleas for support tagged with #StandWithWFP and #NoFusionBan. If nobody talks, whats going to happen? said Sharon Zimmerman, a 25-year-old mother of two and a cousin of Kathleen Zimmerman . Ms. Catlin was born in Penn Yan and home-schooled her 14 children here. For the past 25 years, she said, she has helped women with prenatal care and delivery . Her career sprang from her own experience: She moved to home births after having her first four children in a hospital. I just love the women I work with, and I love to teach them how to birth well, Ms. Catlin said. Im just a friend to them. They feel free to ask me any questions about marriage. Being a birth attendant is just a natural progression of all of that. In recent years, Ms. Catlin said she has been present at about 70 of the approximately 200 Mennonite births each year . A midwife who was licensed by the state delivered many of the other babies in the community until she died in February. The care that she gave was like a mother, Kaylene Hoover, 25, said. She knew exactly how you felt. The circumstances that led to Ms. Catlins first arrest also particularly alarmed the women. According to court documents, staff members at F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua, N.Y., reported Ms. Catlin to the authorities after she brought a woman to the hospital . Officials said the woman gave birth there, but the baby, who had sepsis, later died. Ms. Catlins lawyer, David Morabito, said she was not involved in the delivery. She does not take unnecessary risks, said Ms. Rissler, who hired Ms. Catlin to help deliver two of her three children. She goes to the hospital when its necessary. But if its a routine birth, theres really no reason to go. And yet the citys public schools the nations largest system were closed for a snow day. How did that happen? Why did Mayor de Blasio call a snow day? Timing. He had to make a decision Sunday evening, when the forecast looked ominous. The weather changed overnight, but by that point, it was too late to adjust the plan. The call to close schools is made early, with as much time as possible for parents to plan, the mayors spokesman said. Then there are all the school buses to think about. As my colleagues Eliza Shapiro and Michael Gold wrote, buses leave depots before dawn and could interfere with the nearly 1,600 snow plows combing the streets. How many snow days have there been in New York City? Seven since 2014, compared with 11 from 1978 to 2013, according to The Citys Alyssa Katz. Those at the very top are shouldering less and less of their fair share of the tax burden, Mr. Murphy said on Tuesday in a speech detailing his budget. Thats the opposite of tax fairness. Lets work together to apply the millionaires tax to every millionaire. By doing so, we can do more to relieve the burden on middle-class taxpayers and senior citizens who are taking it on the chin from the Trump administrations tax scam. A Rutgers University poll just after Mr. Murphys election in 2017 found that nearly two-thirds of state residents favored a tax on those making over $1 million. But that was before the fallout from President Trumps federal tax law hit the state, most significantly by limiting the deductibility of state and local taxes. Only three states in the country, as well as Washington, D.C., have taxes that target those making more than $1 million: California, Connecticut and New York, which adopted a so-called millionaires tax during the recession a decade ago. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio favors raising the tax, but Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said that it would have virtually no chance of passing in the Legislature. Mr. Murphy had hoped to build on the momentum of his 14-point victory in 2017 and the Rutgers poll results when he called on raising taxes on the wealthy last year. But after opposition from Democratic legislators brought New Jersey to within hours of a government shutdown, a compromise was reached to raise taxes on those making over $5 million. That tax raised $216 million last year, according to the states Department of Treasury. This year, Mr. Murphy said, expanding the tax to those making more than $1 million would bring in $447 million in new revenue, helping pay for priorities like improving New Jersey Transit, the states sputtering public transportation network, and paying down the states enormous public pension obligations. But with the 80-member Assembly up for election this year, many Democratic lawmakers are wary of angering voters by pursuing yet another tax. Only a dozen or so applauded when Mr. Murphy mentioned the millionaires tax. Its refreshing to see someone stand before the people, Mr. Lhota said, and say, Hold me responsible. Hold me accountable. Mr. Johnsons speech had the feel of a campaign rally as he sought to position himself as a leader capable of thinking big, in contrast to Mr. de Blasio, who has been criticized for a lack of bold new initiatives in his second term. Mr. Johnson also challenged the state Legislature, saying that the City Council would approve congestion pricing if Albany failed to do so, though it is not clear whether the Council has the authority. The speech made clear that if Mr. Johnson runs for mayor, he would use the city takeover of the transit system as a signature issue, just as Mr. de Blasio focused on early childhood education when he first ran for mayor in 2013. Mr. Johnson was introduced by his mother, Ann Richardson, who is from Boston and has the accent to match, telling the audience about her sons kind loving haht. Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat in his third term, has received a wave of criticism over his handling of the transit system. Although he exerts great control over the agency, he has argued that he does not have enough power and that one person or entity should take charge and be accountable to the public. A Cuomo spokeswoman, Dani Lever, responded to Mr. Johnsons speech with a short retort: The city already owns the New York City Transit system, in reference to a long-running debate over whether the city technically owns the system a contention that Mr. de Blasios office has disputed. The authority is governed by a board that typically has 17 voting members, including six members chosen by the governor and four by New Yorks mayor. Mr. Cuomo selects the board chairman and has a role in hiring the agencys top leadership. Mr. Johnson was careful not to mention Mr. Cuomos name or to attack him directly, though he criticized the unpopular decision by the Cuomo administration to divert transit funding to struggling ski resorts. Mr. Johnson joked that a mayor would never make that decision over fears that it would lead to tabloid headlines of Mayor to City: Go Sled! [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] New York State regulators have issued an expansive subpoena to the Trump Organizations longtime insurance broker, the first step in an investigation of insurance policies and claims involving President Trumps family business, according to the company and a person briefed on the matter. The subpoena was served late Monday on the company, Aon, one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the world, as part of an inquiry by the New York State Department of Financial Services. It came just days after Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trumps former fixer and lawyer, indicated in congressional testimony that the Trump Organization inflated the value of its assets to insurance companies. The subpoena is the latest sign that the Trump Organization is facing scrutiny from multiple fronts federal prosecutors, congressional Democrats, and now, insurance regulators. Peter Zhu, a West Point cadet who died last week, always wanted to be a father, his parents said. His dream was to live on a ranch, where he would have horses and raise five children, never mind his parents jokes about how much all of that would cost. Now, thanks to a court order, his parents can hope that some part of that dream may still come true. Mr. Zhu, 21, was found lying in the snow on a ski slope at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Feb. 23 after an accident left him with a severely fractured spine. He was taken to Westchester Medical Center, where he was declared brain-dead on Feb. 27. But because he was an organ donor, his body was kept alive until March 1. In the two days between the death of his brain and the death of his body, Mr. Zhus grief-stricken parents desperate to hold on to a piece of him and determined to pass their family name to the next generation petitioned a state court to allow them to retrieve his sperm before his organs were removed. It is true that policymaking requires expertise. But I dont think members of the public are demonstrating ignorance when they claim that drug prices are too high, taxes could be fairer, privacy laws are too weak and monopolies are too coddled. Others remind us that the United States is a democratic republic, not a direct democracy, and that the Constitution was designed to modulate the extremes of majority rule. Majorities sometimes want things like bans on books, or crackdowns on minorities that they should not be given. This is true. It is also true that a thoughtful process of democratic deliberation and compromise can yield better policy outcomes than merely following the majoritys will. But these considerations hardly describe our current situation. The invocation of constitutional principle has become an increasingly lame and embarrassing excuse. The framers of the Constitution, having experienced a popular revolution, were hardly recommending that the will of the majority be ignored. The Constitution sought to fine-tune majoritarian democracy, not to silence it. The most obvious historical precedent for our times is the Progressive era. During the first decades of the 20th century, the American public voted for politicians who supported economic reforms like maximum-hour work laws and bans on child labor. But the Supreme Court struck down most of Congresss economic legislation, deeming it unconstitutional. In our era, it is primarily Congress that prevents popular laws from being passed or getting serious consideration. (Holding an occasional hearing does not count as doing something.) Entire categories of public policy options are effectively off-limits because of the combined influence of industry groups and donor interests. There is no principled defense of this state of affairs and indeed, no one attempts to offer such a justification. Instead, legislative stagnation is cynically defended by those who benefit from it with an unconvincing invocation of the rigors of our system of checks and balances. Mama Mtshali gathered several colleagues to meet us. (South African sangomas like her are easy to spot they dress in red and white and their apprentices must wear inflated goat bladders in their hair, which I wish all medical students did.) They showed us how they did diagnoses: Although it involved drumming and chanting, it amounted to taking the patients history and checking a long list of symptoms. We talked about H.I.V.; they were especially interested in how long it lingered on razor blades or porcupine quills, which were their syringes they cut patients scalps and rubbed herbs in. Then we had a feast of beef liver and sorghum beer and spent the rest of the evening dancing. I could still kick over my head then thats how Zulu dances end but Joao was much better than me. Mrs. Mtshali and Mr. Muriisa are part of a huge parallel medical system. The World Health Organization estimates the continent has 80 healers for every doctor. (Even in hospitals, it is rare to see an actual M.D. most care is delivered by nurses.) When youre designing a home, its easy to get carried away dreaming about pricey sofas, rugs and art. But big-ticket items arent as important as they seem, and plunking down the money to buy them is no guarantee youll end up with a home you love. Often its the small touches that make a space feel truly inviting and memorable. Style is in the mix of things, said Cliff Fong, founder of the Los Angeles interior design firm Matt Blacke. It doesnt take any imagination, or any level of taste, to go to a big-box store or an Italian design store and buy everything. That just takes deep pockets. If youre willing to take your time hunting for special yet affordable pieces and doing the work yourself he said, Theres a way to approach design at any budget. To help, we asked Mr. Fong and other interior designers for ideas about how to make a big impact on a small budget. If you dont know about grapes in the microwave, you havent been keeping up with the internet. All right, so were going to do this grape in a microwave experiment. For 20 years, people have been microwaving two grape halves connected by a bridge of skin to create sparks, light, plasma! Well, theres a lot of juice from these, actually. A plasma is a superheated gas in which electrons have been stripped from the molecules. Lightning is a common example. So how do you get that from grapes? Amateur explanations focused on conducting electricity between the two halves. The skin bridge was the key. Or was it? Scientists who have now investigated the grape plasma phenomenon in depth say, no, you can use two whole grapes as long as they touch each other. And the explanation has to do not with conductivity, but with microwaves being trapped inside each grape. Heres what happens. The wavelengths of microwave radiation are about five inches. But water, which is what grapes are made of, compresses these wavelengths to about a half an inch. Thats about the same size as the grape. So the microwave radiation bounces around inside the grape and concentrates in the center. Thats called resonance. With two grapes, or two spheres of a hydrogel mostly water, but no skin the concentration is where the two meet. Theres such a strong electromagnetic field at that spot that it sparks a plasma by stripping an electron off a sodium or potassium molecule. That triggers a cascade of other atoms in the air, losing electrons as they absorb microwave radiation. But thats not what really excited the scientists. They were interested in the hot spots where the grapes meet. You can see them in red. Microwaves in that region were about 80 times smaller than in air. That was a real surprise to the scientists because water worked on microwaves in a way that had never been seen. Now if a substance could be found that would do that with visible light, which is so small its measured in nanometers, that could have great implications for microscopes, research in computer chips and other areas. So never assume a party trick is just a party trick, not if it involves a microwave. O.K., that was awesome. Enough Time to Tee Off We thought we heard a flicker of a heartbeat, but it was gone now. Our doctor stared at the screen for an eternity before advising us to evacuate the now nonviable pregnancy. We were to come back in three hours. What to do with the last three hours of my pregnancy? My husband took me to the nearby driving range. With each swing, we hit out our frustration and pain. At 2 p.m. my husband held my hand and stroked my hair as our baby left my body. I had never felt more loved by him than in that moment. Amanda Lockwood In Ontarios Ice Caves, Nature Sculpts Beauty from Wind, Waves and Cold The 52 Places Traveler found stunning creations born of frigid weather now threatened by climate change. March 5, 2019 Our columnist, Sebastian Modak, is visiting each destination on our 52 Places to Go in 2019 list. His trip to the Ontario Ice Caves required a 12-hour drive from Detroit in whiteout conditions. The ice caves of Ontario, Canada, accessible via the Trans-Canada Highway that skirts the shores of Lake Superior, are on the 2019 list of 52 Places to Go for a disheartening reason. Like any phenomenon dependent on ice, cold and weather patterns, the caves are under threat from climate change. This, even though the lakeshore gets reliably pounded by snow every year thanks to a lake effect that sends wind hurtling toward nearby mountains, which then spark heavy precipitation. The International Joint Commission, a binational organization that manages and protects boundary waters between the U.S. and Canada, predicts that Lake Superior could be completely ice-free in the next two to three decades. For now, most winters, the wind, waves, and bitter cold combine to form the ice caves, though there have been winters when they dont happen at all and others when a multitude of them soar 20 feet high. Building a border wall. Its the holy grail of President Trumps immigration policy. The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility. It wont be. But at the border, theres a kind of chaos unfolding that a wall might not fix. The Trump administrations hard-line stance on keeping migrants out is pushing asylum seekers to take remote and dangerous routes into the United States. Heres how this is playing out. The border stretches nearly 2,000 miles, and these are the official ports of entry. More than 650 miles already have barriers installed. Fences, barbed wire or vehicle barricades. Over the years, thats pushed people to try riskier routes to get across. And since 2014, more families have been arriving. And many of them are seeking asylum, a human right protected by both U.S. and international law. The Trump administrations hard-hitting crackdown includes a tactic called metering. Documents ready. Entering through an official border crossing is one way to request asylum. But thats become more difficult under Trump. The practice of metering allows border agents to limit the number of asylum seekers that are processed each day by delaying them from setting foot into the U.S. We can see it in action here, at the Paso del Norte crossing in El Paso, Texas. Officers are standing right at the border, trying to intercept people before they get to the border station. This tactic is deliberate. Once people reach U.S. soil, they have the right to claim asylum. But if they never cross the border, they have to come back another day. Metering is not new. But the Trump administration has taken it to a new level. Were metering, which means that if we dont have the resources to let them in on a particular day, theyre going to come back. So theyre going to wait their turn. But as the government is limiting asylum seekers, theyre still funneling people to these same ports of entry to seek asylum. Instead migrants seeking asylum will have to present themselves lawfully at a port of entry. This is creating bottlenecks. Here, in Tijuana, is a vivid example of how metering plays out. Thousands of migrants are stuck. Human rights observers say that some are camping in squalid and dangerous conditions. The situation is leading migrants to try riskier routes through desolate terrain, where theyre at greater risk of dehydration and other illnesses. Theyre showing up in places like Antelope Wells, N.M. Its extremely remote and mountainous. Antelope Wells is part of the El Paso border area, which has seen a dramatic increase in the number of families crossing far away from official border stations. As you can see here, this increase happened right when the practice of metering expanded. And many are crossing in groups of 100 or more, like this one that arrived in January. But these remote outposts lack facilities, especially to deal with children. 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin and her father crossed here on Dec. 6, where they encountered Border Patrol. They were brought to a nearby outpost, where Jakelin got sick. It took an overnight journey with multiple stops, including a 94-mile bus ride and an air ambulance evacuation to get her to the childrens hospital in El Paso. Her condition worsened, and she later died. 12 days later, another father crossed the border in the El Paso area with his 8-year-old child. Felipe Gomez Alonzo was in custody for six days. He died from the flu on Christmas Eve. Border Patrol officials say that theyre not equipped to deal with all of this. Our infrastructure is incompatible with this reality. Our Border Patrol stations and ports of entry were built to handle mostly male, single adults in custody, not families or children. But the practice of metering is forcing people through more remote routes, in turn overtaxing these far-flung outposts and putting a strain on officers. Its also leading to ever-more-dangerous consequences for migrants. Mr. Garza and the director of his ambulance company protested, to no avail. Mr. Garza grudgingly transferred the patient back to a Mexican ambulance, which did not have trained personnel aboard, both he and the director recalled. Mr. Garza said he showed the patients husband how to squeeze an oxygen bag to try to keep his wife alive as she was driven toward a distant Mexican hospital. She died on the way there, the emergency workers said. Persistent Problems For at least a decade, families and advocacy organizations have reported lapses in medical care for people in the custody of C.B.P. Complaints filed over the past few years included a mother who gave birth prematurely and was later forced to stay with the baby in a dirty hold room, a detainee who was refused access to prescribed heart medication, and a woman who had heavy vaginal bleeding after a sexual assault and was not provided any medical attention. The number of deaths remains unknown and is perhaps unknowable the agency until December was not required to independently review or publicly report health-related deaths in its custody. And the consequences of failing to address urgent medical needs often emerge after detainees are quickly passed on to another agency, or released. In 2015, C.B.P. addressed some of the criticisms by establishing its first nationwide standards on transport and detention. However, the standards are nonbinding the agency cannot be sued for not following them and the subject of medical care in detention covers less than a page. Detention by Customs and Border Protection is intended to be brief 72 hours or less, according to the standards. However that guideline is often broken. Felipe Gomez Alonzo, the boy who died in December and had influenza, was in his sixth day of detention when he was taken to a hospital, according to a timeline provided by the agency. At the hospital, Felipe was found to have a 103-degree fever. He was discharged from the emergency room several hours later, and agents took him back to a temporary holding cell at a highway checkpoint. Hours later, as the boy grew sicker, no medically trained agents were on duty there. He was returned to the hospital, but lost consciousness on the way. Children should not be held in C.B.P. holding cells longer than 24 hours, said Kathryn Hampton, a program officer for Physicians for Human Rights and the author of a recent study that found that the focus on securing the border has come at the cost of migrants safety. Good morning. (Heres the sign-up, if you dont already get California Today by email.) The days top stories... Attorney General Xavier Becerra added one more lawsuit yesterday to the several dozen hes filed against the Trump administration. This one aims to block moves that would effectively strip millions of dollars in federal funding from reproductive health care providers that perform abortions or abortion referrals. For those still keeping count, the total is now 47. Its a figure that has placed Mr. Becerra squarely at the center of Californias resistance, along with Gov. Gavin Newsom, whos also taken rhetorical aim at the presidents policies on immigration and the environment. Last night, the police detained a longtime Sacramento Bee reporter and arrested dozens of demonstrators protesting District Attorney Anne Marie Schuberts announcement that she wouldnt criminally prosecute two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old black man whom they said they believed had a gun, but was unarmed. Mr. Clarks family and activists called on Mr. Becerra who, as I wrote yesterday, wields considerable power to pick his battles to file charges instead, or face political consequences. WASHINGTON A formal condemnation of anti-Semitism that is up for a vote in the House this week has touched off a furious debate between older House Democrats and their young liberal colleagues over whether Representative Ilhan Omar is being singled out for unfair treatment over her statements on Israel. The resolution, likely to be voted on Thursday, grew out of Ms. Omars suggestion last week that pro-Israel activists were pushing for allegiance to a foreign country a remark that infuriated leading Jewish members of the House, who say it played into the anti-Semitic trope of dual loyalty. It comes just weeks after Ms. Omar apologized for tweeting that support for Israel was all about the Benjamins baby, a reference to hundred-dollar bills that critics said echoed a common anti-Semitic belief that Jewish money is controlling foreign policy. But progressives in the House and their allies have rallied to the defense of Ms. Omar, a freshman Democrat from Minnesota and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, who was hailed as a trailblazer. Speaker Nancy Pelosi told top Democrats on Tuesday evening that the resolution would also include language condemning anti-Muslim bias as well a move advocated by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. [Whos in, whos out and whos thinking about it. Check out our presidential candidate tracker.] Long a progressive darling, Mr. Merkley rose to national prominence as the only senator to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. After Mr. Sanders lost, Mr. Merkley saw an opportunity to claim some, if not all, of the Vermont senators coveted base of support. But he would have been far from the only candidate fighting for whats become known as the Sanders wing of the Democratic Party. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have all staked a claim to a share of the liberal base. To win these battles we need both strong leadership in the Oval Office and strong leadership in the Senate, said Mr. Merkley. I believe that there are Democrats now in the presidential race who are speaking to the importance of tackling the big challenges that we face. During the first week of Mr. Sanderss campaign for the 2020 nomination, aides announced that hed raised $10 million, underscoring his still-strong hold over liberals in the party. Even before Mr. Sanders entered the race, Mr. Merkley had already raised doubts about whether he could build the kind of operation needed to run successfully in such a crowded primary field. You would really have to build a vast operation to be competitive given the design of our primary system, he told Oregon Public Broadcasting this year, and that would require an all-out effort. And so its balancing that effort against putting all my efforts in through the Senate. Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who joined the Democratic Party last year to crusade against President Trump, announced he would not seek the White House himself in 2020, discarding plans to mount a maverick campaign that would have tested the partys openness to a wealthy centrist with a chameleon-like approach to partisan politics. [Update: Michael Bloomberg expected to file for 2020 Democratic primary.] Mr. Bloombergs decision appears to reflect a recognition of the long odds he would have faced as a moderate newcomer in an unapologetically liberal party, and his own unsentimental calculus about the trade-offs involved in running. After conducting polling and other research, Mr. Bloombergs advisers concluded he would have a real but narrow path to the nomination and that it could all but vanish if Joseph R. Biden Jr., the former vice president, entered the race. I believe I would defeat Donald Trump in a general election, Mr. Bloomberg wrote, in a Bloomberg News column announcing his decision. But I am clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination in such a crowded field. [Make sense of the people, issues and ideas shaping American politics with our newsletter.] Though Mr. Bloomberg is aligned with Democrats on a range of issues like climate change and gun violence, he is also a proudly pro-business centrist in a party that has moved sharply to the left in its rhetoric and policy proposals. And his record on policing as mayor, as well as his generally favorable view of Wall Street, would likely have proven troublesome in a field that is establishing litmus tests on social justice and corporate power. ATLANTA Pick a strategy Democrats are considering ahead of 2020, and Stacey Abramss narrow loss in the Georgia governors race serves either as a blueprint or a warning sign. Democrats are debating how much voting issues can swing an election, whether identity politics are energizing or polarizing, and if it is better to double down on politically engaged women, people of color and left-leaning voters or tack to the center. All of those played out in a fight that catapulted Ms. Abrams to national attention. The open question is what lesson to draw: that her strategy was more successful than any recent Democrat who ran statewide, or that it still was not enough to tug Georgia and perhaps the country into the blue column. For Ms. Abrams, the answer is unequivocal: Her campaign turned out record numbers of black, Latino and Asian voters, and she also won a larger share of the white vote than President Barack Obama or scions of Georgia political royalty like Jason Carter and Michelle Nunn. She actively courted voters and highlighted issues central to an emerging demographic majority that proved elusive for Democrats in 2016. [Make sense of the people, issues and ideas shaping American politics with our newsletter.] We recognized that we could center communities of color, marginalized communities, and talk about their needs without alienating the white community, she said in a recent extended interview. Thats been a false narrative thats been part of politics, especially in the South, for a very long time. WASHINGTON President Trump has decided to strip India of a special status that exempts billions of dollars worth of Indian exports from American tariffs, raising new trade tensions with the worlds second most populous country. The Office of the United States Trade Representative said on Monday night that India and Turkey would no longer be eligible for preferential market access to the United States. While the decision to terminate Turkeys status stemmed from that countrys economic development, the move against India was retaliatory. It came after a year of failed efforts by the Trump administration to compel India to lower its trade barriers, including the tariffs it charges on American goods. Mr. Trumps decision to confront India over its trade practices ratchets up trade tensions at a moment when the administration has been trying to ease frictions with China, which have rattled global financial markets and unsettled businesses. But Indias high tariff rates have been a major source of frustration for Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly assailed India for charging steep tariffs on American motorcycles. The president routinely criticizes Indias unfair trade practices and highlighted the disparity between how the United States and India treat imports in sharply worded remarks during last weekends Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. [The New York Times conducted a comprehensive analysis of police video footage.] Since the shooting, community members and activists have demanded police accountability for Mr. Clarks death, calling attention to discriminatory policing in black neighborhoods and excessive use of force by police officers. Protests in Sacramento have shut down busy streets and disrupted sporting events. On Tuesday evening, a Sacramento City Council meeting was interrupted when a man climbed onto a table inside the chambers as people yelled out Mr. Clarks name. Video also showed people banging on the glass outside chanting Mr. Clarks name. Others, standing at a lecturn inside, told the Council they wanted the police officers who shot Mr. Clark fired. On the night before Mr. Becerras announcement, a veteran Sacramento Bee reporter was among more than 80 people arrested during a protest over the decision by the district attorney, Anne Marie Schubert. On Saturday, she had said that the officers had probable cause to stop and detain Mr. Clark and that police officers are legally justified in using deadly force if they honestly and reasonably believe they are in danger of death or injury. That announcement led to a number of protests, and on Monday night, more than 100 demonstrators gathered and blocked traffic on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento, the citys Police Department said in a statement on Tuesday. The police said they used loudspeakers to order the demonstrators to disperse more than 10 times and eventually arrested and cited 84 people. The Sacramento Bee reporter covering the protest, Dale Kasler, 60, was detained and released, the police said. He had been live-streaming the demonstration on Facebook when he was handcuffed, The Bee reported. Other reporters shouted that Mr. Kasler was a journalist on assignment, but he was still led away, The Bee said. On the other side of the debate are school reformers who contend that tough accountability systems like Staar are a civil rights imperative, and that they protect low-income students and students of color from what President George W. Bush famously called the soft bigotry of low expectations. The 2018 Staar tests found that 58 percent of Texas third graders are not reading at grade level. On the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress, given to a sample of fourth graders across the country, 72 percent of Texas students were not proficient in reading a fact the state has cited as evidence that tough local standards are warranted. More than half of the states public school students are Hispanic and nearly 60 percent come from low-income families. About a fifth are still learning English. Texas is, in many ways, the birthplace of the American education reform movement. It was among the first to use student test scores to rate schools. But the state has also been accused, repeatedly, of lowering standards to inflate performance, and has made a concerted effort in recent years to raise them. Now it is being accused of overcorrecting. Every parent wants their kid to do better, said Jeff Cottrill, deputy commissioner of the Texas Education Agency. When you hear maybe its the tests fault, it makes you feel a little bit better. But Mr. Cottrill defended the Staar exams, and warned against a false sense of complacency. Any attack on standardized testing, he said, has the ability to destabilize high expectations for students. One Reading Test, Two Scores Kristen took the Staar last spring, when she was in third grade. Her parents, who live in this working-class suburb east of Dallas, were later told in a report that their daughter was approaching grade level in reading, like a third of Texas third graders who took the test some 128,000 students. BEAUREGARD, Ala. Becky Boyds phone alerted her on Sunday afternoon that a tornado was imminent, but she didnt think much of it. Warnings had come before, and nothing had happened. Then her sister called: A tornado was one road over. Get somewhere safe. The ferocious storm almost a mile wide with winds as powerful as a Category 5 hurricane struck before she could reach the closet in her mobile home. Its force pushed her into the closet face-first as her entire house rolled onto a shed. She survived. Twenty-three others in eastern Alabama ranging in age from 6 to 89 did not. To this large part of Afghan society including more than a million people displaced by fighting at least once, and often several times there is a desperate urgency for any sort of peace deal, or even just a truce to allow aid to come through. They are focused simply on survival. I have no prejudice against anyone not with the Taliban, not with the government, Mr. Mohammed said. I would be happy if they made their peace, if they declared their cease-fire. All we want is our houses to be freed again so we could return. The peace efforts are unfolding during a humanitarian crisis, where displacement by war is being made worse by a harsh drought. About 13.5 million people are surviving on one meal or less a day, and 54 percent of the population lives below the poverty line of a $1 a day, according to Toby Lanzer, a United Nations humanitarian coordinator. Aid groups want to use the Talibans engagement in peace discussions to open access to large swaths of the population in dire need of assistance. Humanitarian-aid access is needed to build trust among aggrieved Afghans, they say. People rightly feel so marginalized that they become angry that fuels conflict, Jan Egeland, the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in an interview during a visit to Uruzgan Province, where Tirin Kot is the capital. His group is the only international aid organization with a presence in Uruzgan. HONG KONG A weeklong, round-the-clock search for victims of a landslide that may have buried dozens of miners in Indonesia is still underway, a rescue official said Tuesday, as the confirmed death toll rose to 17. The landslide, which struck on Feb. 26 on the island of Sulawesi, left an unknown number of miners trapped underground. As of Tuesday, rescue personnel combing the steep jungle terrain with earth movers had found 18 survivors, and the death toll had risen from nine a day earlier. We have no exact number of the people down there, or even how many small holes there are, Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for Indonesias search and rescue agency, said by telephone. He added that in addition to 17 dead, the authorities had found body parts that they were working to identify. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Pakistan said on Tuesday that it would take new steps to seize and freeze the assets of people and militant groups who are on the United Nations list of designated terrorists, after months of international criticism. The announcement came as India and Pakistan were still on edge after a suicide bombing in Kashmir last month led to a military clash between the two. And last month, a financial watchdog group, the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, said Pakistan was still not taking enough concrete steps to curb financing and money laundering by terrorist groups. Pakistan risks being blacklisted by the task force, which would open the door to international sanctions that would be devastating to the countrys already teetering economy. Pakistans military has long been accused by its neighbors and Western countries of cultivating militant groups to use as proxies, including the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was widely accused of orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 160 people. MANILA The Philippines top defense official said on Tuesday that the government should review a decades-old treaty with the United States, its longtime ally, to avoid provoking a potential armed conflict with China in the disputed South China Sea. The security environment in the region has become much more complex since the countries Mutual Defense Treaty was drawn up 68 years ago, said the Philippine defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana. The Philippines is not in a conflict with anyone and will not be at war with anyone in the future, Mr. Lorenzana said. Since President Trump took office, the United States has been conducting more frequent military patrols in disputed waters of the South China Sea, in an effort to counter Chinas conversion of contested islands into military bases. A committee with 19 members was convened in January by Pa Marie Ariki, a member of a group of tribal leaders that advises the government on matters related to culture and custom, Mr. Mataroa said. So far, the committee has gathered 60 names from the public and has the support of tribal leaders across the Cook Islands. Mr. Mataroa said the committee was considering names with these requirements: It should not be more than 15 letters, have no more than four syllables and be easy to explain in English. Mr. Mataroa said the group hoped to narrow down the list by April. Names would be presented to the government and could be voted upon in a referendum, Thomas Wynne, a government media adviser who is on the advisory committee, said Tuesday. If approved by the public and the government, an amendment to the constitution would be needed to change the name. Deputy Prime Minister Mark Brown, a member of the Cook Islands Party, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. But Mr. Brown told Radio New Zealand in a March interview that he supported the name change and wanted to hear more comments from Cook Islanders. Im quite happy to look at a traditional name for our country which reflects the true Polynesian nature of our island nation, he said. He added that it seemed likely that a referendum would be needed to make the change. The Democratic Party leader, Tina Browne, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Mr. Mataroa said he and his fellow committee members were seeking public opinion, a challenge given that the population is spread across more than a dozen islands and two million square miles. It is going to be a long, expensive process, he said. Hong Kong: CE attends NPC session in Beijing Chief Executive Carrie Lam attended the opening ceremony of the second session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC) in Beijing today. At the NPC session this morning, Premier Li Keqiang delivered the government work report. Premier Li reviewed the work in 2018, including the substantive progress made in the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. The report noted the development plan for the bay area will be implemented in 2019, strengthening regulatory interface, fostering efficient flows of factors of production and facilitating personnel exchange. Premier Li reiterated the Central Government supports Hong Kong in seizing the immense opportunities brought about by the Belt & Road Initiative and the bay areas development. Mrs Lam said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will uphold the one country, two systems principle to proactively promote the development of the bay area. In the afternoon, Mrs Lam toured Tianning No. 1 Cultural & Technological Innovation Park which was revitalised from an idle power plant. The site has been transformed into an open-plan industrial park for projects featuring cultural-financial and cultural-technological integration. The Chief Executive visited a media creative workshop and an art performance venue in the park. She then attended a seminar organised by the Bank of China where she briefed more than 300 participants on the vision and actions of the HKSAR Government. Stressing Hong Kongs unique advantages under one country, two systems, she said the city will strive to boost its external relations and proactively participate in and contribute to the Belt & Road Initiative and the bay areas development. Hong Kong will seize the opportunities brought about by the countrys relaxation of market access in the financial industry, she added. This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. (CNN) Pope Francis has announced that the Vatican next year will open its secret archives containing World War II-era documents from the controversial papacy of Pope Pius XII. The archives cover the years 1939-1958 and consist of several hundred thousand letters, cables and speeches. Critics of Pius say he did not do enough to publicly combat the rise of fascism in Germany and Italy. Supporters say he worked diligently behind the scenes to save Jews from the Holocaust. Francis, in announcing the opening of the archives, said that criticism of Pope Pius XII had sometimes been prejudiced or exaggerated. "I am sure that the serious and objective historical research will know how to evaluate it in the right light," the Pope said. "I take this decision having heard the advice of my closest collaborators, with a serene and trusting heart," he added. ""The Church is not afraid of history, on the contrary, it loves it." The documents from the pontificate are not only kept in the Secret Archives, but also in archives of different Vatican offices such as the Secretariat of State and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to the Prefect of the Secret Archives, Bishop Sergio Pagano. All Vatican offices will open their archives to qualified researchers on March 2, 2020. Writing in l'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's newspaper, Pagano said that it has taken 20 dedicated archive personnel more than 12 years to inventory and organize the paperwork, which includes: -- 68 volumes of indexes -- 538 "separate envelopes" -- each envelope regarding an individual topic or institution -- 76 units of speech manuscripts by Eugenio Pacelli, Pope Pius XII's birth name -- 81 indexes of more than 5,100 envelopes of pontifical representations The Pope defended Pius' presumed silence on the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany and the Holocaust that ensued. "Without doubt, even moments of great difficulty, of tormented decisions of Christian and human prudence, that to some could have seemed like reticence, were instead attempts, humanly very difficult, to keep the light of humanitarian initiatives, of hidden but active diplomacy lit, in periods of greatest darkness and cruelty, in the hope of a possible opening of hearts," Francis said. In 2004, Pope John Paul II opened the archives for the Vatican Office of Information for Prisoners of War (1939-1947) containing more than 2,000 archival "units" and nearly as many boxes of documents, according to Pagano. Together, those records provided information on thousands of wartime military and civilian prisoners, and may help clarify the legacy of Pope Pius XII, Pagano said. "In the sad, no terrible, scenario before the war, during its tragic unfolding as well as afterward, the great figure of Pius XII stands out," Pagano said. "He was superficially criticized and judged for some aspects of his pontificate and now, thanks to the opening faithfully desired by Pope Francis, I think historians who know how to investigate, without prejudice, but with the help of new documents, can find its richness and realistic importance." Jewish groups immediately hailed the Vatican's announcement on Monday, saying they've been asking for access to the secret archives for decades. "Pope Francis's decision to make these materials now fully open and available for international scholarly research is enormously important to Catholic-Jewish relations," said Rabbi David Rosen, the American Jewish Committee's international director of interreligious affairs. The committee said Rosen has personally raised the issue with Pope Francis and his predecessors. "It is particularly important that experts from the leading Holocaust memorial institutes in Israel and the United States objectively evaluate as best as possible the historical record of that most terrible of times -- to acknowledge both the failures as well as the valiant efforts made during the period of the systematic murder of six million Jews," Rosen said. Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome, said it's "better late than never." But the rabbi also expressed some skepticism, recalling that a commission of Catholic and Jewish experts, set up in 1999 to examine the Pope Pius XII archives, was dissolved in 2001 "because members didn't have the effective guarantee of having access to all the documents." "Will all the existing documents be made available?" Di Segni asked. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, said it has enjoyed a "cooperative relationship" with the Vatican archivists for more than a decade, when John Paul II allowed researchers access to collections relating to the rise of Nazism in Germany. But those archives only go up to 1939, the museum said in a statement. "Since the end of World War II, scholars, Holocaust survivors, and others have asked important questions about the role of the Vatican and Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust," said Holocaust museum director Sara J. Bloomfield. "It is long overdue for speculation to be replaced by rigorous scholarship, which is only possible once scholars have full access to all of these records. This is important for the sake of historical truth, but there is moral urgency too: we owe this to the survivor generation, which is rapidly diminishing." According to the Vatican, the archives will be open to qualified researchers who must submit a request t view documents. All researchers must have a university degree or an equivalent university diploma. Clergy must possess a licentiate degree or PhD, the Vatican said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Vatican to open secret archives on World War II-era and Pope Pius." BRUSSELS If the British prime minister, Theresa May, still hopes to get Parliament to accept her withdrawal agreement from the European Union before a looming deadline this month, her chances lie with her attorney general, Geoffrey Cox. Mr. Cox, who favors Brexit, was in Brussels on Tuesday evening to try to win binding assurances from the European Union that the border provision known as the Irish backstop will not last forever. If Mr. Cox proclaims his satisfaction that the backstop is not meant to be perpetual and that Brussels does not intend to trap Britain into a customs union, then maybe just maybe Mrs. May can secure a parliamentary majority before the withdrawal date of March 29. Mrs. May has promised a vote by next Tuesday. If Mr. Cox says that he is not satisfied, then it is likely that a divided British cabinet and Parliament will vote to ask the other member states of the European Union to extend the cutoff date for at least three months, an extension likely to be agreed upon at a key summit meeting on March 21-22. Such a delay would avoid an unregulated exit by Britain with unhappy though unclear consequences for both sides. LONDON On his poultry operation outside Manchester, England, Michael Bailey used to raise turkeys and sell them at Christmastime. The whole bird. But most British customers now want their meat cut up, boneless and, most vexingly to farmers, white, not dark. So Mr. Bailey breaks down his birds, leaving behind a pile of unwanted thighs and drumsticks. Weve got a high-value turkey, and half of it well, nearly half of it they dont want, he said. This causes us a major problem. For decades, the answer to that problem was the European Union: a frictionless market with idiosyncratic tastes, in which eastern countries crave the dark meat that Britons do not. Along with the turkey leftovers, dark-meat chicken and aging pigs from British farms often land on plates in Eastern Europe, while white meat travels the opposite way. Britons can eat what they want while farmers export what they do not. LONDON Three suspicious packages that appeared to contain homemade bombs capable of igniting a small fire were found Tuesday in and around transport hubs in London, the authorities said. The three packages were described as similar: all midsize white envelopes with padded manila envelopes inside. The London Metropolitan Police said that a counterterrorism unit had been called in, and was treating the incidents as linked, but that it was keeping an open mind regarding motives. No one was injured, but the police issued warnings for people to be vigilant around city transportation hubs. LONDON More than 5,000 people stunned event organizers last weekend when they answered a call for a stem cell donor for a 5-year-old cancer patient, breaking Britains record for such an event. The patient, Oscar Saxelby-Lee, received a diagnosis in December of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare and aggressive cancer that causes the bone marrow to release immature white blood cells. The disease afflicts about 650 people a year in Britain, according to the National Heath Service. Oscar underwent intense chemotherapy treatment for four weeks, but doctors say he needs a stem cell transplant within three months. Oscars cause was taken up by the community and particularly his school, Pitmaston Primary School in Worcester, a city in central England. We decided we would do whatever it takes to find a donor for Oscar, Sue Bladen, the schools business manager, said in a telephone interview. GENEVA The United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, has delayed publishing a database of companies doing business with Israeli settlements in occupied territories, garnering praise from pro-Israel groups and outrage from human rights organizations eager to see the report released immediately. The United Nations human rights office has worked for three years to compile a database of companies that have directly enabled, supported or profited from the settlements, which are considered illegal under international law. The office was already under intense scrutiny after previous delays in publishing the database. Israel and its allies fear that the database will be used as a blacklist to boycott or penalize companies that do business in the occupied territories. And some businesses are concerned that the database could set a dangerous precedent by holding companies accountable on human rights issues beyond their control. The United Nations Human Rights Council, a 47-member body that has often been accused of anti-Israel bias, voted in 2016 to mandate the creation of the database. In a letter to the president of the council that was released on Tuesday, Ms. Bachelet said she needed more time to consider it given the novelty of the mandate and its legal, methodological and factual complexity. Our annual issue on food and beverage PR features articles from leading thought leaders in the field, plus profiles of 35 firms with expertise in this specialty. O'Dwyer's magazine is in its 33rd year. A different area of PR is examined each month. Issues include practice-area specific feature stories as well as profiles of PR firms with strengths in the focus area of the month. The agency profiles constitute the ideal starting point for companies beginning their search for PR counsel. 2019 Editorial Calendar: Jan., PR Buyer's Guide/Crisis Comms. Mar., Food & Beverage PR May, PR Firm Rankings Jul., Travel & International PR Aug., Financial PR/IR & Prof. Svcs. PR Oct., Healthcare & Medical PR Nov., Technology PR Contact magazine editor Jon Gingerich, jon@odwyerpr.com, for info on any of our upcoming issues. The notion of town-living is almost extinct in Offaly. The over-the-shop concept that so often formed part of town and council planning is a thing of the past, not least because many of those shops no longer exist. A series of factors have led counties like Offaly and particularly its secondary towns to wilt over the last decade. These areas have been allowed to decay to a wasteland akin to a creaking railroad town on America's notorious rust belt. The only thing we're missing is the tumbleweed. Factories that once welcomed a bustle of workers have long fallen silent; the traditional bogs are winding down like the wheels of a weathered locomotive, trundling towards a dead-end. If the country and this current government have one major issue, it is housing. Homelessness and the lack of affordable or social housing is the most pertinent issue of our time. In Offaly alone, over 1,000 people are on the social housing list and over 20 families are in emergency accommodation, children growing up in squalor. Thousands of adult children are living under their parents' rooves well beyond their 20s as house prices spiral, and the dream of owning a home drifts out of reach for many. Those renting in a severely limited and expensive market are unable to save for a mortgage and while they're not on any list, these people are our hidden homeless. Just 91 social housing units will be handed over to new homeowners in Offaly in 2019 but the council, understandably, cling to the fact that they're hitting paltry targets, albeit to save face. In truth, the problem is much bigger than Offaly County Council but the figures show one thing, regardless of targets - we are failing. In rural counties like Offaly, there is another major issue that is both a symptom and a product of the former. Town centres have been decimated by a Celtic Tiger culture of edge-of-town development, both commercial and residential. People circumvent town centres to avoid traffic and businesses have died as a result. Modernity has too hammered its nail into rural towns. Bank branches have been subsumed into online mechanisms; Post Offices have closed; people are shopping online in greater numbers with the ultimate outcome being the reduction in footfall. Town centres in Offaly are in survival mode. They fight for a reduction in rates while councils pull the other way to sustain maintenance and development in our communities, an attritional tug of war. Commercial vacancy in towns and villages in the county is crippling. In the latest figures available on this issue from the GeoView Commercial Vacancy Report 2018, Offaly was listed as the sixth worst county for empty shops. Even starker was the position of Edenderry, a town located 45 minutes from Dublin, as the fourth worst town in the entire country. 25% of shop units in Edenderry are empty; more than 16% are empty in Tullamore, with 17% in Birr. With the issues of modern living mentioned above, the likelihood of many of these branches and buildings becoming businesses again is very low. No policy, no matter how inventive, will ever result in the 40 empty commercial units in Edenderry all becoming businesses again. The latest figures from Offaly County Council estimate that between 1,000 and 1,500 properties, both residential and commercial, are empty across the county. There are various reasons for this; some owners don't want to become landlords while others may be tied up in legal turmoil, but many are simply waiting for a successful and attractive conversion scheme. Another scheme, I hear you cry, and I too shuddered at the mere mention of the word, but hear me out. Yes, there has been a succession of failed schemes, and some are even still being bandied back and forth between the Department and local authorities. The Repair and Lease Scheme is a particular mess that has seen a dismal uptake in Offaly, as in other counties. How do you address a housing crisis and a commercial vacancy problem with one fell swoop? You take the empty shops that are never going to have a name over the door again and convert them into social and affordable housing. By doing so, you put people back into town centres where they are needed to sustain small businesses. Essentially, you put the heart back into rural towns. The logistics of such a solution, whether it takes the shape of a scheme for property owners, or by way of compulsory purchases, are hugely complex. It would take some wrangling but in the interest of the common good, the endeavour from our councillors and TDs to achieve it should be unwavering. Without such a move, we are forced to ask ourselves the question: what is the alternative? An Post, in association with the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), has launched Sceal Eile, a creative writing competition rooted in primary and secondary school students love of books. Now online at www.anpostschoolbag.ie, the An Post Education Awards is in its 35th year promoting literacy and learning for generations of Irish students. Sceal Eile will see students of all ages across Offaly and the country revisiting some of their all-time favourite books with the task of creating their own alternative storyline or ending. Students from junior infants right through to sixth year are encouraged to take their favourite stories or beloved characters on a whole new adventure, creating a direction theyve always wanted to see in their favourite books. This year, students will have the help of two of Irelands most inspiring childrens authors Sarah Webb, author of Blazing A Trail Irish Women Who Changed the World, and Dave Rudden, author of Knights of the Borrowed Dark. Aileen Mooney, An Post Education Awards Manager said: We want to help school-goers to develop a real love of books so that they can experience the power and pleasure of reading throughout their lives. We make sure to align the An Post Education Awards with the national curriculum and we are proud to once again demonstrate our commitment to education, to Principals, Teachers and future generations. INTO General Secretary, Sheila Nunan welcomed Sceal Eile on behalf of primary schools We are delighted that An Post is once again supporting the power of reading and writing in schools, whilst introducing a fun creative twist. An Post and INTO are very proud to work together and promote literacy through creativity and competition. There are wonderful prizes on offer and we encourage all children to participate in the competition. INTO members should also make use of the great classroom resources available to download on www.anpostschoolbag.ie. The competition is open to junior and senior level schools nationwide with national and regional prizes to be won for the winning pupils, teachers and principals. Entering is easy visit www.anpostschoolbag.ie/ competition for lesson plans, video and print resources, entry forms and guidelines. Every school to enter will be in with a chance of winning an incredible Writing Workshop with a well-known author. All national winners will be awarded at a ceremony in the GPO in May. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday, March 19. For more information on the Sceal Eile competition, visit www.anpostschoolbag.ie or follow us on social media @PostVox and Facebook An Post. Offaly TD and Fianna Fail spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Barry Cowen, has said that now more than ever the Government must seriously examine the proposals put forward by Fianna Fail to allow Credit Unions to provide loans those wishing to purchase a home. Deputy Cowen was commenting following reports that the Government-backed mortgage scheme has been put on hold because it has run out of funding. An internal document from the Department of Housing details how further approvals are not currently being issued for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan," Barry said. Minister Murphy has questions to answer as to why he didnt inform the Oireachtas Committee on Housing that they were running out of funds and whether or not people should continue to apply for the loans through their local authority or if they are just wasting their time." But this raises another issue, one which I have been talking about for over two years. Why are the Government not making use of the Credit Union network to provide home loan schemes? Under present legislation or Central Bank rules Credit Unions do not have the capacity to participate in schemes such as the Government-backed mortgage scheme." They are more than willing to do so. Credit unions are only lending 20% of their capacity. They have 1 million coming in per week that they cannot use. They are only permitted to invest in the pillar banks, but the pillar banks are not giving them a return. Any return from a housing scheme would be far greater than the 0% they currently get," Cowen added. This Government is often-times critical that the opposition does not put forward proposals or solutions yet when we do they dont appear to be even considered nor any progress made on them. The Taoiseach confirmed as much to me when he said it was something he needed to study more closely and he couldnt confirm whether or not it was under the remit of the Central Bank or the Government, concluded Deputy Cowen. Fat Joe, Remy Ma, French Montana Sued Over All The Way Up Writing Credits Ivie Ani Ivie is a Nigerian-American, native New Yorker, and journalist covering A Miami rapper claims he wasnt compensated for helping write the hit. Fat Joe, Remy Ma, and French Montana are facing new legal troubles over a three-year-old song. According to documents obtained by TMZ, Miami rapper Fly Havana, born Eric A. Elliott, says hes a struggling Miami-based hip-hop artist who co-wrote the song back in 2015 alongside rapper Infared and is suing to receive a co-writing credit, royalties, co-ownership of the song, and other damages. READ: Kanye West Isnt Allowed to Retire From Making Music, According to EMI Contract Claims in the court document say that Elliots original unfinished 2015 version of All the Way Up with Infrared is nearly identical to the released version, Elliott alleges Fat Joe denied him credit and compensation. Elliott says he addressed Joe about the credit, they met up at an IHOP in March 2016 and Joe allegedly gave him a check for $5,000. The suit also states Joe promised the rapper hed receive more money once the track generated more income but Elliott says that never happened. He also claims to have confronted French Montana outside of DJ Khaleds studio in 2017. The track, produced by Cool & Dre, Domarj, and Edsclusive, appeared on Joe and Remys joint album Plata O Plomo and was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 2017 Grammy Awards. Source: TMZ Ramanathapuram accident: 2 dead, 21 injured as three vehicles collide Chennai oi-Vikas SV Chennai, Mar 5: At least two people were killed and around 21 injured after three vehicles collided with eacg other in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district on Tuesday morning. The devastating road accident took place in Ramanathapuram district's Uchipuli area. The injured have been rushed to nearby hospital for treatment. It is yet ascertained as to what caused the accident. Condition of all the injured is not know, but some reports say that a few are seriously injured. The local poice is probing the matter, said reports. [Udhampur accident: 6 dead as bus plunges into a deep gorge] On Friday, at least six people were killed and around 38 injured after a bus fell into a gorge near Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. The bus was on its way from Surinsar to Srinagar when it veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Majalta region. On February 12, at least 30 people were injured when a bus on its way from Ahmedabad to Morena in Madhya Pradesh overturned in Rajasthan's Baran district after the driver lost control of the vehicle. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 9:33 [IST] Decorated cop arrested on terror charges, being probed for links with Afzal Guru The Afzal Guru link to the decorated cop arrested by J&K police From Yakub Memon to Afzal Guru: Here is what their last wish was before they were hanged Afzal Guru's son says he is a proud Indian while holding his Aadhaar card India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Mar 05: Ghalib Guru, the son of Afzal Guru, the executed convict of 2001 Parliament attack along with making rapid strides in his career, he also said that he is a proud Indian who wons an Aadhaar card. [Valley remains tense on 6th death anniversary of Afzal Guru] He also wishes to have a passport so that he can avail an international medical scholarship. Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's son Ghalib had passed his higher secondary school exams with flying colours, nearly five years after his father was hanged to death in Tihar jail. Ghalib scored 86 in English, 87 in physics, 89 in chemistry, 85 in biology and 94 in environmental science. Ghalib wants to pursue medicine and is preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET. His father Afzal had enrolled himself at a medical college in Jammu and Kashmir but did not complete the degree. Ghalib made news two years back when he scored an impressive 95% marks in the Class 10 exams conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Examination. He had secured 474 marks out of 500 and scored an A1 grade. [Jaish bomber released a chilling video before striking at Pulwama] The 18-year-old was just two when Afzal Guru was arrested for attack on Parliament. Guru had named him after famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib. Afzal Guru, SAR Geelani, Showkat Guru and his wife Afshan Guru were charged with planning the attack on the Parliament on December 13, 2001. The Supreme Court later upheld the death sentence of Afzal Guru but acquitted SAR Geelani and Afshan. Showkat was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and released in 2011 while Guru was hanged and buried in Tihar jail on February 9, 2013. After the apex court verdict, Afzal's wife Tabasum and son Ghalib met former President APJ Abdul Kalam and sought pardon for him. The mercy petition was rejected by former President Pranab Mukherjee before he was hanged. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 12:51 [IST] AgustaWestland: After saying witness may have died, ED cites a little birdie to say he is alive AgustaWestland: Rajeev Saxena's recording of statement deferred till tomorrow India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Mar 5: The recording of statement of AgustaWestland scam co-accused Rajeev Saxena, who has become an approver in the case, has been deferred for tommorow. Saxena was supposed record his statement before Delhi's Patiala House Court's Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal today (March 5). The Patiala House Court today deferred the recording of statement. On February 27, Saxena had moved an application in Patiala House Court to become an approver in the case. After Saxena turned approver in the AgustaWestland money laundering case being probed by the ED, the court had directed him to record his statements before a magistrate. Earlier, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal put up the matter for March 5 after the alleged middleman told the court that he is not feeling well. AgustaWestland: The importance of Rajeev Saxena and how he will help crack the money trail Saxena, in his application earlier, had stated that he has agreed to become approver "out of free will" and "without any coercion". He further said that he "will make a full disclosure subject to the grant of pardon". Saxena, a Director of two Dubai-based firms -- UHY Saxena and Matrix Holdings, is one of the accused named in the charge sheet filed by the ED in the AgustaWestland case. Saxena was earlier granted bail by the court on medical grounds after perusing reports submitted by AIIMS. Saxena, who was in custody since January 31 after his deportation from Dubai, had said in his bail plea that when all the other accused in the case, including Gautam Khaitan, Ritu Khaitan and SP Tyagi were out on bail, there could be "no justification" to deny him the same relief. The ED had alleged that in connivance with Khaitan, Saxena provided a global corporate structure for laundering illegal proceeds of the crime for payment to various political persons, bureaucrats and Air Force officials to influence the contract to supply 12 VVIP helicopters in favour of AgustaWestland. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 11:43 [IST] PM-Kisan 10th installment to roll out by next week: How to check your status and name in beneficiary list? Red caps are like red alert for UP, PM Modi's jibe at Samajwadi Party in Gorakhpur rally PM Modi lauds UP govt for the work done for the benefit of sugarcane farmers 'Air strike took place in Pakistan, but it shocked some people in India', says Modi in Dhar India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bhopal, Mar 05: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the opposition is misleading people and demoralising armed forces by seeking proof of air strike. Addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar, Modi said,''We have told them (Pakistan), if they don't improve, they know what will happen to them. India gave a befitting reply to Pulwama attack by entering the den of terrorists.'' Mounting attack on Opposition, who has been demanding proof of IAF's 'pre-emptive air strikes', PM Modi said, "The whole country feels that our soldiers did the right, the whole world has said that this was the way against terrorism, but some people in the country don't think so." 300 mobile phones were active at Balakot camp, says Rajnath Singh He said, "Air strike took place in Pakistan, but it shocked some people sitting in India. People doing mahamilavat across India are now engaged in International 'mahamilavat'. Only for their political selfishness, they are doing mahamilavat with Pakistan. Here, these people abuse Modi, and in Pakistan, people clap for them. The headlines of newspapers in Pakistan are about them only." Speaking on Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana, the Prime Minister said,"Today I launched the PM Labour Yogi Mandhan Yojana. Under this scheme, around 42 crore workers from the unorganised sector will receive RS 3,000 after they attain age of 60." Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Shikshan Bhavana and Vidhyarthi Bhavan at Adajaj in Gandhinagar on Tuesday. He also launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan Scheme (PM-SYM) at Vastral in Ahmedabad. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 18:18 [IST] 100 more airports to be developed by 2025 to support UDAN scheme, says Sitharaman How airports and airlines will operate once the lockdown is lifted Flying into Karnataka from these 6 states? You will have to undergo 14 days quarantine Uttar Pradesh to soon have 5 international airports, highest for any state Airports on red high alert in view of terror threat India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 05: The government has issued an "alert" for all airports and airlines in the country, asking them to "enhance the existing security measures", as it has received intelligence inputs in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack and subsequent developments. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issued the alert and marked it to senior police officials of all states, in-charges of security at all airlines and airports, and officers of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Threat perception still high, airports put on very high alert In view of the intelligence input in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack and subsequent developments, it is imperative to enhance the existing security measures being taken at all the civil aviation installations like airports, airstrips, airfields, air force stations, helipads, flying schools, aviation training institutes etc. So that no untoward incident takes place," the alert notification read. The BCAS has asked airlines and airports to take 20 specific enhanced security measures which will be "in operation till further orders". The security measures include "strict access control to regulate entry into terminal building, airside, all operational area and other aviation facilities". The BCAS has directed "enhanced screening of passengers, including 100 per cent full pat down search at pre-embarkation security checkpoint", and enhanced random screening of "staff and visitors" at the main gate to the terminal building. No vehicle should be parked in front of the terminal building and there should be "intensive checking of vehicles entering car parking area", according to the alert notification. Another measure is -- strict on ground monitoring of regulatory guidelines for operations of non-conventional aerial platform like microlight aircraft, aero models, paragliders, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), drones, power hang gliders and hot air balloons. The BCAS has suggested enhanced screening of passengers, staff, and hand baggages and "strengthening of anti-terrorism/anti-sabotage measures and placement of quick response teams" at all airports. Amid, 'will hijack plane to Pakistan' threat, all Indian airports on very high alert According to the alert notification, "QRT and perimeter patrolling" has to be strengthened too. QRTs are part of the CISF only, which is in-charge of security at various airports across the country. "Intensive checking of vehicles/persons at the approach to airport terminals/installations" has also been called for. Enhanced random check at the entry of terminal building, including utilization of bomb detection and disposal squads and dog squads at the entry point has been suggested. According to the alert notification, authorities have been asked to "enhance surveillance in and around the aviation installations" and specific monitoring of "flights/helicopters/UAV/ UAS/drones/gliders/hot air balloons from airports/helipads/airfield around Delhi National Capital region". Regarding catering, the alert notification said, "Inspection by the chief security officer of the airline concerned from the presetting stage to vehicle check and entry into airside. Airport Security Unit/Aviation Security Group to ensure thorough check of the vehicle through under view mirror, cabin search etc and checking of the driver and attendant and their ID matching of signatures". There would be "no issuance of visitor entry passes till further notice", it said and directed strict monitoring of non-scheduled flight operations including air ambulance. The BCAS also called for "thorough search and anti-sabotage check of the aircraft by the airline concerned and its guarding to ensure no unauthorized access to the aircraft... To ensure that no unauthorized person gains access to aero bridge". For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 6:16 [IST] Andhra Pradesh: TDP faces data theft charge for poll manipulation India oi-PTI Hyderabad, Mar 05: Telangana police have registered a case against a Hyderabad-based IT firm for allegedly "stealing" data of voters through the mobile application, which was used by the TDP in Andhra Pradesh. Reacting to the development, Andhra Pradesh IT Minister N Lokesh said police was "harassing" companies that were hired to curate the information, whose complete rights were held by the party. Based on a complaint from a data analyst, a case was registered against the firm on Saturday. The complainant alleged that after logging into the official Facebook page of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), he found party cadre using certain mobile phone and tab-based software applications, especially ''Seva Mitra'' app, for "advancing party's electoral prospects". Telangana Police uses folk songs to curb fake news; Twitterati showers praise Reacting to the searches conducted by the Telangana Police, Mr Lokesh said in a tweet, "They are trying hard to steal the information of registered party members and Seva Mitras. The Telangana Police is harassing the companies that have been hired to curate the information whose complete rights are held by the (TDP) party." The Andhra Pradesh government utilised the services of the firm in implementation of government schemes, he said in the complaint. He alleged that the firm was given access to enormous amount of official data with respect to the beneficiaries of various government schemes and private data of individuals, including their Aadhaar number. "Following registration of a case, police conducted searches (Saturday). The searches are going on today also," Assistant Commissioner of Police N Shyam Prasad Rao told news agency PTI. He however denied any further details. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 10:19 [IST] Balakot: IAF always had capability to strike deep, but never got political clearance, Retd Air Marsh India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 05: Deception was one of the most crucial components of the air strike at Balakot carried out by the Indian Air Force. A control room at New Delhi, tracked the fighters using multiple sources including the Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems aircraft which was flying around in Indian airspace. As the fighters took off from the Gwalior air base, several other assets went airborne. A section of the airspace was vacated. The fighter along with the other assets flew in radio silence and the sensors were switched off. Meanwhile at the control room in Delhi, it was found that Pakistan was trying to respond to a Su-30 MKI, which were rushed to a different direction. When the Indian fighters turned back, the Indian Air Defence Systems came online. ISI colonel, Salim Qari, JeM trainer Maulana Moeen among those killed in Balakot strike Officials familiar with the operation said that the exercise was a tough one as we had planned this operation at a time when Pakistan was on a very high state of alert. When the decision was finally taken to strike at Balakot, several aircraft took off from the air bases at the Central and Western commands simultaneously. This was done to confuse Pakistan. It was not clear where the strikes would take place due to multiple aircraft taking off at the same time. Pakistan did not expect that the destination would be Balakot and was anticipating a hit at Pakistan occupied Kashmir. One of the key components in this operation was Netra, an airborne early earning and control aircraft. This aircraft can jam radars, Air Marshal (retd) B K Pandey explains. Further the attacking aircraft had shut down the radars and the waves could have alerted Pakistan, he also says. He also said that the aircraft was flying very low and hence detection becomes extremely difficult. He also says that the area in which the strike was carried out is not air defence sensitive. Pakistan's air defence is more active on the border and in insurgency affected areas, he further added. The Indian Air Force took advantage of these aspects. He also said that had the attacking aircraft been scrambled then the Sukhoi 30 MKI would have come in. The operation over all was well planned and executed to perfection, he adds. He also said that this operation is less complex when compared to an Army effort to carry out a surgical strike. Such an operation is also more effective in nature, he explained. He says that following this strike one could expect more such operations. The IAF would conduct such an operation not just in depth, but also to curb the firing along the border, B S Pandey also said. The IAF always had this capability to strike deep. However the problem was that the IAF never got political clearance. In this operation the IAF crossed the border into the North West Frontier Province and penetrated really deep and more importantly took the Pakistan Air Force by surprise. To that extent this is an extremely successful mission. India ups alert levels in wake of Samundari jihad threat One must also bear in mind that the terrorist training camp that was hit is a military asset for Pakistan. Pakistan is not capable of fighting a conventional war. My guess is that Pakistan will re-build this facility. B K Pandey also adds that the real assessment of the operation could be gauged on the level of terrorism. I feel that these terror groups would activate their sleeper cells across the country. India on the other hand would have to sustain the effort. I do not believe that Pakistan would escalate this and the question of using the nuclear weapons is ruled out. The Chinese would not allow that and Pakistan cannot afford it, he adds. On the other hand the Indian Army would continue to cleanse the Valley of terrorists and I hope that the government would lend complete support to the same, B K Pandey also adds. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 16:08 [IST] Balakot strike has sent a loud and clear message to Pakistan says Captain India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Amritsar, Mar 05: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh cautioned that Pakistan would not hesitate to use its nuclear arsenal if it felt it was losing out against India in a conventional battle. Refusing to comment on the casualty figure in the Indian Air Force strikes on a terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan, Singh, who has served as Army Captain, said, "Whether it was one killed or 100, the message has gone out loud and clear - India will not let the killing of its innocent soldiers and citizens go unpunished." He asserted that neither country could afford a full-scale war. "Pakistan will not hesitate to use its nuclear arsenal if it felt it is losing out against India in a conventional war," Singh told the media here. 'We hit terror targets, can't count casualties': Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa Pointing out that both India and Pakistan were nuclear powers, he said it was not in either country's interest to use the weapons of destruction but Islamabad could "indulge in such a misadventure if faced with defeat in other battles". The IAF strikes had proven India's resolve to deal with the problem in the wake of the Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy, the CM said. Noting that Pakistan was in a huge economic mess and had been "going around with a begging bowl and surviving on doles from other Islamic nations", Singh said they could "ill-afford a full-fledged war with India". And though both are nuclear power countries, Pakistan could act out of desperation to use its nuclear weapons if they found themselves cornered, he warned. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 5:45 [IST] Ban on Lashkars financial wings: Laughable, eyewash says India India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 05: Under pressure from the Financial Action Task Force, Pakistan issued an order to ban the financial wings of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. The ban was imposed on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-i-Insaniyat. Delhi however is skeptical and says that this is another eyewash by Pakistan as it has done in the past. The ban is just an eyewash and will be lifted over a period of time, an officer tells OneIndia. The official also said that we have seen several times in the past, the ban being lifted or the courts in Pakistan coming to the rescue of these Hafiz Saeed run outfits. India does not read much into this and officials say that there have been many such bans in the past, but the fact is that no action is being taken on Saeed, who continues to roam around freely. In fact this is more of a protective measure in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack. Pakistan has this tendency to protect its terrorists under the cover of a ban and it had taken similar action following the 26/11 attack. However the Lashkar-e-Tayiba did not stop its activities, the official explained. Pakistan's action against the JuD and also the Falah-e-Insaniyat also being run by Saeed has been taken in the backdrop of a meeting of the Financial Action Task Force in Paris that is reviewing Pakistan's steps to counter terror financing. Why JeM and Lashkar attributes Ghazwa-e-Hind to the Prophet India also took note of the fact that no such action has been taken against the Jaish-e-Mohammad, which was involved in the Pathankot, Uri, Nagrota and Pulwama attacks. There have been bans in the past, but the Jamaat-ud-Dawa has managed to over come it in various ways. Both the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court had cleared the JuD in the past and allowed it to operate. While the bans have been in place in the past as well, the JuD has always managed to overcome it either by going to court or carrying out its activities by coming up with newer outfits. The JuD is the parent group of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. However in the year 2000, there was another parent group of the Lashkar which was known as the Markaz Dawa wal-Irshad. This was the group that carried out the alleged charity work and raised funds for the Lashkar. Those were early days of the Lashkar and the Markaz had played a vital role in funding it. However in the year 2002, the Markaz was banned for funding terror activities. Did it make any difference? Not at all and Saeed immediately floated the JuD. Similarly Saeed floated the FeF after the JuD was banned. Eyewash of the past: Following the 26/11 attack, investigators in India found the funding of the attack to have been carried out by the JuD. There was international pressure and this forced a ban on the JuD. In fact the then interior minister, Rehman Malik had informed that the JuD had been banned with immediate effect. Although the statement sounded strong, Pakistan was not going to take any chances and directly confront the JuD. It did not impose the ban directly but asked various authorities such as the UN to impose sanctions on the JuD. Paksitan's eye wash was evident in the year 2008. It sealed 100 offices of the JuD and even Saeed was placed under house arrest only to be released later. During all this Pakistan made a shocking statement in which it stated that there was no need to issue any notification banning the JuD when the UN has already added it to the list of banned outfits. Courts to the rescue: There was some more eye wash by Pakistan. It claimed that it had sealed the 200 acre campus of the JuD in Murdike. It also stated that an administrator in Pakistan had taken over the operational facility of the JuD. All this led to the JuD seeking legal recourse. The petition drafted by top bureaucrats of Pakistan sought a directive to first release Saeed who was under house arrest. The court allowed the petition and in the days to come even the ban on the JuD was lifted. It is quite surprising that the Pakistan government was asked to return the property of the JuD and also its other assets when there was never any official notification The JuD has a sprawling campus at Murdike spread over 200 acres of land. It has teaching facilities catering to 3000 students and also residential complexes. The investigations post 26/11 showed that the ten terrorists were housed in this complex and underwent training over here. The funds according to investigators came in from Saudi Arabia right from 1998 and till date the majority of the funding is from there. With the help of these funds the JuD has been accused of recruiting youth from Kashmir and Pakistan and train them to undertake strikes against India. Further it has also been found that the JuD in a bid to attract possible recruits from southern Punjab also held camps in Kasur district. This particular camp had come under the radar of the Indian agencies. The fact that the JuD enjoys the complete backing of the military can be seen in various instances. Following the Quetta earthquake the JuD was openly seen assisting the military in relief works. This was quite surprising as Pakistan had claimed that it had banned the JuD. Even when former President Pervez Musharaff had claimed to have curbed the outfit and clipped its wings, he was no where to be seen or heard when Saeed held a rally in Lahore at the same time. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 7:28 [IST] Digvijaya Singh on BJP MLA's call to break legs of Congressmen: I'll go to his house to recite Ramdhun Digvijaya Singh faces backlash for terming Pulwama terror attack an accident India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 05: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday termed the dastardly Pulwama terror attack as an "accident" in a series of tweets to target the Narendra Modi government. "We have complete faith in our armed forces and are proud of their bravery. I have seen many of my acquaintances and close relatives in the army how they leave their families to protect us. We respect them," Digvijaya Singh said in a series of tweets in Hindi. He said after the Pulwama accident and the Indian Air Force (IAF) strike, doubt is being expressed in some foreign media reports following which credibility of the government is under question. Digvijaya Singh asks for proof of Balakot air strike, terms Pakistan PM 'a good neighbour' "Prime Minister, some ministers of your government say 300 terrorists killed, BJP president says 250 are killed, Yogi Adityanath says 400 people were killed and your minister SS Ahluwalia says that no one died. And you are silent about this issue. The country wants to know who is a liar in this," Singh said. "The way you and your ministers are treating this airstrike as your success, it is an insult to the bravery of the security forces. Every citizen of the country respects the Indian Army and security forces," the Congress leader said. Union minister VK Singh hit back at the senior Congress leader for his remarks. "Calling a terrorist attack an 'accident' should NOT be the political discourse in our country. @digvijaya_28 ji, would you call Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident? Don't weaken the nation & the morale of our armed forces with these senseless jibes," VK Singh tweeted. Calling a terrorist attack an accident should NOT be the political discourse in our country. @digvijaya_28 ji, would you call Rajiv Gandhis assassination an accident? Dont weaken the nation & the morale of our armed forces with these senseless jibes. https://t.co/bxhty0ES10 Vijay Kumar Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) March 5, 2019 "What has happened to the Congress? They say the opposite of the people's mood. In no country does it happen that the there is mistruct of the armed forces," Union minister Prakash Javadekar said. In the worst terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men were killed when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a paramilitary convoy. Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) had claimed responsibility for the attack. 4th generation warfare: Non state actors have made civil society new frontier of war Doval holds talks with US counterpart amid Indo-Pak tension India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P New Delhi, Mar 05: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval discussed the security situation in the region after Pulwama attack and IAF airstrikes the LoC with his American counterpart John Bolton on Tuesday. India has also shown proof of Pakistan using F-16s to attack Indian planes and target. US defence attaches shown parts of AIM-120 missile, news agency ANI reported. ISI colonel, Salim Qari, JeM trainer Maulana Moeen among those killed in Balakot strike According to reports, America has agreed with the Indian stand. This is the third exchange between the two security advisers after the Pulwama attack on February 14. In the aftermath of the dastardly terror attack, America had supported India's right to self-defence. It was seen as strong support to India on the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan. In fact, the US had termed India's air strike at the Balakot training camp of Pakistan as 'counter-terrorism' actions. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 21:21 [IST] Nirbhaya: What went on at Tihar this morning before the execution took place Bodies of Nirbhaya killers taken out of Tihar Jail for post-mortem at DDU Hospital Meet Shabnam: First woman likely to be hanged in India after Independence for killing 7 family members Fatehgarh Sahib killings: Accused Khushwinder Singh to be hanged for six murders in 2012 India oi-Madhuri Adnal Chandigarh, Mar 05: Resident of Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib, Khushwinder Singh will be hanged for six murders in 2012. Singh killed his wife's six relatives by drowning them in a canal. Supreme Court calls the offence rarest of the rare, gives death sentence to the convict. He was also was held guilty in a similar case where he killed four members of a family by pushing them into the Sirhind canal in 2004. A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court had convicted Khushwinder Singh, 45, of Suhavi village in Fatehgarh Sahib, under Sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the Indian Penal Code. Earlier, a Fatehgarh Sahib court on March 16, 2013, had awarded the death sentence to Khushwinder Singh for killing his wife's six relatives by pushing them into the Bhakra Canal in Ludhiana district in June 2012. Khushwinder had taken the family to the canal near Mukandpur village in Ludhiana on the pretext of performing a religious ceremony. The victims were his wife's uncle Gurmail Singh, 70, a retired Punjab Police head constable, his wife Paramjit Kaur, 60, their son Gurinder Singh, 30, their daughter's husband Rupinder Singh, Rupinder's son Jaskirat Singh and daughter Prabhsimran Kaur. [UP: Undertrial prisoner kills murder convict in jail] Khushwinder was arrested in July 2012 after Gurmail's daughter Jasmine Kaur managed to swim out and reported the matter to Bassi Pathana police. Jasmine told the cops that Khushwinder and his wife Manjit Kaur, who was her father's niece, learnt of the 37 lakh lying in the house during a visit. After the family discussed the alcohol addiction of Gurinder, Khushwinder claimed he knew a godman who could cure him. He also promised that he will send Gurinder abroad through an agent, and took 2 lakh for it. Later, Khushwinder had told them that he had consulted the godman and that Gurinder will be cured if they threw grains in flowing water. The family went with him to the canal, where he pushed them into the water. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 11:51 [IST] False: NIA official part of Pulwama attack probe had not submitted dubious bills Top Lashkar commander gunned down with two more terrorists in Pulwama IAF knew govt was considering air power to avenge Pulwama attack India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, Mar 05: The IAF's massive pre-planned day-night exercise in Rajasthan's Pokhran desert close to the Pakistan border on February 16 underwent certain changes in its format following the Pulwama attack after the government considered an air strike option across the LoC which was carried out 10 days later, official sources said. The exercise 'Vayu Shakti' involving over 140 fighter jets, military helicopters as well as a variety of missiles demonstrated the capability for short notice missions with pinpoint accuracy. Balakot strike has sent a loud and clear message to Pakistan says Captain Though it was a pre-scheduled exercise, the IAF top brass knew the government was considering using the air power to avenge the Pulwama attack on February 14, making the drill a dress rehearsal for aerial strike to target Pakistan-based JeM, top government sources said on Monday. They said the IAF even incorporated certain changes in the format of the exercise after receiving an indication from the government about a possible role for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to carry out a strike across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Ten days later, in a well coordinated operation, a fleet of 12 Mirage 2000 aircraft supported by other platforms struck inside Pakistan, targeting the biggest terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Muhammed, which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The IAF got the indication that the government may likely task the air force for a precision strike targeting a Pakistan-based terror outfit, the sources said. In his address at the inauguration of the exercise, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa had said the IAF was ever prepared to deliver "appropriate response" as assigned by India's political leadership. From his speech, it was not clear, then, whether IAF was considering such a strike on Pakistani soil. At the exercise, a fleet of Mirage 2000 aircraft had demonstrated its capability to smash enemy assets. 'We hit terror targets, can't count casualties': Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa The Mirage 2000 aircraft used in the strike on Jaish-e-Muhammed terror was chosen because of its ability to hit long-range targets with "pin-point" accuracy and drop a range of bombs and missiles including laser-guided ones, sources said. The IAF hit the JeM training facility using S-2000 precision-guided bombs fired from the Mirage-2000 fighter jets. The sources said the strike produced intended results. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 6:07 [IST] India ups alert levels in wake of Samundari jihad threat India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 05: India remains on a high state of alert in the wake of terror threats from Pakistan. The latest warning comes in the form of sea borne attacks, which could be carried out either by the Jaish-e-Mohammad or Lashkar-e-Tayiba. Intelligence reports state that the attack could be similar to that one witnessed on 26/11. Indian Navy Chief, Admiral Sunil Lanba said that the Indo-Pacific Region has witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in this part of the world have been spared by this cause. Global nature which terrorism has acquired in recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat, he also said. Navy chief Admiral Lanba warns of sea-borne terror attack The Navy chief said India faces a far more serious version of this state-sponsored terrorism. We have all witnessed the horrific scale of extremists attack non Indian state of J&K, just 3 weeks back. This was perpetuated by extremists aided by a state that seeks to destablise India, he also added. There were intelligence reports that Pakistan based terrorists could launch a sea borne attack on India. The government in a recent written reply to the Rajya Sabha has said that as per the information available Pakistan based terrorists continue to train their cadre for underwater strike capabilities in a bid to infiltrate them into India by sea or waterways. The government further said that the terror groups were training their cadre for carrying out Samundari Jihad against India. The revelation comes in the wake of several intelligence reports suggesting that Pakistan based routs are planning sea borne strikes on India. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 14:18 [IST] ISI colonel, Salim Qari, JeM trainer Maulana Moeen among those killed in Balakot strike India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 05: Amidst all the talk about the number of casualties that were caused in the Balakot air strike, there is confirmation that an ISI officer, a trainer of the Jaish-e-Mohammad and a bomb maker involved in the Pulwama attack had been killed. Since the strike, there have been varying reports about the number of casualties. Some have put the number at 300, while others at 200. The IAF on the other hand said that it does not count the casualties and added that it is the message that matters. IAF knew govt was considering air power to avenge Pulwama attack Sources tell OneIndia, Colonel Salim Qari, an ISI officer, Maulana Moeen, a JeM trainer and another involved in the Pulwama attack and been killed. Colonel Qari has been associated with the JeM for several years now. He was handling the Afghanistan and India operations of the outfit. Former Research and Analysis Wing officer, Amar Bhushan who was part of the team that mapped the Balakot camp 15 years back says that the camp had the capacity of holding 300 terrorists. The argument today that there were no terrorists at the time of the strike is wrong. He also added it is wrong to say that the camp would have been emptied up. Colonel Qari's killing is a major hit and he was one of the main men in the camp. The killing of Moeen is also significant as he was a key trainer and had even trained those involved in the Pulwama attack. The source however added that they are still ascertaining whether Maulana Yusuf Azhar, the brother in law of Maulana Masood Azhar had been killed in the attack. Bhushan says that back in the day, Pakistan would announce the names of those killed and also offer public funerals. However they have completely stopped doing that today. Back in the day, we would codify the names of those who died in the Kashmir conflict and issue it. That is when they started believing us. Don't worry about the numbers for now, the names and figures will be out soon, says Amar Bhushan. Officials also say that they are still analysing the extent of the damage caused by the strike. Oneindia had reported that India had gathered evidence that four building of the JeM were hit during the strike. Evidence in the form of satellite imagery have been collected that suggests that the buildings that were identified as targets were hit during the operation. The buildings were hit by five S-2000 precision guided munition that were fired from the Mirage 2000. 'The message and not the number is what counts in the Balakot air strike' Moreover, it has also been learnt that journalists were selectively allowed around the area. No journalist was allowed inside the facility that was struck, Indian officials say. India on the other hand says that it has evidence in the form of Synthetic Aperture Radar suggesting that the four buildings that were selected as targets were hit. An official tells OneIndia that the JeM facility was not accessible by anyone in the vicinity. Officials also said that the strike was not aimed at causing any civilian damage. It was a precise hit and the S-2000 is extremely accurate and is also jammer proof. The evidence gathered is under classified category and it is now entirely up to the government to release the proof or not, an official explained. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 10:10 [IST] Mission can be rescheduled again: Jitendra Singh after GSLV fails to inject EOS-03 satellite in orbit ISRO launches summer course 'Young Scientist Programme' to train students India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Mar 05: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched a special course for school children called 'Young Scientist Programme' from this year. The residential training programme will be conducted during the summer holidays. It will be held for a duration of around two weeks. Under the programme, three students each will be selected to participate in it every year from each state and union territory, covering CBSE, ICSE and state syllabus. The eligibility for being chosen for the programme includes those students who have finished 8th standard and are currently studying in the 9th standard. Why ISRO is developing SSLV when it has PSLV? The space agency has approached the Chief Secretaries of the states for the selection of three students from each state and Union Territories. The list of students taking part in the training programme's maiden session during this summer (May-June) is expected by March-end, ISRO said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 18:05 [IST] If normalcy to be brought in Kashmir, Article 370 has to be reinstated: Farooq Abdullah Tral encounter: Two Hizbul terrorists killed; AK-47s, 'war-like' materials recovered India oi-Vikas SV Srinagar, Mar 5: Two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were gunned down in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral area on Tuesday following a gunbattle between them and the security forces. Two terrorist were killed and one civilian was reportedly injured. He was caught in crossfire between the forces and the terrorists. The encounter began around 7 am this morning. Reports say that two terrorists were holed up in a house when the gunbattle began. "Two terrorists were neutralised today, two AK-47s and other war-like stores were recovered from them. Both the terrorists were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM)," news agency ANI quoted Neeraj Pandey, Commander Officer of 43 RR, as saying . There have been at least three major skirmished between the forces and the terrorists in Kashmir since India carried out a pre-emptive stike on JeM base in Pakistan's Balakot of February 26. [J&K: Army camp attacked by terrorists in Shopian, police retaliate] Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with terrorists in Babgund area of J&K's Handwara on March 3. The gunbattle went on for almost three days. The death toll of the security forces was five. The encounter began on Friday (March 1) morning when security forces launched a search operation in the area in north Kashmir, following information about presence of militants there Terrorists on Saturday (March 2) evening launched an attack on a camp of the 44 RR (Rashtriya Rifles) in Nagbal in Shopian district. Police were alerted immediately, who retaliated and fired back. The fresh encounters came amid heightened Indo-Pak tensions in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack, the subsequent anti-terror operation by India and Pakistan Air Force's attempt to target Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. PM-Kisan 10th installment to roll out by next week: How to check your status and name in beneficiary list? Red caps are like red alert for UP, PM Modi's jibe at Samajwadi Party in Gorakhpur rally PM Modi lauds UP govt for the work done for the benefit of sugarcane farmers K'taka: Cong leader gives call for Modis assassination, BJP demands action India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bengaluru, Mar 05: Congress leader Belur Gopalakrishna courted a fresh controversy on Tuesday after he made the call at an official party function for the assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party retweeted a video on its official Twitter handle, wherein Gopalkrishna is seen instigating people to pick up arms and assassinate Prime Minister. The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded action against Congress leader Belur Gopalakrishna. They want to 'strike' Modi, but Modi wants to 'strike' terrorists: PM's jibe at opposition The tweet read,''Belur Gopalakrishna, a Congress leader in a official party function calls for assassination of democratically elected PM Sri @narendramodi ji. Instigating for assassination of PM of a country is a nation threat & we urge @HMOIndia, @CPBlr to impose legal action immediately.'' Belur Gopalakrishna, a Congress leader in a official party function calls for assassination of democratically elected PM Sri @narendramodi ji. Instigating for assassination of PM of a country is a nation threat & we urge @HMOIndia, @CPBlr to impose legal action immediately. pic.twitter.com/Tg9GO0FCdM BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) March 5, 2019 The opposition party in the state said that the Congress leader was trying to instigate people for the assassination of the PM. Later, Gopalakrishna claimed that he had made these comments a month ago. Why is the BJP raking these up now, he asked. However, this is not the first time that reports of imminent danger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life have emerged. In October last year, Delhi Commissioner of Police Amulya Patnaik had allegedly received an e-mail which threatened that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be assassinated in 2018. The one-line e-mail, which w which was sent to Patnaik's official mail, claimed that PM Modi will be killed in November 2018. The mail was reportedly sent from a northeastern state. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 15:58 [IST] Lok Sabha elections 2019: Cong- AAP alliance? Rahul Gandhi to discuss tie-up in Delhi India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 05: In a major political development, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday called a meeting of its Delhi leaders to discuss the possibilities of an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The move comes days after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced the list of six candidates it would be fielding from Delhi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The announcement was made by Delhi AAP convenor Gopal Rai, who also said that the party will not be entering into an alliance with the Congress. Rai claimed that on February 13, Congress President Rahul Gandhi had conveyed to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that a coalition wouldn't take shape in Delhi due to the reluctance of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee leaders. AAP declares candidates for 6 Lok Sabha seats, no alliance with Congress Kejriwal has been saying that AAP was tired of trying to convince the Congress for an alliance to ensure that anti-BJP votes do not get split, thereby benefiting the ruling party at the Centre. According to the reports the formula to be suggested would be that the parties would contest three seats each, which the 7th would be given to a consensus candidate. The APP is unlikely to accept this offer as it cites the number of MLAs it has in the Delhi assembly. The Congress however maintains that this alliance would be restricted only to Delhi. The AAP on the other hand that the alliance extends to Punjab, Goa and Haryana. Several Congress leaders are opposed to this idea. Delhi has seven Parliamentary seats, all of which were bagged by the BJP in the 2014 polls. AAP hasn't announced any name for the West Delhi seat so far. Why Modi govt is shying away from JPC to probe into Rafale deal? asks AK Antony Modi is touring country and spreading misinformation about Congress, says AK Antony India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Mar 05: Former Defence Minister and senior Congress leader AK Antony on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is touring the country and spreading misinformation by saying that Congress compromised security over Rafale deal. While addressing media, Antony said that he salutes Army, Air Force & CRPF jawans for the courage they have shown and also salute Wing Commander Abhinandan for his patriotism. ''I congratulate and salute our armed forces for their patriotism, courage and sacrifice. Especially, in last few days, our armed forces are undergoing lot of challenges from across the border but they're facing all these challenges with their might and courage. I also salute Wing Commander Abhinandan for his patriotism. At this crucial hour all of us must show solidarity,'' he said. They want to 'strike' Modi, but Modi wants to 'strike' terrorists: PM's jibe at opposition ''From last few days none other than the Prime Minister is touring the country & spreading misinformation by saying that Congress compromised security over Rafael deal,'' Senior Congress leader and Former Defence Minister said. '' My answer to the PM is purely on the basis of the CAG report. 4 years were wasted by NDA govt from 2000-04 to decide whether to procure aircraft through single or multiple vendors, but it was during UPA's tenure that the final tender was decided upon,'' he also said. On Feb 14, 44 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, sparking outrage in the country. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 14:32 [IST] Admiral Lanba says Navy is aiming at doubling aircraft fleet to 500 in next decade 26/11: Ten years on, India better prepared, more organised says Navy chief Navy chief Admiral Lanba warns of sea-borne terror attack India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 05: Amid escalated tensions at all fronts with Pakistan, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday warned about terrorists being trained to carry out attacks even via sea route. Addressing a gathering of global experts from defence sector and diplomats at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue, ''The Indo-Pacific region has witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in this part of the world have been spared by this cause,'' Navy chief Amiral Sunil Lanba said. The global nature that terrorism has acquired in the recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat, he said. Digvijaya Singh faces backlash for terming Pulwama terror attack an accident India, however, faces a "far more serious" version of terrorism, the Navy chief said. "We recently had the extremist attack in Jammu and Kashmir about three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a State that seeks to destabilise India," the Navy chief said. "We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea," he added. On February 14, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 12:44 [IST] Collapse of Kabul will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history: Donald Trump Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump No notable impact on exports: Govt on Trump's trade war India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 05: Government on Tuesday said US' withdrawal of duty benefits to its $5.6 billion of exports will not have a major impact on India's bilateral trade and denied US president Donald Trump's accusation of the country having high tariffs. India exports goods worth USD 5.6 billion under the GSP, and the duty benefit is only USD 190 million annually, Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said. India mainly exports raw materials and intermediate goods such as organic chemicals to the US, he said. The response comes after the US government said it intends to end the preferential trade status granted to India. "GSP withdrawal will not have a significant impact on India's exports to the US," the secretary told reporters here. "GoI has to be conscious of our developmental and public welfare interests. Our effort was to balance the affordable prices of the medical devices without compromising on public welfare," Wadhawan said. "GSP benefits are relatively limited," said commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan, adding that the benefits will be discontinued after 60 days. India's total GSP duty benefits were $190 million," he said. "We have very deep routed ties with USA. All the issues in the trade domain are on the table for discussions. We will not compromise on affordability of medical devices," he added. Trump plans to end India's preferential trade treatment "Economic value of GSP benefits are very moderate. USA to terminate GSP in 60 days. Our relations remain strong with USA and discussions will go on," he further said. Trump said on Monday he intends to end India's preferential trade treatment under a program that allows $5.6 billion worth of Indian exports to enter the United States duty free. "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the Government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Trump said in a letter to congressional leaders. Trump's letter to Pelosi could be seen as a major setback in India-US bilateral relationship, in particular in the arena of trade and economy. COVID-19: Will stop schools in Karnataka if need be says minister Now, Karnataka set to have a real Malgudi railway station India oi-Shubham Ghosh Bengaluru, March 5: In the Doordarshan days, 'Malgudi Days' directed by late Shankar Nag and based on the works of RK Narayan had become immensely popular. Most of the TV series was shot in Agumbe village in Karnataka's Shivamogga district. However, now a real Malgudi is set to appear as the Indian Railways has decided to rename Arasalu railway station located 34 kms from Shivamogga and on the Shivamogga-Talaguppa railway line and in Hosanagar taluka. In fact, some of the iconic shots of the TV series were shot at this station and renaming it was a way of paying tributes to Nag who had died in a road accident in 1990 at the age of 35. The Railways has also planned to renovate the station with a budget of Rs 1.3 crore, a report in The Hindu said. A Malgudi museum would also be set up near the station, Shivamogga MP BY Raghavendra told the daily. "I discussed the matter of renaming the station and setting up the museum with the Divisional Manager and the response was enthusiastic," he was quoted as saying. In 2011, the Yeshwantpur-Mysuru Express that runs in Karnataka was renamed as Malgudi Express. This is the second best police station in the country Odisha: BJD MP Tathagat Satpathy quits politics to refocus on journalism India pti-PTI Bhubaneswar, Mar 05: Four-time BJD MP from Odisha, Tathagat Satpathy Tuesday announced his retirement from politics to "refocus" on journalism. Satpathy's announcement came a day after his former party colleague in Lok Sabha Baijayant Panda joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While Panda had resigned from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) as well as the Lok Sabha due to differences with party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Satpathy's decision has surprised all. Son of former Odisha Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy, Tathagat Satpathy is a Lok Sabha MP from Dhenkanal constituency of the state. "There is a need for more fearless voices in journalism now. Distancing myself from politics to refocus on journalism. Grateful to my leader Shri Naveen Patnaik for his support all these years. Realised that politics is not the only means to support people," Satpathy said on twitter. Satpathy edits two dailies, one in Odia and the other in English-- 'Orissa Post'. Jay Panda joins BJP, hails PM Modi, Amit Shah's leadership Stating that he respects Patnaik and the people of Dhenkanal and Angul for their love and affection, Satpathy said there was no specific political reason behind his decision. He further said that he was planning to meet Patnaik and apprise him about his decision to not contest elections anymore. To a query, the 62-year-old editor-turned-politician said: "I am taking this decision as per the wish of my 13-year-old son. I am not the person on whom any pressure can work." "My son wants me to stay at home, focus on journalism and not to contest election," he added. He further said it was time that people who were now old and had been elected multiple times should step down to make way for new ideas and new policy makers. The Dhenkanal MP also made it clear that he would not join any other political party as he had great respect for Patnaik. Replying a question, Satpathy dismissed speculation about his wife being fielded as a BJD candidate from Dhenkanal. "No, nothing like that. I want to make it clear that my wife will not contest the elections," he said. Satpathy also rejected suggestions that his decision was based on possibility of not getting a ticket for the 2019 elections. Known as an independent-minded leader, Satpathy, said he also does not support the idea that children of politicians should also enter politics. PTI SP and BSP to get such seats to contest in Lok Sabha polls where they fared second Its all but over for UP 'gathbandhan': Is it heading for a three-way split RLD 'identifies' 32 seats to contest in partnership with SP in UP assembly polls RLD joins SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, to contest on three seats India oi-Deepika S Patna, Mar 05: Amid speculation, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) formally joined the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance on Tuesday to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections. The RLD's entry is likely to give the Mahagathbandhan a decisive edge in Western Uttar Pradesh, especially among Jats and Muslims, who are said to be the traditional support base of the party. This was announced by both SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and RLD's Jayant Chaudhary at a press conference in Lucknow. According to the seat sharing formula, the RLD will contest three seats in Uttar Pradesh. Tamil Nadu: DMK to contest in 20 Lok Sabha seats, allies given 20 "Rashtriya Lok Dal will join the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Our workers will work hard to ensure the victory of the alliance on all seats of the state," party leader Jayant Chaudhary said, news agency ANI reported. Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the Congress, too, is a part of the mahagathbandhan in Uttar Pradesh. "Congress is with us, it is a part of our alliance. Why do you (media) repeatedly ask if Congress will come with us or not? I have said before also that Congress is part of Mahagatbandhan, they will contest on 2 seats in our alliance," he said. In a joint press meet, BSP chief Mayawati and SP president Akhilesh Yadav had announced that both the parties will contest on 38 seats each, leaving Amethi and Rae Bareli for Congress and keeping two seats for other allies who could be included later. Since the SP agrees to give RLD one more seat from its quota, it will be contesting on 37 seats. Till when does a father have to take responsibility of his child: SC clarifies SC upholds NGT order on encroachment of Bellandur, Agara Wetlands India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Bengaluru, Mar 05: The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed the appeal of M/s Mantri TechZone and M/s Coremind Software Services to quash the judgment passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) principal bench in 2016. "It is also clear from the materials on record that there is a definite possibility of environment, ecology, lakes, and wetland being adversely affected by these projects, The apex court said. It said that NGT's findings that the projects for setting up of Software Technology park, commercial and residential complex, hotel and multi level car parks in the protected zone in between the Bellandur Lake and the Agara lake -- would cause serious damage to environment, were right. Karnataka: Nikhil Kumaraswamy, Sumalatha Ambareesh to lock horn in Mandya? With the Supreme Court dismissing the appealed filed, Mantri Tech Zone and Coremind Software Services will have to pay 117.5 Crore and 13.5 crore fine respectively and will have to demolish structures and vacate the 3 acres 10 gunta area encroached in the Bellandur catchment area. More importantly, Mantri Tech Zone will also have to rebuild the 'Rajakulave' diverted to make way for the construction. MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar welcomed the order, saying, "This was a big David vs Goliath legal fight that was fought all the way to the Supreme Court after first petitioning the NGT. The builders with their 6-7 big expensive lawyers were trying to overturn NGT order. Namma Bengaluru Foundation and other citizens... have defeated builder-politico nexus that was looting Bengaluru and Bellandur lake." NGT judgment on buffer zone: On 4th May 2016, the NGT's Principal Bench had passed a judgement specifying buffer zone of 75 metres in case of lakes, 50 metres for primary, 35 metres for secondary and 25 metres for tertiary raja-kaluves to be maintained from the edge of these water bodies. The NGT then had observed that these buffers are absolutely essential for sustainable development of the environment of the area in question. These buffer zones were directed to be maintained as green belts, and as 'no construction zone' for all intent and purposes. The NGT's judgement was critical for restoring Bengaluru's lakes and environment. It was then that the Government of Karnataka and the two private entities - Mantri Tech Zone and Coremind Software Services approached the Hon'ble Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices A K Sikri, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice M R Shah in April 2017 seeking to quash the NGT's order citing that the Tribunal had no jurisdiction to promulgate such orders. Namma Bengaluru Foundation, founded by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has been petitioner in the case since 2014, first in the NGT and later in the Supreme Court. NBF has been at the forefront in the fight to reclaim Bellandur-Agra Catchment area from the clutches of vested interests since March 2014, when it took this fight the NGT and later continued to fight this matter in the Supreme Court. Sushma Swaraj shuts down a troll who said she will be remembered like Sheila Dikshit Delhi loses two of its former CMs in span of two weeks Final Goodbye: From Sushma Swaraj to Sheila Dikshit - A look at politicians that India lost in 2019 Sheila Dikshit's firm 'NO' to alliance with AAP India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 05: The Congress will not ally with Aam Aadmi Party for the upcoming general elections, party's Delhi unit chief Sheila Dikshit said on Tuesday. "A unanimous decision has been taken that there will be no alliance in Delhi," ANI quoted Sheila Dikshit as saying. The decision comes on a day Congress chief Rahul Gandhi called a meeting of all leaders of the Delhi unit to discuss the possibility of an alliance, days after the AAP announced six candidates for seven seats in Delhi. According to the reports the formula under discussion was to share three seats each and the remaining one would be given to a consensus candidate. Kejriwal has been saying that AAP was tired of trying to convince the Congress for an alliance to ensure that anti-BJP votes do not get split, thereby benefiting the ruling party at the Centre. However, Sheila Dikshit had dismissed Kejriwal's claims , saying that she was never approached by chief minister to forge an alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "He has not spoken to us. He does not know what he is saying. The Aam Aadmi Party has reached the stage of frustration," Dikshit, a three-time chief minister of Delhi, told reporters. In the 2014 national elections, the BJP won all seven seats of Delhi, but AAP has found tremendous support in Delhi. In the 2015 assembly elections, AAP won 67 of Delhi's 70 seats, the Congress drew a blank. PM-Kisan 10th installment to roll out by next week: How to check your status and name in beneficiary list? Red caps are like red alert for UP, PM Modi's jibe at Samajwadi Party in Gorakhpur rally PM Modi lauds UP govt for the work done for the benefit of sugarcane farmers State of electrification in India in Modi years: An overview India oi-Shubham Ghosh New Delhi, March 5: When it took oath in May 2014, the Narendra Modi government had emphasised on basic infrastructure for all Indians and of it, electricity for all household remained key. The current government is of the opinion that it has fulfilled the promise to a great extent. By the end of April 2018, the government announced that all villages in India had been electrified. In December that year, it claimed that households in 25 states had been provided with electricity connection. As per an article published under Scroll.in's 'The Modi Years' section, electrification of village is not a big feat for a village is considered electrified once 10 per cent of its houses and significant civic infrastructure like schools and panchayat offices are linked to the power grid. They want to 'strike' Modi, but Modi wants to 'strike' terrorists: PM's jibe at opposition It said the previous United Progressive Alliance government led by the Congress had already connected over 1,09,000 villages to the grid between 2004-14 through a scheme called Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana. "The Modi government just added 18,374 villages through the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana. On its part, the government claims this was a significant achievement since the leftover villages were more inaccessible," the report said. It also cited an India Today report that said that soon after the government announced that all villages had been brought under electrification, many villages were yet to get power connection. The power ministry said it worked on bringing electricity only to the census village. In September 2017, the Modi government launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana or 'Saubhagya' scheme aiming to connect all Indian households (not just villages) to the power grid by 2019. Under the scheme, households living below the poverty line get a free power connection, others are charged Rs 500. "The actual cost of one connection, however, is pegged at Rs 3,000. The electricity distribution companies executing the scheme are compensated by the government, which allocated Rs 16,320 crore for 'Saubhagya' in 2017-'18. This came down to Rs 3,700 crore in 2018-'19. Some have argued this is inadequate and has resulted in poor quality of connections," the Scroll.in report added. PM Modi launches mobility card 'One Nation-One Card' in Ahmedabad In December 2018, the government announced that 2.48 crore households had been connected to the power grid and claimed that 99.8 per cent of all previously unelectrified households were covered. In April 2018 though, estimates submitted by various states to the central government showed that 6.4 crore households were yet to have electricity connections. About the drastic change in the numbers, one report said the states had drastically shifted the targets. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 17:52 [IST] CBSE Class 12 Results 2021: Not satisfied with your exam marks? Here's what you can do CBSE Class 10 Results 2021 likely to be declared next week NEET 2021 to be held on Sunday: Check out timings, dress code, guidelines and other details WB SET 2018 result declared: WB SET result 2018 link here India oi-Vikas SV Kolkata, Mar 5: WB SET 2018 result has been declared on official website and candidates who appeared for the exam can find WB SET result 2018 link below. West Bengal College Service Commission or WBCSC conducted the WB SET 2018 exam on December 02, 2018. The candidates who clear the WB SET exam 2018 would qualify for the posts of Assistant Professor of any colleges and University of West Bengal. To check WB SET 2018 result, the candidates need to login in to the official website of the WBCSC using their SET 2018 Registration No. and Password. WB SET result 2018 link is given below. Click Here for direct link to check WB SET 2018 result. How to check WB SET 2018 result: Visit www.wbcsconline.in/Login.aspx Candidate will be redirected to SET 2018 result login page Enter registeration number and password. Results of WB SET will be displayed on the screen For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 15:44 [IST] Will fight BJP-Cong pact: Arvind Kejriwal after Sheila Dikshits no to tie-up snub India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 05: After Delhi Congress chief Sheil Dikshit announce that the party will not ally with the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the upcoming elections, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Congress is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote. "At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi- Shah duo, Congress is helping BJP by splitting the anti-BJP vote. Rumours are that Congress has some secret understanding with the BJP. Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance," he tweeted. His reaction came hours after Congress's Delhi unit chief Sheila Dikshit said the party will not enter into an alliance with AAP in Delhi. She made the announcement after Congress chief Rahul Gandhi called a meeting of all leaders of the Delhi unit to discuss the possibility of an alliance. Sheila Dikshit's firm 'NO' to alliance with AAP The AAP had forced the Congress to make a decision by announcing candidates for six of the seven seats in Delhi on Saturday, but left the door open for the alliance by hinting that it may withdraw some if Congress extends a hand. The formula under discussion was to share three seats each out of seven up for grabs in the national capital. For one seat, the two parties were in talks to field a joint candidate. Names of former Union minister Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha were being discussed. The AAP had been sending feelers to the Congress leadership for a pre-poll tie-up for quite a while, but was rebuffed. Delhi chief minister Kejriwal had in a recent public meeting said that he was "tired" of convincing the Congress for an alliance in the Lok Sabha elections to defeat the BJP, but it was not understanding the issue. "We are tired of convincing the Congress to form an alliance, but they do not understand. If there is an alliance, the BJP will lose all the seven Lok Sabha seats it currently has in Delhi," Kejriwal said at a recent rally. "I don't know what they have in their minds," he further said. The efforts to bring the AAP and the Congress together were emphasised upon by other opposition parties as well. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandra Babu Naidu had spoken to the Congress on the issue. The talks between the two parties were being seen as an attempt to enhance the index of opposition unity to squeeze the BJP in states where the ruling party drew maximum numbers in the last elections. BJP won all seven seats in Delhi in 2014. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 16:31 [IST] Left out of Modi cabinet, Rajyavardhan Rathore says 'thank you' Will you go to Balakot to check losses in IAF strikes? Rajyavardhan Rathore takes on Kapil Sibal India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 05: Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Tuesday lashed out at Congress leader Kapil Sibal asking whether he will go to Balakot to conduct inquire just like he went to London to find evidence against EVM's. Taking to Twitter, Rathore asked Congress leader Kapil Sibal if he would 'go to Balakot' to check the number of terrorists killed in the February 26 Indian Air Force (IAF) strikes. "Kapil Sibal ji, you believe international media over own Intelligence agencies? You seem happy when media quoted by you says 'no losses in strike' ..and sir, for us you went to London to find evidence against EVMs, will you please also go to Balakot to check (sic)?" Rathore said in a tweet. Sibal on Monday sought proof of Indian Air Force's strike destroying the biggest camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicising terror. Over 250 killed in Balakot air strike, claims Amit Shah; Cong accuses BJP of 'milking' IAF action "Modi ji must answer as the international media like New York Times, Washington Post, London-based Jane Information group, Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and Reuters, are reporting that there is no proof of militant losses at Balakot in Pakistan," Sibal said. You are guilty of politicising terror, he said on Twitter. Earlier in the morning, Digvijaya Singh, tweeted, "We are proud of the bravery of your forces and have complete faith on them. I have seen many of my friends and close relatives in the Army leaving their families and protecting us. We respect them." He said, "However, the IAF carried out 'airstrike' after the Pulwama accident, some foreign media have caused doubts, which is putting a question mark on the credibility of our Indian government [translated from Hindi]". Meanwhile, the Indian government refused to share proof of Balakot airstrike amid doubts of terrorists killed. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 10:53 [IST] Hurdles cleared for AK 203 rifles deal with Russia; likely to be sealed next month during Putin's visit List of 28 agreements/MoUs signed during the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi A touch of Cold War: Indias MiG-21 upgraded by Russia equal to Paks US-made F-16, says analyst International oi-Shubham Ghosh Moscow, March 06: The recent air skirmishes between India and Pakistan looks to rekindle the memory of the Cold War rivalry between the US and erstwhile Soviet Union/Russia. Days after India's MiG-21 clashes with Pakistan's US-made F-16, editor-in-chief of National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko said the MiG-21 fighter jets upgraded by Russia have the combat capabilities identical to those of F-16, Russia's TASS news agency reported. While Pakistan shot down a MiG-21 and captured its pilot only to be set free later, a MiG-21 downed an F-16 though Pakistan did not confirm the news so far. "The MiG-21, upgraded by Russia has an onboard radar and a wider range of guided air-to-air missiles. By its combat capabilities and flight parameters it is an equal of the F-16 version at the disposal of Pakistan's Air Force," Korotchenko was quoted as saying. "India's MiG-21-93 fighters, eventually named MiG-21UGP Bison, were upgraded to be equipped with a new radar, wider range of weapons, modern indicators on the windshield, helmet-mounted sights and multifunctional display screens in the cockpit. The coating reduces radar visibility. The plane's life cycle and endurance have been prolonged," the TASS report added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, March 6, 2019, 0:53 [IST] Racial bias in use of medical devices: Review on in UK Explosive packages found at Heathrow, Waterloo and London City Airport International oi-Chennabasaveshwar P London, Mar 05: Three padded mailing bags with what appears to be small explosive devices inside were found in London. Explosive packages found at Heathrow, Waterloo and London City Airport. According to BB reports, counter-terror police are treating the incidents as "linked. Police said smaller bags inside the mailers enclosed the devices that "appear capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened." Hafiz Saeed's JuD, FIF on list of banned organisations Counter Terrorism Command investigating explosive devices said, "The packages - all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags - have been assessed by specialist officers to be small improvised explosive devices. These devices, at this early stage of the investigation, appear capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened." The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is treating the incidents as a linked series and is keeping an open mind regarding motives. The Met Police has issued advice to transport hubs across London to be vigilant for and report suspicious packages to police. No arrests have been made. Imran Khan promises terror crackdown, seizes assets of all banned terror outfits International oi-Madhuri Adnal Islamabad, Mar 05: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday promised terror crackdown and asked its government to seize assets of all banned terror outfits. Pakistan on Monday promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for the implementation of the UN sanctions against individuals and organisations, amid mounting pressure from the global community to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil and curb their financing. The Foreign Office said that the government issued the UN Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019 in accordance with the provisions of Pakistan's United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Act, 1948. 'I am not worthy of Nobel Peace': Imran Khan gives yet another diplomatic master stroke "The objective of the UNSC (Freezing and Seizure) Order 2019 is to streamline the procedure for implementation of Security Council Sanctions against designated individuals and entities," it said in a statement. Interpreting the order, Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said it means that the government has taken over the control of assets and properties of all banned outfits operating in the country, Dawn reported. He added that the government will now also seize the charity wings and ambulances of such banned outfits. The imminence of an action against extremist groups was confirmed by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry while talking in DawnNews programme Do Raaye. Imran Khan outsmarted PM Modi in statesmanship, says Iran media The information minister however refused to give any timeline for the operation against militant groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), accused of masterminding the Pulwama attack that triggered the latest crisis with India and took both nuclear-armed rivals close to war, and Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and its charity wing Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). (with PTI inputs) For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 14:24 [IST] Will Facebook, Twitter, Instagram be banned in India? Check new IT Rules, Regulations and Penalties 2021 Is Pan Bahar working with these celebs to boost their hold in the Mouth freshener segment? Instagram Couple slammed for dangerous photo shoot outside moving train in Sri Lanka International oi-Madhuri Adnal Colombo, Mar 05: A travel blogging instragram couple has been slammed on social media after they shared a picture of themselves dangling dangerously from a moving train in Sri Lanka. Raquel and Miguel, from Portugal, shared the controversial shot with their followers on the social media site. However, this didn't go well with the users. "Insanely stupid stunt. You two will end up dead if you keep this clout chasing up," another added. One called the stunt "irresponsible" and said it would lead to copy-cat acts, while another criticised Miguel for putting his girlfriend in danger by not being the one outside the train. #MeToo was Instagram's top hashtag in 2018 with 1.5 million usage The photo shows boyfriend Miguel kissing his girlfriend Raquel on the forehead as she leans her body out of the moving train by clutching the carriage rails. The controversial shot was taken by a third person while the couple was travelling on a train through the small town of Ella in Sri Lanka. While the couple claimed the train was "moving super slow" and said it wasn't risky. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 17:59 [IST] Going slow on Hafiz Saeed, looking up to Azhar, Pak is only worsening its case at FATF From plotting a hijack to creating the JeM, why Pakistan guards Masood Azhar so much JeM chief, Maulana Masoods brother Rauf Asghar detained in Pakistan International oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 05: Pakistan has detained Abdul Rauf Asghar, the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief, Maulana Masood Azhar. Pakistan has also arrested 44 persons who are affiliated to the JeM. The announcement was made by Shaharyar Afridi, Pakistan's interior minister at the press conference. The move comes in the wake of the international community stepping up pressure on Pakistan to act against the JeM and other terror groups. India, it may be recalled had provided a detailed dossier to Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack. India had mentioned the JeM chief and Asghar too in the dossier and also detailed their role in the Pulwama and other terror attacks. The Pakistan minister, while denying that this action was taken following the Indian dossier, however added that if no evidence against them comes up, they would be released. He also said that the action was taken on the basis of a decision by the National Action Plan Committee. Who is Rauf Asghar: Rauf Asghar, the brother of Maulana Masoor Azhar who plotted the Khandahar hijack is the man behind the Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama strikes as well. Rauf has been in the thick of the action for the JeM since the Kandahar hijack. A hardened militant who does not see beyond an anti India tirade, Rauf has been the backbone for Azhar. He is systematic in his approach and extremely close to the Pakistan's ISI. He even had a role in plotting the assassination of Pakistan's former President, General Pervez Musharaff. However following this failed plot on Musharaff, he had a falling out with the Pakistan army and the ISI. It was General Asfhaq Kayani who brought Rauf back to relevance after the latter struck a truce with the Paksitan army. Following the release of Azhar, the JeM regrouped and shortly after that Rauf plotted and executed the brutal attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001. Rauf according to officials has a great command over the cadres. He has been backed by the Pakistan army for long and has over the years turned out to be their most important proxy. In the year 2009, he was one the those summoned to Islamabad to help the Pakistani government negotiate with those who had taken 42 civilians hostage. Drone from Pak side of border fired at by BSF Stuck at Attari border for 70 days, Pakistani couple name their newborn 'Border' Pak army says it is maintaining a high state of alert International oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Islamabad, Mar 05: The Pakistan Army was maintaining the "state of alert and vigilance" along the Line of Control where it claimed that the Indian Army was resorting to "intermittent firing". Army spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, updating the security situation, said that Indian troops initiated fire in Neza pir, Pandu, Khanjar Munawar, Battal and Baghsar sectors. India said Pakistani troops violated ceasefire at two places by targeting forward posts and villages along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, breaking a two-day lull in cross-border skirmishes. Underreported effect of Pakistani ceasefire violations in J&K Indian officials said the firing and shelling by Pakistan in Akhnoor and Poonch sectors in Jammu region, however, caused no casualty. Maj Gen Ghafoor said that there was no casualties on Pakistan side during last 24 hours in the intermittent firing by India. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 8:14 [IST] Pakistan eyed 12 Indian cities for retaliatory strike; US stopped India, claims Pak media International oi-Shubham Ghosh Islamabad, March 5: Ever since the terror attack in Pulwama happened and the Indian and Pakistani air forces engaged in skirmishes in the last week of February, the nationalistic emotions are charged up in both neighbouring countries. Pakistan's The News International daily has now come up with a report saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was pulled back by the United States and Britain from attacking Pakistan once Islamabad told them that it would hit three-times harder at its neighbour if New Delhi violated its territorial integrity. ISI colonel, Salim Qari, JeM trainer Maulana Moeen among those killed in Balakot strike It said the US then had informed India that the international fraternity would not be able to prevent the confrontation from escalating into a full-blown nuclear war if it went ahead with the attack. "Well-placed sources based in Washington and London have shared information with The News that Indian Prime Minister Modi conducted a meeting with his three services chiefs for hours on February 27 in the wake of the suicide attack in Pulwama on February 14 killing at least 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel. Modi and his generals reportedly "selected to hit at least nine targets inside Pakistan" with missiles and then "finalised" at least two cities as first targets. Government sources in Pakistan say the initial targets were most probably Karachi and Bahawalpur," The News International report said. The report further added that Pakistan's elite intelligence agencies learned about the details in time and informed the government officials following which its prime minister, Imran Khan chaired a meeting of the National Command Authority on February 27. The body controls the government's policy on nuclear weapons and includes besides other top members, the PM and three service chiefs. Pak army says it is maintaining a high state of alert The report cited sources saying Pakistan selected 12 Indian cities that were to be hit in retaliation to the Indian aggression and it decided to hit India three-times harder which means in reply to one Indian missile targeting Pakistan, the latter would fire three. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 12:33 [IST] Pakistan Navy claims it detected Indian submarine in its waters, foils infiltration attempt International oi-Madhuri Adnal Karachi, Mar 05: The Pakistan Navy on Tuesday claimed it had detected an Indian submarine trying to enter its territorial waters and successfully thwarted the attempt, Dawn reported, quoting the Navy's spokesperson. According to the spokesperson, the Pakistan Navy detected an Indian submarine and stopped it from entering Pakistani waters. By doing so, the Pakistan Navy foiled every attempt of the Indian submarine to avoid being detected, dealing a setback to India in the seas. The report further claimed that the Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine which was equipped with the latest technology. The achievement is an evidence of Pakistan Navy's capabilities and shows it is ready and vigilant at all times to defend the country's maritime frontiers, the spokesperson said. Pakistan Navy is capable of giving a jaw-breaking response to any aggression, the statement added. India ups alert levels in wake of Samundari jihad threat This was the second instance of the Pakistan Navy detecting an Indian submarine trying to cross into Pakistani waters since November 2016. The development comes as tensions between India and Pakistan are at an all-time high following the Indian Air Force airstrike in Pakistan that took out Jaish-e-Mohammad's largest terrorist camp. On February 14, a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber rammed into a bus that was part of a Central Reserve Police Force convoy. 40 jawans were martyred in the attack, which took place in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. India vowed a befitting response to the attack. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 14:47 [IST] Drone from Pak side of border fired at by BSF Stuck at Attari border for 70 days, Pakistani couple name their newborn 'Border' Pak's Punjab province minister sacked over anti-Hindu remarks International oi-PTI Islamabad, Mar 05: Pakistan's Punjab province Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has been sacked over his anti-Hindu remarks that invited intense criticism by senior party leaders and the minority community, according to a media report. "PTI Punjab government has removed Fayyaz Chohan from the post of Punjab Information Minister following derogatory remarks about the Hindu community. Bashing someone's faith should not b a part of any narrative.Tolerance is the first & foremost pillar on which #Pakistan was built (sic)" the party tweeted. Another terrorist strike and India will continue to hit back Earlier in the day, Chohan apologised for his remarks following intense criticism from senior members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party's government and social media users. "I was addressing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian armed forces and their media not the Hindu community in Pakistan," he said. "I apologise if my remarks hurt the Hindu community in Pakistan," Chohan said. "My remarks were in no way directed at Pakistan's Hindu community." He had come under severe criticism from senior members of his party, ministers and social media users with SackFayazChohan trending on Twitter for his controversial remarks while addressing a gathering on February 24 in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. PTI Portuguese traveller couple takes romantic photo hanging outside train International oi-Shubham Ghosh Colombo, March 5: Sometimes, our obsession with ourselves puts the very us in trouble but there is little realisation still about the potential danger attached to it. A travel blogging couple from Portugal recently did something similar and was slammed on social media for their act only to get a click for a display on Instagram. The incident happened in Sri Lanka. Raquel and Miguel from Portugal posted a daring photograph of them outside a moving train in the town of Ella in the island-nation on the social media site and the fans at once reacted, calling it "irresponsible". There is something special with this 'selfie'; even celebs can't ignore it The photograph got quite a bit of circulation since the traveller couple has a big following of 2 lakh people. In the photo, Miguel is seen kissing the forehead of Raquel as she dangerously leans out of the train and just clutching on to its rails. In another click, Raquel is seen taking a support by just one hand while holding Miguel with the other as he takes the photograph. Facing backlash over such daring act, the couple said the train was "moving super slow" and that they "respect everyone's opinions. But it's not risky". The Instangram post also received over 43k likes. Yet, their defence looked unconvincing. For when the photo was taken, the train was moving over a bridge and a little slip could see Raquel falling into a deep ravine. One of the fans reacted to the photo, saying: "You'd risk your life just for a picture? Just so you can upload it on social media? Or do you do this because this give you 'the rush'? How is this sensible?" Another called it "insanely stupid stunt". Some criticised Miguel for allowing Raquel to undertake the daring act to which she said that she did it herself. This diver takes the selfie of his life under the ocean A few months ago, an Indian traveller couple fell from the heights of Taft Point in California's Yosemite National Park in the US, and the tragedy had received quite an attention the world over. Over 250 people across the world have died while taking selfies since 2011, a study that was published last year, said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 6:39 [IST] Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to reach Lucknow on July 16; Key meetings scheduled in Delhi before visit UP Board Class 10th, 12th Result 2021 Declared: How to check Members of farmers' body detained in Lucknow for trying to burn effigies of PM Modi, Shah Section 144 CrPC invoked in Lucknow in view of Christmas, New Year UP: 800 cartons of illicit liquor seized; 1 arrested Lucknow pti-PTI Muzaffarnagar (UP), Mar 5: The police have seized 800 cartons of illicit liquor worth Rs 32 lakh here meant to be supplied at Muzaffarpur in Bihar ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, a police official said on Tuesday. A team led by SHO O P Choudhary intercepted a truck carrying the liquor at Bidali check-post in Shamli district on Monday. [Ahead of New Year, police seize illicit liquor in Gujarat] The liquor was smuggled from Haryana, SP Ajay Kumar Pandey said. Rajender Singh has been arrested in this connection, he said. PTI Microgaming Points iGaming Towards Effective Charitable Efforts with 30,000 Donation Published March 5, 2019 by Lee R Four unique programs are empowered with enhancing regional operations thanks to a unique vote by the Microgaming community. A new charitable program implemented by Microgaming has resulted in four initial donations. Gift of Giving Under the auspices of the 2018 Gift of Giving campaign, Microgaming donated 30,000 through its CSR initiative PlayItForward across four charities. Distribution The proceeds were distributed equally by region to charities voted by select Microgaming customers and contacts amongst Isle of Man; UK and Europe; Africa; and Rest of the World. The Four Winners The winning charities for 2018 were Heroes on the Water (Isle of Man), Teenage Cancer Trust (UK and Europe), Save the Rhino International (Africa), and Medecins Sans Frontiers (Rest of the World). Microgaming Manager Speaks Microgaming Senior CSR Manager Kate Moughtin effusively thanked all voters for picking a number of worthy causes to receive the fantastic cumulative total of 180,000 Microgaming has now donated over six years of annual donations. Heroes Leader Speaks The chairman of military rehabilitation charity Heroes on the Water Isle of Man shouted out a big thank you to Microgaming, saying the financial donation will help transform our new training base... an absolutely vital service for the island. Teenage Trust Efforts Teenage Cancer Trust Regional Fundraising Manager Miriam Goodall said her organisation was absolutely delighted with Microgaming for helping change the lives of thousands of young cancer patients. Save the Rhino Programming Save the Rhino International won its fourth consecutive award in Africa. Partnerships Manager Michaela Butorova expressing incredible gratefulness to Microgaming and every person that voted for Save the Rhino again this year to contribute to zero poaching programmes in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia and improved park ranger equipment. Medicine Sans Frontiers Support Medicine Sans Frontiers UK Major Gifts Administrator Rosalyn Smith was truly grateful for the fourth Gift of Giving award, lauding Microgaming for supporting efforts ranging from measles vaccination campaigns in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to complex surgery in Syria. Outlook The leadership role Microgaming is taking in diverting iGaming revenues to charitable efforts should be not only commended, but the model emulated by other iGaming companies in other regions. Cyber security expert Cyrill Brunschwiler gives some advice on cyber security for family offices ranging from passwords, non-computer devices, the right cloud solutions to the weakest links.Brunschwiler is managing director at Compass Security, a cyber security firm with offices throughout Switzerland and in Berlin. Opalesque: What recommendations would you make to family offices regarding cyber security? Cyrill Brunschwiler: If you consider the business case of a family office, it does not differ much from an investment company or trust. However, contact in a family office is very personal and this is of course a good prerequisite for recognizing social engineering attacks. Basically, one can say that families that are in the public eye have an increased risk. But in most cases, family offices hardly differ from other service providers in terms of their IT infrastructure and are therefore also susceptible to the same threats such as infiltration by Trojan horses or against encryption of documents by Ransomware. Opalesque: Anything they should not do? Cyrill Brunschwiler: People often use the same password everywhere. That is a severe problem. Some time ago, a Swiss online merchant was accused of losing usernames and passwords after it was found that many valid login attempts were made for Swiss accounts from foreign locations. It then turned out that the same several thousand accounts had been lost at another company. Obviously, the users had the same username (email address) and password. For the hacker, it is clear as daylight that if you have an email address ending in ch, you probably also have an account with the major Swiss online shops. For this reason, you should use different passwords. Opalesque: What about security when using multiple devices? Cyrill Brunschwiler:Smartphones and tablets are very different from standard computers. Each application is isolated in itself. This is also called a sandbox. Therefore, the apps cannot easily access files from other apps. It is safer to do your online banking on the iPad than on your laptop because it is much more difficult to infect such a device with malware. Zerodium, a company that specializes in dealing with vulnerabilities, buys information on identified vulnerabilities and on how to exploit them. Subscribers to Zerodiums feed get that information to tailor defence and offense tactics. Currently, $0.5 million is claimed to be paid for a vulnerability that allows full control over the Windows operating system. In comparison, $1.5 million is offered for the same functionality on the Apple iOS platform. The amount of these bounties confirms the claim and give an idea of how difficult it really is to remotely control a mobile device without user intervention. Opalesque: Cloud solutions, how secure are they? Cyrill Brunschwiler: The term cloud is ambiguous. I understand cloud to mean that you no longer know exactly where the service is running; it could be in an Irish data center in the morning, then in the room next door in the afternoon and in a Japanese data center at night. Since the services are partly operated in foreign jurisdictions, data protection laws are a central issue. Maybe you do not want your data to be in a foreign location. Luckily, large cloud providers have started to set up Swiss data centers - where the cloud data is then stored in Switzerland. I recommend every small business to opt for cloud-based services at one of the mayor players like Amazon, Microsoft, Google or Alibaba, if data protection and privacy requirements permits. The big ones employ very reputable cyber security teams that are responsible for the entire infrastructure on a permanent basis. You will never get such service from a niche or local provider. Access regulations are the most important things to consider when using cloud services. Cloud services can be used from anywhere in the world. Following that, corporate data can be accessed with a username and password from outside the company. It is therefore a good idea to protect access with a second factor (e.g. SMS or app) as is the case with e-banking. In addition, you should keep a watchful eye on those who leave your company. It is imperative that the permissions of resigned employees are immediately revoked. Opalesque: Business and outsourcing partners: what security risks do they pose? Cyrill Brunschwiler: Business partners are often imitated in social engineering attacks. This means forging documents with the CI/CD of the business partner or sending forged emails with the sender for example. Keep a simple rule in mind. The attacker takes the path of least resistance. So, all elements in the chain have to be secured. Currently, attackers use cracked email accounts to send fake invoices or money orders to the accounts business partners. It even happens that hackers delete an invoice from the inbox, modify the PDF such as providing it with a different IBAN (International Bank Account Number) and put the forged invoice back into the inbox. We have observed and analyzed quite a number of such cases this year. We are talking large 6-digit amounts. The ROI of such an attack is both absolutely fantastic and totally scary. Whenever you consider investments into measures, keep a simple rule in mind. The attacker takes the path of least resistance. If a company is difficult to attack, then perhaps the IT service provider poses an easy gateway to the company. So, all elements in the chain have to be secured - because a chain is only as b as its weakest element. Thus, do not put all your money on a single bet. Opalesque: Could you give us an example of a past family office cybercrime that can serve as a warning? Cyrill Brunschwiler: We worked on a case this spring where the companys core database was encrypted by a standard Ransomware. A decryption of the data was not possible as the backup got encrypted too. As a result, the external IT service provider did not have any hope of recovering the data and started formatting the system. Fortunately, one of the hard disks was corrupt and we were able to reconstruct the database from shadow data over the weekend. On top of that, my colleagues had to restore the application, because the manufacturer did not have that specific version anymore. This example shows the potential that certain companies have when it comes to cyber security. Global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder Market forecast 2019 2025 illuminated by new report https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/1009113/global-single-screw-gravimetric-feeder-market The market research report is a perfect tool for digging deep into critical aspects of the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market and closely understanding factors that influence its growth. Our research analysts are experienced enough to provide you the right information about the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market to help your business propel forward in the coming years. What makes us different from other market researchers is our high level of analysis that helps you to identify key opportunities available in the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market. 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It also allows you to focus on geographies that hold the potential to create lucrative prospects in the near future.By RegionNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanRequest a sample of the report hereUsing the competitive analysis offered in the report, players can gain sound understanding of certain behaviors of other market participants. This equips them to make the required changes in their marketing strategies and improve their business tactics to strongly position themselves in the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market. With detailed mapping of the vendor landscape, the report highlights highly competitive areas of the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market. The report also talks about the nature of the vendor landscape and reasons supporting it. It profiles some of the prominent names in the Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder industry.Major CompaniesHapmanNovatecAcrisonFLSmidthCoperion K-TronHAF EquipmentSchenck ProcessGIMATGerickeMotan-colortronicPlastoreGEABrabenderSonnerTBMAKubotaTecnetics IndustriesMERRICK IndustriesFew of the questions answered through the report(1) How will the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market perform during the forecast period? What will be the market size in terms of value and volume?(2) Which segment will drive the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market? Which regional market will show extensive growth in the future? What are the reasons?(3) How will the market dynamics change because of the impact of future market opportunities, restraints, and drivers?(4) What are the key strategies adopted by players to sustain themselves in the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market?(5) How will these strategies influence the market growth and competition?Key Picks from TOCMarket Overview: It begins with scope of products offered in the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market and ends with a chapter on global market size by production and revenue.Market Competition: Here, the report explains various competitive situations and trends and gives estimations of market share by manufacturer vis-a-vis revenue and production.Market Share by Region: In this section is included a study on the production of Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder in different regions and countries. Each geographical market studied in the report is analyzed on the basis of gross margin, price, revenue, and production.Company Profiles: This section is entirely dedicated for company profiling where leading market players are evaluated on the basis of different factors.Global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder Market ForecastResearch Findings and ConclusionMethodology and Data SourceResearch MethodologyWe follow an ideal mix of primary and secondary research methodologies. One of the most extensive stages in our research process is information procurement. Under information analysis, we map and analyze all the information procured by our analysts. This step also involves analyzing data discrepancies found across different data sources. In order to deduce viable conclusions, we place data points at appropriate market spaces. Validation is the final and a very important step before the publishing of the report. We employ an intricately designed process for validation and re-validation to finalize data points for their use in final calculations.QYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. the company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience). Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team).The market research report is a perfect tool for digging deep into critical aspects of the global Single Screw Gravimetric Feeder market and closely understanding factors that influence its growth. Peracetic Acid Market Explores New Growth Opportunities from 2018 to 2025 | Top Key Players: Kemira, Solvay, Evonik, Ecolab, Diversey, PeroxyChem, Hydrite, Mitsubishi Chemical America Peracetic Acid Market https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1524 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1524 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/peracetic-acid-market https://www.gminsights.com http://technologymagazine.org/ Peracetic Acid Market will likely surpass USD 1.2 billion by 2025; according to a new research report. Developments in the food and beverage industry would be a growth enabler in the peracetic acid market in the coming years. This is due to the product usage in the food & beverage industry as a disinfectant. The product is used as a disinfectant in various segments of the food & beverage industry like beverages, dairy products, meat and poultry products, pulses, grains & cereals, fruits & vegetables, etc. Peracetic acid is widely used as a sanitizer in the brewing industry as it is highly effective against microbial contamination. It is also an effective sterilant against several bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeasts. Peracetic acid is very reactive and quickly decomposes to acetic acid, oxygen and water. Hence, this compound is directly applied to the food items as it does not leave any harmful residues.Even though, the high reactivity of peracetic acid enables it to quickly degrade to harmless byproducts, it is also accompanied by certain occupational hazards. This chemical compound can cause very serious side effects if inhaled, ingested, or absorbed via dermal exposure including death. Peracetic acid is commonly sprayed on animal carcasses, food packaging, and produce to kill bacteria. If this spray is not adequately contained, human exposure occurs. Lack of proper ventilation is another reason behind these rising occupational hazards. Hence, this could negatively affect the growth of peracetic acid market.Request for a sample of this research report @Peracetic acid is commercially traded in solution form which is a mixture with hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid to maintain its constancy. The commercial grade comprises of peracetic concentration ranging between 0.3% to 40% by weight. The demand for this product in the peracetic acid market has been growing in applications such as pulp & paper bleaching, water treatment, medical, agricultural, etc. In the coming years this product would gain prominence and boost up the demand in peracetic acid market as this product is environment friendly. Distilled grade contains less proportion of other chemicals and are increasingly used in the paper & pulp industry.Pulp & paper bleaching is a significant division in peracetic acid market which is expected to develop at a rate of approximately 8% in the coming years. The product is used in the pulp & paper industry to prevent the formation of biofilms. It is used in the water industry as a purifier. Increasing demand from industries like food & beverage, pharmaceuticals and medical would further augment the growth in the peracetic acid market in the forecast timeframe.Peracetic Acid Market, By End-usero Food & Beverageo Pulp & Paper Bleachingo Water Treatmento Medicalo Agricultureo OthersMake an inquiry for purchasing this report @Asia Pacific holds a significant regional peracetic acid market which is most likely to grow at a CAGR of more than 9%. Increasing demand for the product from China and India would augment the peracetic acid market growth in the coming years.Major companies of the peracetic acid market include Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc., Kemira, Solvay S.A., Evonik Industries, Thai Peroxide Limited, PeroxyChem LLC, Enviro Tech Chemical Services, Inc etc.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1. Mitsubishi Chemical America2. Kemira3. Solvay4. Evonik5. Thai Peroxide Ltd.6. PeroxyChem7. SEITZ The fresher company.8. Ecolab9. Diversey10. Enviro Tech Chemical Services11. Loeffler Chemical Corporation12. Hydrite13. Acuro Organics Limited14. Airedale ChemicalBrowse key industry insights spread across 170 pages with 221 market data tables & 22 figures & charts from the report, Peracetic Acid Market in detail along with the table of contents:About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog: Display Fingerprint Technology Market to Showcase Healthy Expansion at XX% CAGR During 2025 | Synaptics, Apple, Goodix, Egis Technology, Idex ASA, Fingerprint Cards AB, Silead, Safran Identity & Security, Suprema and others Display Fingerprint Technology https://adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/386 https://adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/386 The Display Fingerprint Technology market was esteemed at USD XXX billion in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XXXX billion by 2025 at a CAGR of XX% over the forecast period of 20182025. Display Fingerprint Technology is dedicated towards invisible display fingerprint sensing, which is combined with the display to provide biometric identification.Display Fingerprint Technology market size is dominated by the majorly by smartphones, security devices and access control devices and the growing demand from consumer electronics is increasing due to the use of biometric systems. The display fingerprint technology works on the principal of capturing the reflected light of the fingerprint with the help of OLED pixels. Mobile devices use Display fingerprint technology for sensors as access control devices. When someone touches the screen of their smartphone, the display lights up and captures the fingerprint by reflection of light through the gaps between the pixels.Request a sample copy:Moreover, Defense, law enforcement and other government organizations are opting for biometric systems. This is to ensure protection in premises and to monitor the access control systems for all type of devices. The increased demand of mobile phones have led to market growth. Recently the Display Fingerprint Technology market has seen considerable drop in technology cost and producers are providing new applications which come in addition in locks, remotes and other electronic products to add smart security features. However, lack of knowledge about the use and importance of fingerprint sensors are factors that are hampering the growth of Display Fingerprint Technology market size.The rising use of smartphones has resulted to an increased demand for latest biometric locking systems, causing the growth of Display Fingerprint Technology market size. Also, our mobile devices are used in almost all activities like bill payments, online shopping and banking transactions. Hence, it is important to have a fingerprint sensor for authentication. In the year 2016, there was substantial growth in demand of smart devices in United States, whereas Canada the demand was relatively less. Hence, the Display Fingerprint Technology market, is predicted to grow during the forecast period owing to the growing demand of smart devices.segment for Display Fingerprint Technology market is the military and defense application. To avoid terrorist attacks and other suspicious and harmful activities and ensure security of military base. Furthermore, there is an increased spending on defense applications worldwide to ensure access control and secure important information.Segmentation of Display Fingerprint Technology market is done on the basis of Type, Technology, Application and geography. Segmentation on the basis of type is Area & Touch Sensors. By technology it is segmented as Capacitive, Optical, Thermal and Others. By Application it is segmented into Consumer Electronics, Government & Law Enforcement, Banking & Finance, Travel & Immigration, Military, Defense, Aerospace and Commercial, Smart Homes, Healthcare and Other Applications. By region North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and rest of world.The Key players of Display Fingerprint Technology market are Synaptics Inc., Apple Inc., Goodix Ltd, Egis Technology, Inc., Idex ASA, Fingerprint Cards AB, Silead, Inc., Safran Identity & Security, Suprema, Inc., and many others.Segmentation:The various segments of Display Fingerprint Technology market are,By Type: Area & Touch Sensors Swipe SensorsBy Technology: Capacitive Optical Thermal OthersBy Application: Consumer Electronics Government & Law Enforcement Military, Defense, & Aerospace Travel & Immigration Banking & Finance Commercial Healthcare Smart Homes Other ApplicationsBy Geography: North America Europe Asia Pacific (APAC) Rest of the World (RoW)What to expect from the upcoming report on Display Fingerprint Technology market:- Future prospects and current trends of the Display Fingerprint Technology market by the end of forecast period.- Information regarding technological progressions as well as innovations across the world- Supportive initiatives by government likely to influence the market dynamics.- In-depth analysis of different market segmentations including regional segmentations, applications and types.- Deep analysis about the competitive landscape of the market and the initiatives by them to improve this market.- Trends, drivers, opportunities, restraints, challenges and key developments in the marketElse place an Inquire before Purchase Display Fingerprint Technology Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025:Who should buy this report?Venture capitalists, Investors, financial institutions, Analysts, Government organizations, regulatory authorities, policymakers ,researchers, strategy managers, and academic institutions looking for insights into the market to determine future strategies.About Adroit Market Research:Adroit Market Research provide quantified B2B research on numerous opportunistic markets, and offer customized research reports, consulting services, and syndicate research reports. We assist our clients to strategize business decisions and attain sustainable growth in their respective domain. Additionally, we support them with their revenue planning, marketing strategies, and assist them to make decisions before the competition so that they remain ahead of the curve.Ryan JohnsonAdroit Market Research3131 McKinney Ave #600Dallas, TX 75204Tel: +1-214-884-6068Email: sales@adroitmarketresearch.com By 2025, Europe Marine Coating Market Growth Factors: BASF, Sherwin Williams, Jotun, ICI Paints, PPG Industries, Kuraray Europe GmbH and Sika Europe Marine Coating Market https://www.graphicalresearch.com/request/1037/sample https://www.graphicalresearch.com/industry-insights/1037/europe-marine-coatings-market https://www.graphicalresearch.com/request/1037/inquiry-before-buying https://www.graphicalresearch.com/ According to the Graphical Research new growth forecast report titled Europe Marine Coatings Market estimated to cross USD 2 billion by 2025.Sturdy demand for marine coating products to increase the vessels life by preventing it from bio fouling and corrosion will propel the Europe marine coating market size by 2025. For instance, many manufacturers in countries such as the UK, Belgium, Spain etc. are producing new coatings with foul-release technology that is useful in substantial fuel savings, especially for large cargo ships. Companies are developing eco-friendly coatings such as metal-free anti-fouling agents to help sustain the aquatic life and control the oceanic pollution, which would positively drive the Europe marine coating market size by 2025.Sample of this research report Strict government policies against the use of toxic coatings and volatile product prices may become an obstacle in the growth of the Europe marine coating market size in the near future. However, increasing awareness for the use of eco-friendly coatings would profoundly augment the Europe marine coating market size in the forecast period.Anti-fouling coatings accounted for more than 40% of the overall market size in 2017. It is applied to the underwater area of the vessel for better performance and durability. It acts as a barrier for the metal from marine organisms that degrade and weaken it. The coating helps in self-polishing the hull when the vessel travels. The self-polishing property of the coating would boost the product demand directly boosting the Europe marine coating market size by 2025.Europe marine coating market size for leisure boats is projected to rise at a CAGR of more than 5.5% by 2025. Leisure boats demand is likely grow due to the growing disposable income of the population in Western Europe. These boats require a significant amount of maintenance which would improve the product demand in the region propelling the Europe marine coating market size in the near future.Browse key industry insights from this report @Europe marine coating market size is likely to grow at a CAGR over 5% in the forecast timespan. Shipping is one of the most important mode of transport in the region. Approximately 90% of all goods come through various vessels such as food, cars, clothes, oil, gas, electrical appliances etc. It is one of the main industry to contribute in the EUs overall GDP. Therefore, marine coating product possesses a significant amount of demand in the region which would augment the Europe marine coating market by 2025.Europe marine coating market share is exceedingly consolidated, with prominent players accounting for over half of the total business size in 2017. The major players include Jotun Paints (Europe) Ltd, Akzo Nobel Coatings, SigmaKalon Group BV, BASF Coatings, ICI Paints, PPG Europe, Kuraray Europe GmbH, Sherwin Williams, Supreme Paints and Coatings and Sika.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Segments We Cover:Europe marine coating market Growth, by applicationLeisure boatsOffshore vesselsCoastalContainersDeep seaOthersEurope marine coating market, product by productAnti-fouling coatingsAnti-corrosion coatingsFoul release coatingsOthersThe above information is provided on a regional and country basis for the following:GermanyUKFranceSpainItalyBelgiumGreeceDenmarkNetherlandsCroatiaAbout Graphical Research:Graphical Research is a business research firm that provides industry insights, market forecast and strategic inputs through granular research reports and advisory services. We publish targeted research reports with an aim to address varied customer needs, from market penetration and entry strategies to portfolio management and strategic outlook. We understand that business requirements are unique: our syndicate reports are designed to ensure relevance for industry participants across the value chain. We also provide custom reports that are tailored to the exact needs of the customer, with dedicated analyst support across the purchase lifecycle.Contact Us:Parikhit B.Corporate sales,Graphical ResearchEmail: sales@graphicalresearh.comWeb: Online Advertising Market 2019 Global Industry Key Companies Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Facebook, AOL, Baidu, Microsoft, Twitter and LinkedIn Market Analysis And Forecast To 2024 Online Advertising Market 2019 Global Industry Key Companies Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Facebook, AOL, Baidu, Microsoft, Twitter and https://www.imarcgroup.com/request?type=report&id=735&flag=B https://www.imarcgroup.com/internet-advertising-market www.imarcgroup.com The global online advertising market has witnessed substantial growth over the past few years. The demand for these advertising services is escalating owing to their cost-effectiveness and a wider scope of information dissemination across geographical boundaries.Request for free sample report:According to the latest report by IMARC Group, titled Online Advertising Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2019-2024, the global online advertising market reached a value of more than US$ 200 Billion in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 12% during 2011-2018. Online advertising, also known as internet advertising or digital marketing, is a marketing technique that involves the use of the internet as a medium to distribute advertising data and target potential consumers. It includes display ads, contextual ads, media ads, networking ads, emails, pop-ups, paid search and spyware. As it is an inexpensive mode of advertising, online ads enable small and emerging businesses with limited funds to promote their products and services over a large area. Nowadays, real-time bidding (RTB) and programmatic media buying are also gaining traction in the digital advertising market.Browse full report with TOC:Market Trends:The number of internet users tripled from 1 billion in 2005 to more than 3 billion at the end of 2015. The rising internet penetration across the world, along with the reducing costs of mobile devices, has added to the popularity of mobile advertising. Moreover, online advertising helps organizations to assess the response of the audience towards the ad-content by analyzing its online behavior and search patterns. This analysis assists in further creating advertisements that are tailored to potential consumers. From the audiences viewpoint, internet based ads are gaining popularity as they utilize inventive and creative ways of marketing, often using social media platforms, which creates a lasting impression on the minds of the viewers. Owing to this, the leading companies are opting for online ad formats to promote their brands. Looking forward, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% during 2019-2024, reaching a value of US$ 338.3 Billion by 2024.Market Segmentation:Market Performance by Type:1. Search Advertising Market2. Display Advertising Market3. Classified Advertising Market4. Video Advertising Market5. Others (Lead Generation, Rich Media, etc.)Based on types, search advertising is the most popular segment, holding the largest share. Search advertising is followed by lead generation, display advertising, rich media, classified advertisements and video advertisements.Market Breakup by Industry:1. Retail2. financial services3. leisure4. telecom5. automotiveThe market has also been classified on the basis of the industry into retail, financial services, leisure, telecom and automotive. Currently, retail represents the largest industry, accounting for the majority of the overall market share.Market Performance of Various Regions:1. North America2. Asia Pacific3. Western Europe4. Eastern Europe5. Latin America6. Middle East and AfricaRegion-wise, North America enjoys the leading position in the global market, accounting for the majority of the global share. Other regions include Asia Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa.Competitive Landscape:The competitive landscape of the market has also been examined with some of the key players being Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Facebook, AOL, Baidu, Microsoft, Twitter and LinkedIn.About UsIMARC Group is a leading market research company that offers management strategy and market research worldwide. We partner with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their businesses.IMARC's information products include major market, scientific, economic and technological developments for business leaders in pharmaceutical, industrial, and high technology organizations. Market forecasts and industry analysis for biotechnology, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, travel and tourism, nanotechnology and novel processing methods are at the top of the company's expertise.Contact usIMARC Group309 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11215, USAWebsite:Email: sales@imarcgroup.comUSA: +1-631-791-1145Follow us on twitter: @imarcglobal Rapid Application Development Market Projected to reach $46.2 billion by 2023 | Key players include Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, IBM, Salesforce and Google https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/rapid-application-development-market-252654522.html?utm_source=Openpr https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=252654522&utm_source=Openpr https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=252654522&utm_source=Openpr According to recent research "Rapid Application Development Market by Type (Low-code and No-code), Tool (Mobile-based, Web-based, Desktop-based, and Server-based), Business Function, Deployment Model, Organization Size, Industry Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2023", The rapid application development market size is expected to grow from USD 7.8 billion in 2018 to USD 46.2 billion by 2023, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 42.9% during the forecast period. The key factors driving the rapid application development application market include increase in need for customization and scalability with rising business mobility driving business smartphone adoption.Browse 66 market data Tables and 40 Figures spread through 137 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Rapid Application Development MarketExpanding user base driving he deployment of both web based and mobile based development applications to account for the largest market size in 2018The companies in this industry vertical are constantly evolving in terms of technology. Moreover, the industry vertical is an early adopter of innovative technological solutions. The telecommunications and IT companies are deploying a large number of services using web- and mobile-based applications. Additionally, the industry vertical is a major provider of various business applications to the other industry verticals. The telecommunications and IT industry vertical shows an increased rate of deployment of RAD platforms, as organizations in the industry vertical are always looking for application development solutions. The SMEs in this industry vertical are also entering into the application development industry and are deploying cloud-based RAD platforms to reduce the costs related to designing and developing applications.The increased scalability and improved security with 24/7 service and support availability to drive the adoption of rapid application development in SMEs and large enterprisesSMEs and large enterprises are adopting RAD platforms to develop applications and enhance their productivity. The adoption rate of RAD platforms is expected to be higher among large enterprises and projected to grow among the SMEs in the near future eventually. The cloud-based deployment model provides benefits, such as increased scalability, speed, 24/7 services, and improved IT security. Additionally, this deployment model also meets organizations IT needs perfectly. Using the cloud deployment model for deploying the suitable RAD platform, organizations can avoid costs related to hardware, software, storage, and technical staff. In fact, the cloud-based deployment model helps in the rapid development of business applications, which, in turn, is beneficial for organizations that have strict budgets for investments in IT infrastructure.The sales and marketing to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast periodEnterprises and organizations are extensively harnessing the power of RAD solutions to provide various services to clients and remain competitive in the market. Sales organizations reap the benefits of RAD platforms by developing applications to implement the best practices for customer service and monitor the performance of the sales force. Organizations can design separate applications for event planning and follow-ups, thereby streamlining the process of designing, manufacturing, and ordering marketing materials.Speak to Analyst @North America to account for the largest market size during the forecast periodNorth America is estimated to contribute the largest share to the global RAD market. Due to the emergence of trending technologies, such as IoT, AI, ML, cloud computing, big data, DevOps, and enterprise mobility, users and enterprises have been urged to adopt much more sophisticated and reliable application platform software and the associated services. This fact is expected to contribute to the overall growth of the RAD market in North America. Additionally, strong healthcare and BFSI compliances, high penetration of advanced cloud technologies, and better citizen services are helping the region grow in terms of adopting the emerging technologies. The North American region comprises the US and Canada, which are also witnessing a phenomenal adoption of RAD platforms.The major vendors offering rapid application development globally include IBM (US), AWS (US), Google (US), Microsoft (US), Oracle (US), Salesforce (US), Appian (US), Mendix (US), Zoho Corporation (India), Kissflow (India), OutSystems (US), LANSA (US), Ninox (US), Oro (US), Matsoft (UK), and Kony (US). Pegasystems (US), ServiceNow (US), WaveMaker (US), KiSSFLOW (India), Radzen (Europe), AmpleLogic (India), FileMaker (US), QuickBase (US), AppSheet (US), and K2 (South Africa) The study includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the rapid application development market, along with their company profiles, recent developments, and key market strategies.Get Free 10% Customization @MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.MarketsandMarketss flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche marketsMr. Shelly SinghMarketsandMarkets INC.630 Dundee RoadSuite 430Northbrook, IL 60062USA : 1-888-600-6441Email: newsletter@marketsandmarkets.com Residential Portable Air Purifier Market: Competitive Dynamics & Global Outlook 2024 Top Key players like Top Key players like Sharp,Panasonic,Philips,Inc. https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com/reports/322232/global-residential-portable-air-purifier-market https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com/reports/322232/global-residential-portable-air-purifier-market https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com Market Research Report Store offers a latest published report on Residential Portable Air Purifier Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 91 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Click to view the full report TOC, figure and tables:This report studies the Residential Portable Air Purifier market size (value and volume) by players, regions, product types and end industries, history data 2013-2017 and forecast data 2018-2025; This report also studies the global market competition landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Residential Portable Air Purifier, also known as "air cleaners," are those that have the ability of absorption, decomposition or transformation of various air pollutants such as PM2.5, dust, pollen, odors, formaldehyde decoration pollution, bacteria, and allergens.The global Residential Portable Air Purifier market was 5790 million US$ in 2017 and is expected to 10100 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 7.2% between 2018 and 2025.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversSharpPanasonicPhilipsDaikinMideaCowayElectroluxIQAirAmwayWhirlpoolHoneywellYaduSamsungAustinBlueairBonecoBroadMfreshMarket Segment by Type, coversHEPAActive CarbonElectrostatic PrecipitatorIon and Ozone GeneratorOthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoLiving roomBed roomKitchenOthersFor More Information On This Report, Please Visit @Related Information:North America Residential Portable Air Purifier Market Growth 2019-2024United States Residential Portable Air Purifier Market Growth 2019-2024Asia-Pacific Residential Portable Air Purifier Market Growth 2019-2024Europe Residential Portable Air Purifier Market Growth 2019-2024EMEA Residential Portable Air Purifier Market Growth 2019-2024Global Residential Portable Air Purifier Market Growth 2019-2024China Residential Portable Air Purifier Market Growth 2019-2024Customization Service of the Report :Market Research Report Store provides customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.About Us:Market Research Report Store (MRRS) is a professional organization related to market research reports in all directions .To provide customers with a variety of market research reports, MRRS cooperates with a large of famous market report publishers all over the world. Owing to our good service and the professional market reports in the wide range, MRRS enjoys a good reputation in the market. In pace with the development of MRRS, more and more customers and market report publishers choose to cooperate with us. As a specialized platform, MRRS upholds the supremacy of customers and aims to provide customers with better service and richer select.Contact USMarket Research Report StoreE-mail: info@marketresearchreportstore.comTel: +86-15521064060 00852-58197708(HK)Add: 17890 Castleton Street Suite 218 City of Industry CA 91748 United StatesWebsite: Global Bevacizumab Biosimilar Market 2027: Top Key Players Hetero, Amgen, Biocon, Mylan Inc., BioXpress Therapeutics, Celltrion, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Pfizer, Samsung Bioepis, mAbxience Global Bevacizumab Biosimilar Market https://bit.ly/2C55Ie1 https://bit.ly/2C55Ie1 https://www.insightaceanalytic.com https://bit.ly/2tBXsgS https://bit.ly/2H9jnDZ Bevacizumab is recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that neutralizes vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) biologic activity (an essential endothelial cell mitogen and survival factor). It is first anti-angiogenic therapy approved for the treatment of human cancer. The drug was developed by F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG and approved by US FDA in February 2004 as a first-line therapy in combination with intravenous 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Bevacizumab is approved for the treatment of patients with cervical, epithelial ovarian and fallopian tube cancer in the United States and Europe. Bevacizumab is also approved for the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Also, it is indicated for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma in the United States and for use in metastatic breast cancer in Europe. Bevacizumab is approved by European Medicines Agency in 2005 and marketed under the trade name of Avastin.Request For Sample @Biosimilar is defined as a type of biological products that are approved by respective regulatory bodies because of its clinical similarity to already approved biological products. Due to the high cost of the biologics, major companies are focused on the development of biosimilar to fulfill the need of low-income patients as well as expand its coverage. Patent of avastin will expire in Europe in 2022, and in the U.S. the patent will expire in 2019. Thus many of biosimilar of bevcizumab are in development phase and are expected to come into the market in forecast period. Introduction to biosimilars, increase in incidence and prevalence rate of various cancer, rising demand for targeted therapy, and price cuts have boosted the growth of bevcizumab biosimilar market. However, stringent regulatory process for the approval of bevacizumab biosimilar, intense competition, and disappointing pipeline results are the major restrain factors for the growth of the bevacizumab biosimilar market.Based on application, the global bevacizumab biosimilar market is segmented in colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, glioblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, and ovarian cancer. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Colorectal Cancer segment is expected to grow at higher pace during the forecast period owing to increasing incidence and prevalence rate. Based on distribution channel the global bevacizumab biosimilar market is segmented as hospital pharmacy, online pharmacy and others. Hospital pharmacy segment is expected to grow during forecast period due to increase in number of hospital visit and hospital stays.At regional level, the global bevacizumab biosimilar market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. In terms of revenue, North America followed by Europe is major contributor for the global bevacizumanb biosimilar market. This is because strong clinical pipeline, increasing research and drug development activities, presence of major players, and presence of developed healthcare infrastructure propels the growth of the market in the region. Asia Pacific is third promising revenue contributor which is expected to grow at rapid pace in upcoming year. Countries such as Japan, India and China are major contributors for this market. Early availability of biosimilar and emerging and huge population base countries such as China and India offers tremendous market opportunities for the bevacizumab biosimilar market.Request For Table Of Content (TOC) @Some of the market players leading the global bevacizumab biosimilar market include Hetero, Amgen, Biocon, Mylan Inc., BioXpress Therapeutics, Celltrion, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Pfizer, Samsung Bioepis, mAbxience, and among others.About Us:InsightAce Analytic is a market research and consulting firm that enables clients to make strategic decisions. Our qualitative and quantitative market intelligence solutions inform the need for market and competitive intelligence to expand businesses. We help clients gain competitive advantage by identifying untapped markets, exploring new and competing technologies, segmenting potential markets and repositioning products.Contact Us:Mr. John SmithInsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd.Pune, Maharashtra, IndiaTel.: +1 718 593 4405Email: info@insightaceanalytic.comSite Visit:Follow Us on LinkedIn @Follow Us On Facebook @ Global Connected Worker Market to Deliver Prominent Growth & Striking Opportunities during 2018-2028 / Major Intel Corporation, Wipro Limited, Accenture Plc., Avnet, Inc., SAP SE, Vandrico Solutions Inc., Nagarro https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2956 https://www.factmr.com/report/2956/connected-worker-market https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2956 https://www.factmr.com/ https://factmrblog.com/ https://insiderstribune.com The continuous changes in the digital world have revolutionized the overall human experience. It has become essential for every business organization to use digital technology that can help them increase their productivity, improve efficiency and lessen the non-productive workers. In order to achieve high-profit margins and higher productivity, the organizations have started to adopt connected worker solutions that can help them stay connected to their labor. The connected worker solutions help the companies to ensure their workers safety, track them remotely and achieve better regulatory compliance. The Connected Worker Market is expanding since the connected worker solutions are helping companies to be aware of the unexpected accidents happening in the field. The connected worker also assists in tracking workers while reducing the chances of errors and increasing efficiency. The increased visibility in the process work status provided by connected worker solutions has triggered the adoption of the connected worker in the market.Request TOC of this Report-Vendors in the connected worker market are focused on developing more solutions under connected worker that can help organizations track their work and increase worker productivity, thereby helping them improve profit margins. Increasing research and development by vendors in the market in order to add new functionalities to connected worker solutions protfolio are key trends in the market.Connected Worker Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe connected worker eliminates the manual processes through which the chances of errors caused by paper-based systems reduces, thereby helping the labor to correctly and safely execute their tasks. The connected worker also helps in enhancing the efficacy of workforce and operational metrics. Such factors are driving the growth of connected worker market. The connected worker solutions provide real-time data through which the organization can gain visibility into safety and health. The connected worker solution also includes workforce analytics that allows decisions to be taken based on data analysis. Such factors are further stimulating the progress of connected worker market.The cost of implementing the connected worker solutions is very high since it requires specific infrastructure to be set up and also requires various devices to connect to labor. Such factors are hampering the adoption of a connected worker in the market. Also, there are chances of fraud if the physical devices used in connected worker gets hacked, which may result in inappropriate delivery of content. Also, the devices involved in the connected worker environment requires high internet connectivity. Such factors are furthermore restraining the growth of connected worker market.To know more about the Connected Worker Market Visit the link-Connected Worker Market: SegmentationThe connected worker market can be categorized on the basis of the type of solution, deployment type and industry. On the basis of the type of solution, the worker safety type in the connected worker market is expected to have a high growth rate due to the increasing concern of labor working at remote sites. On the basis of deployment type, the adoption of cloud-based deployment connected worker is anticipated to grow due to low cost and high scalability and flexibility offered by the cloud. By industry, the fire and safety and real estate and construction industry in the connected worker market are expected to grow.Connected Worker Market: Competitive LandscapeExamples of some of the key players operating in the connected worker market are Honeywell International Inc., Oracle Corporation, Intel Corporation, Wipro Limited, Accenture Plc., Avnet, Inc., SAP SE, Vandrico Solutions Inc., and Nagarro.Regional OverviewThe connected worker market is segmented across North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, China, SEA and others of APAC, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to be a large market for connected worker as a majority of the Connected Worker vendors such as Google Corporation, Honeywell International Inc. and Intel Corporation are based in the region. The increasing requirement of staying connected to labor at work settings that are out of reach of communication networks, which is driving the adoption of connected worker solutions in European countries, such as Germany and UK. The growing popularity of connected worker in developing regions, such as APEJ, Latin America and parts of Africa, are characterized by the increased spending connected devices in the regions. Rising disposable income among people in the countries mentioned above is likely to increase the scope of penetration of connected worker in these regions in the near future.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the connected worker market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, application and industry.Request Brochure of this Report-About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market insights reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog:Read Industry News at - Explore Why Twinkies Market Is Thriving Worldwide: Hostess Brands, Grupo Bimbo, McKee Foods, Pladis Twinkies https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/72431 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/72431 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/reports/twinkies-market-2019 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/72431 www.upmarketresearch.com Up Market Research offers a latest published report on Global Twinkies Market Research Report 2019 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 92 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Request Sample Copy Of this Report @Twinkies Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period.It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Twinkies Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2018 2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.The generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Twinkies Market analysis & forecast 2018- 2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region- wise Analysis Twinkies Market covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)For More Information On This Report, Please Visit @The Major Players Reported In The Report Are: Hostess Brands Grupo Bimbo McKee Foods Pladis Yamazaki Baking Aryzta B and G Foods BreadTalk Group Flowers Foods Regent Foods CorporationGlobal Twinkies Market: Product Segment Analysis: Vanilla Filling Twinkies Chocolate Filling Twinkies Banana Filling Twinkies OtherGlobal Twinkies Market: Application Segment Analysis: Supermarkets and Hypermarkets Specialist Retailers Convenience Stores Individual Retailers OtherThe Report Covers In- Depth Analysis As Follows: Chapter 1 Overview of Twinkies Market Chapter 2 Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions Chapter 3 Global Market Status and Forecast by Types Chapter 4 Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry Chapter 5 Market Driving Factor Analysis of Twinkies Market Chapter 6 Twinkies Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers Chapter 7 Twinkies Market Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data Chapter 8 Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis of Twinkies Market Chapter 9 Cost and Gross Margin Analysis of Twinkies Market Chapter 10 Marketing Status Analysis of Twinkies Market Chapter 11 Report Conclusion Chapter 12 Research Methodology and ReferenceRead more details@Twinkies Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Global Twinkies Market: Key Stakeholders: Manufacturers Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Twinkies Market are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year 2018 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Twinkies Market and its commercial landscape. Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations. To understand the future outlook and prospects for Twinkies Market analysis and forecast 2018- 2025.Avail Discount On this Report @Customization of the Report:Up Market Research provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.You can also ask for region wise market research report, as below: Twinkies Market Global Market Status & Trend Report 2013- 2025 Top 20 Countries Data Twinkies Market North America Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Twinkies Market South America Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Twinkies Market Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Twinkies Market EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Twinkies Market Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Twinkies Market China Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Twinkies Market India Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Twinkies Market United States Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. Anesthesia Machine Market 2019 will Boom By Key Players Draegerwerk AG & Co KGaA, GE Healthcare, Getinge AB, OSI Systems, Penlon Limited, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co. Ltd. https://www.qurateresearch.com/report/sample/HnM/QBI-GEN-HnM-144716 https://www.qurateresearch.com/report/enquiry/HnM/QBI-GEN-HnM-144716 https://www.qurateresearch.com/report/buy/HnM/QBI-GEN-HnM-144716/ https://www.qurateresearch.com/ The 'Global Anesthesia Machine Market Outlook 2018-2023' offers detailed coverage of Anesthesia Machine industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading Anesthesia Machine producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for Anesthesia Machine. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography. Furthermore, the report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key vendors operating in this market.Get Sample Copy of Anesthesia Machine Market Report@Key vendors operating in Anesthesia Machine Market are Draegerwerk AG & Co KGaA, GE Healthcare Inc., Getinge AB, OSI Systems, Inc., Penlon Limited, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., request free sample to get a complete list of companies.The objective of the study is to define Anesthesia Machine Market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the Anesthesia Machine Market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players.Enquiry about Report@The Anesthesia Machine Market report has been prepared based on an in-depth analysis with inputs from key industry participants. The global Anesthesia Machine market has been segmented into five major regions, namely, North America (U.S., Canada, and others), Europe (U.K., France, Germany, Russia, and others), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, and others), South America (Brazil, Argentina, and others), and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and others).Research objectives: Analyzing the outlook of the Anesthesia Machine market with the recent trends and SWOT analysis Market dynamics scenario, along with growth opportunities of the market in the years to come Anesthesia Machine Market segmentation analysis including qualitative and quantitative research incorporating the impact of economic and non-economic aspects Regional and country level analysis integrating the demand and supply forces that are influencing the growth of the Anesthesia Machine market. Anesthesia Machine Market value (USD Million) and volume (Units Million) data for each segment and sub-segment Competitive landscape involving the market share of major players, along with the new projects and strategies adopted by players in the past five years Comprehensive company profiles covering the product offerings, key financial information, recent developments, SWOT analysis, and strategies employed by the major market players 1-year analyst support, along with the data support in excel format.Purchase Report@Table of Content:Global Global Anesthesia Machine Market Research Report 2018-2023Chapter 1: Industry OverviewChapter 2: Anesthesia Machine International Market AnalysisChapter 3: Environment Analysis of Anesthesia MachineChapter 4: Analysis of Revenue by ClassificationsChapter 5: Analysis of Revenue by Regions and ApplicationsChapter 6: Analysis of Anesthesia Machine Revenue Market Status.Chapter 7: Analysis of Anesthesia Machine Industry Key VendorsChapter 8: Sales Price and Gross Margin AnalysisChapter 9: Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Anesthesia Machine MarketChapter 10: Development Trend of Anesthesia Machine Industry 2018-2023Chapter 11: Industry Chain Suppliers of Anesthesia Machine with Contact InformationChapter 12: New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Anesthesia MachineChapter 13: Conclusion of the Global Anesthesia Machine Market Research ReportAbout Us:Qurate Business Intelligence delivers unique market research solutions to its customers and help them to get equipped with refined information and market insights derived from reports. We are committed to providing best business services and easy processes to get the same. Qurate Business Intelligence considers themselves as strategic partners of their customers and always shows the keen level of interest to deliver quality.Runwal Platinum,Ramnagar Colony, Bavdhan,Pune, Maharashtra, India-411021IN +919881074592info@qurateresearch.com Chinas Car SeatIndustrial Chain MarketInclinations & Growth Forecast Analyzed during 2019 2025 Market Research Hub https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2158172 https://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/chinas-car-seatindustrial-chain-analysis-report-2019-report.html https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=enquiry&repid=2158172 www.marketresearchhub.com/ The following research report is a compilation of high-end data that has been researched thoroughly to highlight the various trends prevailing across the Car SeatIndustrial Chain market. This study is titled Chinas Car SeatIndustrial Chain market Analysis Report 2019, which carefully examines several vital factors such as market share, market revenue, market dynamics and competitive scenario active in the target market for the period between 2019 and 2025.Request for free Sample @This report analyzes the development status and future trends of the car seat industry in China, and analyzes the major production regions, major consumption regions and major manufacturers of auto seats from the perspectives of production and consumption. This paper mainly analyzes car seat industry chain, and relevant products includes Car Seat, Polyfoam, Headrest, Seat Angle Adjuster, Seat Frame, Seat Slide, Seat Belt, Seat Cover, Electronic Control, Lifter and Spring. This paper focuses on the analysis of the market size and key manufacturers of these products in the Chinese market. Major manufacturers include:According to the characteristics and components of Car Seat, this report can divide Car Seat into the following categories, mainly analyzing the price, output, market share and growth trend of these products, including:Car SeatSeat SlideSeat BeltSeat CoverSpringLifterElectrical ControlsSeat FrameSeat Angle AdjusterHeadrestPolyfoamCar Seat Manufacturer:FAURECIAMAGNAJohnson ControlsToyota BoshokuGuangHuaRongChangJuJinHyundai-dymosYanFeng AdientLEARGuangHuaRongChangToyota BoshokuIntier JiaoyunSeat Frame Manufacturer:Feng AiZhong XinHua YangDa ChangMei LiQuan ShengMin ShiShang JiaYao HuaLIZHOUWEIYAHONGYEHONGLIZHIXINLONGSHENGZHONGDE Car SeatSeat Cover Manufacturer:Jin ShangEagle OttawaJin RongKuangDaGuangHuaRongChangZhen JingTOYO Quality OneLEARFAURECIAMAGNAYanFeng AdientToyota BoshokuHONGTUJUNDAXIANLONGJIZHONGSHENGHE Seat CoverLINGDAPolyfoam Manufacturer:HEZHONGDAHUAYIDONGLUCHENGHUAGUIMEILEARJohnson ControlsXINGQIAOHUATEJuJinHeadrest ManufacturerMAGNAJohnson ControlsDAIMEIJIFENGJin ShangHORSTYanFeng AdientZHONGXINGXINXINYantai Car Interior DecorationLINQUANSeat Angle Adjuster ManufacturerBOZEYanFeng AdientLONGSHENGLILEHua YangFeng AiHUBEI AVIATION PRECISION MACHINERY TECHNOLOGYTENGCHANGMINHAIXINXIN JINDIPOS-AUSTEMZHONGDE Car SeatMINGFANGJiangsu Tysan Precision EngineeringElectronic Control ManufacturerBOZEBOSHIJohnson ControlsFAURECIAShengHuaBoSANYEJIEWENLifter ManufacturerFAURECIAMAGNAYanFeng AdientLONGSHENGHua YangWANZHAOJINMEIBEINEISpring ManufacturerFeng AiYanFeng AdientLIZHOUWEIYAHONGLIZHIXINHUAGUANGHONGYEDONGCHANGMei LiIntier JiaoyunSeat Slide ManufacturerBOZELONGSHENGHua YangTENGCHANGZHONGJINGHUBEI AVIATION PRECISION MACHINERY TECHNOLOGYGETENGSANBOFeng AiHUALONGJIPINGZHONGDE Car SeatJINQIAOSeat Belt ManufacturerMINGFANGHONGYIToyota BoshokuHONGZEFUAOTIANHE YATAIGUOSHENGJINANSHITENGPENGTONGGAOTIANJINZHOU WonderautoSONGYUANWANLITIANHEYFKEYZhejiang Dingli Tianyi Auto Parts StockSAIKAIVISTEONSONGYUANAUTOLIVBrowse Full Report with TOC@Table of Contents1 Overview of Car Seat Industry Chain1.1 Car Seat Industry Chain Introduction1.2 Car Seat Industry Chain Analysis1.3 Car Seat Category1.4 Car Seat Production Process1.4.1 Frame Assembly Process1.4.2 Sponge Foaming Process1.4.3 Mask Production Process1.4.4 Seat Assembly Process1.5 Car Seat Development Trend1.6 Car Seat Salesin China Market2. Car Seat Manufacturer Guide2.1 TACHI-S2.1.1 Company Introduction2.1.2 TACHI-S Car Seat Introduction2.1.3 TACHI-S Car Seat Sales2.2 Faurecia2.2.1 Company Introduction2.2.2 Faurecia Car Seat Introduction2.2.3 Faurecia Car Seat Sales2.3 TS-GSK2.3.1 Company Introduction2.3.2 TS-GSK Car Seat Introduction2.3.3 TS-GSK Car Seat Sales2.4 MAGNA2.4.1 Company Introduction2.4.2 MAGNA Car Seat Introduction2.4.3 MAGNA Car Seat Sales2.5 Sitech-DONGCHANG2.5.1 Company Introduction2.5.2 Sitech-DONGCHANG Car Seat Introduction2.5.3 Sitech-DONGCHANG Car Seat Sales2.6 Toyota Boshoku2.6.1 Company Introduction2.6.2 Toyota Boshoku Car Seat Introduction2.6.3 Toyota Boshoku Car Seat Sales2.7 GuangHuaRongChang2.7.1 Company Introduction2.7.2 GuangHuaRongChang Car Seat Introduction2.7.3 GuangHuaRongChang Car Seat Sales2.8 JinLong2.8.1 Company Introduction2.8.2 JinLong Car Seat Introduction2.8.3 JinLong Car Seat Sales2.9 SanLing2.9.1 Company Introduction2.9.2 SanLing Car Seat Introduction2.9.3 SanLing Car Seat Sales2.10 JuJin2.10.1 Company Introduction2.10.2 JuJin Car Seat Introduction2.10.3 JuJin Car Seat Sales2.11 Hyundai-dymos2.11.1 Company Introduction2.11.2 Hyundai-dymos Car Seat Introduction2.11.3 Hyundai-dymos Car Seat Sales2.12 Yanfeng Adient2.12.1 Company IntroductionContinue...@@$Enquire about this Report -About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Details:90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free : 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email : press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite : Pulmonary Devices Market: Competitive Dynamics & Global Outlook 2024 Top Key players like Top Key players like 3M COMPANY,MEDTRONIC PLC,GLAXOSMITHKLINE PLC,Inc. https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com/reports/322299/global-pulmonary-devices-market-history-breakdown https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com/reports/322299/global-pulmonary-devices-market-history-breakdown https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com Market Research Report Store offers a latest published report on Pulmonary Devices Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 91 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Click to view the full report TOC, figure and tables:This report studies the Pulmonary Devices market size (value and volume) by players, regions, product types and end industries, history data 2013-2017 and forecast data 2018-2025; This report also studies the global market competition landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Factors such as increase in prevalence of respiratory diseases, rise in geriatric population, sedentary lifestyle, high prevalence of smoking, growth in pollution levels, and urbanization drive the market growth.The global Pulmonary Devices market was xx million US$ in 2017 and is expected to xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx% between 2018 and 2025.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversGLAXOSMITHKLINE PLC3M COMPANYMEDTRONIC PLCKONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.RESMED INC.MASIMO CORPORATIONTHERMO FISHER SCIENTIFICFISHER & PAYKEL HEALTHCARE LIMITEDBECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANYHAMILTON MEDICAL AGMarket Segment by Type, coversTherapeutic DevicesConsumables and AccessoriesDiagnostic DevicesMonitoring DevicesMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHospitalsAmbulatory CareHome CareFor More Information On This Report, Please Visit @Related Information:North America Pulmonary Devices Market Growth 2019-2024United States Pulmonary Devices Market Growth 2019-2024Asia-Pacific Pulmonary Devices Market Growth 2019-2024Europe Pulmonary Devices Market Growth 2019-2024EMEA Pulmonary Devices Market Growth 2019-2024Global Pulmonary Devices Market Growth 2019-2024China Pulmonary Devices Market Growth 2019-2024Customization Service of the Report :Market Research Report Store provides customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.About Us:Market Research Report Store (MRRS) is a professional organization related to market research reports in all directions .To provide customers with a variety of market research reports, MRRS cooperates with a large of famous market report publishers all over the world. Owing to our good service and the professional market reports in the wide range, MRRS enjoys a good reputation in the market. In pace with the development of MRRS, more and more customers and market report publishers choose to cooperate with us. As a specialized platform, MRRS upholds the supremacy of customers and aims to provide customers with better service and richer select.Contact USMarket Research Report StoreE-mail: info@marketresearchreportstore.comTel: +86-15521064060 00852-58197708(HK)Add: 17890 Castleton Street Suite 218 City of Industry CA 91748 United StatesWebsite: Global Radiographic Testing Market to Witness a Pronounce Growth During 2024 Top Key players like Anritsu,3DX-RAY,PerkinElmer,Inc. https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com/reports/322303/global-radiographic-testing-market-history-breakdown https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com/reports/322303/global-radiographic-testing-market-history-breakdown https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com Market Research Report Store offers a latest published report on Radiographic Testing Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 91 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Click to view the full report TOC, figure and tables:This report studies the Radiographic Testing market size (value and volume) by players, regions, product types and end industries, history data 2013-2017 and forecast data 2018-2025; This report also studies the global market competition landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Radiography testing is a type of non-destructive testing, in which newly manufactured components of many types can be tested to validate the internal structure, and the integrity of the sample.The growth in number of infrastructure developments and increase in government regulations for maintenance of infrastructure provide several growth opportunities to this market.The global Radiographic Testing market was xx million US$ in 2017 and is expected to xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx% between 2018 and 2025.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversGeneral Electric Company3DX-RAYAnritsuBosello High TechnologyPerkinElmerCOMET HoldingFujifilm HoldingsNikon CorporationShimadzu CorporationMettler-Toledo InternationalMarket Segment by Type, coversFilm RadiographyReal Time Radiography (RTR)Computed Tomography (CT)Digital Radiography (DR)Computed Radiography (CR)Market Segment by Applications, can be divided intoService Induced ImperfectionsWelding ImperfectionsProduct Form ImperfectionsFor More Information On This Report, Please Visit @Related Information:North America Radiographic Testing Market Growth 2019-2024United States Radiographic Testing Market Growth 2019-2024Asia-Pacific Radiographic Testing Market Growth 2019-2024Europe Radiographic Testing Market Growth 2019-2024EMEA Radiographic Testing Market Growth 2019-2024Global Radiographic Testing Market Growth 2019-2024China Radiographic Testing Market Growth 2019-2024Customization Service of the Report :Market Research Report Store provides customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.About Us:Market Research Report Store (MRRS) is a professional organization related to market research reports in all directions .To provide customers with a variety of market research reports, MRRS cooperates with a large of famous market report publishers all over the world. Owing to our good service and the professional market reports in the wide range, MRRS enjoys a good reputation in the market. In pace with the development of MRRS, more and more customers and market report publishers choose to cooperate with us. As a specialized platform, MRRS upholds the supremacy of customers and aims to provide customers with better service and richer select.Contact USMarket Research Report StoreE-mail: info@marketresearchreportstore.comTel: +86-15521064060 00852-58197708(HK)Add: 17890 Castleton Street Suite 218 City of Industry CA 91748 United StatesWebsite: Pine Needle Oil Global Market 2019 Top Key Players Aroma Land, Floracopeia, Mountain Rose Herbs, Nowfoods, BIOLANDES HRF, A. G. Industries and Forecast to 2025 Pine Needle Oil Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3784106-global-pine-needle-oil-market-insights-forecast-to-2025 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3784106-global-pine-needle-oil-market-insights-forecast-to-2025 www.wiseguyreports.com Global Pine Needle Oil MarketWiseGuyRerports.com Presents Global Pine Needle Oil Market Insights, Forecast to 2025 New Document to its Studies Database. The Report Contain 129 Pages With Detailed Analysis.DescriptionThis report researches the worldwide Pine Needle Oil market size (value, capacity, production and consumption) in key regions like United States, Europe, Asia Pacific (China, Japan) and other regions.This study categorizes the global Pine Needle Oil breakdown data by manufacturers, region, type and application, also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.This report focuses on the top manufacturers' Pine Needle Oil capacity, production, value, price and market share of Pine Needle Oil in global market. The following manufacturers are covered in this report:Aroma LandFloracopeiaMountain Rose HerbsNowfoodsBIOLANDESHRFA. G. IndustriesShakti Him PharmaK.K. EnterpriseShiv Sales CorporationScatters OilsHobart CompanyIndustrial OleochemicalStill PureHeng Cheng Natural Perfume OilBaicao PharmaGlobal Natural SpiceHONYJusheng TechnologyGet sample Report @Pine Needle Oil Breakdown Data by TypePinus SylvestrisPinus PalustrisOthersPine Needle Oil Breakdown Data by ApplicationFood AdditiveSpicesTherapyOthersPine Needle Oil Production Breakdown Data by RegionUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanOther RegionsPine Needle Oil Consumption Breakdown Data by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaComplete Report Details @Table of Contents -Major Key PointsGlobal Pine Needle Oil Market Research Report 2019-2025, by Manufacturers, Regions, Types and Applications1 Study Coverage1.1 Pine Needle Oil Product1.2 Key Market Segments in This Study1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Pine Needle Oil Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Pinus Sylvestris1.4.3 Pinus Palustris1.4.4 Others1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Pine Needle Oil Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Food Additive1.5.3 Spices1.5.4 Therapy1.5.5 Others1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered.8 Manufacturers Profiles8.1 Aroma Land8.1.1 Aroma Land Company Details8.1.2 Company Description8.1.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Pine Needle Oil8.1.4 Pine Needle Oil Product Description8.1.5 SWOT Analysis8.2 Floracopeia8.2.1 Floracopeia Company Details8.2.2 Company Description8.2.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Pine Needle Oil8.2.4 Pine Needle Oil Product Description8.2.5 SWOT Analysis8.3 Mountain Rose Herbs8.3.1 Mountain Rose Herbs Company Details8.3.2 Company Description8.3.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Pine Needle Oil8.3.4 Pine Needle Oil Product Description8.3.5 SWOT Analysis8.4 Nowfoods8.4.1 Nowfoods Company Details8.4.2 Company Description8.4.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Pine Needle Oil8.4.4 Pine Needle Oil Product Description8.4.5 SWOT Analysis8.5 BIOLANDES8.5.1 BIOLANDES Company Details8.5.2 Company Description8.5.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Pine Needle Oil8.5.4 Pine Needle Oil Product Description8.5.5 SWOT Analysis8.6 HRF8.6.1 HRF Company Details8.6.2 Company Description8.6.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Pine Needle Oil8.6.4 Pine Needle Oil Product Description8.6.5 SWOT Analysis8.7 A. G. Industries8.7.1 A. G. Industries Company Details8.7.2 Company Description8.7.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Pine Needle Oil8.7.4 Pine Needle Oil Product Description8.7.5 SWOT Analysis..CONTINUEDAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, Industry research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK) Advanced Composites Industry Report 2019 Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2023 Advanced Composites Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/advanced-composites-market-4678 Pune, India, January 22, 2018/MRFR Press Release/- Market Research Future published a Half Cooked Research Report on Global Advanced Composite Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Key Players:3M company (U.S.A.), Axalta Coating Systems, LLC (U.S.A.), PPG industries (U.S.A.), TEIJIN LIMITED (Japan), Koninklijke Ten Cate bv (the Netherlands), Hexcel Corporation( U.S.A.), Toyota Motor Corporation( Japan), Cytec Solvay Group( U.S.A.), Hexcel Corporation( U.S.A.), and some of the other players at the forefront of competition in the Global Advanced Composite Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.Advanced Composite Market OverviewAdvanced composites are a combination of polymer inserted in the resin matrix. These composites are also known as advanced polymer matrix composites are lightweight material with high strength and modulus to elasticity. Application scope of advanced composites covers range of applications including aerospace, transport, electronics, sports, energy, construction and others. These composites offers high strength-to-weight ratio and increased heat resistance, which makes them highly favorable in aerospace & defense, sporting goods, and transportation industries and driving the growth of this market. One of the major property associated with advanced ceramic is they are light weight and help in increasing fuel efficiency. Therefore vehicles produced using advanced composites provides structural stability. The trend for light weight vehicles in the automotive industry is expected to fuel demand for advanced ceramic as they are light weight and are suitable for the trending applications. Due to this trend, aerospace and defense industry to offer higher gains for the advanced composites in the coming yearsCompetitive LandscapesThe report analyses the degree of competition among the industry players as well as industry growth and market scenario. The global Advanced Composite market is at a growth stabilization phase, which significant numbers in terms of market value and volume. Transportation industry along with aerospace industry has been the major force for the growth of this market and has created scope for product innovation.Industry/ Innovation/ Related NewsFebruary 1, 2017 Liberty Hall Capital Partners Acquires Quatro Composites. Liberty hall is a private equity firm focused on exclusively on investment in business serving the global aerospace and defense industry. The company has announces the acquisition of Quatro Composites, L.L.C., which is one of the leading supplier of engineered advanced composites. The transaction detail hast not disclosed, but the overall activity expected to provide growth offering in aerospace and deference sector, which is the major application sector.December 13, 2017 Trelleborg finalizes acquisition of advanced composite components manufacturer and expands capabilities globally. Trelleborg, is a foremost leader in engineered polymer solutions confirms the acquisition of Automated Dynamic, an advanced composite components manufacturer. The transaction undertaken in exchange of USD 7.8 million and is considered as the one of the most recent key development witnessed in this market. Trelleborg is one of the leader in advanced composites which has more than 25 production facilities and 50 marketing networks across the globe. The acquisition activity has been undertaken by eying the stronger global penetration in advanced composites market. With increasing production facilities of their own group, the company expected to further adopt several strategic alliances.November 12, 2017 Solvay and Strata sign final agreement for United Arab Emirates first aerospace materials joint venture. Solvay, an international materials and chemicals company, and Strata, an advanced composite aero structures manufacturing facility, have formalized their Joint Venture (JV) to supply Boeing with advanced composite materials from a high-tech facility to be built in Al Ain. The equal ownership joint venture will be the UAEs first supplier of pre-impregnated carbon fibers, also referred to as prepreg. This durable advanced material is used to manufacture composite structures for aviation applications, including Boeings latest generation aircraft, the 777X.April 21, 2017- Asbury Graphite Mills and ZePR formed new joint venture for advance composites as Titan Advanced Composites. As both of the companies are the privately held companies, the joint venture details not been disclosed. However, such collective efforts to cater the ongoing demand of advanced composites.Advanced Composite Market Regional AnalysisNorth America emerged as the largest market for advanced ceramics followed by Asia Pacific and Europe. The U.S. is among the one of the prominent market across the globe and has generated largest revenue growing at highest CAGR. Increasing use of advanced composites in the transportation, aerospace & defense, and wind energy industries is the major factor driving the growth in this region and likely to further drive the regional demand.Access Complete Report @SegmentationThe Global Advanced Composites Market is segmented into resin type and application. On the basis of resin type, the market is classified into thermoset and thermoplastic. Among these, thermoset segment is estimated to hold the major share in the market owing to its excellent stiffness, light weight and durability features. Thermoset segment is further sub-divided into epoxy resins, polyurethanes, phenolic and amino resins. It is predicted that epoxy resin segment is set to grow at a higher CAGR due to its growing consumption in end use industries. Applications segment further differentiated into aerospace, transport, electronics, sports, energy, construction and others. Among these, aerospace is projected to be the major segment in this market.Geographical AnalysisThe report covers brief analysis of geographic regions such as Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.Intended AudienceAdvanced Composites ManufacturersTraders and Distributors of Advanced CompositesProduction Process IndustriesPotential InvestorsRaw Material SuppliersNationalized LaboratoryAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureMaharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Gamma Knife Market Analysis By 2020 | Top Key Players are Elekta AB, Varian Medical Systems, Inc., and Hokai https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/3742 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3742 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/3742 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/gamma-knife-market.asp http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Gamma Knife: Asia to Witness Highest Growth by 2020, the global Gamma Knife market is valued at USD 526,733.2 thousand in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.6% from 2014 to 2020 to reach an estimated value of USD 651,241.9 thousand in 2020.Get full Report Now:Radiation therapy is a procedure entailing the precise delivery of high doses of radiation to tumors and other relevant anatomical targets. Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a major form of radiation therapy. It is mainly used to treat brain tumors, arteriovenous malformations, trigeminal neuralgia, acoustic neuroma, and pituitary tumors. Globally, the Gamma Knife market is witnessing significant growth due to increasing prevalence of cancer and obesity and growing aging population. In addition, rising number of initiatives undertaken by various government associations and the advanced features of Gamma Knife systems are also driving the growth of the market. However, stringent regulatory requirements and prolonged approval time for Gamma Knife systems and a high cost of implementation and shortage of skilled manpower inhibit the growth of the market. The global Gamma Knife market is anticipated to grow from an estimated USD 526,733.2 thousand in 2014 to USD 651,241.9 thousand by 2020 at a CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast period.To know key findings Request Sample Report @:In North America, the Gamma Knife market is growing due to the rising incidence of cancer in the region. In addition, increased awareness about Gamma Knife technology for cancer treatment is also boosting the growth of the market in the region. According to WHO, approximately 2.8 million people had cancer, including brain cancer, in the U.S. in 2000. Moreover, according to the Hindawi Publishing Corporation, an international journal of surgical oncology, approximately 98,000 to 170,000 new brain metastases cases occur every year in North AmericaIn Europe, increasing prevalence of cancer is boosting the growth of the Gamma Knife market in the region. According to WHO, Europe accounts for only one-eighth of the worlds population. However, the region records around a quarter of global cancer cases. Several government associations, such as the Women Against Lung Cancer in Europe (WALCE) and European Head and Neck society (EHNS), are trying to increase awareness about breast cancer, lung cancer, and head and neck cancer and their brain metastases effects in Europe.Request for Report Methodology @:However, Asia represents the fastest growing region in the Gamma Knife market due to the rise in cancer patients in various countries such as India, China, and Japan. According to WHO, the occurrence of cancer in India and China is set to climb at a rate of 78% from 2013 to 2030. In addition, growing aging population is also supporting the growth of the Gamma Knife market in the region.In Latin America, construction of manufacturing and research facilities by many companies is driving the Gamma Knife market in Latin America. Furthermore, the governments of Latin American countries have recognized the growing epidemic of cancer and are actively devising several patient awareness programs to raise awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer, including brain cancers.Browse the full Global Market Study on Gamma Knife - Asia to Witness Highest Growth by 2020 report atElekta AB, Varian Medical Systems, Inc., and Hokai are some of the leading players in the Gamma Knife market. Other major players in the Gamma Knife market include Huiheng Medical, Inc., Cyber Medical Corporation Limited, Masep Infini Global, Inc., Nordion, Inc., ET Medical Group, and American Shared Hospital Services.The global Gamma Knife market is segmented as follows:Gamma Knife market, by applicationBrain MetastasesBrain TumorsTrigeminal NeuralgiaArteriovenous MalformationsOthersGamma Knife market, by geographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaRest of North AmericaEuropeGermanyFranceU.K.ItalySpainRest of EuropeAsiaChinaJapanIndiaRest of AsiaLatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin AmericaRest of the World (RoW)About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Spray Polyurea Elastomers Market Indicates Notable CAGR growth by 2026 | Key Players are SIKA AG, AXALTA Coating Systems, Huntsman Corporation, etc. https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=717 https://www.factmr.com/report/717/spray-polyurea-elastomers-market https://www.factmr.com/checkout/717/S https://www.factmr.com/ https://factmrblog.com/ FactMR has published a new research report titled Spray Polyurea Elastomers Market Indicates Notable CAGR growth by 2026 to its online database that tries to unveil the various scenarios prevailing in the spray polyurea elastomers market. This assessment delivers a smart compilation of primary and secondary data which provides a clear insight about the future plans expected to impact the Spray Polyurea Elastomers Market. This study comprises of prominent data which makes it a beneficial source for investors, analysts and industry experts to acquire necessary knowledge associated to the fundamental market trends, opportunities and growth drivers during the stated forecast period (2017-2026).A sample of this report is available here -Spray Polyurea Elastomers Market: Notable Developments by Key StakeholdersSpecialty Products Inc., which has perceived continued success in the market, has recently launched an innovative one-step waterproofing and concrete resurfacing solution, called Aquaseal Hi-Rise X3. This elastomeric bridging polyurea forms a monolithic surface on concrete walls or slabs, which reduces the material cost and project labor by eliminating the time- & cost-intensive application process of concrete primer, dry sacking, or mortar filling.Vector Construction Inc.s recent product VersaFlex VF 380 is 100% solids spray polyurea elastomer developed for sturdy applications. VF 380 is an odorless, volatile-free system, which delivers reduced shrinkage with improved elongation attributes. VF 380 is an excellent polyurea elastomer for applications where resilience and durability are of prime importance such as in geotextile coatings, and liners.Dow Thailand Group partnered with Thanavut Composite Company Limited in 2017, and introduced a new series of spray polyurea elastomers, coating solutions developed for protecting and extending the life of substrates. The high-performance polyurea elastomer innovation by this business partnership ensures fast cure, superior bond strength and excellent flexibility for industrial applications.Arma Coatings, a leading producer of specialty coatings, has unveiled its Arma 901 series, a two-component spray polyurea elastomer system, which can be used in applications surrounded by harsh environmental conditions. Arma 901 series comprises non-hydrophobic products that impart excellent abrasion resistance and chemical resistance, which in turn offer excellent elongation.Read Complete Market Report from Here -Corrosion protection and abrasion resistance attributes of spray polyurea elastomers have been driving their demand in mining-related equipment and facilities. Erosion protection, waterproofing, and concrete surface protection are other key characteristics of polyurea that have fuelled their adoption in the construction sector. With robust balance sheets across the mining sector, miners in North America are adhering to an investment-led approach, which in turn has given birth to a renewed focus on constructing portfolios that lead to sustainable shareholder returns. President Trumps recent orders for reducing the dependency on imported imperative minerals is highly likely to spark activity by the U.S. miners for considering exploration assets both inside and outside of the region, along with upstream & downstream collaborative ventures.Future seems promising for construction firms in the U.S., driven primarily by trends such as building information modelling (BIM), internet of things (IoT), and proliferation of ecommerce with regard to construction & building materials. The Canadian economy witnessed significant deceleration on the coattails of decreased commodities and oil prices. Despite external challenges, the government in Canada made infrastructure spending of nearly US$ 11.9 Bn for social infrastructure, public transit infrastructure, and housing, and these projects are expected to witness completion by 2019-end.Such robust investments in the mining and construction sector in North America point at the regions dominance with regard to adoption of spray polyurea elastomers in the upcoming years. According to a new FactMR research study, the global spray polyurea elastomers market is set to record a splendid 10.2% value CAGR between the period of forecast 2017 and 2026. Over 291,000 tons of spray polyurea elastomers are expected to be sold worldwide by 2026-end.Buy online this Report from Here -About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog: Social Media Analytics Market Global Outlook to 2025 | SAS Institute, Hootsuite, Adobe Systems Incorporated, SAP, IBM, Oracle, Salesforce.com, GoodData, NetBase Solutions, Tableau Software Inc. Social Media Analytics Market - Premium Market Insights www.premiummarketinsights.com/sample/TIP00001083 www.premiummarketinsights.com/buy/TIP00001083 Social media analytics is a process of gathering data from various social platforms and analyze it. It mainly deals with development and evaluation of frameworks and tools for collecting, monitoring, analyzing, summarizing, and visualizing the social media data. This process uses social media to extract useful patterns and information and also facilitates conversation and interaction among online users.The increase in a number of social media users, rise in investing on analytics and high focus on market intelligence are the key factors boosting the growth of social media analytics market. Whereas, analyses of unstructured data and restrictions imposed by websites on data collection are some challenges faced by the social media analytics market. However, an increased rate in adoption of social media analytics solutions in SMEs and rise in cloud adoption portray major growth opportunities for the social media analytics market.Request PDF Sample of Social Media Analytics Market Report @The "Global Social Media Analytics Market Analysis to 2025" is a specialized and in-depth study of the social media analytics industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global social media analytics market with detailed market segmentation by components, deployment type, applications, end user, and geography. The global social media analytics market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the social media analytics market.The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.Social Media Analytics Market Top Key Vendors:1. SAP SE2. IBM Corporation3. Oracle Corporation4. Salesforce.com, inc.5. GoodData Corporation6. NetBase Solutions, Inc7. SAS Institute Inc.8. Hootsuite Inc.9. Adobe Systems Incorporated10. Tableau Software Inc.The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global social media analytics market based on components, deployment type, applications, and end user. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall social media analytics market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM). The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 16 countries globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Besides this, the report analyzes factors affecting market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA and South America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors affecting the market in these regions.Purchase Social Media Analytics Market Complete Report @About Premium Market Insights:Premium Market Insights is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries. Our commitment to customer service is best exemplified by free analyst support that we offer to our clients which sets us apart from any other provider. We also offer enterprise subscriptions which provide significant cost savings to our clients.Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@premiummarketinsights.comOrganization: Premium Market InsightsPhone: +1-646-491-9876 Men's Underwear Market Huge growth | Levi's, Hanes, Gildan, Calvin Klein Men's Underwear Market https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1188663-2018-2025-men-s-underwear-report-on-global-and-united-states-market https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1188663-2018-2025-men-s-underwear-report-on-global-and-united-states-market https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1188663 HTF MI newly added the Men's Underwear Market Study that gives meticulous investigation of current scenario of the Market size, share, demand, growth, trends, and forecast in the coming years.The report firstly introduced the Men's Underwear Market basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc.Companies Profiled in this report includes: Levi's, Hanes, Gildan, Calvin Klein, Fruit of the Loom, adidas, Hanes Ultimate, KAYIZU, Neleus, Klein, Boxers, Briefs, Boxer Briefs, Trunks & OthersGet the inside scoop of the Sample report @:The research study gives a complete list of all the leading players working in the Men's Underwear Market. Moreover, the financial status, company profiles, business strategies and policies, along with latest expansions in the worldwide market have been mentioned in the research study.Research objectives To study and analyze the Men's Underwear Market size by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2018, and forecast to 2025. To understand the structure of Men's Underwear Market by identifying its various sub segments. Focuses on the key Men's Underwear Market players, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years. To analyze the Men's Underwear Market with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market. To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). To project the size of Men's Underwear Market, with respect to key regions, type [????????????] and applications [Teens & Adults]. To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches and acquisitions in the market.Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @In this report you will also find additional deals into key geographical segments of Men's Underwear Market and deliver details about their current and former share. Ongoing trends, upcoming Challenges, future better regional investments and many other influencing factors have been considered and presented.The regions United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa have been studied in depth to gain better market penetration and assure exact analysis. Top manufacturers have been given prime importance to make sure their strategies are understood and their position in this particular market can be elucidated.Acquire Single User PDF license of this research report @In the end, the report includes Men's Underwear Market new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, investment return analysis, and development analysis. The report also presents a round-up of vulnerabilities which companies operating in the market must avoid in order to enjoy sustainable growth through the course of the forecast period.Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia (China, India, Japan etc) or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].Fundamentals of Table of Content:1 Report Overview1.1 Study Scope1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Players Covered1.4 Market Analysis by Type1.5 Market by Application1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Global Growth Trends2.1 Men's Underwear Market Size2.2 Men's Underwear Growth Trends by Regions2.3 Industry Trends3 Market Share by Key Players3.1 Men's Underwear Market Size by Manufacturers3.2 Men's Underwear Key Players Head office and Area Served3.3 Key Players Product/Solution/Service3.4 Enter barriers in Men's Underwear Market3.5 Mergers, Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Men's Underwear Market by Product4.1 Men's Underwear Sales by Product4.2 Men's Underwear Revenue by Product4.3 Men's Underwear Price by Product5 Men's Underwear Market by End User5.1 Overview5.2 Men's Underwear by End UserHTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA 08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.com Global Methanol Fuel 2019 Market Key Players Methanex Corporation, Exxonmobil, Kaveh Methanol, Sipchem -Analysis And Forecast To 2024 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3781309-global-methanol-fuel-market-report-2019-history-present-and-future https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/3781309-global-methanol-fuel-market-report-2019-history-present-and-future https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=3781309 Methanol Fuel Market 2019Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Methanol Fuel Global Market Growth, Opportunities, Analysis Of Top Key Players And Forecast To 2024 To Its Research Database.Description:The global market size of Methanol Fuel is $XX million in 2018 with XX CAGR from 2014 to 2018, and it is expected to reach $XX million by the end of 2024 with a CAGR of XX% from 2019 to 2024.Global Methanol Fuel Market Report 2019 Market Size, Share, Price, Trend and Forecast is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Methanol Fuel industry. The key insights of the report:1.The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Methanol Fuel manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.2.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology.3.The report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2013-2018 market shares for key vendors.4.The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis.5.The report estimates 2019-2024 market development trends of Methanol Fuel industry.6.Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out7.The report makes some important proposals for a new project of Methanol Fuel Industry before evaluating its feasibility.There are 4 key segments covered in this report: competitor segment, product type segment, end use/application segment and geography segment.For competitor segment, the report includes global key players of Methanol Fuel as well as some small players. At least 4 companies are included:* Methanex Corporation* Exxonmobil* Kaveh Methanol* SipchemRequest for Sample Report @The information for each competitor includes:* Company Profile* Main Business Information* SWOT Analysis* Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin* Market ShareFor product type segment, this report listed main product type of Methanol Fuel market* Product Type I* Product Type II* Product Type IIIFor end use/application segment, this report focuses on the status and outlook for key applications. End users sre also listed.* Application I* Application II* Application IIIFor geography segment, regional supply, application-wise and type-wise demand, major players, price is presented from 2013 to 2023. This report covers following regions:* North America* South America* Asia & Pacific* Europe* MEA (Middle East and Africa)The key countries in each region are taken into consideration as well, such as United States, China, Japan, India, Korea, ASEAN, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, CIS, and Brazil etc.Enquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Content:Chapter 1 Executive SummaryChapter 2 Abbreviation and AcronymsChapter 3 Preface3.1 Research Scope3.2 Research Methodology3.2.1 Primary Sources3.2.2 Secondary Sources3.2.3 AssumptionsChapter 4 Market Landscape4.1 Market Overview4.2 Classification/Types4.3 Application/End UsersChapter 5 Market Trend Analysis5.1 Introduction5.2 Drivers5.3 Restraints5.4 Opportunities5.5 Threats..Chapter 16 Analysis of Global Key Vendors16.1 Methanex Corporation16.1.1 Company Profile16.1.2 Main Business and Methanol Fuel Information16.1.3 SWOT Analysis of Methanex Corporation16.1.4 Methanex Corporation Methanol Fuel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)16.2 Exxonmobil16.2.1 Company Profile16.2.2 Main Business and Methanol Fuel Information16.2.3 SWOT Analysis of Exxonmobil16.2.4 Exxonmobil Methanol Fuel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)16.3 Kaveh Methanol16.3.1 Company Profile16.3.2 Main Business and Methanol Fuel Information16.3.3 SWOT Analysis of Kaveh Methanol16.3.4 Kaveh Methanol Methanol Fuel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)16.4 Sipchem16.4.1 Company Profile16.4.2 Main Business and Methanol Fuel Information16.4.3 SWOT Analysis of Sipchem16.4.4 Sipchem Methanol Fuel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)16.5 Company E16.5.1 Company Profile16.5.2 Main Business and Methanol Fuel Information16.5.3 SWOT Analysis of Company E16.5.4 Company E Methanol Fuel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)16.6 Company F16.6.1 Company Profile16.6.2 Main Business and Methanol Fuel Information16.6.3 SWOT Analysis of Company F16.6.4 Company F Methanol Fuel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)16.7 Company G16.7.1 Company Profile16.7.2 Main Business and Methanol Fuel Information16.7.3 SWOT Analysis of Company G16.7.4 Company G Methanol Fuel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)Continued..Buy Now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Residential Drinking Water Treatment Equipmentnning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune 411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042 Endotracheal Tubes Market Outlook 2018-2025; Key Manufacturers, GE Healthcare, KindWell Medical Equipment Co.,Ltd, Fuji Systems Corp. https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/report-sample/HC032762 https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/check-discount/HC032762 https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/checkout/HC032762 The New Advanced Research Report Published by Crystal Market Research titled, Endotracheal Tubes Market, approximates that the Endotracheal Tubes Industry size is expected to flourish at a significant CAGR in the future.SCOPE OF THE REPORT:Endotracheal Tubes Market By Product Type (Orotracheal Tubes, Nasotracheal Tubes) End User (Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Hospitals) - Global Industry Analysis & Forecast to 2025Major Companies 2019:GE HealthcareKindWell Medical Equipment Co.,LtdFuji Systems Corp.Neurovision Medical ProductsMedtronic PlcConvaTec Group plcSmith Medical, Inc.ROYAXTeleflex Incorporated.Intersurgical GmbHGROWTH DRIVERS AND RESTRAINTS OF Endotracheal Tubes INDUSTRY 2019:Developing frequency of ventilator related pneumonia that happens in 8-28% basically sick patients getting mechanical ventilation will additionally fuel the interest for anti-infection covered endotracheal tubes prompting market development. Also, developing older populace that is exceptionally inclined to different interminable ailments is a main reason that will drive the business development amid the figure time frame. Moreover, progressions in technology in endotracheal tubes just as undiscovered developing economies will additionally lift the development opportunities for endotracheal tubes market.Request SAMPLE COPY of this Report @The current market scenario of the segment and forecasts of the market situation have also been enclosed in this market report. The Endotracheal Tubes report is precisely formulated after completely reviewing the market study with major opportunity and key challenges. Lastly, the report states several key factors, company profile, product listing, sales analysis and revenue generation of Endotracheal Tubes segment during the forecast period.Endotracheal Tubes Industry -Regional Outlook and Trend Analysis 2019:Key countries, regions, and sub-sectors have been studied for giving improved knowledge of the market scope across the globe. The market report classifies the market by assessing the manufacturing chain, market manufacturers and their contribution to the industry, dominant policies and revenue structure, and regulatory aspects. The geographical markets of the Endotracheal Tubes Market are thoroughly examined by assessing the profits garnered, product pricing, demand, logistics, production capacity, and supply, along with the past performance of the market in the said region.Endotracheal Tubes Industry -Table of Contents:8.8. Smith Medical, Inc.8.8.1.Business Overview8.8.2. Service Portfolio8.8.3.Strategic Developments8.8.4.Financial Overview8.9. ROYAX8.9.1.Business Overview8.9.2. Service Portfolio8.9.3.Strategic Developments8.9.4.Financial Overview8.10. Teleflex Incorporated.8.10.1.Business Overview8.10.2. Service Portfolio8.10.3.Strategic Developments8.10.4.Financial Overview8.11. Intersurgical GmbH8.11.1.Business Overview8.11.2. Service Portfolio8.11.3.Strategic Developments8.11.4.Financial OverviewClick For DISCOUNT on Premium Reports @9. Global Endotracheal Tubes Market Competition, by Manufacturer9.1. Global Endotracheal Tubes Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)9.2. Global Endotracheal Tubes Price By Region (2016-2017)9.3. Top 5 Endotracheal Tubes Manufacturer Market Share9.4. Market Competition Trend10.Endotracheal Tubes Market Forecast (2018-2025)10.1. Global Endotracheal Tubes Revenue (Millions USD) and Growth Rate (2018-2025)10.2. Endotracheal Tubes Market Forecast by Regions (2018-2025)10.2.1.North America Endotracheal Tubes Market Forecast (2018-2025)10.2.1.1. United States Endotracheal Tubes Market Forecast (2018-2025)CONSULTANCY SERVICES:Our success depends on success and satisfaction of our clients. We have successful relationship with our clients who recognize that not only we provide solutions to their business problems but also that we always respect our confidentiality commitments. The high proportion of business we get from clients speaks about the quality of research services offer by us.We offer consultancy services to advice on growing clients business and product portfolio. We have a highly experienced team of consultants to help clients identify new opportunities, gain competitive advantage, and improve return on investments by delivering custom services to clients across the global.OUR CONSULTANCY SERVICES INCLUDE:Market Entry StrategyRoutes-to-Market (RTM) AnalyticsBusiness Portfolio ManagementCompetitive LandscapePartner Selection & Vendor ManagementCustomer Need AnalysisTechnology LandscapeBuy this Full Report @About Crystal Market Research:Crystal Market Research is a U.S. based market research and business intelligence company. Crystal offers a one-stop solution for market research, business intelligence, and consulting services to help clients make more informed decisions. It provides both syndicated as well as customized research studies for its customers spread across the globe. The company offers market intelligence reports across a broad range of industries including healthcare, chemicals & materials, technology, automotive, and energy.Contacts UsJudy | 304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,Las Vegas NV 89107,United StatesPh: +1-888-213-4282 Global Fintech Investment Market Size study, by Application (P2P Lending, Online Acquiring and Mobile Wallets, MPOS, Mobile First Banking, Bitcoin, Crowd Funding, Others) and by Regional Forecasts 2018-2025 Global Fintech Investment Market | Planet Market Reports https://www.planetmarketreports.com/report-sample/global-fintech-investment-market-1954 https://www.planetmarketreports.com/reports/global-fintech-investment-market-1954 https://www.planetmarketreports.com/enquire-now/global-fintech-investment-market-1954 Fintech Investment Market Size study, by Application (P2P Lending, Online Acquiring and Mobile Wallets, MPOS, Mobile First Banking, Bitcoin, Crowd Funding, Others) and by Regional Forecasts 2018-2025Global Fintech Investment Market to reach USD 152.94 billion by 2025Request a free sample atGlobal Fintech Investment Market valued approximately USD 39.6 billion in 2017 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 18.40% over the forecast period 2018-2025.The growth of an alternative business model that can both replace and complement traditional payment practices is a key growth driver for the fintech market growth. Major banks are helping to incubate, invest in, or partner with FinTech companies. For instance, Oradian, a software provider caters to organizations that offer financial services to low-income individuals. Oradian develops core systems that help microfinance institutions manage their clients efficiently and facilitates day-to-day operations. The Oradian business model relies primarily on creating a niche in the microfinance industry as developing countries are encouraging microfinance institutions and dispersing credit to small businesses in a bid to revive economic growth. The growing popularity of blockchain is also expected to aid market growth over the forecast period. The blockchain is considered the world s most popular bitcoin wallet. Many banks are opting for this technology to execute different tasks such as authentication processes or to verify documents residing within the banking system. Blockchain technology can help complete business-to-business transfers at significantly low costs and with minimal decentralization.The regional analysis of Global Fintech Investment Market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America dominated the market, accounting for more market share. In this region, the traditional financial services are at risk as there is a vast number of new technology-enabled entrants. This region is also expected to witness a huge number of partnerships, acquisitions, and competition during the forecast period. Many start-ups have started offering student loans and other types of financing through various FinTech platforms. This is anticipated to increase the deal volumes of investment in the Americas during the forecast period.The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players. The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:For full details By Application:P2P LendingOnline Acquiring and Mobile WalletsPersonal Finance Management or Private Financial PlanningMSME ServicesMPOSMobile First BankingBitcoinCrowd FundingOthersBy Regions:North AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeUKGermanyAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of the WorldFurthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:Historical year 2015, 2016Base year 2017Forecast period 2018 to 2025The industry is seeming to be fairly competitive. Some of the leading market players include ZhongAn China , Oscar, Wealth front, Quefangi, Funding Circle, Kreditech, Avant., Atom Bank, Klarna, Our Crowd and so on. Acquisitions and effective mergers are some of the strategies adopted by the key manufacturers. New product launches and continuous technological innovations are the key strategies adopted by the major players.?Enquire Now -Target Audience of the Global Fintech Investment Market in Market Study:Key Consulting Companies & AdvisorsLarge, medium-sized, and small enterprisesVenture capitalistsValue-Added Resellers VARsThird-party knowledge providersInvestment bankersInvestorsAbout Us :-Planet Market Reports gives statistical surveying reports to businesses, people and associations with a goal of helping them in their decision-making process. We have a huge database of market research reports & company profiles across the globe. We offer premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Planet Market Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, & industry experts which provide you deeper penetration of market research industry ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact US:-Name: Jennifer DanielEmail-Id: sales@planetmarketreports.comUS : +1-716-2260907UK : +447441952057Organization: Planet Market Reports Cancer Pain Market Key Player Analysis By Aoxing Pharmaceutical Company, Inc., BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Grunenthal Pharma GmbH & Co. KG Cancer Pain https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2852355/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-for-discount/2852355/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2852355/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL The global cancer pain market generated $5,285 million in 2017, and is projected to reach $7,545 million by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2018 to 2025.Cancer pain can be due to the disease condition itself or may be due to the associated treatments such as surgeries, chemotherapy, and other therapies. There is surge in the demand for cancer pain drugs owing to the growth in incidence of different forms of cancer, higher number of R&D studies to develop cancer pain therapeutics, and increase in adoption of cancer pain drugs. In addition, growth in the geriatric population and wide availability of cancer pain drugs further drive the market growth. However, adverse effects associated with cancer pain are projected to impede the market growth.The global cancer pain market is segmented based on drug type, disease indication, and region. Based on drug type, the market is classified into opioids, non-opioids, and nerve blockers. According to the disease indication, the market is categorized into lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, blood cancer, and others. Based on region, the market is studied across North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, and rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Australia, India, and rest of Asia-Pacific), and LAMEA (Brazil and rest of LAMEA).Request for a sample copy of this report @KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERSThe study provides an in-depth analysis of the market along with the current trends and future estimations to elucidate the imminent investment pockets.It offers a quantitative analysis from 2017 to 2025, which is expected to enable the stakeholders to capitalize on the prevailing market opportunities.A comprehensive analysis of all the geographical regions is provided to determine the existing opportunities.The profiles and growth strategies of the key players are thoroughly analyzed to understand the competitive outlook of the global market.Cancer Pain Key Market Segments:By Drug Type: Opioids, Non-Opioids, Nerve BlockersBy Application: Lung Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Melanoma, Hodgkin Lymphoma, OthersRequest for a Discount of this report @By Region:North America: U.S., Canada, MexicoEurope: UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Rest of EuropeAsia-Pacific: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Rest of Asia-PacificLAMEA: Chile, Israel, South Africa, Rest of LAMEAList Of Key Players Profiled in the ReportAoxing Pharmaceutical Company, Inc.BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.Grunenthal Pharma GmbH & Co. KGHisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co, Inc.Insys Therapeutics, Inc.Mundipharma International LimitedOrexo ABPfizer Inc.Teva Pharmaceutical Industries LimitedList Of Other Players in the Value Chain(These players are not profiled in the report. The same will be included on request.)Eli Lilly and CompanyGalena BiopharmaKyowa Kirin International plcMeda PharmaceuticalsTable of content:Chapter 1. Research MethodologyChapter 2. Global Cancer Pain Market Definition & ScopeChapter 3. Executive SummaryChapter 4. Global Cancer Pain Industry DynamicsChapter 5. Global Cancer Pain Market by ProductChapter 6. Global Cancer Pain Market by Vehicle TypeChapter 7. Global Cancer Pain Market by ApplicationChapter 8. Global Cancer Pain Market, Regional AnalysisChapter 9. Competitive IntelligenceEnquiry Before Buying @About Us:Big Market Research has a range of research reports from various publishers across the world. Our database of reports of various market categories and sub-categories would help to find the exact report you may be looking for.We are instrumental in providing quantitative and qualitative insights on your area of interest by bringing reports from various publishers at one place to save your time and money. A lot of organizations across the world are gaining profits and great benefits from information gained through reports sourced by us.Contact us:Mr. Abhishek Paliwal5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesDirect:+1-971-202-1575Toll Free:+1-800-910-6452email help@bigmarketresearch.com Worldwide Digital Asset Management Software Forecast 20182022 https://www.planetmarketreports.com/reports/global-digital-asset-management-software-market-10274 https://www.planetmarketreports.com/report-sample/global-digital-asset-management-software-market-10274 Global Digital Asset Management Software Market to reach USD 6.7 billion by 2025.Global Digital Asset Management Software Market valued approximately USD 1.8 billion in 2017 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 18.0% over the forecast period 2018-2025. The Digital Asset Management Software Market is continuously growing on surging trend in the coming years. The major driving factor of global Digital Asset Management Software market are increasing proliferation of digital content, reductional of operational cost and fueling investments in digital marketing. In addition, growth in demand for collaborative digital workflow and increasing in need for meeting government mandates to maintain transparency of operations. However, the factors limiting market growth are lack of awareness, lack of skilled personnel and high initial investment of global Digital Asset Management Software market. Digital asset management software is the software which conducts the process of organizing the stored data by managing its digital rights and authorizations. Digital asset management software has various benefits such as eliminate the cost of lost or misplaced work, accelerate production cycle, reduce the time to bring new marketing campaigns to market, eliminate workflow redundancies, improve collaboration and access to critical assets, maintain brand consistency, control over all data and improve marketing intelligence and measurement of return on marketing investments ROMI .The regional analysis of Global Digital Asset Management Software Market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is the leading/significant region across the world in terms of market share owing to increasing adoption of cloud-based storage of data and presence of large number major market player. Europe also contributes a major growth rate in the global Digital Asset Management Software market.Asia-Pacific is also anticipated to exhibit higher growth rate / CAGR over the forecast period 2018-2025 due to increasing demand for the enterprise content management, especially in developing nations such as India, China and Japan. These countries having increased demand for efficient data management and digitalization thus boosting the growth of market.Get More Information about this Report @The major market players included in this report are:Adam Software NV Adobe Systems Incorporated Canto Inc. CELUM GmbH Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation EMC Corporation Extensis Hewlett-Packard Enterprise MediaBeacon Inc. North Plains Systems Corp. Nuxeo OpenText Corp Oracle Corporation QBNK Company ABThe objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players.The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:By Type:Brand Asset Management SystemsLibrary Asset Management SystemsProduction Asset Management SystemsOn-premises DAMs SoftwareDAMS Software-as-a-ServiceBy Application:Media IndustryPublishing IndustryOthersBy Regions:North America U.S. CanadaEurope UK GermanyAsia Pacific China India JapanLatin America Brazil MexicoRest of the WorldGet a Free Sample Copy of this Report @Furthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:Historical year 2015, 2016Base year 2017Forecast period 2018 to 2025Target Audience of the Global Digital Asset Management Software Market in Market Study:Key Consulting Companies & AdvisorsLarge, medium-sized, and small enterprisesVenture capitalistsValue-Added Resellers VARsThird-party knowledge providersInvestment bankersInvestorsAbout Us:Planet Market Reports gives statistical surveying reports to businesses, people and associations with a goal of helping them in their decision making process. We have huge database of market research reports & company profiles across globe. We associated with global market research a publisher who has a wide range of research specialists & industry experts which provides you deeper penetration of market research industry.We have statistical surveying reports from number of top publishers and update our reports collections on daily basis with most recent research data to furnish our customers with the moment online access to our database. With access to this database, our customers will be able to benefit from expert insights on worldwide businesses, items, and market patterns. We help you in your buy choice by mapping your data needs with our immense accumulation of reports.Contact US:-Name: Jennifer DanielEmail-Id: sales@planetmarketreports.comUS: +1-716-2260907UK: +447441952057Organization: Planet Market Reports Herbal Toothpaste Market 2019 - 2023 | Colgate-Palmolive Company (U.S.), Procter & Gamble (U.S.), Unilever (U.K.), GSK group of companies (U.K.), The Himalaya drug company (India), Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Europe), Dabur (India) https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/herbal-toothpaste-market-3899 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/3899 Global Herbal Toothpaste Market OverviewIncreasing demand for herbal based products in personal care industry is likely to uplift the demand for global herbal toothpaste market over the review period. Market Research Future, a firm which specializes in market reports related to the Foods, Beverages & Nutrition sector among others, recently forecasted in its report Global Herbal Toothpaste Market Research Report- Forecast to 2023 that the market will demonstrate an exceptional CAGR % while achieving million dollar growth readily in the forecast period.Growing demand for herbal ingredients in personal care products such as oral care products including toothpaste for improving oral health is likely to increase the global herbal toothpaste market over the review period. Herbal toothpaste comprises of ingredients such as neem, mint, basil, spice extract, and many more which help users in providing ideal protection against dental issues like pyorrhea, gum bleeding, cavity and sensitivity. Increasing health conscious population and inclination of consumers towards herbal ingredients in personal care products is boosting the growth of herbal toothpaste market. Moreover, continuous increase in oral health issues among the growing population has opened doors for herbal toothpaste market owing to its oral health benefits.High benefits obtained from herbal products are also supporting the sale of herbal toothpaste globally. Among the various type of herbal, neem and mint are evaluated to hold a major share as wide range of products are available in this category attracting consumers towards the product line. However, stringent government laws and regulations for the use of herbal ingredients in herbal toothpaste preparation may hamper the growth of the market. Additionally, limited availability of herbs, spices and other natural products used in formulation of herbal toothpastes is likely to hamper the market growth over the forecast period.ACCESS REPORT DETAILS @Latest Industry UpdatesSep 2017 Leading FMCG brand Dabur India has undergone an agreement with Amazon to sell 30 of its products directly in the US, Canada and Mexico through the American online retailer's platform, amid a resurging interest in herbal products, ayurveda and yoga. The company is focusing more towards business expansion through mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships.Aug 2017 Hindustan Unilever Limited has launched a new range of Ayurvedic personal care products under the Lever ayush brand name. The re-launched Lever ayush range spans across personal care categories including Skin Care, Hair Care, Oral Care and Body Care products.Feb 2017 Dabur India Ltd has launched an ayurvedic specialist toothpaste in a modern gel format. The new product, Dabur Red Gel combines traditional wisdom with modern-day science to offer consumers the benefits of ayurveda in contemporary and ready-to-use formats.Nov 2016 Personal care products company Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd has launched Cibaca Vedshakti, a tooth paste made of natural ingredients. The company aims to focus more on launching herbal personal care products in upcoming months.Global Herbal Toothpaste Market - Competitive AnalysisThe major key players in the industry are focusing on R&D, to bring up new products in the market. Also major companies are undergoing clinical trials for herbal ingredients in personal care products. This initiative will help companies to provide clinically tested and safe products to consumers which will ultimately uplift the global herbal toothpaste market. Large number of competitors and intensified competition among them is giving a tough competition in the global herbal toothpaste market.Additionally, product certification would be a differentiating factor among the competitors. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by improving product quality and optimized investment strategies.The key players profiled in herbal toothpaste are Colgate-Palmolive Company (U.S.), Procter & Gamble (U.S.), Unilever (U.K), GSK group of companies (U.K), The Himalaya drug company (India), Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), Dabur India Ltd. (India)Global Herbal Toothpaste Market SegmentsThe global herbal toothpaste market has been divided into ingredients type, end-user, distribution channel, and region.On the Basis of Ingredients Type: Neem, Mint, Basil, Spice Extract, and OthersOn the Basis of End-user: Adults and KidsOn the Basis of Distribution Channel: Store-based and Non-store basedOn the Basis of Region: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and ROWGlobal Herbal Toothpaste Market - Regional AnalysisThe global herbal toothpaste market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world (RoW). Global herbal extract market is highly dominated by Asia Pacific region. Asia Pacific region is projected to grow tremendously during the forecast period. Moreover, the presence of various developing economies such as India, China and ASEAN countries are providing extra demand of the herbal product. Mounting growth of personal care industry in India and china are also anticipated to be one of the significant drivers in Asia Pacific region.A Sample of This Report Is Available upon Request @Furthermore, the awareness regarding health benefits of herbal products is also projected to stimulate the growth of Asia Pacific market during the forecast period. North America is also anticipated to witness decent growth over the forecast period due to the early adopter of new products and technology.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.ContactMarket Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Baby Infant Formula Market Forecasts Abbott, Arla Foods Amba, Campbell Soups, Dana Dairy Group Ltd, Danone, D-Signstore, HiPP GmbH & Co. Vertrieb KG, Reckitt Benckiser Baby Infant Formula https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2831905/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-for-discount/2831905/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2831905/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL The global baby infant formula market size is estimated to be $24,043 million in 2018, and is projected to reach $45,348 million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 9.5% from 2018 to 2025. Infant formula is an acceptable alternative substitute for infant consumption, which attempts to mimic the nutritional composition of breast milk as closely as possible. Although physicians recommend breastmilk for optimal infant nutrition, it may not always be possible, suitable, or solely adequate. Enspire infant formula and toddler milk, and Similac infant formula and toddler milk are among various infant formulas available for healthy, full-term infants who are not breastfed or partially breastfed.Request for a sample copy of this report @Increase in participation of women in labor force has led to rise in number of women working outside their houses, which drives the baby infant formula market growth. Infant formula presents an appealing alternative to working mothers for their babies as per the need and convenience. Rapid urbanization and growth of the middle-class population have led to changes in the lifestyle of individuals. The middle-class population is more affluent and can afford to spend more on their children, thus driving the market growth. Consumer perception of high nutritional content in the infant formula also supplements this growth. At present, consumers health consciousness is increasing, and they are on a lookout for infant formula having high content of protein, minerals, and vitamins. Moreover, growth in preference for organic infant formulas may present new avenues for the manufacturers. However, concerns related to food safety and decline in global birth rate may hamper the market growth.The global baby infant formula market is segmented based on type, ingredient, distribution channel, and geography. Based on type, it is classified into infant milk, follow-on-milk, specialty baby milk, and growing-up milk. By, ingredient, it is divided into carbohydrate, fat, protein, minerals, vitamins, and others. Based on distribution channel, the market is categorized into hypermarkets, supermarkets, pharmacy/medical stores, specialty stores, hard discounter stores, and others. Based on region, it is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.The leading players in the baby infant formula market have focused on product launch as their key strategies to gain a significant share in the market. The key players profiled in the report include Abbott, Arla Foods Amba, Campbell Soups, Dana Dairy Group Ltd, Danone, D-Signstore, HiPP GmbH & Co. Vertrieb KG, Reckitt Benckiser (Mead Johnson & Company LLC), Nestle S.A. and The Hain Celestial Group.Request for a Discount of this report @KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERSThe report provides an in-depth analysis of the current trends, drivers, and dynamics of the global baby infant formula market to elucidate the prevailing opportunities and potential investment pockets.It offers qualitative trends as well as quantitative analysis from 2018 to 2025 to assist stakeholders to understand the market scenario.In-depth analysis of the key segments demonstrates the types of baby infant formula.Competitive intelligence of the industry highlights the business practices followed by key players across geographies and the prevailing market opportunities.The key players are profiled along with their strategies and developments to understand the competitive outlook of the industry.Baby Infant Formula Key Market Segments:By Type: Infant Milk, Follow-on-Milk, Specialty Baby Milk and Growing-up MilkBy Ingredient: Carbohydrate, Fat, Protein, Minerals, Vitamins, OthersBy Distribution Channel: Hypermarkets, Supermarkets, Pharmacy/Medical Stores, Specialty Stores, Hard Discounter Stores and OthersBy Geography:North America: U.S., Canada, MexicoEurope: UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Rest of EuropeAsia-Pacific: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Rest of Asia-PacificLAMEA: Chile, Israel, South Africa, Rest of LAMEATable of content:Chapter 1. Research MethodologyChapter 2. Global Baby Infant Formula Market Definition & ScopeChapter 3. Executive SummaryChapter 4. Global Baby Infant Formula Industry DynamicsChapter 5. Global Baby Infant Formula Market by ProductChapter 6. Global Baby Infant Formula Market by Vehicle TypeChapter 7. Global Baby Infant Formula Market by ApplicationChapter 8. Global Baby Infant Formula Market, Regional AnalysisChapter 9. Competitive IntelligenceEnquiry Before Buying @About Us:Big Market Research has a range of research reports from various publishers across the world. Our database of reports of various market categories and sub-categories would help to find the exact report you may be looking for.We are instrumental in providing quantitative and qualitative insights on your area of interest by bringing reports from various publishers at one place to save your time and money. A lot of organizations across the world are gaining profits and great benefits from information gained through reports sourced by us.Contact us:Mr. Abhishek Paliwal5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesDirect:+1-971-202-1575Toll Free:+1-800-910-6452email help@bigmarketresearch.com Flock Adhesives Market Segment by Applications, Manufacturers, Regions and Forecast to 2023 Flock Adhesives Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3781873-flock-adhesives-market-research-report-by-source-waterborne https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/3781873-flock-adhesives-market-research-report-by-source-waterborne https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=3781873 WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On Flock Adhesives Market Segment by Applications, Manufacturers, Regions and Forecast to 2023.Flock Adhesives Industry 2019Description:-The flock adhesives are mainly used for the production of flawless and smoother finish inside a substrate. The flock adhesive technique delivers an exceedingly homogenous completion that can even be modified by the particular necessities. Utilizing longer, more slender textures creates a softer surface, while utilizing shorter and thicker strands results in a brush-like surface. They can likewise be effectively painted and offer a gap free surface, which gives run glues leeway over existing cement and joining advancements. The widespread adaptability of flock adhesives has prompted their broad use in the various industrial sectors. While flock coating or covering doesn't offer much extension to deliver fine distinctions in the printed or semitone-based shading pattern, it is exceedingly valuable in making a smooth plain print over a wide scope of substrates. This is the significant driver for the global flock adhesives market. The global flock adhesives market is projected to reach USD 3,275 million by the year 2023, expanding at a CAGR of 6.04% during the forecast period (2018-2023).Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comMarket segmentationThe global flock adhesives market on the basis of its type is segmented as solvent borne and waterborne. Based on its application, the market is divided into textile, automotive, paper and packaging, printing and others. On the basis of its type, the market is bifurcated into acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy and others.Regional analysisGeographically, the global flock adhesives market is divided into global regions like Europe, North America, Asia- Pacific, Middle East, LATAM, and Africa.Major playersHenkel AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), Union Ink (U.S.), Sika AG (Switzerland), International Coatings Company (U.S.), KISSEL + WOLF GmbH (Germany), H.B. Fuller (U.S.), Lord Corporation (U.S.), Stahl Holdings BV (The Netherlands), DowDuPont Inc. (U.S.), Bostik SA (U.S.), among others are some of the major players in the global flock adhesives market.Enquiry About Report @Table Of Contents Major Key Points1 Executive Summary2 Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.1 Scope of the Study2.2 List of Assumptions2.3 Market Structure3 Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size Estimation3.5 Forecast Model4 Market Dynamics4.1 Introduction4.2 Drivers4.2.1 Surging Demand for Both Passenger and Commercial vehicles4.2.2 High Demand for Flock Adhesives from Asia Pacific Region4.3 Restraint4.3.1 Volatility in Raw Material Prices4.4 Opportunity4.4.1 Growing Demand for Low-VOC, Green, and Sustainable Flock Adhesives4.5 Trend4.5.1 Growing Demand in Textile Industry5 Market Factor Analysis5.1 Supply Chain Analysis5.1.1 Raw Material Suppliers5.1.2 Flock Adhesive Producers5.1.3 Distribution Channel5.1.4 Application5.2 Porters Five Forces Analysis5.2.1 Threat of New Entrants5.2.2 Threat of Rivalry5.2.3 Threat of Substitute5.2.4 Bargaining Power of Supplier5.2.5 Bargaining Power of Buyer6 Global Flock Adhesive Market, By Source6.1 Introduction6.2 Water Borne6.3 Solvent Borne7 Global Flock Adhesive Market, By Type7.1 Introduction7.2 Acrylic7.3 Epoxy7.4 Polyurethane7.5 Other8 Global Flock Adhesive Market, By Application8.1 Introduction8.2 Automotive8.3 Textile8.4 Paper & Packaging8.5 Printing8.6 OtherContinuedBuy 1-user PDF @ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028. Crawler Crane Market 2019 By Key Vendors Terex Corporation, Liebherr Group, Konecranes, Palfinger AG, Escorts Limited, Link-Belt Cranes, Sany Group Crawler Crane Market https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2960 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2960 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/crawler-crane-market https://www.gminsights.com/ The Asia Pacific crawler crane market is witnessing a high adoption in the construction and mining sectors and expected to grow at a CAGR of over 5% from 2018 to 2024. Global companies are expanding their business operations in the region by collaborating with local manufacturers. For instance, in December 2016, Jekko s.r.l. collaborated with Lee Hyun Soo and Dennis Shin for establishing a new subsidiary, Jekko Korea in Seoul.Countries including India, China, and Japan are adopting advanced automated technologies in industrial sectors for enhancing their business operations. The escalating infrastructure development projects in countries including India will favor the crawler crane market growth.Request for a sample copy of this report @The crawler crane market is witnessing demand for low-level access units, niche machines, and customized choices. Growing installation & maintenance activities for the upgrade of fire stations, street lights, glasswork, and other associated infrastructure coupled with increasing organization of several events such as concerts, corporate events, and festivals, are driving the need for these machines across several regions.Key players in the crawler crane market include Terex Corporation, The Liebherr Group, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd., XCMG Group, The Escorts Group, Komatsu Ltd., Sany Group, and Manitowoc. Companies including The Escorts Group, Furukawa UNIC Corporation, and Terex Corporation sell their equipment through specialized construction equipment distributors and construction firms across the globe.Crawler Crane Market, By Capacityo Below 50 metric tonso 50 to 250 metric tonso 250 to 450 metric tonso 450 to 650 metric tonsCrawler Crane Market, By Applicationo Rentalo Constructiono Miningo Oil & Gaso EnergyMake an inquiry for purchasing this report @Crawler Crane Market size is set to exceed USD 3 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. The shipments are expected to grow at a CAGR of over 4%.Increasing utilization of crawler cranes in the energy sector is anticipated to drive the crawler crane market growth. These machines offer heavy lifting operations at the nuclear and renewable energy sites and facilitate the operators in handling the materials efficiently. Several manufacturers have developed energy sector-specific machines that witness a high demand. For instance, Manitowoc has launched a wind power crane, Grove GTK1100, that is used for wind turbine operations such as erection and construction. Additionally, the crawler crane market is witnessing growth opportunities due to the increasing infrastructure projects across the globe.Economic growth across the globe, especially in China, India, and Southeast Asian markets, has led to a better infrastructure demand. Growing building & construction spending due to a rise in per-capita disposable income along with enhanced infrastructure in Asia Pacific and Latin America will drive the crawler crane market. Growth in Latin America will be led by an increase in infrastructure spending, mainly transportation and energy, closely followed by spending on non-residential structures. The key areas of construction growth in emerging economies are social, transport, energy, defense infrastructure, and government accommodation.Browse report summery @High maintenance costs and initial investments are the major factors hindering the crawler crane market development. The high cost is discouraging several business manufacturers and OEMs from deploying high-end machines. Companies consider that investments for automated equipment must meet the global quality and manufacturing standards. In addition, the cranes are available on lease from the manufacturers at a lower price than the newer machines. Instead of procuring a new equipment, several customers commonly prefer renting equipment, which is anticipated to hamper the market.The strong distributor relations aid companies in gaining a competitive advantage and understanding the demand for any new products in application segments. This helps companies in the crawler crane market in efficiently marketing new product lines and expanding the customer base. In July 2018, The Liebherr Group announced the opening of the companys new headquarters in Virginia. The new facility developed a production & workshop unit to support Liebherrs construction, concrete, and cranes division.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb: Reverse Osmosis Membrane Market 2025 Global Analysis of Key Players MECO Incorporated, Pure Aqua, Inc., Rochem Marine, Ampac USA, Veolia Water Technologies, Aspen Water, Inc., Wananchi UK, Lifestream Watersystems, Inc Reverse Osmosis Membrane https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2778887/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-for-discount/2778887/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2778887/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL The global reverse osmosis membrane market size was estimated to be $6,201 million in 2017, and is estimated to reach $12,125 million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 8.7% from 2018 to 2025.The reverse osmosis (RO) membrane is a material with tiny pores, which excludes dissolved salts and molecules from sea or brackish water. RO is the most economical and practical way for purification & treatment of water. The RO membrane is delicate and expensive, hence needs protection. Since its discovery, there has been progressive improvement in the membranes and development of means for packaging them. As a result, present-day RO plants are compact & simple to operate, and there is no phase change required.Request for a sample copy of this report @Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are used for various purposes including desalination of seawater, waste water recovery, brackish water for drinking purposes, industrial process water, and others. They adequately eliminate almost all inorganic contaminants from water. They remove pesticides, radium, cysts, bacteria, and viruses.The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing market for RO membranes. The Asia-Pacific RO market is expected to register substantial growth during the forecast period, attributed to huge population in developing economies of the region. Other factors that drive the market are high-growth application areas such as seawater desalination systems and RO purification systems along with stringent regulations, owing to increased concerns over safe drinking water. Rapid industrialization and continuous rise in infrastructure have contributed immensely towards water pollution, which will drive the need for water purification and hence indirectly create an opportunity for the market players. However, factors, such as high cost of membrane, may restrict the market growth during the forecast period.The global reverse osmosis membrane market is segmented by material type, filter module, application, and region. On the basis of material type, the market is segmented into cellulose-based and thin film composite. According to the filter module, the market is classified into the plate & frame, tubular-shaped, spiral-wound, and hollow-fiber. By application, the market is divided into desalination system and RO purification system. Regional breakdown and deep analysis of each of the previously mentioned segments is included for North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.Request for a Discount of this report @The global reverse osmosis membrane industry is highly competitive, owing to the presence of several well-established manufacturers and vendors. The market has been undergoing significant consolidation over the last few years, and this trend is expected to continue further, owing to increase in adaptation of reverse osmosis membranes in new water treatment projects.The major players analyzed in this report are Toray Industries, Inc., LG Chem., Hydranautics (A Nitto Group Company), Toyobo Co., Ltd., Lanxess AG, The Dow Chemical Company, Koch Membrane System, Microdyn-Nadir GmbH, Membranium (JSC RM Nanotech), and Axeon Water Technologies.Other key players operating in the global reverse osmosis membrane market include MECO Incorporated, Pure Aqua, Inc., Rochem Marine, Ampac USA, Veolia Water Technologies, Aspen Water, Inc., Wananchi UK, Lifestream Watersystems, Inc., Global Enviro Science, TerraGroup Corporation, Parker Hannifin Ltd. (Village Marine), Global Water Group, Inc., Applied Membranes, Inc., Bionics Advanced Filtration Systems (P) Ltd., B&P Water Technologies s.r.l., and others.KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERSThe study provides an in-depth analysis of the market, with current trends and future estimations to elucidate the investment pockets.A comprehensive analysis of factors that drive and restrict the growth of the market is provided.The report provides a quantitative analysis to help the stakeholders to capitalize on prevailing market opportunities.An extensive analysis of different segments facilitates to understand various products of the market.The key players are profiled, and their strategies are analyzed thoroughly, which predict the competitive outlook of the market.Reverse Osmosis Membrane Key Market Segments :By Material Type: Cellulose-based, Cellulose acetate (CA) membrane, Nitrocellulose membrane, OthersThin film composite: Polyamide (PA) composite membrane, Graphene oxide-based (GO) polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite membraneBy Filter Module: Plate & frame, Spiral membrane, Pillow-shaped membrane, Tubular-shaped, Capillary, Spiral-wound, Hollow-fiberBy Application: Desalination system, Seawater, Brackish water, RO purification system, Residential & commercial, Municipal, Industrial, Medical devices & diagnostics, Dialysis equipmentBy Region:North America: U.S., Canada, MexicoEurope: UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Rest of EuropeAsia-Pacific: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Rest of Asia-PacificLAMEA: Chile, Israel, South Africa, Rest of LAMEAEnquiry Before Buying @Table of content:Chapter 1. Research MethodologyChapter 2. Global Reverse Osmosis Membrane Market Definition & ScopeChapter 3. Executive SummaryChapter 4. Global Reverse Osmosis Membrane Industry DynamicsChapter 5. Global Reverse Osmosis Membrane Market by ProductChapter 6. Global Reverse Osmosis Membrane Market by Vehicle TypeChapter 7. Global Reverse Osmosis Membrane Market by ApplicationChapter 8. Global Reverse Osmosis Membrane Market, Regional AnalysisChapter 9. Competitive IntelligenceAbout Us:Big Market Research has a range of research reports from various publishers across the world. Our database of reports of various market categories and sub-categories would help to find the exact report you may be looking for.We are instrumental in providing quantitative and qualitative insights on your area of interest by bringing reports from various publishers at one place to save your time and money. A lot of organizations across the world are gaining profits and great benefits from information gained through reports sourced by us.Contact us:Mr. Abhishek Paliwal5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesDirect:+1-971-202-1575Toll Free:+1-800-910-6452email help@bigmarketresearch.com Tobacco and Anti-Smoking Aids Market - Marlboro, Meridiano, Lucky Strike, Baisha, Liquid Designer Shake & Vape, Swisher Sweets, Vasco Da Gama, Avatar FX, Mademoiselle, Benson & Hedges, Gizeh Global Tobacco and Anti-Smoking Aids Market https://www.planetmarketreports.com/report-sample/global-tobacco-and-antismoking-aids-market-7800 https://www.planetmarketreports.com/reports/global-tobacco-and-antismoking-aids-market-7800 https://www.planetmarketreports.com/enquire-now/global-tobacco-and-antismoking-aids-market-7800 Traditional tobacco flavors appeal most to European and North American smokers, while in other regions consumers demonstrate a stronger preference for fruity and minty/floral tobacco flavors. 52% of smokers prioritize flavor when shopping for cigarettes. That 61% of smokers enjoy the taste and smell of tobacco-flavored cigarettes is evidence that the traditional smoker still forms a key target for cigarette manufacturers.Request a free sample atDriven by a concern for authentic, high-quality tobacco products with a long heritage and traditional flavour. The use of organic materials appeals to traditional smokers who seek simplicity and tradition above all else.The global Tobacco and Anti-Smoking Aids market is valued at xx million in 2017 and is expected to reach xx million by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of xx% between 2017 and 2023.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Tobacco and Anti-Smoking Aids.Europe also play important roles in global market, with market size of xx million in 2017 and will be xx million in 2023, with a CAGR of xx%.This report studies the Tobacco and Anti-Smoking Aids market status and outlook of Global and major regions, from angles of players, countries, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global market, and splits the Tobacco and Anti-Smoking Aids market by product type and applications/end industries.For full details Market Segment by Companies, this report coversNatural American SpiritMarlboroMeridianoLucky StrikeBaishaLiquid Designer Shake & VapeSwisher SweetsVasco Da GamaAvatar FXMademoiselleBenson & HedgesGizehMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America United States, Canada and MexicoEurope Germany, France, UK, Russia and ItalyAsia-Pacific China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast AsiaSouth America Brazil, Argentina, ColombiaMiddle East and Africa Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South AfricaMarket Segment by Type, coversCigarettes and Smoking TobaccoCigars and CigarillosSmokeless TobaccoE-CigarettesSmoking AlternativesMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHypermarkets/SupermarketsConvenience StoresOnline RetailOthersEnquire Now -About Us :-Planet Market Reports gives statistical surveying reports to businesses, people and associations with a goal of helping them in their decision-making process. We have a huge database of market research reports & company profiles across the globe. We offer premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Planet Market Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, & industry experts which provide you deeper penetration of market research industry ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact US:-Name: Jennifer DanielEmail-Id: sales@planetmarketreports.comUS : +1-716-2260907UK : +447441952057Organization: Planet Market Reports Clinical Trials Market opportunity 2019-2025 by Top Key Players: Novo Nordisk, IQVIA, Roche Holding, Covance Inc., Ecron Acunova Ltd, Eurotrials, Medpace Inc, PAREXEL, LabCorp, ICON plc, Novo Nordisk, Covance., Clinical Trials Market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-clinical-trials-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/?dbmr=global-clinical-trials-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-clinical-trials-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-clinical-trials-market Clinical Trials Market is expected to reach USD 1.76 billion by 2025, from USD 1.04 billion in 2017 growing at a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2025. The upcoming market report contains data for historic year 2016, the base year of calculation is 2017 and the forecast period is 2018 to 2025.For In-Depth Review | Get Free Sample Copy@Market Key Developments: In July2018:- Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly announce Tradjentas CARMELINA cardiovascular outcome trial meets primary endpoint. The company announced the positive top-line results from the trial, which evaluated the impact of treatment with Tradjenta compared with placebo on cardiovascular safety on top of standard of care In March 2016:- AAIPharma Services Corporation, which is a leading provider of custom development and manufacturing services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, announced its new identity as a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with expanded capabilities and capacity, the organization to now be known as AlcamiMarket Key Players: Clinipace Worldwide, LabCorp, Eli Lilly and Company, ICON Plc., Novo Nordisk, Parexel, Pfizer Inc., Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC, IQVIA, Roche Holding, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Ltd., Sanofi Aventis A.S. and Roche Group., Aaipharma Services Corp, Accell Clinical Research LLC, Aptiv Solutions, Chiltern International Limited , Congenix, Covance Inc., Ecron Acunova Ltd, Eurotrials, Medpace Inc, Pharmanet Development Group, PRA International, Siro Clinpharm PVT. LTDMarket Competitive Analysis:The global clinical trials market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of Clinical trials market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Speak To Industry Experts, Request For Details Report @TABLE OF CONTENTS:Chapter: Introduction Report description and scope Research scope Research met Market research process Market research methodologyChapter: Porters five forces analysis Bargaining power of suppliers Bargaining power of buyers Threat from new entrants Threat from new substitutes Degree of competition Market attractiveness analysis Market attractiveness analysis, by product type segment Market attractiveness analysis, by type of segment Market attractiveness analysis, by end user segmentChapter: Global Clinical Trials Market Competitive Landscape Company Market Share Analysis Global Clinical Trials Market: company market share, 2018 Strategic Development Acquisitions & Mergers New Therapy Launch Agreements, Partnerships, Collaborations and Joint Ventures Research and Development, Therapy and Regional ExpansionChapter: INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Value Chain Analysis Technology Roadmap Market Attractiveness AnalysisChapter: Market Dynamics Introduction Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Market TrendsChapter: Major Application Analysis Major Application Market Share Major Down Stream Customers Analysis Others GlobalChapter: New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis: New Project SWOT Analysis New Project Investment Feasibility AnalysisToc continued!For Full Toc Visit @Market Drivers and Restraints: Demand for clinical trials in emerging markets High R&D spending of the pharmaceutical industry Increasing prevalence of diseases Focus on rare diseases and multiple orphan drugs in pipeline Lack of skilled clinical research workforce Regulatory quality in emerging markets Stringent regulations for patient enrolmentMarket Segmentation:The global clinical trials market is segmented based on: phase, design geographical segments.On the basis of phase, the market is classified into: Phase I, Phase II, Phase III Phase IV.On the basis of design, the market is segmented into: treatment studies, observational studies,Based on geography, the market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies namely: North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa.Note: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Make an Inquiry for Discount On this Report@About Us:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Oral Antiseptics Market Future Opportunities 2018 - 2028 | Leading Players are Revive Personal Products Company, Procter & Gamble, 3M, Dentsply Sirona, Colgate-Palmolive https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8871 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-8871 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-the-analyst/rep-gb-8871 http://www.marketresearchblog.org/ https://www.fmiblog.com/ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ Oral antiseptics worth US$ 2 billion were sold by the end of 2018, according to a new research intelligence by Future Market Insights. A moderate 4.3% growth is expected in the revenue towards 2019 end. European market accounts for around 30% of the value share, whereas market in North America and East Asia is witnessing more promising growth opportunities, says the report.Escalating use of oral antiseptics and mouthwash, growing availability of new as well as niche products in the oral antiseptics category, and diverse price range will remain the key push factors propelling revenue growth of the oral antiseptics market. Increasing recommendations from general dental practitioners, solo and group practitioners, and dental research laboratories, strongly backed by effective marketing strategies adopted by regional and global brands is contributing heavily to steady expansion of oral antiseptics market.Request to View Sample of Research Report @Three out of 10 Europeans prefer oral antiseptics over mouthwash. While Europe has been providing the largest consumer base to oral antiseptics market players, increasing per capita consumption has been projected for the East Asian and North American consumer base. A majority of sales of oral antiseptics, i.e. over 42%, is concentrated in supermarkets/hypermarkets. However, FMI foresees a progressing demand scenario developing in the drug stores category in coming years.Herbal oral antiseptics to rise on the back of chemical-based productsCetylpyridinium chloride-based oral antiseptics, the bestseller over the years, will maintain a dominant value share in the market. While almost 75% of the total sales is accounted by Cetylpyridinium chloride-based oral antiseptics, a negligible share is currently contributed by the herbal segment. However, herbals are likely to emerge attractive in the long run.In line with the concerns related to possible discomfort and side effects of strong oral antiseptics that typically include alcohol and a few other chemical components, herbal products are launched in oral antiseptics market as a milder and safer alternative to chemical-based oral antiseptics. FMI opines that alcohol-free, organic, and Ayurvedic products will particularly witness strong demand in the herbal oral antiseptics category. Relatively low competitiveness of the herbal segment operated by a lesser number of players is expected to create scope of growth for oral antiseptics market.A Methodology of this Report is Available upon Request @A visibly rising trend of strategic collaborations between major brands in oral antiseptics space is translating into an expanded consumer base of collaborating entities. The report further states that mergers and acquisitions are not only limited to industry giants but also involve a large number of regional players that are potential acquisitions candidates for MNCs. This according to the report will result in a more consolidated competition landscape in the global oral antiseptics market. Within the course of past two years, Henry Schein Inc. has accomplished eight acquisition deals traversing multiple verticals in the dental healthcare realm.Additional Questions AnsweredAdditionally, the report also answers rather important question from this market which contains valuable information, critical questions such as:Which product type is the latest and is estimated to grow with parallel health benefitsWhat should be the strategies for manufacturers in order to sustain themselves in this competitive oral antiseptics market?Research MethodologyThe process of market research involves extensive secondary research of the concerned oral antiseptics market. Analysts try obtain industry-validated historic and current data about the demand for oral antiseptics across the globe. Comprehensive secondary research with assisted primary research is carried, the detailed oral antiseptics market value (US$ Million) is obtained. There are different steps in order to counter validate the final numbers, qualitative data and market understanding is converted into quantity giving out a prime market value for the industry.To Know More Clear Details about This Report, Ask The Analyst:About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact UsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comBlog:FMI Blog:Web: Global Long-range Electric Vehicles Market - In-Depth Analysis with Booming Trends Supporting Growth and Forecast till 2023 Key Players - BYD, Hyundai Motor, General Motors, Tesla, Renault Long-range Electric Vehicles Market Research Report 2023 https://www.researchreportsinc.com/sample-request?id=155449 https://researchreportsinc.com/enquiry?id=155449 https://www.researchreportsinc.com/check-discount?id=155449 https://researchreportsinc.com/checkout/?add-to-cart=155449&&attribute_pa_choose-license=single-user&&quantity=1 Research Reports Inc a new industry research that focuses on Long-range Electric Vehicles market and delivers in-depth market analysis and future prospects of Global Long-range Electric Vehicles market. The study covers significant data which makes the research document a handy resource for managers, analysts, industry experts and other key people get ready-to-access and self-analyzed study along with graphs and tables to help understand market trends, drivers and market challenges.Download Sample Report For Long-range Electric Vehicles :An electric vehicle, also called an EV, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion. An electric vehicle may be powered through a collector system by electricity from off-vehicle sources, or may be self-contained with a battery, solar panels or an electric generator to convert fuel to electricity. EVs include, but are not limited to, road and rail vehicles, surface and underwater vessels, electric aircraft and electric spacecraft.EVs first came into existence in the mid-19th century, when electricity was among the preferred methods for motor vehicle propulsion, providing a level of comfort and ease of operation that could not be achieved by the gasoline cars of the time. Modern internal combustion engines have been the dominant propulsion method for motor vehicles for almost 100 years, but electric power has remained commonplace in other vehicle types, such as trains and smaller vehicles of all types.The global market size of Long-range Electric Vehicles is $$$ Million in 2017 with $$$ CAGR from 2013 to 2017, and it is expected to reach $$$ million by the end of 2023 with a CAGR of $$$% from 2018 to 2023.The Companies Include :BYD, Hyundai Motor, General Motors, Tesla, Renault et al.There are 3 key segments covered in this report: geography segments, end use/application segments and competitor segment.For geography segment, regional supply, application-wise and type-wise demand, major players, price is presented from 2013 to 2023.Make An Enquiry For Long-range Electric Vehicles :This report coverss following regions :North AmericaSouth AmericaAsia & PacificMEA (Middle East and Africa)EuropeThe key countries in each region are taken into consideration as well, such as United States, China, Japan, India, Korea, ASEAN, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, CIS, and Brazil etc.For end use/application segment, this report focuses on the status and outlook for key applications. End users also can be listed.Grab Discount For Long-range Electric Vehicles :For competitor segment, the report includes global key players of Long-range Electric Vehicles as well as some small players.The information for each competitor includes:Company ProfileMain Business InformationSWOT AnalysisSales, Revenue, Price and Gross MarginMarket SharePurchase Now :We also can offer customized report to fulfill special requirements of our clients.TABLE OF CONTENTSChapter 1 Executive SummaryChapter 2 Abbreviation and AcronymsChapter 3 PrefaceChapter 4 Market LandscapeChapter 5 Market Trend AnalysisChapter 6 Industry Chain AnalysisChapter 7 Latest Market DynamicsChapter 8 Trading AnalysisChapter 9 Historical and Current Long-range Electric Vehicles Market inChapter 10 Historical and Current Long-range Electric Vehicles Market in South America (2013-2018)Chapter 11 Historical and Current Long-range Electric Vehicles Market in Asia & Pacific (2013-2018)Chapter 12 Historical and Current Long-range Electric Vehicles Market in Europe (2013-2018)Chapter 13 Historical and Current Long-range Electric Vehicles Market in MEA (2013-2018)Chapter 14 Summary for Global Long-range Electric Vehicles Market (2013-2018)Chapter 15 Global Market Forecast (2019-2023)Chapter 16 Company ProfileResearch Reports Inc. is one of the leading destinations for market research reports across all industries, companies, and technologies. Our repository features an exhaustive list of market research reports from thousands of publishers worldwide. We take pride in curating a database covering virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories. We are one of the premier sources for such reports & report customization services.Research Reports Inc.#766, 99 Wall Street, New YorkNY 10005, United StatesUS / Canada Toll Free: +18554192424,UK :+4403308087757Email: info@researchreportsinc.com Opioid Market Prime Economies Expected to Deliver Major Growth until 2021 https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/sample/230439-Opioid-Market https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/discount/230439-Opioid-Market Prescription opioids are posing a huge threat for pharmaceutical giants in the world as subjects consuming opioid drugs are becoming highly addictive to them, which is incidentally causing deaths. Production of synthetic opioid drugs has been tainted by reports that regard it to be an ill-fated burden on consumers as well as manufacturing companies. Overdose of opioids has resulted in occurrence of malignant disorders in the users body, most of which have resulted into fatalities. The demand for opioids, on the contrary, is likely to be on an all-time high, owing to a significant rise in incidences of cancer and other fatal disorders. As most of us know, the legitimate use of opioids is its performance as a narcotic pain relief medication in treatments for cancer, surgical pain and post-surgery trauma.Browse Sample of Full report @Consumption of opioids is largely reliant on its extensive use as an end-stage medication for treating cancer. While the analgesic nature of such drugs relives the patient from cancer pain, it incidentally suppresses sensation for the subject and results into organ failures. Off lately, the consumption of opioid drugs was highly criticized and condemned after reports of a prominent opioid medication, called Fentanyl, became the reason causing death of the patient for administration. Ergo, emergence of such news impaired the business progression of its North American pharmaceutical company, Insys Therapeutics, Inc. A comparatively high growth in opioid addiction in the US has further pressurized the FDA for abolishing the production of opioid drugs, in spite of being highly-crucial for cancer treatment.The impact of such incidences on the global opioids market is likely to be a deterrent one. Prescribing opioids continues to be majorly profitable for pharmacies, but the aftermath of its dosage is curbing their use in hospitals and specialty healthcare facilities. Research Report Insights (RRI) has compiled a report, titled Opioids Market by 2021 that valued the global opioids market at an estimated US$ 33 billion in 2014. Key market insights and research findings assessed in the report project that the market will garner US$ 42,158 million in revenues by the end of 2021.Give me Hefty discount @Fragmenting this growth of global opioids market, the report includes classification on the basis of products (drug types) and applications. The use of opioids in production of morphine and codeine drugs is anticipated to dominate the global market by accounting for over 60% share. Analgesic applications of opioid drugs are expected to procure market value of US$ 28,436.8 million by 2021-end. Increasing presence of palliative care facilities and rising importance of Abuse-Deterrent Formulation (ADF) regulations for generic drug manufactures is driving the growth of global opioids market; particularly in North America and Europe. The report has profiled some of the leading companies contributing to the growth of global opioids market, which include pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Actavis Plc., Purdue Pharma, Pfizer Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., among others.Research Solution Insights is a U.S. based market research and consulting company. We are the best destination for your research and analytical solutions; simply because our primary and secondary sources of information are adroit to give one stop solutions. Company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services.10 rue Pierre Grange,Zone industrielle de la pointe,94120 Fontenay sous Bois New Report on Car Speaker Systems Market 2019 Size, Trends, Industry SWOT Analysis and Key Players https://www.inforgrowth.com/samplerequest/global-car-speaker-systems-market-status-and-future-forecast-2015-2024 https://www.inforgrowth.com/report/1330450/global-car-speaker-systems-market-status-and-future-forecast-2015-2024 Car Speaker Systems market research report provides the details about Industry Chain structure, Market Competition, Market Size & Share, SWOT Analysis, Technology, Cost, Raw Materials, Consumer Preference, Development & Trends, Regional Forecast, Company & Profile and Product & Service.Car Speaker Systems market research report also gives information on the Trade Overview, Policy, Regional Market, Production Development, Sales, Regional Trade, Business Operation Data, Market Features, Investment Opportunity, Investment Calculation and other important aspect of the industry.Request a Sample of Car Speaker Systems Market Research Report with 121 pages and Analysis of 14 Key Players atTop players covered in this report are:Alpine Electronics, Inc., Bang & Olufsen, BOSE, Blaupunkt, Boston, DYNAUDIO, Focal, Harman/Kardon, HiVi, JL Audio, Inc., JVC, LG Electronics, Sony, Panasonic.Market by Type:Tweeters, Super Tweeters, Midrange, Woofers, Subwoofers.Market by Application:Passenger Vehicles, Commercial Vehicles.Car Speaker Systems Industry report elaborates the Definition, Industry History, present & future Trends, Upstream and Downstream Industry Chain, Technology, Cost Structure, Consumer Preference, Development Prospect, Competition Structure, Relevant Policy, Trade Overview etc.Car Speaker Systems Market Report also provides the information by Product, Market Size & Forecast, Major Companies, Company Overview, Sales Data, Products and Services, Business Analysis, Market Competition, Industry Competition Structure Analysis, Rivalry, Threat of New Entrants, Substitutes, Bargaining Power of Suppliers & Buyers etc.Then Car Speaker Systems Market segmented by Demand Situation, Industry Application Status, Industry SWOT Analysis, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, Customer Survey, Demand Forecast etc.Further Car Speaker Systems Market Research Report provides Regional Market Analysis with Production, Sales, Trade & Regional Forecast. It also provides Market Investment plan like Product Features, Price Features, Channel Features, Purchasing Features, Regional & Industry Investment Opportunity, Cost & Revenue Calculation, Economic Performance Evaluation etc.The Car Speaker Systems industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions offered.View More Details about Car Speaker Systems Market Research Report atTable of ContentsPart 1 Industry OverviewPart 2 Industry OverallPart 3 Car Speaker Systems Market by ProductPart 4 Key Companies ListPart 5 Market CompetitionPart 6 Market Demand by SegmentPart 7 Region OperationPart 8 Market InvestmentPart 9 ConclusionAbout InForGrowth:We are a market-intelligence company formed with the objective of providing clients access to the most relevant and accurate research content for their growth needs. At InForGrowth, we understand Research requirements and help a client in taking informed business critical decisions. Given the complexities and interdependencies of market-intelligence, there is always more than one source to explore and arrive at the right answer. Through our smart search feature and our reliable & trusted publishing partners, we are paving way for a more simplified and relevant research.Address: 6400 Village Pkwy suite # 104, Dublin, CA 94568, USAEmail: sales@inforgrowth.comPhone: +1-909-329-2808 Comprehensive analysis on Wind Lidar Market Size | Key Players are: ZephIR, Leosphere, SgurrEnergy, Lockheed Martin, Avent, Mitsubishi Electric, Pentalum, Windar Photonics Wind Lidar Market https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/1680757?utm_source=openpr.com&utm_medium=ABHIJEET https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/1680757?utm_source=openpr.com&utm_medium=ABHIJEET https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-wind-lidar-market-growth-2019-2024?utm_source=openpr.com&utm_medium=ABHIJEET https://www.marketstudyreport.com https://www.marketstudyreport.com/blog A detailed study on Wind Lidar Market formulated by Market Study Report, LLC, puts together a concise analysis of the growth factors impacting the current business scenario across assorted regions. Significant information pertaining to the industrys size, share, application, and statistics are also summed in the report in order to present an ensemble prediction. In addition, this report undertakes an accurate competitive analysis illustrating the status of market majors in the projection timeline, while including their expansion strategies and portfolio.According to this study, over the next five years the Wind Lidar market will register a 7.9% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach US$ 140 million by 2024, from US$ 88 million in 2019. In particular, this report presents the global market share (sales and revenue) of key companies in Wind Lidar business,Request a sample of this premium report atThe key manufacturers covered in this report: ZephIR Leosphere SgurrEnergy Lockheed Martin Avent Mitsubishi Electric Pentalum Windar PhotonicsWind Lidar is a type of lidar which can be used to measure wind speed and to provide information about vertical distribution of the aerosol particles. It is a new atmospheric remote sensing equipment, and semiconductor wind lidar the only effective tool to achieve remote sensing for the three-dimensional atmospheric wind field.Wind Lidar product demand market there is also a certain space, the signal of market price change indicates the trend in the Wind Lidar industry, low-end product more widely used in wind power.Despite the presence of competition problems, due to the global energy industry trend is clear, wind power market is broad, investors are still optimistic about this area; the future will still have more new investment enter the field.Although sales of Wind Lidar brought a lot of opportunities, the study group recommends the new entrants just having money but without technical advantage and downstream support do not to enter into the Wind Lidar field.This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of Wind Lidar market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions and countries.This study considers the Wind Lidar value and volume generated from the sales of the following segments:Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report atSegmentation by product type:Compact LidarLarge-scale Coherent Doppler Lidar SystemSegmentation by application:Wind PowerAviation WeatherWeather & ClimateOtherThe report also presents the market competition landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendor/manufacturers in the market.In addition, this report discusses the key drivers influencing market growth, opportunities, the challenges and the risks faced by key manufacturers and the market as a whole. It also analyzes key emerging trends and their impact on present and future development.Research objectivesTo study and analyze the global Wind Lidar consumption (value & volume) by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2014 to 2018, and forecast to 2024.To understand the structure of Wind Lidar market by identifying its various subsegments.Focuses on the key global Wind Lidar manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.To analyze the Wind Lidar with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).To project the consumption of Wind Lidar submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Table of Contents2019-2024 Global Wind Lidar Consumption Market Report1 Scope of the Report2 Executive Summary3 Global Wind Lidar by Players4 Wind Lidar by Regions5 Americas6 APAC7 Europe8 Middle East & Africa9 Market Drivers, Challenges and Trends10 Marketing, Distributors and Customer11 Global Wind Lidar Market Forecast12 Key Players Analysis13 Research Findings and ConclusionComplete report atAbout Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report LLC4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog: VR Gambling Market is Booming Worldwide| Kindred, Paddy Power Betfair, William Hill VR Gambling Market https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1234172-global-vr-gambling-market https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1234172-global-vr-gambling-market https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1234172 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1234172-global-vr-gambling-market https://www.linkedin.com/company/13388569/ https://www.facebook.com/htfmarketintelligence/ https://twitter.com/htfmarketreport https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NidhiBhawsar-SEO_Expert?rel=author Global VR Gambling Market 2018-2022 is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, risk side analysis, and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The study provides information on market trends and development, drivers, capacities, technologies, and on the changing capital structure of the Global VR Gambling Market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are 888 Holdings, GVC Holdings, Kindred Group, Paddy Power Betfair, William Hill.Virtual reality (VR) gambling is a three-dimensional simulation of online gambling, which provides customers with immersive and interactive experiences. HTF MI analysts forecast the global VR gambling market to generate a revenue of more than USD 400 million by 2022.VR Gambling Market Overview:If you are involved in the VR Gambling industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. Its vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.Enquire for customization in Report @VR Gambling Market: Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2023Research study is to define market sizes of various segments & countries in previous years and to forecast the values to the next 5-8 years. The report is designed to comprise each qualitative and quantitative elements of the industry facts including: market share, market size (value and volume 2012-17, and forecast to 2023) with admire to each of the areas and countries concerned inside the examination. Furthermore, the report additionally caters the detailed statistics about the vital elements which includes drivers & restraining factors which will define the future growth of the market.Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:Historical year 2013-2017Base year 2018Forecast period** 2018 to 2023 [** unless otherwise stated]Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.The designated segments and sub-section of the market are explained below:Market driver Increase in e-sports betting For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge High cost of VR headsets For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend VR as a cure for gambling addiction For a full, detailed list, view our reportSome of the key Manufacturers Involved in the Market are 888 Holdings, GVC Holdings, Kindred Group, Paddy Power Betfair, William HillYou can get free access to samples from the report here:For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies. If opting for the Global version of VR Gambling Market analysis is provided for major regions as follows: North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Buy this research report @Key Answers Captured in Study areWhich geography would have better demand for product/services?What are the strategies adopted by big players in the regional market?Which country would see the steep rise in CAGR & year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth?What is the current & expected market size in next five years?What is the market feasibility for long term investment?What opportunity the country would offer for existing and new players in the VR Gambling market?What is risk involved for suppliers in the geography?What factors would drive the demand for the product/service in near future?What is the impact analysis of various factors in the Global VR Gambling market growth?What are the recent trends in the regional market and how successful they are?Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global VR Gambling market.Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global VR Gambling market, Applications, Market Segment by Regions North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific etc;Chapter 2, objective of the study.Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques.Chapter 4 and 5, to show the Overall Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics;Chapter 6 and 7, to show the Market size, share and forecast; Five forces analysis (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition;Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific etc ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain AnalysisChapter 10, focus on identifying the key industry influencers, overview of decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers;Chapter 11 and 12, Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behaviour, Marketing Channels and demand & supply.Chapter 13 and 14, describe about the vendor landscape (classification and Market Positioning)Chapter 15, deals with Global VR Gambling Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].About Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA 08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.comConnect with us at CORRECTION APPENDED BELOW A 28-year-old behavioral therapist on Monday was found guilty of sexually assaulting the 13-year-old autistic boy she was working with following a 10-day trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The jury of seven men and five women returned the verdict after about two hours of deliberations, finding Abigail Minjung Kim guilty of second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy and six counts of first-degree sexual abuse. A person commits second-degree rape when sexual intercourse occurs with someone under 14 years of age, under state law. Kim, standing beside her defense lawyer, looked straight ahead and showed little emotion as the verdict was read and each of the jurors were polled. The verdict was unanimous. Kim had an inappropriate, intentional, voluntary relationship with the boy, who is on the autism spectrum and suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, prosecutor Melissa Marrero said during closing arguments. The sexual abuse occurred in October and November 2017 when he was barely 13 during Kims visits to his home when she worked for Footprints Behavioral Intervention. They often met in his room, behind closed doors, according to the prosecutor. The boy testified before a grand jury, telling jurors he had humped Kim multiple times, that they hugged and kissed and became boyfriend and girlfriend. He testified that on their last day together they had sex. He also told grand jurors that Kim never told him to stop and never pushed him off, the prosecutor said. Internet searches that investigators found on Kims cellphone corroborated the boys testimony, the prosecutor argued. Her cellphone revealed web searches for 15 years younger boyfriend when Kim was 28 and the boy was 13. Other searches included: How to deal with an autistic boyfriend, Can a teenage boy become attached to the girl he lost his virginity to?, Can a minor be charged with sexual harassment, legal proof of child sexual abuse in the absence of physical evidence and sexy womens panties, according to the prosecutor. Kim considered the teenager her boyfriend, Marrero contended. He was particularly vulnerable because of his disability, Marrero said. She knew exactly what his needs were and she exploited those. Defense lawyer Adam Dean argued that Kim, a 95-pound, soft-spoken and mild-mannered Korean immigrant, couldnt control the boy and he sexually attacked her. She feared reporting the attacks until November 2017. In an email to a supervisor, she reported that the 13-year-old had been sexually abusing her since October 2017. And its my fault I did not report it at the beginning and the intensity has increased, she wrote, according to court testimony. Kim was wrong for not having reported the behavior right away, her lawyer said. She failed miserably at that, he said. Dean argued that the state, though, failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she had any intent to sexually assault the boy. What occurred happened without her consent, Dean argued. Kim sat for a three-hour interview with a Gresham police detective on Nov. 13, 2017, and confided with her sister, her lawyer said. A defense expert also testified, telling jurors that Korean Americans like Kim have been taught not to challenge authority or rock the boat. Kim also is the primary caretaker for her sister, who has autism and Down syndrome. She lives with her mother and sister. Dean pointed out that Kim conducted other internet searches for sexual abuse and sexual harassment. The state cant have it both ways, Dean argued. The prosecutor countered that Kim only reported being sexually attacked after learning that the teenagers mother, unaware of the sexual encounters between her son and Kim, requested that Kim no longer be assigned to help her son. Until then, Kim had been asking to work more hours with the boy, Marrero told jurors. As part of their verdicts, the jury also found for each count that the victim in the case was vulnerable and Kim violated her professional responsibilities, which could enhance her sentence. Kim was a mandatory reporter of child abuse and had ethical obligations prohibiting sexual conduct with a client, the prosecutor said. Kim had a masters degree in teaching with a specialization in applied behavioral analysis. She was fired from her job in the fall of 2017. After the verdict was announced, Multnomah County Judge David F. Rees briefly recessed to address the jurors in the jury room. Kim, her lawyer and the prosecutor remained silent in the courtroom as laughter could be heard in the adjoining jury room. Its not clear what prompted the laughter, but it raised eyebrows among some waiting in the courtroom. A short time later, when the judge returned, Marrero asked that Kim be taken into custody immediately, citing concerns that she might flee before sentencing, considering the convictions. Kim has family in California and also in Korea, the prosecutor noted. Marrero also told the court she intends to ask for consecutive sentencing for the eight-count conviction. Dean said Kim is on electronic monitoring and hasnt violated the conditions of her pretrial release. The judge asked if Kim had a passport and was told she had already turned it over to the countys Close Street Supervision office. The judge allowed Kim to remain out of custody. Sentencing is set for May 24 at 1:30 p.m. CORRECTION: The story reflects Abigail Minjung Kims conviction for second-degree rape. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Oregon refuge occupier Jason Patrick was back in custody Monday and appeared briefly before a federal magistrate judge, accused of violating the conditions of his supervised release. Patrick was sentenced in February 2017 to one year and nine months in prison in the armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. A jury convicted Patrick, now 46, of conspiracy to impede federal workers through intimidation, threat or violence, a felony, and a judge convicted him of trespass, tampering with vehicles and equipment and destruction or removal of property, all misdemeanors. At the time of his sentence, he had already served 16 months. He was released from federal prison March 30, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons. Most recently, he has been living in a trailer in Baker City. Federal prosecutor Ethan Knight argued for Patricks continued detention, pending a hearing Thursday on his alleged violations. Knight argued that Patrick posed a risk of not returning to court, citing his persistent unwillingness to follow directions of his supervising officer. Jason Patrick was taken into custody in Baker City and was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on Friday, March 1, 2019. Patrick denies the allegations, court-appointed lawyer Thomas Price said. Price submitted to the court an exchange of emails he said were between Patrick and his probation officer Brian Ring. Patrick recalled sending a Jan. 10 email to Ring, but Ring may not have received it because Patrick has problems with his Wi-Fi connection, Price said. He made a genuine effort to keep in contact with his probation officer, Price said. Price argued that Patricks alleged violations arent serious ones, and he intends to challenge them at a preliminary hearing before U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown. U.S. Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim You allowed for Patricks release, saying she had confidence that the family and friends attending the brief hearing Monday from Baker City and Seattle in his support would ensure Patrick returns to court Thursday for his 10 a.m. hearing before Brown. In the past, federal prosecutors have argued that Patrick showed contempt for the court during pretrial hearings and his trial. He repeatedly failed to carry any identification necessary to enter the courthouse and told Judge Brown when he was late to court that he had no way to notify her and quipped that hed communicate via carrier pigeon in the future. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. A Woodburn man pleaded guilty Tuesday to participating in a conspiracy that produced more than 10,000 fraudulent government identification cards, including drivers licenses from Oregon and more than 25 other states, U.S. Social Security cards, false immigration records, birth certificates, marriage licenses and vehicle titles. Miguel Merecias-Lopez, 24, and unidentified conspirators worked out of a secret photo lab in Woodburn, using digital cameras, computers, scanners, laminators and a high-resolution printer to produce bogus documents that they sold and distributed in Oregon and mailed across the United States, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Sax. The investigation continues and other arrests are anticipated. Merecias-Lopez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce fraudulent documents and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon in Portland. He joined the conspiracy in January 2017 after he arrived in the United States from Oaxaco, Mexico, Sax said. Hes responsible for creating at least 300 of the fraudulent documents, including permanent resident cards, Social Security cards and drivers licenses, according to a plea agreement. Miguel Merecias-Lopez, 24, on Tuesday , March 5, 2019, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce fraudulent government documents and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Columbia County Sheriff's Office Customers paid in cash through Paypal, via U.S. mail or in person, and communicated with the sellers via email, Facebook and Snapchat, investigators said. Merecias-Lopez was arrested Sept. 21, 2017, behind the drivers wheel of a black Toyota Camry in a fast-food parking lot in Woodburn when he arrived to conduct a drug deal with an informant working with investigators from the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force, according to court records. More than a kilogram of methamphetamine was found on him and a search of his apartment revealed equipment used in the fake document scheme, the records show. Investigators seized laptops, printers, ink, flash drives, notebooks, laminators, dozens of security images and seals commonly used on legitimate ID documents, as well as unused plastic card sleeves they believe were intended for the production of another 10,000 identification cards, according to court documents. Merecias-Lopez, who is being held at the Columbia County Jail in St. Helens, will be sentenced on June 18. He isnt a U.S. citizen and is expected to face deportation after serving his term, according to the plea agreement. Conspiracy to produce false identification documents carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine and the methamphetamine distribution conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum and a $10 million fine. Prosecutors are expected to recommend a sentence on the lower range. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Mike Rosen, the Portland school board member whose zone encompasses much of the Lents, Brentwood-Darlington and Woodstock neighborhoods, has announced he will not run for re-election in May, citing the long hours the volunteer post requires. Rosen was elected in 2015 after running unopposed for the seat previously held by Greg Belisle, who also stepped down after a single term. Rosen told The Oregonian/OregonLive he regularly spent between 20 and 30 hours on board work per week, split between meetings, research and travel. Rosen said the work can get rough at times but is ultimately rewarding. Its not a thankless job, but its a tough job, he said. Rosen is the fifth board member since 2007 to decline a run for re-election. Before he joined the seven-member board overseeing Oregons largest school district, Rosen spent two decades as a parent advocate, he said in a statement. His main priority while working with the Portland Parents Coalition, Rosen said, was restoring a full day of high school for Portland students. He also told The Oregonian/OregonLive theres a world of difference between advocacy work and sitting on the board. You have to work with six other people and be communicative, be compromising, be flexible, Rosen said. Its also really important to be really educated on the issues, do your research and speak with other board members. Its a team effort. Rosen was one of two board members to travel to Atlanta in 2017 as part of the search for a new superintendent after Carole Smith resigned amid the districts escalating lead-in-water scandal. Teachers and administrators in Georgia told Rosen and fellow board member Amy Kohnstamm that Donyall Dickey would be an asset to Portland Public Schools, and Rosen joined the other Portland representatives on the scouting trip in praising Dickey upon their return. But the board ultimately rejected Dickey when it was discovered the assistant Atlanta superintendent neglected to include prior arrests in his application for the job in Oregon and was unwilling to commit to dropping outside consulting work. Rosen was the first board member to call for the district to seek new legal counsel after he saw signs that Miller Nash wasnt up to his standards, a view later shared by other board members. Rosen called for the ensuing investigation to include a hard look at the districts legal advice after an Oregonian/OregonLive investigation found district officials failed to act on allegations of sexual misconduct by a longtime Portland educator. Among the board actions Rosen said he was most proud of, he cited the hiring of Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero, the passing of a $790 million bond and opening of two middle schools this academic year to name a few. A majority of the boards seats are up for election in May and only three people have filed to run with the Multnomah County elections office so far. The filing deadline is March 21. Eilidh Lowery, senior pastor for the Southeast Portland Parish of the Trinity United Methodist church, is running in Zone 7. Shanice Clarke, program coordinator for the Pan-African Commons Student Center at Portland State University, has filed to run in Zone 2, currently represented by Paul Anthony. Anthony, one of the boards most vocal members who filed a civil rights complaint against the district in 2016 alleging racial discrimination over unequal course offerings for middle school students, told The Oregonian/OregonLive he hasnt yet reached a decision. I hope to be able to run, he said. Anthony withdrew the complaint the following summer. The terms of two other board members, Amy Kohnstamm and Vice Chair Julie Esparza Brown, are also up in July. Neither has yet announced her plans. Andrew Scott, deputy chief operating officer for Metro, has filed to run for Esparza Browns seat representing Zone 1. Linda Austin is a 65-year-old dancer who still is performing. In the Japanese dance theatre Butoh, Kazuo Ohno performed until he was 101, and American legend Merce Cunningham performed well into his 70s. From March 14 through 23 at Performance Works NorthWest, Linda Austin will premiere her solo work Ordinary Devotions, an ode of loving kindness to an aging body. The everyday intimacy that Austin enacts onstage, to an audience of only 28 patrons, is a performance worth attending. Intrigued by Linda Austins attentiveness to the liveliness of mortality, I talked with her about the grace of human transformation, which is at the very core of her one-woman dramatic dance. Q: When did you start dancing? A: I started dancing in my 20s, after graduating from Lewis & Clark (College) in 1976 with a bachelors in theater. Then I moved to New York City, where my first work was presented in 1983. Q: When and why did you establish Performance Works NorthWest? A: When I moved back to Oregon I had money from the sale of an apartment in (Manhattan), which I had bought in 1978 for $2,000 yes, $2,000 enough to make a payment on a house or a commercial space. I knew Id opt for the latter. Besides the spur of romance, a long-distance relationship with Jeff Forbes (Performance Works Northwest co-founder), I left New York and came back to be able to afford space to dance. We actually founded PWNW before we had the space, originally as a platform for my own work. Portland choreographer Linda Austin. (Jeff Forbes) Q: In your upcoming work, "Ordinary Devotions," what props do you choose and why? A: There are multiple spools of thread, a white tarp, a lamp, and stones I collected during a residency at Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, cassette tapes of music that reflect different eras of aspects of our collective cultural life, a metal urn, a twig, and some sand. The spools came first as I had a yearning to levitate just an inch off the floor. The others intuitively accreted into the piece as I worked. Q: How do you interact with those props? A: There is a tactile and/or transformative interaction with all the props: walking on or lying atop the spools of thread, tapping the surfaces of my body with a stone or a flashlight, the tarp that is a mountain shape when rumpled and bunched but later becomes a screen hung in the space. My body feels more real; I remind myself that I do have a body, when touching and interacting with environment. Q: What music and sounds accompany your dance, and why did you choose them? A: I collaborated with the sound artist Juniana Lanning, who uses field recordings of both human-generated and natural sounds. Juniana then transforms and mixes them in a variety of ways. I like how the sound in a fashion analogous to my work with the props deals with the immediate world around us. In fact, some of the sounds are sounds made via my interaction with the objects. Linda Austin, Ordinary Devotions When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, March 14-16, and Wednesday-Saturday, March 20-23, and 5 p.m. Sunday, March 17. Where: Performance Works NorthWest, 4625 S.E. 67th Ave. Tickets: $12-$16; pay what you will on Wednesday, March 20; pwnw-pdx.org or 503-777-1907. A young man who says he was 15 when prominent community activist and wealthy Portland real estate developer Terry Bean sexually abused him has filed a $6.15 million lawsuit, saying Bean illegally offered cash to keep him from testifying in a Eugene criminal trial against Bean in 2015. The man, now in his early 20s, says Bean agreed to $220,000 in two payments that amounted to illegal witness tampering or bribing a witness. The alleged payments came after a Lane County judge already had turned down a civil compromise in the case -- a legal maneuver allowed in Oregon when a defendant offers a remedy -- often money -- to an injured party in order to settle the case without a conviction. The man says that Bean offered him the money anyway. When the trial date came in September 2015 and the man was due to take the witness stand, prosecutors said he was unwilling to testify. Prosecutors then dropped the criminal case against Bean, who is now 70 years old. But in January, prosecutors suddenly refiled criminal charges against Bean, accusing him of misdemeanor third-degree sexual abuse and felony third-degree sodomy for allegedly having sex with the then-underage teen in a Eugene hotel room in September 2013. The resuscitated criminal case is a likely sign that the man has once again agreed to testify. On Monday, the man filed the $6 million civil lawsuit. Hes identified only by initials in the suit. The Oregonian/OregonLive generally doesnt identify alleged victims in sex crime cases. On Tuesday, Beans attorney described the lawsuit as a money grab and said Beans name will ultimately be cleared. Mr. Bean is innocent of the underlying charges and is prepared to defend himself in court, Beans attorney, Derek Ashton, said in a statement emailed to The Oregonian/OregonLive. This offensive lawsuit demanding over $6 million dollars proves yet again that the accuser is interested in one thing only: money. The lawsuit says the man received only $5,000 from Bean and that his lawyer, Lori Deveny, never gave him the remaining $215,000 that Bean paid Deveny. Deveny -- who once had a good reputation in Oregons legal community -- last year relinquished her law license after leagues of clients came forward saying she didnt pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlement payments. The Oregon State Bar issued a rare warning that Deveny posed a threat of public harm. The lawsuit says Deveny also forged the signatures of the alleged victim and his legal guardian on at least one payout agreement with Bean. The lawsuit lists only Bean as a defendant and seeks compensation for the alleged sexual abuse. Ashton said in his written statement that Beans decision to make the payments was a business decision. According to Ashton: In 2015, the accuser also demanded a substantial sum of money by using the threat of a civil lawsuit in the midst of the criminal proceeding. At that time, Mr. Bean made a business decision and agreed to a civil compromise in order to settle these disputed claims." Ashton said the accuser made his unwillingness to prosecute known at every step in the process in the earlier criminal case and now has hired new lawyers to represent him in his effort to once again use the district attorney to gain leverage and extract more money. Bean is president of Bean Investment Real Estate, which is based in downtown Portland and owns more than 6,000 multi-family property units in the western United States, according to the company website. Bean also has been a prominent Democratic fundraiser and a well-known gay rights activist. In January, Bean entered pleas of not guilty to the criminal charges against him. No trial date has been set yet. Kiah Loy Lawson, Beans boyfriend at the time of the alleged crimes, also has been charged for allegedly taking part in the sexual abuse of the boy. Lawson also is fighting those charges, with a trial tentatively scheduled for March 15. Portland attorneys Sean Riddell and Chris Mascal are representing the alleged victim in Mondays lawsuit. -- Aimee Green agreen@oregonian.com o_aimee Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Ethan Lindenberger began by questioning his parents' anti-vaccine stances and eventually got himself inoculated, a rebellion that caught the attention of the national media - and now Congress. The 18-year-old from Ohio announced Saturday on YouTube that he had been invited to speak before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions at a hearing Tuesday devoted to examining outbreaks of preventable diseases. He will appear alongside experts such as John Wiesman, Washington state's secretary of health, and Saad B. Omer, a professor at Emory University, according to the committee's website. "I'm looking forward to speaking in Washington, D.C.," Lindenberger said in the video. Lindenbergers story has caught on amid a measles outbreak that has affected dozens of people in the United States, prompting increasing scrutiny of parents who do not get their children vaccinated. In Washington and Oregon, health officials have confirmed more than 70 measles cases. The vast majority are young children in the Vancouver area who werent vaccinated. Both states are considering tightening vaccination exemptions. Lindenberger said he lived for years without being vaccinated because of his mothers belief in vaccine conspiracies. So Lindenberger began to do his own homework, consulting scientific research and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In November, he posted on Reddit asking for advice about how to get vaccinated. In December, Lindenberger went to the Ohio Department of Health in his hometown and received a battery of standard vaccinations that included hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza and HPV, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post. Because he was 18, he could legally make the decision to do so. In Oregon, the age of consent for vaccinations and other medical procedures is 15. "I looked into it; it was clear there was way more evidence in defense of vaccines," he told The Post in February. His mother, Jill Wheeler, told Undark, an online science magazine that first reported Lindenberger's story, that her son's decision was "like him spitting on me, saying 'You don't know anything, I don't trust you with anything." According to Lindenberger's Reddit post, his father was less resistant to the idea since Ethan was of legal age. Ohio, Oregon and Washington are among 17 states that allow parents to opt out of vaccines for philosophical or moral reasons. Lindenberger has four younger siblings, including a 2-year-old sister who he says will probably not be vaccinated. "It breaks my heart that she could get measles and she'd be done," Lindenberger told The Post. Oregon and Washington state allow parents to opt out of vaccinating their children for personal or philosophical reasons, and the region is home to a particularly vocal concentration of parents who choose not to get their children vaccinated. Some believe a debunked conspiracy theory that vaccines cause health conditions such as autism. The CDC says measles outbreaks can be linked to an increase in the number of people who travel abroad and bring the disease back to the United States and to communities with pockets of unvaccinated individuals. According to the CDC, there were 17 outbreaks nationwide last year, primarily concentrated in three states. The outbreaks were associated with some communities of Orthodox Jews who chose not to vaccinate and contracted the disease when travelers returned from Israel, which was experiencing an outbreak. In 2017, an outbreak that affected 75 people in a Somali-American community in Minnesota was attributed to low vaccination coverage. --- The Washington Posts Alex Horton contributed to this report. The Philadelphia Eagles continued their busy start to the month by agreeing to a three-year contract extension with former Corvallis High School and Oregon State Beavers offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo on Monday, locking up a player who could be part of the Eagles starting offensive line for the foreseeable future. Seumalo, 25, had one year remaining on his rookie contract after the team selected him in the third round of the 2016 draft. Hes now under contract through 2022. Seumalo finished last season as the teams starting left guard, a role he had actually lost to Stefen Wisniewski early in the 2017 season. Nonetheless, the team has been bullish about Seumalo for three seasons. They gave him the starting job in 2017 after trading Allen Barbre, put him back in the lineup last season over Wisniewski even though Wisniewski started in the Super Bowl, and recently identified him as a player they wanted to keep moving forward. He has 15 career starts, including nine last season. Seumalos versatility is an asset he can play tackle, guard, and center and he was once viewed as Jason Kelces potential replacement at center for the Eagles. Kelce, of course, signed a contract extension Saturday. Seumalo could play next to Kelce for as long as Kelce remains with the Eagles. The Eagles have a decision to make about Wisniewski, who will count $3.7 million against the salary cap next season. He can be a key reserve at three interior line spots, and that might even require spot starting for right guard Brandon Brooks if Brooks misses time while returning from a torn Achilles tendon. But theres no clear starting job for Wisniewski if the team is committed to Seumalo, and thats an expensive cap number for a reserve. The Eagles have signed Seumalo, Kelce, and defensive end Brandon Graham to contract extensions in the past four days. The league year will begin March 13, when the Eagles can begin making trades and signing free agents. By Sean O'Neill, Skift | Mar. 04, 2019 AirAsia, one of the world's most successful budget airlines, has launched a venture capital fund that will focus on early-stage businesses, the company said Monday. The fund, called RedBeat Capital, will invest mostly in consumer-facing companies primarily based in southeast Asia. It has already invested in a voice-technology specialist, though it didn't share details. "Our goals are to find startups that can help make our product better and get help with controlling our costs," said Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia Group. "But we also see startups in ASEAN [countries who are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] as not having had enough access to customers or capital, and we want to help with that." RedBeat Capital will focus, though not exclusively, on travel-related enterprises. "This isn't tokenism or some feel-good thing just to mollify a board of directors that we're looking into innovation, which I know is what sometimes happens when corporations do things like this with startups," Fernandes, the ebullient Malaysian tycoon that runs the airline group. At a New York press conference, Fernandes backed away from media speculation that the fund size would ultimately be US$60 million. Fernandes said he had no objective for a particular size portfolio of investments or the size of the fund. However, the typically post-seed investments might usually be in the US$500,000 to US$5 million range, he said. Shifting From Subsidiaries To Startups AirAsia has invested in non-airline businesses before. A year ago, AirAsia began a series of investments in companies totaling "between US$10 and US$12 million," Fernandes said. These businesses, which have been serving more like subsidiaries in lifestyle, logistics, and financial technology are now moving into an entity that will likely be called RedBeat Holding. The company wants to focus on startups now. It decided to partner with 500 Startups, a San Francisco-based accelerator and investor, to help provide access to startups. A couple of AirAsia representatives will work at 500 Startups under the direction of Aireen Omar, deputy group CEO of digital transformation and corporate services at AirAsia. Fernandes said he picked 500 Startups as a partner after a couple of years of conversations because it had the most experience of such Bay Area shops in understanding southeast Asia, such as with its support of fast-growing Grab, a ride-hailing service. 500 Startups has already brought him to Thailand to meet with a prospective startup, he said, underlining that the partnership has already begun. Trendy Thing to Do Many corporations have jumped on the trend of fraternizing with startup founders in various ways, but sometimes with mixed results. "Some corporations are quite savvy, but others are hazy about their objectives and struggle to engage with the startups and also overcome the culture gap between a small company and a large one," said Christine Tsai, CEO of 500 Startups. AirAsia is following a bit of an airline-specific trend here, too, as carriers like JetBlue, EasyJet, El Al, and Qantas have experimented with investing in startups to various degrees. Some look strategically for companies that might boost their revenue, some try to rev up their innovation cultures by rubbing shoulders with entrepreneurs, and others seek financial windfalls in picking the next breakout company. It's harder than it looks. For two years, Qantas ran the AVRO accelerator program in partnership with the Slingshot Venture Fund. About 15 startups received small investments and mentoring. But in October 2018, the airline shut down the arrangement without much explanation. JetBlue Technology Ventures, appears to be most effective effort so far. The subsidiary has provided seed funding to more than a dozen early-stage technology, travel, and hospitality startups since early 2016. The airline's corporate venture arm has invested in Gladly, the maker of a customer service it adopted for its staff, some startups in revenue management and insurance, tours and activities software services, and flight delay prediction that the airline might use some day. Less pragmatically but more boldly, it has invested in Zunum Aero, a hybrid-to-electric aircraft manufacturer that may be big a decade from now. In late 2016, easyJet agreed to make an undisclosed, "multi-million pound" investment over five years in Founders Factory -- a half-year boot camp for early-stage entrepreneurs. Via the London-based accelerator, the UK-based airline has invested in some companies that it has found strategic opportunities with, such as Flio, a mobile app that helps travelers navigate and shop at airports, and FlightSayer, a startup that predicts flight delays. El Al has for a few years had a venture arm, Cockpit Innovation, that has made small bets on startups. Last year, it brought in planemaker Boeing as a co-investor. For more context, subscribers can read Skift Research's Venture Capital Report for 2019. Practiced Investor Fernandes touted the joint venture he did with Expedia in creating an online travel agency AirAsiaGo. In 2015, AirAsia sold a quarter of its stake for US$86 million and then last year it sold its remaining quarter stake for about US$60 million. "We sold it at a huge profit," Fernandes said, citing that as experience at being a savvy investor. This year, Fernandes plans to expand the company's e-commerce and ancillary revenues. AirAsia is trying to cross-sell passengers on hotels and travel-related services such as tours to the millions who fly the carrier. However, it hasn't yet broken out revenue gains to date or projected specific growth numbers, leading to some industry skepticism about the effort. Irish budget carrier Ryanair has been experimenting with hotel bookings via its Ryanair Rooms site, where travelers get 10 percent of the price of their hotel booking back in credit redeemable toward future flight purchases. Yet it's still been early days for the effort. Fernandes, best known for co-founding low-cost carrier AirAsia with Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, will speak at the inaugural Skift Forum Asia in May. His team bought an indebted carrier, turned it around to growth within two years, and morphed it from a Malaysian domestic airline into Asia's largest low-cost carrier by passengers flown. But investing in startups may be a whole different challenge. The city of Portland has filed suit against the Shilo Inn, alleging the company owes the city and Multnomah County more than $314,000 in unpaid taxes from business at its Portland Airport hotel. The lawsuit, filed Feb. 28, is the latest in a string of financial and legal troubles for the hotel chain and its owner, Mark Hemstreet, ranging from small claims for allegedly stiffing a contractor to a multimillion-dollar judgment against the company. Hemstreet didnt return requests for comment. City Attorney Tracy Reeve referred questions to Deputy City Attorney Simon Whang, who declined to comment. City attorneys regularly file suit against companies that dont pay their local business taxes. But lawsuits alleging a failure to pay hotel taxes are unusual. The citys suit against Shilo says the company didnt pay its hotel tax bill for July to December, 2018, and owes $252,000 in taxes plus $61,000 in penalties and interest. Shilo Inn, like all hotels in Portland and Multnomah County, collected a 17.5 percent tax on every patrons hotel bill. It did not turn that money over to the city and county as required, the lawsuit says. On a smaller scale, Shilo Inn was sued in January by a locksmith who says the hotel didnt pay him $148 owed for work on a padlock and keys at the chains hotel in Newport. I called about a month ago to the office and faxed the invoice, wrote Jesse Day in his Lincoln County small claims filing. Was told it would be taken care of. Never was. The company faced a much bigger legal ordeal in 2016, when a California judge ruled the Shilo Inn defaulted on several bank loans. The penalty: $20 million. City attorneys in Seaside also sued Shilo in 2016 for failing to pay $143,000 in hotel taxes owed to the city. The case was dismissed after the company paid its bill. The hotel had previously paid another $146,000 to Seaside after it brought two similar cases. The company, founded in 1974, has struggled in the past two decades. Twenty-seven of its 46 hotels filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001. Today, the chain has 22 locations, according to its website. -- Gordon R. Friedman GFriedman@Oregonian.com A bill filed Monday would allow the death penalty only in cases involving terrorism-related killings, effectively abolishing capital punishment in Oregon. Currently, aggravated murder includes crimes such as killing a child under 12, killing more than one person, killing a police officer on duty or killing someone during a rape or robbery. Those crimes are eligible for the death penalty. Under House Bill 3268, aggravated murder would be limited to only crimes when two or more people are killed in a terror attack. Crimes considered aggravated murder under current law would be classified as first-degree murder, which would carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, is the bills chief sponsor; 10 lawmakers, including one Republican, Rep. Ronald Noble of McMinnville, have also signed onto the bill. I think generally people support doing away with the death penalty, Greenlick said. I know its problematically applied and its extraordinarily expensive. Mary Elledge, an Oregon City woman whose son, Rob, was murdered in 1986, said she opposes eliminating the death penalty even though executions are rare in Oregon. She said just the threat of the death penalty can be effective in murder cases. Elledge leads a local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, a nonprofit that does not take a position on the death penalty. She said her personal views do not reflect those of the organization. The death penalty is a great bargaining tool, she said. The bill represents the latest chapter of Oregons long and evolving stance on the death penalty. Oregonians voted to abolish capital punishment in 1914. It was reinstated by popular vote in 1920, then repealed again by voters in 1964. It was reinstated in 1978, knocked down in 1981 by the court only to be reinstated again in 1984. In 2011, then-Gov. John Kitzhaber imposed a moratorium on the death penalty. He argued that the death penalty isnt handed down fairly: Some inmates on death row have committed similar crimes as those who are serving life sentences. He said capital punishment should be replaced with a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. In 2015, Gov. Kate Brown, who personally opposes the death penalty, extended the moratorium. Oregon hasnt executed anyone since 1997. In the past five decades, the state executed two men, both in the 1990s. Those men essentially had volunteered for the death penalty after waiving their rights to appeal before their deaths. There are currently 30 people on death row. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, states continue to grapple with the fairness and cost of capital punishment, currently authorized in 31 states. Since 2009, a handful of states, including New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut and Maryland, have abolished the death penalty through legislation and replaced it with life without parole. The Nebraska Legislature also abolished capital punishment in 2015, but it was reinstated by a statewide vote in 2016. Courts in Delaware recently ruled that the states capital punishment law is unconstitutional. A 2016 study funded by an anti-death penalty organization, the Oregon Justice Resource Center, concluded that the costs associated with the death penalty in Oregon are almost twice as much as those for life sentences. Alice Lundell, a spokeswoman for the Justice Resource Center, said HB 3268 is a positive step but doesnt go far enough. Her organization has advocated for a complete elimination of the death penalty and has urged Brown to commute the sentences of those on death row. She said the bill doesnt address the fundamental problems with capital punishment, such as its costs, high reversal rates and its uneven application among counties. But its still a good thing to limit it further, Lundell said. The Oregon District Attorneys Association issued a brief statement Monday saying the death penalty was created through a citizen initiative petition in 1983 and was adopted the following year. Any change should be done in a transparent manner and should be decided by the voters, said Beth Heckert, organization president and Jackson County district attorney. -- Noelle Crombie 503-276-7184 ncrombie@oregonian.com @noellecrombie Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. By PAUL ELIAS , Associated Press Oregon is among 21 Democratic-led states announcing they will challenge the Trump administrations effort to set up obstacles for women seeking abortions, including barring taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers. Opponents say the rule would shift millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood to faith-based family planning organizations. Trump administration officials have told abortion opponents that they expected a number of legal challenges to the new family planning rule, which also prohibits federally funded family planning clinics from being housed in the same place as abortion providers. Planned Parenthood and other groups representing the clinics say the physical separation of facilities would be costly and all but impossible to fulfill. Supporters of the rule expect funding for faith-based family planning organizations to increase. Health and Human Services Department declined to comment, citing the litigation. The changes to the federal family planning program are scheduled to go into effect in May unless blocked in court. What this new rule means is that providers who receive Title X funding will have to decide whether they will refuse the funding or cave to the requirements of this new rule," said Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. "Neither is a good or fair option for women and families who often have no other access to medical care. Im proud that Oregon is taking the lead in this important lawsuit. Oregonians have voted time and time again to support womens reproductive health freedoms. California filed its suit on Monday, while other states including Oregon plan to file on Tuesday. Other states include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. Washington, D.C., also plans to file suit on Tuesday. Californias attorney general said the new rule affects 4 million mostly low-income women nationwide and 1 million women in California. The Trump-Pence administration has doubled down on its attacks on womens health, said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. The lawsuits are the latest of dozens of legal challenges that it and other states led by Democrats have filed in a bid to block Trump administration policies. Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney is taking a 10-day leave of absence from the Legislature, he announced in an email to senators Tuesday morning. Courtney, a Salem Democrat, is the states longest serving senate president. But as the Legislature grapples with reports that political leaders did too little to stop sexual harassment, Courtney has increasingly come under scrutiny. Under the advice of my doctors, I am taking a medical leave of absence of 10 days, Courtney wrote in the message first tweeted out by OPB and independently obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive Tuesday morning. Senate President Pro Tempore Laurie Monnes Anderson will manage the daily operations of the Senate until my return ... I look forward to returning to the Senate in full health and continuing our work together this session. Spokeswoman Carol Currie confirmed Tuesday that Courtney is suffering from a recurrence of thyroid eye disease. It is an autoimmune condition that causes eye swelling, irritation and decreased vision. She said doctors warned the 75-year-old that his condition will worsen if he doesnt take the time to recover properly. Courtneys absence comes six weeks into the five-month legislative session, in which perhaps one of the Democrats biggest challenges will be passing the multibillion-dollar business tax increase Courtney trained his sights on the day after the November election. Democrats, who held onto the governors office and expanded their majorities in the Legislature in 2018, want to raise the money so they can spend more on public education. As senate president, Courtney has made a point of giving Republicans some say in which bills receive a floor vote despite the partys status in the minority. In a press release Tuesday afternoon, House Republican Leader Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass, sent the caucus best wishes to Courtney. We wish Senate President Peter Courtney a speedy recovery and look forward to him returning to his work in the Capitol, Wilson said. In January, labor regulators released findings of substantial evidence that sexual harassment had been a problem at the Capitol for years and legislative leaders did little to crack down on it. Although the report also raised questions about House Speaker Tina Koteks handling of the issue, it was more damning of Courtney. For the first time, the Bureau of Labor and Industry report publicly aired allegations by Courtneys former office manager that he gave her an ultimatum to either resign or be fired or be demoted because he disapproved of her dating a House lawmaker. According to records previously obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive though a public records request, the woman signed an agreement to work from home for five months in exchange for a job recommendation and her agreement not to sue the state. Courtney flatly denied the womans account, telling The Oregonian/OregonLive, "Its not true. I cant believe this. He also declined to say whether a legislative leader accused of such behavior should resign. In February, two former legislative interns highlighted Courtneys actions in a $6.7 million lawsuit against the Legislature for allegedly creating a hostile workplace. Anne Montgomery and Adrianna Martin-Wyatt were law students when they worked in then-Sen. Jeff Kruses office in 2016 and 2017. During that time, their lawsuit says Kruse, a Roseburg Republican, subjected them to sexually charged comments and repeated groping. The two women alleged that Courtney and top legislative staffers were reckless in failing to stop Kruses behavior, and their lawyers pointed out that Courtneys October 2017 disciplinary letter to Kruse first focused on Kruses indoor smoking before instructing him to stop touching women, including lawmakers. Then on Feb. 23, Willamette Week reported that questions about Courtneys handling of sexual harassment complaints date back to 2000 when Courtney was the assistant to the president of Western Oregon University. According to the newspaper, the university signed legal settlements with two women students who accused Courtney and the university of failing to act on their complaints about sexual harassment by male professors. Courtneys allies spoke out in his defense, with Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, D-Portland, writing in a Feb. 27 op-ed published by The Oregonian/OregonLive that Courtneys response to her 2016 complaint that Kruses harassment was swift and compassionate. Kruse resigned in March 2018. Willamette Week also reported that Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, and Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, were asking other senators to sign a letter of support for Courtney. On March 1, former legislative staffer Audrey Mechling wrote her own op-ed that was published by The Oregonian/OregonLive entitled Sen. Steiner Hayward doesnt speak for all Capitol sexual harassment victims. Mechling, who was dissatisfied with how legislative staff handled her own complaint about sexual harassment at the Capitol, wrote that Steiner Haywards article sent the message to other women who have complained of sexual harassment that she does not believe our assertions that the Senate President has been far more harmful than helpful in navigating this challenging process. Finally on Monday, Democratic Party of Oregon Chair Jeanne Atkins wrote in a letter to the Senate Democratic Caucus that the Legislatures response to concerns over leaders handling of sexual harassment allegations has disappointed grass roots activists in the party. They fear that concern about position and authority, and division among the ranks, is undermining the public message that is so necessary a message that harassment and abuse of authority, including everything from overt discrimination to the use of intemperate language with the public and subordinates will not be tolerated in the Capitol, Atkins wrote. We understand that you face a good many significant policy issues this session and these issues of accountability for the Capitol environment may drain some of the good faith relationships you need to solve economic, revenue, and other problems facing Oregonians, she wrote. Close observers of the Legislature predicted a wild ride if Courtneys absence lasts longer than 10 days. The one thing Sen. Courtney could be counted on for was to hold the Senate together so that it is less chaotic than the house, said Julie Parrish, a former Republican legislator from West Linn. That all goes away when hes gone. Hillary Borrud | hborrud@oregonian.com | 503-294-4034 | @hborrud Jeff Manning of The Oregonian/OregonLive and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. A Colorado man accused of wanting to have a sexual relationship with a Beaverton teen was arrested at his home last week, police say. Beaverton police said 47-year-old Jason Allan Surprise, a registered sex offender, was indicted last month on four counts of luring a minor and two counts of using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct. Hes being held in the Larimer County Jail and is awaiting extradition, according to police. Police said they began investigating Surprise in late January after a 14-year-old and the teens parents reported his online conversations with the teen. Police described the conversations as extremely graphic. They led officers to think Surprise wanted to have a sexual relationship with the teen, whose gender wasnt stated in a Tuesday news release. Surprise was arrested while police served a search warrant at his home in Fort Collins on Feb. 26. Evidence from his home was seized, as well. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Thanks to several supporters, BaySail is able to offer its popular Windward Bound sailing adventure camp at no cost to Great Lakes Bay teens in 2019. As many as 30 area teens will be assigned coveted trainee berths aboard BaySail vessels Appledore IV and Appledore V for five voyages throughout the Great Lakes this summer. Voyages range from four to seven days in length; are offered in June, July and August; and include experiences in every Great Lake except Lake Ontario. Windward Bound is a co-ed, live-aboard voyaging experience for teens ages 14 to 18. A maximum of six trainees at a time sail aboard the 85-foot schooner Appledore IV or the 65-foot schooner Appledore V. During voyages, the program focuses on seamanship and freshwater science, which means learning the art of traditional sailing and studying the ecology of the lakes that supply more than 20 percent of the planet's surface fresh water. As the ship sails between ports, participants stand a regular watch while learning every aspect of running the ship, from navigation to meal preparation. Each voyage takes participants on a unique experience determined in part by the destination and the amount of time it takes to reach each port. A Midland family is fighting for someone to take responsibility after a city water main break flooded their home, causing thousands of dollars in damage. Homeowner Heather Beckman said she initially was told by a city worker that the City of Midland was responsible. But the city now disputes liability. Beckman claims that on Feb. 22, Midlands utility department was working on a water main when it broke. However, City Manager Brad Kaye said that was not the case. Rather, the water main broke and the city responded to fix it. Kaye said hes not sure exactly when the main broke or what caused it, but he guesses it could be weather related. Beckman, who runs a daycare out of her home on Mark Twain Drive, said parents coming to pick up their children that evening said there was a river of water in the driveway. About four inches of water eventually flooded into Beckman's garage and basement. Using their own equipment, crew members from the city worked late into the evening, pumping the water out of the basement. However, the electrical box had already suffered damage and the homes power, water and heat were all shut off leaving it uninhabitable, Beckman said. Beckman said she was told by a Midland water distribution supervisor that the city would take care of everything, as they were responsible for what happened. However, the city denies that was ever said. Based on checking with staff, the indication is that no one said that to them on-site, Kaye said. Certainly, the fact that the water main broke is not the Beckmans' fault in any way. And while we can sympathize with that, its also just a situation where we live in Michigan and weather can cause, among other matters, water main breaks. In the meantime, Beckman, her husband, her two children and her mother were staying in a hotel while waiting to sort things out between her insurance company and the city. After screaming at her insurance company to do something, it agreed to cover the costs of a hotel for up to 10 days, Beckman said. Also that week, Beckman said water re-flooded her basement because a sump pump failed, due to the power being turned off in the home. So, the family bought a generator and began to clear out the water again. The Beckmans also went ahead and paid $3,000 to replace the electrical box. A week after the water main break, the homes power was turned back on and the Beckmans headed home to assess the damages and clean up. I am terrified because we have a lot of work ahead of us, Beckman said. But, I am so thankful that even if I have to be the one to pay for all this, Im thankful that I can at least get back into my home and get my business going again. Beckman said they are looking at around $15,000 in restoration costs. She also said her insurance company appears to be going after the city. Kaye said the citys insurance company doesnt believe there is liability on the part of the city and is therefore not prepared to cover costs. He also said the Beckmans havent reached back out to the city after initially being put into contact with the citys insurance company. Weve encouraged them to reach out and actually file a claim with the city, so that we know all of the details and all of the information that they would like us to consider, Kaye said on Monday. At this point in time, theyve neither made further contact with us, nor have they filed that claim. So, right now we dont have anything further to respond to. Kaye noted the city has worked with homeowners in the past to find reasonable solutions to similar problems. By Mu Xuequan, Xinhua | Mar. 05, 2019 Jordan on Monday decided to allow Jordanian airlines to resume using Syrian airspace for their flights, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Jordan Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission said it allowed the airlines to resume using the Syrian airspace after they look into the situation. Jordanian airlines flights using Syrian space were suspended in 2012. The commission said airlines wishing to use Syrian airspace need to provide a study of assessments of risks and which routes and altitudes they seek to use, according to Petra. The commission added that it was still assessing the conditions of Syrian airports, especially Damascus airport. Royal Jordanian officials said they were aware of the commission's decision, but the airline did not take a decision in this regard. The Royal Jordanian said on its social account page that it will assess the situation before any decision in this regard. It is noteworthy that Jordanian airlines currently use Egyptian airspace to head to Beirut and use the Israeli airspace to head to Turkey. The Saginaw Ukulele Gurus And Rookies ukulele club presents WASSUP5! (Winter Ain't Stoppin' Serious Ukulele Players), a free, open-to-the public ukulele festival to be held at Midland Free Methodist Church, 5821 Eastman Road, on March 8-9. Highlights of the two-day event include a concert on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. featuring master entertainer Pete McCarty. Then, at 5 p.m. Saturday, there will be another free concert headlined by McCarty, which will conclude the formally planned events. One of the biggest concerns about VPNs or virtual private networks is that they reduce your internet speed. The truth is actually more complicated than this. You need to know how they work and the different ways you can use them to get a true understanding of how they impact your networking speed. Ultimately, if you are using a top-tiered VPN for Windows or Mac, you should only see about a five or six percent decrease in overall internet speed. However, many factors might determine this. So lets take a look: How VPNs Work The best way to understand VPNs is thinking of them as an intermediary between your device and the website you want to connect to. For example, if your home is in China where there are many internet restrictions, and you want to stream content from Netflix what you do is connect to a server in Canada, and then it connects to Netflix from there. Your ISP will only see your connection to the first server and none of the traffic after that. Factors That Affect Connection Speed Before you do anything, run a speed test without a VPN so you can understand how fast your connection is. Many things may affect your internet speed while using a VPN for Windows. Here are four of the most common ones: 1) Encryption Strength Generally, the stronger the encryption, the more speed may take a hit. Most VPNs will give you a choice of how strongly you want to encrypt your connection. These days the best companies utilize an AES-256 bit encryption, which is one of the best security standards in the world. If you have a good VPN, you shouldnt see a severe decrease in speed, but this type of encryption may eat up a good chunk of your CPU power, particularly on older computers. Try to find the right balance for you. For example, if you are connected to a secure server like Amazon Prime or Netflix, you can lower your encryption while you might want a stronger one for doing financial transactions. 2) Server Location The farther the data has to travel, the slower your speed will be. If youre in Canada connecting to a server in the US will be much quicker than connecting to an Australian one. You should select a company that has a wide variety of server locations. So you can find reliable locations that are close to you. 3) A Large Number of Users This typically is a problem that arises only with a low-quality VPN for Windows. Too many users connected to one server swallows all the bandwidth. Be sure your VPN company has a large number of serversat least 750so you can always get fast speeds. NordVPN seems to be the one who leads in that regard. 4) Overall Slow Speed If you have an already slow internet speed, theres nothing you can do. Thats a problem with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Using a VPN, in this case, will only cause slower speeds in an already slow environment. What You Can Do to Speed Up Your VPN Before you settle for one VPN or another, you should take advantage of trial periods to see which VPN works fastest for you. Youre not going to find a very fast free VPN, but that doesnt mean you have to pay more than $5-12 per month. When shopping around, make sure you consider some of these important features: Running a VPN through a Router VPNs that you can install on your router offer the highest level of security and privacy. This means that all of your internet connections go through the VPN. However, this can be a large trade-off in speed. As the internet is going to all your devices through this one channel, they are all competing for the same bandwidth. Thus, it might choke up your speed. There are ways you can play with this. You can set the VPN on only one or two devices but keep things like Smart TVs, which dont need as much protection, off the VPN. Or you can shut down inactive devices while you do things like stream videos or torrent until you are finished. Split Tunneling This an exciting feature that allows you to divide your network traffic into the apps where you want an encrypted connection and those that you dont. For example, you may select to use Netflix, banking, and email through the VPN, but keep YouTube and Instagram unconnected. By doing this, you automatically increase your speed because fewer things need to be encrypted saving both bandwidth and computing power. Reliability When it comes to a great VPN for Windows, reliability is always essential. Whenever you connect to the internet, your data is transferred in packets. You dont need to know all the technical jargon, just be on the lookout for VPNs that provide 0% packet loss. This means youre getting the same data transfer capability you would without running a VPN. Ensuring the Best Speeds with a VPN Whether you stream movies, play games, or simply browse the web, speed is king. However, with the growing number of digital threats and hacks, you cant be too careful. Thats why its essential to find the best VPN for Windows, Mac, and all your devices so you can get the speed you want with the safety you need. Algiers, Algeria (PANA) Several Algerian political parties, political personalities and civil society activists have called for the postponement of the presidential election and the application of Article 102 of the Constitution, which sets to declare a power vacancy Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Senegalese President Macky Sall Tuesday congratulated his compatriots on their mobilization and behaviour during the presidential election, pledging his willingness to work with all the country's stakeholders Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats will take the House floor on Wednesday to respond to Rep. Ilhan Omars comments concerning Israel and AIPAC. While Omar is not mentioned by name in the drafted resolution, the four-page document details the recent rise of American anti-Semitism and specifically condemns the myth of dual loyalty. This is the same language used by other top Democrats in recent days to condemn Omar for her comments at a Washington, D.C. bookstore event, where she said, I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country. Her repeated use of the word allegiance to describe support for Israel has been called a slur by many, including the Anti-Defamation League, who have pointed to the trope of dual loyalty. While Omar has been in office less than 70 days, this resolution will be her second public rebuke by House Democrats. Many Republicans, like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, are considering moving a censure motion against Omar, according to Politico. GOP lawmakers likely see the controversy surrounding Omar as an opportunity to divide Democratic supporters of Israel and those on the left who remain highly critical of Israels continually reprehensible treatment of Palestinians. Representative Ilhan Omar is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel. Jewish groups have just sent a petition to Speaker Pelosi asking her to remove Omar from Foreign Relations Committee. A dark day for Israel! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 Many of Omars supporters, now promoting #IStandWithIlhan on Twitter, have noted that she came to the United States from Somalia at age 12, and likely hit her political stride surrounded by others who felt comfortable openly criticizing the Jewish nation-states actions without much thought towards potential use of anti-Semitic dog whistles. They recognize that some of her language has been offensive, but consider it ridiculousand probably because she is one of the only Muslim women in Congressto assume that she is an anti-Semite. This is so important. @IlhanMN is a powerful moral voice at time when very few (even progressive) Democrats speak clearly and knowledgeably on foreign policy. She deserves unreserved support. #IStandWithIlhanhttps://t.co/5dvnYviJww Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) March 5, 2019 See our piece on Rep. Omars comments and the surrounding controversy for a full rundown. London based publication IAM was launched as a magazine in July 2003 to address the need for organizations to maximize the value of their intellectual property and other intangibles, and to examine the strategies they can put in place to do this. IAM has posted a report revealing that Apple has acquired a series of both granted patents and others that are patent pending focused on an AI based home camera security system. Below are two videos that will provide you an overview of the patented camera system that worked with an iPhone app. A few of the patents that Apple acquired are presented below. Granted Patents: 9,965,612: Method and system for visual authentication 10,009,554: Method and system for using light emission by a depth-sensing camera to capture video images under low-light conditions Lighthouse AI patent FIG. 1 above shows a camera system (#100) that may be used to capture data in an environment (#120). The environment may be a three-dimensional space that is within the field of view of the camera system. The environment may be any kind of environment, e.g., an indoor or outdoor environment. Patent Pending: 20180246964: Speech Interface for Vision-Based Monitoring System 20180367962: Two-Way Communication Interface for Vision-Based Monitoring System 20180374325: Method and System for Incident Sharing in a Monitoring System For more on this story, read the full IAM report here (requires a sign up process). Lighthouse AI CEO Alex Teichman posted a farewell notice to their customers back in 2018 titled "Lights Out" that you could read here. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Firefox browser-maker Mozilla is considering whether to block cybersecurity company DarkMatter from serving as one of its internet security gatekeepers after a Reuters report linked the United Arab Emirates-based firm to a cyber espionage program. Reuters reported in January that DarkMatter provided staff for a secret hacking operation, codenamed Project Raven, on behalf of an Emirati intelligence agency. The unit was largely comprised of former U.S. intelligence officials who conducted offensive cyber operations for the UAE government. Former Raven operatives told Reuters that many DarkMatter executives were unaware of the secretive program, which operated from a converted Abu Dhabi mansion away from DarkMatters headquarters. Those operations included hacking into the internet accounts of human rights activists, journalists and officials from rival governments, Reuters found. DarkMatter has denied conducting the operations and says it focuses on protecting computer networks. While Mozilla had been considering whether to grant DarkMatter the authority to certify websites as safe, two Mozilla executives said in an interview last week that Reuters report raised concerns about whether DarkMatter would abuse that authority. Mozilla said the company has not yet come to a decision on whether to deny the authority to DarkMatter, but expects to decide within weeks. For more on this interesting and developing story, read the full Reuters report here. Like Apple, Firefox has been fighting for user privacy for years and it's reflected in their mission statement. On January 29, 2019 Firefox posted a report titled "Todays Firefox Gives Users More Control over their Privacy" which you could read here. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. In 2016 Patently Apple posted a report titled "Barclays Finally Supports Apple Pay at more than 400,000 Contactless Points around the UK." Barclays has always been trying to beat Apple Pay and we're learning today that Barclays Plc is preparing to merge its wearable mobile payments product BPay with its more popular Pingit app, after it struggled to attract users. The two products currently require retail customers to download and maintain two separate apps -- one for Pingit, which supports peer-to-peer transactions and international money transfers, and another for BPay, which lets people top up pre-paid credit onto wearable accessories for making contactless payments. BPay launched a wearable band or key fob in 2014, prior to the U.K. roll out of Apple Pay. But while Pingit currently has 3.6 million users, BPay has users "in the high tens of thousands," a Barclays spokeswoman said in a statement. The merger comes as retail banks try to adapt to the needs of consumers increasingly used to using their smartphones to manage their finances. Barclays Chief Executive Officer Jes Staley said in October the industry needs to defend its advantage from lighter-regulated tech companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc., calling payments "the battleground of finance over the next 15 years." For more on this, read the full Bloomberg report titled "Barclays to Merge BPay, Pingit Products as Banks Fend Off Apple," here. A report posted by Statista last month showed that Apple and Google Pay only held 2% market share in the U.S. for online transactions. Amazon held 5% while Paypal had a huge lead with 22%. When you see all of the banks that Apple is working with to promote Apple Pay, it's rather surprising that Apple Pay holds such a small percentage of online transactions. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Patna: Hundreds of thousands of devotees in Patna on Monday observed Mahashivratri by holding fast and offering prayers at several Shiva temples across the state capital. With heavy security around Mahavir Temple outside Patna Junction and other temples in Patna, married women and young girls made a beeline to offer holy water from the Ganges on Lord Shiva's idols to seek His blessings. Equipped with flowers, sweets, and incense sticks, the devotees waited for their turn to be led by temple priests who helped them perform the puja and blessed them by applying 'tika' on their foreheads. As always, the biggest attraction of the day was for men and women actually holding live cobra snakes in their hands as a symbol of blessings directly from Lord Shiva. Despite initial apprehensions, young boys and girls were seen holding snakes in their hands and feeding milk to them to mark the holy occasion. Heavy crowd was also seen at the Panch Shiv Temple in Kankarbagh, Hanuman Temple on Boring Canal road, Khajpura Shiv Temple, Thakurbari Temple in Kadam Kuan, and Shiv Temple on Nala Road, among others. This drive is very affordable. Stick with the 1TB version, whose performance is very good except during long writes (larger than about 4 percent of capacity). Not a drive for large data sets, but a great deal for the average user. I regularly end bargain TLC SSD reviews with the advice Dont buy it unless its a lot cheaper than the competition. Until Crucials P1, no drive ever met that criteria. But the 17 cents per GB that the 1TB version will set you back is a good 8 cents cheaper than most of the competition. And, while its no blazing-fast Samsung 970 Pro , you dont give up a ton of performance unless you regularly write 50GB (less with smaller capacities) or more. If you do, move along to another review. Thats an extremely low TBW rating for an NVMe drive, but its no doubt part of the reason for the low price. The scuttlebutt around the industry is that TBW ratings are worst-case scenarios that are generally exceeded by a large margin. And thats still 54GB per day over the 5 yearsmore than most users are likely to write. And it is just writesreading doesnt affect longevity. The P1 looks pretty much like any other 2280 NVMe/M.2 drive. Its just cheaper. The Crucial P1 is an x4 PCIE NVMe SSD that ships in the 2280 (22 mm wide, 80 mm long) form factor. The drive comes in 500GB and 1TB flavors that retail for $90 and $170 respectively. Thats a good $80 cheaper than most of the competition currently. They carry a 5-year warranty and are rated for 100TBW (TeraBytes Written) for every 500GB of capacity. Performance Before I get to the results, please note that I tested the 1TB version of the drive. The 500MB version which I did not test, while cheaper, claims half the write performance. Thats a common phenomenon caused by having only half as many chips to spread the data across. Its also likely to have less cache and fall prey to the slow TLC writes sooner. More on that in a paragraph or two. IDG asdfasdfas The 1TB P1 actually passed all our standard tests, including the 48GB copies with flying colors, though it will never be mistaken for a Samsung 970 Pro, or even a 970 EVO. Ive included the SATA drive to show just how much youll gain simply by moving to NVMe from SATA. Keep that in mind with all our NVMe reviews: Even the slowest is faster than SATA by a healthy margin. IDG No problem for the 1TB P1 when copying less than 50GB. It was only during the 450GB write test, which we regularly run to see how things proceed when the cache runs out, that the drive slowed downtragically. IDG A big problem when the 1TB P1 writes more than 50GB at a time. By tragic, Im talking roughly 95MBps, or more than a 1000-percent drop, as you can see in the image above. Ouch. IDG asdfas For normal everyday use, with NVMes stellar seek times and small file performance, the P1 remains an great bargain because of the price. But its not the drive for you if you regularly write large amounts of data. IDG Though hardly best-of-breed, the P1s copy times were still reasonable, and far better than the SATA drive we included for a technology comparison. Its the budget drive Price will out. The P1 is the first bargain SSD to that saves you enough money to forgive the occasional super-slow write. If you want fast sustained throughput when copying more than 50GB of data (or likely 25GB with the 500GB version), youll need to spend at least another $80 for WDs Black SN750 NVMe. Your choice. This article was editing on November 30th, 2019 to note that the P1s TBW ratings are very, not somewhat parsimonious. New details are emerging in the case of a prominent Pennsylvania jeweler stabbed to death in a New Orleans hotel room last week. The woman charged in the fatal stabbing of Schuylkill County jeweler Patrick Murphy is 25-year-old Magen Hall, who court records show has numerous prior convictions for prostitution in Louisiana and Texas, the Morning Call of Allentown reports. Now, police say other guests at the Empress Hotel heard the couple arguing, followed by a struggle, last Thursday just before Murphy, 62, was fatally stabbed there, according to reports by the Morning Call and WFMZ-TV. BREAKING: Newly released court records show that guests at the New Orleans hotel where jeweler Patrick Murphy was found slain heard an argument coming from his room shortly before suspect Megan Hall walked out. https://t.co/KrowefmHlW The Morning Call (@mcall) March 4, 2019 Details from the Morning Call: Murphy and Hall checked into the Empress Hotel in the citys Treme neighborhood at 2:10 a.m. Thursday. The hotel, which advertises rooms starting at $39 a night, is near the French Quarter, the central tourist district of New Orleans where thousands of visitors are celebrating Mardi Gras this week. Hotel guests heard a struggle around 3:30 a.m. that lasted about two minutes, and a female yelling get in the bathroom, according to court records. A short time later, Hall left. The female suspect was observed exiting the hotel room alone and briskly walking out the front door of the Empress Hotel, according to an affidavit filed Monday. Hall, who also spells her first name Magen and Megen, was arraigned on second-degree murder charges Monday and held under $750,000 bail. The charge carries a sentence of up to life in prison in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Murphys jewelry store chain, which has locations in Pottsville, Hamburg and the Promenade Shops in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, reopened Monday, according to the Morning Call. Heartbreaking Rest In Peace Patrick Murphy Hugs & prayers to his family & girls & family. Great man who will be greatly missed. https://t.co/nWjQogckEt Carolyn A Q-Morris (@cq330) March 1, 2019 More reaction to his death is here: The third time wasnt the charm for a woman in western Pennsylvania who police say tried repeatedly to pay someone to kill her husband. The suspect, identified as Roxanne Guty, 51, of Fayette County, is now charged with attempted homicide and conspiracy to commit homicide, according to reports by KDKA and WTAE in Pittsburgh. KDKA writes that Guty approached a man she knew, identified as Norman Pennington, back in September at a gas station parking lot and began complaining about her husband, Arthur Guty Jr. They worked out an agreement where they would split a $50,000 life insurance policy once the job was completed, State Police Trooper Robert Broadwater told KDKA. "What Kind Of Gun Would Do The Job?" Man Says Woman Approached Him 3 Times With Plot To Kill Husband -- https://t.co/YVE6tStByw KDKA (@KDKA) March 4, 2019 However, Pennington told police he thought Guty was joking until she approached him just before Thanksgiving and allegedly asked him, What kind of gun would do the job? Investigators say he told her a .22 rifle would do it, and then she offered him $300 to buy the weapon. Still, Pennington did nothing, and he tells police Guty approached him a third time right before Christmas, offering him $700 and told him to buy his grandchildren something nice. KDKA, citing the criminal complaint, writes that Guty allegedly told him the $700 would not count towards the $25,000 she was going to pay him. After Christmas, police say she sent him about $1,000. Finally, Pennington said he decided to come forward to police last Friday after talking to Gutys husband, KDKA writes, adding: He told police he never planned on killing Arthur Guty. At last report, Roxanne Guty was denied bond and sent to the Fayette County Jail following her Friday arrest. Chances are you will encounter a fastnacht today. The doughnuts with the funny name and long history are as much a part of Shrove Tuesday in central Pennsylvania as king cakes in New Orleans. Love them or hate them, fastnachts will be sold by the dozens today at bakeries, grocery stores and churches. Everyone claims to have a favorite. At Karns Quality Foods fastnacht production kicked off on March 4 at the chains stores including the Lemoyne location. Karns is selling plain, glazed, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and granulated sugar fastnachts. Check out this list of places in the Harrisburg area selling fastnachts. The tradition of eating fastnachts on Fat Tuesday started with the Pennsylvania Dutch, who were looking for recipes to use up fat such as lard in the house before Lent. Fastnacht is a German word meaning night before the fast. Not every fastnacht is the same and recipes vary. Some fastnachts are square or diamond-shaped, while others are round. Some have holes. Here is more on the history of fastnachts including how many calories the doughnuts contain. Government teams surveying storm damage across the Southeast have confirmed that at least 18 tornadoes struck in a deadly weekend outbreak. The National Weather Service says storm systems crossing the region Sunday spun off tornadoes in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina alone. The most powerful twister was an EF4 tornado packing 170 mph winds thats been blamed for at least 23 deaths in Lee County, Alabama. The weather service says that tornado crossed into western Georgia and inflicted more damage. The number of confirmed tornadoes could increase. Survey teams are still assessing storm damage in some areas. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones says the search for tornado victims is still active, with the crews now looking at a smaller area and specific piles of wreckage. He said Tuesday that the list of unaccounted people is down to seven or eight. He says law enforcement teams are working the area by foot with the help of cadaver-sniffing dogs and also searching by air. Carol Dean found her wedding dress Monday among the wreckage of her mobile home in Beauregard, Lee County. But the storm took her husband. She said: My life is gone. Dean said her spouse, 53-year-old David Wayne Dean, was killed Sunday when the twister struck their home while she was at work. She said he had been texting a friend to beware of the approaching storm. David Deans son found his body. A memorial of stuffed animals and balloons now sits in the spot where a child was struck and killed by an SUV on Friday. Police say a bar patron was looking for a parking place outside of Rudys Tavern in Upper Darby as 6-year-old Jennifer Portillo and her family were crossing the street, Action News 6 ABC reports. The family didnt see the driver, and the driver didnt see the family, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood told 6 ABC. Jennifer was pronounced dead at the hospital. The 53-year-old driver admitted to drinking at Rudys and another bar before returning to Rudys when the incident occurred, though it was not clear if he was impaired, according to reports. He refused to give blood, prompting police to obtain a search warrant to take it for testing, and, according to reports, they are awaiting the results. The family held a vigil on Sunday. The girls mother, Denia, moved to the area from Honduras four months ago to rejoin her husband and Dennis, who had not seen his daughter since she was 8 months old, according to reports. They want to bring their daughter back to Honduras for burial. A central Pennsylvania father convicted of trying to decapitate his 3-year-old daughter failed Tuesday to convince a state appeals court that his 26- to 52-year prison sentence is unjust. Instead, the Superior Court judges upheld a Lancaster County jurys decision to find David Sleets guilty of attempted murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping and other charges for the bizarre and violent attack. In an opinion by Judge Deborah A. Kunselman, the state judges rejected Sleets argument that his March 2018 trial was tainted when a county judge allowed prosecutors to show the jurors two color photos of his daughters injuries. Although Sleets, 38, claimed the pictures were unnecessary and inflammatory, Kunselman found they were legitimately entered as evidence to show the extent of the girls wounds, which included a deep gash to her neck. Investigators said Sleets attacked the child in November 2014 amid ongoing friction with the girls mother, his girlfriend of 13 years, Johnette Hill. Hill claimed that two days before the crime, Sleets had told her, Ill kill my own. Lancaster City police said Hill told them she was sleeping on a couch with the 3-year-old in her arms when Sleets grabbed the child. She then saw Sleets in the kitchen with a bag and heard her daughter crying inside the bag. Sleets refused to give her the child and ran away, with Hill in pursuit, police said. Sleets tossed the bag under a van and kept running, they said. Hill found her daughter inside the bag, covered in blood and stiff as a board, investigators said. Kunselman cited testimony from a forensic pathologist, Dr. Wayne Ross, that the girl was being suffocated by the bag and that her wounds were nearly fatal. The child had a deep cut that ran from the left side of her skull across the front of her neck, the judge noted, and was in shock because of blood loss. Part of the girls jaw had been broken off from the force of the slash. The judge noted that Ross concluded the girls wounds would have been fatal if not for the quick medical treatment. Moreover, the nature of the injuries reflected an attempt to decapitate the child. A federal judge is recommending former Susquehanna Township High School Assistant Principal Shawn Sharkey be ordered to pay $250,000 in damages to a female student he sexually molested. The fallout for the girl has been devastating, U.S. Middle District Magistrate Judge Joseph F. Saporito Jr. found in recommending that award. Saporitos recommendation wont become final unless it is approved by Middle District Judge Yvette Kane. That call is before Kane six years after Sharkey instigated sex with the then-16-year-old special needs student. Sharkey, now 50, of Abington was arrested in September 2013, and later pleaded guilty in Dauphin County Court to charges of institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor. He was sentenced in 2015 to 6 to 18 months in the county work-release center. Sharkey was paroled in September of that year, court records show. Investigators said Sharkey began molesting the teen in February 2013, within weeks of his hiring by the school district. He would pick her up at her home and drive her to a motel for sex, they said. The Sharkey case caused a seismic uproar in the Susquehanna Township School District that contributed to a major shake-up of the administration. A county grand jury investigated the districts handling of the Sharkey case, but no criminal charges were filed after that review. The teen and her mother filed the federal lawsuit against Sharkey and the district in late 2013, claiming school officials bungled the initial investigation into the crimes. Kane freed the district from the suit in 2017, leaving Sharkey as the sole defendant. In his $250,000 damage recommendation issued this week, Saporito noted Sharkey made no effort to defend himself against the lawsuit. Nor did he even reply to it, the magistrate judge wrote. We presume by his absence and failure to answer that (Sharkey) has no meritorious defense, Saporito wrote. Saporito noted the student was harassed by other teens on social media because of what Sharkey did. She eventually transferred to another school district. Sharkeys conduct fundamentally affected her emotional well-being in ways that continue to negatively impact her mood, her self-esteem, and her relationships with her family and her peers to this day, Saporito wrote. Eric King was beneath a cloud of fear when he fatally shot another man at a Harrisburg bar, his lawyer told a Dauphin County jury Monday. King believed he was in a kill-or-be-killed situation after a verbal confrontation with 44-year-old Derick Garner at ODs Plantation early on Dec. 29, 2016, First Assistant Public Defender Mary Klatt said. And, she said, King was sure Garner had a gun. When he thought Garner was drawing a weapon, King shot Garner once in the bar, then twice more outside in self-defense, Klatt said. When he fires that shot at Derick Garner, he is convinced Mr. Garner is going to shoot him, she said. Erics intent was not to kill Derick Garner. His intent was to save himself. Not so, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Gettle countered. King wasnt afraid, she said, but rather was on the hunt, waiting for a clear shot to punish Garner for disrespecting him. It is crystal clear that this defendant was not acting out of fear, Gettle said. Out of anger? Yes. In more than three hours of closing arguments, Gettle and Klatt painted far different pictures of what happened in the now-closed bar at 16th and Sycamore streets around 12:40 a.m. on that fateful night. Gettle is seeking a first-degree murder conviction and life prison sentence for the 36-year-old King. She contends Garners killing was deliberate and premeditated. Klatt claims the slaying was committed in self-defense and urged the jury to acquit King of homicide. She conceded King had a gun that night, even though he was barred from possessing firearms due to a felony conviction. The issue of whether King was armed was never in doubt. During five days of testimony, both sides repeatedly showed the jurors footage from the bars security cameras that clearly shows King pulling a pistol from his pants and firing it toward Garner. Klatt urged the jurors to consider Kings world, a violent, economically depressed section of the city often referred to as the Hall Manor neighborhood. We are not dealing with a community of suburban homes and white picket fences, she said. In the area around ODs, fears of testifying, fears of retaliation, are very real. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Garner was the aggressor that night, and moments before being shot had told King the only thing hes getting is a mother-fing bullet in his head, Klatt said. She said that threat seemed even more dire to King, who claims to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after being shot and severely wounded near ODs in 2008. The fact that King fired five times inside and outside ODs is a non-issue, Klatt insisted. If his intent was to defend himself in that moment, it doesnt matter how many shots there were, she said. Two of Garners three wounds likely were from bullets that ricocheted when King fired into the sidewalk outside the bar to discourage Garner from shooting at him as he drove away, Klatt said. Gettle began her closing argument by showing the jurors the 10-minute silent security camera video of the King-Garner confrontation, the shooting and its aftermath. At one point, she zoomed in on what appeared to be the trigger guard of a pistol in Kings hand perhaps a minute before he turned and fired. He had the gun out. He was waiting for the perfect moment, the prosecutor said. King and two of his friends were the only people in ODs who didnt flinch and flee when the first shot rang out, she said. Garners back was to King when he was hit in the wrist by that shot, Gettle insisted. She said the wounded Garner was the one in fear for his life as he ran from the bar. This defendant was not in fear of anything that night, Gettle said of King. The only thing he fears is getting caught. She stressed that King at first lied to police and said he wasnt in ODs when Garner was shot. King also lied about having the gun used in the slaying, which police found in a kitchen cabinet in his mothers home, she said. The callousness in Kings heart is illustrated by the flirtation he engaged in with a woman on Facebook hours after the killing, the prosecutor said. She said King didnt know his correspondent was actually a city cop who was trying to track him. King knew the neighborhood around ODs and believed no one would talk to the police about the shooting, Gettle said. That, she said, is why he didnt just leave the bar after the verbal confrontation with Garner. This isnt the OK Corral. This isnt the Old West where someone gives you a look or a snarky comment and you shoot them, Gettle said. The jurors are to begin deliberating after Judge William T. Tully instructs them on the law Tuesday morning. About 20 marchers turned out Monday to keep the pressure on the federal government and contractors to hire more local labor in the nascent construction of the new federal courthouse in Harrisburg. The regular marches were launched earlier this winter by leaders of the Greater Harrisburg Branch of the NAACP and the Rev. Earl Harris, president of the citys Interdenominational Ministers Conference. The marchers goal is to pressure the federal General Services Administration to influence its general contractor for the 243,000-square-foot courthouse to maximize the hiring of local workers in what is expected to be a near three-year construction project. General contractor Mascaro Construction Company, of Pittsburgh, has stated that at least 50 percent of all project work awarded to sub-contractors to date has gone to companies headquartered within an hour of Harrisburg. But the participants in the Jericho March are disappointed that no Harrisburg-based firms are on that list, and they want to ensure going forward that as the sub-contractors staff up for the construction seasons ahead that local residents get a prime chance to participate in and benefit from this hometown project. A raid of a vehicle in Lancaster resulted in police seizing nearly 8,000 bags of fentanyl in February. Two men who police said supplied the drugs are also facing charges. The Lancaster County Drug Task Force raided the vehicle on Feb. 12 outside of a residence in the 300 block of Crystal Street. Inside the vehicle, detectives found 7,880 bags of fentanyl, according to a news release from the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office. In total, the 7,880 bags of fentanyl equates to 30 bricks with approximately 560 total bundles, according to the release. Police also said a standard bag of heroin/fentanyl sells for about $10, meaning the seized drugs had a value of about $78,800. The Drug Task Force continues to target larger-scale trafficking operations bringing deadly poisons to our neighborhoods, Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said in the release. Specifically, we have recently charged several Philadelphians transporting pure or nearly-pure fentanyl bags. Jacob Delmonte, left, and Joshua Flores, right, are accused by police of bringing a large amount of fentanyl from Philadelphia to Lancaster County in February. Joshua Flores, 27, and Jacob Delmonte, 21, are accused by police of bringing the drugs to Lancaster County from Philadelphia. They are each charged with felony possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and conspiracy. A district judge ordered both to face those charges in Lancaster County Court following a preliminary hearing last week, according to the news release. They each remain jailed at Lancaster County Prison on $1 million bail each. Police are investigating a shooting that occurred in East Lampeter Township on Monday night, according to multiple media reports. WPMT and WHTM reported that police were on the scene in a neighborhood on Dohner Drive just after 7:45 p.m. WPMT reported that one person was transported to a hospital, but neither station reported the condition of the injured person. Both stations were on scene late Monday, but police have not issued any official information as of 10:15 p.m. The ripple effects of Gov. Tom Wolfs proposal to raise the states minimum public school teacher salary by 143 percent to $45,000 a year could be what costs it the support of some House Republicans. At Mondays House budget hearing with state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera, GOP members voiced several concerns about the impact it could have on such things as teacher contracts, salaries of more experienced teachers, and school property tax rates. I can see a court case, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Stan Saylor, R-York County. Wolf is proposing to update the 30-year-old law that set the statewide minimum teacher pay at $18,500. Raising the salary floor to $45,000 is estimated by the administration to impact the starting pay for 180 school districts at a cost of $13.8 million. He included funding in his budget proposal to cover that cost. What that cost figure doesnt include is the impact it could have on the rest of the salary schedule, which is where Saylor predicted legal action could ensue particularly for those teachers who have gone on to earn masters degrees and taking continuing education courses. If Im that teacher making $45,000 after 10 years and you just raised a teacher whos been there one year to $45,000, Im suing you because you just devalued me, Saylor said. Seriously, I think we have to look when we create policies, not that they are bad policies, but what are the long-haul problems they may create. He wasnt alone in questioning the proposal that the Pennsylvania State Education Association has identified as its priority this year. Was it taken into consideration that those that are experienced now making $45,000 and the increases that will inevitably be asked for by them in this math problem that you have with the $13 million cost? said Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland County. No, Rivera replied. It only covered the cost of raising the salary of those making less than $45,000 up to that level. He later added it also included money for the associated salary-driven benefit costs such as Social Security and pension contributions for those impacted educators. According to the Pennsylvania State Education Association, five school entities in 2017-18, the most recent year they had data available, had a starting salary of $18,500. They were: Apollo-Ridge School District in Armstrong County, Cambria Heights School District in Cambria County, Harmony Area School District in Clearfield County, Riverview Intermediate Unit in Clarion County, and Western Area Career and Technical Center in Washington County. Rep. George Dunbar, R-Westmoreland County, questioned whether the proposed legislation would have safeguards to prevent school districts from manipulating negotiations to set their starting teacher pay at a lower level than the proposed $45,000 minimum with the expectation of the state picking up the difference. Having 500 locally controlled school districts, thats always a concern with everything we do, Rivera responded. How we address that is being as comprehensive and transparent as we can be around the intent and the language of the proposal. Several of the same lawmakers who questioned the proposal also said that they believe teachers are deserving of a higher minimum salary although Saylor, for one, questioned whether it needed to jump as high as $45,000. Freshman Rep. James Struzzi, R-Indiana County, said he too feels teacher are deserving of fair compensation but the ripple effects on the rest of the salary schedule cause him concern. Someones going to have to come up with the money to cover those additional salary increases, he said. My real concern is the impact on property taxes for our communities. While the Transportation Security Administration grapples with an increase in guns coming through the security checkpoints at airports, a traveler at Lehigh Valley International Airport appeared to try to bring some bigger fire power on a plane through a checked bag this week. The TSA said a Florida mans checked bag on Monday triggered an alarm at the TSAs checked baggage security equipment, out of the publics view, at Lehigh Valley International Airport. TSA officers found unassembled parts of a military rocket propelled grenade launcher and what appeared to be a grenade packed inside. The checked bag contained the weapons barrel, trigger, sights and grenade, according to a news release. The man, whom the TSA did not identify, was found at his departure gate and detained by police for questioning. Authorities said the launcher components could be assembled, but the device was not a functioning launcher. The grenade turned out to be a realistic replica. By law, realistic or replica weapons of a military nature are not permitted on airplanes, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. The items were confiscated and the man was able to catch his flight to Orlando Sanford International Airport. He will not face any criminal charges, Farbstein said. When weapons are discovered in carryon luggage at TSA security checkpoints, the checkpoint shuts down while authorities investigate. Because the items were found in a non-public area, airport business continued as authorities investigated, said LVIA Spokesman Colin Riccobon. Riccobon urged travelers with questions about what they can bring in carryon and checked baggage to do their research before coming to the airport. Before you assume something is okay to carry on, to check in a bag, take a moment to either visit the airport website, contact the airport, contact the airline and just ask the question. Situations like this really shouldnt happen, Riccobon said. Travelers can also tweet questions to the @AskTSA twitter account. The TSA said a traveler tried to bring a non-functioning grenade launcher and a replica grenade in his checked suitcase on March 4, 2019, at Lehigh Valley International Airport. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Shippensburg High School went into lockdown Monday morning, after a student facing disciplinary action brandished a bb gun at the building as he left the grounds with his guardian. Shippensburg Police said Keanu Dunn, 18, was charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of a weapon on school property and simple assault. School officials told police that Dunn was meeting with them regarding another incident at the school, which involved his suspension. Dunn became agitated and disruptive during the meeting. School officials also told police that Dunn made threats and was using profanity. Dunn and his guardian left school grounds, but Dunn turned to face the school and displayed what appeared to be a handgun. The school was put on lockdown and police were called, just before 10 a.m. Shippensburg Police, state police out of the Chambersburg and Carlisle barracks responded, as well as Shippensburg University Police. A description of Dunn was given to officers, who found him as a passenger of a vehicle in the area of North Fayette Street. Dunn was arrested without incident and the handgun was recovered inside the front passenger compartment. Police determined the gun was a bb gun. Dunn was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge T.R. Williams, and bail was set at $250,000. He is being held at Franklin County Jail. The 2017 tax law capped at $10,000 the amount of state and local tax payments a household can deduct from its federal income taxes. Previously, people could deduct the entire amount they paid in state and local property taxes, and either the state individual income tax or state sales tax. According to a Treasury Department estimate released Tuesday, this cap will stop 10.9 million tax filers from writing off these payments from their federal income taxes, with the largest bite felt in high-tax states like New York, New Jersey and California. Though politicians from these states are howling - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently met with President Donald Trump to discuss his concerns - limiting this deduction was the right thing to do. Congress should go all the way and repeal what remains of it. Importantly, just because 11 million people may lose this popular tax break - which has been in the federal code since the income tax was created a century ago - does not mean that all of them will be paying a larger share of their income in federal taxes. An analysis by the Tax Policy Center in December 2017 found that 80 percent of households would receive a tax cut in 2018, while only 5 percent will face a tax increase. (As temporary provisions of the 2017 law expire, more households will face a tax increase in future years.) An initially appealing argument in favor of this deduction is that it reduces an individuals marginal income tax. Imagine you are in the 35 percent income tax bracket and you earn an additional $100. Say you owe $10 in state taxes on that extra income. If you can deduct the $10 state tax payment, you now pay 35 percent on the remaining $90. Overall, you get to keep $58.50 after taxes. But if you cant deduct the $10, you can only keep $55 after taxes. So far, it seems that the deduction lowers marginal tax rates, improving incentives to work, save and invest. But thats only part of the story. By shrinking the federal income tax base relative to what it would be without the deduction, raising any given amount of revenue requires higher tax rates. This likely offsets the deductions marginal rate reduction. The state and local deduction also encourages taxpayers to itemize their deductions rather than take the standard deduction. This leads people to use other deductions more as well, amplifying the harm done from much less defensible tax breaks, like the one for mortgage interest payments. For the reasons I mentioned above, we should want a broader base and lower rates, not a smaller base and higher rates. In addition, the state and local deduction is a subsidy to states with large numbers of high-income individuals. Because they face higher marginal income tax rates, deductions are relatively more valuable to this group of taxpayers. (If you are in the 12 percent bracket, a deduction saves you 12 cents on your next dollar of income, compared with 35 cents if you are in the 35 percent bracket.) Also, rich states are often high-tax states. And because states with high-income residents also have larger populations (New York, New Jersey, California, Illinois), the state and local deduction benefits places that are doing much better than many others, and distorts the tax-and-spending decisions made by these states' governments. Supporters of this write-off argue that it prevents double taxation -- to stop the same dollar of income from being taxed by both the federal and state government, taxes paid to the state should be excluded from income subject to federal tax. But that argument doesn't really hold. State and local taxes are essential payments for goods and services, like schools, roads, police and fire departments, and public parks. Higher-tax states choose to provide more, or a better quality, of these services. Lower-tax states make a different choice. Properly understood, state and local taxes dont reduce your ability to pay federal income tax, and dont tax the same dollar of income twice. Instead, they reflect a choice you made to live in a place in which the government provides a certain set of goods and services to taxpayers. Residents of lower-tax states should not be on the hook for spending decisions of governments in higher-tax states. Of course, higher-income households (many of which are located in higher-income states) do pay relatively more income tax, which is used to finance federal spending programs and transfer payments, some of which benefit citizens in other, lower-income states. Federal programs (like those that make up the social safety net) are supposed to operate this way, and the nation as a whole needs to decide how much to spend on them. But this is a separate issue from the state and local deduction, which distorts the decisions of state governments and finds citizens in one state financing the decisions of different states' governments. State and local spending finances some public goods, like education. And there is a role for government to subsidize education, because the benefits of an educated citizenry extend beyond the individuals enrolled in school. But it would be better to directly subsidize education than to use a roundabout state and local deduction to achieve that goal. Importantly, the $10,000 cap mitigates some of these concerns. For example, the cap and the larger standard deduction - another feature of the 2017 tax law - will lead many fewer households to itemize. But it doesn't eliminate them. And the remaining deduction is significant. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, 16.6 million tax filers will still claim the state and local tax deduction in 2018. Because of this subsidy, the federal government is estimated to have lost $20 billion in revenue last year. Congress should get rid of the deduction entirely. To minimize disruption, the deduction should be set on a gradual glide path toward zero over a number of years. Doing so might mean that high-income people leave high-tax states, although the benefits to them of living in major urban centers makes me suspect that relatively few will do so. But even if this does happen to a significant degree, it would not be something to bemoan. Households should decide where to live based on their preferences, not on tax policy. The real change would be in the behavior of states. Some would still choose to provide more services than others - this key feature of the U.S.'s federalist system would remain. But they wont be relying on a subsidy from the federal government - from taxpayers in other states - to pick up part of the tab. - - - Michael R. Strain is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is director of economic policy studies and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He is the editor of The U.S. Labor Market: Questions and Challenges for Public Policy. With each criminal conviction the state of Pennsylvania matter-of-factly tells the defendants how long they will spend behind bars. Hidden from view, in the fine-print, is a long list of additional penalties attached to these convictions. Only upon leaving prison and while attempting to rebuild their lives do offenders experience, first-hand, how these non-prison penalties limit or deny their basic rights to housing, food stamps, education, voting, employment, child custody and much more. A 2018 study conducted by the Prison Policy Initiative found that formally incarcerated people are unemployed at a rate of over 27% higher than the total U.S. unemployment rate during any historical period, including the Great Depression [and] Exclusionary policies and practices are responsible for these market inequities. The study concludes: A prison sentence should not be a perpetual punishment. States should implement automation record expungement procedures and reform their licensing practices so as to eliminate the automatic rejection of people with felony convictions. The stigma of incarceration and disconnection from the workforce, according to a Council of State Governments report, are among the challenges people face when trying to find a job after release from prison or jail. People who have been incarcerated earn 40 percent less annually than they had earned prior to incarceration. Researchers at the Council of State Governments have prepared a list of 850 separate collateral consequences imbedded in Pennsylvania statutes and regulations waiting to snare persons convicted of a crime. Some consequences kick-in automatically. Others are applied on a case-by-case basis. Some have a set duration, others are indefinite. Here are a few examples of how Pennsylvanias post-prison penalties make the prison-to-society transition more difficult for many ex-offenders. Employment Ineligible to serve as an employee at a licensed tavern gaming establishment. A mandatory/automatic penalty with a time-limited duration for any felony conviction. Ineligible for farm produce dealer license. A mandatory/automatic penalty with an indefinite duration for conviction of crimes involving fraud, dishonesty, misrepresentation or money-laundering. Ineligible to serve as firefighter. A mandatory/automatic penalty with an indefinite duration for conviction of violent crimes. Education Ineligible for educational support services grant. A mandatory/automatic penalty of indefinite duration for conviction of crimes involving fraud, dishonesty, misrepresentation or money-laundering. Housing/Family Rights Terminate parental rights. A discretionary penalty, of an indefinite duration, for conviction of a violent crime. Deny child custody rights. A discretionary penalty, of an indefinite duration, for conviction of controlled substance, motor vehicle or sex offenses and crimes of violence. Ineligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance payments. A mandatory/automatic, but time-limited, penalty for conviction of crimes involving fraud, dishonesty, misrepresentation or money-laundering. Occupational Licenses Because One out of five working Americans needs a license to work while one in three American adults has a criminal record, the Institute for Justice encourages state lawmakers to repeal needless licenses, scale back anticompetitive licensing laws and strengthen the rights of people with a criminal record to gain meaningful employment. To do so, the Institute has prepared, for state adoption, a model legislation titled, Collateral Consequences in Occupational Licensing Act. And, to date, at least 18 statesbut not Pennsylvaniahave reformed their occupational licensing laws to reduce entry barriers for those with a criminal record. Nonetheless, in Pennsylvania, according to the Collateral Consequences Resource Centers Restoration of Rights Project, a non-profit organization that tracks legal restrictions placed on people with a criminal record, employers may consider felony and misdemeanor convictions only to the extent they relate to an applicants suitability for employment/licensure in the position sought. And, by executive policy, application forms for public employment may not inquire into an applicants criminal history. Each ex-offender has a personal responsibility to make the life-style changes needed to successfully re-enter society. But, doesnt society also have a responsibility to give wrong-doers the opportunity to make these changes and to become productive, law-abiding citizens? When state legislatures erect legal barriers that make life after prison difficult, if not impossible, they are setting people with a criminal record up for failureand a trip back to prison. -- Dr. Ronald Fraser writes on public policy issues for the DKT Liberty Project, a Washington-based civil liberties organization. Write him at: fraserr@erols.com Women were among the last U.S. soldiers to return home from World War I. They will also be among the last honored if an overdue but welcome bipartisan bill pending in the Senate passes. Three years into World War I, the United States rushed to make up for its tardiness in joining the Allied effort by recruiting, equipping, training, shipping and deploying 2 million doughboys to France. Americas contribution to the Allied victory was inestimably aided by the more than 200 women of the U.S. Signal Corps who operated telephone lifelines that connected combat soldiers with their commanders. Radios did not yet carry voices, only Morse code, and their wireless signals were notoriously vulnerable to enemy interception. It took three mules to haul a heavy radio field station to the front. By contrast, officers could deliver orders over telephones simply by talking, and the lines were difficult to tap without detection. A single soldier carrying a lightweight spindle could run communication lines into trenches, across battlefields and to captured enemy positions. The telephone lines transmitted commands to begin bombardments, to launch attacks and to retreat. Infantry officers used telephones to request artillery backup as troops advanced - and sometimes to call off friendly fire when it arrived. Telephones also facilitated military logistics, maintaining supply lines by which wars can be won or lost. In the second decade of the 20th century, though, the telephone was a relatively rudimentary technology: Telephones didnt have dials, and human operators were required to connect calls. Parties spoke with an operator who connected them. On the battlefield, when French-speaking and English-speaking commanders wanted to communicate, Signal Corps operators that Stars and Stripes called bilingual wire experts acted as interpreters. In that era, telephone operating was a sex-segregated occupation: Employers preferred females for their dexterity, efficiency, politeness and demonstrated ability to function under intense pressure. Gen. John Pershing, head of the American Expeditionary Forces, ordered the Army to recruit a contingent of operators in November 1917. More than 7,000 women volunteered for the initial 100 posts. Grace Banker, a 25-year-old Columbia University graduate who had majored in French and history, led the first unit of so-called Hello Girls. (Her story was told last year in an off-Broadway musical.) Banker and the women under her command acquitted themselves with valor and proficiency. In situations where the Army had to rely on men to connect calls, it found that the average doughboy took 60 seconds to complete a task that women did in 10. In wartime, survival can hinge on such increments. By Nov. 11, 1918, at the signing of the Armistice, the 223 women of the Signal Corps had connected 26 million calls. Some had served within shelling distance of the front, including Banker, whom the Army awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in occupied Germany. Thirty other operators received special commendations, including decorations for the Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives, the biggest American battles. The last Signal Corps operators departed France four months after the last U.S. combat unit. Yet when the women arrived home, the Army denied they had been soldiers despite the dog tags on their necks, uniforms on their backs and sworn oaths in their personnel files. Gen. George Quier, head of the Signal Corps, pleaded futilely on their behalf. The War Department refused to grant either victory medals or veterans bonuses to women. Operators with war-related disabilities fought vainly for hospitalization. Some incurred heavy debts to pay for their own care. A small group of the women pressed the government for six decades to recognize the female Signal Corps operators as military veterans. By the time such legislation was enacted in 1977, most were long buried, including Banker. Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Marsha Blackbur, R-Tenn, now propose to honor the women of the Signal Corps with the Congressional Gold Medal. More senatorial support is needed for the legislation to gain momentum. The House hasnt mounted a companion bill to Tester and Blackburns, but it should join the effort to bestow a public honor that has been a century in the making. A note to lawmakers: March 1 marked the beginning of Women's History Month. - - - Cobbs, a history professor at Texas A&M and a senior fellow at Stanfords Hoover Institution, is the author of " The Hello Girls ." The much-touted second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ended in both leaders unceremoniously walking away from the negotiation table. While such summits typically take place only after negotiations are concluded, both leaders came to Vietnam to talk without plans in place. Trump, disapproving of the offer from Kim, walked out of the meetings. Yet, many worry the mere act of meeting with Kim legitimized him on the global stage. What do you think? The Washington Post editorial board was scathing in its review of the summit, saying it was not just a failure in terms of negotiations, it also had the unintended effect of softening Kim Jong-Un's public persona. Early in the summit, Trump dismissed concerns that Kim was involved in the brutal treatment and death of American citizen Otto Warmbier. Trump also sat across from Kim as an equal, an image many felt was detrimental to international relations. The failure of President Trumps summit with Kim Jong Un revealed the fundamental weakness of Mr. Trumps strategy for addressing the growing nuclear threat from North Korea. The president supposed that his personal and improvisational diplomacy, featuring unwarranted and unseemly flattery of a murderous tyrant, would make possible the substantive steps toward disarmament that the regime has resisted for decades. Instead, he was presented by Mr. Kim with a patently unacceptable offer that left him no choice but to walk away. Opinion | The Hanoi summit failure exposes Trumps weak diplomacy Some, including columnist Henry Olsen, believed the summit actually showcased Trumps strength. Hoping to get a deal for total denuclearization, Trump was met with an offer from North Korea to shut down one of its nuclear facilities in exchange for the suspension of all sanctions on the country. The deal included no promises to destroy the countys current stockpile of weapons or shutdown any of its other facilities. Rejecting it out of hand shows that Trump was serious in this instance. Sometimes you have to walk, and this was just one of those times, the president said at a news conference. The fact that Trump could do that will send a clear message to Kim and other governments he is negotiating with that he wont let ego get in the way of getting a good deal for the United States. This in turn will bolster, not diminish, his popular standing at home. His backers will see their judgment vindicated: Trump took a risk, didnt get what he needed and was shrewd enough to call off the meeting. Those who arent invested in their hatred for him might begin to see him in a different light. After all, they had just been told incessantly that Trump couldnt do what he just did. Perhaps they will begin to see him as what he has always said he was: a negotiator who knows how to wield carrots and sticks, flattery and straight talk, as needed to get a deal done. Opinion | No, the North Korea summit was not a loss for Trump Former U.N ambassador and current national security advisor John Bolton made the rounds to Sunday morning talk shows defending the presidents actions in Vietnam. AMBASSADOR BOLTON: Well I don't consider the summit a failure. I consider it a success defined as the president protecting and advancing American national interest. There was extensive preparation for this meeting. Extensive discussions between the president and Kim Jong Un and- and the issue really was whether North Korea was prepared to accept what the president called "the big deal," which is denuclearize entirely under a definition the president handed to Kim Jong Un and have the potential for an enormous economic future or try and do something less than that which was unacceptable to us. So the president held firm to his view. He deepened his relationship with Kim Jong Un. I don't view it as a failure at all when American national interests are protected. When pressed by Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan on whether he agreed with the presidents actions, Bolton repeated that with the presidents opinion that the summit was not a failure. Bolton said, Im the national security advisor. Im not the national security decision maker. Transcript: National security adviser John Bolton on Face the Nation, March 3, 2019 Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff appeared on Face the Nation later in the program and directly contradicted Boltons claims. Schiff felt strongly the president had given up far more than he had gotten during the summit and placed the United States in an unnecessarily precarious situation. REP. SCHIFF: Well I was struck by one thing in particular and that is when you asked him whether the president had given up anything by going to this summit and walking away empty handed and his answer was that the president didn't believe so. And you asked him, well do you believe so and he said well what the president believes is all that matters. He couldn't even agree with his own president but course- of course the president did give up a great deal by going to that summit, by enhancing Kim Jong Un's prestige on the world stage, by giving up those military exercises in the last summit and getting nothing for it. And this is, I think, the result of a president who is not prepared for these kind of negotiations, a staff that is not well-prepared, and that is essentially flying by the seat of its pants and it has real world consequences. Those reactors continue to spin on, as you point out, producing more material that can threaten us and our allies. And I think that this was a spectacular failure but made all- all the worse by the president's obsequious comments when it came to the murder of an American citizen, Otto Warmbier. Transcript: Rep. Adam Schiff on Face the Nation, March 3, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, wed love to hear what you have to say. Ward and Eis Gallery to support Women's Resource Center with benefit Ward and Eis Gallery will host its annual 'Gifts Twice Given' benefit to support Womens Resource Center of Northern Michigan programs and services on Dec. 11 and 18. Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder of TechGirlz, which aims to bring technology education to middle school girls in order to inspire their career choices. Read more This story has been updated to include a link to a report, 2019 Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, released March 8 by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. TechGirlz, a Philadelphia-area nonprofit founded nearly 10 years ago to ignite a passion for technology among middle school girls, is being acquired by an Illinois-based nonprofit in a deal designed to create a more reliable pipeline of IT workers nationwide. Acquirer Creating IT Futures, which helps prepare adults underrepresented in the tech field for such careers, is no stranger to TechGirlz. It has been one of its funders for five years, and TechGirlz founder Tracey Welson-Rossman has served on its board for the last three years. We felt together our combined efforts would increase both of our goals and support both of our missions," Charles Eaton, CEO of Creating IT Futures, said in an interview. TechGirlzs free workshops got off to a popular start around Philadelphia and have now engaged 15,000 girls in 14 states. They will operate as a program under Creating IT Futures, but TechGirlz will remain headquartered here. The brand and logo stay the same. Our website will also be separate, said Welson-Rossman, who is also chief marketing officer at Fort Washington software developer Chariot Solutions, where TechGirlz is housed. Eaton said that while nonprofit consolidation is sometimes a sign of trouble, usually with the acquired entity, that is not the case with TechGirlz, which has an annual budget of $200,000 and six employees. With a budget of $6.25 million and a staff of 25, Creating IT Futures, founded in 1998 by trade group Computing Technology Industry Association, or CompTIA, can help extend TechGirlzs reach among a demographic Eatons agency wanted to get involved with, he said. TechGirlz is doing great, Eaton said, adding that the goal now is to accelerate their growth and accelerate their impact. Applauding that aspiration is Ellen Weber, someone who knows what it feels like to be a relative rarity: a female investor. She is executive director of Robin Hood Ventures and also heads Temple Universitys Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute. If we dont have women following tech careers ... we are really going to fall behind" as an economy, Weber said. I think its one of the best ways to narrow the wage gap, narrow the skills gap. Its tech, baby! The combination of TechGirlz and Creating IT Futures underscores both the expected growing need for IT workers and a continuing shortage of women in such jobs, Welson-Rossman said. The lack of available tech talent and the proven competitive advantage of a diverse workforce has created a unique opportunity to build a path for more young girls to pursue a career in technology, Welson-Rossman said. By ensuring these women have a critical part to play in Americas technology industry, we can also help them secure greater economic and social influence. TechGirlz has yet to do a long-term assessment to find out how many of the 15,000 girls who participated in its workshops currently have a tech job or are pursuing a computer science degree. We have conducted exit surveys from our workshops and with recent alums over the last several years. The results have been very encouraging over 90 percent intend to continue pursuing tech education or careers, Welson-Rossman. She hopes the partnership with Creating IT Futures will help find out how effective the workshops are in ensuring that participants eventually end up in the tech workforce. A report issued this month by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics shows that although the number of women receiving a college degree in computer sciences increased between 1997 and 2016 women are making up a smaller percentage of bachelors and doctorate recipients. According to the NCSESs 2019 Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, 18.7 percent (or just over 12,000) of the bachelors degrees in computer sciences in 2016 went to women, down from 27.2 percent in 1997, when nearly 7,000 women earned the degree. Of the doctorate recipients, 20.1 percent were women in 2016, up from 15.9 percent in 1997 but down from 21.7 percent in 2006. Senior analyst Karen S. Hamrick said in an email about the report, released in full on March 8 and available here: The computer sciences story is a dramatic finding. Creating IT Futures was originally intended to serve as CompTIAs foundation arm, said Eaton, who was hired eight years ago to make a change. He transitioned the agency into one whose mission was to help prepare nontraditional populations in the IT workforce low-income individuals, minorities, women, and military veterans for tech careers through its IT-Ready program. The last three years brought an additional focus what can we do with kids? to help build interest in IT that carries through to an ultimate career in it, Eaton said. Through association with TechGirlz, he said, we did recognize middle school is that moment where we have to capture their attention." Thats where TechGirlz captured Dhivya Arasappans. Now 17 and a junior at Conestoga High School, she was in eighth grade when her mother signed her up for a TechGirlz class on designing mobile apps at the Tredyffrin Public Library. It dispelled what Arasappan said is a common misconception among young girls: That technology is only coding. For Welson-Rossman, TechGirlzs founder, the acquisition by Creating IT Futures will free her of some administrative work, but it doesnt mean were home free from the fund-raising, including TechGirlzs ongoing $1 million capital campaign through 2020. Also, volunteers that help with workshops will remain critical, she said, expressing gratitude for the regions support. This is a community that believed early on that diversity in tech was important and they put their time and dollars where their thoughts were, Welson-Rossman said. I think thats really, really important to understand. We dont always get from a Philadelphia standpoint around technology theres a great community here. Aaron A. Walton, Cheyney's president, announces fundraising campaign and continued partnerships to ensure the school's financial future, during a news conference at the school Tuesday. Read more Despite recent concerns about Cheyney Universitys accreditation and finances expressed by the head of Pennsylvanias state system, the schools president Tuesday announced an ambitious fund-raising campaign to help balance the budget by June 30 and vowed to work to keep the historically black university around for another 182 years. We will have a balanced budget, Cheyney president Aaron A. Walton said at a news conference in the schools science center, attended by alumni, students, and others. Walton also said that revenue-generating plans with private partners, announced in July, were progressing and that a local company, Epcot Crenshaw, planned to relocate its headquarters to Cheyneys campus. In the meantime, he said, the company, which focuses on the environmental impact of food production, plans to convert an existing Cheyney building into a laboratory. A greenhouse and aquaponics facility are planned, too. Thomas Jefferson University, another partner, is planning to build a medical facility on campus, Walton said, and already has brought Cheyney faculty and students to its Center City campus for shared learning. Neither Walton nor Joseph Hill, Thomas Jeffersons chief diversity officer, offered any details on the medical facility, noting that it was still in planning. Were still having discussions around what that facility would look like, Hill said. Walton also said the university was in talks about building a hotel and conference center on campus, 275 acres of rolling farmland in Delaware and Chester Counties. A multipurpose building for large university gatherings that also could be used by the community is in planning, too, Walton said, as is a partnership with the national Starbucks Foundation for research. All these would be revenue-generating activities, Walton said, showing a map that outlines a commercial area planned for the campus. They also would provide internship and training opportunities for students, Walton said. The news conference followed something of a bombshell dropped last month by Daniel Greenstein, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Greenstein told state senators at a budget hearing that Cheyney was likely to lose accreditation later this year and looked as if it would be short on cash again by as much as $10 million. He said the university may have to operate as an unaccredited institution, possibly offering career training. After Greenstein and Walton met with Gov. Tom Wolf last week, Walton said all were committed to Cheyneys future. Cheyney has struggled with finances and enrollment in recent years but has been executing a plan for transformation under Walton, who took the helm nearly two years ago. After Waltons remarks Tuesday, Kenn Marshall, a spokesperson for the state system, said the chancellor stands by his remarks at the Senate hearing. Were going to continue to work with Cheyney and support them," Marshall said. Obviously, President Walton has a plan and we hope its successful. Robert W. Bogle, longtime chair of Cheyneys Council of Trustees, said after the news conference that he is more encouraged about Cheyneys future than ever, in spite of the negativity that the chancellor has articulated. Cheyney officials met on campus Tuesday with representatives of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which accredits the school, and Bogle said they had a frank discussion that embraced our ability to be successful. There are still challenges, he said. It isnt just the immediacy of financial needs. Its the sustainability of the institution and our ability to provide an academic environment that embraces the issues that Middle States has some concern about. Its a huge balancing act, Bogle said, trying to cut costs and maintain educational quality. During the news conference, Walton said he expected the university to retain its accreditation through Middle States and asserted that much of the $10 million funding hole Greenstein referenced is a cash-flow problem he expects to be resolved. The university, however, is aiming to raise about $4 million over the next few months under a new campaign to make sure the budget is balanced. Walton projected that enrollment would grow from just over 400 this year to nearly 700 in the fall and said the school had experienced a jump in applications of more than 30 percent. The academic quality of the students who put down deposits for next year has improved and more freshmen returned to the campus in 2018-19 than in prior years, Walton said. Ayana Curtis, 19, a freshman from Philadelphia who attended the news conference, said the presidents words were a relief in the wake of news reports about accreditation and budget problems. Its scary to be a student and hear stuff like that, she said. But to know that our president is so ahead of the game, to have things in place and to be working toward making sure we are here another 182 years, its really promising and it kind of soothes the soul. School Police Officer Donald Lewis and his Men of Mitchell walk to a first-grade class at Mitchell Elementary in Southwest Philadelphia. Read more A new report on school safety from the American Civil Liberties Union confirms what leaders in Pennsylvania districts with large numbers of disadvantaged kids have been seeing for years too many students are getting arrested instead of receiving mental-health aid to head off violence before it starts. For a lot of our children especially in urban areas with this violence, in Chester and Philly the mental trauma piece is missing, said Anthony Johnson, president of the Chester Upland school board, about the ACLUs finding that many U.S. schools lack counselors, psychologists, or nurses, even as armed policing increases. In Johnsons Delaware County district dogged for years by low funding and a high poverty rate administrators are looking to place more mental-health providers in schools. We probably need on-site people every day," he added. The ACLU study Cops and No Counselors: How the Lack of School Mental Health Staff Is Harming Students found there are 1.7 million American children attending schools that have police officers but no counselors, part of a trend of criminalizing youth behavior while not offering enough early intervention. The civil-liberties group also said some of the nationwide problems it uncovered are even more pronounced in Pennsylvania. In particular, the ACLU found the state has the third-highest student arrest rate in the nation a number that spiked by 24 percent in just two years and the second-highest for black and Hispanic kids. It found an African American girl is five times more likely than a white girl to get arrested in a Pennsylvania school. The shortage of counselors, nurses, social workers, and school psychologists is a significant problem in Pennsylvania, said Harold Jordan, senior policy advocate for the ACLUs Pennsylvania chapter. He said filling school hallways with armed security officers is a misguided notion that would not prevent school shootings. Jordan said the number of Pennsylvania children in schools with police but no counselors is about 30,000, relatively small compared with other states. More alarming, he said, were high rates of student arrests. In Allegheny County, for example, school-based arrests are the main factor sending African American girls into the juvenile justice system. The argument for more mental-health professionals, Jordan said, is that what you can do is create situations where adults with professional skills get to know kids well enough to know about... conflicts that have potential to cause school violence and intervene. Heather Marcus, a counselor at Philadelphias Masterman School and organizer of Philadelphia School Counselors United, said the ACLU report reinforced what staff see inside city schools daily. When we see problematic behaviors, theres something underneath that and school counselors get to whats underneath, Marcus said. Adding school counselors is a way to stop the school-to-prison pipeline, instead of criminalizing our youth. She said the situation in Philadelphia has improved since the depths of the fiscal crisis earlier this decade, when some city schools lacked nurses or guidance counselors, but we could be doing so much more. The ACLU report comes during a national debate over school safety that has accelerated since a rash of school shootings most notably the Parkland, Fla., high school massacre that claimed 17 lives last winter. Many schools have tightened security measures adding more metal detectors or cameras, hiring armed guards, or increasing visits by municipal police. Last September, for example, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered state troopers to visit schools and college campuses once every shift in the 1,300 municipalities where theyre the primary police force. But the ACLU report argues that police are largely trained to make arrests and not deal with the complicated traumas faced by young people, especially in lower-income communities. It found 3.5 times as many arrests in schools with police as in those without them disproportionately targeting nonwhites and the disabled. At the same time, the ACLU study detailed a pronounced shortage of counselors, nurses, psychologists, or social workers who could serve as the front line of defense on problems like the rising suicide rate, which from 2006-16 skyrocketed by 70 percent among children aged 10 to 17. In Chester Upland, school board president Johnson noted the district has metal detectors in schools, yet our problem is violence in the community. He said he would like to see more kids getting help for the trauma they experience on the outside, and get with the parents and start some therapy. V Marks the Shop, an all-plant-based convenience store, officially opens this month, adding yet another option to Phillys flourishing vegan scene. Inside the South Philadelphia neighborhood spot, a paradise of snacks awaits, with shelves full of churro-flavored cotton candy, smores brownie bars, chipotle jerky, and more. Its a haven of obscure drunk food that you cant really get anywhere else, says Chelsea Lewis, who traveled from West Philly to fill her backpack with boxes of knockoff dairy-free Cheez-Its and frozen Blackbird Pizzeria pizza. And, as a vegan, its so nice to walk in here and not need to scour the labels of anything. Its the project of husband-and-wife duo Carlo Giardina, 51, and Carmella Lanni, 42, two former Bronx food bloggers who ran a site called the Food Duo. In 2010, both went vegan, shifting their blog to match their lifestyle and investing more time in the endeavor. Not long after, they started to brainstorm how they could take their entrepreneurial food interests offline and began selling vegan products at various pop-ups in New York. We always had the goal of doing a brick-and-mortar, and we knew Philly was where we wanted to go, Lanni says. We loved the city wed come down almost every weekend just to get away from New York, and we quickly saw how active and diverse the vegan community was here. In 2016, Giardina and Lanni launched the Philly Vegan Pop Flea, a vendor market still held monthly at places like the Rotunda, Tattooed Mom, and, recently, V Marks the Shop (1515 McKean St.). Though the couple has amassed a following over the years, they know theyll never be able to compete with large supermarket chains. Were more of a boutique. We spend a ton of time researching smaller and up-and-coming businesses whose products you wont yet see on mainstream shelves, Giardina says. But were also a community space people can come here to hang out, learn about veganism, meet other vegans, and participate in events. In addition to snacks, theres a deli case of dairy-free cheese options, tempeh bacon, and Just Egg, a substitute for whipping up scrambled eggs. A butcher case holds items such as Korean-style ribs and porterhouse steaks made from seitan, and several standing freezers contain everything from cheesesteak empanadas to tofu-ricotta-stuffed ravioli to crab cakes to almond-milk gelato sandwiched between cookies. About 15 percent of the products are sourced from local purveyors, but the goal is to get that closer to 50 percent. V Marks the Shop is now the only place to find frozen pies from Blackbird Pizzeria, stocked alongside items from Crust Bakery, Batter & Crumb, Eat Nice, Freakin Vegan, Babas Brew Kombucha, and other regional vendors. Visitors will also find a rotating list of items like matzo ball soup, white fish salad, and carrot lox from Miss Rachels Pantry, a well-established vegan hot spot just blocks away. In the back of the shop, a seating area offers free WiFi and a selection of random arts and crafts supplies. Every Saturday, the shop hosts events ranging from product tastings to board game tournaments to talks by guest speakers. While finishing up a soft-opening phase, hours are posted weekly to Instagram. Starting March 11, V Marks the Shop will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. A grand-opening celebration is planned for March 30. Breastfeeding Latinas founder Ileana Berrios (left) with project educator MaryNissi Lemon (right) outside their offices at Temple Women's Care at Northeastern February 21, 2019. Read more This article is part of Made in Philly, a series about young residents shaping local communities. It wasnt until Ileana Berrios was 24 that she received any advice on motherhood and it was after searching How to take care of a baby on the internet. Once I became pregnant, I thought about what I needed to do as a mother," said Berrios, now 37 and a mother of three. "But I realized that I knew nothing. Berrios path to motherhood had challenges, as well. By the time she was 6, her family was traveling constantly from Puerto Rico to New Jersey to Philadelphia as her parents looked for better job opportunities and living conditions. At 16, her parents separated, and she went to live with her father in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where Berrios started college and got married. By the time her daughter was born, she didnt have a mother figure to help her. Its what eventually led her to a career as a lactation consultant, and to the creation of Breastfeeding Latinas a five-year-old Philadelphia project that educates expecting mothers before they are in labor, and empowers women of color to become breast-feeding specialists themselves. Overall, Pennsylvania mothers meet many breast-feeding objectives as laid out in the national Healthy People 2020 goals, according to the CDCs 2018 Breastfeeding Report Card: About 84 percent breast-feed their newborns (82 percent is the target), about 59 percent still breast-feed by the sixth month (with a 61 percent target), and by the first year of a childs life, its 39 percent (with a 34 percent target). But in Philadelphia, there are disparities: Fewer African American and Hispanic mothers start breast-feeding before they leave the hospital (less than 75 percent) compared with other mothers (almost 82 percent for white mothers and 85 percent for Asians), according to the state Department of Health. And rates fall drastically once families return home, due to a unique set of barriers that also affect infant and maternal health rates in the city, experts say. For example, some of these women dont have breast-feeding role models; their families gives them negative feedback about nursing; theyve been taught stereotypical concepts of what constitutes beauty; they have a history of trauma with men that impacts their ability to feed their babies; their access to resources and support, including in a preferred language, is limited; or they generally distrust programs and institutions. Berrios, who earned her bachelors degree in human services in 2014, is the only Spanish bilingual lactation consultant at Temple University Hospitals Maternity Care, where she sees two to four mothers between ages 14 and 19 a week. You have young mothers receiving all these mixed messages: that breast-feeding hurts, that it spoils your kid, that you will never produce enough milk," said Berrios, an international board-certified lactation consultant. "They dont know what theyre doing. In her experience, younger mothers sometimes think of their bodies more like a sexual thing and less in a maternal capacity. Yet one positive development with these women is that theyve found a community on social media with which to share experiences, something older mothers of color do less of, Berrios said. In any case, Berrios says, her 12 years of experience have shown her the best way to reach these women is to physically go where they are, whether at their homes, on social media, or to their doctor appointments. Its one of the initiatives Breastfeeding Latinas recent $15,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation is funding: having two peer counselors stationed at two North Philly clinics to reach women before they have their babies and to set a foundation for after care, as well. The City of Philadelphias Public Health Department is running a breast-feeding campaign, Philly Loves Breastfeeding, since August, specifically aimed at African American and Latina mothers to communicate that breast-feeding is a natural thing. We statistically focused on these populations with the goal to normalize breast-feeding and provide support for African American and Latina women, said Lauren Ryder, director of health marketing at the health department. These ethnic groups also present higher rates of late or no prenatal care, low birth weight, and infant mortality than any other groups in the city, she said. Nine billboards have been posted around the city; its Facebook page has nearly 3,000 followers, and it has distributed 13,500 family postcards, posters, and educational pamphlets in Spanish and English at the request of healthcare providers. Its website offers tips and a list of places that offer free sessions with certified lactation counselors. Zuly Ortiz, 22, benefited from having Berrios help her when she was ready to give up two months into breast-feeding. It was really frustrating to not satisfy [the baby] and have to go through so much pain in the process, Ortiz said. Having to give supplement milk at such an early stage made her feel like she wasnt being a good mother. Berrios met Ortiz at her home in Northeast Philadelphia, where the new mother learned the baby was tongue-tied, which didnt allow her to latch properly. The baby underwent surgery and learned to latch. Ortiz said Berrios advice made a huge difference, both when she was breast-feeding full-time and when her supply was running low after she returned to work. Some of Berrios tips? Put warm towels around your breasts, drink lots of fluid, and eat more oatmeal during the day. Nyra Zaracho, 34, a doula in North Philadelphia who visits clients homes and attends doctor appointments to provide information and emotional support before, during, and after childbirth met Berrios in 2014 at a local peer counseling training session. She considers Berrios a friend and partner; they teamed up for other initiatives, when they both worked for Maternity Care Coalition, trying to provide a holistic experience for mothers during pregnancy and after delivery. Zaracho hopes Berrios can at some point create a network for local doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, social workers ,and case managers, as she knows few experts dedicated to understanding and working with women of color. It takes a village of people to understand the circumstances that these women go through when pregnant," Zaracho said, "and having a system, a network of people, would make a huge difference. Tory Burch, with her mother, Reva sit on a panel discussions about empowering women and entrepreneurship at her store in King of Prussia. The Tory Burch Foundation is launching an Embrace Ambition Series in March in celebration of Women's History Month. Intimate events will be held at our boutiques leading up to an International Women's Day event in NYC, Monday, March 4, 2019. Read more Tory Burch was in town Monday evening to the delight of about 40 women who descended upon the dainty King of Prussia boutique one of 300 worldwide amid a collection of colorful tote bags, sneakers, and appropriate winter floral prints. The Tory Burch Foundation invited the women to the store, as well as to stores in Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, and New York, to kick off its Embrace Ambition Series, a week of intimate conversations that are live-streamed on the foundations website and that are designed to inspire women to live their best entrepreneurial lives. Monday nights girl power hours included mini-speeches from female business owners, including a stirring talk by 16-year-old Jacqueline Means, who founded a nonprofit STEM initiative for young girls in Wilmington. But the moment we all waited for was an Oprah-style chat during which Burch interviewed her mom, Reva Robinson, for whom her iconic Reva flat is named. People say, What was the inspiration to your company? My mother. Where did come up with your designs? My mother," Burch said in her intro. Every single thing comes back to my mom. When Burch, who grew up in Valley Forge, launched her casual, chic clothing womens wear line in 2004, the plan, she said, was to start a nonprofit that would give back to the community in some way. Back when I was raising money for my company, I was clear that I wanted to build a global business so I could start a foundation, Burch said. [The men] were patting me on the back like it was charity work. One person looked at me and said, Dont ever say business and purpose in the same sentence. I knew that I was going to one day come back to him." Burch launched her foundation in 2009, and the organization did most of its work internally. We wanted to be very careful about talking about it externally, never be perceived as marketing in any way. Two years ago, the foundation launched the Embrace Ambition Series with a PSA that included such celebrities as Kerry Washington and Gwyneth Paltrow to remind women that their ambition should not be seen as negative. This year, the foundation has embarked on a week of events in the days leading up to International Womens Day on Friday. Burch is a force in the fashion industry, but shes usually very reserved. There was something about Robinson that brought out the giggles in her and in all of us Monday night. She was candid, relaxed, and authentic. Here are some of the things she shared with the audience about her life that may offer a window into how she was able to embrace her ambition. And because shes the billionaire owner of a multimillion dollar fashion empire, its clear she knows what shes talking about. Rev. Armand Garcia (inset) was charged Monday with rape, sexual abuse, corruption of a minor stemming from an incident Aug. 1, 2014. Background: Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, in Philadelphia. ( Inset: Philadelphia Police Department; Background: MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer ) Read more A suspended Catholic priest has been charged with raping a teenage girl at his former Roxborough parish and recording their sexual encounter five years ago. According to court records, the Rev. Armand Garcia, most recently of St. Martin of Tours Parish in the citys Summerdale section, surrendered to Philadelphia police Monday a year after the investigation of his conduct emerged into public view with a police search of his rectory. Yet a day after his arrest, details of his alleged crimes remained hazy. A spokesperson for the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office declined to comment on the case, and court records detailing the basis for the charges were not available Tuesday afternoon. Sources familiar with the investigation said the charges stemmed from Garcias relationship with an altar girl at Immaculate Heart Parish in Roxborough, with whom investigators believe he had sexual contact starting when she was about 16. Garcia, now 49, allegedly offered her alcohol or marijuana during encounters over a period of years in the parish rectory, his living quarters, and other locations, said those sources, who were not authorized to discuss the case publicly. The specific count of rape with which Garcia was charged Monday stems from an alleged incident in August 2014, according to court filings. His accuser came forward after he had been transferred to St. Martin of Tours in Summerdale in 2017. Garcias lawyer, William J. Brennan, defended what he described as his clients otherwise unblemished record in more than a decade serving at various schools and parishes across the Philadelphia region. Hes been a priest for a long time, and is still a fully ordained Roman Catholic priest, Brennan said Tuesday. This is the only whiff of trouble that Im aware of. Garcias arrest comes as the Catholic Church grapples with a global resurgence of the clergy sex-abuse crisis kicked off in part by last years grand jury report implicating hundreds of Pennsylvania priests and their superiors in decades of abuse and cover-up. Church officials, including the pope himself at an unprecedented Vatican conference last month, have worked to assure the faithful that they are serious about cleaning house of all known abusers. Ordained in 2005, Garcia had passed a background check and had attended child protection training programs that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia requires for all priests, said archdiocesan spokesperson Kenneth Gavin in a statement Tuesday. He added that Archbishop Charles J. Chaput suspended Garcia and notified parishioners at St. Martin of Tours and Immaculate Heart a year ago as soon as he learned of the allegations that eventually led to Mondays arrest. Since then, Garcia has lived in a private residence in Aston, Delaware County. His ministry has been restricted and the archdiocese is not contributing to his legal bills, Gavin said. Garcias name and photo have been scrubbed from parish websites and that of the National Association of Filipino Priests, an organization for which Garcia had served as a regional representative. These charges are serious and disturbing, Gavin said. The Archdiocese is cooperating fully with law enforcement regarding this matter and remains fervently committed to preventing child abuse. Garcia is the first priest whom Philadelphia authorities have charged with sexual misconduct since the conclusion of a 2011 grand jury investigation that led to prosecutions of five area priests and the archdioceses former secretary for clergy, Msgr. William J. Lynn, who is awaiting retrial on charges he endangered children by covering for abusive priests. Only two of those cases resulted in sex-crime convictions. Brennan, who represented two of the other priests at trials that ended with deadlocked juries, said that the outcome of those cases should give observers pause before they rush to judgment. The allegations in those cases were very troubling, as is this one, he said. But in those cases, there werent convictions. We should all remember that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Garcia was released on $250,000 bond Monday evening. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 14. Troy and Debra Harris with their son Azir (right) at home. He was shot and paralyzed a year ago, and they have been looking for wheelchair-accessible public housing, but the waiting list is long. Read more Troy Harris morning routine is a familiar one quick shower, quick bite to eat, quick search for car keys before rushing out the door. Except before he can start his day as a cook in Penns kosher dining program, where he has worked for 17 years, Harris also has to carry his 18-year-old son, paralyzed after being shot in 2018, down the stairs of their South Philadelphia home. This has been Harris reality for more than a year now, ever since a gunman turned the familys life upside down. Slim, with a youthful smile framed by a salt-and-pepper beard, Harris bears Azirs weight down their stairs every morning and back up again at night, and in and out of the family car for doctors appointments or the occasional outing. If he doesnt, his son is mostly confined to the small room at the top of the stairs that he shares with an older brother. A brother that sometimes helps carry Azir, too. That is, unless Azirs adolescent rebellion kicks in and he uses his wheelchair cushion to scoot himself down the stairs, an act of independence that could lead to injury. Azir was struck on Feb. 15, 2018, the day after the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting. While the nations attention was trained on the horrific attack that many hoped would finally lead to a political reckoning on gun violence, the Harris family were grappling with their own tragedy. Their home in the Wilson Park housing development had always been cramped for a family of eight, but after Azir was shot, it seemed to shrink overnight. Even if they got some modifications a wheelchair ramp for the few stairs in and out of the house, a chair lift so he can move between the first and second floors the home just a few blocks from where he was shot isnt ideal. The thought of being so close to the place where Azir almost lost his life. Who could stand that? The oversize furniture in the living room that once made the house feel homey now limits his movements in his wheelchair. Sometimes his friends will come over to take him out. But most of the time he settles into his bed to play games, or on the couch to watch TV. He sleeps. A lot. Were watching our son sleep his life away, his mom, Debra, said the other day, as they sat on the couch. In sleep, Azir doesnt have to think about how before the shooting hed run up and down the stairs, in and out of the house to go to school, hang out with friends. He was walking to a store near their home with two friends to grab something to eat when gunfire rang out. All three teens were struck. Azir got it worst, hit five times in the crossfire of neighborhood beefs that are turning increasingly deadly. The shooting is still under investigation. Since the shooting, the family has been hoping to relocate to another housing development with accessible housing, but as my colleague David Gambacorta and I found, accessible housing tops the long list of lifelong challenges that shooting victims face. Richard Castaldo, shot and paralyzed during the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, just recently found a wheelchair-accessible apartment after years of searching. After being shot and paralyzed while protecting three children in a barbershop a month before Azir was shot, Jalil Frazier and his family finally gave up finding a place in Philadelphia. They moved into a one-level home in New Jersey. Philadelphias old and narrow housing stock doesnt always lend itself to accessibility, especially not at working-family prices. The Philadelphia Housing Authority said that the waiting time for fully accessible public housing varies by the number of bedrooms. In almost all cases, they said, the wait time is no longer than three years. But three years might as well be a lifetime. In the year since Azir was shot, the family said the developments site manager has offered few options. One, which they are waiting to hear more about, means separating the family into multiple units. Another was an apartment right behind where Azir was shot. That would take us closer to the crime scene," Debra said. Closer to where he almost lost his life. After nearly two decades, Troy says he still makes only enough to live from paycheck to paycheck from Bon Appetit, which runs the dining program in Hillels Falk Dining Commons. The family is stretched to a breaking point after paying for medical supplies not covered by insurance. His wife had to leave her nursing-home job to care for Azir. The older kids who work chip in where they can. Can you put this in the paper? Troy asks, just home from work and weary. If we could find a reasonable Realtor that will work with a working family, I would love to talk to them. Whatever I can do, I will work for it. I will try my hardest to get my family out. Azir may be the one who cant leave a chair, but the whole family feels trapped. A federal judge on Monday denied a request by the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office to vacate the death penalty for a Philadelphia man convicted of the 1984 strangulation and drowning deaths of a prominent pastors son and daughter-in-law in their East Mount Airy home. U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg wrote that for three decades, the DAs Office had consistently and zealously opposed inmate Robert Whartons efforts to overturn his conviction and death sentence. Early last month, the office informed the judge it would no longer fight the appeal. Max Cooper Kaufman, supervisor of the federal litigation unit under District Attorney Larry Krasner, wrote that the decision came after the office reexamined the case and communicated with the victims family. In his written opinion, Goldberg described the deaths of Bradley Hart, 26, and his wife, Ferne, 31, as particularly horrific and noted the DAs Office didnt explain the reason behind what he called "this complete reversal of course. He ordered both parties to submit briefs explaining their positions. Krasner, a former criminal defense lawyer who took office last year, campaigned on a platform of never seeking the death penalty. His spokesperson, Ben Waxman, said by email Monday that the office had no comment on Goldbergs ruling except to say that we are reviewing the opinion and considering next steps in the case." The Federal Community Defender Office, which is representing Wharton, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Whartons co-defendant, Eric Mason, was sentenced to life in prison. Both men, construction workers from Germantown, were 20 at the time of the murders. Now 56, Wharton is on death row at the State Correctional Institution-Phoenix in Montgomery County. According to evidence in the case, on the night of Jan. 30, 1984, Wharton and Mason went to the Harts home, tied up the couple, and separated them. Wharton choked Ferne Hart with a necktie and drowned her in a bathtub. Mason denied killing anyone, but was accused by Wharton of killing Bradley Hart by forcing his face in water and strangling him with an electrical cord. After the jury at his 1985 trial convicted Wharton of first-degree murder, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Bello argued that both defendants should be sentenced to die, noting that they turned the heat off in the house and left the couples 7-month-old daughter, Lisa, to die. Harts father, the Rev. B. Sam Hart, a nationally known evangelist pastor, discovered the couples bodies. The baby was unharmed but suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. Bello told jurors that Wharton wanted revenge against the Hart family after he was not paid for construction work he had done at a religious radio station in Phoenixville managed by Bradley Hart and owned by his father. The Harts had fired the subcontractor for whom Wharton worked because they were unsatisfied with the job. The prosecutor also told jurors that Wharton had previously committed two burglaries at the Harts home and, with Mason, had burglarized the Rev. Harts church, the Germantown Christian Assembly in East Mount Airy. In April 1992, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court partially granted Whartons appeal, ordering a new sentencing hearing. That December, a second Philadelphia jury reimposed the double-death sentence for Wharton. In December 2002, then-Gov. Mark Schweiker signed his death warrant, but the execution was stayed after Wharton appealed to federal court. Goldberg in 2012 denied his petition, but an appellate court sent it back to the district judge on just one claim whether his lawyer was ineffective for failing to tell the jury about Whartons adjustment to prison. That was the claim the District Attorneys Office last month said it would not fight. The DAs Office also asked the judge to grant summary relief by taking the death penalty off the table and said that if the judge did so, prosecutors wouldnt seek a new death sentence in state court. Krasner has received pushback by the judiciary in at least one other case in which his office tried to throw out a death sentence. In October, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Christine Donohue wrote in a majority opinion that a jury had approved the death penalty for Lavar Brown, and the DAs Office couldnt change that result based upon the differing views of the current office holder. Pennsylvanias death penalty has been used just three times since it was reinstated by the state in 1978. Gov. Tom Wolf imposed a moratorium on its use in 2015. Wolfs spokesperson said Monday that the governor believes the moratorium should continue in light of a June 2018 report by a bipartisan legislative task force and advisory committee, which found various problems concerning the death penalty. State Rep.Todd Stephens (R., Montgomery) says the extreme risk protection order bill could save hundreds of lives in Pennsylvania each year. Read more State Rep. Todd Stephens wonders whether the lives of about 100 Pennsylvanians could have been saved last year. He wonders whether 100 more could be saved this year, next year, or the year after if the state were to pass a law allowing family members to temporarily have guns taken away from a suicidal loved one. Lawmakers in other states arent wondering theyve enacted similar provisions and seen results. Connecticut passed its law and the suicide rate dropped 13.7 percent in a decade, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Indiana saw a 7.5 percent decline. In its first three months, Marylands law led to the confiscation of guns from four people who allegedly posed threats to schools. Stephens and others think it could work in Pennsylvania, where more than 1,400 people die by firearm in an average year, about two-thirds of them suicides, according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Philadelphia had the states lowest firearm suicide rate but highest homicide rate from 2011 to 2017, according to CDC data analyzed by the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. And rural counties with the lowest homicide rates had the highest suicide rates during the same span, led by Elk, Wayne, and Carbon Counties. In rural Pennsylvania is where the lives are going to be saved, because thats where the lives are being lost, said Stephens, of Montgomery County. If youre for gun rights, you need to be for this legislation. The measure hes proposing is known as an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) law, which would allow relatives to ask a judge to determine whether a troubled family member should temporarily lose access to firearms. After a hearing, a court order could prohibit someone from having firearms for as long as a year, with a chance to ask for an early expiration, the possibility of renewal after a year, and a requirement their firearms are returned within one business day once the order expires. The idea is that it could prevent mass shootings as in Isla Vista, Calif., Parkland, Fla., or Annapolis, Md., where the perpetrators had shown warning signs or suicides, which are most frequently fatal when they involve guns. The concept has become popular among mental-health advocates, gun-control fans, and moderate conservatives alike. Nine states and D.C. have signed ERPO laws since the February 2018 Parkland school shooting, with nearly 90 bills introduced in state legislatures. So far this year, 62 bills have been introduced in 32 states, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which tracks legislation. Gun-rights advocates characterize it as a breach of due process rights and say it is about seizing firearms rather than addressing mental-health problems. They also note that current law already allows relatives to seek professional help for a mentally unstable loved one. It does nothing to help the person who may be in danger, said Kim Stolfer, an Allegheny County resident and president of Pennsylvania Firearms Owners Against Crime. This is nothing more than political demagoguery. Stephens bill didnt get traction last session, but he and a fellow Republican, Sen. Tom Killion of Delaware County, believe it could gain momentum after the legislature returns this month and be the second gun bill in two years to pass the GOP-controlled assembly. Killion, whose Senate bill has cosponsors and mirrors Stephens House bill, said he hopes to frame the debate much like last years discussion about a law passed to force gun owners under protection-from-abuse orders to surrender their weapons. We didnt approach that as a gun bill," said Killion. "We approached that as a domestic-violence bill, that it was a safety bill. Steve Miskin, a spokesperson for House Republicans, said the caucus would be focusing on victims and community protection this spring but couldnt say whether Stephens bill would make it to a vote. Under the proposal, the affected gun owner would have the right to a lawyer and a hearing. A judge could issue an emergency order to remove someones firearms immediately, but would have to hold the hearing within 10 days. After consulting gun-rights advocates, Stephens added a provision to his yet-to-be-introduced bill that imposes civil or criminal penalties against anyone who lies to obtain an ERPO. Recent studies have found that firearm ownership is a strong predictor of male suicide rates and that states with higher gun ownership have higher suicide rates. In Indiana and Connecticut, the first states to enact ERPO-type laws, the overall suicide rate was found to have decreased along with the firearm suicide rate. But in Connecticut, one study found that non-firearm suicides increased. Another study found that the Connecticut law saved one person from suicide for every 10 to 20 guns seized. Pennsylvania law currently provides for the voluntary or involuntary treatment of people with mental illness and prohibits those who have been involuntarily committed from possessing firearms. That law is better, Stolfer said, because it helps the person. It gets them some evaluation and treatment. Are we just worried about the method of suicide or are we looking at the root cause of suicide? The National Rifle Association also says ERPO proposals dont provide adequate due process and should include required mental-health treatment. It had opposed ERPOs, also known as red flag" laws, but in a video released a month after the Parkland shooting, said Congress should provide funding for states to adopt ERPOs with sufficient protections. Supporters of the proposals say they provide a temporary option without hospitalization. The current laws are not designed to deal with people that are in crisis for a finite period of time, Stephens said. The legislation [would] increase the odds that someone who has untreated mental illness will get a screening, will get diagnosed, will receive treatment, said Deborah Ann Shoemaker, executive director of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society, which supports the bill. The goal, she said, is saving lives that might not have been saved any other way. HARRISBURG Methamphetamine and cocaine use are on the rise in Pennsylvania while prescription drug and heroin deaths are leveling off in some areas, data that appear to reflect nationwide trends, a state official told legislators Monday. Jennifer Smith, secretary for Pennsylvanias Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, told a state Senate committee that the state is seeing quite an uptick in cocaine and methamphetamine use in the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Johnstown areas. Those three are usually the first to show new trends across Pennsylvania, Smith said. We kind of knew it was coming, we just didnt know how quickly that trend was going to start shifting across the state, Smith said in an interview later Monday. A similar shift has emerged in some Midwestern states, and federal officials have expressed worry about a trend nationwide. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reported in October a concern that methamphetamine and cocaine use are being seen at much higher levels in areas that havent historically been hot spots for those drugs. Cocaine and methamphetamine are definitely on the rise, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency spokesman Rusty Payne said Monday. New surges in the use of methamphetamine and cocaine mixed with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, have contributed to rising drug overdose deaths reported in hard-hit Ohio. Kentucky reported last year that methamphetamine made a comeback, with a 57 percent increase in overdose deaths from 2016 to 2017. Similar reports are emerging from Philadelphia. Smith pointed to a Philadelphia Department of Public Health report showing a rising number of overdose deaths that involved cocaine and fentanyl, from 18 percent in 2016 to 32 percent in 2017. Law enforcement seizures, police tracking of sales and reports from people needing medical treatment also point to growing use of cocaine and meth in Pennsylvania, Smith said. In October, the U.S. Attorneys Office in Pittsburgh reported the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the history of Western Pennsylvania. But Smith said the opioid crisis might be starting to wane in some parts of Pennsylvania, which saw some of the nations steepest increases in drug overdose rates in recent years. Some areas of Pennsylvania are starting to see fewer overdose deaths, as more robust health care and law enforcement programs come online, and more people seek treatment, she said. Nationally, figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a slowdown in overdose deaths in late 2017 and the first three months of 2018. U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) move women and children into a truck after being evacuated out of the last territory held by Islamic State militants, outside Baghouz, Syria, Monday, March 4, 2019. Hundreds of people including IS fighters evacuated their last foothold in eastern Syria hours after U.S.-backed Syrian fighters said they were forced to slow their advance because the extremists are using civilians as human shields.(AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) Read more BAGHOUZ, Syria (AP) Hundreds of people, including Islamic State fighters, evacuated the extremist group's last foothold in eastern Syria on Monday, after U.S.-backed Syrian fighters again slowed their offensive to allow a way out of the tiny enclave. The new exodus came only three days after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces resumed military operations against the militants holed up in Baghouz, a village on the banks of the Euphrates River close to the Iraqi border. In past weeks, thousands of civilians left the speck of territory in organized evacuations following an earlier halt in fighting. The SDF said its fighters were surprised by the number of civilians, who include IS family members, cooped up in the small area that has been squeezed smaller and smaller by intermittent military offensives. The militants and their families and other civilians are believed to have used tunnels, caves and holes to hide from airstrikes and missiles by the U.S.-led coalition and the SDF. The SDF said the militants are using civilians as human shields An SDF media official who goes by his nom de guerre Ciyager said over 1,000 people, including a number of fighters, evacuated the area controlled by IS on Monday through a safe passage that has allowed those wishing to exit a way out. Dozens of men, women and children climbed hills on foot and were later seen getting into small trucks after they were searched by SDF fighters manning the evacuation corridor. Shortly before sunset, more than 20 trucks, usually used to transport animals, emerged from the IS-held area, carrying men, women and children. One woman covered in black flashed a victory sign as she left. The evacuees included a man who said he was French, men and women from Indonesia, Turkey, Turkistan and Bosnia and many Syrians and Iraqis. Some of the men were of fighting age and appeared healthy while others were wounded. Some carried crutches, and a man with face burns and a broken leg was carried off the truck on a mattress, intravenous needles visible in his arm and hand. A skinny man, with short dreadlocks, stepped off the truck in a daze. Since Feb. 20, more than 10,000 people have left the IS-held pocket, producing dramatic scenes of women shrouded in black and many children climbing off trucks into a desert area to be screened and searched. They were then whisked to a camp for displaced people to the north, while suspected fighters were moved to detention facilities. Military operations restarted Friday, with a ground advance a day later that followed a spectacular air assault that lit the skies of the tiny village. IS militants desperately fought back with snipers, car bombs and other weapons trying to slow the SDF advance. Lewla Abdullah, an SDF official, said at least three car bombs had been deployed in the campaign, and at least four SDF fighters and more than 100 IS fighters were killed since Friday. She said IS was holding civilians and others hostage. Despite the slowing of the offensive, officials said the campaign was expected to finish soon. With the militants besieged on three sides by the SDF and civilians continuing to leave the pocket, a military defeat of the IS fighters seemed inevitable, though it wasn't clear how many fighters remained in Baghouz. An SDF official, who goes by the name Mervan The Brave, said many IS gunmen were still inside and prepared to fight. "This is not the end. We are maybe on the threshold of a new battle," he said. Retaking the sliver of land would be a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to end the Islamic State's self-proclaimed "caliphate" that once straddled a vast territory across both Syria and Iraq. The extremist group continues to be a threat, however, with sleeper cells in scattered desert pockets along the porous border between the two countries. ___ This story has been corrected to show that more than 10,000 people have left the IS enclave since Feb. 20. This undated image provided by attorney Hassan Shibly shows Hoda Muthana, an Alabama woman who left home to join the Islamic State after becoming radicalized online. Muthana realized she was wrong and now wants to return to the United States, Shibly, a lawyer for her family said Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. (Hoda Muthana/Attorney Hassan Shibly via AP) Read more WASHINGTON (AP) An Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State lost a first round on Monday in a legal fight to return to the U.S. with her toddler son, even as a judge seemed to support at least one argument made by her lawyer for her U.S. citizenship. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton denied a request for "expedited" proceedings for Hoda Muthana, whose lawyers sought to have her lawsuit litigated on an emergency schedule so she could get out of a refugee camp in Syria and back to the U.S. Walton said Muthana's lawyers failed to establish that the woman and her 18-month-old son face imminent danger in allied custody as the U.S. prepares to withdraw most of its forces from the fight against the Islamic State in Syria. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a radio interview that she is not a citizen, and it would be a "risk" to let her back into the United States. "In fact, she's a terrorist, and we shouldn't bring back foreign terrorists to the United States of America," Pompeo said in an interview with WOC Radio in Iowa. Muthana, who married three Islamic State fighters during her time with the group, says she now regrets joining and wants to return to the U.S. for the sake of her child, even if that means facing criminal charges. The U.S. has determined that the 24-year-old Muthana isn't a citizen because her father was a Yemeni diplomat to the United Nations when she was born in New Jersey. Children of diplomats are not entitled to birthright citizenship because they and their parents aren't subject to U.S. law. Her lawyers argue that her father's diplomatic status ended before her birth in October 1994 and, therefore, she was automatically a citizen. The U.S. says it wasn't notified that his status had changed until February 1995, apparently because of a delay in reporting it by the U.N., and therefore he was still a diplomat. The government determined her U.S. passport was issued by mistake and revoked it while she was abroad in January 2016, under President Barack Obama. Attorney Charles Swift told Walton that diplomatic status should end when a country decides it has ended, not when the U.S. gets around to recognizing it. Otherwise it would create a scenario in which a person could commit a crime and be protected by diplomatic immunity even after the sponsoring country had revoked the status. He suggested a hostile country could use this uncertainty to commit espionage. The judge called this a "valid argument," but did not indicate how he would rule on overall question of her citizenship. Swift later told reporters he was very encouraged by this response and expects a decision in the case as early as this summer. The judges comments certainly foreshadow the ultimate outcome of this case, he said. People sit in a truck after being evacuated out of the last territory held by Islamic State militants, outside Baghouz, Syria, Monday, March 4, 2019. Hundreds of people including IS fighters evacuated their last foothold in eastern Syria hours after U.S.-backed Syrian fighters said they were forced to slow their advance because the extremists are using civilians as human shields.(AP Photo/Andrea Rosa) Read more OUTSIDE BAGHOUZ, Syria (AP) A prominent French militant who joined the Islamic State group, Jean-Michel Clain, was killed in a mortar strike over the weekend as he struggled with wounds suffered in an earlier airstrike that killed his jihadi brother, his wife said Tuesday after emerging from the group's last pocket of land in Syria. The wife, who identified herself as Dorothee Maquere, said another French woman who had joined IS, Hayat Boumeddiene, was killed in another strike last week that allegedly hit a safe house known as the "French House," where many French nationals were staying. Boumeddiene had been wanted by French police as a suspected accomplice in a 2015 attack in the Paris region. Maquere was one of hundreds of people who over the past two days streamed out of Baghouz, the last village held by the Islamic State group, under stepped-up assault the past four days by U.S.-backed forces. The latest wave of evacuations brings the final defeat of IS by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces one step closer a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to defeat the group's so-called "caliphate" that once covered a vast territory straddling both Syria and Iraq. Maquere, who is also French, told the Associated Press that the situation inside Baghouz was a "horror film," saying there is a "massacre" inside, with constant shooting. People had to lay flat to avoid the crossfire, she said, adding that there were "no more homes, we live underground in tunnels and tents." She said her 7-year-old daughter was killed and her other daughter wounded by an explosion two weeks ago. Two other sons were killed earlier in a mortar attack and Syrian government fire. Speaking at a desert reception area where SDF fighters were screening the evacuees, the 38-year-old said she does not want to go back to France, which is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS. "I want France to leave me alone. They killed my husband, my children. ... I want nothing from them. They did already enough harm. I want them to leave me with my children," she said, cradling her two-week old son, one of her five surviving children. Her account, if verified, closes a chapter on a number of French militants who were connected to attacks in past years in and around Paris and who then made their way to IS's "caliphate" and finally, as it crumbled, to this tiny village on the Euphrates River near the Iraqi border. Her husband, Jean-Michel Clain, who Maquere said wrote religious anthems for IS, was seriously wounded in a Feb. 20 airstrike in Baghouz that killed his brother, Fabien, one of Europe's most wanted IS members. The U.S.-led coalition announced Fabien's death several days after the strike. The two brothers joined IS together and Fabien went on to become the group's voice in France. Fabien's voice was on an IS recording claiming responsibility for the worst terrorist violence in France's modern history a series of bombings and shootings in Paris in November 2015 that killed 130 people. Jean-Michel held on for a little over a week after the airstrike. Maquere said she tried to treat him, but his feet were torn apart and one side of his body was crushed. "He suffered," she said. "There was no hospital." He was killed on Sunday when a mortar struck, causing him a direct head wound, she said. Boumeddiene was killed in a separate airstrike in Baghouz about a week ago, Maquere said. Two other French citizens who left Baghouz on Monday a French-Belgian who identified herself as Zohra and a French-Moroccan,who refused to be identified said Boumeddiene was believed to have been staying in the French House and confirmed it was struck last week. Boumeddiene was the widow of Amedy Coulibaly, a Frenchman who attacked a kosher supermarket in Paris in January 2015, days after two other militants brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi gunned down the staff of the weekly satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Coulibaly killed four people in the supermarket before French police stormed in and killed him. The Kouachi brothers were killed by police in a separate raid. All told, their attacks left 17 people dead. Investigators then focused on finding Boumeddiene, who was believed to be pregnant at the time. But she had already fled to Syria. Soon after, IS published what it said was an interview with her in French and English, in which she called on women to be patient and make life easier for their husbands. Maquere said Boumeddiene had "started a new life" and remarried. She said she didn't have any children. The French-Moroccan evacuee said Boumeddiene had told her she had no idea about plans for the 2015 attack in Paris or her husband's plans. Boumeddiene's evolution was documented in photos widely distributed in French media after her disappearance, from vacation pictures of her in a bikini to images of her holding a crossbow while wearing an all-encompassing black niqab. The last known image of her was from airport surveillance video in Istanbul, going through passport control. Tuesday's exodus came three days after U.S.-backed forces resumed their push on IS militants holed up in Baghouz. The assault had been slowed the previous week to allow thousands of civilians, including IS family members, to be evacuated from the tiny pocket of territory. As many as 10,000 people who had been squeezed into the eroding patch of land, are estimated to have streamed out an enormous number that stunned the SDF. Asked about the situation inside Baghouz, a Russian woman who came out with her three children responded in broken Arabic: "Fear." She said her husband had died earlier. Another woman in her mid-20s, who identified herself as Reem from the central Syrian province of Hama, said she was waiting for her husband to come out of an IS-controlled jail. He has been there for months after killing an IS member in retaliation "for his baby daughter being killed in an airstrike," she said. "I haven't seen him since and don't know where he is," Reem said, adding that she asked repeatedly for his whereabouts before she eventually decided to leave. The evacuees said the bombing has been intense in recent days. One woman said she saw a man hit by a missile as she was fleeing from one tent to another. Earlier on Tuesday, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali tweeted that about 3,000 people came out of Baghouz on Monday. They left through a humanitarian corridor established by the Kurdish-led forces for those who want to leave or surrender. Since Feb. 20, more than 10,000 people have left the IS pocket and black-robed women with children in the backs of trucks could be seen passing through the corridor and heading into the desert. They were then whisked off to a camp for displaced people to the north, while suspected IS fighters were moved to detention facilities. Bali said a large number among those who left Monday were IS fighters who "surrendered to our forces." It was unclear how many IS militants and civilians remained inside, but the number is now likely in the hundreds. ___ Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report. Two Philadelphia residents were killed during Sundays snowstorm when their car went out of control and crossed into the path of another vehicle on the Black Horse Pike in Monroe Township, Gloucester County, police said. The driver of the other vehicle suffered serious injuries. The deaths of Agnes Demarco, 68, and Daniel McLaughlin, 55, raised to four the number of people killed in motor-vehicle accidents during Sundays storm. Monroe Township police said in a statement that Demarco was driving a 2004 Honda in the left westbound lane about 5:30 p.m. Sunday when it lost control on the slushy pavement and subsequently crossed the centerline. The Honda, spinning as it entered the eastbound lanes, was then hit on its passenger side by a 2010 Lexus driven by John McLarty, 54, of Collings Lakes, Atlantic County, police said. Both vehicles suffered massive damage. Demarco and McLaughlin were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. McLarty was taken to a trauma unit with critical injuries, police said, without providing additional details. In the other fatal accident, two 18-year-old passengers in a pickup truck died when the vehicle they were in went off the road and crashed into a tree in Bucks County. Musician Sara O'Brien performs Tuesday mornings for toddlers and their parents at the Treehouse Coffee Shop and Cafe in Audubon. Read more Lively music inside Audubons Treehouse Coffee Shop & Cafe is common in this quiet town. Thats because the Treehouse in suburban Camden County is wildly popular among its customers from the borough and beyond who enjoy organic coffees, teas, food, and desserts baked in-house for those who want to get sconed. And theres the music. Theres open mic for all genres on Wednesday nights, and childrens singalongs Tuesday mornings. On Friday nights it varies. There are also events for Irish music and Christian music, poetry readings and community discussions. Treehouse owners Randy and Tina Van Osten a Baptist minister and a science teacher from Pitman say they got into the coffee business more than a decade ago because it was Gods calling. It helped that demand for specialty coffees and espresso bars across the country spiked 41 percent from 2011 to 2017, according to industry experts. By 2021, experts project coffee-house sales will reach $28.7 billion. At the Treehouse, Nicky Caccavo, who has organized the Wednesday open mic for two years, said he loves how musicians have formed friendships with one another and the customers. Wait until you hear this guy, Caccavo said, pointing to Rich Riggs, 68, of Voorhees. Riggs, a retired computer programmer whose white hair is pulled back in a ponytail, arrives most weeks with his 1968 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar, scratched from years of play. His set is a mixture of classic rock and songs he has written. As Riggs sang the Beatles Yesterday, his voice reverberated through the Treehouse. He tapped his foot and his callused fingers worked the guitar strings. Ashley Bulboff, 22, of West Deptford started her set with I Love You Like An Alcoholic by the Taxpayers, an Oregon punk/blues band. Her voice was melancholy, and her face partially hidden until she lowered a black hoodie and revealed her delicate features as she played her original work, Merlot and Eleanor. When its my music, I try to project my feelings, said Bulboff, who goes by the stage name Ash Dakota. She started playing guitar in her backyard and now plays at various open-mic events. Greg and Wendy DAgostino, who perform at South Jersey venues as Heart & Soul, said they enjoy meeting others at the Treehouse and feeling the kindness of kindred spirits. They sang hits that included Tom Pettys I Wont Back Down and Adeles Someone Like You. Audubon Mayor John J. Ward said the borough of 8,700 residents has embraced the Treehouse because of the Van Ostens. Theyve been a constant pillar for Merchant Street, Ward said. Theyre fantastic people. Randy Van Osten, 38, is a minister at the First Baptist Church of Pitman. His wife, Tina, 40, is a science teacher at the UrbanPromise Academy in Camden. They promote being environmentally friendly, whether encouraging customers to use mugs instead of disposable cups at the Treehouse or buying supplies from like-minded vendors. The couple said they are grounded in a spirituality they want to share without overtly pushing religion. Everyones welcome no matter what they believe. We just want to love on people, said Randy. We wanted it to be a place where everyone felt welcome any human being, said Tina. In 2003, the Van Ostens bought equipment and some furniture from the Living Room Coffeehouse they frequented in Collingswood on Haddon Avenues busy commercial corridor. They took over that space and created the Treehouse, which they later decided to expand. In 2008, they moved the business into a brick storefront at 120 W. Merchant St. in Audubon that was twice the size and half the rent of the Collingswood location. Loyal customers followed. Come and get sconed, they posted on Facebook, inviting customers to enjoy their baked goods. Shelves for coffee cups have Mugs not Drugs painted across the top. Recently during toddlers open mic with local musician Sara OBrien, the cafe was in chaos with every seat taken and toddlers rushing the small stage to sing, play instruments, or dance as OBrien enthusiastically strummed a guitar and sang her kid-friendly version of Rock Around the Clock. Rachel Corcoran brought her 2-year-old daughter, Artista, who prefers OBriens open mic to private structured music lessons. If she wants to participate, she does. If she just wants to watch, she does, Corcoran said. And I have my tea. Haleigh Bunting said going to work at the Treehouse is fun because the Van Ostens emphasize interacting with customers while hosting a wide range of events. They are two people who really do care for you, said Bunting, who has worked there as a barista and servsafe manager for six years. I really like that every day there is something new to do. ... Theres never a dead Friday. Third generation proprietor of the Bauman Family Apple Butter company, Harvey Bauman, sets up the apple cooker at their store in Sassamansville. Read more Although his family had made their living producing apple butter for more than a century, Harvey Bauman didnt think hed do the same. Until he did. We decided wed do it for a while, and now you might say youre stuck with it," said Bauman, 74, of Baumans Apple Butter in Sassamansville, Montgomery County. His parents ran the company before him. And before that, his grandparents ran the place. The business still uses his grandmothers recipe for apple butter that Bauman insists is delicious. But apple butter, a dairy-free condiment with a butterlike texture that was once a staple in the Pennsylvania Dutch heartland, has dwindled considerably in popularity over the years. Now, Bauman said, its an extra thing people put on the table. Its not there every day like it used to be when I was younger." Still, Baumans has managed to carve out a stronghold in a niche industry by offering not only apple butter but also a variety of other fruit butters. At Baumans, you can find apricot butter, peach, pear and plum butter, blueberry butter, strawberry rhubarb butter and many more, more than a dozen flavors in all. Bauman, who took over the business with his wife, Kathy, in 2005, said some of the flavors came quite by chance. My husband said, Oh, there are extra plums. Want to know if theres anything we can do with them? " Kathy Bauman said. "So we just kind of experimented a little with it. The Baumans also make apple sauce and savory condiments like ketchup and chili oil. A best seller, though, remains apple butter the only fruit butter at Baumans that sells by the gallon. And it keeps practically forever. Apple butter has no preservatives, requires no refrigeration, and is a virtually spoil-proof product. For those who wonder how hardy Baumans apple butter is, it remained unaffected during a months-long voyage from Germany to Southeastern Pennsylvania in 1734, when Baumans grandmother escaped religious persecution. Once in the States, the Baumans said, she settled in Schwenksville among other Schwenkfelders, followers of the Protestant reformer Caspar Schwenkfeld von Ossig. She married John Bauman, a Mennonite who first made a living building carriages and sleighs. Then in 1900, after the family bought a cider press powered by a steam engine, the familys legacy apple butter began in earnest. Success first came in small steps. Folks in Schwenksville, where the business started, were impressed by the familys thick, rich apple butter, and word of its good taste quickly spread. In those days. the Baumans said, the demand for quality apple butter was high, especially in Pennsylvania Dutch country. As sales grew, Baumans father, Stanley, the youngest of nine children and an Ursinus College graduate who aspired to become a teacher, was instead drawn into the apple butter enterprise in 1930. After Stanley Bauman died in 1977, his wife, Ruth, stepped in to run the family business. Harvey Bauman, meanwhile, became a mechanical engineer, but also helped with the business, as did his wife, Kathy, a teacher. Their now-grown children, John and Heidi, assisted at the factory when they were younger. When Ruth Bauman died in 2005, Harvey and Kathy Bauman took over the business. They have no immediate plans to retire. On a recent Tuesday, they watched with satisfaction as the cider press rumbled noisily away. The machine had already produced around 1,000 gallons of cider that day, Harvey Bauman said. The cider press growled hungrily as it squeezed huge bundles of locally grown mashed apple in a hydraulic press, pushing down with 75 tons of force. Amber-colored apple juice trickled out in streams and rivulets, collecting dark and foamy in a wide basin. Eventually, around 70 gallons of cider would be poured into a steel drum already filled with 120 pounds of whole apples, then boiled until the water was gone. The drum would be strained of apple skins and seeds to produce 20 to 22 pounds of fragrant apple butter. If it seems like a lot of work, it is. But thats the way the family has always done it. Its the way they say they will continue to make their fruit butters, going into yet another season this fall. Its had its pros and cons," Harvey Bauman said, but we wouldnt do it if we didnt like it. A Philadelphia jury on Monday found that a Manayunk bar that closed in 2016 should pay $525,000 in damages to the family of a 21-year-old West Chester University student who drowned in the Schuylkill after a night of drinking in 2014, but also that Shane Montgomery was negligent in his own actions before he ended up in the river. The jury of 10 women and two men found that Montgomerys death which the Medical Examiners Office deemed accidental partly resulted from the Main Street bar, Kildares, continuing to serve him while he was visibly intoxicated. The jurors found that Montgomery bore the largest share of responsibility for his own death, and they did not find negligence on the part of any Kildares employees named in the suit. The jury delivered its split verdict in the wrongful-death lawsuit after about 4 hours of deliberations, marking the end of a monthlong civil trial. Montgomerys relatives declined to comment after the verdict, but the familys attorney, Slade McLaughlin, called the outcome disappointing and said the case had turned into a blame-the-victim defense. Theodore Schaer, an attorney for Kildares, said he respected the verdict and offered condolences to the family over the death. Montgomerys disappearance after a night out on Thanksgiving Eve 2014 drew the regions attention as divers spent five weeks searching for his remains in the river. He was seen on surveillance video walking away from the bar alone toward the river after 2 a.m. Volunteer divers found his body on Jan. 3, 2015, draped over a log in shallow water near the riverbank closest to Main Street, although it was never determined how he became submerged in the water. Montgomerys parents, Kevin and Karen Montgomery of Philadelphia, later filed suit against Kildares Manayunk Inc.; two of its bouncers; and James Townsend, its director of operations. They claimed that the bar had violated state law by serving Montgomery despite his being visibly intoxicated, then had acted negligently by kicking him out without trying to find his friends or ordering him a taxi. They and their lawyers also claimed that the bar was understaffed and not equipped to handle the rowdy crowd. Lawyers for the defendants sought to place the blame squarely on Montgomery, using the college students medical and education records in an attempt to portray him as a frequent and heavy drinker. They called an expert witness who said that Montgomery had been hospitalized in 2011 with alcohol-related hepatitis after blacking out at a homecoming party; that he was cited twice for underage drinking on campus even after being placed on probation and completing an alcohol education class; and that he appeared to have a mild case of alcohol-use disorder, marked by a persons use of alcohol causing distress or clinically significant impairment. Jurors did not explain their reasoning, but when polled before Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta, all 12 members said they agreed with the decision. On beaches in the Caribbean, cocktails with rum and coconut are king. Inspired by their travels among those islands, the owners of the Single Prop Rum company in Bucks County have launched a spirit meant to evoke those drinks. Single Prop Rum, made by distiller Theobald & Oppenheimer and bottled in Milford Township, is not coconut-flavored. Instead, its made by substituting water with coconut water from coconuts imported from Nicaragua. The coconut water is mixed with rum from Nicaragua and the Virgin Islands and bottled in Bucks County. The spirit can be sipped alone or mixed into fresh, beachy cocktails like daiquiris, mojitos, and mai tais. It launched last year, but in recent months has become much more widely available, and a company representative said it is now sold in more than 500 bars, restaurants and stores around the state. The company is also focused on sustainability. The bottle tops are made from repurposed wood, and the company offers biodegradable paper straws to those who sign the websites no plastics pact. Allison Steele Single Prop Rum, $19.99. PLCB Item #1328. singleproprum.com. Plastic bags, a shopping cart and suitcase are parked outside the Starbucks at Broad and Pine Streets, March 4, 2019. Inside, a recent redesign left only two high-top tables in a corner, a half-dozen tall stools along the windows, and an expanse of vacant territory. Read more On Mondays, members of a running group with the organization Back on My Feet like to end their early-morning workout by lingering over coffee at the Starbucks at Broad and Pine streets in Center City Monday motivation," they call it. But a couple weeks ago, the group of volunteers and homeless individuals arrived to find that the usual tables and chairs were gone. All that remained were two high-top tables in a corner, a half-dozen tall stools along the windows, and an expanse of vacant territory. The space looked really empty, said Sophie White, 26, of Queen Village, who had noticed an increase in homeless people lingering at the cafe since the coffee giant overhauled its policies following a viral incident last year. Starbucks said, Everyone is welcome. After this incident, we dont want to turn anyone away; you dont have to buy anything. It seems like people have taken that to heart, maybe too much so now theyre trying to find a more natural way to deter people. The Starbucks in question happens to sit just a few doors from Broad Street Ministry, which serves lunch to the hungry five days a week and runs an overnight respite each winter. It is also just five blocks from the Starbucks cafe where two black men were arrested last year after refusing a managers demand that they leave, fueling a national media firestorm and inspiring the company to devote a day to anti-bias training. A Starbucks spokesperson said removing the furniture was not intended as a deterrent. The store had been feeling crowded, so the managers were merely experimenting with a new configuration, the spokesperson said, adding, We are really proud that the store is a valued community gathering place." Still, to some, that experiment seems indistinguishable from the defensive design maneuvers deployed in public parks, where benches are bisected by dividers to prevent lying down or, in the most extreme cases, are removed altogether. There are lots and lots of those kind of strategies that are explained for the market: Its better for the customers. But its better, usually, for some customers than others," said Setha Low, a professor of environmental psychology at the Graduate Center at City University of New York. So, not wanting it crowded is a perfectly legitimate [goal]. On the other hand, is it a cover for saying, We only want some kind of people, and not others, or, We dont want people to stay so long'? Mike Dahl, Broad Street Ministrys executive director, said hes well-aware of concerns about the homeless population in the cafe. Starbucks changed their policy to be more open to the community and when you open yourself up to the community, people respond, he said, as volunteers set the tables for lunch in a sanctuary with soaring ceilings and festive decorations. He said he has encouraged his guests to be respectful of neighbors, and is in conversation with Starbucks staff, some of whom have come by to volunteer. I think there is a sincere desire to understand how to work with vulnerable populations," he said. This is not, after all, a dilemma exclusive to Starbucks, where, on a recent morning, visits to half-dozen Center City locations found the majority of customers hunched over laptops, while just a handful of people who appeared to be homeless, surrounded by piles of plastic bags and without any coffee in front of them, dozed peaceably. Its just that many restaurants have addressed it more explicitly. The Wendys at 11th and Walnut Streets has at least four signs, forbidding loitering, invoking a 20-minute limit on dining and reminding visitors who wish to sit that a purchase is required. At Front and Girard, the text on a no loitering sign is almost as large as the McDonalds lettering that sits along the roof line. There, a 30-minute limit on dining is attended by a posted warning that this business is closely monitored by the 26th Police District" and blocking the entrance could be grounds for arrest. Relying on subtle cues, such as replacing the furniture, is a strategy more commonly seen in public spaces, because private businesses have the right to exclude people, said Don Mitchell, a geographer and the author of The Right to the City: Social Justice and the Fight for Public Space. Whats interesting about Starbucks is they changed their policy in response to that racist act a year ago and because of that have given up some of that ability to exclude, he added. So, in my view, its quite similar to what city governments have done: You cannot formally exclude members of the public from public space, but you can certainly make it very unwelcoming to them. And we see Starbucks is discovering the same solutions that managers of other public spaces are discovering. He said Starbucks is within its rights to do so just as the managers of a Queens, N.Y., McDonalds were five years ago, when they sought to evict the elderly patrons who were using the restaurant as a de facto senior center. The question becomes what we think of it socially and politically," he said. "Because the other piece of it is more and more of our gathering places, especially in the cold winter in Philadelphia, are on privately owned property. To Bill Golderer, who was the founding pastor of Broad Street Ministry, it speaks to a need for more and better daytime centers serving people experiencing homelessness. He noted that Philadelphia has long grappled with the question of who has access to public space: Its been almost a decade since then-Mayor Michael Nutter attempted to ban serving meals on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. (Golderer called for a more dignified place to serve meals then, too.) When he started the ministry, there was a tension between his radical hospitality approach and the commercial goals of neighbors University of the Arts, Starbucks. But they worked through it. The college began providing work-study students, Starbucks donated vats of coffee for the winter overnight cafes, and the ministry urged its guests to be mindful. When it works is when people learn that there is a spiritual discipline to being a neighbor, Golderer said. This Monday morning, of the 10 stools that remained in Starbucks at Broad and Pine, four were taken up by people who appeared to be homeless. Michael Carr, 49, was outside smoking a cigarette. He said he comes here to use the restroom the line is too long at the church and to stay warm from 6 a.m., when everyone must leave Broad Street Ministry, until he can go back in for lunch. But, he added, I feel as though, if you sit here, you should buy something. I make sure I have money at night so I can. Carr, who became homeless, not for the first time, while incarcerated for nine months on a probation violation, is in a wheelchair. He hopes that when his disability check comes hell be able to move into long-term housing. For now, he said, he feels welcome at the Starbucks. They took out all the chairs, sure but they also installed a single low table marked with a handicap symbol, Carr noted: They put a table in there for me. A customer looks through the onion selections at Iovine Brothers Produce at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. The market sees more food-stamp purchases than almost any other single location in Pennsylvania. Read more The Trump administration is proposing a change in how food stamps are distributed to some recipients a modification that had been rejected by Congress when it voted on the benefits program at the end of 2018. "This is contrary to congressional intent, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) and Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.) write in a letter being prepared for Sonny Perdue, the secretary of agriculture, whose department oversees food stamps. The letter is circulating among other members of Congress for review. The senators write that the USDA change would worsen hunger in this country and they urge the administration to "immediately withdraw this proposed rule. Perdue said in a statement last week that the rule change would focus on work requirements for non-disabled adults between 18 and 49 with no dependents who receive food stamps, now known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The idea, Perdue said, is to preclude low-income people on SNAP from a lifelong dependency on benefits. SNAP, he added, is to be a second chance, not a way of life," a method of achieving self-sufficiency through the dignity of work. Anti-hunger advocates have denigrated the move as an overreach by the executive branch, with familiar undertones. I liken this to the wall, said Kathy Fisher, policy director of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, referencing President Donald Trumps executive order declaring an emergency that would allow him to shift funds to build a wall at the border with Mexico, circumventing Congress. The administration wants to change things by fiat rather than follow what Congress has set out. The proposal could eliminate SNAP eligibility for 755,000 people, including 90,000 Pennsylvanians, according to the coalition. In New Jersey, around 50,000 recipients could lose eligibility for benefits, according to state figures. There are bullies in charge of our federal government, said Debbie Weinstein, executive director of the nonprofit Coalition on Human Needs in Washington. Its infuriating because Congress did just act on this and explicitly rejected just these kinds of changes. Since 1996, people aged 18 to 49 without a child under age 18 have had to work at least 20 hours a week or be in school or job training to receive SNAP benefits. Anyone not following the rule would be limited to three months of benefits within a three-year period. States, however, have been permitted to waive the time-limit rules in places of high unemployment. Philadelphia has long fallen into that category. This is in recognition of the reality that, although most working-age SNAP participants have jobs, many sometimes fall below 20 working hours a week through no fault of their own, Fisher said. She added that so many jobs these days are part time and subject to unstable schedules and fluctuating hours. Every Pennsylvania governor since 1996, Republican and Democrat, has sought waivers from the time limit, said Louise Hayes, supervising attorney with Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. And, she added, Congress has repeatedly rejected changing the time-limit rules. The proposed Trump administration rule would take away state flexibility to dispense waivers and make it much harder for states to serve the target population, according to the Washington-based FRAC, the Food Research & Action Center, the nations leading anti-hunger lobbying group. People would lose SNAP eligibility after three months, according to a FRAC statement. And, FRAC officials said, this change is being suggested just after Congress passed a new Farm Bill at the end of 2018, which funds SNAP and left the current waiver provisions in place. The new rule appears to base its intellectual underpinning on policy developed at the conservative Heritage Foundation, experts say. Work requirements represent a step toward an important goal, a foundation report said. They combine the principles of compassion and fairness in federal welfare policy." The Senate wound up supporting the bill that allowed waivers on an 87-13 vote. In the House, the vote in favor was 369 to 47. Trump has often called for drastically limiting SNAP benefits. At one point last year, his administration suggested replacing half of SNAP benefits with boxes of pre-selected nonperishable food items and no fresh food. Advocates and food experts said it would have been logistically impossible to send actual food to people, as opposed to SNAP benefits, which are loaded onto cards similar to bank cards. A spokesperson for the USDA did not answer specific questions about the proposed rule change. He instead sent a statement saying that waiving work requirements for able-bodied adults in states where unemployment is 4 percent or less is not the right long-term policy. The federal government will collect public comments on the rule until April 2. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Pennsylvania state Rep. Patty Kim (D., Dauphin) answer questions during the first stop on Fetterman's statewide listening tour designed to gather input on the possibility of legalizing recreational marijuana. Their first stop was on February 11, 2019 at the Jewish Community Center in Harrisburg, Pa. Read more On July 9, Gregory Longenecker and David Light were pursued by police after being suspected of growing marijuana on state game land in Penn Township. The next day, Longenecker was found dead under a bulldozer operated by a Pennsylvania Game Commission worker and a state trooper. Light was charged with, and later cleared of, several felony and misdemeanor drug offenses, including a felony for marijuana manufacturing with intent to distribute. Although the Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams has since deemed Longeneckers death to be accidental, the encounter raises questions about the safety of current state marijuana policy. If Pennsylvania residents were able to grow cannabis at home, there wouldnt have been a need for folks like Light to do so elsewhere, let alone on government-owned land. Thriving recreational markets in D.C. and such states as Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, and Oregon have legalized home cultivation within their recreational marijuana laws. Despite the argument that home cultivation would hurt dispensaries and overall commercial sales, Colorado made $266,529,637 in marijuana tax revenue in 2018, nearly quadruple the amount in 2014, while allowing for home growing that entire period. As a response to growing support for recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is currently traveling all over the state to learn what his constituents want in marijuana policy. There is a great need to include home growing in recreational legalization, such as the HB50 legislation being considered by the states General Assembly. Heres why. Legal home growing can reduce mass incarceration. Under current sentencing policy, cultivating plants at home is a felony charge and can result in prison time or house arrest. Cannabis arrests increased nationwide in 2017 for the second straight year in a row, according to an analysis of FBI data, a trend that held true in South Jersey and the Philadelphia suburbs. Incarceration deeply impacts the Philadelphia region, one of the poorest major cities in the U.S., especially our black and Latino communities, which have been disproportionately targeted by the War on Drugs. District Attorney Larry Krasner has made a conscious decision to interrupt the toxic cycle of incarceration by no longer prosecuting for cannabis possession. Legal home growing, which can prompt charges for use, sale, and possession, is a way to follow his lead. Legal home growing increases access in rural and disabled communities. Cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, including their suburbs, have multiple dispensaries. Medical marijuana patients living outside of the states two major metropolitan areas, however, have to travel far to get their product And even if you can get there, the dispensary may not have the specific product, such as a particular strain of vape or flower, available to treat a specific ailment. With recreational, we can expect a similar trend of dispensaries catering to metropolitan areas, leaving the burden to travel on many rural folks. This can be a logistical nightmare for anyone who doesnt have the time, money, or overall means to travel long distances. Lack of access also poses a barrier for those with disabilities. Dispensaries arent always compliant with the American Disabilities Act, meaning storefronts may not be accessible to those who cant use stairs. This means many folks looking to treat symptoms of chronic conditions may not be able to enter dispensary doors. Additionally, the packaging of certain cannabis products, such as those designed to be childproof and tough to open, can pose as a barrier for those with motor disabilities. For rural residents and those with disabilities, home growing can provide a solution. Legal home growing is a step toward more sensible drug policy. When discussing at-home cultivation, we are faced with the bigger picture of legalization. The increasingly lucrative legal cannabis industry remains dominated by white people, rather than the communities broken down by drug-war policing. Social equity programs, such as those in Oakland and Los Angeles designed to expand business opportunities for those living in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by drug arrests, are failing the very people it was designed for. Permits arent being issued, preventing people from these communities from opening their businesses. Allowing folks to grow pot in their own homes opens the door for those wanting to work in the expanding legal industry without the risk of criminalization, something permit programs havent yet implemented successfully. Understanding the benefits of legalizing home growing helps us understand the costs when it is criminalized. We have the opportunity to expand access and promote social equity. Why not seize it? Danielle Corcione is a freelance cannabis journalist based in Philadelphia. @decorcione You do not have to finish the work of perfecting the world, says an ancient Jewish text, but neither are you free to desist from it. Joe Brenman, a singularly gifted public artist, sculptor and mosaicist did not perfect the world, heaven knows, but he did more than anyone I know. A couple days after Brenman died of cancer on Jan. 25 at age 69, the sanctuary of his synagogue, Mishkan Shalom in Roxborough, was packed with Jews, Christians, Muslims, Vietnam veterans, Philadelphia artists, social justice activists, and former students sharing firsthand stories of how Joes lifelong journey as an artist had enabled deep connections among so many people of different spiritual paths. Among those at the synagogue were Imam Mohammad Shehata, as well as Adab Ibrahim of Al Aqsa Islamic Society, where Joe is cherished for the artistry and care that helped transform the exterior of their mosque building, a onetime furniture warehouse in Kensington, into a community landmark. The first phase of the project began not long after 9/11, with a second phase in 2014-2016, both times of surging Islamophobia in the city and the nation. Spearheaded by an organization called Arts and Spirituality (now Artwell) and Philadelphias Mural Arts Project, it brought together a Catholic artist, an Islamic calligrapher and Joe, as well as community members and schoolchildren to create tiles and murals that now adorn the building. The celebrated project, like so many others in which Joe participated, allowed both the artists and the members of the mosque to take the risk of exploring unfamiliar ideas and navigate the tensions that often happen when people encounter differences. Ever since, Joes deep calm and inner peace, his humility and his smile everyone always mentions his smile -- has made him like family to many members of Al Aqsa, so much so that at the memorial service, said Ibrahim, people were offering condolences to her. It was the same openness that guided Joes four-year project of creating Stations of the Cross, 14 terra cotta depictions of Jesus passion and death. Originally commissioned for a chapel serving Latino Catholics in Philadelphia, the Stations eventually were finished by Joe on his own, taking on the challenge of encountering the symbol of the cross, coming to see it as emblematic of all suffering. The stations were carried to El Salvador in 2002 and are installed in a tiny church in Las Anonas, a village populated by returned refugees from that countrys civil war. Joe served in the Army in Vietnam and when he returned became an anti-war activist. In 2009, he went back to Vietnam as one of two Americans invited to participate in the countrys Second International Sculpture Symposium. The sculpture he created remains on exhibit in a Buddhist retreat there. Last year, Joe completed a mosaic portrait of Dwayne Erik Green, a victim of gun violence, as part of Souls Shot, a show designed to memorialize the lost lives. In the process, as he so often did, he formed a strong bond with Greens mother. But the most indelible image I have of Joe Brenman is from the schoolyard at St. Gabriels Catholic Church in New Orleans a year after Hurricane Katrina, where the Building Group had come to volunteer. Here was the master sculptor painstakingly repairing and painting a factory-made plaster statue of the Virgin Mary that had been damaged by the flood, working with loving intention for people whom he didnt know and who would not know him. In his final days, said Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Joe had no regrets, just frustration that he would not be able to complete all the work he had envisioned. In particular, he was disappointed that he had not been able to complete the last three sketches for 12 wood-inlay panels on Jewish values for an installation at Mishkan Shalom. Members of the Mishkan community are committed to finishing that work and dedicating it in his honor -- and then taking on new challenges. Joe Brenman did not finish perfecting the world, but he did what he could and has left the rest to us. Carol Towarnicky is a freelance writer. It wasnt even April Fools Day when three former Traffic Court judges who recently served prison sentences started circulating nominating petitions for City Council seats last week. One Mike Lowry has since changed his mind, but two others Thomasine Tynes and Willie Singletary apparently dont see their convictions and prison time as much of an obstacle to running for office. This is despite the fact that they were part of a traffic court so corrupt that it was abolished. That followed the indictment of nine of its judges in a circus of ticket-fixing. The judges were convicted of lying to federal investigators. In an unrelated case, Tynes pleaded guilty after she received a $2,000 Tiffany bracelet from a lobbyist in a sting operation. Putting aside the audacity of judges to now run for office after abusing the power entrusted in them by the public for personal gain, their run also sheds light on who does and who doesnt get a second chance after serving time. A report published last week by the Prison Policy Initiative graded the parole system of every state and gave Pennsylvania a failing grade. Parole is the process through which the state can release a person who has not yet completed a full prison sentence. In other words, it is the process that decides whether a person is worthy of a second chance. According to the report, the regulations governing the process present obstacles to the members of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole from granting parole. For starters, board members are not required to meet with the person whose future they are considering. Although the law requires the input of prosecutors, it is silent about whether family members, former employers, or prison staff can provide input. The law doesnt offer a way for the petitioner to challenge any false information presented during the process or a meaningful path to appeal the boards decision. Even if someone gets out on parole, he or she is still far from being free. Pennsylvania has one of the highest rates of supervision in the country 1 in 22 adults in Philadelphia is under probation or parole. The rules of parole are strict, and people find themselves circulating in and out of prison for technical violations of parole. A criminal record in Pennsylvania is a barrier to employment, adoption, financial aid, child custody, and housing subsidies. Thanks to the Clean Slate Act, which went into effect in December, records of people with certain misdemeanors are automatically sealed. Last session in Harrisburg, lawmakers introduced a criminal justice reform package that would have streamlined the parole process for eligible incarcerated people. The bill went nowhere. In January, state Sen. Anthony Williams announced that he is giving the effort a second chance. Although some elected officials friendly with ward leaders and donors may have the guts to go for a second chance despite a prison record, things arent so easy for an average Joe or Jane. That should change. In this file photo from Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, joined at right by Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, speaks to House Democrats, now in the majority, during an event at the Capitol in Washington. Nadler says that he believes President Donald Trump obstructed justice and that House Democrats are requesting documents from scores of people from Trump's administration, family and business as part of the Russia probe. Nadler says the House Judiciary Committee on Monday is requesting documents from the Justice Department, Donald Trump Jr. and Trump Organization executive Alan Weisselberg. Read more Another day, another report of a high crime in the Trump White House. The source was the New Yorkers Jane Mayer, a national treasure of modern journalism. In the middle of a deep dive into the dangerously symbiotic relationship between the Fox News Channel and the 45th president, Mayer dropped a bombshell: Trump had repeatedly pressured a then-top aide, Gary Cohn, on convincing the Justice Department to try to block the pending merger of AT&T with Time-Warner, the parent company of CNN, because POTUS was unhappy with CNNs reporting on him. "Ive been telling Cohn to get this lawsuit filed and nothings happened! Trump told his then-chief of staff John Kelly, according to the New Yorker. Ive mentioned it 50 times. And nothings happened. I want to make sure its filed. I want that deal blocked! Although the story posits that Cohn and Kelly balked at making that call, the Trump Justice Department contrary to its normal pro-big-corporation stance did try, unsuccessfully, to prevent the merger in court, exactly as the president wished. The Justice Departments insistence that the presidents blind hatred of a network that hes blasted as fake news on hundreds of occasions had nothing to do with its decision to intervene with AT&T and Time-Warner strains credulity. But even if that were the case, Trumps demand for using the levers of the executive branch to squelch the 1st Amendment rights of journalists who report critically on his administration is the kind of stunning abuse of presidential power that motivated the Founding Fathers to insert an impeachment clause into the U.S. Constitution 232 years ago. Ironically, Mayers big scoop dropped hours before the House Judiciary Committee under the control of Democrats and a new chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, after 2018s electoral blue tsunami launched the most sweeping and comprehensive investigation of a sitting president since the 1974 impeachment inquiry into Richard Nixon (which did not end well for its subject, FYI.) Two months after seizing power on Capitol Hill, House Democrats led by Nadler jolted Trumpland with a stunning blast of the kind of accountability that was notable for its absence during the two years that the GOP held an iron grip on the legislative branch. The Judiciary Committee demanded documents and other information from a whopping 81 different people or entities, a list so long that cable news had to scroll it across the screen at unreadable speed like the closing credits on a TV sit-com, the gaffers and key grips of an American scandal. Many of the big names of Trump Present and Past were on the list, including sons Donald Jr. and Eric and son-in-law Jared Kushner, past insiders like Steve Bannon and Sean Spicer, Trumpists-turned-convicts Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, longtime Trump Organization insiders like Trumps personal assistant Rhona Graff and finance guy Allen Weisselberg, as well as Trumps presidential campaign and his inaugural committee. Even the National Rifle Association made the cut. You want a side of Calamari? Thats on the Democrats menu, in the form of Matthew Calamari, the ex-bodyguard who wormed his way into Trumps inner circle. Indeed, the list is so broad that it sent even close followers of the assorted Team Trump scandals to the Google machine to look up names like Keith Davidson (ex-lawyer for Stormy Daniels, the adult film story paid to keep silent about her fling with a future POTUS) or Tony Fabrizio (the pollster whose data was given by Manafort to a suspected Russian spy). Indeed, many Trump scandal completists spent more time Monday debating the names like Ivanka Trump and scandal figures like Elliott Broidy or Sam Patten which were surprisingly NOT on the list. Amid that dose of shock and awe, the Democrats launched other fronts this week, all in the wake of the explosive nationally televised testimony of Trumps ex-lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. Three House committees Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight have launched an investigation of the presidents often bizarre dealings with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who acknowledged publicly he wanted Trump to win in 2016, led covert actions to help that happen, and now seems to be seeking payback. The overlapping probes hold out the promise of the public finally realizing its right to know why their president acts like hes in cahoots with Moscow, whether the NRA skirted the law in its massive aid for Trumps election, the real reason why he doesnt want America to see his income taxes, whether foreign powers tried to secretly buy influence through Trumps inauguration, etc. Not surprising;y, the Trump White House immediately labelled this a fishing expedition, an argument meant to appeal to the sizable minority of Americans who refuse to see that the ocean of democracy is now teeming with sharks. Whats fascinating arguably revolutionary about what happened on Monday is the one word the Democrats tried so hard to go out of their way to avoid uttering as their moonshot of a corruption probe blasted off. The i-word. Impeachment. Our job is to protect the rule of law, Nadler told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC Monday night, but he was clear that this current investigation is not an impeachment probe...at this time. And yet, the Judiciary panels push for information is very much focused on high crimes or misdemeanors that may have been committed by the president or his inner circle. In other words, it looks exactly what the beginning of an impeachment investigation of Donald Trump would look like. The lightning strike of an idea here is the knowledge that you can start the lengthy process of gathering information now and still introduce articles of impeachment at a later date...if necessary. Id call this a shadow impeachment, or maybe The Impeachment That Dare Not Speak Its Name. In 1973-74, it took about nine months for that House Judiciary Committee chaired by New Jersey Democrat Peter Rodino to go from a wave of impeachment bills introduced after Nixons clear-cut abuse of power in "the Saturday Night Massacre to public hearing to a vote to approve three articles. Nadlers Monday maneuver creates a timetable when impeachment if such a case is proven could still happen in late 2019, before the first presidential primary and caucus votes are cast. There are two basic scenarios here. Scenario 1: The Mueller report which is going to be issued (and hopefully released to the public) any day now...any day now from the special counsels office lays out a case for criminality or serious abuses of presidential power by Trump. Or evidence from other sources either from a raft of public hearings with key Trump-related witnesses in Congress beginning this spring, or from other prosecutors such as the feds in New Yorks Southern District or the New York attorney generals office reveals high crimes and misdemeanors on a scale so broad that it would a constitutional crisis NOT to impeach. The Nadler probe could morph into impeachment hearings that could lead to a House vote in 2019 and a trial before the Iowa caucuses. Scenario 2: The upcoming hearings before Judiciary and other House committees serve as a quasi-impeachment, without the actual impeachment. That could result from a finding that Trumps misdeeds didnt rise to a level that calls for his removal. But more likely its a political calculation that with the 2020 presidential election so close at hand, the House investigations are essentially an information clearing house for the American voter. Congress can use its subpoena power to uncover the facts that the electorate should have had in 2016, but didnt. This means the American people not the politicians on Capitol Hill will ultimately decide on removing Trump from the Oval Office, on November 3, 2020. The idea behind Scenario 2 which I suspect is more likely, especially given the historic caution of the present Democratic leadership, is that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and that voters will do the right thing when they finally see Donald Trumps taxes or learn how he ridiculously inflated his wealth to get loans from Deutsche Bank, or find out whats really in that safe over at the National Enquirer, let alone the extent to which the president is indebted, one way or the other, to the Russians, But the risk of that strategy are almost as great as the rewards. It makes the unproven assumption that a Democratic-led House will be able to keep Trumps worst instincts, including his ability to start a war with a push of a button, in check for the next 22 months. Also, this notion assumes that the American people will act wisely upon the evidence that Congress produces. Thats hardly a given. Consider this: Trump just had one of the worst weeks for an American president since August 1974, with a badly botched summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un, his ex-lawyer exposing him as a racist conman cheat, and a bizarre two-hour speech that raised new questions about his fitness to serve. Yet his popularity, as measured by an NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll, actually spiked to a new high of 46 percent, the same number he got elected with on November 8, 2016. On the same day that the House singled out the Gang of 81, the New York Times did what it seems to do best, and let a gaggle of those so-satisfied Trump voters in western Pennsylvania sound off. As always, the voters of Trumpland are stickin'. People in Pittsburghs North Hills suburbs told the Times theyre just not ready for a woman president, or that they blame any Democrat for overly generous welfare, or that Trump is cleaning up the always-mentioned-but-never-defined mess of Barack Obama. It was clear that no scandal would ever rob these voters of the 10-ton resentments they will lug back to the polls in 2020.. What House Democrats are doing is absolutely the best and only strategy for dealing with Trump. A fishing expedition that aims to reel in the truth and lift it above the surface of that murky swamp is the party boat that America needs right now. What we dont know yet is whether the truth will be enough to save the nation from ourselves in the present crisis. President Donald Trump during his two-hour speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference Saturday in National Harbor, Maryland. Read more As the already-large and diverse field of Democrats for president continues to grow, so do signals that the partys leftward pull is pulling it in the wrong direction. I cite as the most recent evidence, a telling piece in Mondays New York Times focused on the Keystone State, and findings in an NBC/Wall Street Journal Survey released Sunday on what Democratic voters want. First the Times piece. It notes that Pennsylvania, after backing Donald Trump in 2016, last year rejected two Trumpian candidates, former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta for Senate and former State Sen. Scott Wagner for governor. Instead, incumbent Democrats Bob Casey and Tom Wolf walked to reelection. In addition, in last years nationally watched special election for a southwestern Pennsylvania congressional seat in what had been 2016 Trump country, Democrat Conor Lambs win over Republican Rick Saccone suggested a change in the states political weather. But now, all that seems more the result of individual candidates than state voters flipping to left-leaning politics, at least not the kind that seems to be generating the most energy among the Democratic Party at large. The headline in the Times print edition reads: In Pennsylvania, Skewing Left May Sap Momentum of 2018. The piece quotes former national Democratic chairman and former Gov. Ed Rendell suggesting the rising ideology in his party could prove risky in his home state. The more we have presidential candidates or newly elected congresspeople talking about the Green New Deal, talking about `Medicare for all, talking about socialism, the more that plays into the Trump campaigns hands, Rendell said. Hes right. Neil Newhouse, of the mega-GOP polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, told me recent polling suggests Trump warning against a shift to socialism could well help frame the 2020 election. And Trump, in his two-hour weekend speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, went right at the Green New Deal. When I look at whats happening on the other side, I encourage it, he said, while ridiculing the Green New Deal as No planes. No energy. When the wind stops blowing, thats the end of your electric. Rendells sentiment also mirrors what I wrote in a column last week based on interviews with state political experts. They suggested former Vice President Joe Biden, if hes in, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (and, this week, you can add Narberth native and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper) are best suited to carry the state in a primary and general election rather than candidates pushing more leftist views. Then there are findings of the new NBC/WSJ survey. What caught my eye was a question asked only of Democratic primary voters: In selecting a presidential nominee for the Democratic Party, which of the following is the most important to you? The choices? A candidate with the best chance to beat Trump. Or a candidate who comes closest to your views on issues. Democrats questioned chose the latter by a margin of 56-40. This struck me as problematic for the party. Its personal adherence to ideology. Its potentially picking views over victory. It hints at the sort of Democratic-leaning stay-home option that helped Trump win in 2016. The GOP is more tribal. When the NBC/WSJ poll asked Republican primary voters if theyd like to see a primary challenge to Trump, 59 percent said no. Clearly, Democratic candidates are right to address climate change, health care, education, economic inequality, and more. But often the way such issues are presented including on the environment and reparations for African Americans and Native Americans is just not realistic. They can create discussions, not win elections. Especially in Pennsylvania, which is something of a mini-America: Blue urban areas at either end, vast red areas in the middle. In the last 12 presidential contests, it voted for the winner 10 times. Its sure to be key in 2020. Trump won here by 44,292 votes (out of more than five million cast). Few expected it. Few expect a repeat. But that could depend entirely on whos challenging Trump, because signs suggest the states no lock for just any Democrat. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., third from left, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson march to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge Sunday, March 3, 2019, during the Bloody Sunday commemoration in Selma, Ala. The infamous Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act that year. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) Read more If any of us doubted that history repeats itself, we had only to watch Democratic presidential contenders gather in Selma, Ala., this week to commemorate the 1965 march known as Bloody Sunday. The original march, in which Alabama state police brutally beat protesters as they demonstrated for black voting rights on Selmas Edmund Pettus Bridge, was a televised spectacle that showed America the viciousness of Jim Crow. On Sunday, Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker, along with fellow Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is also weighing a presidential run, crossed that same bridge, as did Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, and dozens of others. It was a reminder that Democrats, led by President Lyndon B. Johnson, pushed the Voting Rights Act through Congress after 17 people were injured in the violence at Selma. It was a reminder meant to show that Democrats still stand with black people. To be sure, it is a strong message, but, in many ways, it rings hollow, because the conditions black people faced during the civil rights movement are making a comeback today. For those of us too young to remember the victories that came with the sacrifices of men such as Rep. John Lewis, who was on the bridge that day, 2019 might as well be 1965. Even as I was writing this column, I watched California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, announce that no charges would be filed against two Sacramento police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man, in his grandmothers backyard. Becerra told reporters that an 11-month investigation found that Clark did not obey officers commands, that Clark had broken a neighbors sliding glass door, and that Clark had advanced to within 16 feet of the officers. For that, the officers unleashed a hail of 20 bullets. Clark was hit eight times, with six of the bullets striking him in the back. Police shootings of unarmed black men such as Clark are not new. Neither is the fact that officers are rarely charged in such incidents. This phenomenon is but one reason why 2019 might as well be 1965. Just as Clarks shooting death at the hands of police has gone unpunished, a police shooting just a few weeks before the 1965 march in Selma initially went unpunished, too. On Feb. 18, 1965, in Marion, Ala., just 27 miles from Selma, a peaceful march was disrupted when state troopers attacked demonstrators. One of those protesters, Jimmie Lee Jackson, ran into a nearby restaurant, where state police followed and began beating restaurant patrons. Trooper James Bonard Fowler shot Jackson, who tried to shield his mother from the blows. Jackson later died from his injuries. In 1965, a grand jury declined to indict Fowler in Jacksons shooting death, thus allowing Fowler to shoot and kill another black man a year later. It wasnt until 2010, after Fowler confessed his crime to a journalist and a black district attorney won an indictment, that Fowler was found guilty of manslaughter and served a paltry six months in prison. Not much has changed since then. Dangerous cops who unjustly shoot or kill African Americans are still allowed to remain on the force to continue doing harm. Former Philadelphia Police Officer Ryan Pownall, who shot Carnell Williams-Carney in the back in 2010, leaving him paralyzed, remained on the force until he shot David Jones in the back, killing him. Black voting rights are still under attack, as well. In 2013, after years of trying to overturn the Voting Rights Act, conservative Republicans won a victory in Shelby v. Holder, a Supreme Court case that effectively gutted the law that rose out of the 1965 protests in Selma. Within hours of the Shelby decision, Texas implemented a new voter ID law although such laws have been shown to disproportionately suppress the votes of blacks and Latinos who are less likely to have the kind of ID such laws require. Georgia closed polling places in black communities and purged thousands of people from its voter rolls. North Carolina passed a series of laws that a federal appeals court said targeted blacks with surgical precision. Though the laws in North Carolina and Texas were challenged and watered down, the intent remains clear. Black and brown voters are under attack, just as they were in 1965. Thats why, if presidential candidates truly want to address black issues, they must face the fact that we dont need them to visit the site of past struggles. We need them to address whats happening right now, because 2019, in many ways, looks just like 1965. So rather than posing for a photo op in Selma, I want to see our politicians fight for civil rights right now. Go out to Sacramento and get justice for Stephon Clark. Go to Long Island and get justice for Eric Garner. Come to Philadelphia and get justice for Jeffrey Dennis. Only then can we have serious conversations about supporting anyone for president, no matter which party they represent. Solomon Jones is the author of 10 books. Listen to him weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon on Praise 107.9 HD2. Email him at sj@solomonjones.com. @solomonjones1 Thanks for the tweet, Mayor Kenney, but the Great Rittenhouse Square No-Sitting Controversy is far from over. For those of you who managed to stay away from your social-media feeds last weekend, Philadelphia's mayor took to Twitter on Saturday night to reverse his administration's new ban on the time-honored practice of parking your bottom atop Rittenhouse Square's elegant limestone balustrades. The tweet was a response to the mounting outrage over the ban's exclusionary implications, and to plans for a "Sittenhouse Lunchtime Sit-on" on Tuesday. "This government is very large and at times things just get by you," an apologetic Kenney wrote. "Sit where you want." There is something wonderful about having a mayor who can be so self-effacing and responsive, and he immediately received an outpouring of praise for the message. He later tapped out another tweet promising to deal with the details later this week. Yet, as the country is quickly learning, Twitter statements are not the same as policy-making. Two days after his declaration, a stack of issues remain unresolved: The offensive (and seriously twee) signs, which bear the logo of the city's Parks and Recreation department, remain in place next to the balustrades that encircle the square's central court. The park's security guards must not be Twitter users because they were apparently unaware of the mayor's decree as late as Sunday, according to several people who attempted to take to the walls. We've also heard nothing about the obnoxious police cruiser that has been parked in the square, running its engine and spewing exhaust -- a violation of park rules, incidentally -- pretty much nonstop since October's drug-related shooting. If the problem with the no-sitting signs is that they make the park seem unwelcoming, the cruisers practically exude a police-state sensibility. So, though the mayor's tweet was a crowd-pleaser, it addresses only the most superficial aspect of the larger problem: the city's increasing reliance on a private partner to manage and fund this most beloved and democratic of Philadelphia public spaces. Even though Rittenhouse Square is in the toniest part of town, there is a strong sense that these gracious seven acres belong to all of us. It's common ground. Yet, after the Billy Penn website broke the news of the ban last week, that private group, the Friends of Rittenhouse Square, issued a statement that seemed to express more pique than penitence. Because the group raised $1 million to restore the limestone balustrades to pristine condition, the statement suggested the signs were a justified effort to protect its investment from graffiti and vandalism. That sentiment, along with the police cruiser, is something you might expect from an authoritarian state, not the city we proudly proclaim as the birthplace of liberty. So far, not a single board member has granted an interview to explain their thinking. Of the three emails I sent to three Friends' leaders, not one was answered. Where's the accountability? Maybe it's a coincidence, but we've seen similarly high-handed behavior from other private parks groups. In the spring, Historic Philadelphia shocked many in the city when it cordoned off another of William Penn's original parks, Franklin Square, for seven weeks in the evenings to host a ticketed Chinese lantern exhibition. It happened again over the summer during the Democratic National Convention, when protesters were told they couldn't assemble on Dilworth Park, managed by the Center City District. Like the Friends of Rittenhouse Square, the boards that run these groups are largely controlled by powerful, monied, but unelected, bigwigs. That isn't a criticism of the work these groups do. All three have devoted themselves to rebuilding parks that were neglected and underfunded by the city. The Friends have done a superb job of restoring Rittenhouse Square's original balustrades, fountain, and planting beds, laid out by Paul Philippe Cret in 1913. Though the city employs a full-time maintenance person to empty trash cans and flag graffiti, the square wouldn't be the beauty spot it is without the Friends' vigilance. All the landscaping is funded by their contributions. When you put so much effort into a space, it's hard not to start thinking of it as your own. Pretty soon, you start to feel you have the right to make the rules. It's been suggested that the real motivation for the sitting ban was to discourage teens and others from smoking marijuana. Sure, that stuff goes on. Drugs were the motivation for the October shooting. Homelessness has also been a problem. But such behaviors can be handled with existing laws. Banning sitting targets everyone. One of the wonderful things about Cret's design is the way it creates informal neighborhoods: the toddler zone around the goat, the lovers' lane around the perimeter, the bike messengers' break room at the corner of 18th Street, and, yes, the teen zone near the balustrades. A microcosm of the city, the park is the place where we learn to tolerate people who are different from us. "What makes parks work is having as many types of users as possible," said Chris Bartlett, head of the William Way Community Center, who took to social media to condemn the sitting ban. It's not only teens who hang out on the balustrade. I fondly recall the hours I spent there under the shade trees, watching my young daughter climb the bronze lion that she called "Aslan." The distance between the balustrade and the sculpture was just far enough that she could play without feeling a parent breathing down her neck. Until those signs are removed, I would be considered a scofflaw. That's why I plan to stop by Tuesday's Sittenhouse, between noon and 1 p.m. The mayor's communications director, Lauren Hitt, told me the administration intends to reevaluate its Rittenhouse Square enforcement policies, including the presence of the police cruiser. While they're at it, they should consider how to diversify the membership of the city's private parks groups. Only by including everyone can Rittenhouse Square remain a pristine and democratic space. In this Feb. 5, 2019 photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., arrives for President Donald Trump's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington. Omars latest remarks about Israel are prompting House Democrats to draft a resolution condemning anti-Semitism. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Read more WASHINGTON (AP) Back in January, the Democrats welcomed their brash young newcomers to Congress with smiles and hugs. That was before the new colleagues dragged the party's simmering divisions over Israel out in the open. Provocative comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota have thrust the Democrats into an uncomfortable debate over Israel policy a few weeks before a high-profile conference where senior Democrats typically make a show of support for the Jewish state. Increasingly, the rift appears as much generational as ideological, with newly elected Democrats showing less deference to the party line. Omar became the flash point after she suggested last week that Israel's supporters are pushing U.S. lawmakers to take a pledge of "allegiance to a foreign country." It's at least the third time she has forced older, pro-Israel Democrats who run the House into awkward territory over U.S.-Israeli policy. Republicans have been happy to stoke the furor, with President Donald Trump calling Omar's remarks "a dark day for Israel" and posting a photo of himself in Jerusalem. Inside the Democratic family, meanwhile, leaders are in a bind, torn between a need to admonish Omar for her comments and their desire to defend one of the first Muslim women ever elected to Congress. This time Omar is not apologizing. And this time pro-Israel Democrats led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi are not just warning her about the dangers of Jewish tropes. They're expected to offer a resolution condemning anti-Semitism on the House floor. "Accusations of dual loyalty generally have an insidious, bigoted history," a draft of the resolution reads in part. "The House of Representatives acknowledges the dangerous consequences of perpetuating anti-Semitic stereotypes and rejects anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States." The text, which includes a history of bigotry against Muslims and blacks as well as Jews, sounds unobjectionable by itself. But the fact that senior Democrats felt obliged to put the House on-record on the topic points to a transformation in the country mostly among Democrats about supporting the Jewish state. In a poll by the Pew Research Center in January of last year, 46 percent of Americans said they sympathized more with Israel and 16 percent with the Palestinians in their Middle East discord. But Democrats are about evenly divided, with about a quarter sympathizing with each side and the rest saying they side with neither or don't know and in recent years they have become less likely to sympathize with Israel than they were in the past. Liberal Democrats were nearly twice as likely to say they sympathize more with the Palestinians (35 percent) than with Israel (19 percent). Older Americans were much more likely to say they sympathize with Israel than with the Palestinians, with more division among younger Americans. Omar, a Somali-American, says that what she is questioning is the influence game in Washington and she worries that anything she says about Israel and its treatment of Palestinians will be construed as anti-Semitic. "Being opposed to (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the occupation is not the same as being anti-Semitic," she tweeted on Sunday. "I am grateful to the many Jewish allies who have spoken out and said the same." But Democrats in Congress remain largely supportive of Israel. Pelosi, for example, often attends the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, which is coming up later this month. Omar on Tuesday got a boost from allies who point out that the congresswoman, too, has been the target of threats and bigotry. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested in a tweet that her fellow freshman was being treated unfairly. "No one seeks this level of reprimand when members make statements about Latinx + other communities," the New York Democrat wrote. Jewish groups generally said they support the resolution but. ... "We are concerned that the timing of this resolution will be seen as singling out and focusing special condemnation on a Muslim woman of color as if her views and insensitive comments pose a greater threat than the torrent of hatred that the white nationalist right continues to level against Jews, Muslims, people of color and other vulnerable minority groups," said J Street, a nonprofit that says it's a home for "pro-Israel, pro-Peace Americans." The Democrats' strategy, the group added, "plays directly into the hands of the president and his allies, who act in bad faith to weaponize the debate for political gain." Back home in Minnesota, a collection of elected officials started a #StandWithIlhan hashtag with a statement that reads in part: "We call on Democrats to stand with Ilhan against Republican efforts to pit Jews and Muslims against each other." But there also was talk of finding a candidate to challenge her in 2020. "I firmly believe that her anti-Semitic expressions do not reflect the views of her district's residents," said state Sen. Ron Latz, who is Jewish, lives in her district and has been critical of Omar's recent statements on Israel. "She is rapidly making herself a pariah in Congress, rather than an effective representative for her constituents," he added "exactly the kind of scenario that would open the door for a primary challenge." Senior Democrats were standing firmly against Omar's comments, and not for the first time. Earlier this year, she apologized for a 2012 tweet in which she said Israel had "hypnotized" America. And last month, she apologized for suggesting that members of Congress support Israel because they are paid to do so. That earned her stern rebukes from Pelosi and House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, among others. This time, Engel declared that Omar's suggestion about divided loyalties was a "vile" stereotype that had no place on his committee. Republicans, meanwhile, demanded that Democrats throw Omar off Engel's panel. There was no sign of that happening at midday Tuesday. "I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee," Omar tweeted. Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell said Engel, while upset with Omar's comments, "feels that she brings a different perspective to the committee" that keeps it strong. "This is a very complicated issue," Dingell said. "There is nothing complicated about being very clear that we must stand up against anti-Semitism." ___ Associated Press writers Doug Glass in Minneapolis and Emily Swanson and Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow Kellman on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com//APLaurieKellman Ori Feibush is shown in his OCF Cafe at 2001 Federal St. in 2013. In the background are some of the housing units he was building in Point Breeze at the time. Read more Philadelphia police are investigating at least five instances of vandalism believed to be directed toward people or properties associated with OCF Realty, all of which were reported to authorities Monday. Five properties in Southwark and Southwest Center City were spray-painted with vulgar language and some windows were broken, police spokesperson Eric McLaurin said. A photo on Facebook posted by an OCF employee early Tuesday showed that one property in South Philadelphia had the words Pigs! We Know! spray-painted on the window. Investigators received reports of the vandalism between 2 and 9 a.m. Monday. McLaurin did not specify how the properties were connected to OCF Realty. Detectives were continuing to investigate, he said. OCF Realty, a real estate brokerage and development company founded by developer Ori Feibush, has been the target of vandalism and arson in the past. In the spring of 2017, a fire that was ultimately deemed arson destroyed part of a project that Feibush was working on in Philadelphias Point Breeze neighborhood. Other properties associated with him previously have been vandalized with spray paint and broken windows. Feibush, like dozens of other developers working in the city, has focused largely on rowhouse projects with some bigger projects, too in many neighborhoods in South Philadelphia and beyond. Some of his critics have deemed him a controversial figure, especially given his work in fast-changing areas. Others, however, have praised Feibush for bringing investment and resources to Philadelphias once-blighted neighborhoods. Reached by phone Tuesday, Feibush declined to comment. If you missed Tom Van Steenbergen and Ethan Nell's stunning freeride epic last week make sure to give it a watch When did the filming take place? Why did you go with that time of year? Ethan Nell: TvS: Filming took place the first few weeks of December. We wanted a good break after Rampage and the weather is usually really good at that time.And I wanted to pump out a project to be released in the winter. How many days did you film for this project? Ethan Nell: I think we ended up digging for two weeks and filming for 5 days. Why did you choose Virgin, Utah as the location? TvS: We went there for pretty obvious reasons. The building and the riding are unbeatable. The perfect place to push your riding. What was the most difficult thing for you to work up the nerve to ride? Ethan Nell: TvS: The hardest part about the nerves is hitting the features for the first time. We spend weeks building them, then have to test it ourselves.Hardest thing for me to do was the frontflip drop. By far. It was a big personal goal to do one off a big drop and it felt amazing to finally pull it off. What shot took you the longest to get right? Ethan Nell: TvS: My step down flip one-can took the longest to get in the bag just because of the run in. The rock roll before is very close to the lip of the drop, so you have absolutely no set up time for the flip. It took me a few tries but we got it!The scrub shot took the longest. I wanted to get lower and skim the ground with my tires but it wasnt the right set up for that. I probably did 30 scrubs trying to get lower. Whats your favourite part of the film? Ethan Nell: TvS: My favorite part of the film is Tom and Is celebration after his front flip drop. It had been a few heavy weeks in the desert and that was the last shot we needed. Pure excitement and relief.Favorite shots are Ethans flip can and the fronty drop. Whats the most memorable part of the shoot for you? Ethan Nell: TvS: The most memorable part of the shoot was being able to work with some of your best friends the whole time. Digging, shooting, and all the things in between. We had some pretty funny times.Most memorable moment was the front flip drop for sure. No feeling can compare to overcoming something that youve been wanting for a long time! It was also not the best drop for it. What was it like working together? Ethan Nell: TvS: Working with Tom is always a great time. We basically shared a whole Rampage line the month before so weve gotten pretty good at teaming up.It was fun working with Ethan. Ill definitely do it again. We look at things way differently so working on things together actually worked out good! How does riding in Virgin, Utah for a film compare to riding it for Rampage? Ethan Nell: TvS: Riding in Virgin is super normal to me. Its my home spot to ride. When Rampage is over things definitely become a lot slower paced. Its really nice.The riding was in the same area as Rampage and the front flip drop was scarier than dropping into my run last year... Its nice to not feel the contest pressure to do something though. If there were an outtake reel, what would it include? Ethan Nell: TvS: I also want to thank everyone for the kind words. Means so much to me that people are stoked on this video. Well definitely follow it up with another one! Tom Van Steenbergen If we had an outtake real it would be nothing but hysterical laughs, exotic cars, and even more pitbikes.There wasnt much that we shot that wasnt in the video actually. Worked out good! Igor Koller appeals against access restrictions to Tatra National Park Slovak mountaineer Igor Koller appeals to all mountaineers, climbers, walkers, ski mountaineers against restrictions within the Tatra National Park. An online petition has been created to safeguard access to these mountains in Slovakia. Dear Friends, we are asking you to support the initiative entitled "We are Tatras too!" The High Tatras are the only really high mountains in Slovakia. While the area of High Tatras is small, their beauty and the nature is unique. Tourists, skiers and mountaineers have always visited the Tatras for several centuries. They are a historical part of this country. The Tatra National Park (TANAP) was established in 1949. It covers the area of three massifs: West, High and Belianske Tatras. TANAP was the first national park in Slovakia and one of the oldest parks in Europe. Rules for visitors have defined all activities of visitors, tourists, skiers and mountaineers for more than 20 years without any major changes. In pratice, by and large these rules were adhered to. The biggest problems concerning these rules were that they practically banned easy mountaineering, up to UIAA III, and they imposed strong restrictions on ski touring and ski mountaineering. For many years we have tried to cooperate with the nature protections authorities and prepare a better set of rules for visitors, but without success. Now the authorities in charge of nature protection have presented new rules for visitors which are much more restrictive for activities of tourists, skiers and mountaineers. For example there is a ban for mountaineering for 3 months within the entire area of TANAP. At the same time, the numner of protected animals such as Tatra Chamois or Tatra Marmot are higher or at the same level. That is why we created the initiative "We are Tatras too!" that refuses the new rules for visitors and calls for new modern rules for visitors. We kindly ask our foreign friends, tourists, mountaineers, ski mountaineers and their organisations to sign our initiative and support our efforts. At present we have more than 13000 signatories. It is precisely this sort of international solidarity within the climbing and mountaineering world that helped save Camp IV in Yosemite National Park. We thank you for your support! by Igor Koller - CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION WE ARE ALSO TATRAS! COLLECTIVE APPEAL OF CLIMBERS, HIKERS AND SKI MOUNTAINEERS ON THE TANAP (TATRA NATIONAL PARK) VISITOR MANAGEMENT POLICY PROPOSAL We call upon the nature conservation authorities and the Ministry of the Environment as a unit to reject the TANAP Visitor Management Policy Proposal submitted by the TANAP Administration to the Presov District Office on 25 January 2019 and presented by the TANAP Administration at a public hearing held on 6 February 2019 in Liptovsky Mikulas and on 7 February 2019 in Stary Smokovec. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in addition to nature protection, recreational and sporting functions performed in a sustainable manner have an equivalent representation in a national park. This soft form of tourism in the TANAP is represented by tourists, climbers, ski mountaineers, skiers, environmental guides, mountain guides, carriers and mountain chalet operators. Their activities have always been part of the Tatra Mountains cultural heritage, with no negative impact on the nature. Therefore, they can be considered sustainable as opposed to the expanding development and wood harvesting activities. WE DECLARE Hikers, climbers, ski mountaineers, chalet operators, carriers and mountain guides are considered an integral part of the cultural heritage of the Tatra Mountains. We are convinced that their activities have never been and never will be contrary to the nature conservation interests. We declare our support for preservation of biodiversity as a diversity of protected species of flora and fauna. We respect the strictest regime and the exclusion of our activities in selected parts of the park. Associations initiating this memorandum have nature protection in their statutes and in the focus of their daily activities. We visit the mountains as active conservationists and we are the first to protect them from commercialization. We support scientifically and statistically-based local closures and bans in places and at times when it is important in terms of nature protection. We support restriction of inappropriate activities in the alpine environment, such as bivouacking, camping, fire-fitting and garbage disposal, or other pollution, wood extraction and extensive development activities in the TANAP. We call for material and personal reinforcement of the scientific activity of the governmental and non-governmental sector in the TANAP to ensure continuous collection of primary data and its ongoing scientific evaluation. We support consistent nature conservation on the territory of TANAP and call for the adoption of the professionally justified zoning of the TANAP so that it meets the international criteria as a national park. Such an approach will leave more room for soft forms of tourism while preserving the protection of sensitive species of fauna and flora. 8 REASONS FOR REJECTING THE TANAP VISITING POLICY PROPOSAL: 1. Activities of hikers, climbers, ski mountaineers, chalet operators, carriers and mountain guides are considered an integral part of the cultural heritage of the Tatra Mountains. Their activities have never before endangered and do not endanger the TANAPs nature. We declare our commitment to working on the sustainable principle of tourism in the TANAP, we respect and support restrictions and bans that are based on scientific and statistical evidence. Therefore, we fundamentally reject the proposed increase in regulatory measures relating to the activities of the above groups. 2. The definition of sport and recreational mountain activities is discriminatory and contrary to international standards. For this reason, we do not consider it appropriate to require membership in specific organizations to perform activities in the TANAP. 3. Practically, the new policy excludes light mountaineering (VhT) from the TANAP, which in the lower degrees of climbing difficulty will significantly reduce the activity of all hikers, climbers, ski mountaineers and several organizations, such as Slovak Mountaineering Union JAMES, the Slovak Mountaineering Organization SVTS, the Slovak Ski Alpine Association and the Slovak Tourist Club, whose history dates back to the 19th century. 4 . The ban on rock-climbing and VhT training activities in some areas does not respect the training methodology of these activities, thus risking the safety of beginning climbers and VhT tourists. 5. The TANAP Administration has not provided scientific and statistical evidence to justify new seasonal closures for rock-climbing and the preservation of seasonal closures for hikers, while not demonstrating negative impact of soft forms of tourism on the TANAPs objects of protection. At the same time, the amount of TANAPs visitors has recently not been reaching the levels of the 1970s when these seasonal closures were introduced. From this point of view, the introduction of new restrictions is also unjustified. 6. The new visitors management policy ignores the factual reality of the past decades, not providing the scientific and statistical evidence that the sport and recreational activities would result in a deterioration of the objects of protection. The opposite is actually true and, as an example, we can refer to the increasingly high-levels of chamois, where we draw from the state nature protection data on the census of chamois. On the other hand, neither the State Nature Protection nor the TANAP Administration have published any statistics confirming long-term degrading indicators in the field of the TANAP fauna or flora. 7. Absolute exclusion of night movement of climbers, ski mountaineers and hikers is contrary to the principles of safety and methodology and against the recommendations of the mountain rescue service for timely start of hiking. For climbers, it is potentially life-threatening. We support the ban on any planned night activities that are unrelated to the methodical and safety principles of movement in high altitude areas. 8. The system of exceptions to the Nature and Landscape Protection Act brings along a non-systemic approach to the issue of regulating the TANAP visitors. The condition of licensing activities in the TANAP by membership in specific societies and organizations is contrary to the general democratic principles of a modern society, which, on the contrary, highlights personal responsibility for the activity and conduct of individuals. WE PROPOSE We propose not to accept the TANAP Visiting Policy Proposal as a whole, and to create a working group composed of representatives of the soft form of tourism in the TANAP, in addition to the representatives of the State Nature Protection. In discussion with the concerned parties, to prepare a modern, simple, clear, enforceable and non-discriminatory visiting policy. Such a visitor management policy should: 1. Take into account the real status of the soft forms of tourism in the TANAP, considering the real developments in fauna and flora populations in the TANAP over the last decades. 2. Enable the necessary operational restrictions on carrying out soft forms of tourism in the TANAP, which will be adopted on the basis of findings from the fieldwork of the State Nature Protection staff in cooperation with non-governmental organizations and the public. 3. Instead of large area bans, use nudging (a soft form of behavior management) in the form of open professional communication with the public according to the model of the mountain rescue service. This is an approach that is demonstrably more effective than hard bans with negative motivations (fines). This form of nature conservation has already proven itself in the TANAP in practice. 4. Define sport and recreational mountain activities in accordance with international standards without requiring membership in societies or in otherwise discriminating way, taking into account the responsibility of individual visitors. INITIATORS Igor Koller climber, chairman of SMU JAMES Peter Dragun hiker, chairman of KST Michal Kacerik climber and hiker, president of SVTS Igor Ziak ski mountaineer, chairman of SSA SIGNATORIES Zoltan Demjan climber Peter Hamor climber Robert Galfy climber Jaroslav Svorc Tatra Mountain Service volunteer body Jan Simon Mountain rescue service, Velka Fatra Rasto Hatiar climber and filmmaker Svetozar Krno university professor, expeditionist and writer Viktor Beranek Chata pod Rysmi, chalet operator Dominika Dejczoova Zbojnicka chalet, operator Jana Kalincikova Zamkovska chalet, operator Peter Michalka Tery chalet, operator Tomas Petrik Green Lake chalet, operator Marcel Forgac radio and TV presenter and climber Juraj Soko Tabacek actor, presenter and climber - CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION Share Tweet Devan Tang Beats Peter Jetten to Win Triton High Roller Short Deck for $1.2 Million March 04, 2019 Chad Holloway The 2019 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju, which is comprised of six events, saw 45 players account for 24 re-entries in Event #2: HK$500,000 NLH Short Deck Ante Only at the luxurious Landing Casino. That created an HK$32,430,000 (US$4,132,105) prize pool and saw Hong Kongs Devan Tang defeat Canadas Peter Jetten heads up to win the title and accompanying HK$9,730,000 ($1,239,759) first-place prize. "I'm very, very happy about it," Tang said. "I got very lucky. I was lucky the whole way. It was a tough field, for sure. When you're playing this big and you make the final table, you have to play your best for sure." The win moved Tang up to more than $6.2 million in lifetime earnings, which puts him second on Chinas all-time money list behind Elton Tsang ($12,752,988). It marked the second-largest score of Tangs career after he won the 2016 Triton Super High Roller Series Philippines Event #3: $200K NLH for $1,405,500. 2019 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju Event #2: HKD 500,000 Short Deck Ante-Only Event Place Player Country Prize (HKD) Prize (USD) 1 Devan Tang China HK$9,730,000 $1,239,759 2 Peter Jetten Canada HK$7,040,000 $897,010 3 Arnaud Romain France HK$4,540,000 $578,469 4 Jason Koon United States HK$3,435,000 $437,674 5 Isaac Haxton United States HK$2,660,000 $338,927 6 Leong Wai China HK$2,075,000 $264,388 7 Mikita Bodyakovskiy Belarus HK$1,650,000 $210,237 8 Paul Phua Malaysia HK$1,300,000 $165,641 Final Table Action Day 2 saw 14 players return to action, but six would leave empty-handed including Event #1 champ Justin Bonomo, Bryn Kenny, and John Juanda. On his way to victory, Tang hit a heater in short deck, which is played with a 36-card deck after the removal of all cards lower than a six. His rush included picking up pocket aces at least five times. He also got lucky against Mikita Badziakouski early on when the latter flopped a set of queens and Tang an inferior set of sixes. A six on the turn gave Tang quads and new life. Triton Poker Ambassador Jason Koon With four players remaining, Triton Poker Ambassador Jason Koon lost pocket queens to Jettens rivered straight. Koon, who is the worlds all-time short-deck money winner with more than $3.5 million in earnings, added another HK$3,435,000 ($437,674) for his performance. I play this game a lot, so Im used to taking nasty beats like that. It happens, Koon said of his bustout. In the final hand of the tournament, Jetten got it in with ace-jack but lost when Tangs ten-jack suited made a straight. Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju Details Four more events remain on the 2019 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju schedule including Event #3: HK$500K NLH 6-Handed, Event #5: HK$1M Short-Deck Ante-Only, Event #6: HK$2M Main Event, and Event #7: HK$1M NLH Refresh. All the action from Jeju is being streamed live online via YouTube, Twitch and the Triton Series website with expert commentary from Lex Veldhuis and Randy Lew in English, and Celina Lin and Haoxiang Wang in Chinese. *Images and hand information courtesy of Triton Poker. 4.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Documents have been requested by the House Judiciary Committee from the NRA about the Trump campaign and their role in communications with Russia. House Democrats want to know about the relationship between the NRA, Trump campaign, and Russia Here is the document request to the NRA: The House Judiciary Committee is interested in communications between the Trump campaign, NRA, and Russia. The committee has a special interest in any election data and polling information that was shared by the Trump campaign with Russia. They also want to know about any discussions between the Trump campaign and Russia on lifting sanctions. The NRA Is Weakened And In A World Of Legal Hurt The Senate is investigating the NRA for illegally funneling Russian money into the Trump campaign and the campaigns of Republican Senate candidates. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the Trump/Russia/NRA connection. The FBI has been investigating the NRA. The gun lobby has responded to all of these investigations by calling Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Rep. Gabby Giffords to be shot. Democrats are gathering information on the NRAs dealings with Trump and Russia It is possible that the NRA has been used as a money laundering middle man to get dirty and illegal Russian cash into the campaign of Donald Trump. The House Judiciary Committee has some serious questions for the gun lobby, and they are collecting the sort of information that has the potential to bring the former most feared lobbying organization in America to its knees, and maybe put them out of business. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders issued a statement that was nothing more than a fit over the launch of a comprehensive investigation into Trump. Sarah Sanders said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, Today, Chairman Nadler opened up a disgraceful and abusive investigation into tired, false allegations already investigated by the Special Counsel and committees in both Chambers of Congress. Chairman Nadler and his fellow Democrats have embarked on this fishing expedition because they are terrified that their two-year false narrative of Russia collusion is crumbling. Their intimidation and abuse of American citizens is shameful. Democrats are harassing the President to distract from their radical agenda of making America a socialist country, killing babies after theyre born, and pushing a green new deal that would destroy jobs and bankrupt America. The American people deserve a Congress that works with the President to address serious issues like immigration, healthcare, and infrastructure. The Democrats are more interested in pathetic political games and catering to a radical, leftist base than on producing results for our citizens. The Democrats are not after the truth, they are after the President. Sarah Sanders melted down over this investigation We got all of the White Houses greatest hits in this statement. The false claim that collusion is unraveling. A sidetrack about socialism and baby killing was included along with a complaint about presidential harassment, which isnt even a real thing. It is something that Trump made up because he doesnt understand and has no respect for the duty of congressional oversight. The White House responded to this investigation with a shameful tirade that was a flailing plea to keep Trumps shrinking base with him. There was no defense in Sanders statement. All the Press Secretary could offer was partisan attacks, false statements, and whining. Trump and his team are coming unglued at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump is increasingly losing privately and on Twitter because Democrats are going to investigate him through the 2020 election. Democrats are going to investigate Trump every day until the 2020 election The APs Jonathan Lemire said on MSNBCs Deadline: White House, And there will be many ways they will put pressure on this white house. We saw from the president in the clip you played, relatively relaxed, downplaying it, his usual language about hoax and witch-hunt, whatever it might be. But thats different than what we are seeing behind the scenes, to his aides and we are seeing it spill out on Twitter that hes frustrated and aggravated and worried about where this could go. Presidential harassment has been his new catchphrase. As much as the white house staffed up and hired new lawyers, they know they might not be ready for the sheer onslaught, the sheer volume of whats coming from the hill, from these various committees including the one led by chairman Nadler. And theres a sense that each day will yield something new. And each day that could get a step closer to the Oval Office. Former DNC Senior Advisor Doug Thornell added, Hillary Clinton did a great job when she testified before Congress on Benghazi, but that investigation over the long term really did damage to her candidacy. And I think what Democrats are going to try to do here and theyre going to do it very surgically and precise is to make this go for a long time and uncover and basically do this in front of the public, uncover what is inside of this administration, what is rotten and what is corrupt? And its going to go until the election, I think. Video: Democrats are expected to investigate Trump until the 2020 election. https://t.co/XWPassHtsF pic.twitter.com/98aiiUVatB PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 4, 2019 Trump is going to be exposed Remember how Republicans in Congress beat the drum every day with talk of Benghazi and emails? Republicans were able to damage Clintons candidacy with investigations that were strictly for political purposes. The difference between Clinton and Trump is that in Trumps case there is real evidence of wrongdoing by the president. Trump has already been linked to multiple felonies in the Southern District of New York. These investigations are going to uncover more with passing day, and they are not going to go away, and they will follow his reelection campaign like a shadow. The Democratic investigative spotlight has the power to end the presidency of Donald Trump. id=http://data.wordlift.io/wl0649/entity/national_rifle_association>NRA. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Democrats arent going to rely on Special Counsel Robert Mueller to do all of the necessary investigations into Donald Trump. House Democrats are going beyond Mueller House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) made it clear that Democrats and Mueller are in two different lanes. While speaking to Rachel Maddow, Nadler said, Our job is very different from other law enforcement agencies. The special prosecutor has a specific mandate the Russian collusion by the Trump administration or anybody else with that interference with the election, and only to look at crimes. The southern district of New York looks at crimes. We have to look at a much broader question. We have our job is to protect the rule of law in this country. That means we have to look at the three major threats to the rule of law weve seen and that is corruption, personal enrichment in violation of the emoluments clause. And it means abuse of power and in terms of various things that have been done and means interference with elections. It means abuse of power, attacks on the press and judiciary and attacks on law enforcement agencies and obstruction of justice interference with the various investigations that are going on. Video: House Democrats are checking this president and not relying on Robert Mueller to do their job for them. https://t.co/V88xfkoii5 pic.twitter.com/U4iwPXUpSu PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 5, 2019 Democrats are investigating impeachable offenses, not prosecutable crimes House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is investigating Trumps communications with Putin. Banking Committee Chairwoman Rep. Maxine Waters is digging deep into Trumps loans and whether he carried out various schemes to dodge paying taxes. The House is also investigating Trumps abuses of power while in office. From firing James Comey to interfering with mergers, and leaning on Matt Whitaker to unrecuse a Trump loyalist in the Southern District of New York. House Democrats are protecting the rule of law and checking a president. They are not limited by what can be prosecuted. By the time House Democrats are finished, Robert Mueller will be the least of Trumps problems. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 522 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard For the first time ever Donald Trump attacked Rep. Jerry Nadler, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, on his Twitter account this morning. He is clearly not happy about the new lines of investigation into his familys business and his presidency. He accused Democrats of going stone cold CRAZY and then later accused them of obstructing justice. Early this morning Trump tweeted: Now that they realize the only Collusion with Russia was done by Crooked Hillary Clinton & the Democrats, Nadler, Schiff and the Dem heads of the Committees have gone stone cold CRAZY, Trump tweeted. 81 letter sent to innocent people to harass them. They wont get ANYTHING done for our Country! Now that they realize the only Collusion with Russia was done by Crooked Hillary Clinton & the Democrats, Nadler, Schiff and the Dem heads of the Committees have gone stone cold CRAZY. 81 letter sent to innocent people to harass them. They wont get ANYTHING done for our Country! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 Nadler apparently now is Trumps new Democratic villain after his House Judiciary Committee sent out document requests to 81 of his family members and associates. Trump has long feuded with Nadler, whom he once derided as Fat Jerry, since their days in New York City. Nadler, then a state assemblyman, helped kill Trumps proposed Television City development in the 1980s on Manhattans Upper West Side. But now the Manhattan congressman seems to have the upper hand. In January, Nadler said that Muellers latest court filing shows that the Trump campaign was engaged in a conspiracy to defraud the American people. Two weeks ago, Nadler said that Donald Trump is the greatest threat to democracy since the Civil War. He also said he believes that Donald Trump clearly has obstructed justice. Last night, in a lengthy interview on the Rachel Maddow show, Nadler explained his strategy for investigating Trump. As Jason Easley wrote: It is not a fishing expedition. The committee has clear areas of investigation and thanks to Michael Cohen, a path to follow. Rep. Nadler said that the committees investigation is not in conflict with the Mueller investigation or any other investigations. While all of the attention has been on Robert Mueller, the investigation with a bigger scope and the potential for political devastation was just rolled out by Rep. Jerry Nadler. This morning on Twitter Trump is still attacking the Democratic investigations into his familys business and his presidency. UPDATE: Trump just tweeted a new accusation that Democrats are obstructing justice: The greatest overreach in the history of our Country. The Dems are obstructing justice and will not get anything done. A big, fat, fishing expedition desperately in search of a crime, when in fact the real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done! The greatest overreach in the history of our Country. The Dems are obstructing justice and will not get anything done. A big, fat, fishing expedition desperately in search of a crime, when in fact the real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 As usual, Trumps tweets have all the marks of a desperate and deranged man. He is vainly attempting to influence federal and congressional investigations through Twitter, but it obviously wont work. Justice is coming after Donald Trump, and he knows it. He also knows that his days in the White House and as a free man are numbered. 1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Ty Cobb, who represented the White House amid Robert Muellers ongoing probe into Russian election meddling, called the special counsel an American hero in a new ABC News interview. He also said that he does not agree with Donald Trumps view that the Russia inquiry is a politically motivated witch hunt or hoax. I think Bob Muellers an American hero even though he came from an, arguably, privileged background, he has a backbone of steel, Cobb said during an appearance on the ABC News podcast The Investigation. I dont feel Muellers investigation is a witch hunt, he added. He walked into a firefight in Vietnam to pull out one of his injured colleagues and was appropriately honored for that, Cobb continued. Ive known him for 30 years as a prosecutor and a friend. And I think the world of Bob Mueller. He is a very deliberate guy. But hes also a class act. And a very justice-oriented person. Cobb began working with the Trump administrations legal team six months into President Trumps term. He became a widely-known television spokesman for Trump, and he said he thinks he served him well. He said that he was able to prevent the president from going on the attack against Mueller during his time in the White House. It wasnt really until Dowd sent out a critical tweet of Mueller and Rudy joined the team that the president felt unleashed, he said, referring to former veteran attorney on Trumps legal team, John Dowd and the presidents current personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Cobb also said he clashed with some of his former White House colleagues at times over strategy. He advocated for more cooperation between the White House and the Russia probe, which led to the Trump administration sharing scores of documents with Muellers team. I was the one that advised it. But the president did make the decision, Cobb remembered. Cobb also lamented that differing opinions on what strategies to pursue eventually split Trumps legal team into two sides. He said the White House counsel began to move toward a more aggressive approach with hires like Dowd and Giuliani. And because he didnt agree with this approach he decided to leave his job at the White House after just 10 months. Mueller may soon release his findings to the U.S. Attorney General William Barr, but Cobb says he believes the report will not be politically damaging to the president. According to Cobb, Mueller has already revealed most of his findings through the sentencing memos and speaking indictments issued against a group of 34 defendants. One of the indictments, against Russian hackers, was highly detailed, Cobb said. And theres no link to Trump or the campaign. The same thing with Manafort they just filed an 800-page sentencing memorandum, and in 800 pages theres no reference to collusion, Cobb said. Unlike some other attorneys hired to work with the Mueller probe, Cobb made clear his client was not the president, but the presidency. My legal obligations were to the institution, he said. 3.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By a margin of 64%-24%, the American people believe that Donald Trump committed crimes before becoming president. The latest Quinnipiac Poll is a disaster for Trump According to the Quinnipiac University poll: President Donald Trump committed crimes before he became president, American voters say 64 24 percent in a Quinnipiac University National Poll released today. Republicans say 48 33 percent that President Trump did not commit crimes before he was president, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University National Poll finds. Every other listed party, gender, education, age, and racial group says by wide margins that Trump committed crimes. But U.S. voters are divided 45 43 percent on whether Trump committed any crimes while he has been president. A presidential candidate paying money to hide a negative story during a campaign, and not disclosing that payment, is unethical and a crime, 40 percent of voters say. Another 21 percent say it is unethical, but not a crime and 20 percent say it is not unethical. Trumps denials arent convincing anyone, and his claims that the investigations are witch hunts are falling on deaf ears. The number of people who believe that Trump is innocent is lower than the presidents approval ratings, which means that some of his own supporters believe that he is a criminal. Trump has lost the battle for public opinion Trump continues to conduct a PR war against the investigations that he is being routed on. Trump thinks that he is fighting, but what is really doing is digging his own hole deeper. The American people overwhelmingly suspect that Trump is a criminal, but Democrats need to gather evidence and build the case that Trump is a criminal president who must be impeached. A smart president would look at these numbers and understand that now would be a good time to shut up, but Donald Trump is not smart, so he is going to keep talking and making his situation worse until he is voted out or removed from office. Most Americans already believe that Trump is a criminal. Now it is up to Democrats to prove that he is a criminal president. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 547 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard In his testimony before the House Oversight Committee last Wednesday Michael Cohen said he has never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from Mr. Trump. However, that testimony did not apply to his lawyer. The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that an attorney representing Cohen broached the idea of a pardon for the former Trump Organization lawyer and fixer during a conversation last year with lawyers for Donald Trump, According to the Journal, Cohen lawyer Stephen Ryan discussed the possibility of a pardon with three different Trump attorneys: Jay Sekulow, Rudy Giuliani and Joanna Hendon. The newspaper said that the attorney discussions took place shortly after the FBI raided Cohens home, hotel room and office in April of last year. The raid gathered evidence relating to the $130,000 payment he made to Daniels under a hush money agreement. Later Cohens attorneys reviewed files seized by the FBI to determine which ones may have qualified for attorney-client privilege. According to the Journal, Ryan told Trumps attorneys that Cohen would be cooperating with federal prosecutors if he did not receive a pardon from the president. At that time Trumps attorneys rejected the idea of pardoning Cohen the Journal reported. But Giuliani reportedly left the door open to a presidential pardon at some future time. The former New York City mayor during his many television appearances representing the president has repeatedly said that Trump is not likely to issue any pardons for his former associates during ongoing federal investigations. The Journal article does not say or imply that Cohen knew about the conversations about pardons that his lawyer had initiated. It also does not say that Trumps former attorney personally requested a pardon from the president. Cohen worked for over a decade for Donald Trump as a personal lawyer and also as a lawyer on the payroll of Trumps business, The Trump Organization. He testified last week to Congress that his former boss was a conman and a racist who engaged in potentially criminal conduct during the 2016 campaign and while in the White House. Cohens current attorney, Lanny Davis, issued a public statement rejecting a hypothetical presidential pardon last August. That was when Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felony charges, including bank fraud, tax fraud and campaign finance violations. Cohen is due to report to federal prison in May to begin serving his three-year sentence. Cohen is named as one of the 81 individuals and entities who received document requests yesterday from the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jerry Nadler. Nadlers committee is beginning a massive investigation into the Trumps administration, his business, his charity and his presidential campaign. Among the documents lawmakers requested from Cohen are any files related to possible pardons related for Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, or yourself. Trump initially decried the FBIs raid of Cohens office and home as a disgrace, but has since taken aim at his longtime lawyer, accusing him of lying to secure a shorter prison sentence. Cohens testimony, however, was very credible and it is widely known that he had no motivation to lie since further lying would have increased the length of his prison sentence. Get the SC business stories that matter. Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free. Wade Spees/Staff Helen Banach shows the hand-written cardboard sign she puts on her windshield when she searches for her missing sister Gayle McCaffrey. She said she was going to have to change it because her sister has now been missing for 9 weeks. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Rain. Thunder possible. High 67F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. Political Reporter Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work. GILBERTSVILLE State Reps. Marcy Toepel (R-Montgomery) and David Maloney (R-Berks) are inviting local residents to pre-verify for the new Real ID on Thursday, March 21, from 5-8 p.m. at the Boyertown Middle School East, 2020 Big Road, Gilbertsville. Visiting the DMV, especially on the weekends as many of us have to do, can be time-consuming particularly since most of us have to drive half an hour or more, Toepel and Maloney said. We are pleased to offer a more convenient and accessible way to get pre-verified by bringing the process closer to residents of the 130th and 147th districts. PennDOT, in cooperation with Toepel and Maloney, will establish and staff a mobile driver licensing workstation at the school. Customers who would like to pre-verify their eligibility for a Real ID can bring the necessary paperwork, which PennDOT staff will then scan and attach to the customers account. Customers who successfully complete the process will pre-verify for a Real ID. Then, they can apply online for their REAL ID and pay the applicable fees. Their Real ID will be mailed to them within 10 business days without requiring a visit to a PennDOT Driver License Center. The federal Real ID law established guidelines for states to provide new and more secure forms of identification cards. In the future, residents will need these new Real ID cards, or another form of federally accepted identification, such as a passport, to enter federal buildings, including courthouses, as well as to board commercial flights. Residents who would like to pre-qualify for a Real ID should bring with them original versions or certified copies of the necessary documents: Proof of identity: Original or certified copy of birth certificate with raised seal, issued by an authorized government agency, or valid U.S. passport. Social Security card. Proof of all legal name changes: marriage certificate, court order or divorce decree issued by residents countys family court. Two proofs of current, physical Pennsylvania address: current, unexpired Pennsylvania license or ID and a bank statement or utility bill that is no more than 90 days old with the same name and address. Residents who have questions are asked to call Toepels Harleysville office at (215) 256-6030 or Maloneys Boyertown office at (610) 369-3010. I would have said that nothing could exceed the folly of wind and solar energy, but biomass may come close. This Vox article is headlined: Europes renewable energy policy is built on burning American trees. You no doubt have heard of biomass, but likely dont know what it actually means. As the headline suggests, it mostly means American trees. In the lowland forests of the American southeast, loblolly pines and cypress trees are grabbing carbon dioxide from the air right now. Using power from the sun, they release the oxygen and bind the carbon, building trunks, barks, and leaves. But much of that carbon wont stay there. As it turns out, millions of tons of wood from these forests each year are being shipped across the Atlantic, and burned in power plants in countries like the UK and the Netherlands, in the name of slowing climate change. This chart is revealing, to say the least. I had no idea that burning trees played such a large role in Europes green energy initiative: This green energy story is all about economics: [I]n 2009, the EU committed itself to 20 percent renewable energy by 2020, and put biomass on the renewables list. Several countries, like the United Kingdom, subsidized the biomass industry, creating a sudden market for wood not good enough for the timber industry. In the United States, Canada, and Eastern Europe, crooked trees, bark, treetops, and sawdust have been pulped, pressed into pellets, and heat-dried in kilns. By 2014, biomass accounted for 40 percent of the EUs renewable energy, by far the largest source. By 2020, its projected to make up 60 percent, and the US plans to follow suit. What goes on a renewable list depends entirely on political influence. Nuclear energy isnt on the list, even though it emits no carbon dioxide. Hydroelectric isnt on many renewable lists, either. There are few bigger players in the biomass industry than Drax Group, whose flagship power plant in the north of England sucks up nearly a quarter of global wood pellet production, about two-thirds of it from the US. The UK has bought big into biomass, and Drax powers 10 percent of the British electric grid, in large part thanks to massive government subsidies: about $1.2 billion a year. As always, the green world depends on subsidies. Burning wood emits carbon dioxide, of course, but not as much as coal. (Much more, on the other hand, than nuclear or hydroelectric.) At the same time, trees absorb carbon dioxideit is called photosynthesis, and when I was young, kids learned about this in junior high school. So biomass is doubly questionable if you believe the global warming hype. The Vox article takes for granted all of the hyperbole about global warming, but points out that the premise on which burning wood is carbon neutral is the assumption that all wood will eventually decay and release CO2 back into the atmosphere. That might be true (it isnt, actually, which is why we have oil and gas) but only on a time scale that is too long to be helpful if you think the world is facing a climate crisis. To quote an infamous Congresswoman in an entirely different context, its all about the Benjamins. Whether an energy source is denominated green or not depends on the political clout of the companies that profit from its use. This discussion of biomass reminds me of how retrograde green technologies are. Wood burning? Yeah, that was a great idea in 1000 AD. Wind energy? It works intermittently, at a low level. When I was growing up in South Dakota, every farm had a windmill. They were used mostly to drive pumps for wells, I believe. But they became extinct as better, more reliable sources of energy became universally available. Do todays greenies have any understanding of how hopelessly old-fashioned their policies are? I doubt it. One of the great things about being a leftist is that you dont really need to proceed often beyond extremely superficial thinking to feel good about yourself and your cause. Two items today highlight this infantilism of the left: Trending on Twitter: (Hat tip: Bethany Mandel) Remember how OJ has been looking for the real killer for 25 years now? Meanwhile, leftists have discovered the real moderates among Democrats, and guess what mom? The real moderates are AOC and Bernie! No, really! From The Intercept: Its easy to call what AOC is doing as far-lefty, but nothing could be farther from the truth, Nick Hanauer, the venture capitalist and progressive activist, told MSNBC in January. When you advocate for economic policies that benefit the broad majority of citizens, thats true centrism. What Howard Schultz represents, the centrism that he represents, is really just trickle-down economics. He is not the centrist, continued Hanauer. AOC is the centrist. Ohhhh-kay. But this passage is the most fun part: Take Ocasio-Cortezs signature issue: the Green New Deal. Former George W. Bush speechwriter and torture advocate Marc Thiessen claims that the Green New Deal will make the Democrats unelectable in 2020. The Economist agrees: The bold plan could make the party unelectable in conservative-leaning states. The Green New Deal will not pass the Senate, and you can take that back to whoever sent you here and tell them, a testy Diane Feinstein, the senior and supposedly moderate Democratic senator from California, told a bunch of kids in a viral video. But here is the reality: The Green New Deal is extremely popular and has massive bipartisan support. A recent survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University found that a whopping 81 percent of voters said they either strongly support (40 percent) or somewhat support (41 percent) the Green New Deal, including 64 percent of Republicans (and even 57 percent of conservative Republicans). So why are Democrats not wanting to vote yes on the Green New Deal resolution? Because they know polls like this one are total nonsense. Polls show that the Medicare-for-All idea is similarly popularuntil you tell people that it will require raising taxes and maybe canceling your existing insurance, whereupon support collapses. Likewise and actual policies for the Green New Deal fantasy would cause public support to crater. Sen. Dianne Feinstein may be very liberal, but shes no idiot when it comes to politics, even the demented politics of Californias greenery. Popcorn, people, popcorn. Peter Salovey is the President of Yale University. His presidency has been a craven one too craven, it seems, for the Universitys major donors. Michael Rubin finds that Yale is paying the price for Saloveys willingness to accommodate the social justice crowd. Salovey has repeatedly yielded to the demands of that mob. As Rubin reminds us: [Salovey] threw respect for free speech and decorum under the bus when he compelled the resignation of Silliman College master Nicholas Christakis in the face of the shrieking girl controversy. He legitimized violence when he rehired a dishwasher who smashed a historic stained glass window. In general, he catered to the loudest on campus, always willing to grease the squeaky wheel regardless of the consequence. When students complained that the term freshmen disrespected women and master made African-Americans uncomfortable, he simply ordered their change, never mind that it was he who was racializing a term that had ancient collegiate roots. That Yale continues to issue masters degrees only highlights the lack of intellectual consistency. This was only the beginning: [W]hen decades-long student protests persisted with regard to a residential college named after 19th century statesmen and Vice President John Calhoun due to the support Calhoun professed during his lifetime for slavery, Salovey first said he would keep the name out of respect for history but, when criticized by student activists, convened a handpicked and Orwellian Committee to Establish Principles on Renaming which recommended changing the name of the college. The problem with such a move was not simply the willingness to erase history at one of the nations most elite universities, but also intellectual inconsistency: Calhoun may have provided intellectual sustenance to the pro-slavery south, a not uncommon position at the time, but Elihu Yale, after whom the entire university is named, actually traded slaves during his lifetime. In the name of equality, or social justice, or something, Salovey has also waged war on important Yale traditions: Yale long prided itself on being centered on its undergraduates. Admissions officers sang the merits of residential colleges, each a unique community within the broader university. But, Salovey, who did not attend Yale as an undergraduate, homogenized the colleges in order to eliminate any differences between them. While the freshmen class dined together in University Commons since 1901, he closed the iconic dining hall in order to build a student center whose need (or need in that location) most students (let alone alumni) continue to question. Apparently, a goodly portion of Yales donor based is not amused. Rubin reports: Yale has, for years, been seeking to undertake a major capital campaign. Often, universities announce their campaigns after a silent stage in which they get high-profile donors to commit to the effort. According to staffers within Yales fundraising arm, the university was forced to delay its campaign for several years because big donors are rightly worried about Yales direction and its tendency to prioritize politics above academics. (Emphasis added) Alumni giving at Yale in the first quarter of the last fiscal year was lower than in the period for the four previous years. Yales response? To cease reporting donation statistics. Some years ago, before the insanity at Yale reached its current level, a former Yale professor told me that when he recounted the PC related goings on there to alums, they simply didnt believe him. Now, with these developments making the headlines, it has become impossible not to believe. Yale is paying the price. So too will like-minded elite colleges and universities, which is to say just about all of them. STEVE adds: As readers know, Im doing a series of ten lectures and small seminars at Yale this academic year (two more left in the series, later this month and next month), at the behest of the William F. Buckley Jr. Program at Yale. A lot of disgruntled Yale alumni have directed their contributions to the Buckley Program instead of Yale, and have let Salovey know it. The Buckley Program has seen its funding soar over the last two years, and has expanded its programs accordingly. My lecture series is just one of many programs they are sponsoring on a nearly weekly basis. Salovey, I am told, says nothing but nice things about the Buckley Program when alumni ask about it, but what else is he going to say? I am sure it annoys him. In any case, if you are a Yale alum, or even just someone who wants to poke Salovey, you should consider supporting the Buckley Programbut be sure to send a note to Saloveys office and the Yale development department explaining that youve decided to support the Buckley Program instead of yet another special deputy assistant under-dean for political correctness. So says Byron York, and I think hes right. Why wouldnt House Democrats impeach President Trump? Their base demands it, and impeachment proceedings are free advertising against Trumps reelection (as if the left doesnt get enough of that from the mainstream media). To be sure, theres some political risk associated with impeaching Trump. But Democrats are too convinced of their righteousness to let fear of a backlash stand in the way of appeasing the base and satisfying what must be an irresistible urge to drag Donald Trump through the mud. Byron quotes Rep. Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who claims to have the goods on Trump already. Says Nadler: Its very clear that the president obstructed justice. Its very clear 1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a witch hunt, he tried to he fired he tried to protect Flynn from being investigated by the FBI. He fired Comey in order to stop the Russian thing, as he told NBC News. He hes dangled part hes threat hes intimidated witnesses. In public. Democrats better hope Nadler is more articulate than this when the bright lights come on during impeachment proceedings. Nadler also says, however, that we dont have the facts yet. Nadler doesnt want the facts in order to determine whether Trump should be impeached. Hes already clear on that. Rather, he says: We do not now have the evidence all sorted out and everything to do to do an impeachment. Before you impeach somebody, you have to persuade the American public that it ought to happen. You have to persuade enough of the of the opposition party voters, Trump voters, that youre not just trying to that youre not just trying to steal the last to reverse the results of the last election. Good luck trying to persuade Trump voters that the president deserves to be impeached for obstruction of justice because he called the Mueller investigation a witch hunt, asked James Comey if he could go easy on Michael Flynn (but did not order him to), and exercised his prerogative to fire the highly controversial Comey (but did nothing to stop the Justice Department from conducting the Russia investigation after Comey departed). If Nadler isnt proceeding full steam ahead on impeachment its not because Democrats need to sort out the evidence. Its because the evidence of an impeachable offense isnt there. Nadler hopes that some combination of hearings, subpoenas, and the work of Robert Mueller will produce it. But, as Byron says, impeachment is on whether that evidence materializes or not. Most power outages are unexpected, but on occasion, businesses know in advance power will be shut down for maintenance or repairs. That was the case in Youngstown, Ohio, recently, when Ohio Edison scheduled two outages in order to complete work at a US Postal Service office. While the goal was to minimize the impact on businesses, which is why the outages were scheduled for Presidents Day, when many businesses were closed, those that were open for business had to find ways to overcome the 2-hour outages. In some cases, businesses said they were not notified of the planned outages and were surprised to get to their offices and find the power out. For some, it was an inconvenience more than anything else, while others found productive uses for the time, including on local foundation that scheduled an off-site meeting. But, even they acknowledged it was impossible to tell how many people had tried to contact the organization due to the outage. But, even businesses that were closed in observance of the holiday had to prepare. Melissa Ames, vice president of BBB services at the Better Business Bureau of Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull Counties explained, We did have to take precautions for our computer and phone systems for the outage. Thats smart business. Power outages planned or unplanned can easily damage the sensitive technology that powers communications systems and network equipment. With planned outages, its possible to simply take technology offline before power is cut, eliminating risk to the equipment. But, the best option from a general business continuity perspective is to have a power protection solution installed with UPS systems that will keep systems operating for a period and protect them from any damaging surges. While systems may still need to be shut down depending on the length of outages and the runtime provided by the installed UPS the protection to equipment is even more important. The cost and time of replacing or repairing damaged network equipment is likely to be much greater than the impact of any downtime while power is out. Thats another reason so many businesses are moving to cloud services for communications, back-ups, and other business applications. Even when power is out at the office, employees can remain functional at remote offices, homes, or anywhere else they have power and an Internet connection. Combined with a power protection solution, it provides an optimal, affordable, business continuity solution for any company. Edited by Erik Linask Stylish Star Allu Arjun who remained silent for more than 8 months after the shock of Naa Peru Surya Naa Illu India before lining up wizard of words Trivikram Srinivas for his next, on Shivratri day sprang a huge surprise. He announced his next with creative director Sukumar who is on a high after the sensation he created with Mega Power Star Ram Charan's Rangasthalam. Sukumar planned his next with Super Star Mahesh Babu but after intense discussions with no headway in the project, Mahesh shelved the project as Sukumar got a green signal from Allu Arjun. Advertisement But Sukumar has to wait for quite some time as Allu Arjun already committed his next with Trivikram. But sources say Allu Arjun's sudden decision is giving sleepless nights to Trivikram who is now in catch 22 situation as rumors already spread that Allu Arjun is unhappy that Trivikram is not doing changes in the story as to his liking. Trivikram is experiencing tremendous pressure but only advantage is that Sukumar too is yet to ready the story for Bunny. Still pressure is more on Trivikram as he is not having blockbusters of late while Sukumar created a sensation with Rangasthalam. The question is will Sukumar cast Allu Arjun in the same role he envisaged Mahesh Babu in the red sanders smugglers thriller or as a Telangana warrior against razakars in Nizam rule. None can forget the fact that Allu Arjun showed his power as Gona Ganna Reddy in Anushka's Rudramadevi and that role too was rejected by Mahesh Babu. No fewer than 14,171,722 air travellers went through Nigeria Airports in 2018, according to figures released on Tuesday in Lagos by the Consumer Protection Directorate of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the figure represents 20.8 per cent increase, compared to the 11,221,608 passengers recorded between January and December 2017. According to the document, the 34 airlines on the international routes operated 15,645 flights and flew 4, 079, 0789 passengers during the period under review. The nine domestic airlines operated a total of 59,818 flights and air lifted 10, 092,648 passengers across the country, it added. NCAA said that airlines on the domestic routes accounted for 72 per cent of the passenger traffic while the international route recorded 28 per cent. Commenting on the development, the General Manager, Public Relations, NCAA, Mr Sam Adurogboye, said government was working hard to sustain the tempo by the construction of new international terminal buildings. Adurogboye noted that government had, within the last few months, inaugurated new international terminals at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. According to him, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has also promised that the construction of similar projects at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano will soon be completed. He said, We are hoping and working harder to ensure that there is more movement of passengers. By the time that new terminals in Lagos and Kano come on stream, they will equally enhance more frequencies. The NCAA spokesperson said the modern terminals would attract more mega carriers to Nigeria due to easier passenger facilitation and thereby bring more investments into the country. Nigerian rapper, Lanre Dabiri, better known by his stage name eLDee tha Don, has called out his colleague, Olu Maintain, on social media for performing his (eLDees) hit song Big Boy on stage. Olu Maintain, who is currently on a music tour in the U.S. performed the said track at a show in Manhattan, New York on Monday. Big Boy was the lead single off eLDees 2008 album of the same title. The track, which featured Olu Maintain, Banky W, and Oladel, was an instant hit. Also a street anthem, the youth embraced the track as it openly exalted life of wealth and riches. Trouble began after Olu Maintain uploaded snippets from his performance on Instagram and just as his friends began commenting than eLDee dropped the shocking comment. The rapper inferred that Olu Maintain attempted to rip him off after he featured him on the track. This shameless nigga out on stages performing my songs like he created it. I still remember how he tried to steal the record after I put him on it, forcing me to put it out prematurely. Nigga ran off with the unmastered draft and went to print CDs with himself as the lead artist, even his verse was written by me #Appropriation #getyourownshit Lesson to young artist Dont ever do pity features, he wrote. Olu Maintains fans hit back at eLDee who has since deleted the comments. He, however, took to his Instagram stories to apologise to his fans for his outburst. The last post was out of character. If you know me, you know that I dont usually sweat shit like that. Sorry if I offended you but I have a lot of stories I never got to tell about the shady nonsense I kept quiet from in that industry. #NigerianAmericanPodcast #NewEpisodes #ComingSoon, he wrote. Olu Maintain is yet to react to the development. Interestingly, about a year ago, eLDee said he felt bad for promoting materialism in Big Boy. The musician tweeted about the cultural impact of his hit single, Big Boy, amidst the rise of celebrity Internet fraudsters better known as Yahoo Yahoo. All eyes will be on Benue State, ahead of the governorship election that will determine who pilots the affairs of the state for the next four year. The race will be a straight fight between two major political parties; the ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). However, there are other political parties participating in the election. The incumbent governor, Samuel Ortom, is seeking for another term of four years in office while his main challenger, Emmanuel Jime of the APC seeks to oust him. Mr Ortom was first elected governor in 2015 on the platform of APC; he later defected to the PDP after he fell out with his former party. In 2015, Mr Jime was the candidate of the APC until he stepped down for Mr Ortom to participate in the general election against the PDP which he eventually won. Unpaid salaries Some factors will determine decision making by the 2,480,131 registered voters in the state. While Mr Ortom will have an edge over Mr Jime considering he is a sitting governor, that assertion may not necessarily apply today. The governor will rely on some state apparatuses and his political appointees to be his foot soldiers across the state. However, where the incumbency factor may likely count against Mr Ortom is in the aspect of unpaid salaries. Benue State has an estimated 60 per cent population of civil servants. Civil servants in the state are being owed as much as five months salaries. This alone will be a major setback for the governor. The opposition candidate has used the issue of unpaid salaries to campaign vigorously against the governor. The recent violent attacks that rocked the state will also play a significant role in the voting pattern on Saturday. There were a series of attacks from suspected herdsmen in some parts of the state that claimed scores of lives. Some residents of Makurdi have said the governors concern over the killings is one of the reasons many residents will still prefer to vote the governor for another term despite salaries backlog. It is better to live and be owed salaries than to be killed and get full salaries, a resident of Makurdi told PREMIUM TIMES putting the killings and salaries backlog side by side. Most Benue people easily relate the ruling APC to President Muhammadu Buhari, whom they think did not handle the crises properly. Jime is seen as an agent of Buhari, many people will not support him for that reason, another resident of Logo, a town ravaged by suspected Fulani herdsmen said. Presidential Buhari lost the state in the recently conducted presidential elections. He was defeated by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who polled 355,355 votes against Buharis 347,368. The margin is however not wide enough to determine who wins the governorship election. The Godfather syndrome Another prominent factor that shapes the politics in Benue is the presence of godfathers. Until September 2018 when Mr Ortom defected to the PDP, he had always enjoyed the support of former governor, George Akume who is undoubtedly a godfather in Benue politics. Since the fall out of the duo, both of them had been plotting each others political downfall by sponsoring candidates to unseat the other. In what could be described as unprecedented, a member of the House of Representatives, Emmanuel Orker-Jev, defeated Mr Akume in the just concluded senatorial election for Benue North-west zone. This brought an end to the 12-year representation of Mr Akume in the red chamber. Since the defeat last week, the senator has been warming up for the governorship election where he seeks to get his pound of flesh. Our leader will shed his last drop of blood to see that Ortom is defeated, a supporter of the senator said. Having lost a godfather, the governor has intensified his campaigns, and now has the support of other godfathers such as former senate president David Mark and former governor Gabriel Suswam. A lot of factors will determine choices when voters in Kaduna State throng out on Saturday, March 9, to elect a governor who will pilot the affairs of the state for the next four years. Although the Independent National Electoral Commission cleared 36 candidates for the election, the race is expected to be between two parties: the All Progressives Congress fielding the incumbent governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) represented by Isa Ashiru. For Mr Ashiru, the battle to clinching the partys ticket was a tough one. The former member of the House of Representatives defeated heavyweights in the party to emerge candidate in the primary. He defeated the lawmaker representing Kaduna North Senatorial District, Suleiman Hunkuyi, and a former Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, Mohammed Sidi. For Mr El-Rufai however, the journey to nomination was relatively smooth as he emerged without a contest. His emergence was a product of affirmation by delegates of the party from the 23 local government areas of the state. Kaduna APC chairman, Emmanuel Jekada, said Governor El-Rufai did not have a challenger because he performed well and also brought development to the state. Their emergence irrespective, the two will go head-to-head at the polls on Saturday. Some factors will determine the pattern of decision making by the 3,932,492 registered voters in the state. North/South polarisation Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, elections in Kaduna have been skewed along geographical and religious lines. The bulk of votes in the Christian-dominated south have consistently been for PDP while that of the north, populated by Muslims, are usually reserved for APC in case of 2015 and CPC before then. With this calculation, Mr Ashiru is expected to win in local governments such as Zango-Kataf, Kagarko, Kajuru, Jemaa, Chikun, Sanga and Kachia. The PDP candidate in the presidential election won in all of these local governments. On the other hand, the bloc of votes for Mr El-Rufai will come from Igabi, Zaria, Kaduna North, Giwa, Birnin-Gwari, Kubau, Soba, Sabon-Gari, Kudan, Ikara and Makarfi. This is not to say that Mr El-Rufai will not have votes in the south or vice versa. The two regions are dotted with small communities of Christians and Muslims. Incumbency While this may not be entirely reliable, the fact that Mr El-Rufai is still on the seat will reflect in the Saturday polls. In every corner of the state capital and other towns, the posters of Mr El-Rufai exist. The governor will rely heavily on some projects his government has spearheaded such as road construction, renovation, school renovation and others. That is why we are asking the people of Kaduna State to give us another mandate. We have worked tirelessly to make the state a better place. We need the support of the people to continue in this direction, Mr El-Rufai said at one of his campaigns. The PDP, on the other hand, can only campaign based on promises. Alliances The break in the APC camp in Kaduna, paving way for a strong PDP alliance will determine voting patterns. Before their defections, big names such as Mr Hunkuyi, Danjuma Laah and Shehu Sani campaigned and worked for APC but that will not be so this time around. Also working for the emergence of Mr Ashiru are Ahmed Makarfi; former Vice President Namadi Sambo; former governor Ramalam Yero; Buba Galadima; and a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Andrew Yakubu. In the APC camp, the governor will rely on new alliances he has formed which resulted in new officeholders such as Uba Sani. The PDP is expected to benefit more from alliances. Choice of deputy When asked why he chose Hadiza Balarabe, a fellow Muslim, as his running mate, Mr El-Rufai said the Government House was not a place for worship but where people work. Muslim-Muslim ticket is not a religious ticket but a competent and performance ticket, the governor said. The move has however generated criticisms against the governor. At a town hall meeting with some Christian leaders in February, the governor said his target is to end the religious, ethnic division and unite the people of the state. In my life, I have never worked with people based on religious and ethnic consideration. Dont look at what people said but what I have done in the past. If the southerners are to vote based on religious line, then the PDP will be at the benefitting end. The party chose as Mr Ashirus running mate a Christian, a personality who has served the state at different levels. Sunday Marshal Katung, a member of the House of Representatives has also served the state as a commissioner on two occasions. Radical policies In January 2018, Governor El-Rufai sacked 22,000 teachers with a justification that the affected persons were dismissed from their jobs because they were unqualified. To fill the void, the state government employed another set of teachers but had to sack 4,562 believed to have found their way into the final list illegally. In June 2017, the state government sacked 4776 district and village heads as well as their staff as it began the implementation of the recommendations of the committee it set up to review the number of such personnel in the state. It said it would now recognise only the 77 districts and 1,429 villages. The government also said the essence of the sack is to shore up the finances of local government councils in the state. Despite nullification of the appointment of the district heads by a Kaduna State High Court in November 2018, the governor is yet to restore the former heads. These and some other policies have been criticised as anti-people within the lower class while the elites applaud it as a sound move towards educational standardisation and cost-cutting. The two forces will play out on Saturday. Recent violent attacks From Birnin Gwari to Kajuru, Kachia and parts of the state capital, recent kidnappings and violent attacks experienced in parts of the state will determine who the electorate will vote for. A gruesome attack occurred in October 2018 when kidnappers killed the Paramount Chief of Adara, Agom Galadima, after keeping him for days. The situation has created more suspicion among the diverse people in the state and this will definitely shape the election. Shiites votes This may sound ridiculous but it certainly will reflect in the voting pattern on Saturday. Members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, popularly known as Shiites have several times, insisted they will not vote for either President Muhammadu Buhari or Governor El-Rufai in 2019. The decision is hinged upon the federal governments insistence on not releasing their leader and the ban placed on the group by the Kaduna State Government. Ironically, this resolution did not play out significantly in the result of polls collated from Zaria, the stronghold of the group in the presidential election. In Zaria Local Government Area, President Buhari polled 111, 082 votes against 23,882 of the PDP. However, Mr Buharis votes reduced by about 200,000 votes in Kaduna compared to what he scored in 2015 in the same state. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has placed access to foreign exchange for all forms of textile materials on the FOREX restriction list, the banks governor, Godwin Emefiele, announced in Abuja on Tuesday. Mr Emefiele made the announcement during a meeting with textile industry operators. He said the policy would take effect immediately. He said the restriction would rejuvenate the textile industry in Nigeria and ensure that the needed growth is actualised. Accordingly, all FOREX dealers in Nigeria are to desist from granting any importer of textile material access to forex in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange market, he said. In addition, we shall adopt a range of other strategies that will make it difficult for recalcitrant smugglers to operate banking business in Nigeria. The details of those strategies will be unfolded in due course, the governor said. Mr Emefiele said smuggling would be dealt with seriously to discourage importation of textiles and force sellers of textile and garments to buy from Nigerian producers. You know the CBN does not carry guns, arms or have to be at the border posts but we know what we will do to make it difficult for those smugglers to bring in those things into Nigeria and we will unfold those to you. So when we make it difficult for them to smuggle those things into the country, it opens the market for you so that those who would have gone to buy those things will be forced to come to you. That is one economic solution that I see and since the government itself has already signed an executive order, that will compel everyone to flow in your direction, he said. Mr Emefiele said the bank would support the importation of cotton lint for use in textile factories, with a caveat that such importers shall begin sourcing all their cotton needs locally beginning from 2020. He added that as part of its Anchor Borrowers Programme, the CBN would support local growers of cotton to enable them to meet the needs of the textile industry in Nigeria. He also said that the bank would support efforts to source high yield cotton seedlings to ensure the yields from Nigerias cotton farmers met global benchmarks. Mr Emefiele also assured that the bank would provide financial support to textile manufacturers with the provision of funds at single digit rate to refit, retool and upgrade their factories. This, he said, was for them to be able to produce high quality textile materials for local and export market. The governor also assured the stakeholders that regarding provision of stable electricity, the CBN would support the creation of textile production centres in certain designated areas where access to electricity would be guaranteed. In 2016, the CBN began discussions with the Kano and Kaduna state governments to establish textile industrial areas in a bid to guarantee stable electricity in those industrial areas. We would intensify efforts with these governments and others that may show keen interest to see to the quick actualisation of such programmes. We believe that these measures will discourage smuggling, resuscitate this critical industry, and support your efforts at creating jobs for Nigerians, he said. Mr Emefiele decried the moribund Nigerian textile industry, adding that in the 1970s and early 1980s, Nigeria was home to Africas largest textile industry, with over 180 textile mills in operation, which employed close to over 450,000 people. He said that if the industry had been nurtured and encouraged, it would be employing millions. The textile industry at that time was the largest employer of labour in Nigeria after the public sector, contributing over 25 per cent of the workforce in the manufacturing sector. This industry was supported by the production of cotton by 600,000 local farmers across 30 of Nigerias 36 states, he said. He added that the sector supported the clothing needs of Nigerians as the markets were filled with locally produced textiles from different companies. Mr Emefiele said it was no secret that the past 20 years was very difficult for many textile firms as they faced rising operating cost and weak sales due to high energy cost, smuggling of textile goods and poor access to finance. He said many firms had to lay off workers and that only 25 textile factories were currently operating at below 20 per cent of their production capacities and the workforce in Nigerias textile industry standing at less than 20,000 employees. With the death of these industries, came a rise in unemployment, insecurity and other negative social vices. Today, Nigeria currently spends above four billion dollars annually on imported textiles and ready-made clothing. In addition, when we consider the amount spent on outfits for religious and social events such as weddings, naming and funeral ceremonies on a weekly basis, the potential market size is well over 10 billion dollars annually. Mr Emefiele, however, said that reviving Nigerias textile sector was very important as it was vital to the nations growth objectives and its efforts at creating jobs for Nigerians on a massive scale across the textile sector value chain. This meeting is indeed an important one as it brings together key players in the textile industry, banks and officials of the CBN, in order to examine the challenges faced by textile operators. It will also identify promising approaches that will help in reviving this key sector, he said. Responding to a question from a journalist about a rumour regarding his removal, Mr Emefiele said his tenure would expire in June. At least you can see me, I am doing my work, my tenure expires in June and at least let us continue the work, he said. He added that the intervention programmes of the CBN had been on since 1978 and moved from one governor to the other and that he was very optimistic that even if another governor was appointed, the programmes would continue. Anibe Achimugu, the National President, National Cotton Association of Nigeria, said the association was very pleased with the interventions by CBN but appealed that the interventions should begin quickly. He said the cotton planting season would begin in May and that it would be profitable to access loans before then and put them to good use. He also appealed that the working capital loan and the long term loan given by the Bank of Industry be restructured and merged into long term loans so the borrowers could afford to pay back. In 2015, CBN restricted the availability of foreign exchange for the importation of 41 items which could be produced in Nigeria and the list has increased overtime. (NAN) Days after threatening to disgrace labour leaders, the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has approved the reinstatement of the dismissed chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ogun, Akeem Ambali, into the states local government service. The reinstatement comes about a year after Mr Ambali was dismissed by the Ogun government for leading a workers protest. Mr Ambalis reinstatement was one of the reasons the national NLC leadership scheduled a protest march in Ogun on Tuesday. However, the protest did not hold as the Ogun governor agreed to the workers demands. The Head of Service in Ogun, Lanre Bisiriyu, disclosed the reinstatement in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Tuesday. Following the recent meetings held with the National and State Leadership of the organized Labour on Monday, 4th and Tuesday, 5th March 2019 led by the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and the withdrawal of the Court cases on the dismissal of Comrade Akeem Ambali from the Service, His Excellency, the Governor of the Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun CON, FCA has graciously approved his reinstatement into the State Local Government Service, he said. Mr Bisiriyu said the governor also approved the reinstatement of three education officers: Emmanuel Adegbenro, Emmanuel Asegbe and Oluwatobiloba Taylor, earlier dismissed as a result of their alleged misconduct in the 2014/2015 Unified Examination. The reinstatement, he stated, is to take immediate effect, adding that it is hoped that this magnanimity of government will further deepen the cordial relationship with the organised labour in the state. The state government wishes to thank all well-meaning Nigerians and the national leadership of the organised Labour on the resolution of the matter, he concluded. The President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, while answering questions from journalists after the meeting at the governors office in Abeokuta, said, The governor has magnanimously asked that the sacked NLC chairman be reinstated and all other issues, including payment of outstanding gratuity, contributory pension scheme and Tai Solarin College of Education subventions have been amicably resolved. Mr Wabba commended the governor and ordered the cancellation of the planned protest. He asked the workers, who had converged in readiness for the protest, to return to work. He enjoined the workers in the state to support the Amosun-led government. Mr Amosun, who also addressed the press, described the disagreement with the labour as a communication gap, which has been bridged. He thanked the national leadership of NLC for their doggedness and commitment to the cause of workers in the state. Mr Amosun assured all workers in the state that he would clear all outstanding payments, saying, I will not owe any worker any of their entitlement before I leave office. Mr Ambali, on his part, thanked the governor for accepting him back and urged workers in the state to support him. Present at the meeting were the National Executive Council members of the NLC, the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC). Before Tuesdays reconciliation, Mr Amosun and the NLC national headquarters had been in a war of words over the planned protest. The governor threatened to disgrace the labour leaders if they come to Ogun. He accused them of playing politics with the protest set to hold days to the governorship election in the state. Mr Amosun, a senator-elect of Nigerias ruling party, APC, is supporting a different party for the governorship and state assembly elections in Ogun. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday said he would continue to criticise President Muhammadu Buhari until he improves his style of governance. He also said he is qualified to criticise any government policy and leader found wanting in the discharge of his or her duties. Mr Obasanjo stated this while speaking at his 82nd birthday lecture held in Abeokuta. He said this shortly after the Alake of Egbaland, Adedotun Gbadebo, urged him to stop criticising Mr Buhari. Mr Obasanjo has been an unrelenting critic of Mr Buhari and opposed his reelection bid. He had thrown his support behind Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, his erstwhile deputy. Mr Buhari has since won reelection. The Alake of Egbaland had told Mr Obasanjo at the event to sheathe his sword. You all know that I was an officer under General Buhari, so each time Obasanjo criticises my boss, I always stand to say, my senior (OBJ), please leave the president alone! At 82, Baba is still fighting on, please fight less and be a consultant to everybody, he said. Unimpressed An unimpressed Mr Obasanjo responded to the advice. He explained that he has nothing personal against Mr Buhari, adding that in democracy there is always room to criticise a policy, government or a leader if (they are) not doing well. In a democracy, you criticise a policy, a government or a leader. Democracy is not a family affair, even if its my brother that is there, and he is not doing what I believe he should do, he must be criticised that is what democracy is all about, criticism, he said. The former president said, he remained the only longest serving Nigerian leader and as such has seen it all. So when I say something, I know what I am saying. So if I say anybody in government in Nigeria is not doing well, let that government prove that it is doing well. Its not anything personal, so Kabiesi (king), your boss Buhari, there is nothing personal between him and me. Just as you say, he is your boss. I am his boss with all due respect. Now the point is that I have been in that position longer than any Nigerian will ever be there. So when I say something, I know what I am saying. Kabiesi, any time you say, leave my boss alone, I say he is your boss, but I am also his boss so you can also ask your boss to leave his boss alone and do the right thing, Mr Obasanjo said. Plaudits for Obasanjo Meanwhile, the guest lecturer, president of the Inkatha Freedom Party of South Africa, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, earlier said African leaders have a lot to learn from the leadership style and wealth of experience of Mr Obasanjo. Mr Buthelezi, who delivered a lecture titled Colonialism, Apathied, Freedom and South Africa Rising said Mr Obasanjo has a distinguished heritage worthy of emulation by those in positions of authority. He said Mr Obasanjos legacy would outlive him, adding that development and growth will flourish if leaders displayed determination, and give a continuous hope and insightful governance. A medical practitioner, Alagbe Oyedeji, on Tuesday told an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court how a father allegedly used his fingers to test his 12-year-old daughters virginity and subsequently raped her. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Oyedeji, a consultant for the Mirabel Centre made the revelation at the trial of Emmanuel Idoko, a 37-year-old commercial motorcyclist, for allegedly sexually assaulting his daughter with his fingers. Mr Oyedeji is a medical doctor who has worked for over 12-years at the Department of Family Medicine at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. While being led in evidence by A.O. Alagbe, the state prosecutor, he said that Mr Idokos daughter was referred to Mirabel Centre by the office of the Divisional Police Officer of Ketu Police Station on November 28, 2017. The client declared in her history that her father though not married to her mother, had her and her male sibling living with him. Her ordeal started in 2016, a year before she was referred to the Mirabel Centre. She said her father came home and said that he heard from people that she was no longer a virgin and he needed to test her to see if it was true. He forced her to undress and said he would use his finger to test her, the client was reluctant. He scolded her and eventually did it with his fingers. He also said that he would use his penis to examine her and she refused. He beat her and he subsequently, started torturing her in the home because she kept turning down his requests, the doctor said. Mr Oyedeji said Mr Idokos daughter revealed that she was given soft drinks (Coke and Fanta) by her father, which made her fall asleep whenever she drank them. He said: she usually felt uncomfortable whenever she woke up in the morning. It was her sleepy nature that called the attention of her teacher who wanted to know why she was always sleeping in school. She had to reveal her ordeal to the class teacher, who initially did nothing. The experience persisted until she was in another class and her former teacher had to report to the new teacher. The new teacher had to take it up. The father was arrested, and she was taken to a shelter, run by a non-governmental organisation. Mr Oyedeji said he conducted physical and systemic findings on the child, which revealed signs of physical and sexual abuse. He gave a detailed account of his findings to the court. On physical examination from head to toe, significant findings were on her laps. She had multiple linear pattern bruises which she declared was sustained from being beaten with a cane by her father. On systemic examination of her genitalia, the urethra orifice, inner were reddish, and she had a ragged shaped hymen, the floor of the vaginal entry (posterior fourchette) was reddish. Her anal opening was loosened further revealing areas of laceration and areas of redness. A urine sample was taken to test her for pregnancy, and it was negative. At this point, I came to my conclusion that the clients verbal declaration, the physical injury sustained on her thighs and anogenital findings are all in keeping with recent and previous forceful penetration of the clients vagina and anus, he said. While being cross-examined by Adeyemi Adegbite, Mr Idokos defence counsel, Mr Oyedeji when shown a copy of his clients medical report which was dated November 21, 2017, admitted that he had given an incorrect date of the referral of the child to the Mirabel Centre. I have testified in different matters in two courts today. I confused the dates. I take back the earlier referral date of November 28, 2017, that I had mentioned, he said. According to the prosecution, Mr Idoko committed the offence of sexual assault by penetration between July to November 2017 at his residence located at Akewusola Street, Oworoshoki, Lagos. He sexually assaulted his 12-year-old daughter by penetrating her vagina by using his finger, Mr Alagbe said. The offences contravene Section 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Judge Sybil Nwaka adjourned the case until April 3 for a continuation of trial. (NAN) The Nigerian government has condemned the ejection of her citizens who are taking refuge in Cameroon by the countrys authorities. A statement issued by the Federal National Commissioner for the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Sadiya Farouq, accused the Cameroonian government of flouting the United Nations Convention on Refugees and its 167 Protocol. He said the Protocol forbids member nations from ejecting refugees under any circumstances. According to the Commissioner, the ejected refugees are residents of Rann, Kala-Balge Local Government Area of Borno State, who fled their community to neighbouring Goura town in Cameroon due to incessant Boko Haram attacks in January. The statement reads: It is highly regrettable and sad to note that despite the passionate appeal made by the Nigerian Authorities to the Government of Cameroon not to chase out the victims of Boko Haram attacks from Rann Local Government of Borno State, this appeal has been ignored. Information reaching us is that the Cameroonian Government has thrown out the Displaced Persons from Rann who ran into Cameroun for safety in total disregard for the appeal and a clear breach of the United Nations Charter and Convention on the protection of Displaced Persons which both countries endorsed. The United Nations Convention on Refugees and its 167 Protocol states that , no contracting state shall expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his or her life or freedom will be threatened on account of his or her race, religion or nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Mr Farouq, however, said Nigeria would not retaliate by ejecting Cameroonian refugees currently in Nigeria. He said; You may recall that on January 14, 2019, persistent attacks in Rann compelled residents of the area to run into Cameroon territories for their safety, but from the onset, the Cameroon Government threatened to chase them out. The Nigerian Government had to remind its Cameroonian counterpart of its obligation to the displaced Nigerians, bearing in mind the UN Convention. Unfortunately, today Cameroon has made good its earlier threat by throwing the Nigerian Refugees back to the country in large number. In due course, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take appropriate steps on the matter. Meanwhile, it is worthy of mention to state that Nigeria is currently hosting many Cameroonian refugees located at Cross River, Benue, Akwa-Ibom, Taraba States and some of them in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja since October 2017 and we continue to provide them with relief, care and maintenance items. This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to international Conventions on humanitarian obligations and in the spirit of good neighbourliness. The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) in line with its mandate will continue to provide care and maintenance to persons of concern including nationals of other countries without any form of discrimination. However, we demand that Nigerian citizens in a foreign land must not be subjected to any shabby treatment under any circumstance. The Oyo State Government has commenced payments of pensions and gratuities of retired primary school teachers as well as local government workers across the state. The State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney -General, Seun Abimbola, made the disclosure during a news conference in Ibadan, the state capital on Tuesday. Mr Abimbola said the sum of N1.5 billion had been released for immediate disbursement to retirees across the state, saying such step would be repeated on quarterly basis till the entire debt was settled. He explained that the decision was part of resolutions reached by a sixteen-member committee set up to resolve the legal impasse between the state government and pensioners which resulted in a consent judgement by the Industrial Court. Mr Abimbola, who noted that the accumulated arrears had begun since 2008, said government would be committed to gradually offsetting the outstanding arrears while fulfilling its monthly obligations of pension payment to retirees. He noted that a biometric data capturing of pensioners had also commenced to forestall cases of ghost pensioners and double payment. In his remarks, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Bimbo Kolade, said about 1100 pensioners would benefit from the first tranche of the N1.5 billion. The commissioner added that the payment covered both the dead and the living. Bosun Ajuwon, the Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State Chapter, said the councils had agreed to contribute about N750 million on quarterly basis. He said the contribution would be used for continuous payment of pensioners apart from the N1.5 billion which was being paid currently. Olusegun Abatan, Secretary, Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) and beneficiaries, expressed appreciation to the state government and the 16-member committee that resolved the impasse. The committee set up to resolve the crisis between pensioners and the state government was headed by Bashiru Olanrewaju, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. (NAN) Some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) marched to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday to protest the outcome of the presidential election. According to a tweet by INEC, Uche Secondus, the PDP national chairman, led many of his partys supporters to the commissions office at Maitama around 3 p. m. on Tuesday. The PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have rejected the result of the presidential election and vowed to challenge it in court. The opposition party also accused the army of working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the elections Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party led by the partys Chairman, Uche Secondus were at the INEC hqtrs today to complain about the role of security agents in the Feb 23rd Presidential and NASS polls, INEC wrote in its tweet. The commission said some of its national commissioners, May Agbamuche-Mbu, Mohammed Haruna and Antonia Simbine, received the protesters. Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party led by the partys Chairman, Uche Secondus were at the INEC hqtrs today to complain about the role of security agents in the Feb 23rd Presidential and NASS polls. Nat. Commissioners May Agbamuche-Mbu, Mohammed Haruna & Antonia Simbine pic.twitter.com/9GcKAqTyxh INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) March 5, 2019 In this interview with Channels TV, Godswill Akpabio, a senator from Akwa Ibom, and a former minority leader of the Senate, speaks on his failure to win re-election, and other political issues. The interview was transcribed by PREMIUM TIMES Cletus Ukpong. Channels: The right quarters to ventilate your grievance is the tribunal? Are you planning to go to the tribunal? Akpabio: The reason why the court is not totally an immediate option is the fact that in law, the result is yet to be announced. Because the nine local government areas that were announced were actually announced at the senatorial district headquarters. The 10th local government area was said to have been announced somewhere in another senatorial district, Uyo, probably in the hotel room or INEC head office. So, that does not hold water. Channels: I understand that was done because of security issues. Akpabio: No, it is because of the fact they mutilated it (the result) and they attempted to make me to fail. So, the commissioner of police and other security agencies said if you carry this thing to the senatorial district of Senator Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, and he is the South-south coordinator of APC, to go and announce, we cant guarantee security because they already have copies of the results. Even the (election) observers, the collation officers, had already made available the 10 collated local government areas, so the announcement was a formality. They announced nine already. This 10th one that was now being tampered with, and then of course with a lot of other mutilations, the people said if you go back after this nine had been announced, you have now mutilated about two to three out of the nine announced, how do we explain to the populace? So, this is where they said if you go back there to go and announce something else, we wont be able to guarantee the reaction of the people. Channels: The allegation was that you and your people held some INEC officials hostage? Akpabio: (Cuts in) No, I wasnt even there. Channels: In fact, that you stormed the INEC office, at the collation centre? Akpabio: The allegation is from the pit of hell. Channels: Were you at the collation centre? Akpabio: I wasnt even there. Channels: There were pictures of you when you approached there in a (Toyota) Hilux? Akpabio: Approach where? Channels: At the collation centre! Akpabio: No, I approached the collation centre of one of the local government areas Oruk Anam where there was problem, where PDP stormed the place to go and take over, and they were doing the collation themselves. When I was told, I ran down there to attempt to rescue the people. But what happened was a different ball game. Somebody phone the woman who was the EO and she started wailing and shouting and all that. She was on the floor and pleaded with me, please sir, they think that you are coming to disturb. They said we should work with PDP. We had to leave. We have videos. But that is not important for now. The reality is that in the centre where these announcements were being made, once in a while that centre is also the centre-in-charge of Ikot Ekpene local government area. But it also operates as the senatorial headquarters. So, at the senatorial declaration of the results, I wasnt present, and there was no problem, at all. It was very peaceful and people were clapping hands. And they had finished nine, and they were about to do the last one and then now pronounce me as the winner when suddenly one of them disappeared to Uyo the police report is available. So, after waiting for about four to five hours, they had to adjourn and said the next day they would declare my victory. And so, surprisingly, at Uyo, at the resident electoral commissioners office, mutilations occurred. Channels: You have evidence to show? Akpabio: Yes, I have evidence.. Channels: (Cuts in) .To show that it was done at the INEC office? Akpabio: Yes, yes, I have evidence. Channels: Are you alleging that the resident electoral commissioner, Mike Igini, is responsible for all of this? Akpabio: I wouldnt want to mention names, but those responsible whether the resident electoral commissioner in Akwa Ibom state or those he instructed know the reality. My plea now is that they should announce my results. Channels: You think you are a target that is why this is happening to you? Akpabio: I would think that because of my position, as somebody who believes that I should work for a cause I believe in, I believe strongly that the president needed to be re-elected. And I know that my people, those who were campaigning, also made mistakes, and sometimes they would shout Our next Senate president. So, some feathers were ruffled. But that is neither here nor there. Channels: Oh, there are beliefs that you may be the next Senate president should you win, that is why this is happening? Akpabio: No, no, no, its not that should I win; I won. The problem is that how can we delay his announcement or delay his victory so that he would not be there on the ninth. But that is neither here nor there. The reality is that I am asking for justice. I am saying that INEC should be bold enough to do the right thing. I believe that INEC is composed of men and women of integrity, and the chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu is someone I know has very high integrity. I dont want this one incident to dent the image of INEC. Channels: Senator Akpabio, are you aware that perhaps some of your troubles are not outside of your party? What you are facing right now, some critics are saying, it is from your party that this war is coming from? Are you aware? Akpabio: I wont say so. But why would a party that I believe so much in and work so hard for, now turned to give contrary instruction? No matter where it is coming from, I think justice is justice. I believe, just like we say that hunger has no colour, justice is blind. Let them give me justice. That is all I am asking for. Let them direct that they should get back to the senatorial district, that one local government area that was left should be announced. And in fact, because it has already been collated, the result should be released and then I should be declared the winner, and that is all. Channels: (Cuts in) If you discover this is coming from your party, how would feel? Akpabio: I will feel bad in the sense that I have not shown any interest to be Senate president. Channels: But do you want to be Senate president? Akpabio: I dont have such interest to be Senate president. Channels: But should you be elected the Senate president, would you accept? Akpabio: There are procedures, your colleagues have to be in tandem with your thoughts and there has to be a consensus. Every senator is equal, so anybody is capable of being the Senate president. So, I dont have that kind of ambition. Channels: You never dreamt of being the Senate president? Akpabio: Well, the moment you decide to be a senator and then they made you a Senate minority leader, it goes without saying that they could also make you a member of the leadership. Being in the leadership means they could make you a Senate president, it could be deputy, it could be anything. I was the minority leader of the Nigerian Senate, so probably that is why some people are afraid that I might be Senate president. Please, inform them that I have no intention of being Senate president. I have not declared any intention to be Senate president. Let them just hand over my seat to me. I have been elected a senator. It would be so disappointing to my people who have turned to the APC in their thousands. The results they have announced in 2019 national assembly election is not reflective of the huge support base of the APC. I will tell you something. Those who are jubilating now will be so shocked that on the ninth of March that state would go 80 per cent APC. That is the truth. Channels: Really? Akpabio: Yes! Channels: But they couldnt even deliver the state for the APC (in the presidential election)? Akpabio: That is what I am saying, there was compromise here and there, and so whatever happened the major thing is that the president has won. But if you look at it, this is a far cry from what happened in the past. I was in charge of the South-south. The president in 2015 did not have five per cent of the votes in the South-south, but in 2019 it was different. No matter what happened, look at it, youll see we have made appreciable difference. Of course, we are well over 30 per cent. We could be counted among the states that gave the president the spread to be able to be the president of Nigeria. So, I am satisfied with that. But I am disappointed that a state with so much followership as far as the party is concerned, a state that loves President Buhari so much, was not allowed, as a result of conspiracy, to bring out the votes. Channels: Senator Akpabio, part of the deal that you signed before you joined the APC. Akpabio: (Cuts in) No, I did not sign a deal. Channels: You didnt come to a compromise on some of the reasons why you should go to the APC? Akpabio: No, no, no, I did not; I just made up my mind that there was.. Channels: (Cuts in) .We understand you had meetings before you decided to leave? Akpabio: Before I decided to join, there was need for me to talk to the leadership of the APC, whether they will accept me to come in and work with them because I had already, before the president was sworn in, I said in 2015 we had a son of the soil, President Jonathan, contesting and we all had our choices, but God had his will. In 2019, there was need for me to take our people back to the centre. The South-south region had always gone with their kith and kin in the north, and today the South-west is already with the north. And so, there was need for me as a leader to ensure that my people join, with the other leaders of the South-south, to go with the centre. So, it was a personal decision, and a generational decision, a futuristic decision. Channels: You are bringing some weight into the APC, you did not bargain anything? Akpabio: I wish I was with you, maybe you would have bargained for me. I did not. Channels: (Cuts in). You are an experienced politician, maybe part of your bargain is to become the Senate president? Akpabio: No, no, no. I said I wish I were with you, you probably would have bargained for me. Channels: So, you did not agree to become the Senate president if you move into the APC? Akpabio: Why would I become Senate president when my colleagues are the ones to choose? Nobody makes a Senate president from outside. Channels: But the party could decide? Akpabio: No, no, no.. Channels: (Cuts in). The party could make a decision and go to the floor with their members? Akpabio: There was a time we decided that we should have one lady from the South-west as the speaker of the House of Representatives and then they (the House members) went in there and voted for Tambuwal (as the speaker). Supposing, we (APC) did not have the majority in the Senate, would you still be talking about Senate presidency? So, anybody telling you about bargain and all that, those are just talks. I joined the party to join them to bring my people from the South-south region into the centre and to also ensure the re-election of President Buhari. And, I gave so many reasons, one of which is because of his transformational leadership. Another is that he has given a lot of integrity to governance. Channels: You were a very strong critic of President Buhari before. Akpabio: (Cuts in). No, no, no, I did not know him. Channels: When you were the Senate minority leader, you were a very strong critic of President Buhari? Akpabio: No, I used to speak on issues. And sometimes, criticisms dont show hatred; they are meant to redirect the government. So, if I criticised any policy, it is for them to fine-tune and panel-beat that policy. Channels: How do you feel that your former party (PDP) lost (the presidential election)? Akpabio: My former party lost from the day I stepped out of it. Channels: So, it was because you left? Akpabio: No, not just because I left. Its like you carrying a basin of yam, and a very big yam is taken out of the basin, the basin will become lighter. So, I believe the PDP became lighter when the minority leader of the Senate left. I didnt just leave, I moved. And when I moved, I moved with thousands across Nigeria (laughter). Channels: So, the fortunes of the PDP dwindled as soon as Senator Akpabio left? Akpabio: Please, dont let them know (hear this), because if they do, they may join in the conspiracy against me. You assess it yourself, what do you think went wrong? The reality is that he (Atiku) couldnt have defeated President Buhari even if I was there (in the PDP) because of what is going on. Nigerians would want to see continuity. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to petition the United Nations (UN) and other global democratic institutions over the role the military played during the last presidential and legislative polls which it said led to killings in some parts of the country. The partys National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, made this known at the end of an expanded caucus meeting held at the partys secretariat in Abuja. He said the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, won the election but had his mandate stolen. He also said the caucus resolved to support Mr Abubakar and the PDP in their resolve to contest the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC as the winner of the election at the tribunal. Caucus commended Nigerians for refusing the harassment, intimidation and militarization of the electoral process and participating in the elections but noted that the mandate that was freely given to our candidate was stolen and as such the party and the candidate jointly resolved to go to the tribunal and to see it through to the end of what is permissible within our legal system to get back our mandate on behalf of Nigerians. Caucus further noted the role of the military in the February 23 elections and resolved that we will report the action of the military through a petition to the United Nations as well as other global democratic institutions on the role of our military in the February 23 elections. The partys presidential candidate had rejected the result of the poll as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC). INEC had declared President Buhari as the winner of the election and returned him as duly elected. Mr Buhari, according to the electoral body, scored 15,191,847 votes. Mr Abubakar garnered 11,262,978 votes to finish as runner-up. But in his response to the declaration, the PDP candidate said the result was unacceptable to him and that he would challenge it in court. Mr Ologbondiyan while briefing also said the caucus reviewed the situation in Kano State particularly as it concerned the court decision that the PDP should organise a fresh rerun for its governorship candidate. The party noted that an appeal had been filed against the judgement and it will continue to study and follow the situation as they arise. Mr Ologbondiyan also said the South-South geopolitical zone had been militarised, adding that the APC was also plotting to rig the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections. Caucus further raised issues about the harassment, intimidation and the cajoling of our members on the plot by the Buhari presidency as well as the APC to intimidate Atiku and the resolve of the PDP to go to court by insisting, blackmailing and saying that he should not go to court. We insist that our party and our candidate have resolved to seek legal redress on the stolen mandate. Poor attendance On why the meeting was not attended by some notable members including state governors, Mr Ologbondiyan said most of the governors were busy with campaigns ahead of Saturdays elections. He added that they sent apologies for their inability to attend the meeting. Speaking earlier at the meeting, the national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus said there might be no election in 2023 if the military continued to participate during elections as they were allegedly used during the February 23 elections. He stated that the involvement of the military in the elections was undemocratic and unconstitutional. He said they were committed to going to the tribunal, adding that they might file the case on Tuesday. According to him, it is surprising that the National Peace Committee had allegedly kept silent over the alleged intimidation and harassment of Mr Abubakar, his acquaintances and some PDP stalwarts. He urged INEC to ensure that Saturdays elections were free, fair, transparent and credible. On February 23, 2019, how will history judge you (Buhari)? How will the next generation judge you? In fact, there may not be election in 2023, it may just be announcement because if you have the military on your side, you do not need the people, you do not need to campaign. All you need to do is to put the figure on election day and announce. Is that what is going to happen again on March 9? he asked. Mr Secondus urged the military to remain professional in the discharge of their duties, adding that they must not allow themselves to be used by politicians. We appeal to the authorities especially our professional military men and women that this has never happened before. They must have a rethink. If they want to participate in politics, they are free to do so. I think it happened in Thailand where the military and civilians can contest and share offices. If our constitution is changed to contain that, it is a happy development but whereas the constitution says they are not part and parcel of the process, is that what is going to happen on March 9? The son-in-law to our presidential candidate was arrested without justification; he has been detained and has not been released. His personal lawyer has been detained and the leaders of our country are keeping quiet; the Peace Committee is keeping quiet. Everyone here is keeping quiet. Mr Secondus alleged that Mr Buhari had unleashed a full-blown dictatorship on Nigerians. He said he was hopeful of Gods intervention, adding that with the collective efforts of the people, Nigeria would be rescued. The senator for Kogi West District, Dino Melaye, was on Tuesday docked before an FCT High Court, Apo area of Abuja on a six-count charge bordering on attempted suicide and attempt to escape from custody. Mr Melaye, who has just been reelected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was also charged with damage to police property. The senator, however, denied committing the offences preferred against him. Justice Sylvanus Oriji said that he was aware that the court had granted bail to the defendant when he was arraigned before him on July 25, 2018 on the same charges. Mr Oriji said that the earlier bail conditions, which included the sum of N5 million and two sureties in like sum, were still valid and should be sustained in the current charges. In the earlier bail condition, Mr Melaye was to produce two sureties who must be directors in the civil service, reside in the FCT, and depose to affidavits of means. The prosecuting counsel, Alex Izinyon (SAN), told the court that the defendant committed the alleged offences on April 24 last year. He said the defendant, while being conveyed in a police vehicle to Lokoja, allegedly forced his way out of the vehicle and attempted to escape. Mr Izinyon said the defendant held a substance in his hand and threatened to drink it to kill himself so that he would put the police officers in trouble. The prosecutor also said the defendant broke the glass of the vehicle with his elbow and caused damage to police property. He said the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 148,153,173,231, 326 and 327 of the Penal Code. The counsel to the defendant, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), was, however, not in court. The judge adjourned the case until April 5 for hearing. (NAN) As voters in Niger join those in 28 other states on Saturday to elect the next class of governors, the race in this north-central state will be between two familiar rivals. Seven states are not participating in the exercise as their governorship elections have fallen outside the main electoral season due to successful petitions against the election of some of their governors at various times in the past. For the record, 31 parties will be fielding candidates in the Niger governorship election on Saturday. Out of the 31 candidates, two are women Aisha Mamhud and Abdulsalam Aisha, representing Change Advocacy Party (CAP) and Labour party (LP) respectively. The race, however, will be between the candidates of the two main political parties in Nigeria, the ruling All Progressives Congress, which also runs this state, and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Governor Abubakar Bello is flying the APC flag while Umar Nasko is the candidate of the PDP. It will be a repeat of the contest in 2015 when Mr Bello defeated Mr Nasko to emerge governor. Adding a little more spice to the contest is the fact that the two rivals are the children of two former military officers who came to national prominence when they held high political offices under military governments in Nigeria. The sitting governors father, Sani Bello, retired from the Nigerian Army as a colonel after serving as a military governor of old Kano State. He was later appointed an ambassador and is the founder of the Sani Bello Foundation. The PDP candidate is the first son of Gado Nasko, a retired major-general of the Nigerian Army who served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT Minister) under the military presidency of Ibrahim Babangida, who is also from the state. Mr Bello won the first contest between the two rivals in 2015 and he appears to retain the edge over the opposition candidate. In 2015, he polled 593,702 votes and won in 23 out of the 25 local government areas in the state to defeat Mr Nasko who got 239,772 votes. Aside from the advantage of incumbency, the zoning arrangement in the state also favours Mr Bello. Both candidates are from the Zone C senatorial district. But while Mr Bello can only serve for four more years if he wins, Mr Nasko may seek a second term, thus delaying the opportunity for the next zone, the Zone A senatorial district, to take its turn at producing the governor. A Mr Nasko victory will bring with it the prospect of his zone retaining the coveted seat for 12 years. The former governor under the PDP, Babangida Aliyu, is from the Zone B senatorial district of the state. The outcome of the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections also shows that the APC remains the dominant party in the state. The party won the presidential poll with a wide margin. The ruling party also won the three senatorial seats and all the House of Representatives seats in the state. The incumbent governor has been more active on the campaign trail than his rival, apparently because he has more resources at his disposal. The PDP in the state is also not united and does not have the strength that it used to have in the state. The PDP in the state suffered a major setback with the recent defection of many members and leaders to the APC. The immediate past state chairman of the party, Abdulraheem Enagi, led about 2,000 of his supporters to join the APC. However, no fewer than 3,000 youth from Edati Local Government Area also dumped the APC for the PDP, citing lack of focus of the APC-led state government as the reason. The PDP candidate is also affected by his connection with the corruption case of the former PDP governor, Mr Aliyu. Messrs Nasko and Aliyu were re-arraigned sometime in February before a Minna high court for alleged fraud. The duo is standing trial alongside the state PDP chairman, Tanko Beji, for alleged diversion of ecological funds to the tune of N4.568 billion. Justice Aliyu Mayaki, who was handling the case, adjourned hearing until March 4 but the case was withdrawn from him and reassigned to the state high court under Justice Mohammed Mohammed who started it afresh. They were asked to continue with their previous bail granted by Justice Mayaki and to submit their international passports to the court registry. Mr Nasko and the PDP, however, alleged that the change of the trial judge was a calculated attempt to pervert the course of Justice. Niger State voted for the APC in the just-concluded presidential election and looks set to do the same for its governorship and state House of Assembly candidates. The PDP scored 218,052, while the APC scored 612,371 to give victory to President Muhammadu Buhari in the state. Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), Oyinyechi Ikpeazu and Emeka Etiaba, have asked to withdraw from representing a former spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, in his ongoing criminal trial. Messrs Ikpeazu and Etiaba in a motion dated March 4 and filed March 5, told the court they are seeking the withdrawal because of external intimidation. Emeka Etiaba and myself (Mr Ikpeazu) have been going through immense pressure with respect to our appearance in this case and will be unable to continue to represent the first defendant. I have received numerous threats to my life from diverse sources through telephone calls with disguised numbers giving an ultimatum and threatening to kill me based on the manner they claimed I had been mishandling the case. Emeka Etiaba informed me on March 4 in my office at plot 10, block Ix, David Dodo street, Gwarinpa, Abuja and I verily believe him, that he had received similar threats and will thus no longer proceed with the representation of the first defendant. They did not say where the alleged threat was coming from. But the two lawyers also said the day to day nature of the trial has made it impossible for them to attend the hearing as frequently as they ought to. This honourable court has ordered a day to day hearing in this matter and counsel will be unable to afford the time, having regard to the diaries of their respective offices. The lawyers also said in the affidavit before the court that Mr Metuh has insisted on having them present at all his hearing. The first defendant is insistent that he will no longer tolerate the two senior counsel he briefed to fail or refuse to appear personally for the hearing of the case. In the circumstance, it is impossible to avail the first defendant the legal representation he deserves in this case. They also said in another paragraph of the affidavit that the people threatening them accused them of mishandling the matter. The judge, Okon Abang, however, adjourned to March 13 for the argument of motion. Mr Metuh is facing a seven-count charge before the Federal High Court of Abuja for alleged diversion of N400 million from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. A coalition of civil society groups has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the management of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) over suspected illicit transactions. The coalition, led by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), made this call in a petition to the EFCC, a copy of which it made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday. Other groups in the Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom are the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and Order Paper NG. The rest are the International Press Centre (IPC), Daily Trust Newspaper, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), The Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation, Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Civic Media Lab and Sahara Reporters. The petition, signed by HEDAs Programme Officer, Sina Odugbemi, was fueled by an earlier investigation by a media consortium, including Premium Times. It detailed a string of suspicious transactions involving NBET officials following corruption allegations communicated on LeaksNG, an online Whistleblower platform of which HEDA is a member. Listed Allegations The allegations include that the contents of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed by two power generating companies, Omotosho Electric Genco and Olorunsogo Electric Company, with the Nigerian authorities in February and August 2016 involved fraudulent deals which disregarded the content of the PPA. The PPA rules say for a generating plant to qualify for Available Capacity Payment under the PPA, the generating plants must provide evidence that they have an active Gas Supply Agreement (GSA) and Gas Transport Agreement (GTA). This is also contained in clause 3.2.2 and 4.2.1 of the PPA and in the absence of this agreements, the PPA signed with the generating plants would be deemed inactive leaving them to be entitled to receive payment for power supplied. The coalition said the procedures violated Section 1705 of the Financial Regulations which states that the Head of Internal Audit Unit in all ministries/extra-ministerial offices and other arms of government shall ensure that 100 per cent pre-payment audit of all checked and passed vouchers is carried out and the vouchers forwarded under security schedule directly to the appropriate Central Pay Office for payment. The Whistleblowers quoted a 2014 report that claimed NBET wrote the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) requesting to be excluded from being subjected to the BPP Act in its power purchase agreement, which the BPP declined following which NBET advertised a notice for an expression of interest for legal practitioners to give legal interpretation on BPP posture. Two years after the procurement process had been stopped, it said the Managing Director of the NBET, Evelyn Amobi, requested the Internal Audit of the agency to pay N30 million to two firms; Azinge and Azinge as contract sums of N14 million and Alex N16 million respectively. In their petition, the whistleblowers wrote: It was reported that in 2016, NEXANT, a software and energy firm, engaged the services of Uzoma Achinaya, former staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN); to provide advisory and analytics work for NBET and that in line with the arrangement, Mr Achinaya would work for NBET for a certain period after which he would present a report to NEXANT and claim his payment from NEXANT. This was said to have happened. The coalition also raised allegations that instead of NEXANT paying the consultant, NBETs leadership decided to pay him despite not being party to the engagement agreement. It said, on January 23, 2017, Mr Achinaya wrote Mrs Amobi requesting NBET to pay him N7 million in advance for the work he had done so far, stating that the amount should be recovered from the payment after the resolution of issues with NEXANT. Other questionable issues were irregularities in the request which led to its being flagged by the Internal Audit as a result of which the payment was declined to Mr Achinaya, prompting the audit department to insist that it declined the payment because Mrs Amobis N7.5 million request was above her N2.5million approval limit. Other grounds were that the process of contracting was not subjected to due process. Mrs Amobi was accused of sidetracking laid down procurement rules through the Parastatal Tenders Board of NBET to seek consideration and approval for the requested fund. The whistleblowers said it heard that the board submitted its report claiming that due process was followed in the award of the consultancy contract. The coalition stated further that in 2017, Mrs Amobi allegedly made a request to the Accountant-General for officials from his office to be transferred to NBET to head both the Internal Audit and Finance departments in order to cover up loose ends. It said the Accountant-General granted the request granted in June 2017, and posted Hauwa Bello from the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) to head the Internal Audit of NBET. The internal auditor, Sambo Abdullahi, was subsequently moved to the Learning and Development, a newly created department at NBET, while Waziri Bintube of the Finance Department was reposted to Risk and Guarantee, another department alleged created by Mrs Amobi to allegedly victimise the two top officials. According to the coalition, a month earlier, Mrs Amobi had facilitated the transfer of two people, Ajulo Adesola from the National Agency for Science and Engineering (NASENI) and Acho Onyechege from the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to NBET as treasury officers. It said the transfer flouted the requirement of NBET charter which places the responsibility of recommending postings within the agency on the Human Resources Committee of NBET. Section 2.4 (b) of the charter that the Human Resource Committee shall review and make recommendations to the Board for approval of the Companys organizational structure and any proposed amendments. The coalition which had earlier sought the action of the Minister of Power, now makes an appeal to the EFCC to ensure that the above allegations are properly, effectively and painstakingly investigated with a view to punishing corrupt officials. The National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria on Tuesday congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election. The National Chairman of the Council and the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar III, made this position known when leaders of the Council visited Mr Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said the re-election of the president for another four-year term should be seen as what Almighty God had ordained and should not be challenged by anyone. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on February 27 declared the president winner of the 2019 presidential election held on February 23. Mr Buhari was declared re-elected having polled 15,191,847 votes, winning in 19 states, to defeat 72 other candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 11, 255,978 votes. However, Mr Abubakar, who won in 17 states and the FCT to occupy the second position, insisted that he would challenge the result of the election in court. But the Sultan described the result of the election as the will of the Almighty God. He said: Your election as president for the second tenure should be seen as what God has destined which no man could have changed that destiny. This result is the will of the Almighty God and therefore we call on all to give you maximum support for the achievement of peace, development and progress of our dear nation. The traditional ruler urged the president to reciprocate the gesture of the electorate by making sure that his administration continued to ensure justice and fairness in all its dealings with Nigerians irrespective of their geo-political backgrounds. We urge you Mr President to reciprocate by continuing to lead with justice and fairness as you openly said in your acceptance speech after the receipt of the certificate of return, he said. He stated that the council had resolved to continue to offer its unflinching support to the federal governments cardinal objectives of transforming the economy, securing the country and the fight against corruption. In his remarks, the co-chairman of the council and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, reaffirmed the Councils determination to work closely with the government for the general good of the country. He challenged the president to listen to criticism of his administration in `a very constructive manner. He added: We know that you are very passionate about the people of this country especially the common people. We want to urge you to continue to play that fatherly role. Let the whole nation see you as the true father; let the whole nation see you as the true president that will actually consolidate what has brought all of us together. Responding, Mr Buhari sought for more understanding and support from the royal fathers. The president, who thanked God for an opportunity to serve the nation for another four years, re-stated his belief in Nigerias multi-cultural population and the continued existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity. He said: I am very happy that you have come to congratulate me for coming to my second and final term of office. I believe in this system, such a multi-national and multi-cultural country like Nigeria, a country with more than 250, 000 cultures. According to the president, the traditional rulers have a big role to play in securing the country, because of their unique role in the society. He, therefore, challenged them to always expose all criminals in their domains I realise that really if you want the security of the country, which is very important to us and one of our three main areas of focus. As traditional rulers, you know everybody in your constituencies and you know which family has hardened criminals and which family has respectable people so there is no way any government at any level can survive creditably without your support. This is the honest fact whether people accept it or not. So, we always depend on you because you know the weaknesses of our system and the society. We certainly need your cooperation on day to day basis to make sure that we consolidate on what we promised the whole country, he added. (NAN) President Muhammad Buhari says he plans to retire to his hometown of Daura in Katsina State after his current and final term ends in 2023. He said this Tuesday at a meeting in Abuja with traditional rulers. The monarchs were led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II. Mr Buhari, who has just won reelection, asked the local leaders to support his government to consolidate on its achievements. A statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said he welcomed them to the next level, the slogan of his reelection campaign. Read the statement below: PRESIDENT BUHARI URGES TRADITIONAL RULERS TO SUPPORT FIGHT AGAINST CRIMINALITY President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday welcomed traditional rulers in the country to the Next Level, urging them to be prepared to play a crucial role in the prevention and detection of criminal activities in their domains. Speaking while receiving members of the National Council of Traditional Rulers led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar III, at State House, Abuja, the President noted that involving the royal fathers had become necessary in view of the deep knowledge of their localities. According to him, You know all the families who harbour criminals and you know those who produce respectable individuals. You know the weaknesses of our society. We need your support to consolidate our achievements. President Buhari listed several significant efforts by his administration to enhance national security while emphasising the overall need for stability in the country. What we need now is your support. No government can serve creditably without your support. We will always count on your support, he told the traditional rulers. The President also welcomed the royal fathers to his second and final term, at the end of which I will, God willing, go to Daura and settle down. The Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chairman of the Council, told President Buhari that the body on behalf of all the Traditional Rulers in Nigeria, is here to congratulate you on your re-election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Urging all Nigerians to accept the election result as the will of God, the Sultan assured the President of the traditional rulers continued unflinching support in your laudable projects, particularly your governments cardinal objectives of fighting corruption, containing insecurity, generally sanitizing the governance machinery, entrenching discipline, hard work and peaceful co-existence amongst the citizenry. The Co-Chairman of the Council and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, assured President Buhari that their members would work very closely with his administration to fight criminal activities. The Ooni urged the re-elected Nigerian leader to be a President for the whole nation and father to all citizens. Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) March 5, 2019 Our attention has been drawn to an article published by Sahara Reporters alleging that MMA2s term is 12 years and is about to expire. While we find this very surprising, we will like to set the records straight by stating that, Bi-Courtney Ltd. entered into a Concession Agreement with the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the Build, Operate and Transfer of the MMA2 for 36 years. It is obvious that MMA2 is the most well designed and run terminal in the country operating on very limited revenue. It is a masterpiece in the provision of public infrastructure through private capital. Whilst the writer of the article set out to mislead the public through very untruthful and malicious statements, the peddlers of this baseless story have refused to come to terms with the fact that MMA2 has thrived in the face of operational challenges battling the concession including FAANs flagrant breach of concession agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the facts are stated as follows: 1. The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) offered Bi-Courtney a 36-year lease in a letter dated 12th of October 2006 and an agreement was duly signed on the 2nd of Feb 2007 by the Minister of Aviation. 2. The agreement was further confirmed at a meeting held on 7th of July 2009 chaired by the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria His Excellency, Late Mallam Umaru Musa Yaradua, GCFR, in attendance with the Honourable Minister of Aviation, Secretary General to the Federal Government, Attorney General of the Federation / Honourable Minister of Justice, Honourable Minister of Finance, MD/CEO of FAAN and the Chairman of Bi-Courtney amongst others. The clear provisions of the concession agreement between Bi-Courtney and the Government upholds the operation of the MMA2 terminal for an undisputed period of 36 years. Since inception, FAAN has not complied with the agreement to handover the GAT which is a property of Bi-Courtney. FAAN through its actions has consistently breached its obligations in the concession agreement and has caused Bi-Courtney a loss of over N250B. The erroneous claims against the Chairman of Bi-Courtney in making frantic efforts in the Presidency to frustrate a takeover of the terminal is not unconnected to purported attempts to stir up a false sense of alarm and acrimony against the concession. The public and media should stop listening to naysayers who have no interest in the growth and development of Nigeria. MMA2 remains the best terminal in Nigeria and no terminal that has been built compares with it. The appropriate thing is to encourage Bi-Courtney and other private investors and developers to save FAAN from itself and its abysmal management of airport infrastructure. It is of interest to also note that the fictitious claim of alarm and panic causing instability amongst Bi-Courtney staff bears no iota of truth and is absolutely non-existent. Bi-Courtney remains a key employer of labour in the aviation industry committed to providing an environment for strong corporate health without fear, pressure or prejudice. Bi-Courtney reassures all air operators and the travelling public of its commitment to providing first class service and maintaining the highest standard of professionalism through continuous investment in power generation, critical infrastructure development, passenger facilitation and modern technology in the aviation industry. As operators of the most efficient airport terminal in the country today, the safety, security and comfort of our users and personnel continue to remain top priority for us at MMA2. Eniola Ade-Solanke Head, Corporate Communication Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said that the votes of the Akwa Ibom people allegedly stolen during the presidential and National Assembly elections of February 23 would be reclaimed. Mr Buhari said this during a town hall meeting held in Uyo to thank the people of the state for casting their votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the elections. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the APC lost all elections in Akwa Ibom during the presidential and National Assembly elections. The APC, led in the state by a senator, Godswill Akpabio, however, claimed it was rigged out. The party and its leaders have repeatedly called for the removal of the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mike Iginni. On Monday, President Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, encouraged the people to defend their votes during the governorship and House of Assembly elections. He decried the circumstances, under which Mr Akpabio lost his re-election into the Senate in spite of his popularity across the state. He alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) robbed him and the party of victory. He assured Akwa Ibom people that all the wrongdoings during the presidential and National Assembly elections would be addressed. What happened on the 23rd of February was robbery. The votes of the people were stolen, but we are not deterred. The president sent me to thank you today. We are going to make sure that everything that was stolen on the February 23 would be restored. It is not possible that Sen. Godwill Akpabio lost. We are in no doubt that Senator Akpabio is the elected senator of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District. I and Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the party have been in the opposition for long and we cannot be defeated anymore. Everyone of you should go out to vote on Saturday and defend your votes, we cannot be cheated; not only you but tell your neighbours to vote for Obong Nsima Ekere and all APC candidates. Wait for your votes to be counted. It is the duty of the federal government to provide security and we will do that. We will recover every one of our votes, he said. The National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, said the party was not in the state to lament but to appreciate the people of the state for doing their jobs and voting President Buhari and Mr Osinbajo. He alleged that INEC colluded with some of the electoral officers to deny the state of its electoral victory on Feb 23, even though the people voted for APC. We have not come here to lament that our mandate was stolen on February 23. We have come to thank you that you voted for President Buhari and all members of the party. You did your job but some armed robbers in INEC stole your votes. You think that those who stole your votes will have peace? We have come to reaffirm our commitment with democracy. We have come to affirm that no robber will go unpunished, but when an electoral umpire is corrupt and collude with the opposition, we have the witnesses and we have lawyers to deal with that. On Saturday we are not going to wait for them to steal out votes. We call on Akwa Ibom people to protect their votes. We must maintain our sanity even in this hour of provocation. Those who committed democratic abortion would be brought to book, Mr Oshiomhole said. The APC governorship candidate in the state, Nsima Ekere, encouraged the people not to be deterred by the Feb. 23 elections, but to go out and vote during the March 9 elections, saying the party was sure of victory. He said that the people of the state were in need of change, as demonstrated by him during his campaign across the 31 local government areas of the state. He assured the president that after March 9 elections, Akwa Ibom would not be in the opposition but would be reunited with the centre Thank you for what you are doing for APC. The people voted for you, that vote is a re-validation of what the people want. You put Nigerias economy back on track. We are here because we have faith in you and Mr President, the opposition and INEC have no choice than to give us back our mandate. Whosoever shall attempt to work against the collective will of Akwa Ibom people, we shall collectively resist. We send a message to the electoral umpire and the other parties that they must respect the votes of the people, every vote must count. Akwa Ibom people love APC, Mr Ekere said. Mr Ekere is expected to be the main challenger to Governor Emmanuel Udom of the PDP in Saturdays governorship election. President Muhammadu Buhari has assured voters in Delta State of adequate security in Saturdays governorship and House of Assembly elections. Mr Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at a town hall meeting in Warri on Monday, said that the issue of security was fundamental to the electoral process. The president said that special attention would be focused on security to enable the electorate exercise their franchise and check any form of intimidation. What happened at the presidential and National Assembly elections was a great victory, but the completion of the victory will come on Saturday when Great Ogboru will become the governor of Delta. Delta cannot be the same again. Delta was our focus of attention, we wanted to see what will happen. Delta has proved a very important point that it is ready for a change to the next level. Security is a fundamental issue and we will pay special attention to it, he said. The president also urged leaders and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to unite, saying when we work together, we will emerge victorious on Saturday. Also speaking, the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomohole, commended the people for voting massively for the APC in the recent poll. He urged the voters to be courageous and vote overwhelmingly for Mr Ogboru in Saturday s gubernatorial election. You have substantially weakened the rigging machine of the PDP. No one will provide unlawful security. Security operatives should ensure that votes are counted because President Buhari wants to have a cleaner election, he said. Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister for State for Petroleum Resources, described the occasion as a unifying day for us to come and work together. Mr Ogboru, in his opening remarks, urged the government to provide adequate security to avoid a repeat of the violence witnessed in the state during the presidential and National Assembly elections. Security issues should be looked into seriously. If there is adequate security, the electorate will turn out en masse to cast their votes, he said. Participants, who spoke at the interactive session, all stressed the need for adequate security during Saturdays elections. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by traditional rulers from the three senatorial districts of the state, religious and opinion leaders as well as market women and youth. (NAN) The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has denied involvement in the recent election violence that erupted in some parts of Rivers State. The Army had announced that a lieutenant in the Nigerian Army was killed in the violence that ensued in Rivers State during the last presidential and National Assembly election. PREMIUM TIMES reported how at least four other people were initially killed in the violence in the state. Other killings were announced in a statement by Sagir Musa, an army spokesperson. Mr Musa said the seven people, including the lieutenant, were killed when some people attacked soldiers on patrol. Mr Amaechi, who was the director general of the President Muhammadu Buhari campaign team, while addressing journalists on Tuesday at the presidential campaign headquarters exonerated himself from the mayhem. This first violence was recorded in Abomina; a lieutenant-colonel was standing protecting INEC staff, hired killers not even from Abonima came and opened fire on military men and killed one. What do you expect? Do you expect that they fold their hands and kill all the military men? And when they responded in self-defence, they say they dont want soldiers. Why dont you want soldiers in an area dominated by militants? Nobody has asked the governor that from the day you took over the number of killings that have taken place in Rivers state just because you want to run a second term. One mans ambition for the second term, all Rivers people should die? he said. He said he had always avoided making comments on the current Rivers State, adding that he did not want to be seen as interfering with governance. Allegations He alleged that N117 billion was withdrawn in cash by the state governor, Nyesom Wike for no just reason. The EFCC should investigate. I never went away with the kind of money Wike went away with, N117 billion. No press man complained when we found out that this man went away with N117 billion. He also commented on the court ruling that prevented his party from fielding candidates. He said: Rivers state is the only state that there is no candidate at all, if you are a candidate court finds you guilty for being a candidate, and they disqualify you. The Supreme Court had ruled that the APC will not field any candidate in Rivers State in the general elections, except for the presidential polls. The apex court had decided after agreeing with factional members of the party that the issue under contention was a pre-election matter which ought to have been brought earlier than the date it was filed. The governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has advised security agencies to apply best practices while on election duty in the state. Security agencies, please perform your duties in line with the rules governing elections, Mr Wike said on Monday during a town hall in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of the state. Conserve your energy to fight Boko Haram and violent crimes. Mr Wike has been criticising security agencies in the state, accusing them of taking side against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the general elections. His remarks at the town hall were posted on Twitter, through his account @GovWike. If they like, they should bring Police, Army and thugs from all over the world; we are quite confident that we shall smile on March 9, 2019. Come out and vote for people you can vouch for, Governor Wike told the people who attended the town hall. Just be vigilant and protect your votes. We have no security with us, but we have the Chief Security Officer of the world on our side, the governor said. The governor blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the election violence in the state. Where are the children of the APC leaders preaching violence in Rivers State. Nobody in Rivers State ran for the post of President and Vice President on February 23, 2019, yet the APC visited deaths on Rivers people. APC fought themselves and pushed themselves out of the race. Now, they want to kill everyone in the state. What is the offence of Rivers people, that we must all die because the APC excluded themselves from the ballot? the governor said. APC reacts The APC, in their response to Mr Wikes remarks, said the governor should be held responsible for what was happening in the state. Wike is the merchant of violence, the APC spokesperson in the state, Chris Finebone, told PREMIUM TIMES, Tuesday. Rivers State knew peace all through the time (Rotimi) Amaechi was governor. It was only when Wike came to power that all hell broke loose, and we have had this bad, Mr Finebone said. Cat and mouse game The relationship between the Rivers government and the security agencies have been on its lowest level since the inception of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government in 2015. Rivers is under the control of the PDP, and Mr Wike, who is a critic of President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration, is one of the most influential leaders in the party. The governor has often accused the police and the army in the state of planning to kill him. Both the police and the army has repeatedly denied such accusation. The Nigerian army recently, in turn, accused Mr Wike of attempting to bribe a military chief, Jamil Sarham, a major general and the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 6 Division of the Nigerian army, because of the 2019 general elections. The Rivers government responded by saying the military was trying to divert attention from the atrocities they are committing in Rivers because of the elections. The Nigerian Army has handed over to the Nigeria Police Force 14 suspected political thugs allegedly involved in carrying out various electoral offenses in Rivers. Aminu Iliyasu, a colonel and Spokesperson of the Nigerian Army 6 Division, spoke at the handover parade at the police divisional headquarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital on Tuesday. He said the all-male suspects were arrested during the just-concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 23. The suspects (names withheld) were arrested in different locations in the state for various electoral offenses they committed. We have concluded our preliminary investigation, and as such, we are handing over the suspects to the Nigeria Police to carry out further investigations and possibly prosecute them, he said. Mr Iliyasu said nine of the suspects were arrested in Abonnema, Akuku Toru Local Government Area, while five others were apprehended in Iwofe Area of Port Harcourt. Victor Onyeugo, an Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Criminal Investigations Department, Rivers Police Command, received the suspects on behalf of the command. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the army had on February 26 handed over to the police two senior Rivers government officials and 11 others accused of snatching ballot papers during the elections. (NAN) The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) has endorsed Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Saturdays election in Lagos state. The group made this known at a news briefing by its Secretary-General, Chidi Omeje, who was supported by the National Coordinator, Mr Ifeanyi Ubah, on Monday in Abuja. Mr Omeje said that the group was already mobilising the Igbo in Lagos and other Lagosians for the APC candidate. He explained that the endorsement was a well-thought decision that became exigent after extensive deliberations and consultations with key stakeholders in Lagos. Mr Omeje said that the group had no doubt that Mr Sanwo-Olu represented the next level Lagos state was in dire need of. Sanwo-Olus antecedents speak volume of his rare qualities, transparency, financial discipline, accountability and fairness. He represents the vision and passion for a greater Lagos state and we are proud to have endorsed his candidature and eventual succession as the governor of the state. We are of the ardent belief that the strategic focus of Mr Sanwo Olus administration will certainly build a better tomorrow filled with opportunities, unity and hope for Lagosians. A vote for Sanwo-Olu is a vote for economic prosperity, infrastructural development and most importantly, qualitative governance and institutional reforms, he said. He said that TAN was immediately activating its political structures and mechanisms, including door-to-door campaigns and market groups, often used to achieve ground-breaking and historic feats in Lagos State. He said that the measure would ensure that the candidate was elected the next governor of the state. The scribe called on well-meaning Nigerians to join the group in working assiduously to install good governance at all levels in the state. Let us all join hands to ensure that Lagos State attains the next level through election of credible, competent, qualified and honourable men and women into political offices, under free, fair and democratic process. Responding to questions after the briefing, the coordinator of the group, Mr Ubah, said that they had widely consulted with Igbo in Lagos and were representing their decision. Mr Ubah who was worried that the endorsement may be misinterpreted as an anti-party activity, being a YPP member, stressed that TANs decision had nothing to do with party affiliation. He described the endorsement as a discussion of peoples interest and TANs interest. TAN is a national platform but also we have our ethnic structure. For the Igbo in Lagos we are speaking for them, we have consulted with them widely. We have told them why it is important to support APC structure and to vote in Sanwo-Olu on Saturday. Visible work starts tomorrow but we have done some underground work prior to this news briefing. The most important thing is that we will not want to have friction with the Yoruba or any other ethnic group in Lagos. I think we are coming in at this time to swiftly get involved by putting in a round peg in a round hole. You should know very well that if it were to be issue of party I will not be here speaking because I am mindful of anti-party as a candidate of YPP. I am here in the interest of our Board of Trustees and TAN structure, which have mandated me to speak on their behalf, the Young Progressives Party (YPP)s Senator-elect for Anambra South said. (NAN) A 29-year-old man, Owolabi Adewale, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for killing his aunt, Ebunola Aroboto, 99. The crime occurred at Maraisa Lane Igan road Ago-Iwoye in Ijebu-North Local Government Area of the state. The command spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed this on Tuesday, said the arrest was effected on Monday, following a distress call. On receiving the distress call, the DPO quickly led his detectives to the scene where the suspect was promptly arrested, and the cutlass which he used to wreak the havoc was also recovered, he said. He also said the suspect admitted killing the old woman with a matchet. The suspect reportedly said the victim was responsible for most of his spiritual problems. He (suspect) reportedly admitted that he is a regular player of Baba Ijebu lotto (betting game) and that whenever he is sure of winning, the deceased who was his fathers elder sister will use her supernatural powers to change the winning number. The police said the remains of the woman had been deposited at Ijebu-Ode General Hospital Mortuary. Ahead of Saturdays governorship election in Oyo State, a former governor, Rashidi Ladoja, and some opposition parties in have agreed to work for the victory of Seyi Makinde, the candidate of the PDP. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that another former governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, had also announced his intention to work for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, in the election. The official presentation of Mr Makinde was done on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Ibadan. Those present at the briefing were a former senator, Femi Lanlehin (ADC), Bolaji Ayorinde (SDP) and Sharafadeen Alli (ZLP). Messrs Lanlehin, Ayorinde, Alli and other chieftains of major opposition parties in the state unanimously agreed to present the PDP candidate for the election. Mr Ladoja, who formally presented Makinde, described him as the coalitions candidate for Saturdays poll. Mr Lanlehin, who spoke on behalf of the coalition, said the aim was to rescue the people from untold hardship and maladministration in the state. We, the respectable governorship candidates of the various opposition political parties, officially and wholeheartedly endorse Makinde of PDP for Saturdays governorship election. Though, it is a very tough decision considering the human effort and resources put into the race, we do believe no sacrifice is too much to rescue the state and its people. Our decision is in the interest of the people and the coalition is solely for the purpose of securing the governorship seat for Makinde on Saturday, he said. He, however, said all House of Assembly candidates from the various political parties would contest on their respective platforms. Messrs Ayorinde and Alli, in their separate remarks, also declared their support and endorsement for Mr Makinde as their candidate. In his acceptance speech, Mr Makinde said the gathering was to inform the people about their efforts toward rescuing them from maladministration. History is being made here today in Ibadan, a city that could be described as the political capital of Nigeria. Most of those who stepped down for me are even far more qualified than me. I thank them so much, he said. Mr Makinde, who lauded Mr Ladojas efforts in forming the coalition, promised to implement fully the agreements reached. Two Saturdays ago, the people of Oyo South Senatorial District rejected Gov. Abiola Ajimobis bid to represent them at the Senate. What is at stake are two major things. Our people must reject Chief Adebayo Adelabu on Saturday at the polls to avoid a third term for Ajimobi. We must also rescue our state to ensure that Oyo State money is used for our people and remained in the state. We reject capital flight, he said. Dignitaries at the occasion included a senator-elect, Kola Balogun, Senators Hosea Agboola, Kamorudeen Adedibu, Wasiu Olatubosun, Lanre Ogundipe and Bisi Ilaka. (NAN) For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. Leading speakers include Mr. Tarafa Marouane, President, Association Professionnelle des Cimentiers (APC) addressing the 'Competitiveness of Cement Market in Morocco & Growth Driver' as well as Senior Representative from CIMAT sharing their perspective on 'Cement Market in Sub-Sahara Africa'. Major cement producers addressing the summit are: Limak Cement Group Views on Africa's Construction and Cement Sector Views on Construction and Cement Sector LafargeHolcim Maroc Afrique Investing in Greenfield and Brownfield Cement Plant Across West and Central Africa Investing in Greenfield and Brownfield Cement Plant Across West and SECIL, Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento SA Clinker/Cement Markets in Tunisia and Supply into West Africa Clinker/Cement Markets in and Supply into Savannah Cement East African Cement Industry East African Cement Industry Spa Biskria Ciment Algeria cement market & its export potential cement market & its export potential Dangote Cement Topic to be advised The summit focuses on the latest technologies for the cement industry which is what - Corporate Sponsor - ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions' will share via session on - How can Lab Automation Improve African Cement Producer's Profitability and Production Efficiency? Additionally, Associate Sponsors - Wacker Chemicals addresses 'Transforming Cement to a Sustainable Construction Application, to Save Water and Enhance Performance' while Gebr. Pfeiffer presents on 'Future Trends in Cement Grinding for Local Markets'. The program also features the latest on LC3 and its financial attractiveness for the cement industry in a session by Cementis. 'Financing of Cement Projects in Africa' is explored by African Development Bank while IA Cement presents the 'Global Cement Outlook' with focus on Africa in a global context. Jaycee India shares a presentation on producing lower cost, stronger and sustainable cement using fly ash. View website for more information or contact Grace Oh at grace@cmtsp.com.sg or call +65 6346 9147. SOURCE Centre for Management Technology (CMT) Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. An experienced venture capitalist and investor, Ms. Johnson has been a member of the Strategic Committee of Iris Capital for the past decade and until recently has served as President of the European Business Angel Network, now President Emeritus. Ms. Johnson serves and has served on the boards of a number of emerging space leaders including NorthStar Earth and Space and Kacific. She is also the founding president of the VATM, the Association of Private Telecom Operators, co-founder of the Global Telecom Women's Network (GTWN) and co-founder of the Middle East and North Africa Business Angel Network (MBAN) and the African Business Angel Network (ABAN). In her role as Chair of the Seraphim Space Global Advisory Board Ms. Johnson will preside over the committee including corporate backers from the industry including Airbus, Telespazio and SES along with representatives from European Space Agency and the Satellite Applications Catapult. A broad range of additional corporates from the space industry will also join once Seraphim concludes its new Global Space Fund. "I am delighted to be joining peers from around the world to fuel not only 'New Space' but also a 'New Era in Space'," commented Ms. Johnson on her appointment. "The world has never needed so much connectivity, so much interconnectivity and so much interactivity. Space ventures play a critical role in providing the necessary infrastructures, services, and applications. This "New Era in Space" is bringing together governments, corporations, and entrepreneurs to realise visions of creating a better life on earth through the utilisation and exploration of space and space-enabled data." "We are proud to have a global icon like Candace Johnson joining the team. She is one of the most experienced and globally active "New Space" entrepreneurs and investors in the world," said Mark Boggett, CEO of Seraphim. "SES has grown to become one of the world's most successful space businesses, now with a market cap of 8bn. We can think of no one better to give us the thought leadership necessary to support existing activities alongside the raising and deployment of the new Seraphim Space Global Fund." Candace joins a strong line-up of other partners at Seraphim who have successfully founded and scaled giant international space-related businesses including Michael Jones, co-founder of Google Earth and Matt O'Connell co-founder of earth observation leader GeoEye sold to Digital Global for $1.3bn. About Seraphim Capital The world's leading space-venture firm Seraphim Capital manages Seraphim Space Fund which is funded by a range of multi-national corporates including Airbus, SES, Telespazio, E2V Teledyne and Rolta. Seraphim also operates their Space Camp Accelerator which is backed Inmarsat, Rolls Royce, Cyient, DSTL along with the UK and European Space Agencies. Seraphim Managing Partners include Silicon Valley based Michael Jones (founder of Google Earth), New York based Matt O'Connell (co-founder GeoEye, ex CEO of One Web). Alongside Space Tech Angels Seraphim has built a portfolio of over 30 spacetech and dronetech startups including Spire Global, Iceye and LeoLabs. The firm is currently raising the Seraphim Space Global Fund which will include a broad range of additional space, aerospace and drone related multinational corporates. About Ms. Johnson In addition to the activities mentioned above, Ms. Johnson is currently Vice Chair of NorthStar Earth and Space, Co-Founder/Member of the Board of OWNSAT (Oceania Women's Network Satellite), co-founder of EBAN Space and has mentored and invested in numerous "New Space" start-ups throughout the years. In addition to her space-related activities, Ms. Johnson is President Emeritus of EBAN, Strategic Committee Member of Iris Capital, and President/Co-founder of numerous angel investment funds. She is also a member of the Board of Store Electronics Systems- Imagotag (SESL - Paris Next) and EDHEC, a leading French business school. She has been a member of the International Advisory Boards of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Sabanci University (Istanbul) and KACST International Innovation and Entrepreneurial Advisory Board (Riyadh). Among other distinctions, Ms. Johnson has been decorated with the Commander of the Order of Merit and the Officer of the Oak Leaf Crown from Luxembourg as well as the Officer of the Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the World Telecommunications Awards and Women in Aerospace Europe and an honorary doctorate from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. SOURCE Seraphim Capital Top-ranking speakers have been lined up for the first Innovate Textile & Apparel Americas comprising four distinct events over three days. Organized by World Textile Information Network (WTiN), ITA Americas is hosted by NC State University's Wilson College of Textiles, in Raleigh, NC, from May 1-3, and its unique format will deliver deep insights into digital technologies, materials and business strategy. Its elements are: Digital Textile Workshop , with lectures and demonstrations on the latest technologies in areas of digital archiving, CAD, color management, digital printing, and virtual prototyping. Delivered in partnership with NC State University's Wilson College of Textiles. , with lectures and demonstrations on the latest technologies in areas of digital archiving, CAD, color management, digital printing, and virtual prototyping. Delivered in partnership with NC State University's of Textiles. The Textile 4.0 Conference , exploring emerging digital business models and introducing the latest application opportunities in smart factory development, including robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and virtual or augmented reality. , exploring emerging digital business models and introducing the latest application opportunities in smart factory development, including robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and virtual or augmented reality. Re:Think Materials, providing expert technical insights for product developers, including: market opportunities in connected textiles; conductive fiber and yarn; textiles for energy harvesting and storage; printed textile electronics; and the application possibilities of graphene and other '2D' materials. providing expert technical insights for product developers, including: market opportunities in connected textiles; conductive fiber and yarn; textiles for energy harvesting and storage; printed textile electronics; and the application possibilities of graphene and other '2D' materials. Textile Business Futures, presented in conjunction with top textile and apparel industry consultants Gherzi and providing an intensive one-day introduction for C-level executives to learn about digital business strategy, risk management, return on investment, leadership and culture change. Among the participating luminaries at The Textile 4.0 Conference, Stefan Weisenberger, SAP Senior Director for Mill Products, will explore how the Internet of Things (IoT) can act as an enabler for digital transformation of the textile and apparel sector. At Re:Think Materials, Jason Cox, Director, Fiber Device Technology at Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) will focus on fabric platforms for fiber memory, data processing and computing; and the expanding smart textiles market scenario will be reviewed by Jerrold Wang, Research Analyst from Lux Research Inc. At Textile Business Futures, AFFOA Chief Marketing Officer Eric Spackey will explore business growth strategy in the smart-textiles market. And PwC Director Ron Klein, together with colleague Juliane Stephan, Director Digital Operations, at Strategy& (part of the PwC network) will lead a workshop on smart factories. The launch of Innovate Textile & Apparel Americas (https://itaamericas.wtin.com) follows a groundbreaking European event in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, last November. It is being organized in partnership with NC State University and Gherzi, while sponsors are Datacolor, Lirico Group, SPGPrints, SGIA and Inedit. Other speakers include: Andres Alves , Co-founder, Tailored Industry , Co-founder, Tailored Industry Apurba Banerjee , Chief Scientist, brrr , Chief Scientist, brrr Raj Bhakta, Co -founder, Funxion Tony Chahine , CEO, Myant Inc , CEO, Myant Inc Shane Cooper , President, DeFeet International , President, DeFeet International Flint Davis, President, WeaveUp Timothy Fahey , Director and Strategic Advisor, ACI Materials , Director and Strategic Advisor, Bill Grier , CEO, AM4U, Inc , CEO, AM4U, Inc Fiona Haran , Editor Technical Textiles, WTiN , Editor Technical Textiles, WTiN Danielle Hazen , Partner, LIRICO Group , Partner, LIRICO Group Frank Henderson , CEO, Henderson Automation , CEO, Madison Maxey , CEO, Loomia , CEO, Loomia Mutlu Chaouch Orozco , Lead Analyst Industry Digitalisation, WTiN , Lead Analyst Industry Digitalisation, WTiN Kathy Phillips , VP of Design, Springs Creative , VP of Design, Springs Creative Suuchi Ramesh, CEO, Suuchi Inc Mark Sawchak , Partner, Expand Systems , Partner, Expand Systems Mark Scrutton , Director- Print Technology and Strategy, Adobe , Director- Print Technology and Strategy, Adobe Karim Shafei , International Partner, Gherzi , International Partner, Gherzi Paul Willerton , Chief Sales Officer, DeFeet , Chief Sales Officer, DeFeet Bruce Wright , Sales Manager, X-rite WTiN managing director Mark Jarvis says: "We're grateful to receive the support of so many experts in all aspects of digitalization, many of whom have experience of implementing their own digital strategies in textile and apparel scenarios. The industry is just taking its first steps down this road, which will bring about profound change in products, production processes and business relationships. Everyone needs to understand its opportunities and risks." "We're thrilled to welcome WTiN to Raleigh and Wilson College of Textiles," said Dr. Lisa Chapman, NC State University Faculty Scholar and digital technology and design expert. "State-of-the-art digital design tools can be used to improve the design workflow and bridge the communication gap between product development and the manufacturing process. WTiN's partnership event with the Wilson College of Textiles will provide an educational forum on the use of emerging digital technologies, to more broadly share information and encourage the use of new digital design processes." About WTiN World Textile Information Network (WTiN) provides specialist insight and data-driven intelligence to businesses in the Textile & Apparel value chain, enabling them to make better decisions faster and gain competitive advantage. Its primary focus is on the high growth markets of materials innovation, industry digitalization and technical textiles. WTiN products are subscription based, with most delivered digitally, leveraging the latest technology to maximize user discoverability. WTiN also: organizes focused B2B events held each year in Europe, the USA & Asia; delivers bespoke consulting projects; and publishes a range of journals and reports. https://www.wtin.com About NC State University's Wilson College of Textiles The NC State University Wilson College of Textiles is recognized as the global leader in textile education, research and service. NC State produces more textile graduates per year than any other university in the country, leading the way in textile and fashion design, product development, brand marketing, basic and applied science and engineering. The Wilson College of Textiles' faculty and alumni foster research and new technologies that span the textile industry. Located on the award-winning Centennial Campus, the textile complex features more than 60 labs and studio spaces that provide opportunities for the development of innovative products and services, contributing to the economic, societal and intellectual prosperity of North Carolina and fueling worldwide economic development. Learn more information about the NC State Wilson College of Textiles. Media contact: Chinky Tyagi ctyagi@wtin.com +44-113-360-9860 Related Links http://www.wtin.com/ SOURCE World Textile Information Network (WTIN) WILLISTON, N.D., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The 9th Annual Bakken Oil Product & Service Show (BOPSS) features industry forums in three key industry segments Trucking and Fleet management, Engineering and Management, and Well Site Facilities. The event will be held October 2 & 3, 2019 at the Raymond Family Community Center in Williston, North Dakota. The Bakken Oil Product & Service Show is the only oil and gas trade show located in Williston, North Dakota where thousands of industry people live, work and make the day-to-day decisions. Industry Forums The Industry Forums provide valuable information from industry experts, experienced business leaders, technology researchers, and innovative product and service providers in three key areas to help you improve your business activities and operations. Fleet Management & Trucking Fleet managers are responsible for vehicle and equipment acquisition and maintenance, dispatching and deployment, regulatory compliance, driver and operator staffing and training, among others. The forum will provide useful information on key topic areas of interest. Engineering & Management The forum will provide presentations and discussion around topics of interest to petroleum and reservoir engineers specific to the Williston Basin including recent research topics. Additionally, this forum will present topics of interest from a management perspective for operators and service companies alike. Well Site Facilities Well site operations are a rapidly changing environment from equipment advances, construction strategies to automation and IoT applications. The forum will focus on emerging solutions and strategies relevant in the Williston basin. Information and Registration: Visit www.BakkenOilShow.com for more information and online registration for exhibitors and attendees. About DAWA Solutions Group, LLC. The Bakken Oil Product & Service Show is produced by DAWA Solutions Group, LLC., a business consulting firm in Williston helping people do business better. Contact Bakken Oil Product & Service Show c/o DAWA Solutions Group PO Box 936 Williston, ND 58802 Kayla Stamp 701-577-1100 [email protected] www.BakkenOilShow.com SOURCE DAWA Solutions Group Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, president, and the chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the opening meeting with other leaders at the Great Hall of the People. Wang Yang, chairman of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, delivered a work report to more than 2,000 political advisers at the session. He commended the CPPCC's work last year, noting advances under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi at its core. "We gave full play to the CPPCC's role as a body dedicated to consultation and carried out our dual responsibility of offering suggestions and building consensus," he said. Over the past year, political advisers have conducted consultations with a focus on fighting the three critical battlesagainst potential risks, poverty and pollutionand on promoting high-quality development, he said. With regard to the CPPCC's major tasks this year, Wang said top priority will be given to studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The second task is offering high-quality suggestions about the central tasks of the Party and the country. "Practicing democracy is an important way to seek advice and gather a wide range of opinions on how to secure a decisive victory in completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects," Wang said. Based on in-depth study, political advisers will also engage in consultations on issues that concern the interests of the public, including creating jobs, boosting the sharing economy, revising the Copyright Law, developing the Grand Canal Cultural Belt, training schoolteachers and developing a system for elderly care services, he said. Wang Daming, a CPPCC National Committee member and a doctor at Beijing Hospital, said that to better fulfill his duty he will do more practical work this year and make quality proposals a priority over quantity. "Making precise and proper suggestions requires thorough study, and surveys are fundamental," he said. He visited six impoverished counties in two provinces last year to conduct a survey about how to improve medical conditions and relieve poverty. Delivering the work report, Wang Yang also said that this year, the top political advisory body will continue to carry out international exchanges and high-level visits and will create new ways of conducting public diplomacy and people-to-people and intercultural exchanges. Events to be held include the 17th session of the Sino-EU Round Table, the Belt and Road Seminar for International Cooperation and the International Seminar on Peaceful Dialogue between Different Religions. Last year, for the first time, diplomats from 41 African countries and representatives from the African Union visited the CPPCC National Committee and attended forums to learn more about China's political advisory system. Xinhua contributed to this story. SOURCE China Daily "Dr. Edmonson is an exemplary nursing leader, tremendously well-respected from the bedside to the boardroom in the healthcare industry," said Susan Salka, President and CEO of AMN Healthcare. "His appointment as an inaugural AONE Fellow reflects his long commitment to nursing leadership practice. We celebrate him and this tremendous honor." AONE Fellows demonstrate exemplary leadership practice with impact at the regional, national and even global levels. They have achieved success in the field, demonstrating expert leadership practice, peer engagement and mentorship, and contributions to AONE at the regional and national levels. AONE will announce the fellow credential at its Annual Meeting in April in San Diego. Dr. Edmonson joined AMN in January from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, a Magnet hospital with a highly respected and decorated nursing staff, where he was Chief Nursing Officer since 2010. He held the same position at other hospitals since 1998. In addition to nurse leadership, he is deeply involved in research, professional organizations, health policy development, and community service. He is well known for his success in elevating the nursing leadership role and creating collaborative teams across the clinical delivery continuum. Throughout his tenure as a nurse leader, he has initiated and led innovative programs to advance clinical quality, education, professional practice, patient experience and safety, and clinician safety. About AMN Healthcare AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to healthcare facilities across the nation. The Company provides unparalleled access to the most comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities. With insights and expertise, AMN Healthcare helps providers optimize their workforce to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency and improve patient outcomes. AMN delivers managed services programs, healthcare executive search solutions, vendor management systems, recruitment process outsourcing, predictive modeling, mid-revenue cycle solutions, credentialing, and other services. AMN Healthcare is committed to fostering and maintaining a diverse team that reflects the communities we serve. Our commitment to the inclusion of many different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives enables our innovation and leadership in the healthcare services industry. For more information about AMN Healthcare, visit www.amnhealthcare.com. Media Contact Jim Gogek Corporate Communications AMN Healthcare (858) 350-3209 [email protected] SOURCE AMN Healthcare Related Links http://www.amnhealthcare.com SAN FRANCISCO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global angiography equipment market size is expected to reach USD 16.2 billion by 2026, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to witness an exponential CAGR of 6.5% over the forecast period due to growing geriatric population, increasing prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) with associated risk factors, technological advancements, and investments in the health tech sector. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, CVD is one of the leading causes of death in countries, such as U.S. and U.K. Key suggestions from the report: Angiography systems led the market in 2018 owing to the advancements in technology and interventional procedures in Cath labs In 2018, X-ray held the largest share of the market due to technological developments offering superior-quality and high-resolution images without increasing radiation dose Coronary angiography led the procedure segment due to increased prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) In 2018, diagnostic angiography accounted for the largest share of the application segment due to the growing complexity of the diseases Some key companies in the industry are GE Healthcare; Koninklijke Philips N.V.; Siemens Healthineers; Boston Scientific Corporation; Abbott Laboratories; B. Braun Melsungen; Medtronic, Inc.; Angiodynamics; Cordis Corporation; and Shimadzu Corporation Read 100 page research report with TOC on "Angiography Devices Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Technology (X-Ray, MRA, CT), By Product (Angiography Systems, Contrast Media), By Procedure, By Application, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2026" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/angiography-device-market Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the most prevalent form of CVD. Through Global Hearts Initiative, the WHO is supporting governments in controlling cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes. All these factors are projected to boost the market expansion over the forecast period. Rapid development of the diagnostic imaging modalities providing better visualization and assessment of CVD is also likely to drive the angiography devices market in the years to come. Geographically, North America held the largest market share in 2018 and is expected to maintain its position during the forecast period. Countries, such as Brazil and China, export the medical devices from U.S. owing to the high standard of quality. Due to favorable government regulations in developing countries, such as Japan and China, the Asia Pacific region is projected to expand at a healthy CAGR during the estimated period. For instance, reimbursement policy in Japan encourages the local manufacturers to provide advanced angiography diagnostic devices. Grand View Research has segmented the global angiography equipment market on the basis of product, technology, procedure, application, and region: Angiography Equipment Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) Angiography Systems Catheters Balloons Guidewire Contrast Media Vascular Closure Devices Angiography Accessories Angiography Equipment Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) X-ray MRA CT Angiography Equipment Procedure Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) Coronary Endovascular Neurovascular Angiography Equipment Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) Diagnostic Therapeutic Angiography Equipment Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. Germany France Asia Pacific Japan China India Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East and Africa and South Africa Find more research reports on Medical Devices Industry, by Grand View Research: Varicose Veins Treatment Devices Market Global varicose veins treatment devices market size was valued at around USD 1.1 billion in 2018 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.3% over the forecast period Global varicose veins treatment devices market size was valued at around in 2018 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.3% over the forecast period Fractional Flow Reserve Market Global fractional flow reserve market size was valued at USD 542.2 million in 2018. It is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period Global fractional flow reserve market size was valued at in 2018. It is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period Home Healthcare Market Global home healthcare market size was valued at USD 305.78 billion in 2018 and is expected to register a CAGR of 7.8% over the forecast period Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sale Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. CHIBA, Japan, March 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Fuller, Inc., Japanese leading provider of analytics platform and market insights on mobile app, is pleased to announce that App Ape will exhibit at the Trade Show of the SXSW (South by Southwest) 2019 in Austin (Texas, USA) from March 10th to 13th at the booth 1024. After the exhibition of 2016, during which Fuller, Inc. exhibited as one of the companies part of the Japanese Pavilion, it is now heading back to the SXSW under the banner of its mobile apps analytics tool, App Ape. "We are greatly pleased to participate in SXSW again in the 6th year since the App Ape launch," remarks Shuta Shibuya, Founder and CEO of Fuller, Inc. "We will do our best to increase App Ape brand awareness and inform SXSW participants regarding how App Ape can help their mobile app business succeed and contribute to give a boost to the fast growing mobile app industry." App Ape is a mobile apps analytics service developed to help entrepreneurs and businesses to analyze their competitors' main KPIs and latest mobile trends. This marketing tool lets users monitor mobile usage indicators such as active users number (monthly/weekly/daily and even hourly), demographics (gender/age ratio) and mutual apps concerning any iOS/Android app. In addition, App Ape's dashboard also supports mobile devices meaning you can easily check the data on the go. App Ape currently covers mobile usage data from 7 countries : USA, Japan, South Korea, India, Germany, Brazil and Indonesia. Moreover, more than 5,000 local and global companies are listed as clients with a proven track record. SXSW Trade Show Floor plan : App Ape Booth Learn more about App Ape : Website Follow App Ape : Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn About SXSW The South By Southwest (SXSW) is well-known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. A major event for global professionals, SXSW features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. The Trade Show is the epicenter of business and also the biggest exhibition of the SXSW, hosting a diverse range of forward-thinking exhibitors ranging from promising startups to established industry leaders. In 2018, there were 735 Trade Show spaces from 27 different countries, with over 75,000 people in attendance. Schedule: March 10-11-12 : 11:00am - 6:00pm March 13: 11:00am - 2:00pm Venue: Austin Convention Center Trade Show - Exhibit Halls 2, 3, 4 & 5 at Level 1 500 E Cesar Chavez, Austin TX 78701, USA Learn more about SXSW Trade show : Website About Fuller Fuller is the Japanese leading provider of analytics platform and market insights on mobile app, founded in 2011 by Shuta Shibuya, who was selected as Forbes' "30 Under 30 Asia 2016", and Hiroki Sakurai. Fuller primarily offers 2 main services - Fuller's flagship product which is "App Analysis Support Service" through "Ape Ape", and "Smartphone App Development Service" providing planning, developing, operating, and analyzing customer's app business. Fuller has currently offices in 2 countries - Japan (Chiba, Tokyo, Nigata, Tsukuba) and South Korea. Also, the company has successfully raised funds of approximately $12.8 million ( 1.45 billion/$ 1= 113) in total. Contact Julian Jeanneau [email protected] +81-4-7197-6535 SOURCE Fuller, Inc. AUSTIN, Texas, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Underscoring the importance of being licensed to conduct cybersecurity work, IT and cybersecurity firm Bulletproof has received a Class II license from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. This license adds to the multiple licenses the company already holds throughout the U.S. and Canada. "In today's era of rapidly evolving technology, it is crucial for businesses to continually deploy aggressive cybersecurity tactics. Having attained a Class II license from the NGCB will allow Bulletproof to use our expertise to help Nevada casinos reduce risk and to improve processes, systems, and business infrastructure," said Bulletproof CEO Steven Burns. "While Bulletproof services a wide range of industries globally, we have deep knowledge of the gaming industry and of how technology powers its processes. That knowledge will be beneficial to the Nevada casinos we serve. Being licensed by the NGCB gives casinos an added layer of confidence when engaging our firm and entrusting us with their data," he added. With the overload of data being generated by their security systems, many gaming operators and their IT teams struggle to stay on top of increasingly complex cybersecurity threats. With Bulletproof's NGCB Class II approval, gaming operators in Nevada now have a new resource to assist them in their efforts to secure and protect their most valuable data and cyber assets 24/7 through Bulletproof's secure, state-of-the-art Security Operations Centre (SOC) that protects clients on six continents. Bulletproof is dedicated to protecting the gaming industry with customized gaming security, technology, and education services. As long-time members of the cybersecurity community in the U.S. and Canada, Bulletproof's goal is to give its customers peace of mind. Bulletproof's advanced tools automatically incorporate the latest threat intelligence to its detection systems allowing the company to detect and respond to the latest threats for its clients. About Bulletproof Bulletproof has more than 18 years in the security business, protecting its clients' privacy and data. Bulletproof was acquired by the GLI Group of Companies in 2016 and operates as an independent company within the Group. Today, users on six continents trust Bulletproof to secure their networks, data, and people. In addition to its security pedigree, Bulletproof is a Certified Microsoft Gold Cloud Productivity Partner with more than 20 million files and 100,000+ users migrated so far. From 24/7 threat monitoring to employee training and emergency incident response the Bulletproof team is passionate about helping organizations gain a competitive edge to enable their growth and reach new heights of productivity and efficiency, securely. Bulletproof's 24/7 Service Desk supports more than 50,000 users and over 10,000 network devices in more than 300 client offices around the world. Bulletproof experts resolve 80 percent of service desk calls without escalation and consistently score above 90 on the Net Promoter Scale (from -100 to +100). For more information on Bulletproof visit www.bulletproofsi.com/gaming. Contact: Melissa Aarskaug, Vice President of Business Development USA Bulletproof, A GLI company (702) 373-3520 or [email protected] SOURCE Bulletproof Related Links http://www.bulletproofsi.com IRVING, Texas, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences, a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, today announced that Brian Brille, Vice Chairman of the Company, will present at the Cowen and Company 39th Annual Health Care Conference on Monday, March 11, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. The conference is being held at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, Boston. Mr. Brille will provide an overview of Caris' business and discuss recent achievements that position the Company to further extend its leadership in precision medicine. He also will take questions from the audience. About Caris Life Sciences Caris Life Sciences is a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine through quality and innovation. The company's suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assess DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps physicians and cancer patients make more precise and personalized treatment decisions. Caris is also advancing precision medicine with Next Generation Profiling that combines its innovative service offerings, Caris Molecular Intelligence and ADAPT Biotargeting System, with its proprietary artificial intelligence analytics engine, DEAN, to analyze the whole exome, whole transcriptome and complete cancer proteome. This information, coupled with mature clinical outcomes on thousands of patients, provides unmatched molecular solutions for patients, physicians, payers and biopharmaceutical organizations. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.CarisLifeSciences.com or follow us on Twitter ( @CarisLS ). Company Contact: Srikant Ramaswami Vice President, Chief Communications Officer [email protected] +1-214-769-5510 Investor Inquiries: Julia Balanova Solebury Trout [email protected] +1-646-378-2936 SOURCE Caris Life Sciences Related Links http://www.carislifesciences.com NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With a growing demand to discuss current threats that businesses incorporated in Delaware face, TransPerfect employees invited Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD) Campaign Manager, Chris Coffey, to talk about the long, but ultimately successful battle to save the company in Delaware's Chancery Court, which poses an "existential threat" to TransPerfect and other successful businesses. A majority of employees are part of CPBD. "Existential threats," Mr. Coffey told employees, "are threats beyond typical business competition that put successful businesses at risk, such as through government actions or hostile takeover attempts. Our organization stopped both types of efforts." "We may have won the biggest battle over TransPerfect in Delaware, but if history has taught us anything it's that the same court agents and lawyers who made millions of dollars coming after TransPerfect are not going to stop now," said Coffey. "That is why our members have asked us to keep organizing and fighting and that's what we intend to do. From meeting with elected officials to educating the public through a new campaign, we will ensure the Delaware government cannot be used to improperly occupy successful companies against the wishes of a majority of shareholders. This case cost $250 million, and two years later, virtually all of the records and itemized bills in this case are still under seal. The public deserves to know what these documents say, and why courts are so intent on hiding them. The employees banded together to save this company from the Courts, and they deserve to why and how this money ordered paid by the Chancery was spent and who benefited." In his address, Mr. Coffey laid out the history of the case, which began in May 2016 when a group of senior managers at the company approached him and asked him to take up their cause. What followed was a historic effort to shed light on a vitally important story that ultimately saved a successful company and thousands of jobs. After introducing a bill in the Delaware legislature and supporting it with TV, radio, print, digital, out of home, and mail ads for months, the effort began to pay off. People in Delaware started asking about the case and calling their representatives. The largest paper in the state, the Delaware News Journal, weighed in in favor of a historic compromise, and the bill was brought onto the floor. Mr. Coffey received a sustained standing ovation from hundreds of TransPerfect employees for helping lead the fight. "The court case made completely unsupported claims of 'dysfunction,' which were supported by no witnesses, to justify a three-year occupation of the company by lawyers connected to the Chancery Court," said TransPerfect CRO, Kevin Obarski, speaking personally. "But in the end, employees banded together to save the company, and we fended off a government-engineered hostile takeover attempt that would have cost thousands of United States jobs. Thank you to Chris Coffey and the bold action of CPBD leadership, staff and members for helping make this moment possible." "The fight is not over," Mr. Coffey warned employees, "the cottage industry of lawyers, consultants, and other 'friends' of the court feeding off of TransPerfect to the tune of million and millions of dollars has not ceased. The court continues to improperly use its power to seal documents to prevent the public from gaining access to the bills -yet, it is ordering those bills to be paid to this very day." He continued, "We will not stop our quest to protect TransPerfect employees and their families from all threats, including those from the Delaware judiciary and its agents. Skadden Arps recently reached a $4.6 million settlement with the United States Department of Justice for running afoul of foreign agent laws in a case involving Ukraine and Paul Manafort, but yet the Chancery Court ordered TransPerfect to pay Skadden five times the amount for their "help" running the company. None of our hundreds of members at the company understand what this $25 million was for, or how it was spent. They deserve answers." About Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 2,700 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the issue. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to defend the TransPerfect employees and fight for more openness in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org . Contact: Alex Sommer // [email protected] SOURCE Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware ATLANTA, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight divisions of EmployBridge, America's largest specialty industrial staffing company, have been honored for superior service as 2019 winners of ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Talent Award. These top-rated divisions include ResourceMFG, ProLogistix, ProDrivers, Select, Remedy, RemX, Westaff and Decca Energy. In addition, ProDrivers, Remedy, RemX and Westaff were further honored as winners of ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards, ranking them among the very best in serving both clients and workers. Less than 2 percent of all staffing firms in the U.S. and Canada earned this prestigious distinction. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing winners are proven industry leaders based on exemplary ratings from clients and temporary associates. Compared to those working with other agencies, clients of firms achieving the Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards are 2.2 times more likely to be completely satisfied while associate staffers are 1.7 times more likely to be completely satisfied. "In today's historically tight labor market, hiring managers and job seekers need a clear and reputable way to vet potential staffing and recruiting partners," said ClearlyRated CEO Eric Gregg. "Best of Staffing winners have set themselves apart by demonstrating their commitment to client and candidate service." "We're very pleased to be honored, but we're not surprised. Our approach to serving our temporary associates and clients through specialized divisions focused on distinct market segments has been highly successful, creating consistently greater value for all of the temporary associates and clients we serve," said EmployBridge CEO Tom Bickes. As workforce specialists, EmployBridge professionals leverage their deep industry knowledge to create solutions that not only meet the labor needs of client companies but also make their contingent workforce a powerful marketplace advantage. This same industry-specific expertise also allows the EmployBridge brands to provide better job opportunities to temporary associates. As a result, EmployBridge branches routinely become local employers of choice for skilled job seekers in specific industries. This creates a positive cycle of reinforcement, helping the brands attract and retain higher quality temporary associates that deliver better client results. In addition, EmployBridge is committed to investing in contingent workers and helping them build successful careers. "Through our Better WorkLife Academy and other initiatives, we offer our temporary associates free skills training, apprenticeship opportunities and other support tools to help them open new opportunities and bridge the widening skills gap," said Brian Devine, senior vice president, EmployBridge. About EmployBridge As workforce specialists, EmployBridge provides value-added workforce solutions and job opportunities through focused specialty divisions including ResourceMFG, ProLogistix, ProDrivers, Select, RemX, Westaff and Remedy. Combining the advantages of national scale, in-depth local market knowledge, supply-chain-specific expertise, and powerful recruiting and retention tools, EmployBridge is recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as America's largest industrial staffing firm. The company puts more than 400,000 temporary associates to work annually in 48 states through a network of 400+ offices. In 2018, EmployBridge provided more than 159 million work hours to 12,000 customers, generating more than $3.1 billion in revenue. EmployBridge is also helping close the skills gap in America's supply chain by providing free, career-focused skills development to its temporary associates through the firm's Better WorkLife Academy. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.employbridge.com About ClearlyRated ClearlyRated (formerly known as Inavero) administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world, reporting on more than 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and job seekers each year. Committed to delivering ongoing value to the industry, ClearlyRated is proud to serve as the American Staffing Association's exclusive service quality partner. Learn more at ClearlyRated.com/Solutions About Best of Staffing ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on ClearlyRated.com an online business directory that helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms based exclusively on validated client and candidate ratings and testimonials. EmployBridge Media Contact Ken Christensen (678) 534.2346 SOURCE EmployBridge, Inc. Related Links http://www.employbridge.com AUSTIN, Texas, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- eRelevance Corporation, a leading provider of lead management solutions for small- to medium-size businesses (SMBs), today announced that the revenue for its newest tech-enabled service offering has grown by 534% since its introduction in September 2018. "We're excited about the rapid growth of our lead management solution," says eRelevance Co-founder and CEO Bob Fabbio. "Our solution brings sophisticated lead management to small businesses in an affordable way. Essentially, we offload the work for our customers using tech-enabled best practices to increase the likelihood that leads turn into business while giving them complete visibility into what's going on with the leads they're generating from their advertising efforts." All too often small businesses are frustrated with the return on investment they see from their advertising efforts, especially when they are purchasing leads. eRelevance recognized that the true challenge to improving lead conversion typically rests with the business personnel who rarely have the time, technology, or expertise to effectively manage their leads. The eRelevance lead management solution was designed to address the following questions: How many leads are being generated from each lead source? Which lead sources produce the best results? Are leads being followed up on according to best practices to ensure the highest possible conversion? For leads that are not ready to act now, are they being nurtured to convert them into business in the future? eRelevance designed its solution to address the questions above in an affordable wayby leveraging proprietary technology to assist marketing experts and US based call center agents. The eRelevance lead management solution is delivered as a turnkey service to small businesses, taking on the work so that its customers can focus on their core business. About eRelevance Corporation With the vision to forever change small businesses, eRelevance is pioneering the delivery of big-company lead management as an affordable, turnkey service. The eRelevance lead management solution has powered the growth of more than 1,600 small- to medium-size businessesdriving more demand from customers and prospects and improving ROI of their advertising spend. Privately funded and based in Austin, Texas, eRelevance has been recognized locally, nationally and internationally with awards for its breakthrough innovation, including Red Herring 100 North America and Global awards, Entrepreneur magazine' Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America, and the A-list of Hottest Startups, presented by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and South by Southwest. For more information, visit erelevancecorp.com. Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12757658 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE eRelevance Corporation Related Links http://www.erelevancecorp.com/ JOHANNESBURG, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Johanna Juselius, Senior Advisor of EU Affairs in the Helsinki-Uusimaa Region, will deliver a keynote address at IOT Forum Africa 2019 , set to take place on 26 & 27 March at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa. This leading event on IoT will assemble over 500+ executives, entrepreneurs and solution providers in Johannesburg for two days of insightful presentations, interactive panel discussions, industry focused break-away sessions, and plenty of networking. Johanna is senior advisor of EU Affairs and is in charge of managing the Smart Specialisation Strategy of the Helsinki-Uusimaa region in Finland. The smart specialisation strategy (RIS3) is the innovation and research strategy of smart initiatives for the region. The region includes the capital Helsinki and 26 cities and towns in the economically prosperous region in the country. All in all, 120 european regions implement the RIS3 strategy, which is an initiative by the European Commission. With her keynote address titled "The Case of Helsinki Region: Creating a Smart Community", Johanna is set to travel to Johannesburg to deliver some valuable insight into what they are doing to make the entire Helsinki Region smart, as well as how to improve service delivery with the use of technology. Confirmed speakers for #IOTFA include: Phathizwe Malinga, MD Sqwidnet Roger Hislop , Executive Head: IOT at Internet Solutions , Executive Head: IOT at Internet Solutions Toros Esim Emre , Head of Digital Retail and Regional Director of Digital Strategy at Orange Business Services for the Middle East and African market. , Head of Digital Retail and Regional Director of Digital Strategy at Orange Business Services for the and African market. Johanna Juselius , Senior Advisor, EU Affairs, Helsinki-Uusimaa Region , Senior Advisor, EU Affairs, Helsinki-Uusimaa Region Kabelo Rabotho, Marketing Director, Nissan South Africa Abdul Baba , Head of IT Operations at www.kwese.com , Head of IT Operations at www.kwese.com Dr Mark Nasila , Chief Analytics Officer: Consumer Banking & Chief Risk Office at FNB , Chief Analytics Officer: Consumer Banking & Chief Risk Office at FNB Kyle Parker , CEO of MITAS, Pagemark Africa and COO of Informed Decisions , CEO of MITAS, Pagemark Africa and COO of Informed Decisions Dr Towela Nyerinda Jere, Principal Programme Officer, Nepad Agency Sindisiwe Nhlapho Dlamini Moloi, CIO at Transnet SOC Ltd Lee Naik , CEO of TransUnion Africa , CEO of TransUnion Africa Richard Barry , CEO at Polymorph , CEO at Polymorph Jon Foster-Pedley , Dean and director at Henley Business School, Africa , Dean and director at Henley Business School, Tshepo Motshegoa, Group Chief Information Officer at 3Sixty Financial Services Group How to Participate: Join as an attendee: Join hundreds of Africa's entrepreneurs, IOT solution providers and technology leaders - for two days of top-level content, case studies, live demos, and plenty of networking opportunities Join as a speaker: Showcase your thought-leadership. Share your insights and experience. Shape solutions to critical business challenges. Join us as an exhibitor: Showcase your brand and present your solutions to a select audience. Position your organisation at the forefront of Africa's IoT revolution. Find new partnerships, investors, leads, and opportunities. For more information, visit www.iotforumafrica.com About IT News Africa: IT News Africa is a dynamic media company that specialises in publishing, events as well as marketing and advertising solutions for the information age. We have a global publishing network and international client base, which we service from offices in Johannesburg. Publishing and Events: Media Contact Matshego Njumbuxa [email protected] / [email protected] +27-0110260982 SOURCE IT News Africa Related Links 27114842240 HOUSTON, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite declining sales growth worldwide, gasoline demand is expected to continue to gain ground through 2020, according to a new analysis from Stratas Advisors. New registrations are greater in volume than the number of vehicles that are exiting the fleet through scrappage. As new gasoline production comes on-line in the coming years, along with continued investment and expansion of refining capacity around the world, Stratas Advisors forecasts that the volume of gasoline produced will continue to grow. "In the short term, new registrations in the automotive space are strongly tied to macroeconomic indicators. We see slight erosion in new registrations in countries around the world that are seeing their economies level off or begin to contract," said Christopher Brown, manager of Stratas Advisors' Global Automotive Service. "Vehicle fleet growth, changing powertrain alignments, and economic fortunes all affect gasoline demand at the national level. Globally, vehicle fleet dynamics tend to move more slowly than new registrations, so a slowdown in new registrations does not necessarily mean a reduction in overall gasoline demand in that country," he added. In the United States, production will outpace demand in 2019 with 10,068 thousand barrels per day (thousand bbl/d) produced vs. 9,432 thousand bbl/d 0.5% and 1.2% growth, respectively. Production is expected to contract slightly, down 0.1%, in 2020, though demand will continue to grow, up an additional 0.9% to 9,512 thousand bbl/d. The US is expected to produce 637 thousand bbl/d net surplus in 2019. China, building on an expanding middle-class appetite for vehicles amid an overall elevation of living standards, will continue to demand ever greater amounts of gasoline. Its production domestically will grow in tandem with demand, growing fast enough to keep up with expanded demand. In 2019, production is forecast to grow 5.1% to 3,422 thousand bbl/d, matching demand of 3,052 thousand bbl/d, a 3.1% growth. This trend will continue in 2020, along with economic expansion and vehicle fleet growth, to 3,585 thousand bbl/d produced (+4.8%) and 3,137 thousand bbl/d demanded (+2.8%). As the Indian economy continues to grow, gasoline demand will expand to meet increasing consumer demand. Transportation and other facets of a growing consumer class are expected to drive gasoline demand upward at increasing rates, 4.3% in 2019 and 4.4% in 2020, reaching 665 thousand bbl/d. Domestic production will continue to expand as well, growing 2.3% before slowing to 1.8% growth in 2020. This expansion brings India into a weaker net surplus position of 262 thousand bbl/d compared with 280 thousand bbl/d surplus in 2018. Russian production and demand for gasoline are expected to grow steadily through 2020, amounting in a net surplus of 104 thousand bbl/d in both years. Support for crude prices and export demand throughout Europe will continue to drive the Russian economy forward. Gasoline demand is expected to continue to grow, up 1.9% in 2019 and an additional 1.2% in 2020, up to 829 thousand bbl/d demanded. On the supply side, production will grow by 1.2% and 1.0%, respectively. That brings gasoline production in Russia to 933 thousand bbl/d in 2020. Despite year-over-year declines in production and demand for gasoline in 2018, Saudi Arabia is expected to bounce back in 2019, expanding production by 0.5% and demand by 1.4%. In total, Saudi Arabia is forecast to demand 569 thousand bbl/d of gasoline in 2019. That trend is expected to pick up in 2020, with a 1.8% production growth and 1.5% demand growth. That brings gasoline production to 542 thousand bbl/d by 2020 to pair with 578 thousand bbl/d in demand. Europe will continue to be a mixed bag of gasoline demand growth and contraction across its membership. In France, demand is expected to continue to grow in 2019 (+1.8%) before contraction in 2020 (-0.6%), while production is expected to continue its decline, dropping 3.9% and 3.6% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Italy and the UK are expected to show declines in both sides of the equation in 2019 and 2020, though declines in Italy's gasoline demand will be only marginal. The UK is expected to reduce its overall net surplus to 85 thousand bbl/d by 2020, down from 98 thousand bbl/d in 2018. Of the major European countries, only Spain and Germany are expected to remain flat or gain volume. Spain will be the bigger gainer, with gasoline demand jumping to 124 thousand bbl/d and supply growing to 218 thousand bbl/d by 2020. Demand in Germany will continue its growth in 2019 before contracting marginally in 2020; production is expected to slow its growth but remain positive. About Stratas Advisors Stratas Advisors, a Hart Energy company, is a leading global consulting and analytics provider for upstream, midstream and downstream energy markets and related sectors, such as automotive; transportation; power; petrochemicals and heavy industries. Stratas Advisors' team of experts provides data and strategic insights to companies seeking to understand key drivers shaping development. Stratas Advisors' consultants and analysts offer forward-looking perspectives to help energy decision makers leverage opportunities, mitigate risk and implement strategies. Stratas Advisors is headquartered in Houston. Media Contact: [email protected] 713-260-4657 SOURCE Stratas Advisors Related Links http://www.stratasadvisors.com MUMBAI, India and PARAMUS, N.J., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, a research-led, integrated global pharmaceutical company, today announced that Alessandro Riva, MD, will join its new innovation company as Chief Executive Officer. Alessandro is currently Executive Vice President, Oncology Therapeutics and Cell Therapy for Gilead Sciences. The appointment is effective April 2, 2019. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals announced on February 14, 2019, the in-principle approval from its Board of Directors to spin off the innovation business into a new company headquartered in the US. The new company will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Glenmark and will operate with Alessandro Riva as the CEO, a management team and an independent Board of Directors. "We are pleased that Alessandro will assume the role of CEO of the new innovation business," said Glenn Saldanha, Chairman & Managing Director, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. "His extensive and diverse industry experience leading global R&D will no doubt be invaluable in driving our pipeline towards commercialization. We are excited for this major step as a company and are confident Alessandro's talent and leadership will shape the innovation business into a major global biotech company." Alessandro is with Gilead Sciences, where he is the Executive Vice President, Head of Oncology Therapeutics and Head of Cell Therapy. As part of the Gilead senior leadership team and executive committee member, he is responsible for leading the oncology R&D program and support functions, defining the strategic direction for the oncology therapeutic unit. In addition, he plays a critical role in key corporate initiatives including strategic acquisition, partnering and business development. Prior to joining Gilead, Alessandro spent 12 years with Novartis where he was the Executive Vice President and Head of Global Oncology Development and Medical Affairs in the Oncology Business Unit, managing a global group of more than 2,500 associates. He also served as Interim President of the Novartis Oncology Business Unit during the acquisition of GSK Oncology. Prior to his time at Novartis, Alessandro held leadership roles with Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Aventis, France. "I'm excited to join a company so committed to driving business through entrepreneurial innovation. The novel technology and diverse pipeline, which includes clinical-stage candidates on track to progress rapidly, has the potential to differentiate in areas of unmet need," said Alessandro Riva. "I'm looking forward to bringing my experience to lead the company and work together with highly experienced teams to deliver first-in-class therapies to the patients who need them the most." The new innovation company will be headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey. Global locations include two R&D centers in Switzerland, the R&D center at Mahape, Navi Mumbai, India, and the GMP biologics manufacturing facility in Switzerland. The new company will include approximately 400 employees working to provide an enhanced focus on the innovation business and help accelerate the pipeline towards commercialization. About the Innovative Pipeline: The current pipeline has eight assets, including new chemical entities (NCEs) and new biological entities (NBEs), in various stages of development in the areas of immunology, oncology and pain management. The pipeline includes an immuno-oncology pipeline with three bispecific antibodies developed through Glenmark's proprietary BEAT (Bispecific Engagement by Antibodies based on the T cell receptor) platform. Of the five clinical and three preclinical assets in development, three clinical assets are currently in Phase 2b, and one asset is likely to enter Phase 2b in FY20. Oncology: Includes four assets, two of which are in Phase 1 clinical development. GBR 1302, a HER2xCD3 bispecific antibody (bsAb), is being evaluated for HER2 positive cancers and GBR 1342, a CD38xCD3 bsAb is being studied for multiple myeloma and other malignancies of hematopoietic origin, as well as a variety of solid tumors. The other two assets in preclinical studies are GBR 1372, an EGFRxCD3 bsAb being evaluated for treatment of colorectal cancer and a small molecule oncology program based on tumor antigen presenting biology. Immunology: Includes two assets. GBR 830, an anti-OX40R monoclonal antibody, is the lead biologic candidate currently in Phase 2b clinical development for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Additional studies for GBR 830 are planned for the potential treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The second asset is GRC 39815, a new chemical entity, currently being evaluated in preclinical studies as an inhaled compound for the possible treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). GRC 39815 is an inhibitor of the Retinoid-related Orphan Receptor gamma t (RORt). Pain: Includes two assets in clinical studies: GRC 27864, a non-opioid, potent, selective and orally bioavailable inhibitor of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1), is currently being evaluated in Phase 2b clinical development for osteoarthritic pain. GRC 17536, a TRPA1 antagonist, has completed a Phase 2a proof of concept study in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. About Glenmark Pharmaceuticals: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, global, integrated pharmaceutical organization with operations in more than 80 countries. It is ranked among the top 75 Pharma & Biotech companies of the world in terms of revenue (SCRIP 100 Rankings published in the year 2018). Glenmark is a leading player in the discovery of new molecules both NCEs (new chemical entity) and NBEs (new biological entity). Glenmark has several molecules in various stages of clinical development and is focused in the areas of oncology, immunology and pain. SOURCE Glenmark Pharmaceuticals HOUSTON, March 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hicks Thomas LLP is pleased to announce that four of the firm's lawyers have earned selection to the 2019 Texas Rising Stars list of top young lawyers. Senior Counsel Abbie Sprague, Nicholas Zugaro, Leah Graham and Kasi Chadwick are among the top 2.5 percent of Texas lawyers chosen for recognition. To be eligible attorneys must be 40 or younger, or in practice for 10 years or less. Ms. Sprague is being honored for her general litigation work for the fourth year in a row. She focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation involving disputes in construction, real estate, employment and bankruptcy. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center. Mr. Zugaro earned recognition from Rising Stars for his business litigation work for the third year. He advises clients on a broad range of litigation matters, including bankruptcy, business and real estate issues. His clients include Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and individuals. He is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center. Also honored for business litigation is Ms. Graham, an attorney who focuses her practice on commercial arbitration, securities litigation, trade secrets, labor and employment, and construction litigation. She first made the Rising Stars list last year. She is a graduate of Baylor Law School. Ms. Chadwick earned recognition from Rising Stars for her employment litigation work. She represents employers in pre-litigation investigations before governmental bodies, as well as a variety of litigation and post-judgment and appellate matters. This is her first year on the Texas Rising Stars list. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center. The Rising Stars list is compiled through peer nominations and attorney-led research by Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters. The complete listing of this year's Texas Rising Stars will appear in the April 2019 issue of Super Lawyers magazine, https://www.superlawyers.com/. Founded in 1997, Texas-based Hicks Thomas LLP is a premier litigation firm representing plaintiffs and defendants across the nation. With offices in Houston, Austin, Beaumont, Amarillo, and Sacramento, California, the firm provides in-depth experience in cases involving oil and gas, environmental, complex commercial, toxic tort, construction, products liability, corporate governance, securities, banking, insurance coverage, transportation, trade secrets, and business litigation. Visit the firm at https://www.hicks-thomas.com. SOURCE Hicks Thomas LLP Related Links https://www.hicks-thomas.com SHENZHEN, China, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey, a leading global provider of power solutions, has recently released its dimmable LED desk lamp HL-E100 with 1 LCD screen and 2 USB charging ports. https://en.huntkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/leddesklamp-1024x320.jpg The lamp looks beautiful. It is sleek, smooth and solid. It produces bright, crisp and non-flickery light suited for working, studying and reading. The lamp features an LCD screen on the front of its body. It is where the alarm clock is displayed, together with the time and date, and it is the reason that makes it a useful item on the bedside table. Below the screen, there are 2 USB charging ports sharing 2.4 Amps of power for the user to charge electronic devices. Integrated with a touch sensitive dimmer inside, the lamp is steplessly dimmable which allows the user to fully customize the brightness from 35 to 700 lumens by touching the dimmer bar on the base. Apart from the brightness setting, the lamp produces flicker-free and anti-glare light to make it more pleasant on the user's eyes. This means the lamp can be used for a longer time every day with no harm to the eyes. The lamp is well-balanced and versatile. It's stable and sturdy where the user places it. Meanwhile, it offers a 180-degree lighting angle on its head, as well as a 90-degree lighting angle on the arm. It can be perfectly folded and stretched to the position that fits the user's eyes. The lamp is durable, and it can last for 30,000 hours, which means that the lamp can last for 18 years based on 4.5 hours per day. It is also highly energy-efficient that leaves the user with no concerns about the electricity bills. For more information, please visit Huntkey website: http://www.huntkey.com/ Light Source LED LED Power 8.5 Watts Input Voltage 100-240Vac CCT 4000K Color Warm White CRI 85 Flux 700LM Beam Angle 120 Lifetime 30,000 Hrs USB Ports Total Max 5V 2.4A Safety CE, ETL, FCC Dimensions 190 x 150 x 388 mm Weight 860g / 30.3oz / 1.9lb About Huntkey Huntkey Group, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Shenzhen, is a member of The International Power Supply Manufacturer's Association (PSMA) and a member of The China Power Supply Society (CPSS). With branch companies in the USA, Japan and other areas, and cooperating factories in Brazil, Argentina, India and other countries, Huntkey has specialized in the development, design, and manufacturing of PC power supplies, industrial power supplies, surge protectors, adapters and chargers for many years. With its own technologies and manufacturing strength, Huntkey has served Lenovo, Huawei, Haier, DELL, ZTE, Bestbuy and many other large enterprises for years, and has received unanimous recognition and trust from many customers. SOURCE Huntkey Related Links http://en.huntkey.com When guests of the Viceroy L'Ermitage Beverly Hills turn on the television, they are greeted by name with a powerful custom on-screen welcome message that visually amplifies the Viceroy brand. They also discover other convenient aspects such as hotel information, amenity details, and an interactive program guide for easy TV channel navigation. STAYCAST, powered by Google Chromecast, offers guests nearly endless content choices with access to more than 2000+ streamable apps. Plus, added privacy and security features appeal directly to Hollywood A-listers frequenting Viceroy L'Ermitage Beverly Hills. These tailored features ensure privacy by allowing guests to forgo entering any logins or personal information into the TV system. Both the in-room TV and mobile app, powered by SONIFI, provide interactive on-screen ordering options for in-room dining service from Avec Nous , the property's contemporary French bistro. "L'Ermitage may be a classic iconic property, but our guests expect a technologically advanced experience," said Darren Clark, Vice President, Technology at Viceroy Hotels and Resorts. "SONIFI's flexible platform and industry knowledge help us deliver a premium guest experience to every screen in the room whether it's a flat screen on the wall, or an embedded TV behind the bathroom mirror. The ability for the guest to seamlessly cast their content such as Netflix, HBO etc. from their personal device to the TV is also a key feature for our guests." "It's a pleasure to work with Viceroy and the staff at Viceroy L'Ermitage Beverly Hills. It was a great collaborative effort to imagine an immersive guest experience and then collectively bring it to life. We look forward to future collaborations to deliver memorable guest experiences and to amplify the Viceroy brand," says Nick Clessuras, SVP of Sales for SONIFI. About SONIFI Solutions, Inc. SONIFI Solutions, the leader in innovative guest engagement solutions for the hospitality industry serves 500 million travelers in over one million hotel rooms annually. Core services include internet services, streaming, interactive television, and free-to-guest solutions along with unparalleled nationwide technical support and professional services. For more information, visit www.sonifi.com. SOURCE SONIFI Solutions Related Links https://www.sonifi.com LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ignite International, Ltd. takes another step toward becoming the world's first global cannabis and CBD brand with today's announcement of its expansion into Nevada. Since launching in September 2018, Ignite's super-premium quality cannabis and CBD products have been available in over 100 California dispensaries with the CBD line offered online nationally. Ignite's cannabis products are now available for purchase in dispensaries across Nevada, marking a significant milestone in the company's expansion. While this is a critical move for the company on a national scale, Ignite's brand development extends far beyond its dispensary offerings. Ignite has become a major player in CBD, with new products being regularly released and SKUs repeatedly selling out due to popularity. The CBD line, which contains 0% THC, gained immediate attention after the CBD Spearmint Vape Pen won the 2018 High Times Cannabis Cup's "Best CBD Vape Pen." Founder and Chairman Dan Bilzerian is no stranger to Nevada's cannabis scene and pinpointed licensing in the state as an objective early on. Bilzerian, who rose to fame as a professional poker player, businessman, and Instagram star, even considers Las Vegas to be a second home. "The opportunity to bring Ignite to a state like Nevada, which has long served our company and Dan, while gaining exposure to this important audience is the perfect platform for the brand's continued development," said Shannon Bard, Chief Operating Officer of Ignite International, Ltd. To help kickoff its Nevada cannabis launch, Ignite is proud to be the title sponsor of this year's Mint 400 Vehicle Parade, taking place on Wednesday, March 6th. 125 of the planet's toughest off-road vehicles will head down the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, signifying the official start the weeklong festivities. Ignite is also extending its viral and unmistakable outdoor campaign to Nevada to promote the brand and dispensary partners. "We are very excited for this early-stage expansion into the Nevada market but recognize that this is just the beginning for Ignite," continued Bard. "Nevada, like California, offers a dynamic cannabis community with an openness to experience new things. Last year alone, more than 42 million people visited Las Vegas and the state exceeded expectations in first year marijuana sales." About Ignite International, Ltd. Founded by Dan Bilzerian, based in Los Angeles, and spanning a wide variety of cannabis and CBD products, Ignite wants to change what users, and society, think about cannabis and CBD. The company delivers customers superior strains of cannabis and the purest CBD products possible. Ignite has built the world's first super-premium cannabis lifestyle brand, currently for sale in dispensaries across California and Nevada with the company's CBD products sold nationally online. From packaging and branding, to what's inside, Ignite delivers at the highest caliber of levels never before seen in this new industry and builds on the foundation that trust and quality truly matter. For more information on Ignite's complete line of products, visit Ignite.co. SOURCE Ignite International, Ltd. Related Links http://www.ignite.co MIAMI, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 180 Costa Rican inmates will participate on March 11 in the talk "The Opportunity Is You" (La oportunidad eres tu), which life strategist and communicator Ismael Cala will deliver as part of the prison program project at the Reynaldo Villalobos Complete Care Unit (Unidad de Atencion Integral Reynaldo Villalobos) in Alajuela. The prison program is an initiative led by the organization El Arte de Vivir Costa Rica and the International Organization for Human Values, in coordination with the Ministry of Justice and Peace of Costa Rica. Its goal is to reduce violence by means of a comprehensive plan of human values. Utilizing specialized breathing and relaxation techniques, it seeks to increase wellbeing, social confidence and commitment in individuals in order to achieve rehabilitation and reinsertion into society. At the end of the talk with inmates, Cala will be awarded the distinction of Builder of Peace in Costa Rica for his support of the program. El Arte de Vivir (The Art of Living) promotes a society free of stress and violence. It is the largest volunteer organization in the world. Founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, this humanitarian and educational organization maintains a presence in 152 countries and has touched the lives of more than 370 million people. Media interested in attending should contact El Arte de Vivir press officer Elena Ulloa ahead of time at 8302-5010 or [email protected] . Your punctuality is appreciated due to the security controls required for admission to the penitentiary. On the same day, March 11, at 1:30 P.M., Ismael will meet with 40 young beneficiaries of Cala Foundation's partner organizations: Fundacion Omar Dengo and Samsung's "Ciudadania Corporativa" program, which supports teenagers in the area of virtual education. The talk on Emotional Leadership will be held at the Hotel Sheraton in San Jose and is open the press. ABOUT THE ISMAEL CALA FOUNDATION The non-profit organization under the direction of Ismael Cala seeks to impact communities in Latin America and the Caribbean through training for adolescents in leadership and entrepreneurship; to strengthen social development organizations that help children and adolescents with cognitive disabilities; and to connect young people with our partners to promote their education and training by means of scholarships . SOURCE Cala Enterprises After launching in the U.S. last year, Coconut Collaborative's new West Coast production will meet the growing popularity in plant-based options in the U.S. market and the brand's environmental mission. The new packaging incorporates bright, bold colors with macro-fruit-shots reflecting the natural flavors. "Our singular mission is to produce the best tasting plant-based yogurt on the market," said Edward Averdieck, Co-founder & President at The Coconut Collaborative, Inc. "This refreshed design and new production home will allow us to connect to even more Americans looking for plant-based products that taste delicious." Coconut Collaborative's products offer dairy-free alternatives that are both vegan and gluten-free, with less sugar than leading competitor brands. Its dairy-free yogurt varieties include Plain, Vanilla, Blueberry, and Mango & Passionfruit. Its single-serving dessert option, Decadent Dessert Cups, feature 100 calories and are available in Chocolate, Salted Caramel, and Lemon Cream. Both products are found in retailers nationwide, including Wegmans, Safeway Norcal, Earth Fare, The Fresh Market, New Seasons, Kings, Bristol Farms, Nugget Markets, Erewhon, Lassens, Mother's Market, Haggen, Metropolitan Market and the online retailer, Mylk Guys. Coconut lovers can head to Coconut Collaborative's Instagram @coconutcollab_usa for a chance to win a taste of the Good Life, featuring a prize packed filled with items made right here in sunny California. Contest ends at 12AM PST on 3/11/19. For more information, or to find a store near you, please visit: www.coconutcollaborative.com About Coconut Collaborative Coconut Collaborative was founded in 2014 by British identical twin brothers, Edward and James Averdieck. Looking for a healthy, dairy-free alternative to yogurt, they are now on a mission to spread the coco-love far and wide and create a "world of good." Coconut Collaborative offers dairy-free, low in sugar, gluten-free and vegan alternatives that are better tasting, better-for-you, and the planet. Coconut Collaborative is now the #1 coconut yogurt brand in Europe with U.S Production in Los Angeles for its signature coconut yogurts, Plain, Vanilla, Blueberry, Mango & Passionfruit, and Decadent Dessert Cups, Chocolate, Salted Caramel Chocolate, and Lemon Cream. The brand also works alongside Pur Projet each year to plant thousands of coconut trees in Southeast Asia. The trees give back to the communities, generating sustainable income and giving life to a beautiful habitat for wildlife. Coconut Collaborative is available at select retailers nationwide, including Wegmans, Safeway Norcal, Earth Fare, The Fresh Market, New Seasons, Kings, Bristol Farms, Nugget Markets, Erewhon, Lassens, Mother's Market, Haggen, Metropolitan Market and the online retailer, Mylk Guys. Follow Coconut Collaborative on social @coconutcollab_usa or to find a store near you, visit www.coconutcollaborative.com . Media Contact: Kelsey Cycan [email protected] 410-627-5948 SOURCE Coconut Collaborative Related Links http://www.coconutcollaborative.com BASEL, Switzerland, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Myovant Sciences (NYSE: MYOV), a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on women's health and endocrine diseases, today announced that Lynn Seely, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the following investor conferences: Cowen and Company 39 th Annual Health Care Conference in Boston, MA on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 8:40 a.m. ET . in on at . Barclays Global Healthcare Conference in Miami, FL on Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 1:35 p.m. ET . A live webcast will be accessible on the Events page under the Investors and Media section of the Myovant website at www.myovant.com. Please connect to the company's website at least 15 minutes prior to the presentation to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be required to listen to the webcast. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same location for 30 days following the conference. About Myovant Sciences Myovant Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for the treatment of women's health and endocrine diseases. Myovant's lead product candidate is relugolix, an oral, once-daily small molecule that acts as a GnRH receptor antagonist. Myovant has initiated three clinical programs for relugolix consisting of five international Phase 3 clinical trials, two in women with heavy menstrual bleeding associated with uterine fibroids (LIBERTY 1 and 2), two in women with pain associated with endometriosis (SPIRIT 1 and 2), and one in men with advanced prostate cancer (HERO). Myovant is also developing MVT-602, an oligopeptide kisspeptin-1 receptor agonist, that is in Phase 2a development for the treatment of female infertility as part of assisted reproduction. Takeda Pharmaceuticals International AG granted Myovant an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize relugolix (excluding Japan and certain other Asian countries where Takeda retains exclusive rights) and an exclusive license to develop and commercialize MVT-602 in all countries worldwide. Over time, Myovant intends to expand its development pipeline to include other potential treatments for women's health and endocrine diseases. For more information, please visit Myovant's website at www.myovant.com. Investor Contact: Frank Karbe Chief Financial Officer Myovant Sciences, Inc. [email protected] Media Contact: Julie Normart Pure Communications [email protected] 559.974.3245 SOURCE Myovant Sciences Related Links http://myovant.com/ STATEN ISLAND, N.Y., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Melissa Lanza was a believer in God long before the home she lived in for 13 years was completely destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. But it was that experience that fully opened her up to be a "wide receiver" of His presence in her life and to want to help other people see the role God plays in their own lives. Melissa Lanza Melissa Lanza Book Cover In fact, she sees God's hand in her decision to write her book, Experience God's Presence, which she says was prompted by a call from a Christian publisher requesting that she do so. And so she decided to comply even though the timing was not one she would have chosen. In her new book, a newly revised edition, Lanza offers a blueprint for accessing the spiritual part of soulsespecially if people are going through a divorce, job loss, aging, health problems, the death of a loved one or other life challenges. Lanza explains that everyone has a Hurricane Sandy in their life. In an interview, she can talk about: Divine purpose: How does she know we are more than a collection of cells? The power of prayer: Does it make a difference in our health, healing, and recovery? Emerging from the shock of Sandy's devastation and having her faith tested Realizing that God is inside all of us and calls on us to live and survive all sorts of problems Listening and waiting: positioning ourselves to be a wide-receiver of God's presence Becoming a victor and not a victim and transcending in mind, body, soul and spirit to experience new life, freedom and the best version of your truest, deepest self About the Author Melissa Lanza, RN, MS, FNP-BC, is a Nationally Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with a family medical practice in Staten Island, N.Y. She is the author of Experience God's Presence: You Become What You Behold Secrets of the Soul. She has a Master's degree in Nursing from Wagner College and a B.S. in Nursing from the City University of New York, College of Staten Island and is ANCC Board Certified. She has served on several medical boards and has had numerous articles published in professional journals and textbooks. English and Spanish versions of her book are available on Amazon. Contact: Melissa Lanza, (718) 980-6103; [email protected]; www.melissalanza.com; www.facebook.com/melissa.lanza.9003 SOURCE Melissa Lanza Related Links http://www.melissalanza.com NEW YORK, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) has agreed to sell MarketStar to Wasatch Group, a Utah-based investment company. The sale is the result of Omnicom's continuing evaluation of its portfolio of businesses and is consistent with its strategic plan and investment priorities. MarketStar is a pioneer in the sales outsourcing industry headquartered in Ogden, Utah. It has been part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom, since 2002. Commenting on the disposition, Dale Adams, Chairman and CEO, DAS, said "I want to thank the management and people of MarketStar for their years of commitment to DAS and wish them continued success in the future." ABOUT THE DAS GROUP OF COMPANIES The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., is a global group of marketing services companies. DAS includes over 200 companies in the following marketing disciplines: specialty, PR, healthcare, CRM, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. Operating through a combination of networks and regional organizations, DAS serves international, regional, national and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries. SOURCE Omnicom Group Related Links http://www.omnicomgroup.com With a new strategic plan, RepliCel prioritizes focus on commercial revenue VANCOUVER, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - RepliCel Life Sciences Inc. (OTCQB: REPCF) (TSXV: RP) (FRA:P6P2) ("RepliCel" or the "Company"), a company developing next-generation technologies in aesthetics and orthopedics, is pleased to provide an update to shareholders from its President and CEO, Mr. R. Lee Buckler. Dear Shareholders, I am pleased to be providing this much-anticipated 2019 update. First, a quick recap of our Annual General Meeting held December 14, 2018 at which the shareholders elected a new slate of directors to RepliCel's Board - some re-elected, some new. The Board now has higher shareholder representation as well as a duly-elected nominee of our new investor/partner in Greater China. Strategic Planning Management and the Board have spent the past 60 days conducting an end-to-end analysis of the Company and its programs followed by comprehensive strategic planning to establish the Company's direction and priorities for the next 24-36 months. A recent Board meeting solidified the analysis and strategic plan. We have emerged from this process with clarity around our strategy that we are eager to communicate with shareholders and the broader marketplace. Our core message is this: RepliCel's strategy drives the Company toward revenue and the Board's objective of minimizing the need for capital and dilution until the Company is revenue generating. Transition to Commercial Revenue RepliCel's focus on its transition to commercial revenue leads the Company to prioritize commercialization of the Company's dermal injector (and consumables) as well as clinical development of the tendon and skin programs in Japan where the pathway to commercial launch is the shortest due to its unique regulatory framework for cell therapies. RepliCel will also continue to support its partnership commitments to YOFOTO and Shiseido. With the progress YOFOTO has made in the past three months, RepliCel is encouraged YOFOTO will meet milestones in China in a timely way. With the clinical study of RCH-01 now successfully completed in Japan, RepliCel expects Shiseido to declare its near-term plans for RCH-01. Three-Part Strategic Focus RepliCel's Board has endorsed a three-part strategy prioritizing the following programs: Initial market launch of the RCI-02 device and consumables in countries accepting CE mark regulatory designation for commercialization by mid-2020 Clinical development of the skin and tendon products in China with YOFOTO launching 2019/2020 Regulatory review by Japan's PMDA (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency) targeting approvals for RepliCel to launch the next-phase clinical trials of our tendon product (RCT-01) and skin product (RCS-01) in Japan in 2020 potentially leading to commercial launch upon completion "The objective of our strategic planning process," stated RepliCel's Board Chairman, David Hall, "was to review the Company's programs and identify ways to maximize shareholder value in a way which was minimally dilutive. We believe this will best be done by setting the Company on a path which prioritizes the pursuit of commercial revenue, allowing the Company to pursue its longer-term development projects when they can be financed through some combination of revenue, debt, and equity." Secondary emphasis will be placed on the following initiatives: Continued cell marker research at UBC (as funding permits) Support of the UVic cell culture biomaterials study (grant funded) Preparing for phase 2 studies of NBDS products in Europe (as funding permits) (as funding permits) Partnership discussions in Japan focused on our skin, tendon and dermal injector products focused on our skin, tendon and dermal injector products Distributor discussions in Europe focused on the dermal injector and consumables focused on the dermal injector and consumables Clarifying Shiseido's plans for RCH-01 in Japan and Asia Below is a brief synopsis of how the new strategic plan impacts RepliCel's programs: RCI-02 and consumables RepliCel's dermal injector and related consumables are now in the final stages of development and prototype manufacture. New European regulations have impacted the commercialization timelines. The Company anticipates commercial-grade prototypes will be available in late Q3/early Q4 with the timeline dependent on final part sourcing and design changes currently being finalized. This put us on track for an anticipated CE mark approval and product launch next year. More details will be shared in another announcement shortly. RCT-01 RepliCel's cell therapy for the treatment of chronic tendon damage (Tendinopathy) has been the subject of a successful phase 1 trial. RepliCel is now planning to execute next-phase clinical trials of RCT-01 in Japan where, subject to PMDA approvals, such a trial could launch early next year and be commercialized in Japan by late 2021/early 2022. RCS-01 RepliCel's cell therapy for the treatment of skin aging and sun damage has been the subject of a successful phase 1 trial. RepliCel is now planning to execute next-phase clinical trials of RCS-01 in Japan as soon as the Company can ensure the RCI-02 device and consumables are available in Japan for use in such a trial. Management is currently seeking clarity on this timeline and expects to announce it shortly. RCH-01 RepliCel's cell therapy for the treatment of Androgenic Alopecia has been the subject of a successful phase 1 trial in Europe and a clinical study now complete in Japan. Shiseido is expected to announce soon whether it will commercially launch the product in Japan or conduct further development and clinical testing. RepliCel will not plan for a phase 2 clinical trial of this product until it has the RCI-02 injector commercially available to use in such a trial and it has clarity from Shiseido regarding its plans for the product in Japan. Partnership with Shiseido The disagreement regarding the status of the agreement between Shiseido and RepliCel remains unresolved but is not the subject of any litigation or arbitration. RepliCel maintains the Agreement remains intact and is communicating with Shiseido regarding its expectation of a release of data from the recently completed study of RCH-01 in Japan and clarity around Shiseido's commercial plans for the product in Asia (the territory for the Shiseido license). Partnership with YOFOTO In the four months since completing the transaction with YOFOTO, good progress has been made in China in preparing for manufacture, technology transfer, and the regulatory review in China needed to launch clinical trials of the tendon and skin products in China. Research and Development The grant-funded research project aimed at manufacturing optimization being conducted at the University of Victoria continues on-track. The first stage of the research being conducted at the University of British Columbia has successfully completed (details to be announced shortly) and plans are being laid for the second stage. Further product and process development, aimed at manufacturing improvements, will be prioritized as funding permits. A series of announcements are planned to provide more detailed updates on each of our programs over the coming weeks. About RepliCel Life Sciences RepliCel is a regenerative medicine company focused on developing cell therapies for aesthetic and orthopedic conditions affecting what the Company believes is approximately one in three people in industrialized nations, including aging/sun-damaged skin, pattern baldness, and chronic tendon degeneration. These conditions, often associated with aging, are caused by a deficit of healthy cells required for normal tissue healing and function. These cell therapy product candidates are based on RepliCel's innovative technology, utilizing cell populations isolated from a patient's healthy hair follicles. The Company's product pipeline is comprised of RCT-01 for tendon repair, RCS-01 for skin rejuvenation, and RCH-01 for hair restoration. RCH-01 is exclusively licensed in Asia to Shiseido Company. RepliCel and Shiseido are currently co-developing the product in Japan. RepliCel maintains the rights to RCH-01 for the rest of the world. RCT-01 and RCS-01 are exclusively licensed in Greater China to YOFOTO (China) Health Company. RepliCel and YOFOTO are currently co-developing these products in China. RepliCel maintains the rights to these products outside of Greater China. RepliCel has also developed a proprietary injection device, RCI-02, and related consumables, which is expected to improve the administration of its cell therapy products and certain other injectables. YOFOTO has exclusively licensed the commercial rights for the RCI-02 device and consumables in Greater China for dermatology applications and is expected to first launch the product in Hong Kong upon it being CE marked. Please visit www.replicel.com for additional information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events, including, but not limited to, statements regarding: that the Company will launch its dermal injector (RCI-02) and the consumables in countries accepting the CE mark regulatory designation for commercialization by mid-2020; that the Company will launch clinical development of its NBDS products in China with YOFOTO in 2019/2020; that the Company will obtain approval to launch the next-phase clinical trials of its tendon product (RCI-01) and skin product (RCS-01) in Japan in 2020 and launch YOFOTO-sponsored trials in China; that the Company will continue its cell marker research at UBC; that the Company will prepare for phase 2 studies of NBDS products in Europe; that the Company will enter into partnership discussions (outside of greater China) for its RCI-01 device and cell therapy products; that the Company will clarify Shiseido's plans for RCH-01 in Japan; that commercial grade prototypes of its dermal injector and related consumables will be available in late Q3 or early Q4; that the Company will obtain CE mark approval next year; that the Company will launch its next-phase clinical trials of RCS-01 in Japan as soon as the RCI-02 device and consumables are available in Japan; that the Company will receive clinical data from Shiseido; that the Company will transition from being a pre-revenue development company to generating commercial revenue; and that the Company will be able to minimize dilution and maximize shareholder value. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks which may cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including: risks related YOFOTO spending the required amounts on RepliCel's programs and related infrastructure over the next 5 years in Greater China; risk related to YOFOTO paying $4.5M CDN in milestone payments and sales royalties; risks that the Company's products may not perform as, or have the benefits, expected; risks that the Company's products may not be accepted and adopted by the public; the risk that the Company will not obtain CE mark clearance for its injector device as anticipated or at all; the risk that there will be delays enrolling clinical trial participants or commencing any clinical or research programs as anticipated or at all; the risk that the Company will receive negative results from the Company's clinical trials; the effects of government regulation on the Company's business; risk that the Company may not obtain any further data from Shiseido; risks associated with the Company obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals for its various programs; risks associated with the Company's ability to obtain and protect rights to its intellectual property; risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's ability to raise additional capital; and other factors beyond the Company's control. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made and, except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of such factors on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Readers should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factor disclosure outlined in the Company's annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Edgar at www.sec.gov and with the British Columbia Securities Commission on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com/. SOURCE RepliCel Life Sciences Inc. Related Links www.replicel.com CHICAGO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Arizton's recent research report, the Southeast Asia data center construction market is expected to reach values of approximately $2 billion by 2024, growing at a CAGR of around 7% during 20182024. The research report also offers market size in square feet area and power capacity in megawatts (MW) across geographies. Key Highlights of Southeast Asia Data Center Construction: Data center investments in secondary cities will include performance optimized data center installations and related infrastructures. Southeast Asia is attracting hyperscale investments from tech giants such as Facebook and Google increasing job opportunities and contributing to GDP in the region. The hyperscale datacenter development is expected to expand beyond Singapore to countries such as Thailand and Indonesia , boosting revenues in the market. Proposed data regulation initiatives in Indonesia and Vietnam will boost investments in these countries. Pacific Light Data Communication, Google, and Facebook launched the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) project of submarine fiber cables covering the Philippines , Hong Kong , the US, and Taiwan at a capacity of 144 Tbps, which is expected to be finished by June 2019 . Key Offerings: Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20182024 Market Size & Forecast by Power Capacity (MW) | 20182024 Market Size & Forecast by Area (Squarefeet) | 20182024 Market Dynamics Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities Market Segmentation A detailed analysis by electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, tier standards, general construction, and country. Competitive Landscape Profile of 19infrastructure providers, 13 construction companies, and 23 data center investors. Request your free sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/southeast-asia-data-center-construction-market#requestsample Southeast Asia Data Center Construction Market Segmentation This market research report includes a detailed segmentation of the market by electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, tier standards, general construction, and country. Frequent power fluctuation and outages is driving the demand for UPS systems and generators in the Southeast Asia data center construction market. systems and in the data center construction market. DRUPS systems makes a sizeable market contribution in Southeast Asia . Market Segmentation by Infrastructure Electrical Mechanical General construction Market Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure UPS Systems Generators Transfer Switches and Switchgears Rack PDU Other Infrastructure Market Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure Cooling Systems Rack Other Infrastructure Market Segmentation by General Construction Building Development Installation & Commissioning Building Design Physical Security DCIM Market Segmentation by Tier Standard Tier I and Tier II Tier III Tier IV Southeast Asia Data Center Construction Market Country The Southeast Asia data center construction market by country is segmented into Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and other countries. Malaysia has over 30 data center colocation facilities, and the number is growing with the addition of around five data center projects per year in the market. Request your free sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/southeast-asia-data-center-construction-market#requestsample Market Segmentation by Country Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Thailand Other Countries Geographical Market Size & Forecast | 20182024 Revenues Power Capacity (MW) Area (Square Feet) Electrical Infrastructure Mechanical Infrastructure General Construction Key Countries The major vendors in the Southeast Asia market are: Infrastructure Providers o ABB o Schneider Electric o Vertiv o Caterpillar o Cummins o Delta Group o Eaton o Euro-Diesel o Fuji Electric o HPE o Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics o Hitec Power Protection o Huawei o KOHLER Group o Legrand Group o Mitsubishi Electric o MTU ONSITE ENERGY (Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG) o Piller Systems o Rittal Construction Company o Arup o AWP Architects o CSF Group o DSCO Group o Fortis Construction o Faithful+Gould o Flex Enclosure o Kienta Engineering Construction o M+W Group (Excyte) o NTTFACILITIES Group o PM Group o Powerware Systems (PWS) o Sato Kogyo Data Center Investors o AIMS Data Centre o Biznet Data Center o CMC Telecom o Colt DCS o DCI Indonesia o Digital Realty o Equinix o Global Switch o GRAHA TEKNOLOGI NUSANTARA (GTN) o Indosat Ooredoo (Lintasarta) o Internet Thailand Public Company Limited (INET) o Keppel DC o Kepstar Data Center Management o NTT Communications o Philippine Long-Distance Telephone (PLDT) o PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia o Singtel o ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) o TCC Technology o True Internet Data Center (True IDC) o VADS Berhad o VNTT o XL Axiata Explore our Data Center Knowledge Base to know more about the industry. Read some of the top-selling reports: About Arizton: Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is a premium and innovation-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services. We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts. Mail: [email protected] Call: +1-312-235-2040 +1 302 469 0707 SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Special Counsel, the nation's leading provider of end-to-end legal solutions, with its specialized divisions, EQ, D4, Parker + Lynch Legal and SCI, today announced recognition in six categories of this year's Best of 2019 Awards from The National Law Journal. Special Counsel represents a wide range of comprehensive legal services and consulting for law firms and corporations in the US, London and Shanghai, with a growing international footprint. Now in its eighth year, The National Law Journal part of American Law Media showcases the results from its Best Of readers survey, where readers cast votes for the best providers of services and goods to the legal profession. Readers of the publication are made up of legal industry professionals and members of the in-house legal community, representing professionals who use these services every day. "We're incredibly proud of this recognition. At Special Counsel, we aim to build authentic, unparalleled relationships with our clients, legal professionals and technology partners. Inclusion in the 2019 Best Of means that these key stakeholders truly value what we're bringing to the table," said Laurie Chamberlin, president of Special Counsel. For more information on Special Counsel and its offerings, as well as access to workforce resources, information on the legal industry and more, visit specialcounsel.com. The National Law Journal's Best of 2019 Awards are featured in its March 2019 issue. About Special Counsel At Special Counsel, we are a leading provider of legal consulting, attorney recruiting, legal talent, legal technology and eDiscovery solutions, with a growing international footprint. But there's more to being a leader than having tremendous size and scale. Our strength comes from our ability to partner with clients to create solutions on a case-by-case basis. It comes from our gift for fostering, furthering and promoting the expertise of our people. And it comes from our commitment to doing business with transparency, flexibility and integrity. That's what sets us apart. That's what makes us Special. To learn how we can help you, visit specialcounsel.com. Special Counsel is a proud part of the world's leading HR solutions partner, the Adecco Group, serving as its legal solutions business unit. SOURCE Special Counsel Related Links http://www.specialcounsel.com PRINCETON, N.J., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "In a time when the state has numerous competing priorities, we appreciate that Gov. Murphy's budget proposal preserves charity care funding to provide a safety net for the working poor uninsured, along with other important programs like graduate medical education to ensure that New Jersey has enough clinicians to meet our future care needs. "That's vitally important to the health of New Jersey residents. Our healthcare system is in a transformative period, focusing on value, population health and the expectations of our healthcare consumers. Healthcare providers are investing energy, resources and some really innovative thinking into these areas as they should. And yet, New Jersey hospitals continue to face the age-old challenges of caring for people without health insurance: In 2016, the most recent year data is available, our hospitals provided $565 million in charity care services to individuals. With the Governor's proposed funding of $262 million , New Jersey's hospitals will shoulder the burden of $303 million in unreimbursed care for our state's most vulnerable residents. in charity care services to individuals. With the Governor's proposed funding of , hospitals will shoulder the burden of in unreimbursed care for our state's most vulnerable residents. Meanwhile, the number of N.J. residents insured through the ACA's online marketplace has declined by 40,000 the last two years, and the state's uninsured rate is once again on the rise from 7.7 percent in 2017, to 8 percent in 2018, to 9 percent today. "NJHA and its members have embraced a mission of improving the health of the people of New Jersey. We appreciate a budget proposal that recognizes those same goals, and we welcome the opportunity for further discussion with elected leaders on the present and the future of our healthcare system, including the pressing need to adequately fund nursing homes and other providers who care for our seniors in post-acute settings." SOURCE New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) CHICAGO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Deutsche Telekom-owned subsidiary T-Systems, one of the leading global ICT service providers, has named Dale Aultman Managing Director of North America. She will take on the task to promote T-Systems as a digitalization partner and as a major global player that does business in over 20 countries. T-Systems is pursuing their mission to shape the future of a connected business world and society by creating added value for customers, employees and investor through innovative ICT solutions. This will be the focus of their sales efforts in 2019. T-Systems North America Appoints IT Sales Innovator, Dale Aultman to Managing Director. Dale Aultman spent over twenty years at IBM, where she held numerous sales leadership positions including Storage, Storage Infrastructure Optimization and Technical Support Solutions. She also led Technical Support Services Sales & Delivery for the Eastern United States, with over 1,000 field technicians during Hurricane Sandy. Dale has been involved in multiple acquisitions and divestitures, most notably Director of Global Sales Integration for the XIV storage acquisition, which built up a sales organization of over 400 sellers and $300 million in annual revenue. Dale is excited to be part of the customer solution by enhancing the T-Systems brand in North America and realizes the huge potential to grow the region. "I look forward to leveraging T-Systems' Zero Outage Principle and innovative digital solutions to solve client problems around Cloud, IoT, SAP and Connectivity. I am excited to join an organization that is uniquely qualified with this breadth of client value and dedication to its employees. Dale Aultman explains that it was T-Systems' large unreleased potential in the North America that tempted her to take the job: "With this position, I am able to harness my IT, client and sales growth experience in a nimble, client centric environment. We have the strength and support of a premier information and technology solutions company and the culture and client focus of a start up." Senior Vice President for International Sales, Steffen Schlaberg, is pleased to welcome Dale Aultman on board: "Dale brings a level of sales expertise and strategy to T-Systems which is valued and needed in this competitive market. Her collaborative approach to customers and results orientated nature means she is the right person to take T-Systems North America to the next level." T-Systems provides the technology and expertise to solve their customers most difficult challenges and together with Dale Aultman, the team will expand its offerings and services in the North American market. About T-Systems North America T-Systems North America (TSNA), a business unit of Deutsche Telekom, places heavy emphasis on providing support solely to North American corporate customers. Using a global infrastructure of data centers and networks, TSNA operates information and communication technology (ICT) systems for multinational organizations and public institutions. Providing endless possibilities through our state-of-the-art solutions and technology offerings, TSNA services customers in all markets and industries. Leading companies within the automotive and manufacturing industries, as well as in the healthcare, media, telecommunications, and finance, retail and energy markets look to TSNA for unparalleled technology services and solutions. T-Systems North America has offices in Chicago, New York, Houston, Troy and Tempe. For more information, please visit: www.t-systems.com/us/en www.telekom.com/media www.telekom.com/photos www.twitter.com/telekom_group www.instagram.com/deutschetelekom About Deutsche Telekom: https://www.telekom.com/companyprofile About T-Systems: T-Systems at a glance SOURCE T-Systems North America CLEARWATER, Fla., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Three BayCare hospitals have been named to the IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals annual study. Mease Countryside Hospital, Safety Harbor; Morton Plant Hospital, Clearwater and St. Joseph's Hospital, Tampa were selected as bestperforming hospitals in the U.S. The study is based on a balanced scorecard using publicly available data for clinical, operational, and patient satisfaction metrics. Additionally, St. Joseph's Hospital was recognized as one of only 15 hospitals on the 100 Top Hospitals list as an Everest Award Winner. These are hospitals that earned the 100 Top Hospitals designation and also are among the 100 top for rate of improvement during a five-year period. St. Joseph's was the only hospital in the state to be an Everest Award Winner. "To be named to the 100 Top Hospitals List is a rare honor and privilege and to have three of our hospitals recognized in this manner is a true distinction," said Tommy Inzina, president/CEO of BayCare Health System. "This achievement is a testimony to the singular focus of our physicians and team members who work together toward the shared goal of excellence in care and patient experience," said Inzina. Mease Countryside Hospital has been named to the 100 Top Hospitals list 11 times; Morton Plant Hospital has been named seven times and St. Joseph's Hospital has been named three times. In Florida, Mease Countryside is the only hospital to have received 100 Top Hospitals 11 times. The winning hospitals were announced in the March 4th edition of Modern Healthcare magazine. The IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals winners outperformed peer group hospitals within all 10 clinical and operational performance benchmarks evaluated in the study: risk-adjusted inpatient mortality index, risk-adjusted complications index, mean healthcare-associated infection index, mean 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rate, mean 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rate, severity-adjusted length of stay, mean emergency department throughput, case mix- and wage-adjusted inpatient expense per discharge, adjusted operating profit margin, and HCAHPS score. To conduct the 100 Top Hospitals study, IBM Watson Health researchers evaluated 3,156 short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals. All research was based on the following public data sets: Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website. Hospitals do not apply for awards, and winners do not pay to market this honor. The study has been conducted annually since 1993. About BayCare BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 15 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and west central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. About the IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals Program The IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals, formerly the Truven Health Analytics 100 Top Hospitals, program uses independent and objective research to analyze hospital and health system performance. Organizations do not apply or pay for this honor or pay to promote their award. Award-winning hospitals and health systems prove that better care is possible and provide an example for other organizations to follow across the industry. The 100 Top Hospitals award winners demonstrate top performance on both how patients are cared for under clinical measures and how the hospital performs as an efficient business. 100 Top Hospitals is a registered trademark of Truven Health Analytics, part of the IBM Watson Health business. Visit 100tophospitals.com for more information. About IBM Watson Health Watson Health is a business unit of IBM that is dedicated to the development and implementation of cognitive and data-driven technologies to advance health. Watson Health technologies are tackling a wide range of the world's biggest health care challenges, including cancer, diabetes, drug discovery and more. SOURCE BayCare Related Links https://baycare.org WASHINGTON, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids strongly supports the Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (SAFE Kids Act), legislation introduced in Congress today to curb the use of flavors in tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes and cigars. The bill is sponsored by Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). We applaud Rep. DeGette for her leadership in working to stop tobacco companies from targeting kids with tobacco products in a huge assortment of appealing flavors. Prohibiting tobacco products in kid-friendly flavors is one of the most important actions we can take to reverse the youth e-cigarette epidemic and continue reducing youth tobacco use. In Colorado, 26.2 percent of high school students use e-cigarettes and 11 percent of high school boys smoke cigars, while 7 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes. Flavored products, especially Juul, have driven the skyrocketing youth e-cigarette epidemic, which is addicting a new generation of kids and threatens the enormous, decades-long progress our nation has made in reducing youth tobacco use. Between 2017 and 2018, e-cigarette use increased nationwide by an alarming 78 percent among high school students and 48 percent among middle school students, according to the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). More than 3.6 million middle and high school students were e-cigarette users in 2018 an increase of 1.5 million in just one year. Youth use of other flavored tobacco products, including cigars, is also troubling. Cigars are especially popular among high school boys, who smoke cigars at about the same rate as cigarettes, and among African-American high school students, who smoke cigars at nearly three times the rate of cigarettes, according to the 2018 NYTS. Bloomberg News recently documented how tobacco companies have targeted African-American teens with candy- and fruit-flavored cigars. Flavors are a key reason why youth are using e-cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products. Flavors improve the taste and reduce the harshness of tobacco products, making them more appealing and easier for kids to try the product and ultimately become addicted. Youth often start using tobacco products with a flavored product and report that they use tobacco products "because they come in flavors I like." E-cigarettes are sold in thousands of flavors, and flavored cigars make up more than half of the U.S. cigar market. These products come in flavors like gummy bear, cotton candy, cherry dynamite and mango that clearly appeal to kids. As this bill moves through the legislative process, we urge that it be expanded to prohibit menthol cigarettes. Menthol cigarettes increase smoking initiation among youth and young adults, increase addiction, reduce smoking cessation and disproportionately harm the health of African Americans (seven out of ten African-American youth smokers smoke menthol cigarettes). Over half (54 percent) of youth smokers ages 12-17 use menthol cigarettes, compared to less than one-third of older adult smokers. SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Related Links http://www.tobaccofreekids.org Nine individual metallurgical samples have been evaluated for the recovery of copper and cobalt and the production of saleable copper concentrates. Results are consistent with previous test results and significantly expand the metallurgical database for the project. Hardness testing of the nine composites shows the materials are of soft to moderate hardness, with an average Bond Work Index of 8.94 kWhr/tonne. Copper recoveries ranged from 80.2 to 94.5 percent and averaged 89.7 percent for eight of the nine composites. Copper concentrate grades ranged from 24.5 to 34.5 percent copper and averaged 27.6%. Copper concentrate quality is shown to be very good with low levels of penalty elements. Cobalt has been shown to be readily recoverable to a pyrite concentrate with grades of this concentrate in the range of 700 to 4500g/t cobalt. Plans are being made for the next stage of work to determine the optimal method to recover cobalt from the pyrite concentrate. Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, President and CEO of Trilogy Metals commented, "These initial metallurgical test results continue to demonstrate that conventional processing technology is expected to produce a clean, very high-quality, copper concentrate over a wide range of typical open pit and underground copper grades. Further optimization work is planned. I also note that we are very pleased with the first pass cobalt results which show that the Bornite Project could recover between 50% and 70% of the contained cobalt to a high-quality pyrite concentrate. The next steps include finding out if the cobalt concentrate can be further processed into a saleable product. Finally, the grinding test work shows that the mineralized material at Bornite is soft to moderate which translates to potentially lower power requirements during the crushing and grinding stages of the feedstock. This could have positive implications for the operating costs at Bornite." Nine metallurgical composite samples were prepared by Trilogy Metals from materials obtained from drilling at the Bornite Project during 2017 and 2018. Each of these test samples were approximately 60 to 120 kilograms in mass and represented approximately 30 to 100 meters of drill core. Test samples characteristics are summarized in Table 1. Composite samples 1 to 6 were obtained from a zone deemed to be within an open-pit resource, while the composite sample from 7 to 9 were from a higher-grade underground resource. Table 1. Composite Metallurgical Samples from the Bornite Project Test Sample Drill Hole Intercept(s) (m) Cu (%) Co (g/t) S (%) Open Pit Samples Composite 1 RC12-0211 308-365 1.60 531 5.56 Composite 2 RC11-0186 12-47 1.02 290 10.4 Composite 3 RC13-0229 51-81 1.06 183 8.12 Composite 4 RC13-0218 282-287, 314-337 2.20 741 5.2 Composite 5 RC11-0182 165-247, 267-290 1.87 408 4.06 Composite 6 RC11-0186 145-253 0.82 170 4.35 Underground Samples Composite 7 RC13-0224 480-488, 630-722 2.06 306 7.5 Composite 8 RC12-0214 498-525, 543-565 3.12 651 6.76 Composite 9 RC12-0216 671-726 4.49 311 6.8 Test work has been completed under contract at ALS Metallurgy of Kamloops, B.C., during the time period November 2018 to January 2019. ALS Metallurgy is a ISO 9001 certified laboratory facility. Test work at ALS Metallurgy conformed to standard testing procedures including standard grinding characterization test work, flotation process simulation test work, including locked cycle tests and assaying of all metallurgical products by certified assayers. Consistently observed results, when comparing mineralogical analysis, direct assaying of feed samples and detailed metallurgical accounting verify metal distributions reported and the results contained herein. Each of the nine composite samples were subjected to Bond Work Index determinations. The average Bond Work index value is 8.94kWhr/tonne, which indicates the materials are soft to moderate in terms of grindability. Bond Work Index values were shown to be within a tight range, with the maximum value of 10.3kWhr/tonne and a minimum value of 7.8kWhr/tonne observed in the data set. This data is consistent with previously obtained grindability data in other test work programs for the Bornite Project. Mineralogical analysis of each of the nine composites was completed, indicating that a majority of the copper mineralization occurred as chalcopyrite, with minor amounts of bornite and variable pyrite levels within the test samples. Composite 2 was shown to contain a significant amount of oxide copper minerals, likely from surface weathering, as this composite is a near surface intercept. Mineralogical analysis also showed liberation at a target primary grind size of approximately 100 microns which should be suitable to support the copper recovery process. Cobalt values in the Bornite Project materials are shown to be intimately associated with cobaltiferous pyrite. The flowsheet used for the recovery of copper in this test work program is consistent with previous test work (For more information on the previous metallurgical work at Bornite please see the press release dated January 10, 2018 at www.trilogymetals.com) on the project and the Bornite Project database is consistent in terms of the metallurgical process requirements under which all samples have been tested. Primary grind requirements are in the range of 90-120 microns and re-grind requirements for copper upgrading is in the range of 20-30 microns. In order to produce a cobalt-rich concentrate a pyrite flotation stage was added to recover pyrite from the copper flotation tailings and the pyrite concentrate was subsequently cleaned to produce a pyrite cleaner concentrate. The flowsheet used in the test work program, including both the copper and cobalt flotation stages is shown in Figure 1. The Bornite Project metallurgical flowsheet is shown in Figure 2. Flotation test results were based on locked cycle testing which simulates the performance of a copper recovery process and best represents the expected metallurgical performance of the test materials. Metallurgical performance for each of the nine composites is shown in Table 2 and the location of the drill holes from which the metallurgical samples were derived from is shown in Table 3. Table 2. Summary of Metallurgical Test Results Sample No. Cu Concentrate Grade (Cu %) Cu Recoveries (%) Co Concentrate Grade (g/t) Co Recoveries (%) Open Pit Samples Composite 1 25.8 88.6 3,249 71.1 Composite 2* 16.7* 75.6 995 65.8 Composite 3 25.0 87.8 698 59.8 Composite 4 27.2 88.3 4,470 59.7 Composite 5 29.8 89.3 2,743 49.2 Composite 6 26.4 80.5 990 51.7 Underground Samples Composite 7 24.0 94.1 1286 49.3 Composite 8 34.2 94.7 1426 34.1 Composite 9 28.5 94.1 4157 59.0 *Note: Composite 2 is shown to be a surface-weathered sample, containing significant copper oxide products. Table 3. Drill Hole Information for Metallurgical Test Work Drill Hole Length (m) UTM Grid East (m) North (m) Elevation (m) Azimuth Dip RC11-0182 454.0 NAD83_04N 589565 7440228 228.3 277 -62 RC11-0186 474.8 NAD83_04N 589113 7439746 260.4 86 -60 RC12-0211 696.5 NAD83_04N 590463 7440392 265.5 325 -80 RC12-0214 742.5 NAD83_04N 590122 7439957 281.5 0 -90 RC12-0216 801.5 NAD83_04N 590585 7440462 291.5 0 -90 RC13-0218 365.8 NAD83_04N 589251 7439968 216.6 78 -73 RC13-0224 880.4 NAD83_04N 589966 7440766 237.2 0 -90 RC13-0229 164.6 NAD83_04N 589086 7439418 279.0 0 -90 Concentrates from the locked cycle testing were analyzed for minor elements and average values for key minor elements are summarized in Table 4 below. Table 4. Summary of Copper Concentrate Quality Cu (%) As (%) Sb (%) Zn (%) Hg (g/t) Cd (g/t) Average Bornite Cu Concentrate 27.6 0.07 0.03 1.4 9.0 54.0 Qualified Persons The scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("NI 43-101") and supervised, reviewed and verified by Jeffrey B. Austin, P.Eng., President, of International Metallurgical and Environmental Inc., a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 and the person who oversees metallurgical developments for Trilogy Metals. Mr. Austin is independent of Trilogy Metals Inc, and has been involved in the planning, observation and reporting all test work. About Trilogy Metals Trilogy Metals Inc. is a metals exploration and development company focused on exploring and developing the Ambler mining district located in northwestern Alaska. It is one of the richest and most-prospective known copper-dominant districts located in one of the safest geopolitical jurisdictions in the world. It hosts world-class polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") deposits that contain copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver, and carbonate replacement deposits which have been found to host high-grade copper and cobalt mineralization. Exploration efforts have been focused on two deposits in the Ambler mining district - the Arctic VMS deposit and the Bornite carbonate replacement deposit. Both deposits are located within the Company's land package that spans approximately 143,000 hectares. The Company has an agreement with NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., a Regional Alaska Native Corporation that provides a framework for the exploration and potential development of the Ambler mining district in cooperation with local communities. Our vision is to develop the Ambler mining district into a premier North American copper producer. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, the prospectivity of the Ambler mining district, the Company's plans for additional optimization work, the production results of conventional copper processing technology, recovery rates, the potential for lower power requirements and the associated impact on operating costs at the Bornite Project and the Company's expectations based on the results of metallurgical testing , are forward-looking statements. The metallurgical results from the drill holes discussed in this press release should not be considered representative of other drilling results for the 2019 drilling campaign. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding perceived merit of properties; exploration plans and budgets; mineral reserves and resource estimates; work programs; capital expenditures; timelines; strategic plans; market prices for precious and base metals; or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include the uncertainties involving success of exploration, development and mining activities, permitting timelines, requirements for additional capital, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses; mineral reserve and resource estimates and the assumptions upon which they are based; assumptions and discount rates being appropriately applied to the pre-feasibility study; our assumptions with respect to the likelihood and timing of the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project ("AMDIAP"); capital estimates; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services the interpretation of drill results, the need for additional financing to explore and develop properties and availability of financing in the debt and capital markets; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and geological tests and the estimation of reserves and resources; the need for cooperation of government agencies and native groups in the development and operation of properties as well as the construction of the access road; the need to obtain permits and governmental approvals; risks of construction and mining projects such as accidents, equipment breakdowns, bad weather, non-compliance with environmental and permit requirements, unanticipated variation in geological structures, metal grades or recovery rates; unexpected cost increases, which could include significant increases in estimated capital and operating costs; fluctuations in metal prices and currency exchange rates; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2018 filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and in other Company reports and documents filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time. The Company's forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. Cautionary Note to United States Investors This press release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this press release have been prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM)CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council, as amended ("CIM Definition Standards"). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of "measured" or "indicated resources" will ever be converted into "reserves". Investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by Trilogy Metals in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Arctic does not have known reserves, as defined under SEC Industry Guide 7. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards. SOURCE Trilogy Metals Inc. Related Links http://www.novacopper.com/s/Home.asp The massive donation, from over 200 vendors, will be used to stock Dallas Habitat's four ReStore locations across DFW. ReStores are nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers that sell furniture, home appliances, building materials and more at significantly reduced prices. All profits support Habitat for Humanity's home ownership, renovation and repair programs. "We believe everyone in our community should have access to a stable and safe home," said Cory Hohweiler, VP of Retail for Dallas Habitat. "Thanks to the generosity of True Value and its vendors, we are now able to ensure more families are able to achieve the dream of homeownership." True Value has been an avid supporter of Habitat for Humanity for several decades. In the past three years alone, it has donated more than $2.6 million to Habitat for Humanity branches in Anaheim, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston and Washington D.C. "In partnership with our vendors, we are once again pleased to make this significant product donation to Habitat for Humanity ReStores," said Susan Radde, Director of the True Value Foundation. "We have seen the positive impact made in local communities through our semi-annual donations and we hope this donation will help raise funds to further advance their mission of providing affordable housing in Dallas." About Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity About True Value SOURCE Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity PHOENIX, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Trutankless, Inc. (OTCQB: TKLS) today provided a corporate update to the Company's partners, shareholders and other stakeholders. "2018 was a really great year for us in terms of getting market acceptance for the product. We had record sales and we can feel the momentum into different sales channels increasing." said Robertson J. Orr, CEO of Trutankless, Inc. He also added, "We did a lot of things behind the scenes that we think have set the table for the bigger growth we're expecting in 2019, and we wanted to make sure all of our partners understand what some of these accomplishments were." Listing the company's common stock on the OTCQB; the OTCQB is a premier market committed to providing investors high-quality trading and improved market visibility to enhance trading liquidity. Working in conjunction with our manufacturing partner, Taiwan-based, SINBON Electronics, in Q3-2018 we completed phase one of our new manufacturing capabilities, significantly expanding our volume capacity to a thousand units a month. We achieved significant momentum in the wholesaler sales channel: Expanded the Company's national active wholesaler footprint from 165 locations at the start of 2018 to over 1,000 wholesaler locations by year end. Formed new partnerships with several nationally recognized plumbing and installation organizations including Service Experts, as well as several dominant regional companies in target markets. These relationships complement our existing national partnerships with groups like Mr. Rooter, relationships with Benjamin Franklin and RotoRooter. and RotoRooter. In 2019, we intend to focus additional attention and resources to the national rollout of our wholesale market footprint, maintaining the momentum of the sales volume in this channel. We continued to expand our relationships with existing national homebuilder clients, including Lennar Homes (Florida), DR Horton, Shea Homes, and the NAHB's 2019 Custom Builder of the Year, Cullum Homes. In May 2018, the Company was granted 8 new patent claims on our award-winning technology, continuing to differentiate our products from both gas and electric tankless competitors. They cover the water heater's Wi-Fi capabilities and reaffirm the Company's standing as a technological leader as North America continues to expand the Smart Home platforms that can integrate with trutankless' products. About Trutankless, Inc.: Trutankless, Inc. (OTCQB:TKLS) is a technology-driven developer of accessible, next-generation home automation and efficiency systems. The Company's primary products are a line of electric tankless water heaters that surpasses traditional tank water heaters in energy efficiency, output, dependability and environmental sustainability. The Company sells its products to plumbing wholesale distributors and dealers throughout the United States. Trutankless, Inc. was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information: Please visit www.trutankless.com or call 855-TO-BUY-TRU. Connect on social media: www.houzz.com/pro/trutankless | www.facebook.com/trutankless www.twitter.com/trutankless | www.youtube.com/trutankless Forward-Looking Statement: The statements in this press release regarding any implied or perceived benefits from the release by trutankless of its line of electric tankless water heaters or added key strategic sales and distribution partners are forward-looking statements. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks of the key strategic sales and distribution partners ability to sell our product, and effects of legal and administrative proceedings and governmental regulation, especially in a foreign country, future financial and operational results, competition, general economic conditions, and the ability to manage and continue growth. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those indicated. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this news release include the introduction of new technology, market conditions, and those set forth in reports or documents we file from time to time with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect current events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. SOURCE Trutankless, Inc. Related Links https://trutankless.com/ Developed in partnership with Hawkeye Hotels and HOS Management, TRYP by Wyndham Savannah is the latest hotel to join the growing brand adding a coveted destination to its portfolio of locations in emerging cities around the world. It joins the expanding list of up-and-coming travel destinations for the brand, including a recent opening in Newark, N.J. and an upcoming opening this spring in Pittsburgh, Penn. TRYP by Wyndham hotels celebrate the spirit of the urban traveler in the heart of the world's most alluring cities. Savannah, the oldest city in the state of Georgia, is a rising tourism hub recently listed as one of Conde Nast Traveler's "Best U.S. Small Cities" and one of Travel + Leisure's "Top U.S. Cities" in 2018. The city is also one of American Express Travel's top trending U.S. travel destinations for 2019 boasting a 96 percent year-over-year increase in bookings among card members. "Savannah is one of the fastest growing destinations in the United States with more than 50 million visitors in the last decade," said Anthony Emanuelo, vice president, TRYP by Wyndham. "TRYP by Wyndham continues to grow in up-and-coming destinations vibrant with culture and experiences you can't find anywhere else, and Savannah is no exception. Whether drawn by the shade of the Spanish moss, the elegant architecture or the city's reputation for genuine hospitality, travelers will appreciate the unique culture of Savannah making it the perfect addition to the brand." TRYP by Wyndham hotels are infused with local spirit allowing guests to uncover each destination's individual culture. The new TRYP by Wyndham Savannah is situated in the heart of the Savannah Historic District steps from popular restaurants, museums, and shoppingincluding the famous City Market, a sprawling outdoor marketplace. The exterior of the building was designed in accordance with the Historic Review Board's strict guidelines to preserve the historic fabric of the landmark historic district. Inside the hotel, guests can enjoy modern rooms with city-inspired decor and amenities including an indoor saltwater pool and onsite fitness center. The hotel's bar and restaurant, Kitchen 320, offers classic American small plates and delicious craft cocktails. TRYP's Proliferation Persists TRYP by Wyndham is home to 110 hotels in global destinations with distinct personalities like Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, New York City and Sao Paulo. This will be the ninth U.S. location for TRYP by Wyndham, which recently opened locations in Newark, N.J.; Miami, Fla.; and St. Augustine, Florida, as well as global destinations in Xi'an, China; and Dubai, UAE the brand's largest hotel at 650 rooms. The brand's pipeline comprises approximately 34 hotels and more than 5,000 rooms on the horizon, with highly anticipated openings planned for Pittsburgh, Penn. and Nashville, Tenn. TRYP by Wyndham hotels participate in Wyndham Rewards, the world's most generous rewards program with more than 30,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rental properties worldwide. Designed for the everyday traveler, members earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and may redeem points for a wide-range of rewards, including free nights, gift cards, merchandise and more. About TRYP by Wyndham Part experience and part destination, TRYP by Wyndham hotels set the stage for the inside traveler because there's no better way to get to know a city than experiencing it like a local. Hotels are tucked in the heart of the world's most exciting cities, from bucket-list staples like Jerusalem, Dubai, Brisbane, Barcelona and New York City to must-see travel hotspots and up-and-coming destinations. Each TRYP by Wyndham hotel is steeped in the local culture of its city offering unique local flavors and amenities, all united by the brand's Mediterranean roots and chic, urban style. For more information on development TRYP by Wyndham hotel, click here. About Hawkeye Hotels Founded in 1982 with one roadside hotel in Mena, Arkansas, Hawkeye Hotels has become one of the fastest-growing family-owned hospitality companies in the United States. Today, the firm owns and operates over 50 hotels across the country. Hawkeye Hotels employs over 1,500 staff across its portfolio of hotels and corporate offices. The firm maintains lasting affiliations with leading brands, including Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Marriott, Hilton, InterContinental and Starwood. About HOS Management Headquartered in Savannah, Ga., HOS Management is a second-generation company with over 30 years of trusted hospitality experience. Founded by brothers, Anil Patel and Kirit Patel, the family-run business manages an award-winning, diverse collection of hotels and retail developments in the Southeast region. For more information about HOS's portfolio of properties and future development plans, please visit www.hosmanagement.com. About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world's largest hotel franchising company, with approximately 9,200 hotels across more than 80 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 810,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in both the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Microtel Inn & Suites, La Quinta, Wingate, AmericInn, Hawthorn Suites, The Trademark Collection, and Wyndham. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services, with more than 400 properties under management. The Company's award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty program offers approximately 61 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at tens of thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rental properties globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com. SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Related Links http://www.wyndhamhotels.com HOOD RIVER, Ore., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the 12th anniversary of the repeal of the ban on the sale of absinthe in the U.S., the United States Bartenders' Guild (USBG) today kicked off the 2019 edition of the Cocktail Classique, a national cocktail contest sponsored by Lucid Absinthe Superieure. Lucid Absinthe Bottle Shot Open to any working mixologist across the country, the Cocktail Classique is searching for the most creative cocktails using Lucid Absinthe and the talented bartenders who have created them. The grand prize winner will be awarded a trip to the Combier Distillery in the Loire Valley of France, where Lucid Absinthe is made according to traditional French methods. Once a core ingredient in most classic cocktails, absinthe was banned in the United States for 95 years. Following efforts by research scientist turned distiller T.A. Breaux, the ban was repealed in 2007, and Lucid Absinthe Superieure became the first authentic absinthe to be legally available in the US. "It's fitting that we kick off the Cocktail Classique on National Absinthe Day," said Keri Meuret, Brand Manager, Lucid Absinthe. "On this day we celebrate the repeal of the absinthe ban in the U.S., and we can think of no better way than to help restore this spirit to its rightful place on the back bar. Through our partnership with the USBG, we are building awareness among their members and the U.S. bartender community as a whole about authentic absinthes while encouraging them to find innovative ways to accent the botanicals at the core of this wildly versatile spirit." Interested applicants should create a unique recipe using at least ounce of Lucid Absinthe and submit the recipe to https://usbartendersguild.formstack.com/forms/cocktail_classique_2019. Entries will be accepted March 5 through April 16 at 11:59pm PDT. The field of entries will be evaluated by a panel of USBG experts. Cocktails will be judged on appearance, aroma, creativity, taste and ability to enhance, not overwhelm, the botanicals used in Lucid. Twenty semi-finalists will be selected from across the United States and invited to compete in one of two live shake-offs scheduled in Houston, Texas, and Portland, Oregon. The top three participants from each semi-final will compete in the Cocktail Classique Finals in New Orleans in September. Additional information is available on Lucid's Facebook page, the Lucid Website and the USBG website. For more information about Lucid Absinthe or Hood River Distillers, visit hrdspirits.com. Contact: Laura Peet PeetCom Inc. [email protected] (917) 860-6285 SOURCE The United States Bartenders' Guild ARLINGTON, Va., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Venture Global LNG, Inc. announces that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy has issued the authorization for Venture Global Calcasieu Pass LNG to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas from its Cameron Parish, Louisiana export facility to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries. Under the terms of the order, Calcasieu Pass is authorized to export up to 620 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per year of natural gas (1.7 Bcf/day) for a period of 25 years, to commence on the earlier of the date of first export or seven years from the date of the requested authorization. This order follows the DOE's previous authorizations to export to FTA countries, as well as the recent U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order Granting Authorizations under Sections 3 and 7 of the Natural Gas Act to site, construct and operate the project. Co-CEOs Bob Pender and Mike Sabel jointly stated, "We are excited that we now have all federal authorizations for our Calcasieu Pass project, and we thank the Department of Energy for their expeditious decision. We are pleased that our Calcasieu Pass buyers Shell, BP, Edison, Galp, Repsol, and PGNiG can now deliver our low-cost US-produced energy worldwide, and we are proud to bring the benefit of the DOE's decision to our country and our local communities in Louisiana. We have filed our implementation plans with FERC to commence site works imminently." The 10 MTPA nameplate Calcasieu Pass facility will employ a comprehensive process solution from Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) that utilizes mid-scale, modular, factory-fabricated liquefaction trains. Venture Global has executed an integrated turnkey EPC contract with Kiewit to design, engineer, construct, commission, test and guarantee the Calcasieu Pass facility. The company is also developing the 20 MTPA nameplate Plaquemines LNG export facility and associated Gator Express Pipeline in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Plaquemines LNG has executed a binding 20-year SPA with PGNiG. About Venture Global LNG Venture Global LNG is a long-term, low-cost provider of LNG to be supplied from resource rich North American natural gas basins. Venture Global LNG's liquefaction process system employs a highly efficient and reliable suite of products supplied by BHGE. Venture Global LNG is developing both the 10 MTPA Venture Global Calcasieu Pass facility (on an approximately 1,000-acre site located at the intersection of the Calcasieu Ship Channel and the Gulf of Mexico) and the 20 MTPA Venture Global Plaquemines LNG facility (on an approximately 630-acre site in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, 30 miles south of New Orleans on the Mississippi River). Venture Global has raised $855 million of capital to-date to support the development of its projects. More can be found at www.venturegloballng.com. SOURCE Venture Global LNG, Inc. Related Links http://www.venturegloballng.com/ MUMBAI, India, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Youth Incorporated, in association with Education Times, Times of India, released its top 100 Global Undergraduate and Business School Rankings 2019. The programs that were ranked include Undergraduate, MBA, Masters in Finance, Marketing, Executive MBA, Online MBA, and Masters in Management. In addition to this, specialty rankings and continent-wise rankings were also published. With responses from over 4250 institutes, current students, alumni and over 26,000 recruiters from around the world, we ranked the top 100 universities and business schools. The rankings help students, who wish to learn more about undergraduate and master's programs overseas make an informed choice about the various options available to them. Youth Incorporated Education Times Global Business School and Undergraduate Rankings The information was analyzed by emphasizing on important criteria that students consider while enrolling in an institute such as value for money, student and recruiter satisfaction, infrastructure and facilities, teaching methodologies, and so on. UNDERGRADUATE FINDINGS Placing the 2019 rankings against those that have been conducted over the years, a comparison of the performance of institutes in the previous years is evident. Harvard University yet again manages to retain its pole position with a consistently perfect score. This year's second position took everyone by surprise, as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology rose considerably to the top and took second place for the first time. The University of Pennsylvania, which managed to maintain its position through the years, fell to the third place this year. Stanford University occupied the fourth position this year, a step down from last year's rank. Cornell University claimed fifth place this year, replacing the University of Chicago from last year, which occupies the seventh rank this year. Princeton University maintained its sixth position from last year, whereas Yale University went down by one rank from last year to the eighth rank this year. Yet again, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge fell short of the top 10 categories, but the University of Oxford climbed up two ranks to the 11th position, while the University of Cambridge fell two ranks to the 13th position. The American institutes have yet again dominated the top 10 categories. Among the Asian institutes, The University of Tokyo is the only one to have made it to the top 20 this year, also rounding off the category. The four Indian universities that make the cut every year are still the same, and no new additions have been seen this year. IIT Bombay, which maintained itself in the top 20 till last year, hopped out of the category to the 21st position. IIT Delhi showed considerable progress from last year's 29th rank to the 25th rank this year. IIT Kanpur, which leaped to the 60th position last year, fell to the 62nd rank this year. The University of Delhi, which made a remarkable jump to the 75th position last year, fell one rank short to the 76th rank this year. For a country that bases its youngsters' success on education, India certainly needs to focus more on the growth and development of its educational institutes. MASTER'S AND MBA RANKINGS The year also saw the standard four Indian institutes making the cut; however, there has been significant progress. IIM Ahmedabad moved up this year to the 14th rank, whereas IIM Calcutta moved up two ranks to the 16th position. The Indian School of Business (ISB) observed a decline in its rankings, moving from the 21st rank last year, to 25th this year. SP Jain Institute of Management continued its steady climb on the list with a four space jump, at 46th rank this year from last year's 50th rank. This year's rankings saw Harvard University take back its pole position as top-ranked B-school in the world from the University of Pennsylvania, which fell to the third position this year. The second rank was occupied by London Business School, a two-rank jump from last year's fourth place. Stanford University occupied third place this year, whereas Columbia University rounded off the top 5. This year saw two Spanish business schools in the top 10 category IE Business School and IESE Spain in which IE was already in the top 10 last year, IESE moved up from last year's 12th rank. American universities have been consistently at the top positions, as observed over the years. For the complete list of institutes, rankings and methodology visit www.youthincmag.com Pearl [email protected] Related Links Youth Incorporated Magazine Rankings Link SOURCE Youth Incorporated Magazine Related Links https://www.youthincmag.com In the field and throughout facilities, Yorkshire Water personnel face the risk of environmental gas exposure to flammable, toxic and asphyxiating gases while delivering water services to over five million homes and a quarter of a million businesses. Under this order, Blackline will deliver its single and four-gas G7c detectors with integrated 3G wireless and a five-year G7 Insight service program. Blackline-provided services include cloud-hosted software with automated configuration management, regulatory compliance tools and location-enabled data analytics. Phil Stubley, Contract Manager at Yorkshire Water said, "We are really excited to roll out the Blackline G7c product across Yorkshire Water through our newly awarded contract with Breathe Safety." Helen Keeling, Health and Safety Manager at Yorkshire Water added, "The Blackline G7c will replace our current fleet of monitors, and we are looking forward to the benefits and safety enhancements these new devices will bring as we develop a better understanding of our H 2 S issues," "From our market research, Blackline are real industry leaders and have completely redesigned the way we think about gas monitoring." "To keep their field teams safe, Breathe Safety helped Yorkshire Water evaluate and approve the best safety monitoring technology available," said Adam Moodie, General Manager at Breathe Safety. "By deploying Blackline's G7c personal detector, Yorkshire Water will solve the regulatory compliance reporting challenge once and for all. With the G7 Insight program, it's easy to confirm that G7c devices are properly tested, calibrated and being used appropriately by personnel." "Blackline's data analytics software provides Yorkshire Water with never-seen-before insights into their gas detection program," said Gavin Boorman, Managing Director at Blackline Safety Europe. "All data reported from employee-worn G7c gas monitors seamlessly uploads to the cloud-hosted Blackline Safety Network. Yorkshire Water can efficiently access and visualize data from every device in the field with help from over ten automatic reports. With a few clicks of their mouse, the Yorkshire health and safety team can see every calibration, plus they can map the location of every low-level gas reading in order to proactively plan appropriate actions." Future-proofing their investment, Blackline clients can add a range of real-time services to their G7 Insight connected safety program: Push-to-talk service that enables G7c detectors to operate as a walkie-talkie Deployment of specialized gas detection sensors and the option for a built-in pump Real-time alerting and emergency response management tools Two-way voice calling with the live monitoring team 24/7 live monitoring by Blackline's Alarm Receiving Centre partners To learn more about Blackline Safety's connected portfolio, visit www.blacklinesafety.com and follow Blackline Safety Europe on Twitter @blacklinesafety. About Yorkshire Water: Through over 62,000 miles of pipework, Yorkshire Water provides 1.24 billion liters of drinking water every single day across one of England's biggest counties. Since privatization, Yorkshire Water has invested more than 20 billion in maintaining and improving water and waste water services and the environment. With over 3,500 personnel, we are committed to the safety and wellbeing of every employee in the workplace and actively seek progressive solutions that reduce the risk of our workforce. About Breathe Safety: Since our inception, the Breathe Safety name has been synonymous with sustaining life in hazardous environments and providing a quality service to clients in a variety of industries. Providing a full spectrum of support services in the critical areas of confined space working and respiratory protective solutions, we have been involved with a range of equipment, including gas detectors and breathing apparatus to ATEX lighting and air movers, winches, tripods and harnesses. Hire, sales, service, calibration, training, consultancy and rescue are all among the services which we offer to clients, with the intention of providing a turnkey solution for this important area of safety. About Blackline Safety: Blackline Safety is a global connected safety technology leader. Providing comprehensive live-monitoring and wireless gas detection, we help teams working in hazardous environments respond to emergencies in real-time and manage efficient evacuations, accounting for everyone's safety along the way. With millions invested in technology research and development, Blackline Safety is recognized for quality and innovation. Our talented team of designers and engineers create and manufacture in-house from wearable technology and personal gas detectors to cloud-hosted infrastructure and web-based interfaces for global industry. We deliver the world's first turn-key, work-anywhere, connected safety monitoring solution with gas detection, 3G wireless, satellite communications, two-way speakerphone, push-to-talk, location-enabled data analytics and live monitoring to meet the demanding safety challenges and increase productivity of organizations in over 100 countries. For more information, visit www.blacklinesafety.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Blackline Safety Corp. Related Links http://www.blacklinegps.com All 19 Crimes beers ($12.99 SRP per 6 pack) will be available in cans with labels featuring the familiar faces of John Boyle O'Reilly, Michael Harrington and Cornelius Dwyer Kane, meaning the augmented reality will also work on the cans. The beers will be tested in Ohio initially and will expand to more states in the US by the end of the year. The Pilsner is made in a refreshing style with a medium dry finish. The India Pale Ale is a modern American IPA that is approachable yet complex and the Lager is clean and crisp, balancing bready malts with Old World and New World hop flavor. 19 Crimes was the first wine brand to bring augmented reality to the convicts turned colonists on the labels. Each rogue pictured comes to life to tell their unique story through the Living Wine Labels app. You can download the Living Wine Labels app from the Apple app store and Google Play Store. To learn more about 19 Crimes, please visit 19Crimes.com and follow us on Facebook 19crimes, on Instagram @19crimeswine and on Twitter @19crimes For more information please contact 19 Crimes Public Relations Director at [email protected] or +1 707.363.4146 ABOUT 19 CRIMES 19 Crimes turned convicts into colonists. In 18th-century Britain, criminals guilty of at least one of the 19 crimes, were sentenced to live in Australia, rather than death. For the rough-hewn prisoners who made it to shore, a new world awaited. As pioneers in a frontier penal colony, they forged a new country and new lives, brick by brick. Today, 19 Crimes wines celebrate the rebellious spirit of the more than 160 ,000 exiled men and women, the rule breakers and law defying citizens that forged a new culture and national spirit in Australia. SOURCE 19 Crimes CHARLOTTE, N.C., Mar. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- XcooBee, the Privacy Network, announced today the launch of XcooBee Cookie Kit, its open source toolkit that enables sites to manage users' cookies more transparently, with less user friction and more programmatic ease. Blue pulse to indicate that XcooBee Cookie Kit has negotiated users preferences with site. A cookie icon that users can always click on to change their cookie settings. XcooBee was formed with the mission to protect the digital rights and privacy of consumers and businesses alike. After research, the XcooBee team found that existing cookie notifications were falling far short of the base requirements of the European GDPR and eDirective regulations. Most companies were only displaying cookie notifications without actually managing the creation or removal of cookies. Similarly, they were failing to comply with the general guidelines that consent has to be as easy to give as it is to remove. XcooBee founder, Bilal Soylu, explains the need for the Cookie Kit: "We decided that we needed to innovate in this area as the current state was appalling." He challenges, "Just decline cookies on any notice and see what really happens." Then he continues, "We had difficulty finding proper technical cookie handling across the board, not to speak of constant user interruptions with ineffective notices." He further explains, "Most sites do not even seem to have a connection between what they display in their cookie notices, their user interactions, and the actual resultant cookie load." In this, Soylu refers to the XcooBee blogpost from January 13, 2019. The XcooBee Cookie Kit makes smart decisions on behalf of the user and site owner. It reviews a collection of data points, for example, whether consent is known, users have set expressed cookie defaults, and country specific requirements. It makes decisions on how much information should be presented to users and how much is already known. "In all cases, we use animation and color to keep the user informed about the site's cookie decisions," says Soylu. "Users can change their consent at any time, and with a free XcooBee account they can do so without visiting the site directly." There are many advantages to users, especially with a free XcooBee Network account. They can use XcooBee's innovative Crowd AI cookie mechanism to accept cookies based on the wisdom of many. They can also centrally manage all sites that have adopted the XcooBee technology and surf with the least interruption possible. "It is so refreshing to land on a site, and see that XcooBee has transparently negotiated the type of cookies for me. There are no pop-ups needed. Just a pleasant color pulse to keep me informed," says Soylu. According to Soylu, the site owners also receive a collection of tools that they can use. Programmatic hooks make it easy to offload the cookie life cycle process to the Cookie Kit. From the creation to the removal, the users' cookies are managed automatically. This allows sites to truly stay compliant, rather than just displaying veneer notices. He says, "We have published documentation with many easy-to-follow examples in popular development frameworks from nodejs, express, reactjs, to WordPress plugins. Site owners can turn automation on in minutes." XcooBee is publishing all the XcooBee Cookie Kit variants as free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license. Soylu says, "We want to put proper GDPR compliant cookie handling in the reach of any size of company." The XcooBee Privacy Network is pioneering a new era in privacy by challenging business models powered by people giving away their privacy. XcooBee provides a collection of tools to address privacy issues from secure file sharing, to consent management, to collecting and managing PII data. XcooBee also provides peace of mind to businesses looking to comply with new privacy rules, such as GDPR in Europe. As more countries adopt laws to protect their citizens' privacy, using products like XcooBee will become a competitive advantage. To learn more about XcooBee's Privacy Network please visit www.xcoobee.com . Media Contact: Andrea Smith [email protected] 678 809 1698 x 506 SOURCE XcooBee Related Links http://www.xcoobee.com ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG) will be hosting an informal management meeting with the investment community at its corporate headquarters in Rolling Meadows, Illinois on Tuesday, March 12, from 8:00 a.m. CT until approximately 12:00 p.m. CT. During the meeting, the company's operating and financial leaders will present background information and commentary on the company's business operations and financial outlook, and will also take questions from in-person attendees. In conjunction with this meeting, the company will broadcast a live audio webcast which can be accessed, on a listen-only basis, on the company's website at www.ajg.com/irmeeting. A replay will be available at the same link through April 12, 2019 at midnight ET. Any information distributed during this meeting will be available on March 12, 2019 at 7:30 a.m. CT at http://www.ajg.com/March12materials. The agenda will be available at www.ajg.com/irmeeting. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 35 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Contact: Raymond Iardella VP Investor Relations (630) 285-3661/ [email protected] SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Related Links http://www.ajg.com NEW YORK, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global automotive semiconductor market accounted to US$34.89 Bn in 2017 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period 2018 - 2027, to account to US$76.93 Bn by 2027. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05730237 Semiconductors have facilitated most of the latest innovations in automotive technology across the world.Demand for automotive semiconductors is continuing to rise steadily due to more complexity in car designs, which thereby provides a significant long-term growth scenario for the automotive semiconductor market. Owing to this, several global automotive suppliers and automotive OEMs are focusing on introducing innovative sensors, connectivity platforms, mapping applications, and other new technologies along with the expansion of electric vehicles (EVs).Further, the semiconductor content in each vehicle is on a rise owing to the government regulations regarding safety, fuel efficiency, and emission standards. The safety features in the automotive semiconductor market have evolved from passive to active systems with ADAS including radar & vision systems. Further, the demand for electronic stability control, tire pressure monitoring, ADAS, and other features is witnessing notable growth rate owing to regulatory mandates. A significant rise in the automotive manufacturing has remarkably driven the automotive semiconductor market.The automobile manufacturers worldwide are experiencing significant demand for vehicles ranging from passenger vehicles, lightweight commercial vehicles, and heavyweight commercial vehicles. Higher disposable income in the developed countries and increasing purchasing power capacity among the population in developing countries is significantly driving the automobile procurement.The constant pressure on automobile manufacturers to deliver a large number of vehicles to meet consumer demand is catalyzing the production statistics of vehicle manufacturing. With the increase in automobile manufacturing, the demand for advanced technologies integrated on to the vehicles is simultaneously increasing among the end users.This factor has created a potential market space for various types of semiconductors. In the current automotive market, major manufacturers are integrating their vehicles with technologically enhanced sensors, in order to improve the safety of the vehicles. Apart from sensors, several other types of semiconductors are also being integrated on the newer vehicles, which is paving the path for automotive semiconductor market players to generate substantial revenue. The global automotive semiconductor market has been segmented into three major segments including component, application, and vehicle type.The component segment is fragmented by optical, sensors & actuators, memory, microcontrollers, analog ICs, and logic & discrete power devices. The sensors & actuators segment is further segmented into LED, image sensor, position sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, and others.The memory segment is sub-divided into DRAM and flash. The application segment is categorized into advanced driver assistance systems, body electronics, infotainment, powertrain, and safety systems.The vehicle type segment is bifurcated into passenger cars, light commercial vehicle, and heavy commercial vehicle. On the basis of geography, the automotive semiconductor market is presently dominated by APAC in terms of market share. The top companies operating in the automotive semiconductor market include NVIDIA Corporation, Intel Corporation, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Infineon Technologies AG, Rohm Semiconductor, Texas Instruments Inc., Renesas Electronics Corporation, Robert Bosch GmbH, ON Semiconductor Corporation, and STMicroelectronics N.V. among others. Various other companies operating in the automotive semiconductor market and are coming up with new technologies and offerings which is helping the automotive semiconductor market to expand over the years in terms of revenue. Reasons to Buy Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the automotive semiconductor market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies. Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering in developed and emerging markets. Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to segmentations like component, application, and vehicle type. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05730237 About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com ZUG, Switzerland, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Etherisc, the global decentralized insurance platform for collectively building insurance products, has announced today two members of the Ethereum Foundation team joined its advisory board in support of Etherisc's real-world applications built to protect victims of natural disasters. Aya Miyaguchi and Virgil Griffith of the Ethereum Foundation join Etherisc Advisory Board The two new members, Aya Miyaguchi and Virgil Griffith, who both joined the board in a personal capacity, discovered the importance of Etherisc while looking for examples of blockchain companies that have impactful working products. They highlighted Etherisc's use of smart contracts for "parametric" insurance, whereby predetermined weather parameters trigger immediate payout to policyholders if there is, for instance, a hurricane in Puerto Rico or a drought for rice farmers in Sri Lanka. "Parametric insurance could be the next killer app on Ethereum," said Griffith, who has a PhD in computation and neural systems from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and heads Special Projects at the Ethereum Foundation. "I heard what Etherisc was doing in Puerto Rico and Sri Lanka and had to learn more, so I flew from Singapore to Berlin to meet the team. I was blown away by Etherisc's progress leading the field of decentralized insurance. Now I am excited to lend my support to one of the most innovative projects there is on Ethereum." Blockchain technology provides the insurance industry with first-of-their-kind efficiencies and automation that enable parametric insurance to expand beyond its niche in the global market. Etherisc's decentralized insurance protocol removes the need for traditional, slow-moving, expensive insurance policies by using a library of smart contracts to record transactions in a secure and transparent manner. The technology takes the middleman out of the insurance equation, dramatically reducing the cost of household and small business policies. In addition, the protocol automates premium calculations and claims payouts so policies are faster and cheaper than traditional insurance procedures. This has led to Etherisc implementing products in partnership with global entities such as Aon and Oxfam. "Etherisc is an impressive example of where the Ethereum blockchain is being used for working products that are making a difference in the lives of communities that would remain underserved without this technology," Miyaguchi, who is the Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, said. "Etherisc has shown it runs and operates a smart contract-based risk transfer that is actually in production." The advisors' news follows Etherisc's release of source code for its Generic Insurance Framework to enable the quick and easy deployment of working insurance products on its decentralized platform. "At this key time in our development, we are honored to welcome this new support from such renowned advisors whose understanding and knowledge of the blockchain industry is unparalleled," Etherisc Co-Founder Stephan Karpischek said. "We are proud to count on such an engaged board of advisors with a perfect range of expertise needed to build our platform for decentralized insurance products." The new members round out the Etherisc Board of Advisors, which is made up of blockchain experts and industry pioneers: Ron Bernstein, Paradex/Coinbase; Jake Brukhman, CoinFund; Tobias Noack, Aon Commercial Risk Solutions (Germany); William Mougayar, JM3 Capital; Ralf Glabischnig, inacta/CV VC; and Daniel Zakrisson, Hardfork. New Etherisc advisor Virgil Griffith and Etherisc Co-Founder Stephan Karpischek are available for an interview. About the New Advisors Aya Miyaguchi is the Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation and is an adviser to positive-impact projects such as OmiseGo. Previously she was the Managing Director of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken in Japan. Virgil Griffith works on Special Projects at the Ethereum Foundation. He has a PhD in computation and neural systems from Caltech (the California Institute of Technology). About Etherisc The winner of the Blockchain Oscar 2017 for the most innovative blockchain startup, Etherisc is the first fully-compliant insurance platform to utilize blockchain technology to make the purchase and sale of insurance more efficient; cut out the middleman; eliminate insurer-customer conflict by offering insight into the claims process and instantly paying out valid claims; democratize access to reinsurance instruments; and encourage industry innovation through an 'open access' platform that will allow other types of risk pools and products to be developed. For more, visit etherisc.com . Contact: Saul Hudson [email protected] +1 786 562 1683 SOURCE Etherisc Related Links http://etherisc.com Since the firm's founding in 1919, Baird associates have focused on providing the best financial advice and service to clients and giving back to their communities. This "service to others" has been faithfully followed since firm namesake Robert Wilson Baird led the union of two bond departments that formed the First Wisconsin Company in 1919. Robert W. Baird was also an early advocate of the formation of an industry group focused on self-regulation and became the third chairman of the National Association of Securities Dealers. Today, Baird has approximately 3,500 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients through more than 100 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. "As we celebrate 100 years, we reflect on our commitment to client service that started in 1919 with Robert W. Baird and his guiding principle: 'Clients come first,'" said Steve Booth, Baird President & CEO. "This ideal, which we continue to hold true today, has helped fuel a century of success for our firm, during which we've grown our capabilities and expanded into new businesses and strategic markets around the world, all to best meet the evolving needs of our clients." Baird has achieved significant success year-over-year through its balanced platform of five strategic businesses: Private Wealth Management: More than 890 Financial Advisors and 85 in-house specialists provide comprehensive wealth management strategies for high-net worth families and individuals. Asset Management: Baird's fixed income and equity portfolio managers oversee $69 billion in assets under management for institutional investors and through customized portfolios and mutual funds. in assets under management for institutional investors and through customized portfolios and mutual funds. Baird Investment Banking/Capital Markets: Baird provides M&A, debt advisory and equity services to middle-market companies, and research, sales and trading expertise to institutional investors. Fixed Income Capital Markets: Baird offers investment ideas and trade execution for institutional clients, and debt underwriting and advisory services to public, private and nonprofit clients. Baird Capital: Baird Capital makes venture capital, growth equity and buyout investments in lower middle-market companies in the Industrial, Technology & Services and Healthcare sectors. Revenues in 2018 were $1.78 billion, the ninth consecutive year of record results, and client assets entrusted to Baird exceeded $208 billion. As an employee-owned and independent firm, Baird has been able to make strategic additions, driven by an alignment of values, shared goals and clients-first culture. Some recent highlights include: Hilliard Lyons : In November, Baird and Hilliard Lyons signed a definitive agreement for Hilliard Lyons and Hilliard Lyons Trust Company to join Baird. The combined firm will have approximately 1,300 financial advisors serving clients from nearly 170 locations in 34 states. The transaction is expected to close in April. : In November, Baird and signed a definitive agreement for and Hilliard Lyons Trust Company to join Baird. The combined firm will have approximately 1,300 financial advisors serving clients from nearly 170 locations in 34 states. The transaction is expected to close in April. Strategas: In January, 2018, this leading boutique firm, whose primary focus is macroeconomic research, became a wholly-owned, Baird company. John Taft : Also in January, 2018, Baird welcomed this industry veteran as Vice Chairman and a member of Baird's Executive Committee to help drive strategic growth. John brings 35 years of financial services experience to the firm. In February, Baird was named to FORTUNE magazine's 2019 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, ranking No. 16. It was the firm's 16th consecutive year of being recognized for its commitment to being a great place to work. Baird also has a long tradition of giving back to the communities where its associates live and work. Baird Foundation provides support to many charitable organizations supported by our associates, and in 2018 contributed $4.1 million to non-profit organizations. Through the Baird Cares program, associates receive two paid days off each year to volunteer for the charity of their choice. Associates also organize Baird Gives Back Week, an event held annually in the spring. In 2018, nearly 1,800 associates and family members volunteered nearly 7,100 hours to 149 non-profit organizations. "Our commitment to being a great place to work has enabled us to attract and retain talented professionals, who in turn, provide the best financial advice and service to our clients," said Paul Purcell, Chairman of Baird. "I couldn't be more proud of our associates and what we've accomplished together. We have given back time, talent and treasure to our communities, inspired by the example set by Mr. Baird himself. A century of success proves that our associates have translated the Baird values into reality." To learn more about Baird's 100th and success over the years, please visit www.baird100.com and follow the hashtag #Baird100. About Baird Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019, Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, asset management, investment banking/capital markets, and private equity firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Baird has approximately 3,500 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients and more than $208 billion in client assets as of Dec. 31, 2018. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Baird's principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Baird also has an operating subsidiary in Asia supporting Baird's investment banking and private equity operations. For more information, please visit Baird's website at www.rwbaird.com. SOURCE Baird Related Links http://www.rwbaird.com MIAMI, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bin There Dump That, a leading residential friendly dumpster rental service, has announced expansion plans to bring new territories throughout Florida, specifically in Miami and the Eastern coastline, over the next three to five years. The company's convenient, cost-effective solution for homeowners, contractors and realtors in need of waste removal during renovation projects or major clean ups has set the standard in the industry. As demand for its service continues to rise, the franchise expansion plans aim to further provide Floridians, and snowbirds alike, a customer-focused, mess free dumpster service. Already a fixture in the state, Bin There Dump That serves nine territories throughout seven Florida cities including Orlando, Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Cape Coral, Clearwater, Sarasota, Ft. Meyers and Jacksonville. Patrick Daley, owner of Bin There Dump That of Sarasota County and Manatee County, joined the franchise system in 2014 after moving to Florida from Ontario, Canada. In his five years' operating as a Bin There Dump That franchisee, Daley's network has rapidly expanded, growing to three trucks and 106 dumpsters. With this swift expansion in mind, the brand plans to further its reach into Florida's eastern coastline and Miami. "When I joined the Bin There Dump That family five years ago, the Florida market was virtually untapped I was just the second operator in the state," said Daley. "With my background as a professional landscape company owner, the Bin There Dump That franchise opportunity proved to be a perfect fit. It has afforded unbelievable success for me and my family while being supported by a proven business model that centers on customer service and enhancing the community. Additionally, Florida's consistent climate made it the perfect location to open a Bin There Dump That franchise in fact winter month remodels are our busiest season!" Finding qualified franchisees in target growth markets has been a key factor driving the brand's expansion over the past several years. As Bin There Dump that continues to emphasize franchise growth, it is seeking business owners to open and operate territories through Florida. Ideal franchisees are professionals with business ownership experience that have strong people skills and maintain a hands-on ownership mindset. "Bin There Dump That is a low-cost franchise that is capitalizing on the growing consumer demand for a convenient, cost-effective solution for waste removal needs. All of these factors have fueled the continued success for franchise owners in their local communities," said John Ferracuti, COO of Bin There Dump That. "By continuing to find the right individuals to add to our existing network of amazing franchisees, we will be able to exceed our goals for growth and continue to provide the best experience for our customers." Bin There Dump That provides services to homeowners, contractors, remodelers, roofers or anyone needing a dumpster. Rentable roll-off dumpsters range in size from 4-20 yards, allowing community members to rent a dumpster for any size project, big or small. Residential-friendly guarantees the dumpster will fit conveniently in a homeowner's driveway and is placed on wood planks to avoid any damage to the driveway. The dumpsters feature a clean and colorful appearance that is never unsightly to neighbors, with a walk-in side door for easy loading and operating. The brand has seen tremendous growth, expanding into over 150 territories across 28 states crediting much of this success to its superior franchise partners. Bin There Dump That's bright green, roll-off dumpsters and friendly consultants are expanding their reach nationwide as the acclaimed international company has eyes set on continued growth, with plans to operate in 300 more territories in both the United States and Canada by 2028. To learn more about franchising with Bin There Dump That, visit https://www.bintheredumpthatfranchise.com/. About Bin There Dump That Bin There Dump That is North America`s leading residential friendly dumpster company, founded in 2002 by Mark Crossett. Mark teamed up with That Franchise Group in 2004 to begin franchising in North America. The franchise has since grown to over 150 territories across the United States and Canada. Known for its appealing bright green bins and residential friendly service, it is unrivaled in the industry and was named #2 in the home services category of the 2019 Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list. For more information about Bin There Dump That and our business opportunities, please visit www.bintheredumpthatfranchise.com or call 905-582-1234. Contact: Kathryn Frakes, Fishman Public Relations, (847) 945-1300, [email protected] SOURCE Bin There Dump That Related Links https://www.bintheredumpthat.com BUCHAREST, Romania and SANTA CLARA, California, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitdefender, a leading global cybersecurity company protecting over 500 million systems worldwide, today announced interoperability between Bitdefender GravityZone Security for Virtualized Environments (SVE) and VMware NSX-T Data Center. With this support, Bitdefender delivers an agentless security solution for customers that works with VMware NSX-T Data Center. As organizations embrace new technologies, data center environments become heterogeneous, and the percentage of workloads running in public clouds continues to increase. As such, software-defined networking (SDN) solutions must expand to offer a full range of networking and security services, natively, in these environments. In response, VMware has designed VMware NSX-T Data Center to support multi-cloud (e.g., AWS, Azure, and VMware Cloud on AWS), multi-hypervisor (e.g., VMware vSphere and KVM) and container (e.g., Docker and Kubernetes) environments. "As customer's build out hybrid clouds underpinned by VMware NSX, they need the broadest possible ecosystem of solutions to address their unique security requirements," said Umesh Mahajan, Senior Vice President of R&D, Networking and Security Business Unit at VMware. "Bitdefender offers customers a proven security solution that can take advantage of the pervasive connectivity provided by VMware NSX to deliver layered security anywhere the application requires it." Bitdefender GravityZone SVE, a VMware Ready solution, offers VMware NSX customers the following benefits: Better protection against advanced threats with HyperDetect tunable machine learning Greater operational efficiency and agility via native NSX and VMware vCenter integration Higher infrastructure ROI due to increased consolidation ratios and faster performance "Bitdefender is honored to be the first provider offering VMware customers the benefits of agentless security with VMware NSX-T Data Center and the only one to protect them against advanced threats with tunable machine learning," said Gavin Hill, Vice President, Datacenter and Network Security Products, Bitdefender. "We value our ongoing partnership with VMware, and their likeminded commitment to customer service and innovation." Bitdefender will showcase GravityZone Security for Virtualized Environments (SVE) for VMware NSX-T at the Bitdefender booth 2051 at the 2019 RSA Conference on March 4-7 in San Francisco, CA. The solution will be generally available March 31, 2019. For more information or to schedule a trial, visit bitdefender.com/sddc. About Bitdefender Bitdefender is a global cybersecurity leader protecting over 500 million systems in more than 150 countries. Since 2001, Bitdefender innovation has consistently delivered award-winning security products and threat intelligence for the smart connected home, mobile users, modern businesses and their networks, devices, data centers and Cloud infrastructure. Today, Bitdefender and its Labs is also the provider vendor of choice, embedded in over 38% of the world's security solutions. Recognized by industry, respected by vendors and evangelized by customers, Bitdefender is the cybersecurity company you can trust and rely on www.bitdefender.com VMware, NSX, NSX-T, NSX-T Data Center, VMware Cloud, vSphere, VMware Ready, and vCenter are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. SOURCE Bitdefender Related Links https://www.bitdefender.com/ PHILADELPHIA, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Carisma Therapeutics Inc., a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies based on chimeric antigen receptor macrophages, today announced that the Company's management will present at three upcoming investor and industry conferences: William Blair 9th Annual Cancer Immunotherapy Conference Carisma's management will deliver a scientific presentation on March 20, 2019 at 9:55 am EST . The conference will be held at the Apella, Event Space Alexandria Center in New York, NY ; 9th Annual Cancer Immunotherapy Conference Carisma's management will deliver a scientific presentation on at . The conference will be held at the Apella, Event Space Alexandria Center in ; Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Cell & Gene Investment Day Carisma's management will participate in the conference in New York City and provide a corporate update on March 21, 2019 , at 2:15 p.m. EST ; and and provide a corporate update on , at ; and Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology: Innate and Non-Classical Immune Cells in Cancer Immunotherapy Carisma's management will present in the Cellular Therapies and Biomarkers session on March 28, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. MST . The conference will be held at the Keystone Resort, Keystone, CO. The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Cell & Gene Investment Day is filmed and livestreamed from the meeting website at http://arminvestorday.com/webcast/. About Carisma Therapeutics Inc. Carisma Therapeutics Inc. is biopharmaceutical company bringing the power of adoptive cellular immunotherapy to solid tumor patients through a differentiated platform using chimeric antigen receptor macrophages. Carisma Therapeutics is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, please see the Company's website at https://carismatx.com/. Media Contact: Deirdre Purdy for Carisma Therapeutics [email protected] 914-819-7870 SOURCE Carisma Therapeutics Inc. Related Links https://carismatx.com NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) will host a conference call to discuss first quarter 2019 financial results on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 4:30 PM Eastern time. A press release with first quarter 2019 financial results will be issued at approximately 4:10 PM Eastern time on April 24, 2019. Participants can join the conference by dialing 1-888-317-6003 and will be prompted to enter the code 2095686. International callers can dial 1-412-317-6061 and will be prompted to enter the code 2095686. The call will also be webcast live from the Company's website on the investor relations page at ir.chipotle.com and registration is available at https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1894/29587. An archived webcast will be available approximately one hour after the end of the call. About Chipotle Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had nearly 2,500 restaurants as of December 31, 2018 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. With more than 70,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. Steve Ells, founder and executive chairman, first opened Chipotle with a single restaurant in Denver, Colorado in 1993. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM. SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill Related Links http://www.chipotle.com RENO, Nev., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Clear Capital, the premier provider of real estate valuation, analytics, and platform technology solutions, today announced its integration with Ellie Mae's Encompass Partner Connect. As an early adopter of the Encompass Partner Connect APIs, Clear Capital is providing a competitive edge for Encompass users, not only through easy ordering and integrated management of the appraisal process, but also through its participation with Ellie Mae's technology to automate service ordering. This eliminates the need for lenders to click buttons while also reducing costs and improving efficiency. "We're excited about what's possible because of our mutual use of modern technology," said Kenon Chen, executive vice president of strategic partnerships at Clear Capital. "Clear Capital is leading the way in modern appraisal solutions through our analytics, inspection technology, and proven success with bifurcated and hybrid appraisals. We see Ellie Mae's platform as a strategic partner for making it simpler for lenders to streamline the valuation process and adopt appraisal modernization and waiver programs in the future, all of which will reduce time, cost, and improve the home-buying experience in a tight margin environment. As a trusted solution provider to investors and the largest lenders, we see the Ellie Mae partnership as an important partnership." The integration will be available to Encompass users on both current-generation Encompass and the next-generation platform. It will also connect with Clear Capital's valuation review platform, ClearCollateral, giving Encompass users the option to streamline collateral underwriting, manage orders and providers, and more. "We are thrilled that Clear Capital is an early adopter of Encompass Partner Connect," said Parvesh Sahi, senior vice president of business development for Ellie Mae. "This partnership is a testament to both organizations to build, deploy, and innovate appraisal and service ordering solutions and to make them easily accessible to our broad network of lenders. Together, we are delivering on the promise of a true digital mortgage." Ellie Mae is a leading provider of innovative, on-demand software solutions and services for the residential mortgage industry. Encompass provides one system of record that enables banks, credit unions, and mortgage lenders to originate and fund mortgages and improve compliance, loan quality, and efficiency. About Clear Capital Clear Capital is pioneering the future of real estate valuation, analytics, and platform technology solutions. Powered by its more than 45 years worth of information on nearly every U.S. metro, neighborhood, and property, Clear Capital's solutions are trusted by the smallest community credit unions and the nation's largest financial institutions alike. Clear Capital is headquartered in Reno, Nevada with a team of more than 500 nationwide, dedicated to going wherever it leads, and doing whatever it takes. Discover more at clearcapital.com. Media Contacts Matt Lush Clear Capital 775-351-6244 [email protected] Erica Harvill Ellie Mae 925-227-5913 [email protected] SOURCE Clear Capital Related Links www.clearcapital.com PHOENIX, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allbound, the leading next generation partner relationship management platform, today announced the appointment of Daniel Graff-Radford as the company's Chief Executive Officer. Graff-Radford was most recently the Chief Strategy Officer at OnSolve and an eighteen year tech company veteran with a successful track record of growing and operating both private and public companies. "We are very pleased to have Daniel join us as Chief Executive Officer of Allbound. Daniel has a wealth of knowledge and experience in all areas of the software industry which will assist Allbound in becoming the premier solution in the Partnership Relationship Management space," said Jim Armstrong, Allbound board member, founder of JDA Software, and managing partner at Canal Partners, which invested in Allbound in 2015. "Personally speaking, I am thrilled to be working with Daniel again." In addition to his tenure at OnSolve leading the company's strategy, Graff-Radford has served as Vice President at PGi leading their innovation lab and eventually product management of their fastest growing web solutions; and Vice President and General Manager at Omnilink Systems where he also helped build the initial business plan, and its eventual sale to Numerex, now Sierra Wireless (SWIR). During his sales and operational leadership roles, Daniel Graff-Radford has led multiple successful channel programs creating hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue for his companies' technology products and services. "We are very excited to have Daniel come aboard," said David Paul, a partner of Canal Partners. "He is a wealth of experience in product, sales, and strategy. He is just the executive we need to take Allbound to the next level." Since entering the market as a simple, powerful software platform for building successful channel partner programs, Allbound has evolved into a complete partner relationship management solution that works as a layer in your technology stack. As the company continues to expand its product offerings and market reach, Graff-Radford will utilize his leadership and tech experience to help Allbound continue to grow and innovate. "I'm most excited about Allbound becoming the global voice of collaboration for partnerships," said Graff-Radford. "I was drawn to the Allbound solution because it is what I wish I had when setting up and running channel programs." About Allbound, Inc. Allbound's next generation partner portal platform simplifies and accelerates a business's ability to onboard, train, measure, and grow indirect sales partners. The innovative software enables collaboration among channel vendors and their partners to improve the performance of their indirect sales channels by automating the delivery of marketing content, sales tools and training at each stage of the pipeline. For more information, visit www.allbound.com. About Canal Partners, LLC. Canal Partners is a venture capital firm that provides professional investor services and capital to B2B software and internet technology companies with market-proven products and services. Canal Partners aims to form a true partnership with each of its portfolio companies, providing not just the capital but the strategic guidance that enables scalable, early stage companies to reach the next level of growth. With a focus on software-as-a-service (SaaS) startups in the Phoenix, San Diego, Denver and Atlanta markets, Canal Partners has enabled more than a dozen companies to achieve significant market share in their respective industries, develop into thriving organizations, and realize successful exits. www.canalpartners.com SOURCE Allbound Related Links http://www.allbound.com Dr. Wasserman, who holds a PhD in organizational behavior and a master's degree in sociology, brings to the position more than 15 years of expertise in higher education. A prominent authority on business startups, Dr. Wasserman is the Lemann Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California (USC) as well as the founding director of USC's Founder Central Initiative. Prior to that, he was a professor at Harvard Business School for 13 years. "Dr. Wasserman embodies the values for which Yeshiva University stands," said Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University. "His appointment represents our commitment to growing the quality of our education, preparing our students for greater success in the marketplace of tomorrow and bringing Jewish values to the world. We are excited for Dr. Wasserman to lead our business school into its next great era." "Dr. Wasserman brings to YU a rich background in research, scholarship and teaching," said Dr. Selma Botman, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Yeshiva University. "There is no doubt that he will provide transformative leadership to our growing Sy Syms School of Business." "As chair of the search committee, I can attest to Dr. Wasserman's passion and commitment to driving YU and Sy Syms to the next level," said Michael Strauss, interim dean. "He brings a new perspective to our school during this critical period of change in the landscape of business education." Michael Strauss will serve as associate dean under Dr. Wasserman during the next academic year, working closely with Dr. Wasserman to build and expand Sy Syms as well as continuing to devote much attention to mentoring his students. During the last eight years, Sy Syms has seen substantial growth and has brought on several high-quality research faculty members, experienced practitioners and administrators while also introducing many new courses, majors and graduate programs. Dr. Wasserman has authored two books, the second of which, The Founder's Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup, won the Academy of Management's "Impact on Practice" award. In addition to contributing to numerous scholarly publications, he has been published in the Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review and was a columnist for Forbes and Inc. "I am very excited to be the next dean of the Sy Syms School of Business," said Dr. Wasserman. "YU is the world leader in bringing the timeless wisdom and ethics of Judaism to cutting-edge real-world problems, and I plan to work with our faculty, staff and students to deepen and extend that tradition." About Yeshiva University Founded in 1886, Yeshiva University (YU) brings together the ancient traditions of Jewish law and life and the heritage of Western civilization. More than 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students study at YU's four New York City campuses: Wilf Campus (Washington Heights), Israel Henry Beren Campus and Brookdale Center (midtown Manhattan) and Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus (the Bronx). YU's three undergraduate schoolsYeshiva College, Stern College for Women and Sy Syms School of Businessoffer a unique dual program comprised of Jewish studies and courses in the sciences and humanities. Graduate and affiliate schools include: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, The Mordecai D. and Monique C. Katz School of Science and Health, and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. YU is ranked among the nation's leading academic institutions. Media contact: Mechal Haas [email protected] SOURCE Yeshiva University Related Links https://www.yu.edu SOMERSET, N.J., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Rhea Almeida, therapist and founder of the Institute for Family Services (IFS https://www.instituteforfamilyservices.com/) announced the upcoming release of her newest book, "Liberation Based Healing Practices," for April, 2019. Filled with compelling stories of lived experiences and step-by-step solutions, Dr. Almeida's book offers a clear and detailed blueprint for grappling with the psychological legacies of coloniality and white privilege. The book will be available on Amazon.com. Liberation Based Healing Practices by Rhea V. Almeida, Ph.D. Synopsis: In the culmination of over 20 years of clinical practice, Dr. Almeida lecturer, practitioner and activist exposes therapeutic norms of Western societies and how they are entangled with practices and histories of coloniality. Dr. Almeida not only challenges standard therapeutic practice that focuses on individual diagnosis, a practice that separates the client from their family and larger societal contexts, she also presents strategies to empower clients. In a collaborative effort that includes healing circles and collective accountability, Dr. Almeida illustrates how such collaborations result in a direct challenge to the legacies of power, privilege and overarching oppression. The book includes numerous case studies and diagrams to provide context. "Liberation based healing centers and disrupts the established social order of power, privilege, and oppression and the accompanying matrix of perforations along the trajectories of gender, race, sexual orientation and expression, class, and other identity markers," writes Dr. Almeida. Considering the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, frightening new mobilization by white supremacists, renewed attacks on the LGBTQ community, and the empowerment inherent in the #MeToo initiative, Dr. Almeida's liberation healing is the right solution for the right time. "Dr. Rhea Almeida creates an entirely new paradigm, one in which there is deep trust in the human capacity to relate, collaborate, share, and heal." Jacqueline Battalora, Saint Xavier University, author of "Birth of a White Nation." Much of the information provided in Dr. Almeida's newest book will also be explored in late 2019, during the annual Liberation Based Healing Conference, co-hosted by Medgar Evars College. For more information on the conference, please visit HERE. About Rhea V. Almeida, MS, Ph.D. Creator of a Liberation Based Healing Perspective in family therapy, Dr. Almeida is the author of numerous journal articles and three previous books. In 2005, she received the American Family Therapy Academy Distinguished Award for Innovative Contributions to Family Therapy, and has been profiled in the Los Angeles Times, NPR, CNN and Pure Oxygen. To learn more about Dr. Almeida and her therapeutic team, please visit HERE. About the Institute for Family Services (IFS) IFS is a team of family therapists who are committed to producing change that embraces safe, respectful, nurturing and empowering relationships for all individuals, communities and families. Guided by the direction and research of founder, Dr. Rhea Almeida, IFS is renowned throughout the US for ground-breaking programs that support families through issues of loss, chronic illness, substance abuse, marital conflict, divorce, parenthood, youth, workplace and parenting issues, and other mental health challenges. Learn more at: www.InstituteForFamilyServices.com. Contact: Joy Stocke, Editor 732-873-1663 [email protected] SOURCE Dr. Rhea Almeida Related Links https://www.instituteforfamilyservices.com CINCINNATI, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy customers in Ohio and Kentucky will likely see a combined $110.7 million in savings on their energy bills thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. As a result, individual households could see bill savings of up to approximately $70 over the course of one year. Customers who receive both electric and natural gas service from Duke Energy may see even higher savings. "We've been working closely with state regulators to ensure that our customers enjoy immediate and long-term benefits of the tax act," said Amy Spiller, president of Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky. "Since the act was passed, we've taken many voluntary and proactive steps to enable our customers to start saving money on their monthly energy bills." Ohio customers will see bills go down even more beginning this month Last month, regulators approved the company's proposal to deliver $18 million in new, annual tax savings to its electric customers in Ohio along with an additional $8 million that will be passed along to customers over the coming year. These savings, which will appear on monthly bills beginning this month, are in addition to approximately $20 million in annual tax savings that Duke Energy began passing along to its Ohio electric customers in 2018. Compared to 2017, a typical residential electric customer in Ohio saved about $13 on electric charges in 2018 due to the tax act and can expect to save approximately $40 in 2019. Additionally, regulators are reviewing Duke Energy's proposal to provide $17 million in new, annual tax act savings to its natural gas customers in Ohio along with a one-time $20 million credit that will be passed along to customers over a 12-month period. The proposed savings would be in addition to approximately $3 million the company began providing to its Ohio natural gas customers in 2018. If regulators approve Duke Energy's plan, a typical residential natural gas customer in Ohio will pay about $70 less for service over 12 months as a result of the tax act. Kentucky customers likely to see additional savings in 2019 In May 2018, Duke Energy Kentucky electric customers began seeing nearly $16.5 million in tax act benefits on their bills. When compared to 2017, a typical residential electric customer in Kentucky saved $37 on electric charges in 2018 due to the tax act. In 2019, a typical residential electric customer of Duke Energy Kentucky can expect to save $55. Separately, late last year, the company began applying a $3 million credit to Kentucky customers' gas bills resulting from the tax act. This credit will be reflected on bills through the end of this month. Duke Energy Kentucky natural gas customers will see even more tax act savings, pending regulatory approval of the company's proposal to adjust base rates. In its application, Duke Energy Kentucky proposed applying $5.2 million in tax act benefits to its natural gas customers' rates. If approved, the tax act savings will equate to approximately $51 per year for a typical residential customer. Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky's operations provide electric service to about 850,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service area, and natural gas service to approximately 533,000 customers. Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky is a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK). Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The company's Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit serves approximately 7.6 million retail electric customers in six states North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to approximately 1.6 million customers in five states North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Commercial Renewables unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the U.S. A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Contact: Lee Freedman 24-Hour: 800.559.3853 SOURCE Duke Energy Related Links http://www.duke-energy.com "Thailand is a gorgeous feast of Asian culture, excitement and natural beauty," said Ninan Chacko, CTC, CEO of Travel Leaders Group, which powers Vacation . "Our destination specialists have pooled their talents and their own first-hand knowledge to create a rich, truly memorable array of experiences to inspire consumers as they consider that long-desired journey." First-stop: Bangkok The first destination is Bangkok, where travelers can stay at the luxurious Peninsula Bangkok and explore the city's beautiful riverfront temples and palaces. This journey includes the royal residence Grand Palace and the most revered shrine in the country the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Close by is Wat Pho Temple, home of the gigantic gold-plated Reclining Buddha and also the headquarters for the traditional medicine practitioners of Bangkok. Here, travelers can also embark on a boat tour of the city's maze of waterways, passing towering skyscrapers, bustling markets, and the elegant Temple of Dawn. They can visit a local monastery to learn about Thai Buddhism. Another day, travelers can enjoy a privately chartered long-tail motorboat to journey up the Chao Phraya River to Koh Kret island, known for its stunning handmade pottery and lanterns. The Golden Triangle & Luxury Camps Deep in the Thai countryside is the Golden Triangle, situated at the confluence of the Thai, Lao and Myanmar borders. Here travelers can enjoy a pampered stay at the luxe Four Seasons Tented Camp in private, safari-style tents. High-end amenities include a 90-minute spa treatment and a nightcap of wine and canapes at the property's thatched-roof restaurant, the Wine Cellar. There's also a day of exploring the Mekong River, with visits to local temples and markets, a jungle trek, cocktails at the Four Seasons Burma Bar, and dinner at Nong Yao Restaurant. Travelers can also commune with elephants, even helping them bathe. Historic Chiang Mai Chiang Mai was founded in the 13th century and its culture, cuisine and architecture have been influenced by many different peoples Thai, Burmese, Lao and hill tribes. From their base at the luxurious Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai hotel, travelers can enjoy: A samlor or trishaw (three-wheeled cab) ride exploring Pae Gate , one of four original city gates , one of four original city gates A stroll through Chang Mai Gate Market , a traditional fresh-foods market, and then the riverfront Warorot Market, with its colorful flowers, spices, and nearby markets filled with textiles, hill tribe clothes, silk, hats and beads , a traditional fresh-foods market, and then the riverfront Warorot Market, with its colorful flowers, spices, and nearby markets filled with textiles, hill tribe clothes, silk, hats and beads A temple tour including Wat Chiang Man , Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang , with the opportunity to meet and speak with a local monk about Buddhism , and , with the opportunity to meet and speak with a local monk about Buddhism A visit to Chiang Mai's most famous landmark Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, located on the 5,498-foot high Doi Suthep, where travelers can climb the 300-step staircase or ascend via cable car A day-long visit with a Raunkawe-Yanon family in a rural suburb of Chiang Mai for a unique Lanna cultural and culinary experience, as they share their heritage and 150-year-old traditions Phuket: The Beach and Much More In stunning Phuket, travelers can stay at the beautiful COMO Point Yamu resort, overlooking Phang Nga Bay. Travel Leaders Group destination specialists have built an itinerary that enables travelers to enjoy the azure-blue waters and white-sand beaches of the island, as well as explore its unique history. Here, visitors can boat or kayak around the smaller outlying limestone islands and relax on the nearby pristine beach. There's also a memorable taste experience: lunch of roti, a dish brought to the island by Hokkien Muslim immigrants in the 1800s, or dinner at a renowned Phuket restaurant, such as Raya. Another day, travelers can enjoy an in-depth walking exploration of Old Phuket Town to discover cloth, spice and other shops that reflect the island's rich diversity. Thailand: From Bangkok to Phuket offers departures from New York (all airports), Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Travel is recommended during November to April, traditionally less-crowded times for the destination. To learn more about and explore Vacation's new Thai itineraries, as well as other destinations, travelers can visit the Destinations + Cultures section of Vacation. Travelers can also learn more about savings and discounts by becoming a member of The Travel Collection by Travel Leaders Group, a portfolio of select travel offers that allows travelers to receive discounts on international and domestic flights, value-added benefits at select lodging establishments, shipboard credits on cruises and discounts on escorted and vacation packages. Membership to The Travel Collection is offered at no additional cost to holders of select American Express cards. For more information visit TheTravelCollection.com. Vacation inspires, informs and guides travelers throughout their planning process, making every stepfrom researching a destination to connecting with the ideal travel expertas rewarding as possible. The content-rich website is powered by Travel Leaders Group (www.travelleadersgroup.com), one of the industry's largest travel agency companies. Check out Vacation at www.vacation.com or on social media at #LoveUrVacay. Contact: Jennifer de la Cruz [email protected] 703.740.4264 SOURCE Travel Leaders Group Related Links http://www.travelleadersgroup.com ORLANDO, Fla., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Philip Fleishman of the Fleishman & Associates announced the opening of its new headquarters in Orlando, as well as the addition of associate and daughter, Hali Thompson. The firm has relocated to be closer to family and to offer tax help to the people of the Sunshine State, no matter their income. "The reason I created my business 15 years ago was because I saw so many CPA's treating their clients as a number. Simply summarizing a person by their income is disgusting and so is celebrating the number of clients a firm has. Instead, I've built my practice around trust, responsibility, and availability to my clients from all income levels," said Phil Fleishman, CPA and Founder of Fleishman & Associates. Fleishman & Associates specialties: Real Estate Taxpayer Qualification Program ( only available at FA CPA Firm) available at FA CPA Firm) Accounting & Bookkeeping Income Tax preparation Business Taxes Compilations & Audits Payroll Services IRS Audits With over 35 years of experience and having hosted and interviewed hundreds of government officials and business owners on his television program, Just Phil, Phil realized there's no one-size-fits-all approach to clients. "I believe in a fair price for a fair product and I understand sometimes clients are unable to pay and they shouldn't be denied our expertise," said Phil. One of the many ways in which the firm is helping others is with the rollout of their proprietary process to help prospective homeowners, real estate agents, and mortgage lenders. It's called the Real Estate Taxpayer Mortgage Qualification Program, also known as MQP, and it's only available at Fleishman & Associates. Phil is licensed by the Internal Revenue Service to prepare tax returns, electronically file tax returns, and represent taxpayers before them in Florida, South Carolina, and Ohio. Their headquarters is located at 1177 Louisiana Avenue, Suite 102, Winter Park, Florida. If you are interested in collaboration or Phil's services visit the Fleishman & Associates website, FACPAFirm.com , or call the firm at (407) 375-2723 or (843) 224-6875. SOURCE Fleishman & Associates SANDVIKEN, Sweden, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sandvik has appointed Henrik Ager, currently President for the Rock Tools division in Sandvik, as President of the business area Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology and member of the Sandvik Group Executive Management as of 1 April 2019. "I'm convinced that Henrik Ager with his experience, already proven leadership skills and excellent performance in Sandvik has the right capabilities to lead Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology going forward. Henrik is committed to further strengthening Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology's market position, reinforcing customer relations, driving aftermarket sales, leveraging further on a decentralized way of working and ensuring our forefront position within automation, electrification and sustainability," says Sandvik's President and CEO Bjorn Rosengren. Henrik Ager has more than 16 years' experience from the mining industry, out of which an extensive period has been spent living in South Africa. Additionally, he has worked in Australia, South America, India and other important mining markets. Henrik Ager's previous experience from Sandvik includes the role as President for the Global Equipment division and Vice President for Strategy within Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology. He has also held leading positions at McKinsey, Ericsson and several high-tech start-ups prior to joining Sandvik in 2014. Henrik Ager succeeds Lars Engstrom who, as previously announced, will leave Sandvik. Stockholm, 5 March 2019 Sandvik AB For further information, contact Ann-Sofie Nordh, Vice President Investor Relations, phone: +46-8 456-14-94 or Martin Blomgren, Press and Media Relations Manager, phone: +46-70-577-0549. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/sandvik/r/henrik-ager-appointed-new-president-for-sandvik-mining-and-rock-technology,c2756599 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/208/2756599/1002278.pdf Henrik Ager appointed new President for Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology SOURCE Sandvik FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Driving lower drug prices and making prescription medications more accessible is a priority for healthcare providers, patients and payers alike. For consumers with high deductibles or who pay out-of-pocket for their medications, the Inside Rx card, a free prescription savings card that can be downloaded when purchasing drugs at participating pharmacies, has been offering more affordable access to brand-name and generic medications since 2017. "Inside Rx is continually growing and expanding our partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers to deliver on our commitment to offer more affordable access to people struggling to pay for brand, as well as generic, medications they need," said Leslie Achter, President of Inside Rx. "Since the launch of the card in May of 2017, we've helped patients save $400 million when purchasing their prescription medications. We invite anyone struggling to afford their medication or wanting to save money on their prescriptions to go to InsideRx.com." The savings program recently expanded its list of featured discounted medications to more than 150 brand-name prescription drugs. Discounts on these medications, along with thousands of other brands and generics, could provide more affordable access to therapies for more consumers. The medications offered in connection with the prescription savings card average 80 percent off retail on generics and 40 percent off on featured brand-name drugs*. Some of the newly added discounts relate to therapies for erectile disfunction (ED), diabetes, various types of allergies, birth control, digestive health, and treatments for the symptoms of menopause and morning sickness. A comprehensive list of all brand medications offered through Inside Rx can be found at InsideRx.com/Featured-Medications. To benefit from the Inside Rx discounts, eligible users simply need to download the free discount card from InsideRx.com or via GoodRx.com/brand and present it at one of the 40,000 participating pharmacies. The Inside Rx card can be used at national chains such as CVS, the Kroger Family of Pharmacies, Walgreens and Walmart. There is no membership fee or other costs to download or use the card which could save patients hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. *Average savings per prescription for over 50% of users of Inside Rx card are based on cash price versus Inside Rx price for featured brand or generic medications, as indicated. About Inside Rx Headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Inside Rx provides affordable access to medication, especially for the uninsured and those navigating the changing healthcare landscape. Powered by Express Scripts, a health care opportunity company and part of Cigna Corporation, and working collaboratively across the pharmacy supply chain, Inside Rx delivers access to a broad list of brand and generic medications that treat acute and many common, chronic health conditions. Visit https://insiderx.com/ for card usage terms and pharmacy locations, or follow us @Inside_Rx on Twitter, to learn more. Media Contact: Jennifer Luddy (201) 269-6402 [email protected] SOURCE Inside Rx Related Links https://insiderx.com/ MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- itelbpo is the recipient of the Frost & Sullivan 2018 Growth Excellence Leadership Award from among a wide pool of contact centre outsourcing companies in Central America and the Caribbean. The award is presented to companies that demonstrate their capabilities in maintaining consistently high standards for delivering customer value, which results in growth above the industry average. Founder and Executive Chairman of itelbpo Yoni Epstein remarked, "To receive such an award means that, as a small company from Jamaica, we are punching above our weight when compared to global industry giants. It reinforces that we are focussing on the right things our people and our investment in infrastructure." Frost & Sullivan arrived at its decision after extensive primary and secondary research conducted by its global team of analysts and consultants across various sectors and geographical regions. Their benchmarks were rooted in two key categories: growth performance and customer impact. "Against the backdrop of this research, Frost & Sullivan is pleased to recognize itelbpo as the Growth Excellence Leader in the contact center outsourcing services market," David Frigstad, chairman of Frost & Sullivan writes in a letter of congratulations. Frost & Sullivan's report highlights "that when comparing 2017 to 2016, itelbpo grew by over 40 per cent while the rest of Central America and the Caribbean only grew 11.7 per cent." The report continues, "Whereas revenue for the BPO industry in Central America and the Caribbean grew by 45 per cent from 2014 to 2017, itelbpo's revenue increased by 160 percent over the same period." Frost & Sullivan also recognizes itelbpo's investment in technology, such as virtual desktop infrastructure and chatbots, as a key indicator of the company's potential for continued growth noting that this investment should result in a higher level of team efficiency and customer service delivery. By implementing chatbot solutions, the BPO has already increased its sales agents' conversion rates by approximately three per cent. In its conclusion, Frost & Sullivan highlights that itelbpo demonstrates a dedication to developing strong agent/customer interactions and excels in driving growth by meeting customer demand and fostering brand loyalty. "With its passion for people, excellent customer service, and strong overall performance, itelbpo earns Frost & Sullivan's 2018 Growth Excellence Leadership Award for Central America and the Caribbean in the contact center outsourcing services market," the report ends. Jodi-Ann Moser [email protected] 1 (876) 447-3799 SOURCE itelbpo Related Links http://itelbpo.com/ NEW YORK, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LIM College, which is located in New York City and focused on the study of business and fashion, has announced that registration is now open for its Summer Fashion Lab program for high school and visiting college students. LIM College's Summer Fashion Lab is a pre-college program that gives students the opportunity to study fashion and live in New York City. One-week courses in subjects such as fashion buying, social media marketing, fashion illustration, trend forecasting, fashion photography and more are available. New this year is a pre-program, hands-on workshop, The Fashion Show Experience, in which participants will learn about styling, event planning, and fashion show production, culminating in the production of their own live fashion show. It will be held June 24-28. Other new courses include: Brand Yourself learn how to create innovative content and become a fashion influencer Make-up, Perfume & More: The Beauty Biz explore the latest trends in cosmetics, fragrance, and beauty products Fashion Media Challenge take on "real-world" media projects, including creating a print ad for a fashion magazine and promoting video on Instagram Hundreds of students are expected to enroll in 2019's Summer Fashion Lab. Last year, young people came to LIM College from all around the globe including from as far away as the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong to as close by as Westchester and New Jersey. Summer Fashion Lab will run for four weeks: July 8-12, 15-19, 22-26, and July 29-August 2. Tuition for non-credit courses is $200 per course, with discounts offered when registering for more than one class. Courses that offer one college elective credit are $350 each and eligible participants may earn a up to three credits over the course of the four weeks. Housing is available in LIM College's residence hall on Manhattan's Upper East Side for $495 per week. The residence hall has staff on duty around the clock and features air-conditioned double and triple rooms with private bathrooms. Students who stay in the residence hall can also take part in activities such as New York City sightseeing tours and outings to Broadway shows. A complete schedule and course descriptions are available on LIM College's website. For more information, or to register, email [email protected] or go to www.limcollege.edu/summerfashionlab. About LIM College Founded in 1939, LIM College educates students for success in the global business of fashion and its many related industries. As a pioneer in experiential education, LIM College fosters a unique connection between real-world experience and academic study in business principles, offering master's, bachelor's and associate degree programs. LIM College is located in four buildings in Manhattan the nation's fashion and business capital giving students vast opportunities for hands-on experience and professional development. Alumni have gone on to excel at top companies, including Refinery 29, Harper's Bazaar, Barneys New York, Chanel, and Neiman Marcus. Contact: Melissa Krantz 917.653.6716 [email protected] Meredith Finnin 646.218.2156 [email protected] SOURCE LIM College Related Links http://www.limcollege.edu WASHINGTON, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA invites media and social media to agency centers across the country Monday, March 11, to get an up-close look at America's work to return astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars, following the delivery of President Trump's fiscal year 2020 budget proposal to the U.S. Congress. The main event will take place at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will address the agency's workforce at 1 p.m. EDT. His remarks will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. NASA centers then will host media and social media for tours and presentations. Following Bridenstine's address, media and social media at Kennedy will be able to see first-hand: Exploration Ground Systems efforts to transform Kennedy into a multi-user spaceport Facilities where the solid rocket boosters, and other hardware, for the agency's powerful Space Launch System (SLS) are processed, manufactured and assembled NASA's Super Guppy, which is being modified to carry the Orion spacecraft A ground prototype of a deep space habitat concept built by commercial partner Lockheed Martin U.S. media interested in attending the Kennedy event must submit an accreditation request online by noon Thursday, March 7, at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov The deadline for international media has passed. For questions about accreditation, please email [email protected]. For other questions about the event at Kennedy, contact the center's newsroom at 321-867-2468. Media interested in attending a tour at other NASA centers are welcome to contact those centers directly. Also on March 11, NASA's Chief Financial Officer, Jeff DeWit, and Deputy Chief Financial Officer for Strategy, Budget, and Performance, Andrew Hunter, will brief media on the agency's fiscal year 2020 budget proposal during a 5 p.m. teleconference. To participate in this briefing, media must contact Karen Northon at [email protected] no later than 2 p.m. March 11. Audio and visuals from the teleconference will stream live at: https://www.nasa.gov/live The agency budget, and supporting information, will be available online Monday at: https://www.nasa.gov/budget NASA is going to the Moon and on to Mars, in a measured, sustainable way. The direction from Space Policy Directive-1 builds on the hard work NASA is doing on its SLS and Orion spacecraft, agency efforts to enable commercial partners, its work with international partners at the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit, and what NASA learns from its current robotic missions at the Moon and Mars. Learn more at: https://www.nasa.gov/moontomars SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The McGowan Companies ("McGowan") purchased the assets of Edgewater Holdings, Ltd. ("Edgewater"), effective 2/1/2019. In the near future, Edgewater will be re-branded under the McGowan Program Administrators brand (and will function as a division of McGowan & Company, Inc.). The McGowan Companies Edgewater Holdings Established in 1992, Edgewater is one of the pre-eminent program administrators in the U.S. Edgewater specializes in working with insurance brokers to develop "private label" D&O, E&O, EPLI, Cyber, and Workers Compensation programs. Edgewater is also a leading writer of D&O, E&O, EPLI, and WC programs for franchise systems, particularly in the Hospitality/Restaurant space. Edgewater writes specialized insurance for thousands of small-to-medium sized businesses. The acquisition of Edgewater cements McGowan's position as one of the leading underwriters of D&O, EPLI, Cyber, and Workers Compensation insurance in the U.S. The Edgewater staff will remain in place, led by Mark Kollar, the former President/CEO of Edgewater [P: (312) 431-1767 / E: [email protected] ]. Kollar said: "We are very excited to become part of The McGowan Companies. Its tremendous distribution and technological capabilities will accrue to the benefit of our brokers and insureds." All Edgewater brokers will receive automatic appointments with McGowan and its full range of products and capabilities. Coverage is available in all 50 states. "This acquisition fits exceptionally-well with McGowan's national growth strategy," said Thomas B. McGowan, IV, President/CEO of The McGowan Companies. He continued, "We are very pleased to add Edgewater to our portfolio of companies. Edgewater has a strong tradition of providing exemplary service to its customers a tradition which we intend to continue." Please contact Brett Davis or Mark Kollar with any questions: Brett Davis Mark Kolla Director of Acquisitions Managing Director The McGowan Companies Franchise Programs & IT-Based Distribution Corporate Headquarters McGowan Program Administrators 20595 Lorain Road 221 W. LaSalle Blvd. - Suite #1400 Fairview Park, OH 44126 Chicago, IL 60601 P: (440) 333-6300 (x2132) P: (312) 431-1767 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] Legal Notice: Pursuant to an asset purchase agreement, Edgewater Holdings, Ltd. and related entities ("Edgewater") sold certain of its assets, but not its liabilities, to McGowan Consolidated Insurance Holdings Group, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies ("McGowan"), effective 2/1/2019. Edgewater was not merged with or into McGowan. Edgewater was not consolidated with or into McGowan. McGowan is not a continuation of Edgewater. SOURCE McGowan Program Administrators Related Links http://mcgowanprograms.com WASHINGTON, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MCRA, LLC, a leading medical device consulting firm and clinical research organization (CRO) that integrates regulatory, clinical research, reimbursement, compliance and quality assurance, is pleased to announce the expansion of its cardiovascular consulting activities through the hiring of Michael C. John, MPH, as its new Vice President of Cardiovascular Regulatory Affairs. Michael joined MCRA from the US Food and Drug Administration, where he was Chief of the Interventional Cardiology Devices Branch. In his position, Michael supervised and provided leadership for a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and health care professionals on the regulation of interventional cardiovascular Class II and Class III medical devices. As Branch Chief, Michael reviewed and edited scientific memoranda from staff relating to all regulatory decisions on PMA, IDE, and 510(k) medical device submissions pertaining to coronary interventional products. He also functioned as a focal point for industry representatives, Advisory Panel members, scientific experts and cardiovascular thought leaders in discussing the regulation of products in the rapidly evolving interventional cardiovascular device arena. Michael has extensive knowledge of medical device regulations and regulatory pathways to drive a device from conception to market. Prior to becoming Branch Chief, Michael was an Animal Testing Reviewer and Lead Reviewer in the Division of Cardiovascular Devices at FDA. Before joining FDA, Michael conducted cardiovascular research at The Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA where he specialized in cardiovascular pathology and histology, and performed countless stent implantation procedures in animal models. David Lown, MCRA's General Manager said, "Beginning in 2004 MCRA has led the medical device model of deep industry specialization and service integration to assist industry in bringing innovation to patients. Michael is a recognized expert with an extensive background in cardiovascular device regulation and physiology, and his appointment reflects MCRA's strong commitment to providing first-rate regulatory services to the cardiovascular community. We are honored Michael has joined MCRA. He will make a tremendous impact." Michael John said, "It is a privilege to join the distinguished team at MCRA at such an exciting time in the history of cardiovascular innovation," said Michael John. "MCRA has a long track record of success in the device arena and has established a strong foundation for growth into the cardiovascular field. I look forward to leading the MCRA Cardio team to bring the next wave of innovative cardiovascular products and solutions to patients in need." About MCRA, LLC Founded in 2004, MCRA is a leading clinical research organization and advisory firm. MCRA's value lies in its industry experience and integration of five business value creators: regulatory, reimbursement, clinical research, healthcare compliance and quality assurance. MCRA's integrated approach of these key value creating initiatives provides unparalleled expertise for its clients. MCRA has offices in Washington, DC, Manchester, CT, and New York, NY, and serves nearly 500 clients globally. MCRA has a demonstrated history of driving success in all areas of the medical device industry including spine, orthopedics, cardiovascular, diagnostic imaging, ophthalmics, drug delivery, wound care, dental, general healthcare, neurology, in vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices, combination products and biologics. Contact Email: [email protected] SOURCE MCRA, LLC PHILADELPHIA, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BTG plc (LSE: BTG), the global healthcare company, announced that research published today in PLOS ONE establishes the Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) as a valid, reliable, and clinically meaningful measure for assessing quality of life and functionality in snake envenomation studies. The research is based on a secondary analysis of BTG-sponsored studies which used PSFS to show that administering CroFab Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab (Ovine) to patients envenomated by copperhead snakes can aid the recovery of a patient's affected limb function as compared with placebo. Today's paper shows that not only was there a statistically significant difference between patients treated with CroFab and the placebo group in the Copperhead trial, but that the difference is also clinically meaningful. Study author Charles Gerardo, M.D., said "This study establishes a valid and reliable measure of the ability to perform activities that are important to snakebite patients. Additionally, it demonstrates that the effect of CroFab found in the Copperhead trial is clinically significant." Copperhead envenomations are often thought to be less severe than other North American Pit Viper snakebites. By using PSFS, the Copperhead trial revealed that in addition to significant pain and swelling of the injured limb, and other soft tissue injury, envenomation also limited the daily activities of patients such as driving, climbing stairs, brushing their teeth, or using a cell phone. Christon Hill, Vice President of R&D for BTG Pharmaceuticals, said: "CroFab is the only FDA-approved product to treat all North American pit viper envenomations, including copperheads, in adult and pediatric patients. This new data continues to support our indicated use by showing that patients bitten by copperheads recover limb function faster when treated with CroFab. Clinically meaningful patient-reported outcomes are important for physicians considering how best to treat their patients." Patient-Specific Functional Scale PSFS offers an important patient-centered outcome measure that yields informative and clinically relevant information beyond the diagnosis-oriented endpoints that are commonly used to evaluate antivenom. Patients are asked to rate their ability to perform a short list of activities limited by their disease. While this tool is widely used in other diseases and clinical populations, this is the first study to establish the reliability and temporal stability of this patient reported outcome for patients with snake envenomation. This study also established and validated the minimally clinically important difference (MCID) in the PSFS specifically for snake envenomation as approximately 1.0 using multiple methodologies. The MCID indicates the minimal difference needed in a numeric scale that reflects a patient perception of change in a given health status. Defining the MCID gives added credibility and rigor to PSFS as a patient-reported outcome in clinical trials. About the Study The researchers performed a post-hoc, secondary analysis of two BTG-sponsored trials of CroFab in patients suffering copperhead envenomation. They compared PSFS with other quality of life and functional assessment data collected in these studies. Their analysis showed the reliability of the PSFS was adequate with good internal consistency (a Cronbach's alpha of 0.91; 95% CI 0.88, 0.95) and good temporal stability (ICC value for the unchanged patients of 0.83; 95% CI 0.72, 0.89). External validity was demonstrated with a strong correlation of the PSFS scores with other quality of life and extremity functional assessments. The MCID calculated using the standard error of measurement of the individual scale responses was 1.04. When using the pooled standard deviation of the differences between the scale responses at baseline and follow-up, the MCID was 1.05. Click here to read the full published article on PLOS ONE. About BTG Pharmaceuticals. BTG Pharmaceuticals provides antidotes that counteract the potentially life-threatening effects associated with exposure or overexposure to certain toxins. These acute care products are typically used in emergency rooms and intensive care units to treat patients for whom there are limited or no existing treatment options. We are dedicated to delivering quality medicines that make a real difference to patients through the development, manufacture, and commercialisation of pharmaceutical products. To learn more about BTG Pharmaceuticals, please visit: btgplc.com/pharmaceuticals. For further information contact: BTG Chris Sampson Corporate Communications Director +44-(0)20-7575-1595 Mobile: +44-(0)-7773-251-178 IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: CONTRAINDICATIONS Do not administer CroFab to patients with a known history of hypersensitivity to any of its components, or to papaya or papain unless the benefits outweigh the risks and appropriate management for anaphylactic reactions is readily available. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Coagulopathy: In clinical trials, recurrent coagulopathy (the return of a coagulation abnormality after it has been successfully treated with antivenin), characterized by decreased fibrinogen, decreased platelets, and elevated prothrombin time, occurred in approximately half of the patients studied; one patient required re-hospitalization and additional antivenin administration. Recurrent coagulopathy may persist for 1 to 2 weeks or more. Patients who experience coagulopathy due to snakebite should be monitored for recurrent coagulopathy for up to 1 week or longer. During this period, the physician should carefully assess the need for re-treatment with CroFab and use of any type of anticoagulant or anti-platelet drug. Hypersensitivity Reactions: Severe hypersensitivity reactions may occur with CroFab. In case of acute hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis and anaphylactoid reactions, discontinue infusion and institute appropriate emergency treatment. Patients allergic to papain, chymopapain, other papaya extracts, or the pineapple enzyme bromelain may also have an allergic reaction to CroFab. Follow-up all patients for signs and symptoms of delayed allergic reactions or serum sickness (e.g., rash, fever, myalgia, arthralgia). ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common adverse reactions (incidence 5% of subjects) reported in the clinical studies were urticaria, rash, nausea, pruritus and back pain. Adverse reactions involving the skin and appendages (primarily rash, urticaria, and pruritus) were reported in 12 of the 42 patients. Two patients had a severe allergic reaction (severe hives and a severe rash and pruritus) following treatment and one patient discontinued CroFab due to an allergic reaction. Recurrent coagulopathy due to envenomation and requiring additional treatment may occur. To report suspected adverse reactions, contact 1-877-377-3784 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. Please see the full Prescribing Information for CroFab. SOURCE BTG Plc OAK PARK, Mich., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ooze Wholesale, a Metro Detroit-based distribution company specializing in dispensary, smoke shop and retail supplies, has attained exclusive distributor rights in a partnership with Truweigh LLC. Truweigh, a subsidiary of Dalman Enterprises Ltd, is a British brand of digital mini scales. They are known across Europe for their superior quality and customized weighing solutions, but have yet to gain footing in the American market. "We really saw the value in partnering with a well-run company that takes the time to invest in the quality of not just their products, but the people they employ as well," said Ooze Wholesale President Dan Hannawa. "We saw Truweigh as an up-and-coming brand that was truly innovating their products. We took some of their first products, introduced them to our distribution network, and built the relationship up from there." This partnership opens up new avenues of opportunity for both companies. For Truweigh, this deal creates an entirely new market for their products that have been industry leaders in Europe for decades. By employing the Ooze Wholesale team to distribute their products, Truweigh is looking forward to doubling down on the product development side of their business. "Partnering with Dan and his team is an exciting move for us because it allows us to focus back on product development," said Truweigh CEO Jessie Nugent. "This means more new and innovative products will be brought to market at a much quicker rate than before." For Ooze Wholesale, the partnership provides a chance to explore new industries. The majority of the Ooze catalog of offerings caters specifically to the cannabis industry, but the addition of the Truweigh line of products appeals to clients in a plethora of different markets. "Our ultimate goal with this partnership is to make Truweigh into a household name," said Hannawa. "Scales are used in so many different industries, it's a much broader scope than just the cannabis industry. Although Ooze's background is in supplying to dispensaries and smoke shops, we are really looking to crossover into different markets, like kitchenware, shipping, and luggage." As this deal goes into full effect, Ooze Wholesale is planning to expand their team of sales representatives, dedicating a department solely to handling Truweigh accounts. The effort and dedication put forth by both sides will hopefully grow the Truweigh name into an easily recognizable and trusted brand here in America. "Ooze has an amazing team and their expertise in marketing and distribution is unparalleled in our niche market," said Nugent. "We launched Truweigh to bring the best in mini scales to North America, and now we are confident that the right team is in place to make it happen." For more information about the company, please contact Ed Koury at (855) 669-3420 or email [email protected]. SOURCE Ooze Wholesale NEW YORK, March 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- North America, Europe, India, Rest of the World (RoW) The top 10 generic drug producers have 61% share of the total revenue made by these top 50 companies. 22% of the top 50 generic drug producers are in North America. 30% of the top 50 generic drug producers fall under the RoW region. This figure reflects the increasing penetration of generics on a global scale with many pharmaceutical companies realising this industry as a primary source of revenue. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05089834 How this report will benefit you Read on to discover how you can exploit the future business opportunities emerging in this sector. In this brand new 207-page report you will receive 74 tables and 72 figures all unavailable elsewhere. The 207-page report provides clear detailed insight into the top 50 generic drug producers. Discover the key drivers and challenges affecting the market. By ordering and reading our brand-new report today you stay better informed and ready to act. Report Scope This report ranks the world's top 50 generic drug manufacturers according to their generic drug revenues in 2017. Our report assesses the leading generic drug manufacturers worldwide. In general a company profile gives you the following information: Discussion of activities, technologies and recent financial results Assessment of developments mergers and acquisitions (M&A), new products, outlooks, challenges and plans Historical revenue ($) and CAGR (%) of top players Forecasting of generic drug revenues to 2029 (for 18 leading companies). This report discusses the factors that affect the industry: M&A activity and related partnerships Global and regional strategies extending business reach Competition from companies based in emerging national markets Increasing specialisation by leading players, including big pharma companies Increasing consolidation of the generics industry Advances in production technologies, including difficult-to-make generics and biosimilars important shifts and opportunities in the industry. This report analyses the leading generic drug manufacturers in North America, including these companies: Abbott Akorn Alvogen Endo Impax Mallinckrodt Mylan Pfizer Pharmascience Valeant This report analyses the leading generic drug manufacturers in Europe, including these companies: Fresenius Kabi Gedeon Richter Insud Pharma Krka Novartis (Sandoz) Perrigo Pharmstandard Polpharma Sanofi Stada Arzneimittel This report analyses the leading generic drug manufacturers in India, including these companies: Sun Pharmaceuticals Aurobindo Lupin Cipla Dr Reddy's Glenmark Torrent Pharma Cadila Wockhardt Ipca This report analyses the leading generic drug manufacturers in RoW, including these companies: Teva EMS Aspen Sawai Pharmaceutical Nichi-Iko Abdi Ibrahim Towa Pharmaceutical Eurofarma Taro Pharmaceutical Hypermarcas Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05089834 About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com ARLINGTON, Va., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, May 1st, Reach Higher will host the 2019 College Signing Day with former First Lady Michelle Obama and the University of California (UC) on the UCLA campus. The event will be held at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion with over 9,000 students from across California. UC's eight other undergraduate campuses will hold simultaneous events. This is the fifth anniversary of the Reach Higher Initiative, which Mrs. Obama launched at a College Signing Day event in San Antonio, Texas in 2014. College Signing Day celebrates high school seniors and transfer students choosing to pursue higher education at a professional training program, a community college, a four-year college or university, or the military, and continues Mrs. Obama's efforts to inspire young people to pursue their education past high school. In addition to the national College Signing Day event in Los Angeles, thousands of events are planned in every state across the country by schools, communities, students, and organizations committed to helping students pursue higher education. Mrs. Obama encourages people across the country to join her in celebrating College Signing Day by wearing their college apparel and sharing the importance of higher education on social media using #CollegeSigningDay and #BetterMakeRoom. Livestream will be available with details forthcoming. The event will be open to the press. The University of California is proud to co-sponsor College Signing Day 2019, an event that reflects UC's commitment to ensuring that college is within reach for all students. As California's premier research university, UC enrolls more than 220,000 undergraduate students each year, more than 40 percent of whom are among the first in their families to attend college. As part of her work with Reach Higher, Mrs. Obama has hosted College Signing Day events in Philadelphia, PA in 2018; New York City, NY in 2016 and 2017; Detroit, MI in 2015; and San Antonio, TX in 2014. About the Reach Higher Initiative Reach Higher, started by former First Lady Michelle Obama during her time at the White House, works to inspire every student in the U.S. to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school, whether at a professional training program, a community college, a four-year college or university, or in the military. Reach Higher continues to help underrepresented students navigate the college-going process by raising awareness about helpful tools and resources; meeting students where they are and tailoring technical assistance to meet their unique needs; and building the capacity of the school counseling profession. The Reach Higher Initiative now lives at The Common Application, a non-profit membership organization dedicated to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. For additional information about Reach Higher and the Common App, visit reachhigher.org and commonapp.org . About the University of California The University of California is the state's premier public research university with 10 campuses, five medical centers and three affiliated national laboratories. It has more than 227,000 faculty and staff, educates 280,000 students, and has more than 2 million alumni living and working around the world. The scale of its research and academic reach make it an engine for economic and social mobility in California and the nation, and its activities contribute than $46B to the state's economy each year. SOURCE Reach Higher Related Links http://reachhigher.org NEW YORK, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of Women's History Month, Ropes & Gray and the firm's Women's Forum are celebrating the legacy of the firm's first woman partner, Joan D. Fuller (19282018), by formally renaming a professional development grant for women attorneys at the firm in her honor. Ms. Fuller, a graduate of Harvard Law School, served as a partner in the private client group from 1973 until her retirement in 1993. During her tenure at the firm, she placed a high priority on celebrating the academic and professional achievements of other attorneys, especially women. The Joan D. Fuller Professional Development Grant enables women attorneys to take the lead in driving their careers. It can be used to fund creative activities that help women attorneys achieve their professional goals and develop successful relationships with colleagues, clients and prospective clients. "Joan was an extraordinary mentor. Her impact on my life and career was way out of proportion to the relatively brief time we worked together. I can't believe how lucky I was to have Joan guide me during those early years of my career," said Brenda Diana, a partner in the firm's private client group, who reflects on Joan's legacy in this essay. Ropes & Gray has long been at the forefront of recruiting, retaining and advancing the careers of women in the law. Today, 45 percent of the firm's lawyers are women, and that percentage continues to grow. Women comprise nearly 27 percent of the partnershipwell above industry average of 19 percentand hold significant leadership positions in the firm, serving as department heads, practice group leaders and policy committee members. Julie H. Jones will become the first woman chair in the firm's 154-year history when she takes the leadership reins in 2020. The Women's Forum is co-chaired by Amanda Morrison, a private equity partner in Boston; Kaede Toh, a litigation & enforcement partner in Tokyo; and Lisa Bebchick, a litigation & enforcement partner in New York. Additionally, Ropes & Gray has been recognized as a leading firm for advancing gender equity: Law360 has, for two years in a row, named Ropes & Gray to its top 10 list of "Best Law Firms for Female Attorneys," as well as to its "Ceiling Smashers" list of law firms with the highest percentage of women equity partners. has, for two years in a row, named Ropes & Gray to its top 10 list of "Best Law Firms for Female Attorneys," as well as to its "Ceiling Smashers" list of law firms with the highest percentage of women equity partners. Chambers Women in Law Awards has honored Ropes & Gray for having the industry's "Best Mentoring Program" and as "Law Firm of the Year in Promoting Flexible Work Environments and Innovative Programs for Mothers." has honored Ropes & Gray for having the industry's "Best Mentoring Program" and as "Law Firm of the Year in Promoting Flexible Work Environments and Innovative Programs for Mothers." Vault's survey of the 150 most prestigious law firms in the country has, since 2010, consistently ranked Ropes & Gray as a top firm for diversity for women. About Ropes & Gray Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm with approximately 1,400 lawyers and legal professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology and government. The firm has offices in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, and has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including private equity, M&A, finance, investment management, hedge funds, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring. Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Videos | Podcasts To view our privacy policy please click here. Contact: Aaron Kellogg Senior Public Relations Manager Ropes & Gray LLP +1-617-235-4403 [email protected] SOURCE Ropes & Gray Related Links http://www.ropesgray.com CHICAGO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Findings from the Alzheimer's Association 2019 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report released today show that, despite a strong belief among seniors and primary care physicians that brief cognitive assessments are important, only half of seniors are being assessed for thinking and memory issues, and much fewer receive routine assessments. In addition to providing an in-depth look at the latest national statistics on Alzheimer's prevalence, incidence, mortality, costs of care, and impact on caregivers, the new Facts and Figures report examines awareness, attitudes, and utilization of brief cognitive assessments among seniors age 65 and older and primary care physicians. A brief cognitive assessment is a short evaluation for cognitive impairment performed by a health care provider that can take several forms including asking a patient about cognitive concerns, directly observing a patient's interactions, seeking input from family and friends or using short verbal or written tests that can be administered easily in the clinical setting. An evaluation of cognitive function is a required component of the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, but findings from the report show that only 1 in 3 seniors are aware these visits should include this assessment. The report also found, however, that among both seniors and primary care physicians there is widespread understanding of the benefits of early detection of cognitive decline and the importance of brief cognitive assessments. In fact, 82 percent of seniors believe it is important to have their thinking and memory checked, and nearly all primary care physicians (94 percent) consider it important to assess all patients age 65 and older for cognitive impairment. "While it's encouraging to see that the vast majority of seniors and physicians understand the value of brief cognitive assessments, we're still seeing a significant gap in those that actually pursue, perform or discuss these assessments during routine exams," said Joanne Pike, Dr.P.H., chief program officer for the Alzheimer's Association. "Early detection of cognitive decline offers numerous medical, social, emotional, financial and planning benefits, but these can only be achieved by having a conversation with doctors about any thinking or memory concerns and through routine cognitive assessments." The report found that just 1 in 7 seniors (16 percent) say they receive regular cognitive assessments for memory or thinking issues during routine health checkups, compared with blood pressure (91 percent), cholesterol (83 percent), vaccinations (80 percent), hearing or vision (73 percent), diabetes (66 percent) and cancer (61 percent). The Facts and Figures report also reveals a troubling disconnect between seniors and primary care physicians regarding who they believe is responsible for initiating these assessments and reticence from seniors in discussing their concerns. The survey found that while half of all seniors (51 percent) are aware of changes in their cognitive abilities including changes in their ability to think, understand or remember only 4 in 10 (40 percent) have ever discussed these concerns with a health care provider, and fewer than 1 in 7 seniors (15 percent) report having ever brought up cognitive concerns on their own. Instead, most seniors (93 percent) say they trust their doctor to recommend testing for thinking or memory problems if needed. Yet fewer than half of primary care physicians (47 percent) say it is their standard protocol to assess all patients age 65 and older for cognitive impairment. Only 1 in 4 seniors (26 percent) report having a physician ever ask them if they have any concerns about their cognitive function without seniors bringing it up first. "The findings indicate there are missed opportunities for seniors to discuss cognitive concerns and problems in the exam room," said Pike. "We hope the report will encourage seniors and physicians both to be more proactive in discussing cognitive health during the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit and other routine exams." Nearly all physicians said the decision to assess patients for cognitive impairment is driven, in part, by reports of symptoms or requests from patients, family members and caregivers. Physicians who choose not to assess cognition cite lack of symptoms or complaints from a patient (68 percent), lack of time during a patient visit (58 percent) and patient resistance (57 percent) as primary factors. In addition, most physicians say they welcome more information about assessments, including which tools to use (96 percent), guidance on next steps when cognitive problems are indicated (94 percent) and steps for implementing assessments efficiently into practice (91 percent). "The Alzheimer's Association is working to help educate physicians on best practices for conducting brief cognitive assessments and to ensure that all seniors understand what to expect from an assessment, as well as how to navigate an Alzheimer's diagnosis and care planning when needed," said Pike. "As the number of individuals living with Alzheimer's continues to increase, we need to detect the disease early and give individuals the best opportunity to plan for the future." By the Numbers 94 percent of primary care physicians consider it important to assess all patients age 65 and older for cognitive impairment. 82 percent of seniors believe it is important to have their thinking and memory checked. 50 percent average number of senior patients that primary care physicians say they assess. 16 percent of seniors report receiving regular assessments for memory or thinking issues. Seniors reporting regular assessment for: Blood pressure 91 percent Cholesterol 83 percent Vaccinations 80 percent Hearing/Vision 73 percent Diabetes 66 percent Cancer 61 percent Cognitive Assessment 16 percent Top reasons some physicians choose not to provide a cognitive assessment: Lack of symptoms or complaints from a patient 68 percent Lack of time during a patient visit 58 percent Patient resistance to testing 57 percent Information and resources primary care physicians would welcome to facilitate cognitive assessments: Assessment tools to use 96 percent Guidance on next steps when cognitive problems are indicated 94 percent Steps for implementing assessments efficiently into practice 91 percent Updated Alzheimer's Statistics The Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures report also provides a look at the latest national statistics and information on Alzheimer's prevalence, incidence, mortality and morbidity, costs of care and caregiving. Prevalence, Incidence and Mortality An estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer's dementia in 2019, including 200,000 under the age of 65. By 2025 just six years from now the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's dementia is estimated to reach 7.1 million an increase of 27 percent from the 5.6 million age 65 and older affected in 2019. Barring the development of medical breakthroughs, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's dementia may nearly triple from 5.6 million to 13.8 million by 2050. Two-thirds of Americans over age 65 with Alzheimer's dementia (3.5 million) are women. Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S., and it is the fifth-leading cause of death for those age 65 and older. As the population of the U.S. ages, Alzheimer's is becoming a more common cause of death. Cost of Care Total national cost of caring for those with Alzheimer's and other dementias is estimated at $290 billion (not including unpaid caregiving) in 2019, of which $195 billion is the cost to Medicare and Medicaid; out-of-pocket costs represent $63 billion of the total payments, while other costs total $32 billion . (not including unpaid caregiving) in 2019, of which is the cost to Medicare and Medicaid; out-of-pocket costs represent of the total payments, while other costs total . Total payments for health care, long-term care and hospice care for people with Alzheimer's and other dementias are projected to increase to more than $1.1 trillion in 2050 (in 2019 dollars ). in 2050 (in ). In 2018, the lifetime cost of care was greater for those with dementia than those without ( $350,174 versus $192,575 , respectively). Caregiving Nearly half of all caregivers (48 percent) who provide help to older adults do so for someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia. Approximately two-thirds of caregivers are women, and one-third of dementia caregivers are daughters. Forty-one percent of caregivers have a household income of $50,000 or less. or less. It is estimated that the U.S. has approximately half the number of certified geriatricians than it currently needs, and only 9 percent of nurse practitioners report having special expertise in gerontological care. Full text of the 2019 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, including the accompanying special report, "Alzheimer's Detection in the Primary Care Setting: Connecting Patients with Physicians," can be viewed here. For multi-media support of this year's report click here. About 2019 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures The Alzheimer's Association 2019 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report is a comprehensive compilation of national statistics and information on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The report conveys the impact of Alzheimer's on individuals, families, government and the nation's health care system. Since its 2007 inaugural release, the report has become the preeminent source covering the broad spectrum of Alzheimer's issues. The Facts and Figures report is an official publication of the Alzheimer's Association. About the Alzheimer's Association The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900. SOURCE Alzheimer's Association Related Links http://www.alz.org GENEVA, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Founder and Chairperson of Silatech and UN Sustainable Development Goals advocate, announced that youth will receive 3 million employment opportunities by 2022, calling for more partners to help raise that number to 5 million. During the high-level event, "Empowering Youth, Transforming Societies," hosted by Silatech in Geneva, Sheikha Moza addressed global leaders about the importance of tackling rising youth unemployment through economic and social empowerment, particularly in developing regions with increasingly young populations. At 29 percent, youth unemployment in the Arab region is currently one of the highest in the world, compared to 13 percent globally. "Without meaningful work, our young men and women have no hope for the future, leaving them more vulnerable to radicalization, violence, and political extremism," said Sheikha Moza. Sheikha Moza warned that without decent livelihood opportunities and meaningful work frustrated youth become socially, politically and economically excluded, exacerbating pressing global challenges like poverty, social unrest, and illegal mass migration. "Young men and women need the chance to earn a living that will allow them to support their families, contribute to society, and build better futures," she continued. "This is the hope that Silatech offers." Established in 2008, Silatech, with the help of over 300 partners, has successfully empowered more than one million young people with economic opportunities and jobs in 17 countries. Sabah Ismaeel Al Haidoos, CEO of Silatech, on the organization's work: "Silatech promotes large-scale job creation, entrepreneurship, access to capital and markets, and the participation of young people in economic development thus contributing to the attainment of a number of Sustainable Development Goals." Marking this milestone, the event included speakers & panelists such as Michelle Bachelet Jeria, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Hassan Ali Khayre, Prime Minister of Somalia, Filippo Grandi, 11th United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Chris Gardner, author of "The Pursuit of Happyness," as well as around 300 guests from the international community. Silatech's combined efforts with EU in Yemen As a result of its efforts in conflict-affected areas, Silatech was awarded a grant of 5 Million from the European Union for the "Hope Project." Implemented in Yemen, the project seeks to achieve economic empowerment and financial inclusion for youth and women, the most vulnerable groups in Yemen. Through innovative economic empowerment tools including capacity building and a grants fund, 10,000 Yemeni youth and women will be economically empowered in an effort to improve the current socioeconomic conditions, achieve stability, and improve the living conditions of young people in Yemen. About Silatech Silatech is an international, social development non-profit, non-government organization with programs and operations in 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa that aims to combat unemployment, extremism and the marginalization of women and youth through employment and economic empowerment initiatives, particularly in conflict, post-conflict, and fragile areas. Through its large network of national and international partners, Silatech focuses on empowering youth by connecting them with employment opportunities and facilitating access to resources to set up and sustain successful enterprises. Silatech operates through three major pillars: enterprise development, supporting the establishment and growth of micro and small enterprises; direct employment through technological solutions and training for employment; and policy and research programs. More information on Silatech is available here: https://silatech.org/ SOURCE Silatech SAN FRANCISCO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global silica market size is anticipated to reach USD 10.10 billion by 2026, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., registering an 8.6% CAGR during the forecast period. Rising demand for silica across various end-use industries such as rubber, agrochemicals, oral care, and paints and coatings is anticipated to drive the industry. Key suggestions from the report: Rubber is anticipated to exhibit the highest CAGR of 9.2% during the forecast period, in terms of revenue, on account of increasing demand from tire manufacturers In terms of volume, construction captured the second largest market share of 13.9% in 2018, owing to greater compressive strength, high modulus of elasticity, and high flexural strength offered by silica fume in concrete Agrochemicals is predicted to register a revenue-based CAGR of 7.6% due to increased viscosity and improved flowability offered by silica in agrochemical formulations Asia Pacific dominated the market with a revenue share of 41.3% in 2018 owing to rapid expansion of automotive and construction sectors in the region Evonik Industries, PPG Industries, Tosoh Silica Corporation, Cabot Corporation, Akzo Nobel N.V., and Solvay SA are major players in the market. Capacity expansion owing to increasing demand and price modification on account of volatility in raw material prices are key strategies adopted by these companies. Read 106 page research report with TOC on "Silica Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application (Construction, Oral Care, Agrochemicals, Rubber, Food & Feed), By Region, Competitive Landscape, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2026" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/silica-market Precipitated silica is the most extensively consumed product in the market. It is utilized in the reinforcement of elastomer products, such as automotive tires, due to its ability to reduce rolling resistance, improved traction under slippery conditions, and enhanced fuel efficiency. It also acts as an anti-blocking agent in thermoplastic films and a matting agent in paints and varnishes. Rubber application acquired the largest share in 2018 and is estimated to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. The global demand for tires is increasing on account of an expanding automobile industry, especially in emerging economies. As a result, major tire manufacturers are aggressively involved in expansion projects in emerging economies like India. For instance, in April 2018 Bridgestone India announced plans to double its production capacity over the next five years at an investment of USD 304 million. This is anticipated to propel product demand from tire manufacturers. In the construction sector, high-performance concrete (HPC) comprising silica has been recognized as one of the most significant advanced materials necessary for infrastructure development. HPC manufactured with silica fumes provides increased strength and higher resistance to corrosion, abrasion, and chemicals. Moreover, it offers lower permeability, enhanced durability, sustainability, and life-cycle cost efficiencies for concrete. This is estimated to drive utilization of the product in the construction sector. The competitive landscape of the market reflects a number of companies currently engaging in capacity extensions in order to enhance their market position. For instance, in October 2018, Evonik set up a precipitated silica plant in South Carolina to meet the increasing demand from the tire industry in North America. Grand View Research has segmented the global silica market report on the basis of application and region: Silica Application Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2026) Rubber Construction Agrochemicals Oral Care Food & Feed Others Silica Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2026) North America U.S. Europe Germany U.K. Asia Pacific China Japan India Central & South America Brazil Middle East & Africa Find more research reports on Plastics, Polymer & Resins Industry, by Grand View Research: Nylon 6 & 66 Market Global Nylon 6 and 66 market size was estimated at USD 25.66 billion in 2017 and is expected to register a CAGR of 6.2% over the forecast period Global Nylon 6 and 66 market size was estimated at in 2017 and is expected to register a CAGR of 6.2% over the forecast period Plastic Dielectric Films Market Global plastic dielectric films market size was valued at USD 1.10 billion in 2018 and is expected to register a CAGR of 3.6% over the forecast period Global plastic dielectric films market size was valued at in 2018 and is expected to register a CAGR of 3.6% over the forecast period Leather Goods Market Global leather goods market size was valued at USD 414.0 billion in 2017 and is anticipated to progress at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2018 to 2025 Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. Only the professional components will merge, meaning that all interpretations and procedures performed by radiologists will be conducted under the new Midwest Radiology brand. Outpatient imaging services will continue to be offered at ten imaging center locations operating under their current brand names, Suburban Imaging and St. Paul Radiology. "While this was a complex decision that took many months of careful analysis, we are confident that this merger is in the long-term interests of both of our organizations and the health systems, referring clinicians and patients we serve," said SPR and future Midwest Radiology President and Chief Executive Officer Michael T. Madison, MD. "This merger will help strengthen both practices and will enable us to be better equipped to expand and serve our customers in the Midwest region for many years to come." The merger positions Midwest Radiology as one of the largest independent, privately-held radiology practices in the United States. While the national trend for radiology groups has been to either merge or be acquired by hospital systems or venture capital firms, this merger will help Midwest Radiology remain independent while reaching the critical mass needed to ensure a strong organization focused on local communities. The merger allows Midwest Radiology to offer its hospital partners, referring physicians and patients with the following added benefits: More Service. Midwest Radiology physicians provide around-the-clock subspecialty interpretations using cutting-edge technology and offer immediate 24/7/365 service, regardless of patient condition. More Convenience. With combined clinic and hospital partnerships, the group will expand to include more local communities in the Twin Cities area, outstate Minnesota, Western Wisconsin and North Dakota. Midwest Radiology now serves more than 75 hospitals and clinics throughout the Midwest, and 10 affiliated imaging centers in the Twin Cities. More Expertise. The merger brings together more radiologists in more subspecialties, which means accurate interpretations and consultations when and where they are needed. Additionally, improved recruiting capabilities provide hospitals and patients with only the best radiologists. More Resources. Operating responsibly and efficiently means that Midwest Radiology has the capability to offer superior quality and value to patients, and remain on the leading edge of patient care and service. "We saw an opportunity to provide an exceptional standard of care for patients while creating a more stable organization that can remain competitive as the health care industry evolves," said Nihar S. Shah, MD, Co-President of SRC. "With more resources, talent, expertise and resources on hand, we can better support the hospitals and physicians we serve and deliver complete and accurate interpretations more efficiently. This helps the physicians we support provide fast, effective care for their patients." About Midwest Radiology Midwest Radiology is the combined professional radiology practice of St. Paul Radiology and Suburban Radiologic Consultants. With more than 150 subspecialty-trained radiologists, Midwest Radiology provides radiology services to more than 75 hospitals and clinics throughout the Midwest, and operates 10 outpatient imaging centers in the Twin Cities under Suburban Imaging and St. Paul Radiology. For more information, visit www.midwestradiology.com. Agency Contact -- Eric Backs, (214) 526-4885, [email protected] CONTACT: Nicole Miller, (651) 292-2010, [email protected] SOURCE Midwest Radiology Related Links http://www.midwestradiology.com TORONTO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Canvass Analytics Inc. a global leader in AI software for intelligent industrial operations, is proud to announce that it has signed an agreement with Stelco (TSX: STLC), the owners of North America's newest and most technologically advanced integrated steelmaking facilities, to use Canvass's AI platform to transform its steel operations, improve yield and boost productivity. BI Intelligence predicts that global manufacturers will invest $70 Billion on IoT solutions in 2020, up from $29 Billion spent in 2015. As IoT adoption in manufacturing accelerates, this leaves steel plants challenged with untapped real-time data being processed across legacy systems, devices and machines. Canvass Analytics leverages AI and Machine Learning to transform previously unconnected data into predictive analytics insights that improve key business metrics. In many manufacturing processes, decisions are mostly based on institutional knowledge and limited data. Canvass bridges the gap between workforce knowledge and curated IoT inputs to create an Intelligent Operations solution that minimizes energy consumption, increases throughout, reduces downtime and extends the lifetime of a plant's assets. Alan Kestenbaum, Executive Chairman of Stelco Inc commented: "As a company that strives to deliver the market's highest quality products in a cost competitive manner, we are continuously looking at how we can operate better. By partnering with Canvass Analytics, we are systematically transforming our facilities into intelligent operations environments and augmenting a digitally oriented workforce in order to take the efficiency of our operations to the next level. Canvass Analytics quickly demonstrated to us the usefulness of AI in certain areas of our operations and the potential of applying AI across our operations in order to increase our profitability and competitiveness." Humera Malik, Chief Executive of Canvass Analytics commented: "As manufacturers digitize their operations floor, they are inundated with volumes of data coming from a multitude of sources. The next step towards intelligent operations requires real-time analytics power that transforms operational data into actionable intelligence. Canvass Analytics empowers industrial operating teams to take control and make data-driven decisions that improves their performance, reduces costs and unlocks new revenue streams." Funded by Google's AI-fund, Gradient Ventures, Canvass Analytics' customers include Fortune 500 industrial companies across the manufacturing and Oil and Gas sectors. This latest customer win showcases how Canvass's AI platform is being utilized by the industrial sector's most innovative companies to advance their competitive advantage. About Stelco Stelco is a low cost, integrated and independent steelmaker with one of the newest and most technologically advanced integrated steelmaking facilities in North America. Stelco produces flat-rolled value-added steels, including premium-quality coated, cold-rolled and hot-rolled steel products. With first-rate gauge, crown, and shape control, as well as reliable uniformity of mechanical properties, our steel products are supplied to customers in the construction, automotive and energy industries across Canada and the United States as well as to a variety of steel services centres, which are regional distributers of steel products. About Canvass Analytics Canvass Analytics is a global leader in AI industrial advanced analytics. Canvass enables intelligent industrial operations with its AI-driven Industrial IoT platform that accelerates mission-critical decision making to minimize energy consumption, increase throughput, reduce downtime and extend the lifetime of a plant's assets. Today, Fortune 500 companies use the platform to optimize complex production processes, generate new revenue streams, and reduce energy and operating costs. Funded by Google's Gradient Ventures, Canvass Analytics' customers include leading manufacturing and oil and gas companies globally. For more information, visit www.canvass.io, follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn. SOURCE Canvass Analytics Related Links http://www.canvass.io TOKYO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Park Hotel Tokyo announced on March 5 that it will hold an art exhibition titled "POCKO PARK 'SOUND OF WAVES' Art Exhibition" from June 3 to September 1, 2019. https://en.parkhoteltokyo.com/press/pocko-park-sound-of-waves-art-exhibition/ (Photo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M104041/201903013742/_prw_PI1fl_cnZ4m3Yj.jpg) Summer is a season of infinite potential; the days are longer, the weather is warmer, and there are limitless possibilities. Summer art encounters are like chance meetings, devices of change that can be life-altering. Such a situation is expressed through a collection by creative platform Pocko. Pieces of art by artists from various countries and various backgrounds gather in one place, and through collaboration, bridging the gap between Japan and Europe. At ART Lounge, guests can enjoy original cocktail and dessert that complement artworks. In the evening, powerful images with a motif of exhibited artworks will be projected on the 30-meter-high wall. Park Hotel Tokyo General Manager Takayuki Suzuki said: "This summer's exhibition is the first exhibition by a foreign curator. Please look forward to witnessing the hotel becoming a place of new encounters." Park Hotel Tokyo Art Project Director Yoshitomo Fujikawa said: "Summer is a season in which we hope to experience serendipity. Please enjoy encounters and communications through Japanese and European artworks by artists from various countries." Park Hotel Tokyo hopes to present guests with the aesthetics of Japan to help them understand Japanese culture. About Park Hotel Tokyo Park Hotel Tokyo, opened in 2003, is located on the 25th floor and above in the Shiodome Media Tower. The 25th floor has the lobby and reception desk besides restaurants and a bar. The city's view can be enjoyed through the windows behind the reception desk. There are 270 guest rooms, located from the 26th to 34th floors. In 2013, Park Hotel Tokyo put forth a new concept, "Infinite time and space amid cognizant Japanese beauty." In line with this, every room on the 31st floor is decorated and turned into Artist Rooms, based on the theme "Beauty of Japan." To offer a memorable experience in various parts of the stay, Park Hotel Tokyo will continue to maximize the role of Japanese aesthetics and hospitality. SOURCE Park Hotel Tokyo KNOXVILLE, Tenn., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sword & Shield Enterprise Security, a leading national cybersecurity firm based in Knoxville, Tennessee, announced today the company has been named to the CRN 2019 Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Security 100 category. CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, composes the annual list to recognize the top technology providers and consultants in North America changing the landscape of the IT channel with their forward-thinking approach to managed services. In addition to continuing to develop its existing managed security services, Sword & Shield has recently expanded its MSSP to include Managed SIEM services for LogRhythm to better serve its growing market. Sword & Shield President and CEO John McNeely said adding LogRhythm to its offering helps the company to carry forward its dedication to providing solutions that fit the way its customers do business. "Sword & Shield feels it's important to deliver services customized to our customers' environments," said McNeely. "Adding LogRhythm SIEM as a Service to our managed security platform provides us flexibility to find the right technology fit for the many different types, sizes and needs of the enterprise class environments we protect." According to The Channel Company, CRN's MSP 500 list shines a light on the most innovative of key managed services providers. "Capable MSPs enable companies to take their cloud computing to the next level, streamline spending, effectively allocate limited resources and navigate the vast field of available technologies," said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. "The companies on CRN's 2019 MSP 500 list stand out for their innovative services, excellence in adapting to customers' changing needs and demonstrated ability to help businesses get the most out of their IT investments." The MSP 500 is divided into three categories: the Managed Security 100, the MSP Pioneer 250 and the MSP Elite 150. The Managed Security 100 to which Sword & Shield was named recognizes MSPs focused primarily on off-premise, cloud-based security services. About Sword & Shield Enterprise Security Securing business for more than 20 years, Sword & Shield Enterprise Security, Inc. partners with customers to meet the needs of their dynamic cybersecurity and compliance landscape. The company works closely with its customers to become tightly integrated with their enterprise operations in the areas of managed security, risk and compliance, enterprise security consulting, security incident response and forensics, and security training. Recognized nationally and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sword & Shield has offices throughout the US. Sword & Shield services a broad spectrum of industries, including healthcare, retail, media, banking and finance, legal and manufacturing. About the Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with their media, events, consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, they connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, they draw from their deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. For more information, visit www.thechannelco.com. The MSP500 list is featured in the February 2019 issue of CRN and online at www.CRN.com/msp500. SOURCE Sword & Shield Enterprise Security Related Links http://swordshield.com NEW YORK, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global DNA next generation sequencing market is expected to reach US$ 22,716.9 Mn in 2025 from US$ 4,898.5 Mn in 2017. The market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 21.7% from 2018-2025. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05730242 The growth of the DNA next generation sequencing market is attributed to the declining prices of sequencing services as well as various technological advancements in the field of sequencing during the recent years.Advancement in the field of molecular biology has equally enhanced the sequencing procedures. Many industry players have come up with innovative NGS technology in last few years.For instance, Pacific Biosciences with Sequel, and Oxford Nanopore with PromethION. Additionally, three advances NSG systems that dominate the market includes Roche GS FLX (454), Illumina HiSeq 2000 (Solexa) and AB SOLiD (Agencourt). Further modification and automation of this process continued to increase sequencing data and time reduction.Thereby allowing researchers to reach major milestones in the Human Genome Project. NGS makes sequence based gene expression analysis a "digital" alternative to analog techniques. Advancement in genome sequencing has made the sequencing easy and accurate. In the recent years, next generation sequencing price have declined substantially. For instance, first whole human genome sequencing cost over US$3.7 billion in 2000 and took 13 years for the completion. However, the costs for the same in recent years has reduces to US$1,000 and the process requires less number of days. In 2000, cost for sequencing was US$ 3.7 billion, which dropped down to US$ 10 million in 2006 and declined to US$ 5,000 in 2012. Major market players such as Illumina and Roche have introduced breakthrough technologies that have enabled in the cost and time reduction in the sequencing. Global DNA next generation sequencing market, based on product was segmented as, consumables, services and platforms.In 2017, consumables segment held the largest share by the market, by product. This is mainly attributed since these consumables are used at every stage of sequencing. Global DNA next generation sequencing market, based on application was segmented as, diagnostics, drug discovery, precision medicine, and other applications. In 2017, diagnostics held the largest share of market, by application. Global DNA next generation sequencing market, based on end user was segmented as, academic & research institutes, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, hospitals & clinics, and other end users.In 2017, academic & research institutes held the largest share of market, by end user. In addition, the hospitals & clinics segment is also anticipated to witness a significant growth, during the forecast period. Some of the major primary and secondary sources for DNA next generation sequencing included in the report are World Health Organization (WHO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD), National Research Foundation (NRF), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and others. Reasons to Buy Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the DNA next generation sequencing market. Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the global DNA next generation sequencing market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies. Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin security interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05730242 About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com "We are proud to be working alongside the next generation of scientists, giving them hands-on experience of drug development in action," commented Pavel Calta, PhD, Executive Director. "Launching The Parc Awards, which consists of two categories, will give participating students the recognition they deserve, and we hope many of them will continue to pursue careers in drug Research & Development." Initiated by Zentiva, The Parc was created in association with three academic partners: the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague; the Faculty of Science in Charles University; and is now joined by the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. This highly successful initiative has brought rising talent together with leading pharmaceutical and academic experts, all working to accelerate innovation in drug Research & Development. The Parc enables PhD students to gain industry work experience in solid-state chemistry, pharma technology, bio-pharmacy and clinical research. Collaborating with academic partners across Europe, The Parc also offers a mentorship program where students are supervised by top academic scientists, sharing expertise and carrying out day-to-day support. Currently, 25 PhD students are participating in this program. Since its creation, 8 students have graduated, 4 of which joined Zentiva. As for the remaining students, 2 have decided to pursue a career in academia, further expanding The Parcs science network, and 2 are currently working in other pharmaceutical companies. "We are extremely grateful to Zentiva for supporting The Parc and giving our graduate students and academics the opportunity to collaborate with industry experts to address the biggest challenges in healthcare. I would like to congratulate the awardees and wish them every success in their future professional careers," commented Prof. Ing. Frantisek Stepanek, PhD. About For more information about Faculty of Science of Charles University, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of Czech Academy of Sciences, the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, and Zentiva, please visit the websites. Media contact: Mounira Lemoui, Communication Business Partner Zentiva Group, a.s., Cell: +420-727-873-159 U Kabelovny 130 102 37 PRAGUE Czech Republic www.zentiva.com SOURCE Zentiva Related Links http://www.zentiva.com/ Creativity shines on the four square coins composing the 2019 $3 Fine Silver Coin Set The Elements. Designed by Toronto artist Rebecca Yanovskaya, each coin illustrates one of the elements: fire, air, earth and water. This coin was first inspired by the suggestion of a member of the Mint's Masters Club (a loyalty program managed by the Royal Canadian Mint), Mr. Bernard Dumais of Levis, QC. Each of these is enhanced by a motif of red, yellow, brown and green maple leaves, evoking each element. Arranged together, the coins form a circular image representing the cycle of Canada's changing seasons. Another historic coin steps into the spotlight with the 2019 $20 Fine Silver Coin 40th Anniversary of the Gold Maple Leaf. The signature design of one of the world's favourite gold bullion coins is faithfully preserved on a double-incuse coin, with its central design features sunken into the surface of the coin: a sugar maple leaf on the reverse and the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. As an extra tribute to the bullion coin it honours, the image of the maple leaf is selectively gold-plated. Other coins on offer this month include: The 2019 $20 Fine Silver Coin Canadian Fauna: The Fox, designed by Saltspring Island, BC artist W. Allan Hancock ; Fine Silver Coin Canadian Fauna: The Fox, designed by Saltspring Island, BC artist W. ; The 2019 $250 Pure Gold Coin Eternal Blessing Pysanka, an Easter egg-shaped coin featuring a symbolically rich engraving of a multi-tiered Ukrainian church by Toronto artist Dave Melnychuk ; Pure Gold Coin Eternal Blessing Pysanka, an Easter egg-shaped coin featuring a symbolically rich engraving of a multi-tiered Ukrainian church by artist ; The 2019 $20 Fine Silver Coin Hatching Hadrosaur, designed by renowned paleoartist Julius Csotonyi ; Fine Silver Coin Hatching Hadrosaur, designed by renowned paleoartist ; The 2019 $100 Fine Silver Coin Canadian Maples, a 10 oz., 99.99% pure silver coin where engraved maple leaf boughs recall Canada's early coinage; Fine Silver Coin Canadian Maples, a 10 oz., 99.99% pure silver coin where engraved maple leaf boughs recall early coinage; The 2019 Special Wrap Roll Collection First Strikes, featuring rolls of each of Canada's current circulating denominations; current circulating denominations; The 2019 5-Ounce Fine Silver Coin Big Coin Series: 5-Cent Coin; Coin; The 2019 $3 Fine Silver Coin Celebrating Canadian Fun and Festivities Maple Syrup Tasting, designed by Steve Hepburn ; and Fine Silver Coin Celebrating Canadian Fun and Festivities Maple Syrup Tasting, designed by ; and The 2019 $5 Fine Silver Coin Zodiac Series: Aries, designed by Jori Van Der Linde . Mintages, pricing and full background information on each product can be found on the "Shop" tab of www.mint.ca. Coin images are available here. All of these products can be ordered directly from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or on the Mint's web site. The coins are also available at the Royal Canadian Mint's boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg, as well as through our global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets. About the Royal Canadian Mint The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. The Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca. SOURCE Royal Canadian Mint Related Links https://www.mint.ca/ WOODMERE, Ohio, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MarshBerry is proud to announce that it finished 2018 by completing 82 transactions (43 sell side/39 buy side) and remains the insurance industry's #1 sell side adviser1. In addition, MarshBerry started 2019 with a bang by being the investment banking firm that brought together 17 independent insurance firms and TRUE Network of Advisors ("TRUE") on January 1, 2019, to form the new Patriot Growth Insurance Services, LLC ("Patriot"). With financial backing from private equity growth investor Summit Partners, the newly formed Patriot platform offers a collaborative, growth-oriented model that allows partner agencies to operate autonomously while benefiting from the combined resources, strength and experience of a national organization. With 21 offices in 7 states, Patriot is now a top-60 U.S. privately held insurance agency that also ranks in the top-20 amongst privately held employee benefits agencies2. "MarshBerry is honored to be the investment banking firm that sourced and valued the participating firms, brokered the individual transactions and assisted in vetting financing sources that brought 18 firms together to form Patriot," stated John Wepler, Chairman & CEO of MarshBerry. MarshBerry is the Leader in Multi-Firm Transactions MarshBerry is no stranger to transactions that bring together multiple independent agencies and has completed the only two transactions of this nature in the last decade. In addition to Patriot, MarshBerry was the investment banking firm for Alera Group, Inc. ("Alera"), which was formed in December 2016. Similar to Patriot, MarshBerry was the investment banker and assisted the management group in bringing together 24 independent employee benefits, property/casualty, risk management and wealth management firms. The formation of Alera marked the first time that several independent firms (24 firms in the case of Alera) in this industry combined forces via a single platform investment of an acquiring party at least in the last ten years. At its inception, Alera, with a platform investment from Genstar Capital, LLC, a leading middle market private equity firm, was the 14th largest privately held insurance firm and 7th largest privately held employee benefits firm in the U.S. By the end of 2017, Alera was the 24th largest broker of U.S. business according to Business Insurance3. Throughout 2018, Alera has continued to be aggressive in the acquisition marketplace with MarshBerry representing 16 firms that were acquired and helping their firm grow aggressively4. Notable in 2018 Among the more notable deals that MarshBerry facilitated in 2018 was Houston-based Wortham Insurance. MarshBerry was the banking and consulting firm brokering the transaction on behalf of Wortham Insurance, one of the largest independently held firms in Texas. The deal was announced in June 2018 and subsequently closed in August 2018. "MarshBerry was instrumental in the success of reaching agreement with Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.," stated Richard M. Blades, Chairman of Wortham's Executive Committee. "Their guidance and industry expertise provided invaluable insight and made a highly technical transaction easier to execute." In December 2018, Shore Bancshares, Inc. and The Avon-Dixon Agency, LLC, the Company's wholly-owned insurance producer firm, entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Avon-Dixon, an Alera company, a Delaware limited liability company and subsidiary of Alera Group, Inc., pursuant to which Alera will purchase substantially all of the assets used in the operation of Avon-Dixon's insurance business. Subject to certain adjustments set forth in the Purchase Agreement, Shore Bancshares, Inc. will receive net proceeds of approximately $26.9 million on the closing date of the acquisition. MarshBerry represented The Avon-Dixon Agency, LLC in the transaction. Think Big in 2019 Want to find out how your firm can capitalize on record-high valuations, or looking to create a future for your firm by perpetuating your business? Contact us today at www.MarshBerry.com/Deals. About MarshBerry Founded in 1981, MarshBerry's primary objective is to help insurance agents, national brokers, specialty distributors, private equity firms, banks & credit unions and insurance carries as they work to maximize their value through our industry-specific services that include: Merger & Acquisition Advisory*, Financial Consulting, Talent Acquisition, Sales Performance, Intellectual Capital and Connect our Peer Exchange Network. Learn more at www.MarshBerry.com/Deals. 1#1 M&A Sell Side Adviser (2008-2018) as tracked by S&P Global Market Intelligence 2Patriot Growth Insurance Services, LLC Press Release, January 22, 2019 3Alera Group, Inc. Press Release, January 4, 2017 4MarshBerry's proprietary database *Securities offered though MarshBerry Capital, Inc., Member FINRA and SIPC, and an affiliate of Marsh, Berry & Co., Inc. 28601 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 400, Woodmere OH 44122, 440-354-3230 Contact: Lauren Byers, Vice President Marketing Phone: 440.392.6546 Email: [email protected] SOURCE MarshBerry Related Links http://www.marshberry.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. March 5, 2019: This report studies the global Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem market, analyzes and researches the Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, like Allianz Insurance AmTrust International Underwriters Assurant Asurion Aviva Brightstar Corporation Download sample Copy of This Report at: https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-mobile-phone-insurance-ecosystem-market-size-status-and-forecast-2025/request-sample Carphone Warehouse Geek Squad GoCare Warranty Group Hollard Group Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers United States EU Japan China India Southeast Asia View summary of this report @ https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-mobile-phone-insurance-ecosystem-market-size-status-and-forecast-2025 Market segment by Application, Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem can be split into Physical Damage Theft & Loss Other Table of Contents Global Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 1 Industry Overview of Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem 1.1 Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem Market Overview 1.1.1 Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem Product Scope 1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook 1.2 Global Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2013-2018) 1.2.1 United States 1.2.2 EU 1.2.3 Japan 1.2.4 China 1.2.5 India 1.2.6 Southeast Asia 1.3 Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem Market by End Users/Application 1.3.1 Physical Damage 1.3.2 Theft & Loss 1.3.3 Other About Radiant Insights Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, our experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions. For More Information, Visit Radiant Insights Contact: Michelle Thoras Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Radiant Insights, Inc Phone: 1-415-349-0054 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@radiantinsights.com Blog URL: http://ictmarketforecasts.wordpress.com NEW YORK, March 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Company Revenues and Analysis of the Top 20 Leading Companies in the Small-Scale Liquefied Natural Gas Market Space. Plus, Global Forecast for SSLNG by Use (Road Transportation, Power Generation, Marine Transportation), by Spending ($m) Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05748389 Small Scale LNG is used to supply small or isolated demand centers not connected to pipeline infrastructure, small scale LNG infrastructure is now increasingly deployed to cater to the growing demand for LNG as a transport fuel. Natural gas can be transported from gas production centers to consumption centers in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through ships and pipelines. Natural gas can be transported in ships and trucks to locations that are not connected to pipelines. Transportation of LNG takes place between exporting terminal (liquefaction plant) to importing terminal (regasification plant). Small scale liquefaction and regasification infrastructure are ideally placed to assist with the development of stranded assets, the supply of remote residential and commercial demand centers but also the provision of LNG as a fuel. LNG adoption is rapidly increasing due to the fact that natural gas is a competitive and environment-friendly option when compared to other fossil fuel sources. Small-scale LNG import terminals are primarily designed to serve the fuel requirements of a particular industry such as power generation and/or functions as a hub for ship and truck fueling. The risks associated with the development of large LNG facilities are significantly high when compared to small-scale terminals. Small-scale LNG import terminals are the most economical option for such nations which have just started adopting LNG as a fuel in their respective industries. Several small nations are importing or planning to import LNG in small quantities specifically to cater to the feeling requirements of the power generation industry. Several nations such as the Dominican Republic have just started importing LNG in small quantities to fulfil some of their industrial requirements. Such countries do not prefer importing large shipments of LNG as the demand for natural gas is still in the nascent stages in these nations. The global market for small scale LNG is driven by high levels of spending in established and emerging markets. An important share of future capital expenditure will be driven by the greater deployment of LNG as a fuel, and growing investment in small scale LNG carriers. The report will answer questions such as: Who are the leading companies in the SSLNG industry? What is their strategy? What is their existing processing capacity and where is it based? What are their core strengths and weaknesses? Do they have expansion plans, and if so where are they likely to go? What is driving and restraining the involvement of each leading company within the market? What is the total size of the SSLNG market in 2019? How much will it grow and why? What political, economic, environmental and technological factors affect the SSLNG market? How will you benefit from this report? This report you will keep your knowledge base up to speed. Don't get left behind This report will allow you to reinforce strategic decision-making based upon definitive and reliable market data You will learn how to exploit new technological trends You will be able to realise your company's full potential within the market You will better understand the competitive landscape and identify potential new business opportunities and partnerships Three reasons why you must order and read this report today: 1) The study reveals where and how leading companies are investing in the SSLNG market. We show you the prospects for companies operating in: North America Middle East Asia Europe South America 2) The report provides a detailed individual profile for each of the 20 leading companies in the Small-Scale LNG market in 2017, providing data for Revenue and details of existing and upcoming SSLNG projects: Air Products & Chemicals Inc Black & Veatch BP Plc Chart Industries Inc ConocoPhillips Eni SpA ENN Energy Holdings Ltd. Evergas A/S Equinor Gasum Oy Gazprom General Electric (GE Oil & Gas) Honeywell International Inc. Linde Group PT Pertamina Petronas Royal Dutch Shell Siemens AG Total SA Wartsila 3) It also provides a PEST analysis of the key factors affecting the overall SSLNG market: Political Economic Social Technical Competitive advantage This independent, 143-page report guarantees you will remain better informed than your competitors. With 106 tables and figures examining the companies within the SSLNG market space, the report gives you an immediate, one-stop breakdown of the leading Small-Scale LNG companies plus analysis and future outlooks, keeping your knowledge one step ahead of your rivals. Who should read this report? Anyone within the LNG value chain CEOs COOs CIOs Business development managers Marketing managers Technologists Suppliers Investors Banks Government agencies Contractors Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05748389 About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com BROOMFIELD, Colo., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting early April, Webroot Security Awareness Training will allow administrators to launch global campaigns across one or all clients in a single clickan industry first. Additionally, the solution from Webroot, the Smarter Cybersecurity company, will include Client Breach Reports, updated course content, a new phishing lure page framework and integration with the Webroot Global Site Manager console for streamlined management across multiple users, clients, and sites. The enhancements utilize the power of the Webroot Platform and its continuous threat intelligence analysis, which provides contextual data to the entire Webroot suite of business solutions, including Security Awareness Training, Business Endpoint Protection, and DNS Protection. The Webroot Platform feeds the security training solution with real-world trends and examples to create relevant content. Every Webroot solution is purpose-built to support a layered security approach for managed service providers (MSPs) who work with small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). According to a recent 451 Research report, 62 percent of SMBs said they have security awareness training programs in place, but they also reported their programs are ineffective and difficult to manage. Security awareness training programs should be engaging for the end users, effective in risk reduction, and easy to set up and manage. A Webroot Security Awareness Training efficacy report found that an ongoing approach to security education and training resulted in a 70 percent decrease in click rates on phishing simulation links. Key Enhancements Global Campaigns: Customers can launch training campaigns across multiple client sites in a single workflow and create a global snapshot of users' progress in one view across all clients or by site. Customers can launch training campaigns across multiple client sites in a single workflow and create a global snapshot of users' progress in one view across all clients or by site. Global Management: The Webroot Global Site Manager provides single-pane-of-glass management, delivering a contextualized platform across all Webroot business products, effectively protecting the entire user profile, not just individual endpoints. The Webroot Global Site Manager provides single-pane-of-glass management, delivering a contextualized platform across all Webroot business products, effectively protecting the entire user profile, not just individual endpoints. Client Breach Report: This risk assessment tool allows MSPs to create a report that outlines breaches associated with any client or domain, organized by user and breach. Reports include a summary of the breach, a list of breached data by category, along with impacted users. MSPs can use the report to demonstrate why their clients need security awareness training and advise them on tactics to avoid future security incidents. This risk assessment tool allows MSPs to create a report that outlines breaches associated with any client or domain, organized by user and breach. Reports include a summary of the breach, a list of breached data by category, along with impacted users. MSPs can use the report to demonstrate why their clients need security awareness training and advise them on tactics to avoid future security incidents. Updated Course Content: Webroot continually expands its course content library. New course themes this quarter include password and email security training in addition to real-world breach scenario simulations. Webroot leverages micro learningshort courses about five to ten minutes eachwhich is a best practice among e-learning specialists when it comes to information retention and attention span. Webroot continually expands its course content library. New course themes this quarter include password and email security training in addition to real-world breach scenario simulations. Webroot leverages micro learningshort courses about five to ten minutes eachwhich is a best practice among e-learning specialists when it comes to information retention and attention span. New Phishing Lure Page Framework: Users can now copy an image of a form for a phishing lure page rather than writing HTML code. Admins simply enter a URL and the solution can display the lure page as an image. This mimics how hackers set up phishing pages. Key Quotes: Chad Bacher, SVP of Product Strategy and Technology Alliances, Webroot "Automation and orchestration are the force multipliers MSPs need to keep up with today's threats and provide the best service possible to their clients. Our integrated security portfolio gives MSPs the highest value for their business, a faster route to market, fewer backend needs, and fewer procurement headaches." Aaron Sherrill, Senior Analyst, 451 Research "MSPs should consider security awareness training from vendors with cybersecurity focus and expertise, and who have deep visibility and insights into the changing threat landscape. Ideally, training should be integrated into the overall security services delivery platform to provide a unified and cohesive approach for greater efficacy. Additionally, MSPs should strongly consider the value of time-of-need training, i.e. when training can be delivered in direct response to a user's actions, since that is a proven tactic for ensuring users internalize the lessons they receive." Additional Resources: About Webroot Webroot was the first to harness the cloud and artificial intelligence to protect businesses and individuals against cyber threats. We provide the number one security solution for managed service providers and small businesses, who rely on Webroot for endpoint protection, network protection, and security awareness training. Webroot BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Services are used by market leading companies like Cisco, F5 Networks, Citrix, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, A10 Networks, and more. Leveraging the power of machine learning to protect millions of businesses and individuals, Webroot secures the connected world. Headquartered in Colorado, Webroot operates globally across North America, Europe, and Asia. Discover Smarter Cybersecurity solutions at webroot.com. Social Media: Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook 2019 Webroot Inc. All rights reserved. Webroot, SecureAnywhere, Webroot SecureAnywhere, Webroot BrightCloud, BrightCloud, and Smarter Cybersecurity are trademarks or registered trademarks of Webroot Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. SOURCE Webroot Related Links http://webroot.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Weekend Unlimited Inc. ("Weekend" or the "Company") (CSE: POT) (FSE: 0OS1) (OTCQB: WKULF) President & CEO, Paul Chu has issued this important update to shareholders. Dear Weekend Unlimited Shareholder: The Company is actively implementing its strategy as a multi-national operator, developing a brand portfolio to satisfy every segment of the recreational cannabis market in legal jurisdictions. As we build momentum, we wanted to share some of the highlights over the last month, these include: International recognition that came from winning the Canadian Stock Exchange's POT Lottery A significant distribution deal for Canna Candys Closing of the R & D Pharma deal for Jamaican vertical operations Licensing and grand opening of Northern Lights Supply retail store in Alberta Expansion into the Oklahoma market market Executive appointments in business development, operations and revenue generation Start of trading on the OTC QB Market Allow me to expand on each of the above: Building on the POT Lottery win, the Company signed a long-term distribution deal for Canna Candys, focused on growing a retail presence in the US Northeast, Midwest and Southeast regions. The strategy will begin with Canna Candy's mixed fruit gummies, which each contain 5 mg of 99.6% hemp oil extract (0% THC and non-psychoactive). Additional products in Weekend's candy and beverage brands are anticipated to be added to the distribution deal in the near term. In Jamaica, closing the deal with R & D Pharma allows the Company to accelerate growth in that country's medical tourism market. Weekend will also develop consumer brands for Jamaican and international export markets, leveraging favorable cultivation economics and the stature and reputation of Jamaica's cannabis history. The overall assets include 145-acres of cultivation property, with significant yield over a 4 times per year crop rotation. Upon receiving one of ten new Alberta retail licenses, as announced on February 5th, the retail operation received two inventory shipments and celebrated its grand opening on February 23rd, driving significant traffic, awareness and sales. The Northern Lights Supply store will serve as a launchpad for new products, customer data gathering, educational programming to the hospitality industry, and a platform for partnerships. Oklahoma presents a geographically advantageous growth platform for Weekend. The acquisition we announced includes a 7-acre property with 20,000 ft2 of indoor facilities housing nursery/cultivation and extract production. The plans also include a 1500 ft2 retail-designated space for a concept store to be developed as Weekend's first location in Oklahoma. Additional space will be designed to produce and package Weekend's Canna Candys brands to distribute in Oklahoma. Licenses have been secured for cultivation, processing, transportation, and an application is in place for a retail license. Our initial product focus for the Oklahoma medical market will be centred upon vape cartridges, dab rigs and candy products. The brand strategy will be scalable and expand to beverages, topicals and supplements. Along with our listing on the OTC QB, which will make the company more accessible to USA investors, putting a strong leadership team in place has been a top priority. Over the last 30 days we have added Clint Pyatt, Director of Revenue Generation, Ese Roberts, Director of Operations, Karl Schmieder, MS/MFA, Director of Business Development, and Tom Wisniewski, VP Sales Operations. This leadership team's experience and understanding of our vision is being put into action immediately to establish and scale best-in-class operations and distribution, creating strong revenue trajectories as the company launches its own consumer packaged brands, with hemp oil extract products being a primary focus throughout the USA. Best regards, Paul Chu President and CEO About Weekend Unlimited Inc. Weekend Unlimited is capitalizing on its vast industry relationships to establish a lifestyle brand featuring premium products and delivering life's highest moments. The company aggregates and scales small to medium brands, primarily in the categories of flower, extracts and edibles. Weekend Unlimited brands have best of class operations, distribution and strong revenue trajectories, making them ideal candidates for the deployment of capital and expertise through access to technologies, infrastructure and centralized systems. Learn more at www.weekendunlimited.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Statements Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws. For further information, please contact: Mr. Paul Chu, President and CEO Telephone: +1(236)317-2812 Toll free 1(888) 556-9656 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Weekend Unlimited Inc. "We attract capital to Poland, help startups to grow and support entrepreneurship. Wolves Summit is recognized by foreign investors as the most important conference for connecting startups with investors and corporations. We are glad that the awareness of the benefits of building bridges and cooperation, as well as effective business merging is constantly growing,"says Piotr Piasek, the co-founder of Wolves Summit. "The interest in our conference that comes from around the world shows that there is a huge demand for innovation. The number of participants is growing at a rapid pace, in March we're expecting 2,500 representatives of companies from all over the world,"he adds. 450 startups, 100 scaleups, 300 investors and 450 corporate representatives from almost 70 countries will attend the upcoming edition of Wolves Summit in the Palace of Culture and Science. During and before the conference, the participants schedule more than 4,500 1:1 meetings that have already gained world fame. The meetings are the main reason why many participants return for the next edition. Previous editions showed the need for international meetings and discussions about technological innovations. The Capital City of Warsaw, which is once again co-organizing Wolves Summit, is growing in strength compared to other European technology hubs. "Warsaw as the city of startups, investors and entrepreneurs willingly supports the Wolves Summit conferencesays Micha Olszewski, the Deputy Mayor of Warsaw. "It is the largest international meeting of innovative entrepreneurs in this part of Europe. It is a great opportunity to exchange knowledge, experience and inspiration, find business partners and create a climate perfect for stimulating innovation." Key Players Exchange Knowledge It would be difficult to overlook the dynamic development of the startup ecosystem in Europe. It is the young companies that constitute the largest group of the Wolves Summit participants. They are attracted primarily by the opportunity to find an investor, business partner and clients. "Wolves Summit is not only lectures and speeches, but also an amazing opportunity for networking. The top innovation and tech players from all over the world are coming to Warsaw this spring. The inspiration, know-how and contacts we get from Wolves Summit are incredible,"comments Adrian Milnikel, the CEO of IncredBots. "It is also an excellent opportunity to get constructive feedback on our product. Thanks to this conference we learned that our chatbots are a solution that arouses the interest of corporations and entrepreneurs." In order to provide young companies with access to decision makersregardless of their stage of development450 selected technology startups will be invited to participate for free. 50 of those startups will be invited to take part in The Great Pitch Competition, during which one of the Wolves Summit partnersAngels Den Fundingwill reward the winners by organising funding round for free, thus offering them a chance to appear in front of a wide network of investors. Angels Den is an online investment platform which matches exciting businesses with experienced investors. They pride themselves on their Lead Investor Model, to which they attribute their success built for the past 12 years over 92% of the companies funded since 2013 are still active today. Technologies Changing the World The Wolves Summit conference gathers the representatives of many environments, including corporations, investors and promising startups. More and more institutions, organizations and companies understand that supporting innovative solutions changes not only the future of business but also the future of the whole world. That is why technologies that bring a positive social impact will be high on the agenda of the 9th edition. The keynotes and panels will concern, among others, AI technologies that change the world, transformation in economics, climate change and Smart Cities. The stage will feature Lech Kaniuk, the CEO of iTaxi, Martyna Sztaba, the winner of the Polish edition of Chivas Venture and Susan Kim-Chomicka representing Handerek Technologies, the Canadian entrepreneur and business angel. The 9th edition of Wolves Summit will take place in Warsaw, on 1920 March 2019. The event will feature 2,500 participants from almost 70 countries. The conference is organized under the honorary patronage of the Capital City of Warsaw and the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology. Additional information about the event and participation opportunities is available on the website www.wolvessummit.com. SOURCE Wolves Summit Warsaw, March 5 : Polish President Andrzej Duda and Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak have kick-started a series of events marking the 20th anniversary of Poland's NATO membership. "It's a great joy to be a part of this most important military alliance in the world and at the same time part of the free world," Duda said on Monday in the city of Zagan, where he visited Polish and American troops located in the country, Xinhua reported. Poland officially joined NATO in 1999. In 2016, during a NATO summit in Warsaw, it was decided that NATO troops as well as command structures of both NATO and the US army would be located in Poland. The Polish military is an important contributor to NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) on the eastern and southern flank and to NATO's tailored Forward Presence (tFP). Poland plays a special role in the eFP initiative: it is one of the host countries, it delegates troops to one of the eFP groups, and it hosts a multinational division headquarters in the city of Elblag, which has the task of coordinating the activities of all eFP groups. Islamabad, March 5 : The Pakistan Supreme Court has rejected a request moved on behalf of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for an early hearing of his appeal against last month's Islamabad High Court (IHC) order of turning down his plea seeking bail on medical grounds in a corruption case. Sharif was on December 24, 2018, sentenced to seven years in prison by an anti-corruption court in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case for owning a steel factory abroad without disclosing its ownership. On March 1, senior counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed had filed the appeal before the Supreme Court on behalf of Sharif, asking the apex court to grant him bail after suspending the execution of the December 24, 2018 sentence, reports Dawn news. But the Supreme Court registrar office on Monday returned the application for early hearing on the grounds that no special treatment could be accorded and the routine procedure would be followed to take up the matter. In his appeal, Sharif argues that he retains the right to have his medical treatment conducted by the practitioner of his own choice despite his conviction and consequent imprisonment in jail. The IHC in its February 25 order had held that none of the medical reports about Sharif's condition suggested that his continued incarceration would in any way be detrimental to his life, adding he had been hospitalised time and again since January whenever he made complaints about his indisposition. But Sharif's appeal contended that the IHC order was in violation of his fundamental right to life. The anti-corruption court judge had last year imposed hefty fines on Sharif after ruling that Al-Azizia Steel Mills -- a Saudi Arabian firm carrying the name of his son -- belonged to the three-time Premier and that he was unable to demonstrate how the project was funded. New York, March 5 : US President Donald Trump has announced that he was ending India's $5.6 billion trade concessions under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme accusing New Delhi of not providing Washington "equitable and reasonable access" to its markets. Trump, who is on a mission to expand marker access abroad and end trade deficits, made the announcement on Monday in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence in his capacity as the Senate President. The US Trade Representative's Office (USTR) said that the preferences will end in 60 days after the notification to Congress and the Indian government. Meanwhile, Trump said that he will continue to monitor if India is "providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets" and meet the GSP eligibility criteria. India had opposed proposals to end the GSP saying that it would be "discriminatory, arbitrary" and hurt the country's development. India is the largest beneficiary of the GSP exporting goods worth $5.6 billion to the US under the programme. Congress establishes the conditions of eligibility for GSP, which include "providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access, protecting workers' rights and combating child labour". Trump wrote in his letter: "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India." The USTR said: "India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce", but did not mention the specifics in its statement. "Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion", it added. The total India-US trade was $126.2 billion in 2017, with a $27.3 billion deficit for the US, according to the USTR. India's total exports were worth $76.7 billion and the end to GSP affects only a small part of it limited to $5.6 billion. At a hearing held by the USTR last June on withdrawing India's GSP, the minister in charge of commerce at the Indian Embassy in Washington, Puneet Roy Kundal, said that withdrawing the GSP benefits "would be discriminatory, arbitrary, and detrimental to the development, finance and trade needs of India, which is a vast and diverse developing country with unique challenges". The primary aim of the GSP is to help developing countries, particularly in sectors where the benefits can reach the poor. Trump also said that he was ending the GSP for Turkey because of its economic success and rising living standards that would no longer make it eligible for the programme that is meant to help developing countries. The President has been on a warpath against what he said were high tariffs on US imports to India. While pushing for the Reciprocal Trade Act in January, he brought up India's duty on American whiskey, which he said was 150 per cent and on Harley Davidson motorcycles that he asserted he had gotten reduced from 100 to 50 per cent. The decision to end the GSP may not entirely be influenced by high tariffs imposed by India on US imports. The two countries have had differences over the restrictions placed on e-commerce by Amazon and on Walmart subsidiary Flipkart and on data housing by Visa and Mastercard. The decision comes as the US is reported to be making headway in trade negotiations with China aimed mainly at cutting American trade deficits with a deal expected soon. Ironically, a trade group warned that taking ending GSP for India could end up helping China. The American Apparel and Footwear Association said in a written testimony that if GSP benefits are withdrawn for India as well as Indonesia and Thailand, "companies will have no choice but to return to sourcing from China". It pointed out that Trump has threatened to impose 10 per cent punitive duties on US travel goods imports from China and ending the GSP for India "means that not only will sourcing return from China, but American consumers will pay far higher prices for their travel goods". The US dairy industry was a strong advocate of ending the GSP for India citing its difficulties in exporting to India. Shawna Morris, Vice President of the National Milk Producers Federation and the US Dairy Export Council, at the the June USTR hearing accused India of refusing to provide them equitable and reasonable access to its markets through "unscientific sanitary and phytosanitary requirements". These requirements by India were that the exports should not come from cows that have been given cannibalised feed that includes offal or other meat products. Kundal countered that it was not an issue fo of market access but of "certification given the religious, cultural and moral sensitivities" and India provide unimpeded market access to dairy products from all countries that met the criteria. Another opposition came from the medical sector based on price controls on medical devices imposed by India. Kundal said that these were necessitated by India's need to provide affordable health care to its citizens. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis) Washington, March 5 : A Mexican-American woman has attracted about 70,000 followers on her social media accounts, which she created in support of President Donald Trump as he was "a needed leader to end the destruction of the US". Paloma Zuniga, who has dual US-Mexican citizenship, is considered an "influencer" by the Republican Party and therefore has been an invited as a guest at numerous events such as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held last week here, reports Efe news. "I am against the way they are destroying the US and I've been watching it for 12 years. I was already realising what the country has been doing for a long time, so when Trump said he was running for President, I thought: 'Finally, someone who also sees it and now speaks about it'," Zuniga said. She has over 60,000 followers on Facebook and several thousand more on Instagram and Twitter, a YouTube channel and a personal website where she spreads her "conspiracy theories" about who is "destroying" the US, a phenomenon she attributes to "Hispanics". "They are taking over places like California where they do not speak English!" She said after claiming that "cities no longer work as designed. We Hispanics arrived and trampled the principles and values of the United States and we don't care". Zuniga has said that the Latino community does not respect the US because "they think it's a business zone where Americans are stupid and they can take advantage of them". She was born in Mexico City and emigrated legally to the US at the age of eight when her mother became a widow and married an American. As an adult, she decided to return to Mexico because "it's cheaper" and she has business there, several houses and takes care of "many dogs". Zuniga has claimed that major media networks in Mexico and the US - such as Televisa, The New York Times and The Washington Post - are against her, but at the same time that helps her boost her platforms. He popularity among political activists at CPAC was such that, without hesitation, she repeatedly dared to interrupt any conversation to greet and pass on her contact card, which is illustrated with a photograph of her posing on the side of a portion of the US-Mexico border wall that has already been built. Lucknow, March 5 : Four people were killed in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut town when their vehicle collided with a mini-truck, police said on Tuesday. The accident took place late Monday night at the Bahsuma-Ramraj link road. Two occupants of the vehicle were killed on the spot while the other two succumbed to their injuries in a hospital, the police said. The victims were all from Bijnore. Gas cutters were used to extricate the bodies from the mangled remains of the vehicle, the police added. New Delhi, March 5 : Observing that India is facing state-sponsored terrorism, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday warned about terrorists being trained to carry out attacks even via sea route. Addressing the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue, Admiral Lanba without taking names hit out at Pakistan for abetting terrorists, who carried out the February 14 Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 CRPF troopers. "India, however, faces a far more serious version of terrorism -- state-sponsored terrorism. You have all witnessed the horrific scale of the extremist attack in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir just three weeks ago," he said. "This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a state, which seeks to destabilise India. We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out attacks with varying modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea," said Lanba. "We have seen how quickly terrorist groups evolve across the globe and this particular 'brand' of terror may well become a global problem in the near future. "The Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace. It is imperative that the global community acts to contain and eliminate terrorism, in all its forms," he added. Srinagar, March 5 : A protest shutdown called by traders affected normal life across the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday The shutdown was called against the Centre's ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir and the subsequent arrests of nearly 200 of its cadres. The protesting traders said the shutdown was also for the protection of Articles 35 A and 370 that give special status to the state. The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a separatist conglomerate headed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, has supported the shutdown call. Shops, other businesses and public transport remained closed. Authorities made heavy deployments of police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Srinagar's old city areas and other law and order sensitive areas in the valley. On February 28, the Central government banned the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, declaring it an "unlawful association" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The order by the Union Home Ministry said that the organisation has "been indulging in activities which are prejudicial to internal security and public order and have the potential of disrupting the unity and integrity of the country". Chennai, March 5 : The DMK on Tuesday concluded an electoral pact with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls whereby the left party will get two seats to contest from. The DMK has signed electoral alliance pacts with the Congress (nine seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry seat); CPI, CPI-M, VCK (two seats each); IUML, IKJ and KDMK (one seat each). Bengaluru, March 5 : Umesh Jadhav, Karnataka's "rebel" Congress MLA who resigned from the state Assembly, fell prey to the BJP's 'Operation Kamala', party leader Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday. "The circumstantial evidence clearly suggests that he (Jadhav) has fallen for #OperationKamala (referring to alleged poaching attempts by the BJP)," the former Chief Minister said in a series of tweets. "People are saying that he has sold himself for money and power. If true, it is shameful on his part," he added. Jadhav, a two-time MLA from Chincholi constituency in Kalaburagi district, submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar on Monday without any explanation. Hours later, G. Madhusudhan, the state spokesman for the Bharatiya Janata Party, told IANS that Jadhav would join the right-wing party on Wednesday at Kalaburagi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi would address a massive rally. The Speaker is yet to accept Jadhav's resignation. "We had already petitioned to disqualify four MLAs, including Jadhav, as per anti-defection law for involving in anti-party activities. Resignation cannot be accepted without deciding our petition. Let us leave it to the speaker to decide," Siddaramaiah said in another tweet on Tuesday. Jadhav's resignation came in the wake of the southern state's ruling coalition partners Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress and the opposition BJP trading charges of poaching each others' legislators since January. Jammu, March 5 : Indian and Pakistan armies clashed on the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera sector. Defence Ministry spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand said that at about 11.30 a.m., Pakistan initiated unprovoked shelling with mortars and firing by small arms along the LoC in Nowshera sector. "The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively," the spokesman said. The two armies had on Monday also traded heavy fire in Nowshera sector and in neighbouring Poonch district. All educational institutions within a five-kilometre distance of the LoC have been shut by the authorities in Poonch and Rajouri districts. Agartala, March 5 : The ruling BJP's junior partner, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), said on Tuesday that it will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Tripura while the BJP said no discussion has been held so far. IPFT Assistant General Secretary and spokesman Mangal Debbarma told IANS that the decision was taken by the Central Executive Committee on Monday but no discussion had been held with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The tribal leader said the names of the candidates would be announced soon. IPFT Vice President Ananta Debbarma said separately that the party had formed a five-member committee headed by party President and Revenue Minister Narandra Chandra Debbarma to formulate the strategies for the coming general elections. "We have decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections on our own," Ananta Debbarma added. BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharjee said no discussion had been held between BJP and IPFT leaders regarding the Lok Sabha battle. Tripura's oldest tribal party -- Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) -- is yet to decide whether it will contest the Lok Sabha polls alone or in alliance with other parties. "We are watching the changing political scenario in Tripura," INPT General Secretary Jagadhish Debbarma told IANS. In Tripura, the two major non-Left parties -- the BJP and the Congress -- always depend on the INPT and the IPFT to gain electoral support from the tribals, who constitute one third of Tripura's four million population. Mumbai, March 5 : After the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) pointed fingers at top executives for siphoning off the welfare fund for personal gain, an interim audit report has found "potential conflict of interest" since the Directors of the IL&FS group were involved in diverting loans to their own accounts. The interim audit report by Grant Thornton highlighted multiple irregularities in the operations of the company, one being the loans provided to such firms where an existing director one of the IL&FS group companies was the promoter. Highlighting one such instance of conflict of interest, the report said that Siddharth Dinesh Mehta, one of the promoters of the group Bay Capital was also a current director in IL&FS Energy Development Company Ltd". The report also noted that "it appears that the partial amount of loan was not utilised by the borrower for the purpose for which it was sanctioned". The mess at IL&FS came to light last year when a sudden default by a few group companies posed the serious threat of a complete collapse of the infrastructure conglomerate. Last year, the Central government superseded the management of the beleaguered company via a National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) order and appointed a six-member board led by Uday Kotak, MD and CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank, to restore its financial solvency. Key public sector lenders and undertakings, such as the LIC and the SBI, have a 25.34 per cent and 6.42 per cent stake, respectively, in the firm which has around Rs 91,000 crore in long-term debt. The credit crunch has led a few of the company's subsidiaries to default in servicing some inter-corporate deposits. Consequent to defaults, a significant impact was felt in the capital market. This also triggered what is now known as the NBFC crisis. Beijing, March 5 : China-US economic and trade consultations demand joint efforts by both sides, Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan said on Tuesday. "In the economic and trade talks, both sides should make joint efforts to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries," Zhong said at a "passage interview" for ministers after the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's national legislature. The consultations followed the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, which were agreed by the leaders of both sides, he was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. The 90 days of consultations achieved important progress, with breakthroughs made in some fields, which should be cherished, Zhong said. US President Donald Trump had last month expressed optimism about the prospects for a trade agreement with China after he delayed a scheduled increase in tariffs on Chinese imports. Trump said he was delaying an increase from 10 per cent to 25 per cent in the tariffs his administration levied earlier on roughly $200 million in Chinese products. The hike was set to take effect from March 1. He added that plans were underway for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping where he expected to formalize a trade pact. The US sold $130 billion in goods and services to China in 2017, while US imports from the Asian giant totalled $506 billion. Kuala Lumpur, March 5 : Malaysian prosecutors here on Tuesday charged a former ally of former Prime Minister Najib Razak with multiple counts of money laundering. Musa Aman, former Chief Minister of Sabah, was charged at a Kuala Lumpur court with 16 counts of money laundering amounting to $37 million, Xinhua news agency reported. The offences were committed between 2006 and 2008, reports say. Musa was accused of indirect involvement in alleged money laundering activities by instructing a bank account to be opened at a Singaporean bank to receive proceeds from an illicit transaction. He was also accused of indirect involvement in money laundering through receiving illicit funds from various companies and individuals through a foreign bank between 2006 and 2008. The largest recorded sum for a single transaction amounted to $16.15 million, the report said. Musa has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is already facing 35 charges, filed in November 2018, for receiving $63.2 million in bribes in exchange for logging contracts. Jaipur, March 5 : Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Tuesday termed it as wrong to question the IAF's bravery but added that it was equally wrong to politicize the IAF bombing of the terrorist camp in Pakistan. Pilot told the media here: "Indian Army, Navy and Air Force reflect and symbolize the honour and esteem of the nation. We were, are and shall be proud of our forces, always, irrespective of which party controls the government." But he said it was wrong to politicize the issue of the surgical strikes and quoted the example of Karnataka BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa who reportedly said that this shall help his party to win 22 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Yeddyurappa's statement "shows a political mindset. He should not have made those remarks", said Pilot. The Rajasthan Congress chief said that figures of terrorists killed in these strikes as claimed by BJP President Amit Shah had created a controversy. "The need of the hour is to de-politicize the entire issue." Earlier, Union Minister of State Rajendra Singh Rathore told Congress leader Kapil Sibal to go to Balakot in Pakistan if he wanted proof of the air strikes of February 26. Sibal on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicizing terror. Rathore tweeted: "You believe international media over own intelligence agencies? You seem happy when media quoted by you says 'no losses in strike'? The Indian Air Force bombed training camps run by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) at Balakot in Pakistan after the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in Kashmir on February 14 that killed 40 CRPF troopers. Mumbai, March 5 : After sulking on the sidelines for nearly 13 years, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray is likely to announce his entry into an opposition alliance on Saturday, marking the 13th anniversary of the party's founding. The excitement among top, middle and ground-level leaders and activists is almost palpable amidst anticipation that he may make finally opt to join the united opposition front, paving the way for the MNS to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "Today, Raj-Saab is the only political leader in the country who is not afraid of speaking out his mind on anything, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the centre and state," MNS Vice President Yeshwant Kiledar pointed out. In fact, Kiledar told IANS that he has launched a soft-teaser campaign on social media giving a sneak preview into what is likely to happen at the MNS anniversary bash on Saturday. Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar share a cosy relationship, and the latter is keen to accommodate the MNS from its share of seats in the state. A reluctant Congress, apprehending the MNS could damage its north Indian vote bank, has been vehemently opposing his entry into the opposition grand alliance here. However, Congress President Rahul Gandhi's open-door policy to any party willing to join the opposition alliance, made last week during his maiden election campaign in Maharashtra, has kindled hope in the MNS of catapulting back to the political space. Of course, in the past, the MNS has tasted the power of electoral politics by getting 13 legislators elected in the Maharashtra Assembly in 2009 but was reduced to a single seat in 2014. Simultaneously, the MNS created waves in elections to local bodies, civic councils and municipal corporations across the state but is now reduced to a trickle raising questions about its survival. At one time an unabashed fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today, Raj Thackeray with his legendary oratory skills, is considered among the shrillest critics of the not only Modi, but also the BJP and its President, Amit Shah. "He has the capacity to reply and hit back at them in the language they understand. That's his biggest asset. Other political leaders are restrained for various reasons, but not Raj," a senior party leader confided. Since the ongoing talks with the opposition alliance are in the final stages, most expect Raj Thackeray to make a formal announcement on Saturday and virtually launch the election campaign with a liberal whacking in store for the Modi-Shah-BJP trio, the leader added. Founded on March 9, 2006, the aggressive personality of Raj Thackeray - a nephew of late Shiv Sena founder-partriarch Bal Thackeray - has ensured the MNS its share of limelight despite remaining a virtual 'political pariah'. However, his credentials notwithstanding, all the political parties considered him almost 'politically untouchable' for various reasons, especially his campaign against north Indians a decade ago in the state, as admitted by state Congress president Ashok Chavan and city chief Sanjay Nirupam, among others. Hoping to erase that embarrassing 'blot', Raj Thackeray attended a high-profile meeting of the Uttar Bharatiya Manch (North Indian Front) in Mumbai on December 2 last year and even addressed the gathering in Hindi. Presently, there is intense speculation that the MNS may get an opportunity to contest at least one seat through the NCP and hopefully open its account in the Lok Sabha, though both sides are keeping silent for now, and he may campaign for the opposition across the state. (Quaid Najmi can be reached at quaid.n@ians.in) New Delhi, March 5 : Downplaying the likely effects of the US withdrawal of benefits for Indian exports under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme, Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan on Tuesday said the decision will not have any major impact on overall Indian exports to the US as the concessions availed under the scheme were "minimal". Speaking to reporters here, the official said: "Total GSP benefits availed by India under the GSP programme were to the tune of $190 million on a trade $5.6 billion. So, the benefits both in an absolute sense, and as a percentage of the trade involved, are very minimal and moderate." US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he was ending India's trade concessions under the GSP programme accusing New Delhi of not providing Washington "equitable and reasonable access" to its markets. Trump, who is on a mission to expand market access abroad and end US trade deficits, made the announcement in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence in his capacity as the Senate President. The US Trade Representative's Office (USTR) said that the preferences will end in 60 days after the notification to the Congress and the Indian government. The Commerce Secretary also said the US went ahead with the withdrawal of benefits despite the Indian government working out on an "extensive, reasonable, meaningful package which covered almost all the US concerns". "Of course there were some additional requests beyond that, which could not be accepted at this time," he said. Lahore, March 5 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's medical condition is "life-threatening" and he had four angina attacks last week, his daughter and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz said, here on Tuesday. Sharif is serving a seven-year jail-term in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case -- for owning a steel factory abroad without disclosing its ownership -- at the Kot Lakhpat Jail since December 2018. Her comments came as the Supreme Court earlier in the day rejected a plea moved on Sharif's behalf for early hearing of his appeal against last month's Islamabad High Court order of turning down his bail petition on medical grounds, reported Dawn newspaper. Maryam criticised the PTI government for mistreatment of the three-time elected Prime Minister, following her visit to the jail to meet her father. "There is no treatment offered to him (Sharif) even when he is taken to and kept in the hospital for days. He says he doesn't want to be in the hospital as an excuse or escape or just for the sake of it," she tweeted. "MNS (Mian Nawaz Sharif) has been a three-time Prime Minister and the insensitivity and callousness regarding his health on part of the government is shocking. My family and I are extremely concerned given the grave risk to his health. His condition is life-threatening," she said.. Maryam said during her meeting with Sharif, "he had an episode of angina and asked for his nitrate spray. Then he divulged that he has had similar attacks four times last week". "He reiterated that he will neither report nor complain," she said. "It's a medical fact that every episode of angina worsens the heart disease and can damage the heart irreversibly. Who will I blame or who will be responsible if anything happens to him God forbid? The callousness, I repeat, is shocking," she said. The Al-Azizia steel mills case was among the three cases launched by the National Accountability Bureau in September 2017, following the Supreme Court judgment in the Panamagate case that disqualified Sharif from holding public office for life. Lucknow, March 5 : The Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Tuesday formally announced their alliance for the Lok Sabha election, with the RLD getting three seats to contest in western Uttar Pradesh. The SP, which has already sewed up an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has left three seats for the RLD, headed by former Union Minister Ajit Singh. The RLD's primary support base is known to exist in the Jat community. Ajit Singh's son Jayant Chowdhary told the media at the SP headquarters here that his party will ensure that voters rally behind the SP-BSP-RLD alliance across the state. "We will focus on all the 80 seats," he added. Asked if there was a rethink on including the Congress in the 'Mahagathbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh, SP chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said the issue did not hold any water as the party was already a part of their alliance. "We have left two seats - Amethi and Rae Bareli - for the Congress. Thus they are a part of our alliance and I have been saying this all the time," he said. Asked if he would change his allies after the election, Jayant Chowdhary answered in the negative. He said this question should be put to the BJP. "I am happy to be associated with the SP as here I find the freedom to express myself," he said. The SP will contest 37 seats, the BSP 38, the RLD three while two seats have been left for the Congress, making it a total of 80 Lok Sabha seats. Patna: RJD workers participate in a march during "Bharat Bandh" in Patna on Feb 5, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Patna: Workers of opposition parties participate in a march organised on "Bharat Bandh" in Patna on March 5, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Patna: Workers of opposition parties participate in a march organised on "Bharat Bandh" in Patna on March 5, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Patna, March 5 : The day-long Bharat bandh called by Dalit and Tribal groups on Tuesday demanding forest rights for adivasis and job security for ad hoc teachers, and protesting the anti-reservation policy of the central government, evoked a mixed response in Bihar. Police said normal life was affected as rail and road services were disrupted in different parts of the state, though senior state officials said "elaborate security arrangements had been made". Thousands of members of Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Tribal outfits, including the Bhim Army, descended on streets since early morning blocking road and rail traffic. Several arterial roads were blocked and over a dozen long-route trains were halted at Ara, Jehanabad, Patna, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Begusarai railway stations. Clashes between the protesters and the police were reported from Bhojpur, Madhepura, Jehanabad and Arwal. In Bhagalpur, the protesters clashed with local shopkeepers trying to forcibly shut markets. Leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Left parties, which are supporting the shutdown, also took to streets to protest the University Grants Commission's new 13-point roster system that will drastically reduce jobs for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes. The new system replaces the 200-point roster system, in which the entire university was taken as a unit for reservation and recruitment. Under the new 13-point roster system, each department is taken as a unit for implementing recruitment and reservation policy for teachers. They were also demanding an ordinance over the now-stayed Supreme Court order directing eviction of over 10 lakh families of Adivasis and other forest dwellers from forest lands across 16 states. The apex court had on February 13 ordered eviction of tribals in unauthorised possession of forest land. On February 28, however, it put the order on hold. In Patna, senior RJD leaders and party workers staged a protest march and dharna. "The Narendra Modi government's decision to abolish the 13-point roster and approve 10 per cent quota to the EWS in the general category is not in line with the principle of affirmative action prescribed in the Constitution. The RSS is hell bent upon scrapping reservation for SC/ST & OBCs," said RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. Panaji, March 5 : Police in the beach village of Calangute in Goa have arrested a 23-year-old woman from Mumbai for a bomb hoax at a local restaurant on Tuesday. Rangoli Patel, a resident of Malad West in Mumbai, was holidaying in Goa when she and a friend had an argument with the waiter of a restaurant, police inspector Jivba Dalvi told reporters here. Police said she later went and made a hoax call claiming there was a bomb in the restaurant. The restaurant had to be hurriedly evacuated "creating panic among the public and the management, Dalvi said. "The quick reaction team of the Anti-Terrorist Squad was also called to the spot. Their search of the premises revealed that the call was a hoax," the official said, adding that the caller was identified based on her subscriber details and a search of the area surrounding the hotel. "The accused has disclosed that she had made a hoax call to make the restaurant management suffer losses," Dalvi said. The accused has been booked under sections 182 (false information), 505(1)(b) (incite to commit offence) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Islamabad, March 5 : Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a ban on the airing of Indian content on local television channels. The top court set aside an earlier ruling by the Lahore High Court (LHC) and reinstated a 2016 policy of the federal government banning the transmission of Indian content on local television channels, Geo News reported. A counsel of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) appeared in the apex court as a three-judge bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmad heard the case. "On October 19, 2016, PEMRA imposed a complete ban on airing Indian content on local television channels," the counsel for the regulatory authority said. However, in 2017, the LHC lifted the ban as the federal government had no objections regarding the same, according to the official. Later, PEMRA challenged the High Court's decision in the top court. The authority's counsel also claimed that "Indian content had zero viewership on local television channels". After hearing the PEMRA counsel's arguments, the apex court set aside the LHC order and reinstated the federal government's October 2016 policy as per which Indian content cannot be aired on local television channels Late last month, the LHC was moved to put a complete ban on trade, exhibition and selling of Indian films in Pakistan to reciprocate a ban on Pakistani artists working in Bollywood amid tensions between the two neighbours. Kolkata, March 5 : A 36-year-old woman was stabbed to death in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Tuesday while protecting herself from a man, police said. "Nimai Hazra, 45, a resident of Bhandardaha village attacked the woman. She tried to resist his motives of outraging her modesty," an officer of Hariharpara police station said. Eyewitnesses said they saw Hazra attacking Sabitri Hazra, 36. The body has been sent for post-mortem. He is absconding, police said. Islamabad, March 5 : Pakistan on Tuesday arrested Mufti Abdur Rauf, the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, along with 43 other members of banned Islamist outfits in a crackdown. Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi announced the move at a press conference and insisted that the action was not the result of any pressure, the Pakistani media reported. Hammad Azhar, reportedly a close relative of Masood Azhar, was also among those arrested in the crackdown, Afridi said, adding that action would be taken against all the proscribed organizations. He added that a dossier shared by the Indian government with Pakistan last week also contained the names of Mufti Abdur Rauf and Hammad Azhar. The News International daily cited senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir as saying that the crackdown was launched as part of a National Action Plan (NAP) and that the people arrested offered no resistance when law enforcers took them into custody. He said the number of detainees would rise as the operation was expected to continue for days. The crackdown came a day after the Pakistan government issued an order to streamline a process for the implementation of sanctions against individuals and entities of all banned outfits as designated by the UN Security Council. Interpreting the order, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said it meant that the government had taken over the control of all proscribed outfits operating in the country. He added that the government will also seize the charity wings and ambulances of such outfits. The crackdown is being linked to the suicide bombing claimed by the JeM that killed 40 CRPF troopers in Kashmir on February 14 and the later IAF bombing of JeM's biggest training camp at Balakot in Pakistan. Panaji, March 5 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi will address a meeting of Goa booth committee members on Friday, state Congress President Girish Chodankar said here on Tuesday. Gandhi will be in Goa for a few hours on March 8. He is also scheduled to meet representatives of NGOs and other social organisations, Chodankar told IANS. Gandhi during his visit to the coastal state was not expected to finalise names of party candidates for the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly by-polls, he said. Dehradun, March 5 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat here on Tuesday announced a Rs 20 bonus on every quintal of wheat procured in the state. "The government would give a bonus of Rs 20 per quintal to farmers in addition to the Rs 1,840 support price, set by the central government," Rawat said. The announcement was made at a meeting convened to make preparations for procurement for the rabi season 2019-20, government officials said. All payments to farmers would be through an online system, he said and added all dues would be cleared with immediate effect. The government targets to procure 2 million tonnes wheat this year. Rawat asked the Agriculture Department officials to increase the number of godowns with over 1 million capacity. New Delhi, March 5 : A Delhi Court on Tuesday directed Tihar Jail authorities to shift British national Christian Michel, the middleman accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, from high-security ward to the normal cell meant for undertrials and provide him basic facilities as per prison rules. Additional Sessions Judge Arvind Kumar directed Tihar Jail officials to shift Michel to Jail No. 1, 3 or 4 which are meant for keeping undertrials. The court was hearing Michel's application seeking shifting from high-security prison to a normal cell. Michel's advocates Aljo K. Joseph and Vishnu Sankar told the court that Michel was shifted to the high-security cell "at the behest of external pressure". The court observed that Michel cannot be kept in Jail No. 2 which is meant to keep convicts and said that unconvicted criminal prisoner needs to be kept separate from those who have been convicted. The court also asked jail authorities to make necessary assessment regarding any threat to the accused. However, Special Public Prosecutor D.P. Singh and Public Prosecutor N.K. Matta opposed the plea and said that the allegations were "mischievous and looked down upon Indian jails". The prosecutors also told the court that Michel has filed the application in an attempt to keep the instant case in news and to gain publicity. Michel was extradited to India on December 4, 2018 from the United Arab Emirates. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed charge sheets in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case naming Michel and others as accused. Islamabad, March 5 : Pakistan Punjab's Information Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan of the ruling PTI resigned on Tuesday amid intense criticism over his derogatory remarks against the Hindu community. The news was confirmed by the spokesperson for Punjab province Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Dawn news reported. Amaravati, March 5 : The Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board on Tuesday signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 21,0000 crore with various companies. The MoUs were signed in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, APEDB Chief Executive Officer J. Krishna Kishore and representatives of different companies. These MoUs would fructify into the investment potential of Rs 21,000 crore and generate direct employment of around 57,000 and indirect employment of around 1,65,000, said APEDB, which is responsible for sustainable economic growth through trade, investments, partnerships and collaborations. Under one of the MoUs, Maruti Ispat & Energy Private Ltd will set up MS Steel and Alloy Steel Manufacturing plant at Kurnool with an investment of Rs 1,227 crore. Telugu Pharmaceutical & Chemicals Association propose to set up a cluster of MSME pharma companies in Prakasam with an investment of Rs 9,000 crore. This is expected to generate direct employment for 45,000 people and indirect employment to 1.50 lakh. Hewlett Packard India (HP), APEDB and the AP Innovation Society are collaborating to set up a state of art centre of excellence centred around latest technologies such as additive manufacturing. ZTT India Private Ltd will invest Rs 700 crore in optical fibre cable manufacturing at Sri City with an investment of Rs 1,600 crore, while Avanze Inventive Private Ltd will invest Rs 1,800 crore for a unit to manufacture lithium ion batteries. According to APEDB, a private company is intending to establish a LNG terminal and LCNG fuel stations across 20 locations with an investment of Rs 4,800 crore. New Delhi, March 5 : The website of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went into the "maintenance" mode after an alleged hacking attempt early on Tuesday morning, with security researchers claiming the hackers may have stolen the entire database. The portal was not up till the evening and the message on the website read: "We'll be back soon! Sorry for the inconvenience but we're performing some maintenance at the moment. We will be back online shortly!" Calls made to the party on why the website was down went unanswered. No hacker or group claimed the responsibility for allegedly breaking into the BJP website. Social media, however, was abuzz with screenshots of a meme featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi that appeared on the BJP website before it went into the "maintenance" mode. Below the meme was a music video of the film "Bohemian Rhapsody". The meme poked fun at a clip in which German Chancellor Angela Merkel walks past Modi as he extends his hand. French security researcher that goes by the name of Elliot Alderson who published Aadhaar data leaks in the past, tweeted: "The official website of @BJP4India has been hacked. I guess they stole the database too". The opposition immediatley took up the issue on the social media platforms. "If you're not looking at the BJP website right now -- you're missing out," tweeted Divya Spandana, Social media head of the Congress Party. Ghanshyam Tiwari, national spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party, tweeted: "I condemn the hacking of @BJP4India BJP website. It must be investigated. In the interest of the country, data on key Political Party websites must be duly secured with due technical support enabled through NIC". The website of the country's ruling political party stopped functioning amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed. Within hours of the Pulwama attack, Pakistani-linked hackers reportedly attacked nearly 90 Indian government websites, leading India to initiate counter offensive measures in cyber space. In the same week, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website was not working in several countries, including the US. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal alleged that New Delhi was behind the attack. According to a report in the Dawn, cross-border hacking attacks have been sporadic yet common since at least 1998. Fingers were pointed to India-based hackers when the official website of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was found defaced in June 2017. In December that year, the official website of Karachi police was hacked and defaced, allegedly by Indian hackers, the report said. Earlier, in July 2016, hackers claiming to be from Pakistan defaced the websites of seven Indian embassies, high commissions and consulates in various countries with pro-Pakistan Army slogans. Ahmedabad, March 5 : Calling himself "Mazdoor No 1", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi MaanDhan (PM-SYM), a pension scheme for workers in the unorganized sectors. The government claims that over 42 crore workers in the country will benefit from this scheme which will give a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 after the age 60 years. Announcing the national launch of the scheme at a public meeting in Vastral here, Modi said: "Till now over 14.5 lakh workers have been registered with this scheme. Over 42 crore workers in the unorganized sector will benefit from this scheme. "After independence, this is the first time such a scheme is being brought. Earlier nobody ever thought of the unorganized sector despite chanting slogans like 'Garibi Hatao' but it is your 'Mazdoor number 1' who has brought you this scheme," Modi declared. The beneficiaries will have to get themselves registered to the Common Service Centres in their areas. Anybody who is between 18 and 40 years and earning a salary of less than Rs 15,000 a month in unorganized sector can register. After registration, the beneficiaries will chose a specific amount between ranging between Rs 55 and Rs 200 which will have to be deposited in the scheme per month. An equal amount will be deposited by the central government. After reaching 60 years, the beneficiaries will start earning at least Rs 3,000 per month. "I have always said that dignity of labour should be practiced in our country as a culture. In all the central government institutions we have ensured 42 per cent rise in minimum wages. Earlier there were some schemes, but the middleman used to benefit. But now your 'Chaukidar' is alert, so the middleman's shops are being shut and so they are shouting 'Modi hatao'," the Prime Minister said. "Yeh Maha Milawat (Mega adulteration of opposition Alliance) are busy in striking out Modi while Modi is busy striking out terrorism," Modi told the enthusiastic crowd, referring to the air strikes on terror camps in Balakot in Pakistan. The Prime Minister has been in Ahmedabad since Monday for a series of inaugural and dedication programmes. Later, Modi attended religious ceremonies related to the world's first temple of Annapurna Mata, deity of Leuva Patel denomination of Patidars, at Adalaj near Gandhinagar, a day after he laid the foundation stone of the Rs 1,000 crore of Maa Temple Complex of Kadva Patels. Islamabad, March 5 : Pakistan on Tuesday detained in a crackdown Mufti Abdur Rauf, the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, along with 43 others affiliated with proscribed Islamist organisations operating in the country. The crackdown came a day after the Pakistan government issued an order to streamline a process for the implementation of sanctions against individuals and entities of all banned outfits as designated by the UN Security Council (UNSC). Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi said in a press conference that the action was taken without any foreign pressure, the Pakistani media reported. Hammad Azhar, reportedly a close relative of Masood Azhar, was among those arrested in the crackdown. "In the first phase of our action we have taken 44 people into protective custody. We won't let anyone use Pakistani soil against anyone so that no force can intervene in Pakistan's domestic issues," Afridi said. The government also froze bank accounts and assets of the organisations banned by the UNSC. The Interior Ministry said that the actions will continue as per the decisions taken by the National Security Committee (NSC). Interior Ministry Secretary Azam Suleman Khan said: "This is across the board - we don't want to give the impression that we are against one organisation." The crackdown is being linked to the suicide bombing claimed by the JeM that killed 40 CRPF troopers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14 and the later IAF bombing of JeM's biggest training camp at Balakot in Pakistan, sending India-Pakistan relations on a nosedive. A dossier shared by the Indian government with Pakistan last week on Pulwama also mentioned the names of Mufti Abdur Rauf and Hammad Azhar, Khan said. "It does not mean that action is being taken against only those individuals who are mentioned in the dossier. "If we have to take over any (organisation's) assets, we will do so. Assets can be taken over of organisations already declared as proscribed, under the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997. "If we obtain any further evidence or if we have to investigate any organisation, the government can take any organisation into custody at any time," said the Interior Ministry Secretary. Khan, however, claimed that the Indian dossier lacked concrete evidence against any member and that the Pakistani government had demanded evidence against the individuals being linked to the Kashmir suicide bombing. Action will be taken against the members if evidence was found during the investigations, he said. "In case we don't find any evidence against them, we will release them." Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal late Monday said that the government had taken over the control of all proscribed outfits operating in Pakistan. "From now onwards, all kinds of assets and properties of all banned organizations will be in the government's control," Faisal had said, adding that the government will now also seize the charity wings and ambulances of such banned outfits. Lucknow, March 5 : Vital information has been obtained from two alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists, arrested from Deoband in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district last month, police said, as the duo's police custody ended on Tuesday. Shahnawaz Teli and Aquib Ahmad, both residents of Kashmir, were arrested on February 22 and were subsequently sent to 10 days police custody. They have now been sent to the Lucknow district jail amid tight security. During their interrogation in police custody, they gave many leads and important information, an official of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) said. In the sustained interrogation sessions, the official said, that Teli and Ahmed not only admitted to recruiting new members to the terror outfit but the ATS also laid hands on many "virtual numbers", which are being studied by technical experts. "Evidence has also been found of a senior member of the JeM coming to Deoband to meet them and their going to some places in Uttar Pradesh have also been found," Additional Director General of Police, ATS, Aseem Arun said. Data extraction of the WhatsApp and BBM chat was done and it is being studied. Some leads in term of other links have also come forth and the ATS, along with the local police, is working on them so as to unearth the sleeper cells and their conduits, officials said. New Delhi, March 5 : Intense diplomatic pressure exerted by India with the help of other countries led to the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman by Pakistan, informed sources said here on Tuesday and noted that India had made it clear that the issue was non-negotiable. They said that conversations with different countries were held at various levels including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the release was an outcome of pressure on Pakistan premier Imran Khan and not a result of any generosity on his part. Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan after his MiG-21 crashed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following an aerial engagement with Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets, returned to India on Friday night. Varthaman had shot down a F-16 fighter of Pakistan Air Force during the aerial engagement. The sources said that India had conveyed to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as also some other friendly countries that Varthaman's safe and immediate return was non-negotiable. Khan had announced Varthaman's return as a "peace gesture" to India. They said that perhaps Imran Khan was not aware of the full facts concerning the aerial engagements and Islamabad has also given no evidence in support of its claim that it had shot down a Sukhoi 30 fighter jet, as it was a lie. They said that all Sukhoi 30s in Indian Air Force's inventory were intact. The sources also referred to reports in the Pakistani media that the piece of an AMRAAM missile recovered from Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir was of Taiwanese origin, and said that Taiwan had refuted such reports. The missile piece was shown during a joint briefing by the three services last week to refute Pakistan's claims that it had not used F-16 fighter jets in the aerial engagement. AMRAAM missile can only be carried by F-16 procured by Pakistan from the US. The sources said that it was for the US to investigate into any violation by Pakistan of the sale terms concerning use of F-16 aircraft. Islamabad, March 5 : A dossier submitted by India lacks "concrete evidence" linking Pakistan with the suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF troopers, Islamabad said on Tuesday, as it arrested the brother and son of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and 42 others as part of a crackdown on Islamist groups following intense diplomatic pressure. The brother, Mufti Abdur Rauf, and Hammad Azhar, a son of the now reportedly ailing Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief, were among those whose names were mentioned in the dossier India handed over to Pakistan last week, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi said. But Interior Ministry Secretary Azam Suleman Khan quickly added: "It does not mean that action is being taken against only those individuals who are mentioned in the dossier. "If we have to take over any (organisation's) assets, we will do so. Assets can be taken over of organisations already declared as proscribed, under the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997. "If we obtain any further evidence or if we have to investigate any organisation, the government can take any organisation into custody at any time," he said. Khan, however, claimed that the Indian dossier lacked concrete evidence against any member to link Pakistan and Pakistanis with the February 14 suicide bombing in Pulwama that led to Indian air strikes on JeM's biggest training camp at Balakot in Pakistan, seriously straining bilateral ties. Action will be taken against people if evidence was found during the investigations, he said. "In case we don't find any evidence against them, we will release them." The crackdown came a day after the Pakistan government issued an order to streamline a process for the implementation of sanctions against individuals and entities of all banned outfits as designated by the UN Security Council (UNSC). Afridi insisted that the action was taken without any foreign pressure, the Pakistani media reported, but informed sources said that intense diplomatic pressure including from Pakistan's close allies had forced Islamabad to crack the whip. "In the first phase of our action we have taken 44 people into protective custody. We won't let anyone use Pakistani soil against anyone so that no force can intervene in Pakistan's domestic issues," Afridi said. The government also froze bank accounts and assets of the organisations banned by the UNSC. The Interior Ministry said that the actions will continue as per the decisions taken by the National Security Committee (NSC). Secretary Khan said: "This is across the board - we don't want to give the impression that we are against one organisation." Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal late Monday said that the government had taken over the control of all proscribed outfits operating in Pakistan. "From now onwards, all kinds of assets and properties of all banned organisations will be in the government's control," Faisal had said, adding that the government will now also seize the charity wings and ambulances of such banned outfits. New Delhi, March 5 : Underlining that India is facing state-sponsored terrorism, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday said there are reports of terrorists being trained to carry out attacks through various ways including via the sea route. Addressing the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue, Admiral Lanba without taking names hit out at Pakistan for abetting terrorism in the region. He said that the Indo-Pacific region has witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years, and few countries in this part of the world have been spared by this scourge. "The global nature which terrorism has acquired in recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat. India, however, faces a far more serious version of terrorism -- state-sponsored terrorism," Lanba said as he cited the example of February 14 Pulwama attack in which at least 40 paramilitary troopers were killed. "This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a state, which seeks to destabilise India. We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out attacks with varying modus operandi, including through the medium of sea," he said. "We have seen how quickly terrorist groups evolve across the globe and this particular 'brand' of terror may well become a global problem in the near future," he added. The Navy chief said that the Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace, and stressed that it is "imperative" that the global community acts to contain and eliminate terrorism, in all its forms. "As maritime economic endeavour increases across the region, there is need to enhance maritime security, both individual and collective. Given the wide range of threats at sea, from piracy and crime to maritime terrorism, it is important that all stakeholders work together," he said. He said that enhancing regional security cooperation will "allow us to optimally coordinate efforts to counter common challenges", optimise responses to shared situations and continuously learn from each others' best practices. In a related development, Pakistan on Tuesday said that it thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to violate Pakistani territorial waters. However, the Indian Navy refuted the allegations, saying its deployment is to "protect national maritime interests". Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The oncology field is witnessing rapid growth, owing to emergence of novel therapies with high efficacy, which in turn is boosting growth of the oncology drug pipeline market. For instance, in 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S FDA) approved 45 New Molecular Entity (NME) and new Biologic License Applications (BLA), of which 16 were novel cancer therapies. Therefore, developments of novel drugs is a major factor propelling growth of the Global Oncology Drug Pipeline Analysis Market. Furthermore, increasing initiatives for reducing cancer-related deaths is expected to boost growth of the market. For instance, in 2017, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution 'Cancer Prevention and Control through an Integrated Approach', which urges governments and World Health Organization (WHO) to accelerate action for minimizing premature mortality in cancer. Such initiatives are expected to propel growth of the oncology drug pipeline market in the forecast period. Oncology Drug Pipeline Analysis Drivers Innovative approaches in the cancer treatment is a major factor boosting growth of the oncology pipeline drugs market. For instance, the novel basket study includes patients with a certain genetic mutation in common, regardless of the site or origin of cancer in the body. Basket studies can be useful when a drug targets certain genetic mutation at a particular site and using that drug to treat same genetic mutation in cancer at another site. For instance, Larotrectinib, a drug of Loxo Oncology, Inc., is currently under review by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of tyrosine kinase mutation by using basket studies. This drug has been approved as Investigational New Drug in May 2018. Combinational therapies are the latest development driving the growth of oncology pipeline drugs market. For instance, Pfizer Inc. is undergoing efficacy and safety study for Avelumab in combination with chemotherapy, followed by maintenance therapy of Avelumab with PARP inhibitor talazoparib in patients with history of untreated advanced ovarian cancer. This study is under clinical phase III trials and is expected to complete in May 2026. Competitive Landscape Key players are focused on establishing manufacturing facility in Asia Pacific. For instance, in September 2018, BeiGene Co.Ltd. a commercial-stage biotechnology company, selected GE Healthcares bio manufacturing facility KUBio, for large-scale production of its cancer monoclonal antibodies in China. Key players operating in the global oncology pipeline drugs market include, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., AstraZeneca, Pfizer Inc., AbbVie Inc., Celgene Corporation, Novartis AG, Merck & Co., Inc., Sanofi, Eli Lilly & Co., GlaxoSmithKline, and Amgen Inc. Ask For Sample Copy Of This Business Research Report : https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/2184 Oncology Drug Pipeline Analysis Challenges Increasing cost of therapies is expected to hinder growth of the oncology drug pipeline market. For instance, according to a report published in National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), 2016, Pertuzumab-based therapy, used in treatment of HER2 positive breast cancer costs US$ 215,000 per patient. Moreover, lack of patients participation in clinical studies, increase in clinical trial complexity, and resource constraints are some of the other factors hampering growth of the oncology drug pipeline market. For instance, according to a report published in Journal of Clinical oncology, June 2012, the rate of number of cancer patients enrolling in clinical trial worldwide is 3%-5% and the rate has not improved since 1980. Oncology Drug Pipeline Analysis Regional Analysis On the basis of region, the global oncology drug pipeline analysis market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. North America is expected to dominate in terms of growth in oncology drug pipeline market. According to the 2015 annual report of the American Cancer Society, although cancer-related death rate in the U.S. have reduced, cancer still remains the second most common cause of death in the country. Therefore, such high prevalence of cancer is expected to drive growth of the oncology drug pipeline market in North America. About Coherent Market Insights: Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity. Contact Us: Mr. Shah Coherent Market Insights 1001 4th Ave, #3200 Seattle, WA 98154 Tel: +1-206-701-6702 Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com Ahmedabad, March 5 : A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and a public rally, with party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi among the key speakers, will be held here on March 12. The CWC is Congress's highest decision-making body and, according to informed sources, the party's strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as well as probable candidates would be discussed at the meeting. The meeting and rally, which had earlier been slated to be held on February 28, was postponed due to the security situation after the IAF air strikes in Pakistan in wake of the Pulwama attacks that left 40 CRPF troopers dead. Top leaders, including party President Rahul Gandhi, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi, who was recently named General Secretary, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, party treasurer Ahmed Patel, among others will be present at the meeting next Tuesday. "The meeting will be held on March 12, the day Mahatma Gandhi launched his famous Salt March from Sabarmati Ashram," state Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi told IANS. Besides the CWC meeting, a massive rally where Priyanka Gandhi is expected to deliver her first public address after joining politics full time, will also be held. "The CWC and the public rally is being organized in the same way as planned on February 28," Doshi added. Congress sources disclosed that it was Rahul Gandhi's idea to have the CWC meeting as well as public rally in Gujarat to take the battle right into Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah's home turf. Lucknow, March 5 : The Balakot air strike against a militant training camp in Pakistan and the blitzkrieg that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah launched in its aftermath has drastically changed the narrative in the past few days in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh ahead of the general elections due in April-May. And so, as the BJP leaves no stone unturned to capitalise on the developments, some times even going overboard, the leadership of the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) was "indeed rattled at the developments and had been stunned by the decisive political go ahead" in ordering the air strikes an insider told IANS. "The party very well understood that the air strikes are being seen as a positive by the public at large so we huddled to change our offensive on the Prime Minister" a close aide of party chief Akhilesh Yadav averred. Quite calculatedly, the party is neither questioning the air strikes nor doubting the claims of the government that it did inflict a body blow to the JeM terror network. It has, however, begun to question the both Modi and the BJP going ahead with its own functions and engagements. Harish Chandra Srivastava, a spokesman for the state unit of the BJP, says this was the proverbial "khisiyani billi khambha noche (when you are embarrassed you run for cover) as the opposition is jittery at the growing popularity of the Prime Minister. Mayawati, whose BSP is in a poll alliance with the SP and who never missed an opportunity to castigate the Prime Minister, has lauded the IAF action but with a rider: It should have been done earlier. A former minister in the BSP government between 2007-2012, on condition of anonymity said that 'behen ji' has been struggling ever since with the changed narrative and was at a party meeting seeking feedback on the air strikes from the ground workers and is reworking her strategy for the Lok Sabha polls. Realising that even the slightest of mistake or an insinuation on the air strikes or military action ordered by Modi could put to rest their chances, both the BSP and the SP have hence decided to decry the Prime Minister on many issues but to "try and avoid detailed questioning on the offensive against terror groups". Straw polls are a clear indication of this. Punters had been giving upwards of 40 of the state's 80 seats to the SP-BSP and just about 30 to the BJP. Post the air strikes, the BJP has climbed to 40 seats but this is nowhere near the 71 seats it held in the outgoing Lok Sabha. The Congress, which went into celebratory mode with the political debut of Priyanka Gandhi as the General Secretary for Eastern UP, has also reworked its strategy. While Rahul Gandhi is attacking Modi for trying to usurp the credit of the brave defence forces, his sister is staying quiet, working backroom and assimilating people from other parties into the Grand Old Party. "She will not launch a direct attack on the PM on this issue for now. Apparently, she realises, the emotiveness of the issue and is watchful of what the maut-ka-saudagar jibe (of her mother Sonia Gandhi against Modi) did in Gujarat," a close aide of Priyanka said. (Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in) New Delhi, March 5 : The BJP is set to rejig its slogan for the Lok Sabha elections from "Namumkin ab mumkin hai" (impossible is possible now) to "Modi hai to mumkin hai" (Everything is possible if Modi is there), sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Tuesday. The BJP is planning to build its poll plank around "nationalism" for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the wake of the Balakot air strike by the Indian Air Force and the subsequent safe return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan's captivity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had coined the slogan "Modi hai to mumkin hai" at a rally in Rajasthan's Tonk on February 23. Sources in the BJP said the attractive slogan was drawing public attention. "'Namumkin ab mumkin hai' was a good choice, but we were looking for a better alternative with a Modi-centric slogan. 'Modi hai to mumkin hai' fits the bill," said an informed source in the BJP. Sources in the BJP also said that Prasoon Joshi, lyricist and chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), has been asked to prepare a theme song with patriotic fervour for the party. Joshi had penned the BJP's theme song for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls titled "Main desh nahi mitne dunga", which was sung by Sukhwinder Singh. At recent events of the BJP, a number of hoardings carrying images of Narendra Modi, along with soldiers of the armed forces, were seen with the slogan "Modi hai to mumkin hai." The BJP had earlier decided on "Namumkin ab mumkin hai" as its poll tagline for the 2019 general elections. The party is already running a media campaign with the slogans "Namumkin ab mumkin hai" and "Abki baar, phir Modi sarkar." In 2014, BJP's poll slogan "Abki baar, Modi sarkar" had caught the imagination of the common voters. The slogan was created by Ajay Singh, SpiceJet promoter and former officer on special duty (OSD) to the late Pramod Mahajan. The BJP is also running different campaigns with slogans such as "Saaf niyat, sahi vikaas" and "Kaho dil se, NaMo phir se," among others. Mumbai: Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis lay the foundation stone for the proposed India Jewellery Park (IJP) in Navi Mumbai on March 5, 2019. Also seen Maharashtra Industry Minister Subhash Desai an Image Source: IANS News Mumbai: Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Industry Minister Subhash Desai and and Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) Chairman P. K. Agarwal during the foundation stone laying ceremony f Image Source: IANS News Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addresses during the foundation stone laying ceremony for the proposed India Jewellery Park (IJP) in Navi Mumbai on March 5, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Mumbai: Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Industry Minister Subhash Desai during the foundation stone laying ceremony for the proposed India Jewellery Park (IJP) in Navi Mumbai on March 5, 2019. ( Image Source: IANS News Mumbai: Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis lay the foundation stone for the proposed India Jewellery Park (IJP) in Navi Mumbai on March 5, 2019. Also seen Maharashtra Industry Minister Subhash Desai an Image Source: IANS News Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the foundation stone laying ceremony for the proposed India Jewellery Park (IJP) in Navi Mumbai on March 5, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, March 5 : An ultra-modern and high-tech gems and jewellery park will be developed at a cost of Rs 14,467 crore on a 21-acre complex in Navi Mumbai, officials said here on Tuesday. It is likely to be ready by 2022. Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis laid the foundation stone of the proposed India Jewellery Park (IJP) in the presence of Industry Minister Subhash Desai and Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) Chairman P.K. Agarwal. Many jewellers from the existing jewellery hub -- Zaveri Bazar in south Mumbai -- could shift to the new complex. Prabhu said the jewellery accounts for 7 per cent of India's gross domestic product (GDP) and 14 per cent of merchandise exports, playing an important role in the economy. He said the industry would achieve $75 billion export target by 2025, nearly double from the present $42 billion. The sector employs more than 5 million skilled people. "To meet the ever-increasing domestic and international demand, it is crucial to facilitate this industry, which comprises mostly MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), with proper environment and infrastructure, technology," he said. Fadnavis said Mumbai is the biggest exporter of gems and jewellery, accounting for $28,321 million and 69 per cent of the Indian exports in this sector. "Maharashtra has the largest diamond bourse in the world, the Bharat Diamond Bourse, in Bandra Kurla Complex. The IJP will transform the industry in Maharashtra and India and generate one lakh more jobs," he said. It will also boost investments, manufacturing, export growth and overall economic development of the state and the country. The project follows an agreement signed between the state government and GJEPC at the Magnetic Maharashtra 2018 conclave. The IJP is expected to have an annual turnover of Rs 41,467 crore under the current market conditions with a majority slated for exports. The GJEPC said India is a global leader in the industry as 90 per cent of rough diamonds come to India for finishing and the industry has a vision of achieving $60 billion exports in gems and jewellery by 2022. Besides, the IJP will have a common facility centre, customs, banking services, refining centre and other facilities, besides community and medical facilities for the workers and their families. New Delhi, March 5 : The Union government is all set to bring an ordinance to restore the 200-point roster system of reservation mechanism for faculties in universities. Informed sources said that the Union Cabinet meeting -- probably the last of the Narendra Modi government -- may take up the issue on March 7. The Election Commission is likely to announce the poll dates on March 9. Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar also hinted that the government could give its nod to the ordinance in the wake of countrywide agitation over the issue. "Some groups have decided to agitate. I would like to assure them that they need not agitate...the government will do justice. We will bring the 200-point reservation roster... How we will do it will be clear within two days," Javadekar told reporters. Under the new 13-point roster system, which replaced the 200-point roster, each department is taken as a unit for implementing recruitment and reservation policy for teachers. Under the earlier system, the entire university was taken as a unit for reservation and recruitment. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had in February wrote to Javadekar urging him to restore the "200-point roster system". Political parties in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar took to streets to protest the University Grants Commission (UGC)'s present 13-point roster system, saying it is slashing jobs for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes. In the last Budget Session, Javadekar had assured the Lok Sabha that the Centre is committed to reservation and will bring an ordinance, if needed. New Delhi, March 5 : Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday visit Kalaburagi in Karnataka and Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu to launch various development projects. The projects encompass sectors like energy, health and education, the government said on Tuesday. In Karnataka, the Prime Minister would inaugurate ESIC Hospital and Medical College in the state capital Bengaluru and the super-specialty block of Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi. "These projects will ensure quality and affordable healthcare for the people in Karnataka," the government said in an official statement. Modi would also inaugurate the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal Terminal at Bengaluru and a women's hostel for students from the north-eastern region at Bangalore University. In Kancheepuram, he would unveil multiple projects in roadways, railways and energy sector including laying the foundation stone for the four-laning of Vikravandi-Sethiyathopu section, Sethiyathopu-Cholopuram section and Cholopuram-Thanjavur section of National Highway-45C. He would also lay the foundation stone for six-laning of Karaipettai-Walajapet section of NH-4. He would also inaugurate the four-laning and strengthening of carriageway of Avinashi-Tirupur-Avinashipalayam section of NH-381. In the railway sector, he would launch the project for electrification of Erode-Karur-Tiruchchirapalli and Salem-Karur-Dindigul railway lines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the travel time for people and movement of goods on the route. During his trip, Modi would also unveil the statue of M.G. Ramachandran at Dr. M.G.R. Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women, Chennai through video link. Ramachandran was an actor and politician, who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 10 years between 1977 and 1987. He was conferred with Bharat Ratna. The Prime Minister will also interact with the beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat both at Kalaburagi and Kancheepuram. Islamabad, March 5 : Pakistan Punjab's Information Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan of the ruling PTI was sacked on Tuesday over his derogatory remarks against the Hindu community which drew intense criticism from members of his party and social media users. While Dawn News quoted Shahbaz Gill, the spokesperson for Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, as saying that Chohan resigned, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tweeted that he was "removed" and added that "bashing someone's faith should not be a part of any narrative". Chohan's easing out followed reports that Prime Minister Imran Khan had himself taken serious notice of his remarks, although those reports were denied by the party, according to Dawn. At an event in Lahore on February 24, Chohan referred to the Hindu community as "cow urine-drinking people". "We are Muslims and we have a flag, the flag of Maula Ali's bravery, the flag of Hazrat Umar's valour. You (Hindus) don't have that flag, it isn't in your hands," he had said. "Don't operate under the delusion that you're seven times better than us. What we have, you can't have, you idol worshippers," he said. As a video clip of the derisive remarks went viral on Monday, Twitterati on Tuesday using the hashtag "#SackFayazChohan" asked the government to remove him from his post. Following the criticism from the PTI for his insensitivity towards the Hindus, a minority in Pakistan, the Minister apologized and said his comments were directed only at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian media. "I was referring to Narendra Modi, RAW and Indian media," he said on Samaa TV's programme Naya Din on Tuesday. "The remarks weren't meant for any person in Pakistan. My message was for Indians. "I didn't demean any religion. The things I said are a part of Hindutva. I said things that are a part of their religion," he added. Khan termed Chohan's remarks as "inappropriate" and said: "We will not tolerate remarks against any minority community." The Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Political Affairs, Naeemul Haque, in a tweet said the PTI government "will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the government or from anyone". Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal also took to Twitter, saying: "Pakistan proudly owns the white in the flag as much as the green, values contributions of the Hindu community and honours them as our own." Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari on Monday was unequivocal in her condemnation of her fellow PTI member's remarks. "No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country" Finance Minister Asad Umar said: "Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember the flag of Pakistan is not just green... it is not complete without the white which represents the minorities." New Delhi, March 5 : Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday urged Lt Governor Anil Baijal to "rise above narrow politics" and do justice to students and Guest Teachers of the city's government schools. "It is with deep anguish that I write to you as your inaction has not only brought thousands of Guest Teachers to the streets but also the entire Government School system on a verge of collapse," he said. Sisodia said the matter of appointment of teachers, hiring new permanent or Guest Teachers, creating new posts, continuing or discontinuing the services of guest or contract teachers are been taken by the Central Government in the name of Service matter. "As Education Minister of Delhi, the students and teachers look towards me for effective functioning of the school system. But it is unfortunate that in last two years, you have not considered even once to discuss the issues concerning the Guest Teachers with me. "Your lack of owning up the responsibility is not only impacting the education of lakhs of children in the schools of Delhi Government but also the life, livelihood and dignity of thousands of Guest Teachers." He said 22,000 Guest Teachers, who are on the streets now, constitute 38 per cent of all teachers currently posted in the schools of Delhi government. Since March 1, 2019, the schools are functioning without the services of these teachers at a time when annual exams are going on in the schools including the board exams of Class 10 and 12, he added. "This is the month when apart from exams, teachers are required to check the answer sheets, prepare results, share it with students and their parents and get ready for the next academic session starting from April 1. And you expect that the remaining 62 per cent teachers would be able to do it on their own." Guest Teachers are those who have been working on contract and are not permanent employees. The Delhi government wants to continue with their services. Sisodia said that from April 1, the new Academic Session will commence and without these Guest Teachers the schools will not be able to meet the educational requirement of its about 15 lakh children. He also informed the LG that these 22,000 Guest teachers were inducted following an open and transparent process in accordance with the provision of the Constitution of India. "The Directorate of Education has been availing their services continuously over the last so many years. The government has also invested in strengthening their capacities by involving them in regular training. Their qualification and experience is an asset to our students and it is with their support that the schools of Delhi have been performing better than the private schools for last few years. "But when it comes to treating them with dignity and giving them their dues, they are ignored and left to fend for themselves." He added: "I urge you to rise above narrow politics and do justice to students and teachers." Kolkata, March 5 : Renewing her attack on the Narendra Modi government over the Pulwama terror strike, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said they are strongly in favour of the nation and its armed forces but against Modi and the BJP. She also accused Prime Minister Modi and his party of politicising the blood of the slain soldiers and claimed that the real factors behind the ongoing Indo-Pakistan tension are being hidden from people. "We are in favour of the armed forces and jawans. We are in favour of peace. But we are against Modi and the BJP. "We are in favour of the nation and its people. But we are against 'Modi-babu'. He is a shame for the country. Some national channels are supporting his acts. Maybe they too are victims of circumstances," Banerjee said at the state secretariat Nabanna here. "We are really sorry that the people of the nation are not able to know the facts. The real truth is being hidden from them. They can give me whatever punishment they want. I do not care. I have every right to speak as a common citizen," she said. Reiterating her claims that the Centre did nothing to protect the 40 CRPF personnel killed in the Pulwama last month, in spite of having intelligence inputs about the attack, the Trinamool Congress supremo said attempts to win elections at the cost of the soldiers' blood will not be allowed. "Why the Pulwama incident took place in spite of the prior intelligence report about a possible terror strike? Why the blood of so many jawans were politicised? Why no attempts were made to save those people?" Banerjee asked. "Attempts to win elections at the cost of our soldiers' blood will not be allowed. Soldiers are dedicated to the nation's security. They never indulge in politics. I condemn those who are doing politics over the blood of our soldiers," she added. A suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir's Pulwama killed 40 CRPF personnel on February 14. Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the attack. The Bengal Chief Minister had previously questioned the success of Indian Air Force's retaliatory air strike on a JeM training camp in Balakot, across the Line of Control on February 26. Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston New Delhi, March 5 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted six people, three of whose death sentence was upheld by it in 2009 and three others, all sentenced to death by the apex court in the same case. The accused -- Ankush Maruti Shinde, Rajya Appa Shinde, Ambadas Laxman Shinde, Raju Mhasu Shinde, Bapu Appa Shinde and Surya alias Suresh -- were held guilty of killing five members of a family in Maharashtra in June 2003. They were also charged for raping a lady who survived and a 15-year-old child who died. Setting free all the six, the bench of Justice A.K. Sikri, Justice S. Abdsul Nazeer and Justice M.R. Shah hauled up the investigating agency and the prosecution for not being fair during the probe and suppressing material facts from the trial court. All the six were awarded death sentence by the Session's Court on June 12, 2006. The Bombay High Court by its March 22, 2007 verdict confirmed the death sentence of accused number 1, 2 and 4 and converted to life imprisonment the death sentence of accused number 3, 5 and 6. However, the Supreme Court by its April 30, 2009 order upheld the death sentence of accused number 1, 2 and 4 and restored the death sentence of accused number 3, 5 and 6. The three accused whose life imprisonment was reversed to death sentence by the top court sought the recall of the April 30, 2009 verdict, contending that their sentence was enhanced to death sentence on the Maharashtra government's appeal without hearing. In October 2018, the Supreme Court recalled its April 30, 2009 judgment in its entirety and re-heard the matter, which resulted in the acquittal of all the six on Tuesday. Citing the reasons, the apex court said: "The conviction and sentence imposed by the high court cannot be sustained. The prosecution has failed to prove the case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. Therefore, we have no other alternative but to acquit the accused for the offences for which they are convicted." "We strongly deprecate the conduct on the part of the investigating agency and the prosecution. Because of such lapses and more particularly in not conducting the investigation insofar as those four persons who were identified by PW8 on 7.6.2003, the real culprits have gone out of the clutches of the law and got scot free," the court said. The apex court noted while the investigating agency and the prosecution said there were 7-8 people who had perpetrated the crime, according to the identification by the witness (PW8), there were 12 accused. Noting that the "investigation also does not seem to be fair and honest", the court said, "From the statement of PW8 recorded by the special executive magistrate on 7.6.2003 in which she identified four named persons from the album of the photographs of notorious criminals, nothing is on record whether those four persons were arrested or any further investigation was carried out with respect to those four persons." "We are of the opinion there was no fair and honest investigation and even the prosecution tried to suppress material facts from the court," it said. "Murder and rape is indeed a reprehensive act and every perpetrator should be punished expeditiously, severely and strictly. However, this is only possible when the guilt has been proven beyond reasonable doubt. "The prosecution/investigating agency is expected to act in an honest and fair manner without hiding anything from the accused as well as courts, which may go against the prosecution. Their ultimate aim should not be to get a conviction by hook or crook," Justice Shah said. Ordering further investigation to nab the notorious criminals identified by PW8 from the album, the court said: "The real culprits should not go unpunished in a crime in which five persons were killed brutally and one lady was even subjected to rape." The court directed the Maharashtra Chief Secretary to look into the matter and "identify such erring officers/officials responsible for the failure of a prosecution case, on account of sheer negligence or because of culpable lapses." The court also directed the Chief Secretary at the Home Department to "take action against the erring officers/officials if they are still in service within three months." Chennai, March 5 : Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan on Tuesday launched a special purpose vehicle (SPV) Kanniyakumari Port Ltd that would build a major port in Kanniyakumari district, said an official. The Kanniyakumari Port Ltd is a three-way joint venture between V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust, Kamarajar Port Ltd and Chennai Port Trust, the official told IANS. The launch of the company took place in Nagercoil in Kanniyakumari district. The projected schedule is to make the new port operational by 2023-2024. The new port is envisaged to have a capacity to handle 6.25 million TEUs per annum, which could be improved to 10 million TEUs, so that the scale and size of the new port is comparable to the leading container ports in the world, the company said. The Central government under the Sagarmala project proposed to develop a new major port in Kanniyakumari district leveraging the availability of deeper depth of 20 metre closer to the shoreline and in proximity to the East-West International Shipping route. Currently, there are no ports in south India that have sufficient draft and scale to match global cargo handling efficiencies to function as a transshipment hub. In the absence of such a port, about four million TEUs of India-destined containers are being transshipped at international ports like Colombo, Singapore and Kelang. Development of a transshipment port in Kanniyakumari district will immensely benefit both India's port sector and India's export-import trade acting as an enabler for Make in India programme. New Delhi, March 5 : Infrastructure conglomerate GMR Group has not accounted for diminution of GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Ltd's (GCEL) value to the tune of Rs 2,250 crore according to its auditor's note in its financial results for the December-ended quarter. It said that, if the management had accounted for the diminution, the loss after tax and minority interest cumulatively, up to December 31, 2018, for GMR Infrastructure would have been "higher by Rs 2,250 crore with a consequential impact on the consolidated reserves of the group as at December 31, 2018". "Based on the valuation assessment carried out by an external expert during the year ended March 31 2018, there exists further diminution in the value of Rs 2,250 crore for the group's investment in GCEL and certain other entities (associates or joint ventures) as at March 31, 2018," auditor S.R. Batliboi and Associates LLP said in the note. "The aforesaid accounting treatment is not in accordance with the relevant accounting standards," it said. However, a GMR Group spokesperson said, "GMR Group's amount referred to pertains to our energy plants which are under SDR (Strategic Debt Restructuring) arrangements and majority of it pertains to GMR Chattisgarh Energy Ltd where a change in control too is involved. "Any diminution in the value of investment based on estimates would be pre-mature pending outcome of SDR, and hence have been allowed to be recorded as qualification to give a true and fair view of the financial position. GMR believes in true and fair presentation of facts in financials and has always abided by the highest standard of transparency in reporting." A company source said that as the banks have taken control of the Chhattisgarh project, its valuation separately is not possible. So it has decided not to reflect the impairment, if any, in its books. The same would be accounted once banks award the project to the identified bidder under the resolution process. The auditor based its qualified opinion on a valuation report submitted by external experts, according to the auditor's statutory limited review of the third-quarter earnings. GMR Infrastructure, the parent company of GMR Chhattisgarh, had invested Rs 1,149.96 crore in the company. The valuation report relied by the auditor suggests that the entire value of the investment needs to be diminished. The auditor had raised similar concerns in the financial statement for the year ended March 2018 and the first and the subsequent quarter. GMR Infrastructure's plants were among the 32 stressed power assets with Rs 1.8 lakh crore worth of loans at risk. The Reserve Bank of India's circular of February last year had tightened the debt restructuring timeline. Despite the financial stress, power companies have not been taken to the insolvency court so far, due to the status quo ordered by the Supreme Court. GMR Infrastructure reported a consolidated loss of Rs 561.04 crore during the October-December quarter, and a loss of Rs 1,015.04 crore during April-December 2018. The energy arm of the GMR Group has been suffering financial stress on several accounts. The auditor's note said that GMR Energy (GEL), GMR Vemagiri Power Generation Ltd (GVPGL) and GMR Rajahmundry Energy Ltd (GREL) have ceased operations and have been incurring significant losses with a consequential erosion of net worth resulting from the unavailability of adequate supply of natural gas. GREL has rescheduled the repayment of project loans due to implementation of the SDR scheme to convert part of the debt outstanding into equity and is in the process of implementing the resolution plan as per the RBI circular. "Continued uncertainty exists as to the availability of adequate supply of natural gas which is necessary to conduct operations in these entities at varying levels of capacity in the future and the appropriateness of the going concern assumption of these entities is dependent on the ability of the aforesaid entities to establish consistent profitable operations as well as raising adequate finance to meet short term and long term obligations," said the auditor. Beijing, March 5 : After temporarily holding Tesla cars at customs, China on Tuesday allowed 1,600 Model 3 sedans to enter the country, according to media reports. According to a CNBC report, shares of Tesla fell 4 per cent after the news of Tesla cars being held up in China spread. "The news that 1,600 Tesla vehicles were being held was first reported by Chinese financial publication Caixin," said the report. Tesla did not issue a comment on this. In January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk laid the foundation of Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai -- the first-ever outside the US -- that is expected to produce 500,000 electric vehicles per year and double the production capacity According to reports, the Tesla Gigafactory is the biggest foreign investment in Shanghai. Musk had earlier said that China's progress in advanced infrastructure is "more than 100 times faster than the US". New Delhi, March 5 : The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) here on Tuesday issued a notice to the Divisional Commissioner (Revenue) in the Delhi government, seeking complete ban on sale of acid in the city. Its unregulated sale has been the major cause for continued acid attacks on women, DCW said. The notice comes amid DCW Chief Swati Maliwal's 13-day long 'Mahila Suraksha Padyatra' across the city to create awareness on women's safety. Citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the notice states there have been 20 incidents of acid attack in Delhi, the third highest after West Bengal and UP. The DCW has initiated proceedings under Code of Civil Procedure and sought an action-taken report in the matter within 10 days. The DCW had in 2016 recommended a ban on acid sale. The commission claimed it has given employment to nine acid attack victims under various programmes over the past three years. "The commission has been blessed to appoint nine acid attack survivors. Their energy and passion for social causes is infectious and the DCW has benefited tremendously through their efforts. I urge all state governments to employ them," Maliwal said. The 'Mahila Suraksha Padyatra', which entered its 10th day on Tuesday also saw acid attack survivors participating. New Delhi, March 5 : Four Nigerian nationals were arrested from Greater Noida for cheating people on matrimonial websites through fake profiles created with photos and details collected from Facebook and Instagram accounts, police said on Tuesday. Raymond, 28, Osas Clifford, 28, Kareem Ridwan, 27 and Melody, 21 were staying illegally in Greater Noida. They were arrested on Monday when police raided a flat in Pari Chowk on a tip-off. "The gang members contacted people on matrimonial websites. After winning their trust, they took money from them on the pretext of custom clearance of parcels and gifts," DCP Anyesh Roy said. Last week, a woman from Pune approached the Delhi Police Cyber Cell alleging she had been duped of Rs 24,000 by an organised gang of cheaters, Roy added. "The victim said she had come across the profile of one 'Tiwari Pandit' on a matrimonial website and they started talking to each other. After a while, the accused asked the woman collect his luggage from customs as he lived abroad," the DCP said. "The victim then got a call from a woman claiming to be Customs and Excise Department official, who asked her to deposit Rs 24,000 in a bank account for requisite custom clearance for the luggage. "The victim paid the amount but suspected something fishy when voice on the phone asked her to deposit more money," the officer said, adding the police is looking other members of the gang. Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visits SSKM hospital to inspect the health of Matua community matriarch Binapani Devi popularly known as "Boroma" in Kolkata on March 5, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visits SSKM hospital to inspect the health of Matua community matriarch Binapani Devi popularly known as "Boroma" in Kolkata on March 5, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata, March 5 : Dalit Matua community matriarch Binapani Devi, popularly known as 'Boroma', passed away at the state-run SSKM Hospital on Tuesday following multi-organ failure, hospital Medical Superintendent Raghunath Misra said. Boroma, aged 100, breathed her last at 8.52 p.m. She is survived by her younger son Manjul Krishna Thakur as the her elder son Kapil Krishna Thakur pre-deceased her. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who rushed to the hospital after Boroma's condition became grave, announced the news of her passing away to the large number of devotees of the All India Matua Mahasangha, who had crowded the area since the morning. Banerjee said the funeral procession would start on Wednesday morning, piloted by Kolkata Police. "She would be given a gun salute and state funeral," she announced, describing her death as a "personal loss". "She was like a guardian for us, she always supported me," Banerjee said. State Food Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said Boroma would be cremated at the Matua Mahasangha headquarters known as 'Thakurbari' in Thakurnagar area of North 24 Parganas district. "Her family members will decide the timing of her last rights. Lakhs of her followers will be present there to convey their last respect to her. The local district officials are making the necessary arrangements in that regard," he said. Admitted to JNM Hospital in Nadia district's Kalyani on February 28 following shortness of breath and fever, Boroma was shifted to the SSKM on Sunday after her condition deteriorated. On Tuesday, she was put on ventilator support after her condition became "extremely critical", hospital authorities said. "She was suffering from high fever when she was brought here on Sunday which later turned into pneumonia. She already had pre-existing problems like COPD and mild diabetes. She was put on ventilation since 5 a.m. She had multi-organ failure," Misra told IANS. Boroma was the chief adviser of the the Mahasangha. Considered to be Bengal's second most influential Scheduled Caste community comprising primarily low-caste Hindu refugees from Bangladesh, it has over one crore members spread over various southern Bengal districts, especially North 24 Parganas. Launched by the followers of Harichand Thakur, it began as a religious reformation movement that originated in what is now called Bangladesh. Born in Jabdakathi village of Barishal district (now in Bangladesh), Borma was in 1933 married to Pramatharanjan Thakur, a freedom fighter and great-grandson of Harichand. After the partition of India in 1947, large number of members of the Matua community migrated to West Bengal. Pramatharanjan died in 1990, following which Binapani Devi took over the leadership of the community, which has always been wooed by various political parties in the state as it commands over 70 lakh votes in various southern districts and plays a sizeable role in determining the electoral fortunes in at least 74 of the state's 294 Assembly seats. Boroma shared a good rapport with Banerjee, and acted as a big political force behind the Trinamool Congress' win in the 2011 and 2016 Assembly elections. In December last year, the state government bestowed on her its highest honour - 'Bangabibhushan'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met her on February 2 during his visit to North 24 Parganas district's Thakurnagar. New Delhi, March 5 : Pakistan tried its best to scuttle the invitation to India for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) plenary, but it was not withdrawn by host UAE and other countries like Saudi Arabia, informed sources said here. The grouping had sent a clear and positive sign to the people of India, they added. In a first for India, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed the OIC plenary in Abu Dhabi last Friday. Sources noted the invitation was historic and the signal was to take it forward and embrace India as a member one day. There was no mention of Jammu and Kashmir in OIC's Abu Dhabi Declaration. Sources said anti-India resolutions were tabled at the OIC only by one country and they were passed without discussion. Pakistan, they said, was isolated this year and was painted in a corner as the plenary was attended by every other member of OIC except it. India was keen to participate in the plenary to take forward its interactions with other members of OIC. Sources said OIC was looking at a different narrative on J&K from that given by Pakistan. New Delhi, March 5 : National Security Adviser Ajit Doval spoke to his US counterpart John Bolton on Tuesday and is learnt to have told him about the proof that India has of Pakistan having used F-16 fighter jets in its aerial engagement with India last week despite Islamabad's denials. The two NSAs are also learnt to have discussed the fresh proposal being considered by the UN Security Council's sanctions committee to designate the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist. They held talks about the prevailing situation between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack and the Indian air strike in retaliation for the incident. Doval is learnt to have conveyed India's position over Pakistan's attempts at war mongering. Sources said that the use of F-16s, which have been supplied to Pakistan by the US, came up during the discussion. Pakistan has denied using F-16s in the aerial engagement following India's strike at a JeM terror camp at Balakot. However, India has produced evidence in the form of a piece of used missile which can only be carried by F-16 fighter jets. India is also learnt to have shared the evidence with the Defence Attache at the US embassy here and sources said it is for the US to investigate into any violation by Pakistan of the sale terms concerning use of F-16 aircraft. The fresh proposal to designate Azhar as global terrorist was moved last week by the US, UK and France and the Security Council Sanctions Committee will have 10 working days to consider it. India feels that a decision to designate Azhar a global terrorist will build pressure on Pakistan and it will be difficult for the neighbouring country to deny that it is not a global hub of terrorism. The JeM has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, had blocked earlier proposals to name Azhar a global terrorist. New Delhi/Bengaluru, March 5 : The Supreme Court upheld the National Green Tribunal order to clear encroachments around Bengaluru's largest Bellandur lake, said petitioner and BJP Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday. "The dismissal of the appeal to quash the Tribunal order of May 4, 2016 means defendants Mantri Tech Zone and Coremind Software Services have to pay Rs 117.5 crore and Rs 13.5 crore respectively, demolish structures and vacate over 3 acres of encroached area in the lake catchment area," said Chandrasekhar in a statement from Delhi. The order was pronounced by a three-judge bench of Justice A.K. Sikri, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Justice M.R. Shah. Chandrasekhar's Namma Bengaluru Foundation moved the NGT in March 2014 and the top court subsequently to save the lake and its wetlands from rampant encroachments and pollution. Located in the city's southeast suburb, the lake is spread over 148 square kilometres. "Mantri Tech Zone, a leading real estate developer, will also have to re-build the storm water drainage, which was diverted to make way for the illegal construction," Chandrasekhar said. His foundation has been fighting since 2014 for reclaiming the lake's catchment area from vested interests, including land sharks. "The battle to save the lake was a David versus Goliath legal fight in the green bench and the apex court against builders supported by the state government. By upholding the Tribunal order, the top court cracked the builder-politico nexus that was looting Bengaluru and the lake," he alleged. Accusing the state government of having nexus with contractors and builders exploiting the city, Chandrasekhar claimed the desperate attempts to get the Tribunal order quashed by the top court exposes the JD-S-Congress coalition government's support to the realtors. The defendants, however, did not respond to queries on the apex court order against them. New Delhi, March 5 : Pakistan is creating war psychosis to divert attention from India's concerns on cross-border terrorism, informed sources said here on Tuesday and noted that India is focussed to fighting terrorism. India is leaving no stone unturned in its effort to highlight how it has been a victim of terrorism emanating from Pakistan and unwillingness of the neighbour to take any credible action against terror outfits operating from its soil, they said. The government has shared excerpts of the dossier it gave to Pakistan over Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)'s involvement in Pulwama terror attack with a large number of countries in the world. The sources said that Pakistan's rejection of India's dossier is on expected lines and wondered what "actionable evidence" it wants. Pakistan-based JeM has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel. They said Islamabad has to show demonstrable action against terrorism in the coming days, and that Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's remarks that soil of Pakistan will not be used by terrorist groups against any state including India is old wine in new bottle. If there is talk of "Naya Pakistan", it should be reflected in action on ground, they said, noting that Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), led by Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, and its wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation have not been banned but merely placed on the list of groups under watch. Pakistan, they said, is only trying to show they are doing something but is actually trying to cleverly deflect attention, trying to keep is population deluded that India may do something and is keeping them in heightened sense of expectation so that they do not ask what Pakistan has done. Pakistan Navy's claims that it used specialised skills to stop the Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters have already been rejected and their released video has been found to be more than two years' old. India has been conveying to other countries that terrorism can be dealt with actual action on ground. If Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp had not been hit at Balakot in Indian air strikes, as claimed by Pakistan, the media would have been taken there over the past few days, the sources said, adding that the Pakistani media needs to question their government over its lies. Jaipur, March 6 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of playing politics over the IAF air strike in Balakot to draw political mileage. Addressing a press conference here, Gehlot said Modi should answer the queries raised by senior Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Kapil Sibal, and reveal the exact figures of the terrorists killed in the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike on February 26. Gehlot also raised doubts over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah's claims that over 250 terrorists were killed after the IAF bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camp in Balakot. "From where did Shah get the information? Even Union Minister Giriraj Singh claimed that 300 terrorists were neutralised. It's time the Prime Minister comes out with the right numbers in this context," Gehlot said. The Chief Minister also accused Modi of degrading the level of language used in the political discourse only to reap electoral benefits. The double meaning comments made by the Prime Mister does not suit a person of his stature, Gehlot said. Modi should remember that he is the Prime Minister of the country and not of the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he said. Hitting back at Gehlot, BJP state unit President Madanlal Saini said: "Gehlot has joined the league of Congress leaders who are doubting the valour of the IAF by questioning the air strike in Pakistan." Imphal, March 6 : A factory producing spurious Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) in dry Manipur's Thoubal district was busted and a woman, alleged to be the kingpin of the racket, arrested, police said on Tuesday. Superintendent of Police S. Ibomcha said the woman was identified as Rosy Changamayum, 25. In the raid on Monday night, police said that over 1,600 bottles of spurious Old Monk rum, some empty liquor bottles, many ingredients - some of which are yet to be identified - and other material were seized. An FIR was registered on Tuesday and the seized materials handed over to the Food Safety Standard and Enforcement Wing for identification. The raid came after some persons had recently died after consuming spurious liquor. Though there have been reports of manufacturing spurious IMFL, this is for the first time that an illegal factory was busted and any accused arrested. The Manipur government had declared the state dry in 1990, while the outlawed Revolutionary People's Front had imposed total prohibition in Manipur from January 1, 1991. From this day, all 64 liquor shops and three bonded warehouses were closed. Those roadside shop owners who continued sell liquor were punished by the insurgents, usually being shot in the knee. Ibomcha said that such raids shall continue since there are bootleggers everywhere selling country liquor and IMFL in Thoubal district. Police say that a huge number of IMFL bottles are also brought to the state daily basis from neighbouring Assam and Meghalaya where there are many licenced foreign liquor shops. London, March 6 : Counter-terror police are investigating three packages containing explosives found at Heathrow Airport, London City Airport and Waterloo station. The "small improvised explosive devices" were found in postal bags, the Metropolitan Police said. The force's Counter Terrorism Command is treating it as a "linked series" and "keeping an open mind" about motives, the BBC reported on Tuesday. Irish Police are assisting the Met as the Heathrow package had Republic of Ireland stamps. Heathrow's Compass Centre was evacuated after the package was reported to police. The device set fire when staff opened the bag. The police said: "The packages - all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags - have been assessed by specialist officers to be small improvised explosive devices. "These devices, at this early stage of the investigation, appear capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened." A Heathrow spokeswoman said the airport would assist the police investigation into the "criminal act". The package had Republic of Ireland stamps on it, said the report. The Gardae confirmed it was assisting the Met investigation. The Compass Centre, which is an office for Heathrow staff rather than part of the passenger terminals, remains closed. Two more packages were found in the capital during the next three hours. An area of Waterloo station was cordoned off after a second package was discovered in the post room. One worker among a group of staff outside the Network Rail office said he found the package. Asked about the discovery, he said: "I'm sorry, I've been told I can't talk about it." About 100 workers were evacuated from City Aviation House at City Airport in Newham after authorities were informed about a third package. The second two packages were not opened and have since been "made safe", police said. Flights were not affected but Docklands Light Railway trains did not stop at City Airport for about an hour during the investigation. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling urged people to report "anything suspicious" to police, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan added: "Our thanks go to police, security, transport staff and all involved for their swift actions to keep our city safe." Tokyo, March 6 : Japanese architect Arata Isozaki has received this year's Pritzker Prize, widely considered to be the profession's highest honour. The jury said he pioneered the "understanding that the need for architecture is both global and local". Isozaki said growing up not far from the bombed city of Hiroshima taught him how homes and cities could be rebuilt, the BBC reported on Tuesday. He is the 46th Pritzker laureate and the eighth Japanese architect to receive the honour. The jury said Isozaki's architecture defied categorisation as it was always evolving. "Possessing a profound knowledge of architectural history and theory, and embracing the avant-garde, he never merely replicated the status quo," it said. Isozaki will be awarded the prize of $100,000 in May at a ceremony at the ChAteau de Versailles in France. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Palau Saint Jordi indoor sporting arena in Barcelona are among more than 100 of his major projects. "I grew up on ground zero," the 87-year-old said, referring to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which lies across the shore from his home town of Oita. "It was in complete ruins and there was no architecture, no buildings and not even a city," he said. "Only barracks and shelters surrounded me. So my first experience of architecture was the void of architecture, and I began to consider how people might rebuild their homes and cities." Previous winners of the coveted prize include India's Balkrishna Doshi, Jorn Utzon who designed the Sydney Opera House, Oscar Niemeyer of Brazil and the British-Iraqi designer, Zaha Hadid. Hines to announce the extension of the lease agreement at Distribution Park Portfolio Torun (DP Portfolio Torun), a logistics park located in Grebocin near Torun. A manufacturer of breakfast cereals and cereal bars and one of the largest food exporters in Poland, Cereal Partners Poland Torun Pacific, has extended Photos: Hines [] Im buoyed by the Queensland economys ongoing expansion thanks to continued population growth and an increase in tourism. We are expected to hit 6.7 million people by 2036 and the South East will be at the forefront of this massive increase, with an extra 2 million people set to live in the region. Over the past 26 years, Choice Homes has built premier residential housing throughout the state and we are excited about what the future holds. Probably the biggest shift for 2019 will be the impact of cooling property houses in the southern states. For South East Queensland this spells opportunity as more people look to the Sunshine State to either relocate or invest. Either way it will see a continued upswing in our property market, and the signs are already showing. For example Queensland continues to come out on top with nearly 70 suburbs recording double-digit growth over the past 12 months to June, according to a recent REIQ report. A 791 acre dairy cow farm in Labertouche, Victoria recently sold for $6.65 million. It was offered by John Rowe and Evan Broadbent from Harcourts Warragul. The farm situated at 385 Labertouche North Road consists of six titles, with four houses, laneways, fencing, and a state of the art operating dairy cow unit. The dairy cow unit produces an average of 1,175 kilograms milk solids per hectare and on target for 1,250 kilograms of milk solids per hectare this season Other features of the farm include potable ground water supply, farm dams, and high fertile soils. Located approximately one hour from Melbourne, the property is within close proximity to the Princes Highway and V-Line Railway. It was sold at $2,165,000 in 1997. EXPERT OBSERVATION The release of the stage 1 Assurance Review of Planning in Ryde LGA demonstrates fundamental problems with the Sydney planning system. The Greater Sydney Commission Assurance Review of planning in Ryde says the level of growth across the LGA was unanticipated but it is right on the GSCs own targets. The GSC state that over 3 years 4,500 dwellings have been completed which averages 1,500 a year. Over a 5 year period this growth would amount to 7,500 dwellings which is below the GSCs 5 year target of 7,600. It seems amazing that the GSC says they did not anticipate growth to match their own target. The GSC Report also states that the Department of Planning and Environments supply forecasts estimated that 9,500 dwellings would be built up to 2021/22 yet apartment dwelling approvals in NSW have collapsed by 40 per cent in the last year. The Planning Department must be more up to date with the state of the new housing industry. The Assurance Review also states that there is a disconnect between planning and infrastructure delivery in Ryde but this must surely be a key responsibility of the GSC and of the NSW Government. The assurance Review outlines a number of actions to restore community confidence in local planning in Ryde but the report ignores the need for the development and investment industry to have confidence in the planning process. The development industry, who have only followed the GSC and council plans, are the big losers with the suspension of all new planning proposals in Ryde as well as all existing planning proposals (announced for the first time) be put on hold for a 12-month period. Clearly there is NO assurance about planning in Ryde for the businesses that spend millions of dollars in proposals that follow the GSCs rules. The greatest admission of failure by the Greater Sydney Commission is their statement that their observations and recommendations in Ryde will have application across Greater Sydney. So this questions all of the dwelling targets and the roll out of infrastructure across the whole metropolitan area of Sydney. And this is 12 months after, with great fanfare, the GSCs Greater Sydney Region Plan was released in March 2018. With dwelling approvals collapsing in Sydney and many approved projects being put on hold the last thing we need is to delay all planning for two years while new Master Plans are produced. The Urban Taskforce believes whoever forms government on 23 March must look to stimulate the housing industry rather than put planning on hold. CHRIS JOHNSON is the Urban Taskforce CEO SPONSORED POST Savills Australias efforts to blaze a trail in support of the growing number of women pursuing careers in the commercial property industry, a traditionally male-dominated environment, will be highlighted on International Womens Day. The market-leading company has made significant progress through its Equality & Diversity policy program, with 31 women commencing employment since the start of the year, which will be celebrated at networking events in its offices across the Australia and New Zealand on Friday. This years theme for International Womens Day is Balance For Better better the balance, better the world. Everyone has a role to play all the time, everywhere. Savills is committed to shining a light on the importance of gender parity and working together to build a gender-balanced world, Savills Australia & New Zealand CEO, Paul Craig, said. Several senior female appointments have been made at Savills Australia in the past year, including Adele Eagleton as NSW State Director of Project Management, Sarah Hendry as VIC State Director of Asset Management, Shrabastee Mallik as National Director of Research & Consultancy, and Edwina Mathews as National Director of Marketing & Communications. Mr Craig continues his involvement in the Property Council of Australias (PCA) Male Champions of Change initiative and sits on the recently formed Build An Inclusive Industry action group, working alongside other professionals in the industry to drive change and improve gender diversity at senior levels. We embrace an environment where our people feel empowered to share their perspectives with confidence they will be heard, he said. We are striving to create a workforce that is representative of the entire community and broadens our understanding. Some of the ways Savills is upending gender stereotypes in the commercial property industry include waiving the three-month waiting period on its return-to-work bonus scheme for parents returning from parental leave; offering five paid days for non-primary carers following the birth of a child; and increasing promotions of female managers from 18.2 percent to 38.1 percent in the 2017/2018 Workplace Gender Equality Agency reporting period. Savills actively endorses several initiatives supporting gender equality and womens empowerment, including the Women in Property Leadership Summit and the PCAs Girls in Property, Mr Craig said. Five of the 13 Savills employees who were selected to sit on the 2019 PCA committees are female, and seven Savills employees have applied to be participants in this years PCA 500 Women in Property program. We wish them every success. Mr Craig expressed the sentiment that the responsibility sits with all of us to make a call to action for accelerating gender parity. There are plenty of opportunities to show our support and create positive change on and beyond International Womens Day, he said. Savills will celebrate International Womens Day with staff Q&A panels and networking events at its offices around Australia and New Zealand on Friday, March 8. Staff members are encouraged to wear purple and upload the official International Womens Day selfie cards to social media with the hashtag #BalanceForBetter. Savills is a leading global real estate service provider offering the full spectrum of services from strategic advice to managing assets and projects and transacting deals. To learn more about Savills, visit savills.com.au. Sid Morgan, the Hills district estate agent shot in the face in Melbourne, remains on life support. The update was advised by prosecutors during a court appearance yesterday by two Irishmen charged with his attempted murder. Prosecutors said Mr Morgan is on life support but defence lawyers claim the description of his condition could be an exaggeration. Prosecutors in Melbourne Magistrates Court said Sid Morgan remains in an induced coma. Mark Dixon, 30, and Jack Harvey, 26, were arrested in NSW near Byron Bay last Wednesday over the Point Cook shooting on February 21. Dixon and Harvey were extradited to Victoria. Both have been charged with attempting to murder Mr Morgan, 53, in the middle of a street after an argument in the western Melbourne suburb. Between May and August of 2018, the federal government approved 44 proposals submitted by state departments of education to meet testing and accountability requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. As these states move towards implementing their federally approved plans for meeting external regulatory requirements for accountability, they face several challenges. They should be alert to any unexpected negative outcomes of testing on students, schools, and education systems, and they need guidelines to help them avoid test misuses. These guidelines should explain how best to apply information from the adopted tests with a mind to their design and with close attention to their purposes, technical merits and limitations. Today, NEPC is releasing A Consumers Guide to Testing under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): What Can the Common Core and Other ESSA Assessments Tell Us?, written by Professor Madhabi Chatterji of Teachers College, Columbia University. As Professor Chatterji explains, misuse of test information in educational accountability contexts is like misreading a Fahrenheit thermometer in degrees Celsius. Such misuses can pose unexpected barriers to goals that educators and stakeholders hope to achieve in schools. Her guide analyzes current conditions in the context of ESSAconditions that could cause serious test misuses similar to those of the past. Her analysis finds that new testing programs, ESSAs latest accountability requirements, and state plans combine to present black boxes that increase the chances for improper test uses and negative consequences for students, teachers and schools. She provides guidelines that could improve uses and transparency of test information in school rating and ranking systems that states and other educational entities plan to use in their accountability programs. The guide focuses on standardized achievement tests, other academic and non-academic measures, and combined quality indices that rate or rank schools. A well-designed educational test is a useful tool, but it can only do so much. Under ESSA, however, many education systems are making multiple demands on a single test without due attention to its limitations, and several have proposed uses of test information at student- and upper-levels of the system without sufficient evidentiary support of validity, reliability and utility in hand. These are Red Flags that test users and test makers should heed, as they could lead to inadvertent test-based misinterpretations and misuses of information. To preempt inappropriate or unjustified inferences and uses with test-based information, Professor Chatterji recommends that test users (a) specify all intended test-based inferences and uses up front; (b) avoid multi-purposing a test in ways that exceed a tests declared purposes or reported evidence; (c) justify all planned inferences and uses of test-based data using appropriate criteria for validity, reliability and utility (see inside for definitions); and (d) seek out expert technical reviews of tests and non-academic measures before adopting these tools for accountability purposes. Professor Chatterji also offers seven additional concrete recommendations for policy makers, test makers, and education stakeholders involved in implementing accountability programs in education systems. Find A Consumers Guide to Testing under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): What Can the Common Core and Other ESSA Assessments Tell Us?, by Madhabi Chatterji, at: https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/rd-assessment-guide Find Documents: Publication Announcement: https://nepc.info/node/9670 NEPC Publication: https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/rd-assessment-guide The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, produces and disseminates high-quality, peer-reviewed research to inform education policy discussions. Visit us at: https://nepc.colorado.edu Sugam Singhal, CPA As our practice continues to grow, its important for the firm to have a great group of individuals who are also growing and supporting the practice, said Rick Parent, Managing Director of Gumbiner Savett Inc. We are proud to nurture the great talent that we have in Southern California. Gumbiner Savett Inc. is pleased to announce the promotion of five employees to a new step in their employment with the firm. Those promoted Sugam Singhal, CPA, promoted to Audit Manager; Imee Pascual and Michelle Qin, CPA, promoted to Audit Seniors; and Young Kang and Paul Sussman, promoted to Tax Seniors. Singhal has been with the firm since November of 2014 and has over eight years of accounting and audit experience with multinational corporations across multiple functions. His clients include companies in the manufacturing and distribution, retail, real estate, and construction industries. From the beginning Sugam has been an important asset to the firm, says Shreedhar Kothari, CPA, a Gumbiner Savett Shareholder and head of the Audit and Accounting department. It has been enjoyable to watch him gain additional skills and experience and become a leader and mentor in the department. Imee Pascual has been with Gumbiner Savett since 2017. She has a Master of Science in Accounting from California State University, Northridge. Pascuals has experience in multiple industries and focuses her work on financial statement audits and employee benefit plan audits. Michelle Qin, CPA, has been with Gumbiner Savett since 2017 and is a graduate of the University of Southern California. Michelle is experienced in performing external financial audits for mid-sized companies in real estate, manufacturing, and the wholesale distribution industries. Young Kang joined the firm in August of 2018 and is a graduate of University of California, Riverside. Youngs practice is focused tax compliance of both individual and corporate clients. Paul Sussman has been the firm since 2016 and is a graduate of San Diego State University. Since then he has been gaining experience in both income tax, property tax, and financial statement audits. Sussman focuses on a wide array of industries. As our practice continues to grow, its important for the firm to have a great group of individuals who are also growing and supporting the practice, said Rick Parent, Managing Director of Gumbiner Savett Inc. We are proud to nurture the great talent that we have in Southern California. About Gumbiner Savett Inc. - http://www.gscpa.com Gumbiner Savett Inc. is a full-service accounting and consulting firm headquartered in Santa Monica. Founded in 1950, its purpose is to enrich its clients lives by facilitating the achievement of their financial objectives and providing career fulfillment for its employees. Gumbiner Savett Inc. is dedicated to being a preeminent assurance, tax and business advisory firm for growth oriented businesses, middle market enterprises and high-net worth individuals in Southern California. In addition to traditional private and public company accounting and tax services, it specializes in general business consulting, estate and trust planning, fraud examination studies, business services and bookkeeping and litigation support. Gumbiner Savett Inc. is an independent member firm of BKR International. Gordon Hill as General Manager for Downey Facility The addition of Gordon Hill as General Manager is the perfect fit. His background in team building, aerospace quality management systems, production process and optimization is exactly what Astro Pak needs as the company prepares for considerable growth Gordon Hill joined Astro Pak on January 7th as the General Manager of its legacy cleanroom operations in Downey, CA. He will be overseeing 35,000 square foot cleanroom facility which supports a vast array of clients in space launch, space flight, aircraft, semiconductor, medical device and other technical hardware industries. Robert Pozil, Senior Vice President of Astro Pak notes that the broad scope of services in Downey creates a challenge of how to manage operations throughput for such diverse customers and precision cleaning requirements. He continues, the addition of Gordon Hill as General Manager is the perfect fit. His background in team building, aerospace quality management systems, production process and optimization is exactly what Astro Pak needs as the company prepares for considerable growth. Mr. Pozil notes the importance of Mr. Hills abilities, Gordon Hills track record aligns with our dedication to making sure that customers continue to receive the highest quality and on-time delivery that they need and expect. Mr. Hill earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both Chemical and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Missouri, where he also competed in varsity sports. He went on to earn a Masters of Science degree in Chemical Engineering at Villanova and gained his MBA in Finance at the University of Houston. Professionally, he is Six Sigma Lean Black Belt certified and is a registered Professional Engineer in Chemical Engineering. He took on various positions in operations and manufacturing roles at ARCO and Potters Industries for a number of years before entering the aerospace industry, where he held high-level posts at Saint Gobain and DART Aerospace. On his joining Astro Pak, Mr. Hill said, I am thrilled to be a part of the Astro Pak team. As the premiere leader in high purity and precision cleaning serving the aerospace, pharmaceutical and other markets, the California cleanroom operations are poised for growth and I am excited to lead our outstanding team in order to serve our customers with best-in-class customer experience performance. About Astro Pak Astro Pak has been the leading provider of passivation, high purity and precision cleaning services in North America since 1959. Astro Pak continues its 60-year tradition of meeting the critical cleaning and surface conditioning requirements for a myriad of industries such as biopharmaceutical and aerospace via our on-site services, as well as our state-of-the-art cleanroom and shop facilities. Astro Pak is privately held with headquarters in Costa Mesa, CA. For more information, please visit https://www.astropak.com. MEDIA CONTACT Mary Cheng Astro Pak Corporation Tel: 949-270-0854 Email: mcheng(at)astropak.com #30# BNP Media announced the promotion of two senior members of the management team to new executive leadership titles that reflect the organizations strategic move to bring a more unified approach to sales, marketing and media/event production. The announcement was made by BNP Media Co-CEO, Tagg Henderson. The appointments are effective immediately. New business roles, reporting to Henderson: Darrell Dal Pozzo is named Chief Experience Officer. In his new role as Chief Experience Officer (CXO), Dal Pozzo will be the Catalyst-Designer-Orchestrator and Champion enhancing all products and services company-wide, with a laser focus on online development and marketing. He is overseeing all products and services of the business, ensuring a consistent and quality experience for customers throughout. Dal Pozzo began his career at BNP Media in 2010 as a Group Publisher overseeing the brands Quality and Appliance Design. Moving into a Senior Group Publisher role, Dal Pozzo added nine more media brands to his wheelhouse and spearheaded the launch of The Quality Show (http://www.qualityshow.com). He worked to lead these brands to new heights, introducing innovative programs and simplifying sales processes. Prior to BNP Media, Darrell held various digital sales/management roles at Reed Business and Cahners Publishing where he implemented cutting-edge digital solutions during his tenure. Darrell Dal Pozzo is based in BNP Medias Troy, Mich., headquarters and can be reached at dalpozzod@bnpmedia.com. Scott A. Wolters is named Chief Events Officer. Wolters has led the BNP Media Conferences and Events business since 2009. Under his tenure, the BNP Media events division has seen record-breaking revenue growth, positioning itself into a pivotal role in the future path of the company. Wolters new role as Chief Events Officer (CVO) is a direct result of a proven track record growing profitable event divisions including new launches, acquisitions, staffing, policies and procedures, financials, industry standards and productive teams. For more than 30 years Wolters has been involved in managing, coordinating, producing, buying, launching and developing tradeshows and conferences. Wolters has built and grown three event and conference division teams for three different B-to-B media companies. In his role as Chief Events Officer, Wolters will continue to grow and expand the BNP Media events divisions impact on the business. Scott Wolters is based in BNP Medias Deerfield, Ill., office and can be reached at wolterss@bnpmedia.com. "At BNP Media, we have extraordinary talent that work together every day to connect our customers to their customers through superior content, marketing programs, research and events. Darrell and Scott are true leaders among them that have the experience, determination and innovation that propels our business to new levels, said Henderson. As quickly as the media business moves today, we see no better time than now to expand their impact and further strengthen the power of our data and event business. About BNP Media: BNP Media is North Americas largest privately owned business-to-business media companies serving industry professionals across 50+ industries through magazines, custom media, e-newsletters, websites, conferences, events, continuing education and market research. BNP Media is committed to helping professionals across the world succeed in business by providing superior information. Founded in 1926, BNP Media is a fourth-generation, family-run business headquartered in Troy, Michigan with regional offices around the country. To learn more, visit http://www.BNPMedia.com. Today, the American Red Cross recognized C&S Wholesale Grocers as a Platinum Plus member of the Ready 365 Giving Circle. Members of the Ready 365 Giving Circle support the Red Crosss mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. Red Cross services are provided to those in need of assistance at no cost and regardless of income through the help of Red Cross donors. C&S has a long history of supporting the American Red Cross, and last year was no exception. Last year C&S collaborated with the Red Cross to provide funds and food to the relief efforts following the wildfires in northern California and in the aftermath of Hurricanes Florence and Michael. This is an example of a public-private partnership at its best, said Mike Duffy, CEO of C&S. Its our honor to step up to quickly and efficiently offer our support when disaster strikes. Im proud of how, as one team, we mobilize to make a difference for families being sheltered and for first responders being helped by the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross relies on the generosity of our volunteers, donors, and partners to fulfill our lifesaving mission, said Don Herring, Chief Development Officer at the American Red Cross. Thanks to the support of C&S and other Ready 365 Platinum Plus members, the Red Cross is ready to provide comfort to people in need. Other Platinum Plus members of the Ready 365 Giving Circle include national companies such as: Kraft Heinz, Rayovac, and Zurich Insurance Group. About the American Red Cross The American Red Cross shelters, feeds, and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org or on Twitter at @RedCross. About C&S Wholesale Grocers C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., based in Keene, NH, is the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S. and the industry leader in supply chain innovation. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 14,000 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases, and institutions with over 140,000 different products. We are an engaged corporate citizen, supporting causes that positively impact our communities. To learn more, please visit http://www.cswg.com/. C&S community involvement programs support initiatives to fight hunger and to promote the health and enrichment of communities that are homes to the company's employees and facilities. To learn more, please visit http://community.cswg.com/. CalArts Music Students This agreement provides an important avenue for LACC music students to continue to develop their artistic voice while also earning a BFA. California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) announced that it has signed a student transfer agreement with Los Angeles City Colleges Herb Alpert Music Center. The agreement will offer LACC music students who are interested in completing a four-year undergraduate degree a clear pathway to transfer to the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts. Both music schools at CalArts and LACC are generously supported by The Herb Alpert Foundation and are named for the renowned Los Angeles-based musician and artist, Herb Alpert. This agreement is one component of a larger vision of access to higher education, and to arts education in particular, building connections and pathways between pre-college arts programs, community colleges, and four-year degree granting institutions like CalArts. CalArts strongly believes that the artist plays a pivotal role in our society, as culture-maker, as truth-teller, and as a visionary whose work often shows us a better way forward, says CalArtss president, Ravi S. Rajan. This agreement provides an important avenue for LACC music students to continue to develop their artistic voice while also earning a BFA. The new transfer agreement provides priority consideration for LACC music students and offers a clear matrix of classes that are transferable to CalArts. In addition, LACC and CalArtss music faculty have worked together to align the curricula and will continue to work together to identify and prepare LACC students who are most likely to successfully transfer into CalArts. There are close connections between the two faculties and, indeed, some of the LACC music faculty are CalArts graduates. Students currently enrolled in the LACC Herb Alpert Music Center are regularly invited to attend concerts at CalArts and visit the campus. CalArts music ensembles perform at LACC thereby increasing the sense of connection and affinity between the two institutions. Likewise, CalArts academic advising and financial aid staff visit LACC regularly to help inform interested transfer students. Ongoing communication between the two institutions about the progress of LACC transfer students is an important factor in providing the necessary preparation and support during this transition. We are thrilled by this agreement, which gives Music Academy students in the Herb Alpert Music Centerwho are already receiving full scholarships for tuition and private lessons through an historic $10.1 million endowment gift to LACC from The Herb Alpert Foundation in 2016the potential to enter one of the most prestigious music programs in California, says Professor Christine J. Park, chair of the music depart at LACCs Herb Alpert Music Center. David Rosenboom, dean of the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, was also pleased with the new transfer agreement. Part of what makes our music program so successful is the broad range of musicians and the different perspectives they bring to CalArts, says Rosenboom. The LACC transfer agreement will continue this tradition of strengthening our program through musical diversity. Applicants from LACC will need 60 units of baccalaureate level work to transfer into CalArts, including 22 units of general education courses and, like all accepted students, they must complete a Music Theory & Skills Placement Examination during their first week at CalArts. Placement into specific music courses will be determined by the proficiency demonstrated on these exams. The agreement was finalized during the 2018/19 academic year, meaning LACC music students who wish to pursue a four-year BFA at CalArts can already begin looking into the necessary steps and requirements to take advantage of the new agreement. About California Institute of the Arts CalArts has set the pace for educating professional artists since 1970. Offering rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs through six schoolsArt, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and TheaterCalArts has championed creative excellence, critical reflection, and the development of new forms and expressions. As successive generations of faculty and alumni have helped shape the landscape of contemporary arts, the Institute first envisioned by Walt Disney encompasses a vibrant, eclectic community with global reach, inviting experimentation, independent inquiry, and active collaboration and exchange among artists, artistic disciplines, and cultural traditions. About Los Angeles City College Established in 1929, Los Angeles City College is one of the oldest of the California Community Colleges. Located in the heart of Hollywood, LACC provides a dynamic innovative learning environment offering more than 100 vocational and professional programs including degrees, transfer programs and certificates to more than 18,000 students. In the past decade, a total of 6,651 students have transferred to four-year colleges and universities, including 4,040 students attending Cal State universities and 1,086 students transferring to UC campuses. Los Angeles City College is home to one of the most vibrant and diverse campuses in the country. The campus provides a wide range of professional and vocational programs at a fraction of the cost of state and private colleges. LACC provides students and adult learners vital pathways to more advanced education and enhanced employment. In 2019, LACC will celebrate its 90th anniversary. About The Herb Alpert Foundation The Herb Alpert Foundation envisions a world in which all young people are blessed with opportunities that allow them to reach their potential and lead productive and fulfilling lives. Over the past few years, the Foundation has focused on core areas, such as The Arts, a broad category that includes arts education, a focus on jazz, and support to professionals. This also includes programs that seek to use the arts to help meet the needs of underserved youth and to help build competencies that will enable them to become successful adults. The other core area is Compassion and Well-Being, which celebrates the positive aspects of human psychology and seeks to bring more empathy and compassionate behavior in to our society. Please note: the Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Realogic Analytics President and Co-founder Dale Vanderlaan Weve accomplished quite a bit at Realogic over the past 27 years. Thanks to all the smart and dedicated employees, past and present, Realogic has become a valued partner to some of the most sophisticated and successful commercial real estate companies in the country. Im very proud of that." Realogic Analytics, a leading commercial real estate consulting firm, announced today that President and Co-founder Dale Vanderlaan, a 35-year veteran of the commercial real estate industry, will be retiring at the end of March. Current Realogic Chief Operating Officer James Pettinger, who has been with Realogic for nearly 26 years and has been instrumental in the companys continual growth and long-term success, will assume Vanderlaans responsibilities after he retires. I love the commercial real estate industry and am fortunate to have had a long, wonderful career, and Ive reached the point where Im ready for the next chapter of my life, said Vanderlaan. Weve accomplished quite a bit at Realogic over the past 27 years. Thanks to all the smart and dedicated employees, past and present, Realogic has become a valued partner to some of the most sophisticated and successful commercial real estate companies in the country. Im very proud of that. Vanderlaan co-founded Realogic in 1992 with current CEO Sal Caldarone and helped grow the company from a start-up with just two employees to a leading commercial real estate consulting firm, with over 70 employees and offices in downtown Chicago and suburban Los Angeles. Over the years, Realogic has worked with many of commercial real estates largest and most prominent companies and has played a role in many of the industrys largest, most notable transactions. Everyone at Realogic is going to miss Dale, said Pettinger. Not only did he co-found the company and help lead it for over two decades, but hes also been a teacher and mentor to many of the people who have worked here, including me. Hes one of the nicest, most decent people Ive met, and its been an honor and privilege to work with him. About Realogic Analytics Realogic Analytics is a leading commercial real estate consulting, intelligence and training firm. Since 1992, Realogic has provided a wide range of specialized services to commercial real estate owners, operators, brokers and capital providers, including due diligence, valuation and modeling, lease abstraction and administration, strategic planning and underwriting. Realogics experienced teams can provide reliable, expert support during any stage of the commercial real estate transaction lifecycle, from acquisition through disposition, and for any type of CRE asset, from office and industrial to retail, multi-family or new development. For more information on Realogic, visit http://www.realogicinc.com. We look forward to working with TIPS members to further the mission of improved student safety and school security through communication with notification systems. CrisisGo, Inc. has been awarded a vendor contract for Notification Systems by The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS), a government cooperative purchasing program authorized by the Region 8 Education Service Center in Texas. Now, organizations that are a member of TIPS have an efficient purchasing process for the CrisisGo digital safety and crisis response platform. TIPS members simply review the current TIPS contract awards on the TIPS website and can select CrisisGo from the list of awarded vendors in the Notification Systems contract category. For public education organizations, higher education entities, and city or county governments, membership in a purchasing cooperative offers the following benefits: Access to competitively procured contracts with quality vendors Savings of time and financial resources necessary to fulfill bid requirements Assistance with purchasing process by qualified TIPS staff Access to pricing based on a national high-profile contract All TIPS contracts are awarded by the ESC 8 seven-member Board of Directors, and each TIPS vendor has met strict Competitive Bidding Process guidelines established by the ESC 8 administration and the TIPS legal team. CrisisGo is appreciative of our contract with TIPS, said Bill Reynolds, Vice President of Sales for CrisisGo. We look forward to working with TIPS members to further the mission of improved student safety and school security through communication with notification systems. CrisisGos profile page is listed on the TIPS website (https://www.tips-usa.com/vendorProfile.cfm?RecordID=3B3CB489533C6A4A0CECF05B1DBEE739) About CrisisGo CrisisGo saves lives by providing a comprehensive safety platform that allows schools and organizations to stay connected and utilize critical safety resources to navigate any situation from the start of an emergency to its resolution. Safety is a shared responsibility, and our platform allows everyone to play their role in safety. CrisisGos mobile safety tools have been chosen by over 14,000 schools and organizations. For more information, visit http://www.crisisgo.com. About TIPS The Interlocal Purchasing System, better known as, TIPS Purchasing Cooperative, began in 2002 as a small regional cooperative of the Region 8 Education Service Center. While the cooperative has far exceeded the initial vision, Region 8 ESC has maintained its role as the Lead Agency for what is now a national operation. Region 8 ESC is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors, elected by local school board members; and an Executive Director, appointed by the Board of Directors, with approval of the Commissioner of Education. To learn more about the Region 8 Education Service Center, visit the ESC 8 website. Beer Bottle Labels Aiding California Wildfire Recovery This massive outpouring of generosity and support across the country to help total strangers is incredibly heartening. It reminds all of us that we remain a country of givers, willing to help with our hearts and pocketbooks in times of need. After one of the worst wildfires in California history, how do you mobilize a massive, nationwide effort to help the Butte County area rebuild and recover? Sierra Nevada Brewery came up with a unique idea: recruit 1,400 breweries across the U.S. to join together in brewing a special fundraiser beer for the Camp Fire Relief Fund. Suppliers donated ingredients to all the participating brewers nationwide, and even wholesalers and retailers came on board to carry the beer and donate every dollar they received. All of them agreed to do this at no cost, to benefit people they'd never met. That way, all 100 percent of the sales from Resilience Butte County Proud IPA would go to the relief initiative. Beer Labels Donated Too Label supplier, Lightning Labels of Denver, did its part for the cause, contributing 1,200 labels and enlisting nine Denver-area breweries to help produce the beer bottle labels. A few of the advantages that Lightning Labels brought to the table for the beer label printing project included 16 years of experience; fast, 48-72 hour turnaround; free ground shipping for orders placed online; the custom digital printing capacity to turn out between 50 to 15 million labels; and the kind of versatility that enabled them to respond to changes quickly and efficiently. Lightning Labels also offers a full range of label material options. Recipe Shared, Local Promotions Launched The recipe for the citrus-flavored beer was shared by Sierra Nevada with other breweries nationally, so it could be produced and distributed locally, from East to West Coast and everywhere in between. Wholesalers and retailers were enlisted to carry the beer in both cans and draft. And when all was said and done, over 17,000 barrels, or 4.2 million pints, were brewed for the fundraiser. A special "Resilience Night" was held to launch the promotion in late December, encouraging people to head to their local participating breweries to try their versions of Resilience IPA. The program was designed to last until supplies ran out. Massive Outpouring of Generosity Commenting on the relief effort, Lightning Labels' Director of Sales and Client Services Gary Paulin said, "This massive outpouring of generosity and support across the country to help total strangers is incredibly heartening. It reminds all of us that we remain a country of givers, willing to help with our hearts and pocketbooks in times of need." About Lightning Labels: Lightning Labels uses state-of-the-art printing technology to provide affordable, full-color custom labels and custom stickers of all shapes and sizes. From small orders for individuals to the bulk needs of big businesses, Lightning Labels is equipped to handle and fulfill custom label and sticker projects of all types. Best of all, like the name implies, Lightning Labels provides a quick turnaround for every customer's labeling needs. Uses for Lightning Labels' custom product labels and custom stickers include food packaging and organic food labels, wine and beverage labels, bath and body labels, and nutraceutical products, such as vitamins, essentials oils, and herbal remedies, as well as event stickers, adhesive window stickers and more. Lightning Labels strongly supports the development of environmentally friendly printing materials and carries Biostone, a green label material made from stone paper is water resistant and inherently strong and durable. While operating as a high-tech printer, Lightning Labels prides itself on its personalized customer service. Lightning Labels provides one stop shopping for all of your custom label needs. For more information and to place orders online, visit LightningLabels.com. For the latest in packaging news and labeling promotional offers, find Lightning Labels on Twitter (@LightningLabels), Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn. Digital Hands, a leading managed security services provider (MSSP), today announced a new alliance with Ingram Micro Inc. to provide SOC-as-a-Service capabilities for Ingram Micros portfolio of security platforms along with new managed security services to Ingram Micros network of channel partners. "While the breadth and complexity of security solutions have greatly expanded, the gap for security operations skills needed to support the technology continues to widen. Our partners and customers require the unique capabilities that Digital Hands provides to realize the full value of their security investments," said Eric Kohl, VP Advanced Solutions, Networking and Security Business Unit at Ingram Micro. "Ingram has invested heavily in the success of both our technology partners and MSP partners and is very focused on providing this value to our ecosystem through our new Digital Hands relationship. With the Digital Hands 24/7 security services and capabilities, Ingram Micro channel partners can quickly deploy managed security solutions to enhance their customers security and better protect against todays sophisticated threats. The new agreement enables Digital Hands to leverage the worlds largest technology distributors network, greatly increasing reach to new markets. Under the terms of the agreement, Ingram Micro will market and sell the entire Digital Hands portfolio of managed security and SOC-as-a-Service solutions. Our business has always been strategically focused on enabling channel partners with security services and 24/7 operations, said Charlotte Baker, CEO of Digital Hands. This new alliance allows Digital Hands to provide our high-value security services to Ingrams Micros large ecosystem of technology partners and channels, significantly improving the security posture of potentially thousands of end customers. Channel partners will hear more details about the Digital Hands/Ingram Micro relationship throughout 2019. To request more information about the Digital Hands Partner Program, please email partners(at)digitalhands.com and visit https://www.digitalhands.com/about/partner-with-digital-hands. About Digital Hands Digital Hands is an award-winning managed security service provider focused on providing world-class security operations to customers and partners. The companys adaptive security solutions are designed to easily integrate into customers environments and processes while providing comprehensive protection against the latest security threats. More information about Digital Hands is available at http://www.digitalhands.com. CONTACT: James Brooks Digital Hands (813) 222-3036 jbrooks(at)digitalhands.com Hesser Toyota offers a special deal for drivers who purchase new brake pads and installation. There is nothing more important to the safety and functionality of a car than its brakes. Especially as Wisconsin drivers battle through a winter filled with snow and ice, having the best and safest brake pads are as important as ever. For Janesville residents, theres never been a better time to get new brake pads than now at Hesser Toyota thanks to its new Brake Savings Event. As part of the event, drivers who purchase brake pads and installation will get a free $25 prepaid card as well. For Toyota drivers, this sale is a great opportunity for them to make sure that their car is at peak performance and can also walk away with an extra $25 in their pockets. Truly, a win-win situation for drivers. Driver have to hurry though, as the deal is only available until April 30. Those who are interested can visit Hesser Toyotas website, http://www.hessertoyota.com, and find the dealerships online Service Center that includes the numerous services they provide including, of course, brakes. Drivers can learn more about brakes including how they work and why getting new brake pads is important to the safety and health of a car, here. Also while at the new Toyota dealership in Janesvilles website, drivers can browse its extensive inventory of new Toyota vehicles such as the 2019 Toyota Prius, 2019 Toyota Tacoma and 2019 Toyota RAV4. Readers can also learn more about all these models by checking out the dealerships online blog which posts helpful information about the latest Toyota models as well as local information about the Janesville community. Those who are interested in the Toyota Brake Savings Event and would like to learn more can contact the dealerships staff online or by phone at 608-754-7754. Drivers can also stop by the dealership in person at 1811 Humes Road, Janesville. The beginning of spring is the ideal period for drivers to check what coverage options may need, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that explains why drivers should analyze their car insurance options at the beginning of spring. For more info and free car insurance quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/why-you-should-analyze-car-coverage-options-at-the-beginning-of-spring/ Spring is the ideal season for drivers to check their car insurance needs. Before hitting the roads and enjoy the pleasant and warm spring season, drivers are recommended to analyze if their insurance is enough to drive in the spring without any worries. Drivers are recommended to analyze their coverage options, and look for additional coverage or discounts: Check the collision coverage. If drivers dont have this option, they should consider buying it. This coverage will pay to repair damaged vehicles that collided with other vehicles or objects like trees, fences or potholes. Potholes are the most common hazards on spring roads. They can damage the steering, suspensions and alignment systems. Purchase roadside assistance. This coverage will pay for a towing service if the car breaks down for reasons like flat tires or dead batteries. During spring, car batteries can suddenly die if the drivers forget to check their conditions. Also, at the beginning of spring, the temperatures are still low and the batteries can drain fast, so drivers are recommended to avoid long trips without checking their car batteries condition. Consider the low-mileage option. Spring is the perfect season for drivers to review how many miles they drive. Drivers that drive fewer miles than a certain amount, can qualify for a low mileage discount. Raise the deductibles. Another year has passed, and drivers should consider raising their deductibles in order to save money on their insurance premiums. Besides that, high deductibles will stop drivers to make claims for small damages. Look for additional discounts. Drivers can analyze the new types of discounts that their insurance companies could have rolled out in the previous year. The beginning of spring is the perfect time to do that. Insurers can offer discounts for those that are employed in a certain profession, belong to a college alumni group or are a member of a particular association. Shop online for better policy deals. Many insurance companies increase the rates of their loyal customers who dont have claims, simply because they dont shop around. Drivers who shop online for insurance and find better online deals, should contact their current insurance carrier and see if they are willing to match the lower online insurance. If not, drivers should consider changing their insurance providers. For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. Masie Learning LAB Elliott Masie, an international learning analyst and curator, hosted 38 corporate leaders from around the world at his Learning Innovations LAB last week. As business and work changes, the format and style of workplace learning must innovate to leverage new technologies and methodologies to upskill employees. Masie spent 2.5 days with learning leaders from organizations as varied as Marriott International, FM Global, Textron, UNICEF, PricewaterhouseCoopers, 3M, Oracle, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Hanesbrands, Morgan Stanley, and others as they explored the latest innovations in the Learning and Tech field. They examined the hope and also hype of AI, Robotics, Personalized Learning, Machine Learning, Chatbots, and more. Several CLOs and industry analysts interacted with the group via live video interviews throughout the LAB. Elliott Masie, who is credited with helping to launch the world of eLearning as well as leading Learning Conferences and the Learning CONSORTIUM over the past 28 years, is focusing his efforts on real-time LABs that safely and bravely enable learning leaders to experiment with emerging learning innovations. His next LABs at his state-of-the-art Learning Center in Saratoga Springs, NY include: Learning Producer LAB: March 26-28, 2019 It is time to Retool into Learning Producers! The new Learning Producer LAB focuses on the evolving roles of Learning Professionals in Changing Workplaces. Masie will bring his 48 years of experience as a learning researcher, advocate, and community builder - along with a decade as a Producer of Broadway Theater (e.g. Kinky Boots, The Prom, The Cher Show, American Son, and SpongeBob) - to this brand-new, interactive LAB. Only 9 spaces still available. Curation & Learning LAB: April 30-May 2, 2019 Curation is Key for Workplace Learning in an Age of Dynamic and Expanding Content, Context, and Collaboration! The popular Curation & Learning LAB explores methods and technologies to optimize the creation, selection, rating, promotion, assessment, and circulation of Content, Context, and Collaboration in todays workplaces. Masie Learning LABs are unique, 3-day, dig deep learning experiences that Elliott Masie hosts and facilitates in the 10,000 square foot Masie Learning LAB facility in Saratoga Springs, NY. The Learning LABs provide a vendor-neutral exploration of the changing Learning field, experimentation with emerging and changing models, and live video interviews with CLOs and other learning leaders from around the world as participants explore the future of learning! These LABs are limited in size and fill quickly, so early registration is encouraged. Visit http://www.masie.com for Registration and Information. Were at an exciting time in the growth of our company and are well positioned to accelerate that growth and illustrate to a broader audience what excellence in online learning really looks like," said Furqan Nazeeri, Partner, ExtensionEngine. ExtensionEngine, a leading provider of custom learning experiences, today announced it has expanded its leadership team with two executive appointments: Dr. Gerald DiGiusto as Vice President of Strategy and Bill King as Principal Learning Strategist; and is creating new online learning programs for clients in the higher education, nonprofit and corporate sectors. The company also announced it was recently named a Best Learning System: Continuing Education in the 2019 Talented Learning Awards. DiGiusto and King both bring to ExtensionEngine extensive experience in the education sector. DiGiusto was most recently Vice President of Strategy and Marketing at Motivis Learning. He previously served as Managing Vice President, Research & Data for Eduventures and has held a number of education consulting roles. King has more than 15 years experience in online learning and business development, most recently with Cornerstone OnDemand, where he served as Regional Sales Manager. King has also served on a number of nonprofit boards, has been involved in the founding of a K-8 private school, and has been an adjunct instructor in marketing. We continue to be able to recruit and retain an exceptional team of talented strategists, instructional designers, project managers, and other experts in online learning because we work with amazing clients on programs that make a difference in the world, said Furqan Nazeeri, Partner, ExtensionEngine. Were at an exciting time in the growth of our company and are well positioned to accelerate that growth and illustrate to a broader audience what excellence in online learning really looks like. With a primary goal of helping universities and colleges, nonprofit organizations, and corporations achieve digital transformation, ExtensionEngine is committed to ensuring the highest levels of client satisfaction and employee engagement. The company has been profitable every month since its inception more than 10 years ago, has more than doubled in size over the past four years and, over the past year, has accelerated growth in all areas, most significantly in the areas of instructional design and media production, where growth has exceeded 100 percent. ExtensionEngine is developing custom learning programs for numerous organizations and higher education institutions, including: New Teacher Center an innovative online learning platform for training new teachers, created for this national nonprofit organization focused on improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders; Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) a CGMA Finance Leadership Program designed to prepare finance professionals for advanced business skills; Bridgespan a series of new online programs, the Bridgespan Leadership Accelerator, to help nonprofit executive teams improve their effectiveness and to help their organizations achieve breakthrough impact; and Moravian College its first online graduate business program, a Master of Science in Predictive Analytics, is expected to launch this fall. About ExtensionEngine ExtensionEngine develops high-end custom learning experiences, delivering impactful, pedagogy-driven online and blended learning for universities, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. The company takes a collaborative, unbundled, fee-for-service approach to strategy, instructional design, platform development, content development, and creative and marketing services. A privately held company based in Cambridge, Mass., ExtensionEngine has launched over 70 online programs for more than 40 organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.extensionengine.com. Collier We invested in ourselves and because of that, we are debt free. We love this and now have the financial stability to create a lifestyle we love." When Bill and Marilyn Collier first became MaidPro franchisees in 2009, they were in their late 50s and used funds they had set aside for retirement. That leap of faith has really paid off for the couple. We invested in ourselves and because of that, we are debt free. We love this and now have the financial stability to create a lifestyle we love, Marilyn was quoted by Franchise Business Review where the couples business is a Featured Franchise. The Colliers, who run their MaidPro franchise in Pelham, Ala., are featured on the FBR website, as well as in the January 2019 print edition of the FBR magazine. FBR is an independent market research firm that rates franchises based on franchisee satisfaction. In addition to confirming that they work well together professionally, the Colliers learned one surprising thing about themselves in the 10 years that theyve run their MaidPro franchise. They each ended up liking unexpected aspects of the business. Before purchasing their MaidPro franchise, Marilyns background was in financing, while Bill was more used to interacting with people. But ironically, she ended up loving the people end of the business and Bill ended up doing a lot of the behind the scenes work! The Colliers business is a true family affair, with their daughter, Tracie Blair, now helping them to manage it. The couples advice to others interested in franchising is to really lean on the knowledge and advice of the home office. And they also say they wish they had opened their own business sooner rather than waiting until they were in their 50s. To read more about the Colliers, the full article can be viewed at: (https://franchisebusinessreview.com/post/bill-marilyn-collier-maidpro/). ABOUT MAIDPRO MaidPro is a Boston-based franchisor of house cleaning services with over 275 locations in 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1997, takes pride in its strong owner community, cutting-edge technology, and creative marketing. It has been honored with the Franchise Business Reviews Four-Star Rating and Franchise 50 awards every year from 2006 to 2019 for owner satisfaction. Forbes has named MaidPro a Top Franchise to Own 3 times. MaidPro was named one of the Top 50 Franchises for Minorities by USA Todays Franchising Today. MaidPro is also a proud member of the International Franchise Association, Canadian Franchise Association, and the New England Franchise Association. The company can be found online at http://www.maidprofranchise.com. Free Range Pumpkins, a local pop culture memorabilia and game store in Arlington, TX, is celebrating their one-year anniversary on March 23, 2019. The day is being celebrated with a fun proclamation from Arlingtons mayor, W. Jeff Williams. This is an exciting time for the store, says Amy Kaplan, owner of Free Range Pumpkins. Thanks to the help of my regulars telling people were here, the store has taken off in a way I never expected. Im hosting some sort of game session every day, Kaplan added. This store has been a lifelong dream of mine and this first year has been amazing. To celebrate the anniversary, Kaplan will be hosting a week-long celebration starting on Sunday, March 17, 2019, and culminating with the mayors proclamation of Free Range Pumpkins Day on Saturday, March 23, 2019. We are going to have raffles, giveaways, prizes and tournaments all week in addition to our regular game schedule, says Kaplan. If you havent had the chance to come out to the store, this is week to come visit us. You wont be disappointed. Free Range Pumpkins One Year Anniversary schedule of events can be found on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/freerangepumpkins/ under the events tab and on their website at https://freerangepumpkins.com/collections/events. About Free Range Pumpkins Free Range Pumpkins is a game/hobby/gift shop located on West Division Street between Oakwood and Bowen Roads in Arlington, Texas, specializing in unique items not typically found at your local comic and gaming stores. Be forewarned: we have an irreverent sense of humor and it shows in some of the items we carry. We believe in giving back to the community and supporting those who keep us safe. To that end, we offer a 12% discount to all first-responders and service members. Our store hosts several RPG, casual and tournament games throughout the week and offer a wide selection of demo games available for free play every day. Virginia politics is always interesting but the 2019 session and the upcoming legislative elections, may make this year one of the most interesting in decades. The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, along with regional business partners, is proud to announce Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, Speaker Kirk Cox and Minority Leader Eileen Filler-Corn will be speaking on the upcoming elections in November, the cascading scandals in the executive branch and numerous other issues including redistricting, minimum wage, economic development, and transportation that will effect local businesses both large and small. Dr. Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at University of Mary Washington, is looking forward to leading a lively discussion. "Virginia politics is always interesting but the 2019 session and the upcoming legislative elections, may make this year one of the most interesting in decades," Says Farnsworth Scheduled for Wednesday, March 13th, 2019 from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency, this event is being held in partnership with the Dulles Regional, Loudoun, Greater McLean, and Tysons Regional chambers of commerce, and the Northern Virginia Technology Council. This collaborative regional event will provide business owners and representatives the opportunity to hear first hand from House Leadership and a respected political analyst. They will opine on how the community will be impacted by the passed bills and the actions of the Executive Branch and the Legislature, says Mark Ingrao, President and CEO of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. Tickets for this debate may be purchased online at RestonChamber.org. A breakfast buffet will be served prior to the debate. John F. Gibbons, shareholder at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP and co-managing shareholder of its Chicago office, has been inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. The induction ceremony took place recently before an audience of 570 at the 2019 Spring Meeting of the College in La Quinta, California. Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds, who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. Lawyers must have a minimum of 15 years trial experience before they can be considered for Fellowship. Although there are currently more than 5,800 Fellows across the U.S. and Canada, membership never exceeds more than one percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province. Gibbons has more than 30 years of experience handling a broad range of civil and criminal matters for national corporations, financial institutions, brokerage houses, pension funds, real estate entities, and individuals, including fraud, FCA, breach of contract, trade secret, class action, civil rights, commercial and criminal securities cases, grand jury investigations, white collar defense, FCPA issues, corporate internal investigations and appeals. He has advised many corporate clients on issues confronting them on an everyday basis and has been responsible for matters pending before the Justice Department, SEC, NASD, EPA and various Attorney General and state regulatory bodies. He previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles for six years and as the supervisor of the Financial Crime and Government Fraud Unit of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in Chicago. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Notre Dame Law School. Gibbons joins the ranks of distinguished Greenberg Traurig colleagues who are also Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, including: Barry Richard, a shareholder in the Litigation Practice; Mark F. Bideau, managing shareholder of the West Palm Beach and Boca Raton offices; and James R. Leahy, chair of the firm's Energy Litigation Practice. About Greenberg Traurig Chicago: Greenberg Traurig's Chicago office strives to be as dynamic and diverse as the city it calls home. Since its inception in 1999, it has grown from three attorneys to more than 160 today. Lawyers in Greenberg Traurigs Chicago office represent a wide range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to innovative start-ups, and practice in nearly every major practice area and industry. Offering local knowledge and broad experience, Greenberg Traurigs Chicago lawyers work with their colleagues in Greenberg Traurigs other offices in the United States and abroad to help clients achieve their objectives locally, nationally, and globally. About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 39 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. The secrets out. InnoSTARS finds a recent scorecard (https://bit.ly/2Nxy4ll) reports exactly what the innovation pitch competition already knew: the Colorado Front Range tech scene is surging to the top. Being in the top 10 spot within the U.S. and Canada tech markets would be no surprise to Heather Potters. InnoSTARS named the company she founded, PharmaJet, Inc. of Golden, Colo., as the 2018 Grand Prize winner. The co-founder and vice chairman took her needless injection technology all the way to China, catapulting the company into a whole new market space. Without the InnoSTARS support, we would not have nearly as many potential Chinese partners and investors interested in what PharmaJet is doing, Potters said. Potters will be among this years judges for the Denver competition. Learn more about PharmaJet Inc.: https://pharmajet.com/. The InnoSTARS competition, hosted by Houston-based US China Innovation Alliance, is a China readiness competition offering cash prizes, meetings with investors and a trip to China. Tech companies are encouraged to submit the free application before April 7 to compete at the April 25 Denver competition. Applicants from all states are welcome. Apply to compete in InnoSTARS here: https://innostars.uschinainnovation.org/. In Denver, were focusing on a wide-range of industries, from advanced manufacturing and environmental technology to energy and biopharma, said Min Fan, COO of the US China Innovation Alliance. We believe tech companies from Colorado and other states between the coasts are up for our pitch challenge and certainly, weve seen enormous talent from their thriving tech hub. In its third year, InnoSTARS has attracted over 1,000 U.S.-born technology companies seeking to impress in nationwide competitions for a chance to meet face-to-face with potential partners and investors in China. More than 100 U.S. companies have been selected to participate in the sponsored trips, where they compete in additional rounds and engage in business matching meetings. In 2018, 72 tech companies competed in the Denver pitch event and ultimately, nine of those companies competed in China. In total last year, the competition facilitated some 800 business meetings between U.S. companies and Chinese associates, resulting in some partnership and investment agreements. We strive to approach the US-China technology and innovation collaboration in a transparent manner and are honored that InnoSTARS has become a trusted bridge between the business communities in the U.S. and China, Fan said. InnoSTARS offers an accelerated path to China for many U.S. companies that would otherwise not know where to start regarding entering China. InnoSTARS competition in Denver is proudly supported by partnerships with CrestoneStar Consulting, Innosphere, The Commons on Champa, ColoradoBioScience Association, Rockies Venture Club, University of Colorado-Boulder, Colorado Cleantech Industries Association, Boulder Chamber of Commerce, and Boomtown Accelerators. InnoSTARS competition applicants are also welcome to marquee event, the 2019 U.S. China Innovation and Investment Summit, which will be held concurrently with the InnoSTARS Houston preliminaries on May 16 - 17 in Houston, Texas. Learn more about the Summit and US China Innovation Alliance Summit at https://ucis.uschinainnovation.org/. -------------------------------------------------- About US China Innovation Alliance The US China Innovation Alliance (UCIA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that promotes innovation collaboration between US and China through the annual US China Innovation & Investment Summit and the InnoSTARS Competition, which is designed to connect U.S.-based technology companies with Chinese partners, service providers, and investors. Learn more: https://uschinainnovation.org/. Italian Signature Wines Academy becomes Vinitaly International Academy Supporter ISWA President Marilisa Allegrini: 'The relationship between ISWA and VIA must transmit passion. It is in this way only that a highly-qualifying educational path becomes successful, therefore creating a lasting, unbreakable alliance in the supply chain: territories, products, storytelling.' The first 2019 Italian Wine Ambassador course was held in Los Angeles from February 18th to 22nd and saw the participation of 27 wine business professionals, of which 7 were awarded the prestigious Italian Wine Ambassador title after passing a challenging exam. Students were accompanied in their learning journey by VIA Faculty Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar, who delivered lectures on Italian wine regions, grape varieties, and food culture, and guided them during tasting sessions featuring over one hundred Italian wine labels. Together with the Faculty, the new VIA Chief Scientist Prof. Attilio Scienza, and the Institutional Advisory Board consisting of Federvini, Federdoc, FIVI, and Unione Italiana Vini, the official VIA Supporters play a fundamental role in VIAs ecosystem. Supporters include wine consortiums as well as regional and private business networks. By joining VIA, Supporters gain the privilege to follow VIAs educational tour in their preferred areas of impact, based on their strategic business priorities. During the Italian Wine Ambassador course in Los Angeles, for example, VIA Supporter Italian Signature Wines Academy (ISWA) provided wine labels for one of VIAs Tasting Labs. In the reformatted curriculum, these Labs are additional walk-around tasting sessions where Supporters personally introduce a selection of their own labels, describing the wineries, terroirs, and grape varieties. ISWA is a strategic alliance among eight top brands in the Italian wine industry: Allegrini (Veneto), Arnaldo Caprai (Umbria), Feudi di San Gregorio (Campania), Fontanafredda (Piemonte), Frescobaldi (Toscana), Masciarelli (Abruzzo), Planeta (Sicilia), and Villa Sandi (Veneto). The main objective of the alliance is to jointly promote and develop the Made in Italy brand on the international markets. The similarities among the eight wineries make it easy to reach the common objective. These large wineries share the same business vision, a drive for innovation, a brand image tailor-made for international consumers, and a prominent position and notoriety in their regions of origin. These assets and values are instrumental to the common effort: Italian Signature Wines Academy strives to improve the image of quality wine by developing initiatives that highlight the rich environmental, archaeological, historic, artistic, and anthropological heritage as well as local resources and viticultural landscape. The educational mission is what connects VIAs work with ISWA. Similarly to VIA in its offer of a complete educational path on the diversity of Italian wines, ISWA is, at its core, a wine academy, that is, an institution which promotes the culture of Italian wine on the international stage through specialist training programs for trade professionals on topics covering all the main issues of the sector in partnership with the main Italian universities. On the relationship between VIA and ISWA, President of Italian Signature Wines Academy Marilisa Allegrini comments: To communicate to the whole world the richness of Italian wine is a matter of deep knowledge, competence, and passion. While the first two ingredients are, in a sense, the prologue of the work of art, passion is the work itself. It is for this reason that the relationship between ISWA and VIA, in my view, must transmit passion first of all. It is in this way only that a highly-qualifying educational path becomes successful and productive, therefore creating a lasting, unbreakable alliance in the supply chain: territories, products, storytelling. The same objectives also drive VIAs work. In the words of Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International: Our goal is to become the gold standard in Italian wine education and in order to do that we need important supporters in addition to the institutional ones of our Advisory Board. So the eight ISWA wineries which are among the key players in Italy are key to help us in our endeavor. We are committed to the same values which drive the work of ISWA in Italy and abroad: innovation, internationalization, and quality. The Supporters help for the Tasting Labs allows VIA course participants to discover and taste even more wines. Vinitaly International Academy strives to be the reference point for Italian wine education abroad, particularly through a self-sustaining ecosystem. On the one hand VIA Supporters assist VIA in spreading the gospel of Italian wine and oenological culture internationally; on the other, VIA has implemented a number of dedicated initiatives that will allow Supporters to meet their promotional objectives. To date, five associations and consortiums have joined VIA as Supporters. Since many stops will be included in the next VIAs educational journey (Chengdu, Verona, and New York to name just the ones in the first semester of 2019), many will also be the opportunities for growth for any association interested in accompanying VIA in its ambassadorial mission worldwide for Italian wine. About: The grand Vinitaly 2019 will be held from April 7th to the 10th. Every year, Vinitaly counts more than 4,000 exhibitors on a 100,000+ square meter area and 130,000 visitors from over 140 different countries with more than 30,000 top international buyers. The premier event to Vinitaly, OperaWine Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers, which will be held on the 6th of April, one day prior to Vinitaly will unite international wine professionals in the heart of Verona, offering them the unique opportunity to discover and taste the wines of the 100 Best Italian Producers, as selected by Wine Spectator. Since 1998 Vinitaly International travels to several countries such as Russia, China, USA and Hong Kong thanks to its strategic arm abroad, Vinitaly International. In February 2014 Vinitaly International launched an educational project, the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) with the aim of divulging and broadcasting the excellence and diversity of Italian wine around the globe. VIA this year launched the seventh edition of its Certification Course and today counts 164 Italian Wine Ambassadors and 13 Italian Wine Experts. Donna and Bill Bistrican Military families deserve to receive exceptional service and care from us, the civilians and communities they are protecting and serving. Any way we can show we appreciate them matters. Welcoming a new baby to the family is exciting, but it can be tough for first time parents if finances are tight and your service member is deployed. Operation Homefront's Star-Spangled Babies program provides these new and expectant parents with early childhood education tips, baby supplies, and a support system when loved ones are far away, making it easier for service members and their growing families to welcome their newest addition. The Bistricans are hosting a fundraiser for the program from March 1 to April 1. Items needed, which can be dropped off at 4001 Westown Pkwy., West Des Moines, IA, include learning and development toys 0-12 months, gyms, jumpers, soothers or sound machines, baby monitors, baby carriers/wraps, teethers, rattlers, stroller toys, push and pull toys, diapers (size 2), wipes, diaper cream, lotion, baby shampoo, onesies, blankets and towels. Military families deserve to receive exceptional service and care from us, the civilians and communities they are protecting and serving. Any way we can show we appreciate them matters, said Donna, who served in the Air Force overseas at Bitburg, Germany. I got so much back from the time I spent serving. I was so grateful to be able to take advantage of the GI bill to buy my first home. Operation Homefront is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive not simply struggle to get by in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Operation Homefront provides military families with critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services throughout the year to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Ninety-two percent of Operation Homefronts expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. In addition to meeting all of the BBBs business standards, Operation Homefront has consistently earned high ratings from leading charity rating services, including the Platinum level Transparency Seal from GuideStar. To donate directly to Operation Homefront, please visit http://www.operationhomefront.org/donate. As Realtors, Donna and Bill Bistrican specialize in residential, first-time buyers, single family homes, new construction, short sale, foreclosure, new homes, bank owned, and rental property. They use their experience in sales and marketing to sell or find clients their dream home. About Donna and Bill Bistrican, Unwrap Your Home LLC, Keller Williams Realty Donna and BIll Bistrican work with buyers and sellers in Johnston, Pleasant Hill, Norwalk, Avon Lake, Carlisle, Des Moines, Altoona, Urbandale, Clive, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Waukee and Saylorville. They hold mega open houses and advise and inform prospective clients on current market activities/conditions and the negotiation process for real estate transactions. For more information, please call 515-954-5928, or visit https://unwrapyourhome.com/. For media inquiries, please call the NALA at 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Dr. Lily Espinoza This book provides hope for high school and community college students as well as a call to action for educational leaders in all sectors of higher education. Lily Espinoza (Ploski), Ed.D. announces her book about breaking barriers, "Not Getting Stuck: Success stories of being Latina and transferring from a California community college." There are nine heart-warming student stories about beating the odds and transferring to the top universities in the world. Everybody wants to help students reach their dreams! Unfortunately, the dream of college for underrepresented students and students of color can be full of missteps and pitfalls. This book provides some much needed help! Dr. Espinoza surmises, This book provides hope for high school and community college students as well as a call to action for educational leaders in all sectors of higher education. In "Not Getting Stuck: Success stories of being Latina and transferring from a California community college," Latina students use their own words to pinpoint the factors that led to their success. Nine unique first-person accounts depict the heartaches, surprises, hopes, and worries as the students decide whether or not to pursue higher education. Should they go to college? Is college for them? Are they smart enough? Should they apply to their dream school? These student stories highlight the importance of perseverance, self-determination, and the most influential factor of all, social connection! To contact the author for more information or to book speaking engagements, email lilyespinoza2002(at)yahoo.com or 707-410-8434. The book is published through Alive Publishing, distributed through Ingram Content Group. Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Dr. Lily E. Espinoza (Ploski) is currently working as an instructor. She teaches Bound for Success and Financial Literacy in the Upward Bound program at Mills College in Oakland, CA. Lily graduated from Fullerton High School in Fullerton, California. Dr. Espinoza holds an A.A. degree in Liberal Studies from Diablo Valley College, B.A. degree in Womens Studies from U.C. Berkeley, M.A. degree in Student Personnel Administration from Columbia University, and an Ed.D. degree in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fullerton. Lily also completed graduate work in teacher education at the University of Southern California. Lastly, Dr. Espinoza is completing a second masters degree in Holistic Health Education from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA in June 2019. Manhattan Tech Support Manhattan Tech Support has completely transformed our internal IT department. They are a responsive, intelligent partner that provides great strategic, IT leadership as well as reliable day-to-day IT support for every one of our 120+ employees. ManhattanTechSupport.com LLC, the leading IT support and services company in New York City, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named ManhattanTechSupport.com LLC to its 2019 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Pioneer 250 category. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with innovative approaches to managed services. These services help customers improve operational efficiencies, maximize return on IT investments, and continuously help them navigate the complexities of IT solutions. Managed service providers are integral to the success of businesses everywhere. They empower companies to implement and operate complex technologies while staying within their budgets and keeping the focus on their core business. CRNs MSP 500 list identifies the most groundbreaking managed service organizations with advanced solutions that have endless potential for growth. This annual list is divided into three categories: the MSP Pioneer 250, recognizing companies with business models weighted toward managed services and largely focused on the SMB market; the MSP Elite 150, recognizing large, data center-focused MSPs with a strong mix of on-premises and off-premises services; and the Managed Security 100, recognizing MSPs focused primarily on off-premises, cloud-based security services. ManhattanTechSupport.com (http://www.manhattantechsupport.com) has once again proven to be a leader among NYC MSPs. In a market saturated with tech support companies focused on undercutting each other's prices just to land a new client, they have proven that the true value of an IT partner lies within exceptional quality of service, subject matter expertise, and overall client-partner relationships not on price alone. Capable MSPs enable companies to take their cloud computing to the next level, streamline spending, effectively allocate limited resources and navigate the vast field of available technologies, said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. The companies on CRNs 2019 MSP 500 list stand out for their innovative services, excellence in adapting to customers changing needs and demonstrated ability to help businesses get the most out of their IT investments. By continually reinvesting in our company and our team, were able to expand our service offerings and position ourselves to provide our clients with all technologies necessary to achieve success. With our newly branded cyber-security and compliance division Kaytuso (http://www.kaytuso.com) joining our already established custom software and business intelligence division (http://www.exceeddigital.com), our clients can leverage our experience in not only traditional MSP infrastructure management, help desk support and cloud services, but in initiatives that help further mitigate security risks and promote business growth, says Christian Ugolini, Co-Founder and Partner. As always, we truly appreciate CRN and The Channel Company for recognizing our efforts in this space and selecting us for this respected award. The MSP500 list will be featured in the February 2019 issue of CRN and online at http://www.CRN.com/msp500. About ManhattanTechSupport.com LLC ManhattanTechSupport.com LLC, a leading full-service technology partner for SMBs in New York City, specializes in managed IT services to help businesses foster growth through the efficient use of technology. We also deliver cutting-edge cybersecurity, custom software development, and business intelligence solutions that fortify companies from cyberattacks and increase operational productivity. Distinguished in the industry for world-class customer service and 24/7 availability, we offer companies the full breadth and depth of a sophisticated IT department for one flat monthly fee with no contracts ever. Today, our innovative technology solutions and IT experts continue to create sustained value for our clients through various strategies and initiatives that are tailored to propel SMBs into the future. http://www.manhattantechsupport.com | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter ManhattanTechSupport.com Contact Joseph Rabinowitz ManhattanTechSupport.com LLC 212-299-7673 yr@manhattantechsupport.com About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. http://www.thechannelco.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook Copyright 2019. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. The Channel Company Contact: Jennifer Hogan The Channel Company jhogan@thechannelco.com The London office of Frazier & Deeter will operate under the methodologies and culture that have helped us build one of the fastest-growing firms in the U.S. Frazier & Deeter, one of the largest public accounting and advisory firms in the United States, announced today the opening of an office in London. Frazier & Deeter UK will offer business advisory services, including international tax, tax compliance, transaction advisory and other services to support critical business decisions. Expanding to the U.K. will help Frazier & Deeter better support our multi-national clients, noted Seth McDaniel, Managing Partner of Frazier & Deeter. We are ideally positioned to assist British businesses looking to maximize Anglo/US trade opportunities in the post Brexit era. The London office of Frazier & Deeter will operate under the methodologies and culture that have helped us build one of the fastest-growing firms in the U.S. The U.K. practice will be led by Malcolm Joy. Joy is an award-winning expert in international tax. He has served as a resource for leading news media such as BBC news and Bloomberg regarding tax matters. Joy was formerly an equity partner with BDO, where he served in a variety of U.K. and global leadership roles. Im excited to be playing an instrumental role in bringing a highly respected U.S. firm to the U.K., stated Joy. Based on my many years as a tax advisor, I believe Frazier & Deeters strong culture, with its emphasis on investing in relationships, will delight our clients as we grow Frazier & Deeter U.K. Our ownership structure and focus on the U.K. and the U.S. provide us with an excellent platform for serving international clients. Frazier & Deeter and its subsidiaries have nine offices across the United States. The firm has been recognized repeatedly as a Best of the Best Accounting firm, A Best Firm to Work For in the U.S., and a Best Firm for Women. Frazier & Deeter has also been named one of the fastest growing firms in the U.S. for the past six years. Frazier & Deeters approach to creating a culture focused on investing in relationships has attracted attention in the U.S. The firm was profiled in a book published by Harvard Business Review Book, An Everyone Culture., and was the focus of an article in Inside Public Accounting. Frazier & Deeter UK will be the first international office of Frazier & Deeter, and as such will continue the firms programs for developing team members and emphasizing client accessibility. We see tremendous opportunity for Frazier & Deeter in the U.K, noted McDaniel. We believe our culture of client service and our track record of delivering value to clients will help us grow a strong practice in the U.K. About Frazier & Deeter Frazier & Deeter is a nationally recognized CPA and advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The firm provides a wide range of tax, audit, accounting and advisory services to help clients reach their unique financial goals. Frazier & Deeters professionals focus on investing in relationships to make a difference. Frazier & Deeter is an award-winning firm that has been named one of the Top Accounting Firms to Work For and one of the Fastest Growing CPA firms among the top 100 firms in the U.S. by Accounting Today magazine. Frazier & Deeter has also been repeatedly named a Best of the Best CPA firm by INSIDE Public Accounting and a Top Firm for Women by The MOVE project. New Barn Organics, a leading organic Almondmilk brand, is continuing in its push toward becoming an organic, plant-based foods platform brand. Were returning to the roots of what this industry is really about, said Ted Robb, New Barn Organics co-founder & CEO. People want to eat real food that is delicious and accessible, and were working hard to meet their expectations. With so much competition in the plant-based food space, many shoppers dont know who to trust. Were increasing our transparency at all levels and are striving to deliver more value in each new product we launch. Our hope is that New Barn Organics will become a trusted brand of choice for shoppers who want certified organic, transparently sourced, and convenient plant-based foods. The company is also making a larger commitment to sustainability, including an update to its brand name, now New Barn Organics. Weve switched away from plastic bottles on our fluid milk lines, which removes 90% of the plastic from our supply chain, said Robb. Three of the companys product lines are now packaged in the PlantCarton from Evergreen Packaging. This new plant-based carton contains 80% less plastic than bottles, is 100% recyclable, and is made from 75% material sourced from third-party certified responsibly managed forests. Our customers have increasingly been asking us to ditch the plastic for the past couple of years, Robb explained. Were listening to what our customers want. And with 32 ounces per carton, we think theyll be especially happy about a package thats four ounces larger and still offered at the same great price. New Barn Organics is also expanding their product offerings. In addition to their core Almondmilk and AlmondCreme lines, the company is releasing four new organic product lines: non-dairy Creamers, non-dairy Buttery Spread, single-serve compostable single-origin coffee, and vegetable-forward plant-based Almond Dips. The company has expanded their current Almondmilk line to include four new flavors, and they also now offer their Almondmilk in larger sizes. A larger size of our Almondmilk is another thing our customer has consistently asked for, said Robb. Three flavors of organic Almondmilk will be available in the new 59-ounce size PlantCarton: Unsweetened, Toasted Coconut, and Chocolate. Were excited to continue growing. At this time last year, wed just announced the initial closing of our Series A financing, with a promise to deliver exciting new products. One year later, weve doubled down on organic, have four new delicious product lines, and have made significant improvements in our supply chain practices. Were well on our way to achieving our goals, and I couldnt be prouder of the team. We continue to believe that New Barn Organics has the potential to become a household name for organic, plant-based foods. New Barn Organics will debut its new product offerings at Expo West in Anaheim, California in March. We believe in making great food, said Robb. We are excited to offer our customers more choices, and were committed to continuing to be a brand they can trust. About New Barn Organics New Barn Organics makes plant-based, organic foods that are sold nationwide in natural, specialty, and mainstream channels. Founded in 2015, it has grown into a platform brand that offers customers the organic foods they crave in multiple categories. The company is guided by its commitments to transparent and organic practices, as well as its belief that its products should contain the Fewest, Cleanest, Simplest Ingredients. New Barn Organics is represented by Presence Marketing and is distributed by UNFI, KeHE, and other leading distributors. For more information, please visit http://www.newbarnorganics.com. For more information or press inquiries, please contact: Simone Powers New Barn Organics 415.323.5657 marketing@newbarnorganics.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/newbarnorganics/ https://www.instagram.com/newbarnorganics/ https://www.facebook.com/newbarnorganics 1 https://plantcarton.com/ 2 http://evergreenpackaging.com/sustainability/forestry-renewable-materials/ The Canadian market is an important target of growth for NFP, said Doug Hammond, chairman and CEO of NFP. NFP, a leading insurance broker and consultant that provides employee benefits, property and casualty, retirement, and individual private client solutions, today announced that it has acquired PBL Insurance Limited (PBL). The transaction closed on Feb. 4, 2019. PBL provides a range of property and casualty and employee benefits services across the Ontario market. Headquartered in Windsor, PBL operates nine additional offices throughout Ontario. Collectively, their commercial coverage is well diversified, with specializations in garage and towing, construction, hospitality, forestry, mining, and transportation. This acquisition enables NFP to gain access to the wider Canadian market through a top-rated independent insurance broker with a legacy of 100 years of experience. PBL President and CEO Michael Robinson will maintain a leadership role in transitioning to NFP, becoming a managing director with a core focus on commercial lines. Robinson, who brings more than 28 years of experience in commercial insurance and brokerage management, will report to Marty Shaw, president of NFP in Canada. PBL Chief Operating Officer Mandeep Singh will join NFP as senior vice president of commercial lines. The Canadian market is an important target of growth for NFP, said Doug Hammond, chairman and CEO of NFP. The acquisition of PBL represents our commitment to expanding our insurance and benefits offerings to a wider audience. Were thrilled to welcome the extensive expertise, successful achievements and dedicated service of Michael and his team to NFP, said Shaw. PBLs longstanding presence in Ontario has shaped some of the most innovative, client-focused offerings in the Canadian insurance market today. NFP is eager to integrate PBLs outstanding salesforce into the family to continue developing business opportunities across all industries. The choice to join NFP, effectively expanding the insurance and benefits capabilities available to clients, was an easy one, said Robinson. We are excited for our teams to begin working together and to integrate our resources to continue providing tailored solutions for clients with a multitude of needs. About NFP NFP is a leading insurance broker and consultant that provides employee benefits, property and casualty, retirement, and individual private client solutions through our licensed subsidiaries and affiliates. Our expertise is matched by our commitment to each client's goals and is enhanced by our investments in innovative technologies in the insurance brokerage and consulting space. NFP has more than 4,700 employees and global capabilities. Our expansive reach gives us access to highly rated insurers, vendors and financial institutions in the industry, while our locally based employees tailor each solution to meet our clients' needs. Weve become one of the largest insurance brokerage, consulting and wealth management firms by building enduring relationships with our clients and helping them realize their goals. Recently NFP was named the 2nd largest retirement plan aggregator firm, as ranked by Investment News; the 5th largest US-based privately owned broker, the 6th largest benefits broker by global revenue and the 7th best place to work in insurance by Business Insurance; the 10th largest property and casualty agency by total 2017 P&C revenue and the 10th largest commercial lines agency by total 2017 P&C and commercial lines revenue by Insurance Journal; the 11th largest broker of US business by Business Insurance; and the 12th largest global insurance broker by Best's Review. For more information, visit http://www.NFP.com. The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) announced today it will host a first-ever Impact AI summit on March 21, 2019. Impact AI will showcase companies in our region that are making inroads in the advancement of technology around Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is gaining momentum in broad applications from manufacturing to healthcare, energy to telecommunications. The application of machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics to challenges in virtually every industry provide significant motivation for companies to exploit the competitive and strategic advantages that exist. Impact AI 2019 will feature outstanding and informative content from keynotes, informative panels and Tech Talks, our version of the popular Ted Talks. Keynote Speakers: Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, Global Lead for Responsible AI, Accenture Applied Intelligence Toni Townes-Whitley, President, US Regulated Industries, Microsoft Confirmed Panelists and Moderators: Michele Bennett, PhD, Data & AI Executive, Avanade F. Brett Berlin, Data Analytics Engineering M.S. Faculty & Capstone Director, Volgenau School of Engineering, George Mason University Kirk Borne, Principal Data Scientist and Executive Advisor, Booz Allen Hamilton Jay Crossler, Director, Chief Engineer of Operations, The MITRE Corporation Melissa Edwards, Managing Director, Advisory, Intelligent Automation, KPMG Kevin Gorman, Head of Product & Data, People Analytics, Capital One Kim Hayes, CEO and Co-founder, The Ambit Group Jennifer Hill, Vice President, Data Science, Enterprise Model Risk, Capital One Angela Johnson, Director of Development, Allegis Kamran Khan, Managing Director, Accenture Katherine Lavelle, Managing Director, Accenture Dov Levy, CTO and Founder, Dovel Technologies Dr. Sally Morton, Dean, VA Tech College of Science Carolyn Nguyen, Microsoft and Technology Strategist Charles Onstott, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, SAIC Tim Palvick, CTO, PhD, Attain Joanna Pinkerton,CEO of Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) Curt Rasmussen, Future Forecasting/Planning Scientist, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Anthony Robbins, Vice President, North America Public Sector, NVIDIA Malcolm Ross, VP of Product Marketing, Appian Dr. Lance Sherry, Director of the Center for Air Transportation Systems Research at the Volgenau School of Engineering, George Mason University Ingrid Solis, AIM Champion, Office of the Director of National Intelligence Michael Stevens, Chief Innovation Officer, City of Columbus Dr. Russell Vane III, Department of Homeland Security Dr. Carolina Young, Policy Advisor on Future of Work, U.S. Senator Mark Warners Office Impact AI will deliver tremendous business development and educational value to the Greater Washington technology community or anyone interested in how AI is being applied in a variety of industries. View the complete Summit agenda at http://www.nvtcimpactai.org/agenda/. DATE: March 21, 2019 TIME: 7:00 am 4:30 p.m. LOCATION: Inova Center for Personalized Health Conference Center 8100 Innovation Park Dr. Fairfax, VA 22031 REGISTRATION: To register as a member of the press, please contact Bethany Blackwell at 703-904-7878, ext. 207 or email bblackwell(at)nvtc(dot)org. The event is free for press, but advanced registration is required. Press credentials are required for entry. # # # The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) is the membership and trade association for the technology community in Northern Virginia. As the largest technology council in the nation, NVTC serves about 1,000 companies from all sectors of the technology industry, as well as service providers, universities, foreign embassies, nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies. Through its member companies, NVTC represents about 300,000 employees in the region. NVTC is recognized as the nation's leader in providing its technology community with networking and educational events; specialized services and benefits; public policy advocacy; branding of its region as a major global technology center; initiatives in targeted business sectors and in the international, entrepreneurship, workforce and education arenas; and the NVTC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that supports the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative and other priorities within Virginia's technology community. Visit NVTC at http://www.nvtc.org. The U-Pick a Vacation travel incentive The 'U-Pick a Vacation' tagline has a really nice ring to it, and giving customers the freedom to select their ideal getaway is a great way to incentivize customers and provide businesses with some extra pulling power. Odenza Marketing Group is proud to announce the launch of their U-Pick a Vacation travel incentive to clients across the United States and Canada. The U-Pick a Vacation travel incentive product allows recipients to choose between two key vacation experiences: a 5-Star Luxury Resort Getaway or a 5-Day Carnival Cruise. Odenza offers a collection of lavish resorts located at Mexicos most beautiful destinations. These are top rated properties, one with a Cirque Du Soleil venue on site, and another property was featured on ABCs TV Series "Bachelor in Paradise." Along with being able to opt for a 7-night resort stay or 5-day cruise, recipients can also choose from a range of different resorts or cruise experiences that best suit their preferences. "We're incredibly excited to re-launch the U-Pick a Vacation package. We had introduced this U-Pick product 12 years ago for the Automotive Retail market and it was a hit for a couple of years. We decided to introduce it again as we had noticed a number of our existing clients campaigning 'You Pick a Vacation' on their Facebook pages, company websites, and radio ads. The 'U-Pick a Vacation' tagline has a really nice ring to it, and giving customers the freedom to select their ideal getaway is a great way to incentivize customers and provide businesses with some extra pulling power," says Pav Sangha, Vice President of Marketing with Odenza Marketing Group. Odenza is confident that the U-Pick a Vacation travel incentive will enhance companies' advertising so they can close more sales and capture more customers. Travel is the most widely appealing incentive everybody wants a vacation, and a complimentary vacation is that much better. Sales people will close more sales, customers will enjoy an exciting vacation experience, and businesses will grow. Businesses can give away these trips very easily and gain a competitive advantage over their competition! Whether they decide to use them as closing tools or give them away as contest prizes, the promotional ideas around these trips are endless. Odenza provides marketing materials to help with promotional efforts. When the customer makes a purchase, businesses simply hand them the U-Pick travel certificate. After that, Odenza's travel department takes care of everything else beyond that point. Odenzas in-house travel agency is staffed by certified and experienced travel agents who work directly with clients' customers to book their vacations. For more information regarding the U-Pick a Vacation travel incentive, please call 1-866-883-2968 or contact Odenza through their website at http://www.odenza.com ABOUT ODENZA: Odenza provides quality incentive marketing solutions that give our select clients a competitive edge in their market. Odenza has been providing incentive travel certificates to companies for their promotions since 1998. Our marketing and advertising support team provides you with everything you need to make your promotion a success. Odenza is also a three-time recipient of Carnival Cruise Lines' "Pinnacle Club" award for demonstrating exceptional creativity in sales and marketing techniques. We are members of the New Car Dealers Association, the American Resort Development Association and the International Promotional Products Association. Our in-house travel agency is staffed by certified and experienced travel agents who work directly with your customers to book their vacations. We have direct partnerships with major airlines, cruise lines, hotels and resorts worldwide. Contact: Pav Sangha, VP of Marketing Odenza Marketing Group Inc. 1-800-515-5371 ext: 234 E-mail: psangha(at)odenza(dot)com Corporate website: http://www.odenza.com Back Row (left to right): Joey Biddy, Clay Giles, Jordan Poer Front Row (left to right): Jordan Gottlieb, Jordan Giles, Lexi Poer, Pam White, Richard White Dedication to excellence and achievement among Orasis employees is a primary driver of our success, and we strive to provide a positive, supportive work environment for them." Orasi Software, an Atlanta-based software quality reseller and professional services company, today announced it has again been named a Top Workplace by The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC). Orasi was one of more than 4,300 companies nominated for the honor. It received the award for the third time, having been named a Top Workplace by the AJC in 2014 and 2016. Orasi received its award at a recognition event for Top Workplace winners on Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. Its achievement was also highlighted in a special section of the AJC on Sunday, March 3, 2019 and on the AJCs Top Workplaces channel. The Top Workplaces lists are based solely on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by Energage (formerly Workplace Dynamics), a Philadelphia-based human resources consulting company. This year, the firm surveyed 256 metro area companies. Throughout those companies, more than 55,000 employees participated in the survey. To be eligible for consideration as an Atlanta Metro Area Top Workplace, organizations must first be nominated by employees of the firm. From that point, the AJCs editorial team reaches out to nominated organizations, gaining permission for a brief employee survey. Companies that are well-rated by their employees are eligible for inclusion in the final Top Workplaces listing. The only other criteria for nomination is that all firms must have 50 employees or more. Dedication to excellence and achievement among Orasis employees is a primary driver of our success, and we strive to provide a positive, supportive work environment for them, said Orasi Software President and CEO Nick Kavadellas. It was very rewarding to learn that our employees continue to support Orasi at such a high level that their praise has again placed us among this exclusive group of Top Workplace award winners. About Orasi Orasi is a software developer and consulting firm that ensures confident delivery of transformative applications that grow and simplify business. Our experts lead organizations through the complex DevOps Journey from start to finish, with strategic consulting, a spectrum of automation and integration tools -- including Orasis ConnectALL -- and security solutions that minimize application vulnerabilities and data exposure. We leverage enduring partnerships with the worlds most innovative technology firms including Micro Focus, Chef and Delphix, enabling offerings as unique as our clients. Our product lines and services connect Dev and Ops teams, streamline processes, optimize quality and efficiency, reduce the risk of software failure, and drive speed to delivery. Visit https://www.orasi.com. About Energage, LLC Energage is a CultureTech specialist that helps firms realize their workforces full potential by building a stronger culture and connections across the organization. With higher employee engagement and intentional cultures, Energage customers are reducing turnover costs, increasing productivity, and improving teamwork. We apply our Top Workplaces research, neuroscience, and expert insights to give organizational leaders clear next steps to develop an employee-centric approach to success. For more information, visit https://www.energage.com. Its been an incredible journey, starting at a kitchen table with my college roommate, to 25 years later providing over 2 billion dollars of critical funding to thousands of companies. Paragon Financial Group, Inc., an Asset Based Lending company specializing in No-Credit Risk Accounts Receivable Factoring, Payroll Financing and Purchase Order Funding, is celebrating 25 years of funding companies from startup through hyper-growth. Jon Anselma co-founded Paragon Financial in 1994, with the goal of providing growing businesses an alternative to conventional bank financing. Over the past 25 years, Paragon Financial has factored over 2 billion dollars. Its been an incredible journey, starting at a kitchen table with my college roommate, to 25 years later providing over 2 billion dollars of critical funding to thousands of growing companies, said Jon Anselma, COO of Paragon Financial Group. Chris Curtin, President of Paragon Financial Group, contributed, Paragon is excited to begin its 25th-year celebration. We have special events scheduled throughout the year and a surprise or two for our wonderful clients and referral sources. Call 888-400-5931 ext 1 or e-mail us at chris(at)paragonfinancial.net for more information regarding Paragon Financial and its upcoming 25-year celebration events. ABOUT PARAGON FINANCIAL GROUP Celebrating its 25th year in 2019, Paragon Financial Group specializes in non-recourse invoice factoring and purchase order financing throughout the US. Paragon along with her sister company Gerber Financial is part of Global Merchant Fund Corp. "We are excited to feature and promote these local businesses during Women's History Month" Rebecca Dove ProjectUK (United Knowledge) in partnership with Plexpod Westport Commons, will celebrate female retail and product owners during Womens History Month. These founders will have the ability to share their story, their products and speak about their business on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at the Plexpod Westport Commons, 300 E. 39th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111 from 10AM-1: 00 PM. Some participating businesses are; http://www.ShotsbyMiko.com, Mattiecakess.com, http://www.thesharkoff.com, Emilie's French Teas, Little Rascals Beauty, and Fan of Joy Brand. This event is being sponsored by Plexpod, ProjectUK, and the Kauffman Foundation. We selected to celebrate women because they need more coverage within Kansas City being a fast-growing entrepreneurship community. According to the Kauffman Foundation, despite women making up over half of the population in the United States, only 20 percent of businesses are owned by women. To register, visit: https://2019shopkc.eventbrite.com Project United Knowledge As a startup studio, we are committed to providing resources to founders struggling to validate their business ideas. ProjectUK places an emphasis on assisting founders from diverse and underestimated communities. We bring community knowledge together through our 11-week cohort program and community classes. Plexpod Plexpod is a progressive coworking platform offering next-generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. In addition to providing desks, offices, team spaces, and meeting rooms, Plexpod serves as your world headquarters featuring additional resources like soundstage & photography studios, performance theater & event spaces, cafes & kitchens, fitness & gaming, sport court & dance studio, as well as outdoor spaces; and all within a next-generation shared workspace environment. Plexpod has three locations in the Kansas City metro area and is currently expanding to other cities. Pub Ocean, a technology company providing revenue-driven solutions for digital publishers, today announced a new partnership with native advertising platform Prezna. Pub Oceans LiveYield, a real-time revenue analytics platform, will be integrated into Preznas content distribution technology. Through this partnership, Preznas customers will have direct access to revenue per session (RPS) tracking allowing publishers to make instant, revenue-driven decisions based on real-time content performance. Digital publishers on Prezna will now have the visibility required to see which of their campaigns are profitable, and which arent, allowing them to have granular control of their profitability. By enabling digital publishers to see their revenue in real-time, LiveYield arms them with the information they need to make better media buying decisions that directly, and positively, affect revenue and scale as it relates to audience development. Were thrilled to have the opportunity to bring even more value for publishers to Prezna. LiveYield is now putting a real-time dollar sign on the scalable native advertising campaigns Prezna clients have today, said Chris Ingham Brooke, Founder & CEO of Pub Ocean. Many publishers dont realize that, even with the best content distribution strategies, they are missing key metrics that impact their ROI tremendously. Our partnership with Prezna helps to solve that marketplace gap. Without real-time revenue data, publishers are unable to optimize their audience development strategies to the best of their abilities. They have to settle on operating at a lower performance. LiveYield provides the level of granularity needed to inform better media buying strategies in real time, arming digital publishers with the data they need and ultimately increasing usership of Preznas platform. Prezna is used by hundreds of digital publishers to scale their native advertising content on Outbrain, Taboola, Content.ad, RevContent and Yahoo Gemini. Pub Ocean, via LiveYield, will provide Prezna with very detailed and granular real-time revenue analytics of those campaigns, allowing their clients to track ROI in real-time at a granular level. The ability to provide our customers with a more holistic view of their ROI was a major driver for the LiveYield integration, said Roman Romanuk, CEO of Prezna. When we saw the capabilities LiveYield was able to deliver to our users, it was a no brainer. The ultimate goal for both ourselves and Pub Ocean is to provide publishers with the most efficient experience to inform and drive revenue back to their business. For more information about Pub Ocean and LiveYield, visit http://www.pubocean.com. About Pub Ocean Pub Ocean is the leading publishing technology company that provides digital publishers with solutions to optimize the value of their content and make digital publishing more profitable. Through its real-time revenue analytics offerings, Pub Ocean gives publishers increased visibility which leads to profitable audience development and insights into creating better content that builds more sustainable audiences. Pub Ocean is headquartered in Bristol, UK, with offices in London, New York, Poznan. About Prezna Prezna provides the leading marketing tools for scaling paid content discovery. Prezna helps you scale your Outbrain, Taboola, Content.ad, RevContent, and Yahoo Gemini advertisements faster than ever with their bulk ad creator, complete reporting analytics, and campaign automation rules. Create ads, analyze results, and scale - all in one place! "They have brought us cost savings, higher internet speeds and improved reliability. We are now able to better serve the Evanston community. - Chuck Duncan, General Manager, GAB Radio RCN Business, an award-winning communications provider delivering network solutions for high-speed internet, voice, and video, today announced that its Business Solutions services are now available in Evanston, Illinois. The recently completed expansion of its fiber optic network in the Fountain Square area of downtown Evanston enables the company to provide its high-speed, reliable services for small to enterprise-sized businesses in the community. Local businesses are the cornerstone of our communities, and were now prepared to support those in the Evanston area with our telecom expertise, said Tom McKay, General Manager for RCN Chicago. RCN is dedicated to providing competitive solutions to help Evanston businesses thrive in their day-to-day operations while continuing to offer its local residents award-winning services including industry-leading internet, phone and TV options. RCN Business provides data, voice and video services and a variety of scalable products for businesses of all sizes, including Hosted Voice, Managed Security, Business Phone Call and more. GAB Radio Network, a local Evanston business, has seen tremendous success as one of RCNs first business customers in the area. GAB Radio offers professional radio broadcast technical operations, program distribution, national radio syndication services and related broadcast production consulting services. Before RCN, our network required six telecom providers to simply maintain normal business operations. With RCNs Business Solutions, were able to completely streamline our telecom services, allowing us to work far more effectively and efficiently, said Chuck Duncan, General Manager of GAB Radio Network. Given the nature of our professional and technical services, we needed a centralized, reliable solution and RCN was able to deliver just that. They have brought us cost savings, higher internet speeds and improved reliability. We are now able to better serve the Evanston community. RCN Business provides GAB Radio Network with a fiber optic network, consolidated communication services, simplified account management, and full redundancy to improve reliability and disaster recovery ability. RCN Chicago has offered reliable phone, television and high-speed internet services to residents of the Evanston area since 2017 and is an active member of the community and the Evanston Chamber of Commerce. For more information on RCN Business and its solutions in Evanston, please visit http://www.rcn.com/business. ### About RCN Business RCN Business Service provides industry-leading high-speed internet, voice, video and network solutions to businesses of all sizes. Delivered through a wholly-owned, state-of-the-art fiber-rich network and supported by 100% U.S.-based customer service, RCN Business serves businesses in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia (Delaware County), Lehigh Valley (PA), Washington, D.C., and New York City. RCN Business received the Metro Ethernet Forums CE 2.0 certification in the E-Line, E-LAN and E-Access categories in 2014. Media Contact Emma Lasch Matter on behalf of RCN rcn(at)matternow.com 617-874-5069 Scaled Agile, Inc., provider of the worlds leading framework for enterprise agility, today announced open registration for the 2019 Global SAFe Summit, which will take place September 29 October 4 at the Marriott Marquis in San Diego, CA. With over 1,700 attendees expected, the 6-day event will be the worlds largest gathering to focus exclusively on the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and its community of practice. The 2019 Global SAFe Summit is a big tent event for everyone engaged with SAFepractitioners, trainers, consultants, Scaled Agile Partners, and enterprise business leaders. The event will feature pre- and post-conference training and workshops and a two-day main conference. Attendees will have opportunities to build skills, exchange knowledge, network with each other, connect with thought leaders and influencers, and see firsthand how enterprises are leveraging SAFe to achieve business agility and enable digital transformation initiatives. Achieving business agility compels far-reaching changes in culture, behavior, and mindset, said Dean Leffingwell, creator of SAFe and Chief Methodologist at Scaled Agile, Inc. The people attending the SAFe Summit are the ones setting the pace for that change; modeling it and enabling it in others. To be able to engage with these accomplished professionals in the field at one time and in one place is an extraordinary opportunity for all those attending the Summit. Described as being all things SAFe, all in one place, the 2019 Global SAFe Summit combines three key events: September 29 October 1, Pre-conference Training: Pre-conference training covers a wide range of topics and SAFe applications. Classes and certifications include: SAFe Advanced Scrum Master, SAFe DevOps, SAFe for Architects, SAFe Release Train Engineer, and SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager. October 2 3, Main Conference: The two-day main conference will include industry-leading keynotes, over 45 technical sessions across seven tracks, customer success stories, Lightning Talks, and multiple networking opportunities. Attendees will be able to learn new strategies for delivering customer value more effectively, and gain insights into how some of the world's largest enterprises are leveraging SAFe to improve quality, accelerate time-to-market, and increase employee engagement. Tracks cover: Accelerating Business Agility Lean Portfolio Management DevOps and Technical Agility Business Solutions and Lean Systems Engineering Lean-Agile Leadership and HR SAFe Applied SAFe in Government Programs A dedicated Partner track and Partner networking expo will focus on building Partner success in marketing, supporting, and deploying SAFe products and services. For attendees seeking consulting, training, or platform solutions, Scaled Agile Partners will be exhibiting during the main conference, making this the only venue where an exclusively SAFe-focused audience can engage with vendors specializing in SAFe. October 4, Post-conference Workshops: Post-conference workshops provide attendees with the opportunity to take a deep dive into some of the most topical issues relating to the practice of SAFe with the people who created the Framework. Subject areas include: Prioritizing Portfolio Investments Accelerate your Business Agility Lean-Agile Leadership Advanced DevOps Building Really Big Systems with SAFe Registration is open at global.safesummit.com, with super early-bird pricing available until April 17, 2019. In addition to the 2019 Global SAFe Summit in San Diego, CA, Scaled Agile will be hosting the 2019 European SAFe Summit in The Hague, Netherlands May 7 10. The 2019 European SAFe Summit, Europe, will feature content and customer success stories most relevant to SAFe professionals in Europe and surrounding countries. Learn more at europe.safesummit.com. About Scaled Agile, Inc.: Scaled Agile, Inc., is the provider of SAFe, the worlds leading framework for enterprise agility. Through learning and certification, a global partner network, and a growing community of over 400,000 trained professionals, Scaled Agile helps enterprises build better systems, increase employee engagement, and improve business outcomes. Scaled Agile is a contributing member of the Pledge 1% corporate philanthropy and community service movement. Learn about Scaled Agile and SAFe at scaledagile.com. Exhibitor Contact (exhibitor space limited to Scaled Agile Partners): Karen Lewison, Event Manager karen.lewison@scaledagile.com Rigaku MiniFlex benchtop X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument Rigaku provides the worlds most complete line of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instruments and components, and is exhibiting at booth #136. Rigaku Corporation will be attending the March 2019 American Physical Society (APS) meeting, representing its diverse range of X-ray analytical instrumentation. The meeting is taking place March 4-8 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC). The meeting will host 11,000 attendees and showcase research from industry, academia, and major labs for a global audience of physicists, scientists, and students. Rigaku provides the worlds most complete line of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instruments and components, and is exhibiting at booth #136. Systems include the Rigaku MiniFlex XRD and Supermini200 wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) benchtop systems, and the SmartLab multi-purpose diffractometer with small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and in-plane capabilities. About Rigaku Since its inception in Japan in 1951, Rigaku has been at the forefront of analytical and industrial instrumentation technology. Rigaku and its subsidiaries form a global group focused on general-purpose analytical instrumentation and the life sciences. With hundreds of major innovations to their credit, Rigaku companies are world leaders in X-ray spectrometry, diffraction, and optics, as well as small molecule and protein crystallography and semiconductor metrology. Today, Rigaku employs over 1,400 people in the manufacturing and support of its analytical equipment, which is used in more than 90 countries around the world supporting research, development, and quality assurance activities. Throughout the world, Rigaku continuously promotes partnerships, dialog, and innovation within the global scientific and industrial communities. For further information, contact: Michael Nelson Rigaku Global Marketing Group tel: +1. 512-225-1796 michael.nelson(at)rigaku.com Specialty Technical Publishers Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) and Specialty Technical Consultants (STC) announce the availability of the newly updated International Audit Protocol Consortium (IAPC) EHS audit protocol for Malaysia. Leading companies around the world use IAPC EHS audit protocols to understand the scope of their EHS regulatory obligations and rapidly collect, share, archive, and export audit findings in a cost effective manner. IAPC EHS audit protocols are now prepared by STC in partnership with STP and continue to focus on those national (plus, in some cases, regional or provincial) EHS requirements that have site-specific application for manufacturing operations. As a leading EHS management consulting firm with a global network of experienced EHS teaming partners, STC has indepth knowledge and technical expertise of local/regional EHS requirements. STP and STC maintain leading-edge EHS audit protocols for more than 50 jurisdictions. The protocol documents are written in English and are available in MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and Excel formats, as well as through STPs web-based portal or can be integrated into an existing company platform. Using the protocols custom templates and advanced functionality features, auditors can easily track audit findings and manage data over time to improve compliance, risk management and safety performance. In addition, STPs formatting is compatible with leading risk management and sustainability platform providers. Highlights of selected legislation covered in the newly developed protocol include: The amended Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management (Scheme for Household Solid Waste and Solid Waste Similar to Household Solid Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 was added to the protocol including requirements relating to the management of recycled wastes. Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management (Scheme for Commercial, Industrial and Institutional Solid Waste) Regulations 2018 was added to the protocol including requirements relating to the selection of a waste collection licensee and the record keeping requirement for any commercial, industrial or institutional solid waste generator. The Code of Practice on Prevention and Eradication of Drug, Alcohol and Substance Abuse in the Workplace 2005 was added to the protocol including information that directs the user to details on the implementation of a drug, alcohol, and substance abuse policy. The license application form for licenses required under the Environmental Quality (Licensing) Regulations, 1977, P.U. (A) 198/1977 was added to the protocol. This regulation provides the form that companies must use to apply for any license or license transfer or license renewal in application of the requirements of the Environmental Quality Act of 1974, Act 127. For more information on all International EHS audit protocols offered by STP and STC click here. About Specialty Technical Publishers Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, accounting, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glaciers Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories, technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites. About Specialty Technical Consultants Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc. (STC) is a specialized management consulting firm working to enhance environmental health and safety (EHS) performance. Through its consulting services, STC partners with clients to strengthen management systems' design and implementation, and identifies needs and implements solutions to meet business objectives. Services provided include: EHS compliance support; risk assessment; EHS auditing; corporate responsibility and sustainability; EHS management systems development and implementation; EHS regulatory information tools; and EHS training. STC is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Supplier Clearinghouse for the California Public Utilities Commission, and as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program. We are proud to be innovators in a rapidly evolving space and our new brand identity as Alchemy Seven will now illustrate just how far our company has come. Spectrum Marketing, a B2B marketing firm focused exclusively on Technology brands, their partners and Value-Added Resellers, today announced a major rebranding to reflect the companys evolution of their core lead generation offering away from traditional cold calling methods. The comprehensive rebrand elevates the focus on their unique process and lead generation strategies, as well as access to high-quality, proprietary market intelligence, and includes a new logo, new brand strategy, positioning, and website. Alchemy Sevens innovative, multi-touch, integrated approach to marketing and lead qualification, combined with new prospecting strategies to set actionable sales appointments for clients, provides an alternative to cold calling and addresses the on-going challenges of creating high-quality, near-term sales opportunities in the technology space. With the comprehensive rebranding efforts, the company will offer data-driven, tightly focused lead generation programs to identify high-quality sales opportunities among organizations with defined purchase budgets and near-term buying intent. Pat OToole, Chief Executive Officer at Alchemy Seven, said Our new branding reflects our journey away from the outdated, ineffective domain of cold calling. Weve been in business since 2003, but over the last few years especially weve watched our effectiveness decline. Cold calling efforts became more and more fruitless, but we were working harder just to generate a fraction of the results. We knew it was time to evolve. We understood that a new and unique approach was needed, adds OToole. We took this opportunity to rethink not just our name, but our entire brand. We are proud to be innovators in a rapidly evolving space and our new brand identity as Alchemy Seven will now illustrate just how far our company has come. Our new vision is to disrupt the prevailing, outdated IT B2B lead generation models with forward-thinking approaches that expand the boundaries of opportunity for everyone in the process our clients, their prospects, and our employees. OToole continues, We knew two things were impacting our success: data and cold calling. Cold calling into the same cold lists targeting the same contacts no longer worked. Decision makers were inundated with phone calls and stopped answering the phones. Cold calling, the primary lead generation tactic thats been used for years, just didnt work anymore. We overcame these two obstacles by transforming the way we do lead generation. First, we partnered with a premier market intelligence company to ensure that we have the most robust and detailed market intelligence database of any lead generation company in the market, giving us access to a proprietary 1.2 million verified IT contacts in US companies. This gives us the ability to target accounts by competitive install brands and industry verticals, which is a huge differentiator for us. Secondly, we developed a proven and repeatable multi-touch process guaranteed to set qualified, actionable appointments with prospects in these target accounts. The results are far superior to anything weve done or seen before. The Alchemy Seven logo brings a sharp new visual identity, characterizing the brand as bold, modern, effective, innovative and forward-thinking. Alchemy Sevens emphasis on providing next generation prospecting and appointment setting services to Technology companies is reflected in the companys new tagline, Lead Generation Transformed. Please visit http://www.alchemysevenmarketing.com to explore the new website and learn more about our unique suite of lead generation services and IT market intelligence. About Alchemy Seven Alchemy Seven Marketing is a B2B marketing firm serving Technology brands, their partners and resellers. In the current evolving marketing landscape and post cold-calling era, Alchemy Seven can consistently deliver a steady flow of qualified, actionable leads to clients without cold calling, offering unique and innovative prospecting solutions. For more information, please visit http://www.alchemysevenmarketing.com. Contact: Pat OToole 315-657-5800 Pat@alchemysevenmarketing.com Magnificent and unparalleled gemstone now on display in the Brown Gallery at the Houston Museum of Natural Science "One of the worlds largest blue sapphires." Hailing from an island of gemstones, the Siren of Serendip is one of the worlds largest blue sapphires. This magnificent and unparalleled gemstone will be on display in the Brown Gallery at the Houston Museum of Natural Science from March 3 through 24, just in time for spring break. Considered one of the top five sapphires in the world, the Siren of Serendip weighs a phenomenal 422.66 carats and was discovered almost a century ago on the island of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). When found, the original rough crystal weighed 2,670 carats before it was cut and polished. A Perfect Setting A glorious gem deserves a glorious setting. Master jeweler Ingo Henn of London and Idar-Oberstein, Germany was commissioned to design a jewelry piece for the Siren of Serendip. Designing the perfect piece to showcase this sapphire was a thoughtful process. Henn presented HMNS president & CEO, and curator of gems and minerals Joel Bartsch with three designs to choose from, narrowed down from over 20 ideas. Watch the making of the Siren of Serendip necklace. A white gold and platinum necklace was chosen to showcase the blue color of the Siren of the Serendip. The sapphire is the focal point of the piece, but the necklace also includes 913 diamonds, totaling 36.30 carats. Henn is no stranger to the museum. The Henn family has a long history of consulting with HMNS curators on some of the pieces in the museums gem and mineral collection. Just over 10 years ago, Ingo Henn designed a peridot jewelry suite (comprised of a necklace, earrings and ring) that is still displayed in HMNSs Lester & Sue Smith Gem Vault. Origin Story The gemstones name refers in part to the sirens of Greek mythology, whose irresistibleyet unattainablebeauty captivated all who beheld them. Meanwhile, the second half of its name refers to the ancient Persian word for Ceylon, Serendip, and also serves as a nod to the serendipity the museum feels at having the opportunity to own this stunning piece. Ceylon sapphires are world renowned for their size, color and abundance. Sri Lankan mines hold the record for the largest fine quality faceted blue sapphires in the world. The country boasts the highest density of gem deposits, with gem-bearing Pre-Cambrian rock composing 90 percent of its landmass. The age of Sri Lankas geology contributes to the lands richness in gem deposits. Jewelry aficionados and geology geeks alike will be in awe of this glistening gemstone and its stunning diamond setting. Guests can see it in the Brown Gallery during their trips to the Houston Museum of Natural Science this March. Tickets will be $5 in addition to general admission. The Siren of Serendip is now on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciencedue to a little serendipity, and a large amount of generosity from multiple anonymous donors. For ticket prices or more information visit our website at http://www.hmns.org or call (713) 639-4629. The Houston Museum of Natural Scienceone of the nations most heavily attended museumsis a centerpiece of the Houston Museum District. With four floors of permanent exhibit halls, and the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium and George Observatory and as host to world-class and ever-changing touring exhibitions, the Museum has something to delight every age group. With such diverse and extraordinary offerings, a trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, located at 5555 Hermann Circle Drive in the heart of the Museum District, is always an adventure. Swipii HQ has recently received $2.4m in funding. Our card linking technology has improved on an already popular product by making it even more intuitive, and this investment means we can build on our existing user base and grow with the new, more intuitive Swipii. Swipii, founded in late 2015 and based in Glasgow, is first in the UK to use ground-breaking card linking technology and truly focus on empowering local businesses. Users of their innovative app can download Swipii from Google Play or App Store and sign up by linking their everyday debit or credit card. Users then simply get rewarded every time they shop in a Swipii participating location featured in their app, getting 10 points for every 1 spent. Its super easy and the most convenient way to get rewarded without any hassle of remembering any information or carrying any extra cards. On the other side, Swipii gives businesses the power of data to know the spending habits of their customers better and help them to run automated, tailored marketing to increase retention and revenue. The first version of Swipii swept the nation by empowering over 1,700 businesses and well over 1.1 million users with its customer loyalty and marketing tool. They were awarded the Best Customer Loyalty and Marketing Platform in the UK in 2016. Independent businesses saw up to a 1.5x increase in their revenue as a result of using the Swipii platform. The new Swipii version is here and its sleeker, smarter and ready to take off. At Swipii, we have worked hard to build a brand that associates itself with helping local businesses. With card linking technology we will be able to empower local businesses with more powerful actionable data without the need of any technical expertise. - Chitresh Sharma, co-founder and CEO After successful beta testing in Glasgow, Swipii now focusses to scale the product across the UK, starting with an objective to reach a saturation point in the city where it was first developed. For this, the company took part in a pre-scaleup round of funding, raising $2.4 million (1.9 million) in order to push the company expansion. With the recent funding, the company has ambitions of growth, looking to migrate original businesses and users to the new platform, as well as take the product to the rest of the population. Recently, Swipii has taken it one step further and have onboarded hard hitters in Janet Balneaves from Skyscanner as the new Growth Director, and Mark Crabbie from Google to become Product Owner at Swipii. On top of this, they are joined by Mark Logan who has brought his experience to the board of directors, as the ex-COO of Skyscanner. Hes shown his belief in this powerful startup by also participating in the pre-scaleup round of funding. Following the latest round of funding, Swipii is heavily investing in staff and talent, doubling the product team and investing to continuously grow both the Product team and the Growth team to speed up delivery of features and improve the user experience. This involves creating a whole new onboarding process for new faces at Swipii, as co-founder and COO, Louis Schena, pointed out: The most noticeable change this year outside of the card linking technology for our users is our Swipii for Business brand and product. It is now fully self-service and free to setup from our website. This enables businesses to try before they buy and from Swipii to be infinitely more scalable than our previous support heavy model. Small businesses dont have the same technology or funds as the likes of Tesco or Starbucks. Swipii helps them to create a loyalty program that increases footfall and improves customer retention. There is a strong focus on convenience, helping shoppers who are tired of multiple loyalty cards, rewards vouchers, QR codes and apps. Simplicity is key. Whether its for a business or a shopper, Swipii provides a tailored, exclusive new way of doing loyalty. This latest round of funding was led by Par Equity, along with the Scottish Investment Bank, Green Shores Capital and follow up money from previous investors. For more information, contact Swipii at hello@swipiicard.com or give them a call on 0800 368 7416. TEKLYNX takes great pride knowing that our enterprise-level barcode labeling solution positions Aspen Medical Products to label accurately and expand rapidly into new markets so they can impact more patients in need. Doug Niemeyer, TEKLYNX GM TEKLYNX International, the worlds leading barcode and RFID labeling software developer and solutions provider, today reported a TEKLYNX CENTRAL CFR enterprise barcode labeling software implementation significantly improved labeling accuracy, efficiency and industry compliance for growing medical device manufacturer Aspen Medical Products. A leading manufacturer, marketer and developer of upper and lower spinal orthotics, Aspen Medical Products continued to experience international growth, prompting a re-evaluation of its labeling operations. We were looking to implement a standalone labeling system that would eliminate manual entry, integrate with our existing ERP system, and handle language translation demands, explains Aspen Medical Products Planning Manager Israel Lopez. Aspen Medical Products also sought a labeling solution that could improve its ability to meet vast and ever changing medical device compliance standards such as the FDAs standard 21 CFR Part 11 which requires approvals via electronic signature. With TEKLYNX CENTRAL CFR, the company now has access to a label approval module that allows for electronic approval while providing the required security and traceability in accordance with FDA 21 CFR Part 11. Aspen Medical Products also has the ability to create complex, UDI-compliant barcodes, such as HIBC or GS1 Databar, to meet other FDA compliance and healthcare industry standards. Aspen Medical Products implementation of enterprise barcode labeling software solution TEKLYNX CENTRAL CFR successfully transitioned the companys labeling environment from design and print to label management. With TEKLYNX CENTRAL CFR, Aspen Medical Products eliminated manual data input by scanning barcodes that automatically populate label data. Five years ago, we averaged three corrective actions a week due to labeling errors, notes Lopez. Now that our operators simply have to scan barcodes, I havent seen a corrective labeling action all year. Aspen Medical Products also eliminated weeks from its label approval process when dealing with global contractors. In the past, when our contractors in China would make a label, we would send out label copy and ask them to generate a label using their own system and send it back to us, explains Lopez. This back and forth label creation and approval process could take weeks. With TEKLYNX CENTRAL CFR, the company can centrally control labels and make changes without disruption to global print users. With TEKLYNX CENTRAL CFR, Aspen Medical Products is equipped to meet its current labeling challenges and is prepared for growth because the software is designed to scale up as the company grows. Aspen Medical Products provides life-changing medical products in one of the fastest growing industries, comments TEKLYNX General Manager Doug Niemeyer. We take great pride knowing that our enterprise-level barcode labeling solution positions them to label accurately and expand rapidly into new markets so they can impact more patients in need. To read more about Aspen Medical Products experience with TEKLYNX CENTRAL CFR, download the full case study here. To learn more about TEKLYNX barcode and RFID labeling software solutions, visit teklynx.com. About TEKLYNX International TEKLYNX International is the worlds leading barcode and RFID labeling software developer and solutions provider. An industry innovator for over 30 years, TEKLYNX helps companies operate smoothly and efficiently by implementing labeling solutions that streamline operations while staying ahead of industry-specific compliance and emerging regulations. TEKLYNX is world-renowned for its customer service; offering flexible purchase options, unparalleled service and support, and a comprehensive product offering that grows with companies over time. With operations in the United States, Europe, Japan, Latin America, China and Singapore, more than 750,000 companies in over 170 countries look to TEKLYNX integrated software solutions for their standard of success. Learn more by visiting teklynx.com, LinkedIn, Twitter @Teklynx, and Facebook.com/TEKLYNXInternational or call 888-629-4444. Deputy Superintendent Jodi McClay Strategies and plans to ensure ongoing feedback from our community are fundamental to keeping our district focused on the needs of all our students, said Deputy Superintendent Jodi McClay. Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) recently detailed its structured approach to seeking input from all stakeholders served by the district. Strategies and plans to ensure ongoing feedback from our community are fundamental to keeping our district focused on the needs of all our students, said Deputy Superintendent Jodi McClay. The district, in February, held its third regional Community Advisory Partners (CAP) meeting for the 2018-19 school year. Deputy Superintendent McClay explained, Each of our 27 school sites has an active CAP team, which includes parents, teachers, administrators, and students. They meet monthly on their campuses and come together several times each year for regional sessions. These important exchanges allow for cross-grouping of elementary, middle, and high school teams from the area. During these meetings, teams work collaboratively to review data, programs, and services provided by schools and the district at-large. In January, nearly 300 participants came together from each of the three regions to analyze district-wide student academic performance data and to identify strengths and areas of growth. The valuable input from these sessions will then be compiled with feedback from other stakeholder groups and presented to the districts Governing Board, said McClay. Our process ensures opportunities for community input which shape and guide the districts priorities and the Local Control Accountability Plan, she added. The College of New Rochelle (CNR) and Mercy College announced today an agreement between the two institutions creating a seamless pathway for CNR students to continue their education. Both colleges are currently in the process of obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals to fully effectuate this agreement. This agreement allows CNR students in good standing the opportunity to transfer to Mercy College, as CNRs designated preferred institution for almost all academic disciplines offered by CNR, subject to regulatory approval. The agreement also offers an improved financial arrangement, as most CNR students will see the same or lower tuition and will not lose credits or time toward graduation. Mercy College hopes to retain many of the CNR faculty and to continue to use some of CNRs current facilities in New Rochelle and at some of its New York City campuses, creating a more seamless transition than any other area institution could. To facilitate the Mercy College use of current CNR facilities, both Mercy College and CNR will work with CNRs creditors to secure leases that are key to accommodating the operation of programs at these facilities. Since the onset of the financial crisis in 2016, The College of New Rochelle community has worked diligently to sustain the College. These collective efforts on the part of the Board, administration, faculty, staff, alumnae, and community partners has made possible the graduation of more-than 1,800 students during the past two commencements, including the 2018 commencement over which I had the honor and privilege to preside, said Dr. William Latimer, President of The College of New Rochelle. Despite our successes, the financial status of the College underscored the necessity to identify an institution that would provide a safe haven for students first and foremost while also doing our best to protect faculty and staff and CNRs Ursuline legacy. We are blessed that our work with Mercy College provides the basis to accomplish each of these aims. By virtue of alignment of mission, quality of the education provided, geographical proximity across Westchester and NYC, and comparable or lower cost, we could not find a better institution to facilitate the transition of students in a seamless manner to continue their education than Mercy College. There is much work left to do but CNR stands ready and able to facilitate the process to enable students to continue their education and complete their degrees with Mercy College. Mercy College has taken over the responsibility of serving The College of New Rochelle students so that they are able to continue their education uninterrupted and graduate on time, said Timothy Hall, President of Mercy College. More than providing them a new educational home, the agreement has been carefully considered and implemented over many months to go above and beyond to create a seamless pathway for CNR students to join the Mercy College community with minimal disruption to their academic careers. Our recent academic growth and strong financial profile make this rare opportunity possible and, the long-term impact will be a stronger Mercy College. CNR will wind down operations due to financial difficulties and is expected to close following the summer 2019 semester in August. CNR students will then begin the fall 2019 semester at Mercy College. Mercy College is recognized for its commitment to student success through a broad range of comprehensive academic programs and support services provided to a diverse student body. Mercy College and CNR share a number of similar program offerings, most notably in nursing studies and adult education, which encompass the greatest number of current CNR students. For degree programs not currently offered at Mercy College, Mercy is in the process of seeking regulatory approval to begin offering those courses at the start of the fall 2019 semester. Increased programmatic offerings will not only accommodate as many CNR students as possible but create expanded opportunities for existing Mercy College students. About Mercy College Founded in 1950 by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy College is an independent, coeducational college that offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs within five schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences. With campuses in Dobbs Ferry, Bronx, Manhattan and Yorktown Heights, the vibrancy of the College culture is sustained by a diverse student body from around the region. About The College of New Rochelle Founded by the Ursuline Sisters in 1904, The College of New Rochelle comprises four schools the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Nursing & Healthcare Professions, the Graduate School and the School of New Resources for adult learners. Based at its historic home in New Rochelle, the College also operates five other locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Harlem and Yonkers. About the Mercy College/CNR Agreement The agreement pertains only to the CNR student body being given the opportunity to seamlessly integrate into Mercy College. It is not an acquisition, merger of, or partnership between the two institutions, and Mercy College is not assuming any level of ownership of The College of New Rochelle, or any responsibility for its debts or financial obligations. Renowned fashion modeling agency, The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt, announces the signing of up-and-coming fashion model, Jasmine Daniels - current face of the #MYCALVINS campaign. Jasmine Daniels' career began in 2017 with the support of one of the most influential editors in the industry, Katie Grand. After her debut at the Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu shows in New York and Paris respectively, she was shot by acclaimed photographer, Alasdair McLellan for an editorial inside Love Magazines fall fashion issue. Two years later, Jasmine was signed to be the face of Calvin Kleins #MYCALVINS global campaign shot by Glen Luchford, directed by Cedric Murac and styled by Melanie Ward. In the most recent CK campaign Daniels appears with her boyfriend, superstar rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor, A$AP ROCKY. Daniels is also the current face of Elie Saabs newest fragrance campaign; #GIRLOFNOW. We are thrilled to welcome a model of Jasmines caliber to The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt family, states Executive Vice President, Erin Lucas. In my opinion, Jasmine is a modern beauty who embodies the future of the fashion industry and we look forward to a long and successful partnership. When I was considering new representation I knew there was only one choice, The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt, echoes Daniels. Not only do they offer incredible access to leading designers, brands and campaigns through the unique association to Pier59 Studios, but they also are known throughout the industry as being incredible advocates for their clients, underscored by The Models Bill of Rights. Knowing that I am at an agency that will not only provide opportunities, but also empower me to feel in control of my career made this decision easy. This news is the latest in a series of announcements underscoring the rapid growth and prestige of the agency owned by entrepreneur, Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa. Most recently, the brand launched a Miami office and hosted a widely attended signing of The Models Bill of Rights at Pier59 Studio during New York Fashion Week. The Bill, which details expectations that all models should expect from their agencies and clients, is enforced throughout Pignatelli della Leonessas The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt and across all studio spaces at Pier59 Studios. With offices in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt currently represents over 300 models. About The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt is a high-end boutique womens agency, with headquarters located in the Iconic Pier59 Studios at Chelsea Piers in NYC in addition to our offices in LA and Miami. Our focus is on discovering new talent and managing each individual to cultivate a successful and safe long-term career. In maintaining a very select roster, The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt is able to offer a personalized level of service to each and every model we represent. The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt is also on the forefront of changing the way models are being paid. Payments are made regularly, and no more than 60 days from invoice of completed work, regardless if clients have paid or not. Owned by Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa, The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt is part of the Art & Fashion Group Company which includes the iconic Pier59 Studios which boasts the highest caliber of international fashion and advertising clients in the world. With the ability to call on strong and distinctive relationships within the fashion community, The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt has an exceptional edge over other model and talent agencies. With our in-house access to the PIier59 Studios Group's state of the art digital, production and studio teams we are able to develop talent and create content that looks to the future of video and social media branding. The INDUSTRY Model Mgmt is a place that never ceases to inspire both its agents and models alike. About Pier59 Studios Founded in 1995 by Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa and his Art and Fashion Group Corporation, Pier59 Studios is a 110,000 square-foot premier photography and multimedia studio located at Chelsea Piers in New York City. As the largest photography facility and multimedia single complex in the World, the space is equipped with state of the art technology and accommodates the needs of photographers, designers, advertising agencies and television and film production companies. Pier59 Studios features eleven column-free studio spaces, including a 6,500 square-foot sound stage constructed for live performances, special events, video and commercial projects. Nine Studios are naturally lit and contain retractable walls. For more information please visit http://www.pier59studios.com. Media Inquiries: Catherine Pope 212.805.3022 cpope(at)rubensteinpr(dot)com Marshal Salomon, CEO, The Oncology Institute of Hope and Innovation The Oncology Institute of Hope and Innovation (The Institute), the largest community oncology practice in California, announced today that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Havencrest Healthcare Partners, M33 Growth and ROCA Partners to form a services entity, TOI Management (TOI), which provides business support services to The Institute. TOI and these strategic partners are joining forces to expand the delivery of The Institutes industry-leading model of value-based oncology care across the country. TOI also announced the appointment of Marshal Salomon as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. He brings over 20 years of executive leadership experience in multi-site healthcare organizations to TOI. Marshal most recently served as CEO of InterDent Service Corporation, one of the nations leading Dental Support Organizations, providing non-clinical support services to nearly 500 dentists across 200 affiliated dental offices, including the management of over 300,000 capitated lives in the state of Oregon. Marshal was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Vantage Oncology, a provider of high quality, community-based cancer care through 50 treatment facilities in 13 states in conjunction with more than 200 physician partners and affiliates. Vantages mission was to address the growing need among cancer patients, hospitals and physicians for accessible and advanced cancer treatments. As COO, he oversaw Vantages nationwide network and was instrumental to the companys culture, infrastructure development and prosperous growth. In 2016, McKesson Corp. acquired Vantage Oncology in a successful outcome for Vantages employees, physicians and investors. The Institute provides community oncology care in over 30 offices across California, Arizona and Nevada. The Institutes founder Richy Agajanian, M.D. will continue to provide clinical leadership across The Institutes network, and each local office remains committed to providing high quality, outcomes-based, best-in-class cancer care for its patients. We are excited to partner with Marshal and our strategic partners to continue supporting the development of the preeminent value-based, patient-centric oncology platform in the nation. With this growth capital investment in TOI, we have accelerated the support and strategic capabilities of our team, systems and offices so that The Institute can deliver the highest quality care and expand the scope of services we provide to our patients, said Dr. Agajanian. About The Oncology Institute of Hope and Innovation As the largest community oncology practice in California, The Oncology Institute of Hope and Innovation (The Institute) provides extensive, high quality care to its patients and is dedicated to excelling in cancer awareness, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and education. The Institutes focus is to provide integrated cancer care in a patient-centric environment. During its 11-year tenure, The Institute has treated over 100,000 patients across Southern California, Arizona and Nevada. The Institute has over 50 board certified hematologists/oncologists practicing in over 30 offices, affiliations with over 65 hospitals, and over 70 active clinical trials underway. Learn more at theoncologyinstitute.com. About Havencrest Healthcare Partners Havencrest Healthcare Partners is a Dallas-based, private equity fund specializing in the healthcare industry and is comprised of a blue-chip team of investment partners, operating partners and senior advisors. Learn more at http://www.havencrest.com. About M33 Growth M33 Growth is a venture and growth stage investment manager that partners with founders and CEOs who have successfully grown their companies without previous institutional investment, and are positioned to rapidly scale their companies and break through as market leaders. Learn more at http://www.m33growth.com. About ROCA Partners ROCA Partners is a Los-Angeles-based private equity investment firm focused on providing leading healthcare services and technology-enabled services companies with flexible capital and operational resources to accelerate growth. Learn more at http://www.rocapartners.com. SkillSurvey is a 2019 Top Workplace Our research shows organizations that earn the award attract better talent, experience lower turnover, and are better equipped to deliver bottom-line results. Their leaders prioritize and carefully craft a healthy workplace culture that supports employee engagement, Doug Claffey, CEO of Energage SkillSurvey, the leading provider of cloud-based reference checking, career readiness and healthcare credentialing solutions has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2019 honor by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC, a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few. Top Workplaces is more than just recognition, said Doug Claffey, CEO of Energage. Our research shows organizations that earn the award attract better talent, experience lower turnover, and are better equipped to deliver bottom-line results. Their leaders prioritize and carefully craft a healthy workplace culture that supports employee engagement. Were thrilled to achieve a Top Workplace recognition for the second year in a row, said Ray Bixler, CEO of SkillSurvey, Our team is at the heart of our success and creating a workplace where people feel that theyre valued, engaged and fully contributing toward our goals is critical. The Top Workplaces program is an effective tool for us to gain employee feedback and focus on specific ways that we can improve. Becoming a Top Workplace isnt something organizations can buy, Claffey said. Its an achievement organizations have worked for and a distinction that gives them a competitive advantage. Its a big deal. About Energage, LLC Headquartered in Exton, Pa., Energage is a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools that help leaders to unlock potential, inspire performance, and achieve amazing results within their organizations. The research partner behind the Top Workplaces program, Energage has surveyed more than 57,000 organizations representing well over 19 million employees in the United States. About SkillSurvey SkillSurvey applies the science of human behavior and smart technology to create a fuller picture of the people our customers engage. SkillSurvey solutions help employers save time and money, grow revenues, and bring the right employees onboard faster; and help students and higher education institutions gain insight about individual skills and career readiness. SkillSurvey Reference is proven to reduce first-year turnover for cause and uncovers behavioral competence; SkillSurvey Source offers new ways to build a pipeline of talent; SkillSurvey Credential OnDemand helps healthcare organizations onboard skilled practitioners faster with digital peer referencing. We serve more than 1,400 companies, institutions & organizations Visit SkillSurvey at http://www.skillsurvey.com, and on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. SkillSurvey is a registered trademark of SkillSurvey Inc. 2019 SkillSurvey Inc. and its affiliates. The University of Debrecen, Clinical Center, has a strong reputation for clinical research, currently running over 360 trials, with 113 starting in 2018, alone. The University is a Global Prime Site for IQVIA, a Premier Site for Sanofi, and has partnership with several CROs, pharma companies (incl. Pfizer, Novartis, ICON, Parexel). The University services over 56,000 patients in Debrecen Hungary. It has study sites dedicated to many therapeutic areas, including anesthesiology and intensive care, internal medicine, dermatology, pediatrics, cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopedics, pathology, psychiatry, pulmonology, rheumatology, surgery, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, and urology. All activities are overseen by the Universitys Coordination Center for Drug Development. The primary mission of the Coordination Center for Drug Development is to strategically and operationally support clinical trials to be implemented at the University of Debrecen, says Prof. Dr. Denes Pall, M.D., PhD, Director of the center. We aim to foster collaborative relationships with all study Sponsors and to develop future key and strategic partnerships with all current and potential partners based on professionalism and mutual benefit. We are committed to sharing relevant knowledge about clinical trials with patients, their family members, and the public in general, as well as other healthcare professionals to promote the added value of personal participation in such trials. Additionally, we focus attention on the implementation of initiatives coming from individual sites and principal investigators concerning improving efficacy, efficiency and patient centricity of the clinical trial process. The University of Debrecen will have a higher profile with sponsors and gain participation in international trials of leading-edge medications by being visible on Clinerions Patient Network Explorer platform. Patients at the university will gain access to leading-edge medical treatments as a result. We are very pleased to bring treatments and medicines to patients in Hungary faster, and also allowing clinical studies in the country to be more efficient, says Ian Rentsch, CEO of Clinerion. The University of Debrecen, with its wide range of therapeutic areas and deep expertise, will be a great addition to Clinerions global site network. About Clinerion Clinerion accelerates clinical research and medical access to treatments for patients. We use proprietary technologies for analysis of patient data from our global network of partner hospitals. Clinerion's Patient Network Explorer radically improves the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trial recruitment by offering data-driven protocol optimization, site feasibility evaluation and real-time patient search and identification to match patients to treatments. Our technology solution provides real-world evidence analytics for medical access. Clinerion facilitates the participation of partner hospitals in leading-edge, industry-sponsored trials and time savings in patient recruitment. We create innovative and disruptive fit-for-purpose solutions which enable pharmaceutical companies to shorten patient recruitment and save costs by streamlining operations and leveraging strategic intelligence. Clinerions proprietary Big Data analytics technologies leverage real-time data from electronic health records which comply with international patient privacy and data security regulations. Clinerion is a global data technology service company headquartered in Switzerland. Clinerion website: http://www.clinerion.com Clinerions Patient Network Explorer: http://www.clinerion.com/index/OverviewOurSolutions/ClinerionPatientNetworkExplorer For more information, please contact: Le Vin Chin Director, Head of Marketing & Communications Clinerion Ltd Elisabethenanlage 11, 4051 Basel, Switzerland Tel.: +41 61 865 60 54 media@clinerion.com About University of Debrecen The University of Debrecen, one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Hungary operated continuously in the same city. It is also one of the research universities of national excellence in the country offering the widest spectrum of educational programs in 14 faculties and 24 doctoral schools. The roots of higher education in the city reach all the way back to the 16th century and the foundation of the Reformed College of Debrecen in 1538. The College played a central role in Hungarian education and culture for centuries. Today the University of Debrecen is a leading and prominent institution of higher education in Hungary. It is not only at the forefront of Hungarian and international education but also active in the fields of research, innovation and development, and enjoys fruitful links with the business sector. The ever-changing social and economic environment demands continuous renewal from the institution and there is a constant need to adapt to new requirements. The University of Debrecens mission is to contribute to the education of future generations in cooperation with Hungarian and international partners, with high-quality interdisciplinary programs, and research built on versatile and practical experience. Besides education, the institution also provides European-quality patient care with comprehensive services to fulfill its obligations in the city, county, and region and often on the national level as well. University Clinics employ 484 medical specialists and the 1,884 healthcare staff provide 491,656 nursing days annually. Completed specialist doctors hours are 299,364. The University operates a total of 1,710 beds which makes room for 95,210 inpatient cases annually with an average length of stay at 5.2 days. The number of outpatient cases is 869,345, nearly 50% of the 5.7 million medical treatments initiated are managed through outpatient care. University of Debrecen, Coordination Center for Drug Development website: https://klinfarm.unideb.hu/en For more information, please contact: Prof. Dr. Denes Pall Director University of Debrecen, Coordination Center for Drug Development Tel.: +36 52 411-717 pall.denes@gmail.com "Courtneys extensive experience in the technology sector, broad skill-set and understanding of our market will bring immediate value to our business, said Unimarket CEO Peter Kane. Unimarket, a leading provider of eProcurement software and services, has appointed Courtney Allen as its global marketing director. Allen will join Unimarkets executive team and lead marketing efforts as the company gears up for significant growth. "Courtneys extensive experience in the technology sector, broad skill-set and understanding of our market will bring immediate value to our business, said Unimarket CEO Peter Kane. She is client-focused, results-driven and a natural collaborator, which makes her a great fit with the rest of the Unimarket team. Were delighted to have Courtney join our leadership team and look forward to utilizing her experience as we build our brand and enter our next phase of growth. Allen comes to Unimarket with nearly two decades of experience in marketing, communications, and brand building for small and large technology companies, including IBM. She has wide-ranging experience across the marketing and communications sector with proven success as both a leader and hands-on marketing practitioner. For Allen, the opportunity to join Unimarket is hugely exciting. The company is poised for strong growth, and Im thrilled to work alongside Peter and the rest of the leadership team to deliver on these growth objectives, Allen said. We not only offer a great platform with an exciting product roadmap, we are also a trusted brand with an experienced and committed team. Allen holds a degree from Pomona College in California and a postgraduate qualification from Massey University in New Zealand. She is based in Unimarkets headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. About Unimarket Unimarket is a leading provider of procurement software and services. Its powerful, easy-to-use cloud-based solution brings together procurement, invoicing, payments, contracts, sourcing, expenses, and an extensive supplier marketplace all in one unified platform. Founded in 2005, Unimarket supports clients in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, spanning a range of industries including higher education, government, financial services, transport and logistics, and healthcare. For more information, visit unimarket.com or follow on Twitter @Unimarket Accompanied by Governor Ducey, Vice President Mike Pence visited the Valley today speaking to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) in Arizona. After that, he participated in a round table with the leadership of the NAM and Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon. While celebrations of Arizonas economic success ensued with business leaders, theres also no doubt that part of the discussion focused on worker shortage, specifically for the middle-skills jobs in manufacturing, education, technology, health care, bio science, public safety, aviation and business. Earlier in January, in Governor Doug Duceys State of the State address, he said, We have more jobs available in the state of Arizona than we have people to fill them. The Maricopa Community Colleges are Arizonas workforce solution. Here, students can prepare for a career in as little as two years and receive trainings and certifications for 95 percent of the most in-demand jobs in Arizona. Synergy among education, the workplace and the economy is critical for Arizonas future, said the Maricopa County Community College District Chancellor, Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick. We provide a 21st-century learning experience to prepare our students for jobs of today and tomorrow where they receive hands-on learning opportunities within local businesses. Students that engage in workforce development programs gain a competitive advantage in the job market, employers acquire stellar human capital, and the market also wins as 89 percent of students stay in the same community from where they acquired their education and contribute to the economy. In response to the Vice Presidents visit today, Chancellor Maria-Harper-Marinick said, We were honored to receive Vice President Mike Pence so he could see first-hand the success of our economy and critical role workforce development plays. About The Maricopa Community Colleges: The Maricopa County Community College District includes ten regionally-accredited colleges Chandler-Gilbert, Estrella Mountain, GateWay, Glendale, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Rio Salado, Scottsdale, and South Mountain and the Maricopa Corporate College, serving more than 200,000 students with two-year degrees, certificates, and university transfer programs. Minemo Wallet Bringing end-users into the creation process this way leads customers to feel a sense of ownership over the designs they then carry every day. WaterField Designs announces Wallet Month, the culmination of a two-month crowdsourced design project; the company harnessed the wisdom of over 2,000 of its customers to create new wallet designs that address their pain points and fit their various lifestyles. This week, WaterField introduces two new minimalist wallets today, the Minemo, a compact wallet in new sumptuous full-grain leather or vintage-looking Italian waxed canvas, and this Friday, the Clyff Wallet, a dime-thin leather card and cash pouch. Every week in March, WaterField will unveil two additional new wallets, each handcrafted in WaterFields San Francisco sewing studio. By tapping into customers experiences and creativity, we can develop products that more precisely fit their needs, explained company owner, Gary Waterfield. For this, our sixth crowdsourced design project, we asked participants what they like and dislike about their current wallets and what new features they wish for. We kept participants updated as we moved from ideas to prototypes to final designs, gathering feedback along the way. Bringing end-users into the creation process this way leads customers to feel a sense of ownership over the designs they then carry every day. The new Minemo Wallet is a beautiful bare-bones cash and credit card carrier that blends convenience, capacity and comfort. Design participants indicated a need to quickly access one or two cards like metro or key-cards. The Minemos exterior pocket enables users to conveniently nab those without fully opening the wallet. Inside are two more card pockets and space for folded dollars or even Euros. The understated, wallet for minimalists, available with or without RFID blocking, comes in a choice of three supple, full-grain leather colors, and three hues of all-vegan, Italian waxed canvas that bears a vintage look. For our ultra-minimalist participants or to be used in conjunction with another wallet this Friday WaterField will introduce the Clyff Wallet, a cash and card pouch with a simple, clean design and an ultra-compact footprint. A slim pocket on each side holds three cards each, and a center compartment carries additional cards, some coins, or a few folded bills. In buttery full-grain leather that lasts long and wears well, the Clyff will develop a stunning patina. Both the Minemo and Clyff Wallets sit so comfortably in a front-pants or shirt pocket, that they are barely noticeable. WaterFields forthcoming new wallet pairs each center around a different theme week #2: wallets for classic carriers, week #3: wallets for specialized items and uses, and week #4: fresh upgrades to existing WaterField wallet favorites. Although customer suggestions have always inspired new WaterField products, the company initially formalized its unique community-sourced design process with the development of a collection of Nintendo Switch cases. High customer and company satisfaction with the process inspired WaterField to engage customers again in the development of the Air Porter Carry-on, the iPhone Camera Bag, the Pro Executive Backpack, and a series of Gear Cases. Availability & Pricing The Minemo Price: Leather$59; with RFID: $69. Italian Waxed Canvas$49; with RFID: $59. One size: 4 x 2.6 x 0.375 in; .8 oz Colors and materials: Oil-tanned full-grain leather in Black, Dark Brown, Blue; Waxed Canvas imported from Florence, Italy in Stone Red, Heritage Blue, Forest Brown. The Cliff Price: $39 One size: 4 x 2.5 x 0.25 in; .8 oz Colors and materials: Oil-tanned full-grain leather in Black, Dark Brown, Blue. Pre-order now. Shipping begins March 12, 2019. About WaterField Designs WaterField Designs is an innovative San Francisco designer and manufacturer of bags and cases for tech-savvy consumers who want to transport their technology stylishly and responsibly. WaterField manufactures custom-fitted, high-quality cases and bags for a full-range of laptop computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming devices, and other digital gear. All products are manufactured to exacting standards entirely in San Francisco. More information at "Our Story. The Star Plus Initiative is not about size its about offering our guests more of what they love about Windstar without changing the DNA of the brand or the ships ability to visit those special small ports and waterways of the world. President John Delaney Big things are taking place at Windstar Cruises, known as the premiere small ship cruise line that visits ports, islands and waterways that larger vessels simply cant access. The biggest news, however is that vacationers can book a suite on the soon to be revitalized and stretched Star Breeze and Star Legend that include new itineraries and for the first-time ever a departure from Miami, the cruise capital of the world and San Diego, one of Americas most popular cruise cities. Guests and vacationers can now find specific information and reserve accommodations on Star Breeze and Star Legend itineraries scheduled following the $250 Million Star Plus Initiative. The two enhanced ships will feature new suites, restaurants, public spaces, spa & fitness centers, pool, amenities and even new more environmentally sensitive engines that will propel them to many new itineraries and calls at new ports. The Star Breeze Star Plus Inaugural voyage will take place from Miami to Colon, Panama on March 20, 2020. The sailing from Miami will be a first for the Seattle-based company. The Star Breeze and Star Legend will chart courses to some of the most popular, aspirational and legendary destinations in the world, including Iceland, Northern Europe, the British Isles/Ireland, Greece/Turkey/Crete, Israel/Egypt/Malta, the Cote DAzur, Alaska, the Panama Canal, Mexico/Baja and the first ever call at San Diego in the U.S. and as well as the Caribbean. Some itineraries will also feature transits of the famous Corinth Canal (see itinerary addendum for additional information and links). Windstar Cruises is investing more than $250 Million (a quarter of a billion dollars) into the Star Plus Initiative, a major transformation of Windstars three Star Class yacht-style vessels: Star Breeze, Star Legend, and Star Pride. The trio of ships, which comprise of 50 percent of the fleet will be stretched and renovated in succession with work starting in October 2019 and ending in November 2020. The popular ships will be cut in half to allow the installation of a new section of ship that will lengthen each vessel approximately 25 meters. The Star Plus Initiative is not about size -- its about offering our guests more of what they love about Windstar without changing the DNA of the brand or the ships ability to visit those special small ports and waterways of the world, said John Delaney, president of Windstar Cruises. The total capacity of the new expanded ships will be 312 guests and the new section of ship will enable the cruise line to provide services and amenities that its extremely loyal customer base has been asking for in recent times and ensure that the beloved ships will cruise well into the future. To learn more about authentic small ship cruising with Windstar or to book a cruise, contact a travel advisor or Windstar Cruises by phone at 1-800-258-7245, or visit http://www.windstarcruises.com. Addendum: Star Breeze Itineraries A Star Breeze Star Plus Inaugural voyage will take place from Miami to Colon, Panama on March 20, 2020. The sailing from Miami will be a first for the Seattle-based company. Star Breeze will then embark on three back-to-back Costa Rica & Panama Canal journeys, showing off the newly stretched profile on the ships first-ever canal transits post-renovation. The ship will then sail from Costa Rica to Southern Mexico, continuing to explore the Baja peninsula and wildlife-rich Sea of Cortez. Breeze will then make its West Coast debut in San Diego before heading north on a West Coast Epicurean Extravaganza, a James Beard Foundation culinary themed cruise disembarking in Vancouver. From Vancouver Star Breeze will head north to Alaska in May 2020 for the summer season on ten different sailing dates. One of the new itineraries in 2020 is the Alaska Glaciers & Prince William Sound. The sailing includes first-ever Windstar ports and explorations of Valdez, Cordova, College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, and Point Adolphus. The new itinerary is scheduled on two dates in 2020: June 19 and August 2. Fall through December 2020 will find the Star Breeze in Asia exploring the oceans, seas and waterways and small ports in China, Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia until early December. Star Legend Itineraries The newly updated Star Legend will debut July 2, 2020 and chart a course from Barcelona to Lisbon and up Europes Atlantic Coast in early July. She will cruise Northern Europe through September followed by several fall trips in the Mediterranean. The enhanced ship will embark on classic Windstar itinerary favorites including five departures on Around Iceland in summer of 2020. The Legend will also forge a new Nordic adventure Eire with Fire & Ice: Ireland and Icelands Overlooked Treasures where Windstar will access natural destinations inaccessible to larger ship as well as make a first-ever stop in Djupivogur, Iceland (the gateway to the Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon, one of Icelands most popular attractions). New itinerary highlights for Star Legend in 2020 include: In this debut middle grade adventure by author Carlos Hernandez, the fourth release in Disneys Rick Riordan Presents imprint, the titular characters bond over family issues, Cuban food, and Sals ability to open portals between dimensions, which could conceivably destroy the universe. PW spoke with Hernandez about the origins of the book. Where did Sal and Gabi come from? Sal & Gabi Break the Universe uses characters that I had written as adults but [this time] as middle schoolers. The adult Gabi Realis a reporter who studies cryptozoology, such as unicorns that leak through from another dimension, as seen in the story The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory. The adult Sal Vidon appears in a story called The Assimilated Cubans Guide to Quantum Santeria, which was published in Interfictions 2, edited by Delia Sherman and Christopher Barzak. That was also the title story for my collection of short stories, which was published by Rosarium Press. Obviously, these versions of the characters are somewhat different from their younger selves, but thats where they originated. Thats the bonus of writing in a multiversal setting. And that collection is what brought you to Rick Riordans attention? Rick read it, and thought, Hey, Carlos might be a good fit for my imprint. He introduced me to Stephanie Lurie, his editor at Disney. Shed brought in the first few authors for the imprint, including Roshani Chokshi and J.C. Cervantes, but I was Ricks first find. Hed been asked by his fans to address other mythologies, like Indian or Mexican, but he didnt feel comfortable doing so, so he looked for other authors to write Percy Jackson-like stories instead. I wanted to do something different, though, something that talked more about culture and which was more science fiction. So the Rick Riordan Presents imprint expanded to accommodate that. I gave Lurie a 20,000-word write-up and outline, and here we are. I feel super lucky to be able to reach such a large audience and be in the company of such great writers. Your previous stories were aimed at adults. Did you ever plan to write for children like this? Actually, it wasnt one of my aspirations. I have a PhD in English, and I always thought Id end up writing literary science fiction or fantasy for a small audience, and if it was critically well-received, that would be okay with me. So it took me a while to think of what Id write for this sort of thing. It turns out Im a seventh grader at heart, because it was very easy to slip into the younger Sals voice. You never know whats inside you until you probe, and apparently, I had this 13-year-old kid waiting to get out as soon as he had the chance. Sal doesnt feel like your average teenage boy. He has a big heart, hes not afraid to show emotions, and hes prone to public acts of contrition. Were you trying to present a counter to toxic masculinity? I think right now we are in a time when people are using that language a lot, and rightfully so, to call out certain behavior. As a teacher, I see a lot of 17- to 19-year-olds, and I get high school seniors in my classes sometimes, and what Im seeing is a level of openness and affection among male and male-presenting people, which is super-heartening. Sal isnt just aspirational. He reflects, I think, a sea change happening in the younger generation which has opened up to allow for a lot more nuance and flexibility and kindness among those who adopt a male identity. So that idea of being decent, which I hit a couple of times in this book, is super important to me, not because I want it to happen but because Im already seeing it happen. As a culture, its not only our job to point out whats wrong, we need to celebrate whats right. I see a lot of hope in the new generation. This book avoids a traditional sense of conflict, with no actual villain for your heroes to face. Was this intentional? I wanted to get away from the typical person vs. person story, and write a person vs. the cosmos book, because I dont think we get enough of that. We have too many easy villains. We have too many targets for our anger and fear and desire to be victorious. The real world is more nebulous, and kids are smart; they know that you cant reduce things down as easily as you do in fiction. So my challenge to myself was to do this in a way that felt exciting and lively, to tackle the idea of what do I do in the world? How do I exist? without pitting people against one another. I come from a literary tradition where you put characters in motion, put problems in front of them, and see what happens. One of Sals defining characteristics is his Type 1 diabetes. What made you give him that trait? Latinos in the United States are one of the fastest-growing groups for diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2. The Latinx community has this huge problem, and its kind of alarming, and I wanted to showcase it. And if youre a Type 1 diabetic like Sal, you can never turn it off. Youre looking at every food item and thinking of intake and how risky is this decision. For Sal, I avoided some of the new technologies that help you monitor and control your blood sugar levels, and went old school, so hes poking his finger all the time. That relates back to his desire for control and factual information, and also appeals to his sense of performativity as a stage magician. I think our society does poorly with people who have chronic conditions, and we treat them as lesser or limit them. I wanted to challenge that. One thing which stands out about Gabi is her collection of Dads, not all of whom are male-presenting or even human, with names like Dada-ist (an artist) and Cari-Dad (a female cardiologist). What inspired this? I wanted to present the idea of chosen family. We have the families were born with, and you have no choice in that. But then you have the people you meet in the world and form a connection with, who can help you reach your full potential. I wanted to celebrate that. For Gabis family, the title of Dad is a hilarious affection theyve taken on as a private joke. Its about those people who are sometimes closer to us than the ones actually connected by blood. If you do it right, and choose them well, thats how you end up with someone like Gabi Real, who manages to be student body president, good at making friends, able to deal with bureaucracy, and always on the move. Family plays a huge role in your work, especially here, from Gabis dads to Sals American stepmother. We see a lot of awful or missing or dead parents in fiction. So many stories for children feature terrible adults. Theyre idiots, or evil, or incompetent. I wanted to present good adults instead. They dont have to be perfect or stellar, but at least theyre trying. The world is still full of mystery and ambiguity and hard choices, and there are still plenty of problems to deal with. At least Sal and Gabi have their families to support them. I wanted Sal to have a good relationship with his stepmother as well. She has to deal with so much, especially when Sal keeps bringing back versions of his dead mother. She takes it in stride and tries so hard. You said you wanted to talk about culture in this book. How has your own Cuban-American heritage influenced your writing? The Cuban-American experience is an interesting one in the United States, because of all the Latinx groups, the Cuban experience is the most privileged. There was a time right up until the end of the Obama administration when, if you were coming from the island of Cuba and you put one foot on American soil, you were invited into the country. That created a way for Cuban immigrants to gain a foothold unavailable to most other groups. Miami, where this is set, is a place where theyve had agency and opportunity and the ability to start businesses. Its almost like an alternate reality Cuba if it hadnt been devastated by economic and political policy over the years. Its basically the Cuban identity in two parallel universes, which feeds into the multiversal aspect of this series. And that brings up Sals school, the Culeco Academy of the Arts. Is this based on a real institution? I borrowed from various sources, such as the magnet school for the arts that my wife attended. But I also went pretty extreme. I wanted to create a Hogwarts meets Fame experience, where students from the Latinx communities could have an opportunity to celebrate life and have great opportunities to feed their imaginations. Oftentimes, what you see in fiction is poverty and the difficulty of making it through the day, so I wanted to offer something different. I wanted these children to be able to play and be in a school that respected their abilities and fostered their talents. Art school is such an exclusionary privilege, so my secret revolutionary act is to say we can put all sorts of people in these kinds of schools. Whats next for you? Book two is called Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe, and it should be out in 2020. I packed a lot of ideas into this book, so next time well get to explore some of those concepts in more depth. Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez. Disney/Riordan, $16.99 Mar. ISBN 978-1-368-02282-8 Points of Sale is an occasional column that shares bookselling tips and ideas from booksellers for booksellers. I wanted an evergreen way to get ARCs to kids, said Kenny Brechner, owner of Devaney, Doak, & Garrett Booksellers in Farmington, Maine, and PW ShelfTalker blogger, about the genesis of his soon-to-launch DDG ARC Houses project. Brechner plans to fill self-standing Little Free Library-style book houses with age-appropriate galleys, f&gs, and blads at all seven schools in his local Mt. Blue Regional School District, to promote literacy and engage readers in grades K through 12. The concept grew out of a conversation Brechner had two years ago with members of his local Rotary Club, who wanted to craft a project that combines the book-sharing library concept and literacy. With a grant from the Rotary Club and approval from area schools, Brechner began sketching out a way to use the stores many galleys and encourage conversation among students about the galleys they read. In addition to creating an ARC house where kids can pick up galleys to own, borrow, and share, he is in the process of setting up an online hub where the children can compare notes about what theyve read and continue the conversation throughout the school district. Initially, the project was slated to kick off last year, and by the spring Brechner had already saved hundreds of middle grade and early YA galleys. Assistant store manager Karin Schott, whose son attends Mt. Blue Middle School, suggested giving them away as an end of school year gift to middle schoolers. So last June, DDG set up tables where each of the 575 students at the school could choose a galley to take home as part of the stores Free ARC Book Fair. That program was such a success that Brechner is optimistic about the potential for this even larger free galley project, which will launch with eight ARC houses. Im confident that it will do well, said Brechner. Already, high schoolers in the district are helping to build and preparing to decorate the libraries. They and members of the Rotary Club will also staple f&gs that have been saved for younger readers. To allay concerns about jumping on-sale date, Brechner will stock the libraries with ARCs on or after the finished books street date. While there are similarities between the new program and last years Free ARC Book Fairboth get free galleys into the hands of young people and foster enthusiasm for readingthe new project is much more ambitious by attempting to reach all kids in the district on an ongoing basis. Although the DDG ARC Book Houses project still has a few construction wrinkles, including burning the logos of both the Rotary Club and DDG Books on the roofs so that they are readable, Brechner anticipates that the ARC houses will be ready very soon. (The L.S. Starrett Co.: Athol MA) -- The L.S. Starrett Co., a leading global manufacturer of precision hand tool gages, a broad range of force testing, metrology equipment, and more, has announced the introduction of a basic, affordable Spring testing solution designed for compression and extension springs. The new Starrett S1 Spring Testing Systems were developed for high volume production testing for users seeking more consistent results over manual testing methods. Click here for additional S1 product details. Starrett S1 Systems feature easy-to-use test templates that enable the user to create a test set up in seconds using one and two-point methods, with test targets being load or height-based. In addition, the small footprint of the S1 System is ideal for either lean manufacturing environments or in-situ production areas. Spring rate, spring constant, free length, solid height and initial tension can be measured and tolerances can be utilized to determine immediate pass/fail results, which can be viewed in graphic or tabular formats. Our new Starrett S1 Spring Testers are a compact, easy to use, powerful, fast and cost-effective solution for basic production testing of springs, said Mr. Emerson Leme, Head of Starrett Metrology Equipment Division. Software features of Starrett S1 Spring Testing Systems enable the use of preconditioning options to exercise springs prior to testing, the ability to scrag for a number of cycles or duration or compress to a load set and hold for a duration. Single or dual test limits may be used and target load or height/length for determining spring rate, spring constant, load and length at target limits, initial tension and measured free length can be specified. The systems statistics view displays key statistical information for the users batch including mean, range, standard deviations and tolerance results. Custom reports can also be printed out and data can be exported to Microsoft Excel or SPC Software such as ProLinks QC CALC application. About The L.S. Starrett Company Founded in 1880 and headquartered in Athol, MA U.S.A., The L.S. Starrett Company is a leading global manufacturer of precision measuring tools and gages, optical comparators and vision systems and force and hardness testing solutions. Starrett also manufactures laser measurement systems, custom engineered granite solutions, custom gaging, band saw blades, power tool accessory saw blades, workshop tools and jobsite tools. The Starrett brand is recognized throughout the world for exceptional quality and precision. Skilled personnel, superior products, manufacturing expertise, innovation and excellent service and support have earned Starrett its reputation as the "World's Greatest Toolmakers". Starrett has more than 1,600 employees worldwide and annual sales exceeding $200 million. The company has six manufacturing locations in the U.S.A., including facilities in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Minnesota and California. Starrett also has three international manufacturing facilities. Plants are located in Brazil, Scotland and China, in addition to distribution centers and offices located worldwide. The L.S. Starrett Company is publicly traded on the NYSE, symbol SCX. For more information, visit www.starrett.com or contact The L.S. Starrett Company, 121 Crescent Street, Athol, MA 01331 U.S.A. Telephone: (978) 249-3551, Fax: (978) 249-8495, email: general@starrett.com. EUROPE: The introduction of direct London Amsterdam trains and a strong increase in business travel contributed to record Eurostar ridership during 2018, the operator announced on March 5. POLAND: The contractor building the odz cross-city tunnel has signed a contract for Herrenknecht to supply two tunnel boring machines. Work on the project is expected to begin in mid-2019, with the first TBM ready by the end of the year. UK: The Department for Transport has confirmed that infrastructure manager Network Rail has been instructed to design an extension of the Midland Main Line electrification by around 15 km from Kettering to Market Harborough, which would enable a new connection to a power supply at Braybrooke. "Hi! I'm a person! This is weird! Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told a stranger who snuck up and took a photo of her meal. As a politician, she could even have said, in fine American tradition, Mind your own business. We own our own lives here in America: If it doesn't involve picking pockets or breaking legs, what someone does is nobody else's business. But back to weird. It is weird that conservatives view her companion's hamburger as a smoking gun -- yet miss the deep irony of the self-proclaimed "owner" of the Green New Deal telling anyone to mind their own business. The irony begins with AOC speaking of the photographer "creepily (and obviously) taking a picture of me while pretending he wasn't." This reminds me of practically everything she has said about the Green New Deal. Whether or not the draft containing jokes about farting cows was released intentionally, AOC wants to make Americans eat less meat. In an interview before the photo, she said: [W]e need to take a look at factory farming, you know? Period... It's not to say we're gonna force everybody to go vegan or anything crazy like that. But it's to say, 'Listen, we gotta address factory farming. Maybe we shouldn't be eating a hamburger for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.' Like, let's keep it real. This is a stranger talking about passing real laws -- so the government can tell you how much or how little meat you can eat -- as if thats, like, totally normal. Talk about creepy (and obvious)! More ironic is that everybody is haggling over the details of this "deal" except its owner. Nancy Pelosi was right when she observed that, "nobody knows what it is." For example, this "deal" is supposed to provide everyone with "adequate" housing and retrofit a significant number of buildings across the nation to improve energy efficiency. Proponents are salivating over how many jobs this will (appear to) create while opponents are trying to guess how much it will cost. This plays to AOCs advantage and is unnecessary, anyway: The exact details of her plan are irrelevant. We should oppose the Green New Deal because it will greatly increase the amount of money the government takes from us, and the amount of power the government wields over our lives. If I were AOC, I wouldn't just be thrilled with all this haggling; I'd be relieved because it diverts the debate from why it is proper for the government to loot our money or tell us what to do in the first place. What takes the cake she'd have us eat though, is that her vagueness fits in with her well-documented dismissal of reality. "There's a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually, and semantically correct than about being morally right," she famously said after being caught in yet another factual mistake. This is revealing, starting with the questionable assertion that she is, in fact, moral. Morality, as the Soviet refugee Ayn Rand once noted, "is a code of values to guide man's choices and actions -- the choices and actions that determine the purpose and the course of his life." In AOC's mind, this translates as: "I paint the big picture and you deal with the factual details and the factual consequences." Rand, who espoused the exact opposite of AOC's conception of morality, both asked why we need morality, and regarded facts and reason as essential to developing and applying it to our lives. She especially advised thinking about it for yourself, because your life, the only one you will get, is important. Whatever you might think of her laissez-faire politics, Rand is right about morality, and the need to carefully consider facts when making decisions. AOC and her supporters want us to panic when they declare that we have twelve years to jettison the fuels that make the lives of over 7 billion "persons" possible. They don't care that we've had about a decade to "save the planet" ever since at least 1989, when the U.N. first predicted disaster: We are to ramrod through whatever program she deems correct -- regardless of facts, however pesky to her; or consequences, however dire to ourselves. And she doesn't care. She told us this much in her reaction to the humanitarian crisis in socialist Venezuela: "I think that, you know, the humanitarian crisis is extremely concerning but, you know, when we use non-democratic means to determine leadership, that's also concerning, as well." This lack of empathy, coupled with concern for unchecked majority rule is creepy (and obvious) coming from someone constantly goading us to blindly trust her, and so quickly make huge changes through the ballot box. Patriotism may not always be the last refuge of a scoundrel, but a faux patriotism aimed at providing a national security excuse for mercantilism is becoming the latest tool of choice of nationalism. A report by members of the National Security Council advocating nationalization of 5G development and ownership is a good example. The report, which leaked last week, advocates a government-controlled 5G network aimed at keeping out the Chinese - an unprecedented takeover of a significant chunk of the telecommunications network. But would that actually hinder development of an efficient 5G network that would provide better connections, improved cable and Internet service for rural areas, and improvements in the internet of things, such as cars and vending machines? This is not the first time the Administration has trotted out national security as a cover to protect national economic interests. Tariffs on steel and aluminum were introduced based on supposed concerns about the national security implications of free enterprise in those fields. In fact, the United States produces far more than enough steel and aluminum to meet its national security and defense needs. Moreover, steel and aluminum imports primarily come from friendly countries such as Canada and other NATO partners. The same national security concerns are being raised to justify nationalization of 5G. Clearly, there is more basis for national security concern in this area. Using network equipment from a foreign adversary would give them the potential opportunity to build a back door that could slip a Trojan horse into the telecommunications network. However, user devices would constantly need to switch to other connections that arent part of the proposed network, to provide indoor connectivity, knocking down the argument for a national 5G fortress. The network would presumably have to connect to the Internet, rending protection of it moot. It is hard to believe that the proposal for a government-run buildout of 5G does not stem from economic concerns. The NSC document that recommended it cited nationalizations importance politically (and) economically as well as militarily. Not surprisingly, the proposal for a nationalized 5G system has raised concerns by people on both sides of the political aisle. FCC Chairman Ajit Pat, a Trump appointee, raised opposition to a costly and counter-productive distraction from the effort to ensure the United States place at the leading edge of 5G. The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Greg Walden, has gone so far as to say were not Venezuela about the nationalistic and populist nature of the proposal. He is joined in his opposition by House and Senate members from both parties. Clearly, the drive for government control of 5G is at least partly an excuse for Washington involvement to help ensure the United States wins the race with China to be first to deploy a 5G network. But we must ask ourselves: Is it really important, or even beneficial, for the United States to build a 5G network before China? Japan was the first country to offer 3G, but that hasnt impeded Apple and other U.S companies from using it to dominate the smart phone and app markets. The benefits of 5G are clear. But does it matter which country gets there first? Would China be able to scoop up all three million jobs that 5G is likely to generate? The United States would still be well-positioned to derive economic benefit and other advantages the new technology offers. How well a country fares with 5G depends less on getting there first, and more on taking advantage of what it has to offer - being able to marshal the skilled and entrepreneurial people and the financial capital to maximize its potential. Any national security argument for nationalized 5G should be taken with a grain of salt. As Democratic strategist James Carville would probably say: Its the economy, stupid. The Hanoi talks ended in deadlock. Both sides represented by U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un showed their anger by refusing to shake hands. The media labeled the talks a failure. But Ive been involved in a number of negotiations in my life, and I see this as a normal part of the process. At some point, all parties will take positions designed to test the other sides hunger for a deal, and prudent negotiators know that showing hunger can be devastating. So, ending the negotiation, particularly with a show of anger, is routine. At the same time, mutual rejection can be genuine, and now each side is trying to figure out how serious the other is. Establishing that you are prepared to walk away from the table is important but sometimes the deal falls apart as a result. Where Things Stand War with North Korea is not a good option for the U.S. Theres the danger of artillery fire close to Seoul, the uncertainty of the location of North Koreas nuclear weapons, and the U.S. aversion to the idea of getting bogged down in another war this century. North Korea, on the other hand, knows that one thing that would trigger a U.S. pre-emptive nuclear strike would be to develop weapons that can reach the U.S., and it wants to avoid such a strike at all costs. So, this failed negotiation leaves a reality in which war is not likely, giving both sides room for obstinacy. The other major players in the region must now calculate their courses. For China and Russia, theres little downside to the United States attention being diverted to North Korea. The more the U.S. feels under pressure to attend to other issues, the less it can focus on China and Russia. But its not clear whether the Hanoi outcome helps or hurts these two. On the one hand, the U.S. and North Korea are furious at each other. On the other hand, if this results in a frozen conflict, the U.S. can spare attention for others. The logic is that China and Russia will push North Korea to more overt moves to draw Washingtons focus. But North Korea has created room to maneuver for itself, and a cold distance from the United States serves it well. For the U.S., the years since 9/11 have forcibly displayed the limits of its military power. The U.S. is very good at destroying enemy armies, but it is very bad at occupying enemy countries where the citizens morale has not been crushed (think Germany or Japan during World War II). In Iraq, for example, the U.S. expected Iraqis to welcome the Americans. Some did, some were indifferent and some resisted. The resistance was prepared to absorb substantial casualties; this was their country, and they had nowhere else to go. The U.S., quite reasonably, was not prepared for high casualties, as Iraq was not a fundamental, long-term, American interest. The local forces understood the social and physical terrain, while the U.S. had limited familiarity. The initial attacks were successful. The occupation was a mess. Thus, out of necessity, the U.S. has adopted a strategy that draws down its forces and that is extremely cautious about engagements where it cannot crush civilian morale through World War II-style bombing and blockade. Even if confident in its ability to break a conventional or nuclear force, the U.S. has no appetite for occupation. The strategy since World War II, built on the assumption that U.S. conventional forces can defeat any foe and pacify the country, is being abandoned. And in the case of the Hanoi talks, the U.S. is following a new strategy of diplomatic deadlock without recourse to the insertion of force. We understand therefore the North Korean, Chinese, Russian and U.S. positions. (South Korea, of course, wants a stable balance on the Korean Peninsula.) The country whose strategy is uncertain is Japan. Japans Next Move The major question that has emerged from the Hanoi talks is what Japan will do now. Japan is the worlds third-largest economy. It has a stable and homogeneous population, a substantial military force and an enormous capacity to increase that force. The U.S. has decided to accept that North Korea is a nuclear state, so long as none of its nuclear weapons can reach the U.S. mainland. This completely destabilizes Japans strategy. Under that strategy, first imposed by the U.S. and happily embraced by Japan, the U.S. guarantees Japanese national security. The U.S., in exchange, has been able to use Japan as a base from which to project force across the Korean Peninsula, threaten China and block Russias Vladivostok fleet from accessing the Pacific Ocean. Japan, unencumbered by defense expenditures and any responsibility in American wars, could focus on the monumental task of its dramatic post-World War II recovery. Most important, the U.S. nuclear umbrella has guaranteed that any nation that might attack Japan with nuclear weapons would face retaliation from the United States. In reality, the United States willingness to launch a massive nuclear exchange if China or Russia hit a Japanese city was always uncertain. But since it was uncertain to potential aggressors too, it served its purpose, which was more psychological than military. The Hanoi talks subtly shift that guarantee. The new U.S. position is that it cannot accept a North Korean nuclear program that threatens the United States. Implicit in that position is that it can tolerate one that threatens Japan. The U.S. nuclear umbrella is notionally still there, but the United States reluctance to engage raises the question of whether North Korea will be deterred. So, the U.S. nuclear deterrent still guards Japan but can the guardian be trusted? Japan lives in a rough neighborhood. The Russians hold islands to which the Japanese lay claim, and while its not a real threat now, the Russian future is always unknown. China is challenging Japans control of islands in the East China Sea and is threatening to potentially take control of the Western Pacific, which is currently in the hands of the United States. China has a long memory of Japanese occupation and atrocities committed during the Sino-Japanese War. The Korean Peninsula, too, has a long memory of Japanese occupation, exploitation and abuse. So apart from the current geopolitical reality, Japan lives in a region that resents it for historical reasons. In this context, the Japanese continue to struggle internally over defense policy. Japans current policy is to build a substantial force while minimizing its capabilities, saying it is only for national defense purposes. The alternative is for the worlds third-largest economy to normalize its international status by abandoning the constitutional prohibition on military force (already ignored for the most part) and create an armed force congruent with its economic might and strategic interests. The Japanese public is on the whole comfortable with its postwar strategy. But with the rise of China, North Korean nuclear weapons and a potentially aggressive Russia, it cannot remain so for long. As the U.S. puts pressure on its allies to carry their own burdens, the Japanese strategy is becoming increasingly untenable. It cannot undergo a serious shift until the public does, and that means there will be an internal political crisis over the matter. But public opinion is already shifting, and the Japanese will face their reality. Behind all this is an inevitable shift in U.S. foreign policy, visible in its stance on North Korea and elsewhere and rooted in the failure of U.S. warfare since World War II. The Korean War was a costly tie. Vietnam ended with Hanois flag flying over Saigon. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan failed to establish viable, pro-U.S. regimes. The only 20th century wars in which the U.S. fared well were those in which U.S. allies bore a massive part of the burden. These wars only ended well when there was no U.S. occupation or when the ruthless execution of the war shattered the morale of the enemy and permitted the U.S. to reshape the societies. And very few wars will be like that. That U.S. strategy had to shift was obvious to me a decade ago when I wrote The Next Decade. The shift has arrived, and that means nations, enemies and allies are repositioning themselves. In Asia, the Chinese and Russians will mostly hold their positions. North Korea will exploit the shift to the extent it can. But it is Japan that will have to undergo the most radical change. Reprinted with permission from Geopolitical Futures. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/04/2019 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. stars Colt Johnson and Larissa Christina Dos Santos Lima have celebrated their divorce in style.Colt and Larissa, who starred on Season 6 of , celebrated separate divorce parties in Las Vegas at the Crazy Horse 3 gentlemen's club this past weekend, People reported Colt's party was held on Friday, while Larissa celebrated the end of her marriage on Saturday night.Colt, 33, reportedly kicked off his party by entering with several of the club's female entertainers."This is my first time ever visiting a gentleman's club," Colt told People.Colt reportedly showed up in a black suit with a matching shirt, and he carried in a bouquet of roses for the winner of Crazy Horse 3's "Win a Date with Colt Johnson " social media contest.The newly-single reality TV star then allegedly partied the night away by taking shots, firing a money gun into the air -- spraying dollar bills over a crowd -- and receiving a lap dance.Colt appeared to thoroughly enjoy himself, and he also took the time to pose for selfies with fans inside the club.And then on Saturday, Larissa, 32, walked the red carpet with her new boyfriend Eric, an Italian 26-year-old whom she has claimed is very mature for his age as well as gentlemanly.This marked the couple's first public appearance together, as Larissa had kept his identity a secret for weeks.Larissa celebrated with a divorce cake covered in $1,000 bills with her face on them that read "Bank of Next." She also took her aggressions out on a pinata that resembled Colt, according to the magazine.Colt and Larissa wed in June 2018, and Colt filed for divorce from the Brazil native on January 11.Larissa, who also received a lap dance at her party, allegedly told women everywhere going through a divorce to "fight for your rights" and "love yourself more than anything."Larissa had accused Colt of flirting and exchanging racy photos with women via text message and buying pornographic videos during their marriage. She ranted and raved on social media about Colt being a cheater and how she couldn't trust him.Colt, however, recently insisted Us Weekly he never cheated on his wife and is in the process of trying to cancel her green card It's possible Larissa may get deported back to Brazil since she had been arrested multiple times within one year.In fact, Colt filed the divorce paperwork on the same day Larissa was charged with first-degree domestic battery following a heated altercation at the couple's home in Las Vegas.Larissa confirmed earlier this month, however, she and Colt expect their previously-filmed footage will still be part of Season 4 of : Happily Ever After? when the spinoff returns to TLC this spring. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Former "Jersey Shore" star Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola is engaged. ADVERTISEMENT The 31-year-old announced in an Instagram post Tuesday she said "yes" to her boyfriend, Christian Biscardi, on Monday. Giancola shared a photo of Biscardi proposing on one knee. She told fans she's "overwhelmed with happiness" to be marrying her "best friend" and "soulmate." "Yesterday was the best day of my life! I get to marry my other half, best friend and soulmate," the star wrote. "I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you @_biscardi I love you!! #fiance #MrsBiscardi #Stillcryingtearsofhappiness." Biscardi confirmed the news in a post on his own account. "I am beyond excited to get to marry my best friend! Here's to the future Mr. & Mrs. Biscardi," he wrote. People said Giancola and Biscardi have been dating since 2017. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Giancola's former "Jersey Shore" co-stars Jenni "JWoww" Farley and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi were among those to congratulate her in the comments. "Omg omg omg!!!!" Farley wrote. "I'm so freaking happy for you." "OMG I'M SCREAMING SAMANTHA!" Polizzi added. "I LOVE YOU!! You deserve the world and I love him!!" Giancola previously dated her "Jersey Shore" co-star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro. She did not return with her cast mates on the MTV series "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, "which will air a third season this year. By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/04/2019 ADVERTISEMENT Episode 9 spoilers Tayshia and Colton have an overnight date FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Cassie and Colton have their date ADVERTISEMENT Cassie's dad Matt makes a surprise visit ADVERTISEMENT Cassie tells Colton she's quitting ADVERTISEMENT Colton gets upset and jumps the fence Colton asks Cassie for another chance ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. spoilers reveal what caused Colton Underwood 's highly-promoted fence jump, as well as everything that took place afterwards -- including which bachelorette he picked as his final winner and ended up with, whether he proposed, and if he and his final pick are currently engaged!Colton's journey to find a fiancee is winding down, with only a couple weeks left of episodes.The next episode of 's 23rd season is set to air on Monday, March 4, followed by The Women Tell All special on Tuesday, March 5 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.Viewers can anticipate Colton's epic fence jump in the next episode and much more.According to ABC, the March 4 broadcast will be "one of the most shocking episodes in franchise history."And it will all begin with Colton deciding whether or not to invite his Final 3 bachelorettes into the Fantasy Suite. Colton will be trying to figure out whether his heart is sold on Hannah Godwin Tayshia Adams or Cassie Randolph The next episode will pick up right where left off following Caelynn Miller-Keyes ' ouster, with Colton dashing out of a Rose Ceremony in Los Angeles, CA, to speak with host Chris Harrison After Colton and Harrison have a conversation, the group will head to the Algarve region of Portugal."It will be a trip full of major surprises, high anticipation and extreme anxiety, after vowing to save himself for the woman he loves," teases ABC.Tayshia's date will be first, and she and Colton will take in some beautiful sights via helicopter.Once at Cape St. Vincent , which had been considered "the edge of the earth," Colton will open up to Tayshia and reveal his feelings for her.But will they make it to the Fantasy Suite together? And if they do, what will happen behind closed doors?According to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, Colton will enjoy an overnight Fantasy Suite date with Tayshia in Portugal but nothing physical, other than kissing, happens between them."She mentioned that they just spent the night talking, but Tayshia admits that she's nervous for the next Rose Ceremony because she didn't think Colton was all there mentally," Carbone wrote.Cassie's date will be shown next, so will she end up being Colton's first?"Cassie is still apprehensive about taking the next step with Colton," teases the network.And "all hell breaks loose" on the date when there's "a bombshell surprise no one saw coming."Carbone reports Cassie's father, Matt Randolph, will play a huge role in the dramatic turn of events, as he has major influence on his daughter's life and decisions.When Colton visited Cassie's hometown in Huntington Beach, CA, Matt asked his daughter to think things through and not make any hasty decisions.Matt told Cassie that at 23 years old, she has her entire life ahead of her and so it makes no sense to rush into anything unless she could do so with 100 percent certainty, trust and confidence.Cassie left her hometown date feeling confused and worried she may not be ready to get engaged to Colton, and viewers weren't sure whether it was because she lacked feelings for him or just didn't feel prepared to take that next step in life.Cassie was therefore the only one of Colton's Final 4 bachelorettes to not express how she was in love -- or at least falling in love -- with star.After the day portion of Cassie's overnight date with Colton, Matt reportedly pays Cassie a surprise visit on her hotel room."Her dad just reiterates what we heard him say last [episode]. The stuff how marriage is a huge step, she's 23, he doesn't think she's ready, she seems hesitant, etc," Carbone wrote.After their talk, Cassie wishes she had more time with Colton on the show and determines she must send herself home that night -- as long as she can muster up enough courage to do so.Meanwhile, Colton confesses to the cameras he is "in love with Cassie" and wants to hear her say the same words.He also reportedly plans to lose his virginity that night to Cassie.During the night portion of their date, Carbone says Cassie will share the details of her conversation with her father when sitting down with Colton and the rest of the episode will focus on this couple."So looks like Tayshia will get the first 30-40 minutes of the episode with her overnight, then it's all Cassie/Colton from there on... A lot of the footage is this back and forth between Colton and Cassie and the cameras just kept rolling," Carbone wrote.During Cassie and Colton's chat, Cassie will express doubt in their relationship because her father did not give Colton permission to propose marriage.The conversation reportedly gets tense and Cassie admits to Colton she "loves him" but is not "in love" with him -- yet.Cassie also reportedly talks to a producer and second guesses leaving the show because she didn't expect dumping Colton to be so hard."There's a lot of hugging and crying between the two, and I was told it's basically just Colton pleading for her to stay the whole time and Cassie not knowing what to do," Carbone wrote."He says he'll be patient with her and she tells him she doesn't know if she can get there. Colton tells her he doesn't want her to make a decision now, and that it's not easy going on other dates when all he can think about is her."Cassie reportedly expresses guilty over the prospect Colton may leave without an engagement and everything he came on the show for, but Colton says if it's not with the person he feels strongest about, then it's not something worth doing or having."She tells him she wants him to have what he wants [an engagement]. She says she loves him but she's not in love with him, and she's having her doubts and doesn't know why she's so confused," Carbone shared.Colton, however, doesn't give up and allegedly remains focus on the girl of his choice."Colton specifically does tell her, 'I want it to be you at the end of this, engaged or not,'" Carbone claimed.After Cassie mentions two other women are still in the running for his heart, Colton tells her, "I f-cking love you."Cassie reportedly replies, "I can't do this," and then that's how things end between them.Cassie essentially told Colton she's not ready to get engaged and so continuing on with the process wouldn't be fair to him. She therefore quits the show and leaves Colton heartbroken.Colton allegedly walks Cassie out while kissing and hugging her, and then she cries in the car as she drives off.And this is when Colton has his meltdown and attempts to quit , according to Carbone."Colton goes back up to his room [for his wallet], closes the door behind him, cameras are still rolling... comes back out of the room, takes his mic off, pushes the cameras out of the way, and says he's done," Carbone revealed."THIS is where the fence jump happens, we see the shot of Chris Harrison say, 'Holy f-ck, he's gone...' and that's where next week's episode ends [on a cliffhanger]."Colton's attempt to quit the series is the "stunning twist" ABC has been teasing. It will be a first in history, and his breakdown will leave everyone confused and speechless.The fence jump will serve as a teaser heading into the finale, and fans will be left wondering whether Colton truly quit the show or settled for another girl -- and what happened with Cassie."Colton will then gather himself the next day and speak with both Hannah G. and Tayshia separately and dump them, and ultimately he's with Cassie, but they are not engaged," Carbone revealed.Colton therefore never enjoys an overnight Fantasy Suite date with Hannah G., as he ended the process prematurely.Carbone reports Cassie returned home to California after leaving the show -- and then Colton also traveled back to America and basically chased Cassie down.'s production crew reportedly filmed Colton tracking Cassie down in the Los Angeles area and telling her that he'd still like to be with her regardless of whether they get engaged.Colton's desperate plea resulted in the couple choosing to continue dating together and taking an engagement off the table since Cassie is only 23 years old."Colton comes to Cassie and basically says, 'We don't need to be engaged, but I want to be with you.' And that's where we are for right now," Carbone insisted."They are definitely seeing each other, and have been seeing each other since the end of filming."Colton and Cassie will apparently update fans on the status of their relationship live on : After the Final Rose airs on ABC."My guess is Cassie is very young, and her feeling of, back in November, telling Colton, 'I'm not ready to be engaged,' [is] probably still going to stand in March. But that's just a guess. We'll see what happens," Carbone predicted.However, Cassie appeared to play up the rumors and spoilers about her relationship with Colton in a recent Instagram post.Cassie posted a photo of herself flipping a tire on a previous group date in which the girls had participated in a "Bachelor's Strongest Woman" contest."Caption Options: 1. When you gotta secure the ring 2. Get this ring away from me. I'm not ready for that...Or am I? 3. Hey @neillanejewelry ... do you make rings this big?" Cassie teased on Instagram.Maybe Cassie is ready for an engagement after all!Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group Porterville, CA (93257) Today Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 62F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies and rain later during the night. Low 47F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. University of Georgia Student Government Association Vice President Charlene Marsh has voiced her opposition to Amendment 31-0, which seeks to change the leadership structure of the Senate by replacing the Vice President of the Senate with a President of the Senate, popularly elected by Senators, as presiding officer. Among other things, taking note of complaints against several Chinese e-commerce players such as Shein, Ali Express etc for sending shipments as 'gifts' to customers in India and avoiding duties, the government has now mandated that all e-commerce sites and apps must have a registered business entity. This will be the importer on record and subject to customs rules, report Subhayan Chakraborty, Neha Alawadhi and Karan Choudhury. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com Protection of consumer data stands out as the dominant theme of the much-awaited e-commerce draft report released on Saturday, February 23. Prepared by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) along with a clutch of other ministries, the draft has granted the industry a three-year window for making a shift to the local data storage requirements. Aiming to step up onshore digital commerce, the report also hints at regulating Chinese e-commerce apps. Ruling out the need for a new regulator, the draft, which will be finalised after consultations with stakeholders, has recognised the standing group of secretaries on e-commerce as the primary body for regulating the high growth sector. Online retail commerce, which was pegged at $38.5 billion end of 2017, is projected to grow to $200 billion by 2026 in the country. This excludes travel and tourism and business-to-business transactions. In what is seen as a balancing act after the recent changes in the foreign investment rules linked to e-commerce, the 41-page policy docket may not be hard on foreign majors such as Amazon and Walmart, which controls Flipkart. "Companies such as Amazon and Walmart have all the data present in India, so they will not have to make any changes. "Also most of the things being talked about in the draft are being done anyway. "So I think they are in the clear," said a top executive at an e-commerce firm. Data protection all the way With a tagline 'India's data for India's development', the report focuses on various aspects of data including use of artificial intelligence to track consumer behaviour for targeted marketing. From information on the frequency of visiting a website to search results to the time spent in reading an article simultaneously stored in the cloud, the report deals with all this and more in detail. "By tracking the search and browsing histories, online retail websites are able to target consumers with tailor-made marketing content," the draft says. "Among the most prominent features of the draft e-commerce policy is its emphasis on data protection, including data collected by users in India and restrictions on sharing of such data, even if it is stored outside the country, even if a customer consents to such data storage," said Atul Pandey, partner at Khaitan & Co, said. Pandey said: "It remains to be seen as to how the stringent EU General Data Protection Regulation interplays with such strict conditions on data sharing provided in the draft e-commerce policy." In an effort to bring in small traders and retailers online, the draft states that advertising charges in e-commerce must be regulated, especially for small enterprises and start-ups. In view of artificial intelligence (AI), big data and deep learning being used by organisations, the policy has called for regulators and law makers to set up dedicated 'technology wings'. "This would help them understand and analyze transactions in proper light." In what is likely to be a controversial move, the policy wants the government to be able to access source code and algorithms of AI-based systems. "There is a need to strike a balance between commercial interests and consumer protection issues, as well as issues of larger public concern, like preventing racial profiling and maintaining constitutionally mandated rights, such as the right to equality," the policy states. Reiterating its earlier demand, the draft makes it clear that global online giants in the sector must appoint local representatives in India. Chinese firms on DPIIT radar Any foreign e-commerce player planning to sell in India needs to set up local offices and have representatives present onshore, making it tough for many international businesses to survive in the country. Taking note of complaints against several Chinese e-commerce players such as Shein, Ali Express etc for sending shipments as 'gifts' to customers in India and avoiding duties, the government has now mandated that all e-commerce sites and apps must have a registered business entity. This will be the importer on record and subject to customs rules. This alone can be the entity through which all sales in India are transacted. After customs officials found widespread exploitation of a law permitting Indians living abroad to send 'gifts' worth up to Rs 5,000 to relatives at home without paying any duty, the government has now banned all such parcels, with the exception of life-saving drugs. Any player in the sector with access to the data of Indians must nominate a local representative to be responsible for the affairs of the company in India. While warning about the dangers of massive revenue and data loss that will accompany the World Trade Organisation's push towards creating a global set of e-commerce rules, the government hasn't made it clear whether it will enter the talks, if the rules are changed. "During negotiations, policy space must be retained to seek disclosure of source code for facilitating transfer of technology and development of applications for local needs as well as for security," the policy said. Policy space to grant preferential treatment of digital products created within India must also be retained, it added. However, New Delhi has hinted that it is willing to tax electronic transactions in the near future. In contrast to the leaked first draft that had drawn much flak, the latest e-commerce draft policy has found many takers. From firms like Snapdeal to even trader bodies including Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), all have given their stamp of approval. Gurugram-based Snapdeal said the draft policy's categorical rejection of inventory based e-commerce model must be followed by effective implementation of FDI norms to ensure marketplaces do not own or control inventory, directly or indirectly. "The recognition of data as a strategic national asset is well-timed and will lead to the development of required regulation in this regard," said the company's spokesperson. Last year, the unreleased draft was heavily criticised for being one-sided and slanted towards e-commerce players such as Paytm, Ola and Snapdeal. Many stakeholders, including international investors such as SoftBank, had raised concerns. Finally, the draft was junked and never released for public consultation. Even organisations such as CAIT had raised concerns on the issue claiming it would have adverse effects on offline businesses. Walmart-owned Flipkart plans to give its comments as the government at the moment is seeking consultation on the draft policy. "We are going through the draft, which has been just released for comments and will be sharing our inputs in due course. "We look forward to working with the government and other stakeholders in developing this nascent sector, making India a competitive economy and driving greater benefits to consumers, farmers, small suppliers, infrastructure development and innovation," said Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of the Flipkart Group. Amazon India said it is studying the draft policy and will provide inputs during the public review period. "We look forward to an enabling policy to serve over 450,000 sellers and a policy that will allow us to scale up our logistics network, create new jobs and infrastructure, digitise payments and delight our customers," the company said in a statement. Even trader organisations that have for long demanded a level-playing field for offline businesses, said the draft e-commerce policy "looks to be innovative and good". However, they do believe that several things have been left out that need to be addressed. "Some red herrings need to be changed. "First thing's first, this policy is putting everything on the Standing Group of Secretaries and DPIIT. "Instead, this should be through a committee headed by representatives of various stakeholders, so that the workings are answerable to the people and Parliament. "The e-commerce policy should provide substantial platform for business. "The policy seems to be silent on domestic e-commerce players that is undesirable. "They should also be brought under the policy," said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of CAIT. If implemented, CEOs really will have to be responsible for their banks performance unlike the present practice of handpicked board members green lighting their heavy salaries. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed inserting a clause in compensation packages of private bank chief executive officers (CEO) that would allow for a penalty if the bank concerned underreports bad debt or provision beyond the central banks tolerance. Wherever the assessed divergence in the banks asset classification or provisioning from the RBI norms exceeds the prescribed threshold for public disclosure, the bank shall not pay the unvested portion of the variable compensation for the assessment year. "Further, in such situations, no proposal for increase in variable pay (for the assessment year) shall be entertained, the RBI said in a discussion paper released on Monday late night. The central bank also said there should be no concept of guaranteed bonuses in the compensation plan. These provisions are part of a host of new rules that the central bank brought forward in the discussion paper that aims at making CEOs more accountable for their banks performance and drastically limits the persons non-cash compensation benefits such as stock options. If implemented this would erode the celebrity status of CEOs of private banks. The last date for commenting on the draft rules is March 31. The RBI also wanted to introduce a set of quantitative and qualitative criteria for identification of material risk takers, such as whole-time directors and CEOs. In the paper, the RBI proposed that at least half of the compensation of a CEO should be variable. There was no such threshold earlier. The stock options should be part of the variable pay, against the extant practice of keeping it beyond and above the scope of the official compensation package. The compensation should be in adherence with all statutory requirements. "Further, in accordance with FSB (Financial Stability Board) Implementation Standards, a substantial proportion of compensation i.e. at least 50 per cent, should be variable, and paid on the basis of individual, business-unit and firm-wide measures that adequately measure performance the discussion paper said. However, variable pay, with stock options included, can be capped at 200 per cent of the fixed pay. Earlier, the variable pay was capped at 70 per cent of fixed pay but did not include stock options. The central bank further prescribed that at least half of the variable pay should be via non-cash component. The RBI proposed a compulsory deferral mechanism for variable pay, which means that the bonuses may not be given in the same period, regardless of the quantum of the pay. Earlier, such a payment was mandated only beyond a specified threshold. Importantly, the central bank proposed mandating imposition of malus (penalty) in case of divergence in NPA/provisioning beyond RBI prescribed threshold for public disclosure. The discussion paper comes on the heels of a few private sector bank CEOs getting roughed up by the regulator, and eventually fired from their positions, essentially for underreporting bad debt. As per RBIs rules, if the divergence, between what the bank reported and RBIs auditors found, differs by more than 15 per cent, the banks have to disclose such divergence. It is worth mentioning here is that the central bank did not approve the full bonuses of some private sector bank CEOs for 2016-17 and 2017-18 as those banks showed heavy divergence in their assessment of bad debt, and what RBI auditors unearthed the bad debts as. The discussion paper said that the compensation of the material risk takers should be adjusted for all types of risk, and the outcomes are symmetric with risk outcomes, and the compensation payouts are sensitive to the time horizon of the risk. The mix of cash, equity and other forms of compensation should be consistent with risk alignment, the RBI said. Private sector banks and foreign banks operating through a subsidiary route (only two such banks so far) are required to take RBI approval for grant of remuneration to whole time directors and CEOs. The approval process takes into account the set guidelines, which the central bank proposed to overhaul through the newly introduced rules. If accepted, CEOs really will have to be responsible for their banks performance unlike the present practice of handpicked board members green lighting heavy salaries of such bank CEOs. Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters United States President Donald Trump has said he intends to end the preferential trade status granted to India and Turkey, asserting that New Delhi has failed to assure America of equitable and reasonable access to its markets, an announcement that could be seen as a major setback to bilateral trade ties. Trump, who has vowed to reduce US trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs. Addressing a four-day annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on Saturday, Trump accused India of being a high tariff nation and threatened to impose a reciprocal tax to match the heavy duties that New Delhi imposes on goods imported from the United States. In a letter to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Trump said he was determined that New Delhi had not assured the US that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India. I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India, Trump said in the letter to congressional leaders on Monday. I will continue to assess whether the government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the Generalized System of Preferences eligibility criteria, Trump said in his letter, a copy of which was released to the press. Under the United States GSP programme, certain products can enter the US duty-free if the beneficiary developing countries meet the eligibility criteria established by Congress. The GSP criteria include, among others, respecting arbitral awards in favour of US citizens or corporations, combating child labour, respecting internationally recognised worker rights, providing adequate and effective intellectual property protection and providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access. Countries can also be graduated from the GSP programme, depending on factors related to economic development. In a separate letter, Trump also informed the Congress of his intent to terminate the GSP beneficiary designation of Turkey. He said it was primarily because the economy of Turkey had improved a lot in the last four-and-a-half decades. In the four-and-a-half decades since Turkeys designation as a GSP beneficiary developing country, Turkeys economy has grown and diversified, he said. Increases in Gross National Income per capita, declining poverty rates and export diversification by trading partner and by sector are all evidence of Turkeys increased level of economic development. In addition, Turkey has graduated from other developed countries GSP programs due to its increase in economic development or through reciprocal arrangements, he argued. Trumps letter to Pelosi could be seen as a major setback to India-US bilateral relationship, in particular in the arena of trade and economy. In a separate statement, the US Trade Representative said Indias termination from GSP followed its failure to provide the US with assurances that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors. Turkeys termination from GSP followed a finding that it was sufficiently economically developed and should no longer benefit from preferential market access to the US market, the statement said. By statute, these changes may not take effect until at least 60 days after the notifications to Congress and the governments of India and Turkey, and will be enacted by a Presidential Proclamation, the USTR said. The Trump administration had launched an eligibility review of Indias compliance with the GSP market access criterion in April 2018. India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce. Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion, the USTR said. The US had designated Turkey as a GSP beneficiary developing country in 1975. An increase in the Gross National Income per capita, declining poverty rates and export diversification by trading partner and by sector were evidence of Turkeys higher level of economic development, the USTR said. 'The Pakistani move to ban militant outfits and placate international opinion and Islamabad's openness to a UN security council resolution on Azhar -- instead of beseeching China to cast yet another veto -- enables Islamabad to occupy the high ground,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar. IMAGE: February 4, 2000: Masood Azhar leaves the Karachi press club after a news conference where he announced the founding of the Jaish e Mohammad. He had been freed from an Indian prison along with two other terrorists in exchange for the passengers and crew of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814 on December 31, 1999. Photograph: Reuters The government should welcome Islamabad's move to ban militant outfits designated by the United Nations security council as a step in the right direction. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain by making a gesture. But a leap of faith is needed. Pakistan is crossing the Rubicon. Even if it is only acting under compulsion to conform to the standards set by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, which has included Pakistan in its 'grey list', the Pakistani move overlaps certain templates that have appeared lately. There has been a high level of international attention on terrorism, focusing on the Pakistan-based militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Pakistan cannot afford to waffle anymore. Second, this move is in consonance with Imran Khan's overall conciliatory attitude toward India since he came to power, especially his most recent gesture to return the Indian pilot. Third, this move must be seen in conjunction with the extraordinary public remarks on Monday by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi hinting that Pakistan may not oppose a joint move in the UN security council by France, Britain and the US to list JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. Time has come for Pakistan to decide in its own interests. We'll do what is in Pakistan's interests...' Qureshi reportedly said, adding, 'We have some global commitments... We will have to take action which doesn't harm our global reputation.' Qureshi characterised the situation around the Pulwama attack as a 'defining moment' for Pakistan. When asked specifically whether Pakistan will seek a veto from China in the UN security council once again, Qureshi said meaningfully that Pakistan will try to build a consensus among all parties and do what is in Pakistan's interest. Qureshi's remarks signal that the ground beneath the feet is shifting and Islamabad cannot remain wedded to the old matrix. The big question is whether Pakistan is changing tack on its opposition to previous attempts in the UN security council to list Azhar as a global terrorist. Indeed, that could be the case. 'The interplay of various factors possibly accounts for the new thinking in Islamabad -- one, quiet Chinese advice behind-the-scenes; two the manifest interest of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to seek a new type of relations with India; three, the endgame in Afghanistan heralding a new beginning in regional politics; four, Imran Khan's innate 'Westernism' that seeks rapprochement with the US and Britain; and, five, a cool assessment that the upheaval in Jammu and Kashmir has acquired a dynamic of its own and Pakistan's campaign on Kashmir can only acquire greater credibility and appeal in the world community if it has no blood on its hands. Finally, all this is unfolding at a time when the US needs Pakistan's help to wrap up a settlement in Afghanistan, which enables President Trump to announce troop withdrawal. The prioritisation of Pakistan in the US's regional strategy at present has serious implications for India at a time when the situation in J&K has touched a criticality. The US interest lies in insulating the Afghan peace process from India-Pakistan tensions. Pakistan is notifying the Trump administration that it may stop being a facilitator and give up pressuring Taliban anymore if tensions continue with India. Pakistan's UN ambassador Maleeha Lodhi told Reuters that Islamabad's focus could completely shift to its eastern border with India. 'If the crisis with India continues, Pakistan will be obliged to keep our entire focus on our eastern border. That may affect our efforts on our western front,' Lodhi said. Islamabad may not be overstating the risks of the fallout on the Afghan peace talks, since many of the Pakistani officials who deal with India are also responsible for Afghanistan. The bottom line is that in the current state of play, any US strategy to guard Afghan peace talks from India-Pakistan tensions inevitably brings the Trump administration perilously close to the Kashmir crisis. Against this backdrop, Pakistan cannot but be intensely conscious of the need to do some house cleaning of its own. This is where a discernible shift in China's stance recently merits attention. The Chinese reaction to the developments since the Pulwama attack has been one of strict neutrality and a balanced view. It gives primacy to regional stability while taking into account both China's longstanding friendly ties with Pakistan as well as the positive trajectory of the Sino-Indian relations since the Wuhan Summit last April. Significantly, China has taken a proactive role of peacemaker-cum-facilitator-cum-moderator. This implies receptiveness to India's profound concerns as a victim of terrorism and a realisation in China's own self-interest that regional peace will be better served through closer cooperation between China and India in the fight against terrorism. Of course, such cooperation would have positive fallouts for the overall relationship between the two countries, too. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said at a media briefing on March 4: 'We hope that India and Pakistan, as two important countries in South Asia, will enjoy good neighborliness and friendship and resolve their issues through friendly consultations... China is in close communication with both to facilitate reconciliation and dialogue.' 'China will continue to play a constructive role in its own way in whatever that will help ease the situation and promote regional peace and stability... In fact, China has been in close contact with both India and Pakistan and making efforts to promote peace and facilitate talks.' The government newspaper China Daily in an editorial comment on February 28 expressed understanding for India's 'anger' over the Pulwama attack but disapproved of Delhi's military escalation last Tuesday. Again, it highlighted Imran Khan's repeated overtures for dialogue but only to call upon him to release the Indian pilot as a measured step 'in a show of goodwill to improve its ties with India'. On February 28, the veteran India hand Wang Dehua penned a commentary in Global Times saying, 'China will act as a mediator between India and Pakistan in the long term, hoping to accelerate the peace process between the feuding nations.' There is no competitive edge to China's role. China is already an influential player in the region and a stakeholder in regional stability. Most important, China hopes to create conditions in which India and Pakistan can discuss their mutual differences and resolve them bilaterally. It is a long-term project if Wang is to be understood correctly. All in all, therefore, the Pakistani move to ban militant outfits and placate international opinion and Islamabad's openness to a UN security council resolution on Azhar -- instead of beseeching China to cast yet another veto -- enables Islamabad to occupy the high ground. This would mean that while Delhi's long-cherished desire to settle scores with Azhar is nearing fulfilment, there is a flip side to it, namely, the P-5 members will also expect India to follow through by commencing talks with Pakistan. Paradoxically, Prime Minister Modi's war rhetoric only adds to the sense of crisis in the region. 'Wing Commander Abhinandan would not have even worried if he was going to cross the LoC or not because he was not going to let go of a shot.' IMAGE: Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik with a sand sculpture of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at the beach in Puri, March 1, 2019. Photograph: PTI Photo Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramanian (retd) has flown both the MiG-21 and Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft. The fighter pilot served the Indian Air Force for 36 years and is an erudite and scholarly voice on strategic affairs. The author of three books, Air Vice Marshal Subramanian is a visiting professor at Ashoka University and the Jindal School of International Affairs. He was formerly a visiting professor at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy and a visiting fellow at Harvard, Oxford and Northeastern Universities. The pilot-scholar-commentator spoke to Rediff.com's Archana Masih about the impact of the IAF's daring missions last week. The first of a two-part interview: As a fighter pilot yourself who has flown the MiG-21, what are your thoughts about Wing Commander Abhinandan's mission? His mission was very clear. A pilot on an Operational Ready Platform is scrambled when there is an imminent threat. His job is to ensure that that imminent threat does not materialise into an actual threat. That is what he did. He was on an air defence mission, the task of an air defence mission pilot is to shoot down an enemy strike or air defence aircraft if it ingresses into Indian space and threatens targets. We have shot down an aircraft even during peace, two months after the Kargil war. Flight Lieutenant Prashant Bundela in a MiG-21 Bison shot down an Atlantique aircraft of the Pakistan air force because it strayed into Indian airspace and refused to go back. (The officer won a gallantry medal, but unfortunately in 2002, Squadron Leader Bundela's MiG-21 crashed. He died four months later from spinal injuries sustained on ejection.) Why did the aircraft not go back? Because he may have thought that the IAF would not call the bluff and shoot it down. Similarly, the F-16 pilot would have thought that it has just made an ingress and his own radar probably told him to turn back, but he did not anticipate the Indians would scramble the fighters so fast and create a situation where he would have the threat of being shot down. It was a clear-cut mission where the pilot had a task. He has been trained for it and has executed it with professionalism. IMAGE: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman at the Air Force Central Medical Establishment, March 2, 2019. Since his return, what would be some of the procedures Wing Commander Abhinandan must be going through now and for the next few days? He would be medically assessed. Having gone through an ejection the doctors would particularly examine his spine. The spine takes the biggest load during an ejection. There will be psychological tests, multiple debriefs and an assessment -- if he is ok, he should be back in a cockpit pretty soon. IMAGE: The IAF's MiG-21 aircraft. How did an aircraft that the IAF plans to phase out this year best a superior aircraft like the F-16? There are a number of factors that lead to this kind of situation. In history, we have had David besting Goliath. It is about tactics, the aggressiveness in the mind of the fighter pilot, how much help the pilot gets from his ground control -- from the fighter controller who is vectoring him on to the package. It is not just the MiG-21 vs the F-16, it is the environment, training, the pilot and the ability to take an opportunity shot. That is what Abhinandan has done -- he has guided on to the package very well, has locked on and has pressed on with the attack which clearly indicates him as a typically aggressive fighter pilot. We understand that 24 Pakistani aircraft were deployed and 8 Indian aircraft responded. To lay people like us it looks like an unequal fight, can you please explain? It doesn't work that way. Let us hypothetically assume that there were 24 aircraft. All these 24 aircraft are not equipped with bombs to drop on a target. There will be 1/3 aircraft to drop bombs; 1/3 aircraft are air defence fighters to protect this formation; a couple of aircraft provide electronic warfare support -- it's a package and not these aircraft are coming in a single direction. They would probably be split into two sub packages and be heading in different directions, but in the same area. Then you have 3 to 4 pairs of Indian aircraft that are scrambled and directed on to these four elements. This is typically how large force engagements take place. Out of this only 1 to 2 will matrialise into an actual air to air engagement. In this case, it was just one. We were in a high state of alert after the Balakot strike. Despite that, how did a package of Pakistani aircraft breach our air defences the following day? It did not breach. If 1 or 2 Pakistani aircraft had bombed an Indian air field or hit an important army installation, that would be a breach. Here the aircraft has been spotted by our radar well in time and barely had they ingressed into the LoC they were intercepted. The Pak package has been intercepted at the LoC and that's why Abhinandan had gone across the LoC because he was locked on to the F 16 that was heading back and took a shot. By no yardstick was it a breach of our air defence system. If the MiG 21 Bison is going to be phased out this year, why is it kept at a forward base? As compared to all IAF fighters, the Bison can scramble the quickest. It is an uncomplicated aircraft. The pilot runs to the aircraft, hops into the cockpit, is able to start it much quicker and off he goes. It is certainly not in the same class as the F-16. Even though it is going to be phased out, it is not a platform to mess around with. IMAGE: The F-16. What does such a dogfight entails and what decisions have to be taken in lightening quick time? The radar controller has to guide the fighter aircraft on to an enemy target. When the pilot picks up the target either visually or on his radar from then on the decision-making cycle rests entirely with the pilot. The pilot has to lock on to the enemy aircraft, decide what is his distance from the enemy aircraft and whether he needs to close in a little to fire his missile. At the same time he cannot be oblivious that another pilot is locked on to him. All this takes place with both the enemy aircraft and your own aircraft in speeds in access of 800 km/hr. Once an enemy aircraft comes to know that somebody is locked on to him, he will start maneuvering his aircraft to 5G, 6G, 7G -- and you have to take the decision of when is the correct time to fire your missile. It is over in a flash. Instantaneous decisions have to be taken in that moment. At that time, Wing Commander Abhinandan would not have even worried if he was going to cross the LoC or not because he was not going to let go of a shot. It is quick, intense and you have to be decisive in your action. You have flown the MiG-21, tell us about this aircraft. This MiG-21 Bison is probably the most advanced version of the MiG-21 that exists in the world today. The only thing similar to the old MiG-21 is the air frame and possibly the engine. The cockpit, instrumentation, radar, weapon systems are all reasonably advanced. I would say the Bison would be a third generation plus kind of aircraft. Part 2: 'It is not so much about dropping bombs on a target, it is the effect that that bomb creates' 'Till date there have been 482 accidents on account of failure of this aircraft and 171 IAF pilots have lost their lives.' Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman ejected in time from his MiG-21 Bison aircraft on February 27 after it was hit by Pakistani ground fire. But before doing so, the fighter pilot shot down a Pakistani F-16 with his MiG-21 Bison, a 56-year-old aircraft. Now, a public interest litigation has been filed with the Mumbai high court by advocate Shehzad Naqvi on behalf of an NGO, seeking directions to the Government of India to phase out the MiG-21s. The NGO that filed the petition wishes to be anonymous and Naqvi spoke on its behalf. "The MiG 21 was inducted in the Indian Air Force in 1963 after the India-China war. We imported around 1,000 MiG-21s from Russia (the erstwhile Soviet Union). The MiG-21 has lasted almost 60 years in the IAF," Naqvi tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf. What is this PIL about? This PIL is pertaining to the issues with the MiG-21, particularly about the shooting down of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman's aircraft by the Pakistanis after which he landed in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The issue here is that the MiG-21 was inducted into the IAF in 1963. It is a 56-year-old craft. In military circles, it is known as 'widow maker' aircraft or a 'flying coffin'. Till date there have been 482 accidents on account of failure of this aircraft and 171 IAF pilots have lost their lives. But... (Interrupts) Wing Commander Varthaman was able to shoot down an F-16 only because of his ability and skills. There are many people who are saying that an MiG-21 was able to shoot down an F-16, but we have informed the court that it was only because of Wing Commander Varthaman's ability as a pilot that he could do it. What we are saying is that the MiG-21 is an outdated plane and should not be used in forward areas or war zones. In the current scenario, a war can take place between India and Pakistan any time. We told the court that MiG-21s should not be deployed (in such situations) and should be retired. We are not saying retire it immediately, but are asking the ministry of defence to come up with a policy whereby they tell us in how much time they will phase out the MiG-21s. And we are not asking them to induct the Rafale -- they can induct the Tejas which is an indigenous aircraft. The government can increase production of the Tejas. You do not need the Rafale or any Western counterpart aircraft to replace the MiG-21s. We already have local aircraft which are under construction by HAL (the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited). At least, don't deploy MiG-21s in war zones and use them only as a back-up. Let your squadrons strengthen and you can replace it over a period of time. Don't ask pilots to fly MiG-21s because it is a threat to their lives. Article 21 of the Constitution, which grants the Right to Life, also includes the right to work in a healthy and safe environment. MiG-21 is not at all safe. It has lived its life of 56 years. An old horse can graze, but you cannot expect it to compete on a racing track. How many MiG-21s are operational in the IAF? I am not sure, but I think it is around 200. And all these are 56 years old. When were they inducted into the IAF? They were inducted in 1963. At that time it was a state of the art aircraft provided to India by the then Soviet Union (now Russia). It was an outstanding fighter plane in that period, but now things have changed. Modern battles are played on a different turf altogether. You have fourth and fifth generation fighter planes now. MiG-21 is a second generation plane. These second generation planes were manufactured between the 1950s and 1960s. The contemporary generation today is fourth generation, which includes the Sukhoi and Mirage 2000. And when you already have advanced planes, why are you making pilots risk their lives by flying these outdated machines? Earlier, there was a demand to phase out the MiG-21s. Why has no government phased them out? The government's argument is that if they phase out the MiG-21s, then our (IAF) squadron strength will drastically decrease. What we are saying in the petition is that do not phase them out immediately, but at least in the shortest possible time, come out with a proposal that gives a timeline by when you will phase out the MiG-21s. And till that time, we are requesting the government not to deploy the MiG-21s in a war zone. When Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was arrested, the entire nation was in grief. We do not want that kind of scenario again. If (Wing Commander) Abhinandan were flying a modern aircraft, then in all likelihood he would have landed safely back at the air base after shooting down the Pakistani F-16. IMAGE: Minister of State for Defence Subhash Rao Bhamre with Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at the Army Hospital Research And Referral in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI If he weren't flying an MiG-21, what could have happened? Wing Commander Abhinandan was flying an interceptor aircraft, which means his aircraft was carrying only air-to-air weaponry. It was not carrying any air-to-surface weapon. If you are not carrying air-to-surface weapons and you are locked on by a ground-based missile system, you don't have any counter measures. If he was flying a more advanced plane, would his aircraft not have been hit by ground fire? Yes, that's right. So you are saying the IAF should not have sent Wing Commander Abhinandan in an MiG-21? We are not blaming the air force in particular. We are only saying that the ministry of defence knows the factual aspect that the MiG-21 is outdated. We are not blaming any particular party like the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) or Congress or any government. Successive governments have failed to address this issue. The only answer they come up with is that they will induct new jets and retire the MiG-21s. Our counter argument is that we already have sufficient number of modern aircraft which we can be used in war zones. You should use latest generation aircraft where pilots can perform to the best of their abilities. The late Flight Lieutenant Abhijit Gadgil's mother Mrs Kavita Gadgil was fighting this case earlier, but she did not succeed. It is not (only) about her case, there are other cases too where pilots have been injured flying a MiG-21. They too have sued the ministry of defence. Any statistics on how many IAF pilots have been injured in MiG-21 mishaps? As per a (media) briefing of (then defence minister) A K Antony in 2010, 482 MiGs were lost on account of accidents. It resulted in the loss of 171 pilots and other civilians too. What we are saying is that we already have Tejas which HAL is manufacturing. If the Union government helps HAL financially and provides all the required material, then the production of the Tejas will increase. The Tejas is very good to replace the MiG-21s. You do not need F-16s or Rafales or Mirages to replace MiG-21s. We have the domestic capacity to produce modern aircraft like the Tejas and, therefore, this government has to be more focused on this issue. India will have 'all options' available in case there is another cross-border terror attack, government sources asserted on Tuesday while maintaining that New Delhi's counter-terror strikes in Balakot were intended to demonstrate the "capacity and will" to act against terror network in Pakistan. IMAGE: Indian Air Force Garud commandos participate in a drill during the IAF's Vayu Shakti 2019 at the IAF field firing range, Pokhran, Rajasthan, February 16, 2019. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo They said the action against the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot was 'over' and emphasised that India's aim is to force Pakistan to take 'demonstrable' action against terror groups operating from their soil. The highly-placed sources, however, refused to give number of human casualties in the air strikes by Indian Air Force jets last week even though there has been a raging debate on the issue. Briefing reporters last week on the Balakot strike, the External Affairs Ministry had said 'a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated', while the government sources said 350 terrorists were killed. Later, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah put the toll at 250. Amidst media reports suggesting minimal damage during these air strikes, opposition parties have been clamouring for clarity. Sources said India has shared with the US the evidence of use of F16 fighter jet by Pakistan during retaliatory aerial combat a day after the Balakot strike and was confident that the US is investigating the matter. "Our efforts in the coming days will be to see that there is demonstrable action on the part of Pakistan to deal with terror infrastructure there. If this a 'naya' Pakistan with a 'naya soch' (new thought process), we expect to see 'naya' action on the ground. Not simply words," a top government source said, referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's much publicised 'Naya Pakistan' slogan. The source said the Pakistani government's objective, at the moment, is simply to pretend to the international community that it is taking steps. "We will not allow them to do this. Our effort and focus is to reach out to all members of the UN Security Council to explain to Pakistan's ploy", the source added. Sources also observed that Pakistan has gone to all countries seeking mediation to defuse the standoff with India but no country has heeded to their request. A number of world leaders have spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the assessment is that there is 'solid support and understanding' of India's position, sources said, adding sufficient pressure was put on Islamabad to release Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman immediately. "No country has offered any mediation in the matter. We have made it clear that this is not an India-Pakistan issue. This is an issue of terrorism," said a source. Sources also dubbed as a 'total lie' the Pakistan's claim that it has shot down an Indian Sukhoi 30 fighter jet during the aerial dogfight on February 27. They said India believes Islamabad's strategy is to keep its public in a heightened state of fear so that they do not ask awkward questions. On reports in Pakistan about minimal impact of India's strike on JeM camp in Balakot, sources said if there is no damage then why Pakistani media is not being taken to the site of the operation. Referring to the interviews given by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to CNN and the BBC, sources said it has emerged from these interactions that there are people in Pakistani government who not only know where United Nations-proscribed JeM chief Masood Azhar is, but are also in touch with him. In one of the interviews, the journalist described Azhar as the chief of the JeM and there was no denial to this by the Pakistan foreign minister which is significant from the point of view of efforts to list him as global terrorists by the UN, sources added. Earlier, Islamabad had suggested that Azhar is no longer the chief of JeM and is a religious teacher. If Azhar gets banned by the UN, Pakistan will get into a difficult situation as he has been residing there as per the Pakistan foreign minister's admission. Sources had said on Monday the Indian Air Force has kept all its bases in Western sector on maximum alert after the Balakot strike on February 26. India's air strike, which the government had called a 'non-military' action, followed a terror attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir on February 14, in which 41 personnel were killed. JeM had taken the responsibility for the attack. On Organisation of Islamic Countries passing a resolution on Kashmir even after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended its plenary in Abu Dhabi last week, sources said anti-India resolutions were tabled by Pakistan and the practice of the grouping has been to adopt all resolutions without a debate. They said efforts to stop Pakistan to move a resolution would have given it veto on India's participation at the meeting of the grouping. Meanwhile, in Islamabad Pakistani Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi announced arrest of Masood Azhar's son and brother along with 42 other members of the banned militant outfits, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil. Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan said Hammad Azhar and Mufti Abdur Rauf were among those arrested on Tuesday. Hammad is the son of Masood Azhar while Rauf is his brother. Khan said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Rauf and Hammad. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the launch of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Pension Yojana (PM-SYM Scheme 2019) for unorganised workers, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday. Photograph: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI Photo Asking the government to account for its work has now become a trend in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Adalaj, Gujarat on Tuesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government aims to empower society to conduct more social works, he said, after the 'pran-pratistha' (idol installation) ceremony at the newly-built Annapurna Dham temple in Adalaj. "There is a recent trend of people expecting that everything has to be done by the government. They also seek answers from the government for the works that are not done. This was not a tradition in our country," he said. The society used to build dharmshalas (guest houses), gaushala (cow shelters), water ponds and libraries, he said. "All these used to be constructed by society's strength. Slowly, knowingly or unknowingly, this activity of the society was suppressed and the state took the role of carrying out social work," Modi said. "Our attempt is (to ensure) that the state should do the administrative work, and society should be empowered so it can carry out such social works beneficial for people at large," he said after the ceremony at the temple set up by Leuva Patels, a sub-caste of the Patidar community. The prime minister said it was the Leuva Patel community, led by India's first Home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which started the Amul movement and benefited people coming from all castes and classes in the villages of Gujarat. "Sardar Patel should not be seen from the prism of caste. He was a tall world leader. His 'Statue of Unity' (in Gujarat's Narmada district) is the world's tallest statue, and I don't think we can break this record," he said. "Who started the Amul Dairy? For our understanding, they were all Leuva Patels...The leaders of our community who founded Amul benefited people from all communities," he said. Modi said he would like this trust (of the Annapurna Dham) to set up food processing units and develop a scientific method of food processing. "We should work on food processing on a large scale and conduct research in the sector. I would like people from the industry to think in this direction," he said. He suggested the temple trust to gift plants to devotees so they stay like 'God's blessings' after growing up. After the birth of a daughter in a Leuva Patel family, its members should be encouraged to visit the Annapurna Dham to seek the Goddess' blessings, he said. The family should be given five plants of best wood quality for making furniture, and governments help should be sought for land to grow them, he said. "These plants would grow up in 20 years by the time the girl is ready to get married. Parents will then not have to go in for a loan for her marriage. Such wooden logs are imported for thousands of crores," he said. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh sparked a controversy on Tuesday when he referred to the Pulwama attack as a durghatana (accident), later reviewing it to terror attack after being trolled on social media. In a tweet earlier in the day, Singh said the foreign media had raised doubts over the air strike after the Pulwama accident and this has raised questions over the credibility of the Indian government. Later, trolled for referring to the attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed, Singh tweeted again, saying there should be no doubt that the incident was an act of terrorism. Pulwama was a terrorist attack, what is the doubt in that? The troll army is evading primary questions, he tweeted. Union Minister VK Singh, reacting to Singhs comments tweeted: Calling a terrorist attack an accident should NOT be the political discourse in our country. @digvijaya_28 ji, would you call Rajiv Gandhis assassination an accident? Dont weaken the nation & the morale of our armed forces with these senseless jibes. India has given proof to the United States about the use of F-16 fighters and AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile by Pakistan during its unsuccessful aerial raid targeting four Indian military installations on February 27, official sources said on Tuesday. They said India was confident that Washington was carrying out a thorough investigation into use of the United States-manufactured fighter as well as the missile onboard it in the offensive operation against India. As part of the purchasing agreement, the US had put restrictions, the US had reportedly barred Pakistan from using the F-16s against any third country and it was only allowed to operate the fighter in self defence and for anti-terror missions. The Indian Air Force on February 28 displayed parts of an AMRAAM missile as evidence to 'conclusively' prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir. It said Pakistan does not have any other fighters capable of firing an AMRAAM missile. Pakistan has categorically said that no F-16 fighter jets were used in the aerial combat against India. The US State Department has said that America is seeking more information from Pakistan on the potential misuse of American-made F-16 fighter jets by it against India in violation of the end-user agreement. After the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force tried to target Indian military installation in Kashmir but was thwarted by the IAF which lost a MiG-21 while its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured. He was handed over to India on Friday. AMRAAM missiles allow a fighter pilot to target an enemy aircraft that is beyond visual range, in day or night, and in all-weather conditions. They have an autonomous guidance capability, which allows the pilot to manoeuvre immediately after the missile's launch. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during the launch of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Pension Yojana (PM-SYM Scheme 2019) for unorganised workers, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday. Photograph: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI Photo The political fight over casualty numbers in the Indian Air Force strike on a terror camp in Pakistan grew bitter on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the opposition 'poster boys' of Pakistan and Home Minister Rajnath Singh suggesting that Congress leaders go there to know the number of terrorists killed. As the debate on the extent of fatalties inflicted raged, Singh also said the number of terrorists killed in the air strike by the IAF on the training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) in Balakot on February 26 would be known 'today or tomorrow'. The Congress for its part urged Modi not to politicise the armed forces with its leader and former Defence Minister A K Antony asserting that Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah is not the man who should be giving out operational details of the action by the IAF. Shah earlier claimed 'over 250' terrorists were killed in the strike on the biggest training camp of JeM in Pakistan. Asked about this claim at separate news conferences, Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and V K Singh said it is an 'estimate' by the BJP chief. At a time when the security forces were still fighting at the borders, the BJP president was giving out operational details of the action by the armed forces, which was very unfortunate, Antony told reporters in Delhi. "Even now our soldiers died, that details only Army and CRPF can explain, not BJP spokesman or BJP president. It is very very unfortunate. "Don't politicise the armed forces. Don't bring the military in the politics. I request the BJP president, I request the prime minister don't politicise the Army. As a former defence minister, I am telling them," he said. The Congress on Monday asked what was the basis for Shah's claim and why was Modi or his government not giving the details of casualties. Key BJP ally Shiv Sena also joined the opposition in saying that India's citizens have the right to know about the casualties in the air strike and that revealing such information would not lower the morale of armed forces. Calling the opposition as 'poster boys' of Pakistan for seeking proof of IAF's action, Modi said the air strike happened in the neighbouring country, but 'some of those sitting in India were hit by it'. "People world over feel that we have done the right thing by replying to Pulwana terror attack," he added. Taking a swipe at attempts to cobble up a 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) against the BJP, Modi said the opposition leaders are doing 'mahamilavat' (high adulteration) in Pakistan's favour. "These 'mahamilavati' persons have become poster boys of Pakistan.... They are misleading people of the country and trying to demoralise our armed forces by asking for proofs of the IAF air strike," Modi told a rally in Dhar in Madhya Pradesh. Without naming senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, he said a leader termed the Pulwama attack as an 'accident' and dubbed slain Al Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden as an 'ambassador of peace'. At another event, Modi said the opposition wants to dislodge him. "They (opposition) want to strike Modi, but I want to strike on terror," Modi said. "They want to remove this chowkidar but I want to fight poverty," he added. Modi was speaking after launching a pension scheme for the unorganised sector in Ahmedabad. Union minister V K Singh said the terrorist casualty figure of over 250 given by Shah was based on his 'ashanka' (an estimate) formed on the basis of intelligence gathered about people housed in the buildings which were hit. "It's an estimate. He (Amit Shah) is saying it is 'ashanka' (an estimate on the number of killed). Let us take it as 'ashanka'," he told reporters in Ranchi when asked how can Shah give out a figure of 250 casualties. On the varying casualty figures in the Balakot strikes, Singh said, "One way is to go there and count and come back. Secondly, what the information you have, you can assess it (figure) and that number is told to the people. Exact figure will be known only when you are there." "This is not a game of marbles. This is a serious matter. Any action by the forces, no proof is given," the minister of state for external affairs said. On the day of the strike, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said a 'very large number of terrorists' were killed in Balakot. On Monday, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said the Air Force does not count human casualties and it is for the government to provide details on the death toll. Charging the Opposition with doing politics over the strike, Rajnath Singh claimed that the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) system had informed about presence of around 300 active mobile phones at the site before the air strike by India. "The NTRO, which has an authentic system, said that 300 mobile phones were active (at the Balakot site). Were these mobile phones used by the trees? Now will you (opposition) not believe the NTRO also?" Singh said at a public rally after inaugurating a border project by the Border Security Force in Dhutri in Assam. "If my Congress friends feel that the numbers should be given to them, then I would like to say that if you want to go to Pakistan, then go, count and ask people there that how many were killed by our Air Force jawans," Singh said. "Some leaders of the other political parties are asking how many terrorists were killed in the IAF strike. Today or tomorrow, it will be known. Pakistan and their leaders' heart know how many were killed." He took a dig at the opposition for questioning the number of terrorists killed and said the parties were up to, 'kitne mare, kitne mare? (how many died?)' "Should our Air Force go and count the bodies after the attack -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...? What is this joke?" he questioned. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Chennai that the Indian Foreign Secretary had not given any casualty figure at his media briefing after the air strike and only gave a statement which is the government's 'position'. At the BJP briefing in Delhi, senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused the Congress of trying to lower the morale of security forces for 'purely petty political gains', as he cited comments of leaders of the opposition party on the air strike to allege that these are a part of a 'conspiracy' with 'blessings' of their president Rahul Gandhi. He also seized on Digvijay Singh's tweet, terming the Pulwama terror attack an 'accident', to mount a stinging attack on the opposition party to say its senior leaders are speaking the language of Pakistan. Singh had tweeted earlier in the day, "Doubts are being raised in some international media following the "air strike" after the Pulwama accident. This is also raising questions on our government's credibility." Later, trolled for referring to the attack in which 41 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed as an accident, Singh tweeted again, saying there should be not doubt that the incident was an act of terrorism. Asked about Shah's claim that over 250 terrorists were killed, Prasad said the party chief would have gone by 'estimation'. The Indian Navy on Tuesday dismissed as 'false propaganda' Pakistan's claim that it had thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter the country's territorial waters. In a statement, the Pakistan Navy claimed in Islamabad that it used specialised skills to ward off the Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters. "We have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The Indian Navy does not take cognizance of such propaganda. "Our deployments remain undeterred," the Indian Navy said. In a brief statement, it said the Indian Navy remains deployed as necessary to protect national maritime interests. The claim by Pakistan Navy came in the midst of latest flare-up between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan also released a purported video of what it alleged as an Indian submarine trying to sneak into Pakistani waters. The image showed that the footage was made at 20.35 hours on March 4. Official sources in New Delhi said no Indian submarine was near Pakistani waters and all the major powers having presence in the Indian Ocean knew that no Indian naval asset was in the vicinity of Pakistani waters. The Indian and Pakistani navies were engaged in a confrontation during the 1971 war. "The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a spokesperson of Pakistan Navy claimed. "The Indian submarine was not targeted keeping in view Pakistan's policy of peace," the official said, adding that India must learn from this incident and "move towards peace". "The Pakistan Navy is always ready to guard its territorial waters and is capable of responding to any kind of aggression with full force," he said. ***** India trashes Pak's claim of downing IAF's Sukhoi jet during last week's dogfight The defence ministry on Tuesday trashed Pakistan's claim of shooting down a Sukhoi-30 aircraft of the Indian Air Force during an aerial combat last week, saying the claim appeared to be a cover up for loss of a Pakistani jet during the dogfight. The Pakistani Air Force carried out an unsuccessful aerial combat on February 27 as a retaliation to India's strike at a major terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group in Pakistan's Balakot. Sharing details of Pakistan Air Force's aerial combat, the ministry said all the Sukhoi-30 aircraft deployed to check Pakistani jets landed back safely. "False claim by Pakistan of shooting down a Su-30, appears to be a cover up for loss of its own aircraft," the ministry said. Pakistan downed a MiG 21 aircraft of the IAF while India shot down an F-16 jet of the Pakistan Air Force during the dogfight. Pakistan had claimed that it downed two fighter jets of India during the dogfight. "Build up of PAF aircraft on their side of LoC was noticed in time and additional aircraft were scrambled to tackle the adversary. In their attempt to attack our ground targets, PAF aircraft were engaged effectively," the ministry said. "From IAF side, Mirage-2000, Su-30 and MiG-21 Bison aircraft were involved in the engagement and PAF aircraft were forced to withdraw in a hurry, which is also evident from large missed distances of the weapons dropped by them," it said. The ministry said, during combat, use of F-16 by Pakistan and multiple launches of AMRAAM missiles were 'conclusively observed'. The United States had barred Pakistan from using the F-16s against any third country and it was only allowed to operate the fighter in self defence and for anti-terror missions. "Prompt and correct tactical action by Su-30 aircraft, in response to AMRAAM launch, defeated the missile. "Parts of the missile fell in area East of Rajouri in J&K, injuring a civilian on ground," the defence ministry said. The IAF on February 28 displayed parts of the AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence at a press briefing. The JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. India struck JeM's training facility to avenge the Pulwama attack. Pakistan on Tuesday said it will send a delegation to India on March 14 to discuss a draft agreement for setting up a corridor to facilitate visa-free visit of Sikh pilgrims to the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, a positive development that could help ease tensions between the two sides. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal, who is also the Director General South Asia and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, invited India's acting High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia at the ministry of foreign affairs to convey the decision, according to a statement. 'The Pakistan delegation will visit New Delhi on 14 March 2019, followed by the return visit of the Indian delegation to Islamabad on March 28, 2019, to discuss the draft Agreement on Kartarpur Corridor,' the statement said. Faisal informed the Indian diplomat that Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood, will be returning to New Delhi after the completion of consultations in Islamabad. He also conveyed that Pakistan was committed to continue weekly contact at the Military Operations Directorates level. The positive development came amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following a suicide attack by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad that killed 41 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. Pakistan on Tuesday detained 44 members of the banned terrorist outfits, including Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's son Hammad Azhar and brother Mufti Abdur Rauf, in a move seen as a step toward deescalating tensions. India and Pakistan agreed to open up a special border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur -- the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev -- to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, the first Gurdwara, was established by Guru Nanak Dev in 1522, where he is said to have died. The corridor will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. In January, the two countries floated proposals to host talks in order to give the final shape to the agreement. Pakistan has committed to open the corridor in November on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. India's Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on November 26 last year laid the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district. Two days later, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for the corridor at Narowal, 125 km from Lahore. The decision to build the corridor -- from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the International Border -- was taken by the Indian Cabinet on November 22. The two governments have also launched the construction work to build corridor for the Sikh pilgrims to help them visit the shrine through the shortest route. But, both sides are yet to finalise the modalities of travel of the Indian pilgrims to the Gurudwara across the international border without visa. The one-and-a-half-month-long Kumbh Mela ended on Monday with devotees from different walks of life and parts of the country taking a holy dip on Mahashivratri. IMAGE: Naga Sadhus arrive to take a dip at the Kumbh Mela. Photograph: Jitendra Prakash/Reuters In fact, according to officials, till Monday evening, more than 1 crore devotees had taken a holy dip in the Sangam area. Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand said, Till evening, as many as 1.10 crore devotees have taken a dip in the Sangam area. With Mahashivratris snaan, so far more than 24.05 crore devotees have taken a dip during this years Kumbh. Till March 3, the number of devotees who had taken the dip during the Kumbh stood at 22.95 crore, an Uttar Pradesh government official said. IMAGE: Till Monday evening, more than 1 crore devotees had taken a holy dip in the Sangam area. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters The bathing ghats brimmed with colour in the morning. Late-night showers in parts of the holy city failed to dampen the spirit of the pilgrims. Despite showers, my friends and I walked towards the bathing ghats and took a dip, said Dhananjay Singh, who came from Lucknow, adding, I consider it (the rain) to be a propitious sign. WATCH: The religious significance of the Kumbh Mela According to Hindu mythology, Mahashivratri symbolises the last holy bath of Kalpvasis, who spend the month of Magh -- the period of austerity -- in minimal means. IMAGE: A Naga Sadhu smokes outside his tent ahead of the Kumbh Mela. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters Ashutosh Varshney, an astrologer who has set up a camp in Sector-6 of Kumbh Nagri, said, Mahashivratri marks the culmination of the Kumbh and the prominent bathing days. This year, it fell on a Monday, the day dedicated to Lord Shiva, after a long time. Also on this day, Lord Shiva got married, said Gunjan Varshney, who runs the Raam Naam Bank, where devotees deposit booklets after writing the name of Lord Ram. IMAGE: Kumbh is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. It is held once in every 12 years. This time it began on January 15 on Makar Sankranti. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters Kumbh is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. It is held once in every 12 years. This time it began on January 15 on Makar Sankranti. There are six bathing dates. Of these, shahi snaans are held on Makar Sankranti, Mauni Amawasya and Basant Panchami. Parv snaans are held on Paush Poornima and Maghi Poornima. Police and central para-military personnel have been in charge of the movement of people and vehicles and guiding them towards the bathing ghats. IMAGE: Chants of 'Har Har Mahadev' rang through the air. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters As the Kumbh approached its finale, the mega event etched its name into record books creating a hat-trick of world records, which were certified by the Guinness World Records, an UP government spokesperson said. One of the records was most contributions made to a handprint painting in eight hours. IMAGE: Police and central para-military personnel have been in charge of the movement of people and vehicles and guiding them towards the bathing ghats. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters Another world record created was the largest parade of buses. The largest parade of buses was achieved by Prayagraj Mela Authority, government of Uttar Pradesh (India) in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India on February 28, 2019, the certificate given by Guinness World Records read. A UP government official said, The attempt in Prayagraj involving 500 buses covered more than 3.2 kilometres. It was held at NH-19 between Sahson toll plaza and Nawabganj toll plaza. This demonstrates the traffic plan, which worked very well during the mela with 20,000 police personnel being deployed. IMAGE: An aerial view of the camps during the Kumbh Mela. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters On March 2, the most people sweeping the floor (multiple venues) was achieved by Prayagraj Mela Authority, government of Uttar Pradesh, India on March 2, 2019. If the DMK under Stalin is unable to do well in the Lok Sabha elections, his personal and political standing in the party will be threatened. But if the party does well, Stalin is the next kingmaker to watch out for, report T E Narasimhan and Aditi Phadnis. IMAGE: Stalin now has undisputed control over his party, with the added advantage that because he has micromanaged so many successive elections, he knows the organisation inside out. Photograph: Courtesy @arivalayam/Twitter When M Karunanidhi, the patriarch of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, died last year after naming his third son M K Stalin as his heir and successor, there was extensive speculation about the fate of the party, not only because of the challenges to Stalins leadership from his brothers and sisters but also his capacity to forge relationships with the DMKs traditional alliance partners. The fear was that he would not be taken seriously by anyone. Those apprehensions have proved to be unfounded so far. True, the DMK lost the RK Nagar assembly constituency resoundingly to a candidate from the Sasikala faction of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. But that setback is now all but forgotten. Stalin handled his family with both directness and diplomacy. In a letter to workers soon after his fathers death, he made it clear that he was in charge now, not brother M K Alagiri. Chennai saw one of the earliest conclaves of anti-Bharatiya Janata Party blocs in December when, much to the surprise of everyone, including possibly Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Stalin declared Gandhi Tamil Nadus choice for prime minister. It was a masterly move. Not only did Stalin rule himself out for the top job, but the gesture also served as a way to establish a rapport with the Congress chief and to soften up the party in seat-sharing negotiations that would follow. It is hardly a secret that the Congress is so weak in the state, it had become a burden for the DMK in the 2016 assembly election. But the party has a dedicated vote bank and Stalins gesture preempted any unreasonable seat-sharing demands by the Congress. In the days to follow, his instinct proved to be right. When the seat-sharing arrangement was announced by the two leaders earlier this month, it was with a minimum of fuss on the Congresss part. Now, the Congress will contest 10 seats (nine in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry) of the 40 (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry). The party had earlier indicated that it would have wanted 16, but nothing more was heard from it. This is Stalins first Lok Sabha election as party supremo and the DMK will naturally put everything it has into it. Stalin now has undisputed control over his party, with the added advantage that because he has micromanaged so many successive elections, he knows the organisation inside out. When the DMK returned to power in 2006, it was seen largely as the effort put in by him, for which he was rewarded with the post of minister for municipal administration and rural development -- considered to be one of the most powerful portfolios. An officer who has worked with him says he used his position to grow the party because he said at the time: Whatever development work you do in the rural areas will be converted into votes. Stalin is a details man. If he is organising a conference, he will visit the conference hall two days prior to the conference date, will demand to be walked through every step and will point out mistakes. He is not one to tolerate open-ended speech-making. He has deep and wide control of the party and what he lacks in oratory (when compared to Karunanidhi), he makes up by his organisational knowledge. He has both won and lost elections, so he knows what to do but also the pitfalls he has to avoid. In 1984, he fought his first election from the Thousand Lights assembly constituency in Chennai. He lost by a narrow margin. A long hiatus in the political wilderness followed. He learnt from that period. Of the eight assembly elections he contested, he has lost only twice. And he has experience of Lok Sabha polls too, the last being the May 2004 elections, when cousin Dayanidhi Maran was selected the DMK candidate for the Lok Sabha seat from Chennai. Stalin managed his poll campaign. This time, he has a lot going for him. The AIADMK is split into two official, three unofficial factions. There are mixed feelings about the BJP and welfarist moves by the central government tom-tommed as Narendra Modis unique initiatives are a drop in the ocean for a state where welfarism has been the ruling credo for more than 30 years. If even after all this, the DMK under Stalin is unable to do well in the Lok Sabha elections, his personal and political standing in the party will be threatened. But if the party does well, Stalin is the next kingmaker to watch out for. 'The travesty of recent Indian strategic thought is it emerges not from our brains, but from whatever part of the anatomy that secretes the prickliest hormones,' says Shekhar Gupta. IMAGE: A high-level meeting on security at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Photograph: ANI Photo Revenge is the immediate call after a terror attack with Pakistani fingerprints. In a couple of days, sanity tip-toes back into public debate. Inevitably then appears that phrase: Revenge is a dish best served cold. And Afghans are credited with having invented it. Never mind that Phrase-Finder tells me that the French said this first, at the turn of the 18th century. But it's just that it fits the Afghans more. Because vengeance is essential to their lifestyle, usually lasting generations. How good are they at it? Don't bother reading tribal history or Rudyard Kipling. Ask the Soviets, the Americans and the Pakistanis. You mess with the Afghans, you will get the payback. Yet, look at the state of Afghanistan. For all its old conquests and loot of India's riches and defeat of two superpowers, it is a hopelessly broken, poor, near-medieval and ungovernable disaster. It is probably human history's most perennial loser. Lesson: Revenge, served hot or cold, may be a delightful dish to eat. But it does nothing for you, besides momentarily satisfying your blood-lust. A nation driven by revenge is more likely to self-destruct than win. Bush Jr invaded Iraq to avenge Saddam Hussein's insults to his father and unravelled West Asia. Obama killed Osama bin Laden, by that time an inconsequential ailing old exile, and it did nothing to discourage new Islamic terrorists. Pakistan has worked on a multi-generation project to avenge 1971 and destroyed its economy, society and polity in the process. The side that wins, on the other hand, is one that prefers 'deterrence' to revenge. ' The travesty of recent Indian strategic thought is it emerges not from our brains, but from whatever part of the anatomy that secretes the prickliest hormones. Revenge is a mere emotion, and for idiots. Deterrence grows over time from grey matter in the heads of wise people. Take, for example, the surgical strikes after the Uri attack. It became an end in itself. They killed 19 of ours, we killed many more of theirs. Khoon ka badla khoon. Sure enough, they were at our throats again in Pulwama. There is clamour for revenge again. TV studios have become war rooms and indicate 'strike' targets and weapons options. Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi promises retribution for 'each one of your tears'. The commentariat agrees that something definitely needs to be done soon. The less nutty ones also say revenge is good. But not just now. Take your time. As the Afghans say... Here is a question: What comes after revenge? Will it buy you durable peace and security, or just be a great headline, an event and maybe a movie later? It may even win you an election. But will it deter your enemy? Kautilya is much in fashion these days, so let's take this argument forward using his wisdom. We don't have to read the Arthashastra. Just the most familiar folklore about Kautilya will do. When his dhoti got caught in a thorny bush and was torn, he did not go looking for a chopper to cut it down. He took his time, returned with a pitcher of sweetened milk and poured it into the roots of the offending plant. When a curious Chandragupta asked him why, he said, if I cut it, it will grow from its roots again. But sweetened milk will attract millions of ants. They will eat up the roots and finish this problem for ever. The scythe option would have been revenge. The sweetened milk is deterrence. It isn't sexy. It's brutal. It's Kautilyan. We can similarly examine our own strategic history. China's 1962 invasion was not to punish India, take revenge or grab territory. It was to create deterrence. It ended India's 'Forward Policy', placed red lines on our Tibetan dalliance and pushed generations of Indian strategists into a defensive mindset, mentally fighting the same old war of 1962 to protect our territory. That message delivered, the Chinese built Pakistan into a worthy client. For five decades now they have brilliantly used a smaller neighbour (Pakistan) to balance a much larger India. This is classical, low-cost deterrence. In 1971 Indira Gandhi employed her version of the Arthashastra. She waited for nine months to build sufficient military and diplomatic edge, instead of playing to public opinion and jumping in when West Pakistanis cracked down in March. She built up the military, signed a treaty with the Soviets to balance America and China, went around the world building opprobrium against Pakistani excesses. She strangled Pakistan so patiently that finally Yahya Khan could take it no longer and began the war in December. Did this deter Pakistan from further adventurism? It will soon be 50 years since. And never has Pakistan even dreamed of using its military to wrest Kashmir again. On the other hand, from the late 1980s, it switched to terror and low-intensity conflict, with expendable proxies. You can take revenge on them, the Pakistanis won't bother. You strike their military, they threaten retaliation. In the process, we get angrier, vengeful and frustrated. Pakistan continues, believing that both -- the nuclear weapons and insufficient asymmetry in conventional strength -- deter a more decisive Indian response. Before we navigate a way out of this hole, we should understand what got us here. Here is my three-point diagnosis: It is old wisdom that the loser learns more than the winner. Indian leaders misread 1971 as the permanent end of Pakistani threat. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, on the contrary, accepted Pakistan had to give up the conventional military option forever. But to deny it to India, he launched his nuclear quest. By the early 1980s, his successor felt secure enough with this nuclear hedge to begin mischief, first in Punjab, then Kashmir. India was complacent. The nuclear tests of 1998 brought in the nuclear balance. It made Pakistan adventurous, while India braced the idea that with nuclearisation, the conventional option was gone. I would go so far as to say the Indian strategic community became 'nuclear-lazy'. It forgot that weapons of mass destruction are the likely loser's last resort. The Pakistanis were smarter. As a result, India lost interest in building greater conventional asymmetry though its economy boomed. India forgot that an overwhelming conventional superiority will give it punitive strength, deter Pakistan from a military riposte, and defy it to weigh nuclear self-destruction. That would have made Pakistan think again before blowing up buses here. This nuclear laziness led to declining Indian defence budgets as a percentage of GDP. The last time India made a quantum jump was under Rajiv Gandhi when the budget crossed 4 per cent of GDP. Since then, it has declined. As a result, if a war were to break out now, a lot of our frontline hardware would have been what Rajiv ordered: More than three decades ago. Why spend more if the nukes had ruled out any war? See how this brain-washing also bedevilled the Modi government despite its tall claims on national security. It kept its promise of implementing one rank one pension, implemented the 7th Pay Commission recommendation, but kept reducing the defence budget as a percentage of GDP. Additional wages and pensions, therefore, came out of modernisation. That's where we stand now -- very capable of defending ourselves, taking some tactical revenge here and there, but not dissuading Pakistan. How do we go forward? Stop thinking of Pakistani nukes as a deterrent for us, build your militaries massively, challenge the adversary with its doddering economy to match up and pauperise itself (the Chinese give nothing for free), and build a new deterrence: Old-fashioned conventional military power. This, in my book, is the equivalent of Kautilya's sweetened milk doctrine. It is boring, needs patience and time, but will work. But then, Kautilya didn't have the compulsion to get Chandragupta to win the next election. By Special Arrangement with The Print Contributed photo WINSTED Northwest Startup Kick-Off event is set for March 13, 5 to 7 p.m. in the NCCC Draper Conference Center. People who are developing a business plan or wondering how to start are invited. Northwest Startup is a support hub established through the Entrepreneurial Center of Northwest Connecticut to connect and guide new businesses in all stages of development - from idea conception to global impact. Northwest Startup brings together skilled business and industry mentors who provide support and feedback to help founders and their startups reach their full potential. Jerry Spier / Contributed photo The Central and Northeastern Connecticut volunteer committee attended The Fresh Air Funds annual Friendly Towns Leadership Conference from Friday, February 1st through Sunday, February 3rd at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Local volunteer leaders Gail Marken, Dawn Speer and Taylor Libby spent three days participating in professional development workshops, networking, and preparing for a busy host family recruitment season. To to learn more about the Fresh Air Fund, contact Nicole Johnston at 212-897-8900 or visit www.freshair.org. CORNWALL BRIDGE The Civic Life Project, which has successfully developed civic engagement, cross-cultural understanding, and social responsibility among high school students since 2010, has received a grant of $6,000 from The Buchanan Fund, a fund of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, to adapt and expand its existing program for middle schools. The grant, announced recently by Dominique Lasseur, co-founder of the Civic Life Project with Catherine Tatge, will enable Civic Life to help 8th graders from Cornwall Consolidated and Sharon Center schools explore and produce short civic-themed lms on public issues of their choice. Region 1 administrators asked us to adapt the proven Civic Life high school curriculum to the particular needs of middle school students, and we are pleased to be able to do so, thanks to the generous support of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, said Lasseur, With the input of participating teachers and students, we hope to create an effective program for younger students that then may be shared with a larger group of schools. Under this program, during the 2019 winter/spring semesters, students will be mentored by media professionals in the production of short documentary lms about community issues. The learning process will include researching issues, interviewing pertinent individuals and scripting the lms. Students can sharpen their presentation skills when they showcase and answer questions about their lms at school and community events. Among those issues, Cornwall students will explore are gun control, homeless veterans, and the Region 1 education budget. Sharon students will explore the kneeling controversy arising following a recent selectmans meeting, gun control, and whether the school dress code is sexist. Each school will screen the resulting documentaries and facilitate discussions. Producing these films enable students to connect with their community, as well as build a new understanding of, engagement with and appreciation for, what it means to be an American and live in a democracy, according to a release. Since its founding in 2010, the Civic Life project has served hundreds of ethnically and economically diverse high school students in Region One, Torrington and across the state. This grant from the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation allows the program to be brought to younger students throughout Northwest Connecticut. Learn more at www.civiclifeproject.org. Table of Contents 1 Market Overview 1.1 Potentiometer Introduction 1.2 Market Analysis by Type 1.2.1 Carbon Film 1.2.2 Plastic Film 1.2.3 Wirewound 1.3 Market Analysis by Applications 1.3.1 Home Appliances 1.3.2 Communication Products 1.3.3 Instrumentation 1.3.4 Automotive Products 1.3.5 Others 1.4 Market Analysis by Regions 1.4.1 North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) 1.4.1.1 United States Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) 1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) 1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa 1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.4.4.5 Turkey Market States and Outlook (2014-2024) 1.5 Market Dynamics 1.5.1 Market Opportunities 1.5.2 Market Risk 1.5.3 Market Driving Force 2 Manufacturers Profiles 2.1 TOCOS 2.1.1 Business Overview 2.1.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.1.2.1 Product A 2.1.2.2 Product B 2.1.3 TOCOS Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.2 ALPS 2.2.1 Business Overview 2.2.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.2.2.1 Product A 2.2.2.2 Product B 2.2.3 ALPS Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.3 ABB 2.3.1 Business Overview 2.3.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.3.2.1 Product A 2.3.2.2 Product B 2.3.3 ABB Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.4 Siemens 2.4.1 Business Overview 2.4.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.4.2.1 Product A 2.4.2.2 Product B 2.4.3 Siemens Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.5 Panasonic 2.5.1 Business Overview 2.5.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.5.2.1 Product A 2.5.2.2 Product B 2.5.3 Panasonic Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.6 Song Huei 2.6.1 Business Overview 2.6.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.6.2.1 Product A 2.6.2.2 Product B 2.6.3 Song Huei Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.7 BOURNS 2.7.1 Business Overview 2.7.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.7.2.1 Product A 2.7.2.2 Product B 2.7.3 BOURNS Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.8 CTS Corporation 2.8.1 Business Overview 2.8.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.8.2.1 Product A 2.8.2.2 Product B 2.8.3 CTS Corporation Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.9 NOBLE 2.9.1 Business Overview 2.9.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.9.2.1 Product A 2.9.2.2 Product B 2.9.3 NOBLE Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.10 TT Electronics 2.10.1 Business Overview 2.10.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.10.2.1 Product A 2.10.2.2 Product B 2.10.3 TT Electronics Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 2.11 Taiwan Alpha Electronic. 2.11.1 Business Overview 2.11.2 Potentiometer Type and Applications 2.11.2.1 Product A 2.11.2.2 Product B 2.11.3 Taiwan Alpha Electronic. Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) 3 Global Potentiometer Sales, Revenue, Market Share and Competition by Manufacturer (2017-2018) 3.1 Global Potentiometer Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer (2017-2018) 3.2 Global Potentiometer Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer (2017-2018) 3.3 Market Concentration Rate 3.3.1 Top 3 Potentiometer Manufacturer Market Share in 2018 3.3.2 Top 6 Potentiometer Manufacturer Market Share in 2018 3.4 Market Competition Trend 4 Global Potentiometer Market Analysis by Regions 4.1 Global Potentiometer Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions 4.1.1 Global Potentiometer Sales and Market Share by Regions (2014-2019) 4.1.2 Global Potentiometer Revenue and Market Share by Regions (2014-2019) 4.2 North America Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 4.3 Europe Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 4.4 Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 4.5 South America Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 4.6 Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 5 North America Potentiometer by Country 5.1 North America Potentiometer Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Country 5.1.1 North America Potentiometer Sales and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 5.1.2 North America Potentiometer Revenue and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 5.2 United States Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 5.3 Canada Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 5.4 Mexico Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 6 Europe Potentiometer by Country 6.1 Europe Potentiometer Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Country 6.1.1 Europe Potentiometer Sales and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 6.1.2 Europe Potentiometer Revenue and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 6.2 Germany Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 6.3 UK Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 6.4 France Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 6.5 Russia Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 6.6 Italy Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 7 Asia-Pacific Potentiometer by Country 7.1 Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Country 7.1.1 Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Sales and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 7.1.2 Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Revenue and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 7.2 China Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 7.3 Japan Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 7.4 Korea Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 7.5 India Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 7.6 Southeast Asia Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 8 South America Potentiometer by Country 8.1 South America Potentiometer Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Country 8.1.1 South America Potentiometer Sales and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 8.1.2 South America Potentiometer Revenue and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 8.2 Brazil Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 8.3 Argentina Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 8.4 Colombia Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 9 Middle East and Africa Potentiometer by Countries 9.1 Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Country 9.1.1 Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Sales and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 9.1.2 Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Revenue and Market Share by Country (2014-2019) 9.2 Saudi Arabia Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 9.3 Turkey Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 9.4 Egypt Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 9.5 Nigeria Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 9.6 South Africa Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) 10 Global Potentiometer Market Segment by Type 10.1 Global Potentiometer Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Type (2014-2019) 10.1.1 Global Potentiometer Sales and Market Share by Type (2014-2019) 10.1.2 Global Potentiometer Revenue and Market Share by Type (2014-2019) 10.2 Carbon Film Sales Growth and Price 10.2.1 Global Carbon Film Sales Growth (2014-2019) 10.2.2 Global Carbon Film Price (2014-2019) 10.3 Plastic Film Sales Growth and Price 10.3.1 Global Plastic Film Sales Growth (2014-2019) 10.3.2 Global Plastic Film Price (2014-2019) 10.4 Wirewound Sales Growth and Price 10.4.1 Global Wirewound Sales Growth (2014-2019) 10.4.2 Global Wirewound Price (2014-2019) 11 Global Potentiometer Market Segment by Application 11.1 Global Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Application (2014-2019) 11.2 Home Appliances Sales Growth (2014-2019) 11.3 Communication Products Sales Growth (2014-2019) 11.4 Instrumentation Sales Growth (2014-2019) 11.5 Automotive Products Sales Growth (2014-2019) 11.6 Others Sales Growth (2014-2019) 12 Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) 12.1 Global Potentiometer Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2019-2024) 12.2 Potentiometer Market Forecast by Regions (2019-2024) 12.2.1 North America Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) 12.2.2 Europe Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) 12.2.3 Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) 12.2.4 South America Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) 12.2.5 Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) 12.3 Potentiometer Market Forecast by Type (2019-2024) 12.3.1 Global Potentiometer Sales Forecast by Type (2019-2024) 12.3.2 Global Potentiometer Market Share Forecast by Type (2019-2024) 12.4 Potentiometer Market Forecast by Application (2019-2024) 12.4.1 Global Potentiometer Sales Forecast by Application (2019-2024) 12.4.2 Global Potentiometer Market Share Forecast by Application (2019-2024) 13 Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers 13.1 Sales Channel 13.1.1 Direct Marketing 13.1.2 Indirect Marketing 13.1.3 Marketing Channel Future Trend 13.2 Distributors, Traders and Dealers 14 Research Findings and Conclusion 15 Appendix 15.1 Methodology 15.2 Data Source List of Tables and Figures Figure Potentiometer Picture Table Product Specifications of Potentiometer Figure Global Sales Market Share of Potentiometer by Types in 2018 Table Potentiometer Types for Major Manufacturers Figure Carbon Film Picture Figure Plastic Film Picture Figure Wirewound Picture Figure Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Applications in 2018 Figure Home Appliances Picture Figure Communication Products Picture Figure Instrumentation Picture Figure Automotive Products Picture Figure Others Picture Figure United States Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Canada Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Mexico Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Germany Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure France Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure UK Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Russia Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Italy Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure China Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Japan Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Korea Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure India Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Southeast Asia Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Brazil Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Egypt Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Saudi Arabia Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure South Africa Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Figure Nigeria Potentiometer Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2014-2024) Table TOCOS Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table TOCOS Potentiometer Type and Applications Table TOCOS Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table ALPS Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table ALPS Potentiometer Type and Applications Table ALPS Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table ABB Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table ABB Potentiometer Type and Applications Table ABB Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table Siemens Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Siemens Potentiometer Type and Applications Table Siemens Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table Panasonic Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Panasonic Potentiometer Type and Applications Table Panasonic Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table Song Huei Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Song Huei Potentiometer Type and Applications Table Song Huei Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table BOURNS Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table BOURNS Potentiometer Type and Applications Table BOURNS Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table CTS Corporation Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table CTS Corporation Potentiometer Type and Applications Table CTS Corporation Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table NOBLE Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table NOBLE Potentiometer Type and Applications Table NOBLE Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table TT Electronics Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table TT Electronics Potentiometer Type and Applications Table TT Electronics Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table Taiwan Alpha Electronic. Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Taiwan Alpha Electronic. Potentiometer Type and Applications Table Taiwan Alpha Electronic. Potentiometer Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2017-2018) Table Global Potentiometer Sales by Manufacturer (2017-2018) Figure Global Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Manufacturer in 2017 Figure Global Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Manufacturer in 2018 Table Global Potentiometer Revenue by Manufacturer (2017-2018) Figure Global Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Manufacturer in 2017 Figure Global Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Manufacturer in 2018 Figure Top 3 Potentiometer Manufacturer (Revenue) Market Share in 2018 Figure Top 6 Potentiometer Manufacturer (Revenue) Market Share in 2018 Figure Global Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Global Potentiometer Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Table Global Potentiometer Sales by Regions (2014-2019) Table Global Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Regions (2014-2019) Table Global Potentiometer Revenue by Regions (2014-2019) Figure Global Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Regions in 2014 Figure Global Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Regions in 2018 Figure North America Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Europe Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure South America Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure North America Potentiometer Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Table North America Potentiometer Sales by Countries (2014-2019) Table North America Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries (2014-2019) Figure North America Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries in 2014 Figure North America Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries in 2018 Table North America Potentiometer Revenue by Countries (2014-2019) Table North America Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries (2014-2019) Figure North America Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2014 Figure North America Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2018 Figure United States Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Canada Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Mexico Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Europe Potentiometer Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Table Europe Potentiometer Sales by Countries (2014-2019) Table Europe Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries (2014-2019) Table Europe Potentiometer Revenue by Countries (2014-2019) Figure Europe Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2017 Figure Europe Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2018 Figure Germany Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure UK Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure France Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Russia Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Italy Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Table Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Sales by Countries (2014-2019) Table Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries (2014-2019) Figure Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries 2018 Table Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Revenue by Countries (2014-2019) Figure Asia-Pacific Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries 2018 Figure China Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Japan Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Korea Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure India Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Southeast Asia Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure South America Potentiometer Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Table South America Potentiometer Sales by Countries (2014-2019) Table South America Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries (2014-2019) Figure South America Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries in 2018 Table South America Potentiometer Revenue by Countries (2014-2019) Table South America Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries (2014-2019) Figure South America Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2018 Figure Brazil Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Argentina Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Colombia Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Table Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Sales by Countries (2014-2019) Table Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries (2014-2019) Figure Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Sales Market Share by Countries in 2018 Table Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Revenue by Countries (2014-2019) Table Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries (2014-2019) Figure Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2014 Figure Middle East and Africa Potentiometer Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2018 Figure Saudi Arabia Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure UAE Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Egypt Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure Nigeria Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Figure South Africa Potentiometer Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2019) Table Global Potentiometer Sales by Type (2014-2019) Table Global Potentiometer Sales Share by Type (2014-2019) Table Global Potentiometer Revenue by Type (2014-2019) Table Global Potentiometer Revenue Share by Type (2014-2019) Figure Global Carbon Film Sales Growth (2014-2019) Figure Global Carbon Film Price (2014-2019) Figure Global Plastic Film Sales Growth (2014-2019) Figure Global Plastic Film Price (2014-2019) Figure Global Wirewound Sales Growth (2014-2019) Figure Global Wirewound Price (2014-2019) Table Global Potentiometer Sales by Application (2014-2019) Table Global Potentiometer Sales Share by Application (2014-2019) Figure Global Communication Products Sales Growth (2014-2019) Figure Global Instrumentation Sales Growth (2014-2019) Figure Global Automotive Products Sales Growth (2014-2019) Figure Global Others Sales Growth (2014-2019) Figure Global Potentiometer Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2019-2024) Table Global Potentiometer Sales Forecast by Regions (2019-2024) Table Global Potentiometer Market Share Forecast by Regions (2019-2024) Figure North America Sales Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) Figure Europe Sales Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) Figure Asia-Pacific Sales Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) Figure South America Sales Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) Figure Middle East and Africa Sales Potentiometer Market Forecast (2019-2024) Table Global Potentiometer Sales Forecast by Type (2019-2024) Table Global Potentiometer Market Share Forecast by Type (2019-2024) Table Global Potentiometer Sales Forecast by Application (2019-2024) Table Global Potentiometer Market Share Forecast by Application (2019-2024) Table Distributors/Traders/ Dealers List Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha (L) sitting with his mother Sao Nget while confined by the government at his residence in Phnom Penh, Sept. 11, 2018. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that opposition leader Kem Sokha will not be released from detention despite hitting the 18-month maximum allowed by law in pre-trial detention, a move denounced by the opposition as a violation of the constitution. Cambodia National Rescue Party President Kem Sokha was arrest in September 2017 for alleged acts of treason and the Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of the CNRP two months later, which paved the way for Hun Sens ruling Cambodia Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in a July 2018 general election. On Sunday, the 18-month mark in Kem Sokhas detention, the CNRP issued a statement renewing its call for Hun Sen regime to immediately and unconditionally release him. The CNRP called Kem Sokhas continued pre-trial detention a conspicuous violation of the nations Constitution that was entirely politically motivated. Kem Sokha is the symbol of positive change and non-violent struggle for freedom, respect for human rights and democracy in Cambodia, the CNRP said. Kem Sokhas arrest and detention is purely a political motivated case, aimed at getting rid of a potential political competitor, the party said. The CNRP also called on the international community to take further stringent measures against Hun Sens government to press fully restore democracy and human rights in Cambodia. Last week, American lawmakers introduced a bill that would require the U.S. government to review Cambodias preferential trade status to determine whether Cambodias trade privileges should be withdrawn, suspended, or limited. The move came several weeks after the European Union launched proceedings that could see Cambodias preferential access to the blocs market suspended. Doubling down on his attack on the banned opposition on Monday, Hun Sen also set an ultimatum for CNRP senior officials banned from politics to act quickly to seek restoration of their political rights under a conditional government offer. The door will close before or after the Khmer New Year, said Hun Sen, referring to a traditional holiday that falls in mid-April this year. The royal government has made efforts to open the door for you all. But whether you want to enter or not is your problem. Please dont expect that there will be pardons or that any charges against anyone will be dropped, he said at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Japanese flood control and sewage system restoration project in Phnom Penh Your political rights are banned. If you dare break (the ban), I will handcuff you, said the strongman, who has ruled Cambodia for nearly 34 years. When Cambodias Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP in November 2017, it also slapped a five-year ban on the political activities of 118 of its senior officials for the partys role in an alleged plot to topple the government. In December, Hun Sens Constitutional Council unanimously approved an amendment to the draft law on political parties, paving the way for the reinstatement of rights to the 118 CNRP officials banned from politics by the Supreme Courts decision. The legislation does not provide for the reestablishment of the CNRP, and Hun Sen has said the political rights of the officials will only be reinstated on an individual basis if they had shown respect for the Supreme Courts ruling, and provided they each make an individual request. So far only former CNRP official Sim Sovanny, Kong Koam, the former president of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), and his son Kong Bora, a former senior official with the CNRP, have requested and received royal pardons. It appears that not many applied for the restoration of their political rights, and Hun Sen is furious, said CNRP lawmaker Um Sam An. What Hun Sen is just saying is just a trick to sew division in the CNRP, he told RFAs Khmer Service. Kem Sokha should be released first to pave the way for negotiation, added Um Sam an. Political analyst Ly Srey Sros said Hun Sen announcement setting a deadline undercut Cambodias claims to be a country with the rule of law. It appears that our leader has power above the stipulated law. We know that in the amendment for restoring political rights, there is no clause setting a deadline for applying to have political rights restored, she told RFA. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Paul Eckert. Chinese tourists wait for the daily flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square before the opening session of the National People's Congress, in Beijing, March 5, 2019. Authorities in Beijing targeted petitioners and rights activists with surveillance and detention ahead of the annual session of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), which opened on Tuesday, activists told RFA. As many as one million people, including retirees and homemakers, have joined the ranks of the "red armband" citizen security detail, while residents living near the Great Hall of the People have been ordered to keep their windows closed, a source close to the operation told RFA. This year's security is tighter than previous years, as this year will see a number of politically sensitive dates, including the centenary of the May Fourth Movement and the 30th anniversary of the 1989 student movement and Tiananmen massacre, the source said. This year will also see the 70th anniversary of late supreme leader Mao Zedong's founding of the People's Republic of China from the rostrum of Tiananmen gate on Oct. 1, 1949. Police checks are now being carried out across the city, well ahead of the NPC opening ceremony. A resident surnamed Li said he was required to show his ID card and driver's license at a police checkpoint on the way into the capital from neighboring Hebei province. Meanwhile, critics of the government are being held under preemptive restrictions ahead of the parliamentary session, activists told RFA. Beijing resident Qi Zhiyong, who was maimed when a People's Liberation Army (PLA) tank ran over his legs on the night of June 3, 1989, during the bloody crackdown on the student-led pro-democracy movement, said security has been tighter than he can remember. "It was never like this before; I never heard of restrictions being so tight as they are this time," Qi told RFA. "They won't even let people in the nearby streets open their windows." "I have to apply to be allowed to go to the hospital or just to take a stroll along the street," he said. "Then, they can't approve it until they've had the green light from higher up." Measures aimed at 'target populations' A security directive leaked from the municipal police department's Western district branch said security measures were aimed at "target populations," including petitioners, who typically converge on the capital ahead of high-level political meetings in the hope of getting their grievances heard. Beijing police raided several locations on Sunday morning, sending out personnel to evict petitioners found living in rented accommodations in Fangshan district, petitioners told RFA. Petitioner Bo Lichuan, 70, said she was kept locked up in illegal detention by police and denied food for an entire day. And Beijing resident surnamed Zhou said she would likely be questioned by police after giving an interview to a foreign news organization. "Security is pretty tight ahead of the parliamentary sessions," Zhou said. "The state security police said they absolutely must come to my home and meet with me about the interview I gave. They told me I shouldn't speak out publicly during the parliamentary sessions." Housing rights activist Ni Yulan said the authorities are now closely monitoring all social media communications in Beijing. "I sent out a couple of photos to a Beijing friend of mine called Ye Guoqiang; I posted them to my friends group chat," Ni said. "Just a short while later ... an officer from the local police station came to order me to delete the photos." "There was a slogan in the photos that said 'I want to leave the house; give me back my freedom, '" she said. A security guard in a building in Beijing's Wangfujing shopping district said police at district level had set up a task force to deal with "emergent situations," such as fires, explosions or people waving banners. A Beijing resident surnamed Lu said the authorities appear to be very worried about the safety of China's highest-ranking leaders. "If any politically important people try to go past on Chang'an Avenue [near the Great Hall of the People], then everyone has to keep their windows shut," Lu said. "Actually, they are really afraid of an attack of some kind." "If there's a motorcade, then they have to seal off the entire street beforehand, and nobody is allowed down there," he said. "There are also more security checks on public transport." "We're not talking about a radius of two or three kilometers; the security controls start more than 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] out," he said. Activists leave city Rights activists Xu Zhiyong and rights lawyer Tang Jitian had left the city to avoid being placed under close surveillance during the NPC session, fellow activists said. But they were taken away in a police raid shortly after checking into a hotel in the central city of Zhengzhou, rights activist Wang Yi told RFA. "They were asleep at around 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., when a bunch of uniformed and plainclothes police dragged them down to the local police station," Wang said. "They searched all of their stuff, including [scanning] their cell phones," she said. "They didn't let them go until the next day." She said Tang and Xu had gone elsewhere rather than impose on friends. "I don't know where they went after that," Wang said. Calls to their cell phones rang unanswered on Monday. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wong Lok-to for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Authorities in the northern Chinese province of Hebei have apparently detained a prominent rights lawyer after hundreds signed his online petition calling for constitutional change ahead of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), which opened Tuesday in Beijing. Lu Tingge's petition, titled "Suggestion on Amendments to the Constitution," garnered more than 1,000 signatures after it was posted online. As premier Li Keqiang vowed to "maintain stability" and uphold President Xi Jinping's core status and personal brand of ideology, Lu was incommunicado, believed detained, with calls to his cell phone ringing unanswered on Tuesday. His colleague, who gave only a surname, Li, said the lawyer hadn't shown up for work at his law firm in Hebei's Shijiazhuang city in a few days. "I can't locate him; there's something I need him for, but I can't get through to his phone," Li said. "You ask me where he is, but I don't know either; I'm looking for him too." An officer who answered the phone at the Shijiazhuang municipal police department said he didn't know Lu's whereabouts either. "So you can't say for sure which agency took him away?" the officer said. "I'll give you another number; you can see if they have a record of it there." But a request for information at the second number had yet to receive a response at the time of writing. Calls to the municipal bureau of justice, which regulates the legal profession, rang unanswered during office hours on Tuesday. Lu's petition had called for changes that would prevent the NPC standing committee from supplementing and amending laws on its own account, returning the sole power of passing legislation to the NPC, to advance the rule of law. But Li Keqiang's annual work report to the NPC suggested only a consolidation of power for Xi, who had the NPC amend the constitution last year to allow him to remain in the top job indefinitely. "We must unite more closely around the party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core; hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics; take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism With Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide," Li told NPC delegates, who almost never vote against the government. Strengthening rights Rights lawyer Tan Yongpei, who was among those who signed Lu's petition, said the petition was aimed at strengthening civil rights in the face of the growing authoritarian power of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. "The point of the [proposed] constitutional amendments was to support civil rights, which of course the authorities see as the biggest threat," Tan said. "There is currently no role for Chinese citizens in the legislative process; everything is done by the Communist Party inner circle." "To allow citizen participation would be to damage their own grip on power, so naturally they will regard this with hostility during the NPC annual session," he said. "They treat ordinary citizens like this, and lawyers too," Tan said. Lu is currently defense attorney for detained human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, who was indicted by authorities in the eastern province of Jiangsu last month for "incitement to subvert state power." Yu was indicted on Feb. 1 and his case handed over to the municipal prosecutor in Jiangsu's Xuzhou city. Police seized Yu on Jan. 19, 2018 after he too released an open letter calling for amendments to the Chinese constitution, including direct presidential elections and the severing of the link between the Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army (PLA). On Tuesday, Premier Li also reiterated the party's direct control of the PLA, however. "In the new year we must continue to take the party's strong military objectives in the new era as the guide, firmly establish the guiding position of Xi Jinping thought on a strong military in the construction of national defense and the armed forces," he said. Xi's administration would continue with "in-depth promotion of political army building," he said. While the premier didn't disclose military spending for 2019, he did announce a rise of 5.6 percent in the domestic security budget, commonly known as the "stability maintenance" budget, to around 180 billion yuan (U.S. $26.8 billion). A petitioner surnamed Cai, who has pursued a long-running complaint against the government, said the spending boost could result in harsher treatment of the regime's critics. "We may see more intensive controls on petitioners than in previous years, because Xi Jinping mentioned in his [New Year's] speech that a color revolution must be prevented," Cai warned. Late Nobel peace laureate and political prisoner Liu Xiaobo was jailed for calling for similar political reforms in his "Charter 08" document, published in 2008. He died of late-stage liver cancer in July 2017 while serving an eleven-year jail term for "incitement to subvert state power." Missing figures Meanwhile, former Chinese ambassador Zhu Yesui denied that the lack of military spending figures indicated any kind of threat. "Whether or not a country constitutes a military threat depends very much on its defense and foreign policy, and not so much on increases in its defense budget," Zhu told journalists at the NPC press conference on Tuesday. "China has always, and will always, stick to the path of peaceful development, and a defensive military policy," Zhu said. "China's limited military budget is intended to protect its national sovereignty." Chinese military analyst Wu Ge said the figures were more likely to have been omitted from ministers' work reports because there was no money left to increase them this year. "I think more importantly, there just isn't enough money to increase the military budget," Wu said. "Maybe one reason that they haven't announced it is that the increase is actually very low." In March 2018, the NPC abolished any limits to President Xi Jinping's term in office ushered in a new era of authoritarian rule by a single man. Just two out of 2,964 NPC delegates voted against the constitutional amendments, while three abstained. Chinese political analysts said at the time that there was never much chance of NPC delegates voting against the plan, given that political reprisals were all too likely. Analysts said that the two votes "against" the amendments were likely staged to give the effect that delegates had a choice. Since Xi took the helm of the party in 2012, formally assuming the presidency in March 2013, authorities in China have stepped up nationwide "stability maintenance" measures targeting anyone with a critical opinion of the government and cracking down on civil society groups fighting discrimination and social injustice. And in a move reminiscent of the Mao-era Anti-Rightist campaigns, more than 300 lawyers, law firm staff, rights activists and relatives have been detained, questioned, or placed under surveillance or other restrictions in a nationwide police operation targeting the legal profession launched in 2015. Reported by Wong Lok-to and Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service, and by Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves at Dong Dang railway station in Dong Dang, Vietnam, Saturday, March 2, 2019. Kim has boarded his private train at the Vietnam-China border, ending a trip that saw a summit breakdown with U.S. President Donald Trump. The news of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Uns failure to reach a disarmament deal at his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam last week is spreading throughout North Koreas provinces bordering China. The two leaders abruptly ended their summit when they could not agree on sanctions relief or the pace of North Korean denuclearization. Since the summit, the U.S. side has said that North Korea wanted removal of all U.S. and international sanctions in exchange for the dismantling of only the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, when intelligence found other nuclear research sites. The North Korean side has said that they only wanted partial sanctions relief in exchange for Yongbyon. North Korean state media has remained silent on unfavorable news, but in the provinces bordering China, word of the summits results are trickling in by word of mouth and rapidly spreading. [The news] is spreading in Sinuiju and other areas bordering China, said a source from North Pyongan province on Sunday in an interview with RFAs Korean Service. [People are talking about] the fruitless outcome of the summit due to the U.S. presidents rejection of our request to lift economic sanctions in exchange for denuclearization, the source said. What people are wondering is why the president did not accept our request when the Highest Dignity offered to close the Yongbyon nuclear facility, said the source, using a North Korean propaganda title for Kim. The accounts of what happened in Hanoi that are circulating have been spread by word of mouth and appear contradictory. Some say the U.S. is [being stubborn] on purpose, just to tame North Korea, but others are saying the reason the summit failed is because the U.S. already had detailed information about other North Korean nuclear sites and we were not forthcoming [about their existence], said the source. The Highest Dignity spent three days on a train during his difficult trip to Vietnam, only to be internationally humiliated. Now many North Koreans are worried about stronger sanctions by the U.S. because we didnt give up anything in terms of nuclear [testing sites] and missiles, the source said. As the outcome reflects unfavorably on Kim Jong Un, authorities are attempting to stop rumors of the failed summit from spreading, while claiming in state media that it was successful. A second source, also from North Pyongan, said, The regional office of the State Security Department is collecting data on the attitude of the public and trying to block the news going around and the [Korean Workers] Partys propaganda-filled media does not disclose the fact that the summit broke down. They only emphasize that the Highest Dignity ended this trip to Vietnam on a high note by setting a milestone for world peace, said the source. But the collapse of the summit means the economic sanctions will continue. This is an important issue for the residents and the authorities will not be able to control the mouths and ears of the public." The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Koreas official news organization, said Tuesday that Kim returned home after successfully wrapping up his official goodwill visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The media outlet made no mention of the results of the summit in its account of Kims return, only saying that he extended warm greetings to all the beloved people, upon his return. Reported by Hyemin Son for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Malaysian forensic team members inspect remains found in an unmarked grave outside Wang Kelian, Malaysia, near the border with Thailand, May 26, 2015. Malaysias new government has reopened an investigation into mass graves of Rohingya and Bangladeshi trafficking victims discovered in the jungle along the Thai border in 2015, because officials determined that people were not satisfied with an earlier probe, the home minister said. On Tuesday, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin introduced the seven members of a new Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) tasked with investigating the discovery of the gravesites and human trafficking camps at Wang Kelian, in northern Perlis state. The commission must conduct a thorough investigation, although nearly four years have passed since the graves were found, the minister told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Because from the prior investigation, many people were not satisfied, he said. The government, which came to power last May, was taking the probe to the highest level so that, in the future, no one can say that they are not satisfied and question Malaysias commitment on human rights, Muhyiddin said, referring to the commission. So even though it is late, it is never too late to get to the bottom of this. Responding to a question from BenarNews about whether the royal inquiry would focus on complaints about an alleged cover-up in the previous investigation, he said, We will look into every angle in regard to the mass grave discovery. BenarNews contacted former national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar, who headed the police force during the previous investigation, but he declined to comment. The commission will be led by former Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria and former Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai. Other members consist of Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) chairman Razali Ismail; former chief prosecutor Noorbahri Baharuddin; Junaidah Abdul Rahman, a former chief researcher at the Attorney Generals Chamber; former Malaysian ambassador to Thailand Nazirah Hussin; and Tan Seng Giaw, former deputy chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. The members are expected to establish a timeline for the investigation and a list of persons of interest to question. They have been given six months to complete their investigation and file a report to be submitted to the king. During a press conference on Tuesday, Muhyiddin said the mass graves had attracted the worlds attention because of the countries involved. Victims were Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladesh, while Malaysia and Thailand became the transit point, he said. 139 graves In late May 2015, Malaysian police disclosed that they had unearthed 106 corpses from 139 graves at abandoned human-smuggling camps near Wang Kelian. Officials arrested 12 police along with several foreign nationals soon after the discovery. In 2017, then-Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters that the police were released from custody because of a lack of evidence. Four foreigners two Myanmar nationals, a Bangladeshi and a Thai were convicted on human trafficking charges and remain jailed. Also in May 2015, Thai officials announced that similar graves of trafficked Rohingya and Bangladeshis were found at an abandoned camp in the jungle on their side of the border. Since then, the Thai government tried 102 individuals linked to the graves and convicted 62, including a former three-star general. Muhyiddin said he was aware of public concern about the mass graves, pointing out the Pakatan Harapan coalition government was committed to finding out the truth through a transparent and fair investigation. At the regional level, Malaysia is at the forefront of issues pertaining to tackling migrant-smuggling, he said. As pioneers in tackling this issue, Malaysias action in setting up the RCI proves the governments determination to resolve the issues regarding the inhumane act. In addition to its own investigation, the RCI is tasked with determining how the mass graves affect Malaysias image on the global stage involving its human rights record and its bilateral relationships, he said Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. BRUSSELS -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and European Council President Donald Tusk have met in Brussels for talks on relations between Yerevan and the European Union and on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Speaking to journalists after the talks in Brussels on March 5, Tusk said the EU "will continue to support Armenia's journey towards becoming a consolidated democracy and creating a better economic future for its citizens." "We are determined to make the promise of the comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement (CEPA) a reality with real benefits for both Armenia and the EU," Tusk said. noting that the EU bloc is the biggest recipient of exports from Armenia. "The vast bulk of the agreement is already provisionally applied and has a real impact," Tusk said. Visa-Free Travel Pashinian said he and Tusk also discussed visa-free travel to the EU for Armenian citizens. "The citizens of Armenia are looking forward to the opportunity of freely traveling to the European Union in the near future," Pashinian said. "We do hope that the political decision in this matter will be taken shortly since this will produce tangible results for our citizens and give our partnership even more visibility," Pashinian said. On Azerbaijan's mainly ethnic Armenian-populated breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Tusk stressed that the EU "fully supports" the Minsk Group co-chairs and their efforts to solve the conflict. "I am encouraged by the recent contacts between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and welcomed the current decrease in tension," Tusk said. "The EU continues to believe that the status quo is unsustainable," Tusk said. "The conflict does not have a military solution and needs an early political settlement in accordance with international law." "Preparing the respective populations for peace is an important step towards settlement, which we are ready to support," Tusk said. Pashinian said Yerevan appreciates what he called the "continued balanced position" of the EU on Nagorno-Karabakh. "This is a valuable contribution to peace and security in our region," Pashinian said. "I reiterated that Armenia is fully committed to the exclusively peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict." With reporting from Brussels by RFE/RL correspondent Rikard Jozwiak KYIV -- It may be a Ukrainian love story as complicated and dubious as the motives behind the simmering war itself: A female separatist commander and star propagandist for Russia-backed separatists defects to Kyiv to be with her Ukrainian spy lover. But she also brings word of Russian plans for a massive invasion. Moreover, she's ready to testify in The Hague to Moscow's role in alleged war crimes. Svitlana Dryuk, the notorious commander of an all-female tank crew for anti-Kyiv forces in some of the bloodiest battles of the five-year conflict, aired her allegations on Ukraine's 1+1 TV channel on March 3. The report was met with celebration by many Ukrainians who cited her defection and disclosures as a victory, worry by others who took seriously her claims of a return to possible all-out war, and indignation by former separatist comrades who said she should be "hanged" as a "turncoat." But some skeptical Ukrainians are questioning whether she could actually possess the information she claims. They say the motives behind her switch in allegiance deserve more scrutiny and warn of the possible propaganda uses for such a defector in Kyiv. Killing Ukrainians Known by the nom de guerre Veterok (Breeze), the 40-year-old Dryuk debuted as a defector in a nearly nine-minute TV segment in which she admitted to having killed Ukrainians. "I'm not excusing myself," she told reporter Andriy Tsapliyenko. "It was just a specific time and I was doing what I was told to [do]." The United Nations estimates that around 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which next month enters its sixth year. A peace accord known as the Minsk II agreements, signed in February 2015, has helped deescalate but failed to stop the fighting. Dryuk said she first joined the separatist ranks in 2014, eventually rising to senior officer in the Vostok Battalion led by Oleksandr Khodakovskyy, a prominent warlord and onetime head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU)'s Alpha special-forces unit in Donetsk. Dryuk became a darling of separatist and Russian media, which featured her in such documentaries as one extolling her all-female tank unit as "Heroes Of Our Time." Her popularity led to the production of a full-length action movie called The Little Militiawoman (Opolchenochka), directed by Russian Aleksei Kozlov, that was loosely based on Dryuk's time in command. It is reportedly set for Russian release on May 9, Victory Day, when that country marks the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Red Army in 1945. It is unclear how Dryuk's defection might affect the film's release. Now in Kyiv with her two teenage children, Dryuk said she was collaborating with Ukraine's intelligence services, a claim corroborated by the SBU in a statement. "[Dryuk's] defection became the final stage of a long-standing operation of the SBU's counterintelligence unit, which resulted in a valuable eyewitness to Russian military aggression in Ukraine, as well as important materials on the leadership role of officers of the Armed Forces of Russia and members of Russian special services in organizing terrorist activities in the Donbas," the SBU said. 'Full-Scale Invasion' Ukrainian and Western officials have repeatedly accused Russia of using regular army officers to fight alongside separatists in eastern Ukraine, a claim that Moscow consistently denies despite mounting evidence. The spy agency said Dryuk also provided information about military equipment and the fighting positions of separatist units, as well as the location of storage facilities for fuel, ammunition, and heavy weapons that it said had come from Russia. Specifically, Dryuk claimed to have shared Russian plans for a "full-scale invasion" involving "100,000 troops" who could pour into Ukraine in just four hours' time. Dryuk reportedly said "special identification documents" have been created for "every Russian soldier who will enter" Ukraine, allowing such servicemen to present themselves as citizens from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and granting Moscow plausible deniability of direct involvement in the war. Dryuk said she divulged the plan to Ukrainian intelligence officers after switching sides and that she also provided documents showing the results of tests of Russia's latest version of the T-72 main battle tank, the T-72B3, conducted in eastern Ukraine. Dryuk vowed that she is ready to take up arms for Ukraine and return to the front line to fight against her former comrades if such an invasion occurs. She also said she was ready to testify to Russian "war crimes" before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, though she did not specify what those crimes may be. She explained her defection by citing her love for an unnamed Ukrainian intelligence officer. "I have here, I hope, a friend who is very close to me. He is a member of the security service," Dryuk said. "I have no regrets." Propaganda 'Achievement' For Kyiv Neither Dryuk nor the SBU disclosed when Dryuk flipped, but the security agency said the operation required an "unprecedented level of conspiracy and skill" to pull off. Oleksiy Melnyk, a co-director for foreign relations and security programs at the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think tank, said he believes much of Dryuk's account and says such an operation would require a high degree of skill and planning. Still, he said, it should be thoroughly scrutinized. "I don't know if it is a romantic story or, more likely, her real intentions are not just personal feelings for a Ukrainian intelligence officer but some other incentives," he said, adding that Kyiv should treat her claims with caution. "I'm not sure she had access to information that she claims to know about strategic plans," Melnyk said. "She could probably have had access to this mobilization system [and] these IDs prepared for Russian [soldiers]. But I'm not sure we should 100-percent trust the information about Russian strategic plans." Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Western governments have warned in recent months of a buildup of tens of thousands of Russian troops, with heavy weaponry, along the border with Ukraine. Melnyk speculated that Dryuk could provide "important intelligence" to the Ukrainian side. While Russia-backed separatists might rue the loss of a prominent propaganda figure -- Moscow-born former separatist commander Igor "Strelkov" Girkin said she should be "hanged...for treason" and others suggested she'd been tortured into cooperating with Kyiv -- Melnyk said Ukraine was right to celebrate Dryuk's defection as a propaganda "achievement." "I would congratulate our special services," he said. German prosecutors have charged a Russian national with plotting an attack in Germany. Federal prosecutors said on March 5 that the 31-year-old, identified only as Magomed-Ali C., had been charged by a Berlin court last month with preparing an act of violence and preparing an explosion. He is accused of storing the explosive TATP at his Berlin apartment in October 2016. The Russian national, who according to the German news site Zeit Online comes from the Russian republic of Daghestan, was arrested in August 2018 and formally charged on February 25. Prosecutors said the suspect had planned the attack in Germany with Clement Baur, a French national who was arrested in the city of Marseille in a separate case in 2017. Prosecutors said that the pair were in contact with Anis Amri, the Tunisian who attacked a Christmas market in Berlin in December 2016, but were not aware of his plans. Amri fled the scene and was later shot dead by police in Italy. The Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack in which 12 people were killed. Based on reporting by AP and AFP Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka has said that his country "must overcome the cold" of a "standoff" between Russia and the European Union by "equally " balancing its foreign policy between East and West. Speaking in Minsk on March 5 at a government meeting on integration issues, Lukashenka said his country's unique position between the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EES) and the EU "must bring advantages to Belarus." "The ideal-case scenario is a balance between eastern and western directions of the Belarusian foreign policy," Lukashenka said. "Such a balance will be possible only when the EU market turns into a real alternative to the Russian market for us, not only on paper, but in reality." Lukashenka also said that Minsk should "improve our mutually respectful ties with NATO." Noting that NATO members Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland all share borders with Belarus, and that neighboring Ukraine is "passionately and heatedly streaming toward" NATO membership, Lukashenka said the alliance posed "a certain challenge and a cause for confrontation that we do not need." He said stronger ties with NATO would strengthen Belarus's security. "We have to talk to them," Lukashenka said. 'We do not have to look at them as enemies." On the issue of integration with Russia, Lukashenka said Belarus "fully supports" the idea of further developing the so-called Russian-Belarusian Union State that was established in the 1990s and exists mainly on paper. But Lukashenka said such a union state is possible only on the basis of "equal partnership." "I want everybody in the Russian Federation to hear me, both our supporters and our opponents," Lukashenka said. "The main principle of the project [of the union state] is equal conditions for our citizens and business entities. A union based on any other principle is impossible. And the principle of equal partnership must be rigorously carried out. The issue of sovereignty also remains unshakeable for Belarus." Belarus is a member of the Russian-led EES along with Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. But Lukashenka on March 5 criticized the bloc, saying that "it lacks progress on development." "Unfortunately, the process of the Eurasian integration is being reversed, if it hasn't been reversed already," he said. "I am told that there are obstacles, barriers, and restrictions for our business entities," despite the fact that former Soviet republics are still key purchasers of Belarusian exports. "I want to add Ukraine and Georgia here, with whom we have a large scale and volume of trade and good relations," Lukashenka said, suggesting that Minsk considered Kyiv and Tbilisi as friendly despite their ongoing tensions with Russia. Both Georgia and Ukraine have announced their intentions to join the EU and NATO. Russia has kept its troops in Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia after defeating Georgian forces in a five-day war in August 2008 and recognizing the territories as independent states. In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula and threw its support behind pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Lukashenka on March 5 also accused Russian media of misinterpreting some of his statements during a lengthy March 1 press conference. "It was covered like fake news -- tendentious coverage with attempts to take some of my statements out of context and interpret them in a way somebody in the Russian Federation wants to," Lukashenka said. The Belarusian president refuted Russian reports that he'd said he'd agreed to have a single currency with Russia and that the majority of Belarusians would not support integration with Russia. Separately, Belarus removed a cap on the number of U.S. diplomats in the country that had been in place since 2008 as retaliation for U.S. sanctions against Belarusian authorities over a government crackdown on opposition protests. Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, who hosted U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent in Minsk on March 5, expressed hope that the move will improve relations between Belarus and the United States. With reporting by BelTA, Belapan, AP, and RFE/RL's Belarus Service Pakistan says it has arrested dozens of suspected militants, including prominent members of a group that has claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir last month. The bombing that killed at least 41 Indian soldiers triggered a dangerous escalation of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors last week. In a March 5 statement, Pakistan's Interior Ministry said 44 suspected militants were arrested, including prominent members of the outlawed militant group. The ministry said those arrested included Mufti Abdul Rauf, the brother of the outlawed Jaish-e Mohammad (JeM) groups leader. It said that Mufti Abdul Rauf, the brother of Masood Azhar, was among suspects named by India in a file on the February 14 bombing that New Delhi gave to Islamabad during the weekend. The JeM militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on Indian security forces. India has said that Pakistan had a "direct hand" in the attack, and accused its neighbor of providing sanctuary to the militants. Islamabad denies the accusations. On February 26, Indian warplanes carried out an air strike in northeastern Pakistan on what New Delhi said was a militant training camp. The next day, Pakistani aircraft entered Indian airspace and the two countries' jets engaged in aerial dogfights, with at least one Indian warplane shot down and its pilot captured on the ground in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir. The pilot was later handed back to New Delhi in what Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan called a "peace gesture." The two sides claimed a second plane had been shot down, but they have disputed whose plane it was. Pakistani and Indian forces have continued to fire over the Line of Control that serves as a de facto border in Kashmir. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought two of their three full-fledged wars over the Himalayan region since their partition during independence from Britain in 1947. As tensions continue to run high between the two countries, the Pakistani Navy said on March 5 that it had stopped an Indian submarine from entering its waters with a warning. "The Indian submarine was not targeted, in line with the government's policy of maintaining peace," a naval spokesman said. An Indian Navy spokesman rejected the Pakistani claim as "propaganda." With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and dpa A court in Russia has sentenced a man from the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria to 18 years in prison on terrorism charges. The North Caucasus Regional Military Court in the city of Rostov-on-Don on March 5 found Vladislav Khokhlachyov guilty of "banditry" and plotting to carry out a terrorist attack in the region. The mostly Muslim regions of Russia's North Caucasus are plagued by fighting between security forces and militants who have been waging an Islamist insurgency stemming from two post-Soviet separatist wars in Chechnya, which is to the east of Kabardino-Balkaria. Those restive regions also include Daghestan, Ingushetia, and Karachai-Cherkessia. Islamic militants in Russia's North Caucasus regions frequently launch attacks on police and government officials. Some militants in the area have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State extremist group. Based on reporting by RIA Novosti and Interfax Several Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian city of Surgut say they were beaten, suffocated, or shocked during interrogations by police about their group's activities. The charges come amid reports of a broader Russian crackdown on the U.S.-based religious group. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said that Belgrade "cannot recognize Kosovo" as an independent state unless Serbia gets something in return from Pristina as part of a larger deal. Vucic made the remark in an interview given to the Italian news agency ANSA on March 4 ahead of an official visit to Italy. Serbia's Beta news agency reported that Vucic's call for Pristina to provide Belgrade with something in return for recognition was later left out of ANSA's report -- leading international news agencies who quoted the report to retract stories suggesting that Vucic had hinted at progress toward recognizing Kosovo's independence from Serbia. "We must first find the compromise. We cannot recognize Kosovo without getting anything from the other side," Vucic said. "Unless there is a compromise agreement on Kosovo, it will be a disaster." "Although everything seems difficult and sometimes impossible, we are determined to reach a compromise," Vucic also said. "I am sure that we can come to a solution with the help of our European friends and with the support of Russia, America, China and other countries." Kosovo was a province of Serbia in 1999 when NATO launched air strikes to stop a crackdown on ethnic Albanians by Serbian forces during a two-year war. Tensions remain high between the Balkan neighbors two decades after their war ended. Western countries, including the United States, have urged the two sides to move to normalize relations. Belgrade and Pristina have been under strong international pressure to reach an agreement if they want to progress on the path to European Union membership. In 2018, Vucic and Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci appeared to inch closer to some agreement. But that effort stalled in November when Pristina imposed a 100 percent tariff on Serbian goods in response to what Kosovar officials claim are attempts by Belgrade to undermine Kosovo's standing within some international organizations. "Unlike Kosovo leaders who deceive their citizens every day with unrealistic promises that Pristina will get everything and Belgrade will get nothing, it is my duty to explain to Serbs the importance of compromise [with Pristina]. This does not represent a defeat but a victory -- a victory for the future of Serbia," Vucic said. Vucic also denied having any secret meetings with Thaci, as some media have reported. He also described as "pure lies" some media reports suggesting that a draft of a final agreement between Belgrade and Pristina had been drawn up. He reiterated that Belgrade will not continue dialogue with Pristina until authorities in Kosovo abolish their 100 percent taxes on goods imported from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. With reporting by B92, Beta, AFP, and ANSA MOSCOW -- Hundreds gathered on Moscow's Red Square to mark the 66th anniversary of Josef Stalin's death, in an event that was disrupted briefly by protesters decrying the glorification of the Soviet dictator. The annual commemoration event, organized by the Communist Party, was held on March 5 at Stalin's tomb under the Kremlin wall. The gathering was disrupted briefly when two activists threw broken carnations at Stalin's bust by his grave and shouted: "Burn in hell, executioner of people, murderer of women and children!" Police officers immediately detained the activists, Yevgeny Suchkov and Olga Savchenko, who were released later in the day. Meanwhile, several elderly people gathered dozens of meters from the commemoration event to urge President Vladimir Putin to stop Stalin's "glorification" across the country. The participants said their parents had been jailed or killed under Stalin's regime. Stalin died on March 5, 1953 at the age of 74. Millions of people were executed or sent to Gulag labor camps in Siberia and Kazakhstan during his Great Terror in the 1930s. During World War II, members of several ethnic groups, including elderly people, women, and children, were deported to Central Asia based on allegations that they had collaborated with Nazi Germany. After his release from detention, Suchkov told Current Time: "I believe that this is an inexhaustible, severe, moral disease, when people worship the idol of the executioner, who also eliminated -- directly or indirectly -- their ancestors. It is sad to see." "When you see evil and remain indifferent, when you are not even commenting on it, I think that you are complicit in the evil," he added. Historians and Kremlin critics say that under President Putin, the Russian authorities have sought to play down Stalin's crimes and promote him as "a successful manager" and "a great leader." With reporting by OVD-Inform and Dozhd Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry says the head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar has expressed interest in cooperating with Tashkent in order to push Afghanistan's peace process forward. A ministry statement issued from Tashkent on March 5 says Afghan Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar also welcomed Uzbekistan's efforts to help build infrastructure in Afghanistan's energy, transportation, and education sectors. The statement followed a meeting between Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and Baradar in the Qatari capital, Doha, where Taliban representatives have been meeting with U.S. envoys as part of the Afghan peace process. The Uzbek Foreign Ministry said Baradar "noted that large infrastructural projects carried out by Uzbekistan will not only promote Afghanistan's economic development but will also create necessary conditions for starting a full-scale political process in this country." The ministry also expressed hope that Afghanistan might eventually become "a bridge of confidence and cooperation" between Central Asia and South Asia. The talks between Kamilov and Baradar were the highest-level official contacts between Uzbekistan and Taliban representatives. They follow a visit to Uzbekistan in August 2018 by Taliban negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai. Afghanistan's government signed an agreement with Uzbekistan in 2018 to cooperate on building a 75-kilometer railway link from Uzbekistan's Hairatan border terminal to the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif. That project is expected to have significant economic impact on trade between the two countries because about half of Afghanistan's imports from Uzbekistan pass through Hairatan. The Asian Development Bank has estimated that the project will quadruple capacity at the border. Uzbekistan is also contributing $32 million to help Afghanistan build a 500-kilowatt power-transmission line between the village of Surkhan in southern Uzbekistan and Pul-e Khumri in the northern Afghan province of Baghlan. Uzbekenergo chief executive Ulgubek Mustafaev has said that the 260-kilometer stretch of transmission line will enable Uzbekistan to increase exports of electricity to Afghanistan by 70 percent. The Asian Development Bank has pledged $70 million toward the project, which is expected to cost about $150 million to complete. Mustafaev says the project could eventually help Uzbekistan's energy exports to be delivered to Pakistan. With reporting by Interfax U.S. senators are complaining again that President Donald Trump's administration is not releasing new information about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Lawmakers attended a closed-door hearing on March 4 to hear what the White House is doing regarding the killing of Khashoggi, who lived part-time in Virginia. Republican Senator Marco Rubio told reporters afterward that he learned nothing new. "The Senate will have to decide if it's going to impose its own sanctions" on the government of Saudi Arabia, he said. Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul last year by Saudi agents. The Saudi government said the slaying was carried out by rouge operatives and denied the involvement of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. U.S. lawmakers had instructed Trump to order an investigation into Khashoggi's killing, but the White House declined to submit a report to Congress by a deadline last month. The lawmakers made the request in October under the Global Magnitsky Act, a human rights law that gave the president 120 days to respond. "They don't want us to have a conversation about the intelligence," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said, referring to the White House. Lawmakers have said they believe Bin Salman ordered the killing, but Trump has been reluctant to blame him. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters FRESH doubts have been raised over the private company given the all-clear to run Mexborough and Doncasters markets for 25 years. Mexborough First councillors who say the arrangement is a raw deal for Mexborough, which stands to benefit from a fraction of the overall proposed investment tried to present their detailed findings about the track records of Essex-based directors Raymond Linch and Jonathan Owen to Doncaster Councils scrutiny committee. But documents they had prepared were not admitted into evidence and the committee threw out the objections effectively rubber-stamping the deal, which the council says will see 6.2 million pumped into the markets over the next quarter of a century. Cllrs Sean Gibbons, Andy Pickering and Bev Chapman this week pointed out several companies of which Mr Owen and Mr Linch have been directors have folded or their accounts showed records of low or negative assets. This casts doubt on their ability to access and pump 200,000-plus a year into Doncasters markets, the councillors say. Cllr Pickering said: Theres nothing to convince me that any reasonable person would conclude that officers have done the necessary due diligence, and we dont feel the scrutiny committee has done its job. The directors firm, Market Asset Management, insisted it had the financial backing of, among others, leisure firm Places for People, which it said could provide a funding facility of up to 5 million for land-related development opportunities. The councillors say Mr Linch and Mr Owens record in business brings cause for concern. They were both on the board of Modus Market Halls, which was led the relaunch of Batleys markets in 2007 but liquidated two years later, when 573,000 in the red. MAM said this business had been part of a larger firm which had gone into administration in 2008 as part of the wider financial crisis. The pair were also on the board of Woking Market Company, which was liquidated within four years with debts exceeding credits by 58,000. MAM said that company had had a short-term contract to run the Market Walk precinct in Woking until Woking Councils new retail development was underway. After its contract ended, operations were being moved to a part-council-owned operation called Woking Shopping. Mr Linch and Mr Owen are directors of Market Asset Management (Darlington), which listed assets of almost minus 40,000 in its last accounts, Market Asset Management (Seven Sisters), which had assets of just 102, and Market Asset Management Ltd the parent company for MAM (Darlington) and MAM (Seven Sisters) which listed its assets as minus-8,775 in its latest accounts. MAM said the Darlington firms figures represent the embryonic stages of the company being a few months old with a 1.8 million capital improvement plan, adding: The company trades profitably and capital investment has commenced. MAM (Seven Sisters) was established with the purpose not to make a profit, MAM said. MAM is also involved in a dispute with Rochdale Council over its short tenure running the Great Manchester towns markets. The council was reporting as saying MAM had failed to meet our expectations but MAM accused the council of failing to progress the project as proposed and said it was taking legal action. Doncaster Council scrutiny committee chairman Cllr Kevin Rodgers pointed out checks had been made during the procurement process. He said safeguards built into the contract with MAM gave him comfort. The deal will be reviewed in a year. Places for People did not have anyone available to comment on MAMs claims about its 5 million funding facility, which it said was just one source of funding available. MAM also hit back at Rochdale Councils claim it had ended an arrangement for the company to run its marks as it had been unable to meet our expectations. MAM said no contract had been signed with Rochdale Council but the authority had asked MAM last August to run its markets in the short term. The firm said the council had failed to deliver market-related documentation and claimed repeated site delivery problems, significant delays and missed opening dates. MAM said it had successfully expanded the market over a few weeks but withdrawn services last year in the absence of formal agreements being in place. It added that it had never been formally informed its services were not needed and was taking legal action against the council. Rochdale Council has been approached for comment. Youth participated in parliamentary procedure activities, break-out sessions and a service project, and met state and local leaders. This year's Leadership Awareness Weekend (LAW), a statewide 4-H civic engagement event, was a worthwhile experience for several North Dakota youth. "4-H LAW is a wonderful opportunity for youth to make new friends, learn how to become a strong leader and become more connected with our government," says 4-Her Marie Kraemer of Grand Forks. She was among youth from 12 counties who participated in parliamentary procedure activities, break-out sessions and a service project, and met state and local leaders during the recent three-day program, which North Dakota State University Extension's Center for 4-H Youth Development organizes. "One thing that stands out to me each time I attend 4-H LAW is the wonderful opportunity to spend the day at the Capitol," Kraemer says. "While we were there, we met the North Dakota governor and several legislators, as well as sat on the floor as a legislator's guest." 4-Her David Crain of McKenzie County says of his legislative experience: "I learned so much and loved sitting with my representative since I knew him." During LAW, teams of youth also participated in a parliamentary procedure contest. The Foster County team took home the traveling gavel. The teams from Oliver and Grand Forks counties placed second and third, respectively. "The main focus of the 4-H Leadership Awareness Weekend this year was learning about parliamentary procedure, which I believe every individual should learn and understand," Kraemer says. Youth also participated in team-building activities and breakout sessions on topics that included leadership etiquette and vision boards. Dawn Thomsen, chaperone for a group of youth from Barnes County, reports that the youth thoroughly enjoyed LAW. Other LAW activities included a charcoal-illustrated North Dakota history lesson from Fargo artist Steve Stark; local government and legislative panels; and information from North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Lisa Fair McEvers on careers and opportunities for youth today and in the future. 4-H youth make a blanket for the LEO's Blanket Project during the recent Leadership Awareness Weekend, a 4-H civic engagement event. (NDSU photo) "While attending the LAW program, I was able to connect with both local and state politicians by asking questions and getting to know our representatives personally," 4-Her Faith Vasicek of Pembina County says. "I was also able to meet people from all around our state who had similar interest in government as me." In addition, LAW youth made blankets for the LEO's (Law Enforcement Officers) Blanket Project. "This project was started by youth in Montana as part of a Family, Career and Community Leaders of America project," says Amelia Doll, an NDSU Extension agent in Burleigh County who coordinated the community service project during LAW. "Thirty-two blankets were handed off to the Burleigh County Sheriff's Department to find their new homes from the back of officers' vehicles when officers are called out and there is a child involved in accidents or even domestic situations." Visit the Center for 4-H Youth Development's website at https://tinyurl.com/NDSU4-H-LAW to learn more about the LAW program. At The Raymond Family Community Center In Williston, ND 2019 Weather Outlook: Tuesday, March 12 at 8 a.m. Dr. Adnan Akyuz, North Dakota State Climatologist Dr. Akyuz earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Atmospheric Science at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1988 and 1994 respectively. He also holds a B.S. degree in Meteorological Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey. In his former positions, Adnan was the Missouri State Climatologist for eight years in Columbia, Missouri. He is currently active with research topics dealing with climate change impact on growing seasons in the Northern Plains, adaptation of agroecosystems to climate change, drought assessment and drought impact in North Dakota. Farm Financing, Loans and Lending: Wednesday, March 12, 9 a.m. Dr. Bryon Parman, NDSU Extension Agricultural Finance Specialist Dr. Bryon Parman is the Agricultural Finance Specialist with NDSU Extension. Dr. Parman's programs focus on whole farm and agribusiness financial structure, farm financial risk management, investment analysis, machinery cost assessment, land values and rents, farm financial record analysis, farm financial trends and income tax management. Dr. Parman earned his master's degree in economics with a specialization in agricultural real estate and finance from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and his doctorate in agricultural economics from Kansas State University. Nutrient Management Recommendations Overhaul: Tuesday, March 12, 11 a.m. Dr. Dave Franzen, NDSU Extension Soil Specialist Dr. Franzen received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL. He completed his Ph.D. in 1993, with his thesis addressing field variability of P, K, and soil pH in two Illinois fields. Prior to his Ph.D he served 18 years as an agronomist and manager in the retail fertilizer business in East Central Illinois. Dr. Franzen joined the NDSU faculty in June 1994. He provides educational programs on soil and soil fertility topics to extension agents and specialists, industry professionals, farm producers and the public. He presents his material using meetings, field tours, written material, radio, TV, video and internet resources. He also performs applied soils research projects, which are relevant to North Dakota producers. Managing Financial Stress: Tuesday, March 12, 9:45 a.m. Dr. David Ripplinger, NDSU Extension Bioproducts and Bioenergy Economics Specialist David Ripplinger is the Bioproducts and Bioenergy Economics Specialist with North Dakota State University Extension, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics and Director of the Bio-Energy and Products Innovation Center (BioEPIC) at North Dakota State University. He has been the co-chair of the NDSU Extension Farm Stress Team since 2017. Northern Crops Institute Update: Tuesday, March 12, 10:30 a.m. Mark Jirik, Director of Northern Crops Institute Mark Jirik is the Director of the Northern Crops Institute, a four state collaboration based at NDSU in Fargo dedicated to expanding markets and value added agriculture. Mark grew up on a dairy farm in Mahnomen, MN and received his BS in Agricultural Economics from North Dakota State University and his MS from the University of Illinois. Upon graduating, Mark worked for Cargill for 17 years working in merchandising, commodity training, and commercial management throughout the United States and Australia. UAV Technology: Tuesday, March 12, 1 p.m. John Nowatzki, NDSU Extension Agricultural Machinery Specialist Mr. Nowatzki coordinates the NDSU Extension agricultural machine systems educational program. Subject matter areas include agricultural machinery selection and operation, precision agriculture, conservation tillage technologies, agricultural chemical application technology, and remote monitoring applications to farming. Nowatzki regulary delivers education presentations on various precision agriculture topics including farm data management, unmanned aircraft systems, LiDAR applications, variable rate fertilization of field crops, and sprayer boom section control. What it Costs to Control vs. What it Costs if You Don't Control: Tuesday, March 12, 3:15 p.m. Corey Paryzek, Williams County Weed Officer Known locally as the Farm Service Agency manager for Williams County, Corey retired from that position a year ago, after 31 years. Corey has a BS degree in Animal Science and Agronomy from North Dakota State University. Corey has returned to his roots in dealing with weeds as the Williams County Weed Officer. Corey had worked as a Crop Scout in his early career prior to ASCS/FSA. Corey is still learning of the challenges in dealing with noxious weeds, but enjoys the job dealing with weeds and the rural community. What is Palmer Amaranth?: Tuesday, March 12, 3:45 p.m. Dr. Clair Keene, Area Extension Specialist in Cropping Systems Dr. Clair Keene is the Area Extension Specialist in Cropping Systems at the Williston Research Extension Center. Clair earned her Ph.D. in agronomy from Penn State with an emphasis in weed science. Clair's current research projects include herbicide evaluation, saline seep reclamation with perennial forages, and intercropping. Clair's extension work includes training county extension agents in agronomic crop management and engaging NDSU Extension with organic producers. Grain Market Outlook: Tuesday, March 12, 4 p.m. Dr. Frayne Olson, NDSU Extension Economist Dr. Frayne Olson is the Crop Economist/Marketing Specialist with the NDSU Extension and Director of the Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives. Dr. Olson conducts educational programs and research in evaluating crop marketing strategies, crop outlook and price analysis, and the economics of crop contracting. As Director of the Center for Cooperatives, he teaches a senior level course on cooperative business management and coordinates the Center's research and outreach activities. Dr. Olson received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri in Agricultural Economics, and his MS and BS in Agricultural Economics from North Dakota State University. Incorporating Forage Mixes for Haying and Grazing into Crop Rotations in the Semi-Arid Region of Western North Dakota: Tuesday, March 12, 2 p.m. Doug Landblom, Animal Scientist at Dickinson Research Extension Center Douglas Landblom received BS and MS degrees in Animal Science from Montana State University and between degrees; he served in the US Marine Corps, Third Marine Amphibious Force, Da Nang, Vietnam. He has worked as an animal scientist at the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center since August 1974 conducting adaptive research for beef cattle, swine and horses. However, his largest research contribution has been conducting beef cattle research. His primary applied focus has spanned a wide variety of research topics ranging from reproductive management and animal nutrition to early weaning for drought management and a survey of E. coliO157 and other serotypes in cows and calves from weaning through slaughter. Drought management investigations dating back to 2003 were the forerunners for research in regenerative agriculture investigating the long-term effect of grazing within a diverse crop rotation on soil health and subsequent profitability from crops and beef production. Design Your Succession Plan Introduction: Wednesday, March 13, 9 a.m. Dr. Carrie Johnson, Ashley Ueckert, Dan Folske & Dr. Carrie Johnson, NDSU Extension Personal Family Finance Specialist Carrie Johnson is the Extension Personal and Family Finance Specialist, Assistant Professor at NDSU. Carrie has worked in Extension Education since 2009, prior to that she was a financial aid counselor. She received her Bachelor's Degree (English for Information Systems) from Dakota State University, Master's Degree (Family and Consumer Sciences with an emphasis in Family Financial Planning) from South Dakota State University, and Ph.D. (Family and Consumer Science Education) from Iowa State University. Carrie is also an Accredited Financial Counselor. Ashley Ueckert, Golden Valley Extension Agent Ashley is a native of Sherwood, ND and grew up on a cattle and small grain operation. She attended North Dakota State University where she received a bachelor's degree in Animal Science. She has been the NDSU Extension Agent in Golden Valley County since 2006. She and her husband Cody ranch alongside his parents as the fourth generation to be on the place. They have one son who is eight. Dan Folske, Burke County Extension Agent Dan Folske has been the NDSU Extension Agent in Burke County since 1989. He grew up on a farm and beef cattle operation in Slope County and received a BS in Animal Science from North Dakota State University. Dan and his wife Kathy live north of Bowbells where he operates a small beef cattle herd. He is active in the community and is an EMT with the Bowbells Ambulance. Hemp Agronomy: Tuesday, March 12, 6:45 p.m. Jeff Kostuik, Director of Operations, Central Canada, US & International of Hemp Genetics International Jeff is employed with Hemp Genetics International as the Director of Operations for Central Canada, US and International. Jeff takes a lead role in sharing his agronomy knowledge to their HGI growing base. Prior to the move to HGI, Jeff was the Manitoba provincial contact for hemp agronomy in his role as Diversification Specialist for Manitoba Agriculture, a role he held since hemp was legalized in Canada in 1998. Past projects have included working on national variety trials funded through the CHTA as well as working on minor use herbicide projects. Hemp research continues to be a passion of Jeffs, along with farming with his brother-in-law, producing pedigreed seed. Jeff is a director of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance where he currently holds the position of chair of the research committee. International Wheat Markets: Wednesday, March 13, 11:30 a.m. Kurt Haarmann, Senior Vice President of Columbia Grain Kurt Haarmann is a Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the Grain Division for Columbia Grain International, LLC. Kurt has worked in the grain handling and export industry for over 25 years. He has experience in the full cycle of procurement; export sales, execution and operations management. He began his career with Columbia Grain in Colfax, WA in 1993 and moved to the company headquarters in Portland, OR in 1995. He traded Hard Red Winter and Hard Red Spring wheat for export from 1996 to 2014, while also managing the central hedge desk. He moved to Pacificor, LLC to become the Senior Vice-President of arketing and Wheat Product Line Manager. In July, 2018 he returned to Columbia Grain to assume his current role and lead a reorganization of the Grain Division. He has a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Washington. He has been married for 22 years, has two children in Tigard, OR. Farming for the Future with an Eye on Soil Health: Saturday, March 13, 2 p.m. Levi and Crystal Neuharth Dr. Bryon Parman Levi and Crystal got started in the business of farming and ranching through Levis dad, David, whose operation they are currently renting located about 25 miles west of Pierre, SD. With both farms combined they manage about 3,000 acres of grass and 2,300 acres of cropland. Their family farm is called Prairie Paradise Farms and is committed to producing eggs, forage, and grain in a sustainable way that ensures resilience of their farm and resources for future generations. They farm with the future in mind so taking care of the soil and feeding it is extremely important. They embrace a holistic approach to sustainability by focusing on our environmental impact as well as economic stability and human safety. They have been No-Till since 1993 and maintain a diverse crop rotation. They strive to keep diversity in their animals and grazing habits. At the MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show on Thursday, March 7th, Jim Staricka, Soil Scientist at the NDSU Williston Research Extension Center, will be discussing his research project on the effects of reduced irrigation on small grain yield and quality. This study was done at our Nesson Valley research site using overhead (i.e. sprinkler) irrigation. We investigated four different irrigation rates on each crop. I will be presenting data collected during the past nine cropping seasons, explained Staricka. In Starickas research project he wanted to find out how much, if any, irrigation amounts could be reduced without adversely affecting crop yield or crop quality. In some areas of the country water supply is becoming limited, sometimes to the point that restrictions on the amount of water that can be used for irrigation have been implemented. Currently this is not a concern locally but reducing the amount of water needed for irrigation may reduce the possibility of water restrictions being imposed in the future. Overhead irrigation is more water-efficient and allows more fine-tuning of irrigation amounts than surface irrigation (flood irrigation). Thus, the findings of this research may be especially beneficial to farmers who have switched from flood to center pivot irrigation. The overall project includes four different crops grown in rotation: durum, sugarbeet, barley, and potato. Tyler Tjelde and I have split up the analysis and reporting responsibilities: he does the sugarbeet and potato data and I do the durum and barley data, said Staricka. So far Staricka has found that reducing irrigation by one-third reduced durum yields in some years but does not reduce the quality of durum or the yield and quality of barley. During his presentation, he will be discussing in more detail the magnitude of the effects observed with a one-third reduction and the effects of greater irrigation reductions. Staricka said, This experiment has run in its present form for nine years. That has allowed us to observe the effect of reduced irrigation amounts under a variety of weather conditions, indicating the findings are applicable under a wide range of conditions. Staricka included that he was surprised by how small of an effect reducing irrigation by one-third had. During the last six months Ive heard researchers in other areas have found similar results, so that strengthens my confidence in our findings, explained Staricka. This growing season, Staricka plans to repeat the study without any changes, thus obtaining data from an additional set of weather conditions. In the current form, the reduced irrigation amounts have been applied throughout the entire growing season. In the future (maybe starting in 2020), we hope to look at the effect of reducing irrigation amounts for only part of the growing season, said Staricka. Staricka hopes this information is helpful to farmers in improving their water use efficiency. Water savings achieved by reducing irrigation amounts may allow farmers to expand their irrigated acreage without increasing total water demand, or it may help them comply with future water restrictions You can hear more about Starickas research on water use efficiency on irrigated small grains at 3:45 pm at the Richland County Event Center located in Sidney, Montana. Chuck Rein, Don Steinbeisser, Jr., Megan Hedges and Tonya Liles meet with Senator Daines' Ag Legislative Assistant Dan Gerig (second from left) during the recent trip to Washington, D.C. for the American Farm Bureau Issues Advisory Committee meetings. Four Montana Farm Bureau members traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the American Farm Bureau Issues Advisory Committee meetings and visit with senatorial offices. Members included Tonya Rolf Liles, a cattle rancher from Terry, Animal Care Committee; Megan Mattson Hedges, a grain farmer from Chester, Farm Policy Committee; Chuck Rein, a rancher from Big Timber, Federal Lands Committee; and Don Steinbeisser, Jr., a diversified farmer from Sidney, Environmental Regulations Committee. The Animal Care Committee addressed some of the current national lawsuits including nuisance lawsuits against swine farms and R-CALF USA's beef checkoff lawsuit. "They wanted input from the different states regarding various lawsuits to decide if AFBF should pursue them," said Rolf. "In addition, we talked about cell-cultured protein products and how to ensure the US Department of Agriculture regulates them. We talked about the Green New Deal and how the EPA would handle that. In addition, we covered animal traceability. We agreed there is a need for traceability, but there must be a way to keep personal information confidential." Chuck Rein said the Federal Lands Committee had two prevalent topics. "The number-one discussion was regarding fire: the speakers covered prevention, what do during the fire and then after. We talked about what caused the problem, as well as how to mitigate getting permits to access an area when there are fallen burned trees across the roads. There wasn't a concrete answer developed, but the meeting provided a good opportunity to voice our concerns. Wild horses and burros were the number-two topic. We learned the BLM has 55,000 wild horses and burros that is costing $48,000 per head, costing a billion dollars a year to feed these horses. We talked about ranchers possibly adopting some of the horses and getting paid to take care of them." The Farm Policy Committee conversation was a continuation of last year's regarding the farm bill. "Last year we were discussing what needed to be in the farm bill; this year there were a lot of questions about implementation, timelines and funding changes," said Megan Mattson Hedges. "There was a lot of talk about growing hemp, such as would there be crop insurance and whether it could be planted on a lot of those tobacco acres." "Having a seat at the table is vital for Montana," said Hedges. "I might not be the expert on all of our issues but I was the only wheat producer at the table. That's imperative for our state." Steinbeisser said one of the main topics discussed by the Environmental Regulations Committee was dicamba and the trouble Arkansas farmers had with lawsuits surrounding that crop protectant. "We talked about making sure there was a way to shorten the time period for completing the Environmental Impact Statement on pesticides. Sometimes it takes 10-12 years. We addressed some of the irrigation concerns in different states. Arizona has a lot of dust trouble. In fact, they're threatening to shut down farming completely in some areas because of the dust." During the time in Washington, the group visited Senator Steve Daines' office. "We visited with Dan Gerig, Senator Daines' Ag Legislative Assistant. Trade was the number-one issue we discussed, and the importance of the U.S. Mexico Canada Free Trade Agreement and what an important issue it is in Montana especially in the northern part of the state with grain," said Hedges. "However, our visit with him really ran the gamut of ag issues." Steinbeisser had the opportunity to visit with Senator Tester's staff. "I told them about the importance of trade, especially the upcoming USMCA, and talked about the importance of funding our Agricultural Research Stations in Montana." March is designated as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. During this month, hospitals and medical facilities across the nation focus their attention on preventing, treating and curing colorectal cancer. According to the CDC, colorectal cancer, which occurs in the colon or rectum, is the leading cause for cancer death in Montana and the United States. This March, Sidney Health Center Cancer Care and the Richland County Health Department are teaming up to host a free Mens Health Screening on Friday, March 15 from 3:00 5:00 p.m. at the Cancer Care Suite, located at 214 14th Avenue Southwest in Sidney. This free colorectal and prostate cancer screening for men between the ages of 55-75 years will include a PSA (prostate specific antigen) lab draw test, a DRE (digital rectal exam) by Dr. Ralf Kiehl, Radiation Oncologist and a complimentary FIT (fecal immunochemical test) take-home kit. No appointment is necessary to take advantage of the screening. In fact, getting tested for colorectal and prostate cancer could save a life. On average, the lifetime risk of developing colon cancer is about one in 23 for men and women combined. And according the American Cancer Society, about one in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. In fact, more than 2.9 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today. The key to improving healthcare outcomes is through routine screening and early diagnosis of cancer, states Dr. Kiehl. Typically in rural areas, patients do not seek medical attention until they are late in the course of their disease. I believe we must provide opportunities for people living in the MonDak region to get evaluated on a regular basis. The American Cancer Society encourages people who have no identified risk (other than age) to begin regular colorectal cancer screening at age 50. Regular screening can, in many cases, prevent colorectal cancer altogether. This is because some polyps, or growths, can be found and removed before they have a chance to turn into cancer. There are several different tests that can be used to screen for colorectal cancer. However, a colonoscopy is considered to be the gold standard for testing since all other tests have to be followed up with a colonoscopy if anything is discovered. This type of screening is recommended every ten years. The take-home FIT kit looks for tiny amounts of blood in the stool, because cancers in the colon and rectum sometimes bleed. To take this test, individuals will take the kit home and return a sample to the lab for testing. With recommended screening, colorectal and prostate cancer can be prevented or detected at its earliest stage. If you are 55 years or older, take time to attend the Mens Health Screening on March 15. All participants will receive a complimentary drink card to a local establishment. No appointment is necessary. Questions may be directed to Sidney Health Center Cancer Care by calling 406-488-2504. The Richland County Health Department is proud to announce their selection as one of the sites to receive the inaugural ASPIRE award. The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sponsored an award to announce the Achieving the Social Determinants of Health Population Improvement in Rural Environments (ASPIRE) program. The goal of the ASPIRE award is to recognize excellence in rural communities that are committed to addressing the social determinants of health. The social determinants of health are the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect health risks and outcomes. Five local health departments across the nation were selected for this award and received $5,000 to help further their work. The award will be put towards the emotional wellness campaign, an initiative included in the Richland County Health Department Strategic Plan for 2019-2021. Connecting Resources for Emotional Wellness (CREW) is a subcommittee of the Mental Health Local Advisory Council action group that addresses mental/behavioral health issues in the area. CREWs primary initiatives include an emotional wellness campaign, creating a No Wrong Door policy, and coordinating trainings and resources for mental health services. The emotional wellness campaign aims to create an environment that values personal, relational, and community wide emotional wellness and increase the awareness of the importance of emotional wellness, integrate emotional wellness into daily life, and create a resilient community. The Richland County Health Department is grateful for the opportunity to improve the emotional wellness in the area and enhance the quality of life in Eastern Montana. Sidney, MT Community members in Sidney and Richland County may soon be receiving a survey form in their mailbox. This survey will be sent to a random sample of homes and will help Sidney Health Center identify the health services needed in the community. This information will be used for strategic planning, grant applications, new programs, and by community groups interested in addressing health issues. The Montana Office of Rural Health is assisting Sidney Health Center in the analysis of local community needs, use of local health care services and overall community health. This process was developed to maintain quality health care to serve the continuing and future needs of the community. The community healthcare assessment process promotes healthcare as a local affair. Citizens of rural counties can take responsibility for the health of their community by completing the survey they receive in their mailbox. Most communities face a large number of complex issues in providing high quality healthcare, but fortunately, Richland County can engage in effective problem-solving, which is the most important factor in the survival of rural health services. An accompanying goal of this process is to keep health care dollars within the local community. While the vast majority of health care can be provided locally, rural citizens often drive to large medical centers for care, spending money on health care and non-health care purchases that could be spent locally. It is estimated that within a typical rural community, millions of dollars of revenue is lost in this way. This revenue could be retained in the local community with stronger community-health care provider linkages. Sidney Health Centers campus includes an acute care (25-bed) hospital, clinic area, cancer care center, certified sleep center, retail pharmacy and an extended care facility, offering a complete range of services from birth through end-of-life. These primary areas are complemented by several outpatient services including radiology, laboratory and rehab services to name a few. The purpose of the survey is to obtain information from a wide range of participants to assist in planning our programs, services, and facilities to best serve the needs of our community and the surrounding area, stated Jen Doty, Sidney Health Center CEO. We are pleased to be able to bring some of the best community health resources to Sidney Health Center. The goal of this initiative is to assist forward-thinking rural hospitals and communities in aligning their resources, to address their present and future needs in the best way possible, said Natalie Claiborne, Assistant Director, Montana Office of Rural Health. Nitish Kumar Patna, Mar 5 (PTI) The JD(U) Monday strongly objected to fresh hankering in some quarters to abrogate Articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution, warning that any "tinkering" with these provisions for Jammu and Kashmir would be "detrimental to the national unity and integrity." The Janata Dal (United), which is headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and is a key NDA ally, also deplored the "aggressive posturing" on building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, asserting that "the Supreme Court, and only the Supreme Court, can now settle the matter." Advertisement A statement to this effect was made by the party's national general secretary and chief spokesman K C Tyagi, who said these issues "figured prominently" in deliberations at the JD(U) national executive meeting held Monday in the presence of Nitish Kumar. Despite an alliance with the BJP, the JD(U), since its earlier avatar as Samata Party, has held a distinct stance on three issues - Ayodhya dispute, Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code, Tyagi told reporters. This has been underscored by Nitish Kumar many times, he said, adding this was reiterated again at the national executive meet. "In the aftermath of the recent events in Jammu and Kashmir, we see a fresh demand for abrogating Articles 370 and 35A. We hold the view that these Constitutional provisions must stay. Tinkering with them could be detrimental to the national unity and integrity," said Tyagi. His comments come amid a clamour for abolishing the special status enjoyed by the restive northern state in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent escalation of tensions with Pakistan. "On the Ayodhya issue, we see a lot of aggressive posturing. This is not good. The JD(U) has always held that the vexed issue be solved either through a consensus among the affected parties or through a court order. Advertisement Attempts to solve the tangle outside the court through talks were made during the reign of V P Singh, Chandrashekhar, P V Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. None of these efforts bore fruit," Tyagi said."We must, therefore, wait for and honour the judgement of the Supreme Court before which the title suit is pending. In the party's view, under the present circumstances the Supreme Court, and only the Supreme Court, can now settle this matter," he asserted. In an oblique reference to the controversy over the Triple talaq bill, Tyagi said our national president has made clear the party's stand on the issue of Uniform Civil Code a number of times. The JD(U) president had even written to the Law Commission elucidating the same, he said. "Our MPs had also raised questions in the Rajya Sabha as to whether the communities affected by the legislation had been made a part of decision making process," he added. Tyagi was speaking in the presence of party's senior leaders, including national general secretaries Pavan Varma and Ram Chandra Prasad Singh. He also expressed confidence that the three NDA constituents in Bihar, JD(U), BJP and Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP, which have already finalised a seat-sharing formula, would soon decide which seat would go to which party and the candidate for the Lok Sabha polls. Advertisement He also said his party's alliance with the BJP was "confined only to Bihar" and the JD(U) was looking forward to fielding candidates "outside the state". A three-member committee comprising Tyagi, the party's national vice president Prashant Kishor and RCP Singh has been set up with the mandate to hold discussions with state units on this issue, said the JD(U) general secretary-cum- spokesperson. Modi meets his mother during Gujarat visit Ahmedabad, Mar 5 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday met his nonagenarian mother Hiraba in Raisan village near here after addressing a gathering in Ahmedabad late in the evening. Hiraba Modi lives with the PM's younger brother Pankaj Modi in the village located close to the state capital Gandhinagar. The prime minister, who is on a two-day visit of his home state, spent around 30 minutes with his mother and other family members. Before calling on his mother, Modi visited the famous Dholeshwar Mahadev temple near Raisan and offered prayers on the occasion of Mahashivratri. Modi will attend two programmes in the state on Tuesday. As cultural successors, hedgehogs reside in close proximity to humans. Close contacts, however, are not only beneficial but also bear risks for animals and humans. Road traffic, lawn mowers and infectious agents threaten the prickly insect eaters. Some infectious agents can be transmitted to humans. Considerate treatment of wildlife and appropriate hygiene measures minimize the risk of infection, though. A recent study, initiated by the National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria (CL-Diphtheria) in Germany and conducted in close collaboration of five federal state laboratories and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), identified Corynebacterium ulcerans -- a close relative of the diphtheria causing bacterium -- in hedgehogs. The study is published in Emerging Microbes & Infections. Diphtheria is a bacterial disease of humans affecting the upper respiratory tract. The etiologic agent Corynebacterium diphtheria can harbor a specific diphtheria toxin gene. Diphtheria is very rare in countries with high immunization coverage such as Germany, although C. diphtheria associated skin or wound infections occur more frequently over the past years in long-distance travelers. Germany has recognized an increase of infections with Corynebacterium ulcerans too, a close relative to C. diphtheria that often carries a diphtheria-like toxin gene and has now been found in hedgehogs. A bulletin published from the National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria concluded that C. ulcerans occurs in a variety of animal species without or with disease symptoms such as lymph node abscesses, wound or respiratory infections. "There are clear transmission events from infected pets to the owners of dogs and cats ," comment the initiators of the study Anja Berger and Andreas Sing from CL-Diphtheria. Corresponding case numbers are low but the risk of animal-to-human transmission should raise public health awareness towards emerging C. ulcerans infections. The bacterium has already been detected in different native wildlife species such as red fox, wild boar and roe deer. This study provides the first evidence of diseased hedgehogs infected by C. ulcerans. "The results should raise a greater awareness and responsibility for our neighborhood," explains Kristin Muhldorfer, researcher at Leibniz-IZW's Department of Wildlife Diseases. Wild animals can carry infectious agents and parasites relevant for human health. Likewise, infectious agents from humans and domestic animals can affect the health of wild animals. Considerate care and hygiene measures are mandatory to safely handle wild animals such as hedgehogs. This includes proper hand washing with soap and warm water or appropriate use of hand sanitizers after animal contacts. "Particularly people at higher risk working with wild animals should be aware -- which includes veterinarians, professionals and volunteers in wildlife rehabilitation and sanctuaries," state the authors. Adequate vaccination is essential for protection against diphtheria and should be refreshed regularly. A respectful distance from wildlife enables cohabitation between humans and animals even in close proximity. Weak, sick or injured wild animals should only be handled and nursed by experienced people, who have animal specific knowledge and approval. Wildlife samples from animals showing signs of bacterial disease can be shipped on request to the participating federal state laboratories or the Leibniz-IZW for investigation. In addition, the German CL-Diphtheria would further characterize confirmed Corynebacterium isolates on request. For years, scientists have been trying to come up with a better way to protect people against tuberculosis, the disease caused by infection with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacteria. Texas Biomedical Research Institute Professor Jordi Torrelles, Ph.D., says new hope is on the horizon after a recent experiment performed in mice showed great promise. The study was published in the journal Mucosal Immunology. "What we found is that our formulation of a vaccine protected better than the current vaccine and did not cause any lung tissue damage," Dr. Torrelles said. "If further research proves safety and effectiveness, the vaccine can be delivered directly into the lungs." The current vaccine, called BCG, is delivered by an intramuscular infection in the upper arm. "If it works, the drug delivery system for humans would be a spray delivered through a device similar to an asthma inhaler," Dr. Torrelles explained. Expanding the population who can tolerate a TB vaccine is important since tuberculosis is the world's leading killer due to an infectious organism according to the World Health Organization. When bacteria enter the lungs, they come in contact with the lining called the mucosa. That lining has enzymes that change the surface epitopes of microbes. Epitopes are the parts of a molecule to which an antibody produced by humans attaches itself. The current vaccine creates an immune response that does not take into account that epitope change. Dr. Torrelles and his collaborators biochemically mimicked what the lung lining fluid does to the surface of bacterial cells so that a more precise vaccine can be made on a larger scale. The idea is that the T cells (immune cells) will have a better memory response, recognize the bacteria and kill them. advertisement The current vaccine BCG (bacille Calmette-Guerin), is made from Mycobacterium bovis which is similar to Mtb that infects humans. Studies show BCG is 70% to 80% effective in protecting against the most severe forms of TB, like TB meningitis in children. However, BCG is less effective in preventing respiratory disease, which is the most common form of TB in adults. Plus, immunity provided to those who are vaccinated as children wanes over time. The BCG vaccine is not in use in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the reasoning is three-fold: people in the U.S. have a relatively low risk of infection, BCG is not that effective against pulmonary TB in adults, and the vaccine has the potential to interfere with the tuberculin skin test, making it harder to determine who is carrying the illness. BCG cannot be given to immune-compromised patients like people with HIV/AIDS. These patients are at a tenfold greater risk of developing tuberculosis if they have latent TB than people without HIV/AIDS. A vaccine that could be given to this population has the potential to save millions of lives. "Since the Mtb infection happens in the lung, it makes sense to protect there," Dr. Torrelles stressed. Previous attempts to vaccinate intranasally have resulted in lung inflammation and tissue damage. In Dr. Torrelles' experiment with the new vaccine formulation in mice, the inflammation rate was only 8% with the modified BCG compared to 20% For BCG (2.5 fold less inflammation in the lungs). Also, Dr. Torrelles predicts this modified BCG vaccine may offer immunity at any age. This is especially important for the elderly who are at greater risk of developing TB. He says modifying the current vaccine would be an advantage since BCG is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The next step is for Dr. Torrelles to secure funding to expand his research into nonhuman primates. He plans to use rhesus macaques housed at the Southwest National Primate Research Center on the Texas Biomed campus. These tests on larger animals are necessary before any human clinical trials can be conducted. A daily aspirin is a commonly used, generally safe therapy for people who need help preventing heart attacks or stroke. But new Michigan Medicine research finds more reason to reconsider aspirin use when a patient is also taking an anticoagulant. The study, just published in JAMA Internal Medicine, reveals a significant increase in adverse outcomes for people taking both aspirin and warfarin, a long-popular anticoagulant often prescribed for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolic disease. Both groups of people need to avoid developing blood clots that could lead to stroke or pulmonary embolism. "Nearly 2,500 patients who were prescribed warfarin were taking aspirin without any clear reason, over a seven-year period," says senior author Geoffrey Barnes, M.D., M.Sc., a vascular cardiologist at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center and an assistant professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School. "No doctors really own the prescribing of aspirin, so it's possible it got overlooked." Some patients could have been taking aspirin already when they began anticoagulation with warfarin for a new issue like Afib or VTE, and they didn't stop the aspirin. Others may have started aspirin for other reasons while already taking warfarin, which is easy to do because it's over the counter, researchers say. More bleeding without more benefit In this study, 5.7 percent of those using combination therapy experienced major bleeding events after one year, compared to 3.3 percent of those on warfarin only. The combination group that was using aspirin without a clear indication also visited the emergency department and/or were hospitalized for bleeding significantly more often. advertisement Yet, there wasn't a difference in stroke or heart attack outcomes that are typical uses for aspirin, Barnes says. The mortality rates at one year were similar between both groups, and 2.3 percent of those on both medications had a thrombotic event at one year compared to 2.7 percent of those on warfarin alone. The study cohort included 6,539 patients who were enrolled at six anticoagulation clinics in Michigan between 2010 and 2017. "Clinicians should ask their patients who are anticoagulated with warfarin if they're taking aspirin as well," says first author Jordan Schaefer, M.D., a hematologist at Michigan Medicine and assistant professor of internal medicine. "For the patients who are on both therapies, clinicians should review their medical history to determine if it's really necessary to be on both drugs." Although 37.5 percent of the patients in this study were receiving combination warfarin and aspirin therapy without a clear indication, the combination does make sense for a small number of people. Barnes says patients who may need to be on both medications include those who have had a recent heart attack, recent coronary stent placement or bypass surgery, prior mechanical valve surgery, or known peripheral artery disease. Part of a larger problem It's the latest research on the risks of improper anticoagulant use from Barnes, who recently published findings on the use of multiple blood thinners and risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. That Vascular Medicine study, with U-M gastroenterologist Jacob Kurlander, M.D., M.Sc., found more than one-third of patients in a large study could benefit from either stopping one of their multiple blood thinners, or adding another medication (a proton pump inhibitor like Prilosec) to suppress acid production in the stomach and reduce the risk of dangerous GI bleeding. Based on these findings, researchers are leading the charge for change in Michigan. They're working with anticoagulation clinics to help identify people who are using multiple blood thinners, and then determine if both are truly necessary, or if aspirin should be stopped. "There's been some hint of this being an issue for a long time," Schaefer says. "Now based on these new findings, we're working to reduce the number of patients on aspirin without a clear reason for both drugs." "We think this is an important area to address, and we're trying to make a change at the system level," says Barnes, a member of U-M's Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation. Wet winters no longer predict possible relief from severe wildfires for California, according to a new study from an international team that includes a University of Arizona scientist. From 1600 to 1903, the position of the North Pacific jet stream over California was linked to the amount of winter precipitation and the severity of the subsequent wildfire season, the team found. Wet winters brought by the jet stream were followed by low wildfire activity, and dry winters were generally followed by higher wildfire activity. After 1904, the connection between winter moisture brought by the jet stream from December through February and the severity of the wildfire season weakened. The weakened connection between precipitation and wildfires corresponds to the onset of a fire suppression policy on U.S. federal lands, the team reports in the March 4 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The connection disappeared altogether after 1977. Now, fuel buildup from decades of fire suppression in the 20th century plus rising temperatures from climate change means any year may have large fires, no matter how wet the previous winter, the team writes. "The moisture availability over California is still strongly linked to the position of the jet stream, but fire no longer is," said co-author Valerie Trouet, an associate professor of dendrochronology at the University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. advertisement The finding surprised Trouet. "I didn't expect there to be no relationship between jet stream dynamics and fire in the 20th century. I expected it to be maybe weaker than before, but not to completely disappear." Trouet said. California's wet winter of 2016-2017 is a good example, she said. That winter was followed by many large fires in 2017, including the Tubbs fire in October and the Thomas fire in December. Twenty-four people died and 6,699 structures burned in those two fires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire. "It's not either climate change or historical fire management -- it's really a combination of the two that's creating a perfect storm for catastrophic fires in California," Trouet said. To reconstruct California's fire and moisture patterns and the position of the North Pacific jet stream for the past 400 years, the researchers combined instrumental and historical records of temperature, precipitation and fires with the natural archives of climate and fires stored in tree rings that go back in time for centuries. advertisement Lead author Eugene R. Wahl of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, "The method we used to determine the average winter jet stream conditions is a real advance. Coupled with independent precipitation and fire records, this is a state-of-the-art coupling of paleoclimate and paleoecology." The study is the first to show the close connection between winter precipitation in California and the position of the jet stream back to the year 1571, Trouet said. The study is also the first to examine the relationship of past winter precipitation, the position of the jet stream and past fire activity stretching back to 1600, she said. The paper by Wahl, Trouet and two co-authors is, "Jet Stream Dynamics, Hydroclimate, and Fire in California: 1600 CE to Present." Funding information is at the end of this release. Initially, Wahl and co-author Eduardo Zorita of the Helmholz-Zentrum Geesthacht in Germany were working independently of Trouet and co-author Alan Taylor. As part of a larger project to extend global reconstructions of temperature, precipitation and atmospheric circulation further into the past, Wahl and Zorita were figuring out how the North Pacific jet stream affected precipitation in California for centuries. Wahl, a paleoclimatologist at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information in Boulder, Colorado, was a co-leader for the North America part of the larger project. Trouet and Taylor of Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania, had already reconstructed California's fire history back to 1600, and Trouet had reconstructed the behavior of the North Atlantic jet stream back to 1725. After Wahl heard Trouet give a presentation about her North Atlantic jet stream research, the four scientists joined forces to see whether there were links between the past behavior of the North Pacific jet stream and California's fire and precipitation history. "When the jet stream is positioned over California, it's like a fire hose -- it brings storms and moisture straight over California," Trouet said. "What we see post-1900 is that the position of the jet stream is still an important driver of moisture to California -- it brings moisture to California when it's in the right position -- but there's a disconnect with fire." The likelihood that every year may be a high-fire year will be a significant societal challenge, Taylor said. "Fire not being influenced by moisture anymore? That is surprising. It's going to be a problem for people, for firefighters, for society," he said. "The only thing we can control is fuels, so what it suggests is that we take that very seriously. "The last three years may be a harbinger of things to come," he said. "Between 1600 and 1903 there was not a single case of a high-precipitation year coupled with a high-fire year as occurred in 2017." The research team's next step is to expand this research to see how the jet stream patterns correspond with fire in other types of forested ecosystems farther north. The U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey's Southwest Climate Science Center, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the German Science Foundation Cluster of Excellence Clisap, a George H. Deike, Jr. Research Grant and the Swiss National Science Foundation funded the research. Low-dose aspirin use does not seem to reduce the overall risk for prostate cancer death at the population level. However, results for extended exposure periods suggest that low-dose aspirin might be inversely associated with prostate cancer mortality after 5 years from cancer diagnosis. Findings from a nationwide cohort study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Recent studies suggest that aspirin use may improve survival in patients with prostate cancer, but study results are inconclusive. Researchers from the Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, and University of Southern Denmark used nationwide registries in Denmark to assess the association between postdiagnosis use of low-dose aspirin and prostate cancer mortality. Their analysis did not find convincing evidence of an overall protective effect of low-dose aspirin for men with prostate cancer. However, they did find a reduced risk for prostate cancer mortality with low-dose aspirin use among patients with low Gleason scores, meaning that their prostate cancer was unlikely to progress, and among those who took low-dose aspirin for an extended period of time. The authors of an accompanying editorial from Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital in Finland speculate that improved prostate cancer-specific survival among aspirin users with low Gleason scores might be explained by inaccurate tumor grading occurring less frequently in aspirin users than nonusers. Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory drug that lowers serum prostate-specific antigen levels; however, whether this leads to accurate determination of tumor aggressiveness in aspirin users remains to be determined in further studies, according to the authors. They suggest that future research evaluate aspirin exposures longer than those studied to date and investigate the effects of aspirin exposure on disease classification. Want to fight climate change? DUMP THE GOVERNMENT! Last month residents of Gloucester, in the NSW upper Hunter Valley scored a very significant victory when the states Land and Environment Court ruled against construction of a huge new open cut coal mine near the towns centre. The beautiful and fertile Gloucester countryside had already been hideously mauled by construction of a vast open cut mine south of the town. The beautiful and fertile Gloucester countryside. The court victory is highly significant because the judge accepted local residents claims that extracting coal from the mine would accelerate climate change when used for coal-fired energy production. This is the first time that a legal judgement concerning objections to a mining development has linked climate change directly to the combustion of coal. However, the Gloucester decision is almost certain to be contested in court because it sets a precedent for similar decisions in other legal battles over environmental issues around Australia. Moreover, the Morrison government is cooking the books with regard to reducing carbon emissions under the Paris climate change agreement. Every nation in the UN other than Australia is claiming credit for reductions achieved after the Paris agreement was reached, but the Australian government is tacking on emission reductions made previously, between the signing of the Kyoto and Paris agreements. Using that dishonest method, the Morrison government is now claiming it will reduce its emission rate by 367 million tonnes of carbon dioxide more than it said it would under the Paris Agreement, i.e. by more than twice as much. Under the Paris Agreement Australia pledged to cut its emissions by 26 percent by 2030, so that we would be emitting only 440 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per annum. However, the government will fail to meet that target. Last year we were emitting 534 million tonnes, and by 2030 it will be 570 million. The government is not following the lead of the US Trump administration by dumping the Paris agreement, but only because doing so would endanger trade deals with the European Economic Union. The government is now focused on restricting exorbitant default standing power rates. It claims that it could drive down energy prices even further by breaking up the production components of overcharging electricity power companies, but it has withdrawn legislation to do so because the Greens gained parliamentary support to amend the legislation so it would prohibit the subsidisation of coal-fired power stations. The government also proposes to spend $2 billion of taxpayers dollars reviving the outrageous Abbott-era direct action scheme which pays polluting companies to stop polluting, rather than fining them for doing so. Climate change moving fast The Bramble Cay Melomys, a tiny species of rat that lived on a little Torres Strait island, is the worlds first mammal to have become extinct because of human-induced climate change. A recovery plan drawn up for the then-endangered species in 2008 failed to anticipate the rapidity of sea-level rise and the frequency and intensity of tropical storms. The decline in numbers was so rapid that the species has been wiped out in eleven years. Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Maldives and the Marshall Islands, nations whose low-lying landmass consists of coral islands, are now endangered by rising sea levels. The Maldives are building walls three metres higher than the current sea level around one island that will accommodate a new city of 130,000 people. Each of the coral island nations must now make heart-breaking decisions as to which of their islands they will try to save and which they will sacrifice, and how they will muster the financial and human resources to complete the task. Meanwhile, NSW coal corporations have proposed constructing ten new coal mines to produce 60 million tonnes of coal per annum, as much as the proposed Adani mine in Queensland. The mines would consume 21 million litres of water, including some from urban drinking water catchments, and would involve the resumption of more land than the Adani mine would. Coal corporations are in a mad scramble to achieve approval for the development of new mines before the bottom falls out of the market for coal. One exception is mining corporation Glencore, which has announced it will cease opening up new coal mines. Mind you, that doesnt mean its ceasing coal mining, or even slowing down the extraction of coal from its existing mines. The Coalition Morrison government is just as myopic as the coal corporations when it comes to fossil fuel extraction. Its currently considering applications to mine for oil in the Great Australian Bite, but the global production of fully electric and hybrid cars is rising rapidly and the demand for oil will fall sharply over the next two decades. The government has made no comment on a recent Productivity Commission report that recommended massive government funding to accelerate the nationwide introduction of recharging facilities and other electric vehicle infrastructure. The government still insists that renewable energy infrastructure led to the collapse of the South Australian energy network during a violent storm in 2017. It ignores the fact that the new massive SA battery storage facility has ironed out daily fluctuations between energy supply and demand which still plague other states, and that South Australia is now exporting energy to coal-dependent Victoria and NSW. Last week the government denied that exports of coal to China are in serious danger. China has blocked the import of coal from Australia and Russia through the Dalian port, and there has been widespread speculation in the mass media that this was a retaliation against the Australian government for having banned the Chinese electronics business Huawei. However, the experts and the government have failed to draw the obvious conclusion that Australia is no longer able to continue shovelling coal through Chinese ports at the same rate as previously because China is producing more and more of its energy from renewable energy sources. We will never get a responsible approach to climate change from the Coalition government, which is blindingly subservient to the coal corporations. They must be replaced by a left-progressive alternative in the May federal elections. We have no time to lose and we cant afford to be complacent. ANN ARBOR, Michigan -- Chemotherapy drugs are lifesaving to cancer patients, but these toxic drugs are hazardous to the health care workers who come into contact with them. Despite the risks, many health care workers do not use recommended personal protective equipment such as gloves or gowns when handling chemotherapy. A study from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center sought to improve nurses' handling of chemotherapy by delivering an educational intervention with quarterly reminders and tailored messages. But despite the strong study design and quality intervention, it did not increase use of protective gear. "We didn't really move the needle at all. As a practicing nurse it's disappointing. We were hoping we could develop a bundled intervention that cancer centers and others can use," says lead study author Christopher R. Friese, Ph.D., R.N., Elizabeth Tone Hosmer Professor of Nursing and a professor of health management and policy at the University of Michigan. Exposure to chemotherapy occurs when health care workers inhale vapors or touch contaminated surfaces. Studies have found that nurses who reported handling hazardous drugs had twice the risk of reproductive problems. Other studies report incidences of rare cancers and various respiratory and skin conditions resulting from exposure. "This is an invisible threat," Friese says. "It's unlike the needle stick where you know when you've been stuck by a needle. Early on we could understand that a needle stick conveyed serious health risks. With chemotherapy exposure, we don't have that smoking gun. This is a subtle threat, but it's a daily threat." Guidelines from professional societies recommend protective gear including double gloves, eye protection and respirators. These were built into the intervention Friese and colleagues developed. It was a randomized trial including 396 nurses from 12 ambulatory cancer programs. In one arm, nurses received one-hour educational modules about personal protective equipment with tailored messaging addressing their reported barriers to use. They also were asked to report chemotherapy drugs spills and submit plasma samples for analysis. The control arm had only the educational modules. After two years of the program, the researchers found little difference in the use of personal protection equipment between the two groups and no change over the course of the study. Results are published in Oncology Nursing Forum. Researchers cite several possible reasons the intervention was not successful, including the quality of the content and technology barriers that made watching the video modules difficult. Another problem is that many of these protective devices are cumbersome. Workers report that the gear is hot, uncomfortable and difficult to apply and use safely. Something must change, Friese says. Health care workers continue to report exposure hazardous drugs. An earlier study by Friese found nearly 17 percent of nurses who work in outpatient chemotherapy infusion centers said they had been exposed to chemotherapy on their skin or eyes. "Health care workers face many challenges in these busy cancer centers, treating a lot of patients with complex needs using increasingly complex treatments," Friese says. "It's time for the field to reexamine the issue of hazardous drug exposure. Both leaders and frontline clinicians need to work together to make sure the people handling these drugs are doing so as safely as they can." The researchers propose three ways to start moving the needle on the issue: Engage health system leadership to have a dialogue with staff about personal protection for those who handle hazardous drugs. Develop better personal protective equipment that is easy to use, affordable and protective against hazardous drug exposure. Collect data through a registry to identify and track the health risks from exposure. Friese uses the analogy of the airplane safety rule to put on your own mask before helping others. "We need to really anchor that into our community," he says. "Unless you take good care of yourself, you can't be there to take good care of your patient." Editorial International Womens Day achievements This year the International Womens Day theme More powerful together emphasises the responsibility of all people, regardless of gender, in the struggle for womens rights. In Australia much remains to be done. Women are still more subject to the denial of permanent employment than men, and their average pay rates fall far below those of their male workmates. The federal government has hailed a recent Bureau of Statistics report showing a pay gap between male and female employees of 14.2 percent. But the gap has swung between 14 and 19 percent over the last 20 years, and according to a 2017 World Economic Forum report, Australias performance is a national disgrace. Iceland scored first place with the lowest gap, Rwanda came fourth, New Zealand ninth, and Australia ranked 35. Women comprise 68 percent of carers for older or disabled people, and they spend three times more time caring for children than men. The disparity stems in large part from unequal pay and the high cost of childcare. Childcare for one child costs on average $512 per week. For two children it costs only $60 less than a womans average weekly earnings after tax, so for women who earn less than average earnings and have two children childcare isnt economically feasible. Women also earn $240.80 less per week than men in terms of full-time adult ordinary earnings; women fill nearly all the less well-paid jobs. Economic necessity brought about by such inequality most often is the reason women assume full-time home care of children rather than their male partners, but women often experience difficulty re-joining the workforce later on. In a 2015-2016 survey one in two mothers experienced workplace discrimination as a result of their pregnancy, parental leave or on return to work. One in five were made redundant or dismissed, or their contract wasnt renewed. Women face other economic hurdles. Their social security payments are based on their marital status, putting them at a disadvantage in divorce cases. In 2015-2016, average superannuation balances for women aged 60-64 were only 58 percent of those of men. Many women now face homelessness in old age. Indigenous, migrant and disabled women often suffer extreme forms of economic discrimination. The economic injustice suffered by women stems from a political system based on exploitation. The Communist Party of Australia policy on women notes: The primary impediment to womens freedom under a capitalist system is the exploitation of their labour. Like men, women should be afforded the real value of their labour and not simply the same wage as the opposite sex. An unjust system The injustices suffered by women not only relate to paid employment. With one exception, state or territory legislation does not recognise the right of women to abortion. Women are the primary victims of domestic violence. The Communist Party of Australia campaigns for the following: The immediate introduction of equal pay for work of equal value Permanent part-time or full-time employment with full rights to all entitlements including sick leave and other personal leave An end to social security payments based on relationship status, so women have access to an independent income The enforcement of anti-discrimination and affirmative action legislation to assist Indigenous, migrant and disabled women to be economically independent Publicly-funded before-school, after-school and long day child-care facilities for all, and good quality, free early childhood education and care services, including after-hours, vacation and occasional care, in communities, schools and workplaces Paid parental leave for at least 26 weeks Legislation giving women the right to abortion The elimination of all types of violence against women and the enforcement of laws against sexual harassment. The struggle for womens rights is still one of the most urgent human rights issues facing the nation. As Elizabeth Roderick, former Australian sex discrimination commissioner noted: Gender equality is the unfinished business of the 20th century. Maritime Branch gets going with a bang! The Maritime Branch of the Communist Party of Australia held its Annual General Meeting on January 31 amid reports of actions from all sections of the branch. The first and most important task of the branch in 2019 is to fight the war on workers. Stevedoring companies have certainly decided to intensify their attacks. The Hutchinson company used the subterfuge of transferring a ship to another stevedoring company in Port Botany, to gain an advantage over the MUA workers and reduce their wages and conditions. The reaction of the Port Botany workers was to close down the port for 24 hours and to go slow on the Hutchinson ship, a move supported by both the CPA Maritime and the MUA leadership. The resulting actions have brought a sense of power among the workers at Port Botany. The urban activist section of the branch reported that a successful public meeting was organised to consider the ramifications of the proposed redevelopment of the famous Fish Markets. Over 70 residents turned up and expressed their problems with the plans. UrbanGrowth, the NSW Governments planning arm which until then had ignored community complaints sent six representatives including their executive director. At the soup kitchen in Martin Place, Sydney, on the weekend, organised and run by the Communist Youth. It feeds the victims of capitalism every week. It builds a community of young volunteers. Comrades in the branch involved in the feeding the homeless project gave a report on their work in Martin Place each Sunday. Last year they gave out over 14,000 meals and a corresponding number of cups of hot tea, coffee and soup. A busy and fulfilling year has started for the CPA Maritime Branch. Why Face Recognition As A Credential Is The Ideal Choice For Access Control? In the field of access control, face recognition has come a long way. Once considered too slow to authenticate people's identities and credentials in high traffic conditions, face recognition technology has evolved to become one of the quickest, most effective access control identity authentication solutions across all industries. Advancements in artificial intelligence and advanced neural network (ANN) technology from industry leaders like Intel have improved the accuracy and efficiency of face recognition. However, another reason the technology is gaining traction is due to the swiftly rising demand for touchless access control solutions that can help mitigate the spread of disease in public spaces. Effective for high volumes Face recognition eliminates security risks and is also virtually impossible to counterfeit Modern face recognition technology meets all the criteria for becoming the go-to solution for frictionless access control. It provides an accurate, non-invasive means of authenticating people's identities in high-traffic areas, including multi-tenant office buildings, industrial sites, and factories where multiple shifts per day are common. Typical electronic access control systems rely on people providing physical credentials, such as proximity cards, key fobs, or Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, all of which can be misplaced, lost, or stolen. Face recognition eliminates these security risks and is also virtually impossible to counterfeit. Affordable biometric option Although there are other biometric tools available, face recognition offers significant advantages. Some technologies use hand geometry or iris scans, for example, but these options are generally slower and more expensive. This makes face recognition a natural application for day-to-day access control activities, including chronicling time and attendance for large workforces at construction sites, warehouses, and agricultural and mining operations. In addition to verifying personal credentials, face recognition can also identify whether an individual is wearing a facial covering in compliance with government or corporate mandates regarding health safety protocols. Beyond securing physical locations, face recognition can also be used to manage access to computers, as well as specialized equipment and devices. Overcoming challenges with AI So how did face recognition become so reliable when the technology was once dogged by many challenges, including difficulties with camera angles, certain types of facial expressions, and diverse lighting conditions? Thanks to the emergence of so-called "convolutional" neural network-based algorithms, engineers have been able to overcome these roadblocks. SecurOS FaceX face recognition solution FaceX is powered by neural networks and machine learning which makes it capable of authenticating a wide range of faces One joint effort between New Jersey-based Intelligent Security Systems (ISS) and tech giant Intel has created the SecurOS FaceX face recognition solution. FaceX is powered by neural networks and machine learning which makes it capable of authenticating a wide range of faces and facial expressions, including those captured under changing light, at different resolution levels, and varying distances from the video camera. Secure video management system A common face recognition system deployment begins with IP video cameras that feed footage into a secure video management system connected to a video archive. When the software initially enrolls a persons face, it creates a "digital descriptor" that is stored as a numeric code that will forever be associated with one identity. The system encrypts and stores these numeric codes in a SQL database. For the sake of convenience and cost savings, the video server CPU performs all neural network processes without requiring any special GPU cards. Unique digital identifiers The next step involves correlating faces captured in a video recording with their unique digital descriptors on file. The system can compare newly captured images against large databases of known individuals or faces captured from video streams. Face recognition technology can provide multi-factor authentication, searching watchlists for specific types of features, such as age, hair color, gender, ethnicity, facial hair, glasses, headwear, and other identifying characteristics including bald spots. Robust encryption SED-compatible drives rely on dedicated chips that encrypt data with AES-128 or AES-256 To support privacy concerns, the entire system features an encrypted and secure login process that prevents unauthorized access to both the database and the archive. An additional layer of encryption is available through the use of Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs) that hold video recordings and metadata. SED-compatible drives rely on dedicated chips that encrypt data with AES-128 or AES-256 (short for Advanced Encryption Standard). Anti-spoofing safeguards How do face recognition systems handle people who try to trick the system by wearing a costume mask or holding up a picture to hide their faces? FaceX from ISS, for example, includes anti-spoofing capabilities that essentially check for the "liveliness" of a given face. The algorithm can easily flag the flat, two-dimensional nature of a face mask, printed photo, or image on a mobile phone and issue a "spoof" alarm. Increased speed of entry Incorporating facial recognition into existing access control systems is straightforward and cost-effective Incorporating facial recognition into existing access control systems is straightforward and cost-effective. Systems can operate with off-the-shelf security cameras and computers. Users can also leverage existing infrastructure to maintain building aesthetics. A face recognition system can complete the process of detection and recognition in an instant, opening a door or turnstile in less than 500ms. Such efficiency can eliminate hours associated with security personnel checking and managing credentials manually. A vital tool Modern face recognition solutions are infinitely scalable to accommodate global enterprises. As a result, face recognition as a credential is increasingly being implemented for a wide range of applications that transcend traditional access control and physical security to include health safety and workforce management. All these capabilities make face recognition a natural, frictionless solution for managing access control, both in terms of performance and cost. No arms sales to Saudi Arabia! Representatives of several Sydney peace groups and Communist Party of Australia organisations gathered on Thursday February 21, 11am outside the Sydney office of EOS at 75 Elizabeth Street to push home the message of No Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia! EOS stand for Electro Optical Systems which is an arms company specialising in programing weapons systems remotely. They have admitted after months accusations from ABCs 7.30 Report and other media outlets that they are selling weapons to the Saudis and to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The admission came amid a heated senate estimates debate between Senator Richard Di Natale and Defence Department officials about weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on February 20. With only 24 hours notice, the above groups put together a most impressive demonstration. Initially they stormed the office of EOS on the 12th floor and then moved to street level for a demonstration for the people of Sydney to see. The Australian government has always insisted that it will not sell weapons to human rights abusing countries. They have modified this policy apparently to read they will not sell weapons to countries that are not aligned with the USA. Christopher Pyne, the outgoing Defence Minister, the latest in a long line of apologists for Australias arms trade, has spent years lobbying the Saudi government on behalf of the Australian defence companies support acknowledged by the company in question, Electro Optic Systems. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the federal governments funding for Electro Optic Systems to sell a weapons system to Saudi Arabia which is committing human rights abuses in Yemen, Denis Doherty, Australian coordinator of the Global Campaign Opposing Military Spending, said at the protest. EOS is selling to Saudi Arabia and the UAE a vehicle-mounted platform for machine guns and missile launchers called the Remote Weapons System (RWS). The government funded EOS initially with $33 million to produce this system and later a further $3.7 million which adds up to nearly $37 million, between 2013 and 2017 to produce this RWS system. EOS has released a statement confirming that it was selling the weapons system to Saudi Arabia for $410 million and later a further amount of $30 million to the UAE in a deal worth $450 million. Both the US and the UK are moving to end military sales to Saudi Arabia, Mr Doherty said. It is time Australia did the same. Follow up action: Please note that Citigroup is the number one shareholder while HSBC is the number two. If you have any dealings with these companies sever contacts with them on the grounds they support weapons sales to Saudi. Use #stopArmingSaudi in your tweets about the subject. Taking Issue Wayne Sonter NO to US coup in Venezuela The US government has decided it is time to get rid of the government the Venezuelan people have chosen for themselves and to stop in its tracks the Bolivarian social revolution that brought great benefits to Venezuelas working men and women, especially its urban and rural poor, in health, housing and education. This revolution has renewed peoples dignity and promised young Venezuelans a better future. Conservative politicians and the mass media portray Venezuela as a socialist catastrophe and a socialist wasteland ruled by a socialist dictator whose policies are destroying Venezuela. They use the example of Venezuela to warn voters against parties and politicians with pro-people policies whether it is a Bernie Sanders in USA, a Jeremy Corbyn in the UK, or even a Bill Shorten, with his neo-socialist, red Labor policies in Australia. Trump has declared war on socialism in the USA itself and anywhere else in the world but especially in Latin America! In a recent speech in Miami, where he gave the Venezuelan military the choice of staging a peaceful coup against the Maduro government, or facing direct US military intervention, Trump declared, To those who would try to impose socialism on the United States, we again deliver a very simple message: America will never be a socialist country, because while socialism fails to respect borders and imposes government coercion, domination and control on its people, Americans are born free and will remain free. In reality, it is the United States that has done all it can to undermine Venezuela economically and politically, to devastating effect, through financial manipulation and economic strangulation and by instigating coup attempts (the most recent against the government of Hugo Chavez in 2002) and violent demonstrations, whose outbreaks the western media obligingly attribute to the Bolivarian government. The US wants Venezuelas oil the largest reserves in the world and its mineral resources, especially gold. It wants to stop China and Russia (and Europe) gaining an ever stronger economic presence in Latin America USAs backyard. Above all, its ruling class fears growing popular discontent in the US and around the world: people may start to reach for socialism as a way out of capitalisms ills, which on an everyday basis have most obviously manifested themselves in jobless growth, enduring wage stagnation and increasing wealth disparities. Venezuelas elites, those who live the high life, have helped the US prosecute its aggressive policies towards Venezuelas social revolution. It is they who actively sabotage the domestic economy, constantly call for US intervention, and have so far failed to gain power through elections against the Chavistas of the Bolivarian Revolution and also having failed in a number of coup attempts. The US-groomed puppet and would-be President Juan Guaido is a case in point. A member of the extreme right-wing Popular Will party, he is a protege of its founder and national coordinator, Leopoldo Lopez, a scion of the Venezuelan elite and an experienced schemer who is also chair of the monolithic Empresas Polar company, that controls the majority of flour production and distribution crucial for making cornbread, Venezuelas staple food. Lopez is associated with the short-lived coup against President Chavez in 2002 and violent protests in 2014. Lopez ensured Guaido would lead the national assembly, positioning him to declare his interim presidency, once the Americans tapped him on the shoulder. Australia genuflects Australias miserable politicians, both Liberal and Labor go along with every military adventure the US empire pulls on. They unhesitatingly support US intervention against the people of Venezuela and its anointment of the puppet Guaido as interim president, takes place as they mouth words of human rights, democracy and respect for rule of law. Venezuelas people are in the US empires gunsights at this very moment because they dare to follow a path of self-determination excluding US oil companies and a small comprador elite. What Venezuelans seek is similar to what a Whitlam Labor government once sought control of our resources and a fair, equitable and decent livelihood for all Australians. Since Whitlams dismissal Australia has become one of the USAs most reliable lackeys. We have increasingly lost ownership and control over our resources to global corporations the same corporations that operate in Australia virtually tax free, while the financial elites stow away their wealth in off-shore tax havens. Our public assets, from ports to prisons, from banks to bus services, from energy grids to welfare services, have been privatised, also ending up in the hands of global corporations. Our manufacturing capabilities have been exported, other than for arms manufacturing sub-contracted out from the US arms industry. Laws are made to suit the wealthy, while workers are gradually ground down by anti-worker labour laws; the poor are increasingly marginalised and criminalised. None of this is news for a political establishment and media that serves the elite. They, along with the ever collusive corporate-state media, go along with US-directed frame-ups to crush independent, courageous peoples like the Venezuelans and their Bolivarian revolution, and to stifle our own sovereign independence. We the Australian people, need to show solidarity with Venezuela because its people are in great danger from the oligarchies and giant corporations who, if we have any respect for ourselves we should see as our common foe. This destructiveness, greed and profiteering by the forces of global monopoly capitalism, threatens not only Venezuelans, but all mineral-rich nations. We must change the world! Help us create a better future. San Francisco said its final farewells to Jeff Adachi on Monday at a City Hall ceremony packed with the public defenders solemn supporters. Adachis widow, daughter and other family members joined city leaders in celebrating the life of a dynamic and propulsive advocate for the accused, who defined himself as a tireless crusader against injustice. Adachi died of what may have been a heart attack on Feb. 22 in a Telegraph Hill apartment. He was 59 years old. While many in attendance dabbed at misty eyes and runny noses, Mayor London Breed poignantly recalled the first time she met Adachi, when she was 15 years old and growing up in the Western Addition then a crucible for violent crime. She went to visit the family of a friend who had been arrested, and she found Adachi sitting at the dining room table. It turned out to be a young lawyer, a young deputy public defender, Breed said. Thats how I met Jeff. Not at a political event or a fundraiser, not when I was an elected official and he needed something from me. But at a dining room table, trying to help someone in my community. Breed lauded Adachis work addressing the roots of crime, leading efforts to reduce recidivism, ending cash bail and representing the rights of undocumented people. He knew the work started in the community to keep kids from getting into trouble in the first place, Breed told the crowd. Jeff knew disrupting the cycles of poverty and imprisonment started long before a crime was committed. In 2004, Adachi created BMagic, a collaborative providing resources for impoverished and at-risk youth. Dixie Horning, who worked closely with Adachi in the organizations early days, cited his ability to marshal people and resources toward a common end. He was so good, she said. He was able to bring our whole group together and he made a huge impact. Hes got a special place in my heart. Adachi came up through the ranks at the San Francisco Public Defenders Office, where he started in 1987. After rising to chief attorney, he was fired in 2001 by Kimiko Burton, an appointee of then-Mayor Willie Brown. He ran a grassroots campaign for the offices top job and won the following year. He was sworn in for his fifth term as public defender in January after running unopposed in the November election. Nevertheless, Brown said Monday that he and Adachi remained lifelong friends. You for sure have heard, and Im sure Jeff has told you, that he was my lawyer, Brown joked. Politicians should all have criminal defense lawyers. I understood that very clearly and I only wanted the best. Brown said Adachi harangued him for more funding for the Public Defenders Office, believing it should be equal to that of the district attorney. As part of his efforts, Adachi convinced Brown to visit the juvenile justice center to see how important it was for there to be equal resources on behalf of youngsters in the system, Brown said. Jeff wanted youngsters out of the system and he wanted them never to return. Breed is expected to announce Adachis replacement in the coming days. Chief Attorney Matt Gonzalez, who has been running the offices day-to-day operations, said hed be honored to be the citys public defender, but vowed to support whomever Breed selects. At Mondays memorial, Gonzalez, who knew Adachi for nearly three decades, said, I never saw him run away from injustice. Rather, he ran toward it. It was something he wanted to combat. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In taking on some of the offices toughest cases, Gonzalez cast Adachis work as a constant struggle against the societal forces that demean defendants in the eyes of police, prosecutors and the public. Most people want to measure the accused at their worst moment, he said. Jeff wanted to measure the accused by their potential. That person will lead the office until voters choose the citys next public defender as part of the Nov. 5 election. Paramedics were dispatched to a Telegraph Hill apartment just before 6 p.m. on Feb. 22, where they found Adachi unresponsive. He was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead about an hour later. Police are still investigating his death, but said last week that foul play was not suspected. An official cause of death has not been released by the Medical Examiners Office. Jeff stood for second chances. The world is not a better place without him in it, said Terry Collins, an investigator in the Public Defenders Office. To be able to take on the police, judges, prosecutors, ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) that just takes a different level of fortitude. Stan Adachi said his brother got the greatest gratification, pride and joy fighting for those without voices of their own. His approach to life was always, always all or nothing. This was how he lived, and this is how he leaves us today. If you leave here today with anything, take a piece of his spirit and bury it deep within your hearts and your souls, and live your lives with the same passion and love as Jeff lived his. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa Good morning, Bay Area. Its March 5 and California is looking to grow more housing and its own diamonds. Heres what you need to know to start your day. Build, build, build Sacramento is in a building mood. More than 200 bills to push housing causes have already been introduced this legislative session, including increasing funding for affordable units, protecting renters and creating a replacement for local redevelopment agencies. But the most provocative ideas and those likely to cause the fiercest legislative fights challenge the extent to which cities can control what gets built within their boundaries. Reporter Alexei Koseff has a look at the details of these measures. Paying respects Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Family, friends and supporters said their final goodbyes to the late San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi in a memorial at City Hall on Monday. Mayor London Breed recalled the first time she met Adachi, when she was 15 years old and and went to visit the family of a friend who had been arrested. Adachi was there as a public defender. Thats how I met Jeff. Not at a political event or a fundraiser, not when I was an elected official and he needed something from me. But at a dining room table, trying to help someone in my community. Breed is expected to name Adachis replacement in the coming days. Whos running the store? Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle The Giants crisis-communications mode has been activated, Ann Killion writes. Larry Baer is on a leave of absence after video of the Giants CEO pulling his wife out of a chair, causing her to fall, became public. Yet there are still plenty of questions surrounding the Giants and how the franchise moves forward they may need more than a crisis-communications plan. Doesnt matter if theyre real Amid concerns about the ethical and environment impact of mined diamonds, as well as cost concerns, the market for grown diamonds is exploding. One South San Francisco company grows its diamonds in plasma reactors. But if youre looking for a grown diamond, one industry veteran suggests patience: a ramp-up in production for grown diamonds will drop prices lower than just a nice discount. What will early adopters feel when they see the same product at a fraction of the price? he says. No guaranteed escape from tough fire season AJ Marino / Special to The Chronicle 2019 Even with Californias extraordinary rains this winter, the states hills and valleys wont be any less vulnerable to wildfire come summer, a new study shows. Sign up for Bay Briefing Like what you're reading? Subscribe to The Chronicle's Bay Briefing newsletter and get the Bay Area's best journalism in your inbox every weekday. See More Collapse The connection used to be a sure thing. Until the beginning of the 20th century, fire activity was low when the jet stream during the previous winter was positioned over California, delivering a lot of storms, reporter Kurtis Alexander writes. But by 1977, the link between the jet stream and fire season was completely gone. The culprit? Warmer summer temperatures as a result of climate change and the dangerous buildup of forest fuels from decades of fire suppression, the studys authors say. Around the Bay Not done yet: Expect another wet Tuesday, but the worst of this storm will hit south of the Bay Area. Vendors bake sale protest: Muncherys bankruptcy filing leaves little for food vendors. Students sacrificed: As class resumes in Oakland schools, students and parents protest budget cuts by the school board whose members say the district will be broke without the cuts. More: Oakland teachers new contract. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Life sentence: Juan Corona, Californias most prolific serial killer, died of natural causes Monday after serving 46 years in prison. Transparency law: San Franciscos police union is seeking to block the release of officer misconduct and use-of-force records. Reunion: The Warriors are expected to sign Andrew Bogut, a 7-foot center. Not missing, but not found: An Oakland priest accused of sexually abusing a child has fled the country, the citys diocese says, but police wont tell them where. California v. Trump, No. 47: State sues over Trumps abortion funding restrictions that largely impact Planned Parenthood. Another blow to cash-bail: A federal judge rules San Franciscos bail schedule, requiring defendants to pay amounts based on the charged crimes, violates poor defendants rights without protecting the public. In Your Inbox Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press In the last edition of Tech Chronicle, business editor Owen Thomas took on the case of Elon Musk bad mouthing the SEC on Twitter, even as the regulator sought sanctions against the Tesla chief, for well, his statements on Twitter. On balance, corporate executives should say more, not less, about the companies they run and the impact they have on employees and the world at large, Thomas writes. The problem is not that Musk tweets. Its what he tweets. His relationship with the truth has always been casual, and on Twitter, it shows. Read more here. And you can sign up for Tech Chronicle before tomorrows briefing here. Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com When the Trump administration tried to withdraw funds from California and San Francisco because of their sanctuary policies, a federal judge said the pullback would be unconstitutional. So the administration added a few more conditions on the money and tried again, targeting $29 million in grants to the state and $1.5 million to the city. The judicial verdict: new bottles, but the same old wine. The demands by the administration, such as notifying federal agents before releasing undocumented immigrants from custody, unconstitutionally intrude on state authority, U.S. District Judge William Orrick III of San Francisco said Monday. And he said only Congress, not President Trump or his Justice Department, can require state and local governments to change their policies to qualify for federal grants. Congress knows how to grant broad discretionary authority but did not do so here, Orrick said. Previously, the judge, for similar reasons, had prohibited the Trump administration from stripping San Francisco of all federal funding and from withholding the Justice Department grants in 2017. His latest ruling allows California and San Francisco to keep the Justice Department grants they were awarded for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. The city uses the grants to support law enforcement programs designed to reduce drug trafficking and provide treatment to offenders who need it. These grant conditions were yet another example of presidential overreach, said City Attorney Dennis Herrera. Our police, firefighters and nurses are not going to be commandeered and turned into the Trump administrations deportation force. Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the ruling thwarts the administrations attempt to condition critical law enforcement funds on our state doing the federal governments job on immigration enforcement. The administration could appeal the ruling to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld Orricks first decision last year. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The Justice Departments latest conditions on federal grants included a ban on disclosing sensitive law enforcement information in an attempt to shield immigrant fugitives from justice. Orrick said the restriction seemed reasonable, until the Justice Department larded it with broad-ranging, ambiguous language that would let the department coerce local jurisdictions to comply with its interpretations of the statutes on information-sharing and cooperation with federal agents. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko This might come as a shock, but you cant always believe information provided by the government. Sometimes people in the government dont even believe information provided by the government. And so it goes with Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, who doesnt buy the data from the California Department of Education that concludes more than a quarter of the states public schools have no homeless students. Yes, nearly 2,700 public and charter schools around California say they have zero homeless children enrolled. Many of those are large, urban high schools in areas with high costs of housing, making the claim even more dubious. Nineteen schools in San Francisco reported to the state that they have no homeless students. Among them are several elementary schools, including Clarendon and Grattan, as well as a few charter schools such as Gateway High and Leadership High. Thats in contrast to many San Francisco schools that reported scores of homeless students Galileo High has the most at 109. Chiu said its possible small elementary schools dont have any homeless students and that hes more concerned about big, public high schools, including a few in the East Bay. He said in a state undergoing its most severe homeless crisis in history, with more than 250,000 homeless school-age children, something isnt adding up. If we ignore student homelessness, thats not going to solve the problem, Chiu said. We can only provide them with services if we know who they are and where they are. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, public and charter schools are required to identify homeless students, report that data to their state governments and provide services for the pupils. Services can include fully funded transportation, automatic enrollment in school nutrition programs, credit for partial coursework, the right to a fifth year in high school and help with college applications. But Chiu said that if the students arent identified, theres no way to ensure theyre getting those services. He and Assemblywoman Luz Rivas, D-Arleta (Los Angeles County), have asked for a state audit of school districts to ensure theyre reporting their numbers correctly. A legislative committee is due to decide Wednesday whether to require the audit. We want to get to the bottom of why these numbers are the way they are, Chiu said. Its important to note were not just talking about children sleeping in doorways under cardboard. Thankfully, that sight is still unusual, even in San Francisco. Family homelessness tends to be far more hidden, and school children have a legal right to services if they live in shelters, vehicles or motels, are couch surfing with friends or relatives, or live doubled or tripled up with other families. Chiu said there could be several reasons the numbers appear lower than they logically should be. Families might not want to come forward as homeless. Schools might not know about the reporting requirement. Or, more cynically, some administrators might not want to bother with ensuring their students receive all these additional services. Id like to hope thats not happening, but that has been suggested, Chiu said. We hope the state will get to the bottom of it soon. P.S.: Chiu was at City Hall Monday for the memorial service of Public Defender Jeff Adachi. He said he first encountered Adachi more than 20 years ago when Chiu worked in the district attorneys office and Adachi was a brash young public defender. Adachi walked into a courtroom full of his trademark swagger, Chiu recalled and Chiu asked a colleague, Who is that? One of the most engaging speakers at the memorial was Paul Osaki, executive director of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California. He quipped that Adachi wasnt like most Japanese men he enjoyed public speaking and never hesitated to ask for money. One of the most memorable sights was Adachis colleagues from the public defenders office showing up in matching black T-shirts with their late boss photo on the front, and on the back, His fight lives on through us. RIP, Jeff Adachi. In a time of seemingly incessant bad news and seemingly incessant rain we sure could use a little pick-me-up, right? Remember Connor Skelly, the Nob Hill dad I told you about who was spending his paternity leave with his baby, Finn, attempting to ride every Muni bus line? Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle He modeled the adventure on #TotalMuni2018, the day last year that Chronicle pop culture critic Peter Hartlaub and I rode every Muni line in 18 hours and somehow survived to tell the tale. When I told you about #TotalMuniBaby, the duo had completed 43 routes out of 60 and had one month of Skellys four-month paternity leave left. The good news? They did it! Their last ride was on the 88-BART Shuttle, a useful bus if you need to get from Lake Merced to the Balboa Park BART Station, but a tricky ride if you need to catch it just to check it off your list. Its far from the city center, and it only runs during commute hours. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. So how did Finn, now 7 months old, celebrate? I think he was sleeping during most of it. I told him, and he just looked at me, Skelly said. I gave him some milk, and it was pretty uneventful. Hartlaub and I totally celebrated with milk, too. Cough. Skelly is now back at work as a consultant and is missing his daily bus adventures with Finn, though they still ride buses on the weekends. On one hand, Im really, really glad to have it done. Its a sense of accomplishment, Skelly said. But I dont know. I feel like I still want to wake up and ride buses. Skelly said he learned a lot about San Francisco. The city government, he thinks, works reasonably well in terms of its buses, parks and libraries. There should be more public bathrooms, though. And while there are some crazy and rude people on Muni, there are a lot of nice people, too. Like the day on the T-Third when a disheveled woman was talking to herself but leaped into action when she saw a man in a suit get off the train without his backpack. She screamed at him that he forgot his bag, but the doors closed before he could get back on. You see this man running down Third Street trying to catch the train, Skelly said. At the next stop, she got off with his backpack and ran back to give it to him. I dont think that was her stop. Skelly said hes delighted he spent four months riding buses with Finn. Its just been a blast, he said. I feel like Im going to tell him about it as soon as he starts talking. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf Gov. Gavin Newsom should immediately allow the thinning of vegetation on almost 94,000 acres of state land in a bid to keep more than 200 communities safe, California fire officials said Tuesday as they released a list of the states 35 most critical fuel-reduction projects. The priority projects include areas near Orinda, Aptos, Woodside and Los Gatos. To narrow the list, state experts not only assessed fire risk but such factors as whether residents of areas were older or more disabled on average, and whether their communities featured good escape routes in case of emergency. The 28-page report by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, recommended a variety of other steps California should take to reduce risk after two catastrophic years of damage, in which wildfires killed nearly 150 people, destroyed thousands of homes and raised fundamental questions about the safety of hundreds of towns amid a warming climate. Newsom and other officials are under intense pressure to respond to the growing crisis, and many experts have questioned whether state and federal authorities are doing enough. While the state manages wildlands throughout California, the federal government oversees the majority of areas prone to fire. This reports recommendations on priority fuel reduction projects and administrative, regulatory, and policy changes can protect our most vulnerable communities in the short term and place California on a trajectory away from increasingly destructive fires and toward a more a moderate and manageable fire regime, Cal Fire concluded. Just two days into his term, Newsom signed an executive order requesting the Cal Fire report on how the state should respond to its wildfire disasters. He also proposed $305 million in new fire funding as part of his first budget. The new governor asked for solutions that took into account vulnerable populations in high-risk fire areas, as many of the hardest hit residents in recent fires particularly Novembers Camp Fire in Butte County have been the elderly and disabled. The second-highest-ranked fuel-reduction project was 467 acres near Woodside, along Kings Mountain Road. Cal Fire officials said thinning there could protect more than 271,000 people in 18 vulnerable communities. Ninth on the list was the 1,760-acre North Orinda Fuel Break, which the state said had the potential to protect about 561,000 people in 30 communities. The list also included projects in or near Aptos, Santa Cruz, El Granada and Big Sur. See the list See the Cal Fire report listing 35 sites across the state most in need of fuel reduction to prevent fires. bitly.com/CalFirelist See More Collapse Work on those projects has already begun. It includes removing dead trees; digging out fuel breaks that can keep fires from spreading into populated areas; clearing defensible spaces around homes and businesses; and improving routes for people to flee a community and firefighters to access it. Amy Head, a Cal Fire spokeswoman, said her agency has always created a priority list, but this year is different. Were upping the pace and scale, she said. Well have more equipment and personnel with more funding. In its report, Cal Fire recommended suspending some regulatory requirements, such as permitting and licensing, to streamline the effort. The plan also called for the National Guard to assist in creating bases near the fuel-reduction projects, and for state help in finding housing for seasonal fire crew members. Earlier this year, Cal Fire, for the first time, hired six fire crews three in Northern California and three in Southern California that focus on thinning vegetation year-round. In the past, inmate crews and firefighters did the work when they werent fighting fires. Cal Fire budgeted for four more of the crews in next years spending plan as well. California needs an all-of-the-above approach, said Cal Fire Director Thom Porter. The report stressed a new fire reality in California. Fire season has stretched 75 days longer in the Sierra, and climate change is a force-multiplier creating drier summers. Battling wildfires has saved lives and property, the report concluded, but it has also disrupted natural fire cycles and added to the problem. The state faces a massive backlog of forest management work, Cal Fire said. The agency stressed that funding would be needed to maintain the work over time. Over the next year, Cal Fire said, governments should create new, stricter standards for housing in fire-prone areas. The private sector, officials said, should be incentivized to incorporate fuel reduction into logging on private lands. And the agency said air-quality restrictions should not stand in the way of prescribed burns that clear vegetation. Experts said Cal Fire faces a daunting challenge to turn around the crisis. As much as 15 million acres of California forests are in poor health because of drought, insect infestation or shoddy forest management and need restoration work to boost fire resiliency, according to state estimates. Cal Fire oversees less than a third of this troubled area, with the federal government managing most of the balance. In the fiscal year that ended in June, Cal Fire reduced fuels on less than 40,000 acres. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California LeRoy Westerling, a climate scientist who studies wildfire at UC Merced, noted that one of the reasons Cal Fire cant do more is that most of the land the agency manages is privately owned, meaning it only has so much say. Its not like the (U.S.) Forest Service or the Park Service where they can go and do fuel management, Westerling said. Its a much bigger challenge to build relationships and work across communities. And not every landowner has the training, the resources or the will to manage their land. Some wildfire experts criticized Cal Fires recommendations for not going far enough and, in some cases, advocating practices that offer little or no relief. Chad Hanson, an ecologist who researches fire recovery with the John Muir Project, said areas near the coast, like Sonoma and Napa counties as well as much of Southern California, would not benefit because the guidance focuses on higher-elevation, forested lands. The most vulnerable communities in California are not in forests. They are in grasslands and shrublands, he said. This plan explicitly excludes those. Hanson also questioned the states call for more logging and thinning, referencing a growing body of research that shows certain logging projects can sometimes cause forests to burn hotter and faster because they clear away larger, more fire resistant trees and leave younger, vulnerable ones. Cal Fires recommendations to fortify homes with fire-repelling building materials and create more defensible space around them, he said, were more effective strategies. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Kurtis Alexander contributed to this report. Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni ATLANTA Judges in Atlanta illegally impose pay-or-jail sentences on poor people, requiring them to pay a set fine or, if theyre unable to pay, to spend time in jail, according to a legal advocacy group. The Southern Center for Human Rights on Monday sent a letter to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Atlanta Municipal Court Chief Judge Christopher Portis saying that imposing such sentences on people who cannot afford to pay violates the U.S. Constitution. The letter threatens legal action if the practice isnt ended. Pay-or-jail sentences imposed on homeless people who clearly cannot pay are not only unconstitutional, they undermine the integrity of Atlantas criminal legal system, the letter from Southern Center attorney Sarah Geraghty says. The mayors communications office and the chief judge did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The cases are often explicitly recorded in court documents as FINE OR TIME sentences, and the sentencing judges dont ask about the persons ability to pay, the letter says. Such sentences appear to be almost exclusively visited upon the homeless and destitute. The Southern Center previously wrote to Portis in September, warning that the practice is illegal and urging the court to end it, the letter says. In recent months, Geraghty wrote, the Southern Center has observed at least 59 cases when judges imposed such sentences. They included a man charged with drinking beer on a sidewalk who was sentenced to pay a $75 fine or spend 30 days in jail. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. A federal appeals court ruling from 1972 in a case originating in Atlanta unequivocally prohibits the Municipal Court from requiring an indigent defendant to pay a fine or serve a specified number of days in jail, the letter says. Kate Brumback is an Associated Press writer. SACRAMENTO Californias top prosecutor has declined to file charges against two Sacramento police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man nearly a year ago, in a move that reinforces some activists and politicians calls to change the standard of when police can use deadly force. In a press conference Tuesday morning, Attorney General Xavier Becerra said investigators conducted an exhaustive review into Stephon Clarks death and concluded that the officers reasonably believed they were in imminent danger. Such a belief, he pointed out, amounts to a justifiable homicide. Becerra said the officers faced a rapidly developing situation when responding to a 911 call and saw Clark advance toward them and reported seeing a bright light they believed was a muzzle flash. Im here to announce today that our investigation has concluded, he said. No criminal charges can be sustained. Becerras announcement comes just days after Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said her office had reached the same conclusion. County prosecutors declined to charge Sacramento police Officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet for the fatal shooting because they reasonably believed Clark was armed with a gun and was an imminent threat, Schubert said Saturday. Clarks family and supporters believe that the officers unlawfully killed Clark and should face criminal consequences. They hung their hopes on Becerras office after Schuberts announcement, calling on the attorney general to prosecute the two officers. The California Justice Department stepped in just after Clarks death last year, amid days of ongoing protests and heightened racial tensions. Becerra pledged to provide an independent investigation into the shooting and to review use-of-force policies within the Police Department. Becerras office completed the first leg of this review, and in January issued a sweeping list of recommendations for the department, including more regular use-of-force trainings and prohibiting officers from shooting at moving vehicles. A second part of the review is pending, and will focus on the police disciplinary system and preventing bias. On March 18, two Sacramento officers responded to a report that someone was breaking car windows and followed Clark into a backyard that turned out to be his grandmothers, where they fired 20 shots at him. The officers said they believed Clark was holding a firearm, but officials found he was carrying a cell phone. The question of whether the officers truly believed Clark was armed became a focal point of the attorney generals inquiry, which was released at the same time as Becerras press conference. Drawing from body-camera footage before, during and after the shooting, investigators pointed to several occasions when the two officers are heard referring to a gun. The officers had pursued Clark until he ducked behind the corner of a house. As the officers peered around the corner, Clark was seen advancing toward them, according to the report. The body camera recorded Mercadal yelling show me your hands and gun gun gun, and captured the sound of the officers opening fire, the report states. In subsequent moments, the officers are heard continuing to yell show me your hands and asking one another if theyve been hit. Discussions about the nonexistent weapon continue as backup arrives, with Robinet saying we havent secured the gun. As officers eventually approach Clark, Robinet can be heard saying oh f. Though the recording doesnt explain why Robinet used the expletive, investigators note that footage shows that Clarks cell phone is partially visible near his hand. Becerra stressed that the Justice Departments probe was entirely independent of the district attorneys office. Advocates for the American Civil Liberties Union said Becerras decision came as no surprise, and urged him to support a bill that would change the legal standard required for deadly force. That bill, AB392, would instruct officers to avoid using deadly force whenever possible and changes the standard, saying officers are justified in using deadly force upon another person only when the officer reasonably believes, based on the totality of the circumstances, that such force is necessary. A second, competing bill, backed by police unions, would leave the current standard as is and instead calls for more training and creating statewide use-of-force protocols. There is more the attorney general can do to ensure that other families do not have to suffer through the tragic nightmare Mr. Clarks family is living, said Lizzie Buchen, legislative advocate for the ACLU Californias Center for Advocacy and Police. Becerra said the status quo is not going to work on police use of force, but he declined to comment on the Sacramento Police Departments actions leading up to the Clark shooting or on the dueling bills in the Legislature. I will support a policy that works for the people of the state of California, that is based on best practices, that makes it clear that all of us have a role, we all have a responsibility in making sure that our neighborhoods are safe, Becerra said. He also brushed off calls from activists that his office should independently investigate every police shooting in the state. Becerra said such an undertaking would be an enormous burden to his staff, and local district attorneys are closer to the events in their own communities. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Without the kind of resources it takes to really do this well, and it takes time, we do no one justice by trying to put that on the attorney generals office, he said. The completion of both the state and local investigations now clears the way for a separate federal probe, officials said Tuesday. The U.S. attorneys office, the FBI and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice will examine whether the shooting involved violations of Mr. Clarks federal civil rights, according to a statement issued by U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott and Sean Ragan, special agent in charge of the FBI Sacramento field office. That examination will involve a review of the substance and results of the state and local investigations, and any additional investigative steps, if warranted, the statement read. A civil case is already making its way through the courts, after Clarks family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in January seeking more than $20 million from the city and two officers. The family claims the officers used excessive force and racially profiled Clark. Becerra said he waited to release the results of the investigation until after he had a chance to meet with Clarks mother, SeQuette Clark, They spoke Tuesday morning at a church in Sacramento, he said. She and her family have been patient throughout through the grief, through the anger, through the uncertainty. Its tough, he said. Mrs. Clark is trying to sort through all this, Becerra added. I hope we give her peace and a sense there will be progress. Schuberts announcement Saturday ignited a wave of protests in the states capital, with many demonstrators calling for an end to police killings of unarmed people of color. A handful of people occupied the Arden Fair mall on Sunday, prompting the malls operators to shut down the building for the day for safety reasons. On Monday evening, more than 100 protesters marched through a residential neighborhood in East Sacramento, leading to the arrests of more than 80 people, including clergy and two reporters. Police said demonstrators were blocking traffic, playing loud music and vandalizing parked vehicles. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into the arrests. Megan Cassidy and Alexei Koseff are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com, alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy, @akoseff Juan Vallejo Corona, Californias most prolific serial killer, died of natural causes Monday morning in a hospital, more than four decades after he hacked to death 25 farmworkers and buried most of them in a prune orchard near Yuba City in Sutter County, prison officials announced. Corona, 85, was serving 25 concurrent life sentences after being convicted of 25 counts of first-degree murder. There was no death penalty in California when he was sentenced in 1973. Corona was denied parole eight times since 1984 and was next eligible for a hearing in 2021. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced his death Monday and released his most recent mug shot from California State Prison-Corcoran, showing a frail old man with a droopy left eye caused by a 1973 stabbing attack at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville that nearly killed him. In May 1971, authorities found 25 mutilated bodies of male, middle-aged farmworkers in orchards along the Feather River in Sutter County. Many of the victims lived on a Marysville skid row and were considered fruit tramps, men who would follow the orchard harvests finding work. Police recovered a machete and other sharp weapons from Coronas house at the labor camp he supervised, where he hired many of the men he would later kill. Coronas family described him as a man with a violent temper, whom they had to tie with rope to calm down. He had been committed to a mental hospital years before the murders, believing that everyone in Yuba City had drowned during the catastrophic 1955 flood that killed 37 people and that he lived in a land of ghosts. Corona was tried in Colusa County and found guilty in January 1973. Five years later, his conviction was overturned by an appellate court and he won a new trial. His second trial was held in Alameda County, and he was again convicted of all 25 murders in 1982. Authorities have said over the years that Coronas body count could be higher, and his name is likely to be brought up when a body is uncovered in Sutter County. Corona was born in Mexico. After receiving shock therapy treatment at the mental hospital, he was released and deported to his native country before he returned to California with a green card. He got married and started a family in Yuba City, raising four daughters. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The case broke in 1971 after a farmer found a hole dug in his peach orchard and suspected someone had been burying trash. Instead, a body was found, and then more in a neighboring orchard. Many of the men had machete gashes to the backs of their heads in the shape of a cross. In his second-to-last parole hearing in 2011, Corona admitted killing the men, saying they were trespassing. A Sutter County cemetery has a tombstone over the unclaimed bodies of 14 of the 25 victims. Four of the men were never identified. It reads: Here lie 14 men of the sod, four of them known only to God. Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni The team behind San Franciscos popular Lilholiho Yacht Club is headed to the Mission District with a new yet-to-be-named restaurant at 3560 18th Street, in the former home of Farina. Its a joint venture between chef David Golovin (La Folie, NOPA), and managing partners Jeff Hanak and Ravi Kapur (Liholiho Yacht Club, Louies Gen-Gen Room). Details are slim at this point, but according to a release from the trio, their forthcoming restaurant is going to focus on wood-fired cooking and preservation, among other things. The tentative opening date is this fall. (Inside Scoop has reached out to the team for more information.) The project is also just the latest chapter in whats been a notable surge in the activity in the Mission between 18th and 21st streets and along Valencia Street. The Liholiho crew is able to fill the former home of Farina because it closed in 2017 when the state seized its liquor license amid reports of the business owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes and unpaid wages. Sean Culligan / The Chronicle That part of the Mission has seen the popular food truck Senor Sisig announce plans to open on the 900 block of Valencia; the Flour + Water team to plot a move into the 700 block of Valencia into the old Farina Pizza; and the Senegalese restaurant Bissap Baobab on 19th Street get sold to new owners. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Meanwhile, places like Anthony Strongs 19th Street Italian hotspot, Prairie, and the popular lemonade stand on Valencia Street called Gourmonade, have built niche followings. Stay tuned for more details. Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips Trojan Horse humanitarian aid ploy fizzles Saturday February 23 was supposed to be the big day when a so called humanitarian aid caravan would cross into Venezuela from neighbouring Colombia. The left-wing government of President Nicolas Maduro would be further destabilised and the stage set for his removal. As it turned out, the big day was something of an embarrassment for the Trump administration and its Venezuelan puppet, the self-proclaimed and US-backed Interim President, Juan Guaido. In preparation for this stunt, all kinds of right-wing figures had congregated in the impoverished small city of Cucuta, Colombia, just across the border from Venezuelas Tachira state. These included Colombian President Ivan Duque, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Republican US Senator Marco Rubio and US Vice President Mike Pence, as well as Guaido. But in spite of right-wing inspired violence that erupted at the border, no trucks got through, either from Cucuta or from Brazil or from the Dutch-controlled island of Aruba. Cucuta was an interesting choice for this provocation. It is known for two things: The extreme poverty of many of its inhabitants, and its role as a major centre for smuggling and other illicit activity. Venezuelan and Colombian citizens have developed a cottage industry of buying super cheap, government-subsidised items in Venezuela, sneaking them across the border to Cucuta, and selling them there at much higher prices. Gasoline, which is extremely inexpensive in oil-rich Venezuela, is one commodity thus trafficked, but not the only one. The Cucuta smuggling racket is a serious contributor to the shortages of some items in Venezuela. There was violence at the Colombia crossing, and at another crossing in Brazil. A small number of Venezuelan soldiers hijacked two armoured personnel carriers and rammed them into the barriers that had been set up at the Colombian border, injuring two people, including a woman journalist from Chile. Anti-Maduro gangs set fire to two of the humanitarian aid trucks on the Colombian side, in hopes that this would be blamed on Maduro supporters. On the border with Brazil, there was a clash between local people of the Pemon Indigenous group and Venezuelan security personnel, which left four dead. The Venezuelan government blames this incident on the local mayor, an opposition supporter. But the trucks didnt get through, and the opposition to the manoeuvre was met by massive protests, in Caracas and elsewhere, against US interference in Venezuelas internal affairs. President Maduros government pointed out that the amount of humanitarian aid supposedly being offered in this charade organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) amounts to a little more than US$20 million, while illegal unilateral sanctions that the United States has imposed on Venezuela have cost the country at least US$30 billion. Venezuela receives a considerable amount of aid through agencies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent, and if the United States really wanted to help it could have worked with those agencies. The Red Cross-Red Crescent, for its part, has refused to cooperate with the United States and Guaido in what it calls a politicised manipulation of the humanitarian aid issue. The US plan for regime change in Venezuela is supported by the right-wing Latin American governments, by the wealthy countries of Western Europe, and some others. But very important countries strongly oppose it, including China, Russia, India, South Africa, Mexico and the CARICOM group of Caribbean Island nations. Additionally, some of the countries that had originally jumped on the Guiado bandwagon may now be having buyers remorse. Brazil, by far the biggest military power in South America, has announced that it will not cooperate with any military incursion into Venezuela. Trump and Guaido have made little or no headway in the United Nations Security Council, and even the Organisation of American States, so often a pliant tool in US hands, is not keen. The Lima Group of right-wing governed Latin American countries is still on record as wanting Maduro overthrown, but its not rushing to offer troops for a military incursion. In Venezuela, calm is reported in most places, though there was an incident of right-wing terrorists unsuccessfully attacking a military barracks at La Mulata, just North of the Cucuta border crossing. The attack was easily beaten off, and there were no deaths. The Venezuelan government has now closed its borders with Colombia and Brazil, and has broken off diplomatic relations with Colombia. In the United States itself, the picture is still grim. All the major corporate media continue to put out highly inaccurate and biased reports and interpretations (one hesitates to say analysis) of the Venezuela situation. Over and over, the economic difficulties are blamed on the socialist policies of the authoritarian President Maduro, with little or no mention of the drastic US sanctions blockade which has affected such things as the import of medicines. While anti-Maduro demonstrations are given full news coverage, very large pro-Maduro demonstrations are almost completely ignored by our corporate media. As intended, this gives an utterly false impression that Maduro is isolated and that the whole country supports Guaido. In fact, surveys show very strong popular opposition in Venezuela to US sanctions and especially to threats of military intervention. Clear statements from figures in the Trump administration and Republican Party show that that US is mostly interested in facilitating major US oil companies control over Venezuelan petroleum reserves. Before his election, Trump had already called for war with Venezuela to take control of the oil. Major leaders of the Republican and Democratic Parties continue to demonise the Venezuelan government and call for Maduros overthrow and replacement by the right-winger Guiado. And the rhetoric coming out of the Trump administration and the US right gets more dangerous by the minute. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says President Maduros days are numbered. Rubio went a step beyond, tweeting a threat to forcefully oust Maduro with a picture of the dead body of former Libyan leader Muamar Gaddafi. Guaido, others in the right-wing opposition and the US government and the Trump administration have repeatedly called for a military coup and even for an armed US attack on Venezuela. New sanctions are now being imposed, this time on governors of those border or coastal states in Venezuela who have refused to violate their countrys national laws to facilitate the bogus humanitarian aid. So US imperialism is by no means giving up or backing off. But there is a growing awareness of the war danger that US policy toward Venezuela represents, and mobilisation is growing. On February 23, there were demonstrations and marches against Trumps policies and in support of Venezuelas national sovereignty in a number of cities around the United States, as well as a great many around the world. On March 16, a major march against intervention in Venezuela will take place in Washington, DC. A few prominent political figures in the United States are at last speaking up, with various degrees of clarity, in opposition to the Trump administrations Venezuela policy. They include independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, plus Democratic Congresspersons Ro Khanna of California, Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Barbara Lee of California and, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, with more likely to chime in. Omar sharply questioned the Trump administrations point man on the Venezuela regime change project, Elliot Abrams, pointing out in a House hearing that his record on Latin American affairs in the past has included support for some of the most bloodthirsty dictatorships in the region, inquiring as to why anyone should believe he will be a harbinger of democracy in Venezuela? Abrams was in the past convicted for lying to the US Congress on the long-ago Iran-Contra affair, so why, asked Representative Omar, should anybody trust him now? Several of these House members have now introduced legislation in Congress to oppose US military intervention in Venezuela. The Bill, HR 1004, is titled Prohibiting Unauthorised Military Intervention in Venezuela Act, and currently has 38 co-sponsors. RootsAction and other groups are asking all to contact their Congressional representatives to support this legislation. Contact information for Senators and Representatives, plus information on the progress of this and other bills, can be found on the official website of the US Congress. The bill is limited in scope; it does not say anything about the very harmful sanctions the US has imposed on Venezuela. But the reasoning is that if enough voters in the United States begin to raise their voice in support of it and in opposition to Trumps belligerent policies, bolder efforts will be enhanced. Peoples World In an ambitious push to expand its California footprint beyond the San Francisco Bay Area, the Michelin Guide announced Tuesday it will cover more cities and regions across the state, including Los Angeles, Monterey, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego and Santa Barbara. Its an unprecedented flurry of activity for the vaunted French guide, whose annual star ratings are among the most coveted prizes in the food world. As a result of the growth, California will be the first state in the U.S. to be covered in its entirety by Michelin inspectors in its new statewide edition set to be released this summer. Michelin stars are the ultimate acknowledgment of restaurant prestige in the food world, and the guides California expansion is not only a tip of the hat to the quality of Los Angeles dining, which has long been considered a West Coast food mecca, but to the state as a whole. San Francisco, home to eight of the guides coveted three-star restaurants in the U.S., will continue to anchor the new California-wide edition. Michelins official announcement was made Tuesday morning in Sacramento at an event co-hosted by the states tourism board and attended by Sacramento city officials, chefs and food media. (O)ur inspectors have been impressed with the talent and innovation within the gastronomic community across the state, Gwendal Poullennec, international director for Michelin, said in a statement before the announcement. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Michelins growth is also an admission that Californias premiere dining isnt limited to metropolises. Some of the states most celebrated restaurants happen to be off the beaten path, like Aubergine, an award-winning restaurant located in Carmel-by-the-sea, and newer ones, like Harbor House on the Mendocino Coast, continue to open. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. As for Michelins history in Los Angeles, its been rocky, to say the least. The guide last had a presence in the city in 2007, when it lasted only two years due to poor sales. Meanwhile, the Michelin Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area has flourished ever since it was first published in 2007. The first Michelin Guide was first published in France more than 100 years ago and has since expanded to more than 30 countries. Its star system came to fruition in 1933. The ratings which include three stars for a restaurant having exceptional cuisine; two stars for excellent cuisine, worth a detour; and one star for high quality cooking, worth a stop are determined by anonymous inspectors. Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips The head of Californias high-speed rail project told the Trump administration Monday that its plan to halt funding for the train was not only illegal but would be disastrous and wasteful. The comments came in two letters from California Rail Authority CEO Brian Kelly to the Federal Railroad Administration in response to claims by the federal agency that the $77 billion rail project was not living up to its promises. The Railroad Administration has given $2.5 billion to fund the effort to run 220 mph trains between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and pledged an additional $929 million. But federal officials say the terms of this grant money have not been met and theyve threatened to withhold future payments for the project and take back what theyve already given. The federal governments threat is the latest setback for a once-popular plan that has gone over budget and faced repeated delays. Its also one of the latest flash points in an ongoing political tiff between California and the White House. President Trump raised the issue of the train in a tweet on Feb. 14 when he criticized Californias proposed train as a disaster and a waste of money. The Railroad Administration followed up a week later with a list of alleged shortfalls of the project, including delays, a lack of state investment and insufficient record-keeping, and said it would no longer follow through on its funding commitments. Kellys letters to the Railroad Administration include a point-by-point rebuttal to claims that the state violated the federal governments funding terms. The California High Speed Rail Authority is making progress and has met its commitments, Kelly wrote. One of the federal governments allegations was that Gov. Gavin Newsom intends to build the rail line only in the Central Valley, where its currently under construction, instead of continuing it to the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. While Newsom said he was looking to downsize the project in his State of the State speech, hes since walked back the idea. Kelly requested that a conversation be opened between the state and federal government to clear up confusion over the funding. He said that if the Railroad Administration stopped supporting the project, it would be abandoning a years-long partnership and giving up important economic stimulus work. It is hard to imagine how your agency or the taxpayers might benefit from partially constructed assets sitting stranded in the Central Valley, he wrote. Kelly said that with the federal funding, California has the resources to complete the 165-mile segment of rail between Merced and Bakersfield, but the state probably couldnt finish the section without it. Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander The California Supreme Court upheld legislative rollbacks to some future retirement benefits Monday for thousands of state and local government workers, a repeal of a law that had allowed them to pay extra money into the pension fund in order to collect higher sums after retirement. A 2004 state law allowed government employees with at least five years of service to purchase up to five years of additional pension credits, know as airtime, before retiring. For example, a 20-year employee could make additional contributions to qualify for a 25-year pension. Lawmakers repealed that statute in 2013 and, in the process, eliminated the right of pre-2013 employees to buy future pension credits if they had not already done so, the court said. The mere opportunity to pay for higher pensions in the future is not an actual pension benefit protected by the workers employment contract, and is thus subject to legislative change, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye. said in the 7-0 ruling. She also noted that the court had previously upheld a law lowering state employees retirement age from 70 to 67, applying it to current as well as future employees. But the court did not resolve the larger issue in the case: whether public employees in California are entitled to pension benefits that were in effect when they were hired or were added during their employment. The states courts have recognized such a right for more than 70 years, defining it as part of each workers contract with the government, and courts in a dozen other states have since adopted what has become known as the California rule. The justices could decide the broader issue in another case on their docket, a dispute over reductions in pensions to sheriffs officers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. In Mondays case, Cantil-Sakauye said, because the right to purchase increased future pensions is not an actual pension benefit, there was no need to address arguments by state and local governments and taxpayer organizations relating to the scope of the California Rule. Elsewhere in the ruling, however, she said the court has recognized in past decisions that the receipt of pension benefits is granted constitutional protection because they are part of each employees compensation, paid at a later date. Justice Leondra Kruger seemed to send a similar message, observing in a separate opinion joined by Justice Goodwin Liu that pension programs provide a particularly clear case for formation of an implied unilateral contract that an employer cannot withdraw in the future. A public employee group expressed relief. The Supreme Court leaves intact the California rule, holding that vested benefits cannot be impaired, said Ted Toppin, chairman of Californians for Retirement Security, representing 1.6 million public employees and retirees. Thankfully, the decision protects the retirement security of Californias nurses, teachers, firefighters, school employees and countless other public servants and retirees dependent on their hard-earned pensions. A lawyer for the League of California Cities read the ruling differently and said the court had left the door open for narrowing or eliminating the California rule. The justices made it clear that you earn the pension benefits as you perform services, but did not set the same standard for work an employee has not yet performed, said attorney Linda Ross. She said the ruling also requires employees to show clear evidence of the Legislatures intent to create vested pension rights that could not be reduced in the future. I think its positive for public employers, Ross said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The 2013 repeal of employees right to future airtime purchases was part of a law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown aimed at reducing deficits in pension systems for more than 2 million state and local government employees. One 2010 study projected a statewide shortfall of more than $500 billion, forcing local governments to consider layoffs and service reductions despite Californias currently projected $15 billion surplus. Browns office argued to the court that the California rule should be narrowed to allow substantial reductions in future pensions. Brian Ferguson, spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom, issued a noncommittal statement on Mondays ruling, saying the court was addressing a critical issue for state and local governments ability to deliver services and to ensure the retirement security of our hardworking public employees. Mondays case arose from a suit by a union of 6,000 state firefighters, backed by other labor organizations, who argued that the right to purchase future pension benefits was part of the employment contract for workers who were on the job when the law was repealed in 2013. Gregg Adam, a lawyer for the firefighters, said the ruling was disappointing but thoughtful and narrowly crafted. Anybody predicting maintenance or demise of the California rule will have to stay tuned for the sequel, he said. The case is Cal Fire Local 2881 vs. California Public Employees Retirement System, S239958. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko SACRAMENTO California sued the Trump administration Monday over new restrictions on federal funding for organizations that perform abortions or consult with women on how to obtain them. The administration adopted a rule last month banning doctors who refer patients to abortion providers from receiving money through a family planning program known as Title X. The rule also requires clinics that perform abortions to do so in a separate building from where they conduct the rest of their services. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wrote in its rule that the changes were necessary to eliminate the possibility that Title X funding could be used for abortion services, which is prohibited by federal law. But critics have denounced the regulations as an attack on Planned Parenthood, the largest recipient of Title X funding nationwide, and as an effort to shift government money to faith-based family planning organizations. State Attorney General Xavier announced the lawsuit Californias 47th against the Trump administration in a news conference at the Capitol. He was joined by Gov. Gavin Newsoms wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom; 20 Democratic women in the Assembly and Senate; and representatives of the group Essential Access Health, which distributes Title X funding in California and is pursuing its own lawsuit against the administration over the new rule. Somehow in 2019, American women are still fighting for the right to determine the fate of their lives, our own bodies and our own destinies, Siebel Newsom said. What the president is really attacking here is gender equality and female autonomy. More than 360 clinics in California receive federal family planning funding to provide birth control, cancer screenings, testing for sexually transmitted diseases and other health care services for primarily low-income patients. Their programs serve about 1 million people a year, more than a quarter of the Title X patients in the country. Julie Rabinovitz, president and CEO of Essential Access Health, said many of those clinics intend to give up the funding rather than comply with the new rule when it takes effect in May. That would force hundreds of staff layoffs across the state, she said, leading to longer wait times for patients and possible clinic closures. We cannot and will not allow the Trump-Pence administration to create a two-tier health system that dictates a different, lower standard of care for low-income and uninsured individuals, Rabinovitz said. The Reagan administration adopted a similar rule in 1988, prohibiting recipients of Title X funding from counseling patients about or referring them for abortions. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the rule in 1991, but it was delayed by further legal action, and then-President Bill Clinton reversed it shortly after taking office two years later. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Becerra said the legal landscape has changed since the high courts ruling. His lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, points to a provision from the Affordable Care Act, signed by President Barack Obama in 2010, that forbids any regulation that interferes with communications regarding a full range of treatment options between the patient and provider. The facts are different. The law is different, Becerra said. Everyone gets their day in court. Another 20 states and Washington, D.C. are expected to sue over the rule on Tuesday in Oregon. A spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff USAid Let them eat bombs The choreographed provocations on Venezuelas borders highlight an often overlooked component of the US-orchestrated regime change machine USAid (United States Agency for International Development). Its motto, From the American People, usually stamped on containers bound for conflict zones, might more accurately be read as From the US State Department as USAid functions as a direct arm of US foreign policy. It is funded and staffed by the State Department, controlling or overseeing a budget of US$16.8 billion in assistance that USAid fully or partially manages through the Economic Support and Development Fund, Global Health Programs, Transition Initiatives, International Disaster Assistance, and USAid operational accounts. USAid works closely with the more visible regime change body the National Endowment for Democracy in Transition Initiatives Washington-speak for regime change or regime consolidation programs. USAids Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance oversees the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) which supports US foreign policy objectives by helping local partners advance peace and democracy and whose programs serve as catalysts for positive political change. USAid has been instrumental in the organising the fake humanitarian aid convoys ostensibly designed to alleviate suffering inside Venezuela. In a recent CNN interview in a Colombian warehouse where the convoy trucks were parked, USAids chief administrator Mark Green said: Today [February 17] what we did was bring in a new shipment of humanitarian assistance, about 66 metric tons. As I made clear, this was not the first, nor will it be the last, there will be other shipments coming in, other materials coming in from countries like Indonesia, theyll be coming in from a variety of sources and it really is [inaudible] what president Guaido asked of President Trump. President Guaido, who we officially recognise as interim president of Venezuela, had a specific request for emergency medical care and nutrition, and so weve been responding. Weve been mobilising assistance getting here, prepositioning here in Colombia, obviously Cucuta primarily, which is what president Guaido and his representatives have asked for. But its important, because were providing real hope for the people of Venezuela. Green does not even bother to hide that this aid is aligned with the political agenda of the US administration and its hand-picked interim president. USAid was set up in 1961 as part of the cold war battle for hearts, bellies and minds. In 2009, in a briefing for the Carnegie Endowment, Thomas Carothers outlined the integrated nature of US regime change or to use one of the preferred euphemisms democracy assistance agencies and particularly that of USAid. He wrote: Over the past 25 years, the United States has built up a substantial body of democracy assistance and now devotes approximately $2.5 billion a year to it (with about half of the assistance directed at Iraq and Afghanistan). Three organisations serve as the main funders of such aid: the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), the Department of State, and the private, non-profit National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Beyond USAid and the State Department, several other parts of the government also sponsor assistance programs that include efforts to support democratic institutions and practices abroad, including the Department of Defence, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the Department of Justice. According to Carrothers, USAids spending on political work rose from $165 million in 1991 to $635 million by 1999, with $288 million allocated to central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union; $123 million in sub-Saharan Africa; $111 million in Asia and the Middle East, $86 million in Latin America and $27 million on global programs. According to the agencys website: USAids Venezuela program supports civil society, promotes human rights, strengthens democratic governance, encourages civic engagement, and expands dialogues. We also help address the rights of citizens to be informed by independent and free media. Our assistance provides trainings, exchanges with other Latin American countries, support for research, and opportunities for Venezuelans to share ideas. USAid programs reflect the principles enshrined in the United Nations Convention on Human Rights and Inter-American Democratic Charter, such as freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and the rights to fair and transparent elections. USAid is building the capacity of the National Assembly to be a viable democratic institution that represents all Venezuelans. USAid and the NED have channelled hundreds of millions of dollars into the counter-revolutionary camp in Venezuela since the very first years of the Hugo Chavez-initiated Bolivarian Revolution. According to WikiLeaks, a November 9, 2006 cable revealed that the US embassy in Caracas was coordinating the anti-Chavez campaign using a five-point strategy. The cable stated: In August of 2004, the ambassador outlined the country teams five-point strategy to guide embassy activities in Venezuela for the period 2004-2006 (specifically, from the referendum to the 2006 presidential elections). The strategys focus is: 1) Strengthening Democratic Institutions, 2) Penetrating Chavezs political base, 3) Dividing Chavismo, 4) Protecting Vital US business, and 5) Isolating Chavez internationally. By 2010, external funding for opposition groups in Venezuela reached more than $57 million, the majority coming from US agencies such as USAid and the NED. Researcher Eva Golinger, noted that during its first two years of operations, USAid/OTI had a $10 million budget, which it used to fund approximately 64 opposition groups and programs in Venezuela. The majority of that funding went to anti-Chavez propaganda in the media and an unsuccessful campaign to recall President Chavez from office in 2004. Failing in its prior attempts to oust Chavez from power, in 2006 USAid/OTI reoriented its funding, increased its budget and began focusing on crafting an opposition youth movement that could utilise new technologies, such as Twitter and Facebook and other internet media to build an international campaign against the Venezuelan president. From 2006 to 2010, more than 34 percent of USAids budget which neared $15 million per year was used to fund university programs, workshops and other events to aid youth in building an anti-Chavez movement. Unlike the NED, whose political motivations are transparent, USAids remit combines both humanitarian assistance and political interference. By straddling these two areas, USAid lays the ground for humanitarian interventionism a useful ideological camouflage that is routinely deployed to neutralise, or better still co-opt, liberal opinion. One recent high-profile case involving a USAid contractor illustrates the agency has no problem in crossing the line between aid and espionage. In 2009, USAid paid Alan Gross, through a third party, DAI, almost $600,000 to go to Cuba to install military-grade internet connections, ostensibly for the islands small Jewish community, that could not be detected by the government. The project was part of a USAid program that was funded by the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which gave official justification for the blockade against Cuba and explicitly called for the overthrow of the Cuban state. According to Lou Dubose of The Washington Spectator, Cuban intelligence knew about Gross from 2004 when he first met a contact in Havana. Fortunately, the contact turned out to be an undercover Cuban security agent. On his fifth trip to Cuba, in 2009, Gross was arrested and sentenced to 15 years for criminal acts against the independence of the Cuban nation. Gross was eventually released at the same time as the US freed the Cuban Five. Another often overlooked element in the US destabilisation efforts against Venezuela is the US governments attempts to control energy markets. The State Departments Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) manages the critical nexus between energy and US national security to ensure US leadership on global energy issues. The ENRs brief, according to its website, includes encouraging Caribbean and other Latin American countries to reduce their reliance on energy imports from Venezuela, in other words the US exerts maximum pressure on these countries to end or limit trade with Venezuela to help cripple its economy. US aid indeed. Morning Star Sacramento police arrested 84 people, including two journalists, Monday night as protesters marched the streets in opposition to two police officers avoiding criminal charges in the fatal 2018 shooting of Stephon Clark, and the citys mayor is now demanding answers. The double-digit arrests prompted Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and city council members on Tuesday to call for an independent investigation into the arrests led by the citys Office of Public Safety Accountability. I want to guarantee the right of peaceful protest and freedom of the press while simultaneously protecting public safety, Steinberg said in a statement. Officials for the Police Department announced they will conduct their own investigation, too. More than 100 protestors gathered at 6:30 p.m. on the 5000 block of Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento, police said Tuesday morning. The protestors allegedly blocked traffic, played loud music and talked through a megaphone as they walked through residential streets. The protest followed Saturdays announcement by the Sacramento County district attorneys office that officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet would not be charged in the killing of Clark because they believed he was armed and dangerous when they shot at him 20 times in his grandmothers backyard on March 18. Clark was found to be holding a cell phone. In a Saturday press conference, District Attorney Anne Schubert said Mercadal and Robinet honestly, without hesitation, believed he had a gun. Her decision to not file charges, she said, was based on the officers spontaneous statements, which were recorded on body cameras and included commands for Clark to show his hands before asking one another if they were hit by gunfire. The district attorneys office declined to comment on the protests and arrests. The shooting prompted protests last spring that shut down roadways in Sacramento and sparked similar actions across the nation. Many protesters renewed calls for greater checks on police use of force and and treatment of communities of color. Clarks family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in January seeking $20 million in damages from the city, Mercadal and Robinet. The family said in the suit that the officers used excessive force and racially profiled Clark. Monday nights rally, organized by activist group The Table Sacramento, criticized the district attorneys rationale in not charging the officers, and protesters accused Schubert of focusing her investigation on Clark instead of the officers, who were responding to a report of an auto burglar. This was a misguided attempt to malign the victim by providing details the officers had no knowledge of during the incident in an attempt to explain to the Sacramento community why a young black man deserved to die, Joshua Robinson, a member of The Table Sacramento, said in a statement. Police alleged that protesters on Monday night vandalized unoccupied vehicles in the streets and at least five vehicles were keyed. Officers ordered the group to disperse, citing the action as an unlawful assembly, and began arresting people, according to a tweet from Capt. Norm Leong, of the Sacramento Police Department. The mayors office confirmed Tuesday morning that two reporters were detained during the march. Among those detained was Dale Kasler, a Sacramento Bee reporter. Kasler was handcuffed while streaming a Facebook Live, according to the newspaper. He was taken away as other journalists identified him as a member of the media. The protest was winding down when law enforcement begin to advance on marchers around 9 p.m., Kasler said Tuesday. By that point, people had been cordoned onto a freeway overpass. When they arrived, it seemed to kind of touch off a new level of tension, he said. Then, one by one, officers started detaining protesters using plastic zip-tie-like cuffs, Kasler said, adding that he did not see anyone roughed up by police. Nobody was resisting and everybody just kind of went peacefully, he said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Kasler, who covers water and environmental issues at the newspaper, said it was the first time hed ever been detained. He was released around an hour later, the newspaper said. The right of our reporters to cover our community is protected under the Constitution and is a hallmark of our democracy, said Jeanne Segal, director of communications for McClatchy, the Sacramento Bees parent company. A Sac Bee photographer, Hector Amezcua, was allegedly shoved to the ground by an officer with a baton during the protest. His camera was damaged, but he did not report any injuries, according to the Bee. Sacramento State University student William Coburn was also arrested covering the protest for the school newspaper, The State Hornet, said editor-in-chief Claire Morgan. Coburn, who had identified himself as media, was released and given a citation for failing to disperse. He wrote a first-person account of the arrest before going to his constitutional law class on Tuesday, Morgan said. The State Hornet stands by freedom of the press and we are grateful that our reporters are safe, the newspaper said. Scott Rodd, a reporter for the Sacramento Business Journal, tweeted that he was arrested despite showing press credentials and identifying himself as a working journalist. Police processed me and issued a citation/court date, Rodd tweeted. Need to sleep and process this. The Sacramento Business Journal did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu As Oakland Unified School District classes resumed with most teachers back to work on Monday, hundreds of students as well as many teachers flooded the school board meeting to protest $21.75 million in cuts needed to balance the budget and help pay for the staff raises. The board voted four to three to adopt the cuts despite a three-hour public hearing that included only speakers opposed to the cuts. Many students lambasted the board over reductions in spending to libraries, restorative justice and foster youth case management programs. The students swarmed to the front of the gym where the meeting was held following the vote, calling for board members to resign and for the students to participate in a districtwide strike. During the public hearing, teacher and parents urged the board to reject the proposed closure of two dozen schools, which state and district officials say is needed given enrollment declines over the past decade. How is cutting our programs going to benefit anybody? said Glenda Serrano, a student at Life Learning Academy. Why were the students sacrificed? The crowd booed the board several times, disrupting the meeting as board President Aimee Eng threatened to continue the meeting in a separate room and without the public present. Tempers ran high and students cried after the vote. This strike was painful, said board member Roseann Torres, who voted against the cuts to student programs. Everyone is feeling that pain and we havent recovered. The school board scheduled the meeting for 10:30 a.m. Monday, after protesters shut down a scheduled vote on Friday afternoon. The district and the Oakland Education Association reached a new contract deal on Friday and teachers voted to ratify it on Sunday, ending a weeklong strike. Before and after the vote, students threatened to organize a citywide strike to protest the cuts to the programs. Teachers and parents also chastised the board, calling them incompetent and uncaring as well as more vitriolic descriptions. Yeah the strike is over, but theres still a lot of things going on, said parent Julene Freitas, who attended the meeting with her ninth grade daughter, who skipped school to attend. Its just awful. Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammel said the district was working to fund the student programs despite the cuts using other funding sources from the city and state and was confident restorative justice and other support services would continue. Mayor Libby Schaaf, for example, vowed during the contract negotiations to put up to $1 million in her proposed budget to fund the districts restorative justice program. Ive participated in restorative justice circles and know first-hand how powerful a tool it is to teach healing, she said Monday. Its important work that is a priority for our community. The district faces a $9 million deficit this year, $6 million next year and $15.7 million the following year, according to an independent analysis by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, released Friday. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Those numbers dont include the costs associated with the 11 percent teachers raise or comparable wage increases expected for other district workers, said Mike Fine, FCMATs chief financial officer. Several community members Monday questioned the existence of the deficit and said the board doesnt need to make any cuts. Thats not going to work, Fine said. They will be broke without budget cuts. State, county and local reports have detailed the districts budget shortfall, including deficit spending in special education programs. With the settlement (pending school board approval), the amount of deficit spending in OUSD will increase over the course of the contract and there must be efforts to offset those increases with deficit-reduction measures, said Michelle Smith McDonald, spokeswoman for the Alameda County Department of Education. The board was expected to make the cuts by Mar. 1 to ensure the Oakland Unified qualified for additional state funding available, under Assembly Bill 1840, to districts that are paying back state loans following previous fiscal insolvency. While the board missed the deadline, the district will still qualify for the money after Fines organization issued the necessary report on the districts fiscal status anyway Friday, saying FCMAT will amend the document following Mondays vote. The cuts included $11.9 million in central administrative costs, including 90 positions eliminated, as well as $3.75 in cuts to central services to school sites; $1.47 in reductions to contracts; and another $1.6 million in operational cost savings. Pakistan-India showdown: What youre not being told A recent terrorist attack in Kashmir could set the stage for a major conflict between India and Pakistan as India begins bombing Pakistani territory. As always, the root causes of these are being ignored by the media. On February 14, India was rocked by a suicide-bombing which took place inside Jammu and Kashmir. The attack targeted a convoy of security personnel vehicles, killing at least 42 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers (as well as the bomber himself). Responsibility for the attack was claimed by a Pakistan-based Islamist group called Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). JeMs main goal is to steal Kashmir away from India and unite it with Pakistan, to ensure that Pakistan is ruled by Sharia law, and to drive Western forces out of Afghanistan. Its other eventual priority is to drive all Hindus and non-Muslims from the Indian subcontinent. The attack has drawn such negative publicity that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), finally agreeing on something for once, identified India as a victim of terrorism and asked member states to cooperate actively with New Delhi to bring these attackers to justice. After India vowed a jaw breaking response to the attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan authorised his military to respond decisively and comprehensively to any aggression or misadventure by India. In case it wasnt clear, both of these volatile states currently sitting on the cusp of war possess nuclear weapons. Apparently, despite this underlying nuclear catastrophe, someone thought it was a good idea for Indian fighter jets to begin pounding Pakistani territory in order to take part in what Indias foreign ministry coined a non-military pre-emptive action against JeM. The recent incursion into Pakistani airspace forced the Pakistani air force to scramble to respond, which in turn led the Indian jets to release [their] payload in haste while escaping. In the process, India claimed that it had killed a very large number of terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and jihadis. To be fair, India, for its part, had warned it was ready for war with Pakistan. It was also pushing for Pakistan to be included on a terror-watch blacklist, all the while threatening to weaponise the flow of water to Pakistan as a means of leverage conventional military means cant buy. After the raid, Pakistan has understandably asserted its right to self-defence. But self-defence of what Pakistans sovereignty or self-defence of JeM? (If in fact, India was targeting JeM fighters). Actually, that was exactly what the Indian foreign ministry claimed was the rationale for the attacks Pakistans inaction for combating its own home-grown terrorists. And this is where international law can get even murkier as it delves into the unwilling and unable justification for the use of force on a sovereign state. In Indias eyes, Islamabad is either unwilling or unable to combat the terrorist threat inside its borders (or perhaps this is just a PR stunt aimed at Chinas expanding influence over Pakistan). But, okay, fine lets accept the rationale of the terrorist threat. If we are going to ignite a powder keg that would begin with two-nuclear armed nations and eventually draw in Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and China, we should at least examine the context in which Pakistan and India are facing a serious threat of terrorism. Following the money The United States and its allies have had a curious relationship with Pakistan and terrorism for years. In February 2007, then US vice president, Dick Cheney, made a trip to Pakistan to meet with President General Pervez Musharraf. According to PBS, the secret US-backed campaign against Iran by the terror group known as Jundullah was high on Cheneys agenda. A few months later, ABC News reported that Jundallah, which is responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005. The report explains that US relationship with Jundullah is arranged so that the US provides no funding to the group, which would require an official presidential order or finding as well as congressional oversight. Not to mention that former Pakistani army chief, retired General Mirza Aslam Baig, further explained that the US supports the Jundullah terrorist group and uses it to destabilise Iran. Okay, so the US supported the Jundullah group in Pakistan against Iran, but what does that have to do with the current situation at hand? Well, it appears that JeM and other terrorist organisations in Pakistan receive direct support from key US allies, including and especially Saudi Arabia. For example, an action request cable archived by WikiLeaks, documenting the illicit finance activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, stated that it has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority. Still, the cable continues, donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide. Not surprisingly, Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for wait for it Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, LeT [Lashkar-e-Taiba] and other terrorist groups. The LeT is a Pakistan-based terrorist organisation which also has a strong focus on Jammu and Kashmir, where the recent terror attack took place (and Indias initial response). Both LeT and JeM have received overwhelming support from Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) since the early 1990s. In fact, LeT became part of the United Jihad Council in 1993, an umbrella group for militant Islamists operating in Kashmir and in doing so, formed a direct alliance with JeM. As far as the US State Department is concerned, the two groups are almost all but completely synonymous. The ISI itself had been a prime recipient of billions of US aid, particularly under the administration of George W Bush. The WikiLeaks cable clearly shows that the US was well aware elements within the ISI were maintaining ties to the LeT. The cable also noted that Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE have provided support to LeT and other terrorist groups operating in the region as well. All of these countries are US allies. Furthermore, a separate WikiLeaks cable confirmed that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been funnelling money not just to LeT but to JeM directly, stating that: Locals believed that charitable activities being carried out by Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith organisations, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Al-Khidmat Foundation, and Jaish-e-Mohammed were further strengthening reliance on extremist groups and minimising the importance of traditionally moderate Sufi religious leaders in these communities. Government and non-governmental sources claimed that financial support estimated at nearly $US100 million annually was making its way to Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith clerics in the region from missionary and Islamic charitable organisations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ostensibly with the direct support of those governments. Saudi Arabia itself has been considered to be somewhat of a safe haven for jihadists targeting India, including and especially the LeT. An investigation also found that Saudi Arabia funnelled funds to anti-Indian terror groups through Hajj pilgrims, and the Diplomat lamented that JeM hunts for potential recruits among the 150,000 devout Indians visiting Mecca every year. So, to summarise: the US has a long and documented history of backing anti-Iranian Sunni-based Pakistani terror groups. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have been funnelling financial support to the LeT, who has a direct alliance and operates in the same area as the JeM (who also receives direct funding from Saudi Arabia), which recently claimed responsibility for an attack which killed at least 40 Indian police personnel. Its not exactly rocket science. Call me a little bit suspicious, but perhaps this is why Saudi Arabia was quite open in its assurances to Islamabad that it need not go after JeM directly, even while the groups leadership apparently continues to live comfortably inside Pakistan. And what no one really seems to be talking about is the implications this wider geostrategic struggle has for the region. Saudi Arabia wants to win Pakistan over in a tug-of-war game in which Islamabad finds itself in the centre, and in doing so, is committing $10 billion to build an oil refinery in the Gwadar port project, which actually puts a major Saudi project on Irans border. Most disturbing is the revelation that Saudi Arabia is also being rumoured to have nuclear weapons on order from Pakistan. If it isnt bad enough that India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons and are now potentially launching air strikes into each others territory, the idea that these apocalyptic weapons could one day end up in the hand of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the country currently launching a genocidal war in Yemen and backing known jihadists right across the wider region, all the whilst constantly threatening war with Tehran, is nothing short of suicidal. According to Israeli media, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans (MBS) recent visit to Pakistan has essentially cemented Pakistans inclusion in anti-Iran Arab NATO. Will these countries rush to Pakistans aid as it is pummelled by Indian fighter jets? Or will diplomacy and cooler heads eventually prevail? Thankfully, we can trust the media to ask these all-important questions, and not focus its entire energy on yet another regime-change operation in yet another oil rich country, right? RT Russia Today Sending the poor to war UK: In the same week that the defence committee blasted failed mental health provision for veterans, a new report entitled Selling the Military has criticised military recruitment advertising for targeting groups, particularly disadvantaged children, who are likeliest to suffer adverse outcomes. Written by military watchdog ForcesWatch, health charity Medact and with contributions from academics and veterans, the report calls for greater scrutiny and regulation of military recruitment marketing on health and ethical grounds. It details how the military strategically targets low-income adolescents, identifying in particular those who are between 16 and 24 years old and come from households with low average incomes. Military marketing briefs describe their teenage recruitment targets as easily influenced and having a thirst for risk. The methods the military uses to sell itself to potential recruits are increasingly sophisticated and diverse, using social media platforms, TV and radio, search engine advertising, music and video streaming services and more, with the channels in play being connected and synchronised, and data driven. The costs of these campaigns are high total spend on marketing across all three services for recruitment purposes is over 27 million of taxpayers money per year. While many young recruits will go on to have a successful and positive time in the military, there are major risks and complex considerations that are glossed over by recruitment campaigns. Enlisting is a major life decision, particularly for adolescents and particularly if it means leaving mainstream education early. Working-age veterans are twice as likely to be unemployed as working-age non-veterans, and many veterans complain of a lack of transferable skills when leaving the forces. Recruits enter a uniquely challenging and intense environment which can have significant mental health repercussions, as demonstrated by recent concern over a suicide crisis among veterans and over the standard of mental health provision for the armed forces community. The youngest recruits, especially if they have childhood adversity in their background, are the most likely to suffer long-term ill-effects. It means entering a different and inferior legal system. It means training to kill, and to risk your life. While recruitment campaigns sell military life to teenagers as the ultimately fulfilling path, data on levels of satisfaction among personnel tells a different story. Only four in 10 of non-officers are satisfied with services life in general, and would recommend it to others. Only 36 percent of personnel across the services feel their own morale is high and only 7 percent feel the morale of the services is high. Roughly half of recruits dont feel they had an accurate picture of services life before joining. One key message in military recruitment campaigns is that the forces are a welcoming, inclusive place. Yet as demonstrated by the soldiers who racially abused the black female soldier who had become the face of the British Army Equality and Diversity campaign and who is featured in the armys newest campaign targeting millennials, the progressive utopia they sell to young people is far from the reality. There are high levels of bullying and sexual harassment in the military, with women and BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic people) personnel suffering in particular. Legal charity Liberty recently launched its own Human Rights Helpline because the problems are so severe and the militarys own justice system is letting personnel down, with severe systemic failings including around investigating and prosecuting rape. The military still needs to classify rape as a very serious crime so that it is investigated and prosecuted by the civilian police. Currently, the militarys rape conviction rate is appallingly low. This is a striking contrast with the recruitment advert that last year told young women that they will be listened to more in the military than in civilian life. The utopia of belonging and camaraderie sold in recruitment campaigns jars with the high levels of loneliness and isolation in the armed forces community, particularly among veterans. Military recruitment campaigns are misrepresenting vital information about forces life to vulnerable young people, and while doing so, they are also promoting self-development, fun and adventure in the context of war and armed conflict. Academics Paul Hihgate and Nivi Manchanda write in the Selling the Military report: We ... should stop and think about the framing of a destructive force in wholly constructive or creative terms. The centring of making people in these advertisements cleverly conceals the ultimate destruction of lives central to the use of military violence. In the US, a growing wave of employees in the technical industry are demanding that their labour is not used to further the business of war. Perhaps those working in the militarys chosen advertising agencies such as Karmarama and Capita, should likewise critically consider their role in selling the military to vulnerable young people. Morning Star President Trumps ludicrous display of pseudo-patriotic flag-hugging would have been hysterical if it were a parody, but the manifest hypocrisy of the very real act rendered it pathetic. It was an insult to the thousands of loyal Americans who have fought and sacrificed their lives to protect and uphold the freedoms that flag represented to them. Trump, the least patriotic and most disloyal president in our history, exists only to serve himself. He shows us repeatedly that what he truly loves and envies is the power of autocratic thugs around the world and that he yearns to join their fraternity of tyrants. He can only succeed in that ignoble quest if he can continue fooling enough Americans into believing that he cares about them and their country when all that he will ever really cares about is Donald Trump and his money. Philip Shoemaker, Pittsburg Sal may come in handy Concerning City still has the magic (Letters, March 4): It was great to see a picture of longtime San Francisco carnival feature Laffing Sal on this editorial page. But why should Sal just be a nostalgia item? In 2020, she might come in handy during the presidential debates. Im sure that the Democratic candidate could use Laffing Sals unique cackle as a response whenever his or her Republican opponent (a.k.a. Lying Don) tells one of his many whoppers. Yvette Violanda, Daly City Thoughts and prayers Regarding Houses uphill battle against gun violence (Editorial, March 4): The chance of legislation requiring universal background checks on all gun sales in this country is zero percent as long as the GOP controls both the Senate and the White House. In 2020, I hope that the Democratic Partys nominee is a fierce gun control advocate who labels the Republicans as the T&P party Thoughts and Prayers since thats all they ever have to offer to the families of the victims of gun violence. Marcus Finnerman, San Francisco Focus on concrete policy As a District Five resident, my question after reading Early start to costly, aggressive supe race (Page 1, March 4) is this: Why must candidates like Vallie Brown and Dean Preston be defined according to cheap political labels like progressive, moderate or socialist? The only things Im interested in hearing about are the ideas these individuals have for addressing ongoing problems like crime, homelessness, dirty streets and the lack of affordable housing. Voters deserve candidates who focus on concrete policy proposals not empty adjectives to define themselves. Belinda Davis, San Francisco Open to new ideas Regarding Far-fetched homeless cures (Editorial, March 1): Contrary to your editorial, I am pleased to see the supervisors proposing new ideas. The old solutions certainly arent doing the job. I dont agree with all the suggestions, but we need to respond to this crisis by brainstorming to find new creative proposals for addressing homelessness in our community. We should select the best ideas and pilot them to see if they work. Adding new shelter beds is just not enough. Joan Temko Anyon, San Francisco Unpatriotic American Regarding Presidents actions (Letters, March 2): This letter writer asks if there is a post-World War II American president who hasnt cozied up to at least one dictator? Even if (and Im not certain) the answer to this question is no, a more pertinent question is: Has there ever been any American president in history besides President Trump who has accepted the word of a dictator over his own governments intelligence? By siding with North Korea and Saudi Arabia on their denial of complicity in deaths of a U.S. citizen and a U.S. journalist, and with Russia on their denial of interference in U.S. elections, Trump has shown us what he truly is an unpatriotic American. Eileen Fitzgerald, Pacifica Unified climate vision Regarding Governor enters race, with climate his No. 1 priority (March 2): I appreciated the paper covering Washington Gov. Jay Inslee putting his name into the list of Democrats running for president. Inslee provides those concerned about climate something theyve been missing: a real unifying vision for how we can use climate change to unite America. For a long time, weve viewed climate policy as a divisive issue, but it doesnt need to be. Shifting us from a brown economy to a green economy will create jobs across the country, improve the health of all Americans and protect the least-privileged members of our country; many of whom would be hit first by the impact of climate change. I applaud Inslee for recognizing this, and I hope his candidacy continues our march toward climate solutions. Jonathan Maltz, San Francisco Destructive force Standing back and looking at the big picture, I see that the elected Republicans are more concerned about their party than We the People, and their extreme right wing even more so! The spirit of democracy has been lost in their ranks. How can they live with the destructive force they are aiding and abetting? Joan Dedo, Mill Valley SACRAMENTO Build, build, build. The spirit of housing construction has imbued the state Capitol with renewed fervor this year as Gov. Gavin Newsom and coastal lawmakers push for policies to spur what they say is badly needed development to get soaring rents and home prices under control. Advocates who work on housing issues in California say the topic is taking center stage like never before, with more than 200 bills introduced this session. The most provocative ideas and those likely to cause the fiercest legislative fights challenge the extent to which cities can control what gets built within their boundaries. Several measures would override zoning ordinances and remove other obstacles to make it easier to build housing. Marina Wiant, vice president of government affairs for the California Housing Consortium, which promotes affordable housing development, said the lawmakers behind these bills are trying to take advantage of Newsoms commitment to build 3.5 million homes by 2025. Its an ambitious goal that will require the state to nearly quintuple its current rate of housing production. Well see what happens to them and how hard they keep sticking their necks out, Wiant said. The conversation has changed dramatically since state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced legislation last year to limit cities ability to block large apartment and condominium complexes near public transit. That bill, which aimed to get more people out of their cars and closer to their jobs, faced such stiff opposition that it died in its first committee. But its back this year with lower height limits and provisions to prevent the displacement of low-income residents, changes designed to reduce opposition among progressives. SB50 would prohibit cities from restricting housing developments up to 45 feet tall within a half-mile of major job centers and transit stops, such as a BART or Caltrain station. Within a quarter-mile, projects could be 55 feet tall. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Louis Mirante, legislative director for California YIMBY, a group that lobbies to build more housing, said a pure local control model may have worked in the 20th century, but that the state cannot allow rules written decades ago to regulate an economy of the future. His organization is sponsoring SB50, which takes an approach to housing production that he said will be crucial for keeping up with population growth. We probably wont be able to meet that goal without some form of preemption of local zoning rules, Mirante said. State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, appointed Wiener chair of a new Senate Housing Committee in December, which advocates said indicated that legislative leaders are interested in his mind-set on development. He has emboldened other lawmakers who share his belief that building densely around public transit is one path out of Californias housing crunch. We are hearing and feeling and seeing it every day in our districts, said first-term Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland. She is carrying AB725, which would force cities to plan more multifamily buildings rather than single-family homes for the wealthiest households. Other bills would guarantee approval for apartment and condominium projects for low- and middle-income earners in certain communities that have resisted dense development, and remove local lot-size requirements for cottages and other secondary units that homeowners build on their properties. Later this year, lawmakers are expected to consider changes to the fees that local governments can charge housing developers to offset the impact their projects have on public services. The issue is a priority for home builders, who say exorbitant fees and other mandates that delay approval for projects make construction prohibitively expensive in California. We work with local control in the other 49 states, said Dan Dunmoyer, president and CEO of the California Building Industry Association. To build in any other state is so much faster. Among the boldest measures is SB330 by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, which would declare that California is experiencing a housing supply crisis. It would prohibit cities with high rents and low vacancy rates from changing zoning laws to reduce the size of potential housing projects, imposing new parking requirements or costly design standards, or capping the number of housing units that could be built for the next decade. It would also force local governments to approve or reject a project within one year after its proposed. The normal way we respond to a crisis is to give a green light to things we are already doing that speed them up, Skinner said. When were in a fire crisis, no one is saying, State, dont act to prevent damage. Housing bills to limit local control Some of the bills introduced in the Legislature to restrict cities' ability to block or limit housing development. SB50 ( State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco): Would make it easier to build apartment buildings and condominiums in cities by eliminating minimum parking requirements and raising height restrictions within a half-mile of job centers and public transit stops. SB330 ( State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley): Would prohibit cities with high rents and low vacancy rates from placing moratoriums or other restrictions on housing construction until 2030. Would limit the approval process for projects to three public hearings and require that cities make a decision within one year. AB725 (Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland): Would impose new restrictions on housing for high-income residents that cities and counties must plan for under their state-mandated regional housing goals, so that no more than one-fifth can be single-family homes. AB1279 (Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica): Would designate certain communities with low-housing density where developers could more easily build apartment and condominium complexes for low- and middle-income earners. Would charge a fee on more expensive projects in those areas to fund affordable housing. AB68 (Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco): Would override city ordinances that require a minimum lot size for secondary units, such as cottages and basement apartments, or restrict those units to less than 800 square feet. SB4 ( State Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg): Would streamline the approval process for small multifamily housing projects in cities and counties with unmet housing needs, excluding coastal zones, historic districts and areas with high fire risks. Would also ease the development of apartment buildings and condominiums up to one story taller than existing height limits within a half-mile of transit stations. See More Collapse Carolyn Coleman, executive director of the League of California Cities, acknowledged that local governments have a responsibility to plan for new housing and approve projects that fit within their zoning. But she said there are market forces beyond their control. Once we have done our job, its not fair to blame us or to penalize us for the house that didnt get built, Coleman said. She said cities are receptive to the state setting goals for housing production and providing funding to help communities reach those goals. But Coleman says she doubts Sacramento can come up with policies that provide a panacea for different regions of the state. Decisions around land use and planning and accounting for the quality of life in a community, I think those decisions rightfully belong at the local level, Coleman said. And frankly, I think the voters feel the same way. Even some housing advocates worry that nuance might be lost in the onslaught of legislation. Anya Lawler, who lobbies for the Western Center on Law & Poverty, said the Legislature has already passed bills in recent years to make housing construction easier and that the state has increased pressure on cities to allow building, such as the lawsuit Newsom authorized in January against Huntington Beach (Orange County). She said the state needs to give those policies a chance to work. Now the pendulum has swung very far in the other direction where were blaming local governments for everything and using them as a scapegoat, Lawler said. Her organization supports efforts to limit rent increases and build more low-income housing. But she warned that overloading cities with aggressive state mandates could frustrate those that are trying to do the right thing without targeting those that have been truly obstinate on development. At some point we have to say, OK, here are the rules. Follow them, Lawler said. Weve reached a point where the number of bills out there is insane. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff For more stories like this, check out The Chronicles weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here. At a time when President Trump has opted to downsize national monuments and reduce national parks operating budgets, let us remember the prescient words of Yosemites first commissioner, Frederick Law Olmsted. In 1865, he said: Before many years, if proper facilities are offered, these hundreds will become thousands, and, in a century, the whole number of visitors will be counted by millions. This prediction seems quaint in hindsight; Yosemite now receives about 5 million visitors each year, and complaints about traffic and crowding swirl around the high-summer season. With national parks and other public lands, the question we face is not whether people will visit, but how land managers come to terms with the volume of visitors and the increasing demands on infrastructure in landscapes revered for their scenic beauty and opportunity for transformative experiences. Although many of our public lands are being loved to death through industrial levels of tourism, these places wont be conserved for future generations unless people keep on visiting and valuing them for the diversity of landscapes and activities they provide. President Trump can aid in that effor this week, if he so chooses. Last week, the House joined the Senate in passing the Natural Resources Management Act. The 662-page bill encompasses a wide range of political, economic and recreational interests it includes 170 different provisions and 83 amendments. In a time of political partisanship, the bills approval signifies a key point of agreement on how we as a nation view the importance and purpose of public lands. They are Americas outdoor playgrounds, wildlife sanctuaries, river corridors and resource-abundant natural reserves. If signed by President Trump, the bill would allocate funds to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, pull mineral leases from precious landscapes such as the area around Yellowstone National Park, support healthy rivers across the West and protect more than 1.3 million acres of designated wilderness. Everyone from inner cities to suburbs to rural communities wins when we work together to preserve the outdoors, Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a release. The Golden State would benefit from this bill in many ways. The bill would designate 375,000 acres of wilderness throughout the California desert and adds 90,000 acres in Death Valley National Park alone. It would triple the amount of land permanently open as Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Areas in the desert, adding 200,000 acres to the 100,000 acres that already exist, while prohibiting energy development on 28,000 acres of land in Juniper Flats near Joshua Tree National Park. But the bill also releases nearly 125,000 acres of wilderness study areas in the Soda Mountains, a recurring target for industrial solar in the eastern Mojave Desert. The acreage made available to pro-development forces is roughly equivalent to the amount of land conserved. The trade-off may not be evenly distributed, but it does accommodate different interests vying for access to the same areas. Public lands must be managed properly, and to do that they must be funded and maintained. With visitors flooding popular parks like Yosemite in record numbers, government land managers are tasked with striking a difficult balance between quota and ration, enjoyment and impairment. The Natural Resources Management Act attempts to strike a similar balance between development and conservation on Americas key public lands. If public lands are to exist in perpetuity without being degraded or downsized, then they will need broad, continued societal support. I dont just mean tossing Yosemite a Like on Facebook or tagging your favorite wilderness campsite on Instagram or Twitter. I mean volunteering for cleanup events like National Public Lands Day (held each September); promoting stewardship as part of the recreational experience itself; and perhaps most importantly, advocating for continued congressional funding for public lands both as part of annual budget allocations and directed toward backlogs of deferred maintenance and other perpetually underfunded high-priority issues like wildfire mitigation and response. So please take the opportunity to overcome any lingering resistance to getting outside. Go enjoy an embodied natural experience and inspire others to join you. Through that connection we will catalyze our collective advocacy toward continued protection of, and access to, these sacred and iconic places. A single bill helps, but we must keep that effort alive. Jeffrey Jenkins is a professor of public lands at the University of California, Merced. Most bars and restaurants that specialize in natural wine are very vocal about the fact that they specialize in natural wine. Being vocal is kind of the point. To be quiet about it would be something akin to a vegetarian restaurant failing to mention that its food is vegetarian. Yet quietness characterizes the natural wine program that Louisa Smith has been running at Lord Stanley for nearly four years. Under her guidance, Lord Stanley has become San Franciscos most avant-garde wine destination, and the only fine-dining restaurant in the city to serve natural wines exclusively. But you might not know it. Most diners come to taste the modern, vaguely British-style food, often avant-garde in its own right, of chefs Rupert and Carrie Blease. Diners are usually unaware theyre about to embark on a wholly unique wine experience, too. People come in all the time and say, Im a connoisseur of Burgundy. How have I never heard of these wines? Smith says. Instead of blue chips Meo-Camuzet and Georges de Vogue, its Julien Altaber and Vini Viti Vinci. But even if Smiths hard-line natural wine message has stayed subdued, it hasnt gone completely unnoticed. Brandon Jew, owner-chef of Mister Jius restaurant, became so enamored with Smiths wine selection over several dinners at Lord Stanley that he tapped her to design the wine list for his new drink-focused bar and restaurant, Moongate Lounge, which opened this week. Like the Moongate cocktail list, created by Mister Jius Alex Kulick and bar director Danny Louie, the wine list takes the Chinese lunar calendar as inspiration. That means, for Smith, an emphasis on wines grown according to biodynamic principles, which follows the lunar calendar. (It recommends planting crops only during certain moon phases, for example.) The initial Moongate wine list includes 11 by-the-glass selections ranging from $12 to $22, and spanning familiar flavor profiles (Laherte Freres brut nature Champagne; $20) to more challenging ones (Cantina Giardinos Paski, a skin-contact white from the Coda di Volpe grape in Campania; $16). Yes, there are name-brand varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, but these arent like the versions youll find in Napa Valley tasting rooms: This is lighter, herbal Loire Cabernet and reductive, vegetal Burgundy. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle The opening of Moongate Lounge marks the second Louisa Smith-designed wine list in town, which means a greater platform for her style and sensibilities. And maybe, as a consequence, a greater platform for natural wine in the upper echelons of San Francisco dining. Natural wine and fine dining have not traditionally been seen as easy bedfellows. Funky, microbial flavors in a wine can easily overpower and alter food. But Smith finds plenty of harmony against Lord Stanleys subtle, bright flavors: She pours the rich, honeysuckle-laden Riffault Les Quarterons, a dry, botrytized Sancerre, to emphasize flecks of hazelnuts in a smoky steak tartare. And she lifts an entrees earthy harmony of seared duck breast and toasted seeds with a glass of the 109 Gamay from LEgrapille, whose tart fruit flavors recall a black cherry Warheads candy. To be clear: Smith is by no means the only wine director in town serving natural wines. A handful of other spots, like Del Popolo, Tartine Manufactory and Fig & Thistle, give natural wine lovers plenty to love. Ruby Wine, a small shop in Potrero Hill, is about as hard core as natural wine gets to say nothing of the Oakland natural wine bar contingent but when it comes to restaurants, as far as I can tell, no one else in San Francisco adheres to standards as strict as Smiths. Im adamant about a few things, she says. In order to buy a wine, Smith must be sure that it came from organically or biodynamically farmed grapes; that it was made with no additives, including yeast; and that it has minimal added sulfur, or preferably none. Whereas some sommeliers might try to counter a majority-natural wine selection with a few crowd-pleasers dont alienate the buttery Chardonnay drinker, the conventional wisdom goes Smith makes no such concessions. I knew at the beginning I didnt want to make any exceptions, she says. Surely few diners especially those who seek out a restaurant like Lord Stanley that serves pristine, local produce (heirloom spinach) and whose menu names the farm where its duck breast originated would object to the idea of wines grown and made under the conditions Smith describes. But thats the thing about natural wine: To a palate that was reared on California Chardonnay or Argentina Malbec, many of these wines can taste, well, weird dirty, cloudy, not cleaned up. How we describe these wines at the table really makes a big difference, Smith says. If a customer orders a Merlot, shell preface the pour with a warning that the wine might have some residual carbon dioxide, resulting in a little fizziness, or an explanation as to why the wine is cold. Some unsulfured reds just need a chill. Wines without added sulfur, which is a preservative, are liable to take on a life of their own, behaving unpredictably. That can prove difficult for a restaurant that might otherwise keep a bottle of wine open for a day or two, to serve by the glass. Wines without sulfur are they going to last one day? Two days? We never know, Smith says. Weve always been willing to take that risk because its so important to us to stick to this ethos. This ethos took hold of Smith over a number of years. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle She moved to California in 2009, after a few years of working in New York as a sommelier at the fancy London Hotel and then in a European-focused wine bar and shop. Landing in Sonoma County, Smith worked as a harvest intern at Salinia Wine Co. whose owner Kevin Kelley was stirring a small, nascent movement toward natural wines in California. (She and Kelley are now a couple and have an 11-month-old baby.) Winemaking ignited a passion in her. I was working for something exciting, she says. It completely changed my outlook on what I wanted to do. In 2010, Smith took a harvest job at a winery in Australias Yarra Valley. And thats where I really learned the difference between natural and conventional. Shed been expecting a similar experience to Salinia walking through vineyards, feet treading grapes but the Yarra winery was like a construction zone. She describes her role as a lot of waiting around with a clipboard. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Of course, Salinia had been far from a typical winery job. I didnt know most people didnt jump in the bins! Smith says. But that first Australian harvest was a turning point. If those two experiences represented two extreme poles of modern winemaking, foot treading versus clipboards, she knew which one she wanted to pursue. For a few more years, Smith traveled back and forth between California and Australia, continuing to work harvests at Salinia. From 2011 to 2016, she made her own wine from Mendocinos Sun Hawk Vineyard. She briefly oversaw a wine program at a restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, called Mr. Hive, where she installed an intro to natural wines page on the wine list capitalizing on energy generated by a group of Australian natural winemakers called Natural Selection Theory. By the time Rupert and Carrie Blease, Smiths longtime friends, approached her about helping them open Lord Stanley, she was ready to fully commit to natural wine. The Bleases loved the idea. Theyve put it in my hands in a really nice and generous way, Smith says. In the few years the restaurant has been open, many of Smiths favorite wines have risen rapidly in popularity. Wines like Vini Viti Vinci, a young Burgundy producer, are suddenly hard for her to get; her distributor runs out. Shes thrilled that these wines are gaining a broader audience. But she says the natural wine conversation has a long way to go. Natural wines are held to a weird standard, she says. When people bring up a bad natural wine theyve tasted, Smith wants to respond: OK, is every conventional wine good? She wishes that criticism of natural wine could move beyond a fixation with flaws which often leads drinkers to reject outright a wine that shows symptoms of volatile acidity, brettanomyces or mouse (a phenomenon that can arise in unsulfured wines, described by some as the sensation of having swallowed a dead rodent). Id rather drink a wine that had a little bit of mouse than a processed wine, Smith says. Thats an extreme viewpoint, to be sure, and shes unafraid to put provocative wines in front of her customers. And some visitors, it seems, are opting out: On a recent visit to Lord Stanley, I noticed a nearby table had brought a bottle of Silver Oak. (Corkage is $30.) Thorny issues are tangled up in these questions. Does wine have to present a stark choice between intellectual pleasure (additive-free wine!) and physical pleasure (when you dont want to swallow a dead mouse)? How challenging does a wine list have a right to be, assuming it wants its customers to walk away happy? If Smith has her way, this conversation will grow more nuanced and new projects like Moongate Lounge will, she hopes, help advance that cause. In the meantime, she knows where she stands. Esther Mobley is The Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob This article, Democrats will try to save net neutrality with new bill, report says, originally appeared on CNET.com. Democrats in the US Congress will introduce a bill Wednesday to bring back net neutrality rules that were repealed in 2017, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly said Monday. House Democrats will work with the Senate to pass the "Save the Internet Act," Pelosi said in a letter to lawmakers, according to Reuters. The text of the reported bill hasn't been released. Net neutrality, which lasted from 2015 to 2018, banned broadband providers from slowing or blocking internet access or charging companies more for faster access. In December 2017, the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules. Democrats in Congress have said the repeal allows for large broadband and wireless companies to "control people's online activities." Tech companies such as Amazon and Facebook, as well as tech pioneers such as Tim Berners-Lee, have spoken out against net neutrality's repeal. In August, attorneys general from 22 states, as well as activist groups and companies including Mozilla, filed suit, alleging the FCC arbitrarily rolled back net neutrality rules and overstepped its authority to ban states from passing their own regulations. And in October, California reached an agreement with the US Department of Justice not to enforce its own net neutrality law, saying it'd hold off until questions about the FCC's authority to pre-empt states from adopting their own net neutrality laws were answered in federal appeals court. The FCC declined to comment. A representative for Pelosi didn't respond to a request for comment. First published March 4. Update, March 5, 2:41 p.m. PT: Adds background on net neutrality. It was at 7:15 a.m., on June 12, 1962 that the Alcatraz guards realized something was horribly wrong. Their morning inmate count revealed three missing men: Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin. They raced to their cells and found an astonishing sight. Whoever did the evening check had failed to notice that the three sleeping men were not men at all; they'd been replaced by papier-mache heads topped with hair swept up from the prison barbershop. In their three cells, guards found the escape routes. The men had burrowed out the back wall, digging holes for six months with spoons and an ersatz drill made from vacuum parts. They masked the sound with accordion music Morris played. The holes led to a utility corridor with a drainage pipe leading up to the top of the cellblock. The men had shimmied up the pipe and onto the roof. There, they assembled their life raft, constructed of over 50 raincoats they'd pilfered, and took it with them to the shore. Into the cold night they went, aiming for Angel Island. It's been exactly 55 years since Morris and the Anglin brothers were reported missing. And we're no closer to knowing their fate than investigators were on that June morning. "One of three things is possible," the San Francisco Chronicle wrote on June 12. "They made it to San Francisco or Marin by swimming or on a driftwood raft; they are hiding in a water-line cave on The Rock, or they drowned." Don't miss this 1962 newsreel from shortly after the men went missing: Authorities quickly deemed Morris the brains behind the break-out. The D.C. native's IQ of 133 was in the top 2-percent of inmates. Morris grew up in foster care and was arrested for the first time at age 13, accruing a rap sheet that ranged from narcotics possession to armed robbery by the time he'd been transferred to Alcatraz in 1960. The Anglin brothers were also well-known thieves. They'd hit a number of banks before being apprehended and sent to prison in Georgia. After multiple failed escape attempts, they were shipped to Alcatraz. Their upbringing was unremarkable save for one detail family friends remember the pair were stellar swimmers who loved to jump in Lake Michigan even when it was icy. Frantic prison officials alerted CHP, San Francisco police, the FBI and the Coast Guard. CHP set up roadblocks, and the Coast Guard sent its helicopter up to scan the area. All Alcatraz guards on their days off were recalled back to the island prison. Weeks went by. No raft, no bodies washed up on the shore. In 1979, the FBI officially closed the case; the U.S. Marshals Service keeps an open file on their disappearance. Although the official FBI finding was that the men died in the bay's cold waters, speculation abounds that the trio made their way to freedom. Various members of both the Morris and Anglin families claim to have had contact with them after their escape. Some said they were living out their days in Brazil. Others said they headed to Mexico. And even the MythBusters weighed in, determining in 2003 that with the tools they had on-hand, the men could have plausibly made it to shore. In the nearly three decades that Alcatraz served as a federal prison, 36 inmates attempted an escape. Two drowned. Six were shot. Twenty-three were caught. And five, including Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin, were never found. "All the searching on and off the island uncovered nothing not one solid clue," the Chronicle wrote the morning of their disappearance. "The three had vanished without a trace." Michael Bloomberg is not running for president. The 77-year-old former New York City mayor, one of the richest men in the world, announced his decision not to join the crowded Democratic field in a Bloomberg News editorial on Tuesday. I know we can do better as a country. And I believe I would defeat Donald Trump in a general election, he wrote. But I am clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination in such a crowded field. Bloomberg has flirted with a presidential run before, but as an independent. He registered as a Democrat last fall and spent recent months courting primary voters as a political centrist. But as an older white man with strong ties to Wall Street, he likely would have struggled to win over the Democratic Partys energized liberal base thats increasingly embracing diversity. He encouraged Democrats to unify behind a nominee who could beat Trump, a not-so-subtle dig against candidates pushing the party to embrace liberal priorities such as Medicare-for-all. Its essential that we nominate a Democrat who will be in the strongest position to defeat Donald Trump and bring our country back together, he wrote. We cannot allow the primary process to drag the party to an extreme that would diminish our chances in the general election and translate into Four More Years. Bloomberg is expected to play an active role in the 2020 election from the outside. In his editorial, he said he would focus on combatting climate change and addressing gun violence. Earlier Tuesday, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon announced he has decided after months of consideration not to enter the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Merkley said in an interview that he decided he would be more effective in championing issues by running for his third term in the Senate instead of being a presidential candidate. Merkley said he aims to fight anti-democracy moves including voter suppression, gerrymandering and dark money. He said he also wants to focus on helping families by improving health care, education and access to living-wage jobs and on stemming climate change. WEST HAVEN A terminally ill man a loyal Donald J. Trump fan whose bucket list included a gesture from the president got the thrill Monday when both Eric Trump and HUD official Lynne Patton contacted him to say Patton was going to visit Saturday and bring a gift. She hit me up on Instagram its pretty incredible, Jay W. Barrett, 44, younger brother of city Councilwoman Bridgette Hoskie, D-1, said Monday. He doesnt know any details, but according to a Facebook exchange on Westies Watch, it may be an item signed by Trump. Barrett was floored Monday night when Eric Trump called him at about 7:45 out of the blue to let him know the family was sending a special gift Saturday. It was an exhausting first day home from the hospital, but so exciting, Barrett said. He told me theyre pulling for me and praying, he said. He said Eric Trump told him the president had a special gift for Barrett. More for you CT mans dying wish: A gesture from President Trump Patton, who is from New Haven, reached out to the Trump family at the request of a Facebook friend after a Register story about Barretts wish was posted online. Patton wrote in a Facebook exchange: Done. Just spoke to Eric Trump and he has a signed gift from his father especially for Jay. And trust me, Trump doesnt sign much anymore now that hes POTUS, so this is very special. Im thrilled about it (the visit), Barrett said Sunday, a day after leaving Yale New Haven Hospital and beginning palliative care at his sisters home. She said shes going to bring me something, but the expectations are none. Its the thought that counts, not the gift itself. Patton could not be reached for comment Monday. She also said to a friend on the Facebook exchange who thanked her: Anytime. Tell Jay to keep fighting!! The story about Barrett, who is in the end stages of cystic fibrosis, grabbed national attention he was interviewed Monday by Newsweek. Barrett said Monday that despite his prognosis of six or fewer months to live, he intends to be around to vote in 2020. Barrett, who for most of his life considered himself an Independent, voted for President Barack Obama in 2008, but not the second time around because he didnt like the push on mandated health care and other policies. Barrett said he came to realize he was a Republican and fell in love with Trumps style at the launch of his campaign, and later, his because of his policies. Hes outspoken thats how I am and its gotten me in trouble, but in a good way, Barrett said, adding its gotten Trump in trouble, too, but from a different stage. Barrett said he likes that Trump is real and that Democrats automatically counter everything he says. If Trump came out and said, Oxygen is good, theyd come out and say its bad, Barrett said. He also was attracted to Trump as a candidate because of his business savvy. I thought we needed a businessman to run this country everyone has screwed it up to this point, he said. When Barrett took a turn recently and was treated at Yale New Haven Hospital, Hoskie took to Facebook, discreetly asking friends to help in making something on my brothers bucket list a reality. She wrote that it was a secret/surprise and asked those interested to privately message her or make a comment and shed message them. Word about Barretts wishes got out through Hoskie via Facebook. Hoskie, a solid Democrat, has many friends who were touched by her wish to make her brother happy and Democrats and Republicans rallied, sending emails to the White House and spreading the word. State Rep. Dorinda Borer, D-West Haven, with the help of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthals office, fulfilled one of Barretts wishes by securing a flag that flew over the U.S Capitol. Bridgette and Jay obviously have an amazing bond, and its clear shes poured her heart into helping him fulfill his wishes, Borer said. The rest of us are just playing a small part in making those dreams come true. Borer said, Theres plenty of compassion and love amongst both parties in West Haven, so Im not surprised at all that everyone is coming together to bring Jay and his family some comfort in this very difficult time. State Rep. Charles Ferraro, R-West Haven, who was contacted by Democratic Town Committee Chairman Mike Last, told Ferraro that Barrett had talking with Republicans on his bucket list, Ferraro said. Ferraro, who visited just a few days ago, said he brought with him a West Haven woman who has been to 44 Donald Trump rallies and others to visit Barrett in the hospital. Hoskies original message on Facebook to those willing to help was, Please log onto whitehouse.gov and send a request to the president asking him to contact my brother. He loves Trump and its on his bucket list. Hes currently in Yales ICU so this happening would be amazing. Use your info and my brothers in the message. Hoskie said her brother would have been thrilled just to get an acknowledgment from Trump . His email address is Jay.Barrett75@yahoo.com and his Instagram name is Fight_Forward75. Hoskie said her brother is a Trump supporter through and through. Before his recent downturn in health, Barrett asked Hoskie if she thought they could figure out a way to get him to D.C. Hoskie said he then asked, Can you imagine if we got there and saw him, and they got to shake his hand? Hoskie said her brothers ultimate wish was to see the president , meet him and get a hello. Barrett said hes grateful for anything, but taking that trip to Washington and shaking Trumps hand still would be the ultimate. Barrett has struggled with cystic fibrosis his entire life, but he hasnt let it change his attitude, he said. He said hell fight to the end and friends recently told him hes never been a complainer. Barrett said he is pro-life, even though his mother is pro-choice, because she decided to carry him to term even knowing the risk because a brother born before him died of CF in babyhood. When she was pregnant, people always asked her, Are you sure you want to go through this again? Barrett said. Of his pro-life stance Barrett concludes: She did it all for me. SAN JOSE (BCN) A 62-year-old airline worker who was hit and killed at Mineta San Jose International Airport last week has been identified as Mary Lo-Wong of San Jose, according to the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office. Police responded at 1:11 p.m. on Feb. 25 to the airport at 1701 Airport Blvd. on reports of a pedestrian who had been hit in the bottom level of Parking Garage 3 across from Terminal B. A 29-year-old man driving a 2018 Ford F-150 truck had passed through the entrance gate driving south when he hit Lo-Wong, who was pushing a luggage cart west through the parking lot. She was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and died on Thursday. Lo-Wong was remembered on social media as an "angel" and "mother" to her co-workers. You were full of light and energy whenever you were around," Facebook user Manwel Awwad wrote. "Your presence cannot be replaced and we are left with emptiness without you." The man driving the truck was an airport employee, airport officials said. He remained on scene and cooperated with police. Officers do not believe alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash. "Last Monday there was a traffic accident at SJC involving an airport employee and an airline employee," airport spokesman Scott Wintner said. "Sadly, the airline employee did not survive the injuries she sustained in the accident." The airport did not specify which airline Lo-Wong worked for. Her death was the city's eighth fatal collision of the year, according to police. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled Monday that prosecutors can use cellphone-location evidence in the upcoming trial of a cousin accused of joining an underage girl's parents in murdering her alleged pimp. Antonio Gilton of Los Angeles is one of four people accused in federal court in San Francisco of the murder in aid of racketeering of Calvin Sneed, 22, of Compton, in San Francisco early on June 4, 2012. Sneed was killed in a drive-by shooting as he was driving near the Bayview District home of the parents of a 17-year-old girl he had allegedly pimped while she was in Southern California. He was on his way to pick up the girl, who had returned to her parents' home. The parents, Barry Gilton and Lupe Mercado, and a fourth defendant, Alfonso Williams, are also charged with the murder. Antonio Gilton is Barry Gilton's cousin. The four are due to go on trial in the court of U.S. District Judge William Orrick on May 7. Prosecutors have alleged that cellphone-location data showed that Antonio Gilton was in the area at the time of the murder. Police gained the evidence after receiving a court-ordered warrant to search his phone. Gilton contended the warrant wasn't justified and the evidence should be excluded because police at the time had no reason to suspect he was in San Francisco during the murder. But a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel said by a 2-1 vote that although police lacked probable cause to obtain a warrant, they acted in good faith under standards set by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the evidence could be used. The defendants were originally charged in state court, but federal prosecutors took over the case after those defendants and seven others were indicted on charges that included racketeering in connection with a Western Addition gang known as the Central Divisadero Playas. The two Giltons, Williams and one other defendant in the May 7 trial are accused of racketeering conspiracy. In an earlier trial, five members of the gang were convicted last year of racketeering conspiracy and two were additionally convicted of other murders. One other defendant pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A San Francisco Superior Court jury on Monday found a man guilty of murder for the 2012 death of a hairdresser who was found gagged and bound in his Twin Peaks neighborhood apartment after a night out in the city's Castro District. James Rickleffs, 52, killed Eriq Escalon, 28, by tying his hands with zip ties, gagging his mouth with a sock and then wrapping duct tape over his mouth. The sock had been soaked in amyl nitrite, an inhalant also known as poppers, prosecutors said. In addition to murder, the jury also found Rickleffs guilty of robbery, burglary and petty theft for taking items from Escalon's house after leaving him bound and gagged, including a wallet, checkbook, social security card, bank card and laptop. "Those who bring harm to others will be held accountable for their actions," District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. "My heart goes out to the victim's family, they have endured immeasurable loss." Escalon and Rickleffs met on June 11, 2012, at the bar 440 Castro. After meeting, video surveillance showed Escalon taking out $100 from an ATM as Rickleffs stood nearby and the pair then took a cab to Escalon's apartment. The following day, Escalon's roommate came home and found Escalon dead, bound and wrapped in a blanket, according to the district attorney's office. Investigators learned Escalon had been blindfolded, a scarf wrapped around his head and mouth and duct tape wrapped over it, in addition to his hands and feet being tied. He was also wearing a tank top and shorts, prosecutors said. An autopsy by the city's medical examiner's office revealed that Escalon died from an acute-mixed drug intoxication of nitrates and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, also known as GHB, and possibly asphyxia. During the trial, Rickleffs' attorney Deputy Public Defender Niki Solis said that upon meeting at the bar, Escalon struck a deal with Rickleffs in which Escalon agreed to pay Rickleffs $100 to take pictures at the apartment. Once at the apartment, after smoking cigarettes, drinking vodka, taking pictures and looking at pornography, Escalon asked Rickleffs to tie him up, Solis said. A reluctant Rickleffs agreed, but when he went to take a shower and returned to Escalon's bedroom, he found Escalon unconscious. Fearing he'd be blamed for the death, Rickleffs fled, she said. The day after Escalon was found dead, officers encountered Rickleffs in the city's North Beach neighborhood and inside a suitcase he had with him, officers found items belonging to both Escalon and his roommate. Investigators later recovered a knife with Rickleffs' DNA on it inside Escalon's apartment, although there was no evidence the knife was ever used. Officers arrested Rickleffs in August 2012, after they were able to obtain a DNA sample from him. During an interview, Rickleffs admitted to tying up Escalon and taking items from the apartment. A sentencing date for Rickleffs has not yet been determined. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. BERKELEY (BCN) The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has filed three felony charges against an Oakland man who allegedly attacked a conservative activist at University of California at Berkeley's Sproul Plaza last month. Zachary Greenberg, 28, is charged with assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, battery with serious bodily injury and criminal threats for his alleged attack on Hayden Williams, an organizer with the conservative group Turning Point USA, while Williams was manning a table at Sproul Plaza on Feb. 19. Greenberg, who was arrested Friday but is now free on bail, also is charged with misdemeanor vandalism causing less than $400 in damage. He's scheduled to be arraigned at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland at 9 a.m. Wednesday. UC police said that on Feb. 19, Williams was "tabling" for Turning Point when two men approached him, an argument started and a physical confrontation ensued when one of the two men slapped the phone out of the victim's hand. Police said the suspect, later identified as Greenberg, then knocked over the table Williams was at and the two men struggled over the phone. During the struggle, Greenberg allegedly punched Williams several times, causing injuries to his eye and nose, according to police. Videos of the incident went viral after being shared by conservative groups who alleged that the assault was a leftist attack on students' free speech. However, UC Berkeley has said Williams and Greenberg aren't students at the school. President Donald Trump took note of the incident and brought Williams onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday and encouraged him to sue UC Berkeley and the state of California. UC Berkeley issued a statement on Sunday saying that much of the reporting and commentary on the case is "willfully distorted and inaccurate." The university said critics who alleged that the delay in arresting and charging Greenberg was due to the imputed political beliefs of the campus administration "willfully impugned the integrity and independence of the excellent officers of the UC police, who seek to uphold the law regardless of who the perpetrators are, or what they happen to believe in." DALY CITY (BCN) One person suffered moderate injuries and at least three residents were displaced in a two-alarm house fire that broke out Monday morning in Daly City, the North County Fire Authority said. The fire was reported about 8:09 a.m. at a two-story, single-family home in the 200 block of Oliver Street, according to a fire authority news release. Firefighters contained the fire to the front half of the second floor. The home sustained smoke damage throughout the second floor and minor damage to the first floor. The injured person was taken to the hospital. No firefighters were injured. The Red Cross is assisting one of the displaced residents. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. BERKELEY (BCN) Police are investigating a sexual assault that was reported on the University of California at Berkeley campus shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday. The assault occurred in the area southeast of Stephens Hall by the creek, according to University of California police. The male suspect is known by the female victim, police said. Neither person is affiliated with the campus. Anyone with information about the alleged assault, or similar incidents, is asked to call UC Berkeley police at (510) 642-0472 during business hours or (510) 642-6760 at all other times. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Police said they are searching for a suspect who shot and wounded a teenager Monday morning in South San Francisco. The shooting occurred around 11:30 a.m. in the 10 block of Magnolia Avenue while the 17-year-old victim was standing near a parked vehicle, police said. The suspect and another person ran off after the shooting. The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries that were not life threatening. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call police at (650) 877-8900 or the anonymous tip line at (650) 952-2244. Anonymous tips also can be emailed to tips@ssf.net Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Hundreds of people mourning the death of San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi packed City Hall Monday morning to remember his legacy as the city's first Asian American elected to the position. During the memorial, city leaders and Adachi's close friends and family members shared their intimate memories of him. Adachi, 59, passed away on Feb. 22 after having dinner with a friend in North Beach. Police have ruled out foul play in the death. "I first met Jeff Adachi when I was 15 years old," said Mayor London Breed, who grew up in public housing in the city's Western Addition neighborhood. "A friend of mine had been arrested and I went to her home to check on her family. Sitting at the dining room table at my friend's home was a guy who definitely wasn't from our community," Breed said. "It turned out to be a young lawyer, a young deputy public defender. That's how I met Jeff, not at a political event or fundraiser, not when I was an elected official, but at a dining room table, trying to help someone in my community," she said. "Everyone knew that Jeff was here to help. Everyone knew that Jeff cared about our community and our community cared about Jeff." Breed said, "Jeff led the way on progressive policy reforms, from reducing recidivism, ending cash bail to standing up for undocumented and unrepresentative people. She said, "This past weekend was so hard for so many of us. Jeff was my friend ... but even more than that, Jeff was a champion for my community." Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown echoed the current mayor in his remarks about Adachi. "He was a standup friend and a talented lawyer. He chose to be a criminal defense lawyer in the public sector and not in the private," Brown said. "He was a strong advocate for every aspect of what ought to be rights of all people." Adachi's younger brother Stan Adachi also spoke to the crowd. "Jeff gave us strength," he said. "I come here before you today, like all of you, with a heavy heart and profound sadness as we say goodbye to Jeff. I think it's appropriate that we are here in San Francisco, in the heart of San Francisco, where Jeff made a career among the city, the community, and the people that my brother loved and cared for so deeply." Adachi was credited with advocating for the reform of the state's cash-bail system and with calling out alleged injustices happening within San Francisco's police and sheriff's departments, including allegations of abuse at the city's jails and racist text messages sent between police officers. He was also known for advocating for the families of victims of police shootings. The state's only elected public defender, Adachi was first elected in 2002. He attended University of California at Berkeley and graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. OAKLAND (BCN) The Oakland Unified School District board voted 4-3 on Monday to make $21.75 million in cuts to the district's budget for the 2019-20 school year. Oakland school superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammel said the cuts are necessary because the district faces a $56 million budget shortfall by the 2020-21 year if no reductions are made. In approving the cuts, the school board went against the wishes of dozens of students, teachers and community members who unanimously opposed the cuts at a rancorous three-hour public hearing at the meeting at La Escuelita Elementary School at 1025 Second Ave. Students criticized the board for reducing spending to libraries, restorative justice and foster youth case management programs and also said they're upset about plans to close many schools due to declining enrollment. Students swarmed to the front of the gym where the meeting was held following the vote, prompting school board president Aimee Eng to call for a 10-minute recess. During the hearing, many speakers went beyond the one-minute time limit and Eng threatened to continue the meeting in a separate room and without the public present. "We must have a level of respect if we are going to continue the meeting here," she said. The board initially was scheduled to vote on the budget cuts last Wednesday but that meeting and a second meeting scheduled for Friday were both postponed because striking teachers and their supporters formed picket lines to prevent board members and others from entering the meeting site. Members of the union that represent 3,000 Oakland teachers, nurses, counselors and other staff members voted on Sunday to approve an agreement that calls for them to receive an 11 percent raise over four years plus a one-time 3 percent bonus. School district officials weren't immediately available for comment on how many teachers and students returned to school on Monday. At the school board meeting on Monday, Glenda Serrano, a senior at Life Learning Academy, said, "I can't express the anger I feel right now." Serrano asked, "How is cutting our programs going to benefit anybody? Why were the students sacrificed?" Serrano said, "The only option you are leaving us is to do a student strike so we can get our student resources." Maxwell Stein, a student at Oakland Technical High School, said, "Students are angry. We are upset and we will not back down." Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Stanford Blood Center on Monday asked for urgent Type O negative blood donations because of a less than two-day supply remaining for local hospitals. In the past two weeks, partner hospitals used about 900 pints of blood to support three transplant patients, multiple cardiovascular patients, pediatric patients with bleeding disorders and others, the blood bank said. Blood banks across the country are experiencing shortages because of the winter flu and cold season, but Stanford Blood Center said it has been especially impacted by high usage at Bay Area hospitals. Type O negative blood is considered the "universal donor" since it can be used by patients with any blood type. The blood type is relatively rare, and the blood bank is also accepting all other donors. A Salinas eighth-grader correctly spelled "impossible" to take home the first-place trophy in the Monterey Countywide Spelling Bee on Sunday. Samuel Low of Washington Middle School breezed through words like "finesse," "douane," "schnecke," "pickelhaube" and "Croesus," to win the competition after 14 rounds. This was his third time attending the county spelling bee, according to organizers. Will Coen, an eighth-grader at Pacific Grove Middle School, and Grace Wang, an eighth-grader at Carmel Middle School, tied for second place. They correctly spelled challenging words such as "voortrekker," "Baedeker" and "tchotchke." Low will attend the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee from May 26-31 in Washington, D.C. He will be joined by Bay Area champion Rishik Gandhasri, a seventh-grader from Chaboya Middle School in San Jose. Police said they are searching for a suspect who shot and wounded a teenager Monday morning in South San Francisco. The shooting occurred around 11:30 a.m. in the 10 block of Magnolia Avenue while the 17-year-old victim was standing near a parked vehicle, police said. The suspect and another person ran off after the shooting. The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries that were not life threatening. Hilltop mall was put on lockdown for about an hour Monday evening as officers investigated a reported shooting inside the Richmond shopping center, police said. Shortly before 6 p.m., officers responded to a report of shots fired at the mall, according to Lt. Matt Stonebraker. When they arrived, witnesses reported that the male victim had taken himself to a hospital. He is being treated for injuries that were not life threatening. A group of males had been arguing outside the Shoe Palace shoe store before the shooting, Stonebraker said. After a gunshot was heard, the group fled in different directions. The shooting was not self-inflicted, he said. Tuesday will be rainy with highs in the mid 50s. Southwest winds will be 10 to 20 mph. Tuesday night will be breezy and rainy. There will be a slight chance of thunderstorms. Lows will be in the lower 50s. South winds will be 20 to 30 mph. Wednesday will be breezy and rainy. There will be a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning and a chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs will be in the upper 50s. South winds will be 20 to 30 mph, becoming southwest winds of 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. By Bay City News A two-day strike by some San Mateo County workers has resulted in a few closed health clinics and many services remain minimally available, according to county officials. The strike by human services employees kicked off Tuesday morning after negotiations broke down over working conditions and retiree health care, according to a spokesman for the striking workers' union. "There are a lot of remaining issues on the table," said John Tucker, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 829. The employees, numbering between 850 to 915 people, have been in talks with the county since June 2018 but were unable to reach an agreement, according to Tucker. The county has reported that the David Lewis Community Reentry Center, the Shasta Clinic pharmacy and the East Palo Alto Clinic are closed due to the strike. There are also no mobile clinic services at the Fair Oaks Community Center on Tuesday and none at the Redwood City Caltrain station Tuesday and Wednesday. The mobile clinic will continue to provide services to homeless shelters, however, and all offices of the Human Services Agency will remain open but providing "minimal services," county officials said. The agency provides food and shelter assistance, foster child services and employment services, among other things. "There are some impacts," county spokeswoman Michelle Durand said. "But we're pulling together and hoping to weather this out and get back to the negotiating table and get to an agreement." The strikers are largely comprised of behavioral health and recovery services workers, including licensed therapists who work with people recovering from addiction, Tucker said. Also, many are benefit analysts who help people apply for Medicare, CalFresh and Medi-Cal. The workers, 95 percent of whom are on the picket lines Tuesday, are concerned with issues that impact working conditions, including supervisor-to-staff ratios, understaffing and staff retention, Tucker said. The union has suggested allowing workers to telecommute and "some other smarter ways to do things, but we've not been able to get a commitment from the county," Tucker said. Another sticking point involves retiree health care. The union wants to change the current system, which ties the amount of sick days a worker has on the books to that person's ability to fund their health care in retirement. "When you retire, you basically cash out your sick leave on the books and that's how your retiree health care is funded," Tucker said. If a worker is off work to deal with an extended illness, care for an ill family member or for maternity leave, for example, that person won't have the money for retiree health care, according to Tucker. The union also represents 10 other bargaining units in San Mateo County, all of which were also in negotiations with the county and all of which reached contract agreements. As part of those agreements, the county will assemble a "labor-management committee" to review sick leave and retiree health care policies, according to county officials. The county is also offering a 12 percent pay increase over three years that includes smaller "longevity" increases for employees who have been with the county for a number of years and increases for people in jobs that are difficult to fill, Durand said. "The contract is generous and equitable," Durand said. "In addition to wanting to fairly compensate our employees, we have to be fiscally responsible overall, not only for these employees and future employees but all of our taxpayers and residents." The other bargaining units include hospital and medical center staff, public safety dispatchers and parks workers, among others. For updates on the strike's impacts, people can visit https://news.smcgov.org. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Molecular puzzle reveals unknown stages of fetal development By applying gene analysis to individual cells from early mouse embryos, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered previously unknown cellular stages of fetal development from fertilised egg to living being. The study is published in the scientific journal Cell Reports. All over the world, researchers are trying to find all the pieces of the puzzle describing how a fertilised egg develops into a healthy being, in order to gain a detailed understanding of the differentiation process from the totipotent stem cell. This knowledge is essential to understanding the mechanisms behind congenital diseases and fetal malformation, and eventually, how to treat diseases using stem cells. "Being able to follow the differentiation process of every cell is the Holy Grail of developmental biology." says Qiaolin Deng, researcher at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, and Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden. Dr Deng has led the study, which has revealed new details of the critical phase between the attachment of the embryo to the uterus and the formation of the first anatomical axis, at which point the embryonic cells begin their journey towards creating a body, with a front and a back. "It's a critical period when the whole anatomical plane is created," she says. "If it doesn't go smoothly, it can cause fetal malformation or death." However, the developmental states of the cells that take part in the process is not always the same. In order to map what happens in individual cells, the researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing on a total of 1,724 cells from 28 mouse embryos in four early stages of development (5.25 to 6.5 days old). An average of 8,577 genes were expressed in each cell. Using bioinformatic analysis, the cells were then sorted into different cell types on the basis of which genes were active or inactive, allowing the researchers to see the order in which the genes were switched on. The result was a molecular road-map of the events that control cell differentiation. "The study has revealed previously unknown details about what happens before the early embryo gains its first spatial orientation, and shown that the cells along the future head-tail axis have different differentiation potential," says Dr Deng. At the same time as the anatomical axis starts to form, another process gets underway in the female embryo, which contains two X chromosomes, one from each biological parent. Previous studies on mice have shown that the paternal X chromosome is first switched off completely in the embryo so that female embryos do not have twice the genetic activity as male. The paternal X chromosome copy remains switched off in the cells that form the placenta and the yolk sack, but is reactivated in the embryo's cells. Then a random inactivation of the maternal or paternal X chromosome occurs. Female embryos therefore comprise a "mosaic" of cells, in which either the maternal or paternal X chromosome is active. The new study shows that the first inactivation of the paternal X copy does not happen to the extent previously believed. "What's interesting, molecule-wise, is that the paternal X chromosomes that are reactivated never have been completely switched off. The random inactivation also takes place at different rates in the embryo's cells." The results of the study shed new light on the early development of the embryo in animals, humans included. "Knowledge of the events and factors that govern the development of the early embryo is indispensable for understanding miscarriages and congenital disease," says Dr Deng. "Around three in every 100 babies are born with fetal malformation caused by faulty cellular differentiation." ### The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Tech University, Tongji University (Shanghai) and the University of Sydney (Australia). It was financed with grants from the Swedish Research Council, SSMF, the Ake Wiberg foundation, the KID foundation, KI faculty-funded career grant and the Jeansson foundation. Publication: "Single-cell RNA-seq reveals cellular heterogeneity of pluripotency transition and X-chromosome dynamics during early mouse development". Shangli Cheng, Yu Pei, Liqun He, Guangdun Peng, Bjorn Reinius, Patrick P L Tam, Naihe Jing, Qiaolin Deng. Cell Reports, online 5 March 2019. This story has been published on: 2019-03-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka each donated to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) when she was running for reelection to the office of California Attorney General several years ago, the Sacramento Bee reports. Before serving in the Senate and announcing her presidential run, Harris was elected as California's attorney general in 2010. She ran for reelection in 2014, and also won that race. It was during her first term as attorney general that the Trump family donated to her campaign. In 2011, President Trump gave Harris $5,000; he gave another $1,000 in 2013. Then in 2014, Ivanka Trump donated $2,000. L.A. Times reporter Javier Panzar previously reported that Donald Trump donated to Harris' campaign. (Panzar also reported that Trump similarly donated to the campaigns of Gavin Newsom in 2009 and Jerry Brown in 2006.) RELATED: Report: Kamala Harris campaign raises $1.5 million in first 24 hours However, as the Bee now reports, Harris' spokesperson Ian Sams says Harris didn't use Trump's donation. Rather, in 2015 a year after she had already been reelected and was working toward a Senate run she gave the $6,000 to a nonprofit that works to secure civil rights for Central Americans. Trump has previously brushed off his bipartisan donations as a business strategy. "I give to to everybody," he said in a debate in 2015. "They call, I give. And you know what, when I need something from them two years later, three years later, I call them, they are there for me." RELATED: 17 things you might not know about Kamala Harris In any case, any admiration the two ever had for each other appears to have completely deteriorated. Last July, the White House's official Twitter account accused Harris of "supporting the animals of MS-13." Then, last month, Harris told The Root that she believes the president is a racist, saying, "When you talk about him calling African countries s---hole countries, when you talk about him referring to immigrants as rapists and murderers, I don't think you can reach any other conclusion." Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira. TravelSkills on SFGate is brought to you by Visa Unless you were hiding under your umbrella, you likely know by now that Southwest Airlines announced Hawaii flight schedules and roundtrip fares for as little as $98 yesterday. Bargain hunters snatched up those cheap seats quickly and currently nearly all of Southwest's spring season flights are already sold out. Within hours of Southwest's announcement, we found other airlines rolling out equally eye-popping fares. For example, Alaska Airlines roundtrip California-Hawaii fares fell to just $198 roundtrip for a few hours on Monday. (See our post here.) This morning, the fare war battlefield has calmed down a bit, with the lowest nonstop fares for spring trips in the $278-$298 roundtrip range on Alaska, Hawaiian and United Airlines. When Hawaii fares drop below $300 roundtrip, you know you've got a good deal on your hands, so these represent great value. These current crop of fares are good for springtime flights, and then rise to around $400-$500 on June 15 when peak summer season kicks into gear. Springtime flights: To get the best deals, you'll have to fly on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday in both directions between now and mid-June. Currently, Hawaiian's fares represent the best value as they are not as restricted as Alaska's "Saver" or United's "basic economy" fares. Those on Alaska's Saver fares only have access to overhead bin space at the last minute. United is offering $298 roundtrip basic economy fares, which do not allow access to overhead bin space at all and don't allow seat selection-- not a good idea if you want to sit with your friends or family for the 5-6 hour flights. You can avoid those restrictions by paying $358 for a regular economy ticket on United. Update: Alaska Airlines just rolled out a new Captain Marvel themed sale including many Hawaii routes. The lowest fares from the Bay Area are mostly on flights from Oakland and San Jose, the two airports from which Southwest will fly starting this spring. United's sale fares depart SFO. Also, you'll find better and more numerous deals to outlying islands vs Honolulu. Here's an example of mid-May fares in the $278-$378 range. Summertime flights: Peak summer season in Hawaii runs from about June 15 until August 15. Typically, roundtrip fares during peak season run in the $600-$700 range. But with all the new competition, we are seeing fares drop below $400 for a handful of summer season flights-- that's also a remarkably good deal. For example in mid-July, several of Alaska's lowest Saver fares are just $398 roundtrip My advice to fence sitters? If you see a fare that fits into your schedule and budget, go ahead and grab it now. Fares are likely at their lowest point right now due to the Southwest announcements. Plus, with more people flying to Hawaii than ever, you'll have an increasingly tough time finding hotels, Airbnbs, rental cars, etc at decent prices or at all as sell-outs are expected due to the influx of visitors. Will you take a dip down to the islands this spring or summer? Tell us in the comments! Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis. An atmospheric river with a bull's-eye over Central California will brush the Bay Area Tuesday and Wednesday, delivering light to moderate rainfall. Forecasters predict the system packed with tropical moisture will drop .5 to 1.5 inches of rain in most locations across two days, except 2 to 3 inches in the North Bay mountains and Santa Cruz Mountains and 3 to 5 inches in the Santa Lucia Mountains above Big Sur. The Bay Area will see scattered showers Tuesday, with steady moderate rainfall mixed with short heavy downpours and thunderstorms in the forecast for Wednesday. "We're not going to have a direct hit from the atmospheric river in the Bay Area," says Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Monterey. "The best chance of that occurring is along the Big Sur Coast, but even then we're not expecting the atmospheric river to stall out like what happened last week in the North Bay." An atmospheric river sat over Sonoma, Napa and Marin Counties for 36 hours last week, resulting in eye-popping rainfall totals between 5 to 20 inches. Amid the torrential downpour severe flooding occurred on creeks, streams and main stem rivers. The Russian River saw the worst flooding in more than 20 years (see photos in gallery above). ALSO: Photos show eerie scene as Guerneville recovers from massive flooding While rainfall will be moderate in Northern California with this storm, a region stretching from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara is expected to see a heavier dose with totals up to 3 inches. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is ordering residents in several areas previously hit by wildfires to evacuate ahead of Tuesday's storms, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports. The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management says in a tweet that the Sheriff's Office is requiring residents in the Thomas, Whittier and Sherpa fire burn areas to leave their homes. The newspaper says the region is expected to get heavy rains from a strong storm system this week. A map published by the County Office of Emergency Management indicates that much of Montecito is at risk of mudslides during the storms, the Tribune report. MORE: Winter storms wash drought almost completely off California map Atmospheric rivers carry long streams of water vapor through the atmosphere (250 to 375 miles wide on average) and are like rivers in the sky. On the West Coast, they most often originate in the South Pacific. As they travel from the tropics across the ocean, they collect incredible amounts of moisture, and funnel it into cities like San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle, where the runoff systems are often unequipped to deal with the days-long deluge. An atmospheric river carrying moisture from as far away as Hawaii to the West Coast is what's known as a "pineapple express." When an atmospheric river hits landfall, the water vapor rises and cools, unleashing precipitation. The amount that falls is dependent upon the strength of the storm and its moisture content. The system moving into California Tuesday formed when an upper-level area of low-pressure moving from the West tapped into a plume of moisture stretching to the subtropics. The Associated Press contributed to this report. LONDON Senior European Union and British officials are set to hold more Brexit talks less than a month before the United Kingdom is scheduled to leave the bloc, as U.K. officials denied Monday that attempts to seal a divorce deal are deadlocked. EU and U.K. officials said the blocs chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, will meet U.K. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox on Tuesday. Prime Minister Theresa Mays spokesman, James Slack, said the two sides have definitely been making progress over the past few weeks and negotiations are at a critical point. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, but Parliament has rejected Mays deal, raising the prospect of a chaotic, economically damaging departure from the bloc. British lawmakers objections center on a provision to guarantee there are no customs posts or other barriers along the currently invisible border between the U.K.s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. The mechanism, known as the backstop, is a safeguard that would keep the U.K. in a customs union with the EU to remove the need for checks until a permanent new trading relationship is in place. Brexit-supporting lawmakers in the U.K. fear the backstop could be used to bind Britain to EU regulations indefinitely, and May wants to revise the deal to reassure opponents that it would only apply temporarily. EU leaders insist that the legally binding Brexit withdrawal agreement cant be reopened, and talks are focusing on drafting an addendum or other additional words. We are happy to offer further clarifications and further assurances if that can help the U.K. government get the agreement over the line, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Monday. As the stalemate continues, pressure is growing for a delay to Brexit, or a new referendum on Britains EU membership. Jill Lawless and Raf Casert are Associated Press writers. MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin on Monday suspended Russias participation in a key nuclear arms treaty, following Washingtons decision to withdraw from it. Putins decree means Russia is suspending its obligations under the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty and will continue to do so until the U.S. ends its violations of the treaty or until it terminates. The U.S. gave notice of its intention to withdraw from the INF a month ago, setting the stage for it to terminate in six months unless Moscow returns to compliance. Russia has denied any breaches, and accused the U.S. of violating the pact. The U.S. has accused Russia of developing and deploying a cruise missile that violates provisions of the pact that ban production, testing and deployment of land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 310 to 3,410 miles. The move also reflected the Trump administrations view that the treaty was an obstacle to efforts needed to counter intermediate-range missiles deployed by China, which isnt part of the treaty. Russia has charged that the U.S. has breached the pact by deploying missile defense facilities in eastern Europe that could fire cruise missiles instead of interceptors a claim rejected by the U.S. The collapse of the INF Treaty has stoked fears of a return to a Cold War-era Europe missile crisis, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union both deployed intermediate-range missiles on the continent during the 1980s. Such weapons take shorter time to reach their targets compared to intercontinental ballistic missiles, and their deployment was seen as particularly destabilizing, leaving no time for decision-makers and raising the likelihood of a global nuclear conflict over a false launch warning. Vladimir Isachenkov is an Associated Press writer. BAGHOUZ, Syria Hundreds of people including members of the Islamic State group evacuated their last foothold in eastern Syria on Monday, hours after U.S.-backed Syrian troops said they were forced to slow their advance because the extremists were using civilians as human shields. A spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces Mustafa Bali tweeted that the battle to retake Baghouz, the last territory in Syria held by the Islamic State group, was going to be over soon. An SDF official said some 500 people, including fighters, surrendered and evacuated the village of Baghouz and its surrounding areas. Ciyager, the nom de guerre of an official with the Kurdish-led SDF, added that 200 more people were expected to evacuate the area. Dozens of men, women and children climbed hills on foot and were later seen getting into small trucks after they were searched by SDF fighters manning the evacuation corridor. Shortly before sunset, more than 20 cars came out of the area carrying men, women and children some of whom appeared to be foreigners. Some of the men were of fighting age and appeared able while others carried crutches. One woman covered in black flashed a victory sign as she left. An SDF official who goes by Mervan The Brave said many Islamic State gunmen were still inside and prepared to fight. This is not the end. We maybe on the threshold of a new battle, he said. He said those who left the area included people from Bosnia, Turkestan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Syria and a man who claims hes French. An SDF spokeswoman said the offensive has slowed down but pressure is being kept up away from the corridor to prevent fighters from infiltrating or sabotaging the area. She spoke on condition of anonymity. The U.S.-backed forces resumed their offensive on Baghouz on Friday, after a two-week pause to allow for the evacuation of civilians. Retaking the small slice of land would be a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to end Islamic States self-proclaimed caliphate that once straddled a vast territory across both Syria and Iraq. Were slowing down the offensive due to a small number of civilians held as human shields, Bali said. IS militants are desperately fighting to hang on to the last tiny piece of land in eastern Syria, deploying snipers and guided missiles and using dug-out tunnels for surprise attacks. On Sunday, black smoke billowed over the besieged speck of land after air strikes hit several targets. Sarah El Deeb is an Associated Press writer. Seventy-six wild pangolins were rescued after smugglers stuffed them in mesh bags to be shipped to China where they were destined to be eaten. The driver from the poaching syndicate, Sompol Mekchai, 45, was stopped after trying to evade a police checkpoint in Prachuap Khiri Khan, southern Thailand on Sunday (March 3). Officers from the Sam Roi Yot district chased Sompols pickup truck as they suspected the strong odour of wild animals was coming from his vehicle. The 18 mesh bags of pangolins were found stacked in the cargo area underneath a pile of wooden planks and construction equipment, which had been laid out to try and hide the animals. Sompol admitted smuggling the animals and told police that he received the orders by phone but had ''never met his employer''. He said he was under instructions to drive 200 miles and transfer the live pangolins to a cargo ship bound for China. They would then be unloaded and served up illegally for wealthy locals to eat. Sompol, who has been in custody while police interrogate him, said: ''I had done it for three times now. All I had to do was to pick up the pangolins from Khlong Wan Subdistrict, Prachuap Khiri Khan and drive them to Pathum Thani Province where the ship was.'' The smuggler is facing charges of illegal possession of protected wildlife, which violates the Wildlife Act of 1992. Police Colonel Chalermwut Wongwiangchan, the Sam Roi Yot police chief, has ordered officers to investigate more details on the trafficking route and the identification of Sompols boss. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This includes cookies from third party social media websites and ad networks. Such third party cookies may track your use on Sharedots sites for better rendering. Our partners use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on Sharedots website. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn more Page Content [Updated: March 7 after the DOL proposed a new salary threshold for the white-collar exemptions.] The Department of Labor's (DOL's) new overtime rule proposal would set a $35,308 salary threshold for the white-collar exemptions. But meeting the salary cutoff is just one requirement for classifying workers as exempt. Employers should also take the time to review workers' job duties to ensure they satisfy the applicable exemption's criteria. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), workers must be paid 1 1/2 times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek unless they fall under an exemption. The most commonly used exemptions are the administrative, executive and professional, collectively called white-collar exemptions. Until a new threshold is finalized, exempt employees must be paid on a salary basis at least $23,660 annually (or $455 a week). "Some employers are under the impression that if employees are paid a salary, then they are exempt from overtime," said Alfred Robinson Jr., an attorney with Ogletree Deakins in Washington, D.C., and a former acting administrator of the DOL's Wage and Hour Division. But there's more to the analysis. "Once an employer is confident that the employee meets the minimum salary threshold, then the employer should turn its attention to analyzing whether the employee's job duties fall within the classifications of the applicable exemption," said Anne Cherry Barnett, an attorney with Reed Smith in San Francisco. Multiple Factors Evaluated "The duties tests are dependent on a variety of factors," said Tamara Devitt, an attorney with Haynes and Boone in Costa Mesa, Calif. Each of the three white-collar exemptions has slightly different criteria: Executive exemption. The employee's primary duty must be managing the enterprise or a department or subdivision of the enterprise. The employee must customarily and regularly direct the work of at least two employees and have the authority to hire or fire workers (or the employee's suggestions and recommendations as to hiring, firing or changing the status of other employees must be given particular weight). The employee's primary duty must be managing the enterprise or a department or subdivision of the enterprise. The employee must customarily and regularly direct the work of at least two employees and have the authority to hire or fire workers (or the employee's suggestions and recommendations as to hiring, firing or changing the status of other employees must be given particular weight). Administrative exemption. The employee's primary duty must be performing office or nonmanual work that is directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer's customers. The employee's primary duty also must include the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance. The employee's primary duty must be performing office or nonmanual work that is directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer's customers. The employee's primary duty also must include the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance. Professional exemption. The employee's primary duty must be to perform work requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning that is customarily acquired by prolonged, specialized, intellectual instruction and study. Of the three white-collar exemptions, the administrative exemption is the least straightforward and creates the most challenges for employers, Devitt said. "Employers can sometimes fail to recognize the complexities of the exemption analysis and do not undertake the careful review that should be done before classifying an employee as exempt." The most common misconception may be the required level of discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance necessary to qualify for the administrative exemption, said Josh Woodard, an attorney with Snell & Wilmer in Phoenix. Employers sometimes place too much emphasis on the salary threshold of the exemption, believing that the exemption is met if the employee is paid a salary and performs nonmanual, office work. "This can lead to the employee and/or the government challenging the FLSA classification," he said. "In general, the exercise of discretion and independent judgment involves the comparison and the evaluation of possible courses of conduct and acting or making a decision after the various possibilities have been considered," according to a DOL fact sheet. [SHRM members-only toolkit: Determining Overtime Eligibility in the United States] Highly compensated employees whose total compensation is at least $100,000 a year are exempt from the FLSA's overtime requirements if they meet a more "relaxed" duties test, as follows: The employee's primary duty is office or nonmanual work. The employee "customarily and regularly" performs at least one of the bona fide exempt duties of an executive, administrative or professional employee, as described in the regulations. Under the DOL's new proposal, the salary threshold for highly compensated employees would increase to $147,414 a year. Compliance Tips The employer has the burden of demonstrating that the exemption applies, Devitt said. "So employers should be thoughtful and careful about classifying employees as exempt." Businesses should start by creating accurate job descriptions that are tailored to each position, she suggested. Then, employers should ensure that the job descriptions are kept up-to-date, and they should continually monitor jobs for any changes. "Employers would be well-served to carefully analyze each exempt position on an employee-by-employee basis," Woodard said. They should understand the work and duties performed by the employee whose job is being analyzed under the regulations, Robinson noted. The content or duties of the jobnot the job titleare the key to determining the proper classification under the FLSA, he added. "Given the complexity of the analysis and the risk of getting it wrong, it is a good idea for employers to include a wage and hour lawyer in the analysis process," Devitt said. [Visit SHRM's resource page on FLSA exemption classification.] The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in consultation with the Finance Ministry plans to split the initial public offering involving 25 per cent stake in telecom engineering and consultancy firm Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) into parts. This will involve TCIL raising funds by issuing 10 per cent fresh equity shares and the government divesting 15 per cent of its equity in the company. Sources said the 10 per cent IPO may mobilize Rs 600 crore required to fund TCIL's own expansion plans and for its US subsidiary. The government share sale may fetch around Rs 1,000 crore. As per the initial plan, the TCIL issue may come up around the July-September quarter. DIPAM will also shortly call for a meeting on the appointment of a merchant banker for the proposed IPO. The market offer of the tecom consultancy firm is part of listing plan for six Central Public Sector Enterprises. Sources said that DoT will soon move a cabinet note proposing the 25 per cent stake sale. This stake sale will also involve the company issuing fresh equity shares to mobilize resources for its own requirement as TCIL is undertaking many telecom and IT projects in India. TCIL will use a provision called piggyback transactions of the disinvestment department, DIPAM. DIPAM rules say in case of issue of fresh equity in conjunction with the sale of the government stake (piggyback transactions) for listing, CCEA approval will be obtained by the ministry concerned in this case, DoT. Asked why the issue would go to the cabinet again given that the overall 25 per cent stake sale already has cabinet approval, sources said the original cabinet approval was not for the 15 per cent and 10 per cent split of equity. "We need the funds for our project, so we had to go for the split," said the source. Piggyback funding has already been done in Kochin Refinery earlier. In any case 25 per cent is a very high for listing. Normally equity sale for IPO happens for 10 -12 per cent range. If government is going for 15 per cent stake sale, then give 10 per cent to company also which is struggling for cash. TCIL has an orderbook of Rs 10,000 crore and it needs to give advance bank guarantees for executing the order. This requires funding support where the public offer will come handy. So far Cabinet nod has been received for the overall 25 per cent equity dilution not for the splitting of the IPO into 15 per cent (for government) and 10 per cent (for TCIL), sources said. TCIL is one of the six PSU whose IPOs are lined up next fiscal, as per DIPAM roadmap. Sources said the company is banking on its JV with Bharti -- Bharti-Hexacom -- which operates in North East and Rajasthan for higher valuation for its shares in the upcoming IPO. Read More News: IAF's 12 Mirage 2000 Jets Bomb Pakistan with 1000 KGs of Bombs War memorial may replace Amar Jawan Jyoti as venue for paying tribute to fallen soldiers STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Colin Josts WWE debut was cringeworthy -- in a good way. The SNL Weekend Update anchor and his fellow co-star Michael Che appeared on Monday Night Raw in Philadelphia. Jost, a Staten Island native, rocked a Mets hat in enemy territory, upset Braun Strowman to the point where the gigantic wrestler choked him, and was on the wrong end of a handful of awkward experiences. Jost, usually the guy making the jokes, was instead the target throughout the night. The former Advance intern and Staten Island Summer directors Raw experience wasnt nearly as good as Ches. The co-anchor shared a hug with Stephanie McMahon. Jost tried to do the same, but was met with a handshake. Jost was also denied a photo with another WWE personality, who only wanted a picture with Che. And Josts decision to wear a Mets hat (in Philly, a city the SNL personality roasted on Saturday) appeared to be a constant reminder of how little Jost is meant to hang with the WWE crowd. All of it made for good theater during Josts introduction to the wrestling world. The significance of their visit to Raw is important because, according to the WWE, Jost and Che will be returning to the wrestling universe as special guest correspondents for WrestleMania 35, which is set for April 7 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Che, for those interested, looked as if he was having a blast. Perhaps by the end of the WWEs Super Bowl-like event, Jost will be the guy everyone wants to hug. Or maybe hell be unconscious, lying in the rubble of a busted Weekend Update desk next to a shredded Mets hat. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York Citys revolutionary Fair Fares program, offering half-priced MetroCards for low-income city residents, will soon be expanded to cover even more New Yorkers in need. Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced Monday that beginning this fall, the Fair Fares program will be expanded to include eligible NYCHA residents, students enrolled in CUNY and military veterans below 100 percent of the poverty line. Were doing all we can to help low-income riders get around in a city that can be very difficult to afford. We think this program will go a long way toward making our city even fairer and were excited to expand this unprecedented initiative to more New Yorkers, said de Blasio. On Jan. 4, de Blasio and Johnson rolled out the first phase of the Fair Fares program, providing discounted fare MetroCards to approximately 30,000 working residents who qualify for cash assistance benefits. Eligible participants began receiving phone calls from the Department of Social Services, informing them of their eligibility and inviting them to visit a nearby distribution site to pick up their discounted MetroCards. Participants are currently able to purchase discounted seven-day or 30-day values during the first phase of the programs rollout. No New Yorker should have to choose between a swipe and a meal. Fair Fares is an example of our Citys commitment to providing equal opportunity for all. I am excited we are starting the outreach program, which will enable us to expand Fair Fares and help as many New Yorkers as possible, said Johnson. The city has announced that the pay-per-ride option for the Fair Fares program will be launching ahead of schedule, in mid-March. The second phase of the program, set to begin in April, will expand the eligibility pool to include approximately 130,000 working New Yorkers receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. In January 2020, an open enrollment process will be launched for all eligible New Yorkers at or below the Federal poverty line who dont already receive discounted transportation from the MTA or the city. All those previously enrolled in the program will remain eligible, but will be required to re-enroll. In an effort to promote the program, the city has launched a three-month targeted advertising campaign, appearing on social media platforms and Google keyword searches, specifically targeting the 25 New York City zip codes with the most eligible residents. The discounted MetroCards can be used on any New York City subway or non-express bus. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Watergate was over in a little over two years. The break-in at the Watergate Hotel took place on June 17, 1972. On Aug. 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned from office. Its the greatest scandal in American history, the scandal by which all others are measured. Done and finished in two years, from the first inkling of something fishy going on to the unprecedented downfall of a U.S. president. And an actual crime started it all. If only things progressed that fast these days. President Donald Trump has been under investigation practically since the day he assumed office more than two years ago. And theres no end in sight. And no crime sparked this investigation. Just an out-of-left-field result in a presidential election, a result that Democrats refuse to accept. Trump couldnt have won fair and square. He must have cheated. Democrats have sought to delegitimize Trump from the beginning. Its part of their standard playbook. They never accepted George W. Bush as president either, even though now the Democrats and their media co-conspirators genuflect at the mere mention of the Bush name. Boy, what a great family. Decent, honorable Americans. What statesmen those Bushes were. I cant believe we ever called them idiots and war criminals. Now that the Democrats control the House of Representatives, theyve opened a new front in their battle against Trump. The House Judiciary Committee is looking at obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power charges. The committee wants documents. Lots and lots of documents. Tax returns. Financial records. Theyre seeking documents from at least 81 people in the Trump orbit. It's a huge net. Surely theyll catch some fish, right? Which has been another tactic in this whole thing: Keep digging. Something will turn up. A punishment in search of a crime. If youre a family member or even the most casual associate of Trumps, youre a target. Well lean on you until you give us something on him. Guilt by association. Thats the way the criminal justice system is supposed to work, isnt it? What all this tells you is that the Dems think that Special Counsel Robert Muellers report on Russia collusion is going to be a dud. Or at least not enough to dislodge Trump from office. They need backup plans. We havent seen any proof of collusion between Trump and the Kremlin. That proof may yet emerge. But until then, the Dems move on to other items, like Trumps tax returns, which have become an obsession-fueling white whale to the Dems. Dems act like the Capitol is on fire, but some things are actually working as designed, if theyd care to notice. GOP senators are pushing back hard against Trumps declaration of a national emergency at the border. The check-and-balance system is working. Trump isnt running amok. The GOP isnt taking a dive for him. The Dems are playing a dangerous game. In their zeal to topple Trump, theyll make pre-presidential actions and business dealings into impeachable offenses. Do they think that that wont come back and bite a Dem president down the road? Nixon approved the hush money payments to the Watergate burglars. He wanted the CIA to squash the FBI investigation of Watergate. He obstructed justice. He committed high crimes while in office. A textbook case of impeachable offenses. The Dems dont care how long they have to work to make something stick to Trump. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A new ruling by the Trump Administration significantly restricts access to health services for low-income individuals, alleges a lawsuit filed Tuesday by 21 state attorneys general. The ruling, which passed on Feb. 22, revises the regulations that govern funding for Title X. Title X is the only federal grant program that provides monies for family planning programs that help individuals access contraception, breast and cervical cancer screenings, well-women exams, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and other related health services. These new rules are baseless, dangerous, and will prevent millions of people from obtaining access to quality and safe care, said New York Attorney General Letitia James. If implemented, the ruling would reduce access and erode the quality of reproductive health care that Title X was originally intended to provide care for low income individuals, the lawsuit alleges. It would also prevent the health care provider and patient relationship by limiting what a doctor can say to a patient in what the lawsuit is calling a gag rule. Additionally, clinics that perform abortions will not be able to perform them in the same space where other patients are seen. Issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), providers in any clinic that receives Title X funding like Planned Parenthood would be barred from referring a patient for an abortion, even upon request. It also mandates providers refer a pregnant woman to prenatal care, regardless of the needs or wishes of the patient. Planned Parenthood Federation of American and the American Medical Association also filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon. Twenty additional states including New York have joined Oregon in the lawsuit. Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the ruling a war on reproductive rights by the Trump administration. These rules are unethical and unconstitutional, and as promised, we will fight them in court to send a clear message that New York will always protect the fundamental rights of women, Cuomo said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A threat made to I.S. 34 in Tottenville has been deemed not credible, according to a tweet sent out by the 123rd Precinct. According to a spokesman for the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, an unnamed individual received a screenshot on Snapchat that made a threat towards the school. The screenshot read, Im about to shoot up 34, the spokesman said. While the spokesman said that the incident is still under investigation, the 123rd Precinct said that the matter has been thoroughly investigated on Twitter. Recently, I saw a post on LinkedIn praising a church in a minority community for having a seminar on the coming wave of cannabis to New York and how the community could profit from it. I watched the video attached and found myself in disbelief. The pastor was excited about giving his congregants the chance to make money off a drug that permanently changes the brain functioning in children and young adults -- a gateway drug that is known to bring our children down the dark path of addiction. How could a church promote drug use by encouraging its community to embrace the financial benefits of legalizing marijuana? Its OK to make money off it because its going to be legal? Has the church lost is moral compass? I cant think of anything but Judas and the 30 pieces of silver. We sacrifice our children for money? Isnt that one of the lessons we learn from the Old Testament? We should not sacrifice our children to false gods. The title of the LinkedIn posting was, I am so proud of my church. Perhaps the person posting forgot that pride is a deadly sin. But, more than pride, it was the idea that minorities would ignore the fact that their communities suffer disproportionately from drugs and all the unintended consequences of their illegal use. Being the first business adopters in New York when it is legalized gives them a financial advantage as well as a lions share for owning and answering to God for the lives they mislead. Would that same congregation be excited if a Seagrams liquor distributor came in and offered the many advantages of profiting from beer and alcohol? If a church is licking its lips to profit from this mind-altering drug, is there any chance Albany is not salivating over the taxes it will collect from its legalization? Marijuana legalization is New York states coordinated effort to sell out our children and their futures so it can collect more taxes to pay for its already bloated government. My advice to the church and the state is a quote from Nancy Regan: Just say No! (John J. Caufield is a Richmond resident.) Student loan debt has skyrocketed in the United States, with debt increasing by 102 percent since 2009. Young people are saddled with decades of debt, hindering their ability to purchase homesand actively participate in the economy. However, college degrees are considered a necessity for most new jobs, with nine out of 10 new jobs created in 2017 going to people with some form of higher education. Some say the government should start paying for this new necessity. What do you think? Student loan debt is now one the largest financial burdens Americans carry. Per Forbes: The latest student loan debt statistics for 2019 show how serious the student loan debt crisis has become for borrowers across all demographics and age groups. There are more than 44 million borrowers who collectively owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt in the U.S. alone. Student loan debt is now the second highest consumer debt category - behind only mortgage debt - and higher than both credit cards and auto loans. Borrowers in the Class of 2017, on average, owe $28,650, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. Student Loan Debt Statistics In 2019: A $1.5 Trillion Crisis Many argue simply turning financial aid over to state and federal governments will not solve the problem. Currently, financial aid comes from myriad sources, both public and private. Private funding is frequently more stable than its federal counterpart, as there is no requirement to balance budgets or fights over cutting taxes to change their bottom line. Per the Nation: The question of financial sustainability looms largest for legislators. Its easier to promise a free degree down the line when budgeting one fiscal year at a time. College Promise programs are typically funded by a hodgepodge of private and public sources, from technology and oil companies to liberal philanthropic trusts, or even state lottery funds. If state budgets are as unstable as poor students yearly incomes, a Promise could turn out to be just as precarious, subject to political whims, or the politicized agendas of large donors (like tech companies looking for STEM graduates), all of which could make it nearly impossible to guarantee funding for the duration of students long-term degree programs. (Besides, many could suffer from low job prospects even after graduation). What Do Debt-Free College Plans Actually Mean for Students? Even if funding was subsidized by the government, the relationship between states and the federal government is frequently antagonistic. In July 2018, Democrats proposed a bill which they hoped would overhaul tuition funding. According to the Washington Post, it also pointed out some glaring issues with federal oversight of education. Democrats are proposing to give students the chance to earn a degree without debt, in part by creating a state-federal partnership that calls on states to provide two years of community college tuition-free. In exchange for federal funding, states would have to promise to invest more in higher education and maintain those investments. But such a requirement would probably face pushback even in some states with liberal-leaning politicians, said Robert Kelchen, assistant professor of higher education at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. In many states, legislators shift money from higher education to other areas in which spending is mandated. Taking away that flexibility would be a nonstarter in many states, he said. Debt-free college? House Democrats introduce higher education bill Even if states agree to work with the federal government, problems could quickly arise. States also have a history of micromanaging where and how educational money is spent. The Atlantic describes restrictions which could be put on state money. But the disadvantage of focusing on state programs is that states simply have less money. Doing it at the state level is uniquely challenging just because there are much more severe budgetary constraints, Dancy told me. That means there are limitations on the amount of money they canand are willing tospend on free-college programs. But it also means that states put restrictions on programs to keep costs down, including limiting the tuition-free program to coursework at community colleges; only allowing students to study certain subjects; or requiring students to live and work in the state for several years after the program is complete. And then there are sometimes eligibility requirements on the front end. Some states only offer free tuition to recent high-school graduates with a certain GPA; or they may mandate a drug test. The Free-College Movement in America Is Dying However, proponents of debt-free collegeunlike free college, which does not provide funding for outside costs such as housing and bookssay plans can be flexible and integrate many services already being used. Per the Atlantic: The United States has a long history of college-access and -affordability policiesthe first Morrill Act, the GI Bill, etc.that did not provide equitable access or universal affordability, particularly for minorities. Advocates hope that a similar mistake wont be made with a potential national free-college policy, and that debt-free college becomes the new gold standard. Thats the beauty of debt-free college programs: There is a lot of flexibility in there on policy design, Mark Huelsman, a policy director at Demos, a liberal think tank, told me. A candidate could, for example, propose massively expanding access to the Pell Grant program so that more working- and middle-class students were eligible, and then subsidize education at HBCUs or private institutions that serve large shares of low-income students. A policy could, as Senator Brian Schatzs Debt-Free College Act does, incentivize states to invest more in free-college programs by providing a one-to-one federal match on state spending. What Do 2020 Democrats Think of Free College? The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, wed love to hear what you have to say. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! The Kennedy Luxury Group is looking to "refocus" as it battles legal proceedings and saw one of its subsidiaries, EGI Audio-Visual Retail, placed into administration. Executive chairman James Kennedy sent a memo to all staff this week outlining the "significant" but "positive" organisational changes which will see it exit from its audio visual and fashion partnerships. James Kennedy has abandoned Kennedy's legal dispute with Bang & Olufsen. Credit:Wayne Taylor 'Taking a belting' Kennedy started as a small watch and jewellery shop in Sydney's Double Bay called LK Jewellery which was started by James Kennedy's parents. Sex sells apparently even when it involves teenage necrophilia, as composer Richard Strauss discovered following the 1905 premiere of his infamous opera, Salome. On opening night, a whopping 38 curtain calls were demanded by an audience whipped into a frenzy by an unthinkable taboo: an adolescent girl filled with yearning for a severed head. The production was an overnight sensation. Lise Lindstrom plays the final, shocking scene in Opera Australia's Salome. Credit:Prudence Upton This was a watershed moment for Strauss, cementing his place as a visionary artist who could define the style and substance of music in the new century (not to mention making him a rich man in the process). But the barnstorming reception received by Salome was by no means a certainty. In fact, by most indications, it was just as likely to be met by riots as it was raptures. One of the more confronting illuminations amongst all the sparkling lights of Enlighten is Indigenous artist Tony Alberts I Am Visible at the National Gallery of Australia. Projected across the 50m-high facade are images of young Aboriginal men, shown with targets on their chest, intertwined with musical lyrics and words from Indigenous languages. Tony Albert's I Am Visible is showing at the National Gallery of Australia as part of the Enlighten Festival. As confronting as the images are, there's a lot of optimism in the face of adversity, Albert said. When you look at the way in which these young boys are represented through the media, through context which is not always positive, how do we wear that target on our chest, how do we live our lives with that target? It's Christmas Eve in Melbourne when a frail lady walks back to her home carrying her shopping and a tiny Christmas tree. She opens the door, turns on the wireless and hears the glorious score of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker that triggers her memories of her life as a ballerina, first in St Petersburg and much later in Melbourne. In 1992 that was the opening scene of a new production of Nutcracker choreographed by Graeme Murphy. Dame Margaret Scott, 83, founding director of the Australian Ballet. Credit:Simon O'Dwyer The ballet traced the life of a dancer, from her youth, to her days as a ballerina, to an elderly lady living alone in a Melbourne suburb in the late 1950s. The scenario was new but the story was based on reality, the way in which ballet dancers from many countries found a refuge and home in Australia after they danced around the world. As the naming of western Sydney's new Nancy-Bird Walton Airport garners deserved kudos, Rob Owe-Young of Leichhardt sees a problem: I was wondering if the new airports 3-letter IATA code would be NBW, but thats already taken, by Leeward Point Field Airport at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba. He's a practical one, that James Smith of Coorparoo: "So, sesquizygotic (C8). Contains no capital or number? Sesquizyg0tic. Now it does." Richard Murnane of Hornsby, though, says it's still not password-friendly as "it exists in the dictionary, and is thus vulnerable to whats known in the trade as a 'dictionary attack'". Thunderbirds are definitely go, as far as this column is concerned. But as far as finding which character is Bill Shorten (C8), agreement is hard to find. While Peter Miniutti of Ashbury thinks Bill Shorten is too wooden to play any of the Thunderbirds, Grant Sproats of Calala nominates popular bad guy The Hood (voiced at one time by our own Ray Barrett), though physically he more resembles a certain Minister for Home Affairs. Garry Thomas of Auburn takes a different tack and says: Miss Penelope its gotta be Miss Penelope! However, Jack Dikian of Mosman thinks it impossible to go past the shy and retiring Julie Bishop for that role: If not for the heels, then for her mutual interest in international affairs. Does that mean Steve Ciobo is Parker? "It is two kilometres from the carpark at the Hornsby shopping centre to my place," says Jim Horton of Wahroonga. "Driving home, I pass through NINE sets of traffic lights. For my sanitys sake, I hope that this is a record." Regarding our elusive Icelandic milkman (C8), Peter Steele of Kings Langley reckons some writers barely skim the surface, and asks if they are trying to milk the story too much? Udderly ridiculous. A former senior executive at the National Australia Bank has been arrested and charged after travelling from Melbourne to Sydney to be interviewed by police over an alleged $40 million fraud engulfing the bank. Rosemary Rogers, the former chief of staff to former NAB boss Andrew Thorburn, presented herself at Surry Hills police station about 11am on Tuesday, after flying of her own accord to Sydney. Shortly before 3pm on Tuesday the 43-year-old was charged with 56 counts of being an agent corruptly receiving a benefit, and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception. Police allege Ms Rogers received bribes in the form of paid personal expenses, to the value of more than $5.4 million from a contractor to maintain the contract and approve inflated invoices. The ex-boyfriend of Sydney dentist Preethi Reddy, whose body was found in a suitcase on Tuesday, died after he deliberately drove his car into the path of a semi-trailer on Monday night, police have revealed. Dr Reddy's body was found in her car, parked in Sydney's east, after she was reported missing when she didn't return home to Penrith on Sunday. Police said she had been stabbed numerous times. The 32-year-old spoke to her family on Sunday morning about 11am, telling them she was planning on a late breakfast before heading home. Dr Reddy and her ex-boyfriend, Tamworth dentist Dr Harshwardhan Narde, had gone to a hotel in Market Street in Sydney's CBD on Saturday night. A 35-year-old man has been charged with murder over the fatal stabbing of his neighbour in the driveway of a North Parramatta apartment complex last month. Emergency services were called to the complex on Gladstone Street about 9pm on Thursday, February 28, to reports of two men fighting. They found Dion Stevens, 45, lying in the driveway with stab wounds to his neck and back. Dion Stevens was pronounced dead at the scene. Credit:Facebook Efforts to revive Mr Stevens failed, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses told police that they had seen an altercation between Mr Stevens and his 35-year-old neighbour, Ben Oxley. People hoping to be elected as councillors in Queensland could be limited to a campaign war chest of up to $20,000, under reforms proposed by the state government. The suggested changes, detailed in a document released on Tuesday night, included compulsory preferential voting, mandatory training for all candidates, proportional representation in undivided councils, and campaign spending caps. Lord mayor Graham Quirk has warned local governments will not support the Labor state government's proposed changes to local government laws. Credit:AAP Non-mayoral council candidates would have spending caps of $10,000 for divisions with fewer than 20,000 electors, a sliding cap of 50 per elector in divisions of 20,000 electors or more, and $20,000 for 40,000 electors or more, with caps in place for four-year terms. Mayoral candidates with 200,000 electors or more would have a cap of $100,000. Recent reports advised us Burnes had trouble with the Helloworld billing system failing to invoice Finance Minister Mathias Cormann for a $2780 holiday and met with former treasurer (and major shareholder) Joe Hockey in his role as Australias ambassador to Washington DC. Burnes, of course, also happens to be the Liberal Partys honorary federal treasurer. Helloworld boss Andrew Burnes runs a far more exclusive club, available only to Cabinet ministers. Now we know Communications Minister Mitch Fifield also had travel relations with Helloworld, accepting a seat on a Burnes-chartered flight from Brisbane to Melbourne on January 30. Not that theres anything wrong with that. The timing is interesting, however. The Herald broke the Cormann story on February 18, more than a fortnight after Fifields flight. But it took his office until the end of that month to disclose the charter. Better late than never, we suppose. The house in Alexander Street, Brighton East, where Mr Jonuzi died in October, 2017. Credit:Joe Armao An Airbnb guest was spun 180-degrees into a wall before being choked in a double-arm hold when he failed to pay his accommodation fees, a Melbourne court has been told. Jason Colton, 42, is standing trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria for the murder of Ramis Jonuzi, but the accused man claims the death was manslaughter. Mr Jonuzi was staying at a Brighton East house for $30 a night during October 2017, but had failed to pay his $210 bill, the court was told on Tuesday. The other men were concerned he was "going to do a runner at some stage". Ferrari has removed controversial Philip Morris tobacco branding from its official team name ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, following a government review into the partnership. The Age revealed in February that the federal and Victorian health departments and the Australian Communications and Media Authority were investigating Philip Morris's branding partnership, with the name "Mission Winnow" added to the Ferrari name and its red racing uniforms. Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen sports the Mission Winnow logo on his racing uniform. Credit:AP The team's official race entry for this month's race at Albert Park had been listed as "Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow". This was recently changed back to just "Scuderia Ferrari". Health Minister Jenny Mikakos confirmed that the Australian Grand Prix Corportation had "assured" the government that "tobacco logos will no longer appear on cars or uniforms". Long-weekend travel plans for many Victorians have been thrown into disarray as fires continue to ravage the state's east, prompting the closure of Wilsons Promontory national park. Thousands of visitors and tourists were evacuated from the Prom over the weekend, as an out-of-control fire in hilly terrain threatened the township of Tidal River. The fire at Wilsons Promontory on Saturday. Credit:Gary Wallis/Facebook The national park, which sits south-east of Melbourne, will be closed for the upcoming Labour Day long weekend, right in the middle of its peak season. The closure includes access to Squeaky Beach, Mount Oberon, Lilly Pilly Gully, Millars Landing, Tidal River fishing platforms and the Wilsons Prom lighthouse. Rain is expected to sweep over almost 30 bushfires still burning across Victoria, after two emergency blazes flared up late on Tuesday. Cooler conditions have also given firefighters a reprieve overnight as they continue efforts to contain the fires. Emergency warnings were put in place for an out-of-control blaze at Licola and a number of fires at Dargo which were raging in the Victorian Gippsland region. Residents near Valencia Creek near Maffra were told about 8pm to leave immediately while people north of Dargo were told it was too late to flee. Warning: This story contains distressing content In a quiet lovers' lane car park in Melbourne, James Dobbie raped two young women, tied up their boyfriends and shot dead a third man in a series of horrifying crimes that went unsolved for decades. Dobbie wore a balaclava and held a shotgun as he approached his victims in their cars in the three attacks at Rowville's Police Paddocks Reserve in 1980 and 1983. A police photo composite of the suspect who turned out to be James Dobbie. At gunpoint, he raped two young woman, then aged 18 and 21, after their boyfriends were bound and forced to watch in horror. A crane driver killed last month in WA's Pilbara region has been remembered as a "gem of a man" who loved nothing more than riding his motorbike and listening to music. Adelaide man Martin Keyes, 55, died on the remote North West Coastal Highway on February 21, about 60 kilometres south of South Hedland. Martin Keyes. Credit:Facebook The crash happened just before 11.30am when the large yellow mobile crane Mr Keyes was driving left the carriageway, rolled and caught fire. The crane was destroyed in the crash and Mr Keyes, a father of two, died at the scene from his injuries. Labor leader Bill Shorten is facing a new campaign from party branches and members to toughen his stance on climate change, in a move that signals a caucus rift if he tries to use disputed carbon credits to meet his target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Labor campaigners are urging the Opposition Leader to rule out using the controversial trick to achieve his stated goal of a 45 per cent cut in emissions by 2030, intensifying the dispute within the party. Labor leader Bill Shorten has not ruled out using Kyoto credits. Credit:Paul Jeffers The Labor Environment Action Network, which has the support of hundreds of party branches, will write to Mr Shorten this week to warn against the use of the carry-over credits to claim a cut in emissions. Mr Shorten said on Monday he was taking advice on the issue and would not say whether the Labor policy would claim the credits, which date back to the United Nations agreement on climate change in Kyoto in 1997. Greens candidate Julian Burnside has backed policies to decriminalise drugs and impose death duties, during his opening moves in a bid to topple Treasurer Josh Frydenberg from the blue-ribbon seat of Kooyong. Mr Burnside also rejected boat turn-backs as an effective way to discourage asylum seekers, highlighting the divide on policy with Mr Frydenberg in the contest for one of the Liberal Partys plum electorates. Julian Burnside, the Greens candidate for Kooyong. Credit:Jason South The Melbourne barrister, known for representing asylum seekers in legal clashes with the federal government, said he had chosen to run for the Greens because of the partys support for human rights. But his commitments to the Greens policy platform, including death duties and a more permissive approach to drug use, leave him open to attacks from the Liberal Party over tax measures that would hurt the voters of Kooyong. NSW Opposition leader Michael Daley's argument with broadcaster Alan Jones during his radio show on Tuesday has challenged two of the great taboos of NSW politics. On one hand, Mr Daley was flying in the face of the accepted wisdom that politicians must kowtow before Mr Jones' microphone. But perhaps just as importantly he was breaking the mould by trying to win votes with a promise not to build something. Michael Daley and Alan Jones. Credit:AAP The latter is a crucial issue at the March 23 election where one of the big questions facing voters will be to decide which party's infrastructure spending plans make most sense. For instance, the ALP has vowed to defer or scrap a number of Liberal Party projects including the Allianz stadium knockdown and rebuilding, the Western Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Northern Beaches freeway and divert the money to the Sydney West Metro. It was always going to be carnage. As soon as Julie Bishop was on her feet in Parliament announcing her retirement from the seat of Curtin, the candidates were out of the blocks. Erin Watson-Lynn and Celia Hammond will be head-to-head in next Sunday's Liberal preselection for the safe seat of Curtin. Credit:Nine Publishing They had been positioning themselves for months. One moved back to the state after a decade in Victoria, another left her job running a university, others hit the phones to test their support within the party's branches. Beijing: China has set its lowest economic growth target in almost three decades and said creating jobs will be the major focus in a challenging domestic and international environment. The world today faces profound changes of a kind unseen in a century, said Premier Li Keqiang as he delivered the annual work report to the National Peoples Congress on Tuesday. Setting a GDP target range of 6-6.5 per cent, lower than last years growth of 6.6 per cent, the report was couched with warnings about trade frictions between China and the United States, and shocks to the international financial market. The target for expansion of gross domestic product, released on Tuesday morning in Premier Li Keqiang's annual report to the National People's Congress, was set for 2019 at a range of 6 to 6.5 per cent. Credit:Sanghee Liu Growth in the global economy is slowing, protectionism and unilateralism are mounting, and there are drastic fluctuations in the prices of commodities... Instability and uncertainty are visibly increasing, and externally generated risks are on the rise, he said. PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a Plenary Public meeting on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. The public meeting which was adjourned on Wednesday, November 07, 2018 will be reconvened on Tuesday at 10.00 hrs. in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The agenda point is: The Kingdom Charter and right of St. Maarten to a full measure of self-government in compliance with the Charter of the United Nations (IS/150/2018-2019 dated October 4, 2018) (This agenda point was requested by S.E. Jacobs, MP W.V. Marlin and MP E.J. Doran) Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten. PHILIPSBURG:--- Persons looking to start a business, expand their current operations or just enhance their network of contacts will get the ideal opportunity at an upcoming business seminar hosted by a regional bank. On Thursday, March 14th, 2019, CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank will host free a business seminar under the theme: First in Business with CIBC FirstCaribbean. The session will be held at the Belair Community Center from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon starting with registration, followed by presentations from 9 am. We have made a conscious decision to continue to inform the community of St. Maarten and in this regard, we are pleased to offer our business community the opportunity to join us at this interactive seminar which will highlight best practices in Accounting & the Reporting of Financials Information, the legal requirements & obligations and some of the best ways to mitigate the risks of doing business on St. Maarten, said the Bank's Country Manager Mr. Garth Sherwood. Whether one may be operating a sole proprietorship or corporation we want to remain at the center of their financial plans we hope that this seminar either facilitates an improvement in decision making and or enhances the existing competencies of our business owners resulting in an improvement in the performance of businesses on the island, he added. Mr. Jimmy Challenger, Business Banking Manager said there were many different factors that had to be taken into account to ensure the steady and continued growth of any business and many of them would be explored during the seminar. We have partnered with Accounting Firm BDO, Insurance Broker Henderson International and Law Firm VanEps Kunneman & VanDorn to highlight best practices in their respective areas of expertise. In addition, the full suite of CIBC FirstCaribbean financial products and services will be highlighted with specific emphasis on the needs of business owners and operators. The First in Business with CIBC FirstCaribbean business seminar will provide an opportunity to network and will be an interactive, information gathering platform for business owners across all sectors of industry while providing opportunities for them to finance their business needs. Interested persons and business owners should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before March 12th, 2019. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport is proud to announce the 2nd Caribbean Well-Being Conference (CWBC), which will be held on St. Maarten from August 5 to 6, 2019 under the theme: Fostering Resilience: Creating a culture of well-being in schools. The focus for CWBC 2019 will be on Teacher Well-being, Student Well-being, and Family Well-being. The CWBC is a biennial conference that seeks to promote the positive development and well-being of children, parents, families, schools, and communities. The CWBC aims to inform and educate on best practices to promote childrens well-being by looking at the important role that parents, families, teachers, schools, and communities play in the promotion of well-adjusted, socially and emotionally competent youth. The CWBC will bring educators, school administrators, social workers, counselors, psychologists, therapists, community leaders, practitioners, parents and all those working in promoting student wellness from St. Maarten, the Caribbean and the wider region. The CWBC is being organized by the Student Support Services Division (SSSD), the St. Maarten Youth Council Association and St. Johns University of New York. Anyone interested in presenting at CWBC may submit their proposal until March 9, 2019. For further information about the conference, including the guidelines for submission of proposals, one may visit the Caribbean Well-Being Conference Facebook page, the conference webpage on Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-caribbean-well-being-conference-tickets-53761614436 ) or contact the conference chair/founder Mrs. Olga Mussington-Service at 5431235. Millennial Commissions renewable energy-powered On-Site Devel-opment Park at their flagship Pastos Grandes Lithium project Posted by Publisher Internet Millennial Lithium Corp. (ML: TSX.V) (?Millennial? or the ?Company? http://www.commodity-tv.net/c/search_adv/?v=298600))?is pleased to announce the inauguration of its on-site permanent Project Center, including a 60-100 person camp, an on site laboratory, and a process pilot plant under construction which is to be commissioned in the second quarter. In line with the Company?s commitment to sustainability, the Project Center is powered by a state-of-the-art hybrid solar power system that will reduce CO2 output and costs for fuel. Millennial President and CEO, Farhad Abasov, commented: ?We at Millennial are excited to be on the leading edge of the green revolution in commissioning our renewables-powered project development park at our Pastos Grandes Salar lithium brine project in Argentina. This follows through on our personal commitment to the environment while preserving shareholder value, and our goal of producing lithium products with a low CO2 footprint. The hybrid solar power system for the Project Center is the first of its type in the Puna region of Northern Argentina. In addition to its primary benefits of minimizing CO2 output while significantly reducing operating costs, the camp energy system will help us to quantify and maximize the benefit of renewable energy saturation in our commercial operations engineering and commissioning.? The Puna region of Northern Argentina has one of the highest levels of solar loading in the world, making it very attractive for sustainable technologies that minimize emissions of greenhouse gases. During the design and engineering phase of the Project Center, Millennial solicited proposals for renewable energy systems. Argentina and the province of Salta have implemented regulations and incentives to promote the adoption and use of renewable energy, thus there were a number of highly qualified providers. After careful consideration of a number of excellent proposals, Millennial selected an experienced local Salta company, Ergy Solar, to install and commission an integrated solar photovoltaic, battery and backup conventional power generation system. Utilizing 540 (1,050 square meters) photovoltaic (PV) panels of 330 Wp each totaling 178.2 KWp of solar power, a 500 kwh maximum storage bank of batteries and two low emissions diesel generators. The hybrid solar system is managed by a ?smart? central controller that constantly reads loads and optimizes power output to the Project Center and the batteries to take full advantage of the high levels of solar resources in the Puna region. The system always prioritizes sustainable energy over traditional fossil fuels, resulting in major savings. The PV panel and battery system can provide power at maximum capacity for more than 18 hours throughout the daily 24-hour cycle, with diesel generator back-up only for some peak energy consumption times and infrequent non-sun events. At nominal energy use levels, the system will reduce fuel consumption costs by more than US$250,000 per year, and CO2 output by 147 tonnes annually. The, turn-key, modern energy system has been completely engineered and built by Ergy Solar on-schedule, using the latest technology from tier-one manufacturers, including GCL solar panels, Hoppecke batteries, SMA inverters, chargers and control systems incorporating ABB components, and low-fuel-consumption Cummings 100 and 132kVA diesel generators. Photographs of the solar installation and camp are available for viewing on the Millennial Lithium website www.millenniallithium.com The permanent camp, designed to house between 60-100 personnel includes comfortable dormitory units with private rooms and bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, recreation center, site offices and infirmary. An on-site laboratory has been installed and is being commissioned. The lab, featuring an Agilent Technologies model 5110 2-axis ICP-OES analyzer will allow for quick turnaround of analysis for the ongoing pilot ponds system and the pilot plant. The pilot plant has been designed for a 3 tonne per month output of battery quality lithium carbonate. The plant will be commissioned in the second quarter, and in the third quarter is anticipated to be producing battery quality lithium carbonate for optimization testing and customer trials. This news release has been reviewed by Iain Scarr, AIPG CPG., Chief Operating Officer of the Company and a Qualified Person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101. Caution regarding recent online article concerning the Company On February 26, 2019, a third party service provider to the Company posted, online, an article recommending securities of the Company.? The article has been removed from posting and public access at the Company?s request.? The article compared the Company to certain other companies in the lithium industry in Argentina.? Those persons who viewed the article are cautioned that the performance of other companies, positive or negative, is not indicative of the Company?s future performance and that each company in the lithium space, and its projects, is unique.? To find out more about Millennial Lithium Corp. please contact Investor Relations at (604) 662-8184 or email info@millenniallithium.com. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. This news release may contain certain ?Forward-Looking Statements? within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws.? When used in this news release, the words ?anticipate?, ?believe?, ?estimate?, ?expect?, ?target, ?plan?, ?forecast?, ?may?, ?schedule? and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information.? These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, currency risks including the exchange rate of USD$ for Cdn$, fluctuations in the market for lithium, changes in exploration costs and government royalties or taxes in Argentina and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company?s current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. First Cobalt Confirms Mineralization in 150-metre Step Out Hole and Announces Private Placemen Posted by Publisher Internet First Cobalt Corp. (TSX-V: FCC; ASX: FCC; OTCQX: FTSSF) (the ?Company? ?https://www.commodity-tv.net/c/search_adv/?v=298244) is pleased to report that a 611-metre drill hole has extended mineralization by an additional 150 metres downdip in the central portion of the Iron Creek Cobalt Project in Idaho, USA. Highlights Longest hole drilled to date at Iron Creek at 611m, extends No Name Zone mineralization by an additional 150m Broad intercepts such as 0m of 0.20% Co , including 3.9m of 0.35% Co (true width), extend the dip extent of the No Name Zone Dip extent of up to 400m from surface, extending mineralization well below the high grade cobalt zone that formed the basis of a historic resource estimate by Noranda Updated resource estimate scheduled for late March Trent Mell, President & Chief Executive Officer, commented: ?We have doubled the depth extent of mineralization across the entire deposit and it still remains open. With good continuity of grade and thickness, we can now extend the deposit more quickly and cost-effectively with wider spaced step out holes. The future potential remains high beyond the next resource update as each step-out has shown mineralization remains open at depth and along strike. An updated resource estimate will be published in about a month, incorporating more than 13,000 metres of drilling. ?Confidence is returning to the cobalt market as EV sales continue to set new records in the face of lower mine production forecasts in 2019. Our Iron Creek Project and the near term cash flow potential of the First Cobalt Refinery provide direct exposure for investors seeking leverage to the electric vehicle revolution.? The No Name Zone has now been traced to 300m downdip in the central area of the deposit and 400m in the west, as mineralization follows steepening terrain. Hole ICS18-28 (Figure 1) was drilled into the centre portion of Iron Creek, below the current resource area, to test for downdip mineralization (Figure 2). The No Name Zone mineralization has now been intercepted 150m below the deepest previous intercept, reported in ICS18-19 earlier this year, and remains open at depth. Drilling in the central area of the deposit has infilled much of the central portion of the 2018 resource estimate, which had depth extensions confined to the eastern and western portions of the deposit. This infill drilling and the resulting assays are expected to provide a meaningful increase in mineralization for the upcoming resource estimate expected in late March. Assay results for ISC18-28 show the No Name Zone occurs as a broad mineralized zone containing a higher grade cobalt core (Table 1). This relationship is consistent with previous drilling higher up, including ICS18-19, ICS18-26, and IC17-19 (reported January 22, 2019 and September 26, 2018). Higher cobalt grade cores within broader mineralization are also prevalent in the Waite Zone in this area. Drill hole, IC17-39 drilled northward from the hangingwall intersected cobalt mineralization at a comparable depth over 150m away along strike, suggesting continuity to the downdip extension (September 26, 2018 release) intersected in ICS18-28. A high grade copper intercept, 1.22% Cu over 1.0m, was intercepted approximately 150m into the hangingwall. Previous drilling has intercepted several copper intervals in the hangingwall that were not the main target of drilling, so at this time they have not been modelled to determine continuity. Cobalt was also intersected further downhole in ICS18-28 that may correspond to the Waite Zone and mineralization between the two main zones, but no other holes have been drilled to this depth nearby, so follow up is required to determine continuity. Private Placement First Cobalt also announces that it has entered into an agreement with an investor on a non-brokered private placement of 11,111,111 units (the ?Units?) of the Company at a price of $0.18 per Unit for gross proceeds of $2,000,000 (the ?Offering?). Each Unit issued pursuant to the Offering will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company and one Common Share purchase warrant (a ?Warrant?). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one additional Common Share at a price of $0.27 for a period of two years. The Warrants are subject to an acceleration clause such that, if the closing price of the common shares of the Company is equal to or greater than $0.37 per share for a period of ten consecutive trading days, the Company shall have the option, but not the obligation, to effect an accelerated expiration date that shall be 20 calendar days from the issuance of a notice of acceleration. There is no commission paid to any party as part of the arrangement. Proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to support ongoing work at the First Cobalt Refinery as well as general corporate purposes. Closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or about March 18, 2019 and is subject to receipt of regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The securities to be issued under the Offering will have a hold period of four months and one day from their issue. The securities being offered will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration or an exemption from the registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. Quality Assurance and Quality Control First Cobalt has implemented a quality control program to comply with industry best practices for sampling, chain of custody and analyses. Blanks, duplicates and standards are inserted at the core processing site as part of the QA/QC program. Samples are prepared and analyzed by American Assay Laboratories (AAL) in Sparks, Nevada. Over 15% of the samples analyzed are control samples consisting of checks, blanks, and duplicates inserted by the Company; in addition to the control samples inserted by the lab. Drill core samples are dried, weighed crushed to 85 % passing -6 mesh, roll crushed to 85% passing -10 mesh, split 250 gram pulps, then pulverized in a closed bowl ring pulverizer to 95% passing -150 mesh, then analyzed by a 5 acid digestion for ICP analysis. All samples have passed QA/QC protocols. Qualified and Competent Person Statement Dr. Frank Santaguida, P.Geo., is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Dr. Santaguida is also a Competent Person (as defined in the JORC Code, 2012 edition) who is a practicing member of the Association of Professional Geologists of Ontario (being a ?Recognised Professional Organisation? for the purposes of the ASX Listing Rules). Dr. Santaguida is employed on a full-time basis as Vice President, Exploration for First Cobalt. He has sufficient experience that is relevant to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code. About First Cobalt First Cobalt is a North American pure-play cobalt company whose flagship asset is the Iron Creek Cobalt Project in Idaho, USA, which has Inferred mineral resources of 26.9 million tonnes grading 0.11% cobalt equivalent, which has an alternative underground-only scenario of 4.4 million tonnes grading 0.3% cobalt equivalent. The Company also owns the only permitted primary cobalt refinery in North America. The refinery is currently on care and maintenance and the Company is exploring a potential restart of the Refinery, which has the potential to produce 2,000 tonnes of cobalt material per year. ?behalf of First Cobalt Corp. Trent Mell President & Chief Executive Officer For more information visit www.firstcobalt.com or contact: ? In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG www.resource-capital.ch Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Estimates of Resources Readers are cautioned that mineral resources are not economic mineral reserves and that the economic viability of resources that are not mineral reserves has not been demonstrated. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by geology, environmental, permitting, legal, title, socio-political, marketing or other relevant issues. The mineral resource estimate is classified in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum\-\-s \2014 CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves\ incorporated by reference into NI 43-101. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies or economic studies except for Preliminary Economic Assessment as defined under NI 43-101. Readers are cautioned not to assume that further work on the stated resources will lead to mineral reserves that can be mined economically. An Inferred Mineral Resource as defined by the CIM Standing Committee is \that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An Inferred Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration.\ Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, ?forward-looking statements?) within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as ?plans?, ?expects\-\-, ?estimates?, ?intends?, ?anticipates?, ?believes? or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results ?may?, ?could?, ?would?, ?might?, ?occur? or ?be achieved?. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements are set forth in the management discussion and analysis and other disclosures of risk factors for First Cobalt, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although First Cobalt believes that the information and assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, First Cobalt disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. GOLDMINING announces resource estimate for the Yellowknife Gold Project, Northwest Territories, Canada Posted by Publisher Internet . Highlights: Updated mineral resource for the Yellowknife Project includes a measured and indicated resource of 1,059,000 ounces grading 2.33 g/t gold and an inferred resource of 739,000 ounces grading 2.47 g/t gold (Table 1); This resource estimate increases GoldMining\-\-s aggregated measured and indicated resource to 10,530,000 ounces gold (13,429,000 ounces gold equivalent) and aggregated inferred resource to 12,444,000 ounces gold (14,896,000 ounces gold equivalent) resulting in a 13% increase in the measured and indicated categories and an 11% increase in the inferred category across all of its Projects (Table 2); Extensive historic exploration work completed on the Project including diamond drilling?(231,600 m in 1,061 holes), underground development (2,399 m), bulk sampling (10,200 t) and positive metallurgical studies; Project is accessible by permitted winter road extending 95 km north from Yellowknife with nearby infrastructure including hydro-electric power, air transportation, service providers and skilled workforce; and Located in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of the Northwest Territories, home to major mines operated by DeBeers, Rio Tinto, and The Washington Companies. GoldMining Inc. (the \Company\ or \GoldMining\ http://www.commodity-tv.net/c/search_adv/?v=298220) (TSX: GOLD; OTCQX: GLDLF) is pleased to announce an updated mineral resource estimate for its 100% owned Yellowknife Gold Project (the \Yellowknife Project\ or the \Project\), Northwest Territories, Canada. ?The mineral resource estimate was prepared by SRK Consulting (U.S.), Inc. (\SRK\) and includes a measured and indicated resource of 14,108,000 tonnes grading 2.33 g/t gold (1,059,000 ounces) and an inferred resource of 9,302,000 tonnes grading 2.47 g/t gold (739,000 ounces) using a variable cut-off of 0.5 and 1.5 g/t gold for pit constrained and underground resources, respectively.? This resource estimate updates the previously disclosed historic estimate completed by the previous owner of the Project, and importantly represents an 18% increase in the measured and indicated resource grade versus the historic estimate.? Since its acquisition of the Project, GoldMining has identified numerous areas for exploration, as well as additional targets for follow-up within its large land package. Commenting on today\-\-s news release, Garnet Dawson, CEO of GoldMining commented, \The Yellowknife Gold Project is located in the underexplored Yellowknife Greenstone Belt, host to historic gold mines including the Con and Giant Mines located adjacent to the city of Yellowknife and the Discovery Mine, located on GoldMining\-\-s property.? Since acquiring the Project, the Company has focused on compiling the large historic database, updating the historic resource estimate and applying for new Land Use Permits and Water Licence necessary for future exploration programs.? With the updated resource estimate announced today and the necessary government approvals expected in the next few months, the Project is well positioned to advance to the next stage of economic study.\ The Yellowknife Project includes five gold deposits with resource estimates, being Nicholas Lake, Bruce, Ormsby, Goodwin Lake and Clan Lake, which are located 50 to 95 km north of the city of Yellowknife.? Adjacent to the Ormsby deposit, a 50-person winterized camp is accessible by winter road or by air via a 1,000-metre-long gravel airstrip from Yellowknife. Gold mineralization at Nicholas Lake is hosted in a sub-vertical shear zone that strikes east-west across a granodiorite body or within meta-sedimentary rocks in close proximity of the granodiorite. ?The shear zone contains quartz-sulphide veins with associated gold mineralization within a zone of silica and sericite altered granodiorite.? The zone measures approximately 125 m wide, has a strike length of 225 m and is open at the current explored depth of 450 m below surface.? The deposit is defined by 27,590 m of surface and underground diamond drilling in 141 holes and 820 m of underground development. The Bruce and Ormsby deposits are hosted in a sub-vertical, northeast striking shear zone along the eastern margin of amphibolite near the contact with adjacent meta-sedimentary rocks. ?Quartz-sulphide veins and associated gold mineralization have several orientations typically striking AZ320? to AZ340? and dipping 10? to 50? to the southwest.? The Ormsby deposit varies from 75 to 150 m in width, has a strike length of 1,000 metres and is open at the current explored depth of 550 m.? The deposits are defined by 157,570 m of surface and underground diamond drilling in 707 holes and 1,579 m of underground development. Goodwin Lake deposit is hosted in a sub-vertical, northeast striking shear zone that cuts gabbroic rocks.? Similar to the Bruce and Ormsby deposits, quartz-sulphide veins and associated gold mineralization within the shear zone have several orientations with more prominent vein sets striking northeast and dipping steeply parallel to the shear zone and a shallow dipping, cross-cutting vein set that strikes northwest.? The deposit varies from 25 to 75 m in width, has a strike length of 350 m and has been intersected in drill holes to a depth of 200 m, where the deposit remains open.? The Goodwin Lake deposit is defined by 5,930 m of surface diamond drilling in 28 holes. Clan Lake deposit is hosted in a sub-vertical, northwest striking shear zone that cuts felsic to mafic meta-volcanic rocks.? Quartz-sulphide veins with associated gold mineralization differ greatly in orientation and overall controls to vein geometry are poorly understood. ?Veins commonly have haloes of silica and sericite alteration.? The Main Zone at Clan Lake, that is host to the bulk of the resource, ranges from approximately 125 to 250 m in width, has a strike length of 1,200 m and has been intersected in drill holes to a depth of 400 m below surface, where it is still open.? A second zone named the 330 Zone has been defined to the South West of the Main Zone, which dips steeply northeast and has a strike length of possibly 600 m with an average thickness of less than 5 m. ?The Clan Lake deposit is defined by 40,515 m of surface diamond drilling in 185 holes. Sulphide mineralogy at Ormsby, Bruce, Goodwin Lake and Clan Lake consists of pyrrhotite, pyrite and arsenopyrite with minor chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena. ?At Nicholas Lake, sulphide mineralogy includes arsenopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and scheelite. Metallurgical test work has been performed on composite drill holes and bulk samples from the Nicholas Lake, Ormsby and Clan Lake deposits. SRK obtained the drill hole databases from archived files used in the 2012 feasibility study mineral resource estimate.? The databases were imported into Seequent Leapfrog? Geo (\Leapfrog\) on which SRK performed standard validation tests to ensure the integrity of the database.? Geological and mineralized domains (wireframes) were constructed for each deposit based on surface mapping, core logging and historical records.? Geological and gold grade domains were constructed using three-dimensional implicit and explicit modelling along identified historical mineralization trends. Wireframes produced in Leapfrog along with the drill hole databases were subsequently imported into Datamine? Studio RM Software (Datamine?) for block model estimation.? Block models were constructed for each deposit using 3 by 3 by 3 m block dimensions, similar to the block size used in the 2012 estimate to reflect the selective mining unit. ?Gold samples were composited to 1.5 m in length within each domain that honored the domain boundaries.? Erratic high-grade gold outliers were analyzed at each of the deposits utilizing Phinar Software\-\-s X10 software, which were then analyzed both visually and statistically for breaks in trend. ?Key breaks in the gold grade were reviewed and the percentage of samples capped, impact on the mean grade, and the reduction in the co-efficient of variation were noted.? Variography was used to model the grade continuity and to determine the search ellipse orientations and dimensions for interpolation at each deposit. SRK completed Kriged (Ordinary Kriging), Inverse Distance Squared and Nearest Neighbor estimates for each deposit.? Ordinary Kriging was chosen as the primary estimation method for all deposits except for Clan Lake, which displayed relatively poor geostatistical continuity and inverse distance squared was used for interpolation. ?This lower confidence was reflected in the inferred classification of the deposit.? Grades were interpolated into each block using a two- or three-pass estimation methodology using ever increasing search ellipses for each pass.? Validation of the model was completed by comparison of the block model and drill hole grades by visual inspections in section and plan across the deposit.? Resource Classification Block model quantities and grade estimates for the Project were classified according to the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May 2014). SRK\-\-s classification system is similar to that used in the 2012 estimate with adjustments at some deposits based on re-interpretation of geology. Nicholas Lake Indicated Mineral Resources were blocks within the modelled veins above the 150 m elevation that were informed by a minimum of 2 drill holes on either the first or second search pass. Inferred Mineral Resources were blocks in the model that do not meet the criteria for Indicated resources and have been informed by a minimum of one drill hole on the second or third estimation search pass. Ormsby and Bruce Measured Mineral Resources (Ormsby only) were blocks informed by a minimum of 2 drill holes within a drill spacing of 12.5 m and deemed to have sufficient geological confidence to confirm grade continuity. Indicated Mineral Resources were blocks informed by a minimum of two drill holes internal to either the Measured or the Indicated classification solids and estimated on either the first or second estimation pass. Inferred Mineral Resources were blocks in the model that do not meet the criteria for Measured or Indicated resources and have been informed by a minimum of one drill hole on the third estimation search pass. Goodwin Lake All blocks have been classified as Inferred Mineral Resources due to the relatively wide drill hole spacing. Clan Lake All blocks have been classified as Inferred Mineral Resources due to the relatively wide drill hole spacing, lack of geological continuity as displayed in the variography and during the geological modelling process. Reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction of the resource were met by reporting the resource within a conceptual pit shell using a cut-off grade of 0.5 g/t and resources below the pit using a cut-off grade of 1.5 g/t gold. ?Conceptual pit shells were generated using Maptek Lerchs Grossman software for pit optimization. ?The conceptual pit delineated resource is reported within a conceptual pit shell using an assumed gold price of US$1,500/oz, metallurgical recovery of 90%, mining cost of US$2.00/t and processing and G&A cost of US$23.00/t.? Underground resources with reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction were stated as those contained within gold grade shapes above a 1.50 g/t Au cut-off. The SRK 2019 measured and indicated resource has seen a reduction in the in-situ ounces of 38%, but an increase in overall grade of 18%, while the inferred resource had a 52% increase in the in-situ ounces, but a 6% decrease in overall grade as compared to the SRK 2012 SRK resource estimate.? SRK attributes these changes to more conservative geological modelling, block model interpolation parameters and classification. Further details regarding the foregoing estimate, including the estimation methods and procedures, will be available in a NI 43-101 Technical Report, which will be filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under the Company\-\-s profile within 45 days from the date of this release. Quality Control ? Quality Assurance Program The above resource estimate was based on drilling programs completed by previous operators. ?The drill programs incorporated control samples including blanks, duplicates and standards as part of their Quality Control ? Quality Assurance Program. ?The control samples from the drill programs have been reviewed and verified by the Qualified Persons (as defined herein) and the assay results were deemed suitable for resource estimation.? Qualified Person The resource estimate disclosed herein on the Yellowknife Project was prepared for GoldMining by Ben Parsons, B.Sc., M.Sc., MAusIMM (CP), of SRK Consulting (U.S.), Inc. and Mr. Dominic Chartier, P.Geo. (APGO #2775 and OGQ #874), of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc.? Mr. Parsons and Mr. Chartier are recognized as qualified persons as defined in Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (\NI 43-101\), are independent of the Company and have reviewed and approved the disclosure regarding the resource estimate for the Yellowknife Project disclosed herein.? Mr. Chartier completed a site visit to the Yellowknife Project from September 25 to 26, 2018. SRK previously completed a resource estimate on the Project in 2012 as part of a feasibility study for the previous owner.? No new exploration work or drilling has been completed on the Project since the last estimate or the effective date of March 1, 2019 of this estimate. Paulo Pereira, President of GoldMining Inc. has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. ?Mr. Pereira holds a Bachelors degree in Geology from Universidade do Amazonas in Brazil, is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and is a member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario. Cautionary Note Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in the \measured\, \indicated\ and \inferred\ categories will ever be converted into mineral reserves with demonstrated economic viability or that inferred mineral resources will be converted to the measured and/or indicated categories through further drilling.? In addition, the estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of resources. ?Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of pre-feasibility or feasibility studies. About GoldMining Inc. GoldMining is a public mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of gold assets in the Americas.? Through its disciplined acquisition strategy, GoldMining now controls a diversified portfolio of resource-stage gold and gold-copper projects in Canada, U.S.A., Brazil, Colombia and Peru.? Additionally, GoldMining owns a 75% interest in the Rea Uranium Project, located in the Western Athabasca Basin of Alberta, Canada. The above aggregated resource statement is provided for information purposes only. ??Investors should refer to the underlying technical reports referenced above for project-specific factors relating to each resource estimate. Forward-looking Statements This document contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of GoldMining with respect to its business and future events, including expectations and future plans respecting the Project and statements with respect to the details of the mineral resource estimate. ?Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the markets in which GoldMining operates. ?Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including: the inherent risks involved in resource estimation and the exploration and development of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved in resource estimation and interpreting drill results and other exploration data, the potential for delays in exploration or development activities, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with GoldMining?s expectations, accidents, equipment breakdowns, title and permitting matters, labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in operations, fluctuating metal prices, unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on the Project. ?These risks, as well as others, including those set forth in GoldMining?s filings with Canadian securities regulators, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. ?Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. ?There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward looking information, will prove to be accurate. ?GoldMining does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law. SpaceShipTwo is a spacecraft designed to take tourists on brief trips to suborbital space. Manufactured by Virgin Galactic sister company, The Spaceship Company, the vehicle is currently in the testing stage. In 2004, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson predicted that commercial flights would begin in 2007, but they are now expected to begin in 2022. So far, the spacecraft's most notable milestone was flying beyond the boundary of the U.S. Air Force's definition of space on Dec. 3, 2018, reaching an altitude of 51.4 miles (82.7 kilometers). The technology behind SpaceShipTwo was forged in competition for the $10 million Ansari X Prize , which was created to spur the development of private spaceflight. After the space ship's predecessor, SpaceShipOne , won the prize in 2004, two companies Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic merged to form The Spaceship Company. The goal of this new firm was to commercialize spaceflight technology. In 2012, Virgin Galactic bought out Scaled Composites, gaining full ownership of the venture. While SpaceShipTwo prototypes have now completed a number of glides and engine-powered test flights, developing SpaceshipTwo has come with its share of setbacks and tragedies. From the X Prize to first ticket sales SpaceShipTwo's ancestor, SpaceShipOne , was designed with the goal of winning the $10 million Ansari X Prize by becoming the first privately-funded vehicle to fly to space and back twice within a two-week span. The craft was manufactured by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, a firm led by famed aerospace designer Burt Rutan and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. In 2004, SpaceShipOne launched beneath a carrier aircraft, WhiteKnightOne. The vehicle then separated from the carrier and rocketed to 62.5 miles (100 km) in altitude, becoming the first privately funded crewed spacecraft to breach the Karman line the internationally accepted definition of the space boundary that sits at 62 miles (100 km) up. Just before the spacecraft won the X Prize that year, Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson announced that he would work with Scaled Composites to manufacture a commercial version of the craft that would take tourists to suborbital space; development then began on SpaceShipTwo. Tickets for a seat on the commercial spacecraft initially cost $200,000 each. That price later rose to $250,000. SpaceShipTwo will carry six passengers up past 328,000 feet altitude (100 kilometers), the point where astronaut wings are awarded. See how Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo works in this SPACE.com infographic (Image credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com contributor) Spacecraft development and setbacks In December 2005, the state of New Mexico took on Virgin Galactic as the anchor tenant at Spaceport America , a taxpayer-funded, $225 million facility. Virgin Galactic established its global headquarters and spaceflight operations there. The company rolled out several construction milestones in the next year, but the momentum halted in 2007 after a fatal fire during a routine ground test killed three Scaled Composites employees. The accident sent shockwaves through the company and the commercial spaceflight community. In addition to the fatalities, multiple employees were injured during the test. As a result, work was suspended as the company investigated the cause of the accident. In July 2008, Virgin Galactic held a major launch event to showcase WhiteKnightTwo , a dual-fuselage carrier aircraft with four jet engines which would carry SpaceShipTwo into the sky. The first WhiteKnightTwo, Eve, completed its first successful test flight before the end of 2008. The first SpaceShipTwo, VSS Enterprise, was unveiled in December 2009; it was named after the famous "Star Trek" spacecraft, the USS Enterprise. ( The first NASA space shuttle was also named Enterprise; it was only used for glide tests and never made it into space.) (Image credit: Virgin Galactic) Crewed test flights of VSS Enterprise began in July 2010. Two years later, in late 2012, the company successfully completed a major glide test. Then the first rocket-powered test flight took place in April 2013. On Oct. 31, 2014, the vehicle broke apart during its fourth powered test flight, killing copilot Michael Alsbury and injuring pilot Peter Siebold. A crash investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board indicated that the feathering re-entry system was deployed too early during the flight. The system's design was changed in the next SpaceShipTwo prototype, VSS Unity. VSS Unity's first glide flight was on Dec. 3, 2016, and less than two years later, on April 5, 2018, the craft flew with engine power for the first time. On Dec. 13, 2018 SpaceShipTwo soared beyond the space boundary, at least according to the U.S. Air Force's definition, and repeated the feat on Feb. 22, 2019. As of 2021, Unity has yet to reach above the Karman line. A number of Virgin Galactic's future astronauts gathered with Sir Richard Branson (center) for a group photo at Virgin Galactic's Final Assembly, Integration and Test Hangar (FAITH) in Mojave, Calif. Nearby is the WhiteKnightTwo mated with SpaceShipTwo. (Image credit: Virgin Galactic/Mark Greenberg) How commercial flights will work When it begins commercial flights, SpaceShipTwo will carry six passengers and fly to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) in altitude while attached to the bottom of WhiteKnightTwo. The craft will then separate for the trip into space by firing its engines for about 70 seconds and then shutting them off for the final coast up to 62 miles (100 km) above Earth. The passengers will feel weightless for about 5 minutes, Virgin Galactic representatives said. Next, SpaceShipTwo will turn back to Earth and "feather" its rudders, turning them up to 90 degrees to increase drag and control the movement of the spacecraft. At 70,000 feet (21,336 m), the spaceship will have enough air around it to move the rudders back to a configuration that allows for gliding during its descent. It will then land on Earth on a regular aviation runway. The lengthy delay of the first commercial flights (Branson initially said the spacecraft would carry tourists in 2007 ) has caused some ticket holders to ask for refunds, but the vast majority still eagerly await the experience to visit space. Industry watchers have applauded Virgin's patient approach. "They're taking the time necessary to make sure the vehicles are as safe as they possibly can be before they take paying customers up," John Gedmark, executive director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, told Space.com in 2011 . "There's never going to be such a thing as perfectly safe spaceflight, but they're going to get as safe as they possibly can." SpaceShip III, the next iteration of Virgin Galactics spacecraft, was announced on Feb. 25, 2021. According to the company, they will develop the new craft alongside the last phases of testing and the beginning of tourist flights on SpaceShipTwo, which are expected to begin in early 2022. Additional resources Learn more at Virgin Galactic's official webpage . . Interested in purchasing a ticket to space? Put your name on the waiting list . . Watch: Richard Branson's update on SpaceShipTwo test flights. This article was updated on Mar. 31, 2021 by Space.com Reference Editor Vicky Stein. (Image credit: JPL) Parts of a Whole Voyager 1 and 2 launched in 1977 to explore the cosmos. Voyager 1 took a series of images of Jupiter, which were compiled to create this mosaic of one entire hemisphere of the planet. While the two spacecraft were originally designed for a five-year mission to explore Jupiter and Saturn, their successes and reliability allowed for additional exploration of Uranus, Neptune and more. Credit: JPL Will Hart/NBC Will Hart/NBC Will Hart/NBC Virginia Sherwood/NBC Odds & Ends The second episode of The Enemy Within opens with a high-stakes attempted robbery on a crowded subway train. Dean Merriman tries to escape with his laptop but is, unfortunately, shot dead by his assailants.As the case lands at the FBI. Keaton wants to call in Erica Sherpherd. His team is wary of his newfound dependence on her but he points out she's already helped them save someone's life (Anna) and given them valuable intel into Mikhail Tal. Plus, Merriman was one of her former operatives.The only catch is, Erica doesn't want to work with the FBI until she knows for certain her daughter is going to be safe. "Kepe my daughter safe, I'll help you kill him."Meanwhile, Anna is called back in to speak with the agents about her own ordeal from the pilot episode. Agent Cabrera comes with her and he has some choice words for Will about maintaining a working relationship with Shepherd. Cabrera comes from the CIA and he doesn't want to work with a traitor. But Anna disagrees, she's willing to help the FBI no matter what, well she has to since she's a mole for Tal! But she plays up the shy waif thing quite well.Outside of the current case, they have Viktor Nemec, one of Tal's associates, in custody. Daniel is pretty sure he can get him to turn before the day is done.Back to Merriman's case, Kate begins running through surveillance footage to try and find the guys who killed him. Erica points out they're looking in the wrong place. It's more important to find out what was on Merriman's laptop that Tal wanted so badly.The hunt for the intelligence leads them to his storage unit. Erica gets to tag along since she knows where it is and what to look for when they get there. They learn Dean was working for a company called IVS Analytics and from there they're able to pinpoint the next target, Beverly Brooks. They need to get to her before Tal's men do.When they arrive, it doesn't take long for them to start attacking Beverly. She rushes to try and upload Dean's case file on Tal to a remote server but is unable to do so before one of the men throw a grenade. Will barely has time to rescue them both, nonetheless the laptop.The only thing Beverly knows is a location, "Sierra Maestra," a mountain range in Cuba that Dean had asked her to look into before she died.Erica doesn't recognize the name, and if she's telling the truth, that means the entire mission was mostly a bust for the FBI. Erica had better luck since Will was able to orchestrate a meeting with her daughter. It doesn't last long, Hannah goes from talking about learning to drive to accusing her mother of tearing apart their family and begs her to tell her what happened but Erica refuses, sending Hannah home in tears. But still, for Erica, all that matters is she was able to see her in person.In the final scenes of the episode, Anna pays Nemec a visit and murders him. I have to say, she does a pretty shoddy job of it. First of all, she strangles him with a cord and leaves it tied there, I guess to look like a suicide? Second, her fingerprints are all over the bars and the cord AND she messed with the security footage so they're going to know someone was in there! I wonder if this will get addressed or if we'll chalk it up to "willful suspension of belief."- Erica left her hat for Hannah when she escaped. Hannah finds it and a note tucked inside about how much Erica loves her.- Is Erica a good guy? At first I thought she definitely was, but this episode paints her as more morally grey. She delivers a great line to Keaton about trust when he asks her why he should believe her story about making a choice to protect her daughter and not actually spying for Tal: "You shouldn't, you shouldn't trust me agent Keaton, you shouldn't trust anyone, not when it comes to Mikhail Tal." Carpenter is excellent at playing morally grey so I'm interested in this development. Aspiring writers who are tired of working out of their home or local coffee shop have a new place to pen their novels, screenplays or whatever else they want to get published. Fairfield resident Carol Dannhauser has created a co-working space designed specifically for writers at the Fairfield County Story Lab. She opened the 2,500 square-foot business at 21 Charles St. in Westport on Friday. Westport was home to a lot of creative people and they are still around, she said. Songwriters, screen writers, journalists, novelists the area is filled with them and they work alone, or they go to Panera or go to Starbucks or work from home. In an industry where working remotely has become the norm particularly for freelancers Dannhauser said the Story Lab co-work space was needed. A journalist for more than 30 years, she has spent the last two researching the growing trend of share-workspace for a new book she is writing. There is not one place they can come together, she said of itinerent writers. We in Fairfield County are filled with creatives who are working on their own especially in the journalism business. Dannhauser is also is a co-founder of the Fairfield County Writers Studio in the same building as the Story Lab though the two are separate operations. She came across the space after three years at the studio, which is next door. Prior to opening the Story Lab, the space had remained vacant for years. Every time I walked in there I said, this could really be amazing, Dannhauser said. After five months renovating, she and her partner, Diane Salerno, opened the business. The Story Lab offers several levels of membership, from $25 community membership to $275 monthly for all-access to the facility. Unlike a startup incubator, the Story Lab is tailored specifically for people making a living as a writer. The site is just off Interstate 95 near the Westport train station, which Dannhauser said plays a crucial role for the business, especially for writers who travel to and from New York. I think that its an absolute perfect place to be, she said. Prospective members must undergo an application process and provide three references to gain access to the Story Lab and its amenities: free WiFi, story board rooms, quiet spaces to conduct interviews and more. The Fairfield County Story Lab is openfrom 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week. There is also special pricing for commuters. Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com Chicago police say a 2-year-old girl was killed when she was ejected from a vehicle that crashed after fleeing police. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Monday that the driver fled when officers tried to pull the vehicle over for a traffic violation Sunday evening on the citys South Side. WEST HAVEN A terminally ill man a loyal Donald J. Trump fan whose bucket list included a gesture from the president got the thrill Monday when both Eric Trump and HUD official Lynne Patton contacted him to say Patton was going to visit Saturday and bring a gift. She hit me up on Instagram its pretty incredible, Jay W. Barrett, 44, younger brother of city Councilwoman Bridgette Hoskie, D-1, said Monday. He doesnt know any details, but according to a Facebook exchange on Westies Watch, it may be an item signed by Trump. Barrett was floored Monday night when Eric Trump called him at about 7:45 out of the blue to let him know the family was sending a special gift Saturday. It was an exhausting first day home from the hospital, but so exciting, Barrett said. He told me theyre pulling for me and praying, he said. He said Eric Trump told him the president had a special gift for Barrett. Patton, who is from New Haven, reached out to the Trump family at the request of a Facebook friend after a Register story about Barretts wish was posted online. Patton wrote in a Facebook exchange: Done. Just spoke to Eric Trump and he has a signed gift from his father especially for Jay. And trust me, Trump doesnt sign much anymore now that hes POTUS, so this is very special. Im thrilled about it (the visit), Barrett said Sunday, a day after leaving Yale New Haven Hospital and beginning palliative care at his sisters home. She said shes going to bring me something, but the expectations are none. Its the thought that counts, not the gift itself. Patton could not be reached for comment Monday. She also said to a friend on the Facebook exchange who thanked her: Anytime. Tell Jay to keep fighting!! The story about Barrett, who is in the end stages of cystic fibrosis, grabbed national attention he was interviewed Monday by Newsweek. Barrett said Monday that despite his prognosis of six or fewer months to live, he intends to be around to vote in 2020. Barrett, who for most of his life considered himself an Independent, voted for President Barack Obama in 2008, but not the second time around because he didnt like the push on mandated health care and other policies. Barrett said he came to realize he was a Republican and fell in love with Trumps style at the launch of his campaign, and later, his because of his policies. Hes outspoken thats how I am and its gotten me in trouble, but in a good way, Barrett said, adding its gotten Trump in trouble, too, but from a different stage. Barrett said he likes that Trump is real and that Democrats automatically counter everything he says. If Trump came out and said, Oxygen is good, theyd come out and say its bad, Barrett said. He also was attracted to Trump as a candidate because of his business savvy. I thought we needed a businessman to run this country everyone has screwed it up to this point, he said. When Barrett took a turn recently and was treated at Yale New Haven Hospital, Hoskie took to Facebook, discreetly asking friends to help in making something on my brothers bucket list a reality. She wrote that it was a secret/surprise and asked those interested to privately message her or make a comment and shed message them. Word about Barretts wishes got out through Hoskie via Facebook. Hoskie, a solid Democrat, has many friends who were touched by her wish to make her brother happy and Democrats and Republicans rallied, sending emails to the White House and spreading the word. State Rep. Dorinda Borer, D-West Haven, with the help of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthals office, fulfilled one of Barretts wishes by securing a flag that flew over the U.S Capitol. Bridgette and Jay obviously have an amazing bond, and its clear shes poured her heart into helping him fulfill his wishes, Borer said. The rest of us are just playing a small part in making those dreams come true. Borer said, Theres plenty of compassion and love amongst both parties in West Haven, so Im not surprised at all that everyone is coming together to bring Jay and his family some comfort in this very difficult time. State Rep. Charles Ferraro, R-West Haven, who was contacted by Democratic Town Committee Chairman Mike Last, told Ferraro that Barrett had talking with Republicans on his bucket list, Ferraro said. Ferraro, who visited just a few days ago, said he brought with him a West Haven woman who has been to 44 Donald Trump rallies and others to visit Barrett in the hospital. Hoskies original message on Facebook to those willing to help was, Please log onto whitehouse.gov and send a request to the president asking him to contact my brother. He loves Trump and its on his bucket list. Hes currently in Yales ICU so this happening would be amazing. Use your info and my brothers in the message. Hoskie said her brother would have been thrilled just to get an acknowledgment from Trump . His email address is Jay.Barrett75@yahoo.com and his Instagram name is Fight_Forward75. Hoskie said her brother is a Trump supporter through and through. Before his recent downturn in health, Barrett asked Hoskie if she thought they could figure out a way to get him to D.C. Hoskie said he then asked, Can you imagine if we got there and saw him, and they got to shake his hand? Hoskie said her brothers ultimate wish was to see the president , meet him and get a hello. Barrett said hes grateful for anything, but taking that trip to Washington and shaking Trumps hand still would be the ultimate. Barrett has struggled with cystic fibrosis his entire life, but he hasnt let it change his attitude, he said. He said hell fight to the end and friends recently told him hes never been a complainer. Barrett said he is pro-life, even though his mother is pro-choice, because she decided to carry him to term even knowing the risk because a brother born before him died of CF in babyhood. When she was pregnant, people always asked her, Are you sure you want to go through this again? Barrett said. Of his pro-life stance Barrett concludes: She did it all for me. Early in my career, I had a serious problem; I said yes to everything. It didnt matter how busy I was. It wasnt a big deal if I wasnt anticipating the request. Who honestly wants to help someone move their stuff from one part of the city, state or world -- and stick that junk somewhere else? Sometimes I said "yes" to what amounted to taking on someone else's "reject busy work." Obviously, I wasnt the only person in the world, at that time, who couldnt say no. Its something that most of the human race struggles with. After all, you dont want to offend those you care about. You dont want others to consider you as a selfish or irresponsible person. Eventually, I had to put my foot down. There were my own priorities to consider, and I was neglecting these because I was continually putting others ahead of myself. As a consequence, I felt stressed because I was always playing catch-up. But, the light bulb indeed went on when I came across this quote from Derek Sivers, If youre not saying HELL YEAH! about something, say no.' That is still one of my favorite quotes and, I refer to it whenever someone requests my time. Certainly, I still don't relish moving someone's stuff -- but I will help with that task -- even if I'm not yelling, "hell yeah." However, I am a little more selective on the "yes's" than I was before. Even in the selection process -- it may not make some decisions any more comfortable. There may always remain times when we feel a little guilty about not helping someone out. Thankfully, I learned that it is possible to say no to almost anyone without feeling guilty by doing the following. Related: Reading One Book a Week Won't Make You Successful Establish your proper boundaries and policies -- early and well. Saying no comfortably and without guilt requires you to actually think about what you stand for. Why are you saying no?" Patti Breitman said this in How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty. As you learn to eliminate unwanted obligations from your life, what are you making room for? For example, did you decline to take on a new client because that would have meant sacrificing quality time with your family? In this case, your priority was to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Although the money would have been great, you could justify your decision because it wasnt as important as spending time with your loved ones. Breitman also suggests that you live by a set of principles. This could be something like giving to others without expecting something in return or having a tradition like a family game night on Fridays. These little rules for yourself implies that youve given the matter considerable thought on a previous occasion and learned from experience that what the person is requesting is unwise. Additionally, it conveys that youve got a prior commitment you cant break. Related: Getting Into Entrepreneurial Shape Means Working Your Mind Just say no. No matter how awkward it may feel, you need to be clear about your response. Being wishy-washy or beating around the bush isnt fair to the other party. They need a timely response to make the appropriate plans and may perceive your indirect response as a yes and then youre committed. If you cant take on a project or attend an event, give them an honest and brief explanation. If youve established boundaries and policies, this shouldnt be a problem. You could respond with, Sorry, I cant make your party. Friday nights are family game nights. But, also remember you don't owe anyone an excuse unless you want to give one. "Oh, sorry, I can't," is just fine. Related: 8 Ways to Say 'No' So You Say 'Yes' to What Matters Most Offer an alternative. Just because youve declined an individual's request doesnt mean that you still cant help them. If theyve inquired about a job, you could refer them to a colleague or another business. If they ask you have availability for a new assignment, let them know youre booked this week but are free after that. Personally, this is one of my favorite techniques. Youre still offering to help but its on your terms. A benefit in offering other suggestions or support is that you dont feel guilty about saying no. Its a win-win. Be assertive, but remain courteous. What if youve checked your calendar app and realize that youre booked solid for the next month? You can still be decisive, while also being professional and polite. Your response could be something like, Thanks for reaching out to me -- I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I do not have any availability until next month. If you like, please email next month to check my availability. Dont respond immediately. You dont want to leave someone hanging, but you dont have to respond to their request instantly. Let your friend or family member know that you have to review your calendar and that youll get back to them as soon as possible. Besides checking your availability, you need this time to see if the request gels with your boundaries and policies. Sometimes this may only take a couple of minutes, while other times you may need to sleep on it. Know your value. Underestimating our value is, in my opinion, the main reason why we say yes too often. We thrive on the approval of others. If we turn them down, they may assume that were careless or dont know how to manage our time correctly. Obviously, we dont want that reputation -- especially when youre just-starting-out in your business. On the other end of the spectrum, if you always say yes others may take advantage of that. As a result, many people will frequently assign you new responsibilities or ask for a minute of your time because they know you wont say no. While you want to be reliable, you dont always have to put the needs of others ahead of your own. The best course of action is to know how much your time is worth and placing more value on your opinion then of others. Related: How to Calculate the True Monetary Value of Your Time Practice your response. Yeah -- practicing responses may sound a little out of there. But, as Im sure you know, practice makes perfect -- and this even applies to how youll deny an inquiry. When you have some downtime, practice your response by typing out an email or text -- definitely, do not hit send -- actually -- don't fill in the "to whom" at all. Then, look yourself in the mirror and say no out loud. Again, this may be uncomfortable, but, this is a simple and effective way to prepare yourself for saying no. Be more selfish. There have been negative associations with the word selfish. But, remind yourself that the problem often comes from highly adept manipulators -- and you don't have to have any of it. At the same time, being a little more selfish may be a good thing -- since it can help reduce anxiety and stress. Think about it. You skip the gym to go to happy hour with your friends. You help someone else on a project before completing your own work. Or, you skip a doctors appointment to meet with a potential client. Over time, your mental and physical health suffers. If there is one reason why you should start saying no more often is that you need time to take care of yourself. If youre a wreck -- then how can you possibly help anyone else out? Self-care is empowering and healthy both mentally and physically. Related: Your Secret to Success? Be More Selfish Use the Broken Record technique. In my experience, most people will move on if you clearly explain why you cant help or meet with them. Unfortunately, some people cant accept being rejected. I don't get this type of reaction from others anymore -- but I did get those manipulators who wouldn't take no for an answer for a long time. Following my initial decision to do better things for myself, the determination to rise up was present in myself. They will try to break you down until you reconsider. Until you master self-care -- you will be of little use to others. I told myself this fact -- over and over. "Do well for yourself now -- so that later -- you can do more for others." If you ever find yourself in this situation -- repeat the same "sorry, I can't," response -- no matter how many times they ask you. Be polite and empathetic. But, do not let them talk you into anything. Their endgame is to have you go from a no to a maybe to a yes." "Sorry, I can't," is a great response and the only one you need ever give. Related: How to Say 'No' to Anyone Without Feeling Guilty 3 Time-Management Tips for Entrepreneurs (60-Second Video) Why Time Is Your Most Important Business Resource Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who is poised to formally announce that he is running for president as early as this week, has held elected office since before Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, was born. Though he said it has felt lonely at times, the 68-year-old Democrat has been trying to do something about global warming for almost that entire time. He's learned more from his failures than his successes. Now he hopes that Democratic primary voters come to value hard-earned wisdom. Every 2020 candidate is talking extensively about climate change in his or her stump speech, but no one else has made it the central rationale for seeking the presidency. "I've got three grandkids, and I want them to experience what I have: salmon in the river, snow in the mountains, clean air and forests to hike in," he said in an interview this weekend at the National Governors Association winter meeting. "It's all going to be degraded if we don't take this battle on." As a congressman, Inslee was a key player in the push for a cap-and-trade system 10 years ago. A bill passed in the House but stalled in the Senate, even though Democrats had a near-filibuster-proof majority. Last March, Inslee fought hard but failed to enact the nation's first carbon tax in Washington state. He couldn't whip the votes to pass the bill through his state's Democratic-controlled legislature. This past November, voters in his state rejected a ballot initiative to impose a carbon fee on fossil fuel emissions. A separate push he spearheaded to cap emissions was blocked in the courts. Inslee said "perseverance" is his single greatest personal quality. "You have to realize it's a necessary quality to achieve any major social change," he said. "Suffragettes understood that. ... You have to just keep plugging away at it. Sometimes perseverance is more important than genius." Inslee said he "welcomes" Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal for its ambition and for drawing attention to his pet issue, but he said there's not really a plan for him to endorse. "This was not a policy document. It was really not meant to be," he said. "So now people like me will issue policies to actually put meat on the bones." Republicans have warned in apocalyptic terms that the resolution could take away people's cars and even lead to killing cows. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is moving to hold a show vote to force Democrats to take a position on the resolution. Inslee said Republicans are using scare tactics that remind him of the debate over Obamacare. "It's just death panels all over again," he said. "They squawk . . . and they make up stuff out of thin air, just like they did on health care, and then we win. I believe, and I hope, it will be the same result on climate change." During our conversation at the Marriott Marquis, I noted that Democrats lost the House in 2010 after they passed the Affordable Care Act and that several congressmen lost their seats specifically because they walked the plank to vote for cap-and-trade system during the same Congress. "Timing is everything - in comedy and politics," he said. Inslee explained that he's cleareyed about what's realistic. He does not think getting to a carbonless economy in a decade is doable. After his defeats of the past decade, the governor also no longer advocates for a carbon tax or a carbon-pricing system. "I'm proposing alternatives," he said. "What's important to realize is this other assortment of tools in the toolbox can achieve the same carbon reduction as a carbon charge. There's a lot of routes to this destination." When cap-and-trade failed in 2010, Inslee argued that "it was just a line on the graph." Now people experience more frequent fires, flooding and hurricanes, plus worse air quality, so it feels real and thus they're inclined to act. While the general idea of action is popular, specific steps can generate backlash. During our interview, I noted that the mass yellow vest protests in Paris over the past few months started because of public outcry over France imposing a new tax to fight climate change. Inslee emphasized that this is partly why he does not advocate carbon taxes. "Look, we've got a suite of policies that are available to us, not just carbon pricing," he said. "In my state, we've got five bills in the legislature that are all moving forward with the goal of 100 percent clean energy. . . . We've learned that we have multiple tools, not just one. There are a lot of different ways to skin this cat." Inslee's decision to go all in on climate is certainly calculated, but it's not craven. This is not some election-year conversion. Back in 2007, Inslee co-authored a 416-page book on this topic called "Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy." Bill Clinton wrote the foreword. Inslee pointed to a poll conducted this month by the Center for American Progress, a progressive advocacy group, that found "addressing the climate crisis" is tied with universal health-care coverage as the top priority among Democratic voters in the five early states. Another poll this month from Saint Anselm College found that 88 percent of likely New Hampshire Democratic voters said they are more likely to support a candidate who advocates for the Green New Deal. That was a higher number than Medicare-for-all, regulating Wall Street, taxing the ultra-wealthy and providing tuition-free college. A December poll from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found 69 percent of Americans are at least "somewhat" worried about climate change, up seven points from last March. Inslee said he would be willing to declare a national emergency on climate change, allowing drastic federal action that could not pass Congress, if the Supreme Court upholds President Trump's emergency declaration to build a wall on the southern border. The governor emphasized that he's against Trump's invocation of emergency powers and hopes it gets struck down. "But if the rules change and the circumstances change, we're going to play by whatever rules exist to deal with this existential crisis," he said. "So if the possibility exists, we'll say yes." Inslee noted that he has made tangible, if incremental, progress as governor. Indeed, the Seattle Times Editorial Board praised him last month for trying to elevate the national conversation surrounding global warming and for his work to reduce emissions during six years as governor: "Inslee has a compelling story to tell about the state's ability to grow its economy, increase education spending and host the nation's two most valuable companies - all while reducing emissions, increasing use of renewable energy and enforcing strong regulations to protect the health of forests, waterways and air quality. . . . "Inslee secured investments in clean-energy research, pushed to increase electric vehicle use in the state and co-founded a coalition of 17 governors working to uphold the Paris Agreement on climate-change goals. Energy related greenhouse-gas emissions in Washington declined 3 percent since their pre-recession high in 2007, despite population growth and the nation's fastest economic growth in recent years. Emissions are expected to fall 5.5 percent by the time Inslee's current term ends in 2020 . . . He's been a strong advocate for private- and public-sector research and advanced product development. That includes championing state support for Boeing's development of cutting-edge, fuel-efficient jetliners." Inslee has significantly more experience than most of his better-known rivals for the nomination. He got elected to the state House in 1988, won a U.S. House seat in 1992, lost reelection in 1994 because he voted for the assault weapons ban, battled his way back to Congress in 1998 and stayed there until he won the governorship in 2012. His second term wraps up at the end of 2020. Inslee also recently wrapped up a successful stint as the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. Right now, however, he doesn't register in the early polls. But the governor said he's accustomed to starting races as the underdog. He noted that he defeated a GOP incumbent to win his House seat and said he didn't have support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "They flew a guy out to Yakima to tell me they weren't going to help me," he recalled. "I said why didn't you just call?" - - - The Washington Post's Joanie Greve and Mariana Alfaro contributed to this report. Authorities say the husband of a woman killed in what was initially believed to be a fatal fall at a northeastern Iowa farm has been charged with her murder. The Delaware County Sheriffs Office said in a news release Thursday that 42-year-old Todd Michael Mullis had been arrested on a warrant charging him with first-degree murder in the Nov. 10 death of 39-year-old Amy Lynn Mullis. The department says an autopsy showed that Amy Mullis died after receiving injuries that included multiple stab wounds to her back with a corn rake. According to the Des Moines Register, Mullis called 911 the day his wife died, telling police their son found her impaled on the corn rake. Officials said her injuries were not consistent with falling onto a rake as her husband described. Mullis was arrested without incident on Thursday and remains jailed without bail. A man Amy Mullis was in a romantic relationship with told investigators she wanted to leave her husband and was "scared to death" of him. "If he catches me, he might make me disappear," she told the man, according to a criminal complaint. Amy Mullis reportedly told friends that she worried her husband would kill her if he found out she was having an affair. One friend told investigators Amy Mullis felt "trapped and like a prisoner." Then, in October, Amy Mullis called a friend, screaming and crying, and said her husband learned of her affair, according to court records. Days before Amy Mullis died, an iPad owned by Todd Mullis searched the internet for "killing unfaithful women" and "what happened to cheating spouses in historic Aztec tribes," authorities said. Nacogdoches, TX (75965) Today Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 46F. Winds light and variable. R othschild presents itself as a cut above the rest. A thoroughbred of investment banking, it wouldnt lower itself to the kind of grubby behaviour one sees from those (sniff) American bulge bracket bankers. So imagine the horror in the Waitrose boardroom on learning the work theyd commissioned from the bank on a potential new Ocado joint venture had metaphorically been stuck in a Rothschild limo to Paddington Basin and flogged to their arch rivals at Marks & Spencer. As we now know, M&S jumped at the proposal and the deal was done with a hefty fee for Rothschild. Doubtless when the boys and girls at Goldman, JPMorgan and the rest read of it all in tonights Evening Standard, they will chuckle and applaud at such seeming skulduggery. But for Rothschild and its veteran on the deal, Nigel Higgins, it has a dangerous whiff of ungentlemanly behaviour. Dangerous for Higgins because he is about to become chairman of Barclays, another provider of trusted and sensitive advice to companies. Dangerous for Rothschild because it prides itself on having the trust of governments and corporates to be a dependable consigliere on the most delicate of matters. Rothschild says it has conflict of interest rules, but perception is all. In 2006, Goldman Sachs pitched BAAs board to defend it against a hostile bid, only then to hint that Goldman could buy the company itself. It was an aggressive step too far even for Goldman, and its Wall Street uber-boss Hank Paulson issued a stern rebuke to his upstart London team. That rollocking was dubbed The Spank from Hank, and it feels like a similar slap is warranted from the Paris offices of Alexandre de Rothschild. Elevated last year to the helm at the family firm, he will not want to see standards drop so soon into his regime. For executives at Barclays, used to the erratic regime of outgoing chairman John McFarlane, theres only one crumb of comfort. Accident-prone though Barclays may be, its certainly never dull. Note thats a blank cheque for crime Is todays relaunch of the 1000 Swiss franc note a good idea? Guillaume Lepecq of pro-cash think-tank Cash Essentials thinks it is. He is charming, but wrong. Rather than being spruced up, this note should be banned. Bad guys love big-denomination notes because they allow large amounts of cash to be smuggled across borders easily. Thats why the European Central Bank axed the 500 note. Lepecq argues that far more cash is now smuggled electronically, so it doesnt matter. Thats like telling people theyre more likely to be robbed by cybercriminals than burglars, so you may as well leave your front door open. F inancier Lord Rothschild On Tuesday said Britain was in the worst political situation since the Suez crisis. He didnt mention Brexit by name but said: We are surely witnessing the worst political situation in the United Kingdom since the Suez crisis, while social unrest and populism in a number of European countries cloud the future. The Suez Crisis of 1956 saw Britain forced to back down against Egypt over control of the canal. The 82-year old is the great-great-great-great-grandson of the banking familys founder Mayer Amschel Rothschild. He said last year had been the most treacherous for investors since the financial crisis. His investment firm , RIT Capital, dodged the worst and gained 0.8%. The company dialled down exposure to stock markets, which helped shield it from the worst of last year's losses. A Swiss pension fund on Tuesday displayed confidence in London by committing to starting construction this month on a 200 million Square Mile office block. Investor AFIAA, working with property developer Stanhope, will convert Schroders former headquarters at 40 Gresham Street into a 170,000 square feet building, with 254 bike spaces, and shops and a cafe on the ground floor. The building, which offers views of St Pauls Cathedral, will be completed by autumn 2020. It will be called Gresham St Pauls. Bardo Magel, AFIAAS head of asset management international, said: We believe London is one of the worlds most important and dynamic centres for financial services and the new media and tech industry. The commitment to start work comes despite concerns in the market that business demand for new offices could slow down once Britain leaves the EU. A s one bright liberal star rises again, so another falls. Before Christmas, the Brexiteer gang in our media and politics could hardly contain their excitement. Their bete noire, Emmanuel Macron, looked in serious trouble. The French President who had declared war on their British brand of narrow nativist populism was being humbled by his own people. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary Frenchmen and women, wearing the high-vis vests the rules require you to keep in cars over there, had brought the country to a halt in protest at the governments decision both to increase fuel duty and cut the speed limit. The appearance of these gilets jaunes (yellow vests) was, we were told, Frances Brexit moment a cry from the forgotten and the marginalised to be heard by an arrogant Parisian elite epitomised by an arrogant young President. Thats the end of the Roi-Soleil, we were all told. But they were wrong. It is dawn for The Sun King again. Scarcely noted on this side of the Channel, President Macron is staging a remarkable political fightback. First, he bought off the immediate protest with an expensive U-turn on the fuel tax and French cars will continue to speed along the autoroutes. Le Grand Debat Second, he launched the huge Le Grand Debat in which everyone in France has been asked to tell him what they think about the countrys future. Local mayors are organising town-hall debates, online submissions are being sought, regional citizen conferences are taking place, with participants drawn by lots. Millions of people have engaged. President Macron himself has cancelled pretty much all international travel he ducked Davos, the Munich security conference and the gathering at Sharm el Sheikh and has instead thrown himself very publicly into lengthy question-and-answer sessions with different French groups. And its starting to work. At the big recent annual agricultural show in Paris, this most urban of presidents got a warm reception by those normally frosty French farmers. He has shown them he can taper sur le cul des vaches (literally, touch the backside of a cow), a great French phrase for a President with the common touch. Mr Macrons poll ratings, after plunging, are now rising rapidly. His political movement is set to do well in the forthcoming European elections. The gilets jaunes, meanwhile, are seen as a disruptive minority of far-Right and far-Left protesters who can never be satisfied. If he can define these as his political opponents, then he will be able ruthlessly to squeeze out more dangerous mainstream alternatives. Big tests remain, not least how he responds to the national debate; but for now Macron is showing how you can make the forgotten feel heard and win the battle against the populists. Theres an immediate consequence for the UK. Anyone still expecting the EU to blink should note that the re-invigorated French leader is in no mood to compromise with the lies and irresponsibility of the Brexiteers and whom he equates with the populists hes fighting in France. Far from it. He calls Brexit a dead end and wants to crush what he explicitly sees, correctly, as a retreat to nationalism across Europe. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, another bright light of the liberal firmament is in serious trouble. Just a few weeks ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looked like he was cruising to a comfortable re-election this autumn. Then scandal broke out. He and his aides are accused of trying to protect a huge Quebec-based construction company, SNC-Lavalin, from a bribery trial. This week another of his cabinet ministers has resigned in protest. It feels like an emperors got no clothes moment for the young leader who promised a fresh, open, millennial style of politics. Its not, yet, fatal for the Canadian premier but his ratings are falling fast, more resignations may follow and the election looms. A neighbour rang me last week for a chat. This came as a surprise because I thought she was dead. Last time I saw her the medics had strapped her to a gurney and were popping her in the back of the ambulance. A few weeks later her flat was cleared out. The other day it was up for sale at auction. Everyone said she was a goner. But then, as I sat writing one afternoon, ring, ring went the phone. Hello, Dan! she bellowed not being one who has sotto voce in her range. I bet you thought Id died! It turned out that reports of her demise, to recycle the Mark Twain line, really had been exaggerated. All the same, she told me, she had wavered for half a year between insensible and comatose, during which her life was despaired of. Expecting the worst to be inevitable, her friends went around, rehomed her cats and binned all her possessions, figuring, quite reasonably, that she couldnt use them in the afterlife. Yet now here she is: back with us. She has a room in an assisted-living place a few miles down the road, which she says is very nice. She is quite a force of nature, and I assume she is driving all the staff mad. Im going to cycle over there as soon as I have the time and take her a bag of books. The experience of answering the phone to someone I believed had passed away was confusing, thrilling and slightly chilling. It is certainly as close as I have ever come to communicating with a ghost. The childrens nanny, who is more religious than me, says it is a miracle. I was going to go with a misunderstanding followed by an unexpected piece of good news. But when you think about it, maybe thats what a miracle is. Its not litter, its someones bed Speaking of throwing away peoples things: a friend who spends a lot of time with Sohos homeless reports that they now regularly see bin lorries and street sweepers picking up unattended sleeping bags from doorways in central London and carting them off. Chucking out someones bed, no matter how unsightly or inconveniently placed, would be a pretty low thing to do not too far from chucking dirty mop-water over a person to move them on, as seen everywhere on social media last week. Lets hope this is error and not policy. Dont forget: there but for the grace of God go we. London, multicultural for millennia Dr Suzannah Lipscomb / Dave Benett/Getty Images What's under Londons streets? Well, a surprising number of skeletons one of which is pieced together in London: 2,000 Years of History, which starts on Channel 5 at 9.15pm tonight. In this episode Dr Suzannah Lipscomb meets the Lant Street teenager: a 14-year-old, 5ft 3in blue-eyed girl from North Africa who found her way to London more than 1,500 years ago, when it was ruled by the Romans. Her skeleton is now kept in a cardboard box in the huge, enjoyably Gothic, bone vault at the Museum of London. The presence of a North African girl in London reminds us that this city has been multicultural since it was first founded. The flow of people into London from all over the world has been one reason why it has flourished for two millennia, able to rebuild after wars, rebellions, fires and plagues. Anyway, if you want to know more, watch the first episode. Im afraid there is one drawback: besides Lipscomb and her co-host, engineer Rob Bell, youll have to endure a bit of me marching about, poking through archaeological sites and in one sequence wearing a lurid, bright-orange jumpsuit. But you can mix the drinks at that point. TB is nothing to be sneezed at I am reading a book (The Wolf and the Watchman, by Niklas Natt och Dag) and playing a video game (Red Dead Redemption 2) in which both of the main characters happen to be dying of consumption. Natt och Dags description of the rattling, lung-shredding tubercular cough is truly hideous a haunting portrait of physical disintegration thats not easy to forget. I had a mentor once, and he died on me. Which is not what they are supposed to do. He didnt ever tee himself up as being one, there was no request for me to be his mentee (this isnt an episode of The Office), but he was and still is the only person in my life who truly knew and understood me, the only person I have ever met or think I will ever meet who filleted me, cut through and got to my bones, both personally and professionally. He knew every version of me and loved them all. Imagine losing that overnight? Thats one for another column. The point is, every decision I made in life he knew about it, either because I asked for his opinion when I needed counsel (it was over lunch, when I told him Id been offered the job of editor of ES Magazine). Or when it was simply important. When I told him I had just given birth to my daughter, he said she was the lucky one. He was my biggest fan, and didnt mind who knew it God, youre lucky to have her, he would say to people I was working with. He never stopped talking me up, he never chose not to answer my calls and he introduced me to all his bright, brilliant, gifted world-class friends because he thought I would enhance their lives, and not the other way around. The seven or so years I had him in my life were among the happiest I have ever been. I felt my most secure knowing he was there. It was a unique relationship platonic, untouchable, nurturing and full of love. Whatever happened to me, he (my mentor by proxy) would make me see the funny side, he would catch me, cantilever me, remind me that nothing actually did matter, and that our freedom, and being funny, were the only things to cherish. I dont have anyone in my life that I make feel that way. But I do know the value of making someone feel supported, and it feels like London is waking up to the value of sharing the love and privilege that we are all bestowed, in one way or another. "The relationship I had with my mentor was unique platonic and nuturing. I was at my most secure" I was invited to the incredible home of interior designer Rose Uniacke for dinner last week in Chelsea; think Hogwarts but decorated in linen, with a crackling fire and an atmosphere of calm. It was an incredibly moving evening; the designer Phoebe Philo was there, fashion super-agent Camilla Lowther, actor Helena Bonham Carter brilliant, powerful Londoners invited by Rose and founder of the White Company, Chrissie Rucker, to find out more about the Princes Trusts Women Supporting Women initiative. Incredible girls had travelled to London to tell us about how, without the support of the project, they might have taken their own lives. Elsewhere on mentoring, Russell Brand (whom I controversially quite love in his new guru incarnation) has just released a book called How to Help and Be Helped, and Soho House has teamed up with the Creative Mentor Network to launch Soho Impact, a programme that sees members (like me) mentoring young, motivated individuals. It can be tricky, it can be taxing and I barely have time to see my own daughter, let alone support someone elses. But if doing the little amount that I can makes someone else feel a fraction of the way my mentor made me feel? Im in, always. When boys gym banter crosses the line So theres this gym in east London for people who really want their mates to know they work out. It promotes itself via slickly shot drone videos of shiny lads training in frosty parks, and TOWIE alumni getting it done at 5.30am. This gym experience is aimed squarely at your changing-room selfie male, a lone prowler who is conditioning himself for the purposes of his Tinder profile picture. Now Im a sucker for a triumphant gym before-and-after pic, and the material coming out of this establishment is pure gold. Think before: Coke bloat and spare tyres made of pissed-up Cornish pasty consumption; and then afterwards Yes, you may play my torso like a xylophone. But then last week, a picture was posted of one of the co-founders holding a pink kettle bell, dangling it in his groin area, and he was guffawing, head back, cracking up. For the bants they asked followers to caption this, and then shared some of the best: And this was her face when I tea-bagged her (referring to his open mouth) was one, and When she teases all night and doesnt go over referring to the heavy pink bell, was another. Proper funny bants, right? No. That, right there, is misogymy, lads. *Lets tune in to my friend Fiona, who is an avid musical theatre fan and live texting from the opening of Tina, the musical, starring Adrienne Warren as Turner. The audience are talking the entire time, like its telly, she messaged. There was an announcement at the start to ask people to refrain from singing: I hate it already. Adrienne Warren as Tina Turner / Dave Benett/Getty Images On Tuesday morning the fashion set and a host of stylish stars gathered to pay tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld at his Chanel swan song. Following Lagerfelds death on February 19, the autumn/winter 2019 show at Paris Fashion Week marked the iconic designer's last collection for the brand, which he was at the helm of for over three decades. Guests arrived at Le Grand Palais to find that it had been transformed into a winter wonderland surrounded by mountains, wooden chalets and a thick layer of snow. On each seat sat an illustration of Lagerfeld (in his recognisable monochrome outfit and sunglasses) and Coco Chanel with the poignant words "the beat goes on...". Kristen Stewart and Janelle Monae front row at the Chanel show / AP From Naomi Campbell and Kristen Stewart to Claudia Schiffer and Janelle Monae, the front row was lined with a host of Lagerfeld's muses from over the years. The show began with models emerging to join in for a one-minute silence in honour of Lagerfeld. The catwalk then filled with Lagerfeld's favourite ambassadors from over the years with Cara Delevingne opening the show in a monochrome ensemble consisting of a houndstooth coat, grid print jumpsuit and matching hat in Chanel's signature tweed. Penelope Cruz made her catwalk debut at the show / Getty Images Actress Penelope Cruz also made her catwalk debut, walking the runway in a bridal look and holding a single white rose, followed by Kaia Gerber, one of Lagerfeld's last collaborators for his eponymous brand. Models got emotional during the finale (EPA) / Ian Langsdon/EPA For the finale, models walked arm-in-arm to a standing ovation as David Bowie's hit Heroes blared through the venue. The same music was played during his final Fendi show last week in Milan, undoubtedly a parting instruction from Lagerfeld himself. A lmost 500 parts of London record air pollution levels in breach of limits for nitrogen dioxide, according to government statistics. The findings, collected from Friends of the Earth from Air Quality Status Reports across London, show that Earl's Court Station presented the highest levels of NO2. Status reports compared NO2 readings with limits set in the Air Quality Objective for the toxic gas, which is linked to breathing problems such as asthma. In Earl's Court, the level recorded was 129.5ug/m3, which is more than three times the Objective's limit of 40ug/m3. What cities would look like if pollution was visible 1 /10 What cities would look like if pollution was visible Tokyo The Japanese capital has an air quality rating of 56 Kuala Lumpur has an air quality level of 64 Singapore has an air quality rating of 56 The South Korean capital has an air quality rating of 48 The busy cosmopolitan city of New York has an air quality rating of 30 London has an air quality index rating of 25 While Instanbul has a rating of 161 Dubai's air quality rating stays at 83 Dehli's air quality rating was 223 Bangkok's rating was 92 Car emissions are recognised as one of the biggest producers of nitrogen dioxide. In London, a total of 477 places that were measured in status reports recorded levels of NO2 that breached these limits. Some of the most heavily polluted areas were The Strand, Peckham High Street, Euston Road and the North Circular. Worst NO2 pollution in London 1. Earls Court Station, Kensington & Chelsea 129.5 2. Junction North Circular Rd / Chartley Avenue, Brent 115.39 3. IKEA, Hut, North Circular Road, Brent 102.1 4. Kensington H St/Kensington Church St, Kensington & Chelsea 94.5 5. Euston Road, Camden 92.45 6. Strand, City of Westminster 92 7. High Street, Harlesden, Brent 91.83 8. Haddon Hall Tower Bridge Road, Southwark 90.79 9. Peckham High Street, Southwark 87.51 10. Junction Dollis Hill Lane / Cricklewood, Brent 85.97 Catriona Currie, London campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: Its unforgivable to see so many locations across London over air quality limits, leaving millions of us breathing dangerously polluted air. "There are however signs of hope for air quality in the city, with Sadiq Khan making some good progress with the Ultra Low Emission Zone. Were delighted that the coming years will see this reach the North and South Circular Road but its crucial that the Mayors ambition doesnt stop there. "We need the ULEZ to cover the entirety of greater London so that all Londoners can breathe cleaner air. L ondon is one of the world's most diverse cities, steeped in cultures from around the world. Our city is packed with people from a variety of different backgrounds, who come together to make the capital a wonderfully rich cultural hub. Future London has reached out to just a few of the Londoners who make up our city, to learn more about their stories and their experiences of living in London. Julia Conway, 19, member of English National Ballet Natasha Pszenicki Julia was born in London, but grew up between Greenwich, Connecticut and Florida because the family travelled for her dads job. She was surrounded by dance from a young age, as her mum frequently took her to see the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and the New York City Ballet as well as different companies that toured to Sadlers Wells Theatre. Seeing the incredible dancers grace the stage awed me. As the final curtain went down I always thought, that is what I want to do. Visit The Courtauld Gallery has a beautiful and diverse collection and I love the feeling of calmness and serenity I get when Im there. In her spare time she visits the Royal Academy and explores the city. Eat As a treat, I will go for an afternoon tea this is definitely a British tradition that everyone should experience. For anyone visiting London, I would of course recommend coming to see English National Ballet perform, she said. Stephen Wang, 52, chaplain at Newman House Catholic Centre Natasha Pszenicki Stephen is half-Chinese and said growing up with a name like Wang made me feel a little bit different. But a real highlight was always the huge Chinese family reunion in January every year. Walk Id advise anyone visiting London to make sure you walk and dont spend your whole time on the tube. You will find surprises and see the world from a different perspective. I love walking along the canals and seeing houses from the back, and London Zoo inside out. See The Lumiere Light festival. I love the fact that London is so alive to the arts and installation art. Listen I like taking friends to see the cathedrals, especially evensong at St Pauls or Westminster Abbey. You get to hear one of the finest choirs in the world and see a famous church for free. But as a Catholic it is also part of my personal journey. For me Westminster Cathedral near Victoria is an oasis of calm and serenity in the middle of the craziness of London. Kush Saigal, 31, dancer and company manager at The Bollywood Co Natasha Pszenicki Kush grew up in an Indian family in Leicester and often took part in traditional Hindu ceremonies with his family. The whole way through college and even a few years afterwards, I didnt want to be typecast in the stereotypical Bollywood role, but then I helped a friend out with a Bollywood show and found it really fun. Watch "The last show I saw was Company and if you havent seen it, Id highly recommend going to watch its hilarious! I love going to shows with friends, and then go out for a drink. "Soho is always fun and easy to find loads of different places with its secret little nooks on side streets." Visit Basement Sate. Its a little cocktaVisitil and desserts place, and just looks like a door. You go down the stairs into a private bar, where its decked out in art deco. The chocolate mirror cake is my fave, but if youre doing it for the gram the presentation of the chocolate cigar is great. Daniel Ayim, 27, co-owner of Mixtape Madness and founder, Merge Marketing Natasha Pszenicki Daniel believes growing up in Tottenham where everyone made music and was an MC inspired him to pursue a career in the industry. Its an historic town set in music from Skepta to Adele. He now helps young artists move away from crime, and focus on their music. If we can make sure their economic growth means they can change their environment, then their creativity will evolve too. "Its an intimate experience, but feels good for me when it follows through and changes lives, so those who were at risk are now making money and looking after themselves. Listen Village Underground is really good for music culture, with their Livin Proof nights. Its good to head over there to gauge the music playing. Visit He urges Londoners to check out the pop-up activity in Tottenham with lots of music and live shows every week, as well as heading over to the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch to catch emerging artists performing live. Yana Binaev, 28, freelance artist and photographer Natasha Pszenicki Yana grew up in a Jewish household in Russia and Israel, before travelling to Singapore and Bali, where she met a variety of people who inspired her art. From a very young age I really cared about diversity, and started embracing language to deliver my work to more people. People hear you better when you speak in their language, said Yana, who speaks six languages. Last year I started documenting people around the streets in a piece I called My eyes see diversity. Im also starting a new documentary project on young women of colour, looking at how courageous they are and what they are doing to break stigmas. Going out Shoreditch is my favourite area, and I love going to the Autograph ABP Gallery there. The Association of Black Photographers hold exhibitions around diversity. Food Theres this great Caribbean place by Aldgate East called Marees Sauces and Food. It does amazing vegan wraps, and banana pancakes. Its a beautiful small business. Nileeka Bose, 31, manager of The Bollywood Co Natasha Pszenicki Nileeka grew up in a Sri Lankan family, and there are a number of different traditions that she still practises. We go to temple near Turnham Green and celebrate life events there, when my daughter was born there were lots of prayers. "I have a busy life in central London, but my Buddhist side grounds me and is a big part of my personality. Going out I love Battersea Park, its just gorgeous and always the first place to visit with my little one. To do Nileeka loves Bollywood dancing, but wants people to know its not just a gimmick for a hen party or Indian wedding: Theres so many different types from classical to high-energy Bhangra and strictly Bollywood, which is more like what you see in the movies. Classical is in many ways the ballet of Indian dancing. "It is very strict and regimented with beats, and sounds. Bhangra is more like Zumba or fitness. "It's high energy, from the north of India in Punjab when farmers used it to celebrate their harvest. Kurt Henderson, 27, co-founder of the city discovery app NAVA Natasha Pszenicki He loves going out in the city, which partly inspired the need for the app. Along with co-founders Tom and Olivia, he wanted to find something a bit more personal when going out. We were scrolling through blogs and articles to find a good place to go but we felt nothing showed you how a venue was relevant to you. Just if it was good or bad. Going out I like the free comedy upstairs at the Camden Head, where big acts come there to practise their jokes. "But I also like going to galleries such as the V&A and more independent ones too. "Brick Lane is great on weekends, theres Rich Mix cinema and lots of poetry and spoken word in places like Shoreditch as well." Drinks One of my favourite bars is Black Rock in Moorgate. Its hidden and so unique. You have to go down these little steps, I end up accidentally walking past it every time. A boutique cafe is selling what it claims is the perfect cup of coffee and if the caffeine doesnt wake you up, the price certainly will. The coffee from Le Cafe Alain Ducasse in Kings Cross costs 15 a cup. It is made from coffee beans which are exported in limited quantities from smallholder farmers in war-torn Yemen through military checkpoints. The coffee, said to combine notes of bergamot orange, cocoa nibs and grape, followed by red berries and honey, is billed by the company behind it as one of the finest in the world. The cafe in the Coal Drops Yard development is owned by three Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse. General manager Olivier Fellous said: Were offering an expensive coffee for sure and we know not everyone can afford it. The first reason is the taste. Chef Ducasse says its perfect, theres nothing wrong with this coffee, its just the perfect balance. The second is its very challenging to bring here because it grows 2,300 metres above sea level. The owners only harvest 13 kilos a year. He added that the company, which opened the Kings Cross branch in January, was proud to endorse products which customers are unable to get anywhere else in the capital. We pay a lot for the coffee too, its not like we make a huge margin from it we are ready to pay a lot of money because we encourage and promote whoever makes an amazing product, Mr Fellous said. Its 15 price tag has split opinion among customers at the cafe. Sarah Rotheram, 45, said: The notes of it are incredible, it was delicious. However, Jens Schlechter, 30, said: It is crazy. If its made to a fair trade agreement then great, but I would still think twice about spending 15 on a cup of coffee. Comedian Katherine Ryan says her style of comedy means that she is often praised by far-Right groups who misinterpret her humour. Ryan, who says she is very un-PC but also describes herself as woke, said some fans struggle to realise that her offensive jibes do not make her anti-feminist or against LGBT rights. She told A List: Im very interactive with people on social media and I get these very fascist, Right-wing people who say to me I really like your comedy because youre un-PC and you dont care. And then they think they can have dialogue with me that is hateful. And I say to them what you dont realise is you think Im un-PC, but Im very feminist, very LGBT positive and very trans-inclusive. Ryan who lives in north London with her daughter, said that she does not correct people who get the wrong impression of her, but will sometimes interact if she thinks there could be a funny result. She added: What usually happens is I will tweet about a few issues that they disagree with and theyll figure it out quite quickly. And Im like yeah I am offensive but Im not a d***. Its amazing to me that theyre surprised. Canadian-born Ryan, 35, is returning with a new series of Your Face Or Mine, which she hosts with Jimmy Carr. The show sees the duo quiz couples who are asked to predict how attractive people think they are. It has featured a host of famous couples who have since split, including Love Island stars Chris Hughes and Olivia Attwood. Ryan insists she has no guilt over couples who split after appearing on the show. If youre 20 years old and you havent got a mortgage and you havent got kids or any real problems, if you fell out over your looks then you were never going to make it anyway, she said. I t's almost Pancake Day, which means we now officially have an excuse to eat as many pancakes as we want. Shrove Tuesday, as it's more formally known, is the perfect reason to get your friends and family round for stacks of delicious pancakes. Whilst some people's pancake flipping skills are better than others, any pancake fanatic knows no matter what they taste like, it's all about the toppings. Some people like to go fancy with fresh berries and cream or keep it simple with lemon and sugar. Whatever your pancake preference, what could be better than an entire day dedicated to them? Here's everything you need to know about Pancake Day, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday: When is Pancake Day? Every year the city of London turns into a pancake haven with restaurants and homes cooking up delightful variations of the highly addictive batter cakes and crepes. However, given that this day changes date every year according to Easter, it can be hard to remember when it is, and why exactly we celebrate it. This year, Shrove Tuesday falls on 5 March. How to make vegan pancakes Why do we celebrate Pancake Day? For Christians, Shrove Tuesday marks the last day before Lent, traditionally a period of abstinence, associated with clearing your cupboards of goods such as sugar, fats and eggs. Traditionally, pancakes were eaten on this day to use up these foods before the 40-day fasting season of Lent began. Some believe the four ingredients used in pancakes may actually represent the four pillars of the Christian faith - flour as the staff of life, eggs as creation, milk as purity and salt as wholesomeness. Although the day is important in Christian tradition, Pancake Day is widely celebrated by those outside of the faith. How to make Espresso Martini pancakes What does Shrove Tuesday mean? The word 'shrove' derives from the English word 'shrive', which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by way of confession and penance. The day gets its unique name from the custom for Christians to be 'shriven' before the start of Lent. They would be called to confession by the ring of a bell which came to be known as the 'pancake bell' and it is still rung in some churches today. Why do we flip pancakes? The pancake has a very long history and is featured in cookery books as far back as 1439. The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old. According to legend, the tradition was born in the 15th century when a woman in Buckinghamshire rushed to church to confess her sins while mid-way through making pancakes. Need some Pancake Day inspiration? Check out these varied foodstagrams... A year of free flights. Sounds like the dream, right? JetBlue airlines has announced it is giving away a year's worth of free flights as part of its 'All You Can Jet Pass'. The pass, which was introduced in 2009, offers unlimited flights for $599. This time, however, cash doesn't apply. Instead, the airline is asking people to delete all their Instagram photos from their account to qualify for the free pass. JetBlue said: With a blank social slate, participants are able to make room for all the destinations and activities they could capture and share using the pass. The prize is valued at $20,000 and three lucky winners will be able to fly to 100 destinations during the year, including bucket list spots such as Colombia and Barbados. Entering is simple. First, delete every single photo and highlight reel (Stories) from your active public Instagram accounts. Your feed will have to be totally clear until 9AM EST on Friday March, 8 2019. Then, you will need to fill in the blank "All you can____" by uploading a snap of a destination, activity or person you'd like to visit around the globe. Once you've done that, upload the image here and download the custom frame on Instagram. Don't forget to tag @jetblue and use the hashtag #AllYouCanSweepstakes in the caption too. Just an FYI, your feed will have to remain blank until the winners have been announced. A rapper jailed for the manslaughter of Holby City actor John Michie's daughter is launching an appeal against his conviction, his barrister has said. Ceon Broughton gave Louella Fletcher-Michie a bumped up dose of the drug 2CP at Bestival in Dorset, causing the 24-year-old to slip into unconsciousness over the course of six hours. The 30-year-old was convicted at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday of manslaughter by gross negligence and supplying class A drugs, charges which he had denied. However, his barrister Stephen Kamlish QCs office confirmed to the Standard on Tuesday that Broughton will be appealing his conviction and eight-an-a-half-year sentence. Miss Fletcher-Michie, a yoga and dance teacher, died in Dorset woodland on September 20 2017, an hour before her 25th birthday. She was found dead by a security steward in the woodland, 400m from the festival's hospital tent, at about 1am. Louella Fletcher-Michie died in September, 2017 / PA Before his conviction, the court was shown pictures of the couple walking in the site before Miss Fletcher-Michie began hallucinating in woodland where she became seriously ill. The prosecution said Broughton, of Enfield, failed to take "reasonable" steps to seek medical help for Miss Fletcher-Michie. The jury was shown videos taken by the defendant as her condition worsened. In clips shown to the court, Miss Fletcher-Michie repeatedly shouts at Broughton to phone her mother, Carol Fletcher-Michie, but he tells her to "put your phone away" Louella Fletcher-Michie and Ceon Broughton / PA Her mother eventually contacted Broughton at 6.48pm and heard her daughter "screeching" before she rushed with her husband to the festival site in a bid to find her daughter. Prosecutor William Mousley QC claimed Broughton did not get help because he was handed a suspended jail term one month earlier and feared the consequences. He said that Broughton had given the drugs to Miss Fletcher-Michie and therefore had a duty of care to look after her. However, Mr Kamlish, who defended Broughton during the trial, said that the expert witness had acknowledged that she might not have survived even with medical help. He added that Broughton, who denied supplying the drugs, felt unable to leave his girlfriend alone while she was suffering a "bad trip" and he had not realised she was at risk of death. John Michie and his wife Carol Fletcher-Michie / PA After his conviction, Broughton said in a statement read by his barrister: Sorry I didnt do more to save Louella, sorry for the suffering I caused to everyone who loved Louella, I want to make things right. Mr Michie said outside the court: "Regardless of the outcome of this harrowing trial, there were never going to be any winners. D isgraced MP Fiona Onasanya has failed in a bid to overturn her conviction for lying to police as top judges said her appeal bid was branded baseless and misconceived. The trained solicitor, who represents Peterborough in Parliament, was jailed for three months in January after she was found guilty of perverting the course of justice over a speeding ticket. Standing in the Court of Appeal this morning, Onasanya insisted: The charge against me was that I had done acts tending or intending to pervert the course of justice. I still maintain my innocence, I didnt do that. PA The MP, now an independent after being kicked out of the Labour party, complained about the evidence given in her trial, railed at media coverage of her case, and argue mistakes had been made at trial. But Sir Brian Leveson, sitting with Mr Justice William Davis and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, said her appeal was misconceived and not based on valid grounds. This applicant was tried fairly by the jury who rejected her evidence, he said. There was no error in law in the guidance of the judge whose directions in law were clear and accurate. Neither was there any other irregularities at the trial. It is a tragedy that she has damaged, probably irreparably, a promising political career, but there is absolutely no basis for challenging the safety of her conviction. Disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya arrives outside The Royal Courts of Justice for her conviction challenge on Tuesday / PA The judge raised his eyebrows as he noticed Onasanya was representing herself in court with no paperwork or notes to refer to. At one stage she was forced to ask if prosecutor David Jeremy QC could help to answer on of the courts questions. Onasanya was convicted after a retrial when jurors heard her car was clocked speeding at 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney, near Peterborough, in July 2017, but a man who was in Russia at the time of the offence was put down as the driver on the notice of intended prosecution sent back to police. Onasanyas brother Festus admitted filling out the form and was jailed for 10 months after he pleaded guilty to two other similar offences. The MP was found by trial judge Mr Justice Stuart-Smith to have lied to the police during an investigation into the false information put on the form. Judge Leveson said Onasanya had taken considerable issue with the evidence of two Labour party workers, who said they had seen the MP on the night her car was caught speeding. But the judge pointed out to her: We cant reinvestigate the facts. You, a solicitor, understand that. You just ought to know, speaking for myself, this case is rather more based on what actually by the end of the trial wasnt in issue. He said the evidence of the two witnesses was marginal after Onasanya admitted she must have been in the car at the time it was speeding, adding: The Crowns case was you deliberately failed to identify the driver on three occasions, and the judge decided it was one, the last. Onasanya also argued that press coverage at her retrial had inferred guilt and her defence case had not been fully aired in public. But the judge told her: The courts are very used to dealing with adverse publicity. The jury were warned at the beginning of the trial that they had to focus only on the evidence. He said her complaint that her brothers charges also featured on the trial indictment was misconceived as his dishonesty formed a key part of her own defence. Onasanya, who was elected in 2017, continues to sit as an MP but may face a by-election if a recall petition is signed by more than 10 per cent of her constituents. I rish police are helping counter-terror officers investigate three small explosive devices sent to major transport hubs in London. Police said they were all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags, with specialist officers finding them to be small improvised explosive devices. Scotland Yard added the devices appeared capable of "igniting a small fire when opened". The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command has launched an investigation. IEDs found at London transport hubs 1 /11 IEDs found at London transport hubs Police officers, including one wearing a forensic suit, in a cordoned off area at Waterloo station REUTERS A police officer stands guard outside the cordon at Waterloo AFP/Getty Images Police officers investigate after an explosive device was sent to Waterloo station REUTERS Police officers secure the scene where an IED was found near Waterloo station REUTERS Police officers, including one wearing a forensic suit, in a cordoned off area at Waterloo station REUTERS Police officers secure a cordoned off area at Waterloo station REUTERS A British Transport Police vehicle at Waterloo station PA A British Transport Police vehicle at Waterloo PA Police at Waterloo after three explosive devices were found by police at three different locations across London EPA Police at Waterloo after three explosive devices were found by police at three different locations across London EPA Police at Waterloo after three explosive devices were found by police at three different locations across London EPA Following the discovery of the IEDs, British Transport Police have stepped up patrols and their presence at rail stations and the London Underground network. Police at Waterloo Station in London / EPA Images shared by Sky News showed the remains of the package sent to Heathrow and the envelope for the explosive device which was sent to Waterloo. Both have stamps featuring red hearts that are believed to originate from Ireland. Irish police confirmed officers are assisting the Met Police. A statement from the Met Police force said: "The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command has launched an investigation after three suspicious packages were received at buildings in London today, Tuesday, 5 March. "The packages - all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags - have been assessed by specialist officers to be small improvised explosive devices. These devices, at this early stage of the investigation, appear capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened. "The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is treating the incidents as a linked series and is keeping an open mind regarding motives." A police officer stands guard outside a cordon at Waterloo Station / AFP/Getty Images Scotland Yard confirmed the device sent to the Compass Centre near Heathrow Airport was opened by staff, "causing the device to initiate". "This resulted in part of the package burning," the force added in a statement. "No one was injured. The building was evacuated as a precaution. Specialist officers attended and made the device safe. The building remains closed as enquiries continue." Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted: "Our thanks go to police, security, transport staff and all involved for their swift actions to keep our city safe." Sean OCallaghan, from British Transport Police, said: Understandably the discovery of these items may cause concern, however I would like to offer some reassurance to those passengers intending to travel this evening. We will have a number of specially trained officers on duty to keep commuters safe and reassured. Officers will be highly visible on station concourses, on board trains as well as the London Underground network. If you have any concerns, please speak with us or indeed a member or rail staff." A police cordon outside Waterloo station / Jordan Milne/Sky News The packages were found today near Heathrow Airport in Hounslow, near City airport in Newham and at Waterloo station. The incidents occurred within two hours of each other, with the buildings evacuated and road closures and cordons put up at Waterloo. Police officers including one wearing a forensic suit in a cordoned off area at Waterloo station / REUTERS The first package was discovered at 9.55am at The Compass Centre in Hounslow. British Transport Police then responded to reports of a suspicious package at Waterloo station at 11.40am. The Met Police responded to another package at City Aviation House at London's City Airport in Newham half an hour later. The force said: Staff were evacuated from the building. Specialist officers are at the scene. Enquiries are ongoing. The Docklands Light Railway was suspended to London City Airport and all road access to the airport was closed for around two hours, although flights were still landing and walking access was possible. A spokesman for City airport said it is open and flights are operating as normal. A Heathrow spokeswoman said: Earlier today, police responded to reports of an incident in the Compass Centre. Police response teams and the emergency services attended quickly, enabling colleagues to evacuate safely without injury. Heathrow Airport remains operational, flights are not impacted and passengers are able to travel as normal. The police are treating this as a criminal act and we will be assisting with this investigation. London City Airport said in a statement: "We can confirm that City Aviation House has reopened and staff have returned safely, following the evacuation of approximately 100 staff at 12.15pm due to the discovery of a small improvised explosive device. "Specialist police officers dealt with the device, which did not affect flight operations. The airport terminal remained open throughout. Inquiries by the Metropolitan Police are ongoing." A knife-wielding robber who targeted lone women driving to work and on the school run in a series of terrifying carjackings has been jailed for nine years. David Blyth, 30, punched, kicked, throttled and tried to bite his victims, demanding they hand over their car keys and telling them, I know where you live in a bid to stop them going to the police. One victim, 33, had a knife held to her face by Blyth as she dropped off her 15-month-old son at a soft-play centre. She pleaded with the robber to get her baby out of the back seat before he drove off with the car. Blyth targeted another woman because she was disabled, while a 35-year-old victim had to roll out of her car to get away after he grabbed her around the mouth and threatened her. At Snaresbrook crown court yesterday, Blyth was jailed for nine years for 11 robberies in Stratford and Forest Gate, all carried out in broad daylight over the course of just six weeks in July and August last year. It emerged that he launched the crime spree two days after being released from a prison sentence for a 2015 robbery of a lone woman at knifepoint. Acting Detective Sergeant Edward Rulton said Blyth was cowardly and dangerous, adding: This was a particularly violent series of robberies, which had a severe impact on the victims involved. The court heard Blyth picked out his victims as they were taking children to school, driving to work, or heading to the gym, threatening to hurt them and often brandishing a knife. One victim told the court Blyth got into the car and strangled her until she couldnt breathe, stealing the vehicle and her phone which was later used to send compromising photos to all of her contacts. One woman who was put in a headlock by Blyth said she has been left petrified of men after her ordeal, adding: It has affected me more than I could have imagined. Blyth was eventually captured when a Find My iPhone app on a stolen handset led police to his home in Stratford. He initially denied the crime spree but later pleaded guilty to 11 charges of robbery. He was jailed for nine years and will be on licence for another seven years once he has been released from prison. A man has been charged after two people were stabbed in knife attacks in Londons West End and Camden. Joe Gynane, 34, was charged with two counts of attempted murder in connection with the stabbings on Sunday morning. He was also charged with two counts of assaulting an emergency worker and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. A 37-year-old man was attacked in Romilly Street, Soho, at around 6am. He remains in a life-threatening condition in hospital. A boy, 16, who was stabbed in Camden at 11.36am on the same day also remains in hospital. His injuries are no longer life-threatening, Scotland Yard said. T he family of murdered Jodie Chesney today called for tougher sentences for knife crime offenders as they told of their devastation at the teenagers killing. Explorer Scout Jodie, 17, became the 18th person to be murdered in London this year when she was stabbed in the back in a random and unprovoked attack while sitting with friends in a park in Romford on Friday. Today her family said the government must increase jail times for anyone caught carrying a knife in order to act as a deterrent, as they urged her killer to hand himself in out of decency. Relative Karen Chesney called on people to lobby the government to ensure that those convicted receive a minimum of 10 years behind bars, while those who actually attack receive at least 25 years in jail. Tributes laid in Harold Hill after the fatal stabbing / PA An online petition supported by the family had today been signed more than 31,000 times, as she told how the teenagers murder had not sunk in with any of us yet. Police say the teenage killer and an accomplice were spotted watching the five friends, who were socialising in a playground in Harold Hill. People lay floral tributes near to where 17-year-old Jodie Chesney was killed / REUTERS The duo left but returned at 9.30pm wearing balaclavas and one of them stabbed Jodie once in the back, without saying a word. The apparently motiveless nature of the killing has led to speculation that it might have been a gang initiation rite. Friends from Havering Sixth Form College said Jodie had no enemies and suggested she could be the victim of mistaken identity. Jodies grandmother, Debbie Chesney, added that the days since Friday nights killing had been a nightmare. She said the family still cant believe it and urged anyone who knew who was responsible to come forward. Friends and family pay tribute near to the scene of the fatal stabbing / REUTERS She said: We are still in shock at the moment. We just hope the police can find the culprit. It is happening far too many times now. Somebody out there knows who did this. We are all shattered, especially her poor father Peter. Stab victim: Jodie Chesney outside 10 Downing Street in her scouts uniform in November last year She added: I just hope that they catch the boy who did it. Please just share the post in the hopes that the boy who did this or his friends or family have the decency to tell the police who he is. The family spoke out amid growing political pressure to tackle the scourge of knife crime in London. Jodies father Peter Chesney, 39, and stepmother Joanna Chesney, 36, yesterday visited the murder scene and spoke to Teresa Farenden, a first-aider who tried to stem their daughters bleeding. Ms Farenden, 49, said: They were so grateful, but it was just a mothers instinct to try and save her life. Jodie was a beautiful young girl. She just couldnt hold on. There are no words to express the devastation I feel. Detective chief superintendent Shabnam Chaudhri, of the Met Police, admitted police dont have any idea why Jodie was attacked, and said they were focusing totally on gathering witness evidence to hunt her killer. Meanwhile an online fundraising page to pay for Jodies funeral had today reached nearly 8,000. P olice say three explosive devices were found within hours of each other at major transport hubs in London today. The packages, described as A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags, were sent to Heathrow and London City airports and Waterloo station. Scotland Yard said they appeared capable of "igniting a small fire when opened". Stamps on the packages are believed to originate from Ireland. The Met Police counter terrorism command has launched an investigation and is being helped by Irish police. This live blog has now ended. but you can read over our coverage below. A black-tie charity auction for a top private girls schools ended in pandemonium when The Savoy hotels ballroom ceiling collapsed, raining dust and debris onto guests. BBC antiques expert David Harper, who compered the sale, said it was a miracle no-one was killed when the ornate plaster the hotels 18th Century Lancaster Ballroom caved in. Bargain Hunt expert Mr Harper had just begun selling his sixth lot, a pair or Wimbledon Centre Court tickets, when chaos struck. He told the Standard: I bellowed out: Wholl start me with 3,000? and then the roof caved in. It was the most enormous crash. As the ceiling collapsed, it smashed mirrors on the way down. One of my art sculptures on a table underneath smashed too. It seemed to last for a very long time. Ive never experienced anything like it. After it all stopped, there was stunned silence for countless seconds. The whole audience just sat in their seats dumbfounded. There was dust all over the place. My first thought was, Somebody must have died. We were so lucky. Witnesses said staff at the event feared the whole ceiling could collapse onto the events 300 guests, some of whom were left covered in dust and coughing after the incident on Saturday night. Fortunately, nobody was seated beneath the collapsed section, which covered a walkway to the kitchen and was being used to display auction lots on a table. The rest of the auction was abandoned. But Mr Harper, who has also appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, Antiques Road Trip and The One Show said: The audience wanted to get on with it and continue. There was a good old, great British spirit just like The Blitz. It was absolutely wonderful, there was no whinging. But it was probably the right decision to abandon - we had lost the momentum. More than 100,000 was due to be raised for Benenden School, an independent girls boarding school near Cranbrook, Kent. Schools bosses and the Savoy are now thought to be in discussions over an estimated 30,000 lost as a consequence of the event being abandoned. The lots up for auction included a private dinner for eight by MasterChef champion Peter Bayless and a five-course tasting menu at Marcus Wareings Michelin-starred restaurant Marcus at The Berkeley in Knightsbridge. Mr Harpers sculpture London City Girl, due to fetch several hundred pounds, was smashed into pieces. He added: I will be dining out on this story for a very long time, my show was so raucous the roof fell in. The 5,125-sq ft Lancaster Room is one of largest of its kind in London. Opened in 1910, it was designed by French architect Rene Sergeant on an 18th Century Parisian salon. It features in the 1999 film Notting Hill when Hugh Grants character William Thacker uses a press conference to profess his love for Julia Roberts American actress Anna Scott. A Benenden School spokesman said: Midway through our fundraising event at The Savoy on Saturday night, a section of ceiling collapsed in the ballroom. This was a very disturbing incident that brought our fundraising ball to an abrupt end. While it was fortunate that nobody was hurt, our guests were understandably shocked. We are in dialogue with The Savoy regarding the consequences of this incident. The Savoy said: There was some damage to the ceiling of the Lancaster Ballroom at The Savoy on Saturday evening during an event. There are no reported injuries to guests or colleagues and the direct area was immediately cleared. J eremy Hunt today warned French president Emmanuel Macron to do a deal on Brexit or risk the UK becoming a strategic competitor just offshore of the EU. The Foreign Secretary piled pressure on Paris to ditch its hardline stance on Brexit as Attorney General Geoffrey Cox dashed to Brussels to seek a breakthrough in the deadlocked talks on the UKs divorce from the EU. Mr Cox was reportedly set to table a text setting out Britains proposals to attach to the withdrawal agreement, to ensure that the Northern Ireland border backstop could not be used to bind the UK indefinitely into a customs union. Mr Hunt, though, admitted that time was now very short to clinch a deal and could only say that he was reasonably positive about signals coming out of the EU. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: The strategic decision, not just for the UK, but for Europe as well, for President Macron and his colleagues in continental Europe, is is the relationship that continental Europe has with the UK after Brexit going to be the closest friendships, that is what we want, between countries that have basically the same values, or is going to be a relationship of strategic competition? Mr Hunt spoke out after Mr Macron tore into Brexiteers, calling them anger-mongers backed by fake news whose lies and irresponsibility have thrown the whole of Europe into danger. The French leader urged the rest of the EU to stand firm, proud and lucid in the face of this manipulation. Ministers have previously warned of the UK becoming a Singapore-style competitor to the EU and Mr Hunt resurrected the prospect of this as the Government was laying out its legally significant ask for substantive changes to enable Mr Cox to tell MPs that the UK could not be trapped in the backstop indefinitely. TODO: define component type apester The Foreign Secretary said a fair arbitration mechanism could be part of the solution, with Brussels refusing to accept a time limit on the backstop or a unilateral exit system for the UK. The senior Cabinet minister also did not rule out a delay to Brexit, or a free vote on extending Article 50, a week before the crunch vote on Theresa Mays Brexit blueprint, and the March 29 departure date fast approaching. He added that there would be huge disruption if the UK crashed out of the EU with no deal, with many ministers privately aghast at the potential turmoil of such a scenario. Mr Hunt rejected Mr Macrons characterisation of the EU referendum in June 2016 in the UK. However, former foreign secretary David Miliband said the French presidents intervention highlighted how the British public had allegedly been misled. As Parliament considers its final choices on Brexit, the truth is increasingly clear that what the Brexit people were promised in 2016 is not on offer, said the former Labour MP, who is now based in New York working for International Rescue Committee. It cannot be undemocratic to give the people the final say on whether to go ahead with Brexit. E mmanuel Macron has launched a scathing attack on Brexit as he said Europe now faces its worst crisis since the Second World War. The French president said Britains departure from the EU was a symbol of the problems plaguing the bloc. He claimed lies and irresponsibility triggered the UKs move to leave. In a column for French newspaper Le Parisien, Mr Macron wrote: "Never, since the World War II, has Europe been as essential. Yet never has Europe been in so much danger." He urged EU citizens on Monday to use their votes in the upcoming European Parliament elections to protect an "endangered" Europe. Brexit warning: French President Emmanuel Macron / REUTERS The French leader campaigned as a strong supporter of the European Union. He advised voters in the May 23-26 EU parliament elections to reject nationalist parties that "offer nothing." "The trap is not being part of the European Union," he said in the column, which was expected to appear in Tuesday editions of newspapers in the 28 EU member countries. Mr Macron decided to directly address the bloc's voters to an effort to use the elections to give a new boost to the EU, his office said. He suggested Europe should be more independent from other world powers. The French president proposed the creation of an agency that would provide every member state with experts to protect their voting process from cyberattacks and other manipulations. He also wants to ban the financing of EU political parties by foreign powers. To better handle the migrant crisis, Mr Macron called for stricter border controls and a common border force. He suggested introducing common asylum rules. Mr Macron also proposed a defence treaty to define the bloc's fundamental obligations in association with NATO, including increasing defence spending. He stressed that Britain should be associated to decisions in this field -even after Brexit. In the economic field, Mr Macron suggested applying penalties or banning from Europe any companies that compromise key EU interests and values, such as environmental standards, data protection and payment of taxes. He said the bloc should give priority to European companies in strategic industries and public contracts as American and Chinese competitors do. Mr Macron said he wants Europe to take the lead of the fight against climate change by setting a target of zero emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050 and halving the use of pesticides by 2025. A Labour MP has launched an expletive-laden rant towards Theresa May and Philip Hammond after her sons school said it was planning to close early on Fridays to save cash. Jess Phillips told the Prime Minister and Chancellor to f*** your little extras after receiving an email from the school detailing the plans. Her remark referenced Mr Hammonds comments in last years Budget, in which he announced a one-off payment of 400 million to English schools to buy the little extras they need. The comment was labelled patronising by furious school funding campaigners. Ms Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley, tweeted a screenshot of an email from her sons school reading: We are proposing to close early to pupils on Fridays (1pm), with effect from September 2019. The measure will mean that we can make savings by reducing the number of teachers employed by the school and reducing hours worked by support staff. The letter from the unnamed school continued: I deeply regret the negative impact of this proposed measure on pupils, staff and families, an impact which is being experienced by a growing number of schools in our city. The school also said it was having to consider its provision for children with "complex needs". It prompted Ms Phillips to tell Mrs May, Mr Hammond and education secretary Damian Hinds in separate tweets to "f*** your little extras". She also invited Mrs May to visit her constituency on Fridays to pick her son up from school at 1pm. C ouncil tax is set to increase by an average of 75.60 per household from next month, research has found. Households in Greater London are expected to see the highest percentage increase in their bills, at 5.1 per cent. In cash terms their total bill will be an average 1,476.39, while bills in the North East will be 1,883.95. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) study found a planned average increase of 4.5 per cent for Band D households. Council tax: most local authorities are planning a hike this year / Shutterstock / Shaun Wilkinson The increase is lower than the 5.1 per cent or 80.92 hike last year, but is still the second highest council tax rise in the last decade, Cipfa said. Of the authorities in England which responded, 301 of 312 said they would increase their council tax. Cipfa CEO Rob Whiteman said: "The extent of the rises across the country are a reflection of the incredible fiscal pressure faced by local authorities and police. "Without a bolder vision from Government, the future of these services is increasingly being put at risk. "Local authorities have faced the most significant cuts to spending over the last 10 years, and despite the Government's announcement that austerity is ending, for local authorities this is clearly not the case. "Long term they remain in an unsustainable position. "Ministers need to make radical decisions to secure the future of public services. "Council tax is regressive, and increasingly divorced from the reality of property values. "They will not be sufficient to meet rising demand for services such as adult, and increasingly, children's social care." A Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "We are investing in Britain's future by providing local authorities with access to 45.1 billion this year - increasing to 46.4 billion next year - to meet the needs of their residents. C ar giants sounded the alarm today over Brexit, warning that production of the iconic Mini could be moved out of the UK. A BMW boss told of the danger to its Cowley plant in Oxford, where the model is built, if the UK crashes out of the EU within weeks. Separately, a Toyota chief stressed that it might not introduce production of new models in Britain if there is a hard Brexit which would add new border costs. The warning by Japans biggest carmaker and the German automotive giant came after Honda announced it would close its Swindon plant, with the loss of 3,500 posts, and Nissan did a U-turn on a 2016 decision to build its X-Trail sport utility vehicle in Sunderland. They spoke out as Theresa May tried to pile pressure on MPs to back her plan to quit the EU, which has been condemned as a blind Brexit because it fails to specify the UKs future trading relationship with the European economic bloc. The BMW plant in Cowley, Oxford. / PA Archive/PA Images Speaking at the Geneva motor show, BMW board member Peter Schwarzenbauer admitted that the future of the Cowley plant, which employs 4,500 workers to build Minis, could be thrown into doubt if there is a no deal. This would be a huge burden to the Mini brand. If this would come, the worst case scenario ... we would need to consider what it exactly means for us on the long run, he told Sky News. A new BMW Mini unveiled at their plant in Oxford in 2013. / PA Archive/PA Images For Mini this is really a danger no doubt about it. Pressed on whether it could mean moving manufacturing of the Mini out of UK, he added: We at least have to consider it because we cannot absorb 10 per cent costs on top of it. He added that the company may shift some engine production from the UK to Austria if there is no Brexit deal. Didier Leroy, chairman of Toyotas European operations, also said a no-deal outcome to EU withdrawal talks would be terrible. TODO: define component type apester However, he also emphasised that even if the UK did not crash out of the EU, a hard Brexit would still create a mountain of a challenge for its British plants to stay competitive. If we dont have access to the European market without a specific border tax, it seems to be extremely complicated to think about . . . [the] introduction of another model, he told The Financial Times. Foreign firms in many other sectors could also cut investment in Britain. Earlier this week, Japans ambassador to the UK Koji Tsuruoka warned that more Japanese companies could scale back their presence in Britain if Brexit is bungled. Toyota has two factories in Britain, employing about 3,000 workers at its vehicle manufacturing plant in Burnaston, where it builds the Corolla and, its engine-production facility in Deeside, North Wales. Reassuring workers, Mr Leroy stressed Toyota had no plan today to withdraw from the UK and emphasised that a 240 million investment at the Burnaston plant was made on significant trust in the UK that they would be able to achieve a good deal. He added that Parliament had to decide whats best for employment when voting next week on whether to leave without a deal, urging MPs: Dont create a huge mountain. Mrs Mays official spokesman said: The Prime Minister fully understands businesses need for certainty and for us to secure a deal which allows us to protect those just in time supply chains and deliver frictionless trade. Thats why were working hard to secure the changes which MPs need in order to be able to support the meaningful vote. Honda insisted its decision to close the Swindon plant was not due to Brexit but ministers did not accept this explanation. Jeremy Hunt today warned French president Emmanuel Macron to support a deal on Brexit or risk the UK becoming a strategic competitor just offshore of the EU. The Foreign Secretary piled pressure on Paris to ditch its hardline stance as Attorney General Geoffrey Cox dashed to Brussels to seek a breakthrough in the deadlocked talks on the UKs divorce from the EU. T his is the moment Good Morning Britain's weatherman Alex Beresford interrupted a live discussion with an impassioned outburst about knife crime. John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, was on a panel debating how to tackle a recent spate in violent knife deaths. One of the problems, he argued, is that even when people are convicted for carrying knives they only end up in prison in one third of cases. He said: "My argument [is] build more prisons, we need to have a consequence. Also we need to..." From across the studio, Mr Beresford, from Bristol, who was not part of the panel, cut in: "Prison doesn't work though. It does not work." His mic was then turned on so that viewers could hear him speak. "Listen, I've grown up in some of these communities you guys are talking about. Prison is not a deterrent," he said. "Some of these boys, they don't fear prison. If you don't change the environment, you won't change anything and that's the key thing. "This has been happening for years, and it's not always in the media, but it won't change." Apter then countered that there is a place for several strategies and that prison was one of them, and Beresford replied: "At the end of the day, if you don't change these boys' environment. "All of you guys on that side have benefited from the environment you've grown up in. You've benefited from being in this work environment. I've benefited from it. "But these boys, not all of them get to benefit from the environment. If we don't show them something else you won't change it, sorry." Viewers heaped praise on the weatherman on social media for contributing valuable insights gained from real-life experience. "Alex Beresford made some really good points about about knife crimes, he made it relevant as he was able to talk about his own personal experience," wrote one woman. "Hes absolutely right - what we need is more funding to youth services, an immediate halt to austerity, and #RestorativePractice in schools - a punitive ethos doesnt work," wrote another. Some even said he should replace host Piers Morgan. Concerns have risen in London over a recent spate of fatal and serious stabbings, including the killing of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney on Friday at a park in Harold Hill. Met police commissioner Cressida Dick told LBC in an interview: We all need to pull together. I dont think we are failing. My people are working incredibly hard. We are taking more weapons off the streets, we are arresting more people, we are doing other disruptive activity, as well as record numbers of stop and search. T he Royal Family were uniting today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales with a reception at Buckingham Palace. The Queen and Prince Charles were joined by the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Princess Royal for the special gathering to mark the occasion. Charles was created the 21st Prince of Wales on July 26, 1958, but was formally invested with the title by the Queen 11 years later on July 1, 1969. Todays reception was the key event of the anniversary celebrations emphasising the significance of the role, usually but not always given to the heir to the throne. Charles was formally invested with the title at Caernarfon Castle when he was 20. The Queen and Prince Charles were joined by the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex / PA It was also a rare chance to see Charles, 70, with his sons, William and Harry, and their wives Kate and Meghan together, as usually they undertake their public work separately. Leading figures in Welsh and British public life were expected to attend the reception, as well as representatives from the heir to the thrones many Welsh patronages and charities 50th Anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales 1 /13 50th Anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Duchess of Sussex at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Queen is joined by the Prince of Wales, and (rear, left to right) the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Queen is joined by the Prince of Wales, at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Duchess of Cambridge at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wale PA The Queen is joined by Prime Minister Theresa May at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Duchess of Sussex at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Duchess of Cambridge speaks with guests at a reception to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace Reuters The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Duchess of Cambridge attends a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA The Duchess of Sussex and the Princess Royal attend a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales PA Queen Elizabeth II is joined by the Prince of Wales, at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the 50th anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales / PA Buckingham Palace said it would mark the princes 50 years of service to Wales, the UK and the Commonwealth. Pregnant Meghan and Prince Harry at the celebrations / PA The investiture regalia worn by Charles in 1969 was expected to be on show, including the Investiture Coronet, Sword and Ring and Rod, as well as the Letters Patent for the creation of Charles, Duke of Cornwall as Prince of Wales in 1958. The Duchess of Cambridge at the investiture of the Prince of Wales / Reuters Charles first learned that he was Prince of Wales when he was invited by Peter Beck, his headmaster at Cheam Prepatory School, to watch the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff on his television set. The princes mother then appeared on the screen and read out a life-changing message for Charles: I intend to create my son Charles Prince of Wales today ... When he is grown up, I will present him to you at Caernarfon. He later said being the Prince of Wales was one of the greatest privileges. I have tried my best it may not be very adequate to live up to the motto of my predecessors, Ich Dien I Serve. T he Met Office has warned of heavy rain and flooding as strong winds across parts of the UK in the coming days. Yellow weather warnings have been issued across south Wales and the south west, with disruption to travel and power supplies expected. The warnings, which are in place from 6pm on Tuesday until 9am on Wednesday, forecast 20-30mm of rain across much of the south west, with up to 60mm over high ground. The Met Office said the weather will remain unsettled but mild across the next few days. Meteorologist Richard Miles said: There are going to be showers in the north, moving from east to west throughout the day. Elsewhere, it will be dry for most of the day. Later on, it will be wet and windy in south Wales and the rest of the south west, with some weather warnings, but it will be less dramatic elsewhere. Waves crash against the harbour wall in Penzance, Cornwall, during Storm Freya over the weekend / PA That rain will clear eastwards, followed by some showers. The weather is set to remain unsettled but mild, although it will be colder than average in Scotland. There will be some hill snow at the highest points in north west England and Scotland, but it wont hang around. The forecaster warned that heavy rain could give some difficult driving conditions, with flooding of a few homes and businesses likely. B usinesses are laying off staff at the fastest rate since September 2012 as Brexit indecision takes a heavy toll on employers confidence, a major survey revealed today. The disappointing findings from the IHS Markit/CIPS monthly study suggest that thousands of workers are now paying the price for the chaotic negotiations over Britains departure from the European Union. In the dominant services sector, which accounts for 80 per cent of Britains GDP, the decline in employment in February was the fastest for more than eight years. The level of new work also fell, while business optimism is at its lowest level since the immediate aftermath of the EU Referendum in July 2016. The survey found that the overall level of business activity picked up slightly in February but is still weak and points to the UK economy remaining close to stagnation, with projected growth of just 0.1 per cent in the first quarter of the year. Company purchasing managers surveyed said: Brexit-related uncertainty remained by far the most prominent factor acting on business activity growth. There are reports that political uncertainty encouraged delays to corporate spending decisions and a general rise in risk aversion among clients. Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, warned: Worse maybe to come when pre-Brexit preparatory activities move into reverse. Global economic growth remains sluggish, adding an increasingly gloomy backdrop to the UKs current problems. Duncan Brook, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, said: Once again this month the lifeblood of the sector continued to leak away with Brexit indecision striking another blow to new orders and employment. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell added: This is a signal of plummeting business optimism in the wake of the Governments bungling of Brexit. The signs of falling UK private sector employment are worrying, against the backdrop of dropping business investment, downgraded growth forecasts, and a manufacturing recession. P olice are increasingly concerned about the welfare of a musician who went missing from his bands UK tour four days ago. Sho Teshigawara, from Japan, had been touring with the Yamato Drummers since January. Mr Teshigawara, 19, was last seen by his bandmates at G Live in Guildford at about 2pm on Thursday. The band was due to play at the venue that night. Surrey Police said the last confirmed sighting of him was at Dorking station at about 6.30pm the same day. He is thought to have been planning to take the 6.37pm train to London Victoria. The Yamato Drummers had scheduled performances in High Wycombe and Birmingham over the weekend, as well as in Middlesbrough and Sunderland later this week. It is due to complete the tour with a 17-night stay at Holborns Peacock Theatre between March 12 and March 31. And police said on Monday there is a chance he may have been intending to travel there. The force added: Sho speaks very little English and is not believed to have much money with him, and officers and his family are becoming increasingly concerned for his safety. Sho was last seen wearing a dark jacket and green khaki trousers, and was carrying a blue rucksack. If you have seen Sho, or if you were travelling on the 6.37pm train from Dorking to London Victoria, please get in touch as a matter of urgency. A blurb for the band's UK tour read: "The acclaimed performances of Japanese Taiko drumming and music have captivated audiences of over 7 million people in 54 countries across the globe. "Yamato will leave audiences in the UK exhilarated by this visually spectacular, high-energy and explosive show." It was founded in 1993 and has performed more than 3,500 times in 51 countries. A naked British tourist who sparked a massive police search after going missing while skinny dipping in Sydney was found an hour later wandering down a street without clothes on. Australian police launched a major search-and-rescue operation involving a helicopter and police boat after the man was feared to have gone missing after taking a skinny dip off Bondi Beach. The group went into the water at around 3.50am on Tuesday and only realised one of their number was missing when they returned to shore, a police spokesman said. "They alerted police when they noticed one of their mates, aged 25, was not with them after the swim, and his clothes and personal belongings were still on the beach," he added. "A major search was launched involving local police, the New South Wales Ambulance helicopter, Surf Rescue New South Wales and Water Police. "The search continued until members of the public called local police about 4.40am, reporting a naked man was walking along Military Road at North Bondi. "Officers picked the man up and took him back to Bondi Beach where it was confirmed he was the man feared swept out to sea. "He was checked by paramedics as a precaution before being reunited with his clothes and friends." The Bondi suburb is popular with British backpackers thanks to its vibrant nightlife, 900m-long sandy beach and surfing waves. T he release of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn from jail has been approved by Tokyo District Court. Ghosn is set to be released on one billion yen (6.8 million) bail, ending nearly four months of detention. It comes after the former auto executives third request for bail. Prior to Tuesdays announcement, Ghosn's lawyers said they were confident he would gain his release. Ghosn's newly hired lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, is famous for winning acquittals in Japan. The conviction rate in the country is 99 per cent. The former head of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors alliance has been detained since he was arrested on November 19. He said he is innocent of charges of falsifying financial information and breach of trust. Ghosn's release from Tokyo Detention Centre could come as soon as later today. In Japan, suspects are routinely detained for months, often until their trials start. Prosecutors say suspects may tamper with evidence and should not be released. H illary Clinton has ruled out running for US president in 2020, but has vowed shes not going anywhere. The former secretary of state, senator and first lady ruled out another campaign during an interview with New York TV station News12 . Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, said: "I'm going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe." She added: "What's at stake in our country, the kind of things that are happening right now are deeply troubling to me." Hillary Clinton has for the first time ruled out running for president in 2020. / AFP/Getty Images She said she has spoken with several of the candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, and has told them: "Don't take anything for granted, even though we have a long list of real problems and broken promises" from the Trump administration. Clintons comments have put to rest speculation she was considering a 2020 presidential bid. In October, she had told Recodes Kara Swisher in an interview no, no, no when asked if she would run in the next election. Hillary Clinton along with her husband former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton wave at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2016. / Reuters/Chris Keane But her full answer appeared to leave open the possibility. When pressed by Ms Swisher, she responded: "Well, I'd like to be president. TODO: define component type apester I think, hopefully, when we have a Democrat in the Oval Office in January of 2021, there's going to be so much work to be done." P rime Minister Justin Trudeau was facing mounting pressure to quit today after one of his senior ministers stood down over a corruption scandal engulfing Canadas government. The sudden resignation of Treasury Board president Jane Philpott comes as his ruling Liberal party trails in the polls ahead of Octobers general election. Hers is the third high-profile resignation following claims Mr Trudeau and some of his aides tried to shield a construction firm from a corruption trial. Ms Philpott, who was in charge of government spending, said she had lost confidence in the administrations handling of allegations that the prime minister and his aides had sought to influence the case against SNC-Lavalin, which is accused of offering 28 million in bribes to Libyan officials. In her resignation letter, Ms Philpott wrote: Ive been considering the events that have shaken the government in recent weeks I have concluded that I must resign as a member of cabinet. I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities, and constitutional obligations. The former health minister said it was untenable for her to continue because of her serious concerns over evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former attorney general to intervene. It is a fundamental doctrine of the rule of law that our attorney general should not be subjected to political pressure or interference, she added. Andrew Scheer, leader of the Conservative opposition, urged Mr Trudeau to resign amid the ethical rot he said was undermining the rule of law. Mr Trudeau and his aides were accused of pressuring attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to seek ways of avoiding a criminal trial of SNC-Lavalin that could threaten jobs in Quebec. A conviction could result in the firm being banned from bidding for federal contracts for 10 years. The PM said he was disappointed by Ms Philpotts resignation and paid tribute to her. He told a rally of supporters in Toronto: Concerns of this nature must be taken seriously and I can ensure you that I am. He also faced protesters at the event, one of whom was removed by security. Mr Trudeau has denied any political interference and insisted all his conversations about the case were lawful. Pakistan to tackle militant groups Pakistan plans to take action against militant groups operating on its soil, a minister said on Monday, amid global pressure to act after a suicide bomber killed 40 Indian paramilitary police in Kashmir last month. But Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry denied Indian accusations that Pakistan was involved in the February 14 attack, which led to a sharp rise in hostilities, saying it "had nothing to do with us." Chaudhry said the decision to act was taken at a meeting of the National Security Committee before the suicide bombing, claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), in Kashmir. He said: "A full-fledged strategy is now in place. T he search for two climbers - including one Brit - who have been missing for more than a week on the world's ninth-highest mountain will continue on Wednesday. Tom Ballard, whose mother died on K2, was climbing Nanga Parbat in Pakistan with Italian Daniele Nardi when they lost contact on February 24. Aerial searches on Monday and Tuesday found no trace of the climbers. Four Spanish rescuers were flown to the area by military helicopter on Monday and were joined by Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara at base camp. Mr Ballard has not been heard from since February 24 / Tom Ballard/Instagram Despite it being more than a week since contact was made with the pair, Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said: "Miracles do happen and have happened in the past in such incidents so we are hoping to find them." Italian ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo said the climbers are "two tough guys" and he hopes they can be found alive. On Tuesday he tweeted a picture of the area and confirmed the search would continue on Wednesday, both on the mountain and with the use of drones. Two Pakistani mountaineers were with the missing pair but had decided to turn back because they thought it was too dangerous. Mr Ponteocorvo acknowledged the summit is a "very difficult" one. Mr Ballard, 30, was born in Derbyshire but moved to the Scottish Highlands in 1995: the year his mother, Alison Hargreaves, died on K2 when she was 33. It was months after becoming the first woman to conquer Everest unaided. Friends of the climbers have raised more than 115,244 towards the search effort in two days through a GoFundMe page. Mountain guide Sandy Allan, who climbed with Ms Hargreaves and knows Mr Ballard, said he remains hopeful but admitted to having some "negative thoughts" after Monday's rescue flights failed to locate the pair. He said: "I think people are getting really worried and very sad about the whole thing. "He and his mother were very popular people. He was a little bit quiet, kept to himself, had some secret projects that he kept quiet - like all us climbers - but he was sociable and popular. I think most people liked him a lot." Mr Allan said it was discouraging that the helicopter flights found nothing because if the two were alive in a snow cave, they would likely have heard the helicopter and gone out to try to flag it down. He said the missing climbers' situation becomes "more and more precarious" by the hour because of the extreme cold and wind. Located in Pakistan's Gilgit Baltistan area, Nanga Parbat, dubbed "Killer Mountain", is the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126m. Mr Nardi, 42, and Ballard set out on the climb on February 22, making it to the fourth base camp by the following day. The pair last made contact on February 24 from an elevation of around 6,300m on Nanga Parbat. L uke Perry fans have shared stories of heartwarming encounters with the star following his shock death aged 52 from a stroke. Perry is best known by those who grew up in the 1990s as heartthrob Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210. For younger fans, Fred, the father of Archie Andrews, from comic book adaptation of Riverdale, is how they will remember him. The star died on Monday in hospital, five days after he suffered a stroke. Fans have paid tribute to the kind hearted and thoughtful actor online. Actor Colin Hanks shared a story on Instagram of his only interaction with Perry on a plane travelling from Mexico. Couple of rows ahead of us, these two brothers, young kids, are beating the hell out of eachother, he wrote. Their poor parents are powerless to stop the crying, yelling and screaming. Luke Perry - In pictures 1 /18 Luke Perry - In pictures Luke Perry poses for a portrait during the 2018 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills Invision/AP Beverly Hills 90210 Luke Perry and Madonna in 2005 Rex Features Actor Luke Perry poses during the TV series photocall "Goodnight for Justice" during the 26th edition of the five-day MIPCOM, on October 5, 2010 in Cannes AFP/Getty Images Luke Perry, Jason Priestley and Ian Ziering of the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1991 Rex Features Luke Perry at the 1996 Blockbuster Awards Rex Features Beverly Hills 90210 Rex Features Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry, co-stars in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' film (1992) AP Naomi Judd pinches the cheeks of Luke Perry after asking him about the title of his new movie '8 Seconds' in 1994 AP Luke Perry poses during an interview in New York (2001) AP Luke Perry arrives as a guest at the premiere of the new Western film "Open Range" in Hollywood, California in 2003 Reuters Luke Perry talks to attendees at the Sustainable Biodiesel Summit, San Diego in 2006 REUTERS Luke Perry poses for a portrait in 2011 AP Executive producer and talent Luke Perry participates in the UP "Welcome Home" panel during the cable portion of the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, Beverly Hills IN 2015 Reuters Luke Perry and K.J. Apa in Riverdale Luke Perry in Riverdale Actor Luke Perry arrives for the press line of "Riverdale" at Comic Con in San Diego in July 2018 AFP/Getty Images Luke Perry pictured in March last year Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images He said the children were fighting like this for two hours but had started to get really bad 10 minutes before landing. Out of nowhere, a man comes from first class. Hat, beard, sunglasses, blowing up a balloon. He ties it off, hands it off like he's holding out a sword to a king. Kneeling, Head down, arms up. Kids calm down in milliseconds. Plane damn near bursts into applause. Later, waiting in line at customs, Hanks realised the man had been Perry. Rex Features As luck would have it we end up standing next to each other. Out of the blue he turns to me and says some kind words about Fargo, which kinda blew my mind. He added: He tells me he always flies with a couple of balloons for that very reason, to give to screaming kids. Don't know if that's true, but have no reason to believe it wasn't. Guy seemed like a true gent. Filmmaker Josh Raby shared photos of Perry volunteering during floods in Tennessee in 2010. He wrote: Yall might know Luke Perry had some land here in Tennessee. Maybe you dont know that during the flood of 2010, he was out there bringing people food, bottles of water, and shoes. Just a humble, decent dude. Reporter Chris King shared a photo of a star at a press table at New York Comic Con, writing: Luke Perry was one of the most genuine, kindhearted, and thoughtful actors I've ever had the chance to meet. When I last saw him at NYCC, he made sure to thank each reporter at my press table, saying how much he appreciated us being there. Just the nicest guy. I'll miss him. RIP. Actress Alexandra Daddario said she will always remember the star for how he treated her when she was working as a waitress. Luke Perry used to come into the restaurant I worked in over a decade ago and he was always so kind to me and friendly in an industry where most people would just dismiss me. Always remembered that. RIP. And be kind and compassionate to those around you yall, she tweeted. Dental Hygienist Deborah Muller said the actor was one of the most kind and humble people she's ever met, posting a photo of her and the actor taken when she was 20-years-old. Met Luke Perry when I was 20. I interrupted his dinner & he kindly took a pic w/ me. One of the most humble & kind people Ive ever met. Blessed to have had that chance. Im heartbroken he is gone way too soon, she wrote. G emma Collins appears to have forgiven James Argent for claiming she has more rolls than Greggs after the pair were spotted dining out in Paris. The reality TV couple split last week after Argent shared a video of Collins snoring on Instagram which resulted in her chucking him out of their Essex home and hiring a removal van to transport his belongings back to his parents house. Argent then sent a slew of fat shaming messages, something he now deeply regrets. But the pair appeared to be working on their tumultuous relationship as they enjoyed a romantic trip to the French capital. They were pictured tucking into afternoon tea at the Four Seasons George V Hotel. James Argent films Gemma Collins snoring An insider told MailOnline that there were absolutely no signs the relationship was in danger. They added: They were very happy, laughing and being affectionate with each other. All smiles: James Argent helped Gemma Collins in the wake of her stalker hell / SplashNews.com They also shared a kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower and Collins was spotted clutching a red rose. Their outing comes as Argent broke his silence on their split, telling OK! he believes they should seek couples therapy. I want to spend my life with Gemma and I want us to have kids, but for that to happen we need to change the way we can be with each other, he said. Tumultuous: Gemma Collins and James Argent have previously survived fall outs / Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images We havent spoken about it but I think it would be good for us to have some couples counselling if we do get back together. He said he was left feeling ashamed at sending nasty messages about his girlfriends weight as he now weighs more than her after she lost two stone while taking part in Dancing on Ice. Gemma Collins - In pictures 1 /31 Gemma Collins - In pictures PA Gemma Collins on Instagram @gemmacollins1 Gemma Collins on'Celebs Go Dating' Channel 4 Gemma Collins on 'The Only Way is Essex' ITV Gemma Collins on 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' in 2014 ITV/Rex Gemma Collins on'Celebs Go Dating' Channel 4 Gemma Collins on'Celebs Go Dating' Channel 4 Gemma Collins on 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' in 2014 Rex Features Nominated: Gemma Collins and Danniella Westbrook are up for Tuesday's eviction along with Stephanie Davis Channel 5 Gemma Collins appearing on Celebrity Big Brother Channel 5 Gemma Collins arriving at the ITV Gala 2017 held at the London Palladium Getty Images Gemma Collins makes US TV on Wendy Williams after her Radio 1 Teen 2017 Awards fall Gemma Collins is helped by Amber Davies, Jamie Jewitt and Marcel Somerville as she falls on stage during the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards 2017 at Wembley Arena Getty Images Gemma Collins makes fun of her Radio 1 Teen 2017 Awards fall on Instagram @gemmacollins1 Gemma Collins attending BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards 2017 PA Gemma Collins attending the European premiere of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets at Cineworld in Leicester Square in 2017 PA Gemma Collins appearing on Celebrity Big Brother Channel 5 Gemma Collins.in 'Sugar Free' ITV Gemma Collins on 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' in 2014 ITV Gemma Collins on 'The Only Way is Essex' ITV Getty Images Exciting: the GC teased new plans for a trip to Los Angeles Getty Images 'Standing on ice': Gemma Collins was mocked by viewers ITV Rex Features ames Argent with Gemma Collins PA Channel 4 @gemmacollins1 @gemmacollins1 @gemmacollins1 @gemmacollins1 @gemmacollins1 They were sent in the heat of the moment, he told OK! We were having a huge row because she was angry with me for posting the video of her snoring on social media. Shed kicked me out of her flat and things got nasty between us. I have problems with my own weight so Im the last person who should be trying to fat shame. Its a bit pot, kettle, black. Naval Group Signs A$605M Australian Submarine Initial Design Contract The page you requested is only available to subscribers. 1. If you are a Premium Service subscriber, please log in here to access this story: Log-in : Password : 2. If you are not a subcriber, you can: -- buy access to this page: unlimited access for seven days costs 3.00 EUR + VAT (at 20%) if applicable. Clicking on the "Ok" button below will place the item in your shopping cart and return you to our home page, where you will be able to select additional stories. -- select additional stories and services from our home page and pay for them at the same time. -- see your shopping cart. 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If you are a Premium Service subscriber, please log in here to access this story: Log-in : Password : 2. If you are not a subcriber, you can: -- buy access to this page: unlimited access for seven days costs 3.00 EUR + VAT (at 20%) if applicable. Clicking on the "Ok" button below will place the item in your shopping cart and return you to our home page, where you will be able to select additional stories. -- select additional stories and services from our home page and pay for them at the same time. -- see your shopping cart. You can also see the contents of your shopping cart at any time by clicking on the "Order" tab on the navigation bar at the top of any page, or by clicking on the "Your order" light blue link in the top right-hand corner of our home page, immediately under the log-on box. Stephen Marley will perform at the Belly Up in Solana Beach March 14. WonderKnack 1 While somewhere in between tour stops in Austin and Dallas, Texas, Stephen Marley is musing about what goes into choosing songs from his impressive catalog to play on stage during his show. It depends, really, he explains. We spend hours rehearsing before tour and always have a plan or playlist in motion based on what project we are working on and what type of tour it will be. However, depending on the energy, we also have to know how to switch it up sometimes. That is the beauty of performing live. It is a reciprocal exchange between the fans and music. Marley will soon bring that reciprocal exchange to Solana Beachs Belly Up Tavern on Thursday, March 14 at 8 p.m. The fans will be getting something special, Marley notes. I love the energy here in the North County. Its way up, so you know the vibes will be the same. I think my acoustic set also creates a more intimate environment for my fans, so were looking forward to it. Despite his talent and stage pedigree, it wasnt too long ago when Marley was only seen in the background and regarded as anything but a solo star of his famous family. Growing up the son of his icon father Bob and mother Rita, Stephen was a member of the Melody Makers band with his siblings Ziggy, Sharon and Cedella for the better part of 20 years. The experience was an informative part of Stephens life. One early memory that stands out is when my brother Ziggy and I performed in Zimbabwe with our father to honor the nations independence, he recalls. It was really powerful and the moment I realized the music we do is way more than just music. The Melody Makers helped keep the Marley family legacy alive and vibrant, even after Bobs 1981 death when Stephen was 8. Simultaneous to the band, Stephen also became the familys resident producer along the way, helping concoct the debut solo albums for family members Julian and Damian, and later producing tracks for the likes of Erykah Badu and Inner Circle. It wasnt until 2007 when Marley released his debut album as a solo artist. Dubbed Mind Control, it won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album. It was a feat Stephen repeated with his second and third albums, with the later two scoring Grammys as well. (Becoming my own artist) was not something that was an immediate shift, Stephen explains of the transition. I have always enjoyed all aspects of music, from singing to producing and songwriting. The timing at the time just felt right. Marleys most recent musical effort, and the reason for the tour, is his EP One Take: Acoustic Jams, which features acoustic spins of both his fathers and his own songs and was released under the family-owned record label Ghetto Youths International. The label allows the Marley family to have the freedom to discover new artists and release their own material, and also gives them time to work on a nonprofit of the same name. It provides resources to communities in need, says Stephen. Right now, we are working on building a homework center in Trenchtown, Jamaica, where my father was raised. Proceeds from this tour will go directly towards this cause. Education is key for progression. That penchant for progression is a reason why Marleys life right now is centered around the two things he holds dear: music and charity work, with the former making the later possible. It is a blessing, he says. And it gives us more fuel to continue the mission and maintain the legacy. 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Present at the "Navigating through SDGs. Aligning sustainability goals with the European industries" lecture within the "Annual Industry Days" conference in Bucharest, under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and of the European Industry Week, Ciamba pointed out "the need to ensure a deep involvement of the private sector to give substance to the relationship between industry and sustainable development." "In this regard, the Minister-delegate has shown that the efforts made so far at European level have begun to produce tangible results, recognizing that the EU industry has become one of the most efficient at a global level and has already contributed to the net reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases, while increasing productivity. He also stressed that these efforts have led to the modernization of the European economy, to sustainable economic growth, and brought social and environmental benefits to European citizens. Further steps are however needed to ensure citizens are better informed of the actions and demarches carried out at European level for their benefit," the MAE release shows. Ciamba underscored the importance the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union grants to sustainable development and to generating economic convergence and social cohesion. In this context, he highlighted the importance of actions at European level to help ensure sustainable economic development, in the context of rational use of resources and the protection of the environment. "At the end of his speech, the Minister-delegate for European Affairs pointed out that, starting from the European Commission's Reflection Paper 'Towards a sustainable Europe by 2030', which underlines the need for enhanced action in view of a sustainable development both at European and global level, and in partnership with the United Nations, the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will aim to facilitate debates on the prospects for the implementation of the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development at the level of the European Union," the same source specified. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila had a meeting with General Director of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Francis Gurry on Tuesday, in which she pointed out Romania's interest in hosting an external WIPO office in Bucharest. "[Viorica Dancila] pointed out Romania's interest in hosting an external WIPO office in Bucharest, a project with political and economic features. The Prime Minister also pointed out that Romania, together with the other EU member states, is a an active participant in the talks on the finalization of the Treaty on the Protection of Audiovisual Organizations, and in this regard, the Romanian Government supports the idea of organizing in Bucharest the next Diplomatic Conference on the conclusion of a Treaty for the Protection of Audiovisual Organizations", the Government Press Office informed in a press release. According to the same source, the prime minister provided assurances that Romania supports the work of the organization and the development of the global intellectual property system, given the rapid pace of development of human technologies and creativity in general. At the same time, Viorica Dancila referred to the Government's activity in this field, "invoking incentives granted in the relevant sectors for the development of intellectual property assets", as well as the support provided to the research environment for access to public inventions. According to the release, Francis Gurry congratulated the Government for the way in which the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council is taking place and the progress made in the first months of this mandate. "Moreover, Francis Gurry particularly appreciated the notable progress made by the Romanian Presidency [of the EU Council] in reaching a political agreement with the European Parliament on the Copyright Directive in the Digital Single Market. Moreover, the WIPO representative emphasized the role of the organization in promoting intellectual property as a factor of economic, social and cultural development in each country and showed cooperation very good that the organization has with Romania," said the same source. WIPO is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations, and it has as main tasks the international development of an intellectual property system capable of rewarding creativity, stimulating innovation and contributing to economic development. WIPO was founded by the Stockholm Convention of 14 June 1967, mandated by the 184 member states to promote the protection of intellectual property worldwide through cooperation between states and cooperation with other international organizations. Francis Gurry was reelected as General Manager of OMPI in 2014 for his second term (2014-2020). Romania is a member of the General Assembly, of the Conference, of the Coordination Committee and of the Program and Budget Committee and participates, through the representatives of the Romanian Copyright Office (ORDA), in all the meetings of the Permanent Committees and the Advisory Councils with attributions in the field of copyright. The government will approve at its session this Tuesday the allocation of over 2 million lei for emergency relief to 550 families and single persons, Premier Viorica Dancila announced. "Another measure we are slated to adopt today is intended to provide immediate support to families and single people in need. We will allocate more than 2 million lei for the emergency relief for 550 families and single persons who have serious health issues or whose homes have been destroyed or damaged by fires, landslides, floods. These emergency aids have been established based on social inquiries carried out by the county agencies for payments and social inspection," Viorica Dancila said at the beginning of the government meeting. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila announced on Wednesday and Thursday that she will have a working visit in Brussels where she will participate in two events dedicated to equal opportunities and women's rights promotion and will meet with senior European officials, the first Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, and Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier. "For the next two days, I will be on a working visit to Brussels to participate in two important events dedicated to equal opportunities and the promotion of women's rights. The first, the European Women's Council, is organized by the European Women's Alliance and is taking place ahead of the Council of the European Union meetings This year's edition of the European Council of Women takes place in partnership with the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU and with the Ladies Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament. The debate is devoted to a better representation of women in politics as well as the promotion of women in leadership positions," Viorica Dancita said on Tuesday in the opening of the government sitting. The head of the Executive said that the second event will be organized by the Permanent Representation of Romania to the European Union under the aegis of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU and is also devoted to gender equality. "I will also have bilateral meetings with representatives of European institutions, including First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, and Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier," Viorica Dancila added. The prime minister said that the first meeting of the Environment Council, chaired by ministers Gratiela Gavrilescu and Ioan Denes, is taking place in Brussels on Tuesday. "The discussion will focus on sustainable investments, in compliance with the environmental protection rules and intelligent use of natural resources," premier Dancila explained. The prime minister added that Thursday and Friday, also in Brussels, the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, headed by Ministers Carmen Dan and Tudorel Toader, will be held. "On the agenda of the talks will be important topics regarding the European cooperation in the field of justice and border security. The European Common Asylum System, the EU's response to the issue of migration and terrorism will also be discussed." Dancila added. Romania and the Republic of Moldova have signed a partnership agreement for the rehabilitation and modernization of the customs offices alongside the border between the two countries, in a project estimated to be worth 10 million euro, reads a release of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday. The signatories of the document are ANAF head Mihaela Triculescu and head of the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova Vitalie Vrabie. The partnership agreement aims at implementing the project "Rehabilitation and modernization of customs offices alongside the border between Romania and Moldova, namely the customs offices of Albita - Leuseni, Sculeni - Sculeni and Giurgiulesti - Giurgiulesti," financed under the Joint Operational Program Romania - 2020 - Thematic Objective 8 - Common issues in the safety and security field.The main purpose of the project is to facilitate the cross-border traffic of persons and goods by increasing the efficiency of the customs control operations at the external border of the European Union (EU) and the development of the bilateral customs cooperation between Romania and Moldova.The main activities foresee the making of investments for the customs offices in Albita - Leuseni, Sculeni - Sculeni and Giurgiulesti - Giurgiulesti for both the Romanian and Moldovan side respectively: rehabilitation and modernization of the buildings inside the customs points, upgrading and expanding the road and control infrastructure (internal runways, scanning platform, radiological protection wall, training area), as well as expanding and modernizing specialized customs control equipment and monitoring and surveillance systems.The estimated budget of the project is 10 million euro, distributed equally between the two authorities, with a co-financing rate of 35.72 per cent of the total estimated budget of the project. The European Union is a club that needs to be improved but has brought us and continues to bring us a development that further reduces disparities between regions, the Secretary of State in the Ministry of European Funds (MFE), Mihaela Toader told the "Friends of Cohesion" conference in Dubrovnik. "One of the messages of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU for the European citizens is that our main source of prosperity and investment is at home, in Europe! Our growth depends on us, on everybody. The European Union is a club that needs to be improved but which has us brought and continues to bring us a development that further reduces disparities between regions. Competition begins at home, cohesion makes us stronger within the Union, and stronger as a family, outside it," the Secretary of State said, according to a a release of MFE sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday. Addressing the member states and the European Commission, represented at the meeting by European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu, the MFE official brought to mind that the Cohesion Policy remains the main investment policy in the European Union. "We want to be effective, and I hope the results we have so far confirm our ambitions. The Romanian EU Council Presidency seeks to make progress on the dossier on the future European funds allocated through the Cohesion Policy, about whose future we are talking today, said Mihaela Toader. Referring to the concrete steps taken by the Romanian Presidency, the Secretary of State in the MFE stressed that the main objective is to achieve substantial progress in the negotiations at the Council level and in the continuation of the trialogue with the European Parliament. In the context of the consolidation of the European project, the Romanian official reminded in her speech the importance of the Summit to be organised in Sibiu on 9 May 2019. "For their part, the Member States have firmly supported the continuation and consolidation of the Cohesion Policy, invoking the need for greater flexibility, so that European money does not lose its initial role within this policy. The high-level conference "The Friends of Cohesion" was hosted by the Croatian Minister of Regional Development and European Funds, Gabriela Zalac. Present in the event were the EU Member States, representatives of the Committee of the Regions and of other relevant European institutions," the Ministry of European Funds press release further informs. The Superior Council of Magistrates (CSM) issued on Tuesday a negative opinion regarding the emergency ordinance draft amending some provisions of OUG No.7/2019, officials with CSM told AGERPRES. At the plenary session, judge Mariana Ghena specified that Committee 1 of CSM decided to express a no vote. "The result of Committee 1, by unanimity: a no vote was expressed in the committee meeting on OUG 7/2019, given that the proposals made in the last ordinance did not take into account the proposals expressed by CSM, which were outlined in a mandate given to the president of CSM to be expressed by the latter in the sense of repealing the texts over what CSM has proposed," Ghena mentioned. The Ministry of Justice has publicly debated the draft Emergency Ordinance amending the provisions of OUG 7/2019. According to the preamble to the draft, the changes are necessary as a result of the "negative reactions regarding certain legislative solutions" contained in OUG 7/2019 and "noting that at present these complaints of members of the magistrates' body affect the optimal functioning of courts and prosecutors' offices attached to them and generate the danger of dividing society." "These reactions particularly focus on the intervention carried out in the matter of the delegation of prosecutors to the leading positions with the prosecutors' offices for which the nomination is conducted by the President of Romania, (...) the legislative amendment which gave the judges the possibility to run and to be appointed to the highest leadership positions within the Prosecutors' Office, in the latter case an impairment of the status and independence of the judges being claimed," the draft amendment of OUG 7/2019 shows. Two Dutch citizens were caught on Monday at the Sighetu Marmatiei Border Crossing Point (PTF) hiding in a vehicle 167 packages with 84 kilograms of heroin, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) informed. On Monday, DIICOT prosecutors with the Maramures Territorial Office ordered a 24-hour arrest of the two for committing the offense of introducing high-risk drugs into the country. "It was noted that on 04.03.2019, at 09:33 hrs, the suspects entered Romania's territory, through the Sighetu Marmatiei PTF, from Hungary, in a vehicle registered in Germany. The inspection established that the vehicle was equipped with a specially designed place formed by doubling the chassis portion on the area of the front seats of the car, a compartment made by welding sheet metal, with access from the interior of the car under the right passenger seat. In the specially designed compartment, 167 packages containing 84,3 kg of heroin were identified," a DIICOT release informs.According to the General Inspectorate of Border Police (IGPF), the suspects are a 29-year old woman and a 44-year old man.On Tuesday, the two are to be presented before the Maramures Court House with a proposal for a 30-day pre-trial arrest .The action was conducted with the support of border policemen within the Sighetu Marmatiei Territorial Border Police Inspectorate (IRPF). If you typed the URL yourself, please make sure that the spelling is correct. If you clicked on a link to get here, there may be a problem with the link. Try using your browser's "Back" button to choose a different link on that page. The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. In the 2008 five-to-four majority Heller decision defining what the Second Amendment means, the US Supreme Court said that the Amendments prefatory clause, which stated the Amendments purpose, is irrelevant to understanding the Amendment, and must therefore be ignored when applying the Amendment to determine whether a given law has been passed which violates this Amendment. That Heller decision reversed 69 years of prior settled US Supreme Court rulings, and it basically ignored the key part of the Second Amendment itself the Amendments very purpose in order, basically, to promote gun-sales. Heller was the most pro-gun-sales ruling ever by the US Supreme Court, and it blatantly lied about the US Constitution, in order to do that. Heres how: The entirety of the Second Amendment is: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. The Heller decision used the following absurd excuse as its justification for ignoring the Amendments very purpose: The Amendments prefatory clause announces a purpose, but does not limit or expand the scope of the second part, the operative clause. The operative clauses text and history demonstrate that it connotes an individual right to keep and bear arms. That wasnt actually a purpose but the purpose; and to ignore a laws stated purpose is outrageous and should never be tolerated by any judge especially a law thats part of the Constitution itself, and most especially when the nations Supreme Court is perpetrating this atrocity against the entire nation, which is an act of treachery to do. Such judges virtually spit upon the Constitution they are obligated to protect. Instead of the 2nd Amendments stated purpose, the Court introduced its own, alleged, purpose, from the Courts supposed investigation into the Amendments history and they even lied about that. The Heller decision went on to assert that the Amendments purpose was a very different one from the stated purpose, and was a purpose which came from the Antifederalists: the Heller ruling said The Antifederalists feared that the Federal Government would disarm the people in order to disable this citizens militia. This supposed other purpose, which the five who signed the majority-decision accepted and which was supposedly inferred by them from history instead of from the Founders who wrote the Constitution and wrote the 2nd Amendment, with its stated purpose, reigned for them, as if it were the actual purpose of that Amendment. However, only the Federalists had written the US Constitution. They did it during 1787-1791. They were opposed not supported by the Antifederalists. The Antifederalists opposed the Constitution. They were the minority, and so the Constitution became democratically passed as Americas Constitution. Only after the US Confederacy, of slave-states during the subsequent 1860s US Civil War rebellion against the Federal Government, did the anti-federalist position, of states-rights being supreme above the authority of the federal Government, become briefly re-established in those rebelling states, and so those states re-established, but only in these slave-states, much of the pre-American-Revolution system, against which the Founders had fought and won the Revolutionary War, though this time it was being applied without specific reliance upon the British monarchy and empire. The new US Government todays US regime is mainly the nationwide restoration of the Southern Confederacy, which US President Abraham Lincoln had temporarily defeated during the Civil War and thereby secured the progress of democracy in America, which has since ended. The Southern Confederacy was a local and successful antifederalism, which became defeated by the Union, which restored the federalism that had been established by the Founders. But the Unions and the Founders victory has increasingly been reversed, through treacherous actions, such as the US Supreme Courts decision in the Heller case. Unfortunately, Lincolns progressive and democratic victory is being successfully challenged and defeated by todays American fascists, not only in the White House and Congress, but even on the US Supreme Court itself. The Heller decision reflected the fundamental position of the Southern Confederacy (a feudalist society) (1861-1865) (to which America is returning in the modern, fascist or corporationist version), the position rejecting the US Constitution. These modern far-right people have gradually rewritten the US Constitution, to comport more with the views that prevailed in the slaveholding South. The Heller decision is one of an uncounted number of decisions by the US Supreme Court which have re-authorized the US Government as imposing a dictatorship (such as Americas Founders had rebelled against and overthrown and replaced, by their instituting, through a Revolution, a limited democracy). In fact, the Second Amendment makes very clear what its sole and exclusive purpose is: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State. Its stated clearly, right there. The US Supreme Courts interpretation is instead their insertion of a lie, which they claim to be based upon their own examination of history, from which they supposedly infer a different or another purpose for the Amendment. Only a fool can respect such judges as they. As a matter of historical fact, the actual debate, when that Amendment was being considered for addition to the US Constitution, was itself based upon the implicit understanding that everyone had, regarding what the then-clear meaning was, of a well regulated militia. That then-universally-recognized meaning was: all physically capable adult males who are organized under the laws of the individual states and operating under their states laws as a military reserve force to be called up in emergency for battle, in case the US Congress, which is within the national (not in any states) Government, declares war, so as to defend the entire nation against a threatening aggressive foreign nation (such as, certainly, Britain then was, and still remained). The meaning of a well regulated militia was, then, the exact opposite of what the fascist judge who wrote the Heller decision said: to deny Congress power to abridge the ancient right of individuals to keep and bear arms. The 2nd Amendment had nothing to do with protecting the American people from an evil Congress. It was instituted to enable the entire federal Government to raise an army in a national emergency. All existing state militias at that time were organized under the laws of the then-existing British colonies, which had just recently become states within the newly established US federation. In no instance were the militias individuals organized only under their own personal authority. And now that the US Constitution existed, those armed men were subordinate ultimately to the US federal Government, and not only to their respective state governments. The US Supreme Courts Heller ruling represented a dramatic reversal of the Courts previous interpretation of the Second Amendment. In the 1939 United States v. Miller case, the Court had stated, in a unanimous decision (which was arbitrarily being overturned by the 2008 US Supreme Courts 5 fascists in the Heller case), that the obvious purpose of the Second Amendment was to assure the continuation and render possible the effectiveness of the state militia, and that the Amendment must be interpreted and applied with that end in view. No other end, no other purpose, but only the stated one. This precedent wasnt a bare majority of the Supreme Court speaking in the Miller case and to future American history; it was instead everyone on the Supreme Court, who were subsequently being reversed and nullified by the Heller decisions bare majority in 2008. Here was the Miller decisions key passage: The Constitution as originally adopted granted to the Congress power: 'To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.' USC.A.Const. art. 1, 8. With obvious purpose to assure the continuation and render possible the effectiveness of such forces, the declaration and guarantee of the Second Amendment were made. It must be interpreted and applied with that end in view. The Militia which the States were expected to maintain and train is set in contrast with Troops which they [307 US 174, 179] were forbidden to keep without the consent of Congress. The sentiment of the time strongly disfavored standing armies [such as todays US Department of Defense provides, unConstitutionally]; the common view was that adequate defense of country and laws could be secured through the Militia: civilians primarily, soldiers on occasion. The signification attributed to the term Militia appears from the debates in the Convention, the history and legislation of Colonies and States, and the writings of approved commentators. These show plainly enough that the Militia comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense. As is clear there, the purpose of the state militias was not only the defense against foreign invasions, but the state militias were organized also in order to put down Insurrections, such as the 2008 fascist US Supreme Court majority, in the Heller case, sought actually to encourage and assist (Insurrection). The Miller decision said to the exact contrary, and with documentation that the Heller judges simply ignored that the Founders reason for the Second Amendment was to enable calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions. The Heller fascists, to the exact contrary, wanted instead the encouragement of such far-right Insurrections. The Heller 5 were, actually, boldly raping the US Constitution. And apparently no one has noticed. The Heller decision simply ignored the reason why state militias actually existed; the Heller decision said: The adjective well-regulated implies nothing more than the imposition of proper discipline and training. It actually implied and meant a great deal more than that. The 5 Heller judges simply ignored the power and authority under which the state militias operated, and to which the militias answered. Insofar as those 5 judges were concerned, these militias were self-organized, and maybe fighting together against the Government an Insurrection, precisely such as the militias were instead intended to protect against. Furthermore: the very idea that, as the Heller ruling said, a Constitutional provisions purpose does not limit or expand the scope of the operative clause, is, itself, a blatant lie, which even people of low intelligence can easily recognize: its falseness is blatant enough so that the clearly fascist intent, of the 5 jurists who agreed there in asserting it, was flamingly obvious and outrageous. Nothing can be more obvious than the fact that a laws purpose needs to be adhered-to by the entire legal system that is enforcing the law. (Otherwise, for what reason does the law even exist?) The laws purpose is supposed to be the supreme guide to the laws interpretation, application, and enforcement. But todays US Supreme Court is instead dominated by outright traitors, who baldly deny this obvious and blatant fact. They did it right there. They dont want the actual intent of the Founders to rule in this country. Only in a dictatorship can such brazen lying from the nations highest court be tolerated so much so that none of the national press were pointing out each one of that decisions brazen falsehoods (such as is now being done). The United States has thus been descending into a fantasyland, in which only fascist myths are publishable and publicly accepted as being more than the lies they are, by the news media, and by the expert juridical commentators (such as this one), all of whom in 2008 and afterward should be laughing-stocks today for accepting that ruling. Because, if they are not being ridiculed, then what hope is there that a Constitution will be adhered to, and honored, in anything like the sense that it was written for, and intended? Laughing-stocks, indeed! They either are that, or else there cant even be a hope for democracy, at all. With blazing boldness, the US Supreme Court in Heller overthrew the Founders, and reasserted the Southern Confederacy, more than a century after the Souths defeat in the Civil War. But thats merely one of the many ways in which theyve done this. And, apparently, nobody even cares. I was recently asked to participate and give a presentation at a closed, and invitation-only, conference in Washington, DC, on February 6th, 2019. The topic was: Strategic Implications of Recent US Decisions on Syria. I attended the conference and gave a presentation. The following is a summary of some of the things I said. Upon my introduction, I informed the audience that I hold dual nationality, Syrian by birth and American by choice. In over five decades of academic work, I was always plagued by a nightmare of a war between the US and Syria, my two countries; unfortunately, this eventually become a reality. However, I should qualify; the ongoing war in Syria is not between the US and Syria, for there is no conflict between the Syrians and the Americans. It is a war waged by Washington against Syria in the service of Israel and some regional powers; Washington is waging a proxy war on Syria. I briefly introduced Syria and its historic and religious importance. Syria is the cradle of civilization and home of the three monotheistic religions, where they started or flourished. I also reminded the audience that Syria is an archeological treasure; of the five oldest and continually inhabited cities, three are in Syria: Aleppo, the oldest, Damascus, the third and Latakia, the fifth. Following this introduction, I moved to the subject of the conference, dividing it into two sub topics: Trump Decisions to serve American interests in Syria; and Strategic Implications for Syria. 1. Trumps Decisions The first important decision taken by Trump was the establishment of the Zionist band in his administration made of five senior officials responsible for the formulation of American foreign policy. At no time in American history has there been such a concentration of Zionist power in the top echelon of a presidential administration. At the top of the Zionist band is Trump, the Commander-in-Chief; followed by Jared Kushner, his son in law and senior advisor; then comes John Bolton, national security advisor, Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State, David Friedman, US Ambassador to Israel and lastly, the recently departed US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haly. The formation of this Zionist band has had an adverse effect on Syria with further negative implications for Arabs and Muslims. As for decisions to serve specific American interests in Syria, the White House, and a variety of American officials, have emphasized four American interests in the ongoing crisis in Syria: fight terrorism, protect the Kurds, roll back and contain Iran and Israels security. Regarding the American War on Terrorism; people worldwide are skeptical of the American contention of waging a war on terrorism. When the uprising began in Syria in March 2011, America, and its regional allies, activated their many sleeper cells and opened their borders for swarms of tens of thousands of terrorists from all over the world to descend upon Syria. Once in, they were organized, equipped and financed to start their mission of rampage for Regime Change and to render Syria a failed state. The plan failed and the terrorists became superfluous and a burden. They had to be eliminated and thus the American War on Terrorism in Syria which will conclude soon, says Trump. As for the Kurds, they are Syrian citizens, who may have been discriminated against at one time or another. With the Syrian uprising, some of the Kurds were seduced by Washington. Unfortunately for them, and for Syria, they took the American bait. Washington will eventually drop them; it has already started the process with sraeli aqueisence. Israel originally supported the Kurdish plan to establish an autonomous state in the Arab region which would legitimize the existence of a Jewish state in the region. However, in view of the ongoing normalization process between Israel and some Arab states, a Kurdish state has become superfluous. Ultimately, Kurds will return to the Syrian fold where they belong. The modern history of the Kurds is victimization, partly due to their own doing; they are divided, prone to making bad decisions and bit more than they can chew. I recall a meeting I had with a politically active Kurdish group at the start of the Syrian uprising. After a brief introduction, the leader of the group unfolded a map of Kurdistan and put it on the table. I looked at the map and I was shocked at its contents. The western part of Kurdistan on the map, the Syrian Hasakah province, a northeastern province of Syria, in which the Kurds are a minority, was renamed West Kurdistan. I remember remarking that West Kurdistan is Syrias Hasakah province, Syrian territory. The leaders answer was it is no more Syrian The Kurds, some of whom are relatively newcomers to Syria escaping Turkish mistreatment during the early decades of the last century, are a component of the Syrian society. For the Kurds to have special consideration in a united and unitary Syria may be possible, but secession or autonomy are fantasies. The last two presumed American interests in Syria, rolling back and containing Iran and securing Israel, are interconnected. As for rolling back and containing Iran, it is to prevent Iran from establishing a land corridor connecting Iran with Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In 2004 King Abdullah of Jordan warned the Arabs of the development of such a corridor and dubbed it a Shiite Crescent, a rather unfortunate provocative sectarian concept. It should be noted that most of this land corridor is known since ancient times as the Fertile Crescent. An appropriate name for the Shiite Crescent could have been the Levant Crescent or better yet, the Levant Cooperation Council, similar to the Gulf Cooperation Council, a pact of four states, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon facing common domestic, regional and international threats. While the misnamed Shiite Crescent has been well covered and debated among Western intellectual, political, and military circles, another developing crescent, the Zionist Crescent, has escaped converge and debate. The essence of the Zionist Crescent is the neutralization of Egypt to the West of Israel, Syria to the North and Iraq to the East, the three major historic Arab centers of power, which form a crescent around Israel and constitute the thrust of security threats to Israel. Egypt, the first segment of the Zionist Crescent, was neutralized in the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. Iraq, the second segment, was neutralized during the American invasion in 2003. Israel hoped Syria, the last segment of the Crescent, will be neutralized during the uprising in Syria; it was not to be. Washington claims that rolling back and containing Iran and Israeli security constitute essential American interests; they are not they are, essentially, Israeli interests. Washington is merely an instrument to serve Israeli interests and even potentially wage a war against Iran in the service of Israel, a la the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Iran is not a threat to America but could conceivably be a threat to Israel. However, Israel and behind it Washington, constitute a clear and present danger to Iran. 2. Strategic Implications for Syria The original plan Washington and its allies sought was regime change and if successful, Syria a mosaic of religious, sectarian, and ethnic components, would become a failed state divided into Sunni, Alawite, Druse and Kurdish substates fighting continues wars. Thus, the completion of the third and last segment of the Zionist Crescent. The plan failed, thanks to the persistence of the Syrian leadership, the Syrian people, and the help of genuine allies, Russia and Iran. Syria lives and the third segment of the Zionist Crescent is void, for the time being. Millions of troops and police carry pistols and many are frustrated at not being able to improve their accuracy beyond a certain point. Often others tell struggling pistol users that are problems with how they hold the weapon and pull the trigger but there has been no way to fix those problems for many users. Then technology showed up. When smartphones first appeared it was believed there would soon be an app for improving rifle and pistol accuracy and there were. But at first, these apps were only for rifles, especially for long-range shots. Over time the technology got better and in 2016 MantisX appeared. This $150 dollar device looked like a small laser sight, of the sort attached to the bottom of a pistol equipped with a rail. MantisX took advantage of better sensor tech (accelerometers and gyroscopes) and combined these with app software downloaded to your smartphone. This combination of hardware and software provided an instant and accurate record of your shooting (with bullets or dry without ammo). The MantisX hardware detected the motion of the pistol up to when the trigger was pulled and, using a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone to grab the data, analyzed each shot (whether real or simulated) and tells you how well you did and what you did wrong if you were making mistakes with trigger pull or how you were holding the pistol (or rifle). MantisX did this by adapting the software to a wide variety of specific pistol and rifle models. As expected, MantisX underwent constant improvements since it was first introduced and these fixes were automatically distributed via app updates. Word of mouth and online reviews have been excellent, if only because MantisX improves shooting accuracy very quickly. Military and police pistol users, who had tried for years to improve their accuracy found their problems identified quickly and repeatedly by MantisX and that kind of feedback managed to quickly improve their accuracy where all else had failed. For pistols and rifles, the biggest problem was how you pulled the trigger and for pistols how you held the weapon was always a major factor (more so than with rifles). At the other end of the tech/price scale, there are computerized scopes for sniper rifles costing over $10,000 but making just about anyone an expert sniper. While these can be useful the primary skill of a sniper is learning the shooting basics well and using them automatically. Another sniper skill often overlooked by non-snipers is how to select a suitable position to shoot from and have several of these available during combat. That is what separates effective snipers from target shooters. So far there has been no app for that. A decade ago apps for smartphones began to appear that improved shooting accuracy. The first of these was BulletFlight, which was affordable, did the job and appealed to inexperienced snipers, hunters, recreational shooters and those who were just curious. The software cost $12. If you wanted to actually use it, you needed to buy a protective case ($50) for the smartphone, and a device ($25) that attaches it to the rail found on most sniper rifles and high-end hunting rifles. So for shooting purposes, the entire kit costs you about $90. There was some concern that the light from the smartphone screen might give away the snipers position at night. But you can set the light level on the smartphone, so it won't be a problem. Besides, you are using BulletFlight (or the competing iSnipe) for long-range shots (300 meters or more), so the light from the display won't be a major risk. Smartphones were with the troops soon after these devices were introduced and a decade ago were widely used in the combat zone. Not just for the music and videos, but also for foreign language translations. This uses special software developed for the U.S. Army and distributed to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers and marines are big users of smartphones and new ideas. A lot of troops tried out BulletFlight, even if they aren't snipers. These phone-based accuracy apps tend to be inexpensive, even if they require additional hardware (as MantisX does). The low cost means more people will try them and that was one reason for the rapid adoption of MantisX. Bird poo is the most likely cause of high levels of E.coli in the Uretara River, according to Bay of Plenty Regional Councils recent river monitoring work. The Regional Council started looking into what was causing the high levels of bacteria after Toi Te Ora Public Health issued a health warning advising the public to avoid swimming in the river in December. To find the source of the bacteria it set up 13 additional monitoring sites upstream of the popular Henry Road Ford swimming hole, to test both the water and sediments. Regional Council Land Management Officer Braden Rowson says the testing has identified the bacteria is predominantly from birds, with one key site showing extremely high levels of avian faecal matter in the sediments. This upstream site had become home to a number of birds including a flock of nesting geese with hatchlings and a high number of resident pukeko. They poo in and around the water which then flows downstream affecting the waterway." The landowner has since removed the geese from the site however it will still be a while until E.coli levels start dropping. The E.Coli remains in the sediments and as it is disturbed it will continue to affect water quality. But without being stirred up it will not get flushed out of the river system, he explained. Bird poo may not be the only contributing factor and the Regional Council will also meet with landowners to see whether any activity on their land may be contributing to the increased bacteria levels and if so will explore ways to prevent it. Working with the community we want to better understand the impact natural fertilisers like chicken manure may be having and how we can better manage that impact." Toi Te Ora Public Health advises people to avoid swimming in the river and parents should particularly make sure that their children do not paddle or play in the river. To check if an area is safe to swim, visit www.lawa.co.nz. The Trustpower National Community Awards are being held in Tauranga from 29-31 March. The event is one of New Zealands biggest celebrations of volunteers, with around 150 people gathering in Tauranga over three days. Representatives from 26 groups who claimed supreme winner at their regional Trustpower Community Awards will be attending. The groups will give an eight minute presentation to say why they should be awarded the Trustpower National Community Awards Supreme Winner. Trustpower Community and Communications Advisor Alice Boyd says it will be great to see Tauranga residents at the presentations so they can be inspired by the voluntary works. "Each of the voluntary organisations attending the Trustpower National Community Awards are groups of special people doing amazing things all over Aotearoa - from a range of national organisations like Coastguard, Lions, and St John, right through to unique local groups doing amazing things for their communities. "A couple of examples spring to mind like the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, who since opening in January last year, have treated over 450 native animals. And Under the Stars - a local group bringing kindness and compassion to the streets of Tauranga. "We are delighted to bring these generous and hard-working volunteers and their stories to Tauranga, and invite the public to come along and hear all about what these remarkable people have achieved in their communities". The judging panel is made up of 2017 runner-up in the NZ Youth Volunteer of the Year Awards Rhodes Scholar and Johann Go, Good Neighbour co-founder Cam Hill, GM of Tauranga Womens Refuge Hazel Hope and Chief Executive of Volunteering New Zealand Dr Katie Bruce. "Being the home of Trustpowers head office, were really proud of this place and are looking forward to sharing so much of what the beautiful Tauranga Moana has to offer. "As well as recognising and promoting the work of volunteers, the National Awards give these groups the opportunity to network and share ideas - what better way to do this than through showcasing the local district" says Alice. The volunteers weekend includes a boat cruise around Tauranga Harbour, listening to local legends, a lunch at the new Mount Maunganui Surf Club and enjoying food from around the city. The supreme winner and runner up will be announced on Saturday, 30 March at a private awards dinner at Mills Reef. To register for the presentations, click here. Spaces are limited. A brazier fire that got a bit out of control has sparked an emergency callout this evening. Firefighters were called to reports of an explosion in Welcome Bay, just before 7pm. A Welcome Bay resident says they saw fire trucks heading up the road, but couldn't see any smoke. A police spokesperson says Fire and Emergency initially got reports "of an explosion" in Welcome Bay, and looped in Police as a precaution. "Turns out it was a brazier that got a bit too out of control." A law labelled "archaic" blasphemous libel offence" will be repealed following the passing of the Crimes Amendment Bill. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the offence of blasphemous libel has not been prosecuted in New Zealand since 1922, and raises potential Bill of Rights Act concerns. "This obsolete provision has no place in a modern society which protects freedom of expression. To maintain public confidence in the law, the criminal code should be relevant to modern society. No prosecutions for blasphemy have occurred in New Zealand for almost a century, and even in that case the jury returned a not guilty verdict. This is a law that simply does not apply in the modern context. The last time a blasphemous libel case was considered, in 1998, the Solicitor-General rejected a call to commence a criminal prosecution under the law. The view was expressed that it would be inconsistent with the freedom of expression as protected by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. The continued existence of this offence on the statute books was out of place with New Zealands position as a bastion of human rights, including recognising freedom of expression and religious tolerance for all faiths. I acknowledge the work on this area of the law by Angie Warren-Clark who had a Member's Bill repealing the same section, says Andrew. The Crimes Amendment Bill also repeals the historic year and a day rule and spousal immunity for people who help their spouse or civil union partner evade the law as an accessory after the fact, as well as introduces two new offences for livestock rustling. Medieval law axed The year and a day rule rule will be repealed following the passing of the Crimes Amendment Bill, says Andrew. The 'year and day rule' prevented people from being prosecuted for causing the death of a person who dies after that length of time. Removing the archaic and unjust year and a day rule rule will ensure it no longer prevents those who break the law from being held to account. This Coalition Government is committed to ensuring the criminal code in New Zealand is fit for purpose. It makes no sense to stop a prosecution because of an arbitrary date chosen in medieval times. Advances in medical science and life support machines that may keep victims alive for longer than a year and a day mean there is no longer any justification for this rule. This rule was also a potential bar to prosecution in the CTV building collapse following the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. While the change is not retrospective, it means that those who break the law in future will not be able to rely on this rule to escape prosecution, says Andrew. Immunity from prosecution for people who assist their spouse to civil union partner by obstructing justice has also been repealed. These two provisions have presented unjustified barriers to prosecution and the changes will modernise the Crimes Act 1961. Characterised by a striking high-rise skyline, bustling commercial infrastructure and a host of millionaire residents, Dubai is the fastest-growing Emirate in the region. The country is designed for cruising. The archipelago city is easily navigable by yacht, and 49 miles of natural coastline as well as three offshore island groups means a sumptuous beach frontage of 930 miles. The water is also home to the fishing, pearling and general trades that have long sustained the people of the Gulf States. Aside from being a yacht-friendly area, Dubai yields a wealth of dry-land amenities. For once you have docked your charter, resorts such as Atlantis the Palm, Five Palm Jumeirah Dubai and the Waldorf Astoria guarantee a world-class stay. After settling in, the exploration of this dynamic playground can begin. Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building, is a must see, whilst the Dubai Mall is home to a theme park, ice rink, indoor waterfall and the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. The Dubai Fountains are a choreographed dancing water show with jet streams stretching 150m into the air, whilst Adventure Waterpark makes for an adrenaline filled and action packed day out. Finally, for a break from the high-octane glitz and glamour of the city, visitors can experience the real heart of Dubai by stepping into the old towns waterways and souks at Dubai Creek. Chartering a yacht to Dubai will doubtlessly entail some serious relaxation, and meandering through the urban beach district is one of the most leisurely ways to pass a day. The Beach opposite JBR has shopping, dining and an open-air cinema, as well as DJs pumping out tunes on weekends. Kite Beach, meanwhile, satiates those with a thirst for adventure with facilities for a multitude of watersports. Dubai is a marina biosphere, an aquatic gated community, a theme park the size of a small country... We at Superyachts.com can think of few more fascinating places to charter a yacht. Search for your perfect Dubai charter here. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A fire destroyed the second floor of a Westcott neighborhood home this afternoon, according to Deputy Fire Chief Elton Davis, the Syracuse Fire Department. Fire crews were called to 404 Greenwood Place at 12:03 p.m. for a reported house fire. Davis said the fire originated on the second floor. There were five people inside the house at the time. They all self-evacuated, Davis said. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to knock down the blaze, Davis said. No injures were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Red Cross is assisting the residents. SYRACUSE, NY -- Yes, you can have an Irish-themed beer celebration in Syracuse where the beverage of choice isnt green. Bars around the Syracuse area this month are welcoming a traditional Irish red ale that goes by the name Sullivans Maltings Irish Ale. (No, its not black like Guinness Stout, either). Its a beer brewed in Ireland whose only U.S. markets, so far, are in Upstate New York. Its American debut came in Buffalo in 2016. Sullivans was tapped to great fanfare (including bagpipe and drum) at Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub in Armory Square last weekend. A grand new beer from Ireland deserves a grand entrance, said David Hoyne, who owns Kitty Hoynes with his wife, Cindy. He invited members of a Syracuse family named Sullivan to join in by pouring the first pints. Sullivans is also coming to Central New York bars from downtown to Tipp Hill, Baldwinsville to Manlius and beyond. (See list and more details below). The beer -- a malty, rich and slightly bitter red ale -- has quite a pedigree. It takes a few pints to get the whole story. Sullivans was the name of a brewery in Kilkenny, Ireland that opened in 1702 -- thats 57 years before Guinness got started. It closed in the early 20th century after the owner at the time lost money on a horse race. Had it remained open, it would be Irelands oldest brewery. Among the partners in the newly re-opened Sullivans are members of the Smithwick family. You might recognize that name -- pronounced Smiddick -- if you frequent Irish pubs. Youll often find Smithwicks, also an Irish red ale, alongside Guinness. The Smithwick family had opened its own brewery in Kilkenny in 1710. When Sullivans closed around 1920, the Smithwicks bought its assets, including the brand name. The Smithwicks continued brewing for decades, then sold their brewery and brand names -- except for Sullivans -- to Guinness in 1965. Guinness later consolidated with other drinks companies to form Diageo, bringing the Smithwicks name under that corporate umbrella. In 2016, the descendants of the Sullivans and the Smithwicks got back together in the brewing business. They are working to build their own brewery in Kilkenny, and in the meantime brew it under contract at the Boyne Brewhouse in Droghda, north of Dublin. The beers back story is especially intriguing to David Hoyne. He is a native of Kilkenny, where his family, including his mother, Kitty, operated a business that included a pub. The lore of the Sullivans, the Smithwicks and an ale from Kilkenny was hard for him to resist. Yes that Smithwicks family who had sold their original brewery to Guinness back in the day, he wrote in an email. They are back in the beer business with Sullivans. ... I have had a few pints of it back home, any ale lover will thoroughly enjoy a pint of Sullivans ale in Syracuse. But why is this thoroughly Irish ale entering the U.S. market through Upstate New York? The link is a New York City investor named Michael Meade, who is originally from Buffalo and still spends much of his time there. He got wind of the Sullivan / Smithwick effort to restore the Sullivans name to an Irish ale. He invested in the business, and suggested his hometown as the first U.S. outlet. "People say, There are millions of Irish bars in Boston and New York City -- why didnt you start there? " Meade said. But were still pretty small, so we werent ready for that scale, that size market. The thing is the Irish diaspora (years of emigration) is strong in many smaller places and that includes cities like Buffalo, Albany and Syracuse. That was the scale we could handle, to start. Sullivans is distributed in Buffalo by Try It Distributing, and in the Capital Region by the related Saratoga Eagle distributors. In Central New York, the distributor is Spirit & Sanzone of East Syracuse. Sullivans will soon be found in places like Rochester and Erie, Pa. Its move into the Midwest starts in Cleveland this week. Meet the Sullivans team As Spirit & Sanzone expands the reach of Sullivans Maltings Irish Ale in Central New York, it is hosting special events at two area bars this week: -- 7 p.m. Thursday. Sullivans partner Dan Smithwick, a descendant of the famed Irish brewing family, will be on hand for a meet-and-greet at Colemans Authentic Irish Pub, 100 Lowell Ave. on Tipp Hill. -- 7 p.m. Friday. Dan Smithwick and Sullivans head brewer Ian Hamilton will greet fans at Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub, 301 W. Fayette St. Where to find it Other Central New York bars getting kegs of Sullivans include: Kelleys Bar & Restaurant in Syracuse; The York in Armory Square; George Odeas and Nibsys on Tipp Hill; Asils Pub in Camillus; Angry Garlic, Sammy Malones, Potters Pub and Pastas on the Green in Baldwinsville; Limp Lizard (Onondaga and Liverpool); Murphys Law in Manlius; Home Team Pub in Liverpool; Hafners Pub in Clay; McCarthys Pub in Cazenovia and Brasserie Bar & Bistro in Township 5. Video: Watch Neil Sullivan, accompanied by a pipe and drum duo, pour the first pints of Sullivans Malting Irish Ale at Kitty Hoynes on March 1: Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook. Chore-Time appoints new operation director for Europe business Chore-Time, a equipment developer for poultry production, has promoted Herman Engel to operations director of its Europe business, said Jeff Miller vice president and general manager for CTB, Inc.'s Chore-Time Group business unit. In his new position, Engel will be responsible for driving a culture of continuous improvement and standardising processes to create optimal quality, service and enhanced efficiencies within the business group's three locations in the Netherlands and warehouse in Strykowo, Poland, Chore-Time announced. He will also coordinate between the European sales director and Chore-Time Milford operations to ensure global best practices, as well as helping achieve customer goals. Engel joined Chore-Time Europe as controller in October, 2017, after Chore-Time's acquisition of Volito in 2016. Prior to his employment with Chore-Time Europe, Engel had approximately 20 years of experience in various administrative and financial roles in the composites and aerospace industries. Engel has studied technical business administration at Technische Hogeschool Rijswijk in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, and business economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He has also achieved the title of "Qualified Controller" through NIVE Opleidingen's HOFAM programme. - Chore-Time Is the 2019 Woodstock festival in trouble? Original Woodstock promoter Michael Lang is marking the iconic music events 50th anniversary with a three-day event at Watkins Glen called Woodstock 50. However, with less than six months to go, Lang still hasnt announced a lineup or ticket info -- despite originally promising details by the end of January. Rumors have begun swirling about financial troubles for Woodstock 50, currently scheduled for Aug. 16-18 at Watkins Glen. A competing event at the original Woodstock site on same weekend, dubbed the Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival, has already been scrapped and replaced with three smaller concerts at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Lang, however, denies theres any problems with Woodstock 50. Theres always been lots of rumors around Woodstock," he told Variety on Tuesday. "We have excellent partners and an incredible talent lineup of over 80 artists which will be announced within the next couple of weeks. Were preparing a once-in-a-lifetime event. The latest rumors suggest Woodstock 50 performers could include the Dead & Company (featuring John Mayer and members of the Grateful Dead), The Black Keys, The Killers, Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, Halsey, and Imagine Dragons. Lang said in January at least 40 artists had already been booked, but hasnt released any names. Bethel Woods, meanwhile, will feature Ringo Starr, Arlo Guthrie and The Edgar Winter Band on Aug. 16 and Santana with the Doobie Brothers on Aug. 17 with the Doobie Brothers. Performers have not been announced for Aug. 18. Guthrie, Edgar Winter and Santana all performed at the original Woodstock festival in 1969. Carlos Santana said in January that he wont be part of Langs event. They have an amphitheater there. Im going to invite whoever is still here, whether its Joan Baez or members from Sly Stone, and Im going to play Santana music," he told Rolling Stone. "Santanas going to be the house band, but I want to be able to honor those who are still here and maybe invite rappers like Common or Kendrick Lamar. Santanas very interested, like Miles Davis, into connecting with people from 7 years old to under 33. I dont want to be just like a jukebox in the twilight zone, stuck in the Sixties. An estimated 400,000 people attended the first Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, held Aug. 15-18, 1969, at Max Yasgurs dairy farm near White Lake in the Catskill Mountains. Performers included Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix, Arlo Guthrie, Santana, Joe Cocker, the Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The iconic concert was revisited in 1994 with a modern lineup of artists like Nine Inch Nails, Sheryl Crow, Metallica, Cypress Hill and Red Hot Chili Peppers in Saugerties, but Woodstock 99 -- held at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y. -- ended the fun with riots, fires and allegations of sexual assault. Some other venues and artists are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Woodstock with their own events. Original performer Melanie will headline BataviaStock at Batavia Downs near Rochester on Saturday, July 20. For the first time, three students in the 2019 The Post Standard-| Syracuse.com WCNY Spelling Bee will advance to the national competition in Washington, DC in May. The decision came this afternoon after the parents of a Manlius fifth-grader - who took second place in Saturdays spelling bee - filed an official complaint. The complaint challenged the judges decision during the competition to reinstate a contestant who misspelled a word. Annette Peters, vice president of marketing for The Post Standard | Syracuse.com, said after talking with representatives from Scripps National Bee and reviewing the competition guidelines, a decision was made to invite the top three finalists to advance to the nationals. The three students who will advance to the nationals are: Hudson Brenner, a 5th grader, from Eagle Hill Middle School (Fayetteville-Manlius) Emma Sroka, a 5th grader from William H. Seward Elementary School (Auburn) Sehej Bagwa, an 8th grader from Jamesville-Dewitt Middle School (Jamesville-DeWitt) The three students competed against each other in the final rounds of Saturdays Bee after Emma was reinstated, Peters said. The complaint stemmed over the pronunciation - or alleged mispronunciation - of the word mangrove by the announcer in the 10th round of the spelling bee. Emma incorrectly spelled mangrove and was eliminated. Her parents protested, saying the word was not pronounced correctly by the announcer. The contest came to a halt while the judges watched the video and deliberated, and then reinstated Emma. After Emma was reinstated, she won four rounds later after correctly spelling the word deceitful. Jay and Larissa Brenner, Hudsons parents, filed a complaint, believing that the word mangrove had been pronounced correctly. The Brenners said their son had one more word to spell before he could have won the competition, had Emma not been reinstated. The Brenners said today they looked up the Spelling Bee rules under the appeals section, which states that mispronunciation is not valid grounds for a challenge. Larissa Brenner said late Monday afternoon they are elated with the decision. Parents of the other two contestants also were notified this afternoon. "This seems like a very fair decision given what happened,'' Larissa Brenner said. Im happy they deliberated and did something that is fair for everyone. Hudson, 10, is thrilled, his parents said. Thirty-four students from across Central New York competed in the competition televised by WCNY on Saturday afternoon. The 14-round competition lasted more than two hours and tested the students knowledge of words from a variety of origins and parts of speech. Last month, 175 of the best spellers from CNY school districts competed in a written test to qualify for the oral round held Friday. The three students win a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is held May 29 to 31. 29 The Post-Standard | Syracuse.com | WCNY Spelling Bee 2019 Sign up now to have the Good Morning, CNY" newsletter.Syracuse.coms most important headlines will be delivered to your inbox for free by 7 a.m. Monday through Friday. SYRACUSE, N.Y. The federal government has lowered its overall quality rating of St. Josephs Hospital and raised its rating of Upstate University Hospital. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated its controversial hospital star ratings system last week. The agency rates hospitals on a scale of one to five stars with five being the best and one, the worst. The most common rating nationwide is three stars, while the most common rating among New York hospitals is one-star. The overall ratings summarize how hospitals stack up on a variety of quality measures such as safety of care, timeliness of care, patient death rates, readmission rates, patient satisfaction, effectiveness of care and efficient use of medical imaging. St. Josephs, which had three-stars since the advent of the rating system in 2015, now gets two stars. CMS says on its website St. Joes is below the national average on safety of care, patient readmission rates and timeliness of care. Upstate was upgraded from one to two stars. Crouse Hospitals rating remains unchanged at two stars. Ratings did not change for other Central New York hospitals. Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton remains the highest-rated hospital in the region with four stars. Auburn Community Hospital is the lowest rated in the region, with one star. A recent state Health Department inspection faulted Auburn Community Hospital for dragging its feet for months before investigating numerous staff complaints about an intensive care unit doctor accused of endangering patients and sexually harassing staff. Two former employees are also suing the hospital for not addressing those complaints. The hospital has denied any wrongdoing. CMS publishes the ratings and specific details about how it measures each hospital on its Hospital Compare website. The agency says the ratings give patients information they need to make decisions about health care. The agency penalizes hospitals that perform poorly on some of the quality measures behind the ratings. For example, the agency recently reduced Medicare payments to about 800 U.S. hospitals none of them in Central New York with high rates of patient infections and injuries. The hospital industry has long criticized the star rating system. CMSs approach to star ratings has been flawed from the outset, the American Hospital Association said in a prepared statement. That group had asked the agency to not publish the revised ratings until it addressed hospitals concerns about its rating methodology. The association has said the rating system unfairly penalizes teaching hospitals and hospitals that serve the poor. Dr. Joseph Spinale, chief medical officer at St. Josephs, said while his hospital supports transparency, it shares the American Hospital Associations concerns. the methodology behind the CMS ratings may mislead consumers and disadvantage hospitals that care for vulnerable patients since they do not account for social risk factors beyond a hospitals control, Spinale said in a prepared statement. CMS Administrator Seema Verma defended the ratings. These decision-making tools offer greater transparency on hospital performance for a wide variety of users patients, caregivers, families and the broader healthcare industry, she said in a prepared statement. CMS, however, said it is considering making changes recommended by hospital groups. One change would put hospitals with similar characteristics into peer groups so small hospitals, for example, would be compared to other small hospitals instead of all hospitals. Among the states, New York hospitals rank the worst in the nation, according to the star ratings. New York hospitals received an average of 2.18 stars out of five, down from 2.32 in November of 2017, the last time CMS revised its ratings, according to an analysis by the Empire Center, an Albany think tank. Forty-eight New York hospitals, about one-third of the 151 state hospitals graded, got a one-star rating in the update released last week. The Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan is the states only five-star hospital. CMS says the star ratings provide a starting point for comparing hospitals. The agency says patients should consider a variety of factors when choosing a hospital such as guidance from doctors and other sources of information about hospitals in your area. In an emergency patients should go to the nearest hospital, CMS says. Here are the latest federal hospital star ratings for Central New York hospitals. SYRACUSE, N.Y. Theres a city where raw sewage spills into private homes and businesses, on average, 12 times a day. In 2018, city workers were dispatched to deal with 4,389 sewage backups in basements. That city is not in a developing country. Its Syracuse. Each year, Syracuse logs more than 4,000 sewage backups, according to a review by syracuse.com of city records for the past five years. Every incident is horrifying to residents. Yet no Syracuse mayor has mounted a sewer improvement campaign to tackle the problem. The cash-strapped city has been slow even to study the issue. More than three years after sewer backups inundated the Eastwood neighborhood in 2015, city engineers havent finished a study of how the problem might be prevented from happening again. Syracuse is not alone. The crisis is shared by cities across the United States, experts say. Sewage backups are common, especially in Eastern U.S. cities with aging infrastructure, said Nathan Gardner-Andrews, chief advocacy officer for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. Its something policymakers and the public need to pay more attention to, he said. If youre flushing your toilet and suddenly its showing up in your basement, thats a crisis much more so than potholes on your street or not having power, Gardner-Andrews said. Sewage backups bring the risk of illness, the ordeal of cleaning up and the cost of throwing out ruined belongings. They also make it less inviting to live in a city struggling to hold onto families. It is horrifying, said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon. He has personal experience, having dealt with sewage in the basement of a Syracuse property he rents out. Instead of solutions, what has evolved in Syracuse is an emergency response service: The city assigns six employees to respond to backups during the week. They will plunge a residents floor drain or the vent pipe in the yard in an effort to clear the blockage. Two workers answer the calls on holidays and weekends. Thats an extraordinary level of service, Gardner-Andrews said. Most cities would tell residents to call a private plumber first. Mayor Ben Walsh, who took office one year ago, said his administration repairs and replaces as many old sewers as possible. Asked what more can be done specifically to prevent sewage backups, Walsh said he needs to study the issue more closely before deciding on a course of action. Anytime a resident has sewage in their basement, thats a problem, Walsh said. The context of the problem is something, frankly, that were still getting an understanding of. *** Sewage backs up for a variety of reasons. Many basement backups, possibly most, could be prevented if people would stop dumping grease, diaper wipes and other clog-forming items down the drain or the toilet, Syracuse officials say. City and county officials try to educate residents not to dump FOG fats, oils and grease down the drain. But cracks and leaks in the aging Syracuse sewer system also create conditions that push sewage into basements. Across much of the city, the sewer mains beneath the streets -- and the household pipes that feed them -- are a century old. Cracks let in rain and groundwater that can overload the pipes, sometimes sending sewage back into buildings. The problem is exacerbated in the oldest neighborhoods, where the 19th century system was designed to combine storm water with sanitary waste. But its not just the citys pipes that are old. Many of the pipes that need fixing are privately owned. Syracuse officials estimate that three out of four sewage backups result from blockages in the private service lateral, the pipe that carries waste from the building to the public main below the street. That pipe is the homeowners responsibility. Still, that leaves an estimated 1,000 sewage backups caused by city-owned infrastructure every year. Fixing that would be expensive. Pink areas on the map show Syracuse neighborhoods with the greatest number and density of sewage backups in 2018. The darkest pink areas are the hardest hit. The Brighton neighborhood along Midland Avenue has the most problems. Onondaga County Executive McMahon has proposed a countywide program to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into local sewer repairs, in Syracuse and its suburbs. The money would plug leaks that allow excess water to flood the system and send sewage overflows into creeks. Those big projects could also cut down on sewage spilling into basements, especially during heavy rains, said Vince Esposito, who retired as Syracuse sewer superintendent and now advises the city. For now, however, the city barely has enough money to maintain the existing sewers, Esposito said. The older a system gets, the more problems youre going to have. Its inevitable, Esposito said. And were having a difficult time keeping up with that. We just cant keep up with replacement or lining of these sewers as fast as the problems are occurring. It costs a lot of money. Bottom line is, it costs a lot of money. *** Misse Ross stopped short after going downstairs to her basement to do laundry. A shallow pool of dirty water and feces covered part of the floor. She immediately knew what had happened. Her sewer line had backed up. Ross had experienced a backup once before, about six years ago. Her neighbor has had similar problems. So have other residents down the street. Her house on Coral Avenue, at the northern edge of the Valley neighborhood, is near the citys worst concentration of sewage backups. It was Presidents Day when Ross discovered the sewage in her basement. She called the Syracuse public works department, but nobody picked up. The office was empty because of the holiday. Desperate, Ross called a city councilor she knows, Joe Driscoll, who helped her locate a city crew to free up her household lateral. From the vent in her yard, they used a plunger to break up what sounded like ice in the line, Ross said. It sounded like a slushie machine, she said. She spent the rest of the day cleaning up. Misse Ross took this photo of sewage in her basement after a backup on Feb. 18, 2019. There was probably a good inch (of water), at the low end of the floor, she said. And it comes with -- feces and everything else is in there as well. Its quite a mess. I spent a lot of time this afternoon with the Clorox and such. Some homeowners hire cleanup firms. Ross tackled the job herself. I kind of piled up all the yuck with the mop and collected that in a trash bag and threw that out, she said. And then I put all the water back down the hole as much as I could with the mop. In some cities, Ross would have been forced to pay a plumber. Syracuse crews will plunge or flush a homeowners vent or basement drain if a resident has sewage in the basement, up to twice a year. In some municipalities, city crews only work on the public mains under the street. Mayor Walsh said he will consider whether Syracuse should cut down on the number of sewage backup calls answered by city crews, because many problems begin in private pipes. Before making any changes, however, we need to have a better understanding of the data, he said. Ross, a community activist who plans to run for county legislator, said the issue is so widespread that the city should do more preventive work on both public mains and private laterals. If that means higher sewer fees, so be it, she said. Leaving the problem to private homeowners is not going to solve it, she said. Too often, homeowners in some neighborhoods will abandon their property if faced with a large expense like replacing a service lateral, she said. As a city, sometimes we just have to come together and say it doesnt really even matter whose fault it is -- when it starts impacting everybody, she said. Some U.S. cities assist homeowners by offering voluntary sewer lateral repair programs, which are like insurance policies, Gardner-Andrews said. In return for a monthly fee of $9, for example, the city of Rock Island, Ill., will cover the cost of repairing a failed household lateral, up to $12,000. The program does not cover the cost of unclogging the pipe. Residents must pay a plumber for that. If the pipe cannot be reopened by the plumber, the city will replace it for free. *** In the summer of 2015, following unusually heavy rain storms, dozens of residents in the Eastwood neighborhood complained loudly after their basements flooded with sewage. More than 200 angry neighbors attended a meeting of the Eastwood Neighborhood Association where city officials listened to complaints, said Nader Maroun, a former city councilor. But nothing changed. Two Eastwood residents posted these pictures on Facebook in July 2015, following heavy rains that caused sewage backups throughout their neighborhood in Syracuse. In response to the Eastwood hubbub, Syracuse sought and received a $50,000 state grant in 2016 to study possible improvements to the sewers in Eastwood and neighboring Sedgwick. Walsh said he asked his staff to begin the study a few months after he took office as mayor in January 2018. He said he did not know why the study had languished before then. Engineering contractor C&S Cos. is expected to complete the report sometime next summer. Minch Lewis, a committee chairman of the Eastwood association and a former city auditor, said residents have been waiting for some assurance that the next massive rain storm wont bring the same mayhem. That assurance is unlikely, even after the study is complete, Esposito said. Engineers might make improvements on a particular block, but solving the overall sewer capacity issues in Eastwood would require rebuilding the system from top to bottom, he said. Much of Eastwood is served by small mains, just eight inches in diameter, that are prone to getting inundated during wet weather. You cant design a sewer system big enough to handle the biggest storms, he said. *** Lewis was among the victims in Eastwood. His finished basement on Rigi Avenue, which features a bar, pool table and piano, was swamped with more than a foot of sewage in 2015. It was the third sewage backup at his house in five years, he said. The messes were not covered by standard homeowners insurance, he said. After the first backup, Lewis purchased a special insurance rider to cover damage from sewage backups. He submitted claims of roughly $3,000 and $5,000 for the subsequent episodes. Minch Lewis shows how high his basement on Syracuse's Rigi Avenue flooded during a sewage backup. (Scott Schild)Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse. He lost a water heater, carpeting and other furnishings, he said. His plasterboard walls had to be cut away to remove mold. In addition to the cleanup costs, Lewis invested $7,000 in home improvements to protect his basement. He installed two new sump pumps and a backwater valve in his floor drain that is supposed to prevent water from flowing back into the house. Homeowners who are concerned about potential sewage backups should ask their agent about adding an endorsement to their home insurance policy that specifically protects against backups. Typically, that costs about $50 a year for $5,000 of coverage, said John FitzGibbons, owner of the FitzGibbons and Huntington insurance agencies. But repeated claims may raise the cost substantially. Lewis said he dropped his backup insurance after his second big claim because the premiums rose too high. You have two claims and you dont have a third, he said. *** Syracuse is hardly the only place with sewage backups. Low lying suburban neighborhoods in DeWitt, Salina and elsewhere have been prone to persistent problems. Other Upstate cities also report hundreds of sewage backups each year. The number of sewage backups in Syracuse is not that uncommon compared with other cities, said Gardner-Andrews, of NACWA. Eleven things you should never flush or put down the drain Jeremy Wolfe, operations manager at Servpro, said his company has cleaned up sewage-soiled basements all over Central New York. The cost starts at about $250 and can reach $10,000, depending on the severity of damage, Wolfe said. Fifteen years ago, when he owned a house in Syracuse, Wolfe was forced to replace the 100-year-old service lateral at the house. The job cost $6,000, or roughly $8,000 in todays dollars. The Greater Syracuse Land Bank, which acquires tax delinquent properties from the city, frequently encounters problems in the sewer laterals of houses it takes over, said Katelyn Wright, executive director. Often the problem can be resolved, at least temporarily, by hiring a plumber to run a cable through the lateral to break up any roots or debris, Wright said. But recently the Land Bank was forced to replace the sewer lateral at a 119-year-old two-family house on Kirk Avenue, just off Midland. The cost was $7,200. *** The problem of sewage backups is likely to grow worse as aging pipes continue to decay, experts say. Climate change could be a factor, too, because massive storms that flood sewer systems seem to occur more frequently, Esposito said. Preparing old sewer systems for the future will be expensive, but its critical to public health, Gardner-Andrews said. At some point, Americans will have to pay more for their sewers. One of the real challenges, at the national level and even at the local level, is how to get the importance of this infrastructure -- and the cost associated with it -- front and center in peoples minds, he said. News tips? Contact reporter Tim Knauss | email Twitter | 315-470-3023 Sign up now to have the Good Morning, CNY" newsletter.Syracuse.coms most important headlines will be delivered to your inbox for free by 7 a.m. Monday through Friday. To the Editor; Now that CenterState CEO has made public its stance on the future of Interstate 81, I am more convinced than ever that the community grid proposal is the best of all options for Syracuse and surrounding communities. I urge everyone with an opinion about I-81 to read what CenterState is calling its Community Grid Plus proposal. This highly influential Central New York business and economic development organization is not only supporting the grid option, they have also set out a framework which addresses the various concerns raised by suburban communities and businesses who feel adversely affected by the elimination of thru traffic in the heart of Syracuse. The Grid Plus plan essentially rules out the tunnel and new viaduct options. I attended three of the four I-81 town hall meetings conducted ably and fairly by Rep. John Katko. At each of those meetings, Katko made complimentary reference to CenterStates proposal. Unfortunately, meeting attendees and speakers could not address or advocate for the Grid Plus because it was not made public until the day after the last town hall meeting! It is important to remember and understand that the New York State Department of Transportation extensively studied and presented several tunnel options at public meetings two years ago but ruled them out for very solid, apolitical reasons. However, under pressure from special interest groups and politicians, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was persuaded to order NYSDOT to come up with a new tunnel recommendation. Its been two years and counting and there is still no new tunnel option to consider! How then, at the town hall meetings, could tunnel or tunnel/grid hybrid supporters credibly justify their position in the absence of a new NYSDOT tunnel proposal? Katko has wisely chosen to not take sides in the debate. He repeatedly stated that his role is in making sure the funding is there to do it right and to make sure that funding also covers projects to address surrounding community concerns. Fixing the I-81 problem has been delayed way too long. Our political and community leaders need to stop procrastinating and do the right thing. Get behind the Community Grid and advocate for CenterStates recommended enhancements. Kenneth Bobis Syracuse The writer is an architect. A geocacher hiking in a wildlife management area slips into a steep, icy gully and he cant get out. A snowmobile rolls over on a woman. These two serious situations and several others resulted in rescues recently by state Forest Rangers in Upstate New York. All specifics below were supplied by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Town of Italy -- Yates County Wilderness Rescue: On Feb. 23, two men from the town of Greece were participating in geocaching activities on High Tor Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when one of the men lost his footing, slid into Clarks Gully, and was unable to get himself out due to icy conditions. They called 911 and DEC Forest Rangers, Yates County Sheriffs Deputies, Naples Fire Department and Ambulance, and the Ontario County High Angle Rope Rescue Team responded. Historically, the location requires a technical rope rescue to extricate people who have fallen into the gully and this incident was no different. Rescuers set up a rope and safety system that would allow rescuers to lead the man out of an area close to a frozen waterfall. Within a few hours, all were safely out of the area, and neither hikers nor rescuers required any medical treatment. Town of Lake Luzerne -- Warren County Wilderness Rescue: On Feb. 23, a 49-year-old Lake George woman was seriously injured in a snowmobiling accident after the snowmobile rolled on top of her. Two Forest Rangers responded along with a Warren County Sheriffs Deputy and Lake Luzerne Ambulance Squad. When first responders arrived, they found the woman pinned under her snowmobile. She was evacuated and transported to Saratoga Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Town of Fine -- St. Lawrence County Snowmobile accident: On March 1 at 2:42 p.m., DECs Ray Brook Dispatch was advised of a snowmobile accident on the St. Lawrence and Lewis County line. A 54-year-old subject had collided with a tree 11 miles back into the Aldrich Pond Wild Forest. Six Forest Rangers responded to the scene and medical personnel from Lewis County were flown in by helicopter to a location near the Harrisville Rod and Gun Club. From that location, these emergency responders were transported by snowmobile to the injured subjects location. The subject was treated at the scene by the Harrisville Fire Department and emergency responders and transported out by a rescue toboggan to a waiting Life Flight helicopter. The subject was then transported to the hospital for further treatment. The incident concluded at 4:30 p.m. Town of Keene --Essex County Rescue: On March 2 at 5:32 p.m., two lost hikers on Mt. Marcy called DECs Ray Brook Dispatch requesting assistance after they lost the trail in whiteout conditions. The hikers were directed to call 911 to obtain coordinates. After receiving this first set of coordinates, Forest Ranger Robert Praczkajlo directed the hikers to proceed back uphill. Through a series of calls, the hikers located the marked trail. Meanwhile, three Rangers left from the Adirondack Loj on snowmobiles to assist the hikers. Rangers made contact with the hikers at 11:46 p.m., and by 12:55 a.m., all units were out of the woods and clear of the incident. Town of Oppenheim -- Fulton County Snowmobile Enforcement: On March 3 at approximately 11:30 a.m., while on snowmobile patrol in Lassellsville State Forest, Forest Rangers stopped a snowmobile with no registration sticker displayed. While interviewing a second snowmobile operator, the Rangers discovered the man was operating the snowmobile while under the influence of alcohol. The subject was arrested for snowmobiling while intoxicated (SWI) after a field sobriety test. He was transported to the State Police barracks in Fonda and turned over to a sober third party and released on appearance tickets returnable to the Town of Oppenheim Court on March 27. Town of Greenfield -- Saratoga County Wildland Search: On Feb. 11 at 5:21 p.m., DECs Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for Forest Ranger assistance in locating an overdue 77-year-old male from Middle Grove who was last seen at a local eatery in Saratoga Springs that morning. His family became concerned and called Saratoga Springs Police Department when they hadnt heard from him by evening. The subjects phone was triangulated to a vehicle belonging to the subject at the intersection of Lake Desolation Road and Plank Road in Greenfield - an area the subject was known to hike - but his phone was left in the vehicle. Due to a winter storm forecasted to hit, eight Forest Rangers quickly responded to organize a search operation of the Lake Desolation State Forest and the Mullyville snowmobile trail system. Personnel from other responding agencies included Saratoga Springs PD, DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs), New York State Police, New York State Park Police, Greenfield Fire Department, and Community Emergency Core. A six-wheel UTV from the Greenfield Fire Department carried searchers with hand-held heat imaging cameras. Forest Rangers and the Saratoga County Sheriffs Tactical Team created teams to foot sweep trails to see where the subject may have gone off-trail. Crews also checked Lake Desolation Road on foot in both directions from where the subjects vehicle was parked. At 10:39 p.m., the man was found deceased by one of the search teams on private property and Forest Rangers assisted with recovery efforts. Town of Santa Clara -- Franklin County Wildland Search: On Feb. 12 at 9:18 a.m., New York State Police in Malone contacted DECs Ray Brook Dispatch requesting assistance with mapping the cell phone coordinates for a missing 61-year-old despondent female from Brushton. The phone coordinates pointed to the Debar Mountain Wild Forest and Ranger Scott Sabo and a State Trooper snowshoed in to reach the location. Other police units in the area were on the lookout for the missing persons vehicle. At 11:18 a.m., Ranger Thomas Gliddi overheard State Police radio traffic that the missing person and her vehicle had been located at a DOT pull-off on State Rt. 458, approximately 11.5 miles away from the cell phone coordinates. Ranger Gliddi diverted to that location, where two Troopers were attempting to treat the woman who was showing signs of severe hypothermia. On scene, Ranger Gliddi initiated rescue breathing via bag valve mask and Ranger Sabo arrived on scene with oxygen and heating blankets. The subject was turned over to St. Regis Falls EMS until State Police Aviation arrived with North Country Life Flight and Ranger Kevin Burns on board. The subject was flown to AMC-Saranac Lake for further care, and all. A group of Upstate New York lawmakers this winter revived a question that has been raised periodically for decades: Should the region split from the rest of New York and become its own state? Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, R-Batavia, wants New Yorkers to vote on a referendum that would create a 51st state out of the counties north of New York City and its suburbs. Separately, state Sen. Daphne Jordan, a Republican from Saratoga County, proposed examining the costs of separating the two regions to see if the idea makes economic sense. The lawmakers have gained political support from some Upstate New Yorkers who feel voiceless with Democrats holding one-party rule of the state Legislature and the governors mansion for only the second time since World War II. But politics aside, studies show the split into two states would likely be an economic disaster for Upstate New York, experts say. The region simply depends too heavily on taxes and fees paid by wealthy residents and corporations in New York City and its suburbs. Here are five reasons why experts say Upstate New York would struggle as its own state: The tax gap: Upstate New York would lose what amounts to a $14 billion per year tax subsidy from New York state. Upstate New Yorkers pay about $20 billion per year in taxes and fees to the state, and receive back about $34 billion in spending, according to a 2011 study by the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany. Thats a really big tax gap that Upstate would have to make up, said Laura Schultz, the Rockefeller Institutes director of fiscal analysis. The study looked at 2009 data, and since then all of the population growth and the bulk of the income growth has been Downstate. So, we anticipate an even bigger gap today. If Upstate New York split from the rest of the state, the net result would be a big increase in taxes or severe cuts to services for its residents and businesses, said David Friedfel, director of state studies at the nonprofit Citizens Budget Commission. In order to continue spending at the same level, the Upstate region outside of the Capital Region would have to have either a 50 percent increase in taxes or would have to cut spending by a third to keep taxes at the same level, Friedfel said. The economic impact: Upstate New York would be a smaller and less dynamic economy that would likely struggle to compete with other states if it separated from New York City and its suburbs, experts say. Most of the income and economic growth since the Great Recession has been downstate, fueling New Yorks overall economy and government spending. The number of jobs in Upstate New York increased 6.3 percent since 2010, among the worst growth rates in the nation. Upstate, if it stood alone as a state, would rank about 49th in job growth nationwide. During the same period, New York City and downstate counties registered a 21.2 percent increase in the number of jobs, according to the Empire Center for Public Policy. New York City is doing best and pulling the whole state along, said Michael Wasylenko, an economics professor at Syracuse University. Its doing better than the United States as a whole, by far. Upstate is not at a point where it could sustain itself. New York states revenue depends on how Wall Street does. A shrinking number of Upstate workers: A study by Buffalo-based M&T Bank last year warned of one of the big challenges facing Upstate New York a shrinking labor force that makes it difficult to attract new employers. The study found an ominous long-term trend with fewer available workers in a 12-county region surrounding Syracuse. The regional workforce declined 43,800 since the start of 2007, a 6.1 percent decline. Overall, the nations workforce increased 6.3 percent during the same period. The number of prime working-age residents in the region with an Associates degree or higher increased 10.8 percent since 2007, about half of the U.S. average. Gary Keith, M&T Banks regional economist, said competition for talent will continue to intensify. Expanding the pool of productive, well-trained workers available to meet employer needs will be critically important, Keith told Upstate New York business leaders in January. Lost economic incentives: Sen. Jordans bill would require a study of potential economic opportunities for an independent Upstate New York. But experts say, if anything, Upstate would lose opportunities to attract and retain businesses. In 2014, the state instituted a 0 percent business income tax rate for manufacturers in Upstate New York. Upstate couldnt afford to keep that tax rate, said Schultz, of the Rockefeller Institute. Its already an attractive place to do business from a taxation point of view. Upstate would also lose the source of economic development incentives paid for largely with settlement funds from New York City-based banks, said Friedfel, of the Citizens Budget Commission. He said those who suggest New Yorks taxes and regulations are holding back Upstate New York should look at New York City and its suburbs. Compare the economies, Friedfel said. New York City poses additional restrictions on private business beyond the state, and they have the strongest economy in the state. SUNY schools and state prisons: Before Upstate New York could stand on its own, it would have to tackle the thorny issue of what to do with State University of New York campuses and state prisons. Although 50 of the 64 SUNY campuses are in Upstate New York, most of the students come from New York City and downstate counties. Those students would lose their in-state tuition incentive to attend Upstate colleges and universities, and the schools would likely see a reduction in government aid. The same problem would affect state prisons, which disproportionately house inmates from downstate communities. Of New Yorks 54 state prisons, 48 are north of New York City and its suburbs. At least a dozen state prisons are in the North Country and Adirondack region, often serving as the single economic engine driving small cities and towns. If colleges or prisons are not financially viable in a split state, Upstate New York has the most to lose if some of the institutions shut down, according to the Rockefeller Institute. E.J. McMahon, research director of the conservative Empire Center for Public Policy in Albany, said the idea of an independent Upstate could only work if lawmakers made substantial cuts to the cost of government. This could touch off a healthy debate if it leads people to actually take a sober, honest look at what it is youre trying to get away from, McMahon said. Right now, all youre trying to get away from is an enormous subsidy. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 A new complaint filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission accuses Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and her top aide of potentially violating campaign finance law. Fox News reports the FEC complaint alleges AOCs chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti funneled nearly $1 million in contributions from political action committees Chakrabarti established to private companies that he also controlled. Chakrabarti established the Brand New Congress PAC and Justice Democrats PAC, and then allegedly transferred more than $885,000 in contributions to those PACs to his companies Brand New Campaign LLC and the Brand New Congress LLC for strategic consulting. According to the Washington Examiner, the complaint was filed by the conservative National Legal and Policy Center, a government watchdog group. The NLPC suggests Chakrabarti may have violated a $5,000 limit on contributions from federal PACs to candidates and used the process to hide the money in companies not required to report financial details. Breitbart claimed the political donations could have then been used for anything, including Chakrabartis own pocket or off-the-books campaign operations. Its unclear if Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, would be implicated. Fox News noted that large transfers from PACs to LLCs are not necessarily a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, but the complaint seeks details on Ocasio-Cortezs campaign expenses. The NLPC admits the funds were likely used for campaign events, but wants the FEC to confirm there was no wrongdoing with an immediate investigation. These are not minor or technical violations, Tom Anderson, director of NLPCs Government Integrity Project, said in a statement. "We are talking about real money here. In all my years of studying FEC reports, Ive never seen a more ambitious operation to circumvent reporting requirements. Representative Ocasio-Cortez has been quite vocal in condemning so-called dark money, but her own campaign went to great lengths to avoid the sunlight of disclosure. Ocasio-Cortez has not publicly commented on the complaint. The fast-rising Democratic socialist has faced a number of questions and criticisms since she beat longtime incumbent Joe Crowley in the 2018 congressional race, including controversy over video of her dancing in college and a nude photo hoax. Shes also clashed with members of her own party, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over Amazons since-canceled HQ2 site in NYC. Evonik invites VIV Asia visitors to "digital journey" of livestock management Evonik is promoting its holistic approach to livestock management at this year's VIV Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 13-15. "Managing livestock is getting more complex and traditional approaches are no longer sufficient. Technological developments now allow producers to use sensors and software to help them better understand the condition of their flocks, helping increase the performance or improve uniformity," Johann Fickler, Evonik's Animal Nutrition vice president (know-how, services and digitalisation), explained. "Precision livestock farming is about going beyond just gathering data. It combines science-based know-how with proven amino services, and innovative nutritional and health concepts, all embedded into specific digital solutions. This holistic approach means growers can better understand and optimise the status of their animals and take appropriate action, including early preventative measures. "The result is improved livestock production performance, increased uniformity, higher efficiency and ultimately, better margins for the grower. The even better news is that the approach is easily scalable and so it suits processes within the entire livestock production. This truly is a digital journey worth taking." Delegates at VIV Asia are invited to attend a technical session on "Introduction to Evonik Precision Livestock Farming" to discover the latest information about this topic on March 13, 2.30pm, Wednesday, in Room 212. Delegates can register online at: b.link/viv27 Attendees at VIV Asia can also meet the Evonik Animal Nutrition team at booth H102-2350 where they can learn about how the feed additive specialist company is "sciencing the global food challenge" through the development of a range of products and services. This includes PROXYMet a MetAMINO-based product which achieves the same bioefficacy as MHA-FA and has had many successful trials in India and Asia South. There are also services such as AMINONIR which assists with specific calibrations for the prediction of crude protein, dry matter, essential and non-essential amino acids for all major feed ingredients and AMINOSys which comprises consulting, hardware and software solutions for micro-ingredient handling and dosing in feed mills. Delegates can learn more about the forthcoming opening of the new Evonik MetAMINO plant in Singapore as well. Evonik is also a sponsor of the 6th Global Feed and Food Congress (GFFC) which brings together leaders from the global feed and food chain in Bangkok on March 11-13. - Evonik For those who try to keep their finger on the Linux communitys pulse, 2018 was a surprisingly eventful year. Spread over the last 12 months, weve seen various projects in the Linux ecosystem make great strides, as well as suffer their share of stumbles. All told, the year wrapped up leaving plenty to be optimistic about in the year to come, but there is much more on which we can only speculate. In the interest of offering the clearest lens for a peek into Linux in 2019, heres a look back at the year gone by for all things Linux. Ubuntu Sheds Unity but Sees Silver Lining in Cloud The last ripples from 2017 into 2018 came from Ubuntus decision to phase out the Unity desktop and switch its flagship desktop environment to Gnome. Ubuntus first image to ship with Gnome was with its October 2017 release of 17.10, but it was something of a trial run. With Aprils 18.04, Ubuntu officially unveiled its first Long Term Support (LTS) track to feature Gnome 3. With an LTS sporting Gnome and holding up to user testing, the countdown clock began on the eventual switch to the Wayland display server, intended to take over for the aging Xorg server. Think of display servers as the skeletal beams that a desktop is bolted to. Ubuntu 17.10 tested Wayland waters, but although 18.04 shied away from Wayland, the fact that 18.04 seems to have Gnome under control means the Ubuntu flagship desktop developers can turn their attention to Wayland, hopefully catalyzing its evolution. Many saw the end of Unity not so much as an admission of defeat in cementing Ubuntus own desktop vision, but as evidence of a pivot in Canonicals focus to cloud computing and IoT. After months in the wild and the update to Ubuntus incremental patch, 18.04.1, it is clear by this point that the decision to abandon Unity did not so much as jostle the stability of Ubuntus release. In fact, 18.04 has proven exceptionally stable, polished and well-received. Few are the distributions that can put out as robust and distinct a product as Ubuntu, while also maintaining their own desktop. The only one that might lay claim to this is Linux Mint, but its code base has far fewer deviations from Ubuntu than Ubuntus has from Debian. Put another way, Mints code base is similar enough to Ubuntus (Mints upstream) that it can afford to dedicate time and resources to in-house desktops. Without its own desktop, Ubuntu doesnt seem worse for wear, but as refined and dependable as ever, especially with the introduction of features like a minimal install option and restart-less kernel updates. It will be hard to tell how the end of Unity ultimately will impact Ubuntu until its next LTS drops in April 2020 but for now, Ubuntu fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the distribution continues to shine. Linux Gamers Wont Be Steamed at Valve Much Longer Another major development in desktop Linux computing was Steam Plays August announcement of beta testing support for running Windows games on Linux. Steam evidently has been playing the long game (no pun intended) in backing work on the Windows compatibility program Wine, as well as the DirectX translation apparatus Vulkan, over the past couple of years. This past summer, we saw these efforts coalesce. In a framework called Proton, Steam has bundled these two initiatives natively in the Steam Play client. This enables anyone running a Linux installation of Steam Play (who is enrolled in the beta test) to simply download and play a number of Windows games with no further configuration necessary. A D V E R T I S E M E N T A marked lack of access to top-tier games long has been a sticking point for Linux-curious Windows users considering a switch, so Steams ambitious embarkation on this project may prove to be the last encouragement this crowd needs to take the penguin plunge. Steam has been exercising patience, as it has been maintaining a periodically updated list of the number and degree of Linux-compatible Windows games in its library of titles. It hasnt been afraid to acknowledge that a number of Windows games still need work, another sign of sober expectations on the part of Valve. Taken together, these steps suggest that Steam is in this for the long haul, rather than throwing together a quick fix to increase revenue from Linux-bound customers. If that werent proof enough, Steam even has gone so far as to post the code for Proton on GitHub, which is as good a sign as any that it is invested in the Linux community. The entire undertaking holds promise to steadily improve the Linux desktop experience as more games reach mature compatibility, and Proton slowly crawls out of beta. Red Hat Hangs Its Hat on IBMs Rack Although the Linux desktop landscape saw modest but undeniable progress, there was much more at play in the enterprise Linux arena. Perhaps the single biggest Linux headline this year was IBMs acquisition of Red Hat. IBM and Red Hat have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership, and IBMs shrewd tactic in competing with Microsoft more than a decade ago played the leading role in Red Hats rise in the first place. Red Hat popularized, if not pioneered, the practice of selling support and tailored configuration as an open source business model. Fatefully for Red Hat, IBM was the big ticket customer that supercharged its revenue stream and confirmed the profitability of premium support. IBM minted its alliance with Red Hat because it wanted to compete with Microsoft in the server market without having to license an expensive operating system. In some ways, IBMs outright purchase of Red Hat may have been inevitable. The two have grown symbiotically for so long that subsuming Red Hat into IBM likely was the only way to squeeze more efficiency and return on investment out of the relationship. You could even liken it to a couple whove been together for years finally announcing their engagement. Whatever else Red Hats purchase signifies, it legitimates Linux as an enterprise powerhouse, and lends credence to open source developers who long have touted the profitability of their work. Amid all the deserved fanfare surrounding this betrothal, little attention has been paid to the reverberations it will send through the bedrock of the entire Linux space. Red Hat spearheads development of systemd, a replacement for the System V Linux init process that already has seen significant adoption among Linux distributions. This is no meager contribution, as the init system is the single most central component of the operating system after the kernel, and it dictates how the OS finishes booting. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Thus, the question on the minds of those who are giving this matter serious consideration is this: How will entrusting a (now) corporate-owned company to build the init process implemented in the vast majority of Linux distributions impact the course of Linuxs development? Systemd of a Down This leads perfectly into the next big story from the past year, because it demonstrates both the weight of the responsibility bestowed upon Red Hat in writing an industry standard init system, and the potential for harm, should this responsibility not be approached with proper humility and care. Recently, a major bug affecting systemd was discovered. It allowed a user with a UID number higher than a certain value to execute arbitrary systemctl commands without authenticating, granting what amounted to full root access to that UID. The bug in question isnt in systemd per se, but it pertains to systemd, in that systemd implicitly trusts the program containing the bug, polkit. So, because implicit trust itself is an unwise software development practice, to say the least, it equates to a bug in systemd, in some ways. When systemd first took hold in the Linux biome, there was more than a little griping in the community. The central issue was that systemd contradicted the Unix philosophy by constructing and relying upon such a monolithic program (moreso than init intrinsically is). To give a sense for how truly behemoth systemd is, it has swelled beyond the bounds of inits reasonable purview to encompass DNS server IP assignment and regular task scheduling, relegating such venerable Unix stalwarts as /etc/resolv.conf and cron to (eventual) obsolescence. It seems that these Unix philosophers may have had a compelling, but ultimately unheeded, point. Microsoft Opens the Open Source Patent Floodgates IBM was not the only one to stake a claim to Linux: IBMs perennial foe, Microsoft, made Linux maneuverings of its own in 2018. In October, Microsoft joined the Open Invention Network (OIN), subsequently open-sourcing more than 60,000 patented pieces of its software. The OIN is a coalition of partners committed to insulating Linux and Linux-based projects from patent lawsuits. To that end, all members not only are obligated to openly offer patented software for public use, but also are allowed to freely license patents from one another. Aside from the benefits this obviously confers on Microsoft, especially with companies like Google for fellow members, it puts another power player squarely in Linuxs corner. This may be the final sign of good faith the Linux community needed that Microsoft sincerely has embraced Linux and, moreover, that it has substantial plans for Linux-related projects in its future plans. Open Source and Open Silicon? There is one more notable milestone on the desktop Linux front notable for what it portends for Linux, and computing on the whole. System76, the foremost Linux-focused hardware manufacturer in the U.S. (and maybe the world) has announced a line of high-end Linux desktops featuring open hardware specifications. The Thelio line boasts an elegant, premium look that is sure to lure more than the privacy-conscious. Open hardware is the hardware analog to open source software, and while it has been an aim of the security-conscious and freedom-loving tech denizens, it has subsisted as little more than a pipe dream until recently. The quest for open hardware arguably was accelerated by the Snowden disclosures, and the extent to which they revealed that hardware OEMs may not entirely deserve users trust. Purism was the first consumer-oriented company to take up the charge but, as it will admit, its product is a work in progress, and not as open as the company and its privacy crusader allies envision. Bringing more open hardware options to consumers, and thereby injecting competition into an otherwise sparse field, is an unalloyed good. What Next? While reviews of the years events certainly are interesting, if just for a sense of scope, retrospectives arent particularly useful unless they are applied. With all of these 2018 milestones in mind, what trajectory do they suggest for 2019? Last year easily was one of the best years for the Linux desktop sphere since I started using Linux (which admittedly wasnt very long ago). Alongside big news from Steam and a reassuringly strong LTS release from Ubuntu, came piecemeal strides by distros like Elementary and Solus in solidifying their work and their reputations as just-works, mass-appeal desktop systems. Along with the production of first-class hardware like System76s Thelio PCs, and even Manjaros Bladebook, desktop Linux has never looked better. I wont indulge in the clich and predict that 2019 will be the year of the Linux desktop, but I foresee it building on the gains from 2018 to make even sleeker, more modern, and more usable desktops with burgeoning appeal outside the Linux niche. 2018 saw some high-profile publications giving Linux an open mind and a positive reception, so it wouldnt be a far-fetched scenario for Linux to see an uptick in first-time users. The enterprise realm is set to be much more tumultuous, as IBM and Microsoft have planted their respective flags in different corners of the Linux world. This could precipitate a wave of innovation in Linux as established corporate powers poise themselves for cloud supremacy. On the other hand, this cloud computing contest could lead development of Linux and its satellite projects down a path that is increasingly dissonant not just with Unix philosophy, but with the free software or open source ethos as well. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network. Why it matters: Google could have restarted its highly controversial Project Dragonfly which enables censored search results for China. While the proof isn't definitive, if evidence mounts that Google really is continuing work on Dragonfly, it could further strain trust for the company and cause even more backlash. Last year, Google was reportedly working on a censored search engine for China under the codename Dragonfly. This search engine would not show results from queries dealing with any "forbidden" topics such as democracy, religion, or human rights. Facing immense backlash, the company seemed to kill that effort although Google CEO Sundar Pichai was evasive when questioned by Congress. However, some Google employees think that Dragonfly may be very much alive. Per a report by The Intercept, a group of Google employees have discovered that about 900 changes to the Dragonfly codebase were made between December and February despite the apparent shutdown of the project. When Google supposedly halted Dragonfly, employees working on the project were told to finish their work before being reallocated to other teams. However, at least 100 employees are still linked to Dragonfly via budget items. Although to be fair, the code changes and budget items could be leftover from after Dragonfly was ended. Google vehemently denied that it was still working on Dragonfly in a statement to The Verge: "This speculation is wholly inaccurate. Quite simply: theres no work happening on Dragonfly. As weve said for many months, we have no plans to launch Search in China and there is no work being undertaken on such a project. Team members have moved to new projects." China has been the focal point of many tech companies recently. Both Apple and Google see China as a way to grow their business. Unfortunately, the Chinese government's tight control over the country's internet has hindered Google in particular from expanding into China. Google was hoping that appeasing the Chinese government would allow it access to the country. Google employees responded by signing an open letter demanding that the company cancel the project as it would "establish a dangerous precedent." Vice President Mike Pence also blasted Google claiming it would "strengthen Communist Party censorship." Opponents of Dragonfly would also point to the Chinese government's "social credit" system. The country has already banned millions of people from buying plane or train tickets because of a low social credit score. Imagine if you received a low score for searching for prohibited terms using Dragonfly. Enabling this capability may further strain trust in Google considering its own propensity for scooping up data on its users. Privacy issues: Google has disabled photo sharing to Android TV devices until it can figure out why the feature is listing other users accounts while setting up a photo screen saver. On Saturday evening, users began reporting on Twitter that they could access other people's accounts trough their Android TV's photo screensaver. While this was the first time the bug was mentioned publicly, at least one TCL customer indicated that the issue has been going on for her since about the middle of January. Twitter user Prashanth said he first noticed the bug when he was trying to access his Vu brand TV through the Google Home app. When he looked under linked accounts for his TV, it showed him the names and profile pictures of hundreds of other users. Later Prashanth claimed that by selecting an account other than his in the ambient screensaver mode, he was able to see pictures presumably posted under that persons Google Photos account. When I access my Vu Android TV through the @Google Home app, and check the linked accounts, it basically lists what I imagine is every single person who owns this television. This is shocking incompetence. pic.twitter.com/5DGwrArsco prashanth (@wothadei) March 3, 2019 At least one other person confirmed that they replicated the bug on their iFFalcon smart TV. Prashanth then tried it on a Xiaomi Mi Box 3, but could not repeat the flaw, so it does not appear all brands that support Android TV are affected. Reports seem to have originated in India, but it is unknown if this is a regional issue. In the meantime, Google has turned off the ability to view Google Photos through Android TV while it looks into the problem. We take our users privacy extremely seriously, a Google spokesperson told Android Police in a statement. While we investigate this bug, we have disabled the ability to remotely cast via the Google Assistant or view photos from Google Photos on Android TV devices. A representative from Vu Technologies said that the problem was unrelated to its televisions firmware, insisting it was a malfunction with the Google Home app. Google, of course, is aware of the bug and will presumably issue a patch after it figures out what is causing the issue. In context: All the news of election meddling has Canada worried that other countries will try to influence its 2019 federal elections through online advertising. In preparation for that, it passed legislation requiring online platforms to make a registry for political ads. Due to new Canadian political advertising laws, Google Canada will not be allowing political ads on its AdEx platform during the country's upcoming federal elections. In December of last year, lawmakers passed a bill requiring online services to monitor and keep a record of all "partisan" ads shown either directly or indirectly. According to the search giant, the rules are too difficult to implement under its current system of advertising. Google had asked legislators last year to amend parts of the bill so that it could comply, but those requests went denied. The problem with the law for Google is that its current AdEx platform of real-time ad bidding does not allow a way for it to monitor the process. The whole system is automated. Web pages put space up for auction, and the highest bidding advertisement is placed in about two-tenths of a second with no human intervention. With only a few months to come up with a different system, Google has decided that complying with the law is too much work. "Even if [we] include all advertising from designated groups in [a] registry (which would be over inclusive), [the] broad definition of '[partisan] election advertising' and potential liability for error will make this extremely challenging," Google warned before the law was passed. Weve come to the decision that the best way for Google to comply with the Elections Act in the 2019 election cycle is actually to stop accepting elections ads as defined in the legislation, Google Canadas Head of Public Policy and Government Relations Colin McKay told The Globe and Mail. It is painful for us, [but] this isnt a negotiating tactic. Were four months out from the period prescribed in legislation. It is easier for Google to block ads than to create a whole new system to comply with one country's rules. It will only have to modify its current ad policies to have the system detect and exclude any ads that fall into the category of Canadas ad registry regulations. If the law only required Google to track candidates, there would be no issue. It already has a registry for tracking US candidates' ads. The problem is that the Canadian law also requires it to archive all partisan ads, a category that is too vague to nail down. The challenge for us is that that definition (of partisan) is extremely broad, said McKay. Canadian politicians are not entirely without options though. Facebook and Twitter are viable advertising platforms. Google also said it would not be blocking ads from any of its other services like YouTube. Political advertising will only be banned from the AdEx platform. The big picture: If you told the average person a few years ago that the future of vehicles would be self-driving, they'd probably think you were crazy - and yet, that's precisely what the world has begun to transition into as of late; albeit more slowly than some anticipated. Most modern carmakers offer automated driver-assistance features in their vehicles, and they continue to improve every year. For example, Tesla's Autopilot tech can now switch lanes for you on the highway (or keep you in your lane, if necessary), automatically park itself, and even drive directly to you in a crowded parking lot. These self-driving tech advancements usually happen on the consumer level, but it seems some governments are considering implementing it in their public transportation systems as well. Indeed, as reported by ZDNet, Singapore is partnering up with Volvo to test out the latter's fully-autonomous public buses. Apparently, the buses in question are controlled entirely by an AI, which uses complex sensors to get information about its environment and pilot the vehicles safely and efficiently. ...the buses in question are controlled entirely by an AI, which uses complex sensors to get information about its environment and pilot the vehicles safely and efficiently. Right now, the buses can hold 80 passengers and are only being tested in controlled environments that are intended to replicate real-world traffic conditions. However, if all goes well, Singapore could begin to add the buses to their real public transportation fleet. In addition to being completely self-driving, Volvo's buses are also fully-electric, with no emissions. According to Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (which is collaborating with Volvo on this project), the vehicles consume up to 80 percent less energy than their ICE counterparts. Time will tell how effective this experiment will be, but for now, the future looks bright. An 18-year-old who got vaccinated despite his parents' wishes has been invited to testify in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Ethan Lindenberger, in a post on YouTube on Saturday, March 2, shared that he was invited to speak as part of the committee's examination of the recent outbreaks of preventable diseases, including measles, in the United States. He will make an appearance on Tuesday, March 5, alongside John Wiesman, Washington state's secretary of health and Saad B. Omer, a professor from Emory University in Georgia. He said in the video that he is looking forward to speaking in Washington, DC. about outbreaks of preventable diseases as well as addressing misinformation that causes these outbreaks. Teen Rebels Against Anti-Vaccine Parents The story of Lindenberger caught the attention of the global media amid growing anti-vaccination sentiment around the world, which caused a flurry of measles outbreaks in countries like the Philippines, Israel, and Ukraine. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 159 confirmed cases of measles in 10 states and declared six outbreaks since Jan. 2019. Lindenberger said that he never questioned his parents' decision not to vaccinate him and his siblings. However, a few years ago, he started having doubts after he had seen angry responses to his mother's social media posts about the supposed dangers of vaccines. He was 13 or 14 when he started doing his own research by reading peer-reviewed studies and articles published by the CDC and the World Health Organization. Eventually, he landed on Reddit where he asked the online community for advice on how to get vaccinated without his parents' permission. "As the title explains, my parents think vaccines are some kind of government scheme. It's stupid and I've had countless arguments over the topic," he wrote on the website in November. "But, because of their beliefs I've never been vaccinated for anything, god knows how I'm still alive." By December, the teen received a battery of standard shots, including for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, HPV, and influenza. Ohio is one of the 17 states that allow parents not to vaccinate their children for philosophical or moral reasons. WHO previously listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top global health threats for 2019. Persisting Anti-Vaccine Beliefs Unfortunately for Lindenberger, his parents remain firm on their belief not to vaccinate their children. In a conversation with Undark, an online magazine, Jill Wheeler said that she felt betrayed by his son, "like him spitting on me, saying 'You don't know anything, I don't trust you with anything.'" Wheeler has four other kids, including a 2-year-old. Linderberger does not believe that his siblings will be allowed by their parents to get vaccinated at all. The CDC assures that the vaccines have gone through thorough testing to make sure that they are safe and effective. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Alberta Pork apologises for "false positive" report of PED outbreak in Alberta, Canada Alberta Pork Producers Development Corporation, a non-profit organisation that represents hog producers in Alberta, Canada, clarified on March 4 that a reported, third case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in the province turned up to be a "false positive." "False positives are infrequent but can be expected occasionally in disease investigations, due to the sensitivity and concern for positive results. We apologise for any confusion or alarm caused by last week's earlier announcement," Alberta Pork stated in a press release. "As of now, we can confirm three outbreaks of PED in Alberta in 2019: one announced in January, one announced in February and one announced in March." According to the organisation, a laboratory test had identified the virus in a sample, but pigs at a "formerly-suspected" premise did not display symptoms of PED. "Alberta Pork continues to work closely with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry to fully investigate all outbreaks to prevent the disease from spreading further. Provincial stakeholders have been monitoring the situation to determine a source for all outbreaks, but none have been found yet, and any possible connection between the three outbreaks remains uncertain," Alberta Pork added. The organisation also called on farmers to step up biosecurity protocols and "submit swine manifests, including farm-to-farm movements, in a timely manner." - Alberta Pork Scientists have reported the discovery of the first ever known Denisovan skull fragment. University of Toronto paleoanthropologist Bence Viola will discuss the find at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Cleveland, Ohio at the end of the month. The Denisovans The Denisovans belong to an extinct branch of the hominin family. Only four individual Denisovans had been previously found, all of which were unearthed from the Denisova cave in Siberia. Researchers described the first Denisovan in 2010 based on a fragment of a pinky finger bone. The three others were identified from teeth. Little is known about this ancient human relative, albeit two recent studies found evidence the Denisovans shared the Denisova cave with the Neanderthals. Researchers have also discovered the ancient fossil of a young female they believe was the hybrid offspring of a Denisovan father and a Neanderthal mother. Denisovan Skull Fragment The Denisovan skull fragment, which was found about three years ago in the Siberian cave represents the fifth individual. It is consist of two connecting fragments from the back, left-hand side of the parietal bone that forms the roof and sides of the skull. DNA analysis confirmed the 8 centimeter by 5 centimeter skull piece belonged to a Denisovan although the fossil is too old to be dated with radiocarbon techniques. "It's not a full skull, but it's a piece of a skull. It gives us more. Compared to the finger and the teeth, it's nice to have," Viola said. Viola and colleagues already compared the fragments to the remains of the Neanderthals and modern humans. The results will be discussed once their work is published. Finding Other Denisovan Remains Because of its size, researchers cannot use the skull piece to identify other skulls found elsewhere as Denisovan without genetic information. In 2017, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing published a study about two partial human skulls found in China. They said these belonged to a new type of human or a variant of the Neanderthals. Some think the skulls could be Denisovans but this still needs to be confirmed. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Vaxx: From Cover-Up To Catastrophe, a controversial documentary that links measles, mumps, rubella vaccine to autism is no longer streaming on Amazon Prime. The move is a response to a letter sent to CEO Jeff Bezos by Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of the 28th District of California. In the letter, he demanded to know what the company is doing to prevent the spread of misinformation about vaccines. Two other documentaries titled Man Made Epidemic and Shoot 'Em Up: The Truth About Vaccines seem to have been removed from the streaming service as of Friday, March 1. Jeff Bezos Receives Criticism For Amazon's Anti-Vaccine Content Last week, Schiff published a letter addressed to Bezos discussing the growing anti-vaccine sentiment around the world as a threat to public health. The lawmaker noted that Amazon might be recommending products and content that further discourage parents from vaccinating their children. "There is strong evidence to suggest that at least part of the source of this trend is the degree to which medically inaccurate information about vaccines surface on the websites where many Americans get their information, among them Amazon," the letter read. "As the largest online marketplace in the world, Amazon is in a unique position to shape consumption." So far, Amazon has neither issued a response to Rep. Schiff's criticism nor confirmed the documentary's removal from the streaming platform. However, Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, as well as several other anti-vaccine documentaries and books, are still available for purchase from the e-commerce giant. Rep. Schiff also urged Facebook and Google to stop recommending content that has anti-vaccine messages. Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe is based on a 1998 research by Andrew Wakefield, who also directed the documentary, alleging that the MMR vaccine causes autism. The British doctor not only later retracted the research, but his findings have been debunked by several other studies. In 2015, researchers examined over 95,000 children across the United States and found no link between MMR vaccine and autism. Wakefield has also been stripped of his medical license for ethics violations. Journalist Brian Deer discovered in 2011 that Wakefield pocketed over $75,000 while trying to prove the link between vaccines and autism. Moreover, Wakefield proposed the establishment of a company that will "reap huge returns from molecular viral diagnostic tests for autism." The documentary had the backing of actor Robert De Niro, who has an autistic son and later withdrew his support. It was barred from being screened during the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After raising the alarm about food shortages heading into the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank has been able to attract enough food and funding as Lent gets underway. Its inventory, though, is still below normal levels and with demand remaining steady, the Food Bank is heading into this holiday season leaner than it would like. We have to be careful. We dont want to be out there every day, Theres a crisis, theres a crisis, said Mike Manning, president and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. Were not where we need to be, but its not a crisis. The charitys 170,000-square-foot facility on Choctaw Drive has increased its inventory from a low of about 1 million pounds of food around Thanksgiving to now about 1.5 million, he said. That's an improvement about half of normal inventory of 2 million pounds of food to about three-quarters. One million pounds of food is also roughly what the Food Bank distributes each month to its 100-plus member agencies across 11 parishes. +2 Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank asking for donations of cash, food with low inventory heading into holidays The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is filled these days with people volunteering their time and sorting food donated for the hungry. But what t High-profile disasters, including hurricanes Florence and Michael, as well as wildfires in California, diverted the supply of donated food as well as drew away cash donations that might ordinarily have gone to help hungry people locally at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The shortage, occurring at the charitys normal peak inventory time, prompted public calls for extra donations of food, and, better yet, money to purchase additional food. Manning credited the response of the community to those calls for getting the Food Bank part way back. The fundraising, though, never stops and the early months of the year, when donors are still paying off debts from year before, are the hardest, he said. We have our best success in the fall, but we have to raise money all year, he said. We have hungry people all year. If we stopped fundraising that would be disastrous for us. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Regular donors like the Knights of Columbus Council 4030 have continued their giving into the new year. In late January, this Baton Rouge chapter of the Catholic fraternal service organization handed the Food Bank a $10,000 check. J.F. Accardo, chairman of charitable donations for the council, said the stories of ongoing food shortages after the holidays prompted the group to make the special donation. Beyond such gifts, the Food Bank has persuaded some donors to make monthly donations so the charity has a more reliable funding stream, Manning said. Another unexpected help has been the U.S. Department of Agricultures $12 billion aid program for farmers hurt by President Trumps ongoing trade fight with countries like China, about $1.2 billion of which has helped stock food banks and the like. But Manning said its unclear how long that aid will continue. There are several other forces working in the opposite direction and creating uncertainty: No relief due to more people working, as evidenced by low unemployment rates. Manning said many of the Food Banks clients are working low-paid jobs and have been unable to tap into the higher wage jobs that require more training: In the past, when unemployment has gone down, we see some positive impact on demand. We havent seen that materialize yet. Grocery stores continuing to cut down on waste, leaving less food to donate to food banks than they have in the past. Confusion and disincentives to some types of giving emanating from federal tax reform approved by Congress in December 2017. There are so many more balls up in the air than were used to, Manning said. Romer Labs' Singapore-based laboratory earns GMP+ B11 certification Romer Labs' analytical services laboratory in Singapore has received GMP+ B11 certification for feed safety assurance, according to independent inspection and certifying company SGS. As a GMP+ registered Laboratory, the ISO 17025-accredited and ISO 9001-certified service facility joins Romer Lab's laboratory in Tulln, Austria, which, in September, became the worldwide first laboratory to earn GMP+ B11 certification. This additional recognition from GMP+ is a further confirmation that Romer Labs adheres to international standards and requirements for safe feed and food throughout the production and supply chain, the company said. The Singapore lab's certification, which was obtained for the analysis of Aflatoxin B1 as part of a multi-mycotoxin LC-MS/MS method, specifically guarantees that the analysis of feed materials, premixes and feed samples is performed in a manner that assures the reliability of its results. "The GMP+ B11 certification further confirms the excellence of our analytical services in mycotoxin detection and is a fine complement to the ISO certifications we already have," said Yong Wee Liau, managing director of Romer Labs Singapore. "An important component of the GMP+ scheme is the explicit commitment to continuous improvement. This is one way we fulfill our pledge to reliability, transparency and traceability in the feed production and supply chain," Yong added. Romer Labs currently operates four fully accredited service laboratories that are based in Austria, the UK, Singapore and the US. Beyond mycotoxins, Romer Labs offers analytical services for a broad range of analytes, including GMOs and food allergens. - Romer Labs Dr. Rebekah Gee, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, speaks during the Acadiana Culture of Health Summit at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Student Union on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. Fallen tech company Appster may have traded while insolvent for more than 18 months, the company's liquidator has alleged, as creditor claims against the failed business have spiralled upwards. A scathing statutory report to creditors from liquidator Paul Vartelas, obtained by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald , alleges insolvent trading and director misconduct as well as revealing a five-fold increase in claims by creditors who have surfaced since the company announced liquidation in December. A scathing report has alleged Appster directors breached their duties to the company. Credit:Sydney Morning Herald. The Australian application development company, founded by Forbes rich-listers Josiah Humphrey and Mark McDonald, was placed in liquidation in December, in what the directors claim was a swift decision made in response to declining sales in 2018. "We acted within 24 hours to get advice from B.K. Taylor & Co. and decided to act swiftly to avoid taking on debt as an organisation," the 26-year-old directors are quoted as saying in the report. Nine Entertainment Co's top institutional shareholder has cautioned the diversified media company against buying ad-man John Singleton's shares in radio group Macquarie Media, as contract talks with presenter Alan Jones remain ongoing. Nine, the owner of this newspaper, also controls 54.5 per cent of Macquarie Media following its merger with Fairfax Media last year. Macquarie Media in turn owns AM radio stations including Melbourne's 3AW and Sydney's 2GB, the home of Alan Jones. Happier times: John Singleton, Alan Jones and Ray Hadley in 2002. Credit:Rick Stevens This week, advertising mogul John Singleton, who owns most of the remaining shares in Macquarie Media, signalled he would be willing to sell his 32 per cent stake in the business to either Nine or institutional investors. Its inevitable I will sell it. I will not hang on to it and be a minority shareholder, he said, according to The Australian newspaper. Women's ridesharing startup Shebah is tipping equity crowdfunding on its head in its quest to raise $3 million to cement itself as a true competitor to Uber. "This has really told us that women are given an opportunity to invest in something they care about, they will become shareholders," founder and chief executive George McEncroe says. Shebah founder George McEncroe at the startup's head office in Melbourne. Credit:Justin McManus "It says so much about putting the right product in front of them." Since equity crowdfunding launched in Australia, raise campaigns have been dominated by male founders and investors. Future Fund chairman Peter Costello said security concerns should ultimately outweigh economic issues in Australia's relationship with China, if the nation were ever forced to choose between the two. With China's role attracting growing scrutiny from security agencies in recent years, Mr Costello said there had been a broad shift in how China was viewed since he was federal treasurer, between 1996 and 2007. Future Fund chairman Peter Costello says the US is an "ally", China is a "friend." Credit:Louise Kennerley Previously, Mr Costello said, the more pro-China view that emphasised the economic opportunities had held sway over security concerns, but this dynamic had reversed in the last three to four years. Mr Costello said in recent years the "defence and intelligence view" had overshadowed the more pro-China "business view" amid growing tensions in the South China Sea, rivalry over aid in the South Pacific, suspected cyber attacks, and growing concerns about Chinese investment in Australia. The tax office has admitted it will waive penalties for hundreds of businesses that have admitted failures to pay superannuation to their staff in the wake of a 'botched' amnesty. The proposed amnesty to employers who failed to pay super entitlements stretching back to the early 1990s, was a federal government initiative rolled out in May last year to encourage employers to "wipe the slate clean" and pay workers their super entitlements. Unpaid super is estimated as being worth up to $6 billion a year. IPA's Tony Greco says the ATO failed to clearly flag to taxpayers that there was uncertainty over the amnesty. Credit:Peter Braig Almost a year later the policy has now been dumped despite the Coalitions press release from May 24 saying the 12 month amnesty will run "from today". The release warned that anyone who failed to take advantage of the amnesty and then caught would face higher penalties of at least 50 per cent of the money owed, on top of the unpaid super. The February reporting season produced some notable performers. Here are four standout companies that are enjoying strong earnings growth due to their expanding global businesses. Appen provides datasets for artificial intelligence development and machine learning. Credit:Nic Walker APPEN (APX/ASX) Now trading: $24.69 12-month price target: $29 Data company Appen reported a huge 119 per cent jump in revenue to $364.3 million for the year ended December 31, while its underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) soared 153 per cent to $71.3 million. The ACT government will look at new technologies to fix the territory's worsening blue-green algae problem when funding for the existing treatment program dries up in June, it says. The $93 million ACT Healthy Waterways program has seen new ponds, rain gardens, and wetlands sprout up across the national capital, with the intention to have fully-fledged natural filtration systems by about 2021. Birds swim and eat in the blue-green algae-contaminated waters of Lake Tuggeranong. Credit:Karleen Minney But the government was reliant on university research and extra funding to stop the plan from going stagnant. "ACT Healthy Waterways wraps up in June. The lakes aren't going to be fixed by then, so the government will consider options through the budget process and we've relied on Commonwealth funding [for the program] as well," the ACT's director of water catchment and policy, Matt Kendall, said. Richard Thwaites knows better than most the struggle that first won protection for Remembrance Nature Park and turned it into a place honouring those who have served in war. More than 40 years after his mother led the grassroots campaign that saved the land behind the Australian War Memorial from development, he is speaking out against new plans to build on the park. Mr Thwaites is calling for a stop to a War Memorial bid to put temporary construction facilities and a permanent car park on the land his parents helped protect. Richard Thwaites in Remembrance Nature Park, which his parents campaigned to create in 1977-78. Credit:Karleen Minney Memorial director Brendan Nelson, who last month revealed its $498.7 million expansion would effectively push its boundaries into the park, also faces opposition from volunteers who want the land's nature and symbolism preserved. It is a replica of the Porcellino, or "little pig," fountain which stands in Florence. Now, after seven years' saving, she is ready to give it to Sydney. The Chief City Commissioner, Mr. Vernon Treatt (left), shakes hands with the Ambassador for Italy, Dr Mario Majoli, at the unveiling ceremony of Porcellino on August 17, 1968 Credit:Staff photographer The 82-year-old Sydney-born Marchesa at once had a vision of giving the statue to the City of Sydney in memory of her father and brother when she saw it first in a Rome gallery. Her father, Dr Thomas Fiaschi, who died in 1927, and brother, Dr Piero Fiaschi, who died in 1948, were both surgeons at Sydney Hospital. "Mv father was a great one. I don't want the Fiaschi name to be forgotten." she said in Sydney yesterday. "I used to go past the gallery and look to see if the monument was still there. "He is a gay monument, not sad, and he works for his living. He will earn lots of money for Sydney Hospital, where my father was an honorary surgeon for 30 years. The children will love him. The rapid rate of housing supply across Sydney has not been matched by the infrastructure necessary to support it according to a review commissioned by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and released only in the comments on a Facebook post. The Member for Ryde, Victor Dominello, last year asked Ms Berejiklian to commission a review by the Greater Sydney Commission [GSC] into development and planning in his electorate. The first stage of that review was finished and handed to the Premier last week. Its findings, according to chief commissioner Lucy Turnbull and deputy chief commissioner Geoff Roberts, are potentially applicable across the city. Gladys Berejiklian and Victor Dominello. Credit:Anna Kucera The review found 4500 dwellings were completed in Ryde in the three years from 2015 to 2018, compared to around 2500 dwellings in the three years prior. The NSW government has been forced to slash more than $9 billion from expected property-related stamp duty within the past nine months as Sydneys prolonged housing slump drags on the states budget and economy. The first ever Pre-election Budget Update prepared independently by NSW Treasury reveals the budget surplus for this financial year has been cut by $273 million compared with what was forecast less than three months ago. The report has also downgraded the economic growth forecast for NSW this financial year and warns the state's economic momentum has slowed more than previously expected. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Credit:AAP Tuesdays special budget update revised down revenue expected from stamp duty on property transfers by $750 million over the next four years. That follows write downs of $6 billion over four years in the June budget and $2.5 billion in the half-yearly budget review in December. Asbestos has been found inside a classroom at a primary school in Melbourne's north-west during renovation works in one of the buildings. The Education Department is investigation after concerns were raised at Essendon North Primary School that material containing asbestos had been discovered during works in one of the school corridors. Asbestos has been found in a classroom at Essendon North Primary School. Credit:Google Maps A letter was sent out to parents on Monday explaining the classroom would remain closed until investigations into the incident were complete. "Occupational hygienists attended the school on the same day [concerns were raised on February 27] and took some samples which were found to contain asbestos," the letter read. There were only two reasons for being a journalist, Les Carlyon once said. "One is that you're curious about the world and the people in it ... And the other reason for being a journalist is because you love to write. "The rest is all dross. All journalists are ever remembered for are their words." Carlyon, who died on Tuesday aged 76, will be remembered as one of Australias finest wordsmiths. Police have dropped their investigation into a Melbourne principal who was filmed dragging a primary school aged pupil along the ground. Steve Warner, the executive principal of Manor Lakes P-12 College in Wyndham Vale, was stood down after video footage of the incident involving a nine-year-old boy emerged last month. Victoria Police confirmed on Tuesday it was no longer looking into the January 31 incident as no criminal offence had been detected. An investigation into the footage by the Department of Education is ongoing and expected to be completed in the coming weeks. No, they said, running sneakers he was trying to get out for a bit of exercise before the show began. Flint and Howlett had earlier been on Triple J, dissecting their famous hit Firestarter among the first Prodigy songs released with Flint on vocals. Listening to Firestarter for the first time was like being punched in the face. A build-up of guitars sampled from The Breeders, processed to the point of being unrecognisable in typical Howlett style, before the boom-clatter of a supercharged breakbeat eventually heralded Flints vocal debut. It was a smack in the face for the listener and a klaxon sounding to the wider electronic scene a blast of punk armed with samplers, synthesizers and drum machines. It was among the best tracks on a seminal album that has proved near-impossible to top. When The Prodigy performed live and there were plenty of opportunities to see them locally when they toured with festivals like the Big Day Out and Future Music it was Firestarter and similar Fat of the Land tunes that drew the biggest response. As the years ticked on so did the albums, and many were tracks were well received but few like Firestarter had been. When I saw The Prodigy at the Big Day Out in 2009, the crowd was worked into such a frenzy by Flints punk-meets-rave performance it was almost as if a riot would break out as they exploded into the final refrain. Keith Flint from The Prodigy had died aged 49. Back to the hotel room on the drizzly Perth day, when soon enough the last interview ended and I was brought in to sit down and chat with the band three musicians covered in sprawling tattoos, decked out like rock stars and, at the end of the day, all completely polite, normal blokes in their 40s. We chatted about the most recent album, how it came about, how it was translated to stage, how they felt bringing it out to Australia. For a band which had its origins in the heady and hedonistic 90s rave scene, I was taken aback by how calm, measured and normal they were in talking about their work process. The time allocated to journos for band interviews is never enough and it wasnt long before I was fighting the clock to get out all the questions Id jotted down anxiously before being ushered up to the media room. Loading One thing Id wanted to know was how they felt touring with musicians who had grown up with The Prodigy, been inspired by The Fat of the Land and were first introduced to electronic music and what electronic music could be by tracks like Firestarter and Breathe. Only a couple of months earlier Id sat down with Perth producer ShockOne, who joined the trio on their Australian and New Zealand tour, and he spoke of the impact the outfit had on his own music: Quite often, Im going what would The Prodigy do here? he told me. Howlett, Maxim and Flint were keenly aware of their status and influence, but one thing was of paramount importance. Originality. They welcomed new bands coming up, snapping at their heels, but were prepared to stand their ground and defend their title. They can come and have a go, Flint told me. Thats a great challenge, the more the challenge the better it is, because thats part of the fire for the whole Prodigy vibe. Loading Standing on their own, not succumbing to trends and creating their own path was as much a part of The Prodigys legacy as their music. They could have pandered to cringeworthy fashions that came and went over the past decade, but instead kept their course and stayed true to their music, even if the popular scene was headed in a different direction. And as possibly the most recognisable member of the outfit, it was part of Flints persona both on and off the stage. It was the message that came with the reverse-mohawk and piercings and snarled opening lines of Firestarter, the message carried across the world relayed to journalists as they chatted congenially in hotels; lived every day as the public face of one of the UKs most successful electronic acts; and stayed true to as they worked on new music between tours. It was the message to be yourself, stand your ground, be original; whether youre a bedroom muso or a rave figurehead who lives a quiet life off-stage and owns a small pub near your home. It was to carve your own path and to not let yourself fall victim to the ebbs and flows of what is and isnt popular. And give a two-finger response to anyone who disapproves or tries to tell you otherwise. Premier Mark McGowan has unexpectedly been involved in rushing a boy to hospital after he was stung by a stingray on Sunday afternoon. Brodie Hill, 13, was rushed to hospital by his mum in Premier Mark McGowan's family car. The Premier was enjoying the long weekend with his family at Preston Beach when he and his wife Sarah noticed a boy crying out in pain as his mother tried to help him. He asked what was happening and after learning the 13-year-old, Brodie Hill, had been stung by a stingray, he sprung into action. "When I saw Brodie, he was in a lot of pain and I remember when [my brother was stung by a stingray], he was so sick he was in hospital for about three weeks and my parents were actually worried about him surviving," he told Radio 6PR's breakfast program on Tuesday morning. Police are searching for a missing man last seen in Perths southern suburbs two days ago. Kevin John Organ, 67, was last seen at his home in Baldivis at about 9pm on Sunday. Kevin John Organ. Police said concerns were held for his welfare. He is described as being fair skinned with a medium build and white hair. It is not known what he was last seen wearing. Public hospital systems would need to provide abortion services to qualify for federal funding under a wide-ranging new Labor plan, which will also look at improving access to some contraceptives. As the Coalition battles perceptions it has a "woman problem," Labor is also pledging to "progress" the decriminalisation of abortion in New South Wales under its national sexual health strategy released on Wednesday. Opposition spokesperson for women Tanya Plibersek said that if Labor is elected the Commonwealth-state hospital funding agreements "will expect termination services to be provided consistently in public hospitals". Labor's spokesperson for women, Tanya Plibersek, will release a national strategy for women's reproductive health on Wednesday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "Women have been turned away from public hospitals for termination services and have not been able to access or afford to go to a private clinic," Ms Plibersek said. When a large company awards a payout to an ousted chief executive or appoints a new chairman, it might set tongues wagging in business and media circles but most people just dont care that much. But when its the ABC, its a national talking point. The Australian people dont just own the national broadcaster on paper, they feel that ownership at a visceral level. Former ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie has reached a confidential settlement with the ABC. Credit:ABC The ABC waited until after business hours on Friday evening to announce it had reached a confidential settlement with former managing director Michelle Guthrie. If the timing was an attempt to bury the story, it was never going to work; people care about the ABC too much. Keeping the amount secret was also never going to fly. It was always going to come out, whether through the senate committee hearings or leaked through other means. After a strong start over the quiet Sydney summer, Michael Daley's signature election issue had lost its momentum. When Daley took over the Labor leadership, he picked up where his precedessor Luke Foley left off and made Sydney stadiums the defining theme of his party's campaign. NSW Opposition Leader Michael Daley. Credit:Nick Moir Labor had a strong message - schools and hospitals before stadiums - while the Coalition fumbled trying to tell its story of strong economic management. But as Daley stood at the gates of Allianz Stadium day after day insisting that the election was a referendum on stadiums, the heat was dissipating from the issue. If you dont bother paying much attention to the foreign pages you could easily have missed it, but the interesting thing is that the world was just a heartbeat away from a nuclear war last week. As with all the most dangerous conflicts, it was a tiny spark that ignited what could have become a hugely dangerous bonfire another war (there have been two major wars and innumerable incidents and skirmishes) between India and Pakistan. The combustible materials just kept accumulating on the heap the British began in 1947. National Akali Dal leaders shout slogans in New Delhi as they celebrate the Indian Airforce bombing Pakistan territory on Tuesday, February 26. Credit:Bloomberg It was the inept viceroy, Louis Mountbatten, who decided (against advice) to partition the subcontinent, and it was he who ceded Kashmir a majority-Muslim area to India. Seemingly perpetual violence has resulted. On February 14, Valentine's Day, a young suicide bomber drove his car into a police bus and exploded it, killing 40. The terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility. Twelve days later Indian jets screamed a dozen kilometres across the Line of Control into Pakistan-administered Kashmir and bombed the networks training camp. One jet crashed and its downed pilot was beaten by civilians until being rescued by Pakistani soldiers. In May 2015, the militant group known as Islamic State captured a town in the centre of Syria called Tadmur. Nearly a year had elapsed since it declared the territory it held in Syria and neighbouring Iraq to be a "caliphate" that was "enduring, by God's will, and expanding", not only defying the international community but also breaking with the leadership of al-Qaeda, until then the most infamous militant Islamist group in the world. At the end of that month, IS blew up Tadmur's prison, an act that neatly summed up the group's existence; the militants' extreme and visible atrocities mirrored the equally extreme (although often invisible) atrocities of Arab police states in prisons such as Tadmur, Abu Salim in Libya and Abu Ghraib in Iraq, but the solution they proposed was not to bring the state's torturers and murderers to account but simply to raze structures, memories and even the possibility of mundane justice. Nearly four years on, the chief selling point of this brutal millenarian movement its ability to capture and hold a unified territory has been all but extinguished by a coalition of unlikely bedfellows that includes Kurdish militias, the United States, Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. Trapped in a bend of the Euphrates River at the town of Baghuz, pounded from the air by US planes and helicopters, a few hundred IS militants and their hostages await defeat. When Syrian regime forces backed by Russian air power regained Tadmur in 2016, it was portrayed as a triumph for civilisation over barbarism, culminating in a classical concert at the nearby Palmyra world heritage site. The fall of Baghuz, when it finally happens, seems unlikely to produce a similar display. We know too much about Syria and Iraq to have their current situation presented to us as a success story, and it will soon become clear that the "coalition" that beat IS cannot agree on any wider vision for the region and its people. Mitsubishi Motors Makes World Premiere of the ENGELBERG TOURER and New "DENDO DRIVE HOUSE" System at Geneva International Motor Show TOKYO--March 5, 2019; Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) today made the global debut of the MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER next-generation crossover SUV concept at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show*1. Embodying the "Drive your Ambition" corporate tagline, the MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER uses MMCs established and advanced electrification and all-wheel control technologies to raise SUV appeal to a new level. MMC also will be giving demonstrations of the DENDO DRIVE HOUSE (DDH) System at the show. DDH is a new energy ecosystem which allows owners of electric vehicles to generate, store and share energy automatically between their car and home, further enhancing the value of electric vehicles. DDH is a V2H*2 based system which will be offered to customers at Mitsubishi dealerships when buying a battery-electric (EV) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). MMC plans to start offering the service initially in Japan and Europe later this year. *1Officially, Le 89e Salon international de lautomobile Geneve 2019. March 5 and 6 are Press Days, while the show is open to the public from March 7 through 17. The official web site can be accessed at the following URL: https://www.gims.swiss *2Vehicle to Home: A system of supplying homes with electric power stored in EV/PHEV batteries. 1. MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER 1) Concept Engelberg is a well-known ski resort in the Central region of Switzerland that offers grand panoramic vistas and is known for its challenging off-piste runs that offer freestyle and freeriding fun for skiers and snowboarders. The MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER is a Twin Motor 4WD plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV). As befits the ENGELBERG TOURER name, the vehicle offers high levels of running performance that allow the driver to enjoy driving in all weather conditions and on any road surface with confidence. The vehicles driving performance, paired with the long cruising range inherent to a PHEV, allows for journeys to places with no charging infrastructure. The innovative interior packaging offers both passenger capacity and ample storage space, which ensures a satisfying drive for passengers on the way to their destination. The ENGELBERG TOURER stirs driver and occupants curiosity, and sense of adventure, as they seek to go further and take a step beyond anything they have experienced before. 2) Design MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER, as its name suggests, has been designed as an elegant and functional well-rounded crossover SUV. Mitsubishi has crafted a design that offers the unique Mitsubishiness the brand is known for. The bold body styling speaks to the vehicles power and reliability that allows it to navigate on and off the road with confidence. The spacious interior offers generous cabin space, and high levels of quality and functionality. Fog lamps fitted to an auto-open/close roof box and front/rear bumper under guards ensure the ENGELBERG TOURER is both styled and well-equipped for an active lifestyle. 3) Onboard technologies The MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER takes MMCs Twin Motor PHEV system fostered and developed in the Outlander PHEV and, using next-generation electrification and all-wheel control technologies, evolves it into an even more appealing vehicle propulsion system. The combination of the PHEV system and connected car technologies allow the MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER to be driven in all weather conditions and over all types of roads with greater reassurance. The MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER uses a PHEV system that befits an innovative, next-generation crossover SUV. The large capacity drive battery is fitted beneath the floor in the middle of the vehicle. It uses MMCs Twin Motor system that locates high output, high efficiency motors at the front and rear, while providing cabin space that still allows for three-row seating. uses a PHEV system that befits an innovative, next-generation crossover SUV. The large capacity drive battery is fitted beneath the floor in the middle of the vehicle. It uses MMCs Twin Motor system that locates high output, high efficiency motors at the front and rear, while providing cabin space that still allows for three-row seating. The engine is a 2.4L gasoline unit designed for the PHEV system. In series hybrid mode, the engine acts as a high-output generator and achieves a high regeneration rate, while the large displacement will make for quiet operation and excellent fuel mileage. In addition to the high efficiencies in the PHEV system itself, the MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER uses detail low-consumption technologies such as radiator grille shutters to reduce drag. uses detail low-consumption technologies such as radiator grille shutters to reduce drag. MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER has an EV cruising range of over 70km (WLTP cycle), and with a fully charged battery and full fuel tank, it has a total cruising range of over 700km (WLTP). <4WD System> MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER uses MMCs Twin Motor full-time 4WD system with high output, high efficiency motors driving the front and rear axles. Utilizing know-how developed from the Lancer Evolution series, the system uses Active Yaw Control (AYC *3 ) to tailor torque split between the front wheels. These components are matched with MMCs Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) integrated vehicle behavior control system which delivers a dramatic improvement over conventional AWD systems in dynamic performance. Acceleration, cornering, stopping by integrally controlling the braking force at each wheel (Anti-lock Braking System, ABS) and the front and rear motor output (Active Stability Control, ASC *4 ) are all improved, with an eye to providing driver confidence in all situations. uses MMCs Twin Motor full-time 4WD system with high output, high efficiency motors driving the front and rear axles. Utilizing know-how developed from the Lancer Evolution series, the system uses Active Yaw Control (AYC ) to tailor torque split between the front wheels. These components are matched with MMCs Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) integrated vehicle behavior control system which delivers a dramatic improvement over conventional AWD systems in dynamic performance. Acceleration, cornering, stopping by integrally controlling the braking force at each wheel (Anti-lock Braking System, ABS) and the front and rear motor output (Active Stability Control, ASC ) are all improved, with an eye to providing driver confidence in all situations. The Twin Motor 4WD driveline delivers outstanding front/rear torque split response and is distinguished by the feeling of acceleration inherent to electric-motor drive, which generates maximum torque in an instant. Torque split control between the front wheels improves driving performance to deliver a level of nimble and feel-good handling unimaginable in a vehicle of this size. It also increases stability by reducing wheel slip on unmade and snow-covered roads to ensure that maximum drive torque is transmitted to the road surface. *3Using steering wheel angle, yaw rate, drive torque, brake pressure, wheel speed and other information to accurately determine driver intent and vehicle behavior, the system controls torque split to, and brake force at, the front wheels so that vehicle behavior faithfully and safely reflects driver intention. *4Reduces instability in vehicle behavior that results from slippery road surfaces or sudden steering inputs. When the driver enters a destination in the onboard navigation system, the Connected Car System uses weather, temperature, topography, traffic and surface condition information to select the optimum drive mode and tailor torque split through drive battery energy management and the S-AWC system. This allows safe and comfortable driving, as well as optimal fuel economy. The MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER uses its motor drive to deliver powerful driving and excellent environmental performance. With its point-and-go drivability and all-wheel control that delivers outstanding stability, it enables the driver to accelerate, corner and brake safely and surely as they follow the intended line in any driving scenario. 2. DENDO DRIVE HOUSE (DDH) The DENDO DRIVE HOUSE (DDH) is a packaged system comprised of an EV/PHEV, a bi-directional charger, solar panels, and home battery that is designed for home use. This is a one-stop-shop service to be available at MMC dealerships in select markets around the world that will bundle the sale, installation and after-maintenance*5 of the system components. The package allows the customer to charge their EV/PHEV at home using solar-generated power, and to supply electricity from their EV/PHEV to the home. DDH offers customers savings on electricity costs and the provision of an emergency power source. *5In certain countries and regions, installation and after-maintenance will be handled by outsourced contractors. The DDH system delivers significant cost benefits. The customer can reduce fuel costs by using solar panels to generate power during the day for charging EV/PHEV and domestic storage batteries. At night, they can reduce power costs by using a bi-directional charger to supply power from their EV/PHEV to the home. The customer can contribute to the creation of a low-carbon society by using the electricity generated by solar panels to power domestic appliances or provide power to operate the EV/PHEV. electricity generated by solar panels to power domestic appliances or provide power to operate the EV/PHEV. DDH provides an emergency power source that can supply power from the EV/PHEV or storage battery to run appliances in the home. DDH will be offered as an inclusive package at Mitsubishi dealerships, making it easier for the customer to purchase all system components. Mitsubishi Motors is working to make customer lives more affluent and convenient through the electrification of its vehicles. When moving, the electric vehicles respond faithfully to their drivers intentions. When parked, it is a partner that can be depended on. DDH is a proposal that brings a new kind of value to the electrification of vehicles. About MITSUBISHI MOTORS Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has a competitive edge in SUVs and pickup trucks, electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Since the Mitsubishi group produced its first car more than a century ago, we have demonstrated an ambitious and often disruptive approach, developing new vehicle genres and pioneering cutting-edge technologies. Deeply rooted in Mitsubishi Motors DNA, our brand strategy will appeal to ambitious drivers, willing to challenge conventional wisdom and ready to embrace change. Consistent with this mindset, Mitsubishi Motors introduced its new brand strategy in 2017, expressed in its Drive your Ambition tagline a combination of personal drive and forward attitude, and a reflection of the constant dialogue between the brand and its customers. Today Mitsubishi Motors is committed to continuous investment in innovative new technologies, attractive design and product development, bringing exciting and authentic new vehicles to customers around the world. About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. Through a network of approximately 355 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, research and development, marketing and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U. S. 2018 marked the brand's sixth consecutive year of sales growth. Located in Cypress, Calif., MMNA is a part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the largest automaker alliance in the world. Mitsubishi continues to lead the way in the development of highly efficient, affordably priced new gasoline-powered automobiles, while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery-electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models. Shaun Wallace from The Chase has become a quizmaster on a flight between Wellington and Queenstown. The 'Dark Destroyer' delivered five questions on the PA to passengers before posing with flight attendants and handing out lollies on the flight. He also shared some inside knowledge from The Chase. According to Nine News, Dan has been charged with fraud after allegedly scamming $20 million out of Queensland families. Gold Coast Bulletin reports Dan, along with six others, used an elaborate telemarketing scheme in 2014 which encouraged people to pay $500-$1000 for a trial of a investment and betting software before getting them to sign on to a 12 month contract. Dan was meant to attend court last Friday but according to a source, he never showed up. Instead, his lawyer attended on his behalf. The case will return to court May 3rd, so we'll have to wait and see if Dan decides to turn up this time... Julie Morrison looks through the debris of her destroyed home on Lee County Road 63 in Beauregard, Ala., on March 4, 2019. Tornados ravaged the area Sunday causing multiple fatalities. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett) Alabama Tornado Blew Billboard 20 Miles Into Georgia A tornado that tore through parts of Alabama, killing at least 23 people, was so powerful it plucked a billboard and blew it 20 miles into the neighboring state of Georgia. The huge signadvertising Lee County Flea Marketwas sent airborne by the devastating twisters that pounded parts the state on Sunday, March 3. Lee County Flea market posted on Facebook saying, Our sign on the billboard located at Buckwild Saloon landed intact in Hamilton, Georgia, in a friends yard. Sharon Bruce Treadway Smith found the sign on her property. I cant imagine how a sign this big could travel 20 miles during a terrible stormslightly tattered and land on our property, she said on Facebook. Aside from a few minor tears and holes, the green and blue sign weathered the journey in one piece. I can't imagine how a sign this big could travel 20 miles during a terrible stormslightly tattered and land on our Nai-post ni Sharon Bruce Treadway Smith noong Linggo, Marso 3, 2019 From Richard Jacks Posted on Twitter: We have found evidence that the Lee Co. Flea Market billboard along US Hwy. 280 traveled 20 miles(!) in today's Lee County, GA Tornado. It was torn off N of Smith Station, AL and landed 20 miles to the NE in Hamilton,GA. #alwx #gawx Cullman Weather (@cullmanweather1) March 4, 2019 Community Struggles to Cope With Devastation Residents and rescue teams on Monday sifted through the splintered remnants of homes torn apart by a string of devastating tornadoes that killed at least 23 people, including three children. Bill Harris, the Lee County coroner, said at a news conference on Monday, Im not going to be surprised if we dont come up with some more deceased. Hopefully we wont. Sheriff Jay Jones of Lee County told a press conference it was as if someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. "Like a bomb went off": At least 23 killed, including 3 children, as tornadoes devastate Alabama town. https://t.co/4FRZtKVV3I pic.twitter.com/D9St0MB510 ABC News (@ABC) March 4, 2019 Jones said that several people were still unaccounted for and that crews were sorting through the debris in hopes of finding survivors. I have not seen this level of destruction ever in my time in Lee County, said Jones, who has been sheriff since 1998. "Ten seconds in, the tornado comes and everything is gone" People in Alabama describe the impact of two tornadoes, which have left at least 23 people dead and caused extensive damage [tap to expand] https://t.co/y27tgSYj91 pic.twitter.com/56aXdetKWc BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 5, 2019 My Life Is Gone The trail of destruction was at least half a mile wide and overwhelmed rural Lee Countys coroners office, forcing it to call in help from the state. The Sunday tornado, which had winds that appeared to be around 160 mph or greater, was part of a powerful storm system that also slashed its way across parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. Beauregard resident David Dean was one of those killed as the powerful winds slammed into his home. His body was found on the other side of an embankment in the neighbors yard. Our son found him, wife Carol Dean told The Associated Press. He was done and gone before we got to him. My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up. Just Destruction Levi Baker, who lives near the hard-hit area in Alabama, took a chain saw to help clear a path for ambulances and other first-responder vehicles. He said he saw bodies of dead people and dead animals. He said some houses were demolished and trees were uprooted or snapped in half. One house was swept off its foundation and was sitting in the middle of the road. It was just destruction, Baker said. There were mobile homes gone. Frames on the other side of the road. It Picked the House Up Julie Morrison and her daughter-in-law picked through the remnants of Morrisons home, looking for keys and a wallet. They managed to salvage the couples safe, her husbands motorcycle boots and her embossed Bible. Morrison said she and her husband took shelter in the bathtubher husband jumping in at the last minuteas the twister lifted their house off its foundation and swept it into the woods. We knew we were flying because it picked the house up, Morrison said, figuring that the showers fiberglass enclosure helped them survive. Jones said the twister traveled straight down a county road in the rural community of Beauregard reducing homes to slabs. Nothing but Black Scott Fillmer was at home when the storm hit in Lee County. I looked out the window and it was nothing but black, but you could hear that freight train noise, Fillmer said. The National Weather Service confirmed late Sunday a tornado with at least an F3 rating caused the destruction in Alabama. Although the statement did not give exact wind estimates, F3 storms typically are gauged at wind speeds of between 158-206 mph. The dozen or so tornados that hit Lee County were deadliest twisters to hit the U.S. since 2013. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Workers load luggage onto an American Airlines aricraft at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill., on May 11, 2018. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) American Airlines Apologizes After Booting Mother and Tot With Dry Skin Condition American Airlines has issued an apology to a South Carolina mother and her young son after they were removed from a flight because of their genetic skin condition. Jordan Flake said she and her 1-year-old son had settled into her seat for a flight to South Carolina on Feb. 28 when an American Airlines employee inquired about the state of her skin and her suitability to fly. Before takeoff, an employee from the airline came up to my row and asked the 2 men sitting next to me to get up, she wrote on a Facebook post that attracted thousands of shares. He then quietly asked me about my rash and if I had a letter from a doctor stating it was OK for me to fly. I explained to him it was called ichthyosis, a genetic skin condition I share with my son. Today is #rarediseaseday ! While Id like to share something positive, Jackson and I were just discriminated Nai-post ni Jordan Flake noong Huwebes, Pebrero 28, 2019 The mother and tot were returning home after visiting her military husband in Texas before his deployment, Flake wrote on the website Love What Matters. Ichthyosis is a genetic skin disorder that slows the skins natural shedding process, resulting in dry and scaling skin, according to Mayo Clinic. The condition is not contagious. The airline employee then walked up to the front to talk to the crew, Flake said. He apparently also Googled it during that time. He came back and said he apologized, but we wouldnt be able to fly, and we had to get off the plane. She added, The pilot seemed OK with it, but the flight attendant rudely said (without even acknowledging me) Well she doesnt have a letter from a doctor, so The employee then helped the mother and son deplane, booked her a hotel and arranged a new flight. Her checked bags could not be retrieved, however, and flew to South Carolina where Flake had a child who needed care. I had to make unexpected childcare arrangements for my daughter at home and I am having to get a ride to the store to get our lotions and some clothes for tomorrow, she wrote. I have never been so humiliated in my life! Flake also noted that the incident coincidentally took place on Rare Disease Day. Welcoming Environment In a statement to USA Today, American Airlines apologized to Flake and her little boy. Our goal at American Airlines is to create a welcoming environment for all of our customers, the company said. We sincerely apologize to Ms. Flake and her son for the experience they had Thursday, and our team has begun an investigation into the matter. The statement continued: Our Customer Relations team has already spoken to her directly and upgraded them on their American flights. We will also be refunding the cost of her trip as well. However, Flake hopes the incident will prevent another person from feeling embarrassed about their skin, like she was made to feel in that moment. I should never feel ashamed of myself for the way I was born. This was unacceptable and uncalled for, she wrote on Love What Matters. I have never been asked to show a letter. I have never been told by a doctor that I had to have documentation stating I wasnt contagious, or whatever they were assuming. In 2019, its time we stop discriminating. Ask questions, and listen. Thursday was Rare Disease Day and I have never felt more aware and embarrassed about my skin, or the condition I share with my son. Family Booted for Body Odor The incident recalls the case of a family forcibly deplaned from an American Airlines flight after other passengers allegedly complained about body odor. Yossi and Jennie Adler and their 19-month-old daughter were asked to get off the plane going from Miami to Detroit on Jan. 23. All of a sudden, as soon as they took us off, they closed the gate and then they said, Sorry, sir, some people complained you had body odor and were not letting you back on, Adler told local news outlet WPLG. BODY ODOR BOOT A family vacationing in Miami was kicked off their flight home because passengers complained about their body odor. Nai-post ni WPLG Local 10 noong Huwebes, Enero 24, 2019 An American Airlines representative issued a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle, saying, They were asked to deplane after multiple passengers, along with our crew members and Miami airport team, were concerned about the comfort of our other passengers due to the odor. The person said, Our team members took care of the family by providing overnight accommodations and meals and rebooking them for the next available flight. The Adlers boarded another flight and this time, they went around asking people about their odor. We stopped several people in the airport and, its embarrassing, but we asked them, Do you think we smell? Because we just got kicked off a plane for smelling, Jennie Adler told WPLG. Boy, 4, Finds Razor in McDonalds Happy Meal Box: He Started Waving It Around A Wisconsin boy eating a McDonalds Happy Meal reportedly discovered a razor blade inside. Scot Dymond took his 4-year-old son, Emmett, through the fast-food chains drive-thru window before they made the discovery, Channel3000 reported. When they got home, Emmett discovered a hand-held scraping tool with a sharp razor blade attached. Boy finds razor blade in Happy Meal at Wisconsin McDonalds >> https://t.co/S1xN0Ofzw4 pic.twitter.com/rSIET0qBGm KOLD News 13 (@KOLDNews) March 5, 2019 The boy pulled it out of the Happy Meal bag and began to play with it. He was super excited he had a new toy, Dymond told Channel 3000. He started waving it around and I realized it was actually a razor knife. The worried father then called the McDonalds manager to report the dangerous item. The manager said they were sorry, and they could comp us a free meal, he said to WMTV. But the angry father said he didnt want to be compensated, adding, I want my kid to be safe and everyone elses kids to be safe. I couldnt imagine him cutting his arm open, or even losing a finger, because its so sharp, he told Channel3000. I was very upset, very angry. I couldnt figure out how it wouldve even gotten in there. Dymond said he then contacted the Columbus Police Department in Wisconsin. Officers took the scraper tool back to the manager at the McDonalds, and the manager confirmed the item was used by staff as a cleaning device at the location. A Columbus dad says instead of a happy meal toy, his 4-yo son got this unhappy surprise from the local McDonalds. Police believe this razor, used as a cleaning tool, made its way into the happy meal box by mistake. @WISCTV_News3 #news3now pic.twitter.com/bL1Cpg0abr Madalyn ONeill (@news3madalyn) March 4, 2019 According to WMTV, the scraper is believed to have dropped from a shelf into the Happy Meal bag. Police dont think it was placed there on purpose. Police officers asked parents to be vigilant about double-checking any Happy Meal bags given to children. Always be aware of what youre giving your children, Lt. Dennis Weiner said to WMTV. Give it an extra eye. (Its) kinda scary, kinda scary. I understand the blade was also extended when it was found in the box as well, he also told Channel3000. Im sure they were surprised to not have a toy. Weiner also described what ills could have befallen the child. Injury, choking, a lot of different things could have panned out of this, but fortunately did not, he said. Dymond said he likely wont go back to McDonalds again. Related Coverage McDonalds Recalls Millions of Happy Meals Fitness Bands McDonalds is off our list, probably permanently, he told Channel3000. Im hoping corporate and the owner take corrective actions immediately. Retrain their staff and have some kind of safety check in place that every meal is checked, all tools are put in proper spots. Theres no reason for a dangerous tool to be lying next to a food item. The local McDonalds restaurant issued a statement over the matter. The safety and security of our customers is a top priority, said Dion Conn, the owner and operator of that McDonalds location, in the statement obtained by the news outlet. We are working with local law enforcement to investigate this claim. The incident is also being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protections. Connor Kerner, 17, has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder after prosecutors say he killed Thomas Grill, 18, during a drug deal gone bad and then shot Molley Lanham, 19, to cover up the crime. (Porter County Sheriff's Office) Boy Faces Murder Charges in Case of Two Missing Teens Say Authorities An underage male is facing two counts of murder charges in connection with the disappearance of two teenagers, authorities said. Conner Kerner, 17, of Valparaiso, Indiana has reportedly been arrested and charged with two counts of murder, level one felony, the Porter County Police of Indiana announced in a Facebook post dated March 4, 2019. Kerner has been charged with the murder of Molley Lanham, 19, and her boyfriend Thomas Grill, 18. St. John Police Department confirmed the teenagers families reported the two missing on Feb. 25, 2019. They were traveling in a black Honda Civic before vanishing, authorities said. I killed someone and I killed an innocent girl, he allegedly told an informant. https://t.co/cJRWKlxmih NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) March 4, 2019 That same day, Kerner told a confidential informant he had done something really bad and killed both Grill and Lanham, prosecutors said in a court document according to the Chicago Tribune. The informant initially thought Kerner was joking but, after seeing the missing person posters for the two teenagers, the concerned citizen stepped forward and contacted police. I killed someone and I killed an innocent girl, Kerner allegedly told the informant. Grill stopped at Kerners grandmothers house for an alleged drug deal the witness told detectives, prosecutors claim. I killed someone and I killed an innocent girl. A Valparaiso High School student has been charged as an adult in the killing of two Lake County teens over what court documents allege was a drug deal. https://t.co/NlNAAbGLtg Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) March 4, 2019 Kerner told the informant Grill had allegedly tried to rob him and Kerner shot Grill, missing twice before hitting his target. According to the affidavit, Grill fell to the ground and was begging for his life. However, because Kerner ran out of bullets, he panicked and instead beat [Grill] with a pipe wrench until he died. Kerner later invited Lanham, who had been waiting in the car, into the garage. He showing her Grills body, and informed her he would let her leave but, if she said anything, she would die. When she turned to leave, Kerner still shot her in the head, killing her, according to the affidavit. Teen arrested for murder: 17 y.o. charged with murder after police say he shot and killed two missing Indiana teens. Investigators say the suspect then put their bodies in a cardrove to a field and set their car on fire. @ABC7Chicago pic.twitter.com/Ut79ccf7Yk Alexis McAdams ABC-7 (@AlexisMcAdamsTV) March 4, 2019 Kerner placed the bodies into the trunk of the Honda Civic, the same car the two teens had come in, and then drove to a forest area where he lit the car on fire with the bodies still inside, he told the informant. The informant told detectives Kerner had allegedly planned to hire U-Haul truck, put the car inside, and then dump both vehicles into the Mississippi River, according to the affidavit. Kerner also reportedly told the informant he had done this before and knew how to cover-up a murder and get away with it, according to the affidavit. Despite Kerner threatening to kill the informant and their family if they went to authorities about the murders, the informant still stepped forward. Homicide of two Lake County Teens and Arrest of Suspect Monday, March 04, 2019 @ 11:00amPorter County Sheriffs Nai-post ni Porter County Sheriff's Office noong Lunes, Marso 4, 2019 Investigators later found the burned out vehicle with two sets of remains inside. The identity of the two individuals inside the vehicle have not been confirmed, Porter County Police said in a statement. However, all the evidence obtained at this point at the scene and throughout [the] statements given, point to the individuals being Thomas Grill and Molley Lanham. DNA collected from the scene is being sent to the lab for processing, according to the statement. Kerner has been detained since March 2, 2019 and is continuing to be held without bond, authorities said. Investigators informed families of the findings and evidence pointing to their murders. I want to send my sincere condolences to Thomas Grill and Molley Lanhams families on the tragedy they are now facing with the heinous death of their children, Sheriff David Reynolds said in the statement. He thanked investigators and the district attorneys office for working over the weekend to pull the case together. From NTD.com Chinese leader Xi Jinping (L) and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on Oct. 20, 2015. (Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool /Getty Images) Brexit Could Leave UK Open to Interference From China LONDONThe United Kingdom may be targeted by the Chinese communist regime following Brexit as part of a divide and rule strategy, a leading think tank has warned. According to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the UK is a particularly attractive target for the Chinese regime because of its membership on the U.N. Security Council and its geopolitical standing. Its also home to almost 100,000 Chinese studentsmore than the rest of Europe combined. The UKs departure from the EU may increase the CCPs desire to interfere, as it seeks to implement further a divide and rule strategy, aimed at imposing its global vision and promoting its interests, the think tank warned. Certain European countries, worried about Chinese investment, may resist unity, a recent report from RUSI says, but major allies remain concerned about interference, adding that many fields rely on Chinese funding, making them reluctant to stand up to the Chinese regime. It said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had a need to ensure UK compliance with its aims and had targeted the UK for interference. The Chinese Communist Party sees controlling the narrative about China abroad as important for reinforcing its legitimacy and justifying its monopoly on domestic power, the report says. It is also important for advancing its geopolitical aims. Post-Brexit, RUSI urged the UK to be clear about what it is dealing with when trading with other countries that may have financial ties to Beijing. Lawmaker Geraint Davies, who recently spoke out on the likelihood of Chinese interference in the wake of Brexit, said the balance of power would shift after the UK leaves the EU. By removing ourselves from the EU, the EU is weaker, and, obviously, were weaker alone, he told NTD. So the balance of power will shift very much in favor of powers like China, and people need to be clear about whether thats what they want. This Chinese discussion is part of a wider discussion around Brexit, but it is crucially important for Britains future, he said. Brazen Interference The RUSI report said Chinese interference is often difficult to detect but quite brazen, and encompasses fund for apparently independent think tanks and Confucius Institutes, which are embedded within local university campuses. Other tactics used by Beijing include monitoring people who support the spiritual discipline, Falun Gong, which is heavily repressed in China. RUSI cited one instance in Australia in which Chinese authorities were able to identify and threaten a student who had merely been in the company of a friend who had signed a Falun Gong petition. Countering this interference requires finding a balance between unproductive confrontation with Beijing and creating dangerous dependencies on economic benefits, RUSI said. It added that although the CCP may react negatively to publicity around its interference, it does tend to change its behavior. Its bluff should therefore be called, even if this causes short-term turbulence, the report noted. More concretely, the report said that the British government should map the extent to which the Chinese regime is already interfering in the UK. It also said that officials from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States should meet to discuss CCP interference. In the longer term, an insistence on non-interference will earn respect and ensure a healthier, more mutually beneficial relationship, the report said. A canola crop used for making cooking oil sits in full bloom on the Canadian prairies near Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada on July 11, 2011. (Todd Korol/Reuters) China Blocks Canola Shipments From Canadas Richardson Amid Diplomatic Row BEIJING/KABULChina has canceled major Canadian agribusiness Richardson International Ltds registration to ship canola to China, according to a document that was posted on the website of the Chinese customs administration on March 1. It wasnt immediately clear why Richardsons exports into China, the worlds top importer of canola, had been halted. Officials at Chinas General Administration of Customs didnt respond to requests for comment. But the move comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries in a dispute over trade and telecoms technology that has ensnared the chief financial officer of the worlds largest telecommunications equipment maker, Huawei Technologies Ltd, who faces U.S. criminal charges. The March 1 customs document, a listing of approved exporters, is a revised version of a notice first posted on Jan. 14. A note beside the entry for Richardson International in the latest document says, Canola export registration already canceled. A Canadian grain industry source with knowledge of the matter confirmed Richardsons exports of canola to China had been halted. The person declined to be identified citing the sensitivity of the matter. A lasting block on Richardsons canola exports would be a headache for Canadas biggest grain handler and a potential blow for the Canadian economy as a whole. Oilseeds like canola, fruit and grain are Canadas biggest China export category, making up nearly 17 percent of all exports in 2017, the latest annual data available, according to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Spokespeople at Richardsons headquarters in Canada couldnt be reached outside normal business hours. Canadas embassy in Beijing referred Reuters request for comment to government officials in Ottawa. Diplomatic Row China has detained two Canadians working in the countryMichael Kovrig and Michael Spavoron December 2018, shortly after Canadas arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who faces allegations of fraud in the United States. On Monday, Beijing accused Kovrig and Spavor of acting together to steal state secrets, an announcement that comes just days after Canada said it will proceed with a U.S. extradition request against Meng. Spavor was accused of passing on intelligence information to Kovrig. Beijings detention of the two Canadians is widely regarded as an attempt by the regime to pressure Canada over Mengs case. Canadian authorities arrested Meng at the request of the United States on Dec. 1, 2018, as she was changing planes in Vancouver. U.S. authorities have filed charges against both Meng and telecom giant Huawei; Meng is accused of bank and wire fraud that violated U.S. sanctions against Iran. Meng, who is currently under house arrest after being freed on bail, denies the charges against her. She has filed a civil lawsuit against the Canadian government, the Canada Border Services Agency, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. There had already been reports last month that Canadian canola shipments to China had been slow to clear customs amid the dispute. China buys some C$2.5 billion ($1.88 billion) of Canadian canola per year, and a slower sales pace would be another hit to exporters, which also include Viterra and Cargill Ltd. The restriction on imports of canola from a country with which links have worsened echoes recent moves by Chinese customs to slow clearing of Australian coal imports. Australias ties with China have deteriorated since 2017, when Canberra accused China of meddling in its domestic affairs. Tensions rose again last month after Australia rescinded the visa of a prominent Chinese businessman, just months after barring Huawei from supplying equipment to its 5G broadband network. By Dominique Patton & Rod Nickel. The Epoch Times contributed to this report. China's Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun (3rd R) and U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus (2nd L) attend the second U.S.-China High-Level Joint Dialogue on Cybercrime and Related Issues at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 14, 2016. (Jason Lee/AFP/Getty Images) Chinas Big Plans to Rule the World Communist regime's adversarial approach to dominating the internet, technology, and global trade should alarm the West. Is anyone paying attention? Knowledge, as the maxim goes, is power. In the digital age, knowledge is stored as data on the web and in the cloud and transferred via network infrastructure. As a world leader in digital technology and digital technology theft, Chinas goal is to be the worlds gatekeeper of all data and the ruler of cyberspace. In short, Chinas goal is to rule the world. Controlling data and where it lives is a big part of that picture. And every day, theyre getting closer to reaching that goal. Cyber Sovereignty Via a National Internet Regarding attaining global control over cyberspace, a key part of that plan can be found in their near-term goal of cyber sovereignty. Cyber sovereignty is essentially a national internet. Chinas national internet is one where all information is maintained and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This is accomplished through the Cyberspace Administration of China, a government agency founded in 2014. The purpose is to have strict control over what information comes into China over the internet. Websites hosting content deemed a threat to the partys control are deleted, or subject to more stringent punishment. In order to enforce their national internet, China dictates that foreign companies block virtual private networks that can be used to get around official censorship. Encryption and other forms of privacy protection are forbidden. This includes the biggest tech and internet companies in the world, up to and including Google and Apple. Furthermore, all private companies operating in China must store their data in China and make it accessible to the authorities. Companies or individuals within China that violate those policies are punished in a variety of ways, from fines to imprisonment. Eliminating Reliance on Foreign Technology Chinas plan to rule cyberspace in the near future depends heavily on eliminating their reliance on foreign technology companies. Thats a big reason for their Made In China 2025 (MIC2025) program. At the moment, China still depends upon foreign firms for critical needs such as microchips, network equipment, processing innovations and other strategic technologies. As such, China is highly vulnerable to supply interruptions. The recent near-shutdown of Chinese tech giant ZTE due to violating U.S. sanctions with Iran is a prime example. ZTEs reliance on U.S.-made microchips allowed the United States to shut the company down with just one decision by the Trump administration. The decision to withhold supplies of necessary microchips as well as a stiff fine of $1 billion has sent a message to ZTE and its Chinese masters that the United States is taking a much stricter view of Chinas illegal behavior. This, of course, has made Chinese leaders keenly aware of their vulnerabilities, as if they werent already. With the stroke of a pen, the United States was able to effectively shut down one of their largest tech companies by withholding U.S.-made parts and nearly eliminating 75,000 jobs. That vulnerability is exactly what MIC2025 is designed to fix. Thats why China is targeting its own microchip industry with $150 billion investment for quick expansion and advanced capabilities. The goal is for 40 percent of microchips used in China to be made in China by 2020 and 60 percent by 2025. The Dark Side of Made In China 2025 But Chinas plans dont begin and end there. The long-term objectives go much further than what the MIC2025 program proscribes. In addition to its goal of not relying on or even using foreign technology, theres a much darker side of the MIC2025 plan. The Chinese not only seek to replace foreign technology and especially data and network infrastructure with Chinese made and owned technology, but their plan is also to put foreign competitors out of business completely. In other words, they want to have the power to disrupt and heavily influence the economies of those nations that today have power over China. For China, trade is viewed as a zero-sum game that involves destroying competitors. They are well on their way to achieving the first part of the plan. Becoming a cyber superpower is part of Chinas long-term goal of completing the second part, which would also involve China dominating both the digital and the physical worlds. China Becoming a Cyber Superpower One of the main reasons that China is positioned for digital domination is because the United States has allowed it to happen. America has ceded cyber leadership to China simply by refusing to commit the money and resources to it. Adding fuel to that fire, the Obama administration failed to keep control of the internet infrastructure in American hands. Over 40 years of technological leadership was simply handed over to the Chinese by President Barack Obama. Meanwhile, China has steered national policy toward a digital-first position. And as noted, Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to make China the undisputed leader in digital technology and cybersecurity. Its actually part of a multitrack approach of waging war against the United States and other nations in cyberspace with real-world consequences. A New Geopolitical StrategyCyber War Cyberwar is economic, political, and technological war all at once on one battlefieldthe digital onethat affects all other battlefields. It is a highly efficient way to gain the advantage over your adversaries. So far, China is the only nation waging this war in a deliberate and strategic fashion. Theyve realized massive victories in data and theft of advanced technology from private companies, partners and even the U.S. defense networks. But these victories are only the beginning. Chinas technologically targeted state-owned enterprises have found homes in tech hubs around the world, including Silicon Valley, to gain access to the information technology, remote vehicle, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing they need to meet their long-term goals. Meanwhile, Chinese-made servers, smartphones, and other technological hardware are often designed to effortlessly gather and steal data from the users by simply sending all data home to China over a Chinese-made network. The very idea of such a possibility is staggering. And yet Xis big idea is to combine all these systems together in a great power strategy. This grand strategy is simply for Chinathat is, the CCPto become the worlds biggest source of data and transactions in order to control the rest of the world. President Donald Trumps tariffs have made the Chinese think twice, and complaints from Europe have certainly been heard in Beijing, but will they really delay certain aspects of the MIC2025 in response to the U.S. trade war? Or will they just alter how much they publicize what theyre doing? Given their past behavior, going all the way back to their broken promise to open their market to the West in 2000, its likely that Chinas promise to delay or scale back their ambitions will be mostly minor adjustments around the edges. That means the world must act to reign in China. The free nations of the world must each decide what kind of future they want. Will they fight to keep the free and open international order, or will they surrender to a China-centric world based on the oppression and brutality of the CCP? James Gorrie is a writer based in Texas. He is the author of The China Crisis. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Military delegates arrive to attend the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 3, 2019. (GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images) Chinese Regime Sets Wartime Measures Ahead of Major Political Meeting The Chinese regime has drastically tightened security around the country, placing parts of China under wartime security measures, as the biggest event on the regimes calendar kicks off this week in Beijing. For the next two weeks, the annual two sessions will be held in Beijing. That is, the meeting of the regimes rubber-stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress (NPC), and its political advisory body, the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference. Almost 3,000 delegates of the NPC, whose roles are mainly ceremonial, are expected to ratify legislation, all of which have been pre-approved by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Every year, the party machine initiates heavy restrictions around China, in particular in Beijing, to stamp out dissent and maintain social control while the meetings take place. This year, however, these measures have been upgraded. Wartime Restrictions Taiwans Central News Agency on Feb. 26 published a copy of a notice of CCP Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Yingyang City, in central Chinas Henan Province, ordering the city to enter wartime mechanisms during the period of the two sessions. The notice ordered police to increase surveillance and control measures and to provide daily reports of their actions. Travelers to Beijing have also been subject to extra security checks. Party mouthpiece Xinhua reported that all the passengers on trains going to or passing through Beijing from Feb. 26 to March 17 must go through two rounds of security checks before boarding the train. Theyre also subject to another security sweep after they disembark the train in Beijing. The state postal service also initiated double- and triple-checks on all letters and packages posted to Beijing during the meetings. As with previous years, dissidents and petitioners in Beijing have been detained in extralegal detention centers, or forced to leave Beijing before the two sessions. The detained dissidents typically wont be released until the meetings end. Internet Throttled As of March 2, Chinese online users from several provinces started reporting on social media that the internet on their cellphones was throttled to 2G speeds. My internet was changed from 4G to 3G, and then 2G during the last few days. I really have nothing to say, Zhang Liang, a Sichuan insurance agent posted on Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter, on March 3. Some netizens suggested that this was caused by a system run by police called Electric Fence or Fake Base Station. According to users, this system intercepts cellphone communication with the 4G base station, so police can sweep all text messages, phone calls, browsing history, and other data stored on the phone. This causes a cellphones speed to decrease to 2G. Delegates Sealed Off The Hong Kong Economic Journal interviewed officials attending the two sessions on March 2, who said they and their staff arent allowed to bring their cellphones into the conference venues. For all emergency communication, participants can only use walkie-talkie radios. Lu Tianming, a prominent pro-CCP writer, posted photos on Weibo of the hotel where Lianghui representatives were staying, which showed barbed wire fencing. There was also a heavy police presence surrounding the site. Lus post was soon deleted, but people took screenshots and shared them on many websites. Lin Heli, a Hong Kong political commentator, told Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily that all Lianghui participants were instructed to keep silent, and not speak to foreign media. Chinese human-rights activist Hu Jia told Voice of America on March 1: More than 1 million military, armed police, public security, national security, and social security forces have been deployed to protect a congress meeting. What kind of country has to expend this much of its own resources to hold a meeting? But China does this every year. And it will arrange for stricter measures in special years [as with this year]. The year 2019 is being treated as special by the CCP because it marks a number of controversial anniversaries. In the months ahead, it will be 30 years since the Tiananmen Square massacre, 20 years since the persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong began, 100 years since the May Fourth Movement, and 70 years since the CCP seized power in China. Mahmoud Abu Zaid, center, a photojournalist known as Shawkan, is hugged by his parents at his home in Cairo, Egypt, on March 4, 2019. (Amor Nabil/AP Photo) Egypt Releases Prominent Photojournalist After 5-year Term CAIROA prominent Egyptian photojournalist was released after five years in prison and returned home on March 4, to hugs from family and friends, pledging to continue working despite severe restrictions imposed on his movements, including having to spend the nights at a police station nearby. Mahmoud Abu Zaid, popularly known as Shawkan, was convicted of involvement in a 2013 sit-in by Islamists that was broken up by Egyptian security forces in an operation that left hundreds dead. His case comes as Egypt, under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, has launched an unprecedented assault on reporters and the media in recent years, imprisoning dozens and occasionally expelling some foreign journalists. Shawkan was taking photos at the Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo where Muslim Brotherhood supporters were holding a sit-in protest in August 2013 to denounce the ouster and detention weeks earlier by the military of Egypts freely elected but divisive Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. I was heading out to take photos. I come back to my home after five years, Shawkan, 32, told The Associated Press at his home in Cairos neighborhood of Fisal, shortly after his release. I feel like I was born again, I feel relieved, said his mother, Reda Mahrous. I used to stay awake at night thinking, telling myself that Mahmoud will come back today or tomorrow. Shawkans lawyer, Taher Abuel-Naser, said he was released from a police station earlier in the morning. An Egyptian court had ordered Shawkans release last September after he had served out his term, but he remained behind bars for an additional six months in lieu of paying a fine for alleged property damages incurred during the Rabaa Al-Adawiya crackdown. Shawkan said that under his sentencing and following his release, he has to report to the nearest police station and spend every night there from 6 p.m. till 6 a.m. for the next five years because he has been remanded under police observation for that time. He is also prohibited from managing his financial assets and property for the duration of those five years. Amnesty International called such measures outrageous and said they should be lifted immediately. Mahmoud Abou Zaid has been the victim of an appalling injustice and the authorities must offer full reparation for this outrageous violation of his human rights, said Amnestys Najia Bounaim. Despite the restrictions, Shawkan said he would continue working as a photojournalist. I am not the first or the last journalist to be detained, he said. The Committee to Protect Journalist welcomed his release and urged Egyptian authorities to end their shameful treatment of this photojournalist by removing any conditions to his release. Shawkan was honored with CPJs International Press Freedom Award in 2016. The Egyptian government should take steps immediately to improve its image, which has been badly tarnished by this unjust imprisonment, said Sherif Mansour, CPJs Mideast and North Africa coordinator. Egypt remains among the worlds worst jailers of journalists, along with Turkey and China, according to CPJ. In December 2018, CPJs annual prison survey found that at least 25 journalists are in prison in Egypt, and that the country leads the world for charging journalists with publishing false news. Egyptian authorities have also silenced virtually all independent or critical media. Under legislation passed in July, the media regulatory agency can use the fake news label to shut social media accounts with more than 5,000 followers, without having to obtain a court order. It also can block websites with content deemed a threat to national security. Since late 2017, some 500 online sites have been blocked as part of the states growing control over the media, according to a recent report by an Egyptian watchdog, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression. Authorities say the measures are necessary to prevent instability as Egypt struggles to revive its economy and combat an Islamic insurgency in northern Sinai. El-Sissi has frequently suggested political rights are less important than the right to food, housing, and other necessities. Pro-government media frequently portray negative coverage as part of foreign plots to spread chaos, and sometimes accuse foreign media of promoting a negative image of Egypt. Cameramen or even reporters with notebooks attempting to conduct interviews in public can face harassment from crowds and policemen. I cant describe how I feel I am free Mahmoud Abu Zaid, known as #Shawkan, has been released after 5yrs in prison. Since President Sisi took office, security forces have arrested or charged at least 60,000 people@_richardhall reportshttps://t.co/CmyWhQINy2 Gemma Fox (@GemmaFox__) March 4, 2019 A general-turned-president, el-Sissi has rolled back many of the freedoms won by the 2011 uprising against longtime autocratic President Hosni Mubarak. He has silenced most dissenting voices in the media and placed severe restrictions on civil society groups. The Muslim Brotherhood has been outlawed as a terrorist group. The New York-based Human Rights Watch hailed Shawkans release but also used the occasion to call attention to Egypts human rights record. Since Shawkans arrest in 2013, Egypt has descended further into darkness and suppression of a free media, and while we joyfully celebrate his release, its also a reminder of how far Egypt has fallen since 2011, Said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRWs executive director for the Mideast and North Africa. Last April, the United Nations cultural agency ignored warnings from the Egyptian government and awarded Shawkan the World Press Freedom prize. At the time, UNESCOs jury president Maria Ressa said the prize, which recognizes the promotion of press freedom especially in the face of danger, pays tribute to his courage, resistance, and commitment to freedom of expression. Elephant Sits on Handler, Crushing Him to Death An Indian man was crushed to death by an elephant as he tried to wash it when he slipped on the wet floor just as the 5-ton animal sat down. The moment was caught on CCTV footage, which shows the elephant handler, known as a mahout, washing a large tusker on the morning of March. 3 in Kerala, southern India. According to some reports, police believe the mahout, named as Arun Panicker, ordered the elephant to lie down for a shower facing him, but the elephant mistook his instruction and laid down on the side where he was standing. Forty-year-old Panicker had given the elephant instructions to lie down on its right side, according to the Times of India, as he hosed it down. However, the elephant laid down on its left side, prompting the mahout to strike it with what appears to be a stick or whip. In delivering the heavy blow, however, Panicker can be seen losing his balance, his feet slipping under him and under the elephant just as it continues to follow his command, lowering itself onto his body. Man killed when an elephant sits on him after he beat the animal with a cane to make it lie down https://t.co/YdeNtHFlSH Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 4, 2019 The video shows a second manPanickers brother-in-lawrush over and try to get the elephant to stand once again, pushing on its hindquarters. When the animal doesnt respond, he rushes off and returns with a big stick, but is only able to persuade the animal to move by pulling on its tusks. He manages to pull Panicker out from under the elephants legs, but it is too late to save him. According to the Times, Panicker died on the spot. According to The Hindu, a local source said the mahout fell while swinging his hook, He was standing on the left side of the elephant and instructed it to lie down to that side. But the animal initially lay down onto the other side and then suddenly changed to the left, the source said. Police have launched an investigation, according to local reports, and Panickers body has been sent for an autopsy. One-third of all Indian elephants, an estimated 15,000, live in captivity. The tradition of training elephants runs back thousands of years, with both Asian and African elephants used for warfare, transportation, and as status symbols. Over time, only Asian elephantsrevered as sacred in the traditional religious culturecontinued to be kept and trained. In modern times, their role has shifted once again, according to Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, associate professor of Conservation Ecology. With the loss of their traditional jobs in forestry and transport, most captive elephants in Asia have joined the ecotourism industry, Campos-Arceiz wrote in The Conversation. No matter how some people may feel at the notion of keeping elephants in captivity, they simply cannot be released into the wild, he notes. All those thousands of tamed elephants in Asia cant simply be released into the wild. Taming and captivity deeply changes their behavior It breaks their social ties and makes them lose their natural fear of people and released tamed elephants often stay near villages, causing severe conflicts with farmers and exposing themselves to easy retaliation. Humans therefore need to take care of those elephants currently in captivity, said Campos-Arceiz. Exclusive: State Assemblyman and Candidate for State Senate Kevin Kiley Wants to Bring Political Balance to California SACRAMENTO, Calif.Kevin Kiley (R), current State Assemblyman for California 6th Assembly District, is one of six candidates running for a special primary election for California State Senate District 1. The seat became vacant after Ted Gaines (R) was elected to represent District 1 of the California State Board of Equalization. In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times on February 27, 2019, we asked Kiley about his candidacy for California State Senate to represent District 1. He is running because our state, right now, is facing a lot of challenges. Weve been moving in the wrong direction for some time, and theres a sense of urgency right now, said Kiley. As part of his campaign, taxes, public safety, environment, healthcare, and the current state legislature are some of the issues Kiley plans on addressing if elected state senator. Kiley expressed that California is in need of reviving the Republican Party, and he believes the current state legislature needs more balance in terms of political party relevance. When asked about which values should guide California, Kiley responded that the state needs more conservative values. I think that what we need right now in this state is some common sense, conservative reforms that will address issues, like educational opportunity, providing access to quality education for every child, lowering the cost of living, improving public safety, standing with law enforcement, and keeping our communities safe, he said. We also asked Kiley about Proposition 13 and his plan to combat Governor Gavin Newsoms plan for tax increases on tap water. California pays pretty much the highest taxes in the country, and yet there continue to be more and more proposals to increase taxes even more. Thats a big reason why its so expensive to live here, explained Kiley. California places in the top 10 in terms of states with the highest tax rates and tax collected per capita, according to the Tax Foundation. If elected, one of Kileys top priorities is to decrease taxes for middle-class families, seniors, and small businesses, and protect Proposition 13. Prop. 13 was passed in 1978 and reduced property tax rates on homes, businesses and farms by about 57% in California. It also set limits on how much property tax rates could increase per year. As a state assemblymember, Kiley has lead the fight against other tax increase proposals, such as the gas tax. He now proposes a plan to use existing revenues from what is already an enormous budget to take care of the problems that we face, whether thats around water, access to clean drinking water, or improving our roads. He explained that the state needs to use the taxes collected for their designated purposes, rather than diverting the tax money for other purposes. Because water is a valuable resource in California, we also asked Kiley about the Green New Deal and how it could impact California farmers if its passed by Congress. The whole concept of the Green New Deal has been essentially tried and failed here in California. We have passed regulation after regulation on business, on agriculture, on different industries to supposedly help the environment, although often are just about special interests, he said. The regulations passed in the past have lead California, today, to have high cost of living and poverty rates, frequent wildfires, and high taxes, Kiley further explained. Kiley was also asked to comment on public safety and the possible changes or legislation he would like to bring if elected State Senator. First we need to pull back the dangerous liberalization of our criminal code that weve seen in recent years under Jerry Brown. Prop 47, Prop 57, and other related laws have taken tools away from law enforcement, and failed to have appropriate consequences for criminal behavior, he replied. Additionally, he said that, as a state, we need to stand with and respect our law enforcement and provide them with the necessary support they need to carry out their duties. As his teacher, he concluded with some comments on the state of the California education system. California spends the most on education in the entire country yet places significantly below the national average in terms of academic performance. The budget for 2018-2019 year is approximately $201.4 billion for California public education, an $18.1 billion increase from the 2017-2018 annual budget. To this, Kiley responded, We have some great public schools in California, dont get me wrong, but we have too many that are failing to give our students the education that they need. So, I am fighting for education reforms that will respect teachers as professionals. That will stop micromanaging our schools from Sacramento, but will instead empower local communities, bring accountability and transparency to the education system, and that will revive locational or career technical education. The special primary election for California State Senate District 1 will be on March 26, 2019 and the general election on June 4, 2019. Hillary Clinton during OZY Fest 2018 at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park in New York City on July 21, 2018. (Brad Barket/Getty Images for Ozy Media) Hillary Clinton Says She Isnt Running for President in 2020 Hillary Clinton said she will not run for president in 2020 and appeared to rule out future bids for public office. Im not running, but Im going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe, Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S. senator, and first lady, told News12 Westchester on March 4. Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to then-candidate Donald Trump, had kept her plans for 2020 under wraps until the News12 interview. While she wont be running for president, Clinton said shell remain vocal in politics. I want to be sure that people understand Im going to keep speaking out, Clinton said. Im not going anywhere. Whats at stake in our country, the kind of things that are happening right now are deeply troubling to me. And Im also thinking hard about how do we start talking and listening to each other again? Weve just gotten so polarized. Weve gotten into really opposing camps, unlike anything Ive ever seen in my adult life, she continued. Asked if she would run for public office, Clinton said, I dont think so. During a portion of the 2016 campaign, Clinton was under investigation by the FBI for her use of an unauthorized private email server for all of her communications when she served as secretary of state under President Barack Obama. The investigation determined that Clinton sent or received more than 100 emails and 52 email chains that contained classified information, including emails classified above the top-secret level. Then-FBI Director James Comey exonerated Clinton in an unprecedented statement in July 2016. While he noted that any reasonable person in Clintons position should have known better than to send top-secret emails on an unsecured server, Comey concluded that no reasonable prosecutor would indict Clinton for mishandling classified information. Comey made the exoneration statement days after Clintons husband, former President Bill Clinton, secretly met with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on an airport tarmac. The meeting was leaked to the press, raising questions about the impartiality of the Justice Department (DOJ). The FBI conducted its interview with Clinton in the days between the tarmac meeting and Comeys exoneration statement. Clintonwho was allowed to bring lawyers who were also witnesses in the casetestified without being under oath and wasnt asked about the tarmac meeting, among other issues. In another unprecedented move, Comey publicly reopened the Clinton-email probe in October 2016, a week before Election Day. The reopening was prompted by the discovery of hundreds of thousands of Clinton emails on the laptop of former Rep. Anthony Weiner, the husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The emails were discovered in a separate investigation into Weiners illegal sexual communications with a minor girl, of which hes since been convicted. Comey exonerated Clinton days before the election. At the same time, the FBI was also investigating the Trump campaign for alleged collusion with Russia. It has since been revealed that the FBI used an unverified, Clinton- and Democratic National Committee-funded opposition research dossier as a premise to surveil the Trump campaign. FBI and DOJ officials who signed off on the warrant application failed to disclose that Clinton and the DNC paid for the dossier and that the research was compiled by a former foreign spy who wanted Trump to lose the election. Nearly all of the FBI officials involved in Crossfire Hurricane have since been fired, demoted, or left the bureau. The 2016 campaign was marred by infighting within the Democratic Party after emails hacked from Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta revealed officials at the DNC developed hatred against and helped defeat Clintons opponent in the Democratic primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). President Donald Trump signs an executive order to establish the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) look on at the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on Dec. 12, 2018. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Investors Wait for New Opportunity Zone Guidelines WASHINGTONExcitement is running high among investors for Opportunity Zones, a new incentive provided by tax reform. While interest is strong, many investors are waiting on the sidelines for additional guidance from the government. The U.S. Treasury released an initial round of guidance for investors in October 2018 and is expected to provide another round soon. Through tax breaks, the opportunity zones program incentivizes Americans to invest in economically underserved communities. And the proposed rules provide guidance on how investors can qualify for special tax breaks in designated opportunity zones. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) held a public hearing at its headquarters in Washington in February, seeking feedback on the first round of regulations. Interest in the hearing was so high that the room reached capacity and hundreds of people had to be turned away. The hearing was originally scheduled for January but was delayed more than 30 days because of the recent partial government shutdown. At the five-hour hearing, more than 20 experts, including investors, attorneys, and accountants, shared their concerns about the rules and offered ideas on how to improve them. The biggest issue is getting clarification on reinvestment of gains, said John Lore, managing partner at Capital Fund Law Group, a law firm focused on advising private equity and real estate funds. Investors can defer taxes on capital gains by rolling them into a qualified opportunity fund, a vehicle organized to make investments in opportunity zones. The proposed regulations contain some ambiguities regarding the ability of qualified opportunity funds to reinvest the gains. Investors want the IRS to permit these funds to reinvest interim gains within a reasonable time in other opportunity zone businesses without triggering a capital gains tax. Hence they seek more flexibility. Locking opportunity funds into their investments for a prescribed period such as 10 years will discourage investments, they claim. For private equity funds, especially for real estate funds, the life cycle of a deal is generally much shorter than 10 years, Lore explained, adding that the issue was addressed by many of the speakers at the recent IRS hearing, drawing a lot of attention. Toward the end of 2018, there was enormous interest in opportunity zones, Lore said. However, the government shutdown slowed some of that initial momentum. Investors themselves are extremely interested but fund managers are cautious, waiting for the new regulations, he said, adding that the success of the program depends on the flexibility that the Treasury provides to investors. Investing in Startups Another concern centered around the question of what constitutes an opportunity zone business and business property. A large portion of the opportunity zone program is devoted to investing in established or startup businesses located in opportunity zones. And the proposed rules state that 50 percent of the sales or gross income of a business must be derived from within the opportunity zone to qualify for the capital gains tax benefit. However, concerns were raised about companies in the sectors of e-commerce, biotech, or manufacturing, which may struggle to meet that requirement. The goal of that rule is to prevent businesses from setting up mailboxes in an opportunity zone and not actually generating economic activity, said Ben Seigel, coordinator of opportunity zones in Baltimore. However, setting such goals had some unintended consequences, and thats what the IRS is trying to address, he said. Despite the lack of clarity, investors are confident that those issues will be resolved soon. Weve already been in touch with several opportunity funds that are interested in investing in startups and small businesses, Seigel said. In 2018, the Treasury certified 8,700 distressed communities across the country as qualified opportunity zones. The designation will apply for 10 years. According to the guidance, once capital gains are triggered, an investor has 180 days to roll the money over to an opportunity fund. The fund then has another 180 days to invest in an asset in an opportunity zone, which includes commercial and industrial real estate, housing, infrastructure, and established and startup businesses. Many funds have been set up and raised money to target this new asset class. And real estate funds are the first movers on this opportunity. It seems like the investment is moving pretty heavily towards real estate right now, said David Bramble, managing partner of MCB Real Estate, a commercial real estate development and investment firm, based in Baltimore. I think a large part of that is because the framework lends itself to real estate. Bramble said startup companies are searching for office spaces in opportunity zones, to take advantage of the new program and attract capital from funds. Were really looking forward to seeing those regulations come to fruition so that we can encourage businesses to start moving into these zones, he said. A young couple posing for a selfie could accidentally complicate their relationship by adding in new layers of approval seeking. (RomanSamborskyi/Shutterstock) Is Love Losing Its Soul in the Digital Age? Love in an intimate thing made more difficult by the glare of social media Instagram users have taken to issuing weekiversary posts, where they diligently mark the duration of their romances. It is often used by newlyweds to gush over their first week of marriage. An article in The New York Times explained how weekiversary posts have the unintendedor very much intendedconsequence of shaming people who are not in love. The article also noted that this phenomenon makes some doubt the intensity of their own relationship. They wonder why their partners are not similarly starry-eyed and gushing online. Some even admitted that this phenomenon prompted them to stay in relationships longer than they should have: they go on celebrating their weekiversaries, just to keep up appearances. In truth, this could apply to any of the social media platforms, where people increasingly feel the need to act their lives in real time in a public format, documenting every event and incident, no matter how remarkable or mundane. As a philosopher researching the topic of privacy, I found myself thinking about the brave new culture of digital sharing. What does it say about love that many are compelled to live their romances aloud, in a detailed fashion? Why Display Your Love? On one hand, there is nothing new here. Most of us seek the approval of otherseven before our own, sometimes. Others approval, or their envy, makes our joy sweeter. Philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau recognized something like this when he distinguished between amour de soi and amour propretwo different forms of self-love. The former is love that is instinctual and not self-reflective. Rousseau sees it in presocial man, who is unconcerned with what other people think of him. Largely, he loves himself unconditionally, without judgment. Society, which complicates our lives irredeemably, introduces amour propre. This is self-love mediated through the eyes and opinions of others. Amour propre, in Rousseaus view, is deeply flawed. It is hollow, flimsy, if not downright fraudulent. The opinions and judgment of others change rapidly and do not make for a firm foundation for honest, enduring, confident self-love and any emotions related to or rooted in it. This suggests an unflattering view of weekiversary posts. Are they just ones way of satiating the need for amour propreseeking the approval, and stoking the envy of online witnesses? Are they for ones lover at all? Or, are they for public affirmation? Curating our Life Stories Is there a more positive way to make sense of weekiversary posts? Philosopher Paul Ricoeur argued that humans have an inherent need to view their lives in a narrative fashion. This is a prime way in which a person makes sense of his or her world. Specifically, one aims to project a narrative structure onto life, and give it a beginning, a climax and, hopefully, a fitting conclusion. The individual also wishes to situate his life story within a greater narrative, be it social, historical, or cosmic. Social media gives us newfound powers to curate the story of our lives, and if need be, change characters, dominant plot lines or background themes, how and when we like. In documenting everyday events and occurrences, we could even elevate them and lend them a degree of significance. So, it might seem perfectly natural that people would like to narrate their budding romances. I am now long and happily married, but I remember how first love is both exhilarating and confusing. Its a mess of emotions to work out and understand. Among the many mixed messages issued by family, society, and the media, it is often difficult to know how best to navigate romance and determine if you are doing things right or if you have found the one. In fact, I sought to get a handle on it all by writing down my many thoughts. This helped give me clarity. It objectified my thoughtsI literally projected them on paper before me, and could better understand which were more resonant, powerful, and pressing. Love and Insecurity Social media, on the other hand, is not designed for introspection or soul-searching: Posts must be relatively short, eye-catching, and declarative. Twitter emissions only tolerate 280 characters. Ambiguity has no place there. Social media isnt the place to hash through a host of conflicting emotions. You are either in love, or you are notand if you are in love, why declare it if it isnt blissful? As Facebook discovered, negative posts tend to lose followersand many people want to keep up their viewership. Legal scholar Bernard Harcourt argues that social media sharing evokes the great American tradition of entrepreneurship. From this perspective, in issuing weekiversary posts, individuals are creating an identity and a storythey are generating a brand that they can market widely. Its hard to see how this phenomenon contributes to or makes for lasting and fulfilling relationships. If, for example, as Ricoeur says, social media effusions are an attempt to elevate the mundane, the simple, the every day, and lend it special meaning, it begs the question: Why might one feel the need to do this repeatedly, persistently? I would argue that it betrays an air of insecurity. After all, at some point, all the affirmation one needs should come from your lover. True Love There is an understandable need for young lovers to pronounce their joy in public. But love, when it matures, does not live publicly. Loving couples are not necessarily easy to pick out in public. I think of my parents, and my in-laws, married for nearly 50 years. They can sit with each other in comfortable silence for long periods of time. They can also communicate with each other without saying a word. Love is largely a private relationship and demands intimacy. Only in intimacy does the inherent ambiguity or complexity of love emerge. Only in intimacy are you and your partner fully seen and known, with all your shortcomings or contradictionsand they are forgiven. It is in these intimate moments that lovers learn to tolerate ambiguity, negotiate differences, and endure. Firmin DeBrabander is a professor of philosophy at Maryland Institute College of Art. This article was first published on The Conversation. Leader of the ISIS terrorist group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at a mosque in Iraq, on July 5, 2014. (AP Photo/extremist video) ISIS Fighters Angered by Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadis Absence in Final Battle ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has angered jihadist fighters after appearing to go into hiding as the caliphate continues to lose ground. Soldiers who surrendered now accuse their leader of abandoning them in their last stand for the caliphate, as forces closed in on the last small strongholds of ISIS territoryspanning about half a square mile in the Syrian Euphrates. ISIS fighters expressed their outrage in an interview with The Sunday Times that Baghdadi seems to have gone into hiding. Hes hiding somewhere, people were angry, said Mohammed Ali, an ISIS fighter from Canada who was captured by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The terrorist organization is also reportedly suffering deep rifts after an internal disillusionment with the ISIS leader, according to members of ISIS, western officials and leaders in the area. Baghdadis absence in ISISs last sliver of territory has already been confirmed by a number of local sources and Western officials. They believe the ISIS leader could instead be in Anbar, a desert province in western Iraq. ISIS fighters are furious their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appears to have melted into the desert rather than fight. https://t.co/uFb979re7U The Australian (@australian) March 4, 2019 In a 2014 speech, in West Mosuls historic al-Nuri Mosque, Baghdadi declared himself a caliphate leader but has not appeared in a video or in public since. He has since urged his followers to stay strong in a series of voice clips, the latest of which was released in August 2018. In the audio clip, which is believed to have been recorded in the weeks prior to release, Baghdadi encouraged his followers to carry out attacks on Westerners using knives, bombs, and guns. Now, his disappearance is causing conflict within the already crumbling caliphate, with ISIS soldiers calling for Baghdadi to stand on the front line. Around one year ago there were a lot of assassinations between [ISIS members], between those from the Gulf, other groups and Iraqis. They were killing each other, a source from the al-Shaitat militia, who can openly communicate with the caliphate, told The Sunday Times. The conflict was between the foreign fighters. They were asking, where is the caliph? Like the prophet Muhammad he should be on the front line. They wanted someone to be there on the ground. #UPDATE: ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi survived and fled a coup attempt by top foreign fighters in Hajin on January 10th, intelligence officials believe. An armed clash between Baghdadis bodyguards and foreign fighters took place, leaving at least two dead https://t.co/YASfUjQKB7 ELINT News (@ELINTNews) Feb. 7, 2019 Since 2016, the U.S. State Department has offered a $25 million reward for information that could lead to Baghdadis capture. Not much is known about Baghdadis early life but it is thought he was born in 1971 near Samarra, Iraq. His death has been falsely reported many times over the past few years but he is widely still believed to be alive, and was reportedly seriously injured in an Iraq air strike by the U.S.-led coalition back in 2015. ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi injured in airstrike last May, sources say https://t.co/AZJ69ATvmD Paul Cruickshank (@CruickshankPaul) Feb. 12, 2018 It is believed the ISIS leader frequently moves from place to place to avoid detection, according to Abu Ali al-Basri, director general of Iraqs intelligence office at the Ministry of Interior. Iraqi intelligence is following Baghdadi and we believe he never stays in one place for more than one day, he told Fox News in February. We have information he still moved from towns in Syria and entered the Iraq border through Anbar [province] with movement to bordering Salahuddin [province]. The leader is also thought to dress in disguisein this case, modern clothingas another means to avoid detection. Wearing modern clothes, no mobiles, a simple car, and just a driver. Anyone around him is dressed in modern clothes, Fadhel Abu Rageef, a political and security analyst in Baghdad told Fox News. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) takes part in a ceremonial mock swearing in ceremony with her mother, Blanca Ocasio-Cortez on Capitol Hill on January 3, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images) Mother of Socialist Ocasio-Cortez Left New York for Lower Taxes in Florida The mother of socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez left New York for lower real estate taxes in Florida, according to an interview published on March 4. I was paying $10,000 a year in real estate taxes up north. Im paying $600 a year in Florida. Its stress-free down here, Blanca Ocasio-Cortez told the Daily Mail. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is pushing for a radical Green New Deal policy which would cost as much as $9.3 trillion per year. In comparison, the U.S. government is expected to collect $3.4 trillion in taxes in 2019. In addition to being home to a number of counties with very low real estate taxes, Florida also has no state income tax. As a result, Americans from states with heavy taxation, like New York and New Jersey, look to Florida as a haven. Blanca Ocasio-Cortez said that she had difficulty making ends meet in New York. We moved from The Bronx to Yorktown Heights, but it was difficult making ends meet, the mother said. I was skipping mortgage payments and we almost lost the house twice. Blanca Ocasio-Cortez did not agree that her daughter is a socialist, suggesting that democratic socialists are different. Democratic Socialists of America, of which Ocasio-Cortez is a member, openly defends socialism, advocates for a radical transformation of the United States, and promotes an agenda virtually indistinguishable from socialism. She wasnt raised to be a socialist, Ocasio-Cortez said. Thats not how Puerto Ricans are. Shes a democratic socialist, and its very different. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman to be elected to Congress in a surprise victory over incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY). She moved quickly to introduce a resolution regarding the Green New Deal, which includes proposals like replacing all combustion-engine cars with electric vehicles and replacing or reconstructing every building in the United States. More Sheriffs Declaring Second Amendment Sanctuaries As Movement Grows A rapidly growing number of counties in at least four states are declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, refusing to enforce gun-control laws that they consider to be infringements on the U.S. constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Organizers of the pro-gun sanctuaries admit they took the idea from liberals who have created immigration sanctuaries across the United States where local officials defy the Trump administrations efforts to enforce tougher immigration laws. Now local conservatives are rebelling against majority Democratic rule in the states. Elected sheriffs and county commissioners say they might allow some people deemed to be threats under red flag laws to keep their firearms. In states where the legal age for gun ownership is raised to 21, authorities in some jurisdictions could refuse to confiscate guns from 18- to 20-year-olds. Democrats took control of state governments or widened leads in legislative chambers last November, then followed through on promises to enact gun control in response to an epidemic of mass shootings in public spaces, religious sites and schools. Resistance to those laws is complicating Democratic efforts to enact gun control in Washington, Oregon, New Mexico and Illinois, even though the party holds the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature in all four states. The sanctuary movement is exposing the rift between rural and urban America as much as the one between the Republican and Democratic parties, as small, conservative counties push back against statewide edicts passed by big-city politicians. If they want to have their own laws, thats fine. Dont shove them on us down here, said Dave Campbell, a member of the board of Effingham County, Illinois, about 215 miles (350 km) south of Chicago. Backers of the sanctuary movement say they want to take it nationwide. Leaders in all four states where it has taken hold have formed a loose alliance, sometimes sharing strategies or texts of resolutions. They also say they are talking with like-minded activists in California, New York, Iowa and Idaho. In Washington, nearly 60 percent of the voters in November approved Initiative 1639, which raises the minimum age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle to 21, enhances background checks and increases the waiting period to buy such guns to 10 days. The law is due to take effect in July, but sheriffs in more than half of Washingtons 39 counties have pledged not to enforce it, pro-gun activists say, and five counties have passed resolutions to the same effect. Governor Jay Inslee has firmly backed I-1639 and Attorney General Bob Ferguson has advised sheriffs they could be held liable if they allow a dangerous person to acquire a firearm later used to do harm. Sheriff Bob Songer of Klickitat County, population 22,000, called Fergusons warning a bluff and said he would not enforce I-1639 because he considered it unconstitutional. Unfortunately for the governor and the attorney general, theyre not my boss. My only boss is the people that elected me to office, Songer said. Gaining Momentum Support for Second Amendment sanctuaries has gained momentum in recent weeks, especially among county boards in New Mexico and Illinois. Sixty-three counties or municipalities in Illinois have passed some form of a firearms sanctuary resolution and more are likely to, Campbell said. Twenty-five of New Mexicos 33 counties have passed resolutions to support sheriffs who refuse to enforce any firearms laws that they consider unconstitutional, according to the New Mexico Sheriffs Association. In some cases hundreds of pro-gun activists have packed county commissioner meetings. In Oregon, voters in eight counties approved Second Amendment Preservation Ordinances last November that allow sheriffs to determine which state gun laws to enforce. Organizers in Oregon plan to put even more defiant sanctuary ordinance measures on county ballots in 2020 that will direct their officials to resist state gun laws. Such sanctuary resolutions could face legal challenges but backers say they have yet to face a lawsuit, in part because the Washington initiative has yet to take effect and the Illinois and New Mexico legislation has yet to pass. The chief counsel for a leading U.S. gun-control group questioned the legality of the sanctuary movement, saying state legislatures make laws and courts interpret them, not sheriffs. It should not be up to individual sheriffs or police officers deciding which laws they personally like, said Jonathan Lowy of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. This attitude shows a disrespect for the way our system of government is supposed to operate. In New Mexico, the legislature is moving forward with a slate of gun-control bills. One would enhance background checks and another would create a red-flag law keeping guns out of the hands of people deemed dangerous by a judge. The New Mexico Sheriffs Association is leading the resistance, saying the red-flag law would violate due process rights and was unnecessary given current statutes. Tony Mace, sheriff of Cibola County and chairman of the statewide group, said the background check law would impose regulations on hunting buddies or competitive shooters every time they share guns, and he refuses to spend resources investigating such cases. Customers use computers at an internet cafe in Hami, a city in northwestern China's Xinjiang region on Jan. 16, 2011. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) More Than 300 Million Chinese Private Messages Monitored by Police, Researcher Says More than 300 million private chat logs and profiles of Chinese social-media users were left exposed online, and gathered by a government surveillance network, according to a Dutch security researcher. Victor Gevers, a security researcher at the cyber-security non-profit GDI Foundation, wrote on Twitter on March 2 that he found a database containing information generated by Chinese social-media accounts, including private messages, names, identity card numbers, photos, and GPS location data. The information was accessible to anyone who searched for the databases IP address, Gevers told The Financial Times. He added that the database has since been made secure after he notified the internet service provider. The database also fed the data to 17 other remote servers, which, according to Gevers, belong to local police stations around China. Around 364 million online profiles and their chats & file transfers get processed daily. Then these accounts get linked to a real ID/person. The data is then distributed over police stations per city/province to separate operators databases with the same surveillance network name, Gevers wrote in his tweet. The researcher wrote that police review thousands of chat logs every day. With these operator databases the local law enforcement investigate 2,600 to 2,900 messages and profiles. The name new table per day to keep track of the progress. So they manually review the social media communication (public/private messages), Gevers posted in another tweet. The records in the database were tagged to six labels referring to messaging apps, according to Gevers, who sought help from Twitter users to identify the messaging services. Two of those were identified by users as QQ and WeChat, both operated by Chinese internet giant Tencent. Other Twitter users suggested that one service represented the messaging service run by Chinese live-streaming social network platform YY.com. Another may be a communications software that allows buyers to communicate with sellers on Taobao, an e-commerce platform run by Chinese tech giant Alibaba. Great Firewall Beijing monitors internet discussion as part of its sprawling online censorship apparatus, collectively known as the Great Firewall. The regime enforces tight censorship over its cyberspace to snuff out facts, ideas, and opinions that contradict the Chinese Communist Partys rule and propaganda. Chinese social media companies are not only required by the regime to censor users content, but have also been under scrutiny because of the security of the data it collects from its users. For instance, The Epoch Times has reported that WeChats privacy policy agreement, updated in September 2017, stated that it would retain, preserve, or disclose users data to comply with the Chinese regimes applicable laws or regulations. In March 2018, PEN America, a New York-based non-profit advocating for free expression for artists and writers, issued a report warning that the regime was ramping up efforts to censor information and online speech on Chinese social media. An unidentified Chinese netizen told Radio Free Asia that images of Gevers tweets he posted on Chinese social media have attracted the attention of Chinese authorities. The netizen said he has since removed his posts out of fear of being caught. Past Cases This isnt the only unsecured Chinese database that Gevers has uncovered. Last month, Gevers found a massive database containing location data for more than 2.5 million people in Chinas Xinjiang province. The database was operated by private Chinese company SenseNet, a facial-recognition company based in the southern city of Shenzhen. During one 24-hour span, SenseNet collected about 6.7 million individual GPS coordinates. These location data points were linked to names, identification card numbers, birth dates, addresses, photos, and employers. In recent years, the communist regime has drastically ramped up surveillance in Xinjiang, a region home to more than 12 million Uyghur and other Muslim minorities, under the narrative of combating extremist threats. Also last month, Gevers revealed in a tweet an open database that tracks the movement of millions of cars and pedestrians, at an unknown location in China. Cameras would be activated to take a photo when violations occurred, such as jaywalking or going through a red light. On Feb. 22, Chinas National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team, a non-profit cybersecurity technical center, reported on its website that of the roughly 25,000 MongoDB databases, a type of database management system, in China, 468 had been exposed to the public. The exposed databases originated from 28 different provinces, including Beijing and Shanghai. Official Has Update on 4-Year-Old Boy Who Was Mauled by Dog in Utah A Utah boy lost his right hand after it was reportedly bitten off by a neighbors dog over the weekend, according to reports. The 4-year-old reached underneath a fence to try and pet the dog, which was described in reports as a husky. The dog then attacked the boy, whose name was not released, Layton City Police PIO Jason Cook told People magazine. The boys hand and 2 to 3 inches of his forearm were missing after the attack, said Cook. The boy had reached through a chain-link fence in his back yard to play with the dogs. Nai-post ni The Sacramento Bee noong Lunes, Marso 4, 2019 [He] was a tough little boy, wasnt even crying, Cook told People. He never even shed a tear in the helicopter. When first responders arrived on the scene, they found the boys father trying to stop the bleeding. A helicopter then rushed the child to a hospital in Salt Lake City. In an updated statement to People magazine, Cook said the dog may have ingested the limb. About eight to 10 emergency responders combed the yard to find the boys hand but they were not successful in doing so. Breaking news in Layton: Dog bites four-year-old boy, severing his hand above wrist. Stay tuned for updates. Nai-post ni Fox 13 News noong Linggo, Marso 3, 2019 Cook said the boy is in stable condition and is surrounded by family in the hospital. Cook added that the husky hasnt attacked anyone in the past, and Sundays incident was the dogs first bite incident. The homeowner says that the dogs are docile pets that have never demonstrated any aggression, he said. That husky and another one were taken by Davis County Animal Control, Fox 10 reported, adding that they have both been quarantined. Its not clear yet whether the dogs will be put to sleep. Davis County Animal Control is trying to determine dogs' fate after one bites off a young Layton boy's hand. Nai-post ni Fox 13 News noong Lunes, Marso 4, 2019 Neighbor Speaks Out That poor family, said Jackie Ahrens, a neighbor, told Fox13. I cant even imagine what they must be going through. You wonder about the dogs, Ahrens said. Do they have any history of being aggressive? Davis County Animal Care and Control told the Fox affiliate that the dogs were quarantined because every animal that breaks skin in Davis County will be quarantined for 10 days for rabies observation. Police believe the dog may have ingested the limb. Nai-post ni People noong Martes, Marso 5, 2019 Theres a severe injury to a human so we are doing a dangerous dog investigation which could range from nothing being done if the dogs are found to be not dangerous, Nicks elaborated. The dogs were properly fenced in at the house in a neighborhood in Layton, a city of about 80,000 residents about 25 miles north of Salt Lake City, Cook said. Both families had recently moved in, he said, according to The Associated Press. Cook said he doesnt know if the boy was right-handed or not but that he should be able to adapt because hes so young. Hell kind of grow into his dexterity, Cook said. But its certainly life-changing. Its just a sad turn of events for the young, little guy. Last year, a 17-month-old girl in Wiscasset, Maine, was severely injured when her baby sitters boxer bit her face after she touched its back. The 8-year-old dog was taken in for a 10-day quarantine following the mauling. Dog Bite Stats DogsBite.org says that each day, about 1,000 U.S. citizens require emergency care treatment for serious dog bite injuries. Annually, about 9,500 citizens are hospitalized due to dog bite injuries. In a 13-year analysis, the website says that of 433 fatal dog attacks in the United States, pit bulls contributed to 66 percent, or 284 deaths. Rottweilers, the second on the list, inflicted 10 percent of attacks that resulted in human death, the report says. German shepherds accounted for 4.6 percent of fatal attacks. Mixed-breed dogs accounted for 3.9 percent and the American bulldog was next at 3.5 percent, the report said. The Mastiff and Bullmastiff accounted for 3.2 percent of deaths. Last on the list were huskies, which accounted for 3 percent of fatal attacks. The report compiled fatal dog attacks between 2005 and 2017, showing that 48 percent of the victims were children aged 9 or younger. The Associated Press contributed to this report. From NTD News Oral Arguments to Begin on Unsealing Epsteins Court Documents Oral arguments about whether to unseal documents from a past court case involving accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein will begin March 6 at the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City. The case, Giuffre v. Maxwell, was a defamation lawsuit brought by one of Epsteins alleged victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The suit was settled in May 2017, but unsealing related court records could introduce volumes of new information regarding Epsteins alleged activities, and those of his powerful alleged co-participants. Epstein, a wealthy financier, has been accused of molesting dozens of underage girls at his Palm Beach, Florida, mansion and his 72-acre private island estate in the Caribbean. The Department of Justice is currently investigating a 2007 plea deal that allowed him to only serve 13 months in a private area of a Palm Beach County jail, and work unsupervised at his downtown West Palm Beach office 12 hours a day, six days a week, during that period. In 2015, Giuffre sued Epsteins partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, after Maxwell publicly challenged her claims of abuse. According to an August 2017 lower court ruling, Giuffre alleged that she was a victim of sexual trafficking and abuse while she was a minor child, and that Maxwell helped facilitate the abuse, which allegedly occurred over a decade at numerous locations around the world, and with prominent and politically powerful men. The lawsuit asserted that Giuffre was subjected to public ridicule, contempt, and disgrace when Maxwell publicly denied her allegations. The two-year dispute involved what Judge Robert Sweet of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York called a lengthy and tumultuous discovery process with extreme sensitivities and privacy interests. As a result, he placed a protective order on discovery documents and other items spanning 18 hearings and 15 related decisions. Famed Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, who co-represented Epstein during the controversial 2007 plea agreement, unsuccessfully attempted to have three case documents unsealed in August 2016. Prominent blogger, journalist, author, and filmmaker Mike Cernovich filed a motion to unseal case materials in Jan. 2017, but was denied. Giuffre and Maxwell settled four months later, and on April 9, 2018, The Miami Herald filed a motion to unseal all case documents on First Amendment grounds. The Heralds court filing was then joined by Dershowitz, who requested to be advised of any unsealed records, so he could seek additional documents to be unsealed if needed. Giuffre and another women, Sarah Ransomme, have accused Dershowitz of abusing them in association with Epstein and Maxwell, which he vehemently denies. The Herald lost its initial attempt to unseal the documents, but has since garnered the support of 32 media organizations for its appeal on March 6, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Fox News, and the Associated Press. The district court ruled that discovery records and other sought items werent covered by First Amendment presumptions of access. But according to a media coalitions amici brief, the court severely undervalued the powerful public interest in this case and vastly overstated the asserted countervailing interests in favor of secrecy. It further argues that the district court should have done an individualized right of access analysis on each judicial record, rather than authorizing blanket sealing and redaction, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said in a statement. Dershowitz asked the appeals court last week if the media should be prohibited from hearing his attorneys arguments about the case, since it could reveal sealed information. The letter prompted an article from Julie K. Brown, an award-winning investigative journalist for The Miami Herald, whose groundbreaking three-part series Perversions of Justice spurred national interest in the Epstein affair more than a decade after his guilty plea. Dershowitz took exception, and defended himself through a series of tweets. Let me be crystal clear, I want the hearing to be open to the press. But I also want my lawyer to be able to tell the court whats in the sealed emails that prove I was framed for $. Its the other side thats sealed the material. Let them unseal it so the world can see the truth, he wrote on March 2. He also accused Brown of deliberately distorting the truth, to which she responded, Why not ask for everything to be unsealed then? And why are your motions so redacted? We want everything unsealed, Dershowitz tweeted back. Why didnt you try to reach me before publishing your error-filled screed? Dershowitz also said Democratic super-lawyer David Boies was representing both of his sexual abuse accusers and that Boies admitted in private that Dershowitz was falsely accused. David Boies, the lawyer for both of my false accusers, has admitted in private that his client has falsely accused me: Your belief referring to his client is wrong. Your conclusion is simply wrong. I challenge Boies to deny this admission under oath, he wrote on Twitter, adding that They made up their false stories about me only after being pressured by their lawyers. On March 3, Brown weighed in again: To be clear: Mr. Dershowitzs motion pertains to select documents in the Epstein-related case that pertain to him. The Miami Heralds motion is to unseal EVERYTHING w the exception of social sec nos, medical info & other personal info. A separate court case unfolded Feb. 21, when a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled that prosecutors broke the law when devising Epsteins controversial plea deal. Two of Epsteins alleged underage victims, known as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, filed a lawsuit after the 2008 surprise sentencing, on the grounds that they were never given an opportunity to express their opposition to the lenient plea. Judge Kenneth Marra ruled in their favor, albeit 11 years later. Should documents ultimately be unsealed in the defamation case and reveal details about prominent individuals who have thus far gone unnamed, the implications could be staggering. According to Marras 33-page opinion, Epstein and his co-conspirators knowingly traveled in interstate and international commerce to commit sexual abuse and other violations of not only Florida law, but also federal law. In addition to his own sexual abuse of the victims, Epstein directed other persons to abuse the girls sexually, and he worked in concert with others to obtain minors not only for his own sexual gratification but also for the sexual gratification of others. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines on March 1, 2019. (Eloisa Lopez/Reuters) Pompeo Says China Trade Deal Got to be Right WASHINGTONU.S. President Trump will reject a U.S.-China trade deal that is not perfect, but the United States would still keep working on an agreement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a media interview. Things are in a good place, but its got to be right, Pompeo told Sinclair Broadcasting Group, according to a transcript released by the State Department on March 5. Asked if Trump would walk away from any deal that was not perfect, Pompeo said, Yes and pointed to the Republican presidents rejection of an agreement with North Korea at a summit last week in Hanoi. Trump last week said that he would abandon trade talks with China if the terms were not good enough, but U.S. advisers in recent days have signaled more positive outcomes. Pompeo made his remarks following stops in Iowa, where he was attending a conference for farmers, who have been caught up in the ongoing trade war with the worlds top two economies. This has to work for America. If it doesnt work, well keep banging away at it. Were going to get to the right outcome. Im confident that we will, Pompeo told Sinclair. By Susan Heavey Princess Lea of Belgium at the first performance of Shen Yun at the Batiment des Forces Motrices on Feb. 28, 2019. (NTD Television) GENEVAThe Batiment des Forces Motrices (BFM) has been resonating with the sounds of Chinese classical music. The famous classical Chinese dance and music company Shen Yun Performing Arts was back in Switzerland with its new program. This year, Shen Yuns growing success has reached the highest social levels, including the prestigious crowned heads of Europe. After Prince Jean dOrleans in France, it was Princess Lea of Belgium who came to discover the 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. Lea of Belgium, born Wohlman, is the widow of Alexander of Belgium, brother of the former King Albert II of Belgium and uncle of the current King Philip of Belgium. This elegant woman said she was impressed by Shen Yuns artists. She was full of praise for the performers after seeing the New York-based company. I find it absolutely impressive in terms of beauty, aesthetics, agility, of course, talent and speed! said Lea of Belgium. We are carried away by the rhythm of this show from the beginning, she said. This was the first time she had seen classical Chinese dance, and she said she found it impressive and innovative. Classical Chinese dance, which dates back thousands of years, is one of the most complete dance systems in the world. Indeed, it has been enriched over the successive dynasties in China, developing postures and acrobatic techniques that later inspired some martial arts or circus arts. But what particularly characterizes classical Chinese classical dance is the yun, or bearing. It could be translated as the soul or the expression of the dancers inner spirit. As Shen Yun explains: Bearing is formed by the combination of something that would look like cultural DNA or an ethnic flavor that the Chinese have in their blood, it is the legacy of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. Bearing emphasizes the inner spirit, breath, intention, personal aura and deep emotional expression. The quintessence is that the mind directs the form, so that the form is imbued with the mind. Princess Lea was sensitive to this spirituality that so animated the Shen Yun artists. We have this impression, indeed, that artists are extremely imbued with what they do, and with spiritual emotion, she said. She added that she felt a lot of positive energy, and I hope we will keep it throughout the coming weeks! With reporting by NTD Television. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. Qantas Horror Flight Plunges 15,000 Ft Before Emergency Landing in Melbourne A Qantas flight from Adelaide to Canberra was on March 5 forced to divert and make an emergency landing in Melbourne following a mid-air incident reportedly caused by pressurisation issues. Flight QF706 made it to Melbourne safely just after 8.00am AET after making an emergency diversion due to a loud bang heard coming from the rear of the plane, which caused the aircraft to rapidly plunge 15,000 feet (4,572 metres). Around an hour after take off, passengers were left terrified after the aircraft descended from 25,000 feet (7,620 metres) to 15,000 feet (4,572 metres) in five minutes, according to Flightradar data. Frightened passengers were forced to wear oxygen masks during the descent but allowed to remove the masks after the aircraft reached a safer altitude. At 10,000 feet (3,048 metres), passengers were able to breathe more easily as the atmosphere had more oxygen. The Boeing 737 aircraft landed safely in Melbourne at 8.02am local time. Qantas #QF706 from Adelaide to Canberra (Boeing 737 VH-VXL) has diverted to Melbourne a short time ago due to cabin depressurisation. pic.twitter.com/NULMDEpYun Brendan Grainger (@Highflyermel) March 5, 2019 Although passengers were distressed by the loud bang they quickly praised the professionalism and fast reactions of cabin crew and the rest of the staff. QF706 to Canberra this morning lost cabin pressure, so we put the oxygen masks to good use while diverting to Melbourne. Kudos to the professionalism of the @Qantas crew with the safety and wellbeing of passengers clearly the priority. Not how I expect my morning to go though. pic.twitter.com/swokDvDXPg Greg Denehy (@gregdenehy) March 5, 2019 QF706 to Canberra this morning lost cabin pressure, so we put the oxygen masks to good use while diverting to Melbourne, Qantas passenger Greg Denehy said in a Twitter posted dated March 5, 2019. Kudos to the professionalism of the Qantas crew with the safety and wellbeing of passengers clearly the priority. Not how I expect my morning to go though. Royal Flying Doctor Service nursing director Vikki Denny told ABC News she heard the loud bang from where she was sitting on the plane. Theres been a scare on board a Qantas flight on its way to Canberra this morning. Passengers say oxygen masks dropped from the roof before the aircraft descended rapidly. It was forced to make an emergency landing in Melbourne. Photo credit: @daneloft #QF706 #7News pic.twitter.com/xMeXacqVru 7 News Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) March 5, 2019 It was quite loud where I was sitting but other people slept through it. Another journalist that I recognised on the aircraft didnt hear it, Denny said. He was asleep but he certainly woke fairly quickly and we all had to don the oxygen masks and keep them on. There were a few people around me who were stressed and a baby screaming. Despite her previous experience as a flight nurse, she still found the ordeal a bit disconcerting as the pilot left passengers in the dark about what had happened for about 10 to 15 minutes. They didnt explain anything as far [as] what was occurringthey said this was an emergency procedure and there was a consistent alert going over the intercom, she said. The whole time we were on descent the emergency intercom was going to remain seated, keep oxygen on, this was an emergency. Upon arrival, Denny said the Qantas flight passengers were allowed to use the Qantas lounge before they were transferred to alternate flights. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the incident. ATSB can confirm it has been notified of an occurrence this morning where a Boeing 737 on a flight from Adelaide to Canberra diverted to Melbourne due to reported pressurisation issues, ATSB said in a written statement. ATSB will gather information into the occurrence before making a decision on whether or not to formally investigate. Qantas claimed it has not heard of any injuries caused by the planes rapid descent. A company spokesperson said engineers are inspecting the plane in Melbourne to try to determine what exactly the fault was, and confirmed the incident was caused by a pressurisation issue. Our pilots and cabin crew handled the incident in line with standard operating procedures, the spokesperson said. Rescuers Help Save 630 Dogs, Heavily Matted and Covered in Feces From a Puppy Mill The content is not available due to expiration. Senate Inquiry Investigates Alleged Political Interference in Australian Media Australias government-funded media has been accused of bowing to political interference, a Senate inquiry has heard. The inquiry is investigating allegations of political interference, which emerged after the Australian Broadcasting Corporations (ABCs) board sacked Managing Director Michelle Guthrie halfway through her five-year term in September 2018. Guthrie claimed that then-ABC chair Justin Milne had pushed her to fire journalists after senior government figures had complained about their news reporting. Apart from Milne, she also named three current board directors as respondents in the action, claiming she was unfairly dismissed and her firing was invalid. Milne denied the claims and resigned as chair just days after Guthrie left the ABC. ABC board directors told they had no idea Guthrie was concerned about potential political interference until just days before she was fired. The ABC announced on March 1 that it had resolved a legal dispute over whether Guthrie was unfairly dismissed. The ABC and its former managing director, Michelle Guthrie, are pleased to announce a resolution to their Federal Court litigation, the broadcaster said in a public statement. Details of the resolution will remain confidential, no further public statement will be made regarding the resolution by the ABC or Ms Guthrie. Some ABC breaking news, a statement: The ABC and its former Managing Director, Michelle Guthrie, are pleased to announce a resolution to their Federal Court litigation. The details of the resolution will remain confidential. No further public statement will be made @abcnews Gaven Morris (@gavmorris) March 1, 2019 Michelle Guthrie didnt have any probs taking almost a million off you and me. There is no end to the selfishness of many Australian people #auspol https://t.co/SrTYPBMn09 Sue Stevenson (@SuStevensonWrtr) March 5, 2019 The announcement came following mediation Federal Court judge Jayne Jagot had ordered both parties to join during a case management hearing back in February. Milne had previously argued with staff at the government-funded radio station Triple J back in October 2017 about changing the date of the Hottest 100 countdown from Australia Day, Jan. 26. Triple J content director Ollie Wards said the meeting came after a year-long review into changing the date of the countdown, which found most Triple J listeners were happy to have the date moved. Guthrie was also at the meeting, along with ABC Radio director Michael Mason and Triple J manager Chris Scaddan. Milne allegedly told the group that moving the Hottest 100 from Australia Day would attract a backlash in the broader community. He said its our job to look after the interests of the whole ABC, Wards told the inquiry by teleconference. Justin was talking about a book that he was reading to do with social change, and in that book it described how activists who get out in front of public mood can end upthe words he used were getting burnt at the stakeand that we wouldnt want to be burnt at the stake. He was talking about Galileo, the astronomer that he had gotten burnt at the stake for saying that the world was rotating around the sun, he added. The government would not give the ABC any more money if it angered them by moving the Triple J Hottest 100 away from Australia Day, former chair Justin Milne warned Michelle Guthrie https://t.co/ZAhjViNhIO Peter Sardi (@PeterSardi) March 5, 2019 Milne also told the ABC staff, who pressed their case, that former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull would not be pleased by the change. He said: Malcolm will call me and tell me Im crazy,' Wards said. Wards was surprised Guthrie did not say much during the meeting, which left him feeling deflated after doing so much work on the issue. It seemed like the chair was just overriding things, Wards said. After the meeting, Triple J decided to keep pushing ahead with the plan, which was ABCs board narrowly approved by a single vote. The Australian Associated Press contributed to this report. Sudden Cardiac Deaths in Young People The death of a child is always a shocking event, but perhaps even more so when a young person dies abruptly and unexpectedly. When a previously healthy child dies because their heart suddenly stops, parents are bound to have questions about why. The federal government defines sudden cardiac death as follows: The heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating and blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. Medical websites make a distinction between sudden cardiac deaths and heart attacks, characterizing the former as an electrical short-circuit rather than a problem with circulation. Just what is causing the short-circuits has stumped many researchers, who say that identifying the elusive causes of sudden cardiac arrest or death in young people is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Ohio doctors who studied the nonfatal occurrence of heart spasms in male adolescents professed that they remained uncertain of the cause after finding that none had a family history of heart problems or any other cardiac risk factors. In some instances, experts have placed the blame on preexisting health conditions such as epilepsy or asthma, or on an underlying cardiovascular or genetic weakness. Other probable culprits include pervasive exposure to microwave electromagnetic fields, which have been documented to provoke cardiac changes that include accelerated or irregular heart rate (tachycardia and arrhythmia) and sudden cardiac death; and environmental factors such as fine particulate matter air pollution (a well-known contributor to cardiovascular disease in susceptible older adults that is now recognized as a risk factor for healthy young individuals as well). Some medical professionals have occasionally noted the potential for sudden cardiac death to result from substance usewhether illicit stimulants or prescription medications (such as ADHD drugs and antipsychotics). All of these factors and more may be at play, but there is one other plausible contributor that most experts studiously ignoreand that is childhood vaccines, many of which clearly list the potential for adverse cardiac effects in their package inserts. As of 2013, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) accounted for about one in seven infant deaths (about 3,700 annually), with about 20 percent thought to be related to cardiac vulnerabilities activated by exogenous stressors. Piecemeal Reporting of Cardiac Deaths in the Young Children born in the U.S. are 76 percent more likely to die before their first birthday than infants born in 19 other wealthy nations, and sudden infant deaths are one of the top five causes. Since 2009, these deaths have been monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDCs) Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Registry, which operates in 22 states and jurisdictions. As of 2013, SUID accounted for about one in seven infant deaths (about 3,700 annually), with about 20 percent thought to be related to cardiac vulnerabilities activated by exogenous stressors. Until 2013, reporting of sudden cardiac deaths in young people over age one was haphazard. In that year, the CDC joined forces with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry (SDY-CR) in 10 states and jurisdictions. The SDY-CR surveillance system now collects comprehensive information on sudden cardiac deaths (as well as sudden epilepsy-related deaths) in youth under 20 years of agebut the registry has yet to produce any significant reports. Prior to either registry, in the early 2000s, reports began surfacing of an increase in sudden cardiac deaths in adolescents and young adults. CDC researchers reported a 10 percent increase in deaths from cardiac arrest in 15-34-year-olds over the seven-year period from 1989 to 1996a finding reiterated in 2012 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The increase translated into about 3,000 deaths annually by the mid-1990s. Although more recent numbers are harder to come by, in 2015, the American Heart Association reported over 6,300 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in American youth less than 18 years of age, citing survival rates ranging from about 10 percent to 31 percent. A single state (Michigan) reported an average of 35 sudden cardiac deaths a year in children and teens under age 20 as of 2009. Cardiac Problems Described in Vaccine Package Inserts Many vaccine package inserts list cardiac-related adverse events that have occurred either during clinical trials or during postmarketing. For example: Recombivax hepatitis B vaccine: hypotension, tachycardia Engerix hepatitis B vaccine: hypotension, tachycardia, heart palpitations Infanrix (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis) vaccine: sudden infant death syndrome Boostrix and Adacel (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis) vaccines: myocarditis Flulaval and Fluzone (influenza) vaccines: chest pain Death (listed as a general disorder) is one of the adverse experiences reported after approval and marketing of the Gardasil and Gardasil-9 human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. In an intriguing article in Autoimmunity Reviews just published by leading autoimmunity expert Yehuda Schoenfeld and an international team of colleagues, the authors propose that an autoimmune mechanismnamely, vaccine-induced autoantibodies against cardiac proteinsmay be related to cardiac-related adverse reactions to HPV vaccination, including sudden cardiac death. Another factor potentially linking vaccines and sudden cardiac death is thimerosal, the ethylmercury-based preservative. Thimerosal is still present in significant quantities in influenza vaccines and as a trace amount in the tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine. Mercury has been shown to damage the cardiovascular system even at low levels of exposure. studies have highlighted a positive correlation between the number of vaccine doses and increasing infant mortality rates, and case studies have described compelling temporal associations between vaccination and death. Finally, where sudden infant deaths are concerned (some of which are cardiac in nature), there is abundant evidence that vaccines may be contributing in several ways. Epidemiological studies have highlighted a positive correlation between the number of vaccine doses and increasing infant mortality rates, and case studies have described compelling temporal associations between vaccination and death. A Toxic World Children today live in a toxic world. There is little doubt that multiple factors are interacting synergistically to stress the hearts exquisitely fine-tuned electrical system. In addition to the powerful influences already mentionedmicrowave electromagnetic radiation, fine particulate air pollution, pharmaceuticals, and vaccinesmedia reports continue to identify other toxic exposures besetting our youth, with some of the latest dangers cropping up in personal care products and energy drinks. We owe it to children to protect them as much as possible from these external stressors so that they can use their hearts for what really matters. Childrens Health Defense, Inc. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of Childrens Health Defense, Inc. Want to learn more from Childrens Health Defense? Sign up for free news and updates from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Childrens Health Defense. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. True forgiveness, like true love, cannot be faked or forced. Forgiveness is something you know in your gut. It is a state of being you arrive at after going through other phases; in other words, it doesnt happen overnight. I forgive you. These three words rival the other big three when it comes to their importance and impact on the speaker, the receiver, and even those who observe the process of forgiveness . Forgiveness is not simply about letting something go and moving on. You need to experience and let go of the anger, fear, doubt, betrayal, and desire for revenge. You also need to be ready to move on. In addition, as noted by Bob Enright, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who has studied forgiveness for decades, true forgiveness includes empathy and compassion toward the injuring individual before you can forgive completely. Clearly, the act of forgiveness doesnt happen overnight. For some people, this range of emotions takes weeks. For others, the process is much longer. The important part is that forgiveness and a feeling of contentment is at the end of the journey. What Is Forgiveness? Forgiveness means that you accept what happened rather than thinking about what coulda, shoulda, woulda, didnt happen. In other words, you let go of the event or circumstance, realizing that holding onto the resentment, anger and desire for revenge does not serve you at all. Forgiveness means being present in the moment and relishing the freedom it gives you. Freedom is another word often associated with forgiveness. Oprah Winfrey said that Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different. When you give up that hope, you are untethered; you are free from the bonds of wishing and waiting for something that cannot be and free to move forward where you can blossom and grow. What Happens Before You Can Forgive Opportunities to practice forgiveness come up when we are presented with a situation that causes us to feel that someone has done wrong to us or someone we care. Perhaps a man cut you off in traffic. Maybe a co-worker took credit for a program you developed. Your spouse or partner may have been flirting with someone else. A friend stood you up for a date or meeting. A loved one was robbed or injured with malice. The most natural emotion to come up in such situations is anger and sometimes a desire to get evenrevenge. Even though anger is not often a healthy emotion to experience, it can be expressed and funneled into positive actions and thoughts rather than negative ones. Behaving in a sane, calm, and mature manner when youve been wronged doesnt mean you are weak. In fact, it demonstrates that you have the maturity and ability to put aside destructive thoughts and actions. You can then strive to make a peaceful arrangement. Banishing the thought of revenge can be challenging when you see someone get away with something and you cant take action against it. Thats when you need to deny the person who annoyed or harmed you the power to make you feel unhappy or angry. You are the boss of you, the other person is not. Do not allow someone else to take away your peace of mind. This is easier said than done, but the key is practicing forgiveness. Your practice will make you better at it, and you can better put it into action and forgive when you are ready. The Science of Forgiveness Research has shown that some people think that practicing forgiveness is an act of weakness. Some even go so far as to make excuses for the offending individual. The fact is, staying angry is easier than working through your feelings and learning to forgive. Forgiveness takes moral and emotional strength. Meanwhile, anger and resentment take a toll on your physical, emotional, and mental healthas well as your relationships. One of the earliest findings of research of forgiveness comes from Dr. Frederic Luskin, co-founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project at Stanford University. Luskin, as well as some of his colleagues, found that the act of forgiving someone can raise your optimism and mood, while not forgiving and holding resentment is correlated with anxiety, hostility, depression, and major psychiatric disorders, as well as physical health problems. Luskin reports that When you dont forgive you release all the chemicals of the stress response, which include adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine. That means every time you recall the distressing situation, you release these damaging chemicals. If, however, you forgive someone, you dont experience this spike in hormones. A number of experts have focused their research on the science of forgiveness and come up with programs designed to tackle this emotional dilemma. In a 2015 book entitled Forgiveness and Health, authors, Loren Toussaint, professor of psychology at Luther College in Iowa, and Everett Worthington explore the physical and psychological benefits of granting forgiveness. They explain that because chronic stress is damaging to our health, forgiveness allows you to let go of the chronic interpersonal stressors that cause us the undue burden. The healthy route for body, mind, and spirit seems to be forgiveness. Information on steps you can take to achieve true forgiveness may be found online. Andrea Donsky, is an international TV health expert, best selling author, Nutritionist podcast host, and founder of NaturallySavvy.coma recipient of Healthlines Best Healthy Living Blogs for 2019. This article was originally published on NaturallySavvy.com Debris from a friend's home stands in the background as Ashley Griggs wipes away dirt from a photo found in the rubble of what it used to look like before it was destroyed by a tornado in Beauregard, Ala., on March 4, 2019. (David Goldman/AP Photo) Three Children Are Among 23 Victims Killed in Alabama Tornadoes An Alabama coroner said at least three of the victims of the more than a dozen tornadoes to hit the state are childrentwo of whom have now been identified. Bill Harris, the Lee County coroner, said the three children among the dead were a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old who died at the hospital and a 10-year-old, according to The Associated Press. The youngest known victim is 6-year-old A.J. Hernandez. A destructive tornado devastated Lee County, Alabama, leaving many families heartbroken, wrote Corinthina Hawthorne on a GoFundMe page. My best friend Kayla Melton was affected tremendously by this. She lost her home, and most importantly her son Armando AJ Hernandez. The boys mother earlier posted a request for help in finding him. Please look for my baby hes 6 years old his name is Armando Hernandez he goes by AJ last seen on lee road 38. Anyone in the area please help me find him please!!!!! Nai-post ni Kayla Melton noong Linggo, Marso 3, 2019 Another victim that has been identified is fourth-grader Taylor Thornton. Lee-Scott Academy, the school Thornton attended, confirmed she was among those killed in the catastrophic event. Lee-Scott Academy Family and Friends, With sadness this morning, we share that Taylor Thornton, a 4th grader at Nai-post ni Lee-Scott Academy noong Lunes, Marso 4, 2019 On Sunday, March 3rd, a catastrophic tornado devastated Lee County, Alabama, wrote Kaitlyn Willing on GoFundMe. Our dear friends, Ashley and David Thornton lost their precious daughter, Taylor in that storm. Words dont even come close to imagining the pain they are enduring. Taylor was an amazing example of a child of God. She brought so much joy to all that knew her. She was loved dearly and will forever be missed. The coroner said at a news conference on Monday, Im not going to be surprised if we dont come up with some more deceased. Hopefully we wont. 72-year-old Earnestine Reese, of Lee County, Alabama, sits among the rubble of her destroyed home with a broken hip and all she has to say is "Thank the Lord. pic.twitter.com/gZEboWeNxJ Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 4, 2019 Community Struggles With Devastation The death toll currently stands at 23 and sheriffs officials fear the number could rise in the wake of the tornadoes that ravaged parts of southeast Alabama. Sheriff Jay Jones of Lee County told a press conference it was as if someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. "Like a bomb went off": At least 23 killed, including 3 children, as tornadoes devastate Alabama town. https://t.co/4FRZtKVV3I pic.twitter.com/D9St0MB510 ABC News (@ABC) March 4, 2019 Jones said that several people were still unaccounted for and that crews were sorting through the debris in hopes of finding survivors. I have not seen this level of destruction ever in my time in Lee County, said Jones, who has been sheriff since 1998. "Ten seconds in, the tornado comes and everything is gone" People in Alabama describe the impact of two tornadoes, which have left at least 23 people dead and caused extensive damage [tap to expand] https://t.co/y27tgSYj91 pic.twitter.com/56aXdetKWc BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 5, 2019 My Life Is Gone The trail of destruction was at least half a mile wide and overwhelmed rural Lee Countys coroners office, forcing it to call in help from the state. The Sunday tornado, which had winds that appeared to be around 160 mph or greater, was part of a powerful storm system that also slashed its way across parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. Beauregard resident David Dean was one of those killed as the powerful winds slammed into his home. His body was found on the other side of an embankment in the neighbors yard. Our son found him, wife Carol Dean told The Associated Press. He was done and gone before we got to him. My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up. Just Destruction Levi Baker, who lives near the hard-hit area in Alabama, took a chain saw to help clear a path for ambulances and other first-responder vehicles. He said he saw bodies of dead people and dead animals. He said some houses were demolished and trees were uprooted or snapped in half. One house was swept off its foundation and was sitting in the middle of the road. It was just destruction, Baker said. There were mobile homes gone. Frames on the other side of the road. It Picked the House Up Julie Morrison and her daughter-in-law picked through the remnants of Morrisons home, looking for keys and a wallet. They managed to salvage the couples safe, her husbands motorcycle boots and her embossed Bible. Morrison said she and her husband took shelter in the bathtubher husband jumping in at the last minuteas the twister lifted their house off its foundation and swept it into the woods. We knew we were flying because it picked the house up, Morrison said, figuring that the showers fiberglass enclosure helped them survive. Jones said the twister traveled straight down a county road in the rural community of Beauregard reducing homes to slabs. Nothing but Black Scott Fillmer was at home when the storm hit in Lee County. I looked out the window and it was nothing but black, but you could hear that freight train noise, Fillmer said. The National Weather Service confirmed late Sunday a tornado with at least an F3 rating caused the destruction in Alabama. Although the statement did not give exact wind estimates, F3 storms typically are gauged at wind speeds of between 158-206 mph. In a tweet late Sunday, President Donald Trump said: To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all! To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2019 An EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, in May 2011 killed 158 people. And an outbreak of tornadoes in the Southeast a month before that left an estimated 316 people dead, including at least 250 in Alabama. For Beauregard, days of mourning lie ahead. The coroner said Monday that he would soon begin releasing bodies to funeral homes. The Associated Press contributed to this report. With Resignation of 2nd Minister, Trudeau Government Crisis Deepens TORONTOThe resignation of a second high-profile minister from Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus cabinet over his handling of a corruption case has further embroiled his Liberal government months before the upcoming October election in Canada. Treasury Board President Jane Philpotts departure on March 4 follows on the heels of the resignation of former Justice Minister and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould, who last week told a parliamentary committee that Trudeau and his senior staff had inappropriately pressured her to help Canadian construction firm SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution. The Montreal-based company is facing charges of fraud and corruption in connection with allegations of bribing Libyan officials between 2001 and 2011. It is a fundamental doctrine of the rule of law that our attorney general should not be subjected to political pressure or interference regarding the exercise of her prosecutorial discretion in criminal cases, Philpott said in her resignation letter. Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised. Opposition leader Andrew Scheer, who had earlier said Trudeau has lost the moral authority to govern and asked for a police investigation into allegations of political interference in the corruption case, said Philpotts resignation shows the government is in total chaos and that other ministers should follow her example. Trudeau has refuted Wilson-Rayboulds recollection of events and denied acting inappropriately in the SNC-Lavalin case. In response to Philpotts resignation, Trudeau said he was disappointed but that he understood her decision to step down. His other cabinet ministers have declared that they stand behind him. An Ipsos poll commissioned for Global News shows that the majority of Canadians are following the developments related to the SNC-Lavalin affair, and that its going to impact their voting decisions. The poll shows support for the Liberals subsiding, and among Liberal voters, support for the prime minister going down. Nelson Wiseman, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, says the latest resignation from Trudeaus cabinet is very significant, as it intensifies the crisis Trudeau is faced with. It lowers his image in the publics mind even below what it was before [Philpott] resigned, because now its not just one person, its another cabinet minister, Wiseman said, adding that a case involving multiple cabinet minister resignations hasnt happened in Canada for decades. However, he doesnt think other cabinet ministers will follow suit. He also thinks the Liberals could still have a chance at the next election, as October is still months away. Lori Turnbull, director of the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University, however, says other resignations could be possible. One effect of Jody Wilson-Rayboulds testimony is that theres now a clear line in the sand and the beginnings of a civil war in the Liberal fold, Turnbull wrote in an op-ed for The Globe and Mail. The grey area in which MPs [members of Parliament] could plead to be both loyal to the Prime Minister and sympathetic to Jody Wilson-Raybould is quickly disappearing. They have to choose a side. Ms. Philpott has made hers clear. If others follow her lead, the Prime Ministers confidence problem worsens. The SNC-Lavalin Affair Testifying before the Parliamentary justice committee last week, Wilson-Raybould said she came under consistent and sustained pressure from the Prime Ministers Office, the finance ministers office, and the prime minister himself to help SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution. She also said she even received veiled threats of losing her job if she didnt cooperate. According to Wilson-Raybould, the government wanted her to pursue allowing SNC-Lavalin a remediation agreementa move that would involve fines, but avoid a criminal trial. Wilson-Raybould said she resisted the pressure to interfere with the case. In early January, Trudeau announced a cabinet shuffle, moving Wilson-Raybould to Veteran Affairs. After reports about alleged political interference on the case were made public by media, Trudeau said on Feb. 11 that any decision that Wilson-Raybould had on the SNC-Lavalin prosecution was entirely hers, and that her continued presence in his cabinet spoke for itself. Wilson-Raybould resigned Feb. 12. Canadas ethics commissioner has launched an investigation into the case. Peicheng Shen, left, and Guangyao Yang, right, are seen in photos released by the FBI. (Screenshot/FBI) Two Chinese Men Indicted in Kidnapping Car Dealer and Demanding $2 Million Ransom Two Chinese nationals who allegedly kidnapped a luxury car dealer and asked for $2 million in ransom in Los Angeles County last year have been indicted, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Guangyao Yang, 25, and Peicheng Shen, 33, who once lived in West Covina, Calif., and are now believed to be in China, were charged with conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, attempted extortion, and threat by foreign communication, according to a DOJ statement released on Feb. 28. The victim, 28-year-old Ruochen Liao, was kidnapped in July 2018 and has been missing since then. He is now presumed dead, authorities said. Liao came to the U.S. in 2008 for college and later moved to Santa Ana, Calif. He then lived there for several years and ran a business selling luxury cars, KTLA reported. Using an alias, Shen contacted Liao several times, saying he could help Liao collect a debt from another individual. On July 16, 2018, Shen allegedly kidnapped Liao at a San Gabriel shopping center when they were having their third meeting, according to court documents cited by the statement. After being kidnapped, Liao was taken to a house in Corona. At that house, Shen and Yang allegedly confined the victim by binding his legs together, taping his eyes shut, restraining his arms behind him, and confining him in a closet, the DOJ statement says. The next day, Liaos father received a demand for a $2 million ransom in exchange for his sons life along with photos of Liao physically restrained in the closet. The suspects also demanded the victims family deposit the ransom into three Chinese bank accounts within three hours. FBI officials said the suspects demand was not followed up, and there were no other attempts made to contact the family afterward, according to KTLA. Investigators believe the victim died during the course of the kidnapping, and they are seeking the publics assistance in locating his body, said the statement. The indictment also indicates that on July 18, Shen and Yang allegedly drove to the area of Mojave, California, in an attempt to bury or otherwise dispose of the victims body or other physical evidence involved in the crime. On that same day, Shen allegedly had the closet of the Corona house re-carpeted. Yang also performed an Internet search to determine, in effect, how fast a corpse decomposes in soil. The two kidnapping-related charges carry a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison, the statement said. The extortion and threat by foreign communication charges each carry a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. In August 2018, the FBI announced a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the recovery of Liao. Currently, the authorities are focusing their search efforts in the Mojave Desert. The FBIs Los Angeles Field Office urges people with information about the case or about associated suspicious activity to call the office at (310) 477-6565. Liaos family also provides a reward of up to $150,000 for information that could lead to Liaos safe return. Our hope is that Tony is still alive, and were operating under the premise that he is still alive, which is why this reward and this publicity is so crucial to the case, attorney Matthew Lombard, who represents Liaos family, said during a press conference last year. Paramilitary policemen gesture to stop a photographer from taking pictures as they stand guard after an explosives attack hit downtown Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on May 23, 2014. (Petar Kujundzic/Reuters) UN Religious Freedom Expert Seeks Visit to Chinas Xinjiang GENEVAThe United Nations investigator on religious freedom says hes asked China to let him visit its Xinjiang region, where some 1 million ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims are held in facilities activists call mass detention camps. Facing growing international opprobrium for what it calls re-education and training centers, China has stepped up diplomatic efforts to fend off censure. I have requested for a visit to go there, because this a priority for me in terms of looking at what is happening there. There is reason to be seriously concerned about reports coming out of the Xinjiang region, U.N. special rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed told a news briefing on March 5 in response to a Reuters query. China hasnt yet replied to his February request, he said. Shaheed, a former Maldives minister, disclosed that he was among several U.N. rights experts who wrote to China last November voicing anxiety at its anti-extremism program. The letter is also signed by U.N. investigators on arbitrary detention, disappearances, freedom of expression, minority issues, and protecting rights while countering terrorism. I wrote to China along with a couple of other rapporteurs on the de-extremification law that they are implementing which has resulted in, by some reports, millions being interned, Shaheed said. The concerns we raised were first of all that the laws were overly broadly worded and were targeting essentially protected activities of communities, in terms of their right to thought, conscience, and belief. So a whole range of violations occurring in these communities, he said. Chinese Communist Party officials say the mass detentions among the Uyghur population, the majority of whom practice Islam, are part of measures to crack down on terrorism, religious extremism, and separatism in the country. The CCP has used the excuse of potential extremist threats to justify its strict surveillance and crackdown on Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in the region. Deaths in Custody The U.N. letter voices concern that Chinas regulation targets Turkic Muslim ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities as well as Kazakh nationals within a context of a crackdown on the exercise of fundamental rights in Xinjiang. It calls on Beijing to repeal the measure. There have been allegations of deaths in custody, physical and psychological abuse and torture as well as lack of access to medical care, it said. The Chinese regulation defines extremification as the spreading of religious fanaticism through irregular beards or name selection, the letter said. The laws stated aim to make religion more Chinese is unlawful, it added. Uyghurs and other Muslims held in concentration camp-like facilities, known as re-education centers, are forbidden from using Islamic greetings, must learn Mandarin Chinese, and sing propaganda songs, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. By Stephanie Nebehay. The Epoch Times contributed to this report. Hundreds of vaccinated international students can return to NSW by 2022. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images) Universities Embrace Aust-Indonesia Deal More university students will be shifting between Australia and Indonesia in light of a landmark free trade deal between the nations, Australias leading universities believe. The Indonesian and Australian trade ministers signed the agreement in Jakarta on March. 4, which will allow 99 percent of Australian goods to enter Indonesia duty-free or under significantly better arrangements. Australian-owned universities will also be able to operate in Indonesia under the deal. The Group of 8an advocacy group made up of eight research-intensive universities, including as the University of Sydney and University of Melbournesays that will pave the way for more students and academics to move between the nations. Deepening engagement with ASEAN nationsincluding Indonesiais a key priority for the Go8, especially as the worlds focus shifts to our region, Go8 Chief Executive Vicki Thomson said. The (agreement) signed today is a positive step forward in the relationship between our two countries. The universities will continue pushing for Indonesia to also be allowed to establish campuses in Australia and streamlined visa processes. Currently, Indonesia ranks tenth in enrolments at Australian institutions, with 20,895 of them in 2018. Education Minister Dan Tehan says the government is eager to take advantage of the changes. Indonesia is an important education partner with Australia, with engagement across all education sectors, he said. That comes as Labor leader Bill Shorten promised to study the detail of the free trade deal, as his party weighs up whether to lend parliamentary support. The opposition leader says Labor is positively disposed towards the trade pact, which must be ratified by parliament after its formal tabling and an inquiry by the treaties committee. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned that the opposition is the only thing standing in the way of the latest agreement. The Labor Party has often baulked on these arrangements in the past, so that would be the only risk to it as far as I can see, he told reporters in Sydney. Both Australia and Indonesia are in the worlds top 20 economies but not each others top 10 trading partners. By Marnie Banger Hoda Muthana, an Alabama woman who left home to join ISIS after becoming radicalized online. (Hoda Muthana/Attorney Hassan Shibly via AP) Woman Who Left US to Join ISIS Loses Round in Court WASHINGTONAn Alabama woman who joined ISIS lost a first round on Monday, March 4, in a legal fight to return to the United States with her toddler son, even as a judge seemed to support at least one argument made by her lawyer for her U.S. citizenship. District Judge Reggie Walton denied a request for expedited proceedings for Hoda Muthana, whose lawyers sought to have her lawsuit litigated on an emergency schedule so she could get out of a refugee camp in Syria and back to the United States. Walton said Muthanas lawyers failed to establish that the woman and her 18-month-old son face imminent danger in allied custody as the United States prepares to withdraw most of its forces from the fight against ISIS in Syria. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a radio interview that she is not a citizen, and it would be a risk to let her back into the United States. In fact, shes a terrorist, and we shouldnt bring back foreign terrorists to the United States of America, Pompeo said in an interview with WOC Radio in Iowa. Muthana, who married three ISIS fighters during her time with the group, says she now regrets joining and wants to return to the United States for the sake of her child, even if that means facing criminal charges. The United States has determined that the 24-year-old Muthana isnt a citizen because her father was a Yemeni diplomat to the United Nations when she was born in New Jersey. Children of diplomats are not entitled to birthright citizenship because they and their parents arent subject to U.S. law. Her lawyers argue that her fathers diplomatic status ended before her birth in October 1994 and, therefore, she was automatically a citizen. The United States says it wasnt notified that his status had changed until February 1995, apparently because of a delay in reporting it by the U.N., and therefore he was still a diplomat. The government determined her U.S. passport was issued by mistake and revoked it while she was abroad in January 2016, under President Barack Obama. This is Hoda Muthana, the daughter of Yemeni refugees who left the US to join ISIS pic.twitter.com/T0KZtAd77E Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) February 19, 2019 Attorney Charles Swift told Walton that diplomatic status should end when a country decides it has ended, not when the United States gets around to recognizing it. Otherwise it would create a scenario in which a person could commit a crime and be protected by diplomatic immunity even after the sponsoring country had revoked the status. He suggested a hostile country could use this uncertainty to commit espionage. An Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State lost a first round on Monday in a legal fight to return to the U.S. with her toddler son https://t.co/IxL9vLpTQq CBS 42 (@CBS_42) March 5, 2019 The judge called this a valid argument, but did not indicate how he would rule on the overall question of her citizenship. Swift later told reporters he was very encouraged by this response and expects a decision in the case as early as this summer. The judges comments certainly foreshadow the ultimate outcome of this case, he said. .@SenDougJones comments on Hoda Muthana from his state of Alabama who went to Syria to join ISIS: No one is going to welcome this person back to the US. Thats just a mischaracterization. I do think we ought to consider bringing her back to face justice. pic.twitter.com/alAnC1uMv5 Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 3, 2019 By Ben Fox Flavia, dubbed 'the world's saddest elephant' has died at a zoo in Cordoba, Spain. (City of Cordoba) Worlds Saddest Elephant Dies In Solitary Confinement at Spanish Zoo A lonely elephant dubbed the saddest in the world has died at the age of 47 at a Spanish zoo, after more than four decades in solitary confinement. The pachydermnamed Flaviaspent 43 years living alone in her enclosure at the Cordoba Zoo. Zoo officials announced the elephants death in a Facebook post on March 1, saying All the staff of the municipal zoo that have been lucky to work with Flavia regret the death of our elephant. Spanish news outlet The Local reported that after collapsing in her pen and being unable to get to her feet, the animal was euthanized. Todo el personal del Parque Zoologico Municipal que ha tenido la suerte de trabajar con Flavia lamenta el fallecimiento Nai-post ni Zoo de Cordoba noong Biyernes, Marso 1, 2019 Amparo Pernichi, an official in charge of Environmental issues at Cordoba City Hall, said Flavias death was a tremendous blow in general for the zoo family, according to the news outlet. During the last six months, Flavias physical condition had deteriorated, but especially so in the last two weeks. Pernichi called Flavia an icon of the city and said she would be missed immensely. According to EuroWeekly, the zoo had been working with animal rights group PACMA on a possible transfer of the aging Flavia to a sanctuary. The publication cited PACMA as saying that the Cordoba zoo had isolated the elephant, known as the saddest elephant in the world, during 43 years of confinement and solitude. An online petition set up by Rebeca Iglesias called for signatures to persuade the zoo to find a different home for the lonely animal. Imagine living 43 years locked in a place without being free, that would kill anyone much earlier, Iglesias wrote in the petition, which at the time of reporting had garnered 130 signatures. Tributes Pour In A tribute to the dead elephant was posted on the city of Cordoba Twitter account. Yesterday we woke up with the sad news of the death of our beloved Elefanta Flavia, the comment read. With this video we pay homage to her and her closest family: the workers at the zoo. Ayer amanecimos con la triste noticia del fallecimiento de nuestra querida elefanta Flavia Con este audiovisual rendimos homenaje a ella y a su familia mas cercana: los trabajadores y trabajadoras publicas del Zoo de #CordobaEsp#HastaSiempreFlaviahttps://t.co/voOvCHMXQc IU Cordoba Ciudad (@iucordobaciudad) March 2, 2019 People have been posting heartfelt tributes on the Cordoba Zoos Facebook page. It was just a week ago that we went to see her, posted one user. Rest in precious peace. Im so sorry, mates! posted another. A big hug! Elephant Death In Captivity Flavias sudden death recalls the case of a young elephant named Tukta from Sydneys Taronga Zoo, who died from an acute onset of a herpes virus. The 8-year-old Asian elephant, Tukta, was not eating and was lethargic on Monday, Sept. 3, 2018, and suddenly passed away in the afternoon, despite emergency treatment. Her death was like losing family, and staff and volunteers of the zoo are devastated, Taronga Director and CEO Cameron Kerr said. It is with deep sadness we share the news that Tukta, our young Asian Elephant, passed away yesterday due to a sudden Nai-post ni Taronga Zoo Sydney noong Lunes, Setyembre 3, 2018 The Taronga veterinary team said she died from a suspected case of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). The virus does not affect humans, but is present in almost all Asian elephants, both in the wild and in zoos. It only causes some young elephants to fall illbut when it does, it is almost always deadly, Taronga Zoo said in a release. Epoch Times reporter Mimi Ngyuen-Ly contributed to this report. Here's a look at Mardi Gras, a celebration held the day before the fasting season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Facts: March 5, 2019 - Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). January 6 - Carnival season celebrations begin on this date each year, continuing through midnight on Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, is also known as Shrove Tuesday. Between 2017 and 2018, due to excessive flooding and clogged storm drains, the city of New Orleans removed more than 93,000 pounds of Mardi Gras beads from a five-block stretch of the city's drains. In total, the Department of Public Works collected more than 45 million tons of beads. Prior to the 2019 Mardi Gras celebration, the city installed "gutter buddies" to prevent beads from entering the drains. Parades and Parties: Mardi Gras Day is the last day of Carnival season. Carnivals include balls, parties and parades with floats and costumed dancers. The colors of Mardi Gras are purple (justice), gold (power) and green (faith). Social clubs called "Krewes" organize the parades, and host balls and parties. Parades feature floats, marching bands, and a king and queen who lead the parade. Beads and coins called doubloons are thrown from the floats to the spectators. The History of Mardi Gras: Mardi Gras is a state holiday in Alabama, Florida and eight parishes in Louisiana. Typical attendance for Mardi Gras in New Orleans is about 1.4 million. After Hurricane Katrina, the first Mardi Gras saw 700,000. 1837 - First Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. 1857 - First time floats appear in the parades. Festivities have been canceled 13 times before, most often during war-time. Mobile, Alabama, was the first place in the United States to celebrate Mardi Gras, and now holds the second largest celebration after New Orleans. NORWALK An email by Board of Education member Mike Lyons circulating Monday is not likely to calm tensions between some board members and a growing number of groups in the city. The email, dated Feb. 13 and obtained by The Norwalk Hour on Monday afternoon, was written by Lyons to the full board, as well as Superintendent of Schools Steven J. Adamowski and Norwalk Public Schools Chief Communications Officer Brenda Wilcox Williams, and apparently is in response to recent revelations that Board of Education Chairman Mike Barbis had urged board members in October not to attend a local NAACP fundraiser. That news prompted impassioned responses, including calls from the NAACP for Barbis to resign. In the newest email the veracity of which was confirmed by Board of Education members Lyons appears to break down a series of comments left beneath a related article on the Nancy on Norwalk site, and proceeds to call out by name former Board of Education members, current and former school employees and current elected officials. Lyons said his comments were only made in response to public attacks aimed at him, other Board of Education members and central office staff. Ive never demanded that any of these individuals resign from public positions theyve held, Lyons wrote. Yet Ms. Penn-Williams (local NAACP president Brenda Penn-Williams) and some of the others through the NAACP have demanded the resignations of Mike Lyons, Frank Costanzo, Dr. Adamowski and now Mike Barbis. Whos next? In the email, Lyons references former Board of Education members Shirley Mosby and Sherelle Harris, both of whom stopped serving on the board in 2017, and characterizes them as a group of BoE members who probably did more to hold back minority student achievement than any other three BoE members in history. He also claims that Joe Giandurco, a Ponus Ridge Middle School teacher and member of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers, posts comments under a variety of aliases, and suggests that Norwalk High School Assistant Principal Lynne Moore and former Assistant Superintendent of Norwalk Schools Tony Daddona do similarly. Farther down, Lyons names two Norwalk Common Council members, Darlene Young and Ernie Dumas, both representing District B (South Norwalk), who apparently also weighed-in online. As for Young, Lyons describes her as speaking for the reliably anti-education District B Democratic Committee, and criticizes her meandering condemnation of the only people who have actually tried to help the kids of South Norwalk she purports to care about. Lyons characterizes Dumas view of the Board of Education as nuts, stating that Dumas had once accused the board of starting a brush fire in the woods near Ely School as a justification for the new school to be built. Mike Lyons hasnt heard me say anything to anyone about that, Dumas said Monday, of the brush fire allegations. Id appreciate it if Mike Lyons would stop making up things to say about me if he doesnt know. Dumas is, however, quoted in a 2017 Nancy on Norwalk article, suggesting that a brush fire in April of that year points to the Board of Ed. Mary Yordon, president of the NFT, said on Giandurcos behalf, He made public comments about the NAACP issue on his own behalf. The NFT made comments institutionally from the general membership. He made no comments under any other name. The email was leaked a day before the Board of Educations Tuesday meeting, at which members of the NAACP and its supporters plan to show up again in protest of Barbis, who has made no apology since his urging against board members attending an NAACP event was made public. It also comes amid tensions between Barbis and the Norwalk High School Student Governance Council (SGC), after Barbis publicly criticized Norwalk High Principal Reginald Roberts and the SGC for what he said was a failure to address student and parent concerns over the number of bathrooms open during school hours. The email also comes amid ongoing accusations of racism by the all-white board, and of targeting people of color working for the schools and is reminiscent of past allegations against the board. Two years ago, when Lyons was board chair, the NAACP called for his resignation after he called John Mosby the father of former BOE member Shirley Mosby one of the most negative people in Norwalk, in the comments section of a Facebook post. Theyre so busy trying to undermine minority people, or people with different points of view, that theyre losing focus on whats really out there, all our children, Shirley Mosby said. The others mentioned in Lyons email either could not be reached, or did not respond to requests for comment. But the number of current and former local officials and groups criticized by certain members of the Board of Education in recent months is growing. Members of the NAACP, the Norwalk High School SGC, administrators, the teachers union, Common Council members and former Board of Education members have all taken their licks from Barbis and, now, Lyons. The Feb. 13 email criticizes three women of color who formerly served on the education board, an administrator who is a woman of color, and two African-American members of the Common Council. Lyons noted that the district has twice the state average of minorities among the districts certified personnel, that since he joined the board, they have hired or promoted many African-Americans to fill administrative positions and that theyve made progress in closing the minority achievement gap. My history of appointing and supporting minority employees and Board members (even those who have attacked me) is all a matter of public record and speaks for itself - I have no problem with minorities in connection with the Norwalk Public Schools, Lyons said. I do have a problem with individuals - white or minority - who have been obstructionists trying to hold back our schools progress. But to Penn-Williams, who has been a vocal critic of the board and has been communicating with Mayor Harry Rilling about a tentative date for mediation between the NAACP and Barbis, the numbers are no coincidence. I dont understand why folks cant see racism here. I just dont understand it, Penn-Williams said. justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586 WESTPORT The sometimes solitary, and at times even lonely, nature of being a writer may be an assumed expectation of the journey, but with the opening of the Fairfield County Story Lab on Friday, it no longer has to be a requirement. Its just a resource where we can share our knowledge, our experiences, and its a place where we can all come together, said co-founder Carol Dannhauser, a journalist and writing teacher who has led the Fairfield County Writers Studio. Located on the fourth floor at 21 Charles Street, with views over Saugatuck, the concept is to have a shared space where member writers can come and work side by side, use a conference room to schedule meetings, or just commune with fellow pen people who are on the same journey. We needed it, L.J. Wilks, of Westport, said of the lab. I think this is a place where writers need to come. They need to be in a community. I think weve lost the sense of creativity in Westport over the last 10 years or so, she said, and this provides an opportunity to have that shared focus on their art. Its just tremendous to have a facility like this that celebrates writers, said First Selectman Jim Marpe, who took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with Matthew Mandell, chamber of commerce president. This is just another dimension of Westports artistic heritage and culture, Marpe said. The art of writing, performing arts, visual arts it all fits together. In order to sustain the facility, there are four levels of membership, from $25 for a community membership to $275 monthly for all-access to the facility, which is open seven days a week from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. There is also special pricing for commuters. The lab also offers some more engaging activities geared toward community, such as a monthly game night that will feature literary-themed games. I like the community aspect, said Evan Pagano, of Darien. Thats one of the things that attracts me to the shared writers space. Dannhauser said her work on a new book about space sharing Sharing 2.0 prompted her to think of the idea. She then enlisted the help of longtime friend Diane Salerno, a commercial real estate developer, who helped make the dream a reality. An amateur writer herself, co-founder Salerno said she has heard many stories of people who write in random places at home just to find privacy, including their bathtub, and consistently struggle with interruptions. This gives them a chance to carve out their time and just focus on their writing, she said. Further, she said, in between the time spent with pencil in hand or fingers dancing over the keyboard these same writers often thirst for interim company that understands what theyre about. Its a lonely business, but you dont feel so alone when youre sharing space, she said. Its a great resource and a great community to be part of, said Tessa Smith-McGovern, of Westport. A lot of people dont realize what a slog it is for a writer. It takes time and it can get lonely. The people here will get it, Dannhauser said. Theyll know what youre trying to do and honor that. Its another great draw for the Saugatuck area, Mandell said. Now its not just food and retail, its writing and the arts. On July 16, 2018, President Donald Trump met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. The two world leaders, intertwined in both international and domestic politics, spent two hours speaking alone. The only other people in the room were their interpreters; even key administration officials later said they did not know the full details of what was discussed. After their meeting, the two leaders began a 45-minute news conference that would be remembered as one as one of Trump's most controversial, with the U.S. president casting doubt upon the findings of his own intelligence agencies and telling reporters that Putin had given him an "extremely strong and powerful" denial of claims that Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Now, more than 200 days later, it is still not clear what Trump and Putin discussed in Helsinki. And although some details may be coming out, they are far from conclusive. Notably, one of the key figures involved in Trump's preparations for his talk with Putin was John Bolton, who had then been the White House national security adviser for just a few months. A new profile of Bolton from The Washington Post gives new details of what Trump may have said in his meeting with Putin. Or at least, what Bolton may have told colleagues about the meeting. From the article: "Bolton told senior officials working on Syria policy that Trump, during a no-notes meeting alone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July, had insisted that U.S. troops would stay in Syria until Moscow forced out its Iranian allies - an ambitious declaration that could keep the Americans there for years. With no reason to doubt Bolton's account, officials at the Pentagon and State Department fine-tuned a strategy that made Iran's departure a primary objective of the 2,000-strong U.S. presence." With little sign that Iranian forces are leaving Syria any time soon, this detail might suggest a long time frame for a U.S. presence in Syria. However, Trump never actually approved a strategy tying troop withdrawal to Iran's departure, several senior administration officials told The Post; in December, he sent a tweet that announced U.S. troops were coming home from Syria, apparently undercutting Bolton's recounting of the Helsinki meeting. "Today, it's still unclear what Trump actually told Putin," The Post reports. The lack of clarity about what Trump may have said during his meeting with Putin adds another layer of uncertainty to the Trump administration's already opaque Syria policy. Bolton's retelling of this detail may reveal Trump backing out of a privately argued policy - or Bolton using the secrecy surrounding the meeting to push a policy he favored. Ned Price, a former CIA officer and a spokesman for the National Security Council under the Obama administration, highlighted the story as "reason 1036747489 that one-on-one, no-notes meetings between Trump and Putin are dangerous," and he suggested that Bolton may have lied about what Trump said in the meeting. It's unclear what else might have been discussed by the two world leaders in Helsinki. Trump and Putin said they had discussed not only Syria during their meeting but also terrorism and nuclear disarmament. Some reports suggested they talked specifically about Russian efforts to collaborate with Israel in Syria and issues regarding the Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine. With little U.S. confirmation of what was discussed, Russia was able to shape the perception of the talks in their immediate aftermath - with Kremlin officials speaking of "agreements" reached during the meeting, without going into specifics. The Russians are likely to have kept detailed notes of the encounter; The Post reported in January that Trump has taken the notes of his interpreters in some conversations with Putin, though it is not clear if he did so after Helsinki. It's possible that this could change. A number of committees in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives are now asking the White House and the State Department for any information on Trump's conversation with Putin. These organizations seek an interview with an interpreter who sat in on their one-on-one meeting in Helsinki last summer. But some lawmakers have balked at the idea of making an interpreter testify about a private meeting, and there are big legal questions over whether the White House could invoke executive privilege to block public scrutiny of the meeting. If that happens, the Helsinki summit may remain shrouded in mystery for years, if not forever. EAST ALTON A 35-year-old East Alton man was charged Tuesday with arson after a mobile home burned down in late January. Brian A. Armstrong, 35, of the 200 block of Cooper Street, East Alton, was charged with arson in the Jan. 29 fire that destroyed a mobile home on his block. Police did not say his relation to the mobile home or its occupants. The ensuing investigation by the Illinois State Fire Marshals Office, the East Alton Fire Department and the East Alton Police Department led police to Armstrong, as did the help of neighbors, East Alton police said in a news release. The East Alton Police Department would like to thank the residents of Cooper Street in their help in locating the individual responsible for this fire, the release said. Without the publics help in this case, it more than likely would have gone unsolved. The willingness of these residents provided detailed information in identifying the suspect and later being able to charge Brian Armstrong for this crime. Bond was set at $100,000. ALTON To ensure that residents are aware of the new location of her constituent service office in Alton, state Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, is inviting all residents of the 111th district to an Office Open House on Thursday, March 7, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. I encourage everyone to come see our new office space and familiarize themselves with the location, or stop by just to say hello, said Bristow. My full-time constituent service office is always open and prepared to deal with any issue, such as problems with medical insurance, renewal of a FOID card, or connecting people to the correct state agency. BLOOMINGTON, Illinois Edwardsville High School graduate and current Illinois Wesleyan University student Spencer Burbach has taken his musical talents on tour. As a member of the universitys Collegiate Choir, Burbach has recently started touring with the group to perform in Michigan, New York, Ohio, Illinois, and Toronto and Montreal in Canada. The tour began Saturday with performances scheduled until March 19. Last year, Burbach said, the choir did a short tour around Illinois, but this year will be much bigger. There are 25 to 30 of us in the choir, Burbach said. In addition to singing with the Collegiate Choir, he sings in the male acapella group at the university. He also has a job singing at a local church on Sundays and Wednesdays. The group also tours over spring break and sings classical music, as well as gospel and modern pieces. Burbach had to audition for the Collegiate Choir, which is the top choir at the liberal arts university in Bloomington, Illinois. Before leaving Edwardsville for college, he attended Trinity Lutheran School and then EHS. It was definitely hard to get used to the fact that youll see the same people every day, he said. You will know everyone here. Burbach is a former member of EHSs Chamber Choir and the mens acapella group. He also did some theater in high school some with EHS and some with community theater groups. He credits his voice teacher, Audrey Deeran, and the choral program at EHS for preparing him for college. Ms. Ottwein is one of lifes gems, he said of EHS choir director Emily Ottwein. I met Spencer when he was Winthrop in Music Man at SIUE, Ottwein said. He was so young, but so talented. I was delighted to start at Edwardsville and find him in the choir a few years later. He truly has one of the most beautiful voices and truly feels the music he sings. He sang a solo in Loch Lomond which I will never forget. It was so beautiful. This is not the only tour the group has planned. This summer, the same ensemble will go to Poland for a very prestigious choral festival, he said. While there, they will sing with Andrea Bocelli. Academically, Burbach said the school is challenging but, EHS did a phenomenal job of preparing me. I went into all my classes with the preparation I needed. Burbach is the son of Rodney and Linda Burbach of Edwardsville and he is a sophomore majoring in music and is also on a pre-med track. There are a certain amount of courses required for my music major, so I can only take one class per semester for pre-med, he said. I may not be able to complete all the pre-med courses in four years. If he cant, he said, he will take a year before medical school to complete his classes. Burbach said he chose Illinois Wesleyan an institution with approximately 2,000 students because he wanted a school with a good music department. The entire school of music is phenomenal, he said. And the pre-med department is top-notch. I absolutely love the small size, Burbach said. I initially thought I wanted a big school in a big city, but I came to Wesleyan and thought This is it. According to the university, the choir is composed of student musicians and is dedicated to the performance of the finest sacred and secular choral music spanning six centuries and a variety of languages. Members maintain a rigorous rehearsal schedule in preparation for their concert tour and other engagements throughout the year. GODFREY Melissa Batchelor, professor and program coordinator for L&Cs Education and Child Development programs, has earned the 2018 Concern for Children award from Kreative Kids Learning Center, a division of the Alton Day Care and Learning Center. The award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the care and well-being of children living in the region. Melissa Batchelor is widely respected throughout the region for developing quality early childhood educators that are both skilled and passionate for enhancing the lives of children, said Keith Neuber, CEO Kreative Kids Learning Center. Her support of Kreative Kids Learning Center through the years has significantly enhanced our staffs service delivery. Melissa is an exceptional advocate for the well-being of children and in drawing recognition to the contribution early childhood education makes to our community. Batchelor, who has worked in child development for many years, is humbled by the award. I consider it an honor to receive this sort of recognition from a group of professionals I admire, Batchelor said. Im fortunate to work in a profession Im passionate about. Although Batchelor began teaching at L&C as an adjunct professor in 2004 and as a full-time professor in 2011, she started as a student at L&C, earning both an Associate in Applied Science in Child Development and an Associate in Science. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Special Education and Master of Science in Elementary Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and her Educational Leadership doctorate from Lindenwood University. Ive always had an interest in teaching, Batchelor said. Once I started in the Child Development program at Lewis and Clark, I was hooked by the faculty and my passion for children and the adults working with those children. Batchelor doesnt hesitate to explain what she likes most about her job. The students, she said. Im able to connect with my internship students in the field and watch them make a difference every day in the lives of the children they teach. Currently, Batchelor is developing an Early Childhood Education program through L&C at the East St. Louis Higher Education Center. There is such a need for quality early childhood programs in all communities, she said. Having the opportunity work with students and providers in East St. Louis to provide quality programming is fulfilling a need for that community. Becoming a teacher at any age or grade level is one of the most important jobs. For more information on L&Cs programs, visit www.lc.edu/program/childdev/ or www.lc.edu/major/education/education/. The Telegraph This drawing shows Monks Mound from an 1882 publication from W.R. Brink & Co., History of Madison County, Illinois. COLLINSVILLE A new study shows climate change may have contributed to the decline of Cahokia, a famed prehistoric city near present-day St. Louis. And it involves the close examination of ancient human poop. Published Feb. 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study provides a direct link between changes in Cahokias population size as measured through a unique fecal record and environmental data showing evidence of drought and flood. The way of building population reconstructions usually involves archaeological data, which is separate from the data studied by climate scientists, explains lead author AJ White, who completed the work as a graduate student at California State University, Long Beach. One involves excavation and survey of archaeological remains and the other involves lake cores. We unite these two by looking at both kinds of data from the same lake cores. Last year, White and a team of collaborators including his former advisor Lora Stevens, professor of paleoclimatology and paleolimnology at California State University, Long Beach, and University of WisconsinMadison Professor of Anthropology Sissel Schroeder showed they could detect signatures of human waste in lake core sediments collected from Horseshoe Lake, not far from Cahokias famous mounds. These signatures, called fecal stanols, are molecules produced in the human gut during digestion and eliminated in feces. As the people of Cahokia did their businesses, some of the waste would have run off into the lake. The more people who lived and defecated there, the more stanols evident in lake sediments. Because the sediments of a lake accumulate in layers, they allow scientists to capture snapshots of time throughout the history of a region through sediment cores. Deeper layers form earlier than layers found higher up, and all of the material within a layer is roughly the same age. White found that fecal stanol concentrations at Horseshoe Lake rise and fall similarly to estimates of Cahokias population from better-established archaeological methods. Schroeder, a scholar of the Cahokia area, says that excavations of the houses in and near Cahokia show human occupation of the site intensified around A.D. 600, and by 1100, the six-square-mile city reached its peak population. At the time, tens of thousands of people called it home. Archaeological evidence also shows that by 1200, Cahokias population was on the decline and the site was abandoned by its mound-building Mississippian inhabitants by 1400. Scientists have uncovered a number of explanations for its eventual abandonment, including social and political unrest and environmental changes. For instance, in 2015, co-author Samuel Munoz, a former UWMadison graduate student in geography and now a professor at Northeastern University, was actually the first to collect one of the Horseshoe Lake sediment cores White used in his study and he found evidence that the nearby Mississippi River flooded significantly around 1150. Whites latest study ties the archaeological and environmental evidence together. When we use this fecal stanol method, we can make these comparisons to environmental conditions that hither to now we havent really been able to do, says White, now a PhD student at UC Berkeley. Using Munozs core and another White collected on Horseshoe Lake, the research team measured the relative amount of fecal stanols from humans present in sediment layers. They compared these to stanol levels known to come from bacteria in the soil in order to establish a baseline concentration for each layer. They examined the lake cores for evidence of flooding and also looked for climate indicators that would inform them whether climate conditions were relatively wet or dry. These indicators, the ratio of a heavy form of oxygen to a light one, can show changes in evaporation and precipitation. Stevens explains that as water evaporates, the light form of oxygen goes with it, concentrating the heavy form. The lake core showed that summer precipitation likely decreased around the onset of Cahokias decline. This could have affected the ability of people to grow their staple crop, maize. A number of different changes begin to happen in the archaeological record around 1150, Schroeder explains, including the number and density of houses and the nature of craft production. These are all indicators of some kind of socio-political or economic stressors that stimulated a reorganization of some sort, she says. When we see correlations with climate, some archaeologists dont think climate has anything to do with it, but its difficult to sustain that argument when the evidence of significant changes in the climate shows people are facing new challenges. This has resonance today, she adds. Cultures can be very resilient in the face of climate change but resilience doesnt necessarily mean there is no change. There can be cultural reorganization or decisions to relocate or migrate, Schroeder says. We may see similar pressures today but fewer options to move. For White, the study highlights the nuances and complications common to so many cultures and shows how environmental change can contribute to social changes already at play. The study was supported by the Geological Society of America and California State University, Long Beach. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Shah Suraj Bharat (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 President Joko Jokowi Widodos Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) is far more than just a maritime policy: It is a grand strategy that encompasses economic, foreign policy and security statecraft. The emphasis has shifted according to reverberations between domestic and international priorities. When the GMF was launched at the 2014 East Asian Summit in Myanmar, at its core was a narrative of development. The GMF targeted to build infrastructure and connect the country through the development of jalan tol laut (maritime highways) and 24 ports, including five deep sea ports. Indeed, for the worlds largest archipelagic nation, Indonesia has underdeveloped maritime infrastructure. According to the World Economic Forums 2017 Global Competitiveness Report on port infrastructure quality, Indonesia scored 4.0, behind Malaysia at 5.4, Singapore at 6.7 and Thailand at 4.3. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 08:11 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8088da6 1 Editorial #Editorial,#IndonesiaAustraliaRelations,Indonesia-Australia,IA-CEPA,economic-diplomacy,Trade,bilateral-relations,international-trade Free The Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA), which was signed on Monday, provides more opportunities for businesses in both countries to expand their economic cooperation. This is because compared to the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which covers only trade in goods and services, the IA-CEPA also provides preferential treatment for investment in various areas. The immediate benefits that will be felt immediately after the agreement is ratified by both countries will certainly be in the trade sector. Bilateral trade between Indonesia and Australia, which was estimated at US$12 billion last year, will be able to expand significantly as the two countries will exempt duties for virtually all goods traded between them. An additional boost will be the removal of nontariff barriers through a provision that removes technical and regulatory barriers to their trade ties. Indonesian exports of garments, electronic goods, wood products, automobiles, paper, palm oil and coffee will become more competitive in Australia. For Australia, its exports of cattle, dairy products and educational and health services will be able to expand significantly in Indonesia. Under the trade agreement, Indonesia will guarantee the automatic issuance of import permits for certain goods from Australia, notably live cattle, frozen beef, feed grains, carrots, potatoes and steel coils. This is rather bold because the Indonesian government has nontariff import barriers for many types of farm produce and several other manufactures to protect domestic producers. The foremost barrier is the red tape in import permits. The negotiations for CEPA understandably took more than six years to complete because of the wide range of trade and investment areas covered in the agreement. Yet more significant are the greater opportunities provided for Australian investors in various sectors in Indonesia. Australian exporters and investors will reap more benefits from the wider investment and trade opportunities in the services sector as IA-CEPA will allow Australian companies to have majority ownership in investments in various industries. They will have greater certainty in entering and operating in the Indonesian market. For example, in tourism, Australian investors will be allowed to have 100 percent ownership of three, four and five-star hotels and resorts, with no geographical limitations. The IA-CEPA will also allow Australians to own 67 percent of most other accommodation services, restaurants, cafes, bars, tour operator services and tourist consultancy services. The university sector will open up to Australian investors, allowing up to 67 percent foreign ownership. Foreign investors are currently barred from majority ownership in an Indonesian university. According to the Australian foreign ministry, education is Australias key services export to Indonesia, valued at A$802 million (US$668 million) with over 15,000 Indonesians currently studying in Australia. As Southeast Asias largest economy, Indonesia will have a strong demand for a wider variety of higher-quality educational and health services. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Duncan Graham (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 Foreign actors are supporting Papuas armed secessionists, according to Tantowi Yahya, but he wont name names: I believe this because the movement has become more orchestrated. Doing what gunrunning, gold smuggling? Are they working from Australia or New Zealand, where the former TV entertainer is now the Indonesian ambassador? Tantowi jokes away attempts to put flesh on the straw man. Its like someone in the room makes a smell, he said. Everyone knows its happened but no-one will say theyre responsible. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia Wed, March 6, 2019 00:01 1008 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80b0916 4 Inforial Free In an effort to attract more foreign and domestic investment, the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) will organize the 2019 Regional Investment Forum on March 11 in the ICE BSD, Tangerang, Banten, creating a platform for government and businesses to engage with each other, highlighting the importance of digital technology to boost Indonesias regional and tourism development. The forum will be attended by more than 500 participants comprising representatives from the central and regional governments, digital startups, investment and financial institutions. The forum will feature various programs including a seminar featuring high level speakers and top digital technology companies; digital startups pitching session featuring startups in various sectors that will pitch their business concepts to investors; a business clinic providing consulting services for startups and investors alike on investment procedures in Indonesia; one-on-one meetings enabling participants to maintain contact directly with provincial government officials and related stakeholders; exhibitions showcasing selected startups and regional investment opportunities; and an investment lounge facilitating informal meetings among participants. Specifically, Indonesian startups taking part in the forum have a diverse business focus, covering several sectors: agriculture, fisheries and livestock, tourism and leisure, e-commerce, innovative and creative products, financial technology, health care, food and drink, and education. The panel discussion in particular will feature insightful talks by practitioners in tourism, regional development and digital technology, which are the emphasis of the upcoming forum. It will be opened by BKPM Chairman Thomas Lembong with his remarks. The panel discussion will feature prominent speakers including Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara, Bank Indonesia Deputy Governor Sugeng, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan as well as Nalagenetics co-founder Levana Sani, among others. They will appear at a session called Indonesias Strategy on Digital Economy and Tourism Industry: The Regulators Perspective. East Java Vice Governor Emil Dardak is also scheduled to attend the panel discussion along with venture capital company Kejora Venture founding partner Sebastian Togelang, Vice President and Digital Strategy and Development Telkom Indonesia Wiseto Prasetyo Agung. They are expected to appear at a session called Talking Business: Indonesias Investment Opportunities in the Digital Era. This event will be held back to back with the National Coordination Meeting of Investment (Rakornas Investasi) and the Coordination of Investment Monitoring initiated by BKPM that will be attended by Central and Regional Administrations. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fiachra Gibbons (Agence France-Presse) Paris Tue, March 5, 2019 09:09 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee808b7b9 2 Lifestyle Paris-Fashion-Week,fashion,designer Free A new generation of rising fashion stars alarmed by the plight of the planet are designing in a radically different way to their elders. Some of the most interesting shows of Paris fashion week -- once notorious for its decadence and waste -- have come from millennials and Generation Z creators rejecting the over-consumption they were brought up with. Marine Serre, whose last catwalk show featured evening dresses made from old bedspreads, warned this time of "the war on the climate destroying civilization as we know it" with a collection created from upcycled and repurposed materials. The 27-year-old's brand is one of the fastest growing in France, with her sporty but fiercely feminine clothes and accessories snapped up as soon as they are made. Sales have rocketed five-fold in a year. For Serre, who won the top LVMH prize in 2017, there is no choice but to change. "It is an enormous challenge to develop sustainably. "But the apocalypse can be positive if we use it to stimulate creation, using shells" or things that are already there "and cost nothing", she told AFP. Glamorous futurist Berlin-based Ottolinger share a similar ethos and aesthetic. They recut existing clothes or surplus stock for their glamorous futurist evening and streetwear. "There is so much overproduction and consumption, we cannot justify it any longer," said Cosima Gadient backstage after the duo's Paris show was cheered by critics. "There is so much out there already in fashion, so much has already been done," said her partner Christa Bosch. Read also: Dior moves Paris fashion show to avoid 'yellow vests' "To do something new we would take a garment apart and recut it, or put it back together in our way," she Bosch, who met Gadient in fashion school in Switzerland. "We have been doing this since we were kids. You maybe have a favourite T-shirt or jacket and it is not working anymore, so you take it apart and you try to make something new." Mix of tech "You might discover amazing things, the lining and stitching that can give you ideas -- you can do so many things," she told AFP. "You already have character, the ghost of the garment, and it can be built up into something rich." Fellow Swiss designer Eliane Heutsch is following a similar line using tech and highly researched couture and revived ancestral techniques to reimagine existing clothing for her Savoar Fer label. Established brands too are rejecting the throwaway clothes culture. Stella McCartney has built her fashion empire on ethical thinking and increasing use of recycled fabrics. But fellow British designer Vivienne Westwood wants to go further, urging people to stop buying conventionally produced clothes altogether to shock both consumers and the industry into change. Her Austrian-born husband Andreas Krontaller, who now designs their Paris shows, thinks fashion needs a reality check. 'Use up what we've got' "I like making enormous collections but I don't think it fits our times. We don't need all this stuff. "I think twice now about buying another navy sweater and I think twice too about making things. I only make a piece if I really like it or it is going to be very interesting or new," he told AFP. "What is truly sustainable is to repurpose what already exists, materials that are lying dormant or by-products that would normally be thrown away," he said. Kronthaler said he mostly works from surplus high-quality fabrics gathering dust in the vast warehouses that supply the industry. "Recycled materials will soon be our normal but I am for using up what we have got first," he said. Putting the planet first is a given for this new generation of designers showing in Paris. For that to happen consumers and creators need to rekindle their emotional connection with clothes, said Emma Hedlund and Saif Bakir, the Swedish couple behind CMMN SWDN, which in the running for this year's International Woolmark Prize. That means learning to find "beauty and charm" in the worn and torn, the couple told AFP. "Since we don't make with our hands anymore, clothes have lost their value and are easily replaced," Hedlund said. "But we all have a favourite jacket, or a T-shirt or pair of jeans that we wish we could wear forever. "We should take it a bit slower and consider what we are wearing and take care of your garments," she said. "Wear it, tear it and mend it and rewear it again." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sally Mairs and Briseida Mema (Agence France-Presse) Berat, Albania Tue, March 5, 2019 10:06 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee808c44c 2 Art & Culture albania,Jewish,Museum,Judaism,religion,history Free On a sloped, cobblestone street in southern Albania sits a small shop, empty except for a dozen framed panels on the walls bearing photos and stories from 500 years of Jewish life. It may be modest but this is Muslim-majority Albania's only Jewish history museum. And the story it tells is exceptional: the Balkan state is the only Nazi-occupied territory whose Jewish population increased during World War II, thanks to the bravery of ordinary families who harbored hundreds of refugees fleeing persecution during the Holocaust. The tiny Solomon Museum, which opened in the city of Berat last year, was a labor of love for local historian Simon Vrusho. But his death last month at age 75 has put its future at risk, with rent only paid through to April. Until now he had covered the museum's costs with his pension and small donations from a box by the door. "Memories need to have their own home," Vrusho, a wiry man with warm eyes, told AFP, shortly before he died following a heart attack in February. He spent years harvesting documents, photos and memories bearing witness to a Jewish community that first arrived in Berat in the 16th century from Spain. At the center of the collection are the stories of Muslim and Christian Albanians who sheltered Jews in their homes and basements during the Holocaust -- a chapter of history that has only recently become more widely known. When Germans took control of Albania in 1943, local authorities also refused to hand over lists of Jews inside the country. Thanks to these quiet acts of heroism, the country's Jewish population surged from several hundred before the war to more than 2,000 afterwards. And, according to Israel's Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, "almost all Jews living within Albanian borders during the German occupation... were saved, except members of a single family", who were deported and all died except for the father. Another family was also deported and survived. Read also: Holocaust museum stokes controversy among Hungary's Jews Code of honor When asked to explain this history, Albanians will say it lies in "Besa" -- a cultural code of honor to "keep the promise" at any cost. There is also a rich history of religious tolerance in a country with a tapestry of different faiths, visible in Berat where a church and mosque face each other on the same square. Inside the museum, Nezir Ago, a 40-year-old artist, points to a faded photo of an elderly man. "This is my grandfather," he says, explaining that the Muslim baker took in a Jewish family of three in the early 1940s. "He did not know them before... or have an obligation to shelter them," he adds. The photo sits alongside several dozen others from the more than 60 families in Berat who rescued Jews, making the city a hub for refugees during the war. A list of some 600 names of those rescued identifies the European countries they hailed from -- many from Balkan cities like Belgrade or Pristina, where Jews were brutally exterminated by Nazi-allied powers. The Albanian families who took them in were "Christian and Muslim, rich and poor," says a caption taped to the wall. They were "deeply, unimaginably humane" people, recalled Vrusho, an Orthodox Christian who spent years interviewing Berat elders for their stories. Bread, pain and joy Today, Albania's Jewish population is nearly nonexistent, with fewer than 100 living mostly in Tirana. After World War II, Albania fell into the clutches of a communist dictatorship that barred religion. When the regime collapsed in 1991, many of the remaining Jewish community left for Israel. Marilena Langu Dojaka, 77, is one of those who stayed. "We are not yet free of our fears," she says, of the terror that has stuck with her decades later. She was born in Albania in 1942 after her mother fled there from then-Czechoslovakia. They found refuge with a family in the northern town of Mat. "When the Nazis passed through the village... our host family hid us in the mountains, in a cellar until the danger had passed," she told AFP, welling with emotion. Clutching a framed photo of relatives her mother left behind, she says softly: "They all died in the camps." Dojaka has kept close ties with the Albanian family who protected hers. "They shared everything with us: bread, pain and joy." Read also: Auschwitz exhibits art of Jewish ex-prisoner Recognition It wasn't until after the fall of communism that the stories of the role played by Albanians in protecting Jews came to light. Today some 75 Albanians are recognized as part of the Righteous Among The Nations -- those who took great risks to save Jews during the Holocaust. The history is a growing source of pride in Albania, where the government holds annual events on Holocaust Remembrance Day and devotes an exhibit to the history in Tirana's national museum. But Vrusho's museum is the only standalone center dedicated to the sweep of Jewish history in that corner of Southeastern Europe. Since it opened in May 2018, there have been several thousand visitors from around the world. If he had more means, Vrusho said he would have opened a museum "double the size". Now, his widow Angjlina says she is "very worried about the museum's fate." "It took him a lifetime," she said through tears. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Tue, March 5, 2019 06:01 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8087c61 2 Lifestyle Sydney,Australia,Mardi-Gras,LGBT Free Drag queens, police, surf lifesavers and "Dykes on Bikes" were among the colourful mix of thousands parading through Sydney Saturday at the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Organisers estimated some 500,000 party-goers turned out to watch the spectacle, with about 200 floats making their way down Sydney's Oxford street. Some 12,500 participants -- including armed forces, politicians and celebrities -- made their presence known with sparkling costumes, dancing their way through the city's gay hub. "People from all around Australia came together on this glittering night to witness a colourful spectacle of protest and celebration," said Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras chief executive Terese Casu. The theme for this year's Mardi Gras was "fearless", with a number of grassroots organisations working across a range of LGBTQI issues highlighted for their dedication to the community. "The 2019 Mardi Gras Parade was a moment for LGBTQI people, young and old, to come together and move fearlessly into the future," Casu added. The roar of dozens of motorbikes carrying women and rainbow flags, or "Dykes on Bikes", kicked off the parade. This annual opening tradition was followed by the long stream of flamboyant floats, including a giant dancing yak and a sparkling display of rainbow superheros, or "super-queeroes", defending gay rights. "You can expect... my Naomi Campbell strut down Oxford street," drag queen Felcia Foxx, from the First Nations float, told AFP ahead of the event. "It is such an honour to have tonight, and to celebrate and be celebrated, for who we are -- our charismatic, unique selves." Read also: Jerusalem Gay Pride parade marches amid tight security Australia's pop princess Kylie Minogue made a brief appearance, with a dance troupe lead by drag queens donning some of her iconic costumes performing a medley of her songs in tribute. Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras grew out of a brutal police crackdown on political protesters in 1978 and is now one of the biggest street parties in the world. In 2017, after more than a decade of political wrangling, Australia legalised gay marriage. But many at the parade on Saturday said much more is needed to change attitudes in Australia. "It (Australian society) just needs to be more open and accepting," first time Mardi Gras attendee Josh Williams told AFP. "Love is about hearts not parts, and everyone should be able to love who they want to," the 28-year-old added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Devina Heriyanto (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 19:15 1008 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80a95c6 1 Books London-Book-Fair,#LondonBookFair,Book,bekraf,Creative-industry,bilateral-relations,UK-ID,United-Kingdom,cultural-diplomacy Free Indonesias participation as the Market Focus Country for the 2019 London Book Fair is a timely celebration of 70 years of bilateral relations between Indonesia and the United Kingdom, according to UK Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik. The London Book Fair is a great opportunity for Indonesia to go global, said Malik at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. It is without doubt that Indonesia will play a big role in the global stage. What is more important is for the world to know about Indonesia and its roles, he added. The Education and Culture Ministry's culture director general Hilman Farid said the London Book Fair was an important event for cultural diplomacy. Read also: Indonesia to create ripples at 2019 London Book Fair The 2019 London Book Fair, the second-biggest after the Frankfurt Book Fair, will be held from March 12 to 14 at the Olympia exhibition center in London. Aside from the book fair, Indonesia has planned dozens of cultural programs across London to introduce other creative industry sectors, from game and music to animation. Besides 12 writers and 34 book and non-book publishers, the Indonesian delegation also includes culinary expert Santhi Serad, fashion designer Didit Maulana, musicians Nyak Ubiet Ina Raseuki, Dimawan and Tesla Manaf, as well as artist Muhammad Emte Taufik. Indonesian British Council country director Paul Smith saw the London Book Fair as the culmination of a series of cultural partnerships between the two countries, better known as the UK/ID program. Since 2016, the UK/ID program has resulted in more than 250 creative relationships, 90 collaborative works and 75 writers residencies. Its an ambition that finally comes true that we have finally managed to secure Indonesia as the Market Focus Country, said Smith. Indonesia is insufficiently known in my country and many other countries, he added, The London Book Fair is an opportunity to show that we are committed to raising the profile of Indonesia, culturally, intellectually, artistically, creatively and in popular terms with the UK. The theme 17,000 Islands of Imagination reflects the vast diversity of the country in terms of literature and its people. In the UK, there are 5,000 islands of receptivity waiting for your creation to come, said Smith, London welcomes Indonesia next week. (wng) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dene-Hern Chen and Hla Hla Htay (Agence France-Presse) Yangon, Myanmar Wed, March 6, 2019 03:05 1008 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80b1181 2 Art & Culture Myanmar,Women,sex,Vagina-Monologues,Eve-Ensler,play Free "Papu, pi pi, sapat" -- the slang for female genitalia elicits giggles during a rehearsal for Myanmar's first-ever Burmese-language Vagina Monologues, as the country's conservative image is shaken up on-stage and online. This week a production of Eve Ensler's famed feminist play opens in Yangon and includes two showings in the local language. Its exploration of issues around sexual consent, body image and genital mutilation made it revolutionary in the '90s when it premiered in New York and interpretations have spanned the globe since. In Myanmar, where sex is still a taboo subject, co-director Nandar told AFP she hopes to "normalize conversations about women's bodies" even if it makes people uncomfortable. "Women grew up here without cherishing their bodies because they were mainly taught their body is like a disgusting object," the 24-year-old from northern Shan State says. "This play is very powerful as women are telling stories about themselves." Under a bamboo gazebo serving as the stage, women sit in rapt attention as performers run their lines speaking frankly about pubic hair, rape and menstruation -- normally taboo topics. "It's more worrisome if we don't think about the yoni!" shouts one actor during Sunday's final rehearsal, using a polite Burmese word for vagina that has its roots in Sanskrit. Read also: Russian theater directors stage daring plays despite crackdown 'Extreme ideology' Myanmar's best-known figure is civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a female icon still revered by locals as "Mother Suu" even though her global reputation lies in tatters over the Rohingya crisis. But she remains a rare exception in a nation where positions of power - whether in politics, at work or at home - are largely dominated by men. Myanmar started opening up in 2010 after decades of isolation under military rule, and women in recent years are opting for more contemporary Western attire. Some social attitudes are changing too but the fight for equal rights is still seen as an "extreme ideology", says Pyo Let Han, co-founder of feminist organisation Rainfall. "They think it would destroy our Myanmar traditions and norms," she says. "There's still a long way to go." One widely-held belief in the majority Buddhist country is that men are granted a special power from birth. "We're told that boys are morally superior to us...that the very space we occupy is dirty," says Baelachaung, the Instagram moniker of a female duo harpooning Myanmar cultural stereotypes. The two 20-something Yangonites, who wish to remain anonymous, are part of a growing population of young people taking to social media platforms to access and propagate more liberal ideas. The pair, whose name combines the millennial term of endearment "bae" with the spicy Myanmar condiment balachaung, pepper their feed with pointed statements in between Kardashian-inspired memes. Men who insist their partners use emergency contraception so they do not need to wear a condom are one frequent target. Their critics accuse them of misandry, or hating men, but the two have also been surprised by the support received from their mostly Myanmar followers through private messages. "It really goes to show that Myanmar youth values tolerance and inclusivity," they say. Read also: Jakarta-based theater group to perform Latin American-inspired play in Bangkok Finding a voice But the role of women in society is still very much "stuck in the middle", says Su Mon Thaw, a brand manager for family planning organisation DKT International. The company's online ads for contraceptives have raised eyebrows for emphasizing the importance of consent and female pleasure in a country where even buying condoms can be considered shameful. The stigma of talking about sex means women often do not feel responsible for contraception, Su Mon Thaw says. "(Women) have to know more about their bodies and the (birth control) methods that they use. If they don't know and rely on men, they become more vulnerable." The rehearsing actors have an easy rapport with each other but many still laugh nervously as one delivers an impassioned speech demanding better treatment for her "angry vagina". Co-director Nandar equates the knowledge of your body to "taking your power back", and says she has seen her acting troope transform during the rehearsal process. Marketing associate Thu Zar Lwin says she does not identify as a feminist because the word is "too big". But she is opening the show along with two other actors by reeling off various Myanmar names for vagina. "I've never said those words to others in public, let alone on stage," the softly-spoken 28-year-old says. "But I've found someone inside me that is not a silent woman and I just want to express myself." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Straits Times/Asia News Network) Mumbai Tue, March 5, 2019 21:06 1008 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80ae701 2 People Priyanka-Chopra,UN-goodwill-ambassador,petition Free Netizens have declared war on Indian superstar Priyanka Chopra. The actress, who was appointed a United Nations goodwill ambassador in 2016, has been attacked for posting her support of an Indian Air Force bombing of suspected terrorist sites in Pakistan last month. Read also: Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas celebrate wedding at New Delhi reception The netizens have launched an online petition calling on the UN to remove Chopra, 36, from ambassadorial duties, which included visiting camps in Bangladesh housing Rohingya refugees last year. The petition states: "Someone as influential as Priyanka Chopra, who has a massive following globally, must know how war is never the solution. "War destroys the life of innocent people on both sides of the border and must be condemned at any cost. Considering her role as the ambassador of child rights and education for girls, Chopra needs to learn a lesson on how devastating the impact of war can be, especially for children. "She must realise the significance of the position she holds and United Nations must take back her ambassadorship since she is neither an ambassador of goodwill nor peace." The petition had drawn more than 90,000 signatures, as of Monday (March 4). Topics : This article appeared on The Straits Times newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Pascale Trouillaud (Agence France-Presse) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Wed, March 6, 2019 05:06 1008 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80b17ea 2 Art & Culture Brazil,carnival,Rio-de-Janeiro,Sambadrome Free Rio was gearing up Monday for the second and final night of its celebrated carnival, with the stage set for an event that will blend huge party with political protest. More than 70,000 people were getting ready to sing at the top of their voices as the seven final samba schools paraded through the city's Sambadrome, the huge concrete arena built by legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemayer. The night before, another seven of the city's competing samba schools -- a mixture of trained dancers and enthusiastic neighborhood locals -- had staged their own colorful parade, in costumes and with giant decorated floats. The first school of 2,500 dancers and musicians were due to samba their way past the crowds and the judges at 9:15 pm, with the last school strutting their stuff down the 700 meter (yard) strip close to dawn. As they do every year, Brazilians briefly forget their woes during the world's biggest party, including the economic crisis, bitter political divisions, massive corruption scandals and a sky-high murder rate. The fiesta serves as a cathartic coming together for the city, reflecting the joy, suffering and dreams of its denizens. "It's another way of crying. And protesting: we are alive!" said an editorial in the daily O Globo on Monday. The city had been battered by torrential summer rains in the hours leading up to the start of the parade on Sunday, but the skies cleared, as if by magic, just as the first samba school sashayed into the spotlight. And the magic of the parade has not dried up either in the first carnival to be staged under the new far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. Sunday saw a display of spectacular floats featuring giant flamboyant birds, slave ships, the Roman colosseum and of course scantily clad dancers in exotic headdresses throbbing to the deafening beat of drum bands. Read also: Revelers across Europe get into the carnival spirit Criticism and satire But once again the carnival served as canvas for political messages, sending up the "circus" of the political capital Brasilia or condemning widespread corruption and a growing intolerance towards the black and LGBT communities. Those messages appeared to be directed pointedly at Bolsonaro, notorious before the election for race-baiting, sexist and homophobic comments. The parade Monday night was due to continue that satirical theme. The Mangueira school was expected to cause a stir with its promised theme of popular heroes from Brazilian history who do not feature in school textbooks, mostly from the traditionally neglected black and indigenous communities. The highlight of that parade is to be a homage to Marielle Franco, a black city councilor and human rights activist from one of the city's poor favela neighborhoods was assassinated last year. Another highly anticipated display was from the Portela school, which holds a record 22 carnival wins and which partnered French fashion guru Jean-Paul Gaultier to design its dancers' costumes. Portela was to celebrate the memory of Clara Nunes, an icon of the 1970s samba scene and the first artist to defend the rights of Brazil's African-Brazilian religions. Read also: 2019 Jember Fashion Carnival to involve more than 6,000 participants Budget cuts The show will also celebrate the resilience of the sambas schools themselves, whose subsidies from the city have been reduced since Marcelo Crivella, a former Evangelical pastor, became mayor in 2017. The carnival has also tamped down its traditional feel of debauchery, which normally draws around 1.5 million visitors to the "Marvelous City", including foreign tourists with their much-needed cash. But for Jairo Machado, a dancer with the Beija-Flor samba school, it would take more than budget cuts or torrential rain to dampen the legendary party-goers' enthusiasm. "Despite the weak investment by the city, the schools have overcome all that, they have managed to throw a good carnival," he told AFP. The judges are to announce the winner of the samba contest on Wednesday, their decision based on three criteria: the inventiveness of the carnival floats, the theme of parade, and the quality of the dancing in the sambadrome. For the schools, that means months of work to makes the costumes, build the floats and rehearse their dance steps and learn their songs, making winning a huge prize for a school and its local community. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 19:25 1008 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80a9b59 1 Art & Culture Iyok-Suntari,Studio-Batu,Galeri-Indonesia-Kaya,Ruang-Kreatif,performing-arts Free Installation artist Iyok Suntari, though in deep sorrow, tried to keep his memories of his departed lover alive after the young women was killed in a shocking airplane crash. Iyok, who first met the woman at an orchestral concert, planned to manifest his love, grief and longing for his lover through videos shown on two old television sets, while a self-written poem was recited in the background. However, before he could showcase the artwork, Iyok died after suffering severe stomach inflammation. Iyoks story, from his first encounter with his lover to their tragic separation, was told through a shadow puppet and video mapping show titled While Youre Away on Sunday at Galeri Indonesia Kaya at the Grand Indonesia Mall, Central Jakarta, by performing arts newcomer, Studio Batu. Despite its newbie status, Studio Batu has attracted the limelight with its 12-minute short film Prenjak/In The Year Of Monkey, directed by young director Wregas Bhanutedja, which won the Cannes Film Festivals Leica Cine Discovery prize an award from the Critics' Week category that acknowledges new talents in short film. Read also: 'Broadway' training in Jakarta offers shortcut to fame Prior to Sundays performance, the Yogyakarta-based multidiscipline group was mentored by prominent figures in performing arts such as Teater Komas Tinton Prianggoro, award-winning director Garin Nugroho, dancer and choreographer Eko Supriyanto, composer and theater director Djaduk Ferianto and Teater Koma production head and actress Ratna Riantiarno. Iyok and his story are fictional, Studio Batus director Wulang Sunu told The Jakarta Post after the show. As youngsters, we reflected on the sense that most of the time we feel distanced from our memories of the past. Thus, we thought of alternative ways of preserving memories, said the 27-year-old artist. While the story may be fictional, he emphasized that the airplane crash was inspired by and intended to honor the memories of a friends father, who was killed in a Garuda Indonesia plane crash in 1997. Tinton, who had mentored the group twice prior to the show, praised Studio Batu, describing the group as a promising artistic team. Studio Batu has its own appeal in the way it stages its shows. Its creative ideas for making original art and adapting traditional shadow puppetry make it distinctive from other groups, said Tinton. Studio Batu was among the 14 artistic groups chosen to participate in the Ruang Kreatif program, a performing arts initiative created by the Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation and the Garin Workshop. (mut) Victims and family members of victims of the 1989 Talangsari incident in Central Lampung attend a meeting with representatives of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in Jakarta on Monday. They rejected a reconciliation process initiated by the Law and Human Rights Ministry, arguing that the victims and families of victims had thus far not been involved in the process. They also demanded that the case be tried at an ad hoc human rights court.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)(Komnas HAM) in Jakarta on Monday. They rejected a reconciliation process initiated by the Law and Human Rights Ministry, arguing that the victims and families of victims had thus far not been involved in the process. They also demanded that the case be tried at an ad hoc human rights court.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan) Revita Lubis (left), deputy chairperson of Strong Women Choose Jokowi (Pertiwi), stands alongside members of the group while accompanying voters who are processing the A5 form required to vote outside the constituency, at the Medan General Elections Commission (KPU Medan) regional office in Medan, North Sumatra, on Monday. KPU Medan and KPU North Sumatra addressed a recent viral video that appears to show that a vote had already been cast for the President Joko Jokowi Widodo-Maruf Amin pair, saying it was a hoax.(JP/Nurni Sulaiman)(left), deputy chairperson of Strong Women Choose Jokowi (Pertiwi), stands alongside members of the group while accompanying voters who are processing the A5 form required to vote outside the constituency, at the Medan General Elections Commission (KPU Medan) regional office in Medan, North Sumatra, on Monday. KPU Medan and KPU North Sumatra addressed a recent viral video that appears to show that a vote had already been cast for the President Joko Jokowi Widodo-Maruf Amin pair, saying it was a hoax.(JP/Nurni Sulaiman) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) San Salvador, El Salvador Tue, March 5, 2019 15:33 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80a129d 2 World #El-Salvador,#sexualabuse,judge,removed,sexual-abuse,Supreme-Court Free El Salvador's Congress voted on Monday night to temporarily remove a Supreme Court judge from his post pending a trial, after he was accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl. Lawmakers also voted to strip Judge Eduardo Jaime Escalante Diaz, 51, of his immunity against prosecution in a nearly unanimous vote of the 84-member Congress. "An important precedent is being set to prevent this type of event from repeating, especially with regard to officials with such a high position," said Patricia Valdivieso, a lawmaker with the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). Escalante Diaz, who has served for more than two decades on the 14-member court, is accused of fondling the girl on Feb. 18, and then fleeing after he was surprised by neighbors and the girl's mother. The judge did not speak on his own behalf during the congressional session on Monday, and his lawyer, Ana Concepcion Urias, would only say that he did not object to the process. If convicted Escalante Diaz faces a potential prison sentence of between eight to 12 years. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 15:54 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80a1ed3 1 Business LNG-export,BP,Singapore,government,approval,Djoko-Siswanto Free The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has approved United Kingdom-based oil giant BPs proposal to export 84 cargo loads of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Singapore from its Tangguh LNG project in West Papua starting next year. The ministrys oil and gas director general, Djoko Siswanto, told the press on Tuesday that Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan had approved the proposal last Friday. [The LNG deal with Singapore] was the result of BPs auction. [] The gas price is good, he said. The LNG supply comes from Train 3, one of BPs Tangguh facilities. Tangguh LNG is a unitized development of six gas fields located in the Wiriagar, Berau and Muturi Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) in Bintuni Bay, West Papua. Djoko added that four cargo loads would be exported next year and 16 annually the following year until 2025. The [LNG] price is agreed at 12.33 percent from the Japan Crude Cocktail [JCC], he said referring to the average crude oil import price into Japan. Exporting LNG is not something new for Indonesia as the country used to be the worlds top LNG exporter. In 2017, it was among the top five LNG exporters. Indonesia exports LNG to Japan, Taiwan and China, as well as pipelining it from Sumatra and Natuna to Singapore and Malaysia. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Tanjung, North Sumatra Tue, March 5, 2019 14:50 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee809f918 1 Business Indonesia,Jokowi,seaport,Kuala-Tanjung,Medan,Batubara-regency,export-import,North-Sumatra,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,Budi-Karya-Sumadi,Wan-Hai,Shanghai Free Kuala Tanjung Port in Batubara regency, North Sumatra, which is touted to be Indonesias largest port next to the country's main gateway, Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta, is to soon be in full operation. President Joko Jokowi Widodo is planning to soon inaugurate the new port, which is to serve as an international hub for the western areas of the archipelago and is expected to help boost the region's export activities and tourism industry. Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the port, which is already in use, was ready for official inauguration. "The Kuala Tanjung Port has begun operations. The President will hopefully inaugurate the port in two or three weeks from now after we fix some problems at the port," Luhut told reporters during his visit to the port last week. Luhut said the Kuala Tanjung port was expected to reduce logistic costs, which in turn would decrease commodity prices by 35 to 55 percent. He also expressed hope that the port would boost North Sumatra's tourism sector. Despite acknowledging there was insufficient tourism infrastructure, he said cruise ships could now drop anchor at the port. "The depth of the water at the port is about 16 to 17 meters mean low water spring, meaning that big ships, including cruise ships with 3,000 to 5,000 passengers, can now moor there," Luhut said, adding that he had asked Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi to optimize the development of the Kuala Tanjung Port's tourism potential. A number of cruise ships dropped anchor at the Kuala Tanjung Port last year, bringing in tourists from Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. Aside from visiting Southeast Asia's largest lake, Lake Toba, the foreign tourists also visited tourist attractions in Medan, the capital of the North Sumatra province, which had 231,465 foreign tourist arrivals last year. In terms of export activities, a Taipei-based Wan Hai Line vessel weighing 50,000 gross tons had moored twice at the port to transport products from the region to China. It was the largest ship to have docked at any seaport on Sumatra. The Wan Hai 507 vessel, with a capacity of 4,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), moored for the first time at the Kuala Tanjung Multipurpose Terminal on Dec. 27 last year to transport 205 TEUs of crude palm oil derivative products. The vessel, with a length overall of 268 meters, moored for the second time at the port on Feb. 14 to transport 261 TEUs of similar products. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the Kuala Tanjung Port would help reduce the length of time to move shipments. Shipping goods from Sumatra through Kuala Tanjung to Shanghai in China, for example, could now take eight days, as compared to the 12 days needed from the nearby Belawan Port. State-owned port company Pelindo 1's operational and commercial director, Syahputera Sembiring, said the port, which had a terminal with a capacity of 600,000 TEUs, was equipped with modern infrastructure, including an integrated information technology system. We have facilitated the multipurpose terminal with electric cranes, each with a capacity to lift containers of up to 45 feet," he said. He said facilities with advanced technology at the terminal would ease the loading and unloading of goods. The facilities include three ship-to-shore cranes, eight automated rubber-tired gantry cranes, two mobile harbor cranes, 21 truck terminals and terminals for containers and dry bulk goods. The multipurpose terminal has a 30,000-square-meter dock, a 2.8-kilometer trestle for four truck lanes with a width of 18.5 meters and four lines of 8-inch pipe racks. "We expect the Kuala Tanjung Port to boost North Sumatra's economy and lower logistics costs," Syahputera said. (ars) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Tue, March 5, 2019 20:28 1008 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80ad0a3 1 National billy-sindoro,Lippo-group,Meikarta,Bekasi-regency Free A panel of judges with the Bandung Corruption Court in West Java sentenced Lippo Group executive Billy Sindoro to three-and-a-half years of imprisonment on Tuesday after he was found guilty in a bribery case related to the Meikarta property megaproject. Apart from the prison sentence, the bench also ordered Billy to pay a fine of Rp 100 million (US$7,078) or serve an additional two months behind bars in default, presiding judge Judijanto Hadi Laksana read the verdict during the hearing. The sentence was lighter than the demand made by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors of five years in prison and a fine of Rp 200 million. Billy told the panel of judges he would think before filing an appeal against the ruling. We will also discuss it before deciding whether to file an appeal, KPK prosecutor I Wayan Riana told journalists after the hearing. According to the indictment, the Lippo conglomerate ordered Billy to handle the permits for the Meikarta township megaproject on 438 hectares of land in Cibatu, South Cikarang, Bekasi. The plan included, among other things, apartment buildings, a shopping mall and a hospital. Billy gave Bekasi regent Neneng Hasanah Yasin a total of Rp 16 billion and S$270,000 and more money to other officials in the administration. Apart from Billy, the court also found three other Lippo employees and consultants -- Henry Jasmen P. Sitohang, Fitradjadja Purnama and Taryudi -- guilty in the case. Judges sentenced Henry to three years behind bars, while giving 1.5-year prison sentences to Fitradjadja and Taryudi. (kuk) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 13:41 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee809cbad 1 National #Indonesia,#election,Malaysia,Middle-East,citizens,registration,elections,East-Java Free The Madiun Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) in East Java has found three foreign citizens, one Malaysian and two from Middle East countries, registered for the 2019 election in the city, allegedly because of an error made by General Elections Commission (KPU) officers. Of 35 foreigners living in this city, 27 already have identity cards. We then check into the KPU to find out three of them had been included on the final voter list [DPT], Bawaslu Madiun head Kokok Heru Purwoko said on Monday. He said he suspected that some KPU officers did not know that foreigners possessed no voting rights. Bawaslu advised the KPU to delete the foreigners' names from the list immediately, as reported by kompas.com. A similar discovery was made previously in Cianjur, West Java, where a Chinese citizen appeared on the DPT. The head of the West Java Population and Civil Registration Agency, Heri Suherman, explained that a foreign citizen could have an identity card, called a permanent resident card, similar to that of an Indonesian citizen. Both cards have 16-digit numbers that appear similar. Only the nationality section differs between a foreign permanent resident card and an Indonesian citizens identity card. (vny) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 23:00 1008 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80afd86 1 Business mining,mining-companies,mining-exploration,coal,nickel,Regulations Free A group of top executives of foreign and local mining firms gathered at a forum held in a five-star hotel at the heart of Jakarta recently, expressing their wishes that the government should do more to help their industry as several problems were left unsolved. Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arcandra Tahar gave an opening speech at the forum, saying that he was open for comments about any problems. However, the CEOs only conveyed their comments after Arcandra left the building. They mentioned three main hurdles in the mining industry right now: a lack of government attention to mining exploration, regulatory uncertainty and unfair fiscal treatment in terms of royalties for their commodities. Each year, the government earmarks state funding for mining exploration in the budget of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministrys Geology Agency. However, data from the Indonesian Geologists Association (IAGI) show that the country saw a drop in the amount of overall expenditure for exploration of mineral commodities, such as gold and copper. The number was recorded at US$113 million in 2015, far lower than $497 million in 2012. We dont have a big budget [for exploration from the government] [] we have to start discussing with the government to ask for an increase, not only rely on the company [budget], said Frans Kesuma, president director of local mining contractor firm PT Pama Persada. Coal is loaded into a haul truck at a coal mine in South Sumatra. (Shutterstock/Manggarr) Frans suggested that mining companies immediately discuss the issue with the government as relying mainly on the private sector for exploration was not sustainable, especially when a downturn hit the industry. If we only rely on [better] commodity prices [to pay for exploration activities], the budget surely will increase when the prices rise, but when the prices are down, the budget will automatically decrease as well, he said. Boosting exploration in the mining sector is important to ensure adequate reserves in the future. Government data show that Indonesias coal reserves, which stood at 26.2 billion tons as of March 2018, will deplete in about 50 years from now, assuming there is no new discovery of a reservoir. Coal is expected to be the main energy source for Indonesia for over 30 years from now as the commodity will still be contributing more than 20 percent to the national energy mix. Beyond coal, Indonesia still has big untapped resources of other minerals, such as nickel ore laterite, which will be an integral part in batteries for electric vehicles. The country had around 6.5 billion tons of reserves of the commodity in 2017. Ratih Amri, executive director of mining think tank Mineral and Mining Industry Institute (MMII), acknowledged that research and development (R&D) was important for exploration activities, saying that the government was preparing an incentive to support that. I heard that there is a [proposed] presidential regulation on incentives for vocational training and R&D activities. And it could be followed with a ministerial regulation, like tax deductions for any money you [private mining companies] spend on R&D, she told the audience at the forum. MMII is working under state mining holding company PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum), which officially became a major shareholder of gold and copper miner Freeport Indonesia in December 2018. Heavy equipment and trucks pass through a coal mine in East Kalimantan. (Antara/Wahyu Putro A) Exploration activities in mining remained few compared to other energy sectors, such as oil and gas, due to a number of problems and high level of complexity, said Fahmy Radhi, an energy and economic observer at Gadjah Mada University. There are three key barriers that still hamper investment for exploration in the mining sector, namely declining mining resources, regulatory hassle and resistance from environmentalists, he told The Jakarta Post recently on a separate occasion. The government said earlier this year that the investment target for the mineral and coal sector for 2019 was around $6 billion, relatively flat compared to a year earlier. It will also highly depend on the success of mining auctions, which will involve at least 14 mining sites. Regarding the issue of regulatory uncertainty, executives of mining companies said they often had to deal with problems surrounding forestry-related permits. Publicly listed miner Bumi Resources Minerals, for example, has always struggled when dealing with forestry-related permits. Its director Suseno Kramadibrata likened the process to struggles of blood, sweat and tears. Workers monitor a mining area of nickel producer PT Vale Indonesia. (KONTAN/Cheppy A Muchlis) As for fiscal treatment, Vale Indonesia president director Nicolas Kanter criticized the structure of royalties paid by his company for processed nickel and nickel ore. He argued that nickel miners such as his company were not treated fairly, and that the policy betrayed the governments mission to develop the downstream industry in the mineral sector. Nicolas hinted that setting a lower royalty rate for nickel ores compared to processed ones would not help create added value for the commodity. Government Regulation No. 9/2012 on types and tariffs for non-tax revenues under the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry stipulates that each sale of nickel ore per ton is subject to 5 percent in royalties. Each ton of processed nickel, namely nickel matte and ferro nickel, is subject to 4 percent in royalties from each sale, only 1 percent lower than the rate for ores or unprocessed nickels. After a previous renegotiation with the government, Vale Indonesia is required to pay 2 percent in royalties. Based on the negotiation [with the government], we only pay 2 percent [for processed nickels], while for the ores, we pay 5 percent. So, does our country really encourage the [creation] of value-added [products]? Another blow for processed nickel occurred in 2017, when the government decided to scrap the ban on ore exports, including nickel ore. The ban was previously implemented to protect the products of mineral downstream industries. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 12:33 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee809acf1 1 Business payment-service-providers,e-payment,digital-payment,state-owned-banks,competitions Free A new state-owned e-payment platform, LinkAja, has begun the second phase of its transformation into a stronger third bloc in Indonesias essentially duopolistic e-payment environment, which is now dominated by Go-Pay and OVO. The transformation would allow state-owned lenders Bank Mandiri, BRI and BNI to transfer millions of users from their respective e-payment platforms (E-cash, T-Bank and UnikQu) into LinkAjas system, consolidating them into a single state e-wallet. This is in line with the governments National Non-Cash Movement [GNNT] because LinkAjas aim is to complement Indonesias digital payment ecosystem, said Danu Wicaksana, director of PT Finarya, which owns LinkAja. He was referring to Bank Indonesias move to provide financial inclusion to the two-thirds of Indonesian adults who do not have bank accounts. Danu said he was barred from revealing the finer details of LinkAjas competitive features before the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry does. However, publicly available information shows that the first phase of the state e-wallets transformation began on Feb. 22, when more than 25 million users of the T-cash e-wallet, owned by mobile operator Telkomsel, migrated into LinkAjas system. The mass exodus crashed LinkAjas system and customers took to Twitter to vent their frustrations, forcing the company to postpone any new migrations until the following week of Feb. 27. This second phase may involve at least 5.2 million users migrating into LinkAjas system, which would bump up its user base to 30.2 million. In comparison, Lippo Group-backed OVO claims to serve more than 60 million middle-class users, while Go-Pay claims 115 million users based on Go-Jek application downloads. Nevertheless, LinkAjas second migration appears to be going smoother as the system has yet to crash despite tweets complaining about blocked accounts and un-migrated funds. As Danu mentioned, LinkAjas official purpose is to improve financial inclusion, but it has yet to offer a major differentiation in services compared to Go-Pay and OVO. The state-owned e-wallet, which does not require users to have bank accounts, allows top-ups to a maximum of Rp 10 million (US$708), cashless payments, interbank transfers and cash withdrawals. LinkAja, thus far, only charges fees for top-ups, cash withdrawals and interbank transfers. It does not charge for payments. Perhaps LinkAjas most unique offering is a little, red near-field communication (NFC) sticker that users are able to attach to their phones, allowing slightly faster transactions than QR codes, which are championed by both Go-Pay and OVO. Instead, LinkAja is part of the state-owned banks reaction to rising concern that independent fintech companies may disrupt their bottom lines, similar to how AliPay and WeChat Pay loosened the control of Chinas state lenders over transactions. These Indonesian e-wallets are competing for pieces of a pie that is poised to grow 16-fold from $1.5 billion in 2018 to $25 billion by 2023, according to a recently published Redseer report. The report also says that Go-Pay has the greatest market share, followed by OVO and then by T-Cash. OVO director Harianto Gunawan told The Jakarta Post that his companys competitive edge was its adaptability, which allows OVO to be integrated into the systems of other companies such as the Grab ride-hailing company and the Tokopedia e-marketplace. We support digital payments for several industries including transportation, retail and e-commerce and various SMEs [small and medium enterprises] in more than 300 cities in Indonesia, all within less than two years, he said. Meanwhile, Go-Pay spokesperson Winny Triswandhani said her companys competitive edge was its investments in educating Indonesian consumers about moving to a cashless economy, especially those from lower income brackets. Go-Pays cashless promotion programs include its captive Go-Food Festival, whereby consumers can only purchase items using Go-Pay, and its Go-Food Wirausaha entrepreneurship program, whereby entrepreneurs are coaxed into using Go-Pay. Furthermore, Go-Jek claims partnerships with more than 320,000 SMEs, while OVO claims 180,000 and T-cash claims 52,000. Despite their higher market shares, the two private e-wallets are also notorious for burning through tens of millions of dollars in nationwide cashback programs since last year to secure leading positions. Observers frequently criticize this money burning market penetration strategy as both artificial and unsustainable. Nevertheless, LinkAja has thus far adopted a similar strategy by offering a maximum of Rp 10,000 in cash back per transaction, which is lower than Go-Pays maximum of Rp 20,000 and OVOs Rp 60,000. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 16:57 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80a4d9c 4 Business rupiah,US-dollar,trade-war Free The rupiah exchange rate stood at 14,146 per United States dollar on Tuesday, a slight strengthening after it had been weakening over the five previous days, according to the Jakarta interbank spot dollar rate (JISDOR). JISDOR shows that the currency was quoted at 14,149 per US dollar on Monday, 14,111 per US dollar on Friday, 14,062 per US dollar on Feb 28, Rp 14,004 per US dollar on Feb 27 and Rp 13,990 per US dollar on Feb 26. However, according to the foreign exchange spot market, the rupiah was quoted at 14,144 per US dollar at 11:57 a.m. on Tuesday, 0.1 percent lower than its position on Monday evening. Asia Trade Point Futures analyst Deddy Yusuf Siregar said market players still considered the US dollar to be a safe haven for their assets although there was optimism over the end of the trade war between China and the United States. Most of them are still waiting for the certainty in late March when President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, Deddy said as quoted by kontan.co.id on Tuesday, adding that the cut of Chinas economic growth target to 6 percent also triggered further doubt among market players. He said the US dollar was still in a strong position, supported by a statement made by Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, who opened the possibility of introducing a hawkish policy and the dovish policies of several major central banks such as Bank of England and Bank of Japan. On the other hand, the price decrease of several Indonesian commodities, including crude palm oil (CPO) was considered as a negative sentiment against the rupiah, Deddy said, adding that he had not seen any positive sentiment for the rupiah in the near future. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia Tue, March 5, 2019 09:49 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee808c015 2 World #Australia,#Immigration,death,Sydney,immigration,detention-center Free A man has died at a Sydney immigration remand centre, the second death in less than two months, raising concerns about conditions in Australia's onshore detention network. The man was believed to be an Iraqi asylum-seeker who took his own life at the Villawood Immigration Detention Center late Monday, refugee advocate Ian Rintoul told AFP. Australian immigration officials confirmed his death Tuesday but did not release further details, saying only that the matter was under investigation by government agencies and the state coroner. "People (inside Villawood) said he had been quite depressed and hadn't been coming out of his room," Rintoul said of the detainee. The latest death came six weeks after a male detainee, reportedly from Sierra Leone, died at Villawood. Rintoul said he was also an asylum-seeker and was believed to have committed suicide. Australia has a mandatory detention policy for illegal immigrants, including for minor offences like visa overstays. Human rights groups have warned about self-harm at Australia's onshore and offshore remand centres, saying detainees were struggling with mental health issues amid long detention times that could last for years. Government officials last month denied there was a hunger strike across the onshore remand centre network over conditions at the facilities, adding that detainees were given quality food, medical care and activities. Canberra has tightened its visa rules in recent years, requiring foreign nationals be sent home if they have served a jail term of 12 months or more. The foreign nationals are held in migration centres such as Villawood before being deported. Australia also runs an offshore detention camp on the remote Pacific island of Nauru to hold asylum-seekers who have tried to reach the country by boat. Another camp on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island has been shuttered, although hundreds of asylum-seekers and refugees remain in transition centres. Sinar Mas Land Group CEO Michael Widjaja (left) shakes hands with Grab Group CEO and founder Anthony Tan (right) as Grab Indonesia president Ridzki Kramadibrata looks on after signing an agreement at BSD City, Tangerang, Banten, on Monday. Sinar Mas Land and Grab will develop digital infrastructure to strengthen BSD City as the first smart digital city in Indonesia. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)(left) shakes hands with Grab Group CEO and founder Anthony Tan (right) as Grab Indonesia president Ridzki Kramadibrata looks on after signing an agreement at BSD City, Tangerang, Banten, on Monday. Sinar Mas Land and Grab will develop digital infrastructure to strengthen BSD City as the first smart digital city in Indonesia. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu Tue, March 5, 2019 16:07 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80a3a36 1 National terrorism,MIT,poso,police,shoot-on-site Free Central Sulawesi police chief Brig. Gen. Lukman Wahyu Hariyanto has confirmed the killing of one suspected member and the arrest of another suspected member of the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) in Poso regency after an armed conflict with security forces broke out on Sunday around 5 p.m. local time. Yes, we have received information that one was killed and another one was arrested alive. One firearm was also seized, Lukman said. He said the two suspected terrorists had previously been identified in relation to another case and were being sought by the police. The armed conflict between MIT fighters and the Indonesian Armys Special Forces' (Kopassus) Operation Tinombala Task Force occurred at a plantation on the south shore of Poso. Prior to the shootout, the Kopassus task force led by Maj. Aryudha received information from locals that five MIT fighters were resting in a plantation around midday. He said the police had taken the deceased suspect to the Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Palu. The apprehended suspect is currently being questioned. We are continuing to search for other terrorism suspects, he added. (das) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 16:20 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee80a47f1 1 City electrocution,North-Jakarta,students,teacher Free Two students and a teacher of SMP At-Taufiq junior high school in Semper Timur, North Jakarta, were electrocuted by an electric current surging through the gate of a house in front of the school on Tuesday morning. One of the students died. The head of neighborhood unit (RT) 007, community unit (RW) 07, Wahyu Iskandar, said the accident occurred when the victim, Rafli, touched the gate. It was raining and flooding. Some witnesses said they saw the kids joking around when one of them touched the gate. They didnt know it contained an electric current, Wahyu said as quoted by kompas.com. After Rafli was electrocuted, his friend, Heru, tried to help but was electrocuted too. Soon after that, a teacher, Cheffi, came to help and the same thing happened, Wahyu said. Realizing that they were all electrocuted, residents who witnessed the incident then tried to help in a different way, he said, noting that some immediately turned off the power. Rafli, who had lost consciousness, was rushed to Cilincing Hospital but died shortly after he arrived. Cheffi and Heru are receiving medical treatment at the same hospital. (vla) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Tue, March 5, 2019 08:24 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8088fad 2 World #USA,#politics,Democrat,demand,DonaldTrump,Vladimir-Putin,talks,Russia-scandal Free Senior US Democrats on Monday demanded the White House provide details of communications between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, after reports that such information was destroyed or hidden. The chairmen of three US House committees -- on intelligence, foreign affairs, and oversight -- said they are seeking information about the substance of the leaders' conversations, any notes or documents related to the talks, and whether Trump or anyone acting on his behalf concealed or misrepresented the substance of the communications. In their letter to White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, the Democratic trio warned that destruction, manipulation or withholding of such documents would be "in direct contravention of federal laws," which require that presidents and other officials preserve such materials. "According to media reports, President Trump, on multiple occasions, appears to have taken steps to conceal the details of his communications with President Putin from other administration officials, Congress, and the American people," committee chairmen Adam Schiff, Elliot Engel and Elijah Cummings wrote in a statement. Trump fueled suspicions last year about his ties with Russia when, in a sharp break with standard diplomatic practice, he dismissed top aides for two hours of talks with Putin during their first formal summit, in Helsinki. Only one American remained in the room at that encounter -- Marina Gross, an interpreter provided by the State Department. House Democrats last year unsuccessfully sought to force Gross to testify about the summit, saying Trump's extraordinary actions required extraordinary measures in turn. The three chairmen on Monday cited reports that Trump "seized notes pertaining to at least one meeting he held with President Putin" and directed an interpreter to not discuss with other US officials the substance of the communications. They are requiring all documents related to the communications be provided by March 15. Democrats seized control of the US House in early January. On February 21, the three chairmen wrote Mulvaney, requesting "basic information" about whether Trump destroyed records, and if not, where those records are. "The White House failed to provide any response to our inquiry. As a result, we are now expanding our investigation." There is no guarantee that the congressional requests for documents will be met. Last year, the administration withheld thousands of documents related to Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who had previously worked in the White House. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Wed, March 6 2019 Simon Birmingham (Courtesy Of Australian Embassy) Indonesia and Australia inked the long awaited Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) in Jakarta on Monday. Australias Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Simon Birmingham talked to Kompas and The Jakarta Posts Dian Septiari about the significance of the agreement. The following are excerpts of the interview. Question: How will Indonesia-Australia relations develop after the CEPA signing? to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Brussels, Belgium Wed, March 6 2019 Antoinette Chahine, a former death row prisoner from Lebanon, remembers with dread being wrongly accused and later sentenced to death for a crime she says she never committed. Chahine was first arrested in March 1994 in connection with the assassination of a priest, for which the Lebanese Forces, a Christian militia banned by the government, was believed to be responsible. Authorities accused her of being a member of the group. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stephen Smith (The Jakarta Post) Perth, Australia Wed, March 6 2019 Two essential pillars underpin Australias prosperity: We are a great trading nation and an attractive place for foreign investment. Since the 1950s, our trade has expanded from wheat, wool and gold to include iron ore, liquefied natural gas, high tech manufactures and world class services. Our export markets now extend beyond the United Kingdom and Europe to Asia, in particular China, Japan and Korea. Foreign investment has also shifted beyond the UK. Our top ten list now includes the United States, Japan, China and Singapore. As Western Australia Treasurer Ben Wyatt pointed out in an erudite presentation to a Perth business breakfast last week, these shifts have coincided with the global economic center of gravity moving towards Australia. Between now and 2050, that global center will inexorably move south and west, even closer to Australia. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login TheJakartaPost Please Update your browser Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below. Just click on the icons to get to the download page. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Winny Tang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, March 6 2019 The rise of companies that provide Wi-Fi modem rental has become apparent in the past few years, supported by the increasing demand from Indonesian holidaymakers who perceive traveling abroad as part of their lifestyle. Tya, 26, a private employee, rented a Wi-Fi modem from PT Yelooo Integra Datanet (Passpod) for her trip to Japan. I only need to pay Rp 600,000 [US$4.26] for 10 days and I can share the modem with three of my friends. It was a lot cheaper than buying an international roaming package, she told The Jakarta Post recently. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 5, 2019 11:45 1009 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee8098de1 1 News AirAsia,traveloka,tiket-com Free AirAsia has withdrawn its tickets from Traveloka. The move follows an incident in which the low-cost airlines flights were unavailable on the sites of several online travel agents, namely Traveloka and Tiket.com. As a group, AirAsia has discontinued the sales of all of our tickets on Traveloka. Its based on our disappointment with them, Dendy Kurniawan, president director of AirAsia Indonesia, said in a press conference on March 4 in South Jakarta. In the meantime, AirAsia is still waiting for official clarification from Tiket.com. AirAsia flights were missing from Traveloka and Tiket.com from Feb. 14 to 17. At the time, Traveloka told tribunnews.com that it was due to the airlines system upgrades, while Tiket.com had remained silent on the matter. However, Rifai Taberi, AirAsia Indonesia commercial director, wrote on his Facebook account that it was not caused by AirAsias system. The flights then reappeared on Feb. 18, but have been missing for the second time since March 2 on both sites. Weve been patient enough waiting for Travelokas official explanation despite rumors that were spread at that time, said Dendy. If [they said] its because of the system come on, they shouldve anticipated it. They couldve contacted us directly. Dendy said he had received reports that Traveloka had not provided a clear explanation about the unavailability to their customers and that the online travel agent had not directed AirAsia customers to the airlines official website or app to book tickets. But they suggested that people choose other airlines that were available on their website. We perceive this as something that hurts our good business relations with them, said Dendy. Read also: AirAsia flight tickets reappear on Traveloka, Tiket.com after missing for days Dendy Kurniawan, president director of AirAsia Indonesia (right), poses with Rifai Taberi, AirAsia Indonesia commercial director (left), during press conference on March 4 in South Jakarta. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira) Dendy added that the withdrawal could have a short-term impact on the airlines. Perhaps [for] less than a month, he said. I believe our customers [will] check our website directly. Also present at the press conference, Rifai agreed with Dendys statement. Our sales in February were not affected by it at all, said Rifai, adding that his side had emailed Traveloka five times since Saturday afternoon but had not received a response. According to kompas.com, Busyra Oryza, public relations manager of Traveloka, said on Sunday that he had reached out to AirAsia through phone call and WhatsApp but received no response. He also added that he was checking with the agents internal teams on the matter. Rifai confirmed the statement, but said Traveloka had contacted AirAsia through phone communication. What we didnt get was professional communication [] but we already responded to them, he said. In a statement on Monday, Sufinitri Rahayu, public relations director for Traveloka, said the travel site highly prioritized continuous collaboration with all stakeholders and partners. Since last weekend, weve asked for time to talk with AirAsia to come up with the best solutions for both parties, Sufinitri said. Additionally, in February, Rifai once indicated an instruction forcing online travel agents to stop selling AirAsia tickets on his Facebook account, but Dendy said he did not want to make any speculation. Just let the relevant agencies investigate it. Were not going to cooperate with parties with the intention of unhealthy competition. Thats none of our business, Dendy said. The Jakarta Post asked Traveloka on Monday about the possibility of holding discussions with AirAsia anytime soon, however the agent did not offer a comment. (mut) J. Ranck Electric is hosting their fifth annual Skilled Trades Night to spark interest for several trade skills in the next generation. The event will take place at the J. Ranck Headquarters, located on Gover Parkway in Mt. Pleasant, bringing in students from across the state in order to show what opportunities there are in skilled trade work Wednesday night, according to a press release sent out by the company on Monday. The event will start with a company introduction and presentation of trades employment information at 6 p.m., the release states. Students will be able to walk around the stations set up in the warehouse roughly 45 minutes after. The company will have their electricians, mechanics and heavy equipment operators talk with students and allow for hands-on experience with those trades, according to the release. Some of the stations that the students will be able to go to includes a bucket truck station, a solar energy station and a mechanic shop station, according to J. Ranck Vice President and Human Resources Director Angie Wood. We want to show off all of the areas of our company in a safe, hands-on way, said. Its a lot of work and people put a lot of time into it, but the feedback that we get is what has us putting it on from year to year. The event has had varying numbers of attendees over the years, according to Wood. This year will have the biggest turnout they have ever had. Were up to about 175 parents and students in attendance this year, Wood said. This is definitely our biggest year. Although they have the maximum number of attendees this year, their promotion of the skilled trades is not limited to this event. Wood said the company goes to schools to promote skill trades. Not only do we promote the event, but we also promote skill trades in general, whether its working for us or another company in the industry, she said. We like to let them know about the opportunities. The event was started five years ago because the company saw that there was a gap within the skill trades, according to Wood. We saw that there is going to be a big group of people that will be retiring relatively soon, she said. We really need to build that pipeline for those careers. The field crews at J. Ranck are unionized by the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, who are promoting trade career opportunities. Woods said that the event is one of the ways that J. Ranck helps them from a contractor standpoint. The company has the Skilled Trades Night in their training room at the headquarters and expanded that room to accommodate the extra people who were attending the event, Woods said. In the first year, we had to cap off the attendance at 90, she said. Weve always had it (in the training room), but we had to double it after we saw the response from the community. Woods attributes the growing success of the event to the message that people received from the push for skill trade workers from the Michigan state government. One of those pushes was through the Marshall Plan for Talent, signed by Former Governor Rick Synder in June 2018. The plan is a $100 million investment by the State of Michigan to encourage students to look into pathways into high demand, high wage careers, including electricians and mechanics, among several others. This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? American trapped between rocks while fishing rescued near Promthep Cape PHUKET: An American tourist fishing from rocks near Promthep Cape, at the southern end of Phuket, was safely recovered yesterday (Feb 4) after he slipped and broke his arm, and became stuck in a gap in the rocks while the tide was rising. tourismSafety By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 5 March 2019, 11:59AM American tourist Richard Schroeder after being safely recovered from being trapped in a gap in the rocks. Photo: Rawai-DDPM Rescue officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office at Rawai Municipality (DDPM-Rawai) were notified of the incident at 3:30pm. DDPM-Rawai Chief Teerapong Taodang said that the alarm was raised by other tourists in the area who were unable to bring the tourist, Richard John Schroeder, 60, from Santa Barbara, California, to safety. Mr Schroeder had fallen into a gap about two to three metres deep, Mr Teerapong explained. He could not climb out of the gap in the rocks by himself and he was nearly covered by the rising tide, he said. The incident happened on rocks on the east side of Promthep Cape, near the small Buddhist temple. (See map below.) As where Mr Richard was on the rocks, we could not carry him up (to safety), so we sent officers in a rubber boat to recover him, Mr Teerapong explained. Mr Schroeder was taken to Yanui Beach and provided first aid before being taken to the Accident and Emergency Department of the yet-to-be-open Chalong Hospital for further treatment. Mr Teerapong warned people against fishing on the rocks where Mr Schroeder was recovered. The rocks are dangerous and we have many incidents of people falling down and hurting themselves there each year, he said. We have a sign there warning people that the rocks are slippery and dangerous, but still people climb onto those rocks, he added. Phuket Water Authority to propose water rations as water-saving option PHUKET: Water rations will be among the options presented to the Phuket Governor soon, Graisorn Mahamad, Chief Provincial Waterworks Authority, told The Phuket News today (Mar 5). natural-resourcesenvironmenttourism By The Phuket News Tuesday 5 March 2019, 05:32PM The move to present possible water-ration plans follows Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Sunday calling for government agencies across the country to take steps to mitigate any drought situations. Image: PR Dept Region 5 The news comes as a flurry of scattered rainshowers fell across the island early this afternoon, bringing some reprieve to the long spell of dry weather that has befallen Phuket in the past month. We just held an internal office meeting yesterday morning (Mar 4) after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gave his nationwide order (regarding drought measures) yesterday, Mr Graisorn said We are thinking about water rationing by reduce the water released from Bang Wad reservoir, but the detailed plan will first be presented to Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana (before any action is taken), he added. I am not sure when I will meet with Phuket Governor Phakaphong, but it will be soon, Mr Graison said. However, when called by The Phuket News today, Mr Graison said he was unable to confirm when the plan will be presented to the Governor or even reveal more details of the plan to be presented. Somsawat Chaisinsod, Director of Phuket Provincial Irrigation Office, told The Phuket News that he submitted a report to Governor Phakaphong last Thursday, detailing the water reserves in store at Phukets three main reservoirs Bang Wad in Kathu, Bang Neow in Srisoonthorn and Khlong Kratha in Chalong. The water level report submitted last week was the regular monthly report, not a special report, Mr Somsawat stressed. Bang Wad reservoir currently contains some 3.8 million cubic meters of its 10mn-plus m3 capacity, Mr Somsawat confirmed. Bang Neow Dum contains about 1.74mn m3 of water, and the Khlong Kratha reservoir in Chalong currently contains about 1.38mn m3 of water of its 4.2mn m3 capacity, he said. Right now must figure out the water situation with the Phuket Governor along with other officials soon as possible. I need everyone to work together, not just Phuket Provincial Irrigation Office, he said. At normal consumption rates we have enough water to last until the end of April, but no longer after that, Mr Somsawat confirmed to The Phuket News. I requested that the Governor call together all the heads of the local councils so we can come up with a co-ordinated strategy to conserve as much water as we can (without undue hardship), he said. I also asked for all local administrations to locate and make available any local water sources in their respective areas in order to supplement our water supply, he said. Mr Somsawat said that there were 109 private water sources across the island that could be used. These together can provide about 20mn m3 of water in total, he said. Meanwhile, the drought situation in Northeast Thailand (Isarn) has prompted a national reaction. Deputy Government Spokesman Lt Gen Werachon Sukondhapatipak on Sunday (Mar 3) said, PM Prayut is worried that a drought has already started. He has received reports from around country, saying that reservoirs are running low while rising temperatures are increasing evaporation. However, there should be enough water for consumption until May, Gen Werachon said. Regardless, PM Prayut has ordered all government agencies nationwide to take steps to prevent water outages, Gen Werachon noted. PM Prayut ordered relevant organisations including the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry and the Office of National Water Resources to quickly work out water management to cope with drought conditions, he said. He also asked people and farmers to use less water and save water consumption. Also officials will survey water demand in order to draft plans to use if this does become a drought, Gen Werachon said. Gen Werachon on Sunday also revealed that 12 rainmaking units have been deployed to cover 25 main water sources through the country. These will operate from March 1 to Oct 31, to relieve the drought and smoke haze, and prevent wildfires, he said. However, Phuket is not one of the areas to have rainmakers, The Phuket News has confirmed. We have not received any request to provide rainmaking in Phuket province, an official at the Royal Rainmaking Department confirmed yesterday (Mar 4). But we are open to receive such requests if people need rain for living and for farming. the official added. Russian woman dead after four-storey fall in Patong PHUKET: A 27-year-old Russian woman has died after falling from a fourth-floor balcony in Patong early this morning (Mar 5). alcoholdeathpatongpoliceRussiantourism By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 5 March 2019, 06:17PM Police and rescue workers found the womans body on a footpath in front of the hotel. Photo: Patong Police The tourist is believed to have fallen off the balcony of her hotel room in Patong. Photo: Patong Police Police were notified at 2:15am and arrived at the scene in Patong where they found the unconscious tourist face-down on a footpath in front of a hotel. She was wearing bikini bottoms and a blouse. Patong Police Chief Col Anotai Jindamanee confirmed, Kulsoldharm Foundation rescue workers took the woman to Patong Hospital where a doctor pronounced her dead on arrival. Police believe the woman had fallen from the fourth-floor balcony of her hotel room. She suffered a serious head injury as there were signs of a depressed fracture in her skull, Col Anotai said. There were no visible signs of physical assault on her body. The police report uncovered that the woman was staying at the fourth-floor hotel room with a friend, known as Valentina. The two travelled to Phuket together and had checked-in on Feb 25. According to Valentina, the two women spent the evening drinking on Bangla Rd and returned to their room around midnight, Col Anotai explained. They continued drinking beer on the balcony until Valentina went to sleep on the bed inside the room. When police arrived at the hotel and knocked on the room door, Valentina was awoken, unaware of what had happened to her friend. A beer bottle was found beside a chair on the balcony, Col Anotai noted. We believe the woman was drunk and fell from the balcony by accident. United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney, who will be challenging Alberta Premier Rachel Notley in an election this year, continues to oppose the current governments plan to get into the crude-by-rail shipping market despite a one-year delay to a key crude oil pipeline. Enridge Inc. on Friday said its Line 3 oil pipeline expansion wont start up until the second half of 2020, about a year later than originally planned. That makes the addition of rail capacity, which Albertas government is committing $3.7 billion ($2.8 billion U.S.) for, a more important driver of Canadian oil prices going forward, according to Michael Loewen, an analyst at Bank of Nova Scotia. Yes, incremental rail is necessary, Kenney said in an interview. Its especially necessary now that we have a yearlong delay on the Line 3 replacement, but this is not something the government needs to do. Notley last month said the province would lease tank cars and purchase service from rail providers, then buy oil from producers and ship it to refineries across North America. The province projected it would turn a $2.2 billion profit on the venture. Albertas energy ministry responded to news of the Line 3 delay over the weekend by saying that the uncertainty of pipeline projects is why it implemented the crude-by-rail plan and called on Kenney to stop his reckless attempt to sabotage this plan for his own political self-interest. Kenney, who will face off against Notley in an election that must happen by May 31, said that the private market already was responding to the lack of rail-shipping capacity. He said hes spoken to numerous large and small producers who agree with his assessment, without naming them. The governments plan serves only to bid up the price of crude-by-rail service and is a classic example of a solution in search of a problem, Kenney said. While Kenney has supported other government interventions into the industry, such as the federal governments purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline and Albertas mandated oil-production cuts, he said in an interview with Bloomberg even before the details of the rail program were announced that he was skeptical about spending public money on the venture. In a speech last month after Notley fleshed out the plan, he announced that he would cancel the entire program if he won office, saying that the program was too costly and too risky. Weve not been closed minded about necessary government action, but on this one, we really think its impossible to justify, Kenney said Monday. Read more about: British American Tobacco Plc said a $758 million sum it previously set aside to cover a possible legal defeat in Canada will weigh on profit this year, after a Quebec court ruled against it in class-action lawsuits. The Lucky Strike maker made the payment after a 2015 court decision, and the deposit had been held as an asset on its balance sheet through 2018. The Canadian units of BAT, Philip Morris International Inc. and Japan Tobacco Inc. lost an appeal Friday in lawsuits seeking $17 billion in total damages.E The London-based company said Tuesday it will take a charge against 2019 profit in the amount of the escrow deposit. BATs Canadian unit plans to appeal the ruling. The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld a lower-court decision with minor changes, according to the ruling released Friday. The lawsuits were in favour of smokers seeking damages for addiction and smoking-related diseases, who argued they were never warned of the risks. Read more: Big tobacco loses appeal in $17B Quebec lawsuits Appeals Court upholds landmark ruling ordering tobacco companies to pay billions To mark its 110th anniversary, the French automaker Bugatti celebrated in singular style, unveiling the most expensive new car in the world La Voiture Noire, or the black car in Geneva. In case interested buyers have 12.7 million (roughly $19 million (Cdn.)) lying around, Bugatti already sold its one-of-a-kind creation. The luxury brand said that the jet black sports car with an 8-litre, 16-cylinder engine, 1,500 horsepower and six exhaust pipes was handcrafted for a car collector who probably identifies with the motto of company founder, Ettore Bugatti: If it is comparable, it is no longer Bugatti. Nor will it be cheap to run. Bugattis website gives the fuel economy as 35.2 litre per 100 km in the city and 15.2 L/100 km highway. At its debut Tuesday during the Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland, Bugatti chief executive Stephan Winkelmann said the car he deemed both elegant and puristic was inspired by an earlier model, the Bugatti Atlantic, of which only four were made. And if you look at the body work, he noted, there is not one line too many. The most expensive car ever sold is said to be a Tour de France-winning 1963 Ferrari 250 GT. It was purchased in June by David MacNeil, chief executive of the automotive accessory maker WeatherTech, for a reported $70 million (U.S.). Bugatti was founded in 1909 and acquired by German automaker Volkswagen in 1998. Bugatti did not identify the new owner of the black car. But as Motor Trend wrote in its initial appraisal: As the black car sits, the thing is further proof that now more than ever, its good to be filthy, stinking rich. Bloomberg reported that speculation pointed to former VW chief executive officer and chairman Ferdinand Piech as the new owner. Piech was known for his tough leadership style before quitting the brands parent Volkswagen AG in acrimony in April 2015. While theres no mention of Piech in Bugattis statement, it was Piech who signed off on some of Bugattis outrageous development costs. There is intended or not a hint of Darth Vader providing some inspiration: The windscreen seems to flow seamlessly into the windows at the sides like the visor on a helmet, Bugatti said. Bugattis ultra-wealthy customers appreciated the brands expertise in turning out cars to their exacting specifications, said Bugatti design director Achim Anscheidt. Our customers really appreciate this, as they know this from purchasing other luxury goods like a yacht, he said. The 16-cylinder engine has six tailpipes and La Voiture Noires extravagant specs highlight the balancing act VW is pulling off across its 12-brand empire. CEO Herbert Diess, in charge since April, has sought to accelerate an overhaul to make the company more agile and rein in spending. The company says the car is far more than a modern interpretation of Jean Bugattis Type 57 SC Atlantic, an industry icon coveted by classic-car aficionados and the most famous work of the son of the companys founder, Ettore Bugatti. The cars not-so-subtle six tailpipes are a reference to the Atlantic models five exhausts, Anscheidt told Bloomberg. They clearly show this isnt an electric car. Canola futures slumped to the lowest in more than two years as concern grows that China is restricting purchases from top exporter Canada. Export data shows China bought 33 per cent less Canadian canola in January than a year ago and, on Tuesday, Richardson International confirmed China revoked its registration to ship canola, without saying why. The Canadian government said China is citing non-compliance, but Canadian food inspectors havent identified any pests or bacteria of concern. While the arrest in Canada of a senior Huawei Technologies Co. executive is straining diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Canola Council of Canada says theres no clear evidence that challenges faced by exporters are tied to such frictions. Chinas Foreign Ministry defended the move Wednesday, calling it well founded. Chinese customs has seen recent inspection and quarantine problems with Canadian canola, spokesman Lu Kang said at a briefing in Beijing. On Tuesday, canola on ICE Futures U.S. in New York fell 1.1 per cent to close at $457.80 (Canadian) a metric ton, the lowest settlement for a most-active contract since mid September 2016. Canola oil is used in everything from salad dressings to deep-frying. Reuters reported earlier on Tuesday that China blocked Richardsons shipments. Read more about: After more than a week of tough talk firing back and forth, the leaders of the two biggest gold producers are finally coming to the table. Newmont Mining Corp. chief executive officer Gary Goldberg said he will be meeting with Barrick Gold Corp.s Mark Bristow later Tuesday in New York to talk through their differences. However, he said in a Bloomberg TV interview that he wont be discussing Barricks bid for his company, but rather Newmonts proposal for a joint venture around the two companies assets in Nevada. Goldberg said he heard from Bristow earlier and that Im looking forward to catching up with him later today here in New York. This will be the discussion on the joint venture with what we proposed yesterday. Barrick spokeswoman Kathy du Plessis didnt immediately have a comment. In the past week, leaders at the two companies have disparaged their counterparts as inept managers who have squandered assets and destroyed shareholder value. And thats before a formal offer is even on the table. At stake is a potential $17.8 billion (U.S.) deal that would create the worlds largest gold producer. Newmont kicked off the fighting talk, with Goldberg calling Barricks no-premium proposal to buy the company desperate and bizarre even before Barrick publicly presented its terms on Feb. 25. Bristow responded in kind, saying he could run Newmonts assets better than Goldberg does. Barrick is swinging for the fences, JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst John Bridges said at the PDAC conference in Toronto Tuesday. Its an audacious bid, he said, adding that we dont think its impossible. Newmonts board rejected the offer on Monday, saying its shareholders would be better off completing a pending purchase of Goldcorp Inc. But Goldberg also offered a concession, saying his company would be willing to negotiate a friendly joint venture with Barrick at their Nevada operations that would give Barrick the greater share in addition to pushing forward with the Goldcorp deal. Theres no doubt there are significant synergies that could be realized between Barrick Gold and Newmont in Nevada, but the specific value is questionable, Bridges said. Barrick has said it is keen to talk as well. But how such negotiations could ever be friendly is hard to imagine, given the companys history and comments made over the past week. War of Words The war of words started immediately after Barrick confirmed it was contemplating a bid. Goldberg quickly questioned whether Barricks management team is capable of running a combined Newmont-Barrick company, saying, they havent delivered. Later Goldberg got a bit more personal, targeting Bristow by name. Mark has never run a global portfolio, Goldberg said. In fact, Id say none of his team have run a global portfolio like what we have in place. In a March 4 presentation, Goldberg seemed to damn Bristow with faint praise. Sure, there is no doubt that Mark has been successful as an explorer and a geologist, Goldberg said. But as an operator, he has not created shareholder value and he has yet to prove that he can successfully manage or integrate a global portfolio. Goldberg also didnt spare Barrick Chairman John Thornton, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. president who joined the gold industry in 2012. In the presentation, Goldberg accused Thornton of numerous missteps and value destruction. Underperformed Newmonts slide presentation said that since Thornton arrived at the company, it has underperformed Newmont by more than $12 billion, while pocketing over $65M from Barrick shareholders. For his part, Bristow has been less personal, though no less direct, saying he could do a better job managing gold fields in Nevada, where Barrick has long wanted to combine its fields with Newmonts. Bristow also suggested that because Goldberg is scheduled to leave as CEO at the end of the year, Newmont is in an unstable situation. And hes said Newmonts play for Goldcorp would destroy shareholder value. Newmonts suggestion that Barrick could take the larger stake in a JV seemed to calm the waters today but suspicions on both sides remain high. Bristow says Newmonts JV pitch may be just a smokescreen to block its hostile bid. Meanwhile, Newmont has said all along that Barricks hostile is really about derailing its play for Goldcorp. Read more about: SEATTLEWhen Texas officials pushed Amazon to pay nearly $270 million (U.S.) in back sales taxes in 2010, Amazon responded by closing its only warehouse in the state and scrapping expansion plans there. Two years later, the officials agreed to waive the past taxes in exchange for Amazon opening new warehouses. A similar scene played out in South Carolina, where officials decided in 2011 to deny Amazon a sales tax break. After threatening to stop hiring in the state, the company got the tax exemption by promising to hire more people. And last year in Seattle, the companys hometown, Amazon halted plans to build one tower and threatened to lease out one under construction when local officials pushed a tax on large employers. The City Council passed a smaller version of the tax, but the company helped finance a successful opposition to repeal it. Now, Amazon plans to lease out its space in the tower under construction anyway. In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio called it a shock to the system when Amazon, facing criticism for the deal it reached to build a headquarters in the city, abruptly dropped the plans. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is still trying to woo them back. But the reversal mirrored the companys interactions with officials in other states. Virtually all of Americas largest businesses drive a hard bargain with governments, angling for benefits and financial incentives. Amazon, though, often plays politics with a distinctive message: Give us what we want, or well leave and take our jobs elsewhere. The tactics help Amazon squeeze as much as possible out of politicians. Read more: Governor: No reason to think Amazon might reconsider plan Grocers brace for another blow from Amazon Holdout Jeff Bezos confronted by Amazon moms demanding daycare They are just as cutthroat as can be, said Alex Pearlstein, vice president at Market Street Services, which helps cities, including those with Amazon warehouses, attract employers. New Yorks experience with Amazon also exposed the companys limited experience with building community relationships. The company did not hire any local employees or lobbyists to connect with New York residents in advance of announcing the deal. Until recent years, almost no one at the company worked full time in community or government relations, though it now has more than 100 lobbyists registered in statehouses to push its priorities. That lack of a significant on-the-ground strategy helped doom the deal in New York, and it is causing headaches elsewhere. Amazons promise to deliver practically any item within two days means that it needs warehouses near major population centres, not just where it gets the best deal. In Edison, New Jersey, noise complaints pressured the company to spend $3 million to build a high wall around a warehouse. Outside of Chicago in Joliet, Illinois, Amazon pays for an extra police officer to help manage traffic and lawmakers want the company to do more. Amazon doesnt like any friction, said Margaret OMara, a professor at the University of Washington who researches the history of tech companies. But the desire for more urban locations, she said, means it cant be my way or the highway. The companys initial pitch is usually simple, saying that its offices and warehouses will deliver quality jobs. And it banks on the publics widespread trust in the companys low prices, wide selection and fast delivery. Many politicians and locals are delighted when Amazon arrives and say that the company delivers the jobs it has pledged. Overall, the company has collected more than $2.4 billion taxpayer subsidies for its offices, warehouses and data centres, according to Good Jobs First, a non-profit organization that tracks corporate tax breaks. A company spokeswoman said, Amazon has created more than 250,000 full-time American jobs and has invested hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy. She added, We are active participants working to support the communities where we operate. Asked recently by a business publication if Amazon would change anything about the headquarters search in retrospect, Holly Sullivan, the Amazon executive who led the search, said: You know, no. I think it was rewarding for us internally. Resistance to Sales Tax In 2010, Texas top finance official said Amazon owed $269 million because it had failed to pay sales taxes from 2005 to 2009. Amazon said it did not need to collect the tax because it lacked brick-and-mortar stores in the state. It then shuttered its warehouse at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport that employed about 120 people and dropped plans to build more outposts in Texas. Under a settlement in 2012, the state gave up on the tax charges in exchange for Amazons promise to create 2,500 jobs and spend at least $200 million on facilities. Amazon also agreed to begin collecting sales tax and pay the state. Once the deal was reached, Amazon expanded rapidly across Texas, with millions in subsidies from the state. The company now operates about 20 sites in Texas. In our viewpoint, its a lot better to get them into compliance voluntarily than spend a whole lot of time fighting about the past periods, said Karey Barton, the states associate deputy comptroller for tax. For one of the new warehouses, in San Marcos, between Austin and San Antonio, Amazon received a $16.6 million tax rebate. The warehouse has nearly 3,000 employees, making it the largest private employer in town. Everything that they told us and promised us on the number of jobs and that kind of thing has surpassed their timelines, said Kristy Stark, communications director for the city of San Marcos. We have nothing but positive things to say. Amazon waged a nearly identical war in South Carolina, when officials, including then-Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican, opposed a sales tax break. It pulled job listings off its website for a warehouse under construction near Columbia and cancelled contracts for the new facility. The threat worked, rallying support from businesses and government leaders. The legislature gave Amazon a five-year grace period for collecting sales taxes, while Amazon conceded that it would tell residents how much they owed in sales tax. And the company resumed hiring in the state, where it now has at least three facilities. Hometown Fight Amazon grew from startup to behemoth in Seattle, devouring new towers and buildable land. Nevertheless, the company kept its distance from local lawmakers. In 2009, the mayor and governor threw a groundbreaking ceremony for new Amazon buildings. No Amazon executives attended. In recent years, Amazon made some gestures of civic responsibility, including in 2017, when it committed to build a shelter for homeless families in a new tower. That year, Amazon also hired its first employee to build a team focused on philanthropy. More than a dozen people now work on that effort. But it didnt speak up on policy issues, including ways to address the skyrocketing housing prices in the area. That changed in 2018, when the City Council debated a tax on large employers, which was meant to pay for homeless services and affordable housing. Amazon stood up in opposition, telling a newspaper columnist that it would halt plans to build one new tower and reconsider its lease on a second. The threat sent shock waves through the city. After a wrenching public process, the city passed a head tax that was roughly half the size of the initial proposal. That did not placate Amazon, which said the city was not effectively spending the money it already had. The message struck a chord with some frustrated homeowners, who said that the city spent millions on the homeless programs and yet encampments stood by their homes and parks. They joined forces on a signature drive to put a repeal of the tax on the ballot. Amazon was one of largest donors to a repeal campaign, which paid about $345,000 to a firm, Morning in America, to gather signatures and print flyers and shirts. With anger growing over the tax, the council relented and repealed it. This is not a winnable battle at this time, Lisa Herbold, a member of the City Council, said before the vote. The opposition has unlimited resources. New Headaches As Amazon expands, including closer to more major cities like New York and Chicago, it is facing more local demands. People think that Amazon is a 100 per cent sleek machine, said Beth Gutelius, a researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago with a focus on warehouses. In reality, a lot falls through the cracks. Even if they are trying to be strategic locally, they cant actually do it because they are so big and sprawling. In late 2017, Amazon opened a warehouse in Edison, New Jersey, near New York. The site used to be a quiet warehouse for comforters and bedding, but lights now shine and trucks rumble at all hours. Amazon made some changes, like having the trucks emit a low hiss, rather than beep, on the loading docks. But neighbours said commotion was still intrusive. Lisa Bukachevsky, who lives behind the warehouse, said she tried to hire a lawyer, but none would take her case. They said, You dont have enough money to fight Amazon, she said. The town attorney took up the issue, and Amazon hired a sound engineer and then constructed the 20-foot tall wall that cost $3 million. The wall helps block the light, but not much of the noise, Bukachevsky said. She and her husband, Mark, say Amazon could have saved a lot of headache if it had consulted the community first. Im not anti-Amazon, Bukachevsky said, adding that he owns Amazon stock. Im anti-noise. In Illinois, Amazon initially resisted opening facilities because that would have required it to start collecting sales taxes, said John E. Greuling, president of the Will County Center for Economic Development. But then, Greuling said, They realized Illinois was too important a location for them. Just a few years later, the company has 7,000 people across five facilities in Will County, which includes Joliet, making it the largest employer in an area evolving into a major logistics hub. The first Amazon warehouse to open in Joliet received a state tax incentive of $71.5 million for up to 10 years. About 2 miles south of downtown Joliet, along State Route 53, a routine plays out several times a day that causes some dread among locals. Amazon employees cars line up along a narrow street perpendicular to the highway. One after the next, they turn onto the busy four-lane thoroughfare, creating a long caravan during shift changes. Local residents trying to manoeuvre their way along this major artery can get stuck sitting at stop signs for 5 or 10 minutes. Amazon pays a local police officer to manage the flow during the holiday season and is part of a public-private group working to address traffic. Some local officials, including Denise Winfrey, the Will County board speaker, say they fear the deals that lured Amazon and other major companies to the region did not give the state enough resources to fix the infrastructure, which is increasingly stressed as Amazon and others use them. If youre in the area, using the resources, you have the people, youre stopping through the neighbourhoods, youre driving through the streets you have some responsibility to make sure that you are contributing positively to the community beyond the jobs, Winfrey said. Read more about: EDMONTONAfter a 27-year hunt for the owner of a wedding ring found at the bottom of the ocean, a former RCMP officer proved that the Mounties always get their man, even if it takes them past retirement. Despite a series of dead ends, and after years of the trail going cold, former RCMP superintendent Terry Elliott of Saskatoon, Sask., was determined to treat the case like any other investigation. You just stick to it and see it through, he said on the phone from Saskatoon. Some get solved quickly, and some take longer. This one took longer. On April 15, 1992, Elliott was snorkelling in about five metres of water near a coral reef in the Bahamas when he saw something shiny glinting up from the sand. Then an RCMP sergeant based in Regina, Elliott and a cohort of his colleagues had boarded a cruise liner that offered a special rate to members of the national police service. That day, the ship anchored at an island near a reef to allow passengers to explore the waters. After 30 minutes and a few false starts, the amateur snorkeller managed to fish out what he figured to be mans wedding band, with two names inscribed on it, Darrin & Leah, a date, Nov. 30, 1991, and an expression 2XForever. Noticing that what was likely the wedding date for the two had only been four and a half months earlier, he followed his first lead to the ships purser to get a copy of the manifest and track the newlyweds possibly honeymooners down if they were on board, but had no such luck, and none on the horizon. And then the purser told me that there were another four cruise lines that use this island, Elliott recalled with a chuckle. After getting back home to Regina, and poring over months of records from other ships that stopped in the same waters to no avail, the dogged detective visited a local gemologist to track the rings origin. Thats when he learned the 14-carat gold ring, valued at about $300, had either come from somewhere in Tuscany, Italy, or from a business in Edmonton, Alta., called the K. Mayne Company. He couldnt tell me where it was made in Tuscany, so I contacted the K. Mayne Company in Edmonton to find out they had gone out of business, and they kept no records. Following his latest lead, and determined to see the mission through, Elliott ran annual lost-and-found ads for the ring in the Edmonton Journal on the couples anniversary, but strategically left out the expression inscribed on the ring next to their names and the date. That was my holdback information, Elliott said. So when somebody did phone to claim the ring, all I had to do was ask them, What was the saying? It eliminated anybody that tried to get a ring for free. He faithfully ran the ad every year up until the time he retired in 2002, when he switched to running it every three or four years. The trail went cold until early 2019, when the retired officer decided to crowdsource the investigation, and posted the details to Facebook on Jan. 28. It was shared about 23,000 times over the course of a few weeks, with digital detectives across the internet lending their hands. Then a bunch of people got interested in the story, he said. All over the United States, they started checking records like vital stats and marriage licences. It didnt take long for someone to tip him off to a New Jersey man named Darrin whose marriage record matched the date on the ring. Elliott contacted the man at a phone number provided by the source, and got an early-morning phone call a week later. He said, I think you have my ring, recalled Elliott, who then asked about the expression he held back from the public. And he said, right away, it was 2XForever. Bingo. The answer rang true. Finally satisfied that he had found the rings owner, the retired officer asked how he could return the ring to its rightful owner, but the man on the other end of the line wanted no part of it. Elliott said the man and his wife had divorced in 2000, nine years after they were married, and told him to keep it. Elliott, however, had no desire to keep it, either, and offered to sell it off and donate the funds to a charity that meant something to the New Jersey man, who Elliott added, had a mother who died of pancreatic cancer two years ago. Now living in Saskatoon, Elliott sold the ring to a neighbour for $160, and donated the money to pancreatic cancer research in the name of the ring owners mother. But one question lingered with Elliott: If the owner didnt want his ring back, then why call him back to claim it? It turns out Elliotts online appeal unleashed a flurry of inquirers into the New Jersey man, and Elliott said the ring owner simply wanted the calls about the ring to stop. He said, They know more about me than the IRS. Even though hes retired, Elliott said the case taught him about the power social media and 21st-century search tools can lend to unsolved mysteries. But his persistence in solving the case, he added, also left him slightly crestfallen. There doesnt seem to be happy endings anymore, he said. People dont stay married for 27 years. The Star Edmonton reached out to Darrin for a comment, but did not receive a response. Read more about: HALIFAXDozens of protesters braved wind, sleet and snow Monday to call for an end to what they call a post-secondary crisis in Nova Scotia as officials discussed the financial future of education in the province. Addressing the large crowd gathered on the steps of the Maritime Centre in downtown Halifax, the chairperson for the Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students decried soaring tuition fees and a lack of funding for institutions in the province. The weather today is echoing how Im feeling, because I am angry, said Aidan McNally, shouting into a megaphone to have her voice heard over the whipping wind. It is not extreme to say that this government has made an enemy of students. The rally took place as university presidents and government representatives met at the Maritime Centre to discuss tuition fees and funding for the next five years, as the current memorandum of understanding between the province and its institutions outlining these regulations is expiring at the end of the month. The MOU, which came into effect in April 2015, currently allows universities to increase their undergraduate tuition fees up to 3 per cent annually, on top of a one-time market adjustment in order to charge similar amounts for similar programs at peer institutions. The 3 per cent cap does not apply to out-of-province or international students, nor does it apply to students in graduate programs or programs in medicine, dentistry or law. The document also said the province would provide a 1 per cent increase from the previous year to the University Operating Grant every year until the memorandum expires. In an interview, McNally said students in Nova Scotia, on average, graduate with about $40,000 of student debt, and the province is doing little to alleviate this burden. We know that 70 per cent of jobs today require some form of post-secondary education. This means that students are taking on huge amounts of debt in order to pursue their studies or, what were seeing as tuition increases, students are actually having to drop out, she said. So we know that investing in a system and reducing tuition fees is critical to allow Nova Scotians to get the education that they need in order to survive in todays economy. Nova Scotia has some of the highest tuition fees in the country. According to Statistics Canada data for the 2018/2019 academic year, the province had the highest undergraduate tuition fees on average in three of four areas of study (humanities, legal studies and social and behavioural sciences, and physical and life sciences and technologies) with tuition fees ranging between $7,113 and $7,831. Ontario had Nova Scotia beat when it came to undergraduate tuition costs for business, management and public administration $10,570 but Nova Scotia still came in second at $7,782. Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest undergraduate tuition fees in the country, with an average cost of $2,613 across all four areas of study. Not only are Nova Scotias fees among the highest in the country, they are also some of the fastest-growing. Statistics Canada says tuition fees in the province have gone up by an average of 5.6 per cent each year since the 2014/2015 academic year, compared to the national average of 3.3 per cent. Nova Scotias rate of fee increases is second only to Manitoba, which has an average annual tuition increase of 6.5. Manitobas tuition fees are still well below the national average in all four areas of study. McNally said accessible education in Nova Scotia would be beneficial to everyone in the province not just students. We know that students that graduate with less debt are more likely to start a family, to stay in Nova Scotia instead of leaving to pursue higher paid work, she said. It makes good economic sense to invest in young people, and we know that having more accessible education isnt just benefiting students, but society as a whole. The Department of Labour and Advanced Education declined an interview, but said in an emailed statement that the governments goal is to ensure post-secondary education remains affordable for Nova Scotians, and that it offers more than $40,000 in assistance to eligible students that they wouldnt have to pay back. Nova Scotia has one of the best student assistance programs in the country, as provincial loans are interest-free, and there are upfront bursaries and grants that students dont have to repay, read the statement. In 2018, we expanded student assistance support from $180/week of study to $200/week of study and we increased the loan forgiveness eligibility to five years from four. This could save a new graduate up to $20,400 as they start their new life. It said the department anticipates that the MOU agreement will be finalized in the coming weeks. McNally said the Canadian Federation of Students has met with the provincial government regularly to present their recommendations, which include an immediate 10 per cent decrease to tuition fees in the province, and working toward a plan to eventually eliminate tuition fees in the next 10 years. While she said their recommendations have had little traction with the government so far, she hopes that continuing to demand change will create an eventual shift in policy. When students stand together, we are powerful, she said. Read more about: NEW HAZELTON, B.C.A Mountie in northwestern British Columbia has been charged with assault causing bodily harm. The charge follows something that happened at the New Hazelton detachment on Sept. 4. Const. Eric Andrew Unrau was on duty at the time. He is to appear in court on March 22. No further details about the alleged assault were released. Read more about: WINNIPEGManitobas Progressive Conservative government is warning school divisions to keep their property taxes in check or face a crackdown as part of an ongoing exercise in fiscal restraint that will continue in Thursdays budget. Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen, who joined Finance Minister Scott Fielding at a pre-budget news conference Tuesday, said any school division that ignores a provincial directive earlier this year to cap property tax increases at two per cent will be forced to cut administration costs. The province has the regulatory authority to limit administrative costs for school divisions, Goertzen said. Those who are increasing their taxes more than two per cent ... would have a higher ask when it comes to the administration costs. They would have to look for more savings. The Winnipeg School Division the largest in the province is considering a 2.9 per cent tax increase. One of the boards trustees, Mark Wasyliw, said the increase is needed because the province is not funding schools adequately. Our voters did not vote for austerity, Wasyliw said. The province recently sent the board a letter detailing Goertzens warning, he said. The letter directs school boards to limit administrative costs to 2.7 per cent of their budget this year and warns the Winnipeg division that if its tax hike is enacted, it will be directed to cut administrative costs to 2.4 per cent from 2.7. It would be disastrous. It would be chaos, Wasyliw said. The Tory government was elected partly on a promise to balance the provincial budget and end a string of deficits that began under the former NDP government. Fielding said that work is ongoing and will be reflected in Thursdays budget. Theres a recognition ... that we were left with a heck of a mess and were cleaning it up and were doing things to sustain services for a long period of time, Fielding said. The government also announced a tax exemption Tuesday. Fielding said the province will not apply its provincial sales tax to the federal carbon tax when it takes effect April 1. A tax on tax is not good public policy, Fielding said. The move will save Manitobans a total of about $3.6 million a year in home heating costs, he said. Read more about: A man has turned himself in to Peel Region police, one week after a warrant was issued for his arrest following a shooting in Brampton. A woman was shot around noon on Feb. 25 outside a highrise condominium on Yorkland Blvd., in the area of Goreway Dr. and Queen St. She suffered non-life threatening injuries, and was taken to a Toronto trauma centre. Police said the shooter and the victim know each other. Devon Ruddock-Brooks, 20, of Brampton, was identified as a suspect, and police issued a warrant for his arrest on attempted murder and firearms charges. He surrendered to police on Sunday. Read more about: With one suspect now in custody, police are focused on locating a second person of interest in the killing of a young man whose body was found near a Pickering high school in late January. Theres another person out there, Durham homicide Det. Rob Moore said Tuesday, the day after police announced the arrest of Kyeree Reynolds. Nicholas Samaroo, 24, of Pickering, was found in a wooded area near Pine Ridge Secondary School on Jan. 25. His body showed obvious signs of trauma, police said at the time. Samaroos body was found by a woman walking a dog on a trail. The homicide was the first in Durham Region in 2019. Reynolds, 20, of Pickering, turned himself in at a police station Sunday, and was charged with first-degree murder. While police have not established a connection between Reynolds and Samaroo, they are hopeful the arrest of a second suspect will provide more answers, Moore said. He said Tuesday hes hopeful that development will occur soon. Were working toward identifying and locating the other person, Moore said. Anyone with information is asked to call Moore at 905-579-1520, extension 5326 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Metrolinx made an offer earlier this year to reinstate GO Transit bus service to York University, but only on the condition the school come up with $800,000 to compensate students who have been paying double fares since the lines were rerouted, the Star has learned. The university balked at the agencys demand however, and Metrolinx continues to reroute GO buses that used to directly serve Yorks Keele campus to a station on the TTCs new subway extension. The redirection of bus service to the Highway 407 stop about two kilometres from the school began in January and has infuriated many students, faculty and others travelling by GO bus to York, who now have to pay a second fare of at least $1.50 each way to take the subway to and from campus. York University and Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency that operates GO, each say the other was responsible for the bus route change. On Jan. 25, after the controversy around the bus changes was reported in the media, Metrolinx president and chief executive officer Phil Verster wrote to York president Rhonda Lenton. In the letter, obtained by the Star, Verster told Lenton that Metrolinx was prepared to resume reduced bus service to campus starting in April, but laid out two conditions. The first was that the school make students paying a second fare financially whole in other words, compensate them for their additional transit costs. The payment would cover the period between January and April, after which limited bus service would resume, and Metrolinx estimated it would cost York $800,000. Verster also asked the university to confirm bus facilities at the schools Common would remain available to GO for up to three years. Verster said in order to have enough time to plan for restarting service to campus in April, Metrolinx required the schools written agreement to its proposal by Jan. 30, just five days from the date of his letter. Lenton wrote back Jan. 30 and said while the school could guarantee the availability of Common bus facilities, it couldnt pay the $800,000. As a predominantly public and student-funded institution, the university is not in a position to use its operating dollars intended for student learning and research to offset the costs of regional transportation services, she wrote. Asked by the Star why he made the return of bus service contingent on York compensating its own students, Verster suggested in an email Monday his agency and the provincial government were already doing their fair share to keep the cost of transit low. He noted that in January 2018 the province cut the cost of transferring between GO and the TTC by $1.50, and that Metrolinx had kept bus service to campus going for a year after the subway extension opened to minimize financial impact to York University students. Sebastien Lalonde, vice-president of campaigns and advocacy for the York Federation of Students, said the $800,000 condition was evidence Metrolinxs offer was made in bad faith. He argued it would have been a logistical nightmare for York to figure out a system to compensate affected students, and it was clear the administration would never agree. This is money that the students and government have put toward post-secondary education. It should not be used to supplement a transit providers mistake, he said. Metrolinx knew that York would never be able to do this. Jessica Bell, the NDPs transit critic, said the party plans to introduce a motion in the Legislature Tuesday calling on Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek, a Progressive Conservative MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London, to intervene and restore bus service to campus. She said York and Metrolinx can continue the negotiations and decide later who is going to reimburse students and university workers. Its not necessary for the buses to be held hostage while these negotiations continue, said Bell, who is MPP for University-Rosedale. Yureks spokesperson Mike Winterburn said Metrolinx had worked to find alternative solutions with York to maintain service and had consistently put students first. The minister supports Metrolinx in its ongoing efforts, he said. The decision to reroute bus service to Highway 407 station affected seven GO bus routes and about 575 daily bus trips to and from the university. The routes were used by about 8,600 riders every day. The school and Metrolinx provide different explanations for how the change occurred. Metrolinx says York asked it to leave campus because the school planned to redesign the Common where the buses dropped off passengers to make the area for pedestrians only. The York administration says it planned to pedestrianize the Common because it has long been Metrolinxs intention to redirect buses to the Highway 407 stop. The school says problems have only arisen because the province has failed to implement fare integration between the TTC and GO, and riders transferring between the two systems still have to pay a second fare. The service Verster proposed in his Jan. 25 letter would be more infrequent than what used to serve the campus. GO buses would run between Highway 407 station and York campus according to demand. Students would have the choice of taking the bus at no extra cost, or paying the extra fare to ride the subway. Verster said the two parties are still exploring options for bringing back service at a low cost to students. Yanni Dagonas, deputy spokesperson for York, said the lines of communication with Metrolinx remain open and the administration is committed to working with the transit agency to ensure students have access to the best possible fares and services. Correction March 5, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek is the Progressive Conservative MP for Elgin-Middlesex-London. In fact, Yurek is the PC MPP for that riding. Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr Read more about: The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is contemplating launching court action to block the Sidewalk Labs project from moving forward. In a letter Tuesday to the federal and Ontario governments and Toronto Mayor John Tory, the independent and non-partisan national rights group called for a reset of the Google sister firms smart city proposal eyed for Torontos eastern waterfront. The civil liberties association wants the project halted until all three levels of government have established digital data governance polices for the appropriate collection, ownership, use and storage of personal information that would be obtained in the smart city. Sidewalk Labs is partnering with Waterfront Toronto on the controversial project to create a data-driven neighbourhood that would be equipped with sensors and data collection devices intended to make life more efficient for its residents. But all three levels of government must first legislate protections for citizens from the risks of surveillance capitalism on our streets, the CCLA says. Read more: New Waterfront Toronto appointee vows independent judgment on Sidewalk Labs Sidewalk Labs Port Lands vision not guaranteed, says new Waterfront Toronto chair Poll finds 55 per cent of Torontonians support Sidewalk Labs Quayside project In its statement, the organization said agreements in place up to now between Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk contemplate a non-consensual, state-authorized mass capture of Canadians personal information. The rights group added that as a result, the right to privacy under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is being breached. Policy statutes applicable to Waterfront Toronto are also being breached, the group argues. Sidewalk is currently working on a draft master plan for the smart city project. That and a final master plan would require approval from Waterfront Toronto. But Waterfront Toronto, the CCLA says, is in charge of revitalizing the waterfront, not data and privacy, and the organization gave away powers to a private enterprise Sidewalk Labs that cannot legally be given away. In its digital governance proposals, Sidewalk has pledged not to control data collected in its smart city, and is calling for, among other things, the establishment of an independent, civic data trust that would monitor the collection, use and storage of data collected at the smart city. Leaked documents obtained by the Star last month showed that rather than a 12-acre plot of land on Queens Quay E., Sidewalk envisions developing 350 acres in the Port Lands, details sources say Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his government continue to have serious concerns about. In an interview, Brenda McPhail, director of privacy, tech and surveillance for the CCLA, said the rights group wants privacy rules its calling for to be put in place before a final master plan is tabled by Sidewalk, and so Sidewalk should halt its work, the group says. McPhail says the CCLA will wait to see if this happens and how the three levels of government respond to the CCLA letter before deciding whether to take next steps, which would be to commence legal action and file a notice of application in court. Canada has a patchwork of rules and policies around data collection and privacy. Toronto city council recently adopted a motion by one of its councillors calling for the drafting of a framework of rules for civic data and smart cities that would focus on privacy, accountability, transparency and public ownership of data. Responding to the CCLA letter, Waterfront Toronto spokesperson Andrew Tumilty said Sidewalk Labs only has permission to develop a proposal for Quayside a 12-acre parcel of land and that proposal will be subject to a thorough, transparent and extensive evaluation process that will include all three levels of government, external subject matter experts, and extensive consultations with the general public. David Murakami Wood, Canada research chair in surveillance studies, associate professor in the department of sociology at Queens University, and a member of the Toronto group #Blocksidewalk, which opposes the Sidewalk project, said the CCLA letter puts into very concrete terms what the issues are and whats at stake with the project. This is not just the privatization of public space, but the privatization of public and personal data. Its exploitation by an American company that is largely outside of the control of law and policy in this country, Murakami Wood added. Mayor Torys spokesperson Don Peat said any final proposal from Sidewalk will be given full public scrutiny, subject to public consultation and discussion, and, ultimately, consideration by Waterfront Toronto and city council. This consideration and approval process will apply to a wide range of issues including those raised in the CCLA letter, Peat added. Lee Greenberg, a spokesperson for Ontario Infrastructure Minister Monte McNaughton, said the province has taken decisive action to improve oversight at Waterfront Toronto including the recent appointment of four highly qualified board members. The minister believes the board members, like the provincial government, will put the public at the centre of all their decisions. That means respect for taxpayer dollars, strong oversight and the protection of privacy, Greenberg said in an email. In a statement from Ottawa, Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, press secretary for the office of the minister of Infrastructure and Communities, said no plan has yet been approved by Waterfront Toronto nor would that plan be exempted from regulation at the federal or provincial level, or the municipal approval process required by any other development. Vaillancourt added: We take seriously concerns surrounding data and privacy and continue to follow this closely and work with Waterfront Toronto and the other orders of government to ensure this process takes place in an ethical and accountable fashion. Sidewalk spokesperson Keerthana Rang said, this project is for Toronto and it will be up to residents, Waterfront Toronto, and all three orders of government to decide if it should go forward. We strongly disagree with the (CCLA) letters mischaracterization of the public process established by Waterfront Toronto, a public agency, that involves all three orders of government, as well as our work to build a neighbourhood that will significantly improve the lives of people in Toronto. Sidewalk Toronto has committed to following Canadian privacy law. Moreover, we anticipate robust privacy protections that will go further than the law currently requires, Rang added. Read more about: The Ontario government says a legal battle involving the province, the late Rob Ford and his sisters ex-boyfriend has come to an end. The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services was one of the targets of a lawsuit filed by Scott MacIntyre, who alleged Ford conspired to have him attacked in jail so that he wouldnt reveal the former Toronto mayors illicit activities. MacIntyre was sent to jail in early 2012 after being charged with threatening Ford, who was still mayor then and had not yet publicly admitted to using crack cocaine. He alleged security cameras in the area were inexplicably disabled before the attack and the guards stationed in the area didnt help him. Ford denied the allegations, arguing he did not have the ability to control the operations of a jail. He also said MacIntyre did not have any intimate knowledge of his habits. A spokesman for the ministry said Tuesday the lawsuit was dismissed on consent on Feb. 13 but gave no further details, saying it would not be appropriate to comment. Neither MacIntyres nor Fords allegations have been proven in court. Ford died in 2016 after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. He was 46. His brother, the former Toronto city councillor and failed mayoral candidate Doug Ford, became premier and leader of the Progressive Conservatives last year. Read more about: Toronto police are asking for help identifying a man wanted in a violent robbery in Toronto Fashion District Saturday. Police said the man approached a 21-year-old man around 6 a.m. Saturday in the area of King St. W. and Spadina Ave. and then assaulted and robbed him a nearby laneway. The alleged attacker then fled in an unknown direction on King St. W. The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries, police said. The suspect is described as five-foot-11, with a heavy build and braided neck-length hair. He was wearing glasses, a red toque, black leather jacket, grey hooded sweater, red track pants and white shoes. A senior Toronto judge says it is absolutely unacceptable and unfair that inmates are frequently subjected to full lockdowns at the South Detention Centre, which corrections staff attribute to overcrowding and chronic staffing shortages. Superior Court Justice John McMahon made the remarks Tuesday while reducing the time a convicted drug dealer has left to serve because six of the 18 days he spent in pretrial custody were in a locked cell at the jail. McMahon gave the man enhanced credit of about 1.75 days for each day of time served about a month extra from his clients three year, eight-month sentence. The mans defence lawyer, Calvin Rosemond, said the recurring lockdowns at the South are horrific, its a human rights violation. Accused people who are presumptively innocent in remand facilities do not have access to counsel, do not have access to their families, or outside influence, because theyre isolated in their cells, he said Tuesday. Lockdowns at the jail have become a regular occurrence because there are too many inmates for too few staff, said Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents correctional staff at the jail, the second largest in Canada. I would submit that provincial jails were never, ever, ever meant to be that big, he said Tuesday. On Monday, 200 employees at the Etobicoke institution refused to perform non-essential work after a group of inmates allegedly attacked guards over the weekend, Thomas said. Eight people were injured, and two are still out with concussions, he said. The jail workers went back on the job after the Ministry of Labour ruled they had no right to refuse work, Chris Jackel, chair of OPSEUs corrections division, said Tuesday. Read more: Labour disruption at Toronto jail after eight injured in alleged assault, says union Judge grants killer enhanced credit for time served as transgender women in all-male Toronto jail When you get out of Torontos notorious superjail, these people will help you find your feet but their lease is up Nevertheless, deplorable conditions persist at the institution and at other jails around the province, Daniel Brown, a Toronto defence lawyer and a vice-president of the Criminal Lawyers Association, wrote in an email. Most inmates are presumed innocent and are treated with a level of inhumanity and cruelty that is unfathomable in modern society, Brown wrote. We can expect judges to continue to harshly slash jail sentences and even consider tossing cases out due to this unconstitutional and egregious conduct. In the Ontario legislature Tuesday, MPP Kevin Yarde, the NDPs Corrections critic, demanded the government do something to fix the crisis in corrections and called on Sylvia Jones, the minister of community safety and correctional services, to commit to hiring more full-time correctional staff. Yarde pointed to a report that found the South is one of the most violent correctional facilities in the province, and most of the violence occurred when shifts were understaffed. Jones replied that the weekend incident was very serious and the government is actively engaged in discussions about improving the provinces institutions. Weve already made some changes that have been a positive influence, but this is not an easy ship to move, Jones said. There are a lot of moving parts when youre talking about corrections and the impact that the justice file has. Toronto police have arrested a 55-year-old self-employed tutor for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at his home on several occasions. In a Tuesday media release, police said the girl went to the tutors home in the area of Lexington Ave. and Martingrove Rd. between August 2015 and October 2018, during which time he allegedly sexually assaulted her multiple times. Police said the man provided tutoring services out of his home. During this period, the man communicated with the girl through text and social media, police said. Nitinkumar Joshi, 55, was arrested by members of the Child and Youth Advocacy Centre on Friday. He is charged with sexual assault and sexual interference. Joshi is known to tutor outside his home to both high school and university students, police said. He is scheduled to appear in court at 2201 Finch Ave. W. on March 28. LAKE BUNYONYI, UGANDASamuel Muriisa thinks he is ready for Ebola, but he is not. Muriisa, 74, is the most widely respected omushaho wekishaka, or traditional healer, in this area. He is aware but only vaguely that Ebola is raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose border is just 20 miles away. Let it stay in Congo, he said. We seldom see Congo people here. Let it not come. Jolly Twinomuhwezi, 60, one of his three wives who acts as his triage nurse, said she would send away anyone with bleeding eye sockets or fingernail beds, which she had heard were the chief Ebola symptoms. She is dangerously wrong; most Ebola victims never hemorrhage, and in those who do, it is a late-stage symptom. Medical experts worry that such combinations of misinformation and wishful thinking are common among traditional healers who, like it or not, are the front lines of rural African medicine. Read more: Crippling attacks force Doctors Without Borders to close Ebola centers in Congo Experts call for emergency declaration on Congos Ebola Measles outbreaks show why vaccine-hesitancy is a global health threat Those concerns are intensifying as the epidemic in Congo spirals out of control. Last week, Doctors Without Borders suspended its work after violent attacks on two of its treatment centres. Across the African continent, according to the World Health Organization, there are about 80 times as many traditional healers as there are medical doctors. Millions of Africans consult healers but, studies suggest, usually do not admit it if they see doctors, too. In Congo, doctors now fighting Ebola believe that many of their patients first get infected while visiting such healers. They may arrive at the home of someone like Muriisa with malaria, or even a cough or other minor problem, but then end up lying next to someone with undiagnosed Ebola. In the 2014 West African outbreak, which infected more than 11,000 people, the death of a prominent healer was a crucial superspreader event, linked to over 300 cases. That healer, who lived in rural Sierra Leone, died after catching the virus from one of her patients. Hundreds of relatives and admirers came from many miles away for her funeral and helped wash her body, which was presumably teeming with virus. They then returned to their homes in Guinea and Liberia, helping ignite the worst Ebola epidemic in history. Muriisa discussed his practice with a reporter from The New York Times and visiting members of a Canadian medical charity, Bridge to Health. The Canadians were offering routine medical and dental care in nearby villages, not doing Ebola-related work. Nonetheless, their infectious disease specialist, Dr. Sasan Hosseini-Moghaddam, made sure triage nurses were on the alert for the virus. Any patient with a fever who had visited Congo, or had contact with someone who did, should be isolated and not touched, Hosseini-Moghaddam told the nurses. Then the patients should be asked about diarrhea, vomiting, joint pain, red eyes and difficulty breathing or swallowing all potential signs of Ebola. Of course, Muriisa has no way to do an Ebola test, or even one for malaria, which, when severe, can be confused with Ebola. Ugandas health ministry has not given him one of its brightly coloured posters illustrating Ebola symptoms that can be found tacked up at border posts and conventional clinics. His office is a thatched mud hut decorated with shields and antelope horns. It is at the top of a steep hill above a boat landing on a reed-choked shore so steep that his grandsons keep a dozen polished staffs stuck in the ground to help panting visitors climb it. To meet patients, he tops his normal attire a corduroy jacket and shorts with a cloak of what appears to be serval cat fur and a headpiece of black and white monkey hair. Local residents said the healer was correct that few Congolese ever visit Lake Bunyonyi, which is at an altitude of 6,500 feet and surrounded by farmers, crawfish-gatherers and lakeside resorts (including Idi Amins former summer home). Most Congolese who traverse the border are traders headed straight for Kampala, Ugandas capital, to buy goods for resale in Congo. Also, nurses stationed at the frontier are supposed to take temperatures and turn back anyone with a fever, and Ugandan bus lines have stopped serving the Congolese cities hit hardest by Ebola, Beni and Butembo, which are 200 miles to the northwest. But borders are permeable, and Africans who fall seriously ill may travel long distances to see the healer in their home villages, because they trust them. Healers can spend time with patients and speak their home dialects. Muriisas first language is Rukiga (pronounced rue-CHEE-ga). Also, healers accept payment in the currencies of the poor: vegetables, alcohol, chickens and goats. Local people with HIV do come to him, Muriisa said sometimes right after getting a positive blood test at a clinic. He admitted that he could not cure AIDS but claimed to be able to slow it down to make the virus drunk and weak with a concoction made from the local omusikamoori tree. He does not discourage his patients from taking conventional HIV drugs. Some take them as well as his treatment, he said, but they rarely admit it. They fear arrest, he said. Because the government says herbs dont work and should not be used. He cannot cure cancer, he admitted, but he does treat snake bites. He also treats mental illness. For seriously ill patients, he has two tests to predict whether he can cure them. One requires balancing a small horn on a vertical stick; the other involves boiling a soda bottle full of green liquid to see if it changes colour. If both tests indicate the patient will die, Muriisa does not tell them, because it would be disheartening. Instead, he advises them to go to the local public hospital. His herbal knowledge came from his father, whose grave is just outside the hut and who was the local healer for decades until his death at age 92. But the spiritual aspect of his power, Muriisa explained, comes from an ancient African god named Kazoba Nyamahanga (which means little sun god in Rukiga). Kazoba, he said, sends villagers dreams indicating who their next healer will be, and grants the chosen one the power occasionally to predict the future. He also worshipped the Christian god, he said: I was baptized Samuel, and I go to church but for me its more like a club, someplace to see friends. As the visit ended, Muriisa stood outside with his guests as they waited for their boat. His first wife, Joy Mazooba, 65, brought over one of their grandchildren. Her teeth are too brown could you look at them? she asked the doctors and dentists through a translator. And I think something is wrong with her eyes. BEIJING - China announced a robust annual economic growth target and a 7.5 per cent rise in military spending Tuesday as it convened an annual legislative session overshadowed by a tariff war with Washington. Seeking to defuse U.S. and European complaints the Chinese system is rigged against foreign companies, Premier Li Keqiang promised in a speech to the National Peoples Congress that they will be treated as equals with their Chinese competitors. Li, the countrys top economic official, set this years growth target at 6 to 6.5 per cent, reflecting determination to shore up a cooling state-dominated economy and prevent politically dangerous job losses. Such a growth rate, if achieved, would be among the worlds strongest. Yet it would be slightly below last years 6.6 per cent growth in China and would mark a new three-decade low. The slowdown in China, the worlds second-largest economy after the United States, is likely to hold back international growth. China is still a very large locomotive pulling the global economy, said Sung Won Sohn, chief economist at SS Economics in Los Angeles. As the Chinese economy slows, this will have an impact around the world. We are already seeing that impact. Still, Eswar Prasad, an economist at Cornell University, suggested that a more manageable pace of growth in China could benefit the global economy in the long run. Slower but more balanced growth in China, especially if it was driven by domestic consumption demand and involved fewer financial system risks, could be a net positive for the world economy, Prasad said. At the legislative session in Beijing, Li promised to promote China-U.S. trade negotiations, but gave no details of talks aimed at ending the fight with President Donald Trump over Beijings technology ambitions and complaints it steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Li, No. 2 in the ruling Communist Party behind President Xi Jinping, pledged higher spending on development of technologies including artificial intelligence, electric cars, biotechnology and new materials that Chinas leaders see as a path to prosperity and global influence. He also promised more money for education, social programs and public works construction. Chinas emergence as a competitor in smartphones, telecom equipment, solar power and other technologies has increased the range of products available to consumers and helped to drive down prices. But it rattles Washington and other governments that worry Chinese competition is a threat to their industries and employment. Li warned that the second-largest economy faces a graver and more complicated environment and risks that are greater in number and size. The two-week gathering of the congresss 3,000-plus delegates in the cavernous Great Hall of the People is Chinas biggest event of the year. It does little lawmaking, but serves as a platform to highlight the governments plans for the year. Xis government is expected to use this years session to announce tax cuts and more support for entrepreneurs who generate much of Chinas new jobs and wealth. Legislators also are due to endorse a law that aims to ease tensions with Washington and Europe by discouraging officials from pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. Higher government spending will push the budget deficit from 2.6 per cent of total economic output to 2.8 per cent, Li said. The plans reflect emphatic pro-growth efforts to offset external headwinds, Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Bank said in a report. Proposed tax cuts of up to 2 trillion yuan ($300 billion) would put significant spending power in the hands of consumers and companies, helping to buoy sagging demand for autos, household appliances and other goods, Varathan said. Spending on the Communist Partys military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army, will rise to 1.2 trillion yuan ($178 billion), according to a separate report issued by the finance ministry. Chinas total military outlay, the second-largest behind the United States, is estimated by independent experts to exceed $220 billion a year when off-budget expenses are added in. The spending will pay to expand Chinas navy and acquire advanced aircraft and other weapons to help Beijing enforce its territorial claims in the South China Sea. The slower rise in military spending, down from double digit increases in previous years, reflects changing priorities, said Yue Gang, a military expert and retired Chinese army colonel. It is more urgent for China to prepare for a trade war with the U.S., instead of a physical war, Yue said. Military reforms are nearly complete, and China needs the money to be used for more urgent matters, he said. The tariff fight with Trump over Beijings technology ambitions has rattled Chinese consumers and investors, prompting some to put off spending, which could add to downward pressure on economic growth. News reports say Washington and Beijing might be close to an agreement to end the battle. But the chief U.S. envoy, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, said earlier the two sides still had much work to do. No agreements have been announced on the core of the dispute: U.S. pressure on Beijing to roll back its plans for state-led creation of global competitors in robotics and other technology. Washington, Europe and other trading partners say those violate Chinas market-opening obligations. Some American officials worry they might erode U.S. industrial leadership. Its unclear if Trump would be mollified by the technology measure, part of a law on foreign investment that state media say the congress is due to endorse. It would bar officials from using administrative measures to pressure companies to hand over technology. Foreign business groups welcomed the proposal but said they need to see enforcement rules to know whether it will improve conditions. Li tried to reassure investors by promising foreign companies will be treated as equals with Chinese enterprises in a fair and impartial market environment. Foreign business groups and governments complain Beijing routinely violates its commitments under the World Trade Organization to ensure such equality, or national treatment. They say rules on investment, technology licensing and other facets of business discriminate against foreign companies or shield Chinese enterprises from competition. Xi and other Chinese leaders have announced changes over the past year including tariff cuts on imported consumer goods and plans to allow full foreign ownership in auto manufacturing. But business groups say those have little impact on operating conditions. Beijing faces a WTO challenge filed in July by the European Union against technology licensing rules the 28-nation trade bloc said improperly hamper the ability of foreign companies to protect and profit from their technology. Li promised competitive neutrality, or equal treatment of state-owned and private companies by regulators. But he gave no details of how far that might extend for foreign competitors. Enterprises under all forms of ownership will be treated on an equal footing, the premier said. ___ AP writers Yanan Wang and Christopher Bodeen and researcher Yu Bing in Beijing and AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger in Washington contributed to this report. BANGKOK - The deputy leader of an up-and-coming political party contesting Thailands general election has become the latest target of online content laws after unwittingly sharing a false news article. A spokeswoman for the Future Forward Party said Tuesday that a representative of the ruling military junta had filed a police complaint accusing Pongsakorn Rodchompoo of violating the Computer Crime Act, which carries a penalty of up to five years imprisonment. Pongsakorn admits sharing an article that accused a top junta official of buying cups of coffee for 12,000 baht ($377) each, but says he deleted the post within minutes after learning it originated from a website promoting fake news, Future Forward spokeswoman Pannika Wanich said. The story had been widely circulated on Facebook. Five other people have reportedly been charged for the same offence, accused of violating a provision of the law against online activity that endangers national security. The head of the military government, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, is seeking to stay in office after the March 24 election. He is the candidate for prime minister of a new party regarded as a proxy for the military, but is not running for Parliament. Laws passed under the juntas rule allow so-called outsider unelected prime ministers. The junta has already filed charges against Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit for online remarks that the junta had unfairly lured other political parties to be allies of the military. He is accused of violating the Computer Crime Act by allegedly putting false information online, and could be punished with a five-year prison term. Thanathorn is a particularly articulate critic of Prayuth and the military. His case will be considered after the election. In another case, Thailands army chief, Gen. Apirat Kongsompong, has ordered officials to file defamation charges against a former police chief who is running for prime minister after he made remarks regarding the many decorations on the generals uniform, Thai news reports said Tuesday. Thailands Election Commission, which is nominally independent but generally follows the direction of whatever government is in power, also has oversight over online election material. On Monday, it ordered 12 social media postings be deleted for false or offensive messages. The commission is also looking into a complaint that Future Forward posted a false detail on its website about party leader Thanathorns career, an infraction punishable by a fine, imprisonment and a ban from politics for up to 20 years. The incorrect entry described him as the head of a national industrial organization rather than of one of its regional branches. His party said it was a clerical error. ISLAMABAD - The Latest on the latest escalation between Pakistan and India (all times local): 5:10 p.m. Pakistans Interior Ministry says authorities have arrested dozens of suspects, including the brother of the leader of the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammad group that India has blamed for the Feb. 14 suicide bombing in Indian Kashmir that killed 40 troops. That bombing last month triggered a dangerous escalation that last week pushed Pakistan and India close to an all-out war over Kashmir. In Tuesdays statement, the ministry says 44 suspects were arrested, including prominent members of the outlawed militant group. Among those arrested was Mufti Abdul Rauf, the brother of the groups leader, Masood Azhar. The ministry says the brother was among suspects listed in a file on the February bombing that India gave to Pakistan over the weekend. Kashmir is split between Pakistan and India and is claimed by both in its entirety. ___ 1:45 p.m. Pakistans navy says it spotted and warned an Indian submarine approaching its territorial waters in the Arabian Sea not to attempt an incursion. The navy said in a statement Tuesday that the Indian submarine wasnt targeted, keeping in view Pakistans policy of peace under which Islamabad wants to de-escalate tensions with New Delhi. A navy official says the warning was communicated to the submarine during Mondays encounter. The submarine then moved away. He didnt elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity to talk to reporters. Tension escalated after India last week launched an airstrike inside Pakistan, claiming it targeted militants behind a Feb. 14 bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 40 Indian troops. Pakistan retaliated by downing two Indian fighter jets and capturing a pilot who was later handed back. PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron drew both support and skepticism Tuesday with a clarion call to voters in 28 nations to choose a stronger European Union and reject populists, amid concerns that euroskeptics could achieve unprecedented success in upcoming European Parliament elections. In a column published for Tuesdays editions throughout the bloc, Macron advised voters in the May 23-26 EU parliament elections to reject nationalist parties that offer nothing, laying down the battle lines for the vote. Instead, he called on people to support parties who want to strengthen Europe. Macron himself defeated an anti-EU candidate to become modern Frances youngest leader, but his popularity at home has dipped since taking office to the strains of the blocs anthem, Ode to Joy. The column is his furthest-reaching attempt to shore up the EU, where nationalist and populist candidates have seen gains, including in neighbouring Italy and most recently in the Estonian general election on Sunday. Never has Europe been in so much danger, he wrote. He called Brexit a symbol of the crisis plaguing Europe a trap of lies and irresponsibility backed by fake news. Freedom, protection and progress: we need to build European renewal on these pillars. We cant let nationalists with no solutions exploit peoples anger. We cant sleepwalk to a diminished Europe. We cant remain in the routine of business as usual and wishful thinking, he wrote. He proposed the creation of an agency to protect member states elections from cyberattacks and other manipulations. He also seeks to ban the financing of EU political parties by foreign powers. To address migration, Macron called for stricter border controls, a common border force, and common asylum rules measures that have already started being implemented. Macron also called for Europe to lead the fight against climate change by setting a target of zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and cutting pesticide use in half by 2025. Macrons office said the French presidents approach is legitimate and useful in opening a European debate without interfering in domestic politics. It added that the French presidency had informed all 28 EU governments ahead of the publication. The European Commission welcomed Macrons appeal, though it says it has already been working for years on many of the ideas he raised ranging from border guard and asylum agencies to security and food safety proposals or tackling climate change. Olaf Scholz, Germanys vice chancellor and finance minister, praised Macron for sending a determined signal for cohesion in Europe. He told the Funke newspaper that Europe needs to be strong to avoid being pushed around. In a tweet Tuesday, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila offered support for Macrons call for security, sustainable growth and ambitious climate policy. Sipila added that people needed to see the EU that is capable of making decisions and implementing them. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said he particularly hoped for a Europe that protects liberty and democracy, according to the agency Belga. But Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Babis, a populist billionaire, appeared skeptical of Macrons plea. I dont think it goes in the right direction, he told The Associated Press, adding that he believed the EU should focus on issues such as defence and making the blocs common trading market work better. Macron on Tuesday launched in Paris a new body where members of intelligence services from across the continent and other experts can exchange theirs views and experiences. He said in a speech this is an example of what can be done in Europe. The body, called Europes Intelligence College, notably aims at better fighting of terrorism and cybercrime, but is not involved in operational intelligence exchange. In France, Macrons ratings remain low in popularity polls even if he has appeared to regain a little support in recent weeks as he tries to quell the yellow vest anti-government protest movement. The polls suggest that Macrons party appears ahead of the far-right National Rally in European Parliament elections. Since he took office in May 2017, Macron has made a point of visiting 19 European countries. But that has not prevented tensions from breaking out between France and nations where populist parties govern, from Poland and Hungary to Italy. In October, Macron harshly accused Hungarian and Polish leaders of lying to their people about the EU. The Hungarian government of President Viktor Orban said Tuesday: Macron is a pro-immigration politician, who believes immigration is good. We believe it is bad. In truth, Macron wants to attack those who are against immigration. Thats what this program is about, a written statement said. France last month saw its most serious diplomatic dispute with Italy since World War II. Paris even recalled its ambassador for a few days to protest perceived Italian meddling in French domestic politics, after Italian Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio met with French yellow vest activists seeking to run for the European Parliament. Italys anti-migrant Interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has repeatedly criticized Macron and said he hoped the French would not back him in the upcoming elections. ___ Jan M. Olsen contributed to this report from Copenhagen, Denmark. PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who will meet with Donald Trump later this week, on Tuesday praised the U.S. president for trying to achieve peaceful nuclear disarmament in North Korea. Babis, who will be in the White House Thursday, told The Associated Press that talking is a better option than a military conflict, even where the other party is not a democratic leader. If the American president negotiates with a dictator (Kim Jong Un), it is a good thing, Babis told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Babis said the U.S. should also use its influence and position as a permanent U.N. Security Council member to help negotiate peace in Syria. Babis said that the European Unions foreign policy is not influential enough to make a difference in the Middle East. Syria is an important issue, especially for Europe, Babis said. There are up to 6 million refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey and, of course, they want to return home. While the global fight against the Islamic State group is expected to come to an end in Syria soon, it is only one conflict in a country that has been in civil war for nearly eight years. The Czech Republic is the only EU member state to retain an ambassador in the war-torn country, and also represents the U.S. interests there. Babis said that despite criticizing the regime of President Bashar Assad, it is necessary to communicate with its representatives and engage all the states that could have a say. Babis is a vocal opponent of accepting migrants and refugees in his country and insists its a better thing to help them in their countries. The White House said issues including cybersecurity, energy security and trade will also be on the agenda of the talks between the two leaders. The visit coincides with the 30th anniversary of the 1989 anti-Communist Velvet Revolution and the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republics membership in NATO, which began in 1999. The Czech Republic is among the countries criticized by Trump for not meeting the NATO goal of committing 2 per cent of their gross domestic product to defence, another possible topicsto be discussed. Babis promised to meet the target by 2024. Another point of contention is Trumps trade policy. The U.S. president has raised the ire of many Europeans with the imposition of tariffs on aluminum and steel, while threatening to impose tariffs on imports of cars from the European Union. Its necessary to do all we can to avoid escalation in this respect, Babis said. Its necessary to negotiate about it. Hopefully, the talks will end up in a solution acceptable for both sides to avoid a trade war. The two leaders should find more common ground on the issue of cybersecurity after a Czech watchdog followed U.S. authorities in warning against use of hardware or software made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE. Huawei has become the target of U.S. security concerns because of its ties to the Chinese government. The U.S. has pressured other countries to limit use of its technology, warning they could be opening themselves up to surveillance and theft of information. It would certainly be a wrong thing if any critical state infrastructure was dependent on the technologies which could be linked to a state with political aims, Babis said. WARSAW, Poland - Polish governments priority is not to adopt the common European currency, the euro, but to raise peoples earnings to Western European levels, the prime minister said Tuesday. Mateusz Morawiecki was commenting in reaction to the oppositions promise that it would adopt the euro if it won power in parliamentary elections in the fall. Morawiecki told state Polskie Radio 1 that his governments priority is to make earnings comparable with those in rich European countries. He said it would take five to 10 years to catch up with Italy, and then with France and richer countries. Poland joined the European Union in 2004 and is working to make up for decades of inefficient communist management. Its economy is among the fastest growing in the EU, but it is still using the local currency, the zloty. Our main purpose is not for Poland to adopt the euro, Morawiecki said, adding it would not pay off. To the contrary, we believe that the zloty ensures peoples prosperity very well, so our purpose is for the Poles to start earning like in Western Europe. He cited neighbouring Slovakia and Lithuania as countries where prices of staple goods reportedly rose following the adoption of the euro and where border residents do their shopping in Poland, where prices are lower. Polands ruling conservative party recently announced a new round of social benefits that critics say aim to win over voters in the European Parliament elections in May and in the fall general election. Morawiecki said the generous social program is intended to help narrow the gap in living standards with the West. In an appeal Tuesday to EU members for a stronger Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron said the euro currency is a source of strength, helping it resist the crises of financial capitalism. COPENHAGEN - The Swedish military says one of its fast assault crafts crashed into a quay in the Stockholm archipelago during a drill, injuring at least seven people. Swedens Armed Forces say two people with suspected head injuries were flown by helicopter to hospitals, but their injuries are not life-threatening. The others were more lightly injured. In its Tuesday statement, the military said the accident occurred during a landing exercise when the assault craft ran into the quay. The CB90-class fast assault craft, armed with machine-guns and a grenade launcher, can carry 18 people. PARIS - The Latest on the French presidents call for a stronger European Union (all times local): 7:45 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron has reiterated his call for a stronger Europe as he addressed members of European intelligence services who gathered in Paris to launch a new body where they can exchange views and experiences. Speaking Tuesday after his column went out to publications in the 28 EU nations, Macron said he believes Europe is dying from those who, in a way, have renounced maintaining this desire of Europe. He added that the European countries dont have any other choice than joining forces if they dont want to depend tomorrow on intelligence gleaned by the United States, China or Russia. The new body, Europes Intelligene College, is launched on Macrons initiative and notably aims at better fighting terrorism and cybercrime on the continent through common discussions between European intelligence experts. It does not offer operational intelligence exchange. ___ 6:05 p.m. The Hungarian government is dismissing French President Emmanuel Macrons call for voters to reject nationalists in Mays European Parliament elections. In response to a column by Macron published Tuesday across the continent, Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government said the French leader was a pro-immigration politician attacking those, like Orban, who are opposed to immigration. The Hungarian government said Macron ... believes immigration is good. We believe it is bad. Orbans office also accused Macron of censorship, claiming he called for the banning of posters of the opponents of immigration. In recent weeks, the Hungarian government has been waging a media campaign against EU leaders and their supposedly pro-immigration position. Billboards and ads show European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros above the caption You, too, have the right to know what Brussels is planning to do. ___ 4:50 p.m. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis says he is not impressed with French President Emmanuel Macrons push to persuade voters they should support parties that will strengthen the European Union. Babis said after newspapers across Europe published an opinion column by Macron on Tuesday: I dont like it at all. I dont think it goes in the right direction. Im surprised by the call. In his column, the French leader offered ideas for safeguarding elections, managing migration, and making Europe a leader in combating climate change. Babis told The Associated Press he thinks the EU should focus on fundamental issues, such as defence and making the blocs common trading market work better. He doesnt expect other Czechs to react positively to Macrons views, but quite the contrary. ___ 3:45 p.m. Frances European affairs minister says President Emmanuel Macrons column as a realistic assessment about the state of Europe. Nathalie Loiseau told BFM TV that we cannot be in the status quo, in conservatism, and we have never needed Europe as much as now. Many share this view. She said the Brexit made the U.K. a distraught country with a confused political class. Macrons column, published in newspapers in the 28 EU member countries, calls for European renewal and alleges that that lie and irresponsibility led to Britains scheduled departure from the EU at the end of the month. ___ 2:30 p.m. Germanys vice chancellor is welcoming French President Emmanuel Macrons call for reform of the European Union, saying that Europe needs to be strong to avoid being pushed around. Olaf Scholz, who is also Germanys finance minister, told the Funke newspaper group Tuesday that Macron has sent a determined signal for cohesion in Europe. He said it is important that we are sovereign and strong so that we are not pushed around in the world. Scholz added: I see us right beside Paris when it comes to reforms for a Europe that is capable of acting and a stable euro. Germany and France are the traditional motors of European integration, but their co-operation has often been marred by disagreement. Scholz is a senior figure in the centre-left Social Democratic Party, the junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkels fractious governing coalition. ___ 1:40 p.m. The European Commission is welcoming French President Emmanuel Macrons appeal for a European renaissance, though it says it has already been working for years on many of the ideas he raised. Chief spokesman for the EUs executive body, Margaritis Schinas, on Tuesday read a list of ideas the commission and its president, Jean-Claude Juncker, have been developing since their term started in 2014. They ranged from border guard and asylum agencies to security and food safety proposals or tackling climate change. Schinas said: For a European renaissance, France and the Commission are fighting the same fight. He conceded that any moves requiring changes to the EUs founding treaties can only be decided among our member states. These are the owners of the treaties. ___ This version corrects that Schinas is male, not female. ___ 12:20 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macrons plea for a stronger European Union went out to publications of record in 28 nations, but didnt always get prime placement. In Hungary, whose President Viktor Orban has been a frequent target of Macron, it was published online only in the independent business weekly HVG. In The Guardian in Britain, it disappeared from the international home page by midday and was deep in an inside section in the paper edition. And in Poland, where the right-wing government is calling for greater autonomy from Brussels decisions, Macrons column was published by the respected nationwide Rzeczpospolita daily. The headline was on the front page but the full text was published on page 12, as an opinion column, without any comments. ___ 10:40 a.m. The German government says its important for pro-European forces to set out their ideas for the future of the European Union but isnt offering any immediate assessment of details of French President Emmanuel Macrons latest reform proposals. The government said in a brief emailed response Tuesday to a query on Macrons plea to voters to choose a stronger EU: It is important for the pro-European forces to set out their concepts before the European election. The German government supports active discussion on the direction of the European Union. Alexander Gauland, the co-leader of the far-right opposition Alternative for Germany party, charged that Macrons proposals for a renewal of the EU would ultimately lead to yet more rules and bureaucracy and further limit the sovereignty of member states. He said that that will worsen the crisis of the EU. Gauland said that the bigger the problems become in France, the more Macron plays global statesman. ___ 9:45 a.m. French President Emmanuel Macrons plea in the publications of 28 nations for a stronger European Union has gained support from neighbouring Belgium and Finland. In a tweet Tuesday, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila offered support for Macrons call for security, sustainable growth and ambitious climate policy. Sipila added that people needed to see the EU that is capable of making decisions and implementing them. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said he particularly hoped for a Europe that protects liberty and democracy, according to the agency Belga. But in France, where Macrons popularity has dipped since his election, there was skepticism. Nadine Morano of the opposition Republicans said that in this column, the word France appears just once. This is Macronism France has to disappear into this European federalism. BRUSSELS - A senior British government minister insists that Brexit talks with the European Union are making progress, as negotiators meet in Brussels seeking a way to break the logjam. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the signals we are getting are relatively positive. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is meeting U.K. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox on Tuesday, as Britain seeks changes to a Brexit deal that has been rejected by U.K. lawmakers. Their objections centre on a provision to guarantee there are no barriers along the currently invisible Irish border. Britain wants reassurances the mechanism will be temporary. EU leaders insist that the legally binding withdrawal agreement cant be reopened. But Hunt told the BBC that Britain is prepared to be flexible about how changes are achieved. OUTSIDE BAGHOUZ, Syria - The Latest on developments in Syria with the push on the last patch of territory held by the Islamic State group (all times local): 6:30 p.m. Russias Defence Ministry has accused the U.S. military of keeping tens of thousands of people in a refugee camp in southern Syria against their will. The ministry said Tuesday that the U.S. military has prevented 35,000 Syrians from leaving the Rukban camp. It charged that the U.S.-affiliated rebels extort money from those who want to leave . The ministry released satellite images of the camp, arguing that they prove that conditions in the camp are miserable. Russia has repeatedly accused the U.S. of failing to provide proper living conditions in Rukban, home to about 40,000 people. Food and medicine deliveries to the camp have often failed due to poor security. The Russian military said the Syrian government last week sent a convoy to evacuate the camp, but the U.S. refused to let it through. ___ 2:50 p.m. The wife of a French militant who had joined the Islamic State group says her husband, Jean-Michel Clain, has died of his wounds in Syria. The woman, who only identified herself as Dorothee, said on Tuesday that she does not want to go back to France and wants France to leave me alone. She spoke to The Associated Press at a screening area after leaving the village of Baghouz, the last sliver of land still in the hands of IS militants. The 38-year-old woman describes the situation in Baghouz as a horror film. She says her husband joined IS along with his older brother, Fabien Clain, one of Europes most-wanted members of the extremist group. Fabien Clain was killed in a strike by the U.S.-led military coalition in Syria in February. Dorothee says her husband was also wounded in the same airstrike and died of his wounds two days ago. ___ 11 a.m. A spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian forces fighting the Islamic State group says thousands of people, including militants, have left the last area held by the extremists in Syria. Mustafa Bali tweeted that about 3,000 came out of the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria on Monday through a humanitarian corridor established by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for those who want to leave or surrender. Bali says among those who left was a large number of IS fighters who surrendered to our forces. The evacuations came as the U.S. backed forces slowed down their latest push on Baghouz, which resumed last week, to allow civilians to leave the tiny enclave. Its unclear how many IS militants and civilians remain inside, but the number is likely in the hundreds. BEIRUT - A top U.S. State Department official visiting Lebanon said Tuesday that the new government in Beirut needs to make tough decisions as it tackles widespread corruption and a crumbling economy, in addition to ongoing security issues. David Satterfield, acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, said Washington is looking to support the Lebanese people as they move their country forward, but warned against increased Iranian influence. The eight-year war in neighbouring Syria has deepened Lebanons economic woes, which include high unemployment, meagre growth and a soaring public debt of $85 billion, or 155 per cent of the gross domestic product. Some 1 million Syrian refugees make up a quarter of Lebanons population. Lebanons powerful Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, made significant gains in last years parliamentary elections at the expense of the largest Sunni party headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Satterfield met with Hariri on Tuesday along with Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and the leader of the right-wing Christian Phalange party, Samy Gemayel. The U.S. diplomat said Irans growing influence in Lebanon required a national response, adding that parties, notably Iran, are not passive, theyre very active. In January, Lebanese political factions agreed to form a new government after the countrys first parliamentary elections in nine years. The U.S. has expressed concerns about Hezbollah naming a health minister and two other posts in Lebanons Cabinet and called on the new government to ensure the ministries resources do not provide support to the organization. ___ This story has been corrected to fix the title of the U.S official to Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield. REDMOND, Wash. - The Latest on Melania Trumps three-state tour to promote Be Best (all times local): 3:25 p.m. A Microsoft Corp. employee showed Melania Trump how he uses technology to limit his teenagers screen time and control the websites they can access and who can see what theyre doing online. The first lady was in Redmond, Washington, on Monday to get a briefing on programs and apps designed to teach kids how to stay safe online and about technology to help children with disabilities. It was the second stop on her three-state overnight trip to spotlight the themes of her Be Best campaign: child well-being, online safety and bullying prevention, and opioid abuse. Mrs. Trump also watched a demonstration of a Microsoft Xbox adaptive controller shown to her by an employee with limited mobility as a result of a stroke and subsequent car crash. ___ 2:30 p.m. Melania Trump gave a second-grader a pep talk about homework as she toured an Oklahoma elementary school to open a three-state tour highlighting her Be Best initiative. As she talked up the value of teamwork, the second-grader at Dove School of Discovery in Tulsa appeared to give her an earful about homework. Mrs. Trump suggested the girl spend an hour on homework so youre prepared for the next day. The first ladys school visit was the first stop on an overnight trip to spotlight the Be Best themes of child well-being, online safety and bullying prevention, and opioid abuse. From Oklahoma, Mrs. Trump headed for Microsoft Corp. in Redmond, Washington. She was to be briefed on programs and apps designed to teach kids how to stay safe online and about technology to help children with disabilities. ___ 9:35 a.m. Melania Trump is in Oklahoma to open a three-state tour to highlight all three components of her Be Best childhood initiative. The first lady on Monday is visiting the Dove School of Discovery, a Tulsa elementary school that the White House says incorporates character education in its curriculum. Shell visit a Seattle-area tech company later Monday to learn about programs and apps designed to teach children how to be safe online, and about technology to help children with disabilities. Mrs. Trump concludes the tour Tuesday in Las Vegas by participating in a town hall on the opioid crisis. Its her first solo domestic overnight trip in her official capacity. Last May, the first lady launched Be Best to focus on child well-being, online safety and bullying prevention, and opioid abuse. MONTPELIER, Vt. - A New Hampshire woman who police say was kidnapped along with her 4-year-old son and later sexually assaulted by a man who had allegedly run away from a Vermont addiction treatment centre is suing the state of Vermont and the centre for not doing enough after he fled. In a lawsuit filed Monday in Vermont Superior Court, Celia Roessler argues Valley Vista should have called the state police as soon as Everett Simpson was discovered missing. The suit also says state police should have informed the public and other police agencies. Simpson had been released from jail to get treatment at Valley Vista on. Jan. 3. As part of the conditions of his release, the lawsuit said, he was to have signed a document allowing the facility to immediately notify police if he left without permission. The suit, which is seeking unspecified damages, says it took the centre about 90 minutes to notify police that Simpson was missing and those delays kept police from capturing him in the hours after he left. Police have said Simpson has a criminal history dating back to 1995. State police had done an internal review of the case and determined that, in fact, more should have been done. Roessler said she spoke out hoping that something good can come from her lawsuit so something like this never happens again. Ultimately, I have decided to speak out today because I have nothing to hide from or be ashamed of, she said. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but Roessler said Monday in a news release issued by her attorneys that she wanted to identify herself. Police say that after Simpson left Valley Vista, he stole a car and drove to Manchester, New Hampshire, where on Jan. 5 he kidnapped Roessler and her young son from a mall. Simpson then allegedly brought them back to Vermont while he searched for his wife. He is alleged to have sexually assaulted Roessler at a hotel in White River Junction, Vermont. Simpson then fled the state. He was arrested the next day in Pennsylvania. Simpson pleaded not guilty to federal kidnapping and interstate car theft charges. Last week, he was charged by Vermont authorities with sexual assault. He is being held without bail on the federal charges. His attorney did not return a call Tuesday seeking comment. Valley Vista did not return a call Tuesday seeking comment. In a statement, the Vermont Attorney Generals office said their sympathies went out to the plaintiff and her family who were victims of a heinous crime. It said officials were analyzing the claims in her lawsuit. DENVER - A Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple on religious grounds a stance partially upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and state officials said Tuesday that they would end a separate legal fight over his refusal to bake a cake celebrating a gender transition. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and attorneys representing Jack Phillips said they mutually agreed to end two legal actions, including a federal lawsuit Phillips filed accusing the state of waging a crusade to crush him by pursuing a civil rights complaint over the gender transition cake. Phillips attorneys dubbed the agreement a victory for the baker. Weiser, a Democrat, said both sides agreed it was not in anyones best interest to move forward with these cases. The agreement resolves every ongoing legal dispute between the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in suburban Denver and the state. Weisers statement said it has no effect on the ability of the Denver attorney who filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission to pursue her own legal action. The attorney, Autumn Scardina, told the commission that Phillips refused last year to make a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside for a celebration of her transition from male to female. She asked for the cake on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would consider Phillips appeal of a previous commission ruling against him. In that 2012 case, he refused to make a wedding cake for same-sex couple Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the commission showed anti-religious bias when it sanctioned Phillips. The justices did not rule on the larger issue of whether businesses can invoke religious objections to refuse service to gays or lesbians. Weeks later, the commission found probable cause that Phillips had discriminated against Scardina because she is transgender and ordered them to find a solution through mediation. Phillips then filed a federal lawsuit against the commission, citing his belief that gender is given by God ... and cannot be chosen or changed. Both sides notified a federal judge on Tuesday that Phillips lawsuit was being dropped and each party would pay for their own costs and attorney fees. We hope that the state is done going along with obvious efforts to harass Jack, said Jim Campbell, an attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom. He shouldnt be driven out of business just because some people disagree with his religious beliefs and his desire to live consistently with them. The conservative Christian non-profit law firm represented Phillips in the U.S. Supreme Court case and the latest dispute. Weiser said the commission unanimously voted to dismiss its administrative action against Phillips. The larger constitutional issues might well be decided down the road, but these cases will not be the vehicle for resolving them, Weiser said in a statement. Equal justice for all will continue to be a core value that we will uphold as we enforce our states and nations civil rights laws. It wasnt immediately known if Scardina, the Denver attorney, planned further action involving Phillips. Telephone messages for Autumn Scardina and for Todd Scardina, an attorney representing Autumn in the civil rights commission proceedings, werent immediately returned Tuesday. ___ Associated Press writers James Anderson and Colleen Slevin contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect the Supreme Court ruling came in June, not July. WASHINGTON - A former White House special counsel considers special prosecutor Robert Mueller an American hero. Attorney Ty Cobb says he does not share President Donald Trumps opinion that Muellers probe into Russian meddling in the election is a witch hunt during an ABC News podcast The Investigation that aired Tuesday. Cobb says Mueller is a very justice-oriented person. Cobb does not believe Muellers report will harm the president politically. Cobb says theres no link to Trump or the campaign in an indictment against Russian hackers and says theres no reference to collusion in a sentencing memo for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Cobb joined the Trumps White House legal team in July 2017 and left after 10 months. He says Trump should brace himself for upcoming congressional investigations. NEW YORK - The 2018 holiday season turned out to be a mixed bag for retailers, with some of them defying a gloomy government report in December that raised concerns that shoppers were hunkering down everywhere. Retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy that have been responding faster to a more competitive landscape with expanded delivery services and spruced up stores are enjoying strong sales. Off-price chains like T.J. Maxx parent that offer treasure hunt experiences have remained a sweet spot. But mall-based clothing chains and department stores particularly those that target the middle-income shoppers continue to muddle along. Macys had weak holiday sales, ending a year-long recovery after a three-year slump. J.C. Penney and Gap are both closing more stores after lacklustre holiday sales. 2019 is expected to be challenging as economic growth is expected to slow. The once-strong housing market is cooling. And smaller tax refunds could put a damper on the current quarter results, hurting sales of big ticket items like TVs. If shoppers pull back, analysts say that the healthy retailers will face some pressure to get them to spend. But for the already struggling chains that have been in a slump despite a strong economy, their prospects will become even worse. If you are sitting in the mall and you are watching all the stores closing around you, it has to be disheartening, said Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics, a retail research firm. But there are a handful of big box stores that will be able to weather any downturn. They have the capital to pick up market share as others struggle. Heres a closer look at the winners and losers: OFF-PRICE STORES TO REMAIN STRONG Off-priced chains gained market share and expanded rapidly during the depths of the Great Recession and stayed strong during the economic recovery. Retail consultant Craig Johnson doesnt see their fortunes fading anytime soon. TJX Cos., which operates T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, posted a 6 per cent increase in sales at stores opened at least a year for the fiscal fourth quarter as more shoppers walked through their doors. The off-price concept has been a bright spot at Macys and Nordstrom. Macys is rapidly expanding its off-price concept called Backstage and CEO Jeff Gennette said its 120 stores with Backstage concepts are enjoying a more than 5 per cent sales lift. Meanwhile, Nordstrom said that sales at its off-price division grew 4 per cent but slipped 1.6 per cent at full-priced stores during the latest quarter. MUDDLING IN THE MIDDLE Mall-based clothing chains like Gap as well as mid-priced department stores like J.C. Penney havent benefited from a strong economy because they havent differentiated themselves from a sea of sameness, Perkins said. Many are continuing to try to shrink their way to profitability. J.C. Penney said it was closing 18 stores, while Gap said it would shutter 230 Gap brand stores over the next two years. That would leave the Gap chain with roughly 427 stores, a little more than half of what it was a year ago. Gap Inc. is also splitting itself, announcing last week that it will create two independent publicly traded companies: low-priced juggernaut Old Navy and a yet to be named company, which will consist of Gap, Banana Republic as well as less well-known names like Athleta and Intermix. Meanwhile, a number of retailers have filed for bankruptcy in the first two months of this year, including Charlotte Russe, Gymboree and Payless ShoeSource. Late last month, Payless filed for Chapter 11 for the second time, and is liquidating all 2,500 of its U.S. stores. Gymboree is closing all of its roughly 900 stores, including its Crazy 8 stores. FORTUNES FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT BUSINESS Lowes and Home Depot saw sales slow down in the fourth quarter amid an overall housing slowdown. The Commerce Department recently reported the number of homes being built in December plunged to the lowest level in more than two years, potentially signalling that developers expect fewer home sales this year. The National Association of Realtors said sales of existing homes dropped 1.2 per cent in January to their worst pace in more than three years. But Perkins believes that in a slowing housing market, home improvement chains can still weather the slowdown. People may not be buying homes, but theyll stay and renovate, Perkins said. They have some insulation. ____ Follow Anne DInnocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday that he welcomed the support of a super PAC even as many fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have rejected them, voicing concern that they give the wealthy outsized political influence. Super PACs allow a relatively small group of supporters to raise and spend unlimited sums of money so long as they do not co-ordinate with the candidate whose message they are trying to amplify. The group Act Now on Climate was formed last month specifically to back Inslees eventual presidential bid, a detail he glided past at an Iowa campaign stop as he explained why he welcomed them. They want to defeat climate change, and this is something Ive been very passionate about for decades, Inslee said. So, no, I wont be condemning any organization thats trying to defeat climate change. The remarks come after the liberal group End Citizens United called on Inslee to disavow the group. They also place him at odds with many in the partys base, who view super political action committees as a symptom of whats wrong with politics since the Supreme Courts landmark 2010 Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited corporate and union spending in federal elections. A host of candidates including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have urged other Democratic presidential contenders to reject super PACs. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker is backed by one that was founded by a longtime supporter, but he has said he doesnt want the support. However, as a little-known governor, Inslee may not have many other options to get his message out in the crowded primary field. So far, the Act Now on Climate group has dropped $250,000 on video and digital production, records show. And they say theyve spent an additional seven figures to pay for cable TV ads that started to run Tuesday in the early voting state of Iowa. Its unclear how much money Act Now on Climate has raised. Spokeswoman Christy Setzer declined to identify who is funding the effort. The group has some close ties to Inslee. For example, Corey Platt, a key operative for the group, was formerly the political director of the Democratic Governors Association, which Inslee led until recently. That close association rankles some activists. We urge you to join the candidates in the Democratic presidential primary who have taken this bold step, and publicly disavow this effort and any other effort to create a single-candidate super PAC that serves as a shadow support to your campaign, End Citizens United wrote in a letter to Inslee this week. We hope you will strive to run a campaign that demonstrates to primary voters that you will put people before special interests. WILMINGTON, Del. - A Delaware judge is mulling whether to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Saudi prince in a dispute with his ex-wife over a mansion they bought in Beverly Hills, California, before their divorce. The judge heard arguments Tuesday in a complaint filed last year by Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud against his former wife, Princess Fahdah Husain Abdulrahman Al-Athel. The prince wants to prevent his ex-wife from selling the property without his consent. He also says he is owed about $42 million that he loaned the Delaware limited liability company they formed to buy the property, and that she has mismanaged the estate and failed to pay employees, resulting in several lawsuits. The princess, also referred to in court documents as Ms. Alathel, argues that she was never a manager of New Generation Ideas LLC, and that the Delaware court has no jurisdiction over her. Steven Caponi, an attorney for the princess, suggested that when she signed documents related to the LLC, she may have not have understood what she was signing but was instead just being subservient to her husband. This was not a business. ... This was a husband and wife. This was a wife in Saudi Arabia, Caponi said. Women in Saudi Arabia are not exactly on equal footing. My client was just being a housewife. The princess also argues that the case should be dismissed or halted in favour of an earlier petition she filed in the Cayman Islands to dissolve a corporation that is the sole member of the LLC and to liquidate its assets. Jason Jowers, an attorney for the prince, noted that the princess had admitted in a Cayman Islands court filing that she is a director of the LLC. He also argued that the prince should be allowed to continue pursuing his lawsuit in Delaware because his claims are different than those raised by his ex-wife in the Cayman Islands action, where the LLC is not listed as a party. Jowers said the two former spouses wont be able to move on until a court determines whether the prince did indeed loan $42 million to the LLC to renovate the property or whether, as Caponi argued, It was simply two married people spending their joint funds improving their joint marital residence. According to court records, the only asset of the LLC is the California estate, which was purchased in 2011 for about $16.9 million. According to online property records, the mansion measures more than 27,000 square feet (2,058 square meters), with at least 18 bedrooms and more than two dozen bathrooms. A Cayman Islands court has ordered the former spouses to submit independent appraisals of the property by the end of the month. Theres a very huge delta between what each party things this property is worth, Caponi said. The prince has suggested that the property is worth less than the $42 million he loaned to the LLC, while his wife believes it is worth significantly more. The couple married in 2001. Their divorce was finalized in Saudi Arabia in 2016. DETROIT - Michigans new attorney general said Tuesday there was enough compelling evidence to file a murder charge in the disappearance of a suburban Detroit woman, even if the victims body hasnt been found more than two years after she was last seen at work. Most felonies in Michigan are filed by county prosecutors, but the case against Floyd Galloway Jr. has been taken over by Attorney General Dana Nessel. Galloway, who is in prison for an attack on a woman at a park, was charged Monday with first-degree murder in the death of Danielle Stislicki of Farmington Hills. The 28-year-old disappeared after work in December 2016. Police say Galloway was a security guard in the same office building in Southfield. Nessel said investigators went to extraordinary lengths to find evidence and that evidence is compelling. She didnt offer any details. The longer you wait the more you risk that theres issues with the evidence, said Nessel, who became attorney general on Jan. 1. Memories fade or (witnesses) leave the state. ... I have seen multiple cases without a body that were successfully prosecuted. Galloway, 32, is expected to appear in court by video Wednesday. He doesnt have a lawyer yet. Stislickis mother thanked investigators who attended Nessels news conference. This is about Danielle Stislicki and the justice for not only her but for other families who have been told you cant move any farther because there isnt a body, Ann Stislicki said. Times have changed. Nessel said the Wayne County assistant prosecutor who won the assault conviction against Galloway was familiar with evidence in the Stislicki investigation and urged her to step in. Oakland County prosecutor Jessica Cooper declined to comment when asked why her office hadnt filed a murder charge. I received a phone message from the AG yesterday afternoon and called her back, but she was not available, Cooper told The Associated Press. ___ Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - New Mexico on Tuesday sued the U.S. Air Force over groundwater contamination at two bases, saying the federal government has a responsibility to clean up plumes of toxic chemicals left behind by past military firefighting activities. The contamination linked to a class of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS was detected last year in groundwater on and near Cannon and Holloman air bases. Similar contamination has been found at dozens of military sites across the nation, and growing evidence that exposure can be dangerous has prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to consider setting a maximum level for the chemicals in drinking water nationwide. Currently only non-enforceable drinking water health advisories are in place. New Mexico regulators first issued a notice of violation to the Air Force last year for failing to properly address the contamination at the base near Clovis. They followed up earlier this year on Holloman, saying that base had violated its state permit and had yet to respond to concerns about the pollution near Alamogordo. The state considers the contamination an immediate and substantial danger to surrounding communities. In the absence of co-operation by the Air Force, the New Mexico Environment Department will move swiftly and decisively to ensure protections for both public health and the environment, Environment Secretary James Kenney said Tuesday. Aside from violating state environmental laws, Kenney also suggested that the Air Force violated the publics trust. Today we begin holding them accountable, he said. The Air Force declined to comment on the lawsuit but argued that its response to PFAS contamination in New Mexico and elsewhere has been aggressive. Mark Kinkade with the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center said the military has provided alternate water to those in areas where Air Force activity likely contributed to the contamination. He said officials also have been working with the communities and regulators to identify and implement long-term solutions to prevent exposure. Beyond firefighting foams, PFAS are used in nonstick coatings on things ranging from pans to fast-food wrappers. Some states and cities have sued the manufacturers of the firefighting foams, saying the companies should have known the chemicals could post a threat to public health and the environment. New York is among them, having spent tens of millions of dollars in state funds to investigate and clean up contamination linked to the chemicals. According to a report from independent federal investigators, the U.S. military as of 2017 had spent about $200 million on environmental investigations and other responses related to the chemicals at 263 installations around the country. The U.S. Department of Defence has said it could take years to determine a total price tag for PFAS contamination at military sites. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said in his drought-stricken state, access to clean water is vital and any amount of contamination is of great concern for residents. Cannon Air Force Base is located on the edge of Clovis, a community of about 39,000 people that relies on the Ogallala aquifer for its drinking water. The underground supply is already under pressure drought and growing demands along the Texas-New Mexico border. Sampling had detected PFAS in some off-base wells, which provide drinking water and irrigation water to local dairies. At the Highland Dairy, a half-mile from the base, Air Force sampling showed levels more than seven times the EPA advisory. Sampling by the dairy showed significantly higher concentrations. Holloman borders Alamogordo, where 31,000 residents rely on groundwater within the Tularosa Basin. Base officials there identified five known sites where the chemicals were released. Kinkade said drinking water for the base and the city comes from well fields located 12 to 35 miles (29 to 56 kilometres) from the installation. Those wells have been tested and were found to be free of contamination, he said. State regulators and Air Force officials say sampling is ongoing to determine the extent of the contamination plumes and their migration beyond base boundaries. WASHINGTON - Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has not shown remorse or taken responsibility for his crimes, federal prosecutors said in a court filing two days ahead of his sentencing hearing. Prosecutors with special counsel Robert Muellers office said Tuesday that Manafort blames everyone from the Special Counsels Office to his Ukrainian clients for his own criminal choices. Manafort suggests, for example, that but for the appointment of the Special Counsels Office, he would not have been charged in connection with hiding more than $55 million abroad, failing to pay more than $6 million in taxes, and defrauding three financial institutions of more than $25 million dollars, prosecutors wrote. In reality, they said, he was under Justice Department investigation before Mueller was appointed special counsel in May 2017. The filing was aimed at persuading a judge to reject Manaforts pleas for leniency at Thursdays sentencing hearing in Alexandria, Virginia. Sentencing calculations call for a punishment of up to 24 years. Manafort was convicted in August of eight financial crimes in the Virginia case. He faces another sentencing hearing later this month following a guilty plea in Washington. Whatever sentence he receives will be by far the longest punishment given so far to any of the defendants charged in Muellers nearly two-year investigation. Prosecutors also rejected Manaforts argument that his age 69 should be taken into account, saying he can and should receive proper medical care in prison. SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Latest on the California attorney generals decision on whether to charge officers who killed an unarmed black man last year (all times local): 6:15 p.m. Sacramentos mayor and police chief are investigating the actions of police during a Monday night protest that resulted in 84 arrests. Protesters were demonstrating in response to the Sacramento County district attorneys decision not to criminally charge two Sacramento police officers who fatally shot Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man, last year. Speakers at a City Council meeting Tuesday say police were overly aggressive, pushing and sometimes striking protesters and ramming them with bikes.The Rev. Kevin Kitrell Ross says officers trapped protesters trying to leave.Among the people arrested were clergy, and a Sacramento Bee reporter was detained. Police say no one was taken to the hospital. Police Chief Daniel Hahn says the large number of protests was unusual, and the department is reviewing body camera footage. Mayor Darrell Steinberg has called for an independent investigation. The police said Monday night the protesters were unlawfully assembled and that at least five vehicles were keyed during the protest. __ 2:30 p.m. Federal authorities are opening their own investigation into Sacramento police officers fatal shooting last year of an unarmed black vandalism suspect. U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott and Sean Ragan, who heads the FBIs Sacramento office, said Tuesday that they will examine whether the slaying of 22-year-old Stephon Clark violated his federal civil rights. The review will be conducted along with the U.S. Department of Justices Civil Rights Division. The announcement came immediately after California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that he would not file criminal charges against the two officers. It came three days after Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert ruled out charges, leading to renewed protests. Both prosecutors say the evidence shows the officers had reason to believe their lives were endangered, though investigators found only a cellphone. ___ 12:30 p.m. Californias attorney general says a nearly yearlong investigation shows that Sacramento police believed they were in danger when they fatally shot an unarmed black man who refused commands and moved toward officers with something in his hand. Attorney General Xavier Becerra said at a news conference Tuesday that he wont charge two officers in the killing of 22-year-old Stephon Clark last year. Becerra has emphasized the need for changes and called Clarks death a devastating loss. He met with Clarks mother before announcing his decision. He says Clark had broken car windows and a neighbours sliding glass door and refused police orders to stop and show his hands. After the officers chased him into his grandparents backyard, Becerra says Clark moved closer to police with what officers believed to be a gun. Thats when they opened fire. Investigators found only a cellphone. ___ 12:05 p.m. Californias attorney general wont charge two Sacramento police officers who shot and killed an unarmed black man last year. Attorney General Xavier Becerras announcement Tuesday follows a prosecutors finding that the two officers broke no laws when they shot 22-year-old Stephon Clark. Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet say they mistakenly thought Clark was approaching them with a gun after he ran into his grandparents backyard as police investigated vandalism. Investigators found only a cellphone. Clarks killing prompted intense protests last year in Californias capital city and demonstrations nationwide. Clarks family and black leaders urged Becerra to reach a different conclusion than the local prosecutor. That decision this weekend renewed protests and has increased support for changing the states legal standard for when police can kill. ___ 9:50 a.m. Californias attorney general is preparing to announce whether his office will file criminal charges against two Northern California police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year. Attorney General Xavier Becerra will announce his decision Tuesday. It follows Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schuberts announcement Saturday that the officers broke no laws when they shot the 22-year-old Clark. Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet say they thought Clark was approaching them with a gun. They were pursuing him in response to calls about someone breaking windows. Investigators found only a cellphone. Clark was shot in his grandparents backyard. Clarks family and black community leaders have urged Becerra to reach a different conclusion. More than 80 people were arrested Monday night during a protest following Schuberts decision. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Latest on Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis State of the State speech (all times local): 11:30 a.m. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis first State of the state address is a message calling for environmental protections, low taxes, big changes in education and safer schools. The speech delivered Tuesday also serves as a list of what DeSantis has already accomplished in his first two months in office. Included on that list is securing millions of dollars in federal aid to help Hurricane Michael recover, an aggressive plan to address problems with red tide and algae, the removal of Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for his handling of the Parkland high school shootings that left 17 dead and appointing three Supreme Court justices. He told lawmakers, This is just the beginning. He said lawmakers must be bold to accomplish a big agenda in the 60-day session that began Tuesday. ___ 3 a.m. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will give his first State of the State address in a speech thats expected to focus on economic issues, the environment, education, public safety and government accountability. Tuesdays speech follows a whirlwind pace of policy announcements since DeSantis took office two months ago. Hes stressed the need to address algae blooms, red tide and rising sea levels, proposed major changes to the education system and demanded that medical marijuana be more accessible. DeSantis has enjoyed positive approval ratings since taking office as hes pushed issues that transcend party politics. But hes also stuck to conservative policy positions like opposing so-called sanctuary cities and pushing for an expansion of school vouchers. The speech marks the beginning of the Legislatures 60-day session. BEAUREGARD, Ala. - The Latest on the impact of a tornado in Alabama and Georgia (all times local): 7:30 p.m. President Donald Trump has declared that a major disaster exists in Alabama and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in Lee County, where a tornado swept through and killed at least 23 people. In a news release Tuesday, the Trump Administration said assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the disaster. Damage assessments are continuing and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after those surveys are completed. Residents and business owners who sustained losses can begin applying for help by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). ___ 3:20 p.m. The National Weather Service has confirmed at least 20 tornadoes struck across the Southeast during a deadly weekend outbreak. Reports from the agencys survey teams say storm systems crossing the region Sunday spun off tornadoes in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The most powerful twister was an EF4 tornado packing 170 mph (275 kph) winds thats been blamed for at least 23 deaths in Lee County, Alabama. The weather service says that tornado crossed into western Georgia and travelled about 70 miles (112 kilometres) total. The number of confirmed tornadoes could increase. Survey teams are still assessing storm damage in some areas. ___ 2:30 p.m. An expert says the deadly tornado that struck Beauregard, Alabama, apparently rumbled about 70 miles (110 kilometres) across two states, ending in neighbouring Georgia. That would make it among the longest-lived tornado to touch down in Alabama. That distance approaches the 81-mile (130-kilometre) track of a twister that killed more than 60 people and demolished much of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in a super outbreak of several long-lasting tornadoes across the South on April 27, 2011. Chris Darden, a meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Birmingham, said Tuesday that the tornado that struck Beauregard last weekend continued into Georgia. His colleagues were surveying damage from Sundays tornado, adding the final track would likely be around 70 miles (110 kilometres). ___ 1:30 p.m. President Donald Trump says hell visit Alabama on Friday to see the area devastated by a tornado that killed 23 people. Trump says its been a tragic situation but a lot of good work is being done. The president says hes been in regular touch with the governors of Alabama and Georgia. The tornado that hit Sunday was the nations deadliest in nearly six years. ___ 1:30 p.m. Forecasters say it appears the deadly tornado that struck Beauregard, Alabama, rumbled about 70 miles (113 kilometres) across two states. That would make it among the longest-lived tornadoes to touch down in Alabama. Its distance approaches the 81-mile (130 kilometre) track of a twister that killed more than 60 people and demolished much of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in a super outbreak of several long-lasting tornadoes across the South on April 27, 2011. Chris Darden, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Birmingham, said Tuesday that the tornado that struck Beauregard continued into Georgia, where his colleagues were surveying damage in that state and that the final track would likely be around 70 miles (113 kilometres). ___ 1:05 p.m. Death and loss have left grievous marks on the neighbourhood surrounding what remains of a Beauregard, Alabama, womans mobile home after Sundays deadly tornado. Cindy Sanford said one of her neighbours was found dead on the main highway that runs through the community, and the 6-year-old grandson of her work supervisor was killed across a hill a few hundred yards away. And she said another neighbour is among the missing. As Sanford picked through remains of her home, she said, I pray to God that they find her. Sanfords home tumbled in the wind and is now scattered across neighbours land. Sanford said she left home with her 14-year-old grandson about five minutes before the storm struck after getting a feeling that it was unsafe to remain. The storm killed at least 23 people in southeastern Alabama. ___ 12:05 p.m. Authorities say most of the 90 people injured in the tornado that tore through Beauregard, Alabama, have been released from a hospital. A spokeswoman for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital told The Associated Press on Tuesday that seven patients remain hospitalized there. About 60 people injured by the tornado were taken to East Alabama Medical Center in nearby Opelika, Alabama. That hospital has said in a statement that only four of them remained hospitalized as of Monday. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said that some patients were sent to hospitals elsewhere, including Columbus, Georgia, but details on those patients were not immediately known Tuesday. ___ 11:15 a.m. The sound of chain saws and heavy equipment is in the air in Beauregard, Alabama, which got the worst of the tornadoes sweeping across the Southeast this weekend. Church chaplain Ike Mathews is checking on emergency workers and members of his congregation as he walks a road lined with broken trees and pieces of homes. Mathews says the people who have found the bodies of some of the 23 victims are hurting, and the whole community is torn up. He says many who living in the area are senior citizens who retired from textile mills or an factory nearby, and were hoping to leave their homes to their grandchildren. Now those properties are destroyed. ___ 10:30 a.m. An Alabama coroner says all 23 people found dead after a tornado have been identified and their bodies have been released to funeral homes. He said their ages range from 6 to 93, and that one family alone lost seven people. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris says other coroners and funeral homes from around the state are pitching in to help prepare the victims for funerals. Sheriff Jay Jones says a lot of heavy equipment is coming in to pick up big portions of debris in specific pockets of Beauregard where the search for more victims is now focused. He says those areas are narrowed down from a broad spectrum to certain areas where there may be people or animals, and that they hope to transition from search-and-rescue to recovery later Tuesday. He said the number of missing people has narrowed from dozens to just seven or eight. ___ 9:50 a.m. Government teams surveying storm damage across the Southeast have confirmed that at least 18 tornadoes struck in a deadly weekend outbreak. The National Weather Service says storm systems crossing the region Sunday spun off tornadoes in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina alone. The most powerful twister was an EF4 tornado packing 170 mph (274 kph) winds thats been blamed for at least 23 deaths in Lee County, Alabama. The weather service says that tornado crossed into western Georgia and inflicted more damage. The number of confirmed tornadoes could increase. Survey teams are still assessing storm damage in some areas. ___ 9:20 a.m. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones says the search for tornado victims is still active, with the crews now looking at a smaller area and specific piles of wreckage. The sheriff said Tuesday that the list of unaccounted people is down to seven or eight. He says law enforcement teams are working the area by foot with the help of cadaver-sniffing dogs and also searching by air. In one hard-hit area, a small excavator turned over pieces of splintered homes and trees, which firefighters then searched for signs of potential victims. Jones says authorities are contacting family and friends of the missing to confirm their status, since some of those unaccounted-for may have checked in but not with authorities. ___ 7:50 a.m. Forecasters say 90 people were injured in the tornado that also killed at least 23 people in the small community of Beauregard, Alabama. The number of injured comes in a Tuesday report from the National Weather Service, forecasters say the tornados damage path was nine-tenths of a mile (1.4 kilometres) wide and kept gaining intensity before slamming into Beauregard, Alabama. Survey crews from the weather service documented how the deadly twister shredded manufactured homes, emptying their contents into the woods. Forecasters said in the report that the tornado was strong enough to bend the frame of a car around what remained of a large tree. Based on the damage, theyve determined that it was EF-4 tornado with 170 mph (274 kph) winds. ___ 12:40 a.m. Residents of a small Alabama community hit by a powerful tornado are mourning the deaths of 23 people as they pick through shattered homes for salvageable belongings and crews search for more victims. Carol Dean found her wedding dress Monday among the wreckage of her mobile home in Beauregard. But the storm took her husband. She said: My life is gone. Dean said her spouse, 53-year-old David Wayne Dean, was killed Sunday when the twister struck their home while she was at work. She said he had been texting a friend to beware of the approaching storm. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones says crews with dogs and drones have combed over the hardest-hit areas, but theres more searching to be done. ____ The item that moved at 1:05 p.m. has been corrected to show the grandsons age is 14, not 5. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at stemming a persistently high number of veteran suicides, urging expanded outreach by awarding grants to community programs. The order creates a Cabinet-level task force that will seek to develop a national roadmap for suicide prevention, bringing in state and local organizations to raise awareness among the high-risk group. It directs the task force led by Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to finalize a plan in 12 months. Veterans suicide is a tragedy of staggering proportions, Trump said at a signing ceremony surrounded by military families and veterans organizations. Today we can help end this crisis. He said the problem of veteran suicide can only be solved if the entire country works together to build communities that support and protect veterans from the first moment they return to civilian life. They courageously fulfil their duties to our nation, now we must fulfil our duties to them, Trump said. Currently, about 20 veterans die by suicide each day, about 1.5 times higher than those who havent served in the military. The government says about 14 of those 20 were not under VA care, pointing to a need for improved outreach. According to the White House, the new task force will look to create a grant system similar to the Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing program, which provides funding to state and local programs. The effort, which is being dubbed the PREVENTS Initiative, will also aim to better co-ordinate research on suicide prevention across agencies, including Veterans Affairs, Defence and Homeland Security. PREVENTS stands for Presidents Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide. The White House did not indicate the expected costs of the proposed grants, which would require congressional approval. Trump has sought to boost suicide prevention, part of his campaign pledge to improve health care for veterans. Still, the order follows a report by the Government Accountability Office last December that found the VA had left millions of dollars unspent that were available for suicide prevention efforts. The report said VA had spent just $57,000 out of $6.2 million available for paid media, such as social-media postings. The VA has blamed the missteps on leadership turmoil at the VA that has since stabilized now that Wilkie is VA secretary. WASHINGTON - A look at where investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW The Justice Department expects to make a redacted version of special counsel Robert Muellers report on the Russia investigation public Thursday. Attorney General William Barr will hold a 9:30 a.m. press conference accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversaw the investigation since Muellers appointment in May 2017. The nearly 400-page report will be sent to Congress and made available to the public. It will be the first time America gets to hear directly from Mueller on what he found over a nearly two-year investigation into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign. The report will detail the evidence Mueller uncovered on both sides of the question of whether Trump obstructed justice. It could lay out how prosecutors viewed the Trump campaigns attempts to capitalize off the Kremlins interference, even if they fell short of criminal activity. Barrs credibility is on the line as the public will be able to compare the redacted report from Mueller to a letter Barr released last month detailing the special counsels principal conclusions. Trumps lawyer-spokesman Rudy Giuliani says the presidents legal team has prepared a document to release after Muellers report is made public. ___ DID THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN COLLUDE WITH RUSSIA? According to Barr, the answer is no. In his letter dated March 24, Barr quotes from Muellers report saying the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or co-ordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. The letter does not detail what Mueller learned about a broad range of Trump associates who had Russia-related contacts during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition period. It also doesnt answer why several of those people lied to federal investigators or Congress during the Russia probe. Barr is confronting concerns that his four-page letter unduly sanitized the full report in Trumps favour, including on the key question of whether the president obstructed justice. House Democrats have approved subpoenas for Muellers entire report and any exhibits and other underlying evidence that the Justice Department might withhold. ___ IS TRUMP OUT OF THE WOODS? No. Trump also plays a central role in a separate case in New York, where prosecutors have implicated him in a crime. They say Trump directed his personal lawyer Michael Cohen to make illegal hush-money payments to two women as a way to quash potential sex scandals during the campaign. New York prosecutors also are looking into Trumps inaugural fund. Congressional investigations also are swirling around the president. Democrats have launched a sweeping probe of Trump, an aggressive investigation that threatens to shadow the president through the 2020 election season. ___ For more in-depth information, follow AP coverage at https://apnews.com/TrumpInvestigations Only Justin Trudeau can fix this now. No one else but the prime minister himself can stem the damage being done to his government in the unfolding SNC-Lavalin affair. So far the prime minister has failed to present a robust counter-narrative to the damning story about political interference in judicial matters told by his former attorney general, Jody Wilson-Raybould. Instead, he and his ministers have been touring the land, repeating canned lines about the importance of fighting to protect jobs. But the resignation of Jane Philpott, one of his most respected and accomplished ministers, makes clearer than ever that this is a far from adequate response. It wont be enough for Trudeaus former principal secretary, Gerald Butts, to tell his version of events, as he is scheduled to do before the House of Commons justice committee on Wednesday morning. Or for the Clerk of the Privy Council, Michael Wernick, to go back to the committee and respond to Wilson-Rayboulds assertion that multiple government officials pressured her to give SNC-Lavalin a break in its corruption and bribery case. Philpott did not wait to hear these surrogates for the PM before she exited his cabinet. Clearly she did not expect that either of them would have anything convincing to say that would shake her belief in Wilson-Rayboulds narrative. No, if Trudeau wants to rally his government and party and reassure Canadians that he and his colleagues acted properly in handling the SNC-Lavalin affair, he must do it himself. He must find a venue, perhaps the justice committee itself, and lay out the governments case. He must stop trying to hide behind slogans and catch-phrases and actually answer Wilson-Rayboulds story, what she called my truth. We now need to hear the prime ministers truth, at length and in detail. Thats how important Philpotts resignation is. It may turn out to be even more important than Wilson-Rayboulds departure itself. In her case, it was possible to argue that the former AG was simply wrong in how she approached the SNC-Lavalin matter, and wrong to stay in cabinet even after she was shuffled out of justice into veterans affairs in mid-January. But in her resignation letter as President of the Treasury Board, Philpott makes plain that she is troubled by the implications of the governments behaviour for the independence and integrity of our justice system specifically for the independence of the attorney general from political interference. As a result, she said, she has lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter in how it has responded to the issues raised. Although she did not specifically mention the prime minister, its hard to conclude anything other than she has lost confidence in Trudeau himself and more specifically in how he has fumbled the fallout from Wilson-Rayboulds resignation. Philpotts departure is important also because of her well-deserved standing within the government. Early on in this affair, there were clumsy attempts by Liberal sources to discredit Wilson-Raybould as difficult and hard to work with. Nothing like that can credibly be attempted with regard to Philpott. She served as Trudeaus first health minister, then was named minister of Indigenous services in 2017 when it became apparent that the governments agenda in this vital area was running into the sand. As recently as January, Trudeau entrusted her with the Treasury Board portfolio. She has been a stalwart of his cabinet and cannot be dismissed as anything but a principled minister and Liberal. Its notable that both ministers who have departed Trudeaus government are women and both are deeply involved in Indigenous affairs. Wilson-Rayboulds involvement is obvious, as Canadas first Indigenous justice minister. Philpotts experience as Indigenous services minister plainly touched her; she mentioned the importance of these issues in her resignation letter. Its plain that Trudeaus commitment to a gender-balanced cabinet and to making progress on Indigenous affairs had significance that eluded him at the time. He ended up with ministers at the cabinet table who took his rhetoric about change seriously and werent prepared to compromise their principles just to get along. There is abundant irony in how Trudeaus professed principles have come back to bite him in unexpected ways. The loss of two ministers is a hard blow, and if there are more departures on the way it may not be possible to stop the unravelling. But at this point it need not be fatal if the prime minister takes charge and pushes back. If Trudeau can come up with a strong counter-narrative to the story told by Wilson-Raybould, he has a good chance to stanch the bleeding and rebuild confidence. Its worth saying, too, that the prime minister is right that even amid such chaos voters should not lose sight of the fact that there are bigger issues involved including jobs and climate change and much else where his government has made serious progress. It would be tragic if the accomplishments of his government were tossed aside because of mistakes in handling the SNC-Lavalin case, and more specifically in how it has botched the fallout from Wilson-Rayboulds departure. But at this point those achievements cant be protected by ignoring or downplaying the substance of Wilson-Rayboulds story. Trudeau has no choice at this point but to confront it directly. Read more about: As the capper to a two-pronged day of rallies to cheer on the Liberal climate agenda, Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Monday night stop at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto had already been slightly upstaged by the resignation of Jane Philpott from his cabinet earlier in the day. If the fallout from alleged interference by the Prime Ministers Office in criminal proceedings against SNC-Lavalin and last weeks testimony from former attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybould on the matter to the Commons Justice Committee looked to be ongoing, however, Trudeau resolutely stayed on message at the Music Hall. (It shouldnt be free to pollute anywhere in the country). But he did acknowledge the elephant thundering about the room off the top of his speech. While I am disappointed, I understand her decision to step down and I want to thank her for her service, he said of Philpott, who removed herself from her position as Treasury Board president on Monday, saying she had lost confidence in the Trudeau government over its handling of the SNC-Lavalin matter. Trudeau was praising her efforts in removing boil-water advisories on reserves, pursuing next gen solutions for Phoenix pay system and for her work on climate change when the first protester of the evening piped up to call attention to a potential crack in the Liberals climate-action plan: the Canadian governments acquisition of the soon-to-be-expanded Trans-Mountain pipeline. Those pipeline plans have caused a disconnect between the governments professed desire to repair institutional relations with Indigenous peoples, and the unwillingness of many of those peoples to let pipelines pass through their territories. I remember when you bought a pipeline! Stop Canadian genocide! Such cries erupted often during Trudeaus speech, and a proper shoving match ensued on the floor when a protester threw what appeared to be a scarf towards the podium. At least two people were forcibly escorted from the Music Hall by police and security. But they didnt pose much of a threat to the highly partisan mood in a room that included 19 Ontario Liberal MPs Toronto-Danforth representative Julie Dabrusin, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna (We are a team, she said during her own time at the podium. We stand together) and Finance Minister Bill Morneau among them. The crowd optimistically pegged at 1,000 tended to drown out any shouts of complaint with chants of Trudeau! Trudeau! Trudeau! Read more: Justin Trudeau admits more questions to be answered as he responds to Jane Philpotts resignation Opinion | Susan Delacourt: Justin Trudeau has no political playbook to counter this rare implosion Opinion | Chantal Hebert: Philpott resigns and things get a whole lot worse for Trudeau Thats what democracy is about: the opportunity to share a wide variety of opinions, said Trudeau, keeping his cool during the flare-ups but also tilting a little more loudly and decisively towards electioneering mode as the evening wore on and such Liberal accomplishments as the child tax benefit and the lowest unemployment in 40 years crept into the script. Still, overall, the evenings refrain was that the Liberals are the only federal party in a real position to do something against the forces of climate change and we dont have a moment to spare. Ontario Premier Doug Ford a noted public enemy of the Liberal carbon tax did get a veiled acknowledgement in the PMs remark that forward thinking on solving the problem of climate change is not about fighting progress in court, but most of Trudeaus environmental ire on the night was reserved for Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. And yet, in spite of the evidence, some politicians still dont get it. Believe it or not, there are some who think we should do nothing on climate change, said Trudeau. It was in April of last year that Andrew Scheer announced he would soon be unveiling his climate-change plan. Well, here we are in March of 2019 309 days later and he has released nothing ... If you dont have a plan for climate change, then you dont have a plan for the economy and you certainly dont have a plan for Canadas future. Trudeau left swiftly and did not make himself available to the many reporters with questions about things other than the Liberal climate-action plan on their minds. Correction March 5, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the prime minister thanked Jane Philpott for her work on next gen solutions on climate change. Read more about: OTTAWAMembers of Parliament are voicing concerns about Facebooks corporate behaviour after a British newspaper reported the social media giant tried to influence governments around the world including Canadas by dangling the possibility of major investments. The Observer newspaper published a story Saturday quoting internal Facebook documents that detailed the American companys efforts to influence hundreds of politicians in a secretive global lobbying operation to ensure data privacy laws are favourable to the company. The reported documents referenced an internal Facebook memo that described how the companys chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, pushed the Canadian government on an unspecified jurisdiction issue as Facebook was deciding where to build a new centre to house data servers. The interaction occurred around April 2013, when the previous Conservative government was in power, Facebook confirmed Monday. In response to the report, NDP MP Charlie Angus called on Canadas lobbying commissioner to investigate the companys conduct in this case, as well as long-standing concerns about Facebooks larger pattern of avoiding transparency in its efforts to influence Ottawa. Angus has previously accused Facebook of failing to register meetings with Liberal government officials as official lobbying interactions. What youre seeing is Facebooks operating culture of complete disregard for domestic laws of the countries in which they operate, Angus told the Star by phone Monday. I am not surprised by this at all. This is a company that around the world has exerted enormous backroom pressure on governments to get their way, he said. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, the Liberal MP for BeachesEast York, said the House of Commons privacy committee needs to get to the bottom of this, especially given the Observer reported that the Facebook memo said Ottawa acted to dispel Facebooks concerns about housing its data centre in Canada. The Star was not able to verify the documents reported by the British newspaper. However, Facebook confirmed the data centre in Canada was being considered around the same time the company decided to build one in Iowa in 2013. The Des Moines Register reported in 2017 that the data centre brought thousands of construction jobs to the area and created 200 full-time positions. Christian Paradis, who was the Conservative industry minister when Facebook considered a data centre in Canada, said by email Tuesday that he neither promised nor delivered any guarantee whatsoever to Facebook. Its outrageous on the one hand, but its unsurprising on the other, said Erskine-Smith of Facebooks alleged pressure on the Canadian government. If the allegations are true, then this is an unacceptable level of deference to the Facebook corporation. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bainss office said in a statement that the Liberal government cant speak for their Conservative predecessors, but that we can say unequivocally that privacy laws in Canada apply equally to all companies collecting personal data for commercial purposes. Facebook Canada spokesperson Erin Taylor said in a statement Monday that the company always tries to understand a countrys laws and privacy protections before opening a data centre. This is not a threat to withhold investment, but part of our duty to protect peoples data, Taylor said, adding that the documents reported by the Observer were cherry-picked and released in violation of a court order and omit important context. These documents have been sealed by a Californian court so were not able to discuss them in detail, Taylor said. The questions about Facebooks conduct come as pressure has mounted on the Liberal government over the past year to address the influence of internet companies. Concerns about privacy protections were raised in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, when it was revealed that the British firm used Facebook to mine personal data from users to predict their political leanings. Others have raised red flags about the integrity of elections and fairness in Canadas cultural sector, where companies like Netflix sell subscriptions but arent subject to sales tax applied to similar services from Canadian providers. Internet giants have also investing hundreds of millions in Canada including $500 million from Netflix for Canadian productions, the creation of 3,000 jobs by Amazon in British Columbia, and Googles $50-million Sidewalk City proposal in Toronto. Angus, the NDP MP, said such investments show these online giants have massive economic clout on top of their influence as avenues of communication in the 21st century. I think what were seeing around the world is a growing frustration of legislators, towards Facebook, Angus said, calling for stronger regulations of the company and other social media giants. They need to be really held to a much higher standard. With files from Alex Boutilier Read more about: OTTAWAAs Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus confidant, friend and former senior aide, there are few secrets of the workings of government that Gerald Butts doesnt know. When Butts appears before the House of Commons justice committee Wednesday morning, MPs will be expecting him to tell what he knows about allegations that he and other senior officials pressured Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the criminal proceedings against SNC-Lavalin. In her own bombshell appearance last week, Wilson-Raybould described a consistent and sustained effort by those officials to politically interfere in her prosecutorial discretion, which she said was inappropriate. Trudeau has maintained there was no improper pressure. Buttss testimony will be key to the prime ministers defence. He resigned his post last month after the allegations broke, categorically denying the allegations that he or others pressured Wilson-Raybould. We honoured the unique role of the attorney general, Butts said in a statement. Wednesday afternoon, the committee will also hear from two returning witnesses: Michael Wernick, the clerk of the Privy Council, and Nathalie Drouin, the deputy minister of justice and deputy attorney general. Heres a look at some of the key issues and questions for each of the players: Gerald Butts Trudeaus former principal secretary and longtime friend will testify first. As Trudeaus top adviser, Butts had a hand in most of the governments initiatives and priorities. He will know why jobs at SNC-Lavalin, which Trudeau and his ministers have repeatedly cited as justification for their interventions on the file, were so important. He was very clear that his intent was to vigorously defend his reputation, said Amanda Alvaro, co-founder of the public relations firm Pomp and Circumstance, in reference to Buttss resignation letter and request to appear at the justice committee after Wilson-Rayboulds testimony last week. Both of those factors signal his intention to rebut some of the testimony, she said. If Wilson-Rayboulds version of events is any indication, Butts will be called on to explain at least two incidents the former attorney general outlined at the justice committee last week. Wilson-Raybould said she met with Butts on Dec. 5 at Zoes, the bar at the Chateau Laurier hotel. She says she brought up the topic of SNC and the barrage of people hounding me and my staff and told Butts that any engagements were inappropriate. Butts told Wilson-Raybould we need a solution on the SNC stuff and referenced the legislation passed by previous Conservative government that created the director of public prosecutions role Gerry talked to me about how the statute was a statute passed by Harper and that he does not like the law, Wilson-Raybould testified. Read more: Opinion | Why SNC-Lavalin deserves to avoid prosecution SNC-Lavalin: What happened and when Opinion | Susan Delacourt: Justin Trudeau has no political playbook to counter this rare implosion Almost two weeks later, Wilson-Raybould says her chief of staff, Jessica Prince, was summoned to an urgent meeting with Butts and Katie Telford, Trudeaus chief of staff. Frustrated, they demanded to know where Wilson-Raybould was in terms of finding a solution. They told her that they felt like the issue was getting worse, and that I was not doing anything. They floated the possibility of a phone call with Trudeau and Wernick the next day. Butts and Telford wanted an outside lawyer retained to give Wilson-Raybould an opinion whether she could review the decision of the director of public prosecutions not to mediate SNC-Lavalins criminal charges. Prince said that would be interference. According to Wilson-Raybould, Butts replied, Jess, there is no solution here that does not involve some interference. Butts will be challenged on this statement. Charles Bird, a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group who has worked as a public policy adviser at Queens Park and on Parliament Hill, predicted Buttss aim at the committee will be twofold. He will need to convincingly lay out his side of the story possibly with supporting documentation and explain that his interactions with Wilson-Raybould were well within the bounds of what is appropriate, Bird said. Gerald is one of the smartest most capable political operatives that general politics has seen for some time. He will certainly be aware of what a minefield he is walking into, he said. Former NDP MP Peggy Nash said the big question for Butts is why he quit his job. He said he didnt do anything wrong and yet he resigned. I think he needs to explain why, said Nash, a distinguished visiting professor at Ryerson University. She said that Butts cannot simply chalk Wilson-Rayboulds version of events as a difference of interpretation. Wilson-Raybould was a credible witness with detailed testimony, Nash said, and Butts needs to be equally detailed and documented and credible. But in the wake of Jane Philpotts surprise resignation from cabinet Monday declaring she had lost confidence in the governments handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair Nash said its now incumbent on Trudeau to respond. Its not like this was happening and he was unaware of it. He was overseeing this and as we heard, felt very strongly about it so I do think he needs to be heard, Nash said. Michael Wernick Canadas top bureaucrat, Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick, will also return to speak to the justice committee for the second time about the SNC-Lavalin affair. In his first round of testimony, Wernick said that Wilson-Raybould likely felt pressure to make the right decision but insisted all discussions were legal and appropriate. Yet Wilson-Raybould painted a different picture of their interactions. For example, she recounted how she met with Trudeau on Sept. 17, a meeting that Wernick sat in on. Trudeau asked her to find a solution for SNC, saying that with no mediated settlement, many jobs would be lost. Wilson-Raybould told Wernick and Trudeau that she would not override the decision of the director of public prosecutions. To her surprise, Wernick started to make the case for a mediated deal, citing an upcoming SNC board meeting, raising the threat of the company relocation and the Quebec election. Wilson-Raybould says she was quite taken aback and cautioned both men about politically interfering in the court process. Wilson-Raybould said the pressure campaign culminated in a lengthy tense Dec. 19 phone call with Wernick, who wanted to pass on where the prime minister is at. He said I think he is gonna find a way to get it done one way or another. So, he is in that kinda mood and I wanted you to be aware of that, Wilson-Raybould recalled. I warned the clerk that we were treading on dangerous ground here, she told the committee. Wernick told Wilson-Raybould he was worried about a collision because the PM is pretty firm about this. Wilson-Raybould took parts of that conversation with Wernick as veiled threats his repeated references to the prime minister, declaring that Trudeau was dug in, and concerns about the fallout. She said Wernick told her he is worried that its not good for the prime minister and attorney general to be at loggerheads. He also said he is worried about a collision between Wilson-Raybould and the prime minister over the matter. Wilson-Raybould said she told Wernick he was treading on dangerous ground that all of this screams of pushing her to act in a partisan or politically-motivated way. That is entirely inappropriate, she said. Political scientist David Moscrop said he believes it will be difficult for Wernick to change the perception that he engaged in partisan political considerations, given Wilson-Rayboulds testimony. As the head of the public service, youre meant to appear beyond reproach and apolitical or certainly non-partisan, Moscrop said. He doesnt appear to be either of those things anymore, at least in the public perception. So its going to be very difficult for him to reframe that, and I dont know how he does it. Nash said the partisan flavour of Wernicks first appearance before the committee surprised many and undermined his credibility. I think he needs to clarify how he squares his role, which is the head of the civil service and an independent person, with the comments he made, Nash said. Nathalie Drouin Finally, Deputy Justice Minister Nathalie Drouin, will appear at the committee for the second time. In her own testimony, Wilson-Raybould said she raised concerns about the appropriateness of outside communications on the SNC issue with Drouin. But it appears that Drouin was also a target of those communications. Wernick, for example, spoke to Drouin who said that Wilson-Raybould could speak to the director of public prosecutions. I responded by saying no, I would not, that that would be inappropriate, the former justice minister said. Early on, Drouin prepared options for Wilson-Raybould on the file. Wilson-Raybould says she instructed Drouin not to get in touch with the director. Drouin may be asked why she didnt want a copy of the briefing note from the director of public prosecutions setting out her reasons for proceeding with the criminal charges against SNC-Lavalin, rather than a mediated agreement. According to Wilson-Raybould, sections of the note were read to Drouin but she did not want a copy. I think shes going to get a lot less attention than Wernick, but it looks like its going to be the same perceived problem. That the public service has pressed beyond a boundary that they shouldnt cross, said Moscrop. But Bird, the Earnscliffe principal, said in his experience the best civil servants are those who are aware of political considerations and that such awareness isnt automatically inappropriate. Many argue that the most important relationship in government is between a minister and his or her deputy minister, said Bird. In her testimony last week, Wilson-Raybould also suggested Drouin was expected to get Quebec MP David Lametti up to speed on the SNC file after he become justice minister in the January shuffle. Wernick told Drouin that one of the first conversations the new minister will be expected to have with the prime minister would be on SNC-Lavalin, Wilson-Raybould recalled for the committee. That may prompt MP questions about the briefing Drouin gave Lametti on the file. Right now as it stands, I think most people think theyve been provided with a one-sided account of what occurred, said Alvaro. Each of these individuals, as they provide their testimony, will help to fill in some of those gaps that exist. Read more about: Jane Philpott was known as a fixer in Justin Trudeaus government. Well, the newest former member of the cabinet has definitely fixed things now, but not in any way that works for Trudeau and his chances of being a two-term prime minister. More to the point, Philpotts departure proves that women have indeed done politics differently in this government just not in the way Trudeau anticipated. Philpott has exited Trudeaus cabinet in the same way that Jody Wilson-Raybould bolted: explosively, unexpectedly and clearly in full recognition of the massive damage it would cause to the boss, the government and the chances of the Liberals being re-elected this fall. Together, they are a double-barrelled shot to the heart of all that was supposed to be the shiny new brand of the Trudeau government: one far more friendly to women, Indigenous people and rookie politicians such as Philpott and Wilson-Raybould. In all the senior jobs these two ministers did for Trudeau health, justice, Indigenous services, Treasury Board and veterans affairs Philpott and Wilson-Raybould were poster politicians for all the claims of a different kind of government. One is reminded of Oscar Wildes old quip about parents: to lose one is unfortunate, to lose both looks like carelessness. Read more: Who is Jane Philpott, the Trudeau cabinet minister whose sudden resignation has rocked Ottawa? Jane Philpott resigns from Trudeau cabinet over SNC-Lavalin affair Opinion | Chantal Hebert: Philpott resigns and things get a whole lot worse for Trudeau Yet these two ex-ministers remain avowed Liberals, still-standing members of the caucus essentially daring Trudeau to kick them out, despite their public statements of non-confidence in the prime minister and his way of doing business. This is something we have never seen before in Canadian federal politics, or at least in recent memory of bombshell cabinet exits by male politicians. When men have left, they tended to slam the door on the way out, to pursue other ambitions forming another party or a rearguard leadership run. No bigger endgame is in sight for either Philpott or Wilson-Raybould, which makes their protests harder to dismiss as mere ambition or disagreement. They havent even left the prime minister room to call this a principled disagreement both have claimed to be in the moral right and the prime minister to be in the moral, if not legal wrong. Again, this is new: when men have stomped out of previous cabinets, they havent been as explicit in their condemnations of the standing prime ministers actions. They have let their presence, or lack of it, speak for itself, as the prime minister said not so long ago when he thought he could keep Wilson-Raybould in cabinet. At a rally in Toronto on Monday night, the prime minister continued to present himself as the happy, carry-on, presider-in-chief over spirited disagreement. I know Ms. Philpott has felt this way for some time, he said, and while I am disappointed, I understand. That minimalist reaction might work if one sees this departure, to cite Oscar Wilde again, as merely unfortunate, and not carelessness. Nor does it seem adequate to the unprecedented nature of this cabinet-level erosion of confidence. On this one, Trudeau has no playbook to consult; no tried-and-true tactics to counter an implosion of this magnitude or rarity. Nothing he has done to date has contained this scandal not even the loss of his principal secretary and right-hand man, Gerald Butts and whats been done to date, or not done, may have only made it worse. Whatever Butts was planning to say on Wednesday at the Commons justice committee in defence of Trudeaus handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair, it is no doubt under serious revision now. This isnt he-said, she-said anymore its he-said, they said, and its not just double trouble, but a crisis increased vastly more than twofold. Five short weeks ago, Wilson-Raybould, Philpott and Whitby MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes sat huddled together at a festive social event, laughing and enjoying themselves at an annual Robert Burns dinner on Parliament Hill. Caesar-Chavannes made a highly provocative speech, taking a poke at the touchy issue of Wilson-Rayboulds demotion from cabinet, and her replacement with a white man, Montreal MP David Lametti. Heres the part that made many in the room do a sharp intake of breath all except Wilson-Raybould and Philpott, who applauded and cheered loudly. (Caesar-Chavannes supplied this excerpt to the National Post the next day.) Speaking of Jody Wilson-Raybould, if Robbie Burns was a member of our government, she would have been asked to remove him from our Parliament, not just our caucus, based on his exploits, she said. If she didnt succeed, she would have been fired. If she succeeded in removing Robbie Burns, she would have been fired. You cant have an Indian doing that to the White Man. Lametti can, you cant. The lads are better at that sort of thing. Did these three women politicians know that theyd be hitting the exit button in Trudeaus government within a little more than a month? Caesar-Chavannes announced she wasnt running again over the weekend; she said on Twitter on Monday, in the wake of Philpotts departure, that her own withdrawal from politics was not SNC-Lavalin-related. Of the three, only Caesar-Chavannes has plotted a clear exit path. By the end of this year, she will no longer be a Liberal MP. Philpott and Wilson-Raybould are blazing a very different, entirely unpredictable trail, for themselves and for their government. How, exactly do they intend to continue to sit in a caucus led by a prime minister in whom they have no confidence? If they do run in the next election as Liberals, how does that work? No political-science textbook covers this possibility. New ones may have to be written. On this promise, to see a different kind of politics at the highest levels in Canada, Trudeau has delivered. Its just not in a way that any of us, or the prime minister himself, may have envisioned. Susan Delacourt is the Stars Ottawa bureau chief and a columnist covering national politics. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt Read more about: MONTREALJustin Trudeau was damaged goods before Treasury Board President Jane Philpott followed her friend and former colleague Jody Wilson-Raybould out of his cabinet. It is far from certain that he can recover from this latest blow to his moral authority and repair his reputation as a competent prime minister in time for the election. For a government leader to lose one leading minister to a battle of wills is unfortunate but usually manageable. To lose two over the same crisis is both extremely rare and potentially politically fatal. It certainly screams ineptitude at crisis management on the part of a prime minister. With Philpotts resignation offered in support of Wilson-Raybould the SNC-Lavalin affair enters a new lethal phase for the prime minister. Until further notice, all bets are off as to its outcome. Until late Monday, most Liberals believed that now that Wilson-Raybould had laid her cards on the table and described what she called sustained attempts of high-level political interference in the legal handling of SNC-Lavalins legal file, the worst was behind them. They stand to be more shaken by this second resignation than they were by anything they heard over the course of the former attorney generals testimony last Wednesday. Read more: Jane Philpott resigns from Trudeau cabinet over SNC-Lavalin affair Editorial | Only Justin Trudeau can stop the bleeding Opinion | Chantal Hebert: Does Jody Wilson-Raybould have a future in Trudeaus party? Yes, Philpott was Wilson-Rayboulds closest cabinet ally. They initially worked together on the medically assisted death legislation and subsequently on the Indigenous file. Over the past three years, both have butted heads with the PMO over various files. There is no doubt that they have often compared notes. And yes, there are probably not enough fans of the ex-attorney general left at the cabinet table for this latest resignation to be the start of a chain reaction. But the former treasury board president was also widely considered both one of the top performers in the Liberal cabinet and one of the governments steadiest hands. She is a popular member of the Liberal caucus. Like the former attorney general, she plans to remain in that caucus. Both may well believe they will outlive Trudeaus leadership. Mondays events make that more plausible. Philpott did not have a dog in the Wilson-Raybould/Trudeau battle over whether to offer SNC-Lavalin a negotiated plea in lieu of a criminal trial. In her resignation letter she wrote that she was leaving because in conscience and even in the name of cabinet solidarity, she could not stand behind the prime minister. A lot of voters will be tempted to set their watches in the SNC-Lavalin saga on this moment when in her judgment Trudeaus actions were indefensible. It is not as if the prime minister has so far offered the electorate much to chew on in his own defence. If he was waiting for his government to be on the brink of implosion before rising to the challenge of making his case in the SNC-Lavalin matter, Trudeau now has his work cut out for him. This crisis is entering its fourth week and every single one of them has featured an escalation that has brought it closer to the point of no return for the government, or at least for its current leader. Over that time, Canadians have caught glimpses of their prime minister with each of his appearances managing to make things if not worse, at least not much better. Trudeau spent the first week climbing down from a total denial of what were then anonymous allegations of political interference in the judicial file of the engineering firm. Since Wilson-Raybould put her name to those allegations and presented documentation to back up her claim Trudeau still has offered little more than boilerplate statements to counter her narrative. It has been as if he did not believe voters were worthy of a substantial explanation from the mouth of their prime minister. This is the biggest crisis of Trudeaus tenure and Canadians should probably be thankful that the issue at its epicentre is not a very complex one. At the end of the day, the consequences of mismanaging the SNC-Lavalin affair are ultimately most damaging for the government itself. The same ineptitude applied to a unity crisis of the kind Jean Chretien faced after he nearly lost the 1995 Quebec referendum, or to a global financial crisis like the one Stephen Harper had to navigate Canada through in 2008, would have resulted in more than damage to the Liberal brand. If Trudeau still wants to be prime minister; if he wants his Liberal party to have a fighting chance at re-election with him as leader this fall, hes going to have to raise his game awfully fast. It is not clear from his conduct over the past three weeks that he can. Chantal Hebert is a columnist based in Ottawa covering politics. Follow her on Twitter: @ChantalHbert Read more about: VANCOUVERHuawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is suing the Canada Border Services Agency, the RCMP and the federal government alleging false imprisonment and breach of constitutional rights, according to B.C. Supreme Court documents. The statement of claim, filed on Friday, alleges Canadian officials intentionally delayed executing the warrant for Mengs arrest upon her arrival at Vancouver International Airport on Dec. 1. According to the suit, Meng was illegally searched and questioned under the guise of a routine border check ... to extract evidence from her before she was arrested and provided with her rights under the (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms). The lawsuit further alleges that CBSA officers seized her electronic devices, obtained passwords, unlawfully viewed the contents and intentionally failed to advise her of the true reasons for her detention. Meng was arrested at the request of the United States, which is seeking her extradition to face fraud charges related to violations of U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. Her arrest threw Canada into a heated diplomatic dispute with an outraged Beijing, which has since detained a pair of Canadians in China Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor apparently in retaliation. A third man, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, was handed a death sentence after a one-day retrial on charges related to drug smuggling for which hed already been tried and given a prison sentence. Read more: Ottawa approves extradition process for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou Liberal government will still seek deeper trade ties despite Beijing fury over Meng extradition Leaked U.K. report on Huawei shows cracks in intelligence alliance, say security experts According to a notice of civil claim, RCMP Const. Winston Yep obtained an arrest warrant for Meng on Nov. 30, the day before she landed in Vancouver on a stopover between Hong Kong and Mexico, her ultimate destination. The warrant was obtained to support a request from a magistrate judge for the Eastern District of New York, which hopes to see Meng stand trial for what was described by Yep as serious charges of fraud involving millions of dollars, the documents say. The notice of claim also alleges that Yep argued it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to secure (Mengs) presence in the United States for prosecution unless she was arrested in Vancouver. But instead of arresting Meng immediately upon her entry into the airport, the CBSA detained, searched and interrogated (Meng) under the guise of a customs or immigration examination, the documents allege. Under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, anyone whos arrested in Canada is entitled to be informed of the reason for their arrest, to retain a lawyer and to remain silent. But Meng was not informed of the reason for her arrest or of her right to legal counsel until three hours after she was first detained, the documents argue. Routine searches and questioning of travellers does occur in the context of passing through Canadian customs, they acknowledge. But in such cases, it isnt necessary for law enforcement to state the reasons for the examination. But because an arrest warrant for Meng already existed, the procedure undertaken with no explanation of her rights was unlawful, the documents allege. The claim also contends that this delay was purposeful, and that Meng, as a result of the ordeal, suffered damages including mental distress, anxiety and loss of liberty. Meng is seeking general damages and exemplary or punitive damages for what she says was the infringement of her rights. Neither the Department of Justice, the RCMP or the CBSA responded immediately to requests for comment. The Justice Department gave the green light on Friday for Mengs extradition proceedings to begin. The top Huawei executive is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday to set a date for the next step in those proceedings. With files from The Associated Press Read more about: VANCOUVERNostalgic is how one political scientist describes former U.S. president Barack Obamas upcoming visit to Vancouver on Tuesday, since Obamas presence rekindles a sense of co-operation and a progressive world view that we could get back to again. Stewart Prest, a political scientist at Simon Fraser University, said Obamas visit evokes a period when Canada-U.S. relations were remarkably strong, when observers felt the relationship was carefully managed and there was a mutual understanding that it was in the best interest of both countries to work closely together on a range of issues. In January, the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade announced it was hosting a talk with Obama after his name repeatedly topped their member surveys as the person they wanted to hear from the most. The afternoon talk will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre, where rooms can hold up to several thousand people. The announcement did not detail the contents of the conversation with Obama. The board did not respond to the Stars request for an interview; however, the Star received a media invitation and will cover the talk. Given the tumultuous times in Canadian politics when the country is caught in a spat with China over the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and the federal government is embroiled in scandal over the testimony of former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould Prest says its uncertain how free Obama will be with his opinions. Read more: Former U.S. president Barack Obama to make Calgary stop on Tuesday Barack Obama is coming to speak in Vancouver in March Opinion | Michelle Obama sets stellar example for future change-makers Theres always been this strategic adversarial relationship between those two countries (China and U.S.), and its heightened now in some respects, said Prest, who will not be attending the talk. I would think Obama would stress the need to find avenues for co-operation where thats possible while still standing up for U.S. interests. However, he would stress Canadas role in facilitating those processes while still maintaining the tight relationship with the U.S. Share your thoughts: Prest said that if Obama is asked for his thoughts on the claim that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his office interfered in criminal charges, he might express some sympathy for Trudeau. They have a certain affinity for one another and what its like to go through challenges of leadership. Even if it comes out ultimately that the Trudeau government made a mistake, all governments make mistakes along the way. He would have a certain amount of sympathy for the inevitability of getting some things wrong and being criticized for it, he said. Obama engaging in speaking tours after his presidency in 2017 feels like a nostalgic tour, Prest added. The way the U.S. sees itself in the world, at least under the current administration, is much more of a go-it-alone (attitude) and not really looking to build up global institutions and much more of just protecting these narrow definitions of American interests. Its a reminder of what we could get back to again. Obamas presence also highlights the vast changes that have happened in the two years since he left office and shows how the U.S. is capable of electing very different leaders with remarkably different views of where that country should be in the world, Prest added. Roger Collins, a co-owner of Calabash Bistro who identifies as Black, regrets that he wont be attending Tuesdays talk with Obama because the tickets were inaccessible to him. He still thinks its important that the public and business community has the opportunity to hear from a prominent Black leader to share his experiences, which to some extent also reflect those in the Canadian Black community. Every time you leave the house in Canada, you get a reminder, even though you might not be looking at yourself in the mirror or you get a reminder by how youre treated or how people speak to you, Collins said. Read more about: Huawei Technologies, no longer content with defending itself against U.S. accusations of espionage and bank fraud, is taking the initiative with a full-blown legal offensive. The Chinese technology giant intends to file a lawsuit this week claiming the U.S. government is overstepping by banning Huawei equipment from certain networks, according to people familiar with the matter. That complaint would come just days after finance chief Meng Wanzhou sued Canada's government for allegedly trampling her constitutional rights -- an effort to discredit the case against her as she awaits potential extradition to the U.S. for bank fraud. The long-secretive Huawei began to open up this year with founder Ren Zhengfei giving interviews to foreign media and personally denying accusations his company aids Beijing in espionage. But the legal effort signals a more aggressive assault on its American accusers, who have been trying to persuade other countries to ban Huawei gear from communications networks. Huawei's lawsuit against the U.S. is aimed at a law that blocks certain government agencies from using equipment from Huawei and its domestic rival ZTE Corp., the people said. Huawei is likely to argue that it's unconstitutional to single out a person or a group for a penalty without trial, they said. Huawei declined to comment on the lawsuit, which was first reported by the New York Times. Meng's complaint is more personal. In a civil suit filed Friday, she claims officers failed to immediately arrest her on Dec. 1 in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition request and instead first detained her under the guise of a routine custom check to "unlawfully compel her to provide evidence and information." The suit, filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, is against the Canadian Border Services Agency, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and the Canadian government. Her action is "probably an effort to raise the stakes for the Canadian government," Craig Forcese, a law professor at the University of Ottawa with expertise in international and constitutional law, said by email. "One might call it a form of 'lawfare.'" Canada's Justice Minister David Lametti will ultimately be the one to sign off on any extradition -- Meng's allegations about her arrest could potentially play into that final decision. According to the complaint, the officers detained Meng on the jetway as she was getting off a flight, took away two phones, an iPad and a computer, then got her to surrender the passwords to those devices. She was formally arrested only about three hours after her initial detention, the claim says. Huawei is increasingly in the crosshairs of the U.S. government and its allies, just as it's pushing for leadership in supplying fifth-generation wireless technology. Countries are preparing to spend billions on the potentially revolutionary equipment aimed at enabling everything from smart highways to self-driving cars. Yet the world's top provider of networking gear faces the prospect of being shut out of pivotal infrastructure markets, as it faces criminal charges in the U.S. and an American effort to convince allies not to use its equipment. The clash has complicated negotiations between Washington and Beijing as they try to hammer out a trade deal. It's not clear how effective Huawei's lawsuits will be. The Justice Department has sued Huawei for alleged theft of trade secrets, separate from its case against Meng. The U.S. is seeking Meng's handover to face fraud charges, alleging she lied to banks to trick them into processing transactions for Huawei that potentially violated Iran trade sanctions. The allegations date back years -- a main pillar of the U.S. case is a July 2013 PowerPoint presentation that Meng gave to a HSBC Holdings Plc executive. In the CFO's suit in Canada, she seeks damages for misfeasance of public office by customs officials, breaches of her constitutional rights, and false imprisonment, according to the suit. "Each of these causes of action has distinct elements -- none will be easy to establish," Forcese said. While Canada's Charter rights attach to all people, regardless of nationality or immigration status, courts have tended to concur with the government that such rights are "more attenuated at the border," he said. One Supreme Court ruling, for example, clearly noted that people don't expect to be able to cross international borders free from scrutiny. Whatever evidence Canadian authorities obtained at the airport is likely irrelevant to the bank fraud case, Forcese said. Furthermore, in Canada, extradition hearings aren't trials, and admitting new evidence is difficult. That said, extradition judges can rule on constitutional issues, says Gary Botting, a Vancouver-based lawyer who's been involved in hundreds of extradition cases. "If the judge finds that the violation of Charter rights negatively impacted the extradition process, including the fairness of the hearing, he or she will be obliged to discharge her," Botting said. "Then the civil proceedings will begin in earnest." Given Meng's wealth -- she's the daughter of Ren -- few believe that financial compensation is the motivation for the lawsuit. Short of being released, the civil suit could help her defense obtain more disclosure in her extradition case. "The obligation of the parties to provide full disclosure in the civil case may simplify the task of the extradition team," said Botting. The civil case is unlikely to undermine any key elements of the extradition case but could still affect the outcome, said Carissima Mathen, vice-dean of law at the University of Ottawa. "It is possible that this could feed into an abuse of process claim whereby the extradition judge is asked to throw out the entire thing. If so, then that would delay the main proceedings," she wrote in an email. --With assistance from Bloomberg's Josh Wingrove. WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson says he intends to leave his post at the end of President Trump's first term. Carson made his remarks in a segment airing Monday evening on Newsmax TV, a conservative news outlet. In his two years leading HUD, Carson has dialed back civil rights enforcement at the agency and suspended Obama-era rules that had been aimed at fighting housing segregation and discrimination. "I will certainly finish out this term," Carson said during his interview with Newsmax. But he added that "I would be interested in returning to the private sector because I think you have just as much influence, maybe more, there." HUD did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump appointed Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who gained notoriety for his pioneering surgery separating conjoined twins, to lead HUD even though he lacked prior housing, executive or government experience. He ran an unsuccessful bid for president in 2016. Carson's two-year tenure as HUD secretary got off to a rocky start, after allowing his son to help organize an agency "listening tour" in Baltimore despite warnings from department lawyers that doing so risked violating federal ethics rules. Ben Carson Jr., a local businessman, and his wife were inviting people with whom they potentially had business dealings, the Post reported at the time. Carson also came under congressional scrutiny with his lavish efforts to redecorate his office with a $31,000 mahogany dining set. Carson's signature EnVision Centers initiative has gone nowhere, without attracting much financial support from either the White House or private foundations. Carson had touted the centers as a way to help low-income families access employment, education and health care. But the concept has existed for decades, with limited success in moving families out of poverty, HUD staffers told The Post. Carson also drew controversy when his political team, many of whom were inexperienced, sought to triple the minimum rent paid by families receiving federal housing assistance and to make it easier for local housing authorities to impose more-stringent work requirements for those receiving government benefits. Under the Trump administration, the agency has hired at least two dozen highly paid political appointees without evident housing-policy experience, accounting for a third of the 70 HUD appointees at the upper ranks of the federal government whose salaries top $94,000, according to a Post analysis last year. Several high-profile appointees who do have deep housing backgrounds have recently resigned. Carson's former deputy, Pam Patenaude, left after disagreements with other members of the Trump administration over housing policy and the White House's attempt to block disaster-recovery money for Puerto Rico. "In his first two years as HUD Secretary, Carson has unfortunately focused either on trivial and ill-conceived initiatives like Envision Centers, or on attempting large-scale harm to low-income residents by proposing budget cuts, rent hikes, work requirements, and suspending important fair housing initiatives," said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "Let's hope he spends the next two years instead focused on promoting and expanding real solutions to the housing crisis, starting with pushing for increased funding for HUD's critical programs." When "Killing Eve" crashed on our screens last year, it felt like a breath of fresh air: a feisty and funny entry in the recent revival of the staid, stuffy and overwhelmingly masculine spy genre. With a second season about to air in April and the coming release of the second book in Luke Jennings's "Codename Villanelle" series, it is clear Eve and Villanelle - the MI6 operative and the talented assassin she is tracking - will be with us a while longer. Yet the books and the show inhabit different universes. Like "Game of Thrones," the series has strayed from its source material. Although in Jennings' short stories and novellas the characters of Eve and Villanelle are vivid, they still operate in a Le Carre-like world. This is the realm of old boys' networks (Eve's boss is not a world-class female spy as in the show but a patrician, privately educated man) with very few women anywhere. Eve and Villanelle work in environments dominated by men and are subjected to the male gaze - not just of the men they interact with but of their creator. We are frequently told of their attractiveness and reminded men find Villanelle's breasts too small, although, since Villanelle's partners are mostly women, one suspects she would not care. What's fascinating is a book so wedded to genre conventions, with two women operating in a masculine, violent world, has been transformed into a quirky, funny love letter to female obsession that feels authentic to female viewers. Under the guidance of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, best known in the U.K. for the show "Fleabag," women are front and center. Eve (Sandra Oh) is older. She is still bored with her life and her safe marriage, but she has a weariness that comes with being in her 40s and wondering whether this is it. Evidently practical, she packs yeast infection cream in her suitcase when she travels to Berlin on the hunt for a serial assassin; the sight of the small tube causes Villanelle (Jodie Comer) to exclaim "poor baby" when she's rifling through her stolen trophy. When Eve recovers her suitcase, now full of designer clothes from exclusive Berlin boutiques, it is the one thing Villanelle has put back - a subtle nod to a sisterhood only another woman could understand. Similarly, Villanelle keeps tampons and bullets in the same drawer in her closet. Her femininity is no barrier to her lethality, which is utterly indiscriminate. These are women viewed through the lens of other women: They are the only people to truly see and understand each other, and that female connection is uncommon in the cat-and-mouse game of international spying. Although the directors of the show are mainly men (and Jennings has retained a writing credit), the characters are created through the prism of Waller-Bridge's mind, one which understands and writes women exceptionally well. Such is the force of Waller-Bridge's direction that this is the rare example of a spy drama that has overwhelmingly appealed to female viewers; as well as the endless op-eds about the clothes (British actress Gemma Chan wore a much-commented on Villanelle-esque dress to the Oscars), women have warmed to the fact that the central characters in this show seem relatable and, in Eve's case, ordinary while jetting around Europe for work wearing a frumpy coat. As a wry twist, many of the murders happen in the home. Villanelle tells a rogue MI5 agent she has "a thing for bathrooms," which is where she first confronts Eve. This is not the concrete jungle of George Smiley and James Bond, but a familiar domesticity that makes the show funny - but also terrifying. The adaptation of "Killing Eve" also might surprise viewers with how little the central characters use their sexuality. One of Eve's earliest scenes shows her in bed with her husband, casually debating whether they should have sex before turning out the lights. (They ultimately agree they are too tired.) It is odd that in the wake of the #MeToo movement this feels refreshingly revolutionary. In contrast, the Villanelle of the books uses her sexuality in ways that feel both gratuitous and predictable. There have been other recent attempts to bring more women into the espionage genre, with varying degrees of success: Olivia Colman's heavily pregnant intelligence officer in "The Night Manager" felt subversive, yet Elizabeth Debecki's character in the same show and Florence Pugh's actress-turned-spy in the recent adaptation of "The Little Drummer Girl" did not. What these programs lacked was a feeling that the writers understood women. With news Waller-Bridge is stepping back from writing duties on "Killing Eve" to focus on "Fleabag" (she will still retain a producer credit), it remains to be seen just where our favorite psychopath assassin and her doggedly determined pursuer will take us next. Wherever it is, we can only hope it is fabulous, scary and unexpected. --- Pomfrett is a freelance writer and pop culture addict based in England. The movie "Transit" opens at a cafe in Paris as a police siren wails outside. The conversation - between two men at a bar making arrangements for transportation - is furtive: "Paris is being sealed off," one whispers, before handing over letters for his companion, Georg, to deliver to a third man. Soon after, Georg encounters the man from the bar again on the street, only this time his companion has been detained, along with several other pedestrians, by police in riot gear. When one of the cops asks Georg for his "papers," Georg socks him in the jaw and makes a run for it. The year is - well, what year is it, exactly? Although the police vehicles are modern, along with everything else in the film, the setting, based on circumstantial evidence, seems to be Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Georg (played by Joaquin Phoenix look-alike Franz Rogowski), a German Jew, is on the run, it would appear. But is this the past or the present? At first glance, "Transit" plays like some surrealistic vision of a dystopian near-future, in which the Holocaust has repeated itself, to the letter, but minus swastikas. In fact, the film, by German writer-director Christian Petzold ("Phoenix"), is based on a 1944 book by German writer Anna Seghers, one whose story has been transplanted, wholesale, from the 1940s to today. Some details are out of place - or missing - yet several elements of the present-day setting add extra resonance to the gimmick. Most strangely, there are no cellphones, and people still use typewriters. But there is video surveillance. And a story line centering on the plight of an illegal North African immigrant and her son (Maryam Zaree and Lilien Batman), who are befriended by Georg after he flees to Marseille, gives the almost antique goings-on a disturbingly contemporary echo. The story is, at heart, a romance, albeit a far-fetched one: When Georg attempts to deliver the letters, he finds that their recipient, a writer, has killed himself. Georg avails himself of the dead man's passport and identity, along with the letters, one of which grants him passage to Mexico. He sneaks into Marseille to wait - along with hundreds of other refugees - for his ship to sail. While there, he meets, by chance, and falls in love with the dead writer's widow, Marie (Paula Beer), who has also been granted safe passage out of France, on her husband's papers. The fact that she doesn't know that her husband is dead - or that Georg is now masquerading as him - complicates things in ways that are far more powerful and evocative than they have any right to be. If this is a melodrama - and it is, in all the obvious ways - it's a particularly eccentric, dry-eyed and astringent one. In Marseille, where most of the action takes place, as the occupation moves farther and farther south, like a tightening noose, the community of refugees living there continually wind up in a restaurant whose bartender turns out to be the narrator of the film, and whose narration turns out to be taken, word for word, from Seghers's novel, a manuscript of which Georg has carried around with him since he found it in the dead writer's apartment. All this can make "Transit" a bit confusing at times, in addition to lending it the patina of metafiction. It's almost as if the tale is being acted out by people who know they are players in a drama, and not real human beings. There's a mood of weird detachment that some will find off-putting but that ultimately makes what happens to Georg and Marie, paradoxically, not less real, but more so. It's a story whose fatalistic ending has the impact of something that, like a repetition of the Holocaust, feels simultaneously unexpected and, devastatingly, preordained. --- Three stars. Unrated. At area theaters. Contains strong language, mature thematic elements and brief bloody images. In German and French with subtitles. 101 minutes. Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time. There is a quote of indeterminate origin, sometimes attributed to Martin Luther, that reads: "God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees, and flowers, and clouds and stars." It tells the faithful they can find divinity or meaning in all things, even the most mundane. Which means the gospel is written in Starbucks' new Cloud Macchiato. Which brings to mind a seminal quote from "The Office:" "I feel God in this Chili's tonight." Yes, there is a new Starbucks drink, and, no, it is not disgusting. It is not inspired by a unicorn or mermaid or vampire or witch. It does not have ingredients that are described by the color of their powders rather than their flavors. It does not tell you a fortune. On Tuesday, Starbucks added the espresso drink to its permanent menu in two flavors, caramel and cinnamon, available hot or iced. The drink is a new take on a macchiato - which was not invented by Starbucks. Many people associate the word with Starbucks' caramel macchiato, a tall, sugary and milky drink. But a classic macchiato is a shot of espresso "marked" with a dash of frothed milk, which is how it gets its name in Italian. It is served in a tiny glass, and it is not typically sweet. EDWARDSVILLE The second of six planned public hearings on a planned capital spending bill showed a great deal of need throughout the region for everything from bridge repair to education, but figuring out how to pay for it is another matter. More than 100 people came out for a joint public hearing by the Illinois Senates Transportation and Appropriations II committees. The first hearing was held in Springfield, others are planned for Decatur, Peoria, Chicago and Elgin. The states last capital improvement plan was in 2009. The hearing was held at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and was co-chaired by State Sens. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, and Martin A. Sandoval, D-Chicago. The committees heard from representatives of higher education, unions, transportation and local municipalities. The common themes were that there is a great deal of need out there, and that making investments especially in higher education and transportation infrastructure will pay off in the future. While officials testifying at the hearing were quick to talk about needs, they tended to hesitate when asked about how to pay for the capital projects. I think its going to be a recurring theme, Manar said after the hearing. The need is incredible around the state, not just for road and bridge repair and expansion. The challenge for us is going to fit the needs of the state into one comprehensive piece of legislation this spring. Part of the reason for a joint hearing with Transportation and Appropriations was to balance the needs with the ability to fund them. I dont expect that we will (have a definite answer) at the rest of the hearings, Manar said. I expect that is going to be driven largely by negotiations between the house and the senate, Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker and both parties, because at the end of the day any bill has to be bi-partisan to garner the necessary votes to get it passed. Sandoval said he wanted to see a plan presented and passed before the General Assembly goes home in May. The hearing was divided into five sections, with several speakers in each. Tim Sullivan of SIUEs Economics and Finance Department, and Kyle Harfst of SIUCs Southern Illinois Research Park talked about the impact of state supported economic development, speaking specifically about how a capital improvement plan would affect the two universities. Representatives of the SIU, SIUE, SIUC, Lewis and Clark Community College and Southwestern Illinois College then talked about higher education needs. Glyn Ramage and Totsie Bailey, representing union interests, spoke about the need for infrastructure funding and its impact on workers. Paul Loete of the Illinois Department of Transportation, Wood River Township Highway Commissioner Mark Gernigin and Southwest Illinois Connector Task Force Chairman Marc Kiehna spoke about transportation infrastructure. The hearing ended with East Alton Mayor Joe Silkwood, Wood River Mayor Cheryl Maguire and several others speaking on behalf of regional mayors and municipal needs. Alton Mayor Brant Walker, Granite City Mayor Ed Hagnauer and Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton were scheduled to testify, but either had to leave or were unable to attend. Manar was relatively quiet during the hearing, asking a few questions and introducing panels of speakers. Sandoval occasionally had a number of sharp questions for those testifying, ranging from how they would guarantee inclusion of women, minorities and veterans in various infrastructure projects, to pointed questions about how it should be paid for. He repeatedly asked those testifying that question, often asking specifically if they would support a gas tax, mileage tax or other tax increases. Responses ranged from some saying that it was the legislators job to figure that out, to a few others who said they would support some specific measures. They often couched those answers by saying elected officials would have to do a better job of explaining exactly how the money would be spent. State Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, also participated. One of the major things that was accomplishedwas that Southern Illinois knows they are not forgotten, she said after the hearing, citing Pritzkers coming to the area, and now holding the hearing here. I know that goes a long way for the people here, and it goes a long way for our senators to hear from the people in our district, because southern Illinois is so different from the rest of the state. I started working on this particular hearing months ago, by meeting with my mayors and local labor leaders before I was even sworn in, she said after the hearing. I felt very prepared going in today as far as knowing the needs of our local community, but I think educating each other was the best thing that could have happened today. Additional hearings are set for 1 p.m. Monday, March 18 in the Decatur Public Library, 130 N. Franklin St., Decatur; 3 p.m. Monday, April 8 at Bradley University, Peplow Pavilion inside the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center, 1501 W. Bradley Ave., Peoria; 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 16 in the Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle St., Chicago; and 1 p.m. Monday, April 22 in the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. GRANITE CITY The Silver Creek Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution will honor Vietnam War veterans at an event at 11 a.m. on March 29, a date designated as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The event is set at Freedom Worship Center, 3633 Highway 162, Granite City. The date commemorates the last day in which United States troops were on the ground in Vietnam and is part of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. All veterans, and especially those who served in Vietnam, and their family and friends are invited and encouraged to attend. ELSAH The light and airy sculptures suspended from the ceiling and gracing the floor space in Principia Colleges latest art exhibit in the Voney Art Centers James K. Schmidt Gallery do not betray their beginnings. Most of them have fairly dire roots as plastic debris, some of the larger scale items started their lives as industrial plastic drums, some contain aluminum rivets, plastic bottles, you name it. If theres a type of plastic that eventually becomes trash or debris, artist and Annenberg Scholar Aurora Robson has probably created something beautiful with it. I tend to work with plastics and materials that have caused environmental issues, Robson said. She uses the pre-existing waste as the basic material for her work, and wants to pass that idea of re-use on to other artists, as well as emerging artists in educational settings. After discovering, picking up, receiving donations, or gathering the debris herself, Robson cleans and washes the items, then sets to work to reinvent their purpose. Its strange how my work evolved, she said. For one thing, Im a real germaphobe, so the fact that Im cleaning trash is kind of funny. But plastic is so malleable, you can do just about anything with it, she said. She takes the concept of improving environmental issues for the planet even further. She likes the idea of transforming something that already exists, rather than creating something additional, effectively restructuring the flow. A body of her work, entitled Displaced Abundance will be on display in the Schmidt Gallery through April 5, and she will spend time at the college pursuing her passion for teaching other artists about being socially conscious, while creating art at the same time. She also passes on newfound techniques that shes discovered along the way that are safer for the artist, like an industrial plastic welder, which heats to melting, but not burning. She uses serrated, spring-base scissors, which are easier to use when cutting large volumes of plastic. And though she has found tools such as these to help her along the way, she said that the biggest part of her work is created the old school way, using her hands. With smaller pieces, she simply dives in. Larger scale pieces, she first sketches, and may even create a scale model. Concepts for much of her artwork were born from dreams (or nightmares) she had about nature, which she believes evolved from her complicated home life. Born in Toronto, Canada, she spent part of her childhood in Hawaii and other locations, but has now been a New Yorker for many years. She earned double majors in visual arts and art history from Columbia University, where she began to emerge as a sculptor, but later began to paint her dreams. She had a chance encounter with a former professor, who encouraged her to get back to what he thought were her artistic roots sculpting and thus, began the challenge of finding materials to work with. As Ive used plastic as an artist and did my research, Ive become more of an environmentalist, too. Ive discovered a lot of disturbing facts. A lot of people recycle, and thats great, but I found out that only 10 percent of what you collect actually gets recycled, she said. Its interesting to see trash or something like industrial plastic waste come full circle; to take something that is dark and sinister and transform or elevate it into art, Robson said. Principia professor of art Paul Ryan met Robson when he taught at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia. Robson came to the school as part of a visiting arts program, and Ryan remembered being impressed with her work and her mission. I remember she took the students through an exercise that involved all of them going to a stream and finding a piece of discarded plastic. They had to clean it and create a piece of art, using the trash as their primary material. At the end of the class, they had an art show using those pieces, and every one of them sold! Ryan said. It was impressive. While at Principia, Robson will be visiting classes and meeting with students in the disciplines of art and art history, sustainability, philosophy and English. Robsons husband, independent photographer and cinematographer, Marshall Coles, helped with the exhibition installation and will meet with students studying video and photography in the mass communication department. She has also produced huge installation pieces, such as kuleana in Oahu, made of welded ocean plastic; The Tide is High, part of the exhibition, Sea Change, at the Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art in Charleston, South Carolina, made from debris taken from the waste stream; and what goes around comes around, commissioned by Merrill Lynch for corporate headquarters in Hopewell, New Jersey, among many others. Another interesting piece that Robson will be completing before summer is an installation at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. With all the talk of eliminating plastic straws, the Venetian commissioned her to create a 25-foot sculpture implementing the 20 million straws that would have been used in the establishment had they not banned their use. The supplies were already on hand, but since they wont be used, they are being repurposed by Robson into what is sure to be an impressive representation. Robson is a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Grant, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Sculpture, a TED/Lincoln Re-Imagine Prize, and a National Endowment for the Arts Art Work Grant. She has also started a group called Project Vortex, an international collective, which concentrates on the reduction of plastic waste through re-use. Members include other artists, as well as designers and architects. The exhibit kicked off on Monday with an opening reception, and Robson presented an Annenberg lecture on Tuesday. The exhibit will continue through April 5. The Voney Art Centers James K. Schmidt Gallery is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. A recent video, produced by the BBC about Robson and her work can be found at www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/trash-to-treasure?vpid=p06w1w5w, or watch her TEDx talk, Trash + Love. For more information, visit aurorarobson.com. The number of people taken into custody along the Mexico border jumped another 31 percent last month, as an unprecedented mass migration of families from Central America pushes unauthorized crossings to the highest levels in a decade, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures released Tuesday. Last month, the shortest of the year, was the busiest February at the border since 2007, officials said, as authorities detained 76,103 migrants, up from 58,207 in January. The percentage of migrants who arrived as part of a family group again also reached a new peak, as 40,325 parents and children were taken into custody, a 67 percent leap from the previous month. "The system is well beyond capacity and remains at a breaking point," CBP commissioner Kevin McAleenan, the nation's top border security official, told reporters Tuesday afternoon. The unchecked increases in border crossings are likely to aggravate the increasingly strident debate between supporters of President Donald Trump's wall-building plan and critics of his administration who have resisted White House attempts to enact tougher enforcement measures. 3 1 of 3 Washington Post photo by Carolyn Van Houten Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Washington Post photo by Carolyn Van Houten Show More Show Less 3 of 3 The February statistics are the clearest indication yet that unauthorized migration remains on a sharp upward trajectory from a historic low point in 2017. Homeland Security officials are bracing for an even bigger surge this spring. McAleenan said his agency has apprehended and processed more families in the first five months and five days of the 2019 fiscal year than during the entire 2018 fiscal year. "The situation is not safe for migrants," he said. "It challenges or ability to provide humanitarian care. It contributes to dangerous conditions on our border, and enables smuggling while enriching criminals." "Regardless of anyone's preferred policy outcome, the status quo is unacceptable," McAleenan said. "It presents an urgent and increasing crisis." An attractive job market in the United States is prompting more Central Americans to leave the poverty and insecurity of their home countries and head north, typically in groups of one parent and one child. Such pairings all but assure the family will be quickly processed and released from U.S. custody in a matter of days. "We know what is driving these trends," McAleenan said. "These increases in traffic are a direct response from smugglers and migrants to the vulnerabilities in our legal system." A backlog of more than 800,000 pending cases in U.S. immigration courts and court-imposed limits on the government's ability to quickly detain and deport the family groups have become "the most significant factors affecting border security," McAleenan said. During a month when many families arrived with flu symptoms and other illnesses, U.S. agents have been increasingly pulled away from the border to escort families to the hospital, said Brian Hastings, the Border Patrol's chief of operations. Border Patrol agents are on track to make 31,000 medical referrals this fiscal year, Hastings said, up from 12,000 last year. Hastings said the Border Patrol is dedicating 25 percent to 40 percent of its manpower "to the care, transportation and the humanitarian mission. "They're being pulled from the national security mission to do these things," he said, calling the situation "unsustainable." Hastings said the Border Patrol has documented at least four recent incidents in which smuggling groups attempted to sneak drugs across the border while U.S. agents were overwhelmed by the arrival of a large group of migrant families. The groups, the biggest totaling more than 300 parents with children, have been showing up at remote border locations with few U.S. personnel and little infrastructure. In December, two Guatemalan children died in CBP custody after crossing in the El Paso, Texas, sector. McAleenan said Tuesday his agency is moving forward with plans to build a new processing center there for families and children to alleviate the humanitarian emergency. WASHINGTON - Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb said in a new podcast that he considers special counsel Robert Mueller to be "an American hero" and "a class act" and does not share President Donald Trump's oft-stated view that the probe of Russian election interference is a politically motivated "witch hunt." Cobb, who joined the White House shortly after Mueller's investigation began in 2017, departed in May last year as Trump and his surrogates took a more aggressive approach in trying to discredit the investigation. In an interview for the ABC News podcast "The Investigation," Cobb said he does not expect Mueller to show collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and that he disagrees with the strategy that Trump and others, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, have employed. "They have ratcheted up the public's concerns about the investigation and its legitimacy," Cobb said. "I object to that approach. But it's his choice. He's the president." Cobb said he has known Mueller for 30 years "as a prosecutor and a friend." "I think Bob Mueller's an American hero," Cobb said, referencing Mueller's service in Vietnam as a Marine. "I think Bob Mueller's a guy that, you know, even though he came from an arguably privileged background, you know, has a backbone of steel. He walked into a firefight in Vietnam to pull out one of his injured colleagues and was appropriately honored for that. . . . He is a very deliberate guy. And he - but he's also a class act. And a very justice-oriented person." In recent months, Trump has derided Mueller, a longtime Republican and former FBI director, accusing him of being ethically conflicted and leading a team of "angry Democrats" in an illegitimate investigation. "You know, I don't feel the same way about Mueller," Cobb said on the ABC podcast. "I don't feel the investigation is a witch hunt. I wish it had happened on a quicker timetable. But it didn't. And that's, you know, and that's unfortunate. But at the same time, it's not a real criticism of the special counsel, that on the timing, because there were a lot of surprises." SPRINGFIELD Illinois is poised to provide greater access to reproductive health care and abortion procedures than any other state in the country. Proponents and opponents agree passage of the Reproductive Health Act, repealing and replacing current abortion law, is a near certainty. It would fulfill a promise by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to turn the Prairie State into the most progressive state in the nation for access to reproductive health care. It would also, detractors say, create a series of unintended, undesirable consequences. There seems little doubt Democrats will have a legislative victory in the matter. The party holds a supermajority in both chambers of the 101st General Assembly, with 29 more seats than Republicans in the House and 21 seats more in the Senate. Right now, this bill is passing, said Peter Breen, vice president and senior counsel for the Thomas More Society, a conservative, pro-life law firm. The House version has more than 40 sponsors. The Senate version has nine. Leading the push in the House are Reps. Kelly Cassidy and Emanuel Chris Welsh. The Senates main sponsors are Sens. Melinda Bush and Elgie Sims, Jr. The measure will not be successful without a philosophical fight initiated by those on the right; or, likely, without Illinois being thrust into the national political spotlight much like New York was after its state legislature approved a controversial bill with a name identical to the one Illinois General Assembly will consider. Breen said the Thomas More Society will likely challenge some aspect of it in court, and it is probable other conservative legal groups will as well. CURRENT LAW Illinois current abortion statute was passed into law in 1975. Legislators wrote their objective was to reasonably regulate abortion procedures to adhere with the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Roe v. Wade. Since then, though, courts have struck down several aspects of the Abortion Law, such as a ban on fetal experimentation, a prohibition on sex-selective abortion procedures, and a provision allowing the husband of a woman seeking the procedure to receive a court order barring her from doing so. Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has also pointed out that the states law includes a provision allowing doctors to be jailed for performing an abortion procedure. According to a memo prepared by the Thomas More Society, the Reproductive Health Act goes much further than bringing the states law up-to-date. A bill intended to repeal only unconstitutional provisions of Illinois law would have been half a page long, not 120 pages, the memos author wrote. The Society is challenging a measure former Gov. Bruce Rauner signed two years ago, allowing tax dollars to be spent on abortion procedures through Illinois Medicaid and state employee health insurance programs, in court. Most recently, it filed paperwork asking the states Supreme Court to take up the case. WHATS IN THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACT This new legislation would repeal current abortion law and replace it with language enshrining reproductive health as a fundamental right. As is written in the measure, This Act sets forth the fundamental rights of individuals to make autonomous decisions about ones own reproductive health, including the fundamental right to use or refuse reproductive health care. The time for such a change is now, ACLU attorney Amy Meek said, because of the national landscape. We have a president who has said that women should be punished for having an abortion and a majority of Supreme Court justices and courts who are hostile to Roe v. Wade and signaled that their goal is to outlaw abortion and to put it out of reach for women at any stage of pregnancy, she said. The Reproductive Health Act is filed as twin pieces of legislation in both chambers of the General Assembly. The push for House Bill 2495 is being led by Cassidy, from Chicago, and Welch, from Hillside. This is modernization; this is clean-up; this is not breaking much, if any, new ground, Cassidy said. We are making clear what the state of our law is once and for all, we are making clear that health care decisions are made between a medical professional and a woman. Senate Bill 1942 is sponsored by Bush, from Grayslake, and Sims, from Chicago. The Reproductive Health Act prohibits the state from intruding in a womans reproductive health care decision-making, whether that be choosing to carry a pregnancy to term or opting for an abortion procedure. It creates an avenue for a woman to bring a lawsuit should she feel this right was violated. It also allows local governments to write ordinances strengthening reproductive health care, but bars them from weakening access to such procedures as abortion. The proposed legislation additionally requires health care professionals to file a report with the Department of Public Health of each abortion procedure they perform. This requirement, though, is less specific than current statute, which mandates the type of information to be collected and reported. The Act exempts these reports from Freedom of Information requests. Criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions are removed from the proposal. Colleen Connell, executive director of the states chapter of the ACLU, said that part of existing law was dangerous. The reason doctors arent going to prison today for providing abortions and prescribing certain forms of birth control is because the ACLU has gone to court time and again and secured more than 14 injunctions blocking the enforcement of these dangerous laws, she said at a news event in Chicago earlier this month. Among other statutes, the measure repeals the Partial-birth Abortion Ban Act, which was struck down as unconstitutional, the Abortion Performance Refusal Act and part of the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act. At the end of the day, this is treating abortion care as health care, which it is, and removing it from the criminal code, said Julie Lynn, manager of External Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Illinois. THE OPPOSITION The Thomas More Society released a 13-page analysis of Illinois abortion law overhaul last week. It includes what its attorneys say will be legal repercussions. The Reproductive Health Act is an extreme bill that would basically enshrine abortion as a positive good in Illinois law, according to the memo from the conservative pro-life law firm based in Chicago. The Society takes issue with a mandate that private insurance companies operating in Illinois would have to cover abortion procedures if they also provide pregnancy-related benefits. This would cause two problems, according to the memo. One is that groups that oppose abortion for religious, moral or other reasons but purchase insurance policies would be forced to provide coverage for the procedure. The other is that all those who participate in the policy the insurance company, employers, employees have no way to opt out. A related issue is that the proposal would repeal sections of at least three statutes that give legal protections for health care workers and providers who refuse to take part in or perform abortion procedures. One law, the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, would remain on the books. The memo, though, makes a case that a legal challenge could render it ineffective because a health care worker could be hindering a womans newly-created fundamental right to reproductive health care. Taken together, Breen said it looks as if the Reproductive Health Act would enshrine that right as stronger than that of those in the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment. It is a concern shared by the Catholic Conference of Illinois, a group representing the states six bishops. These bills taken together crowds us out. For people who have moral objections, they basically are saying we dont have any rights, Robert Gilligan, executive director, said earlier this month. Thats whats going on, that people with First Amendment rights are being crowded out of protections under the law. Another statute might additionally be made obsolete should the Reproductive Health Act successfully become law, according to the Societys memo. There are twin measures in both chambers of the General Assembly that would repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, which requires a minor to consult with her parent or guardian before terminating a pregnancy. Both bills are sponsored by Democrats. The House version has four supporters, and the Senate version has eight sponsors. It is unclear what level of legislative success they will have. Even if the measures do not pass, the memos author wrote, the Reproductive Health Act says the government would not be allowed to impede a womans ability to decide what to do in her pregnancy. The Act does not differentiate between an adult and a minor. Because the Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 1995 requires a pregnant minor to notify one of her parents (or guardians) only of her intention to obtain an abortion, but not of her intention to give birth, the notice requirement could also be said to discriminate against her based upon her choice to undergo an abortion, according to the memo. The Societys document also makes an argument that one line in the Reproductive Health Act could unintentionally undermine homicide cases. The sentence in question A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the laws of this State appears in a section of the legislation outlining reproductive health as fundamental rights. Heres part of the problem: If we treat the unborn child as if its just a clump of cells, then how do you say that someone has wrongfully killed a human being, Breen said. You start to undermine the logic of a variety of laws that we have. For example, he said, in Illinois, someone can be convicted of first-degree murder for intentionally killing an unborn child. If this proposal were to become law, a wily attorney could argue his or her client should be charged with a lesser crime, and therefore a lesser sentence. The Societys analysis raises several other issues, such as the merits of allowing physician assistants to perform abortion procedures, eliminating restrictions on where the procedure can occur and removing reporting requirements to the government after the procedure. Generally, though, Breen said the Reproductive Health Act would be bad for Illinois. Pritzker and his Democratic supermajorities would convert the Land of Lincoln into the Abortion Capital of America, he said in a news release. WHATS NEXT Although Democrats do not need Republican support to send the Reproductive Health Act to Pritzkers desk, where he will likely sign it into law, Cassidy and Sims both indicated they would like to achieve a bipartisan vote. I dont think Ive ever passed a bill without Republican support I hope this doesnt break my streak, Cassidy said at a news event in Chicago when the four chief sponsors of the legislation announced their intention to file this legislation. Sims added he wants to have an honest dialogue with his conservative counterparts, even though he knows doing so about this particular subject will be difficult. I understand there are some folks who are adamantly opposed to the exercise of reproductive health I get it, he said. But I also get that you cannot pick and choose which rights you believe are fundamental to an individual. Amy Meek, the ACLU attorney, said the opposition is a smokescreen to cover the real objective of abortion opponents, Which is to push abortion out of reach, to shut down clinics and to punish women for seeking out reproductive health care. The Reproductive Health Act exists as two identical measurers in the House and Senate. House Bill 2495 has a hearing with the Human Services Committee at 8:30 a.m. March 6. The Senate Version, Bill 1942, has not yet been assigned to a substantive committee. The two bills repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion Act are House Bill 2467, which will be heard at the same committee meeting as House Bill 2495, and Senate Bill 1594. Reach reporter Rebecca Anzel at ranzel@capitolnewsillinois.com The state can expect to see moderate economic growth in the upcoming fiscal year that will lead to higher tax receipts for the state. But there are warning signs on the national horizon that could signal an economic downturn in 2021. That was the message Thursday from Marty Johnson, the acting chief economist at the Illinois Department of Revenue, who briefed House committee members on what they can expect to see in state revenues over the next 16 months. We just finished up a banner year for the national economy, Johnson said. In 2018, (economic) output was expanding at the fastest pace since 2005. Unemployment was at a 49-year low. Consumer spending was robust. And while Illinois has lagged behind the nation in a number of categories, Johnson said the state has experienced growth, particularly in personal income and in some employment sectors such as manufacturing and construction. Those trends are expected to continue into the 2019-2020 budget year, which begins July 1, with overall tax receipts growing about 4.3 percent, to $33.5 billion. And that will give lawmakers a little extra breathing room when they start cobbling together next years budget. The bulk of that growth is expected to come from what state officials call the big three sources of revenue individual and corporate income taxes, and sales taxes. Individual income taxes are expected to grow about 3.3 percent, to $18.8 billion. Johnson said thats mainly due to wage and salary growth, which is driven by a relatively low unemployment rate. Only a small amount of that will come from the states new, higher minimum wage, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2020, midway through the fiscal year. Personal income growth is also expected to drive up sales tax receipts, which are expected to grow by 3.7 percent, to just over $8.5 billion. State corporate income taxes, meanwhile, have not been affected by recent changes in federal tax law as much as forecasters had expected, Johnson said. As a result, those receipts are expected to grow nearly 6 percent, to $2.3 billion, the result of what forecasters believe will be higher corporate earnings in the coming fiscal year. All of that is the result of a continuing national economic expansion, which Johnson said is nearly the longest on record. But she said there is also reason to believe that expansion might not continue for long. This particular expansion has been one of the most anemic that weve witnessed in this country since we have had economic recessions, she said. Among other things, she said, the federal tax cuts that went into effect in 2018 gave a short-term boost to the national economy. But she said that stimulus effect is expected to dissipate in the upcoming year. The fading fiscal stimulus combined with increasing market volatility will limit growth in 2020 and the out-years, Johnson said. Rep. Steven Reick, a Woodstock Republican, responded saying a downturn in the national economy would be bad news for Illinois. We all know that when the United States gets a cold, Illinois gets pneumonia, he said. But Revenue Department Director David Harris, a former legislator, said there have been many trends in the current economic recovery that dont fit normal patterns, like the fact that wages have not grown as much as the historically low unemployment rate would suggest. As a result, he said he is not sure economists should rely on traditional indicators of future economic trends. Im not sure a lot of folks know what normal is anymore, Harris said. There are so many topsy-turvy markers that dont seem to apply. DES MOINES - He cracked jokes about the frigid Iowa weather. He boasted about his state's agricultural industry. And he decried the caustic atmosphere in Washington. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, one of the highest-profile Republicans open to running against President Donald Trump, sounded notes Monday that candidates-in-waiting have long tried to hit in this early-caucus state. But he also signaled that he is in no rush to make up his mind about 2020. He said he was here to attend to National Governors Association business, not lay the groundwork for a campaign. "It currently makes no sense, with a president that has the kind of approval rating that he does in his own party," Hogan said in an interview. "Having said that, I've said things can change, and we don't know what it might look like a few months from now." Variables such as the outcome of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe, Democratic talk of impeachment and the president's fluctuating political standing are all potential factors in his decision, Hogan acknowledged. In the meantime, he's taking things slowly. Here in Iowa, the immediate hurdles any Republican looking to challenge Trump would face are daunting. The president's image has improved, the party establishment is firmly behind him, and many conservative activists adore him. "I think [Trump's] numbers are going up," Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, said in a brief interview. "He's the president. We're actually seeing the economy growing, because of taxes being reduced and regulatory reductions." She said she plans to back Trump in 2020. Reynolds had just attended a luncheon with Hogan and others at an NGA workshop. The two-day conference on jobs and the economy was the reason for Hogan's visit - "I'm not here to do any campaigning," he said, though he is meeting with local business leaders - but the trip still turned some Republican heads. "If everything stays the way it is today . . . can someone like Hogan primary Trump and be successful? No," said Craig Robinson, a former state Republican Party official who now runs a conservative Iowa website. "But I think there's enough variables out there that, you know, it's a pretty savvy position to take." By "it," Robinson meant Hogan's posture when it comes to 2020. Fresh off a decisive reelection win in a blue state, Hogan is keeping his options open. "It's safe to say there are a lot of people in the party and outside the party who are approaching me," Hogan said in the interview. "I've been listening and I've been, you know, interested in what they have to say. But I haven't, you know, committed to doing anything other than listen." On Monday, Hogan, dressed in a dark suit and no tie, could have easily been mistaken for a candidate already running for president. At the luncheon, he started his remarks with a quip about organizing a walking tour and closed by expressing his pleasure that "the temperature doubled from one to two degrees." During a panel discussion with Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, also a possible presidential candidate, Hogan told the audience they would probably be shocked to know that agriculture is Maryland's "number one industry" - a line that could come in handy down the road in this farm-friendly state. Intentionally or not, Hogan also previewed a potential campaign message during the talk. "Like most people in America, I'm really frustrated and disappointed with the dysfunction and divisiveness in Washington and the fact that nothing ever really seems to get done," he said. In the interview, Hogan said he was troubled by Trump's policy decisions on border security and the recent government shutdown. "I've also railed against the tone and the divisive rhetoric that I think are not helpful," he said. Asked why most other Republican elected leaders have not been willing to speak out against Trump the way he has, Hogan offered two explanations. "I think there are some Republicans who actually agree with the president, and they're not concerned as much about the rhetoric," he said. "I also believe, though, that there are some who perhaps are concerned and do agree with some of the things that I'm saying or some of the concerns that I have, but they don't want to speak up." He added, "There's not a lot of profiles in courage. . . . They're afraid of being primaried, they're afraid of being attacked on Twitter. And I'm really not." The risks of straying from the president are evident in Iowa. A Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll last month found 85 percent of Iowa Republicans approved of the way Trump is handling his job. Among Republicans who the survey said were likely to vote in the 2020 general election, 73 percent said they would definitely vote to reelect Trump. "We look forward to reelecting President Trump in 2020," Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Joyce said. Trump's approval rating among Iowa adults climbed from 39 percent last September to 46 percent in February, according to the Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll, reaching its highest level in their survey since the president took office. Hogan said he understands his own political dynamic is different from what many Republicans face in their states and districts. "I'm in a unique position in that I'm term-limited and I'm in one of the bluest states in the country," he said. "I have no reason not to say exactly what I think." - - - The Washington Post's Scott Clement in Washington contributed to this report. For the Intelligencer EDWARDSVILLE Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles college student personnel administration (CSPA) graduate program, housed in the Department of Educational Leadership, will host a Visit Day on Friday, March 22 for prospective students considering a career in higher education. Visit Day will begin at 8 a.m. with current CSPA students welcoming visitors in Parking Lot B and escorting them to Evergreen Hall for check-in. The event will include a continental breakfast; welcoming remarks from Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jeffrey Waple, PhD; assistantship interviews; campus tour; program information session; student panel and more. Prospective students in attendance will be given priority consideration for admission and on- and off-campus graduate assistantships through the CSPA program. SPRINGFIELD Local officials from southern Illinois told state lawmakers Monday their highest priorities in a hoped-for public works package are upgrades to college and university campuses and expansion of regional highways. That expansion would include a proposed Southwest Illinois Connector linking the Carbondale and Murphysboro areas to the eastern edge of the St. Louis metropolitan area. I dont think you can separate roads from an institution like (Southern Illinois University)-Carbondale, said Marc Kiehna, a Randolph County commissioner and a leading proponent of the proposed connector highway. Kiehna was one of several people who spoke during a joint meeting in Edwardsville of two Senate subcommittees that are putting together a proposed multi-billion-dollar public works package, known among lawmakers as a capital bill. Illinois last approved a major public works package in 2009, during Democratic Gov. Pat Quinns administration, and several people told the Senate panel that another is long overdue. During the last four years, we had a governor that wasnt helpful to Illinois, did not want to invest in our state and was willing to let our universities, roads and bridges crumble to achieve his political goal, said Charles Totsie Bailey, of the Southwest Illinois Building and Trades Council, referring to former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Officials from the Southern Illinois University system presented a long list of projects, starting with an $83 million plan to refurbish the aging mass communications and media arts building and a $98 million science building on the Carbondale campus. The university is also hoping for a new education building for its medical school campus in Springfield. In addition to those projects, however, John Dunn, interim chancellor of the SIU-Carbondale campus said the school has a backlog of about $700 million worth of deferred maintenance projects. Visually, we need cranes on our campus, he said. Cranes on the campus send a powerful message to the public at-large that were alive and well, were working forward and were creating jobs. The Southwest Illinois Connector project, meanwhile, is one that local officials in the area have been talking about for years. It calls for expanding a number of highway routes from two lanes to four in Jackson, Monroe, Perry, and Randolph counties. Although no formal cost estimates have been released, Kiehna said the entire project including engineering, land acquisition and actual construction would probably be around $400 million. I understand that maybe some things have to be built in segments, he told the panel. Im not opposed to that if we can see some movement. As lawmakers listened to the presentations, though, there was little consensus among local officials about how to pay for the projects. Some officials acknowledged that an increase in motor fuel taxes might be needed to fund highway programs, although some noted that the current motor fuel tax is already higher than in surrounding states. Mondays meeting in Edwardsville was the second in a series of regional meetings that the Senate committees are holding around the state. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 18, in Decatur. Reach reporter Peter Hancock at phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com WASHINGTON - Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper identifies as a progressive, but he emphasizes that compromise is needed "to make progress." "I'm running for president because we need dreamers in Washington, but we also need to get things done," Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said in a video announcing his candidacy on Monday morning. "I've proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver." Hickenlooper's rollout should be viewed as the opening salvo in a broader battle to pull the center of gravity in the Democratic debate back toward the middle and to emphasize the importance of electability if President Donald Trump is going to be defeated in 2020. "If everyone yells at Trump, he wins," Hickenlooper said on his most recent trip to Iowa, where he's been testing the waters. "You have to laugh at him and joke along and say, 'Hey, this is what I did.'" The first two months of this year have been dominated by the left, starting with Elizabeth Warren's New Year's Eve campaign launch and continuing through this past Thursday, when freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threatened a roomful of House Democrats with primary challenges if they vote with Republicans. A procession of more moderate figures has been waiting anxiously in the wings. Consider The Five B's: 1. Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is believed to be leaning toward an impending bid for the Democratic nomination, and the billionaire has signaled that he's willing to draw heavily on his personal fortune to make his case. His top advisers have reportedly been interviewing potential hires in early states and looking for office space. 2. It would be very surprising if former vice president Joe Biden decides not to move forward with a third try for the White House. "The timetable remains in question," Dan Balz wrote in Sunday's paper. "Biden has been in no rush to declare his intentions. He resisted recommendations from some advisers to announce early in an effort to shape the race in his favor. He has chosen to wait, preferring to make himself less of a target and to see whether any of the other early entrants would significantly change the landscape. . . . Biden will be betting that this isn't a normal election but rather one that will turn far more on questions about fundamental values than on the specifics of Medicare-for-all or the Green New Deal - or on votes or actions from three or four decades ago." 3. Former congressman Beto O'Rourke, who came surprisingly close to toppling Ted Cruz last year in Texas, is expected to run and may announce later this week. "I'm a capitalist," O'Rourke told reporters recently when asked about climate change. "I don't see how we're able to meet any of the fundamental challenges that we have as a country without in part harnessing the power of the market." 4. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who won a second term in 2016 even as Trump carried the state by 21 points, is widely expected to throw his hat in the ring soon. He just wrapped up a term as chairman of the bipartisan National Governors Association. 5. Michael Bennet, one of the most moderate Democrats in the Senate, also continues to explore a potential run. "We don't have to settle for disgraceful politics. We don't have to settle for being as terrible as Donald Trump," Bennet said during a visit to Iowa the weekend before last. "We don't have to settle for Freedom Caucus tactics - those guys are tyrants. We don't have to accept that." Interestingly, the senator was Hickenlooper's chief of staff during his tenure as mayor of Denver. Hickenlooper encouraged Bennet to take over the city's public schools. Bennet then beat out Hickenlooper to get appointed to the Senate seat that opened in 2009 when Barack Obama appointed Ken Salazar as interior secretary. Both wanted that job. Hickenlooper got elected governor the next year, instead, and just wrapped up his second term. The Denver Post recently highlighted the similarities between them and wondered how they'll differentiate themselves if both get in. The question now is whether these five white guys, The Five B's, can match the energy level on the left and draw the kinds of crowds that their more progressive competitors have been getting for months. (Sherrod Brown, who has been touring the early states, is one of the more liberal members of the Senate, but he's gotten elected statewide in Ohio several times and has pushed back recently against the lurch to the left.) Others to watch in the pragmatist lane are former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe and current New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Both are watching carefully to gauge Biden's intentions. WhileCuomo insists he's deferred to Biden, "it's obvious to some who've talked to him that White House dreams still lurk in his head, and that a part of him would like to be running," the Atlantic's Edward-Isaac Dovere reports. "When he looks at the Democrats who are already in the race, he makes a point of noting how many of them he knows, even as he makes clear that he doesn't think any of them measure up." The 67-year-old Hickenlooper has figured out how to thread the needle in a swing state. After losing his job as a geologist during the 1980s, Hickenlooper opened a successful brewpub and grew the business. He ran for mayor of Denver after leading a citizen's campaign to stop the renaming of Mile High Stadium. After two terms, he was elected governor during a wave year for Republicans in 2010 and (narrowly) reelected in 2014 during another wave. Hickenlooper worked with a Republican-controlled legislature after he took office. "He signed off on austere budgets that attracted bipartisan support; he allied with Republicans to boost natural gas exploration, and with Democrats to legalize civil unions," Dave Weigel notes. "In 2012, when a man shot and killed 12 people in a suburban Denver movie theater, Hickenlooper began to advocate a ban on extended magazines. . . . In 2017, he and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, led a bipartisan group of governors to oppose Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. . . . In 2018, Hickenlooper threatened to call a special legislative session to undo an anti-fracking ballot measure, if voters passed it; he backed down only after the measure failed." In materials sent to reporters, Hickenlooper's campaign team highlights his efforts to woo GOP support for expanding Medicaid in Colorado and his success as mayor in partnering with Republicans in the suburbs to expand mass transit. He was initially opposed to legalizing marijuana, fearful that it would lead to more kids using drugs, but he's evolved and worked to make the recreational sale of pot as safe as possible. He supported the death penalty when he ran in 2010 but changed his mind before running for a second term. The issue made his reelection race much tighter in 2014 than it would have been otherwise. The former mayor and governor will hold a "send-off" rally on Thursday night in the Greek Amphitheater at Denver's Civic Center Park before flying to Iowa for events on Friday and Saturday. Then he will head to South by Southwest in Austin on Sunday. The narrative continues to cement that the Democratic Party is moving into territory that could make it hard for the eventual nominee to beat Trump. Consider these three stories that posted over the weekend: 1. Pennsylvania Democrats fear the party's leftward drift could cost them victories next year, Trip Gabriel reports in the New York Times: "It is probably no coincidence that most of the Pennsylvania Democrats who won Republican-held congressional seats last year were moderates who had defeated progressives in primary contests. The one progressive who made it to the general election in a competitive district, Scott Wallace, lost to the Republican, Brian Fitzpatrick, in Bucks County, which Hillary Clinton carried. Leading Democratic and Republican strategists in Pennsylvania said the most likely nominees to carry the state, at this early stage, appeared to be [Biden], a native of Scranton, and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, both of whose centrist policies fit comfortably with the state's voters." 2. "When did everyone become a socialist?" That's the question posed on the cover of next week's New York magazine: "Coolheaded Obaman technocracy is out; strident left-wing moral clarity is in. And while this atmospheric shift is felt most acutely among the left-literary crowd, it's also bled into the general discourse, such that Teen Vogue is constantly flacking against capitalism and one of the most devastating insults in certain corners of the internet is to call someone a neoliberal." 3. "John Anzalone, an Alabama-based Democratic pollster, said the perception that the party's primary voters are enthusiastically liberal is not based on data," The Washington Post reported Saturday. "There is, without a doubt, a myth that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez somehow represents the narrative of Democratic primary voters in the country," Anzalone said. "Almost half of them identify themselves as moderates or conservative." - - - The Washington Post's Joanie Greve and Mariana Alfaro contributed to this report. There's a lot of chatter about an interview that center-left Democratic economist Brad DeLong just gave to Vox, in which DeLong argues that it's time for centrists like him to make peace with the left. The core insight that DeLong offers is that the animating idea driving many centrist Democrats for years has proved to be a failure, and as a result, it's time for them to rethink their approach to both politics and policy in accordance with this new reality. As DeLong puts it, on one issue after another - from health care to climate change - centrist-minded Democrats have modulated the party's priorities in hopes of striking a political deal with the center-right. But that deal has never been forthcoming, because there is no functional center-right in U.S. politics. DeLong notes that centrist Democrats like himself have been driven by a genuine belief in the superiority of market-oriented or (as they're sometimes called) "neoliberal" policies and a theory of political change. That theory held that striking broad bipartisan deals on policy might be worth doing, even if the result is somewhat less progressive, because it would result in them being "more strongly entrenched in America and much better implemented than if it were implemented by a narrow, largely partisan majority." But this hasn't paid off: "Barack Obama rolls into office with Mitt Romney's health care policy, with John McCain's climate policy, with Bill Clinton's tax policy, and George H.W. Bush's foreign policy. He's all these things not because the technocrats in his administration think they're the best possible policies, but because (White House adviser) David Axelrod and company say they poll well. "And (Chief of Staff) Rahm Emanuel and company say we've got to build bridges to the Republicans. We've got to let Republicans amend cap and trade up the wazoo, we've got to let Republicans amend the (Affordable Care Act) up the wazoo before it comes up to a final vote, we've got to tread very lightly with finance on Dodd-Frank, we have to do a very premature pivot away from recession recovery to 'entitlement reform.' "All of these with the idea that you would then collect a broad political coalition behind what is, indeed, Mitt Romney's health care policy and John McCain's climate policy and George H.W. Bush's foreign policy. "And did George H.W. Bush, did Mitt Romney, did John McCain say a single good word about anything Barack Obama ever did over the course of eight solid years? "No, they f------ did not. . . . Today, there's literally nobody on the right between those frantically accommodating Donald Trump, on the one hand, and us on the other." Instead, once Republicans took total control for two years, we saw the rewards granted to Democrats for trying to be compromising. The reward for adopting Mitt Romney's health care plan in hopes of getting bipartisan support for it was unremitting scorched earth opposition to Obamacare, including a failed effort to repeal it entirely, which Republicans undertook while pretending that they were maintaining people's protections. The reward for Obama and Democrats reaching deals to cut spending and treading lightly in response to the worst economic crisis in 70 years, and keeping full-blown economic populism at bay, was President Donald Trump's massive deficit-exploding corporate tax cut that showered enormous benefits on top earners, which Republicans passed while pretending their plan was pro-worker. The reward for Obama and Democrats embracing market-oriented "cap and trade" climate policy was that Republicans blocked it with a wall of intransigence and fossil-fuel-industry-funded climate change denialism. Now Republicans are all in with Trump's even more explicit climate denialism and a full scale effort to roll back everything Obama did to fight global warming, including Trump pulling us out of a painstakingly negotiated international deal in a manner that is enraging our allies. I would add one more to this list: immigration. As I've noted, on immigration, the Democratic Party for many years embraced the idea that supporting maximal enforcement would lure Republicans into supporting legalizing undocumented immigrants. But GOP intransigence has revealed this as a fantasy. After Democrats passed comprehensive immigration reform embodying that bargain through the Senate in 2013 by a broad bipartisan majority, the GOP-controlled House simply refused to vote on it. Now Republicans have gone all in with an even more virulent form of xenophobic anti-immigrant nationalism, as well as with imaginary solutions like mass deportations and Trump's wall. So now we're seeing an increasingly emboldened left making the case for much more progressive taxation and much more aggressive efforts to rewrite the rules of the market, for dramatically ambitious climate policies in the form of the Green New Deal, and for a move away from an enforcement-for-legalization paradigm on immigration, and toward a much more pro-immigration stance as a matter of basic values. And the party as a whole is much more open to these aggressive postures. It's important to stress that the party has been pushed toward these positions by grassroots movements and by the changing nature of the Democratic base, which is more diverse, younger and better educated than the last time Democrats held a House majority. But another thing driving these changes is that in many of these areas - from inequality to climate change to the need for reforms to our immigration system that don't retreat on our humanitarian commitments - there's an increased recognition that the Republican Party is basically going to sit out the process of addressing these major challenges of our time, as most Democrats understand them. This, combined with the fact that some of these challenges are simultaneously growing more pressing, is pushing Democrats toward more ambitious solutions and away from a futile, accommodationist effort to chase the mirage of consensus with the center right. Now that President Donald Trump is heading into a new period of intensified scrutiny from congressional Democrats, even as the special counsel's investigation approaches its climax, Trump's political health - and, possibly, his survival as well - depend more than ever on the massive propaganda apparatus that is busily toiling away on his behalf. Central to this effort is Fox News. Fox personalities are now responding to the new Democratic investigative push, and the true dimensions of their efforts are coming into clearer focus: Precisely because Trump has committed extremely serious misconduct and wrongdoing on so many fronts, some of Fox's leading voices are resorting to portraying any and all oversight directed at the president as fundamentally illegitimate. Another way of putting this is that Fox personalities are arguing that Trump should be above accountability - that is, above the law. They don't put it this way, but this is what they're really saying. The sheer Orwellian up-is-downism here is remarkable. Monday night, Lou Dobbs claimed Democrats are engaged in a "search for a crime," and are "following the lead of Robert Mueller and the radical Dem corruption of both the FBI and the Department of Justice." One guest scoffed that Mueller had been empowered to investigate crimes he came across "in the process of investigating whatever the heck it was he was authorized to investigate." Let me help here: Mueller was authorized to investigate a hostile foreign power's massive and deliberate subversion of U.S. democracy, which it undertook to get Trump elected president. In service of that end, Mueller has already created a remarkably detailed portrait of the scope and reach of this sabotage effort. In addition to this, Mueller was authorized to investigate whether the Trump campaign colluded with that subversion effort, and other matters that arose in the process. What these folks are really saying, then, is that investigating this attack on our democracy - regardless of whether conspiracy happened - is itself corrupt and illegitimate. That Trump benefited from illicit help in getting elected - whether or not he would have won without it is irrelevant - must not be acknowledged. Needless to say, nor can the fact that Trump's top campaign officials eagerly tried to conspire in that effort (which Trump subsequently tried to conceal from the American people). The other argument Trump's allies are making is essentially that no congressional investigations of any kind directed at the president are legitimate. Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch claimed to Dobbs that it is a "remarkable abuse of power" that Democrats launched investigations without knowing beforehand whether there will be evidence of a "crime warranting impeachment." Trump approvingly quoted Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., on Fox making a similar point. And Matthew Gertz notes that on "Fox & Friends," there was even discussion that witnesses should decline to cooperate with Democrats for this same reason. Behold the circular logic: No investigations that might lead to impeachment hearings later are legitimate because Democrats haven't gathered sufficient evidence of impeachable offenses before launching their investigations, which conveniently rules out any investigations. In reality, not only is Congress supposed to exercise oversight; gathering facts before determining whether impeachment hearings are warranted is the correct order in which to do things. Similarly, Trump also quoted Fox's Sean Hannity claiming that due to Democratic investigations, "we the people will now be subjected" to "modern-day McCarthyism." The "we the people" is interesting, since in 2018 a sizable popular majority elected Democrats to control the House and thus exercise oversight on Trump. But making that fact disappear is central to Trumpian propaganda: Trump also quoted the buffoonish Ari Fleischer literally describing the 2016 campaign as the "last election," the verdict of which Democrats should heed by ... not launching investigations. The materials released by Judiciary Committee Democrats detail the documents they are seeking, as well as listing the people in Trump's orbit who are being asked to provide them. Thus, these materials provide a guide to what Fox's personalities do not want investigated (that is, in addition to sabotage of our democracy, as noted above). A partial list: - Materials relating to any foreign government payments to Trump's businesses, which might constitute violations of the Constitution's emoluments clause. - Materials that might shed light on Trump's negotiations over the duration of a real estate project in Moscow, which Trump concealed from the voters even as the GOP primaries were underway. - Materials that might show whether Trump's lawyers had a hand in rewriting former lawyer Michael Cohen's testimony to Congress falsifying the timeline of those negotiations. - Materials that might illuminate more detail about Trump's numerous efforts to obstruct the FBI/Mueller investigation. - Materials that would shed more light on the criminal hush-money scheme that Cohen carried out, allegedly at Trump's direction, and on Trump's reimbursement of those payments. To sum up: Fox personalities don't think it's legitimate to examine whether Trump corruptly enriched himself in violation of the Constitution; deceived Republican primary voters about the financial motives behind his foreign policy agenda; directed his personal lawyer to lie to Congress to cover that up; obstructed an investigation into a foreign attack on our democracy that his own top advisers eagerly tried to conspire with; or participated in a criminal scheme which concealed from voters massive campaign finance expenditures designed to cover up illicit affairs, while lying to the American people about it. Trump's long-term political prospects depend upon keeping millions and millions of his voters in thrall to the idea that investigations into all of these matters are at their core illegitimate efforts to overturn the 2016 election. But precisely because of the immense amount of wrongdoing, misconduct and lawlessness that's already been documented on Trump's part, this in effect requires arguing that the president should be immune from accountability entirely. To the editor: For 10 years, I was Google Plus Spiritual Cyberspace prophet to the nations. I had 5,000 friends in 200 nations. I thank Jesus for giving me 3 million views and for being on Google Plus. On April 2, Google Plus is shutting down and going to hit the delete button to everybody. But the last six years, Google Plus started censoring the Christians on the Spiritual Cyberspace website. The new Google Plus agenda was promoting the left commie, socialists and atheists and worldly videos over the Christian videos. By doing this, the main reason Google Plus is going out of business is the God of Israel is censoring them for censoring Christian videos. The other reason is that Google Plus was hacked and they didnt tell the members about it. Google Plus knew that the U.S. government was going to regulate them, and the U.S. government red tape would cost them lots of money. Give Google Plus the googly eyes now, for on April 2, it will disappear in cyberspace forever. George Culley Pinckneyville As of this writing only four Senate Republicans - Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky - have agreed to support the resolution ending President Donald Trump's fraudulent emergency declaration. Tillis and Collins are up for reelection in 2020 in purple states, and Murkowski has been the least sycophantic Republican on major votes (e.g., repeal of Obamacare, confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh). Only Rand Paul in this group would be described as a solid conservative who has supported Trump regularly on policy but here takes a principled stance based on constitutional principles. Oh sure, there are many more Republicans harrumphing and mumbling about being "uncomfortable" with a blatant power grab - including staunch, self-proclaimed constitutional conservatives such as Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., and moderates such as Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. It remains unclear whether there will be any other votes to defend the Senate's core legislative function. (The New York Times reported, "Senators Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Mike Lee of Utah have all voiced concern on the constitutional question, though none of them has explicitly promised to overturn the emergency declaration.") Now Cruz was just reelected, but with nearly six years before facing the electorate he's skedaddled whenever reporters pressed him for an answer. In fact, of the five I just listed, only Inhofe would possibly be on the ballot in 2020. It's possible the fourth "no" vote from Paul will allow others to step forward. I'd like to think every Republican senator I've mentioned and more who should know better will follow Paul, but the majority, maybe the overwhelming majority, of Republicans will - as they have on virtually everything else - stick with Trump. Why do Republicans, even ones in safe seats and ones not facing the voters for years, shed any semblance of principle to show mindless fidelity to Trump? It still amazes some voters. It shouldn't. These are not political giants; you'll find no Sen. J. William Fulbright or Hubert Humphrey in this crowd. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., died in 2018, the last lawmaker distinguished by his consistent refusal to put party above country and by his contempt for spineless courtiers. The Republicans who populate the Senate cannot imagine losing their perch; they live in fear of becoming politically irrelevant. They fear the wrath of the entire right-wing machine, which includes Trump, Fox News, radio talk show hosts, right-wing billionaire donors, utterly corrupt evangelical conservative leaders and intellectually hypocritical think tankers. Such lawmakers will do just about anything to stay in the right wing's good graces, which they perceive as essential to their retention of power. Some like Rubio had brushes with heresy (e.g., on immigration) but now have returned to servility. The overwhelming number of Republicans do not believe they can defend themselves if they were to act independently - or fear even risking it. They generally know what Trump is saying is bunk (whether it is Trump's latest conspiracy theory about the FBI or some uber-theory of executive power or his fearmongering about immigrants), but they understand Trump's grip on the base and figure it's easier to echo Trump, snow voters whom they consider incapable of independent thought and just regurgitate the same garbage Trump spews. Maybe Paul will shame a few into supporting the resolution. However, I fear Eliot Cohen is on the money when he writes in The Atlantic: "They know, in their timid breasts, that they would have howled with indignation if Barack Obama had declared a national emergency in such a circumstance. As they stare at their coffee cup at breakfast, the thought occurs to them that a future left-wing president could make dangerous use of these same powers-because Speaker Nancy Pelosi rubbed that fact in their face. Some of the brighter ones might even realize that emergency powers are a favored tool of authoritarians everywhere. "But they are afraid. They are afraid of being primaried. They are afraid of being called out by the bully whom they secretly despise but to whom they pledge public fealty. They are afraid of having to find another occupation than serving in elective office. And the most conceited of the lot-and there are quite a few of those, perhaps more in the Senate than in the House-think that it would be a tragedy if the country no longer had their service at its disposal." You can call such pols them overly ambitious, but I wish their ambition was much grander. If only they yearned to make history, to walk in McCain's footsteps, they might get a line in the history books. Unfortunately, if they are remembered at all, it will be for their docility in the face of an authoritarian president and for their willingness to disregard their oaths for the security of another term or a gig on Fox News after retirement or a cheesy award from some right-wing group. These are cheap dates and small men. To state the obvious, the policy agenda of the Democratic Party has moved to the left. Ideas that used to be on the fringe - Medicare-for-all, guaranteed jobs and the Green New Deal, all financed by very progressive taxation - are now much more widely accepted by Democrats. Two possible theories explain this evolution: the old one from the center-left and the new one from the "leftier" left. The center left was/is essentially friendly, and largely deferential, to markets. Left to their own devices, financial markets will efficiently allocate excess savings to their most productive uses - so over-regulation is dangerous. Same with globalization. Taxes should be progressive, but not too much so or you'll dampen private investment. Public borrowing crowds out private borrowing, so deficit reduction is an oft-stated goal. That sounds pretty Republican (or it did before Republicans went nuts). But there are two salient differences. One is that under center-left Democrats, you let the market rip, but you shave some gains off the top and redistribute them to those left behind, say through a robust Earned Income Tax Credit, the highly successful pro-work, anti-poverty wage subsidy that was expanded under President Bill Clinton. The second is that, in rare cases, it is kosher to tweak incentives to achieve a policy goal. A carbon tax to push back on climate change is a good example. Better yet, a cap-and-trade approach, in which the government sets up a market - there's that word again - wherein firms can trade pollution credits. The guiding principle is that the center-left policymaker has the technocratic skills to administer exactly the right tweaks and redistributions to ensure that markets continue to deliver optimal results. Though this position still describes some Democrats, it is no longer the dominant view, as economist Brad DeLong recently showed in a Vox interview. DeLong, who calls himself a "Rubin Democrat" (a reference to Clinton's centrist treasury secretary, Bob Rubin), argues that the moment is such that "The baton rightly passes to our colleagues on our left. We are still here, but it is not our time to lead." "DeLong believes," according to the piece, that "the time of people like him running the Democratic Party has passed." What changed to usher in this twilight of the technocrats? The limits of "unfettered" markets and under-regulated finance, and the risks of letting them rip, have become undeniably clear. Even before the finance-infused housing bubble delivered the Great Recession, market-driven inequalities soared to levels we hadn't seen since the 1920s. Then there's the fact that markets weren't really "unfettered" (ergo, the scare quotes). Though their center-left proponents argued otherwise, trade deals were not for "free" trade. They were stacked to protect investors over workers and consumers (as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., argued regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership). Center-left policymakers didn't just leave financial markets alone; they actively deregulated them (see the repeal of Glass-Steagall banking regulations supported by Clinton in 1999). And when the labor unions came knocking for political support, the center-left too often wouldn't open the door (see the lack of support among moderate Democrats for the Employee Free Choice Act). Next, center-left policies appeared insufficient to meet the challenges Democrats increasingly cared about, such as growing inequality, inaccessible health care, the cost of college, climate change, retirement insecurity and institutionalized racism. DeLong argues, with merit, that many of the center-left policies never got a chance because they depended on "a responsible center-right partner to succeed," and such support was never even close to forthcoming. But as with the trade deals, the problem wasn't just political. Where center-left Democrats touted the need for "tough choices" on Social Security and Medicare (by which they meant, in part, cuts to benefits), the left wing of the party wanted to expand the programs, as is seen in today's prioritization of Social Security expansion and Medicare-for-all. For all these reasons, this twilight of technocrats makes sense to me. But it raises the question: What's up in the morning? If the old left's theory has been proved wrong, what is its replacement? The Democratic left's new theory of the case is still forming, but it looks something like this: Both parties have stood by while markets were rigged, and therefore, they - both markets and the old parties - cannot be counted on to solve the challenges listed above. We must de-rig them through antitrust action, robust labor standards, union power (as a counterbalance to capital's power) and trade deals that are handshakes between workers across borders, not investors. At the same time, we can very progressively tax accumulated wealth and use the proceeds to both provide opportunities for those who have been left behind and fight existential market failures - most importantly, climate change. What does the cast-aside technocrat have to say about that? The knee-jerk response is that such intervention into the market pushes too far and will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. But this response is unconvincing. Social democracies have long existed (e.g., Scandinavian countries) that go much further to protect their citizens and their environment, spending 10 percentage points more of their GDP through the public sector ($2.1 trillion a year, in our economy) than we do without paying a productivity price for it. Obviously, universal health coverage is achievable, as it exists in every other advanced economy, at a cost of 6 to 8 percent of GDP less than we spend. The fact is, while opponents scream about the massive negative market responses to the progressive agenda - People will stop working! Investors will stop investing! Doctors won't take patients! - we don't know either what the actual agenda will look like, if it will ever get legislated, or, if it does, what its impact will be on the zillions of moving parts in our economy. All we know is that in some fundamentally important ways, what we've been doing hasn't worked. DeLong's right. It's time to pass the baton. - - - Bernstein, a former chief economist to Vice President Joe Biden, is a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and author of "The Reconnection Agenda: Reuniting Growth and Prosperity." Hempel A/S said Monday it paid about $33.4 million to enforcement agencies in Denmark and Germany to resolve allegations of bribery. The company said it discovered illegal sales practices in April 2017 in Germany, other countries in Europe and in Asia. It self reported the bribery to the Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime. Hempel A/S and Hempel (Germany) GmbH paid total combined fines of $33.4 million to the Danish prosecutor and to the Prosecution Authority in Kiel, Germany. The Copenhagen-based company makes coatings used in marine applications for the oil and gas industry, boat builders, and others. It employs about 6,500 people in 80 countries. Revenues last year were about $1.5 billion. A statement accompanying Mondays release of Hempels annual report said the unlawful practices were stopped immediately and the people responsible were replaced. The company said it has completed internal remediation, invested heavily, and established a robust compliance framework. Hempel cooperated with authorities in Denmark and Germany, it said. CEO Henrik Andersen called the illegal sales practices a direct attack on the integrity of Hempels customers, culture, values and all our colleagues. He said Hempel has since made substantial investments internally and externally to prevent compliance issues from happening in the future and to regain customers trust. That is the price we have had to pay for being non-compliant. We have cleaned up and moved on, Andersen said. ____ Harry Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. If you believe youare the right candidate for any of the above challenging posts, submit yourapplication in triplicate together with a curriculum vitae giving full careerdetails, day time telephone number, address, 3 passport size coloured photosand telephone contacts for three competent referees who are not your relativesas well as certified copies of academic transcripts and certificates quotingthe title and job reference number on top of the envelope to the addressprovided below; The Civil SocietyAcademy started in 2014 as a pioneering initiative of Welthungerhilfe, one ofthe largest Development NGOs in Germany. Through genuine engagement andexcellent capacity development of local actors, we strive to become a criticalpart of a new international eco-system that inspires civil society actors tofulfill their vision and mission. The Civil Society Academy is currentlysupporting Welthungerhilfe in scaling up two of its most outstanding programmesin South Asia and selected locations in East Africa. The initiatives are: All candidatesshould send their cover letters (max1 Page) describing the reasons for applyingfor the particular position and relating to the content of this announcement.Curriculum Vitae detailing educational history and work experience. Allapplications should be sent to: africaoffice@penalreform.org The Bible Society ofUganda is a registered Christian non-governmental organization, which servesChurches and the general public by making the Holy Scriptures available inlanguages and media that communicate effectively to the people. The Water Trustdevelops and implements Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs to combatdisease and poverty in the developing world and allow people to live empoweredlives of dignity. The Water Trust collaborates with community members, villageleaders, local government and WASH service providers to enable villages,schools and health centers to create access to safe water, latrines, andenvironmental hygiene education. Since 2008, The Water Trust has implementedmore than 300 projects in Masindi and Kiryandongo, benefiting more than 120,000people. The Water Trust is expanding its programs and aims to be a leader inpioneering innovative technological and behavioral change strategies to helpfoster healthy communities. Support in follow up of the project activities related toconstruction, rehabilitation, landscaping, equipping and furnishing of thetraining institutions that are part of the project: The Program Intern EWAKISI Project willsupport implementation of the new and exciting project in Karamojong regionfunded by Porticus Africa. This person preferably from Karamoja region willcoordinate the EWAKISI (Lets include) program for young people living withdisabilities. The project will be implemented in 5 districts of Abim, Kotido,Napak, Nakapiripirit and Moroto. And will target young people both with andwithout disabilities. The Objective of the project is twofold-gatheringinformation about disability inclusion in formal education structures andeconomic systems as well as raising awareness about the critical need toinclude young people living with disabilities in these two spheres. The programtargets both young people with and without disabilities. The programme Internwill support with the project implementation in accordance with the objectives,work plans and budgets agreed with the donor. The Sales Representative (or Sales Rep) isresponsible for overseeing the sale of products or services from beginning toend. This individual is the direct point of contact with a customer andensuring a customers needs and expectations are met. A sales representativeshould know their product or service inside and out and guide their customersthrough the purchase process efficiently and satisfactorily. Mexico has been moving forward with its National Anti-corruption System (NAS) that began with a reform of the Constitution in 2015, followed by new laws that partially came into effect in 2017 and were half-heartedly implemented in 2018. The prolonged implementation has caused fatigue, leaving the impression that things were moving too slowly, particularly when compared with other Latin American peers that have made significant strides in the enforcement of their anti-corruption laws. However, this situation is changing rapidly in Mexico and enforcement will likely soon pick up the pace. Key institutional changes Among the most significant legislative developments that have taken place during the transitional period between the July 2018 election and the swearing of the new President in December 2018 is the enactment by Congress of a new law that creates the Chief Prosecutorial Office (Fiscalia General de la Republica), which replaced the former Attorney General Office (Procuraduria General de la Republica). Beyond the name change, this transforms the institution into an autonomous entity. The change is also significant given that the new Chief Prosecutor will spend nine years in office, a previously unseen tenure for this kind of position. Key appointments In January 2019, Alejandro Gertz Manero, a former Attorney General of Mexico, was appointed by the Senate as the countrys first Chief Prosecutor. Mexico was without an Attorney General since October 2017 and was managed by the Deputy Attorney General on an interim basis. The new Chief Prosecutor of Mexico has selected Maria de la Luz Mijangos Borja and submitted her appointment to confirmation by the Senate as the first Chief Anti-corruption Prosecutor. This confirmation will be firm by March 9 as her nomination was very well received and the Senate is not expected to challenge it. Mijangos Borja has relevant government experience in judicial, budgetary accountability and anti-corruption areas and is widely respected in academic circles where she has had a longstanding and distinguished career. New laws will come into effect The amendments to the Criminal Code grouped under section crimes arising from corrupt situations will enter into effect when the new Chief Anti-corruption Prosecutor is appointed by the Senate. Such amendments include bribery, intimidation, abusive exercise of authority, influence peddling, embezzlement of public funds and illicit enrichment. The core subject matter of corrupt offenses. Public opinion is calling for stronger anti-corruption enforcement A recent public opinion study by Parametria, the leading polling firm in Mexico that most closely predicted the Presidential election outcome last July, offers us insights into current public opinion on the topic of corruption: 68 percent think that corruption has increased in the last 12 months vs. 8 percent who think it has decreased. 30 percent think that corruption will decrease in the next 12 months vs. 19 percent who think it will increase. The support for measures that could be taken by the next government is: 86 percent think that the government should increase the number of jail years for politicians that stole public funds, 84 percent think that corrupt ex-presidents should be put to trial and incarcerated, 62 percent think that an independent anti-corruption prosecutor must be created, and 14 percent think that corrupt politicians should be pardoned to guarantee the political stability of the country. These numbers paint a clear and predictable picture of what public sentiment is. The new President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, AMLO for short, intends to call for an ad hoc public consultation or referendum in March to decide whether corrupt ex-presidents and former public officials should be put to trial and incarcerated. Given that 8 in 10 Mexicans polled by Parametria are in favor of putting ex-presidents on trial, and if convicted sentencing them to jail, there will be no surprise where such ad hoc public consultation will lead to. Mexico slid to #138 in the 2018 CPI Mexico continued to trend down in the recent update of the TI ranking, sliding three places to 138 of 180 countries. Countries also ranked in position 138 are Guinea, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Papua New Guinea and Russia. In Latin America only Venezuela, Guatemala and Nicaragua are ranked lower than Mexico. Public shaming, like falling on the CPI, further creates momentum for the enforcement of anti-corruption laws in Mexico. Theres low hanging fruit (like Odebrecht) Key cases that have not been properly addressed, such as Odebrecht, are low hanging fruit that will jumpstart the enforcement of NAS as soon as the new Anti-corruption Prosecutor is confirmed. The Ministry of Finance FIU chief and key player in the anti-corruption system of Mexico, Santiago Nieto, has stated that Mexico and Venezuela are the only two countries where no significant action has been taken against Odebrecht. He also hinted that the government is preparing to take action in the Odebrecht investigation that could result in enforcement. Odebrecht isnt the only case pending. The past few years have yielded abundant cases pending prosecutorial review and will likely be investigated by the new administration. Fasten your seatbelts Even though many questions remain regarding the commitment of the new administration to the NAS, the logical conclusion is that investigations and enforcement is likely to rise in Mexico. Nothing promotes more compliance than enforcement, so we should also see an increased interest in companies doing business in Mexico to strengthen their compliance programs with a renewed sense of urgency. Better to be safe than sorry, right? _____ Luis Danton Martinez Corres, pictured above, is the partner leading the Compliance, Anti-Corruption and Investigations practice of the Mexico-based law firm, Ritch Mueller. He can be contacted here. Touched by the compassion of the nurses who tended to her... Actor John Abraham said on Monday that his upcoming film Romeo Akbar Walter is not a chest-thumping nationalist project and he himself would like to stay away from jingoistic movies. Directed by Robbie Grewal, the espionage thriller chronicles the story of a spy who goes to Pakistan. "It's very important to make films with good stories. If tomorrow, there's a great patriotic film, I would love to do it. But I would not like to do jingoistic films. I am not anti any other country, I am not anti any other religion. "I'm very pro-secular and I would like to make films that reflect the true nature of this country," John told reporters here. The actor said the film looks at people from an objective gaze and doesn't colour anyone with judgements. "It's a very objective film. No one is bad or good in this, it's just how you look at things. We are not depicting any other side as the bad side. It's a story of a spy who goes across, but it's a different story than Raazi or many of the other stories. "It's not jingoistic, typical flag saluting film. It's very different and that's why we are proud to be associated with it." John said the project's key requirement was "extreme research" and the team did just that as it's a sensitive topic and there's a sense of responsibility riding on them. The actor, however, said there's nothing wrong in making films about war heroes. "If you look at Hollywood, it makes fantastic war films and they glorify their soldiers, so why can't we? I think it's a great time for India, the audience." At the event, John also shut down a reporter when he asked the actor will "tempt" people through the film to take action, after the Pulwama attack. The actor said, "You have to be very careful with the way you ask questions, you have a responsibility. Please apologise to everyone." Romeo Akbar Walter is scheduled to release on April 5. The official website of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spotted a troll video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel after it was hacked on Tuesday morning. The website also displayed messages against the government and had a warning that read "more to come". While the account has been recovered, the site is still down following the hacking. No hacker group has claimed responsibility for the defacing so far. While the account has been recovered, the site is still down following the hacking Congress social media head Divya Spandana was one of the firsts to bring the website hack to notice. "Bhaiya aur Bhehno if youre not looking at the BJP website right now- youre missing out," she posted on Twitter. Bhaiya aur Bhehno if youre not looking at the BJP website right now- youre missing out Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) March 5, 2019 Soon, the rest of Twitter followed: Actress-turned-politician Divya Spandana on Monday raked up a crime charge dating back to 1997 against renowned Yoga guru Jaggi Vasudev, popularly known as Sadhguru. I mean how is he walking the streets? pic.twitter.com/t7B1DANFH3 Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) March 4, 2019 Spandana, who is the head of the Congress party's social media and digital communications operations, tweeted an image of a New Indian Express report dated October 10, 1997. The report said a case had been registered against Sadhguru following a complaint from his then father-in-law over the death of the former's wife in January that year. The case was later dismissed by the Coimbatore Police. Sadhguru has proclaimed his innocence over the allegations, maintaining his wife had attained Mahasamadhi (a Yogi intentionally leaving his body), and his Isha Foundation has since commemorated the event. Along with the image of the New Indian Express report, Spandana tweeted, I mean how is he walking the streets?, without explicitly mentioning Sadhguru. The tweet by Spandana appears to be in response to comments by Sadhguru in a recent interview to Times Now. When asked about JNU student leaders Umar Khalid and Kanhaiya Kumar, who were accused of sedition in 2016, Sadhguru argued, "They should not be walking the streets" in the wake of the national outrage over the Pulwama attack. How is this sick, violent and deeply prejudiced man @SadhguruJV a spiritual guru??????????????? https://t.co/8Hx0YJ3TQH Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) March 3, 2019 The comments by Sadhguru to Times Now drew outrage from a section of social media users. Actress Swara Bhasker harshly criticised Sadhguru, asking, How is this sick, violent and deeply prejudiced man @SadhguruJV a spiritual guru?... Is that a mystic or a mistake? https://t.co/Ny6NGJ9X0w Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) August 10, 2018 Defending Sadhguru's remarks in the interview, a spokesperson of the Isha Foundation said that there was nothing remotely political about what Sadhguru had said. "Following a recent interview of Sadhguru on the ongoing tensions and extremist activities in Kashmir, certain political parties, motivated groups and a section of media have reacted wildly on social media. These are actions of those who are desperate for political relevance. It is unfortunate that, to score political brownie points, they are raking up a baseless charge that was brought up by a few motivated groups and which was obviously dismissed by courts long ago. "Sadhguru has taken a stance for the well-being of the nation and not for any particular political party. There's nothing remotely political about what Sadhguru has said. Needless to add, Sadhguru's stance will remain unchanged regardless of which political party is in power in India. Interestingly, it is not the first time Spandana has targeted Sadhguru. In August 2018, Spandana tweeted a video of an interaction between Sadhguru and actress Kangana Ranaut in which he criticised liberals in India. Apparently referring to Sadhguru, Spandana tweeted, Is that a mystic or a mistake? The Defence Ministry Tuesday trashed Pakistan's claim of shooting down a Sukhoi-30 aircraft of the IAF during an aerial combat last week, saying the claim appeared to be a cover up for loss of a Pakistani jet during the dogfight. The Pakistani Air Force carried out an unsuccessful aerial combat on February 27 as a retaliation to India's strike at a major terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group in Pakistan's Balakot. Sharing details of Pakistan Air Force's aerial combat, the ministry said all the Sukhoi-30 aircraft deployed to check Pakistani jets landed back safely. "False claim by Pakistan of shooting down a Su-30, appears to be a cover up for loss of its own aircraft," the ministry said. Pakistan downed a MiG 21 aircraft of the IAF while India shot down an F-16 jet of the Pakistan Air Force during the dogfight. Pakistan had claimed that it downed two fighter jets of India during the dogfight. "Build up of PAF aircraft on their side of LoC was noticed in time and additional aircraft were scrambled to tackle the adversary. In their attempt to attack our ground targets, PAF aircraft were engaged effectively," the Ministry said. "From IAF side, Mirage-2000, Su-30 and MiG-21 Bison aircraft were involved in the engagement and PAF aircraft were forced to withdraw in a hurry, which is also evident from large missed distances of the weapons dropped by them," it said. The ministry said, during combat, use of F-16 by Pakistan and multiple launches of AMRAAM missiles were "conclusively observed". The US had barred Pakistan from using the F-16s against any third country and it was only allowed to operate the fighter in self defence and for anti-terror missions. "Prompt and correct tactical action by Su-30 aircraft, in response to AMRAAM launch, defeated the missile. Parts of the missile fell in area East of Rajouri in J&K, injuring a civilian on ground," the defence ministry said. The IAF on February 28 displayed parts of the AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence at a press briefing. The JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. India struck JeM's training facility to avenge the Pulwama attack. In 2016, in spite of opposition from the Central leadership of the CPI(M), the Left Front in West Bengal allied with the Congress for the assembly elections. However, the alliance lost the elections to Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. Three years down the line, the alliance equations appear different: the Central leaders of the Left and Congress are pressing for a tie-up in West Bengal, but the state leadership of both parties is in disarray. Senior leaders of the Congress and the Left would like to see that the alliance or adjustment happens as early as possible. But there are two impediments. First, the lower-ranked members of the parties feel that the seat-sharing pact this time is inconsequential beyond six seats. In the other 36 Lok Sabha seats, even if Congress and the Left join hands, they would not be able to dislodge the BJP from the second position. These six seats are Raigunj, Malda North, Malda South, Jangipur, Behrampore and Murshidabad. The second reason, which is far more detrimental for a Congress-Left alliance, is that Mamata Banerjee is desperate not to let the BJP win even one of these six seats; ground reports claim the BJP can win three of the seats. Banerjee would like to see the Congress support her party in four out of these six seats. In return, Banerjee would support Abhijit Mukherjee, son of Pranab Mukherjee, from Jangipur and Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury from Malda South. West Bengal state Congress president Somen Mitra, however, said most of the Congress workers in the state would either like to go with the Left or want to fight it alone. "Since there has been no official proposal for an alliance or seat sharing, I have not raised it with the Congress president (Rahul Gandhi)," Mitra said. Mitra denied that there were any official talks between the Congress and Trinamool Congress. Veteran Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya has declared, Under no circumstances, there can be a alliance between Congress and TMC in Bengal." The CPI(M) would like to see the Left front and Congress agreeing to an adjustment in the six seats as the two parties had won from the constituencies last time. The Central committee of the CPI(M) had passed a resolution in favour of such an alliance in those seats on March 4, with party secretary general Sitaram Yechury announcing the decision in Delhi. A sticking point could be Raigunj seat, which Congress leaders want even though it was won by senior CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim in the last Lok Sabha election. Deepa Dasmunshi of the Congress would like to contest from Raigunj as she had won from there earlier. Not surprisingly, the Left would not like to see this happen. As a result, talk are on to resolve the stalemate. A senior Central committee member of the CPI(M) accepted that the stalemate continued over six seats and on the rest, the deal is almost done. "But six seats are most crucial for us, which we had won last time," said the leader. The BJP said it is sure of defeating the Trinamool Congress in four of these six seats. Two of these seats are in Malda and two in Murshidabad. "The Congress and the Left conceded defeat to us in 36 seats and are trying to save their six seats won last time. Look at the pathetic state of affairs! But we are sure we will win four of these six seats," said Biswapriya Roychowdhury, vice president of the BJP in West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress officially refused to comment on talks with the Congress. It refused to issue any official statement, saying, "Our leader has said we would have to win 42 out of 42 seats." Despite the denials, a source said Banerjee is continuing conversations with Rahul Gandhi. Bangladeshi authorities on Tuesday barred Indian writer-activist Arundhati Roy for a second time from holding a discussion to be hosted by a government critic as police withdrew the permission for the venue. The organisers of the talk title 'Utmost Everything' were informed at 10 pm on Monday that permission for the Booker Prize winning author's talk at the Krishibid Institute Auditorium, one of the venues of the photography exhibition Chobi Mela, was cancelled due to "unavoidable circumstances". No further details were provided, the Chobi Mela Secretariat said in a statement. The venue for the talk, scheduled for Tuesday evening, was later shifted to Midas Centre in the Bangladesh capital, it said in its email statement. The invited guests were asked to join the function at 5.30 pm but as they started arriving the venue, MIDAS staff informed them the programme was cancelled. "MIDAS authorities just told us they could not allow us to stage the event due to lack of police clearance," said Shahidul Alam, an anti-government activist known for his serious criticism against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government. Roy's session was to be moderated by Alam, a photojournalist and festival director. The activist-teacher was behind bars for over 100 days last year for expressing solidarity with students protesting Dhaka's dismal road safety infrastructure. This is the 10th edition of Chobi Mela, touted to be one of the most prestigious photography festivals in Asia. It features 33 exhibitions with works from 44 artists from 21 countries. The festival that began on February 28 this year has the spotlight on the production, compilation, reminiscence, physical existence and social responsibility of archives in a global context, the Chobi Mela statement said. "Chobi Mela has and will continue to be about bringing people together and, more importantly, bringing them to Bangladesh," Alam, who is currently out on bail, said. The festival is scheduled to continue till March 9. Tokyo, Mar 5 (AFP) A Tokyo court on Tuesday unexpectedly granted bail to former auto industry titan Carlos Ghosn, who has spent more than three months in a detention cell. It was the latest twist in a case that has gripped Japan and the business world since the tycoon's shock arrest on November 19 over suspicions of financial misconduct. An appeal by prosecutors against the decision to grant Ghosn bail was thrown out late Tuesday, according to the Jiji news agency. The 64-year-old Ghosn's lead lawyer Junichiro Hironaka suggested to Japanese media he could be freed Wednesday, once his defence team has raised bail which was set at one billion yen (USD 9 million). The former head of Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and Renault faces three charges -- two involving alleged under-reporting of his salary and a third over a complex scheme in which Ghosn allegedly sought to transfer his losses to Nissan's books. Further claims of financial misconduct have been levelled against him and prosecutors may yet slap him with additional allegations to keep him in detention. Ghosn again insisted his innocence in a statement released early Wednesday, saying he would "strongly" defend himself against the "unfounded" charges. "I am boundlessly grateful to my family and friends for backing me through this terrible ordeal," he added in the statement released by his lawyers in Paris. Under his bail terms, Ghosn is banned from leaving Japan and must adhere to conditions aimed at preventing him from fleeing or destroying evidence. The shock decision came a day after Hironaka, who Ghosn hired just last month in a shake-up of his defence team, told reporters he had filed a "convincing" application for bail that contained fresh elements. Hironaka, who has a reputation for securing acquittals for high-profile clients in a country where almost all court cases end in conviction, offered greater surveillance of Ghosn and a limit on his electronic communications. The court has previously said Ghosn's continued detention was justified because he posed a flight risk and could seek to tamper with evidence. It had already rejected two official bail bids and other attempts to win freedom. However, his prolonged stay behind bars has come under fire internationally and from rights groups. Speaking to AFP and French daily Les Echos in January -- his only interview with foreign media so far -- Ghosn himself said that his continued detention "would not be normal in any other democracy". "Why am I being punished before being found guilty?" Ghosn asked. Under Japanese law, prosecutors can hold a suspect for up to 22 days while they investigate an allegation, and then can apply for repeated one-month stretches of pre-trial detention for each charge eventually levelled. That means prosecutors could effectively prevent Ghosn from leaving detention despite Tuesday's bail decision if they level new allegations against him, restarting the 22-day detention clock. In a shake-up of his legal team last month, Ghosn replaced a former prosecutor known as "the breaker" with Hironaka, who has earned the nickname "the acquitter" for his court record and the "razor" for his mental sharpness. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Hironaka had vowed a "completely new legal strategy" to obtain his client's release. "I think the content of the lawyer's application changed the situation," said Japanese lawyer Nobuo Gohara. Nissan declined to comment on the bail decision, saying it was a matter for courts and prosecutors. However, it said that an internal probe had "uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct" and that "further discoveries related to Ghosn's misconduct continue to emerge". "The company's focus is firmly on addressing weaknesses in governance that failed to prevent this misconduct," it added in a statement. A towering figure once revered in Japan for turning around Nissan's fortunes, Ghosn also forged a successful alliance between Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and France's Renault. But his attempts to deepen the alliance caused resentment in some quarters, and Ghosn has claimed the allegations against him are part of a "plot" by opponents of greater integration between the three firms. Given the number of people involved in the complex case and their wide geographical spread, Hironaka said the case would run over a "very long time span". However, he said prosecutors had begun handing over some of their evidence prior to a potential trial. Ghosn's family lawyer told French LCI television that his release would end a "cruel and brutal" time in custody for the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive. AFP NSA Chandigarh, Mar 5 (PTI) The Haryana government Tuesday unveiled a new excise policy for 2019-20, targeting revenue mobilisation of Rs 7,500 crore from liquor against Rs 6,300 crore for current fiscal. Under the new excise policy, the government gave nod for approving the receipt of applications and grant of licences through department's portal as part of its ease of doing business initiatives. Emphasizing its commitment to environment protection, at least 20 per cent of the liquor will be sold in glass bottles. The Policy also enables liquor manufacturers to market Indian Made Foreign Liquor in tetrapacks (biodegradable) of 180 ml, called Nips. To provide quality country liquor to the consumers at lower rates, the policy allowed the launch of superior 65 degree proof country liquor called "Metro Liquor" to be distilled and marketed by the State based distilleries. "The policy fulfills the expectations of the armed forces by lowering excise duty on Rum sold through Canteen Stores Department canteens in the State by Rs 61 per proof litre," the release said. To ensure that there is no manufacture and supply of illicit/smuggled liquor, 350 police personnel would be deputed in the Department exclusively for this purpose. The excise policy was approved at a meeting of state cabinet here, which met under the chairmanship of chief minister M L Khattar, an official release said. With a view to moulding the consumption from strong to mild liquor, the State has allowed micro breweries to opt for a licence without seeking a mandatory license for hard liquor. The policy also permitted the establishment of state of the art outlets called 'Avant-garde' in malls and licensed shopping areas in Gurugram, Faridabad and Panchkula "to enhance the marketing experience of all the consumers". The policy also rationalizes excise duty on IMFL, country liquor and beer to maximise revenue and to simultaneously promote the industry as a whole. To cater to the growing demand, the annual mandatory lifting quota for country liquor and IMFL has been marginally raised from 10 to 10.5 Crore Proof Litre and from 6 to 6.5 Crore Proof Litre respectively. The excise policy provides for stringent norms of sale for bars and restaurants, particularly in towns like Bhiwani, Kaithal, Hisar, Jind and Fatehabad to ensure that licenses are not misused for sale of bottled liquor. To facilitate individuals to keep enhanced stock of liquor through his life time for self consumption at home, the licence for this purpose (L50) has been made more affordable and it would now be possible to obtain this license online through the department's portal. Liquor will not be sold in 57 Panchayats which passed a resolution to that effect in the prescribed time. Liquor will also not be sold in the holy cities of Thanesar MC limit and Pehowa. Disposal of expired or confiscated beer will also be carried out under an environment friendly manner through the Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) of the breweries. In another decision, the cabinet gave approval to a proposal of Transport Department for rationalisation of rates of motor vehicle tax. Similarly, for goods vehicle, the Motor Vehicle Tax slabs have been further rationalised as per Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) (in tonnes). The cabinet also gave its approval to a proposal of the Transport Department for rationalisation of rates of tax on the stage carriages operated by any State Transport Undertaking of Haryana as City Bus Service and for educational Institutions. The buses of educational institutions registered outside the State will be required to pay 20 per cent more tax than the tax paid by the buses registered within the State. PTI SUN VSD MR MR (Eds: This story was published on January 11 which erroneously transmitted again on March 5. Correcting date accordingly in the copy) Dehradun, Jan 11 (PTI) The central government on Friday approved in-principle Uttarakhand government's proposal seeking Rs 3,340 crore for implementing the integrated co-operative development project in the state. The approval was given by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, when Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and state cooperative minister Dhan Singh Rawat met him in New Delhi, an official release here said. Rawat said the implementation of integrated co-operative development project will improve the economy of farmers in Uttarakhand and help prevent migrations from remote hill areas by promoting farming, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries and related activities. PTI ALM BAL BAL MR MR Lahore, Mar 5 (PTI) Pakistan's Punjab province Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan was on Tuesday asked to resign over his anti-Hindu remarks that invited intense criticism by senior party leaders and the minority community, according to a media report. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar summoned Chohan at the CM House and asked him to tender his resignation, Geo TV reported, quoting sources. "The Punjab Chief Minister sought an explanation from Chohan regarding his anti-Hindu remarks," the sources said. "There were complaints against Chohan earlier as well owing to which he was sent warnings," the sources further said. Earlier in the day, Chohan apologised for his remarks following intense criticism from senior members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party's government and social media users. "I was addressing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian armed forces and their media not the Hindu community in Pakistan," he said. "I apologise if my remarks hurt the Hindu community in Pakistan," Chohan said. "My remarks were in no way directed at Pakistan's Hindu community." He had come under severe criticism from senior members of his party, ministers and social media users with #SackFayazChohan trending on Twitter for his controversial remarks while addressing a gathering on February 24 in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government "will not tolerate this nonsense", party leader Naeemul Haque, who is special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan, said on Monday night in response to Chohan's remarks. "The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan the Punjab Info Minister demand strict action. PTI govt will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the govt or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister," Haque tweeted. Haque's tweet was followed by condemnation from Shireen Mazari and Asad Umar, the federal ministers of human rights and finance, respectively. "Absolutely condemn this. No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country," Mazari tweeted. "Our PM's msg is always of tolerance & respect & we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred," she added. Financer Minister Umar tweeted, "Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember the flag of Pakistan is not just green...its not complete without the white which represents the minorities." Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal also took to Twitter and said, "Pakistan proudly owns the white in the flag as much as the green, values contributions of the Hindu community and honours them as our own." Several members of the Hindu community in Pakistan also took to Twitter to condemn the minister's remarks. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country. Majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with their Muslim fellows. PTI ZH/SH ZH ZH Dhubri (Assam), Mar 5 (PTI) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday said illegal immigrants will not be treated inhumanly and the government will speak to the neighbouring country to find a way out to handle the issue. Singh said the government will not treat anyone coming to India, whether legally or illegally, in an inhuman manner as it is not part of Indian culture. "For those coming to India illegally, we will talk to the neighbouring country and see what can be done humanly. We do not do inhuman treatment to anyone," he said addressing the public after inaugurating a border project by the BSF, without naming the country. Hinting his support to the contentious citizenship bill, he said all people coming to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh due to religious persecution will be treated with "human behaviour". The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by Lok Sabha on January 8 but was not tabled in Rajya Sabha, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India even if they do not possess any document. Singh said the ancient Indian saints considered all its neighbours as family with the mantra 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family). Talking about the inland security scenario, the home minister said the NDA government gave special focus in this aspect after coming to power. He said the government is open to talks with anyone if they have demands or grievances, but will not forgive if they take arms. "The country should be safe. Only then development can happen. India was at 9th position five years ago in the top 10 world economy, but now we have reached 6th position. In this fiscal, we are going to reach the 5th position," Singh claimed. He said even the Islamic countries are recognising India's progress and inviting "an Indian minister for the first time" by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is a testimony to that. Referring to the UPA tenure, the senior BJP leader said nobody can level any corruption charge against the NDA governments of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi. He also praised Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for running a "corruption-free" government. The BJP-led government believes that the country cannot develop without developing the Northeast, but still some are creating controversies over small issues, Singh said. "The Clause 6 (of Assam Accord) will give safeguard to identity, language, heritage and culture. We have formed a high-level committee under Mr Bezbaruah. We are waiting for his report. I will not lie. My media friends, if I lie, write that I lied. I will apologise," he added. The existence of the nine-member high-level committee formed by the Centre for implementation of Assam Accord's Clause 6 is in a lurch with Chairman M P Bezbaruah deciding to withdraw from it in January. Four other members also decided not to be a part of this committee in protest of the citizenship bill - a representative of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), eminent litterateurs Nagen Saikia and Rong Bong Terang along with educationist Mukunda Rajbongshi. Singh also promised to give ST status to six communities of Moran, Muttock, Sootea, Tai-Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea-Tribes, but without affecting the existing ST tribes. PTI TR RG ZMN Kolkata, Mar 5 (PTI) Matriarch of the Matua community, Binapani Devi, popularly known as 'Boro Ma', passed away at a state run hospital Tuesday evening after prolonged illness, a hospital official said. Binapani Devi, 100, was on ventilator support at the SSKM Hospital here since Sunday and breathed her last at 8.52 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the death of the matriarch of the Matuas, a scheduled caste community and significant political force in the state. Boro Ma was suffering from high fever, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and mild diabetes, the official said. "She was in an 'extremely critical' condition, since last night. Her fever turned to pneumonia. Her lungs were infected. We tried our level best. Age was definitely a factor," he said. Banerjee, who shared a very cordial relation with Boro Ma described her demise as "a personal loss". "I have received support from her. It's a big loss to the Matua community. My condolences to her family and my brothers and sisters of the Matua community at this moment of grief," Banerjee told reporters at the SSKM. "She will be accorded state-funeral with gun salute. We are proud to have conferred the Banga Bibhusan on her. May her soul rest in peace," the chief minister said. Banga Bibhusan is the highest civilian award of the West Bengal government. Matua votes were considered a major factor in the Trinamool Congress' win in the 2011 and 2016 Assembly polls. Mamata Bala Thakur, a member of Boro Ma's family, is a Trinamool Congress MP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Boro Ma this February during his visit to Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district where he addressed a rally. Thakurnagar is the headquarters of the Matua Mahasangh, the organisation of the the community. In a tweet, Modi said, "Boro Ma Binapani Thakur was an icon of our times. A source of great strength and inspiration for several people, Boro Ma's rich ideals will continue to influence generations. Her emphasis on social justice and harmony will never be forgotten." "I will always cherish the interaction I had with her. We stand in solidarity with the Matua community in this hour of sadness," he said on the micro-blogging site. Modi also posted a photograph of his meeting with Boro Ma. The Matuas originally hail from erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and began migrating to West Bengal at the beginning of the 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution. With an estimated population of 30 lakh in the state, Matuas can influence results in at least five Lok Sabha seats in North and South 24 Parganas districts. However, many of them are claimed to have still not got Indian citizenship. In a statement, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi expressed his deep grief at the demise of Boro Ma and extended his heart-felt condolences to her family members and large number of followers. PTI SCH NN RHL New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) Indian security agencies were unmoved by reports of arrest of 44 members of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan, with officials saying the terrorists were not arrested under the anti-terrorism laws but have only been taken in "preventive detention for investigation". Similar actions by the neighbouring country against leaders of the proscribed outfits in the past turned out to be farce as those who were taken into custody were let off soon on different pretexts. The 44 members of the JeM, including its founder Masood Azhar's brother Mufti Abdul Raoof, were said to have been taken in "preventive detention for investigation" and have not been arrested under Pakistan's anti-terrorism law, a security official said. There is every possibility that the detention could also be an attempt by the Pakistan Army to provide security to these terrorists, given the "fear psychosis" that has gripped Pakistan in the past few days following the Indian Air Force strike at Balakot, the official said. The assessment of the security agencies came in view of the fact that founders of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba -- Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed respectively -- were detained several times in the past, mostly under laws that provide for detention for apprehension of "breach of peace". Azhar and Saeed have never been prosecuted under the Pakistan's Anti Terrorism Act, 1997, another official said. According to the reports received from Pakistan, the action against JeM came in order to implement the National Action Plan of Pakistan, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating from its soil. A high-level meeting was held in Pakistan's Ministry of Interior on Monday and it was attended by representatives of all provincial governments of that country. "It was decided to speed up action against all proscribed organisations. In compliance, 44 under-observation members of the proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation. "These actions will continue as per the decisions taken in the National Security Committee while reviewing the National Action Plan," an official quoted the order of the Pakistan government. Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi said at a press conference in Islamabad that Raoof and Hamad Azhar are among 44 people arrested during the crackdown. Afridi said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Raoof and Azhar. The crackdown on banned groups came amid tensions with India following a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. India handed over a dossier to Pakistan to take action against the JeM, as pressure mounted on Islamabad to take action against individual and organisation listed by the UN Security Council as terrorists. The minister, however, said the action was not taken due to any pressure. He said action would be taken against all proscribed organisations under the National Action Plan. PTI ACB RT New Delhi, May 5 (PTI) India is reaching out to China and other 14 member countries of the UN Security Council to designate as a global terrorist Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a fresh move has been made to ban him by the world body, official sources said. The US, Britain and France have moved a proposal at the United Nations Security Council last week to designate the chief of the JeM, which has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. The sources said any UNSC member country can seek clarification on the proposal till March 13 following which the process to listing will commence. "We are reaching out to all the 15 UNSC member countries both in New Delhi as well as in their respective capitals. We will leave no stone unturned to get support of all member countries," said a source. Azhar's listing by the UNSC will subject him to global travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo. It is the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist. In 2009, India unsuccessfully moved a proposal to designate Azhar. In 2016 again, India moved the proposal with the P3 - the US, the United Kingdom and France in the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar. In 2017, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again. However, on all occasions, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, blocked India's proposal from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee. Sources said listing of Azhar as global terrorist by the UNSC will send a huge political signal to Pakistan that it must dismantle the terror infrastructure in its territory. Meanwhile, sources said Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale postponed a scheduled visit to Iran and China following the escalation in Indo-Pak ties. Gokhale was to travel to Tehran on March 3. PTI MPB ZMN B-Secur, a Belfast, Northern Ireland-based ECG biometrics company, closed a 4m follow-on funding round. Backers included: Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV), and Kernel Capital, manager of the Bank of Ireland Kernel Capital Growth Funds. The company will use the funds to expand its business reach. Led by CEO Alan Foreman, B-Secur provides software solutions that use ECG/EKG biometrics for user authentication and beyond, to health and wellness metrics. The company, which now employs more than 35 staff in its Belfast HQ, leverages technology to harness the unique electrical signal of an individuals heartbeat (ECG) as a means of personal authentication. They launched its Heartkey brand at CES. Heartkey combines unique user identification with advanced physiological monitoring for health and wellness purposes, including medical grade heart rate, stress and fatigue monitoring, which can be applied to everyday situations such as driving a car, or for real-time health monitoring in the home. The company is now partnering with some of the worlds top motoring manufacturers, global wearable and fitness tracker technology firms and semiconductor manufacturers, to embed Heartkey into multiple everyday technologies and wearables. FinSMEs 05/03/2019 Lucknow, Mar 5 (PTI) BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday tried to put BJP president Amit Shah on the dock over his claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the Indian air strikes in Pakistan, asking him why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "silent" over it. "BJP chief Amit Shah is arduously making claim that IAF strike had killed over 250 terrorists in Pakistan but why his guru PM Modi who is always keen to take credit for everything is silent over it? Terrorists killed is good news, but what is the secret behind deep silence of PM over it?," Mayawati posted on Twitter. At an event in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Shah had said the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot last Tuesday "killed more than 250 terrorists". Mayawati also hit out at the economic policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, saying that benefits of economic growth not reaching to most of the poor, labourer, farmers of 130-crore population of country was a "matter of serious concern". "...what will be Modi Govt reply & jumlebazi (rhetoric) over slowdown in farm and manufacturing pushing GDP growth to a low of 6.6%...?" she added. PTI ABN HMB Gorakhpur (UP), Mar 5 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 131 crore in Maharajganj district and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made India "corruption-free". Adityanath also praised the soldiers and said: "Terrorists don't understand the language of love, so Indian soldiers did 'Shiv Tandav' with surgical strike." "Actually, a lot of terrorists were killed during surgical strike but Pakistan is hiding the facts," he claimed at an event on Monday. Criticising the previous government, Adityanath said: "The Modi government started several welfare schemes for poor and realised the dream of corruption-free India." He also instructed the officials to complete all development works of the state as soon as possible. The chief minister visited Deoria later, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 71 crore. He said India would be among the three big economies in the world if Modi becomes the prime minister for five more years. "During Congress regime, India stood at number 11 in respect to economy (in the world), but during the Modi government, it rose to the sixth position... After return to power, he will bring it to number 3 slot," he said. Describing Nepal as a friend country, Adityanath said: "We are working on roads construction at Indo-Nepal border." PTI COR SAB HMB New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday sought support of women voters in the Lok Sabha election on the issue of full statehood for the national capital. In an audio message, Kejriwal said police will be under the control of elected chief minister if Delhi becomes a full state and then the force will have to listen. "Like we have improved the government schools and hospitals, I am telling you when Delhi will be a full state, the law and order of the city will be such that even if you step out of your home at 11 pm in the night, nobody will even dare to look at you," he said. In the past, the BJP and the Congress said they would provide full statehood for Delhi, but they "deceived" the people of the city, Kejriwal alleged. "The Aam Aadmi Party is your own party, please vote for the AAP this time. This time we will ensure that Delhi becomes a full state so that you feel safe, secure and truly independent here," he said. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling AAP is planning to start a door-to-door campaign from March 10 for full statehood for Delhi. It has already constituted 1,000 teams for the door-to-door campaign and make people aware of the statehood issue, they said. Kejriwal had also decided to sit on indefinite hunger strike from March 1, demanding statehood for Delhi, but later postponed it in view of the sensitive Indo-Pak situation. PTI BUN KJ Jaipur, Mar 5 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Tuesday demanded the exact toll of terrorists in India's air strike at a Balakot terror facility in Pakistan, while accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicising defence forces' operations. Gehlot demanded the toll in IAF's anti-terror strike on February 26, saying the knowledge of the figure would give solace to the family members of martyrs in Pulwama terror attack. They would be relieved that the government has avenged the martyrs' killings, he added. The Rajasthan chief minister said there are different statements on the number of terrorists killed in the Balakot air strike and it has triggered a confusion, which has to be clarified by the government. A message was given first that 350 terrorists were killed in the air strike. Later, BJP president claimed 250 people were killed while the IAF chief said he has no estimate of the number of terrorist killed in the strike," Gehlot told reporters in a news conference here. The differing statements on the Balakot terror toll has also exposed the prime minister internationally, he claimed. The prime minister has been exposed internationally. He should clarify the position so that the family members of those who got martyred can get solace that the revenge has been taken, he said, backing senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh's demand for release of evidence like the US did after killing of Osama bin Laden. Gehlot went on to claim that surgical strikes are nothing new and such decisions are taken on the basis of prevailing situation. He condemned the prime minister, accusing him of politicising defence forces' operations. It was unfortunate that the acts of the defence forces were being politicised by Modi and the BJP, he said. Replying to a question, Gehlot said the democracy and the Constitution is under threat under Modi. Gehlot said it is doubtful if any election would be held at all if Modi becomes prime minister again after the 2019 general elections while hastened to add that he would never become prime minister after the upcoming elections. "If he has the courage, he should go to the masses and tell them what happened to his promises made during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he challenged. Continuing his scathing attack on the prime minister, the chief minister said Modi broke all democratic traditions and refused to maintain cordial relations with the Opposition after assuming power. He instead kept on threatening the Opposition, Gehlot added. Gehlot said Modi keeps on targeting Gandhi family, Congress president Rahul Gandhi who does no politics in the name of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi. Gehlot also accused the prime minister of misusing agencies like the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate against Congress leaders, be it P Chidambaram or Robert Vadra. Why could the CBI or ED not find even a single BJP leader for taking action against them despite there being no dearth of such leaders facing serious allegations, claimed the chief minister. Reacting to Gehlot's remarks, BJP state president Madan Saini said Gehlot has forgotten to maintain the dignity of a chief minister and that's why he has been making such unwarranted comments against the prime minister. Rejecting allegations of government misusing agencies to target Congress leaders, Saini told reporters that the agencies were doing their work independently and probing the allegations against Robert Vadra. So, Gehlot's reaction is natural, he said. PTI SDA RAX RAX Jammu, Mar 5 (PTI) The Election Commission of India Tuesday said almost all political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have expressed full faith in the ECI and batted for holding state assembly polls simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. The team, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, reached Jammu on the second leg of the two-day tour and held discussions with the representatives of various political parties, including the BJP, Congress, National Conference, PDP, CPI(M) and the National Panthers Party (NPP), officials said. A similar exercise was conducted by the ECI in Srinagar on Monday as part of its efforts to assess the feasibility of holding the Lok Sabha and the assembly polls together. "On the issue of need for elections, almost all political parties voiced the need to have both Parliamentary and Assembly elections conducted at the earliest in the state saying that recent turnout in the Panchayat and ULB elections, suggests that general population in the state wishes to have their democratically elected government in place,"Arora told a press conference here tonight. The CEC said the party representatives and public at large have full faith in ECI that it would fulfil its constitutional mandate to conduct free and fair elections in the state. All political parties emphasised due security arrangements be made to provide adequate security to voters and candidates so as to instil confidence in them for conducive environment for forthcoming elections, he said. "Some political party members desired that adequate security should be continued for ex-ministers and candidates even after actual election process is over", he said. "We are mindful of the challenging law and order situation in the state. Commission will look into due security arrangements while deciding on the timing and phasing of the elections", he added. He said that commission keeps in mind local festivals, geographical conditions and related needs while deciding the schedule of election dates. "The Commission is aware that Elections have been conducted in the past under trying circumstances in the state. J&K elections do attract global and national attention more than any other state", he said. "We have taken into account all the point of view from political parties to state machinery. We have taken into account point of view of DCs and SSPs of districts, IGs. Chief Secretary and Additional DG has briefed us. Chief election officer (CEO) has given us presentation during two days visit", he said. After taking into account all the view points, "we will take a decision in New Delhi and announce it in the press conference," he said. In reply to a question whether political leadership of the state and state machinery are on one page in holding elections, he parried the reply. Asked weather situation is right for holding elections in view of Pulwama terror attack and border shelling, he said "we have seen some of the best presentation by officers. They are very focussed and very precise. None of them seem to be intimidated. They all know what the situation is. They are neither overwhelmed by the situation nor intimated by it. That is the healthy sign" He rejected the apprehension concerning the EVMs and complaints in this regard and said they are being used for a long time now. On the poll boycott threat, he said such things keep coming. Regarding polls in shelling-hit border areas, he said the DCs of these districts were of the opinion that they can hold the elections. He said for the first time in the forthcoming general elections, VVPATs will also be used at all polling booths along with the EVM machines. Thus the officers need to ensure due awareness to all stakeholders about proper usage of the machines. He said the Commission reviewed the work of District Election Officers, SPs ,Commissioner of Police, Divisional Commissioners and IGs and discussed election preparedness with Chief Secretary, DGP and other Nodal Officials of the State. The Commission also met with Nodal officers of Income Tax, Excise, Narcotics Control, Customs, Banks, Postal Department, Railways, Airports and with State Level Bankers Committee convener to review in detail the strategy to curb misuse of money, liquor & freebies distribution during the election. He said that highlights of the issues discussed during the meeting and instructions of the Commission include issues regarding electoral roll; polling arrangements; security arrangements required for conducting elections in the state as also expenditure monitoring concerns among other issues. He said the political party representatives mentioned about Electoral Roll issues, that copies of the Roll have not been received by their Central offices. "They also requested for copies in English apart from Hindi and Urdu. Some instances of duplicate voters were pointed out. Some parties voiced concern for Migrant Voters finding the M Form procedure not very convenient", he added. He said they desired that special polling stations be set up for such migrant voters rather than them needing to make separate trips for filling the form. "The representatives desired that polling stations be set up closer to areas where large number of voters reside", he said. The CEC said the parties also cited instances of transfer of some officers in violation of ECI norm. He said that they requested that officials who can adversely influence conduct of free and fair elections, should not be allowed to continue in their posts. "They also said given the snowbound conditions in the state, polling dates be considered after month of May", he added. The Commission solicits proactive support of all political parties, media, civil society, youth and community organisations and all voters of the state to join hands with it and wholeheartedly participate in the poll process, the CEC said. The Electoral Rolls without photographs have also been hosted on the CEO's official website, he added. PTI AB RCJ JU VC refuses to comment on students' union election Kolkata, Mar 5 (PTI) Jadavpur University Vice Chancellor Prof Suranjan Das Tuesday refused to comment on the holding of students' union election in the varsity. Das who was on leave after he was heckled during a protest by students on February 19 and hospitalised for two days, resumed his duties on Tuesday and held discussion with teachers and students union representatives on academic issues. Das told reporters he has nothing new to comment when asked about his views on holding students' union polls at the earliest as demanded by the Arts Faculty Students' Union (AFSU), Science Faculty Students Union (SFSU) and Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU). "I don't have anything to comment on this issue today," he said Pro-VC Pradip Kumar Ghosh had on February 25 sent a letter to the Higher Education department requesting it to facilitate a tripartite discussion among the university, students and the higher education department on the issue of students' union polls. The VC had earlier maintained the JU cannot take any decision on its own about holding the students union polls and any decision on this issue can only be taken by the government. PTI SUS RG RG Chandigarh, Mar 5 (PTI) A petition seeking removal of farmers protesting on Amritsar-Delhi rail track was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday, with the court issuing notices to Punjab, Centre and leaders of farmers' outfit Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee to appear before it on Wednesday. Mohit Kapoor, a Patiala-based resident, filed the petition. Kapoor has sought appropriate directions to the respondents to get the tracks cleared as the blockade by farmers was leading to cancellation or diversion of trains. Farmers have been squatting on the rail tracks in Amritsar in support of their demands, including full loan waiver, stopping auction of land, against arrest of farmers and for payment for sugarcane crop with 15 per cent interest, since March 4. Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel Arun Gupta submitted to the court that the matter was extremely urgent as Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee members had blocked the movement of the trains by staging a 'dharna' on the track near Jandiala town in Amritsar district. Gupta contended that this route was used for carrying essential items to Army personnel posted on the border and his request for clearance of the rail track assumes significance as the tension between India and Pakistan has been simmering. "The court has issued notices to Punjab and Centre for March 6," he said. A bench of Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli also issued notices to the president of the farmers' outfit along with two other leaders to appear before it on March 6. During the hearing, Gupta said, the court in its oral observation stated the protesters did not have respect for the jawans. Punjab Advocate General Atul Nanda informed the court that about 85 trains had been cancelled or diverted, affecting about 85,000 passengers. Nanda also said the protesters "forcefully seized" the railway track, despite designated places had been allocated in each district for a peaceful agitation. He submitted that all possible efforts were being made to shift protesters and clear the railway track. PTI CHS VSD ABH ABH JDS wants Deve Gowda to contest from Mysore-Kodagu seat Bengaluru, March 5 (PTI) Amid the continuing uncertainty about JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda's choice of constituency for the coming Lok Sabha electrions, there is growing demand within the party that he contest fromMysore-Kodagu seat. "...Deve Gowda has himself said Prajwal will contest from Hassan and Nikhil will contest from Mandya. We want Deve Gowda to contest from Mysuru.. We have said this earlier also in public meeting," Mysuru district in-charge Minister and JD(S) leader G T Deve Gowda said. Prajwal and Nikhil are Deve Gowda's grandsons. Speaking to reporters, the minister said, the former prime minister had an affectionate relationship with the people of Mysuru, who have recognised the developments in the irrigation sector in the region ushered in by him. "If there is alliance between Congress and JD(S), H D Deve Gowda should be candidate that's the wish of the people," he said adding there was no other name, and "we have requested him," the Minister said. Demand for the JDS supremo to contest from Mysore-Kodagu constituency resurfaced, with him indicating Sundaythat Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamys son Nikhil Kumaraswamy was likely to be the candidate from Mandya. There were reports earlier that the veteran leader will contest from Mandya, a long time bastion of the party, after deciding to vacate his current constituency Hassan to other grandson Prajewal Revanna, son of minister H D Revanna. Asked whether there was still doubts about alliance with Congress, the Minister said, it would be clear only on the day when the seat sharing for the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies was announced. He said Congress too was seeking to field its candidate from Mysore-Kodagu, currently held by BJP's Pratap Simha. It remains to be seen, whether Congress, especially its legislature party leader Siddaramaiah, will be ready to concede it to JDS as the constituency was his home turf. The coordination committee that met on Monday to decide on seat sharing could not arrive at a consensus, and it is now expected to be finalised by the high command of the two parties-- Congress President Rahul Gandhi and H D Deve Gowda. The seat sharing is likely to be a major test for the two parties, which share power in the state. JDS has demanded 12 out of the total of 28 seats. Asked about him contesting the Lok Sabha polls, the JDS chief, citing health reasons and that age was catching up, had earlier said he has "not decided yet." PTI KSU RA VS VS Jaipur, Mar 5 (PTI) Two women were killed after a bus ran them over while they were crossing a road Tuesday following which villagers blocked the Dungargarh-Sardarshahar state highway for seven hours in Rajasthan's Churu district, police said. An uncontrolled speeding private bus killed two women near Foga bus stand while they were crossing the road. The women were identified as Bhagwani Devi (60) and Imarti Devi (35), Additional Superintendent of Police Prakash Kumar Sharma said. He said nearly 300 local villagers blocked the Dungargarh-Sardarshahar state highway from 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday demanding compensation for the family members of the deceased. The villagers alleged that a few policemen removed the bus from the accident site to an "unidentified" location. The villagers removed the blockade after one constable was sent to the police lines and compensation was announced, he said. The bodies were sent to a government hospital in Sardarshahar for post-mortem. The ASP said that other policemen found to be involved in the incident are being identified and action will be taken after investigation. As per the rules, compensation of Rs 1 lakh each has been announced for the aggrieved family members, he said. PTI AG CK New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) The Delhi Police's crime branch has arrested four foreign nationals, including two Nigerians, from Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida area for allegedly cheating people by posting fake matrimonial profiles, officials said. Raymond (28) and Melody (21) from Nigeria, and Kareem Ridwan (27) and Osas Clifford (28) have been arrested. They were staying at Greater Noida, police said. The arrests were made following a complaint from a woman in Pune. The woman said she came across the matrimonial profile of Tiwari Pandit on a site and they started speaking to each other, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Cyber, Anyesh Roy, said. Police said after gaining her trust, Pandit told her that he lived abroad and he would send his bag to her which he would collect later, police said. Later, she got a call from a woman, who claimed to be from the Customs and Excise Department. The caller asked her to deposit Rs 24,000 in a bank account for clearance of the luggage, which she did, Roy said. However, when more money was asked from her, she got suspicious and lodged a complaint. She realised that she was duped, the officer said During investigation, police got a tip-off that the accused persons would be present at a flat in Greater Noida to meet their accomplices, Roy said. Police raided the flat and apprehended two brothers Raymond and Melody, Roy said, adding later, two more accused persons were also arrested from Greater Noida. Three laptops and 11 mobile phones were recovered from their possession, police said. It was also found that they were in possession of expired visas and two fake passports. During interrogation, the accused persons disclosed that they got the idea to fool people from the webistes and social media, the DCP said. They used to make fake profiles on matrimonial sites by collecting information and photos from Facebook and Instagram. Then they cheated people by posting fake profiles, Roy said. Raymond and Melody came to India from Nigeria and were doing some garment export work. They could not pursue their work due to financial crisis and later started duping people through various web portals, Roy added. PTI NIT GJS NIT ANB ANB Seraphim Capital, a London, UK-based space-dedicated venture capital firm, has added Candace Johnson as venture partner and Chair of the global advisory board. Ms. Johnson has a long career as founder/co-founder of such space ventures as SES ASTRA, SES Global, Loral-Teleport Europe, Europe Online, as well as having played critical roles in bringing about space sector leaders including Iridium and ILS. An experienced venture capitalist and investor, she has been a member of the Strategic Committee of Iris Capital for the past decade and until recently has served as President of the European Business Angel Network, now President Emeritus. Ms. Johnson serves and has served on the boards of a number of emerging space leaders including NorthStar Earth and Space and Kacific. She is also the founding president of the VATM, the Association of Private Telecom Operators, co-founder of the Global Telecom Womens Network (GTWN) and co-founder of the Middle East and North Africa Business Angel Network (MBAN) and the African Business Angel Network (ABAN). In addition, Ms. Johnson is currently Vice Chair of NorthStar Earth and Space, Co-Founder/Member of the Board of OWNSAT (Oceania Womens Network Satellite), co-founder of EBAN Space and has mentored and invested in numerous New Space start-ups throughout the years. In addition to her space-related activities, she is President Emeritus of EBAN, Strategic Committee Member of Iris Capital, and President/Co-founder of numerous angel investment funds, a member of the Board of Store Electronics Systems- Imagotag (SESL Paris Next) and EDHEC, a French business school. Ms. Johnson has been a member of the International Advisory Boards of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Sabanci University (Istanbul) and KACST International Innovation and Entrepreneurial Advisory Board (Riyadh). In her role as Chair of the Seraphim Space Global Advisory Board, she will preside over the committee including corporate backers from the industry including Airbus, Telespazio and SES along with representatives from European Space Agency and the Satellite Applications Catapult. Ms. Johnson joins other partners including Michael Jones, co-founder of Google Earth, and Matt OConnell, co-founder of earth observation leader GeoEye, sold to Digital Global for $1.3bn. Led by Mark Boggett, CEO, Seraphim is a space-venture capital firm managing Seraphim Space Fund, which is funded by a range of multi-national corporates including Airbus, SES, Telespazio, E2V Teledyne and Rolta. The firm also operates the Space Camp Accelerator, which is backed Inmarsat, Rolls Royce, Cyient, DSTL along with the UK and European Space Agencies. Alongside Space Tech Angels, Seraphim has built a portfolio of over 30 spacetech and dronetech startups including Spire Global, Iceye and LeoLabs. The firm is currently raising the Seraphim Space Global Fund which will include a broad range of additional space, aerospace and drone related multinational corporates. FinSMEs 05/03/2019 There is a tendency for big financial groups to think that all wisdom lies outside their own headquarters. So it is reassuring that Aviva has chosen to fix last year's sudden departure of chief executive Mark Wilson from inside. In choosing Scottish-born Canadian Maurice Tulloch, the insurer is following a well-trodden path. The Prudential boss Mike Wells is Canadian as, of course, is the boss of their prudential regulator Mark Carney at the Bank of England. Alex Brummer says it is reassuring that Aviva has chosen to fix last year's sudden departure of chief executive Mark Wilson from inside Tulloch appears to recognise the need for a shake-up in the way insurance is sold in the UK. Instead of loyalty being rewarded by discounts and bonuses, Aviva and its cohorts have, until now, regarded it as fine to charge existing customers ever higher prices. Tulloch wants to end the rip-offs. This, partly, will be addressed by Aviva Plus, which seeks to make insurance more flexible and transparent by putting it on a pay-as-you-go basis. As the previous head of Aviva's international operations, it wouldn't be a surprise if Tulloch were to bring a halt to some expensive bets on the Pacific to concentrate on core markets in Britain, North America and Europe. The latter has seen a recent resurgence. The new chief executive should also take a good look at Aviva Investors, which with 350 billion of assets is one of the UK's most significant long-funds. In choosing Scottish-born Canadian Maurice Tulloch (pictured), Brummer says the insurer is following a well-trodden path There has been a tendency, presumably intended to drive short-term performance, to back mavericks over established management. Until the Barclays saga, Aviva was a backer of Edward Bramson of Sherborne as he disembowelled F&C and Electra. It also sided with get-rich-quick executives at Melrose in the winning battle for GKN. None of that is the long view we should expect from the biggest investors on our behalf. Ted Baker founder, Ray Kelvin Big squeeze The departure of Ray Kelvin from Ted Baker, the eclectic billion-pound fashion empire he created, lifted a shadow after disclosures of his over-enthusiastic displays of affection for staff. At 63, Kelvin might have wanted to take a back seat anyway after a 35-year drive to create an upmarket clothing brand. The removal of an inspiring force from a fashion brand will make life difficult for successor Lindsay Page. Ted Baker's quirky shirts and other apparel have found a ready market in the UK's better department stores, in the US and at airports. Not only will Page have to deal with the cultural fallout from the 'hugging' scandal, he has big shoes to fill. In fashion, success is very bound up with ownership and commitment. Arguably Marks & Spencer has never been the same since the departure of Sir Rick Greenbury, the last link to the founding dynasties. Last week we learned how LK Bennett went downhill after founder Linda Bennett sold out to private equity. Her return came too late to stem the rot. With 35 per cent of the equity, Ray Kelvin may never be totally banished from the company unless he chooses to sell down his stake. Alternatively he could plot a comeback with a private equity partner. With the shares sharply down, the company could also attract the attention of one of the other luxury clothing brands. Kelvin's ability to rebuild his reputation will largely depend on the report commissioned from City lawyers Herbert Smith Freehills. We have sort of been here before. When WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell agreed to become a 'good leaver', a legal inquiry into his alleged indiscretions conducted by US firm WilmerHale quietly ended, and to this day the report remains unpublished. The Ted Baker founder is doing the right thing by leaving without a payoff. There are many rich people who think it is fine to squeeze every penny out of their former employers at the expense of co-workers and investors. There is pathos in the Kelvin story. The entrepreneur who made a fetish of personal privacy, refusing to show his face for publicity shots, is firmly in the public eye. Precious metal Gold might seem the most glistening metal of the moment with Barrick seeking to get its hands on Colorado-based Newmont, having recently absorbed Randgold. But the real prize at present is palladium, a vital ingredient for fuel cells, currently trading at $1,524 an ounce and heading towards $1,700. No wonder miner Anglo-American, with big exposures to the metal (and not just its fat-cat chief executive Mark Cutifani), is doing so well. At the end of last year, we warned that Britain was sleepwalking into a cashless crisis. Now, a report published today claims we could end up in a position where we have to order our cash through the post or pick it up from secure lockers. These are truly bizarre proposals and will no doubt worry many readers already struggling to access cash amid closing bank branches and ATMs. But we shouldn't despair there is still time to turn it around. Report claims we could have to order our cash through the post or pick it up from lockers In Sweden, which has the world's most cashless society, it took hospitals to suggest the idea of no longer accepting cash for ministers to realise they were facing a serious problem. Now, experts predict that half of its retailers won't take cash by 2025. You may think it could never happen here. But we are on an almost identical path to Sweden; just a few years behind. So far, only a handful of pubs, cafes and shops across Britain have gone cashless. But if bank branches keep shutting and fees for depositing cash continue to rise, more retailers will be forced to follow suit. This risks alienating millions of cash shoppers who will suddenly find they have far less choice in the High Street. When consumer experts from the UK visited our Scandinavian friends, they were warned repeatedly to start making a plan now. It is far, far easier to save an existing cash infrastructure than to try to reinstate one from scratch, they told us. So let's learn from Sweden's mistakes. Today, Money Mail is calling on Chancellor Philip Hammond to pledge to protect cash in his Spring Statement next Wednesday. It would send a clear message that this government understands the consequences of going cashless too quickly and will not let it happen. Millions of cash shoppers face alienation who will find they have less choice on the High Street Paper cut What a dirty little trick by Vodafone. Last week, we revealed how profit-hungry telecoms giants are charging customers up to 36 a year extra to receive their bills in the post. Now it has emerged that Vodafone has tried to quietly scrap paper bills altogether. Even worse, the firm initially denied it to Money Mail, claiming it had no plans to axe its paper billing service. It then eventually admitted it had been switching customers who receive paper statements to digital billing as part of a 'trial'. But it assured us customers would continue to have a choice and had only to call to switch back. Yet, when our correspondent asked a staff member if paper bills had been withdrawn, she was told: 'We no longer send paper bills.' A contrite Vodafone has now promised to retrain staff and contact customers to explain clearly how they can keep their paper billing service but it's disappointing we even got to this point. Rip-off bills While we are on the subject of the paper bill rip-off, it seems insurers are at it, too. Money Mail reader Elaine Ellis, from Sheffield, says: 'My car insurer said that from next year, it is going to charge 6 for paper statements. 'That equates to 18 a year, as both my husband and I have a vehicle, and we have home insurance. 'This is discrimination against those of us who prefer to have a hard copy to refer to.' Is your insurer charging for paper policies? Email us at moneymail@dailymail.co.uk, or write to Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT. Help us help you Finally, a quick reminder from our letters' editor Tony Hazell. In order to help with your disputes, we need a note giving the company in question permission to speak to us on your behalf. This is vital without it, they won't tell us a thing. You can download a form at thisismoney.co.uk/permission. We also need your full name, address, telephone number and customer reference number if possible. If you include all this, there's a much better chance that your letter will find its way to the top of our mailbag. v.bischoff@dailymail.co.uk Whatever one may think about the wisdom of Britain leaving the European Union the facts about the performance of the eurozone economies are indisputable. With the exception of Germany the straitjacket of the single currency has delivered misery across the Continent especially in its southern tier, where unemployment is at unconscionable levels. By no stretch of the imagination can it be claimed that the euro, as President Emmanuel Macron has said, helped Europe resist the crises of financial capitalism. Boosted: The Chancellor Philip Hammond goes into the March 13 spring statement bolstered by a record 15billion surplus recorded in January Europes weakest banking systems in Italy and Greece are being kept afloat by short-term funding provided by the European Central Bank (ECB). Deutsche Bank is listing badly. Moreover, in spite of the crack cocaine of 2.5trillion of quantitative easing by the ECB, great swathes of the Continent are trapped in low growth with forward indicators signalling recession. Indeed, the Bank of Englands latest stability report suggests that Europes financial system may be less prepared and face bigger risk from Brexit than the UK. Remarkably, in spite of the harm which Brexit uncertainty has done to domestic business confidence Britains economy is still working. Two indicators historically regarded by the Treasury as foretelling the future are particularly useful. Revenues have never been healthier in spite of the cut in the headline corporation tax rate to 19 per cent. Among the first thing to decline during slowdowns or recessions is the tax take. Instead, the Chancellor Philip Hammond goes into the March 13 spring statement bolstered by a record 15billion surplus recorded in January. Britain is close to a full employment economy which is among the reasons that tax revenues are so strong. The puzzle is why, if employment is so healthy, is growth coming down with a bump? Uncertainty is the key, which is why the Chancellor and Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, think that the economy should bounce on a Brexit deal. There also is some evidence that growth may not be quite on its uppers. The forward-looking purchasing managers index for services, which comprises more than 70 per cent of national output, rebounded in February to 51.3 from 50.1 in January. The rise in the dominant services sector more than offsets previous setbacks in manufacturing and construction. The better public finances should give Hammond the chance to put money back into taxpayer pockets by ending the practice of freezing thresholds, which pushes citizens into higher tax brackets. But after austerity there is also much which needs to be done for public services. Some 20billion already has been allocated to the NHS. Investing more in education, training and infrastructure such as commuter railway lines is a case in point. This is the minimum required if low productivity is to be tackled. That in turn will generate robust growth and higher household incomes. Tech tock One of the great hopes for the City post-Brexit is the strength of Britain as a financial technology hub. But there are concerns that regulators at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) may be cutting start-ups too much slack. Much the same mistake was made in the run-up to the financial crisis when Northern Rock enjoyed light regulation. The British digital bank Revolut has great technology which works well for travellers allowing them to access instant foreign currency, at a market rate. Its reputation, however, is on the line after a multicurrency payment for a business customer went AWOL and Revolut allegedly moved unilaterally to close the account. The Metropolitan Police and the FCA reportedly are looking at the matter. Everyone wants fintech to thrive, but soft-touch regulation should not be an option. Boarding pass The way in which Flybe directors sold the groups assets to Connect Airways from under the nose of shareholders was not ideal governance. The bigger players Hosking Partners and former Stobart boss Andrew Tinkler had a point when they cried foul. But in crises niceties have to be swept aside and investors must accept shares are risk capital. It must be good for staff, passengers and, for that matter, travellers everywhere that Flybe planes are in the air, a robust regional network of flights remains in place and the consortium led by Virgin and Stobart is there to provide extensive working capital and to support Virgin branding. Phew! Anglo American's chief executive, Mark Cutifani Anglo American's chief executive more than doubled his pay in 2018 taking home a whopping 14.7 million. Mark Cutifani's earnings at the FTSE 100 miner were inflated by a 10.9 million long-term share award. He has raked in around 38 million since he took over from Cynthia Carroll in 2013 to lead the world's biggest platinum producer. In 2017 he took home 7 million. His base salary in 2018 was 1.3 million, 2 per cent up from the year before. Anglo will be hoping to avoid a shareholder rebellion over the payout at its AGM next month. The share award was set up in 2016, giving Australian father-of-seven Cutifani almost 1m shares at a time when Anglo American's stock had plummeted on the back of a slump in commodity prices. But its share price has since recovered, with its stock rising some 285 per cent. Last month, the miner said its revenue rose 5.3 per cent to 21 billion and profit rose 4 per cent to 7 billion in 2018 during a bumper year for the group. In 2017, investors were outraged at the number of shares that were granted to Cutifani, 60, and other executives. Anglo imposed a 40 per cent cap on the share award. If the cap hadn't been in place Cutifani would have got a one-off payment of 16.6 million, pushing his total earnings to more than 21 milion last year. Cliff Weight, a director at investors' organisation Sharesoc, said: 'Anglo's failed remuneration policy has meant chief executive pay is too high this year.' Shares in British Airways parent IAG nose-dived after the group told investors its free cash flow would fall this year. The firm was the worst performer on the FTSE 100 yesterday after bosses issued the 'clarification' following finance chief Enrique Dupuy de Lome's mistaken claim the figure would grow. But in a letter sent to investors and analysts, IAG said it actually predicted its cash flow would be 'lower in 2019 than in 2018' because spending was set to go up and profits to stay flat. Shares in British Airways parent IAG nose-dived after the group told investors its free cash flow would fall this year IAG reported an operating profit of 2.8 billion and more than 1.5 billion in free cash last year. It expects spending on one-off projects this year to rise to as much as 2.3 billion. City broker Goodbody said the confusion about the figures arose in an analyst call on Thursday, partly because of a change in accounting methods. Analysts had challenged de Lome's calculations but he had insisted that 'at the end of the day, we are foreseeing an improvement in free cash flow'. The embarrassing statement from IAG sent the group's shares tumbling 4.8 per cent, or 29p, to 574p. Flybe shareholders have been busy voting for a deal that will see the smaller airline cease trading on the London Stock Exchange from March 11 At the same time, Flybe shareholders were busy voting for a deal that will see the smaller airline cease trading on the London Stock Exchange from March 11. They waved through a cut-price 2.2 million takeover deal despite the struggling company's board previously saying the 1p per share offer was 'disappointingly low'. STOCK WATCH: Plexus Holdings Plexus shares surged after it bagged a contract to supply gas exploration equipment to Gazprom. The Aberdeen-based engineer will supply a wellhead, which will be used to drill a well exploring for gas in the Kara Sea Shelf in the Arctic Ocean, and other tools to Gazprom, which is majority-owned by the Russian government. Plexus chief executive Ben van Bilderbeek said it was a 'breakthrough' order. Shares rose 29.7 per cent, or 13.5p, to 59p. The approval means its holding company and assets are controlled by a Virgin and Stobart Group consortium called Connect Airways. There were attempts by some shareholders to disrupt the takeover and oust Flybe's chairman but these ultimately came to nothing. One industry source said: 'Shareholders weren't given much of an option either take 1p per share or liquidate the company.' Shares fell 16.2 per cent, or 0.23p, to 1.22p yesterday. Blue-chip cigarette maker British American Tobacco hit turbulence after revealing it had lost an appeal against long-running claims for customer compensation in Canada. BAT's Canadian subsidiary, along with the Canadian subsidiaries of Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco, faces having to pay billions of pounds to smokers who say it failed to warn them properly that its products caused cancer and other illnesses. Their lawsuit was first brought in 1998. BAT had appealed against a decision awarding damages but the ruling has now been upheld by the Court of Appeal of Quebec. The company stressed that only its subsidiary was affected, with analysts saying they expected the legal battle to escalate further to Canada's Supreme Court. It sent shares in BAT down in early trading but by the afternoon investors seemed more optimistic about the firm's prospects, with the stock edging up 0.3 per cent, or 8.5p, higher to 2871.5p. Property website Rightmove's shares were given a boost as analysts sounded more positive notes about the falling number of estate agents using its service. The figure prompted concern in the City last week, sending the company's shares lower despite it revealing record profits of more than 198 million. But yesterday they bounced back after analysts at Exane played down the agency fears. 'While risks to Rightmove's model from a disruptive No Deal Brexit are very real we see fears over [agency numbers] as overdone,' they told investors. Rightmove's shares closed 5.2 per cent, or 24.3p, higher at 496.2p. The FTSE 100 crept up 0.4 per cent, or 27.66 points, to 7,134.39, while the FTSE 250 was also up, though just by barely 0.1 per cent, or 11.78 points, at 19,411.43. Direct Line has slashed payouts to shareholders and warned it could receive a 'disruptive and potentially material' hit from a no-deal Brexit as it posted falling profits. The home and motor insurance group, which also owns Churchill, said that although it does business mostly in the UK, it still has exposure to financial markets as it imports goods and services in order to fulfil insurance claims. Direct Line announced a 2.9 per cent increase in the final dividend to 14p, but slashed the special dividend nearly in half to 8.3p. Falling profits: Gross written premiums dropped 5.3 per cent to 3.2billion It comes as it posted a 6.4 per cent decline in operating profit to 601.7million for 2018 and blamed the decline on lower reserve releases and investment returns, as well as a 75million impact in claims related to last year's extreme weather. Gross written premiums - or the revenue an insurer expects to receive from its contracts - dropped 5.3 per cent to 3.2billion. The group's written premiums were knocked by the end of a key home insurance partnership deals for Nationwide and Sainsbury's. But Direct Line's own brands gross written premium increased by 1.8 per cent in the period. Boss Paul Geddes, who will be replaced by finance chief Penny James when he steps down in May after 10 years at the helm, said 2019 was a 'pivotal year' for the group. He added: 'I am pleased to announce a strong set of results driven by our resilient business model which performed well in a highly competitive market.' But in relation to Brexit, the group also said in the full-year results:' If the UK were to leave the EU in such a way as to involve or lead to significant disruption, as has been conjectured in the event of a 'hard' no deal Brexit at the end of March, then the impact on the Group could correspondingly also be disruptive and potentially material.' Shares in Direct Line initially dropped following the results, but were 0.2 per cent higher at 357p. Ian Forrest, investment research analyst at The Share Centre said the results were mixed, which explains the fluctuations in the share price. 'The increase in its own premiums is welcome, and while the decision to bolster the capital position is sensible, the drop in profits and cut in overall dividends are clearly negatives for investors. 'The market's uncertainty may also be due to the fact that the company's leadership is in the process of transitioning from long-serving CEO Paul Geddes to chief financial officer Penny James. We continue to recommend the shares as a 'hold' for income-seeking investors willing to accept a medium level of risk.' Nicholas Hyett at Hargreaves Lansdown said the company's focus on its own brand insurance products was the main driver in today's number, following the end of the deals with Sainsbury's and Nationwide. He said: 'In the long run an increased proportion of own brand sales should be good news though the lack of commission payments to partners means own brand sales are potentially higher margin and direct access can also make them stickier customers.' But he added: 'It's not all plain sailing of course the personal insurance industry is going through one of its periodic pricing squeezes at the moment and Direct Line hasn't escaped unscathed.' 1903 . 8 - . 30 1902 . 1944 . 17 - . 1962 . 8 . ... The president of France faced a backlash last night after he claimed the euro has supported the region's prosperity. In a letter to newspapers on the Continent, Emmanuel Macron hailed the single currency, despite years of high unemployment and economic woe. He said: 'How would we resist the crises of financial capitalism without the euro, a force for the entire EU?' French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the single currency, despite years of high unemployment and economic woe Macron, who has suffered 16 weeks of protests, also attacked Brexit, saying it has left Europe facing its biggest crisis since the Second World War. But his comments were criticised amid fears the eurozone is heading back into recession having failed to recover from the debt crisis that has stalked it for a decade. Unemployment in the single currency bloc is 7.8 per cent, nearly double the UK's 4 per cent, and youth unemployment is 16.5 per cent. Nearly four in ten Greeks and a third of Spaniards and Italians under 25 who want a job cannot find work. In France, youth unemployment is 20.1 per cent while the overall rate is 8.8 per cent. Tory MP and former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson said: 'Do the young unemployed in Greece or Spain see the euro as a tool to 'resist the crises of financial capitalism'?' Fellow Brexiteer John Longworth, former head of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'How can he claim that the euro helps resist financial crises when the region is riddled with slow growth, high unemployment, unstable banks, debt and crushing regulation? It would be laughable if it were not so tragic.' Italy is back in recession while factory output across the eurozone is falling for the first time in six years, with Germany suffering its biggest decline since 2012. Macron's finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, has warned the slump in Italy could be devastating. And Corrado Alberto, head of Turin's entrepreneurs association, said: 'Those who talk about stagnation are way too optimistic, we are facing a real recession.' Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has called for his country to be ready to ditch the euro after suffering 'the biggest peacetime economic catastrophe since the Great Depression'. Research group IHS Markit's index of activity in the eurozone, where 50 is the cut-off between growth and decline, rose from 51 in January to 51.9 in February. MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, March 4, 2019 Thomson Reuters was awarded the highest accolades in eight categories, including online legal research provider and legal research app, in the eighth annual Best of The National Law Journal Readers Rankings. Thomson Reuters WestlawTM took first place in three categories: Online Legal Research Provider; Legal Research Provider, including software as a service, digital and print products; and Legal Research App. Thomson Reuters Elite was recognized as the best in providing Law Firm Proposal Automation & Experience Management. Part of the Elite suite, ProLaw was rated the top Docketing Solution. Also earning recognition were key Thomson Reuters products and services including: Practical Law in the Legal Know-How Provider category Drafting Assistant in the Contract Review & Analysis Technology category Legal Tracker in the Matter Management Software category We are honored that customers turn to Thomson Reuters for innovative products and services that in turn help them better meet their clients needs, said Andy Martens, senior vice president and global head of Product Management and Editorial, Thomson Reuters. It is meaningful for our product development, technology, editorial and service teams to be chosen by The National Law Journal readers people who use our products every day for this recognition. The awards are based on a readership survey of The National Law Journal, with readers casting votes to select their favorite products and services. For more information about all Thomson Reuters legal solutions, visit legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com. Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters is the worlds leading provider of news and information-based tools to professionals. Our worldwide network of journalists and specialist editors keep customers up to speed on global developments, with a particular focus on legal, regulatory and tax changes. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information on Thomson Reuters, visit tr.com and for the latest world news, reuters.com. CONTACT Jeff McCoy +1.651.687.4091 jeffrey.mccoy@thomsonreuters.com The following companies are subsidiares of Franklin Resources: AdvisorEngine, AdvisorEngine Inc., Alumcreek Holdings LLC, Athena Capital Advisors, Balanced Equity Management, Balanced Equity Management Pty. Limited, Benefit Street Partners, Bissett & Associates Investment Management, Brandywine Global Investment Management Europe Limited, CCPF GP Holdco No.2 Limited, CCPF No.2 (GP) Limited, CCPF No.2 LP, CP Industrial Management LLC, CP Intermediate Holdco Inc., CRM Software LLC, Clarion Gramercy (Deutschland) GmbH, Clarion Gramercy (UK) Limited, Clarion Gramercy Limited, Clarion Partners Europe Ltd., Clarion Partners Holdings LLC, Clarion Partners LLC, Clarion Partners Securities LLC, Clarion REIM South America Holdings LLC, Clarion REIM South America Invsetimentos Imobiliarios Ltda, ClearBridge RARE Infrastructure (North America) Pty Limited, ClearBridge RARE Infrastructure International Pty Limited, Darby - Hana Infrastructure Fund Management Co. Ltd., Edinburgh Partners, FT FinTech Holdings LLC, FT Opportunistic Distressed Fund Ltd., FTC Investor Services Inc., FTCI (Cayman) Ltd., FTPE Advisers LLC, Fiduciary International Holding Inc., Fiduciary Investment Management International Inc., Fiduciary Trust (International) Sarl, Fiduciary Trust Company International, Fiduciary Trust Company International of Pennsylvania, Fiduciary Trust Company of Canada, Fiduciary Trust International LLC, Fiduciary Trust International of California, Fiduciary Trust International of Delaware, Fiduciary Trust International of the South, Franklin Advisers GP LLC, Franklin Advisers Inc., Franklin Advisory Services LLC, Franklin Marketplace Loan GP LLC, Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC, Franklin SystematiQ Advisers LLC, Franklin Templeton Alternative Investments (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Franklin Templeton Asset Management Mexico S.A. de C.V. Sociedad Operadora de Fondos de Inversion, Franklin Templeton Austria GmbH, Franklin Templeton Capital Holdings Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Chile SpA. V., Franklin Templeton Companies LLC, Franklin Templeton Digital Advisory Services GmbH, Franklin Templeton Fund Management Limited, Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd., Franklin Templeton Global Investors Limited, Franklin Templeton Holding Limited, Franklin Templeton International Services (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton International Services S.a r.l., Franklin Templeton Investment Management (Shanghai) Limited, Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited, Franklin Templeton Investment Services GmbH, Franklin Templeton Investment Services Mexico S. de R.L., Franklin Templeton Investment Trust Management Co. Ltd., Franklin Templeton Investments (Asia) Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments (ME) Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments Australia Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp., Franklin Templeton Investments Japan Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments Poland sp. z o.o., Franklin Templeton Investments South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Franklin Templeton Investor Services LLC, Franklin Templeton Investimentos (Brasil) Ltda., Franklin Templeton Luxembourg S.A., Franklin Templeton Magyarorszag Kft., Franklin Templeton Management Luxembourg S.A., Franklin Templeton Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Franklin Templeton Private Equity LLC, Franklin Templeton Services (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Services LLC, Franklin Templeton Servicios de Asesoria Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Franklin Templeton Slovakia s.r.o., Franklin Templeton Social Infrastructure GP S.a r.l., Franklin Templeton Strategic Investments Ltd., Franklin Templeton Switzerland Ltd., Franklin Templeton Trustee Services Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Turkey Advisory Services A.S., Franklin Templeton Uruguay S.A., Franklin Venture Partners (Talos Cayman GP) LLC, Franklin Venture Partners LLC, Franklin/Templeton Distributors Inc., ITI Capital Markets Limited, K2 Advisors, LM (BVI) Limited, LM Holdings 2 Limited, LM Holdings Limited, LM International Holding LP, Legg Mason & Co (UK) Limited, Legg Mason & Co. LLC, Legg Mason (Chile) Inversiones Holdings Limitada, Legg Mason Asset Management Australia Limited, Legg Mason Asset Management Hong Kong Limited, Legg Mason Asset Management Singapore Pte. Limited, Legg Mason Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Legg Mason Holding (Switzerland) GmbH, Legg Mason Inc., Legg Mason Investment Funds Limited, Legg Mason Investments (Europe) Limited, Legg Mason Investments (Switzerland) GmbH, Legg Mason Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor LLC, Legg Mason Royce Holdings LLC, Onsa Inc., RARE IP Trust, RARE Infrastructure Limited, REDROSE Caesar S.a r.l., Random Forest Capital, Random Forest Capital LLC, Rensburg Sheppards plc, Riva Financial Systems Limited, Royce & Associates GP LLC, Royce & Associates LP, Royce Fund Services LLC, Royce Management Company LLC, TSEMF III (Jersey) Limited, TSEMF IV (Jersey) Limited, Templeton Asset Management (Labuan) Limited, Templeton Asset Management (Poland) TFI S.A., Templeton Asset Management Ltd., Templeton Global Advisors Limited, Templeton Global Holdings Ltd., Templeton International Inc., Templeton Investment Counsel LLC, Templeton Restructured Investments III Ltd., Templeton Restructured Investments IV Ltd., Templeton Restructured Investments L.L.C., Templeton Turkey Fund GP Ltd., Templeton Worldwide Inc., Templeton do Brasil Ltda., Templeton/Franklin Investment Services Inc., WHITEROSE Caesar S.a r.l., Western Asset Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Western Asset Management (Brazil) Holdings Limitada, Western Asset Management (Cayman) Holdings Limited, Western Asset Management Company Distribuidora de Titulos e Valores Mobiliarios Limitada, Western Asset Management Company LLC, Western Asset Management Company Limited, Western Asset Management Company Pte Ltd., Western Asset Management Company Pty Ltd, and Winfield & Company. There is not enough analysis data for Dividend 15 Split Corp. II. 5.0 Community Rank Outperform Votes Dividend 15 Split Corp. II has received 4 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Dividend 15 Split Corp. II has received 1 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Dividend 15 Split Corp. II has received 80.00% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Dividend 15 Split Corp. II and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe DF will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe DF will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Wells Fargo & Co. is a diversified, community-based financial services company. It is engaged in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance. It firm operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Wholesale Banking, Wealth & Investment Management, and Other. The Community Banking segment offers complete line of diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses including checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and automobile, student, and small business lending. The Wholesale Banking segment provides financial solutions to businesses across the United States and globally. The Wealth and Investment Management segment includes personalized wealth management, investment and retirement products and services to clients across U.S. based businesses. The Other segment refers to the products of WIM customers served through community banking distribution channels. The company was founded by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo on March 18, 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Read More Valley National Bancorp is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of retail and commercial banking services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Lending; Commercial Lending; Investment Management; and Corporate and Other Adjustments. The Consumer Lending segment consists of residential mortgage loans, automobile loans and home equity loans, as well as wealth management and insurance services. The Commercial Lending segment includes the floating rate and adjustable rate commercial and industrial loans as well as fixed rate owner occupied and commercial real estate loans. The Investment Management segment refers to investments in various types of securities and interest-bearing deposits with other banks. The Corporate and Other Adjustments segment represents the income and expense items not directly attributable to a specific segment. The company was founded on November 12, 1982 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc., ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics. NORRISTOWN State and local officials will tour blighted sections of the municipality Tuesday, not just to shed light on the problem of urban decay, but to lobby for an innovative solution. Its all part of a rollout to garner support for Restore Pennsylvania, an initiative proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf to pay for the states critical infrastructure needs with $4.5 billion from a proposed severance tax on natural gas. Rick Vilello, deputy secretary of community affairs for the Pa. Dept. of Community and Economic Development, will visit with the Montgomery County commissioners before joining Executive Director of Genesis Housing Corporation Judy Memberg and Norristown officials on the tour. As the former mayor of Lock Haven, and a son of Upper Darby, Vilello said the welfare of boroughs and core communities is an issue close to his heart. Im excited about going into Norristown because I think the Restore program really fits and is needed there, he said. Its needed everywhere in Pennsylvania. Im excited to be in the southeast because the issues that Restore is trying to resolve are bigger than any one municipality can handle on their own. Villelo said, at a minimum, there are 300,000 blighted properties in Pa. and the cost of tackling the problem through land banks, demolition funds, and green initiatives is a multi-billion dollar proposition. In addition to blight, Pennsylvania Restore would earmark big money for other big issues including broadband accessibility, sewer and water control infrastructure, business site development, and transportation projects. According to Villelo, the proposed severance tax on Pa. oil and gas producers boils down to common sense and is the only way to raise the kind of money needed to fund these types of investments. Its a reasonable severance tax, he said. Its copied from other states and places that already have severance taxes. Every place that is doing natural gas extraction other than Pennsylvania has a severance tax. Were the only one that doesnt. And most of the natural gas gets exported so the severance tax would be being paid by people outside Pennsylvania. Vilello also noted that the proposed severance tax would keep the current natural gas drilling impact fee, Act 13, intact. That fee generates roughly $200 million per year in revenue for the state, forty percent of which is used to enforce drilling regulations and fund environmental and infrastructure projects, while sixty percent goes to the communities where the drilling takes place. Norristown isnt one of those places, added Vilello. Although the main thrust of his visit will be to promote the Restore Pennsylvania initiative, Vilello says his motive is two-fold. As deputy secretary for community affairs and development my role is to help the local elected officials get stuff done, he said. So even separate from the Restore Pa. piece, which I think is really, really important, I want to develop relationships with the local electeds so that they have somebody in Harrisburg that they can reach out to with an eye for getting projects done. WASHINGTON Randy Credico and Michael Caputo have a few things in common: Both are New York gadflies buzzing the peripheries of state and national politics; both are known for their sometimes over-the-top brands; and both have been appeared before special counsel Robert Muellers grand jury. They're together again among the 81 names on a list released by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who is seeking documents to flesh out a wide-ranging investigation the first of its kind into a wide range of alleged wrongdoing by President Donald Trump. This is a critical time for our nation, Nadler wrote in a letter to Caputo, Credico and dozens of other Trump-connected organizations and individuals. President Trump and his administration face wide-ranging allegations of misconduct that strike at the heart of our constitutional order. Congress has a constitutional duty to serve as a check and balance against any such excesses. Nadler insisted on ABC on Sunday that Democrats were "far from making decisions" on whether to proceed to impeachment hearings. Nadlers investigation may not have the legal heft of Muellers probe, but its massive scope potentially dwarfs Muellers taking in not only the presidents dealings with Russia but possible obstruction of justice, misuse of the presidential pardon power, acceptance of payments from foreign governments, and circumventing campaign finance laws. Apart from Caputo and Credico, the names of the list are a whos-who of Trumps business and political past and present. Among them: his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and Trumps onetime body guard, chauffeur and chief operating officer Matthew Calamari. Caputo is known in New York political circles as the brains behind Carl Paladino's 2010 gubernatorial run. He is a veteran conservative radio talk-show personality on Buffalo's WBEN. Nadlers letter asked Caputo for documents regarding the meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016 between a Russian lawyer and Trumps inner circle, including Donald Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort. It also asks for any documents Caputo has regarding Manafort as well as a variety of mysterious Russian operatives. Caputo who has done political consulting work in Russia in the past worked for Trump's 2016 campaign for several months, but left after posting a Tweet mocking the firing of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. WBEN reported on its website that Caputo said he would cooperate with Nadler, but his submission to them would be merely a thin envelope. "If anybody thinks Nadler's committee, which is staffed by children of his biggest donors, will come up with a miraculous conclusion the Mueller committee couldn't come to is kidding themselves," Caputo said. "It's just another example of how House Democrats are harassing President Trump until they lose the House in 2020." Credico, best known as a standup comedian, has been an occasional visitor to the state Capitol as an advocate for marijuana legalization. He has been identified in court filings as the go-between connecting Trump associate and longtime New York political operative Roger Stone who is also on Nadler's list to Assange, a key link in the investigation into Wikileaks' release of emails stolen from prominent Democrats, allegedly by Russian-backed hackers. A WBAI radio personality, Credico has staged campaigns for U.S. Senate, governor and mayor of New York City. Asked for comment on Nadler's request, Credico's lawyer Marty Stolar said in an email, "We're still deciding how to respond." COEYMANS A cement company interested in burning old tires as fuel in its Route 9W kiln is moving against a proposed town air pollution law that could bar the practice. Meanwhile, the former lawyer for Carver Laraway, the owner of the Port of Coeymans, has launched a bid for town office. And one of Laraway's companies is in the midst of a three-year state contract in the waste tire business. Last week, the cement company LafargeHolcim took out a full-page advertisement in the weekly Ravena News-Herald urging the defeat of the pollution measure. Criticism of the pollution measure also is coming from George McHugh, who left his role Friday as general counsel for Laraway to challenge incumbent Supervisor Phil Crandall, who supports the air proposal. Drafted last summer, the measure would set strict limits on waste burning, and impose what could be the nation's strongest standards on emissions including toxic dioxins and furans, as well as the heavy metal mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. On Monday, McHugh said there was no connection between his departure from Laraway's company, his bid launched last month in this fall's town supervisor race, and the common interest that both LafargeHolcim and Laraway now have in waste tires. Last fall, Laraway began a three-year state contract to collect and dispose of waste tires from across the state, including from a former junkyard on Route 143 in Coeymans not far from the Lafarge plant on Route 9W. Under the $4.7 million contract, Laraway's company Carver Construction Inc. will control an estimated 600,000 waste tires from 29 sites, with additional sites added as necessary, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. McHugh said Monday that Laraway has shredded and shipped some waste tires to to the Seneca Meadows landfill in Seneca County. Up through his departure from the company Friday, there was "no discussion or plans by Laraway for providing tires to Lafarge," McHugh said. "I am not getting into this for Carver, and I am not getting into this for Lafarge. This is my hometown," said McHugh, a Coeymans native who now lives in Delmar. He started as Laraway's chief lawyer in late 2016. On Monday, LafargeHolcim spokeswoman Jocelyn Gerst said in a statement, "We have not been in contact with Laraway. Though we're permitted by (DEC) to use tire derived fuels, building such a facility would take some time to put in place. At this time, our focus is on ensuring that the town of Coeymans and our community is aligned." A 2006 state permit would have allowed Lafarge to burn up to 4.8 million tires annually at the old kiln. While that permit expired last year, according to DEC, Lafarge could burn tires at the new kiln if the company can show such burning would not violate the plant's existing air pollution limits. Lafarge's current state air pollution permit allows the plant to burn natural gas, coal, coke or fuel oil as fuel in its high-temperature kiln used to make cement. McHugh said the town air pollution law, which supporters say is needed to ensure that Lafarge uses only fossil fuels during the making of cement, is overreaching and unnecessary. On Feb. 21, McHugh appeared before the Albany County Planning Board, identifying himself as Laraway's counsel, to dispute the town measure. Five days later on Feb. 26, McHugh got the endorsement of the Coeymans Republican Committee to run for supervisor; he also has been endorsed by the executive committee of the Albany County Conservative Party. Three days later, McHugh left Laraway's company. He said he resigned because his work there did not allow for the "time and flexibility" needed to run supervisor. "Who leaves a high-paying legal job to run for a $35,000 town supervisor position?" said Crandall, a former town justice who was elected in a tightly-contested 2015 race in which Lafarge supported his opponent. "It looks to me that Laraway is trying to take over the board." Laraway has been steadily expanding the port since purchasing the former brickyard in 2007 with assistance from the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal. Located off state Route 144, it is the site of former Powell & Minnock Brick Works, which closed in 2001. Laraway also is the owner of Carver Sand & Gravel, based in Altamont. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Coeymans is eyeing the air law as state environmental officials weigh plans by the Lehigh cement plant in Glens Falls to burn a mix of recycled plastics, paper and metal called "raggertail." After the proposal drew local opposition, DEC extended its review, which is not yet completed. McHugh said Coeymans officials ought to withhold action until after a "thorough coordinated review of this proposed law with the surrounding communities and various state and federal agencies, to include DEC and EPA." He also called the law a "knee-jerk reaction" to reports in late 2017 that Lafarge was negotiating with a California-based Mustang Renewable Power Ventures to ship municipal waste from Hartford, Ct., as fuel for the cement kiln. That connection was listed on paperwork that Mustang filed with Connecticut state officials, which led to its discovery and subsequent publicizing by former EPA regional administrator Judith Enck. Lafarge denied the arrangement and nothing ever ensued. "Lafarge can deny Mustang all they want, but they outright lied to us," said Crandall. "This proposed law is not against any single company, it is to prevent tons of garbage from coming into Coeymans and being burned. The people don't want it. Let Lafarge burn more natural gas in their kiln." Lafarge sees old tires as a replacement fuel for the kiln, which was rebuilt in 2017 at a cost of about $300 million under a more environmentally efficient design meant to reduce emissions of toxic mercury and other pollution. The new kiln was part of a 2010 agreement between Lafarge and state and federal officials to resolve issues over longstanding air emissions, including high levels of toxic mercury. Meanwhile, proponents of the Coeymans air pollution law have urged town officials to look at the emissions history of another Lafarge cement plant, in Pennsylvania, that has been burning scrap tires for years as part of its fuel. About two million tires annually are burned at the Lafarge facility in Whitehall, Lehigh County, supplying about 30 percent of the plant's fuel, according to a company web page. The plant accounts for nearly half of the air pollution in a county that has more than 60 industrial facilities, said Mike Ewall, director of the Energy Justice Network, a not-for-profit environmental group with offices in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. Ewall is working with local supporters of the Coeymans air law. Ewall's figures were based on the 2014 EPA National Emissions Inventory. Those figures showed that the Whitehall plant is that county's largest emitter of benzene, a known human carcinogen, as well as mercury, nickel, hydrochloric acid, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, which causes acid rain. Toronto China accused two detained Canadians on Monday of acting together to steal state secrets, just days after Canada announced it will proceed with a U.S. extradition request for a senior Chinese tech executive. China arrested the two Canadians on Dec. 10 in what was widely seen as an attempt to pressure Canada to release Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies, who was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities. Meng's arrest set off a diplomatic furor and has severely strained Canadian relations with China. The U.S. is seeking the extradition of Meng, who is also the daughter of Huawei's founder, to face charges she misled banks about the company's business with Iran. China's official Xinhua News Agency cited unidentified Chinese authorities as saying former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig violated Chinese laws by acting as a spy and stealing state secrets and intelligence with the help of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor. It was the first time the two men's cases have been linked. It said Kovrig often entered China using an ordinary passport and business visas, and acquired information from Spavor, his "main contact." "Authorities stressed that China is a country ruled by law and will firmly crack down on criminal acts that severely undermine national security," Xinhua said. The same information was posted on the official news blog of the ruling Communist Party's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. No other details were given and Xinhua said further judicial proceedings would "take place based on the case's progress." "We are obviously very concerned by this position that China has taken," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. "It is unfortunate that China continues to move forward on these arbitrary detentions." Kovrig is a former diplomat who was working as an expert on Asia for the International Crisis Group think tank. Spavor is an entrepreneur known for contacts with high-ranking North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un. "We are aware of the Xinhua report of 4 March but have heard nothing official about any charges being laid against our colleague, Michael Kovrig," said Hugh Pope, a spokesman for the International Crisis Group. "Michael's work for Crisis Group has been entirely transparent and in the open as all who follow his work can attest. Vague and unsubstantiated accusations against him are unwarranted and unfair." After Meng's arrest, a Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier. Kovrig and Spavor haven't had access to a lawyer or to their families since being arrested. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Canada said Friday that it will allow court hearings for the U.S. extradition request for Meng to proceed. David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said the new allegations against Kovrig and Spavor are a response to that action. "Every step in the process will be matched by a step by China. The desire is to raise the pressure to the extent that we simply give in," Mulroney said. Meng is due in court on Wednesday to set a date for the extradition proceedings to start. It could be several months or even years before her case is resolved. Guy Saint-Jacques, also a former Canadian ambassador to China, said Beijing is clearly putting additional pressure on Canada. "It's a predicable escalation in the crisis," he said. "They are probably hoping it will convince the prime minister to free Meng." Lawyers for Meng, who is staying at a property she owns in Vancouver after her release on bail, said Sunday she is suing the Canadian government, its border agency and the national police force, alleging she was detained, searched and interrogated before she was told she was under arrest. Meng's lawsuit alleges that instead of immediately arresting her, they interrogated her "under the guise of a routine customs" examination and used the opportunity to "compel her to provide evidence and information." The first and second seasons of the National Geographical Channel series "The Story of God with Morgan Freeman" looked at religious and philosophical questions that have been a part of the human experience since the first belief of a higher force at work. It examined questions like "Who is God?" and "Why does evil exist?" The third season, slated to start at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, continues to ponder life's big questions, such as sin and the part rituals play in the relationship to God. Host Morgan Freeman travels the globe to offer looks at what is referred to as the crown of thorns that was placed on the head of Jesus and to watch a woman channel the spirits of multiple gods to offer advice. Executive producer Lori McCreary sees the series as a reflection of conversations held around the world, particularly the curiosity of the afterlife. "There is a passion that we have that is part of the human experience to understand. If there wasn't an ability to say that God gets us in the end, we would definitely want something to be there," McCreary says. "Seeing how all of these different religions answer that, they are really answering that passionate cry inside themselves. "They are asking 'Are we really just alone?'" Because he sits with the subjects, Freeman has seen the passion regarding the big questions in the faces of people who practice a variety of different religions. During this season, Freeman meets with a priest who performs exorcisms, a Buddhist lama who leads a Tibetan ritual called the puja, and a Hmong healer. No matter the religion, Freeman treats each with a deep respect. "When it comes to a person's religious beliefs, this is existence itself. I respect that and accept that," Freeman says. "I don't judge because nobody is wrong. That one word covers it all: faith. "I've literally been around the world talking to an enormous number of different peoples with different faiths. And the one lesson that I come away from that with is that whatever I believe, I believe. Whatever you believe, I cannot say you're wrong in it. You cannot say I'm wrong in my belief. My belief is my belief. Your belief is your belief. We're all entitled to it and we're all correct." How well the series and Freeman have handled the examinations has helped "The Story of God" grow. McCreary noticed it was easier this season to dig a little deeper because Season 1 was such a mystery. The production company was telling everyone they wanted to examine how much we have in common as people who believe in something outside of ourselves. Not everyone grasped the concept the first year. "In Season 1, we got thrown out of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, because there are different factions there's Armenians, there's Greeks, there's Franciscans, Syriacs, and each of them owns a different bit of the church," says executive producer James Younger. "And so if you're standing in the wrong place for too long and you've overstayed your welcome, and the other groups will start making noise throwing keys, rings, cellphones." With two seasons of material to support their approach, it was easier to convince people to give the cast and crew access. It has helped to have Freeman as the host. Because of his work in the films "Bruce Almighty" and "Evan Almighty," some associated the Mississippian's deep voice with divine conversations. Beyond that, the Oscar winner (for "Million Dollar Baby") is known around the globe for such films as "Glory," "Unforgiven," "Se7en" and "Driving Miss Daisy." The series has been able to offer some answers to big questions regarding God through the three seasons. There's one question that makes Freeman ponder more than others. In regards to Voltaire's statement that "if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him," Freeman pauses for a few moments and with a puzzled look rhetorically asks the question a different way. "Do you know why there is a God? Why God is here? Why there is such an entity? It's a guarantee. You don't have to worry about dying. That's it in a nutshell," Freeman says. Albany Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to raise the legal age for the purchase of tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21. Let's leave aside whether that's a good idea to ask another, related question: When does a person become an adult? We're confused about that. Generally speaking, 18 is the legal age of adulthood. That's when a person can sign a mortgage, take out a loan, get a tattoo, join the military and make other life-changing decisions. In other words, we allow you to really screw up your life once you turn 18, as all those philosophy majors drowning in student-loan debt can attest. But we also allow teens to make potentially life-ruining decisions at a younger age. In New York, a student at the age of 16 can drop out of high school in some cases. A 16-year-old can own a rifle and drive a car. Yet if that same pimple-faced teen wants to drive his car to see a steamy, NC-17 movie ... sorry kid, you'll have to wait a year. We don't think you're mature enough for that, even though you can find every perversion known to humankind on that phone in your pocket. In many places, you can't buy a can of spray paint until you're 18. In New York, you have to be 18 to get your nose pierced without an OK from mom and dad. You can, however, have an abortion without parental permission. There's no minimum age for that. You can get a job once you turn 14. Until recently, New Yorkers could also get married at that age, which was abhorrent. Now, young lovebirds have to wait until 17, and even that requires parental permission. So far as I can tell, you can get divorced at any age. Another recent change prevents 16-year-olds who commit serious crimes from being treated like adults and going to adult prisons. Last year, the age of criminal responsibility was raised to 17 and will go up to 18 in October. The change was an overdue acknowledgement that impetuous teenagers lack the emotional maturity to understand the consequences of their actions. Science tells us that their brains aren't fully developed. Some states, including Florida, have responded to school shootings by raising the age for gun purchases to 21. Critics say that doesn't go far enough, and that nobody should be able to buy a weapon before 25. Meanwhile, lawmakers all around the country want to lower the voting age to 16. "Students are demanding change on issues such as gun safety, climate change, and health care," said U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat from Queens who has proposed a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age. "They deserve to have their voices heard at the ballot box." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. It's a safe bet that Meng wouldn't want those voices heard if she wasn't convinced that young people agree with her on gun safety, climate change and health care. And, of course, if those voting 16-year-olds wanted to have their voices heard while imbibing at the local tavern, they'd have to wait five long years. In New York, the drinking age was raised to 21 in 1985. Proponents say the higher drinking age saves lives and reduces drunk driving. By that same logic, wouldn't raising the drinking age to 30, 40 or even 50 save even more lives? Maybe we should ban alcohol altogether. What could go wrong? Others, including college presidents, argue that the higher drinking age has been a disaster, because it leads the underage to imbibe secretly and to binge drink. Since they can't get a beer or two once they go out on the town, they get hammered before they go out. More Information Contact columnist Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse Well, both sides of the debate should be able to concede that our crazy patchwork of age restrictions makes no sense. It is nothing short of bizarre that a woman can get married but not be allowed to buy a beer on her honeymoon. It would be outrageous that an 18-year-old could fight in Afghanistan but couldn't, if Cuomo's proposal passes, buy a cigarette in Utica. If teenagers are confused about what we expect from them and when we expect it, we should be sympathetic. When do they become adults? Even the adults don't know. ALBANY Capital Region hospitals earned mixed reviews in the latest and long-awaited update to the federal government's controversial star hospital rating system. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has published hospital ratings since 2005 in an effort to give the public a way to compare hospitals on measures such as patient experience, timely and effective care, complications and death rates, readmission rates and payments, among other things. But the ratings have been controversial from the start, as hospitals allege they oversimplify health outcomes and fail to account for factors beyond a hospital's control such as a large population of uninsured and poor patients. Hoping to address these concerns, CMS announced last June it was delaying the anticipated July 2018 release of its star ratings in order to analyze certain rating measures that left hospitals confused as to why their ratings changed. On Thursday, the ratings were finally released. Capital Region scores The Capital Region's largest hospitals didn't fare so well in the latest batch of ratings, which measure hospitals on a number of factors and then assign an overall star rating from one to five stars. Albany Medical Center and St. Peter's Hospital in Albany each dropped by one star since December 2017, the last time ratings were released. Albany Med was awarded one star out of five. St. Peter's was awarded two. Samaritan Hospital in Troy (1 star), St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam (2 stars), and Glens Falls Hospital (3 stars) also saw their ratings drop by one star. Four area hospitals saw their ratings increase. Albany Memorial Hospital saw the largest increase from 2 stars to 4 stars. Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson (2 stars), Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville (4 stars), and Saratoga Hospital (4 stars) also jumped by one star. Ratings held steady, meanwhile, for Cobleskill Regional Hospital (4 stars), St. Mary's Hospital in Troy (3 stars) and Ellis Hospital in Schenectady (2 stars). Good ratings, it turns out, are rare. Only one hospital in New York the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan received five stars. An analysis of hospital ratings statewide by the Albany-based Empire Center found that 48 of the 151 hospitals graded in New York received a one-star rating, up from 33 in 2017. The state's hospitals received an average of 2.18 stars out of five, down from 2.32 as of 2017. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Among all 50 states, New York hospitals rank 50th in star ratings. Criticisms and cautions Area hospitals were cautious about embracing the star ratings, and some flat-out rejected them. Albany Medical Center, the region's only academic medical center and level one trauma center, said Monday that the measure has been criticized by quality experts and Congress as being inaccurate and misleading, because it compares "very different hospitals" using the same measure. "Any meaningful comparison of hospitals should be done between hospitals that provide similar types of care to similar types of patients," the hospital said. That's a change that CMS appears open to embracing. The agency included it as one of several potential changes it's considering for the star ratings program, and asked for the public to weigh in on it and other changes. Comments are due March 29. Nathan Littauer Chief Medical Officer Frederick Goldberg said the small community hospital in Gloversville has worked hard to promote a culture of safety and avoid preventable harm to patients. While pleased with the hospital's four-star rating, he too cautioned against patients putting too much stock in the measurement. "I think we're still in an era where word of mouth and referrals from people that you trust are as valuable, if not more," he said. Caracas, Venezuela Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader, returned to the country Monday and gave a speech before cheering crowds in defiance of President Nicolas Maduro, who had threatened to have him arrested if he came back. "We shout with resolve, 'May oppression die,'" said Guaido before supporters gathered in Caracas, the capital. "They threatened us with jail, with death, but nothing will happen through persecution." For days, it had been unclear whether Guaido would be able to return to Venezuela after he flouted a court-imposed order not to leave the country and made a failed attempt to move truckloads of aid into the country over Maduro's objections. While Maduro has jailed his opponents freely in the past, he made no attempts Monday to impede Guaido, showing what analysts said were the limits to his ability to dispatch the opposition with a crackdown. Guaido, who had spent the past week on a tour of South America, returned with the renewed backing of regional allies, many of whom sent diplomats to meet him at the airport. Still, some warned that Guaido remains in danger in Venezuela. "Of course, getting to Caracas accompanied by diplomatic officials doesn't mean he won't be arrested in the coming days," said David Smilde, a senior analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America. The United States is one of the more than 50 countries that recognize Guaido as Venezuela's rightful president until new elections can be held. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Guaido, 35, has become the biggest challenge yet to Maduro's presidency since he declared himself interim president in January on grounds that Maduro won a second term through fraud. The struggle between the two has intensified as Venezuela, once Latin America's most prosperous nation, has slid into its worst economic crisis, with Maduro accused by critics of corruption and mismanagement. Maduro has called Guaido a lackey of the Trump administration and attributed the country's economic malaise to U.S. sanctions. On Sunday, John Bolton, the White House national security adviser, said on Twitter that an arrest of Guaido would be met with a response "from the United States and the international community." COHOES Just after 1 a.m. on Saturday, Andrew Lathrop wrote on his girlfriends Facebook page, apologizing and asking her for more time. Im sorry Sara Pascale for how hard things have been, he wrote under the misspelled pseudonym Dale Dentin, a reference to a character in the movie "Pineapple Express." I just hope Im not to late. The next morning, Pascale was dead. Police said they found the 31-year-old woman's body after being called to the Remsen Street apartment the two shared around 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Lathrop, 23, was located nearby and taken into custody. More for you Man charged in Cohoes killing A neighbor at 268 Remsen Street said Monday that he didn't know Pascale or Lathrop well, and that he had only said hello to her in passing. He said all the tenants were relatively new to the building, which appeared to have been recently renovated. Katherine Button, who worked with Pascale at a Hannaford market, remembered her as an ebullient friend who made it impossible for people around her to be sad. Sara was beautiful an artist, an optimist, someone who would run up behind you and give you a hug if she saw you, Button said. She said Pascale loved animals and would spend hours playing with Button's dog. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "We sang in the car, we stayed up all night talking sometimes. ... She was the kind of friend you usually only see in the movies," Button said. "She was better than most of us." Button said she didnt know much about Lathrop or the couples relationship. According to his Facebook page, they had been dating since at least May 2018. Button said she saw Pascale less often after she started seeing Lathrop. I didn't think anything of it. It happens sometimes when people find a partner they don't see their friends as much," she said. "But it makes sense in retrospect. She didn't mention him that much, kind of changed the topic if he came up. And I never met him in person." Pascale graduated from Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park. She attended St. Lawrence University and SUNY Adirondack, where she she made the dean's list multiple times. Her parents live in California, according to public records. Lathrop was charged Sunday with second-degree murder. He was sent to Albany County jail without bail after his arraignment. Beauregard, Ala. When Taylor Thornton's father finally found her Sunday afternoon, lying in the wreckage of her best friend's home, he told his wife that it looked like she was sleeping. Taylor, 10, had been away for the weekend and was at the mobile home of her friend's father when weather forecasters and emergency officials began blasting out increasingly urgent alerts about tornadoes in the area. A warning was issued at 1:58 p.m., and within eight or nine minutes, winds of about 170 mph were pulverizing houses, hurling cars into the air and clear-cutting trees. David Thornton rushed to the mobile home on Lee Road 38 in Beauregard the epicenter of the destruction and came upon a sheriff's deputy standing guard and a field of destruction all around him. The tornado ripped a mile-wide gash through the heart of this rural community in eastern Alabama, killing at least 23 people in the deadliest tornado to hit the United States in six years, including three children and several members of some families. Dozens of others were injured, and the authorities said Monday that an untold number still had not been accounted for. "After it was confirmed," Ashley Thornton said of her daughter's death, family and friends "just kind of crumbled." Taylor's friend was injured, and the friend's father and a friend of the father were both killed, Thornton said. The deputy allowed David Thornton to carry his daughter's body from the scene. The tornado shredded this close-knit community of mobile homes and vinyl-sided double-wides, where neighbors spent Monday learning the names of the dead, searching for the dozens of people still unaccounted for and facing the reality that so many of them had lost everything. "This hurts my heart," said Sheriff Jay Jones of Lee County. "These people are tough, they're resilient. It's knocked them down." As search dogs were led through the staggering piles of debris and drones with infrared sensors buzzed overhead, officials said that they had not found additional bodies. Officials did not release the names of the dead Monday, but family members began identifying them in conversations and on social media, sharing stories of how Dad was gone, or how a desperate search for a sister and her boyfriend had ended with the worst possible news. Bill Harris, the Lee County coroner, said he would be meeting privately with the victims' families, adding that the authorities had verified the identities of all but six of them. He said the two other children killed were 6 and 9 years old. "We lost children, mothers, fathers, neighbors and friends," Gov. Kay Ivey said at an afternoon news conference. In an apparent nod to the 2011 tornadoes that killed about 250 people across Alabama, Ivey added: "We will overcome this loss. We've done it before. We'll do it again." Caught somewhere in the cross hairs of the tornado which carved a devastating path of at least 24 miles and was one of the destructive storms that terrorized parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina on Sunday was the Thorntons' smiling daughter, who loved horses and God, Ashley Thornton said. And they could not reach her. Beauregard was a landscape of loss Monday as residents recounted their desperate efforts to save and reunite with family members. Theo Dean said he had rushed to the street where his father lived Sunday. But he was too late. Emergency workers and a neighbor who had tried to resuscitate his father, David Dean, 53, known around here as "Road Dog," said he had died less than five minutes before his son arrived. "I didn't know he had passed away until I got here and found him," Theo Dean said Monday, chain saws roaring around him as people worked to clear the rubble. "I wanted to find him, but I didn't want to find him because I wanted him to show up later and say, 'Hey, I wasn't there.'" Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. People who were with David Dean when he died, his son said, had assured him he had died peacefully. But they had to move on. There were other houses to search, other people to try to save. "I love him, I miss him," Theo Dean said. "He knows it. I know he loved me." Not far away, Granadas Baker, 38, was examining what was left of the white home with green trim where he, his wife and three children had ridden out the storm. The wind tore through one of the bathroom walls, the one with the door that Baker said he pushed for as long as he could as the force of the wind exploded into his home. "There wasn't even time to be afraid," he said. "I mean, we were scared. But the Lord kept us. Things you can replace. Lives you cannot." One of his neighbors died. The trailer next door, recently rebuilt after a fire, was nowhere to be found. "Completely obliterated," Baker said. He works servicing Coke machines and said he thought both his work truck and personal SUV were salvageable. If he rebuilds, it would most likely be closer to town. "We'll probably be able to save pots and pans but everything else ..." His voice trailed off. "Where that tree is? That's my daughter's room," he said, indicating a room where none was left. Nearby, one of his battery-operated ceiling smoke alarms, tossed somewhere in the wreckage, beeped incessantly. An unbroken bowl full of mud and leaves sat on the floor. "It took everything from us," he said. "Literally took everything from us." Kinimo Ngoran is coming home. The Capital City Rescue Mission chef was released from immigration detention near Buffalo on Tuesday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) submitted a court filing with a federal court in Rochester at noon, Ngoran's lawyers said. ICE's court filing Tuesday also issued Ngoran a temporary stay of removal, stopping his deportation, until a decision is made on Ngoran's application to get a green card through his American citizen wife, Lisa Pepper-Ngoran. The process could take years. "It's tremendous. It means the most to Kinimo and Lisa. It means the Capital District will do whatever it can to reunite families," Rogerson said. Ngoran's sister-in-law Tamara Pepper confirmed he was released Tuesday night and told the Times Union she was overwhelmed with joy at the news. "I have goose bumps. This is a deeply happy moment. I know it is far from over. But Kinimo has taught me that we only have today. Nothing else is promised. So today I am very, very grateful," Pepper said. She visited Ngoran last weekend in Batavia Federal Detention Facility near Buffalo and said she convinced him to get a sweatshirt Monday at the commissary. She said he was now going to leave it with a friend he made in detention. Ngoran's wife traveled to Batavia Tuesday night and posted a photo of the pair outside the detention facility on the "Save Kinimo Ngoran" Facebook page. He will be brought back to the Capital Region and is scheduled to appear Wednesday during a 1 p.m. news conference at the City Mission in Albany. He will be monitored with an ankle bracelet after his release. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple first brought light to Ngoran's situation when he was arrested, detained and faced deportation after a routine ICE check-in six weeks ago. "It was unjust. He was taken away from his wife for six weeks, that still blows me away, at the end of this, he's coming home and I couldn't be happier," Apple told the Times Union Tuesday. "I'm a small part of a big group that fought for him." Ngoran entered the country illegally more than a decade ago, saying he was fleeing violence and religious persecution in the Ivory Coast. Since then, he's been trying to get legal status. ICE spokesman Khalid Walls said Ngoran was ordered removed from the U.S. by a federal immigration judge in 2004. Courts denied his subsequent appeals. While Ngoran's attorney at the time worked on his appeal, the Department of Homeland Security issued him a temporary stay of deportation, forbidding his immediate removal. Ngoran had been regularly reporting to ICE under an order of supervision issued in 2012 because the agency was previously unable to obtain a travel document from his home country, Walls said. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. City Mission Executive Director Perry Jones said Ngoran came to the mission in 2011 homeless and seeking shelter, but the beloved chef became a volunteer and then an employee in the kitchen. Jones mentored and accompanied Ngoran to his regular ICE visits, but on Jan. 23, Jones returned to the mission following one of those visits without Ngoran. Ngoran got married two years ago and applied for a petition to get a green card through marriage. It was approved a week after he was detained. Ngoran has been represented by a vast legal team including six attorneys and eight law students from Albany Law School, University at Buffalo School of Law, local attorney Fred Korkosz and New York City-based NSC Community Legal Defense, a nonprofit that defends detained immigrants facing deportation. His community organized a letter-writing campaign to local elected officials, set up a GoFundMe fundraising effort and created a petition urging concerned citizens to call the ICE office in Latham and demand Ngoran's freedom. Ngoran's family, legal counsel and elected officials rallied at the Capital City Rescue Mission last month. "I'm overjoyed to hear he has been released from custody and will be returning home soon," said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy. Last Monday, Rochester U.S. District Court Judge Charles J. Siragusa heard the petition challenging Ngoran's detention and gave ICE a week to decide whether to grant his stay of removal and keep him in detention. ICE decided to let him go home. Democrat Michelle Ostrelich is running for the open seat in Schenectady County Legislature District 3 representing Glenville, Scotia and Niskayuna after an unsuccessful run for state Senate last year. She'll be challenged by young Republican newcomer Juliano Febo for the seat being vacated by veteran Republican James Buhrmaster. In last November's midterm elections, Ostrelich lost to incumbent Jim Tedisco, a Republican. A Niskayuna mother of two girls, Ostrelich is an attorney active in public service as a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) co-president, board president of a local community center, and trustee for a local hospital foundation. After becoming politically involved in 2016, she founded a local grassroots advocacy organization ROAR (Resist, Organize and Rise). Her challenger, Febo, is a member of Glenville's Zoning Board of Appeals and was a Scotia-Glenville GOP campaign intern in 2017. The 21-year-old, a recent graduate of Endicott College in Massachusetts, previously worked as a law clerk at the Schenectady office of Kathleen M. Toombs and will soon be joining the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory as a site allocation professional. Ostrelich said she has been considering the run for a couple months but made the announcement official on Thursday. She told the Times Union she would keep focused on local issues that arose while going door to door campaigning for state Senate last fall. Those key issues include economic development with a focus on intergovernmental relationships, and health and human services for those addicted to opioids and their families. "Heartbreakingly, when I went door to door, there were quite a few families affected by addiction, opioid especially. I've noticed and been told they need more resources toward addiction services. That's something I want to lend my voice to," Ostrelich said. She said if elected she would make sure state funding was being delivered well through agencies, open up more treatment beds, and find grants to make sure families are supported when they have a loved one with an addiction. Although Ostrelich lost the state Senate race, she said she would build on a win in Niskayuna and her voter base from the recent campaign for a different outcome this time. She said she's met with county legislators, attended meetings, and joined the Legislature's committee reviewing arts and tourism grants to learn. Febo, a Glenville native, got involved in GOP politics two years ago and was considering a run for Glenville Town Board when the county Legislature seat opened up. "It pushed me to leverage the fire that I have, the young fire, and bring it to the county," he told the Times Union. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Febo acknowledges his age, 21, could be a disadvantage because he lacks the experience and name-recognition of his opponent. But he also said it makes him willing to learn and distinguishes him from an older candidate and his Republican predecessor whose legacy he hopes to build on. "I'm young, coming out of college, there's not many young Republicans, especially not in this day and age, that's the difference. I'm able to see things in a different light in terms of bringing new ideas and listening and understanding other concepts," Febo said. He said his top priorities are economic development and empowering local municipalities. He explained that Glenville town and village receive only one penny for every dollar of county sales tax revenue, lower than other local municipalities, which in turn drives up property taxes and stymies growth. He said he would advocate to get municipalities more money and fight against proposed cuts to local AIM funding in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's initial executive budget. "I think the biggest thing is getting money into the hands of our towns. The towns need to build up what they have," he said. Incumbent Thomas Constantine, a Democrat, is running unopposed for another of District 3's five seats that's up for re-election. He is the chair of the public safety and firefighting committee and vice-chair of the technology and communications committee. Candidates are currently petitioning. The primary is June 25 and election Nov. 5. ALBANY New Yorks major teachers unions are defending against a class action lawsuit in which college professors who were not union members are demanding retroactive repayment of dues-like fees in the wake of last Junes U.S. Supreme Court Janus decision. If the plaintiff in Seidemann v Professional Staff Congress (PSC) were to win, it could set a precedent costing public sector unions several years worth of agency fees the instructors paid out over the past several years. Unconstitutional agency fees were taken from the paychecks of teachers and professors against their will. This money, taken over multiple years, adds up to significant sums, David Seidemanns lawyer, Jonathan Klein, of the Clark Hill firm, said in an email. Union officials, though, condemned the move and noted that similar suits in other states have been unsuccessful. Professor Seidemann's lawsuit is one of a number of identical lawsuits filed by anti-union activists across the country, PSC President Barbara Bowen said in a prepared statement. Every one of these cases that has been decided has been dismissed as meritless. We are confident that Professor Seidemann's case will also be found to be without merit." David Seidemann is a professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Brooklyn College, which is part of the City University of New York system. PSC is the union representing instructors and others at CUNY. Because dues and fees are shared among sister and umbrella unions, United University Professions, which represents State University of New York professors, as well as New York State United Teachers, which represents K-12 public school teachers, are also named in the class action suit. Also named are the AFL-CIO and American Association of University Professors Collective Bargaining Congress. Lawsuits like this have failed so far since there is no indication that unions acted wrongfully in collecting the fees before the Janus decision, said union officials. Judges across the country have been very consistent in ruling in favor of the unions because of the good faith defenses, said UUP President Fred Kowal. NYSUT spokesman Matt Hamilton added that they are looking to dismiss the legal complaint. We are confident we will prevail, he said in an email. Since the Janus decision, a number of suits, some financed by anti-union organizations, have been filed against public sector unions regarding various details about compliance with the ruling. Seidemann said in an email that the firm representing him is doing so pro bono, which he added is something I am very grateful for. His agency fees ran about $1,000 annually and he believes he is owed three years worth, based on a statute of limitations. It wasnt immediately clear how many other plaintiffs in the class action suit would get refunds were he to prevail. In the landmark Janus decision, the Supreme Court ruled that members of public sector unions arent required to pay agency fees, or dues-like payments if they arent enrolled in a union but are nonetheless represented by a union. Started by an Illinois state employee, Mark Janus, who disagreed with his unions politics, the decision was hailed as a victory for union critics and conservatives and as a setback for public sector unions. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Without the mandatory agency fees, public sector employees can still reap the benefits of union membership such as collective bargaining but they dont have to pay anything. The fear is this could eventually degrade the finances of many unions if too many employees chose to stop paying their dues, knowing that they wont instead have to pay agencies fees. The Professional Staff Congress Union represents about 30,000 CUNY faculty and staff members. This isnt the first time that Seidemann has taken the PSC to court. A decade ago, he won a case against PSC in which he contended they didnt adequately explain the difference between bargaining and political expenditures. He had launched that suit on his own but eventually received representation from a law firm at the appeals level. That was very hard work, he said of bringing the case by himself. Like Janus, the case ultimately centered on the First Amendment. The argument in Janus was that non-union members were forced to pay for the political speech that public sector unions engage in as part of their day-to-day activities. The First Amendment, Seidemann added, has so many wrinkles. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU ALBANY The remains of a sailor from Albany who was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor will come home this summer to a final rest in Loudonville's Beth Emeth Cemetery. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Tuesday that the remains of Charles M. Stern Jr. have been accounted for. Stern was a 26-year-old ensign assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma when Japanese planes attacked Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. He and Edward F. Sullivan of North Pine Avenue were the first Albany residents to die in the aerial assault. More for you Casualties of war The Oklahoma was hit by multiple torpedoes and capsized. Stern and more than 400 other crew members were killed. The Navy spent the next three years recovering remains from the wreck. They were interred in nearby cemeteries. Stern's remains were among those disinterred in 2015 in an attempt to identify the Oklahoma's unknowns. Stern's nephew, also named Charles M. Stern, said the family learned last year of the effort to identify the remains from DNA. A cousin provided the sample that was used to make the identification, he said. "None of my generation was alive when he was killed," Stern said of his namesake uncle. "My sister, who is the oldest of us, was born three months after Pearl Harbor. ... All of our knowledge of him is what we've been told by people who knew him and they have all died." One of those people was the sailor's widow, Joan Haber, whose sister had married Charles M. Stern Jr.'s brother. In 2003, Haber spoke to the Times Union's Kate Gurnett about life as a military wife in the weeks leading up to the attack. It happened at 7:55 a.m. the morning after the Sterns who had married on Oahu just six months earlier had dined in the mess hall of the Oklahoma with other Navy couples. Haber recalled thinking that the first sounds of the Japanese attack was just target practice. Then a young woman ran across the courtyard of the couple's Waikiki apartment complex. We're being bombed, she shouted. A torpedo ripped open 250 feet along the Oklahoma's port side; it rolled over and sank within 20 minutes. Inside, hundreds of trapped sailors began banging on the bulkhead. Over the next two days, 32 men were rescued from the ship's hull. Haber was evacuated back to Albany, a city grieving for her newlywed husband. "I went to the movies one night and there was a picture of Charles, from floor to ceiling, selling war bonds," she said in 2003. She moved out, first to San Francisco and then Long Island. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. In different places, she'd meet relatives of men who served at Pearl Harbor. ''Did he get out?'' she'd ask. In 1943, the Navy named a new destroyer escort for her husband. In Newark, Joan Stern smashed the champagne bottle over the bow of the USS Stern. The ship would protect American transports off Iwo Jima in 1945 and would receive three battle stars for World War II service. Charles M. Stern, the nephew, said he remained close to his aunt throughout her life. Haber remarried in 1945 and raised a family in San Francisco. She died in August 2017. Stern said the Navy will provide an honor guard to escort his uncle to Beth Emeth in a few months. "I think it's amazing that the Navy and the Defense Department in general has worked so hard to identify all these unknowns, and working with the families through the process," he said. The news of Stern's identification came just a few months after the return of another Capital Region casualty of war recently identified by DNA analysis: Army Pfc. John Martin was buried in December in Schuylerville, 68 years after he vanished near the Chosin Reservoir in what's now North Korea. ALBANY The state Senate is scheduled to advance legislation aimed at curbing Albany's pay-to-play culture. The proposal, which is set for a vote on Tuesday, would restrict campaign contributions from companies seeking state contracts, and impose a ban for an additional six months for companies that receive a state contract. The ban would apply to officeholders with authority over the procurement process. "This bill is about cleaning up government and protecting our democracy," said Sen. Zellnor Myrie, D-Brooklyn, who sponsored the legislation. "No one who wants to keep our public officials accountable to taxpayers should oppose an effort to protect tax dollars from special interests, Myrie said. "No New Yorkers should have to worry that their hard-earned money could be used to line the pockets of campaign contributors." The memorandum accompanying the legislation states that the governor would be primarily affected by the restriction, "as most bidding entities are state agencies." Contributions to lawmakers will be banned in cases where the Legislature taking bids for a product or service. In 2016, when then-SUNY Polytechnic Institute President Alain Kaloyeros was charged with playing a key role in a bid-rigging scheme, Cuomo announced he would order his campaign and the state Democratic Party to stop accepting campaign donations from companies involved in a state bidding process. "It is time for action, not words," Cuomo said at the time. His campaign, however, continued to accept contributions from companies competing for and receiving state contracts. Kaloyeros was convicted last year, alongside a number of prominent Cuomo donors whose companies secured rich contracts connected to the Buffalo Billion initiative. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The governor has advanced similar bans in his recent budget proposals, including this year's plan. Last year's language was stripped from the budget during negotiations with the Legislature. Assemblyman David Buchwald, a Westchester County Democrat carrying the bill in the state Assembly, is optimistic that his chamber will tackle the bill this year. If enacted, New York would become the 20th state to adopt a law restricting these types of contributions. Rachel Silberstein contributed to this report. Bennington, Vt. Marking the second such announcement in less than three months, officials at Southern Vermont College this week said they would close the school's doors at the end of the current school year. The closure was announced by President David Evans, according to several news accounts and Facebook postings. Evans could not be reached on Tuesday. Closure of the approximately 335-student school follows news in January that Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vt., about 54 miles north, would be closing at the end of the current semester. The decision to close the school came after the New England Commission on Higher Education was considering putting the school on probation due to its deteriorating finances. Without accreditation, a school can lose its eligibility for federal student aid. The school has struggled to recover from an embezzlement of at least $440,000 that was discovered in 2012. Its former chief financial officer, James Beckwith, who resigned amid allegations that he took the money, later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Southern Vermont expects to retain accreditation through the summer so students can still graduate with valid degrees. At the same time, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts announced that it would facilitate transfers of students from Southern Vermont. MCLA is in North Adams, Mass., about 18 miles to the south. Officials there said they would waive application fees for Southern Vermont students who want to transfer. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. MCLA will accept all currently matriculated students who are in good academic and judicial standing at SVC, according to information on the school's website. MCLA will begin accepting applications from SVC students immediately. Small colleges that rely heavily on tuition and local students like Green Mountain and Southern Vermont have been struggling due to a demographic decline in college age students as well as an overall population drop in Northern New England and upstate New York. That, along with rising expenses that many schools face, such as health care and other costs, have driven many to the financial brink, according to numerous experts and consultants. More for you Green Mountain College will close amid financial pressures rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU [March 05, 2019] A10 Networks DDoS Threat Intelligence Finds IoT Devices a Growing Part of Global DDoS Weapon Arsenals A10 Networks (NYSE: ATEN (News - Alert)) today announced the findings of a new report into the state of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack weapons and targets, showcasing the growing use of IoT devices in synchronized attacks on targets globally. The report describes the significant potential for attackers to use an IoT-related protocol, the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), deployed on IoT devices to marshal attacks. The A10 Networks (News - Alert) report on the state of DDoS weapons in the first quarter of 2019 examines the types of weapons and attacks being used and where they are coming from. While the most prevalent types of weapons leverage other more established technologies and internet protocols, such as the Network Time Protocol (NTP), Domain Name System (DNS) resolvers, and the Simple Services Discovery Protocol (SSDP), CoAP-based devices represent a fast-emerging new weapon type in botnet arsenals, according to the report. The full A10 report can be accessed here. The most common type of attack utilizing many of these weapons is a reflective amplification attack through which attackers spoof a target's IP address and send out requests for information to vulnerable servers that then send amplified responses back to the victim's IP address overwhelming the capacity of the target's servers. "DDoS attacks are increasing in frequency, intensity and sophistication," said Rich Groves, director of research and development, A10 Networks. "Malware-Infected systems and vulnerable servers continue to create attacks of crushing scale against unprepared targets. The growth of IoT devices using protocols such as CoAP represent a new, fast-emerging attack surface that we expect will play a major role in DDoS attacks going forward. Like other favorite weapon types, CoAP is inherently susceptible to IP address spoofing and packet amplification, the two major factors that enable the amplification of a DDoS attack." CoAP is a lightweight machine-to-machine (M2M) protocol that can run on smart devices where memory and computing resources are scarce. The latest A10 Networks report found that over 400,000 of the weapons are being used in attacks. Types and Location of DDoS Attack Weapons The A10 Networks report tracked some 22.9 million DDoS weapons in the first quarter of 2019. The top-five types of weapons tracked were: 1) DNS resolvers, 2) NTP based weapons, 3) SSDP-based weapons, 4) SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) devices and 5) TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) devices. China is the number one host country for weapons, followed by the United States, with 6,179,850 and 2,646,616 weapons, respectively, tracked. Other leading host countries, in order of magnitude, are Spain, Russia, The Republic of Korea, Italy, and India. "Having an up-to-date inventory of the millions of DDoS weapons is an important part of any DDoS defense strategy," Groves said, explaining the importance of tracking DDoS weapons around the world. "By creating comprehensive blacklists of suspected IP addresses, policies can be created to block those weapons in an attack. To that end, A10 Networks and our partner DDoS threat researchers analyze forensic data, tap networks, track bot-herder activities, and scan the internet for weapon signatures." In addition to comprehensive threat intelligence monitoring, A10 Networks is driving innovation in DDoS detection and mitigation solutions. Today, the company released a new capacity enhancement to its Thunder 14045 threat protection system, which delivers industry-leading attack traffic mitigation capabilities. This capacity gain provides the highest performance available in the market with 500 Gbps of defense in one appliance. The smaller form factor reduces the number of devices required, while building scalable DDoS defenses that meet the challenge of emerging attacks. About A10 Networks A10 Networks (NYSE: ATEN) provides Reliable Security Always, with a range of high-performance application networking solutions that help organizations ensure that their data center applications and networks remain highly available, accelerated and secure. Founded in 2004, A10 Networks is based in San Jose, Calif., and serves customers globally with offices worldwide. For more information, visit: www.a10networks.com and @A10Networks. The A10 logo, A10 Networks, A10 Harmony, Thunder, SSL Insight and Reliable Security Always are trademarks or registered trademarks of A10 Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005308/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Calgary-based Firm, McLeod Law Hosts the 2019 TAGLaw Western Regional Conference on the Heels of Its New Brand Refresh and Website Launch McLeod Law is pleased to announce that it is hosting the 2019 TAGLaw Western Regional Conference with 35+ lawyers arriving from across Canada and the United States. They will gather in Banff, Alberta where they will meet to discuss the interplays of the Cannabis industry and the laws between Canada and the U.S. Maria Nathanail, head of the McLeod Law Cannabis Group will be speaking along with Patrick Cummins, cannabis and securities lawyer with Blaney McMurtry in Toronto, Ontario. The discussions will be moderated by Brent Cooper, business litigation lawyer and McLeod Law representative for TAGLaw. This conference takes place on the heels of the firm's new brand identity and launch of its new website. Managing Partner, Robin Lokhorst comments, "Over the past year we have gone through an extensive process to uncover McLeod Law's special sauce. This is an exciting time for the firm. By speaking with clients, clleagues and looking at the industry, we were able to learn how McLeod Law is differentiated-by our people, our collaboration and our community." The brand refresh includes the unveiling of a new website as well as marketing assets and collateral. The website offers a wealth of information on the firm's full-service offering of business, litigation and personal client services. This is the start of one unified brand highlighting McLeod's values and advantages for one consistent message to clients and prospective clients, as well as internal stakeholders. The firm partnered with Evans Hunt and leading expert consultant, Linda Williams on the project. To check out the firm's new brand identity visit www.mcleod-law.com About McLeod Law LLP McLeod Law LLP is a full-service business, litigation and personal client services firm located in Calgary serving privately-held companies and individuals. McLeod's team of 50+ lawyers take a customized approach to every client engagement, scaled accordingly for an efficient and effective result. McLeod Law is in the business of helping people, and that will never change. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005772/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] CompanionMx Among 25 Accepted to MIT Startup Exchange, STEX25 CompanionMx, Inc., a digital health technology company focused on mobile behavioral health monitoring for patients and clinicians, today announced its acceptance to STEX25. STEX25 is an accelerator within MIT Startup Exchange comprised of 25 industry-ready startups that are poised for significant growth. CompanionMx's technology uses active monitoring of voice and passive monitoring of other smartphone metadata to continuously produce acoustic and behavioral biomarkers that predict core symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders. The technology was born out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. The company's solution, Companion includes an app, cloud processing and a clinician dashboard and has been clinically validated at Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals an multiple Veterans Affairs clinics. The software has been used by more than 1,500 patients and scores of behavioral health care clinicians and researchers across the U.S. "CompanionMx exhibits the high-caliber technology and growth potential we look for in startups that are part of STEX25," said Marcus Dahllof, Program Director, MIT (News - Alert) Startup Exchange. "The fact that CompanionMx was incubated at another successful MIT startup is not surprising, and something we see more often, great teams can continuously innovate even across industries. This is part of the MIT DNA." The MIT Startup Exchange actively promotes collaboration and partnerships between more than 1,500 MIT-connected startups and industry resources. Qualified startups are those founded or led by MIT faculty, staff, or alumni, or are based on MIT-licensed technology and are positioned for significant growth. Companies need to have proven technology through early use cases, clients, demos, or partnerships. Industry participants are principally members of MIT's Industrial Liaison Program (ILP). "We're thrilled that MIT will continue to be part of our growth story as we address the increasing demand for behavioral health solutions," said Sub Datta, CEO, CompanionMx. "As we strive to serve the behavioral health community through improved outcomes and early prediction of mood disorder episodes, we look forward to leveraging the network and resources available through STEX25." For more information, visit www.companionmx.com. About CompanionMx CompanionMx, Inc. is a digital health technology company with a proven platform for proactive mobile mental health monitoring for better clinical outcomes. Born out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab and clinically validated at Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals and multiple Veterans Affairs clinics, the Companion system uses active monitoring of voice and passive monitoring of other smartphone metadata to continuously produce acoustic and behavioral biomarkers that predict core symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders. The software has been used by more than 1,500 patients and scores of behavioral health care clinicians and researchers. CompanionMx is headquartered in Boston. Learn more at www.companionmx.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005556/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Edge Technology Group Opens Sydney Office Edge Technology Group, a privately-owned, fully-managed IT service provider for leading financial firms worldwide, has announced its expansion into Australia. Edge opened its eighth office, forming Edge TG Australia Pty Ltd. in Sydney. Chris Schmutz has joined the Edge team as a Director of the Australia entity, steering the group's efforts in the region. Mr. Schmutz brings a wealth of knowledge in product management and business development within the FinTech space. He has held leadership roles at JP Morgan (News - Alert), SS&C Technologies and KPMG. "Having known and admired Chris for a long time, I am thrilled to now have him leading this team. His experience and understanding of the industry will be essential to the strategic expansion of our Asia Pacific presence," said Emily Randall, Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific for Edge Technology. Edge's anchor client on the ground is one of the world's largest pension funds. They have retained Edge to provide institutionallevel IT services and support in the region and globally. Edge has enjoyed healthy and consistent organic growth over the last 12 years and counts some of the world's leading pension funds, hedge funds, private equity firms, family offices and asset managers as customers. "The decision to expand into Sydney was a logical step in our business growth strategy," said Jim Nekos, Managing Partner and CEO of Edge Technology Group. "Our clientele is increasingly global in-nature and it's critical that we meet them where they live to partner with them most effectively." To learn more about Edge Technology Group, contact [email protected] or visit www.edgetg.com About Edge Technology Group Edge Technology Group is a sector-focused consultancy, exclusively representing alternative investment managers globally. Edge offers fully managed IT services and complete cloud solutions. The company delivers immediate, flexible and proprietary solutions that satisfy the needs of Hedge Funds, Private Equity Firms, Family Offices and Asset Managers worldwide. Edge has 8 locations across Asia Pacific, Europe and the US, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, London, New York, San Francisco, Austin and Greenwich, CT. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005193/en/ [March 05, 2019] Goodwin Welcomes Prominent, First-Chair Securities and Commercial Litigator Douglas Flaum in New York Global law firm Goodwin announced today that Douglas Flaum has joined the firm as a partner in the Financial Institutions Industry practice in New York. A nationally recognized securities litigation and trial lawyer, Flaum has more than 30 years of experience litigating cases on behalf of domestic and foreign corporations, directors, and special board committees in a diverse range of commercial, securities, and real estate matters. "Doug is a seasoned first-chair litigator who has built an incredible practice and achieved significant results on behalf of global corporations and financial institutions," said Jim McGarry, co-chair of Goodwin's Financial Industry practice. "His sophisticated yet practical understanding of the needs and considerations facing all sides when it comes to litigation will be a great complement to our deep bench of business and financial industry litigators, especially in New York. We are thrilled to welcome Doug to Goodwin." Marshall Fishman, head of Goodwin's New York Commercial and Financial Litigation group, said, "Doug has a strong reputation and robust track record in the New York legal market. Adding his practice, which sits at the intersection of financial, securities and business litigation, aligns with our ongoing efforts to expand our capabilities and relationships with financial institutions in this region. We are delighted he is joining the firm." Flaum has extensive experience advising on complex financial and business arrangement matters, including cases under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, joint venture and partnership disputes, long-term supply arrangements, business tort and contract matters, issues of corporate governance, alleged breaches of fiduciary duties, contests for corporate control, and a variety of enforcement proceedings. He also regularly conducts internal investigations of whistleblower complaints and advises corporations and their officers and directors in nonlitigation context. He has garnered significant praise over the course of his legal career including being consistently recognized as a leading lawyer for securities and commercial litigation by both Chambers and USA Legal 500. Additionally, he is ranked as a "National Star" and a "New York Litigation Star" by Benchmark: Litigation. Flaum is a prolific author having contributed to leading treatises on takeover defense and published articles on directors' and officers' fiduciary duties, attorney-client privilege, alternative dispute resolution, and international discovery. Flaum can be reached at 212.813.8884 or [email protected]. Goodwin's Financial Industry practice delivers an unprecedented combination of innovation, diverse perspectives and deeply rooted knowledge of the broad, global financial services industry, all in one cohesive platform. This holistic approach enables us to provide our clients with strategic and tactical advice, a range of pragmatic options and bottom-line results. From transactional law to compliance to enforcement to litigation, more than 100 Financial Industry lawyers working from Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., London, and Frankfurt, our lawyers offer a single point of counsel and experience across transactional, advisory, and litigation matters. About Goodwin At Goodwin, we partner with our clients to practice law with integrity, ingenuity, agility and ambition. Our 1,000-plus lawyers across the United States, Europe and Asia excel at complex transactions, high-stakes litigation and world-class advisory services in the technology, life sciences, real estate, private equity, and financial industries. Our unique combination of deep experience serving both the innovators and the investors in a rapidly-changing, technology-driven economy sets us apart. To learn more, visit us at www.goodwinlaw.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005127/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Halodoc, Asia Pacific's Most Innovative Healthcare Start-up, Raises US$65 Million as It Continues to Improve Healthcare Access across Indonesia JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Halodoc, Indonesia's leading healthcare platform, has raised US$65 million in Series B funding, led by new investor UOB Venture Management. Other new investors in the financing round include Singtel Innov8, Korea Investment Partners and WuXi AppTec. Existing investors also participated. Halodoc is a digital healthcare platform that includes a mobile app and website allowing customers across Indonesia to have live consultations with more than 20,000 licensed doctors in the country, anytime, anywhere. Its platform usage grew by 2500% in 2018, demonstrating robust demand for healthcare convenience. Customers can order lab tests to be carried out in their home and use the app to order medication from 1,300 participating pharmacies, which can be delivered within an hour. alodoc has teamed with more than 1,400 hospitals and healthcare providers in a nationwide partnership to improve the hospital visit experience. The partnership provides customers with shortened wait times at the pharmacy post appointment and a cashless hospital visit through linking of insurance benefits. Halodoc will use the new funds to perfect the online to offline healthcare experience with hospitals and insurance partners as its roll-out continues in 2019. Halodoc was named "Most Innovative Start-up in Asia in November 2018" by Galen Growth Asia, an organisation that monitors the healthcare start-up ecosystem in Asia Pacific. Jonathan Sudharta, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Halodoc, said, "Today, we provide two million customers with convenient and reliable healthcare services monthly, of which half reside outside Java. There is a huge potential for technology to extend the reach of conventional healthcare, providing better access for the archipelago's large population. The strategic investments and partnerships will enable us to accelerate our efforts in building a platform that improves access and convenience to millions of Indonesian customers." Kian-Wee Seah, Managing Director and CEO, UOB Venture Management, said, "Halodoc's vision is to use technology to make quality healthcare more accessible for everyone and to optimize finite healthcare resources in a vast country such as Indonesia. This investment in Halodoc is a reflection of our responsible investing approach to support economic and social development." Halodoc has worked closely with its existing investors, Openspace Ventures, Clermont Group, Blibli.com and InvestIdea who share a similar vision for the future of healthcare. Whilst Halodoc's strategic partner GOJEK Group, continues its commitment to Halodoc's success. Andre Soelistyo, President GOJEK said, "At GOJEK, we focus relentlessly on solving problems and making life better for people throughout Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Halodoc very much shares this ethos, which is why the company was one of our earliest ecosystem partners. We worked together to create GO-MED, through which Halodoc's services are made available to millions of our users through the GOJEK app. We are proud to support the company and its management team and look forward to deepening the integration between our two platforms." Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190305/2393476-1 Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190305/2393476-1LOGO SOURCE Halodoc [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] IDC Reports Strong Growth in the Worldwide Wearables Market, Led by Holiday Shipments of Smartwatches, Wrist Bands, and Ear-Worn Devices The worldwide market for wearable devices grew 31.4% during the fourth quarter of 2018 (4Q18), reaching a new high of 59.3 million units according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. Growth in the market was driven by new wearables launching during the months leading up to the holiday season as well as new smartphone launches as many were bundled with wearables from leading brands. Shipments for the entire year of 2018 grew by 27.5% with 172.2 million wearables shipped. Much of this growth was attributed to the growing number of ear-worn devices as they captured almost a quarter of the market during the year. In keeping up with current trends, IDC (News - Alert) has recently revised its taxonomy for ear-worn devices to now include wireless headphones capable of enabling smart assistants at the touch of a button or through hot-word detection. Examples of such headphones include Apple's (News - Alert) AirPods, Google's Pixel Buds, Bose's QC35II, and more. Among the various form factors available during the quarter, smartwatches grew 55.2% compared to 4Q17 and accounted for 34.3% of the overall market during the quarter. Meanwhile, wrist bands accounted for 30% of the market as recent launches from Xiaomi, Huawei, and Fitbit continued to drive the category forward. Ear-worn devices grew 66.4% and captured 21.9% of the market. "The market for ear-worn wearables has grown substantially this past year and we expect this to continue in the years to come," said Jitesh Ubrani senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers. "It is the next battleground for companies as these types of headphones become a necessity for many given the exclusion of headphone jacks from modern devices. Add to that the rise of smart assistants and in-ear biometrics and companies have the perfect formula to sell consumers on a device that's complimentary to the device ecosystem that lives on their wrist and in their pocket." "Smartwatches, meanwhile, grew 54.3% and accounted for 29.8% of all wearable device shipments in 2018," said Ramon T. Llamas, research director for IDC's Wearables. "Apple accounted for nearly half the market and followed by a long list of companies that posted double- and triple-digit growth. What resulted from this was a growing list of devices available at multiple price-points to meet the needs of a diverse market." Company Highlights Apple maintained the number 1 position with 16.2 million devices shipped in 4Q18, 10.4 million of which were Apple Watches. The Series 4 has been off to a very strong start and IDC anticipates this to continue as more healthcare organizations and consumers adopt the latest device. The remainder of Apple's shipments were comprised of AirPods and Beats headphones in the ear-worn category. Xiaomi captured the second position amongst the top 5 with 12.6% share. The company's products remain strong in its home country of China. However, recent investments in Europe and other Asian countries have paid off and helped cement Xiaomi's name as a competitive force. Xiaomi's Mi Band 3 alone accounted for over 30% of all wrist bands shipped during the quarter. Huawei had a great quarter in the wearables and smartphone markets. Within smartphones, the company grew 43% during the quarter in an otherwise declining market and this translated to a staggering 248.5% growth in the wearables market since many of the Huawei and Honor phones were bundled with wearables. New product launches such as the Watch GT, FreeBuds 2 Pro, and a few others also helped the company gain traction. Fitbit finally returned to growth during the holiday season as the new Charge 3, combined with promotional activity on other popular devices such as the Versa, helped the company to claw back some of its market share. The company's outlook remains strong as investments in the healthcare segment continue to pay off. In the U.S., Fitbit has managed to partner with providers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, and others, allowing for further proliferation of its devices and services. Rounding out the top 5 was Samsung (News - Alert) with 4 million units shipped during the quarter. Similar to Huawei and Xiaomi, Samsung was also able to bundle many of its wearables with smartphones. The newly launched Galaxy Watch was quite well received although older models such as the Gear S3 still managed to capture a notable share of Samsung's overall shipments. Top 5 Wearable Companies by Shipment Volume, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q4 2018 (shipments in millions) Company 4Q18 Shipments 4Q18 Market Share 4Q17 Shipments 4Q17 Market Share Year-over- Year Growth 1. Apple 16.2 27.4% 13.3 29.6% 21.5% 2. Xiaomi 7.5 12.6% 5.2 11.6% 43.3% 3. Huawei 5.7 9.6% 1.6 3.6% 248.5% 4. Fitbit 5.5 9.4% 5.4 11.9% 3.0% 5. Samsung 4.0 6.8% 2.0 4.3% 105.6% Others 20.3 34.3% 17.6 38.9% 15.6% Total 59.3 100.0% 45.1 100.0% 31.4% Source (News - Alert): IDC Worldwide Quarterly Wearables Tracker, March 5, 2019 In addition to the table above, a graphic illustrating worldwide market share for the top 5 wearables companies over the previous five quarters is available by viewing this press release on IDC.com. Top 5 Wearable Companies by Shipment Volume, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, 2018 (shipments in millions) Company 2018 Shipments 2018 Market Share 2017 Shipments 2017 Market Share Year-over- Year Growth 1. Apple 46.2 26.8% 33.1 24.5% 39.5% 2. Xiaomi 23.3 13.5% 16.1 11.9% 44.6% 3. Fitbit 13.8 8.0% 15.4 11.4% -10.0% 4. Huawei 11.3 6.6% 4.6 3.4% 147.3% 5. Samsung 10.7 6.2% 5.8 4.3% 85.1% Others 66.8 38.8% 60.0 44.4% 11.2% Total 172.2 100.0% 135.0 100.0% 27.5% Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Wearables Tracker, March 5, 2019 About IDC Trackers IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly excel deliverables and on-line query tools. To see more of IDC's worldwide wearables market data, go to https://www.idc.com/promo/wearablevendor. For more information about IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone (News - Alert) Tracker, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or [email protected]. About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading media, data and marketing services company that activates and engages the most influential technology buyers. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. -###- All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005268/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Purchasing Property in Turkey With Cryptocurrency Now Possible With Antalya Homes ISTANBUL, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the loss in the value of many digital currencies and particularly Bitcoin in the past year, data from Statista indicates that the number of cryptocurrency wallet owners has increased 32% and reached 31 million by the end of 2018. Widely used in many industries including automotive, travel and informatics, cryptocurrency has also become widespread in the real estate sector. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/830501/Bitcoin_Turkish_Property.jpg ) Leading companies in the world such as Microsoft, Virgin Atlantic and Shopify now allow users to make payments in cryptocurrencies for their products and services. The real estate sector has also experienced an increase in the use of digital currencies and it is now possible to buy houses with cryptocurrency in Turkey, a home for many foreign investors. With a total market value of 140 billion dollars, cryptocurrency is actively used in travel, food, information technoloies, automotive as well as real estate sectors. As one of the most attractive European countries for housing investment where 40 thousand properties has been sold to foreigners in 2018, Turkey uses not only Bitcoin (BTC) but also Ripple (XRP), Ethereum (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin Gold (BTG), Litecoin (LTC), Tether (USDT) and Stellar (XLM) for house sale transactions. Antalya Homes, the leading international real estate agency, which has helped thousands of foreigners obtain a home in Turkey to date, adopted an innovative approach selling nine houses in 2018 using Bitcoin (BTC). "Purchasing property with cryptocurrency offers more advantages" The leading real estate agency in Turkey, Antalya Homes is one of the organizations in the sector that accepts cryptocurrencies. Stating that they have completed sales of 9 real estates in 2018 using Bitcoin (BTC), Bayram Tekce, Chairman of Antalya Homes said, "Payment with cryptocurrency enables a more reliable and faster transaction performance such as money transfer between bank accounts without any exchange loss. It is very profitable to purchase real estate for those who want to utilize their cryptocurrency investments in the real estate sector. By making investments particularly in countries like Turkey, where housing is becoming increasingly valuable, investors can shift their investment to a less risky and safer area, and multiply their savings. We created a special section named "Pay with Bitcoin on Antalya Homes website for all questions related to purchasing houses with cryptocurrency. For those who intend to purchase a home with cryptocurrency, Antalya Homes offers the opportunity to own a house in Turkey starting from 30 thousand Euros (9 BTC)." Contact: Tulay Genc [email protected] +90(850)885-12-55 https://b2press.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Troy Medicare Brings Transparency to Medicare Advantage Troy Medicare, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based startup Medicare Advantage plan, announced today that it has signed an agreement with its pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) that brings greater transparency to drug pricing. Launching in five counties in North Carolina in 2019, Troy Medicare uses data and technology to streamline payments, minimize hassle, and empower providers. "We are a team of health insurance veterans, software engineers, and high-performing providers," said Flaviu Simihaian, CEO of Troy Medicare. "This competitive advantage enables us to reduce the administrative burden for the hospitals, doctors, and pharmacies in our network so that hey can focus 100% of their attention on providing care to Troy Medicare members." "Drug pricing today lacks transparency due to most PBMs hiding the true cost of medications behind rebates, kickbacks, and hidden retroactive clawbacks," said Josh Young, pharmacy owner in North Carolina and investor in Troy Medicare. "Troy is the first Medicare plan to use a transparent pricing model called NADAC (National Average Drug Acquisition Cost), which is published weekly on the Medicaid website. This level of transparency allows patients to know the exact cost of each medication before they show up at the pharmacy. This is truly revolutionary for providers and seniors across the country." As a Medicare Advantage plan, Troy Medicare receives a capitated payment from the federal government and is responsible for the full cost of care of its members. The company is focused on the rural communities across the United States where pharmacists and physicians are the core of each member's healthcare decisions. Troy Medicare has assembled a network of hospitals, doctors, and pharmacies who have proven to meaningfully reduce health costs for members in their community. By reducing these providers' administrative burden and empowering them with world-class data and technology, Troy Medicare's network of hospitals, doctors, and pharmacies have proven to meaningfully reduce health costs for members in their community. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005053/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Announces $1 Million in Awards to Address Gaps in Cleantech Development and Commercialization The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) today announced it has awarded $1 million in grants to support 13 projects that address gaps in the development and commercialization of clean energy (cleantech) and agriculture technology (agtech). All 13 projects are affiliated with IN2 Channel Partners, a network of incubators, accelerators and university programs that refer start-up companies to IN2 and are critical players in IN2's efforts to advance a robust cleantech ecosystem. The awards are competitive grants to fund efforts to advance sustainable technology solutions that lead to partnerships, capital flow, job creation and sharing of best practices across the ecosystem. "Ultimately, the goal with our Channel Partner Awards program is to create a strong, collaborative ecosystem of support across the U.S.," said Trish Cozart, IN2 program manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. "We are funding these partners to continue their support of early-stage entrepreneurs and each other, as they create partnerships and share knowledge and learnings." IN2 Channel Partner (News - Alert) Awards recipients and their projects AgLaunch (Memphis) to create a common framework for connecting startups within its incubation program to historical and real-time farm data. BioSTL (St. Louis) to build a network and convene a strong community of Missouri growers who will provide the "voice of the customer" and test, validate and provide feedback on innovation solutions that meet their needs on their land. Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh) with several partners, to build a mature, supportive network and differentiate, elevate and amplify the energy, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Southwest Pennsylvania. Cleantech Open (Los Angeles) to seed its accelerator model in partner metropolitan areas and scale early-stage startup support resources, curricula and tools. Cyclotron Road (Berkeley, Calif.) to pilot and identify knowledge gaps with its "Founders Playbook," an online repository of resources for technology and energy entrepreneurs looking to grow a company from early concept to market impact. Helix Center (St. Louis) to expand its co-working office and lab space and accelerate the commercialization of research innovations and new business formation in ag-related industries. Innosphere (Fort Collins, Colo.) to research and address challenges related to artificial intelligence and Colorado's transportation and energy industries, and to research future artificial intelligence applications to agriculture. MaRS Discovery District (Toronto) in partnership with ACRE (Brooklyn, N.Y.), to optimize the NewtonX Access Knowledge search engine tool that connects startup ventures with appropriate subject matter experts to help them quickly and efficiently find answers to complex questions. Powerhouse (Oakland, Calif.) to develop a platform to formalize a process that would allow for a broader network of investors to share deal flow, co-investment opportunities and follow-on funding opportunities. Rice University (Houston) to conduct an eight-month accelerator program for university-based cleantech startups and early-stage ventures to prepare them for future incubation programs and successfully launching their businesses. The Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center (Warren, Ohio) to build out the Appalachia regional cluster to develop a yearly event focused on energy storage and IoT. Austin Technology Incubator at University of Texas-Austin (Austin, Texas) to develop a sustainable food system cluster in Central Texas that provides a proving ground for technologies driving greater efficiency; access and affordability in production, distribution and logistics; and point-of-sale and waste elimination. VertueLab (Portland, Oregon) to launch its Impact Fund that is focused on filling a critical capital gap for seed-stage cleantech startups in the Northwest. "The Wells Fargo (News - Alert) Innovation Incubator is proud to provide additional support for the IN2 Channel Partners in their efforts to accelerate the development and commercialization of clean technology and support of early-stage entrepreneurs," said Ramsay Huntley, Clean Technology and Innovation Philanthropy program officer with Wells Fargo. "These are the leaders who are really disrupting the industry and driving innovation." The IN2 Channel Partner Awards program was established in 2017 with $5 million of committed funding from Wells Fargo to be distributed over four years. Since inception, $2.1 million in competitive and non-competitive grants has supported more than 74 events, strategic meetings and trainings, and 21 larger strategic initiatives involving 23 organizations. In the pilot year of the awards program, funded projects have engaged more than 1,800 participants (entrepreneurs, industry and academic representatives and others), created nearly 200 jobs, led to more than $18.3 million in follow-on funding for startups involved and earned $812,000 in matching funds from outside organizations. For more information on the Channel Partner Awards program, please visit www.in2ecosystem.com. About the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) is a $30 million technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation. Co-administered by and housed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, IN2's mission is to speed the path to market for early-stage, clean-technology entrepreneurs. Launched in 2014 with an initial focus on supporting scalable solutions to reduce the energy impact of commercial buildings, IN2 expanded its focus in 2018 to advance technologies that address the interconnection of food, water and energy. Companies selected for participation in the program receive up to $250,000 in non-dilutive funding from Wells Fargo, technical support and validation from experts at NREL and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and ongoing connections to organizations across value chains. For more information, visit www.in2ecosystem.com. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,800 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 37 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 259,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. In 2018, Wells Fargo donated $444 million to 11,000 nonprofits. Also in 2018, Wells Fargo team members volunteered 2 million hours and collectively donated $75.4 million to nonprofit and community organizations during the company's annual Community Support Campaign. Wells Fargo's corporate social responsibility efforts are focused on three strategic priorities: diversity and social inclusion, economic empowerment, and environmental sustainability. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005523/en/ [March 04, 2019] Emerging Advisors at TD Ameritrade Institutional Are Growing up Fast Try this on for size: emerging advisory firms are generating big-time growth, given access to the right tools and resources. That's why TD Ameritrade Institutional1 is expanding educational offerings, hosting more learning events, and dedicating teams of technology and business consultants to help new firms move into the fast lane to growth. Emerging professional advisors, those managing less than $100 million in client assets and on a path to significant growth, are already delivering impressive results -- more than 24 percent annual asset growth on average over the past five years, according to a TD Ameritrade Institutional analysis. Even with the stock market losing ground last year, these emerging firms delivered 16 percent growth in 2018.2 While RIAs of all sizes have benefitted from rising markets, many emerging advisors are taking the right steps in their efforts to build growing businesses: adopting technology, attracting younger clients, staying focused on operational excellence, and taking advantage of educational and consulting resources. "Firms with less than $100 million in assets tend to have a flatter organization structure, which means they can be more agile and responsive to changing client needs and preferences. This enables emerging firms to make decisions on big changes like technology, marketing strategy and client experience faster than their more established peers," said Janelle Ward, head of TD Ameritrade Institutional's Emerging Advisor Accelerator Group. "These up and coming firms also are hungry for knowledge that helps them grow, and so we see high demand for curated content and engagement with our consultants." Emerging firms on the TD Ameritrade Institutional platform are early and eager adopters of technology that drives greater efficiency and productivity, says Ward, such as digital new-account opening, e-signature and electronic statement delivery. Helping Advisors Build and Grow While technology change has accelerated, the focus on helping firms grow is hardly new. For more than 25 years, TD Ameritrade Institutional has helped advisors build growing firms and pursue their business goals with industry-leading technology, client service, consulting support and trading solutions. That approach has helped many smaller firms grow and evolve into some of the largest in the business. Among them is Alpha Cubed Investments LLC, an Irvine, Calif., RIA firm that has grown to more than $1 billion in client assets after starting with about $100 million in 2012. "We, like most advisors, didn't realize the depth and breadth of support TD Ameritrade could bring to the table before becoming independent," said Todd Walsh, chief executive and portfolio manager of Alpha Cubed. "State-of-the-art online access, easy-to-use investor tools and 24/7 support has allowed us to focus on our clients and grow the firm. These capabilities also helped our clients understand that working with us, even when we were smaller, was an upgrade from what they may have been used to with a 'full service' brokerage." Gradient Investments of Arden Hills, Minn., likewise expanded to more than $2 billion in assets since coming on to the TD Ameritrade platform with about $25 million in 2009. "Our relationship with TD Ameritrade Institutional and its state of the art platform has helped propel us to higher growth. This has enabled us to focus on client acquisition and growth of assets under management," said Michael Binger, CFA, president of Gradient Investments. "We appreciate that TD Ameritrade has tailored its platform, tools, and business processes to meet our changing requirements in an increasingly challenging and digital environment." Opportunities to Learn and Evolve TD Ameritrade Institutional has a wealth of educational offerings to help emerging advisors build growing, scalable businesses, from on-demand courses tailored for emerging firms and regional workshops to dedicated service and consulting teams ready to help advisors pursue their goals. TD Ameritrade continues to seek ways to improve its offerings to help emerging advisors launch and grow their business. Advisors that engage in TD Ameritrade Institutional Business Performance Solutions programs, which include workshops and webcasts, often go on to outperform their peers. On average, firms that participated in this marquee programs generated growth that was 8 percentage points higher than their peers 18 months after participation, according to a TD Ameritrade analysis. TD Ameritrade Institutional also has led the way in providing free access to education and live events for advisors, a program that has been expanded to include 26 regional workshops throughout the United States and nearly 100 webcasts each year. Emerging advisors can learn more about upcoming events by visiting https://www.tdainstitutional.com/resources/emerging-advisors.html. Advisors on the TD Ameritrade platform can tap into the Advisor Education Center, home to more than 2,500 on-demand, online coures available through single sign-on from Veo and Veo One3. Courses are focused on such growth-drivers as new client acquisition, client experience, human capital, marketing, efficiency and productivity. In the latest enhancement, the Education Center offers3 the Emerging Advisors Learning Path, which lays out a series of courses tailored for emerging advisors, such as getting started with technology, growing your business, an in depth look at TD Ameritrade's offerings, as well as research and benchmarking. Soon, TD Ameritrade Institutional will bring all this education and consulting support together through an interactive Digital Roadmap, an online tool designed to blaze a path to growth by providing RIAs easy access to TD Ameritrade Institutional's suite of tech, practice management and education offerings. Another growth strategy available to emerging firms involves mergers and acquisitions, and so TD Ameritrade Institutional is increasing its support for facilitating connections between advisors. FA Insight4 benchmarking research has found that two-thirds of RIA transactions were pursued with the objective of driving greater revenue growth and economies of scale. "Increasingly, we're seeing emerging firms join larger firms to accelerate growth, a trend we expect will continue for some time," said Ward. To Learn More To learn more about TD Ameritrade Institutional and educational offerings, advisors can reach out to Neil Curran, managing director, Emerging Advisor Acquisition; the Emerging Advisor Technology Consulting Team, led by Greg Jackson; and the Emerging Advisor Accelerator Team, led by Janelle Ward, by calling (800) 934-6124 or sending an email to [email protected]. To explore all of our on-demand educational offerings, clients can visit the Advisor Education Center directly from the Veo or Veo One platforms. Firms also may access the Emerging Advisors Learning Path. Independent RIAs are invited to find out more about TD Ameritrade Institutional's educational offerings, technology and trading solutions by visiting https://www.tdainstitutional.com. Register for upcoming events, webcasts and workshops at www.tdainstitutional.com/resources/emerging-advisors.html TD Ameritrade Institutional also offers a flash briefing for advisors through Amazon Alexa. The TD Ameritrade for Advisors skill, available now on the Alexa app, offers practice management insights, information about events, and technology tips from TD Ameritrade experts. Emerging advisors also are invited to participate in the 2019 FA Insight Study of Financial Advisors: Growth By Design. Survey participants can see how they stack up against peers and receive a customized business report at no extra cost. Deadline for survey completion is March 25, 2019. Advisors have not received remuneration for participation in providing these testimonials. Advisor testimonials may not represent the experience of all advisors using TD Ameritrade brokerage services. The advisors mentioned are not affiliated with TD Ameritrade Institutional. More information about the advisors is available on the SEC (News - Alert) website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). FA Insight is a product of TD Ameritrade Institutional, a division of TD Ameritrade Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. FA Insight is a trademark owned by TD Ameritrade IP Company, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved. About TD Ameritrade Institutional TD Ameritrade Institutional empowers more than 7,000 independent registered investment advisors to transform the lives of their clients. It provides powerful technology and resources that help simplify running a business and let advisors spend time more time doing what matters most - serving their clients. Through meaningful innovation, steadfast advocacy and unwavering service, TD Ameritrade Institutional supports RIAs as they build businesses that positively impact their clients and communities. TD Ameritrade Institutional is a division of TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, a brokerage subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. About TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation TD Ameritrade provides investing services and education to more than 11 million client accounts totaling approximately $1.2 trillion in assets, and custodial services to more than 7,000 registered investment advisors. We are a leader in U.S. retail trading, executing an average of approximately 900,000 trades per day for our clients, more than a quarter of which come from mobile devices. We have a proud history of innovation, dating back to our start in 1975, and today our team of 10,000-strong is committed to carrying it forward. Together, we are leveraging the latest in cutting edge technologies and one-on-one client care to transform lives, and investing, for the better. Learn more by visiting TD Ameritrade's newsroom at www.amtd.com, or read our stories at Fresh Accounts. Brokerage services provided by TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA (www.FINRA.org) / SIPC (www.SIPC.org) About Gradient Investments: Gradient Investments (GI) is an independent, privately-owned, fee-based, SEC registered investment advisor that provides professional money management and practice management services to RIAs nationwide. GI serves individuals, employer-sponsored pension plans, foundations, endowments, and corporations through actively managed ETF and equity solutions. 1 TD Ameritrade Institutional is a division of TD Ameritrade, Inc., a brokerage subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation. 2 Analysis excludes firms managing less than $10 million in assets, and with less than 24 months on the TD Ameritrade platform. 3 Education Center is a service provided to clients of TD Ameritrade Institutional. Veo or Veo One log-in credentials required. 4 The 2018 FA Insight Study of Advisor Firms: Growth by Design, available at www.fainsight.com Source (News - Alert): TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190304005952/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 04, 2019] Tier One Chinese Insurer Successfully Launches Next Generation Core System Based on eBaoCloud InsureMO as Middleware SHANGHAI, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- China Continent Insurance Co., Ltd. (CCIC) recently announced the successful launch of its next-generation Core System developed leveraging eBaoCloud InsureMO as middleware. With annual premium income of US$ 6.2 billion in 2018, and ranked number five in China, globally CCIC is likely the first large insurance carrier with all lines of insurance businesses to run its business in a core system based on microservices and cloud native architecture, powered by a commercially available insurance middleware. The new core system took much less time to develop due to the maturity and richness of InsureMO which provides all necessary microservices for all mainstream insurance products for sales and service functions. All internal staff user interfaces and workflows, as well as its powerful Open API platform for massive ecosystem connectivity are developed by calling a comprehensive set of APIs from eBaoCloud InsureMO. This is an entirely new approach for developing core insurance systems which enables insurance innovations to happen faster, cheaper, and more tailored made without reinventing the wheels of basic insurance APIs. After several months of production run, the new core system has supported CCIC business well and delivered its key benefits. The system now supports all lines of business at CCIC with more than 200 insurance products, from consumer lines, SME, to commercial lines, including Auto, Home, A&H, Cargo, Enterprise Property, Engineering, Agriculture, Liability, and others. The new core system enables new product launches and channel connections in days instead of months. It also allows CCIC to cope with drastic transaction volume changes in real time based on its cloud native distributed architecture. The microservice architecture also allows CCIC to launch new features much faster than with traditional enterprise software as each microservice is totally separated from others so that cross impact of any new features is much less a concern. Mr. Chen Yong, President of CCIC, stated, "The rise o next-generation intelligent technology has had a major impact on global economy, and it is imperative for insurance companies to adapt themselves to these changes. Keeping pace with the times, China Continent Insurance has developed a world-class next-generation core business system to deliver 'disruptive' improvements in business efficiency, management capacity and service quality. Going forward, the company will use technology to provide users with improved services, and push forward high-quality development of the insurance market toward win-win results for users, insurance companies, partners and the industry as a whole." "The successful production launch of this cloud native and microservices based core system at CCIC demonstrates two important points: first, cloud native and microservice architecture is now mature enough to support all lines of insurance businesses through the whole lifecycle of policy sales and services; secondly, with eBaoCloud InsureMO as an insurance middleware, insurance companies worldwide can now develop their next generation core systems that meet their own unique needs, while avoiding reinventing the wheel of basic insurance elements," Woody Mo, President and CEO of eBaoTech Corporation added. "eBaoCloud InsureMO is targeted as insurance middleware as well as connectivity hub to provide a one stop platform of real time innovation by insurers, channels, new digital affinities, and insurtech companies and other technology vendors. It can also be used to build a full feature core system for the largest insurers in the world with all lines of insurance products. The coming years will bring a fundamental change of how insurance industry adopts technology. A very exciting time is ahead of us. eBaoTech aims to be a leading enabler of this great revolution! eBaoTech is grateful to CCIC to have this partnership opportunity to make this happen! We are proud of this historical success!" About China Continent Insurance Co. China Continent Insurance Co., Ltd. is a national property and casualty insurer established with the approval of the State Council and China Insurance Regulatory Commission. It is also the only direct P&C insurance company under China Re Group. China Continent Insurance was established on October 15th, 2003 based in Shanghai, with registered capital of USD 2.2 billion. In 2018, the company achieved annual premium income of USD 6.2 billion, ranking the fifth in China. China Continent Insurance achieved leaps forward in development in the sixteen years since its foundation, with a nationwide network of 35 provincial branches, one special sales unit, one shipping insurance operation center, one e-commerce company, and over 2,000 outlets at provincial, municipal, and county levels. From 2014 to 2018, the company was continuously rated by A.M. Best and received an "A" in both financial strength rating (FSR) and issuer credit rating (ICR) with stable outlooks. More information at http://www.ccic-net.com.cn/ About eBaoTech eBaoTech is a technology solution provider to the global insurance industry and our mission is to "make insurance easy". We do business in more than 30 countries globally, serving over 200 carriers and numerous agents, brokers, affinities, and InsurTech's and others in the insurance ecosystem. Digital insurance is the coming wave and the insurance industry is moving into the API economy. eBaoTech provides solutions and services that enable digital insurance. eBaoTech has been dedicated to insurtech innovation since its founding in 2000. In 2001, eBaoTech developed world's first browser/server based insurance core system suite, leading the advent and adoption of Java-based 3G insurance IT. In 2015 eBaoTech launched the world's first distributed, cloud-native and microservices based 4G insurance platform that provides a complete set of insurance APIs across an insurance policy's full lifecycle for all mainstream insurance products. More information, please visit www.ebaotech.com. SOURCE eBaoTech [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 04, 2019] Tyto Athene, LLC Expands Intelligence Community Offerings by Acquiring Island IT Consultants Tyto Athene, a market leader in solving complex operational challenges by making information securely available across myriad technologies worldwide for government customers, backed by Arlington Capital Partners, has announced today its acquisition of Island Information Technology Consultants (IITC). This acquisition strengthens Tyto Athene's capabilities in the Intelligence Community and in core capabilities across the platform within the integrated information visualization and multimedia spaces for command and control environments. The addition of IITC marks the latest development in Tyto Athene and Arlington Capital Partners strategy of building a mid-market mission critical technology solutions and services business serving government customers. The strategy sees the company combining its understanding of government customer mission with core and edge based innovative technologies, services, and solutions to ultimately deliver better information faster thereby enabling faster, better, and more reliable decision making anywhere. "Tyto believes that ubiquitous access to the right information delivered at the right time especially in the furthest most edges of the enterprise, is paramount to mission success," said Jeff Murray, Tyto Athene CEO. "Decisions are made where information is consumed and therefore assuring information is presented in consistent and reliable ways is paramount to our client's success. The combination of Tyto Athene and IITC enables us to create significantly greater value in our client's decision making capabilities and processes. IITC brings tremendous capabilities, people, values, and mission awareness that combined can be used across the entire Tyto Athene portfolio to create better outcomes for our customers." Dennis Powell, Founder and CEO of IITC, said, "We are excited about this relationship, and we believe it will enable IITC to take the next step in development and growth. Tyto Athene and IITC share the same attitude toward customer support and employee welfare that has helped usto become successful in the space we currently support and has obviously been the formula for success for Tyto Athene as well. I believe this union can only enhance what we can do for each other, our employees, and our customers. We look forward to what the future holds." Michael Lustbader, a Managing Partner at Arlington, said, "We have been very impressed with the organization that Dennis, Patti, Matt, and Matthew have built serving a highly demanding customer. We are excited about the combination of IITC with Tyto Athene and believe both businesses share the same intense focus on the customer and mission. This focus will allow the combined business to continue driving value for all of the Company's stakeholders." About Tyto Athene Tyto Athene is a full service systems integrator focused on helping clients accelerate their ability to make decisions by providing ubiquitous and secure access to enterprise information throughout their operating environment. Tyto Athene uses a myriad of technologies, innovative thinking, and proven processes to deliver successful outcomes for its clients worldwide. To learn more about Tyto Athene please visit www.GoTyto.com. About IITC Island Information Technology Consultants ("IITC") are leaders in the field of large enterprise Unified Communication and collaboration services. IITC's Architects, Engineers and Technicians are experts in all areas of Audio, Video, Streaming, VTC, Telephony, and Instant Messaging / Chat Services. IITC can develop, install, and maintain an enterprise level Audio Video Multimedia (AVMM) solution to empower employees to communicate effectively and seamlessly reducing or eliminating expensive travel excursions. IITC prides itself in offering experienced and well-trained staff with the breadth of capabilities and depth of experience needed to completely support their clients. As a company, IITC averages over twenty years of experience in areas such as: Systems Engineering, Information Technology (IT) program and project management, Systems Administration, Audio Video Multimedia, Enterprise Management Systems (EMS) Integration and Deployment, Network, and Communications Engineering About Arlington Capital Partners Arlington Capital Partners is a Washington, D.C.-area private equity firm that has managed $2.2 billion of committed capital via four investment funds, including Arlington's fourth and most recent $700 million fund. Arlington is focused on middle market investment opportunities in growth industries, including: government services and technology, aerospace/defense, healthcare, and business services and software. The firm's professionals and network have a unique combination of operating and private equity experience that enable Arlington to be a value-added investor. Arlington invests in companies in partnership with high quality management teams that are motivated to establish and/or advance their company's position as leading competitors in their field. www.arlingtoncap.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190304006055/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 04, 2019] Singapore Government Enhances Cybersecurity Defenses With Second HackerOne Bug Bounty Programme HackerOne, the leading hacker-powered security platform, Singapore's Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) today announced the successful conclusion of the latest Government Bug Bounty Programme (GBBP), part of the Singapore Government's ongoing initiative to build a secure and resilient Smart Nation. During the three week hacking challenge, more than 400 hackers globally were invited to look for security weaknesses in the Singapore Government's digital assets. As a result, hackers earned $11,750 in exchange for reporting 26 valid security weaknesses to GovTech so they could be safely fixed. Through their bug bounty programme Singapore is improving the security of its internet-facing government systems with help from hackers. The GBBP ran from 27 December 2018 to 16 January 2019 and welcomed 400 ethical hackers to test five internet-facing government systems. Of the 26 valid vulnerabilities reported through the GBBP on HackerOne, seven were considered low severity, 18 were medium severity, and one was high severity. One-quarter of all participating hackers and seven out of the top 10 hackers who earned bounties were from Singapore. Following these successful programs, GovTech and CSA plan to expand the next edition of the GBBP to include more Government internet-connected systems and websites. "National security cannot exist without cybersecurity," said Marten Mickos, CEO of HackerOne. "The Singapore Government has fully realized this. They are governmental pioneers in safeguarding vital internet connected systems with the help of an army of over 300,000 ethical hackers. They realize that bg bounty programs allow us to bring the best minds together to counter the risks of today's cyber environment." This is the Singapore government's second successful bug bounty programme with industry leader HackerOne, following the first bug bounty programme by the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). By bringing together a community of cyber defenders who share the common goal of developing a safe and resilient cyberspace, the GBBP builds collective ownership over the cybersecurity of Government systems and websites, which is vital to achieve Singapore's Smart Nation goals. HackerOne was selected to manage the bug bounty programme because of its largest credentialled global ethical hacker community and proven results with MINDEF and proven track record of success with governments globally. GovTech and MINDEF join government agencies like the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. General Service Administration, and the European Commission who partner with HackerOne to find their critical security vulnerabilities with help from the global hacker community. About Government Technology Agency The Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) is the lead agency driving Singapore's Smart Nation initiative and public sector digital transformation. As the Centre of Excellence for Infocomm Technology and Smart Systems (ICT & SS), GovTech develops the Singapore Government's capabilities in Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Application Development, Sensors & IoT, Digital Infrastructure, and Cybersecurity. GovTech supports public agencies to manage enterprise IT operations and develop new digital products for citizens and businesses. GovTech is the public sector lead for cybersecurity, and oversees key government ICT infrastructure, as well as regulates ICT procurement, data protection and security in the public sector. GovTech is a Statutory Board under the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) in the Prime Minister's Office. For more information, please visit www.tech.gov.sg. About the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) provides dedicated and centralised oversight of national cybersecurity functions, and works with sector leads to protect Singapore's critical services. It also engages with various industries, and stakeholders to heighten cybersecurity awareness as well as to ensure the holistic development of Singapore's cyber security landscape. The Agency is part of the Prime Minister's Office and is managed by the Ministry of Communications and Information. For more information, please visit www.csa.gov.sg. About HackerOne HackerOne is the #1 hacker-powered security platform, helping organizations find and fix critical vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. More Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 1000 companies trust HackerOne than any other hacker-powered security alternative. The U.S. Department of Defense, General Motors, Google, Twitter (News - Alert), GitHub, Nintendo, Lufthansa, Panasonic Avionics, Qualcomm, Starbucks, Dropbox, Intel, the CERT Coordination Center and over 1,200 other organizations have partnered with HackerOne to find over 100,000 vulnerabilities and award over $47M in bug bounties. HackerOne is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in London, New York, the Netherlands, and Singapore. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190304006061/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Guide Sensmart to display the world's most cost-effective thermal imaging scope at IWA 2019 WUHAN, China, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Guide Sensmart will participate in IWA 2019 in Exhibition Centre Nuremberg (booth 611 in 7A Hall) from 8th to 11st Mar 2019, to demonstrate the power of their new launched thermal imaging devices for hunting, outdoor and security applications. Guide Sensmart is the biggest IR manufacturer in Asia, specializing in thermal imaging devices and thermal cores for hunting, outdoor, and use in civil and official security. They have their own R&D teams and production lines, ensuring high-quality thermal products with competitive prices and reliable supply chains. At IWA 2019, Guide Sensmart will display all their most popular and newly developed thermal imaging products like the TA435 Clip-on Thermal Scope and TrackIR Thermal Monocular. The TA435 Clip-On Thermal Scope is a truly versatile and convenient thermal imaging scope. It can be used as a thermal imaging attachment by mounting it in front of the daylight rifle scope for a high quality thermal imaging experience without needing to re-zero or remove the dayligh scope. Just "clip it on" in front of the daylight optics. 400x300 17m IR resolution, 50HZ refresh rate and 1024x768 full-color OLED display ensure a high quality and smooth image while moving. Additionally, it features a compact design, IP67, and can perform well in temperatures down to -30C. Unique stray light analysis technology, and digital zoom of the TA435 and the daylight scope enable it to detect animals 1000 meters away and aim accurately. The TA435 can be used as a handheld thermal monocular by connecting an eyepiece. The TrackIR series is Guide Sensmart's new generation handheld thermal imaging scope and will be publicly displayed for the first time at IWA 2019. It provides users with an adaptable and high-performance thermal imaging experience, even in complete darkness and harsh weather. It also supports smooth zoom(1x-8x), stadia metric rangefinder, image quality adjustable, PIP zoom and other functions. Powerful and rugged, with its high IR resolution (640x480), 1280960 HD display and high frame rate (50Hz), TrackIR captures sharp thermal imaging even during dynamic, rapid motion. It can be connected to external accessories such as laser rangefinder, lighting, mobile power supply, etc. Learn more about Guide Sensmart's latest thermal imaging products and attractive cooperation opportunities at IWA 2019, at Stand Hall 7A-611 Contact: Tel: +86-27-8129 8784 Email: [email protected] Website: www.guideir.com SOURCE Guide Sensmart [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Trustpilot Closes $55 Million Series E Funding Round Led by Sunley House Capital Management Trustpilot, the leading independent platform for companies to build trust with consumers, today announced it has raised $55 million in a Series E equity investment round. The round was led by Sunley House Capital Management, an affiliate of global private equity firm Advent International, with strong participation from existing shareholders Vitruvian Partners, Draper Esprit, Index Ventures, Northzone and Seed Capital. Founded in 2007, Trustpilot has grown rapidly since inception via its freemium SaaS (News - Alert) business model. The Series E funds will help Trustpilot strengthen its market leading position through investment in marketing, its technology platform and people and accelerate its drive to set new standards for transparency in the review space. The investment follows another milestone year for Trustpilot. The company now has more than 58 million reviews of over 265,000 company domains from 150+ countries. Today, Trustpilot is one of the top 1% most visited websites worldwide and a leader in the UK, other European markets and North America. Its brand is seen more than 3.5 billion times online each month. Feedback shared through the Trustpilot platform empowers consumers to get closer to the companies they buy from, make better buying decisions and influence others For companies, openly collecting consumer reviews on Trustpilot not only helps them grow and show brand trust but also delivers tangible, measurable business results such as actionable customer insights, helping more consumers discover their brand online (including through the strongest SEO power of any comparable platform) and turning significantly more browsers into buyers. "There has never been a greater need for trust online and in the world which is why we keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the review space," said Trustpilot founder and CEO, Peter Muhlmann. "Our open and transparent approach is crucial. It empowers consumers and companies to collaborate, innovate and improve together and that's what builds lasting brand trust." Commenting on the investment, Mohammed Anjarwala, a Managing Director at Sunley House Capital Management, said, "Trustpilot offers a powerful value proposition to businesses, enabling them to improve their digital marketing efficiency and enhance customer engagement. We believe that the company has significant opportunities for continued growth, both in its core UK market and internationally, and look forward to supporting Peter and the Trustpilot team." Mr. Anjarwala will join the Board of Directors at Trustpilot. About Trustpilot Trustpilot is a leading independent review platform, free and open to all companies and consumers. With more than 58 million reviews of over 265,000 domains, Trustpilot gives people a place to share and discover reviews of companies, and enables every company to turn consumer feedback into business results. Trustpilot's mission is to bring people and companies closer together to create ever-improving experiences for everyone. Its brand is seen more than 3.5 billion times online each month. With offices in Copenhagen, London, New York, Denver, Berlin, Melbourne and Vilnius, Trustpilot's 700 employees represent more than 40 different nationalities. For more information, visit https://www.trustpilot.com/ About Sunley House Capital Management Sunley House Capital Management ("Sunley House") manages a concentrated global equity fund making minority investments in both public companies and select private companies. It is an affiliate of Advent International, one of the largest and most experienced global private equity firms. Sunley House, like Advent, focuses on investments in five core sectors, including business and financial services; healthcare; industrial; retail, consumer and leisure; and technology, media and telecom. For more information, visit https://www.adventinternational.com/sunleyhouse/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190304006088/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Accenture Interactive to Strengthen Creative Capabilities by Acquiring Hjaltelin Stahl Accenture (News - Alert) (NYSE: ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire Hjaltelin Stahl, a leading Danish creative agency, known for its ability to create unique and consistent cross-media experiences for its clients. The award-winning Copenhagen-based agency will become part of Accenture Interactive and boost its capabilities as an Experience Agency in the Nordic countries and beyond. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005168/en/ Hjaltelin Stahl is one of the leading and most awarded creative agencies in Denmark (Photo: Business Wire) Hjaltelin Stahl, founded in 2003, is one of Denmark's largest independent agencies by revenue and was voted the best agency in Denmark in 2019 for the fourth consecutive year by 750+ marketing leaders in the annual MyImage survey. Hjaltelin Stahl creates cross-channel branding campaigns and digital experiences for brands such as Arla, COOP, IKEA, Suzuki and Telia. The agency employs approximately 150 creatives, visual designers, producers, technologists and communication consultants specializing in advertising, branding, film production, social and marketing automation. "Experience is the battleground," says Anatoly Roytman, head of Accenture Interactive Europe, Africa and Latin America. "To win in today's market, brands must offer experiences that create value across every interaction throughout the customer journey. The addition of Hjaltelin Stahl proves that the Nordics is a strategic growth region for Accenture Interactive, both in terms of fostering creative talent and expanding digital capabilities as the leading Experience Agency." Accenture Interactive recently announced the addition of talent from Swedish creative agency, The World Loves, and the acquisition of Kaplan. Accenture Interactive ranks as the world's largest digital agency, according to Ad Age. "Hjaltelin Stahl has always created communication and customer experiences under the tagline 'Logic & Magic in Any Media.' Accenture Interactive has the same beliefs but at global scale," said Nicolai Stahl, creative director and partner, Hjaltelin Stahl. Steffen Hjaltelin, chairman and partner of Hjaltelin Stahl, commented: "We have known for some time, that if we were to join anyone it would be Accenture Interactive. We each represent complementary skills and cultures that, together, will help us create even greater customer experiences." "With the addition of Hjaltelin Stahl to Accenture Interactive we will significantly strengthen our ability to design, build and run the greatest customer experiences for our clients in Denmark and beyond," says Christian Dam, mnaging director of Accenture Interactive for Denmark. "Hjaltelin Stahl's team and their proven capabilities will perfectly complement and enhance our presence in Denmark and other Nordic countries." In becoming part of Accenture Interactive, Hjaltelin Stahl will gain access to a scalable set of capabilities across design and innovation, content, marketing, and commerce experience platforms, and the ability to take advantage of Accenture Interactive's deep industry experience and global scale. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions - underpinned by the world's largest delivery network - Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 469,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com. Accenture Interactive helps the world's leading brands transform their customer experiences across the entire customer journey. Through our connected offerings in design, marketing, content and commerce, we create new ways to win in today's experience-led economy. Accenture Interactive is ranked the world's largest digital agency in the latest Ad Age Agency Report, for the third year in a row, and was named a 2019 Most Innovative Company in Advertising by Fast Company. To learn more, follow us @accentureACTIVE and visit www.accentureinteractive.com. Forward-Looking Statements Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "positioned," "outlook" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture and Hjaltelin Stahl will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties' ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for Accenture; Accenture's results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic and political conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company's clients' businesses and levels of business activity; Accenture's business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company's services and solutions including through the adaptation and expansion of its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the changing technological environment could materially affect the company's results of operations; if Accenture is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company's business, the utilization rate of the company's professionals and the company's results of operations may be materially adversely affected; Accenture could face legal, reputational and financial risks if the company fails to protect client and/or company data from security breaches or cyberattacks; the markets in which Accenture operates are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; changes in Accenture's level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company's effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; Accenture's profitability could materially suffer if the company is unable to obtain favorable pricing for its services and solutions, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies; Accenture's results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; as a result of Accenture's geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; Accenture's business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture's work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; if Accenture does not successfully manage and develop its relationships with key alliance partners or fails to anticipate and establish new alliances in new technologies, the company's results of operations could be adversely affected; Accenture's ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; Accenture might not be successful at acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; if Accenture is unable to protect its intellectual property rights or if Accenture's services or solutions infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company loses its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others, its business could be adversely affected; changes to accounting standards or in the estimates and assumptions Accenture makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; many of Accenture's contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company's revenues and impact its margins; Accenture's results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; Accenture might be unable to access additional capital on favorable terms or at all and if the company raises equity capital, it may dilute its shareholders' ownership interest in the company; Accenture may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the "Risk Factors" heading in Accenture plc's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture's expectations. Copyright 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. Accenture and its logo are trademarks of Accenture. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005168/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits political advisors from the sectors of culture and art, and social sciences who are attending the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2019. Xi joined them in a joint panel discussion and heard their opinions and suggestions. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, also attended the discussion. (Xinhua/Sheng Jiapeng) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called on writers, artists and theorists to strengthen cultural confidence, serve the people with fine works, and guide the public with high moral standards. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when joining a joint panel discussion attended by political advisors from the sectors of culture and art, and social sciences. They are here for the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Wang Yang, chairman of the 13th CPPCC National Committee and a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the discussion. Xi made a speech after hearing the opinions and suggestions of eight political advisors. "A country, or a nation, cannot be devoid of soul," Xi said, adding that the mission of workers in culture, literature, art and philosophy and social sciences is to nurture the root and soul of the nation. The CPC Central Committee has always attached great importance to the above-mentioned undertakings, he said. He noted that the quality of cultural, literary and art works have constantly improved, and the development of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics has accelerated with remarkable achievements made. Xi called for efforts to undertake the mission of recording, writing about and praising the new era. Stressing the people-centered principle, Xi said the people are the source of creation. Cultural, literary and artistic workers should participate in practices, carefully observe people's lives and express people's aspirations, Xi said. He also required philosophy and social sciences workers to conduct more field surveys and research to gain knowledge of people's living conditions. Xi stressed providing the people with quality products, saying that all valuable and meaningful literary and artistic works and academic research should reflect reality and be conducive to solving real problems and answering real questions. All practitioners in culture, literature, art, philosophy and social sciences shoulder the important tasks of enlightening thoughts, nurturing sentiments and warming hearts, Xi said, asking them to set an example for society with lofty aspirations, good morals and noble sentiments. As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xi called on the attendees to profoundly reflect the struggles and practice of the Party and the people over the past 70 years. [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. [March 05, 2019] Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group Announces the Formation of Berkshire Hathaway European Insurance DAC Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group today announced that Berkshire Hathaway European Insurance DAC (BHEI) has been granted a Certificate of Authorization by the Central Bank of Ireland to operate as an insurer in Ireland and the European Economic Area (EEA). Incorporated in the Republic of Ireland and based in Dublin, BHEI will operate as a Designated Activity Company, providing service to the company's customers and brokers in Ireland and, using European freedom of services rights, across the EEA. BHEI will be the insurance company utilized by a number of Berkshire Hathaway's insurance brands operating in the EEA, including Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, MedPro, and Faraday. Where necessary or required, EEA business previously transacted through BHEI's UK based direct parent Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Limited (BHIIL) will be transferred from BHIIL to BHEI, in accordance with applicable law, to achieve a smooth transition for its customers and brokers upon the UK leaving the European Union. BHII, however, will continue to operate its significant general insurance business in the UK market and overseas under its existing licenses. BHEI intends to commence writing business by the end of March 2019. In the EEA, Berkshire Hathaway European Insurance DAC is incorporated in the Republic of Ireland as a Designated Activity Company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Limited (BHIIL), an incorporated England and Wales limited liability company, Registration Number 3230337 and Registered Office at 8 Fenchurch Place, 4th Floor, London EC3M 4AJ, United Kingdom. BHIIL is an affiliate of each of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (www.bhspecialty.com), MedPro Group (www.medpro.com) and Faraday Group (www.faraday.com). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005253/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] CommerceWest Bank Declares Cash Dividend Payment to Shareholders CommerceWest Bank (OTCBB: CWBK) announced the approval of a quarterly cash dividend by its Board of Directors. The Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.17 per common share, payable April 12, 2019 to shareholders of record on March 15, 2019. CommerceWest Bank is a California based full service commercial bank with a unique vision and culture of focusing exclusively on the business community. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Irvine, California. The Bank serves businesses throughout the state with an emphasis on clients in Orange (News - Alert) County, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties. We are a full service business bank and offer a wide range of commercial banking services, including concierge services, remote deposit solution, online banking, mobile banking, lines of credit, working capital loans, commercial real estate loans, SBA loans, and cash management services. Mission Statement: CommerceWest Bank will create a complete banking experience for each client, catering to businesses and their specific banking needs, while accommodating our clients and providing them high-quality, low stress and personally tailored banking and financial services. Please visit www.cwbk.com to learn more about the bank. "BANK ON (News - Alert) THE DIFFERENCE" Statements concerning future performance, developments or events, expectations for growth and income forecasts, and any other guidance on future periods, constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from stated expectations. Specific factors include, but are not limited to, loan production, balance sheet management, expanded net interest margin, the ability to control costs and expenses, interest rate changes, financial policies of the United States government and general economic conditions. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect future events or developments. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005243/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Fiverr Expands Internationally With the Opening of Two New European Offices in the UK and Germany NEW YORK, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fiverr today announced the opening of the companys first European offices in London and Berlin. The expansion is a step in growing the companys physical footprint and changing how the world works together. The two offices will operate alongside the companys headquarters in Tel Aviv and offices in New York, San Francisco and Miami. Expanding globally is and will continue to be a growth strategy for Fiverr. Europe is Fiverrs second largest market behind North America yet the potential opportunity to unlock more of the market segment there is huge, said Micha Kaufman, Fiverr CEO. The decision to open offices in London and Berlin reflects the momentum we are experiencing in those particular regions and our ambitions for future growth. This expansion will allow us to grow the business and to further invest in the key markets where we operate. Expanding internationally gives Fiverr the opportunity to connect people around the world while gaining greater insights from key local markets. Initial priorities in newer markets include the localization of services, improving user experience, and increasing local brand awareness. To lead its global efforts, Fiverr has brought in former Airbnb International Expansion Leader, Andres Schabelman, as Vice President of International Expansion. Andres was one of the first thirty employees at Airbnb and helped open twelve offices in roughly 6 months timing, hiring more than 200 people in his tenure there. Organically, Fiverr has built a strong, passionate community of brand ambassadors around the world, said Schabelman.This expansion provides us the opportunity to further invest in and learn from the communities that we serve, while also allowing more people access to a global marketplace that knows no borders and that already enables millions of people to accomplish their dreams. According to a recent McKinsey report, there are roughly 14 million freelancers in the UK, and work practices continue to shift at pace. The UK is already the second largest market for Fiverr behind the U.S. and investing in an on-the-ground presence should further deepen the companys local penetration and help open up new business opportunities. London is the largest and fastest growing tech hub in the UK. Initially, the team there will be focused on increasing brand awareness through community engagement, local brand activations, partnerships and public relations. Berlin is not only the capital of Germany but a city that boasts one of the most vibrant tech communities in Europe. Fiverrs Berlin office officially opened in November 2018, with community building activity and local marketing efforts serving as initial priorities. Germany is the first non-English market Fiverr is localizing, so as the playbook for Germany is developed, it will provide a blueprint for opening up offices and localizing other non-English speaking territories. About Fiverr Fiverrs mission is to change how the world works together. The Fiverr platform helps connect businesses with freelancers offering digital services including graphic design, copywriting, voice overs and music and film editing. Since inception, the platform has facilitated over 50 million transactions. Fiverr's global community of freelancers offers services in over 200 service categories across more than 160 countries. We invite you to visit us at fiverr.com , read our blog and follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . Contact Information: Abby Forman Senior Public Relations Manager Email: [email protected] Phone: (848)-565-7181 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Radian CFO to Participate in RBC Capital Markets Financial Institutions Conference Radian (News - Alert) Group Inc. (NYSE: RDN) announced today that Frank Hall, chief financial officer, will be participating on a panel at the RBC Capital Markets Financial Institutions Conference, which is being held at the Intercontinental New York Barclay in New York City on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The panel discussion will be webcast live and accessible by visiting https://www.veracast.com/webcasts/rbc/financials2019/94112263252.cfm or Radian's website at https://www.radian.biz/page?name=Webcasts. A replay of the panel discussion will be available for approximately 90 days. About Radian Radian is ensuring the American dream of homeownership responsibly and sustainably through products and services that include industry-leading mortgage insurance and a comprehensive suite of mortgage, risk, real estate, and title services. We are powered by technology, informed by data and driven to deliver new and better ways to transact and manage risk. Learn more about Radian's financial strength and flexibility at www.radian.biz and visit www.radian.com to see how Radian is shaping the future of mortgage and real estate services. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005034/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Zomedica Initiates ZM-006 Pilot Efficacy Study and Provides Corporate Updates ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zomedica Pharmaceuticals Corp . (NYSE American: ZOM) (TSX-V: ZOM), a veterinary diagnostic and pharmaceutical company, initiated enrollment in its pilot efficacy study at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine to evaluate ZM-006, a transdermal methimazole formulation for the treatment of chronic hyperthyroidism in cats. ZM-006 PILOT EFFICACY STUDY The ZM-006 pilot efficacy study is being conducted to evaluate Zomedicas transdermal methimazole formulation and, assuming positive study results, provide data for a future FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM) approved pivotal trial. Recognized as a center of excellence for endocrine diseases, the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine is enrolling 12 newly diagnosed hyperthyroid cats and 12 hyperthyroid cats currently treated and controlled using oral methimazole. Enrolled patients will be treated with ZM-006 for three weeks with regular monitoring of clinical parameters including thyroid hormones. Our ZM-006 transdermal gel formulation is intended for application to the cats ear. Data obtained from this pilot efficacy study will help investigate an alternative treatment for hyperthyroid cats that may be less stressful for both owners and their feline companions, stated Gerald Solensky Jr., Chairman and CEO at Zomedica. Hyperthyroidism is one of the most commonly diagnosed endocrine disorders in middle-aged to older cats, occurring in about 10 percent of cats over 10 years of age, according to the American Association of Feline Practitioners. One method of treatment includes a FDA-CVM approved oral methimazole tablet. This can be problematic in that cats are notoriously difficult to pill. Although transdermal forms of methimazole are currently available from compounding pharmacies, they can have variable pharmaceutical efficacy and are not FDA-approved for use in veterinary medicine. As previously disclosed, Zomedica expects to commence the pivotal safety study in the first half of 2019. CORPORATE UPDATES Zomedica also announced it will present at the H.C. Wainwright Global Life Sciences Conference April 7-9, 2019 in London, UK. Investors and other interested parties will be able to access a live webcast of the presentation by visiting Zomedicas website at http://investors.zomedica.com . A replay of the webcast will be accessible on the Zomedica website following the event. As previously disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, which was filed with the Secrities and Exchange Commission on February 26, 2019, Zomedicas audited financial statements contained an unqualified audit opinion from its independent registered public accounting firm that included a going concern explanatory paragraph. This announcement does not represent any change or amendment to Zomedicas financial statements or to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. About Zomedica Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Zomedica (NYSE American: ZOM) (TSX-V: ZOM) is a veterinary diagnostic and pharmaceutical company creating products for companion animals (canine, feline and equine) by focusing on the unmet needs of clinical veterinarians. Zomedicas product portfolio will include novel diagnostics and innovative therapeutics that emphasize patient health and practice health. With a team that includes clinical veterinary professionals, it is Zomedicas mission to give veterinarians the opportunity to lower costs, increase productivity, and grow revenue while better serving the animals in their care. For more information, visit www.ZOMEDICA.com . Follow Zomedica Email Alerts: http://investors.zomedica.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zomedica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zomedica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/zomedica Reader Advisory Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the release. Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; uncertainty as to the timing and results of development work and pilot and pivotal studies, uncertainty as to the likelihood and timing of regulatory approvals, availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success for new products and technologies; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of products and services; changes in technology and changes in laws and regulations; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships; risks pertaining to permits and licensing, intellectual property infringement risks, risks relating to future clinical trials, regulatory approvals, safety and efficacy of our products, the use of our product, intellectual property protection and the other risk factors disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Investor Relations Contacts Shameze Rampertab, CPA, CA [email protected] +1 647.283.3630 PCG Advisory Group Kirin Smith, COO [email protected] +1 646.863.6519 www.pcgadvisory.com Media Contact Andrea Eberle [email protected] +1 734.369.2555 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Commify Strengthens Its Market Position With Another Major UK Acquisition NOTTINGHAM, England, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Commify, the company behind a global portfolio of business messaging brands, has today announced the acquisition of TextAnywhere and Mediaburst from Stericycle Inc, its first acquisition of 2019. This further strengthens Commify's leading position in its largest market, the UK, and demonstrates its ambitious growth plans after completing ten acquisitions since 2013, including five in 2018. TextAnywhere and Mediaburst are key players in the UK business messaging market, offering high quality products and services to 11,000 loyal customers. On a combined basis, they send over 500 million messages for their customers each year, and in 2018 alone, generated over 12 million in revenue. "The fit for TextAnywhere and Mediaburst within Commify is compelling," said Paul Burton, Chief Strategy Officer, Commify. "They bring an exprienced team, high-quality customers and major scale to our existing market leading UK business. In particular this acquisition further expands our customer base to over 45,000 businesses across Europe's largest five economies. This loyal customer base is the largest in Europe and underpins the scale and strength of Commify." Geoff Love, Chief Executive Officer, Commify added: "We are investing heavily across Commify's business in our team, exciting new products, continued complementary acquisitions and integration of acquired companies. This deal continues that strategy. We are delighted to welcome the team and customers from TextAnywhere and Mediaburst to the Commify family and can't wait to help them on our mission to make business communication brilliant." Adding strength to the Commify senior management team is Nick Payne, one of the founders of TextAnywhere, who is returning to the businesses in his new role as General Manager of TextAnywhere and Mediaburst, to lead the integration into Commify. ABOUT COMMIFY Commify is the team behind a portfolio of business messaging brands, serving over 45,000 businesses, sending 3 billion messages a year and approaching 100m annual revenue. Headquartered in Nottingham, UK, the business operates in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Australia under a portfolio of customer-facing brands addressing different markets and different customer segments. These include Esendex, Mobyt, Trendoo, Skebby, Text Marketer, FastSMS, SMSenvoi, SMSpubli, Massenversand.de and SMSUP. Private equity backed and growing rapidly through both organic investment and acquisitions, its mission is to 'make business communication brilliant'. Contact: Paul Burton [email protected] +44-07810207234 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] TradePMR Named One of the Best Places to Work in Financial Technology in 2019 GAINESVILLE, Fla., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TradePMR, a technology and custodial services provider, has earned another accolade in 2019. Today, the firm announced they have earned a spot among some of the industry's best-ranked companies, earning a spot on the 2019 Best Places to Work in Financial Technology list assembled by SourceMedia and Best Companies Group. The list includes 50 companies that operate in and serve companies and consumers in a wide range of financial services including banking and mortgages, insurance, payments and financial advisory. "We have a philosophy of providing white-glove service to the advisors we work with and I believe as an entrepreneur, you must extend that courtesy to the team that is helping execute your vision, day in and day out," said Robb Baldwin, founder and CEO, TradePMR. "I am thrilled that our team at TradePMR, as well as the teams at SourceMedia and Best Companies Group, recognize our efforts to make this an employee-centric workplace." Companies from across the United States entered a two-part survey process to determine SourceMedia's Best Places to Work in Financial Technology. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process, analyzed the data and determined the final ranking. Survey respondents commented, "Fantastic workplace culture. The people that work at TradePMR are what make it a nice place to work." Others added, "Employees are treated with respect. It is a caring, family-oriented culture. We work hard, we work as a team, and we support one another in what we do." Baldwin continued, "I am thankful to our team at TradePMR and the effort and energy they bring to work with them every single day." According to an article posted by Financial Planning magazine, TradePMR was recognized for their efforts to promote professional growth, personal connectivity and physical wellbeing. Most notably, the firm hosts an annual wellness fair that includes free blood work, chiropractic adjustments, massages and information on healthy eating. Each month, TradePMR hosts free team-building activities for their employees. Past events have included cooking classes, a Habitat for Humanity home build and serving meals at the local Ronald McDonald House. In 2018, as a part of their 20th anniversary celebrations, TradePMR employees and executives worked together to complete more than 20 community service projects. MOMENTUM IN 2019 Earlier this year, the firm earned top marks for their Fusion technology platform in a satisfaction survey of more than 5,500 advisors. TradePMR came out on top in two categories of the 2019 Software Survey, conducted by Joel Bruckenstein and Bob Veres. TradePMR's technology received an average rating of 8.31 (out of 10), the highest satisfaction rating among all custodian providers and an increase for TradePMR over the 2018 rating of 7.85. Advisors also gave TradePMR top marks for their online/automated portfolio management tools with a score of 8.09 out of 10. In Financial Planning magazine's annual tech survey, TradePMR received positive comments from advisors using the technology and custodial platform provided by TradePMR. For example, one advisor said he was impressed with TradePMR's overall offering, while another said that TradePMR was constantly working to improve. Yet another said that the firm was taking steps with a new online platform to enable easier access by tablet and phone. On Jan. 31, 2019, First Clearing / Wells Fargo Advisors announced that they had tapped TradePMR to provide technology and custodial services to financial advisors interested in transitioning to a fully independent RIA business model. TradePMR also sponsored and worked with a team of students from the University of South Florida in a competition held in conjunction with the annual T3 Technology Conference for financial advisors. Looking ahead: TradePMR will host its annual conference for financial advisors May 22-24, 2019, at the Eau Palm Beach Resort in Florida, and founder/CEO Robb Baldwin's book on how to start and manage a profitable RIA business will be published by Redwood Publishing. ABOUT TRADEPMR For more than two decades, TradePMR has worked with growth-minded independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) helping to provide the innovative technology tools and support designed to transform their businesses. The privately held brokerage and custodian services provider (Member FINRA/SIPC), based in Gainesville, Florida, works to streamline fee-only investment advisors' operations through comprehensive custodial, operational and trading support. For more information, visit www.TradePMR.com. Follow TradePMR on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for the latest news, updates and event information. Securities offered through Trade-PMR Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Custodial services offered through First Clearing. First Clearing is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. TradePMR and First Clearing are not affiliated. MEDIA CONTACT: Leesy Palmer Impact Communications Inc. (800) 974-7753 | 303-457-1086 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tradepmr-named-one-of-the-best-places-to-work-in-financial-technology-in-2019-300806353.html SOURCE TradePMR [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Tyto Athene, a Portfolio Company of Arlington Capital, Announces the Acquisition of IITC Tyto Athene, LLC ("Tyto" or the "Company"), a portfolio company of Arlington Capital Partners ("Arlington Capital"), today announced the acquisition of Island Information Technology Consultants, Inc. ("IITC"), a leading provider of mission-critical unified communications solutions to the Intelligence Community. IITC was founded in 2004 by Dennis and Patti Powell. The rest of the management team, including Matt Vorsteg, Director of Operations, and Matthew Graham, Director of Business Development, will continue to lead the IITC business as part of Tyto Athene. Michael Lustbader, a Managing Partner at Arlington, said, "We have been very impressed with the organization that Dennis, Patti, Matt, and Matthew have built serving a highly demanding customer. We are excited about the combination of IITC with Tyto Athene and believe both businesses share the same intense focus on the customer and mission. This focus will allow the combined business to continue driving value for all of the Company's stakeholders." "The combination of Tyto Athene and IITC enables us to create significantly greater value in our client's decision-making capabilities and processes," said Jeff Murray, CEO of Tyto Athene. "IITC brings tremendous capabilities, people, values, and mission awareness that combined can be used across the entire Tyto Athene portfolio to create better oucomes for our customers." Gordon Auduong, a Vice President of Arlington Capital, said, "The addition of IITC allows Tyto Athene to continue enhancing its strategic focus on recurring managed services contracts, providing the business with increased revenue visibility, while at the same time expanding its customer base. Additionally, we are excited by the opportunity to augment IITC's existing capabilities with Tyto Athene's and provide a broader set of services to IITC's end customer." About Arlington Capital Partners Arlington Capital Partners is a Washington, D.C.-area private equity firm that has managed $2.2 billion of committed capital via four investment funds, including Arlington's fourth and most recent $700 million fund. Arlington is focused on middle market investment opportunities in growth industries, including: government services and technology, aerospace/defense, healthcare, and business services and software. The firm's professionals and network have a unique combination of operating and private equity experience that enable Arlington to be a value-added investor. Arlington invests in companies in partnership with high quality management teams that are motivated to establish and/or advance their company's position as leading competitors in their field. www.arlingtoncap.com About Tyto Athene Tyto Athene is a full service systems integrator focused on helping clients accelerate their ability to make decisions by providing ubiquitous and secure access to enterprise information throughout their operating environment. Tyto Athene uses a myriad of technologies, innovative thinking, and proven processes to deliver successful outcomes for its clients worldwide. To learn more about Tyto Athene please visit www.GoTyto.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005472/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Omaha's Shane Jacobsen Joins Alliant's Employee Benefits Group Omaha, NE-based benefits consultant Shane Jacobsen is bringing his diverse background in finance, data, and strategic planning to the Employee Benefits Group of Alliant. Jacobsen's arrival will expand Alliant's benefits footprint in Nebraska, providing clients with solutions that help them manage risks, drive down claims, and boost organizational productivity. "Shane combines strong technical expertise with the ability to creatively identify new opportunities to increase profitability," said Kevin Overbey, Senior Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director, Alliant Employee Benefits. "is longstanding track record of results has made him one of Nebraska's most innovative and results-driven benefits consultants; he will add considerable expertise to our team within this region." With more than 20 years of benefits experience, Jacobsen has extensive expertise in healthcare financing and group disability coverage, deploying strategies that help clients from a range of industries improve their healthcare platforms and empower their employees. Jacobsen also has experience using sophisticated data analytics to preemptively identify large claims before they occur. Prior to joining Alliant, Jacobsen was Vice President within the Omaha office of a national insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm where he created and oversaw the firm's Clinical Nurse Advocate program and serviced a large portfolio of benefits clients. Jacobsen earned his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He can be reached at (402) 306-5008 or at [email protected]. About Alliant Insurance Services Headquartered in Newport Beach, CA (News - Alert), Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. provides property and casualty, workers' compensation, employee benefits, surety, and financial products and services to clients nationwide, including public entities, tribal nations, healthcare, energy, law firms, real estate, construction, and other industry groups. More information is available on the company's website at www.alliant.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005179/en/ [March 05, 2019] StratEdge to Display Post-fired, Molded Ceramic, and Ceramic QFN Semiconductor Packages at the IMAPS Device Packaging, APEC 2019, and GOMACTech Conferences StratEdge Corporation, leader in the design, production, and assembly of high-performance semiconductor packages for microwave, millimeter-wave, and high-speed digital devices, will display its high-frequency, high-speed, thermally efficient packages and assembly packaging services at the IMAPS Device Packaging, APEC, and GOMACTech conferences, all being held in March. StratEdge's packages meet the extreme demands of gallium nitride (GaN) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) devices and the critical requirements of the telecom, mixed signal, VSAT, broadband wireless, satellite, military, test and measurement, automotive, down-hole, and MEMS markets. StratEdge will showcase its post-fired ceramic, low-cost molded ceramic, and ceramic QFN packages at booth 63 at the IMAPS Device Packaging Conference, being held March 5-6, at the We-Ko-Pa Resort in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Also highlighted will be StratEdge Assembly Services and its new ISO 9001:2015 facility with a Class 1000 cleanroom, including Class 100 work areas with ESD control for performing sensitive operations. High-power semiconductor package design and assembly will be StratEdge's focus at booth 148 at APEC 2019, being held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California from March 19-20, 2019. On display will be the LL family of leaded laminate copper-moly-copper (CMC) base packages and its off-the-shelf line of molded ceramic packages that can be configured to meet the requirements for chips with frequencies up to 18 GHz. These packages provide enhanced thermal dissipation for high-power gallium nitride devices and come in fullyhermetic versions in over 200 standard outlines. High-reliability packages that meet stringent military applications will be at booth 205 at GOMACTech, being held March 26-27 at the Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico. StratEdge post-fired and molded ceramic semiconductor packages operate from DC to 63+ GHz. These packages have electrical transition designs that ensure exceptionally low electrical losses and operate efficiently, even at the highest frequencies. All packages are lead-free and most meet RoHS and WEEE standards. "Our goal at StratEdge is not only to provide the highest quality and reliability packages and packaging assembly services," said Tim Going, president of StratEdge, "but we want to ensure that the package a customer selects is the best one for the device that's packaged and the application. StratEdge attends a full range of trade shows throughout the world to enable as many people as possible to see our packages and discuss their packaging needs with our experts." For more information, contact StratEdge at [email protected], shop at the StratEdge store on Amazon.com, sign up for the StratEdge newsletter, and/or visit our website at www.stratedge.com. Photo available at: https://www.stratedge.site/stratedge-at-imaps-apec-gomactech.png About StratEdge StratEdge designs and manufactures high-performance semiconductor packages and provides chip assembly services. We specialize in packages for high-frequency, very high power, extremely demanding gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices. We have a complete line of post-fired, molded ceramic, and ceramic QFN semiconductor packages that operate from DC to 63+ GHz. Our patented electrical transition designs give StratEdge packages exceptionally low electrical losses, even at 63+ GHz. Markets served include telecom, mixed signal, VSAT, broadband wireless, satellite, military, test and measurement, automotive, down-hole, and MEMS. StratEdge is an ISO 9001:2015 facility. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005340/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] 37-year-old killed by falling tree : Emergency crews respond to 70 storm-related calls in Bonn and the region Bruhl The fire department was called out more than 70 times in Bonn and the region on Monday, mostly due to fallen trees. One person was killed in North Rhine-Westphalia when a heavy wind gust caused a tree to fall on a motorist. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Heavy gusts of wind knocked down numerous trees in North Rhine-Westphalia on Monday, with fatal consequences for one person. In Ochtrup in Munsterland, a tree fell on a moving car and killed the 37-year-old driver. "It is likely that this is related to the storm," said a spokesman for the district police there. In many places, trees damaged cars and blocked roads. On several railway lines, trees fell on overhead lines and blocked the routes for hours. Fallen trees cause havoc for traffic In the Rhein-Sieg district, the fire department had to deal almost exclusively with roofs and fallen trees in their response to 63 calls. According to the rescue control center there, no persons were injured. The Bonn Fire Department was busy with fallen branches and fences and an unstable scaffolding on Turmstrasse in Plittersdorf. The police and fire departments responsible reported that a tree crashed onto the road on the A4 near Kerpen. Two trucks and two cars were badly damaged but nobody was injured. In Bochum, a tree fell on two moving cars, but the occupants escaped without injury. In Dortmund, fallen trees led to two rear-end collisions. One person suffered minor injuries. The storm caused several blockages in rail traffic in North Rhine-Westphalia. A tree fell on the S9 line between Wulfrath-Aprath and Wuppertal-Vohwinkel. The trains from Haltern/Bottrop ended in Velbert-Nierenhof. At the S3 (Hattingen - Oberhausen) a tree between Bochum-Dahlhausen and Hattingen blocked the train traffic. There were also disturbances at Rheinbach and Lippstadt. However, the lines there were already single-lane again by noon. Strongest wind was 97 kilometers per hour A railway spokesman said that there had been about a dozen disturbances on Monday, most of which had been quickly remedied. All routes were expected to be cleared by the afternoon. There were also disruptions in long-distance traffic. For several lines that run through NRW, the railway expected delays of about 45 minutes. [March 05, 2019] Menarini Silicon Biosystems Develops New Assay Workflow for Circulating Multiple Myeloma Cells BOLOGNA, Italy and HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Menarini Silicon Biosystems, the pioneer of liquid biopsy technology, announced today that it will introduce a new semi-automated assay workflow utilizing the CELLSEARCH and DEPArray platforms to enumerate and characterize circulating multiple myeloma cells (CMMC) from peripheral blood samples.** Preliminary data to be presented at the Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference suggests that the ability to obtain CMMCs via liquid biopsy may enable clinical researchers to better understand tumor biology, particularly in early stage disease. In addition, this workflow could potentially offer a less invasive alternative to more expensive and painful bone marrow biopsy. "The combined capabilities of CELLSEARCH together with our DEPArray system enhance our ability to enable meaningful advances in the field of personalized medicine," said Bob Roda, President and CEO of Menarini Silicon Biosystems Inc. "We are advancing our technologies in order to help clinicians and researchers deepen their understanding of tumor progression." The new assay is currently available as a laboratory service at Menarini Silicon Biosystems. A second presentation will examine the importance of obtaining pure cell populations for comprehensive molecular analysis and will introduce attendees to the DEPArray FFPE SamplePrep Kit, which can be used for the disaggregation and staining of FFPE (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded) tissue sections down to a single-cell suspension. The kit streamlines FFPE analysis by assembling all necessary reagents and providing a standardized protocol that is optimized for the DEPArray system. This offers a reduction in total sample prep time while also reducing user variability in obtaining 100% pure tumor cell populations - which can improve downstream molecular analysis. "We're committed to working in partnership with those in the personalized medicine field and give them the solutions that will help quicken the pace of discovery," said Roda. CELLSEARCH is the first and only clinically validated blood test cleared by the FDA for detecting and enumerating circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as an aid for physicians to manage patients with metastatic breast, prostate and colorectal cancers.* The DEPArray System is the first technology to combine microfluidics with microelectronics and microscopy to isolate and manipulate individual cells for research use. It is the only image-based sorting and isolation platform that enables clinical researchers to facilitate molecular analyses on live or fixed cells with single-cell precision. Presentation Details: Tuesday, March 12 - Circulating Tumor Cells and Liquid Biopsy Program Session: CTCs and Liquid Biopsy New Window into Selecting Best Treatment for Patients Title: Exploring the Molecular Heterogeneity as Expressed in Cells Using CELLSEARCH and DEPArray Technologies in Multiple Myeloma and Other Cancers Presented by: Steven Gross, MSc, head of CELLSEARCH Assay Development for Menarini Silicon Biosystems Time: 11:55 am, Location: Room 8, Moscone South Convention Center Tuesday, March 12 - Precision Medicine Program Session: Personalized Strategies for Immunotherapy Title: Single Cell Precision Analysis of FFPE Samples using DEPArray Technology Presented by: Arielle Ginsberg, MSc, Scientific Affairs Liaison for Menarini Silicon Biosystems Time: 3:40 pm. Location: Room 105, Moscone South Convention Center To learn more about the CELLSEARCH and DEPArray Systems , MMTC attendees can visit Menarini Silicon Biosystems at Booth #501. The 26th International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference will be held March 10-15, 2019 in San Francisco. About Menarini Silicon Biosystems Menarini Silicon Biosystems , based in Bologna, Italy, and Huntingdon Valley (PA), USA, develops innovative technologies and products that help researchers understand the biological complexity of disease through the study of single cells. The company manufactures and markets the DEPArray NxT, the only image-based digital cell-sorting and isolation platform that enables clinical researchers to conduct molecular analyses on live or fixed cells with single-cell precision. In 2017 Menarini Silicon Biosystems purchased all the assets and relevant business related to the CELLSEARCH Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) System. The integration of CELLSEARCH and DEPArray provides an end-to-end workflow solution** for the enumeration, isolation, and molecular characterization of CTCs from a simple blood test in the clinical research setting. This will help drive the clinical utility and correlation of CTCs with the effectiveness of specific therapies. Menarini Silicon Biosystems is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group, a multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics company headquartered in Florence, Italy, with a heritage of over 130 years and over 17,000 employees in more than 100 countries. *For more information on the full intended use and limitations of CELLSEARCH system, please refer to the Instructions for Use on http://documents.cellsearchctc.com/. **The workflow described is for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. The performance characteristics, safety, and effectiveness of the workflow have not been established and are not cleared or approved by the FDA. Contact: Liz Dowling, (415) 388-2794 Dowling & Dennis PR [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/menarini-silicon-biosystems-develops-new-assay-workflow-for-circulating-multiple-myeloma-cells-300806545.html SOURCE Menarini Silicon Biosystems [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] GeckoEngage Launches New Bot Platform to Lighten the Load for HigherEd Admissions' Teams EDINBURGH, Scotland, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- EdTech startup GeckoEngage launched their new bot platform today, aimed at freeing HigherEd Admissions' teams to focus on quality one-to-one dialogue with students. Geckobots can answer questions, capture inquiries, register students on-to campus tours and more all without the need for input from staff members. The customizable bots are channel-agnostic too, meaning a single bot can be trained to handle any inquiry, whether the student reaches out via Facebook Messenger, SMS, WhatsApp, or an institution's live chat system. Actions: More Than Just Chat "We've been working with our partner institutions to create an AI-powered offering that works well with the nuances of the HigherEd market," said Matt Lanham, CEO and Founder of GeckoEngage. "Although there's no doubt this is where our partners will save time, we were keen to go beyond just answering students' questions as they visit a university website. Having the bot take specific actions, such as proactively helping thousands of students manage their Open House itineraries or assisting recruiters as they juggle conversations with hundreds of students as they crisscross their territories that's where schools can see larger benefits. To get true value from your bots, you need to insert them into existing workflows, not just wait on students stopping-by your website to chat." Tied to Institution Goals In an environment of challenging market conditions and greater scrutiny of budgets, another key requirement in all Enrollment departments is the ability to tie marketing efforts to overarching enrollment metrics and conversational messaging campaigns are no exception. "We enable our partner schools to show how student conversations are influencing downstream enrollment mtrics such as applications and yield via our integrations with many of the most popular HigherEd CRMs," said Gillian Jones, Sales Manager. "For years, schools have measured direct mail and email campaigns against top-line goals, and now their conversational messaging campaigns can follow suit." Bots and Humans Working Together Whilst bots can handle many conversations in their entirety, sometimes a student just wants to speak to a real person. When that time comes, it's vital that the experience works well for both the student and the institution's staff. "Although underlying bot technology is improving rapidly, our partners want to retain the ability to provide a human-touch," said Adrian Binzaru, VP of Product. "AI is capable of handling hundreds of conversation scenarios on it's own. But when Admissions team members are involved in conversations, we need to respect their time. That's why we've spent a long time ensuring that student messages are routed to the correct team-members, and only when that individual can provide insight that adds to the conversation." Quick snippets: The bots never sleep, and are designed to provide resource-strapped Admissions teams with increased bandwidth to support students in taking the first steps on their HigherEd journey. Anyone can train a GeckoBot there's no need to understand computer code. Our bots get smarter over time, learning which answer satisfies a student's inquiry most comprehensively. Our bots are modular, like building blocks. Institutions can create super-focused bots to handle use-cases or scenarios. For more information on our bots, please visit https://geckoengage.com/chat GeckoEngage Since 2012 GeckoEngage has provided tools for HigherEd Admissions teams around the globe, including those at University of Cambridge, University of St. Andrews, University of California at Irvine and University of Toronto. Our Visit Experience Platform allows institutions to run choreographed, repeatable and customized event playbooks without being constrained by their existing CRM. Chat is our bot-enabled conversational messaging platform, and helps schools communicate with students one-to-one, across multiple channels. Media contact: Brian Anderson [email protected] 00441315412296 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/geckoengage-launches-new-bot-platform-to-lighten-the-load-for-highered-admissions-teams-300806250.html SOURCE GeckoEngage [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Lazard Announces Cash Tender Offer for 4.250% Senior Notes Due 2020 of Lazard Group LLC Lazard Ltd (NYSE:LAZ) announced today that its subsidiary Lazard Group LLC ("Lazard Group") is commencing a cash tender offer (the "Tender Offer") for any and all of its outstanding 4.250% Senior Notes due November 14, 2020 (the "Notes"). The Tender Offer is being made upon the terms and conditions in the Offer to Purchase and related Letter of Transmittal dated March 5, 2019. The Tender Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on March 11, 2019, unless extended or terminated as described in the Offer to Purchase (such time and date, as they may be extended, the "Expiration Time"). Holders of the Notes are urged to carefully read the Offer to Purchase and related Letter of Transmittal and Notice of Guaranteed Delivery before making any decision with respect to the Tender Offer. The following table summarizes certain material terms of the Tender Offer: Title of Security CUSIP/ISIN Nos. Principal Amount Outstanding UST Reference Security Bloomberg (News - Alert) Reference Page Fixed Spread (bps) 4.250% Senior Notes due 2020 52107QAF2 / US52107QAF28 $250,000,000 2.625% UST due 11/15/2020 FIT4 +35 bps In order to be eligible to receive the "Total Consideration," holders must (i) validly tender their Notes on or prior to the Expiration Time or (ii) deliver a properly completed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery and all other required documents at or prior to the Expiration Time and validly tender their Notes at or prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the second business day after the Expiration Time pursuant to guaranteed delivery procedures. The Total Consideration for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn will be determined in the manner described in the Offer to Purchase by reference to the fixed spread over the yield to maturity based on the bid side price of the UST Reference Security listed above, calculated by the Dealer Managers (as defined below) for the Tender Offer as of 2:00 p.m. (New York City time) on March 11, 2019, the date on which the Tender Offer is currently scheduled to expire. In addition to the Total Consideration, accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the Settlement Date (as defined below) will be payable in cash on all validly tendered and accepted Notes. Interest will cease to accrue on the Settlement Date for all Notes accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer, including any such Notes tendered through guaranteed delivery procedures. As a result, Notes tendered through the guaranteed delivery procedures will not receive accrued interest from the Settlement Date through the Guaranteed Delivery Settlement Date, which is expected to be two business days after the Settlement Date. Payment for Notes validly tendered in the Tender Offer and accepted by Lazard Group for purchase will be made on the date referred to as the "Settlement Date" or, in the case of Notes tendered through guaranteed delivery procedures, the "Guaranteed Delivery Settlement Date." The Settlement Date is expected to occur on the next business day following the Expiration Time, and the Guaranteed Delivery Settlement Date is currently expected to occur on the third business day following the Expiration Time. As described in the Offer to Purchase, tendered Notes may be withdrawn at any time on or prior to the earlier of (i) the Expiration Time and (ii) in the event that the Tender Offer is extended, the 10th business day after commencement of the Tender Offer; provided that Notes tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer may also be withdrawn at any time after the 60th business day after commencement of the Tender Offer if for any reason the Tender Offer has not been consummated within 60 business days of commencement. The closing of the Tender Offer is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions as set forth in the Offer to Purchase, including the condition that Lazard Group has received, on terms satisfactory to it in its sole discretion, net proceeds from one or more offerings of senior unsecured notes after March 5, 2019 in an amount sufficient to fund (i) the purchase of all Notes accepted in the Tender Offer, (ii) the redemption, in accordance with the indenture governing the Notes, of all Notes remaining outstanding after the Tender Offer, and (iii) all fees and expenses in connection with the foregoing. Lazard Group currently expects that it will exercise its right to optionally redeem any and all Notes not purchased by it in the Tender Offer at a make-whole redemption price, calculated in accordance with the indenture governing the Notes. Lazard Group reserves the right, subject to applicable law, to (i) waive any and all conditions to the Tender Offer, (ii) extend the Expiration Time, (iii) amend the Tender Offer in any respect (including, without limitation, to change the fixed spread) or (iv) terminate the Tender Offer on or prior to the Expiration Time and return the Notes tendered pursuant thereto, in each case by giving written or oral notice of such extension, amendment or termination to D.F. King & Co., Inc., the tender agent (in such capacity, the "Tender Agent"). This press release is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell the Notes. The Tender Offer is being made solely by means of the Offer to Purchase and related Letter of Transmittal and Notice of Guaranteed Delivery dated March 5, 2019. The Tender Offer is void in all jurisdictions where it is prohibited. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Tender Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Tender Offer will be deemed to be made on behalf of Lazard Group by the Dealer Managers or one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdictions. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. is acting as the lead dealer manager and Lazard Freres & Co. LLC is acting as co-dealer manager (together, the "Dealer Managers") for the Tender Offer. Requests for documents may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc., the information agent (in such capacity, the "Information Agent"), by telephone at (800) 252-8173, in writing at Attn: Andrew Beck, 48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor, New York, New York, 10005 or by email at [email protected]. Copies of the Offer Documents are also available at the following website: www.dfking.com/lazard. Questions regarding the Tender Offer may be directed to the Dealer Managers as follows: Citigroup Global Markets Inc. may be contacted by telephone at (800) 558-3745 (toll-free) or (212) 723-6106 (collect) or in writing at Attn: Liability Management Group, 388 Greenwich Street, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10013; and Lazard Freres & Co. LLC may be contacted by telephone at (877) 364-0850 or in writing at Attn: Liability Management Group, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New York 10112. None of Lazard Group or its affiliates, their respective boards of directors, the Dealer Managers, the Tender Agent, the Information Agent or the trustee for the Notes makes any recommendation as to whether holders should tender any of their Notes. Holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender any of their Notes and, if so, the principal amount of their Notes to tender. About Lazard Lazard, one of the world's preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms, operates from 43 cities across 27 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central and South America. With origins dating to 1848, the firm provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, strategic matters, restructuring and capital structure, capital raising and corporate finance, as well as asset management services to corporations, partnerships, institutions, governments and individuals. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may", "might", "will", "should", "could", "would", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "target", "goal", or "continue", and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of our control. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K under Item 1A "Risk Factors", and also discussed from time to time in our reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K, including the following: A decline in general economic conditions or the global or regional financial markets; A decline in our revenues, for example due to a decline in overall mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, our share of the M&A market or our assets under management; Losses caused by financial or other problems experienced by third parties; Losses due to unidentified or unanticipated risks; A lack of liquidity, i.e., ready access to funds, for use in our businesses; and Competitive pressure on our businesses and on our ability to retain and attract employees at current compensation levels. Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this release to conform our prior statements to actual results or revised expectations and we do not intend to do so. Lazard Ltd is committed to providing timely and accurate information to the investing public, consistent with our legal and regulatory obligations. LAZ-CPE View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005551/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Lazard Announces Commencement of Senior Notes Offering and Concurrent Tender Offer by Lazard Group LLC Lazard Ltd (NYSE:LAZ) announced today that its subsidiary Lazard Group LLC ("Lazard Group") is commencing an offering (the "Offering") of one or more series of its senior notes (the "Notes"). The Notes would be issued by Lazard Group and would be offered pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC (News - Alert)"). The Notes would be senior unsecured obligations of Lazard Group. Concurrently with the Offering, Lazard Group is commencing a cash tender offer (the "Tender Offer") for any and all of its outstanding 4.250% Senior Notes due November 14, 2020 (the "2020 Notes"). Lazard Group currently expects that it will exercise its right to optionally redeem any and all 2020 Notes not purchased by it in the Tender Offer at the make-whole redemption price, calculated in accordance with the indenture governing the 2020 Notes. Lazard Group intends to use a portion of the net proceeds from the Offering to repurchase or redeem any and all of the outstanding 2020 Notes, and to pay fees and expenses related to the foregoing, and to use the remaining amount for general corporate purposes, including potential repurchases of shares of Lazard Ltd's Class A common stock. The Offering is being made solely by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. A copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be obtained from Citigroup Global Markets Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, Tel: (800) 831-9146, Email: [email protected]. An electronic copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement, together with the accompanying prospectus, is also available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes, nor shall there be any sale of the Notes in any state or other jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. is acting as the lead dealer manager and Lazard Freres & Co. LLC is acting as a co-dealer manager (together, the "Dealer Managers") for the Tender Offer. Requests for documents may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc., the tender agent and information agent (in such capacities, the "Tender and Information Agent"), by telephone at (800) 252-8173, in writing at Attn: Andrew Beck, 48 Wall Street 22nd Floor, New York, New York, 10005 or by email at [email protected]. Copies of the Offer Documents are also available at the following website: www.dfking.com/lazard. Questions regarding the Tender Offer may be directed to the Dealer Managers as follows: Citigroup Global Markets Inc. may be contacted by telephone at (800) 558-3745 (toll-free) or (212) 723-6106 (collect) or in writing at Attn: Liability Management Group, 388 Greenwich Street, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10013; and Lazard Freres & Co. LLC may be contacted by telephone at (877) 364-0850 or in writing at Attn: Liability Management Group, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New York 10112. None of Lazard Group or its affiliates, their respective boards of directors, the Dealer Managers, the Tender and Information Agent or the trustee for the 2020 Notes makes any recommendation as to whether holders should tender any of their 2020 Notes. Holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender any of their 2020 Notes and, if so, the principal amount of their 2020 Notes to tender. This press release is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell the 2020 Notes. The Tender Offer is being made solely by means of the Offer to Purchase and related Letter of Transmittal and Notice of Guaranteed Delivery dated March 5, 2019. The Tender Offer is void in all jurisdictions where it is prohibited. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Tender Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Tender Offer will be deemed to be made on behalf of Lazard Group by the Dealer Managers or one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdictions. About Lazard Lazard, one of the world's preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms, operates from 43 cities across 27 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central and South America. With origins dating to 1848, the firm provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, strategic matters, restructuring and capital structure, capital raising and corporate finance, as well as asset management services to corporations, partnerships, institutions, governments and individuals. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may", "might", "will", "should", "could", "would", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "target", "goal", or "continue", and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of our control. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K under Item 1A "Risk Factors", and also discussed from time to time in our reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K, including the following: A decline in general economic conditions or the global or regional financial markets; A decline in our revenues, for example due to a decline in overall mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, our share of the M&A market or our assets under management; Losses caused by financial or other problems experienced by third parties; Losses due to unidentified or unanticipated risks; A lack of liquidity, i.e., ready access to funds, for use in our businesses; and Competitive pressure on our businesses and on our ability to retain and attract employees at current compensation levels. Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this release to conform our prior statements to actual results or revised expectations and we do not intend to do so. Lazard Ltd is committed to providing timely and accurate information to the investing public, consistent with our legal and regulatory obligations. LAZ-CPE View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005552/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Aya Miyaguchi and Virgil Griffith Join Etherisc Advisory Board ZUG, Switzerland, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Etherisc, the global decentralized insurance platform for collectively building insurance products, has announced today two members of the Ethereum Foundation team joined its advisory board in support of Etherisc's real-world applications built to protect victims of natural disasters. The two new members, Aya Miyaguchi and Virgil Griffith, who both joined the board in a personal capacity, discovered the importance of Etherisc while looking for examples of blockchain companies that have impactful working products. They highlighted Etherisc's use of smart contracts for "parametric" insurance, whereby predetermined weather parameters trigger immediate payout to policyholders if there is, for instance, a hurricane in Puerto Rico or a drought for rice farmers in Sri Lanka. "Parametric insurance could be the next killer app on Ethereum," said Griffith, who has a PhD in computation and neural systems from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and heads Special Projects at the Ethereum Foundation. "I heard what Etherisc was doing in Puerto Rico and Sri Lanka and had to learn more, so I flew from Singapore to Berlin to meet the team. I was blown away by Etherisc's progress leading the field of decentralized insurance. Now I am excited to lend my support to one of the most innovative projects there is on Ethereum." Blockchain technology provides the insurance industry with first-of-their-kind efficiencies and automation that enable parametric insurance to expand beyond its niche in the global market. Etherisc's decentralized insurance protocol removes the need for traditional, slow-moving, expensive insurance policies by using a library of smart contracts to record transactions in a secure and transparent manner. The technology takes the middleman out of the insurance equation, dramatically reducing the cost of household and small business policies. In addition, the protocol automates premium calculations and claims payouts so policies are faster and cheaper han traditional insurance procedures. This has led to Etherisc implementing products in partnership with global entities such as Aon and Oxfam. "Etherisc is an impressive example of where the Ethereum blockchain is being used for working products that are making a difference in the lives of communities that would remain underserved without this technology," Miyaguchi, who is the Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, said. "Etherisc has shown it runs and operates a smart contract-based risk transfer that is actually in production." The advisors' news follows Etherisc's release of source code for its Generic Insurance Framework to enable the quick and easy deployment of working insurance products on its decentralized platform. "At this key time in our development, we are honored to welcome this new support from such renowned advisors whose understanding and knowledge of the blockchain industry is unparalleled," Etherisc Co-Founder Stephan Karpischek said. "We are proud to count on such an engaged board of advisors with a perfect range of expertise needed to build our platform for decentralized insurance products." The new members round out the Etherisc Board of Advisors, which is made up of blockchain experts and industry pioneers: Ron Bernstein, Paradex/Coinbase; Jake Brukhman, CoinFund; Tobias Noack, Aon Commercial Risk Solutions (Germany); William Mougayar, JM3 Capital; Ralf Glabischnig, inacta/CV VC; and Daniel Zakrisson, Hardfork. New Etherisc advisor Virgil Griffith and Etherisc Co-Founder Stephan Karpischek are available for an interview. About the New Advisors Aya Miyaguchi is the Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation and is an adviser to positive-impact projects such as OmiseGo. Previously she was the Managing Director of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken in Japan. Virgil Griffith works on Special Projects at the Ethereum Foundation. He has a PhD in computation and neural systems from Caltech (the California Institute of Technology). About Etherisc The winner of the Blockchain Oscar 2017 for the most innovative blockchain startup, Etherisc is the first fully-compliant insurance platform to utilize blockchain technology to make the purchase and sale of insurance more efficient; cut out the middleman; eliminate insurer-customer conflict by offering insight into the claims process and instantly paying out valid claims; democratize access to reinsurance instruments; and encourage industry innovation through an 'open access' platform that will allow other types of risk pools and products to be developed. For more, visit etherisc.com . Contact: Saul Hudson [email protected] +1 786 562 1683 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aya-miyaguchi-and-virgil-griffith-join-etherisc-advisory-board-300806417.html SOURCE Etherisc [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Predictive Technology Group Sponsors 5th Annual Perinatal Stem Cell Society Congress SALT LAKE CITY, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Predictive Technology Group, Inc. (OTC PINK: PRED), a leader in the use of data analytics for disease identification and subsequent therapeutic intervention through precision therapeutic treatments, announces that its subsidiary Predictive Biotech sponsored the 5th Annual Perinatal Stem Cell Society Congress held February 28 through March 1, 2019 in Salt Lake City. Predictive Biotech uses perinatal tissue to produce human cell and tissue products. We are pleased to have partnered with the Perinatal Stem Cell Society on this key conference that provides access to leading-edge perinatal tissue research, and a networking and collaboration opportunity for researchers and industry partners, said Bradley C. Robinson, CEO of Predictive Technology Group. The science utilizing perinatal tissue is progressing at an increasingly faster pace leading to more therapeutics. Predictive supports and is a member of the Societys working group to bring together top clinicians and researchers to advance standards and guidelines that support the science and manufacturing of therapeutic products derived from perinatal tissue. We are pleased that Predictive has joined the perinatal society as a platinum sponsor for the second year. Through Predictives market leadership position and commitment to advancing the science, quality and therapeutic use of perinatal tissue, we all move another step closer in delivering on the promise of these tissues, said Kyle Cetrulo President and Founder of the Perinatal Stem Cell Society. Attendees benefit from this open forum in a collaborative environment to discuss industry and science topics that are affecting one of the most significant medical advances o our time. Perinatal Stem Cell Society The Perinatal Stem Cell Society, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 2013 on the basic principle that stem cells from perinatal tissues contain enormous, untapped potential to treat many diseases and disorders. Perinatal stem cell sources include amnion, amniotic fluid, cord blood, cord tissue/Whartons jelly, as well as placental blood and placental tissue. Perinatal stem cells are formed around the time of birth and are classified as adult stem cells. Yet because they are more primitive than stem cells found in bone marrow, adipose tissue or other traditional sources of adult stem cells, they have greater therapeutic potential. About Predictive Technology Group, Inc. Predictive Technology Group aims to revolutionize patient care through predictive data analytics, novel gene-based diagnostics and companion therapeutics through its subsidiaries Predictive Therapeutics, Predictive Biotech, Predictive Diagnostics and Predictive Laboratories. These subsidiaries are focused on endometriosis, scoliosis, degenerative disc disease and human cell and tissue products. The subsidiaries use genetic and other information as cornerstones in the development of new diagnostics that assess a persons risk of illness and therapeutic products designed to identify, prevent and treat diseases more effectively. Additional information is available at Predtechgroup.com ; Predrx.com and Predictivebiotech.com . Forward-Looking Statements To the extent any statements made in this release contain information that is not historical, these statements are essentially forward-looking and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the difficulty of predicting FDA approvals, acceptance and demand for human cell and tissue products and other pharmaceutical products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development and launch, reliance on key strategic alliances, availability of raw materials, availability of additional intellectual property rights, availability of future financing sources, the regulatory environment, and other risks the Company may identify from time to time in the future. Contact: Investors LHA Investor Relations Jody Cain [email protected] Kevin Mc Cabe [email protected] 310-691-7100 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Tolland County Mutual Aid Fire Services Announces Successful Go-Live with Tyler Technologies' New World CAD Tyler Technologies Inc. (NYSE: TYL) announced today that Tolland County Mutual Aid Fire Service, Inc. (Tolland County 911) has gone live with its New World Enterprise Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) solution. Tolland County 911 is a longtime client of Tyler and used its previous CAD product. This upgrade provides the most advanced technology for its service area. The county's emergency response center dispatches fire and EMS calls for 16 towns and 25 emergency service organizations within Tolland, Windham, and Hartford Counties. The new solution allows dispatchers to automate response plans and update call types and locations, creating a safer community. "We understood the need to update our current computer-aided dispatch platform, and Tyler's New World system was the obvious choice," said Doug Racicot, operations director for Tolland County 911. "The success of this implementation is the result of meaningful collaboration and a strong commitment to partnership, both of which we have come to expect from Tyler." The significant upgrade consisted of new infrastructure, servers, hardware, consoles and worksttions. The newly updated CAD platform, which was installed without disruption to existing services, provides a more robust technology foundation and can be easily updated to incorporate new features and functionality in the future. In addition, New World is integrated with the county's other systems, enabling increased communication between agencies. "We've worked with Tolland County 911 for more than 15 years, and their team has consistently demonstrated the technology infrastructure and operational discipline needed to partner for an on-time, on-budget implementation," said Greg Sebastian, president of Tyler's Public Safety Division. "We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with the Tolland County team." Tolland County is located approximately 20 minutes east of Hartford, Connecticut, the state's capital. Tyler currently provides its Infinite (News - Alert) Visions financial solution to Tolland Public Schools and provides its Munis enterprise resource planning suite to the town of Tolland, the community in which Tolland County 911 operates. About Tyler Technologies (News - Alert), Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) is the largest and most established provider of integrated software and technology services focused on the public sector. Tyler's end-to-end solutions empower local, state, and federal government entities to operate more efficiently and connect more transparently with their constituents and with each other. By connecting data and processes across disparate systems, Tyler's solutions are transforming how clients gain actionable insights that solve problems in their communities. Tyler has more than 21,000 successful installations across 10,000 sites, with clients in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and other international locations. A financially strong company, Tyler has achieved double-digit revenue growth every quarter since 2012. It was also named to Forbes' "Best Midsize Employers" list in 2018 and recognized twice on its "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005060/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] TrueCommerce Qualified for SAP Business One Cloud PITTSBURGH, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TrueCommerce, a global provider of trading partner connectivity, integration and unified commerce solutions, has announced today that its core solution TrueCommerce Foundry achieved product qualification for the SAP Business One Cloud hosted by SAP. The accomplishment offers SAP Business One customers a cloud-to-cloud integration with TrueCommerce Foundry - a broad set of unified commerce services and apps that links customers, suppliers, channels, and systems. SAP Business One Cloud customers are agile, innovative organizations that thrive in the rapidly evolving omnichannel environment, said TrueCommerce president Ross Elliott. To keep up, their business system should be one step ahead. Partnership with TrueCommerce opens new unified commerce capabilities for SAP Business One users, allowing them to make the most of their ERP investments. The TrueCommerce integration for SAP Business One supports integration for key sales, purchasing and warehouse documents. It also provides key omnichannel capabilities, such a EDI, B2B/B2C e-commerce connectivity, Pack & Ship and order fulfillment. Finally, the solution helps organizations to easily connect with various channels making the most of SAP Business One in the cloud potential. SAP continues to grow its cloud business for SMEs," said James Kofalt, SAP Business One Program Manager for Industry Solutions, North America. The TrueCommerce offerings are a valuable addition to our portfolio of solutions for SAP Business One Cloud, hosted by SAP. TrueCommerce Foundry leverages TrueCommerces Global Commerce Network which, includes over 92,000 pre-connected retailers, distributors and logistics service providers. A true managed services provider, TrueCommerce manages the onboarding process for new trading partners as well as the ongoing management of trading partner specific mapping and labeling changes. About TrueCommerce TrueCommerce is the most complete way to connect your business across the supply chain, integrating everything from EDI , to inventory management , to fulfillment, to digital storefronts and marketplaces , to your business system, and to whatever comes next. To stay ahead in todays dynamic global market, companies need to be able to do business in a lot of different directions at once. But too often, doing so means too many solutions and too much assembly required. For decades TrueCommerce has helped businesses be more connected , more supported , and more prepared for whats next. Thats why thousands of companies across various industries rely on us. TrueCommerce: Do business in every direction For more information, visit https://www.truecommerce.com . TrueCommerce media contact: Yegor Kuznetsov TrueCommerce 703-209-0167 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] JSA Launches the TEX Portal, an Intelligent Networking and Meeting Management App Designed for Community Engagement Across the Tech and Telecom Industries MIDDLEBROOK, Va., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA), the preeminent provider of Public Relations, Marketing and Event Planning services for the tech and telecom industries, and founder and host of the C-Level networking event series the Telecom Exchange (TEX) , announces the launch of its brand new TEX Portal . A groundbreaking new event app, unlike any other in the industry, the TEX Portal is a community resource that allows members to intelligently connect and plan one-on-one meetings that take place at any of JSA's quarterly TEX events, as well as all other industry events and/or virtual or in-person meetings on a 24/7/365 basis. The Portal also serves as a platform for members to actively share invaluable ideas and resources across the Portal's Executive Idea Board and Library. Members include decision makers in the telecom, tech, data center and network infrastructure ecosystem. TEX Portal Members can: Plan meetings virtually and at any/all industry events, including the quarterly Telecom Exchange events; Select business and technology interests and services so the Portal can then intelligently recommend with whom to meet; Pitch ideas on the Executive Idea Board to a select group of decision makers or entire member base; Access and post educational papers and videos in the Library First viewing of JSA's Monthly Virtual CEO Roundtable recordings, prior to being released to the industry; Upload executive bios and company profiles and more. "We are bringing industry matchmaking, meeting management and information sharng to the next level," states Jaymie Scotto Cutaia , CEO and Founder of JSA. "The TEX Portal now allows its members to network not just for one single event, but throughout the year, and with other key decision makers within the tech, telecom and data center ecosystem, enabling better business decisions up and down the stack." For more information on the TEX Portal and to become a member, click here . If you are already a JSA client or TEX registered attendee, you can download the TEX Portal app in the App Store or Google Play. To register for an upcoming TEX networking event, visit http://thetelecomexchange.com . About JSA Celebrating more than 14 years of success, Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA) is the preeminent provider of Public Relations, Marketing and Event Planning services to the tech and telecom industries. Awarded 'Most Outstanding Telecoms PR Agency' by LiveWire for two years in a row, our success is attributed to our skilled JSA team, innovative tools, and established media and industry relationships, allowing us to deliver the finest outreach and brand awareness services available with measurable return on investment. Our clients enjoy 'insider access' to the top journalists, bloggers, analysts and thought leaders shaping tech and telecom as well as critical networking opportunities, including JSA's own industry networking event series, the Telecom Exchange (TEX). We also feature client and marketplace news via JSA WalkOuts (3D-like interactive video), JSA TV (our video newsroom on YouTube), JSA Radio (our podcast channel on iHeartRadio), Virtual CEO Roundtables (our monthly panel discussions with top industry thought leaders), Telecom News & Trends (our newsletter to 26K+ subscribers) and Tech and Telecom News Now (our industry blog with 156K+ readers). To learn more about how JSA can elevate your brand, visit www.jsa.net . Join the conversation: Follow JSA on LinkedIn and Twitter . For media inquiries, please contact: Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA) +1 866.695.3629 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jsa-launches-the-tex-portal-an-intelligent-networking-and-meeting-management-app-designed-for-community-engagement-across-the-tech-and-telecom-industries-300806707.html SOURCE Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] DataPath, Inc. Appoints Henrik Asbjrn Head of Sales for Europe DULUTH, Ga., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DataPath, Inc., a leading provider of advanced and secure communications solutions, announced today the appointment of Henrik Asbjrn of Copenhagen, Denmark, to the position of Senior Director, Head of Sales Europe. Asbjrn will have overall responsibility for sales and customer development for the company's satellite and wireless communications products and systems and secure communications software. In making the announcement, DataPath's Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Carsten Drachmann, said, "We are thrilled to have Henrik joining the DataPath team as he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in leading global sales in the telco industry and wireless communications sectors. His experience and success in selling innovative solutions and identifying strong partnerships speaks for itself and will translate seamlessly to DataPath's advanced SATCOM and wireless tactical solutions." Asbjrn comes to DataPath after serving as the Chief Sales Officer EMEA for the Bullit Group, a manufacturer and marketer of licensed communications devices in the UK. Prior to that assignment, he held the position of Vice President for Motorola Solutions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. At Motorola, Asbjrn headed up all organizations and channels within the Land Mobile Radio, Tetra/Astro/Dimetra Systems, Consumer Radios and SCADA businesses. Asbjrn is a graduate of The Copenhagen School of Economics and Business Management, where he received a Bachelor's degree in International Marketing and Business Management followed by a Master of Science degree. In addition, Asbjrn has participated in numerous executive development programs around the world. About DataPath Inc. DataPath excels in advanced and secure communications solutions tailored to the unique requirements of defense, aerospace, broadcast, government, and critical infrastructure clients. Our solutions include a wide range of field communications and information technology products, including satellite communication systems, network management software, and cybersecurity services. All of our offerings are backed by 24x7 customer care and global field support. At DataPath we are committed to helping our clients achieve mission success. For more information, visit www.datapath.com. Contact: DataPath, Inc. Patrick Millard 678-597-0723 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/datapath-inc-appoints-henrik-asbjorn-head-of-sales-for-europe-300806839.html SOURCE DataPath, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] European Parliament in Brussels : End of daylight saving time probably not before 2021 Brussels Ending daylight saving time will not come as quickly as originally planned. A European Parliament committee voted on Monday to eliminating the twice-yearly time change not until 2021. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken It could be that early Sunday morning, March 28 of 2021 is the last time we have to change our clocks. For EU countries that have opted for summer time, that would be the final change to summer time. A European Parliament committee on Monday gave a green light to eliminating the twice-yearly clock change but not until 2021. Previous to that, other groups of parliament had pleaded for the change in 2020. A decision from the entire parliament is expected in a few days. Only then will the member states want to pin down their positions in the relevant Council of Ministers. So far, the Council has been talking about "2021 at the earliest. But the real challenge still lies ahead for the member states. "We should avoid having too many different time zones in the European Union," warned Peter Liese, CDU politician for Europe, who played a key role in the scrapping the time change. So far, the EU has had three standard time zones: With 16 other countries, Germany belongs to the largest group, in which Central European Time applies. Ireland, Portugal and Great Britain use Western European time and are one hour behind Germany. Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland and Greece as well as the three Baltic states plus Romania and Cyprus belong to the Eastern European time zone - they are one hour ahead. Last summer, more than 4 million EU citizens took part in an online survey initiated by the European Commission and 84 percent were against putting clocks forward in spring and back in autumn every year. When the EU Commission presented its draft legislation to eliminate the time change, it wanted to leave it to member states to decide which time zone would be suitable. The only requirement: no chaos please. But at this point it is not yet clear when and within what framework the representatives of the 28 governments will be able to or should agree. Perhaps even the heads of state and government themselves would have to get involved - it would probably be a summit meeting that would receive unprecedented public attention. [March 05, 2019] Wells Fargo Donated $14 Million to Support Minnesota Nonprofits in 2018 Wells Fargo (News - Alert) today announced the company donated more than $14 million through 505 grants to local nonprofits, schools and community organizations in 2018 to help the communities and people of Minnesota. Wells Fargo's philanthropic contributions build on a long history of collaboration with local nonprofits and community leaders to make a positive impact by addressing urgent community issues such as affordable housing, small business growth, financial education and workforce development. When combined with the more than $6.3 million donated by the company's 18,000 Minnesota team members during the company's internal Community Support Campaign, nonprofits in the state received a total of $20.3 million from Wells Fargo and its team members in 2018. That amounts to an average daily donation of $55,616. "Across our community, many residents are working hard to make ends meet," said Laurie Nordquist, Wells Fargo Minnesota CEO. "Here in Minnesota, we want to help people find a stable place to live, help small business owners expand, and help young people gain a quality education that prepares them for the workforce." "We are determined to help people and communities, especially in underserved areas, succeed financially. We will continue to provide philanthropy, volunteers, expertise and other resources to revitalize and strengthen local neighborhoods." Beyond philanthropy, Wells Fargo team members in Minnesota volunteered nearly 179,000 hours in 2018 to support nonprofits and causes important to them, including organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, People Serving People and Junior Achievement. The Independent Sector estimates the value of one volunteer hour is $24.69. At 179,000 hours, the value of Wells Fargo team members' 2018 volunteerism in Minnesota was more than $4.4 million. When you combine the Wells Fargo and team member giving totals of $20.3 million and the $4.4 million value of the volunteerism, it means Wells Fargo and its team members made a $24.7 million charitable impact in Minnesota last year. "Part of what makes Wells Fargo unique is the generosity of our team members, who help multiply our community impact," said Patty Pannkuk, Wells Fargo Community Relations manager. "Sometimes giving time is even more valuable than money, because it puts our desire to build a strong community into action and gives us a tangible way to personally make a difference." United Way Worldwide recently recognized Wells Fargo for having the No. 1 workplace giving campaign in the U.S. for the tenth consecutive year. Making an impact in Minnesota Wells Fargo concentrated its 2018 local philanthropic contributions on addressing urgent community issues such as: Affordable housing . To help increase affordable, stable housing and homeownership in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, Wells Fargo collaborated with grantees such as Project for Pride in Living, Minnesota Homeownership Center, Hmong American Partnership, BuildWealth MN, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation and the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans to provide homebuyer education, down payment assistance and affordable housing solutions. . To help increase affordable, stable housing and homeownership in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, Wells Fargo collaborated with grantees such as Project for Pride in Living, Minnesota Homeownership Center, Hmong American Partnership, BuildWealth MN, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation and the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans to provide homebuyer education, down payment assistance and affordable housing solutions. Small business growth . Many diverse-owned small businesses, especially those in rural and low- to moderate-income communities, face unique challenges and often lack access to the full spectrum of resources necessary for growth and success. The company supported nonprofits serving small businesses, including Metropolitan Economic Development Association, WomenVenture, Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Northside Economic Opportunity Network, African Development Center and the Latino Economic Development Center to provide access to capital and training for entrepreneurs in rural and urban markets. . Many diverse-owned small businesses, especially those in rural and low- to moderate-income communities, face unique challenges and often lack access to the full spectrum of resources necessary for growth and success. The company supported nonprofits serving small businesses, including Metropolitan Economic Development Association, WomenVenture, Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Northside Economic Opportunity Network, African Development Center and the Latino Economic Development Center to provide access to capital and training for entrepreneurs in rural and urban markets. Financial education . Wells Fargo supported grants for local financial education programs, including contributions to American Indian Family Services, BestPrep, Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest, Karen Organizations of Minnesota and MN Council on Economic Education. The company also supported the GetLifted Community Financial Capability program. . Wells Fargo supported grants for local financial education programs, including contributions to American Indian Family Services, BestPrep, Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest, Karen Organizations of Minnesota and MN Council on Economic Education. The company also supported the GetLifted Community Financial Capability program. Workforce development. The company supported the work of nonprofits to help communities expand youth career/job readiness programs, post-secondary education opportunities and adult employment initiatives with grants to Achieve Minneapolis, AVIVO, CAPI, Cookie Cart, Goodwill Industries, Juxaposition, Migizi Communications and Greater Twin (News - Alert) Cities United Way. "Wells Fargo is a dedicated, strong partner of affordable housing initiatives in Minnesota," said Chris Coleman, President/CEO of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. "Over the past 25 years, the company has donated $5 million to sponsor work on more than 160 Twin Cities homes, including 40 full home sponsorships and thousands of volunteer hours. Wells Fargo's impact on affordable homeownership opportunities will multiply for generations." About Wells Fargo Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,800 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com). Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. With approximately 259,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune's 2018 rankings of America's largest corporations. In 2018, Wells Fargo donated more than $444 million to nearly 11,000 nonprofits in support of affordable housing, small business growth, financial education, and sustainability, among other community needs. For 10 consecutive years, Wells Fargo has held the honor of No. 1 in workplace giving by United Way Worldwide. Wells Fargo team members also make a difference by donating more than 2 million hours of volunteer time in the last year. News, insights and more information on the company's corporate responsibility are available at Wells Fargo Stories. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005113/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] CAP Services Partners with Baker Hill to Support Lending Program Baker Hill, a leading provider of technology solutions for common loan origination, risk and relationship management, CECL compliance, and smart data analytics, announced that CAP Services, Inc., a nonprofit offering small business assistance and financial support to low-income individuals, has selected Baker Hill NextGen (News - Alert) Statement Spreading to provide underwriters and credit analysts the reporting options they need to make sound credit decisions. Wisconsin-based CAP Services is a private, nonprofit corporation, offering more than two dozen programs throughout Marquette, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca and Waushara counties to help low-income individuals become economically and emotionally self-sufficient. As part of its programs, CAP provides technical assistance at no charge to low-income individuals starting a business or to businesses committed to creating jobs for low-income individuals. CAP's business development coordinators help individuals develop their business plan and assemble a financing package, which can include gap financing from CAP and its lending arm, Community Assets for People. Since 1997, CAP has helped more than 300 businesses start or expand, resulting in nearly 600 living-wage jobs. To support this growing program, CAP Services needed a solution that allowed tem to gain greater insight into its commercial lending underwriting process. After reviewing several providers, the nonprofit selected Baker Hill NextGen Statement Spreading, which will enable CAP to improve the quality and consistency of its financial analysis. A core component of the Baker Hill NextGen platform, its statement spreading solution facilitates reporting, data collection, global cash flow, covenants, a comprehensive credit memorandum and more - all in one central location. "At CAP Services, our mission is to transform people and communities and advance social and economic justice," said Laura West, Vice President of Business Development for CAP Services. "A large part of doing so means helping individuals create businesses and jobs within their communities. In turn, local economies thrive and individuals improve the quality of their lives." West continued, "We were looking to partner with a company with a deep understanding of financial services, which led us to Baker Hill. The company's over 30 years of experience and its superior technology makes them an ideal partner for us. We're excited to work with them and look forward to expanding our program." "Having the right technology to manage risk is critical for financial institutions, including to remain competitive," said John M. Deignan, President and CEO of Baker Hill. "Because CAP Services, like other Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), works with people with unique needs and requirements, it needed a unique solution. With Baker Hill NextGen Statement Spreading, the nonprofit and its CDFI will be more nimble and proactive to make decisions and processes easy for individuals. As a result, CAP will decision loans quicker and help its communities start new businesses faster. We're pleased to help support their mission." About CAP Services CAP Services, Inc. has been on the front line of the war on poverty since 1966. More than two dozen programs are offered by CAP Services to transform people and communities to advance social and economic justice. By addressing both the human and community development needs in its five-county service area, CAP Services builds the capacity of low-income people to become economically and emotionally self-sufficient. CAP, a private, nonprofit corporation, offers programs in Marquette, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca, and Waushara counties and is headquartered in Stevens Point. For more information, visit capservices.org. About Baker Hill Baker Hill empowers financial institutions to work smarter, reduce risk and drive more profitable relationships. The company delivers a single unified platform with modern solutions to solve CECL calculations and streamline loan origination and portfolio risk management for commercial, small business and consumer lending. The Baker Hill NextGen platform also delivers sophisticated analytics and marketing solutions that support sound business decisions to mitigate risk, generate growth and maximize profitability. Baker Hill is the expert solution for loan origination, portfolio risk and relationship management, CECL compliance and analytics for financial institutions in the United States. For more information, visit www.bakerhill.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005622/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Autonomous Driving High-precision Positioning Industry Report, 2018-2019 NEW YORK, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The existing positioning technology falls into outdoor and indoor positioning. Outdoor positioning technology involves traditional satellite positioning, radar positioning, inertial measurement unit (IMU) positioning and cellular mobile network positioning. Indoor positioning technology embraces WLAN positioning, Zigbee positioning, Bluetooth positioning, ultra wideband (UWB) positioning, infrared positioning, computer vision positioning and ultrasonic positioning. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05749284 The solution to the problem of knowing where a vehicle is (initial position) and where it is going (target position) is indispensable to autonomous driving. High level of autonomous driving demands centimeter-level positioning technology. High-precision positioning technology, therefore, plays a vital role in L3-above autonomous driving. High-precision positioning technology for autonomous driving is classified by positioning method into the three types as follows: (1)Signal-based positioning technology such as global navigation satellite system (GNSS), UWB and 5G; (2)Dead reckoning, an IMU-based technology that reckons current position and direction of a vehicle after learning where it was; (3)Environmental feature matching, or LiDAR and vision sensor-based positioning, that is, matching features observed with those stored in database to know where the vehicle is and what it looks like. Among signal-based positioning methods, GNSS and 4G/5G are often used for outdoor positioning, and UWB for the indoor. Through comparing different positioning technologies, 5G and vehicle body sensor fusion (combining radar, camera, LiDAR and map) are the two optimal solutions for L4/L5 autonomous driving in the densely populated areas. Satellite positioning, however, is more applicable to sparsely populated places where it is unfitted to build 5G base stations on a large scale. GNSS with a meter-level positioning accuracy falls far short of autonomous driving. The centimeter-level satellite positioning needs correction of GNSS positioning errors caused by ionosphere, which is often done by real time kinematic (RTK), a technology having evolved from a conventional 1+1 or 1+2 system to a wide area differential one. The continuous operational reference station (CORS) built in some cities improves RTK measurement range significantly. Correcting satellite positioning errors by multiple stationary CORS on the ground is also called "ground based augmentation". Qianxun SI has constructed over 2,400 ground based augmentation stations across China as its Beidou-based positioning system has served a total of 190 million users. Ground based augmentation system (GBAS) offers limited coverage albeit with a high accuracy. The system only works for targets in the coverage of its communication signals which find it hard to reach high altitudes, seas, deserts and mountains, so it misses out a large area. To meet the needs of high-precision positioning on a larger scale, correction parameters collected from CORS are sent to satellites for broadcast, so that user end can be free of inadequate communication capacity. Such a correction method is referred to as satellite based augmentation. Ground based augmentation system (GBAS) has so many technical defects from limited communication capacity and non-uniform architecture to heavy concurrent load and high maintenance cost that GBAS is bound to be replaced by satellite based augmentation system (SBAS). Autonomous vehicles need to not only carry sensors like LiDAR but be capable of centimeter-level positioning for self-driving in any scenario. SBAS will be the best choice for L5 autonomous driving for its unique ability to provide rapid global coverage for billions of users at the same time and at an ultralow cost. Satellite navigation and positioning system is heading to the integration between SBAS and GBAS, between communication and navigation. The large number of competitors means that users have to bind receiver hardware or some one's SBAS, which goes against the prevalence of high-precision positioning technology in mass market. Sapcorda was thus founded. Sapcorda On August 8, 2017 , Bosch, Geo++, Mitsubishi Electric and u-blox announced the creation of Sapcorda Services GmbH, a joint venture that will bring high precision GNSS positioning services to mass market applications. Sapcorda will offer globally available GNSS positioning services via internet and satellite broadcast and will enable accurate GNSS positioning at centimeter level. The services are mainly for autonomous vehicle, industrial and consumer markets. The real-time correction data service is delivered in a public and open way and does not bind with receiver hardware or systems. Sapcorda wants to be a trailblazer providing new-generation intercontinental GNSS correction data services in Europe , America and the rest of the world. Yet the company has not released any information since its inception. It may suffer a setback in multi-party cooperation or may be just engrossed in a big plan. It is imaginable that coordinating its shareholders, Bosch, Mitsubishi Electric and u-blox, all of which are big names in technology world, is almost a tall order. U-blox focuses on development and sale of GNSS chips and modules, and has more than 5,900 customers in 66 countries. Its unit shipment surged from 4.5 million to 90 million between 2007 and 2017. In OEM market, it is a GPS chip supplier of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and Audi among other auto brands. Its latest F9 GNSS technology platform offers mainstream GNSS correction services (processing positioning correction data provided by Qianxun SI), and an open interface to GNSS correction service providers. Bosch has forayed into most autonomous driving industry chain links, of course, including the key technology, high-precision positioning. Bosch already provides inertial sensors as it did in 2016 when SMI130, a 6-axis inertial motion sensor, was unveiled. As an inertial sensor bellwether, InvenSens has been a long-term sole supplier of motion sensor modules for Apple iPhone. In May 2017 , Bosch won orders from Apple to supply the next iPhone with some of its motion sensors, breaking the monopoly of InvenSens. Bosch also has strong technology competence in the fields of automotive camera, radar and LiDAR, staying ahead of its counterparts in installations of cameras and radars. Its three high-precision positioning solutions are applied to scenarios of highway, city road and long non-GNSS tunnel, respectively: Automotive camera + radar based positioning technology; GPS+ correction technology, providing vehicle motion and position sensors (VMPS); Bosch road feature + HD map based positioning technology. Mitsubishi Electric develops a positioning method---"centimeter level augmentation service" (CLAS) with data broadcast from Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). The company is the major contractor of the government's QZSS project. The solution runs by using data from satellites, ground sensors to detect vehicle position and "positioning-augmentation" algorithm to correct some errors. CLAS algorithm enables a centimeter-level accuracy compared with the 10-meter of a general satellite, with horizontal accuracy of 12cm and vertical accuracy of 24cm. Mitsubishi Electric names its autonomous driving technology "Diamond Safety". The self-sensing driving technology combines various peripheral-sensing technologies, including a forward-monitoring radar with wide viewing angle, a forward-monitoring camera and a backward side-monitoring radar. Its infrastructural driving technology uses high-accuracy 3D mapping in combination with CLAS broadcast from QZSS. Apart from the three giants working hard on poisoning technology, SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk , the co-founder and CEO at Tesla, has outlined a more ambitious plan -- Starlink internet satellite constellation project. Musk's Starlink With Starlink, SpaceX intends to put a 4,425-satellite constellation in low earth orbit, thereby providing high-speed, cable-like internet to every corner of the planet. The project is expected to cost a total of around USD10 billion . Each satellite measures 4 x 1.8 x 1.2 m and weighs 390 kg or so. Their orbits are between 1,150 and 1,325 km above the Earth's surface. SpaceX will officially launch satellites in 2019 and provide limited services by 2020. It is expected that the business will have 40 million subscribers or more and earn over $30 billion in revenue by 2025. In November 2018 , SpaceX adjusted its technical solution and filed a request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in which it details plans to send 1,584 satellites to orbit at an altitude of 550km, about one-third of the originally planned 4,400+ satellites. The latency in signals will also be reduced from 25 milliseconds to 15 milliseconds. In February 2019 , SpaceX filed an earth-station license application with the Federal Communications Commission. The application seeks blanket approval for up to a million earth stations that would be used by customers of the Starlink satellite internet service. The stations would rely on a flat-panel, phased-array system to transmit and receive signals in the Ku-band to and from the Starlink constellation. According to Liu Jingnan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Starlink features high precision, high availability and high reliability. It can not only provide broadband Internet services, but also allow communication, and can be used as centimeter-level positioning augmentation and navigation services as well. Therefore, it is suitable for high-precision positioning and serves sectors such as autonomous driving. China also has a Starlink-like project -- "Hongyan" system of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It consists of 54 core satellites and 270 small supporting satellites, which together form a 324-satellite constellation. The Hongyan system also features satellite positioning augmentation, which can further improve the positioning accuracy for the Beidou navigation system. It will launch 6 satellites by 2020 to realize LAN link verification, and complete the launch of 54 backbone satellites by 2023. Since 2018, autonomous driving has slowed down the pace of development, and L2-L3 has remained a focus for the moment. The large-scale application of L4-above AD requires that communication networks should transfer from C-V2X to 5G-V2X and satellite positioning should shift from large-scale ground-based augmentation (Qianxun SI, etc.) to large-scale satellite-based augmentation (Starlink, Hongyan, etc.). The autonomous driving industry is advancing gradually in due order and the vision after 2023 is worth anticipating. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05749284 About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/autonomous-driving-high-precision-positioning-industry-report-2018-2019-300806869.html SOURCE Reportlinker [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] ThreatConnect Releases New Pricing and Packaging of its Intelligence-Driven Security Operations Platform Disrupting the cybersecurity industry since 2011, ThreatConnect, Inc., provider of the industry's only intelligence-driven security operations platform, is proud to announce its new product packaging designed to bring value to all members of the security team: threat intelligence, incident response, security operations, and security leadership. In 2017, ThreatConnect introduced its suite of products designed for organizations of all maturity levels. As organizations of different sizes and types used the platform, certain patterns in usage started to emerge. Every member of the team benefited from threat intel, automation, orchestration, and workflow features. They just leveraged them in different ways. To provide all features to all users, ThreatConnect made the decision to re-package the Platform. Andy Pendergast, VP of Product said, "When deciding to offer all features and capabilities to all customers, we considered the needs of the entire security team and how to bring them the most value. We thought through how each department could benefit from utilizing threat intelligence, automating smarter processes across every aspect of security operations and incident response. And, in turn how knowledge learned from operations could become threat intelligence." In its new packaging, ThreatConnect will offer all Platform capabilities and features to their dedicated cloud and on-premises customers including: Automate & orchestrate all your processes end-to-end with Playbooks Validate threats with real-world intel from CAL TM (Collective Analytics Layer) (Collective Analytics Layer) Query indicators & reports from 100+ OSINT sources, industry blogs, and your premium intelligence feeds Monitor critical data with custom dashboards Build custom applications with an in-platform App Builder Scale easily with multiple deployment options Measure ROI and other metrics for security operations, incident response, and threat intelligence Manage tasks and workflow across the entire team Also new for 2019, ThreatConnect is now offering professional services as a value-add for customers, including tailored additional training, workshops, and services needed to complement security teams. Courses can help novice teams mature their tradecraft and build out a security program, while advanced teams will be taught how to take full advantage of the platform with custom application production and implementation. Said Pendergast, "We have seen the market mature over the past couple of years. Security teams want to be less siloed and more effective. Our goal is to help them get there. We feel this updated packaging will allow our current and future customers - all members of the security team - to work better together." The company has grandfathered its current products, so existing customers may choose to stay with their current licensing. The new pricing and packaging is available for license immediately. About ThreatConnect: ThreatConnect, Inc. provides a proactive and efficient approach to security by enabling enhanced detection, shortened response, and reduced risk. Designed by analysts but built for the entire team (security operations, threat intelligence, incident response and security leadership), ThreatConnect's intelligence-driven security operations platform is the only solution available today with intelligence, automation, analytics, and workflows in a single platform. To learn more about our threat intelligence platform (TIP) or security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) solutions, visit www.ThreatConnect.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005177/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] DVCon U.S. 2019 Announces Stuart Sutherland Best Paper & Best Poster Winners, Attendance Numbers LOUISVILLE, Colo., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2019 Design and Verification Conference and Exhibition U.S. (DVCon U.S.), sponsored by Accellera Systems Initiative (Accellera), concluded its 31st annual event last week with attendees filling rooms to learn more about machine learning, Portable Stimulus, multi-platform verification, what "digital twin" means and more. The DVCon Expo was sold out this year with 32 exhibitors filling the ballroom. Overall attendance, including exhibit-only and technical conference attendees, was 873. Attendance was further enhanced by 240 exhibitor personnel that also had access to the panel sessions and keynote address, for a total of 1,113 participants. We are very pleased with the increased turnout and the positive reception of our program at DVCon U.S. 2019, stated Aparna Dey, DVCon U.S. General Chair. Our evolving program continues to be a strong resource for the latest information, tips and tricks for the practicing design and verification engineer. We are very proud that our technical program, tutorials, short workshops and panels not only covered key verification topics, but also included a number of new topics that attracted standing-room-only attendance. Our exhibition was a major draw for both attendees and exhibitors and was a gathering place each afternoon for the DV engineers and their peers to discuss the latest in technology and design. In honor of his significant contributions to Accellera and DVCon, the Best Paper Award has been posthumously named the Stuart Sutherland Best Paper Award. Stu was recognized around the world as a Verilog and SystemVerilog expert and had a tremendous impact on the industry. He was a past General Chair of DVCon U.S. as well as a member of the Technical Program Committee (TPC) for many years. The award for the first Stuart Sutherland Best Paper Presentation, as voted by conference attendees, went to Cliff Cummings, Sunburst Design, Inc., and John Rose and Adam Sherer, Cadence Design Systems for their presentation, Yikes! Why Is My SystemVerilog Still So Slooooow? Second place was awarded to Horace Chan and Byron Watt, Microchip Technology, Inc. for their presentation, How to Test the Whole Firmware/Software when the RTL Cant Fit the Emulator, and third place was awarded to Ang Li, Hao Chen, Jason Yu, EeLoon Teoh, and Iswerya Prem Anand, Intel Corp. for their paper, A Coverage-Driven Formal Methodology for Verification Sign-off. Top honors for Best Poster went to Srikanth Reddy Rolla, Vijayakrishnan Rousseau, Suresh Balasubramanian, Mohamed Saheel Nandikotkur Hussainsaheb, Intel Corp. for their poster, Emulation Testbench Optimizations for Better Hardware Software Co-Validation. Second place was awarded to Mohamed Saheel Nandikotkur Hussainsaheb, Suresh Balasubramanian and Vijayakrishnan Rousseau, Intel Corp. for their poster, Novel Approach to ASIC Prototyping. Third place was awrded to Luis Li, Pablo Salazar and Andres Cordero, Hewlett Packard Enterprise for their poster, Verification Reuse for a Non-Transaction Based Design Across Multiple Platforms. Because of their close relationship over the years and their combined efforts in the development and adoption of industry standards, it was particularly poignant that Cliff Cummings was part of the team that received the first Stuart Sutherland Best Paper Award, stated Tom Fitzpatrick, DVCon U.S. Technical Program Committee Chair. In addition to Cliff, Id like to congratulate all of our paper and poster winners this year. They each did an outstanding job of providing material that our attendees find extremely valuable and useful in their day-to-day jobs. Im also very proud of the TPC and the overall technical program we were able to provide to attendees this year. There is a huge demand for increasing automation when it comes to the task of verification. To address the interest in this topic we were able to provide two sessions on verification strategies, two on Portable Stimulus, and one on big data and verification. With growing interest in this and other topics, we are looking at ways to expand the technical program in 2020. Stay tuned. Highlights of the Week: For his many years of dedication to the advancement of standards, Fitzpatrick was honored during the Accellera-sponsored luncheon on Monday as the recipient of the eighth annual Accellera Technical Excellence Award. In addition to his TPC chair position, he is Strategic Verification Architect at Mentor, a Siemens Business and a noted verification evangelist. On Tuesday Fram Akiki, vice president, Electronics & Semiconductor Industry for Siemens PLM Software, provided the keynote focusing on digital transformation. Broadening the scope beyond Electronic Design Automation, he highlighted IC verification as an important foundation for extending the digital twin into important applications such as autonomous driving and intelligent, connected devices. The standing-room-only crowd enjoyed the lively and thought-provoking presentation. There were two panels on Wednesday. The first panel, Verification and Compliance in the Era of Open ISA Is the Industry Ready to Address the Coming Tsunami of Innovation? explored the hot topic of the RISC-V instruction set architecture, its features and benefits as well as the challenges for processor IP and SoC development and verification. The second panel, Deep Learning Reshaping the Verification Landscape or Business as Usual? had a packed ballroom of attendees learning about the next steps for AI and machine learning and how they will reshape the semiconductor industry. Short workshops, which were added to the program last year to give attendees the opportunity to hear from a wider set of vendor companies at DVCon, have been so well-received by attendees that more were added to the program this year. Nine short workshops were offered, many at capacity, and some of which offered participants a hands-on experience. The DVCon Steering Committee values all feedback regarding the conference. Attendees have been given a survey and are asked to provide input on how to make DVCon U.S. 2020 even better. Save the date: DVCon U.S. 2020 will be held March 2-5 at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose, California. About DVCon DVCon is the premier conference for discussion of the functional design and verification of electronic systems. DVCon is sponsored by Accellera Systems Initiative, an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating design and verification standards required by systems, semiconductor, intellectual property (IP) and electronic design automation (EDA) companies. In response to global interest, in addition to DVCon U.S., Accellera also sponsors events in China, Europe and India. For more information about Accellera, please visit www.accellera.org. For more information about DVCon U.S., please visit www.dvcon.org. Follow DVCon on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DVCon or @dvcon_us on Twitter or to comment, please use #dvcon_us. For more information, please contact: Nannette Jordan Barbara Benjamin MP Associates, Inc. HighPointe Communications 303-530-4562 503-209-2323 [email protected] [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Urgent Care for Kids Launches First Statewide Virtual Pediatric Telemedicine Service AUSTIN, Texas, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On-demand virtual pediatric doctor visits are now available statewide through Virtual Care for Kids, the first service of its kind in Texas made possible by Urgent Care for Kids. Patients can now opt to connect via video chat with a Texas-based pediatrician. This new service now makes quality pediatric care available to any and all of Texas' more than 3 millions children ages 0 to 21. According to a Georgetown University Center for Children and Families 2017 study, approximately 835,000 of those children are uninsured. "Our vision is to ensure every child in America has the highest quality healthcare right at their fingertips and we're starting with Texas," president Kevin Pearce said. "We've built our model to deliver the best patient experience in telemedicine no matter what device or connection you're using by putting mobile quality care measures in place." Virtual Care for Kids gives patients the same high-quality pediatric care all through a 'facetime' conversation minimizing the typical in-clinic wait times and eliminating the drive time altogether. Paients are immediately ushered into a virtual visit room where the pediatric provider within a local Urgent Care for Kids clinic will connect with them via live video from the comfort of their own home. "Our on-demand Virtual Care for Kids service is for urban, suburban, rural and every parent-caregiver in between who has a sick child at home and is seeking answers some of the most common illnesses, skin irritations, minor injuries and cold and flu symptoms," Director of Telemedicine Dr. Linda Halbrook said. "We believe in providing quality pediatric care at an affordable rate to anyone who uses our service, so Virtual Care for Kids is available to anyone in the state of Texas, with and without insurance," CEO Brian White said. "We accept most insurance plans, including Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and United Healthcare. And we also accept most Medicaid plans. As patients log in for their visit, they simply upload a photo of their insurance card, and we take care of the rest." Virtual Care for Kids will be launching a statewide communications campaign starting with the Austin, Texas market spring 2019. About Urgent Care for Kids Urgent Care for Kids is the largest pediatric urgent care chain in Texas providing after hours urgent care services for children ages 0 to 21. Virtual Care for Kids is the on-demand telemedicine and pediatric video consultation service of Urgent Care for Kids. Urgent Care for Kids operates 10 locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and Houston markets providing services for pediatric patients including x-rays, minor laceration repair, and sick visits. To learn more, visit www.VirtualCareKids.com. Contact: Melissa Bauman [email protected] (936) 662-0642 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/urgent-care-for-kids-launches-first-statewide-virtual-pediatric-telemedicine-service-300806148.html SOURCE Urgent Care for Kids [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Vade Secure for Office 365 Wins Three Prestigious Cybersecurity Awards SAN FRANCISCO, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Vade Secure, the global leader in predictive email defense, announced today that Vade Secure for Office 365 has won three cybersecurity awards so far in 2019, including the Most Innovative Anti-Phishing InfoSec Award from Cyber Defense Magazine. The native email security solution for Office 365 was also recognized by CSO magazine as one of the "Hottest new cybersecurity products at RSA 2019." Recent accolades Vade Secure for Office 365 include: 2019 CDM InfoSec Awards, Most Innovative Anti-Phishing InfoSec Award Now in its seventh year honoring InfoSec innovators, Cyber Defense Magazine's philosophy is to find innovative players with new and unique technologies. The winners were selected by a panel of judges comprised of CISSP, FMDHS, CEH and certified security professionals. Now in its seventh year honoring InfoSec innovators, Cyber Defense Magazine's philosophy is to find innovative players with new and unique technologies. The winners were selected by a panel of judges comprised of CISSP, FMDHS, CEH and certified security professionals. 2019 Info Security Products Guide Excellence Awards, Silver Winner, Email Security and Management These prestigious global awards recognize cybersecurity and information technology vendors with advanced, ground-breaking products, solutions, and services that are helping set the bar higher for others in all areas of security and technologies. These prestigious global awards recognize cybersecurity and information technology vendors with advanced, ground-breaking products, solutions, and services that are helping set the bar higher for others in all areas of security and technologies. 2019 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, Bronze Winner, Email Security These awards recognize companies, products and professionals that demonstrate excellence, innovation and leadership in information security. The winners have been selected based on the strength of their nomination as well as the popular vote by members of the Information Scurity Community. March 4-8, 2019 San Francisco "We are thrilled to see Vade Secure for Office 365 recognized by such prominent cybersecurity publications and organizations," said Georges Lotigier, CEO of Vade Secure. "These accolades reflect the strong traction we're seeing from customers and partners who value the solution's ease of deployment, ease of use and superior protection against targeted email attacks." Vade Secure Augments AI-Based Threat Detection with Post-Delivery Remediation Unlike traditional Secure Email Gateways (SEGs), Vade Secure for Office 365 sits inside Office 365 through its native integration with the Microsoft API. This architectural approach offers several advantages, including instant activation with no MX changes, a native user experience that doesn't require a separate quarantine, internal email scanning to detect insider attacks and the ability to augment Microsoft EOP with complementary technology. Vade Secure for Office 365 leverages machine learning models, trained with threat intelligence from 600 million inboxes around the world to block sophisticated phishing, spear phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks from the first email. This week, Vade Secure released new post-delivery threat remediation capabilities for Vade Secure for Office 365. Company admins can now instantly remove any malicious email from users' inboxes, mitigating attacks before they disrupt the business. Moreover, this data is reported back to Vade Secure's Security Operations Center, helping to continually refine the company's machine learning models. Experience Vade Secure for Office 365 by watching the following 2-minute videos, and then request a free trial to get started today. About Vade Secure Vade Secure helps SMBs, enterprises, ISPs and OEMs protect their users from advanced cyberthreats, such as phishing, spear phishing, malware, and ransomware. The company's predictive email defense solutions leverage artificial intelligence, fed by data from 600 million mailboxes, to block targeted threats and new attacks from the first wave. In addition, real-time threat detection capabilities enable SOCs to instantly identify new threats and orchestrate coordinated responses. Vade Secure's technology is available as a native, API-based offering for Office 365; as cloud-based solutions; or as lightweight, extensible APIs for enterprise SOCs. For more information, visit www.VadeSecure.com and follow the company on Twitter @VadeSecure or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vade-secure/ . Media Contact: SHIFT Communications for Vade Secure Erin McAward (617) 779-1808 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vade-secure-for-office-365-wins-three-prestigious-cybersecurity-awards-300806251.html SOURCE Vade Secure [March 05, 2019] Hillstone Networks Wins Three Cyber Defense Magazine Awards Santa Clara, Calif., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillstone Networks, a leading provider of Enterprise Security and Risk Management solutions, today announced it has been awarded three award categories in the Cyber Defense Magazine. The Most Innovative Data Center Security InfoSec Award for 2019: Hillstone Networks X10800 Data Center Next-Generation Firewalls Hillstone Networks X10800 Data Center Next-Generation Firewalls The Next Gen Cloud Protection InfoSec Award for 2019: Hillstone Networks Intelligent Next-Generation Firewalls (iNGFW) Hillstone Networks Intelligent Next-Generation Firewalls (iNGFW) The Next Gen Cloud Protection InfoSec Award for 2019: Hillstone Networks CloudHive Micro-Segmentation Solution Gary S. Miliefsky , CEO, Cyber Defense Media Group which is in its 7th year of publishing Cyber Defense Magazine and running these independent and prestigious awards. "The Hillstone team proudly accepts these awards from CDM," says Timothy Liu, CTO & Co-Founder of Hillstone Networks, "Our vision is to mitigate risk by providing solutions that help our customer see, understand and act on threats, and being recognized for executing on this vision shows that we deliver solutions and security that simply works." About Hillstone Networks, Inc. Hillstone Networks' Enterprise Security and Risk Management solutions provide visibility, intelligence, and protection to ensure enterprises can comprehensively see, thoroughly understand, and rapidly act against cyber-threats. Recognized by leading analysts and trusted by global enterprises, Hillstone's solutions cover the enterprise from edge to cloud while improving total-cost-of-ownership. To learn more visit www.hillstonenet.com. About Cyber Defense Magazine With over 1.4 Million annual readers and growing, and over 7,000 pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at http://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com Contacts: Hillstone Networks Zeyao Hu Marketing Manager [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hillstone-networks-wins-three-cyber-defense-magazine-awards-300805520.html SOURCE Hillstone Networks [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Basil Security Unveils Policy-as-Code Platform for Cybersecurity and Audits Basil Security Inc., the Zero Trust Operations company, announced general availability of the world's first policy-as-code platform that provides stateful security policy enforcement over arbitrary code execution, APIs, and data access. Basil can be used to prevent errors, block insider cyberattacks, and guarantee accountability. "Preventing errors and insider cyberattacks beats detecting and remediating security problems after the fact," said Ron Herardian, Basil Security's CEO. "Multi-party approvals, non-repudiation, and audit time travel set new standards for cybersecurity, and for security and compliance audits. Basil is the next evolutionary step for highly secure environments and enterprises in regulated industries." Nearly one-third of all cyberattacks are insider attacks and nearly half of all data breaches are caused by errors or malicious insiders. At the same time, new technologies are needed to meet requirements stemming from regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Security and regulatory challenges are greatly amplified in hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments. Traditional identity and access managemen (IAM) solutions that use role-based access control (RBAC) ensure that the right people have access to the right services. As such, these solutions do not, at a granular level, control code execution, API calls, or data access. Basil integrates with and extends existing IAM capabilities with next-generation attribute-based access control (ABAC). Using Basil, human-readable security policies are proactively enforced. Basil can control arbitrary code execution, APIs, and data access, and adds multi-party approval, non-repudiation, immutable, unified audit logging, and other new capabilities. Basil operates at the infrastructure, platform, and application levels across all cloud-based environments. It is ideal for security and regulatory audits, digital forensic investigations and attribution, and DevSecOps-including development and operations (DevOps), and continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD). Together with ABAC, immutable, unified audit logging provides selective visibility to internal and external auditors, as well as to end users, including the ability to audit prior points in time. Basil nodes can be deployed in any data center or cloud environment. Pricing is per node. About Basil Security Basil Security Inc., the Zero Trust Operations company, is a provider of cybersecurity and audit capabilities for enterprises and highly secure environments. Basil's policy-as-code platform is the first proactive security policy enforcement solution based on attribute-based access control standards with unified, immutable audit logging. Founded in 2018, Basil Security is a corporate member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA). For more information, please visit http://www.basilsecurity.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005425/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] BigCommerce and BloomReach Partner to Extend Content and Commerce Capabilities to Mid-Market and Enterprise Retailers BigCommerce, the leading SaaS (News - Alert) ecommerce platform for fast-growing and established brands, today announced a strategic partnership with BloomReach, a recognized leader in the digital experience (DXP) space, to bring best-of-breed content-led commerce solutions to the tens of thousands of merchants looking to more seamlessly connect their content and commerce experiences. BigCommerce and BloomReach will work closely with award-winning digital agency BORN Group to deliver BigCommerce for BloomReach. This collaboration combines BloomReach's open-source content management system and AI-powered Search & Merchandising with BigCommerce's highly-extensible SaaS ecommerce engine, offering merchants globally a better way to build immersive, content-rich, personalized brand experiences and robust commerce functionality at scale. "Working with BloomReach and BORN, BigCommerce is amplifying what's possible for mid-market and enterprise merchants that want to prioritize content and experience, but have complex business needs that necessitate a more advanced commerce solution," said MaryAnn Bekkedahl, senior vice president of business development for BigCommerce. "Even more exciting, all three companies have established a secondary home in the UK, making this partnership especially useful for international merchants who, until now, have lacked a strong SaaS solution that can effortlessly blend content, commerce and experience." Through this connector, BigCommerce's commerce capabilities can be integrated directly into the BloomReach platform, giving merhants with a BloomReach Starter Store a template for website customization as well as access to content publishing, site analytics and multichannel commerce capabilities. In addition, merchants using BigCommerce for BloomReach can leverage BloomReach Search and Merchandising to surface more relevant, personalized content to customers and site visitors. "We live in a world where experience is quickly gaining importance over price and product, but all too often retailers struggle to create online experiences that are as powerful to the consumer as the ones they are having in a physical store," said Patrick Finn, head of global channels at BloomReach. "Building off BigCommerce's headless capabilities gives us the ability to provide retailers the very thing they've been searching for: a design-first commerce solution that promises their customers an engaging, personalized online buying experience." "As a leading agency in the space of microservice ecommerce and content solutions, we consider the combination of two leaders, BigCommerce and BloomReach, in a microservices-based architecture that covers the B2B, B2C and B2B2C segments very exciting," said Dilip Keshu, CEO of BORN. BigCommerce for BloomReach is expected to be widely available for merchants beginning in Q2. For more information about BigCommerce for BloomReach, visit www.bigcommerce.com/solutions/bloomreach. In addition, Shoptalk attendees can learn more about the BigCommerce-BloomReach integration by visiting BigCommerce's booth, #4213. About BigCommerce BigCommerce is the world's leading cloud ecommerce platform for established and rapidly-growing businesses. Combining enterprise functionality, an open architecture and app ecosystem, and market-leading performance, BigCommerce enabled businesses to grow online sales with 80% less cost, time and complexity than on-premise software. BigCommerce powers B2B and B2C ecommerce for more than 60,000 stores, 2,000+ mid-market businesses, 30 Fortune 1000 companies and industry-leading brands, including Assurant, Ben & Jerry's, Paul Mitchell, Skullcandy, Sony and Toyota. For more information, visit www.bigcommerce.com. BigCommerce is a registered trademark of BigCommerce Pty. Ltd. Third-party trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. About BloomReach BloomReach enables transformative digital experiences. Harnessing the power of AI, BloomReach combines super search, personalized merchandising and contextual content to create connected experiences that stimulate customer engagement and loyalty while boosting conversion and increasing revenue. With a global network of certified partners, BloomReach serves hundreds of enterprise customers such as Neiman Marcus, Staples (News - Alert), REI, FC Bayern Munchen, Marks & Spencer, and the UK's NHS Digital. Learn more: www.bloomreach.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005582/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Iconic Trading Experts & Top Market Analysts to Meet in NYC for 20th Annual TradersEXPO NEW YORK, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The TradersEXPO New York, which provides 3,000+ retail traders with the rare opportunity to meet and get real-time trading analysis and advice from the best minds in the financial industry, is being held March 10-12 at the New York Hilton Midtown. The speaker line-up at The TradersEXPO New York will feature the country's most successful professional traders and leading analysts who will discuss the latest tools, technologies, and cutting-edge trading strategies during in-depth educational classes. Featured Trading Experts: John Bollinger , Technical Analysis Legend and Creator of Bollinger Bands , Technical Analysis Legend and Creator of Bollinger Bands Tom Sosnoff , Trading Visionary and Co-Founder of thinkorswim and tastytrade , Trading Visionary and Co-Founder of thinkorswim and tastytrade Jon Najarian , Best-Selling Author and Options Trading Innovator , Best-Selling Author and Options Trading Innovator Todd Gordon , Leading Authority on Fibonacci Trading Analysis , Leading Authority on Fibonacci Trading Analysis Dan Gramza , World-Renowned Trading Analyst and Consultant , World-Renowned Trading Analyst and Consultant Timothy Sykes , Penny Stock Trading Millionaire and Mentor , Penny Stock Trading Millionaire and Mentor Mike Dever , Best-Selling Author and Founder of Brandywine Asset Management , Best-Selling Author and Founder of Brandywine Asset Management Marvin Appel , Renowned Specialist in Developing and Analyzing Timing Models In-Depth, Topic-Focused Tracks Include: All-Stars of Options Trading This always-popular event provides beginner, intermediate, and advanced options traders with the rare opportunity to network with the country's top professional traders while learning their time-tested strategies for generating cash flow and mitigating portfolio risk in bullish, bearish, and neutral markets. Crypto Intelligence This exclusive learning experience features some of the most talented developers, company founders, traders, and influencers in the cryptocurrency and blockchain community. They will teach beginning and advanced crypto investors the best strategies, exchanges, and wallets to use for trading and protecting digital assets. Forex Summit This educational summit features elite professional forex traders, with varying styles and methods, who will teach attendees how to profitably manage and trade their FX accounts by utilizing the latest strategies, tools, and platforms. Back to the Futures This event is designed to provide futures traders with insights into current market activity and price action on the latest political and economic events across various markets, including commodities, forex, crude oil, gold, and more. Global Macro Edge Series This special event features some of the country's top market practitioners who will share their time-tested strategies for maximizing returns per unit-of-risk. Day Trading for a Living Very few careers can offer the freedom, flexibility, and income that day trading does. But how easy is it and how on earth do you go about doing it? In this special event, professional traders will teach attendees the benefits of day trading for a living and how to pilot a successful trading business. Tools for Trading Success Elite trading professionals will discuss the leading tools, indicators, platforms, and software available to traders today. Each expert will demonstrate the tools they rely on along with the specific strategies they use to profit each trading day. In addition to face-to-face access to 75+ top-tier trading experts, free attendance at The TradersEXPO New York provides attendees with access to an interactive Exhibit Hall where they can test-drive and comparison-shop the latest cutting-edge products and services, receive on-the-spot answers to pressing questions, and network with industry experts during the welcome celebration and other special events. For the complete TradersEXPO schedule, including speakers, exhibitors, and topics, visit: www.NewYorkTradersEXPO.com About MoneyShow MoneyShow - Invest Smarter, Trade Wiser is a global network of investment and trading education. The privately held financial media company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, USA. Each year, MoneyShow's roster of live and online events, including MoneyShows and TradersEXPOs, attract more than 75,000 investors, traders, and financial advisors who gather with top market experts in dynamic, face-to-face and online learning forums worldwide. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iconic-trading-experts--top-market-analysts-to-meet-in-nyc-for-20th-annual-tradersexpo-300806802.html SOURCE MoneyShow [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Rinnai Announces Partnership With Folds of Honor to Fund Trade School Scholarships Rinnai America Corporation is announcing a partnership with Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization founded by Major Dan Rooney, a fighter pilot with the Air Force Reserves, that will fund trade school scholarships for the families and children of fallen or disabled military service members. For every Rinnai Tankless Water Heater sold in 2019, Rinnai will make a contribution to Folds of Honor to fund trade school scholarships. Rinnai has guaranteed a commitment to fund 50 scholarships for a total of $250,000 and is providing its trade and distribution partners, as well as employees, the opportunity to participate by funding additional scholarships. "Rinnai not only is committed to enhancing lives by changing the way water is heated, but also is committed to supporting our industry and our country," said Frank Windsor, President, Rinnai America Corporation. "With this new partnership it is our goal to support the families of the men and women who have served in the military, as well as support our trade by encouraging students to pursue vocational degrees." The labor shortage continues to rise in the U.S. This is especially true for the plumbing industry. By taking a stand to fund trade school scholarships through Folds of Honor, Rinnai is pledging to do its part to help eliminate the skills gap and strengthen the future of the industry. Rinnai has also demonstrated its commitment to the North American market by being the first major tankless water heater manufacturer to open a manufacturing facility in the United States. The company is operating in a temporary facility in Griffin, Georgia, while ts new 300,000- square-foot facility is being built. Rinnai also recently expanded its U.S. headquarters in Peachtree City, Georgia and is known in the industry for an innovative and comprehensive training program, educating professional installers on tankless and condensing boiler technologies. Rinnai's product portfolio also includes a robust line of residential boilers. "I am proud and honored to partner with Rinnai, specifically focusing on scholarships for the trades," said Major Dan Rooney, founder of Folds of Honor. "Working together, we can empower the dreams of the families and children impacted by the ultimate sacrifice of service." For more information about Rinnai's partnership with Folds of Honor and how dealers can get involved, please visit rinnai.us/FoldsOfHonor. About Folds of Honor Folds of Honor is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and platinum on GuideStar, that provides educational scholarships to the families of military men and women who have fallen or been disabled while on active duty in the United States armed forces. Its educational scholarships support private educational tuition and tutoring for children in grades K-12, as well as higher education tuition assistance for spouses and dependents. Founded in 2007 by Major Dan Rooney, a PGA Professional and F-16 fighter pilot who served three tours of duty in Iraq, the Folds of Honor is proud to have awarded nearly 20,000 scholarships in all 50 states and some U.S. territories, including approximately 4,000 in 2018 alone. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship and to learn more, please visit foldsofhonor.org. About Rinnai Rinnai America Corporation, a subsidiary of Rinnai Corporation in Nagoya, Japan, was established in 1974 and is headquartered in Peachtree City, Ga. Rinnai Corporation manufactures gas appliances including tankless water heaters, a wide range of kitchen appliances and heating and air conditioning units. As the technology leader in its industry, Rinnai is the largest gas appliance manufacturer in Japan and is the number-one selling brand of tankless gas water heaters in the United States and Canada. Annual corporate revenues, including those of its subsidiaries, are in excess of $3.1 billion. With a global perspective to create 21st-century products for the home and business, Rinnai Corporation commits itself to safety and the pursuit of comfortable lifestyles. For more information about Rinnai's entire product line, visit rinnai.us. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005688/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Villanova University Partners with The Posse Foundation, a Premier College Access, Success and Youth Leadership Development Program Villanova University has announced a partnership with The Posse Foundation, one of the most prestigious and comprehensive college access, success and youth leadership development programs in the United States. Through the Posse program, currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, Villanova will expand its recruitment efforts in New Orleans, supporting 10 high-achieving area students per year with full-tuition scholarships to attend the University. The first cohort of Posse students will enroll at Villanova in fall 2020. "Villanova has found in The Posse Foundation a strategic partner whose values closely align with our own. We each believe in the transformative strength of community and the importance of developing leaders from all walks of life who can go on to positively impact the world," said the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, Villanova University President. "The Posse program complements who we are as an Augustinian Catholic institution and is a tangible way in which we can bring our values to life." Posse has a long and proven track record of helping young people gain access to institutions of higher education. The Foundation draws from an extensive pool of talented student leaders from across the country who might otherwise be overlooked through the traditional admissions process. This partnership will provide Villanova greater access to students in New Orleans, an area from which the University does not extensively draw. Villanova's partnership with The Posse Foundation complements and will integrate with the University's existing leadership and access scholarship programs. Father Donohue continued, "A posse is often described as a group of people who are there to support you-much in the same way the Villanova community supports one another. We look forward to welcoming Posse Scholars from New Orleans to Villanova. We are always eager to welcome students with strong leadership qualities and a diversity of experience to our community and know that our Posse students will enrich the intellectual and social life of the University." "We are thrilled to partner with Villanova and excited to work with Father Peter Donohue and his dedicated team," said Posse President and Founder Deborah Bia. "New Orleans is home to so many amazing students. Those who become Villanova Posse Scholars will have the chance to contribute to an already vibrant campus community as well as benefit from the outstanding education it affords." Founded in 1989, The Posse Foundation seeks to expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds, including cultural, socio-economic, racial and religious diversity. Through the Foundation's unique evaluation process, Posse staff identify a group of high-achieving urban students-most from non-traditional backgrounds-for each institution. Candidates then participate in individual interviews and a finalist workshop, with administrators from each partner college ultimately selecting the 10 individuals who go on to form the year's Posse. During the program's 30 years, Posse Scholars have proven to be among the most engaged leaders on their respective campuses, actively promoting collaborative communications, positive change and growth. The campus leadership and academic success of Posse Scholars have propelled numerous alumni to influential roles in the workforce, with alumni serving as leaders in government, medicine, education, academia, NGOs and business. About The Posse Foundation: Posse was founded in 1989 by Deborah Bial-inspired by a student who said, "I never would've dropped out of college if I'd had my posse with me." The simple idea of sending a group of students together to college so they could "back each other up" became the impetus for a program that today has identified, recruited and trained more than 9,200 students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential. Vanderbilt University was Posse's first partner school, awarding scholarships to five students from New York City. Since then, the program has expanded to 10 major cities and grown to include STEM and post 9/11 U.S. Veterans initiatives. To date, Posse Scholars have won more than $1.4 billion in scholarships from 58 partner colleges and universities. Since opening its doors 30 years ago, Posse has received many significant acknowledgements. Notably, Bial was awarded a MacArthur "Genius (News - Alert)" Fellowship in 2007, and in 2010 President Barack Obama honored Posse with a portion of his Nobel Peace Prize grant. To learn more about the Posse Foundation, click here. About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University's Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges-the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation's top universities, Villanova supports its students' intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005764/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions Wins Two Stevie Awards for Customer Service Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions announced that it earned two Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, a silver level award for Customer Service Department of the Year - Computer Software and a silver level award for Best Customer Feedback Strategy. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals. More than 2,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 45 nations, were evaluated in this year's competition. Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions, global provider of enterprise legal management solutions and services for corporate legal and insurance claims organizations, received high marks for improving on high touch, proactive customer service while managing rapid growth of new clients. Stevie Award judges also praised the company's use of innovation to translate customer feedback into process improvements across teams and throughout the organization. This is the second year in a row that the Stevie Awards has honored Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions in the Customer Service Department of the Year category. In 2018, the company also won a Golden Bridge Gold Award for Customer Service Department of the Year, a Golden Bridge Bronze Award for New Products and Services (Information Technology Software) for the LegalVIEW BillAnalyzer solution, and a Best in Biz bronze award for Support Department of the Year. "We are thrilled that the Stevie Awards has again recognized us among best-in-class companies across all industris for our dedication to providing our customers the best possible experience," said Jonah Paransky, Executive Vice President and General Manager for Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions. "We are focused on innovation that helps us deepen customer intimacy and provide world-class business outcomes for our clients. These awards reflect our relentless attention to customer service, as exemplified by our Customer Value Lifecycle, which ensures an exceptional customer experience and maximum value at every phase of our customer engagements." Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions is the market-leading provider of enterprise legal spend and matter management and legal analytics solutions. Corporate legal and insurance claims departments and their law firms worldwide trust our flexible, multi-solution approach to help ensure compliance, control costs and collaborate more effectively. This includes Passport, the highest rated ELM solution in the 2017 Hyperion Marketview Legal Market Intelligence Report; TyMetrix 360, the industry's leading SaaS (News - Alert)-based e-billing and matter management solution; and the LegalVIEW portfolio of legal analytics solutions based upon the industry's largest and most comprehensive legal spend database, with more than $128 billion in invoices. About Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk & Compliance Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) is a division of Wolters Kluwer, which provides legal and banking professionals with solutions to ensure compliance with ever-changing regulatory and legal obligations, manage risk, increase efficiency, and produce better business outcomes. GRC offers a portfolio of technology-enabled expert services and solutions focused on legal entity compliance, legal operations management, banking product compliance, and banking regulatory compliance. Wolters Kluwer (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. Wolters Kluwer reported 2018 annual revenues of 4.3 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries and employs 19,000 people worldwide. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005216/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Swimlane Demonstration at RSA Conference Calls for Automation Revolution Swimlane, a leader in security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR), today staged a mock protest at the 2019 RSA Conference on behalf of understaffed and overworked security operations teams that are inundated by security alerts and the tedious and time-consuming manual incident response processes they perform when their organization doesn't deploy an automated platform. The mock protesters swarmed Howard Street in front of the conference, carrying picket signs displaying various sayings and images, including comically large scissors and glue, shouting slogans such as, "we need to do our jobs with haste, no more copy-paste!" "I've worked in security operations for many different verticals, and I understand the struggle that comes with never being able to dig yourself out from under the unending onslaught of alerts, notifications and unplanned tasks," said Cody Cornell, Swimlane's co-founder and CEO. "Automation empowers bogged down analysts by enabling them with the resources to complete more thoughtful tasks for which they were originally trained-proactive threat hunting and more in-depth investigations and analyses." A recent report from Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2021. That shortage ensures many security teams will struggle to implement important security capabilities and respond to alerts effectively, which leaves organizations vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated bad actors. In fact, a report from nterprise Management Associates (EMA (News - Alert)) found that "79 percent of security teams" feel "overwhelmed by the volume of threat alerts." Considering that a survey at last year's RSA (News - Alert) Conference revealed "more than half (55 percent)" of surveyed organizations "see in excess of 10,000 such alerts" and "27 percent of enterprise security teams see more than 1 million alerts per day," the demand for automation is an inevitability. "This is a real problem and it won't fix itself," Cornell said. "RSA Conference is the place for security teams to come together for learning and training and is the ideal place to talk about solutions to problems in the industry. We are serious about our mission to improve the problems plaguing security operations teams everywhere, and this protest is an example of our dedication to raise awareness about major problems in our industry." In addition to the limited resources hindering the work of security operations centers (SOCs), many organizations face similar threats and duplicate efforts within their respective incident response processes. As such, a significant amount of threat intelligence can be shared to benefit the larger security community. "Security professionals and organizations are outnumbered," said Cornell. "We need to work together to bolster our collective security posture by sharing investigative information beyond specific IOCs [indicators of compromise]." To assist in collaboration and enable security information sharing, Swimlane recently launched "Hands-Free Security," a podcast series that convenes industry thought leaders and subject matter experts to discuss security operations (SecOps) strategies and how SOAR can help. While many security vendors offer some form of automation, Swimlane's SOAR platform enhances the optimization of SOCs by integrating with their existing people, processes and technology, which allows them to use the platform on their terms to fit their unique needs rather than a generic out-of-the box option. The platform centralizes all relevant event data in one platform and automates standardized workflows, empowering SecOps teams with machine-speed decision-making throughout the entire incident response process. About Swimlane Swimlane is at the forefront of the growing market of security automation, orchestration and response (SOAR) solutions and was founded to deliver scalable and flexible security solutions to organizations struggling with alert fatigue, vendor proliferation and chronic staffing shortages. Swimlane's solution helps organizations address all security operations (SecOps) needs, including prioritizing alerts, orchestrating tools and automating the remediation of threats-improving performance across the entire organization. Swimlane is headquartered in Denver, Colorado with operations throughout North America and Europe. For more information, visit www.Swimlane.com. About RSA Conference RSA Conference is the premier series of global events and onDemand programs where the world talks security and leadership gathers, advances and emerges. Whether attending in the U.S., the EMEA region, the Asia-Pacific region or online, RSA Conference events are where the security industry converges to discuss current and future concerns and get access to the people, content and ideas that help enable individuals and companies to win, grow and do their best. It's about bringing all people in the cybersecurity industry together and empowering the collective "we" of the cybersecurity industry to stand against cyberthreats around the world. RSA Conference is the ultimate marketplace for the latest technologies and hands-on educational opportunities that help industry professionals discover how to make their companies more secure while showcasing the most enterprising, influential and thought-provoking thinkers and leaders in security today. For information on events, online programming and the most up-to-date news pertaining to the information security industry, visit www.rsaconference.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005529/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Shared Storage Solutions Provider OpenDrives Launches State-of-the-Art Demo Center to Showcase at NAB 2019 LOS ANGELES, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OpenDrives, a global provider of ultra-fast shared storage solutions from Hollywood to healthcare, today announced its planned exhibition at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas on April 6-11, 2019. The company will be showcasing its Atlas software platform and product family of shared storage solutions at Booth SL3824 in the Lower South Hall. The OpenDrives team has built a state of the art demo center at their headquarters in Culver City, CA and will be replicating the media workflow demo center at NAB to demonstrate its shared storage solutions. This bleeding edge technology workflow for the demo is built on a single Summit system, including the OmniDrive media accelerator powered by NVMe to significantly boosts editorial, transcoding, color grading and visual effects shared workflows. The OpenDrives demo center will be in action at NAB 2019 Architecture of the OpenDrives demo center which will be replicated at NAB 2019. Multiple discrete workflows across several content formats including 4K, 6K, 8K, High Dynamic Range (HDR), High Frame Rate (HFR) andvirtual reality (VR) using Adobe Premiere, Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve and Foundry Nuke software will all be showcased. Chad Knowles, chief executive officer of OpenDrives, explains how the demo is the inflection point for OpenDrives customers thought process regarding their workflow. Creating this demo center gives our customers real-time access to the kind of performance they cant get elsewhere and shows how multiple different workflows can all operate simultaneously with the need for compression or proxies. Just throwing hardware into the mix is not the answer; you need a holistic workflow strategy and the best solutions to connect teams. Working with uncompressed files saves time and money, and that is the value OpenDrives brings to every customer engagement, Knowles said. Our companys growth has been upwards of 50% quarter over quarter while our customers continue to tell us that their experience with OpenDrives is one of the fastest NAS solutions on the market. Pleased with the innovation and momentum of the company, Knowles added that OpenDrives is moving to a 2U Form Factor in its manufacturing, streamlining systems without sacrificing performance. See more about the demo center in this video: https://youtu.be/RQ7UKXrHRE4 NAB 2019 attendees are invited to schedule product demonstrations at the OpenDrives/ Studio Xperience Booth (SL3824) in Lower South Hall using invite link https://www.meetingbird.com/l/Duke1/NABDemo . The OpenDrives team will be showcasing solutions that currently power the creative workflows of some of the largest media companies in the world. About OpenDrives OpenDrives develops ultra-high-performance, intelligent network-attached-storage solutions that empower Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries to push the limits of technology and discover new efficiencies in their workflows and business models. With the industrys best balance of Cost-per-Terabyte vs. Performance, OpenDrives customers realize meaningful competitive advantages by creating, delivering and monetizing digital content faster and more efficiently. For more information, please visit https://www.opendrives.com Linkedin / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @opendrives Media Contact: Lea Kozin [email protected] 805 794 7954 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/42fe353e-1b1e-4c8f-8059-3096869e0423 //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b98f9cf6-7357-45ac-9e50-26299d0a4389 A video accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/42a4bf2f-37be-4ab0-a93a-48618c49e8e2 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Recapitalization and Change in Senior Management of Intrinsic, LLC Intrinsic, LLC, a valuation and transaction advisory services firm based in Denver, Colorado, and founded in 2010 by Josh Cashman and Alex Hodgkin, announced today that Josh Cashman will be leaving the firm to pursue other interests. Alex will lead the firm in the role of Chief Executive Officer, along with newly appointed Managing Directors Ron Neufeld, Brad Smith and Dave Turney, who lead the firm's transaction advisory, tax and financial reporting practices, respectively. Josh will continue to serve as a Senior Advisor. Over the past nine years, Intrinsic has developed a leading reputation in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions for the valuation and transaction advisory services it provides to public and private companies and institutional investors, including venture, private equity, private credit and hedge funds. In connection with Josh's departure, the firm will be recapitalized by a small group of long-term investors with in-depth experience and expertise in the professional and financial services sectors, a number of whom will serve on the firm's board of directors and will help to guide management through its next growth phase. In addition to serving as Co-Managing Partner of Intrinsic, Alex Hodgkin has spent the last five years at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business as its Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Senior Advisor to its flagship Entrepreneurship through Acquisition program. Concurrent with his work with Booth, Alex serves on the Advisory Board of NextGen (News - Alert) Growth Partners and is a member of the Appraisal Issues Task Force, which provides guidance on all matters related to financial reporting valuation. Prior to Intrinsic, he was an investment banker at Salomon Smith Barney and Headwaters MB. Alex graduated with a BA in Economics from Claremont McKenna College, a BS in Electrical Engineering from University of Colorado at Boulder and an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. He is a CFA Charterholder. Ron Neufeld, Managing Director and Head of Transaction Advisory Services, joined Intrinsic following nine years in Deloitte's (News - Alert) M&A transaction services practice. Prior to Deloitte, he served in Vice President roles at First Citizens Business Bank, Mercantile National Bank, and Columbia Savings and Loan. He began his career in KPMG's banking and property and casualty insurance audit practice. Ron graduated with a BSBA in Accounting from California State Polytechnic University and an MBA in Finance and Business Taxation from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. He is a Certified Public Accountant and has an Accreditation in Business Valuation from the AICPA. He also serves as a Professor at Regis University in Denver, teaching courses in M&A, finance, business valuation, financial statement analysis, auditing and financial reporting. Brad Smith, Managing Director and Head of Tax Services, joined Intrinsic following seven years at Karsh Consulting, an accounting and consulting firm, where he concentrated on business valuation. Prior to Karsh, he worked at Arthur Anderson and Citigroup's Private Bank. Brad graduated with a BSBA in Accounting and Finance from Drake University and an MA in Taxation from the University of Denver (News - Alert). He is a CFA Charterholder, Certified Public Accountant and Certified Valuation Analyst. Dave Turney, Managing Director and Head of Financial Reporting Services, joined Intrinsic following 12 years at Duff & Phelps, where he was a member of their Valuation Advisory Services practice. Prior to Duff & Phelps, he was a Manager at Willamette Management Associates. Dave graduated with a BS in Finance from Illinois State University. He is a CFA Charterholder. Alex commented, "I'm sorry to see Josh leave Intrinsic. We have enjoyed a great partnership, and have built a business of which we are both very proud. However, I'm looking forward to working with our outstanding management team, professional staff and new investors to serve our existing client base at the same high standard and to deliver our exceptional service offering to new clients." Josh commented, "I wish Alex and the Intrinsic team well, and am confident that the firm's clients will continue to be well served. I'm looking forward to the next chapter in my life, and will continue to support the firm and its people as a Senior Advisor." About Intrinsic Intrinsic LLC provides valuation and business advisory services to a broad range of clients, serving public and private businesses, private equity firms and venture investors, hedge funds, law firms, and high net worth individuals. The firm specialize in matters involving tax and financial reporting compliance, mergers, acquisitions, and other financial transactions; due diligence and decision support; and litigation, investigations, and other disputes. To learn more about Intrinsic or to engage with a specialist, visit www.intrinsicfirm.com. Also, follow us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005808/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Canada Invests in Clean Energy for Indigenous Communities in the North INUVIK, NT, March 5, 2019 /CNW/ - The best solutions for combating climate change in rural and remote Indigenous communities come from the people who live there. That is why Canada is investing in these communities and enabling them to use less diesel fuel and more renewable energy. These investments will tap into the vast potential for forest-based biomass and renewable energy and increase economic competitiveness while protecting the environment. Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories Michael McLeod, on behalf of Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, today announced an investment of more than $3.5 million in two Indigenous-owned Nihtat Corporation projects that will create jobs, cut energy costs and reduce fossil fuel consumption in the North. The first investment of $3.3 million will allow Nihtat Corporation to combine solar power with battery storage to help three local businesses and 32 residential units in Inuvik and Iqaluit run almost exclusively on solar energy during the spring and summer months. This project will improve electricity reliability, create local employment and generate 1.25 megawatts of new reliable electricity annually, cutting local diesel consumption by 380,000 litres per year. The second investment of $220,000 will enable Nihtat Corporation to undertake a capacity development study to look into options for wood pellet plant development, wood-based biomass opportunities and biomass supply chain enhancements in the Beaufort Delta region. This project will encourage the use of biomass as a healthy and economical choice for heating that will reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Bothprojects are being funded through Natural Resources Canada's Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC) Program. The goal of the program is to reduce the reliance of rural and remote communities on fossil fuel for heat and power, with particular emphasis on Indigenous communities. The CERRC program is part of the Government of Canada's $180+ billion Investing in Canada infrastructure plan. Quotes "Investing in Indigenous participation and community involvement in remote communities provides valuable opportunities to build capacity from within while reducing the need to transport and consume diesel fuel, shrinking our environmental footprint. By investing in tomorrow's cleaner, renewable sources of energy, we can improve the reliability of our electricity supply and create good jobs locally." Michael McLeod Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories "The Nihtat Gwich'in are excited to partner with the Government of Canada on this cutting-edge opportunity that will reduce the cost of living and operations for the people and businesses of Inuvik, while at the same time reducing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from our community. We see this a strong example of how Indigenous peoples and the Government of Canada can work together in the interest of sustainable development in the North." Jozef Carnogursky President, Nihtat Corporation Quick Facts: Through these projects, the combined solar capacity added to the grid will be 1.25 megawatts, with 1.5 megawatt hours of battery storage. Replacing diesel with solar power and a battery storage system will help improve electricity reliability and reduce reliance on diesel fuel by 380,000 litres per year. It will also result in dramatic savings on energy costs, helping reduce the cost of living for local residents. The CERRC provides up to $220 million to reduce reliance on diesel fuel for heat and power, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. to reduce reliance on diesel fuel for heat and power, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes and Canada's rural and northern communities. Associated Links: Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program Investing in Canada : Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan Investing in Canada Plan Project Map Simply Science Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster Announces the first Cohort of Projects Seven Projects with $40 Million of Investment in Precision Health, Data Commons, and Digital Twins VANCOUVER, March 5, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster announced its first cohort of projects. The projects total $40 million of investment over three years; and is comprised of $15 million of co-investment from the Supercluster that has leveraged over $25 million from industry, research and academic partners. The first cohort is focused on advancing Canada's development and application of digital technologies to solve some of the most pressing challenges in the natural resources, healthcare, and industrial sectors. These projects can strengthen the early detection and treatment of skin cancers, improve the prediction of manufacturing failures and analyze the economic and environmental impacts of resource projects. Together, these projects will increase Canada's competitiveness, improve healthcare outcomes and accelerate economic growth. Each of the project teams bring together a broad consortium of partners that includes industry adopters, technology leaders, start-ups, small and mid-sized businesses, digital innovators and research organizations. Every project is industry-led, with each project team including five to nine partners collaborating to tackle ambitious technology development challenges that require their collective expertise to solve. The partners leverage British Columbia's and Canada's powers in data analytics, genomics, quantum computing, and virtual, mixed and augmented reality. The seven projects approved under the Technology Leadership Programs are: Learning Factory Digital Twin Predictive Analytics for Manufacturing Processes Forest Machinery Connectivity Earth Data Store Tailored Health Pharmacogenetics Dermatology Point-of-Care Intelligent Network Secure Health & Genomics Data Platform "We are thrilled to celebrate the launch of our first cohort of seven technology leadership projects," says Sue Paish, CEO of the Digital Technology Supercluster. "We are proud to be delivering on the promise of the Innovation Superclusters Initiative so early in our mandate. The investments between the Supercluster and our project partners will propel Canadaforward as a digital innovation leader, drive increased economic growth, and create jobs across the province and country." "Our government is partnering with industry to enhance Canada's innovation ecosystem and create good jobs for Canadians," said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. "These seven projects, under the Digital Supercluster, is a big step forward in advancing data and digital technologies, creating positive impacts across our country and economy." "Receiving a test result can be life-changing for some Canadians," said Ohad Arazi, Chief Strategy Officer, TELUS Health. "This revolutionary new Pharmacogenetics Supercluster project will enable advanced digital technology to seamlessly integrate testing into the primary care EMR and pharmacy ecosystems improving the flow of information from doctor to patient for better health outcomes." "Canadian business face new challenges, but also new opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. By integrating technologies including AI, simulation, IIoT, big data fusion, and visualization, we can invent new ways of digitally twinning the manufacturing process. These digital twins will then be used to derive new meaningful insights, enhance the learning process and accelerate not only business outcomes but also educational outcomes for Canadian industries," said Charles Lavigne, CEO and Co-founder of LlamaZOO Interactive. "LlamaZOO is excited to work with our Digital Technology Supercluster partners and to have the opportunity to accelerate economic growth, productivity, and competitiveness in Canada." "Every problem that the Digital Supercluster is tackling requires creativity and technology innovation across multiple disciplines. Specifically, predictive manufacturing promises to increase productivity, decrease failures and anticipate the maintenance that large-scale manufacturers require to stay up and running," said Warren Wall, Executive Vice President, D-Wave. "We are proud to be the technology provider bringing quantum computing to help address many of these difficult problems and look forward to ongoing collaboration to solve these real-world challenges." "It's rewarding to see the first projects launch within Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster initiative," says Edoardo De Martin, General Manager for Microsoft Vancouver. "Among them, the Earth Data Store project (EDS) will create a new ecosystem for Canadian research and commerce, empowering members with an innovative cloud-based, distributed data archive and application platform to create geospatially-derived analytics products that are focused on customer verticals." About Digital Technology Supercluster Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster is an industry-led innovation consortium centered in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Supercluster aims to position Canada as a global leader in digital technologies by bringing together small, medium-sized and large companies, post-secondary institutions, research organizations and not-for-profits. The Supercluster co-invests in ambitious technology development projects and new solutions to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of natural resources, healthcare and industrial sectors and energize the economy. Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster manages the investments provided by the Government of Canada and the public and private organizations which constitute its membership. www.digitalsupercluster.ca . About Technology Leadership Programs The Supercluster delivers three Technology Leadership Programs to enable wide-scale adoption of digital transformation platforms in key industrial segments and develop and commercialize new products, services and platforms. The suite of Technology Leadership Programs includes: Precision Health Program, Data Commons Program and Digital Twins Program. These programs are core to the Supercluster securing Canada's global leadership in digital innovation and securing the social and economic benefits for Canadians. Media enquiries: Interview opportunities with Sue Paish, CEO, Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster, are available upon request. Media Assets: For media assets, please click here. SOURCE Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] JETRO Presents 10 Japanese Startups at SXSW 2019 The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will present 10 innovative Japanese startup companies at SXSW (News - Alert) Interactive, the largest conference of its kind and a launching pad for new ideas and creative technologies. The featured Japanese technologies are a testament to the expanse of the human imagination and a desire to bring greater joy, environmental stewardship and groundbreaking innovation to both industries and everyday life. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and JETRO (News - Alert) have started a new initiative called the J-Startup Program that helps cultivate the brightest of Japan's startups to succeed in world markets. The J-Startup booths are located in the Japan Pavilion in the Austin Convention Center at Booth 819. Representatives from the startups will demonstrate their products and services during the International Innovation Platform in the conference's southwestern corner on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, from 1 to 2 p.m. Exhibitors include: ALE Co., Ltd. (http://star-ale.com/en/): ALE is the creator of Sky Canvas, the world's first man-made meteor shower project. ALE harvests stardust from particles accumulated on micro-satellites, creating the appearance of meteor showers. (http://star-ale.com/en/): ALE is the creator of Sky Canvas, the world's first man-made meteor shower project. ALE harvests stardust from particles accumulated on micro-satellites, creating the appearance of meteor showers. AI Silk Corporation (http://www.ai-silk.com/english/): AI SILK turns raw silk into conductive, comfortable, and durable clothing. It collects physical data to help individuals regain and maintain health after an injury or illness. (http://www.ai-silk.com/english/): AI SILK turns raw silk into conductive, comfortable, and durable clothing. It collects physical data to help individuals regain and maintain health after an injury or illness. ArchiTek Corporation (http://architek.cojp/En_ArchiTek_HP/En_index.html): ArchiTek creates high-performance yet inexpensive computer chips to help other companies run artificial Intelligence (AI) programs and algorithms. (http://architek.cojp/En_ArchiTek_HP/En_index.html): ArchiTek creates high-performance yet inexpensive computer chips to help other companies run artificial Intelligence (AI) programs and algorithms. Empath Inc. (https://webempath.com/): Empath creates artificial intelligence (AI) that identifies emotions from voices in real-time, regardless of the language. Their mission to develop and provide technology where all people can understand and help each other. (https://webempath.com/): Empath creates artificial intelligence (AI) that identifies emotions from voices in real-time, regardless of the language. Their mission to develop and provide technology where all people can understand and help each other. Life is Tech, Inc. (https://lifeistech.co.jp/en/): Life is Tech is the largest IT programming school for teens in Japan. It introduces middle school and high school students to programming through special camps and classes offered across Japan. (https://lifeistech.co.jp/en/): Life is Tech is the largest IT programming school for teens in Japan. It introduces middle school and high school students to programming through special camps and classes offered across Japan. LOAD&ROAD INC. (https://teplotea.com/): LOAD&ROAD is the creator of a tea-brewing innovation called Teplo. It uses a heart-rate sensor to collect data and shares it with a mobile app which directs Teplo to brew a personalized cup of tea. (https://teplotea.com/): LOAD&ROAD is the creator of a tea-brewing innovation called Teplo. It uses a heart-rate sensor to collect data and shares it with a mobile app which directs Teplo to brew a personalized cup of tea. Spiber Inc. (https://www.spiber.jp/en): Spiber produces affordable synthetic protein materials for widespread industrial use. In doing so, Spiber and its partners are ushering in a new age of manufacturing where the large-scale adoption of protein materials can provide a stable environmental alternative for the clothing industry. (https://www.spiber.jp/en): Spiber produces affordable synthetic protein materials for widespread industrial use. In doing so, Spiber and its partners are ushering in a new age of manufacturing where the large-scale adoption of protein materials can provide a stable environmental alternative for the clothing industry. Triple W (https://www.dfreeus.biz/): Triple W, an innovator of connected health devices, is the developer of DFree, the first health wearable device for urinary incontinence. It monitors, analyzes, and notifies users through mobile ultrasound technology when to use the bathroom. (https://www.dfreeus.biz/): Triple W, an innovator of connected health devices, is the developer of DFree, the first health wearable device for urinary incontinence. It monitors, analyzes, and notifies users through mobile ultrasound technology when to use the bathroom. Unipos Inc. (https://unipos.app/en/): Unipos has created a simple and fun way for employees to honor each other's workplace contributions through a social media mobile app. It delivers "peer bonus" notifications through popular collaboration tools like Slack, Chatwork, and Workplace to all employees and/or teams on timelines. (https://unipos.app/en/): Unipos has created a simple and fun way for employees to honor each other's workplace contributions through a social media mobile app. It delivers "peer bonus" notifications through popular collaboration tools like Slack, Chatwork, and Workplace to all employees and/or teams on timelines. Yume Cloud Inc. (http://www.yume-cloud.com/): Yume has developed a new, luminous way to enjoy sake with its Masu Glass. The Masu Glass combines the traditional way of drinking sake with modern IoT technology to colorfully illuminate a sake drinker's movements, pours, toasts, as well as surrounding sounds and musical beats. [email protected] . For more information about SXSW 2019, visit https://www.sxsw.com/. About JETRO: JETRO is the Japanese government agency responsible for promoting trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. JETRO provides support and assistance to American companies entering the Japanese market and to Japanese companies expanding overseas. JETRO was established in 1958 and has more than 70 offices around the world, including six offices in the USA. JETRO provides a wide range of services, including timely market intelligence, extensive business development support, and relevant business events, all designed to encourage business partnerships between American companies and Japan. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005866/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Sprint Smart Messaging Brings Artificial Intelligence-Powered Texting Service To Business OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced the launch of Sprint Smart Messaging, a solution to help businesses communicate with their customers through an Artificial Intelligence (AI) text messaging system. Powered by NumberAI, Sprint Smart Messaging responds to customers who text a business's landline to provide answers to simple questions like business hours and product availability; it can also handle more complex tasks like take food orders or set appointments; this streamlines customer conversations and allows staff to handle other business-related functions. "Sprint currently serves over five-million business phone numbers that will now have immediate access to Sprint's Smart Messaging AI-powered platform," said Sasha Gorman, vice president of development for Sprint. "Our business customers can run their operations more efficiently by responding to messaging requests in parallel and in real-time." Sprint Smart Messaging features: Business Messaging Businesses can now use their landline or wireline telephone number to receive and respond to text messages from customers through mobile phones, tablets or desktop computers. Businesses can now use their landline or wireline telephone number to receive and respond to text messages from customers through mobile phones, tablets or desktop computers. AI-driven Auto-Response Sprint Smart Messaging uses AI to learn about a business and auto-respond to customer questions instantly. Businesses will be able to answer customer inquiries 24/7, ultimately saving on labor costs by sending automated responses to commonly asked questions. Sprint Smart Messaging uses AI to learn about a business and auto-respond to customer questions instantly. Businesses will be able to answer customer inquiries 24/7, ultimately saving on labor costs by sending automated responses to commonly asked questions. Call Rescue Statistics show that 62 percent of calls to small business are left unanswered Sprint Smart Messaging automatically texts the customer back, re-engaging them and increasing thier interest. With Sprint Smart Messaging, 50 percent 1 of customers whose call didn't go through are saved from going to a competitor. Statistics show that 62 percent of calls to small business are left unanswered Sprint Smart Messaging automatically texts the customer back, re-engaging them and increasing thier interest. With Sprint Smart Messaging, 50 percent of customers whose call didn't go through are saved from going to a competitor. Direct Customer Interaction "Voice is an inefficient way to communicate with customers. We are moving towards a 'WeChat' like world where consumers and business interact and conduct commerce over messaging," said Tasso Roumeliotis, chief executive officer and co-founder of NumberAI. "Sprint is the first carrier in the U.S. to launch a messaging-based solution to further one-to-one interaction for its business customers." Learn more about Sprint Smart Messaging today. For more information on Sprint Smart Messaging or to speak with a Sprint Executive, please contact [email protected]. About NumberAI: NumberAI's mission is to light up WeChat-like Conversational Commerce in the Americas and Europe. Nobody likes calling a business. We help Businesses move their customer conversations to messaging (from SMS texts to their existing landline, Facebook messenger, etc). Then our AI takes over to turbocharge a business like the 'limitless pill'. Curious? NumberAI.com. $12M Capital raised from DFJ, Costonoa and Gradient (AI-focused Venture fund of Google). Oakland, CA based. About Sprint: Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.5 million connections as of Dec. 31, 2018 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Today, Sprint's legacy of innovation and service continues with an increased investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability, and speed across its nationwide network and commitment to launching the first 5G mobile network in the U.S. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint. 1 Percentage is based on NumberAI's research with existing customers who use the platform's call rescue features. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sprint-smart-messaging-brings-artificial-intelligence-powered-texting-service-to-business-300807060.html SOURCE Sprint [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] TFO Stenghtens voice of Franco-Ontarian community with ONFR+ TORONTO, March 5, 2019 /CNW/ - Groupe Media TFO launches today ONFR+ , the online destination dedicated to covering news and topics at the heart of the Franco-Ontarian community. ONFR+ strengthens the voice of the diverse francophone community in Ontario, exploring issues that unite Franco-Ontarians and deepens their connection as a community. "ONFR+ brings together journalistic expertise and a strong track record of delivering news that matter to the Franco-Ontarian community, says Gisele Quenneville, ONFR+ Producer. ONFR+ is powered by a team of Franco-Ontarians dedicated to serving the francophone community across the province by providing timely information, powerful opinion peces and original stories on a diverse range of topics that affect Franco-Ontarians on the daily. We are delighted to be able to bring ONFR+ to Franco-Ontarians" ONFR+ becomes the destination for news on political, social and cultural topics touching the Francophone community in Ontario, providing Franco-Ontarians with a place to see themselves and the topics they care about through three lenses: News: articles highlighting the important issues of the Ontarian Francophonie and current events from Queen's Park and Parliament Hill. Community: stories that connect Francophones across Ontario through the depth and originality in topics and issues raised. Culture: a showcase of culture, music, literature, theatre, cinema, visual arts and artists from French Ontario. Follow ONFR+ on onfr.org , on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . About Groupe Media TFO Groupe Media TFO is an essential destination for audiences seeking innovative educational and cultural content in French, at the vanguard of digital learning. TFO serves two million students and 30,000 teachers in Ontario and in Canada, and hosts the number 1 French-language YouTube channel in Canada. Groupe Media TFO has earned two YouTube Silver Play Buttons and over 620 million views for its network of channels. Its content has earned various awards, from Austin to Amsterdam: Kidscreen Awards, Gemeaux Awards, Cassies, IBC Awards, SXSW Film Design Awards, and many more. SOURCE Ontario French Language Educational Communications Authority (TFO) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Syngenta #RootedinAg contest now accepting entries Syngenta has announced that the application period for the sixth annual #RootedinAg contest is now open. By sharing their inspirational stories, applicants can enter for a chance to become one of three finalists, who will each receive a mini touch-screen tablet. Of those finalists, Syngenta will award $500 to one grand prizewinner and publish his or her story in Thrive magazine, which will include an exclusive photo shoot. Syngenta will also make a $1,000 donation in the winner's name to a local charity or civic organization. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005895/en/ Katharine Girone, the 2018 #RootedinAg Contest winner, spends time with her grandfather and mentor, Kenneth McKee, on their family farm in Varna, Illinois. (Photo: Syngenta) "For decades, the men and women of agriculture have welcomed Syngenta into their communities and helped us nourish our roots in an industry that we all love," said Wendell Calhoun, communications manager at Syngenta. "The #RootedinAg contest gives us a chance to celebrate the journeys of people who are moving agriculture forward and share their uplifting stories with others." Some of the inspirations behind previous #RootedinAg winners include a grandfather's wisdom, a father's unconditional support, and a whole family's commitment to their land and community. Interested candidates can describe their inspiration in this year's competition by: Visiting the Thrive website to review eligibility, the official rules and filling out the easy-to-use #RootedinAg entry form website to review eligibility, the official rules and filling out the easy-to-use #RootedinAg entry form Describing in about 200 words who inspired them to be #RootedinAg Uploading a photograph or video that visually supports their written entry The deadline to enter is May 30, 2019. Shortly after this date, a panel of judges will choose three finalists on or about June 7, 2019, based on the quality of their essays. Syngenta willthen post their entries on the Thrive website and ask visitors to help choose the grand prizewinner by voting for their favorite. These votes, along with the judges' scores, will determine the winner. Online voting ends Aug. 30, 2019, with Syngenta announcing the grand prizewinner in September. To apply, learn more or see previous contest winners, go to www.SyngentaThrive.com. Join the conversation online - connect with us at Syngenta-us.com/social. About Syngenta Syngenta is one of the world's leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. With 28,000 people in more than 90 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to improving farm productivity, rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS. Web Resources: Syngenta U.S. Thrive Twitter Facebook Know More, Grow More Syngenta Newsroom Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This document contains forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect,' 'would,' 'will,' 'potential,' 'plans,' 'prospects,' 'estimated,' 'aiming,' 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors. 2019 Syngenta, 410 Swing Road, Greensboro, N.C. 27409. Thrive and the Syngenta logo are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005895/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] 4iQ 2019 Identity Breach Report Discovers the Long Tail of Small Breaches, Data Shows 424 Percent Increase in New Breaches in 2018 LOS ALTOS, Calif., March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 4iQ, a leader in Identity Intelligence, today released the 4iQ 2019 Identity Breach Report, The Changing Landscape of Identities in the Wild: The Long Tail of Small Breaches. Bucking the historical trend of exclusively using data made available from public disclosures and media reporting, the report was built using an extensive collection of breached and leaked data found from open sources in the surface, deep and dark web, using 4iQ's proprietary systems, breach-hunting team, and data curation and verification methodology. In this report, 4iQ describes 2018 trends and the changing landscape of stolen identities. In 2018, there was a significant shift with breached data exposed from a greater number of small businesses the long tail as hackers targeted unsophisticated and unsecured small businesses and supply chain vendors. The data also showed an increase in large volumes of repackaged and shared stolen passwords, as well as the continuation of 2017's trend of openly leaking devices. In addition, 2018 saw an increase of open or publicly exposed personal identifiable information (PII) including voter records and government databases being packaged for malicious or criminal activity. "Government was the largest growing exposed sector in 2018, increasing over 291 percent from 2018," said 4iQ co-founder and CTO Julio Casal. "This may be the result of mid-term elections and increasing geopolitical tensions. For the first time, we saw underground brokers actively including citizen data, such as voter databases, as part of their data portfolio." Key Findings in the 2018 Report Include: 14.9 Billion Identity records circulating in underground communities reflected a 71 percent increase in 2018. Criminals shifted their focus from just large corporations to also targetng small businesses. This resulted in a 424 percent increase in "real" breaches from 2017. "Government Agencies" was the largest growing exposed industry in 2018, increasing 291 percent from 2017. This may be due to increasing geopolitical tensions. In 2018, for the first time we saw underground brokers actively including citizen data, such as voter databases, as part of their data portfolio packages. Notably, the United States and China together accounted for nearly half (47 percent) of all compromised identity records. Monica Pal . "In addition, companies should look out for their customers by using this information to neutralize exposed identity information before it can be used for account takeover and detect identity theft and fraud before it becomes a bigger problem." 4iQ monitors the surface, social, deep and dark web for identity related breaches and verifies the authenticity of those data sets. The 3.5 billion records were curated from more than 14.9 billion raw records stemming from 12,449 breaches 4iQ analyzed. Click here to download the report. About 4iQ 4iQ is an identity intelligence company on a mission to empower intel analysts, security researchers, and criminal investigators with capabilities to discover, uncover, and disrupt adversaries. The 4iQ IDLake archives more than 14 billion identity records collected from data breaches and leaks found in open sources, on the surface, social and deep and dark web. It powers 4iQ IDHunt, a pioneering identity intelligence and attribution analysis solution used by Fraud Investigation Units, Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crime Intel Units, and advanced Security Operations Centers. The 4iQ IDLake also powers 4iQ IDTheft, used by some of the largest Identity Theft Protection service providers, security vendors and Enterprises to alert millions of consumers of exposed personal information, prevent account takeover and identity theft. 4iQ is headquartered in Los Altos, CA and backed by Forgepoint Capital, C5 Capital, Adara Ventures, and Benhamou Global Ventures. Please visit www.4iQ.com . View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4iq-2019-identity-breach-report-discovers-the-long-tail-of-small-breaches-data-shows-424-percent-increase-in-new-breaches-in-2018-300807117.html SOURCE 4iQ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Everett Aviation Signs with Lobo Leasing for Its First Sikorsky S-92A Helicopter ATLANTA, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), today welcomed Everett Aviation as its newest S-92A helicopter customer at a ceremony at the 2019 Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo. Everett signed a contract with Lobo Leasing Limited for a utility S-92A helicopter that will support oil and gas and utility operations. The aircraft, which is on display at Sikorsky's booth #B2507 this week at HAI Heli-Expo, will immediately depart the exhibition to conduct oil and gas and utility operations support for the energy sector in East Africa. It will initially be based at Everett's regionally-acclaimed headquarters facility in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Everett is the region's largest helicopter service provider, and the S-92A helicopter is the first Sikorsky aircraft in the company's fleet. The utility configured aircraft features a rapid change interior capable of handling cargo, carrying passengers or providing medical evacuation support. "What a great day we get the privilege of welcoming a new customer and entering a new market for the S-92," said Sikorsky President Dan Schultz. "We are extremely excited to add East Africa to our market portfolio, and we thank Lobo Leasing and Everett Aviation for the trust they've placed in our aircraft. We look forward to serving our customers in Africa." "We're delighted to be introducing the S-92A to the Everett fleet," said Simon Everett, CEO of Everett. "Many regions across sub-Saharan Africa are seeing a tremendous boom in infrastructure and civil engineering projects, and our new S-92A is ideally suited to supporting those missions. "This particular helicopter is equipped with a highly versatile utility interior, which can seat up to 19 passengers in standard configuration or mix passengers with stretchers or cargo in a combined configuration. We also see opportunities for the S-92A in the offshore role in our region, and we plan to offer that configuration to our clients soon. "This S-92A will be the largest civilian helicopter of its type in our region, and we're vey excited about adding this unique capability to our fleet. We'd like to acknowledge and thank Lobo Leasing and Sikorsky for their foresight and support in working with us on this project," said Everett. "All of us at Lobo Leasing are very pleased to be partnering with Everett Aviation and Sikorsky in introducing the S-92A into the East-African market," said Lobo CEO Bill Wolf. "Together with Sikorsky, we have been working to develop opportunities for the S-92 in the on-shore utility market. We are excited to place one of our unique utility S-92As with such an experienced and respected operator as Everett, who will benefit from the unique capabilities of this superb helicopter in the African utility market." Sikorsky has delivered more than 300 production S-92 helicopters since 2004. The industry standard for safety and reliability, the S-92 is the preferred aircraft of its size class for offshore oil worker transportation. In 2018, the fleet flew 175,000 hours, a record for the fleet, contributing to a total of nearly 1.5 million hours flown. The S-92 helicopter continues entering new markets. In January, Sikorsky announced the S-92 helicopter had been selected by a major oil company to commence deepwater transportation operations to oil rigs off the shores of Mexico. For more information visit Sikorsky Commercial Systems & Services. About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. About Everett Aviation Established in 1996, Everett Aviation is East Africa's leading provider of safe and solution oriented fixed & rotary wing aviation services. Everett serves international clients from the energy sector and other government & commercial organizations with mission critical or specialist aviation needs. Everett specialises in providing Offshore and Onshore crew transportation, Search & Rescue, Medevac, External Load, Aerial Survey and VIP transportation. With experience spanning the African continent & beyond, an agile fleet of well-equipped aircraft and an unrivalled headquarters facility in Tanzania, Everett Aviation provides innovative, flexible and value enhancing solutions to its client's aviation requirements. Safety is Everett's first priority. Everett's has a mature Safety Management System that meets the requirements of the energy sector's OGP standards and is accredited to ISO9001:2008, ISO14001:2004 & ISO18001:2007 About Lobo Leasing Lobo Leasing is a Dublin, Ireland based helicopter leasing company serving the global helicopter industry. Lobo Leasing is managed by a seasoned team of helicopter operations and finance professionals with extensive experience in the commercial helicopter industry. Lobo Leasing is focused on assisting helicopter operators throughout the world on acquiring aircraft through innovative leasing arrangements. The firm has offices in Dublin, London, Rio de Janeiro and San Francisco. Additional information can be found at www.loboleasing.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/everett-aviation-signs-with-lobo-leasing-for-its-first-sikorsky-s-92a-helicopter-300807158.html SOURCE Lockheed Martin [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Strength in Gaming Video Game Podcast Recently Featured Celebrity Clare Grant LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Strength in Gaming recently hosted celebrity Clare Grant on their video game podcast. The podcast, which is hosted by Samson Lancaster, Salvador Madrigal, and Cat McGuire, launched a new celebrity edition and had Grant as their first celebrity guest. Grant made her feature debut opposite Joaquin Phoenix in a small but pivotal role in the Golden Globe-winning film, "Walk the Line," she has gone on to both act and produce. "We are excited to announce that the Strength in Gaming crew got down and nerdy with celebrity guest Clare Grant," says Samson Lancaster. "We had so much fun getting to know Clare and her gaming habits. Our listeners will be surprised by just how much of a video game nerd Clare is, and insight into her gaming favorites and habits." The Strength in Gaming team uncovered a wealth of fun factoids about Grant's gaming. They asked her questions that ranged from the first game she remembered playing to her current favorite games and gaming system. They also asked about her Cosplay and any cosplay she's working on currently in addition to learning more about Grant's upcoming projects. Clare Grant next stars as one of the two female leads in "Changeland," the feature directorial debut of Seth Green. While Grant always wanted to be an actress, she also grew up fascinated by science, math, and technology. Growing up near Clear Lake, Texas and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Grant has sought out shuttle launches and visite science centers all over the country. In 2016, Grant utilized her appreciation of science as one of the producers on a science news show, "Blame it on Science," which was created in partnership with Lionsgate for their Comic-Con HQ digital network. As a producer, Grant has also created geek genre projects including the viral sensation, "Team Unicorn: G33K & G4M3R Girls," which stirred controversy over its sexy portrayal of geek girls. She co-created and produced a pilot series for Adult Swim. The Strength in Gaming podcast is available on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, and more. To listen to the podcast with Grant, visit the website for more information. About Strength in Gaming Strength in Gaming are real gamers, nerds who have gamed their entire lives. They are dedicated to hilarious and honest opinions on video games. For more information, visit Strngaming.com. Related Images clare-grant-celebrity-gamer-album.jpg Clare Grant Celebrity Gamer Album Cover Clare Grant Celebrity Gamer Album Cover clare-grant-celebrity-gamer-poster.png Clare Grant Celebrity Gamer Poster Clare Grant Celebrity Gamer Poster strength-in-gaming-podcast-album.jpg Strength in Gaming Podcast Album Cover The Strength in Gaming Hosts, left to right, Salvador Madrigal, Cat McGuire, Samson Lancaster Related Links Listen to Clare Grant Celebrity Gamer View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/strength-in-gaming-video-game-podcast-recently-featured-celebrity-clare-grant-300807043.html SOURCE Strength in Gaming [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment Corporation Announces Common Dividend for the First Quarter 2019 Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment Corporation (NYSE: CHMI) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a dividend of $0.49 per share on the Company's common stock for the first quarter of 2019. The dividend will be payable in cash on April 30, 2019 to holders of the common stock of record as of the close of business on March 18, 2019. About Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment Corporation Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment Corporation is a real estate finance company that acquires, invests in and manages residential mortgage assets in the United States. For additional information, visit www.chmireit.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. These forward looking statements are based upon the Company's present expectations, but these statements are not guaranteed to occur. For a description of factors that may cause the Company's actual results or performance to differ from its forward-looking statements, please review the information under the heading "Risk Factors" included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and other documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005759/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Moving to 4747 Bethesda Avenue JBG SMITH Properties (NYSE: JBGS), a leading owner and developer of high-quality, mixed-use properties in the Washington, DC market, is pleased to announce that Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) will relocate its headquarters to 4747 Bethesda Avenue in downtown Bethesda, Maryland. The upscale lifestyle-oriented hotel owner will occupy approximately 16,000 square feet bringing the building to 83% pre-leased. "Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is another best-in-class addition to the roster of tenants at 4747 Bethesda Avenue," said David Ritchey, Executive Vice President at JBG SMITH. "The building has a commanding presence in the heart of downtown Bethesda, and we are honored that multiple marquis companies have chosen to make it their headquarters location." Pebblebrook is the fifth tenant to commit to 4747 Bethesda Avenue and the fourth to make the building its headquarters location. The company will consolidate from nearby 7315 Wisconsin Avenue following its $5.1 billion acquisition of LaSalle Hotel Properties, located at 7550 Wisconsin Avenue, in November 2018. The newly combined company is now the largest owner of lifestyle-oriented hotels and resorts in the country, with a portfolio of more than 60 upper upscale and luxury hotels and resorts in or near 18 key urban markets. Pebblebrook owns some of the Washington area's most iconic hotels including The Donovan, Hotel George, Hotel Monaco, Mason and Rook Hotel, and the Sofitel Washington, DC. "We're excited to relocate our expanded headquarters to JBG SMITH's newest office development," noted Raymond D. Martz, Chief Financial Officer of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust. "Bethesda has become the hotel capital of the world, so placing our headquarters in theheart of downtown Bethesda makes sense for our company, as well as for our employees. JBG SMITH's team has been fantastic to work with, and we look forward to moving in later this year." 4747 Bethesda Avenue, delivering in the Fall of 2019, is a 291,414 square foot, trophy office building located in the heart of downtown Bethesda, Maryland. The building is 15 floors and will feature cutting-edge amenities and design including: a two-story, curved steel and curtainwall facade system, floor-to-ceiling glass, and a penthouse rooftop terrace, complete with conference and event space, a fire pit, and an indoor/outdoor lounge. Exemplifying JBG SMITH's commitment to health and wellness offerings and environmentally friendly policies, the building is seeking LEED Gold certification and includes a 3,600 square foot, state-of-the-art fitness facility, with studio space, shower/locker rooms, and secure storage for over 90 bicycles, with a bicycle repair station. 4747 Bethesda Avenue is located one block from the Red Line and future Purple Line Metro entrance, as well as the Capital Crescent Trail. Josh Hartman of Avison Young represented the tenant. "Josh Hartman was instrumental to the process with Pebblebrook, and we thank him for his diligence and professionalism. This lease execution was a great outcome for all," said Ritchey. About JBG SMITH JBG SMITH is an S&P 400 company that owns, operates, invests in and develops assets concentrated in leading urban infill submarkets in and around Washington, DC. Our mixed-use operating portfolio comprises approximately 19 million square feet of high-quality office, multifamily and retail assets, 98% at our share of which are Metro served. With a focus on placemaking, we drive synergies across the portfolio and create amenity-rich, walkable neighborhoods. JBG SMITH's future development pipeline includes 19.6 million square feet of potential development density at our share. For additional information on JBG SMITH, please visit www.jbgsmith.com. About Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is a publicly traded real estate investment trust ("REIT") that owns primarily upper upscale and luxury full-service hotels and resorts located in major gateway cities. The Company owns more than 60 hotels, totaling approximately 15,000 guest rooms, located in 10 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, please visit us at www.pebblebrookhotels.com and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @PebblebrookPEB. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190305005731/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 05, 2019] Quantstamp Expands to Japan with Investment from Nomura Holdings and Digital Garage TOKYO, March 5, 2019 /CNW/ -- Quantstamp, a Y Combinator-backed smart contract security company, is proud to announce it is establishing a limited liability company, Quantstamp Japan GK, to assist Japanese startups and enterprises in using secure blockchain technology. This establishment follows significant investment from Nomura Holdings and Digital Garage. Quantstamp uses computer-based reasoning tools to provide services that help identify and secure vulnerabilities in smart contracts - a key component of blockchain technology. It provides an automated tool for developers and users to check smart contracts for well-known vulnerabilities, as well as white-glove auditing services to help secure large-scae blockchain projects. Its services have been used to secure more than $500 million of transaction value. "I'm pleased to announce Quantstamp's formal expansion to Japan, Japan is an important market in digital payments," says Richard Ma, co-founder, and chief executive officer of Quantstamp Inc. "We're expanding our presence as we think that the market for smart contract-driven applications here is strong and will only be growing." "As blockchain technology is adopted in the financial world, smart contracts will play an increasingly important role. Security assurances through auditing and certification will become increasingly indispensable," notes Chuzaburo Yagi, Senior Managing Director in charge of Innovations at Nomura Holdings, Inc. "I believe Quantstamp is well positioned to support this role as they work to secure smart contract technology." "I think that Quantstamp offers the best service on the market. It's the best solution for identifying and mitigating smart contract vulnerabilities," says Yasuhiro Mimura, Managing Director of DG Incubation Co., Ltd. "With their knowledge and experience on smart contract security, we are hoping for further breakthroughs in the future." Quantstamp is a leader in smart contract security, preventing security breaches at some of the world's largest blockchain companies. Quantstamp's engineering team is familiar with software security, formal verification, static analysis and have more than 900 Google Scholar citations. About Quantstamp Quantstamp is a blockchain security company that conducts manual audits and automated scans and is developing security products, services, protocols, and other automated security tools powered by QSP. The Quantstamp protocol aims to enhance smart contract security and the reputation of projects that create smart contracts by producing openly accessible scan reports. Get an audit or run a security scan today at https://quantstamp.com/. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quantstamp-expands-to-japan-with-investment-from-nomura-holdings-and-digital-garage-300807225.html SOURCE Quantstamp [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] You have reached a premium content area of TOL. To read this entire article please login if you are already a TOL subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). If you've got a Samsung smart TV from 2019 or 2018, but want to use Amazon Alexa instead of Samsung's Bixby, pairing your smart TV and smart speaker will be pretty easy. By linking your Samsung smart TV to one of the best Alexa-compatible devices, you can use voice control for basic TV functions, like powering the TV on and off, adjusting the volume, or controlling media playback. It only takes a few minutes and a couple of apps. The 2018 and 2019 models addressed here have only bare bones voice control options, but Samsung has been working to make them more voice-friendly. If you want more advanced controls, you'll need to use the Bixby voice assistant built into the TV, using the microphone on the TV remote control. If you want to add Alexa capability to your Samsung smart TV, here's how to make it work. Newer Samsung smart TVs have Alexa built-in If you've got a newer Samsung TV model from 2020 or 2021, like the one seen in our Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV review or our list of the best Samsung TVs, you're in even more luck, because current Samsung smart TVs have Amazon Alexa built in. To learn how to set up the Amazon voice assistant on your newer Samsung smart TVs, check out our guide How to connect your Samsung TV to Alexa . (And if you're more of a Google fan, check out How to connect your Samsung TV to Google Assistant .) There's no need to use a paired smart speaker, because you can use the microphone in the remote control for all of the same Alexa skills and voice interactions, as well as change the channel, open apps, search for movies and shows, play music and control your smart home devices. The advice below is strictly for older Samsung smart TVs that didn't have this capability built-in, but could still be connected to an Amazon smart speaker for very basic voice control. How to connect your Samsung smart TV to Alexa Step 1: Set up your devices. First, make sure that both your Samsung TV and your Amazon Alexa device are set up and functioning. Once you complete the initial setup on the TV and the Alexa device, you'll need to make sure that both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. MORE: The Best Products That Work With Amazon Alexa If you haven't yet, you'll also need to set up the TV as a Thing (smart device) in the SmartThings app. To do this, simply sign in to your Samsung account on the TV. Step 2: Prepare the apps. You'll also need to get your phone ready to coordinate these two devices. If you haven't yet, download both the Samsung SmartThings app (available for iOS and Android) and the Amazon Alexa app (also for iOS or Android). And if you're unsure of how to use Amazon's voice assistant app, check out our guides for using Alexa on your Android phone or using Alexa on your iPhone. Make sure that you log in to both apps with the same account information you used for your TV's Samsung account and your Echo's Amazon account. Step 3: Discover your TV in the SmartThings app. First, you'll need to discover your Samsung TV in the Samsung SmartThings app, which lets you treat it as a basic connected smart device when connecting it to your Alexa speaker. To do this, go to the Devices menu, found on the bottom menu of the app. On the Devices page, select the Add Device option. With the TV powered on, it should be easy to find your device in the list. Once you've found the device and paired your phone to the TV, select the Samsung Smart TV and use the toggle button next to its name to enable its use as a smart device. Step 4: Discover your smart speaker in the Alexa app. Second, you'll need to be sure that your Amazon Echo, Echo Dot or other Amazon device has been discovered in the Amazon Alexa app. If it hasn't, or if the device is set up through someone else's phone, you'll need to do the following. (If this doesn't apply to you, move on to the next step.) In the app, select the Devices button from the menu at the bottom of the home screen. If the Echo (or similar Alexa device) shows up in this menu, then you're all set. If not, open the All Devices menu option and find your Alexa device on the list of available connected devices. Step 5: Connect the apps. In the Amazon Alexa app, enable the Samsung SmartThings skill, and sign in with your Samsung account to link the accounts. Step 6: Select your TV in the Alexa app. Once you've enabled the Samsung SmartThings skill which should automatically pair Alexa to the TV you're all done. Congratulations, you just connected your your Samsung smart TV to Alexa! You can now use your Alexa smart speaker to turn the TV on and off, change the channel or input, adjust the volume and even control media playback with basic controls like fast forward, rewind, pause and play. For more Alexa-related tips, tricks and how-tos, check out our complete guide to Alexa. And to go one even further why not check out our guide on how to build an amazing home theater for less. DRAMeXchange reported that DRAM prices over the current quarter dropped nearly 30 percent, which it said is the "sharpest decline in a single season since 2011," and that drop is expected to continue until consumer demand finally matches pace with supply. (Image credit: Oleksiy Mark / Shutterstock) The research group expected DRAM prices to fall 25 percent this quarter. But it turns out that "most DRAM suppliers are currently holding around a whopping six weeks' worth of inventory." (You know something's up when a research group says "whopping.") This should result in cheaper memory kits, but DRAMeXchange said that Intel's ongoing CPU shortage has weakened demand for DRAM so much that even those low prices are unlikely to increase sales enough to start counteracting memory makers' oversupply issues. It doesn't help that the "big trio" of the DRAM industry are continuing to invest in their production. DRAMeXchange noted: "SK Hynix has recently announced that it will invest 120 trillion won (around US$107 billion) to build four new wafer fabs as part of its strategy to improve its competitiveness. Micron, on the other hand, doubled down and commenced construction of an IC testing and packaging plant in Taiwan. At the same time, its subsidiary Micron Memory Taiwan ( formerly Rexchip) in Houli, Taichung, is considering building a new 12-inch DRAM wafer fab, which could finish construction as early as the end of next year, and massively contribute to production in 2021. As for the world's largest DRAM supplier Samsung, it is currently building a second fab at Pyeongtaek." Samsung had previously said it would slow down memory production to help keep prices stable. Yet here they are in freefall anyway, and those efforts still weren't enough for the company to meet its earnings guidance for the most recent financial quarter. It's clear that the memory market is changing. DRAMeXchange said that most contracts are now monthly instead of quarterly, prices are dropping faster than anyone expected, and consumer demand for new tech products has fallen for everything from memory to phones. The upshot? At least DRAM should get cheaper and cheaper for consumers, too, so later this year might be a good time to make a few upgrades to your system. As long as you don't need a new CPU to enable those upgrades, of course. Then you're outta luck. Want to comment on this story? Let us know what you think in the Tom's Hardware Forums. Specifications and Part Analysis The Corsair SF750 is the strongest and one of the best SFX power supplies that money can get you today. If you want so much power out of such a small PSU and you can afford its stiff price, there is no other option. It can easily support a potent gaming system and thanks to the couple of EPS connectors that it has, it is compatible with high-end mainboards that need more juice in the CPU's area. In case you don't need more than one EPS connector, you should better take a look at the top-notch SF600 Platinum, which we have already evaluated, and save a notable amount of money. Corsair has set the bar too high in the SFX market, making it very difficult for the rest brands to follow. Even the pioneer in this area, SilverStone, doesn't have, for the moment at least, a 750W SFX model in its portfolio. After the great SF600 and SF450 Platinum models, both of which we already reviewed, Corsair strikes again with the SF750 which addresses enthusiasts and ultra demanding users, who need a strong, but still-compact PSU. Not long ago it would be crazy just to even think of such a powerful SFX unit, but Corsair along with Great Wall, the manufacturer of all SF models, managed to make this happen and they deserve high praise for their efforts. In addition to its high capacity, the SF750 offers high efficiency levels, which are verified by its 80 PLUS Platinum and Cybenetics ETA-A certifications. Such a highly efficient PSU doesn't have a problem keeping its noise output low, since the thermal loads are highly reduced. In the Cybenetics scale the SF750 achieves a LAMBDA-A- level, meaning that this product has a fairly quiet overall operation. Image 1 of 20 Image 2 of 20 Image 3 of 20 Image 4 of 20 Image 5 of 20 Image 6 of 20 Image 7 of 20 Image 8 of 20 Image 9 of 20 Image 10 of 20 Image 11 of 20 Image 12 of 20 Image 13 of 20 Image 14 of 20 Image 15 of 20 Image 16 of 20 Image 17 of 20 Image 18 of 20 Image 19 of 20 Image 20 of 20 Specifications Manufacturer (OEM) Great Wall Max. DC Output 750W Efficiency 80 PLUS Platinum, ETA-A (88-91%) Noise LAMBDA-A- (25-30 dB[A]) Modular (Fully) Intel C6/C7 Power State Support Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load) 0 - 50C Over Voltage Protection Under Voltage Protection Over Power Protection Over Current (+12V) Protection Over Temperature Protection Short Circuit Protection Surge Protection Inrush Current Protection Fan Failure Protection No Load Operation Cooling 92mm Rifle Bearing Fan (NR092L) Semi-Passive Operation Dimensions ( W x H x D ) 128 x 65 x 102mm Weight 0.9 kg (1.98 lb ) Form Factor SFX, EPS 2.92 Warranty 7 Years Power Specifications Rail 3.3V 5V 12V 5VSB -12V Max. Power Amps 20 20 62.5 2.5 0.3 Watts 130 750 12.5 3.6 Total Max. Power (W) 750 Cables & Connectors Modular Cables Description Cable Count Connector Count (Total) Gauge In Cable Capacitors ATX connector 20+4 pin (300mm) 1 1 16-18AWG No 4+4 pin EPS12V (400mm) 2 2 16AWG No 6+2 pin PCIe (400mm+100mm) 2 4 16AWG No SATA (100mm+120mm+120mm120mm) 2 8 18AWG No 4 pin Molex (100mm+120mm+120mm) 1 3 18AWG No AC Power Cord (1380mm) - C13 coupler 1 1 16AWG - All cables are modular and it is nice to find two EPS connectors in a SFX unit. This is the first time that we see such a compact PSU featuring a couple of those connectors. Moreover, the SF750 has enough PCIe and peripheral connectors to support a strong system. Finally, all cables are individually sleeved and there are no in-line caps. Image 1 of 7 Image 2 of 7 Image 3 of 7 Image 4 of 7 Image 5 of 7 Image 6 of 7 Image 7 of 7 Component Analysis General Data Manufacturer (OEM) Great Wall Model Number RPS0115 Primary Side Transient Filter 4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 3x CM chokes, 1x MOV, 1x CMD02X Inrush Protection NTC Thermistor & Diode Bridge Rectifier(s) 1x APFC MOSFET Infineon IPZ60R060C7 (650V, 22A @ 100C, 0.06Ohm) APFC Boost Diode ROHM SCS306AP (650V, 6A @ 135C) Hold-up Cap Nippon Chemi-Con (420V, 470uF, 2000h @ 105C, KMZ) Main Switchers 2x 60F2094 (600V, 15.8A @ 150C, 0.19Ohm) Driver IC: Silicon Labs Si8230BD APFC Controller Champion CM6502UHHX & CM03AX Green PFC controller Resonant & PWM Controller Champion CM6901X Quasi-Resonant Contoller Infineon 5QR1680AG Topology Primary side: Half-Bridge & LLC Resonant Controller Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters Secondary Side +12V MOSFETS 6x APower 4N1R8C-A ( 45V, 32A @ 70C, 1.8mOhm) 5V & 3.3V DC-DC Converters: 4x Infineon PSMN2R0-30YLE (30V, 100A @ 100C, 2.8mOhm @ 100C) PWM Controller: APW7159C Filtering Capacitors Electrolytics: 1x Nippon Chemi-Con (4-10,000 @ 105C, KY), 2x Rubycon (3-6,000 @ 105C, YXG) Polymers: Nippon Chemi-Con (G61B, G8, G84R, G84G, G85F), 6x Nichicon (LG) Supervisor IC Infinno IN1S429i-SCG Fan Controller PIC16F1824 Fan Model Corsair NR092L (92mm, 12V, 0.22A, 3950 RPM, Rifle Bearing) 5VSB Circuit Rectifier 1x CSD18534 (60V, 13A @ 25C, 9.8mOhm) Step-Down Converter Texas Instruments TPS54231 (3.5V-28V Input, 2A) This platform is made by Great Wall and, as you can see in the table above, it uses high-quality components. However, it would be even better if a higher-capacity bulk cap was installed in the APFC converter, allowing for more than 17ms hold-up time. In the secondary side we find a small number of electrolytic caps, so the majority of ripple filtering is handled by polymer caps. This means increased tolerance to high operating temperatures and a prolonged lifetime under the same conditions. Finally, the cooling fan uses a rifle bearing and it is the same with the ones used by the rest SF models. We expected a fluid dynamic bearing fan to be used in this model, but according to Corsair, the NR092L is reliable enough to survive the seven-year warranty with the help of semi-passive operation. Image 1 of 33 Image 2 of 33 Image 3 of 33 Image 4 of 33 Image 5 of 33 Image 6 of 33 Image 7 of 33 Image 8 of 33 Image 9 of 33 Image 10 of 33 Image 11 of 33 Image 12 of 33 Image 13 of 33 Image 14 of 33 Image 15 of 33 Image 16 of 33 Image 17 of 33 Image 18 of 33 Image 19 of 33 Image 20 of 33 Image 21 of 33 Image 22 of 33 Image 23 of 33 Image 24 of 33 Image 25 of 33 Image 26 of 33 Image 27 of 33 Image 28 of 33 Image 29 of 33 Image 30 of 33 Image 31 of 33 Image 32 of 33 Image 33 of 33 MORE: Best Power Supplies MORE: How We Test Power Supplies MORE: All Power Supply Content Overland Park priest denies allegations of abuse OVERLAND PARK, KS (AP) -- An Overland Park priest announced at Mass this weekend that a woman who has twice accused him of abusing her has raised the allegation again. The Rev. A 30-something lady reportedly targeted this priest multiple times with abuse claims but none of them could be proven . . . After her latest allegation, local clerics are seemingly calling her out in public and taking a hardline whilst stressing transparency in handling the complaint. A quick round-up of a story that's mostly smoke & mirrors: Man accused of firing shots near Highlands Elementary School due in court Monday OLATHE, KS (KCTV) -- A suspect charged after an officer-involved shooting Friday near Highlands Elementary School is due in court on Monday. Dylan Ruffin's arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday in Johnson County Court. Ruffin remains behind bars on a $500,000 bond. After a gun fight with police that terrified suburbanites over real life firearm threats closer than they suspected to their lives . . . Court consequences start today. Read more: Opinion: UMKC's image and lack of vital institutional control UMKC has been rocked by scandal lately. In the 2018-19 academic year alone, lawsuits have been brought against the medical school, dental school and the School of Education by former students. An accomplished professor resigned over slave labor accusations and is now being sued by UMKC for stealing student research and defrauding the university. The NextGen at this 3rd-choice local institution are much bolder than the administration as they encourage spin doctors and decisive action from leadership to counter The Kansas City Star playing bully as the glorified campus watchdog and big man on college campus. Checkit: A 42-year-old man was charged on Monday in connection with a fire that was set at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, Mo., last month. The man, Wesley Brian Kaster, was arrested Saturday, about three weeks after the authorities began investigating what they called a suspicious fire at the clinic on Feb. KCMO Against Rent Double Down These Kansas City Activists Want To Make Housing The Biggest Issue In The Mayor's Race Protesters withstood single-digit temperatures on the steps of City Hall Monday to share horror stories about landlords kicking their families out after a serious illness or being left with no safe, permanent housing options after an eviction. KC Tenants, a new group advocating for tenants' rights, intends to make housing a central issue in the upcoming mayoral election. Golden Ghetto Suspect Appliance Dishwasher eyed as possible cause of Overland Park duplex fire OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -- Investigators say a dishwasher is being eyed as a possible cause of a kitchen fire. Crews from Overland Park and Lenexa fire departments were called about 6:30 a.m. Monday to 115th and Bluejacket streets. First units on the scene reported light smoke from the ground floor of a two-story duplex. KCK Chief Double Dip??? KBI investigates KCK police chief's use of a county-owned lake house KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV/AP) -- The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating the Kansas City, Kansas, police chief's use of a county-owned lake house. The investigation centers on whether Chief Terry Ziegler "double dipped" when he took paid time off work while also charging the county government for work he did on the lake house. JoCo Workout Trending A new style of fitness has come to Johnson County There is a new fitness studio in Overland Park with a unique twist using a dynamic machine. It's called the Lagree Method and it uses a machine designed to provide constant tension and resistance to keep the heart rate elevated. Cold & Harsh KCMO Winter Report Families struggling to survive the cold turn to KC emergency shelter for help KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The lingering, harsh winter is still pushing more families in need to City Union Mission in Kansas City. "It's been a tough few days for us. I'm just really happy to be here," Melissa Macias said. A few days ago, the single mom and her four children moved to Kansas City from Dallas. Storms Ahead For Kansas Kansas projected to see higher frequency of tornadoes, severe storms in 2019 With winter storm after winter storm, it's hard to believe that severe weather season is right around the corner. Perfect Village Suspect Search Authorities investigate after bank robbed in Prairie Village PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS (KCTV) -- The FBI is investigating a bank robbery that happened in Prairie Village. Authorities say the Great Southern Bank at 5206 W. 95th Street was held up around 1 p.m. on Monday, February 4. The Prairie Village Police Department said the suspect approached a bank teller and demanded money. Kansas City Bulky FAIL Kansas City residents frustrated by continued delays for bulky item pick-up KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- KC is further delaying scheduled bulky item pick-ups. It's part of a messy situation the city hasn't been able to handle, thanks to the harsh winter weather. Three couches, some shelving and bags of trash all sit on the curb outside Marlandis Hayes' Brookside home. Meth Town Runaround 2 in custody following Independence police chase, vehicle nearly struck officer Two people are in custody after an early morning police chase that started in Independence, Missouri.The Clay County Sheriff's Office said just before 7:30 a.m., Independence police pursued a stolen vehicle into Clay County, where the vehicle involved nearly struck an officer.Clay County deputies pursued the suspect vehicle until in crashed near Kansas Street and Conistor in Liberty.Clay County authorities said two men were taken into custody after a short foot chase.Charges are pending in connection with this incident. Phone Threat Fakers Abound Independence officials warn of utility bill scam KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Independence officials are warning residents that scammers are at it again in their area. A city spokesperson said people have reported receiving threatening phone calls from an "800" number that shows up on caller I.D. as from the City of Independence. Lesson In No Privacy Smithville School District hosting forum on random student drug testing Hide Transcript Show Transcript WERE HURT THAT ARE EXPECTED TO RECOVER. STUDENT DRUG TESTING COULD BE COMING TO A NORTHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT. HALEY: TOMORROW NIGHT THE SMITHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS HOSTING A FORUM FOR PARENTS. KMBC 9'S WILLIAM JOY EXPLAINS WHY THE POLICY IS HAPPENING NOW, AND HOW PARENTS ARE REACTING. Fanboys Talk Conspiracies Making sense of the Dee Ford rumors with two theories NFL Network's Ian Rapoport joined Good Morning Football Tuesday morning to discuss Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford, who the team officially tagged Monday. Rapoport: "A true standout, career year, but certainly a year where the Chiefs had been waiting on it. Quick collection of news worth a quick scroll and perusal for those watching the clock and waiting to drink tonight . . .And this is anotherfor right now . . . Bentley is celebrating its 100th anniversary at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, and its doing it in style with a special edition model called the Continental GT Number 9 Edition by Mulliner. Limited to just 100 units one for each year of Bentleys existence the Continental GT Number 9 Edition is a fitting ode to the automakers centenary. More than that, the special edition Continental GT also pays tribute to arguably one of the most famous race cars in history, the legendary and supercharged Bentley Blower that Sir Henry Ralph Stanley Tim Birkin drove at the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours. No timetable has been set on when the special edition Continental GT Number 9 Edition goes on sale. Rest assured, though, all 100 units should fly off the shelves faster than it takes the Continental to go from 0 to 60 mph. What makes the Bentley Continental GT Number 9 Edition by Mulliner special You can always count on Bentley to bring the wood at an event like the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Wood, in this case, comes in the form of inserts taken from the seat of the legendary No. 9 supercharged Bentley Blower that Sir Henry Ralph Stanley Tim Birkin raced at the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours. Nobody cares at this point that the racer actually didnt win the race, but retired after 138 laps. Nevertheless, the Blower is regarded as one of the most iconic race cars in Bentleys history. And as is the case with some of the automakers snazziest SEs, Bentleys personalization division, Mulliner, played a significant part in creating this 100-unit tribute to the automakers centennial anniversary. By now, we know what Mulliner is capable of, right? This is, after all, the same personalization group that created beauties like the Bamford X Bentley Mulliner Mulsanne Speed back in 2016. That was a one-off creation that featured an incredible color-creation process called Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) to darken specific sections of the Mulsanne that were normally polished in a stainless steel finish. Mulliner was also responsible for the Mulsanne Sinjari, another unforgettable one-off piece that was inspired by the Sinjari Falcon and created for Korean designer Sang Yup Lee. Let this be as clear as clear can get: special things happen when Mulliner gets involved in a Bentley special edition project. Expectations are high for the Continental GT Number 9 Edition, in part because it has Mulliners fingerprints on it, and because this is the model Bentley identified as its 100th-anniversary showcase. If theres one SE that needed to encapsulate all the elements that have made Bentley one of the pre-eminent automakers in the world, this is it. And so, here we are. The Continental GT Number 9 Edition isnt your typical Bentley special edition. The luxury beauty comes in two different colors, specifically Beluga Black and Viridian Green. Either way, the Number 9 Edition sits on a set of fancy 21-inch, 10-spoke wheels. Black accents and a carbon fiber body kit are also part of the package. Its hard to make out where the carbon fiber bits appear in the sedan, but I can at least tell that the front splitter and the side skirts are made from the fancy material. Speaking of fancy touches, the front grille is the defining design element of the Continental GT Number 9 Edition. Notice the number 9 thats prominently displayed in the grille of the Continental GT. Thats not an arbitrary number that was thrown in for kicks and giggles. Thats a reference to the car number of the aforementioned Blower that Sir Birkin competed in at Le Mans. The exterior of the Continental GT Number 9 Edition looks the part of a proper Bentley special model. But the work put on the interior is where it turns into a Mulliner masterpiece. I can start in a lot of places, but Ill begin with the choice of Cumbrian Green or Beluga heritage hides for the seats and surfaces of the interior. I dont know how they feel in person, but I can only imagine that theyre soft and expensive. Mulliner even increased the gloss levels on the seats, inner door panels, and other areas to give the material that extra pop that it probably doesnt need anyway. The seat headrests and door panels feature debossed B logos. Thats not some random trick that Mulliner is throwing in for kicks. Thats a nod to the door pads of the 1930 Bentley Blower, which featured the same design element. The center console also features inspired details from the 1930s, specifically the use of Engine Spin, which is also known as Turned Aluminum. For those who are unfamiliar with the finish, Engine Spin was used on race cars and planes in that era because of its ability to limit light reflection. Fix your gaze on the center console and youll also see a unique clock face created by British Jaeger. Once again, the legendary Blower comes into the picture with a clock thats inspired by the race cars own dials. Even the traditional manufacturing methods of race car dials from that era was used in the creation of the unique timepiece. Ive gone through a lot of the exclusive touches and features in the interior of the Continental GT Number 9 Edition, but I havent gone through what is arguably its most awe-inspiring feature: the wood insert from the seat of the No. 9 Blower that competed in Le Mans almost 90 years ago. Located in the Bentley Rotating Display, this backlit piece is set in resin and situated in the middle of the center dial of the rotating display. Thats literally a piece of Bentley history right there. All 100 units of the Continental GT Number 9 Edition also come with 18K gold-plated organ stops inspired by those in the No.9 Blower and 1 of 100 tread plates. If you still think this isnt a worthy special edition model, then I dont know what to tell you. What I can tell you is that the Bentley Continental GT Number 9 Edition is powered by a 6.0-liter W-12 engine that produces 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. The new W-12 mates to a dual-clutch eight-speed automatic transmission. Its the first time such a gearbox is offered in a Bentley, and the results are evident as the Continental GT is capable of charging from 0 60 mph takes only 3.6 seconds, 0.5 seconds quicker than its predecessor. Top speed is pegged at 207 mph, making the sedan one of the fastest models in its class. Theres no going around the fact that the Bentley Continental GT Number 9 Edition is more than just a special edition model. Its a celebratory model that pays tribute to 100 years of Bentley excellence in an industry that has shown no mercy for anything less than that. Only 100 units are available, and while prices have yet to be announced, expect the special edition Continental GT to fetch way more than the Continental GTs base price of a little over $200,000. If anything, I wouldnt be surprised if the price for this specific special edition model approaches $300,000. Its that exclusive. Its that rare. Most of all, its that important to Bentley and its 100-year history. 2019 Bentley Continental GT specifications Engine 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W-12 Capacity 5,950 cc Horsepower 626 HP @ 6,000 RPM Torque 664 LB-FT @ 1,350-4,500 RPM Transmission dual-clutch eight-speed automatic 0 to 60 mph 3.6 seconds Top Speed 207 mph Further reading Read our full review on the 2020 Bentley Continental GT Convertible. Read our full review on the 2018 Bentley Continental GT. The concept car of the first Alfa Romeo compact plug-in hybrid SUV is making its debut at the Geneva International Motor Show. The Tonale Concept Car is joining the growing segment that interprets the trademark language of beauty of Alfa Romeo. It is a compact utility vehicle with an urban vocation and an athletic personality. The distinctive features of Italian style are projected into the future, striking the perfect blend of valued heritage and anticipation of new precepts. In keeping with the Alfa Romeo manifesto, every detail is designed according to the drivers needs. Driving pleasure lies in ergonomics, high-quality materials and, above all, unparalleled dynamism. The Tonale Concept Car is the Alfa Romeo take on electrification. State-of-the-art technology and proverbial driving dynamics meet to grasp the opportunities and provide tangible answers to new challenges. Also in the spotlight Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio "Alfa Romeo Racing" special editions equipped with an exclusive carbon fibre Aero Kit designed in partnership with Sauber Engineering. Alfa Romeo is breaking into the electric car world at the Geneva International Motor Show 2019 revealing the new concept of the Alfa Romeo Tonale compact SUV. The Tonale is the first plug-in hybrid and the first compact utility vehicle of Alfa Romeo. It rewrites the rules of todays fastest growing segment using the manufacturers trademark language made up of unique Italian style and unparalleled driving pleasure. A car inspired by beauty and the Alfa Romeo design manifesto The design of the Tonale is an expression that looks fondly into our future. Its compact dimensions embody unique Italian design and the unmistakable original and modern style typical of Alfa Romeo, striking the perfect blend of valued heritage and anticipation of new precepts. Alfa Romeo holds dear the essence of Italian art and sculpture, through the timeless "artigianale" experience of hand sculpting. The Tonale is inspired by the beauty and nuances associated with human forms, and the organic movement of light resulted by pure lines and volumes. Its design tangibly recalls a number of time-honoured design elements that are synonymous with the rich history of Alfa Romeo, with an execution that excites a modern approach to the new Alfa Romeo anatomy. An element that echoes the tradition of the Alfa Romeo DNA is the phone dial wheel. The Tonales 21" wheel design displays this through a lightweight architectural construction, creating an honest and impactful execution of the circular theme. The lineage of the phone dial wheel dates back to the 1960s, worn proudly on the iconic 33 Stradale. The distinctive Tonale wheel design is also celebrated harmoniously with an exclusive Pirelli tire scheme. The bold, elegant volumes of the body side make reference to a seemingly distant past, recalling the sensual qualities found it the pure forms of the Duetto and the Disco Volante Spider, while the Tonales "Linea GT" interprets the tension and confidence of the pouncing stance found on the beloved GT Junior. The front end sports Alfa Romeos signature "Trilobo" and the distinctive "Scudetto" grille that serves as the central point of strength, driving the speed and fluidity that moves throughout the Tonale. Flanking the iconic "Scudetto" and completing the front monographic is the "3 plus 3" forward lighting that evokes the proud gaze reflective of the SZ and Brera. The rear of the Tonale is elegantly defined by an enveloping window volume, complemented on top by the suspended wing that enhances the continuity between the transparent roof and the rear window itself. As every Alfa Romeo design is cared for through the human touch, the rear lighting is reminiscent of an artistic signature, rather than an optical lighting element...a sort of luminous signature born directly from the artists hand. With the inspiration of Alfa Romeos history of racing at the core, the Tonale interior design conjures the passion associated with providing a spirited drive through dynamic form and pure sculpture. The interior of the Tonale is very driver oriented, but not egoistic, as the layout is designed comfortably for 4 passengers. The hand-drawn gestural lines stretch throughout the environment to create a muscular tension, as if what surrounds you is ready to lunge. The emotional significance of the Tonale interior is also generated by the contrast of rich materials, such as the cold solidity of aluminum combined with the soft and welcoming warmth of the leather and Alcantara. Inside there are translucent backlit panels, such as the central tunnel, providing the perfect location for the essential Alfa Romeo element, the DNA drive mode selector. The Tonale interior provides an inclusive experience, with details typically reserved for the exclusive. The interior is immersive and welcoming, with the dynamic attributes appreciated by those who love to drive. The Tonale concept vehicle is equipped with the highest standards of technology to ensure a connected, comfortable and dynamic user experience, while keeping the pleasure of a sporty drive at the forefront. The drivers attention will be on the road, with the peripheral focus on a 12.3" full digital cluster and a 10.25" touchscreen central head unit. The new infotainment features a seamless and fluid multitasking interface that allows the driver to have all the latest features and functionality readily available at their fingertips. The Tonale allows the driver to be fully connected to the Alfa Romeo Lifestyle and Social communities, realized and presented through the new infotainment features, "Alfista" and "Paddock". "Alfista" is an immersive Alfa Romeo Lifestyle experience, providing a fully connected interface with select Alfa Romeo clubs and Community events, such as gatherings, drives, and meets. This in-vehicle app allows the driver access to live news and updates about the current happenings of the Alfa Romeo Brand. The customer has the ability to confirm attendance to events and gatherings, order Alfa Romeo Racing tickets, as well as apply for opportunities to win VIP access to special Alfa Romeo sponsored Events, just to name a few. "Paddock" is the Alfa Romeo Tonale in-vehicle garage and market for real-time viewing and purchasing of the latest interior and exterior performance upgrades and equipment. The Paddock app also enables the customer to scroll through the latest offerings of Alfa Romeo Merchandise and Apparel, which can be ordered direct with the touch of the screen. The Alfa Romeo Tonale is our look into the future of the CUV segment, creating a holistic creative expression and through the blend of beauty and technology. For Alfa Romeo Design, it is our "opera darte", or piece of art... ...otherwise expressed as our Alfa Romeo Tonale. Authentically Alfa Romeo The Tonale marks the debut of the brand in the compact utility vehicle segment and does so in line with the characteristics that have always identified each Alfa Romeo model. The goal is to deliver the best driving dynamics in the segment and to apply electrification in perfect Alfa Romeo style. It is the natural evolution of the brand on the way towards propulsive synergy capable of enhancing performance and driving dynamics. Rather than simply adapting to new standards, with the Tonale concept car Alfa Romeo is reinterpreting its own DNA to capture the new idea of beauty, energy, harmony, efficiency and driving user-friendliness. The electrification of Alfa Romeo comes at the service of sportiness and emphasises the famous "Mechanics of Emotions" mission of the brand. For this reason, it has no need to express itself through signatures or decided livery, but just with small details such as the Alfa logo, or "Biscione" in hybrid optics, a small yet definitive detail that enhances the Tonale. The rear electric engine opens the way to new technological solutions that offer driving dynamics, maximizes the drive and the pleasure of sporty driving. The evolution is also evident in the drive modes managed by Alfa D.N.A. From the beginning on Giulietta, Mito and 4C, and through the development with Giulia and Stelvio, it has reached the Tonale and now implements specific energy management functions. With Tonale, the "Dynamic" mode evolves into "Dual Power" and guarantees the maximum output from the two engines. The infotainment touch screen features an E-mozione button, which offers specific throttle settings, sharper braking and more direct steering response. "Natural" mode continues to maintain the best performance optimization, and the compromise between using electric and internal combustion engines is managed automatically. This translates into everyday energy and fuel savings, but not at the detriment of performance. The "Advance Efficiency" mode becomes "Advance E" for performance in full electric mode. So, in line with the principles of the brand, the plug-in hybrid propulsion enhances the beauty, sporty and dynamic driving characteristics of each Alfa Romeo model, taking them to a new level. In Tonale, electrification embraces performance and represents a new way to achieve high performance and outstanding driving fun. Alfa Romeo Tonale The Tonale embodies the adventure potential of a compact, dynamic sport utility vehicle capable of guaranteeing the adrenaline of sporty driving inherent in the legend of the brand, in urban settings with the same ease. The hum of the electric motor accompanies the genuinely Alfa Romeo roar creating an efficient, exciting synergy at the service of driving pleasure. The energy switch to electric is the latest key page in the 109-year-long history of the Alfa Romeo legend and one which will propel the brand into the future. This is also behind the name chosen for the new concept car. The Tonale Pass, not far from the Stelvio Pass in the Alps, is a large natural amphitheatre famous for its majestic peaks, the natural spectacle of frothy waterfalls and snow all year round in a breath-taking natural setting. Directly connected to the Stelvio Pass, excitement and harmony coexist in the Tonale Pass area. The Tonale is an important development under the sign of continuity and geographical proximity, an evolution traced in time in an evocative association. The Quadrifoglio Alfa Romeo Racing Special Editions For the Geneva International Motor Show, Alfa Romeo will be introducing the Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio "Alfa Romeo Racing" limited special editions equipped with an exclusive carbon fibre Aero Kit designed in partnership with Sauber Engineering. This exclusive feature reasserts the ever-deeper bond with the world of Formula 1. The special editions celebrate the racing legend of Alfa Romeo and the return of an Italian driver to Formula 1 now that Antonio Giovinazzi has joined World Champion Kimi Raikkonen on the "Alfa Romeo Racing" team. Far from being a cosmetic kit, it is a piece of technical equipment that improves the aerodynamic performance of the car by increasing downforce and enhancing the already excellent dynamic qualities of the Quadrifoglio versions. The technical kit complements the actions taken to make the limited-edition models lighter and more powerful, demonstrating the attention and research of Alfa Romeo aimed at continuous improvement of performance. The cars are characterised by lighter weight and increased power. The first objective was achieved with the extensive use of carbon fibre for the exterior details, Sparco leather and Alcantara sports seats with carbon shell, oversized braking system with carbon-ceramic brake discs and specific Akrapovic titanium exhaust system. The operation shaved off about 28 kilograms from the standard Quadrifoglio versions. The diet was backed up by a technical tune-up by Alfa Romeo engineers that has resulted more torque and power, which reaches 520 HP. The already exciting driving experience of the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio is even more powerful. There is a special privilege for twenty lucky drivers. Over the year, ten Giulia cars and ten Stelvio SUVs will be available to represent the ten victories of Alfa Romeo in Formula 1, each one sporting a dedicated badge bearing the name of a Grand Prix won by Alfa Romeo and the corresponding year. Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio "Alfa Romeo Racing" customers will be invited to live a complete and dedicated customer experience. Starting from the Geneva Motor Show, they will be able to express their interest in purchasing a car through the official Alfa Romeo channels. The highly anticipated Aston Martin Valkyrie is not yet ready to go into production, but the British firm just unveiled a few juicy bits about its drivetrain. The biggest news is the Valkyries official power rating, set at 1,160 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. It also has the best power-to-weight ratio for production cars LISTEN 03:48 Big Hybrid Power The V-12 engine cranks out 1,000 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque Aston Martin confirmed that the Valkyrie features a hybrid drivetrain that combines a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 engine and an electric motor. The latter forms a KERS-style boost system similar to those fitted in Formula One cars together with the battery. The motor comes from Integral Powertrain Ltd., while the battery was supplied by Rimac, a Croatian automaker known for a series of all-electric supercars. The V-12 engine cranks out 1,000 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque, an incredible figure for a naturally aspirated mill. Thats 180 horsepower more than the Vulcan, which features a naturally aspirated, 7.0-liter V-12. This makes the Valkyrie the most powerful Aston Martin to date, and I havent even included the extra power coming from the electric motor. This battery powered unit adds 160 horsepower and 207 pound-feet into the mix, taking the total output up to 1,160 horsepower and 664 pound-feet. How does it compare to the Mercedes-AMG Project One? The Project One is also a hybrid, but its drivetrain setup is entirely different. While the Valkyrie features a massive V-12, the Project One has a turbocharged, 1.6-liter V-6 under the hood. This engine is simiar to those in the companys Formula One cars, so it can rev up to 11,000 rpm. It also features no fewer than four electric motors! The V-6 cranks out 748 horsepower (no torque data yet), so it's notably less powerful than Aston Martin's V-12. However, three of the four electric motors crank out 161 horses, while the fourth delivers 121 horsepower. This takes total output to at least 1,039 horsepower, which is a bit less than the Valkyrie, but AMG claims that it can actually deliver 1,231 horses. Thats 71 horses more than the Valkyrie. Which One is Quicker? We dont know that, simply because both automakers have yet to release performance figures. All we know so far is that both Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin are aiming for sub-2.5-second 0-to-60 mph sprints and top speeds of well in excess of 210 mph. Needless to say, both will become some of the quickest production cars ever made! The Megawatt Supercar Aston Martin also conceived the Valkyrie with the goal to exceed the 1:1 power-to-weight ratio achieved by Koenigsegg with the One:1 and later with the Agera RS. Tipping the scales at only 2,270 pounds, the Valkyrie has 1.12 horsepower for every kilogram and this turns it into the most powerful megawatt supercar out there. And chances are the Mercedes-AMG Project One will trail behind because the companys estimates put its curb weight at between 2,646 to 2,866 pounds, at least 380 pounds more. 2020 Aston Martin Valkyrie drivetrain specifications Engine 6.5-liter V-12 Horsepower 1,000 HP @ 10,500 RPM Torque 564 LB-FT @ 7,000 RPM Electric motor Electric power 160 HP Torque 207 LB-FT Combined output 1,160 HP @ 10,500 RPM Combined torque 664 LB-FT @ 6,000 RPM Curb weight 2,270 Lbs Transmission race-spec 0 to 60 mph 2.5 seconds Further Reading Read up on everything we know about the 2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie Read our full review on the 2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro. Read our full review on the 2020 Mercedes-AMG Project One. The successful continuation of their heritage poses a challenge for traditional companies. Once again, the French luxury brand Bugatti has shown that it can transform these challenges into unique models. With its one-off car La Voiture Noire1Bugatti has again proved that it makes the worlds most powerful, most luxurious and most exclusive hyper sports cars. The true form of luxury is individuality. La Voiture Noire is now at the cutting edge of automobile production. It is a sculptural beauty with unique technology, the ideal grand tourisme, says Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann. This is a coupe with the comfort of a luxury limousine and the power of a hyper sports car. A pioneering spirit, a passion for perfection and the desire to continually redefine its limits have been the key characteristics of Bugatti since the brand was established 110 years ago. Our history is both a privilege and a responsibility the responsibility for continuing the Bugatti heritage into the future. With La Voiture Noire, we are paying homage to our heritage and bringing speed, technology, luxury and aesthetics forward to a new era, says Stephan Winkelmann. The new hyper sports car reflects Bugattis French heritage and its French identity elegance through minimalism and refinement through intensification. This is a tailor-made creation only comparable with the haute couture of exclusive Paris fashion designers. La Voiture Noire - more than a reinterpretation La Voiture Noire is a far more than a modern interpretation of Jean Bugattis Type 57 SC Atlantic. It is a feast of aesthetics, says Stephan Winkelmann. With its extended front end and the distinctive Bugatti C-line, the Voiture Noire creates an elongated impression with the elegant waistline defining the contours of the coupe. Purism and elegance are reflected in the surfaces and the clear lines. The bumpers are smoothly integrated into the body and the windscreen seems to flow seamlessly into the windows at the sides like the visor on a helmet. Without any irritating lines, the surface is all of a piece and there is nothing to disturb the optical flow. This means that the hyper sports car has changed its attitude and become a grand tourisme ideal for comfortable travel on long trips. Every single component has been handcrafted and the carbon fibre body has a deep black gloss only interrupted by the ultrafine fibre structure. This is a material that has been handled perfectly, says Bugatti designer Etienne Salome. We worked long and hard on this design until was nothing that we could improve. For us, the coupe represents the perfect form with a perfect finish. The heart of the new creation is the iconic 16-cylinder engine unique in the automotive world and the peak of the engineers art. This is not only an engine but the heart of the vehicle and a technical masterpiece. There is no other car in the world with such an engine. It is not only extremely powerful but also beautiful to look at, Stephan Winkelmann enthuses. The 16-cylinder engine with a displacement of 8 litres develops 1,103 kW/1,500 PS and 1,600 Newton-metres of torque. Six tailpipes at the rear bear witness to its incredible power and are also a tribute to the 16 cylinders. For 11 million (before tax) this unique car has already been sold to a Bugatti enthusiast. It is the most expensive new car of all time. The car enthusiast is fascinated by the Atlantic; with the Voiture Noire, he has acquired a vehicle that takes up the legend and carries the idea forward to the present day. In its exclusiveness, style, quality and performance, La Voiture Noire is an unprecedented and unique car that continues a long tradition in the history of the automobile. A long tradition of coach building Only a few months after the presentation of the Divo2, designed for even stronger lateral acceleration, Bugatti has once again shown that it has a perfect command of handcrafted coachbuilding and has reached another pinnacle in the history of the automobile. In the first few decades of its existence, the French luxury brand had considerable success not only with the design of engines and chassis but also with its own bodies installed on existing chassis. The most famous example is the Type 57 and the Atlantic GT model which was based on it this grand tourisme could already reach a top speed in excess of 220 km/h over 80 years ago. Jean Bugatti designed the Type 57 for various body and engine configurations including the Galibier (four-door saloon), Stelvio (convertible), Ventoux (two-door saloon), and Atalante (coupe) as well as the Atlantic. Ettores son Jean Bugatti was a visionary who was ahead of his time. He was the eldest son of company founder Ettore Bugatti, a gifted automobile designer and natural talent who was only matched by very few people in his understanding of proportions and aerodynamics. From the late 1920s onwards, he influenced the development of the company with his own ideas and designs, before assuming responsibility for management in 1936 at the age of 27. With his pioneering designs for bodies, engines and chassis, he created some extraordinary vehicles until his tragic death in an accident in 1939, securing a place in the history of the automobile. His most beautiful and most famous design is the Atlantic. Like the company itself, Jean would have been 110 years old this year. The exclusive new Voiture Noire, the black car, is a reminiscence of la Voiture Noire a Type 57 SC Atlantic that was Jean Bugattis most famous creation. The outstanding design feature was a dorsal seam running from the hinge in the split bonnet through to the rear end. The Type 57 SC Atlantic was one of the most extraordinary grands tourismes and a timeless creation. Nowadays, it is one of the most valuable classic cars in the world. Only four Atlantics were made between 1936 and 1938, each of them with detailed differences created individually for a customer. Three of these extraordinary coupes are still in existence. The second car built was used by Jean Bugatti himself as well as some of the Bugatti grand prix drivers among his friends. The world has been searching for this Atlantic for more than 80 years it is one of the great mysteries in the history of the automobile. The car probably disappeared before the German invasion of Alsace, when it was to be dispatched to a safe region. The most elegant way of travelling The new Voiture Noire, the perfect grand tourisme, is just as exclusive, powerful and luxurious as Jean Bugattis historic car. Bugatti arouses passion and emotions throughout the world. Customers expect us to continually surprise them and to raise the goalposts beyond the limits of their imagination. We have just succeeded in doing so with La Voiture Noire, says Stephan Winkelmann. Bugatti will continue to work hard to shape the future of the brand. This will be a future full of beauty, passion and surprises. The Voiture Noire is a modern interpretation of the spirit of gran turismo vehicles, a tribute to perfect technology and perfect design. It is also the most elegant and fastest way to travel with a vehicle. Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann: With our automotive haute couture, we have shown what Bugatti is capable of. Now and in the future. Featured tweet, @CelestinMonga: Sierra Leone ($500 income per capita) imports onions from the Netherlands, 7,000 kilometers away. Why? It takes more than one month to import fresh, organic onions from nearby Mali. Regional integration is key: check out #2019AEO. Trade policy updates: Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Geneva Commonwealth Digital Connectivity Agenda: UK, South Africa joint announcement The UK and South Africa have announced their agreement to co-lead the Commonwealth Digital Connectivity Agenda. This is one of five clusters of activity promoted by the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda on Trade and Investment, agreed at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London. The Digital Connectivity Agenda will facilitate an exchange of experiences, views and best practices on digital connectivity to support inclusive growth and sustainable development in the Commonwealth. Member states will cooperate across a range of areas for the development of national digital economies, including: ICT capability; regulatory frameworks; digital infrastructure; the disruptive effects of digital trade; and the participation of women in the digital economy, in order to enable all members to take advantage of the opportunities presented by digitization. The first meeting is scheduled to take place 19-20 March in South Africa. The Presidents 2019 Trade Policy Agenda Total AGOA (including GSP) imports declined to $11.4bn during January-November 2018, compared to $12.1bn during January-November 2017, mostly due to a decrease in AGOA imports of oil (down 7.3%) to $7.6bn during January-November 2018, compared to $8.2bn during January-November 2017. AGOA non-oil trade declined by 2.6%, to $3.8bn, during January-November 2018, compared to $3.9bn during January-November 2017. There was a 48.6% decline in transportation equipment imports under AGOA to $555.6m during January-November 2018, from $1.08bn during January-November 2017, and a 19.8% increase in AGOA apparel trade ($1.14bn compared to $947.5m during January-November 2017). Top US imports under the AGOA program during January-November 2018, by trade value, were mineral fuels, woven apparel, motor vehicles and parts, knit apparel, and ferro-alloys. During January-November 2018, based on trade value, the top five AGOA suppliers were, in order, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Chad, and Kenya. [ pdf 2019 Trade Policy Agenda and 2018 Annual Report (2.71 MB) ; Related Fact Sheet] Uganda accuses Rwanda of breaking EAC laws in border row Uganda is considering petitioning the EAC Secretariat in Arusha to challenge what it perceives as Rwandas economic sabotage in breach of the regional blocs guidelines, a minister said Sunday. Mr Philemon Mateke, the state minister for regional cooperation, told Ugandas Daily Monitor Sunday evening that he would confer with his senior line minister, Mr Kirunda Kivejinja, on the petition because interfering with cross-border trade by Rwanda violates the East African Community guidelines yet it (Rwanda) is the chair of the community. President Kagame, the immediate past African Union chairman, succeeded President Museveni as EAC chair last month amid rising tension and long-standing counter-accusations, including claims that either government is propping up subversive elements against the other. Rwandas ambassador to Uganda, Maj Gen Frank Mugambage, Sunday said he was engaged and unable to speak on Kampalas latest charges. Kigali at the end of last month abruptly stopped vehicles from Uganda from entering Rwanda through Katuna, citing ongoing construction works at Gatuna side of the frontier. A senior official familiar with the goings-on between the countries, but who asked not to be named due to sensitivity of the matter, said Rwandas last-minute notification about closing Gatuna border post was suspicious because road works are planned in advance, and was not likely to have informed its sudden decision. [Updates: Rwanda partially lifts Uganda trade blockade; Rwandas claims are false, says Uganda; Ugandan parliament pushes government to explain deteriorating Uganda-Rwanda relations] Chinese to inspect quality of Kenyas fresh produce Chinese inspectors are set to visit Nairobi this month for certification checks on agricultural produce, putting Kenya on the path to fresh produce export to the expansive Asian market. Nairobi and Beijing last November inked a Sanitary and Phytosanitary deal which will see Kenyan exporters sell their farm produce to the populous China upon meeting set health standards and requirements. The agreement, which followed a week-long intense negotiations in Shanghai during the inaugural China International Import Expo, covered more than a dozen of fresh produce where Nairobi has traditionally relied on Europe for market. We have a team coming in from China on March 27 for the final certification of our produce and then we are good to go, Jaswinder Bedi, chairman of state-run Export Promotion Council, said by telephone. We will start seeing a difference (growth in exports) because market expansion is now happening. It takes time to negotiate with some of these countries because they use technical barriers of trade to stop your exports. Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation, AfDB connect to bridge East Africas digital divide Policy makers from Central and East Africa have concluded a knowledge event designed to address gaps in policy and operational aspects of e-Government services. The African Development Institute of the African Development Bank organized the workshop under the theme, Digital economy and e-government: bridging the digital divide. The capacity building and policy dialogue sessions, convened in collaboration with the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation, took place in Nairobi, 19-21 February. Participants also discussed the latest ranking of African countries on the e-Government Development Index, published in the UNs e-Government Survey for 2018. East Africa gets parliamentary training centre The EAC has acquired a regional parliamentary institute (EAPI), a training facility expected to harness capacities and narrow the skills gap of parliamentarians and staff in a quest to further strengthen the integration process. The institute was launched Friday by Martin Ngoga, the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, in Nairobi, where it will be located. The launch follows the enactment of the East African Parliamentary Institute Bill, 2011, which provides for the legal framework of its establishment. The idea for EAPI was initially mooted in 2001 as a joint venture between the State University of New York, the National Assemblies of the Partner States and EALA, as well as the United States International University, and initially funded by the FORD Foundation. Under the new arrangement, parliaments from across the bloc are to largely fund the institution, a move hailed as key in its sustainability. South Africas new BRICS Business Council announced (dti) The new BRICS Business Council is made up of five members with extensive business experience locally and internationally: Ms Busi Mabuza (IDC), Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba (Discovery Ltd), Ms Bridgette Radebe (Mmakau Mining), Dr Stavros Nicolaou (Aspen Pharmacare) and Mr Elias Monage (Afika Group). A core component of the BRICS Business Council is the nine working groups that span the five participating countries. These are: agribusiness, deregulation, digital economy, financial services, energy and green economy, infrastructure, manufacturing, regional aviation and skills development. South Africa is currently the global Chair of the BRICS Business Council, which will be handed over to Brazil, at the BRICS Business Council midterm meeting in April in Johannesburg. United States will terminate GSP designation of India, Turkey At the direction of President Donald J. Trump, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has announced that the US intends to terminate Indias and Turkeys designations as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program because they no longer comply with the statutory eligibility criteria. Indias termination from GSP follows its failure to provide the United States with assurances that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors. Turkeys termination from GSP follows a finding that it is sufficiently economically developed and should no longer benefit from preferential market access to the US market. Reactions: Its official: India is Trumps next target in the trade wars India weighs retaliatory tariffs on US imports worth $10.6bn A bumpy road ahead for India-US trade relations Altering preferential status a significant change to India-US trade ties says Raj Bhalla What is GSP, and how did India gain from being on US trade preference list? Indias Apparel Export Promotion Council to take up duty withdrawal benefit under GSP with Commerce ministry laxmi@tribune.com NEW DELHI: State-owned Central Bank of India has put up for sale four stressed accounts, including Bhushan Power & Steel and Essar Steel India, to recover dues of Rs 3,321 crore. In terms of the banks policy on sale of financial assets in line with the regulatory guidelines, we place the following accounts for sale to banks/ARCs /NBFCs/FIs, Central Bank of India has said in a bid inviting document on its website. Alok Industries and Bombay Rayon Fashions are the two other stressed assets that lender wants to get rid off. According to the bid document, Bhushan Power & Steel has an outstanding of Rs 1,550.07 crore towards the bank. Alok Industries owes Rs 1,251 crore, Essar Steel India Rs 423.61 crore, while Bombay Rayon Fashions has an outstanding due of Rs 96.30 crore. The e-auction of all these accounts will take place on March 20. PTI laxmi@tribune.com Vijay C Roy Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 4 After one and a half years of establishment of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Punjab, only 1,461 real estate brokers have registered themselves with the authority. With more than 30,000 property dealers in the state, the number of registered brokers is less than 5%. Concerned over the low registration by brokers, the RERA, Punjab, will compile data of unscrupulous real estate agents through their classified advertisements published in newspapers and also through information gathered from public. The authority is also planning to serve them notices. Currently, anyone can become a real estate broker in the state as well as across the country as no licence or certificate is required for the same. However, the RERA Act mandates all property agents to register themselves with the authority. The registration of agents was made mandatory to bring clarity to the real estate sector, as brokers ignore the interest of home buyers and favour only developers. The low number of registration is a cause for concern. Recently, we had a meeting where it was decided that notices will be sent to these property brokers, RERA-Punjab member Sanjiv Gupta told The Tribune. According to rough estimates, there are over 30,000 real estate agents in the state. On being asked how the authority will identify the unregistered brokers, Gupta said, We will track them through newspaper advertisements, especially classified advertisements, and also compile information received from general public. The RERA, Punjab, has mandated that any broker who wants to sell apartments in a registered project needs to be registered with the real estate authority. As of now, 1,461 such realty brokers have registered with the authority. Any developer who registers his project has to disclose the list of his brokers and they in turn need to be registered with the authority. In Punjab, 655 projects are registered with the authority. However, a majority of the brokers (nearly 90%) are dealing with re-sold properties or unauthorised colonies, which dont fall under the ambit of RERA. There is an ambiguity in the Act. Once the dealer is registered with RERA, he can deal only with the registered projects and not with unregistered ones. So a lot of real estate agents are not coming forward to get themselves registered, sources said. In Punjab, there are nearly 3,000 unauthorised colonies which are not registered with RERA. Many brokers are dealing with such colonies and unregistered properties and that is why they dont want to register themselves. According to experts, people distrust property agents because of their unprofessional behaviour. There is a need to regulate these agents because at times intense competition within brokers in a particular area and a tendency to close deals lead to property agents hoodwinking ignorant buyers. The Punjab RERA was notified on June 8, 2017 and set up on August 10, 2017. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Mohali, March 4 The local police today claimed to have busted a gang of vehicle thieves by arresting its three members, including a woman. The suspects have been identified as Ankit, a resident of Alawa village in Haryana, Harpreet Singh, alias Happy, of Wadala village in Amritsar, and his wife Saroj, alias Sonia, a resident of Patiala. At present, the couple was residing at a rented accommodation in Swastik Vihar, Zirakpur. The police recovered two stolen Fortuner SUVs, a Maruti Swift, a Maruti Celerio and a Santro car, along with some tools that the suspects used to change the engine and chassis numbers of stolen cars. Senior Superintendent of Police HS Bhullar said the gang consisted of at least eight members. We have identified most of them after the arrest of the trio. Raids are on to nab the remaining members of the gang, said the SSP. The top cop of the district added that the trio was nabbed at Swastik Vihar in Zirakpur. They were in a Swift car, which they used to conduct recce before stealing vehicles. The suspects had affixed a fake registration number to the Swift car, said SSP Bhullar. During their interrogation, the suspects confessed that they had stolen two Fortuner SUVs one from Sector 69 and the other from Sector 79 in Mohali last month. The police recovered both the vehicles following their revelation. The accused were using fake registration numbers on both the SUVs. Later, our team also recovered a Celerio and a Santro from their possession, said SSP Bhullar. He said the Celerio car was stolen from the Rohini area in New Delhi. About the modus operandi of the gang, SSP Bhullar said they used to purchase total damaged vehicles and used their engine numbers and chassis numbers on the stolen vehicles, before selling these at different places. They had several tools to change the engine and chassis numbers of vehicles, said SSP Bhullar. Ankit was already facing several cases of vehicle thefts, said the police. With the trios arrest, the police said they were hopeful of solving several other cases of vehicle lifting in the area. A case under Sections 379, 411, 465, 467, 468, 471, 473, 489 and 120B of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered against them at the Zirakpur police station. Woman carried kid to avoid suspicion The police claimed that while committing crime, Sonia, one of the suspects, used to take her three-year-old daughter along so as to avoid suspicion. She was produced in a court, which sent her to judicial custody. Man held with pistol Mohali: The police arrested a man with a .32-bore pistol and two live cartridges here. The suspect has been identified as Sanjay Gupta, a native of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, who was putting up in Phase 2, Mohali. According to the police, the suspect had purchased the weapon for Rs 60,000 from Agra. The police claimed that he was into lottery business and facing financial crunch of late. He had purchased the weapon with an intention to commit a robbery, said the police. A case under Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered against him at the Kharar police station here. TNS Manoj Joshi Manoj Joshi Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi Through history, it has been evident that walls and forts do not really stop invaders and that the best defence is the one that prevents the destruction of your own home territory. It is for this reason that the chosen strategy of powerful countries is to fight the battles for their homeland security away from home, preferably in the adversarys territory. Translated into our relationship with Pakistan, it does tell us that neither military strikes, deployments along the LoC, nor the fence along the International Border will keep out Pakistani terrorists from this country. They need to be dealt with in their own home territory through a mix of means. Last week, India took one step in the direction by carrying out the air strike on Balakot. Whether or not the Indian bombs hit their targets is not as important as the fact that for the first time since 1971, in a no-war situation, India used air power to hit targets in Pakistan proper. Unfortunately, the ruling partys electoral agenda has sharply distorted the strategic landscape, and this includes the Balakot episode. Looking at the evidence currently available, an Indian strike did take place on Balakot. It did not damage the main JeM seminary, but may have taken out a number of subsidiary structures and killed an unspecified number of militants (evidence for this is awaited). In the meantime, there was an air clash in which an Indian aircraft was shot down and a pilot captured. The Indian side says an F-16 has been shot down, again evidence is still awaited. But if you look at the narrative playing out in India, the whole thing is being projected as an unvarnished triumph for India. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman did display heroism, but it was heroism in adversity, maybe greater than the one that is often required in victory. But the fact we lost a pilot, and had to face the ignominy of having him in Pakistani custody was a setback, and it is delusional to show it as some sort of a victory. You can attribute some of the over-the-top response to the ruling partys ability to control the narrative and to the hyper-nationalist attitudes where common sense and caution are discarded. All military action comes with the possibility of failures and casualties. If New Delhi is to adopt cross-border strikes as policy, it must be ready for such eventualities. On balance, though, the Indian strikes on Pakistan are a major shift, whose significance we will have to assess in the coming years. The problem with Indian policy lies at two levels. First, it has not decided what its grand strategy vis-a-vis Pakistan is. Should it seek the break-up of Pakistan, or military dominance over it, or, should it move on another track, seek to incorporate it in a larger geoeconomic and geopolitical area? All options must be weighed against the price that comes with its chosen strategy. Whatever endpoint it has in mind, it must be able to effectively meld the military, covert, economic and informational aspects of its policy in an effective manner, something it has not been able to do till now. Our policies towards Pakistan have zig-zagged from the Lahore Declaration of 1999 to Kargil, from the January 2004 joint statement to Balakot and from Modis embrace of Nawaz Sharif on December 25, 2015, to the campaign to isolate Pakistan in 2016-17. In this we also need to factor in the failed policy of the BJP government in Kashmir. The relentless hardline, minus any political outreach, has led not just to an intensification of the insurgency, but enabled Pakistani groups to recruit locals. It was such a person who, after all, carried out the Pulwama attack. War always looks like an easy option use your legions, defeat the enemy, impose your terms on the other side and all is well, at least for a while. But in todays world, it is so much more difficult to defeat an ethno-religious insurgency or a nuclear-armed adversary and neither Pakistan nor the insurgent Kashmiris are a pushover. In my previous article, I had referred to Clausewitzs dictum that war is a continuation of policy with other means. Writing in The Diplomat, James R Holmes says that most translations have mis-stated it to say by other means. In fact, he insists, Clausewitz meant with and this is significant since it says along with the kinetic aspects of war, the contest also includes other means diplomatic, covert, informational and economic. This is particularly important for the current era where an all-out war between states, especially those armed with nuclear weapons, is unlikely. An ideal, and possibly the only, strategy we have under a nuclear overhang is to have Pakistan collaborate in the process of defeating the monsters it has nurtured within. Modi has not got Islamabad on the backfoot by his military instrumentality, but by his successful West Asia policy that has got the principal powers there Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran and Israel accept India as the preeminent power in South Asia. The battle to subdue Pakistani jihadists must be fought not only in the Kashmir Valley or Pakistan, but also in the capitals of West Asia, United States, China and Russia. As for the Valley, the most important battle is the one we are not even fighting any longer, that for the hearts and minds of its people. Radhika Ramaseshan Radhika Ramaseshan Senior journalist AFTER the Balakot air strike, the BJP foregrounded the retaliation to the Pulwama attack as a dominant theme in its pre-election discourse, even as the Opposition withdrew into a shell. Undeterred by concerns over contextualising an ongoing military strife, whose denouement was uncertain, in a political backdrop, it appeared that the BJPs sights were sharply focused on the Lok Sabha elections. While the principal Opposition party put off the Congress Working Committee meet at Ahmedabad and the Aam Aadmi Party called off a hunger strike that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was to start to demand full statehood for the Capital, it was business as usual for the BJP. It positioned the showdown with Pakistan at the head of the Centres list of achievements. Concerns over propriety appeared needless; the partys election preparations never paused. Alliances were cemented, public meetings were addressed, media conclaves were attended and party chief Amit Shahs fabled booth committees were revved up. It was as though there was no time to waste. The BJP dispensation has inculcated a measure of professionalism in politics that is new to conventional approaches that were underpinned on the adage that slow and steady wins the race. Everything is fast-tracked in the new BJP. Would the BJP continue to be as gung-ho in employing Pulwama and its aftermath in the impending elections, regardless of the political fallout? Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly shared with some of his colleagues that emotions must be infused in large doses into an election for the bread-and-butter issues to resonate, otherwise the emphasis on development and populism would fall flat. In other words, vikas had to go hand in hand or be subjugated to jan bhavna. It could be emotion packaged as nationalism or religion, but churning the gut reaction is vital to motivate the voters. It was a tactic that Modi used successfully in every election he fought in Gujarat. In 2002, shortly before the Assembly polls, Gandhinagars Akshardham temple was besieged by terrorists and 30 pilgrims were killed. The BJP was already coursing to victory after the communal violence that year had cleaved the polity. The Akshardham tragedy buttressed its line that if a party other than the BJP was voted to power, the terrorists would have a field day. Likewise, in 2007, there was little doubt that the BJP would return because Gujarats emotions ran high on the sentiment of asmita (self-pride invoked in the symbol of the Sardar Sarovar dam) that Modi kindled. The icing on the cake was the then Congress president Sonia Gandhis accusation at a public rally that Modi was a merchant of death. That remark sealed the Congress fate. The examples cited above were Gujarat-related. The most recent reference to a cross-border conflict and its electoral ramifications lay in Kargil and how the Indian forces pushed out and thwarted the incursions by terrorists from Pakistan, bolstered by its military. It was 1999 and a mid-term parliamentary election was forced upon India when on April 17, 1999, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government flunked the confidence test in the Lok Sabha after an NDA constituent, the AIADMK, withdrew support. The elections were deferred until October that year as the Centre launched Operation Vijay on May 26. The battle officially concluded on July 26. In the ensuing elections, in absolute terms, the BJPs tally remained the same as in 1998. It won 182 out of 543 seats and formed a coalition government, principally with the help of the Telugu Desam Party and the Dravida Munetra Kazhagam. Relatively speaking, it incrementally improved on its output. In 1998, it contested 388 seats and won 182; a year later, it fought on 339 and bagged 182. On the back of the Kargil showdown, the BJPs most impressive showings were in Bihar (23, and 18 to its ally, the Janata Dal-United), Madhya Pradesh (29 out of the 40 seats that existed before Chhattisgarh was carved out) and Rajasthan (16). Surprisingly, Uttar Pradesh was a dampener. From 57 in 1998, the BJP was down to 29 seats. During the elections in UP, the issues that weighed on the peoples minds were the large number of body bags coming from Kashmir and the spiralling price of diammonium phosphate, indispensable to agricultural growth. The BJPs demonstration in the heartland indicated that the war mongering the campaigners drummed up did not have a uniform impact. Emotions didnt always trump economic concerns. In UP, the emotions set off a negative reaction. The Hindi heartland did not hold good prospects for the BJP before the recent developments. There was no way it could have optimised its tally in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh, not after losing the 2018 Assembly elections. In Bihar, the UPA was getting its act together under the leadership of Rashtriya Janata Dals Tejashwi Yadav. In UP, the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal coalition, shored up by the presence of smaller parties with spheres of strong, local influence, emerged as more than a challenger to the BJP that was weighed down with a double whammy. Apart from the formidable caste arithmetic that the alliance represented, the BJP was battling anti-incumbency against the Yogi Adityanath government. Is the scenario about to change? Somewhat, maybe. In Bihar, the word is that voters have stopped raising questions over five years of the Modi government and contesting its well-publicised achievements. In UP, the BJP cadre, that was looking demoralised when confronted with the gathbandhan, has got a big boost and reactivated itself on the ground, more or less in direct proportion to an unnerved Opposition, seemingly in retreat. On other fronts, the news for the Modi government does not bode well. Indias economic growth slumped to a five-quarter low of 6.6 per cent in October-December this fiscal from 7 per cent a year ago, according to data released by the Central Statistics Office. Indias farm sector output may have grown by just 2.7 per cent year-on-year in October-December 2018, the lowest in 11 quarters. The effect of the fiscal de-escalation might take time to unravel in its entirety. The Opposition will have to muster all its political skills to put up some kind of a fight against an increasingly aggressive BJP and Modi or yield valuable space to the NDA again. shalender@tribune.com The unsavoury slugfest between the BJP-led NDA government and the Opposition over the Balakot air strike is getting shriller by the day. Whats worse, it threatens to erode the diplomatic gains achieved by India after the Pulwama attack. At a time when national security should be of utmost concern, our politicians are busy playing a below-the-belt blame game for electoral gains. On Sunday, PM Narendra Modi claimed that the Opposition was demoralising the security forces by demanding proof of the counter-terror operation. His contention that the rival parties were playing into the hands of Indias enemies by doubting the IAF air strike was echoed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. No mention, of course, was made by both of party leader BS Yeddyurappas injudicious remark about the BJPs brightening poll prospects. Last week, 21 outfits led by the Congress had accused the ruling party of blatantly politicising the sacrifices of the armed forces. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had stated that the lives of jawans were much more valuable than electoral politics, but she hastened to add that the nation had the right to know what actually happened at Balakot. No stranger to controversial remarks, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had asked the Centre to present conclusive evidence of the February 26 operation. Even as the high-stakes General Election is around the corner, both camps ought to exercise restraint while commenting on the recent developments and stop provoking each other. They should either speak in one voice or remain silent. Their tussle for power should play out behind the scenes, at least for the time being. BJP president Amit Shah is taking credit for 250 terrorists killed in the air strike, whereas Congress leaders have slammed the government quoting international media reports that there are no casualties. Our political leadership should desist from dissecting the aerial strike to embarrass each other. On their guard against further misadventures by the neighbour, Indias defence personnel can certainly do without politicians beating the poll drum. harinder@tribunemail.com Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Rakhigarhi (Hisar), March 4 The worlds largest Harappan site in this village continues to be a happy hunting ground for collectors as well as traders in antiques. The site, that provides glimpses of the life and times of people who lived 5,000 years ago, is attracting treasure hunters. Even locals have acquired artefacts excavated from the site which they proudly exhibit in their homes. During a drive by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) recently, a group of children displayed artefacts at the village chaupal. Each of them brought 10 to 20 items. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared parts of the site as 'protected.' But a large part remains vulnerable to plunder. The entire area, including the ASI-protected mounds, are accessible to the common man. As a result, a number of artefacts seals, gravings, pottery, figurines, bangles, beads and bone fragments dug from the site have found their way to antiques markets. There is no denying the role of unscrupulous elements. Some families from Rakhigarhi and Jind town are notorious for their involvement in such dealings, said a villager. Dinesh, who motivated the children to display items at the INTACH-sponsored exhibition, said a number of villagers had acquired artefacts. Vazir Singh, associated with the excavation work for four decades, said he started collecting artefacts when in Class VI. "I have donated hundreds of items to the Haryana Archaeological Department and the National Museum. As children, we would play with marbles, placing bets on the artefacts. An Arya Samaj leader would take away the items from us in lieu of books and pens, he recalled. But that changed after renowned archaeologist Ravindra Singh Bisht explained to him about the importance of the site during a visit in the late seventies. Vazir Singh, who helped former ASI director Dr Amrendra Nath during excavation work in 1997-2000 and Dr Vasant Shinde of Deccan College, Pune, in 2014-2016, said: It is easy to lay hands on the items during the rainy season. Water erodes the surface of mounds and lay the buried items bare. Even as the SHO of the Narnaund police station denied information on the acquisition of artefacts, Banani Bhatacharya, Deputy Director, Haryana Archaeology Department, said the local administration could take possession of the antiques from local residents which are government property under the Treasure Trove Act. She also questioned the display of artefacts at the INTECH exhibition. editorial@tribune.com Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 4 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rapped the Haryana Police for displaying insensitivity towards a 70-year-old former sarpanch accused of embezzling panchayat funds. Justice Mahabir Singh Sindhu said the court was inclined to imposing exemplary costs to be paid by the investigating officer, but it was closing the matter by expressing displeasure after taking a lenient view. Justice Sindhu asserted that before parting with the order, it was necessary to record that the petitioner was a woman of more than 70 years of age. It seems the investigating officer did not show any sensitivity and created a situation to order for her personal appearance without any good reason, he said. The petitioner, Roshni Devi, had moved the High Court against the state of Haryana for the grant of pre-arrest bail in a cheating case registered against her at the Kurukshetra University police station on February 11, 2017. Appearing before the Bench, her counsel had submitted that the petitioner was a sarpanch during the previous term and had spent the amount on public works, duly verified by the gram panchayat secretary. Taking up the matter, the High Court had initially directed the petitioner to join the investigation and submit expenditure details to the police, while directing the investigating officer to release her on interim bail in the event of arrest. The state counsel, during the course of hearing, pointed out that the petitioner had not complied with the order and was, consequently, directed again to join the investigation. The counsel, on the next date of hearing, again stated that the petitioner was not cooperating with the investigating officer, a claim seriously disputed by the counsel for the petitioner. As a result, the investigating officer was directed to be present along with the complete papers, but he did not turn up. Consequently, the court ordered both the petitioner and the investigating officer to be present before the Bench. As the case came up for resumed hearing, the state counsel, on the instructions from the investigating officer, pointed out that the petitioner had joined the investigation and complied with the previous order in this regard. He also stated that her custodial interrogation was not required. Confirming the anticipatory bail, the Bench admonished the investigating officer. Allegations over appearance The state counsel, during the course of hearing, pointed out that the petitioner, 70-year-old Roshni Devi, former sarpanch accused of embezzling panchayat funds, had not complied with the order and was, consequently, directed again to join the investigation. The counsel, on the next date of hearing, again stated that the petitioner was not cooperating with the investigating officer, a claim seriously disputed by the counsel for the petitioner. As a result, the investigating officer was directed to be present along with the complete papers, but he did not turn up. Consequently, the court ordered both the petitioner and the investigating officer to be present before the Bench. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 4 A Haryana resident opened a bank account in the Czech Republic, hacked the email account of a Hong Kong-based firm and fraudulently transferred $2,87,652 (over Rs 2 crore ) to his account. After receiving a complaint from Ministry of Home Affairs Deputy Secretary V Vishwanathan, the police have registered a case against accused Ramesh Kumar, said Kaithal SP Waseem Akram. Vishwanathan has alleged that the accused owns Valoren Limited Liability Company with its registered address in Prague, Czech Republic. On December 1, 2016, Kumar credited into his account $2,87,652 in Raiffeisen Bank in the Czech Republic by hacking the e-mail account of Plicosa International Limited, Hong Kong. The next day he successfully transferred the money to Taiyon Trading Limited, Hong Kong, and Huizhou Jieying Trading Company Limited, China. The accused made this payment despite the fact that Valiren Limited Liability Company which he owned did not do sufficient business for paying the issued invoices. On December 12, 2016, he credited EUR 4,61,255 into his another account in Sberbank CZ by hacking into German companys account in Commerzbank Aktien Gesellschaft, Germany. The next day he attempted to transfer this money to banks in China from Haryana. Due to timely action of the Czech bank, the transaction was blocked and the money was returned to the German company. The Kaithal SP said after the receipt of complaint from the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Home Affairs wrote to the state government and, hence, a formal FIR was registered. The SP said the police were trying to ascertain the identity of Ramesh Kumar on the basis of his passport number. editorial@tribune.com Bijendra Ahlawat Tribune News Service Faridabad, March 4 Three colleges set up by the state government in the district last year are reeling under staff shortage and no infrastructure. Last year, the state government sanctioned crores for the setting up of Government College at Nachauli, Government College at Mohna village and Government College for Girls, Ballabgarh. We have to travel 20 km to reach our college operating on a makeshift basis from Government College for Girls in Faridabad, said a student of BCom at Government College, Nachauli. She said as the college building was under construction, there was no proper teaching staff. While it has BA and BCom classes with 24 and 63 students, respectively, it has no regular teaching staff. Five teachers are available on deputation, said Deepak Vinayak, principal. The college has sanctioned posts of 23 regular teachers. The under-construction Rs 12-crore building is not likely to be ready before July even as the contractor claims 80 per cent work had been done. The newly started Government College at Mohna village is also functioning from a government school and has only two regular posts principal and a peon. Only five lecturers are available at the college and they too are on deputation. The student strength is 132 against the sanctioned 260 seats. The college has recently got 78 benches donated by a social organisation. Till recently, students had to sit on the floor. The third college in dire straits is Government College for Girls, Ballabgarh, the foundation stone of which was laid in Sector 2 here on Sunday. Students will have to wait for 18 to 24 months more for a building to come up. Presently operational from a government school, it has no regular teaching staff and over 250 students have to depend on four teachers available on deputation. No permanent lecturers editorial@tribune.com Ravinder Saini Tribune News Service Rewari, March 4 Indira Gandhi University (IGU) has released the arrears of the pension and leave salary contribution of retired professor Ram Sajjan Panday as per the revised pay scale. It has deposited Rs 4.24 lakh with Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, where Panday was employed before joining the IGU on deputation on December 11, 2015. Panday retired on December 31, 2016, after serving in the IGU on deputation for over a year. The IGU authorities paid him all dues at the time of retirement as per the old pay scale. On January 1, 2016, the pay scales were revised but he was not paid the arrears of pension and leave salary contribution as per the revised scale while the procedure demanded that once the IGU releases the arrears, the MDU would not only revise Pandays pension but also pay him other benefits retrospectively. During the past over three months, the MDU had written two letters to the IGU, asking it to pay the amount on the revised pay structure to Panday so that his pension could be revised but the latter did not pay heed to it, and as a result his retirement benefits of Rs 35 lakh were withheld. The IGU released the arrears of pension and leave salary contribution after the issue was highlighted in the columns of The Tribune. Panday, who is also the state president of the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad, had also lodged a complaint with the CM window, but to no avail. An IGU official confirmed that Rs 4.24 lakh had been deposited with the MDU on account of pension and leave salary contribution of Prof Panday. Now, the MDU will pay me Rs 35 lakh as retirement benefit, as it has received the arrears of pension and leave salary contribution from the IGU, said Panday. Indira Gandhi University case editorial@tribune.com Our Correspondent Chamba, March 4 More than 8,000 Congress workers, hailing from five assembly constituencies of Chamba district, are expected to participate in the Congress rally scheduled to be held in Kangra on March 7. The rally will be addressed by All-India Congress Committee (AICC) president Rahul Gandhi. Addressing mediapersons here today, District Congress Committee (DCC) president Neeraj Nayar said there was anger among the youth against the NDA government over the employment issue and which was why, they were enthusiastic to attend the event. Nayar questioned the BJP government if its Jan Manch programme was meant only to listen to the problems and grievances of those supporting the party. The programme is meant for the masses, he said. Grievances of hardly eight panchayats were heard at Karian yesterday. What was the use of spending lakhs of rupees on Jan Manch programmes when only a few people were benefiting, questioned Nayar. editorial@tribune.com Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service Shimla, March 4 Upbeat after air strike on terrorist camps in Pakistan last month, the Himachal BJP, eyeing a clean sweep in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, is likely to field all four sitting MPs. The exercise to finalise the candidates is almost over and the name would be declared after approval by the Central Election Committee of the party. Old war horse and veteran party leader Shanta Kumar, who had repeatedly said that he was not interested in seeking re-election with the rider that he would follow the directions of the party high command, was not averse to entering the poll fray again, senior party leaders claimed. The BJP had conducted surveys to identify the candidate and held Panna Pramukh conventions in all four parliamentary constituencies besides a series of meetings at various levels to assess the positions of sitting members and other aspirants. Finally, the party has reportedly reached the conclusion that repeating the sitting MPs was the best bet as there is discernible swing in favour of the party and there was nothing adverse against the sitting members. Initially, the party had reservations regarding candidates from Shimla (reserve) and Mandi while Shanta Kumar was sending conflicting signals. There was no confusion about Hamirpur, represented by Anurag Thakur, who had won thrice from this seat in 2008 (by-election) and 2009 and 2014 where as party had no potential and winning candidate from Kangra seat represented by tallest leader Shanta Kumar. Sitting MP from Mandi constituency, Ram Swaroop Sharma was confident of getting the ticket despite veteran leader Sukh Ram seeking ticket for his grandson and another senior party leader and former MP Maheshwar Singh and Brig Khushal Singh vying for ticket. There were several contenders from Shimla (reserve) constituency, represented by two-time MP Varinder Kashyap and the party was in dilemma over his candidature. Names of Suresh Kashyap, sitting MLA from Sirmaur district, Shashi Bala from Rohroo and Mayor, Shimla Municipal Corporation, Kusum Sardet and Hira Nand Kashyap were making rounds but party was inclined to repeat Varinder Kashyap. Octogenarian leader Shanta Kumar (84), had won by a record margin from Kangra in 2014, had earlier won this seat in 1989, 1998 and 1999 but lost in 1996 and 2004. Hamirpur has been a strong seat for the BJP which the party won all in the elections since 1989, except in 1996. Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal won this seat in 1989, 1991 and by-election in 2007. Sitting member Anurag Thakur won the by-election in 2008 and retained the seat in 2009 and 2014. Mandi seat, considered a Congress bastion, was won by Ganga Singh of Janta party in 1977 and the BJP won the seat in 1989, 1998 and 1999 while Ram Swaroop tasted maiden victory in 2014. The Congress lost Shimla (reserve) seat to Janta Party for the first time in 1977 while HVC candidate Col Dhani Ram Shandil, now in Congress, won in 1999 and 2004 and Varinder Kashyap won in 2009 and 2014. The party would contest elections on the development agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as all the sections, especially the poor and rural folks, have been benefited by the schemes said state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti. editorial@tribune.com Ravinder Sood Palampur, March 4 The Holta nullah passing through Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University here has turned into a plastic dump. Environmentalists said the situation was alarming, but in the absence of any support from the local administration, they were helpless. They have sought the intervention of the High Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in checking the menace. They said there was a ban on the use of plastic in the state, but there was zero compliance of the Solid Waste Management Rules-2016 in Palampur. The state government has to make a hard choice between development and sustainable living, they added.Hirday Pal Singh, Joint Director, Public Relations, HP Agriculture University, blamed the adjoining panchayats for dumping of the garbage into the nullah. He said despite repeated requests, the panchayats were not cooperating. Unfortunately, water of the nullah is used for drinking in Rajpur, Patti, Salyana, Deo Gram and Panchrukhi. A visit to the spot revealed that the maximum waste was generated from plastic bottles and polybags. Panchrukhi BDO Vivek Chauhan said under the Swachh Bharat Mission, there was no provision to clean and remove plastics from the water bodies. He said the panchayats could be asked to check the dumping of garbage into the nullah. Panchayats to blame Hirday Pal Singh, Joint Director, Public Relations, HP Agriculture University, blamed the adjoining panchayats for dumping of the garbage into the nullah. He said despite repeated requests, the panchayats were not cooperating. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Jammu, March 4 Prominent IAS officer of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre, Braj Raj Sharma, has been promoted and posted as the Secretary, Border Management, Government of India. He was holding the post of Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and has been promoted to the rank of Secretary now. A 1984-batch IAS officer, he has served as J&Ks Chief Secretary from September 7, 2015, to April 28, 2017. He was replaced by 1986-batch IAS officer BB Vyas as the Chief Secretary. Braj Raj Sharma was appointed the Adviser to the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on administrative affairs. He has a wide-ranging administrative experience spanning over three and a half decades. After cracking the IAS exam in 1984, he was first appointed as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in 1986. During the 1996 Assembly and parliamentary elections, he served as the District Development Commissioner of north Kashmirs volatile Kupwara. In 2003, he left for Australia to pursue Masters in Business Administration and returned to the state in 2004 and was appointed the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu. In 2006, he assumed the charge of Chief Electoral Officer and was tasked with overseeing the state election of 2008 which took place in the aftermath of a paralysing agitation. That election witnessed a huge participation of people and the credit of holding free and fair elections went to him. Hailing from Kathua district of Jammu region, Braj Raj Sharma got his basic teaching from his father and did Masters in Political Science from the University of Jammu. He is also a law graduate from the university. editorial@tribune.com Azhar Qadri Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 4 The five-year ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), announced by the Union Home Ministry last week, has been limited to seizing its offices and properties as the state government said the groups schools, mosques and orphanages had been kept outside the scope of seizures. The JeI, a socio-political organisation which has had past connections with the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group, was banned last week by the Union Home Ministry on opinions that it is in close touch with militant outfits and is supporting extremism and militancy, supporting claims for secession and was also involved in anti-national and subversive activities. The ministry said it aimed to achieve four things by curbing and controlling unlawful activities of the JeI. The four aspects were non-tangible, vague and included the threat of escalation of the JeIs subversive activities, including attempt to carve out an Islamic State out of the territory of Union of India by destabilising the government established by the law. A senior police official in the region said it was difficult to assess any impact of the ban if any on the security scenario within such a short time. With the absence of any fresh cases against the JeI in the past decade, the opinions of the Union Home Ministry appear to have been mainly rooted in the past when the JeI had actively become the political patrol of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group in the early years of insurgency. The active association between the JeI and the Hizbul Mujahideen, however, was short-lived as the JeI faced the brunt of aggression from a government militia Ikhwan. In 1997, the JeI publicly renounced its association with the Hizbul Mujahideen and started to focus on its transformation into a socio-religious group. The last months highway bombing triggered a series of government measures that included a stricter policy for the movement of convoys, removal of security of separatists and a massive crackdown of JeI. The structure of JeI is elaborate and includes a politburo at the top that goes down to village-level units. Its membership is also divided into multiple segments that include rukun (members), umeed-war (potential members), rufqa (friends) and humdard (sympathisers). The JeIs vast organisational network includes mosques, orphanages, schools and charities for widows and poor and it was this which sparked voices in its support after the ban. The most striking voice of support came from Omar Abdullah. The recent ban is having a major social impact which isnt being taken into consideration, Omar said. A resident of south Kashmir, who identified himself as a humdard, or a sympathiser, the lowest grid in the JeIs hierarchy, said the ban would affect the large-scale charity work. The JeI has ground-level units in every village, which no other organisation has. It (ban) will impact the orphans, widows and the poor, he said. editorial@tribune.com Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 4 The mainstream political parties on Monday urged the Election Commission of India (EC) to hold Assembly elections along with the upcoming general election in the state. The police and civil administration also briefed the visiting EC team, led by the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, on the security situation in Kashmir division, particularly regarding the prevailing scenario in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, SP Pani, gave a detailed briefing on the situation in south Kashmir over the possibility of holding the parliamentary elections. The Deputy Commissioners concerned and police officers sought deployment of more paramilitary personnel in the area. Sources said the issue of smooth conduct of the poll in the Anantnag constituency would be further reviewed by the Central government after it gets EC feedback. Various delegations of different parties, including the Congress, National Conference, PDP, BJP, CPM, Lok Janashakti Party, BSP, and others, met the EC team. However, the Peoples Conference, led by Sajad Lone, an ally of the BJP in the PDP-BJP coalition government, stayed away from the meeting. The party is of the view that Assembly elections should he held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections, an NC delegation told the EC. The members of the delegation were NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar, state secretary Mohammad Ramzan and provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani. A three-member delegation of the state Congress, led by former minister Taj Mohiuddin, also urged the EC to hold early and joint elections. The PDP also conveyed its demand for holding the simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Our party is for early and simultaneous Assembly elections with the general election, said Abdul Rehman Veeri, former minister, who led the PDP team. Only effective response to this (prevailing) situation is to initiate democratic process and hold elections to the Assembly and Lok Sabha at the same time, said a CPM delegation led by MY Tarigami. rchopra@tribunemail.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 5 Presenting contemporary reports on the Indian air strikes in Pakistan as proof, the BJP on Tuesday slammed Congress leaders for not believing the Armed Forces and the Indian Air Force. We believe in our Armed Forces. There is voluminous contemporary evidence available that there was extensive damage to terror camps in Pakistan, senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, almost endorsing the estimate given by BJP chief Amit Shah of 250 casualties in the Balakot strike. So far, there is no official statement on the figure apart from the statements by union ministers VK Singh and Prasad. Both have termed Shahs figure as an estimate. Meanwhile, Prasad said, No country has sought any evidence on the air strike, questioning the Congresss intent in doing so. Just for politics, they are trying to break Indias morale. I appeal to the Congress that for the sake of politics, please do not reduce the morale of the country and its forces. Why does the Congress not understand the mood of the nation? It was a huge strike. There is enough contemporary evidence available; even Pakistan has not questioned it. Why are top Congress leaders like Kapil Sibal, Digvijaya Singh and P Chidambaram saying such things? Today, PM Narendra Modis policies have alienated Pakistan in the international arena. I appeal to the people to expose such leaders and ask questions of the Congress leadership, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, because they are not speaking in isolation. Clearly, it is part of a larger design that they are making such statements, Prasad said. While Prasad may have quoted media reports to highlight the massive damage in Balakot, political observers are surprised over where these figures are coming from given that there is no official statement on the issue. It is a fact that only very few in the BJP are aware of the correct picture. Clearly, the Balakot strike will remain the thrust of the BJPs political campaign along with the delay in procurement of Rafael jets, they say. Senior party leaders, including Modi, have said that had India an advanced technology like Rafale, it would have been better placed to tackle Pakistan. The BJP knows that as soon as the situation between India and Pakistan normalises, the opposition will start questioning what the country achieved from the Balakot attack and, therefore, wants to take a lead on the issue. Earlier in the day, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh said the death toll is not a confirmed figure and what the BJP chief meant was that these many might have died. That was based on the people housed in the buildings which were hit; its an estimate. He is not saying this is a confirmed figure, he is saying these many might have died, Singh said. Shah had claimed that more than 250 terrorists were killed in Balakot on February 26. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Bengaluru, March 4 The Congress-JD(S) ruling coalition in Karnataka on Monday held the second round of talks on the tricky issue of seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with the Congress saying they were moving in the right direction. The two parties had begun formal talks last week with the JD(S) insisting that 12 of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats be conceded to it, but party supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda indicated Sunday that they were ready to compromise. The two allies, who had formed the government after striking a post-poll alliance as the May 2018 Assembly elections threw up a hung verdict, had announced earlier that they would fight the Lok Sabha elections together. The Congress-JD(S) coalition coordination committee chairman and former chief minister Siddaramaiah told reporters they had a good detailed discussion about every constituency. We are moving in the right direction, Siddaramaiah said after the coordination committee meeting here. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali, KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao attended the meeting. The JD(S) has put forth its demand with a list of candidates for 12 seats. We have not given a final shape to it. We will give it in the coming days, Siddaramaiah said. The Mandya Lok Sabha seat has become a bone of contention between the two parties with JD(S) deciding to field Kumarasawmys son and Deve Gowdas grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy. The JD(S) leadership, dominated by Vokkaligas, treats Mandya as its bastion. On the other hand, multi-lingual film actor Sumalatha, widow of noted Kannada film star Ambarish, has also evinced interest in contesting from there on Congress ticket. Asked about the JD(S) hinting that Nikhil Kumaraswamy would contest from Mandya even before the list got finalised, Siddaramaiah said, Can we say no to a candidate who has winnability there? Ali said some more discussions were needed, but the final meeting would take place between Deve Gowda and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. PTI Final call in 3-4 days We are zeroing in on who can win and from where. Discussions have not been completed yet, but there is good progress... we will give a final shape in three-four days before March 10 Siddaramaiah, Senior Congress Leader rchopra@tribunemail.com Aurangabad, March 5 Police on Tuesday detained a doctor from Aurangabad district of Maharashtra for allegedly providing financial assistance to the ISIS suspects who were arrested in January this year by the ATS. The doctor was taken into custody in the wee hours from Khuldabad, 26 km from here, a police officer said while refusing to disclose any additional information. More information would come out during interrogation of the doctor, he said. Ahead of Republic Day, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested nine people from Thane and Aurangabad and detained a juvenile for their alleged links with terror outfit ISIS. They were booked under Indian Penal Codes Section 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Bombay Police Act. The ATS had said the accused were plotting mass attacks. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com New Delhi, March 5 India would have all options available in case there is another terror strike, official sources asserted on Tuesday while maintaining that the government would insist on concrete steps taken by Pakistan in dismantling terror infrastructure. Sources said India had shared with the US the evidence of use of F16 jet by Pakistan during retaliatory aerial combat and was confident that the US is investigating the matter. Since the Balakot strike, India is trying to build maximum pressure on Pakistan on the issue of terrorism, sources said. Sources had said on Monday that the Indian Air Force had kept all its bases in Western sector on the maximum alert after India carried out a strike on the biggest terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistans Balakot on February 26. Pakistan had attempted to retaliate by unsuccessfully targeting a number of military installations in Kashmir on February 27. Indias air strike, which the government had termed a non-military action, followed a terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir, in which 40 personnel were killed. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 5 The fate of the much anticipated AAP and Congress alliance in Delhi was sealed on Tuesday with the Delhi Congress unit saying they dont want a pact with the Arvind Kejriwal led outfit. The Delhi Congress leaders met party president Rahul Gandhi this morning and conveyed to him that they are against an alliance. Ten state Congress leaders led by Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit met Gandhi and conveyed this majority decision on no alliance with AAP to Rahul Gandhi. Sheila Dikshit said: A unanimous decision has been taken that there will be no alliance in Delhi. Gandhi said he would abide by the decision of the state unit. Importantly AICC in-charge for Delhi PC Chacko was in favour of an alliance to defeat the BJP but the majority state leaders said Kejriwal was an unreliable ally and the party must set its eyes on the year end state polls. The decision will be a setback to oppositions national plans to forge state specific anti BJP pacts, something the Congress itself suggested earlier. Chacko said, My opinion as General Secretary in charge was to have an alliance to defeat the BJP. By not having a pact we will divide the votes and our strategy should be to defeat the BJP but most star leaders thought Congress must go alone to survive in the next state polls. Theres some wisdom in that opinion also. 'Unholy alliance' After Dikshits statement, Kejriwal claimed there were "rumours" that the Congress had a "secret understanding" with the BJP. "At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi-Shah duo, Cong is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote. Rumours r that Cong has some secret understanding wid BJP," he tweeted. "Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance." Kejriwal's comments came in response to the Congress' announcement that it will not form an alliance with the AAP in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. With PTI Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, joins a panel discussion with political advisors from the China National Democratic Construction Association and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce at the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese leaders on Monday joined political advisors in different panel discussions at the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The leaders -- Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng -- are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. Premier Li Keqiang said facing more complicated and challenging development environment this year, the country should follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, stay committed to pursuing progress while ensuring stability, and coordinate the tasks of stabilizing growth, pushing forward reform, adjusting the structure, improving people's lives and preventing risks. China should rely more on reform and opening up to stimulate market vitality and stand up to the downward pressure on the economy, the premier said. Stressing that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of both the People's Republic of China and the CPPCC, Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, called for more efforts to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and remain committed to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, said that religious issues bear on social harmony, ethnic solidarity and national security. He spoke of the need to raise the awareness of the rule of law to maintain harmony and stability of the religious circles, and ensure religions better adapt themselves to socialist society. Wang Huning, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, called on people to take studying, understanding and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the primary political task. He stressed efforts to intensify reform on the social security institutions, solve prominent problems relating to social security, and improve people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, highlighted the need to carry out strategic arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee, stay committed to advancing full and strict governance over the Party, and consolidate and develop a sweeping victory in the fight against corruption. Vice Premier Han Zheng called for more efforts to advance the cause of "one country, two systems" and maintain lasting prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao. 6 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com Washington, March 5 Pakistan's ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan has said he is not aware of any request made by the US about the use of F-16 fighter jets by his country in the recent aerial confrontation with India. The Indian Air Force on Thursday displayed parts of an AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence to "conclusively" prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir after India's anti-terror operation in Balakot. Pakistan on Wednesday categorically said that no F-16 fighter jets were used and denied that one of its planes had been downed by the Indian Air Force. The US State Department has said that America is seeking more information from Pakistan on the potential misuse of American-made F-16 fighter jets by it against India in violation of the end-user agreement. "On F-16, I don't know, India has been alleging so many other things. We don't get into every single one of them. I am not aware of request from the US side about the F 16," Khan told a Washington audience at the US Institute of Peace, a Congress-funded think-tank, on Monday. Asked about the media reports saying that US is seeking more information on the alleged misuse of F-16 against India in a potential violation of the end-user agreement, he said: "I think the question is whether the Pakistan is prevented by (end-user-agreement)". "I have not seen those end user agreements. I am not a position to comment on that," the top Pakistani diplomat said. The US, which is the largest seller of high-tech defence equipment globally and has a strong end-user monitoring agreement, as a matter of practice takes all allegations of misuse of defence articles very seriously. AMRAAM missiles allow a fighter pilot to target an enemy aircraft that is beyond visual range, in day or night, and in all-weather conditions. They have an autonomous guidance capability, which allows the pilot to manoeuvre immediately after the missile's launch. Khan said that the US of late had played an important role in counselling restraint between the two countries. "In terms of chemistry, I don't know if there was any chemistry to begin with (between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan)," he replied when asked about the relationship between the two leaders. As leaders of two big countries, it is not the chemistry that should determine, but the need, he said. Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was handed over to India on Friday. PTI amansharma@tribunemail.com Dhubri (Assam), March 5 Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the number of terrorists killed in the air strike by Indian Air Force on the training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistans Balakot would be known today or tomorrow. He claimed that National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) system had informed about presence of around 300 active mobile phones at the site before the air strike by India. Charging the opposition of doing politics over the strike, the Home Minister suggested the Congress to go to Pakistan and count the bodies if they want to know how many terrorists were killed. Some leaders of the other political parties are asking how many terrorists were killed in the IAF strike. Today or tomorrow, it will be known. Pakistan and their leaders heart know how many were killed, Singh said while addressing the public after inaugurating a border project by the BSF. He took a dig at the opposition for questioning the number of terrorists killed and said the parties were up to, kitne mare, kitne mare? (how many died?) Should our Air Force go and count the bodies after the attack -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...? What is this joke, he questioned. The NTRO, which has an authentic system, said that 300 mobile phones were active (at the Balakot site). Were these mobile phones used by the trees? Now will you (opposition) not believe the NTRO also? Singh said. He said politics should not be done only to form government, but it should be done to build the country. If my Congress friends feel that the numbers should be informed to them, then I would like to say that it you want to go to Pakistan, then go, count and ask people there that how many were killed by our Air Force jawans, Singh said. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Nagpur, March 5 An 85-year-old farmer from Nagpur district in Maharashtra allegedly committed suicide last week by setting his crop on fire and jumping into it, police said on Tuesday. Police suspect Gopal Jaane took the extreme step due to recurring health issues. The incident occurred on March 1 evening when Jaane allegedly set the pigeon pea crop on fire at his farm at Madna village and jumped into it, an official release said. When contacted, Jalalkheda police station inspector GR Tambe said, As per preliminary investigation, the deceased farmer had health issues. He was suffering from a kidney problem. Quoting villagers and kin of Jaane, the police officer said the farmer had tried to kill himself in the past as well. Police are awaiting the postmortem report and have registered a case of accidental death. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Karachi, March 5 The Pakistan Navy on Tuesday claimed it had thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter the countrys territorial waters. The report comes after tensions flared up between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmirs Pulwama district on February 14. The Pakistan Navy also shared footage with the media, which it said was actual. The image showed that the footage was made at 2035 hours on March 4. "The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a spokesperson said in a statement. The Indian submarine was not deliberately targeted by Pakistan to give peace a chance, the spokesperson said. The Indian submarine was not targeted keeping in view Pakistans policy of peace, the official said, adding that India must learn from this incident and move towards peace". The Pakistan Navy is always ready to guard its territorial waters and is capable of responding to any kind of aggression with full force, the navy said. The naval forces claimed it was the second attempt since November 2016 that the naval forces had caught the Indian Navy trying to enter the countrys territorial waters. Earlier in 2016, the Pakistan Navy successfully repelled an Indian submarine from entering the countrys territorial waters, the report said. After the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, the Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was handed over to India on Friday. PTI ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 4 The larger Oppositions plan to formulate a draft common minimum programme (CMP) ahead of the 17th Lok Sabha election has come under question from a section of the anti-BJP camp. The Left front, including the CPM and the CPI, has conveyed to the Congress that they will not be part of any Opposition meeting if that meeting is called to discuss a CMP. A pre-election CMP is unrealistic. The CMP is a governance agenda of the government and it is realistic only in a post-poll scenario. We have already conveyed to the broader Opposition our resistance to any idea of a draft CMP (pre-poll). Every state has its own challenges that have to be factored in. The Opposition already has a common agenda which is to defeat the BJP and therefore, the focus now should be on reaching state-level electoral understandings, said G Sudhakar Reddy, CPI general secretary. The CPM and the CPI have said they attended the recent Opposition meeting on February 27 because its agenda was national security situation post-Pulwama. We have clarified that we will not be part of any draft CMP exercise before the election. We already have a goal defeating the BJP and thats the CMP, CPI leader D Raja said. Meanwhile, there was no word as of today on the proposed Opposition meeting on the draft CMP which was to be scheduled this week. Sources said most Opposition parties are more concerned about striking winnable anti-BJP alliances which is why even during the February 27 meeting TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu urged Congress president Rahul Gandhi to consider allying with the TMC in Bengal despite opposition from the Congress state unit which favours a pact with the Left. Rahul is even learnt to have had a word with TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on this issue. Mamata has been urging Rahul and the entire Opposition to form state-level alliances in a way that the dominant share of LS seats goes to the party thats best placed to defeat the BJP in that particular state. This understanding would require the Congress to cede much more space than it is willing to cede to the AAP in Delhi, the TMC in Bengal, and the SP and the BSP in UP. The idea is to field one common candidate against the BJP and the Congress has to understand this," said AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal after his party on Saturday announced candidates for the six of the seven Parliament seats in Delhi following days of feet-dragging by the Congress on seat-sharing. Post-airstrikes on Pakistan, the Congress finds itself under pressure to give and take as the narrative turns to the BJPs advantage. This explains why Congress leaders hinted that the last word on alliances had not been said. A Congress source indicated that options of alliances were still open in Delhi and UP and said wait for some more days. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Sandeep Dikshit Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 3 Russia has sought to insert itself in Indias security calculus to make the most of the opening provided by the Pulwama episode. Moscows commiserations, to begin with, came from higher echelons than is usual. The presidential spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, followed by President Vladimir Putin, expressed their condolences, besides the usual stream of statements from the Russian Foreign Office. On Sunday, Putin sent a personal message in the middle of a Congress-BJP slugfest over appropriation of credit on the opening of the Kalashnikov factory in Amethi, the Gandhi family backyard. Significantly, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman read out the message at a function attended by PM Narendra Modi. Putin promised full localisation of production, a key Modi endeavour, amid talks of India planning to lease a second nuclear submarine from Russia. A nuclear submarine is a potent game-changer, as underlined by the PM after Indias first indigenous nuclear submarine Arihant returned from its maiden deterrent patrolling last year. Another in the arsenal would cement Russias position as Indias leading naval partner. Russia is also persuading India to discuss counter-terrorism at SCO and Putins call to Modi is expected to weaken Indian resolve to stay away from multilateral meetings such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation where Pakistan is present too. Moscows active participation ensures its interests in oil and military cooperation are not outflanked by the US, France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE that played an active role in standing by India in its tension with Pakistan. Meanwhile, UKs Minister for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field visited India and met Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to discuss tension between India and Pakistan. Cementing ties With India planning to lease a nuclear submarine from Russia, the Kremlin would be willing to cement its position as New Delhis leading naval partner rchopra@tribunemail.com New Delhi, March 5 Weeks after the Pulwama attack, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday warned that there are reports about terrorists being trained to carry out operations through the sea. Addressing a gathering of global experts at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue here, Lanba said the Pulwama attack was perpetrated by extremists that were aided by a state that sought to destabilise India. We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out operations in various modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea, he said. The 26/11 attack was carried out by 10 sea-borne terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who hijacked an Indian fishing trawler to reach Mumbai and unleash mayhem. The Navy chief said this part of the world had witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and few countries in the region had been spared. The global nature that terrorism had acquired in recent times had further enhanced the scope of this threat, Lanba said. India, however, faced a far more serious version of state-sponsored terrorism, he said. We recently saw the horrific scale of the extremist attack in Jammu and Kashmir about three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a state that seeks to destabilise India, the Navy chief said without naming Pakistan. On February 14, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. We have seen how quickly terror groups evolve across the globe. A particular brand of terror can well become a global problem in near future, Lanba warned. The Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace, he said, noting that it is imperative that the global community works in concert to contain and eliminate terrorism in all its forms. Lanba also emphasised the importance of the Indo-Pacific Region. There is a renewed focus of the world on the seas. This is principally due to the geo-economic and geo-political significance of the maritime domain. India is a maritime nation and, recently, there had been an increasing attention to harness potential of the maritime domain for the countrys growth and regional development, he said. The event sought to identify and conceptualise challenges and opportunities that lie in the waters, and evolve strategy for mutual benefits of all stakeholders, Lanba said. It is widely accepted that (the) Indo-Pacific Region has been growing in geopolitical significance in recent years due to economic, political and other reasons, he said. Lanba underlined the regions ancient and historical link with India and its significance for the country. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Washington, March 5 US President Donald Trump has said he intends to end the preferential trade status granted to India and Turkey, asserting that New Delhi has failed to assure America of "equitable and reasonable" access to its markets, an announcement that could be seen as a major setback to bilateral trade ties. President Trump, who has vowed to reduce US trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs. Addressing a four-day annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland on Saturday, Trump accused India of being a "high tariff nation" and threatened to impose "a reciprocal tax" to match the heavy duties that New Delhi imposes on goods imported from the United States. In a letter to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Trump said he was determined that New Delhi had "not assured" the US that it would "provide equitable and reasonable access" to the markets of India. "I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the Government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Trump said in the letter to congressional leaders on Monday. "I will continue to assess whether the Government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility criteria," Trump said in his letter, a copy of which was released to the press. Under the United States GSP programme, certain products can enter the US duty-free if the beneficiary developing countries meet the eligibility criteria established by Congress. The GSP criteria include, among others, respecting arbitral awards in favour of US citizens or corporations, combatting child labour, respecting internationally recognised worker rights, providing adequate and effective intellectual property protection and providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access. Countries can also be graduated from the GSP programme, depending on factors related to economic development. In a separate letter, Trump also informed the Congress of his intent to terminate the GSP beneficiary designation of Turkey. He said it was primarily because the economy of Turkey had improved a lot in the last four-and-a-half decades. "In the four-and-a-half decades since Turkey's designation as a GSP beneficiary developing country, Turkey's economy has grown and diversified," he said. "Increases in Gross National Income per capita, declining poverty rates and export diversification by trading partner and by sector are all evidence of Turkey's increased level of economic development. In addition, Turkey has graduated from other developed countries' GSP programs due to its increase in economic development or through reciprocal arrangements," he argued. Trump's letter to Pelosi could be seen as a major setback to India-US bilateral relationship, in particular in the arena of trade and economy. In a separate statement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said India's termination from GSP followed its failure to provide the US with assurances that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors. Turkey's termination from GSP followed a finding that it was sufficiently economically developed and should no longer benefit from preferential market access to the US market, the statement said. "By statute, these changes may not take effect until at least 60 days after the notifications to Congress and the governments of India and Turkey, and will be enacted by a Presidential Proclamation," the USTR said. The Trump administration had launched an eligibility review of India's compliance with the GSP market access criterion in April 2018. "India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce. Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion," the USTR said. The US had designated Turkey as a GSP beneficiary developing country in 1975. An increase in the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, declining poverty rates and export diversification by trading partner and by sector were evidence of Turkey's higher level of economic development, the USTR said. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Lucknow, March 5 BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday tried to put BJP president Amit Shah on the dock over his claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the Indian air strikes in Pakistan, asking him why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was silent over it. BJP chief Amit Shah is arduously making claim that IAF strike had killed over 250 terrorists in Pakistan but why his guru PM Modi who is always keen to take credit for everything is silent over it? Terrorists killed is good news, but what is the secret behind deep silence of PM over it? Mayawati posted on Twitter. At an event in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Shah had said that the IAF air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistans Balakot last Tuesday had killed more than 250 terrorists. Mayawati also hit out at the economic policies of the BJP government, saying the benefits of economic growth not reaching to most of the poor, labourers, farmers of 130-crore population of the country was a matter of serious concern. ...what will be Modi Govt reply & jumlebazi (rhetoric) over slowdown in farm and manufacturing pushing GDP growth to a low of 6.6%...? she added. PTI ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Manas Dasgupta Ahmedabad, March 4 Prime Minister Narendra Modi today warned Pakistan that his government would not stop until the roots of the terror activities from across the border were completely removed. It is the countrys resolve that we will not stop this time before removing from its roots all the terror activities. Even if the leaders of the terrorists are sitting across the border, we will not spare them, Modi said addressing a series of rallies in Jamnagar and Ahmedabad on the first day of his two-day visit to his home state of Gujarat. The PM reiterated that the IAF badly missed the Rafael during their airstrikes on Balakot and castigated the Opposition for raising questions on his complete faith in the defence forces. Asking the Opposition to use simple common sense, Modi said, Is it my fault that the Opposition does not use the common sense and misinterpreted what I said about Rafael planes in Delhi? I reiterate that if the IAF had the Rafael, we would not have lost a single plane nor Pakistan air forces jets escaped, Modi said. Decrying the opposition for questioning the integrity of the defence forces, the PM said the country should be proud of the achievements of the defence forces instead of questioning their integrity. Is it not your and my duty to have full trust in the defence forces and believe in what they say? Unfortunately, some dont trust our armed forces which are guarding our borders. Questioning his critics for criticising bullet train and other projects, he asked why should not India have the benefits of the modern technological advances and march with other developed nations. Terming the Opposition the pigmies who could not think big, Modi said in a lighter tone, You know my problem. Whatever I do it must be big, must be implemented at the fastest possible speed and completed without leaving anything pending. He referred to the Ayushman Bharat and several other mega projects his government has initiated. Rest assured, Modi will be back after the coming elections and you will get your dues as I have promised, he said while handing over the keys of some houses to the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. amansharma@tribunemail.com Neha Saini Tribune News service Amritsar, March 5 Chasing a 40-year-old dream and a constant urge to find his friends, who he met briefly and struck a conversation with, Amarjeet Singh Chawla has travelled 36,800 km in 131 days on road from Delhi to London. The 60-year-old businessman, who retired from professional life three years ago, reached Amritsar in his travel expedition and got candid about his lifes most challenging and satisfying adventure. As a youth growing up in Delhi, I always dreamt of travelling the world. I met a man from Denmark, 40 years ago, who was on a travel spree and we struck a conversation about his adventure. Much later in life, after I got retired and felt something missing in life, I decided to undertake a journey via road from Delhi to London, he said while interacting with media in city. Beginning his dream expedition on July 7, 2018, and travelling through 30 countries, including Central Asia, China, parts of east Europe and Russia, Chawla managed to finish his journey back to home on February 23 this year. His Fortuner has turned into a canvas, bearing messages from over 400 people he met during his journey. I have also earned a name for myself, the Turban Traveller, he shared, proudly so. I met Arnold Schwarzenegger and several other celebrities during my journey. It was also journey of self discovery for me as I met my friends from 40 years ago in Denmark and well, many unknown people who helped me through and reaffirmed my faith in mankind. Of course, it was not a smooth ride. Being a vegetarian, I had to face a tough time while travelling through China and Central Asia. I met with three road accidents as well, though nothing bad happened. In Central Asia, fuel too was also an issue as black marketeering is rampant. In Tibet, I could not do video interviews for my documentary on road trip. But, despite several health issues and all, I am glad that could experience the world and its citizens intimately through my road trip. He is now ready to take up another challenge, to drive across seven continents, covering approx 200,000 km in next 18 months. I am preparing to start my journey in May this year from Delhi. I do not want my journey to be meaningless and so I want to tell the youth that if a 60-year-old man can manage to live his dream, they too can achieve anything under the sun, he said. editorial@tribune.com Amritsar: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday dismissed the AAP-SAD (Taksali) alliance for the LS polls in Punjab as of no consequence. Capt Amarinder said the Congress did not require any alliance for the Lok Sabha polls. Asked to comment on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) decision to ally with SAD (Taksali) for the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, the CM said it was their prerogative, but as far as the Congress was concerned, it did not need any alliance. pti editorial@tribune.com Sanjeev Singh Bariana Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 4 While the Education Department is considering regularising services of 5,178 master-cadre teachers appointed in 2014 on full salary, it finds itself in a catch-22 situation defending reduction in salary of 8,886 SSA-RMSA teachers. They were appointed 8-10 years back. The second category of teachers was drawing Rs 42,000 per month till the government in last October offered to pay them only Rs 15,300 for three years before regularising their services. The issue under deliberation in the official circles is expected to face heated discussions in the state Cabinet tomorrow. Talking to The Tribune, a senior department official said, We are facing a piquant situation because approximately 20,000 department employees have been recruited under different schemes. Principally speaking, the department should have a uniform recruitment policy. President of the SSA/RMSA Teachers Union Didar Singh Mudki, said, The contradiction in government policies is evident. How can services of one category of teachers, whic worked for lesser numbers of years as compared to us, be regularised on full salary? The department had reduced our salary. They are doing the same job as us. The officer said, The 5,178 master-cadre teachers when recruited were told that their services would be regularised after three years. No such commitment was made in the case of SSA/MRSA teachers recruited under a scheme of the Centre. Convener of the Sanjha Morcha Devinder Singh Punia said, The state government now proposes to introduce a new Bill in the name of regularising services of employees of all departments. Interestingly, the Employees Welfare Act was passed in 2016, but not implemented. We expect the same with the new Bill, which will come to the Assembly only after the Lok Sabha elections. Education Minister OP Soni said, We are having a meeting with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on the issue of teachers in different categories. I am sorry to say that the bureaucracy is not always cooperating. editorial@tribune.com Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 4 Soon after Ferozepur MP Sher Singh Ghubaya resigned from the SAD, a row erupted in the Punjab Congress as old-timers warned the top leadership against fielding him on party ticket from his current constituency. Top leaders privy to the discussions with Ghubaya said before joining the Congress, he has been seeking an assurance on re-nomination from his seat. His son Devinder Singh Ghubaya is the sitting Congress MLA from Fazilka. A senior leader said if the negotiations succeeded, the MP could be made to join the Congress unconditionally at the partys March 7 rally in Moga in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi. Amid reports of Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal being fielded by the SAD from Ferozepur, the Congress is weighing its options of fielding heavyweights from Ferozepur and Bathinda. A senior leader said Ghubaya could be one of the options. However, as soon as reports of Ghubayas parleys with the Congress emerged, senior party leaders eying the ticket from Ferozepur started raising their voice against any such move. The most vocal was senior leader Dr Mohinder Rinwa, who alleged the former Akali MP had hardly done anything for his constituency. The Congress hasnt won the seat for the past 35 years. As Hindus constitute 32 per cent of the voters, a candidate from the community should be given a chance, argued Rinwa. Former minister Hans Raj Josan and Anish Sidana are also in the contention. Sidana claimed if Ghubaya was given the Congress ticket, the party leaders and cadre would feel demoralised. Anumit Singh Sodhi, son of Guruharsahai MLA and Minister Rana Gurmit Sodhi, is also learnt to be aspiring for the ticket. State party president Sunil Jakhar remains the top choice for many leaders, though he is said to be keen on re-contesting from Gurdaspur, the seat he represents. In Fazilka too, local leaders have decided to oppose any move to grant ticket to Ghubaya. Former two-time Congress MLA from Fazilka Mohinder Kumar Rinwa and former minister Hans Raj Josan from Jalalabad, in a joint statement, said if Ghubaya was granted ticket after his induction into the party, they would oppose the move tooth and nail. They warned the Congress high command that granting party ticket to him after brushing aside the claim of old-time loyal Congress leaders would push the party to the brink of disaster. editorial@tribune.com Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 4 Describing as anomalous a situation created by the clearing of teachers eligibility test by a substantial number of candidates after the declaration of revised result and the appointment of others on the basis of the previous one, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the constitution of a high-powered three-member committee. The Bench made it clear that the panel would be headed by Punjab Chief Secretary. Admittedly some appointments were made on the basis of result declared earlier. An anomalous situation has arisen as to the entitlement of the petitioners for appointment on the basis of revised result and the right of the persons appointed on the basis of earlier result to continue in service, Justice Rajan Gupta asserted. The assertion came on a bunch of no less than 86 petitions filed by Birinderjit Singh and other petitioners. They were seeking directions to the state and other respondents to consider their case for appointment to the posts of masters/mistresses/ETT teachers in different subjects. The Bench was told that appointment was being sought by the petitioners on the ground that they had cleared the teachers eligibility test in accordance with the revised result. Justice Gupta disposed of the bunch of petitions by issuing directions to the state and other respondents to constitute the three-officer panel headed by the Chief Secretary for considering the petitioners' claim as well as related issues. "A decision shall be taken within two months and the petitioners be informed accordingly," Justice Gupta asserted before parting with the order. uttara@tribuneindia.com Islamabad, March 5 Pakistan on Tuesday said it will send a delegation to India on March 14 to discuss a draft agreement for setting up a corridor to facilitate visa-free visit of Sikh pilgrims to the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, a positive development that could help ease tensions between the two sides. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal, who is also the Director General South Asia & SAARC, invited India's acting High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia at the ministry of foreign affairs to convey the decision, according to a statement. "The Pakistan delegation will visit New Delhi on 14 March 2019, followed by the return visit of the Indian delegation to Islamabad on 28 March 2019, to discuss the draft Agreement on Kartarpur Corridor," the statement said. Faisal informed the Indian diplomat that Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood, will be returning to New Delhi after the completion of consultations in Islamabad. He also conveyed that Pakistan was committed to continue weekly contact at the Military Operations Directorates level. The positive development came amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following a suicide attack by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad that killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. Pakistan on Tuesday detained 44 members of the banned militant outfits, including JeM chief Masood Azhar's son Hammad Azhar and brother Mufti Abdur Rauf, in a move seen as a step toward deescalating tensions. India and Pakistan agreed to open up a special border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, the first Gurdwara, was established by Guru Nanak Dev in 1522, where he is said to have died. The corridor will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. In January, the two countries floated proposals to host talks in order to give the final shape to the agreement. Pakistan has committed to open the corridor in November on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. India's Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on November 26 last year laid the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district. Two days later, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for the corridor at Narowal, 125 km from Lahore. The decision to build the corridorfrom Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the International Borderwas taken by the Indian Cabinet on November 22. The two governments have also launched the construction work to build corridor for the Sikh pilgrims to help them visit the shrine through the shortest route. But, both sides are yet to finalise the modalities of travel of the Indian pilgrims to the Gurudwara across the international border without visa. PTI shalender@tribune.com IN our opinion it would have been better if the three dissenting members, instead of signing the main report, subject to their own note of dissent, had gone with Pandit Malaviya and Messers. Patel and Khaparde, and still better if all six had submitted a separate note of their own opposing the policy of the Bill as they did in their speeches in the Council. We are anxious that the splendid unity which the non-official members exhibited on the last occasion should be maintained to the last not only in substance but in form. As it is, the division of the independent members of the committee into two groups is liable to be interpreted by critics not distinguished for an excess of scruples as proof of an actual division in our camp. Whatever interested persons, whether of one school or another may say there is no substantial difference between the attitude taken up by the three dissenting and three abstaining members. monicakchauhan@gmail.com Ottawa, March 5 Canadian Budget Minister Jane Philpott resigned on Monday, saying she no longer had confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, which is embroiled in a major political crisis. I have been considering the events that have shaken the federal government in recent weeks and after serious reflection, I have concluded that I must resign as a member of Cabinet," Philpott said on Twitter. The solemn principles at stake are the independence and integrity of our justice system... Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised." Philpott is said to be close to ex-justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, who triggered the crisis for Trudeau's Liberal government by accusing senior officials of attempting to head off the fraud prosecution of engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. The surprise announcement from Philpott, who also served as Treasury Board president, adds another layer of complexity for Trudeau. Last week, the opposition called for Trudeau's resignation and for launching a federal investigation to look into Wilson-Raybould's claims during her February testimony at the House of Commons Justice Committee. Wilson-Raybould said that Trudeau, one of his ministers and close advisors applied "inappropriate" pressure on her, including "veiled threats", to intervene in a criminal prosecution. She said that from September to December 2018, officials "hounded" her to ask prosecutors to settle the case out of court. SNC-Lavalin was charged in 2015 with corruption for allegedly bribing officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011 to secure government contracts during former strongman Moamer Kadhafi's reign. Wilson-Raybould refused, and the trial is set to proceed. Canada's first indigenous attorney general, she was shuffled to veterans affairs in January, and a month later, resigned from cabinet. Days later, Trudeau's long-time friend and top advisor Gerry Butts also quit. Trudeau said he "completely disagrees" with his former attorney general's characterisation of events, insisting that he and his team were rightly looking to safeguard up to 9,000 Canadian jobs, including in his own Quebec electoral district -- which Wilson-Raybould referred to as improper "partisan political considerations". Trudeau has insisted that he made clear to his former attorney general that the "decision around SNC-Lavalin was Wilson-Raybould's and hers alone to make". AFP harinder@tribunemail.com Islamabad, March 4 Pakistan today promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for the implementation of the UN sanctions against individuals and organisations, amid mounting pressure from the global community to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil and curb their financing. The move comes amid tension with India following a suicide attack in Pulwama on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF jawans. The foreign office said the government issued the UN Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019, in accordance with the provisions of Pakistan's United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Act, 1948. The objective of the UNSC (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019, is to streamline the procedure for the implementation of Security Council sanctions against designated individuals and entities, it said. Yesterday, Pakistan information minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government had taken action against proscribed organisations, including JeM, in the past and any future action against them would be taken in the light of the National Action Plan (NAP) and Pakistan's commitments in connection with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). However, sources said the Pakistan government has decided to launch a crackdown on terror outfits, including JeM chief Masood Azhar, to de-escalate tension with India. The official said the action against JeM is expected any time soon. PTI sanjiv@tribunemail.com Seoul, March 4 South Korea has proposed semi-official three-way talks with the United States and North Korea as it struggles to put nuclear diplomacy back on track after the collapse of a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The proposal for the talks came during a National Security Council meeting on Monday led by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who said it was Seouls outmost priority to prevent nuclear negotiations between the US and North Korea from derailing. At the meeting in Seouls presidential palace, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the proposed talks, which could include civilian experts from the US and South Korea, would help settle differences over how much sanctions relief Washington should provide North Korea in exchange for nuclear disarmament steps. Last weeks meeting between Trump and Kim in Vietnam broke down over what the Americans said were North Koreas excessive demands for sanctions relief in exchange for a limited offer to shut down its aging main nuclear complex in Yongbyon. North Korea reportedly has other sites producing weapons-grade uranium hidden around the country. Kang said the core issue is determining what disarmament steps North Korea could be persuaded to take in exchange for sanctions relief. Moon lobbied hard for the revival of nuclear diplomacy between the US and North Korea following elevated tensions in 2017 over North Koreas missile and nuclear tests and Trumps threats to bring fire and fury on the North. Some experts say the breakdown of the Trump-Kim talks in Vietnam raised further doubts about Moons claim that Kim is genuinely interested in dealing away his nuclear weapons and about Moons role as mediator. We hope that both countries will continue their dialogue and that their leaders meet again quickly to reach an agreement that was held off this time, Moon said at Mondays meeting, which was also attended by the prime minister, spy chief and ministers of defense and inter-Korean affairs. In the process, our role has become important once again, Moon said. While I believe the United States-North Korea negotiations will eventually reach an agreement, its never desirable for a vacuum in dialogue or stalemate to be prolonged, he said, urging South Korean officials to find ways for the US and North Korea to narrow their differences. Moon said South Korea will continue to push ahead with engagement with North Korea within the boundaries of US-led international sanctions against the North. Moon has prioritised stabilising bilateral relations with North Korea amid the larger nuclear negotiations between the US and North Korea, saying inter-Korean reconciliation will drive progress in nuclear talks. AP Cohen grilling may have contributed to summit walk: Trump The re-opening of beaches in Tobago is one of the first items of business that a Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP)-dominated Tobago House of Assembly (THA) will address. And PDP political leader Watson Duke has declared that the PDP is in charge in Tobago and will not take orders from Trinidad. When a friend sent me a graphic on Thursday announcing a news conference by the PM at 1 p.m. on Friday, I was a bit sceptical. For one thing, the time was a bit unusual. There was no topic, and it wasnt a regular Covid news conference day. So, I asked my friend what is this about. I also checked the PMs Office website and Facebook page. A couple of years ago, opponents of Donald Trumps presidential bid warned that a Trump presidency would be a crazy spectacle. Jeb Bush famously said that Trump was a chaos candidate who would be a chaos president. Some even conjured various wild scenarios that might unfold under a President Trump. They said it might look something like this: As tensions flared in some hot spot the Middle East or maybe along the India-Pakistan border or as the president conducted perilous negotiations with, say, North Korea, he would be distracted or bedeviled with some sort of domestic scandal. Well, I dont know if anybody predicted the specific details of Wednesdays cavalcade of crazy, but if they did, they should collect their door prize. Michael Cohen, Trumps former fixer and vice president of the Trump Organization, owed his career to the fact that he would happily be his bosss pet snake. By his own admission, Cohen proudly did the presidents dirty deeds (his words), likening himself to the Tom Hagen character in The Godfather. He threatened anyone who crossed Trump, paid off inconvenient women, and boasted with a losers false courage how he would take a bullet for his boss. He celebrated, with an alacrity rarely matched by Stalins henchmen, his employers near-superhuman genius and empathy. Then, on Wednesday, as he stopped by Congress before he heads to prison, he shed his old skin, the way snakes can, and tried on a new role of martyr and moralist. Its possible his professed redemption is sincere. It certainly seemed like it at times. But one neednt be a cynic to doubt it. Regardless, Cohens testimony seemed designed to simultaneously enrage the president in every way possible and ingratiate himself with his left-wing critics. Cohen impugned the presidents character, his intelligence, honesty, and wealth. He called Trump a draft-dodging racist and grifter. If I had to guess, his testimony was framed in the best way possible to compensate for the fact that Cohen could not corroborate the most extreme versions of the Russia-collusion theory, which is a political Holy Grail for Democrats and much of the media. Meanwhile, Trump was in Hanoi, Vietnam a locale he studiously avoided visiting in his youth by claiming to have bone spurs to negotiate with the murderous dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. The summit, like the first one, was ill-considered. It rested on the assumption that Trump, the worlds greatest dealmaker, could charm Kim and the North Korean regime out of its nuclear program. The worry from foreign-policy experts across much of the ideological spectrum was that Trump would blunder into a deal just for the sake of being able to declare victory. Rumored concessions leaked out in the media as if through an open faucet. And then, it didnt happen. The summit was a failure on its own terms, and ironically, that made it a kind of victory for Trump. The political tumult in Washington gave Trump every personal incentive to come up with any deal he could in order to change the subject and have something to boast about. This was, after all, part of the political rationale for his declaration of an emergency to build the wall at the border: It changed the subject from his defeat in the post-government-shutdown budget deal. I have long argued that the North Koreans cant be talked out of their nuclear program because their nuclear program is central to the rationale for the regimes entire existence. It would be like talking Hitler and the Nazi regime out of their desire for conquest and their obsessions with the Jews; its simply the nature of the regime. You cannot reason a leopard to abandon its spots. Its doubtful Trump fully recognizes this yet, but thats irrelevant. He recognized enough: Any deal he could have gotten with Kim would have been worse than doing what he did walk away from the table. Whether he came to this conclusion on his own or was cajoled into it by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton is irrelevant, too. One can rightly bemoan or lament the fact that the Trump presidency made the Cohen spectacle possible in the first place. But that doesnt change the fact that the president defied political temptation and did the right thing. Jonah Goldberg holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at the American Enterprise Institute and is a senior editor of National Review. The following is a release by the Political Leader of the Movement for Social Justice David Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). Russian occupation forces launched nine attacks, using weapons banned under the Minsk agreements ten times, on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine over the past day. The enemy used tanks, artillery systems and mortars, firing 108 shells and 125mm, 122mm, 120mm and 82mm mines at the Joint Forces units. In addition, the Russian occupation forces also used anti-tank missile systems, heavy machine guns and small arms to shell Ukrainian troops, the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports. In the zone of action of tactical force East, invaders used tanks, 122mm artillery systems, 120mm mortars and anti-tank missile systems to shell Ukrainian positions near Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol), 120mm mortars outside Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk), 122mm artillery systems outside Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol), and 82mm mortars and heavy machine guns near Pisky (12km north-west of Donetsk). In the zone of action of tactical force North, the enemy fired 120mm mortars on Ukrainian defenders near Zaitseve (50km north-east of Donetsk), 122mm artillery systems outside Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk), 82mm mortars outside Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk), small arms in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk). One Ukrainian serviceman was killed in shelling in last day. According to the intelligence, four invaders were killed and one more was wounded on March 4. Today, the enemy has already opened fire from 82mm mortars near Krymske. No casualties among Ukrainian troops have been reported. Ukrainian servicemen continue to control the enemy on the contact line, adhering to the ceasefire agreements. ish Ihor Hladkovsky, the son of former First Deputy Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleh Hladkovsky, has filed a lawsuit against journalists of the Bihus.Info project, Denys Bihus and Lesia Ivanova, according to the website of the Podilsky District Court of Kyiv. According to information posted on the court's website, the third defendant is NGO TOM 14. The report notes that the composition of the court has been determined, and the case will be heard by Judge Volodymyr Hrebeniuk. It also says that the subject of the claim is the protection of honor, dignity and business reputation. On February 25, journalists of the Nashi Hroshi (Our Money) program disclosed a "long-term scheme of laundering hundreds of millions of hryvnias" from Ukraine's defense sector. According to journalists, Ihor Hladkovsky is allegedly involved in the scheme. Later, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) reported that firms appearing in the investigation of Bihus.Info journalist Lesia Ivanova are the objects of inquiry by NABU detectives. Oleh Hladkovsky rejected allegations of corruption and appealed to the NABU and the Prosecutor General's Office with the request to verify the facts contained in the journalist investigation. He also requested that during the probe into the investigated facts he be suspended as first deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and chairman of the interdepartmental commission on military and technical cooperation and export control. President Petro Poroshenko supported the request. Subsequently, Ukroboronprom reported that Director of Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau Oleksiy Babich and Director of Izium Instrument-Making Plant Serhiy Filonenko had also been removed from office. The Verkhovna Rada instructed the interim investigative commission probing corruption in the army to verify as soon as possible the facts of abuse at the Ukroboronprom State Concern and the involvement of officials in this abuse. op Ukraine needs to return shipbuilding to the city of Mykolaiv, as well as attract investment and use our competitive advantages. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said this during a meeting of the Mykolaiv Region Development Council on March 4, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "Ukraine needs to return shipbuilding industry to Mykolaiv and return home Mykolaiv shipbuilders. We should also attract investors and use our competitive advantages in shipbuilding," Poroshenko said. He also stressed that our country had the potential to be a leader in this industry. ish The export of Ukrainian agricultural products to the countries of the European Union during the three-year period of operation of the free trade area has increased 1.5-fold up to USD 6.3 billion. "For three years of operation of the free trade area with the European Union, the export of agricultural products from Ukraine to the EU countries has increased 1.5-fold: from USD 4.2 billion in 2016 up to USD 6.3 billion dollars in 2018," Deputy Director of the National Scientific Center "Institute of Agrarian Economics" (IAE) Mykola Puhachov said, the press service of the IAE reports. According to him, the deliveries of domestic agricultural products to the European Union in 2018 were carried out, as in previous years, mainly to seven countries: Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Belgium and France. The total share of these countries in Ukraines overall agricultural exports to the EU is 80%. Ukrainian top agricultural exports to the EU are grains and oilseeds, fats and oil, residues and waste. ol Ukraine will receive EUR 1.2 million from the Government of the Czech Republic for the modernization of educational system. The relevant memorandum between the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Czech Development Agency was signed by Ukrainian Education Minister Lilia Hrynevych and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Ukraine Mr. Radek Matula, the Government portal reported. The funds will be allocated in equal shares EUR 400 thousand within three years (2019-2021) and will be targeted to three main areas, namely, technical support to the Ukrainian authorities in the reform of the educational system, interuniversity cooperation, assistance to educational institutions with internally displaced students and teachers. "We are very grateful to our Czech partners for the support provided to Ukraine. All these areas - the internal systems of quality assurance in higher education, assistance to displaced higher institutions, their teachers and students - are extremely important," the minister stressed. The ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ukraine emphasized that in 2019 Ukraine became an integral part of the overall Czech development cooperation as a country of special interest. ish In early February, my neighbour was swimming laps in our Bangkok apartment pool, when he noticed a large coil in the shallow end. Upon closer inspection, he found himself within striking range of a four-metre-long reticulated python. The authorities were called in to take the animal away, but the special bags brought to contain the snake were too small. The python weighed over 90 kilograms. I have been working for the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub for two years and I continue to be surprised by my proximity to wildlife. Monitor lizards the size of my four-year-old daughter strut about our apartments playground, sparking pangs of anxiety. But who is intruding on whom? Habitats for wildlife are shrinking across South East Asia, mostly due to the human appetite for economic growth. In 2013, the Royal Thai Government proposed that the UN General Assembly proclaim March 3rd as World Wildlife Day. The anniversary gives us an important opportunity to reflect on the relationship between wildlife and humans. Today, there is wider awareness that the same practices driving animals to extinction and ecosystems to collapse are also perpetuating some of the worlds worst human rights abuses, including slavery. Ironic as it may sound, what if the key to stemming some wildlife losses lay in protecting human rights of workers? Those working on ending human rights abuses in seafood supply chains are provoking these and other important questions. Seas empty of fish Though the seas around Thailand are much admired for their beauty, they have mostly been depopulated of fish. According to a recent report by the Environmental Justice Foundation, Boats now catch just 14 percent of what they caught in the mid-1960s and Thailands fish stocks and marine biodiversity are in crisis. This is driving fishing boats farther and farther out to sea. More and more fishing boats resort to bringing in so called, trash fish to use as fish meal for prawns in shrimp farms, or as pet food for western consumers. Thailand is the largest shrimp exporter in the world, with 70 percent coming from the aquaculture. As Thailands economic growth rates have risen, so too, has its need for labour. However, Thailands working age population like many countries in the region has dropped precipitously. This has led Thailands seafood industry to rely more and more on Burmese, Cambodian and Laotian migrant workers to fill the gap in dangerous professions like industrial fishing. And as fish catches decline and operating costs rise, some unscrupulous business owners are exploiting this unprotected group. There are over two million registered migrant workers in Thailand, and most likely many more unregistered. Of the former, the Thai Ministry of Labour estimates that 222,000 work in the seafood processing and approximately 129,000 work on fishing vessels. Migrants are not granted the same rights as Thai nationals, so they are more vulnerable. Vulnerabilities of migrant workers The risks that these migrant workers face came to the surface in 2014, when journalists from the Guardian and the Associated Press discovered Burmese and Thai nationals in slave camps on remote islands off Indonesia. These stories were followed by others involving enslavement in shrimp peeling sheds. The horror they elicited prompted consumer-led boycotts. Brand name, international buyers placed stop-orders on Thai seafood, and the US Department of State downgraded Thailand to Tier 3, the lowest possible ranking, in its 2014 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. The report faulted the country for failing to investigate, prosecute, and convict ship owners and captains for extracting forced labor from migrant workers, or officials who may be complicit in these crimes. In 2015 Thailands fishing fleet was formally accused of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) resulting in an EU-issued a 'yellow card' and putting Thailand on the path towards a complete seafood import ban. Thai authorities quickly sprang into action, alongside its major seafood suppliers. They deployed covert patrol vessels and began intercepting illegal fishing boats. Authorities started a programme requiring all fishing vessels above a certain size to report their catches before and after every trip. In 2017 the Thai government launched a National Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, to which UNDP has been providing technical support. And in January, Thailand also became the first country in Asia to ratify the Work in Fishing Convention C188, which sets basic standards of decent work. Human rights abuses Though it is too early to know, these actions may be bringing unregulated fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry to an end. In 2018, the US State Department moved Thailand from Tier 3 to Tier 2 in the TIPS report, and the EU lifted its yellow card, based on documented improvements, saying that Thai authorities had addressed serious human rights abuses. These and other responses suggest a growing recognition of the link between human rights protection and strong environmental stewardship. Which brings me and others to consider solutions to other problems. For example, what other wildlife might be protected with greater protection for migrant workers? How might Thailands wild elephant population be increased through stronger respect for land rights? How might the Asian Tiger regain its footing through greater protection of indigenous peoples rights? These and other questions will continue to be raised by our UNDP Business and Human Rights in Asia project. Please let us know your thoughts! UNHCR staff assess the needs of refugees and migrants at Triq Al Sikka detention centre, Libya, February 2018. UNHCR/Sufyan Said UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is troubled by reports of the use of force against protesting asylum seekers last week in Sikka detention centre in Libya. The protests have been driven by frustration and anxiety among asylum-seekers who have been detained in extremely dire conditions for months with no prospects of solutions. Around 50 people were reportedly injured when the police moved in to end the protest. Two individuals were badly injured and transferred to Abu Slim hospital. UNHCR is also aware that following the last weeks protests some 120 people were transferred from Sikka detention centre to Ain Zara and Sabhaa detention centres. It is estimated that at the time of the incident more than 400 asylum-seekers were held in Sikka detention centre. All are registered with UNHCR, except for 20 individuals who had just arrived to the centre. The group includes 200 Eritreans, 100 Somalis, 53 Ethiopians and 20 Sudanese nationals. UNHCR has raised concern with the authorities about this incident. To date, UNHCR has had no access to those affected by the incident in Sikka. However, we did access Sikka detention centre on Sunday but solely for the purpose of transfer of individuals to the Gathering and Departure Facility (GDF) for evacuation. UNHCR is concerned about the situation of prolonged detention that many refugees are facing in Libya. Currently, there are 5,700 refugees and migrants in detention, of whom 4,100 are assessed to be of concern to UNHCR and may have international protection needs. UNHCR reiterates its calls for an end to detention in Libya and stands ready to support Libyan authorities to find alternatives to detention. Last December, UNHCR opened a Gathering and Departure Facility in Tripoli, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior to speed-up the processing for solutions and provide an alternative to detention. However, with a reduced number of resettlement slots, many refugees may continue to linger in detention indefinitely. Yesterday (4 March), UNHCR evacuated 128 refugees to Niger. This was the third evacuation out of Libya this year, bringing the total of those evacuated out of Libya to 3,303. UNHCR is reaffirming its calls on the international community for additional solutions for refugees in detention. For more information on this topic, please contact: The incident happened in Kyiv's Dniprovsky district. Serhiy Kiselyov, the owner of a jewelry factory, who was shot dead in Kyiv on March 5, 2019, was a key witness in the so-called "diamond prosecutors" case. "Kiselyov has been killed. This is the man who recognized his diamonds (the former owner of a jewelry factory) in the high-profile case of 'diamond prosecutors,'" Former Deputy Prosecutor General David Sakvarelidze, who investigated the case, wrote on Facebook to comment news reports about the murder of a man in Kyiv on Tuesday. "The late Kiselyov previously told [me] that several million dollars and a dozen kilos of gold also disappeared from his factory together with the diamonds, which were later found during a search at deputy prosecutor of Kyiv region [Oleksandr] Korniyets. In his testimony, he named the then deputy prosecutor general and deputy minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He said that the case against him would be closed in exchange for 'forgetting' the money and gold stolen during the search. So it happened then," he wrote. Read alsoWitness in "diamond prosecutors" case discloses $200,000 bribe details Former Deputy Prosecutor General Vitaliy Kasko told the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda that Kiselyov was a victim in the case of "diamond prosecutors." "In 2010, law enforcement officers raided on Kiselyov's premises and seized the jewels. The jewels got 'lost' later," Kasko said. According to him, Kiselyov recognized his diamonds at Korniyets' place and then testified at the prosecutor's office. At the same time, Kasko could neither confirm nor deny the fact of the businessman's murder. "I know this information only from journalists who told me that his documents had been found on the site, and the car's number plate is registered to Kiselyov's name," he said. In turn, a source in the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirms in a comment to the online newspaper that the man who was killed in Kyiv's Dniprovsky district was Kiselyov. As UNIAN reported, the criminal case of "diamond prosecutors" concerns First Deputy Chief of the Main Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General's Office Volodymyr Shapakin and Deputy Prosecutor of Kyiv region Oleksandr Korniyets, who were detained in July 2015 on suspicion of receiving a UAH 3 million bribe. As a result of the search, money worth about $500,000, as well as jewelry and weapons, were seized from their homes and offices. In February 2017, former First Deputy Chief of the Security Service of Ukraine Viktor Trepak said that all SBU officers who were investigating the "diamond prosecutors" case had been dismissed. Ukroboronprom paid $580,000 for the equipment whose purchasing price was about $85,000. Investigative journalists have established that net profit in a scheme to buy An-26 altimeters originating from Russia was at least US$300,000, which was paid from Ukraine's national budget. Involved in the scheme were the then First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleh Hladkovsky, his son Ihor Hladkovsky, Pavlo Bukin, who is now Director General of state-run Ukroboronprom Concern, and former employees of Ukroboronprom Vitaliy Zhukov and Stanislav Khosh, who were business partners of Hladkovsky Jr., journalists from the Bihus.Info investigative project claimed. Ukroboronprom paid $580,000 for the equipment whose purchasing price was about $85,000. In 2016-2017, as Ukroboronprom's Kyiv-based Plant 410 Civil Aviation was fulfilling a contract to repair the Kazakh National Guard's An-26 military transport planes, six altimeters (two sets of three different models) were bought in Russia and delivered to Ukraine through an intermediary in the United Arab Emirates already as spare parts for civilian helicopters. The equipment was ordered by Ukroboronprom's Ukrspecexport firm, which was headed by Bukin at that time, and was delivered through Ihor Hladkovsky and his business partner Vitaliy Zhukov six months later after the contract was signed in August 2016. "To hide the fact that it was military equipment, the local consignor company (Double Power FZE) mentioned it as 'spare parts for civilian helicopters' in export documents. Double Power FZE itself bought them from another UAE-based company, which, in turn, bought them directly from a Russian intermediary firm. According to the international customs database Import Genius, the real purpose of the freight was not disclosed during its entire way from Moscow to Kyiv where it underwent customs clearance," the journalists said. "The State Concern in Ukraine bought the altimeters from the AN Service firm for UAH 14.38 million, while AN Service declared the customs price at UAH 11.85 million. The customs price set at nearly UAH 12 million was shown to ensure that the contract price set at UAH 14 million would not cause problems. In fact, what arrived in Kyiv cost five times higher than what departed from the UAE. According to the customs declaration and certificate of Double Power FZE from the UAE, the price of the freight was $90,000, which is less than UAH 2.5 million at that time," they said. As the journalists learned from the international customs database Import Genius, the freight dispatched from Moscow cost even less than $90,000. "This means that in reality, the altimeters were seven times cheaper than the state concern kindly paid for them to Hladkovsky Jr. with his cronies," the investigative journalists concluded. When calculating the scam organizers' income, the journalists found out that $160,000 of the excessively paid $460,000 was spent on cash-out transactions, transit firms, customs clearance at an inflated price. Thus, their net profit amounted to $300,000. Read alsoPoroshenko dismisses senior NSDC official amid probe into corruption in defense procurement According to the journalists, the kickback of Oleh Hladkovsky, who was once a business partner of incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and was said to be appointed to "supervise" the defense sector, was at least $30,000, while Bukin was allegedly paid $10,000. "The sum worth $10,000 seems to be a pittance if compared to the total profit worth $300,000 and other participants' shares," the journalists said. "It's only [kickbacks] from advance payment for the altimeters. Unfortunately, it is unknown how they shared the rest of the profit," the journalists said. "The story about the aviation equipment is just a drop in the ocean. Just one contract. The boys had dozens of them." The company said it had also prohibited foreign-funded advertisements for Indonesia and Nigeria's elections. Facebook says it will not allow foreign-funded advertisements for upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine, hoping to allay concerns that its platform is being used to manipulate voting behavior. The company said it had also prohibited foreign-funded advertisements for Indonesia and Nigeria's elections, according to The Washington Post. Facebook and other internet companies are facing increased scrutiny over how they handle private user data and have been lambasted for not doing enough to stop misuse of their platforms by groups trying to sway elections. Critics say foreign interests, and Russia in particular, used Facebook to harvest private data and disseminate paid ads that may have influenced the outcomes of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the U.K. referendum on leaving the European Union. Read alsoUkraine's Foreign Intel Service: Russia to spend US$350 mln for meddling in Ukraine elections The social media company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp and has about 2.3 billion users for its Facebook site alone, said it's using a mix of automated and human intervention to identify foreign-funded election ads. It said the restriction applies to any ads coming from an advertiser based outside of the country "if it references politicians or political parties or attempts to encourage or suppress voting." The boats are equipped with navigation and radio systems for long maneuvers. BK-16 combat boats of the Russian National Guard have started patrolling the Black Sea coast near the illegally built Crimean Bridge. "BK-16 high-speed transport assault boats of the Russian National Guard redeployed from Sevastopol to Kerch," the agency said in a statement on March 5. The boats successfully passed sea trials in the occupied Sevastopol and started "guarding" the Black Sea coast. "The sailors of National Guard will continue to perform official tasks for the protection of water areas on BK-16 boats," the agency's press service added. BK-16 boats are able to maneuver at speeds up to 80 km/h under difficult weather conditions. The boats are also equipped with navigation and radio systems for long maneuvers. Decree of the president of Ukraine of April 25, 2013, No. 230 "On the Concept of combating terrorism" is recognized as invalid. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has approved the concept of combating terrorism in Ukraine. Relevant decree No. 53/2019 of March 5 is posted on the presidential website. "In accordance with clauses 1 and 17 Part 1 Article 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine, Articles 13 and 27 of the Law of Ukraine 'On National Security of Ukraine,' I order to approve the Concept of combating terrorism in Ukraine," the document says. In addition, Poroshenko instructed the government with the participation of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, and the State Security Directorate of Ukraine to develop and approve within two months a plan for implementing the concept of combating terrorism in Ukraine. Read alsoTurchynov names six major threats to Ukraine coming from Russia In addition, the SBU with the participation of other agencies shall draft and submit to the president within two months a proposal on the procedure for conducting an inspection of the national anti-terrorism system. Decree of the president of Ukraine of April 25, 2013, No. 230 "On the Concept of combating terrorism" is recognized as invalid. This decree comes into force on the day of its publication. Ukrainian intelligence sources have uncovered that the Kremlin is going to deploy basically the same tried and tested tactics as it used to great effect in Donbas back in 2014 It is not a secret that the Kremlin wants to win back Ukraine to its sphere of influence. Some might go for flowers and chocolates, but the Kremlin is doggedly following a different path of wreaking more chaos in Ukraine, undermining the credibility of Ukrainian power institutions, and manipulating public opinion wherever its octopus like tentacles can reach. It is not difficult to imagine that after direct and obvious violence against its neighbor and former ally ("our brotherly people," a phrase coined by Russian propaganda) this might not be the Kremlin's greatest idea. But Moscow is persistent and obsessive in believing that the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine will present a lucky and long awaited weakness in Ukraine's defenses against electoral interference, James Wilson wrote in article for EU Political Report. According to the author, this time it might not be so simple, because Russian observers have been banned from the elections. But Ukrainian intelligence sources have uncovered that the Kremlin is going to deploy basically the same tried and tested tactics as it used to great effect in Donbas back in 2014. The recipe is simple: find local influence groups that might be gullible to the Kremlin's approaches (or just susceptible to the smell of money) and then instruct them to do something harmful. This time, according to reliable sources, they will be collecting and promoting fake exit poll results in an attempt to discredit the results of the vote. The basic plot is to fabricate evidence that will enable the Kremlin to allege that the vote was faulty, and that the Ukrainian President elect is illegitimate. Read alsoRussian special services preparing fake exit polls in Ukraine OSINT group In addition to support from local groups, the Kremlin intends to use its world famous swarm of internet bots in social networks to spread fake polling results. This information will then be picked up by the Western pro-Russian media and promoted among sympathisers. Once again, these are not new tactics. A very similar scenario was played out at the last presidential elections in Ukraine when Russian state-owned TV channels showed false polling data alleging that a nationalist candidate was in the lead. The objective at that time was quite different. Russian propaganda at that time was seeking to make allegations about Ukraine taking a nationalist political course and becoming a fascist state, Wilson stressed. The objective of forging exit poll results is to show the discrepancy between fake polling results, which pro-Russian media is keen to demonstrate, and the actual result of the vote. This would undermine the credibility of authorised exit polls and enable further allegations about the illegitimacy of the elections. The Kremlin would also wag the finger and complain that Ukrainian law enforcement authorities were complicit in wrongly declaring the exit polls to be fake and it would call upon the West to take proper action to put the record straight. Read alsoKremlins plan to sow chaos in Ukraine Wilson said all this means that being banned from observing the elections, the Kremlin is determined to do its best to assist democracy and ensure a free and fair vote by their neighbours. Threats, deviousness, manipulation of opinion, now that is the way to win back a friend who has strayed from the fold. The ambassador also says that the state defense order should be declassified. U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch has called on Ukraine's government to investigate cases of corruption in the defense sector, namely state-run Concern Ukroboronprom. "The government of Ukraine should also immediately fund a complete audit of Ukroboronprom and declassify the State Defense Order to the maximum extent possible. This will promote transparency and fight corruption in the defense sector," she said at an event on the fifth anniversary of the Ukraine Crisis Media Center's founding in Kyiv on Tuesday, March 5. Read alsoDefense sector's cronies reportedly earn $300,000 in budget funds on An-26 altimeters from Russia journalists' probe "Turning a blind eye to corruption in the defense sector is taking food, medical treatment, and weapons out of the hands of Ukraine's brave soldiers. And the government should investigate and prosecute cases of corruption at Ukroboronprom and elsewhere," she said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian investigative journalists on February 25 released a report claiming that Ihor Hladkovsky, the son of First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleh Hladkovsky, is involved in large-scale embezzlement of budget funds in the defense sector. It is alleged that Hladkovsky Jr. and his partners conspired with defense officials to procure military spare parts from Russian smugglers, as well as from Ukrainian Army warehouses. Prices of spare parts, which journalists say often failed to meet quality standards, were hiked significantly. Then, the journalists reported, the perpetrators would sell these goods to defense plants in conspiracy with top managers of Ukroboronprom, Ukraine's state-owned Defense Concern. The group allegedly earned from Ukroboronprom at least UAH 250 million in kickbacks. The journalists consider Oleh Hladkovsky to be Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's ally set to informally "supervise" the country's defense industry. On February 26, Poroshenko suspended Oleh Hladkovsky from office, pending a criminal investigation. On March 4, Poroshenko signed a decree to dismiss Hladkovsky from the post of First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. During the ninth week of 2019, a total of 2,524 people got infected with measles, including 1,230 adults and 1,312 children. The incidence of measles in Ukraine has been decreasing for the second week in a row; however, a 25-day-old infant died in Khmelnytsky region. According to the Public Health Center at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, during the ninth week of 2019, a total of 2,524 people contracted measles, including 1,230 adults and 1,312 children. Unfortunately, a 25-day-old infant infected with the virus died in Khmelnytsky region. In total, 10 people have already died from measles this year, including three children. Since the start of the measles outbreak, 31 people have died, the report said. In the period from December 28, 2018, to March 1, 2019, some 26,544 people got infected with measles in Ukraine, including 11,797 adults and 14,747 children. The highest incidence rates are reported in Lviv region (4,021 people: 1,335 adults and 2,686 children), Vinnytsia region (2,339: 1,014 adults and 1,325 children), Rivne region (2,299: 808 adults and 1,491 children), Khmelnytsky region (2,007: 1,073 adults and 934 children) and Kyiv (2,310 people: 1,293 adults and 1,017 children). Read alsoUkraine suffers world's biggest rise in measles cases in 2018 media The ministry once again reminds that vaccination is the only way to protect people against measles. Moreover, to ensure most reliable protection, all children should receive two of anti-measles vaccine. The ministry encourages everyone to comply with the immunizations schedule. As reported, anti-measles vaccines have been distributed across all Ukrainian regions, as well as vaccines against mumps and rubella. The drugs were produced in Belgium and the U.S.: as of February 28, there were 1,259,232 doses delivered to Ukraine. As UNIAN reported earlier, the number of new measles cases recorded across the world is growing rapidly, reaching an alarming level, according to UNICEF. The worst situation is in 10 countries where more than 74% of new cases are recorded. At the same time, Ukraine ranked first among the TOP 10 countries where the number of cases in 2018 increased year-on-year. In recent days, there have been provocations and violations of security regime at the Shehyni checkpoint on the border with Poland. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGSU) says its border guards intend to strengthen security measures at checkpoints to prevent further violations and public defiance of regulations, and repel rising pressure on personnel coming from activists of the AutoEuroSyla organization, defending the interests of owners of cars with foreign registration plates. According to the agency, in recent days, there have been provocations and violation by certain individuals of the security regime at the Shehyni checkpoint on the border with Poland, as they deliberately refused to comply with legal demands of border guards. "Due to illegal actions and violation of law, several people were detained at the checkpoint. Reports on administrative violation under Article 185-10 and Article 202 of the Code of Administrative Offenses have been issued," the SBGSU said on March 5. The border guards also prevented attempts by individuals to raid the checkpoint aimed at exerting pressure on staff. The intruders tried to provoke aggression in every possible way and incited the public to blocking the checkpoint. At the same time, the border guards ensured safe crossing of citizens. Being aware of liability, some offenders, tore up administrative tickets and demanded a translator into Russian claiming they allegedly did not understand Ukrainian. Read alsoSome 16,500 cars with foreign registration legalized in Ukraine under new rules SFS The SBGSU assured that its employees would not allow any illegal activity at checkpoints and will clearly act within the current legislation, including detain perpetrators. In addition, checkpoints, if necessary, will be enhanced by additional reserves and rapid response units, operating with the National Police. As was earlier reported, a 50% discount on excise for customs clearance of cars with foreign registration expired on February 22. On March 1, AutoEuroSyla declared that its activists, within two weeks, tried to legally enter the territory of Ukraine, "in the mode of a commercial border crossing mechanism," but they were not let through. According to intelligence reports, four enemy troops were eliminated and another one was wounded. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted nine attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action. "One Ukrainian soldier was killed in the past day. According to intelligence reports, four invaders were killed and another one was wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on March 5, 2019. Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire from a tank, 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, anti-tank missile systems, heavy machine guns, and small arms to attack the defenders of the villages of Lebedynske, Vodiane, Shyrokyne, Pisky, Zaitseve, Novotoshkivske, Krymske, and Stanytsia Luhanska. Read alsoRussia-led forces' tanks attack Ukrainian positions in Donbas for the first time since year-start Terrorists also employed mortars to attack residential buildings in the villages of Zaitseve and Novoluhanske. A house and outbuildings were partially damaged as a result of the shelling. "Since Tuesday midnight, Russian-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near Krymske, using 82mm mortars," the report said. The principle of equal conditions should be strictly fulfilled, Lukashenko said. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has said Belarus is absolutely committed to the idea of the Union State construction with Russia, however, the main principle of a corresponding project is creating equal conditions. "Belarus remains absolutely committed to the idea of the Union State construction. I want, first of all, our allies and opponents in the Russian Federation to hear that. And the main principle of this project is the creation of equal conditions for our compatriots and economic operators. The principle of equal conditions should be strictly fulfilled. The postulate of sovereignty also remains unshakeable for Belarus," he said at the session to discuss the participation in integration structures and cooperation with European organizations on March 5, BelTA wrote. Lukashenko remarked that historically the broadest field for interaction has been with Russia. However, because of certain issues emerge from time to time, the countries need to address and solve them. "The most topical issues are in the economic dimension today. There are virtually no problems in other fields," the Belarusian leader said. Read alsoLukashenko facing huge dilemma: Analyst warns of Russian threat to Belarus The president also reminded that the Russian government has put forward an initiative to revise the approaches to integration. "We are prepared for that. At the government level, we have created groups for the preparation of proposals regarding the further development of integration processes between the two states. And today we need to once again revise the results of this work if there are any," Lukashenko said. "We need to once again analyze if there are any untapped resources and how we can use them," he said. UNODC and UNESCO jointly strengthening rule of law through education 28 February 2018 - Educators, academics and policymakers flocked to Paris last week for the sixth regional World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Forum, discussing the latest developments in the advancement of education, debating the needs which must still be met, sharing innovative ways of learning with new technologies, and elaborating on various educational concepts in different domains to empower educators and learners. The WISE@Paris Forum, "Education Futures: Fostering Learning Societies," was the occasion for UNODC's Education for Justice (E4J) initiative and UNESCO to launch their joint publication ' Strengthening the Rule of Law through Education: A Guide for Policymakers,' developed under the partnership 'Global Citizenship Education: Doing the right thing'. The guide ( downloadable here) is intended for education policymakers and other professionals working in the formal education sector, within or outside ministries of education, who are seeking to promote the rule of law and a culture of lawfulness, and who are building new forms of engagement based on global citizenship, human rights, and inclusion - values which are an intrinsic part of Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Education. #WISEParis NOW: @UNESCO & @UNODC panel H.E. Erlinda Handal Vega, Minister of @MINEDelsalvador: Since 2017, we have been working w/ @UNODC on specialized teacher trainings preparing visual & printed materials for schools, & developing guides on prevention of cybercrimes. pic.twitter.com/IsGTO8FDgA UNODC's Doha Declaration Global Programme (@DohaDeclaration) 20 February 2019 "Rule of law is the bedrock of sustainable, just, inclusive and peaceful societies, and education has a crucial part in reaching that goal," said Marco Teixeira, Senior Programme Officer of UNODC's Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration. "Our Programme continues to develop innovative tools and resources to promote a culture of lawfulness around the world, such as this invaluable policy guide in partnership with UNESCO to foster global citizens with a solid moral and ethical compass." To mark this launch and further delve into the challenges and issues covered by the guide, a panel of experts was held at UNESCO headquarters to consider perspectives from policymakers, academia, and non-governmental organizations on how to further promote lawfulness and equip learners (of all ages) with the knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and behaviours they need to live together peacefully in diversity. Launching the discussion, Mr. Teixeira remarked that the task involved forming the right people and reforming the thinking around these issues: "We need to change hearts and minds to promote a culture of lawfulness; education is the best weapon to change the world." Erlinda Handal Vega, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of El Salvador, is a strong proponent of starting with children at the earliest age and arming them with the fundamentals that can help them become global lawful citizens. Since 2017, the Ministry has collaborated with E4J on several educational projects, including the recent launch of a permanent cybercrime exhibition in the renowned children's museum Tin Marin. In particular, Ms. Handal Vega stressed the necessity of properly training teachers, so they could equally well impart their knowledge on their students and guide the younger generation: "We have to train teachers on how best to support students who are affected by cybercrime." At todays #WISEParis conference, @DohaDeclaration Chief @MarcoTeixeiraUN: The United Nations cannot succeed alone. Partnerships must be at the heart of our strategy. #FutureEd pic.twitter.com/kE8tzp5Z1K UNODC's Doha Declaration Global Programme (@DohaDeclaration) 20 February 2019 As an academic, Professor Fethi Mansouri of Deakin University in Australia and UNESCO Chair on Cultural Diversity and Social Justice, could only agree with this premise. He advanced the question of how the establishment could move from the aspirational to the performative when raising socially and ethically responsible global citizens; "Youth are not the leaders of tomorrow; they are the leaders of today," he said, stressing the urgency for change. "Indeed, youth empowerment now is a prerequisite for building sustainable societies." For Onyinge Ough, Executive Director of Step Up, an NGO working to tackle corruption in Nigeria, corruption and its detrimental effect on the rule of law was also a matter of habit, a habit that could be changed in a positive way: "Young people are victims of corruption and poverty, but they are also used to facilitating corruption. We want to change the narrative, we want young people to be agents of change." In all these ambitions, UNODC's core remit of helping achieve Sustainable Development Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) is best served with international cooperation at all the required levels. As Mr. Teixeira concluded, "the United Nations cannot succeed alone: partnerships must be at the heart of our strategy." Additional information: Education for Justice Strengthening the Rule of Law through Education: A Guide for Policymakers Plans for a new-build family home in Strathblane have been presented to Stirling Council planners, who are being asked to approve the build on land to the east of The Mill House, Milndavie Road.. Morris Leslie Group has submitted plans for a 33.8m leisure-led development at its West Kinfauns headquarters in Perthshire.. The jewel in the crown of Galashiels tourism has opened with the completion of The Great Tapestry of Scotland Gallery, the custom-built home for a tapestry that brings history to life in pictorial form.. Elgin Haymarket has opened an engagement process behind emerging proposals for an operationally zero-carbon mixed-use development at 20 Haymarket Yards.. Nevis Properties have filed plans for a 10m residential development in Finnieston, Glasgow, with an emphasis on sustainability.. Edinburgh's traditional colony model of housing is being rediscovered in the suburb of... Moxon Architects have completed an environmentally conscious visitor pavilion for the ... Collective, the centre for contemporary art on Calton Hill, has transformed Observator... Abercromby Homes and Holmes Miller Architects are proposing to redevelop Kelvindale B... South Ayrshire Council with Hub South West Scotland has finalised plans for a statemen... Noah Developments have acquired the former Mount Florida Bowling Club, clearing the wa... A traditional Victorian villa on the Ayrshire coast has been lent a new lease of life ... The city of Edinburgh is in line for a new neighbourhood of 7,000 homes and associated... TGP Landscape Architects were commissioned by West Dunbartonshire Council to produce public realm design proposals at the access the access to the... Blogs Latest Monday - 06/12/21 No comments Sarkpoint Mark Chalmers wrote: The past twenty months have given us time for reflection too much time. In an attempt to... Saturday - 06/11/21 No comments COP26 Day Five Chris Stewart wrote: Following in the footsteps of Greta Thunberg, I made my way to COP 26. Sounds impressive, but in... Thursday - 04/11/21 No comments COP26 Day Four Chris Stewart wrote: Finding it hard to face being locked in a windowless COP campus for a third day in a row, I... (@ChaudhryMAli88) The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, launched a fish landing centre in Al Kadha, Dhubab District, on Yemens Red Sea Coast, after it was reconstructed, rehabilitated and equipped RED SEA COAST, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 04th Mar, 2019) The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, launched a fish landing centre in Al Kadha, Dhubab District, on Yemens Red Sea Coast, after it was reconstructed, rehabilitated and equipped. The centre is the fifth to be opened within two weeks, out of 18 centres on the Red Sea Coast, to support the local fishing sector, which will provide 3,000 work opportunities for Yemeni fishermen. Jamal Mohammed Ali Qassim, Director of the Fishermen Establishment in Al Kadha, said that this vital project will benefit 12,000 people in Al Kadha, Al Jafer, Al Bahiyah, Al Nafitah and Al Ghanjah. He added that over 300 fishing boats return to the dock every day carrying tens of tonnes of fish, due to the UAEs support for fishermen and their families, as well as for other people on the coast. The ERC representative stated that the project is one of the ERCs many services and development projects and added that rehabilitating the dock in Al Kadha will benefit over 3,000 Yemeni fishermen and improve their living conditions, as well as those of their families and other residents of Al Kadha and neighbouring areas. Local fishermen expressed their happiness at the launch of the project, which will increase their income, enhance fishing production, and facilitating the marketing and exporting process while valuing the ERCs ongoing efforts to develop local services sectors on the Red Sea Coast. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The UAE-Tajikistan Political Consultations Committee met in Abu Dhabi today to discuss methods of increasing of joint cooperation across economic, cultural, security and counter-terrorism fields ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 05th Mar, 2019) The UAE-Tajikistan Political Consultations Committee met in Abu Dhabi today to discuss methods of increasing of joint cooperation across economic, cultural, security and counter-terrorism fields. The latest regional and global developments were also tackled during the second meeting of the committee, which was co-chaired by Khalifa Shaheen Al-Marar, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Political Affairs, and Nizomiddin Zohidi, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan. The two sides agreed to continue joint coordination and cooperation in addressing and serving regional and global challenges. Turkmenistan Ambassador to Pakistan Atadjan Movlamov called on Minister for Power Mr. Omar Ayub Khan here on TuesdayDuring the meeting matters relating to mutual cooperation especially in the field of energy were discussed in detail ISLAMABAD (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / NNI - 05th March, 2019) Turkmenistan Ambassador to Pakistan Atadjan Movlamov called on Minister for Power Mr. Omar Ayub Khan here on TuesdayDuring the meeting matters relating to mutual cooperation especially in the field of energy were discussed in detail.Federal Minister for Power apprised the Ambassador that Pakistan has embarked upon investor friendly policies in all its sectors and it has resulted in record enhancement of foreign investment in Pakistan.He informed that energy sector is one of the prime investment destinations since the electricity consumption pattern are fast changing alongwith broadening of economic base of the country. He further apprised the Ambassador that new renewable energy policy is in the offing which is bound to attract huge investment in the sector. The Ambassador of Turkmenistan said that investors in his country are closely following the developments in Pakistan and they are keen in investing in various flourishing sectors.He said that Turkmenistan besides TAPI, has also proposed to export electricity to Pakistan through a transmission line via Afghanistan. Since the rate of Turkmenistan proposed electricity is highly affordable, it will benefit Pakistan in many ways, the Ambassador added.The Minister for Power while thanking on proposal of electricity import transmission project, assured the Turkmen Ambassador that after thorough homework the Pakistani side will respond to the proposal. NNI (@ChaudhryMAli88) The speaker of Kuwait's parliament, Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim, urged Arab countries on Tuesday to reject any attempts to normalize relations with Israel as "morally reprehensible," following the recent visit of US President Donald Trump's senior adviser to the Persian Gulf countries for the discussion of the US plan on the Israeli-Palestinian settlement DOHA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th March, 2019) The speaker of Kuwait 's parliament , Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim, urged Arab countries on Tuesday to reject any attempts to normalize relations with Israel as "morally reprehensible," following the recent visit of US President Donald Trump 's senior adviser to the Persian Gulf countries for the discussion of the US plan on the Israeli-Palestinian settlement. "We, as representatives of our people, must unanimously declare: no to the normalization of relations with the occupant [Israel], cruel and criminal, the one that murders children. Even conversations about it should be rejected ... Any step toward the normalization of relations must be regarded as politically illegal and morally reprehensible," the speaker said after the meeting of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union in Amman, attended by speakers from 16 Arab countries. Last week, Jared Kushner, Trump's senior adviser, paid visits to Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in order to discuss Washington's yet to be unveiled "deal of the century" on the settlement of the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel and the majority of Arab states in the middle East do not have formal diplomatic relations as most Arab countries support Palestinians' aspiration to obtain comprehensive international recognition of their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip within the borderlines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War. Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman became the first Arab leader last year to say that the Israelis have a right to their own state. Moreover, media later reported that Israel was trying to normalize relations with another Arab country, Bahrain. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will travel to Luxembourg on Tuesday, which is the second stop of his three-day EU trip MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th March, 2019) Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will travel to Luxembourg on Tuesday, which is the second stop of his three-day EU trip. He arrived in Sofia on Monday for talks with the Bulgarian counterpart and president and is expected to move on to the next stop in the second half of Tuesday. In Luxembourg, Medvedev will meet with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and sign a batch of bilateral documents. The talks will range from trade and investment to EU-Russian ties, Syria and Ukraine. Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) walk towards the Great Hall of the People for the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Gang) [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] People look through the wreckage of their friend's home after two back-to-back tornadoes touched down, in Beauregard Rescue workers continue to search for survivors of deadly tornados that swept through the southern United States over the weekend. By Vatican News The National Weather Service said one and possibly two tornadoes struck the town of Beauregard, in the state of Alabama, with a powerful EF-4 twister with winds estimated at more than 270 kilometres per hour blamed for most of the destruction. At least 23 people are known to have died, including a number of children. Authorities said the monster tornado was the deadliest twister to hit the U.S. since May 2013, when 24 people were killed in Moore, Oklahoma. Authorities acknowledged the possibility of more casualties, as they continue to look for survivors. "Our whole nation mourns" In the aftermath of the disaster, US Donald Trump said, Our whole nation mourns for the more than twenty lives lost, and for the heartbroken families they leave behind. Speaking to the community of Lee County, he said, We grieve by your side, and we pledge our unwavering support to help you rebuild from the very depths of this horrible tragedy. Call for prayers Archbishop Thomas Rodi, of Mobile, Alabama, also issued a statement, asking for prayers for those who lost their lives and for their loved ones, as well as for those who have lost homes and business. In the wake of the catastrophic tornodoes, he said Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Mobile has reached out to the pastors of the affected areas to offer assistance to those in need. Catholic social services, he said, stands ready to be a part of the recovery. Communities in the neighbouring states of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina were also damaged by the same storm system. Indian passengers returning from Pakistan on the Samjhauta Express, also called the Friendship Express (AFP or licensors) A key train service between Pakistan and India resumed on Monday, signalling an easing of tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries after a major escalation of tension last week over the disputed Kashmir region. By Sister CarmelAnn Coutinho A Pakistan Railways spokesman said the train service, known as Samjhauta Express, left the eastern city of Lahore on Monday for India's border town of Atari, with some 180 passengers on board. Pakistan suspended the train service last week as tensions rose following a mid-February suicide bombing by extremist militants in Indian controlled Kashmir that killed 40 Indian troops and that led to a dangerous exchange of attacks between the two nations. Listen to our report The Catholic Bishops Conferences of India and Pakistan both issued appeals for dialogue and reason amid global concern regarding possible conflict. Meanwhile, villagers near the disputed boundary have left their homes in the area along the so-called Line of Control - the demarcation line that divides the troubled Himalayan region into an Indian and a Pakistani sector. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. The two countries each claim Kashmir in its entirety and have fought two of the three wars between them over it. The rivals struck a cease-fire deal in 2003 but regularly trade cross-border fire. Opposition leader Juan Guaido has arrived back in Venezela, without any major action taken against him, for defying a Supreme Court ruling not to travel outside the country. By James Blears President Nicolas Maduro had gone on the record as saying that Juan Guaido would have to face justice, on his return to Venezuela. Guaido had been banned from travelling abroad by the Supreme Court, which is investigating him for allegedly exceeding his powers and responsibilities. The eyes of the World were focused on the return of the prodigal, but nothing happened as Juan Guaido and his Wife arrived at Maiquetia Airport in Caracas, greeted by the Netherlands and German Ambassadors, as well as US Diplomats plus throngs of well wishers. They were not stopped or hindered by immigration officials or police. Guaido said while on his travels, he`d received death threats and dire warnings of jail time, but stressed that the powerbase of this Administration is crumbling. And he`s again calling on President Maduro to resign. During his time away which started on February 22nd, Guaido initiated his tour in neighboring Colombia and then on to Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Paraquay. Now he`s returned, and at a huge rally, he called for nationwide protests on Saturday. Guaido who`s declared himself Interim President, still hasn`t crucially secured the backing of the Military, which still continues to support beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro. A nation divided against itself. Panchos Mexican Restaurant, located in Downtown Summerlin, will celebrate St. Patricks Day with the Greengo Burrito, available exclusively on Sunday, March 17. The all-green dish will include a large spinach tortilla, filled with chunks of house-marinated pork and green chili sauce, topped with melted cheeses. The Greengo Burrito will be priced at $14.95. In addition, Panchos will offer happy hour in the cantina from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Drink specials include: green beer, $3 off well drinks, $3 off house wines, and $3 off flavored margaritas. After 3 p.m., guests can enjoy half-off all tequila shots including top shelf libations such as Don Julio 1942, Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia and Gran Patron Platinum. The Nevada SPCA today assisted with the rescue of 18 dogs from Desert Haven Animal Society. The Las Vegas no-kill animal sanctuary was alerted to their need and immediate sprung into action dispatching three vans to gather up the animals. As part of the rescue a mother and her five puppies, and two bonded pairs (including a senior pair), as well as additional dogs, were brought to the sanctuary where they could be evaluated, provided medical treatment (if needed) and given the chance to find forever homes. The NSPCA rescue team will return tomorrow to retrieve cats. This just comes three weeks after the NSPCA rescued 13 dogs from a shelter in Western Arizona. The NSPCA is fully funded from private donations and grants. For additional information please visit www.nevadaspca.org. More than 1,000 Southern Nevadans who may not have had access to critical employment assistance and job training, now have availability to new career opportunities thanks to a groundbreaking partnership between Workforce Connections One-Stop Career Centers and local library districts. The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, which is Workforce Connections first and largest library district partner, is proud to announce that approximately 60% of these 1,000 enrollments have taken place through the Library Districts four One-Stop Career Centers, located at the West Las Vegas, Laughlin, Mesquite, and Clark County Libraries, with a fifth location soon to open at the new East Las Vegas Library. For details on the centers and services, go to LVCCLD.org or nvcareercente r.org. To celebrate this 1,000th enrollment milestone, there will be a celebration and ribbon cutting for the One-Stop Location at the Clark County Library on Monday, March 11, 2019, at 11 a.m. The Clark County Library is located at 1401 E. Flamingo Rd. (at Maryland Pkwy.), Las Vegas, 89119. Libraries are a hub for learning and economic advancement, so our partnership with Workforce Connections is a perfect fit, said Dr. Ronald R. Heezen, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District executive director. These One-Stop Career Centers will be an enormous benefit to people looking for employment assistance whether for their first job or a career change to help them pursue new opportunities and improve their lives. Las Vegas-Clark County Library Districts Mesquite Library was the first library location to host a One-Stop Career Center, opening in 2017. Since that time, the number of One-Stops across the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District has grown to four, with the fifth location debuting at the new East Las Vegas Library, which officially opens to the public on April 25, 2019 (after the dedication ceremony, which runs at 10 a.m. 11:30 a.m.) For details, please visit LVCCLD.org. Additionally, valley libraries from North Las Vegas to Henderson to Boulder City also host One-Stop Career Centers. With the opening of the East Las Vegas Library location, this will total nine library based centers currently in operation, with the next one planned for the North Las Vegas Library Districts anticipated new library. Embedding access to the One-Stop Delivery System in the public libraries helps us bring employment and training services closer to where businesses are located and where job seekers live, said Jaime Cruz, Workforce Connections executive director. The One-Stop Career Centers are funded nationally by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The program brings together shared public resources and programs to maximize the impact of taxpayer dollars. The local partnership between Workforce Connections and Las Vegas-Clark County Library District leaders started as a casual conversation several years ago and has since grown to become a nationwide model among Workforce Development Boards. Through this federal funding, One-Stop Career Center staff work with community members to offer job search assistance, as well as help to secure opportunities for no-cost training and education. Vocational rehabilitation, adult literacy, and other programs are also available at the centers, as well as access to childcare, food stamps, and other supportive services. It's important that leaders "walk the talk" when it comes to gender diversity, said CEO and chairman of KPMG Vietnam & Cambodia Warrick Cleine Ahead of International Women's Day 2019 (March 8), KPMG Vietnam once again emphasised its commitment to diversity in the workplace. Warrick Cleine, KPMG's chairman and CEO in Vietnam and Cambodia, shared his experience on Women's Day, gender diversity, and why it is such a critical part of KPMGs strategy. What role does gender diversity play in the context of issues that a workplace may face in todays rapidly disruptive environment? Businesses today face so many challenges and threats, whether it is digital, cyber security or tax and legal issues. These challenges are best overcome when you bring together diverse people with a range of different perspectives and insights. Gender and cultural diversity is a critical part of discovering innovative solutions for complex problems. So it is important for businesses to understand that inclusion and diversity isnt just the right thing to do but there is a really strong business case, and put simply diverse teams perform better. What are some of the specific initiatives that KPMG is doing to celebrate and reflect on International Womens Day this year? In line with this years Women's Day theme of balance for better at KPMG, we have organised informal Koffee Club sessions for our staff to join, hosted by some of the firms women leaders across every office and including a number of external guests and friends. We also want to celebrate the creative talents of our female leaders and will be displaying a number of artwork to showcase stories of courage, strength and inspiration. Finally, this year we are proud to be launching the New Baby Pack for our new KPMG mums and dads who have recently experienced the joys of the birth of a new addition to their families. Its a small token to celebrate this personal milestone and to show our unwavering support as they transition from new mother/father to working parents. Beyond merely celebrating International Womens Day, what can other leaders do to advance gender diversity in their own respective companies? I think its important for us on this day to reflect and celebrate the progress that has been made individually so far - with respect to your own organisations diversity journey. However, its also good to reflect and look at what else further could be done to make an even larger impact. Beyond any specific initiatives and programs that are implemented, in my view the more important aspect to building a truly inclusive and diverse culture, is that the leaders walk the talk this is all about the leaders of the organization role modelling and leading by example to ensure that their behaviours and actions promote inclusion on all fronts. New initiative designed to boost UK-Vietnam trade The Vietnam: Ready to Trade initiative has been launched by KPMG Vietnam in an effort to facilitate business between the UK, Vietnam, and other markets ... Opportunities and challenges in shifting economic climate Globalisation is facing significant challenges due to the US-China trade dispute, Brexit, and protectionism in various countries. With the impact of disruptive technology transformations, how ... KPMG Tax Institute returns with 2018 edition The 2018 instalment of the annual tax seminar by KPMG Vietnam recorded the highest number of participants ever. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (centre) waves before boarding his train at the Dong Dang railway station in Lang Son, Vietnam, on Mar 2, 2019. (YE AUNG THU/AFP) Kim's return to Pyongyang marked the end of an epic 4,000-kilometre journey - on board his olive green armoured train - from Vietnam, where his much-hyped second summit with Trump came to an abrupt halt last week. His talks with the US leader were followed by an official visit to Vietnam, with Kim paying tribute to the country's late revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. "Kim Jong Un ... arrived at home on Tuesday after successfully wrapping up his official goodwill visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam," the official KCNA news agency said. "At 3 o'clock in the early morning, his train entered the railway station yard" in Pyongyang, KCNA said, adding that senior officials "greeted him with their ardent congratulations". A smiling Kim boarded his train at the Dong Dang border station in Vietnam on Saturday, waving to crowds at the station. His route through China was not known, nor was it clear whether he would stop to meet President Xi Jinping along the journey - although it now appears that he did not. Earlier on Saturday, Kim made a highly unusual stop at the stark concrete monument where the body of Vietnam's independence hero Ho Chi Minh is on display. NO DEAL IN HANOI On historic North Korean anniversaries, Kim regularly pays tribute to his predecessors, his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung, at the sprawling memorial palace on the outskirts of Pyongyang where their preserved remains lie in state. But he is not known to have previously done anything similar for a foreign leader. Kim's trip to Vietnam was the first by a North Korean leader since 1964, when Kim Il Sung also travelled by rail for his journey to the southeast Asian nation. Talks between Kim and Trump in Hanoi finished abruptly, with a signing ceremony scrapped after the pair failed to reach an agreement on walking back North Korea's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. In the aftermath, each sought to blame the other's intransigence for the deadlock. Trump insisted Pyongyang wanted all sanctions imposed on it over its banned weapons programmes lifted, and that this was a bridge too far. But in a rare late-night press briefing, the North Korean foreign minister said Pyongyang had only wanted some of the measures eased, and that its proposal to close "all the nuclear production facilities" at its Yongbyon complex was its best and final offer. Despite the stalemate, both sides said they were open to further talks, though a third summit has not been scheduled. The representative of City International Hospital made a keynote speech at the Southeast Asia Hospital Expansion Summit As Vietnam is striving to become a prospective market for health tourism, captivating increasing inflows of foreign investment, national delegates from across Southeast Asia have been invited to the leading quadrennial Southeast Asia Hospital Expansion Summit, held in February 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. Tran Quoc Bao, Planning and Marketing Director of City International Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, featured as one of the keynote speakers and panellists of the event. According to Bao, Vietnam is a fast growing country and a preferred hub for healthcare and wellness services. The Vietnamese medical sector grows by 18-20 per cent every year. The number of foreigners travelling to Vietnam for medical examinations and treatments is over 80,000. The income is reaching over $1 billion. There is a big potential in Vietnams healthcare, especially in medical tourism, he said. Vietnam is located in the centre of Southeast Asia, which makes it convenient to reach from Southeast Asian countries. Plus, Vietnam has the advantage of political stability. This makes Vietnam a safe and secure travelling destination for foreign tourists. Vietnamese healthcare providers offer relatively good quality medical care and the cost is also very affordable, compared to neighbouring countries. On the other hand, he also pointed out the current challenges that need to be addressed to improve the situation of medical tourism in Vietnam. Challenges come from the lack of awareness from regional foreign patients and the low number of internationally-accredited hospitals in Vietnam. He suggested initial solutions in both the national and regional scales. A country-wide campaign needs to be established, targeting foreign tourists and medical tourism guests travelling to Vietnam. By taking advantage of digital innovation and social media, Vietnam can reach out to foreign tourists and medical tourism guests in the region, who lack information on healthcare in the country. Moreover, sending Vietnamese representatives to join networking events with affiliations and associations in Southeast Asia would also help expand awareness of healthcare and medical tourism in Vietnam. It is important to have Vietnamese international hospitals earn international accreditation, by organisations such as the Joint Commission International (JCI), to build trust among tourists and medical travellers in the region. Last but not least, it would be important to build a system of regional co-patient management, in order to best utilise the benefits of cross-border hospital transfers for patients going from one country to another for treatment. Around 8.4 million medical tourists travelled abroad to seek healthcare services in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as emerging hubs like Indonesia and Vietnam, which is nearly a third of the global medical consumers. The medical tourism market is increasingly viewed as an important and lucrative sector amongst the ASEAN Six, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The Southeast Asia Hospital Expansion Summit is a unique platform for Southeast Asias financers to invest in the healthcare industry through smart hospitals, digitalisation, operational efficiency, clinical excellence, patient-centricity and technological advances in order to address its promise in providing accessible, affordable and quality healthcare services. Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha has spent more than 18 months in detention as of Sunday, with other opposition leaders decrying his case as politically motivated and arguing that his continued detention goes against Cambodian laws. Sokha, the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was arrested on Sept. 3, 2017, on charges of treason, accused of conspiring with the United States to topple Cambodia's government. The evidence his accusers have presented so far is a publicly available video in which Sokha talks about receiving U.S. assistance for his political career. After more than a year in prison, he was released on bail but put under court supervision, practically amounting to house arrest. He is not allowed to leave the immediate vicinity of his house, speak to other opposition members including his daughters nor be in contact with foreigners. Although Cambodian law only allows for a maximum of 18 months of pre-trial detention, which would have expired on Sunday, the court argues that he is technically on bail and can, therefore, be kept under court supervision indefinitely. The leader of the now-dissolved CNRP, Sam Rainsy, in an email, told VOA he believed Rainsy would be released soon because the government will not be able to defy the international community by maintaining his house arrest. Rainsy said he believes the government would not be able to survive if the European Union follows through with its threats to withdraw the preferential trade agreement Everything But Arms (EBA), and would, therefore, cave into the pressure. About 40 percent of Cambodias exports go to the European Union, most of it under the EBA agreement. CNRP Vice President Mu Sochua agreed, speculating that international pressure would force Prime Minister Hun Sen to release Kem Sokha, as she slammed his treason case as politically motivated. But Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that Kem Sokha would not be released, and Council of Minister's spokesperson Phay Siphan rejected accusations that the case was political. EBA cannot force the government to work against the court. Its simple, he told VOA. Just remember we cannot do anything with the Kem Sokha [case]. Let the Kem Sokha case go through the court. While both Sochua and Rainsy believed that Kem Sokha could not be held indefinitely, Sochua said the 18 months he had spent in prison had an effect on the functioning of the party. I think what is really solid is that the spirit of the people [who] want to change, positive change remains unchanged," Sochua said. "What has changed also is that we have to rely more also on overseas Cambodians, we have to rely more on international [community], the donor community; what has changed also is that we are not able at all, at all, to be in the county, and to continue working, which hurts the poor, which hurts the voiceless, she said. Nonetheless, Sochua said, the CNRP leadership was mobilizing inside the country. We see it as a necessity. Otherwise, people will lose hope, people will be numb and live in fear. This, however, followed strictly non-violent means, she said. The only way to make Cambodia a better place is through democratic change, she said. Both Sochua and Rainsy said they would be returning to the country soon. Sochua added that they would meet on Mar. 15 with a committee to discuss plans on when to return and how to ensure the safety of their supporters, who she said might go onto the streets if Rainsy returned. The plans are moving ahead Sochua said, expressing concern that Rainsy, exiled since 2016 and facing a number of convictions in Cambodia, would be arrested upon his return. Political analyst Meas Nee believes support for the opposition was still strong on the grassroots level, but that it was difficult to assess how many people still support the CNRP after it was dissolved. He sees prospects for Kehm Sokha's release as slim. As long as the government cannot succeed to restructure its current political system, then the CNRP remains a threat to them, and Kem Sokha perhaps will be in jail, he said. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said that opposition officials who were banned from politics ahead of last years election have one month to seek a royal pardon. Some 118 former Cambodia National Rescue Party officials were banned from political activities for five years in a Supreme Court ruling in November 2017 and the party dissolved over allegations of conspiring with a foreign power to overthrow Hun Sen. The CNRP denies all of the allegations. Speaking at the opening of a Japan-funded flood defense system this week, Hun Sen said that the door will be closed to the former CNRP officials to accept his offer to resume political life in exchange for an admission of guilt and an apology by the end of Khmer New Year. The government issued a directive in February that allowed the CNRP officials to seek reinstatement of their rights. But so far only a small number of officials have taken up the offer. Mu Sochua, CNRP vice president, questioned why there was an ultimatum at all if the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party had amended the political parties law to allow CNRP officials to rejoin the fold. This is not the rule of law because he is not a legitimate prime minister, she said. The political parties law was amended in 2018 to allow the officials to receive legal pardons, but so far just three have taken up the offer. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, an interior ministry spokesman, said the CPP expected at least 20 more officials to seek pardons. We know unofficially that there will be more than 20 others in this group, he said. This is what I know, they are being dealt with on a case by case basis under the directive of the ministry. The CNRP won a large minority in the 2013 general election amid widespread claims of electoral fraud by international observers. It also won about 40 percent of the vote in local elections in 2017, eroding the CPPs traditional base in the provinces. But later that year the courts charged the party leader, Kem Sokha, with treason. Two months later the party was dissolved and its seats handed out to other parties, with most going to the CPP. Sokha remains under house arrest awaiting trial. The United States and South Korea announced the cancelation of two annual large-scale military drills in an effort to "achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." Its a decision that Robert Manning, a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, calls "one of a number of mistakes that have been made that really erode the US position in Northeast Asia." Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and South Korea Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo decided to end the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of exercises during a phone call Saturday, according to a Pentagon statement. The Pentagon statement also added that "Both the Minister and Secretary agreed that close coordination between the military activities of the United States and Republic of Korea will continue to support diplomatic efforts." Shanahan further tweeted he and Jeong "agreed to maintain strong military readiness through newly designed Command Post exercises & revised field training programs. Together we are ready to meet any security challenge." U.S. President Donald Trump has long complained about the cost of large-scale drills. "The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed. That was my position long before I became President. Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!" he wrote on Twitter. Cancellation impact It is unclear if the announcement to end the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises was related to the inability of President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to reach a deal on denuclearization when they met last week in Hanoi. Manning calls the timing "coincidental." "You may recall that after the first summit last June, President Trump without telling anybody, including his Secretary of Defense or the commander of U.S. forces in Korea [President Trump] unilaterally decided that we were going to suspend exercises without getting anything for it," said Manning. North Korea has long called for joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea to be suspended. Historically, Pyongyang characterized such drills as a precursor to invasion. Therefore, Manning views the cancellation of the exercises as a major concession to North Korea, "because alliances are based on the ability to fight together, [if] you don't exercise together, you don't fight together. So it really erodes the [US-ROK] Alliance." Park Won Gon, Dean of International Affairs at Handong Global University told VOA the cancellations will have an effect on regional security. Park explains thats because Key Resolve consisted of two stages, "first defeat [the enemy] and second, mount a counterattack cutting the exercise to a week in length, means it drops the counterattack portion from the whole process." Because Foal Eagle is a field training exercise, the amended operation plan reduces the number of troops involved. Park asserts the replacement exercise may not be able to "cover the potential situations should war occur on the Korean peninsula." He said that while canceling land-based drills may affect the combined forces ability to effectively practice with one another, it was more important for exercises with the Air Forces to continue. "If they are not having exercises such as Max Thunder or Vigilant ACE, then it means they give up the joint military readiness posture," said Park. Replacement exercises As the cancellation announcement about Key Resolve and Foal Eagle was made, the Republic of Korea and the United States Combined Forces Command said it will conduct the exercise "Dong Maeng" March 4-12 as a replacement for the two. In a press release, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) characterized the exercise as one that highlights the longstanding and enduring partnership and friendship between the two nations and their commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and regional stability. The statement went on further to announce the exercise had been modified from the previously held spring exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle and will focus on focus on strategic, operational, and tactical aspects of general military operations on the Korean Peninsula. "Exercise Dong Maeng provides us the opportunity to train and rehearse with our Republic of Korea, United States, and United Nations Sending State Partners," said the South Korean Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Park Han-Ki and CFC Commander, Gen. Robert B. Abrams in the release. "It is important for professional armies to train and maintain to a standard of readiness. These exercises are crucial in sustaining and strengthening the alliance," the statement concluded. Lee Ju-hyun and Ira Mellman contributed to this report. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Rwanda has deployed armed personnel along its borders with Uganda further raising already strained diplomatic tensions between the two countries. VOA reporter Paul Ndiho asks Straight Talk Africa host Shaka Ssali what can be done to de-escalate the situation on "Shaka:Extra Time." Women's rights activists from 128 nations are launching a public campaign Tuesday for an international treaty to end violence against women and girls, a global scourge estimated by the United Nations to affect 35 percent of females worldwide. The campaign led by the Seattle-based nonprofit organization Every Woman Treaty aims to have the U.N. World Health Organization adopt the treaty with the goal of getting all 193 U.N. member states to ratify it. "Violence against women and girls is the most widespread human rights violation on Earth," the organization's co-founder and chief executive, Lisa Shannon, told The Associated Press in an interview Monday ahead of the official launch. "All the efforts that people put into development, education, women's empowerment, economic opportunity are being squashed when women are not physically safe," she said. "It's a global pandemic. ... We cannot make progress as a species without addressing violence against women and girls." The activists want the treaty to require countries to take four actions that have proven to lower rates of violence against women: Adopt laws punishing domestic violence, which lower mortality rates for women. Train police, judges, nurses, doctors and other professionals about such violence, which leads to increased prosecution of perpetrators and better treatment for survivors. Provide education on preventing violence against women and girls, which research shows has an influence on boys' and men's attitudes and actions, and encourages women and girls to demand their rights. Provide hotlines, shelters, legal advice, treatment and other services for survivors. Eleanor Eleanor Nwadinobi of Nigeria, a member of Every Woman Treaty's steering committee, said the other critical issue is funding, which "is absolutely essential" to enable governments, especially in developing countries, to carry out this essential work to combat violence against women and girls. Shannon said the activists are modeling their campaign after the efforts that led to the successful treaty on eliminating land mines, which took force in 1999, and the treaty aimed at limiting the use of tobacco, which was the first pact negotiated under WHO auspices and entered into force in 2005. In the first 36 hours of the mine ban treaty, nations pledged $500 million toward its implementation, Shannon said. She expressed hope that a treaty tackling violence against women and girls would lead to a $4 billion-a-year fund for financing global action, "which would be about a dollar per female on Earth." Every Woman Treaty was started in 2013 and Shannon said it has been working behind the scenes to build support and come up with recommendations and a rough draft of a treaty. More than 4,000 individuals and organizations have signed what she called "a one-page people's treaty'' that condemns all forms of violence against women and girls, outlines the actions sought in a treaty, and urges nations to adopt it. Among the signatories are Nobel Peace Prize winners Shirin Ebadi of Iran, Tawakol Karman of Yemen and Jody Williams of the United States. Shannon said the activists are seeking 20 countries to lead the campaign for the new treaty. First, she said, they need the World Health Organization to approve a resolution seeking a report on the role a treaty would play. "Our goal is to have the resolution introduced at the 2020 World Health Assembly," which she called very ambitious. Once a report is written, Shannon said, the World Health Assembly would have to approve the process for drafting a treaty. "The largest obstacle I see is to fight the apathy," she said. "When you're asking for global systems change and genuine commitments, even people who are pro-women's rights will question whether or not it's needed, will say it's unnecessary and this is something the tobacco and land mines and disabilities treaties faced." Shannon said the biggest immediate challenge is finding countries willing to take on a leadership role and getting people to understand this is "an opportunity that we have to take right now" because "we are not going to advance" unless violence against women and girls is addressed. They sang La Marseillaise, Frances rousing national anthem, on a gray day in the recently desecrated Jewish cemetery in the Alsace village of Quatzenheim, where 96 gravestones were spray-painted last month with Nazi slogans. The gathering Sunday of hundreds wanting to mark their disgust at the desecration was somber. And it was made even more mournful by news of another act of vandalism a day earlier in nearby Strasbourg, where anti-Semites vandalized a memorial marking the site of a synagogue that was was razed by the Hitler Youth in September 1940, after the region was annexed by Germanys Third Reich. Who would have thought we would go back to situations that my parents experienced, that I didnt experience at all, a middle-aged man told reporters at the cemetery. No, I didnt think it could come back, he added sorrowfully. Somberness was seamed with fear at the remembrance event. That is not an unusual mixture of feelings these days for Europes Jewish communities, which are facing an alarming resurgence in anti-Semitism, from attacks on Jewish buildings and cemetery vandalism to social-media taunting and bullying of Jewish lawmakers, journalists and business people as well as physical attacks. Rising hostility In Hungary, the government of Viktor Orban has been accused of of playing up anti-Semitic stereotypes in its targeting of Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros. In December, a European Union study found hundreds of Jews in a dozen member states reported being physically or verbally abused in 2018. Over a third of 16,000 Jews polled say they avoid attending Jewish events out of fear of a possible attack. Ninety percent of respondents said anti-Semitism is growing. Even more alarming for Europes Jews is that anti-Semitic prejudice and abuse has burst out from the far-right fringe where it has generally been confined since 1945 and is shared by left wing populists. Some analysts fear that as ordinary people are exposed to more openly expressed anti-Semitism across the political spectrum they too will start adopting similar intolerance. French president Emmanuel Macron last month in the wake of the vandalism at Quatzenheim, and following Yellow Vest protesters baiting a prominent Jewish intellectual during a demonstration in Paris, vowed to fight anti-Semitism in all its forms, saying anti-Semitism is the antithesis of Europe. But as reports mount from Britain to Poland of a resurfacing of anti-Semitism, many of Europes Jews are asking whether it is the antithesis or something so deep in the weave of a Continent, where anti-Semitism can be traced back to medieval times, that it can never be unpicked. Exodus Many Jews in France, home to Western Europe's largest Jewish community, numbering more than half-a-million, are drawing the conclusion that it cannot be and they are selling up and leaving; thousands have emigrated to Israel in recent years. Between 2017 and 2018, there was a 74 percent rise in anti-Semitic incidents in France, according to French authorities. Jews in other EU countries also say they are thinking of joining the exodus. More than one third of Jewish respondents to a survey by the EU say they have considered fleeing the Continent, which is home to an estimated 2.4 million Jews. In Germany there has been a 60 percent uptick in anti-Semitic incidents and harassment. Why? There is no consensus about why there has been a resurfacing of Europes centuries' old pathology of Jew hatred. Some point to an overall climate of hate which is seeing anyone deemed different or foreign being targeted, arguing that Jews are just one of many minorities subject to abuse by extremists in "real life" as well as on social media platforms. But with the Holocaust, which saw the Nazis systematically slaughter six million Jews, weighing grimly on Europes recent past that explanation strikes some as inadequate, especially considering the efforts undertaken by authorities since 1945 to dispel persistent blood-libels, poisonous myths and old stereotyping of Jews underpinning anti-Semitism. A former British chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, has said that the sources of anti-Semitism are protean but deeply rooted in European history, saying that Jews have been hated both for being rich and poor, loathed for either keeping themselves apart or for assimilating, and hated for being at the forefront of Communism but also because they have been leading capitalists. Some place the roots in medieval culture; others in conspiratorial thinking about powerful Jews having too much influence in the media, finance and politics; and yet others see the uptick being less connected with the past and more linked to anti-Zionism and disapproval of Israeli policy towards Palestinians, overlapping with Muslim animosity towards the Jewish state. Francis Bloch, president of Quatzenheims cemetery, says those who link the current wave of anti-Semitism to animosity towards Israel are mistaken. He has said Israel is being used as an excuse, arguing current anti-Semitism hides behind an anti-Zionist discourse. That appears to be the impression of eight British lawmakers who resigned last month from Britains Labour Party, the country's main opposition party. They complained that since the 2015 election of Jeremy Corbyn, a far left anti-Zionist who has shared platforms with Holocaust deniers, as party leader, Jewish Labour lawmakers have been subjected to vilification and a campaign of anti-Semitic harassment involving taunts and slurs from party members as well as threats of physical violence. While they acknowledge that some of the biggest incidents of anti-Semitic abuse have emerged from fierce debates about Israel, they also say that anti-Zionism has morphed too easily into obvious anti-Semitism and the old stereotyping. The left Luciana Berger, a Jewish lawmaker who quit, said the party had become institutionally anti-Semitic. She and others say Corbyn and his far left followers have stoked anti-Semitism by pushing, among other tropes, virulent conspiracy theories about Jewish financiers manipulating World affairs. That view is shared by prominent British sociologist David Hirsh, a veteran Labour Party member who this year quit in disgust at what he sees as a failure by Corbyn to address anti-Semitism. In a 2017 book called Contemporary Left Antisemitism, Hirsh plotted what he sees as a mainstreaming of anti-Semitism thinking on the left of the political spectrum since the 1980s, with anti-Zionism spilling-over into old-fashioned Jew-baiting. He says Europes Jews are now threatened from both the populist left as well as its far right counterpart, caught in a pincer movement of hate. Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha has spent more than 18 month in detention as of Sunday, with other opposition leaders decrying his case as politically motivated and arguing that his continued detention goes against Cambodian laws. Sokha, the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was arrested on Sept. 3, 2017, on charges of treason, accused of conspiring with the United States to topple Cambodia's government. The evidence his accusers have presented so far is a publicly available video in which Sokha talks about receiving U.S. assistance for his political career. After more than a year in prison, he was released on bail but put under court supervision, practically amounting to house arrest. He is not allowed to leave the immediate vicinity of his house, speak to other opposition members including his daughters nor be in contact with foreigners. Although Cambodian law only allows for a maximum of 18 months of pre-trial detention, which would have expired on Sunday, the court argues that he is technically on bail and can therefore be kept under court supervision indefinitely. The leader of the now-dissolved CNRP, Sam Rainsy, in an email, told VOA he believed Sokha would be released soon because the government will not be able to defy the international community by maintaining his house arrest. Rainsy said he believes the government would not be able to survive if the European Union follows through with its threats to withdraw the preferential trade agreement Everything But Arms (EBA), and would therefore cave in to the pressure. About 40 percent of Cambodias exports go to the European Union, most of it under the EBA agreement. CNRP Vice President Mu Sochua agreed, speculating that international pressure would force Prime Minister Hun Sen to release Kem Sokha, as she slammed his treason case as politically motivated. But Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that Kem Sokha would not be released, and Council of Ministers spokesperson Phay Siphan rejected accusations that the case was political. EBA cannot force the government to work against the court. Its simple, he told VOA. Just remember we cannot do anything with the Kem Sokha [case]. Let the Kem Sokha case go through the court. While both Sochua and Rainsy believed that Kem Sokha could not be held indefinitely, Sochua said the 18 months he had spent in detention had an effect on the functioning of the party. I think what is really solid is that the spirit of the people [who] want change, positive change, remains unchanged," Sochua said. "What has changed also is that we have to rely more also on overseas Cambodians, we have to rely more on international [community], the donor community; what has changed also is that we are not able at all, at all, to be in the county, and to continue working, which hurts the poor, which hurts the voiceless, she said. Nonetheless, Sochua said, the CNRP leadership was mobilizing inside the country. We see it as a necessity. Otherwise people will lose hope, people will be numb and live in fear. This, however, followed strictly non-violent means, she said. The only way to make Cambodia a better place is through democratic change, she said. Both Sochua and Rainsy said they would be returning to the country soon. Sochua added that they would meet on Mar. 15 with a committee to discuss plans on when to return and how to ensure the safety of their supporters, who she said might go onto the streets if Rainsy returned. The plans are moving ahead Sochua said, expressing concern that Rainsy, exiled since 2016 and facing a number of convictions in Cambodia, would be arrested upon his return. Political analyst Meas Nee believes support for the opposition was still strong on the grassroots level, but that it was difficult to assess how many people still support the CNRP after it was dissolved. He sees prospects for Kehm Sokha's release as slim. As long as the government cannot succeed to restructure its current political system, then the CNRP remains a threat to them, and Kem Sokha perhaps will be in jail, he said. Chinas Premier Li Keqiang has warned that the worlds second largest economy has a tough struggle ahead this year as Beijing grapples with slowing growth and an ongoing trade dispute with the United States. In his annual address to Chinas National Peoples Congress the countrys largely rubberstamp legislature the premier told some 3000 delegates that Beijing expects growth to continue this year in a range between six and six-point five percent this year. That range, while enviable in most countries, will actually continue to be the slowest growth that China has seen in 30 years. Economic challenges ahead As we pursue development this year, we will face a graver and more complicated environment as well as risks and challenges, foreseeable and otherwise, that are greater in number and size. We must be fully prepared for a tough struggle, Li said. Li voiced confidence that Chinas communist leadership could guide the country through the storm, but the tone of his speech was sober. He mentioned the phrase stabilize or stability more than 70 times, highlighting things such as the need to stabilize the stock market, financial sector, unemployment, expectations, foreign and domestic investment and of course, trade frictions with the United States. It is not the first time in recent weeks that the communist partys leadership has been talking about stability and the risks China now faces. In one recent internal speech, Chinas President Xi Jinping cautioned about the possibility of a color revolution, notes China expert Willy Lam. The administration is afraid that if they do not take enough action to prevent massive social upheaval, then, the stability of the country, and particularly, the viability of the Communist Party, the legitimacy of the party might be challenged, Lam said. Lam said that given the poor performance of manufacturing, exports and other consumption factors, unemployment is probably much worse than expected. Government taking some steps to help Since late last year, the party has been stepping up efforts to support companies and keep unemployment figures down. In December, the government unveiled plans to provide Chinese graduates with internship opportunities and support for companies that did not lay off employees. They [Chinese authorities] are aware that Chinas economy will inevitably see a slowdown. However, they hope that its pace can be gradual. In other words, a hard landing should be avoided. Shall a hard landing occur, their regime [political authority] will be challenged, said economist Darson Chiu. In his speech or government work report, Li announced plans to cut company taxes and social insurance contributions by nearly $300 billion and to lift public spending and make fiscal policy more forceful. China, US searching for 'common economic ground' Trade tensions and tariffs are adding to the challenges Beijing is facing. Washingtons extradition request for tech giant Huaweis chief financial officer and concerns about the company and its links to Chinas authoritarian government are all part of that complicated environment. Still, officials in the U.S. and China are optimistic the two sides can reach a deal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that he is hopeful that in the coming days and weeks, there will be what he called a significant announcement. Speaking on the sidelines of Beijings annual political meetings, Chinas Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said the two countries still need to find some common ground. At present, working teams are still continuing negotiations, as we still have a lot to do. Even more, we need China and the United States to meet half way and work together," Zhong said. China is expected to pass its first Foreign Investment Law during meetings of the National Peoples Congress this year. A step that Beijing is taking to bridge that gap. However, analysts and observers will be watching to see what other steps the legislative body takes to shore up support for private enterprises or to further open up Chinas economy. Chinas military spending will be lower than last year, but still looms large analysts note, especially since the actual figure is much larger than what is publicly disclosed. Li said Beijing will increase its military spending by 7.5 percent this year, thats around $180 billion. That amount is about three times more than what India spends, but still much less than the United States military budget. Last year, Washington spent almost $700 billion on defense. The U.N. refugee agency reports dozens of refugees have been injured during a violent confrontation with guards at a detention center in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, last week. It says the refugees reportedly were trying to escape dire conditions of internment at the Sikka detention center. Thousands of refugees and migrants are being held in appalling, abusive conditions in Libyan detention centers. Last week, the frustration of living under such dire conditions with no end in sight boiled over. U.N. refugee agency spokeswoman, Shabia Mantoo, says protests by asylum seekers anxious about their months of confinement turned violent when forceful measures were used against them. She says around 50 people were injured when the police moved in to end the protests. She says two badly injured people have been taken to hospital. At the time of the riots, we estimate that around 400 asylum-seekers were held in Sikka detention center of whom all were registered with UNHCR, except for 20 individuals who had newly arrived at the center. And the breakdown we have of those 400 asylum-seekers 200 were from Eritrea, 100 were from Somalia, 53 were from Ethiopia and 20 from Sudan, she said. Mantoo says the UNHCR has raised concerns with the authorities about these riots. She says the agency for a long time has been calling for an end to detention in Libya. She says refugees and asylum-seekers should be allowed to stay in the communities while being screened for protection needs. People in need of international protection should not be detained. They should be protected, in fact," she said. "I mean people who are seeking international protection to be held in those conditions, which are deplorable and horrific. They should be screened for international protection needs and not be detained. They should be protected. The UNHCR reports 5,700 refugees and migrants currently are in detention, of whom 4,100 are of concern to UNHCR and may have a legitimate case for international protection. The leader of the main center-right party in the European Parliament said on Tuesday that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban must apologize for his criticism of the EU or his ruling Fidesz party could be suspended from the grouping. Orban, an outspoken nationalist, wants to remain in the EPP, Fidesz said on Tuesday, despite growing pressure within the European Parliament's biggest grouping to suspend or expel it, a scenario backed by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker. The Hungarian leader has long been at loggerheads with Brussels over his hardline stance on immigration and accusations which he denies that he is undermining the rule of law. The feud is escalating ahead of European Parliament elections in May. "Viktor Orban must immediately and permanently end his government's anti-Brussels campaigns," Manfred Weber, the center-right European People's Party (EPP) candidate to be EU Commission President, told Bild newspaper. On Monday, the EPP said it had received motions from 12 member parties in nine EU countries and would discuss suspending or excluding Fidesz on March 20. Juncker, who in 2014 was the EPP's candidate for the top EU executive position he now holds, accused Orban of coming "within a hair's breadth" of peddling falsehoods and said he would support the exclusion. Asked about Orban, Juncker told German broadcaster ZDF: "Whoever lies in European affairs for domestic political reasons has to ask himself whether he still wants to belong to the EPP club. I think, they are not one of them any more." "I already said months ago that the EPP's biggest problem in the European elections has a name, and that is Orban. I will support this exclusion," Juncker added. Speaking to journalists in the Germany town of Rottersdorf, Weber said that in recent weeks "Viktor Orban and the Fidesz have crossed red lines again" and added that all options were on the table, "especially the option of expulsion and going away, going our future way without Fidesz." Orban's party said in a statement: "Fidesz does not want to leave the (European) People's Party, our goal is for anti-immigration forces to gain strength within the EPP." Constructive dialogue Orban has launched a media and billboard campaign that frames the May elections as a choice between forces backing and opposing mass immigration and that attacks Juncker. However, on Tuesday he said he welcomed an initiative by French President Emmanuel Macron for reforming the EU. "In the details, of course, we have differences of views, but far more important than these differing opinions is that this initiative be a good start to a serious and constructive dialogue on the future of Europe," Orban said in a statement to Reuters. Weber told Bild newspaper he expected an apology to EPP member parties, an immediate and permanent end to Orban's anti-EU campaigns and renewed government support for Central European University to stay in Budapest. CEU was forced out of Hungary and plans to relocate to Vienna from September as Orban wages a bitter campaign against its founder, U.S. billionaire George Soros, accusing him of supporting immigration to undermine Europe's way of life. Hungarian-born Soros, 87, denies that. The EPP has 217 lawmakers in the 750-strong EU legislature, 12 of them from Fidesz. It is expected to remain the biggest parliamentary group in the May elections, although likely weakened, opinion polls show. Far-right, populist parties are expected to perform well. Tiny Estonia has become the latest European country with a political landscape reshaped by a populist party promising national survival in an age of globalism, a development noted Monday in light of European Union parliament elections. Political observers watched a parliamentary election held Sunday in the Baltic nation, an EU and NATO member that borders Russia, as a continental barometer for whether far-right nationalists would continue making gains. And in Estonia, they did. While the center-right Reform Party, which ran on a low-tax, small-government platform, will be tasked with forming a government, the anti-immigrant, euroskeptic Estonian Conservative People's Party more than doubled its seat tally in parliament. Reform Party leader Kaja Kallas is expected to become the country's first female prime minister after her party finished with 28.8 percent of the vote. The party said before the election it would not consider the Estonian Conservative People's Party, or EKRE, as a potential governing coalition partner. The far-right party nevertheless captured a larger platform for its positions, some of which critics see as homophobic and racist. Martin Helme, who runs EKRE with his father and leads its parliament caucus, has said publicly that only white immigrants should be allowed into Estonia. On election night, Helme said the party's growing popularity was no different than almost all other countries in Europe, where there's a serious public demand for political parties who will stand up against the globalist agenda and European Union policymakers. But the biggest achievement the vote count reflects is We are dictating the Estonian political agenda, he said. In recent years and months, support for populist parties with nationalist agendas has grown in Europe, from Poland and Hungary to France and Italy. The outcome in Estonia bore similarities to what happened in Sweden last year. The Sweden Democrats, a party with neo-Nazi roots, won 62 seats in the 349-member parliament on Sept. 9, making it the third-largest party. The other parties ruled out forming a coalition government that included the Sweden Democrats. It took four months before a two-party, center-left minority government took office. In some countries, including Italy, nationalist surges followed large influxes of immigrants. In others, like Poland and Estonia, mass migration has been a source of anxiety even though the number of arriving migrants has been extremely small. Shrinking populations and the threat of cultural identity eroding stirs the fear in countries that gained independence with the fall of the Soviet Union three decades ago. Estonia, a former Soviet republic, has just 1.3 million people and its population declines each year due to low birth rates and emigration to richer Western countries. Ethnic Estonians make up 70 percent of the population, or some 900,000 people. In explaining his party's success in the election, Martin Helme, 42, said its message promoting traditional values has appeal to voters when demographic changes are causing worries. Emigration is a big thing in Estonia, he said. The replacement of the population in Estonia. Estonians are leaving and others coming in. These are big issues. Compared to those issues, tax issues are just meaningless. EKRE was formed in 2012 through a merger of an agrarian and a populist party. It defines its ideology as nationalist-conservative and its goal to protect the benefits of ethnic Estonians. The party leads an annual torch-lit Independence Day march through Tallinn's Old Town. During the February event, hundreds of participants shout the party's slogan For Estonia! Martin Helme's father, party chairman Mart Helme, is a former diplomat and a historian specializing in ancient Estonian civilization. He took over as EKRE's leader in 2013 and led it to securing 8 percent of the vote, or seven parliament seats, in 2015. The party opposed Estonia becoming the first ex-Soviet republic to allow same-sex couples to register as civil partners. In the past, it called for a referendum on leaving the EU but did not gain traction with the idea. Martin Molder, a political scientist at Estonia's University of Tartu, thinks the party's growing strength is a protest against established elites. There's a lot of generic dissatisfaction in the electorate in regards to how business as usual is done in politics, Molder said. Certain parties and politicians have been in power for a long time and theyve created a kind of class of professional politicians whose only experience in life has been doing politics. A U.S. congressional delegation has visited Eritrea for the first time in 14 years as Washington seeks closer contact with the long-reclusive state in the Horn of Africa after it made surprising peace with Ethiopia last year. "Eritrea has been a mystery," Karen Bass told reporters in Ethiopia on Monday after visiting Asmara with fellow lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Joe Neguse, whose parents fled Eritrea in the early 1980s as it fought for independence. "I know that there have been no reforms that have taken place yet, but this is very new. I'm hopeful that reforms will take place, most notably in the area of human rights." Bass, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, said she hopes that several U.S. nationals detained in Eritrea, including four U.S. Embassy staff, will be released "promptly, as well as other people who are incarcerated." She said she learned Monday that a U.S. national from her own California district was in detention. Eritrea's information minister said in a Twitter post that the lawmakers met the foreign minister, presidential adviser and head of economic development. He posted a photo of the lawmakers in front of a framed photo of longtime President Isaias Afwerki, who on Sunday hosted the leaders of Ethiopia and Kenya. Omar, who was born in nearby Somalia, told The Associated Press she was impressed with the regional thaw in East Africa after Eritrea and Ethiopia made peace, two decades after a border war killed some 80,000 people. Diplomatic and other ties have been restored, leading to celebrations and emotional family reunions. In November the United Nations Security Council lifted sanctions on Eritrea, opening the way for further interest and investment in the country on the Red Sea across from Saudi Arabia and Yemen, on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Tibor Nagy, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Africa, visited Eritrea late last year for a groundbreaking meeting with Isaias, later speaking of the possibility of better relations and of U.S. investment. "We hope to get to the point where relations with Eritrea are just as warm and cordial as those with Ethiopia," Nagy told reporters. Hope for reforms With the new peace, the international community is watching Eritrea to see what reforms might follow in a country that has been a major source of migrants fleeing to Europe, Israel and elsewhere. Eritrea hasn't held a presidential election since independence in 1993, and rights groups have accused the country of having a harsh system of military conscription. In December, the Trump administration included Eritrea on its annual list of nations accused of "systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom." Eritrea's government has argued against such criticism, calling it unfounded and one-sided. In recent weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken out forcefully in favor of the European Union and Venezuelas opposition protests. He has dominated town hall meetings to address grievances at home, and sought stronger ties in China. But when it comes to addressing the political crisis roiling former French colony Algeria, just across the Mediterranean, the normally loquacious Macron and his government have been remarkably silent. After ailing Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 82, announced a controversial re-election bid on Sunday, the Elysee presidential palace issued only a brief statement, blandly expressing support for a vote under good conditions, and Algerians right to freely choose their government. Were not going to comment on whats happening, Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume said on French radio, echoing other members of Macrons ruling La Republique en Marche Party. I see the enormous demonstrations on the streets of Algiers but as a member of the French government, I shouldnt be commenting. But today, some are calling on Paris to do just that and side with the Algerian street. The French government will be very prudent as it wonders whether Algerias ruling party, in power since independence, will topple or be reborn from its ashes, said Sciences-Po University North Africa expert Khadija Mohsen-Finan. She added of Macron, one cannot hide behind arguments of noninterference by a foreign country. The president needs to emerge from his silence and say things clearly. Strategic ties Other observers warn such a step could undermine Frances delicate but strategic relationship with the Bouteflika regime, and that key French priorities from curbing migration and terrorism in the Sahel, to Algerian gas exports to France risk being compromised if the North African country tips into turmoil. President Macron faces an impossible equation between supporting pro-democracy protesters or a regime France counts as an ally in fighting terrorism, historian Benjamin Stora said in a radio interview. A destabilization of Algeria would open the door to a political unknown. Frances rocky history with Algeria partly helps to explain its hands-off stance today. Successive French leaders have refused to formally apologize for decades of occupation, which ended only in 1962, after Algerias bloody and protracted revolution. That includes Macron, despite controversially calling French colonialism a crime against humanity as a presidential candidate. Paris also kept a low profile during Algerias brutal civil war in the 1990s, which pitted the countrys military-backed government against an Islamist opposition. That did not stop Paris from being targeted by Algerias Armed Islamic Group (GIA), who blamed Paris for siding with Algiers. In the early 1990s, the militants killed French expatriates, hijacked an Air France plane, and launched several terrorist attacks in Paris. Under Macron, France has tried to forge closer economic and security ties with its former colony. Visiting Algiers in late 2017, the president called for opening a "new chapter" with Algeria, and urged young Algerians to look to the future. There are so many ties that unite us history, shared memory, the Algerian community here. Its completely normal that they should be attentive of what happens in Algeria, Algerias ambassador to France Abdelkader Mesdoua told C-TV of Macrons government. However, the ambassador also pointed to French statements about respecting Algerian sovereignty. Terrorism vs. democracy? While the past looms large in bilateral ties, Algeria today is considered a key ally in battling Islamist groups in the Sahel, where France deploys more than 4,000 troops. Some French also consider it a bulwark against mass migration to Europe. The aspirations of Algerias youth are completely legitimate, said Jordan Bardela, senior member of the far-right National Rally Party in remarks on French TV, even as he warned that instability in Algeria could unleash immigration without precedent from sub-Saharan Africa and by Algerian youth an assessment experts say is overblown. Yet among Algerias sizable diaspora here, some are calling for a stronger French response. France needs to help the Algerian people liberate themselves from these mafia, Djamel Maiedinne, who joined Algerians demonstrating against Bouteflika and his government in Paris on Sunday. The French government needs to understand that were millions, not thousands. Another demonstrator, Yasmine Bouaouiche, blamed French authorities for propping up what she considers a repressive regime for decades. The French government needs to cut the cord, she said. Some media have also waded into the debate. An editorial by Europe 1 radio criticized Macrons noncommittal stance as motivated by a misplaced fear of Islamists coming to power in Algeria, and posing a potential security threat to Europe. History shows that military powers nourish Islamism, the editorial added, citing the case of Libya and Egypt and Algeria also. But other analysts believe French authorities are truly caught in a bind. If France supports the street, it would be considered meddling. If it supports the (Algerian) power, it would be seen as foreign interference, political scientist Naoufel Brahimi El Mili told French radio. In both cases, France cant do anything but offer a deafening silence. A new generation of athletes is coming to one of the world's more colorful sporting spectacles: the fighting cholitas of Bolivia, who take to a wrestling ring in the traditional billowing skirts, bowler hats and leather shoes of Aymara women. The sport known by the English-derived name catchascan has delighted foreign tourists and photographers for years while building a sense of pride among indigenous women. But the group of competitors has gradually dwindled over time to just seven. Among the most famous is Reyna Torrez, the ring name of Leydi Huanca, who has entertained spectators for a dozen years, her moves inspired by Mexican wrestlers such as Rey Mysterio. Now 29, Torrez is training a new cohort of wrestlers, ages 16 to 19, in hopes of keeping the sport alive. "I love those leaps of Reyna, and it's a dream that she's teaching us," said 17-year-old Nieves Laura Tarqui, who wrestles as Nelly Pankarita, a last name that means "Little Flower" in Aymara. Pankarita and the other trainees are still a year away from their full professional debuts while training in matches against the established athletes. "It's hard to wrestle," said 19-year-old Noelia Gonzalez aka Natalia Pepita. "You need a lot of bravery, strength and training to make a good fight. We fall and we hurt, but that doesn't matter because the public has fun." As a match is about to start, the contenders peer into a mirror, apply makeup and perfume and then enter the ring dancing to folkloric music. This time it's Pepita taking on her teacher. And of course it doesn't start well. As the audience chants "Pepita! Pepita!" the rookie finds herself paralyzed between the ropes as Torrez strangles her with her own pigtails. Then the tide turns. Pepita slips away, leads Torrez on a race around the ring and then uses a flying kick to the chest a move Torrez taught her to knock her down. Within minutes, Torrez is pinned to the floor and the public rises to applaud as Pepita pulls at her pigtails in emotion. "The girls who want to do this sport have to have guts, will, because this is a sport that demands a lot of discipline," Torrez said. About 50 young women are training at three schools to take up the sport, some at an institution known as Independent Wrestlers of Enormous Risk. "Time is passing, and you have to make way for a new generation," said Benjamin Simonini, director of the school in the sprawling highlands city of El Alto, which has seen a boom in recent years and where the fighting cholitas have emerged as a tourist attraction. Tatiana Monasterios of the city's tourist department said the shows "also assert the role of the Ayamara woman, showing her as enterprising, that she, too, can take part in a risky sport." India has downplayed the impact of U.S. plans to end New Delhi's preferential trade status that allows duty free access to products worth $ 5.6 billion. Saying that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets, U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Trade Representatives office to remove India from a program that grants it preferential trade treatment. In 2017, India was the biggest beneficiary of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which lowers duties on exports from about 120 developing countries. While the preferential tariffs give India duty free access to exports worth $5.6 billion, Indian commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan told reporters in New Delhi that the actual benefits add upto $190 million. He called them minimal and moderate. He said that India has no plans to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Despite their fast-growing political and security ties, trade tensions have been brewing between the two countries over the past year as American businesses complain of protectionist hurdles in one of the worlds fastest growing markets. India, "has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce," a statement from the U.S. Trade Representative office said. President Trump has called India a high tariff country and repeatedly complained of high levies imposed by India on exports such as imported whiskey and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Indian officials refute that. Our tariffs are very comparable to the more liberal developing economies, they are comparable to and even developed economies, Wadhawan told reporters. We have some tariff peaks. So you can't pick up one or two items and believe that our entire tariff structure is high. The U.S. Trade Representatives Office has said that Indias removal from the GSP would not take effect for at least 60 days. Indian exports that enjoyed preferential tariffs include automobile parts, chemicals, precious metal jewelry and certain raw materials. Trade experts in New Delhi agree that the overall impact of the U.S. withdrawal of preferential tariffs is not significant, but warn that much of the hit will be taken by sectors that create employment in a country that desperately needs more jobs. The products where the GSP impact is more are the labor intensive sectors such as handicrafts, agriculture and marine products, according to Ajai Sahai, the head of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations. He points out that it comes at a time when Indian exports are grappling with a slowdown. Contentious areas There are other contentious areas in the trade relationship between the two countries. The United States has been leaning on India to reduce the trade surplus of about $23 billion out of the total bilateral trade of $126 billion. In New Delhi, officials point out that the deficit has been declining and say the gap will be further reduced as India increases its energy and defense purchases India has begun importing shale oil from the United States and military equipment sales have been rising. Indian price controls on medical devices, restrictions on agricultural imports and recent policies that are disrupting the business model of online retail giants such as Amazon have also irked Washington. The new e-commerce policy was announced in December on demands from tens of thousands of retail traders who complain of losing business to online companies. The traders form a core support base for Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party, which is gearing up for a general election expected to be announced shortly. India is not the only country facing an end to preferential market access -- the United States has announced that it will also end Turkey's preferential trade status, saying it no longer qualifies as it is "sufficiently economically developed." The influential art exhibition documenta, held every five years in Kassel, Germany, picked an Indonesian contemporary art collective, ruangrupa, as its artistic director, designating the group as the first art collective and the first Asian curators to do so ever since the events inception in 1955. The appointment, announced recently by the events Finding Committee, renewed the focus on Indonesias contemporary art scene a vibrant, yet struggling scene. Documenta, now preparing for its 15th edition that will run from June to September 2022, was founded to stamp out the Nazism air that loomed over Germany. In a statement, the committee said that ruangrupas appointment was based on the collectives ability to appeal to various communities. At a time when innovative strength particularly stems from independent organizations active on the community level, it seems only logical to offer this collective approach a platform with documenta, the committee added. Suitable for the events social bent, ruangrupa was founded in 2000 in Jakarta, and it is known for its eclectic work in many forms paintings, installations. It has participated in a number of activities such as several art Biennales in Singapore, Istanbul and others. It also curated the TRANSaction: Sonsbeek exhibition in Arnhem, the Netherlands in 2016. At the last documenta event, ruangrupa participated in a radio project called Every Time a Ear di Soun. Farid Rakun and Ade Darmawan of ruangrupa said in a press release that the event could function as a pool of resources. To Kassel, we are envisioning an edition of documenta that is based on the city and the systems existing within and celebrate it with several strategies that focus on current interests like alternative education, regenerative economy models and the importance of art in social practice, they said. I hope that because of ruangrupas appointment, peoples understanding of modern art can be improved, unlike what is the case today, Argus FS, an art curator, told VOA, adding that ruangrupa is one of few art incubators that champion Indonesias modern art in cities like Yogyakarta and Jakarta. Argus said that modern art remains understood as a painting on a canvas or a sculpture, citing also the lack of art collectors in Jakarta, Indonesias capital, alone. Art and government Governments participation in the contemporary art scene, according to Argus, is also lacking. What doesnt interest me is that the governments view of artists is that art is an expensive thing. They think that the transactional value is enough for artists to get by, he said. Slamet Aji Pamungkas of the Indonesian government body, the Creative Economy Agency (otherwise known as Bekraf), said that the agency has always supported contemporary art. In 2016, it built a grand strategy for the traditional and contemporary art. For contemporary art, we facilitate technical guidance in accordance to the artists needs, from quality enhancement to art management. We also provide government aid, like the revitalization of performance spaces or the procurement of technology and information means, he told VOA. Tubagus Andre Sukmana, the former head of the Indonesian National Gallery, who currently heads the media art directorate at Indonesias ministry of education and culture, told VOA that it appreciates ruangrupas appointment as a non-profit organization. He added that the ministry is ready to provide funding should ruangrupa request it. The Indonesian government, according to Andre, has laid out a strategic plan for the enhancement of 10 cultural objects, including contemporary art. It also plans to allocate funds for the art scenes in Indonesias diminutive areas. Indonesian art scene The Indonesian contemporary art scene has flourished in regions such as Bandung in West Java, Jakarta and Yogyakarta. According to the 2014 book Contemporary Indonesian Art: Artists, Art Spaces, and Collectors by researcher Yvonne Spielmann, it went through movements such as the New Art Movement in the 1970s, championed by artists such as FX Harsono or Jim Supangkat. The New Art Movement was born out of protest for the narrowing of the understanding of art at the academies. Today's contemporary artists like Heri Dono and Handiwirman Saputra have also garnered international and local acclaim the latter has been chosen, along with curator Asmudjo Jono Irianto, co-curator Yacobus Ari Respati and the artist Syagini Ratna Wulan, to represent Indonesia at the prestigious Venice Biennale event in 2019. According to Argus, however, theres still challenges ahead for the contemporary art scene, including the lack of government support or the over reliance on private museums such as the Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (MACAN) museum in Jakarta. Indonesia could be the leader [of contemporary art] in Southeast Asia. We have great potential to secure an important position, he said. Iranian teachers have begun their fourth peaceful nationwide protest since October to demand better working conditions for their poorly paid profession and the release of jailed education activists. Hundreds of images posted on Telegram by the Coordinating Council of Teachers Syndicates in Iran (CCTSI) showed teachers staging sit-ins and holding signs with slogans in school offices around the country on Sunday and Monday, the first two days of a three-day planned strike. CCTSI said the teachers strike photos came from cities such as the capital, Tehran; Karaj in the country's north; Ardabil, Marivan, Sanandaj and Saqqez in the northwest; Shiraz in the southwest; and Isfahan and Yazd in the center. The umbrella organization for Iranian teachers' unions promoted the images with the Farsi version of the #nationwide_teachers_sit-in, which was used thousands of times by other social media users who shared the photos on Twitter and Instagram. In a Feb. 25 Telegram statement calling for the three-day strike, CCTSI said its members recently met with Iranian lawmakers, education and security officials in Tehran but concluded that Iran's decision makers still were not making educational reforms a priority. It reiterated several demands from past protests, including the release of jailed teachers' rights activists, the removal of legal barriers to trade union activities, the allocation of sufficient education resources in Iran's 2019 budget, an increase in wages and pensions for working and retired teachers, and improvements to their insurance plans. Iranian state-run news sites did not appear to have any coverage of the first two days of the teachers' strike. In the last protest, Iranian teachers staged peaceful rallies outside education departments in at least six cities on Feb. 14. Previously, teachers staged sit-ins and held protest signs in school offices in dozens of Iranian cities in November and October. Three prominent Iranian teachers' rights activists have been serving multiyear sentences for alleged national security offenses at Tehran's Evin prison. They include Mohammad Habibi, Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi and Esmail Abdi. Hundreds of Islamic State fighters and family members fled the northeastern Syrian village of Baghuz, taking advantage of a pause in ferocious fighting with the U.S.-backed forces that have surrounded the last patch of the terror group's self-declared caliphate. Officials with the Syrian Democratic Forces, Kurdish militias and human right monitors confirmed the exodus late Monday, though the number of fighters and civilians varied. Monitors with the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said about 150 IS fighters surrendered to the SDF, part of a group of about 400 people that left the ever-shrinking enclave on the banks of the Euphrates River. The observatory said by the end of the day, as many as another 1,200 people had left. SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali put the total number of people who have fled Baghuz since the pause in the fighting at about 3,000, tweeting that the first groups of IS fighters and civilians fled under the cover of darkness. One official with the YPG, a Kurdish militia that has supported the U.S.-backed offensive on Baghuz, told VOA many of the fighters and family members came from Central Asian countries, such as Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. But the official said he did not know how many more fighters or civilians were still hiding in tunnels underneath the village. SDF and coalition officials have described the tunnel system, which could extend for more than 2 kilometers, as complex, parts of it laden with explosives and booby traps as the dwindling number of IS fighters make their last stand. Initial estimates from both the coalition and the SDF put the number of IS fighters in Baghuz at about 300, with officials warning they were some of the most dedicated and hardened fighters the terror group had to offer. Since then, though, hundreds of IS fighters have surrendered, though officials suspect many more remain. Prior to the pause in fighting late Sunday, the fighting had been intense. SDF and coalition officials said IS used a combination of car bombs, suicide bombers and human shields to hold the advancing forces at bay. But by late Monday, the YPG's Zana Amedi tweeted that IS control had been contained to a collection of about a dozen houses clustered near the banks of the Euphrates River. "However, some Daesh still remain in tunnel network under the camp," he warned, using an Arabic acronym for the terror group. The U.S.-backed SDF began their final assault on the last remnant of the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate late Friday, surrounding the village of Baghuz with about 15,000 troops and with the backing of U.S. and coalition airpower. SDF commanders said they gave the go-ahead for their final offensive only after more than 13,000 people had evacuated Baghuz, saying they were convinced that all civilians had left the city. Only coalition officials began expressing concern Sunday that IS fighters were making extensive use of women, children and possible hostages as human shields. Were slowing down the offensive in #Baghouz due to a small number of civilians held as human shields by Daesh, Mustafa Bali, the SDF spokesman, announced on Twitter late Sunday. Still, he warned that the reprieve would not last long. "We assert that the battle to retake the last ISIS holdout is going to be over soon," he wrote, using another acronym for the terror group. A coalition official told VOA Monday that the SDF was "working diligently" to get any remaining civilians out of harms way, but admitted the number of civilians still hiding with IS fighters or being held against their will, was not known. The United Nations has said that of the estimated 13,000 civilians who evacuated Baghuz in the week preceding the SDF offensive, as many as 90 percent of them were women and children under the age of 5. Sirwan Kajjo contributed to this report. New Delhi topped the list of the world's most polluted capital cities in in 2018, two environmental monitoring groups reported Tuesday. A study by Greenpeace and Swiss-based IQ AirVisual found the average amount of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, in New Delhi was 113.5 last year, more than double the level in Beijing. The report said New Delhi's toxic air was caused by vehicle and industrial emissions, smoke from burning rubbish and crop residue, and dust from construction sites. "Air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to health today, estimated to contribute to 7 million premature deaths every year," the report said. "Polluted air presents the world's 4th leading contributing cause of early deaths, and burdens the global economy with an estimated annual cost of $225 billion." Fine particles of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter are extremely hazardous because they get stuck deep inside the lungs. The World Health Organization (WHO) has established a daily mean air quality guideline of 25 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter of air. Fifteen of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in India, including Ghaziabad and Faridabad, the report found. "The question which remains to be answered is whether there is enough political will to aggressively fight the health emergency India faces today and move away from polluting fuels and practices," said Greenpeace India spokeswoman Pujarini Sen. All of the cities that were measured in the Middle East and Africa exceeded WHO's guidelines. Ninety-nine percent of the measured cities in South Asia, 95 percent in Southeast Asia, and nearly 90 percent in East Asia also exceeded the target. The report is based on air quality data from government and private monitoring networks. Pakistan said on Tuesday it had begun a crackdown on Islamist militant groups, detaining 44 members of banned organizations including close relatives of the leader of a group blamed for a deadly bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir last month. The interior ministry said it was a move to "speed up action against all proscribed organizations." Officials said it was part of a long-planned drive against militant groups, not a response to Indian anger over what New Delhi calls Islamabad's failure to rein in militant groups operating on Pakistani soil. Pakistan is facing pressure from global powers to act against groups carrying out attacks in India, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which claimed responsibility for the Feb. 14 attack that killed at least 40 paramilitary police. The incident led to the most serious conflict in years between the nuclear-armed neighbours, with cross-border airstrikes and a brief dogfight over the skies of Kashmir. Tension cooled when Pakistan returned a downed Indian pilot on Friday. In a further sign that tensions were easing, Pakistan's foreign ministry said a delegation would visit New Delhi next week to discuss an accord on Sikh pilgrims visiting holy sites in Pakistan. The interior ministry said close relatives of JeM leader Masood Azhar had been detained in "preventive custody" as part of the crackdown. It named them as Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar, who one ministry official said was the leader's son. On Tuesday, Pakistan placed two charities linked to Hafiz Saeed, founder of a militant organization the United States and India have blamed for numerous deadly attacks, including a siege by gunmen in Mumbai in 2008 that killed 166 people, on the country's official banned list. The Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation charities were placed on the list after the government announced the restriction last month. Investigations Some of the people detained were named by India in a dossier it gave to Pakistan after last month's bombing, Interior secretary Azam Suleman said. "We are investigating them and if we get more evidence, more proof against them, they will be proceeded against according to law and if we don't get any proof their detention will end," Suleman said. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told CNN last week that JeM chief Azhar was in Pakistan and was "really unwell." The United States, Britain and France proposed last month that the U.N. Security Council blacklist Azhar. A Security Council vote is due to be held in mid-March. However, Pakistan's staunch ally China, a Security Council member, has blocked previous attempts by world powers to sanction the JeM chief. The United States and Britain have urged Pakistan to deal with militant groups. Many Pakistani groups and individuals are under U.N. sanctions, including the JeM, and Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group that carried out the 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed. There was no immediate official reaction in India to the arrests in Pakistan. However, an Indian government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed skepticism. "We have all seen this done for the last several decades now. How many times has Hafiz Saeed been arrested and let out?" the official said. "And have they taken action against Jaish camps?" Saeed, who holds public gatherings in Pakistan, has been at the heart of criticism that Pakistan does not enforce its anti-militancy laws. Pakistan has long used Islamist groups to pursue its aims in the region, but it has denied New Delhi's accusations it actively supports militants fighting Indian forces in India's part of Muslim-majority Kashmir. From time to time - usually as a result of outside pressure - Pakistan has cracked down on anti-India militants but most factions manage to survive and resume activities. Closing madrasas Pakistan's foreign ministry announced a new order on Monday to update existing laws that deal with those on U.N. sanctions lists. The government said it had developed a "full-fledged strategy" to deal with militants and it was looking to close "loopholes" that allowed banned groups to operate. Two senior security officials told Reuters the government has drawn up plans to take over all madrasas - Islamic schools - linked to groups banned by the United Nations and to seize their assets and infrastructure. At a later stage the government may consider recruiting some of the militants into paramilitary forces or seek other ways to find them jobs and incorporate them into normal society, the officials said. Closing madrasas is a thorny issue in Pakistan, a deeply conservative Muslim nation where religious schools are often blamed for radicalization of youngsters but are the only education available to millions of poor children. A Pakistani minister told Reuters that several madrasas had been closed in recent days, including one run by Saeed-linked Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and another seminary operated by JeM in Bahawalpur, where JeM has its headquarters. Several other madrasas will be closed but there will not be widespread closures, said the minister, who asked not to be identified, adding that only a few such schools have links with terrorism. Saeed-linked Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) is estimated to run about 300 madrasas. Pakistani TV anchor and columnist Nazim Zehra, who attended a background briefing by Prime Minister Imran Khan and finance minister Asad Umar on Monday, said the government was determined that militants should put down their weapons and be demobilized. Authorities in Pakistan have detained 44 suspected militants, including two relatives of the leader of the Islamist group that India accused of plotting a suicide car bombing in the divided Kashmir region. The deadly February 14 blast in the Pulwama district killed 40 Indian security force members and almost brought the two nuclear-armed rival nations to the brink of war over allegations Pakistan-based anti-India Jaish-e-Mohammad, or JeM, plotted the violence. Shehryar Afridi, Pakistan's state minister of the interior, told reporters Tuesday the detainees include Mufti Abdul Rauf, the brother of JeM leader Massood Azhar. The minister also said Massood Azhar's son, Hammad, was among those taken into custody. Afridi said that Rauf and Hammad Azhar were on a list of suspects New Delhi shared with Islamabad last week as part of their dossier into the Pulwama attack. This is an across the board action. We don't want to give the impression that we are against one organization," Afridi said in a bid to dismiss suggestions the Pakistani crackdown was an outcome of Indian pressure. The minister reiterated that Pakistan won't allow the use of our soil against any country. He went on to explain the 44 suspects already were under observation and taken into custody for investigation. Pakistani officials are quoted by local media as confirming that Masood Azhar also is included in the Indian dossier as a suspect, and he could be detained soon for investigation. Separately, the government in Islamabad has directed authorities to seize and freeze the assets of Pakistan-based Islamist entities and individuals who are listed as global terrorists by the United Nations. As part of the crackdown, the government also plans to take control of religious seminaries linked to the proscribed groups, say officials. India and the United States have long accused Pakistan, particularly its powerful military institution, of harboring militant groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and even leaders of the Afghan Taliban, to use as proxies in Kashmir and Afghanistan, charges Islamabad rejects. Also Tuesday, authorities added two charities known as Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), which are fronts for LeT, to the list of banned organizations. India alleges the LeT plotted the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. The United States has outlawed LeT and the two charities as global terrorists and so has the United Nations. Washington also offers a $10-million bounty for the founder of LeT, Hafiz Saeed, who lives freely in Pakistan. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has been pressing Pakistan to effectively curb activities, financing and money laundering by terrorist groups involved in cross-border attacks. Pakistans failure to take required action could prompt the FATF to place it on its blacklist and trigger international financial sanctions on the countrys troubled economy. Meanwhile, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that Pakistans high commissioner to India will be returning to New Delhi after completion of consultations in Islamabad. The announcement is another sign of the lessening of mutual tensions that had prompted both countries to recall their respective officials. Islamabad denied involvement in the February 14 bombing in Indian Kashmir and swiftly offered New Delhi cooperation in investigating it. Instead of responding to the offer, Indian fighter planes last Tuesday entered Pakistani territory to target what they said were JeM training camps. India called the action non-military and preemptive against future attacks. Islamabad condemned what it said was a violation of its airspace and promised a military response, rejecting as false allegations that any camps existed at the site. Pakistani villagers also dismissed Indian claims of killing hundreds of militants and said only one man was wounded. The following day, the Pakistani army said its fighter planes locked onto Indian military targets, but deliberately avoided them and fired on open ground instead, in order to avoid an escalation of tensions, but also to send a message to India not to violate Pakistani territory again. In the aerial dogfight that ensued, officials said, an Indian MiG-21 was downed and the pilot was captured by Pakistani forces, raising fears of an all out war. The pilot was returned to India two days later in what Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said was a gesture of peace, helping to de-escalate the situation. From access to abortion to equal work opportunities, women's rights are being eroded by a rise in global populism, a group of female leaders warned Monday. There has been a resurgence in nationalist-populist sentiment in many countries around the world, from Brazil to Turkey, the Philippines, Russia and the United States. That has led to a deliberate rolling back of rights gained through the "sacrifices and struggles" of generations of women, the newly-formed Group of Women Leaders for Change and Inclusion said in an open letter ahead of International Women's Day. "More and more nationalistic, populist regimes are starting to suggest that women's empowerment is a challenge to power," said Argentina's former foreign minister Susana Malcorra, a founder member. "There are number of places where we see this happening as a trend. And in our view, if we don't speak up loudly about it, it will be hard to reverse," she told Reuters in a phone interview from Madrid. U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017 imposed a gag rule that banned U.S.-funded groups globally from discussing abortion, forcing them to accept the restriction or reject it and lose funding. The gag rule has forced the closure of health clinics and outreach programs by charities that fear non-compliance could lead to the loss of their U.S. health care aid, which totals about $8 billion a year. This comes at a time when abortion rights are under scrutiny in other countries around the globe. Last year, Ireland ended its strict abortion ban, while the conservative government in Poland pushed to tighten its already restrictive abortion laws. Argentina rejected a measure to legalize abortion, and the election of a far-right president in Brazil was expected to slow efforts to legalize abortion there. The World Economic Forum said in a 2018 global report that there were fewer women working last year than men, mostly because a lack of child care kept them from jobs or from progressing to senior roles. It will be 202 years before women can earn the same as men and have equal job opportunities, it said. Meanwhile, Kenyan lawmakers last November blocked a push to give one in three parliamentary seats to women. "We need to make policies that make sure women don't derail from their careers because they become mothers, that also allows for partners to share the responsibilities," said Malcorra. The letter signed by nearly 40 female leaders from Irina Bokova, ex-head of U.N. cultural agency UNESCO, to Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde urged action to protect basic women's rights before it was too late. "We are losing something and we're not even conscious of it," Malcorra said. "We want to make sure that people understand that the situation is serious and could become critical." In eastern Syria, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) say Islamic State is trying to slow the attack on the terror group's last scrap of territory in the town of Baghuz by using snipers, suicide bombers and civilians as human shields. A VOA cameraman traveling with Kurdish fighters spoke to several about what appears to be the final days of the battle. SDF officials said Monday the vast majority of civilians have already left Baghuz, but a small number are still trapped in the town by IS. "We don't have an estimate of how many civilians are still inside Baghuz," Lilwa Abdullah, an SDF spokeswoman, told VOA. Other SDF officials said that IS fighters have increased their counterattacks on SDF fighters, using suicide bombers, explosive-laden vehicles and tunnels. "This is something that [IS] have done in previous battles, too," Mervan Rojava, an SDF media officer, said. "But this time it is challenging for them because they have nowhere else to go." He told VOA that the militant group now only controls less than 2 square kilometers inside Baghuz. "All the tunnels they have dug for a moment like this aren't really useful because they control a very small patch of territory. But they are taking advantage of sending a large number of suicide bombers toward us," Rojava said. WATCH: IS Using Human Shields to Slow SDF Advance Kurdish military officials believe there are some families of IS fighters who are refusing to leave the town. IS has been increasingly using snipers to slow down the attack on the terror group. One SDF fighter was wounded by an IS sniper who was hiding behind a child, the SDF reported on Monday. "Our comrades were closing in on a building when one of [IS's] snipers targeted one of our comrades in the vehicle," an SDF fighter, who witnessed the incident and did not want to be identified for security reasons, told VOA. Another SDF fighter said that U.S.-led coalition warplanes could not hit IS targets inside Baghuz because of the presence of women and children. "They are hiding among those women and children. How can warplanes target them? Civilians would die if they targeted [IS]," the SDF fighter, who also didn't want to be identified, told VOA. So far in the month of March, at least 164 IS fighters have been killed, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told local radio station Arta FM on Monday. Four SDF fighters were killed in recent clashes with IS, Bali said. Nisan Ahmado contributed to this report. International aid workers who were raped in South Sudan during an attack on a hotel in Juba say the government of President Salva Kiir has ignored their appeals for compensation and damages. The aid workers were attacked at the Terrain Hotel in July 2016 by the South Sudan army. One of the victims, called Jane to protect her privacy, spoke Monday to VOA's South Sudan In Focus. She said the international community should put pressure on the South Sudan government to compensate the victims. "What was very sad for us is that we discovered [the] file of the court martial, the entire file, went missing. The verdict was pronounced without this file, and when we tried to appeal for the compensation, we couldn't," she said. Last year, a South Sudan military court sentenced 10 soldiers to prison for raping the aid workers and murdering local journalist John Gatluak in the 2016 attack. The court also ordered the government to compensate the victims. The Terrain Hotel was awarded $2.5 million. Gatluak's family was awarded 51 cows in compensation for his death. The three rape victims and two other victims of abuse were awarded $4,000 each. An American aid worker who was beaten and shot and now has permanent spinal damage was awarded $1,000. "We wanted to appeal because the compensation was ridiculous, and it was an offense for us," said Jane. "Without our file, we can't appeal.'' The U.S. Embassy in Juba released a statement in September 2018 welcoming the verdicts, but urged South Sudan officials to prosecute others who have committed human rights abuses during the five-year conflict. The embassy said the United States would "continue to utilize tools, including targeted sanctions, to take action against those who attempt to sow chaos, work against peace and commit serious human rights abuses in South Sudan." Jane said the international community must step up the pressure to allow the victims to appeal. "It is like this incident, this terrible incident, was completely forgotten. In any case, rape cases are still on the rise in South Sudan,'' she said. 'They killed me from the inside' Jane said she went back to South Sudan last year to testify because she wanted to be the voice for the other women who cannot face the government or are afraid to seek justice. A group of human rights lawyers filed a lawsuit against the government of South Sudan last year for sexual violence on behalf of 30 women and girls who were allegedly raped by members of the army and the presidential guard. Antonia Mulvey, director of Legal Action Worldwide, a nonprofit network of human rights lawyers, said the South Sudan army committed "brutal" sexual violence, including sexual slavery, sexual torture, rape and gang rape against women and girls. "They raped us. They beat us. I am still recovering. I can't work. I need continuous therapy," said Jane. "They killed me from the inside, and I have a permanent invisible scar on me. Four thousand dollars [in compensation] for these big atrocities? I [will] continue to fight. They must give us real compensation. We need to show to the world that the [rape] problem is a real crime.'' VOA requested an interview with a minister in the South Sudan presidential office, but he was unavailable. South Sudan's president is calling on his people to refrain from revenge attacks, as the country tries to move on from a brutal civil war. Speaking Tuesday in the town of Wau, Salva Kiir said that with a peace deal in place, people must try to reconcile and peacefully co-exist. "I need you to forget about what happened in the past and hold your hands together. I need my people to live peacefully with one another. I am aware that many of you have lost many of your relatives during the conflict. Please don't [seek] revenge," Kiir told hundreds of residents. Wau state, in western South Sudan, has been the scene of numerous clashes since the war began in December 2013. Rivalries to blame for conflict Kiir also said the conflict was caused by rivalries in the ruling SPLM party, though he declined to take personal responsibility. "What happened among the SPLM leaders is the main cause of your suffering and it is the same SPLM which fought for so long to liberate this country," he said. "They fought among themselves as they struggled for power. As a leader, I accept that this thing happened even though I did not do anything myself. I see that I am also on the wrong side if my party is the main cause of the suffering of my own people." The civil war killed tens of thousands of people forced more than 4.5 million South Sudanese from their homes, with two million fleeing to neighboring countries. Kiir appealed to the rebel groups that did not sign last year's revitalized peace agreement to lay down their arms and join the peace process. He also called on the internally displaced sheltering in United Nations protection-of-civilians sites, churches, and schools compounds to return home. Peace deal will take time The president acknowledged that implementation of the peace deal is moving at a slow pace, which he said is largely due to a lack of money. Despite funding and other challenges though, Kiir said the former warring parties will soon form a transitional government of national unity. "If everything goes well we are going to form a government of national unity in May which will include all the political parties. This government will last for three years and will be followed by a national election. So, I call upon you to prepare yourselves for that election," Kiir said. Kiir also is expected to visit the capitals of Gogrial and Lol states as part of a regional tour. The frequency of ocean heat waves has surged more than 50 percent since the early 20th century in a threat to fish, corals and other marine life stoked by global warming, an international study showed on Monday. Abrupt local spikes in temperatures, far less researched than heat waves on land, add to pressures on marine life such as over-fishing and plastic pollution, they wrote in the journal Nature Climate Change. Around the world's oceans, the number of days of marine heat waves per year rose 54 percent in the period 1987-2016 from 1925-54, according to the scientists in Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Spain and the United States. "Extreme temperature events may be one of the most important stresses on the oceans in coming decades," lead author Dan Smale of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom told Reuters. "Whether it's seaweeds or corals, fish, seabirds or mammals, you can detect the adverse effects of marine heat waves," he said. Marine heat waves, defined as at least five days with temperatures far above average, are caused by heat from blazing sunshine and by shifting warm currents. Among impacts, a 2011 marine heat wave off western Australia killed abalone stocks and a 2012 heat wave off the eastern United States drove lobster stocks north towards Canada. Many tropical corals have suffered from harmful "bleachings" in recent years. The scientists said marine heat waves were "emerging as forceful agents of disturbance" that could "restructure entire marine ecosystems," disrupting livelihoods and food supplies for millions of people. Most previous studies about climate change in the oceans have focused on a gradual rise in average temperatures, which hit a new record annual high in 2018, forcing fish to swim towards the poles or into the cooler depths. Heat waves often have natural causes but the report said "there is growing confidence that the observed intensification is due to human activities," led by the burning of fossil fuels. "Multiple regions in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans are particularly vulnerable to marine heat wave intensification," they wrote. Joaquim Garrabou, of the Institute of Marine Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, who was not involved in the study, said the Mediterranean was also at risk because creatures cannot shift north in an almost landlocked sea. In recent years "massive impacts" in the Mediterranean, especially on corals, sponges and mollusks in a devastating 2003 heat wave, he told Reuters. Chinas warning Tuesday that Taiwan should avoid the pursuit of political independence kicks off what a senior policymaker in Taipei predicts will be a series of new actions aimed at pulling the democratic island closer to Beijings control. In a report to the National Peoples Congress in Beijing, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said his government would resolutely oppose and contain any effort to separate Taiwan from China, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Taiwan, though proudly self-ruled for more than 70 years, has never declared itself constitutionally independent. After the annual 10-day legislative session in Beijing, the Chinese government will invite a roster of Taiwanese people for events to discuss Chinese President Xi Jinpings January 2 calls for peace, unification, talks and joint development between the two sides, Taipeis deputy Mainland Affairs Council minister Chiu Chui-cheng told Voice of America. His government rejects unification. China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s and not ruled out using force to unify the two sides. More than 80 percent of Taiwanese oppose unification, government surveys indicate. The Chinese presidents January 2 proposals, known as Xis five points, renewed insistence in Beijing that the two sides merge. We can see recently that organizations set up in Taiwan are inviting our Taiwanese businesspeople and students for symposium and forums, Chiu said. We think, after the National Peoples Congress, they will push out a series of activities and laws to appeal for Xis five points. National Peoples Congress The annual congress bringing together about 3,000 delegates normally starts and ends with calls for China-Taiwan unification. This years congress coincides with the release of 31 Chinese government incentives to bring over Taiwanese citizens for work, study and investment. Its also the first political milestone since Xis speech. The congress will get a high degree of attention from officials in Taipei, Chiu said. The congress, also widely seen as a rubber-stamp agency of the Communist government, can approve laws on political and economic policy. In 2005 it passed the Anti-Secession Law that formally authorized use of force against Taiwan if needed to stop formal independence. The congress may pass laws this year to back proposals raised by Xi in January, Chiu said. Events tethered to this years congressional session may cover as well Xis suggestion that China govern Taiwan as one-country, two systems, Chiu added. That term that implies master control by Beijing with a measure of local autonomy for Taiwan. Democratic consultations Post-congressional activities aimed at Taiwan would likely sync with Xis call in January for democratic consultation between Chinese leaders and Taiwanese political camps beyond the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, Chiu said. The ruling party takes a guarded view of relations with China, and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has irked Beijing by rejecting its call for dialogue. But Taiwans main opposition the Nationalist Party embraces dialogue with Beijing. Its set to lock heads with the ruling party in this years campaign for the 2020 presidential race. Many Taiwanese advocate trade and investment dialogue with China while keeping their self-rule. Han Kuo-yu, the Nationalist-backed mayor of Taiwans major port city Kaohsiung, is due to visit two mainland Chinese cities in late March. Beijings Taiwan Affairs Office expresses welcome and support, Xinhua said. Chiu cautioned that other governments that have talked peace with China never meet a good outcome. We hope our citizens and compatriots can all have this kind of common understanding and together defend our democratic autonomy, he said. The Chinese governments Taiwan Affairs Office is probably working on ways to implement democratic consultation, said Yun Sun, East Asia Program senior associate with the Stimson Center think tank in Washington, D.C. I feel like there has to be something on that, Sun said. Otherwise they wont be able to answer to Xi Jinpings calling for democratic consultation among all political forces from all industries and all trades on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Those consultations will fall in line with the peaceful development of cross-Strait (two-way) relations as well as the will of the compatriots across the Strait and the tides of the times, Xinhua says, citing a Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson. Moderate tone Xi is also on the defensive after the Taiwan presidents rebuttal to his January 2 speech raised her public approval ratings by 10 percentage points, said Lin Chong-pin, a retired strategic studies professor in Taiwan. Chinese Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Yang dropped the five points at a conference later in January, Lin noted. I think Xi went through his first learning curve after he stated five points, which actually catapulted Tsai from a valley up to a height, and thats why Xi immediately changed course, Lin said. U.S. President Donald Trump assailed Democratic lawmakers Tuesday for opening a wide-ranging investigation of him and his administration, calling it "a big, fat, fishing expedition in search of a crime." He contended that Democrats in the House of Representatives, who on Monday demanded documents from 81 people and entities linked to his 2016 campaign, his businesses and his two-year tenure as president, "have gone stone cold CRAZY." He said letters looking for information were sent to "innocent people to harass them." On Twitter, he called the House Judiciary Committee investigation "the greatest overreach in the history of our Country. The Dems are obstructing justice and will not get anything done." "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!" he declared in a final, all-caps broadside. Later, Trump told reporters, "It's a disgrace to our country," saying Democrats have still not gotten over him winning the 2016 election. "They want to focus on nonsense." The House panel said it is investigating whether Trump has obstructed justice to thwart probes of him, as well as possible public corruption and abuses of power during his two-year presidency. In announcing the investigation, Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler said, "Over the last several years, President Trump has evaded accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical and constitutional rules and norms. Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress." Trump has long denied wrongdoing involving his campaign's links to Russia and during his presidency. Asked about the Nadler investigation on Monday, Trump replied, "I cooperate all the time with everybody.... You know the beautiful thing? No collusion. Its all a hoax." In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the Democrats launched the investigation "because they are terrified that their two-year false narrative of 'Russia collusion' is crumbling. Their intimidation and abuse of American citizens is shameful. Democrats are harassing the President to distract from their radical agenda of making America a socialist country, killing babies after theyre born, and pushing a green new deal that would destroy jobs and bankrupt America." She said White House lawyers and "relevant White House officials" would review the Judiciary Committee's demand for documents and "respond at the appropriate time." Aside from the White House, the panel sent its requests for documents to the Justice Department; senior campaign officials; the Trump Organization, the president's global business empire; and his two oldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Nadler said Sunday he believes the president has obstructed justice. He said that Trump's former long-time personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, in his lengthy public testimony to Congress last week, "directly implicated the president in various crimes, both while seeking the office of president and while in the White House." "We don't have the facts yet," Nadler said. "But we're going to initiate proper investigations." The information gathered by the Judiciary Committee, along with that in the yet-to-be-released report by special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Trump campaign links to Russia and obstruction allegations, could form the basis of impeachment proceedings against Trump. But Nadler said talk of trying to remove Trump from office is premature. "We will act quickly to gather this information, assess the evidence and follow the facts where they lead with full transparency with the American people," he said. Mueller's report could soon be turned over to Attorney General William Barr, but how much of it will be made public is uncertain. Democratic lawmakers have called for its full release, but Barr has said he would only do so to the extent that Justice Department regulations allow. What is certain is that Barr intends to maintain oversight of the probe, unlike his predecessor Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from the Russia probe after it was disclosed he had failed to tell lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that he had two meetings with Russia's former ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak. "Following [Attorney] General Barr's confirmation, senior career ethics officials advised that General Barr should not recuse himself from the special counsel's investigation," the Justice Department said Monday. "Consistent with that advice, General Barr has decided not to recuse." Barr drew scrutiny for a memo he wrote criticizing Mueller's investigation, but said during his confirmation hearings the document should not be taken as a wide-ranging prejudgment of the process. White House bureau chief Steve Herman contributed to this report. U.S. President Donald Trump says he will visit Friday with survivors of violent tornadoes that killed 23 people in the southern state of Alabama. Trump made the announcement Tuesday at the White House as rescue workers sifted through the rubble left by the Sunday storms in search of victims. "It's been a tragic situation, but a lot of good work is being done" in the aftermath, Trump said. Authorities said they had identified all 23 whose remains had been found, including seven members of one family. The victims ranged in age from 6 to 93. A small number of people, perhaps seven or eight, remain missing, authorities say. At least two tornadoes touched down during an outbreak of severe weather across the Southeast. Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders were involved in searching through debris after the storms hit. She said numerous homes were destroyed or damaged in Beauregard, about 95 kilometers (59 miles) east of Montgomery, the state capital. Earlier in the week, Trump said he had told the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to give "A Plus" treatment to Alabama in the wake of the tornadoes. The National Weather Service had issued numerous tornado warnings for Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina as severe weather swept across the region Sunday. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency to provide state resources to the damaged areas. "Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County today," Ivey said in a tweet. "Praying for their families & everyone whose homes or businesses were affected." U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet says she deeply regrets Burundis decision to close down the U.N. Human Rights Office in the country. Despite vigorous protests, she said Tuesday the office was forced to close its doors after a 23-year presence in Burundi. Bachelet said the U.N. human rights office has been a force for good in Burundi, noting the agency has worked with the countrys government on peacebuilding, reforming its security and justice systems, and myriad other issues. Unfortunately, she says many of these human rights gains have been seriously jeopardized since 2015. That was when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term, sparking nationwide violent protests and a strong government crackdown. The high commissioners spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani, said the government suspended all cooperation with the office in October 2016 after a U.N. investigation released a damning report on abusive conditions in the country. Our reports on the human rights situation in Burundi have always been developed in a constructive spirit, intended to support the promotion and protection of human rights in the country. But the high commissioner is disappointed by Burundis lack of cooperation in recent years with U.N. human rights mechanisms, which even went so far as to include threats to prosecute members of the independent international commission of inquiry, Shamdasani said. Over the past two years, Shamdasani said the U.N. human rights staff has been severely hampered in its ability to look into allegations of violations. Nevertheless, she said, her office has continued to receive allegations of human rights abuses. She said the office has received very credible reports of killings, forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, threats and restrictions on the freedom of expression and movement. Despite the closure of the office, she said U.N. staff will continue to monitor the situation in Burundi by various means to shed light on human rights concerns and to lend support to those in need of protection. She said High Commissioner Bachelet stands ready to engage constructively with Burundi. Saudi Arabia is using its counterterrorism laws to silence activists, including women, in violation of international law guaranteeing freedom of speech, United Nations human rights experts said Monday. The kingdom's public prosecutor has begun preparing the trials of detainees, identified by watchdog groups as women's rights activists, after completing its investigations, state news agency SPA said Friday. A panel event entitled "Saudi Arabia Time for Accountability" was held Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. Human Rights Council. The Saudi counterterrorism law and other regulations are "unacceptably wide and unacceptably vague," said Fionnuala Ni Aolain, U.N. special rapporteur on protecting human rights while countering terrorism. "It includes people who are engaged in promoting or inciting sit-ins, protests, meetings or group statements. Anyone who harms the unity or stability of the kingdom by any means. These are notoriously slippery terms," she said. "These laws are used to directly attack and limit the rights of prominent human rights defenders, religious figures, writers, journalists, academics, civil activists and all of these groups have been targeted by this law," Ni Aolain said. Michel Forst, U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, said he has been in touch with the Riyadh government for the past year since its "crackdown." "Worrisome for me is the targeting of women human rights defenders," he said. These concerned not just women involved in the right to drive movement, "but also all kinds of women," Forst said, adding: "All arrests involved incommunicado detention at undisclosed locations." Abdulaziz M.O. Alwasil, Saudi ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, told the Human Rights Council last Friday: "The kingdom heeds in its measures all international and national standards related to human rights." Terror suspects Its counterterrorism measures are based not only on security measures, but take into account legal and other necessary aspects to deal with terror suspects, he said. At Monday's panel, Saudi and other campaigners called on the kingdom to release defenders whom they said were unjustly held, naming rights lawyer Walid abu al-Kahir, poet Ashraf Fayadh and women including Loujain al-Hathloul and Israa al-Ghomgham. "Some are leaders of famous campaigns like the right to drive and abolishing male guardianship. These attacks are designed to mute their voices and dismantle the movements in the country," said Zaynab al-Khawaja of the Gulf Center for Human Rights. Facing torture Issuing her group's report on alleged torture in Saudi Arabia, she said: "We highlight some of the torture methods that are being used in Saudi Arabia electrocution, flogging, sometimes whipping, on the thighs for example, sexual assault where some women human rights defenders have been stripped, have been groped, have been photographed naked, some while handcuffed, and others while blindfolded." Omaima al-Najjar, a Saudi blogger living in exile since fleeing the kingdom, voiced concern for at least 18 women she said had been charged. "It is important to remember that while so many women for example now can drive, women who campaigned for driving are still in prison. While so many women can finally vote, or women can finally go to the cinemas, a lot of the activists who called for those reforms are still in prison," she told Reuters. "I'm concerned that those women, if there is no international pressure, will end up spending the rest of their lives in prison, if not executed." The United Nations warned Tuesday that "an unprecedented humanitarian emergency" is developing in Burkina Faso, which has seen a surge in terrorist attacks and intercommunal violence. "Thousands of families continue to flee due to persistent insecurity," said U.N. deputy humanitarian chief Ursula Mueller, who just wrapped up a four-day visit to the West African country. "Burkina Faso authorities and humanitarian actors have quickly provided assistance. However, more has to be done to meet growing needs of the affected people wherever they may be," she said. "I urge all actors to respect the neutrality of aid workers and do their utmost to ensure the protection of communities." In February, the government and humanitarian community launched an appeal for $100 million to assist some 900,000 of the most affected people. On Monday, the United Nations announced it would give $4 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to the relief effort. Burkina Faso has been rocked by increasing insurgent violence, predominantly in the country's north and east. There have also been terrorist attacks in the capital, Ouagadougou. The country of 17 million is also facing severe economic troubles, with 40 percent of the population living under the poverty line. The U.N. estimates some 670,000 people are at risk of food insecurity, while 130,000 children are in danger of severe acute malnutrition this year. The instability has displaced more than 100,000 people over half of them just in the first two months of 2019. In December, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore declared a six-month state of emergency in 14 of the country's 45 provinces. Last month, the United States raised its travel advisory for Burkina Faso to its next-to-highest level, advising its citizens to reconsider travel to the country due to "crime and terrorism." In its advisory, the U.S. State Department warned, "Terrorist groups continue plotting attacks and kidnappings in Burkina Faso and may conduct attacks anywhere with no warning." U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Tuesday that he plans to step down next month, a sudden resignation that calls into question how the agency will handle issues such as surging e-cigarette use among teens and efforts to increase competition in prescription drugs. Gottlieb was well regarded by public health advocates and won bipartisan support for his efforts to curb use of flavored e-cigarettes by youths, speed approval times for cheap generic medicines to increase competition and bring down drug prices, and boost the use of cheaper versions of expensive biotech medicines called biosimilars. Unlike his predecessors, who said drug pricing was not the purview of the FDA, Gottlieb waded into the intensifying debate about the high cost of medicines for U.S. consumers and had the agency actively looking into possible solutions. "Scott's leadership inspired historic results from the FDA team, which delivered record approvals of both innovative treatments and affordable generic drugs, while advancing important policies to confront opioid addiction, tobacco and youth e-cigarette use," Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. Gottlieb, who said he wanted to spend more time with his wife and three young children in Connecticut, was nominated by President Donald Trump in part to aid in Trump's anti-regulation agenda. But Gottlieb took an aggressive stance toward e-cigarette makers, such as Juul Labs. On Monday, he confronted 15 retailers including Walgreens Boots Alliance, Kroger and Walmart, for illegally selling tobacco products to children. In early February, the FDA pursued enforcement actions against some Walgreen and Circle K locations. But Gottlieb ran into fierce opposition from anti-regulation groups, such as Americans for Tax Reform, and former FDA officials, who said the agency's regulatory efforts would destroy thousands of jobs. A coalition of these groups wrote Trump last month asking him to "immediately halt the Food and Drug Administration's aggressive regulatory assault" on e-cigarette businesses. Following news of Gottlieb's resignation, the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index turned negative. It closed down 0.5 percent as shares of Amgen erased gains and Gilead Sciences shares fell further. Shares of British American Tobacco rose after the news on Gottlieb, who had signaled his intention to also go after menthol and other flavored cigarette products. "He made proposals that were unprecedented in their breadth, scope and, if they were adopted, likely impact," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "But they were just proposals." E-Cig 'Epidemic' Gottlieb's campaign against flavored e-cigarettes followed preliminary federal data showing teenage use had surged by more than 75 percent since last year, which the FDA described as an "epidemic." Under Gottlieb, the FDA proposed a ban on the sale of fruit- and candy-flavored electronic cigarettes in convenience stores and gas stations. The FDA also proposed stricter age-verification requirements for online sales of e-cigarettes. "Scott has helped us to lower drug prices, get a record number of generic drugs approved and onto the market, and so many other things. He and his talents will be greatly missed!" Trump said on Twitter on Tuesday. Trump picked Gottlieb to lead the agency in March 2017 and he was confirmed by the Senate in May of that year. The Washington Post first reported on Tuesday that Gottlieb planned to resign. "There's perhaps nothing that could pull me away from this role other than the challenge of being apart from my family for these past two years," Gottlieb wrote in a note to FDA staff. In his resignation letter, Gottlieb touted several agency initiatives, including efforts to curb tobacco use, decrease the rate of opioid addiction, speed up approval of generic drugs and streamline the process to bring to market novel medical technologies, such as gene therapy. Gottlieb, 46, a conservative and former physician, was deputy FDA commissioner under Republican President George W. Bush. Before taking over at FDA, he was a healthcare investor and consultant who sat on multiple company boards. He surprised critics who worried about his ties to the pharmaceutical industry by speaking out about rising drug prices and drug company tactics to keep competitors off the market. Gottlieb often touted that the agency had approved more than 1,000 generic drugs as evidence that it was helping to curb prescription drug prices, a priority of Trump's administration. Among those seen as possible successors, according to the Wall Street Journal, are Norman Sharpless, director of the National Cancer Institute, and Brett Giroir, assistant secretary at HHS. Giroir has been the senior adviser to Azar for HHS efforts to fight the opioid crisis. In January, Gottlieb said in a tweet that he did not plan to leave the agency after speculation that he was preparing to step down. "We've got a lot of important policy we'll advance this year," he wrote in the January tweet. The United States needs more firepower and focus to push back against ever-increasing Russian aggression across Europe and beyond, according to the top U.S. commander in Europe. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday, European Commands Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti called Russia the primary threat to stability in Europe and recommended the U.S. boost the number of troops it deploys to the continent on both a permanent and rotational basis. Scaparrotti said he was particularly concerned about insufficient intelligence and surveillance capabilities, as well as a shrinking advantage on the high seas. Ive asked for two more [naval] destroyers, Scaparrotti told lawmakers, saying the need for additional ships was critical if we want to remain dominant in the maritime domain." "We do need greater capacity, particularly given the modernization and the growth of the Russian fleets in Europe, he said, noting growing concern about the presence of Russian submarines in European and international waters. Countering Russian Influence Scaparrotti, who also serves as the supreme allied commander for NATO, is not the first high ranking U.S. military official to raise concerns about what many in the U.S. see as Russias increasingly aggressive posture. Last month, a report by the U.S. militarys Defense Intelligence Agency warned of the threat posed by Russias action is space, while the commander of U.S. forces in Africa cautioned Moscow was playing on perceived U.S. weakness to gain influence there. In his prepared testimony Tuesday, Scaparrotti said Europe, however, was still the lynchpin to Moscows overall approach. "Moscow seeks to assert its influence over nations along its periphery, undermine NATO solidarity, and fracture the rules-based international order, he wrote, adding from there, Russia is looking to increase its influence and expand its presence in Afghanistan, Syria, and Asia. Scaparrotti told lawmakers that the U.S. military has been working closely with European allies, including Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic nations to develop the right capabilities to counter Russian aggression. US support for Ukraine He also said strong consideration is being given to find more ways to support Ukraine. Since 2014, when Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, the U.S. has given Kyiv more than $1 billion worth of military assistance, though the vast majority of it has been non-lethal. To date, the lone exception has been shipments of javelin missiles which started last April (2018), following authorizations by U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress. Scaparrotti said the additional lethal aid could include sniper systems, ammunition and even naval warfare systems, citing Russias seizure of Ukrainian naval vessels last November, as part of an effort to block off Ukrainian access to the Kerch Strait. Disinformation, cyberattacks and arms race But like top U.S. intelligence officials, the commander of U.S. forces in Europe cautioned that while Russia is strengthening its military might, the biggest threat comes from the Kremlins devotion to information warfare. And he raised concerns Washingtons response in that arena is lacking. We need to probably get greater focus and energy into a strategy, a multifaceted strategy to counter Russia, Scaparrotti said, "specifically within information operations, challenging their disinformation in cyber. U.S. lawmakers Tuesday also raised concerns about a possible nuclear arms race with Russia, with both President trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing last month they are withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The U.S. and its European allies accuse Moscow of violating the terms of the treaty, which prohibited ballistic and ground-launched cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, since at least 2014. "We simply cannot tolerate this kind of abuse of arms control and expect for arms control to continue to be viable," a senior U.S. administration official said at the time. "Let's be clear: If there's an arms race, it is Russia that is starting it." Pressed on how the U.S. would proceed in a post-treaty environment, Scaparrotti said planning was underway. I don't know that we have a plan today," he said. We're still in a 6-month period here where we are looking at what our options are." Congressional leaders are set to vote on a resolution Wednesday condemning anti-Semitism and bigotry, a rebuke targeting a new Democratic lawmaker, a Somali-American Muslim who has criticized Israel in ways that many find offensive. The resolution, as drafted by key Democrats, does not name Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, one of two Muslim women who were elected to the 435-member House last November and took office in early January. But the statement was clearly aimed at the 37-year-old lawmaker from the Midwestern state of Minnesota. Omar has incensed many fellow Democrats for her comments calling into question long-held U.S. support for the Jewish state that has been a bedrock belief of Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike since the country's inception in 1948. Numerous Democrats, with a few exceptions, say her comments are anti-Semitic and have condemned them as well beyond the realm of normal political debate in the U.S. In recent days, Omar referred to pro-Israel advocates in the U.S. as supporting "allegiance to a foreign country." Omar previously had drawn the ire of top Democratic lawmakers and Republicans for questioning the financial clout of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a highly influential lobby in the U.S. supporting Israel. "It's all about the Benjamins baby," Omar tweeted, referring to pictures of Benjamin Franklin, a U.S. Founding Father whose picture is on $100 bills. She apologized and joined in voting for an earlier resolution condemning anti-Semitism. AIPAC does not make campaign contributions to U.S. lawmakers, but many of its members individually do. The resolution set for a Wednesday vote said the "myth of dual loyalty ... has been used to marginalize and persecute the Jewish people for centuries for being a stateless people." The statement said that "accusing Jews of dual loyalty because they support Israel, whether out of a religious connection, a commitment to Jewish self-determination after millennia of persecution, or an appreciation for shared values and interests, suggests that Jews cannot be patriotic Americans and trusted neighbors, when Jews have served our nation since its founding, whether in public life or military service." Citing past hate attacks on Jews in the U.S., including last October's killing of 11 Jews inside a synagogue in Pittsburgh, the resolution said the House "recognizes the dangerous consequences of perpetuating anti-Semitic stereotypes and rejects anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States." Nearly a dozen pro-Israel groups called for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to oust Omar from membership on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, but top Democrats in the House leadership have stopped short of that action. Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, called on the House to reject what it said was Omar's "latest slur." One Jewish lawmaker, Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York, demanded Omar apologize for her comments referring to American Jews' supposed "allegiance to a foreign country." "No member of Congress is asked to swear allegiance to another country," Lowey said. "Throughout history, Jews have been accused of dual loyalty, leading to discrimination and violence, which is why these accusations are so hurtful." Omar replied, "Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! I have not mischaracterized our relationship with Israel, I have questioned it and that has been clear from my end." Not all Democrats have condemned Omar's comments, with at least two other new House lawmakers, progressive Democrats Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the first Palestinian-American congresswoman, and New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, coming to her defense. Tlaib said Omar had been "targeted just like many civil rights icons before us who spoke out about oppressive policies." President Donald Trump weighed in with his assessment of Omar, saying on Twitter that she "is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel. Jewish groups have just sent a petition to Speaker Pelosi asking her to remove Omar from Foreign Relations Committee. A dark day for Israel!" A U.S. federal judge on Monday declined to fast-track the case of a U.S.-born woman who moved to Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria in 2014 and now wants to return to her birth country. Lawyers for Hoda Muthana's father, who is suing the U.S. government on behalf of his 24-year-old daughter and her toddler son, argued in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., that threats against the young woman's life after defecting from IS late last year, in addition to the conditions in the refugee camp where she is being held by Kurdish forces allied with the U.S., "are not safe." "She's in immediate areas of conflict," attorney Charles Swift of the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America told the judge. Moreover, Swift argued, the imminent withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria created a need to get Muthana out of the camp while soldiers could still reach her. Lawyers for the federal government countered that Muthana, who has been interviewed by several international media outlets in the last month at the camp, showed "no indication she's facing any sort of imminent harm." "She did this of her own free will. She's in the custody of foreign forces because of those decisions," one of the government's lead attorneys, Scott Stewart, argued to the judge. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton agreed with the government that the lawsuit will continue on a regular timeline, not expedited; Swift indicated the case would take months to conclude but likely would not stretch past August. At the heart of the case are a litany of bureaucratic and diplomatic entanglements that raise questions about diplomatic immunities, the processes of revoking passports and stripping citizenship, and how the U.S. will handle the cases of returning extremists. The government attempted to revoke her passport and declare that Muthana was granted citizenship and multiple U.S. passports in error after she left the country from Syria. Muthana has indicated, through lawyers and media interviews, that she is willing to face the legal consequences if she is charged over her affiliation with the extremist group upon returning to the U.S. Diplomatic immunity and birthright citizenship Her father, Ahmed Ali Muthana, is suing, in part, for the government to recognize her citizenship and allow her to re-enter the U.S. U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Hoda Muthana will not be allowed to return to the country, but they cannot unilaterally strip her of her citizenship. Court documents filed in the case show a dispute between the government and the Muthana family over when Hoda's father once a high-ranking official with the Yemeni delegation to the United Nations in New York ceased being covered by diplomatic immunity. That decision affects whether Hoda Muthana, who was born in New Jersey and raised in Alabama, should have qualified for birthright citizenship. Children born to diplomats in the U.S. do not benefit from automatic citizenship. U.S. officials allege the U.S. mission to the U.N. was not notified of Ahmed Ali Muthana's departure from the Yemeni mission until after his daughter's birth, and that she was twice issued U.S. passports in error, since her family was still covered by diplomatic immunity when she was born in 1994. The Muthana family provided a document from the same office of the U.S. mission to the U.N. that shows the bureau was notified that Ahmed Ali Muthana was no longer with the mission prior to Hoda Muthana's birth, which would make her eligible for birthright citizenship. 'Exploiting' a system The case, however, could have repercussions beyond Hoda Muthana. In an argument that seemed to pique the judge's interest, Swift claimed the discrepancy as described by the U.S. government, if left unaddressed, could lead to embassies in the U.S. "exploiting" a system in which they could hire, then fire, diplomats, postpone notifying the U.S. mission to the U.N., and order the terminated diplomats to spy or commit other crimes in the U.S. under the cover of immunity. "That is really opening us up to danger," Swift told reporters gathered outside the courthouse after the hearing. The next hearing date has not been set. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers complained to the Trump administration on Monday that its response to rights abuses against China's Muslim minority was inadequate months after saying it was looking into imposing sanctions. "This issue is bigger than just China. It is about demonstrating to strongmen globally that the world will hold them accountable for their actions," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The group is led by Representative Eliot Engel, Democratic chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and includes Republican ranking member Representative Ted Yoho. The letter said Pompeo had written to the committee on Sept. 28 saying his department was looking into the request for sanctions on those responsible for abuses and for controls on exports of technology that facilitates mass detentions and surveillance of ethnic minorities in western China's Xinjiang region. "More than four months later, it appears that the Administration has taken no meaningful action ... and we write today with a renewed sense of urgency on this serious matter," said the letter, also signed by Representative Brad Sherman, Democratic chairman of the subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific and Representative Chris Smith, Republican ranking member of the subcommittee on human rights. China denies the allegations. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. ambassador for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, told reporters the issue was "being discussed thoroughly within the administration," but he had no new steps to announce. Brownback spoke at a Capitol Hill event to mark the formation of the Coalition to Advance Religious Freedom in China, a multi-faith group of over a dozen religious and rights organizations established to campaign against persecution. U.S. officials said last year the Trump administration was considering sanctions targeting companies and officials linked to China's crackdown on minority Muslims, including Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, a member of the Chinese leadership's powerful politburo. But no action has been forthcoming, with the administration engaged in sensitive negotiations to resolve trade disputes between the countries. China denies allegations of abuses in Xinjiang and in a November interview with Reuters, its ambassador to the United States warned of retaliation if Washington were to impose sanctions on Chen. The U.S. lawmakers said it was a particular concern that U.S. firms might be contributing to the Xinjiang persecution given commercial ties to Chinese tech companies that had profited from a surge in security spending there. They called for written responses from Pompeo as to whether the U.S. government monitored the use of U.S. technology that could be used for surveillance or detention in Xinjiang and information on any U.S. firms providing such technology. The letter highlighted a Jan. 31 Reuters report saying that Hong Kong-listed Frontier Services Group, co-founded by former U.S. military services contractor Erik Prince, had signed a deal to build a training base in Xinjiang. U.S. senators of both parties on Monday blasted the Trump administration's response to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Turkey last October, accusing the administration of defying a law requiring it to investigate and identify those responsible for the dissident Saudi reporter's death. "It's outrageous, it's insulting, and it's nothing more than a sham," the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, told reporters. Menendez spoke after the committee received a classified briefing from State Department and Treasury officials on the Khashoggi case. Last year, lawmakers triggered the Global Magnitsky Act, which gave the White House 120 days to identify those responsible for the journalist's killing, a deadline that expired last month. Persistent news reports have said the CIA concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the execution of Khashoggi, a Washington Post reporter who wrote critically about the Saudi kingdom. No intelligence officials were present for Mondays closed-door briefing, causing multiple senators tempers to flare. "It was a complete waste of time," South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham said. "I knew more [about the Khashoggi case] than they [briefers] did." Graham said he left the briefing "less satisfied" about the White House's response to the journalist's death, a sentiment Democrats echoed. "They [the administration] sent up witnesses who say they can't comment [on the investigation]," Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine told VOA. "They have no information about whether the president will ever reach the determination required by law about MBS [Mohammed bin Salman], about whether the president will ever comply with the law." Kaine added, "The determination about MBS, they [briefers] say, is for the president to make. They've been instructed that it's not theirs to make, and they have no information about whether the president will ever do that." Administration officials "don't want us to have a conversation about the intelligence," Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy said. "I don't think you could tell who was a Democrat and a Republican on that panel. There were equal amounts of frustration with the briefing." Florida Republican Marco Rubio noted that the administration has identified and sanctioned 17 Saudis believed to have been directly involved in Khashoggi's killing. "But who told them to do it?" Rubio asked. "I don't believe you could do that without him [Prince bin Salman] knowing about it and approving it. That isn't exactly a decentralized government." Trump has said responsibility for Khashoggi's death is an open question. He also has affirmed the crown prince's denials of involvement. The president's statements, according to some lawmakers, explain the administration's foot-dragging in complying with the Global Magnitsky Act and addressing Salman's culpability. "This was a political decision. This has nothing to do with the facts. It's a political decision by the president, and that becomes clearer and clearer and clearer," Murphy said. For its part, the administration has been noncommittal about its intentions regarding the Global Magnitsky Act in relation to the Khashoggi case. "We will continue to consult with the Congress and work to hold accountable those who are responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's killing," Deputy State Department Spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters last month. "This is an unacceptable murder. Make no mistake about it," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a recent interview with CBS. "We also know that we have an important relationship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and we are determined to make that a successful relationship." Pompeo added, "[W]e've made clear as the facts are developed, as we learn more, we will hold everyone responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi accountable." Matthew Whitaker, whose brief tenure as acting U.S. attorney general was marred by accusations he might try to interfere in a probe of President Donald Trump's campaign, left his Justice Department job over the weekend, a department spokeswoman confirmed on Monday. Whitaker's last day at the department was on Saturday, the spokeswoman said, adding she did not know where he might be headed next. In mid-February, Attorney General William Barr was sworn in and Whitaker stepped down from the top post to become a senior counselor in the office of the associate attorney general. In one of his final acts as acting attorney general, Whitaker testified before the House Judiciary Committee, where combative Democratic lawmakers pressed him on whether he had tried to interfere with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia. Whitaker denied any interference and said he had not talked to Trump about the probe. Trump has denied colluding with Russia and has repeatedly called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt." Whitaker first joined the Justice Department as former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' chief of staff in the autumn of 2017. Trump handpicked him as acting attorney general in November after the president ousted Sessions. Whitaker's appointment alarmed Democrats, who pointed to numerous negative comments he had made about the probe during his previous work as a conservative political pundit. Those concerns were exacerbated after the Justice Department disclosed that its career ethics lawyers had recommended that Whitaker recuse himself from the probe to avoid the appearance of a conflict but that he declined to do so. The Justice Department also faced a backlash in the form of multiple lawsuits alleging Whitaker's appointment violated the U.S. Constitution and the federal law governing succession at the department. None of the plaintiffs who challenged Whitaker's appointment prevailed, and the issue has since been mooted with Barr's Senate confirmation. Although Whitaker is no longer with the Justice Department, he could still find himself in the spotlight. Following his contentious House of Representatives testimony last month, Democrats have raised questions about whether he had been truthful in his statements under oath. In a letter to Whitaker, the panel's chairman, Jerrold Nadler, said he wanted Whitaker to come back and follow up on answers he gave that seemed "unsatisfactory, incomplete or contradicted by other evidence." Nadler told MSNBC that Whitaker has agreed to testify again before the committee and his appearance would happen in the next few weeks. In Zimbabwe, the price of bread is forcing citizens to look for alternatives to go with the food that is also in short supply. President Emmerson Mnangagwas government says it is working to ensure people can buy bread that is affordable. Bread in Zimbabwe now costs $2 a loaf, or higher, making it beyond the reach of many in the poverty-stricken country. That has not stopped Zimbabweans from enjoying their favorite morning drink tea without bread, as 63-year-old Gibson Nhema said. My friend, bread is now expensive. Now, sometimes we have our thick porridge, sweet potatoes, green mealies. If we can get it [bread] once a week, that will be it. But we no longer miss it, because it is now expensive. They [at home] make them have a color of bread so that I do not miss bread. If they [government] would push the price of bread and flour down, that would go well with our way of living. We have no cash. If it remains expensive, I will not be able to buy dinner if I buy bread. So, we go for potatoes and will have bread when I get money, she said. Nhema said sales of potatoes and other bread substitutes is booming. Alwyn Mutero, who sells bread. People used to buy bread a lot. But these days, they are not buying bread. You can check the shelves. There used to be lots of bread, but these days, people no longer buy like they used to do, because prices are going high. We used to sell this bread for about a $1. Now, it costs about $2.50. So, people cannot afford it, said Mutero. Minister of Industries Mangaliso Ndlovu said he is aware of the problem facing Zimbabweans. We are currently engaging the baking sector, specifically looking at the issue of bread availability and the price of bread. We are worried that there is always demand for the importation of wheat. It is possible to have a bread that is 100 percent Zimbabwean. As a government, we are quite keen to see that bread is available at affordable prices to the generality of our people, said Ndlovy. Government's price controls Part of the problem is that because of government price controls, wheat millers and bakers lose money when they make their products. As a result they produce less to minimize their losses. This leads to a bread shortage and higher prices. But Ben Gilpin from the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union said wheat is a capital intensive, and President Emmerson Mnangagwas government must ensure that it is priced correctly to address Zimbabwes bread shortages and affordability. He said among other things, farmers must have the knowledge and tools to revive the agriculture sector, which has struggled since 2000 when the government began to push white commercial farmers off their land and replace them with poorer, less experienced black farmers. Irrigation infrastructure and impact of land reform has had an impact on wheat production. It got down to a very low level at one point. Its coming up, but for it to grow on a sustainable basis, the bottom line is [that] farmers need a decent price, and millers need to cover their costs, and contractors need to get their supplies at affordable prices, said Gilpin. While the government, farmers and businesses look for a solution, Zimbabweans like Gibson Nhema will have to keep thinking of alternatives pumpkins, sweet potatoes, butternuts to their daily bread, hoping that they, too, do not get affected by price controls that force shortages. Zimbabwean police have arrested Charlton Hwende, an opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Member of Parliament for Kuwadzana East, who arrived in the country Tuesday. Hwende, who is also the MDCs national deputy treasurer, was arrested at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport barely three days following the locking up of Joanna Mamombe, the partys MP for Harare West. Mamombe is facing charges of attempting to topple President Emmerson Mnangagwas government. Mamombe was today remanded to March 19 as the magistrate insisted that she was convinced there was reasonable suspicion that the lawmaker committed a crime. Lawyers are now proceeding with bail application at High Court. Hwende has not yet been formally charged. Police were not reachable for comment. In a statement, the MDC said, Hon. Charlton Hwende was arrested this morning at the airport on his way from Namibia. Hon. Godfrey Sithole (Chitungwiza North MP) also spent days in prison only to be released on bail this (Tuesday) morning. The MDC further claimed that the justice system has been hijacked by the executive. It is sad for justice in Zimbabwe as the pattern of irrational remand of MDC leaders continues. The military state now has designated courts and special Magistrates taking direct instructions from politicians in Zanu PF. That a magistrate can agree that the words invitation to a peaceful march and dress in black constitute reasonable suspicion of commission of a crime boggles the mind. A competent court of law which fails to declare what is in the constitution is retrogressive and ceases to serve the purpose of its existence. Hon. Mamombe was over-detained, arrested by an individual who is clearly not a police officer and could not even ascertain his identity before the court, a man who could not repeat the rights he claimed he had advised the court of. The MDC claimed that her arrest violated her rights. The arrest of Hon. Mamombe was clearly in violation of her rights and illegal, there is no basis to formulate an opinion that she intended to subvert a constitutionally elected government. Placing her on remand is shocking. The public has lost confidence in the justice delivery system because of such conduct, the judiciary must remain independent as it is the soul of a constitutional democracy. The party said resources are being invested in partisan cases. We urge the Judiciary Services Commission to put a stop to such insanity. Those who are supposed to be pursuing representational, oversight and legislative agenda are spending half the time either fearing for their life or in prison That cannot be normal. The government is blaming the MDC for allegedly spearheading anti-government protests early this year, which left over 12 people dead and thousands locked up. Harold J. DeBlieck age 64, of Osakis died on Sunday, December 5, 2021, at Alomere Hospital in Alexandria. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, December 10, 2021, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Osakis. Visitation will be held from 4-7 PM on Thursday, Dec Small, compact, affordable ever more people are adopting mobile lifestyles and living in what are known as tiny houses. These miniature dwellings are an economical and environmentally friendly form of housing, and their close quarters contain everything that might be found in a conventional home. Their interiors can be configured in any number of new and flexible ways to meet the needs of their inhabitants. A fold-down bed turns the house into a bedroom, for example, while modular tables create a cozy kitchen and dining area. Tiny houses usually stand on trailers, and can be towed by passenger cars if desired. Like the miniature house named aVOID. Italian architect Leonardo Di Chiara has been traveling through Europe in it since the spring of 2018, in a joint project with the Volkswagen brand. His faithful companion is a Volkswagen Touareg, the Volkswagen model with the greatest towing power. Mobile living concepts such as tiny houses are of interest to Volkswagen, especially in light of the opportunities that will be created by e-mobility and autonomous drive systems. If tiny houses can offer the greatest number of options in the smallest amount of space thanks to a focus on efficiency, how can cars of the future be designed to enable any number of rooms to be built on the same platform? In this interview Leonardo Di Chiara describes the mobile living concept behind his tiny house aVOID, talks about his travels through Europe, and explains why a nomadic lifestyle in a tiny home can also be a model for mobility in the future. Luke Perry. Photo: Andrew Toth/Getty Images for New York Comic Con In a day of tributes to the late actor Luke Perry, Life in Pieces star Colin Hanks shared a story about the first and only time he met the Beverly Hills, 90210 actor in real life. There Hanks was, returning from Mexico, when suddenly two little kids started a full-on child brawl mid-flight. Their parents were helpless to stop them. As Hanks explained in an Instagram post Monday, Out of no where, a man comes from first class. Hat, beard, sunglasses, blowing up a balloon, the actor recalled. He ties it off, hands it off like hes holding out a sword to a king. Kneeling, Head down, arms up. Kids calm down in milliseconds. Plane damn near bursts into applause. 15 minutes longer and it probably would have started WWIII, but we landed before that could happen. If that wasnt charming enough, turns out, Perry was also a vocal fan of Hankss work. Finally get a good look at the guy and I say to my wife, Holy shit. I think that balloon man/hero is Luke Perry, he continued. As luck would have it we end up standing next to each other. Out of the blue he turns to me and says some kind words about Fargo, which kinda blew my mind. And in case you thought Luke Perrys turn as an on-flight balloon wizard was a one-time performance, think again. He tells me he always flies with a couple of balloons for that very reason, to give to screaming kids, Hanks reveals. Dont know if thats true, but have no reason to believe it wasnt. Guy seemed like a true gent. Gone way too damn soon. Also, Im gotta [sic] start traveling with some spare balloons. Go ahead and read the full saga below. California should never have begun building its high-speed rail project, and Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement last month that construction will be limited -- at least for now -- to a segment already under construction is one of the best decisions he could have made.But President Donald Trump's demand that the state return federal contributions to the project is wrong, both because it was federal funding that enabled the project in the first place and because that demand creates perverse incentives for other states and localities to waste money on similarly useless projects.Back in 1997, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley compared the cost of travel by auto, air and high-speed rail between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The state had not yet estimated the cost of constructing a high-speed rail line connecting the two cities, so the researchers assumed it would be about $10 billion. At that cost, they found, both air and auto travel were less expensive than high-speed rail.Then, in 2000, California estimated that the actual cost would be $20 billion. That made it a megafolly: a hugely expensive project with negligible benefits. The state should have stopped right there. Instead, in 2008, it asked voters to approve the sale of $9 billion worth of high-speed rail bonds. The bond sale, the state promised, would be conditional on getting matching funds from the federal government and other sources. By that time, cost estimates had risen to $33 billion, but if the state could find $9 billion in matching funds, it would have enough to complete about half of the line.Voters agreed, but nothing would have happened without federal matching funds. The following year, President Barack Obama persuaded Congress to make $8 billion available for high-speed rail projects around the country; later, Congress added a couple more billion. California's share was less than $3.5 billion, allowing the state to sell a similar amount of bonds.The state began construction in the Central Valley. However, projected costs quickly escalated to $77 billion, with indications that they might exceed $100 billion. Obviously, the state had less than 10 percent of what it might end up needing.This wasn't a surprise to anyone. California was up front from the very beginning that it only would provide matching funds for whatever the federal government gave it and that the total cost would be much more than that. The Obama administration gave it the money anyway, so it would be hypocritical for the federal government to demand it back now -- especially since the alternative is to have federal taxpayers eventually pay half of the remaining cost of completing the project, which Trump does not want to do.Moreover, this creates perverse incentives for other states and local governments that are reconsidering their own megafollies. Oregon and Washington state, for example, spent $135 million in federal dollars studying whether to spend $3.5 billion replacing a bridge across the Columbia River with one that would move both highway vehicles and light-rail trains. The Washington legislature backed out of the project, concluding that it was too expensive. But now, even some Republicans are saying they have to revive the project so the states won't have to return the $135 million to the federal government.Honolulu, which has one of the best bus systems in America, made the foolish mistake of planning a rail transit line that will carry few people but divert resources away from the city's buses. It was far too expensive at its originally projected cost of around $3 billion, but since then that megafolly's costs have ballooned to more than $9 billion . The city probably has enough money to finish 16 miles of the planned 20-mile route. But some will argue that it will have to come up with several billion dollars more to finish the last four miles -- the most expensive ones -- or the federal government will demand the return of its share.These projects are obvious megafollies and never should have been considered. Yet sometimes common sense wins out only after construction of a megafolly has begun. As Gov. Newsom apparently concluded, the best thing to do is stop construction as soon as possible, run the incomplete megafolly until it wears out, and then, perhaps, replace it with something that makes more sense.States and cities shouldn't have to complete projects that they never should have started just to avoid returning federal money they've already spent. The Trump administration should reverse its position on the California high-speed-rail funds. The only thing worse than a megafolly is doubling down on one. Photo: Josh Vertucci/ABC This weeks episode of The Bachelor was a brutal one for Colton Underwood, as the contestant he was madly in love with, Cassie Randolph, dumped him in the midst of their fantasy suites date in Portugal. It didnt come out of nowhere, necessarily: Randolph had been the least vocal among all the remaining contestants about her feelings for Underwood, and she was also plagued by wrong reasons gossip throughout her time on the reality show. Still, seeing a heartbroken Underwood tearfully hop a fence to escape a fleet of cameras wasnt pleasant to watch, especially when you factor in the gloomy accolade hes now earned: Hes the most-dumped lead in the Bachelor franchises history. Factoring in Randolphs departure, four women have self-eliminated during Underwoods season, which is more than weve ever witnessed in the franchise. The most women to ever voluntarily leave The Bachelor in one season was previously two, which occurred in season 18 for Juan Pablo Galavis and season 20 for Ben Higgins. For a Bachelorette season, meanwhile, the record is three, which occurred in season 7 for Ashley Hebert and season 11 for Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson. It also happened twice in season nine for Desiree Hartsock. The first self-departure in the current season came around the midway point, when Elyse Dehlbom realized the shows formulaic process wouldnt allow her enough time to properly date him. I want to know all the silly, stupid things about you and how we are together. And I cant call Chris Harrison and say, I want every one-on-one for the next year. I want the time and attention that a relationship deserves, she said. Fellow contestant Sydney Lotuaco soon followed, after concluding that Underwood wasnt interested in a woman like her. With the choices youve been making, youre taking a lot of easier choices with the people youre pursuing, she explained. If thats what youre looking for, great, do that, go after that. In the least ego-crushing exit, Heather Martin politely eliminated herself before the hometown dates, as she implied she and Underwood were perhaps on more of a friend track than a romantic track. Right now, I just dont think its fair to you, she put it. And then, sadly, Coltons beloved Randolph left him, blaming a lack of time to appropriately gauge her feelings for a man who was overwhelmingly in love with her. I love you so much, she told him. But I couldnt, after today, Im not in love. You know what I mean? Were not totally sure we know what she means, but with The Bachelor already teasing Underwoods journey to win Randolph over once and for all in next weeks finale, well soon see if she changes her mind. The Bachelor Newsletter Because it might actually be the most dramatic season ever! Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Chris Watts' 4-year-old daughter knew her mother and younger sister, Celeste, had just been killed -- and she feared she would be next. "Please Daddy, don't do to me what you just did to Cece," said Bella, according to a lawyer for the family of Shannan Watts, the girls' mother. Earlier, Bella had walked into the room just after Watts had strangled his wife, Shannan, and was wrapping her in a sheet to dispose of her body. "What are you doing with Mommy?" Bella asked her father. Bella's last words and other details about the disturbing familial murders were revealed by attorney Steven Lambert on Tuesday's "Dr. Phil" show. Lambert's summary of the events provides a chilling picture of how Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife, Shanann, 34, and their two children, Bella and Celeste, 3, and then disposed of their bodies at a secluded oil field where he worked. Weld County, Colorado, prosecutors said he strangled his wife with his bare hands, suffocated the children, and loaded them in his vehicle and drove away to hide their remains. Watts initially denied involvement in the August disappearance of his wife and daughters, and even spoke with a local news station about his worry for their well-being. However, he later pleaded guilty to the killings and was sentenced in November to five life sentences after prosecutors and Shanann's family agreed to drop the possibility of the death penalty. Colorado Bureau of Investigations spokeswoman Susan Medina said Watts provided investigators with "additional information" about the murders of his family on February 18. The CBI said a written report and audio file from that interview will be released on Thursday. Why he did it After his sentencing last November, prosecutors had said they may never know what led Watts to kill his wife and daughters. "I don't think he will ever tell us. I don't think he will give an honest assessment of why he did what he did, how he did what he did," Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said. But in the "Dr. Phil" interview, Lambert said the couple got into a fight and Chris Watts confessed he was having an affair. He also said he wanted a divorce and declared that their relationship was over. "And she had said something to the effect of, 'Well, you're not gonna see the kids again.' As a consequence of that conversation, he strangled her to death," Lambert said. As Watts was preparing to move the body, Bella walked in and asked about her mother, Lambert said. "She's 4, what we've been told she's quite smart -- was quite smart -- and knew something likely was up. And what he said was that, 'Mommy is sick, we need to take her to the hospital to make her better,'" Lambert said. Lambert said his understanding is that Chris Watts put Shanann's body in his truck and then put his children, who were alive at the time, into the truck. He took Celeste's favorite blanket and smothered her, Lambert said. "At this point, Bella had unbuckled herself from the vehicle," Lambert said. Watts walked back to the truck and that's when Bella made the plea for her life, Lambert said. At Watts' sentencing, prosecutors said Bella fought back, but was killed. Prosecutors also argued that Watts did not kill her in a rage but deliberately and viciously. The "Dr. Phil" episode also features video of Chris Watts watching a neighbor's surveillance tape of him backing up his truck and putting something in the back. As Watts watches that surveillance tape, he puts his hands on his head, and the neighbor later notes that he was acting fidgety. Some officers in the Decatur Police Department will be sporting new cold weather suits, thanks to a donation from 3M. The scientific corporation gave the Decatur Marine Unit 5 cold weather suits, one for each officer. Each suit is projected to cost $500 and are said to be what the United States Coast Guard uses as well. The jackets will help keep the officers warm in the cold winters and stay safe when on the boats. Each jacket has an internal flotation device inside of it. Lieutenant Jeremy Hayes says this equipment is critical for the winters. "If you've been on the water at any amount of time in the winter time, you know you need as much clothing as possible in the water," Hayes said. "It's going to be a lot colder in the water than it is out of it." Decatur Police say their Marine Unit will start using the new donated weather suits immediately. The Florence Police Department responded to a stolen vehicle call about 10 p.m. Monday at the corner of Tennessee and Court streets. The victim stated she left her vehicle running and went into a business on Tennessee Street, and then observed someone leave in her vehicle, said Sgt. Gregory Cobb, department spokesman. A few minutes later officers located the vehicle at the intersection of Locust and Irvine streets. Officer conducted a traffic stop and took Barry K Wisdom, 48, into custody and charged him with first-degree theft of property, Cobb said. Wisdom is currently in the Lauderdale County Detention Center on a $5,000 cash bond. On Monday, the search was still suspended for a DeKalb County teen who's been missing for more than a week. Koy Spears was last seen near Buck's Pocket State Park. Although, the park is closed and Spears mom isnt able to personally search for him, she said shes never going to stop looking for answers as to what happened. Koy Spears Koy Spears "I do hope. I hope and I hope, because until I have Koy and I see Koy, Koys alive, said Leslie Spears. The search for Koy at the state park has been put on hold due to high water levels, but Leslie Spears said they need to find him. "My babys out there and I want to look, but I cant get to the spot where I need to look, so its very frustrating," she said. "This is my baby. I want every rock looked under. The search for Koy has been handed over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Last week, rescue crews said they think they found a vehicle in the water, but it's been too dangerous to pull it out. Officials said the search will continue once the water levels go down. Leslie Spears said her oldest son would know how to stay alive in even the toughest of conditions. "He knows how to survive in that environment. Im a country mama. I taught him how to skin rabbits, weve been frog-gigging, he knows how to do that kind of thing. He knows about flint, and he can make a fire up there. He knows the difference between the rocks and what to use and what not to. He would survive, she said. In the meantime, she said shes hanging on to faith and hopes to see Koy again soon. "I promised to protect him and now I cant even find him. Theres so many times I look out there, and I hope I just see him walking up the road, said Leslie Spears. Babies born suffering and dependent on opioids, are the innocent victims in Alabama's opioid epidemic. A mother who was addicted to opioids during her pregnancy shared her story with WAAY 31. Mother of three Jenna Gillespie says she is drug-free right now, but also says fighting her addiction to opioids is a daily struggle. I started having really bad depression when I was in high school and I struggled from it for a really long time. Doing benzos or opioids helped me get through it, said Gillespie. Gillespie struggled to kick the habit during most of her life, including during her pregnancies. As a result, her son was born dependent on opiates. I felt horrible seeing my child, my second child, seeing him have to detox. It was really hard. I felt really bad. I felt like I failed as a mom, she said. Gillespie's story plays out every day in hospitals across the Tennessee Valley. Alabama ranks the highest in the country in the number of opioid prescriptions per capita. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Alabama has more opioid prescriptions than people. Alabama is now suing OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP for fueling the opioid epidemic by deceptively marketing prescription painkillers to generate billions of dollars in sale. Alabama providers wrote 5.8 million prescriptions for opioids in 2015, ranking it the highest prescribing state in the nation. According to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, a baby is born suffering from opioid addiction every 15 minutes. Dr. Stephanie Israel works at Huntsville Hospital and says there are about 100 babies born a year at their facility who have to be admitted to the NICU because they come into the world addicted to opioids. So, we have probably, in previous years, we would have up to 10 opioid dependent babies in the unit at one time. Not always, but six, seven, eight was pretty frequent, said Israel. Gillespie's addiction landed her in jail. However, she found the help she needed through a rehabilitation center in Huntsville called the Aletheia House Women's Hope North. Carla Bugg, certified peer recovery specialist at the center, said more about the program. A typical day would be, they start off around 9 a.m. They have a class for about an hour and a half. It's either general outpatient or intensive outpatient, which that class consists of information concerning substance use disorder, what drugs do to your body, what drugs do to your mind, what drugs are doing to the neighborhood and community as a whole, said Bugg. Gillespie said that through the Aletheia House program she has been opioid-free for nine months. She recently graduated from the program. WAAY 31 is joining with broadcasters all across the state as a part of Together for Alabama to raise funds for victims of the Lee County tornadoes. Check out these ways you can help: Salvation Army Donate online at helpsalvationarmy.org. Look for the March 2019 Tornado Outbreak drop down to donate specifically to relief efforts in Lee and Macon counties. You also can call 800-SAL-ARMY (800-725-2769). Specifically say that you are calling to donate for the March 2019 Tornado Outbreak. Red Cross Donate for disaster relief online at www.redcross.org You also can call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767). Also, you can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to disaster relief. All funds donated to Red Cross will go to the disaster relief and recovery efforts for victims of the southern tornadoes and flooding. Bo Bikes Bama Donate on the website at bobikesbama.com Check back often as we add new ways you can help. Community Foundation of East Alabama A fund has been set up by the Community Foundation of East Alabama. To make donations, click here and then the "Lee County Tornado Recover Fund." You can also call 334-744-1020 Or send an email to info@cfeastalabama.org Alabama Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster This is a coalition of non-profit and faith-based organizations that respond to disasters. Learn more at https://alvoad.communityos.org/cms/ Huntsville First United Methodist Church 120 Greene St SE, Huntsville, AL 35801 256-539-5738 Can donate: Flashlights, tarps, gloves, trash bags, bug spray, pen/pencil, notebook. Hyde Homes 2101 Governors Dr SW, Huntsville, AL 35805 256-489-2771 Can donate: Water bottles, blankets, containers, bug spray, dog and cat food Church of the Highlands 300 Explorer Blvd NW, Huntsville, AL 35806 205-980-5577 Donate online: www.churchofthehighlands.com/response Flint River Baptist Church 12945 Hwy 231 431 N, Hazel Green, AL 35750 256-828-3692 Can donate: Granola bars, diapers, baby formula, baby wipes, hygiene products, soap, deodorant, feminine hygiene products Grant Street Church of Christ Flint River Baptist Church 240 Grant Street 256-353-8561 Can donate: Snacks, flashlights, batteries, tarps, and roofing nails. Rock Family Worship Center Address: 3401 Holmes Ave NW, Huntsville, AL 35816 Phone: 256-533-9292 Can donate: Food, water, toilet paper Harold Labrensz spent much of his 89-year life farming and ranching the rolling Dakota plains along the Missouri River. His family figured he would die there, too.But late last year, the nursing home in Mobridge, S.D., that cared for Mr. Labrensz announced that it was shutting down after a rocky history of corporate buyouts, unpaid bills and financial ruin. It had become one of the many nursing homes across the country that have gone out of business in recent years as beds go empty, money troubles mount and more Americans seek to age in their own homes.For Mr. Labrensz, though, the closure amounted to an eviction order from his hometown. His wife, Ramona, said she could not find any nursing home nearby to take him, and she could not help him if he took a fall at home. So one morning in late January, as a snowstorm whited out the prairie, Mr. Labrensz was loaded into the back of a small bus and sent off on a 220-mile road trip to a nursing home in North Dakota.He didnt want to go, said Mrs. Labrensz, 87, who made the trip with her husband. When we stopped for gas, he said, Turn this thing around. States would be banned from denying driver's licenses and job licenses to people for falling behind on their student loan payments under bipartisan legislation introduced last week in the U.S Senate.Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio are working together on the Protecting Job Opportunities for Borrowers (Protecting JOBs) Act , which they first introduced last June."We shouldn't punish people struggling to pay back their student loans by taking away their driver's or professional licenses, preventing them from going to work and making a living," Warren said in a statement.In his own statement, Rubio said its wrong to threaten a borrower's livelihood with this type of catch-22. He said the bill ensures that borrowers are able to continue working to pay off their loans, instead of being caught in a modern-day debtors prison.Nearly 30 percent of professions require a license, according to the Brookings Institution. The list includes higher-paid jobs like doctors and lawyers as well as lower-paid jobs like teachers and hair stylists.The legislation, which didnt receive a vote last year , would maintain the federal governments current debt-collection practices. But Warrens website says it would prevent states from suspending, revoking or denying state professional licenses solely because borrowers are behind on payments.This practice is currently permitted in 14 states, according to the libertarian Institute for Justice . In Florida, the state Board of Health recently told more than 900 health-care workers that their licenses could be suspended over student loan defaults.Americans owe a collective $1.5 trillion in student loan debt , more than they owe for auto loans ($1.1 trillion) and credit cards ($977 billion). Rubio has spoken publicly about how it took him 15 years to pay back $150,000 he borrowed for his own degrees. Last summer, he tweeted his regret about voting for a bill in the state legislature allowing Florida to suspend the licenses of workers who defaulted on student loans.A politically diverse collection of groups is supporting the Warren-Rubio legislation, including the liberal Generation Progress and the conservative Heritage Action and R Street. The nations two largest teacher unions -- the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers -- endorsed the bill, as did a variety of consumer, civil rights and youth organizations.There does not appear to be any organized opposition to the legislation.